《The fractured origin》


 Chapter 0: The calm before the storm

    Two black eyes sprung open, as the young 13 years old, Ethan, jumped out of the bed in freight. He just couldn¡¯t get used to the dream of him floating endlessly in a dark and endless void filled with colliding energies and colors. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath, got up from his bed and started his day.


    At the apartment¡¯s kitchen, Sarah and John Tesher are already making sandwiches for their three children Ethan, Zoe and Lily, who are getting ready for school.


    Sarah was a black haired woman with decent looks on her person, although she''s around 36, Time did her justice, she didn¡¯t lose an inch of her prime height and her feature only gained feminine with interest as time went by.


    John also had a black hair, but if one would exaggerate, It won¡¯t be crazy to say that a blue tint could somewhat be described as his hair color.


    The three descendants all had black hair and the weird color tint in brows, irises and hair could be noticed, differently on each, Zoe had a bit of reddish tone, Lily had a blue tone like John, Ethan was an anomaly, his color of hair his was medically checked but the black blue hair color that could only be described as starless night sky came out normal.


    ¡°We remind you, get full score on today''s test and we shall get you that game console you asked for, get even less than an A and your sister goes on a shopping spree¡± John smiles devilishly at his son.


    A good competition was always welcomed, John and Sarah believed everything should be taken and given in moderation, the sweet and the bitter - they would of course give him the game console if he gets a decent score, and Lily''s shopping''s has been on the to do list for a while, but a strict facade and a bit of hyping seemed to be effective tools to direct a child¡¯s motivation to a greater cause.


    _____


    At class, Ethan was sitting on his usual table, he wasn''t at a bad place socially speaking, it was just that his social battery lifespan was not on the long side of the scales. Thus, a good place at the back of the class was his pick.


    He dove right in as the teacher allowed the test to begin. He answered and breezed through the questions, he was doing fine, time was more than sufficient. But, he got stuck at the last three which were multiple choice questions - the options were all just too probable. As he was about to accept the dark fate of going to a family shopping spree managed by his sister, her head peeked through the class¡¯s glass window.


    Knowing where he sits, she brazenly stuck a tongue out and fled the crime scene, ¡®Dirty tricks! Coming all the way here while she is supposed to have a class now¡¯ Ethan sighs exasperated by the poor attempt to make him lose focus.


    Ethan had seen enough of his sister''s etiquette to know her game. The tongue taunt, the sudden disappearance¡ªshe wanted him rattled. Instead, he leaned back, closed his eyes, and let his gut guide him through the test. One by one, the answers fell into place. ''The teacher likes to trip us up with plausible options... the real answer is usually simple,'' he mused, eyeing his choice with quiet confidence.


    With the class more than half empty, surrounded by unmanned tables, he decided to ignore it all and focus. He was about to pick the 3 answers as the sound of the squeaking chair pushed back, and a friend stood up to submit his test.


    Time became a bit tight, and he did not want to be beaten by his sister, but he must put it to lady luck''s hand. It is unknown if it was determination, dejection or stubbornness but a weird sense filled him, he felt as if he could walk down his memories and pick major and recent memories easily.


    He didn''t find it noteworthy while the situation took place, but a clear mental image of the study time came to mind as 2 of the last three questions were picked, filing it away in his mind with an ease that others might call photographic.


    He struggled to create this moment of clarity once more, But he failed and couldn¡¯t remember the right answer. He picked a random answer for the last question.


    ___


    Flash forward, it''s now 2019.


    Ethan, now 18 years old, rose up from his chair another successful gaming session.


    His hair color somewhat dialed down to a more black tone, not that he cared for that.


    He got the game console his folks promised even though he scored ¡®only¡¯ 97 on that test, but they were kind enough. He is now a sworn fan of the fantasy and adventure genre.


    Something about the unknown and fantastical views, conquering and traveling around non existing planes and worlds gave him a sense of escapism and achievement that living a regular daily routine couldn''t fulfill within him. Yet, he knew better, too many videos are bad for his eyes, at least, so his parents claim. ¡®Well, it has time to move that¡¯ body he thought to himself.


    Two hours later he is at the gym, workout is at its peak. On his earphone instead of the usual and commonly hyping remixes and motivational songs, an audio book, something about a good story and a loveable yet a snarky main character trying to conquer his demons and other worlds was more motivating for him.


    The thought of his main character getting stronger as he sprawled lazily on the couch left a bitter taste in his mouth.


    In the corner of his eyes, some guy¡¯s grip on a bar was slipping, his elbows shaking as the bar hovered dangerously close to his chest. Ethan¡¯s mind registered it all in a second, ¡®too much weight, poor form, no spotter¡¯. Without hesitation, he was there, steadying the bar before a disaster struck.


    Ethan was not a big gym shark, heck he was running solo, improvising and just worked out for a good feeling, his diet was far from being complementary to build up an imposing physique.


    ¡®Probably should¡¯ve skipped that burger,¡¯ Ethan thought as he adjusted his shirt after the post workout craving in the food court by the gym. A faint tug of guilt creeping in. But then again, why should he? The whole idea of being told what he could or couldn¡¯t eat never sat right with him¡ªit was almost instinctual, a rebellion he couldn¡¯t quite explain. Prohibitions just hit a spot that was hard to scratch off, deep down, it felt like an echo of something ancient, something ingrained in his very being. ¡®Moderation, right?¡¯ He shook the thought away, letting his old folk¡¯s education drown away his childish needs.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ___


    By 2021, as a global epidemic reshaped the world, society fractured under the weight of economic collapse and uncertainty. For Ethan, however, it was a golden age of escapism.


    At 23, he found himself in a surreal reality where staying home was encouraged, and compensation from the government meant he could indulge guilt-free in a lifestyle of ???? pledged geek.


    With no pressing obligations, Ethan dove deeper into fantasy than ever before. Video games, novels, audiobooks and anime ¡ªeach medium became a gateway to sprawling worlds, daring heroes, and limitless possibilities. The lines between entertainment and obsession blurred as the genre transformed from a simple interest into a full-blown love affair. If the world outside was crumbling, Ethan would lose himself in stories where anything could be rebuilt.


    ____


    It''s now 2023, The world was plunged into chaos as two countries declared war on each other. One of the participating countries is a big player in the industrial global game and manufacturing of many technological components for many countries.


    With the damage to that country piling up the world is shaken and enemies become friends, and the dependency of countries on one another in certain fields becomes hard to miss, and unwanted.


    It seems that the man who claimed that ¡°my enemy¡¯s enemy is my friend¡± was too on-point as the new world order is about to realize itself, but some people are not a big fan of changes - more wars break.


    Ethan and his family like many others are indirectly part of the conflict. Their country was waged war on and missile attacks on population is now a fair game, the global organizations lost all control and cant enact justice, some even claim they underhandedly let steam compressed for 70 years of cold wars and status quo to be let out.


    One day in a family car ride, driving the car, Ethan tries to release some of the cramped up knowledge he gained from studying too much, maybe this will ignite his family likes to his kink for tech.


    He decided to share a concern, "There is another breakthrough with A.I, if this thing will get any more functional, only manual labor will have a proper income¡±.


    ¡°You are overreacting, machines will never replace Humans¡± his mom nonchalantly waved her hand as silence haunts the car once more - ironically, because they were all using smartphones, busy with reading or watching videos.


    His father and older sister nodding in the reverse mirror to Sarah defending the hyper progressing technology, only Lily, the youngest sister understood what he said, her eyes who were looking at the back of his head felt his worry. The young generation born with technology in their hands felt the dynamic movement of the tech field and their technical knowledge is not to scoff at, annoying as they may be.


    ¡°So come on mom, entertain me, give me an alternative job offer¡± Ethan riddles his mom¡¯s a tough one, the same one he asked for who knows how many times.


    ¡°Doctor, or something with good social clauses in the employment contract¡± she answers waving her hand dismissively.


    ¡°You still go for the classics, the study course that requires either tons of money or insanely hard to get in, and the second option, really, so specific, what would I do without your pearls of wisdom¡± he clapped the free hand on the wheel.


    This snarky remark earned him a thwack, classically changing subject she turns to her phone to avoid this conversation.


    ¡®Far fetched option alright¡¯ he continued driving.


    A missile alarm then heard out, the loud horns creating a mess on the highway. Cars cutting lanes left and right haphazardly, trying to park on the side of the road.


    the car in front suddenly crashes the one ahead of it. ¡®not a good thinker under stress I take it¡¯ Ethan manages to sneak yet another snarky thought as time seems to stop and he manages an impossible maneuver to avoid a chain car accident.


    Too engrossed In the still sounding alarm, the car is parked at the side of the road and the family all laid down on the ground alongside the other users of the road. Luckily the missile was too far or managed to get shot down while airborne by the defence systems.


    grown into a quick-thinking, reliable figure within his family. His sharp wit and calm demeanor in moments of crisis made him someone they could lean on. While his two sisters were visibly shaken by the incident, their father remained stoic, trying to project strength. But it was Ethan and his mother who truly anchored the family in such moments, their calm, analytical gazes scanning the scene for the next move, they were ready for everything.


    The world around them seemed to mirror the chaos of the highway. Global systems were cracking under the weight of war, technological advancement, and societal shifts. Ethan, ever the thinker, couldn''t help but draw parallels to the complex algorithms he studied¡ªsystems meant to solve problems but often creating new ones in their wake. The lines between fiction and reality blurred as his mind wandered.


    This was the new normal: a world on edge, where missile alarms were as common as smartphone notifications, and survival often hinged on quick decisions and quiet resilience. For Ethan, it was more than just a moment to endure; it was a reminder of the importance of adaptability and family in a rapidly changing world. The strange intersection of technology, conflict, and human connection felt almost like the stories he loved so much¡ªa world-building exercise that felt too real, too close, and too important to ignore.


    __


    By 2027, the world had become a shadow of its former self¡ªa tapestry of scars that refused to heal. Six long years of relentless conflict and upheaval had shredded the fabric of global society. The social order teetered on the edge of collapse, with economies shattered beyond recognition and industrial infrastructures rusted into barely functioning firms. A.I. and technology had grown far beyond their creators¡¯ expectations, replacing human hands with cold, efficient coding, nitty gritty art jobs, and even multiple medical field certified doctors were replaced by mechanical arms that needed no operator. Jobs, once a measure of dignity and purpose, had either vanished or devolved into token roles, insufficient to sustain even a modest existence.


    Curiously, alcohol¡ªa relic of human indulgence¡ªremained the one daily expense that grew cheaper. Untouched by corporate monopolies and embraced as society¡¯s balm for despair, it became a bitter symbol of the collective descent. For many, it wasn¡¯t just a drink¡ªit was a refuge, a fleeting escape from the encroaching tides of an unrecognizable future.


    But the cracks in the facade had grown too deep. The status quo, stretched and strained for decades, was bound to shatter. There was no avoiding it. Winds of change howled across the planet, cold and merciless, carrying with them the echoes of an impending reckoning.


    And so, the planet braced itself¡ªunknowingly, unwillingly¡ªfor a twist of fate that would rewrite its destiny. The fragile balance of a broken world was about to tip, not gently, but violently, forever altering the course of humanity¡¯s existence. No warning would be heeded, no preparation would be enough. What loomed on the horizon wasn¡¯t salvation, but a storm. A storm that would sweep away the old world, leaving only those strong¡ªor cunning¡ªenough to carve out a place in the new.

 chapter 1

    It''s late 2027.


    The sun falls down once more on a typical everyday modern city view with golden orange hues coloring the horizon. The lights of the day break, giving the stage for the darkness of the night to take over its place.


    "Oh great, lost track of time again," Ethan stood up abruptly, picking up his bag and packing his laptop and books, he left his favorite desk in the library.


    The desk had a nice view of the city, just the perfect spot that allowed a clear view of the skies between two complimentary designed apartment buildings.


    Narrowing his eyes and with a slight confusion on his tired face after a whole day of hyper-focusing he notices that it looked like the sun was trying to set but stayed in the same place as night took over simultaneously, but the moon was nowhere to be seen.


    "Is the sunset supposed to have such exaggerated colors?" he asked himself out loud, in awe of the blue hue that turned the golden orange of the sky just a bit purplish.


    Looking around nervously, he passed through the infamous area of his hometown. He pressed his fist tighter on the straps of his bag as he picked up the pace.


    "If I miss today''s dinner as well, getting mugged won¡¯t even be the scariest thing happening because of me coming back late..."


    Arriving home, he saw everyone already around the table and comically froze.


    With a scary gaze, his mother - Sarah breaks the awkward moment of silence, "At least you¡¯re consistent. I dare you not to succeed in the entry test if you¡¯re not planning to come on time" she warned, half-jokingly - this was the weekly family dinner.


    "Dude, you literally live at the library. Might as well just pitch a tent there," Zoe said, scrolling through her phone with a smirk. "Though, I guess the Wi-Fi''s probably better there."


    Ethan scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, well, at least the library doesn''t come with your constant commentary. I''ll admit, the peace and quiet would be a welcome change before finals. This last few years are not really a student ideal study environment ¨C pandemics, wars, political meltdowns... it''s like the world''s trying to speedrun its own destruction."


    Lily, never one to miss a chance helping her sister to roast her brother, raised an eyebrow. "Geek, who does a speedrun? Are you 15?"


    "Stop now, not while we eat, please. Cut it out" Sarah warned, the hard work really grinding her gears.


    "You are doing the dishes because of that fashionable delay..." John, the three siblings¡¯ father, decreed with a voice that left no doubt he was just throwing responsibility like an Olympic disk hurler.


    "Okay, okay, no need to go for the new blood in the table, how was the shift, mom?¡± Ethan asked and sat down in front of a waiting empty plate ¡°Sales as if the world ends tomorrow again?" Ethan tried to break the ice of the conversation.


    "Can you blame anyone? The situation is so tense around with everything that¡¯s happening. The only thing missing is gangs and robbers plainly going outside and attacking people" John answered.


    ¡°With prices skyrocketing every two days, it feels like hiding stolen items between paid items is not different from the theft being done on us¡± Ethan stated dejectedly, "another day in¡ª"


    "Paradise?" The sisters completed Ethan''s usual overused catchphrase, already well-versed in it, nodding at the perfect sync with a childish high-five.


    As dinner came to an end, a knock at the door.


    Everyone sent a wary look as Ethan approached, looking through the little peephole on the door.


    With a ¡®shoo¡¯-ing gesture of his hand, he sent everyone to their daily evening routine and opened the door.


    ¡°Hadn¡¯t you been from the building next door, I would have been pissed off at you for going out so late,¡± Ethan scolded theatrically.


    ¡°A thing that would not have happened if a friend would not have called me over after a few months of only texting at the last moment¡­¡± Liam rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I most definitely¡­ remembered you were coming today¡­¡± and safe, Ethan thumbed up himself.


    Liam looked at Ethan, rolling his eyes. ¡°Pop a cold one, or I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    A few moments later, the laughter of the two could be heard from the balcony between the hollow thumps of beer bottles lowered onto a glass table.


    Ethan leaned back, stretching his legs across the floor. ¡°Is it just me, or does the sunset look... weird? Like it¡¯s stuck. And what¡¯s with the color? Golden-purple? It¡¯s like god plays with his new filters¡±


    Liam followed Ethan¡¯s gaze and snorted. ¡°Weird sunsets are just what we need. Next thing you know, aliens are gonna pop out of the sky. Let¡¯s officially make this century the worst one yet.¡±


    Ethan shook his head, smirking. ¡°Classic red flag, dude. You¡¯ve cursed us all. Great job.¡±


    Liam raised his bottle mockingly. ¡°To doom and gloom!¡±


    ¡°To your big mouth,¡± Ethan quipped, clinking his bottle against Liam¡¯s with a faint chuckle.


    Liam took another swig of his beer and tilted his head. ¡°Hey, here¡¯s something I don¡¯t get. Why is booze always cheap? Everything else¡ªcars, groceries, even toothpaste¡ªcosts a fortune, but alcohol? It¡¯s like they¡¯re begging us to drink ourselves into a stupor.¡±


    Ethan let out a short laugh, the kind that didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°Cheap drinks for expensive problems. Keep the masses calm while the world burns, right? It¡¯s practically humanitarian.¡±


    Liam raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s... dark, even for you.¡±


    Ethan shrugged, rolling the bottle between his palms. ¡°Makes sense, though. A bottle¡¯s cheaper than a shrink and easier to find than hope. Even the guy on the corner with holes in his shoes can drown his day for a few bucks.¡±


    The laughter faded between them. Liam¡¯s gaze drifted toward the cityscape beyond the balcony.


    ¡°What about you? You ever crack one open for that?¡± he asked, hesitantly.


    Ethan¡¯s lips twitched, but the grin didn¡¯t come. ¡°Nah. I¡¯m too stubborn. Besides, my mom still needs me to be her personal comic relief. Someone¡¯s gotta make bad jokes while we¡¯re all treading water.¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t respond, but the silence between them carried its own weight.


    At home, only his mom and sister awaited. His father had caught a nasty lung disease working in a factory; he didn¡¯t make it. Now, his family struggled to make the factory cough up some money to breathe.


    The battery of lawyers wasn¡¯t something a common populace could deal with. Also, with the corruption of the insurance company over the last few years, there is no hope in sight.


    ¡°Look at you, you studied so much you are now¡ª¡± Liam¡¯s words were cut off mid-sentence.


    At that moment, as if a punch went straight to his chest, it went through and reached a plane he didn¡¯t know existed in him, Ethan recoiled back in his seat.


    A weird sensation of otherworldly scrutinizing and judgmental eye peered into his soul.


    [Ding! Analysis finished, Bloodline Detected - A spark of unknown origin(Uncommon)]


    And without notice, he felt as if thrown back to reality.


    ¡°Liam, did you just¡­¡± Ethan asked skeptically.


    ¡°Yes, what the¡­.¡± He didn¡¯t even manage to reply as a holographic screen appeared before Ethan.


    [Ding! This is an announcement to all living creatures on this plane.


    The threads of creation have shifted, and the hour of reckoning is at hand. The Seven Layers converge, their fractured echoes resonating as one. The Trial of Ascension begins anew¡ªan ancient rite for the forsaken, the flawed, and the forgotten.


    For millennia, exiled races have wandered their mortal prisons, stripped of divinity, abandoned by their creators. Now, the cosmos demands an answer: will you rise above the ashes of failure, or will you be consumed by the flames of eternal obscurity?Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Earth, the outermost layer of existence, is chosen. The cosmic stage is set. Mana flows freely, rewriting the essence of your world. From this moment, you are not alone. Races long buried in myth, beasts born of chaos, and gods whose names have faded into whispers shall walk among you.


    The system shall observe and record. No hand shall guide you, no mercy shall temper its judgment. The strong will ascend; the weak will be cast aside. This is not salvation. This is not punishment. This is a decree for a new order.


    3 minutes until dimensional convergence.


    Prepare for the great expansion. Your place in the hierarchy is yours to claim¡ªor to get forgotten in the sands of time.]


    Shocked by the still floating holographic screen, Ethan checked to see if there was one in front of Liam and saw him staring dumbly at the air.


    ¡°Everyone, quick! Come with me!¡± Ethan suddenly called out.


    A sense of collective confusion and panic palpably painted the house.


    ¡°I hate to say it, but this feels like the start of every end-of-the-world story ever. Guess my bad jokes finally caught up with me,¡± he quipped, attempting to lighten the mood amidst the chaos.


    The eyes boring holes in him made it clear, it was a role 1, critical failure.


    Picking up his phone the screen was black, the back of the phone looked like the batteries about to explode, with a quick check all phones and more complex batteries, electric systems and power sources looked like they were in the same state.


    The crude and more simplistic old school batteries seemed more durable to whatever wave of energy caused this weird deformation of the electronic devices, it was Validated by looking at his survival like crude digital watch and a random food weight.


    As an earthquake began, increasing in intensity by the second Ethan picked up to backpacks. Staying on the sixth floor while in an active earthquake felt like the more dubious choice.


    five of the biggest knives, deodorants, bug killer spray, water bottles, a few cans, and lighters were thrown into the two. Locking the door they went out, picking the staircase over the elevator while an earthquake takes place is but the obvious course of action.


    A few more quick-witted people joined them as the gradual earthquake worsened. What felt like the collapse of the building came down on their heads. Floor by floor, they felt the concrete skies falling above them, and a deafening crash echoed from the walls all over them, this was the elevators falling from great heights, panic increased.


    ¡®Damn it, We gotta go faster. What can I do?¡¯ Ethan tried to calculate the situation he was in, followed by his family and Liam.


    All of a sudden, he felt the building quake worsening by the moment.


    The crumbling staircase groaned under the weight of panicked residents, the air thick with dust and the screams of those trapped above. Ethan, his mind reeling from the System''s announcement and the collapsing building, stumbled forward, his family close behind. He reached a gap where the stairs had crumbled away, leaving a precarious path across a narrow beam.


    Liam, always the quicker one, took the lead. He didn''t hesitate, scrambling across the beam with a desperate urgency. But as he reached the other side, the beam splintered and gave way, leaving a chasm between him and Ethan.


    "Liam!" Ethan yelled, his voice barely audible above the din. But Liam didn''t look back. His eyes were wide with fear, his face pale, and he disappeared into the swirling dust and debris.


    Ethan felt a surge of anger and betrayal. His childhood friend, the one he''d shared countless hours with, had abandoned them without a second thought. He looked back at his family, their faces etched with fear and uncertainty. He couldn''t let Liam''s cowardice dictate their fate.


    He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves, deep down he knew what his friend was thinking, his family must be in the same situation, if not worse. Focusing back on his situation, he had to find a way across. His eyes darted around, searching for an alternative route, a hidden passage, anything that would allow them to escape this crumbling death trap.


    Furiously looking around, all but a jump that will be impossible for his parents to make was in his view. All of a sudden a sharp pain came from his torso, he knew from descriptions and common knowledge it was a sign for heart attack but, it was not his body that was aching it was something else, something different.


    Ethan¡¯s vision blurred, his balance lost, and his mind was in turmoil.


    The world seemed to tilt, the groaning staircase echoing the nausea rising in Ethan''s throat. He crumpled to his knees. The weight of the collapsing building pressing down on him, not just physically, but as a suffocating dread that threatened to crush his spirit. A searing pain tore through his skull, a blinding agony that eclipsed any injury he''d ever known. It was as if his very consciousness was being ripped apart, leaving him stranded in a maelstrom of suffering.


    His mother fell to her knees beside him, her care for her child and the ability to completely ignore the situation around them earning her both gazes of jealousy and disapproval for doing it in the middle of a collapsing stairwell, as the calmer people in the crowd showed a look of respect and sympathy, almost as if accepting their faith.


    A flicker of defiance lit up in Ethan seeing a tear form in his mother¡¯s eye, urging him to help his family, but his body wouldn¡¯t listen. Even registering his environment felt like a mountainous task.


    As the stairwell was struggling to hold its integrity, screaming people, assuming chaos and increasing panic - in front of a debatable gap between the staircases, a young man on his knees holding his chest as if his heart was about to explode.


    In his head the voice of the unknown system fighting against something from within, a feeling like an extremely violent meeting between two businessmen takes place.


    [Ding: mutation detected, initiating reassessment] the cold and robotic system sounded in his head , the system window which was blue turning black in front of his fleeting moment of clear visibility.


    ¡®It spoke? The color is changing?¡¯ he managed to slip in a thought before the next sting of pain


    The rings of the system kept on hitting like hammers, muffled and shuffled words took place in a manner he couldn¡¯t disregard as a conversation, he felt like two maddened businessmen arguing, shouting in his ears.


    Weirdly enough it was the system that felt submissive, not the unknown feeling from his being.


    Then, without warning, like a mountain that was pressed down his frontal brain was lifted, his eyes sprang open, and he felt a surge of focus and strength like never before.


    Although it felt like long minutes passed for Ethan, for the people present in the stairwell a less than a minute went by not that he noticed or cared.


    Springing into action he looked around, then he noticed that he was in a state he could never miss, he was hyper focusing to a degree he never reached before, every detail, every sound, every brush of wind on his face was palpable, everything became unforgettable.


    Looking around for the brittle spot of a broken handrail, he gripped it and toppled it down with great force. Creating an improvised ladder, his family and the rest to keep on descending the stairs, 5 seconds later, a great weakness took over, noticed by his father he helped him move forward.


    Among all the panic and confusion the thoughts about all the people from the peripheral parts of the building falling or crushed to death haunted the escaping people filling them with guilt and dread, heck, who knows how many around the world are dying for not acting in time running from buildings, planes, moving cars, what happens in the seas?


    As countless thoughts ran through everyones¡¯ mind, they sprinted down and left the building.


    Taking his family in toe, in a relative open clearing outside the now crumbled building.


    His sisters bursted out crying, unable to grasp the situation.


    His folks confused darting their heads all over for a safe haven for their children.


    Ethan snapped out of it. The chains of confusion and weakening he felt disappearing, startling his family, he took control of the situation, ¡°We need a low safe place, a ground floor apartment would be idle. We need to lay low, lock ourselves in a safe place, let this whole collapsing world situation calm down and regroup!¡±


    ¡°You are right! The private houses are that way¡± his father, John was the first to slap himself awake from the shock.


    ¡°The collapsing of the building, the earthquake, we can only assume that the expansion the message of the black screen was telling us about is taking place already. You all saw it right?¡±.


    ¡°Black? Mine is blue.¡± His mom corrects him, ¡°my too¡± , ¡°here as well¡±, and soon his family pointed out a glaring difference that he had no time to address.


    ¡°I meant to say blue, I''m not focused, I guess¡± Ethan states, extremely unconvincingly, but what could they do? The world still shakes around them.


    ¡°That means we have to be extremely aware of the surroundings, from slight rumbles to the ground cracking open, let''s move¡± Ethan calls out trying to change the subject.


    adding mental note he pondered as they moved onward, ¡®the system also mentioned monsters and other races. We could only be wishful in hoping it will be later on or at least, in a gradual and fair manner for the people of earth¡­the last thing we need is a damn minotaur casually walking around all of a sudden¡¯.


    As they navigated the debris-strewn streets, Ethan''s gaze snagged on a familiar sight ¨C Liam''s apartment building. The lower floors, where Liam''s family resided, seemed relatively unscathed, a stark contrast to the surrounding devastation. A pang of guilt twisted in Ethan''s gut. Despite Liam''s escape, he understood his familial reasoning. He hoped they had managed to escape the chaos. But there was no time to dwell on it now; his own family needed him. He pushed the thought aside and focused on the path ahead.


    The world around them was a maelstrom of destruction. Buildings groaned and crumbled, the ground buckled and split, revealing gaping chasms. The very earth seemed to be stretching and expanding beneath their feet, making their progress feel like an endless uphill battle.


    Amidst the chaos, a flash of movement caught Ethan''s eye. He squinted, focusing on three figures scrambling through the debris ¨C Liam, his mother, and his younger sister. They were heading in the opposite direction, their faces etched with panic.


    "Liam!" Ethan shouted, his voice barely a whisper against the cacophony of collapsing structures and terrified screams. But Liam didn''t react. He either didn''t hear Ethan over the din or was choosing to ignore him, his focus solely on escaping the chaos. The uncertainty regarding what option is real left a bitter taste filled Ethan''s mouth.

 Chapter 2

    Leaving it to time to decide how this will evolve, they move forward.


    The scene around is one of chaos and destruction, buildings collapsing, ground breaks open, and running on the expanding landmasses makes it feel like running on a treadmill.


    In the midst of horror and disorder, mountains and fantastical terrains came to be as if the tectonic layer had 5 more earths packed tightly in it waiting to show themselves.


    ¡®A terrifying and marvelous indeed, It almost makes me excited¡¯ Ethan snuck a grin.


    Cold and hot winds changed by the seconds as if the earth¡¯s A.C went wild, making the once short trip to the close-by neighborhood, into a roller coaster of emotions and conflicting sensations.


    With the private houses in sight, one last push is needed, however one man¡¯s plan is but a cruel god¡¯s joke.


    The sound of millions of glasses shattering echoed across the world as circular portals manifested in the sky. Through their hazy, glass-like surfaces, glimpses of fantastical worlds came into view. Anchored to the horizon, the portals move around in sync with the planet''s expansion. The system''s prompt had been all too accurate.


    ¡°Expect everything, we might have visitors¡± Ethan gave his exhausted family a heads up ¡°Lets push through we are almost there!¡±.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Ethan suddenly shouts a few minutes later.


    ¡®But why would fate stop a completely good joke?¡¯ Ethan looks dumbfoundedly on a wolf almost his height, ruffled bloodied gray fur and two yet-to-close scars around his neck, casually exiting the nearby alleyway blocking their path.


    ¡®Quick, Ethan think!¡¯ he yelled at himself.


    Going back to years of video gaming and novel reading, ¡®inspect¡­?¡¯ Ethan focused on the wolf and tried to pull a classic mental command.


    A second later a new screen appears in front of Ethan¡¯s face, with mental command the screen moved aside to not hide the wolf.


    [Ding!


    Name: Exiled dire wolf


    Level: 3


    Description: A wild wolf of great height and solid physic.]


    ¡®Truly unbelievable, why cant you be level 1 slime?!¡¯ Ethan asks himself mentally, half terrified, half exasperated. ¡®Jokes a side, seems like years of games and being a fan of the genre might comes to fruition, let¡¯s hope I''m not a side character¡¯


    Taking the bug killer spray on his left hand and a 45 cm curved steak knife on his right hand from his bag tossing it a side, he takes an improvised fighting stance.


    ¡°Please step aside, I¡¯ll take the honor of the first dance, whenever you can just run to that house entrance over there, and stay low, I¡¯ll join you soon¡± he smiles and points to a house as he adds to himself in his mind, ¡®hopefully¡¯.


    ¡°We shall not leave¡± his mom demands, surprised by how lightly Ethan takes this encounter, ¡®Was he expecting that?¡¯.


    ¡°I need you to leave because if it will target one of you, I¡¯ll be at loss and would have to change a plan I have in mind¡± Ethan declared as if he had a plan - he didn¡¯t, fighting for his family was a nice concept, not a good plan though.


    Reluctantly they use the time window he made for them to slip as he kept on taunting the wolf, ¡°Fleas bag, come and be my first blood¡± his eyes turned angrier it¡¯s like he felt the meaning of the words.


    ¡®The least I should expect from a magic wolf coming from a space rift..¡¯ he murmured letting the wolf act first, ¡®one thing for certain, angry beasts act rashly¡¯.


    And as he expected a full power straight charge initiated by the wolf, right into a condensed cloud of bug spray cloud. spraying until the very last moment Ethan gave a side roll that would not shame the finest of soul games players.


    Not giving the already wounded wolf a moment to grab his bearings, a knife slices the neck of a whizzing closed eyed wolf at speed Ethan didn¡¯t know he can reach. Unable to even give a final death stare to its prey, it limps down, the wolf¡¯s fire flickering from his tearing eyes until it dims.


    [Ding!  level 3, Exiled dire wolf was defeated]


    [Ding! level up! Level 2, 2 points available]


    [Ding! bloody start achievement unlocked - killing an enemy less than a minute after the world


    awakens.]


    ¡®So the emergence of the new monsters was the starting shot, noted¡¯ Ethan stated to himself.


    White orb suddenly manifested by the wolf¡¯s chest, approaching it he picked it up as it took the form of a ring.


    It looked like a worn out metal circle the size of a bracelet with claw marks on it.


    ¡®...inspect?¡¯ he murmurs


    [Ding!


    Name: Old ring


    Rank: common


    Description: A ring that was once a property of a humanoid creature lost in the woods]


    ¡®Wow¡­what kind of humanoid creature is big enough to wear this as a ring?¡¯ This whole interaction threw him into shock, he almost forgot about the family reunion. So many questions popped up in his mind.


    As Ethan ran to the house he called his family to wait by, he tried his luck, ¡®so random voice, a mysterious system, RPG like game setting, and monsters that drop loot appear on earth - did something just MMORPG-ed earth?!¡¯ Ethan asked, hoping he got the gist of it right as he power walked to his family¡¯s location.


    When he arrived at the entrance of the ground level private home he directed his family to, he met his family, ¡°All bark, no bite..¡± he tried to laugh off the encounter he had been through earning him looks of disbelief and worry.


    At the moment of awkward silence, overthinking his own geeky monologues a coin dropped, ¡®No¡­do tell me! No! Status¡¯ Ethan calls mentally.


    The system pops up a new window he saw in video games, he was correct. Black background and pink-ish white text screen came to be with a title on the upper part of the frame, it said ¡®fractured protocol¡¯.


    [Ding!


    Name: Ethan Tesher


    Class: None


    Level: 2


    Race: Human


    Stats:


    Strength: 5 (+2)


    Constitution: 5 (+2)


    Agility: 6 (+2)


    Mind: 8 (+2)


    Charisma: 6 (+2)


    Free point: 2


    Skills:


    - none


    Bloodlines & talents:


    - a spark of unknown origin (rare)


    A bloodline originating from ???, with the potential to ???, capable of ??? beyond limits.


    Talent 1:  guided by ???


    Allows the user to use the ??? of the ??? to guide the user to a preferred and optimal outcome, based on duration and amount of guidance it receives, there shall be a weakening period after use.


    Talent 2:   ???


    ???


    Talent 3: ???


    Achievement:


    - Bloody start - rare:


    Killing an enemy at the first minute of the world awakening.


    Buff: +2 to all stats]


    Flashbacks from the collapsing staircase popped up in Ethan''s mind about the system messages. The weird power up, the hyper focus state, his sense of dizziness he felt, reading his bloodline clause gave him a vague understanding of how things came to be as they are, ¡®Mutation detected? Bloodline? Talent?¡¯.


    Ethan stops moving, unable to fully process the situation he mutters ¡°Holy mother of¡­.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ethan?¡± his mom responds as he looks at the air.


    ¡°Nothing, I was thinking out loud¡± Ethan shook his head.


    ¡°We need to head in first. It¡¯s not safe out here¡±, Finding a low area of the fence, Ethan jumped over and opened the garden door from the inside. ¡®Never trusted these ground-floor houses¡­¡¯ he grumbled.


    Looking around nervously, Lily asked cautiously, ¡°Is this really the right thing to do? That¡¯s someone¡¯s house¡±


    The rest of the family looked torn between their will to survive and the moral weight of what would have been a crime just thirty minutes ago.


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s wait in a clear, see-through, glass-windowed lobby. It¡¯s a public place, after all,¡± Ethan quipped sarcastically. ¡°Next wolf is on you, though¡±


    Lily shuddered and dropped her gaze, choosing to follow silently.


    ¡°I hope someone¡¯s inside. It¡¯ll make me feel less like a burglar, too¡± Ethan said, attempting to cheer up his family¡¯s conscience.


    He crouched low, hidden by a wall. ¡®Let¡¯s try the polite way first¡¯, he thought, knocking on the balcony door. The curtain and plastic blinds were tightly closed.


    ¡°Anyone in there? We come in peace. I know what¡¯s happening, and I¡¯m willing to share what I know if you open the blinds and let us hide inside,¡± he called out, taking a blind shot at gaining trust in case of the house owner present.


    Even his family didn¡¯t stay indifferent to his comment, their eyes silently screaming: ¡®Do you really?!¡¯


    ¡°Last chance before I brute-force my way in. I don¡¯t want to harm the blinds or become your enemy,¡± Ethan warned, gripping a solid, wide-bladed knife from the bag. He prepared to use it as leverage to pry the blinds open with his family¡¯s help if needed.


    ¡°Seems like we need to bru¡ª¡± Ethan began, turning to address his father, but a voice interrupted him.


    ¡°How can we trust you?¡± a weak, feminine voice came from behind the blinds. Relief washed over everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°I can teach you a magic trick,¡± Ethan offered, leaving his family dumbfounded. ¡°One must give, before he asks for favors¡±.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± the voice behind the blinds asked skeptically.


    ¡°Try calling out mentally, ¡®status¡¯¡± Ethan replied with a grin.


    Of course, his family tried it too. Multiple gasps of disbelief echoed around him.


    ¡°This¡­how did you¡­? What is this?¡± the feminine voice asks, full of doubt.


    ¡°I have a lot more to teach you, and a lot to check for myself but things are so chaotic out here, I can¡¯t even get a moment, therefore I ask of you, please, let us in, and you¡¯ll be shared with whatever I¡¯ll manage to gather. As soon as things will calm down, we shall leave¡± Ethan offers


    He didn¡¯t miss the disapproving looks of his little sister and father for what they considered an unfair trade. ¡°But do w-¡± his sister was about to interrupt as he shot a warning gaze towards the two.


    Less than a minute later, the blinds began to lift, just enough for them to crawl inside.


    A few moments later a young woman, around her late 30¡¯s with a broken broomstick and a 12 years old son behind her a few steps, visibly wanting to hug her legs, but his mom doesn¡¯t let him this will interrupt her if she needs to take action against the potential threats.


    With a ¡®lower your guard¡¯ gesture to his family he breaks the uncomfortable silence, ¡°Mind me compliment you for a great choice of weapon. Long ranged, effective, easily put together, also being defensive towards you child, prioritizing his safety and your ability to react with placing him a few steps back , very wise and respectable course of actions overall¡±


    Baffled by the weird way of breaking the ice with a comment that almost read through her thoughts completely she stammered, ¡°T..Thank you..¡±, she spoke in a non-cohesive manner due to the confusion and indecisiveness regarding what stand she takes against the new arrivals, sadly for her, Ethan was not merciful, time was a luxury he didn¡¯t have. sitting them down he speaks up.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Now an info dump, we all saw the announcement, is it a god? Higher being? Advanced technology? I don¡¯t know, what I do know is that this system is most likely a way for some entity to keep everything under control, it¡¯s using a game-like system allowing things to be easily controlled, for us and most likely for itself too.


    Monsters and items can be ¡®scanned¡¯ by using the command ¡®inspect¡¯, feel free to use later on, and your ¡®status¡¯ page, you saw it already.


    When I killed the wolf, an white orb manifested from its body, picking it up, it turned into a ring. Everything, this whole thing is working so much like a video game, to the very tiniest of aspects, this makes me wonder how it even works, It is possible that it is not a coincidence.


    I need five more minutes to gather more information, meanwhile, lay low, stay quiet and process the whole thing.¡± He stops for a moment and let the captivated crowd to show any reaction.


    Seeing him waiting on their reaction they nod with anticipation, giving him a sigh to go on.


    ¡°It feels like the rumbling around here is relatively more tuned down, I assume this place will not be wreaked in havoc, for now, at least. Also you can inspect the ring¡± he presented the ring, the residents of the house still on the ¡®the wolf I killed¡¯ part.


    ¡°Now I would need to ask for a quiet moment¡± Ethan drops the bomb and sits down in a meditating pose, the people around him having their eyes flying all over wildly, clearly trying out the new command they were told about inspecting the house and furniture in it.


    ¡®So, a system bestowed upon us, and mine detected this weird bloodline that mutated it? Only my system is different in color? What¡¯s different? What consequences does it hold? Was this half-ly explained talent in my bloodline the reason for the state of hyper-focus and strength I managed to reach in the staircase ripping a handrail aside? That explains the moment of fatigue I felt¡¯¡¯.


    Thinking of looking at past notifications, the announcement he saw on the balcony pops up, ¡®this is like a super advanced computer interaction¡¯, Ethan stared amazed at the screen.


    This time the old message popped up with the altered black screen.


    Reading part by part he tries to figure what everything means, at least he guessed.


    [The lower Layers of creation converge, their fractured¡­] - the gates


    [Trial of Ascension begins anew¡ªan ancient rite for the forsaken¡­] - so it¡¯s all a test, one that has happened not once.


    [exiled races have wandered their mortal prisons, stripped of divinity¡­]- we were born with magic power? It was stripped from us? Were we about to be bestowed with it, but failed?


    [the cosmos..] - universal, maybe a multiversal trail?


    Thinking of the words ¡°the system will follow and record¡± he contemplate about the records and soul, a concept of ancient and more mystical cultures.


    Closing his eyes, He tried to focus his attention on the place where he felt being punched when the system first announced his bloodline. All of a sudden he felt the most weird feeling ever, trying to make a clear and rational conclusion and sense this pained area, it was like he was sprinting head first into a wall. getting a bit woozy and dizzy from the weird experience, he almost lost his balance while sitting.


    feeling that reading into it any further will do more harm than good, he let it be for now.


    And as if the system supported this wise decision, a ring sounded in his head.


    [Ding! Mind increased by 1!]


    The concept of meditation and soul just received a special place in his to do list, ¡®so soul and records are now a thing, magic power or this weird energy is also a thing and the world looks like a video game, there has to be a reason for this¡¯.


    Standing up, waking from his thinking process, he looks around and it seems like his Family already took initiative in speaking with the nice house Owner.


    ¡°Ethan, this is Leah, and her son Max, they live here with her husband and daughter who are yet to come back from his shift at the office¡± John explains.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I hope for your reunion as soon as possible. What were you caught up to speed with my family about? I would like to give my two cents, also I would like to know what you all are thinking?¡± He began to address Leah but soon it became a call for the group''s attention.


    Leah takes the Stage ¡°I felt The world shake and heard screaming everywhere so I locked up everything and waited, phone signal died instantly and a moment later all electronic screens shut down some ever cracked. I thought I heard what sounded like a giant glass broke, but the house seems fine, with everything shut tight, I hoped...I still am hoping for this to finish up sometime soon. Speaking with your family, I understood that the world itself is getting bigger by the moment, cracks appear on the ground and mountains, forests and otherworldly views coming to existence in the far horizon as we speak. An horizon which is also getting farther away by the moment. Your family spoke with me about a giant wolf that separated you for a moment¡­¡± Her breathing turned shallow and she broke down crying, her tough facade she kept in front of her child collapsed. It might have been the fact that she spoke it all out loud for the first time made it sink in, also there were so many things she didn¡¯t even take into account just a moment ago.


    Max hugged his mother, she couldn''t spill the last sentence out, her crying was heart wrenching and choked abbreviations and sounds made it clear what she wanted to finish with.


    Max, although 12 years old, caught the gist of it and took a stand that left Ethan, his family, even Leah still in the peak of her panic Attack positively surprised about the young boy.


    Standing up, his eyes streaming tears, his nose too, it was not a majestic appearance by any means but with how his next words came out it was as if they stood among The bravest of children.


    ¡°Your Family, you too, you said you killed a monster, please go and save my family from monsters too! Please!¡± The choked voice aside, it was absolutely inspiring.


    Kneeling down to meet the boy at eye level, Ethan ruffled his hair, ¡°You are truly magnificent, but for this I need you mother to calm down so I can get some information from her, can you hug her very tightly so she could calm down and speak with me?¡± This offer was announced in a manner that everyone In the room could hear, specifically Leah.


    After a few moments of realization, his family voiced their opinions out loud, forgetting all courtesies in front of a whipping woman, rejecting his offer of needing to go out when the world is in such a state.


    ¡°Are you mad?!¡± his two sisters called angrily.


    ¡°You are not going!¡± Sarah stated.


    His father on the other hand, was standing there, his face hard to read.


    Leah didn¡¯t even understand how the scene evolves to this, but the realization that a one time chance appeared, and even her youngest son was brave enough, she could not falter behind.


    ¡°Please, hear out my son, it is not far away, the office was located at the community shopping center close by! We can still reach them!¡± Leah¡¯s voice still choked but resolution found a place among the many feelings she felt, and honestly, poorly hidden.


    ¡°First, I believe this is a trial. the first steps we are to take shall forge what path we take, and when the world changing like this, it¡¯s those little things that decide if we will rise up against all challenges and reclaim humanity to be the happy livable safe haven it was in the past or become a pit of snakes¡± Ethan gave the room a meaningful look.


    ¡°Secondly, like the wounded wolf we met, I believe the first creatures to arrive will not be of great power. not easy to deal with, being unknown creatures with obvious racial advantages, but with enough brains it possible¡± he reasoned


    ¡°Thirdly,¡° he grinned at the whipping woman ¡°You are coming with me, my family will do the babysitting on max. You and I will go and check my theory. Killing the wolf leveled me up. I have free points to add and if we use this momentum we can start this with an advantage. soon gangs and less honorable people will catch on to this knowledge intuitively or by chancing upon people like me and get creative in getting this information from them¡±


    ¡°Lastly, I''m sorry for being rude but there''s something I need to clear with my family before we head out, if you want to join me, find everything that might be used as a weapon and I¡¯ll go through the items in a moment¡± he asked Leah for a private family moment.


    Taking his family aside he asked ¡°Does anyone of you have anything other than stats? Bloodline? Talent? Skills? Achievement? I can''t explain it but the wave of weird energy we felt as if something is different now with my body¡±


    Taking him a few steps aside, Sarah confronts her son about her suspicion. ¡°Your ¡®system¡¯ thing isn¡¯t like ours? You said something about it having a black, we spoke about it, we all have blue screens¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will not go into details but tell me, there is a title on your status page? what does it say?¡± Ethan admits and returns a question


    Her Eye¡¯s narrow, ¡°There is no title, just frame and the details¡±


    ¡°I see, let¡¯s leave it be for now¡± He concludes with finality, checking his status window again a clear title shows ¡®Fractured protocol¡¯.


    A few moments the mother-son duo returns to the family circle and the conversation about Ethan heading out is at full swing.


    ¡°No! You can¡¯t just base your knowledge on games and act like a superhero outside¡± his mom said, her voice seemed calmer though, his reasoning and resourcefulness he showed clearly affecting her opinion. She could still see in her mind how he automatically took a fighting chance against the bloody wolf.


    His sisters still haven¡¯t processed things completely, one¡¯s insecurity feeding the other¡¯s panic, they just shook their heads in a sync. ¡°Please don¡¯t go out¡± ¡°You must stay¡­y-¡±


    His father took a step forward, cutting the sisters¡¯ words of distrust and making his reply to be heard by everyone present, ¡°Go, Ethan, Go and come back alive, we shall not move and fortify this house, we shall also keep the young boy safe¡±.


    Everyone looked at John with surprise, as he gave his son a huge grin, ¡°You must come back and teach me how to help out too for next time so you wont have to bear it all by yourself¡± he jumped at his son and hugged him tightly, whispering in his ears, mostly the avoid the anger of a certain mama bear ¡°This is how men need to act like, I am proud of you¡±.


    A long moment of silence passes by, ¡®Is that?¡¯ surprised by his own body reaction, Ethan wipes a tear and breaks the hug, just for it to become a five-person-hug that squeezed his lungs out.


    ¡°OK, leave me alone!¡± he shakes them all off, ¡°no one is to leave this place, Only I''m allowed to play superhero!¡±


    The room becomes a maelstrom of emotions, mom¡¯s worry, sister¡¯s amazement, dad¡¯s pride, Leah¡¯s disbelief and a young child''s eyes burning with intense admiration.


    [Ding! Charisma increased by 1!]


    ¡®Not what I need right now, but I¡¯ll take it, also¡­¡¯ When a mental command he adds the two free stat points to agility, ¡®with hopefully weak monsters, and a need for possible quick escape, agility is the right pick, ¡®status¡¯¡¯ he called out mentally.


    [Ding!


    Name: Ethan Tesher


    Class: None


    Level: 2


    Race: Human


    Stats:


    Strength: 5 (+2)


    Constitution: 5 (+2)


    Agility:8 (+2)


    Mind: 9 (+2)


    Charisma: 7 (+2)


    Free point: 0


    Skills:


    - none


    Bloodlines & talents:


    - a spark of unknown origin (rare)


    A bloodline originating from ???, with the potential to ???, capable of ??? beyond limits.


    Talent 1: guided by ???


    Allows the user to use the ??? of the ??? to guide the user to a preferred and optimal outcome, based on duration and amount of guidance it receives, there shall be a weakening period after use.


    Talent 2: ???


    ???


    Talent 3: ???


    ???


    Achievement:


    - Bloody start - rare:


    Killing an enemy at the first minute of the world awakening.


    Buff: +2 to all stats.]


    Letting the family realize the situation, he heads to Leah and max.


    ¡°Max, Your mom and I need to go and look for your father and sister, can you give her a quick hug and wait over there with my family? Help my dad with what he asks of you¡± Ethan asks his hand on the boy''s shuffled hair, yet to be fixed from the first ruffling of his head pats.


    As the hug of the two takes too long he urges ¡°not to be rude but we really need to go and look for your family by now¡­¡± he states, internally Ethan was just really excited to head out.


    Quickly improvising a crude full metal shield using a big pan¡¯s led, and her spear, now improved with knife duct taped to its edge, she looked very much like a poor anime-con cosplayer.


    Looking at her he was impressed but couldn¡¯t hold his laughter, ¡°if humanity returns I am taking you to one of those geek cosplaying concerts¡± Ethan said as he took a broomstick and made a improvised spear for himself as well.


    He was about to make a small buckler shield for himself but decided to go with leather clothes tied around his forearms like an armguard.


    Trusty bug killer spray in a flappy pocket and 3 deodorants with lighters duct taped on them were taken as well in a backpack, ¡®flamethrower 101¡¯ he chuckled.


    Finalizing the plans with Leah, an empty 70L backpack was taken as well. There is a big grocery store in this community shopping center and if it stands intact we can recharge on rations for hopefully enough time until a solid plan will be established, he explains to the present people.


    With final goodbyes, an improvised spear at hand, a curved 45cm butchering knife belted on him, bug spray in his pocket and a buckled spear woman at the toe, he departs living his family to fortify the private 2 floor ground house, with a clear instructions of not letting anyone in until he and Leah comes back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go help your husband do some shopping,¡± he jested with Leah.


    ¡°You are insane¡­¡± shy let a small chuckle out her eyes full of determination and unease.

 chapter 3

    AUTHOR NOTE: please comments, give a review or give any indication of your experience reading my work, This will be of immense help.


    Walking outside, led by Ethan, the world is still rumbling. People scattered, running aimlessly, looking for a safe haven among the still-collapsing apartment buildings. The horizon kept getting farther and farther away.


    Not daring to run, his caution was at its peak. Even passing by humans felt like a possible threat. Mutual unease it was as he and Leah looked like a doomsday patrol with their improvised spears. Others also weren''t  a fan of the idea to approach them.


    ¡°Oh, Leah, this is your first time outside. Mind sharing your thoughts?¡± Ethan inquired of the distressed woman. It was easy to discern that she hadn¡¯t really imagined things could get this bad.


    She could only mutter, ¡°How did you even dare to leave my place knowing this world looks like that?¡± Her eyes darted from one collapsed building to another, her thoughts as clear as an open book.


    Ethan chose to address her true concerns, again answering as if the young man were a mind reader. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the ground rumbles are more moderate around here. The tall buildings fell because the shaking of such a tall structure can¡¯t hold the stress. As far as I know, the three-story shopping center should be at least partly intact if my assessment is correct.¡±


    ¡°How do you even¡­¡± She looked at him, her face still a mix of emotions.


    ¡°Logic. Your family is in a building somewhere in a world of collapsing concrete. It¡¯s also very noticeable that the collapsing buildings are what draw your sight the most, with everything happening¡­¡± he shrugged.


    ¡°I hope we can stick together afterward. It seems like you have a lot of things one can learn from,¡± she stated honestly.


    ¡°Nah, my services are too expensive,¡± he said, making a ¡®shoo¡¯-ing gesture with his hands sarcastically.


    It was clearly a joke, but Leah was serious and wondered about the lack of knowledge about the situation she was in. ¡°I can understand why your family trusted you blindly to let you go out¡± she concluded as their silent, fast-paced journey toward their destination continued.


    Walking past an alley between two ground apartments , a woman¡¯s scream was heard. Quickly hiding, they peeked inside and saw a scene that turned their blood cold.


    Two men were grabbing a young girl, shoving a piece of cloth into her mouth to muffle her screams. Their intentions were horrifyingly clear.


    ¡°Leah, hear me out. I¡¯m gonna do something that requires you to have full trust in me. We are gonna help the girl. Take my spear and play along. This won¡¯t be easy, but believe in me. Are you willing?¡± Ethan asked, his eyes full of anger. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± she answered truthfully leaving a moment of awkward silence, Ethan¡¯s eyes the depiction of gears at full force.


    ¡°Hear me out. This is but the first hour of the world going crazy, I am not a knight of justice to run and help every dying person, but not everything can be ignored. we can leave, but this girl¡¯s fate will be affected due to our cowardice and incompetence¡± Ethan stated, leaving no room for argument about his extreme and oddly specific sense of justice.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Leah answered weakly, obviously scared of the ominous explanation Ethan gave her.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°Stay hidden and do only what I tell you to, hold my spear¡±


    Without any heads-up, he walked into the alley, his knife hidden in the back of his shirt.


    ¡°Hi there,¡± his voice was full of joy and excitement, catching the hidden Leah by surprise and the two assailants even more so.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± one of the men pulled a gun out.


    ¡°Before you shoot, I wish to speak with you. May I come closer? It¡¯s important,¡± Ethan raised his arms up.


    The two looked at each other, confused. ¡°Come over. Stay at a distance,¡± the armed man ordered.


    Coming closer to the two men and the laid-down woman, he started, ¡°I actually have a female companion. I told her I¡¯d help her save her family, but looking at you, I¡¯m thinking of cooperation. I¡¯ll call her over, and we could have a bigger party,¡± Ethan grinned devilishly.


    The two men looked at him and started laughing like crazy. At this point, even Ethan wasn¡¯t sure of the outcome but played along.


    ¡°Sure, call her over,¡± the armed man said, ¡°but know this¡ªI call the shots.¡±


    ¡°With a weapon like that, you¡¯re a safer bet for survival right now than anyone else. I¡¯ll take it¡± Ethan admitted defeat.


    ¡°Leah, come here quickly. They are willing to help us,¡± he called at the entrance of the alley.


    After a few long moments, Ethan was afraid he was about to get shot, but Leah eventually made herself known, holding two spears and an improvised shield.


    The armed man took a shooting stance toward her.


    Ethan jumped in his way. ¡°Wait! These are weapons I created before leaving home. I shall give them to you.¡±


    The gagged girl started squirming, as if to warn Leah, earning a slap from the unarmed man.


    ¡°Leah, it¡¯s okay. Lay down your weapons and give them the spears. They said they¡¯ll help us get to the shopping center and gather rations. This girl tried attacking them to get the gun. We misunderstood it all,¡± he lied as if he were a professional actor. ¡®Is it the stats effect? I was never such a great liar¡¯ he wondered.


    Hesitantly, Leah remembered his words and his first impression as she handed the unarmed man the two spears and shield.


    The gun then turned to her, pointed by the armed man. ¡°You are the most evil man I¡¯ve ever encountered,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I will show you my kindness by letting you two start. I¡¯ll take guard. We three will be a nice trio. I can feel it¡ªnew blood. You can have the woman you brought,¡± he smugly ordered.


    Hearing these words, Leah startled and wanted to run away, but being pointed at by a gun was an efficient deterrent to cease such thought.


    Her knees buckled. She was about to start crying, tears forming in her eyes. But then, at the corner of her vision, she saw a wink from Ethan.


    ¡°Come on, play along. We could all go together afterward to help your family. They are where a supermarket is located, after all,¡± Ethan hinted, hoping she would catch on.


    Lowering her gaze, she spoke, her voice cold and not hiding the newfound hatred she felt towards him, ¡°Do what you must. Just help them afterward.¡±


    ¡®Acting or not, her sincerity was admirable,¡¯ Ethan noted to himself.


    As his dialogue with Leah got heated the acting duo waited for the armed man to lower his guard, Ethan came closer, touching in an hesitant manner, acting as if his bravado and facade of cruel man breaking under the pressure.


    Suddenly stepping back Ethan spoke, ¡°I don''t think i can do it, i joined you to increase my survivability, I can create weapons, and serve you but this, I won¡¯t do it, and won¡¯t judge you for deciding to act like that¡± Ethan looked defeated.


    The armed man face mixture of confusion, he was on a different league than Leah, his emotions and thoughts hidden under a strict veil, but there is a limit to everyone.


    Coming close enough, it was time, ¡°I have an offer instead, look at her,¡±  he draw his attention of the two to Leah, taking a few more steps closer ¡°we can take her along, we shall both serve you as lackeys, we can also do everything you want.  she also has a daughter¡±


    ¡°Ethan!¡± she screams hatefully, the armed man sensory full of information to deal with.


    A knife drawn, a decisive slash, the agility stat showing its investment - a moment of silence, and a metallic thump of the gun falling to the ground.


    ¡°Ahhh!! You  motherf¡­.¡± the no longer armed man looked at Ethan as he picked up the gun.


    ¡°And scene¡­¡± bowing gracefully he steps back from the bleeding man, a nasty cut on his forearm, his own gun pointed at him.


    With enough distance, a bloody knife at the right hand and gun at the left.  He sits the two wrathful and confused aggressors on a concrete stair.


    Gun pointed at the now two gagged men, Ethan let the two girls arm themselves with the spears.


    ¡°Please, Leah, don¡¯t hate me for what you just went through, see this as a lesson, I don''t know what is the status of your husband and daughter. In the best case scenario in which they are fine, know that you are a guardian of your family, and those are but a few among many others who will harm anyone they want for their benefit, next time this girl might be your daughter¡± Ethan cruelly lays the truth to the two ladies.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Ethan asked the girl he just saved.


    ¡°Dana¡± she states, wrath towards her aggressors is etched on her face.


    ¡°I saw you were showing some fiery attitude trying to save Leah back there, also the anger you feel right now¡­there is a story here, i can feel it in your eyes¡± Ethan tries his luck.


    ¡°This is...was, my mother¡¯s boyfriend, when everything started collapsing he left her behind, he and his friend dragged me away.


    His friend is an off duty cop, therefore the gun. as soon as chaos assumed and they were sure things won''t be back to what it was once, they turned into monsters, speaking of ruling this city¡± she revealed a heartbreaking story.


    ¡°Ok, so, I¡¯ll start¡± with a deep breath, he moved forward to the ex-cop, his hand which holding a knife inching closer, ¡°I¡¯ll take the gag of now, give me a reason to not walk a darker path, your words will be the truth of the new world we live in, you a man that symboled order and law, turned to a beast in a hour time. Was our society¡¯s order so feeble?¡±


    Taking the cloth from the gagged man''s mouth, he began rampaging, ¡°You damn lunatic, what are you talking about? Everything is destroyed, everything is lost! Let go of me or I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± distancing himself, the girls, and the other tied and gagged man, he throws one of the spear to the ex-cop, and release the man¡¯s restricting cloth, ¡° killing a tied up man is not something I would like to have on my record¡±


    Ethan holstered his new gun. In his right hand, Leah¡¯s improvised spear, at the left one, the knife.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.He improvised a fighting stance and waited for the crazed ex-cop to start his attack. Being a citizen in a country that has mandatory army service, basic fighting is an obvious skill to have. ¡°Come and fight like a man!¡± Ethan taunts ¡®what about this, inspect.¡¯ Ethan tried the new system functions limits


    Unsurprisingly, the system treated humans as part of its dominion.


    [Ding!


    race: Human


    Level: 2


    Description: A Human being, newly awaken]


    ¡®Level 2, he already killed, something, or someone¡¯ Ethan pondered


    ¡°Let¡¯s play a guessing game, was it a human or a monster that you killed?¡± Ethan ask smugly.


    The ex-cop eyes squinted, a soft spot spotted.


    ¡°So you saw monsters and your mind went all wiggly, that¡¯s why you act like a crazy person?¡± Ethan tries to dig out some information from the man.


    Ethan could only see confusion in the man''s eyes, not ¡®How did you know¡¯ kind of a look, but more ¡®What are you talking about¡¯.


    ¡°So a human, aren¡¯t you just the employee of the month¡± Ethan laughs at the ex-cop.


    The two girls, witnessing it all didn¡¯t know how to even register all the information, ¡®How can a cop do it?¡¯,¡®Who he killed?¡¯,¡®When did he even had time?¡¯, ¡®How can Ethand laugh at it?¡¯, ¡®Is Ethan really planning to fight him to death?¡¯ So many questions came to mind.


    Looking at Ethan showing more and more complex sides of himself, Leah couldn¡¯t help but feel like she wanted him to lead her forever - every word he said was calculated, every action thought through, she wanted to be under his umbrella and suck in on whatever lesson and knowledge he has to spare for her family.


    The last straw of the ex-cop gave up to the pressure, soft spots were intensely poked, the ex-cop charged like a beast, forsaking all reason, just one thing on his mind ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± he shouts and charges forward.


    Their spear clashes, Ethan in his defensive stance put the two spears¡¯ tip out of reach using his elbow as anchoring point for the move, not forgetting his long knife he goes lower with his body, to give his attack a little twist and unpredictability.


    The ex-cop is still wounded from being disarmed, spear is out of the way and in too close of a reach, he is but a sitting duck to a surprising slash that cleanly slash the tendons and muscle above one of his kneecaps.


    He falls to the other leg, and now his only functioning one.


    Shouts of pain and a glare of unwillingness and disbelief etches on his face.


    Using the wounded man ruthlessly as a training dummy, Ethan tries what he could only call ¡®theoretical knowledge from fictional content¡¯, and paints it with a layer of realism he can use at the new world in a form of various attacks that the scared and crazed ex-cop defends from.


    He was using a kneeling wounded man as a training dummy.


    Stealing a look of what the two girls and the restricted man could feel in their eyes a storm of emotions, as he dispatched the man with a clean cut to the throat.


    [Ding! lvl 2, classless human was defeated]


    Green orb suddenly forms on the man''s collapsed back, rolling and falling to the ground.


    Picking up the orb, it turned into an old looking page.


    ¡®Inspect¡¯ he mentally calls


    [Ding!


    Type: Passive skill


    Name: Spirit of a warrior


    Grade: uncommon


    description : This is a passive skill that increases the efficiency of any being wielding a weapon


    Buff: Efficiency is increased when wielding , training , or studying  a weapon]


    ¡°What is that?¡± Dana asks Leah, her mind on the cusp of a breakdown.


    ¡°He told me that defeating monsters drops items, I thought it¡¯s a bad joke, but I never expected it to be true, and from a human body nonetheless¡± Leah states a fact that could rattle every unknowing person.


    The boyfriend of Dana¡¯s mom meanwhile, horribly tries crawling away, a stain in his pants is very much visible.


    The world still shakes considerably, the sound of concrete falling still echoes from all around.


    Everyone looks at Ethan waiting for his order, as if this was an agreement that was not spoken of as he just silently looks at the old paper, his face changing wildly as if an intense monologue takes place.


    ¡®Come on! ¡®Study¡¯, ¡®Learn¡¯, ¡®Skill!¡¯¡¯ the page just stays at his hand, nothing happening, ¡® I''m using the words to convey my will to the system, that¡¯s how i open my status, and inspecting items but why is it not working..is it something more complicated?¡¯


    ¡°Leah, keep an eye on me for a moment¡± he asks all of a sudden.


    He sits down and tries to get into what he can only assume to call focused state, holding the paper and closing his eyes he feels like he is holding a small heating bag, but the heat, weirdly enough, doesn''t come from the paper itself.


    He then feels as if a tug from the same mysterious plane in his chest, the one he felt like ramming into, like an intangible wisp of energy tries to bridge the warmth of the page.


    He gave the process full reign and let his ¡®inner whatever it is¡¯ to tug the warmth of the page inside.


    In a process that took 2 minutes, a sting of pain came to his brain, and knowledge of a wide arsenal of weapons came to his mind.


    Opening his eyes, the paper is not a pile of ashes - ¡®status¡¯ he calls out.


    [Ding!


    Name: Ethan Tesher


    Class: None


    Level: 2


    Race: Human


    Stats:


    Strength: 5 (+2)


    Constitution: 5 (+2)


    Agility:8 (+2)


    Mind: 8 (+2)


    Charisma: 7 (+2)


    Free point: 0


    Skills:


    - spirit of a warrior (uncommon)


    This is a passive skill that increases the efficiency of any living being wielding a weapon


    Buff: Efficiency is increased when wielding , training , or studying  a weapon


    Bloodlines & talents:


    - a spark of unknown origin (rare)


    A bloodline originating from ???, with the potential to ???, capable of ??? beyond limits.


    Talent 1:  guided by  ???


    Allows the user to use the ??? of the ??? to guide the user to a preferred and optimal outcome, based on duration and amount of guidance it receives, there shall be a weakening period after use.


    Talent 2:  ???


    ???


    Talent 3:  ???


    ???


    Achievement:


    - Bloody start - rare:


    Killing an enemy at the first minute of the world awakening.


    Buff: +2 to all stats.]


    As he was about to stand up, the tug on what he could only assume to regard as ¡°his soul¡± made him move forward to the ex-cop body, being less stressed on time, he came closer and felt as if the same warmth he felt from the skill paper could come from the body, but in a smaller amount, significantly smaller, ¡®lets go all in¡¯ he said and let the warm energy to enter his soul.


    [Ding! Strength increased by 1!]


    Raising his brows, ¡®I don''t believe this is supposed to be a normal system thing¡­¡¯ he ponders as the warmth of increasing stats hits, ¡®status¡¯


    [Ding!


    Name: Ethan Tesher


    Class: None


    Level: 2


    Race: Human


    Stats:


    Strength: 6 (+2)


    Constitution: 5 (+2)


    Agility:8 (+2)


    Mind: 8 (+2)


    Charisma: 7 (+2)


    Free point: 0


    Skills:


    - spirit of a warrior (uncommon)


    This is a passive skill that increases the efficiency of any living being wielding a weapon


    Buff: Efficiency is increased when wielding , training , or studying  a weapon


    Bloodlines & talents:


    - a spark of unknown origin (rare)


    A bloodline originating from ???, with the potential to ???, capable of ??? beyond limits.


    Talent 1:  guided by  ???


    Allows the user to use the ??? of the ??? to guide the user to a preferred and optimal outcome, based on duration and amount of guidance it receives, there shall be a weakening period after use.


    Talent 2:  Devour


    Consume external energies, tames them and makes them one with ???.


    Talent 3:  ???


    ???


    Achievement:


    - Bloody start - rare:


    Killing an enemy at the first minute of the world awakening.


    Buff: +2 to all stats.]


    Author Note: comments, reviews, any indications of how am I doing will be of immense help to me designing the story while it''s in the beginning - pretty please.


    At the second read, he noticed the updated bloodline addition.


    In a dark alley, in a world that won''t let the sun set.


    A young man stands in front of his first kill witnessed by two random girls, and a tied man that pissed himself.


    A long moment of awkward silence broke by a maddened laughter of a man realising he received an edge on everyone else in a world of survival, leaving the audience of the young man afraid and confused.

 chapter 4

    A short moment of what could only be considered a display of psychoticism, Ethan gathered his bearings surprised by his own actions, ¡®This was...Dark¡­¡¯ He coughs awkwardly.


    ¡°I am sorry for the unsightly moment, Don¡¯t you just love when things just work exactly like you need them to?¡± Ethan asks innocently.


    ¡°I really want to go and save my family now¡± Leah calls out, her patience and mind is at the limit.


    ¡°Sure, Dana, you can keep the spear, also, quickly decide:


    Kill him or let him go. secondly, join us or let us know if you ain¡¯t coming along so we could move on¡±


    Standing above the trembling man who betrayed her mother, a spear goes cleanly in his throat, not even a moment of consideration was needed, not a inch of remorse in her eyes.


    Ethan and Lead open their eyes wide, surprised by the decisiveness and cruelty of the young lass.


    A green orb manifests itself on the man''s chest and rolls down.


    Picking it up the orb turns to a piece of paper.


    Moving toward Ethan she offered the paper, ¡°I don''t know what it is, please take it as a token of my request to become a student of your ways in this new world!¡±


    Surprised by Dana''s suggestion, he starts by Inspecting the paper she received from gracefully dispatching that man.


    ¡®She was not a big fan of this man, inspect¡¯ He makes a quick assumption as a black screen appears in front of him.


    [Ding!


    Type: Active skill


    Name: Heavy Strike


    Grade: uncommon


    description : This is an active skill that allows the damage of this strike to ignore mental and physical defenses


    Buff: A damage that slashes through whatever it strikes avoiding a minor amount of mental and physical defenses]


    ¡°This is a great skill, and your decisiveness is highly evaluated, but we  are far from a master-disciple relationship. There is a lot to cover, and there is still a lot I need to study and make sure of myself¡± He subtly placed the piece of paper she offered back to her.


    ¡°First I''m gonna recap our current situation as we make our way to where Leah''s family is.


    When we finish the explanation, I''ll teach you how to learn the skill you just earned.


    This is a skill, a good one.


    ¡°You were gifted it by fighting your inner demons and conquering them and I dare not take this from you¡± He pushed her  insisting hand away.


    Walking past the body Dana dispatched, He didn''t feel that tug of his bloodline¡¯s talent, nor any energy he can extract, ¡®of course, such talent has To come with restriction, must be enemies I killed myself or something¡¯


    Making their way, now with faster Pace, Dana is taught how to use ¡®status¡¯, ¡®inspect¡¯ and general knowledge of the situation.


    ¡°You are receiving it quite calmly¡± Ethan complimented Dana, Leah in the background agreed, nodding her head.


    ¡°Had an hour to deal with my mother''s death in a collapsing building, her boyfriend''s betrayal and attempt to assault me, and I just witnessed two people die, the two being the one who practically caused her death, one I killed myself¡± she shrugs


    ¡°So yes, at least your explanations are as bizarre As they are, they give this whole thing a different meaning, as weird as its meaning is. Also I am now in a group of three, all armed to the teeth and seem to be well informed, that''s without talking about the gun you carry¡± She flatly rationalized her thoughts.


    ¡°Your willpower and decisiveness are admirable, I would be honored to have you around¡± Ethan replies and mentally notes to himself ¡®her cooperation and adaptiveness to the new situation is incredible¡¯.


    With everything covered they found a safe isolated place, hidden in a cross of two small alleys, Dana gets instructed how to learn the skill.


    Taking longer than Ethan to study the skill, , she stands up as the paper disintegrating to small ash like powder, informing her two companions about her succeeding she gestures to the two to move on.


    ¡°Thank you, Ethan, the resolve and the offer I asked of you, stands stronger than ever¡± she pushed once more, ¡°I have a feeling this skill you decided to leave to me is not something simple¡±.


    ¡°discussion for later, With earth still expands, the way back won''t be any shorter, also we currently Stays at Leah''s place so she''s the one to ask permission from¡± Ethan turns to Lead giving her some credit.


    ¡°Leah, we have yet to speak but it seems I was rude to not ask for your opinion, you are Obviously currently partnered with Ethan and your opinion has Weight to the decision, please, consider me staying with you¡± she asked politely.


    ¡°Letting a powerful and polite young woman like You be left behind, especially with what you have been through, only a monster will deny you¡± In a surge of motherly emotional burst, Leah takes Dana for a hug.


    ¡®She does look a bit younger than me, I¡¯ll ask her when we will have spare time¡¯ Ethan threw that thought to the back of his mind for now.


    All of a sudden the fresh wounds of Dana''s heart came at full force as she burst out crying, the Mother-daughter moment hit her current repressed mental state - it was super effective.


    Five minutes was needed for the trio to keep moving, Dana still periodically whipping the last remnants of the emotional moment she''s been through.


    Along the way their presence dispatch some heated arguments but with no time to spare they let minor events be, ¡°whoever can¡¯t diffuse an argument in this world is going to have a hard time¡± Ethan states coldly and moves forward.


    not long is left as the shopping center comes to sight.


    It''s a 300m shopping center, three stories tall.


    The building doesn¡¯t have many entrances and in it there are many food and clothing stores.


    The sight of the white and modern off white building was bright, contrasted by the color of the dark gold-purple hues of the skies that seemed to sway like the aurora of earth¡¯s poles.


    The team of three picks up the pace, seeing the building still standing Intact, Leah takes a big sigh of relief.


    ¡°Look Ethan! The building it¡¯s fully intact!¡± Leah called out happily


    The relief sadly, was but a momentary thing, Blood were starting to get in sight as they came closer, And what Ethan could assume was a small space rift was floating at the entrance outside of the shopping center.


    Weird humidity was present in the area spreading the iron tinge of the blood covered ground in many areas of the parking lot they had just entered.


    The rift looked like a floating window with edges that resembled a blurred broken glass and a hazy view of what one can only assume was a cave seemed to be on the other side, coming closer to it, the humidity was far more noticeable and the smell of what an urban man could assume what animal¡¯s den would smell like was permeating the air.


    Among the store''s green humanoids, about a meter and half, even less, was walking ungracefully, some ram wooden clubs or crude attempt of an axe on a closed store, probably trying to reach people or food that are hidden there.


    ¡°Leah, Dana hear me out, ¡° taking a patch of bushes to hide, he started speaking. ¡°I would take a not so wild guess, those are goblins, green humanoid creatures, surprisingly agile, weak and working in groups¡±


    ¡°As weak as they are, they are cunning when working together.


    I don''t see too many of them but we are far from speaking about anything confidently¡± He takes a dramatic pause before presenting the harder information to digest.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Also, be advised, based on the lore about those creatures the possibility about their nature is wide in range. It goes from stupid first game stages monsters and ends in them being dark creatures that are deeply disturbing in their costumes. I would rather keep less descriptive for you two, but you need to be prepared for anything¡±  Ethan explains avoiding Gorey descriptions.


    ¡°I will ask you two once more, this is a high risk, high reward kind of a thing, we must secure levels by killing monsters and have heads up on everyone else. Imagine that the two we fought earlier were stronger than us¡± The ladies looked at each other knowing very well how things could''ve ended like in such a case.


    ¡°Last thing, by the look of how many of them are trying to break into the big stores I can only assume that there are still survivors. Leah, your family might still be alive, Are you with me?¡± Ethan asks for final approval of the two.


    ¡®This is the chance that I needed, after devouring so many, I might receive a great stats boost!¡¯ With eyes full of determination he said to the two spear women Companions, ¡°we will slowly get rid of them in small groups, I will take initiative and draw here individuals or small groups. Stay here, if you look like in a pinch, Leah you make an appearance first and help me out, if we both get in a pinch, Dana sweeps in. Whenever the coast is clear we repeat the process, clear?¡± Ethan lays the plan for the two.


    With final polishing of the plans he waits for a single goblin to walk around as he draws him closer. When he is close enough to a stray goblin, ¡®inspect¡¯ he calls mentally.


    [Ding!


    Name: goblin


    Level: 3


    Description: A humanoid creature of malice and mischief]


    ¡®Seems like I was right, weaker monsters are first to arrive¡¯ he pondered letting out a mental sigh of relief.


    Drawing him closer to the free space in the parking loot between a few cars, he reveals himself to a wandering goblin.


    Holding the sharp knife in the right hand and bug killer spray on the left, he takes his usual improvised stand.


    The goblin takes the taunt, and charges wildly.


    ¡®Yes, intelligence is indeed lacking¡¯ he smiled at his luck.


    He was about to recreate the wolf scene but the goblin movement was slower. Not only could he feel the flow of the attack, but also imagining multiple courses of actions he could do with this knife. He was surprised how easy the shallow and predictable simple club swing was.


    ¡®Why am I having so much knowledge of possible attacks, not only mine but the goblin¡¯s club too¡¯ a mental light bulb flickered in his mind, he would¡¯ve face palmed himself If he wasn''t fighting a monster.


    ¡®That''s what the skill description means: efficiency and knowledge of a weapon acquired¡­it''s a cheat weapon mastery skill?¡¯ he focused on the knife he held and imagined how he could attack as a set of combos came to mind, some easier some a bit on the more difficult side, in his mind he looked for the most complicated feint and attack.


    Thinking it through before conducting the technique, his improvised stance was changed to a proper one, the wrist work of the technique he wanted to try was no joke, but he wanted to see how far the system assists.


    He tried conducting his theoretical knowledge to action, but a sudden change of movement from the goblin, made him alter the grip and improvise another attack, in a moment of confusion, he picked an attack that was not suitable to combo with what he went with causing a strong sting of pain that almost made him drop the weapon.


    Luckily, the blade moved in a direction the goblin didn''t expect, it was not the throat cut he aimed for, but hitting a main vein, it took the goblin 20 seconds to get woozy from blood loss, from there on, it was too easy.


    [Ding! Defeated lvl 3 goblin]


    Feeling the energy of the dead goblin he used his talent and cozy warmth engulfed his inside.


    The amount of energy was even smaller than the man he fought against, and he received no stats, ¡®more must be needed with such weak creatures, also not every time loot is dropped¡¯ he took notes.


    putting The knife in the plastic sheath, he Held his still aching wrist, painfully understanding the difference with, knowledge, mastery and physical abilities.


    Doing and knowing were two different requirements.


    Shoving the corpse of the goblin beneath a car he went on again as his wrist recovered a bit.


    Bringing a level 2 goblin, he approached it more cautiously picking easier techniques, and made an easy game out of it.


    No drops, no level up, no stats from bloodline talent again.


    ¡®A good chance to train my swordsmanship, I need to get a longer and straight blade¡¯ although a knife, it was 45cm, its definition debatable.


    After one more run, the third goblin fell.


    [Ding! level 3 goblins defeated]


    Using his talent he got a stats point.


    [Ding! Agility increased by 1]


    ¡®So it takes three? Let¡¯s make sure¡¯ he decided to put it to the test.


    After one more successful encounter he decided, ''let''s pump up those rookies number¡¯ he smirked to himself, the ground around him stained with green viscous blood, the smell was so bad he considered relocating the ambush.


    This time he brought two goblins, looking around he saw Leah was about to join but he gestured her to wait.


    The two goblins noticed him, before attacking they looked like they sniffed the air.


    Their noses were saggy, a bit puffy and pointy, ¡®I guess size does matter¡¯ he joked with himself and noticed they were looking at the two cars he used to hide the now 4 goblin corpses, ¡®Their sense of smell is quite good¡¯


    As if to acknowledge his thoughts, the two goblins started to act all Maddened and charged, mad goblin, is still a goblin, it seems, their attack slow, their weapon line of attack is crystal clear in Ethan''s Eyes. Their only redeeming feature was that they fought very complementary with one another, the sync was decent fitting to their lore.


    He dodged the first goblin, released a slash, dodged the second attack, second slash, dodge the first goblin again, and a slash - in turns he gave each one a slash, 7 slashes in they both fell.


    [Ding! level 3 goblins defeated]


    [Ding! level 3 goblins defeated]


    [Ding! Level increased! Level 3!]


    ¡®One to strength, one to agility¡¯ he didn''t waste a moment spending his two free points he gained from leveling up.


    Using his talent, he devoured the remnant energies of the two goblins.


    [Ding! Strength increased by 1]


    With a wild grin, the feeling of 3 new stats points was washing over his body, he felt nimble And stronger.


    doing the same routine, he did a quick job of a goblin in two hits.


    Meanwhile in the bushes the two girls looked at Ethan dispatching goblins right and left.


    ¡°Leah, is he a monster? Where did you meet him?¡± Dana asked with excitement oozing from her eyes.


    ¡°He just appeared on my door steps, I hope my son and his family are safe¡± she answered, pondering, she decided to ask ¡°how did you manage to kill that man so easily back there?¡± she lowered her gaze, this was a private and tough question.


    ¡°Oh..¡± thinking for a moment Dana replied ¡°why not? From the first second I saw Ethan I became jealous of him, the good kind of jealous. I want to be him, I want to be an aid to him. He gave me all the reasons and comfort to act as I wish, when he spoke of path, I chose mine even before he gave me the options, even the way he acts and works people, the way he fooled the armed man, waiting for the right moment¡­it''s art¡­¡±


    The more she talked, the more Unrestrained her thoughts became, until she heard Leah laughing.


    ¡°That''s one way to get a crash, I guess¡± Leah held a burst of laughter that would be inappropriate in such a situation.


    ¡°A cr..I don''t have a crush on him!¡± she looked at the ground, her cheeks bright red.


    Leah was about to keep on teasing her but the scene of four goblins giving chase to Ethan froze her blood.


    She was about to come out and help, but Dana hand¡¯s stopped her, ¡°not yet¡­¡±


    Back in the parking lot 20 meters away from the girls, Ethan, surrounded by four goblins, he took out the bug killer spray, ready to use if for the first time. Dodging a wooden club he sprayed the first goblin¡¯s face, following with a dodge from the second attack and aiming a slash to the third one who was open as he overcharged a exaggerated powerful crude axe swipe, a powerful swipe that never came to fruition as the attacker fell to the ground, the slash cut through a vital.


    [Ding! Level 4 goblin defeated]


    That enraged the three remaining goblins, with the three of them in range and blinded by the fall of their brethren, Ethan went low, super low, and did a 360 degree slash.


    Two dropped their weapons, one got his belly opened, guts started to spill out, falling to the ground he is slowly dying. The other two now unarmed, quite literally, came again with their one working arm, each.


    Not a minute later, four new goblin corpses got their energy siphoned.


    [Ding! Level 3 goblin defeated]


    [Ding! Level 5 goblin defeated]


    [Ding! Level 4 goblin defeated]


    [Ding! Agility increased by 1]


    [Ding! Strength increased by 1]


    Checking the bodies, it seemed like one was level 5, not that Ethan complained.


    Going to the awestruck ladies, full of goblins blood he asked, ¡°I am not sure about the numbers inside, but I don¡¯t see too many by now, Do you wish to join me for a frontal attack to gain levels?¡±


    While Leah was pondering, Dana answered excitedly ¡°Yes! There is this skill I need to try out!¡±


    With two looking surprised at her sudden excitement, she lowered her head embarrassed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you two dirty, come on¡± he gestured to the two to follow.


    Going past the space rift cautiously he inspected it


    [Ding!


    Dungeon: goblin cave


    Difficultly: First circle of power


    Requirement: Second Circle of power or lower]


    Narrowing his eyes he pondered the system prompts, ¡®circle of powers¡­is it like tiers? Interesting¡­problems for later¡¯


    Just as he was about to let it be, Dana spoke up, ¡°Ethan, Leah, have you also inspected the gate?¡±


    A nod from Leah shows that by know they are on the same wavelength in their thinking, ¡°We should leave it be for know, trying to figure important things will harm our focus when we fight, also it stinks here¡±, He wave his palm, trying to clear the den like aroma from his nose.


    Another second of focus on the phenomena, a collective intrusive thought that the broken space made a very unpleasant sound, was ringing in their ears, quite literally. Mesmerised by its otherworldly looks, a sense of wrongness came from this, it was as if this crack in the fabric of space was a deviation that shouldn¡¯t exist.


    With a final nod, they classified it as ¡®troubles for later¡¯. They enter the shopping center, crackling voices of the goblins and cries of people can be heard all over the place

 chapter 5

    Inside the shopping center, they saw a view that managed to freeze and boil their blood simultaneously, it was a horror house.


    People in various stages of injury, from dead bodies to heavily wounded and tortured living people were sprawled all over the first floor.


    The dark lore was almost on point with what they witnessed. People who locked themselves in stores behind bars called out for them to hide, wanting the horror show not to repeat itself.


    Leah took a step back, almost throwing away, trying to keep it inside.


    ¡°Are you ready? We need to eliminate the remaining goblins, only then we could attend to the other people and find your family, Leah, are you ready?¡± Ethan asks, his eyes screaming madness and bloodlust, he feels enraged.


    Hearing the offer to look for her family Leah awakens herself from the shock she is still not completely unfocused, the cries for help and the iron like aroma of blood belonging to both goblins and humans were permeating the air.


    With a nod of the two, he raised his voice and shouted. A call of war to be heard all over the shopping center ¡°GREEN FUCKERS GET YOUR GREEN ASSES HERE RIGHT NOW!¡± He was about to pull the gun and take a shot in the air but decided to keep the expensive bullets as a last call, instead with the blade sheathed he pounded on a hollow metal garbage can, blood stains in its base.


    One by one goblins came about, surrounded by 14 goblins wearing the stereotypic piece of cloth of the private parts. people as well started peeking a look from their hiding spots. They started to cheer the three heroes wildly  now that the attention was no longer at them by the green killing imps.


    ¡°Kill them!¡±,¡±Please avenge my family!¡±, ¡°Rip them apart!¡± The call for vengeance came from all over the place.


    Hyped up to the extreme by both rage and anticipation of a good fight, Ethan couldn''t miss Leah eyes darting all over.


    ¡°Leah, please stay focused, in five minutes time we shall finish them and look for your daughter, keep it together, final push!¡±


    Leah wiped a tear and steeled her gaze, the absence of her family among the visible humans sprawled on the floor gave her the hope and strength to pull through it.


    They took formation, Ethan at the front, bug spray at hand, knife in the other. The two spearwomen spread, one gives him front support the second keeps their backs safe.


    Charging forward, spraying a few, dazing them, he lets Dana get the killing blow on the frontal goblin dazed by spray as he strikes the one behind it.


    Using the goblins themselves to hinder one another movement and sight he sprays their eyes, mime major limbs, and kills with simple yet deadly vital hits.


    On the spray head the extension nozzle allowed a longer reach, practically concentrating the gas to drops of poison reaching almost one and a half meter.


    Dana''s skill usage was also quite noticeable, whenever she attacked using it, the attack was slicing through far more easily through skin and muscles and the drain of energy on her face was visible like a twitch of the eye, and the metal was slightly glowing up for just a moment.


    He pondered as he saw the metal brighten up and dim after a very effective slash attack Dana just swiped using her improvised spear cleaving through a teary eyed goblin, creating a clean and deep cut shoulder to thigh.


    ¡®Should I just call it mana?¡¯ he decided as he was dancing between the tearing and wounded goblins with a long curved knife.


    This thought got him to space out, a stone club finding its way to its peripheral sight, in the last moment it stopped its momentum as Dana spear appeared above his head missing Ethan¡¯s head by just a few inches creating a new hole in the goblin¡¯s face, killing it instantly.


    This close call focused Ethan up and he picked up the pace, feeling less safer in just dazing the green imps.


    He did not give up on enhancing his fighting abilities, staying low positioned, sending striked from many heights and positions, creating a clash of the goblins attack, he made sure to block or parry just half heartedly attacks.


    As the numbers dwindled down with 3 more to go, about 4 goblins more joined from a passage between the stores, they were butt naked and bloodied, a rude awakening for the fighting trio about their situation, testing and steeling their resolve in this new world.


    After a few more kills he heard the level up prompt and started to just incapacitated them, letting the two girls gain some levels too by landing the killing blows, Leah, although hesitant, managed to pull through.


    [Ding! level up! Level 4, 2 points available]


    With a few meager blunt attacks that caught him by surprise, they won, bruised and confused. Not for a moment expecting to jump straight to a 3 vs 18 in a bloody crime scene that would shake the core of every exprienced medic of earth.


    Lowering their guard basking in the rush of the battle, surrounded by 18 dead goblins, he slowly walks about and syphons the energy remaining in their body.


    He then noticed that although on the same levels, those gave him less energy, the killing wound was a spear thrust, ¡®exp per contribution?¡¯ The complexity of the system amazed him once more.


    But 18 enemies, was 18 enemies.


    [Ding! Agility increased by 1]


    [Ding! Strength increased by 1]


    [Ding! Agility increased by 1]


    [Ding! Strength increased by 1]


    ¡®I am way too optimistic to think I¡¯ll get MInd or charisma from those ugly green dwarves¡¯ Ethan dejectedly concluded as somewhere along the way the stat increased felt more myserious.


    Just as Leah was about to sprint towards her husband¡¯s office, and sounds of door and locks were clicking, Dana''s sudden move to achieve a defensive stance caught their sight cancling all other actions, she suddenly flung backwards for like 3 meters.


    Holding her arm and groaning, the cheering ceases.


    Human sized goblin made himself known, he looks less grotesque, the green hues of his skin are less saturated, almost as if turning to red, creating a sickly green skin.


    looking at him he exuded an air of suppression. undoubtedly not to be reckoned with.


    Holding a crudely serrated stone club much fancier that the previous ones the small goblins held he came closer step by step.


    Where Dana just stood, now lays a ruined improvised spear and a primitive looking Bola wrapped around its wooden pieces of the shaft.


    ¡°Leah, attend to Dana! He is mine¡± not even looking back he didn''t dare to take his eye off this opponent.


    ¡®Inspect¡¯ he mentally calls.


    [Ding!


    Name: Hobgoblin


    Level: 10


    Description: An adult goblin evolution]


    ¡®Shit!¡¯ Ethan mentally Sums up the situation.


    Putting the bug killer in his floppy Pants pocket with a deodorant that has a lighter taped on it, he creates a free hand that will allow a versatile set of movement, or picking things up.


    ¡°It will not be fun without a foreplay, come at me¡± Ethan teases, visibly scared.


    Narrowing his eyes, the hobgoblin doesn''t charge. He proceeds slowly, as they circle each other. The two are acting like two beasts before collision, waiting for the perfect moment.


    ¡®let''s play¡¯ for the first time, Ethan charges first, acting as if he goes for a horizontal slash he slides to the hobgoblin side using the blood on the sleek marble floor, living a small yet noticeable slash wound in his leg¡¯s side, ¡®its skin is way tougher, but still doable¡¯.


    A breeze of air fan his face as a crude stone club narrowly misses his face.


    ¡°Fast, strong and accurate¡± Ethan nods, taking a rock he picked while sliding.


    Without thinking the hobgoblin attacks the stone, breaking it with a fast and accurate swing of the serrated stone club he wields.


    Waiting for body signs on the goblin as he was about to attack, he lit up the lighter taped to the deodorant and threw it to the hobgoblin.


    Expectedly, he attacks the can, easily tearing it apart.


    Unexpectedly, for the hobgoblin, at least, the gas catches on fire and explodes on his upper torso.


    Everyone watching takes a step back or falls to the ground, the hobgoblin shrieks In pain in a cloud of fire.


    Running towards the dazed, burnt, and confused hobgoblin that dropped his weapon, Ethan draws the bug spray from his pocket and gives the hobgoblin a condensed stream of the bug poison to his face. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    His already hazy sight turned null.


    Cheers erupts once again,the hobgoblin stumbles upon himself, swinging his serrated club all over around himself, as Ethan goes and takes the upper part of the Dana¡¯s broken spear.


    ¡®never understood, those characters that yelled their location to a stunned enemy¡­¡¯ he threw the can to the side, as the hobgoblin turned his head to the sound of the metal can, the improvised spearhead, ending with a sharp pointy knife Penetrated his throat from the side cutting a vital blood vessel and puncture his airways.


    ¡®He is humanoid, there is no way that''s not lethal for him¡¯ Ethan thinks optimistically taking two steps back.


    Falling to the ground thrashing, it slowly dies to the cheering of the crowd.


    [Ding! Lvl 10 hobgoblin defeated]


    [Ding! Level increased! level 5!]


    [Ding! Level increased! Level 6!]


    [Ding! Achievement unlocked, outer circle I, defeated an enemy from one higher circle of power than yours]


    Standing above the hobgoblin body, a green orb appears, picking it up, it turns into a primitive looking cloak.


    ¡®inspect¡¯


    [Ding!


    Name: Primitive cloak


    Rank: uncommon


    Description: A simple patch of leather crudely skinned from mana imbued beast of the hunt


    Buff: common grade weapons can barely cut through this leather


    Stealth increased when wearing the cloak]


    ¡®Mana beast?! Mana?! I was right!¡® he puts the cloak on ¡®now for the main dish¡¯.


    The energy of the hobgoblin begins to get sucked away using his talent.


    This time it felt like a solid stream.


    [Ding! Strength increased by 1]


    But it kept coming.


    [Ding! Strength increased by 1]


    ¡®Still not done? Aren''t you a giving tree?¡¯ He smirks


    [Ding! Strength increased by 1]


    After three stats points and two levels the giving tree withered.


    With this done, he turned back to his two companions, Leah was attending to Dana wound, a blue spot on her arm.


    ¡°This is not as bad as it looks, I luckily managed to lock in the new stats, and somewhat deflected what the green and Ugly threw at me, but the stone grazed my forearm, I was lucky¡± she informs Ethan.


    ¡°You really were, that was some fine reflexes, I don''t think I would have done it any better¡± Ethan admitted, he really lowered his guard seeing the defeated 14 goblins, devouring the fallen enemies¡¯ energy needed him to focus on the process, he was luckier that Dana by not being targeted.


    ¡®Coming to think of it, what kind of energy am I even draining from them? I doubt it is mana¡¯ an intrusive thought settled in, ¡®I am starting to hoard up too many questions¡¯.


    Looking at the battlefield he saw only white orbs. Turning them to items, he saw just goblin sized monuments, stone weapons and unsightly clothes, he threw them and got back to the two companions, only a weird viscous potion the system noted to be a health potion was kept by Ethan, the sight of it left a place for doubt..


    ¡°Are you ready to be on the move? We need to find Leah¡¯s family now, let¡¯s  let the people from the store to help around with the injured¡± he asked the two.


    Hearing this Leah perked up with Dana at arms, ¡°Please let''s do it!¡±


    At this point people opened the stores, left their hideout, they were storming on the items left behind by Ethan, they obviously saw the orbs turn into items. Some went to the bodies of their families, and some tried to approach the trio, but a death glare from Ethan made them all change their minds - he was still doubting the nature of people in the new world.


    They decided to thank him from a distance and ran away to the main floor where all the survivors started to argue wildly on how to continue from now on.


    As for the three they went to the office in which Leah''s husband works.


    The glass door was broken, stains of Blood, both red and Green painted the cracked glass, ¡®must be of those who tried to enter, goblins and humans¡¯...


    At that scene, Leah fell on her knees she couldn''t enter, she didn''t want to know.


    ¡°Let me go in first, I''ll take a look first¡± Ethan entered, leaving whipping Leah consulted by Dana.


    He entered through the broken door, the waiting room, had no bodies in it, but a trail of blood led to a back room, the store still had some nice refreshing smell being a bit distanced from the horror of the central floor.


    Following the blood trail, a shut full wooden door stood strong, banged as hell, but standing.


    Knocking on the door Ethan called out ¡°hello? Someone inside?¡±


    Silence. Not good.


    ¡°I''m here with Leah she is outside, I''m looking for her daughter and husband, are you inside¡±


    Silence. Very bad¡­


    As he was about to try open the door with a powerful kick, a weak voice of a young girl could be heard from the inside of the room, ¡°are you not lying? Where are the green monsters?¡± the voice inquired.


    ¡°Wait a moment I''ll call your mom¡± Ethan said and rushed outside quickly realizing who is speaking,¡±Leah, come quick, I think your daughter is here!¡±


    With teary eyes, Leah jumps to her knees and sprinting in like a maddened woman almost cutting herself from the glass door.


    ¡°Anna! Open the door, it''s me!¡± Leah ran to the inner room, she knew exactly where she was heading, obviously a constant visitor.


    The door opens as fast as one could imagine, as If the girl on the other side just looked for a final confirmation.


    ¡°Mom! Help dad! Please!¡± She hugs her mom, as they both mutually initiate a hug that looks like a very Dangerous wrestling lock due to its intensity, the two crying emotionally.


    Passing through the two Ethan calls casually, ¡°I''m on it¡±.


    In a private office on a couch lies a man, his arm is badly cut and his chest has a nasty blue mark from a blunt attack.


    Must be the blood from the glass and an Attack by a goblin, smashed through the window and used his last powers to lock themselves in the room.


    ¡°Leah, it¡¯s not good, you should see it¡± Ethan makes way through the door, his voice grim.


    A panicked look etched on her face, she hurriedly put down her daughter and head inside.


    She looks at her heavily breathing husband and wraps herself around him, ¡°Guy, wake up!¡± she starts whipping.


    Hearing his wife, he managed to pull a few of his remaining powers to speak back, his voice so weak, only she managed to hear him.


    ¡°Wait here, we will go look for a medic! Dana!¡±  Ethan gestures and they spring to the main floor, where everyone still gathered pondering how to move on.


    ¡°A doctor, a medic, first aid? Someone can help us?!¡± Ethan calls out with urgency in his voice.


    Recognizing their savior, two people stand up, ¡°Im not a not a surgeon or E.R but I know a thing or two, lead the way¡± older man approaches.


    Behind him a young man tags along, ¡°I am a volunteer at an ambulance as a medic, take me with you, it will be an honor to help you out¡± the young lad follows too.


    Leading the way to the room, the doctor and medic heads in, as Ethan and Dana wait outside, ¡°let us know if something is missing¡±


    Few moments later, The two were crushing on a 3-seats couch,  ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a ride¡­¡± Ethan breaks the ice.


    ¡°and we are what? 3 hours in?¡± Dana continued.


    they are exhausted, they are spent, they are bruised.


    ¡®Let''s add the points from the big boss¡¯ he decides to spend the time usefully, ¡®status¡¯


    [Ding!


    Name: Ethan Tesher


    Class: None


    Level: 6


    Race: Human


    Stats:


    Strength: 12 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Constitution: 5 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Agility:13 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Mind: 8 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Charisma: 7 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Free point: 6


    Skills:


    - spirit of a warrior (uncommon)


    This is a passive skill that increases the efficiency of any living being wielding a weapon


    Buff: Efficiency is increased when wielding , training , or studying  a weapon


    Bloodlines & talents:


    - a spark of unknown origin (rare)


    A bloodline originating from ???, with the potential to ???, capable of ??? beyond limits.


    Talent 1:  guided by  ???


    Allows the user to use the ??? of the ??? to guide the user to a preferred and optimal outcome, based on duration and amount of guidance it receives, there shall be a weakening period after use.


    Talent 2:  Devour


    Consume external energies, tames them and makes them one with ???.


    Talent 3:  ???


    ???


    Achievement:


    - Bloody start - rare:


    Killing an enemy at the first minute of the world awakening.


    Buff: +2 to all stats.


    - Outer circle I - rare:


    Killing an enemy from one circle of power higher than yours.


    Buff: 0.5% to all base stats]


    ¡®I am betting my middle finger that this is not what level 6 normal status looks like¡¯ Ethan looked at his, ¡®2 to mind, 3 to constitution, 1 to strength, he allocates his points¡¯


    Strength: 13 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Constitution: 8 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Agility:13 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Mind: 10 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Charisma: 7 (+2 + 0.5%)


    As he finishes, Leah''s daughter leaves the room.


    ¡°Mom asked for me to sit here with you, dad is not doing good¡± Leah''s daughter joins the couch outside.


    ¡°He doesn''t look like it-Ouch¡± Ethan cut by a elbow to the ribs from Dana


    ¡°I mean, it must look difficult, but know that your mom has been working very hard to get here to help you, your brother is also safe, my family are at your place keeping your house and brother safe¡± Ethan try to make the intense journey as a Tale for the upset girl, ¡®also what''s your name? You look older than max¡±.


    ¡°I''m Anna, I''m 15, and you smell very Bad¡± Anna points out cruelly


    ¡°That''s one way of saying thanks for getting rid of the monsters¡± The ego wounded Ethan retaliates to the sharp tongued girl.


    Filling a random bottle of water with whatever was left in the sink, he and Dana wash up as much as they can, cleaning the leather couch they just stained and changed to cloth they found in a closed by store.


    Twenty minutes later enter the inner room of the office to see Leah¡¯s husband¡¯s condition.


    A bleeding puncture wound dripping to the office trash can, Ethan recognized it as the procedure that doctors do in E.R movies to clean pockets of internal injuries from blood that needs to be disposed of.


    His cut in the arm stitched, with the wounds first aided, there is only the blood loss to deal with.


    Thinking of the questionable health potion he got from a goblin, he offers it to Leah, with a nod, she knows what she needs to do.


    With a quick inspection of the item she doesn¡¯t wait for even a moment, with unbridled excitement she pops up the cork, moving the medical crew a side, and slowly lets her husband drink up the potion.


    Putting the glass bottle aside she waits.


    A second pass, then five seconds pass, then twenty, her happy face falling slowly with every passing second.


    Two minutes later, his body twitches a bit as he opens his eyes, his almost mutable sound now a solid whisper.


    Leaving the room for the three family members to hug it out and let the situation evolve to what fate wants it to play like, only hoping for the best is left.


    ¡°Dana, seem like we need to wait here for a few hours, let''s grab whatever we can, create you a new spear, the moment Leah¡¯s husband could move around we could start make our way back¡±


    Taking 3 more big backpacks from a random traveling agency close by, they noticed that people were already bullying and monopolizing stores and looting whatever they could.


    Heading to a known butchery shop, looking for a better knife, a burly man stands in his way at the entrance with a knife at hand, looking around, Ethan sees a few people eyeing the shop from a far, of course they do, food and big knives - basically everything they want and need now.


    The man mask crumbles, slowly but he tries his luck, ¡°it¡¯s my shop, my items are mine to sell¡±, his voice slightly shaking, he is working very hard to work on his facade.


    Smiling innocently, Ethan answers ¡°so I am a willing customer and I am willing to pay.¡±


    Pointing at the fifty cm, pointy, straight Japanese knife ¡°5 of those and some of those,¡± Ethan points at the jerky beef stand.


    ¡°If i can read the price from over here, it says ¡®I just saved you life so move or else I will show you how to really use a knife¡¯, Dana that¡¯s the price? Am I reading correctly?¡± Ethan comically asks Dana.


    ¡°I believe it does¡± She flatly answers, but a smile on her face clearly shows a mix of embarrassment and entertainment.

 chapter 6

    ¡°Don''t look at me like that, it was a fair price!¡± Ethan shrinks under the judgmental stare of Dana.


    ¡°I am not saying it isn¡¯t¡± she states and keeps on walking forward, the same small smile tugs on her lip, never leaving her face.


    ¡°Now groceries!¡± Ethan spills out over excitedly.


    Leaning his palm on the new fancy knife, now a straight 50cm wide and pointy piece of premium metal, sheathed on his belt a dagger that could be debated about being a short sword more than a knife.


    Turning to him once more with the same look on her face, she burst out laughing looking at how he held the handle of the knife.


    ¡°You love it, you are truly enjoying the world apocalypse¡± the realization falls upon her as she facepalm herself giving out a small laugh.


    The two, walking leisurely in the shopping center, laughing and talking quietly while the floor below them is still a bloody mess and post traumatic people trying to wrap their heads around how things come to be.


    They both didn¡¯t want to tell themself what they really think, staying untruthful to themselves but killing so many creatures and even humans, in Ethan¡¯s case ,must have dulled their sensitivity to this matter faster than they would like to admit.


    Walking around carelessly earned them two kinds of extreme emotions, one was a look of pure admiration and reverence amazed by their high mental resilience and crazy show of power and courage they gave, the other gaze, filled with intense jealousy and hate, blame for not being there in the first place to save a loved one.


    On their way to the supermarket they became quieter trying to draw less attention, but a man stood in their way holding a metal bar, his face full of desperation. In today¡¯s events, he lost a few loved ones. his eyes, sends unbridled hostility, he is about to attack.


    ¡°Why haven''t you come earlier?! What took you so long?! You two are walking around on a date where we just lost our families and loved ones!¡± He blames Ethan and Dana, his shouts draw a lot of attention.


    Dana lowered her head, losing her mother a few hours earlier, her mental state is still broken, it is just that she has been through so much to a point she managed to somewhat mentally patch it up, heck, Ethan felt that It is not the end of this.


    Moving forward to the man, Ethan start to speak, ¡°you are right, we were disrespectful for you who mourn here, for that i apologize,¡± Ethan gives the man his 2 cents of courtesy and continue,  ¡±But, your incompetence and inability to save the people around you, is your own, not our¡±, taking the depressed Dana by a gentle hand hold, they move past the angry man, the closer they went past him the tighter Dana¡¯s grip was on his hand, and her face drooped.


    Just as if the event almost diffused, the man roared ¡°It you fault!¡± a broken metal bar swung toward Ethan.


    Ethan moves to the side pulling Dana closer to him. He was ready for such a case mentally noting that if it was Dana, her lowered gaze and mental attack the man caused, she would¡¯ve easily gotten hit by that.


    Ethan gave the man the benefit of the doubt assuming this man just witnessed some intense horrors for the first time in his life, he stayed cool headed, broke contact with Dana and started walking towards the man.


    ¡°Missed, This is your final chance, you suffered enough. You should have had this fire when the goblins attacked, now give up, this is a new world you can use your grief and emotions as a lesson and come out of this stronger and quite Literally, evolved, or take another swing and get your arm broken.


    Take an advice, no one take a cripple as a companion in a world like this¡±


    Standing in front of the man, Ethan locks his gaze with the man, not even trying to hide his disappointment.


    ¡°I will make you pay for this one day! I will make you lose everything!¡± The man turned and was about to leave as he felt a hand tugging his shirt.


    ¡°You just have to spout that last sentence? Give me a reason not to make you not want to see my face in the future? I have companions and family you know¡­¡± pouring Salt on the man¡¯s fresh wound, he comes as close as a fist range from the man.


    Maddened by Ethan¡¯s calm demeanor, he points and starts shouting again ¡°I am not scared of you! You can only talk! Killing a monster made you so fuc-¡±


    A sudden click sound and the man''s voice turned into a high pitched shriek, his forearm now with a bone poking out of it, he fell to his knees.


    ¡°dare say another word¡± Ethan offers with a smile, getting somewhat tired of his own polite etiquette.


    Dana takes a few steps back from the surprise, her face is a mix of emotions.


    In front of a thrashing, screaming man Ethan and Dana exchange looks, her jovial cynical smile is gone, replaced with a contemplating grim frown.


    ¡°Dana, was I wrong to do what I did?¡± Ethan looks pitifully at the man twitching on the ground holding a gruesome wound in his arm.


    She kept silent and turned away as they kept on walking.


    After a moment of consideration she answers, ¡°In a way, you have, you are now far above the liking of him, taking such a foul actions will just burden your soul and create more enemies for yourself, as if that¡¯s what we need right now. This is quite very literally what you warned me when you asked me to join you - ¡®don''t get all murderous and evil on us¡¯¡± She shook her head copying his words


    ¡°You are now super strong but your power will not only draw reverence and respect, it will also draw jealousy and hate. Are you so weak in your mind that bugs annoy you? The store owner I understand. It was funny, and we do deserve some better equipment by hook or crook, but this man? He is but a grieving man¡± she let out a sigh, ¡°He was annoying, but he just needed an outlet, this what makes you different from the thugs from the streets. Why do I follow you without a second of hesitation? your motives feels like it came from somewhere else, let¡¯s not become a group that kills people for no reason, I will not turn up like him¡± a tone of melancholy paints her last words, as her fists clenching.


    ¡°Let''s move¡± Ethan lowered his gaze, her words struck true. He looks at two people run past them to the man worriedly their eyes are of fear and disappointment.


    A few minutes later they are at the supermarket, on their way the amount of people now looking at him with disappointment increasing by the moment, as the action he took against the man was made known.


    Ethan was viewed as a savior, as a man who cares, but he happened to mangle up a man well known around this area - this man was a nice and kind family man, his family came to visit him and help him close his business, the things he saw today, they broke him, he was not a bad or evil man, Dana was right, he was just lost in grief.


    That¡¯s the gist of what he heard, and Dana¡¯s words came to his mind, playing on repeat.


    A moment before arriving at the supermarket Ethan stopped walking with a sad and contemplating look in his eyes. Turning to him, Dana tilt her head confused by his sudden stop. After a long moment of awkward silence, he speaks.


    ¡°Please, stay by my side, I need your guidance, forget the teaching stuff you wanted, I need some tutoring myself it seems¡±


    Looking down dejectedly, A moment of silence passes, as he was expecting to be declined by her. He was at a loss for a moment.


    As he was recalculating how to move next on his own, being distanced from a strong ally, a warm and comforting hug caught him by surprise, his heart racing.


    ¡°Let''s walk the new world together, we can teach one another how to do it¡± she rested her head on his chest, ¡°we shall speak of it later, now we need to go and do some shopping, might as well get some medicine to help the old man when we head back¡± she smiles at Ethan.


    ¡°I like That idea¡±. Got carried away by the moment he was about to Give her a kiss On her cheek, but froze and jumped back, his adrenaline rushed male brain took control in a moment of weakness, he checked her out.


    She had A nice set of bright green sharp eyes and bright brown hair that complemented the player complexion of her skin, a very fine body proportions, ¡®C, bordering D¡¯, intrusive thoughts took over. Overall she was on the better half of the beauty scale, to say the least.


    After noticing he was checking her out, she tilted her head shyly.


    ¡°This is not¡­I¡­Sorry¡±, he apologized and jumped backwards almost as if afraid of escalating a situation he just narrowly saved.


    He was too obvious checking her out, breaking eye contact and kept on moving forward, he heard her mumbling something to his back but left it be, ¡®not time for this right now, gotta stay focused!¡¯ He mentally slapped himself hoping she would take it positively.


    The two kept moving in awkward silence for a short while, a large crowd at the supermarket¡¯s entrance made them realize That they were on a scavenger hunt in the apocalypse swinging their focus back, annihilating any disturbances from the few moments of embarrassment they had been through.


    They steeled their gaze nodded to each other, getting Ready for an obvious situation gone wrong once more.


    ¡°What''s your bet? I''m going with bullies with weapons trying to become the overlord of the area by using foods¡± Ethan returns to his cynical ways.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°You can''t bet on serious things like this,¡± the judgmental look visible on Dana¡¯s eyes, ¡°and if you do at least don''t take my guesses¡±.


    ¡°If I go too far, stop me¡± Ethan asks her, lowering His eyes.


    ¡°You were not Completely wrong back there, he was lucky to meet you and not someone who straight up killed him in the streets¡± she states her experience speaks in volumes.


    ¡°Thank you, really¡± he raised his head, confident Somewhat recovered.


    Laying low the duo blend in the crowd, a Group of five, two holding handguns, The rest holding knives, in front of them a guy Getting beaten and kicked.


    ¡°Hey, please tell me, What''s the Situation?¡± Ethan asks a random guy next to him.


    ¡°The moment the trio came And killed all the green little dwarves, those five made a run for it and showed off the handguns they stole from the bodies of two security guards. They are not letting anyone in¡± he states angrily not even looking at Ethan.


    ¡°And what do they want?¡± Ethan inquired farther.


    ¡°subservience, looking for lackeys and women, what else¡± he murmured.


    ¡°food is already a currency? Ah?¡± Ethan let out a chuckle.


    Hearing the chuckle. The man turns to see who is the crazy man he is speaking with, and pales.


    ¡°Dana, your opinion?¡± Ethan ask


    ¡°They are practical douchebags¡± she shrugs, having nothing else to add.


    ¡°I''ll disarm the two guys holding the guns and find a new  nice and capable leader around, is this acceptable? Maybe the broken arm dude, everyone seems to speak quite highly of him¡± Ethan casually offers, looking for approval from Dana.


    The pale man who explained the situation still frozen, paled even more, ¡®How can they casually speak of it like this?!¡¯.


    ¡°I have a mission for you,¡± Ethan addressed the pale random guy, ¡±go to the one with the broken arm, you will figure out really fast on whom I am speaking, tell him the chance to start a new is right here and now, and he needs to send someone he trusts and he considers a reliable person¡± now go.


    Nodding dumbly, the man flees to carry his task.


    ¡°Dana, you remember how we met? Let''s raise a show¡± Ethan grinned.


    In response, Dana shakes her head and disappears in the crowd with a V gesture, not saying a word.


    ¡®I will have all the fun for myself again¡¯ Ethan sighs and makes himself known.


    ¡°Hello there, are we becoming overlords? Can I ask in?¡± Ethan distanced himself from the crowd moving closer to the group of five, his hands held up in a surrounding gesture.


    ¡°Get back, freak Or else we will shoot!¡± the guns pointed at him.


    ¡°Okay, first, Not too polite. Secondly, two guns on one man, not smart, what if I work with someone who aims a gun at you right now?¡± stopping his speech for a moment he let his words create some distrust and paranoia in his opponents.


    ¡°Third, what about exchange, I offer important knowledge, for some food¡± Ethan said innocently, ¡°If one of you strong people with guns dare come forward and speak with me, it would be nice¡±.


    The two kept speaking, considering the situation.


    ¡°Okay¡­Dana, hold my knife¡± He approached her in the crowd and gave her his knife.


    She nods and walks back, disappearing in the crowd. His remark about an accomplice aiming at them, makes them look for her in the crowd anxiously - it worked.


    ¡°Are you still too scared to speak? Are you that shameless¡± He calls towards the two men, letting everyone hear that, for extra emotional Damage, his handgun is hidden in his belt with a jacket.


    When changing clothes before coming he picked an easy and comfortable training set, black and blue in color, with the option of easily hiding his gun in mind.


    ¡®How does he dare you use this word?!¡¯ Dana internally wanted to flip off a table.


    After a few more discussions, one of the men approaches, using inspect in that time, Ethan figures the weaker one came, like the melee thugs, he was, lvl 1, as the one further distancing himself, is level 2, probably the leader.


    Upon seeing them sending one of the guys armed with knives he interjects, ¡°Not happening the least you can do is send one of you scary people with a gun to speak with me and not those small fries¡±


    In response they speak amongst themselves once more until the lvl 1 gunman moves forward.


    ¡°Are you up for a small talk or you just want to act coy until you''ll manage to get what information I have to tell you?¡± Ethan asks straightforwardly.


    ¡°I..th¡­this is not what We want, if you show you don''t have weapons and enter we can speak?¡± He stummers.


    ¡°I will tell you but I want you to come closer, I don''t want anyone else to hear¡± Ethan feints defeat raising his arm, turning 360 fast enough for the untrained man to not notice the gun, hoping the gesture will lower his guard.


    Five steps from one another, Ethan whispers Something incohesive on purpose, making the man step forward, he turns his head to hear better, and this is the money shot.


    Ethan use the man''s lower guard and how he tilt his head to the side to hear better, he draws the gun quietly and say to the guy, ¡°it''s important for you not to move because I have a gun aimed at you private area, if the next move of yours is not lowering your gun, I will take the shot, Do you not want to take your child to school...oh there is no more schools, never mind, You have three seconds, lower your gun¡±.


    The obviously untrained man fell for his scheme, his eyes filled with fear, he looked at the hand He was tilting his head away from and saw Ethan was not lying -  a gun was pointed at his crotch.


    ¡°Two¡± Ethan counts.


    Throwing the gun to The ground, the man fell to his knees, begging to be spared.


    ¡°Just Join the crowd over there, idiot¡­¡± Ethan orders the now unarmed man.


    As he was about to speak to the man who is most likely in charge, a sound of commotion started to erupt from behind him, the man disarmed by Ethan just now getting beaten by the crowd.


    Laughing out loud tears started to form in Ethan¡¯s eyes, meanwhile the man at the supermarket entrance, still holding the gun started cursing, his face reddening and vein bulges, he lost a man and a weapon.


    ¡°Now, shall we speak or you still think the gun is going to make you the big scary boss? Seriously? Lackeys and women?¡±  Ethan asked the reddening man with disgust, dual aiming the two guns at the man.


    ¡°Why do you even care? What do you even know?!¡± he asked


    Holding the gun, trying to focus with his skill- spirit of a warrior, Ethan figured there is no special information, Knowledge or techniques about the handgun or shooting it, ¡®are firearms excluded by the system? My skill should¡¯ve helped me somehow¡­no way guns are not a thing...maybe the system knows another shape and mechanism to them¡¯


    Finishing his inner monologue he replies, ¡°What is there to know you think you are the fitted ruler and you want the food, the place, lackeys and women. How complicated can it get? The first thing you need to do is arrange some free food to those people, not looking for employees like a dirtbag¡± Ethan answers annoyed, his sense of injustice tickles.


    A burly man arrives with the scared man, Ethan sent to the search and deliver mission.


    Pushing his way through the crowd, the burly man looks at Ethan with a mix of emotions, hate and anger are clearly evident, there is also a bit of confusion.


    ¡°Oh you came in the broken hand man¡¯s name?¡± Ethan casually asks.


    The man with the gun, standing in the entrance stands there dumbfoundedly, ¡®he didn''t even let me answer¡­¡¯


    In front of Ethan the burly man starts to get mad, ¡°my name is Rown, and the man you broke his arm is my cousin!¡± he comes fearlessly to Ethan holding two guns.


    ¡°I am glad¡± Ethan states casually .


    Rowan''s face twitches in anger, ¡°how dare you?!¡± he shouts.


    ¡°Calm down, I heard he lost his family members and seeing that he has someone like you, a fearless and capable man, it relieves me, Also I''m sorry, I let my anger get the best of me, him insinuating he will come after me or my family made me over protective over them and my companions and I over reacted¡± Ethan answer vaguely.


    Rowan''s face turns into a carousel of emotions, none is simple to read.


    ¡°Tell me, this man over there, he took over the supermarket and he tries to use men and women for food, what do you think of that?¡± Ethan riddles the situation.


    ¡°I¡­what¡­.¡± Rowan Short circuited, so much information, ¡®He is apologizing? Normalizing what he did to Jamey? What am I supposed to do with this man aiming a gun at us?!¡¯


    ¡°Get rid of him, he is not better than the goblins that tried to use us¡± a woman joins from the crowd, her hair color is black, just like Rowan and although she looks somewhat prettier the resemblance makes it an easy guess, they are related.


    ¡°and you are?¡± Ethan asks the new arrival.


    ¡°I''m the sister of the slowpoke over here, Rina, nice to meet, I heard what you said to him, I can''t completely accept it but we will cooperate for now¡± she introduced herself.


    ¡°Rina, you two are the new leaders of this place, wait here with your brother and discuss how you gonna do it¡± Ethan whispers to the brother-sister duo.


    Turning back to the armed red faced man, Ethan leaves the two to think of their new roles without even letting them a moment to dispute or decline his offer, he places himself where there is no crowd behind him, still dual wielding the handguns.


    ¡°Now you,¡± Ethan addressed the supermarket bully ¡±last chance, will you leave or stay?¡±


    His plans ruined, ignored, defamed, embarrassed, looked down upon, raising his gun. his actions are too predictable, he takes a shoot.


    Ethan moves behind a concrete pillar he was walking towards since he left the black haired siblings, the rest of the people scattering and screaming.


    Dana takes a strategic hideout with Eye contact to Ethan, and gestures to him a throwing movement pointing at her knife and the man hailing bullets on the concrete pillar Ethan hiding behind in a slow and calculative rhythm.


    She counts to ¡®3¡¯ with her fingers. Reaching three she shouts ¡°a knife!¡±, and throw the knife unsheathed aiming for the supermarket Bully, making it spin wildly. can''t ignore a flying knife coming his way the bully turn to it, Ethan use this and sprint at full power, in a moment he is about 13 meters away Starting to shoot the man haphazardly dual wielding the handguns, Ethan is not a marksman, but 4 bullet each gun, 8 bullets in total, he is not that bad.


    2 bullets hit the man.


    One hit the right calf, the other the left shoulder, as the man dropped the gun, the 3 armed lackeys ran away in terror as Ethan kept on sprinting towards them dual wielding two guns.


    Keep on sprinting he secured the third gun, Ethan stands above the supermarket bully, his gun under his shoes.


    With a small theatrical bow, ¡°and, a scene¡±.


    ¡°Rina, you here?¡± Ethan ask the hiding crown


    Rina and Rowan, makes themselves known, Dana already approaching him holding the knife she threw.


    He gives them one of the fancier knives each, ¡°this store has whatever your cousin needs to somewhat recuperate, send him my honest apologies, I''ll fill 4 bags and will be on my way, are you okay with this?¡± Ethan ask,


    ¡°Of...course¡± Rina answers dumbly, Rowan short-circuited once more didn''t  answer


    Entering inside the supermarket, Ethan and Dana fill four backpacks to the brim.


    When they left the supermarket, groups were already organized to take from a table what looked like rations.


    ¡°You did great, it''s up to them what will happen next¡± Dana stated.


    ¡°Thank you for the assist over there, let''s go and give Leah some of the medical things she need for her Husband¡± Ethan replied with a smile, for a second he felt her trying to hold his hand but withdrew after a moment.


    ¡®It¡¯s better like that, we shall first arrive at Leah¡¯s place. A romance, three and a half hours into the world apocalypse is too rushed. it''s a bad idea¡¯ he smiles to himself moving forward.

 Chapter 7

    Going back to Guy¡¯s office, they head to the inner room where Leah and her family are, dropping down the four heavy backpacks.


    ¡°Ethan! It''s a miracle!¡± The family sits together on chairs, ¡°it''s Been almost an hour but his internal damage is mostly Healed! His bones are still broken, and external wound is not showing recovery, but he walks and talks!¡± Leah jumps and hugs Ethan, ¡°This must be the potion you gave me!¡±.


    ¡°Ethan, The name is Guy, I don''t know what you gave me, but you saved my life, and my family, I''m in your debt¡± he tries to stand for a gesture of gratitude but fails, he sits back down holding his chest.


    ¡°Don''t overexert yourself, it was but a necessary trip I needed to take, might as well make it meaningful, also with you at this state, we can¡¯t make it back to you place easily, your son and my family is over there¡± Ethan laid it out truthfully, caressing his chin, pondering of what to do next.


    ¡°What about you leaving us over here until he recovers?¡± Leah suggest, ¡°Take max with you, i believe you are more than fitting to keep him safe, alternatively, you can go back and bring your family here, seems like that shaking almost completely calmed down and there seems you got a hour or two of last lights¡±


    ¡°I think moving here is a good option, there are no more than 50 survivors, that means we have the people, but also the space. There is also more manoeuvring space for if and when we get attacked, and the rations of the supermarket would prove more beneficial to be made and distributed in bigger groups - efficiency speaking¡± Dana speaks out Ethan¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°This is a good option, among the stores there are a lot of multiple rooms, and there are the offices of the shopping center, there lower and higher floors for defensive tactics, But the dungeon gate 50 meters away, it¡¯s dangerous¡± Ethan raises a potential threat.


    ¡°Or a free training area, we can keep guard on the gate. With us to guide them, goblins spawned from it will help everyone here get easy levels, and there is the reputation we already established, I doubt someone will stop your family from taking charge of this place¡± Dana adds.


    ¡°If I may add my two cents, this office of mine, I have worked here for years, the moment I can walk I will help you close up any information about stores, maintenance, entrances and exits.¡± He stops and then adds, ¡°I also know quite a lot of the people around here, I could help them get in line with you and avoid causing disorder¡±


    ¡°This will do, but the skies they seemed to become darker, i don¡¯t have much time before night falls, I can leave a gun to you and let Dana join the brother-sister duo hold the fort down until tomorrow and come back at first lights, alternatively, I could stay the night and go for a 4 hour of roundabout in day time with my family and max tomorrow¡° Ethan lays down the two most viable options.


    ¡°We can arm a group of 10 with long knives, and like you did, sprays or metal and wood debris  will be held off hand as shields or weapons. Locating ourselves in the main exit, with smaller groups doing patrolling in turns. We will close the rest of the exits, effectively making it into a fortress. Ethan, if we can¡¯t hold for a few hours after watching you, this will be truly embarrassing¡± Leah concludes, Dana comically nodding in the background.


    ¡®As expected from a group that lives in a country that has mandatory army service, all the main issues closed in a mere discussion, or I just happened to meet all the right people¡¯ Both options are good Ethan smiles.


    ¡°So I''ll take a small bag of rations for the night, and leave, does anyone know how to operate a handgun?¡± Ethan asks the room, Guy raises his good arm, ¡°I do¡±.


    ¡°Please instruct Dana of how to use it¡± Ethan pass the gun to her, ¡°you have about 9 shots, I didn''t really checked, but use only when you really must, don¡¯t let anyone know you have it, and don¡¯t expect it to damage monsters as it does to humans, I don''t think the system is a big fan of this, just my assumption, might be wrong¡± he shrugs.


    Picking up a small bag, he fills it with a few cans, beef jerky, 3 bottles of water, a trusty stronger bug killer spray he picked from the supermarket, and one more improvised deodorant bomb.


    With his new knife sheathed, he approach Dana, ¡°Stay safe,I will be back in a few hours¡±


    He didn¡¯t notice he got a bit too close due to the last events between them, looking at a grinning family that also appears to be in the room he steps back hurriedly.


    the two blushing furiously, ¡°You three can get attacked by goblins while I''m gone¡± Ethan awkwardly and quite poorly retaliates.


    Taking a few steps forward, he turns back, ¡°I¡¯ll head out now¡±, his eyes turn serious, ¡°Stay alive, I will bring you your son by tomorrow¡±.


    Accompanied by Leah and Dana, he meets up with the brother-sister duo, he explains about his leave and the plans they thought of, letting his two companions finish things up, he takes his leave. Surprisingly, Rowan and Rina adapted quite nicely, although a bit crude around the edges answering panicked people asking them random questions on the way to the parking lot.


    The skies are beginning to get dark, the rambling of the ground calmed, ¡®the expansion is in its ending stages? I have to run, I can''t get stuck outside in the dark¡¯ Ethan starts picking up his pace, one leg after another the rhythm increases.


    He was an average man, he run at a respectable speed of 9 km/h give or take, based on the gym treadmill, surprise colored his face as he manage to pick up the speed even farther, that would be about 15 km/h on the treadmill, and it wasn¡¯t even his final form.


    He managed to reach a steady pace of what he could assume to be around 18 km/h with a heavy little bag on him.


    ¡®insane¡¯ he grinned wildly, ¡®this is twice the speed i could five hours ago, that is elite athletics short sprint speed I¡¯m jogging at¡¯.


    Enjoying his new physical capabilities he understood how he quickly closed the distance with his enemies in the last few hours. passing through he sees groups of people, trying their luck among ruins and broken stores, he stops to help only and in extreme cases of violence or sexual assault, not having a moment to spare. Quickly incapacitating the attacker he directs  the victims to the shopping center.


    After about less than a 10 of such cases, and immense fatigue he slowed down his pace.


    He is not far but, considering the time it took him, and using known places he knows as pinpoints - earth has been expanded 10 times its size. What was once a 5 minutes walk was now about 55 minutes of power walking through mostly deserted stone clearings.


    In the far distance to his right a body of water came to be, about 1km of a pond, he couldn¡¯t discern the water status due to darkness, ¡®On the way back tomorrow I can check if this is clear and usable water¡¯ this could come handy¡¯ He decides.


    There were also small parks and greenery that mutated into patches of trees and grass, depending on what was planted  there.


    With this Ethan could only assume, the expansion wasn¡¯t random, it used the existing matter and layout of the land as the base of the transformation, underground water pocket turned to a pond, parks now a mini forest, small grass patches turned to a randomly placed grass clearings, and concrete and building now an uneven stone floor.Seems like man made areas were more difficult for the world to transform, like how the system wasn¡¯t a big fan of putting guns and shooting knowledge in the passive skill ¡°Spirit of a warrior¡±. This floated some intense existential wonders as he jogged.


    Seeing the rows of private houses in the closing horizon he picked up the pace once more.


    Getting closer he can see that the house next to where his family are, there are three people creating awful and loud noises, slamming metal bars and trying to break in.


    He quickly checks the door of where his family is, there are also signs of break-in attempts, he didn''t know what happened but getting closer the conversation of the next house¡¯s residents and the three men was a dead give away.


    From the inside of the barely hanging door the sound of a distressed man, ¡°Leave us alone, we have done nothing!¡±.


    The desperate pleas of the man fall on deaf ears, the three aggressors laughing and hitting harder fueled by his desperation and fear. From a higher floor he can see his family looking at the scene worriedly.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let them keep on drawing attention so much, the last thing we need is wolves coming here¡¯,  inspecting the two he discovers they are all level 2 , ¡®Did they already kill something or someone?¡¯ Ethan¡¯s eyes turned colder


    Under the frenzy of wilding on the door which is about to break, Ethan gets closer, 10 meters behind them.


    Looking up, his family noticed him, as they were about to call him he signals them to stay quiet. In return they do a finger gun gesture and pointing at the guys, looking carefully he notices two of them carrying a gun in the back of the belt.


    Gesturing a Thumb up, he draws a gun of his own, his family pales, his mom in a moment of weakness, thumps the glass window, the sound was swallowed by the breaking-in attempts but the sudden movements catch the eyes of the three, one takes a gun without warning and shoots the window.


    The man missed, a new hole decorated the house¡¯s outer wall.


    Shooting a distance of a bit more than 20 meters is far from being idle for a handgun, but if he had aimed, hitting was not a hard task.


    Full of anger, Ethan looks at the man aiming for a second try at his family, seeing that the family is already running deeper in the room.


    ¡°Damn rats, not only they locked the house like a cage, they are interrupting us with this house too. When we finished with this house, we were gonna get to their house. I saw in the window that there was a hot girl in there,¡± he shot again, breaking the glass, and started  laughing.


    The other two hearing this, got hyped, they kept on banging the door with fervor, it was but a matter of time.


    ¡®Now or never¡¯ Ethan takes a crouched aiming position at the man still aiming at the window 10 meters away, the man hopes someone will peek his head, ¡®with mom and dad over there it¡¯s but a matter of seconds they will do such a stupid and obvious thing¡¯.


    Ethan finds aims, locks them,with the static man aiming for his family, Ethan in the best shooting posture and idle distance, Increased agility to increase reflexes, Ethan picks another target and decides to go for two quick shots, dispatching the two main threats.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Holding his breath he calms down, a shot taken, to the surprise of the two banging the door, the sound doesn¡¯t come from where their friend stands, and he falls down.


    [Ding! Level 2 classless human defeated]


    Confused for 2 seconds, looking around them they see a young man pointing a gun at them, another loud bang is heard, and only one burglar still stands.


    [Ding! Level 2 classless human defeated]


    Quickly understanding the situation the third man is about to reach one of the guns from his friends¡¯ bodies.


    ¡°You wanna join them? Pick it up¡± Ethan offers, the man turns as white as the wall behind him, stopping in the middle of bending over to the gun, he stands up.


    ¡°Was it a monster or human you killed?¡± Ethan asks, inching closer by the second.


    ¡°What are you doing?! We didn¡¯t kill anything! No one!¡± the man erupts in anger, still threatened by the gun pointing at him getting closer by the second.


    ¡°I was not asking a question of ¡®if¡¯, what was it that you killed? speak the truth and i will let you go, The world changed and we all have to take actions we don''t want to¡± Ethan said comfortably trying to fool him with empathy.


    ¡°It was a group of four people who owned one of the handguns, they tried to get the one my friend had¡± He admitted sadness starting to appear on his face as he starts to realise that his two friends are now gone, Ethan is 3 metres away from the man.


    His look of sadness turns to anger, Ethan can already see his actions clearly, with a hand on the knife¡¯s handle he informs the man, ¡°The hot girl from the building you aimed next, is happened to be my sister¡±, the sentence confused the man for just 2 seconds, the 2 seconds Ethan needs.


    Just as his mom and dad peeked their heads after a long moment of quiet that followed by the sound of two shots, they saw Ethan draw a long sharp japanese kitchen knife.


    Catching his throat the man fell to his knees and from his knees on his belly, the staircase getting recolored.


    [Ding! Level 2 classless human defeated]


    Using his bloodline talent on the three bodies the system rings again.


    [Ding! Strength increased by 1!]


    Picking up the two guns, he finds 2 extra clips on the man''s belt and bag with food and water.


    3 guns, 5 clips. 3 full with 13 bullets and 2 half full, there is also rations, ¡®nice¡¯ He patted himself on the back mentally sending his peeking family a peace sign to the window.


    Knocking on the door Ethan calls to the people of the house ¡°The three are dead, i mean no harm, can I ask to speak with you? I''m the son of the family who currently Stays at the house next to you, if you won''t come out to speak with me, I will leave, Know that though, you are passing on a chance for a safe haven, you have ten seconds¡±


    Five seconds later a voice comes from The other side of the door.


    ¡°How can we blindly trust you?¡± A doubtful man asks.


    ¡°You can''t, 3¡± Ethan Admits coldly.


    Time''s up, Ethan turns and takes leave, just as he is about to Leave the house entrance, a woman in her early 40¡¯s opens the door.


    ¡°Please wait, can we ask for more information¡± she asked embarrassed and afraid.


    ¡°First, we leave at first light to the shopping center, it''s about two hours walk, some friends of mine took control of it from a bunch of monsters, there is currently space and rations, privacy is not guaranteed, be advised¡± letting his words sink in he continued speaking, ¡°I''ll come at first light, get ready with essentials only. Tents and metal Kitchen utensils and in a carryable manner, also, How many are you?¡±


    Stumbling upon the wave of information crushed into her she managed to answer confusedly, ¡°4, my husband and two kids¡±.


    ¡°Can they walk?¡± Ethan asks


    ¡°Yes, but what happened to the shopping center five minutes away?¡± she asked.


    ¡°This is the one, It is now two hours away, come with me tomorrow and will naturally understand, also your husband should really move those away¡± he pointed at the three dead people on the door steps and walked away.


    A family of four looks at Ethan¡¯s back walking away, leaving bloody footsteps on the entrance of their house.


    A few barricades later, the door opened and Ethan getting jumped by his family, his lungs squeezed.


    ¡°Calm down, there is a lot to cover and I really need to sleep¡±.


    In the background he sees Max looking for his mother, a tear forming in his eye.


    ¡°Where is my m-¡± Max was about to cry out


    ¡°You too, relax, your family, they are all okay, your father got hurt but he is now safe and recovering¡± Ethan explains.


    ¡°So let¡¯s go now!¡± the kid persists.


    ¡°We can¡¯t, things are weird outside, going out at night will be extremely dangerous. I will put you all up to speed, we will then get some sleep, and we head out first thing in the morning - at first lights¡± Ethan tells everyone present.


    Checking his still working watch he adjusted the time to that of a sunset hour, 19:00.


    Sitting in the living room, he elaborate about everything he have been through, Dana, the gist of her background, of helping people, of the goblins and the dungeon, the hobgoblin, the man he broke his arm - this one earned his a scornful look from his father and mother, the supermarket bullies and finally the group plans to take charge of the shopping center.


    He didn¡¯t need to explain what happened next door, they saw it.


    The room fell in complete silence, Ethan left for about six hours, but the story he tells is a tale of a man they didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Ethan,¡± His mother breaks the silence, ¡°I am worried for you¡±.


    ¡°Me too¡± he admits with a smile, ¡°I was mistaken for acting rush against the broken arm guy, but I have seen monsters and men, and There is no place for them in this world, In a few years, even months, when other races will come, when stronger enemy will appear, what do you think will happen? The guys that tried to break in, I heard what they planned to do with you had I been late¡±.


    He let the last sentence sinks in before speaking once more, ¡°This is a world where kindness and forgiveness will only get you stabbed in the back, trust and love can be discern with a look, the same goes for deceit and hostility, at least, I truly hope it is this simple¡±


    ¡°So far it¡¯s been working for me quite well, with your permission I need to sleep for a bit¡± He stands up.


    turning to leave, washing himself with the water left in the drains, he jumped into the casual daily durable clothes he picked from the shopping center, throwing his cloak aside.


    falling a sleep in a moment, the blinds slightly open to have indication of first lights.


    He didn¡¯t even know how long he slept, but he woke up a bit after the sun started to rise.


    Checking his watch it was 5:54.


    Seems like earth size sync with the earth time cycle, ¡®Was earth no the only planet expanding?¡¯¡¯ He jumped out of bed too fast, getting woozy, ¡°troubles for later¡±.


    He slept so tight he felt nothing, walking out the room, almost everyone was awake, they seemed Like they had a difficult time sleeping.


    ¡°How are you all doing? Ready to move?¡± Ethan asked, still woozy from the sleep.


    He took a few of the rations from the bag, they all woke up, ate, and the bag became lighter.


    ¡°Did I miss something? you all look restless¡± Ethan asks tilting his head.


    ¡°We are about to see few dozens of survivors in the post apocalyptic world and start a fortress in a shopping Center¡± the middle sister, as if this explains anything


    ¡°We are about to go to a world where there are street crawling with unknown dangers¡± Lily added.


    ¡°Your actions from yesterday make me feel uneasy¡± Sarah, his mom, said honestly as if there is a way he causally answer such a remark.


    ¡°I am proud of you, and In those times, seems like you are the most easily adapted, you just need a bit of guidance, and we would like to be exactly that, and support you with whatever actions you chose to take¡± John, his father comes out with a comment that made everyone present look at him with surprise.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go quick!¡± Max¡¯s childish voice filled with urge broke the awkward silence and got a chuckle  from everyone.


    ¡°Before we go out, I want to add one more thing, seriously, Trust no one, especially you guys. A lot of people saw me, Leah and Dana in a show of great power, we drew the gaze of not only friends and good will intentioned people, don¡¯t be dazzled by flowery words, we clear? The things we might encounter on the streets outside¡­are not easy¡± final warnings were given.


    Going to the family next door Ethan knocks the almost unhinged door - ¡®it is truly a miracle they didn¡¯t get barged in at night¡¯.


    ¡°We are going, you coming?¡± an offer laid out straightforwardly.


    The door opens up a few moments later a family of four carrying 3 full backpacks with tents strapped coming forward, ¡°We are the Bennets, my name is Eliya, my husband, Ed, and our two daughters,  Adelle and Lina, they are 13 and 14. Thank you for taking us along¡±.


    Scanning the family, Ethan noticed a slight hostility in Ed¡¯s eyes, he stepped forward, not speaking, he went past Eliya, Her husband took a defensive position in front of the scared girls.


    ¡°I''m not here for the girls, I am here to tell you that I don¡¯t mind doubt, or hesitant, but if you look at me with hostility one more time, you will lose one of your eyes¡± the family shudders, as the random man turns his back not even waiting for them to return the comment.


    As Ethan turned his back, Ed''s scared facade turned to anger and hostility once more.


    John walked past his son, ¡°my son was quite clear, you think because he doesn¡¯t look at you he is dumb to just let you be? Just yesterday three armed men almost broke into your house, have you no shame? You are more than welcome to stay here.¡±, John points on an almost collapsing door.


    ¡°A man that didn''t even look at what happening outside dares to use such stare, when you were shaking in fear with your daughters, Ethan killed a wolf of 1.6m height alone to let us get her safely, if any of us even catches you looks with that stare at my son, you will never have a place to where we heading, not now, not in future, your family included. Now follow us and I dare you to try and lie your eyes on my son like you just did one. more. time¡± pointing at his son he stressed out the final words slowly.


    Eliyah sends a death glare to her husband, making him lower his gaze, ¡°that man saved us yesterday, and offers us a safe place, the door is one kick away from falling down in a world where all rules are worth ass! Pull a thing like this one more time and I am leaving without you, show some gratitude!¡± Turning to John she speaks again ¡°I apologize for my husband''s actions, please take us with you!¡± Eliyah pleaded.


    [Ding! Charisma increased by 1!]


    A smile tugs at Ethan''s lips.


    It is a long moment of awkward silence, unofficially, and very clearly, one man decides what will happen next. ¡°Let¡¯s move¡±  Ethan orders and everyone starts moving forward.

 Chapter 8

    The streets filled with wandering groups, and sights that reveal how correct Ethan was about the dark side of the human hearts¡¯ soon come to view. bodies appear in the streets hidden in corners and alleys or even plainly disposed in the middle of the road. The luckier ones just got robbed and quickly got killed.


    Picking a zig-zag like walking pattern they lead a way to hide the less dressed and less sightly views from the children.


    The more they saw the injustices of this world they understood what a cruel fate they were saved from thanks to Ethan, the man whose current accountant displayed his anger and disappointment towards the true face of humanity.


    The night had taken its toll on those who were not lucky or wise enough, but what truly made him uneasy were the blood stains that had but remnants of humans in them, making his assumptions regarding a wolves den gate nearby.


    At some point the pond game to sight on his left, the water although distanced looked blue and clear, hopefully they could utilize it later on.


    As they were about to leave the private housing area, a shout came from an alley, holding his hand in ¡®Stop¡¯ gesture, ¡°you can handle a gun right?¡± Ethan asks his dad.


    John nods, ¡°had a security gig once, I know how to load, aim, shoot and clear the barrel¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for now, have this,¡± he passed one of the handguns to his father, ¡°this one has 13 bullets in the clip, it¡¯s not loaded¡± keep it for emergencies only.


    Letting the rest wait behind the alley, he sees a man with a knife trying to force and assault a woman.


    Instinctively, his muscles tensed, he found an outlet for the rage of the streets¡¯ unsightly and Gorey views, ¡°stay quiet and hidden¡± he says to the group, and he heads in with the two guns and knife belted on his back, hidden.


    ¡°Hello fine sir, may I interest you in getting the hell away or not getting to see tomorrow?¡± Ethan walked forward with no weapons visible towards the man with the folding knife, ¡®inspect¡¯.


    ¡®Level 2¡¯ Ethan sighs deeply, ¡®of course he did¡¯.


    ¡°Get the hell back!¡± The man calls out angrily, his plans foiled.


    ¡°Lady, stay there, I¡¯m on my way to a safe haven, I¡¯ll deal with this¡­human¡¯s finest and take you along¡± Ethan ignores the shouting man.


    With a small folding knife he takes dominant steps forward and his intentions to initiate an attack is obvious.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± the woman cries out.


    ¡°Yeah, he really should watch out¡± Ethan make his knife known to the random attacker, the attacker is now 5 meters in, ¡®on the other hand, this is a good chance to try some unarmed combat¡¯ he sheaths it back.


    The man stops moving looking at Ethan''s knife and fearlessness, as he about to turn tail and run Ethan speaks.


    ¡°Come here and finish what you started, I will not use this knife, but if you run, I have a loaded handgun and you won''t make it past 5 meters from here¡±


    Hearing about a gun he can¡¯t stop thinking about the new weapons arsenal he could get against such a naive young child he moves forward, this time a lot slower. They circle one another, each looking for the best time to take the first action.


    With his patience at his limits he jumps on Ethan, the blade faces upwards.


    ¡®Slashed and stabs are the main threat, lower angles are optimal¡¯, Ethan deduced by the hold of the attacker on the knife, the blade upwards and towards him.


    Understanding that he need to focus on his skill ¡°spirit of a warrior¡± to withdraw knowledge from it he understand a glaring disadvantage of using it in real time. Walking threateningly he wins a few more moments to find a plan of attack using unarmed stances.


    He smiles and takes a low fighting stance,  deciding on a doable move he is closing the distance, causing the man to rashly attack him with a stab. Coming closer, the blade passes him. locking the man¡¯s shoulder and elbow with one hand and the other quickly punches in the meeting point of the sternum and breathing ways.


    His new stats and the skill made this attack extremely powerful and effective, too effective. breaking contact, the man stumbles back, dropping the knife, and holding his throat with suffocating sounds he falls to the ground, when on his knees a nasty blue sign of internal damage comes to view, he gasps for air but fails.


    Surprised by his own power, he got a bitter reminder of Dana¡¯s words and how brittle the human body is and how strong he is now, the bloodline talent and stat boost, with the right use of the knowledge from his passive skill made him into a worthy enemy.


    the man suffocated, breathing ways flooded with blood. He coughs blood gasping for air, and dies in half a minute.


    Looking at the body in front of him, Surprise and displeasure appear on Ethan¡¯s face.


    He wanted to win, heck, he wanted him dead, but seeing this pitiful death he added to his list by mistake just hit the wrong chords, ¡®I need to train and control my own body as soon as possible¡¯.


    [Ding! Level 2 classless human defeated]


    A white orb manifests on the man¡¯s back and rolls on the ground, Picking it up, it turns to a potion bottle, ¡®inspect¡¯.¡¯


    [Ding!


    Name: low grade health potion


    Rank: common


    Description: a low rank health potion]


    ¡®Not bad, normal potion magically healed Guy¡¯s injuries, low grade shouldn¡¯t be looked down on with our current state.¡¯


    Using his devour talent on the dead man


    [Ding! Strength increased by 1!]


    This is not a happy moment for Ethan, but a cruel reminder of how he is lacking control over his power and body.


    ¡°I am heading to a safe haven, it has food and sleeping places, you want in?¡± Ethan asks.


    ¡°The orb, you just¡­I¡­I do, take me with you¡± tears start streaming down her face.


    ¡°Follow me¡± He turns and moves towards where he came from.


    As he goes past the wall a group of 9 people make an appearance, startling the woman, as they all check her out of nowhere, it takes them a moment to see a man laid down on his stomach, his fate can only be assumed, or be asked about later.


    ¡°Calm yourselves, she will join us, introduce one another as we move forward¡± He says and continues the march.


    Now a group of 11 people, most of them carrying long kitchen knives, walking past small groups of arguing people, their presence alone, diffuse almost every situation.


    A few people follow them, calling their stealth lacking is an understatement.


    ¡°Dad, Eliyah, I have a task for you, keep an eye on the people following us, try to discern foes and friends by how they move, how they look at us and how armed they are, do it discreetly, can you do it?¡±  Ethan whispers to the two.


    They nod and seamlessly blend to the back and middle of the group.


    Half an hour of a walk, the pace is far slower than Ethan sprinting through, they are about to leave the private housing area when a loud growl sounds close by causing them to freeze.


    A group of three people, 40 meters away, among them, a female, bleeding from her limping arm, ran away from a passage between two low ground buildings.


    Their screams and situation are hard to understand but a wolf a bit larger than the wounded exiled Ethan met the first day before makes it visually easy to read the situation.


    ¡®Inspect¡¯


    [Ding!


    Name: none


    Race:  beast - Wolf


    Level: 8


    Description: A powerful canine beast of the pack]


    Before Ethan could even speak, his family and little Max, showed their concern, ¡°His level! We must run¡±, ¡°It¡¯s too strong¡±.


    The other part of the group looked confused and terrified by the choice of words picked to describe the situation.


    ¡°Let me handle this¡± taking off the bag, he gives it to his sister, ¡°go back don''t come closer¡±


    His family and group protested, half of them, especially the Bennets were keen on taking flight but stayed to see how this evolves. Taking a second knife, he is now dual-wielding two knives.


    ¡°Can''t stay on easy difficulty forever¡± Ethan states, shocking the group speechless.


    ¡°Did he said ¡®easy difficulty?¡¯¡± the sisters'' jaws dropped.


    ¡°Your son, was he always insane?¡± Ed asks his words unfiltered.


    John furrowed his brows. He was about to reach his arm forward to stop Ethan or get mad at Ed for his choice of words, but then he looked at the situation.


    His son¡¯s back, to his sides two long knives, his back straight, fearless, his annoyance turned to concern, ¡°Not that we know of something like that¡± he gave up, the absurdity was too high even for him, he dare not claim that Ed¡¯s words are wrong.


    The wolf in the middle of a bite in the screaming female¡¯s torso ,suddenly raising his head, looking at Ethan as much as one can imagine a wild canine getting his food time cut short - pure anger and hate.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Sensing the strength and fearlessness of the person in front of him, he became even more aggressive.


    It is attacking on sight, leaving Ethan To defend against a flurry of sharp Claw swipes. With the occasional bite he throws to break the rhythm, it is by far Ethan''s toughest opponent yet.


    The Wolf flexibility allows him some very unexpected moves and combos, being a wolf he was not shy of leaping forward to pounce the enemy down, keeping Ethan in a standstill that required him to stay less static and calculative.


    Small cuts Starting to patch up both Ethan and the wolf - Ethan is on the losing end, but the fact that the wolf paws and claws were sliding down sharp blades every parry and collision with Ethan was a great deterrent against him keeping the beast somewhat wary of the young human.


    He needs an All-in move and He wants a clean, fair, strong win. ¡®Enough with the bag spray!¡¯ Ethan scolds himself, still bothered by not having an epic win like the main characters he likes so much in the novels and comics.


    Even the use of the deodorant spray against the hobgoblin felt void of epic-ness and glory, it was useful, it was bountiful, it was not classy.


    ¡®with no dirty moves Frontal attack is a No go.


    With no distractions, attack from the back Is also a no go.


    Mutual damage, avoiding a straight bite, then a lower all-in slash to the side, going downwards, using body weight and momentum to avoid a retaliation that will come from behind me, most likely by the opposite side claw.¡¯ Ethan takes a few more exchanges polishing his plan.


    The Group he led, now a small part of a big audience, looking at the battle, mesmerized to a point they can''t take their eyes off it, the courage and bravery of the young man alone, turning the karmic strings of his viewers, of the world in a new direction by the second.


    John''s hands go back and front on his belt, any second he''s about to pull the gun and empty the whole clip on the wolf''s side, but seeing his son''s face, his eyes open wide in astonishment, Ethan is smiling.


    And then, a change of pace that caused that all to tense up, initiated by Ethan''s flurry of swipes, the tempo increased, the wolf takes the usual offbeat bite - this time in a manner that it is controlled and anticipated by Ethan, fully committed in charging forward wishing to deal it in one blow with the pesky human.


    Ethan, to the wolf''s surprise do a graceful 360 twist of his full body to the wolf''s ribs, stabbing the sharp 50 cm knife deeply. he Does a downward roll the knife still lodged in the wolf¡¯s side, he feels The ribs of the wolves making the knife movement goes a bit wavy, but at some point the he goes past the ribs and feels a a Softer flesh interacting with the blade, as he about to Finish the slash successfully as a tensed paw reaches him, creating two diagonal slashes.


    Breaking contact, they stand one against another - a man against a beast.


    Blood soaks Ethan back in a visible speed, But in front of Him a beast with deep and nasty gash, blood streaming out, it''s a fatal Hit, he had just received, and they both know it.


    With wild abundant they go at it once more.


    The wolf¡¯s speed, especially when attacking and moving around on his right side of the body, are slow and occasionally Throw him off balance in a noticeable manner, he can no longer move with his prime agility and flexibility.


    Ethan takes the lead, using the off balance movement to cut the wolf face directly.


    Five minutes since The fight began, there is now a large crowd by now, with a loud howl the wolf at his last legs going for an all out attack, but with its current state, it''s a shadow of what it was in the beginning of the battle.


    Going for the same fully charged bite, the wolf is too slow and Ethan gets a finisher for free, he does the twist and downward trick on the other side this time.


    This slash is too much and the wolf falls down, with a gaze of acceptance towards a worthy opponent, it closes its eyes for the last time.


    [Ding! Level 8 wolf defeated!]


    A white orb form from it¡¯s side and caught on the fur.


    Picking it up, it turns in to a skill page.


    Inspect


    [Ding!


    Type: Passive skill


    Name: danger sense


    Grade: common


    Description: dangerous moments triggers the user¡¯s awareness


    Buff: sixth sense that alarms the user from dangerous experiences]


    Without even thinking, he drinks the low grade health potion, and learns the new skill, sucking in the warmth of the paper, and with the potion, he feels as if he was redeemed from the bitter win from before.


    Devouring the wolves energy, the system rings.


    [Ding! Agility increased by 1]


    Looking deeper he tries to feel his level up progression, there was a vague sensation of what he could mentally grasp as an exp bar, thinking about it changes it rapidly, it mentally receives  the shape of an orb, then a bowl, then a gym like in that hack and slash game he love, but he sticks with a linear bar for simplicity sake, enjoying this new information and his glorious win he have under his belt.


    It was inaccurate but he could say for sure, he was about to level up.


    ¡®Status!¡¯


    [Ding!


    Name: Ethan Tesher


    Class: None


    Level: 6


    Race: Human


    Stats:


    Strength: 16 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Constitution: 8 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Agility:14 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Mind: 10 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Charisma: 9 (+2 + 0.5%)


    Free point: 0


    Skills:


    - spirit of a warrior (uncommon)


    This is a passive skill that increases the efficiency of any living being wielding a weapon


    Buff: Efficiency is increased when wielding , training , or studying  a weapon


    - danger sense (common) - passive


    dangerous moments triggers the user¡¯s awareness


    Buff: sixth sense that alarms the user from dangerous experiences


    Bloodlines & talents:


    - a spark of unknown origin (rare)


    A bloodline originating from ???, with the potential to ???, capable of ??? beyond limits.


    Talent 1:  guided by  ???


    Allows the user to use the ??? of the ??? to guide the user to a preferred and optimal outcome, based on duration and amount of guidance it receives, there shall be a weakening period after use.


    Talent 2:  Devour


    Consume external energies, tames them and makes them one with ???.


    Talent 3:  ???


    ???


    Achievement:


    - Bloody start - rare:


    Killing an enemy at the first minute of the world awakening.


    Buff: +2 to all stats.


    - Outer circle I - rare:


    Killing an enemy from one circle of power higher than yours.


    Buff: 0.5% to all base stats]


    Having a wild thought he takes his knife,  using knowledge from late night primitive survival videos, he starts to butcher  and skin one of the wolf hind legs, it takes him about 15 minutes - it¡¯s  crude, messy, uneven but the final product looks like a fresh piece of meat. Had the crowd not seen it live, they would fight for this meat and cook it themselves


    Calling his group, he asks for nylon paper, they have been speechlessly staring since the wolf fell, each action he took is more unexplainable than the previous.


    Eliyah just robotically passed him a nylon wrap speechlessly, John and Sarah exchanged looks, it¡¯s silence, yet, so loud.


    Everyone knows exactly where he goes with this train of thought but the log of the nylon warped half a human sized hind leg skinned of.


    ¡°Mom, dad, I knew he was a dumb male Ape, but when did he turn into a caveman?¡± Zoe asks.


    Everyone who heard it didn''t know if to laugh or cry - you didn''t need to know the man to feel how spot-on that comment was.


    ¡°Was he training for this moment all his life? Why It looks like another simple day for him, first the man from the alley, now this¡± the new woman, Emily, remarks.


    She is a student from another city close by that visited a friend when it all started. Her story had its own dark twists, but overall, bad Day for everyone, another present by the grace of the apocalypse.


    Just as he was about to leave, he looked at his status.


    ¡®No way this is the grade of this skill, there has to be a way to upgrade it or something¡¯ The new skill, he wondered if it can be evolved, such a great skill being just common grade was not his taste. he threw some commands to the system, mentally pressing and poking the skill on his status page with the intention to evolve it ¡®A success!¡¯


    And like the giving tree it was, an unexpected ring, sounded in his mind and a new screen showed up.


    [Ding!


    Type: Passive skill


    Name: Danger sense


    Grade: Common


    Evolution requirement: 15 first circle cores (0\15)]


    His eyes widened noticing a word that caught his attention, ''cores''.


    Without explanation he jumped on the wolf and started slashing his chest apart, shoving his arm inside he teared and felt through every space a core could be there, by the sternum, in the rib cage, he started losing hope when he couldn''t find it.


    Meanwhile, his group backed away, some closed their eyes and one of Eliyah''s daughters threw up.


    ¡®HE IS CRAZY!¡¯ The mental decision was Unanimous, no doubt there.


    With a final attempt, by the wolf heart, he felt a solid uneven surfaced stone, no need to explain twice what a mana core is for a modern day geek.


    Holding a weird stone he picked from the wolf¡¯s chest, he realized something.


    Standing in front of the now extremely mutilated corpse he facepalms himself with a bloody hand, the goblins, that''s almost 20 cores - assuming it¡¯s not even 100% thing!


    Picking up the wolf wrapped leg, he is bloody, his eyes blazing with fire.


    He walks quickly to the group, ¡°we move now! I will Explain later and Oh, I''m too bloody, can someone hold my bag?¡±


    Lily nods speechlessly, and puts the bag on her, in front of a large crowd a group of 11 people led by a crazy bloody leader just left, leaving not only this place but also memories that will haunt those who witnessed this whole event for a while.


    Leading the group, bloody and excited, he walks, his walking speed increases, until a voice stops him.


    ¡°Ethan! What''s got into you?!¡± his father calls out, a mix of anger and confusion, looking back he noticed the group were practically running, while he just power walked.


    ¡°How long have you been running after me?¡± the realization dawns upon him.


    ¡°15 minutes, how can you even walk like this?! The poor little girls were one step away from sprinting! After seeing you diving head in a wolf stomach! Calm yourself and explain the situation now!¡± his dad scolded him.


    ¡°Everyone, let''s take a breather, dad, mom, come with me¡±  he says and they move a bit farther than the group, looking at the background behind his parent coming along the rest of the group stare at him scared and doubtful of going along with him any longer, but he ignores it, his mind dealing with more complex thoughts .


    He takes out the mana core showing his father and mother the simple and non-impressive gem.


    ¡°What I am going to tell you is Game and novel most basic knowledge¡± He tells to his parents causing their face to become a mix of confusion and doubt to the extreme, almost angry.


    ¡°this was by the wolf heart. In every creature that has mana, grows a vessel, an organ, whatever this little gem is. Mana is something like magic power. it¡¯s a basic and fundamental energy that exists everywhere and affects everything, this wave of weird energy that expanded the world, destroyed electronics and who knows what more. This is how it manifests in living beings, games lore and stories were accurate all along¡± Ethan points at the little gem.


    ¡°It can and can strengthen and amplify Items and creatures, with more mana even supernatural and magical ability is not impossible, allegedly. It regulates, stores, filters, basically, it does whatever the whole body does for the blood, but with mana, this one little stone does it all. This is also a crafting ingredient¡± He stops talking, trying to pick up a feedback from them.


    Their stare says they so very much want to rebuke him, object, say something, but his ability he displayed, the fact he actually found the stone in there in the first place, he can¡¯t be so far off with his words, his power walking alone made a group of ten people to almost start sprinting.


    ¡°Remember the skills I told you of in the beginning? another one fell from the wolf. I found a system window that tells me how to evolve it, take a guess what''s the requirement.¡± Ethan quizzed his folks on the information he poured on him.


    After a long while their eyes opened in surprise, ¡°cores¡­?¡±


    ¡°And I just happened to kill 25 monsters yesterday, if they will be dispatched improperly or get caught by a wandering beast?  Does such a big amount of cores can draw monsters to it? I can also use it to evolve my skill right away! The risks and rewards of both cases bear a possible great threat or gain¡± Ethan explains with excitement.


    Understanding the seriousness of the situation John¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°we must get there quickly, those sounds like a a game changer, that basically sound like superpowers, but¡­¡° his tone than changes, his look softened, ¡°...look at the people you are leading, little girls are among them, kids saw you shoving your hand in a human sized wolf chest¡­have mercy, heavy is the crown and every actions you do has consequences, never forget it¡±


    He turned around, not letting Ethan a moment to refute his words.


    In his heart, Ethan also didn¡¯t find the need to correct words that had no fault in them.


    Five minutes later, he gathered everyone up, ¡°I apologize for not noticing your need and capabilities, we shall move out in a more moderate pace¡±


    Among the worried looks, smiles and nods were exchanged, freight and doubt still present.


    Walking along his father he told Him of the group''s thoughts and needs, short breaks were taken, and no one dared to mess with the group with the leader who just seemed to take a shower of blood. He wanted to clean up so much but the water they brought can¡¯t be spent on such a thing¡­


    He improvised by discarding his clothes wearing a spare set he brought and cleaned whatever he managed from his person, he looked decent, a bit bloody, but decent