I stumbled through the streets, not really knowing what to do.

The shadows kept looking at me as I moved, their eyes locked on me, making my skin crawl.

“Stop looking at me!”

I threw an empty bottle I found on the ground, the thing flying through the body of one of the shadows.

Fuck.

I kept moving forward, the shadows parting away from my way.

“I need… I need a temple.”

In this city, churches and temples were everywhere. In this world, humanity needed faith, something to hold onto, or they would have sunk into darkness. In these holy buildings were the priests and nuns who could bless knights and heal them.

I hoped that after using an artifact of a knight and killing a ghoul, I should have some right to get some treatment.

If this weren't wounds from the wounds, I would just go to the place where I burned my wounds shut, but a ghoul caused this.

Who knows, where its hands were before they were in me!

Breathing in, I looked down my side. The wounds on my body weren't deep, but they did bleed a lot and hurt when I moved carelessly.

Cursing through my teeth, I removed my ruined shirt, ripped it apart, and used it as bandages.

“I loved this shirt.”

I kept on moving, till I reached one of the shopping roads. It's a place where you can find different shops and goods. Even in the heavy rain that always fell, people were walking around, doing their shopping and having a good time.

At least I thought that was happening.

There were too many shadows here, blocking my view. I almost bumped into people when they appeared out of nowhere and passed through them.

So they really don’t see them.

“Hey, what a weirdo!” one of the passersby grumbled.

True, I certainly looked strange. The torso is in ripped bandages and holding a bone standing in the pouring rain.

I must look like a barbarian or a bandit.

Still, I couldn't let the bone go. I grew attached to it. Might give it a nickname later.

In any case, I walked through the road, and after a few turns and passes, I arrived.

“This is…new.”

Even if I didn't come here often, I could still tell something was off.

The church was a simple one-story building, covered with white paint and a tower in its back.

At the front gate were some bushes and a stretch of water grass, the only plant that could survive the rainy weather here without any special care.

At least that's how I remembered it.

The building before me was glowing.

The entire thing was covered in a golden aura that felt warm and calming to be near it. The shadows didn't seem to like it, they kept their distance from it.

“Not a fan of churches. Noted.”

I walk to the door and slowly open the door. As it opens, more light envelops me, and I feel a sting in my eyes.

“Bloody hell!”

I must turn away for a few seconds, then blink several times.

“Fuckin hell! How many times do I get…blinded?”

It was gone.

The gray world was gone.

I could finally see the color of the walls, the plants, and the rain.

I looked back behind me, seeing no ghosts, only the streets.

“Tell me it was only a temporary experience. Heh, like I have that sort of luck.”

I walked into the building, hiding my weapon in a bus, and started to act hurt.

“H-help me!”

The entire front part was a long room where the benches were, I don't know what it is called, with the door facing the altar that had a silver sun mounted on it.

This was the symbol of the Astrucien faith, who believed in the sun and the god who created it.

The funny thing was no one here knew if the sun really existed.

The entire region where humans lived was always cloudy and rainy, the only known time of the day was when the sky looked less dark.

For as much as we knew, there was nothing else, no sun or even the supposed moon, which I didn’t believe in entirely.

An entire planet made from food called cheese? Right.

Soon, I hear the sound of footsteps, as an old woman in a nun outfit with a silver sun hanging on her neck runs to you.

“What happened?”

“A ghoul. It tried to attack me, but I managed to escape from it, but it messed me up pretty badly. Can you help me?”

“Oh, my son, of course. I will patch you up really quick.”

She put her arm under my armpit and as if I was a dying person she led me into a small room that was probably meant for guests.

As I lay in the bed (the first one in a while) the nun left and came back with some fresh bandages and some ointment.

“You are very lucky, my child. A ghoul could have killed you if you easily. You must have been protected by the gods.

As she spoke she undid the strips of the shirt I bandaged myself with and started using the oils on me, making me almost scream from pain.

“Ye-Yes, I was lucky.”

“You know, if you ever need a place to sit, we have some empty space. There is always a demand for new gravediggers.”

“Hehehe, I would prefer not to take such a task.”

Being around corpses all day and night, with the potential of monsters popping out from the ground? No, thank you! I had my fill with moving corpses!

The nun shook her head.

“It's a shame. Each week, more and more wounded people are coming here and we can not save them all. Can’t the knights do something about this already?”

She patted my shoulder when she finished treating me.

“I will leave for now. Just rest. You can leave when the rain clears out a little in the morning.”

She stood up and left the room, closing the door behind her.

I looked up at the ceiling.

“What should I do now?”

I survived the pit, mission accomplished. I even killed a ghoul, something that most normal people would be bragging about for the rest of their life.

But what is this emptiness that I am feeling? Like something is just not right.

“...Maybe it's time for a change.”

Truth be told, I couldn't go back. I couldn't tolerate a minute more of staying out on the street sleeping outside and fighting for garbage to eat.

I am sick of it. I do not want to be a useless beggar who just tries to get by.

I slowly sat up as I held onto my wounds.

“It's bloody time, I stop acting so pathetically and change.”

Forcing myself I stood up, but quickly fell back on the bed, vertigo catching up to me.

“... I will stop acting pathetically tomorrow. Guess… this was too much for me for a day.”

I leaned back on the bed and closed my eyes.

*****

-unknown location-

“Ugh!”

The man in the leather armor violently crashed into the wall, spitting some blood.

Standing over him is a towering mass of muscles, holding a mace, the size of the man’s head.

“So you think he is dead? Idiot! You go down there and be sure that garbage is dead. We can not have people even guessing what we are doing!”

The giant walked to a table that was filled with different silver items.

He reached into the pile and lifted a simple necklace that turned black the moment he touched it.

“They can not know it till we take over this city.”

*****

I woke up around the time it was morning.

My body felt light and comfortable, a sensation I haven't sensed for a while.

Maybe it was because of the wounds or the bed, but I didn't care. I was just happy about it.

This time I managed to stand up without a problem and as I took off the bandages, I could see that the wounds were closed, with some scar tissue showing where they were.

“This stuff really is effective. I wonder how they make them.”

I stretched and turned, making sure my body was in good condition, now only realizing what was in the room.

Aside from the bed, there was a table with some ink and paper, a wall-mounted mirror, and a statue, which really caught my eye.

The statue depicted an angel smiling gently, holding a blue marble ball in its hands.

I walked over it,

“What is it doing here?”

I didn't know the name of it, but I knew that this thing was something the knights use to get their powers.

When I was still a farmer, I attended church sermons and I remembered that the priest mentioned that the statue allowed the chosen people to gain strength beyond their imagination

“...It couldn't hurt

I placed my hand on the object. It was cold to the touch, and its smooth surface reminded me of something I felt when I was a kid but the memory was fuzzy.

“...Nothing. Well, it makes se-

Suddenly, something appeared before my eyes.

It was hard to describe them. They were… rectangles, seemingly made from green light, with strange white symbols on them, that I could somehow read, even though I never learned to read.

[Connection]

[New user registered]

[Analyzing….]

[Additional skill [Will of Life] will be added]

[Presenting skill window]

[Name: Mathew

Race: Human (Hyuman)

Age: 24

Class: Awakened.

Rank: F-

Skills: [Enhanced Strength], [Manna Pathway], [Eyes of the Deceased], [Will of Life]

]

“What? What does this mean? What is Awakened?”

The ‘status window’ changed as more text appeared on it.

[

Name: Mathew

Race: Human (Hyuman)

Age: 24

Class: Awakened.

Class description: Awakened beings are individuals who have discovered their innate potential, gaining enhanced physical abilities and unlocking mana pathways within them. They also receive a class that pre-teals their future path. All hunters who enter the dungeon world start in this class. One can attain more skills as one grows.

Rank: F-

Rank descriptions: Hunters are ranked based on abilities and power. Your current rank is F-, the lowest rank.

Skills:

[Enhanced Strength]: Increases physical strength, allowing for more powerful attacks and feats of strength.

[Manna Pathway]: Develops a connection to mana, allowing spellcasting and magic potential.

[Eyes of the Deceased]: Enables one to glance into the veil, the place where bound spirits wander.

[Will of Life]: the heart of a survivor beats in your chest. Even in the worst situation, you do not despair and will fight for your life. Your pain tolerance has also increased.

]

“...”

I let go of the stone, the green windows disappeared from sight.

Now that I looked at this some things made sense.

I could defeat the ghoul thanks to the strength I have now and I can see those… spirits thanks to the third ‘skill”.

“A pre-teal about my future… Does that mean that I will become like a dark wizard in the future?”

I did hear stories about people making deals with demons, gaining incredible powers in exchange for their immortal souls.

I can remember the times my parents told me to eat my vegetables or the evil wizard would take me while I slept.

“...Yeah no.”

I have seen enough death already, during the monster wave and on the streets. The dead should be left alone, so that they may rest in peace.

“...But…”

I stepped away from the device as an idea hit me.

These spirits already exist in this world and they seem like they look quite active for some reason. Since no one can see them and they can move through people, they should be able to move through walls. If I could communicate with them…

I felt excitement beating in my chest.

“If I could learn to communicate with them I could learn things that those damn nobles and rich bastards are hiding from us. I could extort money from them. This could be a chance for me to get my life together. But I will need a place for me to train and maybe look for ways to learn magic… damn it.”

I sigh and walk out of the room, finding the nun who just treated me, busily cleaning the altar.

“Excuse me, is the job for a gravedigger still open?”