I was woken up abruptly by the shaking of my bed and the sound of things falling onto the floor. My room was pitch black, so I couldn’t see anything.

“Cax, you bastard!” I shouted out, clutching the sides of my mattress in fear. He’d promised me the dungeon wouldn’t make the house collapse, yet here I was, about to be swallowed by the earth and buried in nothing but my boxers.

“It’s not the dungeon!” he replied urgently. “I believe it’s another earthquake.”

The disorientation of waking up so suddenly passed and the sound of the neighborhood dogs barking wildly finally registered. I could also hear people calling out to each other, the sound traveling quite easily in the dead of night. I realized he was probably right.

My relief that the house wasn’t about to come down was short-lived, as what was actually happening sunk in. Another earthquake? What was going on?! Based on the commotion outside, this one was much stronger than the one last night. A quick look at my interface showed me it was 3:20 a.m.

The shaking stopped about 20 seconds later. Before I could move, a notification appeared, floating in the center of my view. This one was different from the others, with a light blue background instead of white.

Quest

Investigate the Breach

A potentially hostile entity has entered Earth.

Their arrival has further disrupted the planet’s protective barrier and allowed the breach to widen, increasing the risk to the planet.

Investigate this intruder and take appropriate action if they are hostile.

Rewards: 50 experience / Custom class available

Do you accept?

My fear of the earthquake disappeared completely, replaced by a new dread that made my heart start beating even faster. Was Earth being invaded!? It couldn’t be! I mean, if this was an invasion, why was the quest to stop it given to me?! I had a business degree and I worked in a pub. But probably the biggest disqualifier in my eyes was that I lived with my mum! It didn’t make sense. In my panic, I considered simply ignoring the quest. The authorities could handle it. I was just about to dismiss it when Cax quickly spoke up.

He sounded frantic. “You must not! You are the only one on this planet who received that quest. By the time your authorities realize something is happening, it may be too late.”

“What do you mean I’m the only one who got it?!” I said, my voice coming out louder than I intended.

Cax took a second as though considering what to say. “On my world, it is widely believed that there is some kind of planetary consciousness. A kind of guiding force that maintains the balance in nature. The most popular term for it would translate as ‘the World Spirit’.

It is believed that this being takes advantage of the interface that adventurers have to communicate with them. That’s why this screen looks different from what you normally see. It gives them quests for a wide range of things, basically to guide them and help them grow. It also uses this system when there is a threat or something urgent that needs to be taken care of. And this quest certainly sounds like it qualifies as one of those.

Simply put, you are the only one on this planet capable of receiving the quest. You must heed its message. The consequences of ignoring it could be quite dire.”

Suddenly, being special didn’t feel so good. I had been having fun with my new abilities. Sure, because of the strange earthquake I had been working towards preparing in case something else happened,. But I had never imagined something on this scale! And this talk about the World asking for help? That was a level of responsibility I was not ready for.

Cax tried to project a feeling of calm to me, but in my current state it had little effect. “First, take a breath and try to relax. Now, we don’t know for sure that this visitor is hostile. There was probably a quest like this issued when I arrived, only nobody was capable of seeing it. I’m not so bad, am I?”

His attempt at lightening the mood did nothing to ease my tension. He carried on. “Dangerous or not, it will likely take them some time to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings. We can use that time to get ready.”

Cax was right. We didn’t know that they were hostile. It could be another poor soul like him in need of assistance. And if I was the only person on Earth who had received the call for help, how could I ignore it?

“Ok,” I said weakly. I accepted the quest. My voice picked up as I continued. “What am I going to do if they are a threat, though? I don’t know how to fight! And the spells I have aren’t exactly useful for combat.”

“You will need a way to defend yourself just in case,” he replied firmly. “Find something that you can use as a weapon.”

A weapon…a weapon…I jumped out of bed and went to turn the light on, cursing as I stepped on some stuff that had fallen onto the floor in the quake. I flipped the switch, but nothing happened. I fiddled with it a couple more times, but it was no good. “Shit! The earthquake must have knocked the power out.” I was really starting to lose it now, standing there in the darkness with thoughts of invaders in my head.

Luckily, Cax was keeping his cool. He reminded me I could make my own light. I quickly cast Glowing orb and my room lit up, dispelling the darkness and some of my fear. I set the orb in the center of the ceiling and left it there.

I opened my closet and moved stuff around, looking for something that could serve as a weapon. When I found my cricket bat, I pulled it out and looked at it consideringly. It was made of wood and was pretty solid. It had no trouble whacking a leather ball, but I wasn’t sure how well it would do when hitting flesh. Well, maybe flesh. I had no idea what this entity could be.

“Any ideas on that, Cax? Could it be the people who sent you here?” I asked hopefully. Dealing with people, even bad people, would be preferable to some kind of weird alien horror.

“Unlikely,” he responded, dashing my hopes. “The dungeon collapsed around them. Even if they did manage to survive and dig themselves out, I don’t believe they had the skills to reopen the portal.”

“Great. We’re going in completely blind.”

“Yes. But we can prepare, and if things look bad, we can retreat. Now, let’s see what we’re working with. Use your Analyze ability. It will give you information on the bat.”

I stared intently at the bat and activated the ability for the first time, not bothering to look at its information and unable to take the time to enjoy the fact I was performing a new kind of magic. I felt my mana shoot out of my center and impact the bat. A small amount rapidly returned with some information on the object.

Cricket bat

Damage: 3

Durability: 16 / 25

“I’m not an expert, but isn’t that damage really low?” I asked Cax, worried. I mean, I had 120 health now. It would take forever to beat me to death with that bat. I thought it would have done more than that.

“Yes, it is. Unfortunately, it’s to be expected. It was made using purely ordinary methods and materials. It might be an effective weapon against a regular human, but the damage listed is what it is capable of inflicting on someone like you who has activated their mana. We need an alternative, and quickly.”

It was pretty safe to assume that this visitor to the planet qualified as having access to mana. I mean, they had entered through a barrier that was apparently protecting Earth. My brain got hung up on the thought of some kind of magical shield around the planet, and then I shook my head and took a deep breath. I didn’t have time to dwell on that at the moment. I threw the bat back in the closet.

“What do you suggest?” I asked Cax, trying and failing to keep my voice steady.

“Use your experience to unlock and learn the Weaponsmithing profession,” he quickly replied, voice firm. “Then you’ll be able to use Create to make a weapon.”

The fact I didn’t hesitate to agree made me realize just how much I trusted Cax. I hated to use up the experience points without more careful consideration, but I guess learning a profession was the original plan, anyway. I just wish we weren’t forced into it under these circumstances.

I pulled up my stats screen and focused on my experience points. The same information I had seen yesterday immediately appeared.

Experience points available: 27

Please choose from the following options:

Level up (30xp)

Magical Affinities (30xp)

Spells (20xp)

Active Abilities (20xp)

Passive Abilities (30xp)

Skills (20xp)

Professions (30xp)

As Cax had mentioned the first time we looked at it, the costs had gone up to match the amount I needed for my next level. That meant I was 3xp short of the 30xp I needed to unlock and learn a profession.

I let out a grunt of frustration. I’d forgotten about that! I quickly grabbed three books, not even bothering to check the titles. Panic was a good motivator to help me let go of things. A minute later, I had absorbed all of them, giving me just enough experience.

Going back into my interface, I mentally confirmed my choice. The screen disappeared, and I had the dubious pleasure of experiencing a new sensation. It felt like what happened after standing up too quickly, but this went on for a good 10 seconds.

I guess it made sense that adding an entire profession’s worth of information to my mind would require some hefty changes. When my head finally cleared, I saw the expected notification confirming I had learned Weaponsmithing, along with one other.

You have learned the ability:

Repair

Restore the durability of items associated with any known professions.

Cost: 1 mana per point of durability

Range: Touch

The ability was pretty self-explanatory and I was in a hurry, so I quickly dismissed the information and opened up my new profession.

I was confronted with a long list of weapons. There were swords, axes, bows, and so many more. The only thing they had in common was that they were all low-tech. Well, not the only thing. The other being that I didn’t know how to use any of them! Which one should I pick?!

One of the options suddenly caught my eye. Staves.

Perfect! A staff had no sharp parts I could accidentally hurt myself on, and I had some confidence I could successfully use it to bash something. Plus, it had the added benefit of not immediately looking like a weapon. I could just say it was my walking stick if someone stopped me.

Selecting it, I was presented with four choices.

Bone Staff

Metal Staff

Stone Staff

Wooden Staff

“That’s it?!” I said, unimpressed. Just based on the names, they seemed pretty basic. I was hoping for something a little more spectacular and magical.

I remembered all the items I had seen when I first brought up the Create ability screen yesterday. “Do you have anything better than this that you absorbed?” I asked Cax. “Something that does, I don’t know, fire damage or something?”

“Yes, but it won’t do you any good. You would need to have both the Weaponsmithing and the Enchanting professions to create it.”

Shit! I was completely out of experience and didn’t have the time to absorb another thirty items to unlock a new profession.

I went back to my Weaponsmithing profession and had another look at the staffs I was able to make.

“What’s the difference with the materials?” I asked Cax quickly, feeling the pressure of time ticking away.

“Mainly in weight and durability, with some small differences in total damage. Regular people would also need access to the necessary resources, but that doesn’t apply to you.”

I immediately crossed the metal staff off as an option. It probably did the most damage and had more durability, but I was worried about the weight. I wasn’t sure I would be able to use it easily. That went for the stone staff, too.

I also passed on using a bone staff. It just seemed like a flimsy material for a weapon. I’m sure that wasn’t the case since magic was involved, but I couldn’t shake that impression. Also, there was no way I could explain having a staff made out of bone if I ran into someone. Creepy!

That left me with only one choice. I mentally selected the Wooden Staff.

Unable to activate [Create].

There is insufficient elemental energy in the environment for the ability to make use of.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I exclaimed. I couldn’t believe it! I’d wasted all this time and used up all my experience for nothing. I sat down on the edge of my bed and stared dejectedly at my feet.

“That’s it,” I said softly. “There’s nothing more I can do. Maybe I can call the police and give them a tip about the forest. Let them investigate it.”

“Don’t give up yet,” Cax let me know hastily. “A byproduct of a dungeon’s magic is that it makes the environment inside rich with energy. It might be enough for your ability to utilize.”

Clutching at the bit of hope he gave me, I immediately focused on my dungeon room and cast my Teleport spell. The spatial energy enveloped me, and after a moment of complete blackness, I was back underground in my dungeon.

Ignoring the slight disorientation, I wasted no time in pulling up my profession’s interface screen again. With crossed fingers, I selected the Wooden Staff.

You do not have [Nature Affinity].

The mana cost of using [Create] is increased by 200% when manipulating Nature energy.

Total mana required: 75

Do you wish to proceed?

I let out a long yell, safe to vent my frustration down here without being overheard. There was always something with this ability!

“I’m sorry,” Cax said. “I wasn’t aware of those restrictions.”

Feeling a bit better after my outburst, I told him, “Not your fault. And at least it works in here, so you were right about that." I thought about what to do.

“This might influence your decision,” he said. “Your mana regeneration seems to be doubled while in your dungeon. I didn’t notice it yesterday. Your center is now collecting 1 point of mana every 10 seconds. You almost have the 75 mana you need to make the staff.”

Checking my interface, I saw he was right. A quick look at the details for Analyze let me know it had only cost 5 mana to cast, which would have regenerated before coming down here. So, after teleporting, I would have been left with 70 mana. I was already back up to 74 points.

Doing some quick math in my head, I worked out that if I made a wooden staff now, I would have to wait about eight minutes for enough mana to regenerate so I could teleport out of here.

Quickly checking my other options, I saw the same message for the Metal Staff and the Stone Staff options. The only difference was that they required Earth energy. I checked the Bone Staff and saw it would only cost me 25 mana to make. That material must be connected to Life energy, which meant there was no penalty for Create to make use of that energy due to my affinity.

I quickly considered the best course of action. I finally decided to make a wooden staff and wait the extra time needed before I could leave the dungeon. It would mean giving the intruder more time to prepare, but I didn’t want to go out there without a reliable weapon, and my reasons for not choosing a bone staff were the same as before.

I confirmed my choice of Wooden Staff in my interface and an outline appeared in front of me just like when I’d constructed the dungeon room. I was able to adjust the length and thickness of it. I set the length to 2 meters. I vaguely remembered reading somewhere that a staff should be taller than you. This would put it 20 cm over my height. I made it 3.5 cm thick, about the same size as my index finger and thumb making a circle.

Happy with my changes, I confirmed the design and activated Create. Nothing happened. I frowned. I knew I had regenerated enough mana by now. Then I remembered that making the dungeon had required contact with the ground. Thinking it might be the same thing here, I raised my right arm until my hand was up against the outline. Activating the ability again, this time it finally worked.

I could feel mana leaving my center and flowing along my arm. When it reached my right palm, it exited my body and went into the outline, filling it up. Only a slight shimmer in the shape of the staff was visible to the naked eye as the mana accumulated. It took more than two minutes until the full amount of mana had entered the staff’s outline and the flow stopped.

Then, just like with the dungeon, the mana activated and began drawing in energy from its surroundings. It slowly began taking on a brown coloring, becoming darker as it pulled in more and more energy. Must be the nature energy my interface mentioned, I thought. After a minute, the mana pulsed, fusing itself with the energy it had pulled in and becoming solid. The completed staff dropped down, landing on the floor with a clatter.

I bent down and picked it up, weighing it in my hands. It was lighter than I had expected, maybe only a few kilograms. It was a dark brown, with some swirls all along its length. It looked pretty good. I wanted to use Analyze on it, but I didn’t want to spend the mana for it and extend the time I was stuck down here. I would do it when I got back up top and had the mana to spare for it. I just hope it will be enough, I thought nervously.

“It will have to be. We can’t afford to waste any more time trying something else,” Cax solemnly informed me.

Unable to sit still, I kept busy for the next 8 minutes. First, I checked if I had gotten experience for using Create. Making the staff had given me 1xp. Not much, but I guess I should be happy. It was better than zero, and a good alternative to using Absorb for gaining experience points.

I spent the rest of the time swinging my staff around, trying to get a feel for it. I had no idea what I was doing, just trying to copy things I’d seen on TV. I probably looked ridiculous. The physical activity made me feel better, though. As soon as I had enough mana, I teleported back to my bedroom and was surprised to find myself in darkness again.

The glowing orb hadn’t teleported with me, so I assumed it was still in here. I guess it disappeared because I went outside the 2-meter range it had and it was unable to follow. Not having any mana left to cast the spell again, I put the staff down and fumbled in the dark until I found my phone.

Turning on the flashlight, I was able to quickly find some clothes. I was still in just my boxers. I put on a T-shirt and some running shorts, and then a pair of sneakers. I didn’t own anything that would offer any kind of protection from an attack, so I decided to go for clothes that wouldn’t draw attention. There might be people out on the streets because of the earthquake, and carrying the staff was going to be conspicuous enough.

Picking my weapon back up, I took a moment to take some deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. I’m just going to go and have a look, I told myself. If things are too crazy and dangerous, I’ll run away and go to the police. It would probably mean exposing my secret, but that was better than getting hurt.

Cax sent me a feeling of agreement and support.

Thinking of this as a simple scouting mission helped calm me down a fair bit. I felt like I could handle that, rather than the idea of having to single-handedly stop an invasion. Going downstairs with the help of the flashlight, I grabbed my car keys off the table by the door. I left the house, still full of fear but also determined to discover what was out there.