Zero System: World's Only Classless Hunter

Chapter 3

He strapped the rusted sword to his waist, picked up his wet bundle, and turned away from the mansion.

He walked for hours, leaving the bright, clean streets of the upper district behind.

He crossed the stone archways that separated the rich nobles from the lower city, descending deeper into the slums of Crowcrest.

Here, the buildings were made of rotting wood and cracked brick.

The streetlamps were dark because the city refused to waste mana crystals on commoners.

Smells of damp sewage and cheap liquor filled the heavy, wet air.

Eldon’s legs felt like lead.

Hypothermia was setting in; his lips were blue, and his entire body shivered uncontrollably.

He needed shelter from the storm, but he didn't have a single copper coin to rent a room at a cheap tavern.

Finally, he found a crumbling stone bridge spanning a dirty drainage canal.

Eldon collapsed underneath the damp archway, sinking onto the cold stone floor to escape the driving rain.

He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his head against the stone wall.

The sounds of the storm raged outside, but inside his head, the cruel laughter of the crowd and his father's final words played on an endless, agonizing loop.

A defective piece of trash.

A statusless cripple.

Eldon closed his eyes, his breathing shallow and weak. He wondered if he would simply freeze to death under this bridge before the sun came up.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Heavy footsteps echoed under the stone bridge, splashing through the shallow puddles.

Eldon opened his eyes.

Three figures stepped out from the shadows, blocking the entrance to the bridge.

They wore dirty leather coats and carried heavy iron daggers.

The leader of the group was a tall, lean man with a scar running down his cheek.

He tossed a copper coin from hand to hand, a cruel grin spreading across his face as he looked at Eldon's soaked silk tunic.

"Well, well, well," the scarred man chuckled, his voice raspy.

"What do we have here? A little noble puppy lost in the dark?"

"Look at those clothes, boss," the second thug sneered, leaning against a stone pillar.

"That silk is worth at least three silver pieces down at the pawn shop."

Eldon stayed silent, his hand resting weakly against the hilt of his rusted iron sword.

He didn't have the energy to argue.

"Hey, kid," the lead thug stepped closer, pulling out a glowing, low-grade System dagger.

"Hand over the tunic, the boots, and whatever coins you got in your pockets. Do it nice and slow, or I’ll carve you up."

The lead thug raised his arm, activating his dagger's faint blue light.

As the light washed over Eldon, the thug glanced at Eldon’s bare left wrist, expecting to see a glowing level badge or a class mark.

There was nothing. Just smooth, pale skin.

The lead thug froze for a second, then burst into a loud, mocking laugh that echoed under the hollow bridge.

"Hey! Look at this!" the lead thug shouted to his companions, pointing his glowing blade at Eldon's arm.

"He doesn't even have a wrist mark! He's a blank! A Level 0!"

The other two thugs laughed loudly, drawing their own weapons as they stepped closer in the dark.

"A Level 0 noble?" the second thug grinned, showing rotten teeth.

"That means he doesn't even have defense stats! One poke with this knife and he bleeds out like a pig!"

The lead thug raised his glowing dagger, pointing it directly at Eldon’s throat.

"Looks like tonight is our lucky night, boys. Nobody cares if a statusless cripple disappears in the slums."