A whole week had passed since his ritual was complete. He diligently completed his daily quest while his workers continued to make boxes of matches.
[System Update]
Jack Kaiser: Level 2 (80/200)
Class: Lightning Mage (Rank 1)
Strength: 20
Stamina: 20
Agility: 20
Vitality: 20
Endurance: 20
Magic: 20
Mana: 300
HP: 105
Skill Points: 70
Stat Points: 8
Reputation Points: 15
Magic Talent Rank: S
Martial Talent Rank: S
Affinity: Lightning
Blessings: Draven's Pendant
Skills: Scan (level 4: 12%), Polearm Mastery (level 2: 95%)
[Quest 1] | learn who tried to kill you. Reward:??
[Quest 2] | Conquer a Dungeon Floor. Reward: 500 EXP. 2 Reputation Points.
[Note: stats will no longer increase until you level up or use stat points.]
'So this feels great.'
A week ago, Jack was a frail 16-year-old boy. Now his body felt more like it did before he died.
His muscles were bigger, his body felt stronger, and he felt more agile.
'System, let's purchase the next two skills.'
[That will cost you twenty skill points. Do you wish to confinue?]
[YES] or [NO]
Jack clicked yes right away. Excited by the development of new skills.
[Congratulations, you have obtained Thunder Shock (level 1) and Spear Toss (level 1).]
[Thundershock: creates a small burst of lightning from one's palm. Range 1 meter. Damage is determined by magic stat × Talent rank.]
[Spear Toss: Toss your spear with increased velocity. Range is determined by Stamina × 0.5 meters. Damage is determined by Strength × 2.]
'Alright, let's see what else I can get!'
[No.]
'What do you mean, no?'
[Do you think this is a video game? Get used to your skills first.]
'What! You're a system! Aren't you supposed to help me!'
[I am. You will thank me later.]
'Great, let's not die anytime soon.'
--
"Jack!"
Jack jumped out of his seat, startled because of the conversation he was having with the system.
"Yes, Mother?"
"I found a trader who wants to take your invention to the open market. He travels between the four human kingdoms."
Jack smiled at the news excitedly.
"That's exciting news. How much does he plan on selling it for, and what's his cut?"
Lady Genevieve was taken aback by her son's astute observation.
"Well, he knows quite a few guilds and aristocracy that would eat this up. We're going to pay him 10 silvers for selling them to everyone. We could sell them for a single gold piece."
"No, Mother. That seems quite pricey. The main goal is to get people accustomed to it. Make them think that this is an invention they will always need. A silver should suffice."
"Jack, are you sure you want to charge so little?"
"Yes, Mother. I'm sure. Let's say we sell a couple of hundred boxes a day, we make every day. In a month, I could make 10 gold coins. It's not glamorous, but my idea is to get my name out there.
We'll mark each box with a design that will lead me. I think after a month or two, word will get out and the demand will be high. Don't worry, Mother, this is just the first item we'll sell.
Once the demand is high enough, we'll open a shop and sell it alongside other items. People will travel great distances to get what we have. By the end of the year, I won't be making 10 gold coins a month."
"I see you have set high goals for yourself, Jack. That's good. Don't settle for anything."
Jack's heart swelled with pride at his mother's praise.
"Your father has important news to share with you today. You can find him on the training ground."
"Of course, Mother."
Jack bowed to show his respect and headed to the training ground.
--
Jack walked calmly to the training grounds. When he arrived, you could hear swords clashing.
Clang! Clang!
Jack saw a practice duel happening between Adrian and a soldier.
Jack's body tensed. With each strike, Jack could tell Adrian was moving faster. A sharp clang of steel rang out as Adrain parried.
With quick, precise movements, Adrian swung his greatsword down with two hands. He broke the soldier's sword in half and destroyed the ground beneath his feet, causing him to collapse.
'System, what was that?'
[Cleave, a basic martial skill that is dependent on one's strength.]
'Can I learn things like that?'
[Not quite. That's a skill for a greatsword. With lightning affinity, it's best if you use polearms. You can learn martial skills along with magical skills.]
'What is Adrian doing now?'
[Adrian is breathing and focusing. He is tapping mana into his body to replace the mana he used.]
'Is that something I have to learn?'
[No, once you learn the mana recovery skill, your mana will automatically regenerate.]
'Why have you never said anything about this?'
[You didn't ask.]
Jack smacked himself in his face. 'Oh, you're going to be the death of me.'
Alaric spotted Jack watching the match and signaled him to come over.
Jack walked over to his father, and before he could say anything, Alaric looked at him intensely.
"Jack, it's time you explored your first dungeon. Adrain tells me you've grown quite stronger in a short time. I'd say it's because of your martial talent."
Jack stayed silent. Not knowing if he should reveal his system to his father and family.
"By Kaiser traditions, when you turn 12, you are to attempt a basic dungeon and conquer as many dungeon floors as possible. You missed out on this, so now that you've had some time to grow accustomed to things, it's time." Alaric said with a stern look.
He placed his hand on his shoulder and cleared his throat.
"Adrian will take you there and watch you. He will not help you; you will be on your own. You may stop exploring the dungeon when you feel comfortable."
"Yes, father."
"Young Master." Adrian interrupted. "I have some things for you before we set out on our journey."
Adrain handed him what looked like a large V-shaped quiver, some basic Armour, and a long case.
"What is all this?"
"Armour for the dungeon, a quiver for javelins since you like the spear, and a weapon your father has for you. You can open the case when we get to the dungeon."
--
Adrain and Jack made their way beneath the Kaiser Mansion.
"Do we have some type of dungeons underneath the mansion?"
Adrain chuckled. "Yes, we do, young master, but we have a teleportation crystal here as well. The beauty of this crystal. Is that we can teleport to any dungeon your father has claimed."
"And what dungeon are we going to?"
"Predator's Hollow. But there are some things you should be aware of. But, I won't tell you. You need to figure it out on your own."
After walking down a set of spiraling stairs for ten minutes, they reached a large, ornate door with intricate patterns.
Adrian tapped the door, and it slowly opened.
'This is it. This is my first dungeon.'
The door opened fully, and inside was a large blue crystal. It was the size of a two-story house!
Adrain and Jack placed their hands on the crystal, and when Jack blinked, he was no longer by the crystal.
The air smelled damp, and made Jack uncomfortable.
Jack scanned his surroundings and realized he had been transported to the dungeon.
'Predator's Hollow, huh.'
The ground was coarse stone that lined all the walls. Wet, trampled grass was visible everywhere.
'System, can you give me an update on this Dungeon?'
[Predator's Hollow.]
[Rank F Dungeon.]
[Consists of three floors.]
[To advance to the next floor, you must beat the floor boss.]
'Floor Boss?'
[Yes, all dungeons have floor bosses. You need to beat the Floor Boss if you want to continue with your journey.]
'Okay, so I need to beat the floor boss to progress further. Okay, that's simple enough.'
[Yes, very simple.]
[The dungeon consists of dire wolves.]
[Base monsters on this floor are of the Pest Rank.]
'Pest rank?'
[Yes, monsters are classified into ranks. There are 10 ranks. The classification goes from Pest, Wretch, Vile, Terror, Dread, Nightmare, Disaster, Sovereign, Emperor, and finally Tyrant Rank.]
'So 10 ranks. And they're all going to be Pest ranks on this floor?'
[This floor should provide a good training practice for your first adventure.]
Suddenly, a large howl broke Jack's thought as he was discussing with the system.
"That would be the floor boss, young master. It has sensed we're here. If you don't move quickly, you'll get overrun."
'Overrun?'
The sound of wet grass being trampled could be heard from every direction at once.
Without waiting another second, Jack opened the case and grabbed the spear. He didn't have time to analyze it or admire how nice it was.
'W-what the hell?!' Jack's body shivered as he saw two creatures approaching him.
They had white fur and growled as they approached. Foam dripping out of their mouth. The two creatures were about 1.5 meters tall. Jack didn't need another moment to realize this was a matter of life and death.
'Dire Wolves...' Jack moved to the right to see how they would react. Jack was startled by how fast he was moving.
The two wolves charged straight ahead.
One wolf jumped off the other's back and opened its large mouth. Charging directly at Jack.