In this world lies only deception and ignorance, those who can see the truth are often revered for their way of though.
Echo heard a knock on his door, knowing who it was already he was already getting ready to leave when Max walked in.
"Yo, are you ready for the big day?" Max asked already knowing the answer.
"Yeah as much as I can be," Echo replied tying up his deep black hair that ran down to his shoulders and covering his milky grey eyes with his black blindfold.
"Are you sure you're going to be ok though? I can only imagine how tough this bust be. I know you can handle yourself and all but do you really think that we will survive the first dungeon?" Max asked wondering if they would truly be alright.
Even though it was a necessity to enter the dungeons once you turned 18 it was still a terrifying though. If they didn't kill a monster and become acclimated as part of the world system then they would die of mana poisoning.
"I'm sure we will be alright. They will place us in a group to ensure we will be as safe as possible," Echo replied trying to convince his childhood friend and his lifelong helper.
Even though Echo can't see he would still have to participate. He just hoped that all this worrying would amount to nothing.
Ever since the mana surge 200 years ago when the world lost half of its population, dungeons and labyrinths had continued to appear around the world demanding to be cleared.
Then there was the tower, where they would be sent for their awakening. It had seemingly infinite floors and had been mapped up to the 138th floor. Every floor was different and each one had a boss to face if you wanted to move on to the next.
Each floor was like a whole other world some sunny fields or some worn by rain.
The world now was built on might makes right, the adventurer association and the guilds all controlled everything from the government to even the orphanage they had been raised together in.
Their only hope was to get stronger and rise through the ranks to live the life they wanted.
Echo grabbed onto max's shoulder and picked up his white cane ready to head to the guildhall.
"By the way you never answer when I ask, but why do you tie up your hair and cover your eyes? It's not like you can see," Max asked with a light chuckle.
"Because I know look badass, why else?" Echo responded with a cheeky grin before they started walking to the main room of the orphanage to be seen off.
Max laughed heartily at his friends response, his broad shoulders shaking. Max stood at a rough 6'4 tall and weighed about 190 pounds of pure muscle.
Echo had to reach up to keep a hold of his tall friend standing at roughly 5'8 and weighing only 165 pounds.
"Stop laughing you gorilla I can barely reach you as it is," Echo said causing his friend to laugh even harder.
"Well it looks like everyone is here to see us off anyway," Max said after walking a bit further.
Surrounding the two young men were the sisters of the church that had raised them as well as all the other orphans, the number of orphans in the northern quadrant had reached almost 280,000 so there were many orphanages that were ran by the church.
"I'm so sad to see you two go, please promise me you will be safe," sister Ariel said putting her hands on Echoes cheek. She was a woman of short stature only about 5'1 with long grey hair.
However, they all new she was as mean as could be so the worrisome voice of hers was quite rare.
"We will, you know how much the association does to make sure everyone returns alive," Max said smiling.
"Well I've raised you two like my own so you better come back when all is said and done so we can have a nice dinner," the sister responded her face seemingly aging by the limit due to the fear of losing the boys she had raised for 18 years already.
"Max you are strong and you've always protected your brother but don't forget to protect yourself too, and Echo please don't let being blind and they ways that the world will treat you ever let your heart stray.
You are stronger than you know, hell it feels like just yesterday I heard your loud crying over the sound of thunder outside these doors."
She reached out and pulled them both in for a final fare well when the other children and the other sisters all came and joined them.
"We are gonna miss you."
"Please come back and play with us."
"Take us shopping win you become rich."
The last comment made everyone burst out laughing even Sister Ariel.
Saying their goodbyes Echo and Max left the orphanage and started walking through the city. It was only a 15 minute walk from the orphanage to the association where they would be placed into a group of 5 and be sent into the tower.
Walking down Echo kept his hand on Max's shoulder, he could hear and smell everything around him.
He always had a strong sense of smell and had trained his hearing to be able to use echolocation hence the name. Him nor max or any of the others at the orphanage had a family name.
Walking towards the association Echo could her the loud thuds of the half giants around him as well as smell the vampires. The latter of which always smelled of blood.
Ever since the mana surge different races had come out of hiding, the fey and creatures that were seemingly magical to humans at the time also needed to become part of the world system.
Over time they had been accepted by humanity as they needed all the help they could get, there were even blood drives for the vampires and such.
The wind blew softly and the crisp morning air chilled echoes skin since he was wearing a t-shirt with some shorts and a pair of sneakers to move easily in the tower.
He had long gotten used to moving without max's help, but it was still convenient.
Ding~
Echo heard the sound of a bell as they walked into the association.
"How can I help you today?" Asked a woman as they entered.
"We turned 18 this month and are ready to acclimate," Max responded the worry clear in his voice.
The lady looked towards Echo, "He is blind so I can assume that you are to enter together?"
"Yes if that is at all possible."
"Alright please fill out these forms and go through that door to be given a team and guard for your trip. I pray for your safe return."
Echo felt max nod towards the lady and grab the papers before he started walking.
Soon they found themselves in a large room with other 18 year olds around them, Echo could hear the chatter around them specifically how they didn't want to be on his team.
He was used to this treatment and he couldn't blame them, being barely able to walk down the street on his own how could they expect him to fight.
Echo had the priest that did rounds at the orphanages to heal his sight with magic before, sadly they could not heal what was never there.
Max led him to the seating area as he started filling out the papers of there basic information for there association id when they came back.
All they had to do was wait to find out there class.
An hour passed as more people flooded in until the room was full and people stopped arriving, Max had already turned in there papers and note they just waited.
Eventually a man stepped infringe of everyone and cleared his throat into a microphone.
"Ahem~ my name is Alexander Thorne, today you all have gathered to assimilate with the world system and gain your class. You will be placed in random groups of 5 and sent to the tower where you will awaken. This does not come without its risks, so you all will be given a weapon of your choice and a guard will accompany you. The first floor is filled with basic monsters, after you awaken you are either allowed to come back or continue on for the rest of the day.
You must make your choice as a group and decide whether you will set off on your own path or stick with eachother. After you exit the association will give you a dorm to stay in if you decide to keep adventuring, this will last for a year. If you decide otherwise or if you decide to join another guild from the start you will not. I will now be calling forward groups so if you hear your name please step forward and through that door."
Echo waited patiently as they called the names it was only 9 in the morning, all he and max planned to do was kill their first monster and sell their cores to the association.
"I hope we get placed with some cute girls," Max whispered.
Echo was able to tell roughly what someone looked like if he touched their face. His friend had a sharp jawline and a crew cut with dark brown hair and blue eyes from what he had felt and been told.
"This is why you're a virgin," Echo laughed at him.
"And you aren't?" Max chuckled.
"Please step forward: Max, Echo, Lily, Aliyah and Tessia."
Max and Echo heard their names called and started walking. Soon they started hearing murmurs as they walked and Echo heard a door open as well as two pairs of footsteps other than theirs until the door closed.
"Welcome, my name is James I will be you're guard," a big burly man has welcomed them.
"I'm sure you all have questions, but for now get to know one another as you will be spending the day together and you will be putting your lives in each others hands. Also don't worry, we will not be interrupted as the door has a spell to send each part to an isolated room."
From what Echo could tell the man James was a half-giant, everyone's beginning stats were the average for what their race was unless they had trained them beyond that point. For humans they would have 10 across the board.
Giants had higher strength and vitality with lower agility and perception. They stood roughly 7-9 feet tall and weighed what he and Max did combined.
"We are in a room with weapons on racks, I think this odd where we choose ours," Max whispered to Echo.
"Do we really have to be in a party with a-"
"Not everyone is born perfect, he can hold his own believe me," Max scoffed cutting off the girl abruptly promoting the guard to chuckle. He had his fair share of arguments and fights with Echo and never got out of either unscathed.
"My name is Echo, I may be blind but I won't hold you back," he said holding his hand out introducing himself.
"I'm lily, I'm a vampire," soft delicate had graced his and shook it, as a new voice introduced herself. Echo leaned forward coincidentally still holding the short girls hand and sniffed her.
"Weird, you don't smell like blood I couldn't even tell-"
Maxed sacked him on top of the head as Lily pulled back her hand quickly and backed off shyly.
"Too close," Max said. Unbeknownst to Echo he had leaned down until his face was only a few inches from hers.
"O-oh um- it's because I'm a half-elf, they say it covers the natural smell of blood," she stuttered out quickly.
'Hmm, I didn't realize it was a racial thing, I thought it was where they had to drink it. Must be from their supper high vitality,' Echo pondered to himself.
"Well I'm Aliya, I'm a human," the voiced from before rolled her eyes.
"I'm Tessia, I'm and Eladrin," the last girl said floating a few inches above the ground.
Eladrin are an elf subrace that has been touched by the fey, normally blessed with nature magic and high perception.
"Alright well, that was awkward. Go ahead and choose your weapons as well we leave in 10 minutes," James chuckled.
"Sword right?" Max asked Echo.
"Yeah, and you're using a hammer like a gorilla," Echo retorted as max picked up a large sledge hammer grinning.
Echo picked up different swords before settling for a lighter one about 3 feet long with a double edged blade.
"So we have a bow, two swords, a hammer and shield, and finally a spear. Pretty well rounded if I do say so myself. I'm an E-rank awakened associated with the guild so we will be fine as long as there is no mutants. Are you all ready?"
Everyone nodded solemnly knowing the mortality rate for awakening was high. Luckily the had an E-rank awakened with them. F-rank is level 1-20, E-rank is 20-100, D-rank is 100-200, C-rank is 200-300, B-rank is 300-400, A-rank is 400-500 and S-rank is level 500+.
Level didn't always matter as a lot of times the highest of one rank could beat the lowest of the next. F-rank was mainly a designation for those who only awakened for survival then becomes a civil servant or other things.
James led them to the center of the room and placed a small device on the floor before clicking a button that opened a small portal.
"This is a temporary portal, it will send us to a random spot on the first floor. We will all be sent to the same spot, after you awaken you will be able to enter at will from anywhere in the world. Let's go."
Echo walked forward while squeezing Max's shoulder and stepped into the portal.
Suddenly he felt the sun on his skin and a breeze in the air.
KREEEE~
"Everyone get ready 7 goblins ahead!" James shouted drawing his sword.
"I will incapacitate them each of you kill one each after they are down. The highest is level 4."
7 goblins of level 4 and lower wouldn't even be able to scratch James, but that wouldn't stop Echo from worrying.
All of them nodded and drew their weapons. Echo could hear a loud crunch and a scream from one of the goblins followed by another then two more in quick succession.
The sword in his hands shaking as he tried to steel his nerves. He could even feel Max trembling and hear the cries of the goblins.
"Go ahead I've cut their arms and severed the tendons in their ankles so they can't even move."
They stepped towards them as their weapons took one life after another. Echo let go of Max as he felt him raise his hammer and swing it down with a sickening crunch.
Echo felt his foot hit a goblin in front of him followed by a grunt of pain from the beast. Holding his sword in front of him he plunged the sword downward and felt as it scraped against bone and flesh.
Ding~
Echo couldn't see but in his mind there was a display with all the information directed into his brain. He could read his details like everyone else.
[System activated]
[Welcome host]
[Congratulations on assimilating with the world system]
[STATUS:
Name: Echo
Race: Human
Class: Magic Swordsman
HP: (100/100)
MP: (100/100)
Level: 1
EXP: (0/100)
STATS:
-Strength: 10
-Agility: 10
-Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 10
-Perception: 18
Stat Points:0
Skills:
Active:
Magic Sense: lvl 1
Passive:
Advanced Hearing: lvl 6
Advanced Smell: lvl 4
Traits: None]
Taking in his status Echo wondered what magic sense was when a new screen appeared.
[Magic Sense:
Distance: 20 feet
MP Cost: 1 MP/Second
Effect: You are attuned to the magic around you, sense the mana around you in great detail.]
Echo activated it curiously, suddenly everything appeared around him like he could see it but he couldn't. He could see the mana, or feel it more or less. He could feel the heat in the people around him and in the air, he could feel the water in their bodies, he could feel the mana coursing through the earth and the vibrations of their heartbeats now.
A headache started to form as he grabbed his head deactivating it. Max grabbed his should.
"Echo are you alright?" Worry visible in his voice.
"Yeah I got a skill called mana sense and it overloaded my head for a second."
"That's a good one it means you've awakened a mana oriented class and have a perception of 15 or higher.
I presume you've trained you hearing and such to make up for your lack of sight. You're probably more acute to our surroundings than we are right now," James stated.
"What do you mean?" Max asked James.
"I mean he can sense everything around him in great detail. The warmth in our bodies through fire mana, vibrations in the ground with earth mana, the moisture in the environment with water mana, and any movement around him with wind mana. It should be his first class skill."
Echo stood back up placing his head on Max's shoulder to keep his balance as he heard the 1 of the girls crying and the other 2 puking nearby.
"I think I'll be ok it surprised me though. What class did you get? I got magic swordsman," Echo asked Max trying to regain his senses and get his mind off the fact that he just took a life.
Even though they weren't human and would have killed them instead he was still shaken by the ordeal.
"I got a class called Earth Sentry, it seems to be a defense oriented class. My new skill lets me harden my skill with earth mana," Max replied stoutly like nothing would ever be able to harm him.
"Alright we will set up a small camp here to rest and get our bearings before deciding what to do. I'll check the map and figure out where it put us, you all figure out what you want to do and get used to your skills."
With that he opened his storage ring and pulled out a tent for them to go into.