1 Origin of the Dreadknight

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-aaah-ah. Jesus. Damn, what a yawn."

The young man opened his eyes, wiping away the debris build-up in the slits while trying to focus his eyes.

"Gotta open the blinds first."

He rolled off his bed and stretched out his hand towards the wand before turning it slowly and letting the light cascade over his body blinding him for a bit.

He looked outside.

…

He blinked and wiped his eyes. He then tried looking outside again.

"What the fuck is this…"

He couldn't see past a black screen that seemed to block his main field of view. He focused on the screen.

"Welcome Player! Choose your name, clothing, and starting weapon of choice!"

"Uh. Is this augmented reality? I don't have a headset though or a virtual reality one…"

"You have 60 seconds to choose before they are randomized! Just swipe right with your hand to see a visual list for each category!"

The young man stuck his hand through the black screen. There was no reaction. He could only no longer seen his hand. He took it back and looked his hand over.

"Haaaah. This is fucking real, isn't it? Do I wanna wait and see what happens if I get randomized? Naw, I've played enough mmo's to know that shit gets tacky…Fine. If this is real, I'll have a legendary-fuckin name then. No, I'll make it legendary. The name will be Lira!"

"Lira confirmed. Is this the spelling you prefer?"

"Yes."

"You have 45 seconds to choose your clothing and starting weapon of choice! Please swipe right to see a visual list for each category!"

He swiped his hand right.

Immediately, the black screen grew until it took up the whole window frame. It now showed various clothing designs. Some were cloth or various soft textures and others were varying degrees of armor.

*Holy shiiit, that armor is cool.*

"Can I try on the black full-body armor? Can I get a background on it?"

"Yes. Actualizing Lancester's Blair Armor to Player Lira."

Suddenly, the black armor he saw on the screen began to slowly fade into reality on himself. His vision went black as the visor appeared on his head. He could then hear a slightly muffled voice talking, so he rose his visor.

"-Blair Armor is one of the highest quality armors in all realities of the game. Forge King Lancester of the Siege Order used the best of materials at his disposal, completing this armor as the crowning accomplishment in his life. This armor is heavy armor forged using unique methods that could be found nowhere else, claiming the pinnacle of its class. It has no weak points when fully suited. Due to its uniqueness, the weight upon the body determines the strength of the armor. The weight upon the body is calculated according to a Player's strength stat with a consistent add-on based on level. This ar-"

"Alright, stop, stop, stop! I choose this armor! Holy shit, I only have 12 seconds to choose a weapon."

"Due to your choice of armor, you can carry five weapons. You may choose five starting weapons."

"Oh shit…OH SHIT! UH. SWORDSTAFF, KRIEGMESSER, MACE, GREAT SWORD OF ANY KIND, CROSSBOW!"

"Actualizing the chosen weapons on Player Lira."

"Hidden bonus unlocked. Player Lira has inadvertently accomplished the criteria for two hidden classes – Black Iron Slayer and Black Iron Dreadknight. Would Player Lira like to pick a class?

*Oh shit, really? You fucking bet I will*

"Yes! May I ask the difference between the two?"

"Black Iron Slayer is more offensively based with the according boosts in basic stats such as strength and agility, as well as offensively-oriented skills. Black Iron Dreadknight is more defensively based with the according boosts in vitality, concentration, and strength, as well as defensively-oriented skills."

*Shieeeeeet. That's difficult. If I'm a slayer, then I'll be a beast. If I'm a Dreadknight, then I'll be fucking scary. That name Dreadknight also is really attracting me. Fuck it, Dreadknight it is.*

"I choose Dreadknight!"

"Actualizing the Dreadknight class. Assimilation complete. Congratulations Player Lira. You are the twelfth Player to advance to a hidden class. Hidden reward is a Tier 7 weapon of your choice. Please swipe right to browse and select a weapon."

Lira swiped right immediately as his eyes shined for a moment.

*Tier fucking 7? That could be really good if they go from Tier 1 up and not the other way around! Shit, let's see…*

A variety of weapons were shown before him. Each one was actually named and had an aura about it.

*Oooooh shit. This is gone be good. Hmm…*

"Can I get the backstory on Black Canary?"

"Black Canary was the Sven Order's pinnacle achievement in swordstaff design, meant to be wielded only by the strongest of existences. Its staff is made of incredibly dense material that yields little flexibility, while the blade is made of material that is both flexible and durable, capable of being sharpened to extreme ends. The swordstaff was then enchanted and strengthened over the course of the thousand years of history the Sven Order stood, by each and every Guildmaster. Today, against all odds, it stands at the top of Tier 7 weaponry in terms of quality and spirit."

"I choose this Black Canary."

"Replacing your original swordstaff with the Black Canary."

"All processes have been taken care of. The Marquise of Pestilence wishes you good luck, Player Lira."

"Wait what?"

The black screen immediately disappeared, leaving the light to once more cascade in as Lira was left staring out the window into his middle-class neighborhood in the suburbs.

*Marquis of Pestilence? Is this a game? Like, there are spectators? Did our world just become a game for higher beings to spectate? No way to confirm anything. Actually, shit, where are my parents? No, it's a week day. They should be at work, like everyone else. I should check social media to see if this is a world-wide thing. I needa calm down.*

Lira took a deep breath and continued looking out the window for a second, enjoying the light brought by the son. After taking a breather, he walked over to his phone and was about to pick it up when he saw that he had missed tens of calls from his parents and even more from his close friends.

*That might confirm it. We'll call Che first.*

Ri-ri-ring.

*Fuckin answer already kid.*

Ri-Ri-Ri-riing.

*Bruh, I'm about to just show up at your house in armor.*

Ri-"Jone? Jone? Is that you? You good?"

"Oh yea, bud, I'm fuckin great. Am I seeing the same shit you are? Game window? Voice? Weapons, name, armor?"

"Yep. Finsta has been lit up with shit. Even the government and president have issued a warning. Also, fuckin monsters have started to appear. BUT ANYWAYS, GUESS WHO GOT A HIDDEN CLASS? ME! It's called Outlander. It's like a hybrid magic and physical one."

"Hmm, your parents home?"

"So you just gonna ignore my hidden class, huh? I see how it is. But, yes, they're home. They don't have a hidden class, hehe."

"Yo shut up, you troll. This is not the time for jokes! But, while we're at it, what number Player were you to get a hidden class?"

"What number Player?"

"Like, were you the fifth or…"

"Oh, it said I was second! Wait, how would you know about th-"

"Obviously cause I got one too. You think I'd be inferior in this world?"

"Oh shit, hidden class bros."

"Yea bro, but did you check with the boys?"

"I haven't hit up JC yet, but the others, yea. They're all good. Monsters haven't appeared around here yet, but when they do, it's like they just pop up. Also, strangely enough, they do kill wildlife."

"They kill wildlife? Why is that strange to you?"

"Well cuz…ah forget it. You good with your parents or…?"

"Yea, no. Mine haven't got home yet. I actually gotta hang up so I can call them. Once monsters appear, it might be too late, so uh we need to figure out how to get us and all our parents together. There is strength in numb-Shit."

"What?"

"I'm looking at the first monster. More are spawning in right now, literally spawning. They're weird versions of wolves. Scary things, pack animals. But, they might have met their match. My class is a dead screw over for them. I'll call you back in a bit to let you know I'm alive."

"Wait, you can't just fight all of them. I want some-"

"Nah, call back in a bit, peace!"

Lira hung up, then phoned his parents.

*Come on, pick up, pick up!*

"Jone? JONE?"

"Yes! YES! Mom, I'm here, I'm good."

"You're safe? You're okay? The house is good? Oh, thank you god."

"Yes, I'm good. Now, where and how is Dad?"

"He had to go in to Admin today for a meeting. We're both still in our buildings. WHAT IS GOING ON? SOMETHING TOLD ME TO CHOOSE A NAME, CLOTHES, AND WEAPON! I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND IT SAID IT RANDOMIZED MINE. IS THIS A GAME?"

"CALM DOWN MOM. Consider it a game. Our world just got turned into a game! Now, take a deep breath, and accept it. You've tackled harder things. What did you get after randomization?"

"…It said the name was Anne Harbinger. I got padded cloth on my body, and I was given a knife."

"Alright, alright, sorry, but when did you get the message?"

"About an hour ago. You said you were safe, right? The news says monsters are starting to appear everywhere! Stay where you are, stay safe!"

"Mom, it's fine. Me and my friends are good. We've played games before. Two of us have hidden classes. I'm literally unkillable right now. I'm heading over to Che's. He's gathering our buds and their parents. We'll have numbers. I'll text you to keep you updated."

"DON'T YOU DARE FIGHT ANY MONSTERS! YOU HEAR ME? I WORKED ALL THESE YEARS TO KEEP YOU ALIVE! YOU WILL NOT THROW THAT AWAY!"

"MOM! THIS ISN'T THE SAME WORLD NOW! TO SURVIVE BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT, IF THE GOVERNMENT, GETS A HOLD OF THINGS, YOU NEED TO LEVEL UP. Based on what I've seen, how do you think you do that? Also, what value to them will you have if you aren't powerful?"

"No-"

"Now, there are definitely some people who figured this out. I get that your older generation doesn't get it, but that's where we come in. I'm not going to put myself in any wild danger mom. I'm just going over to Che's so we can make a group. But, to level-up, in a game, there are usually multiple ways, but killing monsters is the quickest and easiest. I don't know if that will stay true here, but don't worry. There are no monsters here yet. Now, I'm going! Text you in a bit!"

"JON-"

Lira hung up.

*Sorry, mom. I couldn't tell you I'm about to risk it all.*

*Alright, so if I'm not wrong…*

Lira swiped right.

The black screen popped back up. This time, however, what was on it was his character information, including basic stats, inventory, skills, and more. There was even a world leaderboard for leveling which, as he checked, was already filled with someone even having already reached level 5.

*The fuck? Level 5? Must be the first place monsters spawned in. I wonder how easy it is to level up. Well, we'll find out soon. Skills…*

*Here we are.*

Dreadknight's Intimidation – passive skill. Beings of equal or lower level within a ten-foot radius are naturally afraid of you and must overcome their trepidation to interact with you. Enemies lose 20% of their stats. Can be nullified towards certain individuals.

Dreadknight's Resolve – passive skill. You can only be hurt by deep wounds. Lesser wounds heal rapidly.

Weapon Expertise – passive skill. You have a penchant for handling weapons. Increased physical coordination and precision.

Sanguine Firstborn – passive skill. You are able to control blood in a ten-foot radius. For every being you kill in this radius, your vitality permanently increases by one.

Monumental Stability – passive skill. Your sense of balance is indominable. To knock you off balance requires double your strength.

*Only passives? Well. I guess I'll unlock or be able to unlock more at higher levels. These passives are pretty damn amazing though. Killing those wolves should be a breeze if I can actually hit them.*

Lira looked out the window.

*Wonder if I can jump from the second floor and not be hurt. It only makes sense though…Fuck it, I'm doing it!*

SHII! KRINK!