Joe opened his eyes, blinking up at a washed-out sky. The ominous cloud he'd last seen was gone, replaced by the sight of Levi and Pete standing over him. Pete grinned down at him, while Levi’s scowl was even more pronounced.

“Am I dead?” Joe asked, half-serious, but mostly for effect.

“You wish,” Levi replied, his voice somehow even gruffer than before, a hint of disapproval woven into his tone.

Groaning, Joe propped himself up, every muscle in his body throbbing with the dull ache of overuse. His skin stung as if hundreds of tiny, sharp nails had clawed it. Oh right, it had. He tongued the inside of his cheek, wincing at the scratch there, and spat a bit of blood onto the dust next to him.

“Didn’t exactly go according to plan,” Joe said. His red polo shirt was now somehow even redder from the blood.

“You went wild, man!” Pete said, eyes wide, a huge grin splitting his face. “You were all like, swoosh, whoosh!” He punctuated each sound effect with exaggerated swings, mimicking Joe’s scythe moves with a hilariously inaccurate flair.

“Idiot, you could’ve been killed!” a familiar voice chimed in from behind. He turned to find Betty, his car and closest ally, somehow exuding a fierce, maternal scolding energy.

She sounded both relieved and irritated, like a mother who’d just rescued her reckless child from a playground mishap.

“Yeah, wasn’t counting on a hailstorm of creepy hands,” Joe said, still dazed as he got to his feet. “What even was that?”

He glanced down and noticed a thick rope tied around his waist, rough and frayed like something that had seen better days. They must’ve used it to pull him up.

“I need that back,” Levi barked, already reaching for it, clearly done with Joe’s theatrics.

Joe raised an eyebrow. “Where did you even get a rope?”

Levi shrugged, unwinding the line with efficient, practised movements. “Had it on me when I got here. I work on a ranch, remember.”

“He managed to lasso you on the first try!” Pete said with awe, looking at Levi like he’d just performed a miracle. “We tied it to Betty and she pulled you up.”

Joe shot Betty an appreciative look. Even though she was technically a car, she was more than that, more than any machine had the right to be. He could almost sense a protective, worried aura radiating from her like she’d been genuinely afraid he wouldn’t make it out.

“Thanks, Betty,” he said, giving her a small, respectful nod.

“You’re welcome, idiot,” she replied.

Joe turned back to the group. “So, did those hands give you any trouble while I was down there?”

“Nope,” Levi replied, sounding a little smug. “The cloud was centred right over the pit, so they only came after you. You were swarmed.”

“Yeah, it was super weird,” Pete added, shuddering at the memory.

Of course, Joe thought, just his luck.

“At least the plan worked,” Levi said.

Joe frowned. “How do you figure that?”

Levi remained deadpan. “You’re Level 4.”

Joe’s eyes went wide. “Oh, shit! What?” He hurriedly blinked open his main menu, the screen coming into view with a satisfying click.

Joe – Level 4 – Focus 74%

Core Resonance Stability [Stable] Attributes (2!) Realm Titles (1!) Map Quests

Joe grinned. Level 4! The reckless plan had paid off. Sure, he was bruised and scratched to shit, but he’d survived—and levelled up in the process.

His Focus stat had taken a hit, though he wasn’t entirely clear on what that would mean. Still, his Stability was holding strong, and two new Attributes blinked in his menu, waiting to be checked.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

He tapped on “Attributes,” and the descriptions popped up:

Level 3 Attribute: Titillating Titles

Abilities linked to your realm titles are now unlocked and ready to use. They’re always active, so no need for any extra setup—just enjoy the perks as they come.

Level 4 Attribute: Inventory Recall

Automatically restores the last item you dropped back into your inventory, as long as you don’t pick up or hold another item afterwards. Only active when you’re out of combat.

“Well, that could come in handy,” Joe said, recalling that he’d dropped his scythe in the pit. He blinked, activating Inventory Recall, and a sound like scraping knives dinged in his mind. Sure enough, when he checked his inventory, there was his Pumpkin Scythe, neatly restored and ready for use.

He moved to the Realm Titles section, where the strange title he’d earned finally came with proper descriptions. His first title appeared just as he’d remembered it, but now fleshed out in full detail.

Title: The Crab Whisperer

Gain a 30% damage boost against all crustacean-type enemies. If caught in the claws of any crustacean, your strength increases by 50%.

Joe laughed. It sounded absurd, but it might come in handy if he encountered any more crab monsters. He scrolled down, stopping at the new addition:

Title: The Hand that Feeds

After slaying 30 of “the hand that feeds,” you can summon a cloud of hands to fight for you for 60 seconds. Usable once per day.

“What the hell?” Joe blurted out, staring at the title in disbelief. “I can summon those freaky hands that just tried to choke me out… to fight for me?”

“No way!” Pete said, Joe could feel him practically vibrating with excitement. “That’s so cool!” Joe went to click out from his screen but braced himself for what he almost certainly didn’t want to see.

Resonance Type: Infernal Resonance:

Wrath: 6% [Stable]

[0/4 Echoes]

Available Abilities: Fury Burst (Locked), Controlled Rage (Locked)

Despair: 10% [Stable]

[0/4 Echoes]

Available Abilities: Sapping Will (Locked), Endless Grit (Locked)

Madness: 32% [Stable]

[0/4 Echoes]

Available Abilities: Distorted Perception (Locked), Choo Choo (Locked)

“Ah…” he said, feeling an unsettling chill. He’d assumed his ability to tap into Infernal Resonance would somehow keep these levels in check, maybe even prevent any wild fluctuations. But evidently, he’d been wrong.

He studied the numbers again, chewing over what they meant, and a realisation started to form in his mind: his Focus seemed to be directly linked to how quickly his Infernal Resonance climbed.

The lower his Focus got, the more vulnerable he was to losing control, to letting these… dark impulses seep in.

The theory clicked, fitting the pieces together with a kind of ominous clarity. Did a drop in Focus make him more susceptible to the lure of Wrath, Despair, and Madness? It was a troubling thought—but it made a lot of sense.

Remembering the Focus boost potions he’d stashed earlier, he quickly accessed his inventory and pulled out a vial of bright orange liquid. He didn’t hesitate.

Raising it to his lips, he drank the lot. The taste was sharp and slightly metallic, a jolt to his senses that lingered as he swallowed. Unlike the rapid surge of healing potions, this felt a little slower, gradually seeping through him.

He let it flow through him, and slowly, it felt like a fog was lifting from his mind. Thoughts became crisper, his perception sliding back into alignment, grounding him.

Curious, he glanced at his stats again. Sure enough, his Focus had crept back up to 89%, and with it, his Madness level had dropped to 15%. The connection was undeniable now. Losing Focus meant opening himself up more to the pull of Infernal Resonance.

He’d have to be careful, keeping his Focus high if he wanted to stay in control.

“Interesting,” he said as a plan starting to form in his mind. The more his Focus slipped, the easier it would be for the Resonance to seep in, to twist his mind. But if he kept it in check… he might just keep his sanity intact.

He still had one focus boost left but decided to stash it for when things got worse. For now. He closed his screen, only to find Pete still reeling over his lack of inventory.

“How come I didn’t get anything like that?” Pete said, glancing at Levi, who merely shrugged.

“I’m guessing we all get the attributes, but the realm titles are bizarre,” Joe said, shaking his head. “Looks like the longer we’re here, fighting and levelling up, the weirder our abilities and titles get.”

Levi nodded. “Yep,” he murmured absently, his vision now fixed on his screen. He must be checking his own titles and Resonance numbers. Joe wondered what he had but it almost felt rude to ask. Like asking a woman how much they weighed.

Joe turned to Pete, who was now staring down into the pit where Joe had fought. “And now you’re a higher level than me,” Pete said to himself, a little awestruck.

“I’d advise against it, Pete,” Joe said, alarmed as Pete took a few steps closer to the edge. “I barely survived down there.”

After a long, wistful look, Pete finally stepped back, re-joining them with a sigh. Levi had now apparently finished whatever he was doing.

They made their way out of the pit area, Joe glancing back toward the remnants of their once-thriving hometown. The stink flowing through the wind was still present but their noses seemed to acclimatise to it fairly quickly.

The wasteland they were currently occupying was still barren. Still exactly the same as when Joe had entered the Inferno. It reminded Joe of a wild prairie straight out of early American history. Joe half-expected to see a herd of bison stampeding through his destroyed town.

Joe suddenly remembered the cracking of the lightning from the cloud of hands above the pit.

“Almost forgot,” Joe said, pulling his trident out of his inventory with a proud flourish.

Pete’s jaw dropped. “How come I haven’t found any of this cool stuff?” he said, arms crossed in an exaggerated pout.

Joe smirked. “Found it under a Level 10 fireroach—a big nasty one, hoarding treasure like Smaug.”

“Smaug?” Pete repeated, squinting.

Joe sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Jesus Christ, Pete. Never mind.”

Ignoring Pete’s puzzled look, Joe held the trident aloft. “It comes back to me after I throw it,” he said, brimming with confidence as he wound up and hurled it forward.

The throw was less than impressive; the trident flew only a few feet, landing with a soft thud in the dust. It didn’t budge.

The three of them stood there, watching the trident in silence.

“Are you done?” said Levi.

Joe scratched his head, trying to keep a straight face. “Uh… maybe I haven’t formed a pact with it or whatever.”

Levi just shook his head. “Right. Can we keep moving now? You may be Level 4 but you still haven’t impressed me yet.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Joe said, retrieving the trident and brushing it off. Pete’s excitement hadn’t faded in the slightest.

“So… should we be on the lookout for more fireroaches? Or maybe some other treasure-hoarding monsters?” Pete asked, his eyes sparkling.

“If we do, I’ll make sure to ram it’s legs again!” said Betty.

Levi just shook his head. He probably regrets meeting Joe and Betty, he now has three children to look after.

Joe just chuckled. Despite only knowing them for a brief moment, it was good to have their company. “You’ll find your own stuff eventually, Pete. And it might even be better than mine. Who knows?”

Pete brightened at the thought.

They piled back into Betty, whose engine rumbled to life, and Joe took one last glance back at the pit, where his levelling-up experiment had somehow succeeded.

Pete got back into the boot and Betty closed it herself.

“Ready.” A muffled little voice said.