There's a special kind of humiliation in being the lowest class in a world built on power.
It's not just that people look down on you, it's that they don't look at you at all.
Hunters strut through the streets in their enchanted armor, blades dripping with magic. Mages ride glowing constructs through the skies like gods on parade. And me? I'm the guy sweeping up after them.
My name is Rian Wale. TrashHandler or glorified janitor to some.
Yeah, it's exactly what it sounds like.
My job is to enter a dungeon after the raid party has cleared it, pick up whatever loot they couldn't be bothered to grab, and dispose of the bodies. You'd think that would be safe, right? You'd think wrong.
The dungeon smelled worse than usual tonight. Blood, rot, and something sweet underneath it, like spoiled fruit. The raid party from the Black Fang Guild had swaggered past me on their way out earlier, bragging about their flawless clear.
If this is what flawless smells like, I'd hate to see sloppy.
I stepped over a shredded goblin corpse, dragging my bag along, when I heard it.
A sound.
Wet.
Raspy.
Alive.
I froze.
At the far end of the corridor, half-buried under rubble, was a lizard-like monster. Void-black scales, one wing torn off and fangs like ivory daggers. A Voidfang Wyrm hatchling. Barely alive... but still very much capable of ending me.
"Of course" I muttered. "They just had to leave me a parting gift."
I should have backed out. Called the Guild. Let them handle it.
But... it was dying and it had something in its eyes, rage, maybe.
No, Fear.
And maybe, just maybe, I was sick of being the guy who ran away.
I tightened my grip on my old iron spear, it rattled like loose screws in a tin can.
The Wyrm hissed weakly. I stepped closer.
"Sorry, buddy." I whispered, "But in this food chain, janitors eat last."
One thrust. Straight through the eye.
Its body jerked once, then went still.
That's when the voice hit me. Cold, mechanical, inside my skull.
[SystemOverride: Hidden Class Available.]
[ClassUnlocked: Transcendent.]
[NewTrait: Assimilation - Upon defeating an enemy, select one of its abilities for permanent use.]
[VoidfangWyrm defeated. Choose one skill to assimilate:]
• VoidfangBite — Deliver a venomous bite that corrodes armor and flesh.
• SpatialRiftStep — Tear through space to instantly move short distances.
My mouth went dry.
I'd been in dungeons for years, and I'd never seen anything like this. Normally, the System assigned you a class at awakening and that was it, no swaps, no hidden bonuses. Now it was offering me a choice?
Voidfang Bite... tempting. A venomous chomp could be fun at parties and maybe I could finally bite back at life, literally. But... it's kind of hard to explain to people why you're suddenly trying to gnaw their face off. Plus, it means getting close to the enemy and getting close without an escape plan gets you killed.
Spatial Rift Step, on the other hand...
Well, mobility is king. Hunters live longer when they can dodge. I'd seen enough rookies die because they couldn't get out of the way fast enough. This wasn't just movement, this was instant movement.
I exhaled slowly. "Yeah. No contest."
[Skillacquired: Spatial Rift Step.]
A faint shimmer danced in the air around me, like heat haze. I took a careful step forward and the world... folded.
In an instant, I was five meters ahead, the spot I'd been standing on empty. My stomach lurched, but my grin didn't fade.
"Oh" I whispered to the empty dungeon, "this is fun."