by Konrad Ryan
Konrad Ryan
The Dungeon Slayer
A LitRPG Level-up Adventure
Copyright © 2020 by Konrad Ryan
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Konrad Ryan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.
First edition
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Epilogue
Note from the Author
Glossary
About the Author
Chapter 1
“We now know humanity’s greatest lie. That all individuals are equal. That humans have infinite potential. Those statements are false. The discovery of rebirth has shown only the elect have infinite capacity, the rest of us, less so. Much less so.”
Tad Harrington turned off the video in the darkness of his bedroom. Today was the day. The day of his rebirth. He would never be the same after today. There was no going back. His inner strength would be exposed for all to see. In public. In front of his peers. No matter what Tad did, he could not calm the butterflies that swarmed in his stomach. To distract himself, he booted up his favorite online role-playing game, Star Guilds. It didn’t help.
The anniversary of his month-long suspension from school was fast approaching. A fight had gotten both Tad and his aggressor suspended, even though he’d done nothing. He was the victim. He’d been attacked and even went to the hospital for a concussion, but the school refused to accept Tad was not guilty. “You were involved, you receive the same punishment.” There was no fairness. No justice. Tad attempted to focus on his game as he healed his party, but it was useless. Both tanks had already died. He couldn’t stop thinking of the many bullies that had dogged him through his entire childhood.
Bullies found him. No matter how he tried to hide, tried to mask his weaknesses, somehow they knew. Tad had a giant target painted on his back that only tormentors could see. His mom had moved them from school district to school district, away from previous pursuers, but it never helped. New bullies found him, as if they could smell him. Smell his weakness. Why’d he have to be so weak?
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and focus back on his game, to no effect. His character was an alien race, known for their brutality, physicality, and prowess with weapons. But instead of fitting the mold and being a powerful warrior, Tad had been a healer. It wasn’t optimal, but it was how he liked to play. To be unique. Different. Even in this world, Tad had trouble fitting in.
A gentle knock came from the door. His mom.
“Tad… We need to go. It’s the last day for your rebirth.”
Everyone had to be reborn after their fifteenth birthday, but before their sixteenth, and tomorrow was his birthday. Rebirth was mandatory. The Bureau of Rebirth hunted down people who didn’t go voluntarily. The potential consequences were too severe to not. Every citizen had a duty to be reborn, even though most rebirths were duds.
A small insect-like creature landed on Tad’s arm. A titanspawn, another one. Tad slapped at the lifeless shadow but it floated away unharmed, only to circle back around once more. This creature looked like an octopus, but with blades at each end of its tentacles. Despite the blades, it was harmless. Titanspawn couldn’t hurt anyone. Even in the darkness of his room it was black, like the blackest shadow, drained of all color. He slapped at it a second time. His assault on the miniature titanspawn was futile. Only the highest rank slayers had the power to destroy titanspawn. Titanspawn were unintelligent. Lifeless and random, like molecules that floated in a room. But that hadn’t been his experience. Tad attracted titanspawn. He drew them. ‘Coincidence,’ experts professed.
“Tad?” His mom’s voice came through the door once more.
Deep down, Tad knew his rebirth would be a dud. He had done nothing remarkable in his life. How could he be special overnight? He guarded his feelings and pushed his hopes away. Hope that his rebirth might be exceptional. He shouldn’t dream. Dreams could be crushed.
Tad’s mom rapped at the door.
“I know Mom… I’ll get dressed.”
Tad dressed hours ago, but he still stepped over the piles of garbage to reach his closet. No one was allowed in his room. His bed was the only clean-looking thing in the room; it was the one thing his mom wouldn’t budge on. If he didn’t surrender his sheets, covers, and pillows to her weekly, she’d barge into his room to retrieve them. Tad thought it was her way of showing she still cared. It meant the world to him. His mom had always been on his side. His only ally. Even his little brother seemed to resent him. If his dad were still alive, he’d probably resent him too.
He dragged himself from his room to meet his mom’s little smile, the one that caused little wrinkles to form at the corners of her eyes. It was the smile she used when she knew she was making him do something hard.
“Liam, we’ll be back in a few hours.” His mom called behind as she shut the front door.
Sticky silence enveloped them as the miniature titanspawn pressed against the raindrop-stained front window in pursuit of Tad. He climbed into the cab of his mom’s semi-truck and they started the drive to the Bureau of Rebirth. His mom was a trucker and left him and his brother for days at a time. Maybe it was because she needed a break, Tad wasn’t sure.
They drove through their tiny town of Clearwater. The entire population of the town didn’t even break four-hundred, but they only had one rebirth center in the state, which was in the capitol, three hours away.
Tad was the one to break the silence. “You were civilian rank, right Mom?”
She nodded. “After my rebirth, my power score was only seven. An average civilian has a power score of ten, so I was weaker than even a normal person.”
“Were you disappointed?”
“At first. I had to give up some dreams I had, but I got over it. I could
still find things that made me happy. In this world of instant fame and power, many people wouldn’t understand the appeal of a quiet life. It suited me.”
The silence for the rest of the car ride was palpable. He stared out his window as the titanspawn slowly swallowed the sky. It was almost imperceptible, but if you watched closely, you could see the waves. The pulses, almost like a heartbeat as the titanspawn encroached farther and farther into the sky.
Every day, trillions of the little critters blanketed the sky from the south, until they covered every inch, blocking out the sun and plunging the world into darkness. It wasn’t odd to see snow, even in the summer, as the titanspawn absorbed sunlight in the stratosphere. In the past, it hadn’t been so complicated. Until humanity lost their skyscrubber. Like all creators eventually did, she entered Titan and never returned. To be a skyscrubber, you had to be strong. Impossibly strong.
A creator.
The previous skyscrubber, Taisha, had been excellent. Devoted. She cleared the sky regularly and kept the titanspawn contained to South America. Everyone enjoyed clear skies and could almost pretend dungeons didn’t ravage the earth. But not so with the new skyscrubber. Hyde, the German creator rank slayer, was lazy. Beyond lazy, and the entire world knew it. They were lucky if Hyde scrubbed the sky even once a day. In response, the government formed fire squads to melt snow and keep industry alive.
There were only four creator rank slayers in the world. Five if you counted the defector. China had the twins, both reborn as creators, but China wouldn’t share their power with the rest of the world. India’s creator wasn’t strong enough to be the skyscrubber, so that left one. The laziest slayer in human history, Hyde. America didn’t have their own creator. Not anymore.
If Tad were reborn as a creator, he wouldn’t be lazy. He’d serve his country.
No, the world.
He could see himself flying through the sky, destroying titanspawn wherever he went. His life would be so different. Overnight Tad would be a household name. World famous. Every child would pretend to be him. But Tad knew it was unlikely, impossible even. Close to half a million people were reborn each day, but only five people sat at the peak. The creators.
Creator rank. Strength enough to challenge even the creator. These people had the strength to stand at the peak of all slayers.
He’d never be that lucky.
Tad watched the countryside fade into metropolis. As they reached their destination, anxiety gripped his throat in a fist. He didn’t have to be a creator… even if he was reborn as a warlord or a champion, either would completely change his lifestyle. Heavily recruited, he’d be rich, living a life of comfort and luxury, even if he chose to never enter a dungeon. But deep in his heart, he feared the worst… Tad would be civilian rank, just like his mom.
‘Civvy Civvy go and die. You will make your momma cry.’ He could almost hear the phantoms of his playground bullies sing. Ninety-nine percent of people ended up civilians, but that didn’t stop the brutality of children.
“Tad, no matter what happens today, I love you and will be there for you. We’ve gotten through so much, we can get through this too.”
Tad nodded his response. He wished her words could quell his anxiety.
His mom pulled into the back parking lot of the auspicious building. The golden crest of a robed woman, cradling the world in her arms like a baby, was emblazoned on the front of the building. It was the official crest of the Federal Bureau of Rebirth, or the FBR.
People bustled in and out of the building. Excitement bubbled from those entering the building, but the looks painted on the faces of those who exited told a different story. They’d lost their fortune. Their future. They had to give up their dreams of the infinite. Back to reality. Their lives were now ordinary. Worse than ordinary. They were civilians. The contrast between the hopeful and the hopeless was too painful to watch. Tad averted his eyes. He knew he’d wear the same expression shortly.
A young-looking woman greeted them at the door. “Welcome to the Bureau of Rebirth! Please take a ticket, this will be your orientation group. Thank you for doing your civic duty! The world and America thanks you!”
Not like they had a choice. If a creator rank slayer went without rebirth, they morphed into a monster. Raekast had been patient zero, an unborn monster who almost destroyed the world. There were fringe groups who avoided rebirth, sometimes for years.
“1889, would group 1889 report to orientation room Q.” A kind voice announced over the loudspeaker.
“That’s us, Tad, let’s go.”
Tad’s stomach surged into his throat. He couldn’t do it. His future would be set in stone, and only bad news waited to meet him. Tad looked around wildly until he spotted the bathroom.
“I’ll meet you there, Mom, I need to use the bathroom,” he called over his shoulder.
The butterflies were bad before, but now he could almost feel them crawl up his throat as they forced themselves from his stomach. Tad entered the bathroom and froze as a familiar face met his gaze. It was Brad, dirty blonde hair touched his shoulders. Brad. The bully that got Tad suspended.
Tad turned to leave the bathroom, but Brad was too fast. Powerful hands threw him down onto the dirty tile of the public bathroom. Tad crashed to the ground. Pain throbbed in his hip as it absorbed the brunt of the fall.
“Well, well, well. I was looking for something to kill time.” Brad stood between Tad and the doorway, his muscular frame seemed far larger against the small door of the bathroom. Cruelty gleamed in his eyes. “That suspension went on my permanent record. If things go badly today, it’ll be your fault if I don’t make it into college.”
Tad scrambled to his feet. Was he serious? Brad sent Tad to the hospital with a concussion from his beating, and Brad was blaming him if he didn’t make it into college? Jaw clenched, Tad screamed inwardly at the injustice.
“You attacked me-”
Brad’s fist drove deep into Tad’s stomach, the blow forced the air from his lungs. He fell to his knees as he gasped for breath. Why was he so weak? The thought crossed his mind for the thousandth time. Why couldn’t he be stronger? Panic filled his mind. He had to get out of here.
“You titanspawn little civ. Don’t blame me for this, it’s your fault. You pushed me to it. It’s because you’re so annoying.” Brad’s shadow loomed over Tad.
“I did nothing to you.” The words wheezed out as Tad struggled to catch his breath. His words only seemed to infuriate Brad further.
“You don’t need to do anything. Just your existence pisses me off.” Brad kicked at Tad hard, but Tad expected it and caught the kick. It was a mistake. Brad’s fury exploded as he rained blow after blow upon the back of Tad’s head and torso. Flurries of kicks and punches. Tad curled himself into a ball as pain and panic choked his breathing. It was like before. Just like before.
Eventually Brad seemed to grow bored as the barrage stopped. Footsteps as Brad walked away. Slightly out of breath, Brad stood in front of the mirror, fixing his hair. His smile beamed at his reflection.
Tad knew he shouldn’t antagonize Brad. It was over. His beating was over. But Tad couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Brad had bruised Tad’s sense of justice more than his body. Tad pressed a hand to his mouth. Blood.
“Just you wait, after today, I will be stronger than you. Reborn higher. And then you’ll see. I’ll give it all back to you. With interest.”
Brad looked down at Tad still on the ground. Tad expected fury, or rage at being challenged, but he found something even worse. Contempt and amusement.
Brad threw his head back and laughed. “You? You think you can be reborn stronger than me?” Brad’s laugh echoed off the bathroom walls. “You are trash. Worthless. There isn’t a world out there where you’d be better than me.”
Tad lay on the floor of the bathroom long after Brad left. Tears formed in his eyes. Somehow, Brad’s words cut deeper than his punches and kicks. Tad was so tired of being hurt. Being beaten. Being powerless. Even
when he tried to protect himself, it only made it worse, infuriated his aggressors. Why couldn’t he just be strong enough to protect himself?
That was all he wanted.
He didn’t have to be a creator, or warlord, or even a champion. He just wanted enough strength to protect himself from the Brads of the world. The bullies. Even soldier, the weakest rebirth rank besides civilian, would make him stronger than 99% of the world. Even that would be enough. Enough to protect himself. He was so tired of being hurt. Of being afraid.
Please God, if there was a God. Anything but civilian rank.
* * *
Tad sat next to his mom in the well-lit auditorium. Most of Brad’s blows landed on his ribs and the top of his head, miraculously his face remained unscathed. If his mom noticed anything, she didn’t say. The other rebirth candidates and their close relatives spoke excitedly as they waited for the orientation to begin. Everyone seemed nervous.
Tad scanned the room for Brad. Hopefully, he was in another group entirely, but Tad wasn’t that lucky. He heard him before he saw him.
“I’ll be warlord, I just know it.” Brad bragged to an attractive blonde in the seat next to him.
Doubtful. There were only a couple thousand warlords in the entire world. Each of them talented, rich, and successful. Not to mention strong. They were freaks with the things they could do, tearing steel as if it were tissue paper, summoning torrents of fire that could lay waste to an entire town in an instant. Some could even transform into beautiful, but horrific, beasts.
Tad locked his eyes ahead at the empty podium, Brad hadn’t noticed him and he was hoping to keep it that way. When would the thing start?
As if summoned by Tad’s will, an old man in a loose black robe strode toward the podium, the golden crest of the bureau decorated the front of the robe. The man had long white hair and longer eyebrows which crested the sides of his face. His voice was kind, but raspy.
“Now I know none of this will come as a surprise to you, but the law requires us to go over the material here before the rebirth ceremony begins. Fifty years ago, a woman from a village in South America held the untapped potential of a creator. This was before the world knew about the rebirth ceremony, so naturally she remained unborn. The unawakened power twisted until it consumed her, transforming her into the horrific beast known as the Raekast.
