Oppertunity

Steven woke before his alarm.

His eyes snapped open.

A grin spread across his face.

"...Dungeon day."

It still felt strange saying that to himself.

Just a few months ago his biggest excitement had been a new MMO update.

Now...

He explored actual fantasy worlds.

Breakfast was quick.

A frozen Mega Breakfast Bowl.

Eggs.

Potatoes.

Bacon.

Cheese.

Two minutes in the microwave.

Another minute after stirring.

Simple.

Filling.

Functional.

Exactly what he wanted before spending hours punching monsters.

While eating, he prepared lunch.

This time he made something a little different.

A grilled chicken sandwich on toasted sourdough with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, crispy bacon, and a light spread of chipotle mayonnaise.

Alongside it he packed a Honeycrisp apple, a bag of barbecue kettle chips, and a bottle of lemon-lime Gatorade.

Everything went neatly into his Inventory.

Still fresh.

Still cold.

Ready whenever he got hungry.

"Best lunchbox ever."

Twenty minutes later...

His Mirage rolled into the familiar gravel parking lot.

Steven stepped out.

Stored his keys.

Walked toward the crimson marble Gate.

The carved maze almost seemed welcoming now.

He pushed the doors open.

The world shifted.

The moment his foot crossed the threshold...

His Equipment Preset activated.

The floral Monk's Shirt replaced his T-shirt.

The translucent Slime Gloves appeared around his hands.

Steven flexed his fingers.

"...Cool feature."

No awkward changing.

No carrying equipment bags.

He approved.

The maze greeted him with its usual damp silence.

Mapping immediately overlaid his explored routes.

Steven spent nearly an hour retracing old pathways before branching into completely unexplored territory.

The deeper sections became unfamiliar again.

New hallways.

New chambers.

More dangerous kobolds.

Then...

He rounded one final corner.

And stopped cold.

"..."

Bodies.

Everywhere.

Five of them.

The shield.

The greataxe.

The staff.

The daggers.

The spellbook.

Steven recognized them immediately.

"The party..."

His heartbeat accelerated.

"What happened?"

The corpses were mangled.

Armor shattered.

Weapons broken.

Dark stains covered the stone floor.

None of the bodies remained intact enough to suggest they'd stood much of a chance.

Steven slowly stepped into the room.

The air felt...

Heavy.

Behind him—

BOOM!

The stone door slammed shut.

He spun around.

"...No..."

The room grew dark.

Then...

Green flames ignited one after another along the walls.

A slow...

Heavy...

Metallic scraping echoed overhead.

CLANG.

CLANG.

CLANG.

Something enormous dropped from the darkness.

It landed with enough force to shake the chamber.

Steven instinctively took several steps backward.

"...You've gotta be kidding me."

Standing nearly eight feet tall was a massive armored kobold.

Unlike every other one he'd encountered, this creature wore full black plate armor covered in deep claw marks.

A crimson cape hung from one shoulder.

In its hands rested a gigantic executioner's axe whose blade looked almost as tall as Steven himself.

Two burning emerald eyes glowed from behind the helmet.

"Identify!"

The improved skill finally provided something useful.

Kobold Executioner

Level: ???

Threat: Extremely High

Warning: Retreat Recommended

Steven blinked.

"..."

"...Well."

"That's new."

Before he could even react—

The monster vanished.

"No—"

A deafening impact exploded against Steven's side.

He was launched across the room.

His HP instantly dropped by over half.

He barely managed to stand.

The Executioner never gave him the chance.

Every swing was monstrously fast.

Every block rattled his bones.

His fists barely scratched the armor.

His acid damage hissed harmlessly across black steel.

Steven activated Tippy Toes.

His shirt's enchantment stacked.

One percent.

Three.

Five.

Eight.

He became faster.

The Executioner became...

Impossible.

Steven had never been so thoroughly outclassed.

One mistake.

The axe clipped his shoulder.

Blood sprayed across the floor.

Another swing.

His ribs cracked.

He desperately tried meditating between attacks.

No opening.

No chance.

He reached for Leaves of Life.

The monster kicked them from his hand.

His HP dropped.

Twenty-three.

Fifteen.

Nine.

Three.

Steven stumbled backward.

"...No..."

He couldn't win.

Not this fight.

The Executioner slowly raised its axe with both hands.

High overhead.

Steven stared upward.

"...Guess..."

"...this is it."

The axe descended.

Everything slowed.

Just before the blade connected...

A blue System window exploded across his vision.

Alternate Selected

"...What?"

The axe struck.

Steel buried itself cleanly through his skull.

There wasn't even pain.

Only...

Darkness.

...

......

.........

Steven gasped.

His eyes flew open.

He was staring at a familiar ceiling.

"..."

His breathing became erratic.

"...No..."

He tried sitting up.

His legs didn't move.

His heart nearly stopped.

He looked down.

Medical bed.

Living room.

The old television.

His parents' house.

"..."

"I'm..."

"I'm crippled again..."

His hands trembled.

Then...

A translucent blue window appeared before him.

Exactly as before.

Would you like to join the War of the Worlds?

Steven's mind spiraled.

"No..."

"No..."

"No..."

He remembered everything.

The Slime Gate.

Gerald.

The maze.

The mysterious black skill book.

The Executioner.

His death.

"...Did..."

"...Did I hallucinate everything?"

"Or..."

"...did I actually die?"

The question lingered only a moment.

He already knew his answer.

"...Yes."

He spoke firmly.

"I accept."

The familiar System responded.

Congratulations, Chosen One.

Your Class will now be randomized.

"...I get Monk..."

"...Right?"

The wheel spun.

Steven smiled nervously.

Then...

The pointer slowed.

Passed Monk.

Kept going.

Stopped.

Blacksmith

"..."

"...HUH?!"

Steven threw both hands into the air.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

"MONK FIXED MY LEGS!"

"WHAT KIND OF SHIT IS THIS?!"

He stared at the glowing word.

Blacksmith.

"I'M A MECHANIC!"

"I ALREADY HIT THINGS WITH HAMMERS!"

The System completely ignored him.

Randomizing Starting Skill...

Another wheel appeared.

Steven groaned.

"Oh great."

"What fresh hell..."

The wheel slowed.

Stopped.

Master's Temper

The System displayed a description.

Master's Temper

The body is refined alongside the creations of its master. Through focused forging and patient craftsmanship, fatigue, minor injuries, and accumulated strain are gradually repaired.

Steven blinked.

"..."

"...Wait."

He read it again.

"So..."

"If I'm smithing..."

"...my body slowly heals?"

It wasn't nearly as straightforward as Eternal Breath.

But...

It was still...

Healing.

"...Maybe..."

"...maybe I can work with this."

The System vanished.

Silence returned.

"Status."

A familiar blue window appeared.

Name: Steven Thornberry

Class: Blacksmith

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 6

Constitution: 10

Intelligence: 12

Wisdom: 14

Charisma: 6

Luck: 4

HP remained exactly as before.

50 / 100

Half his health greyed out.

Still crippled.

Nothing had changed physically.

"...Skills."

Two entries appeared.

The first.

Master's Temper

Exactly as expected.

The second...

Made Steven's blood run cold.

It wasn't named.

Just...

The same impossible collection of symbols he'd seen after buying the black skill book.

Even the description remained incomprehensible.

Unreadable.

Utter nonsense.

"..."

Steven slowly reached toward it.

Nothing happened.

No expanded description.

No explanation.

Just gibberish.

His breathing quickened.

"...It came with me."

His mind raced.

"The skill..."

"It survived."

"If that's here..."

"...then..."

His memories were real.

He hadn't dreamed anything.

He had actually lived through those months.

He had actually died.

"...Reincarnation..."

He immediately grabbed his phone.

Opened the Player Marketplace.

His fingers flew across the screen.

He searched the exact seller he'd bought the mysterious book from.

Nothing.

He searched Unknown Skill Book.

Nothing.

He searched by price.

Nothing.

He even searched using fragments of the seller's username he could still remember.

Empty.

The listing...

Simply didn't exist.

Steven slowly lowered the phone.

"...Weird."

"...Really weird."

Somewhere...

Deep inside him...

He couldn't shake the feeling that the gibberish skill was responsible.

And if it truly had carried across death itself...

Then whatever he'd bought for five thousand dollars...

It might have been worth far, far more than anyone had ever imagined.