Blake spun and used his long sword to cut down the five goblins that surrounded him. Normally, the move would be foolish as it could be easily blocked and leave him open to counter-attack. However, he was many times stronger than the thin green-skinned humanoids, and easily overpowered them.

After the group was dealt with, only two enemies remained in the scenario. He rushed forward and quickly ended the life of his closest opponent, which caused the last to throw down its heavy shield and run. The goblin did not get far before it too was cut down from behind.

His interface informed him that the scenario was completed, and he wiped the cold sweat from his brow. He would be glad to get out of the freezing weather. High physical resistance allowed him to shrug off temperature variances easier than he could before, but it was still uncomfortable.

The fight had been grueling and worked his muscles hard. Over a hundred goblins had rushed him and forced him to utilize every bit of his strength and speed to overcome them. He was incredibly happy that he chose to enhance his physical stamina. If he had chosen to upgrade his power instead, he might not have succeeded.

According to his companion, there was once again no treasure present. Evidently, the presence of hidden loot was rarer than he thought. Without any treasure to uncover, he dismissed Metal, and informed the interface that he would like to choose his reward. Four objects appeared before him.

He immediately disregarded the first choice, another pair of trousers. The second was a large pike that weighed over twenty pounds.

No thanks.

However, Blake may change his mind in the future if presented a similar choice. The weapon held many advantages over a sword, but he decided to keep using his current weapons instead.

The third choice was a simple cloth tunic, and the fourth was thick gambeson armor. At first, he had difficulty choosing between the last two rewards. The shirt offered no real protection, but could be worn under his jerkin. It would replace the bloody, ripped t-shirt he wore currently.

On the other hand, the gambeson offered almost as much protection as the jerkin he wore, but came with sleeves. With the cold weather he currently found himself in, it looked especially appealing. However, when he remembered the hot desert he visited in the prior scenario, he was less eager to wear it.

Despite the chill wind, he was covered in sweat, wearing only a thin shirt and a light leather vest. If he were in the thick, padded armor, he would be roasted alive.

Blake chose the thin tunic and checked his nano totals while he waited for the reward to appear.

Wow, that’s a lot.

He had gained a little under twenty-one million nano for his rampage, which put his total at just over twenty-eight million four hundred. Blake immediately spent ten million nano to enhance his physical power. However, he hesitated before he used another ten million to increase his magical stamina.

Screw it, time to gamble.

He inhaled deeply, increased the last attribute that remained below ten, and retrieved a snack from his pocket. If he did not receive another achievement, it would not be the worst thing to ever happen. He was already far stronger than should be possible without a class, and he had the hunger to prove it.

An hour and a half later, the nanomachines finished their job. When no achievement was granted to him, he sighed in disappointment. In the long run, enhancing magic stamina was fine. However, it would not help him over the next few months. Regardless, all six of his attributes were now well beyond human limits.

Physical Power - 14.6

Physical Stamina - 11

Physical Resistance - 11

Magic Power - 11

Magic Stamina - 11

Magic Resistance - 12.2

Despite being over twice as high as when he first joined the Collective, Blake had only enhanced them six times, and had another six to go.

After he absently massaged his bruised arm, he decided he would next increase his physical resistance. It would not do anything to heal his current injury, but would hopefully prevent another from appearing in the future.

Time to go.

He had already replaced his blood-stained shirt with the new tunic, so he sheathed his sword in its scabbard and jogged to the swirling portal a half mile away.

Should I do another scenario today?

He opened his interface and saw that it was only three in the afternoon. With his body’s vast reserves of stamina and durability, he was only slightly tired from the extended fight, and felt like he could go for hours.

Yeah, I’ll do one more and take a break.

With the decision made, he stepped into the spatial distortion and entered the void. After what seemed an eternity, he was spat out into the bright light of Arizona and landed hard on the ground, superhero style.

“He’s over here!” A voice called out.

Huh?

He looked up and saw the flashing red and blue lights of law enforcement through the juniper trees. The sheriff’s deputy who announced his presence stood just twenty feet away.

“Blake Summers, get down on the ground now!” He ordered as he unclasped his sidearm and hovered his hand directly above it.

How did they find me?

“He’s got a freakin’ sword!” The deputy yelled in a panic and drew his weapon. He aimed the barrel directly at Blake, center mass, and waited for his backup to arrive.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Since he was not yet bulletproof, Blake decided to comply.

Let’s just get this over with.

With any luck, his parents would bail him out today, and he could go right back to completing scenarios. Backup arrived in the form of four sheriff’s deputies. They surrounded him cautiously, although only the original officer had drawn his firearm.

“Cross your wrists behind your back!” the man ordered.

While he calmly lay on the ground, prone, he continued to comply and asked a question in an even voice. “How did you know I was here?”

The deputy ignored him. Instead, he felt handcuffs wrap around both wrists in record time. Once he was cuffed, the man put a knee on his back and leaned in with his entire body weight. “What kind of moron brings their phone with them when they run from the law?”

A normal person would be left gasping for air as over two hundred pounds pressed down on their back. Blake, however, barely felt it. In contrast to the sneer from the abusive officer, he politely replied, “I thought you need a warrant to track people’s cell phones.”

With undisguised glee, the man said, “Oh, you do. But see, the boss is friends with the judge. We get whatever we need to get the job done.”

Blake could no longer contain his disbelief. Exasperated, he blurted, “All this for a high school fight? What are you gonna do next? Bring in the national guard when a ten-year-old steals candy from the gas station?”

His chin dug sharply into the soil when a boot stepped fully on the back of his head. “Watch your mouth. You screwed with the wrong kid, and now you get to pay the price.” Then he added, “Oh, and don’t expect bail any time soon. You’re gonna get REAL comfy in a cell.”

Okay, enough of his shit.

He was willing to play along when he thought he would be released later that day. However, it seemed they intended to keep him in a hole for as long as they could get away with it. With how openly the man admitted to breaking the law, Blake assumed they had all disabled their body cams.

Good. I don’t want a record of this.

With the boot still on his head, he pulled apart his arms, easily snapping the metal handcuffs. He pushed off the ground and shot to his feet, while the corrupt officer fell on his rear. Before anyone could react, he took off through the trees at his full speed.

After he was cuffed, the deputies became complacent and had holstered their guns. Now, they yelled after him and ordered him to stop while they struggled to pursue through the scrub.

They never stood a chance.

Blake could now run far faster than any human who ever lived. Within just a few minutes, he left the slow officers far behind, yet he was barely winded. Once he had put enough distance between them, far enough that any bullets would go wild, he slowed to a jog and contacted his parents through the interface.

A few moments later, two separate images, one for each of his parents, were spliced together before his eyes. The video was transparent, which allowed him to navigate the rough desert terrain, but he could still see them and the rooms they were in.

His father was in his vehicle, pulled over to the side of the road, while his mother was at home in the living room. They could see the surrounding environment speed by as he ran through the hilly fields north of the airport. His mother grinned, happy to talk to her son again, until she saw the broken handcuffs still on his wrists.

“Blake? What’s going on?” she frowned.

“The police found me when I left the portal.” he stated.

“Are you okay?” Donna quickly asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured her.

“Son, you shouldn’t have run.” Peter said. “We could’ve bailed you out and the world would’ve gone to crap long before you ever went to court.”

“That was the plan,” he agreed. “I even let them cuff me. But then the idiot cop told me how the judge was going to deny bail. I’m not sitting in a jail cell for the next six months.”

His father cursed.

“How did you get away? Don’t they have guns? They didn’t shoot at you, did they?”

“Actually, surprising enough, they didn’t. I guess it’d be harder to cover up if they shot me or something,” he added, bitterly.

“How’d you break the cuffs?” his father asked.

“These?” he looked down. “Any decently strong person can break handcuffs, and I’m waaay beyond just strong now. It’s literally not possible for a human to be as strong as I am now, even with steroids.”

“But,” his father said. “You don’t look any stronger than before? You still look skinny.”

Blake shook his head. “It’s the nanomachines enhancing my muscles. I don’t know how they work, but they make me much stronger than I look.” He demonstrated his point by using his fingers to snap the metal rings around his wrists as he continued through the desert scrub.

“What are you going to do?” his mother asked.

“Well, I can’t run the goblin scenario anymore. At least for a while, anyway, so I’ll head down to Lakeside and hop in the Ursa portal.”

“I thought you said they were too dangerous,” his mother frowned.

“That was before I got so strong. I’ve actually gotten a ton of power in the last few days.”

“Do you need anything from us? I can give you a ride there,” his father offered

“That’d be great, actually. I’d look pretty suspicious running through the city with a sword snapped to my belt, wearing leather armor.”

“Yeah, better to keep a low profile,” Peter agreed. “Where should I pick you up?”

“Uh, probably east of the airport on highway 60. I’m going to circle around the lake and turn south to try and throw them off.”

“Are they still chasing you?” Donna asked.

Blake turned his head and looked behind him. “No, they couldn’t keep up. They’ll probably get back to their cars and drive around the area looking for me, so I’ll hide behind a tree or something until you get there. Oh, and can you bring some water and food? I don’t think I’ll be able to get any from my tent now.”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

“Be safe,” his mother added.

He ended the conference video call and increased his speed. Within a few minutes, he found himself alongside the highway in the trees. There was a convenient Juniper he was able to hide within while he waited for his father to arrive. A few minutes later, he saw the ten-year-old, faded blue sedan drive along the road.

He jumped to his feet and raced out to the mostly empty road. Luckily, his father was the only vehicle nearby. It was unlikely that someone would report a kid getting into a car to the police, but he was dressed like he was about to attend a renaissance fair. It was better to be safe than sorry.

When his father saw him, he immediately slammed on the brakes. Blake jogged around the car and hopped into the passenger seat. It was difficult to close the door, as his three-foot sword got in the way, but he quickly disconnected the scabbard and tossed it on the back seat.

After Peter did a U-turn and started back towards town, he asked, “Are you going to be okay?”

Blake snorted, but then smiled when he noted the cooler on the floorboard before him. He cracked it open and saw a large plate of pasta and bread. He immediately pulled the meal out and began to eat. “Don’t worry, dad. I’ll be fine.”

They rode in silence for the next few minutes until his father asked another question. “Where am I going?”

“Do you know where Springer Mountain is?”

“The one with the fire tower on it?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. The portal’s there.”

“How big is the portal, what does it look like?”

“Well, it’s invisible right now. On invasion day, they all become visible, and you’ll see one then. But, they look like red, swirling spheres about two feet in diameter.”

“Why red?”

Blake shrugged.

“Do you need me to get you some more camping supplies?”

“I don’t think so. Let me check out the tower first, and then I’ll let you know.”

“Wait, you’re going up in the tower itself?”

“I have to, that’s where the portal is. I might as well stay up there as well. If I remember right, there’s a bed and everything up there.”

“Does anyone use it?”

“Not anymore. Anyone that goes up there is going to accidentally go through the portal. They aren’t coming back from that.”

“And that’s where you want to go? All by yourself?”

Blake nodded.