There’s the looting I expected.

Kade’s workplace was in Bridgeport, an area with plenty of warehouses, so it almost makes sense for it to be looted.

He saw several groups that seemed to have the time of their lives, but that wasn’t surprising. This was what he expected when he saw what happened to Earth.

It was honestly more shocking that such a large group came together and established some sort of order in the city proper.

Kade eyed a group that was getting ideas about him. He was far less willing to give them leeway than he did the boy. Still, he preferred not to fight humans, if at all possible.

Luckily for them, they seemed to recognize who he was and quickly sprinted the opposite way.

He shook his head and arrived at his company’s warehouse. It was just as ransacked as every other warehouse in the area.

Kade saw that his work truck was mostly untouched, which also meant it had little value to the looters.

He entered through the back door as he usually would and frowned at the mess. Unfortunately for the looters, there weren’t many things that could be found of any importance, since weapons and food were some of the few things the company didn’t deal with.

Kade searched the offices for several minutes when he heard a soft click in the distance. Somebody opened a door.

He entered the hallway where he heard the sound. It sounded like someone was approaching him around the corner at a quick pace.

Kade blinked when he faced a loud scream and a metal baseball bat swinging down onto his head. He caught the bat and smirked. “You can open your eyes, Matt.”

Matt was red in the face. He had his eyes closed while trying to beat his head in. Kade was sure that more effort went into the loud screaming than swinging the baseball bat.

The screaming abruptly stopped as Matt opened one eye before a wide smile grew on his lips. “Kade! I thought you were a goner. But I saw you on that video!”

“I thought the same about you. I’m happy that you’re… mostly fine.” Kade noticed Matt had gone through some scrapes since yesterday.

“What the hell do we do?” Matt dropped his worries on him immediately. “The government seems to be gone. Nobody has a proper plan on how to do anything. We apparently have to fight for our lives, but what can we do about food? Everything has broken down. Forget getting food delivered. I can’t even call someone on the other side of the city, let alone in some other state.”

Kade let him vent. He needed to hear that, too. All he had thought about so far was the next Rift Zone he would tackle. He held a hand up and said, “Let me ask. System, what do we do about food? I can’t imagine farms can still produce with what happened to Earth.”

All active Safe Zones will receive a minimal amount of supplies. It will not be enough to sustain all humans. To prevent a dependence on agri-worlds to deliver food, increase your Arcana Level. The higher it is, the less you need physical matter to sustain yourself.

He stared at the answer for a moment before relaying it to Matt.

“So many will die…” Matt looked lost. “It told me the nearest safe zone was Chicago when everything changed yesterday. I just hope there are plenty more in the country. Not that we have a country anymore.”

Kade hadn’t thought about that either. “How many Safe Zones are there in the United States?”

There are 18 Safe Zones.

Matt didn’t like what he saw in Kade’s expression. “What? It can’t be that bad, right?”

“There’s eighteen,” Kade had thought it would be much more than that.

“I have to help people get to Chicago,” Matt said immediately. Kade almost felt ashamed since he still didn’t want to waste his time like that.

And he truly had a good reason for thinking it was a waste of time. It would be better for someone like him to put all his energy into clearing Rift Zones. He had gotten a [Soulrend] for being the first [Warrior] to reach [Arcana Level 10]. That must mean something.

Still, that didn’t mean Kade had to ignore the plight of his fellow humans completely. He would just help at arm’s length.

“I know a group that you can join. They seem to agree with you in the limited time I spoke to them.” Kade knew little about Finn’s group, but if he put his name behind Matt, it would help to integrate his friend and provide some safety.

Matt didn’t ask the obvious question. He knew Kade would have offered to join if that was the desire. “I appreciate it… So, you can talk to the man behind the text.”

Kade had been wondering when this would come up. “It’s nothing special. You can talk to the system if you get your Class.”

There was silence as Matt processed everything. “This is real, isn’t it? Like, it’s not a dream. Fighting for our lives is now the norm.”

Kade felt some pity and patted him lightly on the shoulder. “We have to adapt. Don’t look back.”

Stolen novel; please report.

Matt hummed as he nodded. “You changed, Kade. It’s jarring since I just saw you yesterday, but I saw what you went through in the recording. I’m happy you got out alive.”

He didn’t feel like he changed much, but he supposed he wouldn’t normally have been so cavalier about how things were going. Jumping into multiple death-seeking fights would do that to you.

“Follow me. Before I head for my house, I’ll introduce you to the group that I found.”

***

“You’re back,” Finn sounded stunned.

“I’m back,” Kade said with a smirk. “And with a friend. Do you think he could join your group? I think he might be a good fit.”

Matt waved harmlessly when Finn glanced at him.

“The more, the better. What about you?”

“That’s still a no, but with my friend here, I’ll help whenever I’m free.” Kade didn’t commit to anything, but in his view, it was a gracious gesture.

Finn didn’t look surprised and nodded before talking to his group about the new addition.

“Matt, I’m sure you’ll be fine, but keep yourself safe,” Kade said in a heavy tone. He offered a smile after Matt chuckled as he nodded. “I’ll see you soon.”

Kade waved a farewell and left the city behind. His house was around thirty miles away.

It would have been unthinkable to travel such a distance on foot yesterday, but like most things, it was a new world with different limits. He estimated it would take him only an hour if he pushed it.

Kade was back on the freeway and got into a steady jog. It soon turned into an all-out sprint. His increased perception allowed him to see the passing surroundings clearly, but without his increased [Dexterity], everything would’ve been a blur.

He was traveling at the speed of a slow-moving car.

Unfortunately, that speed didn’t last long enough for him to reach his destination. He estimated he had traveled seventy-five percent of the way there before he had to stop.

Kade took deep breaths with his hands on his knees. It felt like he would keel over and die from exhaustion. In hindsight, draining his [Endurance] to this level was idiotic.

Good thing the only monsters that can ambush me are bugs to me. Literally and figuratively.

He noticed that the further he ventured from Chicago, the more wild the overgrowth became. At this point, the road barely existed since an unnatural nature claimed it. The only reason he could know where he was heading were the abandoned cars marking the road.

It wouldn’t be long before even that was taken away. Kade had been used to knowing exactly how to get around with navigation apps. Now, he had a feeling they would be returning to blind exploration unless someone came up with a new solution.

Kade knew it was out of his control. He knew his limits, and it definitely wasn’t in any sciency shit.

He took a seat on the hood of a nearby car to rest while he recovered his [Endurance]. This brought up a problem that he hadn’t thought of, something that needed an answer from the system.

“When the Rift Zones are open, how do I enter one? Surely I don’t have to waste time traveling.”

We will provide you with the location of the closest Rift Zone of your desired rank and give you active navigation.

It indirectly told Kade that he would need to waste time traveling. He could do nothing but accept it.

Kade hoped he could access the Rift Zones by the time he finished checking on his place. He wanted to get back that dopamine rush of being in combat.

He hopped off the car’s hood. It didn’t take more than a few minutes to recover most of his [Endurance]. He intended to jog the rest of the way to avoid the same mishap.

Kade’s ears perked up when he heard the faint sound of wheels crunching vegetation underneath them. He didn’t hear any engine noise, so there could only be a few things.

He didn’t move from his spot out of pure curiosity. His eyebrows rose when he heard a bell ring several times.

It was a bold move for the rider to announce their arrival.

Kade wasn’t sure who he expected, but it wasn’t the person who rode into view.

The girl looked like she belonged in a retro photoshoot rather than in the middle of this overgrown nature. Even the bike she rode belonged in the fifties.

She didn’t have a hair out of place, even as the wind blew her shoulder-length brown hair back as she leisurely pedaled over the uneven terrain. Her face lit up with a sweet smile when she saw Kade waiting for her.

He returned the smile, but his thoughts didn’t match his expression.

This girl is almost as dangerous as the lesser troll.

“Hello, there,” she said as she came to a stop. The girl’s voice matched her appearance. It was unassuming and gentle. Kade would have been completely fooled if it wasn’t for his vague unease.

“Hi,” Kade was ready to summon his [Soulrend] at any moment. “I didn’t expect to meet anyone here.”

“I should be the one saying that. The closest Safe Zone is Chicago. You’re going the opposite way. You should come with me.”

Kade raised an eyebrow. The city would be in safe hands if she intended to help. “I have other plans.”

“Well, don’t stay away too long. People like us have a responsibility.”

He narrowed his eyes in displeasure. If he couldn’t tell that she genuinely meant nothing by it, he might have taken more offense. “I agree. But we must have different ideas of our responsibilities.”

“That must be the case,” the girl agreed graciously. “I hope we meet again, Kade. I was looking forward to observing you.”

Kade was weirded out. He was a simple man when it came to women, so the girl was lucky she was good-looking; otherwise, he would have really taken offense.

“You know me, but I can’t say the same to you. What’s your name?” This was the first time he asked that question in the past few years with zero intention of making a play.

“Eliza. Like I said, I hope to see you again,” she gave him a little wave before peddling away. It should have looked hilarious, but it didn’t. Her dress fluttered lightly as she looked back to give him a smile before the forest blocked her from view.

“What the fuck was that?” Kade muttered to himself. “System, what Class does she have?”

Despite not expecting an answer, he still felt disappointed when he didn’t receive one.

Kade tried to forget Eliza but found it hard. Even when he reached the exit on the overgrown freeway that led to his house, he was still thinking about her.

He found it difficult to accept that someone like that wasn’t part of the recorded group. It implied the existence of powerful, yet mostly unknown, individuals.

Kade suddenly felt unsatisfied about being recorded. He didn’t want to be known when others could hide their strength. The feeling was forgotten once the interface appeared.

This is a planet-wide alert!

All humans sent to Class F Rift Zones have finished their attempts.

Out of 1,018,277 humans, 837,192 have successfully destroyed a Rift Zone!

19,000,090 Rift Zones remaining!

To foster healthy competition, we have created rankings for each Safe Zone!

We have also created rankings for each region on Earth for those who wish to compete with the best!

Place in the top 10 to win a suitable prize!

You are only eligible for 1 leaderboard at a time.

Leaderboard points are calculated by the monsters you kill. The ranks of the monsters killed will play a large factor.

All leaderboards reset at a random time so be productive!

All leaderboards are available for immediate viewing.

Rift Zones are now open to the public! You can challenge one yourself or with a party.

We look forward to your success, humans.