FIRST NECROMANCER

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 Book One

COLDFANG89

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Thanks for checking out First Necromancer, Book One.
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To Nana and Papa, who believed I could accomplish anything and loved me
unconditionally.
To Mom, who worked nonstop to provide me with a future.

To my wife, who offers unwavering patience, support, and love even in the
darkest of times.
To my beautiful daughter, know that I will always love and be proud of you.
To all those who dare to dream.

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 Contents

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56

Afterword
Acknowledgments
About the Author
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 Chapter One

Awareness slowly crept to the forefront of Drew’s being as an

uncomfortable pressure rose to prominence. The serene comfort of his
previous unconscious state swiftly evaporated as an urgent need came to his
attention. Despite his current grogginess, it made itself known in such a
way that it could not be denied.
He needed to pee. Badly.
Being the kind and thoughtful husband he was, he reached down to
gently shift the covers and shuffle out of bed via the barest of movements…
except his hands met only air.
Did Amber steal the covers again?
Drew grumbled groggily at his wife’s thievery.
Come to think of it, it was pollen season. Amber’s allergy-fueled
snoring should have been shaking the walls – banishing any thought of
returning to sleep until he applied his marriage-saving earplugs.
But all was silent.
There was no snoring, no creepy-yet-endearing sleep muttering, no
tossing and turning as her husband’s movement provoked an unconscious
bid to claim the soon-to-be-vacated bed space. He couldn’t even hear the
distant whine of Freya in the backyard – she had an uncanny ability to sense
when one of her owners was awake. It was true silence.
It was in that moment that Drew’s actual surroundings finally registered
in his mind.
Drew wasn’t in his bed. His wife wasn’t next to him. There was no
night-pee-friendly connected bathroom nearby nor an excitable dog stirring
within the house. No, he was in a nondescript white room.
He blinked rapidly, reaching up with his hands to wipe away what must
have been a hallucination brought upon by his semi-wakefulness. Alas,
even after clearing his eyes, the room remained, as did his urgent need to
relieve himself.
Ugh, this is the worst. I’m stuck in a dream while needing to pee, and
there’s not a single bathroom in sight.
Drew shook his head in frustration as he propped himself up off the cool
white floor he’d found himself lying on.
That was when it hit him.
It was cold. Like, really cold. Drew felt a shiver run up and down his
spine as he rubbed his arms to gain some semblance of warmth. He was
naked, other than his silky heart-patterned boxers, which only made things
worse.
Drew turned around to take in his surroundings, the last fogginess of his
mind swept away by the sudden influx of cold. He was definitely in a
dream, that much was certain. The room itself was bright but contained no
light source of any kind.
The walls never seemed to meet the floor or the ceiling, and it was
almost like the entire room had been hollowed out by some unnatural
machine. Without any doors or windows, the room felt bare. Like a prison
cell.
Did I eat something bad before bed last night?
Drew’s confusion was only heightened upon seeing a perfectly normal-
looking office desk, complete with two chairs. One of which was currently
occupied. Drew could have sworn he had been alone in the room just
moments prior.

*DING!*
 A chime or bell went off, and Drew jumped briefly as the silence was
broken. The sound seemed to echo within his brain. What was even stranger
than the sound itself was that he could have sworn he’d briefly seen the
word ding flash before his eyes before quickly disappearing. Thinking that
his dream-self had somehow gone insane and that this was the start of a
nightmare of some kind, Drew quickly looked back to the figure sitting
behind the desk.
The man had short brown hair parted to the side like a fancy
businessman, yet he wore a plain black t-shirt, tan cargo shorts, and what
appeared to be Crocs. His well-groomed, short beard remained unmoving,
much like the rest of him, which made zero sense considering the
suddenness of the chime that had just blasted through the air.
What’s going on here?

*System initiation of the Sol System confirmed. 1,000 Human

Progenitors randomly chosen and confirmed. Tutorial introduction
commencing…*

Drew both saw and heard the mechanical words, yet, despite hearing
them, there was no origin. The man sitting at the desk remained still.
Additionally, the words had met his ears without any inflection of accent,
gender, or anything else. Even their mechanical accent seemed subdued,
watered down to some baseline verbal sound.
Hearing voices in a dream was certainly a new concept Drew hadn’t
experienced before, and he found himself feeling unsettled.

*DING!*
*Welcome to the Tutorial Introduction, Drew Wright.*

It was at this moment that the man sitting at the desk stood and
beckoned Drew forward with one of his hands.
Still cold, still needing to use the restroom, and very confused, Drew
walked over to the man to seek comfort in some sense of normality.
“Welcome, Drew Wright,” the man said, nodding his head ever so
slightly. “Please, take a seat.” The man gestured to the open chair.
 “You know my name?” Drew asked, the words croaking out as he sat
down. He didn’t know what was going on, but he needed answers, if for no
other reason than to progress the dream further so he could wake up and
finally relieve himself.
Only the man’s mouth moved. “Of course. Knowing you is part of my
purpose. I am your guide for this basic introduction and tutorial on The
System. You may call me Spock.” He showed no emotion at all, and it was
almost as if he was acting on autopilot. His facial muscles stayed tightly
controlled, and Drew couldn’t get a feel for the guy at all. He felt
mechanical.
“Did you say your name is Spock?” Drew asked with his eyebrow
raised.
“That is correct,” the man replied, again with no unnecessary movement
as he spoke.
“Cool freaking name, your parents must be pretty awesome,” Drew said
with a smile.
Might as well make a friend in this strange dream.
“I don’t have any parental figures,” Spock replied blankly.
Drew clicked his teeth. “Well, now I feel like an asshole. Sorry dude,
my condolences.”
Maybe something happened to his folks?
“Any chance you can tell me where I am and what I’m doing here
then?” Drew asked.
Spock nodded. “That is the entire purpose of my existence. Please,
answer one question of mine first before we go any further. Would you
prefer the ‘fast and easy’ explanation or something more in-depth?” This
time, he gave the tiniest inclination of his head as if restraining his curiosity.
Drew mulled it over for a second. He was about five seconds away from
losing control of his bladder, and the cold was really starting to get to him
as his body had begun to uncontrollably shiver. He needed to get out of this
dream as quickly as possible.
“Uh, the fast and easy option, if you don’t mind. Also, could you point
me in the direction of the closest bathroo—” Drew began to say before a
chime rang in his head again.

*DING!*
*You have chosen the “Fast and Easy” option.*
 Zzzzzapppp
Drew’s entire body seized up, locking all his muscles into extremely
painful spasms. He couldn’t even manage to scream as his jaw, throat and
mouth rebelled against his body’s natural response and pain coursed
through his body.
His mind blanked as his entire existence seemed to boil and steam from
the inside out. He didn’t know how long he endured the excruciating
sensation, but at some point, it suddenly stopped, and his body finally
relaxed.
He spent several seconds lying on the floor processing what had just
happened. One thing was certain: Drew never wanted to go through
whatever that was again. His body felt weak, like it had been hit by a truck,
and when he tried lifting himself up off the floor, having fallen from his
seat, his arms trembled.
Spock stood over Drew, while leaning over to offer him a hand. His
mind still reeling from what happened, Drew accepted the assistance as the
man hefted him back into his chair. Spock walked back to his own chair
before sitting down.
That was when the aroma hit Drew’s nostrils. The pungent smell of
burnt hair and urine. He looked down at his boxers and found that he’d
pissed himself. Before Drew could process anything further, Spock spoke.
“I apologize for the pain you experienced, Drew Wright,” Spock said
mechanically. “You chose the fast and easy explanation, and although that
experience was likely highly unpleasant, I would wager that your future self
will be thankful for your choice.”
His voice and words cut through Drew’s mental fog, and Drew found
himself back in control, though feeling very weak.
“I pissed myself, dude. What the fuck was that?” he hissed as he rubbed
his temples while glaring at the man sitting across from him.
Spock began to speak as if reading from a script. “You are not in a
dream. You are not dead. These are the most common thought processes
that sapient beings experience during the Tutorial Introduction. The pain
you experienced was necessary to ensure you are in the correct state of
mind for what follows.”
His gaze bored into Drew. “As you are likely aware, even if you have
not yet processed it, dreams never contain any element of pain or smell. In
the event there is pain, you are awoken immediately. Remaining here
despite the pain, along with the other sensations previously mentioned, is
proof that this is waking reality.”
Moments passed as the words sunk in. Spock was right. Dreams didn’t
contain smells of any kind. Drew looked down at his wet boxers, feeling
them clinging to the skin of his thighs, before frowning.
They definitely don’t contain pain. Every time I’ve gotten a charley
horse in my sleep, I’ve woken up in a panic immediately. But if this is all
real, then I’ve been… kidnapped? And I’m hearing and reading weird
announcements inside my own head. That doesn’t feel like a great sign.
His brow furrowed as he thought about his situation. “This is real?” he
asked, looking up at Spock for confirmation.
“Yes,” Spock answered in a perfect monotone.
“Why am I here and not in my bed next to my wife?”
“I will answer any questions I’m capable of answering. But first, please
be aware that the time you spend here is extremely limited. It will be to
your personal detriment if you spend too much of your limited time asking
questions. It could even mean your future death.”
Again with the mechanical tone. Is this guy really human? It’s like he’s
emotionless, yet if all this is real, maybe he’s got real answers. Unless I’m
actually drooling on the floor of a psych ward right now…
“Okay… what am I doing here?” Drew asked cautiously. He didn’t
know what Spock meant by ‘future death,’ but after the pain from earlier, he
wasn’t willing to risk too much.
“Life as you know it will end in seven days,” Spock answered bluntly.
“Uh, come again?” Drew asked, flabbergasted by the man’s answer.
“Humanity, or rather the Humans of planet Earth, were doomed to die in
seven days. I do not know the specific cause of this doom, as I’ve only been
given select information, but it is certain that your planet, and all living
beings on it, would have died in the span of one week.”
“You said ‘were’ and ‘would,’ so I assume that’s no longer the case?”
Drew asked, trying to hold back his panic. His current options were insanity
or potential apocalypse. Nether were calming prospects.
Wait… why am I not panicking? That’s definitely panic-worthy… Why
haven’t I had any attack⁠—
Spock interrupted his thought. “Correct. The System, which is
something akin to an extremely powerful artificial intelligence program of
unimaginable scope and scale, has intervened on your civilization’s behalf.
Unfortunately, this comes with several major negative consequences for
your people. Survival of your species on this planet is not guaranteed.”
Yet again, his voice contained no emotions of any kind.
“What kind of consequences? And why would this AI program step in
to save us, only to let us rot over something else?”
Seriously, why am I not panicking? Usually, I’d be a puddle on the floor
right now just imagining these kinds of scenarios…
“To expedite this conversation, and to save you precious time, allow me
to explain,” Spock began. “The System slowly expands throughout the
multiverse, and it has limited abilities to interact with non-integrated space.
To save your planet, and all living things on it, The System was forced to
expend a large amount of energy to integrate Earth quickly. Doing so floods
a planet with an energy you would likely refer to as ‘mana’. The sudden
influx of that much mana has side effects that are detrimental to a non-
integrated civilization. In Earth’s case, the mana will rapidly mutate animals
into ‘mana-infused beasts.’ Additionally, your planet will begin to spawn
what you would call ‘monsters,’ which are natural mana-based lifeforms.
Both beasts and monsters are extremely dangerous and will kill many
people.”
“Holy shit… you can’t be serious!” Drew exclaimed, his mouth hanging
open. This was starting to sound too complex, too specific, to be the result
of some kind of psychotic break-induced madness.
Spock didn’t even acknowledge Drew’s outburst. “Finally, as was the
case with many prior civilizations integrated quickly, most of your world’s
modern technology will cease functioning. I do not know the specific
reasons why this happens, only that it does. The System has determined that
most of Earth’s weaponry, including most firearms, will be rendered
useless. Electricity, the energy source your civilization relies on, will also
no longer function. The System has concluded that technology and
electricity should return to a usable state after a period of roughly one
hundred years.”
That’s it. There’s no way my brain, sane or otherwise, could come up
with something like that. This is real.
Drew gasped, taking a deep breath. “Well, how the hell are we supposed
to survive then, man? Our guns won’t work, our power grids are going to go
down… Hell, our entire logistical system for food and goods is going to be
screwed. Why am I not having a freaking panic attack about it?”
 “The System is currently infusing your body with mana. You will likely
feel cold during this process. At the same time, it is stabilizing your brain
chemistry to prevent erratic thoughts and behavior.”
“Hold up, are you saying The System is fixing my fucking panic and
anxiety disorders?” Drew asked, slack-jawed.
“Any health conditions will be repaired during this process, yes. As for
your continued survival, your species will have access to The System
itself.”
“I… I don’t understand,” Drew said, blinking. ‘The System’ was going
to fix his mental health. Something he’d been dealing with for ten years,
and it was doing it as a side effect.
“In layman’s terms, your people will become capable of mana-infused
progression. Surviving combat scenarios will provide exponential growth in
the form of increased physical and mental attributes, along with a selection
of powerful abilities and what this planet would call ‘magic.’ This
progression is represented by levels and grades.”
Drew felt his pulse speed up. “So… it’ll be like a video game or a
tabletop RPG? We kill bad things, we get XP, then we level up and get
stronger… because of the mana infusion?” he asked. He felt like he was
grasping at straws to figure out what everything meant. He hated that
feeling.
“Video games. Yes, I was given data on this concept. That is an accurate
assessment, Drew Wright.”
“And everyone will, what, just get access to this magical leveling
system and go out and fight monsters and shit?” Drew asked skeptically.
Honestly, it didn’t sound too bad.
Seriously, what’s going on with my brain?
“Yes…” Spock replied with a slight pause, shuffling his feet. “Although
you are a progenitor, one of one thousand randomly chosen human beings.
The progenitor program was created to give civilizations a slight advantage
for survival. You will be integrated now, as will the rest of your peers. The
remainder of your species will be integrated in seven days when The
System has finished saturating your world with mana to avert catastrophe.”
“My family has to wait seven days?” Drew asked, aghast. There was no
point to any of this without his family. He’d need to do everything possible
to ensure their survival.
 “At the conclusion of this Tutorial, you will be given five tokens,”
Spock replied again in his flat, mechanical drone. “These may be given to
any sapient lifeform you wish, and as long as they fully trust your words,
they will undergo the same Tutorial as you at any time prior to the
integration of your planet. However, they will not be given any further
tokens.”
Drew let out a sigh of relief. As long as he could convince his family
what was going on, they’d get their superpowers early. The question was,
how would Drew manage to convince them without his wife and mom
thinking he was completely insane? That thought tied his stomach in knots.
But… with five tokens… I could help Mark and Miranda as well…
Drew firmed his resolve and prepared himself for anything. “Alright,
my curiosity isn’t sated, but you said we have a limited amount of time
here, and if all this is true, then I have people I need to protect. What comes
next?”
This is a ‘tutorial’ after all.
Spock nodded. It was the closest the guy had come to showing pleasure.
It seemed the dude liked efficiency.
“While every human will have the ability to acquire classes and
professions, only progenitors like yourself and their token holders have the
opportunity to acquire a new race. Please be aware that you will be given
three boons. These may be exchanged for certain abilities, races, and
privileges. If you’re ready, we may begin the race selection process at
once.”
“I get to go through character creation?” Drew asked. A younger version
of himself would be jumping with joy at the prospect.
“That is an accurate approximation, Drew Wright.”
“Alright, let’s do this,” Drew said with a smile. Either he was insane, or
the situation was. Either way, the magic in his brain was keeping the panic
away, and all that remained was pure excitement.

*DING!*
*Race and Class selection sequence commencing*

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 Chapter Two

Drew’s vision slowly faded as blackness grew from the corners of his vision
before enclosing upon him. By the time he noticed what was going on and
turned to ask Spock, he found that he no longer had a voice. Or a head. Or
anything that would respond to his desire to move. Despite thinking that he
was moments away from having a very reasonable panic attack, it never
came.
A feeling of floating eventually made itself known to Drew, and a bright
pillar of light erupted in his vision.
“Drew Wright, you have successfully been integrated into The System.
Congratulations.” Spock’s almost monotone voice called out from a place
Drew couldn’t see as his vision seemed to be locked on the white pillar of
near-blinding light.
“Ah, my apologies. You may wish to converse. In order to do so, all you
must do is direct your thoughts toward my voice,” Spock added in a near-
apologetic tone.
Drew sent out a thought experimentally. “Spock, can you hear me,
man? I’m blind as a fucking bat, and all I see is blackness and a blinding
light.”
 “Affirmative. I can hear your thoughts, Drew Wright. Your soul is
currently being held in stasis while The System loads the species options
available to you. Please bear with me for a moment.”
“Are you seriously putting me on hold after you said my freaking soul is
being held in stasis? Not cool, man, not cool,” Drew sent back, internally
shaking his non-existent head.
Unfortunately, no reply came, and Drew was stuck in the cosmic
equivalent of a loading screen, or being put on hold by customer service. If
he still had a mouth, he would have been scowling.
“Thank you for your patience. The System will be activating a host of
options within moments,” Spock said eventually, breaking the minutes-long
silence.
Drew felt a light tug upon his consciousness, or what he assumed to be
his soul, and he was soon being forcefully pulled toward the light like some
kind of bad after-death sequence in a movie. Upon entering the pillar, he
found himself floating or hovering in place in a room full of monsters.
Not just monsters… there’s also fantasy races in here!
Drew then realized he could float around and observe the many statue-
like beings lined up in rows within the white room.
“Drew Wright, you are now in the species selection sub-system,” Spock
explained. “Here, you may view any of the many races before you; choose
the one that best suits your desires. I am also available to answer any
questions you might have regarding these races. However, please be aware
that your time here is limited. If you exceed your time allotment, you will
be given random options and sent back to your planet.”
Drew heard what the man had said, but he only half-processed it as he
was busy zooming between all the different beings. They were lined up and
waiting at attention, but they were unmoving, almost as if frozen in place.
He zoomed over to a tall, lithe figure with long golden hair and pointed
ears.
It’s a freaking Elf!
Next to the Elf was a short, squat man who looked like he was built
from pure muscle. He had a long, well-groomed, and braided beard, with
almost beady eyes.
It’s a Dwarf, and not the ‘actually exists on Earth’ kind either, but a
freaking epic fantasy, ‘lives under the fucking mountain drinking beer and
blacksmithing’ Dwarf!
 Drew paused. Something in the back of his mind was tugging at him as
his brain finally processed something that Spock had said.
“Did you say I was on a time crunch?” Drew thought toward Spock.
“Indeed. You currently have twenty-two minutes to select a race and a
class and make use of your boons before being transported back to Earth,”
Spock’s voice echoed through the white room.
“Wait, what? That’s no time at all!” Drew practically yelled back.
“My apologies, but I cannot extend the time allotment afforded to you. I
recommend you make your selections with haste.”
Great, I finally get to see fantasy races in the flesh, and I don’t even
have time to ogle them before deciding what race to become, Drew
grumbled internally before flashing forward to the next being.
It was a machine of some kind. Plates of metal either covered its body
or fully comprised it, and it looked almost golem-like. Having no desire to
become a tin can, Drew moved to the next figure.
A tiny, floating ball of light encompassed the body of what appeared to
be a fairy. Butterfly-style wings sprang from its back, and overly large eyes
adorned its face like some kind of bug.
Drew shook his head internally. Nope, I’m not going to be anyone’s
tinker-anything.
Looking around, Drew saw there were hundreds of beings in this room.
How was he supposed to figure out what he wanted to choose?
“Spock, there’s too many choices here. Can you help me narrow them
down somehow?” Drew asked desperately as he somehow felt the clock
ticking down.
“Certainly, Drew Wright. How may I assist you?” Spock’s voice rang
out.
“Yeah, so what’s the difference between all these races here? Like I see
an Elf and a Dwarf, but how are they different? What makes them special?
What I mean is this: is there something about the Elf that makes it superior
to other races here, or any downsides… that sort of thing?”
“Elves come in many varieties; however, each sub-race has an intrinsic
knowledge of mana and magic,” Spock answered in a very educational
tone. “They have an easier time manipulating spells and modifying them.
Additionally, they are agile and extremely long-lived. At your current grade,
you could expect to live to about a thousand years before dying naturally.
Their downsides, as you put it, would be that they do not have a high
natural constitution or toughness and, thus, are frailer than Dwarves.”
“Great, so there are differences then. Pros and cons, etc. If I give you
some qualities I’m interested in, can you help me filter some of these
choices to save time?”
“Certainly, Drew Wright. What are your requirements?” Spock asked.
There was a quaver to his voice that almost sounded like inflection or
interest.
Wow, calm down, buddy.
Drew already knew one thing he wouldn’t take for granted, something
he wanted more than anything else. It was an absolute necessity for him to
survive the coming apocalypse and collapse of society, and without it, he’d
be screwed.
“I’d like a race that’s immune to mental illness of any kind. I currently
suffer from a major anxiety disorder which can be crippling at the worst of
times. I never want to experience that again. Ever. Also, it’d be great if the
race dealt with mental and emotional trauma well. I assume there’s going to
be a lot of death and dark shit, and I don’t want to have a mental
breakdown because of the things I see,” Drew replied resolutely. For him,
this was a must, even if he had to forgo becoming a badass Dwarf or a near-
immortal Elf.
Spock replied immediately. “Understood. As a side note, all mental and
physical illnesses will be healed upon System Integration. However, this
doesn’t prevent further, non-genetic related damage from occurring
afterward from new trauma. I can guide you to a race that will be more
resilient to such trauma. Adjusting parameters now.”
Wait… everyone’s going to be healed? Like… cancer, dementia…
paralysis? Holy shit…
“Parameters adjusted,” Spock’s voice rang out as hundreds of statue-
like beings disappeared in a flash, leaving only a handful. The closest to
Drew’s field of vision was the machine man.
“I also don’t want to be a machine of any kind. I’d prefer flesh and
blood. I’d like to remain as human as possible, and it’d be cool if I lived a
long time,” Drew quickly added. “Oh! If any of them can see decently in the
dark, that would be great too… I assume bad shit is going to happen at
night time.”
“Understood, please wait one moment,” Spock responded.
 Living in a rural area for the last few years had taught Drew one thing.
Critters came out at night, and some of them were not friendly. Coyotes
weren’t too bad as long as they weren’t starving, but bobcats were real
assholes.
He’d once been attacked by one near dusk when he hadn’t been paying
attention. Thankfully, it had been a young one, and Drew had managed to
scare it off by screaming and throwing a tree branch at it, but if monsters
and magically infused beasts were going to become the new reality, he
wanted to be able to see in the dark to defend himself and his family.
“I have one race that meets all your requirements.” Spock paused.
“However, it is not one that is normally chosen for newly integrated
worlds.”
“Oh, why’s that?”
“Selecting it as your new race requires the use of one of your boons,”
Spock answered bluntly.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Not necessarily, Drew Wright. Boons may be used to select advantages
for progenitors and their token holders. For some, this means a race with
greater stat growth potential, such as the one in question. Other times,
boons are used to select additional or advanced abilities or starting
equipment. Boons may be used for almost anything, as long as it generates
a minor to moderate advantage to survival.”
“Ah, so it’s like feats or talent points. Yeah, go ahead and show me the
race,” Drew replied. If he could have shrugged, he would have. If a race
had everything he wanted, he considered that an advantage.
A flash of light flared, and when it cleared, a single figure stood in front
of Drew’s hovering position. It was lithe, like an Elf, but had extremely pale
skin to the point that Drew was surprised that he couldn’t see any veins
poking out. Its features were handsome but gaunt, as if it lived a hard life
with little food, yet it was still well-muscled, but not in a bodybuilder way.
It would have appeared almost human if it wasn’t for the short pointed ears.
“What am I looking at here, Spock?”
“To inspect something, focus your sight upon it and allow your desire to
learn its truths flow through you,” Spock replied.
Drew didn’t have eyes to squint, but he imagined himself focusing upon
the figure in front of him and wondering what the hell it was, and he
focused on that thought with intensity. Within a second, a box of text
popped up in his field of vision.

Race: Dhampir (Grade – F)

Historically a rather rare race in the vast multiverse, the Dhampir are
produced from the union of a mortal, such as an Elf or a Human, and a
Vampire. Vampires very seldom choose to reproduce in this manner, as
most of their kind consider it distasteful to do so. The outward
appearance of the Dhampir is varied and dependent upon the mortal
parent. Common themes are pale skin, black or gray-white hair, and a
strong yet agile figure. Like the Vampire parent, Dhampir are
effectively immortal from birth and quickly stop aging upon reaching
peak physical maturity. Dhampir are exceptionally resistant to any
kind of mind suppression or mental trauma and have an extremely
heightened regenerative anatomy. They are born with the passive skill
[Darkvision], which allows for excellent visual sense in lowlight
environments. Additionally, they are resistant to poison and corruptive
effects. Dhampir may consume either food or blood for sustenance;
however, blood will also increase the regenerative rates of both health
and stamina.
Per Level Bonus Attributes: +1 STR, +2 VIT, +2 END, +2 TGH, +1
AGI, +1 PCT, +1 Will
Requirements to select: 1 Boon

Drew stared at the wall of text for several moments while reading the
description of the species in front of him, but his brow furrowed as he
considered several points The System had mentioned.
“Do you have any questions, Drew Wright?”
“Actually, yeah. So, I have a wife, and we, uh… haven’t had any kids
yet. Would this race lock me out of having children? I mean, Vampires are
kind of undead, right?”
“If your wife is of Human, Elven, or Dwarven descent, then yes, you
may reproduce, should you so choose,” Spock answered flatly.
Drew let out an internal sigh of relief. He’d hate to give up this race, but
if picking it meant he could never have kids with Amber, he’d have chosen
something else in a heartbeat. Thankfully, it hadn’t come to that.
 “Time is running out, Drew Wright. Please keep in mind that you also
need to select a mortal parent to base the Dhampir on. If you still wish to
resemble a Human, I’d recommend choosing either that option or an Elf,”
Spock said helpfully.
“Do Humans have any pros and cons to them like the Elves do?”
“Humans have no negative or positive bonuses or traits inherent to their
species. Compared to Elves, they have slightly higher base constitution and
toughness, but they lack the Elves’ superior agility and intrinsic
understanding of magic. As a Dhampir, you will have Darkvision regardless
of the mortal parent you choose,” Spock said in his ‘school teacher’ voice.
Alright, so if that’s the case, I think I’ll go with the Elf parent. If using a
token is reliant upon a person trusting me completely, as Spock said earlier,
then my only option is to go the magic route. If I’m going to look different,
then the only chance I have at convincing my wife and mom of what’s
happening is to show off some magic spells. I doubt a strength build would
have the same wow factor that could give credence to what I say is true.
“Okay, last question… am I going to look like this guy specifically, or
can I change some things around?” Drew asked as he eyeballed the almost
overly gaunt figure. He really would prefer to look a bit more human. He
could live with the ears if he had longer hair, but he didn’t want to look
so… starved.
“Indeed, any race you choose may be customized within acceptable
parameters.”
This is going to be a biiig change…
“Alright, I’ll choose this race then.”
“Excellent, please stand by. Also, please note that you have twelve
minutes remaining. While the customization options load, I recommend you
already have an image of what you’d like to look like in mind.”
Right. New look.
He’d never been ugly per se, but Drew was fairly certain that everyone
had aspects of their appearance that they disliked. If he was to do the bare
minimum, he’d get rid of the gut he’d grown since hitting his thirties. His
torso was also a bit long, while his legs were a bit short, and his face…
Spock coughed pointedly.
Shit, I nearly forgot about the time limit… No time to play The Sims. I
need someone’s form I can copy… and quickly.
 I need a pre-existing template, an already near-perfect image in my
head to work off so I can get to the part where I choose a class and spend
my remaining boons. The question is, who do I model myself on?
Luckily, I watch a bit of TV…

[Link]
 Chapter Three

“Drew Wright, you are now able to customize your appearance. To do so,
focus on which aspects you’d like to change while having a solid image in
your mind,” Spock’s voice rang out through the void. “I would like to
remind you that this will have little functional impact on your survival
chances, and there is little time remaining.”
“I’m well aware, Spock,” Drew sent back mentally.
With a clear image in mind, Drew focused on willing the Dhampir
statue in front of him to change. The statue quickly morphed and reformed
as the facial muscles realigned. After the face, the rest of the body changed
as well, and Drew was soon looking at an almost perfect recreation of his
chosen celebrity inspiration.
Strong jawline, white-gray hair, masculine facial structure, and a
muscular physique. The ears remained pointed but were closer in line with
his template. This must have been what Spock was talking about when he
mentioned parameters. Dhampirs had to have pointed ears, apparently.
The figure was already dashingly handsome, but Drew decided to make
some last minor changes. The ab muscles shifted and became more
pronounced and defined, and v-lines were added to give the figure a more
sculpted look.
 As Drew’s eyes shifted to the belt line, he noticed the figure was now
fully nude, and with that realization, a smirk crossed Drew’s non-existent
face.
No one would blame me, right? Every dude wishes for a little something
more… Fuck it, I’ll do it. Ohhh Mr. Winkie, it’s time for a facelift, my friend!
Things quickly shifted and grew, and before long, Drew decided he
needed to rein things in just a tad. Once it was dialed back to something
reasonable and no longer resembled an appendage belonging to a horse,
Drew decided he was finished.
It had been a rather rushed process, but the use of a mental template had
sped things significantly. He wondered how many people would end up
with awful classes and abilities because they lost themselves in sculpting
the perfect version of themselves.
“Hey, Spock, I think I’m finished with customizing my new body.”
“Understood, Drew Wright. The System will now integrate your soul
with your new body. This will take a moment, and your time allotment will
be paused while this happens,” Spock said with a slight twinge in his voice
that Drew was unable to recognize.
“Okay, sounds good, man. So now we’re going to class selection,
right?”
“That is correct, Drew Wright. While we wait, I have a question of my
own, if you would indulge me…”
Spock let the statement hang in the air for a moment, and Drew
shrugged his shoulders internally. Spock hadn’t asked him for anything
before, and he’d been extremely helpful throughout this whole process, so
why shouldn’t Drew repay the favor?
“Sure, man, what’s your question?” Drew replied as he waited for his
new body.
“For what reason did you increase the size of the penis? I am unaware
of any aesthetic or potential combat advantage it would give you,” Spock
asked with what Drew could only take as almost child-like innocence and
curiosity.
“Uhhh… I didn’t know you could see that. Well, it’s like this… Wait a
minute… how do you not know something like that?” Drew said as his
internal thoughts meshed with his telepathic dialogue. From all
appearances, Spock looked like a regular human dude. Sure, he spoke
robotically, but there was sweat on his brow, and his chest rose and fell as
he breathed. He felt human. If a bit odd.
“When I was created, The System only included knowledge that it
deemed relevant and necessary to assist you as a progenitor,” Spock
explained almost sadly. “I’m afraid I lack all information outside of what
was given to me and what I’ve learned during our brief interaction.”
“Created? What do you mean, created? Are you a robot?” Drew asked
quickly.
“I am entirely organic, I assure you. The System created me specifically
in order to interact with you, Drew Wright. I have no parents other than The
System. Prior to your arrival here, I did not exist.”
“Are you telling me that The System grew you, a living, breathing
human, from nothing and downloaded a bunch of crap into your brain?”
Drew asked, his mouth falling open.
“That is an approximation, albeit overly simplified, of what occurred,
yes.”
Drew’s very soul shuddered as he began to have a sinking feeling deep
within his being.
“And you were created specifically for me and not other progenitors?”
Drew asked cautiously.
“That is correct,” Spock answered affirmatively. “As you were
unintegrated upon your arrival, I was given the information to speak your
native language and interact with you using basic mannerisms. I was
created to appear approachable and non-threatening.”
The sinking feeling within Drew grew stronger, and he really hoped that
the conclusion forming in his head was incorrect, but curiosity won out.
“And… what happens to you when I leave to go back to Earth?” Drew
asked slowly.
“My body will be terminated and rendered into a renewable energy that
The System will recycle to create future System Guides to aid other
progenitors,” Spock answered, and for the briefest moment, Drew could
hear a slight hollowness in his voice.
Drew’s vision momentarily went dark after hearing Spock’s response,
and the floating sensation he’d felt for the last several minutes vanished as a
great suction pulled at his being. Before Drew had a chance to ask what was
going on or freak out, he was blinking his eyes.
Wait… I have eyes?
 Water rolled down his cheeks as the sudden brightness of the room he
was in caused Drew to tear up. Instinctively, he reached up with a hand to
brush away the tears and rub his eyes, and that was when it occurred to him
that he was in a body again.
As his eyes became accustomed to the environment, his vision became
clearer, and Drew turned his head to look around. He was back in the
original white room, with Spock sitting behind his desk. Drew held his
hands out and noticed he looked different. He felt different. He turned his
hands over. He didn’t recognize them.
This is definitely the new body, Drew thought as he looked down and
saw that the distinctive gut he’d come to hate was gone. In its place was a
sculpted six-pack.
Drew looked around the room and noticed the boxers that his old body
had been wearing were alone on the floor. As he was still very much nude
in his new body, Drew decided he’d rather have boxers on than nothing at
all, even if they were covered in piss.
As he pulled his old boxers onto his new body, the conversation he’d
been having with Spock snapped forward in his mind. Drew’s stomach
turned, and he felt a large knot of stress and guilt wrap around his insides.
He turned to look at Spock. The man’s eyes were empty, as if he was
just going through the motions of life. Yet somewhere deep down past the
System-implanted knowledge, Drew knew that Spock must be feeling a
huge amount of fear and sadness. The man wasn’t even thirty minutes old,
he hadn’t gotten to live any kind of real life, and the moment Drew left this
place, he’d be killed.
The man hadn’t displayed much emotion in their short time together.
But he’d shown curiosity. He seemed to enjoy questions and new
information. Which made a lot more sense now that Drew knew he’d been
‘created’ with vast gaps in his mind.
Spock had knowledge of so many things, yet he’d never learned any of
it himself. He’d never felt the breeze blow across his face or the sun’s rays
on his skin. He’d never had a beer, nor friends with which to share one. His
voice was mechanical because he’d never heard others speak or had the
chance to develop his own tone. He’d never gotten the chance to live.
Drew knew his time to choose a class was limited, but warring emotions
raged within his heart as he looked at the man behind the desk. If Drew did
nothing, this man would die, and while it wouldn’t be Drew’s fault, he also
knew that if he stood idly by, knowing the man would die without his
assistance, it would haunt him for the rest of his days.
He wasn’t a good man, he didn’t always make the right calls, and in
most instances, Drew would consider himself to be selfish. But in this one
instance, he could make a difference. Drew firmed his resolve as he pressed
his lips together and walked toward the desk.
“Welcome back, Drew Wright. I hope your new body is to your liking.
Your current time allotment is just over eight minutes. We may now move
on to class selection,” Spock said in a near-emotionless manner.
Drew walked right up to the edge of Spock’s desk and looked the man
in the eyes.
“I’d like to spend a boon,” Drew said firmly.
Spock’s left eyebrow raised ever so slightly before he quickly corrected
it.
“What advantage do you wish to spend a boon on?” Spock asked with
genuine curiosity.
Drew’s mind raced at several miles per second as he tried to find the
right words. Eventually, something clicked in his mind.
“I wish for System Guide Spock not to be recycled at the end of this
Tutorial but to become my traveling companion on Earth so he may help fill
in the gaps in my knowledge. And so he can share that same knowledge
with my friends and family to prepare for the integration of The System.”
Both of Spock’s eyebrows shot toward his hairline as his eyes widened
in shock. He opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted as a small
box of floating text entered Drew’s vision.

Request Received…
Request Granted
Boon allocated toward additional progenitor token
Additional token immediately granted to System Guide Spock
Note: Token generation is resource-intensive and thus limited to
progenitors. One additional token may be generated per progenitor.
Boon-generated tokens will only grant the token holder immediate
integration and basic gear.

Drew read the message quickly before a light smile crested the corner of
his mouth and he looked at his new companion. Spock’s eyes were darting
back and forth, evidently reading and then rereading the system message,
before finally snapping up to meet Drew’s gaze.
“…Thank you,” Spock said in barely a whisper as a tear rolled down his
cheek.

[Link]
 Chapter Four

Drew watched as tears continued to roll down the face of the man in front
of him, and as much as Drew knew he’d done a good thing, both for his
survival and for Spock, time was ticking by fast. As much as he wanted to
give the man the time he needed to process his newfound freedom, Drew
needed to figure shit out – and quickly.
“Spock, we need to do the class selection. We’re running out of time,
right?” Drew asked hurriedly.
Spock blinked his eyes, and his gaze quickly refocused, most likely
coming to the same realization that Drew had.
“You… I’m sorry… I was not prepared for the eventuality of making
my own selections.” Spock’s gaze shifted before turning back to Drew. “We
have less than six minutes remaining.”
“Alright, what do we need to do?” Drew asked impatiently.
“There’s too much information and not enough time, Drew Wright.”
Spock shook his head, overwhelmed.
“Then give me the abridged version. Every second counts here, man,”
Drew replied, rolling his hand in a gesture meant to speed the process
along.
 Spock stared at him for several long seconds, and for a moment, Drew
feared that he’d broken the man. But then Spock rallied.
“We need to select our starting classes. As we level up and hit specific
milestones, we will be granted the opportunity to evolve or change our
classes to better suit our needs. Each starting class has skills associated with
it, to begin with. Additional skills can be purchased using a… boon.” Spock
paused as he said the last word, tensing slightly.
“Great. Are there any magic starting classes? That’s what I believe I’d
like to focus on,” Drew said, remembering that he needed to convince his
wife and mother that The System was coming and, with it, an impending
apocalypse.
Magic is the only way I can show them I’m not a crazy person. If I can
sling some spells around, they’ll know for certain that something isn’t right
and that there’s a possibility I’m telling the truth.
“Yes, there are two magic-based classes. Just focus on your desire, and
The System will relay the information.”
Drew closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he attempted to focus on
the idea of a spellcaster or mage. Boxes of text appeared behind his closed
eyes, and he opened them to focus on the information.

Caster
A basic starting class that focuses on magical combat. Casters favor
mental stat attributes over physical ones. This class is wide in scope and
not yet specialized in any school of magic. Casters’ starting skills lack
any defensive options; however, they may be obtained later as
experience is gained. Casters are well-known for using destructive and
powerful spells but can lack resiliency at early levels.
Per Level Bonus Attributes: +1 PCT, +1 INT, +1 WIS, +1 WIL, +2 Free
points

Neophyte
A basic starting class that focuses on the support, defense, and healing
of themselves and others. Neophytes are most well-known for removing
afflictions, healing injuries, and casting supportive buff spells to bolster
their ally’s strength. Neophytes’ starting skills lack any offensive
capabilities; however, they may be obtained later as experience is
gained.
Per Level Bonus Attributes: +1 PCT, +1 INT, +1 WIS, +1 WIL, +2 Free
points

Huh. After the huge number of races that were available for selection,
I’m a bit surprised that the starting classes are so… vanilla. Looks like it
comes down to whether I want to be a healer or a mage. Which… isn’t even
a real question for me.

Caster class selected

Please select up to three additional starting skills in exchange for your
final boon. If three skills are not selected, basic starting equipment will
be provided in their stead.

Drew’s eyes widened as a ridiculously massive list of skills and spells

blotted out his vision. The list was so long that it would put phonebooks and
dictionaries to shame, and Drew felt completely overwhelmed by the
number of available options.
“Hey, Spock, I’ve got a fucking massive list of skills in front of me. Is
there any way to narrow them down at all?” Drew asked with just a hint of
excitement and nervousness in his voice.
“Certainly, Drew Wright. You may filter your options by focusing on
your desires. The System can be quite intuitive,” Spock answered, his tone
slightly distracted. He was likely going through his own options as he
responded.
Okay… what do I need? Hmm…

Tutorial Introduction time allotment ending soon.

Time until transportation to progenitor origin point: Three minutes.

Three minutes?! Fuckkk. Okay, think, Drew, think. What the hell do I
need? The class information said I lack any starting defensive skills, so I
definitely need that. If the class is entirely focused on mental attributes, and
if they work like they do in games, then I need a magic-based shield of some
kind.
The list narrowed down until only several options flashed in front of
him. Normally, Drew would take the time to read each one individually and
choose the one that suited him the most, but he was almost out of time, so
he made judgments based on the skill’s title alone. After moving through
the list, his eyes settled on one, and he pulled it up with a thought.

Mana Shield (Grade – Inferior)

Usage of this spell grants a thin shield of glowing mana around the
caster. This shield is weightless and will not encumber agility or
spellcasting prowess. As minor damage is incurred against the shield, a
caster’s MP will drain at a 1:1 ratio until either the caster’s MP is
depleted or the spell is canceled. Excess damage past the caster’s MP
will transfer over to HP. This is a staple defensive spell for most casters.

Okay, cool. I’ll select that. It’s easy, simple, and sounds like it’s pretty
hard to fuck up. Next… what do I need after that? Well, it’s only my wife
and my mom living with me, and I guess Spock will be a house guest, which
isn’t a lot of people. I’m pretty confident we could handle a monster or two,
but if we get stuck fighting a bunch, then we’re probably fucked.
So, how do I remedy that? I have other tokens, and I might be able to
convince Mark and Miranda to come over before doomsday hits, but that’s
still only six people in total. We live in the middle of freaking nowhere, and
there’s no major cities within thirty minutes of us, which means we need to
be self-sufficient – and we need to bolster our numbers. Is there an option
to make golems or summon familiars or something?
The list of abilities reshuffled, and three skills blinked at him. After
reading the titles of the skills, Drew scowled. The titles didn’t give him
enough information. He knew he was running out of time, but this was one
area that he couldn’t afford to skimp on. Drew focused on the skills to bring
up more detailed information.

Summon Imp (Grade – Inferior)

Imps are small demonic creatures. Despite their diminutive size, they
possess great intelligence. Imps are capable of casting emberbolt as well
as supportive magic that can slightly boost their summoner’s HP. Imps
are physically weak, and some caution is advised when working with
them as casters with weaker mental attribute points may find
themselves serving the Imp’s purposes rather than their own. Magical
reagents are necessary to perform the summoning ritual to allow Imps
to cross dimensional planes.

Well, that one’s out for obvious freaking reasons. I need something I can
rely on to fight off monsters – I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder
and expecting betrayal at any moment. Plus, it requires magical reagents,
and I sure as shit don’t have access to those yet.

Summon Shadowhawk (Grade – Inferior)

Shadowhawks are small avian creatures with a strong natural affinity
toward Shadow. Natural instinct drives the motivation and actions of
these creatures unless their summoner has given them direct orders.
Shadowhawks are often used for scouting or diversions as they are
physically weak and lack offensive magical abilities.

That sucks, they sound so cool too. But if they’re worthless in combat,
there’s no point in getting them. Unfortunately, that leaves me with only one
option, and I hope it’s not as bad as it sounds.

Raise Dead (Grade – Inferior)

A staple spell for practitioners of the magical school of Necromancy.
Raise Dead allows the caster to utilize and repurpose any corpse to
create a servant, commonly known as a minion. Contrary to popular
belief, the Raise Dead spell does not summon or bind the original
corpse’s soul to their body but rather creates an unliving servant that
follows their summoner’s every command. Undead minions may be
given commands either verbally or telepathically as a mental
connection exists between them and their summoner. Minions are
flexible and may fill the role of either manual labor or combat summon.
Risen minions may not go against their summoner’s will as they are
bound by The System to ensure loyalty.

Alright, not as bad as I thought. I really didn’t relish the thought of

bringing poor Mrs. Presly back from the grave, she had a hard enough life.
It sounds like they’re more like undead golems than anything else. On the
bright side, the spell doesn’t require magical reagents of any kind. The
downside being… well, corpses.
But being able to use them for manual labor will make them invaluable.
Birds don’t have opposable thumbs – undead can build and fight. Plus,
unquestioning loyalty, unlike imps. Still, I’ll need actual… corpses… Should
I take this or filter the skill list to give me more options?

Tutorial Introduction time allotment ending soon.

Time until transportation to progenitor origin point: One minute.

Fuck, looks like I’m going with Raise Dead.

“Hey Spock, we’re almost out of time! Does the Caster class get a direct
damage spell when it starts?” Drew asked as quickly as he could.
“Indeed, Drew Wright.”
Fantastic, then I just need something to support my future undead
minions. What kind of spells do people have in games when they have
undead summons? Ah, some kind of damage over time ability, right?
That would work. I can weaken monsters as the minions hold the bad
guys off, and then I can throw whatever direct damage spell I have at them.
Come on, list of skills, work your magic!
The list reshuffled, and Drew was about to take a look through all the
names when another system message came through.

Tutorial Introduction time allotment ending soon.

Time until transportation to progenitor origin point: Thirty seconds.

Shit, no time. Uh… Uh…

Drew looked through the list frantically before choosing one that looked
promising.

Corruption (Grade – Inferior)

A devastating spell that deals damage over time to targets. Damage
starts low, then ramps up as the spell progresses, often ending in
horrific displays of internal and external damage to the target.
Corruption is non-intrusive, and thus many targets never know that
they’ve been tainted by this insidious spell prior to seeing its obvious
outward effects. Corruption may be cast instantly for a slight mana
cost increase.

The hell? There’s gotta be something a bit less… gruesome.

Time until transportation to progenitor origin point: Five seconds.

Umm… filter by damage over time abilities that don’t sound like a war
crime!

Four seconds.

The list began to reshuffle.

Three seconds.

Fuck it, there’s no time! I pick the bubonic plague one. Wrap it up!

Two seconds.

Drew’s eyes opened wide as he suddenly remembered something very,

very important.

One second.

“Spock, be quie—” Drew managed to yell out before his vision went
black.

[Link]
 Chapter Five

Pop!
Drew was instantly alert when he found himself lying in his bed again.
His head snapped to the right, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his
wife, Amber, snoring away. His eyes seemed to shift slightly, and Drew
somehow knew that his bedroom was still very dark, yet he could see as
clearly as if it was day. Before he had a chance to marvel at the revelation,
there was a slight sound from above.
Pop!
Spock appeared directly above him, nearly a foot in the air, before
dropping like a sack of bricks onto Drew’s body.
“Ummf!” Drew let out a muffled groan as the air was forced from his
lungs.
Silence…
Drew turned his head ever so slowly back to the right and found that
Amber had stopped snoring and was shifting around.
If she woke up right now, she’d find two strange men in her bed, with
no sign of her husband. Knowing that she kept a loaded handgun in her
nightstand, Drew made every effort to remain perfectly quiet.
 After several nerve-wracking minutes, Amber’s snoring picked back up,
and Drew let out an internal sigh of relief.
Carefully, oh so carefully, Drew maneuvered Spock off his body and
made sure his feet were touching the floor to the side of the bed before
slowly letting him go. Drew then inched out of the bed himself, slipping
from under the sheets and covers before grabbing Spock’s hand and
dragging him out of his bedroom, tip-toeing out the door before quietly
closing it.
Now in his living room, Drew again noticed that his vision had
adjusted; his body must have been using his new Darkvision passive skill.
He glanced back toward Spock, who was squinting comically, and realized
his new companion wasn’t gifted with the same ability.
He grabbed Spock’s hand once again before leading him out of the
living room, through the kitchen, and out the backdoor. Luckily it appeared
Freya was spending the night in his mom’s room, as she sometimes did.
Once they’d made it to the backyard porch, Drew’s stomach, which had
been turning in knots the whole time, finally settled down.
“Can you see alright?” Drew asked in a whisper to Spock.
“I’m not sure, Drew Wright,” Spock said in a perfectly normal voice.
It’s surprising how loud a ‘perfectly normal’ voice sounds in the pitch
darkness of pre-dawn. Drew flinched before freezing to listen in case
anyone in the house had heard Spock.
After a minute passed, the tension Drew had felt dropped. He spoke
again to Spock, this time more carefully.
“You need to whisper. My wife and mother are sleeping, and we have
guns in the house. Follow me. Quietly,” Drew instructed in as low a tone as
he could manage while still remaining audible.
Drew thought he was home free once he made it to the side gate of his
backyard with Spock in tow, but when he cracked open the gate, there was a
slight creak from the metal hinges…
“BOOF! BOOF!”
Drew waved Spock through the gate as quickly as possible before
shutting it. After a few tense moments, the barking from his mom’s room
stopped. Drew watched the house for lights flicking on, but none did.
Bloody Freya! That damn German Shepherd almost gave me a heart
attack! She’ll run up to strangers and the UPS guy without so much as a
growl, but if a fucking mouse farts in the middle of the night, she wakes the
whole damn house. Fat load of use it does. The number of times she’s cried
wolf, her barks might as well be white noise…
Though to be fair, I guess there technically are intruders this time. Good
dog.
Drew waved at Spock to follow him, and he kept up well enough in the
moonlight that provided some amount of illumination. Drew lived out in the
country, as rural as rural could get, so he wasn’t terribly concerned by the
possibility of any neighbors seeing him, as the nearest one lived nearly half
a mile away.
Drew’s heart was pounding by the time they made it to the destination
that he had in mind.
“What is the purpose of this structure?” Spock whispered poorly to
Drew.
“It’s a chicken coop, Spock. We should be safe to speak normally here.”
Spock eyed the shed-sized structure covered in chicken wire with
curiosity, and Drew sighed as he realized his new companion likely didn’t
even know what chickens were.
“It houses chickens, Spock. They’re a type of animal that we use for
eggs and meat. These birds are just layers, so we collect their eggs every
other day so we have fresh food. Although… if doomsday is coming, we
may want to pick up a bunch more to add to the flock.”
“Are these chickens vicious?” Spock asked cautiously.
“Uhh… no.” Drew shook his head. “Ours aren’t anyways. They’re
kinda aloof and standoffish. They might peck your foot or something, but it
wouldn’t be due to malice or any desire to eat you.”
“Interesting. I would very much like to see these chickens, Drew
Wright,” Spock said as he turned to face Drew.
“Alright, yeah, that’s fine. Just wait until the sun starts to come up.
They’ll be roosting right now,” Drew said as he waved Spock off.
“Roosting?” Spock asked.
Oh, sweet baby Jesus, this man really doesn’t have any basic
knowledge. Patience, Drew, it’s not his fault. He wasn’t even born yesterday.
He’s not even an hour old yet.
Does that mean I just adopted an adult-sized child? …Fuck.
“Sleeping. They’re sleeping, Spock,” Drew said with a sigh.
“I see. There was a person sleeping next to us when we appeared here,”
Spock added, as if revealing a particularly interesting factoid.
 “Yeah, that’s my wife, Amber. She’s as cute as a button, but twice as
deadly,” Drew cautioned.
“How would a button be deadly?”
Drew sighed, halfway knowing what his day was going to be like.
“Because you can choke on them, Spock,” he answered, trying to remain
patient.
“Why would…” Spock began.
“Enough, man. Just chill for a minute,” Drew said, cutting Spock off. “I
know this is all new for you, and I’m happy that you get to experience it all,
but I need some questions answered about our new situation, and then I
need to think about what we’re going to do, okay?”
Spock quickly straightened his back and nodded.
“Okay, we didn’t have a lot of time during that tutorial, so I need to
know the basics beyond what you were able to tell me,” Drew said after
gathering his thoughts.
“What do you wish to know?” Spock asked in a serious tone. His innate
curiosity had evaporated, replaced by the mechanical tone that Drew was
used to.
“Eventually, I’d like to know everything, but for now, I’ll settle for
information about leveling up, using my abilities, and stuff about those
monsters and beasts you mentioned.”
Spock paused for several moments as he considered Drew’s request for
information. Likely to figure out the best way to phrase everything. Drew
had asked for a lot of information all at once.
“The infusion of mana will begin once System Integration is complete,
roughly seven days from now. It is then that monsters will begin to spawn
and beasts will begin to mutate from the natural wildlife in the surrounding
environment. Until that moment, I recommend that we prepare ourselves,”
Spock began.
“When you say that they’ll begin to spawn and mutate, am I to assume
that means we’ll only have to deal with a limited number of potential
enemies for a while?” Drew interrupted.
“Incorrect.” Spock shook his head. “While the number of creatures
you’ll have to face may be limited, in most cases, the opposite is true. The
sheer volume of mana that will be used to infuse your planet for integration
to prevent catastrophe will likely cause rapid mutation to occur, along with
the spawning of hordes of monsters.”
 “Fuck. So, it’s totally possible we’ll be facing off against packs of the
things the moment The System hits Earth?” Drew asked while pinching the
bridge of his nose.
“Possible and likely, yes.”
“So there’s no chance we can level up slowly and somewhat safely
before dealing with swarms of nasty critters?” Drew asked, seeking
clarification.
“That is incorrect. We, having gone through the tutorial, are already
integrated with The System, so we may level up at any time,” Spock replied
in an upbeat tone.
Drew paused to consider the man’s words. How was that possible? They
didn’t have any monsters to kill for experience points, so how would they
level up?
“How can we level up then?”
“By joining in battle against the native wildlife,” Spock answered
matter-of-factly. “Though the experience they provide will be limited.”
“Please don’t tell me that we’ll have to go out and kill a million boars to
level up,” Drew groaned as he rubbed his temples. If he had to grind
unintegrated animals, leveling up would take forever.
Spock cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “We won’t
have to go out and kill a million boars to level up,” he replied happily.
“Did you just say that because I asked you to?” Drew asked cautiously.
“Yes,” Spock said with a slight nod.
“Ughhh,” Drew groaned again before slumping onto the ground.
“Leveling up in this manner would be inefficient, and we would likely
only gain several levels at most. However, the attribute bonuses from the
level-ups will be greatly beneficial,” Spock added after a moment.
“Yeah, I saw stuff about the attributes when selecting my race and class.
Is there any way to view that information?”
“Indeed, Drew Wright. Simply focus on the word ‘status,’ and it will be
made available for your viewing.”
So, it really is like a game. Well, at least I have a bit of experience in
those, so I shouldn’t be completely moronic in any choices… probably…
Alright, then. Status.

Status
Name: Drew Wright
Race: Dhampir (Grade – F) – lvl 0
Class: Caster
Profession: N/A

Health Points (HP): 60/60

Mana Points (MP) 100/100
Stamina: 60/60

Stats (Attributes)
Strength: 6
Vitality: 6
Endurance: 6
Toughness: 7
Agility: 4
Perception: 8
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 14
Willpower: 6
Free Points: 0

Well, at least it seems to be easy to understand. For a moment there, I

was worried it would be based on some convoluted tabletop game no one’s
ever heard of. Let’s see… vitality likely correlates to my health points, and
intelligence is likely my mana points, which means stamina probably comes
from endurance.
Drew checked his assumptions with Spock, who nodded like a pleased
parent.
My agility is pretty shit, to be honest, which is surprising since I chose
an Elf as my Dhampir’s mortal parent. Maybe it grows faster as I level
instead of naturally starting off high?
Also… it’s both satisfying and slightly depressing to see my life and
body relayed to me in such a format. Maybe I’ll change my mind about it
after I gain a few levels? What are my bonus attributes per level again?

Additional Information
Bonus Attributes Per Level (Racial): +1 STR, +2 VIT, +2 END, +2
TGH, +1 AGI, +1 PCT, +1 WIL
Bonus Attributes Per Level (Class): +1 PCT, +1 INT, +1 WIS, +1 WIL,
+2 Free points

Yeah, that’s a pretty nice spread of stat points per level up, or at least I
think they are… What skills do I have?

Skills
Manabolt (Grade – Inferior), Mana Manipulation (Grade – Inferior),
Spatial Inventory, Raise Dead (Grade – Inferior), Mana Shield (Grade
– Inferior), Corruption (Grade – Inferior).

Spatial inventory? Is that like a bag of holding or something? I don’t

remember choosing that skill. Maybe it just comes standard?

Spatial Inventory
A basic universal skill that allows for dimensional storage for any
integrated sapient. While limited in size, most individuals use this skill
to assist in carrying a set of equipment, gear, emergency supplies, and
materials. Anything held within the spatial inventory is outside the
physical dimension and thus will not encumber the user.

“Hey, Spock, does this spatial inventory skill mean I can just summon
shit out of midair when I need to?” Drew asked, looking up to find Spock
intensely observing the inside of the chicken coop. When Drew spoke, the
man let out a small squeak of surprise and quickly turned around.
“That is an overly simplified yet somewhat accurate assessment of the
skill in question, Drew Wright,” Spock said. “Also, I recommend that you
check your notifications. If you don’t already have a notifications icon, I
suggest adding one to your field of vision.”
“Uh, alright…” Drew replied cautiously.
Let’s see, how do I put an icon for it in my… oh. There it is. Let’s just
move that to the bottom right corner to keep it out of the way. Boom, locked
in place. Good. Wait, why is it flashing?

Notifications
Title earned: [Progenitor]
 A title system of some kind? Is that like achievements or something?
What’s this title all about?

[Progenitor]
Chosen sapient of a pre-integrated world. Allows for the assistance of a
System Guide within the Tutorial Introduction. Grants +2 to all stats.
Grants skill: Multiversal Tongues (Unique).

Multiversal Tongues (Unique)

Allows for seamless communication across all racial and language
barriers. This is a unique skill granted to progenitors of newly
integrated worlds. Other inhabitants of newly integrated words start
with an inferior skill that slowly upgrades when used but still allows for
faster-than-normal learning of new languages.

Sweet. I got a universal translator and plus two to all my stats. Can’t
beat free stats and abilities!
“Alright, I think I’m done investigating my stats and abilities for the
moment,” Drew said. “I can look into them more thoroughly later. Does
leveling up work the way I think it does? Kill bad things, get experience
points, then level up and get more stat points?”
“Essentially, yes. We don’t have professions currently, so we’re limited
to leveling up our classes and race. Your race will advance as you level your
class and future profession, should you choose to have one. Eventually, we
will hit a milestone, our race will evolve to become stronger, and we’ll be
able to change or evolve our classes.”
“Okay, cool. Stuff for later then.”
“Indeed, although I do recommend opening your status again if you’ve
checked your notifications. Changes won’t occur until you do so,” Spock
cautioned.
Strange, but alright…
“Do I have to look at the menu every time though, or can I just open it
and close it? Like if I’m in combat and I level up, can I take advantage of
that without having to stop and get somewhere safe before checking my
status?”
 “You may do as you say. Many individuals find that interfacing with the
menus can be troublesome or obnoxious. As long as you purposely open it,
level-up changes will occur, but I caution you against waiting too long, as
you may forget that you have additional skills available to choose from,”
Spock said before turning back to gaze at the chicken coop.
“Gotcha, let me try it out.”
Drew focused on opening and then immediately closing the status
menu. Just as he began to breathe a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t need to
look at his menus constantly, a surge of warmth filled his body, starting in
his gut and then radiating outward. The feeling intensified as the warmth
slowly turned into a slight itch that made him want to scratch at his skin
before reverting back into a warm, almost glowing feeling.
Within moments, the feeling passed, but Drew felt like he was suddenly
brimming with power. Almost instinctively, he knew he was stronger, faster,
and harder to hurt. It brought a deep feeling of satisfaction that Drew hadn’t
expected. As soon as it died down, he longed to experience it again.
“Well, that was intense,” Drew muttered to himself.
“Indeed. The first several stat increases usually are,” Spock said almost
absentmindedly as he shifted his body to try to see inside the chicken coop.
“I may regret asking this, but what are the average stat points for
humans?” Drew asked, eager to know how he stacked up compared to the
rest of his species.
Spock turned back to look at him for a brief moment before answering.
“The System expected most of Earth’s human population to fall within the
five to seven point range for physical stats on average, and seven to nine
points for mental stat points, with willpower being the exception at roughly
four points.”
Drew recalled that his starting physical stats were all six, with
toughness at seven, but his agility had been at four. It made sense, in a way.
He’d never been an athlete of any kind, and he’d hated running back in high
school and college. Physically, he was pretty average.
Mentally, he was a bit ahead of the pack. His intelligence was one point
above the average, and willpower was two above. In wisdom, however, he
excelled, with that attribute sitting at a juicy fourteen points. That one
statistic made Drew feel a lot better about his otherwise average summary.
Everyone wanted to feel at least a little special.
 “Good to know. How do I cast my spells?” Drew asked with glee in his
voice.

[Link]
 Chapter Six

It turned out that casting magic was a simple thing, much like many things
within The System.
There were no gestures or magic words of power involved. Drew just
needed to think about what he wanted to do to make it happen. On the one
hand, it was slightly disappointing to learn that magic could be performed
so easily, but on the other, it would make combat far less stressful.
With that knowledge in mind, Drew walked up to his most hated foe.
An enemy that had plagued him for years and caused him no end of pain,
grief and frustration.
A mesquite tree.
When he first moved from Texas to the new house in Oklahoma, he’d
loved the idea of having a few trees on his property, but after living with
them for a few years now, he’d come to hate them.
The trees grew long, one to two-inch thorns on their branches, and when
storms rolled through the area and brought twigs and tree limbs down, his
property would be littered with a very painful wooden minefield. All it took
was one wrong step, and a thorn would plow right through the sole of any
shoe other than a work boot, and it wasn’t just his poor feet that felt the
pain.
 More than once, Drew had had to replace the tires on his zero-turn lawn
mower. He’d patch them up as best as possible, but after getting several
thorns stuck in the rubber, the seals would lose effectiveness, and he’d be
stuck paying another two hundred dollars to the manufacturer.
It was with a great zeal for vengeance that Drew picked out and walked
toward his target. He squinted as he gazed at the tree with an evil smile. He
decided to try out Manabolt, the starting skill that came as standard with his
Caster class.
Drew focused his mind as he envisioned casting the spell and hitting the
tree. He began to feel a tingling sensation in his gut, right above his belly
button. The feeling transitioned into a surge of warmth as it flooded up his
torso and raced through his right arm. Drew instinctively lifted his arm and
flattened his palm as he felt pressure begin to build near his hand.
A small blue sphere winked into existence several inches away from his
outstretched palm, and Drew watched with wide eyes as the ball seemed to
coalesce and change shape into a small cone. As the pressure continued to
build, the cone sharpened and lengthened slightly. Then, with a final click,
the dam burst, and the cone launched itself from Drew’s palm.
“Abracadabra, bitch!”
The manabolt shot forward at almost blinding speed.
Crack!
Bark and wooden shrapnel blew out from the tree trunk as the spell hit,
woodchips flew through the air, and Drew felt himself get pelted by several.
He closed his eyes on instinct to protect them from the assault. After
waiting several seconds, Drew felt safe enough to open them again.
Sawdust was falling through the air, and his attention turned to the tree.
Drew stepped forward to inspect the impact and let out a low whistle as
he moved his fingers within the tree’s wound. It was four inches wide and
nearly three inches deep, which was very impressive, especially for a
starting spell. The spell had caused more damage than a standard rifle round
would have.
As Drew began to process this information, he suddenly felt a sinking
feeling in his gut.
If this is how much damage a starting spell does, then how tough are the
monsters and beasts going to be? A regular hunting rifle isn’t going to do
shit. If they even work…
 A grim expression crossed his face as Drew made his way back to the
chicken coop – only to find Spock standing inside it, with several chickens
gathered around and looking at him inquisitively. Drew turned his head to
the sky and noticed it was already dawn, light cresting over the horizon.
“Are you enjoying the chickens?” Drew asked with a small smile.
Spock lifted his gaze from the birds. “They are enjoyable, yes. Despite
your reassurances, I believed they may have been a threat, but I’m happy to
report that I was mistaken.”
Then Spock turned back to the birds with the tiniest hint of a smile.
“I’m glad you like them. I need to figure out how to explain things to
Amber and my mom without getting shot, so I’m going to sit down and
think for a bit.”
Drew found a relatively clean place to sit down and reflect. Either
Spock didn’t hear him or he was too preoccupied with the chickens to
respond, and Drew fell into a thoughtful focus as he tried to think about
ways to convince his wife about all the craziness happening around him.
Alright, so I look completely different – one of the key drawbacks of
using the quick and dirty ‘celebrity template’ method. So I can’t just walk
into the house and talk to her. I’m also stuck in my boxers because all my
clothes are in the bedroom with her. I definitely don’t want to be shot, so I
can’t just sneak into the room and wake her up while hoping to smooth talk
her quickly enough…
But what option does that leave me with? I look like the guy from our
favorite show, I’m only wearing boxers, and I need to hold her attention
long enough that she doesn’t shoot me… Oh… oh, no. Is that seriously the
only option?
Drew had a plan. A terrible, awful plan that was guaranteed to
embarrass the hell out of him, but at least he wouldn’t get shot. Maybe.
She’ll probably still shoot me.
Drew sighed.
“Alright, I think I have an idea of how to talk to Amber,” he said.
Spock turned and raised an eyebrow. “Do you require my assistance,
Drew Wright?”
Drew could only grimace as he thought through what involving Spock
would look like. “No, I need to do this myself. You stay here with the
chickens, okay?”
 “That is acceptable. Good luck to you, Drew Wright,” Spock said with a
slight nod.
It’s good to see him loosening up a bit and actually nodding now. I
guess the chickens are helping him cope with the fact that he almost died
today…
Although, after what I’m about to do, I might just drop dead myself…

Shuffling through the house with her slippers on her feet and a bathrobe tied
loosely around her waist, Amber reached the pantry and cracked open the
container of coffee, taking a big whiff of the intoxicating aroma.
Ahhh, that’s the stuff.
Amber breathed out as she started up the coffee machine and waited
patiently as heated water ran over the coffee before passing through the
filter and entering the pot. It was the best part of the morning, and every
morning started with the same bliss.
Only today was different. Today, her husband hadn’t been in bed when
she woke up, and the bathroom was empty.
Where has he run off to? It’s not like him to wake up before I do, and he
left his phone here like a total airhead. I’m totally going to give him crap
for that when he gets back.
Amber grinned at the thought as she retrieved a mug and poured herself
a cup. She added a little bit of milk to the mixture and then scooped two
tablespoons of sugar into it before pausing.
Better make it three.
She let out a light giggle as she added another spoonful before stirring.
Freya ran by as Amber lifted the cup to her mouth and smacked her in
the legs with her wagging tail. It was the start of a great day; she just knew
it.
Knock Knock!
“BOOF!” Freya bellowed as she ran toward the front door.
Are we expecting a delivery today? Drew’s mom probably ordered
something stupid again on Amazon. She really needs to quit browsing that
website all the time.
 “Freya, shut up, will ya!” Amber yelled, and the dog quieted down, but
she remained just as excited as she stood by the door, pacing back and forth.
The UPS delivery guy always spoiled her with treats, so she was just
itching to barrel outside to get her dog biscuit.
With her coffee cup in hand, Amber padded across the stained concrete
floor in her slippers before looking down and tidying up her robe to make
herself presentable to company. But when she opened the front door,
expecting to sign for a package, her jaw dropped.
“What the fu…” Amber began to mutter under her breath.
There was a half-naked man standing right outside, wearing boxers that
seemed slightly too tight for his body. He had chiseled abs and heart-
stopping lines of muscle cutting down toward his…
“STRIPPERGRAM!” the man yelled in a deep, sultry voice before he
started dancing in place.
“Stripper…what?” Amber managed to say, her mouth still wide open as
Freya bolted out the door and started to circle the dancing man.
Wait… I recognize him!
“Are you Henry Cavill?!” Amber gasped.
The man paused and gave her a confused look of puzzlement before
smiling and then continuing to dance with the lewdest gestures that Amber
had ever seen outside of the movies that streamed late at night.
“Come with me, my lady.” The man beckoned invitingly for Amber to
follow him.
“You want me to follow you?” Amber pointed at herself in a state of
shock. What was a celebrity like him doing here? And half-nude at that!
The man, whom Amber could only assume to be an extremely uncanny
lookalike, turned and walked toward an outcropping of trees not far away
before turning his head to glance back at her.
“I need to use the trees to finish my performance!” he answered in a
light chuckle that his deep voice made almost a purr.
This must be why Drew isn’t around; he somehow got this lookalike – it
has to be a lookalike, right? – to come do a stripper dance for me. I guess I
was quite vocal in my appreciation when we watched The Witcher… That
husband of mine better not have blown all our money on…
Amber’s gaze hit the man’s back before lowering and lingering for a
long moment.
Sweet mother, what an ass!
 Amber followed him to the outcropping of trees as Freya pounced and
pranced around the man in circles, trying to get him to play with her and
give her treats. The man paused at a certain point and glanced back to
ensure she was following him.
Of course I’m following you. If we’re paying for this, I’m going to damn
well enjoy it! she thought to herself with a grin.
She kept a respectful distance off to the hunky man’s side. She was
married, after all. She could look, just not touch, even though she salivated
as that brief thought crossed her mind.
When she stopped walking and stood still to watch him, the dancing
didn’t begin again. Something much stranger happened instead.
He lifted his right arm with his palm facing away from him before
turning to wink at her. Amber felt herself blush slightly, but the sudden blue
light that sprang forth from nowhere caused her to take a sharp breath. She
heard herself gasp as a glowing blue ball formed and changed shape to look
like an ice cream cone.
Her eyes were locked to the strange glowing shape, and she felt all her
thoughts begin to freeze as her brain struggled to process what she was
seeing. The glowing blue cone then shot from his hand with an incredible
speed, and Amber turned to witness it hit a thin tree not fifteen yards away.
Crack!
Sawdust filled the air, and splinters of wood launched in every direction
as the thin tree cracked and toppled over. It was almost as if time froze as
Amber watched the dust float through the air before landing on the ground.
“Wha… How?” she managed to ask before turning to the celebrity with
large, wide eyes.
“Magic,” the man answered with a grin that played across his lips
“Magic?” Amber repeated, her brain still full of fog.
“And I’m not a stripper. Or Henry Cavill. I’m your husband, Drew.
Please don’t shoot me.”

[Link]
 Chapter Seven

It took almost two hours of constant questions, answers, and explaining

before Amber no longer looked like a spooked deer ready to dart into the
house and grab a gun. Thankfully, it hadn’t come to that, as Drew’s magic
was able to prove a great deal of what he said was true. It was hard to deny
the facts presented to you when the proof was a magic spell that delivered
splinters and death.
That was the foot in the door that Drew had needed to start the real
conversation about The System, being teleported out of their bed in the
middle of the night, magical powers, and an impending apocalypse that
loomed right around the corner. Without the proof that his magic provided,
he would likely have been thrown into a mental institution, a fact that made
him much happier about choosing Caster as his class.
Initially, Drew had been bombarded with questions regarding all the
personal information that only he would know about his wife. It started with
simple stuff, like where they went for their honeymoon and how they met,
to more obscure and embarrassing moments, like when Amber ripped a
huge fart in the movie theater right as the sound cut out and all heads turned
to her in disgust.
Ah, memories…
 “So, that about sums it up,” Drew said as he stood up from the ground
and stretched, popping his back several times as he did so.
“I can’t believe it,” Amber muttered, shaking her head.
“I know how you feel. I thought I was in a dream until I got hit with The
System’s taser.” Drew chuckled as he remembered his shock, even though
his panic had been repressed.
“And you’re sure you’re really my husband?” Amber asked, still sitting
on the ground.
“Yes. Sadly, you’re still stuck with me,” Drew said with a smile as he
reached down and offered a hand to help his wife up.
“It’s just all so…”
“Crazy? Yeah, it is,” Drew said with a light chuckle as he shook his
head.
Amber grabbed his hand, and he hoisted her up without issue. Not that
he’d ever had an issue doing so, but those two new points in strength made
it seem like he was lifting an unopened bag of potato chips instead of a
human being.
“I mean, I know you’re Drew, but when I look at you… after eleven
years together, I see a different face staring back at me. It’s… surreal.” She
paused. “But you know everything, there’s no way you could be anyone
else.”
She shook her head as she tried to process it all.
“It was the location of your awkward freckle that won you over, wasn’t
it?” Drew said with a cheeky smile.
“We’re not going to talk about that again, mister.” She let out a good-
natured laugh, then paused for a moment. “Wait, does that mean I’ll go
through the same process?”
“Yeah. Given you’ll have access to Spock beforehand, you won’t have
to rush the character creation like I did. So you’ll have time to do better
than a copy-paste job. Although if you’d like to remain how you look now,
I’m perfectly fine with that. I will never tire of your beauty.” He said the
last bit with a flutter of his eyelashes, hands clasped in front of his heart.
Amber blew a raspberry at him. “Fuck that, I look like a fat cow now,
next to you.” She gestured with her hand and pointed toward his abs and v-
lines. “I’m going to be an Elf! Slim waistline, bigger boobs, with long,
perfect hair.” She grinned as she went down some sort of mental checklist.
 “But that’s how you look already,” Drew replied, which caused her to
blush slightly.
It was true, Amber was beautiful. She had shoulder-length strawberry-
blonde hair, vibrant light blue eyes, and freckles that dotted her cheeks and
nose. In Drew’s humble opinion, it would be difficult to improve the looks
of the woman he loved so much.
“You can keep saying it, but I’m still going to be an Elf.” She chuckled.
“I’ll hold off for now so that at least one of us looks normal. But once
things are ready, it’s sexy Elf lady all the way.”
“Alright, alright. I can’t say anything after all the changes I made,”
Drew said as he began walking back to the house. Then he paused.
“Fuck…”
“What is it?” his wife asked cautiously.
“Now we have to explain this shit to my mom. She can barely work her
smartphone, and it took us three years to convince her that streaming was
superior to cable. How the hell are we going to handle this?”
Drew could begin to feel a headache coming on.
“We’ll worry about that later; she’s probably still sleeping. For now,
take me to meet your new friend,” Amber replied with a carefree shrug.
“Yeah, you should probably drop Freya back off at the house for some
water though. We’ve been outside for a while, and I don’t want to
overstimulate poor Spock.”
“Is he really as bad as you said?” Amber asked. “Come on, Freya, in ya
go.” She waved the dog inside before shutting the front door behind her.
Drew could hear the German Shepherd let out a small whine of betrayal.
“I wouldn’t say that, it’s just… he’s like a child. All this information
was downloaded into his brain, but it was only stuff about The System,
basic context for communication, and not about living as a human.” Drew
paused as he tried to find the right words. “He’s intelligent but lacks
common sense.”
“Poor guy.” Amber shook her head slightly as they continued toward the
chicken coop.
After several minutes of walking, the couple made it to the chicken
coop. Inside sat the new Spock, a man of average height and weight with
rather average features. He had short brown hair and brown eyes and
appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties.
 In the fully realized daylight, Drew now realized that Spock had edited
his features slightly – but if anything, the result made him look even more
average and normal than he had in the tutorial. For example, he no longer
had a beard. However, that wasn’t what stuck out to Drew.
The man was acting as a perch for every single one of their ten chickens
and two roosters. He sat perfectly still as though he was meditating, yet his
eyes glistened with focus. Atop the man’s head sat one of their majestic
roosters. The bird was looking to the sky with a slightly cocked head,
ruffling his white-spotted gray feathers.
“Ah, Drew Wright, and you must be Mrs. Wright. My name is Spock.
It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance in a wakeful moment.”
“This strange man is the one who helped you and who you invited back
to our home?” Amber asked as she turned to give Drew a glare.
“Dude, what’s the deal with all the chickens?” Drew asked, shocked to
find the man looking like a cat tree for their egg-laying birds.
“I’m unsure as to what you’re referencing. You asked me to stay in here
with them, and they slowly came over to investigate me. This is the result,”
Spock said with a look of puzzlement. “Is this not their normal behavior?”
“No.” Drew shook his head.
“Absolutely not,” Amber said firmly.
“I see. This is troubling then. Should I attempt to escape from this
situation?” Spock asked with a slight hint of nervousness.
“Ya know, I’m not sure.” Drew paused, taking in the sight. “Our
chickens have never acted like this, ever. They’re not exactly pets.”
“Is this how pets normally act?” Spock asked as he cocked his head
slightly, which caused the rooster to shift its weight by standing on one leg.
“Other than the rooster on your head and the others on your shoulders?
Yeah, but not to this level. To be honest, I’m wondering if The System came
early and fucked with our fowl,” Drew said, cupping his chin in thought.
“That would be impossible, Drew Wright.” Spock shook his head, and
the rooster stuck its left leg out horizontally as if practicing for a karate
kick.
“Yeahhh…” Drew replied as he eyed the karate rooster before shaking
his head and shrugging. “Anyways, this is my wife, Amber. Amber, meet
Spock.”
Greetings were exchanged, and it was with much hesitation that Spock
slowly stood up. The chickens seemed to realize he was getting ready to
move, and all made their grand escape from his person. When they left the
coop, Spock turned to glance at the chickens one last time.
As Drew watched on, all the chickens dipped their heads slightly at the
same time as if bowing. With that action, Drew decided he’d lock the
chicken coop’s door that night – and then place several large rocks on the
outside of it.
Just a precaution… Yup, totally normal chickens in here, nothing
strange at all happening with them, Drew thought as he tried to reassure
himself.
He’d had enough craziness for one day, and it wasn’t even noon.

The trio made their way back to the house, and Drew took the time to
organize his thoughts before speaking.
“So, we have six days and some odd hours before the world’s going to
end,” he said. “We should take the time to plan and prepare for the worst,
and we have to be smart about what we can accomplish in such a small
amount of time.”
“We’ll need food and water,” Amber said, nodding in agreement.
“Yeah, non-perishable stuff and in bulk. It might be smart to get some
additional wells dug and add a manual pump to each of them for fresh water
instead of relying solely on the bottled stuff.”
“We’ll need wood too.”
“Wood?”
“For construction and for firewood. You told me all of our technology is
going to shit out on us, right? We’ll need to cook outside, and we’ll need to
build stuff. Plus, it gets chilly in the winter, and we won’t have heat.”
“Medical supplies too. Who knows if the emergency services will
remain active,” Drew said with a slight shiver.
“This is going to get really expensive; do you think we can afford
everything, dear?” Amber asked cautiously.
“Hmm, we’ll just put it all on our credit cards,” Drew said after thinking
for a few moments.
“Ugh, we’re never going to pay those blasted things off,” Amber
groaned.
 “It won’t matter.” Drew gave her a wicked grin. “No one is going to
care about credit or be coming to demand payments when monsters are
running all over the place. We’ll just put everything we can on credit and
use cash for anything we can’t.”
“Ohhh… yeah, that’s a good idea!” Amber nodded, joining in on his
grin.
“Hey, Spock, do you have any more information about the technology
blackout? Ya know, what will and won’t work?” Drew asked as he glanced
back at Spock.
“I’m not certain, Drew Wright,” Spock answered. “The information The
System provided simply states that most technology will cease to function.
The examples provided to me were electronics of any kind, most modern
firearms, and communications technology.”
“Do you know why all that stuff won’t work?” Amber asked.
“I wasn’t given knowledge about the mechanics in question,” the man
replied. “But if I had to make an educated guess, I’d assume the mana
infusion would be the likely culprit. In some ways, mana has a will of its
own – its effects can only be predicted to an extent.”
“So, we’ll be going back to the 1800s by the sounds of it,” Drew said
after several moments of silence. “It’s not like we can go out and buy a
vintage butter churner at our local store or anything… This is going to be
difficult.”
If all that technology is going to get mana-fried, the logistical systems
our civilization built up are going to be worthless. There will be shortages
of everything, and fast. We’ll need to grow our own food, which means we’ll
need a lot of supplies. Hell, we should probably buy livestock too, and
books on how to butcher them safely.
It also sounds like all the guns I own aren’t going to work for whatever
reason. Maybe if I buy some that are older or based on old technology like
revolvers or lever actions, they’ll have a chance of still functioning. Shit,
our truck isn’t going to work anymore either. I’ll need to go find an old
classic and hope it works.
“We should probably watch the news while we have a chance,” Amber
said suddenly, breaking Drew out of his thoughts.
“The news? Why?” Drew asked.
“You said there were more progenitors, right? That means stuff should
start popping up if everyone has magic powers like you.”
 “Only one thousand progenitors were selected by The System, Mrs.
Wright. Other than their token holders, no one else will have this
knowledge,” Spock said.
“Yeah, but all it takes is one crazy person acting loud and obnoxious,
and the news crews will be all over it,” she retorted.
“I doubt it,” Drew said grimly.
Amber frowned. “Why’s that, dear? It happens all the time.”
“Because anyone who can actually prove they aren’t a crazy doomsayer
is going to get locked up by the government. Anything the news could
provide would be buried by men in black suits armed with serious
firepower.” Drew pressed his lips firmly together at the thought.
“You really think the government would do that to keep this quiet?”
Drew nodded, dead serious. “I know they will. One hundred percent.
The people who can’t prove it will be put in hospitals, and the ones who can
prove it will be thrown in isolated cells beneath military bases for study.”
“So… we shouldn’t tell anyone?” Amber asked slowly.
“Absolutely not. They’d come for us all, and we’d be dissected so they
could use whatever they found for themselves.”
“But what about all the innocent people who don’t know what’s going
to happen?” Amber asked sadly.
“As much as I’d like to help some folks prepare for the worst, I’m not
willing to endanger our family to do so,” Drew said grimly. “The rules of
society are going to crumble, and folks might get really desperate. It’s not
just the monsters and beasts we’ll need to protect ourselves from, but also
our neighbors, who might have ulterior motives.”
“Our neighbors? But they’re all so nice.”
“They are. But when your stomach’s empty and bloodthirsty monsters
are prowling near the edges of safety, folks will do anything to fill their
stomachs and find somewhere secure.”
“That’s so… dark.”
Drew nodded solemnly. “It is.”

[Link]
 Chapter Eight

When they got back to the house, Drew and Amber split up to handle
different tasks. Two brains were better than one, after all. Amber decided
that her time was best spent talking with Drew’s mom and trying to give the
stubborn woman all the information she could about the threat looming over
their heads.
Drew did contribute with a small magic display to kick the conversation
off in a believable way, but he left immediately after so his mother could be
soothed and eased into the whole ‘impending apocalypse’ news by a
familiar face. And by someone with better social skills.
Amber was uniquely qualified to handle the task in ways that Drew was
not. Amber’s forte was her patience and ability to handle repetition and
frustration with little complaint. All of which would come into play with
Drew’s mom, given she’d ask the same questions in four different ways
while expecting the answer to change.
In truth, Drew’s patience was limited. Very limited. He loved his mother
with all his heart, but in her older age, she’d become quite challenging to
speak with about major life events. Major being a measure of perspective,
of course. To his mother, switching from cable TV to streaming had been a
near-world-ending event.
 While his wife handled the very difficult task of giving the facts of life
to his mom, Drew was equally challenged by coming up with a list of all
the things the family needed to accomplish in such a limited amount of
time. This was no small task, as some things, like drilling a well, would
require hiring contractors to do the work.
Drew had a word processor pulled up on his computer, and his fingers
clicked away on the mechanical keyboard as every new thought crashed
into his mind. Right now, the important thing was figuring out what they
needed to survive and become self-sustainable.
We’re going to need a large pond, especially if we’re going to buy some
livestock. Oh, and fish. If we’re getting a pond, we might as well stock it
with edible fish so we have a renewable source of fresh food.
We’ll also need seeds and fertilizer so we can grow crops on a large
scale… but to do so, we need to find places that sell manual farming
equipment that doesn’t require power. I think that old farm down the road
has a plow that can be pulled by animals…
And we’re also going to need a place to store all the equipment so it
doesn’t rust and a storage area to keep the actual produce we grow fresh. A
root cellar, I think they’re called. Yeah.
Drew sighed as he pushed himself away from the computer to take a
tiny break to relax his mind and destress. He stared out the window next to
his PC, letting his mind wander to the sounds of ‘hmms’ and ‘ahs’ in the
background as Spock entertained himself by learning how to operate
Amber’s computer.
He hadn’t known how to entertain Spock while he was working, so he’d
just handed over the reins of his wife’s computer and popped open a search
window with the thought that if a child could easily teach themselves about
the internet, surely a child-like adult could do so as well.
Drew glanced at the bottom right of his computer screen and saw it was
nearly eleven-thirty in the morning.
Alright, they should both be at work now, but I’ll go ahead and shoot
them a message anyway. The sooner I get them on board, the better.
With that thought in mind, Drew sent a short group text to his best
friend Mark and his wife Miranda. They were both working professionals
who lived in the Dallas area of Texas where Drew had grown up. Mark was
in IT security, and Miranda worked as a registered nurse at a major hospital
network. Drew double-checked the message before he hit the send button.
 “Emergency! 10/10. Need y’all both here ASAP. Can’t talk at the
moment. Text me or call Amber if you need to. Get here ASAP, it’s serious.”
It was short and to the point, and hopefully Amber would have the time
to answer a phone call if it came, as Drew’s voice was now far deeper and
gruffer, and he doubted he could pass as his old self. It was an unintended
side effect of the customization he’d gone through, or at least, that was what
Spock had told him.
Mark was a good guy. The best, really, and Drew had little doubt that
his friend would take his plea seriously. He wasn’t the type to over-
rationalize things, but he wasn’t impulsive either. He valued Drew’s family
like he did his own. The situation might be crazy, but Mark would likely be
halfway to Drew’s place before he thought to ask any questions.
Drew set his phone down and turned his attention back to the list on his
PC, cracking his knuckles before he began to type again.
The most realistic idea for defenses would be fence work. It might look
weird to his neighbors for the moment, but a large eight or ten-foot chain-
link fence with barbed wire at the top and bottom would deter all but the
most determined of critters. He’d also rent something from CAT or Kobuta
to dig a series of trenches beyond the fence.
Closer to the house, he’d use cinderblocks and concrete to create a
smaller inner wall as a fallback location. To top off the defenses, Drew
would purchase several deer hunting stands to act as tall watchtowers. If
they noticed bad things approaching the property, they could man the
towers and shoot over the fencing.
That also meant he needed guns, old ones, and ammo. Not to mention
bows and arrows. If the guns didn’t work, having bows would be the next
best thing. Arrows could be reused if treated properly, though he’d still need
to buy a shit ton of them.
Eventually, Drew’s stomach decided to begin protesting, so he quickly
fixed himself and Spock a quesadilla. As he was bringing the food back to
the home office, he ran into his wife coming out from his mom’s TV room,
cursing under her breath.
Drew put the plate of food in front of Spock, who stared at it
uncomfortably for several moments, before he sat down himself. Amber
soon joined the two men in the office.
“What is this, Drew Wright?” Spock asked with suspicion.
 “It’s food, Spock. You eat it. You… do know how to eat, right?” Drew
asked cautiously, silently hoping he didn’t need to explain bodily functions
to the man.
“Indeed. I read an article about it on the Wikipedia,” Spock confirmed
happily.
“At least someone can figure out technology,” Amber muttered under
her breath.
“Problems?” Drew asked, cocking his head slightly before tearing off a
piece of his food and shoveling it into his mouth.
“I think your mom’s getting worse,” Amber sighed, slumping against a
wall as she sat on the ground. “It’s not just the usual forgetfulness and
stubbornness; she’s showing signs of early-onset dementia. With all the crap
going on, we may want to try to get her an appointment with the doctors
before shit hits the fan.”
“Excuse me, Mrs. Wright. Am I correct in assuming that this dementia
is an illness?” Spock asked as he raised his head from examining the food
on his plate as one might a potentially dangerous wild animal.
“Dude, it’s edible, and I’m a damn decent cook. Just tear off a piece and
eat it before it gets cold,” Drew said, losing his patience slightly.
“Yes, Spock. It’s an illness of the mind,” Amber answered softly. A
minute ago, she’d been cursing about his mom being a pain in the ass, and
now she was back to her kind and loving baseline. If Amber had a true limit
to her patience, Drew hadn’t found it yet, but he certainly knew how to push
the boundaries.
“There is little need to worry,” Spock said. “Once she’s been integrated
within The System, any current illnesses will be healed.”
Spock then followed Drew’s example by tearing off a piece of his food
and putting it in his mouth.
“Seriously? All illness will just… poof, and it’s gone?” Amber gasped.
“That is correct,” Spock replied as he chewed, causing a loud smacking
noise that caused Drew to groan. Drew realized he’d left that part out
during his half-naked explanations that morning but decided to play it cool.
“See? Problem resolved, boo bear. She’ll be fine,” he said, reaching
over and patting his wife’s shoulder.
“She’s still insane.”
“Why do you say that?” Drew asked in between bites.
 “Well, you know the whole thing about civilization as we know it
ending, the world collapsing, and the fire and brimstone?”
“I do not believe there will be any brimstone, Mrs. Wright,” Spock
added happily as he continued to munch on his food. “By the way, this is
very good, Drew Wright.”
“Of course it’s good. I cooked it,” Drew grumbled before adding, “I’m
glad you like it though.”
The small smile on the man’s face made Drew feel guilty about losing
his patience earlier.
“Anyways,” Drew continued, looking at his wife, “yes, I’m well aware
of the apocalypse, boo bear.”
“Turns out your mother couldn’t give two shits about it. In fact, she was
fairly easy to convince. Apparently, she felt Armageddon was only a matter
of time anyway. She’s more concerned about losing access to her shows.”
“Uh… what?”
“Yeah, so I just spent the last two hours explaining to her that it didn’t
matter if she switched back to cable or moved over to satellite because all
technology would stop working. Two hours, Drew. Two. She totally
accepted the impending collapse of society, but she’s stuck on arguing with
me about her stupid shows, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t
convince her that her TV would simply stop working.” Amber groaned,
putting her head on her knees as she slumped forward.
“And how was she about all the magic and me looking completely
different?” Drew asked slowly.
“Oh, she’s upset you look different now, no doubt. But that’s only a
minor inconvenience because she’s going to miss out on her Hallmark
movies.”
“Huh…” Drew paused as he processed the information. “Ya know, I’m
not even that surprised. She’s always been a pain in the ass about her TV
crap,” he said before polishing off the last slice of quesadilla.
Amber shook her head. “Anyway. She’s taken care of for the moment,
but you’ll need to talk to her at some point. How are things going on your
side?” she asked, clearly wanting to change the topic.
“The list is done. At least, it’s as done as it’s going to get at the moment.
I took a break to make some food, and I was just about to start calling
contractors to schedule shit for this⁠—”
 Drew interrupted himself as his phone vibrated. He quickly picked up
and found a reply from Mark.
“Understood, we’re on our way.”
“Was that Mark?” Amber asked.
“Yeah, how’d you know?” Drew replied, putting his phone down and
looking at her.
“He called me earlier and wanted to know if you were okay. He told me
about the message you sent, and I told him you were fine but that we
needed them to get here today.”
“And he didn’t question it at all?” Drew asked, already knowing the
answer.
“No. You know what he’s like – he’d drop everything for us. We said we
needed them, so I guess they’re coming?”
“Yeah, he said they’re on their way, so we’ve got two and a half hours
to kill until they get here.”
“Good, then you have plenty of time to call everyone you need to,”
Amber said with a smile.
“Yeah, I’m not looking forward to that. What are you going to be up
to?”
“Well, I’m going to take Mr. Spock here and teach him some of the
basics about living on Earth, like chewing with his mouth closed,” she said
before getting up and grabbing Spock’s shirt by the shoulder. “Come on, big
guy, let’s get you all settled in.”
Spock turned to look at Drew as he was being dragged out of the room,
and then his gaze shifted back to the computer, then back to Drew.
“But… the Wikipedia…” the man said with sad eyes and a quivering
bottom lip.

[Link]
 Chapter Nine

“Uh huh… yeah. Right. Wait, five hundred dollars? …Inflation, right. Fuel
prices… yeah. Yeah, I guess it will have to be, it needs to get done. Yup,
you have a great rest of your week. I heard next week’s going to be a real
killer.”
Drew ended the call with an evil smirk.
“Was that really necessary?” Amber asked.
“They’re screwing us over for an extra five hundred dollars, fuck ’em.”
“People are going to die, Drew. It’s not funny.”
“If they did it to us, they’ve done it to other people too. They’re ripping
off people who can barely afford it, and they know it,” Drew argued.
“So they deserve to die?”
“No, but they probably will anyway, and that makes me feel better
about getting ripped off.”
“That’s petty, dear.” Amber shook her head.
Drew chuckled. “I’m petty, big news. Also, my name is Drew, nice to
meet you.”
There were several moments of pointed silence before Amber asked,
“Was that the last of them?”
 “Yeah, all the calls are done. I got everything scheduled for this week,
but we still have a ton of shit to do.” Drew rubbed his temples and let out a
sigh.
“Why don’t you go for a drive and clear your head?” Amber suggested.
“You’ve been cooped up in the house all day, and Mark and Miranda will be
here soon. You need to be fresh and thinking straight when they get here.”
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. I guess I can make a run into town and fill
up the truck and our gas cans. We’ll be driving a lot this week, and we need
to stockpile some fuel.”
“You should take Spock with you. Let him see some nature before we
have monsters crawling all over the place,” Amber suggested.
“Yeah, I guess I can get him a candy bar at the gas station or
something.”
“He’s not a child, dear.”
“I know he’s not, but he’s never had candy before, now has he?” Drew
asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well… no?”
“Then I’ll let him pick some out so he can try them,” Drew said with a
smile.
“You’re just going to get him all hopped up on sugar.”
“Now who’s treating him like a child?” Drew asked with a light chuckle
as he stood up from his desk and went to grab the car keys off his
nightstand.
Drew found Spock sitting on the couch on the back porch and grabbed
him before hopping into the truck. A couple of minutes of explanation
followed as Drew had to help the man buckle his seat belt, but then they
were on the road heading into River’s Bend.
Spock’s head kept turning back and forth as he watched the passing
scenery, occasionally asking questions.
“Drew Wright, what is that?”
“That’s a cow, Spock,” Drew said with a light smile.
“What is its function?”
“They’re domesticated livestock, like the chickens.”
“Wow… how do you handle eggs that big?” Spock asked with wide
eyes, which caused Drew to burst out in laughter.
“They don’t lay eggs,” Drew said as his guffawing died down. “We
raise them for milk and their meat. We can also tan the hides to make
leather.”
“Is that another cow?” Spock asked, pointing to Drew’s left. Drew
turned his head and let out another chuckle.
“No, that’s a donkey. Ranchers raise them to protect their herds of
cattle,” Drew explained.
“Donkeys must be gallant warriors then.” Spock nodded to himself self-
assuredly.
“Tell ya what, bud, let’s turn on some music.” Drew tuned the station to
classic rock. He kept the music low but loud enough to prevent casual
conversation. As much as Drew was enjoying Spock’s innocent questions
regarding farm animals, he wanted to let his mind relax and unwind.
The road that led into River’s Bend was asphalt, unlike much of the dirt
and gravel county roads that were common to the area. Drew could have
made it to town in seven or eight minutes if he went at his normal speed,
but he decided to slow down and cruise, occasionally turning to take a
beaten-down dirt road. Right now, it was all about the journey, not the
destination.
They were passing an abandoned loafing shed and grain silo when Drew
noticed movement in the corner of his peripheral vision. As he turned his
head, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he noticed Spock nodding
his head to the music playing.
By the time they pulled into River’s Bend and the truck was blaring out
AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” Drew’s own head was bobbing back and forth to
the guitar strings and lyrics ringing through the speakers.
It was one of those precious few times where Drew felt completely in
the moment. He felt alive. Perhaps it was the impending doom or the joy of
seeing Spock enjoy his newfound life. Or maybe it was the song. Whatever
it was, it was good.
No matter what happens, I will remember this moment, Drew thought to
himself as he pulled into the center of town.
‘Town’ might have been a bit too grand to describe the rural settlement
of some three hundred people. River’s Bend was as small as small towns
got, but despite the many abandoned buildings on Main Street, it still held a
certain charm.
Most of the people were friendly, if not set in their ways, and for the
most part, if someone asked for help or advice, they’d get it. It was a small,
tight-knit community of people who had mostly lived in the area for their
whole lives. Some folks would move away, but some stayed and grew old
and died there, and the town rarely changed.
Which was why Drew’s eyes widened when he saw a bunch of people
standing outside one of the old, abandoned buildings on Main Street. They
had heavy-duty construction equipment and were in the process of
demolishing the structure. Even worse, Drew recognized the building in
question.
Drew turned down the radio as he slowed the truck down and pulled
over to the side of the street, throwing the gear into park and unbuckling his
belt.
“Come on, let’s go check this out,” Drew said, motioning toward the
crowd.
“There are… people,” Spock muttered before attempting to disengage
his belt buckle. Drew sighed and reached over to push the red button, and
with a click, Spock was released.
“Yes, there are. Due to your… uh, unique upbringing, it’s probably
smart if you don’t talk too much, okay?” Drew said as he opened the truck
door.
“I understand, Drew Wright,” Spock nodded. “Mrs. Wright told me I
lack common sense.” he said almost sadly.
Drew felt his heart break slightly. “Yeahhh… but don’t worry, bud.
Most people lack that.” He reached over and gave Spock a pat on the
shoulder before hopping out of the truck.
The two men walked toward the group of people busy chatting amongst
each other while one man at the front silently shook his head. Drew
recognized the man and was preparing to walk up to chat with him when he
realized he no longer had his old body. No one here would recognize him,
and small-town folks didn’t like talking to strangers.
I’ll have to play it as though I’m visiting family in the area. I’m not
really a stranger if I’m related to friends.
Drew walked up to the lead man and stood silently next to him for
several moments while watching the demo crew tear down the dreams of
the man beside him.
“You’re Robert, right?” Drew asked with his head slightly turned. The
man glanced at Drew with an eyebrow raised before raising his arm.
“I am, and you are…” Robert started to say, but Drew had already
grabbed the man’s hand.
 “Joseph Wright,” Drew said as he shook Robert’s hand. “And this is my
friend, Spock,” he added, pointing with his head toward Spock.
“Spock?” Robert asked, turning to him.
“His folks watched a lot of science fiction.” Drew shrugged.
“Wright, you said? I don’t suppose you’re related to Drew Wright?”
Robert asked.
“Yeah, he’s my cousin. We’re in town to help oversee some…
renovations while they’re away for a bit,” Drew said, turning back to the
building as a dozer crashed through a wall. Robert winced as the brick-laid
exterior wall crumbled. “They’re gone for a week but needed a few things
handled urgently, so here we are.”
“Y’all are over near the old general store?”
“Yeah, I heard it was a blacksmith at one point too. Total ghost town
now, though,” Drew said, shaking his head sadly.
“You heard right. Everyone left back in the forties, just before I was
born. My folks owned some property over there.”
“Shame.” Drew paused. “What’s happening here? My cousin said you
just bought this place.”
The sign that hung on the street-facing wall suddenly fell and hit the
sidewalk with a loud clang, causing several people to gasp and whisper
excitedly to one another.
“I’m not wanted here, that’s what’s happened,” Robert said with a sigh.
“I… Drew said you were remodeling this place and were planning to
turn it into a community center.”
“I was, yeah. The town council came around and put their foot down,
though,” Robert said with a scowl.
“The council? They’re the ones doing this?”
Robert shook his head. “First, they refused to connect it to power and
water because the pipes and wiring were ‘too old,’ so I replaced everything.
They still refused, so I brought in my own generator and water storage.
Then they posted some legal mumbo jumbo on the door telling me to
vacate…”
“Ouch,” Drew added, to which Robert nodded.
“Then, when I called their bluff, they sent in a county inspector, who
just so happened to be related to the town clerk, and he had the building
condemned,” Robert said with a bit of bite, then gestured to the ongoing
destruction. “When I got here this morning, this is what I found.”
 Drew shook his head in disgust. “How can they do that? They don’t
own the property.”
“A ‘hazard to public safety,’ according to the clerk who came out here to
gloat, and they’ve put a lien against the entire property now to the tune of
over fifty thousand dollars.” The man’s hands clenched into fists.
“Why’d they do it though? You were just trying to help the folks in this
area out, right?”
“I… I don’t know. I prayed to God every night, but it seems he has
another plan for me,” the man said dejectedly.
“It’s ’cause of religion,” a voice interjected. Drew and Robert turned to
see a slightly obese man in overalls walking up to them, spitting into the
dirt as he finished saying the last word.
“Now I don’t think that has anythin—” Robert began.
Mr. Overalls snorted, cutting Robert off. “You don’t know them folks
like I do. They’re zealots who hate anyone who isn’t part of their lil’
church. Specifically the one they control. The County Baptist Congregation.
They don’t want no one having any say in this town, any influence, if they
don’t take orders from that church.”
The man spat again. Drew didn’t recognize him, but he couldn’t say he
knew everyone in the community either as he’d only been living here a few
years.
“Uh… I don’t mean to rain on your parade, friend, but I’ve known
plenty of Baptists, and this is definitely not part of their ideology,” Drew
said, jabbing a finger over his shoulder to the bulldozer currently tearing
through the building’s interior.
“It ain’t all of ’em. Just the family that’s on the council. They run the
church. The whole lot of ’em are sick in the head, I tell ya.”
“I take it you’ve had personal experience with them?”
“They condemned my pa’s house at the edge of town when he gone ’n
raised a stink ’bout them encouragin’ folks round here to convert to their
church. Catholics, Buddhists, atheists, hell, even other Baptists. Pa said it
wasn’t right for them to use their council seats ta push that kinda thing,” the
man explained. He was middle-aged, and from the thick twang of his
accent, he’d likely lived here his whole life.
“I see. Sorry to hear about your pa,” Drew said with a reassuring smile.
“It’s alright, he got ’em back. Drove his truck right through their
church,” the man replied with a wicked smile.
 “Ah, that explains why the wall is all boarded up. I was wondering
about that,” Drew mused out loud.
Robert let out a small chuckle before catching himself and shaking his
head as if slightly disgusted with himself.
“Robert, I’ve got to get some gas for the truck before I head back. If you
need anything, just swing on by. We’d be happy to help if we can,” Drew
said, holding out his hand.
“I appreciate it, Joseph.”
Robert gave Drew a sad smile and shook his hand before Drew turned
and walked back to the truck with Spock in tow.
Who the fuck is Joseph?
Oh… right. Duh.

[Link]
 Chapter Ten

The trip to the gas station and the way back home were thankfully
uneventful, as Drew’s mood had slightly soured after talking to Robert.
Spock sat happily in the truck’s passenger seat, digging around in a white
plastic bag filled with candy bars of various shapes and sizes.
“It says Almond Joy, but I’m not enjoying it. The packaging is
misleading, Drew Wright.” Spock grimaced slightly as he forced himself to
swallow the bite he’d taken before throwing the opened candy back into the
bag, never to be looked at again.
“Yeahhh, I’m not a fan of those either. Amber swears by them, but I
could never get into them.” Drew shrugged. “Try a Milky Way or a Reese’s
Peanut Butter Cup. Those are always pretty solid.”
The crinkling of the plastic bag and candy wrappers joined the low
music on the radio to fill the silence of the truck’s cabin on the ride home.
Although it hadn’t happened to him, Robert’s situation greatly bothered
Drew. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard of the council doing shady shit, and
he’d had his own issues with them when the well pump on his property had
run dry the first year they’d moved out here.
The town had wanted to charge him over two hundred dollars to fill up a
three-hundred-gallon water reservoir to tide his family over while the pump
was fixed. The city clerk had wanted almost as much money as for bottled
water at Walmart, but the rural water on tap was disgusting and dirty. After
that, Drew had refused to deal with them anymore, and as he technically
lived outside of town, he hadn’t been bothered to go back since.
But all that was pushed to the back of Drew’s mind as he pulled into his
gravel driveway and found Mark and Miranda’s sunburnt orange Nissan
SUV parked in front of his house. Drew parked the truck and quickly took
the extra gas cans to the small storage building on the property before
heading for the backdoor with Spock in tow.
“He looks a bit different is all, so try to keep an open mind, okay?”
Drew could hear his wife talking as he opened the door to the kitchen. A
small yet mischievous smile crept across his face as he walked inside.
“Bout time y’all got here, bunch of lazy city folks,” Drew said, shaking
his head slowly.
“Hey man, screw y… Holy freaking crap,” Mark said, tugging on
Miranda’s shirt with one hand and pointing at Drew with another.
“Who’s that, honey?” Miranda asked as she eyed Drew up and down.
Drew had known Mark since the early days of middle school, but their
friendship had blossomed right after graduating from high school. He was a
short man of only 5 feet 4 inches with an olive complexion that spoke of his
mixed heritage. When most people saw him, they assumed Mark was
Hispanic, but he was actually half Indian and half Caucasian. He kept his
black hair and beard well-groomed and usually wore collared polos.
Miranda was also on the shorter side but was still technically taller than
Mark, which Drew may have used as ammunition to tease his best friend…
on occasion. She was a quiet, intelligent woman with a darker complexion,
as her family had originally immigrated from Ghana.
“That’s Henry Cavill!” Mark exclaimed in a whisper to his wife.
“Oh, did you go to school together?” Miranda asked with a kind smile.
Drew took the opportunity provided by their hushed conversation,
which he had somehow heard, to walk up right beside his best friend and
throw his arm around his shoulders in a very casual manner.
“Of course we did! Hasn’t he ever told you anything about me?” Drew
said with an easy-going smile. Internally, however, Drew was busy laughing
his ass off.
Mark turned wide-eyed toward Drew, and the utter shock on his best
friend’s face almost ruined Drew’s poker face.
 “Wha… no!” Mark gasped while struggling to talk.
“Honey, don’t be rude to your friend. He’s obviously missed you,”
Miranda scolded before turning to Drew. “I’m Miranda, Mark’s wife. It’s a
pleasure to meet you, Henry.” She held out her hand, and Drew took it
delicately and bowed before kissing it.
“The pleasure is all mine. Mark, why didn’t you tell me you have such a
ravishingly beautiful wife?”
Mark’s head kept bouncing between Drew and Miranda as he struggled
to process what was going on. Drew had managed to short-circuit his poor
friend’s brain.
“You don’t understand! He’s a celebrity! A famous actor!” Mark
exclaimed.
“Ohh, how exciting!” Miranda smiled, clapping her hands together. “I
didn’t know you were friends with someone famous!”
“I don’t know him at all! I’ve never met him!” Mark managed to dodge
out of Drew’s clutches to go and retrieve his phone, which was sitting on
the counter. After furiously poking at the mobile device for several seconds,
he held it up to his wife. “Look!”
“Huh, I guess he kind of looks similar,” Miranda smiled innocently. If
Drew hadn’t known better, he’d have thought she was somehow in on the
joke.
“But… I…” Mark began.
Drew couldn’t hold it anymore. The dam broke, and with its crumbling,
his laughter echoed through the kitchen. When he gathered himself,
Miranda was looking between Mark and him, clearly confused, and Mark
seemed utterly aghast and speechless.
Which didn’t help Drew’s guffawing one bit.

It took a solid ten minutes for things to calm down. After that, they all
retired to the living room, and it took another hour to go through the ‘end of
the world’ explanation and obligatory magic demonstration. This time,
Drew created a shimmering mana shield to prove his point, as it was safer
to cast indoors.
 Drew told the story of the impending apocalypse in a serious tone, yet
his smile never left his face. Mark would get him back for his trick, Drew
had no doubt, but it had been totally worth it.
After the big reveal, Drew’s mom came shuffling out of her TV room in
a house robe and fuzzy slippers to throw a frozen dinner in the microwave.
Given it was open plan, she had a straight view into the living room. She
took one look at him and scoffed.
“You looked better before. Now you have gray hair. I don’t even have
gray hair yet,” she said with a sigh and a shake of her head before heading
back to the kitchen.
“That’s because you dye your fucking hair, Ma,” Drew yelled,
chuckling.
His mom came out of the kitchen area with a long wooden spoon in
hand and smacked Drew upside the head with it, then nodded in satisfaction
before returning to her microwave meal.
“Oww!” Drew said, reaching up to rub the sore spot on his head.
“You deserved it. And you better go back up to that spaceship you were
in and tell those aliens that I’m not giving up my damn Hallmark movies!”
she said, gesturing with the spoon in a threatening manner.
“It was not a spaceship, Mrs. Wright,” Spock interjected.
“Do you want to get smacked as well?” the older woman asked,
brandishing the wooden implement at Spock.
“No, ma’am,” Spock said with a deferential bow of his head.
“Good man,” Mom said before returning to the kitchen island and
grabbing her now steaming hot dinner with some hot mitts.
All in all, it had been much easier to convince Mark and Miranda of the
impending apocalypse than with Amber. His wife’s reassurances that Drew
was telling the truth, and his mom’s complete disregard for the strange body
he was now in, made it a comparatively easy pill for his friends to swallow.
Until they got to the matter of their families.
Mark sat back on the couch, a grim look on his face. “Honestly? I doubt
I could convince my folks, even with magic powers. They’ll be safe in a big
city, right? There’s tons of police. Hell, there’s an army base nearby. Even
without guns, that’s got to count for something.” He seemed to be trying to
convince himself more than anyone. “My brother might believe me, but
he’s doing engineering out on one of those fishing trawlers and won’t be
home until the day before everything goes to shit.”
 He leaned further into the couch, looking a little more troubled. The
prospect of trying to get family to fly cross country based on a few words
over the phone was… a lot.
Miranda blinked back tears as the reality set in. “My extended family
are all back in Ghana; we aren’t really in touch. My parents are too old to
travel, not to mention… traditional,” she said through muffled sobs. “I’ll
call them to try to convince them to take precautions… but they’re just as
likely to think that I’m insane and call the police or a hospital.”
“Yeahhh… you may not want to do that. Family is the most important
thing, but if the government finds out this shit is real…” Drew began.
“They’ll lock us up and throw away the key,” Mark finished, and Drew
nodded.
“Then what should I do?” Miranda asked, looking between Drew and
her husband with wide eyes.
“I don’t know,” Drew said.
“Maybe… maybe tell your folks that you heard rumors about a new
virus from the doctors at your work? That they should stockpile food and
supplies and get something to defend themselves with?” Mark said
thoughtfully.
“That could work,” Amber chimed in.
There was a long silence as they each pondered the enormity of their
situation. Just before the quiet stretched to the point of being
uncomfortable, Mark spoke again, and his grin only felt half-forced.
“Anyways… about those powers?”
“What about them?” Drew asked.
“Are you going to show us the good stuff or what?”
Drew sighed, stood up, and waved his friends out to the front yard to
find a tree to kill.
“So, are you going to do a fireball or something?” Mark asked as he
looked toward the trees and then back at Drew.
“I don’t have a fireball spell. It’s either Manabolt or Corruption.”
“Manabolt?” Mark said, as if tasting the word and rolling it around his
tongue. “Is that like magic missile or something?”
“Uh… kinda, I guess?”
“Dude, that’s so lame. That’s not even a real spell. It’s barely more than
a cantrip!” Mark groaned.
 “Oh yeah? Well where are your magic powers at then? You must have
some as you’re naturally the size of a Dwarf?” Drew asked with a raised
eyebrow.
Mark scowled. “That’s cold, dude… real cold. My point is, Manabolt
doesn’t sound that powerful.”
“You see that stick pointing out of the ground over there?”
“Sure…” Mark answered cautiously.
“Earlier today, that was a small tree. On that note, watch where you
step. There are woodchips everywhere from when it blew up.”
“Alright, alright, it can blow up a small tree. How about you show us
Corruption instead then?”
“Fine, but I’ve never used it before, so I have no idea what to expect.”
“Eh, as long as it’s noticeable,” Mark said with a shrug.
Drew paused for a moment and found a bigger tree. It wasn’t huge, but
it wasn’t a sapling either. It had a diameter of about two feet, so it was one
of the younger ones on his property, but more importantly, it was a hated
mesquite.
“Alright, here goes,” Drew warned.
He felt the magic well up inside him, and just like with the Manabolt,
the tingling sensation changed to become warmth, flowing throughout his
body. But instead of going through his hand and forming a cone, Drew just
felt an internal click, like the final piece of a puzzle being slotted into place,
and the next thing he knew, the warmth had left his body in a rush.
“Well?” Mark asked.
“I think I cast it,” Drew said, scratching the back of his head in
confusion.
“You think?” Mark scoffed. “You didn’t do anything! Does the spell
have a description?”
“Yeah, it says it’s ‘non-invasive’ or something, and it’s a damage over
time spell that ramps up damage as…”
Drew stopped as he watched a piece of bark break off of the tree and
fall to the ground.
Mark began roaring with laughter. “You… made… bark fall… from the
tree!” he said between bursts of knee-slapping and snorting until his wife
gave him a solid jab to the ribs that quickly shut him up.
“What was that for?” Mark demanded, squinting at her. “That actually
hurt a bit.”
 Miranda’s eyes were wide as she pointed at the tree. Drew’s head turned
back to the target, and Mark’s followed soon after.
Bark was falling from the tree as if it had decided to shed its skin, and
the first sprigs of leaves that had grown as springtime was almost around
the corner, all browned and wilted before dropping to the ground.
Then a strange sound came from the tree that sounded like the
squeaking of the rusted hinges of a door in desperate need of WD-40. Just
as Drew opened his mouth to say something, a large piece of wood
splintered and fell from the tree, leaving a gaping hole.
From that hole, a white milky substance bubbled out with the
consistency of tar or molasses. The bubble grew and grew, as if a small
child was hidden somewhere behind it and blowing into it like a soap
bubble. Once the bubble reached the size of a football, there was a light
pop, and it burst open, spraying a foul-looking green and white material all
over the ground.
“It’s like draining a cyst or a pimple,” Miranda gasped.
“It’s disgusting,” Mark whispered, equally amazed.
A light breeze picked up and blew their way, and the air brought with it
a putrid aroma that made Drew feel nauseated.
“Oh God, what is that?” Mark said as he gagged.
“I think it’s sick. Really sick,” Miranda answered in a low tone.
Another hole cracked open. And then another. Followed by even more.
Each time it happened, another white bubble appeared. They were like…
pustules or something.
The three of them backed up further as more of the foul liquid spilled
out of the tree, and they watched in silence as tree limbs cracked and fell
away. Eventually, the final piece holding the tree together splintered, and a
sloshing mass of white goop fell to the ground with the last of the bark.
Not even the stump was spared, as it quickly grew brown and rotted
away. Thankfully, the breeze had changed direction, or the three of them
would have been vomiting from the smell.
“Ta-daaa,” Drew said half-heartedly, whirling his hands around.
“Well, that’s a sight I’ll be having nightmares about for weeks,” Mark
grimaced.
“I wanted to use Manabolt, but nooo, that was too lame for you.”
“Me and my big mouth,” Mark muttered with a shiver.
 “And I thought working overnight in the ER was bad,” Miranda said
with a sour look.
“Yeah, well, I was under a time crunch to choose my spells, and it was
the best I could do. You guys can choose whatever you want with your
tokens,” Drew shrugged.
“You’re giving us the tokens?” Mark asked.
“Duh. You two are my closest friends.” Drew gave his friend a smile,
then a smirk. “Besides, how else are we going to level up tonight?”
“Level up?” Miranda asked.
“Tonight?” Mark added.
“Yup,” Drew nodded. “Monsters arrive in six days. Welcome to the
apocalypse.”

[Link]
 Chapter Eleven

“I’m not going,” Drew’s mom protested.

“You’re going to go, and you’re going to get a class and level it up,
even if I have to drag you there myself,” Drew said, hands on hips in a very
weird bit of role reversal. He’d even used his best ‘mom voice.’
“I’ll go tomorrow. I want to relax tonight,” his mom huffed.
“Ma, this is important. The world is set to go to shit in six days. If you
don’t get leveled up, you’ll be in even more danger,” Drew said softly. He
needed his mom to understand.
His mother drew herself up and looked him straight in the eyes. “Drew
Wright. I said I’ll go. Just not tonight,” she declared with finality.
Drew sighed. “Fine. But I don’t care what your excuse is tomorrow. I
don’t care what show is on or how good the movie is. You. Will. Be. Going.
Understood?”
His mom simply flipped him the bird, marched into her room, and
slammed the door. Cheesy theme music could be heard moments later.
Drew sighed again, deeply. If Spock had childlike innocence and curiosity,
his mom had the stubbornness of an irate toddler.
It wasn’t entirely her fault, despite how eccentric she was. A lot of her
combativeness came from the symptoms she was likely experiencing with
the early onset dementia. That would all be cleared up once she used her
token, but it looked like that wouldn’t be tonight.
As it turned out, Drew’s tokens had been placed within his spatial
inventory when he left the tutorial, and Spock had to walk him through how
to retrieve them. The skill acted as a small portal that adjusted its size
depending on what Drew wanted to store or pull out. It also had the handy
function of allowing him to equip stored gear automatically.
He was limited to one gear set at a time, and it wasn’t like he actually
had any equipment yet, but it was still good to know that he could use that
down the road. He’d been worried that he’d end up needing to sleep in
battle-ready clothes with guns and melee weapons near his bed or
something.
The storage skill was another marvel of an utterly absurd day, but Drew
was already learning to take such things in his stride – perhaps due to the
influence of The System or the mental fortitude of his new race.
Not bad for a guy who used to struggle with unexpected visitors or large
crowds. Dhampir for the win.
Once he had the tokens, he handed them out to everyone… except his
mom. He’d hold onto that one for the time being so she didn’t ‘misplace’ it.
Spock was busy explaining a few things to Mark and Miranda about
what to expect when they entered the tutorial and what races and classes
they’d be able to choose from. He’d already told Amber the same
information when Drew had been out doing magic with his friends.
All of which brought him to his current situation. His current very
strange situation.
“Are you really sure you want to do this?” Drew asked for what felt like
the tenth time.
“Yup,” Amber said bluntly.
“I think it’s a waste of a good token. You told me earlier you were
planning to call your sister and try to convince her to come down. Wouldn’t
it make more sense to give it to her?”
Amber shrugged. “I don’t know if she’ll make it in time or if I can even
convince her to come. Besides, I’d feel bad if I didn’t at least try.”
Drew rubbed the back of his head, staring down at the German
Shepherd by Amber’s feet. A German Shepherd that was currently very
preoccupied with licking her own ass.
“Will it even work?” Drew asked as he looked back at his wife.
 “Spock thinks it will.”
“Wasting a damn token on a dog…” Drew shook his head in disbelief.
“She’s part of this family too, Drew.” His wife glared daggers at him.
Drew’s husband-spidey-sense began to tingle. He held up his hands in
defense. “I know she is, and I love her, despite how… special she can be. I
just don’t know if she’s sapient. That’s the requirement, after all, and if you
try to use it on her and it doesn’t work, then we’re out a token.”
“Drew, I love you. So, so much. But I will not risk our family member
turning into a bloodthirsty beast because of mana in the air or whatever.
Even if it’s a small risk, I won’t take it. She’s a good girl, and I cannot bear
the thought of losing her.”
As Amber said the last part, she looked at Drew with sad big blue eyes.
Her special weapon.
“Fine, fine. Take the damn token for the dumb dog,” Drew relented,
handing the extra token to Amber as he turned to look at Freya. She’d
stopped licking her ass and was gazing up at Drew and Amber, and for the
briefest of moments, Drew thought he saw a flicker of intelligence and
understanding in her brown eyes.
Then she farted, looked at her own ass in surprise, and looked up at
Drew accusingly as if he’d caused it.
Ugh… I really hope this turns out okay…
With hugs for his friends and a kiss for his wife, Drew said his
goodbyes and wished them all luck. Each of his loved ones stared at the
token in their hand before squinting slightly, and with a series of pops, he
was left alone in the house with Spock. His mom was back in her TV room
and thus didn’t exist to the outside world.
Drew didn’t waste any time sitting around and waiting for them to get
back; he needed to prepare everything for the hunt. Dusk was fast
approaching, and that was usually the time when both hogs and deer were
out in full force.
Something most people who lived in the city failed to understand was
how dangerous wild hogs were. They normally moved in herds of anywhere
between eight and thirty-five individual animals. The piglets weighed in at
around eighty pounds, and the adults could grow to be over six hundred
pounds. They weren’t small animals, and they could turn aggressive very
quickly.
 Mark and Miranda weren’t exactly pros when it came to firearms, but
they’d been out shooting with Drew several times and no longer did stupid
shit like pointing the barrel at places that it shouldn’t be pointed toward.
Amber was a good shot and had been around guns for a long time, so Drew
had no worries there. Spock, as it turned out, was extremely uncomfortable
around guns after reading a little too much about them online and was going
to go with a bow instead.
The ex-tutorial guide had chosen to go with Medium Warrior as his
class, which had shocked Drew a fair bit, as he’d assumed the man would
have chosen a ranged option. In fact, Spock had made the choice because
Drew had chosen Caster and he wanted to be useful in a party format.
It warmed Drew’s heart to know that Spock had chosen the class just so
he could feel helpful, but he’d told Spock that he should change classes to
something he was more comfortable with when he had the chance.
Spock hadn’t received a normal token as, being system-generated, his
worked slightly differently. He didn’t explain the specifics, but he’d started
with a standard race and basic equipment rather than the usual boons.
Somewhere deep within the man’s spatial inventory, he had a sword, a
spear, and some chainmail armor.
Pop!
Drew poked his head around the corner and found that Mark was back.
Of course, the man standing before him didn’t look like Mark, but given the
other token holders were two girls and a dog, Drew was fairly certain this
was his friend.
“Pedro Pascal, huh?” Drew asked as he walked back into the living
room.
“Yeah, but a bit younger, and I was still trying to look a little like my
old self. He has an exotic look that I thought I could pull off,” Mark said
with a smile.
“An Elf?” Drew asked, seeing the slightly pointed ears.
“Half Dark Elf, actually,” Mark replied as Drew circled around him.
“Not too shabby, man. And hey, at least you’re finally taller now,” Drew
said as he stopped in front of his friend. “But I thought Dark Elves had
paler skin?”
“They do. I had to tweak it to the maximum setting to get this much
color,” Mark said. “Where’s everyone else?”
 “I’m not sure where Spock went, but you’re the first one back so far,”
Drew answered. “What class did you go with? Caster?”
Drew didn’t know what anyone would pick – not exactly, anyway. They
had discussed some basic requirements and party dynamics but ultimately
left the final choices up to each individual. They would have to live with
them for the rest of their lives, after all.
“Nah.” Mark shook his head. “Magic is cool and all, but mages are
always too squishy, and this is real life. I’d like to live long enough to
level.”
Drew laughed. “Fair, but that’s why you get free points. I’m going to
boost my physical stats first for that very reason, but come on, don’t leave
me hanging. Did you roll with a paladin-style class or something?”
“I went with Light Warrior,” Mark replied almost proudly.
“Light Warrior? Does that mean light as in diet, or light as in holy spells
or something?”
“It is neither, Drew Wright,” Spock chimed in, emerging from the
hallway leading to his mom’s TV room. “Also, bodily functions are
decidedly disgusting.” He gave a slight frown, which caused both Drew and
Mark to chuckle.
“Basically, it’s a rogue build,” Mark answered. “Heavy Warriors were
super tanky and came with defensive skills as standard. Medium Warriors
had a kinda jack-of-all-trades skill set, but they weren’t very focused. I
didn’t want to get hit in the first place, so I leaned into the quick, dodgy
skill set.”
“Interesting. So, you’re shooting for Assassin’s Creed style then?” Drew
asked.
“That’s the goal currently, yeah. I want to be fast enough to get out of
bad situations and take advantage of the enemy’s mistakes.”
“Huh… makes sense, I suppose. Still seems just as squishy as a mage
though.”
“Less squishy than a mage, but more than a tank. Besides, I spent all my
boons on equipment,” Mark said with a big smile.
“No shit? You didn’t pick up a single skill or spell?” Drew asked,
clearly shocked.
“I was planning to, but when I asked Spock about the equipment options
earlier, he said if I used all three boons on equipment, I’d get magical gear
and weapons. My System Guide showed me a bunch of options. She
seemed impressed I knew to ask about it, actually. The armor has stats on it,
so even if I’m a low level, I have the stats of someone higher-leveled now.”
“Whoa, magical gear? Nice, dude!”
Spock seemed to grow slightly uncomfortable at the mention of another
System Guide but quickly firmed his resolve and decided to speak up.
“Indeed, the magical gear will be extremely durable and provide a
sizable bonus to his attribute points. Going that route lacks the flexibility
that choosing skills would allow, but it typically offers a higher survival rate
during the initial stages of System Integration,” Spock explained in his
‘educator’ voice.
Pop!
Mark’s head snapped to the side as he heard the sound.
“Hunny?” Mark asked.
“Mark?” probably-Miranda responded.
Looking around, Drew saw Miranda had chosen to go fully with the
Dark Elf race, but she’d darkened her skin from the typical ashen gray
Drew had seen on Dark Elves in the tutorial to something closer to
unpolished iron. Instead of her previous black hair, she had long, straight
white hair, and her eyes had a slight purple glow. Her ears were noticeably
pointed and about twice as long as a normal human’s.
Oh yeah, she definitely won’t be going out anytime soon. There’s no way
in hell she could pass as a human being anymore. If she went to a comic
convention, she’d win first prize by default. No questions asked.
“They didn’t have black hair, and I’d already chosen the race… I
couldn’t go back either, so it was either white or a kind of violet-purple,”
Miranda said with a sad smile. The woman looked close to the edge of
tears. Apparently, she was really upset about her hair color.
“It’s okay, hunny. I’ll go buy you some dye or something,” Mark said as
he patted his wife’s back.
“Hey Miranda, you look great!” Drew decided to try and cheer his
friend up. “What class did you go with?”
Maybe if I distract her, it’ll help ease the shock.
“Thank you… I went with the healer,” she said.
“Ahh, good call,” Drew said with what he hoped was a disarming smile.
“I figured you might go that route with your medical experience. I bet
you’re better than most doctors or surgeons now.”
 His statement made Miranda pause and blink before her eyes widened
in shock.
“I… I can heal people now,” she whispered, perhaps only now noticing
the influx of knowledge provided by her class and skill choices. Spock had
mentioned this could happen with certain options.
“Yup! And you’ll be a badass healer who’ll keep us all alive.” Drew
held up his hand for a high-five and received a tentative hand-slap from
Miranda in return.
Drew learned that she’d spent all three of her boons on gaining more
skills and spells, which was why she’d taken so much longer to get back
than her husband.
Miranda had chosen an offensive, single-target spell to help deal
damage. She’d also chosen a healing passive skill that allowed her healing
spell to regrow limbs, cure poison, and remove magical effects like curses.
For her last boon, she upgraded her inferior-grade healing spell to
uncommon. According to Spock, it was an extremely powerful upgrade that
would let her heal major wounds fairly quickly but would be very draining
on her mana.
Pop!
Pop!
Amber was back, accompanied by Freya, but unfortunately, it didn’t
look like things had worked out with the German Shepherd as she still
looked the same. Not that Drew had thought the dog would change her race
or anything, but if it had worked, he thought she’d look at least somewhat
different.
“Whoa…” Drew said as his mouth dropped open.
“You like?” Amber asked as she sauntered toward him.
“Oh… oh yes,” Drew managed to spit out.
His wife had always been beautiful, but now she looked downright
otherworldly. She’d picked an Elf of some kind, though she appeared more
human than Miranda. But though the similarities between her and other
humans were still there, there was no way she would still be mistaken for
one – now she looked almost divine.
She was lithe, with a slightly more sizable bust than before, a modest
waist, and beautiful skin that somehow skirted the line between pale and
tan. Her hair was an even more vibrant strawberry blonde than previously,
and it was styled in such a way that made it look like she’d gone to a
professional stylist. It was wavy, with a light spring to it, yet it somehow
stayed neatly in place as she walked.
Her eyes had a light-yellow glow to them, and her face had been shaped
to perfection while retaining many of the contours and features Drew had
loved since meeting her.
“BOOF!” Freya barked, which snapped Drew back to the present.
“I take it things didn’t go well with Freya?” Drew asked, eyeing the
dog.
“Oh, Freya did just fine. Can’t you tell?” Amber asked with a smile, and
Drew sharpened his gaze. He focused on Freya, but as hard as he tried, he
didn’t notice anything different.
“You’re fucking with me, right? She looks exactly the same.”
“In her own words, ‘I am perfect already,’” Amber said, chuckling.
“Her own words? All she did was bark,” Drew replied, looking from the
dog to his wife and then back.
“Long story short, we both spent a boon to communicate with each
other telepathically. After that, I had to practically beg her to use a boon to
increase her intelligence level. The System recognized her as sapient, but I
really wanted her to be a bit smarter,” Amber explained.
“BOOF!”
“Yes, yes, you were already plenty smart,” Amber said to Freya before
turning back to Drew. “Anyways, everything worked out. The System
considers her to be a sapient beast of some kind, but they don’t receive
classes. She’ll evolve eventually, but for the moment, she’s just a really
tough cookie.”
“A tough cookie?”
“Her last boon was used to toughen up her natural form,” Amber replied
with a smile. “I know she doesn’t look different, but her hide is as tough as
heavy leather armor now, and her teeth can easily tear through skin and
muscle.”
“And you can talk to her with your mind… What’s she saying?” Drew
asked as he looked back at the dog with disbelief.
“Hungry. Food now,” Amber chuckled.
Drew sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course. Why did I
expect anything different?”
“On my side of things, I went with the Archer class and spent my
remaining boons on this race, which is called a Sun Elf – apparently they’re
pretty rare and powerful – and some skills.”
“What skills did you get?”
“Three passives: tracking, stealth, and eagle-eyed. Spock helped me
there.”
“What does the last one do?”
“It’s a passive perception boost that allows me to see really far away. I
can also see details more easily, and things I’m on the lookout for seem to
pop in my vision.”
“That sounds useful. We’ll definitely need a scout or lookout.”
“Yeah,” Amber nodded. “So, when are we going to level up?”
Taking a look through the living room window, Drew saw the sun had
set and the light was quickly fading.
“I guess right now.”

[Link]
 Chapter Twelve

Drew enjoyed the rural life. Being far from the crowds and hustle and
bustle of the big cities. His house was half a mile away from the closest
neighbor, separated by dense forest, open grassy plains, and dry, cracked
earth. It was not uncommon for him to look out of his window and see a
passing herd of deer. It was a perfect spot for someone who preferred peace
over convenience – and they had some decent farmland too.
Drew kept a few chickens and such but made most of his income from
doing odd jobs and general labor for the nearby farms during their busy
seasons. It brought in enough cash to get by and left him with quite a bit of
free time in the off-season. One of the ways he used that free time was
hunting.
There were a number of spots, not too far away, where the forest got
particularly wild and the local critters tended to congregate. Thick brush
and trees were everywhere, so he led everyone down one of the paths he
normally used during hunting season.
They had barely made it twenty minutes into the wooded area, moving
carefully to avoid brush and dry leaves so as to avoid unnecessary sounds,
when Drew felt a light tug on the sleeve of his t-shirt. He turned and found
Mark making gestures that seemed to indicate he’d heard something. With
his class and gear enhancing his stats, Mark had the best hearing in the
group.
“Which direction?” Drew whispered.
Mark pointed behind Drew’s shoulder and off to the left.
Drew nodded and motioned for everyone to remain silent and watch
where they stepped. Then the group moved forward again. Every so often,
one of them would step on a dry leaf and Drew would flinch slightly, but
overall, it wasn’t going too poorly.
Having the best eyesight, Amber took over leading the group. From her
constant looks at the ground and trees around her, Drew assumed she was
also practicing her tracking skill. Eventually, she froze and knelt before
making an emphatic chopping motion in the direction she was facing.
A young buck was nestled lazily in the tall grass, turning its head
occasionally to graze. Drew took in the area before slowly shaking his head.
There was tall grass everywhere, and there was no path the group could
take to get closer to the deer. Fifty yards with a compound bow was doable,
but only with practice, which ruled out the testing opportunity he’d planned
for Spock.
Though Amber could make the shot with her hunting rifle fairly easily
and Drew could definitely hit it with his AR-15, the real question was
whether Mark or Miranda could hit it with their guns. Drew doubted it.
They hadn’t had enough practice, and while hitting a deer-sized target at
fifty yards wasn’t difficult, killing it ethically with the least amount of
suffering would likely be too challenging for his friends.
Drew crept a bit closer to his wife and made a ‘you or me?’ gesture. She
shrugged and pointed to Drew.
Alright, guess I’m taking the shot.
Slowly and quietly, Drew shouldered the firearm and aimed down the
sight. He kept steady hands as he breathed in and out, and when he felt
ready, he slowly squeezed the trigger.
BANG!
The round impacted the deer a half inch to the left of where he’d been
aiming.
The deer dropped without a sound. Drew unshouldered his rifle before
flipping the safety back on and began walking toward the prone animal to
check that it had passed. He hated mercy killings, but it was better than
letting a mortally wounded animal suffer. Thankfully, by the time he made
it over to the buck, it was completely still.
Drew knew it had died when the tiny notification icon in the corner of
his vision began to flash. With a final look at the animal, Drew nodded in
thanks before heading back to rejoin the group.
The group was no longer on Drew’s property, but they were close
enough that he didn’t need to worry about hauling ass after making the shot.
Under normal circumstances, he’d collect the body of the deer to bring it to
a processor – he never wasted a kill – but he had other plans for this one.
“It’s done,” Drew said when he got back to the others.
“Did you get a level?” Amber asked as the others crowded nearby. Poor
Miranda looked to be on the verge of tears. Mark was busy rubbing his
wife’s back, and Spock looked visibly shaken.
“Possibly? The notification icon is blinking, but I haven’t pulled it up
yet.”
“Well, pull it up!” Amber urged.
Drew squared his shoulders and pulled up the notifications.

Class: [Caster] has reached level 1

Attribute points allocated: You have 2 free points available
Title Earned: [Forebearer of The Descent]

[Forebearer of The Descent]

Earn experience and gain a level prior to The System’s descent on a
pre-integrated world. Grants +2 to all stats.

“Jackpot! I got a level and a title,” Drew said, turning to face the group
with a smile on his face.
“What’s a title do?” Mark asked.
“They give extra stats. Previously, I got one for being a progenitor. This
one was for getting a level before The System shows up.”
“Ahh, that’s so cool! I hope I get one soon.”
“You will, man. We’ll get everyone leveled up, but that was a decent
range, and I didn’t know if you or Miranda could handle the shot.”
“I could have hit it.”
 “Maybe, but could you guarantee you’d hit it where the lungs meet the
heart?” Drew asked with an eyebrow raised.
“Well, no. I guess not.”
“Yeah, that’s the thing. You don’t want the creatures you hunt to suffer.”
“Drew Wright, that was far louder than I expected. It was most
unpleasant,” Spock said, squinting into the darkness and trying to see Drew,
who was standing directly in front of him.
“Sorry man, but we’ve got to get some levels while our guns still work,”
Drew explained. He glanced up at the pitch-black cloud-covered sky and
shook his head. “I was hoping to get a chance for you to test your bow skills
too, but it doesn’t look like there’s going to be much moonlight tonight.”
“I understand. May I ask to accompany you during the hours of
daylight?”
“Sure, man. We can hunt at dawn as well.”
“So, what’s the game plan now?” Mark asked after a moment of silence.
Drew paused to think for a moment. The deer was dead, and they’d
made a bunch of noise that would have scared off all the other critters
nearby, so they’d have to move to a different area. He also needed to
address his status page, but allocating stats on the fly wasn’t something he
wanted to do unless he had to. He’d wait until they got home for the night
and he could focus.
Drew turned to look back toward the clearing. There was one last thing
he needed to do on this excursion, but he wasn’t looking forward to it.
“I guess I’ll try out my spell before we move to a different area,” Drew
said to Mark.
“Which spell?” Mark asked.
“Raise Dead,” Drew answered in his best spooky voice.
Mark flinched slightly. “First that rotting spell and now a raise dead
spell? You’re not going all dark wizard on us, are ya?”
Drew chuckled. “No, you idiot, I needed a summon spell of some kind.
We’re out in the middle of nowhere, and we’ll need all the help we can get
fighting off monsters and beasts. Undead can potentially help with the
manual labor and stuff too. Besides, the other options all sucked.”
“Yeah, but… they’re dead. That’s super creepy, man,” Mark said,
accepting the reasoning but continuing to grumble.
“What about the smell?” Miranda piped up to ask.
Drew turned to his friend’s wife. “The what?”
 “The smell. Dead bodies start to smell. Really fast. When it happens at
the hospital, we have to take them to the morgue pretty quickly. Before I
worked there, the RN on duty let a body sit there for a whole day during the
pandemic. Some of the stories the other RNs have told me are… not
pleasant.”
“Oh… eww. Yeah, that’s going to be super gross.” Drew grimaced at the
thought of rotting bodies everywhere. The smell alone would actually
attract beasts, and most likely monsters as well. That was going to be a
serious problem. One he’d not had time to consider during the tutorial.
“If I may, Drew Wright?” Spock said, interrupting Drew’s thoughts and
bringing him back to the present.
“Sure, what’s up?” Drew asked.
“If you use Corruption on a corpse, it will strip a body of its muscle,
organs, and fat.”
“If I did that, all that would be left is bones, though. Will that even
work?”
Spock nodded, happy to be back in his element. “Yes. Skeletons are
often used as minions for the living. Although they are less durable than
zombies, they are easier to maintain and repair. Additionally, they are much
faster and more agile.”
“Huh… Yeah, skeletons would be fine with me then,” Drew said with a
shrug. “Plus, I’ve seen way too many movies to tempt fate by introducing
zombies to the world.”
Drew said the last part with a laugh, but even as he joked, he knew he’d
use whatever he had to if the need arose. Something about his new race
made everything seem a little less intimidating and panic-inducing than it
should have, but Drew hadn’t forgotten they’d soon be facing monsters and
the end of the fucking world. He’d use every tool at his disposal, no matter
how distasteful, if it meant the difference between death and survival.
With the conversation settled, Drew made his way back to the corpse of
the deer and took a deep breath before focusing his will on activating
[Corruption]. He stayed a good distance away and watched in absolute
disgust as the body of the deer rotted and seemed to melt off its own bones
like a slowly smoked rack of ribs.
Several minutes later, the putrid mess had dissolved slowly into the
ground, and Drew felt it was safe enough for his nose to approach. When he
was five feet away, he noticed a pile of bones and a pair of small antlers
where the deer once lay.
After taking a moment to firm his resolve, he activated [Raise Dead].

[Link]
 Chapter Thirteen

Drew felt the warm flush of mana course through his body as he activated
[Raise Dead], but after just a brief moment, the warmth evaporated
completely, leaving his body almost shivering with some kind of internal
chill.
Purple ethereal light poured out from him, and wispy tendrils of energy
seemed to reach out and lovingly caress the bones on the ground. Drew was
beginning to freak out slightly as it felt like something vital was being
drained from him. It left his skin slick with sweat as a thudding headache
began to form right behind his eyes.
As the tendrils of violet energy fully wrapped around the set of bones,
something seemed to click inside Drew’s head, and the internal chill he’d
been feeling melted away. Unfortunately, the headache remained, pounding
like a drum deep inside his brain. Drew didn’t have time to consider
whether he’d made a mistake as the purple light finally detached itself from
his body and shot toward the pieces of calcium littering the ground.
The purple glow seemed to flicker slightly, and before Drew truly had
time to process the change, an azure flame sparked into life before him,
hovering right above the body. In less than a second, a pillar of blue pulsing
fire shot fifteen feet into the sky, lighting up the clearing.
 Drew was blinded by the light and instinctively turned his head and
closed his eyes. When the light faded from beyond his eyelids, he risked a
peek and was shocked to find the bones of the deer dancing as they
realigned themselves into a resemblance of the former animal.
The spine held firm in midair as ribs and leg bones rushed to their
correct positions, and Drew’s mouth hung open as the skull rose from the
ground and installed itself atop the neck like some kind of morbid
Christmas tree topper.
The azure flames faded, and Drew thought the spell must have been
about to end when the antlers shot up into the air and reattached themselves
to the head. The fires blazed one last time before they were sucked into the
animal’s eye sockets.
Then there was silence. Absolute, deafening silence. Not even the whine
of bugs or the whisper of wind was present. Drew felt a feeling of dread
deep in the pit of his stomach as if something terrible was about to happen.
That was when the skeleton’s head turned to look directly at Drew. Tiny
blue flames had sparked into existence within those sockets, and Drew felt a
tiny flicker of something attach itself to the back of his mind. A connection.
A mental thread that he somehow knew came from the undead creature in
front of him.
No emotions came across the connection. No curiosity, fear, or even
anger. It just felt… empty. Like it was waiting for instructions.
Some part of Drew felt a deep, primal fear of the creature, even though
his logical mind was telling him that the monster was his to control.
Cautiously, ever so cautiously, Drew inched his feet and slowly began to
walk back toward the group. They were staring at his creation in various
states of stunned silence.
He was ready to grab the gun off his shoulder at a moment’s notice, but
after a few moments, his fear subsided, and he felt incredibly stupid for
being afraid of his own minion.
Knowing it was his – and under his command – was entirely separate
from the fear that had spiked through his being the first time he’d laid eyes
upon it. The two parts of Drew battled against each other, but the logical
side finally won out.
“Follow me.”
After Drew sent the thought across the thread, he almost winced when
he felt the connection vibrate slightly before the creature sent him a
wordless reply that seemed to imply that it had understood.
Without hesitation, the skeleton with fiery eyes began walking directly
toward Drew.
Well, it’s way creepier in reality than it sounded in the description, and
it’s going to take some serious getting used to… but it could have gone
worse, I suppose.
Turning his eyes to the group once again, he saw that Mark and Miranda
looked far more panicked than Drew himself had been, and they were
already stumbling backward, away from the slowly plodding undead animal
that trailed in Drew’s wake.
“It is under Drew Wright’s command; it will not harm you unless he
orders it to do so,” Spock said to them. His friends paused in their attempt
to flee.
“I think he’s right. It’s just creepy as fuck,” Drew said as he made it
back to the group.
Mark took a step forward, and Miranda darted behind his back, peeking
over his shoulder. She seemed scared, but also curious.
“That thing is straight-up nightmare fuel, man,” Mark said with wide
eyes.
“Yeah, it scared the piss out of me when I summoned it, no joke,” Drew
said grimly. “But I’m pretty sure it won’t do anything unless I give it an
order.”
“Pretty sure?” Mark asked cautiously.
“It’s hard to explain, but there’s this mental connection between us. It
doesn’t speak in words or images, but it seems to be relaying that it’s
available for orders.”
“It’s pretty spooky, dear.” Amber walked up and hugged Drew, then
chuckled. “If we put a couple of those in our front yard, we could open a
haunted house for Halloween.”
“BOOF!” Freya barked. Drew looked at the dog and then back at Amber
with a raised eyebrow.
“She said it smells weird, and she doesn’t like it,” Amber said,
explaining the German Shepherd’s thoughts. “Also, she feels like it’s a
waste of good bones.”
Drew decided to have his new minion follow them back to his property
boundary at a distance so as not to unsettle his companions further. Once
they were near his house again, Drew gave the minion a command to stay
put and hide itself. The walking set of bones wandered off and eventually
found somewhere to lay low.
Due to his night blindness and the lack of light, Spock decided to stay
home and surf the internet to learn more about his new home, while Mark
and Miranda, along with Amber and Freya, squeezed into the pickup truck
with Drew and drove along the county roads to a new hunting spot.
The leveling mission resumed.
They eventually found a small herd of deer that didn’t notice them.
Most of Mark and Miranda’s shots missed, but Mark eventually scored a
kill and, with it, a level-up. Drew was pretty sure Miranda wasn’t actually
trying to kill the deer, as her shots kept missing by too large a margin. Drew
ended up telling her she could sit this one out.
Amber managed to bag a kill as well, although she hadn’t required the
use of her gun. After disappearing for a couple of minutes, she came back
with a big smile on her face. She had put her tracking and stealth skills to
the test, and when she found a sleeping boar in a grouping of trees, she’d
put an arrow right through the hog’s eye.
Freya was the last one to secure a level-up. Sniffing out a cluster of deer
drinking from a nearby creek, Freya stalked up to them, army crawling
most of the way before leaping from behind one of the smaller ones and
tearing out its throat. It was a savage scene, and it sent the rest of the herd
panicking and running for the hills.
When the night wore on into the wee hours of the morning, they
decided to call it a night. Drew loaded everyone back into the truck,
including three new minions: two undead deer and one boney hog.
Drew struggled to keep his eyes open on the ride back. Despite the large
gaps between castings, the magic had taken more of a toll than he’d
expected. It was as if he’d been hit by a truck and then thrown into a
blender. Somehow, everything ached, and his head was pounding.
Once they made it home, Drew sent the new minions off to hide with
the first, then made his way inside to take a quick shower before heading to
bed. He let Amber handle the sleeping arrangements for the rest of the
group, and without any further fanfare, he fell asleep.
Drew awoke suddenly and sprang bolt upright in his bed, jostling Amber
from her own rest. His heart was pounding, and his face was slick with
sweat. His eyes shot back and forth looking for a threat – but none emerged.
As the feeling of unease began to fade, Amber reached over and rubbed his
back.
“You okay, dear? Did you have a nightmare?” Amber asked in a soft
voice.
Drew steadied his breathing and forced himself to take slow, deep
breaths before replying.
“No… I don’t think so.” He paused. “I just… randomly woke up, and
my head is pounding something fierce.”
“Go take a Tylenol,” Amber said, giving Drew a gentle push to help him
get out of bed.
Drew walked slowly toward the bathroom and flipped on the light
before opening the cabinet drawers to look for his relief. When he heard a
door crack open next to him, he looked up and into the mirror, expecting to
see his wife coming out of their bedroom, but instead found Spock staring
at him.
“Spock?” Drew muttered in surprise. “What are you doing in here?”
“I was sleeping in that room, but your movement has woken me up,”
Spock said as he pointed to the ‘room’ in question.
“Spock, that’s our ensuite master closet…” Drew said slowly.
“I am aware, as that is what Mrs. Wright told me it was.”
Drew looked away, the pounding inside his skull bringing him back to
his present issue, and continued looking for some painkillers.
“What are you doing, Drew Wright?”
“I’m looking for headache medication. My damn skull feels like
someone left open a screen door during a fucking tornado.”
“You overdrew your mana,” Spock stated as if idly mentioning the sky
was blue or the grass green.
Drew finally found what he was looking for and popped two pills into
his hands before downing them with a glass of water from the sink.
“Say what now?”
 “Your mana was overdrawn; you’re likely suffering from the side
effects of using too much mana in too short a period,” Spock explained.
“If I didn’t have enough MP, how did I cast the spells?”
“You had enough MP, Drew Wright, but you likely neared the threshold
of running out, and now your body is recuperating.”
“Got it. Don’t run out of mana again.” Drew began to head back to bed
before pausing and turning around again. “Spock, why are you sleeping in
our closet instead of the couch in our living room?”
“I did not wish to be alone,” Spock said in a low voice.
“You’re not alone, man. You’ve got a whole house full of people, plus
Freya is around to keep you company.”
“I feel safer in there.”
Drew sighed slightly. “Alright, buddy, try and get some sleep. I’m sorry
for waking you up,” he said gently before turning off the light and heading
back to bed.

[Link]
 Chapter Fourteen

The morning started with a large family-style meal that Amber cooked for
everyone in the household. After that relaxing start to the morning, things
quickly transitioned into planning and discussing the day’s tasks. Drew was
well aware that the apocalypse was a mere five days and some odd hours
away. Previously, the fear would have left him unable to function, but right
now, he just felt a strong pressure to get things done.
Their meeting went on for a while, and eventually the dishes were
cleared and Drew went to find some clothes Spock could use. Buying
clothes for Spock was another thing he’d need to do at some point, and he’d
already slept too late to go hunting with the man that morning.
Damn mana hangover.
There was so much to do, and it felt like there wasn’t enough time. A
week to prepare just wasn’t enough. If Drew forgot something, or it didn’t
get done, it could have serious implications for their survival.
Damn apocalypse.
He needed more help. He needed more labor. He needed a lot of things,
and he had none of them. Drew had been under pressure before, but not like
this. This was different. If he made one mistake, if he didn’t make the right
choice at the right time, it could cost the lives of his friends, and his family.
Even his newly armored psyche was struggling not to panic.
Drew pushed the feelings aside. He needed to be productive. Everyone
had their tasks.
He started his day by making arrangements for the new buildings he had
in mind for the property at a local portable buildings lot. The salesman was
initially worried that Drew wouldn’t have the money to pay the upfront
deposit required, but once the transfer went through, he was all smiles. The
salesman even arranged for expedited construction and delivery. For an
added fee, of course.
The next stop was the outdoor store, and the drive was rather peaceful.
Once again, Drew found Spock nodding along to the music as they drove
along. It took about an hour before the two of them reached Wichita Falls,
Texas, and they bounced around between a big box store and a small,
locally owned firearms store.
In all, Drew purchased ten compound bows, a ridiculous sum of arrows
and arrowheads, quivers, and various outdoor equipment. The gun store
also had fifty-pound buckets of freeze-dried food, and Drew happily bought
their entire stock.
There were a lot of items on Drew’s list that he was able to cross off at
those two stores alone. Tents, sleeping bags, thermal clothing, regular
clothing, outdoor cookware, pretty much anything he could imagine they’d
need, he purchased.
They also picked up a large selection of survival knives, axes, and even
a couple of spears. Although the spears were of questionable quality, they’d
at least survive being used once or twice. Several grills were also
purchased, along with both propane and charcoal.
Drew’s truck was packed fuller than a sardine can after he’d finished
their shopping spree, and he had to pause at the checkout line to call his
credit card company to let them know about several large purchases coming
up. After getting some lunch with Spock, they headed back home to drop
off the goodies.
This was just the first of many trips that he’d need to make, but they
increased their efficiency by storing several items in their spatial storage,
making sure to store items only once they were hidden from view. The
inventory system wouldn’t hold much, but if it ended up saving them a trip
or two, Drew would happily accept it.
 The afternoon bled away as time seemed to speed by at an impossible
rate. They weren’t done, not even close. But it would be getting dark soon,
and that meant they needed to go back out hunting. They needed levels,
after all, and Drew also had to get his mom to use her token.
“Yes, yes, I heard you,” Drew’s mom said, waving him off when he
broached the subject. “Spock has already told me all about the different
options, and I already have something in mind.”
“Alright, just… please don’t do anything…” Drew began to say, his
concern clear in his voice.
“Stupid?” his mom asked with a glare that could kill a lion.
“I was going to say rash and impulsive,” Drew answered, fearing for his
head against his mother’s wrath with a wooden spoon.
She just gave him a half glare that somehow managed to translate to
‘I’m not rash or impulsive, young man,’ and with a blink and a pop, she was
gone, off to wherever The System’s tutorial took place.
“So, how’d we do today, dear?” Amber asked, breaking the silence that
followed his mother’s disappearance. Drew shook his head clear of
thoughts before answering.
“Good. Better than I expected, but we’re going to need to raise our
credit limits. This shit is seriously expensive.”
“I assumed so, given our backyard is filled with junk. I had to take poor
Freya out past the gate just so she had space to go potty.”
“It’s not ‘junk’. We have a little more than five days until the end of the
world, so we have to stock up while we can. Freya probably loved running
around the property anyways.”
“You bought twenty-three knives, Drew,” Amber said accusingly. “No,
don’t look at me like that. I counted them as I brought them inside. Do you
mind telling me what we need over twenty knives for?”
“They all do different things, boo bear. Some are for gutting fish, others
are for skinning animals, some are for self-defense, and several are used to
work with wood.” Drew straightened his shoulders as he defended his
‘totally reasonable’ purchases.
The one with grizzly bear and river engravings on the blade may have
been a bit much…
“Uh huh, and what about the ninja stars?” Amber asked as she leaned
forward with a glare.
“Huh? Ninja stars?” Drew asked with genuine confusion.
 Amber walked over to the dining room table, which was completely
covered in white plastic bags, and began digging through them before
pulling out a hard plastic container with navy blue paper.
“These,” she said as she pushed the package into Drew’s hands.
Drew looked down at them, and sure enough, there were several ninja
stars inside. The only issue was that he’d never picked them up, so he didn’t
know how they’d got there.
“I have no fucking idea. I wouldn’t buy these! If anything, I would have
gotten some throwing knives or axes instead. These things only fool ki…”
Drew paused for a second before his eyes widened. “Spock…”
“Spock?” Amber asked.
His ears must have been burning because, just then, Spock walked in
from the backyard.
“Ah, excellent. You found the ninja stars, Drew Wright. I was worried
when I couldn’t find them,” Spock said, walking up happily as he looked at
the package in Drew’s hands.
“Did you put these in our basket today, Spock?” Drew asked with a
knowing look.
“Yes, you said you were selecting various tools that had a variety of
purposes, but I noticed you didn’t select any throwable weapons,” Spock
said, nodding innocently. “I thought these looked extremely deadly and also
aesthetically pleasing, so I picked them up so you didn’t miss selecting
anything from that category.” He gave Drew a proud, earnest smile.
Drew’s heart melted a little at that moment, and after hearing Spock’s
reasoning, he couldn’t be mad at the guy. Sure, the stars were pretty
worthless, but his heart had been in the right place.
“Good job, buddy. You’re right. Throwing weapons completely slipped
my mind,” Drew said as he patted the man on the shoulder. “Just… next
time, let me know if you think we should grab something, okay? Then we
can decide what to get together.”
Spock nodded energetically. Handing the man the package, Drew turned
back to his wife, whose mouth was still hanging open. He looked his kind,
loving wife in the eyes… and stuck out his tongue.
“Told ya so.”

[Link]
 Chapter Fifteen

Drew’s mom still wasn’t back from the tutorial. Dusk was quickly
approaching, so after Drew received reassurances from Spock that his mom
would be okay despite the strange delay, he and the others left the house in
the truck to head toward the first property of the night.
Amber had hit paydirt earlier in the day and found a farmer desperately
trying to get rid of feral hogs that had been plaguing his land and digging
everything up. He’d been baiting the hunting ground for weeks now but
needed someone capable as there were just too many for the one man to
handle, plus disposing of the bodies would take time… something Drew
was more than eager to help with.
A perfect opportunity.
The hunting was far easier due to the shooting stands and bait that had
been set up. When the dust settled, twelve pigs were dead, and everyone
had gotten a level. Amber had gotten two. As they left, Drew made sure to
warn the owner of the property about the ‘new virus,’ urging him to
prepare. The others stayed in the truck with heavy hoodies covering their
more abnormal features.
“What about you, dear? Any levels?” Amber asked as they left the
man’s driveway.
 Drew shrugged. “I have no idea. I haven’t checked my notifications
since last night. To be honest, I’ve been putting it off all day because we
were so busy, and I wanted to take some time to go over everything.”
“Well, hop on out then, I’ll drive back,” Amber said with a smile as she
elbowed Drew slightly.
“Alright, alright. I won’t say no to a little time to relax and check over
things.”
Drew smiled as he hopped out of the driver’s seat and traded spots with
his wife before pulling up his notifications.

Class: [Caster] has reached level 3

Race: [Dhampir] has reached level 1
Attribute points allocated: You have 6 free points available
Title Earned: [First Necromancer]
Title Earned: [Curiosity of the Divine]

“Looks like I hit level three in my class… and level one in my race.
That’s new. How did I gain a level in my race, Spock?”
Drew turned around to find Spock smushed against the window of the
truck with Freya next to him, wagging her tail happily.
“You gain a level in your race with every two levels earned elsewhere.
Those two levels can both be from your class or your profession, or there
can be one from each, Drew Wright,” Spock managed to say while huddled
up against the window as if a fat kid was sitting next to him on the school
bus.
“Ahh. Okay, and how do we get professions? None of us have one, as
far as I know. Are they as important as our classes are?”
“Professions are made available to you at various times and for various
reasons. Someone aspiring to become a baker would most likely receive the
option by repetition, whereas someone wishing to become an adventurer
may have to achieve something daring for the profession to be made
available to them. As for your last question, professions offer additional
attribute points as they level, which may or may not be important to an
individual based on their situation.”
Spock attempted to say all this in his usual formal tone, but with his
face pressed against the glass, it came out a bit muffled, making Drew
chuckle.
 “Thanks, Spock. Looks like I managed to get some titles again,” Drew
mentioned off-handedly.
“Titles? As in, plural?” Amber asked.
“Yeah, looks like it.”
“That is quite uncommon, Drew Wright,” Spock barely managed to say.
“Freya, quit crowding him out! The man can barely talk,” Amber
scolded as she glared at the dog in the rearview mirror.
The German Shepherd let out a low whine before getting onto the floor
and sitting between people’s legs, which allowed Spock to stretch out and
breathe.
“Is it uncommon then?” Drew asked. “How come?”
Spock took a deep breath, clearly enjoying the fact that he had space
again. “Titles are offered for achieving difficult things, such as being a
progenitor, or for surviving overwhelming odds in a fight. May I ask which
titles you received?”
“Hmm… First Necromancer and Curiosity of the Divine,” Drew said
after looking back through his notifications.
There was a lull in the conversation, and an awkward silence hovered in
the air as Spock didn’t reply. Eventually, Drew’s patience ran out, and he
craned his head around to find Spock looking at him with wide eyes.
“What? Are those bad or something?” Drew asked, suddenly feeling a
bit nervous.
Is it possible to lose stats from a title?
“No… not… bad,” Spock stuttered before he regained his composure
“The first title is due to your use of Raise Dead. You were the first to use it
on this world, but given you’re a progenitor and the world remains
unintegrated, the title is somewhat to be expected, though cosmically it
remains rare.
“The second title, however… is extremely rare.” Spock spoke slowly,
clearly choosing each word carefully. “The knowledge that The System
gave me is limited. With that knowledge, I was given the following
information: entire worlds and even sectors of galaxies may not have an
individual with such a title,” he said, eyes boring into Drew’s.
“No shit? So, it’s pretty powerful then?” Drew asked, a tiny bit of greed
filling his eyes.
“Sectors of galaxies… Jesus…” Mark said as he shook his head in
disbelief.
 “No, Drew Wright. The title offers no bonuses or attribute increases. It
means you’ve somehow drawn the attention of a divine being,” Spock said
in a low voice that clearly showed a hint of disbelief.
“Divine, wait… God?” Miranda asked, turning her head sharply toward
Spock.
“Yes, a god or goddess,” Spock answered with a light nod. “Divine
beings are powerful beyond measure or understanding. Their goals and
ideologies are as varied as the stars themselves, but performing an action
that would draw their gaze… It may bring great benefits… or terrible
calamity.”
Spock said the last part in a very low voice, and his words somehow
seemed to echo through the cabin of the truck.
“Dude, we need to go to that bookstore tomorrow and pick up a couple
of Bibles,” Mark said suddenly, breaking the silence. “I haven’t been as…
devout as I should have been, and I remember the Old Testament a little too
well.”
“There’s no reason to freak out,” Drew said as calmly as he could.
Internally, however, he was very nervous too. He’d always been
agnostic, and now there were divine beings out in the cosmos and one of
them had seen him or something? That couldn’t be good.
An ant lived a happy life by never drawing the attention of the giants it
walked amongst, but if it did, it was lucky not to get squished. That was the
exact feeling running through Drew’s body at that moment. He’d probably
pissed in someone’s Cheerios, and they weren’t happy about it.
Drew decided to view the first title and save the other one for after he’d
dealt with his status. He needed a distraction, and maybe when dealing with
something as big as gods, the best course of action wasn’t to rip off the
band-aid.

[First Necromancer]
The first being on a world to perform a necromantic action, spell, or
ritual. Such a deed will surely impact the Records of the individual and
open more paths in the future. Grants the following advantages:
necromantic skills are 25% more effective and 10% less costly in
materials and mana. Undead minions are more capable with
comprehending and performing complex commands. Additionally
grants the skill [Death Toll (Grade – Unique)].
[Death Toll]
Conjures a Death-attuned projectile that is propelled toward the target
with moderate speed. This spell is tied to the affinities of Death, Life,
and Shadow. Upon reaching a target, moderate damage will ensue
before the secondary effect takes place in the form of an area of effect
explosion. 1% of all damage caused by this spell will be converted to
health for the caster. If the caster’s health is at maximum capacity, it
will convert 0.5% of damage caused into mana points.

Well, that’s a fucking mouthful. No stat boost, but it looks like skills that
are classed under necromancy will cost less mana, which is nice… although
I wonder what it means by ‘more effective’. How does a raise dead spell
become more effective? The minion part is nice though. Those animal
minions seemed pretty simple…
Now, the next question is how to spend the free points that I have
available. Totally not avoiding anything right now. No sir. I should pull up
my status and see what I’m working with.

Status
Name: Drew Wright
Race: Dhampir (Grade – F) – lvl 1
Class: Caster – lvl 3
Profession: N/A

Health Points (HP): 120/120

Mana Points (MP) 170/170
Stamina: 120/120
Stats (Attributes)
Strength: 11
Vitality: 12
Endurance: 12
Toughness: 13
Agility: 9
Perception: 16
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 21
Willpower: 14
Free Points: 6

Alright, that’s pretty damn good all things con⁠—

A flood of energy shot through Drew’s body, followed by an itching
sensation that made his skin feel like it had been bitten by a cloud of
mosquitos.
Just as his eyes widened from the shock, the surge of energy faded away
into nothingness. He wasn’t sure what had happened for a moment, but his
mind quickly caught up with the situation.
Drew had leveled up, and between the increase of stat points from his
previous title for killing the deer and the level-ups in question, his body had
remade itself. Spock had mentioned it before.
Now that I think about it, I do feel stronger, and it feels like I have more
energy, Drew thought as he clenched his fist.
Okay, so what do I do with the free points?
My mental attributes are really high, and my wisdom is more than
double my agility score. I feel like I should shore up some of my weaker
areas before focusing on my class stats. If I get caught in a bad situation
and I can’t outrun a more powerful enemy, I’ll end up as a smear on the
ground.
Long-term, I know I can’t go the jack-of-all-trades route, as it’ll make
me subpar in my casting. But right now, my immediate survival is the most
important thing, and if that means boosting my physical scores slightly, so
be it.
Hmm… I’ll throw four points into agility, just so I’m quick enough to
get into and out of combat when I need to. For the other two points…
maybe strength? I’ll be building a lot of shit in a couple of days, and
although I’m in pretty good shape after the levels, a little extra strength
would surely help, right?
On top of that, if one of my friends or Amber ends up getting injured, I
may have to pull them to safety, but if I’m not strong enough, it’ll slow us
down, and we’ll end up becoming monster chow.
Drew shuddered at the morbid thought before forcing himself to re-
focus.
But how much in each stat is enough?
 “Hey, Spock, how many stat points would you say a star athlete would
have in their physical attributes?” Drew asked, turning his head to his
companion.
“A gold medalist in your Olympics competition would likely have a
maximum of eighteen to twenty points in their specialized field,” Spock
answered automatically.
Alright… Olympians are pretty much at the peak of what human beings
are capable of, at least prior to The System, so I should shoot to have at
least that much in my physical stats if I’m going to survive against things
called ‘beasts’ and ‘monsters’.
I’ll throw the last two points into strength then, and, eventually, I’ll try
to reach twenty points in everything before turning my entire focus to
spellcasting. I may need to make adjustments along the way, but that seems
like solid logic for the moment.
Drew slotted his free points into the selected attributes and felt another
surge flow through his body. When it died down, he pulled up his status
again.

Status
Name: Drew Wright
Race: Dhampir (Grade – F) – lvl 1
Class: Caster – lvl 3
Profession: N/A
Health Points (HP): 120/120
Mana Points (MP) 170/170
Stamina: 120/120

Stats (Attributes)
Strength: 13
Vitality: 12
Endurance: 12
Toughness: 13
Agility: 13
Perception: 16
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 21
Willpower: 14
Free Points: 0

Looks pretty damn good to me…

Drew paused, trying to think of another urgent task that would keep him
from the next notification he needed to read. He came up dry.
Well, I guess there’s no point delaying the bad news any further…

[Curiosity of the Divine]

You have drawn the attention of one or more divine beings. Many
throughout the history of the multiverse have attempted to draw the
gaze of the divine, and almost all end up failing in their quest. You’ve
done something that many people spend their entire lives hoping to
accomplish. Such a deed will surely impact your records and open up
more paths to you in the future. Grants: Marked by Raynalyr, The
Baleful Lady.
Her gaze is upon you.

Somewhere deep within the vastness of the cosmos sat a bottomless void,
and within that void, things stirred. Things that had been forgotten by most,
but not all.
Right on the very edge of that void sat a realm, a throne of absolute
divine power. The realm itself was of another dimension, yet it
simultaneously existed within the physical universe. Within it, all rules and
laws of nature bent to the whim of its owner.
A single black marble pathway speckled with gold and silver flakes led
the way into this place, and past the vast hallways for which the realm was
named sat two beings, alone in the solitude of what appeared to be a quiet
study.
“It’s not like you to be here two days in a row. Did something happen?”
a male voice asked.
“Yes,” a feminine voice answered bluntly yet without explanation, the
source of its origin instead flipping through a tome within her hands.
 “You know that I dislike guessing games, but I suppose I’ll play along.
Did the newest generation of our peers finally make a move?”
“No, nothing so… normal has happened. The opposite, in fact,” the
woman said as a light smile that tugged at her lips.
“Really now?” The man leaned forward in his seat. “Do tell.”
“I felt the resonance of my affinities tugged in the direction of a pre-
integrated world,” the woman said in a teasing voice that seemed to mildly
irritate the man.
“I don’t understand,” the man said after a few moments. “How could
your affinities be nudged in any direction other than by your own will?”
“Why, by someone with an even stronger natural resonance with them,
of course.”
“Impossible,” the man scoffed.
“It’s true, and I’ve found the individual in question.”
“Surely you’re jesting?”
“No, not at all.” The woman shook her head. “I’ve confirmed it myself.
Take a look.”
The woman waved her hand, and an image of a pristine sphere of blues,
greens, and brown appeared between them.
“Well, this is certainly unexpected… that’s Earth,” the man said as he
stood and circled the five-foot sphere floating in mid-air.
“Earth?”
“The planet I spent my vacation on. Surely you know it – I was there for
nearly four thousand years.”
“Where you spend your vacation is hardly of concern to me.”
“Whatever. The point is, that”—the man pointed his finger at the image
of the planet—“is Earth, and now you’re telling me that⁠—”
“The System is there,” the woman interrupted. “The planet is currently
being integrated as we speak.”
“A progenitor then?”
“Yes, a progenitor. One with higher affinities than my own,” she said as
she too stood and circled the globe. “Curious, isn’t it?”
“Show me,” the man said firmly.

[Link]
 Chapter Sixteen

When the group made it back to the house, they quickly got to work hauling
the hog corpses out of the truck bed and dumping them onto the ground
before Drew began to drag them away. As the others headed to the garden
hose on the side of the house to wash off, Drew pulled Spock aside before
he could join the rest.
“Hey bud, hold on for a sec,” Drew said, pulling Spock with him as they
walked toward the corpses.
“Do you require assistance, Drew Wright?” Spock asked innocently.
“Yeah, actually.” Drew glanced over Spock’s shoulder to make sure the
others were far enough away before continuing. “I looked over that title,
and I wanted to run it by you because it sounded a bit ominous,” he said as
he cast [Corruption] on the corpses, being sure to keep a safe distance
from the incoming aroma.
“Ominous? More so than I already explained?” Spock asked. “Please
explain, Drew Wright.”
“Well, I’d absolutely butcher her name, but the description said she was
called The Baleful Lady. Do you know anything about her?” Drew asked,
his eyes locked on to the bodies of the feral hogs as they began to rot.
 Silence stretched for a few moments, and Drew could make out the
sounds of light laughter coming from the house as his wife and friends
hosed the blood and dirt off themselves.
“Are you certain that was the title of the goddess, Drew Wright?” Spock
asked in a low voice.
“Yeah. Like I said, ominous. Does that mean you know something?”
Drew asked, turning his head to Spock.
“It does, yes. Raylanyr is not a normal goddess. She is a Primordial.”
“I’m guessing that’s different somehow?”
“Indeed. I hold little knowledge of the divine beings, as it wasn’t
deemed necessary by The System for the tutorial. However, Primordials are
very few in number and are the oldest and strongest divine beings in
existence. Beyond that information, I only know of one other title for her.”
“Of course. Well, it’s not your fault the information you have is
limited.” Drew shook his head. “What’s the other title?”
“The Primordial of Death,” Spock answered solemnly.
“Oh… I wonder if I pissed her off with my Raise Dead spell or
something?” Drew muttered as he thought about it.
“I am unsure, Drew Wright. If you truly made her angry with your
actions, you would likely be dead. Perhaps things are different than they
seem on the surface level,” Spock concluded with hope in his voice.
The title had turned out to be even more worrisome than the original
information he’d gotten from the description, but Drew couldn’t do
anything about it. At the end of the day, he’d somehow attracted the
attention of an all-powerful being, and he could either let the stress of the
situation weigh him down or press on and hope he ended up being too
boring to warrant further attention from her.
“Well, there’s fuck all I can do about it, and I guess you’re right. If I
pissed someone that powerful off, it would easily be within her power to
smite me with a lightning bolt or something,” Drew said, shrugging. “No
point in worrying about it now. Thanks for your help, Spock.”
“Anytime, Drew Wright,” Spock said with a nod. “If you’ll excuse me,
I’m going to join the others and wash up.”
Spock walked off to join the others right as the final bits of flesh
bubbled off the hog corpses and were absorbed by the ground. Drew
decided to let the air clear for a minute. He sure as hell wasn’t going to get
close enough to raise the dead until the aroma was mostly dissipated.
 In the meantime, the others came back to the truck and grabbed the
firearms and gear they’d left in it before heading back to the house. Drew
had a couple of minutes to kill, so he hopped onto the tailgate and sat
waiting for the smell to disappear.
Just as Drew jumped off the tailgate to begin raising the skeletons, a cry
came from near the house.
“DREW!”
Drew’s head snapped toward the sound of Amber’s panic-stricken voice,
and he took off at a run.
Fuck! Are the monsters here already? I thought we still had a few days!
He threw open the gate as he ran for the porch and the backdoor, his
heart pumping and his legs pushing. When he arrived at the door, it was
already open, but he didn’t pause to question it and instead barreled into the
house like a man possessed.
“What, what is it?!” Drew yelled as his head shot back and forth before
finding Amber and the others in the kitchen, looking down the hallway
toward the door to the office. Drew’s gaze shifted down the hallway in
question, and he saw something that made him do a double take.
A red-skinned woman with blackened horns and yellow eyes turned to
look at him from the doorway, a doorway through which Drew detected
movement. Without his gun on him, his hand shot up as he prepared to
launch a spell toward the thing in their house.
“Hello, Drew,” the woman said. “It was so nice of you to wait for me to
get back before leaving with your friends.” She glared at Drew in a way that
was vaguely familiar, and his hand dropped.
“Huh?”
“It’s your mom,” Amber said, leaning over and whispering into his ear.
“What?!” Drew yelled in surprise.
Instead of replying, the woman’s head snapped back toward the door of
their small home office, and she growled, “If you break anything, you’re
paying to replace it. Understand?”
What the hell is going on here? Is that really my mom?
“Can someone please explain what the hell is happening right now?”
Drew demanded, looking around at his companions.
“That woman is a race known as a Fiend, Drew Wright,” Spock
answered. “It is highly likely that she is your maternal figure.”
Drew turned his head from Spock back to the horned woman.
 “Ma, is that you?” he asked cautiously, fully prepared to throw spells at
her if she turned out to be an imposter.
“Who else would I be? Did you bump your head while you were out
hunting?” the woman scoffed, shaking her head before walking toward the
group.
She sure sounds like my mom… although more youthful and energetic
somehow. Why does she look like a freaking… demon thing or whatever? I
don’t recall that being an option in my tutorial…
“What date is my birthday?” Drew asked.
“You don’t have a birthday. You were extracted,” the woman replied
with a huff.
Yup… that’s totally what my mom would say. Still… I can’t be too
careful.
“Blue Dream is overrated, and Hallmark movies are cheap budget films
that⁠—”
Drew didn’t even have time to finish before the woman was running
toward him with a fuzzy house slipper in hand.
“I’m kidding! Kidding!” Drew tried, but it was no use. His now red-
skinned mother had decided that Drew deserved to have the same coloration
as she smacked him across the head with the shoe. “Ow! Ow! I’m sorry! I
had to be sure!”
“You’re lucky we don’t have bars of soap here anymore, or I’d make
you wash your mouth out with it.” She glared at him, eyes full of threat.
“What happened in the tutorial, Mom?” Drew said while rubbing his
cheeks. Mark and Miranda were sitting nearby snickering, and Amber was
full-blown laughing at his slipper-induced misery.
Traitors… they’re all traitors. I rush in here thinking there’s a robber
only to find… whatever all this is.
“What happened? Nothing. Everything went exactly how Spock said it
would,” she answered nonchalantly as if nothing was strange or out of
place.
“If nothing happened, then why did you choose… whatever race you
are, and more importantly, who were you yelling at in the office?” Drew
asked, attempting to peer around her now rather large form at whatever was
bumping around in the office.
“The woman at the desk asked what I wanted, and I told her.”
Oh no… Drew thought, a sudden sinking feeling in his gut.
 “What, exactly, did you tell her, Mom?” Drew asked cautiously,
somehow knowing – and dreading – the answer.
“I told her I wanted to keep my TV and my shows,” she replied smugly,
folding her arms.
Drew turned and spoke to Spock through gritted teeth. “Spock… please
explain to me what happened before I spontaneously combust due to my
mother’s vague answers.”
“I wasn’t with her, Drew Wright. I can only make assumptions based on
what I see,” Spock replied.
“Fine, humor me. What assumptions can you make?”
“She chose Fiend as her race, which requires the expenditure of a boon.
She likely did so in order to acquire the advanced class that Fiends have
access to within the tutorial, which also would have required a boon.
Finally, she upgraded her intrinsic class skill to the uncommon grade
required to fulfill her desire to keep her television programming.”
Drew turned back to his mom. “Well, is that what happened?”
“I don’t know, maybe.” She shrugged. “I’m getting to keep my shows
though.” She grinned like a toddler who had gotten hold of a full-sized
candy bar.
“Spock… what class did she choose, and what purpose does it serve?”
Drew asked as he began to feel a headache coming on.
“I believe she chose Warlock, if I’m not mistaken. It’s an advanced class
that most beings have access to upon their first evolution. However, as a
Fiend, she is granted access to it from the start. Fascinatingly enough, the
class’s role is much like your own with your current skills.”
“Please explain, Spock.” Drew groaned.
“Warlocks summon beings to do their bidding. However, unlike your
Raise Dead spell, her summons are sapient and enter into a mutually
beneficial contract,” Spock said, nodding to himself. “As she likely spent
all her boons chasing after her goal, her utility will be limited until she
levels up. However, her summon could be very powerful, depending on the
contract she signed. In the long-term, she will likely gain skills that curse
and slow enemies while her summon does the majority of the damage in
combat, much like your own current skill set.”
“Ma… did you sign a contract?” Drew said, slowly turning his head
back to her as his stomach began to do somersaults.
“Hmm? Oh, yes.” She nodded her head happily.
 “What were the details of the contract, Ma?”
Just as his mom was about to vaguely answer his question, a small
gremlin-shaped being stepped out from the office and walked toward them.
It was short and squat with leathery skin, overly large bat-like ears, and
wide circular eyes. It also had short horns growing from its red-skinned
skull.
“Eh-hem.” It coughed, clearing its throat. “The individual known as
Susan Wright entered into a System-bound contract with the Barons of the
Demonic Plane. In exchange for a Demonic television set that would
function in a newly integrated world and the right of free access to the
Plane’s programming, Susan Wright agreed to allow our technicians to
collect all of your planet’s media prior to integration.
“Pending the quality and scope of the collected media, Susan Wright
will receive a summon from the Demonic Plane as well as 1% of all
profitable proceeds earned from the future broadcasting of said media,” the
little gremlin said clearly. It had a nasally voice and thick glasses that
somehow screamed to Drew that the being was an IT nerd.
“Spock… what is this thing?” Drew asked, half-turning his head while
keeping both eyes on the creature before him. “And more importantly, is
that contract as good as it sounds?”
“It is an Imp, Drew Wright. A denizen of the Demonic Plane. As to the
nature of the contract, it does indeed sound like a mutually beneficial
agreement,” Spock said.
“An Imp?” Drew shook his head. That was one of the summoning
options he’d received, and it certainly didn’t look nearly as impressive as
his undead did. “Why are your kind so interested in this deal?” Drew asked
the Imp.
The little creature cocked its head and looked at Drew as if he was
stupid.
“The Demonic Plane is the leading provider of entertainment and media
throughout the vast cosmos, mortal. Making contact with an unintegrated
world is rare, and while we are quite proud of the content we produce, the
culture of newly integrated worlds can be a hot commodity that many
beings are happy to consume,” the Imp replied, pushing its glasses up the
bridge of its long nose as it finished.
“You want our movies and TV shows… so you can sell them?” Drew
asked cautiously with no small amount of disbelief.
 “Correct. And also, music and pornography,” it added almost happily.
“What… why do you want our porn?”
Please don’t be something gross…
“Entertainment, of course.” The Imp shrugged as if it were a simple
question to answer. “Also, some groups of researchers are interested in this
type of product.”
Well, at least it wasn’t gross. I’ll thank my small blessings.
“Plus, there are a lot of horny beings in the vast multiverse, especially
within the Demonic Plane.” The Imp paused and pointed a taloned finger
toward the horns on his head, then continued with a smirk. “And fetishes.
No end of fetishes.”
Of course… untold quadrillions of beings we have no contact with are
going to be whacking off to hairless monkeys going at it thanks to
capitalistic demons that own and run a multiverse’s worth of programming.
For once, I actually hate how much sense this all makes.
“And why are you in our office?” Drew asked, hoping to finish up this
conversation.
“We needed to integrate our technology with your own and then retrieve
the data from across your world’s network.”
Wait…
“Are you telling me that you’re downloading all of our world’s porn and
other stuff onto storage devices via my computer?”
“Yes.”
“Dude… my poor computer is going to have sooo many viruses.” Drew
groaned in mental and emotional agony. “You won’t even have enough
time. We’re rural – we don’t have a fast enough connection to make even a
small dent in all the world’s movies.”
“Not to worry, we have our magic, just like your world will soon have
its own.” The Imp smiled before turning and walking with an awkward
bow-legged strut back into the office.
“My browser history is so fucked.”

[Link]
 Chapter Seventeen

Drew stalked the pastures with Spock just as the sun was beginning to come
up. They had to be careful because farmers and ranchers would be waking
up shortly, and they did not want to be caught on someone else’s land,
regardless of the reason.
He had woken up after six and a half hours sleep, feeling fully rested,
which Spock had explained was part of leveling up. They would all need
less and less sleep as they leveled. Mark and Miranda decided to stay home
and work on getting their supplies and defenses ready, while Amber and
Freya went out to practice their tracking and stealth skills. Drew’s mum was
overseeing the demons in the office. Which had left only Drew and Spock
for this morning’s hunt.
The howl of coyotes broke the silence of the two men’s travel.
Drew turned to Spock and whispered, “Coyotes are close by.”
“Should I use the bow then, Drew Wright?” Spock questioned.
“Yeah, unless you can outrun them, but I don’t think either of us is at
that point yet. I’ll use my spells.”
The two of them raced toward the noise. It sounded like the coyotes
were in pursuit of something.
 Drew soon spotted the small tan and gray canines as they ran
perpendicular to the path the two men had been taking. He turned and
nodded to Spock, then prepared to use his spells. They wouldn’t get very
many chances at taking the critters down before the animals realized they
were being attacked, and Drew needed to thin the numbers to protect
Spock, given the System Guide’s inexperience with weapons.
Death Toll was Drew’s newest spell, and thus he hadn’t used it yet. That
was about to change. His mana churned within his gut and flooded through
his body as Drew activated the skill. Unlike Manabolt, which was rather
slow to form and fire, this new ability seemed to kick his body into
overdrive.
Before he knew what he was doing, Drew’s right arm shot forward with
his pointer finger extended toward one of the coyotes. Magical energy
surged through his finger, and in the blink of an eye, a human-sized skull
wreathed in violet and lime green flames sprang forth and shot toward the
target.
The skull opened its mouth and let out a shrill scream that rattled
Drew’s bones.
The sound of the screaming skull alerted the coyotes that something was
wrong, and several of them paused to lift their heads as their ears twitched
back and forth before turning to face the incoming spell. It was too late for
the target, however. The skull slammed into the first coyote before
continuing along its path into a cluster of canines, propelling the original
target along with it.
The shrieking stopped as soon as the skull’s mouth was full of feral
animal. Before its packmates had the opportunity to flee, the skull, with
coyote still in its mouth, slammed into two more of them.
An echoing boom rent the air. Drew felt a concussive blast hit him in the
stomach right as his Death Toll exploded in a ball of green-violet flames.
Chunks of coyote pelted Drew’s face and body before a severed hind leg
slammed into his shin.
The remaining canines were knocked head over tail and hit the ground
in an uncontrolled roll before sliding to a stop. Most of the pack scrambled
to their feet and turned tail to run. The one closest to Drew, though, turned
to face them despite its injuries. Its eyes were cool and bright, signaling its
intent.
 Drew couldn’t help but admire the courage as the small beast pounced,
snarling and snapping viciously. He was so caught up in the moment that he
didn’t even dodge. But before its jaws could close around Drew’s leg, an
arrow thudded into it, and it slumped to the ground.
Drew bowed his head for moment, then nodded to Spock. “We need to
get out of here. My new spell will have drawn attention, and people will
come to poke around. Grab the corpse.”
Spock shouldered the animal after returning his spear to his inventory,
and the two men quickly began their trek back to Drew’s house, running
most of the way.
“Why did I retrieve the corpse, Drew Wright?” Spock asked as they ran.
“So I can use it to summon a minion,” Drew said between breaths.
“Hunting predators and pests is part of the job out here. The need to level
makes it even more necessary. But you can still respect life while doing
what needs to be done. Leaving the bodies of critters that don’t make for
good eating or pelts always bugged me. Now we don’t have to.”

Drew added the coyote’s corpse to his minion count before he took Spock
over to the coop to feed the chickens.
“That new spell was impressive,” Drew said offhandedly as the two
men walked toward the coop.
“Indeed, it was, Drew Wright,” Spock nodded.
It had been an impressive showing; the spell was way more powerful
than Drew had thought it would be. Death Toll was definitely a lot stronger
than Manabolt, and the added explosion had the potential to help against
groups of enemies.
The System is pretty vague with its descriptions. It didn’t say anything
about the spell being in the shape of a skull. There’s been no real mention of
mana costs, spell range, or anything else either. Trial and error is baked in.
I need to be careful in the future when making assumptions about anything
within The System, as something could easily come back and bite me in the
ass.
Drew’s mind suddenly blanked as he and Spock looked through the
chicken wire door to the coop.
 Something was definitely wrong with his chickens.
They were walking in a line, each hen’s footsteps completely
synchronized with the others. Occasionally, the rooster at the front of the
line threw out its wing, and all of its followers suddenly stopped. They then
resumed when the rooster dropped its wing.
Are they… marching?
“Spock, something is seriously wrong with these birds. Chickens do not
act like this. Ever,” Drew said, turning to the man. “The System has to be
fucking around with them, there’s no other explanation.”
“That scenario is impossible, Drew Wright. The System’s singular
purpose at this juncture is to integrate your world by flooding it with mana
and thus save it from some sort of calamity. I assure you, outside of
progenitors and their token holders, there is currently no source of mana on
this planet.”
“Then how do you explain this?” Drew asked as he gestured toward the
chickens with both hands.
“I cannot explain their behavior, for I am not one of them. Perhaps if
you ask, they may tell you,” Spock suggested with an earnest nod in their
direction.
Drew sighed and shook his head. “I’m telling you, it’s either The
System, or they’ve always had sapience and were just pretending to be
dumb animals beforehand.”
“That is a possibility. Cunning and trickery would certainly allow a
species to flourish and prosper.”
As Spock finished his sentence, the lead rooster turned and bowed to
him before it continued to lead its peers in their parade.
It was at this point that Drew scoffed and walked away, deciding to
write the chickens off as a lost cause.

[Link]
 Chapter Eighteen

Drew left Spock to feed the chickens and headed back to the corpse of the
coyote. After using [Corruption] to reduce the carcass to bones, Drew
followed up with [Raise Dead]. When the bones connected themselves and
Drew felt the mental connection flicker into existence, he noticed
something was different.
The thread of energy that connected him to the minion felt strange
somehow. It wasn’t that it was more solid or tangible, but Drew couldn’t
place his finger on why the thread felt like it was more.
After mulling it over for a few minutes, Drew chalked it up to him just
feeling stressed about the chickens. He shrugged it off before sending the
risen coyote to join its minion peers hiding in the tall grass at the edge of
his property.
It was still very early in the morning when Drew and Spock rode into
Wichita Falls to collect construction materials for the fence before bringing
their purchases back to the house. In between trips, he also managed to
squeeze in some clothes shopping with Spock and visit a few private sales
with older firearms on offer.
All in all, it was a productive morning, but Drew still couldn’t help but
feel like he was falling behind. The clock was ticking louder and louder
with every passing day.
Less than five days left.
The apocalypse was coming.
As Drew pulled into River’s Bend on their way home from their last trip
to Wichita Falls, he saw Robert sitting on the curb outside his now flattened
and demolished buildings. Drew pulled over, and he and Spock got out of
the truck before Drew waved to the three flatbeds following them back
home. They’d gotten a good deal on bulk fencing materials, and even
delivery… for a fee.
“Robert, you doing alright there?” Drew asked the man, who had his
head in his hands.
“Joseph?” Robert asked as he lifted his head.
Right… Joseph.
“Yeah. Whatcha doing out here, you need some help?” Drew asked in a
kind tone.
“I find myself in need of many things,” the man said, sorrowfully
shaking his head.
Drew walked over and plopped his ass on the curb next to him. Not a
speck of the original buildings Robert had purchased remained behind
Drew’s back, and he felt empathetic anger boil inside his stomach as he
stared across the street at the metal building that housed both the volunteer
fire department and the town council’s chambers.
“What’s been going on?” Drew asked in a low voice, controlling his
anger.
“They’re going after my house now,” Robert said confusedly after a few
moments of bleak silence. “I don’t even live here, yet somehow the county
inspector showed up at my house in Waurika. It’s the same nonsense, but
my house is in very good condition…”
“It’s a different town, though. A bigger one. They can fight back,” Drew
said hopefully.
“They are. I stood before the Waurika city council last night and told
them what happened here. They’re putting their foot down, thankfully. But
it’s a long process, and the county has to take the inspector’s word until
further investigations can take place.”
“That’s awful, man. The inspector didn’t condemn the house, did he?”
“Nah, he tried though. He wrote up safety failures all over the house,”
the man said with the smallest tinge of anger.
 Drew realized that was the first time he’d ever heard anger in Robert’s
voice. He was awfully good at containing his emotions. Better than Drew,
that much was certain.
“Well, silver linings and all that,” Drew offered. “At least you can still
live in your home.”
“I could.” Robert nodded. “But my wife can’t. She decided that I was on
a sinking ship and that I wasted all of my retirement savings on a fruitless
charity project, which she was never really a fan of. Said that the house
being under threat because of me was the last straw,” Robert said ruefully.
“How is any of this your fault?” Drew asked, gesturing toward the town
council building.
“That doesn’t matter to her. She said she was moving in with her sister
in Duncan last night. She took a bunch of stuff and just… left. Married for
thirty-one years, and she just up and left.”
The man didn’t sound as bitter as Drew would have been, given the
situation. If anything, Robert seemed lost, confused, and without purpose.
“You’re retired, yeah?” Drew asked as an idea popped into his head.
“For three years now, yes.”
“Do you need a job?”
The man lifted his gaze from the street and turned to look at Drew with
the faintest hint of hope twinkling in his eye.
“Very much so, yes,” The man nodded slowly. “The community center
was supposed to keep me busy for my remaining years. Be my purpose and
my legacy. And now…”
He turned his head and gazed back at the rubble behind him.
“I need some work done, and I can pay in cash,” Drew said as he
gestured to his truck bed, full of construction and fencing materials, and the
three flatbeds parked behind him.
“What’s the job, exactly?” Robert asked cautiously.
Drew was acutely aware that, from Robert’s perspective, they’d only
met twice.
“Fencing. Lots and lots of fencing. We’re installing a large perimeter
fence around the property, among other things, and we could definitely use
some help.”
Robert frowned. “That’s a big project. I don’t think I could manage it on
my own in any reasonable amount of time.”
 Wow, this guy is honest to a fault. Which somehow makes everything
worse.
“You have any friends looking to make some extra money?” Drew said
with a smile.
“How much does it pay?” Robert asked, leaning forward. One man
could do a job, but a group could do a project. Drew could tell Robert
needed to lose himself in honest work for a while.
Drew waved a hand. “It pays whatever it needs to, and I can pay daily. It
just needs to get done in the next couple of days.”
Robert whistled. “Couple of days? It’s a large property, Joseph. I don’t
mean to sound ungrateful or suspicious, but it won’t be a small amount of
money, especially if you need the job done so quickly,” he replied in a
polite yet still cautious tone.
“Money isn’t the issue, Robert. It’s time. We need this done, and we
need all the help we can get. Hell, we have some fancy sheds coming today
or tomorrow. You can stay in one while you’re working if you like,” Drew
offered. He kept his tone serious and made steady eye contact that implied
he wasn’t joking or brushing aside Robert’s concerns.
“Why the rush?” the man asked, an eyebrow raised. Drew could tell
suspicion and hope were warring within him.
“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. Regardless of the reason, this
fence has to be up by the end of the week. You can start today if you want,
and I can pay you up front,” Drew added as he stood up and pulled out a
wad of rolled-up hundred-dollar bills. Drew counted out four bills and
handed them to Robert before putting the rest back in his pocket.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Robert asked.
“Yes.”
Robert held Drew’s four hundred dollars as his mind processed what
was being asked of him. Robert looked down at the cash and then slowly
back up at Drew, a small smile spread across his face.
“Alright, you got yourself a deal. I actually have some project
management experience. We’ll need a few fellas to get the job done in your
time frame. But there are options, certainly options. With the right tools and
—” He stopped and grimaced. “Getting ahead of myself aren’t I? I’ll follow
you there!”
Drew led the convoy of flatbed trucks and Robert back to his property
before quickly getting to work unloading the heavy fencing construction
materials with the help of everyone present. This was not a short process,
and neither was it easy.
Enhanced stats or not, Drew was still breaking a solid sweat despite the
rather cool late February weather. He was just glad The System hadn’t
decided to hit during summer, or the job would have been absolutely brutal
in one hundred-degree-plus heat.
Two and half hours later, the flatbed truck drivers were paid an extra tip
for their assistance and left, leaving Spock, Drew, and Robert sitting on the
ground, trying to cool off from their physical exertion.
“This is… a lot,” Robert said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“Yeah, it is,” Drew said, having already caught his breath but still
needing to relax his muscles. “You may want to call those friends of yours
sooner rather than later and see if they’re available.”
“I’ll do that,” Robert nodded. “Where are you wanting this fence?”
“At the very edge of the property line, where the livestock wire fencing
is currently. You can start it right behind the current posts,” Drew explained,
pointing out the old fencing that marked the edge of his land.
“Why did y’all go with chain-link and barbed wire? Some kind of
animal preserve or something?”
“Not quite. But the purpose is similar.”
After a few moments, Robert turned to look at Drew with a raised
eyebrow.
“To protect everything inside from everything outside?”
“Yes,” Drew nodded.
Drew paused to consider telling Robert more but ultimately decided
against it. His family needed the work done, and the best way to do that
right now was using the readily available labor of Robert and whatever
friends he managed to wrangle together to do the job. Drew couldn’t risk
losing that labor force over telling Robert the truth. No sane person would
believe him.
“Oh, also, don’t worry if you see some strange people around,” Drew
mentioned after thinking for a moment.
Robert hissed softly, eyes narrowed. “Strange how?”
“Different skin colors,” Drew answered with a slight smile.
“Joseph, I am a man of God.” Robert shook his head in disgust. “All
men were created by Him; I will not treat anyone differently based on the
color of their skin. I am not a racist.” Robert spat the last part.
 “I didn’t assume you were, but there are some… exotic people staying
here.”
“White, brown, yellow, purple – it makes no difference.”
“What about gray and red?”
Drew chuckled at his own inside joke, but Robert just stared at Drew
sternly for several moments.
“Alright, just making sure.” Drew held up his hands in surrender. “I
have some friends who are very good at costume makeup…”
If Miranda or his mom walked outside and Robert saw them, he could
always make the man eat his own words.

[Link]
 Chapter Nineteen

Before Drew and Spock left for Wichita Falls again that afternoon, the first
of the contractors started to show up at the property, and Drew held back to
speak with them about where to do their jobs.
First, it was the people in charge of pouring concrete pads, then it was
the company that would be digging and setting up the pond while stocking
it with fish, and finally came the folks who were going to drill the manual
wells.
That whole process took a lot of time out of Drew’s schedule, and by
the time he and Spock left, it was already late afternoon. They wouldn’t get
much done with what was left of the day, but Drew had an idea.
An hour or so later, the two men rolled up to their destination and
parked the truck after navigating a packed parking lot.
“What is the purpose of this store?” Spock asked Drew.
“It’s a bookstore. They sell all kinds of literature here,” Drew replied as
they walked toward the front door of the large shop.
“Interesting,” Spock said after a few moments. “Are there different
categories to the literature in question?”
“Oh yeah, tons.” Drew smiled as he noticed he’d piqued the man’s
interest.
 “Then it is like the Wikipedia, but the knowledge here will survive the
advent of The System. I like this store, Drew Wright.”
What remained of the afternoon was spent looking through and
selecting various tomes of knowledge. Drew had several priorities in mind
when filling his shopping basket; they needed medical texts, historical
information about the area, maps, information on local plant and animal
life, and fiction books. With his mom being the only one who would have a
working TV, and her total monopolization of it, books would likely be the
sole source of entertainment in the coming world.
The poor clerk at the check-out register saw the men coming with
baskets full of books and practically broke out in a sweat. Drew carefully
unloaded his baskets before making his way to Spock’s cart, and his
eyebrows rose at some of the former System Guide’s selections.
Ancestral Woodsman, Newbvillage, Opposition of the Plunge, The
Spelunker named Carl… Where did Spock even find these? They’re actually
solid titles… How did he know to grab them?
Drew continued to empty Spock’s selections slowly onto the counter
and occasionally turned to question the man.
“J.R. Ward?” Drew asked as he looked at a cover of a shirtless man
holding a rose. “You know this is a romance novel catered toward women,
right?”
“I was curious,” Spock protested. Drew just shook his head and put the
title onto the counter with the rest before going through the rest of Spock’s
stuff.
Where’s Waldo? I Spy… wait… Hello Kitty: Island Adventure?
Drew handed the children’s book to the clerk – and then picked up three
magazines packaged in clear plastic.
“Spock, do you even know what Playboy is?” Drew asked, holding up
the magazines as references.
“No, Drew Wright, and it’s infuriating,” the man said with annoyance.
“I couldn’t discern any information due to the strange film coating them.
Clearly, such protection guarantees that the knowledge they contain is far
more prized than any other in this store,” he said with conviction.
Drew burst out laughing, which startled the young woman behind the
counter.
“Oh yeah, buddy. You’re going to have fun with these,” Drew said with
a chuckle before handing over the very adult magazines. He almost couldn’t
wait for the questions that said content would bring, and he anticipated a
great deal of laughing in the near future.
It was almost evening by the time the guys made it back home and
walked inside carrying armfuls of plastic bags. They were men, after all;
they weren’t going to make two trips if they could carry everything in one.
On returning outside, Drew was pleasantly surprised to find Robert,
along with several men he didn’t know, hard at work. The men were laying
out supplies around the property, taking measurements, and planting
wooden stakes with string tied to them across the perimeter of his land.
Drew made his way over to them and went ahead and paid the newcomers
for the day’s work before asking them to return tomorrow.
The night’s hunt was similar to the one the day before, but they didn’t
end up having as much luck this time around. A different rancher, a
different property, but only a handful of feral hogs this time, and not
everyone got a level up. The rancher was clearly pleased as they eliminated
all eight hogs, but Drew couldn’t help but groan at what he felt was a less-
than-productive night.
The stress of the impending apocalypse lay heavy on Drew’s mind.
They only had four days and change now until death came knocking on
their door. They needed levels, and although they were doing the best they
could, he worried that it wouldn’t be enough.
The ride back to the house was also less than happy as Drew had
learned that Miranda’s warning to her family about needing to stock up due
to a new virus hadn’t gone well. They hadn’t taken her seriously as they
hadn’t heard anything about it in the news. Luckily, Mark’s brother had
taken the warning to heart and was planning to load up on non-perishables
and even an archery set when they next went ashore for supplies.
Mark’s parents, on the other hand, seemed more concerned over his
wellbeing than theirs. They wanted him to come to them, which left Drew’s
best friend in a tough spot. The tension was hanging heavily in the truck by
the time they made it back to the house, and everyone was dealing with it in
their own ways.
Short of flying out there to see them, there was little else Mark could
do. With the mind-shattering revelations of the last few days, none of them
had considered that their new forms would complicate passing through
airport security and pleading their cases in person with their families.
Something about the tutorial’s calming effects had made such issues seem
less of a problem – until now.
Mark had been ready to go anyway, to make the multi-day drive and
sacrifice what little time they had to prepare, but Miranda had talked him
out of it. Best case scenario, if his parents agreed to go with him, he’d be on
the road back with them when The System hit. They’d be sitting ducks.
Worst case scenario, they still refused to leave, and Mark would be forced
to risk the trip back alone or stay in the city, underleveled and without
support.
Drew hoped his instincts were wrong and the cities that housed his
friends’ families would become safe havens. Perhaps with the advantage of
numbers, they’d be able to hold off whatever was coming. If enough
citizens chose Caster as their class, a few thousand people casting even
basic spells would likely be devastating. There were also bound to be some
defensible buildings in the larger cities, and the military was trained to deal
with disasters, so…
Well, he had to hope.
With the somber mood, everyone went their own way that night, and
Drew hopped in the shower to clean off before pulling up his notifications.
He’d earned the title [Hunter I] as a reward for killing all the animals he
had prior to integration, which netted him six free attribute points. That was
a bonus – he needed everything he could get at this point.
After giving it some thought, Drew decided to stick with his original
plan of boosting his physical attributes to around twenty points before
focusing hard on his more caster-specific stats. He’d feel much better about
his personal safety once he was at the same level as professional athletes
and gold medal winners from the Olympics.
Drew allocated his newest points and stood grinning in the shower as he
felt the surge of power run through his body.

Status
Name: Drew Wright
Race: Dhampir (Grade – F) – lvl 2
Class: Caster – lvl 4
Profession: N/A

Health Points (HP): 160/160

Mana Points (MP): 180/180
Stamina: 140/140

Stats (Attributes)
Strength: 20
Vitality: 16
Endurance: 14
Toughness: 15
Agility: 14
Perception: 18
Intelligence: 18
Wisdom: 22
Willpower: 16
Free Points: 0

Please let it be enough…

[Link]
 Chapter Twenty

“Robert!” Drew called out to the man as he approached, both hands bearing
plates piled with roast beef sandwiches and sausages he’d made for the
workers. Drew looked around at the outer wall that was slowly coming
together. It gave him some peace of mind to see given it was midday on day
four, meaning there were two and a half days left now.
“Joseph, what can I do for you?” Robert asked, wiping the sheen of
sweat from his forehead onto his work gloves.
“Brought y’all some food, figured you must be getting hungry,” Drew
said with a smile as he handed both plates to Robert after the man pulled off
his gloves.
“Chow time!” Robert yelled to the men still hard at work behind him.
Robert and Drew walked over to the little work camp the men had
thrown together with a blanket on the ground, some foldable chairs, and a
giant cooler full of chilled drinks.
“Say, Joseph,” Robert began as he set the plates on the cooler and
turned back to Drew as the man’s friends slowly ambled over. “What
exactly is your family planning to do with all this?”
The man gestured to the new manual water pumps over the freshly
drilled wells and the new pond that had been filled with water and fish that
day.
“We’re going the self-sustainable route,” Drew shrugged. It wasn’t a lie,
but Robert clearly didn’t take it as the whole truth either as he raised an
eyebrow.
“Sustainable, huh?” His eyes grew intense. “Joseph, I don’t suppose
you’re familiar with the story of Noah and his Ark?”
Drew internally winced at the man’s question. “Yeah, I was taught it,
and I’ve read about it.”
“God came to Noah and told him that there would be a great storm,
where it would rain for forty days and forty nights, and commanded him to
build a ship. People at the time called him crazy, but those same people
drowned in both God’s rain and their own sins,” Robert said while biting
into a sausage. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard God speak to you?” Robert
asked it conversationally, but the intensity was still there.
Such powerful faith had always made Drew a little uncomfortable. He
knew Robert was a good man – he’d spent his life savings trying to help his
community, after all. But such unwavering faith led people to do things
Drew could never understand. Acts of great nobility, and acts of horrible
terror.
“No. I can’t say I’ve ever heard His voice,” Drew answered honestly,
hoping to avoid furthering the conversation.
“Hmm… Well, someday, you might. He lives within each of us. All you
need to do is open your ears and listen,” Robert said with a serious tone.
Drew didn’t want to get into a religious conversation with the man, so
he decided to stop Robert from going any further before there was any
miscommunication.
“I’m agnostic, Robert. I don’t dismiss the ideals of others, and I believe
there is something out there, but I don’t lean toward the worship of anyone
or anything. Not that there isn’t wisdom to be found in religion or the Bible,
but I usually don’t like to talk about it.” Drew said it firmly yet kept his
tone polite.
“I see,” Robert said as he took another bite. “Well, my door is always
open should you change your mind and wish to know more about the path
of faith.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Robert. Thank you for the offer. I’ll let y’all get
back to work now,” Drew said before turning away and walking back to the
house.
 Whew… crisis averted. He took that better than I thought he would.
Drew paused to reflect on the conversation for a brief moment. Of course,
now that I actually know there are gods and goddesses, I wonder if I’d still
be considered agnostic?
When Drew was back inside, Amber pulled him aside to talk in their
bedroom after Drew grabbed a plate of steak, sausage, and mac ’n cheese.
“What’s up, boo bear?” Drew asked as he started shoveling cheesy
noodles down his gullet.
“I heard back from my sister today,” Amber said in the voice she used
for serious conversations, to which Drew raised an eyebrow.
“Uh huh.” Drew motioned for her to continue as he put a piece of his
steak in his mouth.
“They’re all coming.”
Drew practically choked on the piece of meat he’d just swallowed.
“What?” Drew spluttered, coughing twice to clear his throat.
“She’s bringing the kids and her boyfriend.”
“Why… what did you say to her?” Drew asked, completely blown away
by the news.
So far, no one had had any luck convincing family members to travel
cross-country. He was suspicious of what would motivate his Floridian
sister-in-law to bring her two daughters and a boyfriend all the way to
Oklahoma. Surely Amber hadn’t convinced her of the impending
apocalypse over the phone?
“I told her that we’d bought her a house here, and I offered to pay for
the plane tickets,” Amber said carefully.
“So you lied?” Drew shook his head as he put down his plate on the
nightstand and rubbed his temples.
“You got some sheds, right? They can live in one of those. I just needed
a way to get them here. There’s no way she’d survive on her own.”
“Don’t get me wrong, but I was kind of hoping they’d heed our
warnings and just take care of themselves. We haven’t seen your sister in,
what, five years? And we’ve never met her boyfriend. And now they’re
going to come live in a shed on our property?” Drew asked, needing
clarification to help relieve the headache he felt coming.
“Yup. That’s the gist of it.”
“Well, I’ll look forward to taking care of our nieces at least…” Drew
grumbled.
 The relationship between Amber and her sister, Krystal, had been awful
ever since Drew had met his wife. It had somewhat improved in recent
years though. The tension had mostly come from Krystal being the kind of
party-hard shithead who constantly borrowed money and ‘forgot’ about it,
showed up to family events wasted, and generally lived off the goodwill of
others while offering nothing in return. Drew wasn’t sure much had
changed, but the two had at least reached a bit of a truce.
Amber’s family had always been a point of anger for Drew. Her parents
were straight-up trash who took advantage of other people and disregarded
their own. Drew was somewhat relieved they hadn’t returned Amber’s
warning calls so far. Krystal had always been… unfriendly to Drew, likely
because he’d been vocal about her lazy, parasitic ways.
If Krystal and the others were coming to live on their property, there
would need to be ground rules. Drew wasn’t going to let Amber’s sister
occupy their couch, drinking and complaining, while the world was ending.
He loved his nieces, and he was glad they were coming so they’d be
protected, but he feared Amber’s sister would end up being a giant pain in
his ass.
At this point, anyone Drew couldn’t fully trust to pull their weight was a
potentially life-threatening liability.
“I happy for you, boo bear. I am. But if she’s going to be part of this
with us, she’s got to work,” Drew said firmly as he picked his plate up again
and went back to eating, although with far less enthusiasm. “No ifs, ands, or
buts. If she’s here, she needs to be productive, not sitting around on her ass
pretending she has better things to do.”
“She doesn’t—” Amber began.
“I don’t know if she’s still like that, but either way, it’s money – and
supplies – we don’t have,” Drew said grimly as he made eye contact with
his wife. “Our cards are almost maxed out, I can’t raise the limits anymore,
and our cash is nearly gone. Now we have to pay for one-way, last-minute
plane tickets for four people.”
Drew felt his stress and tension bubble to the surface. He’d planned
their supplies based on, at most, Mark being able to convince his brother to
come. Perhaps it was cynical, but he hadn’t truly believed they’d be able to
convince any out-of-state friends or relations to make the trip. His focus had
been on convincing them to stock up and protect their own homes. This was
unexpected and ratcheted up the pressure a few more notches.
 “But we have seeds and farming equipment…” Amber said hopefully.
“Yes, and plants take time to grow, and I was hoping to go buy some
cattle and more chickens for meat and dairy, but I don’t think we can afford
that any longer. Plus, what happens if shit goes wrong?” Drew asked,
pointing his fork at Amber.
“Wrong?”
“What if there’s a drought? Or what if monsters and beasts tear up the
farm? Or, God forbid, what if our neighbors start knocking on our door
seeking refuge?”
His wife was quiet as she processed what Drew had said. Her brow
furrowed, and the look on her face said she was deep in thought.
“Honestly, I’m glad they’re coming, boo bear. The issue is the cost of
the plane tickets and whether or not Krystal will actually cooperate and be
productive. I’m worried we’ll be risking our lives or out farming and she’ll
be at home ‘keeping an eye on the kids’ with three empty bottles of wine.”
Amber remained silent for a few more moments, then said, “We’ll talk
to her.”
“I’ll leave that in your hands,” Drew said with a shake of his head. “I
have other shit to worry about, and I’ve already been through the whole ‘the
world is ending’ speech twice now.”
“Alright… she is my sister, I guess,” Amber said, sounding slightly
weary already.
“I get it, I really do. But we only have a couple of days left, and we
have to get defenses up, I need more minions, everyone needs levels, and
now I have to go get a bunch of extra supplies.”
Drew chuckled bitterly. Every day seemed to add more to his plate, and
he wasn’t even done with the first helping.

Later that night, everyone went out hunting, including Freya. Everyone
except Drew. Drew was pretty sure that, at his current level, he would need
to kill dozens of animals just for the slim possibility of gaining another
level. Spock confirmed as much when asked. And no way was that going to
happen with all the other things he needed to accomplish.
Some jobs being less appealing than others…
 The shovel parted the grass before sliding into the soil. Using his
strength and the leverage of the angle he was holding it at, Drew hefted the
shovel before dumping the waste off to the side.
I’m pretty sure this is the point in the movie where I should be cackling
all evil-like and swearing my vengeance upon the world, Drew thought as
he hoisted another load of dirt and upturned grass to his right.
Magic is great, magic fixes everything, yet somehow the mage is stuck
out in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere after midnight with a shovel in hand
instead of having some all-powerful magic solution.
Drew had driven himself, under the cover of darkness, to the cemetery
just five miles from his house. The old graveyard stood right outside town
limits, and it was extremely rare for anyone to go there unless there was an
actual funeral happening. Though considering the average age of the three
hundred or so people living in River’s Bend, funerals happened fairly often.
With that in mind, Drew had used his passive Darkvision skill to aid
him in finding graves older than twenty years, hoping that whoever had
been laid to rest at those locations had few visitors. Well, that and they were
less likely to still be decaying. At least, that was what Wikipedia had told
him, and that website had rarely let him down over the years.
There was no shortcut for the manual labor involved, and Drew was
stuck digging six feet down into the earth to retrieve the remains of the
locals who had died. He needed more minions, and he somehow doubted he
could get the coyote, boars, or deer skeletal minions to wield bows or axes.
No, Drew needed human remains.
The plan was to raise human skeletons and position them in the
watchtower deer stands that he’d purchased, hoping the minions would then
stand guard and keep an eye out for all the bad things that went bump in the
night. It wasn’t realistic to expect all three towers to have human guards
stationed at all hours of the day, and honestly, that was what he needed.
Sure, the fences would hopefully deter anything bad from approaching
his home, but anything determined would eventually get through the fence,
and if Drew and his family had no warning ahead of time, it could mean
their deaths. Thus, Drew was stuck out in the cool weather of late February,
in the middle of the night, shoveling away at dirt, clay, rock, and⁠—
Clunk.
The shovel hit something solid, and Drew smiled to himself from inside
the huge hole he’d dug over the course of the last hour and a half.
 Finally…
Drew spent the next five minutes removing enough dirt for him to crack
open the coffin. The smell that hit Drew’s nostrils the moment the lid came
free almost made him vomit. A dead body had decayed inside there with
nothing but stale air for more than a decade, and when the fresh air
surrounding him pushed the old air out, it turned his stomach.
A skeleton lay within the coffin, its skull’s hollow eye sockets staring
straight into Drew’s own eyes while it wore its Sunday best. The man had
been buried and posed in a black suit and a green shirt, both of which had
faded drastically in color over time and in the conditions they’d been
housed in.
Drew threw aside the shovel before stretching his back and cracking his
neck.
It’s go time.
Both of Drew’s hands shot forward as he cast [Raise Dead]. As before,
the bones of the target snapped together, strings of mana weaving between
them as they pulled themselves into place.
Blue light sparked within the hollow sockets before bursting into a
flickering flame that almost seemed to crackle in the dark surroundings.
“Rise, and do my bidding,” Drew commanded the minion.
The new mental thread pulsed, and he felt the minion’s acceptance and
acknowledgment of his command. It rose into the air as if lifted by some
unseen hand before landing on its feet in front of Drew.
The blue flames shifted slightly, and the skeleton’s head slowly turned
to look directly at Drew. He felt a slight chill run from his gut and up his
spine as he looked into the flickering flames. The skull’s jaw clacked twice
as the skeleton opened and closed it in quick succession before cocking its
head, almost in question, while staring at Drew.
Drew felt his heart thud within his chest as he locked gazes with his
newest minion. A primal part of him felt the slightest bit of fear at the
undead in front of him, yet the mental thread that connected him to the
horrifying creature reassured him of his safety.
Drew pushed his concerns aside and let a light smile form.
“Get to work,” Drew ordered the minion before handing it the shovel
and climbing out of the hole.

[Link]
 Chapter Twenty-One

Drew awoke to a frantic blinking in his sleep-addled vision.

He had passed out the previous night after a throbbing headache had
informed him he was getting close to fully expending his mana. His six
newly risen humanoid minions had been sent to join their animal brethren.
After clearing his head enough to see the pulsing and realize what it
was, confusion spread through his mind. His notification icon was blinking.
Still lying in bed, he pulled up the icon, and a wall of text entered his field
of vision.
“What the…” Drew muttered as he scanned its contents. “Oh fuck!”
Drew threw off the covers and scrambled to find pants and a shirt,
completely ignoring the fact that he needed to go to the bathroom. He ran
from his bedroom without checking or taking his phone and bolted into the
kitchen with his shirt half over his head.
“What’s wrong, dear?” Amber asked as she stood up from the kitchen
table, where she’d been eating a sandwich with Freya sitting next to her
begging.
“Minions… attacked…” Drew managed to get out as he pulled the rest
of his shirt over his head.
“What?!”
 “Get a gun – come with me!”
A shotgun in Drew’s hand and a rifle in Amber’s, they ran eastward
across the property toward the trees.
Mark was already gone for the day, and he’d taken Spock with him as
Drew had needed his beauty sleep due to his overuse of mana. Thankfully,
Robert and his crew were putting the fencing up on the west side of the
property today, so they didn’t notice the couple running eastward.
“What happened?” Amber asked as they ran.
“Don’t know, I woke up and saw my notifications blinking at me. I had
a level-up, but something’s killed two of my minions,” Drew said.
He’d pulled on his mental threads with the rest of his undead and found
that they responded to him, but he was definitely missing two threads. The
only question was, what had killed them?
Trees rushed past them as they ran, and they nimbly avoided roots and
leaped over a tiny creek that ran underneath a county road nearby.
“Over here, I found… oh!” Amber yelled from a clearing after twenty
minutes or so.
Drew raced to her side, shotgun in hand and ready for hell or high
water, but as he neared the clearing, his jaw dropped as he saw the scene of
a massacre.
The tall grass lay flat in multiple places, and blood coated the formerly
brown and dried vegetation. Random bits of bone were scattered throughout
the field, in the middle of which lay a heap of dead critters.
As Drew and Amber neared the pile of carcasses, Drew noticed glowing
blue eyes coming from the other side of the trees, yet as he raised his gun in
panic, he felt one of his mental threads tug at the back of his mind ever so
slightly.
“Don’t,” Drew said to his wife as he lowered his gun, though only
slightly. His wife hesitantly lowered hers as well when an undead coyote
meandered out from the tightly packed trees on the opposite side of the
clearing.
“The coyote did this?” Amber asked, keeping her eyes on the undead
walking up to Drew.
Upon seeing Drew relax slightly, the coyote almost seemed to prance
toward him, and at the back of his mind, he felt a small feeling of happiness
radiating from the mental thread. It stopped before Drew and sat on its
haunches while wagging the bones of its tail. It was almost cute, in a very
morbid way.
“Did you do this?” Drew asked, gesturing at the small mountain of
corpses.
Drew felt feelings of acknowledgment and then pride come from the
thread.
“Why?”
Something flickered across his mind. They weren’t words, only small
tidbits of images that flashed behind his eyes. It was… challenging to piece
together what his minion was trying to communicate, but it was almost like
the undead was saying, “Protect pack.”
“Drew, there are a lot of animals in there,” Amber said as she gestured
to the pile of meat, bone, and circling flies. Drew turned his gaze from the
undead canine to the pile of carrion.
“I see that, boo bear.”
“No, you don’t.” Amber shook her head, pointing in turn at various
animal parts. “It killed a herd of hogs here, and those are paws from coyotes
over here, and that is the half-mangled face of a cougar.”
“Whoa… a freaking mountain lion?” Drew shook his head after
glancing at the glassy feline eyes. “They’re pretty rare around here.”
“Yeah, we haven’t seen one since we first moved here. But what the hell
happened here?”
Drew glanced between his wife and the undead coyote.
“It’s hard to tell,” he replied with a shrug. “They don’t communicate
with words or anything. It’s almost like I get a small flood of specific
emotions through my mental connection with them, and for some reason,
this one is much more talkative than its peers.”
Drew gestured toward the coyote, which cocked its head.
“Strange… What did it say?”
“The best translation I could get was it was protecting its pack.”
“What pack? There are dead coyote pieces in that pile,” Amber said
with a finger pointed at a protruding paw and a fuzzy tail sticking straight
up in the air.
“If I had to guess,” Drew said as he cupped his chin with his hand,
“some of the undead pigs or deer were hiding here and something attacked
them. Maybe wild hogs ran in, the undead spooked them, and they charged,
hurting or destroying the minions in the ensuing fight… I guess the coyote
heard or felt them being attacked and came and killed off the rest of the
hogs.”
“…and the mountain lion and coyotes?” Amber asked skeptically.
“Don’t know.” Drew shrugged. “Maybe they were attracted to the smell
and came to get free food?”
“Uh huh… And the pile of… meat?”
“Beats the hell out of me.” Drew shook his head, and they both turned
their gazes back to the undead coyote, which was still wagging its bony tail.
As Amber’s expression softened, Drew groaned. He knew that look.
“I think it deserves a name.”
“A name?” Drew asked.
“It protected its friends and our property. Definitely a good boy who
deserves a treat.”
She looked like she wanted to pet the damn thing.
“Riiiight.” Drew rolled his eyes.
“Yup, and it’s your job to clean up this mess. I’m going back to the
house to finish my sandwich,” Amber said as she turned and started to walk
away.
“Why’s it my job?” Drew called out.
“I’ll deal with my sister, and you deal with the mountain of corpses
before it attracts attention from the neighbors. That’s the deal, dear!”
She raised her hand over her head and waved as she walked back into
the trees.
Drew grumbled to himself for a minute before turning back to the
coyote, which was still wagging its tail as if it expected praise.
“Uh… good job?” Drew tried, and the coyote stopped its wagging for a
moment before getting up and prancing all around.
Ugh… why does it have to do cute things while being all creepy-
looking? Gives me mental whiplash… And how the fuck am I supposed to
clean up all these bodies?

Drew nearly emptied his mana pool cleaning up the mess the undead coyote
had left for him, and due to his depleted mana, he couldn’t raise any
minions from the new pile of bones sitting in front of him.
 On the one hand, Drew was impressed that the coyote had done its job
by protecting his property, but it was extremely frustrating that he’d had to
use his mana to clean up the mess instead of to summon new minions.
Rather than leave the pile of bones so deep in the forest, he sent orders
to his four human skeletons to gather them and bring them closer to his
property line so he could raise them later once his mana was refilled. It
would likely take the undead some time to move everything, but Drew had
other things on his agenda for the day. Plus, what was the point of actually
having minions if he didn’t use them to do the shit he didn’t have the time
to do?
Time was, after all, his most precious commodity, and as every second
ticked by, The System inched ever closer. It was now less than 48 hours
until the end of the world. Images of blood and hulking creatures constantly
tugged at the back of Drew’s mind – before his mental resilience shook
them off.
When Drew made it back to the house, he showered to get the smell of
decomposing bodies off his skin. While he was at it, he addressed the level-
up from his notifications.

Status
Name: Drew Wright
Race: Dhampir (Grade – F) – lvl 2
Class: Caster – lvl 5
Profession: N/A

Health Points (HP): 180/180

Mana Points (MP): 190/190
Stamina: 140/140

Stats (Attributes)
Strength: 20
Vitality: 18
Endurance: 14
Toughness: 15
Agility: 14
Intelligence: 19
Wisdom: 23
Willpower: 17
Free Points: 0

Sticking with his original plan, Drew slotted the two free points he’d
received into vitality, boosting his overall health. His strength had already
reached the target he’d set, and one more level in his class would polish off
vitality, freeing up his extra points for use elsewhere. He might not be able
to cast better at the moment, but he was in the best shape of his life, and his
strength was insane.
Yesterday, he’d taken a moment when unloading the back of the pickup
to physically lift the backend of the truck, just a fraction, using the rear
bumper. Sure, he couldn’t bench press it or anything, but the fact that he
was able to actually lift a full-size American truck at all was nothing short
of amazing. It was, after all, over five thousand pounds in weight. Not that
he’d picked up the entire thing or lifted it very far off the ground… but still.
He was now confident in his ability to use his strength to his advantage.
If a monster or beast attacked him and he couldn’t get a spell off in time, he
could always shove it away or beat it to death. If one of his friends or
family members were injured in battle, Drew would be able to pick them up
and haul ass with them thrown over his shoulder without slowing or
encumbering him much.
Drew had a feeling that if any of the other progenitors had been gamers,
they’d likely be pulled into the trap of min-maxing their stats, thinking that
specialization would grant them enough power to survive. Drew would hate
to see a Caster who’d thrown all their points into intelligence and wisdom
get hit even once by a charging feral hog… and that was before The System
came into play.
At the minimum, they’d have broken bones. Worst case scenario, they
could die… if they were unlucky. But that was against a level 0 feral hog.
Drew knew they wouldn’t stand a chance against anything at level 5.
So… I guess today’s events confirm that I get at least some XP when my
minions kill stuff. I doubt it’s the entire amount, but still, every little bit
helps when monsters are on your doorstep.
Blood was coming, and Drew would protect his own with everything he
had.

[Link]
 Chapter Twenty-Two

The last two days blurred together as they sped by, seemingly becoming one
unbroken span of time rather than separate days.
Drew’s money finally ran dry, and he no longer had the cash on hand to
pay Robert’s crew to continue their work on fencing the property. Thus,
Drew and everyone else threw on their work gloves and went to work
erecting the defenses themselves. Even Drew’s mom pitched in.
Despite the lack of payment, Robert decided to stay and see the project
through, as he claimed Drew had already overpaid him. Drew also
suspected Robert didn’t want to go home to an empty house. He truly felt
bad for the man, but he accepted his help without complaint. He knew what
was coming.
The work was completed with a sort of quiet, frenzied focus. Less than
48 hours remained until the end of the world, and the unknown loomed
large in everyone’s minds. As they worked on the fencing and eventually
moved on to constructing the deer stands as watchtowers, Drew knew each
person was struggling with their own emotions and perceived failures from
the last few days.
Miranda and Mark had been up into the early hours multiple times,
calling friends and family and warning them of the ‘new virus’ and the
social unrest they expected as a result. Their grim faces as they ratcheted
bolts and hauled steel posts had been a testament to their lack of success.
They had done all they could, but Drew knew that guilt and anxiety
were eating away at them. They both knew that some of the most important
people in their lives could, and likely would, die very soon. For the couple,
it was a form of mental and emotional torture.
Miranda had been the first to break. She had explained to her parents
the real story of what was going to happen and begged and pleaded to have
them prepare. Sadly, her explanations were met with concern rather than
belief, and her parents told her that they were contacting the police to
perform a welfare check on her. To get her ‘the help she needed.’ Miranda
had destroyed multiple mesquite trees with her hammer shortly after, tears
running down her face.
Sadly, it was at this point that Drew was forced to take both Mark’s and
Miranda’s phones and destroy them, lest the police track down their current
location. His two friends understood, but it was still a bitter moment for
everyone involved. Drew could only hope that the Dallas police would have
their hands full until The Descent hit Earth.
As for Robert, he’d been very shocked when he finally saw the less-
than-human members of the household. There had been no way Drew could
hide them from him forever, and the necessity of getting work done on the
defenses outweighed any potential risk Robert would pose.
Robert stuck true to his word, however, and let the shock roll off his
shoulders, explaining that he had several older nephews who lived up north
who liked to dress up and go to Renaissance fairs. He said he had no issue
with how people chose to dress, and no matter how outlandish they
appeared, they were ‘all the same in the eyes of God.’
Drew believed Robert, but when he looked into his eyes, he could see
the questions the man was suppressing. He also outright avoided Drew’s
mom, muttering about Satanism and telling Drew he would pray for her.
For Drew, the tension in the air and within his own body felt like a
powder keg, ready to blow at a moment’s notice. Between the dwindling
grains of sand in the hourglass until The Descent hit and the huge amount of
work that needed to be finished before the shit hit the fan, he felt certain
that it was only due to his new Dhampir race that he hadn’t had dozens of
debilitating panic attacks.
 During the night, when Robert was asleep and his family and friends
were out at local folk’s properties hunting to gain levels, Drew went about
his other duties. He handed bows and arrows to the undead human minions,
and after an hour of showing the skeletons how to use the weapons, he left
them to practice with projectiles. The skeletons didn’t have wills of their
own, but they did seem to be capable of learning.
Drew made use of his other undead too. Instead of just keeping them on
the edge of the property to guard things, he decided to take a more proactive
stance, given the quickly shrinking timeline, and began sending them out to
hunt.
The goal in sending the minions out was twofold: Drew wanted to try
and push his levels higher, even though it was unlikely, and he wanted more
corpses to work with to create a larger defensive force for when The System
hit.
Unfortunately, Drew hit a wall in one of those respects. He hit a cap of
some kind with Raise Dead, and when he tried to raise a new minion, an old
one would collapse into a pile of bones.
After talking it over with Spock, he learned his willpower stat was the
reason. There was a hard cap on the number of minions his mind and soul
could handle. This was, without a doubt, a huge kick in the balls, and all of
Drew’s fantasies of leading an army of the undead to reclaim the world
crumbled into dust.
If he wanted to go in that direction, he’d need to start choosing skills
and spells that would help with his minion count, and he’d need to invest
attribute points in willpower. This was something that Drew mentally beat
himself up over because when he’d hit level 5, he’d been given his first
choice of a new skill, and like a dumbass, he hadn’t considered anything to
do with his minions.
Instead, Drew had chosen a skill called Mana Sense.

Mana Sense (Grade – Inferior)

Grants the passive ability to detect mana within close proximity of the
body.

At the time, it had made sense to Drew to invest in an ability that had to
do with his spellcasting. He already had several offensive skills but lacked
any sort of utility that would help him better understand exactly what he
was doing. When Drew cast a spell, he simply made the mental decision to
do so, and The System took over the rest. He could feel the mana moving
throughout his body, but he didn’t understand what it was doing or why.
Part of him could sense that there was more going on than just a spell
being cast. He felt a strange affinity to his spells, as if he had a sixth sense
that whispered that there was more to be understood, more he could do with
his spells, his mana, than simply cast them. After talking with Spock, he’d
learned that some powerful casters could tweak or customize their spells,
but it required a deep understanding of the shape and flow of the mana
used.
Drew hoped that choosing Mana Sense would open new doors down the
road for him. He figured that if he understood how mana worked, there was
a chance he could learn to make his own spells, or at the very least, detect
magic happening nearby that could alert him to potential enemies.
Unlike during the tutorial, the skill selections available to him when
he’d hit level 5 hadn’t been an unending list of possibilities. Drew had been
given three choices: Dodge, Sword Proficiency, and Mana Sense. Dodge
had sounded useful, but it was a passive skill that increased his ability to
learn how to dodge. Drew had skipped over the sword skill entirely. He was
a Caster. Why would he need to know frontline combat skills?
Which had left Mana Sense.
It was only later that Drew learned from Spock that he could have
stored his new ability slot and picked it later when additional options
opened up, options like increasing his minion cap or making his minions
stronger.
All in all, Drew felt he’d made the best decision he could have made
given the information he’d had at the time, but that didn’t prevent him from
beating himself up over it. It was an honest mistake, but still a mistake that
could cost him.
Early in the morning on the final day, Drew found himself casting
frantically in the middle of a clearing as his minions went on a rampage,
slaughtering the local animal population. His time was up, with only a
single night standing between him and the end of the world. He was
fighting for every speck of experience he could before all hell broke loose.
A ragged coyote leaped at him, bleeding from multiple places from
having fought through Drew’s horde of minions. Drew raised a hand and
felt his mana pulse as a bolt of energy shattered the beast’s skull.
 Next, he reached out and fired a screaming skull into a knot of fighting,
sending canine limbs flying in all directions, and when the ethereal flames
cleared, his coyote, still yet to be named, emerged unscathed.
Drew couldn’t help but chuckle. Despite everything, he felt powerful.
His powers were strange, but they also felt right. Natural. As his skeletal
boars finished off the remains of the pack, Drew received a notification.
He’d been happy to hit level 6 in his class and level 3 in his race, but
now he found his hunter title had upgraded. Apparently, he’d killed his
seventy-fifth animal, causing his notifications to light up like a Christmas
tree. Drew suddenly found himself sitting on a fat stack of free points to
use, twelve just from the title upgrade.
It was a small silver lining to an otherwise dire situation. He quickly
slotted in the free points, using them to round out his physical attributes,
before throwing the last one into intelligence. It was a tough choice, the first
free point he’d allocated to his class rather than beefing up his survivability.
He really wanted to go with willpower to add an additional minion to his
undead militia, but he found himself coming back to the flexibility that
extra mana points would give him.
The idea that ultimately won Drew over was that he could use the extra
mana to power additional spells in combat to support his allies and minions,
throwing out more destructive or corruptive effects. But if he ran out of
mana in combat and his guns didn’t work, he’d be stuck using one of the
axes or machetes as a backup weapon. He’d do it, of course – he’d do
anything to survive – but the point was not to run out of mana in the first
place.
Having made his choice, Drew pulled up his status for what would
likely be the last time before The System hit. He shivered at the thought. He
had no idea if they were ready. He’d done all he could, but the stats he saw
were all that might stand between his family and certain death.

Status
Name: Drew Wright
Race: Dhampir (Grade – F) – lvl 3
Class: Caster – lvl 6
Profession: N/A

Health Points (HP): 200/200

Mana Points (MP): 210/210
Stamina: 200/200

Stats (Attributes)
Strength: 21
Vitality: 20
Endurance: 20
Toughness: 20
Agility: 20
Perception: 21
Intelligence: 21
Wisdom: 24
Willpower: 20
Free Points: 0

Drew stood up in the clearing, flexing his hands back and forth as the
last vestiges of energy coursed through his body from the level-up. He was
officially either at or past the pinnacle of human bodily accomplishment in
every single stat. He wasn’t Superman, at least not yet, but maybe he was
like a weaker version of Captain America.
If Drew had said he felt powerful, it would have been a vast
understatement. Not only could he process multiple strings of thought now,
but the speed with which he processed them had drastically increased as
well. He felt like his muscles were coiled tightly, ready to spring into action
at any moment.
His senses were far sharper as well; he could smell dead animals that his
minions had killed on the wind, whoever knew how far away, and he could
distinguish that smell from the others nearby as well.
Relishing in his sense of accomplishment despite the dread, Drew ran
through the forested area, his legs pushing hard against the ground as he
rocketed past the sights that started to blur. He leaped over the ravine of a
sizable creek and jumped up onto a low-hanging branch of a tall tree,
landing nearly perfectly.
He was a linebacker, a gymnast, and an ice skater all thrown together as
one. Drew soaked in the feeling of supreme power running through his
veins as he used the woods as an obstacle course to test the limits of what
he was capable of.
Maybe, just maybe, they’d be alright.

[Link]
 Chapter Twenty-Three

Shortly after Drew returned from his final hunt that morning, Amber’s
sister, Krystal, and her two daughters and her boyfriend showed up. After
going through the same process of convincing them that Drew had with
everyone else, Amber took them to get settled in one of the new large
livable sheds that had been delivered to the property.
His nieces were over the moon with the fact that magic was real. Like
other kids their age would likely have believed, the two girls now thought
they’d be getting magical letters delivered to them by flying animals
inviting them to attend a new school.
Drew really wanted to protect that innocence and hoped he could
insulate his nieces from the likely harsh reality heading their way. Drew
couldn’t tell what Amber’s sister was thinking throughout the revelation,
but her boyfriend-thing, Cody, seemed interested in the idea of pursuing a
crafting profession of some kind. He was a decent sort but quiet and clearly
uncomfortable in groups, so Drew could see the man leaning toward a non-
combat role and focusing on something that brought him joy.
If the group had arrived earlier in the week, perhaps Drew would have
found himself worrying more about them and their choices, but with The
Descent only hours away, his only thoughts were focused on doing as much
as he was physically capable of doing in a short amount of time.
As soon as he handed his sister-in-law and her family their new home,
Drew made himself scarce and made his way to the last defensive wall
everyone had been working on. He didn’t delay as he started mixing
concrete and laying down the first cinderblocks of the day for their last line
of defense, the fallback position that wrapped around the house alone.
“Joseph,” Robert said, greeting Drew as he walked up to join in just two
hours after sunrise.
“Mornin’ Robert,” Drew said without taking his eyes off the
cinderblock he was layering with the concrete mix.
Robert joined Drew in working on the wall as the rest of the household
went about their early morning rituals, likely for the last time in the
foreseeable future.
“Everyone’s very tense today. Can’t say I don’t feel the sense of anxiety
in the air,” Robert said before pausing for a moment. “There’s somethin’
strange happening here, isn’t there?” Robert asked after a long silence had
stretched between the two men.
“Yes,” Drew said honestly, without removing his concentration from the
wall.
“I may be an old man, but I’ve been seeing some things that aren’t…
normal. Far be it from me to judge others, but I have to ask… do you
believe we’re in danger? From more than just this ‘virus’ you keep
mentioning?”
This time, Drew did turn and locked gazes with the man. In less than
twenty-four hours, shit would hit the fan, and Robert, along with the rest of
the world, would know something was up.
Drew had internally warred with himself over warning people, helping
other folks survive… but after Miranda’s parents’ reaction to the truth, he
was cautious of telling anyone anything. It was just too much of a risk to his
family and friends. They’d spread the ‘virus’ story far and wide, but doing
any more would be dangerous.
At the same time, Robert had been through a lot. Yet despite all the
hardships, he still believed in the basic goodness of ‘God’s children.’ He’d
helped Drew even after the money ran out, and Drew knew part of that was
simply the man’s innate desire to help. He held to his faith so strongly that
he’d never even spoken an unkind word about the bastards who had
wronged him.
He was a good man, and he deserved the truth. Even so, Drew decided
to keep his cards close to his chest.
“We are in danger, yes,” Drew nodded before returning to his work.
“I see,” Robert said after a minute. “Did you know that I’m a veteran,
Joseph?”
“Yes…” Drew responded hesitantly, not knowing where the man was
going.
“I’ve seen that look in your eyes before. In others. The determination,
the strength of will, yet also all the tension and stress that hides beneath the
outer layer. My friends, my fellow soldiers, even me… it’s not something
you see in civilians.” Robert shook his head heavily. “It’s the look of
someone who knows something terrible is coming but who’s pushing past
their own fear to protect what’s dear to them.”
Robert let his words hang in the air, and Drew didn’t respond. Inwardly,
Drew was shocked that Robert had been able to read him so easily, but he
stuck to his plan and relied on his poker face to not reveal his true feelings.
Robert sighed loudly before picking up a cinderblock and placing it on
the prepared concrete.
“You’re not going to tell me what’s happening, are you? Doing all
this”—Robert gestured with his free hand toward the wall, the fence, the
pond, and the sheds behind the house—“isn’t normal, Joseph. Not in the
timeframe you gave me, and for you and everyone else here to be joining
me in doing the actual work now that the money’s run out? Well, I know
desperation when I see it. I guess what I’m saying is that I’d just appreciate
it if you treated me with a little more respect. I’m not an idiot, and I won’t
judge your reasons for doing all this.”
Drew paused before laying down the next block and turned to look
Robert squarely in the eyes.
“I respect you, Robert. More than you know,” Drew said while holding
the heavy block perfectly still. “Do you remember when we talked about
Noah’s Ark?”
“Yes.” The man’s expression was solemn, almost reverent.
“Do you remember what the people thought about Noah’s project, how
they reacted?”
“I do, yes.”
 “Well, imagine this. What if Noah had irrefutable proof of what he said?
What if Noah had a sample of God’s own power and was able to wield it as
if it were his own?”
Drew finally put the cinderblock down, his strengthened muscles
untiring even after holding it still for so long. He left Robert to mull over
the questions as they continued to work on the wall, and after a solid thirty
minutes or so, Robert finally spoke again.
“Am I to assume that your next hypothetical question would involve the
exact same scenario but the events taking place during modern times?”
“Yes,” Drew answered, unceasing in his work.
“Then it wouldn’t be just God’s incoming wrath and Noah’s duty that
put him in danger but the very world itself and their judgment, their fear of
the unknown – of Noah himself. Governments and churches would seek to
understand that power or dismiss him as a heretic and… ah, I see,” Robert
said as he set a block down before stepping away from the wall.
“Yes, you see.”
“Show me this power God has gifted you, Joseph. Nothing will change
between us, and I will continue to help out here as long as I can. I will not
endanger you or any of your family. You have my word.”
Drew stopped leveling the cement on the layer he was working on and
turned to Robert, seriously giving thought to the man’s request. It was one
thing to show Mark and Miranda, or hell, even his sister-in-law, but this
man didn’t share their blood or family ties. Still, Robert had proven
dependable and trustworthy – at least enough to take the risk on the last day.
“I’ll agree, but on one condition,” Drew said firmly.
“What is the condition?”
“You hand over your cellphone and car keys for the day and agree not to
leave the property until tomorrow morning, regardless of what you see or
what happens. The judgment you mentioned? I can’t risk you bringing it
down on me, but after tomorrow, it won’t matter,” Drew said. He was
extending an olive branch to the man, but he still needed to do everything
he could to protect his family.
Robert didn’t immediately respond and instead thought it over for a
minute or two before replying.
“It’s coming within the next twenty-four hours?”
“Yes, but sadly, it’s far worse than forty days of rain,” Drew replied in a
dour tone that spoke to the seriousness of the situation.
 “Alright,” Robert said, shuffling through his pockets to fish out his keys
and phone. “You’ve treated me well, offered me a place to stay despite my
situation, and have asked nothing of me that makes me question your
trustworthiness.” He handed his items out to Drew.
“I’m surprised you agreed,” Drew said, taking the items.
“I may end up questioning that choice tomorrow, but my gut is telling
me to trust you and yours,” Robert said with a shrug. “I figure that may well
mean God is guiding me today.”
Drew considered the man for a moment, weighing his words before
sighing.
“Suit yourself, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…” Drew said before
activating his spatial storage.
A small tear in the fabric of space and time opened next to Drew’s hand,
and using his will, Drew shoved Robert’s belongings into the tear and
deposited them there before retracting his hand, completely item-free. The
tear quickly sealed itself and evaporated into nothing.
Drew turned his head to see Robert’s eyebrows raised, but the shocked
expression he’d been expecting was otherwise absent.
“I hope that’s not the example of God’s power you mentioned,” Robert
said seriously.
“It is and isn’t. It’s more like the free drink you get for paying for the
buffet. Come on, it’s time for you to pick out some trees,” Drew said with a
grim smile. “Oh, and the name’s not Joseph… It’s Drew.”

[Link]
 Chapter Twenty-Four

Drew was blowing on a steaming cup of hot chocolate to calm his nerves as
the final hours ticked away when a bespectacled Imp wandered into the
kitchen and coughed. The surprise of the situation sent the near-boiling
drink through his nose.
“Alright, boss man, we’re done here,” the little Imp said, looking at
Drew while Robert, Spock, and Drew’s mom all stared at the strange thing
over their own beverages.
“Honestly, I kinda forgot y’all were even around,” Drew said as he tried
to remember if he’d seen any of the two-foot-tall Imps recently. “I haven’t
seen any of you in several days, so I figured you’d already left.”
“We’re very, very sneaky, sir,” the demon said with an impish grin, its
mouth full of pointed fangs.
“Righttt… that’s unsettling.” Drew shuddered as he thought about the
imps watching him sleep. “So, what happens now?” he asked, trying to
forget the previous thought.
“I’d estimate that we’ve managed to collect ninety-eight percent of all
information available on your networks, and the volume of content was far
higher than we expected. The Barons are very pleased, both with the
volume and the quality of what they’ve seen. This will provide untold
profits to our realm for many, many centuries,” the Imp said joyfully, nearly
singing the words. Greed was, apparently, multiversal.
“So, we’re getting something really good in return?” Drew asked,
hoping for a more direct answer rather than the vagueness he’d received so
far.
“Indeed.” The Imp nodded happily. “The Demonic TV set being
provided to your mother will be the latest and greatest of our
MagiTeknological advances. It will also include every channel and all the
content we offer for free. Not only that, but it is transferable upon death to
the owner’s next of kin,” the little demon said as if delivering a sales pitch.
“Uh… okay, and that’s good, right?”
Drew didn’t really feel like this was a good deal at all.
At least my stubborn ass mom will have her stupid TV set. Although…
didn’t the Imp say she would receive one percent of the profitable proceeds?
Does that mean she’ll be rich somehow?
“Of course!” the Imp scoffed. “Transferable Demonic TVs, with
unlimited content, for as long as a bloodline persists, are something only
royalty or the insanely wealthy are granted the right to, and they pay out the
Hellhole to have it. Your family is receiving it for free,” the Imp explained
with growing agitation.
“I guess our values are just different then. Almost every family here
owns a TV, and although the monthly payments can be high, they’re still
relatively affordable for most in our country.”
“Demons and television… My grandmother was right…” Robert
muttered under his breath while glaring daggers at the Imp.
“It’s a very lucrative contract, one that The Barons take very seriously,
and this will be reflected in the permanent summon your mother is being
granted. Oh, speaking of which…”
The Imp paused and looked over its shoulder as a tear in reality cracked
through the air like a piece of paper being cut in half. The tear then ripped
open, and the sound of static filled the room as it did so.
The ground shook slightly as a lumbering giant of a Demon stepped out
from the portal, its head ducked low as it was a foot too tall for the seven-
foot tear in reality. It was a giant among men, purple skin peeking through
several gaps in the thick black plate armor adorning its body. Atop its head
sat two enormous horns that jutted forward and then up toward the ceiling.
Upon its back was a sword longer than Drew was tall.
 Drew was very, very certain that he did not want to piss this Demon off.
He’d be squashed like an insect in the blink of an eye. If his original undead
had scared him to the point of making him want to turn and run in terror,
the Demon instead froze him in place, and it took all of Drew’s
considerable willpower to even move his mouth to ask a question.
“Uh… friend of yours?” Drew asked the Imp by his feet, his gaze still
locked on the large being in front of him.
“Friend? No, this one is unworthy of being such an acquaintance,” the
Imp said weakly. It seemed Drew wasn’t the only one who feared this
armored Demon. “This is your mother’s new summon, or more specifically,
her permanent ally.”
The tall Demon slowly turned its head toward Drew’s mother, eyeing
her in judgment.
“This one presents himself to the Mistress.”
A low, rumbling voice that sounded like a mountain moving came out
from the creature as it lightly bowed its head before Drew’s mom.
Holy hell, this day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.
“Mary and Joseph…” Robert managed to croak out before taking two
very large steps backward. Drew didn’t blame him.
“Oh my…” his mom said with a soft exhale. “Well, it’s always good to
have a big strapping man around the house, especially at my age.”
“I’m standing right here, Mom,” Drew said under his breath.
“Yes, Drew, and so is our new, much beefier friend,” she retorted
nonchalantly.
“Anywaysss… introductions are over, and now me and the crew will be
leaving,” the Imp hissed, barely above a whisper, as it started to back away.
“Great…” Drew said while massaging his temples.
“They’re literal Demons, Drew. Duplicity should have been expected,”
Robert called out bravely from twenty feet away with the kitchen island
between him and everyone else.
“There has been no duplicity, mortal,” the giant hulking mass of demon
spat.
Robert ducked behind the counter slightly.
“Alright, first off, can you explain why you’re so different from the
other Demons?” Drew asked.
“This one is of the warrior caste,” the behemoth explained. “We are
raised and trained for combat prowess from the time we are spawn and
larva. The powers that be demanded an equable trade for the quality of
content the Mistress has provided. This one was sent to uphold our end of
the contract.”
“Okay… so other than being big and stompy, what do you bring to the
table?”
“Stompy?” The massive being tilted its head slightly and let out a low
rumble that seemed to be a form of a chuckle. “Physical prowess in all
things, martial might, and a thorough understanding of The System and its
basics as applicable to the emergency integration of your planet,” the
Demon said without a hint of pride. He was simply stating facts.
“Well, we’ve got a former System Guide already, but I won’t turn down
another pair of hands, especially with what’s coming,” Drew said as he
rubbed the back of his head. “What’s your name?”
“This one is nameless; warrior caste members are only given a title after
accruing great accomplishments on the field of battle,” the Demon
answered.
“I’ll call him Beefcake,” Drew’s mom said with a wink and a smile at
the Demon that Drew didn’t like one bit.
“Beefcake?” Robert whispered from across the room, yet the sound still
carried.
“Is this a strong name?” the Demon asked earnestly, and Drew let out a
loud laugh that cut through his personal tension.
“Yes, it’s the strongest name. You’re built like a mountain; few names
would be as apt,” Drew answered with a nod, still chuckling. While the fact
that his mom had suggested it made Drew uncomfortable, it was a good
name for the lumbering giant.
“So be it. This one will be called… Beefcake,” the Demon said as it
bowed its head lightly in Drew’s mom’s direction.

[Link]
 Chapter Twenty-Five

The wall had been built, the last line of defense was finished with less than
seven hours to spare. It needed time for the concrete to dry and cure, but
Drew was happy that they’d managed to accomplish everything they
wanted to. It had been an unrealistic timeline, and it had cost both Drew’s
and Mark’s families every single dollar they had, including multiple credit
cards and loans, but it was done.
The property was in the best shape it could be, thanks in large part to
everyone’s increased endurance, and the additional free time due to needing
less sleep. They’d transformed the property into a defensive compound with
additional living quarters, not to mention drilling manual water pumps and
adding a fully stocked pond to enrich their diets with fresh fish.
Neither family had had enough money to purchase cattle, which was
unfortunate, but there were plenty in the area. Drew wouldn’t mind
snagging a couple here and there after The System hit to supplement their
food supplies further. Outside of some kind of rain or water recycling, they
were as self-sufficient as was possible, given the circumstances; they just
needed to get a farm up and running soon, and they’d be set.
Drew buttoned up a black collared shirt with light gold and gray
pinstripes running down its length. To celebrate the success, and to take
advantage of the last few free hours of peace, Drew was going to have a
small date night with Amber.
Before the world ended.
It seemed only right to spend what might be his last night on Earth with
the woman he loved.
It wasn’t anything super fancy, but he was going to dress up and cook
for her. Leaving the house hours before The System hit didn’t seem like a
good idea and would be begging for something bad to happen, so he’d
decided to stay home and do a candle-lit dinner for the two of them.
The stove crackled to life as Drew ignited the flames of the burners,
preparing to engage in what most Americans would consider sacrilege. He
didn’t care, though. If he was going to cook a steak dinner for the two of
them, he’d pull out all the stops, even if that meant using some French-style
cooking techniques he’d learned from binge-watching a cooking show a
year or two ago.
Drew melted a large portion of unsalted butter and then skimmed the
milk fat off the top, leaving a pure and pristine golden ghee. The key to
cooking with butter at high heat was to use ghee, as it had a higher boiling
point. He let the two moderately sized, eight-ounce fillets marinate in local
honey for a solid thirty minutes before coating them with the rich ghee and
putting them on a medium-high heat on the stove.
Honey interacted with raw beef by activating enzymes that allowed the
meat to tenderize on a chemical level. It was the key to making an already
juicy filet mignon turn into something that melted in the mouth. The ghee
itself locked in the juice of the meat, coating the meat in a layer of fat that
wouldn’t burn off until after it hit over six hundred degrees, which he didn’t
plan to allow to happen.
While the meat was cooking, Drew went to work caramelizing some
finely diced onions and then filled his fryer with peanut oil to prep for some
curly seasoned fries.
When Drew finally finished his work, he plated everything and brought
it to Amber in the dining room before taking his place next to her at the
head of the table.
“This smells sooo good!” Amber practically drooled.
“Wait until you try it,” Drew said with a slight smile.
The meat was everything Drew had wanted and more. The moment the
first bite hit his tongue, it began to fall apart, physically melting in his
mouth as all the rich flavors of the beef rolled over his tongue. He wasn’t a
chef or anything, but Drew was a damn good cook, as evidenced by the low
moans his wife let out as she dug into her fillet. He didn’t blame her; it was
a damn good meal.
Finally, the two of them slumped back in their chairs to let their food
digest.
“That was amazing…” Amber said as she let out a belch.
“Yeah, it turned out better than I expected.”
“New recipe?”
“I guess? I’ve been wanting to try it for a while and figured today was
the day to do it.
“Yeah…” she replied softly.
They fell into silence as they each considered what lay beyond The
Descent. When was the next time they would have a date night? Or the next
time they would sit together in an airconditioned room? It was difficult to
process all the thoughts and what-if scenarios.
“I have an idea…” Amber said suddenly, breaking the quiet. Drew
looked up from his thoughts and found his wife wagging her eyebrows
while sporting a seductive smile.
“Oh yeah? Tell me about this idea,” Drew replied coyly.
“Get your ass over here. Now,” Amber demanded. “It’s time to take a
test drive.”

Spock delicately thumbed the page of the text he’d been studying, an
informational compendium of mythological gods and heroes from the
ancient civilizations of Earth, Spock’s new home. It was a strange concept
to him, home, as he’d never expected to have one. He’d been born almost a
week ago to the day, and he was supposed to have died minutes later. His
entire purpose had been to facilitate communication with the human known
as Drew Wright.
Spock sighed, a habit he’d recently picked up, and carefully closed the
marvelous book of ancient history and knowledge as he set it down on his
guest bed. In the days since Mark and Miranda Kobinah had received their
new housing, Spock had been given his own quarters at the Wright
residence, and he found that he enjoyed his privacy because it gave him a
chance to absorb the latent knowledge of his new home.
Home. A truly wonderful word.
In truth, Spock was lost. His reality had been shattered when Drew
Wright had saved him and offered him a place on Earth. Where did Spock
belong? What was his purpose? These were questions he had struggled with
over the last week, and even while so many other things kept him busy,
those thoughts still lingered at the back of his mind.
The only thing Spock was certain of was his appreciation for the time
given to him by Drew Wright, his first friend. While the questions of his
place and purpose still caused troubling thoughts, he had come to one
conclusion that firmed his newly formed will. Spock would protect his new
home and his new friends. He would make himself useful.
Having been grown and generated by The System, Spock knew the type
of horrors that were coming better than anyone on this planet. He knew the
threat that they posed, and he also knew it was an unfortunate side-effect of
The System intervening in saving the planet from certain doom. The System
rarely integrated worlds so far from its boundaries and only ever did so to
prevent the inescapable extinction of sapient races.
Usually, The System targeted star systems that already had mana, or
were far enough along technologically to withstand integration, for natural
assimilation, as they were better prepared to withstand the onslaught that
followed. There was a reason The System didn’t rush to integrate planets
and civilizations outside those parameters. There was a major difference in
the threat posed to a population of a new naturally integrated world and one
that was flooded with mana in an extremely short amount of time.
There was no adjustment period for the latter, no gradual spawning of
monsters or mutating of animals into beasts. No, it was The System that
held the floodgates closed until the last possible moment, and when it was
forced to act, those waters would be released as a catastrophic flood.
Spock was well aware that he didn’t know everything about The
System, as he’d only been given information The System deemed necessary
or useful for him to help the progenitors, but he knew one thing. The
survival rate for an emergency integration was less than five percent – and
that wasn’t in population terms. That was the survival rate of planets
hosting sapient life that were integrated by necessity. The sapient life forms
of over ninety-five percent of all worlds like Earth had gone extinct.
 The odds were not in Earth’s favor.
Spock still held hope, however. In his short time on the planet, he’d
learned that humanity was, if nothing else, adaptive and had an almost
natural tendency toward violence. At least, that was what Spock had taken
from the many books and sources of information he’d found online.
The rumbling of Spock’s stomach broke him out of his introspective
analysis, and as he’d learned early on, that biological function
communicated that his body required sustenance. A necessary and mostly
enjoyable function, excluding the eventual… end result.
The man climbed off his bed and gently cracked open his bedroom door,
remaining silent and listening to make sure he wouldn’t interrupt the
Wrights’ ‘date night,’ whatever that meant. Hearing nothing, Spock crept
down the hall into the kitchen and was about to rummage around for
something to fill the void known as his stomach when he noticed a paper
plate covered with shiny metallic film on the counter of the island.
Interested in the strange sight, Spock peeled back the layer of metallic
film, and a sweet aroma hit his nose. Beneath the metal and upon the plate
were circular brown objects speckled with a darker, richer color of the same
type. The smell that invaded his nostrils made Spock’s mouth begin to form
liquid, and his stomach rumbled with an increased urgency previously
unknown to him.
He wasn’t sure why, but Spock found himself peering left to right to
check if anyone was watching, and when no visual cues caused him to stop,
he picked up one of the disks, brought it to his mouth, and bit lightly into it.
Spock’s eyes widened as a semi-sweet gooey richness seemed to bleed
from the disk and rolled around his tongue. The man lost himself in the
moment, and all sense of control left him as he began shamelessly grabbing
one disk after another, gorging himself on what he could manage to shovel
into his gullet.
Before he could process what had happened, Spock was looking down
at an empty plate, only small specks of the sweet disks remaining. It was as
he stared down at that emptiness that Spock felt a large and very
uncomfortable sensation emerge from the pit of his being. Guilt. He had
eaten every last sweet disk and saved none for his precious friends, and now
none of them would share in the same enjoyment he had just experienced.
Selfish, he felt so incredibly selfish. With the plate in hand and his head
hung low, he walked over to the Wrights’ bedroom door, preparing to knock
and confess this most unforgivable sin. But just as he reached their door
with one hand raised to announce his presence, his perception picked up the
sounds of anger and agony from the other side.
“Ahhh! Just like that! Rearrange my fucking guts, witch-boy!” the voice
of Amber Wright called out with what appeared to be anger.
Wide-eyed and shocked at the thought of a potential threat within the
house itself, Spock knocked with enough force to ensure he’d be heard over
the possible combat.
“Mrs. Wright, you sound distressed – are you under imminent threat?”
Spock managed to splutter out in a panic.
He had already dropped the paper plate, his other hand halfway through
the spatial tear into his inventory to grab his weapon before two voices
bellowed out in unison.
“GO AWAY, SPOCK!”
“Do you require aid? It sounds as if a beast has entered your quarters!”
Spock yelled in reply, his sword, which he’d swiftly retrieved from his
inventory, now firmly in hand as he prepared to burst through the door and
save his friends.
“We’re fine, go away!” Drew Wright called out in a tone that brooked
no argument.
When Spock picked up the slightest hint of muffled laughter coming
from the other side of the door, the tension left him. He had misunderstood
something, though he had no idea what. If his friends were laughing, they
were surely okay.
So, with much confusion, and all guilt totally forgotten, Spock returned
his weapon to his inventory and walked back to his room to research what
people did behind closed doors that resulted in agony and then laughter.
The world was truly a strange place, but it was his new home, and he
would protect it.

[Link]
 Chapter Twenty-Six

Drew lay awake.

It was supposed to be his shift to get some sleep, but every time he
closed his eyes, he found his mind racing, mentally checking and re-
checking their preparations.
The defenses were set, Drew had placed human skeletons in each
watchtower to keep vigil over the property, and he’d set up all his animal
undead in the heavily forested section of land directly east of his house.
The east was the only direction from which a foe could potentially
approach undetected; his skeletons had a clear line of sight in all other
directions. But with his animals patrolling the forest, they would spot any
intruders trying to sneak up on them even before the minions in the
watchtowers.
Given that each minion had a direct mental connection to Drew, it was
the best alarm system that they could have put into place. Drew’s family
and friends had all prepared to the best of their ability, and if there was any
room for improvement, he had a feeling that they’d find out soon enough.
Midnight. It’s got to be midnight, right? That’ll be the end of the seven
days – along with the end of the world.
 Except as midnight rolled around and nothing happened, the tension
continued to build. The System was supposed to arrive, but it didn’t.
Spock hadn’t been given an exact time, so they’d all assumed it would
come at midnight. No one knew for sure, though. Beefcake’s exact words
had been, “It’ll come when it comes.” That sage bit of advice did nothing to
calm everyone’s blistering nerves.
Despite the increasing anxiety, Drew knew he should try to sleep. That
was exactly why a sleep rotation had been set up: so that everyone would
get as much rest as they could without everyone ever being asleep at once.
Fat chance of that happening, Drew grumbled to himself.
Still, he could at least be comfortable, so he took off the tactical gear
he’d been wearing and stored it in his inventory before rolling onto his side
in the bed next to his wife. If not midnight, Drew’s next best bet was that
The System would arrive at dawn. Either way, there was no chance he was
getting any sleep tonight, even with the calming effect his Dhampir race
had with mental stress. He just couldn’t get past the idea that something
terrible was coming.
Regardless, he would at least try to rest. Minutes passed, then hours.
Anxiety churned in Drew’s gut, more than he’d ever felt since undergoing
the tutorial. It still paled in comparison to the attacks he’d once had, but it
left him nauseous and uneasy. Time passed at a crawl…
“It’s happening,” Amber suddenly said in a low but urgent voice.
“Check your notifications.”
Drew blinked as he processed his wife’s words, then brought up the
flashing icon from the lower right corner of his vision.

System Initializing…
System Initialization Complete
Integration Protocol Initializing…
Integration Initialization Complete
Please Stand By…

Drew felt a sudden shift roll through his entire being, and the world
seemed to blur as if everything around him was duplicating. For a brief
moment, it almost looked as if he had twenty fingers spread across four
hands.
 Then, just as abruptly as the shift had started, it ended, and his senses
returned to normal. At the same moment, Drew noticed a new paragraph of
text hovering in front of him.

Welcome to the Multiverse.

Your planet, Earth, was on a collision course with a large local gamma-
ray burst. The resulting collision would have caused a planet-wide
extinction-level event. Your species would not have survived. In
accordance with the Emergency Integration Protocol, The System has
intervened on your species’ behalf to prevent this collision from
occurring. Please note the seasons and weather may have been affected
as The System moved your planet further along the orbital path of your
parent star.
Earth is now Integrated into The System. Please note many planet-wide
changes will now occur due to the adverse side effects of the Emergency
Integration. The infusion of mana will cause the rapid mutation of
native wildlife, and the coalescing of mana will form dangerous and
feral mana-based lifeforms. These are serious threats to your life.
To ensure the greatest chance of your species’ survival, these threats
will be artificially limited for a period of 45 days, at which point all
System restraints will be removed. Even with restraints in place, you
should expect danger.
After closing this message, you will be given the opportunity to select a
starting combat class. It is recommended that each individual sapient
allocates considerable time to gaining experience while using this class,
as it will bring untold benefits and significantly increase your chances
of survival.

“What’s a gamma-ray burst?” Amber asked, pulling Drew’s attention

away from rereading the message.
“It’s a massive burst of radiation that can come from various sources,”
Drew explained. “If The System really did remove us from the trajectory of
being hit by it, it probably did save our lives.”
Amber nodded, and the atmosphere remained silent for a long moment.
“Nothing seems to be happening…” Amber said after a while. “Is it
wrong that I expected fire and brimstone raining from the sky?”
 “Maybe it has something to do with those restraints The System
mentioned, but we’d better ask Spock,” Drew mused before getting up and
heading toward the guest bedroom, followed by Amber.
“One moment, please,” Spock’s voice called out after Drew knocked on
the door.
Drew began to zone out as he waited for Spock to open the door, his
mind replaying the message notification from The System. He was deep in
thought over the power The System must have to physically move an entire
planet and shift it further down its orbital path, but his thoughts were
interrupted as something crossed his field of vision.
At first, Drew thought it was a floater, the fuzzy little splotches of light
and shadow that normally appeared when one zoned out for too long. But it
wasn’t a floater at all because as Drew focused upon it, the faint string of
ethereal blue-white light clarified further, rather than fading away. It
seemed to hang in the air, floating and moving with a non-existent breeze.
The string was soon joined by a second, and Drew was just about to say
something when Spock’s door opened. He was holding a candle for some
reason.
“Mr. and Mrs. Wright, what can I do for you?”
“Have you checked your notifications?” Amber asked.
Drew tried to pay attention to the conversation, but his eyes kept
drifting to the little strings that now seemed to fill a portion of his vision.
They were joined by another, and then another, until several were just
hanging in mid-air despite Drew purposely changing the direction he was
looking in.
“Indeed I have, Mrs. Wright,” Spock nodded.
“Well, we have a… Dear, are you okay?” Amber asked, looking at Drew
as his head turned rapidly from side to side.
“Uh… y’all don’t happen to see anything… strange?” Drew asked
cautiously, continuing to turn around.
“No…” Amber replied with concern.
“What strangeness are you observing, Drew Wright?” Spock asked,
showing a small amount of concern himself.
“Strings… really faint white strings with a blue haze surrounding them.
They’re just… floating. Everywhere. Moving around like they’re being
blown by a light wind,” Drew answered, growing even more concerned
now as no one else seemed to be able to see them.
 “Uhh…” Amber started to say.
“Mana,” Spock interrupted.
“Excuse me?” Amber asked.
“He’s viewing the sudden natural infusion of mana within the world,”
Spock said. He seemed to relax slightly as his shoulders slumped forward
and he breathed out a small sigh of relief. “It’s perfectly normal considering
his racial heritage.”
Drew turned to look directly at Spock, trying to ignore the increasingly
numerous strings that were growing more numerous. “What do you mean?”
“You chose an Elven background for your Dhampir race. That heritage
is naturally sensitive to mana, not to mention being well-renowned mages
and spellweavers.”
“Well, how do I make it stop? It’s incredibly distracting, and more of
the things keep showing up.”
But as soon as Drew finished speaking, the strings all abruptly vanished,
causing Drew no small amount of shock.
“I see that you figured it out, Drew Wright.” Spock smiled. “I hope I
answered your question in a satisfactory manner.”
“Oh… that wasn’t our question,” Amber said as she placed her hand on
her husband’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay, dear?”
Drew nodded. “Yeah… they’re gone now.” He then turned to Spock.
“The notification mentioned restraints The System was putting in place. Is
that why the sky isn’t falling in and we’re not living in a hellscape yet?”
“The System is sectioning off portions of the planet, specifically areas
that have an overabundance of mana,” Spock replied casually, as if his
answer explained everything perfectly.
“Why?” Amber asked before Drew had a chance to open his mouth.
“To prevent the beasts and monsters that form inside those areas from
getting out immediately.”
“So, we’re safe for the moment?” Drew asked hopefully.
“No, not at all.” Spock shook his head. “The sectioned-off areas will
contain threats of peak E grade and low D grade or higher. If those threats
were allowed freedom at this moment, no one would survive. The System is
using its energy to restrain those threats for 45 days, but we will still face
danger from lower-grade threats.”
“Grades?” Amber asked.
 “Yeah, I don’t get what he said either,” Drew said to his wife with a
shake of his head.
“We are all low F grade, as you can see by the letter ‘F’ next to our race
information in the status window. As we gain experience in our classes and
professions, the grade will rise. Eventually, we will evolve into a higher
grade… if we survive,” Spock added under his breath.
Drew remembered seeing the letter ‘F’ next to his Dhampir race but had
never really paid any attention to it before. It seemed like things were
graded or placed into tiers based on how dangerous or highly evolved they
were. Drew was currently as strong and fast as the best humanity had to
offer outside of myths and legends of old, yet he was only considered low F
grade…
If something in E or D grade is hanging around, there’s no way we’d
survive. Not when low F is already so powerful. Just how crazy is this world
going to be?
“How do we know if we’re in one of those sectioned-off areas?” Drew
asked Spock.
“We’re not,” Spock said confidently.
“How can you be so sure?” Amber asked as a follow-up.
“We’re still alive.”
“Oh,” Drew and Amber said in unison.
“Hey, Spock, what kind of level monsters and shit should we be
expecting to deal with?” Drew asked, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Level 1 to 10 monsters and beasts will be commonly seen. Level 11 to
20 will be far less common immediately, but they will become more
common as the days pass. Any creature of a higher level than those will be
rare outside of the sectioned-off areas created by The System, but they
could still be around. It would be a stroke of poor luck if we encountered
one within the first two or three weeks,” Spock said with grave certainty.
The seriousness of the situation seemed to weigh down the air itself.
Drew felt his body tense with anxiety and stress. “Well, hopefully it’ll
just be the low-leveled…”
Drew paused as something within his mind suddenly snapped, like a
thin cord pulled tight and then abruptly cut without explanation.
“Something’s wrong…” Drew started to say when he felt another
disappearance within his mind.
“What is it, Drew Wright?” Spock asked.
 “I… I think…”
Drew’s voice trailed off when he noticed a blinking icon in the corner of
his vision, and he quickly pulled it up, confirming his fears.

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

“Shit! We’re under attack!” Drew screamed. Adrenaline slammed into

his system.
“I’ll go gather everyone!” Amber called out as she took off running, her
voice filled with concern and panic. Freya followed right behind her. Even
in Drew’s current panic-ridden state, he knew they would go find his friends
and mom to mount a defense. They had planned for this, but they’d also
hoped it wouldn’t come so soon.
With a sigh, Drew pulled his tactical pants out of his inventory and
began to shove them back on.
“Drew Wright, what are you doing?” Spock asked with concern. It was
then that Drew noticed the man was wearing chainmail armor and held a
long sword in one hand, which made no sense, as he’d been wearing normal
clothes only a minute before.
“Trying to put my clothes back on!” Drew shouted as his left foot
refused to go down the pants leg.
“Why do you not put the clothing into your inventory and equip them?
Is this some kind of battle ritual?” Spock asked with genuine curiosity.
“What? What do you mean?” Drew asked, pausing.
“Simply put everything into your inventory and will the outfit to equip
itself upon your person.”
Drew threw the pants back into his spatial inventory, followed Spock’s
instruction, and they reappeared perfectly positioned on his body. He was
about to scream in frustration over why he hadn’t known such a function
existed when he felt another mental thread within his mind wink out of
existence.

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

 “Shit, I just lost another one,” Drew said, feeling like he was a chicken
running around with its head cut off. He took off running to grab the gun
he’d had sitting by his bedside. Most of them were already in his inventory,
along with their ammo. But he’d kept one out just in case.
He flipped the light switch as he entered the room – but nothing
happened. Drew’s mind quickly processed that electronics no longer
functioned as The System had come.

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

“Fuckkkk… I lost another one! It must be the group of skeletal animals

I left in the wooded area to protect us…”
“Do you know where the dying minions are located, Drew Wright?”
Spock asked, moving into the bedroom behind him.
“No! I thought they would warn me if they saw anything, but the first
thing I knew, they were already dying!” Drew said as he grabbed the gun.
Then he and Spock started to run toward the backdoor.
“Perhaps they did – your mind may have been too preoccupied to notice
the tug. Regardless, there is another way. Pull upon the last whispers of the
mental threads you felt broken, and you will feel the direction in which they
perished,” Spock said, keeping pace with Drew as they ran out the backdoor
and into the backyard.

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

“Damnit!” Drew screamed in frustration, but he quickly closed his eyes,

trying to grasp at the feeling Spock had mentioned. He felt a faint pull
eastward, and his eyes snapped open. “East! They’re coming from the east.”
Drew burst into action as he ran in that direction, Spock following just
behind him.
“Did you give them a command to defend themselves or attack targets
not allied with you?” Spock asked, and Drew almost missed a step as he
stumbled forward, barely catching himself in time to prevent himself from
faceplanting into the ground.
“No! Why would I ever even think of that! I figured they’d do it
automatically! God, I’m a fucking idiot…”
 Drew shook his head, furious with himself over making such a stupid
mistake. Whatever was killing his minions was getting free kills, and the
only minion that would likely defend them was the coyote, which, for
whatever reason, seemed more intelligent than the rest.
Drew pushed his thoughts of anger and frustration aside and sent out
telepathic commands to each of the remaining threads. He felt a pulse of
acknowledgment come back from each thread almost immediately. With
another thought, Drew sent instructions to pull back to the fence line. If
something was attacking them, he sure as hell was going to get a few shots
in.

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

Fuckkk! Why can’t they just stop dying!

There was no further time to talk or punish himself for his stupidity.
Drew needed to get to work. Now. He modified his previous commands and
told the minions to attack as a group if they were attacked but to pull back
to the fence near the watchtower. He also told them to alert him if they saw
movement and ordered his human skeletons armed with bows to fire if they
had clear shots at anything other than his undead and his friends and family.

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

Drew ignored the notification as he felt a pulse of affirmation come

from his minions, and he continued running at full speed toward the
watchtower they’d set up to the east.
On reaching the watchtower, he climbed the metal ladder leading to the
top. Hand over hand, foot over foot, Drew ascended as fast as he could
until, what felt like an eternity later, he stood next to two undead human
skeletons holding bows and looking out toward the forested area. His other
minions hadn’t gotten back to the outer fence yet.
What’s going on out there? They weren’t that deep into the woods, so
why is it taking them so long to get back here?
“Drew Wright, I believe I may be of more use down here,” Spock called
up from the bottom of the tower.
 “That’s fine, but stay inside the fence. Let my minions do the work if
they can,” Drew called in reply as he started pulling guns from his
inventory. Some were already loaded, but others weren’t, so he quickly got
to work loading them as he scanned the tree line for any signs of movement.

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

Drew sighed internally at the loss of another defender. It wasn’t much

longer before he noticed the swaying of tall grass and the unmistakable
crunching of dry leaves. The sound carried in the silence of the night, and
Drew’s increased perception started to pick up other audible notes.
Movement. Lots of movement.
Drew really hoped it was his minions’ movement and not something
more dire as he picked up an AR-15 rifle and shouldered it, keeping his
eyes peeled. Then the noises began to hit his ears more clearly. Grunting of
some kind and… huffing? Undead didn’t need to breathe, and they didn’t
communicate with each other…
Drew readied himself just as several of his skeletal minions burst
through the forested area, running at full speed toward the fence. Undead
hogs, deer, and several coyotes, with one larger than the rest leading the
others. Drew could feel several other minions further in the trees, and as
Drew focused his thoughts on one of those mental threads, flashes of brief
images rolled through his mind.
They were fighting something. Several somethings. It was dark, trees all
around them, and attacks kept coming from every direction. Drew could
almost feel the vibrations as things smashed into the bones of his minions.
Thinking as quickly as possible, Drew ordered the minions still beyond
the tree line to stop everything and make a break for the fence. It would be a
full retreat, but at least out in the open, he’d have a chance to blast whatever
it was that was attacking.
Minions burst from the trees in a flurry of activity as they made a
beeline toward their companions outside the chain-link fence topped with
barbed wire. Drew sent them all commands to regroup and defend the area
together while he readied his weapon.
Out of the darkness and tall and dense brush, creatures Drew had never
seen before ripped through the foliage and into his field of vision.
“REEEEE!” one of the small things shrieked.
 Soon, even more creatures followed the first set, running head-first
toward the defending minions. The unknown creatures were small and
slightly hunched, with disproportionally long arms and short legs. They had
ugly, angular heads with large, almost beak-like noses, long pointed ears,
and mouths full of sharpened teeth that seemed perfect for ripping and
shredding meat from bone. The most disconcerting parts were their glowing
red eyes and green skin that seemed to be pulled too taut around their small
frames, giving them a hungry or starved look.
Wait a minute, are these things like… gremlins or goblins or something?
“REEEE!!” another call went out, breaking Drew from his thoughts and
bringing him back to reality.
Click.
Drew had pulled the trigger and, after quickly double-checking the gun,
threw it to the side.
ARs don’t work… not unexpected… had to try…
Drew picked up a lever-action rifle from near his feet, shouldered it, and
sighted in the fast-approaching enemies.
BANG!
Gore and viscera blasted away as one of the approaching enemies had
the top half of its body removed, showering its compatriots with its innards.
The sound of the gunshot and the destruction of one of the greenskins
caused the others to pause.
They looked around, startled, with crude axes, maces, and daggers made
from wood and stone hanging in their hands. Drew wasn’t going to waste
the opportunity.
Click.
BANG!
Click.
BANG!
Gunshots and the working of the lever-action rifle echoed through the
air as most of the shots found targets and took off arms, destroyed upper
torsos, and even popped a head like an exploding watermelon.
But Drew’s advantage swiftly evaporated as the green-skinned creatures
soon determined they were, in fact, under attack.
“REEEEEEEEE!” one screamed, and suddenly, the rest of them joined
together like some kind of unholy chorus of little screaming gremlins. As
one, they charged forward, with caveman-like weapons held high overhead
as they rushed toward the undead minions below.
Drew commanded his minions to hold them off, and one of his undead
boars charged forward, goring a greenskin wretch through the stomach with
its tusk. Drew needed to continue picking them off as fast as possible as
more and more of the creatures seemed to emerge from the woods.
Drew’s firearm ran dry as the last spent cartridge was ejected from the
housing off to his right. Drew searched around for a box of ammo and
began to reload the tube magazine as the skeletal bowmen on his right and
left launched arrows toward the incoming swarm of enemies. Some of the
arrows missed, while others found their targets and pierced deep into the
hides of the attackers, sometimes even shooting out the back and hitting
another.
The rest of the undead boars charged forward, goring and trampling the
greenskins as his minions continued on their path before turning around and
doing the same in reverse. The skeletal coyotes ran circles around the little
shits, harrying them by biting at their legs, and when the greenskins got
distracted, one would leap from behind and tear out an enemy’s throat.
Drew had expected danger, he had expected monsters, but this was
something they hadn’t been prepared for. There were too many of the
creatures; it was like an entire horde had spawned right next to his land.
This wasn’t defending his property from the occasional mutated beast but
fighting off an unwavering swarm of feral creatures that had actual weapons
that, although crude, they used to great effect.
One of his hogs found itself surrounded, and with axes and maces
comprised of wood, stone, and crude rope, the little bastards went to work
breaking apart the hog’s ribs and legs. Little by little, its body crumbled and
shattered until finally…

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

Drew grimaced as he finished loading the rifle and stood back up,
frustrated at the loss of yet another defender, one which he desperately
needed against the tide of green that seemed so happy to wash over his land.
“Spock, get up here!” Drew called out right before he began firing his
rifle again.
 There were so many, way too many, and each seemed eager to run
toward his minions, despite the obvious losses their forces were taking as
Drew peppered them with gunshots and his minions tore them apart.
“Goblins,” Spock said with a frown, suddenly next to Drew as his rifle
ran dry again.
“Here, reload this,” Drew said, handing the rifle to Spock. He had
taught everyone in the house the basics of all the weapons, specifically for
moments like this.
Drew cast his eyes across the battle. He needed to do something, and he
needed to do it now, before his lingering defenders were overrun.

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

With his lips pressed firmly together, Drew’s finger shot forward,
pointing directly at a large mass of encroaching Goblins. [Death Toll] burst
into existence as a screaming skull wreathed in jade and violet fire ripped
toward the massing greenskins. The skull slammed into one Goblin, biting
down and ripping it in half as it dragged the upper torso into the Goblin’s
compatriots behind it.
An explosion of flame and a shockwave of energy blew out as the skull
ignited and blew up in spectacular fireworks. Fingers, toes, and arms fell
from the sky, and a pink mist blew outward in a circle.
Drew gave them no respite, his eyes narrowing as he quickly found the
mace wielders, the biggest threat to his undead minions, and repeatedly cast
[Corruption]. Each time he found a Goblin carrying a mace, he sent out the
insidious damage over time spell, riddling his foes with a slowly growing
pox of rotten sickness that ate away at their own bodies.
His spellcasting was only interrupted when Spock tapped him on the
shoulder and handed back his rifle.
The 45-70 rounds blasted through the Goblin horde, but despite each
round’s power, it did little to stem the overwhelming number of enemies
facing them. Drew needed a miracle at this point. He couldn’t keep casting
spells forever – his mana wasn’t unlimited. If he drew too deep, he’d be
fatigued and near-useless.
Shit… I’m already down to like half my mana reserves… and only a
handful of the animal minions are left. All those corruptions must have cost
me a fortune in MP.
 Lead continued to fly, but Drew was forced to pause after every six
rounds and switch to spells while Spock helped him reload. Spock himself
wasn’t a great shot, and although there were a ton of greenskins, Drew
didn’t know if he was desperate enough to hand Spock the other lever-
action yet.
Nor could he rely on his skeletons to pick up the slack. When he’d tried
giving them guns to experiment with a couple of days ago, he’d found the
recoil sent them flying off the tower. A lack of body weight had its
drawbacks.

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade – F) – lvl 0] has been slain

Drew shot two more screaming skulls into the oncoming horde, blowing
apart dozens of the creatures into little chunks, yet the horde remained
unending. It wouldn’t be long now until they were overwhelmed, and he’d
lose everything precious to him.
Fuck, I thought we were ready! This is so much worse than I thought…
Just as Drew was about to hand Spock the other rifle, a familiar,
soothing voice called out from below.
“Hey there, handsome. Need some help?”
When Drew looked down, he saw Amber cracking a smile and winking
at him as she started to climb the ladder.

[Link]
 Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Some help would be great,” Drew answered as he leaned down and offered
his hand to help her up the rest of the way. “I’m almost out of mana, and⁠—”
“Shit, where did they all come from?” Amber interrupted as she looked
out onto the killing field.
A sea of goblins was swarming out of the trees toward the outer fence.
Drew’s remaining animal skeletons were arrayed halfway between the fence
and the tree line, holding the tide at bay.
For now.
Drew sent another [Death Toll] into the massing horde about to hit the
front line of his minion defenders, then, without batting an eye, he went
back to reloading the gun.
“Yeah, we’re going to get overrun if the others don’t get here soon,”
Drew said grimly, shaking his head as he popped another round into the
rifle.
Amber pulled out a compound bow and oversized hip quiver from her
spatial inventory, then threw down several bundles of arrows next to the
undead archers.
“Mark, Robert, and Freya went to the gate and are running around to get
to us, they’ll be here shortly,” Amber said hurriedly as she notched an arrow
and fired it into the mass of greenskin monsters. The projectile soon found a
new home in the eye socket of a screaming Goblin about to bring down its
rough axe on one of the undead minions.
“I’ll go join them, Drew Wright,” Spock added before lowering himself
onto the metal ladder and sliding down like some kind of professional
fireman.
“Have Freya stay near the others,” Drew called out. “I don’t want them
getting overrun, and she should be able to use her speed to rip throats out
and get away cleanly.”
Drew gestured with his free hand as his right finger shot out and sent a
jade-and-purple-wreathed skull exploding into a dozen Goblins that had
formed a pile while trying to climb over each other to get into the action
quicker.
Amber began to pepper the horde with arrows, joining the undead
archers in their work. Drew’s wife was far more accurate and much swifter
in bringing a fatal follow-up shot to bear than the minions.
“I spoke with your mom, but she’s going to take her sweet time getting
here,” Amber said over her shoulder, launching another arrow.
“Why?” Drew asked, firing a round from his rifle.
“She’s high as a kite,” Amber answered with a scowl.
“Seriously?” Drew shook his head. “I told her not to smoke tonight.”
“You know how she is, plus you can’t really blame her for wanting to
take the edge off on the night before the apocalypse.”
“Wonderful. The world’s ending, and Mom’s going to be late to help
because she’s got the munchies or something…”
Drew knew his mom very well, and if she was anything, it was
stubborn. She was obsessed with her TV shows, and she enjoyed lighting up
while watching them at night. Nothing would change that. Not even
doomsday, apparently.

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade - F) - lvl 1] has been slain

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade - F) - lvl 2] has been slain

Oh, come on! I liked that one…

Your minion [Skeletal Minion (Grade - F) - lvl 1] has been slain

 Drew’s line of minions was being painfully whittled away as the
uncountable horde of swarming Goblins brought their rough-hewn weapons
down upon the undead bones with savage glee. His anger and frustration
were slowly evaporating and leaving only fear.
Even his hardened Dhampir psyche couldn’t keep his rising anxiety at
bay in light of the carnage slowly inching toward him. Drew was afraid. Of
losing his loved ones, of losing his life, his home. After all their hard work
and preparation, he could still lose it all in one night. It was terrifying.
Just as Drew began to despair, a blinding light bloomed in a group of
creatures, vaporizing them and forcing him to turn his head from the sudden
flash that seared his eyes.
What the fuck?
As he blinked and tried to clear his vision, another flash burst forth. His
eyelids snapped shut once more, trying to protect his eyes from the sudden
changes in brightness, and his Darkvision only exacerbated the issue.
“What’s happening?!” Drew asked, rubbing his closed eyes with his
hand.
“Miranda. She’s casting down below,” Amber replied. “Focus your sight
on the ground first, then use your willpower to force your eyes to adjust
faster.”
Drew did just that, wiping tears away as he tried desperately to focus on
the ground. When his vision cleared, he forced his eyes to adjust, which was
a much tougher feat than he’d expected, especially in the middle of a battle
with the shrieks of greenskins echoing throughout the night’s air.
When the next flash came, it no longer blinded him, though it was still
painful to look at. Despite the pain, Drew forced himself to look at what
was happening.
The little blue-white mana strings he’d noticed earlier in the night
seemed to be pulled to a certain point, as if by gravity, and then a four-way
horizontal cross of yellow light burst forth from the gut of a greenskin. The
cross’s four arms then spun rapidly, cutting through both the Goblin and
several of its nearby friends, bisecting them. Torsos fell from their bottom
halves, each side of the cut bodies cauterized and burned to a crisp.
“When did she pick that up?” Drew asked as he grabbed his rifle from
the floor.
“When she hit level 5. We all got new skills then… Didn’t you?” Amber
asked as she launched an arrow that caught a greenskin in the side of the
head, toppling it over into its friends.
“Yeah, but it was just Mana Sense, nothing cool like that!”
“Mine isn’t that cool either. It just makes enemies more likely to ignore
me if other threats are present,” Amber responded, kneeling down and
untying a bundle of arrows at her feet before refilling her quiver.
“Better than mine…” Drew grumbled. Though being able to see spells
forming was nice. Perhaps he’d have some warning if any of these bastards
was a caster.
A loud yell broke through the cacophony of shrieking Goblins as Robert
came crashing into their northern flank wielding a two-handed
woodchopping axe. He brought it down upon a monster’s head, splitting its
skull easily. Drew was amazed by the old man’s skill and bravery despite
not having a single level under his belt.
Robert pulled the attention of several of the dead Goblin’s friends, and
they rushed toward him with cackling laughs. He quickly switched to a
batting position and swung wide with his weapon. He smashed it into the
one on his right, and his momentum hurled the barely alive victim into its
neighbor.
The third Goblin brought down its axe with a shriek. Drew was sure his
friend was going to be grievously injured and immediately brought up his
hands to begin casting [Manabolt] but stopped when Mark appeared out of
nowhere, stabbing two short swords into the creature’s back.
The Goblin stopped, dropping its weapon, which landed squarely on
Robert’s foot. Mark then twisted both blades savagely and ripped them out.
The greenskin fell to the ground with a light thud, and a bloody foam
bubbled from its lips.
Freya leaped at the fallen Goblin and managed to get its head in her
mouth before biting down, crunching it like she would with her favorite
tennis ball. The German Shepherd stepped away from the corpse, blood
dripping from her mouth as her head tilted to the sky.
“AAARROOO.”
“They’ll all swarm her if she announces herself like that. What’s she
doing?” Drew asked, but then he quickly sucked in a breath as warmth
seemed to blanket his being, infusing him with energy and strength.
“Don’t worry, it’s just her new ability. It buffs nearby allies and debuffs
enemies,” Amber said while pulling an arrow from her quiver.
 Just as Drew had feared, the swarming Goblins seemed to pause, tilting
their heads collectively, and then all heads seemed to point directly toward
Freya.
“Fuck!” Drew cursed. “Get out of there, run!”
But Drew’s yelling was drowned out by a savage roar that sounded like
rocks grinding upon one another, and the earth itself quaked slightly,
shaking the tower that Drew and Amber were standing on.
Drew and his wife tried to steady themselves using the guardrails of the
tower as a thundering giant of a figure raced toward the fence… from the
house. Covered from head to toe in plate armor that clanked as it ran in
large stomping strides, the massive figure held a sword longer than Drew
was tall in its right hand.
Beefcake?
Drew watched, bewildered, as the hulking behemoth ran up to the ten-
foot-tall chain-link fence and leapt over it like it was a mere pebble. The
Demon landed feet first, crushing three greenskins under his immense bulk,
and immediately took off toward the greatest congregation of Goblins.
When the Demon made it to the greenskin forces that had all begun running
toward Freya, Beefcake swung his massive sword with both hands.
The air shook as a blast wave rushed outward from the arc of the
Demon’s swing. The sword itself cut through dozens of goblins like a hot
knife through butter, but the force of the swing sent air rippling outward
like a blade of sharpened wind. That blast expanded like a sonic boom and
cut through body after body after body.
Hundreds… that has to be hundreds dead within seconds… How?
Drew stared in utter shock as the bodies hit the ground in piles of limbs
and torsos, blood pooling to form puddles. A mist of pink fog hung in the
air for several seconds before falling to the earth, much like the bodies it
had sprung from.
In mere seconds, the battle had turned from a gritty, bloody, and
unwinnable battle to a mere demonstration of one Demon’s might. Beefcake
was thundering across the battlefield, bringing down his sword like a meat
cleaver on the few remaining Goblins like they were mere vermin rather
than a horrifying and overwhelming threat.
Mark, Robert, and Freya wasted no time in joining the melee, and they
were soon joined by Spock, who sported a spear in his hands and a one-
handed sword at his hip.
 Drew was on the last reserves of his mana, only drops in an otherwise
empty bucket, so he continued to use his rifle to great effect, striking down
the savage little monsters from the tower next to Amber, who launched
arrows from her compound bow left and right.
Drew’s undead minions, suddenly free of the harrying pressure, broke
past the last lines of goblins assaulting them. As the undead coyotes ran at
the Goblins, the greenskins lost all their courage and began running for the
trees, while the feral hogs charged into the few remaining groupings of
enemies, goring them and trampling them underfoot.
The tide had officially turned. For the first time since he woke up, Drew
felt like he could breathe easier.
As Robert raced forward, swinging his axe, Mark joined in from the
side, always out of reach of enemy weapons, yet darting in with slashes and
stabs the moment their attention was drawn by either Robert, Freya, or
Spock.
Spock jabbed his spear forward, using its long reach to stab mercilessly
at the guts of one of the remaining Goblins. When one found its way past
the long reach of the weapon, Spock would whip the haft of the spear
around, sweeping it and causing the greenskins to trip and fall. That was
when Freya would leap in and rip out their throats or grab them in her jaws
and shake them violently like a stuffed dog toy until they died.
When it was all over and nothing stirred on the battlefield, Robert and
Mark trudged their tired feet to the base of the tower, with Spock following
not far behind. Drew and Amber clambered down to join them while
Beefcake stalked the corpses, occasionally stabbing his sword down into a
body. Sometimes a scream followed, but otherwise the night seemed eerily
quiet in the absence of the sounds of battle.
“Don’t be such a baby, it’s just some shallow cuts,” Miranda said as she
used her healing powers on her husband. Mark winced and continued to
grumble about the pain. He had come away with several lacerations on his
arms and some bad bruising on his ribs but was otherwise unharmed.
Robert was a bit worse off; the man was cut up to the point that it
looked like he’d been put underneath a lawn mower. Thankfully, Miranda
had prudently saved enough mana for healing, and the man was currently
lying on his back on the grass resting. He’d feel better once he had some
proper rest, and Drew was sure the man had gained a boatload of levels.
 The fact that Robert had charged forward with everyone else despite
being level zero was worthy of serious respect in Drew’s book. The man
didn’t have a token, he hadn’t even had The System for a full thirty minutes
before he was kicking ass and taking names. The dude might have been a
retiree, but he was also a badass.
Seeing Miranda’s healing in action was nothing short of miraculous.
She had used her powers on some minor scrapes and bruises after their
hunting trips, but seeing actual wounds and gashes close up in mere seconds
was something else entirely.
Spock had gotten away with only a couple of cuts, but the man took it
stoically, unlike Mark, who continued to grumble over every minor wound.
Freya was uninjured but, like the rest of the melee fighters, was a goblin
blood-covered mess and would need to be washed before going back inside
the house. If Beefcake had been injured, which seemed incredibly unlikely,
the Demon didn’t say anything as he continued patrolling the field of blood
and corpses.
As for Drew’s mom? Well, she sat cross-legged on the grass next to
Miranda, staring happily off into space.
“Where were you?” Drew demanded.
“Here,” his mom answered, eyes half-lidded.
“We could have used your help, you know. That was a serious threat to
us all,” Drew said with no small amount of anger.
“I did help,” she replied vaguely, still gazing off into the distance.
“Yeah? How?”
His mother pointed over her shoulder toward Beefcake.
“Yes, Beefcake was immensely helpful, and we’re all very thankful he
showed up when he did. But what did you do to help?”
“He is my summon. I commanded him to get rid of the threat.
Therefore, I helped.”
Her voice grew firm as she finally turned to look Drew directly in the
eyes. Drew felt his anger rise and was about to scream when Spock walked
up to him.
“Drew Wright,” Spock said solemnly.
“Spock…” Drew paused his conversation with his mother and turned to
his friend.
“Those were Goblins, Drew Wright,” Spock said as if delivering dire
news.
 “I know, Spock. You’re the one who told me that on top of the
watchtower, remember?”
“Several of them ran deeper into the forest to escape termination.”
“I know. I saw that too. I was there…” Drew said with exasperation, a
small bit of his frustration with his mother leaking into the seemingly
pointless conversation.
Spock’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I highly recommend performing a
thorough search for survivors at your earliest convenience. Goblins breed
extremely rapidly, and if any escaped, there could be several thousand by
the end of next week.”
“What? No… that’s not possible.” Drew shook his head. “We killed
hundreds, maybe even a thousand of the things. There couldn’t have been
more than twenty or thirty that escaped.”
Spock nodded, but his expression remained ominous. “I understand this,
Drew Wright. That is why I wished to warn you. The escapees will quickly
repopulate to similar or greater numbers if given the chance. They should
be culled. Immediately.”
“Fuck… Alright.” Drew pinched the bridge of his nose, then sent orders
to his remaining animal undead to hunt down any Goblins they could find
and kill them without mercy.
Drew didn’t have many minions left – only a handful of hogs and three
or four coyotes. All the deer had been killed. He kept his human skeletons
in the watchtowers on alert for further threats, but he needed to raise new
minions – and quickly.
“What are we going to do?” Amber asked.
“Looks like I have some bodies to raise… once my mana refills,” Drew
replied before turning to everyone else. “Alright folks, looks like we’re
pulling an all-nighter. Spock says that those green bastards breed faster than
rabbits, and if we don’t hunt them all down ASAP, we could be facing even
more of the fuckers next week.”
Several groans escaped the lips of his friends and family. Spock stood
silently, and Robert muttered something before levering himself off the
ground somewhat shakily.
“Show Robert how to level up, please,” Drew said to his wife, who
nodded. “I’ll stay here and refill my mana and raise new minions. Ma, have
Beefcake hang around as well, just in case something else attacks the
property. Miranda, you should probably rest here also. Your mana has to be
extremely low by now.”
Miranda nodded grimly as she massaged her temples.
“Safety is more important than killing those things, so if things look
bad, run,” Drew continued. “We can always take care of them later if it’s
too dangerous now. However, if you can kill them, do it. These things
cannot be allowed to breed, or we’ll be wiped off the map.”
The group nodded grimly at his words and set about their tasks as Drew
shuffled off on weak legs toward the bodies they’d stockpiled from the
graveyard. His head was pounding once again, and he felt like he could
sleep for a week.
Mana deprivation was an issue, and Drew needed time for his reserves
to come back, but given the severity of the situation, he still slugged his feet
over to near where the extra human skeletons he had previously collected
from the graveyard had been gathered and plopped down, reflecting on the
battle.
Thankfully, he hadn’t needed to use his physical stats at all in combat,
as the enemies never breached the fence. But his mana had handicapped
him badly during that fight, and as he was a spellcaster first and foremost,
Drew was regretting choosing to focus on physical stats to round out his
survival chances.
At the time, it had felt like a sound strategy. After the battle, however,
he now saw things differently. Maybe if the fighting had entered close
quarters and he’d been forced into melee, he’d feel otherwise, but as it was,
he was pretty pissed at himself.
Logically, he knew he’d made the correct decisions, but after seeing a
literal horde of green-skinned monsters swarming his defenses and his
friends getting hurt, Drew couldn’t help but blame himself for his lack of
continuous magical firepower. Even Miranda’s spells had done more
damage, mostly due to her much larger mana pool that allowed for more
offensive spells to be cast.
As Drew leaned back against the shed holding the skeletons of the
bodies he was going to raise, he sighed. He was thankful everyone had
made it out alive, even if they were injured. But the whole situation had
been way too close for comfort. Thankfully, it was a problem that could be
rectified, as his notification icon sat blinking in the corner of his vision.
 Drew threw back his head and let it hit the shed’s outer wall with a light
thud, sighing again before bringing up his notifications.

You have slain [Wild Goblin (Grade – F) – lvl 7] x193

You have slain [Wild Goblin (Grade – F) – lvl 6] x107
You have slain [Wild Goblin (Grade – F) – lvl 5] x215
Experienced Earned
Title Earned [Monster Slayer I]
Title Earned [Monster Slayer II]
Title Earned [Monster Slayer III]
Class [Caster] has reached level 7
----------------
Class [Caster] has reached level 12
Race [Dhampir (Grade – F)] has reached level 4
----------------
Race [Dhampir (Grade – F)] has reached level 6
Attribute points allocated – You have 54 free points available
[Caster] class skill available

Holy shit. I killed 515 of those things? No, wait… that’s probably
combined with my minions. Still… that’s freaking insane. It’s a good thing
they were fragile, stupid, and had shitty weapons, otherwise we’d have been
screwed. Their only real advantage was numbers.
Even then, we only won because of Beefcake. And I almost lost all my
animal minions. From the notifications earlier, it looked like they’d even
started to level up. Too bad I lost so many of them. We nearly died to trash-
quality Goblins. Fuck.
But what’s with all those free points? Oh… the titles. I doubt I’ll
continue to get easy titles like this. This is probably stuff that anyone can
get if they put in enough work. Maybe it’s just an early boost to increase
survivability?
The real question is what I should do with all the points. Intelligence is
a must; my mana is a seriously limiting factor at the moment. Wisdom
would be helpful too; mana regeneration would mean I won’t need to sit on
my ass waiting for my MP to come back for so long.
Willpower… I really want to invest a ton in that also. If we’re going to
be facing hordes of enemies, then having more minions would be great, but
at the same time, if I have no mana or mana regen… Fuckkk.
Drew rubbed his temples as he thought about where to spread the
points. He really wanted more minions, but mana was more important at the
moment. Drew needed to be able to support the minions he already had, and
he couldn’t do that without investing heavily in intelligence and wisdom.
Screw it, I’ll deal with getting a higher minion cap later. I need mana,
and I need it now.
With that thought, Drew went ahead and allocated 33 points to
intelligence, 20 to wisdom, and one to willpower, hoping that one extra
minion would be enough for the moment.

Status
Name: Drew Wright
Race: Dhampir (Grade – F) – lvl 6
Class: [Caster] – lvl 12
Profession: N/A
Health Points (HP) 260/260
Mana Points (MP): 26/600
Stamina: 260/260

Stats (Attributes)
Strength: 24
Vitality: 26
Endurance: 26
Toughness: 26
Agility: 23
Perception: 30
Intelligence: 60
Wisdom: 50
Willpower: 30

A humming vibration started in Drew’s bones, steadily building from

pleasant to uncomfortable, then painful. It set his teeth on edge, and Drew’s
vision began to darken around the edges before slowly creeping inward.
Crap, did I put too many points in at onc⁠—
Then all Drew knew was blackness as he passed out.
“He survived,” said the man in black robes, crossing his legs as he watched
the crystal’s projection.
“He did,” said the woman in leather armor, sitting on the couch and
sipping something from a mug.
“It was total luck though.”
“I disagree,” the woman said after a short pause.
“How so?”
“The Demons sending a peak E-grade summon was luck,” the woman
acknowledged. “However, everything else was the result of preparation,
planning, and adapting to the situation handed to him and the others
quickly. In fact, I’d argue that being so close to a major spawning point of
those vermin was rather unlucky, so the Demon being there just evened the
odds.”
“I suppose,” the man nodded before scratching his chin. “Given his
limitations, I do think he performed well.”
“Indeed,” the woman said, a coy smile pulling at her pale lips.
“So, are you going to…”
“No, not yet.”
“Then…” the man started, letting the word hang.
“We watch.”

[Link]
 Chapter Twenty-Eight

Dazed and confused. That was how Drew felt as he groggily returned to the
waking world. His body was slumped over on the ground, his back against a
shed.
He blinked, taking in the pre-dawn light that was starting to creep above
the horizon, and the memories of what had happened rushed forward,
causing him to jump to his feet, glancing around rapidly and then panicking
because he’d been unconscious for so long.
The blinking notification window made his stomach lurch, and he
quickly pulled it up. Drew let out a deep sigh of relief after seeing that the
only notification was to let him know he still had a new skill to choose.
“Finished sleeping, mortal?”
A rumbling voice came from the other side of the shed, causing Drew to
almost leap out of his skin. Beefcake slowly walked around the corner and
chuckled at Drew’s obvious discomfort.
“I wasn’t sleeping,” Drew said indignantly. “I blacked out after leveling
up.”
“Oh yes, I do miss the joys of those early F-grade levels.” Beefcake let
out a gruff bark of laughter. “You should be more attentive in the future. F
grade is full of growth, but if you don’t have someone to watch your back
when you level, you’ll be monster chow.”
“Good to know…” Drew replied awkwardly as he rubbed the back of
his head.
Beefcake was right. He should have known that there would be
consequences to leveling up and applying so many points at once.
“Don’t worry, the blacking out will cease soon enough. Those early
levels are just rough on your body,” Beefcake added nonchalantly. “Take
your time to choose any new skills. They count for more early on.”
Drew pulled up the skill selection list and was pleasantly surprised to
find four available skills waiting for him, each of which was far more
exciting and useful than the last set he’d been offered at level 5.

Resilient Minions (Grade – Common)

All minions under your control receive a moderate boost to their
toughness attribute both immediately and as a continuing effect as they
level and advance.

Bone Armor (Grade – Common)

Gives the caster the ability to manipulate their mana to create and
adhere toughened bones to their person as a form of personal
protection and an extra layer of armor.

Undying Horde (Grade – Uncommon)

A passive skill that grants a moderate amount of natural regeneration
to your undead minions. Additionally, this skill increases the caster’s
efficiency in maintaining minions.

Corrupting Contagion (Grade – Rare)

A direct upgrade of Corruption. The mana point cost is moderately less
than its original form. When a target expires while afflicted by this
skill, Corrupting Contagion’s effects will spread to a maximum of two
nearby enemy targets.

They were all excellent options and seemed more tailored toward Drew
than the more generic options he’d received previously. Drew idly
wondered why that was, but Beefcake started speaking before he could ask.
“I need to return to my patrol to keep this property secure for the
Mistress and her family,” Beefcake said before grabbing his giant sword
and walking away, leaving Drew’s mouth hanging open.
A question for another time, I suppose, Drew thought as he shut his
mouth and turned back to the options before him.
I can cross Bone Armor out. It would be useful, but only if I found
myself in melee combat. I’m sure that will happen at some point, but the
other skills seem more immediately useful. Plus, I have my Mana Shield as
a last resort. It would have been nice to have Resilient Minions in the fight
against the Goblin horde… maybe more of them would have survived.
Undying Horde sounds wonderful, despite the evil-sounding name. If my
minions could regenerate, then as long as they survive a battle, they’ll
eventually piece themselves back together. Compared to Resilient… I guess
it’s a question of armor vs. regen. The text referring to the efficiency of
‘maintaining minions’ is a bit confusing though. Would it boost my minion
cap, or would issuing orders become easier somehow?
Drew rubbed the stubble on his face with his right hand as he
considered each option.
Corrupting Contagion… It sounds incredibly powerful, especially since
it automatically applies the same damage over time effect to nearby
enemies when the first one croaks. If I had that against the Goblins, we
probably would have survived even without Beefcake, especially if it’s a
chain effect that doesn’t stop after a single spreading. One death would then
turn into two more, which would then turn into four, and then sixteen.
Against a horde… it would be a slaughter – as long as we could hold them
back for long enough and keep them bunched up.
Plus, Corruption itself getting a small MP cost reduction would have
been extremely helpful, and I probably wouldn’t have bottomed out my
mana as quickly. If I just threw it onto a couple of greenskins in each
grouping, it would have eventually killed them all, and the text says it’s a
rare skill, which has to be better than common-grade stuff, right?
Each skill was useful. But the Corruption upgrade would be the biggest
winner against another swarm of enemies, at least if it worked the way
Drew thought it would. If the effect was limited to happening only once or
twice, it probably wouldn’t be worth as much as having more natural
toughness on his minions or giving them natural health regen.
 With the image of countless feral Goblins rushing out of the forest and
the gut-wrenching fear he’d felt of losing his friends and family still fresh in
Drew’s mind, he took a deep breath before selecting the Corruption
upgrade.
That last battle had been too close for comfort, and while Drew had
helped remedy his limited mana issues by investing so many free points
into intelligence and wisdom, the thought of being able to support his
minions from the sidelines and of each mana point going further were the
deciding factors that pushed him to select the skill. He just hoped the other
skill options would return when he was offered his next set.
Cracking his neck as he rolled his head, Drew turned and entered the
shed to start raising a new set of minions. Hopefully they’d live long
enough this time to level more so they could survive against the threats now
present in the world.

“Well?” Mark asked in a quiet voice.

“It looks like a group of them came this way,” Amber said, carefully
studying the broken twigs and muddy footprints by the creek.
“When you say a group, how many are we talking about?” Mark asked,
again keeping his voice low.
“I don’t know,” Amber said, turning to look at her husband’s best friend.
“I’m not an expert or anything. The skill just highlights stuff like this, and I
have to piece it together.”
“Wonderful…” Mark sighed before stepping back to stand next to
Spock and Robert.
“What did she say?” Robert asked with a raised eyebrow, his hands
never straying far from the large axe he’d placed in his belt.
“A group of some kind, she doesn’t know how many,” Mark said,
shrugging.
“We killed forty-eight Goblins, and now there’s another group heading
in a different direction?” Robert asked, mostly to himself.
“I believe we may have been close to a nexus convergence of mana,”
Spock mentioned off-handedly.
“What do you mean?” Robert asked, turning to Spock.
 “He’s saying that he thinks there’s more of them out here than the ones
that ran away from the battle,” Mark said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Spock nodded. “That is correct, Mark Kobinah.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not following,” Robert said with a shake of his head.
“These things are monsters; they form when too much mana floods an
area. Spock is saying that we got screwed and ended up near a major
intersection, and there’s more of the damn things out here than what we
faced.”
Spock nodded once again. “That is also correct, Mark Kobinah.”
“Please, dude, just call me Mark,” Mark said with an exhale as he
leaned against a tree.
“Understood, Mark.”
“Well, how many more of these buggers are there? There can’t be
another full swarm of them out here, right?” Robert asked, his right hand
reaching down and gripping the head of his axe.
“Goblins are largely considered pests and vermin on many worlds, Mr.
Robert,” Spock began to explain.
“Many worlds…” Robert muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I have considerable knowledge of their behaviors,” Spock said in an
informative manner. “If I were to make an educated guess, as you would
say, I believe a very large group spawned nearby and then split apart to
accomplish their goals. If I am correct, I believe we encountered their main
force, and several smaller warbands split off to explore and raid for
supplies.”
“I’m sorry, did you say raid?” Robert asked, his head jerking up.
“Indeed, Mr. Robert.”
“They went northeast,” Amber said, rejoining the group and hiking her
thumb in the direction over her shoulder. “Wait… what’s wrong?” she
asked, her eyes drawn to Robert and Mark, each of whom were now
gripping their weapons with white knuckles.
“Mr. Spock here believes we faced the majority of the monsters but
thinks several raiding parties split off before arriving at your property,”
Robert said, gritting his teeth.
“Okayyy… and?” Amber said, tilting her head slightly in confusion.
“And, if they’re looking for supplies, they’ll find them. Via your
neighbors.”
 Amber’s eyes widened with sudden realization. “We have to help
them!”
Spock nodded. “Indeed.”
“Well, lead the way then,” Robert said grimly, pulling the axe from his
belt.

[Link]
 Chapter Twenty-Nine

Drew slumped his shoulders, his mana now at under a third, but his minions
had been completely replenished between the human skeletons he’d kept in
the shed and the animal bones left over from when his minions were first
attacked prior to The Descent.
Drew was beginning to feel tired despite the power nap his body had
been put through from leveling up. He looked around at the new undead
militia he’d formed and found himself smiling at the large, undead coyote
that wagged its bony tail as it inspected some of its new packmates.
The original coyote had survived the battle and had grown stronger and
larger, and it was now close to the size of Freya. Drew assumed his minion
had leveled up significantly as well, and for whatever reason, it was the
only minion he had that seemed to be… more. It wasn’t mindless like the
rest of them; it seemed to have some kind of basic intelligence, similar to
the coyote it had been in life.
Drew tapped his chin as he watched the large, dog-like skeleton circle
around its peers, almost as if it was sniffing them. Amber had been right. It
needed a name, especially given how unique it was. An idea popped into
Drew’s mind, and he smiled. He decided to call it Scolder, after the coyote
from Navajo mythology.
 Content with his minion’s new name, Drew equipped a couple of the
human skeletons with extra bows and arrows and sent them to the
watchtowers surrounding the property. The rest of the former humans were
given whatever Drew could spare. Spears, axes, and knives mostly. He
really hoped they didn’t lose the weapons, as he didn’t have good
replacements for them, and he doubted giving future minions sticks would
do anything to help defeat enemies.
Most of the weapons left by the Goblins hadn’t been worth collecting.
The greenskins had wielded crude wooden clubs and stone axes that barely
held together. Many had already fallen apart during the battle, and what was
left was little more than trash and firewood.
Their bodies, the few that were left intact, were also pretty worthless.
Still, he stored the few undamaged corpses they could find. Drew would use
them in a pinch, but they were the size of children, and their bones were
thin and brittle. Animal skeletons at least had built-in claws and fangs, but
none were as versatile and useful as human skeletons.
Mark had purchased basic blacksmithing tools and even a small stock of
iron, but Drew had no idea how to use any of it. He’d either need to learn or
hope that Robert knew something about it.
Even disregarding his need for weapons, they’d eventually need to be
able to make nails and repair farming tools, so someone would end up
needing to take up blacksmithing duties and learn. It just didn’t seem like a
good idea to sit back and study on the first day of the apocalypse.
After sending his minions outside the gate to patrol and defend the
property near the fence line, Drew walked back to the house and started to
prepare a pot of coffee, only to curse when the ma