Opening his eyes just for a moment, he caught a glimpse of the cowboy, his boot pressed firmly on Buck's head. “I truly am sorry, young pup, but Bev says you can’t leave yet.”
A blast of force shot out of William’s boot, shoving him back into the depths. The pain was excruciating. Somehow he had found himself in another situation where he could feel his skin slowly melting off his body.
So this was how he was going to die.
The pain was indescribable, it was as if his very being was being changed, his DNA being ripped apart, infused with some unknown essence and then stitched back into place. That damn ghost. That damn AI.
“Get in the water,” Buck thought, “it's for the quest.”
This damn AI had planned this from the beginning. Those Viewers, whoever they were, were probably laughing their asses off—watching some poor schmuck flail and burn like some twisted reality show contestant. His lungs screamed for air, but the surface was just out of reach. He could feel the pressure building on his chest. Black spots filled his vision as his body betrayed him, sucking in a mouthful of the glowing liquid.
He felt it fill it in his mouth, running down the back of his throat with a cascade of fire. The substance coursed through his veins like a living flame, igniting every nerve ending and dissolving the very fibers of his being. He could feel it reshaping him, rewriting the essence of who he was at a cellular level. With every inhalation, the fluid invaded his lungs, filling him with a strange vigor while erasing the lingering pain from his recent ordeals.
It was as if he were being remade entirely, not just physically but in spirit, the boundaries of his existence blurring and shifting like the shimmering surface of the pool around him. Buck's thoughts spiraled as he grappled with the overwhelming power of this transformation, both terrified and exhilarated by the profound change he was undergoing. But it was too much, with one final, shuddering breath, his consciousness shattered, and everything went black.
—
[Congratulations! You have Leveled Up]
[Congratulations! You can now select a Class!]
[Congratulations! You have gained access to Titles]
Buck woke up gasping, his mind reeling from the belief that he had died. Was this truly the only way he could find rest? Near-death experiences? He had been pulled up onto the wooden deck that once served as an overlook. Clearly, some time had passed; as he looked around, he could see that he had completely dried. A quick glance at his timer confirmed his suspicions: [26:50].
He had been asleep for nearly 23 hours. As he sat up, his vision swam. Through the haze, he could just make out the ghostly form of William Wight flickering like a bad hologram. Buck saw red. Rage surging through him as he took a step forward. The bastard had tried to kill him. He swung with all his might at that stupid mustache.
Bucks fist smashed into William’s face with a satisfying thwump. The ghost stumbled backward. Over the edge of the deck he fell flat onto the ground between two towering stalagmites. Buck stalked forward, intent on finishing the job that damn ghost had started. He didn’t know why, but William Wight had clearly tried to kill him, feigning ignorance while working with the AI to finish him off.
William's eyes widened in terror. “Wait..no no no…”
Buck wasn’t having it. He hated nothing more than a liar. Yet as he leaped off the deck, splashing down into the thick mud surrounding the pool of water, a chilling thought struck him. He had just punched a ghost; shouldn’t his hand have passed right through it? He had watched William interact with objects as if they were solid—hell, he had just held him underwater—but he felt the impact against the translucent visage of William's face.
William wasn’t about to wait around for another punch. Scrambling to his feet, he put a stalagmite between them. “You’ve got one hell of an arm on you, young pup.” he said, wiping what Buck could only assume was ectoplasm from his nose. “I apologize for before, but if you could lend me your ear for a second, I could explain.”
“Quickly” Buck growled, stalking forward
“Alright, Alright! See here, Bev had given me a quest. She explained to me that you are destined to become this planet's Ruler, but first, you needed to be Reborn. Your connection to Root Source was just too weak. I might’ve, uh… gone overboard, left you in there a bit too long.”
Buck started to step past the stone trees, clenching his fists, and closing in on the frantic ghost.
William blurted out. “Please no! Just open your menu and you’ll see what I mean”
Reluctantly, Buck paused. His vision flooded by multiple notifications from Bev. With a thought, he began working his way through the new alerts.
[Congratulations! You are now level 10! Please allocate you Attribute Points]
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
[Congratulations! You have unlocked your first Class. Please select one from the drop down menu]
- The Naked Mole-Rat
- The Pugilist
- The Masochist
[Congratulations! You have unlocked Titles, Find your Titles in the Character Menu]
Jesus, what had happened to him in that pool? While he had slept for nearly an entire day, it seemed he had experienced some sort of special event. He had gained 8 levels, jumping all the way to level 10.
Almost instinctively, he opened the menu and dumped all his points into Endurance. However, what Bev had said made him pause. She had claimed that he had a special purpose in the coming days. It seemed like he had been selected to be some sort of hero or whatever in this new world, and a hero always had to fight. Bev may have saved his life twice already, but he had a sinking feeling that this would be the last time. He had to start thinking through his decisions.
Before this, he had just been trying to survive; that ghost getting the jump on him was proof of this. Whether William’s motives were born of malice remained to be seen, but one thing was true. The AI wanted Buck to be challenged, and he needed to get stronger. So with a sigh, Buck walked back towards the deck, sitting his naked ass back down on the wet wood,, and started looking through his menus.
[Your First Class will be Basic as you Work your Way through the Cracked Kingdoms. Do not make this decision lightly, it could make or break your time here. A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a Single Step or whatever. Based on your actions performed in your first 10 levels a selection of three classes has been given to you.
[The Naked Mole-Rat] (Basic)
Your time spent Nude and in the Dark has granted you a unique composition. Lean into your freedom and become one with the night.
[Abilities]
(Hairless Freak - Basic)
Clothes are your Prison
Passive: When Nude gain a +4 to Endurance
(Chomp - Basic)
Your teeth are your weapon
Active: Add your Strength modifier to Bite Attacks
(Night Sight - Basic)
You were born in the dark, molded by it
Passive: Gain the Ability to See in the Dark.
[The Pugilist] (Basic)
A force to be reckoned with, you prefer to fight with your fists. Who needs a bow or a sword when your body is a weapon? It’s time to get down and dirty, time to bloody some noses, you are The Pugilist.
[Abilities]
(Punch - Basic)
Your fist is your Weapon
Active: add your Strength Modifier to your Fist Attacks
(Step Forward - Basic)
Can’t use your fists unless your in their face
Active: Dash forward an equal amount of feet equal to your Dexterity Modifier
(Guard - Basic)
You are the one to cause wounds, not receive them
Active: Placing your hands in front of your face creates a shield that absorbs damage equal to your Endurance Modifier.
[The Masochist] (Basic)
You love pain, it turns you on, the very thought of peeling back the layers of your own body keeps you up at night. You gain strength from it, you cannot stop doing it. Do it, cut yourself you little freak. See what happens
[Abilities]
(Rip and Tear - Basic)
Pain, beautiful Pain. This is what drives you
Passive: As long as you are Wounded your Spells add your Intelligence modifier to any Damage
(Blood Bullet - Basic)
Without suffering you cannot succeed
Active: Your Blood is your Weapon, a small amount of blood is shot out of an open Wound using your Intelligence modifier as its Base Damage.
(Self Regeneration - Basic)
No Wound can stop you
Passive: If you are Wounded you Endurance is increased by +2
There was no denying it—this was absolutely a video game. All this talk of [Damage] and [Modifiers] there was no way this wasn’t some fucked up game show version of that dragon game he had played with his friends, there had been dungeons in it too right? Though it was super fucked up that a Masochist Class was one of his options. Constantly torturing himself on shards of rock for a whole day had seriously affected his options.
Buck took a moment to look over his options, weighing each one carefully. There was so much information to parse with each one. Each of the three presented seemed to be at the same level. Bev said this first [Class] was Basic. Maybe that meant there were tiers to classes or something. He could only assume that as he leveled up, he would gain access to higher-level classes that would increase his strength.
Looking at his [Character] again he noticed that his Race also had a Basic tag next to it. Did that mean he would be able to upgrade his Race as well? What could that possibly mean? Would he be able to turn himself into an elf or something? A shudder ran through him. Based on his class options he might only be forced to turn into something really messed up. Was there a Race connected to the Naked-Mole Rat Class? He couldn’t think about that now.
Buck continued to look over the Class options, reading each of the Abilites to see if anything resonated with him. If the Masochist class was connected to him putting himself through literal torture and coming out the other side, the Naked-Mole Rat Class had to be because he had spent all this time in a cave. Though reading through the Abilites he realized something. There was no way he was going to play this whole game without wearing any clothes, and the thought of having his main attack be a [Bite] made him audibly gag. Would he grow massive chompers as well? No, there was really only one option.
Taking a moment to center himself, Buck mentally clicked on [The Pugilist] class. After all the fanfare that came with leveling up skills he expected something to happen, but after a moment of silence he realized he was waiting for nothing. Though as he focussed, pulling up his UI to click on his [Character] to add his attribute points he noticed at the bottom of his vision he now had an Ability Bar.
A sly smile spread across his face “Well, I wouldn’t want it to go to waste” with a mental click Buck focused on [Punch]. Energy surged through his arm, pulled from somewhere deep within his core, his fist snapping shut like a vice. He could almost compare it to his muscles spasming as he grabbed an electric fence, but as he brought his arm back to throw a punch he knew this was different.
Taking a step forward he threw a left jab towards the only thing around him, a stalagmite. The jab caused a surge of adrenaline to course through him, electrifying every nerve ending. The punch felt like an extension of his very soul, the raw energy pulsing through his veins as he connected with the stone, echoing a deep sense of power that resonated from within.
It was as if the limitations of his past were vanishing, replaced by an invigorating force that promised strength and potential. In that moment, he realized he was no longer just a survivor; he was becoming a force to be reckoned with, and the thrill of his newfound power ignited a fire in his spirit that he had never felt before.