Day 3:
Jason's eyes fluttered open, the dim light of the old gymnasium greeting him once again. The soreness in his muscles had vanished, thanks to the fifteen hours of uninterrupted sleep. As he sat up, the familiar scent of food reached him. "Welcome back to the land of the living, sleepyhead," Emma teased, handing him a plate. Two slices of toast with jam, an apple, and a banana sat atop it.
"What time is it?" Jason murmured, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Almost 4:00 PM," Emma replied, watching him with a mix of curiosity and unease. She hadn't been able to shake the image of Jason slaying the mutated wolf. Questions burned in her mind, but she held them back. "What’s your plan for today?"
"I need to leave," Jason stated, stretching. "My younger sister lives about an hour from here I have to find her."
Emma’s expression faltered, disappointment flickering across her face. She wanted him to stay, but she knew better than to argue when it came to family.
As Jason stepped out of his makeshift quarters, the scent of roasted meat mingled with the rhythmic scrape of stone sharpening bone. The remaining students worked diligently, crafting weapons and fortifying their defenses. Jason barely acknowledged them. It was good they were growing stronger, but he had no intention of staying.
Ryan, stationed near a stack of supplies, turned to face him. "We've reinforced the entrances, stocked up on food, and armed everyone. It's not perfect, but at least we're not defenseless anymore."
Luke leaned against the wall, inspecting a newly crafted dagger. "Yeah, we’ve got a system now. Things are finally feeling... manageable."
Jason gave them a short nod, tightening the straps of his greatsword across his back.
"You're leaving?" Luke asked, though the answer was obvious.
Jason finished adjusting his gear before meeting Luke’s gaze. "Yeah."
Ryan scoffed. "Of course you are."
"You don't have to do this alone," Luke interjected. "We can come with you."
Jason shook his head. "No. I move faster alone."
Ryan took a step forward, irritation creeping into his voice. "We're building something here, man. You’re part of this too. Why throw yourself into danger alone? We're stronger together."
Jason exhaled. They didn’t understand. "My sister is out there," he said evenly. "I'm going to find her."
Ryan ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I get it. But you don’t even know if she’s alive."
Jason’s eyes darkened at the thought. Unknowingly, his killing intent flared, the air growing heavy. Ryan and Luke staggered under its weight. Jason quickly withdrew it, realizing his mistake. "Sorry," he muttered, helping them back up. "But I have to go. I know she’s alive."
Luke sighed, extending a hand. "Just don’t die."
Jason clasped it briefly before stepping out of the gymnasium. As he glanced at his mini map, he noticed something odd, no unidentifiable dots. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign, but at least he could leave without trouble.
----------------------------------------
The streets were eerily silent, the air thick with the scent of decay. Jason moved swiftly, his enhanced mini map scanning ahead. Signs of destruction littered the city. Abandoned cars blocked the roads, windows lay shattered, and dried blood stained the sidewalks. Bullet holes pockmarked the buildings. But there were no bodies.
His instincts flared. Something had swept through here. Then he saw them... skeletons.
They moved sluggishly at first, hollow sockets glowing with eerie green light. But as soon as Jason drew close, they snapped to attention, rusted weapons raised.
Jason tightened his grip on his greatsword. "So this is what’s been causing the destruction."
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The first skeleton lunged. Jason stepped forward, his blade flashing. A single, fluid stroke split the creature in half, its bones disintegrating into dust. Another charged. Another swing. Another kill. It wasn’t even a fight. Jason carved through them effortlessly, his mind focused solely on one goal, his sister.
Kaitlin Cole stood in the ruined living room, her hands trembling as mana crackled at her fingertips. She was exhausted. She had fought all night, drawing more and more monsters to her doorstep. Now, three level 14 skeleton knights surrounded her, rusted armor barely holding together.
Her mana pulsed, desperate for release. She raised a shaking hand and whispered, "Shock Burst."
A violent charge of electricity erupted from her body, surging through the skeletons. Their bones shattered, crashing to the floor. Kaitlin staggered back, drenched in sweat, her vision swimming. She was out of mana. She needed time to rest.
Then… a deep, guttural growl echoed through the house.
Her breath hitched.
The walls trembled. Something massive slammed into the front door. Then, with a deafening crash, the entire front wall exploded inward.
A towering werewolf stepped inside, ducking beneath the broken frame. Its fur was jet black, its glowing eyes filled with hunger. Claws like daggers scraped against the wooden floor. Its breath reeked of death.
This wasn’t an ordinary beast. This was a level 29 First Class monster.
Kaitlin’s heart pounded. "No..." She was too weak to fight this thing.
The werewolf’s lips curled into something eerily close to a grin. Then, it lunged.
Kaitlin barely raised her hands in time. "Frost Chains!"
Thick chains of ice erupted from the ground, wrapping around the beast’s limbs. It snarled as frost spread over its fur, but then, the ice cracked. The beast shattered its restraints effortlessly.
It lunged again
BOOM!
Something slammed into the werewolf, sending it flying across the room. It crashed through the far wall, debris exploding outward.
Kaitlin looked up, her eyes wide. "Jason...?"
He didn’t answer. His gaze was locked onto the werewolf, his entire body radiating bloodlust. The air itself felt heavier as his killing intent flooded the room.
The beast shook off the rubble, its wounds regenerating instantly. Jason activated Exoskeleton. His muscles hardened, bones reinforcing. Then Overdrive. His strength surged. Finally, Gravity Shift the pressure around him doubled.
Jason lunged.
The impact shattered the floor, sending debris flying. The werewolf dodged at the last second, swiping its claws. Jason blocked with his greatsword, the force sending shockwaves through the house. He countered with a flurry of strikes, slashing faster than the eye could follow.
But the werewolf healed too fast.
Jason narrowed his eyes. He needed to inflict serious damage.
Pouring every last point into strength, he doubled his gravity, cracking the wooden floor beneath him. His next swing carved deep into the werewolf’s chest. The beast howled, its regeneration faltering.
Then, its body glowed green.
Its passive skill had activated Last Stand. Its agility doubled. It vanished then reappeared before Jason. A slash tore across his chest, but Exoskeleton dampened the impact.
Jason gritted his teeth, suddenly dropping his own gravity to near weightlessness. He surged forward, grabbing the beast by the waist then slammed it into the ground.
"NOW!" he shouted. "Frost Chains!" Kaitlin cast with the last of her mana, locking the werewolf in place. Jason leapt, his cooldown finally over.
Starbreak. The werewolf’s eyes widened—its regeneration wasn’t fast enough. It understood. It was going to die.
Jason didn’t hesitate. The next second, his blade tore through its chest like a falling meteor.
Kaitlin’s hands shook as she stared at Jason. She had fought for her life every second since the Integration.
And here he was. Like something out of a myth.
"What... the hell are you?" she whispered.
System Notification: You have slain a First Class Level 29 Wolf King:
+ 20 endurance, + 28 health, + 25 agility, + 11 mana, + 23 strength
Level Up! x 5
All stats + 5
Name: Jason Cole
Level: 25
- Health: 102
- Agility: 110 (100 + 10)
- Endurance: 88
- Strength: 91
- Mana: 83
Unassigned Points: 26
System Notification: You have reached level 25 and are eligible for your first class:
Loading possible classes.... The system thought for a second before listing four possible classes:
1. Swordsman
2. Carapace Warrior
3. Burst Striker
4. Gravity Knight
Hm, Jason thought to himself as he looked through the four classes, Swordsman was obviously related to his greatsword, but such a common class definitely wouldn't be suitable in the long run.
Carapace Warrior was definitely related to his exoskeleton, it could potentially be a choice but he still had to look through the other two.
Burst Striker was most likely related to Overdrive, however this ability had too many shortcomings, he grew tired too easily, and if he had to fight a battle of attrition he wouldn't last long.
Finally Gravity Knight, this was definitely the type of Class he was looking for, something that would grant him an impressive power up.
He made his mind up, and pressed his class.
The moment he selected Gravity Knight, his entire body felt like it had been chained to the earth. His muscles burned, his breath became labored. Even lifting his arms took effort. Then the system notification appeared.
[System Notification: First Order Trial – The Weight of Ascension]
Objective: Defeat 3 First-Class Monsters while under the effects of Gravity Seal within 48 hours
Gravity Seal: Gravity Locked at three times body weight
Jason felt extremely sluggish and slow under his seal, as he checked his mini-map it began to pulse violently, shifting as new red dots appeared. Not one, not two, but three. They weren’t moving yet. But they were waiting.