Chapter 9: The Pierrot
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Gates.
They were dimensional portals that led to another place entirely, one that did not belong to Earth itself. Some people called them Dungeons. Others referred to them as Domains. The true nature of their existence, however, remained unclear and mysterious at best.
Not even Riven had completely figured out what they truly were. He held a few theories of his own. One of the strongest was that Gates might be fragments of destroyed worlds. The monsters that poured out of them could be invaders seeking to conquer Earth and claim it as their new home by wiping out the dominant human population.
Given how the Cosmic Monarch known as the Abyssal Gaze had once destroyed entire planets, it was possible that the original worlds of these creatures had been eradicated in a similar fashion long ago.
Still, that remained pure speculation. Riven had never entered a Gate before. This would be his very first time.
Just as he prepared to step forward, a desperate voice rang out nearby.
"Please give me a second chance!"
Riven paused and turned. He saw a young girl dressed in bright, colorful clothes kneeling on the muddy ground. Tears streamed down her face as she begged the members of what seemed to be her former party.
They dismissed her without mercy.
"Your Authority is way too crappy, Daniela."
"I’m done carrying a useless clown like you around."
"B-But it was thanks to me that you obtained that sword!" she cried.
"This?" The leader of the group, a young man with short black hair, sneered and held up the blade. "Yeah. Consider this your payback for all the investment we made in you."
Riven narrowed his eyes as he studied the green-haired girl. She did not look older than fifteen. She was still just a child. She wore a colorful dress that resembled the outfit of a female jester, complete with a cute, mismatched hat. Light makeup covered her face, giving her the appearance of a small clown.
"B-But I cannot keep leveling if somebody doesn’t help me..." she sobbed. "My Class is all about support...!"
"And your support is terrible, bitch!" The other woman in the group kicked her hard in the face.
"Auuh!" The little clown girl cried out as fresh tears mixed with her makeup and ran down her cheeks. "P-Please..."
"Stop bothering us! We’re done!" the leader snapped. He spat on her head and turned to walk away.
The surrounding Hunters watched the scene in silence. None of them intervened. After a few moments they simply returned to their own business, leaving the girl alone in the mud. She continued to cry pathetically while blood dripped from her nose.
"Hah..." Riven sighed and rolled his eyes.
She reminded him strongly of his sister. The sister he had known in his second life.
"Hey. I think you forgot something," he called out.
The leader of the party looked back in confusion. A moment later a massive fist slammed into his face.
BAAAM!
"G-Gaahaaa?!"
The man vomited blood. Several of his teeth flew into the air as he collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
The other two party members stared in shock, their mouths hanging open.
"W-Wha...! Who the fuck are you?!" the woman hissed. She raised her staff and fired a series of spells. Fireballs and thunderbolts struck Riven’s body one after another.
Riven walked past her without slowing down and casually slapped her across the face. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
The final member of the party was a large, muscular tank who had stood by and done nothing the entire time. He took a nervous step backward.
"Once they wake up, tell them the Claymore family did it," Riven said calmly. He patted the man’s shoulder and continued walking.
"A-Ahh! Claymore...?" the tank gasped. He quickly scooped up his two fallen allies and ran off in a panic. "You fools, who the hell did you manage to enrage?!"
Riven was not the type who enjoyed getting involved in other people’s business. Even so, he could not simply stand by and watch a child being abused right in front of him.
More importantly, there was her Class.
"Are you a Pierrot Class? Your Authority must be the Court Jester, correct?"
"E-Eh?" The girl was still struggling to process what she had just witnessed. A huge, powerful-looking man had knocked out her entire party and told them to leave without a second thought.
Riven approached her without hesitation and offered a potion he had purchased earlier with some of his limited savings.
"Drink this. You look terrible. Clean your face and stand up. This is no way for an Awakened to act."
"T-Thanks... w-who are you?" she asked in a small voice.
"Name’s Riven Claymore."
"C-Claymore?!"
Her voice rang so loudly that several nearby Hunters turned to stare. Word that a member of the Claymore family was present spread quickly.
Riven sighed. For a brief moment he considered simply walking away and leaving her there. Yet the potential value of her Class and Skills was too great to ignore. He would not mind if she joined him.
"Don’t scream," he said firmly.
"S-Sorry..." she apologized. She drank the potion and watched as her injuries healed. "Thank you... But why...?"
"I already asked you a question," Riven replied, crossing his arms.
"Y-Yes sir! I have the... the Pierrot Class..." she answered quickly. "And... yes, my Authority is the Court Jester."
Court Jester was a nameless Authority of the lowest rank. The Classes that could be unlocked under it were Pierrot, Mime, and Juggler. Among those three, Pierrot was known for possessing the highest Luck growth of any Class in existence.
The problem was that their overall stats remained extremely low, which made them nearly useless in direct combat. That was true only if the user had a poor build and no proper support.
In this girl, Riven saw an opportunity he could not afford to miss.
"Good. Come with me. Join my party."
"W... What?!"
Daniela screamed again. Riven quickly covered her mouth with one hand.
"I said stop screaming..."
"S-Sorry..." she mumbled once he removed his hand. She nodded several times. "Y-You really mean it?!"
"Yes. What are your Skills?"
"My... skills?"
Showing another person one’s Status was considered a serious taboo among many Hunters. It revealed an Awakened’s greatest secrets. Despite that, Daniela displayed hers without hesitation.
Riven examined the information carefully.
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[Name]: [Daniela Mendoza]
[Age]: [14]
[Race]: [Human]
[Title]: [None]
[Hunter Rank]: [D-Rank (Official)]
[Class]: [Pierrot – Level 16]
[Talent]: [???-Rank – Golden Roulette]
[Authorities]
{Lesser Authority of the Court Jester}
[Increases Luck Growth by 500%, decreases all other Stat Growths Except Agility and Charm by 90%.]
[Core Stats]
[Vitality]: [150]
[Mana]: [100]
[Strength]: [110]
[Endurance]: [50]
[Intelligence]: [110]
[Agility]: [200]
[Luck]: [3,500]
[Charm]: [300]
[Class Skills]
[Dice Thrust – Level 3]
[Clowny Charm – Level 5]
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"Golden Roulette...!"
Riven recalled a memory from the first life he had lived in this world. Among the richest Hunters who did not belong to his family was a man who had once awakened as a Pierrot and possessed the exact same Talent. Through pure luck, rare item drops, and careful investments, that man had eventually built a massive business empire of his own.
It was said that he later obtained a special Class Advancement Book and awakened the Jester King Class. That event revealed the hidden truth: the Court Jester Authority could evolve into the "Mad Illusionist," the power of the god Loki himself.
Without realizing it, Daniela had been blessed by that same god.
Loki, however, was a deity who enjoyed watching his chosen "children" suffer and become the object of laughter. He rarely revealed his true face. Only the luckiest and most hardworking individuals ever earned the privilege of awakening his full Authority.
"If I want to overthrow these bastards, I need more money, more resources, and more items..." Riven thought. "Her Luck stat is so high that she can practically manipulate probability itself. I’ll make sure she stays with me until I create a Guild of my own."
Riven nodded. "Good enough. Let’s go."
"Y-You sure?!" Daniela asked nervously. "Am I not useless?"
"You’re thirteen levels above me, so I think you’re more than alright," Riven replied with a small smile.
Although her other stats were quite low compared to his own, her Luck Stat was immense. He needed that Luck. As long as she remained by his side, and with his own x10,000 Multiplier active, the possibilities for rare drops and opportunities were almost endless.
"Let’s go. Hurry. I’ll protect you."
"Huh? Really? Okay!"
Daniela still looked confused, but she awkwardly followed him toward the Gate.
As the two of them passed through the shimmering portal, a bright light enveloped their bodies.
In the next moment, Riven and Daniela stepped into a world of dark, winding caverns. Faintly glowing colorful crystals hung from the ceiling, providing the only source of light. The air was damp and cold. Visibility was poor. The caverns stretched out in every direction like an endless labyrinth.
[You have entered the D Rank Gate "Dark Cave Labyrinth"]
[This Gate is divided into Three Floors. You are currently on the First Floor. To enter the subsequent Floors, please find the Stairs leading deeper.]
[Warning: Every Floor has a D+ Rank Roaming Boss. Large parties for your assured survival are advised. Wandering alone is not recommended.]
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