The problem was deciding where to begin. Matheus wasn’t satisfied in any of his areas.

  Everything was lacking.

  He still counted mostly on cheap tricks to win his battles, and had no offensive ability he felt confident about. His stats were shit, he had no way to protect himself, and not a single spell to use his useless MP.

  Matheus decided on two priorities in the end.

  He needed to unlock more useful skills, things he could level up and practice with. Once he managed to get a good enough quantity, he could focus on a more specialized path. But for now, he needed options. It was stupid to keep relying on rocks.

  His second priority would be to keep leveling up. It was the obvious way to get stronger, and he didn’t like only being level 4. That was embarrassingly low.

  Besides, more levels meant he could increase his Inventory and improve his Connection.

  The System was still too vague for his liking. Matheus hated not knowing what he had to do. With a higher Connection level, he would possibly be able to gather better information about everything.

  And a bigger Inventory meant more heads for him to carry.

  Two very important things.

  Though he would do anything to have more knowledge about the Quests and the correct way ahead.

  Where he stood, it was very frustrating. There was a Quest called “Defeat Kdvkklw”

  Matheus had no idea who Kdvkklw was and he wasn’t about to try and defeat it.

  By far, there was one question that interested him the most.

  Stop the Proliferation

  Reward: +10 Stat Points +5 Soul Points +Advanced Spell +Advanced Skill

  Party of at least 3 recommended.

  But he had the feeling it was way out of his league. No point in getting himself into a situation he had no way of winning. Better to start with something more manageable first, then climb his way up. Maybe the Stuffed Koala one?

  “Hey. New guy.”

  Matheus turned to find a tall guy with a well-trimmed beard looking at him, standing just a few feet away.

  “You look a little lost. It can all be a little overwhelming, uh? Surviving on your own in a big city?

  Damnit, why was this guy talking with him? He had not even been here a day, did he already mess things up?

  “But worry not! The secret to thriving is easy! You see, the trick is finding someone more experienced than you, stronger than you, smarter than you, and then sticking to this person to the very end!” The stranger said it all while beaming, making large gestures with his hands.

  Matheus still could say what this guy wanted, so he kept quiet.

  “Well, it’s your lucky day, little brother. Very lucky indeed. Cause’ I, Rick from Nevarnia, the Endless Cut, have chosen you to be my ward!”.

  “Your…ward?” Matheus was bewildered. That could change everything! Having a powerful Hero to rely on would make his journey much easier.

  “Exactly” Rick had an easy laugh, impossible not to go along with. “I could see your potential the moment you got in the room. You’ll make a very good ward, and grow to a fearsome warrior! The only thing you need is the correct guidance.”

  “Are you also a Champion?” Matheus asked in a hushed voice.

  “Indeed, the greatest of them all! Rick answered immediately.

  Matheus couldn’t believe his luck, another Champion! That was finally his chance! No more worrying if he was making the right choices and doubting all his actions.

  “Yes! Please, let me be your ward!”

  “Of course, of course!” Rick smiled warmly, radiating confidence. “We’ll get very far together, I can already see it. But first, there’s the payment matter, the apprenticeship’s fee. Just a small quantity of 5 gold coins will suffice for now, a very fair deal don’t you think?

  Matheus' heart dropped. Of course it wouldn’t be free. Nothing in life was ever free. He was in a city now, and people meant dealing with money.

  Rick, obviously taking Matheus' hesitancy for a problem with the price, kept talking.

  “You know what? I’m willing to take a bet here, cause’ I am really starting to like you. 3 gold coins now, and the next payment will be only in 2 moons. Now that’s a bargain!”

  Matheus didn’t know what to say, his future slipping away in front of him. Even if he finished a few Quests, it would be a few days of hard work until he could gather this kind of money.

  “Alright. Alright. I’ll do something crazy here. People will say I’ve lost my mind!” He got closer, and resting his hand on Matheus' shoulder, continued: “For only 1 gold coin, I’ll accept you as my new ward. I can go no lower!”

  “I don’t have 1 gold coin,” Matheus finally said sadly. “I can’t pay you.”

  “You don’t have…alright. I see. Surely you must have something else with you, though. Some valuable and/or rare item, right? Or at least some food.”

  “I… I have some heads. From monsters I killed in the forest!

  “Heads?!” You only have monster heads with you? Why the fuck are you keeping heads?

  “I was planning on selling it.”

  “And who do you think is going to buy heads from you? Unbelievable! A complete waste of my time.” Rick’s amicable tone had disappeared, and he barely sounded like the same person.

  He turned and walked away, still grumbling, ignoring Matheus' protests completely.

  Dumbstruck, Matheus realized he had totally forgotten to Analyze Rick. He went for it quickly before losing his chance.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  Rick - Human

  No Title

  Level: 4

  No mention of “Nevarnia” or the “Endless Cut”. Maybe he was hiding his title just as Matheus was. But only level 4! Was he really that powerful?

  It was a scam, Matheus realized. This guy was trying to trick him, and he’d almost fallen for it.

  Good thing he had completely forgotten about his sect ring and didn’t offer it. Giving his first item away like this would have been embarrassing.

  It appeared humans were no different in this world. Selfish and evil, they cared for nothing but themselves.

  It was an important reminder. Matheus couldn’t trust them, he had only himself.

  His own fault for letting his guard down. He wouldn’t let it happen again.

  Making up his mind, he walked towards the City Master.

  “I want to accept a Quest!” Matheus said with confidence, ready to start getting serious.

  He looked him up and down.

  “Denied.”

  “What? Why?” Matheus heard the sound of all his plans and dreams being shattered into nothing, for the second time in the day, only a few seconds after they were formed.

  That must have been a new personal record.

  “I can’t give a quest to an unarmed man. That goes against the rules. We are not barbaric. Are you trying to kill yourself?”

  “That’s unfair. I have rocks! And sticks! And heads!” Matheus uttered in desperation.

  The City Master kept shaking his head, giving Matheus a raised eyebrow at the mention of “heads”. “No can do, that’s not enough. I don’t care who you are, I’m not giving you a quest if you are not prepared for it.”

  Was that it? Was everything crushed before he even had a chance to start? Maybe he could find some other jobs in the city, slowly make enough money to buy a weapon somewhere, but who knows how many days that would take. Far more than what he was willing to give.

  “So, unless you pass by the Armory first and properly arm yourself, forget about getting any dangerous quest.

  “The…armory?

  In response, the City Master pointed to another place across the street, dismissing him.

  Matheus sighed and went on his way, soon finding himself in a small building decorated with a many variety of swords, spears and other things he didn’t even know the name for.

  When he tried analyzing the items, though, the same message appeared every time.

  This information is not available for you.

  There was a chubby guy sitting behind a corner, with a half finished apple in his hand. He got up the moment he saw Matheus approaching, a big smile on his face.

  “Welcome, new Hunter! Wanting to make a name for yourself, is that it? We are always accepting new recruiters, and we hope you have an incredible career. Now, what type of fighter are you like?”

  “I… I am not sure.” Matheus said, after failing to think of an answer.

  “Still finding what works better, uh? No problem, no problem! Let me see what I have for you.”

  The guy seemed to be very excited to have someone to interact with, and that was making Matheus more uncomfortable.

  He only wanted to deal with this soon so he could get on with his first quest. He doubted he would get anything useful out of it.

  “Here, take a look. Do you think any of those could work?” The guy said, coming back with three different weapons in his hands.

  This time, the System didn’t stop him from checking them.

  Common Knife

  Unlocks the Stab Skill

  Common Axe

  Unlocks the Chop Skill

  Common Bow

  Unlocks the Shoot Skill

  “Just tell me which one fits you better, and you can keep it. I am sure you’ll pay for it with services to Tartaros.” He completed it with a grin.

  Unbelievable. That was all he needed to get his first weapon? Now what was the point of that pile of branches he had stocked?

  Still, he couldn’t help getting excited. Things are going to be so much easier from now on!

  Yeah, they all looked old and rusty, but it was a big improvement nonetheless. And they all came with their own skill right off the bat.

  Now, what should he choose?

  A bow seemed too risky. Killing something from a safe distance was cool and all, but what would happen when he missed?

  It was between the knife or the axe, really. And let’s be honest, Matheus wasn’t the type of guy to pull off wielding an axe. He didn’t have the personality for it.

  You’ve equipped a Common Knife.

  You’ve unlocked the Stab Skill

  Stab - Acquired Skill

  The fine art of poking holes into people

  Skill Level: 1

  Effects: Increases damage and precision while stabbing.

  He held his new weapon, feeling the weight of the metal. The small curved blade fit his hand perfectly.

  No more relying on clever tricks to get a slight advantage.

  Finally, he had something he could use to kill.