We hardly finish getting down to the first floor before I’m hit with a System notification. Based on how Chloe’s eyes uncross, I assume she’s getting the same message as I.

[System message: All lifeforms on Planet E3-971, local name ‘Earth’, have been initialized into System. Beginning creation of dungeons and basic world modifications. Further world modifications will commence in 120 local hours.] The message is replaced by a countdown timer which I dismiss.

“So, what do you think happens when time runs out?” Chloe asks.

“I would imagine the world changes in a big way. If I were a betting woman, we can say goodbye to your phone and most other technology that doesn’t rely on the System.” I pause for a moment. “My class is a [Mechanist] variant. I have a class skill that makes it easier for me to build new technology. Best case, I can figure out some way to keep it powered. Worst case scenario, I can salvage it for parts.”

“Why don’t you salvage your own piece of junkheap of a car for parts before you even think about taking my phone, Sera?” She perfectly blends indignance and sarcasm in her tone.

“Actually, that’s a good idea. Do you want to do that first, or after we check the basement?”

“Uh, let’s do that first.” She shudders, and I don’t blame her. I’d like to put off going to the basement as long as possible.

“I agree with that! Also, my class description suggests I might be able to make some sort of Ether-charged weapon out of various bits of technology, so maybe that’ll help us when we get down there.”

“Oh, wow. That’s really neat, Sera!”

“That reminds me. It’s probably not the best idea for either of us to go around talking about our classes or abilities with others, and especially not on social media. I know that’s going to be tricky for you, but think about it. If someone does try something nefarious, do you want to broadcast your abilities for the entire world to see?”

“But–”

“Chloe, do not ‘But Sera’ me on this one. I know you like sharing with all your followers on whatever the newfangled social media app of the week is, but I’m putting my foot down on this one. Things are going to get ugly, and I’d love for them to not get ugly toward us specifically.” She gives me a pleading face, but I give her a side-eye. “Trust me on this one.”

“Okay, fine, Sera. I know you’re not big on social media. Can I at least let my followers know I’m okay?”

“Yeah, that should be fine. And maybe tell them my warning as well. Oh, but I’d make sure to turn off location services or whatever it’s called on your version; I do not want some stalker who just got superpowers to try something.”

I worry that someone might already try something unpleasant, and I start steeling myself to the likelihood that we’re going to fight and possibly have to kill fellow people rather than just rats. And probably sooner rather than later, as unfortunate as that makes me feel.

As we head outside and I start trying to pop open the engine compartment, that last thought makes me worry. I’ve never even thought about killing someone before. Not even those assholes on the news before. But now I’m talking about it like it’s the most casual thing in the world? Definitely throwing this on the growing pile of evidence that I’ve been reincarnated somehow, and with some sort of lingering memory involving fighting while under the power granted by the System.

I look at the engine block and peer through the internal mechanisms. I’ve definitely never been one for mechanics and shop work before, but my [Tinkerer] skill is already hard at work, able to dissect the inner workings of my beautiful hunk of scrap with precision. Sure enough, I see that the timing belt is busted. I sigh and admit that Chloe was right about my car, to which I get a smug look in return. I still think the System’s arrival has something to do with it, but after putting my foot down about not using social media a few minutes ago, she deserves the win.

I get some ideas for how I might use these pieces of equipment to my advantage, but then recall that I also now have the ability to create technology powered by [Ether]. Definitely should look into retrofitting my car with a new engine when I have a better understanding of how to do that. Having a car when others don’t is definitely going to be a major logistical advantage, and as my world history teacher was fond of saying last year, logistics wins wars. Not that– I shrug off the invasive thought about my sudden amorality, other than to say that [Divine Paladin] was definitely not the class for me.

We head back inside, although not before grabbing the jumper cables out of my trunk. Worst case scenario, I have a really poor excuse for a whip. Best case, I can use it in one of the project ideas that have started forming in my head.

We head to the front door, but just before we cross the threshold, the ground starts shaking beneath our feet. I instinctively drop to my knees and cover the back of my neck as though this is an earthquake, but get up once I realize that this could be an [Evoker] with the potential to create tremors. If that’s the case, I’m just turning myself into a sitting duck for them to take potshots at. But thankfully, the tremors stop after half a minute, and no one emerges from around the corner or the rooftop to attack us.

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“So what do you think that was?” Chloe asked.

“My first thought was an earthquake. I know there was a pretty big one about ten years ago thanks to all the fracking going on, but then I realized it could be an Earth [Evoker]. The other possibility, and now that I’m thinking more clearly, the most likely possibility, is that the System is doing some of the dungeon creation and world modification that it mentioned.”

“Is there anything it can’t do, do you think?”

“Until proven otherwise, I’m going to assume that the System is all powerful. And, I suspect, not as benevolent as it wants us to think it is.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Just a hunch with no real evidence.”

I don’t think this is the right time to mention my status information about being reincarnated just yet. Not that I think Chloe will abandon me over it. We’ve been too close for too long. Just that it’s so much to try to take in over the course of… Three hours now? Maybe a bit less?

Chloe grabs us a couple of bottles of water. I put them and the jumper cable in my backpack and put that on before we head down to the basement. And holy shit something weird happened. The basement that I remember from barely over two hours ago looks completely different. It stretches down way deeper, the air smells damp and moldy, and we look at each other and decide we’re definitely not going down without a flashlight. Or two.

Thankfully, Chloe has a pair of them that she dredges up out of the family’s supply closet. She hands it to me… and the battery is dead. Before I give up on it, I decide to test my abilities as a [Planetouched Mechanist]. I trigger the impulse like I’m about to use my [Flash of Insight], but instead of releasing that energy in a huge burst, I thread a tiny amount into my hand and from there into the flashlight’s internal components. And sure enough, it turns on just like that.

I double and triple check, and sure enough, I can turn the flashlight on more or less at will. There is a small drain of [Ether], but it’s barely noticeable; I’m regenerating it almost as quickly as I’m expending it.

I take the lead as we head down, knowing full well it’s everyone’s job to defend the healer. Nothing awaits us as we head down the stairs and into the first chamber. It looks like a natural cavern which has spawned just underneath Chloe’s house, even including some stalactites hanging on the ceiling. I have to assume that the tremors from earlier are related to this dungeon which just appeared. I hope it’s a mini-dungeon. And preferably at tutorial difficulty. I’m definitely not ready to die. Something tells me that I need to survive to the end of… whatever lies at the end of this System Integration. Past me, maybe.

I spin the light around to gather information about my surroundings. I also charge a flash bomb with ten units of [Ether] just in case. Whatever is down here is adapted to the dark and probably won’t appreciate the sudden light show. Though, if they’re blind, it might not be the greatest deterrent. I don’t regret my choice of class, but I feel I might be having an easier time of things had I chosen to be a [Divine Paladin].

That gets me thinking about what sorts of god or gods are worshiped within the System, or if the System itself can be likened to a god. Considering it just granted all of humanity superpowers over the course of an afternoon, I’d say so. Something for philosophers to mull over in the coming decades.

We tiptoe around the cavern for a bit, but don’t see anything that looks hostile. Just a few bugs, all of which are the appropriate size for such creatures. Chloe shakes a bit as a roach scurries by her feet, but I flash my light at it, and it runs back off.

We enter the next chamber, taking it slow and being mindful of potential pitfalls, both literal and metaphorical. A spider drops onto my shoulder. I swat it aside, silently thankful that it landed harmlessly on my shoulder instead of on my head or worse, in my mouth. I shudder and gag just thinking about how rancid that taste would be. Disgusting!

The air is tense, but we don’t encounter anything more threatening than the occasional bug. In the third chamber, I spot a metal cylinder that seems out of place among all the stone and sounds of dripping water. I pick it up; despite its size, it’s quite light, weighing maybe two pounds? I shake it; it’s definitely hollow, and when I turn off my flashlight, it glows very, very slightly.

I fiddle around with it a bit more, and I start to get an intuitive sense for what it is. Some sort of [Ether] canister. I take it with us; if I can start analyzing System-made technology, I should get a better sense of my class’s abilities and restrictions.

“That’s not poisonous, is it?” Chloe asks.

“It seems to contain Ether that’s somehow been compressed and bottled. If you run out in the middle of a fight, you should take it; it should restore you.”

“Are you sure?”

“No, and it’s extremely annoying that the System doesn’t seem keen on giving either of our classes an [Identify] skill. Especially because being able to glean some new information about our world would be in our best interests.”

I say it in such a way that conveys my annoyance. For some reason, I can’t help but feel that the System is sapient and aware of our reactions and thoughts, but I don’t know exactly where its intentions lie. Again, I feel that pressure from before, seeming to confirm my suspicions, or just drive my paranoia. In either case, I get no purchase, nor any other indication of a new skill being learned. Maybe I can craft some glasses that help with identification? I still have so much information about crafting with System-derived tech to learn.

And… There’s the obligatory giant enemy spider crawling out of its lair to finish up this tutorial dungeon. I turn off my flashlight, store it away in my pack, and grip my bat tightly with both hands. Time to squish our friend like the bug it isn’t.