I followed my father to the edge of town towards the entrance to the mines. He was wearing his full arcane silver plate armor with the family crest emblazoned on the front. Two crossed swords with an emerald flame in the center. He had his longsword sheathed at his side with a kite shield hooked on his left arm.

I was wearing light chainmail with a steel plate over my chest. I had a pair of plated leather chaps and steel boots. On my head was a helmet that covered all but my face. I had a small buckler shield on my arm and a shortsword at my side.

My father had taught me enough about combat to where I could fight fairly well with a sword and shield. I was barely strong enough to kill a goblin, however.

I was only thirteen, after all, and level 10.

He had also taught me a few basic spells I could learn at my level.

Many years ago, the concept of converting strength into a numerical system would have seemed completely insane, but some crazy court wizard in the north made it happen. He called it status magic.

Once a person went through a ceremony to have it cast on them, the effect was permanent. You could view all of your abilities and skills at will. Even storing items in a separate space called an 'inventory'.

Even if he rarely used it himself, he admitted to it being very useful.

Dad had taught me the ins and outs of the system to prepare me for when I came of age to begin training in earnest. Fourteen was considered a legal adult in most countries.

Speaking of which, my father was level 95.

As a knight, he had decided to take a frontline class. A Paladin, specializing in both frontline attack, defense, and support.

Currently, I didn't possess a class, but that was largely due to my age and level.

I decided to look at my status screen.

{Name: Mizik Iratus}

{Level: 10}

{Class: None}

{Skills: Sword Proficiency LV.1, Shield Proficiency LV.1, Ember LV.1, Create Water LV.1, Unknown Skill LV.???}

I rolles my eyes as I looked at the bizarre ability called 'Unknown Skill'.

Unknown skill? What does that even mean? My father told me it might be a special ability that'll reveal itself when I'm older.

I looked at my general stats. They seemed pretty average for someone at my level.

Still pretty pitiful, though...

{Hp: 70 (+0)}

{Mp: 65 (+0)}

{P.attack: 9 (+20)}

{M.attack: 7 (+0)}

{P.defense: 9 (+16)}

{M.defense: 6 (+0)}

{Acc: 7 (+0)}

{Eva: 7 (+0)}

{Spd: 4 (+0)}

Equipment bonuses could vary based on enchantments, materials used, and quality.

The equipment I had on was decent enough. It was also the best we could currently afford.

My family was well off, but they refused to send us anything more than a livable sum of money.

Aside from that, the blacksmiths in Lorelei left much to be desired.

Most of the good blacksmiths lived in Albatross City for business reasons.

Instead of a shitty town like Lorelei...

Despite technically being a Dukedom, Lorelei and the surrounding area were somewhat shabby as a result of the martial law imposed by the crown, years ago.

I looked up from my status screen and saw the quarry entrance. I had been here a few times before, so it wasn't anything new.

It was a lift area to go down into the wide-open quarry. At the bottom, there was a tunnel leading to the mines.

"Prepare yourself, Mizik. You never know when an enemy could strike. If there are dangers here, you'd best be ready," my father said.

"Right...do you expect to find anything here?" I asked

"Always expect trouble. That way you won't be surprised when it shows. And while I'm at it, don't ever let your guard down. If you ignore everything else I say at least take that one to heart."

"Yes sir."

"Atta boy. Let's get this over with so we can relax at home later."

We approached the lift to the quarry and my father began talking to the foreman. It seemed as though he was expected. I decided not to pay too much attention to them, as they were looking strangely at me.

Probably wondering why Sir Ulysses brought his son along.

It would be a reasonable question, but I was here to witness how a professional handles these things.

If I happen to level up in the process, that's a bonus, right?

"Dad, I'm going to have a look around," I said.

He nodded in response as he continued his conversation with the foreman.

I walked a short distance away before I started to feel as though I was being watched. Not by the miners, either. It felt far more sinister.

Among all else, it felt...almost familiar? I couldn't recall a single time in my life where I felt something like this before. It was like I had a shiver running up my spine. The hairs on my neck stood on end as I began desperately looking around.

It felt like a feeling of...impending doom.

I turned slowly to go back to my father when I noticed something strange on a nearby tree. It had an unknown dark substance on it. The tree itself looked like it was withering away. Like it was diseased. The bark on the afflicted area seemed to twist and warp.

What the hell kind of tree is this? Or rather, what's wrong with it!?

I reached out to touch it when I heard my father's voice booming nearby.

"Mizik! Get over here, let's get going!"

I stole one last glance at the dying tree before running full speed back to the quarry entrance.

Whatever that was, I want nothing to do with it!

I reached the entrance while panting somewhat and my father gave me a strange look.

"Mizik, you look like you've seen a ghost. Everything alright?" He asked me with concern.

"I'm fine. Just saw something weird. I felt like I was being watched over there," I said.

As soon as I said that, I could see my father narrow his eyes.

"Let's get inside then, Mizik. Whatever it is I'm sure it'll be on its way soon enough."

"R-right..." I managed to say.

Maybe it would be best to forget about that cursed tree...

* * *

After we were lowered into the quarry, we moved into the entrance to the mines. The way forward was pretty narrow, though, and I wasn't sure my father would be able to swing a longsword down here.

"Hey Dad, how do you plan to swing your sword in here?" I asked.

"I don't. If something runs at us, I'll probably just stab it. Or, if you're feeling like a tough guy, maybe I could let you take a crack at it. You might not be very strong, but you're tough enough to handle a few of the things we might encounter deeper in."

I felt somewhat relieved that he had a plan. Also, because he offered to let me help. I gave him a big smile and drew my shortsword.

"Easy now, I wouldn't go drawing a weapon unless I planned to readily use it. Remember, there are still areas with people in them before we get to the dangerous zones," my father said.

"Oh! Right. Sorry about that," I said, feeling somewhat embarrassed. I quickly sheathed my sword.

"Don't worry about it too much."

We walked on for a while until we came upon a small group of knights standing on ceremony in front of a gated area.

"Halt! In the name of his Highness, Duke Oswald! State your...oh. It's you." The knight in the flashiest armor, who I assumed to be the captain, spoke as his tone soured when seeing my father. He looked even more displeased upon seeing me here.

How about showing some respect? My father is a Duke.

"Greetings. As you know, I am Sir Ulyss-"

"Right, of course," he spoke quickly to interrupt my father.

I suddenly felt angered by that, but my father didn't bat an eye.

On occasion, he would glance at me. For some reason, I kept getting the impression that he despised me.

To be fair, he likely knew immediately that I was the son of Ulysses. My eyes were a dead giveaway.

And since the people here hated the Iratus family, it made sense.

"I am here to investigate the mines again. Let us pass and we'll be out of your hair. You'll have no trouble from us," my father said plainly.

The knight captain let out an exaggerated sigh.

"I'll let you pass if you answer a question. Why did you bring this runt with you? What purpose does he serve?" He said almost dismissively. Almost as if he were reading a script to a play without putting forth any effort.

Also, I felt utter indignation at being called a runt by someone I'd only just met. How was that fair?

Just then, my father put his hand on my shoulder to calm me.

"This is my son, he is here to learn from me. He won't be any trouble, I can assure you," my father said with a friendly, yet deadly serious tone.

"Right. Of course," the knight said. He motioned for his subordinates to open the gate.

"There aren't any more people that far down but...do be careful. We have noted somewhat increased activity from whatever is down there," the knight captain said.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, sir," my father said.

Suddenly, my father did something that surprised me. He reached into his inventory and pulled out a few gold coins. Then he dropped them into the knight's hand.

"Thanks for working so hard to keep everyone safe. Why don't you get yourself a drink after work?" My father said cheerfully.

The knight looked at my father with a bored expression and rolled his eyes.

I followed my father as we walked through the gate.

With a creak, it shut behind us.

I didn't hear a click, so that must mean they don't intend to trap us down here.

But I needed to know something.

"Hey Dad, why do you let people treat you like that?"

"Because my status and power are worthless here. I can't go around lording my titles over others if they won't serve a purpose."

"You're a Duke... You shouldn't just take that kind of disrespect from people."

He simply shook his head.

"Not anymore..." he said quietly.

"Dad? Did you say something?"

"I said forget it. Let's focus."

I nodded in response and we continued deeper into the mines.