This story is already over. There is nothing you can do to change the outcome. What you are seeing now is a retelling of events long ago. It's a story of family and brotherhood. Love and strife. Death and betrayal.
A story so old, many do not believe it to have happened, written off as a fairytale from the past. But it did, and written on these very pages, is the same story told as myth.
A story started with a simple message, spoken to a naive and simple boy who would grow to be so much more...
Welcome Player
Bell looked at the blue screen in confusion. Did he hit his head before he fell asleep? Waving his hand in front of the screen, he tried to get rid of it, but it didn't go away.
Showing stats
Bell Cranel
Level 1
HP: 600
Strength: 15
Agility: 12
Intelligence: 20
MP: 100
Luck: 250
Sense: 23
Bell's eyes widened as he saw this. Why was his luck stat so high? All his life, he didn't feel lucky.
His parents died shortly after he was born. His grandfather died before they could leave the city, leaving him all alone, growing up in poverty along with the other orphans. All the ones that came of age joined a familia and shortly died in the dungeon. All except one, but Bell and her hadn't talked in a month.
Transporting player to dungeon, temporarily freezing time
"Wait, what," Bell said aloud.
Before the scenery around him changed, and when his eyes opened, he saw he was in a ruined suburban area. Ruined houses and dead grass surrounded him as a thick fog rolled in.
"Where the hell am I, and what the hell is going," Bell thought a little in fear. Where was he, and what was that window he saw?
Player has entered a dungeon. Player must kill a certain amount of monsters or the dungeon boss to leave
"What? I have to kill monsters, but I don't even have a weapon," Bell thought as his breathing became faster and more erratic.
Skill granted: Observation allows user to see how strong an enemy is.
Weapon granted: Boot knife, a small stainless steel blade meant to be used as a last resort in conflict.
Bell looked at the boot knife and saw that it was about three inches long. Meaning he would have to get in close to attack.
"Ok, now I have a weapon, so things should be easier. But I don't have a falna, so the monsters here will kill me if I'm not careful," Bell thought as he began to walk down the street.
"Huh, odd, this doesn't seem like the dungeon Elfy told me about. Where are the goblins?" Bell wondered as he continued his journey.
Player is not in the dungeon they are familiar with. Player is in a different location entirely.
Bell let out a sigh. Why did this have to be so complicated?
"Are you gonna tell me what dungeon I'm in?" Bell asked, annoyed.
Player is in the great undead labyrinth
Rank E dungeon
"Is rank E easy?" Bell asked.
Yes
Bell thought the way the window popped up was a bit sarcastic. He didn't know how something like the blue screen could be sarcastic, but considering the other weird stuff it's done, he wouldn't put it past it.
He didn't have time to deal with this shit. He had work to do so he could support the orphanage. He didn't have time to be wandering around in the dungeon or whatever the hell the system thought it was.
Time has been temporarily frozen. It seems in your confusion. You missed when it was said the first time.
Bell let out a growl as he grit his teeth. "Smartass"
As he continued his walk down the foggy street, his ear picked up a groaning of sorts. Now Bell had always had heightened sense since he was born, even without the falna. His sense of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste were always better than most people's.
Yet he felt as if his sense were heightened even more since he got whatever this thing was. Was it perhaps that sense window that amplified them even more?
Then the smell hit him. He had to cover his nose as the smell of rotting flesh hit his nose, making him nearly throw up.
He looked to his left and saw what appeared to be a rotting corpse slowly shambling toward him. Its clothes were torn and dirty dragging its feet on the ground like it didn't know how to walk properly.
Bell again nearly threw up when he got a better look at the creature. Its face was rotted with dried blood on its mouth. Its intestines were hanging from its stomach, and an arm was missing from the creature as well.
"Observe," Bell said, wanting to know what this creature was.
Zombie: Level 1
Hint:
As long as you don't get grabbed, you should be fine
"So we're the same level, and it's best not to get grabbed, got it. Might as well sneak up behind it," Bell thought as he crouched and slowly walked around the zombie.
Once he was behind it, he slowly walked up to it before standing and stabbing it in the head, killing it instantly. He took his knife out of the head as the zombie dropped to the ground.
Kill undead 1/100
Bell let out a sigh as he knew he had a lot more work to do. Turning down the street, he began to walk once again, listening and smelling for anything he could kill.
.
.
.
.
Bell stabbed his knife into the head of another zombie before turning his body and throwing the corpse at another one. He ducked his head and avoided a swipe from a third before he stabbed it through the chin, killing it.
He then walked over to the one pinned by a corpse and killed that one as well.
Kill undead: 70/10"
"Almost there," Bell thought to himself, wiping the blood of his knife off on a corpse. He stabbed another zombie in the head before he decided to check his stats.
Showing stats
Bell Cranel
Level 5
HP: 1000
Strength: 19
Agility: 23
Intelligence: 21
MP: 100
Luck: 250
Sense: 26
Knives(2/?)
He had gotten a number of what the system called stat points and divided them as evenly as he could. But didn't put any in his luck with how high it was when he started.
Yet he never felt lucky not with the life he lived. So why the hell was it so high?
He kept walking down the empty and foggy street before he noticed something. An odd shape of what he assumed to be a weapon was on the ground.
Grabbing the grip, he picked it up off the ground and used observation.
Colt python
Weapon rank A
Chamber in .357, this gun packs quite a punch and can do lots of damage if used correctly
Bell's eyes widened in shock. What was an A-rank weapon doing in an E-rank dungeon, and why was this gun so powerful? The guns he knew about were black power and could barely kill a surface monster. So what did it mean by .357?
Different world dumbass
Bell just deadpanned at the blue screen. "You think you're funny, don't you"
Yes I do
Skill acquired: unlimited ammo
Gives player unlimited ammo
Skill acquired: magic reload
Reloads player's gun when needed
"Ok, now that's just overpowered," Bell thought to himself.
He then picked up a discarded can and set it on the ground. He took a few steps back and aimed at the can before pulling the trigger.
Bang
A loud sound rang out as the bullet had already impacted the can before the sound reached Bell's ears. He looked at this thing and giggled like a child who got the toy they wanted for Christmas.
"Oh, this is so cool. Now where do I put it" Bell wondered? He looked at his waist and saw nowhere he could holster it.
"Hey, blue screen thingy, where can I store my things," Bell asked.
Say 'Inventory'
"Inventory," Bell said aloud. Another blue screen opened, this time empty slots. He put the gun in one of the slots, and it disappeared from his hands, and he saw a symbol of the gun in the box.
"Huh, convenient" Bell then grabbed the gun out of his inventory before putting his boot knife there. Closing his inventory, he looked out at the fog and continued his journey.
.
.
.
.
Bell pulled the trigger, and a bullet passed through the rotted flesh of the zombie's head, easily causing the zombie to stay dead.
Quest completed: Kill undead 100/100
Rewards given:
100,000 gold
Kevlar vest
Trench knife
2,500 XP
Unlocked Shop
Level up
Level up
Level up
Bell opened his stats once again and saw his hard work pay off.
Showing stats
Bell Cranel
Level 12
HP: 2,300
Strength: 22
Agility: 29
Intelligence: 24
MP: 100
Luck: 250
Sense: 30
Gunslinger (1/?)
Knives( 5/?)
"Huh, I wonder how my levels here interact with the falna, and how does gold convert to valis," Bell wondered.
Every 25 levels counts for one level in your falna. Right now, you are a mid-level one. Once level 25 is reached, you will be level two.
Gold is four times the value of valis. Say you convert 25,000 gold into valis. You would end up with 100,000 valis.
Bell's eyes widened in shock. With whatever this was, he could get stronger and provide for Maria's orphanage. It seemed as if the answer to his problems had just landed in his lap.
Was this his luck? And if so, why did it decide to work now? Why couldn't it have worked when he was applying to familia's and getting rejected from them?
He shook the thought from his head. He doesn't need to think about that now. He has a way to get stronger and to provide everyone at the orphanage with a better life.
Elfy didn't have to worry about sending them money anymore. She could use it for herself to get better equipment so she doesn't die.
Bell felt a small smile come to his face thinking of the brown-haired girl. The two had grown up together in Maria's orphanage. While Bell's sense we're not like normal, Elfy's magical prowess was beyond extraordinary. Well, at least for a human.
Bell let out a small laugh, thinking of how funny her namesake was. A human named Elfy who was good at magic, how ironic was that?
Putting his handgun in his inventory, he saw the Kevlar vest he acquired. He used observe on it to gauge its stats.
Kevlar Vest:
Armor rank C
Used for protecting the user from projectiles and can also be used to dampen the blow against sharp objects. It is weak against blunt attacks, however.
"Huh, well, that'll be useful, but I'll get better armor later," Bell thought as he put the vest on. It fit comfortably and didn't affect his moment at all. However, he would get something better at a later date.
"Well, I have a guess at what the shop is, so I'll look at it later. Now how can I convert my gold to valis" Bell wondered, putting his hand on his chin.
How much gold would you like to convert?
A blue screen with the number zero appeared in front of Bell. He thought for a moment and decided to play it safe by only converting half of his gold into valis. Who knows when he'd need to buy something from the shop?
A giant sack of 200,000 valis landed in Bell's hand. He let out a whistle with how much money it was before putting it in his inventory.
Would the player like to leave the dungeon y/n
Bell didn't feel any fatigue from fighting, nor was he nervous anymore. But he wanted to get this money to Maria.
"Will I be able to come back?" Bell asked.
Yes
"Then I'd like to leave for now," Bell stated.
Exiting dungeon and resuming time
A bright light surrounded Bell, and when he opened his eyes, he was on the floor of Maria's orphanage. No time had passed, and Bell stretched his muscles.
The reason Bell was on the floor was because he gave his bed up for one of the younger kids to sleep on. He stood up and walked to the run-down kitchen where Maria was serving leftovers Bell got from the hostess of fertility doing deliveries for them.
He walked up to her as she was setting the table for the other kids and started helping her.
"Moring Bell did you sleep well," Maria asked.
"Yeah, I did, did you?" He responded.
Maria nodded her head. "I did. However, judging by your posture, you have something to tell me, child."
Bell let out a chuckle as Maria could read him like an open book. She always had been.
Opening his inventory Bell took out the sack of Valis and put it on the table. Maria's eyes widened in shock as Bell had pulled it from thin air.
"What was that? Was that magic?" Maria questioned.
Bell shook his head. "No, it wasn't. I don't know what I have, but it is something that will make life easier for us all. Open the pouch and see."
Maria did as Bell asked. She opened the pouch and let out a gasp of surprise before quickly closing the pouch.
"Where did you get this? How did you get this much" she whispered.
"Like I told you, I don't know what I have, but I can use it to help us. Don't worry. It's all legal, I think," Bell answered, putting a comforting hand on Maria's shoulder.
Maria took a shaky breath before hiding the pouch under a floorboard that once held meager savings.
"Don't tell the kids about this. It'll be between you and me. You do whatever it is you do, and I'll cover for you, ok," Maria sternly told Bell.
"Yeah, I got it, don't worry, but we won't have to struggle again, Maria, and that means Elfy can buy better gear for herself," Bell reiterated.
Maria grew a teasing smirk on her face. "Elfy, huh"
Bell deadpanned. "What's that supposed to mean."
Maria giggled. "Oh, nothing. I just think it's nice how sweet on her you are."
Bell blushed red in embarrassment before walking out of the kitchen. "Shut up. I'm going to make my deliveries now."
Maira giggled again as she tossed Bell a bread roll. "Make sure you eat that beforehand. I don't need you skipping out on meals again."
Bell let out a nervous chuckle as he caught the bread roll. Bell and a tendency to skip out on meals to make sure the other kids ate. But he did it in a way the other kids didn't pick up on.
When dinner rolled around, he would sit at their half-broken table and tell the others he wasn't hungry. If there was food left over, he would eat after the kids did. If not, he went hungry, not that he minded, however. If the kids could eat and go to sleep with at least a little food in their stomachs, the sacrifice was worth it for Bell.
You seem kind. I did right choosing you
"Oh well, thank you, I won't waste the opportunity you gave me, but what exactly are you," Bell asked.
I am the system. I was created to make certain individuals stronger
"Looks like I lucked out with you then, huh" Bell quipped.
I look forward to working together, and you also don't need to speak aloud. You can talk to me in your head
"Well, that makes this so much easier," Bell said inside his head. Now he wouldn't look like a crazy person trying to use the system.
As he walked down the busy streets of Orario, he could feel himself moving a bit faster than he usually did. He smiled. It meant he had gotten stronger very quickly.
But he also wondered if he could get XP from the normal dungeon where Babel was.
You can
Well, that answered that question. Now while there wasn't a rule that prohibited people without Falna's from entering the dungeon, it was highly recommended people without Flana's didn't.
Bell listened to that advice for a long time as he didn't want to die and leave the kids at the orphanage alone. Not like the others had done, except for Elfy. He hoped she'd be back from her expedition soon.
Arriving at the hostess of fertility, he saw the big burly dwarf of a woman named Mama Mia. She heard Bell come in and put multiple boxes of food on the bar.
"Oi kid first delivery is in the pleasure district. Deliver first, then have fun, ya got it," Mia sternly told him.
Bell blushed in embarrassment as he grabbed the boxes of food and carried them expertly.
"You always tease me, Mia," Bell said, walking to the door.
"Because you're easy to tease," Mia called back.
Bell quickly exited the building and began doing his job of making deliveries all around Orario.
Gonna end the first chapter here as I have no idea what to do. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and that it wasn't too clunky, and I'll see ya next time.