Chapter 37
"Ow, ow, ow, ow. My head hurts. What happened?" Zen asked as his blurry eyes finally began to clear and he yawned loudly.
Slowly, he tried to stand up but felt something heavy resting on his legs, not letting him move properly. Glancing around at the room he had been assigned, he noticed it was plain, quiet, and almost bare.
A simple mattress lay neatly on the ground, pressed against the far wall without a bedframe or support box, its thin sheet folded tight with military precision.
To the right, a narrow wooden rack stood with a few hooks and shelves, just enough space to hang or stack his limited clothing.
In the opposite corner, half-tucked into shadow, sat a small, old chest made of worn ironwood, its surface scarred with age and use. It was likely meant for valuables or anything personal.
The stone walls were cool and bare, the silence only broken by Zen's soft movements. It wasn't much, but it was his and for now, that was enough.
But that was not what caught his attention as he glanced down. On his feet lay a human who could be seen snoring softly. Then beside him were three more humans, all young men Zen was familiar with.
Kael lay across his feet, Ryker at the far corner, Thorne snoring loudly, and Zarin lying peacefully with a warm smile on his face.
"No doubt the fool is dreaming about some girls," Zen quietly chuckled to himself as he ruffled his hair slightly. "I wonder how I even got into the room with these guys. Last thing I remember, I was at the party, getting more and more drunk."
"Can't believe I drank alcohol for the first time. I wonder what other things these guys would force me to do again. I hope they don't break my purity — can't have it broken in a game, no less." He mumbled to himself as a pounding headache started to rise.
'Sheesh! This is why I don't want to get drunk. The hangover is the real punishment, and it's so annoying,' he thought as he massaged his forehead with his fingers while staring at the figures sleeping soundly.
'Throughout the month I spent hunting beasts and raiding dungeons, I managed to gather enough NP to get my first real equipment. The Ripper Fang Dagger,' he thought and then opened his system, quickly navigating to one of his skills.
{Inventory}
{Ripper Fang Dagger equipped}
A shimmering blue light, visible only to him, materialized around his hand. In an instant, a dagger appeared in his grasp.
The Ripper Fang Dagger looked unlike any standard blade. It appeared forged from the fang of a fallen beast, polished smooth yet still bearing the faint ridges and natural texture of the predator it once belonged to.
Its edge shimmered with a faint bluish tint, and the curved point at the tip seemed almost eager to taste blood.
The handle was wrapped in dark leather, tight and firm against his grip, with grooves molded for his fingers — built for fast, silent kills. A faint etching of runes ran down the side of the blade, pulsing faintly. It wasn't flashy, but it screamed lethality.
With a sigh, Zen activated one of his system skills.
{Inspect}
[Name: Ripper Fang Dagger]
{Rank: D}
{Stats: +5 AGI; +2% Critical Hit Chance
Silent Strike: Backstab damage increased by 20%}
{Description: Forged from the fang of a shadow beast, this curved dagger thrives in the hands of those who move without sound. Ideal for ambushes and assassinations. Deadly when used on unguarded targets.}
Sigh.
Zen de-equipped the dagger, causing it to disappear, and then glanced at the ceiling above him. His mind wandered for a moment, recalling the battles he had fought and the countless dungeon raids he had endured.
Every scratch, every bruise, and every bit of NP he had earned had led him to this moment. Holding nothing in his hands, he felt a quiet confidence. He had grown stronger, smarter, and more aware of the dangers lurking ahead.
'This is only the beginning,' he thought with a small smirk. 'If I keep at this pace, I'll become a force to be reckoned with soon enough.'
Zen exhaled, massaged his temples, and finally decided to get up properly, ready to explore what the day would bring and how he could further improve his skills. The room was quiet, but he could feel the pulse of adventure calling him once more.
'So many E rank beasts have fallen to this dagger, so I can testify to its lethality. It's quite good. With just a D ranked dagger, I managed to level up a few times because of it, and my stats look pretty decent now.'
{Status}
{Name: Zenixx}
{XP: 320/500}
{Level: 5}
{HP: 40/40} {STR: 22}
{AGI: 20} {INT: 30}
{NP: 20}
'Leveling up a few times certainly gave me some stat points. And then killing a few beasts helped even more. This damned system still kept denying me some rewards whenever I defeated a creature, so it's not a huge boost, but it's still okay.' Zen muttered as he studied his status.
'My intelligence stat is still above the rest. That just proves how vast and wide my brain is, absorbing information every single day. Too bad I haven't gotten any new skills yet. So frustrating!'
Zen's thoughts shifted to the C ranked beast from that dungeon raid. 'Honestly, I can't believe I helped take down that thing without even fighting it properly. Who said I had to fight the beast to kill it?
As the saying goes, "Work smart, not hard." With that in mind, I managed to cheat both the system and that damned game lord.' He chuckled to himself a little too loudly, causing Ryker to grumble from the corner.
{Don't toot your horn yet, dumbass. The game lord doesn't have your time yet. And trust me, when he does, there is no escaping. He will make sure you are completely dead.}
'Are you even on my side?' Zen muttered under his breath.
{Why would I be on the side of a dumbass like you? I don't even know why I was assigned to guide you to power. I'm sure it's not the game lord's doing, which only cements your status as a bug that isn't supposed to live.}
'And yet this bug is growing stronger day by day. Managed to reach D rank in just a month. Soon it will be B rank, then A rank, and finally, I will reach S rank and face that damned game lord.'
{Good luck with that. Don't complain if you die before completing your goals. Lol.}
Bang, Bang, Bang!
"Oh shit! Time for breakfast!" Zen shouted as he sprang to his feet, forgetting about the others lying around.
"Ouch!" Kael cried as his head hit the floor, while the others slowly blinked awake, groaning.
"Wake up, you all! It's time for breakfast!" Zen shouted, giving each of them a light kick on the side to hurry them along.
"Shut up! I want to sleep." Ryker snapped, rolling onto his side and covering his face with his arm.
"Fine. You know what? Screw you all! I'm headed downstairs," Zen shouted, storming out of the room with a grin, eager for breakfast and the start of another busy day.