Taking my time eating the rations bar, I knew the clock was ticking down quickly, but I just wanted a moment. With the canteen, I washed down the remains of the tasteless bar. “ OK, Ari, any last advice before I experience a Death World firsthand?”

  To say I was nervous would be the understatement of the year. Yet, I kept it under control as the canteen went back into my inventory. “ Your first goal should be to find someplace to set up camp. I would recommend checking out those cliffs in the distance. It is possible there is a cave along the face, as high up as you can get to. “ I followed her finger, seeing off in the distance a rock face jutting up a hundred feet or so over the treeline.

  “You have notices from the System. It is the same ones that everyone else will get, but wait till you have your tent up and the safe zone established. Also, you should utilize the System Wiki for things like how skills work and other basic pieces of information that will help you. You have a head start on most of the population. They are currently in stasis. Other guides are helping those who could not make decisions when the System offered its choices. I would say you got two or three hours.” I took it in, realizing my first day would be a busy one.

  “Watch out for the demons; they will be your biggest threat over the next two days. After that, we'll just be careful. I would hate to see my second-favorite client bite it. “ I had to grin with her words and teasing tone.

  “Don't worry, Ari. I have a goal: I have to reach a C rank. “ I gave her a wink as the bubble started to fade.

  “If you need my guidance, remember to just will some mana into the tattoo.“ With that, she poofed. For the first time since I woke up, I was alone. I bounced on the balls of my feet, trying to psyche myself up.

  Her voice sounded around me, “ One last thing. You are now a creature of the night. Midnight elves are one of the best night hunters ever. As your power grows, so will that of your race. Use your perks and learn to accept you are no longer human.”

  Her words ended, and so did the shield. I stood there while butterflies formed in my stomach so badly that I wanted to throw up. The last time I felt this uncertainty was when Mom was found dead in her bedroom. The police found her killer; the son of a bitch left plenty of his DNA about. He decided he didn't want to pay my mother for her services, so he murdered her instead. I was seventeen at the time, and my sister was a year younger than I was.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Once the dust had cleared, I found mom's stash of cash, and that helped us out for the first six months. Unfortunately for me, at least by then, I had dropped out of school so I could take care of Rebecca. I worked three jobs to keep food on the table, and she had everything she needed for school. I had people tell me. Oh, that is so noble or whatever. Bite me.

  I wouldn't do it for you; I did for my sister. Fuck I was already screwed as it was. When I look back, I don't think even my luck would have helped me graduate from school on time. The snort came out on its own. What luck.

  She graduated with honors and went off to college on a scholarship. I did my duty. While I looked around, I took a deep, calming breath. Now, as realization hit, I didn't owe anyone anything in this new world. My mind continued to process more of these thoughts. At this point, the main concern was my own survival. my own power, and my gains. This was a place where the strongest was going to be king. I did not want to be a king, but I will be damned if I am bowing or kneeling to some delusional cock smoker.

  I strapped the [Lucky Knife] to my left thigh, though as I did, I caught the flash of white of my shirt, and I realized that come night, that was going to be a problem.

  “Holy shit. Even my clothes are fucking magical.” I watched it change color to a dark blue. I loved how awesome this new world was. I kept the billowy feel of the shirt while I finished reasoning with myself. There was a lot to be scared of, but there were many more things to be excited about experiencing. Here, it did not matter if you were a CEO or a drug-using dishwasher with a temper. Now, all of us were equal. I smiled, loving that thought.

  “Well, maybe we are not all so equal,” and I took off at a light jog, wanting to quickly get into the cover of the trees and shrubs.

  What initially threw me off was that all the sounds around me were so different. Gone were the sounds of cars, people, and well, just everything else that came with living in a large city. Now it was the sounds of birds, hearing the wind rustling leaves or branches, even the creaking of the trees.

  Everything was quieter, offering a feeling of peace. I had never gone camping. Hell, I never left the city, I laughed with more realization. I never even left the area of the city where I had lived. I had confined myself to this little ecosystem of man, which I had carved out my own reputation filled with a few friends and a lot of enemies. That is the first goal, not to make enemies, though that was probably going to happen. The first goal was to carve out a space that was mine. Ari was right, I would need a base of operations. I needed to learn how to use the equipment and the class I had. To add to the whole thing, this body moved differently than what I was used to.

  I slowed my steps while I looked up to see the looming cliffs off in the distance. Yes, it was important that I get there, but even at a normal speed, I could be there by night. She did stress I should take advantage of this little extra time because the clock was ticking. A smile slid over my face as I turned to one of the hovering drones.

  “Well, hello everyone. I'm Lucky. It is time to go murder hobo on anything in my way.”

  Drawing out the saber and the knife, a huge smile formed on my face as I went from that light jog to stalking like the killer I always knew resided deep in my soul.

  Time to let that killer out to play.