I''ve always hated hindsight.
It''s one of those words you can do nothing about and its definition can be used with almost every decision we make.
I could have handled that differently.
I should have tried harder.
I could have put more effort in.
These are just a few of the phrases that seem to be floating around inside my mind as I stare at the lifeless corpse of, what may have been, one of this worlds heroes.
I''m only speculating he was a hero based on his title, class and physique but I feel as though I''m right and its causing turmoil inside my mind.
Although he was an acid-spitting monster in a dungeon, I felt a duty of care for some strange reason. Finding another injured being and then seeing his status made me feel a responsibility to help.
But then he spat acid at me! I will never forget that shit, even if I had managed to save him, we would have had an explicit conversation about what happened.
It''s a tug of war in my brain, with both sides arguing for dominancy and the justification team is losing.
"I just killed a hero, does that make me a villain?"
''He wasn''t a hero, just a monster.''
Insightful news but how does she know that?
"Are you sure? He seemed pretty heroic to me, facing off against another opponent in the state he was in is definitely heroic in my book?"
''What book?''
"It''s an expression, nevermind that. How do you know he wasn''t a hero?"
''Simple, it would state it on his title. Also, he was paralysed if you have forgotten, so he was not facing off with you, he just couldn''t move and was slowly dying from blood loss and poison.''
Oh.
So my inner crisis is pointless?
I''m not a bad guy?
"But he had a name. Do all monsters have names?"
''Certain monsters are named by the dungeon. They perform specific jobs or given to them by the dungeon and obtain XP, titles and classes from such roles.''
Didn''t see that one coming.
Although it does make sense, it would be an unfair handicap if monsters were unable to obtain XP.
And what was that about the dungeon giving them jobs?
What is this place, a recruitment agency?
"So is the dungeon another monster?"
''No, the dungeon has a core which is essentially the beating heart. You can consider that as the monster. If the destroy the dungeon the core can remake it but if you destroy the core, the dungeon will no longer function. The core has the abilities to alter the layout and terrain of any room or tunnel inside of itself, as well as the ability to create more if it is trying to grow. It can also add monsters, create traps and perform many other random phenomena, in whichever part of itself it deems necessary.''
Wow, this dungeon seems to have more skills than I do.
Talk about emasculation.
''Also unless the dungeon has changed her layout, then I believe that if we keep heading down this passageway, we will arrive at the entrance to the next floor.''
"Really? How can you tell?
''Dungeon Morte has many floors that have large tunnels but only a few floors which contain lizard kin monsters and even less containing a shrine.''
"Awesome, that means if your right we''ll know where we are."
''Correct.''
Ok, my guilt has died down a fraction, not completely but enough to let my mind start moving in straight lines again and I''m feeling a bit more positive now that I know Eto wasn''t a hero. Even more so after finding out that we might know our current floor number soon.
Temi is really pulling through for me recently. She seems to have adjusted to being dragged here by yours truly. I still feel bad about bringing but I''d be lying if I said I would change my choice.
I suppose it''s time to loot the body?
I hope I get food. That''s all I want.
I don''t care about the sword.
I don''t care about clothes.
I doubt I will last much longer without some type of sustenance. It''s been more than 24 hours since I drank from my poison spring. My dehydration is now almost as bad as my hunger.
Please, oh god or system who controls the loot, please don''t let me die.
Placing my hand on Eto the system answers my call.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 95.0413%">
Loot Acquired:
Lizard Skewer x5
Steel Scimitar
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Nom nom nom.
Delicious.
I demolished my way through the first skewer, choking slightly whilst trying to eat too much at once, before slowly savouring every bite of the second and third. I couldn''t contain myself, not that anyone could blame me. Should I shed a tear for the thought for my fallen foe, his remains where being reclaimed by the dungeon right in front of me whilst I ate? Not phased at the event happening before my eyes, I was already in my inventory pulling out skewers, all cohesive thoughts gone, like Eto''s remains..... I know he wasn''t a hero thanks to professor Temi''s wisdom on titles, however, thank you, Eto. Your delicious skewers will serve to keep me going for a while longer.
Wondering if a good meal was all it may have taken to refill my mana, I decide to call up my status and have a look. I also levelled up quite a few more times after killing Eto by mistake. I had forgotten all about it as soon as I saw something edible.
I was having a crisis, so I suppose I''ll cut myself some slack.
<table style="width: 89.911%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 45.5446%">Name: Erin</td>
<td style="width: 49.5049%">Health: 122/122+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 45.5446%">Race: Divine Being</td>
<td style="width: 49.5049%">Mana: 7/98+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 45.5446%">Level: 13</td>
<td style="width: 49.5049%">Stamina: 69/69+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 45.5446%">Title: None</td>
<td style="width: 49.5049%">Class: Dark Knight Level 5 (NEW)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div>
<table style="width: 89.911%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">STR</td>
<td style="width: 22.1123%">86+</td>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">WIS</td>
<td style="width: 24.4224%">70+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">MAG</td>
<td style="width: 22.1123%">68+</td>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">VIT</td>
<td style="width: 24.4224%">81+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">AGI</td>
<td style="width: 22.1123%">78+</td>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">INT</td>
<td style="width: 24.4224%">69+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">LUCK</td>
<td style="width: 22.1123%">2</td>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">DEX</td>
<td style="width: 24.4224%">69+</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div>
<table style="width: 89.911%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 46.2047%">Skills</td>
<td style="width: 48.8448%">Spells</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 46.2047%">
Night Vision Level 7If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Starvation Level 3
Pain Resistance Level 3 (UP 1)
Poison Resistance Level 3
Fear Resistance Level 4 (UP 2)
Paralysis Resistance Level 4 (UP2)
Overpower Level 3 (UP 2)
Dark Slash Level 1 (NEW)
</td>
<td style="width: 48.8448%">
Sphere of Illuminating Light
Fire Wall
Identify
Cure (NEW)
Gravity Ball (NEW)
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
"Oh shit."
''Erin?''
.........
I''m a Dark Knight!
I''m actually a Dark Knight it says so on my status.
I''m not just going through another chuuni moment. I am bonafide, swear to god, Dark Knight!
And it''s even level 5 already!
How fucking cool am I.
"Mwahahahaha!"
''I guess you are checking over your status correct?''
"Yeah! I didn''t become a Paladin like you said I might do, but this sounds even sweeter."
The Dark Knight who inspires terror into his foes.
Hehehe.
Maybe when I''m level 100.
Still, a man can dream.
''I never said you could gain his class, Erin.''
Huh.
''I said there was a chance you could obtain ''a'' class. The Dark Knight class can be awarded to those that kill a Paladin.''
What?
"So it''s an evil class?"
''Classes are not evil, people are. It''s what they do that makes them bad, not what they are.''
Again. What!?
"So you''re saying that I''m evil, then? Not the class and does that mean Eto was a good guy then?"
''You are not evil Erin, if you want to put a name to it, yours was a mercy kill. Eto on the other hand, that would be hard to determine without knowing more about the individual himself.''
So I have now received a class that one obtains from killing a Paladin.
Another fine accident.
........
I let out a long-drawn sigh.
Fine, whatever. I''ll be the friendliest Dark Knight you''ve ever met! I''ll make sure that everyone knows that ''this guy'' is kind, approachable and the nicest person you will ever meet. My courtesies and pleasantries will have no bounds. I will even help them out with all their monster problems too, once I become much stronger and get out of this dungeon. Hopefully, people won''t question the origins of my class. They might not believe I killed a Paladin lizard man, in the middle of a dungeon with his own weapon, whilst naked.
Putting my new conundrum aside, I focus back on my status.
My mana is clearly noticeable, as rising another point is a really big deal for me. It almost confirms a theory I had a while ago after I killed the Oran. Upon my arrival here, Temi first told me I had 5 mana. She was a little insufferable back then, to put it nicely, so she may have neglected to mention my total mana at the time. Then after incinerating the Oran I went up to 6, fast forward to now and I''m at currently at 7 after accidentally killing Eto. 2 monsters and 2 points of mana.
Coincidence?
In a way I hope so, otherwise, that would mean I have to kill 95 more dungeon monsters before reaching my total mana pool. That doesn''t even include extra level ups I might earn in the process or if it has to be 95 different types of monsters!
If my theory is incorrect, however, then I''m at a loss and I suppose I''ll have to see if Temi can fill me in the rest.
For now, let''s see what else my unfortunate accident has granted me.
I''m amassing a nice set of skills now. I have a new skill and a new spell, both from what appears to be the Dark knight class already. If this was a game, that would be one for earning the class and another for reaching rank five probably. I will have to put in some actual combat practice soon to learn how to use my spells and in a fight if I really want to survive here.
Which I totally do!
Back to the boss characters status.
Hehe.
Look at those attributes and again, I''ve got more to add.
I haven''t really fought anything yet either, how lucky am I?
Or is it ''unlucky'' to be in those situations in the first place?
Probably the latter seeing at how my Luck is stuck at a measly 2.
Either way, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth. I need to get strong, I''m tired of shitting myself every time something happens now so I need to start putting some serious effort into accustoming myself to this world. Before now, I was just wandering around trying to find some food to not starve to death. I would have potentially run from almost any monster that would have crossed my path, except for any really small ones that may have seemed manageable, not that I saw any other than Eto, the lone lizard man.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 48.2196%">Inventory</td>
<td style="width: 48.368%">3/15</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 48.2196%">Oran Matt</td>
<td style="width: 48.368%">Lizard Skewer x2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 48.2196%">Steel Scimitar</td>
<td style="width: 48.368%"> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
I now possess Eto''s weapon, which I hope I''m capable of using. I also have a few skewers left, hopefully, they will make me able to last another day or 2 without starvation popping up. After distributing my new points I''ll be ready to continue onwards. Although I''m still trying to anticipate where my next piece of food may come from, it is not the only thought dominating my now clearer mind.
I''ve decided to put the most of my allocatable attribute points into strength this time. It seems like the most logical choice to make now that I have a weapon and also considering I can run out of mana after 2 spells. I''m going to perform another experiment first though by putting one point into each category first, one by one, to see if my status shows any changes whilst doing so.
I bring my status back up and manage to locate an extra information bar which shows special attribute points awaiting distribution.
<table style="width: 89.911%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 45.5446%">Name: Erin</td>
<td style="width: 49.5049%">Health: 122/122+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 45.5446%">Race: Divine Being</td>
<td style="width: 49.5049%">Mana: 7/98+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 45.5446%">Level: 13</td>
<td style="width: 49.5049%">Stamina: 69/69+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 45.5446%">Title: None</td>
<td style="width: 49.5049%">Class: Dark Knight Level 5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 45.5446%">Attribute Points: 24</td>
<td style="width: 49.5049%">Class Attribute points: 10</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div>
<table style="width: 89.911%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">STR</td>
<td style="width: 22.1123%">86+</td>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">WIS</td>
<td style="width: 24.4224%">70+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">MAG</td>
<td style="width: 22.1123%">68+</td>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">VIT</td>
<td style="width: 24.4224%">81+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">AGI</td>
<td style="width: 22.1123%">78+</td>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">INT</td>
<td style="width: 24.4224%">69+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">LUCK</td>
<td style="width: 22.1123%">2</td>
<td style="width: 21.9472%">DEX</td>
<td style="width: 24.4224%">69+</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 98.2196%">Skill Acquired: Sword Mastery Level 1</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>