Chapter 2: Choose a Class or Die Trying

Luke felt a chill coil along his spine. The situation was worse than he’d feared. The system glitch hadn’t just thrown him into some random pocket of the multiverse, it had dumped him into a dungeon swarming with psychotic criminals. Criminals who had already awakened classes. Already gained power.

Then came the sound, sharp, cutting, precise. An arrow struck Walter in the chest. He reeled backward with a strangled cry, blood blooming across his shirt. A second arrow hit a breath later, embedding deep into his shoulder. The third found his throat.

Walter dropped to his knees, eyes wide with panic, hands grasping at the wound as blood poured through his fingers. He tried to speak, but all that came was a wet, gurgling rasp before his body collapsed. Still. Staring. Lifeless.

It had all happened in seconds. Luke hadn’t even moved, hadn’t even drawn breath, when footsteps echoed against the stone path. Slow. Intentional. Then came the voice, mocking, smooth, laced with venom.

“Well, well… look what we found. The amazing Officer Walter.”

Luke turned. A group emerged from the shadows. Prisoners!

His blood turned cold. Tattoos. Scars. Insane eyes. Some were massive, others sickly thin, it didn’t matter. They all radiated something monstrous. One of them held a crossbow, the same one that had just killed Walter. His face was covered in a tribal tattoo. He smiled.

Luke swallowed. “Oh, shit…”

There were at least fifteen of them. They wore makeshift armor and carried swords, spears, and bows—each with the eyes of someone who had killed, and enjoyed it.

A tall man stepped forward, hair long and tangled, his smile as sharp as a blade. “Looks like we’ve got fresh meat.”

The group laughed. Luke glanced at Walter. Dead. His stomach turned. One of the criminals, with a scar over one eye and ink covering half his face, locked eyes with him.

“Name’s William,” he said with a grin. “Me and my friends spent a little too long in solitary. Seeing someone new? Kinda therapeutic.”

Luke tried to stay calm. He forced a smile, though adrenaline was burning through him. “We’re all… tutorial companions, right?”

One of them laughed loudly, spinning a hatchet in one hand. “Companions?”

Another spat on the ground. “Ain’t nobody here going to any tutorial.”

Luke’s heart skipped a beat.

“We’ve analyzed this place,” one said. “We don’t need to leave. We just wait for the government to mark us dead. A year or two, tops. Better than death row or life inside a box.”

“There’s a dungeon. There’s loot. There’s time,” said another.

“This place will be our new home,” William murmured. “Way better than that damn solitary.”

Luke looked around, scanning for any exit. He was surrounded. He was about to die.

“Maybe… I can just go get the portal key and pretend I didn’t see anything?” He smiled, nervous.

Silence. The prisoners glanced at each other.

Then William laughed. “What do you think? Should we let the only witness just walk away?”

Luke sighed. “Yeah… didn’t think so.”

A brute grinned. “You guessed right.”

“Can we just kill this punk already?” one growled, twirling a short blade.

“Oh no…” William shook his head. “He’s still got a lot to learn.”

His eyes locked with Luke’s. A shiver ran down Luke’s spine.

“Fair head start, kid. Five seconds.”

Panic exploded in his chest.

William raised his hand and started counting, too fast. “Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Time’s up!”

An arrow ripped through the air. Luke rolled to the side, reaching for Walter’s fallen sword, but more arrows came. No choice. He bolted.

“Get him!” William shouted.

Boots pounded the dirt. Arrows zipped past, slamming into trees and stones. A knife sliced the air, grazing Luke’s face before lodging into a tree. Without thinking, he ripped it free and kept running.

“Come on, kid! Let’s play!” one of the prisoners jeered.

Luke dove through a ruined house, leaping through a shattered window and landing hard on the wooden floor. The impact knocked the wind from his lungs, but he didn’t stop. Stairs ahead. No time.

Footsteps thundered behind him. “Where are you, boy? Let’s talk!”

He slipped into a dark hallway, heart pounding. He had one knife… and a damn apple. Footsteps again. He peeked around the corner. A man with an axe was checking rooms, slow and deliberate.

Think. Think. Think.

Luke hurled the apple into a room farther down.

“I found you!” the man shouted, charging toward the noise.

As the thug passed, Luke swept his leg out. The man stumbled, crashed hard against the stone floor. A split-second later, pain tore through Luke’s shoulder—a crossbow bolt drove deep, nearly spinning him around. He gasped, stumbling backward, blood already seeping into his shirt. Two more prisoners charged down the corridor. One had a crossbow, already raised. Luke didn’t think. He moved on instinct—arm snapping forward as the knife left his hand in a blur.

“Ah, shit!” the man shouted, stumbling back as the blade struck.

Luke couldn’t believe he hit him, but he didn’t stop. He spun, bolting up the stairs, gritting his teeth as he tore the bolt from his shoulder. Pain burned through him. At the top, he grabbed a table and shoved it over, knocking down whatever he could before sprinting into a room and slamming the door shut. He locked it, then dragged a heavy dresser in front of it, his shoulder flaring with pain as he forced it into place.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“OPEN THE DOOR, KID!” The axe slammed into the wood.

“Shit, shit, SHIT!”

Luke looked around—only a window. His chest rose and fell in pure panic. No way out. He did the only thing he could. He opened the system screen.

“Give me a class! Anything! NOW!”

Another slam from the axe. Footsteps outside. Time was running out. And then…

[Choose your class wisely. It may mean the difference between life and death.]

“I KNOW!” Luke screamed, desperation cracking his voice. The axe struck again. The system screen flickered to life. Class options began cycling in front of him, fast.

[Knight: A resilient and honorable warrior, the Knight stands at the front lines, shielding allies through a mix of strength and discipline.
Stat Bonus: +2 Endurance, +1 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Vitality, +1 Free Point
Starting Equipment: Sword and Shield]

Luke was drenched in sweat. Sword and shield?

He looked at his arms. No chance.

The weight alone would drag him down. He wasn’t built for brute force. Carrying both while running? Slowing down now meant dying.

Next.