Chapter 14: Choices – Cassis

Cassis moved like a machine, his sword rising and falling with practiced ease. Each strike cut through flesh, each step was precise, each motion honed by experience—experience he shouldn’t have. His body was here in the present, but his mind fought battles he had already lived through. His past-future self had repeated these movements too many times to count, and now, they guided him like muscle memory.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. A clawed hand shot out from the darkness beyond the door, latching onto the limp body of a fallen monster. The corpse was dragged swiftly out of sight. His heart stuttered.

No.

He kept fighting, but his grip tightened around his sword. He focused, scanning the dimly lit battlefield beyond the threshold of the house. A few moments later, it happened again. The same clawed hand, another body vanishing into the shadows.

A cold dread curled in his stomach.

It couldn’t be—

Could it?

His mind raced through possibilities, searching for another explanation. But deep down, he already knew. It was exactly what he feared.

A Glutton.

His breath came faster despite his training. He had never fought one personally, but their reputation was burned into his mind. Not just his—anyone who had lived long enough in his past life had heard the horror stories. Monsters with only one skill: Gluttony.

The concept was simple. The more they ate, the stronger they became. It didn’t matter what they consumed—flesh, bones, magic, even inanimate objects—as long as there was any mana remaining in their food they would absorb it. Their growth rate was terrifying.

The first confirmed case had been discovered by a squad much like his own—a team defending a temporary safe zone against an overwhelming flood of monsters. At first, the Glutton had been insignificant, too weak to be a threat. It stayed on the edges, ignored in the chaos. But it ate. And ate. And kept eating.

Hours passed, and then, suddenly, it evolved.

The defenders barely noticed it at first, too busy holding the line. But the monster didn’t stop. It kept consuming, growing stronger with every bite. By the time the squad realized what was happening, it had already reached a higher rank. They tried to stop it, but the monsters attacking them wouldn’t let up.

The Glutton continued to feed.

By the time the night was over, it had reached a level that should have been impossible. The only reason they managed to kill it was because the ambient mana concentration hadn’t been high enough to allow further evolution. Out of fifty people, only three survived.

Since then, any sign of a Glutton was met with immediate, merciless extermination.

Cassis' hands were slick with sweat despite the cool night air. He couldn't let this happen. Not here. Not now. But what could he do?

More monsters were still trying to get into their small room. He couldn’t leave the front line, the others would be overwhelmed. And even if he left, how would he get through the monster horde? They were blocking the only exit. And yet—if he didn’t do anything …

The thought made his stomach turn.

A voice cut into his spiraling thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Arianna’s voice rang through the party chat, laced with concern.

Cassis hesitated for a fraction of a second. Then, jaw tightening, he responded.

"We have a problem."

Arianna’s response was immediate. "What kind of problem?"

Cassis slashed through a goblin, its body crumpling before being yanked back into the darkness. He clenched his jaw. "I think there's a Glutton here." He briefly explained what a Glutton was. He hadn’t fought one before so she wouldn’t know. She was mostly with him during his fights, not during the downtime.

There was a pause. Then, Arianna’s voice sharpened. "You're sure?"

"Not completely," he admitted, "but I’ve seen bodies disappearing. Something is taking them, and I can hear… chewing. It fits. If I’m right, we have a limited window before it becomes a real threat."

She cursed under her breath. "We need time to think in peace."

That was easier said than done. The fight had been relentless, with no real chance to regroup. But before he could voice that thought, Arianna continued, her tone shifting. "I figured out my elemental affinity."

That caught his attention. "Already?"

"Water," she confirmed. "And I got a new skill—Water Barrier."

Cassis blinked, momentarily distracted from the looming threat of the Glutton. "That's fast. Even with an explanation, most people take weeks, if not longer, to figure it out. You must be some kind of a genius."

Arianna made a strangled sound, clearly flustered. "No! I—It wasn’t me. It was the necklace."

Cassis frowned. "The necklace?"

"Yeah. When I was meditating, I got frustrated, so I grabbed it. Then it got warm—like, really warm—and suddenly, I could feel something… entering me. A power, similar to my own, but stronger. It helped me see the colour because there was just so much of it."

As Cassis listened to Arianna explain how she had already awakened her elemental affinity, a strange feeling settled in his chest. Water. She had figured it out so quickly. Even with the help of that strange necklace, it was still impressive.

He thought back to his own struggle. In his past life, it had taken him so much longer to find his affinity. Days of trial and error. He had meditated for hours at a time, forcing himself to focus, to reach for something that had always seemed just out of his grasp. There had been no one to guide him, no explanations, no shortcuts. Just sheer determination and frustration, battling against his own limits.

But this time… this time, it had been effortless.

He had felt it the moment he explained meditation to the others. Fire had surged within him as if it had never left, as if it had been waiting for him to call upon it. When he had reached out, it had responded instantly, as natural as breathing.

And then he had cursed himself for not “discovering” it earlier. He had been afraid that he would fail again like in the past and so hadn’t done it the night before thinking it a waste of time. It would have made the fight in the Morrisons’ garden a lot easier.

And now, as he stood here, blade still warm from the fire he had summoned against the minotaur and other strong monsters, he could feel it again—the power coursing through his veins. Strong. Fierce. Alive.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips. He had missed this for the last day. He had felt weak.

Even though this was technically the first time his body got to know it, it felt like reuniting with an old friend. The heat, the energy—it was his once more.

Cassis shook his head slightly, refocusing on the present. He wasn’t jealous of Arianna’s quick awakening. No, if anything, it reassured him. She had proven herself sharp and adaptable during the past day. The necklace was a mystery, but they could work on that later. For now all that mattered was, that it was helping them.

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And in the end, it didn’t matter how fast or slow they had found their affinities. What mattered was how they used them now.

"We’ll need to take a look at that later," he said, filing it away in his mind. "But right now, we have more pressing matters."

There was a beat of silence. Then, Arianna spoke hesitantly. "So… what do we do about the Glutton?"

Cassis exhaled slowly, considering their options. The others were exhausted. No one was in any condition to go chasing after a potentially evolving monster, especially while they were still being swarmed. But there was a silver lining.

"The ambient mana level outside of dungeons is low right now," he explained. "That means F- and E-rank monsters are the strongest we’ll see for now. The Glutton might evolve, but it won’t get past E-rank. We still have time before it becomes unstoppable."

"So we focus on recovering first?"

"Exactly. If we keep fighting like this, we’ll break before the Glutton even becomes a problem. We need a short break—a moment to think."

"Then let me try my Water Barrier," Arianna said. "If it works, we can stop fighting for a little while."

Relief coursed through Cassis. "Do it."

Arianna stepped forward, lifting a hand. He saw a ripple in the air around her, the familiar pull of mana gathering. Then, a shimmering blue dome expanded outward, covering the doorway and a small portion of the space beyond it.

The next wave of monsters crashed into the barrier—and stopped.

The barrier held.

For the first time in hours, the relentless assault came to a pause.

Cassis let out a slow breath.

"Good job, Arianna."

Now, they had time to plan.

The sudden appearance of the shimmering blue dome caught everyone off guard. The fighters tensed, gripping their weapons, but Arianna quickly spoke up.

“It’s my new spell—Water Barrier,” she explained, her voice steady despite her exhaustion. “I found my elemental affinity and can now cast this protective barrier with the water element. I don’t know exactly how long it will hold, but I can feel its strength. I’ll know when it weakens or if it’s about to break.”

A collective wave of relief passed through the group. With the barrier in place, they finally had a moment to breathe. Everyone sank to the floor, stretching sore muscles and letting the tension in their shoulders ease.

Cassis scanned the group, noting the small injuries they had sustained. None were serious, and thanks to their awakened bodies, they were already beginning to heal. His mother and Benny had seemed different during the fight—more sure of themselves, faster, stronger. They must have awakened. Still, he chose to ask.

Danielle’s tired face brightened with pride. “I chose Warrior,” she said, her voice carrying the confidence of someone who had long been a fighter in spirit.

Benny nodded beside her. “Same. It felt… right.”

Cassis acknowledged their choices with a small nod. That meant they now had three Warriors in the group, himself included. A solid foundation.

Everyone else, aside from the unconscious Liam and the children, was close to reaching level 5. Cassis himself had already reached level 8, which meant Arianna had to be at least level 7. She was earning half of his experience through the party system. He briefly wondered if she had noticed yet.

Deciding to address the next step, he explained, “Once you reach level 5, you’ll be able to party up with other Awakeners. A party shares experience, making it easier to grow stronger together. We can also communicate telepathically by thinking at each other. The party system only works for a group close together and if you are more than 500 meters away from the group you will get kicked out.”

With that, he sent party invitations to his mother and Benny. They accepted immediately, their names appearing alongside his and Arianna’s in the status screen.

Now came the harder part.

Cassis took a slow breath before continuing. “There’s something Sapphire just revealed to me. Something we need to discuss.”

The others straightened at his tone, exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

“There’s a monster out there—one that hasn’t joined the fight but is growing stronger with every corpse it devours. It has a skill called Gluttony.”

His voice was grim as he met their gazes. “And if we don’t deal with it soon, it could become the biggest threat we’ve faced yet.”

Cassis’s father rubbed his arm stump absently, his expression unreadable. “Stronger than the orc? Stronger than that minotaur?”

Cassis met his gaze without hesitation. “Yes. The orc and minotaur were only at the beginning of E-rank. If the Glutton keeps feeding, it’ll push itself as far as possible—up to E-rank level 20.”

A heavy silence settled over the group. Even exhausted, they understood the danger.

Arianna broke the silence. “We need more fighting power.” Her voice was steady, firm. “Everyone here has to reach level 5. We already have three Warriors, and I’m a Cleric. But that’s not enough. We need mages and rangers, too.”

Marcus spoke up next. “When I reach level 5, I’m going to choose Mage.”

Cassis turned to his father, surprised. He had always been a physical man, strong and dependable. But one look at him told Cassis everything—Marcus knew his limitations. With only one arm, he wasn’t going to be the best warrior. Some warriors in the future had learned to fight despite missing limbs, but they had years of experience. His father had no such luxury. He had thought carefully and chosen a path that would benefit not only himself but the entire group.

Cassis felt a quiet relief settle in his chest. His father wasn’t going to sink into despair like so many others had. He was going to keep fighting, just in a different way.

“I’ll be a Mage as well,” Elena added, nodding toward Marcus.

Joseph shifted, adjusting his grip on his sword. “Ranger suits me best. Went hunting the old way in my younger days.”

Nadine smiled faintly. “Me too. I already do archery in a club, so I should be able to pick it up quickly.”

Cassis considered their group’s balance. Three warriors, two mages, two rangers, and one cleric. A well-rounded team. But they were still short one fighter.

His eyes landed on Liam. He needed to wake him up.

He sent a private message through the party chat to Arianna. How much CP do you have? Can we afford to give Liam a healing potion so he can fight and get to level 5?

A moment later, Arianna responded. I have 180 CP. My mana feels almost full again, and I have around four or five heals left, even after casting the Water Barrier spell.

Cassis nodded. It made more sense to have one more fighter than one extra healing potion.

Arianna pulled a healing potion from her inventory. No one looked surprised anymore, though she still spoke to explain.

“Sapphire sent this for Liam.”

Danielle’s eyes welled with tears. “Thank you, Sapphire,” she whispered.

Arianna carefully tilted the potion to Liam’s lips. As the golden glow of healing magic surrounded him, he stirred awake, eyes blinking open in confusion. Cassis wasted no time bringing him up to speed.

As soon as Liam understood, Arianna suddenly reached into her inventory again and pulled out two bows and two staffs. “From Sapphire,” she said simply. “For our future mages and rangers.”

Cassis shot her a glance and opened the private chat again. How much did that cost?

50 CP for each basic bow and staff. So, 200 CP total.

Cassis frowned slightly. And your CP now?

I got 20 CP back for using a potion on Liam, Arianna replied. Then I got another 100 CP when I acknowledged that I cast the Water Barrier to give everyone a break. The system rewarded me for granting an exhausted group of mortals a respite.

She paused. After buying the weapons, I have 100 CP left.

Cassis exhaled, impressed. That system of hers was strange, but it was undeniably powerful. And right now, it was working in their favor.

Cassis asked Liam what level he was. Liam explained he was level 4 already and that he had gotten experience for helping to kill the minotaur. Liam shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the spot where the minotaur’s spear had impaled him. “So… getting skewered counts as helping, huh?” he muttered, clearly embarrassed.

Cassis caught the words and clapped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It did help. It gave me time to react and trap the minotaur so Arianna could finish it off.” His tone was firm—no mockery, just truth. “You made a difference.”

Liam looked up at him, searching for any hint of insincerity, but found none. With a small exhale, he nodded.

With that settled, they turned to planning.

“The first priority is getting everyone to level 5,” Cassis said. “Joseph, Nadine, Elena, Marcus, and Liam—you all need to fight at the door. The faster you level, the stronger we’ll be.”

The five of them exchanged glances, then nodded. Determination flickered in their eyes. Nadine, Elena, Joseph and Marcus would start, and they took the basic swords.It was difficult for a normal person to aim well enough with a bow to hit monsters in a doorway that was also blocked by a line of fighter. And a staff was not as good at wounding and killing monsters as a sword, at least for the untrained.

Cassis knew that once the Rangers had their class, a skill called Precision Hit would help them aim. They would also get the Critical Hit skill, helping them identify weak spot and the Elemental Arrow spell, that would still be locked for them. And the Mages would get the Bludgeon skill, like Arianna, and two spells called Magic Missile which would fire non-elemental magic at their target and Elemental Missile which would also be locked.

Cassis glanced at Arianna. “How long do you think your barrier will hold?”

Arianna hesitated, then answered, “I don’t know exactly, but I can feel its strength and it hasn’t lost any for the last few minutes. I’ll know when it weakens. Whether it breaks on its own or I dispel it, we’ll have some warning.”

He nodded. “Alright. Thirty minutes. Everyone rests for thirty minutes. If the barrier breaks earlier, Arianna will warn us. After that, the fight continues.”

A collective sigh of relief swept through the group. They had time—however brief—to breathe.

Cassis watched as everyone settled in. His parents sat together on the floor, wrapped in each other’s embrace. Benny and Elena sat on one of the mattresses with Noah and baby Jessica, Joseph cradling the infant gently. Nadine held Violet close on the other mattress, the girl clutching her kitchen knife protectively even in rest. Liam sat nearby, eyes distant—probably focused on his status screen, processing everything that had happened.

Outside, night had fallen. The room was dimly dark only lit by a faint glow, the ambient mana around them. It would never be truly dark again now.

Cassis leaned against the wall, careful not to take up any space someone else might need. He was tired—exhausted, really—but exhaustion was something he had long since learned to live with.

A quiet presence settled beside him. He glanced over. Arianna had taken up a spot against the wall as well, standing close but not quite touching.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The sounds of soft breathing, the occasional rustle of clothing, the faint conversations of the other people in the room filled the silence between them. Then, finally, Cassis let out a slow breath and closed his eyes for just a moment. The battle wasn’t over. Not even close. But for now, they had thirty minutes.