Introduction: Ruined streets stretch for miles, overrun by abominations drawn to any scrap of hope. Wren has kept his settlement alive with scavenged rations and a System that rewards every desperate fight with only a little bit of power. His ash-forged weapons buy time, but the walls around him are cracking, and supplies run thin.When a rumor surfaces about a half-collapsed fortress on the city鈥檚 edge, Wren takes a gamble. If he can band survivors together, clear out the monsters within, and rig a working water source, they鈥檒l stand a chance at building something permanent. But forging alliances in a starving world is as dangerous as the beasts beyond the gate.Each day, his System tallies kills and hands out minuscule skill gains. Each day, the enemy seems to evolve faster than he levels. If he can鈥檛 strengthen both his ash-summoning abilities and the fortress鈥檚 defenses, the survivors won't make it.The apocalypse has no mercy, only those with the will have a future beyond the ash....