Brigit swung her sword. Training vigorously always brought back memories. Some wonderful, some painful. Humid air, the sound of insects, light filtering through a dense canopy. Water surging between roots of partially submerged trees thriving in the wetland environment. Strange bird calls, mystic lights threading between patches of grass taller than an ogre and twice as thick. Over and over she swung her weapon, trying to make the slashes perfectly identical in arc and speed. Dozens of times, hundreds of times, until her muscles ached and her hands cramped, but still she kept on swinging. Children laughing, parents scolding. The soft, soothing crackle of the central bonfire bringing light and warmth to the village. Hunters returning with strings of game, bright scales glistening from waiting in the waters all day to ambush prey. Fishers playfully hoisted their catch in heavy nets, children screeching in delight as the fish flopped about. A poor but happy village, eking out a livelihood selling rare herbs and meat unique to the wetlands in the nearest town. Their taxes assured the local lord sent mages once a year to renew the barrier keeping their lands safe and secure, with little money left over for comforts or luxury. But still, they were happy. Somewhere in the darkest corner of her mind, a soft voice whispered: 'Why are you trying so hard? That life wasn't so bad.' Brigit swung her sword with a bit more force, striking down a vague shadow that seemed to shimmer in her field of view. She got a high-level scholarship to a prestigious academy not through her own efforts or talent, but because she stopped to help a little girl in the woods. Someone scared and alone in a strange, foreign place. Brigit saw a shadow of herself in those bright blue eyes, an echo of loneliness and confusion. So she extended a hand, even though the girl was Human. And it resulted in great opportunities. Fortuitous circumstances, nothing more. It didn't matter what Brigit's actual ability was. Or whether her actions were motivated by sympathy, pity, or regret. Her grip tightened. The tip of her sword shook, and she took deep breaths to center herself before swinging again. Archmage Karl DuFeu was the current headmaster of the Atmont Academia, but even he was bound by its rules. Elite and Core classes required letters of recommendation from several notable individuals to enroll anyone under Level 20-F as a first year. Even if he gave them a Gold-level scholarship, he had no choice but to put them in the very bottom class. Resources were allocated throughout the year based on performance during Trials, then Exams allowed students to showcase their talents and potentially get promoted from General to Elite, or Elite to Core. Exceptional students might be approached by top companies, offered favorable contracts and even more resources once they graduated. But was Brigit strong enough to hold her own against everyone else? To seize resources hoarded jealously by those who had a vast head-start? 'Why bother trying to get stronger? I could always go back to the village. So long as I apologize.' Brigit grit her teeth while slashing down with even more force, the overhead light reflecting off her sword in a glittering silver arc. The world was cruel. Those who started with an advantage kept their advantage. Better resources, better training, better environment. The starting lines for people were different depending on the circumstances of their birth, and it was entirely unfair. Children in a rich environment grew stronger on resources handed down from their family, then naturally became stronger and more capable than children who grew up without those things. Talent could only carry one so far. Opportunities and connections were necessary to excel in a society. Access to Dungeons and Gates were restricted and thoroughly regulated by whoever owned the land they appeared in. Purely studying to raise one's level was possible, but incredibly slow. Scholars who never lifted a weapon in their life would be lucky to reach level 10-F if they read several books daily for a hundred years. Combat was the most efficient way to get stronger, procure more valuable resources, which led to more strength in an endless cycle of progression. Theoretically, with enough determination, anyone could get strong enough to live comfortably! Theoretically. But there was one hell of a bottleneck. Fighting monsters required resources - armor, weapons, spells, skills, combat training, advanced knowledge of monster weaknesses and locations, healing potions, credits to cover Dungeon access fees or Gate taxes. Food to keep up one's strength, clean water to keep from getting ill, a safe place to sleep that wasn't rife with vermin and insects waking one up every few minutes from bites and stings. Credits to cover healing for injuries or infections, and access to medicine. Attunement, which unlocked much of the System's functionality, also required credits. Enough to feed a small family for a month, in fact. 'If I apologize and admit I was wrong, I can go back. Bow my head, cut my hair, accept my punishment.' A Dragon's Fixation was truly powerful. Because Kira spoke fluent Enliss and could translate for him, Sir Karl would protect and provide for her. He gave Brigit money and a scholarship alongside Kira's because the Human scolded him for bullying. To get in Kira's good graces, Sir Karl had to show consideration for Brigit, who Kira took a shine to. Simple as that. Pure nepotism. She didn't blame Kira. Kira was as much a victim of her circumstances as Brigit was. Worse, even! From the Human girl's perspective, her entire world was suddenly gone. Everything familiar in her life was ancient history! Brigit sought to maintain a calm facade in most situations from years of practice and daily meditation through sword training, but... How in the world did Kira seem so calm about everything? On top of being alone in an entirely alien environment, to find herself in the debt of a Dragon who only wanted her linguistic knowledge? A Dragon who would no doubt be equally happy to have all her knowledge downloaded into a file for him to freely peruse without ever having to see her again? Dragged along with his bullheaded whims as he decided what was best for her without asking what she actually wanted? As he selfishly charged ahead and affected other people's entire lives without considering future consequences for- Brigit halted mid-swing. She shook, staring into her own anguished reflection on the polished surface of her sword, overlapping with the image of Sir Karl's smug Dragon face in her mind's eye. She wanted to hate Sir Karl for being so selfish no matter how he tried to wrap it up with good intentions, but in the end... 'It's really not any worse than what I did.' Kira I'M FREEEEEEEEE Brigit jolted, startled by the sudden appearance of a chat window accompanied by a little tinkling chime. She hurriedly sheathed her sword, chugging half a bottle of water before summoning a keyboard to respond. Brigit Is your training done? Kira Ya! I went up a level! Brigit spluttered, spewing out a mouthful of water. Brigit Level?! How did you get a level from basic training for just a week?! Kira Ailsa took me into the school Dungeon and we cleared a Floor why does the System keep capitalizing those words when I type them oh I see they're proper nouns now are they Brigit Dungeon!? Wait... You only got one level from all that? Kira Ugh... Tell me about it... It was a big one, too! Ailsa had to help me beat it though, maybe that's why? Brigit Are you in a Team or a Party? Kira Team Brigit How much damage total did she do to the Boss? Kira Uhhhh maybe a little more than half? 2/3 at most Brigit What level was the Boss? Kira 10-F Brigit Then you should have gotten at least 1/3 of the EXP of a 10-F, which should have leveled you up more than once!! What the heck is your leveling rate?! Kira Bad Brigit Also how did you do 1/3 of the damage to a 10-F Boss monster at your level??? Even with a mentor tanking for you, that's... Kira ...I have really good aim? WH-CRNCH! Ailsa cringed at the terrifying sound, resisting the urge to cover her face with her hands. "Oi... Kiddo... That was a bit..." WHUD! The giant Cave Goblin Boss fell forward while maintaining a hunched fetal position, its muscular body a trembling arch over the same bloodied rock responsible for its condition. Its health ticked down from the bleed effect, lower and lower, until finally the HP shield shattered. Ailsa finished it off with one kick to the head, unwilling to watch the poor creature suffer any more than it already had. SKRNCH! Its skull collapsed under her heel with all the structural resistance of an eggshell. Then Ailsa leveled an accusatory glare at a shocked Kira, who shrugged awkwardly and avoided her mentor's gaze. "You said, I should hit a weak spot once you wore it down..." "One heck of a weak spot! Do ye have no mercy in yer heart?!" Kira squirmed uncomfortably under her mentor's scathing scrutiny, kicking at the ground with her bare feet. Her half-hearted mumble was barely loud enough to be heard across the room. "...It was gonna die anyway..." "But he didn't have ta go like that!" Ailsa wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry as she dismantled the corpse, sending the mana back into the Dungeon and receiving two Floor Tokens in exchange - one for each person who participated in the fight. Then she pulled out a cloth and started wiping monster blood off her body. "Have respect fer yer opponent's dignity, Kiddo! Even monsters! If ye don't hold yerself up ta a certain standard, ye never know ta what depths ye'll fall, see?" Kira caught the token Ailsa tossed her way, marveling at the strangely warm metal disk that fit comfortably in her palm. It had a simplistic design, strange runes running around the outside rim and the number 1 embossed in the middle. "I didn't think it'd work out that well, either! I don't know much about monster anatomy or weaknesses, I was just guessing..." "Ye threw a great hunk of rock at maximum velocity ta a man-lookin' monster's nether bits and thought it might not work that well, huh?" "Okay, when you put it that way, I'm definitely the bad guy here..." "Just so ye know." Kira sighed in her heart, plucking at a knot of confusion forming in her mind. If they were going to kill something anyway, something which was also trying to kill you, what was the point of showing mercy? Wasn't it better to end the fight quickly so no one you knew got hurt? If monsters were just mindlessly aggressive creatures, didn't that mean killing them was justifiable self-defense no matter what you did? Especially if they brought pain and suffering to others, right? 'Though the big guy didn't do anything to us specifically, so... I guess I really am in the wrong here? Ugh, I don't know. This is all so complicated.' Kira sighed again, directing her gaze to something more interesting. In the center of the large circular room, sealed off from the rest of the Dungeon by a fancy door carved with a likeness of the Boss, a dim magic circle suddenly glowed with white light. Next to the circle, a small wooden chest materialized in a brief shower of sparkles. Kira hesitated before poking the chest with her big toe, jumping back to avoid a potential rain of arrows or sudden acid bath. She waited a few moments, then turned to Ailsa when no last-minute traps were sprung. "What's this?" "Yer reward. It's a Boss chest. Ye can't loot monsters in a Dungeon, so when ye clear a floor ye get a special reward instead. The harder the Dungeon and the better ye do, the greater the prize." "Huh? Where does the prize come from?" Kira raised her eyebrows, poking suspiciously at the chest again as though expecting it to open its lid and reveal rows of teeth. The world had become suspiciously game-like in a lot of ways, and she didn't want to get bit in the ass by her lack of common sense or understanding of traditions. "Aeironus." "Erroneous? What's wrong about it?" "...Huh?" "Er... Something got lost in translation, I think..." Ailsa chuckled. "Aeironus is the God of Dungeons and Battle. The one who creates and reinforces the rules, Soul Gems, monsters... All of it. He's the main patron deity of Divers, the ones professionally explorin' Dungeons, Gates, and Shards, as well as just about anyone lookin' ta get tough. Right up there with Gaea influence-wise. At least on this world, dunno about the other ones." Kira's head whipped around so fast it resolved a crick in her neck from all the fighting. She winced, rubbing the spot with the heel of her palm. "Wait wait wait... Other worlds?" "Other worlds, aye. Each with their own gods with their own spheres of influence. Travelin' between 'em ain't easy or casual, like, but it ain't impossible. Ya get pilgrims sometimes, people spreadin' the word of their specific god, or on special missions. Some of the gods worshiped here ain't actually from here, see. They got a foothold from some real intrepid followers. Anyway, I hear on some worlds there ain't a Dungeon God, and the Dungeons there are real chaotic! Ain't safe at all, real pity." Glancing at the pit in the floor where she'd wrenched a chunk of rock to launch at the Cave Goblin Boss's nether regions, Kira raised her eyebrows again. "Safe?" "Soul Gems cost ya a level when ya die, and ye get some penalties ta stats and EXP gains fer awhile, but in the end yer still cheatin' death. Ye come out of a bad situation alive and wiser fer yer experiences, if yer lucky and a little smart. Worlds without a Dungeon God don't get to use Soul Gems, since they're tied up with the power of Dungeons themselves. Now go on, open the chest. Let's see yer loot!" "Oh. Isn't it your loot too?" "Do I really look like I need anythin' from yer pitiful level 10-F wooden chest, Kiddo?" "...Gee, thanks..." Kira sulked, her enthusiasm for the Floor's prize dampened significantly. Still, it was her first Dungeon reward! She couldn't suppress a growing grin as she popped open the lid with a satisfying click of the hinges. The interior was completely empty, just a box of polished wood that smelled like sawdust and musty air. Before disappointment had a chance to set in, two new screens popped up from within the chest itself. They moved so both Ailsa and Kira got one screen each. 【 Wooden Chest 】 Floor 1 Clear Time RATING

Try harder next time!

28:32:51 F REWARD BONUS 5 HP Potions (Poor Quality) Consolation Plush - Slime (Blue) ACCEPT PRIZE? 《 Yes 》 《 No 》 "Ehh..." Seeing the look on Kira's face made Ailsa burst into laughter. "We took too long, didn't we? Let that be a lesson, eh? Dungeon clear times count time restin', too! At least we got a bonus fer not dyin' any!" "You called me merciless, but I think this Aeironus guy is much worse..."