The timer hit Zero.
SYSTEM UPDATE: THE MESSAGE SYSTEM IS BEING CALCULATED
SYSTEM UPDATE: THE SHOP SYSTEM IS BEING CALCULATED
SYSTEM UPDATE COMPLETE. YOU HAVE MESSAGES TO READ.
Notifications rolled in like an ambush of divine email.
"Rewards are coming in," I scanned, tracking the text. "Global milestones."
Global Firsts
First to conquer a gate = 1,000 EXP
First to conquer five gates = 5,000 EXP
First to reach level 10 = 5,000 EXP
First to conquer ten gates = 7,500 EXP
First to reach level 15 = 7,500 EXP
First to conquer fifteen gates = 12,500 EXP
First to reach level 20 = 12,500 EXP
Total EXP Gained: 51,000
You have reached Level 25
The rush hit like a wave, adrenaline, mana, strength. Like being plugged into a generator. This is what progress feels like.
STATUS — TOM MCGEE
Level: 25
HP: 173 | MP: 151
STR: 102 | DEX: 101 | CON: 75
INT: 49 | WIS: 96 | DEF: 79
SKILLS: Absorption, Swordsmanship (Level 3, 108/300)
EXP: 1,102 / 34,411
A new notification blinked: LEADERBOARD UNLOCKED.
TOP 10 — LEVEL RANKINGS
Tom McGeeKirigara UnitoVlad VeppidDarius FenhollowLucas GravenShay TaylorRyker DrakeEdward ElricSaiko MurasameChris Venture
"Hey," I said, nudging Shay. "You're on the board."
"Hardly," he snorted.
Rank #1 Bonus: +10% EXP per kill.
I'm ahead. For now. But someone's always chasing.
The shop booted up.
SYSTEM: Shop access unlocked. Calculating materials and essence absorbed into the gates… Conversion complete. Gold awarded.
+100 Bonus Gold (First Place)
Current Gold: 721G
The catalogue unfolded icons drifting past. Most items were locked behind higher levels, but the 1–20 stock was open: HP potions, basic armour, crude scrolls, survival tools.
Rarity Scale
• Green: Rare
• Blue: Ultra-Rare
• Purple: Unique
• Orange: Legendary
• Red: Mythical
The same scale applied to skills. I still lacked Appraisal. I could see rarity, not the full truth behind the skill. Knowledge is power, and I was still fighting half-blind, but I can say with certainty I will work to uncover what I need to succeed.
We swept nearby Gates to pass time. In forty minutes, everything in range was cleared except the Ice Bear gate. Neither of us rushed to test it either.
We waited. Shay had a lead on a healer eventually, using forums and all kinds of websites to get information on people's skills.
While we waited, another prompt blinked:
Player Equipment Slots: 5
Gear slotted into place. I kept the Lizardman sword; its +28 STR thrummed in my grip, and I swapped in a new dagger. Proof that loot could shape strength as much as levels.
Shay weighed options longer. He chose a rare sword; faint fire runes etched along the hilt. The grin he tried to hide said enough.
I tested my grip. The blade balanced easily. I could ride this set to level thirty. Strong for my tier. Stronger blades would respond best in stronger hands, right now I had both.
The healer arrived right on time, carrying a small pack of water, food, and sweets. Nervous, but she came. We explained fast while on the move and headed out, Shay made more effort to speak with her, but he knows I prefer to grind out levels and talk after.
The gate was slightly larger than usual. Inside stretched a bleak field of tilled earth, twenty plots radiating from a central graveyard. A massive oak stood at the heart, its bare branches clawing at the dim sky. Around its roots, fifty undead wandered.
The moment we drew close, every head snapped toward us. The horde began to limp then becoming a slow run.
Our healer froze, fear plain. These monsters were level twenty on average, the strongest at twenty-four.
For me, they were nothing. My new strength carried me through their ranks like paper. Fifteen fell in quick succession, the blade dispatched bone fast. Behind me, the healer raised her hands and her first skill finally bloomed.
I overheard on the way here she mentioned these skills.
Healing Light: converts MP to HP, reversing damage on chosen targets. Level 2, 33/200. (1 MP heals 3 HP.) Healer level 16, MP 130.
Guardian's Strength: increases party stats by 2%, plus 1% per proficiency level. Proficiency 56/100.
The buff wrapped around us, faint but steady. It could improve it over time since she had a level beside her skill, and I could give MP potions, so everything was on the table when it came to improvement.
From this point, the healer gained some of our EXP. MP clung to my blade and the buff invisible to us give her joint input in the battles, and each strike fed her an EXP share. I cut down forty skeletons and several zombies. The buff faded as we reached the boss room. The healer pushing the buff on us twice on the way, keeping our strength up.
We stepped into the central graveyard. Uneven ground cracked stones sunken at wrong angles. Wrought-iron fences twisted and leaning, as if time itself had corroded them. Black smoke curled from nowhere, drifting like restless spirits. Withered trees clawed at the sky. Ghostly lanterns floated above the graves, their pale light throwing long, jittering shadows. Beyond the stones, a ruined mausoleum slumped into the earth. The land felt wrong, like it had given up long ago.
At the centre waited a Greater Skeletal Knight.
I focused on blade work. MP drained with every guided cut as I hunted weak points. Its name glowed faintly. Level 33.
The healer re-cast the skills power, the duration is unreliable, but once it is done it's certainly effective. My strikes start landing deeper, carving through enchanted bone. A clean slash severed part of its arm, shards skittering across ash-grey soil.
The knight roared, hollow and ugly, then surged. A broad bone hand smashed my blade aside and sent me skidding. The hit rattled my frame, but it gave Shay an opening.
Lightning cracked from his hands and slammed into the knight. The corpse locked and twitched. I drove in, poured every point of strength into a single punch, and hammered the glowing core.
A sickening crack split the graveyard air. Fractures raced across the orb. I followed through, sword flashing, and cut the knight in two.
Then dust.
EXP Awarded: 14,800 each. The healer jumped to level twenty and poured points in, Shay levelled as well. For me, not quite enough. Two more of these would do it.
An orb spun where the body had fallen. Since the update, these sold for gold.
Gold received: 13G.
White light came and we were outside. The gate began to swirl and vanish. I was so close. It had not been too difficult. I could have soloed it if it had stayed, but the system had other plans.
We outfitted the healer at level 20.
Healer Equipment
• Sun Staff: +60 WIS, +10% WIS, +35 INT, +5% MP, +20% healing potency
• Boots of Haste: +15 DEF, +10 DEX
• Spirit Armour: +10 DEF, +10 DEX
• Imbued Ring: +7 INT
• Imbued Amulet: +7 WIS
Our sheets lit with new bonuses. The spikes were obvious. We could now punch above our weight by several levels. Shay leaned defensive, but I splurged on him too, a rare blade etched with faint fire runes. It cost most of his 240 gold, but it returned +45 STR and a burn effect when he used fire.
My Lizardman sword still pulled weight, +28 STR. In my off-hand I swapped to an Elemental Dagger, lighter and sharper, +25 STR and +15 DEX. The ring and amulet rounded it out. Altogether I pushed past 170 STR. Every step felt heavy with power.
It was not cheap. I had burned through 340 gold and had just over 400 left. Enough for one big purchase later. The shop teased the level 30 sword, +100 STR for 250 gold. Worth every coin, if I lived that long.
By the time we set out again it was near 5 p.m. Reports spread online about a Labyrinth Gate in Poznań. Rankers obsessed. The new leaderboard tracked the top 100, personally I only cared for the top ten list. Names blurred, and many used titles. Numbers mattered more than labels.
Thirty minutes later we stood before the Ice Bear gate again. My chest tightened with memory. Last time, I had barely lived. This time, I had more power and stats from my weapons now.
We crossed a frozen lake, edges creaking underfoot. Wolves found us first, seventeen spreading wide. The alphas waited behind.
We made quick work of this and moved deeper in; we reached the portal chamber and froze.
Two Ice Bears slept at the gate, breath steaming, bodies like boulders.
Identify flickered.
Lv. 28 Ice Bear. Lv. 32 Ice Bear.
Lower than the last monster that nearly killed us, but still towering threats.
We moved in sync. "First one gets blinded," Shay whispered. His condensed fireball burst against the weaker bear's eyes. It roared. I closed fast, drove my blade up through its jaw, and pinned the mouth open. A second fireball detonated in its throat. The skull split. Shay's fire proficiency ticked to level 3.
The second charged. Shay locked it with a lightning surge. Arcs crawled across its hide. I lunged with both hands, and the blade sheared through the neck. The head toppled. Steam pooled on the snow.
A prompt hit. Level 26.
Absorption flared. +3 HP.
"Level 21," the healer said, voice steady now. "Level 22," Shay added with a grin.
We passed HP and MP potions around, each flask restoring 100. At 1G a piece, they were cheap for us. Most players would not touch one yet. Many people barely had 30 silver, maybe they had one or two gold, but affording the potions how we do is only possible as one of the top players in the world.
Affording something in the shop is not a problem. We tightened grips and faced the dark shimmer. The portal pulsed, waiting.
Boss time.
A massive hybrid stalked from the dark, four meters long, a bear-wolf thing. Fur bristled with ice. Muscles twitched under thick hide. Blood-red name. No level.
Too strong to read. Never a good sign.
I checked my interface. It sat more than ten levels above me. We did not rush it. The healer took her position, clear but ready. Shay's hands pulsed with unstable mana. When the buff's aura wrapped us, we moved.
Shay struck first. His strongest lightning poured out, his body shaking from the output. Electricity screamed through the cavern and smashed into the beast's back. Fur split and burned. Its hind legs seized.
It bolted for Shay.
The charge tore the snow like a falling boulder.
Move, Shay. Move.
He was ready. The ground ahead of the beast sank and broke. A shallow pit opened under its weight and stole its speed.
NEW ELEMENT UNLOCKED: EARTH MAGIC.
He was adapting mid-battle.
The instant the buff reached me I sprinted, sword in one hand, dagger in the other. I leapt and drove steel into its back. It stuck deep in muscle. I dragged the dagger along the ribs, scoring a groove as it thrashed.
Not deep, but enough to slow. The healer circled behind, staff raised, spells already weaving. Shay grabbed the fire-imbued sword and swung. A ribbon of flame carved the beast's spine. It shrieked and turned on him again.
It lunged.
My sword was still in its back. I clung to the hilt as it dragged me through the snow. With my free hand I stabbed into the corner of its mouth and sliced open its cheek, cutting toward the throat. I let go.
Shay flooded the lodged blade with lightning. The paralysis hit again. The monster convulsed. I hauled up its side, shoved my hand into the wound, and reached.
Cartilage met my fingers. Spine. Pull.
It bucked and threw me off. I hit hard and slid. My sword tore free and skidded near me. I rolled to my feet as Shay slammed the fire blade into the same wound, deeper. The beast reared, its insides blistering.
It countered and raked a claw across Shay's side. He blocked, but the claws were too long. Three jagged gashes opened his forearm. Blood sprayed.
It snapped for his shoulder. He staggered but did not fall. Not letting him die here.
I grabbed both weapons and ran. I jumped onto its back and jammed my sword into its mouth, wedging its jaws. Blood and spit slicked the blade. The beast roared and fought. It lunged again, still locked on Shay.
I drove my dagger into the roof of its mouth. It bit down. A tooth punched through my forearm. I screamed but held the blade, grinding metal against bone. The dagger stuck too deep to pull free.
I ripped my arm back and reached for the sword. It was wedged in the gums. I twisted, freed it, and let momentum carry through. Steel sliced the top of the mouth. Teeth shattered. Blood poured.
The healer's spell hit Shay and closed the worst of his wounds. He did not wait. He drank mana quickly; his eyes brightened and charged a final bolt.
The beast reeled, wounded and howling.
Shay fired allowing electricity to eject from every limb.
The healer sent a pulse through me helping dull my pain enough to move. I could feel my arms again. I sprinted, vaulted, and hammered both fists together into the top of its skull.
The dagger drove deeper.
The sword plunged further down the throat.
The monster shuddered, then slumped into the snow. We stood and listened to our breathing. Shaking. Alive. It had been brutal. With a healer, we endured. Without her we would have died.
LEVEL 40 WORG DEFEATED.
EXP GAINED: +44,900 each.
STABLE GATE DISCOVERED.
[WORG RAZORFANG] , SELL FOR 16G?
I clicked yes. The fang dissolved into light, a sterile warmth washing through me. Our healer's spell closed half my wounds, her face pale with focus. I slipped her three more mana potions. She nodded and kept casting.
We had time, so we ran it again.
The second clear wasn't easier, but it was faster. Precise. Shay's lightning hit harder, his earth magic carving pitfalls and tremors with control. The healer's buffs wrapped tighter around us, timing cleaner each cast. My blades scored deeper. Efficient. Too efficient.
A rhythm formed, kill, bleed, heal, move. Over and over until instinct took the wheel. That scared me more than the monster. Survival wasn't supposed to feel like routine, and fearing the constant wheel of killing will slowly remove our humanity.
The Worg dropped again.
Critical Absorption triggered. 60% DEX bonus acquired.
DEX spiked from 130 to 190 in a blink. My body thrummed like a drawn bow, faster than thought, stronger than it should be. I stared at my hands like they belonged to someone else.
Shay closed the gap fast, hitting level 28. The healer climbed again. My EXP piled higher, but the truth was simple, we were riding the same wave.
Status Window
TOM MCGEE — Level 30
• HP: 206
• MP: 176
• STR: 117
• DEX: 190
• CON: 85
• INT: 54
• WIS: 111
• DEF: 89
Status Window
SHAY — Level 28
• HP: 184
• MP: 160
• STR: 109
• DEX: 107
• CON: 79
• INT: 52
• WIS: 107
• DEF: 79
Weapons still mattered more than I wanted to admit. A blade with +100 STR was twenty levels of raw power. Armour could close gaps just as much. It wasn't only about grinding; it was about adapting to the tools the system fed us. and with armour on the system, if it was damaged, we could just buy more.
With enough proficiency, maybe I could push into level fifty territory one day. Just… not tonight.
We called it. The city was still two hours away, and by the time we rolled in, the sun had dipped behind the skyline. Streets shimmered in ambient light, pale blues and oranges reflecting off glass and rain-slick pavement, like the whole city was breathing quiet for once.
We'd done enough. More than enough.
And for once, we took it slow. The healer peeled off at the city edge, she needed rest. We waved her off with a mix of thanks and exhaustion.
Her name escaped me. Embarrassment lingered, tugging at the back of my mind. It wasn't disrespect, we'd fought side by side, but fatigue was blurring lines so I just nodded politely, and she smiled in return.
A quiet drink turned into a few rounds at a nearby bar, joined by other players. Faces we'd passed between Gates in the area but never stopped to know. There were bags under everyone's eyes, tension in everyone's shoulders, but that night it softened. Laughter came easier, then so did the drinks.
For the first time in weeks, we weren't just surviving. Still, under the local glow and city chatter, everyone wanted to lift each other's spirits.
We reflected on the effectiveness of our stats, mainly strength. Numbers didn't capture it how you would think. STR 102 didn't mean "a hundred times stronger." Or even ten times my original stat.
But physically I could lift what would have been able to crush me. Flip a car if I had to. Toss around a steel door like it was cardboard. Strength like that... it rewires something in your head. You stop flinching. Start looking at the world like soft play. And I was number one on the leaderboards. Not just a title, it put me in a spotlight. A target. A weight I hadn't figured out how to carry.
A few drinks in, the dares and inner child came out in us.
"Bet you can't carry both those table kegs," someone grinned as people made wagers. Shay didn't even flinch. He bent, grabbed one in each hand, and hoisted them like they were cans.
"Lightweight," he said, deadpan, the table roared in praise.
Not letting him win the night, I grabbed a barstool which was occupied and lifted it up. The guy yelped, clutching his beer and stool, desperate to keep his balance as I raised him like a trophy.
"Easy now," I said, setting him down. The bar erupted. Shay doubled over laughing.
"You're insane," he wheezed.
"Leaderboards, remember?" I grinned. But after that comment I started to be noticed, partial fame made no difference to me, with the system they could all see my name, it was just red for them.
Outside, someone bet I couldn't move a parked car. Five minutes later, it sat turned sideways in its space. Shay and I leant against the wall, short of breath, while the owner stood slack-jawed, keys in hand.
"Don't worry," Shay called out, still laughing, "we'll put it back later."
We didn't.
He bought us drinks anyway, as we did for everyone there, we are quite lax with money, and if it helped raise spirits, it's worth it. And just then for a little while, we weren't rankers. Just idiots with too much strength, too little restraint, and a few hours to feel human again.
Conversations flowed while some people asked us to take photos with them, I guess being in the top ten most powerful players in the world was worth something, those who believed it thought we were practically celebrities. We didn't make a show of it.
idle chatter, Darts, and other bar games, everyone became involved with each other, and by the end, the drinks blurred together. We wandered home on foot, streetlights stretching long shadows ahead of us, until there was no more talk.
Just quiet.
It was the kind of stillness that made you forget the world had changed. That monsters were real. That the sky could open and drop a Gate on your head at any moment. The streets were nearly empty. Most people had gone home tired, wary, or simply unwilling to test their luck now that people could be, essentially, superpowered.
But the silence wasn't heavy. It didn't weigh on me. It was a gentle reprieve.
Shay walked beside me, occasionally humming something tuneless. I didn't say a word. We were walking in that rare kind of silence where we both knew exactly what would be said if we broke it. A cat darted across the street, its eyes flashing in the dark. For a moment, I wondered if it had a stat screen too.
These days, everything felt like it might. The world had shifted, and I'd already decided that I wasn't fighting it. I was going to embrace it. And once I did, nothing felt impossible anymore.
I slowed near an alley and looked up. The skyline blinked with scattered lights. Some buildings were dark, evacuated or abandoned by people who didn't want to live near the labyrinth.
Others still glowed. Windows lit up with ordinary life: people eating dinner, folding laundry, watching TV behind curtains like nothing had changed.
And somehow, life went on.
For a moment, I wanted that too.
The quiet. The smallness.
But that wasn't my path anymore.
For tonight, silence felt like safety.
Tomorrow, the grind would return.
By Sunday, routine would swallow us whole again.