The Long Climb

Book One: Below F

The Long Climb

Everyone starts somewhere. Marco starts below the recommendation.

Marco Hale Awakens at Level 1 with G potential, below-average stats, and an official recommendation to stay out of dungeons. Then a recovery contractor offers him the only dungeon job willing to take him: hauling monster remains through Zone 0 under armed escort. His Common trait preserves fractions of progress that should disappear, and Salvage finds value in what stronger delvers leave behind. In Blackridge's young, improvised dungeon industry, thousands of small gains may be the only path Marco can afford.

Published chapters
34
Current length
88k words
Setting
Blackridge, West Virginia
Start reading → Read as one page

Contents

Book One

Part 1

The Awakening

Marco's hopes for Awakening meet the quiet reality of G potential and System Rank G.
  1. Chapter 1 The Number on the Screen 13 min
  2. Chapter 2 Below the Recommendation 11 min
  3. Chapter 3 Ordinary Work 11 min

Part 2

The Only Job Available

The Ridge offers Marco work, but not the kind of dungeon career he imagined.
  1. Chapter 4 Hard Hat Country 14 min
  2. Chapter 5 Zone Zero 16 min
  3. Chapter 6 Not on the Sketch 7 min
  4. Chapter 7 What Counts as Safe 14 min

Part 3

Foundation

Exhausting repetition begins producing improvements almost too small to notice.
  1. Chapter 8 The Decimal 10 min
  2. Chapter 9 Under Load 22 min

Part 4

The Bow

A used compound bow turns poor aptitude into a long practice measured in tiny gains.
  1. Chapter 10 Old Limbs, New String 13 min
  2. Chapter 11 Paper Circles 13 min
  3. Chapter 12 Past the Line 15 min
  4. Chapter 13 Three Arrows 14 min

Part 5

Salvage

Marco learns that wasting slightly less can matter when every dollar counts.
  1. Chapter 14 The Parts Left Behind 9 min
  2. Chapter 15 Twenty Dollars 10 min
  3. Chapter 16 Clean Cuts 10 min
  4. Chapter 17 Seventy-Three Forty 10 min

Part 6

First Public Dungeon Run

Careful preparation meets the unglamorous economics of a low-grade public dungeon outing.
  1. Chapter 18 The Yellow Card 16 min
  2. Chapter 19 Dry Creek 12 min
  3. Chapter 20 Planned Retreat 13 min
  4. Chapter 21 Thirty-Four Dollars 8 min

Part 7

Marco Finds His Niche

Overlooked monsters and resources begin to add up to a workable path.
  1. Chapter 22 The Cheap Places 10 min
  2. Chapter 23 Seven Small Wins 10 min
  3. Chapter 24 What Other People Leave 11 min
  4. Chapter 25 Consistency 12 min

Part 8

First Serious Danger

A routine system fails, leaving Marco outmatched and dependent on preparation and teamwork.
  1. Chapter 26 The Wrong Tracks 11 min
  2. Chapter 27 The Barrier Light 11 min
  3. Chapter 28 Hold the Choke 11 min
  4. Chapter 29 Incident Report 10 min

Part 9

Aftermath

Modest recognition arrives alongside a clearer understanding of the work's cost.
  1. Chapter 30 Restricted Duty 9 min
  2. Chapter 31 The Cost of Courage 11 min
  3. Chapter 32 Back Underground 10 min

Part 10

The First Step

Marco reaches System Rank F and makes it usable as the bottom rung of professional delving.
  1. Chapter 33 The Field Review 13 min
  2. Chapter 34 Bottom of the Ladder 10 min