The gentle morning light tickled at his eyelids, then tickled at his nose. Almost like it was crawling... crawling... crawling...

Ray's eyes shot open, leading him to discover his lucky worm inching slowly across the tip of his nose. The small creature having somehow made the arduous journey over from the kitchen table all the way to his bedroom sometime during the night.

What's more, just as the morning before the same blue text-box greeted his eyes, bringing along with it a sense of anticipation.

Overworld Day 2: Difficulty (hard)

In case you missed my last message, you have some competition now. Pick up the pace or get left behind. Clear out a monster nest before nightfall (mandatory)

Ray remembered now that the medium difficulty had returned sometime before bed. His previous incuriosity was no doubt another side-effect of his ability's manifestation, still unsure about whether that attitude shift was a good thing or a bad thing, but now that he had some time to digest overnight his sense of normalcy was just now starting to return. And he simply couldn't resist looking to see what others were saying.

Grabbing his morning coffee and meal, or rather several meals, he started up his PC for a quick browsing. Finding forums even unrelated ones that were already abuzz with activity. All of which focused on what had happened during the medium difficulty's integration and the ensuing speculation.

People had already noticed the conspicuous absence of anyone from easy and hard difficulty, most of the threads being from people whose family members were missing. If they were waiting on hard difficulty then he had some hard news for them, although he wasn't going to be the one to share it, but it was interesting to him that the harder difficulties had integrated quicker than the easier ones. If anything would have assumed the reverse order.

Remembering how he had earned a title from killing a monster earlier, he knew this was likely the biggest reason for it. With 10 billion competitors on the planet and several titles that were likely unique, or limited in number, earning titles was likely going to become even more competitive as time went on. Everyone racing to achieve these feats before anyone else.

Taking a sip before reading on, his eyes lit up in surprise. If hard difficulty was the path of 'fate', then medium difficulty was the path of 'skill', with the main events being a multi-round competition between individuals. The rules and contents of event were always different, in one description it was rock-paper-scissors, the next it was a duel with swords. Anything from sports, to children's games, to general trivia was covered. It didn't seem to matter what the subject was so long as it could be seen as a competitive event.

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From the dark tone, Ray could tell the ordeals had been traumatizing to some and that casualties were not few, but compared to his integration which had produced one and only one survivor it was not even close to the same realm. It appeared that for these people, so long as you could win even one such game of skill you would be allowed to make it out alive. Even those haplessly killed in the previous events were brought back to compete in the next. Many posts were reporting similar stories to that confirmed its authenticity in Ray's mind.

The randomized nature of medium difficulty might be confusing and incomprehensible to the masses, but through it he saw another glimpse of how much the system favored 'fate' above all else. Looking back at his task for the day with a sense of renewed resolve. He needed to not only survive but thrive in this new world. Billions died so his powers could be born, putting those to good use felt only like the most basic of courtesies.

"Ah, isn't that quite an odd thing for me to think?" Ray couldn't help but notice again the influence his powers were having again over his mind, the effects strengthening again now that he had eaten his morning meal.

In truth he did have some worries. Just as others worried for their own family, he had not yet heard from his. But given his lack of control over the situation all he could do was wait and hope.

Grabbing his keys and knife again he proceeded out as if it were just part of his regular routine. Those monsters weren't going to kill themselves after-all.

Feeling a buzz in his pocket, Ray quickly checked his phone on the way to his car.

"National lockdown... nobody is to leave their houses for five days." Ray read silently.

Interesting, but futile. The government seems to have discovered the monsters no doubt, but a lockdown would be useless against this particular threat. It wasn't as if the monsters were going to just up and leave, rather he could only expect for more of them to arrive by the day.

Scanning the streets, he was on the look out for anything that looked like a 'monster nest', as the system had described it. Given the last two had been goblins, he expected more of the same. Watching for any naked green bodies along the roadside.

Unlike the last day however, he was not the only one out and about. Needing to keep one eye on the road now that several other cars shared the space with him. Still nowhere close to peak traffic, but a welcome change from the lonely sight of a world without any other humans.

Hearing a siren behind him he pulled over to the side, only for a speeding cop car to drive passed him in a hurry. Shooting dirty looks at him and the rest of the vehicles who were ignoring lockdown. Too busy with whatever call they were taking to bother.

Continuing back with his drive, his search took him past his old workplace, being one of the two places he had seen monsters at yesterday it seemed like a likely spot. And how right he was.

Stopping his car again in the middle of the roadway, Ray couldn't help but stare.

Practically overnight the supermarket had transformed. Small mud huts filled the parking-lot where seemingly an entire village of goblins had taken up residence. Each of their barely-clothed naked green bodies ranging from short-and-fat to tall-and-lanky; 'tall' being only relative to the other goblins, even the largest of them stood no higher up than Ray's chest.

Seeing the goblins pass freely through the doors, going in and out just as shoppers would on a regular day, it was a surreal sight to say the least. He was going to have his work cut out for him.