Hit points: 199/270

Mana: 100/100

Free stat points: 10

Name

Shepherd Highlander

Strength

Str

23

(+5)

Level

3

Constitution

Con

17

(+5)

Class

Boss

Dexterity

Dex

22

(+5)

Race

/

Agility

Agi

19

(+5)

Titles

King

Energy Flow

EnF

15

(+5)

Status

Withering

Energy Capacity

EnC

15

(+5)

Territory

/

Charisma

Cha

25

(+15)

“…”

You may check your -rewards->

The system had informed him that his class had been chosen and he immediately felt a strange change in his body, as if something had been removed. Opening his status window he could only curse as he turned light headed. What even was this class?

“You damned system, fuck you!”

He wasn’t informed of any timers, only a single hour to choose a class? What a joke, that was more than enough time for someone familiar with the classes to choose something, hell, even a few minutes would suffice in such cases. But for someone who’d just been exposed to a system like this? Who knows how many would lose out on their potential because of such an uncalled for limitation.

It wasn’t that this class was bad, in fact, he had no clue what the class was or did. However, something taking control of ones decisions felt wrong to Shepherd and now happened just that.

‘Alright Shepherd, calm yer tits…’

“Class tab”

Class Name

Description

Perks

Boss

You’re the boss here

-Shed the frailty of your flesh-

(+10) Cha

-Race selection- available

You have rights to own a domain

Seeing the almost empty table Shepherd sighed in disappointment, but something finally caught his eye.

“Race tab!”

Race

Description

Perks

/

/

Gain the -wither- status effect and wither out of existence

Having found an explanation for his light headedness Shepherd shivered, if his sudden class selection was any clue he would really die if he wouldn’t move fast. Seeing that he had not much of a choice left he turned his attention to the –race selection- tab, suddenly, an idea stuck him and instead of opening the tab he placed his attention on the image of an ethereal red orb shrouded in darkness in his mind. This was the orb of creation!

“I really hope this works…”

A new tab opened up with an inordinate amount of information, he kept scrolling through the various necessary conditions and perks but he was lacking in too many aspects.

In order to truly fuse with the orb he’d need to either be an -Immortal- or a -Demigod-, this would instantly rank him up to either a -Demigod- or -God- respectively, it didn’t explain what would happen if one were a God or something lower than immortal like an undead but Shepherd was pretty sure there were options for this as well. Even though he didn’t quite understand the implications of such titles and rank ups he’d already created a kind of power ranking in his mind.

In the first category would be mortal races and undead races, indicated by the Holy/Unholy Paladin class from before. He was pretty sure that undead wouldn’t be in the immortal category since, well, they were undead. Even so the ranking in his thoughts became clearer.

After the weakest category there would be the immortal rank, and right in between these two categories would likely be some intermediary stage. It was unclear if an immortal could die, but the description tab stated that to become such a being one would need to transcend their bodily form and become essence. Just as he read that he realized something, transcend ones physical form… A condition to become immortal was it? Perhaps, he could bargain with this Benevolent thing.

Realization!

“Benevolent… Let the Orb of Creation fuse with me, open custom race editor!”

With an electrical hum a red orb of energy appeared in front of Shepherd, it slowly approached his face rising between his eyebrows.

BANG

With an explosive force the world turned black, but Shepherds consciousness remained, floating around for what felt like an eternity. Yet it didn’t feel like that. In fact it didn’t feel like anything really, there was no time, no space, there were no thoughts to be thought, no memories to be reminisced and no feelings to be felt. It was as though an eternity, and yet, nothing longer than a single moment…

---

A fist struck the large wooden counter leaving sound reverberating through the room, with eyebrows were furrowed Jacob gulped down a shot of spritz. A Brown wooden floor and tables gave the pub an antique feel, while the numerous worried and angry faces around the counter indicated that something unwanted. His fist soon hit the counter again, this time weakly though, and even his brow had relaxed somewhat.

“Michael is long gone, probably eaten by something just like that bitch was. And Gordon that fucker, he’s with the other demons making a nest probably…”

Taking another shot and he continued

“This boss thing that spawned yesterday, let’s go kill it already!”

“We’re waiting for the scouts to come back first, we can’t rush this Jacob…”

Tim placed his palm on Jacobs shoulder his eyes in grief, yet with a new dark spark in his eyes, a spark he’d never had before yesterday’s incident.

A thin kid with messy black hair and glasses placed both hands on the counter and looked at the group of 12 besides him. Only four of them were women and the rest were men, but all of the held faces of worry and solemnity right now. Only a particular boy with hair dyed green was perfectly relaxed looking at him with a stare full of boredom.

Elton Timbers, the glasses boy began speaking and spread his palms on the counter somewhat, in contrast to his appearance his body language and tone indicated that he was the leader here.

“Our city of Wildfire seems to be one of the epicentres for dungeons in the region nearby, James, bring the map!”

Nodding the blonde middle aged man went somewhere outside and quickly came back with a large piece of rolled up hide, he placed it on the counter and nodded to Elton who spread the skin for everyone to see. It was a map that represented an area with a diameter of around 178 miles with the pub they were in being close to the centre.

Analysing the map Elton sighed and squinted. Large portions of land seemed to have been relocated, some were found outside the map’s range while others were nowhere to be seen. In fact, his own home together with his parents and older sister seemed to have been wiped from the face of the earth and replaced with woodland.

“I’m sure they’re just relocated Elton… I’m sure we’ll find—“

“The house, to finish your sentence”

Elton interjected Janna’s words, hiding his feelings of worry and fear the best he could, his feelings in general really.

“If they got relocated like you were I doubt they’d be as lucky without that title of yours.”

“…”

The room remained quiet for a while, solemnity in the air, only Tim, Jacob and the green haired boy held their moods from before mostly intact.

Smirking, Jacob attempted to stand up only to frown in confusion when he fell. Elton motioned to one of the men near hem to take the hammered fool away but ordered a stop as Jacob forcefully stood and held himself up on the counter.

“The Area boss is here, let’s kill it”

‘You took my woman you red eyed swine, now I’ll come take you… Hah’

Elton could only sigh as he say Jacobs smirk widen

‘This crazy fuck… I need to get rid of him somehow’

Not revealing any of his thoughts Elton placed his finger on an unexplored part of the map which seemed to be a mountain range he was familiar with, only, it had moved a whole twenty miles away from where it used to be and by extension, them.

Before Elton could give a final command someone interjected, it was the green haired boy

“Let’s hear about this boss monster first, Jacob my boy you saw the fuck right?”

Jacob gave the kid an annoyed glance, as if it was something he’d rather avoid talking about, with a sigh he responded to the question.

“Okay weed head, it was big, black and throbbing. Had blood red glowing eyes, and if it saw you it’d smoke that head of yours like a joint.”

There was a moment of silence and the ‘discussion’ continued

“The names Frank, and I think you’ll be smoking its big black throbbing cock instead.”

A few people let out a laugh as the atmosphere lost some tension

“Anything particularly descriptive Jacob? Did… Albert get to see it before…”

Elton asked, his words were quiet slower and his tone lower than before

“Before… He got burned into an Icicle? I hope the bitch got done with a painful slow death… And no, he died before I saw it.”

“I bet you wanted to do her instead, hahahah”

Frank said his face in amusement at Jacobs conflicted voice. He enjoyed it when he saw the drunk in this state. Before Jacob could reply at Frank though, Elton struck the wooden counter making everyone flinch, no one wanted to anger this boy knowing what he could do to them.

“First, we need to send a scouting team first thing tomorrow morning.

Jacob, you’ll be leading the group to where you found the monster yesterday.

Janna, be at your peak tomorrow with your support magic, I don’t want to hear about an Albert situation again…

Marie, use your spell casting only when it’s absolutely necessary, I need you to have mana to send me a message if shit hits the fan.

Herqul, tank to your hearts content.

James, you’ll carry the supplies as per usual.

And, Frank… Use those shadow techniques and make yourself useful for once, find the monster’s lair”

One by one the members of the scouting party nodded as they were given their instructions, they didn’t really need to hear it but knowing how much of a worrywart their leader was when he didn’t personally join the party they felt the need to assure him. Only Frank grunted in annoyance and said “fine whatever” and left the pub with Marie.

Finally outside, away from the nuisances he called his guild mates for whatever reason he took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and turned to Marie who lit it with a snap of her fingers.

“What are you so annoyed about Franky? You know the captain means well with sending us instead of a less experienced party…”

Looking at the fair brunette Frank couldn’t help but show a pair of pearly white teeth, a smile that Marie couldn’t help but giggle at.

“Whattt? I’m working on it! Being presentable as your mom said or whatever…”

Seeing him blush she couldn’t help but get near him and standing on her toes for a kiss as he held her by the waist.

“You’ll be out of cigs soon, so might as well give them up already heh.”

“Sheesh, you can just ask ya know.”

Letting a sly giggle out she took the cigarette triumphantly and lit it with a snap of her finger.

---

With a throbbing headache assaulting him 22 year old Michael Summit finally woke into consciousness. Only to wish he never had.

Chunks of twitching flesh laid as if splattered across the cavern, intestines slithering like snakes, yet there was no blood to be seen and nerves and blood vessels branched through the cavern’s surface connecting the chunks together.

A single column of vertebrae situated in the middle of the gore stood erect right from the floor to the roof of the cave. A black skull was placed at the top of the vertebrae, its piercing blood red eyes staring ominously into the void.

The bottom of the structure was a pile of white bones while the vertebrae became increasingly charred as one looked upwards. The middle then, of course, held a large grey ribcage holding within it a beating pulsing heart…

Not able to stomach the scene Michael puked onto the dirty floor below, but a strand of clear liquid escaping his mouth. Shortly after he feinted where he’d just splat his stomach juices.