Classless King: I Absorb Anything I Kill

Chapter 6

The mouth of the Hollowed Cave yawned open like a throat waiting to swallow them whole. Aleric stood with nine other trainees at the entrance, the stench of rot and damp stone thick in the air. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. The blade was standard issue, nothing special, but it was his lifeline now.

Captain Brock stood at the front of the group, arms crossed over his scarred chest. His voice cut through the nervous chatter like a blade through silk.

"Listen up. This isn't training anymore. Inside that cave, you live or you die. No one's coming to save you if you screw up. Stay in formation, watch your flanks, and don't do anything stupid."

Brock's eyes swept over the group and lingered on Aleric for half a second longer than the rest. Aleric felt the weight of that stare. Everyone here knew he was Classless. Everyone here thought he was dead weight.

A trainee named Gareth, a stocky guy with a Tier 1 Warrior class, snorted and muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Great. We get stuck with the freak. Guess we're carrying dead weight today."

A few others chuckled. Aleric didn't respond. He kept his eyes forward, his jaw tight. Words didn't matter. Not here. Not now.

Brock slammed his gauntleted fist against the stone wall, and the laughter died instantly.

"Save your trash talk for after you survive. Move out."

The group filed into the cave one by one. Aleric was near the back, his heart hammering in his chest. The darkness swallowed them almost immediately. Torches were lit, casting flickering orange light against the jagged walls. The air grew colder with every step.

Aleric's status window blinked into view at the edge of his vision.

NAME: ALERIC SWORNE  

LEVEL: 1  

CLASS: CLASSLESS  

HP: 200/200  

MANA: 120/120  

STRENGTH: 14  

AGILITY: 16  

STAMINA: 13  

INTELLIGENCE: 18  

ABILITIES: ABSORPTION (ACTIVE)  

He dismissed it with a thought. No time to dwell on numbers. He needed to focus.

The tunnel sloped downward, twisting and narrowing until they could only walk two abreast. The sound of dripping water echoed in the silence. Aleric's breathing was steady, controlled. His training kicked in. Technique over panic. Always.

Then the smell hit him. Sulfur and decay, stronger than before. His stomach twisted, but he forced himself to breathe through his mouth.

Brock raised a fist. The group stopped.

"Contact ahead. Eyes up."

The temperature dropped. Aleric felt it before he saw it. A shift in the air, a wrongness that made his skin crawl. Then the growls started. Low, guttural, and hungry.

Shapes moved in the darkness beyond the torchlight. Hunched figures with elongated limbs and glowing red eyes. Their skin was gray and mottled, stretched too tight over bone. Their mouths hung open, revealing rows of jagged teeth.

Shadow Ghouls.

Brock didn't waste time.

"Formation. Shields front, swords ready. Kill anything that moves."

The ghouls lunged.

Chaos erupted. The frontline trainees raised their shields and braced for impact. The ghouls slammed into them with inhuman strength, claws screeching against metal. Gareth swung his sword wildly, shouting curses. Another trainee screamed as a ghoul tore through his guard and raked claws across his arm.

Aleric moved on instinct. A ghoul broke through the line on his left, heading straight for a girl with a bow who was frozen in terror. Aleric didn't think. He lunged forward, his sword flashing in the torchlight. The blade caught the ghoul across the throat. Black blood sprayed, hot and foul. The creature collapsed in a heap.

The girl stared at him, wide eyed.

"Move!" Aleric shouted.

She snapped out of it and scrambled back.

Aleric turned just as another ghoul lunged at him. He sidestepped, letting its claws scrape past his shoulder, and drove his sword up through its ribcage. The ghoul shrieked and went limp.

And then it happened.

A surge of energy slammed into Aleric's chest like a fist. His vision went white for a split second, and blue text flooded his sight.

ABSORPTION COMPLETE  

NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: NIGHT VISION (PASSIVE)  

SKILL INTEGRATED  

The world snapped back into focus, but it was different now. The darkness wasn't as thick. He could see deeper into the cave, make out details in the shadows that weren't there before. His eyes adjusted almost instantly, sharper, clearer. The ghouls' movements were no longer blurs. He could track them.

Aleric's heart raced, but not from fear. This was power. Real power. And it was his.

"Classless my ass," he muttered under his breath.

Gareth's voice cut through the fight.

"Behind you, freak!"

Aleric spun. A ghoul was mid leap, claws outstretched. He shifted his weight, dodged left, and drove his blade through its skull. Another burst of energy hit him, smaller this time but still intoxicating.

ABSORPTION COMPLETE  

NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: ENHANCED AGILITY (MINOR)  

SKILL INTEGRATED  

His body felt lighter. His movements smoother. He tested it immediately, stepping into a low stance and pivoting faster than he ever could before. His muscles responded like they'd been oiled.

The ghouls kept coming. Aleric kept killing.

By the time the last ghoul fell, the cave floor was slick with black blood. The trainees were panting, bloodied, but alive. Gareth was on one knee, clutching his side. Another trainee was being bandaged by Brock himself.

Aleric stood near the back, his sword still dripping. His hands were steady. His breathing was controlled. But inside, his mind was racing.

Two kills. Two abilities. And he could feel more waiting deeper in the cave.

Brock walked over, his heavy boots echoing. He looked Aleric up and down, his expression unreadable.

"Not bad for a Classless."

Aleric met his eyes.

"I'm just getting started."

Brock's lips twitched. Almost a smile.

"Good. Because we're not done yet."

He turned to address the group.

"Five minute rest. Drink water. Check your wounds. Then we move deeper."

The others groaned, but no one argued. Aleric checked his status window again.

NAME: ALERIC SWORNE  

LEVEL: 2  

CLASS: CLASSLESS  

HP: 180/200  

MANA: 105/120  

STRENGTH: 14  

AGILITY: 19 (+3)  

STAMINA: 13  

INTELLIGENCE: 18  

ABILITIES: ABSORPTION (ACTIVE), NIGHT VISION (PASSIVE), ENHANCED AGILITY (MINOR)  

AVAILABLE SKILL SLOTS: 7/10  

He clenched his fist. Seven slots left. He could take more. He would take more.

Gareth limped past him, shooting him a glare.

"Don't get cocky, freak. You got lucky."

Aleric didn't respond. He just smiled.

Luck had nothing to do with it.

The group moved deeper into the cave. The air grew heavier, the walls narrower. Aleric's new night vision let him see farther ahead than anyone else. He spotted claw marks on the walls, old bloodstains, and bones half buried in the dirt.

Then he heard it.

A roar. Deep, guttural, and impossibly loud. It shook the walls and sent dust raining from the ceiling. The entire group froze.

Brock's expression darkened.

"That's the Floor One Boss."

One of the trainees, a younger guy with a spear, stammered.

"We're not fighting that, right? Right?"

Brock shook his head.

"Not today. We're not ready."

But Aleric was already staring into the darkness where the roar had come from. His pulse quickened. His fingers twitched on his sword hilt. He could feel it. More power. Waiting. Calling.

Brock's voice snapped him back.

"Sworne. Eyes front. We're pulling back."

Aleric turned slowly, his gaze lingering on the dark tunnel ahead.

"Understood, Captain."

But inside, he was already planning his return.

As the group made their way back toward the exit, Aleric whispered to himself, barely audible.

"I'll be back for you."

And he meant it.