Everyone levels up so fast.
And I can't ever catch up because I've been stuck at level one my whole life.
But I didn't do anything to deserve it.
I have a terrible illness that deteriorates my body; the doctors predict I won't live longer than forty.
So I'm not physically strong enough to get out of bed, let alone complete a quest.
And on top of that, my family is poorer than dirt.
What am I going to do?
I can't just sit in my bed my whole life, but I don't have a choice.
If only my family could pay for treatment.
But they are already working so hard to simply keep me alive.
I imagine my menu opening, and it appears in front of me.
[Name] Griffin Stone
[level] 1
[skills] None
[items] None
[total exp] 0
[exp until level 2] 10
[current quest] "Stand up and walk."
My stats haven't changed a single time in my life; I haven't even tried because I knew it was useless.
I pray every day, though, but now that's starting to seem useless too.
But I just… I just want to try one more time.
I roll over to the edge of my bed and, slowly but painfully, sit up.
I can't maintain this position for long, but I need to try.
I extend my leg, my infant-sized muscles screaming in pain, but I put my foot on the ground.
Now it's time for the hard part.
I attempt to shift my weight onto my foot but fail miserably, faceplanting into the hard wooden floor.
My nose snaps and gushes blood.
I scream as loud as I can in pain, but nobody can hear me.
I reach out my arms and push up from the floor, adrenaline pumping through me.
I'm done being scared.
I'm done being weak.
I'm done being useless.
I sit up and kneel.
Then I push my weight up from my foot, slowly but surely, standing on my own two feet for the first time in my life.
I scream out in agony, and I push even harder, putting one foot in front of the other.
[quest complete] "Stand up and walk."
[exp earned] 10
Finally
[level up] level 2
I'm not useless anymore…
***
Finally, after all this work, I'm at level two.
And every time you level up, you get a new skill of your new level.
"Yes! I can't wait to see what I get!"
Even though my whole body hurts like hell, I can't help but get excited.
[new skill] level 2 "punch"
All my hope bursts like a balloon.
All that work for a stronger punch?
I can barely reach my arm out, let alone punch someone.
This skill is useless.
But it wouldn't hurt to… just test it.
I pull my arm back, and I feel the muscles tighten.
The tension builds and builds until I release it and punch the air.
[skill used]
[new stat] "energy level"
[energy level] - 2
[new energy level] 98/100
Wait!
Now I can actually punch?
That's insane! I've been sick my whole life, and… now it feels like I can do anything.
But I shouldn't get ahead of myself; all I can do is punch, and apparently that takes away from my "energy level."
Whatever that is…
Suddenly, a menu pops up in front of me.
[tutorial page: energy levels]
When you use a skill, it takes away the number of its level from your energy level.
You cannot use a skill whose level is higher than your current energy level, and when your energy level goes to zero, you die.
Your energy level capacity increases as you level up and can be refilled by sleeping, eating, and drinking.
Your energy level will also reflect on your daily life and physical state; if you have a low energy level, you will feel very tired, and you will feel energized with a full energy level.
So it looks like I am limited to how much I can use my skills.
That definitely complicates things.
I feel energized, but a little less compared to how I felt right after I leveled up.
But it is a very tiny difference.
All of a sudden I felt strange.
Wait a second, I've been standing perfectly for 2 minutes!
How am I doing this?
Wait… now that I think about it, my body never deteriorated; my muscles may be small, but it was always an overwhelming exhaustion that kept me from moving.
Maybe it was because I didn't have an energy level!
And now I do, so maybe I might not be doomed after all.
The doctor might've diagnosed me with the illness because I didn't know how to read for a long time due to my parents being so poor, therefore not being able to know my daily quests and never leveling up, which leads to never getting an energy level!
But now that I got access to mandatory school, I can read the menu, find my quests, and level up!
Finally my life isn't a train wreck, and I actually have a chance at beating dungeons!
And maybe even save my family from this terrible poverty… just maybe.
But I know I won't give up until I either die or achieve that dream.
Not ever.
***
It's time to clear a dungeon.
Well, maybe not right away, but I'm going to grind for exp until I can.
I'm sure there are monsters out in the open, but I might have to go a little farther away from the village to do so.
The hunters make sure the monsters can't hurt the people in the village; some are genuinely trying to help, and some demand money for their work.
We call those "rogue hunters."
I walk downstairs; it feels weird to put one foot in front of the other, but I eventually get used to it.
Once I reach the last step, I carefully walk to the front door and gather the courage to open it.
Outside, the streets are made of cobblestone, and the houses are made of wood and stone.
I take in the fresh air for the first time in my life.
And my balloon of hope fills up again.
But the peace is short-lived and shattered by the sound of a loud explosion.
People are screaming and running down the streets in fear.
I look in the direction they are running from, and I see what's happening.
A giant beast is attacking the village.
It has red scales, wings, and fire blasting out of its throat, setting buildings ablaze.
Suddenly, the menu pops up, and it displays the description of the beast.
[monster name] dragon
[level] 234
[element] fire
[elemental weakness] water
[health level] 23,300 / 23,300
[energy level] 23,300 / 23,300
Damn!
This thing is really strong!
But when I thought I was doomed, something shone in the sky.
It shone brighter and brighter until a beam shot down at the dragon, and it dissolved into ash with a loud howl.
What… what just happened?
Everything is happening so fast; I can't process what's going on.
Soon, a figure descends from the sky and looks down at the people with a prideful smile.
Suddenly, I see their frightening description.
[name] hidden
[age] 269
[gender] male
[level] 500
[skills] hidden
[items] hidden
[energy level] hidden
[health level] hidden
[guild] hidden
"Good day, peasants of Thelaria. I just saved your worthless lives from that level 200 dragon. You'd better pay up, or I'll take them in an instant."
Both my heart and brain threatened to burst.
This guy must be a rogue hunter.
And a really strong one.
I don't want to pay him, but I have no choice.
I have a mission to save my family from poverty, and I can't do it dead.
I'm determined, but I'm not going to stoop down to his level and get full of myself.
The rogue hunter descends to the ground.
I can make out a suit of armor on him, shining purple armor.
It's likely made of a powerful metal.
He first steps towards an elderly woman.
"Pay up or I'll slaughter you like a pig."
The woman hurriedly pulled out a bag of coins from her pocket, leaning on her cane.
"Please accept this; it's all I have…"
The rogue hunter counts the coins and looks back at the woman with irritation.
"This is only 17 bronze pieces; I can barely buy a measly loaf of bread with this."
The woman bows on the ground and apologizes.
"I'm very sorry! It's all I have; please don't hurt us!"
The rogue hunter smirks and draws his blade; I then turn away.
Walking away from the body of the poor old woman, he slowly makes his way to me, but not without killing a few more people.
Absolutely vile.
I never thought the world was this bad.
"Pay up, kiddo."
Kiddo?
I'm 21!
I was about to snap at him, but I remember he can literally erase me from existence, so I merely tell him that I had nothing to give.
"Looks like we have another dead pig."
The rogue hunter raises his sword, so I close my eyes and brace for impact.
Am I really going to die?
I'm scared…