Chapter 1: Birth
[Desire has been born!]
[Desire has the protection of -]
What? I think I heard a voice inside of my head but I can't identify the voice. Am I awake? I can't move my body. It seems like only my consciousness have taken shape.
"What's happening?"
I don't know where I am and who I am. Even if I try to open my eyes, it just feels like I have done the action but I still can't see.
I can also move my arms though it just feels like I'm doing it.
Thump.
What?
What is this? I can feel a beat. It almost feels like its drumming to form music.
The sound is very gentle for me; it's like beating just for me... Is this my heart?
After realizing that the source of the sound was my heart, I lost consciousness.
****
Ba-dum. Badum.
It's loud. It looks like I've been woken up by the beating of this sound. Hmmm? I can move my arms. I kind of feel small. Am I a small creature?
Oh, it looks like I can also open my eyes. Wait?! What the hell is that?!
The moment I opened my eyes, I saw a scary face. It looks like a big spider but the upper half of its body was a human.
Was it a monster? If it is a monster, it's fine. It looks super scary though.
My consciousness once again fades...
****
[Dungeon 00 is being attacked.]
What? Someone spoke to me. It feels like the voice that I heard the first time but it sounds different...? Is it not the same voice?
Gurururu.
What? I can hear another sound but it is not the beating. What is it? Eh?
My vision is getting blurry...Am I shaking?
Ow! Something hits my head and my vision goes blank. With that, my self-awareness goes with it.
****
[Desire has lived for 1 month!]
[Desire will gain body control skill!]
Desire was in a deep sleep and was once again woken up by a mysterious voice. Normally, when one gets woken up suddenly they'll lash out or get angry over it. That didn't happen however.
"What's body control skill?"
Desire was currently busy investigating this body control skill that he gained while he was sleeping.
"If I think about it, isn't it giving me my control? Why is it a skill? Is it that hard to move your body?"
He didn't know what it was like to move his body before but he tried doing it now as he gained the skill. Surprisingly, he could move.
"Whaa! It seemed like a difficult task before but I really can move now. Wait, why is it so dark?"
He let out a happy sound when found that he could move now but his happiness didn't last. He found himself unable to see even though he could feel that he opened his eyes.
"It's not that I can't open my eyes... so is it dark?"
[Desire has gained light skill!]
[Light skill is an active skill. Mana will be represented by numbers.]
[Mana: Cannot be calculated]
"What? I thought the voice was a person so it was just the announcer of the system."
System.
System is something that is given to anyone. It is engraved on everyone's mind and anyone could utilize it. It is said that System was given by a God to overcome past difficulties.
"Still, my mana can't be calculated? What does that mean?"
Mana.
Mana is something that everyone has but not everyone could use it. One must have a talent and natural born gifts to use it.
"Anyways...Light."
In the blink of an eye, something appeared in Desire's hand. It was a small light that can't light anything. Still, he felt grateful at the fact that he gained it right now. He immediately put his hand in front.
"What...? Rocks?"
In front of him, the only thing he could see was rocks. Even if he moved his hands to search for other places, rocks seemed to be the only thing in here.
'Well, damn.' This is the only thing Desire could think of right now.
"Anyways, I'm small aren't I?"
Desire's body is definitely small. His body and face is exactly what you'd expect from a newborn baby. He had gray hair and piercing blue eyes. If one saw this scene, they will probably get scared rather than worry about this baby walking on his two legs.
"This is a problem isn't it...How will I survive?"
I'm trapped here. It looks like the rocks are firmly shut and I don't think even air can go in...
Desire was just born but it seems like he was born under an unlucky star. How could he not think that? He is just a baby with no way to get out of here and now it looks like he'll die here before he gets to do anything.
And then, it suddenly happened when he was in a state of despair and he felt that he was the unluckiest guy alive. He heard the voice of the system in his mind.
[Desire was given the excavator skill!]
[Excavator Skill: No explanation.]
"What? What does excavator do?"
He immediately questioned the excavator skill. He didn't know what it means. It's already a crazy thing that he knows a lot of things as a baby but it's out of this world to expect that he knows all things.
Wait... if I heard it right, I was given...? What is that supposed to be? Am I cursed or something?
He sighed. It looks like his life will be hard if it keeps going on like this.
"Anyways, time to test it out. Excavate."
The rocks suddenly shook and a hole opened up! It was such a mysterious event but Desire wasn't happy. After all, the hole was even smaller than him.
"How is this supposed to help?"
He decided to just use the excavator skill continuously. Time passed but surprisingly, Desire wasn't hungry. In fact, he felt even more energetic!
"I finally made a hole big enough for me to cross over!"
[Excavator skill leveled up!]
[Excavator will rank up from G to F]
"Woah, so I can level up skills."
He used the body control to move his legs that shouldn't be able to move at his age and passed through the hole. When he went through it, there was a path.
"What is this?"
The path was small. It was perfect for the size of Desire. He walked towards it while holding the Light skill. After some walking, he was able to see its end.
It was a space filled with darkness and he felt that it was small too but it was perfect for Desire. It fit his size. He moved as he stretched his hand. He tried to see something but still, the light skill was so small that it didn't let him see past his hand.
Bang!
"What was that?"
He fell down after colliding with something. He stood back up and held his hand in front to ascertain what it was.
And there he saw, an altar. It had dignity and divinity coming out from it. It's just that...
"The altar is as small as me..."
Looking around the altar with the light skill applied on his hand, Desire was thinking about it.
"Why would an altar of this size be created? Is there a God of smallness?"
If you think about the circumstances, it is definitely weird to be able to find something like an altar. On top of it, this place is a godforsaken one. Isn't it weird?
"An altar of my size..."
An altar of the size of a small child that sprung up in his path, no matter how you think about it, it's too suspicious.
As Desire was investigating the altar, he came across upon something hard. It was protruding from the altar.
"What's this?"
He questioned but of course, no answer came. He pushed the object that was hard then he heard the voice of the system.
[Desire gained the skill Summon Familiar!]
[Summon Familiar skill.]
- Skill use: This skill lets the user call on familiars. As the proficiency of the user rises, the stronger the familiar will be.
- Skill rank: G
"Eh? Summoning familiar?"
All of a sudden, he learned a new skill. Desire couldn't quite understand his situation. He thought hard about it but it really makes no sense.
It makes no sense however he doesn't have the time to think about it.
Dududu.
The pillars that supported the space crumbled down and rocks fall from above. Although Desire couldn't see it clearly due to the darkness, he could still feel it. In a sense, he is a genius.
"Crap, I gotta go!"
He said in a hurry and turned around only to fall.
Bam!
"Ah, I forgot I am a baby!"
Genius...
"What do I do?!"
In such situation, he did whatever he could. He stood up and tried to use his body control skill but it was to no use. He tried using his excavator but it only created holes with twice the size as of before.
In a pinch, he tried using his new skill, Summoning familiar.
"A-ah, Summon!"
He shouted out with everything that he can.
As he said that, the light skill applied to his hand was broken. He couldn't see if he did summon a familiar but he could feel it.
A being has appeared in front of him but it didn't move.
As the cave-like space continued to crumble, the being that was supposed to be Desire's familiar didn't move a single spot.
However Desire knew that it was protecting him in that way. As if the noise and commotion from before was a joke, he couldn't hear it anymore. He reached out but he felt something hard.
He didn't have his light skill on so it was dark.
He knew that the hard thing was something that the familiar used to protect him.
And as he breathed a sigh of relief, he felt sleepy. A voice was talking to him within his mind.
[Summon Familiar has put a burden on Desire's body.]
[Life force is dropping.]
As the voice affirmed what was happening in his body, he fell asleep in the cold, hard floor.
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New skills
-Light skill
-Excavator skill
-Summon Familiar skill