Sneak Preview: Chapter 1 of Amelia: The Level Zero Hero

Synopsis:

Ten years ago, Amelia woke up alone and lost in a dangerous world with magic and monsters where she had to fight for her survival.

After ten years of fighting the void itself, she has reached the pinnacle of power and saved the world. And now, she has finally found her way to civilization— now, she can finally rest. But right as she begins to doze off, a blue screen flashes before her, jolting her awake.

[You have now reached Level 1!]

Wait, what?

[System error: unable to complete level up. You are not eligible for a Class.]

…wait, what?

Chapter 1:

“After ten thousand years, I have finally awoken. After ten thousand years, it is time for my revenge.”

An ethereal voice echoed down the lonely road at the stroke of midnight. It was followed by a cacophony of footsteps— the rattling of a thousand bones. An army marched down the gravel path as two figures led the way.

The first figure was adorned in an empurpled cloak. One that was torn short at its edges yet still dragged on the earth. A crown rested atop his head— a relatively distinct feature. But it was his skull of a face that drew the most attention.

“The great [Hero] Leon’s seal has been undone. The world shall tremble beneath my feet. All shall know my name. All shall suffer from my wrath.”

Two baleful red wisps of flame burned in his eye sockets, containing his fury. He spread his arm wide, and the army of skeletons behind him took a thunderous step forward all at once.

“Praise be, Lich King Ar’etith,” the second figure said.

He was the only living person amongst this sea of undead. A human man with raven-black hair and pupil-less eyes. He bowed as Ar’elith faced him approvingly.

“You did well heralding my return, Zolan. I shall ensure you are rewarded when my conquest is over.”

“It was my pleasure, my King.”

“Now onwards, my minions,” Ar’elith bellowed. “Bring this world to ruin—”

“Uh, excuse me,” a voice interrupted him.

Ar’elith’s flaming eyes flickered. He glanced down as a young woman stood just ahead of him. She was dressed in dirtied rags and had a rusty sword on her back. The Lich King stared at her quizzically.

“Skeleton people, huh? Well, it’s not the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen…” the girl murmured. She shrugged to herself and faced Ar’elith. “Whatever. Do you know the way to the nearest town?”

“Who is this?” Ar’elith stared at her uncertainly. He would’ve killed her right that instant, but she looked unusually calm despite his presence. In fact, she somehow even looked a little bored…

He quickly appraised her in case this was a trap, but the results proved otherwise.

[Human - Level 0]

“I just got here and I’m tired,” she continued. “I’ve been through… let’s say I’ve been through a lot.”

“Just a foolish girl, then,” Ar’elith snorted even with no lungs.

Zolan nodded. “Spare not your worries, my King. I shall deal with her.”

“Deal with it quickly.”

“Yes, Lich King Ar’elith.”

Stepping forward, the human man drew a rapier and aimed at the girl. He vanished mid-step and appeared next to her. As that happened, the Lich King turned his attention back to his army. He had other more important matters to attend to. For example, it was said that a [Hero] apparently existed in this day and age, one that could rival even the great [Hero] Leon’s strength back during Ar’elith’s time. It was a concern— one that he needed to be assuaged.

Ar’elith looked back when he heard a thud hit the ground. “Now, Zolan, tell me more about this new [Hero]—” he started.

And the Lich King paused. He stared, the flames in his eyes dimming as Zolan, his steward, lay in a puddle of blood. Standing next to him, the girl stood with her rusty sword drawn to the side. She wore the same bored expression on her face— just a tad bit more annoyed now.

“What…?”  Ar’elith tried to parse what he was seeing. Was his steward just killed by this Level 0 girl? That couldn’t be right…

Yet, the girl just looked at him expectantly. Almost mockingly. “I’m just lost, man. I don’t care about your revenge or whatever evil plot you have to take over the world. If you can’t help me, I’ll be on my way, alright?”

A trick. Ar’elith balled his skeletal hands into fists as he realized what had happened. She had used some sort of artifact to disguise her level. This had been a trick from the very start. The Lich King straightened and grew in size, looming over her as she stared up at him. His cloak lifted off the ground, barely fitting his body now as his burning eyes blazed into giant spheres of flame.

“Do you not know who I am, girl?” His voice boomed as the trees shook before rapidly decaying into dust.

“No, I actually don’t—”

A thin layer of sleet spread across the gravel road, and a thunder cracked in the distance. “I brought the Valeri Empire to its knees. I fought the great [Hero] Leon to a standstill. The world itself trembled at my name as I brought nations to ruin in my path of destruction.”

“...so you’re not going to help me, then?” she said flatly.

He brought his staff into the air. Dark clouds gathered above, and a misty aura coalesced at the staff’s crystalline tip.

“I am the Lich King Ar’elith! A puny girl like you is nothing to me!”

He swung his staff at her. A storm of ice and lightning blasted her way as her eyes flickered. The spell crackled, lighting up the night.

And she slashed up. The clouds parted. The lightning dissipated. The ice coating the road cracked. The Lich King tried to work his jaw, but it literally dropped to the ground with a clatter. His skeleton army perished, crumbling to dust as Ar’elith struggle to keep his hands up.

“W-what?” Once again, he tried to parse what was happening, but it was hard when his vision was slowly splitting in two. He collapsed, having been cut in perfect halves. His bones began to rapidly decompose as the girl just lowered her blade. “But I am the Lich King— a Level 75 [Archmage of Death]… how did a Level 0 girl like you…?”

“A Level 75 [Archmage of Death]?" She stared at the bones as they decayed to dust. "Are you stupid? Do you think this is a video game or something?” But she didn't get an answer.

And just like that, Lich King Ar’elith’s vengeance was ground to a halt only an hour after it began.

“...but I’m still lost,” Amelia sighed. “This sucks.”

—--

First person I met since arriving in this world, and he turned out to be some insane idiot trying to kill me. That was annoying, but at least he was weak and easy to deal with. The biggest problem here was the fact that I was still lost.

Still, I wasn’t too bothered about that fact. I was… content. After ten years, I had finally escaped from the Fractured Lands. Every single passing moment in that desolate nightmare was a battle of life and death.

That was why I wasn’t bothered by these minor inconveniences— in comparison to what I had been through, getting lost was nothing.

“Although, are there even any cities in this world?” I wondered aloud, sheathing my sword.

This world could be completely barren for all I knew. Maybe it was nothing like Earth with its sprawling cities and advanced technology. It might even only be inhabited only by undead.

I glanced back towards a corpse lying on the side of the road. The dead body of the black-haired man who attacked me. He looked human enough, but perhaps he was a zombie of sorts. I walked up to him and kicked his body over. I stared at his pale face, twisted in pain.

“Nope— definitely human.” I bent over and began searching through his corpse. My hands brushed over a leather pouch, and there was a jingle. I opened it. “Coins?”

There were a hundred silver coins inside. A handful of gold coins, too. I slung it onto my belt, shrugging. I had been hoping to find a map or compass of sorts, but coins were good enough. Having searched the rest of the corpse, I found nothing else of use and drew back.

“This road has to lead somewhere,” I said as I cast my gaze down the gravel path. With that, I leapt into the air.

I casually jumped up, soaring above the clouds. I surveyed the landscape as I hovered in the sky, crossing a dozen miles in a moment. I shook my head.

“Nothing,” I sighed.

I landed lightly back on the gravel ground, before leaping forward again. I surveyed the landscape once more, propelling myself high and far like a slingshot. There were still no signs of life anywhere.

This continued on for some time until I began to really wonder if this world was actually empty. Maybe I had just killed the only other living things— or undead things— around. If that was the case, then I was alone now… again.

I was considering just returning to the Fractured Lands when I finally caught a glimpse of something other than the endless forests and trees in the distance. Just before the horizon, there was the vague outline of a town. One that was faintly luminescent, lit up by torchlight. A wall girdled its perimeters with armed guards patrolling its gates. Humans, fortunately. Not skeletons.

I descended just a hundred feet before the town’s gates, and one of the guards perked up. He raised his spear, pointing it in my direction as I emerged from the shadows.

“Who goes there?”

I eyed the weapon, noting the primitive technology in comparison to Earth. I had already suspected this would be the case. But it was good to have some confirmation.

“Just a weary traveler,” I said as I stepped forward. “I’m looking for a place to stay for the night.”

The guard raised a brow at me, looking me up and down. Slowly, he lowered his weapon. “An adventurer? Just show me your adventurer’s badge and you can come right on in for free—” He paused for a moment. Then he narrowed his eyes. “Although… why is your level at…?”

Didn’t the Lich King talk about my level too? I frowned. I found that particularly odd. However, I decided against questioning it at the moment. For now, rest.

“Sorry, but I’m not an adventurer,” I replied honestly.

He scratched at his chin. “You’re not? You certainly look the part.”

“Maybe she’s trying out for the Adventurer’s Guild,” a second guard said with a shrug. He turned to me, shaking his head. “You should be more careful though— there are safer ways to get a Class than going out at night. It’s dangerous around these parts. There’s also been an increase in monster-activity over the last few weeks.”

I gave him an apologetic look. “Right, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The first guard ushered me forward, raising a hand. “Well, the entry fee is five silver for non-adventurers. A bit pricey, but we usually just get merchants who can afford it. If you don’t have the coin, we could—”

I reached for my pouch, producing a handful of coins. “It’s fine. Here.”

He blinked and stared at the money. “How do you…?”

I just met his gaze with a polite smile. Slowly, he nodded and accepted the five silver coins.

“Open the gates!” he called out.

There was a heavy metallic groan. I could hear the turning of chains as they began to raise the gates of the city. As I waited for the portcullis to be fully lifted, the second guard sidled up next to me.

“If you really want to become an adventurer, just hit up the Adventurer’s Guild. They can train you to get a Class without risking your life out there.”

“Are there?” I tapped a finger on my chin. “I guess I’ll have to check that out tomorrow. For now, do you know where I can find an inn?”

The second guard nodded and gestured down to the left. “I think you can find a few that’s still open by market street.”

“Thank you.” I nodded at him, and he bade me farewell. With that, I entered the city.

Adventurers, Classes, and levels, huh? There were a lot of things I already had to look into, and I’d just arrived here. I also needed to figure out how to survive in this world. Obviously, I needed money, so I needed a job of sorts. For now, I still had some coins, so I resolved myself to figuring these things out when I woke up tomorrow.

I found an inn shortly after. It was well-past midnight, so the main hall was mostly empty barring the innkeeper. I paid her ten silver coins to stay for the rest of the week and headed up to my room. I locked the door shut behind me, taking a step forward—

And promptly sank into the bed.

“Ugh… this is nice.”

It had been so long since I’d lain in a bed, I almost forgot what it was like. The Fractured Lands had been a broken plane of floating rocks and torn space. There were no beds to sleep in— no shelter to rest. And even if I wanted to sleep on the cold, hard ground, I couldn’t.

There had been no moment of respite in that chaotic world. The moment I dozed off, I’d be hounded by a horde of ferocious, clamoring voidbeasts. I couldn’t sleep, because if I did, I would never wake up.

But now? I was finally free from that nightmare. I could finally rest.

My eyes fluttered shut as ten years of sleep-deprivation crept over me— the darkness so warm and inviting. But right as I began to doze off, there was a bright flash of light, followed by a loud ringing sound.

I jolted awake, standing at a blue screen hovering before my eyes.

[Ding! You have reached level 1!]

“What?” I blinked as I took in this ethereal projection. “I have reached… Level 1?”

I stared at it with wide eyes, parsing what it meant. I raised a hand over the blue screen, unsure if this was a dream or if it were real, and it flashed again.

[You can now choose a Class—]

But this time, before the words even finished appearing, the screen flickered. Then it flashed red, and big bold words replaced the text on the screen.

[SYSTEM ERROR: 

LEVEL UP REJECTED!

You are not eligible for a Class.]

“...what?” I looked at the red screen. My eyes glazed over the bold letters.

There was an error. Something went wrong. I took this in, mind whirling—

And I turned over in bed, sighing.

“I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

I fell asleep soon after.

Author's Notes:

I have been developing this idea after failing to properly develop Nova as an idea. If you liked Nova, well get fucked, Nova will never continue because I can't get the idea down. In its stead, you will have Amelia! The Level Zero Hero!

Let me know what you think about it! Below, I'll even have a poll in case you're too lazy to leave a comment. And if you do really enjoy it, leave a like on the patreon post so I know that you guys extra like it!

No spoilers from any other my stories in this post.