Connor

Location: The Dungeon Trial, 1 Dungeon Entrance, Kenton, Floor One

Date: July 23rd, 304 PS (Post System)

Time: 3:00 PM

I lined up with my peers as we listened to my brother explain how the Dungeon Trial works. His jet black sunglasses looked out of place with the heavy armor he wore.

“Today, you will each teleport to a room,” Gene told us. “Figure out the puzzle, and once you survive the puzzle, you will have a choice between three monster eggs. Lay your seal on the egg to bond it to you. Once the egg bonds with you, it will hatch. You, newbies, have until four-thirty to complete this mission, should you choose to accept it.” My brother dramatically removed his glasses.

“Don't be a diva,” The girl next to Gene said. Her bald head shined in the artificial light from the ceiling. “When you enter, you will feel disoriented, but don’t worry — the dungeon is only sending you to your testing spot. Now that you are all lined up let’s get started.” The short girl at the far right started walking toward the mouth of the cave, and the rest of us followed.

As soon as my foot entered the darkness, my vision faded, and I felt my body move around. After seconds of not being able to see in front of me, I regained my sight. I stood in a cavern that my house could fit into. A passageway stood tall in front of me, and I could see the three eggs that are my prize.

“This is a test, there’s no way the solution is going to be that easy,” I said to no one. A window appeared before me.

“I’m here, but you can’t see me. You need me even if you don’t want me. The arrogant are full of this. Too much of me can kill you, but not enough of me will doom you as well.”

Solve the riddle to win your prize.

I took a deep breath and used my little knowledge of riddles to work out the first clue. At this moment, I wished I did more puzzles. A memory surfaced in my mind.

One time, my father took my sister, Jessica, and I to an escape room. I was only eight, so the riddles were way too much for me to comprehend. While trying to figure things out, my dad belittled me when I got a clue wrong and lost us the competition. Before I could bring my thoughts back to the task in front of me, I smelled something horrid. I looked behind me, and my heart began to beat with vigor—green gas flowed into the room.

I ran to the opening where my prize sat, taunting me. I raised my artificial hand to test the entrance and pulled it back when I felt a burning sensation on my fingers. Amazed, I looked at my hand. I didn’t know that I could feel pain. I watched as the injury began to heal, and the burn marks in the wood faded away. I let out a deep breath, but quickly sucked in that breath as I solved the mystery—air!

I breathed in and let out another deep breath. An invisible wall manifested itself but disappeared slowly. Before it vanished completely, I saw what I needed. At the bottom right corner of the shield, I saw a hole large enough for me to fit. I did what I had to do to summon the barrier once more. I used the time it took for the obstruction to evaporate and memorized, where the opening would let me into the room. I crawled into the hollowed-out cave.

Congratulations!

You survived the Toxic Grotto!

Choose one of three eggs, but choose wisely!

I looked at the three unhatched eggs. One on the left was silver with cogwheels all over it. The middle egg was red with ash coated on it. The egg on the right was yellow with black stripes, and miniature wings on it. I have to pick the correct monster, or else I might have a lame class. The one on the right has to be some kind of insect, but the one in the middle is most likely a fire creature. The unborn monster on the left stumped me—I’ve never seen a cog-like monster. I pressed my Monster Seal onto the selection that intrigued me.

The egg on the left opened up and shined so brightly that I couldn't see anything in front of me. A notification popped into my vision.

Congratulations!

Your Monster Egg hatched into Plocket!

I shook my head as my sight returned. A gear-like creature stood in front of me. The monster only came up to my knee, but I instantly fell in love with it.

“This is mine!” I cheered. “Hey, little guy.” I patted what I thought was his head. I opened my menu, and was about to pull up my pet’s stats, but was interrupted by what the other two eggs were doing. The ash-covered egg cracked open, and a red slime with flames emitting from its head stood before me. The yellow and black egg slowly turned into a bumblebee that took flight. I withdrew my swords and looked at my monster. I don’t know what it can do.

Your final test shall commence now!

Level One Honbee and Level One Abomoslime started combat with you!

In the corner of my vision, I noticed Plocket’s HP and SP.

Plocket | HP: 560/560 | SP: 30/30

This bulky creature can take hits better than I can but has no Skill Points. Maybe I can have it tackle its opponents to death.

Honbee flew at me with power; its stinger pointed at me. I swung one of my swords at the flying bug. The sword hit my opponent on the dull side and threw it to the ground. Charge at it! I thought and sent my thoughts to Plocket. I heard some monster summons can read their owner’s feelings, so this was worth a try. Abomoslime threw a puff of flames at my face. I ducked, and dove at the slime, both blades pointed at it. I stabbed the attacking monster with both swords, dealing forty damage to it.

I looked back at Plocket. It used its miniature legs to run at the downed bee. The gear-like creature dropped its mechanical head and hit its target so hard that the small monster fell onto its rear. The number thirteen showed over the Honbee. Before the Honbee could begin flying again, I used my blades to cut the wings of the bug.

Congratulations!

You acquired Honbee Wings!

Honbee Wings are useful for crafting!

Honbee is critically injured!

I sliced at Honbee with vigor and watched as numbers flew off of it—Plocket continued to rear back, tackle the bee, and fell over. It didn’t take long for Honbee to fade into millions of tiny dots.

You killed a Level One Honbee!

You gained 10 XP!

You acquired Honbee Venom!

You acquired one Honbee stinger!

“I killed my first monster!” I cheered before a fireball singed the back of my head, reminding me of the other monster. I commanded Plocket to attack the Abomoslime. Instead of charging at the slime, I heard gears inside of the monster’s head turn, and what looked like soundwaves emitted from Plocket’s face. The waves caught a fireball in mid-air and made it dissipate. The remaining soundwave hit Abomoslime directly. As the pyro slime was trying to refocus its attention on its enemy, I danced with my swords and landed a five-hit-combo on my opponent. The Abomoslime burst into millions of dots as its ally had.

You killed a Level One Abomoslime!

You gained 11 XP!

You acquired Abomoslime jelly!

You acquired never-ending fire!

I raised my arms in victory as I lost my sight. I felt my body teleporting again, and before I knew it, I stood outside of the Dungeon Trial area, squinting my eyes in the bright light. My brother, Gene, was talking intensely with his peer but stopped when he saw me.

“Yeah!” He chortled. “You’re the first one! It’s only—three-fifty. Oh, nice, and you got a Plocket. What’s your class?” Gene snatched my Monster Seal from my hand, read it, and gave me a confused look.

“What’s with that look?” Gene’s peer came over and looked at my Monster Seal.

“Neveah, have you heard of this class?” Gene asked the girl. She rubbed her bald head and shook her head.

“What class did I get?” I tore the paper away from my older brother and read where it said, “Class.”

Class: Conductor

“Conductor?” I asked the two Adventurers. Neveah shrugged her shoulder.

“I’d head to the Class Hall if I were you. They will be able to tell you.” Neveah put a hand on my artificial forearm. “Just remember, you could always sell the scroll if you don’t want that class. To get to the hall, I would place your hand on the Monster Seal and call out, Class Hall. What’s wrong with your arm?” She lifted the sleeve of my undershirt in horror. I did as Neveah told me. Light entered my vision, and I went weightless. My feet landed on solid ground a second later, and I looked around at the brightly colored room.

I took a step and felt something hit my shin. Plocket stood next to me, but monsters are supposed to be in their stone froms, so I concentrated on turning him back into a crystal, and it instantly did as I wished then floated into my hand. I gazed at the translucent grey stone before I heard a man clear their throat. I looked up and saw an Adventurer with a blond mohawk sitting at the desk. His smile made his face wrinkle and made him look older than he was.

“I can help you right here,” The man told me. I walked to the worker and took a seat at the table. When I took my place, he held out his hand, and I shook it. “Not that I don’t want a handshake, but I was wanting your Monster Seal.” I gave him a look of awkwardness and handed him the scroll. I looked around at his neat desk, and saw his name placard that said, “Norman Manley.” Norman gave the manuscript a look of concern. He pressed at his ear and whispered something I couldn’t make out.

“I need my manager, give us a moment.” Norman stood up with my Monster Seal and walked to the back of a room where an elderly, bald man looked it over. The older man’s glasses stretched nearly the size of his face, and he wore a look of distress as he read. After conversing with Norman, both men made their way to me.

“I’m sorry for the delay, Mr. Timms,” The old man said in a shaky tone. “How do I explain this?” The elderly gentleman pinched his chin and looked me in the eyes. “You are the first Adventurer to have the Conductor class. Looking into it, your class looks to be a musical one. Class Hall will pay you well for any info you give us. So, you have a Plocket, that’s an ultra-rare monster. The tower must like you, kid.”

“A musical class?” I asked. “I don’t know how to play any instruments. Hopefully, my class will help that.” Norman cleared his throat again.

“Thank you, Dr. Yallet,” Mr. Manley said as the old man turned away. Norman looked back at me. “Mr. Timms, would you like to accept your mysterious class?”

Would you like to accept the Conductor Class?

Yes | No

I accepted the class without much hesitation. If I want to make my family proud, I need to be unique and stand out.

You have acquired the Conductor Class!

Congratulations, you are now an Adventurer!

You have ten unallocated Stat Points!

You gained one level!

You need to choose your main instrument!

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the notification to choose my main instrument—the System is going to help me with that. I only just became an Adventurer, except I already have a way to make money. Since I’m a musical type of class, does that mean I have more of a support role? I will have to go over my skill options.

Norman Manley gave you his contact information!

“Whenever you can, send me a screenshot of your Skill Shop. We are ready to pay thirty gold for that information.” When Norman told me how much gold a screenshot of my Skill Shop lands me, my jaw dropped.

“I’ll send everything I can,” I told the desk worker. “I’m heading out, thank you for your help.” I gave the man a quick bow and left the elegantly designed building. Class Hall stood three blocks away from my house, so walking home didn’t take me long.

When I walked into the house, my mother’s head popped out from the kitchen. When she saw me, her face lit up, and she dashed to me. Her tight embrace hurt my ribs, but I didn’t complain, I was happy to be alive.

“You made it,” She said, her weeping face soaking my shoulder. Her tears somehow soaked through my midnight green armor. “What class did you get?” I scratched the back of my head before responding.

“It’s called Conductor,” I told her. My mother gave me a questioning glance. “The Class Hall people hadn’t heard of it either. They’re paying me to be an info guy for them. Oh, and before you ask, here is my Bonded Monster.” I removed my gem from my pocket and smashed it to the ground. The one-foot tall gear creature materialized at my feet.

“It’s so cute!” Mom screamed, picking up my Plocket. Before my creature attacked her, I sent it a wave of calm emotions. It sat in her arms and let her touch its face. My mother set my monster down and looked back at me. “Dinner is at six o’clock. It’s four-fifty now. You probably want to check your stats.” She turned and walked back to the kitchen.

What is she doing that she has to stay in the kitchen for another hour? I thought to myself, but I’m not going to ask. I made my way to my bedroom and peeled off my sweat-soaked armor. After lying on my bed, I checked my stats.

Name: Connor Timms

Class: Conductor

Level: 1

Unallocated Stat Points: 10

HP: 290/290

SP: 165/165

XP: 21/300

Strength: 11

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 13

Constitution: 9

Agility: 8

Charisma: 13

Blessings:

Mitcem’s Blessing — Potions and elixirs are 10% more potent when you drink them or create them; healing skills are 10% more productive.

Skills:

None

Further down sat my Plocket’s stats.

Name: Plocket

Element: Light/Sound

Breed: Clockwork

Level: 1

Unallocated Stat Points: 0

HP: 560/560

SP: 30/30

0/200

Strength: 7

Intelligence: 16

Wisdom: 13

Constitution: 17

Agility: 6

Charisma: 8

Happiness: Content

Happiness Level: 1

Happiness XP: 0/30

Skills:

Sluggish(20 SP)[Sound]: All enemies gain -2 Agility.

Soundwave(11 SP)[Sound]: Send out a reverberating pulse that can hit multiple targets, even allies.

I don’t have any skills, so I tapped on the tab that said, “Skill Shop.” A slew of skills appeared before me.

The Song of Serwing(13 SP)[Life]: You can heal for 30-50 health. 2 Stat Points

Ambient Voice(10 SP)[Life]: Your allies gain 50% greater accuracy for one hour. 3 Stat Points

Hellion’s Banter(Passive)[Sound]: When you scream, you create a soundwave that can cause damage depending on how many Skill Points you use. 4 Stat Points

Blade Vibration(Passive)[Sound]: When you use a bladed weapon, you can cause it to vibrate so intensely that it can slice through anything—even other metals. 6 Stat Points

Sound Mind and a Sound Body(9 SP)[Metal]: Your body becomes covered in metal to increase your armor rating by ten without losing Agility. 3 Stat Points

Sluggish(20 SP)[Sound]: All enemies gain -2 Agility. 2 Stat Points

Voice Imitation(3 SP)[Sound]: You can imitate the voice of another human. 2 Stat Points

Voice of Growth(X SP)[Sound]: X is equal to how much SP you use towards it. Using this skill will cause any plant-life to grow exponentially fast. 4 Stat Points

I took a screenshot of my current skills that I can purchase and sent it to Norman. I thought through the skills, and I knew which of them I needed. I bought The Song of Serwing for 2 Stat Points and Ambient Voice for 3 Stat Points. With the Stat Points remaining, I increased my Intelligence by two, making it 12, and I raised my Charisma by three, making it 16. Since my class involves using sound, I figured having a high Charisma will help. Next, I remembered I still had to choose my main instrument, and I knew what I wanted. I opened the tab on my screen that said, “Instruments.”

Lute: A stringed instrument that is tough to keep in tune. This instrument will allow increased health buffs.

Saxophone: A woodwind instrument that is known for its emotion-inducing sounds. This instrument grants the user the Persuasion skill.

Vocal: The instrument everyone is born with. This instrument grants the user increased power when using skills that require chants.

Flute: A lightweight instrument made of wood. The user gains the Hypnosis skill.

Trumpet: A brass instrument that is known for being annoying. This instrument can be used to damage the ears of your enemies.

I took a screenshot of this window as well and sent it to Norman before selecting “Vocal.” Having vocal abilities will save me from having to carry around an instrument, and it will save me from needing to pay for instruments. I will have to see if I can find sound-based chant skills—those types of abilities will give me significant power.

*****

Dinner was nothing special, Chicken Lo Mein and egg rolls. I thanked my mother and dug into the delicious-smelling meal. We talked about my plans for the next morning. Much to my dismay, my mother paid for me to travel with a caravan.

I went to bed early that night to make sure I got enough sleep. I laid in bed, multiple situations echoing in my mind. What if I lose my fake arm? Can Vinny reattach it or make me a new one? Will I ever see my friend again? What if nobody wants to travel with someone who has an unknown class? Sleep embraced me slowly after I played through the scenarios in my head.

That morning, I woke with a start—the alarm clock blared in my head. After turning off the alert, I stood up and stretched. I need to start the day off right, and my mom knows how I can get. I like routines when I’m stressed, and this morning isn’t any different. I walked out of my bedroom and into the kitchen where my mother had breakfast burritos ready—Bullearth sausage with Deworm skin tortillas.

I sat and ate in silence as my mother washed dishes. The less I speak, the more I can concentrate. After I finished, my mother said the same prayer she did when I left for my test, and then told me the same advice about how I should remember my family when I start one.

I met up with the caravan outside of the entrance to the Floor One Dungeon; we entered the cavern quickly. The hired help handled the mobs who attacked and gave me the loot. Within half an hour, we made it to the Floor One Boss.

My temporary allies fought the Taurite, and did a heck of a job, except someone opened the door to the cavern, and threw something purple into the room. The purple orb struck the bull in the face, and Taurite grew twice the size of what it was. I turned around, and my heart dropped into my stomach. Billy, the man who burned down Old Dale’s Pub, and cost me my arm was the one who threw the orb.

“That was an Orb of Dargoyle!” I shouted to my allies. My father used to use it on his Jewelem when he fought in one-on-one tournaments. The orb increases its target’s level by ten for an hour. Billy winked at me and teleported into the darkness.

Floor Boss Taurite has ascended to level ten!

Taurite grew wings, and its horns grew even more massive than what it already was. It flapped its wings, sending a torrent of wind throughout the room. Within seconds, the boss monster wiped out my caravan; I was the only one left. I didn’t have time to equip my weapon, and my Plocket is way too weak to defeat a fully grown Taurite. I looked at my right arm, and it glowed red.

Your moment of adrenaline unlocked a unique skill!

You learned Health Drain!

You are in Rage Mode!

Rage Mode? I thought to myself. I began running toward the Floor One boss. I tried stopping myself, except I couldn’t; my body is working on its own. I held out my phony arm and felt a warmth envelope my body. I watched as my health restored to full, but it didn’t stop there—it kept going. My health now said 1090/290. I didn’t know anyone could increase their health higher than their max. The bull stood in shock before it disappeared into millions of pieces. Without physically attacking this massive bull, I killed it by myself. I didn’t even have to be in this dungeon for too long.

Congratulations!

You defeated Floor One Boss Taurite!

You gain 1000 XP!

You gained three levels!

You have fifteen unallocated Stat Points!

You acquired two Taurite Monster Shards!

You unlocked: Gate to Floor Two!

Because of a unique circumstance, your health has permanently increased to 350!

My health increased? I thought to myself. I took a step, and I could tell something was wrong. I didn’t turn around to grab the resources my hired help left behind. Instead, I ran through the gates that supposedly lead to Floor Two.

When I bolted through the enormous doors, a set of stairs greeted me. I took the stairs two by two as my face became numb. Dizziness plagued me, and I didn’t know if I could make it up the flight of steps. Before my vision blackened and I lost consciousness, I felt my body fall, and soft grass embraced my body.

Connor

Location: Stronghold Academy, Floor Two

Date: August 3rd, 304 PS (Post System)

Time: 6:30 AM

I opened my eyes but shut them instantly when I saw the luminous rays of the light that flooded through the windows. My eyes took a minute to adjust; I saw that I laid in a soft bed in a room I’ve never seen. To my right, someone I have seen before sat in an overstuffed chair.

“Vinny?” I asked. The sleeping teen stifled a yawn and stretched.

“Great, you’re awake!” He said with tiredness in his voice. “You had a stroke when you got to Floor Two. You should be thankful someone found you when they did. Astrid, a Radiance I party with, gave you treatments three times a day along with herbs the school’s healer found.” I shot Vinny a questioning look.

“School? Are we at Stronghold?” I looked around again and knew what I needed to spot. Embroidered on burgundy curtains was a centaur with wings and holding an ax—the Stronghold Academy mascot. “This is like my family home,” I said, plopping my head back onto the pillow.

I am reunited with my best friend, I made it to another floor, and I have a unique class. What could go wrong? I thought. I shouldn’t have thought anything like that, because after I did, I received a notification.

Connor,

I have your mother, and I have your friend’s mother. If you want them back, you will have to adhere to my wishes. I want my Rexaroach crystal back, but now I want your Plocket and Vinny’s Impogon. If you and your accomplices don’t cooperate, you will see an immense force will invade that dear school of yours—trust me, you don’t want that.

Respond ASAP,

Billy