Danny and Zoe.


    Heads against each other, whispering like they were plotting something. Finally. My eyebrows shot up as Zoe grabbed Danny’s wrist, her fingers curling around it just enough to make my heart fucking soar. Was she…?


    Oh!


    She was!


    She was leading him toward the treeline. Victory.


    It’d taken her weeks, weeks of teasing, flirting, nudging, throwing herself at him on a silver platter, for this moment. Danny, bless his dense, lovable heart, was finally going along with it. Maybe he’d finally figured it out. Maybe she’d finally get what she wanted.


    I could already hear Emily’s told-you-so voice in my head. See, Luca? Patience pays off. She’s got this. And honestly? I was rooting for them. My girl deserved this win.


    But then, because the universe is a cruel and unforgiving place…


    Ryan fucking Mitchell noticed. He turned mid-sentence, his gaze snapping to them, and his grin widened like the smug shit he was. No. No. NO.


    “Hey!” he called, loud enough to send every single bird within a hundred meters scattering.


    Danny flinched. Zoe stiffened.


    My soul left my body. Ryan, what the actual fuck? Let them live. God, what a tool.


    Danny stopped dead, guilt written all over his face. Zoe, meanwhile, turned at a speed that would make a sniper jealous, eyes locked onto Ryan like she was about to murder him in broad daylight.


    I rubbed my temples. Ryan. My brother. My best friend. My literal partner-in-crime. Why are you like this?


    “Oh, come on, Ryan,” Zoe groaned, her voice dripping with I will set you on fire later. “We’ve been out here for hours. Can’t we take, like, a ten-minute break? I need some… air.”


    Air.


    Danny, still clueless, nodded way too earnestly. “Yeah, air.”


    I winced. Jesus Christ, Danny, don’t make it worse.


    Ryan, already insufferable, smirked. “Ohhh, is that what they’re calling it now?”


    And Joey, because he’s a traitor and lives for drama, fucking jumped in.


    “Yeah, totally. Air. Very believable. I, too, frequently wander into the woods for no particular reason at all.”


    Zoe shot him a death glare so sharp it should’ve counted as a combat skill. “Yes, Joey, fresh air. Not all of us want to sit around jerking off over tech schematics all day.”


    Ryan grinned, completely unbothered. “Well, save it for after we finish packing. I’m sure Danny can wait a few more minutes.”


    Danny made a sound that might have been actual pain. Hands up. Completely red-faced. “Fine, fine.”


    Zoe huffed, then stuck out her tongue at Ryan like she was twelve, but not before flashing one last, unfiltered, ‘I will ruin you’ glance.


    Goddamn.


    I stood at the edge of the clearing, watching the slow-motion wreckage of Zoe’s sex life in real time, biting back a grin. She was playing the long game. She’d win, eventually.


    But Ryan? Ryan was a menace.


    A walking, talking cockblock, radiating third-wheel energy so hard I was surprised he hadn’t been classified as an environmental hazard.


    And the worst part? I was pretty fucking sure he was doing it on purpose.


    <hr>


    Zoe’s mind wasn’t on the fire, or the mission, or even the goddamn alien signal. Her eyes flicked toward Danny, watching as he strapped down the last of the crates with practiced ease.


    She let out a dramatic sigh, stretching her arms above her head. “You know,” she said, voice light, teasing, “weird signals on alien planets? That’s usually the part where the horror movie music kicks in.”


    Danny smirked, not looking up as he yanked the strap tight. “Yeah? Who do you think bites it first?”


    Zoe tilted her head, pretending to consider. “Hmm. Joey’s the medic, so statistically? He’s got survivor energy.”


    Danny snorted. “And me?”


    “Oh, you?” She grinned. “Big guy like you? You’re making it to the final act for sure.”


    His hands stilled for half a second, and when he looked at her, his expression softened just a little. “And you?”


    Zoe rolled her eyes. “Obviously, I live. I’ve got the best reflexes.”


    Danny laughed, shaking his head. “Right, right. You’d be the badass taking out monsters left and right.”


    She waved a hand. “Exactly. And let’s be real, I’ve got an advantage.”


    Danny raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”


    Zoe smirked, leaning in just a little. “I’ve got you and your big warhammer to keep me safe.”


    Danny blinked, his brain clearly short-circuiting for a second before he let out a nervous chuckle. “Oh. Uh. Yeah, well, I guess that’s true. I mean… it’s got a lot of stopping power.”


    “Oh, I bet,” Zoe said, biting back a smirk.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Danny finally looked at her, something flickering in his eyes. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, finally, Zoe thought, but instead, he just reached out, squeezing her hand lightly.


    We’ll get there, Zo,” he said, voice low but sure. “Promise.”


    Zoe blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Her first instinct was to make a joke, to play it off. But instead, she let the moment settle, let herself feel the warmth of his hand against hers.


    She squeezed back. Just for a second. “Yeah,” she said quietly.


    And just like that, the moment passed.


    <hr>


    I watched them, my arms crossed, and tried not to laugh out loud. Zoe, ever the relentless force of nature, was finally getting somewhere. But damn it, Ryan, I thought, glaring at the idiot still yammering about pre-System tech. Just shut up and let them have their moment.


    The crew resumed their tasks, but the atmosphere had shifted. What had started as a routine wrap-up was now charged with tension and anticipation. I could see it in the way they moved, quicker, more alert, their earlier lightheartedness replaced with a sense of purpose. This wasn’t just another day. That signal was a game-changer, and we all knew it.


    As I secured the last of the crates, my eyes drifted to the dense, shadowed forest surrounding us, the trees towering and still, hiding God knows what beyond them. Portals. Beasts. System bullshit. And now? An unknown signal, pulsing like a goddamn invitation.


    “Alright,” I called out, raising my voice so everyone could hear. “We’re heading out as soon as we’re loaded. Gear up, stay sharp, and let’s see what’s waiting for us.”


    Danny grinned as he hoisted his equipment onto the Peregrine, clapping Joey on the back. “Guess we’re not done with target practice yet.”


    “More like jumping straight into the next level,” Joey replied, smirking. “Hope you brought your A-game.”


    Ryan flicked a switch, retracting the last of the survey equipment, and shot me his usual shit-eating grin. “Coordinates are locked, Cap. Satellites have the source pinpointed. Just say the word, and we’re off to poke the cosmic bear.”


    I exhaled, adjusting my rifle strap. “Let’s see what kind of trouble we’ve stirred up this time.”


    We climbed into the Peregrine, securing gear as the systems hummed to life. Normally, we’d take the Percival, the dropship would get us there faster, but we still had survey work to finish along the way. There were samples to collect, terrain to map, resources to tag. This wasn’t just about chasing some weird beacon, we had a planet to learn, and New Dawn wasn’t making it easy.


    The hum of the Peregrine’s systems came to life as the crew buckled in. The survey mission was officially behind us, but something bigger was waiting on the horizon.


    Emily leaned forward from her seat, eyes sharp, voice steady. “You sure about this, Luca?” There was concern there, but not hesitation. She knew me. She knew we were going, whether or not it was a good idea.


    “Not even a little,” I replied, giving her a crooked grin. “But we don’t have the luxury of sitting this one out. Whatever it is, we need to know.”


    <hr>


    Emily was sulking.


    And yeah, I got it. I really did. We’d changed everything. The moment we stepped through that first portal, we’d shifted the balance of this entire planet. Before, the wildlife had been wildlife. Just normal creatures, living normal lives in an ecosystem untouched by progression and stats and System interference. But now?


    Now everything was a mob.


    It wasn’t just us who were gaining XP. Every predator, every scavenger, every poor little alien bug was now considered a beast by the system, and they were leveling up, adapting, evolving.


    Ryan, the smug bastard, was thrilled about it. Emily? She was pouting.


    And that’s when we heard the thumps.


    Something landed on the roof. Then another. Then another. I stopped the Peregrine and stood up, heading to the monitors.


    Ryan turned, practically vibrating in his seat. “Oh, hell yes.”


    I sighed, already knowing where this was going. “What now?”


    A chirping trill sounded from above, followed by an eager chattering noise. Ryan was grinning like an idiot before he even checked the exterior cameras. "Oh, Luca," he said, far too excited for what was likely just some overgrown lizard. "You really wanna see this."


    I glanced at the camera feed. Jesus Christ.


    They were adorable.


    Little four-legged bastards, sleek bodies covered in iridescent, feathery scales, about the size of a wolf. They had big, bright eyes, massive hind legs built for speed, and long, curled tails that flicked back and forth as they perched on the Peregrine’s armor like curious birds.


    Zoe, of course, was already gushing.


    "Oh my God," she cooed, practically pressing her face against the glass. "Luca. Luca. Tell Ryan not to shoot them. Look at those little faces!"


    Ryan, already climbing up to the roof hatch, ignored her completely. "Zoe, they’re mobs. I’m absolutely shooting them."


    Zoe turned to me, wide-eyed. "Can''t I keep one?"


    I sighed. "No, Zoe. You can’t tame the wildlife."


    Before she could argue, I activated my new Inspect skill, my HUD flaring with fresh data:


    [Gale Strider] - Level 6


    Temperament: Cunning, Inquisitive, Opportunistic


    Pack behavior: Highly cooperative, coordinated pack hunters


    Description: Sleek quadrupeds with iridescent, feathery scales that shift in color. Large, bright eyes adapted for tracking movement. Powerful hind legs enable extreme bursts of speed and vertical leaps. Long, prehensile tails provide balance and limited grasping ability. Weigh around 30-35 kg.


    Habitat: Dense forests of New Dawn.


    Diet: Carnivorous, favoring fast-moving prey. Known to scavenge when food is scarce.


    Weakness: Fragile bones, high-speed impacts or concussive force can be fatal.


    Emily groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Of course they’re attacking us. Of course they are. No more natural behavior, no more working food chains, no more peace, just endless waves of XP, because somebody couldn''t keep it in his damn pants!"


    She shot me a look.


    I chose to ignore it mostly because I was not about to get into a whole argument while Ryan was unloading plasma rounds into the cutest damn monsters I’d ever seen.


    The moment he fired, all hell broke loose.


    The Peregrine bucked slightly as the little bastards scattered and swarmed, dozens of them leaping from the trees, their clawed feet scrabbling against the hull. A wave of them came bounding through the underbrush, their long tails whipping through the air, their eyes locking onto us.


    Danny, already out of the vehicle, laughed like a goddamn maniac, gripping his warhammer in both hands. "Oh, come on!" he called, gleeful. "You little guys think you can take me?"


    One of them lunged, and Danny just swung.


    Crunch.


    Then he activated Taunt: the effect was instant.


    The large pack of Gale Striders went still. Heads snapped toward Danny in eerie synchronization, their glowing amber eyes narrowing. Then, as one, they charged.


    Ryan, watching from above, groaned. "Oh, come on. That’s not fair."


    Danny just grinned as the first wave slammed into him. Their claws skittered uselessly against his heavy armor, their teeth barely making a dent. Meanwhile, his warhammer was a blur, sending them flying in all directions.


    Zoe, still pouting, sighed dramatically. "Poor babies."


    Ryan fired a few quick plasma shots, the high-pitched whine of his rifle cutting through the air. One of the critters yelped, flipping midair before hitting the ground. Zoe shot Ryan a glare of pure betrayal.


    Joey, leaning against the window, pinched the bridge of his nose. "Guys," he muttered, his voice low and exasperated, "Chris is still in the med pod. Can we try to be quiet while he’s recovering?"


    Danny bodyslammed one of the Striders. Another got its tail stepped on. Ryan took three more shots, and Zoe was still dramatically mourning for their cuteness.


    Yeah. This was not a quiet battle.


    [+0 XP]


    [+138 Credits]


    Level disparity was real.


    <hr>


    Emily? Still pouting.


    I wasn’t sure what was more frustrating, the fact that she was blaming me for the entire ecological shift of an entire goddamn planet, or the fact that I desperately needed some TLC.


    I ran a hand down my face, exhaling slowly.


    This was fine. Everything was fine.


    Except for the fact that we hadn’t had a single moment alone since the system activated, and Emily was pissed at me, and I was on the verge of losing my goddamn mind because nowhere was safe enough to sneak off and blow off some steam. Too many goddamned portals and now we had the wildlife to contend with.


    No more sneaky makeouts. No more stripping off armor and getting lost in each other out in the trees.


    Nothing but 0 XP and mobs and Ryan ruining everything.


    I turned my head slightly, watching Emily out of the corner of my eye. Her arms were crossed, her jaw was tight, and her gaze was locked firmly on the battlefield of adorable chaos outside.


    She caught me looking-