"He is still swinging a sword? Doesn't he know he isn't wanted here, that tainted bastard?" A classmate of mine said as I picked a corner of the practice yard. Swinging a rusted sword, which was the only friend I made here, he was a knight who was around my age.
"You are hard at work, I see." Said the knight named Brain. He was the one willing to give me pointers when no one else would.
"I have to do something, I can't let Coraline struggle on her own," I said, looking at my skills that were already Level two. I found out I can level my skills faster than the others. It took me two days to level them, while it took the others four. I felt like I was getting close to leveling them once more.
Superior Regeneration: let me regain 1% health and stamina every second for 10 seconds, with a 1-minute cooldown. It helps me practice my sword swinging without hurting too much afterwards.
Superior Mental Fortitude: Allows me to push through pain for a minute with a ten-minute cooldown. Both skills cost five mana to use, which drains all my mana and takes about twenty minutes to refill as I rest.
"The Saintess Coraline and Paladin Daruis have been training at the church every day, don't you fear that they will be close?" Brian said as I shook my head.
"I trust Coraline. We have been dating for two years. But have been friends for close to eight years. She has an honest soul, and I love her." I said, as I started to swing the sword, while Brian smiled and nodded.
"Well, just to give you a heads up, you will be going with a group of ten others and knights into a dungeon. The Emperor wishes to start helping you all grow, but only on the first couple of floors. So you don't have to worry, I will also be going with you." He said, patting my shoulder.
"We leave in two hours, so get some rest and change into your gear." He said as I wiped my sweat away and nodded. Heading towards my room, I saw Coraline and yelled out.
"Coraline, I missed you. We haven't seen each other in a few days. Have you been that busy?" I said, making her look away as I tilted my head.
"Are you okay? Did something happen?" I asked her as she spoke in a low voice.
"Nothing happened, it's just hard not seeing you, James. I wanted to tell you I will be going with you into the Dungeon, so I will have your back." She said that, before leaving, the feeling returned to my gut.
She wouldn't look me in the face as she walked away. I spoke up. "If something is bothering you. I am here to talk with you. I am sure that if we put our heads together, we can work through it." I said, my words made her stop; she grabbed her dress and spoke.
"Thank you for your loving words, I am -" Her words trailed off at the end, and I couldn't hear them as she started walking away.
Worry began to spread inside me, but I shook my head. Coraline wouldn't do anything. I told myself, trying to stop the demons whispering inside my head as I got dressed and walked towards the meeting area that a maid had informed me of.
When I reached there, I noticed Daruis and his friends, making me gulp in dread. But I pushed them down, I wanted to be someone that Coraline could depend on. "Oh, if it isn't the loser, I thought you would have backed out going into the Dungeon. At least we can say you have the balls of a man, but other than that. You have nothing else." He said as I walked over and grabbed Coraline's hand.
She smiled for a moment, but it faded away. Why does it feel like something massive has changed, and I hadn't noticed until now? "We will be heading out now. The Dungeon isn't far from the city. It will take us ten minutes to get there." Brian said as the knights led the way, and Daruis gave Coraline a smirk, making her look away before following behind Brian.
"Did he do something?" I asked her, making her look down, and she spoke.
"He didn't do anything; you are overthinking it. Let's get going." She said, looking back up with a smile, but I could feel that the smile wasn't one of happiness but of pain and sadness.
The ride to the Dungeon was quiet as I looked at Coraline; she didn't have the air she once had, making me worry as I held her hand, squeezing it, but she didn't squeeze back. I felt like we were starting to drift apart, but this made my resolve to be of use in the Dungeon stronger as we stopped in front of it.
"This Dungeon has been cleared up to the 50th floor when the group ran into a nest of Greater Death Centipedes, wiping out all but one who had a teleporting scroll. The party had a holy paladin in it," Brian said, looking at Daruis.
"But you all don't have to worry as we are only going to the third floor this time, which the first three floors are nothing but goblins, the weak monsters." He said as we walked towards the portal and entered it.
I was alert as I pulled the rusty sword out; it was all I had, making the rest of the group laugh. As I sighed, the first thing I would do if I had money is buy my own weapon. We made our way into the first floor as we ran into a group of goblins, and I noticed just how nice it was to have a class.
As some cast fireballs, the warriors' swords shone as they cut off the heads of goblins. I was facing a goblin, and it was making me struggle as I noticed a pair of white chains binding its arms, and I stabbed it, panting. It was Coraline who had helped me, and as I smiled gently at her, she bit her lip and nodded.
We spent the next hour making it to the entrance of the next floor as Brian spoke. "We will take a thirty-minute break, recover." He said.
I looked at my statistics screen. I leveled twice and only gained two in each of my stats, making me sigh, since leveling adds between four and five to your stats. Why are my stats going up so slowly? The good thing was that I picked up a new skill.
Sword arts Level 1, it helped me wield the sword and nothing else, but that was better than nothing. I also increased my other two skills to level 3, which now increases regen by 1.5% and allows me to handle pain for 1.5 minutes.
"James, here have some water," Coraline said, handing me a flask with trembling hands. Was she scared of fighting? I took the water and spoke.
"Thank you, Coraline," I said with a smile as I opened the top and took a drink before looking up at her, and I noticed tears flowing down her cheek, making me drop the water flask and stand up.
"Are you okay, Coraline? Are you hurt?" I asked, but she backed up and said three words.
"I am sorry." Her words confused me as I had no idea why she would say that until my head started to throb and I froze looking at the flask. I felt something warm flowing out of my nose, and I touched it.
Looking at it, red covered my fingers. It was blood. "Why?" I said before, coughing up blood and falling to my knees.
"Why Coraline?!" I yelled out until a burst of laughter came from everyone. Daruis walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist. I couldn't breathe, not from the pain my body was going through, but the pain my heart was feeling.
"She had a change of heart, didn't you, Coraline?" He said, but she didn't answer, only biting her lip till it bled, and tears ran down her cheeks.
"DARUIS!" I roared out as I picked my sword up and charged him, only to feel a sword stab me through the back.
"We can't have you attack our star players, James," Brian said behind me as he pulled the sword out, and my vision began to blur.
"We can't have your corpse being found, so the Princess ordered me to give you a gift. A trip to the 50th floor, here is a summoning scroll that is marked for the 50th floor. To be honest, it's too good for a tainted one." Brian said with a wicked grin as he threw it on my body, and I noticed a glow.
I had no strength to move, and she wouldn't even look at me. Why is this happening to me?! I screamed inside my head.
The next moment, I could hear the sound of a hundred million feet moving around. I rolled over and opened my eyes to see the glow of a crystal on the cave ceiling, far above, but I was struck with fear. So many centipedes moving around the walls, their black and red exoskeletons gleaming in the light as one noticed me.
My mind screamed for me to move, to run, or to fight. As I tried to pick myself up, I felt pain in my leg as I looked back to see it in its jaw as it threw me into the air.
"THIS ISN'T FAIR, I HATE IT!" I screamed out as tears and blood flowed out of my eyes as three more grabbed my arms and legs, pulling as pain rocked my body.
"I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE! EVEN IF I HAVE TO CRAWL OUT OF HELL TO CLAIM IT!" At that moment, they pulled my arms and legs off as a sound rangout inside my head through the pain.
[Half the conditions met, starting to unlock title.]
My limbless body landed on the ground as I heard them gnawing on my arms and legs. The smaller ones crawling on the ground began to make their way towards my body. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" I roared out, I knew it was pointless as my vision was going in and out.
They latched onto my body, ripping chunks out as I screamed out in pain, and they dug into the open wounds where my arms and legs had been. The pain was unbearable as a pair started to work on my face, pushing into my mouth as I started to choke.
I was going to die in this hellhole. I feel my rage building, and I bite down on the one that entered my mouth. Even if I took one along with me, I would be content. Tasting a horrible flavor as my vision finally went out.
[Final condition met, complete title unlocked. Welcome back.]
That was the last thing I remembered after my first death.