Opening his eyes, Vin looked around at the black void he seemed to be floating within. He twisted around, looking in all directions, but was only met by more darkness as far as the eye could see.
"Gonna be honest, if this is the new world, this kinda sucks," he called out to the void, not really expecting a response. Instead, some familiar floating text suddenly appeared directly in front of him, waiting for his acknowledgement.
Welcome to Edregon. As you are only now being integrated into the System, please select a class.
"Oh, RPG rules huh? Sure, makes about as much sense as everything else," Vin shrugged. As soon as he read the text, a large list of what he could only presume were classes replaced the floating words.
"Jesus," Vin muttered, flicking his fingers and scrolling through what had to be at least a few hundred classes. "Can you break these down into categories or something?"
He'd yet to receive a response from the strange floating text up until now, so he was surprised when the monstrous list of classes actually split into three still large, but far more manageable lists.
"Now we're talking!" Vin looked at the three lists, noting the categories at the top. The three new lists were divided into combat, crafting, and support classes. Immediately he dismissed the combat classes; the recent memories of him being slammed to the mat time and time again by the grinning mohawk monster still fresh in his mind. After a moments' hesitation he dismissed the crafting classes as well. While he did like working with his hands, he didn't want to spend his new life cooped up in a workshop somewhere. No, what he wanted was something like…
"Jackpot," he whispered, finding exactly what he was looking for halfway down the list of support classes.
Explorer Class: A class based around discovering the unknown and uncovering secrets.
Bonus: +1 Endurance per level
Starting Passive: Mental Map
"Plus one endurance per level?" He asked the mysterious void. "So I get stats like an RPG as well?" Rather than answer him, a new text box appeared, this one looking straight out of a video game.
Vinnie Stone
Explorer: Lvl 1
Titles: None
Exp. 0/1000
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 14
Endurance: 17
Vigor: 15
Focus: 11
Magic: 0
Passives: Mental Map
Skills: None
Spells: None
"Now you're talking," Vin grinned, admiring his stats. He had no idea what constituted a good or bad number for each of the six attributes, but he appreciated the fact that all his years of hiking around the country seemed to factor into his endurance and vigor. "So, do I get any details on this stuff?" He tried calling out into the void. "Like, is having zero magic something I should fix?"
Sadly, this time he didn't get any response. Shrugging, he mentally confirmed the Explorer class.
And recoiled as the void exploded in color.
Cursing, Vin barely had time to shield his eyes before it was over. Blinking the spots from his eyes, he looked around, gaping at the sudden change in landscape.
He stood in the middle of a large grassy field with a few gentle hills rolling in the distance. There were scatterings of trees surrounding them, and a nice, refreshing breeze carrying the scent of flowers swept through his hair. Before he could do much more than look around however, he felt a strange series of tingles in his head. Turning his focus to the odd sensation, a barrage of floating messages appeared and disappeared one after the other in rapid fire.
New world discovered! 100,000 exp gained.
Level up! Explorer lvl 2.
Level up! Explorer lvl 3.
Level up! Explorer lvl 4.
Lev-
System override: Level ups canceled, level manually set to 1, all experience removed. Explorer class
Note: Vin, apologies for the confusion, but thank you for revealing that
"What the hell?" Vin muttered, eyes scanning across the final message before that too vanished into thin air. Had the system actually spoken to him? And what on Earth did silencing him entail exactly?
"Gather round!" A deep voice called out, forcing Vin to put his perturbed thoughts on hold for the moment. Joining his fellow first wavers, Vin helped form a semicircle facing Colonel Spur, the man who had been given total authority over them. Like just about every other soldier that had been selected to be part of the first wave, Spur had a powerfully built physique. Wearing the same grey camouflage military fatigues as the rest of them, the man's main distinguishing features were his keen eyes that seemed to pierce deep into Vin's soul and the brand-new long sword secured against his hip.
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Despite only their brief training, Vin was impressed to see all one hundred of them come together in only a few seconds. He did however do a double take at the number of people just like Spur that were suddenly carrying various types of medieval weapons. He was pretty certain he would have noticed if anyone had been carrying a greatsword or a longbow before they'd been warped over here.
"Well… We made it," Spur said as soon as they'd formed up, surprising Vin by shooting everyone a wide grin. Despite his high rank, the man didn't seem to act very military. "Can't say we expected the class selection thing, but at least it looks like we'll get some interesting tools at our disposal. Here's what we'll do to start. We'll split into groups based on class type, and Lieutenant Myers will come around and collect information on everyone's class. We'll plug that into some programs we brought, and while we analyze the data, we'll divide into groups and start securing the perimeter and looking for basic necessities."
"Hold that thought colonel," Lieutenant Myers, Colonel Spur's second in command called out, currently sifting through a collection of packs on the ground. Her long black hair was secured up in a bun atop her head, and unlike most of her fellow military members, she wasn't carrying a weapon as far as Vin could tell. "It looks like all our electronics are gone. Not fried like we'd feared, but totally gone. Guns as well."
"Well crap," Spur said, scratching his head. "Any other surprises regarding the gear we should know?"
"The food and water are still here, as are most of the tools and physical books we brought," Myers said, standing up and frowning as she skimmed through one of the thick encyclopedias. "Though strangely, some of the books now have various sections that have been completely blanked out, as though the words were never printed in the first place. Looks like anything regarding our more advanced technologies, such as electricity or atomic energy."
"Okay, we'll have to operate on the assumption that our mysterious Sender X, or System, I suppose, has a desired level of technology we're supposed to start at," Spur said, glancing up at the sky. "Whether that's a line we're not allowed to cross ever, or just where we have to start remains to be seen. Granted, I'm in no rush to be smited, so nobody go about inventing the steam engine for at least the first few days." Colonel Spur earned himself a few chuckles, and people immediately got to work following his directions and forming into three groups. Vin noticed that nearly three fourths of them had selected combat classes, while crafting and support classes were split with about a dozen each.
Turning to the person next to him, Vin was surprised to recognize the quiet girl who'd first appeared in a McDonald's uniform. Even without her old uniform her bright red hair made her stand out, and despite the grey military fatigues she'd replaced the uniform with, she still looked fairly out of place.
Granted, so did he and the other forty-eight civilians. Apparently, it took more than three days of boot camp to turn someone into a killing machine.
"Hey," he said, giving the girl a quick nod. "What class did you go with?"
"Trapper," she shrugged, seemingly happy to have someone to talk to. "Seemed like a useful way to contribute without putting myself in any direct danger. What about you?"
"Explorer. I was something of a vagabond before all this, and I don't really like to be tied down," he explained.
"Oh yeah, you were the guy covered in dirt that came in," she laughed softly, shaking her head. "I mean, I was covered in grease so I don't really have room to talk, but I remember you. I'm Alice by the way."
"Vin," he said, shaking her hand. "So, did you get a starting passive too? Anything cool?"
"Hopefully!" She grinned, clearly excited about this strange new world they'd been tossed into. "My class came with Personal Trap Sense. No idea what it does yet, but I'm hoping it will let me know when an animal actually triggers a snare or something."
"Oh man that would be useful," Vin admitted. "Sure wish this weird magical System thing gave us more details on stuff before we made our choices. I got Mental Map, but I don't know what it does either. Though come to think of it…" Focusing on his ability, he grinned as a small map appeared in front of him. Currently it was pretty small, only showing the distance he'd walked so far and the surrounding area, but he had the feeling it was going to be invaluable once he started running around. "Strike that, it looks like I get a free map of the places I travel."
"Wow, I'm betting Colonel Spur is going to want to talk to you about that," Alice said, looking impressed. "I think they were hoping to use drones to map the surrounding terrain, but seeing as we lost all our tech, you might be the next best thing."
The two of them chatted for a few minutes about their new classes and this entire crazy situation they'd found themselves in until Lieutenant Myers came to collect their information. Sure enough, the moment he explained his passive, her eyes lit up and she immediately sent him to talk to Colonel Spur.
Vin walked over to the colonel, waiting for him to finish directing a group of a dozen people to search for water before immediately sending another to start cutting down trees. Once he'd given out nearly half a dozen tasks, the colonel wiped his brow, giving Vin his attention.
"What's up?" He asked, again surprising Vin with his informal attitude.
"Uh, hi. I'm Vin. Lieutenant Myers told me to come talk to you," Vin explained poorly. "I took the Explorer Class. It came with the Mental Map passive. Looks like I automatically create a map in my head of the places I go, and she thought-"
Vin froze as Colonel Spur darted forward, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him vigorously.
"Vin, I could kiss you!" Spur shouted, letting out a whoop of joy and drawing more than a few gazes from his outburst. "Do you have any idea how useful that is going to be with our drones gone? Just about all us meatheads in the military took combat classes, and about half of the civilians did as well. We have a ton of weapons, but we're desperately lacking in utility right now."
"Happy to help, uh, sir," Vin said, stumbling back a half step.
"Oh you can shove that sir where the sun don't shine," Spur grinned, a slight southern accent revealing itself in his excitement. "If you haven't noticed, we are about as far from bureaucracy and regulation as physically possible right now. We'll no doubt need to come up with some sort of official structure of command as more waves start pouring in, but until then, I plan on enjoying not having to shine my shoes and make my bed every morning."
"I can do that," Vin said, letting go of some of the tension that had been sitting in his gut with a sigh. He'd never had any sort of problem being his usual self around authority before, but something about being teleported into the heart of a Top-Secret military compound had stiffened him up a bit. Maybe it had been the hundreds of people with rifles practically trained on his back for three straight days. "If it's okay, I kinda want to jump right into my class and start exploring. Need me to look for anything in particular?"
"Well there are the obvious things like water and food. Berry bushes, wild roots, and the like," Spur said, scratching his chin. "Don't bother trying to lug it all back yourself, just make a note of any location like that so we can send teams out to collect them when you get back. Other than that, look for anything strange or unusual. Magic clearly exists in this world seeing as we all have it listed as an attribute, so I don't know, keep your eyes peeled for any wizard towers I guess? The more information we have the better."
"Oh, and take this." Spur reached into his pack and handed him a monstrous bowie knife that seemed closer to a short sword than a knife. "Hopefully you won't encounter anything dangerous, but it would be dumb to send you off unarmed. I'd give you some signal flares too, but apparently those were too close to guns for the System's comfort, because it ate all those as well. With all our tech gone, everyone is working double-time to get all our initial tasks completed on schedule, so I can't exactly spare anyone to go with you. Just don't go too far, and try to be back before the sun goes down. You know, assuming that's still a thing that happens here."
"I'll be careful!" Vin said, strapping the knife securely to his belt. Honestly, after spending the last three days cooped up in Project Ark's underground base, he was glad Spur hadn't tried to saddle him with some sort of handler. After all that intense training and being around so many people, he really needed some space to himself.
Thankfully, he knew just where to find some...
Waving goodbye to Alice and receiving a thumbs up in return, he turned away from the bustling activity of the first wave, facing truly uncharted lands for the first time in his life. Taking a deep breath, he took a moment to enjoy the fresh air and knowledge that he was about to go where no man had ever gone before.
Smiling, he hiked his pack higher on his shoulders and picked a direction at random.
Remove
As Vin walked, he carefully took in the surrounding area, keeping an eye out for anything unusual as he'd been instructed. So far, everything seemed rather… normal. If he hadn't witnessed the magic of teleportation first hand, he would have assumed he was just strolling through a meadow somewhere back on Earth. The grass was green. The sky was blue. Hell, there was thankfully still only a single sun in the sky that seemed to be moving as expected. It wasn't until he'd walked for a few minutes that he finally encountered something definitely not from Earth.
While trekking across a grassy field fairly close to where they'd appeared, a small furry head popped out of the ground, turning to stare at him. Vin stared right back, examining the new animal. Its body was long and slender like a ferret, but its bushy tail and face reminded him more of a squirrel. The two of them stared at each other, waiting to see who would break first. Sadly, Vin lost this world's first staring contest when a new message from the System popped up in the corner of his vision.
New species discovered! 100 exp gained.
"Oh nice," he said, surprised at the unexpected experience. The sound of his voice proved to be too much for the unknown creature, causing it to bound away through the grass, leaping through it like a dolphin through water. "Just got to do that nine more times and I hit level 2!"
Continuing his trek, he encountered some more of the fast moving ferret-squirrels, but they continued to run away before he could get closer than a few dozen feet.
"Alice is going to have a ball with you!" He called out a warning before leaving the field behind him. A few minutes later he received another pleasant surprise.
New mile explored! 10 exp gained.
"Okay, a little bit of experience for just wandering somewhere new, and a decent chunk for discovering a new animal," he talked to himself, enjoying the passing scenery as he kept his eyes peeled. "Gotta say, it's nice racking up experience just enjoying nature."
Thanks to his Mental Map he was easily able to track the distance he traveled, and he ended up encountering a couple other possible sources of food over the next few miles. He'd spotted a herd of some sort of wild boar off in the distance that looked like they each had a gnarly tusk growing out of their face like a small rhinoceros, a dark green bird that blended in shockingly well with the trees it lived in, and a rodent-like creature with eerily humanoid hands that scurried off with some sort of flower between its teeth the moment it spotted him.
"Glad we have a good number of options for food at least." Vin walked over to the flower patch that little rat-like thing had run out of, plucking one of the flowers and examining it. He'd seen plenty of flowers back on Earth from all his different trips, but he was far from any sort of botanist. The flower petals formed something of a tiny cup, holding a few drops of liquid inside. It reminded him almost of a honeysuckle.
Remembering his training on edible plant identification, Vin went through the motions. The flower smelled sweet and sugary, which was definitely a good sign. If it smelled old and musky, or even remotely close to almonds, they'd been taught not to put it anywhere near their mouth. But because he'd seen another animal already in the process of eating it, and the fact that he didn't want to have to say goodbye to enjoying a refreshing honeysuckle under the evening sky, he took the liquid from the flower and rubbed it along the inside of his elbow. If he remembered his lessons correctly, so long as his skin didn't react in any way over the next eight hours, he'd be okay to risk eating it.
"Strange that new animals give experience but plants don't," he mused, twisting the flower stem in his fingers as he kept walking. "Maybe I'll get something after determining if it's poisonous or not and trying to eat it."
Vin knew it would probably be more optimal for him to be exploring in ever expanding rings around their base camp, but he couldn't help himself from just continuing in a straight line for a bit longer. Roaming laps around camp would mean he'd still be close enough that he'd be running into people carrying out Spur's orders, and after three days of living in a cramped underground bunker with so many people, he couldn't help but satisfy his cravings to be alone out in the wilderness.
So he continued walking, slowly earning experience for every new mile he covered and mentally mapping the lay of the land. He nearly had a heart attack when a small blur darted out of some nearby grass toward him, but after it pounced and landed about a dozen feet to his left, he discovered it was just a wild cat nearly identical to cats back on Earth other than the extra set of ears located just behind the first one.
The cat glanced at him for a moment, one set of ears flicking in his direction while the other turned to listen to its rear. Vin spotted one of the little rat-like creatures hanging from the cat's mouth before the feline turned and darted away. Deciding that was as good a time for a break as any, Vin pulled up his System interface to check his experience while he waited for his heart rate to return to normal.
Exp. 550/1000
"Not bad for an hour and a half of walking!" He'd discovered five new species and walked just over five miles. If he swung around and returned to camp from a different angle, maybe he could do it all again and hit level 2 before the end of the day! Grinning, he turned to start heading perpendicular to the direction he'd been walking, when a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.
Glancing to the side, Vin froze at the sight of a giant scorpion slowly approaching him through the grass. The creature had to be roughly the size of a German Shepherd, and it looked pretty close to scorpions from Earth besides the two additional stingers on either side of the largest one. It moved so silently that if it wasn't for the monster's jet-black chitin standing out in the green grass, Vin probably wouldn't have even known it was creeping up on him.
New monster discovered! 200 exp gained.
"Oh that's not good," Vin muttered, reflexively reading the new message and looking at the monster in a new light. "Sure do wonder what makes a monster different from-OH GOD IT'S FAST!"
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While he was muttering to himself, the giant scorpion must have realized it had been spotted because it suddenly abandoned all forms of stealth, rushing toward him with a surprising burst of speed. Nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste, Vin barely managed to stay upright as he took off, not a thought in his mind other than putting distance between himself and the monster that looked like it really, really wanted to eat him.
While Vin had always been more of an endurance runner than a sprinter, he could certainly be quick when he wanted to be. After running in a dead sprint for about thirty seconds, he risked slowing down to look behind him, praying he'd left the monster in the dust.
The good news was that the scorpion was clearly not as fast as he was, as the monster had only traveled about half the distance in the same amount of time.
The bad news was that it was still coming directly at him.
"Oh, come on!" Vin shouted, trying not to look at how sharp its stingers were as he turned and continued running. For the next few minutes he did nothing but run, focusing solely on putting distance between himself and the angry monster. He briefly entertained the idea of trying to make it back to camp and the waiting combat classes before remembering he'd already put five entire miles between him and the safety of camp. One look back at the steadily approaching monster that didn't seem to tire was all it took to give up on that plan. His only hope was to keep running and try to lose it somehow.
Unfortunately, Vin wasn't some trained marathon runner. He had to keep stopping to catch his breath, but every time he did, he'd spot the scorpion a ways behind him, calmly but continuously closing the distance between them. That sight seemed to give him all the motivation he needed to keep going. After a few more minutes of this, Vin spotted something strange enough to distract him from the seemingly inevitable monster right on his heels.
About a half mile ahead of him the world appeared to be cut in two. It was as if someone had drawn a straight line across the ground, and decided to place an entirely different world across that line. While he was currently running through fields of grass and the occasional thin forest, beyond that line the ground seemed to transform into waves of rocky hills studded with short shrubs and arid bushes.
"What… is that…" he panted, trying to make sense of the weird sight he was running toward. He didn't understand how he hadn't seen the change in environment coming sooner, but he didn't really have time to think about it. A quick glance behind him proved the scorpion hadn't given up the hunt just yet, so Vin shook his head and continued running toward the edge of the world. Maybe if he was lucky the monster wouldn't follow him out of their current area and he could buy himself some time to think.
It took a few minutes, but finally, Vin reached the strange merger of biomes. Running over the invisible line, he gasped as the temperature rose a few degrees and the air became just a tad more dry. He swore the sun felt stronger the moment he passed the line as well.
Then he gasped again at a series of unexpected messages from the System.
New fragment discovered! 500 exp gained.
Level up! Explorer Lvl 2.
+3 Attribute points to spend.
+1 Skill point to spend.
"What on Earth… is a fragment…" he panted, doubling over and sucking in as much air as he could while he read through his messages. "And more importantly…" Forcing himself back up, he shielded his eyes and looked back toward the grassy area he'd come from. He'd sprinted hard enough that the scorpion was still a few minutes behind him, but it proved to be a rather dedicated monster as it continued moving in a beeline directly toward him.
"For the love of…" Sighing, Vin pulled up his System interface and dumped his three attribute points into endurance without a second thought. That combined with his free point from his Explorer class bonus brought his endurance from 17 to 21, and he immediately felt lighter on his feet and less out of breath as he confirmed his selection.
"Woah, hell yeah!" He laughed, taking a few tentative hops side to side. It was as if he'd been carrying an invisible thirty-pound bag on his shoulders his entire life and the System had just grabbed it and hurled it into a nearby forest.
"I could get used to this," he grinned, before remembering he was currently in something of a life or death situation.
"Maybe it won't cross the line when it gets here," he muttered. Not willing to risk his life on a maybe, Vin turned and began jogging across the new terrain. Running over the rocks and hills was tougher than through the grassy fields, but his new endurance helped keep his stamina up immensely. He made it to the top of the largest hill about a quarter mile away just in time to turn around and witness the scorpion cross over the fragment line without hesitation, continuing straight for him. The rocky terrain didn't even seem to slow it down.
"You suck! You know that?!" Vin touched the giant bowie knife strapped to his waist, briefly debating trying to fight the creature now that he had the high ground. But a single glance at those three stingers was all it took for him to trash that idea. No matter how he envisioned the fight going, he just didn't see a way he could get close enough to stab the monster without at least one of those stingers impaling him. And even if they weren't poisoned, which he'd bet his fancy new class they were because screw the System, the stingers were still the size of daggers.
"Yeah no thanks," he grunted, turning and continuing to run.
Thanks to his increased endurance, he managed to stay just ahead of the scorpion as he ran despite the more difficult terrain that seemed to favor the monster. The bastard chased him for another few miles, and while Vin managed to spot four new species during the chase, he wasn't really able to take the time and admire them.
Some sort of pack of armadillos that rolled down the hill to escape him when he crested a hill and surprised them during his run. A short and stocky bird with a beak that looked thicker than its own head he interrupted while it was cracking open some rocks. A six-legged gecko the size of his forearm, camouflaged to perfectly blend in with the rocky landscape that he only found because he literally kicked it by accident. And an animal that looked completely identical to a wild goat from Earth staring at him with its beady eyes as it slowly licked a rock.
Vin wanted to take the time and admire the nice new scenery. Take in the exotic new animals and wonder about how they came to be.
But a certain scorpion had something to say about that.
"Why me?!" He shouted over his shoulder at the scorpion as it passed the goat without hesitation and continued chasing him. Even with his increased endurance, he didn't have a ton of practice running for miles on end, and the distance between the monster and him had shrunk to only a few hundred feet as he began to slow down. "Go eat the goat you stinging bastard! It's right there!"
Vin thought he saw the goat slowly turn its head and fix him with another beady stare, its eyes seeming to narrow slightly, its tongue pausing mid lick.
Note to self, stay away from that goat.
Panting, Vin tried to come up with a plan as he struggled to make it to the top of the newest hill. He wouldn't be able to run much longer; he was just about at the end of his rope as it was. His attempts to hide from the scorpion by putting hills between himself and it to block its vision before darting off in a different direction had failed each time he'd tried. The monster seemed to have some method of tracking him.
He was going to have to fight it.
Gasping for air, Vin finally made it to the top of the latest hill, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of the bowie knife as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. But just before he pulled the knife free, he paused, staring wide eyed at the sight before him.
Thanks to the added height from the hill, he could just barely make out his salvation at what he guessed was about a half mile off in the distance, practically glowing in the setting sun.
He had discovered a village.
Boy I hope these guys know how to fight and I'm not about to get their entire village slaughtered, Vin thought as he ran down the hill. An actual chance of survival that didn't involve entering a knife fight with a giant mutant scorpion gave him all the motivation he needed to keep his tired legs moving.
From his spot atop the hill he was able to make out the village in pretty good detail. The buildings seemed to be made from crushed stone and some type of mortar, and they were arranged rather haphazardly, as though there hadn't been any sort of plan at the start of the village and they just built a new house somewhere on the edge whenever the need arose. The villagers were a bit harder to make out from this distance, but he could definitely see what looked like regular people walking around inside the village.
"HEY!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, waving his arms around as he ran down the hill. "MONSTER!"
He only had to repeat his message one more time before he saw someone point in his direction. He wasn't sure if this was a common occurrence or if these people were just extremely efficient, but the moment the villagers spotted him and the monster running towards them the village transformed into a bustling hotspot of activity. Within seconds, half a dozen villagers appeared at the edge of the village and began heading toward him, each of them carrying a lengthy spear.
"Oh thank God!" He cried, his legs burning and his lungs on fire as he sprinted toward his saviors. He met the group a few hundred feet out from the village, finally slowing down and coming to a complete stop as he doubled over beside them, his hands on his knees. He tried to speak up and thank them, but he was panting so hard the words just wouldn't come. Luckily, the six warriors seemed to know exactly what to do, and they formed a half circle spear wall between the monster and himself.
In amazement, Vin watched as five of the six warriors readied their spears to strike as one the moment the scorpion got within range. To Vin's shock, rather than trying to maneuver around the improvised kill zone that had been set up, the monster instead rushed directly into it, almost as if Vin was the only thing it could see. All five spears struck true, and the scorpion's momentum halted in an instant, the monster hissing as green blood splattered across the rocky ground. Attacking the monster seemed to finally bring the villagers to its attention, and the scorpion's stingers shot out, trying to strike the nearest villagers. Thankfully, the stingers weren't quite as long as the spears were, and the monster's desperate attacks struck nothing but air.
Now pinned and unable to move, the scorpion struggled to no avail as the final hunter carefully aimed his spear and thrust it directly into the monster's head, taking its life with a single blow and causing its chitin-covered body to drop to the ground.
Finally, after what had to have been at least half an hour of panicked running, Vin's nightmare had come to an end. Letting out a shaky laugh, he forced himself to stand up straight and grinned at his saviors.
"You would not believe how happy I am to see you guys! Thank you for the save by the way. My name's Vin."
The presumed leader of the small group of warriors, the man who had struck the killing blow against the monster, stepped forward and looked him up and down. He wore the strangest assortment of armored pieces Vin had ever seen. Most of the armor looked to be made from rock of all things, while the joints were covered in a thick leather. Even his helmet looked as though it had been carved from solid rock.
Vin didn't care what world this man lived in; there was no way that could be comfortable.
Banging the butt of his spear into the hard ground, the warrior frowned at Vin and gestured at his body. "Os ta puste? Ae ots tan murra?"
Vin stared at the man, blinking dumbly as the foreign words went in one ear and out the other. He wasn't sure why he'd expected the random village of people living in an entirely different world to speak the same language he did, but he didn't think two high school Spanish classes had prepared him for whatever this was.
"Uh… This is a longshot, but any chance anyone in your village speaks English?"
The man stared at him blankly. After a moment he grunted, nudging one of the other warriors watching the whole exchange. "Ta voxa ommomo cit puste au Darvai al rife at?" The second man seemed to hesitate for a second before sighing, motioning for Vin to follow him.
Through sheer willpower Vin managed to force his exhausted legs to take one step after another as he followed the guy clearly tasked with bringing him somewhere. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched as the remaining warriors got to work cutting apart the monster they'd slain, separating the meat and the chitin into two different piles. Vin noted how they seemed to be treating the scorpion's meat extra carefully, ensuring the monster's blood didn't get all over everything. While they worked, the leader stood watch, his gaze sweeping cautiously across the rocky terrain and ensuring no threats approached the team while they were distracted.
As they neared the village, Vin realized it had a lot more artistic flair than he'd been able to see from up on the hill. The buildings were indeed made of stone, but it seemed as though every possible inch of the structures had been delicately carved. Some were abstract and nothing more than random shapes and squiggles, while others were shockingly detailed pictures of spearmen carrying out a hunt or two people coming together under a bright moon.
"Your village is beautiful," Vin said, admiring one building with a carving of a dozen small children playing some sort of game that involved throwing rocks at a target. He felt the subtle tingling of the System messaging him, but he pushed it aside for the moment. His eyes were far too busy taking in the myriad of sights.
"Jon verra jautar ta," the man muttered, clearly unhappy he'd been singled out for the task of leading him wherever they were going. While they walked through the village, Vin quickly realized he'd become an object of fascination as dozens of villagers stopped whatever they were doing, instead choosing to watch him with curious eyes. He noted that only the warriors were clad in armor carved from rocks. The remaining villagers appeared to be wearing simple and far more comfortable looking leather clothing, and both the men and women alike were adorned in expertly carved accessories made from different types of rocks.
He was so distracted that he nearly walked into the back of his guide when the man finally stopped, gesturing for him to enter a small building in the center of the village. Lifting the hide acting as a door, Vin stepped in and blinked at the unexpected interior.
Admittedly, after seeing the rock armor, rock jewelry, and rock buildings, he'd been expecting rock furniture. Instead, he found himself inside a quaint room containing a few sets of wicker furniture draped in woolens. The walls were decorated with a mixture of carvings and hanging leathers, and the entire room was lit by a few glowing stones attached to the ceiling. Once Vin had taken the directed seat, the man nodded and gestured for him to stay there before walking away, letting the hide door covering fall shut behind him.
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Looking around, Vin realized the building didn't have any other rooms, so he turned to face the front door and tried to make himself comfortable. While waiting, he pulled up his System interface and looked at the rewards he still had to spend. But first, the message he'd ignored when entering the village.
New village discovered! 300 exp gained.
"Hell yeah!" Grinning at the unexpected bonus, he turned his focus on his rewards. "A skill point from reaching level 2, and that free passive the System itself seems to be bribing me with," he muttered, wondering just how concerned that should make him. "Hopefully one of these will help with other languages."
Focusing on his shiny new skill point, his eyes widened at the absolutely insane list of skills that opened in front of him. He'd thought the list of classes had been big, but this list had to be nearly three times that size. At least.
"Alright, I am not about to read through all that." Remembering how he'd been able to organize the class list, Vin thought about splitting the skills apart, and the System obliged, breaking the list into two different ones, labeled Class Skills and Non-Class Skills.
A quick glance through the two lists showed that those on his class list cost only one skill point, while those on the non-class list cost two. Seeing as he only had the one point, he dismissed the non-class skills for now and took a look at his options. Thankfully, while still rather large, his class skill list was the far smaller of the two.
Unfortunately, each skill had literally no additional information other than a name.
Scrolling through the list, Vin scowled at the lack of information the System provided them. Some skills sounded rather self-explanatory, but there were plenty more that he could only even begin to guess as to their function. Eventually, he picked out a few of the skills that sounded immediately useful or just plain interesting to him.
Cartography
Dungeoneering
Resistance
Running
Spellcraft
"This is where even a short blurb would be helpful," he muttered, wondering if the System was even paying attention or if it just automatically sent any recommendations into some godly waste bin.
Cartography was self-explanatory. It would probably help him make maps more easily or something like that. With his Mental Map passive, the only reason to take this one would be to make it easier for him to transfer what was in his head onto paper. It might be worth picking up soon, but he wanted to choose something for himself for his first skill.
Running was another obvious choice, and he was highly tempted to take that skill after that scorpion monster had been kind enough to provide him with the chance to experience firsthand what it was like to be the main character of a terrible horror movie. He probably would have taken this one without hesitation, if it weren't for the three mystery skills that stood out to him.
Dungeoneering implied that this world contained dungeons. While Vin hated fighting, just the thought of magical dungeons full of strange treasures and unique challenges filled him with glee. The only thing stopping him was a need for more information. If dungeons locked you in a room with a monster that you had to defeat to progress, he'd avoid them like the plague. But if they were more free roaming and able to be tackled from different angles, he'd absolutely pick up the skill. He'd have to ask around and learn more before pulling the trigger on that one.
Resistance could be so many things he wasn't sure what to think of for this one. Would it make him more resistant to fatigue? Poison? Injury? Any skill that sounded like it would help keep him alive was probably a good skill to have, but he didn't want to risk wasting his first skill point if the skill ended up being terrible.
And the last wild card, Spellcraft. From the name, it sounded like the skill would help him create his own spells, or at the very least interact with magic somehow; both of which sounded awesome! Except for the tiny fact that his magic attribute was currently sitting pretty at a whopping zero.
Groaning in frustration, Vin spent a few minutes trying to decide what skill to pick before dismissing the interface altogether, pulling up the possible passives instead. He'd pick his skill later.
Interestingly, the list of passives seemed to mainly include class related choices, meaning there were probably tons of other ones that he'd never have the option to take so long as he stayed as an Explorer. Thankfully the list was a more manageable size compared to the skill list. Though he had an entirely different problem with this new list.
Every single passive looked fantastic, and he could only pick one of them.
Vin stared hungrily at the passives as he scrolled through them. Even without any additional information, the names alone made him want them all.
Iron Stomach… Night Owl… Distance Runner… The list offered about a hundred different passives for the Explorer class, and Vin literally would have been happy snagging any one of them.
However, when his eyes landed on one name in particular, he knew what he'd have to take first. Sighing in both relief and disappointment, Vin made his choice and watched as the new passive appeared on his System interface.
Passives: Mental Map, Polyglot
His decision wasn't a second too soon, as right after making his choice the hide covering the door was pulled back and an elderly woman stepped inside. Like the rest of the villagers she wore a few intricate pieces of stone jewelry, and she walked with a cane that was covered in carvings of so many abstract shapes and patterns it almost hurt to look at. Giving him a quick once over, she carefully walked over and took the chair opposite him.
"Do you understand me?" She asked, in perfect English to Vin's relief. Curiously, he could just barely sense a slight humming in his ears when she spoke, and when he answered, he felt the same sensation in his tongue.
"Yes, I understand you." Seeing her look of bewilderment, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I actually picked up a new passive from the System just now in fact. I couldn't understand your warriors when they led me here, so it seemed like a good choice."
"That is a useful gift indeed," she said, tapping the ground with her cane. "I was not aware such an option was even offered by the Great System. We will have to add it to our records. What is your class?"
"Explorer," Vin said, eagerly leaning forward. "You have records of the different options provided by the System? With descriptions?"
"But of course," she chuckled, seemingly entertained by his clear excitement. "What good would records be without details? It is tradition for our people to journey to the Great Stone before coming of age and selecting their first class. It is an ancient monolith wider than this very village that stretches up to the heavens. There, all may lay eyes upon information carved by their ancestor's ancestors and plot their entire future if they so choose."
"So, uh… this stone. Is this some sort of holy site? Or is anyone allowed to go take a look at the Great Stone?" Vin asked, trying to keep the excitement from his voice.
"The knowledge is free to all who seek it," the elder said, raising Vin's hopes before tearing them right back down. "…or at least, it was."
"Even if outsiders are forbidden now, surely there is something I can do to gain access to the Great Stone? Maybe a trade of some sort?" Vin asked, scrambling to come up with a way to convince the village elder. They didn't exactly bring any sort of riches or valuables with them to this world, but he had to try. Getting their hands on that type of information would be a huge boon to the people of Earth.
"You misunderstand, child," the elder said, a deep sorrow reflected on her face. "We did not change our rules and traditions all of a sudden. The Great Stone is no more.
"It was lost when the world ended."