Chapter: Breakfast
Damian stirred on the couch, the faint morning sunlight streaming through the curtains of their hotel room. The air was filled with the snoring of Miles, sprawled across one bed, and the soft, peaceful breathing of Astrid on the other. Damian stretched, his muscles sore but his mind sharp.
He couldn’t blame them for sleeping in. Last night had been grueling—the kind of battle that could leave a person shaken for days. Damian remembered his first big fight; he had slept for ten hours straight afterward. It was no wonder Astrid and Miles were completely out of it.
Rising carefully, Damian made his way to the small table where they had piled their loot from the previous night. His eyes swept over the collection: a sizeable haul of mana stones, coins, potions, and weapons.
He sighed in relief. It had been worth it sorting through the items, the mana stones were the most valuable find.
Next were the potions: a half-dozen minor health potions and several paralysis potions that Astrid could use with her arrows. Then there was Miles’s new mace, and a system made sword for Damian, lastly several weapons forged from magic steel.Originally poorly crafted, but Damian had a plan tosmelt them down and reforge them into something far better.
And finally, the Tower Coins.
Damian picked up one of the strange coins, inspecting its intricate design—a sphere encircled by three rings, like Saturn. He rolled it between his fingers, wondering what purpose they served. “We’ll figure it out,” he muttered, setting it aside.
By the time Miles and Astrid woke up, yawning and stretching, Damian had already sorted everything.
“You’re finally up,” he teased, glancing over his shoulder.
Miles groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Man, I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired. I feel like I fought amarathon.”
“You mean ran a marathon,” Astrid corrected, smirking as she climbed out of bed.
Damian chuckled. “I get it. My first big fight knocked me out for half a day. Anyway, come on, let’s get to work.”
After a quick explanation, Damian handed out the mana stones. Each of them absorbed the stones one by one, the familiar warmth spreading through their bodies as they leveled up. By the time they were done, Miles and Astrid had reached Level 7.
Miles jumped up and down, throwing a few punches in the air. “I feel amazing! This is insane!”
Astrid, however, examined her hands thoughtfully. “It’s weird. I feel stronger, but it’s not overwhelming. It’s… gradual.”
“That’s how it works,” Damian said, tossing a mana stone into his mouth. As he leveled up again, he opened his status window and allocated the new points into Agility.
Status Update
Damian muttered, “Status,” and the translucent screen appeared before him.
Damian Park
Race: Human
Level: 16
Mana Points: 50/50
Strength: 25
Agility: 50 (+5)
Dexterity: 12
Mana: 10
Status Points: 0
Skills
Minor Heal Lv 2
Observe Lv 1 (Evolved from Identify)
Blue Lightning Lv 5
Beginner Blacksmithing Lvl 5
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Intermediate Sword Mastery Lv 2
Iron Skin Lv 6
Damian marveled at the numbers. His agility was now unmatched, and his Iron Skin and Blue Lightning skills had advanced significantly. He noticed that his Identify skill had evolved into something called Observe.
“Observe?” he muttered, tapping the new skill. Nothing seemed different at first glance. “Guess I’ll have to test it out later.”
Satisfied, he closed the window and grinned at his team. “Alright. Let’s grab some breakfast.”
The trio drove to a small diner called Pancake House, the smell of fresh Pancakes and syrup hitting them the moment they stepped inside. They were seated quickly, and soon the table was covered in plates of pancakes, waffles, sausages, and eggs.
“God, this is amazing,” Miles said, his mouth full of syrup-drenched pancake.
Astrid laughed, passing him the butter. “Slow down. You’re going to choke.”
As they ate, the conversation turned to their next move.
“So, what’s the plan, Damian?” Miles asked, taking a bite of sausage.
Damian chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed. “We’re going to fight another Goblin Warrior.”
Miles and Astrid froze, their forks hovering in mid-air.
“WHAT?!” they shouted in unison, nearly spitting outtheir food.
Damian smirked. “You heard me. We’re going to find another Goblin Warrior.”
Astrid stared at him, her eyes wide. “Are you crazy? That thing almost killed us last night!”
“We barely survived!” Miles added, his voice rising.
Damian leaned back in his chair, his expression calm. “And that’s exactly why we need to do it. If we want to get stronger, we have to face tougher enemies. Running away won’t help us when the real enemycomes.”
Astrid sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I getit, but… it’s just a lot to take in.”
Miles groaned. “You’re going to get us killed, man.”
“Not if we plan properly this time,” Damian said, asmall smile playing on his lips. “Trust me. We’ll beokay
The trio continued eating, the clatter of silverware and soft murmurs of other diners filling the room.Plates were nearly empty, but the conversation wasfar from over.
Miles wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned forward. “Damian, I’ve been meaning to ask… how did you awaken?”
Damian paused mid-bite, his expression thoughtful. He set his fork down, gathering his thoughts. “Well, it’s a bit different than yours,” he began. “It all started when I was staying at Uncle Ben’s farm. Something had attacked him—a feral rabbit, completely out of control. At first, I thought it might’ve had rabies, so I was trying to get it to a vet. But things… went sideways.”
Astrid and Miles listened intently, their plates forgotten.
“I ended up killing the creature,” Damian continued, his voice lowering slightly. “And then something strange happened. There was this… pull. I can’t explain it, but it felt like I was being drawn to the mana stone. Before I knew it, I ate it. It wasn’t a choice—it was like an instinct.”
Miles’s eyes widened. “You ate it without knowing what it was?”
“Yeah,” Damian said with a rueful smile. “Back then, I had no idea what was happening. It’s been almost a month since then, and honestly, I’m still figuring all of this out. Everything keeps changing—new abilities, stronger enemies… it’s like the rules of reality are being rewritten.”
Astrid leaned forward, her brow furrowed. “It’s insane to think about. The military guys we met—they didn’t know anything, did they?”
“Nothing,” Damian confirmed. “They’re dying justtrying to gather intel. And that’s here, in a small, controlled area. Imagine what’s happening in places like Dallas or New York. The creatures there—those UC—must be on a completely different level.”
The table fell silent as they absorbed his words.They’d seen the news, the shaky footage on Metube, and the horrifying stories. But hearing Damian lay it out so plainly made the reality hit harder.
“We’ve got time,” Damian said finally, his voicesteady. “But not much. We need to learn everything we can before these things spread everywhere.”
“Anyway,” Damian said, reaching into his pocket,“there’s something else I wanted to talk about.”
He placed one of the Tower Coins on the table, its intricate design catching the light.
“Oh, it’s one of those coins,” Miles said, tilting his head. “What about it?”
Damian tapped the coin with his finger. “Back when I first found one, I tried to use Identify on it. It didn’t tell me much—just the name. But now that my ability has evolved, it says this is currency for something called The Tower of Eden.”
“The Tower of Eden?” Astrid repeated, her curiosity piqued.
“Yeah,” Damian said. “It got me thinking—what if these creatures are from that place?”
Astrid and Miles exchanged a glance before bothmuttered, “Aliens?”
The three of them stared at each other for a beat before saying it again, louder this time: “Aliens!”
Damian burst out laughing. “Nah, probably not aliens,” he said between chuckles. “But this tower has to be connected somehow. It’s the only lead we’ve got.”
He leaned back, popping a piece of pancake into his mouth. “I haven’t seen any tower myself, but maybe it’s out there somewhere. Maybe that’s how these creatures are getting here.”
Astrid nodded thoughtfully. “It’s not impossible. If those coins are real, then the tower must be, too.”
Damian set his fork down and looked at his teammates. “So,” he said, “have you invested your points like we talked about?”
Miles nodded eagerly. “Yep! I put most of mine into strength, since I’m using a mace. I also bumped up my agility a little for better movement, and I threw a few points into mana so my Stealth skill lasts longer.”
“Smart,” Damian said, nodding. “Especially now that we know you can move more than one person with that skill. Good thinking.”
Astrid chimed in next. “I focused on agility and dexterity—they’re pretty high now. I also added one point to mana, just in case I unlock a skill later. My Basic Archery Mastery skill is at Level 9 now!” She beamed, clearly proud.
Damian couldn’t help but smile. “That’s impressive. It’s probably because you already knew how to use a bow. Your skill must’ve leveled faster because of that.”
Astrid’s grin widened. “Guess I have Uncle Ben to thank for all those summers of practice.”
“Absolutely,” Damian said. “Alright, let’s wrap this up. We’ve got a lot to do tonight”