Pocket Dungeon System

Episode 0: The System Owner (1)

In this world of doom, only some remnants of humanity are left to survive.

Kindness has become taboo, and cruelty has become the norm.

If you want to survive in this ruined world, then first throw away the humanity left in you and be as cruel as you can to both yourself and others.

Because…

Only the strong have the right to live in this world.

…

Year 20XX

Capital of Weakling City.

This place is also known as the weakest city in the whole world, covering an area of merely 1250 km.

Nearly ⅔ of the land is slums, with no proper buildings, and everyone living in tents.

The poorest have no tents, while the richest live in slightly better tents.

On the other side, the ⅓ part of the land inhabited by the rich is filled with buildings.

Those tall, high buildings are the dream of everyone living in the slums.

Only those who have awakened their power and become Knights to battle against monsters have the right to live there.

This small area is also thin in population, with merely 2500 people living in this area, and only 100 of those people living in buildings.

At the edge of the slums, a 16-year-old boy lay on the ground. There was no blanket or anything underneath him. He was sleeping on the cold ground.

Yet he slept peacefully. The breeze didn't make him shiver and didn't even give him goosebumps. He was so used to this cold that even in winter, he could sleep peacefully.

"Hmm…I never had such a peaceful sleep." He stretched his body and yawned. "Will something good happen today? Will I finally get to eat until I am satisfied?" Like always, he imagined the table filled with varieties of meat and food.

He had only tasted meat one time in his entire life, and he still remembers that taste.

"Well, stale bread like always." He went to the area where food was served.

In the center of the slums, bread was given freely to the poor so they could survive. Anyone has a chance of awakening, so the Knights don't want future Awakened to die.

Who knows when a legend is born from these poor people? So even if they are born, they won't immediately hate the world and will strive to save it.

"Arthur, you are late as always." A boy similar to his age called to him.

The boy had red hair and a skinny body, yet he looked so energetic.

"I know, Dan. But today I had such a wonderful sleep. I couldn't help it. Still, in my life, only stale bread is destined to be with me. So why do I have to care about being early and late?" Arthur said with a smile. His silver hair fluttered in the wind as it was long and barely cut.

He looked messy as he wore a grey rag as his clothes. His body was dirty and hadn't been touched with water for ages.

But in this slum where this is pretty common, the smell hasn't been an issue.

He looked skinny and malnourished. It was pretty common for kids in this slum.

"Why are you so dramatic?" Dan wrapped his arms around his shoulder. "See, I saved a sandwich just for you today."

"Huh?" Seeing the sandwich, Arthur's eyes widened and teared up. "For me…really??" Arthur was so shocked and stunned.

"If you don't want it…" before Dan could continue, his sandwich was snatched and eaten by Arthur.

"Slowly, slowly. No one would steal your food."

"Yewsh," Arthur ate the sandwich. And then ate the stale bread. After eating for a while, he was stuffed.

"Happy birthday, Arthur," Dan wished him.

"Woah…Dan…." Arthur hugged Dan with teary eyes.

"Now, now."

Dan and Arthur were like brothers as they grew up together.

They played around even when they were 16, like kids, and then worked to fill their contribution.

If you don't work, you will either be sold as a slave or beaten to death.

"Tch. Girls have it easy, don't they." Arthur looked at the girls going in and out of some knight building.

"Why do you think so?" Dan asked as he stood beside him looking there. His ears were a bit red as he looked at those women with messy clothes.

"They just go inside the tent, stay there for a while, and then come out. But still, they get to eat delicious food without doing anything."

Arthur was so innocent Dan couldn't help but smile. Arthur had never touched a woman and never even knew what those women do in the building.

Dan was also innocent, but he knew those things. He just felt embarrassed to mention that to Arthur.

"Well…they do work…in the tent."

"Really? What work do they do? I can do it too!"

"Cough, cough!" Dan coughed and looked at Arthur.

He was speechless.

"Wel…" he didn't know what to say so he walked ahead.

"Hey, wait for me."

After a day of work, they went to their area. Dan and Arthur separated as Dan had night duty too.

"Today was great." Arthur lay on the ground and thought about the day. "Wish I could be happy every day." As he closed his eyes, a bright light shone.

[Congratulations]

"Huh?" Arthur opened his eyes.

"Where…the hell am I?"

In the middle of nowhere, he stood. Everywhere around him were walls; it looked like he was in a cave.

Growl!

Growling sound echoed.

"Huh???" Confused, Arthur looked around. His body shook with fear.

[Congratulations. You have been blessed with the Pocket Dungeon System.]

A hologram appeared in front of him. The interface was blue, and the words were golden.

The light it emitted was warm and magnificent that anyone could be charmed.

"What…is this?" Arthur tilted his head and looked at the hologram. He looked both terrified and curious.

[The Pocket Dungeon System has two functions.]

[It can consume any dungeon to grow.]

[You can enter the dungeon anytime to kill the monster and level up to grow strong.]

"Eh???" Countless question marks hovered above his head. "Consume dungeons?" He had never heard of such a thing that could consume a dungeon.

Anyone knows, 100 years ago when the world was split apart and various portals opened up, which are called dungeons, no one has ever stopped the dungeon from birthing monsters.

Without continuous clearing, the dungeon will grow and eject monsters, causing chaos and wreaking havoc.

[You have three days to beat the dungeon you are currently in.]

[A trial to make this system yours. A trial to gain power. A trial to test your adaptivity and courage.]

[Since you are weak, the system has provided you with three basic gifts.]

1. All stats increased by 1

2. Weapon card X1

3. Class Card X1

Arthur looked blankly at the words. Even when he could understand these words, he was deeply confused.

"I can get power…I can?" Being powerful and living a prosperous life was anyone's dream. Arthur also wanted to have a life filled with delicious food and comfortable sleep.

[Trial will begin in 1 minute.]

[All gifts have been equipped.]

A strange power filled his body.

Varieties of cards flew around him immediately afterward. These cards had pictures of weapons with their names.

- [Sword]

- [Bow]

- [Spear]

...

"Are all these weapons? Wow, so cool. Can I choose one of them? What a magical power…" Arthur looked at the cards and finally found the one he liked.

[Spear of Chaos]

[Are you sure you want to choose 'Spear of Chaos' as your weapon?]

[Yes] [No]

[Warning: After the decision is made, you can't change it.]

Arthur didn't even look at the warning and clicked yes.

The card turned into blinding golden lights, and a spear fell.

"Wowwww!!" Arthur's eyes sparkled as he stroked the spear.

Its metallic body was long with the pointy end.

Chains were bound on the pointy blade. As Arthur swiped the spear, the blade detached from the spear.

The chains were the end, and the blade could move as far as the chains allowed it.

Swish! Swish!

Arthur played with it. He had no training, and his body was weak. But still, he could use the weapon effortlessly.

Of course, he didn't know how to fight, as he had never even engaged in a brawl.

"If Dan was here…" Arthur thought of Dan. He was the one who always protected him and fought for him.

"No, now that I have power, I should protect him." He puffed his chest and pondered. "I can change our life." He was so excited he had forgotten the fear and danger.

Not long later, other cards flew around him.

These cards had human pictures and names below them.

- [Warrior]

A human with a burly body carrying a great sword was shown in the picture.

- [Archer]

A human wearing green clothes carrying a bow and arrow in a stance of pulling the string from their arrow.

...

Searching for nearly 25 seconds, Arthur finally found the one he liked.

[Shadow Master]

A figure covered in a black cloak with its face also blackened, only the white eyes visible. Raising its hands, countless beings in front of it had their shadows raised. Their shadows enveloped and covered their owners. The scene was horrible as it looked cool to Arthur.

[Are you sure you want to choose 'Shadow Master' as your class?]

[Yes] [No]

[Warning: After the decision is made, you can't change it.]

Arthur once again chose yes. Then a cloak fell from the sky and covered his body.

Even when the cloak covered his body, his movement wasn't restricted. The cloak was magical.

[Shadow Master: Master of shadow. Light is as important to you as darkness is. Shadows are your playthings as they are your slaves. You are the being who desires the world to be covered in darkness.]

[Shadow Manipulation (Active): You can manipulate others' shadows as long as they are weaker than you. You can also manipulate your shadow to attack others. Cost: 5 MP per use, lasts for 1 minute, cooldown: None]

[Blessing of Darkness (Passive): All your stats will increase by 1 (temporary) when you are in darkness, decrease your stats by 1 (temporary) when you are in light, Shadow Manipulation skill effects will increase when you are cursed or affected by curse.]

"I finally have a skill! I can be a knight!!" Arthur jumped in joy as he swung his spear widely.

A big smile bloomed on his face and looked so innocent and genuine that others would also smile because of it.

[Time up!]

[Your trial has begun!]

[Defeat the boss in 3 days to pass the trial.]

[Penalty: Death]

[Reward: Permanent System, Owner of the dungeon]

[Time Remaining: 71:59:59]

The time ticked in.

A very quiet sound echoed in the dungeon as there was no other sound there.

Meow!

A cat meowed?

Arthur tilted his head. Then from a door, an open area, in the corner of the cave, a figure walked in.

It wasn't big, maybe the size of a German Shepherd dog. Its body had no fur. It had pure white skin that looked soft.

Four legs were thick, which didn't match its body, and sharp nails that looked like they could cut through anything.

Its head was small, but it wasn't a cat face. There were three eyes on its face and only red pupils. It had no nose but a very wide mouth that extended from one end of its mouth to another.

It has no teeth. Its mouth was hollow. The cat monster had a long pointy tail and looked at Arthur.

"Meow."

Tilting its head, acting cute, it meowed.

But the next second…

Swish!

"Huh?" Arthur's eyes widened. Instinct took over his body, and he jumped sideways. Even with that, he couldn't escape from the monster.

A deep wound formed on his cheeks. Blood gushed out, and pain surged through his body.

"Ah…Ahh…Aahhhh!" He screamed in agony.

The cat monster gently landed on the ground and looked at Arthur.

Its smile deepened.

—————————

Cat monster and Arthur made eye contact. The light in the cave was bright, as if there was a sun inside.

Arthur remembered his skills but didn't know how to use them.

The cat monster stretched its body and was about to jump at Arthur again. But Arthur stretched his palm, "Shadow Manipulation," he spelled the skill name.

Next moment, a black light emitted from his hand. The cat's eyes widened as it was stuck.

Its shadow was locked, and its movements were frozen. Seeing this, Arthur's lips curved, and he rushed to the cat.

"You sure are ugly," Arthur said as he sized up the monster.

He raised his spear.

Stab!

The blade easily stabbed through its skin. Green blood splattered. Yet still, the cat didn't move. After some seconds later, the cat fell.

Its body then disintegrated, leaving a trail of white light.

As if this was the beginning of the trail, many cat monsters rushed into the room.

Five of them came after Arthur. Unlike the first one, they didn't even wait or stare at Arthur.

They directly attacked him. Arthur was shocked as he didn't expect them. Instinct took over his body, and he rolled sideways.

The cats all landed smoothly and turned at Arthur.

Arthur's robe didn't have damage, but blood dropped from his palms. He grabbed his arm and gritted his teeth.

Two cuts on cheeks and three on the arm. The previous wound also bled.

It was a dire situation. "I am slow…" He then looked around.

He found something. Some blind spots in the room. There were two places with absolute darkness.

Arthur kicked the ground and ran there. But it was also his mistake, as those cat monsters immediately attacked him.

Arthur jumped and fell to the dark spot, but his back was injured in the process.

He bit his lips and gritted. "Man, I am sure in trouble." A smile bloomed, and he stood.

[Blessing of Darkness has activated. All stats increased by 1 (Temporary)]

While his wound didn't heal up, his speed did increase. His eyes focused, and he felt energetic.

He swung his spear and looked at the cat monsters. Their dangerous smiles widened as they all charged at him.

While their speed was great, it wasn't instant. One could still follow their speed.

Arthur focused on their attack and cast Shadow Manipulation.

Suddenly, he felt his body being weak and his breathing ragged. His legs trembled.

[You have used your manipulation on 5 targets, extra Mana consumed.]

[Mana in low quantity, please rest and fill your mana.]

Red warning messages flashed, but the cats did not stop.

Still exhausted and weak, Arthur stabbed the spear into their bodies. Thankfully, he was in the darkness, and his body felt a bit strong, or he would have already fallen to the ground.

Killing all of them, Arthur fell to the ground.

[Sub trial passed.]

[You have gained 100 EXP and temporary system ownership.]

[Ding!]

[You have leveled up.]

[Received 2 Stats points and 1 skill point]

[Information]

Name: Arthur

Level: 2 (0/200)

Mana Point (MP): 20/20 (2/min)

Class: Shadow Master

Main Dungeon: None

Sub Dungeon: Locked

—————————

[Stats]

Strength: 8

Stamina: 10

Agility: 6

Perception: 2

Energy: 2

(Available Stats Points: 2)

—————————

[Skills]

Active

— Shadow Manipulation Lv.1

Passive

— Blessing of Darkness LV.1

(Available Skill Points: 1)

—————————

"Wow…" Arthur looked at the screen and smiled. He lay on the ground exhausted. There was finally peace.

He looked around the window with his eyes sparkly.

"This is super cool." There were some other tabs on the screen.

[Dungeon - Locked] [Shop - Locked] [Blacksmith - Locked] [Alchemy - Locked]

However, everything was locked at the moment. Arthur rested for some minutes and then stood.

"I shouldn't slack like this." He looked at the hole where the cat monster came from. "Dan has told me, finish work as fast as you can so you have more time to rest and won't waste time regretting you haven't finished the work yet."

Arthur walked. But as he walked, he felt weak.

[Since you are in light, the negative aspect of Blessing of Darkness has activated. All your stats decreased by 1]

Arthur looked at it and let out a troubled smile. But shook his head and continued to the entrance.

His black robe didn't move. The robe was a little big for him as its sleeve was nearly over his palm, and it touched the ground while the hoodie part covered his forehead and nearly covered his eyes.

Yet it didn't feel uncomfortable to see, walk and it didn't even move. It was truly a miraculous item.

"Oh right!" As he was walking, he suddenly jolted. "I have points…Like contribution points. Do these points do something?"

He opened his interface and looked at the plus sign on his both stats and skills. He didn't notice them as he was way busy in the interface.

"Hmm…Can I increase them? Strength is good in battle while energy is also required for me to cast a spell. Likely Stamina should be there so I won't exhaust myself while battling and agility too, since I need to move more smoothly and fast... God damn, this is so hard to choose." He scratched his head and looked at the screen.

"Strength and energy. Next time, Stamina and agility. Then…I will focus on this perception."

He made a mental note and clicked once on strength and energy.

Strength: 9 → 10

Energy: 2 → 3

Mana: 20 → 30

Arthur looked at the new notification. "Oh, one point increases my mana by 10."

He then poured his skill point into Shadow Manipulation.

Shadow Manipulation: 1 → 2

[Mana required to use the skill decreased by 1, effect time increased by 30 seconds, and the effect will be powerful on weak enemies.]

—————————

Arthur walked down the hallway. While the room was huge and wide, the hallway was narrow.

Only two people could walk in a row. Battling here was truly hard.

But still, three cat monsters jumped at Arthur. Although Arthur had impressive reflexes, he couldn't dodge in time. And as before, he got wounds on his body.

He swung his spear, the blade rotated and scratched the walls.

"Did…I just choose a useless…weapon?" Arthur didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

But as a cat monster jumped at him, he raised his spear, and it stabbed into its body.

He swung the spear, the cat monster also swung, detached, and hit the wall.

With a weak meow, green blood gushed out, and it turned into blocks of light.

[You have killed a Felithral.]

[You have received 10 EXP and 1 Crystal Coin.]

"I received exp?" He did remember that word on the status screen.

"Still 190 more, and then….Will I level up again?"

His eyes gleamed, and his grip tightened. He kicked his leg and swung the spear. The blade, followed by the chain, flung at the cat monster.

But they dodged the blade. Arthur wasn't an experienced fighter; hence, he couldn't directly follow up with another move.

He had to wait for the chain to come back, which took 2 seconds, and then charge again.

But the cat monster already jumped at him.

"Aaaa!" He screamed.

The claws stabbed his arms. It dug deeper into his skin, scratching the bone.

The white nails of the monster were dyed red as a more creepy smile bloomed on its face.

Arthur slammed his hand into the ground and immediately stabbed the cat. But the cat monster dodged and ran off.

Before Arthur could stand, the second one stabbed its sharp claws into his back.

"Aaaaaaaa!" Another scream left his mouth.

"Aaahh…." He couldn't maintain his sanity after the pain. He swung the spear recklessly.

However, his screaming already alerted other cat monsters. As more of them came at him.

Arthur, a rookie at the fight, was no match for the horde.

Followed by the most wrenching screams, blood flowed on the ground.

Arthur died.

His corpse was filled with nothing but holes. His face had a horrified expression, and his death was painful.

Soon after, a bright light flashed, and his body sank inside the ground.

—————————

In the void of the universe, a faceless being gazed at the screen.

"Weak ones," he cursed. "Damn, where can I find strong ones to take over this system?" He looked around the screen.

"Oh…Found one." His faceless smile disoriented, and something like a smile bloomed.

"System, you can only choose those helpless weaklings. Look at how I will send you the being who is truly worthy for you." He raised his countless arms.

The Earth glowed, followed by a miracle.