A Friend to count on

I was just a kid back then, maybe around nine or ten, hanging out at the library because it was the only place where I didn't feel like a burden. My parents were busy with their work, and my twin siblings were too young to care much about anything other than playing in the dirt. So, I spent a lot of time in the quiet, dusty corners of the library, reading whatever books I could find.

It was there that I first met Abigail—though at the time, I didn't know her name. She was sitting at a table, surrounded by stacks of books, just like me. The difference was, she was reading something far more complicated than I had ever seen. It was a thick, ancient-looking tome, filled with intricate illustrations and bizarre symbols. I remember feeling a little bit intimidated by it. I was still trying to figure out the basics of reading back then, let alone whatever complex stuff she was reading.

I was so engrossed in my own book that I didn't notice when she first looked up at me. But I noticed when she spoke.

"You're reading that all wrong," she had said, her voice soft but clear.

I blinked, confused. I had been reading an adventure story about a knight and a dragon, but now that she pointed it out, I realized I was probably getting some parts wrong.

"Excuse me?" I had asked, my face flushing with embarrassment.

She raised an eyebrow and pointed to the page. "You're skipping words. You're reading fast, but not really understanding what's going on."

I bristled at her tone. "I'm not skipping words. I'm just reading fast."

She shrugged, unimpressed. "Maybe. But you're not going to learn anything if you don't pay attention."

I felt my face heat up even more. Who did she think she was? I was already getting by just fine without anyone's help. But despite my irritation, there was something oddly intriguing about her. She wasn't the type to just let things slide. She had a way of speaking that made you feel like you had to pay attention. I hadn't met anyone quite like her before.

Over the next few weeks, I started seeing her more and more around the library. She was always there, reading, taking notes, studying. I tried to avoid her at first, not wanting to deal with her sharp eyes and even sharper tongue. But then something strange happened.

One day, I found myself sitting at the same table as her, not by choice, but because it was the only empty seat in the library. I tried to ignore her, but she kept glancing over at me, like she was waiting for something.

Finally, she spoke up again. "You've got that look on your face," she said, her voice soft but knowing.

"What look?" I asked, too stubborn to admit she was right.

"The look that says you don't know what you're doing, but you're too proud to ask for help" she replied.

You should ask for help. It's not a weakness."

I shot her a glare. "I don't need help," I muttered, though even as I said it, I realized how hollow it sounded.

She didn't say anything else, but from that day on, whenever I came to the library, she was there. She didn't push me to talk, but she made it impossible for me to ignore her. She was always reading something or studying, and after a while, I started asking her questions. Little things at first, like the meaning of certain words or phrases in the books I was reading. She'd answer without hesitation, but never in a condescending way—always in a way that made me feel like I could understand, if I just gave it enough effort.

"And about the Dungeons System" she added.

I raised an eyebrow. "System?"

"Yeah," she said, her tone taking on that familiar teaching quality. "The dungeons don't just throw random monsters at you. There's a system to how they work—how the monsters drop loot, how you're supposed to collect it, and how the rewards scale with the difficulty."

I leaned forward, intrigued. "Okay, I'm listening."

Abigail's eyes sparkled as she launched into her explanation. "So, when you kill a monster in the dungeon, they don't just disappear. Instead, they drop these gems—monster crystals, they call them. The gems come in different colors and sizes, and each one has a different value, depending on the rarity of the monster and how difficult it was to kill."

"Gems?" I repeated, still trying to picture it. "You mean like treasure?"

"Sort of," she said with a smile. "But it's not about gold or silver, at least not directly. These gems are what you're after. The dungeons absorb the remains of the monsters and crystallize them. When a monster dies, a crystal forms from their body. The color and size tell you a lot about what kind of monster it was and how hard it was to kill."

I leaned back, trying to keep up. "Alright, so there's different colors?"

"Exactly," Abigail nodded. "The most common is blue. These are small gems, and they're dropped by low-level monsters—like weak critters, or the smaller, less dangerous monsters you'll find on the lower floors. Blue gems are everywhere, so you'll find a ton of them. They're worth the least, but they're still useful."

"Okay, blue for small ones," I repeated, taking mental notes. "What about the others?"

Abigail grinned, clearly enjoying this. "Next is green. Green gems are a bit rarer. You'll find them when you kill mid-grade monsters, or the minions of dungeon bosses. They're a step up from blue, both in terms of rarity and value. Not too hard to find, but they'll bring in a better payout if you're collecting."

I nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "And red?"

Her smile widened, her eyes lighting up. "Red is where the real value is. These gems are large, and they come from the toughest monsters in the dungeon—like bosses or special-grade monsters. You'll be lucky to find one, but they're worth more than you can imagine. The bigger the monster, the larger and more valuable the red gem."

"Wow…" I murmured, thinking about the dungeons I was about to face. "So, the better the monster, the better the gem?"

"Exactly," she confirmed. "That's how you'll know what you're up against. Small monsters give small rewards, but bosses? They'll drop big gems. And sometimes, there are special monsters that don't fit into any other category. They might drop red gems too, and those are even rarer. But you don't just fight them blindly."

"Right," I said, the weight of her words sinking in. "I guess that's why people go in teams. You don't want to face those kinds of monsters alone."

Abigail nodded, her expression turning a bit more serious. "It's not just about collecting gems, Kael. It's about surviving. Don't get caught up in just fighting to win. You have to understand when to fight, and when to run. Especially in places like the Red Underworld Dungeon."

I shivered at the mention of the Red Underworld Dungeon, the hardest and most dangerous of them all. I wasn't sure if I was ready for it, but if I had to dive, I'd need to know everything Abigail was teaching me.

It wasn't long before we were spending more and more time together. At some point, it became a routine—me showing up at the library, and Abigail being there, whether we were studying or just sitting in comfortable silence. She was smart—way smarter than me, actually—but she never made me feel less than. Instead, it was like we balanced each other out. She could be sharp when needed, but she also had this gentleness about her, a quiet understanding that made me feel like I could trust her.

And somehow, without even realizing it, we became close friends. I'm not sure when it happened—whether it was over the countless hours we spent in the library or the quiet moments where she'd sit and listen to my complaints about my parents or the dungeons. All I knew was, somewhere along the way, she stopped being just the girl who corrected my reading mistakes, and became someone I actually looked forward to seeing every day.