I was far too cocky. I should’ve never gone in here. I should’ve listened to Father. Clause wouldn’t be dead if we never came here. Garett would’ve never gotten eaten if we never came here. Now, they are nothing more than limbs and body parts strewn throughout this chambre, painted with their blood.

I’m such a fool. Why did I think I could take the Stone Cell? Just because I won some measly spar against the captain of the royal guard as a teen? Just because I was lauded as the most talented swordsman to come from the Fullbright line? What a joke. Nothing could've prepared me for this.

I shouted, a desperate plea for help, clinging to a vain hope that someone, anyone, might be able to save me.

Level 826 Eldritch Abomination, Nyarlothep

But nobody came.

It walked slowly towards me, the mass of flesh where it's neck should've been was twitching minutely. Mouths adorned it's face, all set in a permanent scream.

That’s when I realized, that this place is where I will breathe my last. The lauded prodigy, Alexander Fullbright, will meet his early end in the Stone Cell. My breathing slowed, my red hair dripped with blood.

The blood of my comrades. The blood of my friends. Clause. Garett.

They died for nothing.

All because of me.

...

No.

I will not die here. My destiny does not end as soon as it has begun. I will live for the sake of my friend's sacrifice.

I raise my sword, trembling. I will escape this wretched place, or die trying.

The twisted creature, who was slowly approaching me stopped. It turned its ‘head’ to the left, staring at the entrance into the room, despite having no eyes whatsoever.

I hesitated to follow it’s gaze, but I relented and stared. I kept my sword pointed at the abomination, in case this was a trick. But I doubt a mindless monster could resort to trickery, anyway.

A man. Perhaps in his 20s. Tall, but lean. Tousled black hair and a chiseled face. Brown eyes laced with shock. Dressed in peculiar clothing, a black jacket and black pants. In his right hand, he held an interesting contraption. A metal object, shaped like an L with an opening at its end and what looks like a trigger on the common crossbow held by his thumb. Another black object was on his back, slung over his shoulder.

Level 31 Human, Andrew Lee

I despaired. He was less than half my level. He will die a needless death! I must distract the monster to-

The monster lunged.

I’m starting to dislike Quetzalcoatl.

Whatever that is, it isn’t a slime or a goblin! Judging by how the level is fucking 800, and the bodies littering the goddamn floor, it’s really fucking dangerous!

Shit!

My experience as a hitman came through, calming my nerves as I took aim. With my brand new Colt, I swung my

3 quick shots straight to where the heart and it's general chest area, so that if this monster did have any vital organs, it was gonna get pierced. left it screeching. One bullet went through one of the numerous mouths littering it's body.

You have pierced the enemy in a vital area! 35,217 damage dealt! -1 MP! You have pierced the enemy. 3,968 damage dealt! -1 MP! You have pierced the enemy. 14,596 damage dealt! -1 MP!

I side stepped the creature, missing me by a foot as it collided with the stone. It fucking cracked solid stone. What the hell? That thing hits me my organs and my ribcage are goners. It looks injured though, my bullets did something. Good.

I sprinted, not taking my eye off it as I got out 4 more bullets. I would like to know how much mana I have left to try and ration my bullets, but I don't know how to measure how much I have left.

“SCREEEEEEE!” The mouths wailed in agony. I didn’t stop to listen as I sped around the room, shooting it frantically. Every single bullet hit, and my training allowed me to aim accurately at a mouth all around it's body at every opportunity. Every bullet that hit a mouth seemed to do a greater amount of damage than normal.

You have pierced the enemy in a vital area. 36,522 damage dealt! -1 MP! You have pierced the enemy. 3,686 damage dealt! -1 MP! You have pierced the enemy. 6,213 damage dealt! -1 MP! You have pierced the enemy. 1,511 damage dealt! -1 MP! You have pierced the enemy. 1,899 damage dealt! -1 MP!

It looked really injured. I could hear pained wheezes coming from the terrifying monster as it tumbled towards me. I'd feel sorry, if only I didn't know it would rip my head into tiny pieces and the fact it looked like something out of a horror movie.

You have pierced the enemy in a vital area. 29,865 damage dealt! -1 MP! You have pierced the enemy in a lethal area. 64,652 damage dealt! -1 MP!

It was letting out gurgling noises, before collapsing in a pool of its own blood. The tentacle flesh stopped twitching as it shriveled up and died. Oh, I nearly pissed my pants fighting that thing. Being a hitman let's you deal with people easier, it prepares you for bloodshed and violence. It however, does not prepare you for whatever the hell these things are!

Horrible. Utterly mad, this dungeon.

The pretty red haired gal was staring at me in slack-jawed awe. She may look like a teen, but I’d be lying if she wasn’t pretty. Is there age of consent laws around here? I’d hate to be labelled as a pedophile if she were to...repay me in gratitude, if ya know what I mean!

I'm not a pedophile, I swear.

I shot the corpse again, just to make sure. I didn’t want to turn around only to find ready to eat my face off.

You have pierced the enemy in a vulnerable area. 48,956 damage dealt -1 MP!

Eldritch Abomination, Nyarlothep slain! 783,146 EXP gained! Congrats! You have levelled up!

Due to defeating a being over 100 levels above you, you have earned title [Underdog]

Congrats! You have levelled up!

Congrats! You have levelled up!

Congrats! You have levelled up!

Congrats! You have levelled up!

Aha! Never let your guard down, unless you know they’re 100% dead! That’s a code hitmen live by! I turned to her, and she sat there, gobsmacked by the turn of events. Now I can make sure it's dead by cutting off the head, or what ever that thing is.

Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up!

Wow, that monster gave a shit ton of EXP. This life or death battle got turned into a game? On one hand, having a system where you kill to get stronger is quite barbaric. However, my job back on Earth was literally killing people in anyway possible. So, my opinion is neutral.

Congrats! You have levelled up!

“Y...y-you..beat it?” She let out a meek little voice.

Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up!

“Yep, believe it or not. Here, I’ll pick you up. We can talk later.” Oof. She’s heavy. The armor looked fairly light, but still, iron is a very heavy material. Nothing I can’t handle though.

Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up!

I carried her bridal style, placing my gun in my pocket. I jogged, making sure not to hurt her as I went back to my claimed camp, leaving the bodies of her dead friends there. I’ll take care of it if I have to. I splashed through the puddles of blood and made sure not to step on any severed limbs. She grabbed me a little bit tighter when I kicked away a piece of a missing hand.

Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up! Congrats! You have levelled up!

Jesus Christ. These popups are giving me a headache. Fuck off!

…

The notifications ceased. Thank goodness. I looked back. I heard nothing coming from back there. I strained my ears, just to make sure. I hope corpses didn't attract any unsightly monsters like that. Maybe I should seal off the entrance? Not sure what a couple wooden planks would do, in the first place. I'll deal with it if a problem arises. Or if the smell spread.

I placed her beside the wall, farther from the three pathways.

My clothes stank of blood, from when I was carrying the girl and from stepping in puddles of the substance during the fight.

I took them off, showcasing my lean and muscular body. Physical training for hitmen like me was fairly strenuous, and hard work combined with a good diet resulted in an athlete's body; a great combination of speed and power. Eye candy for the lady, too. This was part of the reason as to why I was so willing to work hard. Not only was my pyhsical capabilities going to increase, I got abs as a bonus that I could show off on the occasion I went to the beach.

Was I tooting my own horn? Yeah. Do I deserve to? Heck yeah.

I snuck a peak to see if she was looking, and lo and behold, her face tinged with a blush as she was looking any direction but mine as she was taking her armor off. She removed her breastplate, and dissapointingly, no boobs. Well, she seems very yound. Perhaps 15?

“Like what you see, princess?”

Congrats! Due to your charisma and impressive physique, you have altered[Alexander Fullbright]’s sexual orientation! +2 to Charisma.

The girl was a lesbian? Damn. That’s hot. I knew that those flirting lessons from Agent Romanoff would come in handy eventually! I didn’t know I could turn someone straight!

Then, she uttered three words that would break me.

“..I’m a guy.”

“Oh.”

oh.

Oh.

...

OH.

Unbeknownst to Andrew, he has changed Alexander’s fate forever. The budding genius wouldn't have died. Fate had a plan for him.

Without the interference of Andrew, Alexander would’ve survived the encounter with the abomination, although losing sight in his left eye in his escape from the dungeon.

Humbled by the tragedy in the Stone Cell, he would return to the Kingdom of Fullbright a changed man. He quickly realized that he should rely on himself more than anyone else, and to improve upon his considerable skills, taking advice from his father and the captain of the royal guard, growing as a swordsman while learning how to enjoy life to its fullest. Gone was the cocky prodigy, replaced by a focused, hard working, genius trained in the ways of the sword.

Despite the fact that as a prince, he had access to the greatest healers in the nation that could've , he firmly declined any offers for his damaged eye. A way of atoning for the death of his childhood friends, Clause and Garett, two brothers that died in their foolish attempt at conquering the Stone Cell dungeon.

He was crucial in numerous future events, such as when the Demon King's army invaded Tarvell, or when one of the Elder dragons, Dharma, attempted to wreak havoc in Tarvell only to be stopped by Alexander leading a group of the best fighters from the continent, earning them the title of the 12 Saviors, a formidable group that boasted the greatest group of warriors, healers and mages in the history of Durandal. They separated after numerous years of adventures, but always regarded each other as family. Alexander, along with the rest of the 12 Saviors before they disbanded, would go on to conquer the Stone Cell. The dungeon pushed them all past their limits, but after its completion, granted the 12 Saviors unimaginable power that placed them above even the finest and most legendary heroes before them.

As he aged, Alexander would’ve declined the right to the throne, passing it on to his brother, Hadrian. His brother, eternally grateful, named him the leader of the Royal Guard, training the soldiers to succeed in even the most dire of circumstances, with the most of them being considered A rank and above. He would pass on his fighting style; The Tempest Style, to 4 disciples to ensure the art would not die with him.

Alexander was known as an incorrigible womanizer, and a forever bachelor. He was one of the most handsome men in the continent, only surpassed by the elves in terms of beauty. They called him the Fluttering Blade, as graceful and beautiful as a rose, but capable of cutting swathes of enemy hordes with ease. Not the manliest, but his lean, muscular build prevented others from seeing him as anything but a man. He would die peacefully at the age of 89, mourned by an entire nation.

But the strings of fate have been twisted, with the anomaly that was Andrew Lee.

Now I see it. Without the armor, I could see that he had an Adam’s apple. His face was a little too chiseled to be feminine. While thin by male standards, his forearms and biceps were slightly larger than that of a woman’s. The lack of anything poking from his shirt, and the smallest signs of a bulge in his groin area, all pointed to the fact that she was actually a he.

The exhaustion seemed to have caught up to him, Alexander, I believe. He lay asleep, curled up near the corner of the room farthest from the pathways. I was currently in my boxers, as my clothes were all bloody and gross. There's no water to wash it with, so I left it beside the plates of armor Alexander had until I could figure a way to wash it.

I began to think about things as I sat on the opposite wall as he slept,thinking about things such as how I might’ve just made an underage boy go gay for me, or the fact that guns worked really, really well against these strong monsters.

More about the former, actually.

Congrats! You are now level 236! You have 2050 stat points to allocate.

Or how my life turned into a fucking game.

Allocate stats now? Y/N

Sure. Whatever.

A screen popped up. Is this really happening?

Level 236 Human, Andrew Lee

Title: Hitman (5% increase to DEX, More damage dealt in sneak attacks), Underdog (5% increase to all stats when facing enemies 25 levels above you)

HP: 4500/4500

MP: 220/220 (4.5 MP regen/min)

STATS

STR-47

DEX-77

CON-45

INT-45

WIS-22

CHA-68

Available stat points: 2050

STATUS EFFECTS

Quetzalcoatl's Greater Blessing- 15% increase to all stats, ability to allocate stat points freely (Permanent)

From playing Fallout when I was younger, I can assume that each stat represents something that directly connects to how well I do in a fight.

STR should be strength, DEX is most likely dexterity, CON.. is...control? I'll find out later. INT is intelligence, WIS is wisom, and CHA is charisma.

Damn. My wisdom is super fucking low. Does that mean I'm not wise?

Rude.

So if I put like 80 points into that, does it make me 4x wiser? Or just significantly smarter, but not necessarily turning me into a sage of unparalled wisdom? What about intelligence?

Only one way to find out.

Are you sure you want to invest 80 stat points to WIS and 60 stat points to INT? Y/N

I said yes in my head, and I felt a pulse throughout my body. Like a really loud heartbeat. The pulse bagn from the pit of my stomach and spread all the way to the tips of my fingers. A rush, like as if someone shot 2 syringes of caffeine and adrenaline into my system.

My mind felt clearer. My brain worked faster. I could feel it working much faster than what I used to be capable of. Even with this sharp improvement in my cognitive functions, it felt natural.

I'm even using big words more often! Holy shit!

Evaluating my status screen, I figured what CON would be. Seeing how everything correlated to an aspect of my self, and there's one thing I'm seemingly missing among the six stats; endurance and stamina. That would mean CON would stand for constitution, which was essentially a synoym for endurance. Also, the if the CON stat were to go up by a multiple of 100, it would fit because I had 4400 HP.

Damn. I did get smarter. Let's see.. It seems that per every stat of WIS, I get a +10 to my MP, and per every stat of INT, I receive a .1 to my MP Regen/min. Quick maths.

You have 1910 stat points to allocate.

I'll invest the rest equally into the 4 other stats. If improving my WIS and INT by 60 and 80 had that large of a change, I'd hestitate to add another 100. It might turn me into a psychopath by overloading my brain, or something. All the other stats shouldn't have much of an impact on my mental faculties. Hopefully.

Are you sure you want to invest 400 stat points to STR, 400 stat points to DEX, 400 stat points to CON and 400 stat points to CHA? Y/N

I pressed yes. Power overwhelmed me. Numerous things happened to my body. My eyesight became sharper, the world feeling less overwhelming. My lean and already impressive muscles grew slightly in size, looking more like corded pythons; impossibly strong yet fast as lightning. I could feel an endless amount of energy within me, as if I could run a marathon without breaking a sweat. I felt more confidence, my movements felt more graceful, and my voice impossibly smooth.

"What the fuck?" I said aloud.

I just hit a second puberty!

It's like that time when Squidward got his face smashed in so many times he turned into a hunk! Although I didn't grow taller, but that's alright. 6 feet is a respectable height for anybody.

It seemed as if all my flaws, and even my strengths were improved upon! I felt healthier, stronger, faster, better. I was still myself, but it's like as if I was unleashed, I reached the peak of the human body.

Alexander woke from his slumber, and his eyes landed on me.

Level 236 Human, Andrew Lee

Title: Hitman (5% increase to DEX, More damage dealt in sneak attacks), Underdog (5% increase to all stats when facing enemies 25 levels above you)

HP: 44500/44500

MP: 1020/1020 (10.5 MP regen/min)

STATS

STR-447

DEX-477

CON-445

INT-105

WIS-102

CHA-468

STATUS EFFECTS

Quetzalcoatl's Greater Blessing- 15% increase to all stats, ability to allocate stat points (Permanent)

I wasn't completely sure if he was gawking at my stats, or at my newly improved body.

"Y-y..you have the Goddess' blessing?!" Alexander exclaimed, looking at me in awe.

I'm not sure if I should call that airhead a Goddess, but I wasn't too keen on getting smited due to blasphemy. 'It'll be slimes and goblins, she said. There won't be any level 800 fucking monsters ready to eat you, she said.'

Well, she never said the last part, but still.

"Uh, ye-"

A great wind came from outside, and I could see a streak of white and bright colours rush past my sight.

"I'M SO SORRY!" Speak of the devil. There was Quetzalcoatl, bowing in front of me as she apologized incoherently to me. She looked frazzled, and quite panicked.

"I completely forgot that the Stone Cell was in this general area, I should've never sent you here! Please accept my apology!"

The red haired teen behind her was so utterly shocked. His eyes were wide, unbelieving. I'd be like that too if I saw my version of God zooming in and apologizing profusely to someone.

Hehe, my world's God is called Forbuncle... HAHAHAHAAAA! I'm never gonna get over that.

"Almighty Goddess, is that you?!"

Quetzalcoatl froze, and turned to look at Alexander. I took a look too, to see how his stats were like.

Level 77 Human, Alexander Fullbright

Title: Genius of the Sword (150% increase to learning speed regarding sword techniques), Fullbright Prodigy (5% increase to all stats, 2x learning speed towards all subjects)

HP: 7500/7500

MP: 550/550 ( 8.8 MP regen/min)

STATS

STR- 95

DEX- 92

CON- 75

INT- 88

WIS- 55

CHA- 53

STATUS EFFECTS

N/A

He outclassed me in almost every category prior to my 'second puberty'. It made me begin to wonder; why did I manage to beat that Eldritch Abomination when this guy, who almost doubled me in every stat other than DEX and CHA along with being a sword prodigy was pissing his pants against that thing? My mind went to overdrive, and it dawned on me.

I removed the gun from my pocket. The gun that was created by a Goddess, then enchanted with magical runes to make it so it never runs out of bullets. The icon of humanity's modern day weaponry, enchanted by a divine being. This wasn't any regular gun, was it?

Quetzalcoatl's Colt - Legendary SS Ranked Weapon (Holy)

Deals piercing damage. Varies on the importance of body part being shot. 1 MP/round

Enchantment(s): Divine Rune: Unlimited bullets, unbreakable.

Description: A firearm originating from Earth, crafted and enchanted by the Goddess, Quetzalcoatl. Enchanted to conver concentrated mana into ammo, and bullets that go at speeds up to 2,500 feet per second, this weapon allows you to rain death upon foes endlessly.

NOTE: Weapon damage does not scale with power of wielder. (Exceptions are titles that give bonuses using certain weapons or against certain monsters.)

I grabbed the M4A1 beside me, and I looked at it too.

Quetzalcoatl's Rifle - Legendary SS Ranked Weapon (Holy)

Deals piercing damage varies on the importance of body part being shot. 1 MP/round

Enchantment(s): Divine Rune: Unlimited bullets, unbreakable.

Description: A firearm originating from Earth, crafted and enchanted by the Goddess, Quetzalcoatl. Enchanted to conver concentrated mana into ammo, and bullets that go at speeds up to 2,500 feet per second, this weapon allows you to rain death upon foes endlessly.

NOTE: Weapon damage does not scale with power of wielder. (Exceptions are titles that give bonuses using certain weapons or against certain monsters.)

Ah. That must've been why I could beat that monster. Even without using the rifle, I took it down without a hit. With 1 round equalling 1 MP, I could get off over half a thousand bullets before I ran out!

This thing seems ridiculously fucking strong! Holy shit!

I'm not complaining. This thing saved my damn life, after all. I guess Quetzalcoatl isn't too bad, after all. Although, it's still her fault that I faced an end-game boss straight out the bat...

While I was distracted, it seems that the Goddess was conversing with the red haired teen. The teen was in awe, and Quetzalcoatl held herself in a dignified manner, almost like a noble. Graceful, and a far cry from the airheaded toddler that was apologizing in front of me not even a minute ago.

She was saying something to Alexander as I tuned in.

"-our destiny is meant for greater things," She said smoothly. "Your hardships in the Stone Cell are not in vain, and neither are the sacrifices of your dear friends. Now, please leave me and Andrew here, young child. Make your way back to the kingdom and live up to your fate." Alexander Fullbright nodded quickly, getting up to collect his items.

I watched him, as I stood up. He wore his armour, and grabbed his parcel as he turned to look at me. His cheeks were tinged red, looked away and hurried off out of the dungeon.

The Goddess looked at him until he left, and then she turned to me.

"Ha..... I messed up again, didn't I?" She rubbed her forehead, exasperated.

"Well, atleast I'm alive. Although I would've appreciated a warning if the dungeon consisted of... Whatever those were."

"Seems like you've got yourself a huge boost." The divine being appraised me, seeing my stats. "It's a great relief to see you all well. I truly do apologize for my blunder. I flew all the way from the other side of the world in haste to try and warn you of the dangers within."

I couldn't really feel any anger towards her. I didn't really get hurt. I appreciate that she even attempted to warn me, and it's not like she could've come here any soone-

Something clicked.

"Hey, couldn't have you teleported here? Just like how you did before you left?" I asked, somewhat ticked off.

Her mouth became the shape of an 'O', and she pounded her fist on her palm, as if figuring it out just now.

SNAP

Now i'm really pissed off.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YOU COULD"VE WARNED ME BUT YOU FUCKING FORGOT TO TELEPORT?!"

Gone was the dignified, regal aura the Goddess gave off, replaced by a profusely apologizing little girl prostrating herself before me.