Justin stared at the options in his interface. As he considered, his mind flashed back to something he’d heard often during his online gaming days, a phrase often repeated in the Nightmare Realms of his favorite MMO, Aether Quest, where death meant death and you only had one life to live. It was a mantra for building resilient characters, ready to face any challenge.

Survive to kill.

It was the only approach that made sense when every step forward meant facing dangers he couldn’t predict. Character builds that minimized the risk of bad luck or chance encounters were the only way to endure.

He realized that this world, whether or not it was an advanced video game, operated under the same principles. The best Focus would be the one that helped him to survive to kill, or as a Socialite, survive to charm, the most.

Under this new criterion, he reviewed the options, starting with the Duelist Focus.

The temptation was strong. It was a build centered on finesse, precision, and delivering devastating blows in one-on-one combat. But the more he thought about it, the more it felt like a gamble. Duelists thrived on perfect timing, a dance of elegance and power, but they weren’t built for surviving waves of enemies or chaotic, unpredictable scenarios.

Perhaps, in time, the Focus would allow him to handle multiple foes, but that wasn’t clear from the start. Sure, maybe a Duelist could defeat enemies one by one to survive larger groups, but offense wasn’t always the best defense. What good was killing swiftly if you couldn’t live long enough to strike?

And survival, as Lord Harrington’s party had demonstrated, wasn’t just about physical endurance—it was social, too. In both this world and Justin’s own, navigating precarious social situations required more than martial prowess.

Next, he considered the Noble Focus. Leadership, influence, the power to inspire. In larger battles, this could be invaluable. But leadership came with its own dangers. The weight of responsibility could be crushing, and while the Attribute boost was undeniably useful, it only triggered under specific circumstances. Besides, leaders always had targets on their backs. How long could he really survive like that? The Focus might have the best long-term potential, but there was nothing in the Focus that helped him now.

Finally, his gaze settled on the Gentleman Focus. Balanced, versatile, with enough poise to handle any situation—whether combat or social. The boon, Essence of a Gentleman, would give him nearly a 10% chance to deflect all kinds of damage. And that percentage would only grow as he leveled up. Plus, if he found additional gear that would boost either his Coordination or dodge chance, a “dodge tank” sort of build might even become viable. But even if he didn’t go in that direction, the Focus would prove useful.

The Gentleman Focus wasn’t the strongest in any one area, but it guaranteed he’d stay on his feet long enough to figure out how to win. A true gentleman didn’t crumble under pressure—he stood firm, calm, and resourceful.

Survive to kill.

The phrase echoed in his mind again. The Gentleman Focus was adaptable. It was the best at keeping him alive. And that was the advantage he needed to secure victory.

He made his choice.

[Gentleman Focus selected.]

A surge of knowledge flooded Justin’s mind, a strange but not unpleasant sensation. It was as though hidden instincts had been unlocked within him—the grace of a diplomat, the poised reaction of a seasoned fighter, and the unflappable demeanor of someone who knew how to turn any verbal sparring match into victory. The boon, Essence of a Gentleman, filled him with a deep sense of composure, making it feel like slights and attacks—whether physical or social—would simply roll off his back.

He exhaled deeply, letting the new boon settle into his awareness like the last piece of a puzzle snapping into place.

“It’s done,” Justin said, his voice carrying a new confidence.

“What did you end up going with?” Kargan asked, eyeing him curiously.

“Gentleman Focus,” Justin replied. “It was the only thing that made sense. Gives me a good mix of combat and social abilities. Nothing too extreme, but flexible.”

“Congratulations,” Bohemond said, nodding approvingly. “An important milestone, no doubt. But we really must be on our way. Time is not our ally.”

Justin couldn’t agree more. They quickly packed their belongings and headed toward the elevator shaft, just beyond a rise in the tunnel.

But as soon as they reached it, a cold realization gripped Justin. The iron gate was closed tight, but the bigger problem was that the elevator was gone entirely.

“What in the gods’ name happened?” Bohemond asked, his voice tense.

Kargan’s normally gray skin had gone even paler than usual. “Someone must have recalled it from below.”

“When?” Justin asked, looking around in confusion. “This thing is loud. We should’ve heard it moving.” He cursed inwardly. They’d already spent too much time here. He’d just spent fifteen minutes deciding on his Focus. They should’ve been far away by now.

Kargan frowned. “It must’ve happened during the fight. Either way, we need to get out of here fast. Whoever’s in that elevator is coming up, and if they pass this floor, they’ll see everything—the battle, the dead mushroom creatures. It’ll be obvious someone was here.”

Justin glanced behind them at the litter of mushroom monsters, their grotesque bodies sprawled across the cavern. The fire pit they’d used had burned down to ashes, but it wasn’t enough. Someone would notice.

Then, a heavy metallic clank reverberated up from the elevator shaft, echoing in the silence.

They were out of time.

“We need to run,” Justin said. “Now.”

“Run where?” Bohemond snapped. “Right into more of those mushroom things?”

“I’ll take my chances with mushrooms over the Baron,” Justin shot back, already moving toward the cavern’s deeper recesses.

The hum of the magical elevator echoed as it rose up the shaft. They sprinted across the cavern, the dim light from the glowing fungus on the walls providing scant illumination. They needed to get out of sight, and only the mushroom trees growing in the distance could provide that cover.

Before they could make it, the elevator flashed past. Glancing over his shoulder, Justin caught sight of shadows inside.

They ran, their footsteps echoing off the stone as they ducked behind jagged rocks and twisted mushrooms deeper into the fungal forest. For a moment, the cavern was silent. Then the shriek of the elevator mechanism echoed again, followed by a grinding halt. Whoever had passed them before had now stopped on their level.

Just as Justin was about to curse their luck—or more accurately, the disunity that had caused those few seconds of hesitation—a voice echoed from the elevator shaft.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

“Justin! Kargan!”

He froze, his pulse racing. That voice—it was unmistakable.

“Lila?” he whispered, his heart skipping a beat.

Relief surged through him like a wave, lifting a weight off his shoulders. But he was wary. What if it wasn’t them? What if it was some kind of magic cast by the Baron or his men?

Justin held his breath and adopted a “wait-and-see” approach. If it truly was Lila and Eldrin, that would soon reveal itself.

He crept forward, peeking out from around a mushroom to see two familiar figures stepping out, illuminated by the dim light of the glowing fungus.

It was definitely them. Lila wore her familiar leather armor, while Eldrin sported a Ranger’s cloak that made him blend into the shadows. As Justin thought about it, it could be no one else but them. The System would never have allowed him to level up if an encounter with the Baron was imminent.

Justin sprinted across the cavern, and Lila met him halfway, laughing as she threw her arms around him. He held her tightly, overwhelmed with emotion.

“It’s so good to see you,” he breathed, his voice thick with joy.

The feeling of reunion was almost overwhelming. He had been so preoccupied the past few days that he had convinced himself she was fine. But deep down, a gnawing fear had lingered. Now, holding her close, he realized just how much he had been afraid of losing her.

“Likewise,” she said with a grin, stepping back slightly but still holding his arms. Her eyes sparkled in the dim light.

Eldrin, standing a few feet back, gave a small smile. “As much as I hate to break up the reunion, we need to move. We should be in the elevator right now, heading for the surface. The Baron isn’t far behind.”

“Lead the way, Ranger,” Bohemond said, his voice steady.

Together, they piled into the elevator. Justin took a moment to glance at Eldrin’s new cloak, which seemed to shimmer and shift colors as he moved to match the background. Lila, too, had a small golden harp sticking out of her pack.

“Did you two hit a Vault?” Justin asked.

While Eldrin set the elevator crystal into the slot to take them to the surface, Lila answered. “We did. It was awful. The entire place was some kind of dwarven machinery graveyard. Every step we took triggered malfunctioning traps or guardian constructs. We had to fight this little gnome mage with a green hat. He couldn’t have been over two feet tall, but he kept casting a sand spell that made you so sleepy. Trust me, you would’ve hated it! We got the hat as loot, but it’s useless to us. Only works for the Elementalist Class.”

“Well, I’m sure it’s worth something to somebody,” Justin said. “How’d you clear it?”

“With a lot of luck and quick thinking on Eldrin’s part,” Lila said, glancing at the Ranger. “His potions carried us through. I didn’t think we were going to make it.”

“But we did,” Eldrin added quietly. “That’s what matters.”

Justin wanted to ask about their new gear, but it was clear they were still shaken by whatever had happened. There would be time for that later. Right now, they had to focus on escape.

As the elevator ascended to the surface, Justin felt a strange mix of emotions—relief, dread, and the creeping sense that things were far from over. He wondered how the goblins had fared against the Baron’s forces.

“You said the Baron was close?” Justin asked.

Eldrin nodded. “Yes. But luckily, he seemed to a bit occupied.”

Lila nodded. “The Baron was busy fighting goblins when we saw him. And from the sounds of it, they were in deep. Hundreds of goblins. It was chaos.”

“We…might have had something to do with that,” Justin said. “During our Vault, we saved the Goblin Queen’s daughter. They promised to keep the Baron busy. Hopefully, they take care of him for us.”

“I wouldn’t hold out too much hope,” Eldrin said. “But it should slow him down, at the very least. Whether that’s an hour or a day, there’s no telling.”

“How did you find us?” Kargan asked.

“We didn’t,” Eldrin answered. “Not on purpose, at least. During our Vault, the gnome mage dropped a map of Drakendir. We used it to find the elevator. Along the way, we ran across two goblins. They seemed to recognize us—well, recognized your names at least, because they kept saying them and pointing toward the elevator. The rest became obvious.”

“Borgruk and Ralthog,” Justin said.

“Friends of yours?” Lila asked.

“I’d say so,” Justin replied. “We worked with Borgruk in the last Vault. Swell guy.”

“What about the Baron’s party?” Bohemond asked. “Did they see you?”

Eldrin shook his head. “No. We kept our distance. The Baron’s men were distracted. We snuck away through a side tunnel before they could spot us.”

Justin’s mind raced. They had a window of opportunity, but it wouldn’t last long.

The elevator finally slowed to a stop. The gate rattled open, revealing the bright morning sunshine and a sky so clear it felt surreal after the cavern’s oppressive gloom. The snow, blinding beneath the sun, spread out below them. It was just as cold as the previous night, and Justin didn’t look forward to braving the weather, but at least they had their heat enchantments to keep them alive while they were on the move, along with Eldrin’s survival skills.

Before leaving, Eldrin tried to take the glowing crystal that powered the elevator. His fingers wrapped around it, but a sharp pulse of energy made him wince and pull back. The crystal glowed brighter in warning, resisting his touch.

“It won’t let me take it with me,” Eldrin muttered. “I’d hoped to disable it.”

Justin briefly thought of slotting the crystal back toward the deepest level. It would give them the most possible time to escape, but the risk of the gate closing in on them was too great.

They exited quickly, just in time for the gate to close. Hopefully, the goblins would keep the Baron busy for hours yet.

Eldrin took the lead, walking quickly atop the snowbanks lining the trail that snaked down into the valley below. It was hard to guess exactly where they were, but the mountain behind them was a great deal higher than the ones before them, and beyond that, there was an icy expanse of snow-covered forest and hills.

“Looks like we’re on the north side of the Seraphim Range,” Eldrin called from ahead. “Our options are rather thin up here. Let’s at least get into that forest down below. Probably the southern reach of the Everwood. We can lose ourselves there and reevaluate our options.”

Justin’s heart fell at the news. It wasn’t just the danger the lurked north of the Seraphims. They would be far from civilization and the resources that would provide. It had been nonstop action since they’d left Windfall, and Justin hadn’t had time to fully process everything the Baron had told him.

He could only do that once they had gained some distance and attained a measure of safety, however small.

Once again, Justin benefited from the Ranger’s Pathfinder’s Pace, which allowed them to move faster than they should have in the harsh environment. Even with the Ranger’s skill, the pace was grueling, and Justin panted as they moved through the snow. His cane proved invaluable, saving him from slipping on several patches of ice.

“I’m Level 9 now,” Lila said proudly, talking despite the climb. “You?”

“Ten,” Justin replied, still trying to catch his breath.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You’ve got a Focus already?”

“Yes,” he said between breaths. “It wasn’t an easy choice, but you’re looking at Eyrth’s newest Gentleman.”

As he straightened his back, striking a slight pose, she raised an eyebrow. “Well, congratulations. I suppose you must have cleared a Vault as well?”

“Come on, you two!” Eldrin called from ahead, not giving them a chance to catch up. He was no longer bothering to follow the winding trail. Instead, he sat on the edge of a snowbank and slid the rest of the way down to the forest below with alarming speed. It was several hundred feet at least to the forest below.

Justin hesitated for a moment. Sliding down seemed reckless, especially with the threat of an avalanche, but they were running out of options. If the Baron’s men were not far behind, they couldn’t afford to play it safe.

With a quick glance at Lila, Justin sat down and pushed off after Eldrin. The slope was steeper than he had expected, and he picked up speed fast, snow spraying up around him as he slid toward the forest at the base of the mountain.

Within minutes, they had reached a cluster of rocks that provided some cover. The pine forest loomed just ahead, the scent of cold earth and evergreen filling the air as they approached.

Justin glanced back up the slope, but there was no sign of the Baron or his men yet. Still, the trail they had left was obvious. Not even a Ranger could conceal the marks they had made in the snow.

“We’ve bought ourselves a little time,” Eldrin said, surveying their surroundings, “but not much. They’ll find the trail soon enough.”

He headed off into the forest, leaving the others to pick up his trail.

“Getting real sick of this running crap,” Justin muttered.

“If we make Mont Elea, we won’t have to run anymore,” Eldrin said, his sharp ears picking up Justin’s words. “Valdrik will. Keep that in your thoughts.”

“Mont Elea?” Bohemond asked.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Eldrin said.

Justin’s thoughts drifted back to the conversation he’d had with Valdrik. If the Templars of Arion were hunting for Earthers, then Mont Elea was the last place he wanted to go. He didn’t have to tell the Templars about his Earth origins, but Eldrin, Lila, and Kargan already knew. He trusted them not to say anything, but what if some people there had ways to detect him? Maybe he could skip that part of the journey.

And such had been the action since Windfall that Justin had never caught the others up on what the Baron had said. Bohemond’s presence in the party was a hindrance. The Knight was nothing if not a wild card. While he’d proven himself in battle, his zealotry and conflicts with Kargan promised trouble ahead. If Bohemond was stuck with them, then that meant the Knight had to either learn a little about what was going on, or he’d grow suspicious when he was left out of every important conversation.

Justin couldn’t worry about that right now. It was too far ahead to think. Maybe they could find some town to dump Bohemond into. The guy had probably had enough of them by now and given the opportunity and his share of the loot, would probably be eager to part ways.

At least, Justin hoped.

They slipped into the shadows of the forest, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of snow.