A New Day

“Ah-choo!”

Haruto snapped forward with a sneeze that blew the dust up from the ground. He sniffled, rubbed at his nose, and coughed. He assumed that someone was talking about him and hoped they were saying good things.

The sun had finally risen outside, spilling warm rays of light across the dungeon floor. Dust drifted lazily in the beam, but the brightness only made the grime and filth of the place more obvious. Haruto had refused to sit on the floor through the whole night. Choosing to sprint back and forth might not have been the smartest idea with that mindset. When he rested, he did so standing or slumping against the bars, the cleanest part of the cell.

He was hungry, dead tired, and just wanted to fall over. But he had succeeded in his goal. He ran around this cell all night and got what he was aiming for. Sort of...

New Job Acquired: Sprinter
Experience and level reset.

“Back to level one?” Haruto groaned, dragging his hands down his face. “So I ran laps all night just to reset the experience to zero? Fantastic.”

"Well, what did you expect?" The System asked, sitting smugly in the corner of the cell. “It might have been made from multiple jobs you had experience in, but they came together to make a job you had no experience in."

“It would be more efficient if the experience rolled over into the new job!” Haruto shot back.

“Why would I do that?” The System asked serenely. "People in this world don't gain any experience until their job is unlocked upon becoming an adult, so they'd usually never even notice."

"Why can't you just make me an exception to the rule? Stop making my life harder!" Haruto shouted.

"So you just want a shortcut? Laziness is unbecoming of a hero." It said while lounging lazily in the moldy straw.

Haruto slumped against the bars with a groan. “Are you a sadist? Is that why you're like this?”

“I don't want you to suffer.” The System said. "I just want you to obey the rules."

“Of course.” Haruto sighed, pulling up the rest of his notifications. Two more notifications bobbed in front of his face. He had acquired two new jobs to go along with Sprinter. He clicked the first one to open the information.

Breather Lvl 1

A job that grants improved breathing, which facilitates stamina management and recovery.

Passive Skill: Breathing Techniques

Increases stamina recovery and reduces stamina drain by 5% per job level.

He stared at it for a long moment. During his sprinting, he realized that his breathing was off and actively tried to correct it using his memories from physical education. This would probably be the easiest job to level up. He could see that the experience bar was going up with every breath he took. The problem is that it would be useless for defending himself in a fight.

"Look at you, learning how to multitask. You can walk and breathe at the same time now." The System said sarcastically. Haruto shrugged it off as he opened the other job screen.

Wall Bouncer Lvl 2

A job that improves the spring in a step off of a wall, allowing greater distance and control while bouncing from it.

Passive Skill: Wall Bounce

Increase power and control while bouncing from a wall by 5% per job level.

Haruto looked at the displaced grime shoeprint on the walls of his cell, proof of his hours of sprinting, bouncing, and flailing like a lunatic. He instantly came up with ways to abuse this one. If he needed to climb a wall, he could simply bounce upward and repeat. He wondered whether he could switch jobs fast enough to combo them. Starting with Sprinter for speed, then changing to Wall Bouncer could make for some quick getaways in areas with buildings.

Haruto had switched jobs to mix skill effects before, but now he wondered if there was a way to switch fast enough that it was like having multiple jobs equipped at once. He looked toward the System expecting a lecture about that being cheating, should he ask.

“What? Is there something on my face?” the System asked, glowing a self-conscious pink.

"Yeah, just a little..." Haruto lied, pointing a finger to his face. "No, the other side."

The System massaged his hands into the lens of his eye, spreading dirt and floor slime. It jumped into the air, floating above it all. "Yuck! What is on this floor?"

"That's why I didn't want to sleep." Haruto said smugly.

Haruto’s smugness died as the dungeon door creaked open. Heavy footsteps descended the stairs, and a guard appeared with a ring of keys.

“You've been summoned.” The guard muttered, unlocking the cell. “You will mind your manners in front of our king.”

Haruto blinked at the guard, then at the System, then back to the guard. “What does he want? Does it seem like he's in a good mood?”

"He always seems like he's in a good mood... before he executes someone." The guard gave him a flat look, marinating in the silent moment. Haruto's jaw hung open in shock, sound unable to escape his mouth before the guard spoke again. “Just kidding. Maybe don't throw keys at people when you're being arrested.”

The System floated closer, its glow brightening with anticipation. “Oh, he got you back so good!"

The color in Haruto's face drained as he hung his head. "S-Sorry about that."

Haruto muttered under his breath as the cell door swung open. His legs ached, his stomach growled, and he still felt like a wrung-out rag from the night’s training. He rubbed at his eyes and followed the guard out.

The hallway beyond the dungeon was painfully bright, sunlight streaming through narrow windows. The hall was made of bright and sparkling white cobblestone walls and a marble-tiled floor. The windows let in the colors and sounds of nature. After so long in the dim cell, the sudden flood of color and light made him squint and stumble.

The guard was kinder than he had to be. He waited for Haruto to catch up if he ever lagged behind. Haruto shuffled a bit faster but couldn't help getting distracted by the scenery around him. All the while he could feel the System’s smug glow beside him.

"You should let me do all the talking." The System said. “You don't have the elegance or breeding to handle a high-stress and royal negotiation.”

Haruto grumbled. “Oh sure, let you do the talking. Because nothing says trustworthy like a floating eyeball that insults me every five minutes.”

“I just don't trust you to keep your foot out of your mouth.” The System floated over to whisper in his ear. "There are some things we should keep between us."

Haruto rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. His nerves were jangling too much to put up much of a fight. The marble floors echoed with every step, each one bringing him closer to… whatever this king wanted from him.

They reached a pair of towering doors, carved with ornate patterns of swords, crowns, and laurels. Two armored knights stood at attention, halberds crossed, until the guard escorting him gave a nod. With practiced precision, the knights pulled the doors open.

Haruto froze in the threshold and his heart skipped a beat. Beyond was the throne room, sunlight streaming through stained glass to paint the polished floor in colors. A crimson carpet stretched from the doors all the way to a dais at the far end, where a dark brown, wooden throne sat waiting.

“Try not to say the wrong thing,” the System whispered, its glow quivering with delight.

Haruto swallowed hard. “Maybe you should do the talking.”

And with that, he stepped into the throne room.