Kael Veyron had spent eighteen years preparing himself to be ordinary.
He had never awakened mysterious powers as a child. No legendary beast had chosen him. No ancient bloodline ran through his veins—at least none that he knew of. He was simply the son of a carpenter in a small town on the eastern edge of the Valtherian Empire.
And Kael was perfectly fine with that.
Ordinary people lived longer.
That was what his father always said.
"Keep your head down, work hard, and never give the Empire a reason to remember your name."
Kael had heard those words so many times that they had become something of a family motto.
Unfortunately, today was the one day when remaining unnoticed was impossible.
Today was Awakening Day.
Every citizen of the Valtherian Empire received a Class during the year they turned eighteen. The Class would influence what skills they could learn, what professions they could pursue, and, for many people, where they would spend the rest of their lives.
Kael stood among nearly a hundred young men and women in the town square of Greyhaven.
The square had never been this crowded.
Parents filled the edges of the plaza. Merchants had closed their shops. Children climbed onto barrels and stone walls for a better view.
At the center of the square stood the Awakening Crystal.
It was taller than a man and completely transparent, except for thin streams of golden light moving through its interior.
Four Imperial soldiers guarded it.
Behind them sat Magistrate Orlan and two officials from the Adventurers' Guild.
Kael shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
Beside him, a broad-shouldered boy grinned.
"Nervous?"
Kael glanced at him.
Tomas Reed had been Kael's friend since they were children. Unlike Kael, Tomas had spent the last five years convinced he was destined to become a great warrior.
"A little," Kael admitted.
"A little?"
Tomas laughed.
"You've been staring at that crystal like it's going to eat you."
"I'm wondering what happens if I get Rat Catcher."
"Then Greyhaven's rats will finally meet their greatest enemy."
Kael snorted.
"And if you get Farmer?"
"I'll become the greatest farmer in the Empire."
"You don't know how to grow potatoes."
"I'll learn."
The crowd suddenly erupted in applause.
Kael looked toward the platform.
A girl had just removed her hand from the Awakening Crystal.
Golden letters floated above it.
[CLASS AWAKENED: APPRENTICE HEALER]
Her mother burst into tears.
One of the Guild officials immediately wrote something on a parchment.
A Healer was valuable.
Very valuable.
The girl would probably receive offers from temples, adventuring parties, and perhaps even the Imperial Army before sunset.
The next person awakened as a Blacksmith.
Then a Hunter.
Then a Weaver.
Most Classes were ordinary.
That was normal.
Only a tiny percentage of people received rare Classes such as Battle Mage, Spirit Tamer, Rune Knight, or Sword Saint.
Kael wanted none of them.
Carpenter would be fine.
Builder would be even better.
His father could use the help.
The Veyron workshop had been struggling since winter, and the roof needed replacing before the next heavy rain.
Kael already knew the trade.
He could repair furniture, reinforce beams, carve joints, and estimate the amount of timber needed for a small house simply by looking at the foundation.
A Builder Class might even improve those skills.
That was all he wanted.
A useful Class.
A quiet life.
Maybe enough money someday to buy a larger workshop.
"Kael Veyron!"
His stomach tightened.
Tomas slapped him on the shoulder.
"Try not to get Rat Catcher."
Kael stepped forward.
Dozens of familiar faces watched him cross the square.
He saw his father near the back of the crowd.
Garran Veyron did not wave.
He simply nodded.
Kael nodded back.
The message was clear.
Whatever happens, stay calm.
Kael climbed the three stone steps onto the platform.
Magistrate Orlan barely looked at him.
"Name?"
"Kael Veyron."
"Age?"
"Eighteen."
"Occupation?"
"Carpenter's apprentice."
The magistrate checked the registry.
"Place your right hand on the crystal."
Kael approached it.
Up close, the Awakening Crystal was colder than he expected. The air around it carried a faint metallic smell.
He raised his hand.
For some reason, he hesitated.
It lasted only a second.
Then his palm touched the crystal.
Nothing happened.
Kael frowned.
The golden light inside the crystal stopped moving.
The square became quiet.
Magistrate Orlan looked up.
"Keep your hand there."
Kael obeyed.
One second passed.
Two.
Three.
Then the crystal turned black.
Someone in the crowd gasped.
Kael tried to pull his hand away.
He couldn't.
His palm was stuck to the surface.
"What—"
A sound exploded inside his head.
DING.
Kael froze.
A translucent window appeared before his eyes.
[INITIALIZING CLASS SYSTEM...]
The letters were different from those normally projected by the Awakening Crystal.
These weren't floating above the crystal.
They were directly in his vision.
Another line appeared.
[SEARCHING CLASS ARCHIVE...]
Then another.
[COMPATIBILITY ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS.]
Kael swallowed.
"Magistrate?"
Orlan had already risen from his chair.
The two Guild officials exchanged confused looks.
"Do not remove your hand," Orlan ordered.
"I can't."
"What?"
"I can't move it."
The darkness inside the crystal deepened.
Kael could no longer see through it.
More messages appeared.
[STANDARD CLASS COMPATIBILITY: 12%]
[CRAFTSMAN CLASS COMPATIBILITY: 41%]
[BUILDER CLASS COMPATIBILITY: 67%]
Kael felt a flicker of relief.
Builder.
That was good.
That was exactly what he wanted.
Then the messages disappeared.
A new one replaced them.
[ARCHITECT COMPATIBILITY DETECTED.]
Kael blinked.
Architect?
He had heard of Architects.
They were rare construction specialists capable of designing fortresses, magical structures, bridges, and defensive walls.
That could change his family's life.
But before Kael could feel excited, another message appeared.
[SEARCHING RESTRICTED CLASS ARCHIVE...]
His relief vanished.
Restricted?
The crystal began vibrating.
One of the soldiers drew his sword.
"Magistrate?"
"Everyone remain calm," Orlan said.
That instruction had the opposite effect.
Whispers spread through the square.
Kael tried again to pull his hand free.
Nothing.
[ARCHIVE FOUND.]
[CLASS RECORD: D-0001]
[STATUS: SEALED]
[LAST AWAKENING: 487 YEARS AGO]
Kael's heartbeat accelerated.
Four hundred and eighty-seven years?
That couldn't be right.
A sharp pain stabbed behind his eyes.
Images flashed through his mind.
Stone corridors.
Massive underground halls.
Bridges crossing bottomless chasms.
Thousands of glowing crystals embedded in cavern walls.
Creatures walking through underground cities.
Goblins.
Kobolds.
Trolls.
Things Kael could not name.
Then he saw a man standing before an enormous crystal.
The man raised one hand.
Walls moved.
Entire corridors changed shape.
Towers rose from the ground.
The vision disappeared.
Kael staggered but remained attached to the Awakening Crystal.
"What did you see?" Magistrate Orlan demanded.
Kael looked at him.
"Nothing."
It was a terrible lie.
Orlan clearly knew it.
But before he could question Kael again, the System continued.
[SEALED CLASS REQUIREMENTS MET.]
[AUTHORIZATION VERIFIED.]
[RESTORING LOST CLASS...]
Red light appeared inside the black crystal.
Kael heard someone scream.
The soldiers moved closer.
His father pushed through the crowd.
"Kael!"
The first red letters appeared before Kael's eyes.
[CLASS AWAKENED]
For one brief moment, Kael wondered whether perhaps everything would still be fine.
Then the next line appeared.
[DUNGEON ARCHITECT]
Kael stopped breathing.
He knew the word.
Everyone did.
Dungeon.
Children in the Valtherian Empire learned about them before they learned the names of all twelve Imperial provinces.
Dungeons were nests of monsters.
Places where unnatural creatures multiplied beneath the earth.
For centuries, the Empire had systematically destroyed them.
Imperial law was simple.
Every discovered dungeon must be reported.
Every Dungeon Core must be destroyed.
Every creature associated with one was considered hostile unless specifically classified otherwise.
But Dungeon Architect?
Kael had never heard of such a Class.
The System apparently had more to say.
[CLASSIFICATION: FORBIDDEN]
Cold spread through his body.
Then came the final message.
[WARNING: DISCOVERY WILL RESULT IN EXECUTION.]
Kael stared at the words.
Execution.
The square seemed to disappear around him.
He could still hear the crowd, but their voices became distant.
He remembered an execution from when he was twelve.
Three men had been brought to Greyhaven in iron cages.
Dungeon cultists.
That was what the soldiers had called them.
They had supposedly tried to protect an undiscovered Dungeon Core.
Kael remembered asking his father why anyone would protect something that created monsters.
His father had answered with only four words.
"Some people choose madness."
All three men had been hanged before sunset.
Kael looked toward his father now.
Garran was staring at the black crystal.
Fear had replaced the calm expression he had worn moments earlier.
Did he know?
No.
Impossible.
The Awakening Crystal suddenly flashed.
Kael's hand came free.
He stumbled backward.
At exactly the same moment, the blackness vanished.
Golden light returned.
A normal System projection appeared above the crystal where everyone could see it.
[CLASS AWAKENED: BUILDER]
Silence.
Then someone began clapping.
Another person joined.
Within seconds, polite applause filled the square.
Kael stared at the public message.
Builder?
Magistrate Orlan relaxed slightly.
"An unusual reaction for such a common Class."
Kael forced himself to breathe.
"Is something wrong?"
The magistrate studied him.
Kael's heart pounded.
"No," Orlan finally said. "The crystal occasionally reacts strangely. Old equipment."
One Guild official laughed.
"Nearly scared the boy to death."
Kael managed a weak smile.
"Yes."
Orlan recorded something in the registry.
"Kael Veyron. Builder Class. You may register with the Craftsmen's Association if you intend to pursue professional certification."
"Thank you, Magistrate."
Kael turned away.
Another message appeared in his vision.
Nobody reacted.
Only he could see it.
[PUBLIC CLASS SUCCESSFULLY DISGUISED.]
Kael nearly missed the first step.
He forced himself to keep walking.
Tomas met him at the bottom.
"Builder!"
He grabbed Kael's shoulder.
"That's perfect for you."
Kael nodded.
"Yeah."
"You look terrible."
"The crystal shocked me."
"Can it do that?"
"Apparently."
Tomas looked suspicious but quickly became distracted when his own name was called.
Kael moved through the crowd.
His father intercepted him.
"Home," Garran said quietly.
Kael frowned.
"What?"
"Go home."
"But Tomas—"
"Now."
Something in his father's voice made Kael obey.
They left the square together.
Neither spoke until they had crossed three streets.
Only then did Garran ask, "What did the crystal really give you?"
Kael stopped.
His father continued walking for two steps before turning.
"What are you talking about?"
"Kael."
"It said Builder."
"I saw what everyone else saw."
"Then why are you asking?"
Garran's expression hardened.
"Because Awakening Crystals don't turn black for Builders."
Kael said nothing.
"Did you see something else?"
The red warning still hovered faintly at the edge of Kael's vision.
[DISCOVERY WILL RESULT IN EXECUTION.]
He thought of the soldiers.
The gallows.
His father.
"No."
Garran stared at him for several long seconds.
Kael hated lying to him.
But what else could he do?
Finally, his father looked away.
"Very well."
They continued home.
Kael expected the messages to disappear.
They didn't.
As he walked, a small symbol remained in the corner of his vision.
A doorway.
Eventually curiosity overcame fear.
He focused on it.
A new interface opened.
[DUNGEON ARCHITECT]
[LEVEL: 1]
[DUNGEON ESSENCE: 0]
[CONTROLLED DUNGEONS: 0]
[AVAILABLE BLUEPRINTS: 3]
Kael almost walked into a cart.
He dismissed the interface immediately.
His father glanced back.
"You all right?"
"Fine."
They reached the Veyron workshop shortly before noon.
The familiar smell of sawdust usually calmed Kael.
Today it didn't.
His father returned to work without another question.
Kael went upstairs to his small room and locked the door.
He sat on the edge of his bed.
For several minutes, he did nothing.
Then he whispered, "Dungeon Architect."
The interface returned.
This time he examined it carefully.
Three blueprints were available.
[STONE ROOM]
[MANA LAMP]
[BASIC DUNGEON CORE]
Kael focused on the last option.
A description appeared.
[BASIC DUNGEON CORE]
Creates the central control structure required to establish a new dungeon.
Requirements:
Suitable underground location.
Minimum depth: 10 meters.
Minimum area: 25 square meters.
Dungeon Essence Cost: 0.
Kael stared at the final line.
Zero?
That seemed strangely convenient.
Then another notification appeared.
[BEGINNER ARCHITECT OBJECTIVE AVAILABLE.]
[OBJECTIVE: CREATE YOUR FIRST DUNGEON.]
[REWARD: 100 DUNGEON ESSENCE.]
[PENALTY FOR FAILURE: NONE.]
Kael rubbed his face.
"No."
The interface remained.
"I'm not building a dungeon."
Nothing changed.
"I'd be executed."
The System apparently did not care.
Kael stood and walked toward the window.
From there he could see Greyhaven's northern wall and, beyond it, the hills surrounding the town.
Most were covered in forest.
Except one.
A scar of exposed gray rock cut through the northern hillside.
Kael knew that place.
Everyone in Greyhaven did.
The old Silvervein Mine.
It had been abandoned twenty-three years ago after the veins ran dry.
Nobody went there anymore.
Kael stared at the distant hill.
A terrible idea entered his mind.
"No."
A new notification appeared.
[SUITABLE LOCATION DETECTED.]
Kael's blood ran cold.
A thin blue line appeared across his vision.
It pointed directly toward the abandoned mine.
Distance:
[4.7 KM]
Then another message appeared.
[ARCHITECTURAL SIGNATURE DETECTED.]
Kael frowned.
"What does that mean?"
For several seconds, there was no response.
Then the System answered.
[UNKNOWN DUNGEON STRUCTURE DETECTED.]
Kael slowly stood.
The mine wasn't supposed to contain a dungeon.
The Empire had surveyed the entire region decades ago.
Every dungeon around Greyhaven had supposedly been destroyed.
Yet the blue marker remained.
Waiting.
Pointing north.
And beneath it, one final message appeared.
[WARNING.]
[THE STRUCTURE IS STILL ACTIVE.]