Battleforged: Book 1 - THE BILLION CREDIT HEIST - An Earth Apocalypse LitRPG Adventure

Eric hung to the window ledge by his fingertips as the howling wind he couldn’t hear but certainly feel buffeted around him. His heart was racing with both dread and exhilaration as he whispered words of power that flowed effortlessly from his lips.

“Debilito gravitas unus dies!”

Runic Lore skill check successful. You have successfully reduced gravity’s bindings by 99%!

Then, between one second and the next, Eric felt the gust pulling him with a fervor that had his feet pointing eastwards like a flag flapping in the breeze. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly, savoring the experience of being near weightless, as if the howling winds were like wild watery currents he could almost float through.

Yet his joy in how effortlessly he moved, the delicious pleasure of spiritual energy and mana coursing so potently through his meridians, his will made manifest as he linked together words of power that he sensed were so close to ascending all the way to Elite tier status… the sheer visceral wonder of the moment was pricked with alarm when the door was abruptly smashed open.

It was an absolute violation of rights, boundaries, and protocols and what one could legitimately describe as an invasion of privacy. Yet it was equally clear that his Bronze-tier opponents and Barristers felt confident enough in their prowess, their ability to manipulate contract law and legal precedents, that they could perform such acts with absolute impunity while swindling the entire city from his and Caliban’s grip. After all, a simple breaking and entering violation was meaningless if they could retroactively declare that they had owned everything from the start.

Yet before the roaring thugs and the shouting barristers could bind Eric with powerful limbs and insidious forked tongues, he had loosened his grip and allowed himself to be spun away by the winds before chanting a second phrase that made all the difference.

“Roboro ventus unus attentio!” Eric whispered over long seconds, for now that he was near weightless, he at least had those seconds. As soon as the final word was whispered, he felt his magic coming to life once more as he went from being a leaf drifting and flipping in the wind to mastering those winds, one of the elements of his cultivation foundation that came to him so easily, so effortlessly, even if it was not one of the four essences that had evolved into higher order concepts that now defined his System Class so utterly. For even Fire appreciated a powerful breeze that could fan its flames.

Yet troubles aside, Eric soon found himself laughing with sheerest jubilation. His dread at Lawfare he had barely been able to counter quickly melted away as he embraced the sheer joy of flight, savoring the wind’s comforting embrace, moving so effortlessly with his own mere kilogram weight.

And that was the moment he got the message that made this glorious night of awakenings and endless possibility all the sweeter.

Congratulations! You have (finally) achieved Level 30 in Runic Lore!

Arcane Potential, Spiritual Energy, and Soul Reserves have each increased by 9 points!

Your first ever Nodal Power is now at Elite level! How do you wish to shape this ability?

Eric gave himself a few minutes to glance over myriad selections that would allow him to chain various combinations of runes with greater ease and fluidity, or even reduce both the Mana and Qi costs of his chants. So too, there were paths that he could take to enhance his abilities with Blood Runes or his ability to use them to Bind spirits. And, perhaps not surprisingly, there were options to imbue his Fire, Wrath, Dominion, and Freezing runes with added power and potency, even without essence infusion.

All of them were tempting, yet none would dissuade him from claiming what thought the greatest prize of all.

Runic Lore has been successfully enhanced by: Tier 3 Runic Spell Evolution! Runic Spell Forger Synergism is now in play! It will now be easier than ever to intuitively learn the spell versions of your most practiced Runic Chants through diligent study, battlefield insights, or naturally, as you ascend in levels! You now enjoy a -3 (minimum 1) point cost to purchasing fresh spells outright during your level-ups!

He couldn’t help but smile with pleasure at the interface message, as he hadn’t gotten any free spells in quite some time, and certainly had no time to pour hundreds of hours of dedicated study in the equivalent of Elonia’s former arcane academy under the guidance of skilled teachers who understood his gifts and how best to make them blossom. Most likely, he’d be investing points to purchase spells, and what amounted to a three point reduction in flash-learning complex conjoined spells without the benefit of his sister’s training pod or access to any sort of arcane academy, now that his sister’s had been sold at a glorious 5 billion credit profit, was absolutely worth the perk investment, and primarily why he got it. Yet it was nice to know that the potential for intuitive learning was there, and he couldn’t help but feel like he was on the cusp of truly learning a flight spell based on low gravity and wind manipulation that he could summon forth with a thought, not two combined ten second chants.

So he spent the moments of his glorious flight both admiring the beautifully lit up city below, while also doing his best to become one with his dual chant, feeling the Qi and Mana flows caress and protect his body as he became one with the air all around him, absolutely delighting in the miracle of flying as free and effortlessly as any bird of prey.

He howled with laughter and sheerest jubilation as he compelled the winds to send his body streaking through the air around the Blue Palace, well out of sight of any foe that might or might not be looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows of his suite, expecting to find him clinging on the side, or to have left a very loud, very visible impact crater with the risk of fatalities below. And if they thought him little more than a spoiled prince with a few bloated levels, all his glorious dark feats and territory acquisitions now scrubbed free so many minds, then perhaps they thought him a corpse already, having fallen to his death.

Yet when they got around to checking, they’d find nothing at all as Eric, mentally chortling with glee as his heart pounded while his belly did glorious flip-flops as he weaved and darted like his favorite roller coasters of a lifetime ago… curbed his mirth and floated down past the glittering rows of well-lit boulevards, high end shopping boutiques, and over the heads of countless scores of Professionals dressed for a night out and enjoying the end of a productive day who were utterly clueless to his presence. He then quietly swooped right into the comforting gloom of a nearby park, roosting in one of the cherry trees.

Yet even this green sanctuary was blessed with well-lit paths with more than one romantically inclined couple holding hands and gazing up at the stars, savoring peaceful moments in a beautiful exotic magi-tech city, a sanctuary in a world otherwise filled with terror, struggle and desperation as those less fortunate than Freetown’s blessed folk found it a constant battle just to survive.

Eric allowed himself a single fond smile for the innocent souls below, who had absolutely no idea that their savior was presently hiding in a cherry tree, enjoying the scents of exotic perfumes, fragrant cherry blossoms, and the delectable aromas of fried meats and culinary treats being carried on the crisp nighttime breeze.

He then allowed Earth’s forces and fields to affect him fully once more as he freed his captive breeze to cavort and gambol with blossoms and leaves once more as he turned his focus to the second ring he wore, opposite his serpentine ring. And though it didn’t hold a certain adorable abomination by the name of Slurpy with room for countless other undead revenants, his second ring that was surprisingly plain, if one didn’t know to look for the tiny phoenix insignia, held the promise of power almost as great as his necromantic treasure.

Almost.

And though it wouldn’t hold an army of undead, it did hold the potential to cloak him from countless foes who might otherwise look his way. Even now he sensed that, here in the dead of night, he could cloak himself in whatever humanoid image he desired, so long as he followed certain guidelines and moved and interacted at a mortal’s sedate pace, no opponent below Bronze would have a hope of seeing through his veil.

And that power would do him little good against actual Bronze-tier barristers which sure as hell shouldn’t be permitted here on Earth, any more than overpowered thugs that made nearly every Terran Contender a joke who were now apparently allowed to break into any residence they liked, including the most exclusive residences within the Blue Palace, with utter impunity. Because it was the combined actions of both his enemies and himself over that endless night that had forged what was now the baseline of a past that had never been, yet now served as the timeline they were all forced to embrace.

It was a bitter blow to think that his endless delves, Tier-II ascension facilities, and the Towers of Zor had all been torn from his grip. Just like the many territories that had once been firmly in the control of both Blue Faction and his sister’s blossoming kingdom. Claimed by powerful mercenary factions with access to high tech battle-mechs that were effectively power armor and Tier-III blasters, in clear violation of the Terran Accords. Yet thanks to the Silver-tier Talisman, every act both fair and foul committed that night bore the weight and inevitability of ancient history.

No crime had been committed, for those ripe luscious territories, including the one holding his Silver-tier Peach Grove had always been the property of the factions behind the Bronze-tier mercenary companies. As far as the world and the System was concerned, he had never claimed Ashland, Picksonville, Hope Province, or Greystone Valley at all. So they had never been under Blue Corp’s care. And his sister had never owned more than the tiniest sliver of land she dared to call Queensland, making her the most pathetic of all the still-surviving Contenders daring the Path of Rulers. Because were it not for the swirling dome of storms and violent winds he could only pray still held, she would have been swept from the board long ago.

Eric sighed, taking in the sights, sense, and sounds of the not just modern but outright futuristic-looking city all around him. At least he could find solace in the wondrous sanctuary he had forged into being as if it had always been, thanks to the Silver-tier talisman that had been in play. Even if Freetown’s ascension was thanks to his Contenders gifts and the System’s blessing for the sacrifice of his Divine tier ability as much anything else.

Yet even now, his inhuman senses could just make out the angry snarls and distant voices of goblin barristers and surprisingly human-looking Bronze-tier mercenaries as they began engaging in a coordinated sweep of Freetown’s poshest district.

Eric forced himself to tune out the sounds of foes rapidly approaching, refusing to let himself be hounded yet again, seemingly always and forever, with no chance to rest or appraise his situation or stock up with supplies and truly ready himself for what was to come.

No. He would not be hounded like a whipped cur for wild broken lands of crimson death howling with raging storms of wild mana and shrieking souls without having a chance to prepare himself. Even if that preparation was nothing more than finding a decent place to store his incredible fortune in claimed prizes that yes, really WERE his, free and clear of System stricture, having been in his possession by the time the endless night had ended.

He would damn well take the time to get his bearings, make a semi-cogent plan, and store away all his goodies. Because even if he would dare those howling winds in the adjoining territory, he sure as hell wasn’t going to do it without making the most of this newly reinvented Freetown now open to Bronze-tier shoppers that had somehow been this way since the ascension’s start.

Because assuming he could even find the fortune that he prayed was actually out there before mercenaries and scavengers did it for him, it would be frustrating as hell if he had to expel every other claimed treasure absolutely filling his Extradimensional Storage Space in order to do so.

Congratulations! You have successfully Soulbound Ring of the Phoenix! - Synergisms detected. You have a natural AFFINITY with this item, no matter that you lack any class, profession, or affinity for deception or disguise.

You may purchase multiple enhancements with Ring of The Phoenix!

Each Enhancement has a cost in Soul Reserves = to the enhancement rating Squared!

- The Moon’s Blessing -

Baseline – You may disguise yourself as any humanoid being that you can visualize or see! Baseline beauty as a male or female of any race will be equivalent to your own Appearance without any artistry check made.

WARNING! Disregarding Appearance baseline is NOT recommended unless you have significant artistic talent! (Just look at your character sheet. See any artistic or musical skills? No. No you do not. Remember how your SkyDragon characters came out without the mods? Yes. Yes you do.)

This cloak will be inviolate and affects all opposing senses. No opponent below Bronze will be able to pierce this cloak.

+1 Enhancement – No opponent below Silver will be able to pierce your disguise with any ability!

+2 Enhancement – No opponent below Gold will be able to pierce your disguise with any ability!

- The Sun’s Blessing -

Baseline – Your disguise is flawless while the sun is set!

+1 Enhancement – Your disguise now works during the day as well as night, so long as you stay out of direct sunlight!

+2 Enhancement – Your disguise now works during the day as well as at night, even in direct sunlight, save between the hours of 11 AM and 1 PM where you must be indoors or with your body protected from direct sunlight (cloak, umbrella, a tree’s shade) for your disguise to be maintained!

+3 Enhancement – You have glimpsed perfection and neither the heavenly orbits of sun or moon will be able to pierce your disguise. You now truly ARE the person you have shaped yourself to be.

- The Phoenix’s Blessing -

+1 Enhancement – You may now embrace your own natural Potency without disrupting your disguise! Though actively using any power will shatter your disguise, you may use your full Strength, Quickness, and athletic prowess without disrupting your cover!

+2 Enhancement – You may now embrace your natural potency and 1 Sphere of Power without disrupting your disguise! (Arcane Arts or Cultivation arts or Necromancy/Spells using Soul Reserves or Psionic attacks!)

+3 Enhancement – You may now embrace your natural potency and 2 Spheres of Power (Potency Pools) without disrupting your disguise!

+4 Enhancement – You may now embrace your natural potency and 3 spheres of power (Potency Pools) without disrupting your disguise!

+5 Enhancement – You may now embrace your natural potency and 4 spheres of power (Potency Pools) without disrupting your disguise!

+6 Enhancement – You may now access ALL potency pools and physical attributes And make full use of Essences without disrupting your disguise. (Note this does NOT include Higher Order attacks! The Phoenix’s powers transcend the powers of this ring!)

Eric froze. Both awed and dismayed by the all that his ring offered.

For a +2 enhancement totaling just 4 Soul Points that he would permanently give up, he could forge a disguise that no one save for Evelyn Death, his mentor, or the emperor himself could hope to pierce! Yet to have a disguise that was inviolate during all hours of the day or night would cost a whopping additional 9 points, though he could reduce that cost by 5 points, so long as he kept a hooded cloak on or just stayed indoors, chilling at a cantina, for the lunch hours. Basically when the sun was at its brightest and fae magics historically were at their weakest.

But what really seemed like such a raw deal in comparison was the cost of maintaining that illusion while accessing his abilities. The cost started out reasonably enough. A single point and he’d have full access to his remarkable stats. Four points would allow him to play the Cultivator with access to his stats be and able to use his spiritual energy without any problems at all. But in order to be able to use his essences at all, he’d need to purchase the +6 tier enhancement, which would cost an absolutely absurd 36 points! Even if it would allow him the ability to use his necromantic, magic, and cultivation abilities which would include his Runic Arts, and his Psion Pool. But even with maximum Soul Points poured into it, he wouldn’t be using Phoenix Strike or any other transcendent attack embracing Higher Order Transformations. For such was the province of the Phoenix, a Golden Path that in its ultimate form had managed to topple the Goblinoid empire in a single night. For not even the Phoenix’s ring could hide the ultimate manifestation of his class.

Eric gave a rueful chuckle, having to admit that purchasing the ability to tear through reality as a White-tier contender who had slaughtered so many Bronze during that endless night where nothing was forbidden, and be able to do so without sending alarms shrieking through every corner of the sector now that the endless night had past, would have been the ultimate cheat. Not that his life wouldn’t have still been in peril, or that he couldn’t or wouldn’t do whatever he had to, if the situation demanded it. But only if it was the final card he had left to play, because sure as shit, no one would be holding back after that, and he’d rather not turn Earth into a furious galactic free-for-all.

“Lord Warrant, I sense our prey! He hides in that pathetic excuse for a park!”

Eric felt a sudden spike of tension when his Danger Sense pricked subtle warning, absolutely monstrous Perception allowing him to make out hostile intent in voices a full block away, now focusing in on the harsh, guttural words despite all the noises of a busy city between them.

His Map Interface was now flaring with a dozens brightly blinking reds whose seemingly erratic earlier movements had proven to be but a feint, all of them now moving uniformly to block off all exits to and from this miniature arboreal sanctuary in the middle of this quarter of the city filled with high-end shopping and clean, beautiful high rises. What every metropolis dreamed of becoming that he sure as hell wasn’t giving up to the goblins.

He broke out in a cold sweat when he sensed just how close he was to peril, all but sensing the inhalation of multiple Bronze-tier lungs that he feared would result in Barrister Shouts of power able to pierce even his crimson ear plugs if he felt the vibrations of their summons and censure upon his very skin. So he clenched his jaw, bit the bullet, and paid far more than he wanted to as he vanished from the rustling branches at the crown of the tree.

You have infused your ring with the Moon’s Full Blessing! No opponent below Gold will be able to pierce your disguise with any ability! - 4 Soul Points Spent. (Soul Reserves are now 432.)

You have infused your ring with two ranks of the Sun’s Blessing! – Your disguise now works during the day as well as at night, even in direct sunlight, save between the hours of 11 AM and 1 PM where you must be indoors or with your body under full coverage to be maintained. Perception check made. You’re pretty sure all you need is a wide-brimmed hat and more clothes than just your magical blue jeans at lunchtime, and no one will ever suspect a thing! - 4 Soul Points Spent. (Soul Reserves are now 428.)

You have infused your ring with The Phoenix’s Blessing! You are attempting to infuse your natural Potency and 3 Spheres of Power (Soul Reserves, Spiritual Energy, Arcane Potential inclusive of all derived arts including Necromancy, & Runic Spell Forging) In addition to the full use of Essences (which do not include Higher Order attacks). You have DECLINED to include Psionic Attacks with the Phoenix’s Blessing.

- Success! The Phoenix has ascended at the cost of 25 Additional Soul Points spent! (Soul Reserves are now 403!)

On the one hand, he thought he just might have played the ultimate fool, using 33 Soul Points for the sake of a single artifact. But those were points after all his attribute boosting boons, so had, in fact, been far cheaper than buying the Ring’s powers with raw level-up points. And if he played his cards right, this just might be a way for him to flaunt so many of the restrictions his enemies thought to use to destroy him and those like him.

Now he could finally LET GO! And be as savage and bloodthirsty a Contender as he had to be… raising entire revenant armies without a single eyebrow being raised Eric’s way, even if the entire world would soon want a certain Ernest Slaughter’s head.

He could devastate his enemies, risk censure and threats of furious retribution, and be able to slip right by his foes with multiple personas that no one save for the Emperor and Eric’s mentor might pierce.

Or at least, that was his hope.

He knew only that the typical Bronze and Silver Classers would be utterly fooled, no save allowed. But who knew if enemies with specific nodal powers could pierce his deception? In his gut, he knew the System had to allow for exceptions like that. Because a power that there truly was no counter for, like his Angelic Abjuration, had been deleted right off his character sheet once he fell back down to Earth. But sure as hell, he doubted such foes would be common.

And he did save a whopping 16 points, simply by declining to incorporate Psionics into the mix, and being okay wearing a hat or the equivalent at high noon. Besides, there was absolutely no point in cloaking his psionic shout when that ability could now only be used while channeling Wrath as a transcendent attack, so it was one ability he could only train up as himself, and he would take damage whenever he did so, no matter how much he might regret that particular evolution. Though he couldn’t deny just how damned effective it had been in a pinch.

And as much as he hated burning 33 points in a stat that was so damn useful and had once been the limiting factor in how often he could make use of so many lethal abilities… allowing for essences to the modest degree that was permissible to his ring would still allow him to boost his risen undead to an absolutely devastating degree, with Runes of Resilience and essence-infused Dominion giving them an edge that few of his foes had previously been able to counter. And edge that had just gotten all the more important in a world suddenly infested with even more wild Red-tier territories and Black-tier regions that were now the stuff of nightmares.

Even if he couldn’t actually bring his legions to cleanse the dungeons themselves, he’d need a truly massive hoard to do clean sweeps of massive tracts of land that might be a thousand square miles in size, or more. He’d have to go full Attila at the very least.

Besides, Burst of Strength, infusing his body with his Essence of Wrath, synergized so damn well with his weapon perks and melee combat as a whole. And he certainly wasn’t going to give up or compromise such an instinctive element of his fighting style. And now that he thought of it, even his Infravision and Unified perception as a whole meant that he needed access to his essences at all times, even if he wasn’t trying to carve starships up with transcendent higher order attacks. Which, to be fair, he probably wouldn’t be capable of for many years, if at all.

But one day, perhaps he would.

And with Bronze tier mercenaries now on the board… he needed every edge he could get.

“Master, he’s gone!”

“Impossible. Find him! Summons will be served. This city WILL be ours!”

Yet no matter how hard the trio of Dark Blade assassins scoured the park, they saw naught but Professionals taking their ease upon park benches with cherry blossoms falling upon their tired yet satisfied heads after a long day working for Blue Corp, couples in love walking hand in hand, even the occasional child or teenager enjoying their freedom for a few precious hours before curfew and studies took over their lives, just as it had in the world long lost to most. And perhaps most of those youths secretly savored a warm bed to come home to, community entertainment centers in every complex and in any number of well-to-do homes equipped with recordings of hundreds of once well-loved animes and other shows there for the watching, and classes staffed by warm friendly teachers preparing the children of Professionals for all the wonders of a professional life and the promise of future employment possibilities throughout the sector.

And of course, even here in the reforged dream of Freetown, those who had dared an Adventurer’s peril were adventurers still, even if once broken, desperate youths woke up to find themselves several years younger than they had been an endless night before, now being served breakfast by beloved parents they had thought forever lost. Only to realize with a gasp of relief that it was their nightmare past that was now little more than a dream.

Yet their inhuman attributes and abilities still remained, to the joy and dread of their parents. Blue Corp, of course, was more than understanding, not only providing specialized facilities for superhuman children to train away their excess energies but going so far as to implement weekly field trips to one of the now relatively safe and completely stable rifts near Freetown proper, where said youths might make some extra credits hunting and further perfecting their spells and skills before selling what was no considered fresh juicy meat, or saved to serve as a treat for their family’s weekend barbecues.

Of course, they were all still expected to attend class, the same as their peers, their enthusiastic teachers making it clear that anyone capable of earning an Adventuring Class could also earn a top tier Profession. And youths once free to roam and brood and carry on to all sorts of unhealthy extremes now found themselves trapped in golden cages that most would now fight fiercely to protect and defend at all costs.

A mother and father’s love. Siblings with Professional inclinations and futures. The sweet joy of stats in the 20s or 30s… and for a rare few, even in the 40s… with arcane training and tutoring on the side! Even if they had to attend class and couldn’t play competitive sports, the sweet joy of superhuman bodies and loving families was a Slice of Life adventure they were all willing to embrace with all their hearts, at least for a time.

But even so, even among those happy, well adjusted children, there were a few gloomy brooders, a few scowling youths and would-be edgelords that enjoyed their contentious persona far too much to give it up completely.

“Kelly, get a look at that kid!” Whispered a young woman wearing fashionable tights and knee-high boots, with the look of a supermodel and the physique of an amazon princess and a wand attached to a silver holster at her hip. She was walking beside a younger, far more mortal looking girl that had to be her sister.

“Cute, isn’t he? And totally your type. But I didn’t see him in any of our classes or in the hallways, assuming he even goes to our school,” declared the younger girl who might not have had a class, but thanks to Freetown’s blessings, at the very least had a future as a brilliantly successful Professional. She looked up at the taller girl who had clearly walked a hybrid warrior mage’s path all the way to level twenty five, at least. No doubt forced to face death and terror countless times before, losing lovers and companions until her heart turned to ice and her resolve to steel… only to wake up, safe and whole, in her family’s townhouse that she had somehow always lived in. The fierce temperance of a youth forged in fire replaced by the gentle demeanor of an idealist who might have lost a few points in Willpower but gained so much more… every other attribute and power kept, only her scars allowed to fade away.

Kelly smirked at the brooding six foot youth who was handsome despite his glower, curly hair hiding a scowling brow and brown eyes that took in the world and found it wanting. He was dressed in dark corduroy pants, a turtleneck sweater with a trench coat that fluttered in the breeze. He looked like any other sixteen-year-old of a lifetime ago. Not even wearing a weapon at his hips… just radiating a potency she, unlike her sister, could clearly sense.

“Kids a total edgelord, Marsha,” the older girl sighed just as a flare of darkest shadow whipped past all three of them, earning a glare and momentarily glowing green eyes from the former adventurer whose hard look faded to a bemused smile, gently holding her sister’s hand as the branches overhead rained blossoms down upon them all.

“Yup, that’s true, even if he cute,” her younger sister agreed with a cheeky grin, before addressing Eric directly. “So, why are you scowling at the world? Are mandatory classes and weekend workouts at a delve that’s probably a kiddy park excursion for badasses like you and my sister really cramping your style that much?”

Eric blinked, taking in the pair, surprised to feel a flush creep up his cheeks after having sensed so many truths about them, and about Freetown as a whole, that he hadn’t been expecting at all. “Um… yeah. Well, I never was one for classes. Dropped out of high school back before… you know.” He forced a laugh. “So, why the hell would I give up that freedom now?”

The younger girl Marsha rolled her eyes. “For, like, your future? Duh. We’re Blue Corp affiliated now. Do you have any idea the opportunities that will afford us with the right academic curriculum under our belt and multiple professional avenues open to us? Because we won’t be stuck here on Earth. With the right skills and proficiencies, we can get work anywhere in the Sector!”

Eric tilted his head. “But why would I want to do that when I can already adventure?”

“Because the dungeons we have access to around here are low level scrub-fests,” her older sister snorted, even as her eyes grew haunted. “Because even if we dare delves that will actually push us to our limits… we both know where that inevitably goes. Even if it now feels like it was just a dream.”

“A dream that promises power!” Eric insisted, belligerently crossing his arms.

This earned an eye-roll. “Sure, if you don’t mind your boyfriend and half your party dying to horrors you never saw coming, and all the sweet rush you got from your level-ups is just you trying to fill the void in your heart because everyone you love is already dead!” Kelly shouted, before paling when her younger sister whimpered.

She winced and let go of the younger girls hand. “Sorry, Mash,” she said with an apologetic smile, before turning to glare at Eric.

“Look, we both know something happened. And if you want to stay stuck in that nightmare, chasing those dreams that the rest of us are finally free from… you do you. Whatever. But if you’re smart, you’ll take advantage of all the free fucking Professional classes I know you were offered, just like I was, just like all of the others who are like us were, and see if there isn’t a fuck-ton happier life waiting for you that doesn’t risk you dying every time you dare… whatever the hell is out there now,” Kelly said, glaring out at what Eric took to mean everything outside the city.

Eric took a good long look at her, thoughts racing that went far beyond his present edgelord persona, feeling a quiet shudder of relief that the Bronze tier fucking ASSASSIN had darted right past him, not giving his persona two second’s thought, making every one of the 33 points he had WASTED… no, call it invested, locking in the potential of this crazy ring maybe worth it.

“I totally get what you’re saying, you know. If I had the chance to isekai into a fresh, happy slice-of-life adventure and put all the glorious dark shit that made us what we are behind us? You know what, I’d take advantage of it to. Name’s Ernest, by the way,” he said, easing off his obnoxious standoffish teen persona, now that the assassin trackers had left the park, earning an apologetic grimace from the girl before him.

“Kelly. And wait, you didn’t wake up in your bed at home, realizing that everything we thought… that all that shit… it was just a dream?”

Her look was one of unbearable pity. “All my friends got that reset,” she whispered, before flushing, eyes darting around wildly as if terrified that her even saying such allowed would pop the beautiful dream she was embracing and the dark nightmares she so clearly wanted to forget would become her reality once more.

“It’s alright,” Eric said with a wink. “You’re safe. You won’t reset things that easily.”

Kelly’s eyes widened with surprise, before crinkling with relief. She bit her lip, then nodded. “I’m hoping you’re right. And sorry for… um… calling you an edgelord.”

Eric snorted. “Why? I’m totally an edgelord. In fact… that’s my name. Edgelord Ernest Slaughter, at your service!” he said with an exaggerated fencer’s bow.

Kelly’s eyes widened before she snorted with laughter at Eric’s wink. “You’re an idiot. Even if you’re cute.”

“And I’m Marsha!” Chimed in her younger sister. “Sorry we were all judgy. We were actually just kind of… worried? Kelly just got done talking her former party… I mean, her classmates, out of trying to sign up with a Bronze tier merc company that actually wants to explore the territory next to ours. You know, the extremely fucked up region full of shrieking spirits and magical storms less than five miles south of here? Sheesh. Those idiots should know better than to try to hire on locals who are underage, even if it gives them a pretext to delve! Anyway, we’re going to get some ice cream. Want to join us?”

Kelly and Eric both gave the kid a surprised glance, Kelly’s glare turning to a strained smile. “Not that you have to, I’m sure you have—”

“I’d love to!” Eric enthused. “Are you heading to the ice cream shop near Blue Palace? I hear they also make a mean hamburger.”

“Ooh, perfect!” Marsha enthused. “I knew you weren’t totally hopeless!”

Eric soon found himself strolling right into the same ice cream shop he had once visited with Rica and her friends what now seemed like a lifetime ago. His eyes widened with surprise to actually see a similar cast of characters, including the red haired and freckle-faced Annie of Annie’s Mercs and her husband. Only now they weren’t wearing battle gear but the attire of a pair of professionals after a long day’s work, with a trio of beautiful daughters beside them.

Yet when Eric met Annie’s gaze, he shivered, sensing with the intensity of her stare that she knew. And the look she gave him… he dipped his head, pretending to be nothing more than a shy would-be badass kid bowing before a true power. Yet her gaze swept right over him, frowning to glare at the cool-eyed couple who seemed to blend right into the shadows. A pair that most wouldn’t even notice and only someone like Annie, or Eric with multiple social perks and a madly blinking interface map, knew didn’t belong.

Eric was happy to see that the former merc hadn’t lost her edge, even though she now wore a discrete saber and a fine enchanted mail shirt under her sleek-looking evening dress, her husband equipped with both wand and force shield secured to his business suit as well. And their children? As cheerful and lighthearted as teens could be.

Then the oldest of the three looked their way, the one Eric was almost certain that her parents had grieved the loss of, a single Silver Phoenix ago. Yet now the girl’s very real, lively, and animated face was beaming in a wide smile. “Hi Marsha! You finish the survey assignment yet?”

Marsha grinned. “Hi Lorica! Yup, all done.”

“Cool!” The girl enthused before slipping off her seat before Annie could do more than huff, sidling over to her obvious classmate and friend. “Can I copy it?”

Marsha’s eyes widened. “But that would be depriving you of the chance to grow and discover your strengths for yourself! You know how our professors feel about that.”

“I could give you some of mother’s goods from the bakery…”

Marsha grinned. “Stop by my house after eight. And you better bring those chocolate chip cookies you know I love.”

“Deal.”

Eric grinned. “That should be a Negotiation rank right there.”

Kelly snorted. “As if there was such a skill.”

“There is.”

This earned a frown. “And you have it?”

Eric winked, saying nothing, just taking the bill when a smiling waitress delivered a trio of super burgers and chocolate shakes.

“You’re totally not paying for us,” Kelly said, crossing her arms.

Eric grinned, plopping a Silver eagle on the table, earning a pair of widened eyes as he took a bite of his burger. “Delicious.”

“Wait… how did you? You don’t have a Blue Corp account card?”

Eric shrugged. “Happy to pay in hard silver.” He furrowed his brow. “They still take currency here, right?”

Kelly glared even as Marsha gave a quick thanks and bit into her burger.

“How do you even have silver? When I woke up…” her glare turned to an anxious flinch. “When all my friends woke up… we all found out we were sixteen, the last two awful years that we thought had happened hadn’t. But we still had our levels. Or maybe it was a dream and we really did wake up super powered, even if I have an interface declaring me both a 27th level Adventurer and an Aspiring Professional… ha ha. And our parents and everyone we love is actually okay!” Her eyes brightened with unshed tears. “And let’s be fucking honest, that’s the only thing that really matters.”

Her sister gave her a sympathetic smile an an elbow to her ribs. “Quit brooding over nightmares that the System gave you in return for 27 levels in an awesome class, you goofball cheater, and eat your burger!”

Kelly laughed through her tears before hugging her sister tightly.

“Oof… too strong. Too strong! I’m totally stealing your milkshake, sis.”

“You do that,” Kelly said with a smile before turning her attention back to Eric. “Now every adult we know somehow beat the 10% odds and turned out to be talented Professionals who couldn’t care less about adventuring classes, and they’re the only ones who even have cards!”

Eric solemnly nodded. “I bet.”

“So how the hell do you actually have coin to your name?”

Eric grinned. “Adventuring. Clearly.”

Her brow furrowed. “Were you even here when… all of this?” She glared at the shop, before sighing and rubbing her eyes. “Fuck, I could use a drink.”

Her sister’s eyes widened. She looked scandalized. “Kelly, you promised mom!”

Eric flashed her a sad smile. “Don’t worry about it, Kelly. So we isekaid into a different timeline. Who gives a fuck? Your family’s alive and you’re able to enjoy a fresh start. And sure, the local dungeons might be suited for fifteenth level Conscripts, but at least they give good meat now and aren’t ranked as extremely poor, demanding constant sacrifices because this whole thing was a…” Eric clenched his jaw shut, chilled to feel at least a couple stares on him, though thankfully only Kelly and Annie were staring his way.

The shadow pair from before were already gone.

He cleared his throat. “Point is… We survived the fucking pods. What the fuck’s a little bit of alternative world isekai hopping compared to that? Enjoy your fresh start. And once Ashland’s problems are taken care of and it’s open for business… trust me. That Tier-II ascension pod and endless wealthy-tier delves in adventurer friendly environments will let you get a class even better than Standard and ascend as far and high as you can dream.” He flashed a smile. “Trust me.”

Kelly’s hands were shaking. Her burger untouched. “Just who the fuck are you?”

“I told you. Edgelord Ernest Slaughter.” He winked. I think it’s catchy. How about you?”

She snorted, shaking her head, finally taking a bite of her burger. “I think you’re an idiot, Ernest. Sure as fuck, you’re no clueless kid who just dreams of adventures that never really happened, even if you look exactly my age. Sixteen, which I’m betting neither of us actually are.”

Marsha’s face paled. She suddenly looked on the verge of tears. “Please stop saying that, Kelly. I’m not a ghost. I never died, okay? Please stop scaring me!”

Kelly sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Sorry, sis. I never should have said... It’s been a long day.”

Marsha gave her sister’s hand a gentle pat. “That’s okay. Come on. Let’s go home. Mom will give you tea for the headache and you’ll feel better by tomorrow morning. I promise.”

“Probably, sis. Probably.” Kelly gave Eric a look. And he was surprised to feel a ding on his interface, quietly pleased to find that his ring, expensive as the package he had purchased was, really was complete in its cover.

Kelly Sands has sent you (Ernest ‘Edgelord’ Slaughter) a friend invite. - Do you accept?

You have selected: Yes!