Vilince

I always admired the powerful heroes that protect the innocents against the crazy strong monsters that terrorize our world. One day, I will gain a high level ability and become one of those heroes I admire. Is what I expected, but what can I do with my level one ability?! No matter, with hard work and perseverance, I will surpass this crappy level system and become a hero!

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Many thanks to a friend who made my cover! See more of her works at @soupersquid on Instagram!

Level One Isn't Weak!

Adam passed the time by gazing at the endless crystal plains while waiting for Felix to stabilize his breathing. After around fifteen minutes, Felix had adjusted.

"I noticed. By the way, look down." [Adam]

Gasping as soon as he saw the horrors trapped in the crystal below them, Felix choked on the air.

"Wh-What the hell are those?!" [Felix]

"Don't know. I'd rather not find out." [Adam]

Felix paused as he caught his breath.

"Phew… Anyways, do you know where we are?" [Felix]

Felix glanced around, taking counts of their environment.

"I've never heard of a place like this." [Felix]

"...That's pretty bad coming from you." [Adam]

Considering that Felix has memorized most of the books from any library he's visited, Adam always relied on him for information. Hearing that Felix didn't know something was more rare than Adam not getting into trouble.

"Well, this sucks. We need to find a way back home." [Adam]

"Agreed. But first, we need to find food and water." [Felix]

Both of their gazes wandered down to the monsters beneath the ground.

"We may not have a choice." [Felix]

"How about we just move one direction and hope we find something?" [Adam]

"...That sounds like a terrible idea." [Felix]

"Okay? Then what do you have in mind?" [Adam]

"There's no trees. No landmarks. Just a bunch of monsters underneath the crystal." [Adam]

"We walk in one direction until we find something." [Felix]

Adam threw his hands up like he's given up.

"That's literally what I said!" [Adam]

"Okay, shut up. The bits over." [Felix]

They chose the half-hearted plan and walked in one direction.

"Yo… The monsters just get weirder and weirder." [Adam]

The crystal plains were vast. For each step they took, even more monsters came into view below.

"I wonder what happened here." [Felix]

"Maybe I should try taking a piece of crystal as a souvenir. Ah, like from that rock over there." [Adam]

Pointing forwards, there was an odd crystal bulge in the ground.

Summoning Krino momentarily, Adam approached the bulge and smacked it. Contrary to expectations, the blade bounced off.

"That's strange. I can't be getting dull already." [Krino]

Taking a proper stance, he swung again.

Krino rattled in Adam's palms, sending a blistering numbing sensation through his hands.

A bit curious, Felix took a look at the rock.

"Diamond?! Are we gonna be rich?!" [Adam]

"I'm not too sure. I haven't seen real diamonds in person before." [Felix]

As he inspected the crystal, there was something he found strange.

"The way this rock is structured is kind of odd… It's an overlap of symmetrical layers. It's kind of like… a shell?" [Felix]

The moment those words exited his lips, the bulge moved.

A loud groan echoed as the bulge grew into a hill. As it continued to grow, the two realized that it was something coming out of the ground.

It was clear as the crystal, and big as a house. As a matter of fact, it looked like a massive lizard. A… massive armored lizard. With razor sharp teeth and claws that looked like it could tear through anything.

"Uh… I hope it's an herbivore." [Adam]

"I hope it will leave us alone." [Adam]

("...Do you have anything good to say?") [Adam]

We're Lost