CHAPTER 2: Awakening

Without pause, I awoke at the front of the village.

I looked up and read the sign.

"Woodrow Village."

Just then, I heard a familiar shout.

"WOAH! Where the hell did you just come from!?"

"Guildmaster? Is that you?" I replied.

"Yes, it's me! You almost gave me a heart attack! How did you get here, anyways? I didn't notice you at all."

"I…"

"I think I just died."

[System Alert: You have died once.]

[System Alert: Enemies defeated…]

[System Alert: x11 Goblins]

[System Alert: x1 Goblin Warrior]

[System Alert: You will now receive rewards...]

[System Alert: Items received.]

[System Alert: XP received.]

[System Alert: You are now Level 2.]

[System Alert: You have 9 days to finish this quest.]

[System Alert: If you fail this mission, both worlds will come to an end.]

[System Alert: "Good luck, travellers!"]

A handful of gear dropped at my feet.

The shards that I didn't get the chance to pick up, as well as, a worn-down axe that was about as big as me.

I reached down to pick up the weapon.

[Goblin Warrior's Axe]

[You have advantage to hit when attacking enemies larger than you.]

Taken aback, I dropped the weapon.

The guild master approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, you don't look too well. You wanna head back to the Guild Hall and calm down in there?"

Before he was able to finish what he was saying, I started running back home.

A myriad of questions ran threw my mind.

"I really just died, didn't I?"

"What's this 'system' and why does it keep talking to me?"

"Where did these rewards come from and how did they get here?"

"What is a 'level up'?"

I barged my way inside my house and slammed the door shut.

I ran inside my bed and closed my eyes, hoping that this was all a dream and I would wake up in the morning like nothing happened.

I laid there for a few minutes, before giving up.

"This was all real"

I tried calling out to this 'system'.

"What are you? What did you do to me?"

Another message appeared. It displayed a picture of me alongside some words.

[Level 2]

[HP: 14/14]

[STR: 8 (-1)]

[DEX: 8 (-1)]

[CON: 8 (-1)]

[INT: 8 (-1)]

[WIS: 8 (-1)]

[CHA: 8 (-1)]

[SP: 20/20]

[MP: 20/20]

[Lineage Factor: HUMAN]

[Class: NONE]

[Skills: NONE]

Most of this made absolutely no sense to me. It used some sort of code that I didn't understand.

"HP? SP? MP?"

"STR must be strength. INT for intelligence?"

I couldn't make out the rest of them.

Before I could snoop around any further, the 'system' sent a message.

[System Alert: You have not chosen a class.]

[System Alert: Would you like to choose a class?]

[System Alert: YES/NO.]

"A class?"

I don't think it's talking about school in this case. It must be talking about knights, shielders and healers. That kind of class.

"Yes."

[System Alert: You are now choosing a class.]

[System Alert: Please select from the following options.]

Suddenly, my body felt light. I blanked out for a moment.

When I woke up, I was in some sort of room.

Everything was covered in this blinding white light. The walls, the floor, the ceiling. All of it was shining at me.

I tried walking around and the room just kept going on.

It's like I was in some sort of white void.

A part of me wondered if I had died and gone to heaven.

Walking back to where I first woke up, there were four messages.

[System Alert: Because of an error, you have been given a class.]

[System Alert: Your experience is taken into account.]

[System Alert: You are a man who had faced death.]

[System Alert: Through death, you shall bestow upon others the same fate]

In that moment, a surge of energy rushed through me. An unknown strength. A sinister awakening.

[System Alert: You are an Assassin.]

[System Alert: Additional points will be given based on your class.]

[System Alert: STR +6, DEX +6, WIS +4, CHA -4.]

[System Alert: You have been given items to boost your efficiency in combat.]

"An assassin?"

Those are the people that kill for money. I wonder if the 'system' plans on compensating me for every kill I get.

"Bestowing death, huh?"

[System Alert: Please choose an Underskill.]

"Underskill? What's that supposed to be? Like a special power or something?"

"Let's see here."

[Assassin Bloodthirst]

[You are fueled by the hunt. The death of your enemies excites you in battle. When you reduce a creature's HP to 0, you gain a bonus to Attack and Damage Rolls equal to your WIS Modifier (up to 3) until the end of your next turn. In addition, if you are in combat with a creature you have killed before, you automatically gain a +1 Bonus to Attack and Damage Rolls (this does not affect the previous limit).]

[Assassin Instinct]

[You are a seasoned fighter and have learned to dodge attacks without thinking. Once per round, you can choose to automatically succeed a DEX Saving Throw. If you have advantage on the Saving Throw, you may choose to automatically critically succeed. If you have disadvantage on the Saving Throw, you do not have disadvantage.]

[Assassin Stealth]

[You have mastered the arts of the shadows. You can attempt to take the Hide Action even when within the line of sight of a hostile creature. You make the DEX (Stealth) Check with disadvantage.]

"Hm… They all sound pretty interesting… Not that I know what they really mean"

"Well, those two sound a little too violent for my liking."

"Plus, it would be nice to avoid attacks a little better."

I tapped on the message with my final choice.

[System Alert: You have chosen Assassin Instinct.]

[System Alert: Please choose a Combat Skill.]

[System Alert: You are Level 2.]

[System Alert: Please choose 2 additional Combat Skills.]

A flurry of messages popped up in front of my face. Each one listed a different ability along with a description that I barely understood.

I tried reasoning with the 'system'.

"Which one is that best at… Uh… Bestowing death!"

One of the messages flew up to my face.

[Assassinate]

[The hallmark of a great assassin is their ability to kill. You attempt to immediately attack an enemy as a Bonus Action. The next time you land an attack, you may roll a STR Check and deal additional damage equal to twice the amount you roll. If the target's maximum HP is less than half your maximum HP, the target's HP is instantly reduced to 0. This uses 5 SP.]

I tapped on the message. Now, I had two more that I needed to select.

I decided to select the other two at random.

[System Alert: You have selected Assassinate.]

[System Alert: You have selected Silent Walk.]

[System Alert: You have selected Shadow Step.]

The white room faded and I returned back to the real world on my bed.

Unlike before, the message with all the numbers now displayed my class as assassin and it showed all my skills.

Some of the numbers went up as well.

Still, the thought lingered in my head.

"You have 9 days to finish this quest."

"If you fail this mission, both worlds will come to an end."

"Am I really supposed to stop the Demon King's invasion?"

Before I realized it, I'd used up all my energy for the day and fell asleep right on my bed.