I rummaged through the storage shed with the seriousness of someone who's about to fight for their life. Because that's exactly what I'm doing.

  Even though I wanted to earn money using my class, my plan from the start wasn't to sit back in luxury and let the plot of the game take over my life so I needed to be proactive the moment that I am able to.

  I needed to level up, stop my future from happening, and then help the protagonists of the game beat the Etters and save the light house.

  Or at least that's the general gist of it, there's still a good chance that I become the fourth boss of the game just like in canon. If I knew more about how I become the Queen of Misery Swamp then maybe I could prevent it but I don't so the best I can do is prepare for the worst.

  Which is why I'm planning on hunting an Aberrant Crayfish. Or multiple of them rather.

  What are they? Well they're gigantic crayfish that roam around the deeper areas of the swamp, most of them are only the size of an adult human but a good portion get big enough to chop trees with their claws. A few dozen get large enough that they can tackle a tree and split it in half even.

  Most people wouldn't even bother going to their territory, let alone think of actively hunting one but I can't afford to be like most people. I need to kill a lot of Aberrant Crayfish to level up.

  The sooner I reach level 10 the quicker I get my upgraded system and when I do, I'll work on my magic and then head to the deepest parts of the swamp and get a few important items, level up, and maybe solve the dungeon issue plaguing my future.

  "What are you doing with all that rope?" My mom was suddenly at the doorway, looking at me like I had grown a second head. "Are you sure you can pay for all of that? I know you're eager to use your class but do it in moderation okay Rontress?"

  "Yep! I'm just... Gonna use it to tie a few things together." Such as a goldberg machine that'll keep a crustacean four to ten times my size in place and crush its head like a watermelon. You know, normal people stuff. "Nothing much!"

  In most other realities, possibly one that isn't as messed up as this one, parents would naturally be concerned that their 8 year old child is grabbing a lot of rope as well as a freaking machete from their storage but my mom?

  She just shrugged and walked away!

  It was perfect. I love it!

  After grabbing anything I will possibly need– fishing lines, fishing hooks, a bola that my brother once used, and even a hand-me down spear from our dad. – I walked to the living room looking like some kind of miniature angler. I even had the clothes to match!

  My mom raised an eyebrow when she looked at me, clearly skeptical. "Rontress. I understand your enthusiasm for using your class but I cannot stress this enough–" her voice turned stern. "– can you pay for all of that?"

  "Yep! I'm gonna catch an Aberrant Crayfish!" Why did I admit this openly when I know that those things are like the boogeymen of this place? It's because I wanted to see her reaction, I also wanted reassurance in the future.

  Atterson blinked once, twice, she looked at me like she usually did when I spouted my occasional and unhinged random idea. Then she... Nodded. Though her eyes had narrowed and she was clearly concerned, I feared for the worst when she suddenly let out a sigh.

  "Fine. You can go and try to hunt an Aberrant Crayfish." She said in the same tone parents would use when giving their children permission to play hopscotch with their friends. "Your brother and father will come look for you if you're not back by evening."

  "Okay! I'll be on the eastern side of the pier! Tell them that!" That's exactly what I was going for when I gave her my plan, I wanted dad and Howaph to eventually come to me just in case I somehow mess this up.

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

  Also, I find it weird that my mom just lets me do whatever and even went as far as to let me go to the pier on my own, this has always been the case for me even as a child.

  Well, I guess I have proved to be trustworthy but still! A parent who hasn't been desensitized by death would know that letting their child come to the more criminal parts of their village– their words, not mine. – is a bad idea.

  I left our house and moved across the village carrying all my stuff like it's weightless, that's the power of the system for you. Doing this attracted the attention of a few passerbys and some of them even approached me.

  "Kid, what are you planning on doing with all those... Oh, it's just you. Good luck?" That was not how everyone said it but it basically carried the same energy of how they spoke to me after seeing my face.

  Soon, I reached the pier.

  It is this giant, decrepit artificial landmass of rotting wood, it once acted as the bridge between Flotol and dry land, with a path connecting us to Ghorise but since it took a lot of money– and lives, Aberrant Crayfish territory is way too close so no one wanted to guard it after some time. – to maintain, Aldalama's father, the previous chief, decided that it wasn't worth the effort and left the project to quite literally rot.

  How the pier got built in the first place can be answered with one simple word: Mages.

  See, at some point, the Haromago– also known as Ifera's, the main villainess of the game, family. – wanted to use the leylines in the swamp and sought to build a miniature Light Academy in our lands but quickly stopped once they realized that the place is ridden with too many monsters.

  Crayfish breed a lot after all, and most of the Aberrant Crayfish in Misery Swamp don't actually come from eggs that other Aberrant Crayfish lay– admittedly, the largest ones do. – but from the ones that float down here instead.

  Regular crayfish upstream get carried to these waters and they mutate because of the leyline underneath the earth, creating Flotol's biggest nightmare.

  I can't hate the fact that the crayfish are a good source of exp though.

  Back to the pier, this place isn't as lifeless as one might think. There are people here— squatters who built their houses on top unoccupied land but people nevertheless!

  And yeah, calling the tarps and sticks "houses" is a bit of a stretch but it protects them from the elements and sometimes even the rain so it can be described as a "house" technically speaking.

  I've talked with some of these guys, even went as far as to give them food that I got from the church. You know, the stale ones that cannot be fed to the people because it's either infested with insects or mold.

  Instead of throwing those away like I was tasked, I ran here and gave them to the people of the pier. I did it three more times in secret before I got found out and when I did I– along with several other acolytes. – got encouraged to start giving food here.

  Safe to say, I have a neat little reputation around here.

  I can safely walk into the pier and then back out without getting hurt. I even know a guy! They say he's insane and he forgot his name so I call him Wardcruncha since he was chewing on something that's rumored to be a magical necklace when we first met!

  I checked, the necklace wasn't magical. I let him keep it.

  Oh, and here he is now!

  "Heya Ward!" I waved and the man approaching me stopped, he tilted his head, his body language inquisitive.

  "Little Rontress? Lassie? I didn't know you were visiting! What's going on with all of that?.." He slowly pointed at me, confused. "You uh, okay?"

  "Yep! I got my class! I'm a [Trapper] now so I'm gonna catch an Aberrant Crayfish!" I said enthusiastically, hoping he'll accompany me maybe? I'd love an extra pair of hands!

  Instead he just nodded like what I said was normal. "I guess you can do that, yeah. Good luck!"

  What the fuck? Aren't Aberrant Crayfish known to be dangerous?! He should be saying I shouldn't do it and that our argument ends with him becoming my aid!

  Instead of saying what's on my mind, I only chuckled. "I know I can! I'll bring you some of its meat once I kill it!"

  "I'll look forward to it, little Rontress!" He grinned and then walked away. Weirdo. No wonder people call him crazy, seriously, who lets a little girl walk to Aberrant Crayfish territory?

  With a scowl I barely hid, I started walking towards the path that leads to my destination. The lifeless pool. And also many other names.

  The pier isn't safe, especially the paths that aren't frequented by the people living here. With the wood that makes it up having been torn to pieces by all sorts of creatures.

  Despite it leading to aberrant territory, the path that I'm walking on is one that's been maintained over the years so it's still intact.

  It's not done because of some altruistic reason like giving the people of the pier a home or something like that, rather it's because every winter, Aberrant Crayfish sleep and that's the perfect time to hunt them down and cull their numbers.

  I think the Haromagos also sponsor some mercenaries to go here too, for fear that Ghorise would be overrun by these things if they are allowed to increase their population.

  "I wonder if they can pay me to hunt aberrants for them?" I said thoughtfully before shaking the idea away. "Nah, I don't want to meet Ifera this early."