“Can I at least get some pants first?” I said as I shuffled my way over to the table to try and hide from the seemingly unbothered AI.

  “You will be assigned gear based on your class selection. We have one hour to cover pertinent information and select your class. Once that hour is up, the safe room will dissolve, and you will begin your crawl,” Tiff said in a rushed tone from the other side of the metal table.

  “What do you mean, class selection? Is this like one of those Dungeons and Dragons’ games?” I asked jokingly. I still wasn’t sure what was going on here, but Tiff seemed to be an ally. Even if she wasn’t here to help me, she had given me no reason to fear that she meant me harm.

  “Dungeons? Yes. Dragons? We will have to wait and see, but it’s not out of the question,” Tiff answered without a hint of sarcasm. “Andrew, listen, we don’t have much time. Just think of me as a galactic social worker if that makes things easier for you. You’ve been put in a place against your will without knowing what you were getting into. I’m here to share information and help you get out of this dungeon in any way I can. I am now tied to you; your fate is my fate. I don’t have a choice any more than you do.” Tiff said as she hurriedly walked around the table toward me. “Andrew, the dungeon isn’t fair, but the universal council ensures that participants are assisted, at least somewhat. The Lacertines want to ensure the number of entrants are…limited,” she said with a weighted pause, “and that participants are eliminated as quickly as possible. The Council is mostly neutral, but they must put up a front of fairness and equality. Any planet that somehow manages to retain the rights of reaping will inherit citizenship and become part of the galactic free state in which they reside. This rarely happens, like once in the last several millennia, but the council loves to hedge their bets and wants to ensure they look like the good guys just in case.”

  Tiff started poking the air in front of her, seemingly oblivious to my still naked body, “The council instituted the Rule of Duplicity after the first Reaping. It states that for any boon, there must be a curse. Granted, this sounds bad, but before the rule, the seeding government would unleash chaos in the dungeon. It was utterly unfair to the participants and nearly always ensured that the seeding government would win the right to reap. Now, this doesn’t go for everything; items given to the participants by an outside entity invoke the rule of duplicity, along with some scarce loot,” she said.

  “Loot?” I asked, “Are you telling me I get free stuff? Is it like a shirt that says I got sucked into an interdimensional alien dungeon, and all I got was vast cosmic power?” I asked excitedly.

  Tiff stopped doing whatever she was doing in the air and looked at me, “Andrew, given the current circumstances, I am not sure why you would be excited over the possibility of…free stuff, as you put it. Loot will be available at some point, but right now, we have much larger concerns.

  “Are you serious?” I ask with contempt. “I don’t know, Tiff. Maybe—and just hear me out—if free stuff is being handed out, it might be possible for me to snag some damn pants!”

  “Nothing comes without a cost, Andrew,” Tiff remarked, shaking her head. “This principle is as true on Earth as it is throughout the universe. Loot can be acquired by defeating basic enemies, high-level elites, and boss Monsters. Eliminating other participants may also yield loot, but the Rule of Duplicity applies to such gains. This rule is complex; it often pertains to advantageous gear or items, yet there’s always a catch. Some drawbacks may appear trivial at first, while others can drastically hinder progress,” she explained. "In most cases, you will get a glimpse of the curse, a small description, or a hint. It won’t outright tell you what it is, but you can decide not to equip the item or put it in your inventory and lose out on both the boon and the curse. It can get tricky at higher levels.” Tiff frowned as she looked at me.

  “Okay, we need to get started with class selection, but first, let’s look at your base stats.” Tiff said, “I’m going to unlock your interface; after this, I will no longer have direct control over your interface or skill point allocation, so please consult me before making changes after level-ups or spending free points gained from gear.”

  As she spoke, I heard an audible “Pop” in my head. My knees got a little weak, and I staggered a bit.

  “Whoa,” I said shaking my head and rubbing my temple with my palm. “What was that? It felt like I was taking off in an airplane or something.”

  “Human brains have an immense capacity for upgrade. Think of it as giving a computer more RAM and an all-around hardware upgrade. Now, you’ll have access to the interface and be able to assign stat points. Your body will adjust based on assigned points. You will see physical changes, along with some… other changes,” she said.

  “Other changes?” I asked nervously.

  “I don’t have time to delve into the complexities of bio upgrades and wetware enhancements. For the moment, understand that your neural upgrades are the product of highly advanced technology provided to all participants. The scar behind your ear is evidence of this. The technology was embedded while you were unconscious. Attempting to explain this tech to you would be akin to explaining the internal combustion engine to a monkey. In short, you might as well think of it like magic or the Force,” she explained.

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  “So that’s where the scar came from then,” I said reaching up to finger the freshly scarred wound. “Also, did you just make a Star Wars reference?” I asked, astounded and somewhat impressed.

  “I’m a walking database,” Tiff said. “We downloaded your world’s internet using the seeds when they landed, so I understand cultural references. More importantly, I just explained that your brain was upgraded while you were unconscious, and the only part of the conversation that you grasped onto was a reference to a fifty-year-old movie,” She smirked.

  I shrugged in response, “ Nerds be nerding. Nothing else here even remotely makes sense to me, but Star Wars…that makes sense.”

  Tiff stares at me with judgmental eyes. “Moving on. Please focus on your interface. You should see your stats pop up if you desire to see them; it is a very intuitive interface.”

  Sure enough, as I started thinking about the word “Stats,” my interface popped up before me and showed my description and stats. “This is wild! It’s like I’m in a video game but in real life.”

  Name – Andrew Timothy Dawes

  Race – Human

  Level – P-1 – System note- Participant master level is an amalgam of individual stats and cannot advance until all individual stats have achieved 100% growth for that level.

  Class – N/A

  Stats—System note—Individual stats scale from 1 to 10 for each level. After leveling up, each base stat is capable of advancing beyond the participant’s master level, but the participant’s master level cannot advance until all base stats have achieved the new base level. Individual stats may grow incongruously based on the participant’s starting point and experience.

  Strength - P1- 80%

  Intelligence - P1- 73%

  Dexterity- P1- 91%

  Defense -P1 -76%

  “Whoah…what does this all mean?” I asked as I read off my stats to Tiff.

  “Interesting… Only one truly stands out,” she said. “The baseline for humans after initiation is seven across the board on average. You are a bit bigger than the average human, which explains the increased strength stat.” She looked me over as she spoke. “The dexterity is higher than I would have expected, though. Dexterity usually applies to agility, speed, accuracy, dodge, and the ability to utilize some two-handed weapons that aren’t commonly used. Are you left-handed?”

  “I thought you knew everything about me?” Making a joke that fell flat as Tiff just stared and waited for my response. “Yeah…actually, I am, but I’m also a little ambidextrous,” I said.

  I’d switch between my right and left hands, depending on what sport I was playing at the time. For baseball, I batted right-handed but used a left-handed glove; for basketball, I shot left-handed; and for golf, I shot right-handed. I was a nightmare for coaches. I was not truly ambidextrous but still had the ability to use both hands in certain scenarios.

  “That explains it,” she said. “Left-handed humanoids generally gain a point or two in dexterity, and being somewhat ambidextrous must account for the rest of the increase.” She said.

  “So, I guess I am level 1 then. What does the P stand for?” I asked.

  “P? is there a P before your level indicator?” Tiff asked, perking up at the question.

  “Yeah, it says I am level P1,” I replied.

  “That’s intriguing,” she said, tilting her head in contemplation. “I’m not equipped to fully elucidate that designator. It pertains to an overarching power limit. Those with active abilities seldom encounter a designator. I know of some P-rated individuals and have heard rumors of a few G-rated ones. However, I’m uncertain about these designators’ meaning or how many beings truly hold these designators. We might delve deeper into this subject later, but currently, more urgent matters demand our attention.”

  I continued to inspect the stats on my interface as she spoke, “I get all that but how do I level up these stats? Based on what the system is telling me I need to level up each individual stat before I can increase my base level. Is there some sort of tutorial? Where do I start? It looks like I’m not far from a level up already.”

  “Individual stats can be leveled up by training, fighting, and completing objectives. Strength for example can be leveled up by training or fighting, the same goes for defense. In a fight you will generally lean heavily on strength, dexterity and defense. The more you use each of them in a fight, the more they will grow. You may also be able to train for growth but growth through training will be limited. Think of training as a way to refine each stat and ensure that you see quality growth.” Tiff said.

  “So, I just need to fight? How does that make sense?” I asked, my voice pitching up at the sudden realization.

  “Yes and no. Combat will be a significant factor, particularly in the early stages. Consider defense; when battling an adversary, concentrating on enhancing your defense will result in growth in that statistic. Actions like blocking strikes and evading weapons and gunfire contribute to the development of that stat. However, it’s possible to improve several stats simultaneously. During combat, you will utilize strength, dexterity, and defense. You should observe growth in these stats by being effective and deliberate in your focus,” Tiff explained.

  “Okay, I think I get it. What about intelligence?” I asked, feeling better that my advancement wasn’t based solely on how many faces I could break.

  “Intelligence will grow through fights, especially large-scale battles, but it will mostly be affected by completing objectives. The System AI will analyze your plans and results, and reward XP accordingly based on your decision-making,” Tiff resumed her manipulation of the air, “At least we have a starting point; the challenges will only escalate from here, Andrew. We need to select a class now; once we do, the safe room will vanish, and the situation will intensify rapidly. Yet, if we manage to reach ship selection, we will have some downtime to further discuss your level designator.”

  “Ship?” I asked.

  “Oh yeah, did I not tell you? You are getting a spaceship.”