It had been twenty-seven hours, three minutes, and fifty-eight seconds since the second time Conall woke up in the apocalypse. He had spent that time killing. Despite the warning, he didn't encounter anything more dangerous, or even anything as strong as the Sparking Sparrow. But it had been worth it. As the final monster lay dead before him, he opened his status.

SYSTEM STATUS NAME: Conall Jeffries RACE: Human TITLES: LEVEL: 10 PROGRESS: 6/150 XP SKILLS: Tough Skin Lv.4, Quick Healing Lv.3, Drain Lv.0 SKILL POINTS: 1

He invested the new point into Tough Skin, before a few new messages caught his attention.

Congratulations Challenger, you have reached Level 10!

You may now see the designation of Monsters and sapient beings.

You may now earn Titles.

You may now be affected by the Divine.

Congratulations Challenger, you have earned a Title!

Natural Talent

Unlock: Reach Level 10 before week 1 of System Integration concludes

Affect: You exude an Aura of intent. Anything you consider an enemy will either be afraid or challenged, and anything you consider an ally will be comforted.

The Divine?

The world had already gone to shit. Monsters appeared everywhere, superpowers had become a fact of life, and he had gone on a murder spree in a forest to stop from starving to death. And now something called the Divine could 'affect' him? Affect how? How strong is the 'effect'? And what the fuck is so strong that a System that gives everyone superpowers considers it divine?

Conall took a deep breath to steady himself. Calm. Be calm. With Tough Skin at level five, there wasn't much in the forest that could hurt him yet. He just needed to focus on getting stronger. He would make sure that this 'Divine' couldn't hurt him, and then he would leave it alone.

Stolen novel; please report.

He was drawn from his contemplation by a panicked squeak. Above him, huddled in the canopy, was a raccoon. And floating above its head like some videogame health bar, was another message.

Demented Raccoon

It was probably the 'designation' that the System had referred to. It seemed useful. He could use it to check if any monsters were at the Crazed tier, or if they had an elemental aspect like the sparrow had. Would he always be able to see it, or only if he could see the monster itself? Stealth would be pretty hard if you had a massive identifier over your head.

But more interesting was how the raccoon was acting. It wasn't hissing or threatening him. In fact, it looked to be...hiding? The beast looked at Conall like he was something straight out of Hell, there to drag it to its doom. It was so panicked that it almost fell out of the tree that it was clinging to. A nice sturdy birch, likely there for a decade or two, but it was shaking like a leaf in the wind as the monster rattled its branches.

Soon enough, it did fall out of the tree, and Conall was there waiting. It tried to gouge him with its claws, but his skin was stronger than clay at this point. The wounds in his side and shoulder barely hindered him, and were already almost a fifth of the way healed. The raccoon was secure in his grip, and the best it could inflict were paper cuts. A new idea formed in his mind.

He grabbed the beast by the scruff of its neck, and started walking. The monster, already afraid and now seeing the minimal wounds it have given him disappear due to Quick Healing, hung its head in defeat and stopped struggling. And then, Drain took effect. As a Level 0 skill, the effect wasn't much. But Conall didn't need it to be fast. He continued enjoying his walk through the woods.

Unlike the trees he had siphoned the past day and a half, the raccoon's vitality fought to stay in its body. The green strands clung to the beasts fur like dew on grass, holding on as if gravity pulled them to the monster. But even at Level 0, Drain didn't cost a Skill Point for nothing. The strands fell into his hand, and he could see the beast getting weaker by the minute.

After about an hour of strolling back to the tent, the monster finally died. Its fur hung off it like a drape, and its eyes were glazed over with fog. When he dropped it, a crack signaled that a few of its bones had been so brittle that the short fall had been all it took to shatter them.

You have slain a Demented Raccoon!

+15 XP

Progress to Level 11: 21/150

A good day. It had been a good day. He would likely return to town now that he had powered up a bit. Maybe see if any of his few friends were still running around. The drama king that was Jay, the 'lifestyle influencer' Megan, maybe even that fat bastard Ivan. This System was kinda like a game. Maybe he could form a 'party'? Food for thought.

It was with that food for thought that Conall fell asleep. In the comforting embrace of his tent, his mind turned towards good times and better people.

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He was dreaming. It was strange that he knew that. In all his life, Conall had not had one lucid dream. And yet here he was. He was on a path. Behind him was a door. Somehow, instintivly, he knew that going through it would wake him up. The easy route. He might not even remember being here at all.

To the sides and above was Void. Pure nothing. Not tainted by pesky mortal ideals like existence. He knew, just like he knew how to wake up, that the Void was the end. There would be no Purgatory. No fiery pit, no pearly gates. He would simply be gone, should he stray off the path.

And there was a path.

It led forward. Something, far away at the end, called to him. To his desires. Specifically, the desires that had led to Tough Skin. His want to be safe. His need to be in control. His desperate, pathetic attempts to act like he had any say over his own life.

He started walking. Every step felt like wading through molasses. Every footfall felt like it landed in shards of glass. Every breath felt like pure poison. But he kept walking. And eventually, Conall reached another door.

He didn't know how long he had been walking. Time was weird in dreams. Had it been mere moments? Days? Long weeks? Even years? He did not know.

But he knew what to do next.

Conall took one more excruciating breath, and stepped through the door.