Luke felt a chill run down his spine. The situation was even worse than he’d imagined. The system glitch hadn’t just thrown him into a random corner of the multiverse. It had dropped him into a dungeon with psychotic criminals who had already awakened classes. Already gained power.

  Suddenly, a sharp whistle cut through the air.

  SHUNK!

  An arrow slammed into Walter’s chest.

  He staggered backward, a cry of pain tearing from his throat.

  SHUNK!

  Another struck his shoulder.

  SHUNK!

  The third pierced clean through his throat.

  Walter dropped to his knees, blood gushing between his fingers.

  Luke froze.

  Walter tried to speak, but only a wet, choking noise escaped before his body collapsed.

  His eyes stared forward. Glassy. Lifeless.

  It had all happened so fast.

  Before Luke could even react, footsteps echoed across the stone path.

  A mocking voice broke the silence.

  "Well, well... look what we found. The amazing Officer Walter."

  Luke turned.

  A group emerged from the shadows.

  Prisoners.

  His blood turned cold.

  Tattoos. Scars. Insane eyes. Some were massive, others sickly thin. It didn’t matter. They all radiated something monstrous. One of them held a crossbow, the same one that had just killed Walter. His face was covered in a tribal tattoo.

  He smiled.

  Luke swallowed.

  "Oh, shit..."

  There were at least fifteen of them.

  They wore makeshift armor. Carried swords, spears, bows, each one with the eyes of someone who had killed... and liked it.

  A tall man stepped forward, his hair long and tangled. His smile was as sharp as a blade.

  "Looks like we’ve got fresh meat."

  The group laughed.

  Luke looked at Walter.

  Dead.

  His stomach turned.

  One of the criminals, with a scar over one eye and ink covering half his face, locked eyes with him.

  "Name’s William," he said with a grin. "Me and my friends spent a little too long in solitary. Seeing someone new? Kinda therapeutic."

  Luke tried to stay calm. He forced a smile, though adrenaline was burning through him.

  "We’re all… tutorial companions, right?"

  One of them laughed loudly, spinning a hatchet in one hand.

  "Companions?"

  Another spat on the ground. "Ain’t nobody here going to any tutorial."

  Luke’s heart skipped a beat.

  "We’ve analyzed this place," one said. "We don’t need to leave. We just wait for the government to mark us dead. A year or two, tops. Better than death row or life inside a box."

  "There’s a dungeon. There’s loot. There’s time," said another.

  "This place will be our new home," William murmured. "Way better than that damn solitary."

  Luke looked around, scanning for any exit.

  He was surrounded and about to die.

  "Maybe… I can just go get the portal key and pretend I didn’t see anything?"

  He smiled, nervous.

  Silence.

  The prisoners glanced at each other.

  Then William laughed. "What do you think? Should we let the only witness just walk away?"

  Luke sighed. "Yeah... didn’t think so."

  A brute grinned. "You guessed right."

  "Can we just kill this punk already?" one growled, twirling a short blade.

  "Oh no..." William shook his head. "He’s still got a lot to learn."

  His eyes locked with Luke’s.

  A shiver ran down his spine.

  "Fair head start, kid. Five seconds."

  Panic exploded in his chest.

  William raised his hand and started the countdown, too fast.

  "Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Time’s up!"

  SWOOSH!

  An arrow ripped through the air.

  Luke rolled to the side, reaching for Walter’s fallen sword, but more arrows came.

  No choice.

  He bolted.

  "Get him!" William shouted.

  Boots pounded the dirt. Arrows zipped past, slamming into trees and stones.

  A knife sliced the air, grazing Luke’s face before lodging into a tree.

  Without thinking, he ripped it free and kept running.

  "Come on, kid! Let’s play!" one of the prisoners jeered.

  Luke dove through a ruined house.

  He leapt through the window, landing hard on the wooden floor. The impact knocked the wind from his lungs, but he didn’t stop.

  Stairs ahead.

  No time.

  Footsteps thundered behind him.

  "Where are you, boy? Let’s talk!"

  Luke slipped into a dark hallway.

  Heart pounding.

  He had one knife… and a damn apple.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Footsteps again.

  He peeked around the corner. A man with an axe was checking rooms, slow and deliberate.

  Think. Think. Think!

  Luke hurled the apple into a room farther down.

  "I found you!" the man shouted, charging toward the noise.

  As he passed, Luke stuck out his leg.

  The thug tripped and crashed hard.

  VROOM!

  A crossbow bolt slammed into Luke’s shoulder.

  He screamed, stumbling back.

  Two more prisoners charged down the hall.

  One raised another crossbow.

  Instinct.

  Luke threw the knife.

  "Ah, shit!" the man shouted, stumbling back as the blade struck.

  Luke couldn’t believe he hit him, but he didn’t stop.

  He spun, bolting up the stairs, gritting his teeth as he tore the bolt from his shoulder.

  Pain burned through him.

  At the top, he grabbed a table and shoved it over, knocking down whatever he could before sprinting into a room and slamming the door shut. He locked it, then dragged a heavy dresser in front of it, his shoulder flaring with pain as he forced it into place.

  "OPEN THE DOOR, KID!"

  The axe slammed into the wood.

  "Shit, shit, SHIT!"

  Luke looked around. Only a window.

  His chest rose and fell in pure panic.

  No way out.

  He did the only thing he could.

  Luke opened the system screen.

  "Give me a class! Anything! NOW!"

  Another slam from the axe.

  Footsteps outside.

  Time was running out.

  And then...

  [Choose your class wisely. It may mean the difference between life and death.]

  "I KNOW!" Luke screamed, desperation cracking his voice.

  BAM!

  The axe struck again.

  The system screen flickered to life.

  Class options began cycling in front of him, fast.

  [Knight: A resilient and honorable warrior, the Knight stands at the front lines, shielding allies through a mix of strength and discipline.

  Stat Bonus: +2 Endurance, +1 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Vitality, +1 Free Point

  Starting Equipment: Sword and Shield]

  Luke was drenched in sweat.

  Sword and shield?

  He looked at his arms.

  No chance

  The weight alone would drag him down. He wasn’t built for brute force. Carrying both while running? Slowing down now meant dying.

  Next.

  [Archer: A ranged combat specialist, the Archer is swift and precise. He keeps a safe distance from the frontline, striking enemies from afar with deadly accuracy.

  Stat Bonus: +2 Agility, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Intelligence, +1 Free Point

  Starting Equipment: Bow and Quiver]

  Archer…

  Attacking from a distance sounded like the best option.

  But what if I run out of arrows?

  "I could die with no ammo."

  CRACK!

  The door creaked. A hole splintered through the wood.

  "There you are, little man!" A mocking voice oozed through the gap.

  Luke inhaled sharply and skipped to the next.

  [Thief: Agile and stealthy, the Thief relies on tricks and quick strikes to catch enemies off guard.

  Stat Bonus: +2 Perception, +1 Vitality, +1 Agility, +1 Intelligence, +1 Free Point

  Starting Equipment: Bandit’s Cleaver and three Lockpicks]

  He stared at the door.

  A criminal’s class… to fight criminals?

  Ironic, but the class didn’t seem strong enough.

  Next.

  [Mage: Master of the arcane arts, the Mage trades physical strength for magical power. Though physically fragile, his spells are feared from afar.

  Stat Bonus: +2 Intelligence, +1 Vitality, +1 Agility, +1 Perception, +1 Free Point

  Starting Equipment: Arcane Staff and One-Time Spell Scroll]

  "No… if I run out of mana, I’ll be left holding a stick."

  BAM!

  The dresser slid.

  The criminals were laughing on the other side.

  Last option.

  [Assassin: For the Heir of Shadows and Child of Assassination. The Assassin uses fast, lethal strikes to eliminate targets. He avoids prolonged fights, relying on ambush tactics to guarantee victory.

  Stat Bonus: +2 Agility, +1 Strength, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Free Point

  Starting Equipment: Throwing Knives and Three Smoke Bombs]

  Luke felt something shift inside him as he read it.

  As if the class had been waiting for him.

  "This..."

  This was the one.

  The only real chance at survival.

  Knight? Too slow.

  Archer? Limited.

  Mage? Risky.

  Thief? Weak early on.

  Assassin…? Knives to attack. Smoke to escape.

  Fast. Light. Lethal.

  CRACK!

  The dresser collapsed.

  Footsteps surged forward.

  "Found you, boy!"

  Luke clenched his fists. His heart was pounding like a war drum.

  "Assassin! I choose Assassin!"

  [You have acquired the Assassin class!]

  Something ignited inside him.

  His body trembled as a strange heat surged through his veins. His muscles felt lighter, his mind sharper. For a moment, something stirred within him, as if he were standing on the edge of becoming something else, something better.

  [Skills are awakening. Please wait...]

  CRASH!

  The door burst open.

  "Oh my god, fuck this!"

  He dove through the window.

  Wind slashed across his face.

  BAM!

  He landed in a pigpen.

  "Shit..." he groaned, but the mud softened the fall.

  No time for disgust.

  He sprang to his feet.

  His eyes locked onto the forest, toward the dungeon.

  The only exit.

  He had to make it there.

  "GET BACK HERE!" a voice shouted.

  Luke turned.

  One of the prisoners in the village had spotted him.

  "HE’S OVER HERE!"

  He bolted.

  His feet barely touched the ground, adrenaline burning through his blood.

  Then...

  A thug jumped in front of him, brandishing a cleaver.

  "No way out, kid!"

  Luke ducked at the last second, rolling under the blade and slipping past with insane agility.

  He sprinted toward the forest.

  Then froze.

  Five prisoners blocked the trail to the dungeon.

  "Damn it!"

  They had predicted this.

  No choice.

  Luke veered off to the side, running along the riverbank.

  SWOOSH!

  Arrows sliced through the air, burying themselves in the dirt around him.

  His chest burned. His lungs screamed.

  Where do I go?!

  Then he saw it.

  The waterfall.

  The cave.

  The roaring sound of water.

  He tried to weigh his options, but didn’t have time.

  WHOOSH!

  Something ripped through the air.

  A fireball exploded in front of him.

  The blast scattered sparks, igniting dry grass and catching a tree in flames.

  Luke stopped cold.

  From the darkness of the cave, someone stepped out.

  The leader.

  William held a staff, twirling it between his fingers.

  "Looks like I found our little runaway."

  Luke swallowed hard.

  Behind him, the other criminals closed in. He was surrounded. Archers and crossbowmen raised their weapons.

  William smiled and stepped forward. "What do we do with him, boys?"

  "Kill him!" one growled. "We can’t let the kid awaken skills and just walk out of here."

  Cold sweat ran down Luke’s back.

  William tilted his head, amused.

  "So, kid?" he grinned. "Quick death or slow?"

  Luke’s eyes darted around, desperate. More prisoners were emerging by the second.

  There was no way out. The mage was toying with him.

  Luke drew a breath. "Quick death."

  The criminals laughed.

  William showed his teeth. "Unfortunately... it won’t be quick."

  He pointed the staff.

  "GET HIM!"

  They charged.

  Arrows flew.

  Luke ran.

  The only option.

  He dodged the bolts, his body moving faster than ever.

  That heat in his veins was still there.

  Something had changed, but there was no time to think.

  The cave.

  The river.

  The waterfall.

  He remembered the statue’s words.

  Two paths.

  The dungeon trail.

  And…

  The Leap of the Brave.

  "KILL THE BOY!"

  Luke held his breath.

  He looked at the criminals.

  Then at the edge.

  Then...

  "Screw it."

  He jumped.

  The prisoners’ screams echoed behind him.

  "HE REALLY DID IT?!"

  The water swallowed him.

  And then...

  He fell.

  The abyss consumed him whole.

  Hey everyone!