The Iron Mare Inn wasn't fancy, but it was clean, warm, and most importantly, had actual beds.
Kade had insisted on paying for Nero's room ("You'll pay me back when you're rich and famous, yeah?"), and now Nero was alone for the first time since arriving in Etheria.
He collapsed onto the bed—an actual mattress, stuffed with straw but still infinitely better than dirt—and stared at the ceiling.
His system interface hovered in his peripheral vision, waiting.
[CLASS SELECTION AVAILABLE]
[TIME REMAINING: 71:45:22]
OPTIONS:
1. ROGUE - Stealth, precision, exploiting weaknesses
2. SPELLBLADE - Magic and melee hybrid combat
3. ENCHANTER - Item enhancement, magical crafting
4. SYSTEM SPECIALIST - [ERROR: FULL DESCRIPTION UNAVAILABLE]
[Warning: "System Specialist" is a UNIQUE CLASS]
[This class has significant synergy with your ERRØR abilities]
[However, it may draw unwanted attention]
[Choose carefully]
"Draw unwanted attention," Nero muttered. "Like people who hunt glitch users. Those people. That attention."
He pulled up his full status screen, something he hadn't had time to properly examine.
═══════════════════════════
NAME: Nero Cross
RACE: Human (Outsider)
CLASS: UNASSIGNED
LEVEL: 2 (XP: 115/200)
═══════════════════════════
STATS:
STR: 13 (+5) | VIT: 14 (+5) | AGI: 15 (+5)
INT: 20 (+5) | WIS: 17 (+5) | LUK: ???
HP: 140/140
MP: 200/200
STAMINA: 100%
CORRUPTION: 27/100
═══════════════════════════
SKILLS:
[ERRØR] Reality Debug Mode (Passive) - See the code behind reality
[ERRØR] Exploit Detection (Active) - Identify weaknesses in systems and entities
[ERRØR] Patch Rewrite (Active) - Modify reality's code (HIGH CORRUPTION COST)
[LOCKED] Rollback Protocol - Undo recent events (VERY HIGH CORRUPTION COST)
COMBAT SKILLS:
[Basic Swordsmanship - Lv 1]
[Basic Evasion - Lv 2]
TITLES:
[Outsider] - You don't belong here
[Dead Man Walking] - You've already died once
[Tactical Retreat Master] - Successfully fled from overwhelming force
[ĘŘŘØŘ ỮŞ€Ř] - ỮŇЀتŦŇĐ ŦĦ€ ĐŇĢ€Ř
RELATIONSHIPS:
Kade Morrison - FRIENDLY (25/100)
Finn Cooper - NEUTRAL-FRIENDLY (15/100)
Lyra Ashford - CAUTIOUS-NEUTRAL (10/100)
═══════════════════════════
The stats seemed decent for a Level 2 adventure, but that Corruption number made his stomach twist. He'd already used 27% of his buffer, and he'd been here less than a day.
At this rate, I'll hit 100 in what, a week? Then what? Terminal Event. That sounds... bad.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
"It's Kade! You decent?"
"Define decent."
The door opened anyway. Kade ducked through—the doorframe was barely tall enough for him—carrying two mugs.
"Figured you could use a drink. Also, Finn and Lyra are having their nightly argument about optimal dungeon formations, and I needed an excuse to escape."
He handed Nero a mug. It smelled like ale—weak ale, but ale nonetheless.
"Thanks." Nero took a sip. It tasted better than it smelled. "So this is normal? The arguing?"
"Oh yeah. They've been at it for three years. Finn thinks we should prioritize speed and efficiency. Lyra thinks we should prioritize not dying horribly. It's a philosophical disagreement." Kade dropped into the room's single chair, which creaked ominously under his weight. "They're both right, obviously, which just makes them argue more."
"How long have you three been a party?"
"Four years, give or take. Met doing a goblin extermination quest—boring stuff, but good training for newbies. Finn almost got himself killed showing off. Lyra saved his ass. I thought they were both idiots and told them so. Somehow we kept ending up on the same quests, and eventually it just... stuck."
"Found family," Nero said without thinking.
Kade's expression softened. "Yeah. Exactly that." He took a long drink. "What about you? You said you don't remember much, but... before. Did you have people?"
The question hit harder than Nero expected.
Did I? Coworkers who tolerated me. Parents I hadn't called in months. A life that was just work, sleep, work, sleep until my heart gave out at twenty-seven.
"Not really," he admitted. "I was... focused on work. Too focused, probably. Didn't leave much room for people."
"That's shit," Kade said bluntly. "No offense."
"None taken. It was shit."
"Well, you've got us now. Temporarily, officially, but..." He shrugged those massive shoulders. "I don't usually vouch for random cliff-jumpers. But there's something about you, mate. You've got survivor instincts and you don't panic. That's rare. Most Level 2s would've frozen when that ogre showed up."
"I definitely panicked." Nero said. "I just panicked while running."
Kade laughed, loud and genuine. "That's the smart kind of panic!" He drained his mug and stood. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll get you some proper gear and maybe run a easy dungeon. Nothing fancy—just goblins, maybe some slimes. Build you up to Level 5 or so."
"Kade?" Nero said as the big man reached the door. "Thanks. For everything. The healing potion, the registration fee, the room, all of it. I won't forget it."
Kade waved it off. "Like I said—pay it forward. Someday you'll be the established adventurer helping some scared kid who just woke up in a forest. That's how it works." He grinned. "Besides, you seem like you'll be entertaining. That's worth the investment."
After he left, Nero lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling again.
Found family, he thought. From dead and alone to this in one day. This world is insane.
His system pinged softly.
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE]
Kade Morrison: FRIENDLY → TRUSTED FRIEND (40/100)
+5% stat bonus when fighting alongside Kade
Kade will prioritize your safety in combat.
Nero smiled despite himself. Then he pulled up his class options again, weighing his choices.
Rogue makes sense. Fits my playstyle, doesn't draw attention.
But System Specialist... if it synergizes with my glitch abilities, I could potentially control my Corruption better. Understand this world's code.
Is the risk worth it?
He didn't have an answer yet.
Exhaustion finally caught up with him, and Nero drifted off, the interface still glowing softly in the darkness.
Morning came too early.
Someone was pounding on his door like they were trying to break it down.
"NERO! UP AND AT 'EM! WE'VE GOT DUNGEONS TO CLEAR AND LEVELS TO GAIN!"
Of course it's Kade.
Nero dragged himself out of bed, every muscle reminding him that yesterday had been A Lot. He opened the door to find Kade looking disgustingly cheerful and awake.
"How are you this energetic?" Nero croaked.
"Clean living, positive attitude, and a breakfast that could choke a horse. Speaking of which—downstairs, five minutes. Lyra's buying."
"Lyra's buying?"
"She lost a bet. Finn will explain.
FIVE MINUTES!"
Nero washed his face in the basin, changed into his spare clothes (the system had helpfully provided him with two identical outfits), and headed downstairs.
The inn's common room was busier than he expected. Adventurers ate breakfast, planned their days, compared loot. Nero spotted his party at a corner table.
Finn was explaining something to Lyra with excessive hand gestures. Lyra looked like she regretted every life choice that led to this moment. Kade was demolishing a plate of food that could feed a family of four.
"Nero!" Finn called out. "Settle an argument. If you had to fight fifty duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck, which would you choose?"
"It's not an argument," Lyra said tiredly. "It's a stupid hypothetical."
"It's a STRATEGY discussion disguised as a stupid hypothetical."
Nero sat down. "The duck. Bigger target, easier to exploit weak points. Fifty small enemies means divided attention and death by a thousand cuts."
Finn pointed at him triumphantly. "SEE? Nero gets it!"
"Nero's been here one day and he's already enabling Finn's nonsense," Lyra muttered, but she slid a plate toward him. "Eat. We're heading to the Thornwood Dungeon after this. It's a Bronze-rank, should be easy for the three of us. Good training for you."
"Bronze-rank?"
"Dungeons are rated Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Mythic," Kade explained between bites. "Bronze is entry-level. Mythic is 'you will die and your corpse will be used as dungeon decoration."
"Reassuring."
"The Thornwood Dungeon spawned about two weeks ago," Lyra continued. "It's been cleared three times already, so we know the layout. Mostly goblins, maybe a hobgoblin mini-boss. Perfect for getting you combat experience."
Nero's Debug Mode was already active, analyzing his party members' status without him consciously activating it.
[PARTY STATUS]
KADE MORRISON - Level 18 Tank
HP: 580/580 | MP: 180/180
CLASS: Guardian
MOOD: Excited
CURRENT BUFFS: Well-Rested, Well-Fed
FINN COOPER - Level 16 Rogue
HP: 320/320 | MP: 240/240
CLASS: Shadow Blade
MOOD: Sarcastic (Default State)
CURRENT BUFFS: Well-Rested, Caffeine High
LYRA ASHFORD - Level 17 Ranger
HP: 380/380 | MP: 310/310
CLASS: Marksman
MOOD: Focused
CURRENT BUFFS: Well-Rested, Alert
They're all at least seven times my level, Nero thought. This should be interesting.
"Before we go," Lyra said, fixing Nero with that intense stare. "Have you chosen your class yet?"
"Still deciding."
"Don't wait too long. The system defaults to whatever it thinks fits best, and trust me, you want to make that choice yourself."
"What are your thoughts?" Finn asked. "Rogue would fit your skill set. Good synergy with me—we could coordinate on exploiting weaknesses."
"Spellblade's flashy," Kade added. "Magic sword goes whoosh, enemies go splat. Can't go wrong."
Lyra was quiet for a moment. "What about System Specialist?"
The table went still.
"It's a unique class," she continued. "Rare. That usually means powerful but complicated. High risk, high reward."
"Or high risk, high 'you just painted a target on your back,'" Finn countered.
"Could be worth it," Kade said thoughtfully. "If Nero's got a natural affinity for system mechanics, fighting against that seems stupid. Like forcing a mage to be a warrior."
Nero appreciated that they were trying to help, but the knot in his stomach tightened. They don't know what System Specialist really means. They don't know about Corruption, about Debuggers, as his system mentioned, about what I actually am.
"I'll decide after the dungeon," he said finally. "See how I perform in actual combat first."
Lyra nodded slowly. "Fair enough. But decide soon. Classes shape your entire development path."
They finished breakfast and headed to the Guild to officially accept the dungeon quest. Marge processed their paperwork with her usual efficiency.
"Bronze-rank Thornwood Dungeon," she confirmed. "Standard extermination quest. Clear all enemy spawns, eliminate the mini-boss if present. Reward: Fifteen silver, split among party. Any objections?"
"None," Lyra said.
"Then you're cleared. Try not to die. It's bad for our success rate statistics."
Outside the Guild, the morning sun was warm on Nero's face. The town was fully awake now—merchants hawking their wares, adventurers gearing up, normal people going about normal lives.
Less than twenty-four hours ago, I was dead. Now I'm about to voluntarily walk into a monster-filled dungeon. This is fine. Everything is fine.
"You good?" Kade asked, noticing his expression.
"Just mentally preparing to not die."
"That's the spirit! Come on, dungeon's about two hours northwest. We'll get there by midday, clear it, be back for dinner. Easy day."
Finn snorted. "Famous last words."
"What could possibly go wrong?"
"KADE," Lyra and Finn said in unison, "DO NOT TEMPT FATE."
But Kade just laughed and started walking, and despite everything, Nero found himself smiling as he followed.
What could possibly go wrong indeed.