Isaac threw one last glance at the knife lying on his kitchen table before he closed his apartment’s front door and locked it.

He’d spent several minutes thinking about whether or not to bring it, but in the end, he’d decided against it. A kabar might have a lot of use as a tool, but it was also a combat knife, intended to be used to badly injure or even kill other humans.

Rocking up to a house full of potentially very intoxicated people with that on his belt would probably lead to some pretty serious misunderstandings, so it was staying here.

Isaac grinned as he looked down himself, it had been a while since he’d gotten a chance to wear normal clothes. A pair of nice black jeans, a grey short sleeved t-shirt and an open flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. A nice and relaxed outfit, one he’d been able to select based on looks as opposed to how durable it was or how easily he could repair it.

Half an hour on the subway later, he was walking towards the fraternity house. Unlike their American counterparts, as seen in oh so many TV shows and movies, they weren’t your typical Greek letter organizations. Just groups of students who followed a certain set of traditions and helped each other out even after their time at university ended.

The lower floor consisted of a series of large rooms, one of which contained a bar along the side while another was normally used for dancing during situations like this. The last one had been used in a wide variety of ways, though it was normally a snack bar of sorts to clear up space in front of the bar that was dispensing the drinks.

“Ah, this brings back memories.” Isaac muttered, grinning at the house. He’d been here plenty of times before, it being very close to where most of his lectures had been held. He’d attended many a party, many a drunken night of revelry here, though almost exclusively prior to the [System’s] arrival.

And what a sight it was, this time around. Normally, it had had the normal party decorations consisting of streamers and the like.

Now however … someone had taken a lot of time and effort to turn this place into the perfect monster lair. Splashes of red paint had been placed strategically to give the impression as if a bleeding corpse had been dragged along the floor. More brownish red blots, looking disturbingly like old, dried blood had been placed in other spots.

Small paper mâché monsters had been made as well, but carefully placed in spots where no one would accidentally break them. Obviously, these frat boys knew how destructive drunk people could be.

However, the most impressive part was the trophy collection, a series of fake monster heads mounted on the wall, including a very convincing Devil’s Salamander head, suspiciously so. Clearly, they’d gotten a good look at one from somewhere.

The room entrance room had the usual array of coathooks and umbrella stands, with the bar covering the entirety of the far wall. A quick look at the blackboard behind it showed that the drinks were monster themed, such as the Zombie, Green Eyed Monster and about a million ‘this Monster Energy Drink and Vodka’.

“One beer, please.” Isaac ordered at the bar. With his Fortitude stat, he was actually a hell of a lot more resistant to alcohol than even the most experienced of drinkers, but he was still going to start things off slow. After all, he could always drink more, later.

Ice cold beer in hand, he ambled over to the where he expected the dance floor to be. It was still pretty empty in the house, but that was to be expected, given that he’d arrived only a quarter of an hour after the party’s official start time. The vast majority of partygoers tended to only arrive hours after the doors opened.

The room was mostly empty, as he’d expected, but not quite as much as he remembered from the other times. Several cases of beer were placed alongside the far wall while a bunch of beer tables covered roughly half the available space, complete with the traditional red plastic cups.

“Ah, Isaac, early as always. Where have you been the last couple of days?” a well dressed young man strode over, grinning widely.

“Hey Sam, good to see you. Nothing much. What about you?” Isaac asked.

“Same thing as now. Drinking, recovering from drinking, making sure classes are still cancelled, and drinking some more. Only difference are the decorations.” Sam grinned.

“Yeah, I saw those. Really awesome.” Isaac told him, then gestured to the tables.

“Of course. I’ve been waiting on someone sober to play with.” Sam told him, grabbing two bottles and expertly popping the caps off.

“So you’ve been doing this a lot?

“Of course. Classes are canceled, the economy might be in shambles, but we don’t know, there’s too much chaos to tell one way or the other and someone read in a book that a [System] means an incoming apocalypse. Hence …” Sam gestured around “Party like there’s no tomorrow, then make sure that tomorrows party is going to be even better than today’s. I’m guessing you were the only one in the office, getting every attaboy possible and are now running the place?”

“Actually, that was the plan. But then I actually talked to my boss and he was such an ass about it that I decided against it. I gave him some anatomically impossible instructions on just where to shove his attitude, then hung up when he started yelling.” Isaac grinned.

In fact, that was what he’d done the first time around. He’d made an absolute metric fuckton of money for being willing to work overtime, as well as mere just coming in, gotten a commendation and been subsequently promoted the instant he’d gotten his Bachelors. It had helped his career and established him as a loyal and diligent employee, but neither of those things really helped in the middle of the apocalypse. Or were particularly useful in trying to prevent one, in fact.

“Oh damn, did you get fired?”

“Obviously he tried to, but someone overrode him and sent me an email about how I shouldn’t listen to the big bad choleric and could I maybe come in because they’re understaffed? Then I actually quit, politely, because I already got another job.” Isaac said, still grinning.

“Damn, that was fast. So, what do you do?” Sam wondered.

“Actually, I work for the university now, doing [System] research.” Isaac told him.

“System research? As in [System] System? Wow, that sounds awesome. What do you do all day?” Sam asked.

“Well, it is awesome. Obviously, it’s a lot of repetitive stuff to make sure the stuff we discover wasn’t just a fluke, but it’s still really awesome. Yesterday, I fought a bunch of Slate Golems and today I melted what feels like half a toolbox killing Acid Slimes. I don’t even know anymore why I wanted to go into finance in the first place.” Isaac said.

“But now let’s see if all that hard work has made you any better at play.” Sam smirked as he dunked the first ball in one of Isaac’s cups.

“That was bad and you should feel bad.” Isaac deadpanned, chugged the cup and tossed the ball back, sinking it in one of Sam’s cups with a satisfying plop.

“Aw, come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

“No, it wasn’t, just bad enough for me to give you crap about it.” Isaac flashed his best shit eating grin.

The table began to empty at an incredible rate, each of them having maybe only tossed the ball thirty or so times before the twenty cups had each been hit.

The way Sam had moved earlier had already made Isaac suspicious, but this left him certain of his hunch.

“You’ve levelled.”

It wasn’t a question or a suggestion, it was a statement.

Even without an [Inspection] [Skill], something that most people would only gain alongside their second [Class], it was still somewhat possible to tell how strong someone was, at least in terms of Agility and Strength. All one had to do was see how a person moved. If someone had recently increased those Stats, that was likewise rather obvious, as they moved more uncertainly, more cautiously, unfamiliar with their new bodies.

Fortitude and Perception were harder to determine, but it was still quite possible. By watching how someone responded to their surroundings, what they noticed and possibly just as importantly, what they withstood. Someone who could still hear after having a grenade go off near them, someone who could stare into the sun without blinking and be perfectly fine, that kind of person either had insane Fortitude or some degree of Perception and the resistance to sensory overload that came with.

Meanwhile, Fortitude could be determined based on how badly someone was hurt by a certain attack, or how they were affected by certain substances, alcohol, for example.

But Magic Power and Magic Regeneration, those could only be determined by watching someone fight or having an [Inspection] [Skill] … the kind Isaac didn’t have and wouldn’t get as a [Rogue]. But soon, soon he’d upgrade his [Class] and hopefully, the evolution would have what he needed.

Based on how Sam was moving, he was likely a couple of Levels into an Agility and Perception build, but he could also have a Level in the double digits with those two as his dump stats.

Given how long the [System] had been up, there was no possibility of the latter being true, Sam simply couldn’t possibly have had enough time to reach that Level without being a highly skilled combatant and having spent every waking moment grinding XP.

But that issue of not knowing whether the observable Stats were someone’s focus or dump Stats and the subsequent uncertainty about their Level was something an [Inspection] [Skill] could help with. Even if someone could prevent their Level from being read, just knowing someone’s [Class] usually revealed some details about their build.

“So have you.” Sam replied, cautiously.

“That’s a natural part of my job. Can’t kill monsters without getting XP in the process. But you’ve been summoning monsters for the express purpose of gaining power.” Isaac wagged his finger “Naughty, naughty. But clearly, everyone made it through alright … or is there a pledge buried out back no one’s found yet?”

“Is that what you think of me?” Sam asked, sounding a little hurt.

“Of course not, but monsters are really friggin dangerous, especially if you don’t have a combat [Class] and I don’t think you’d have been offered that as the best fit.” Isaac told him.

“You wouldn’t happen to know what a ‘Mensur’ is, would you?” Sam asked.

“If I recall correctly, it’s a kind of duel between members of different fraternities. It’s also not a real duel because of legal concerns, I was under the impression it’s relatively, well, tame.” Isaac said.

“But I’m still a [Fencer]!” Sam announced, striking a pose.

“Not bad, not bad. But you are being careful, right?” Isaac asked.

“Obviously. But I don’t suppose the professional has any tips?” Sam grinned cheekily.

“First of all, the general consensus for summoning is simple, you don’t.” Isaac told him sternly as he set up the beer pong game for the next round.

“But if you absolutely have to, then be really fricking careful. If at all possible, only summon creatures where you know what they are and that you can beat. Even if you stick to Tier 1 circle stuff only, a bad matchup can easily kill you. A Ghost without a magic attack, a Fire Spirit without a fire extinguisher, a Slate Golem without a piercing [Skill] or a sledgehammer handy … all of that can easily get you killed.”

“Is it really that dangerous?” Sam asked, his voice low.

“Yes.” Isaac replied, incredibly serious “And even beyond that, monsters can track their summoners. If you summon something and can’t kill it … it’s probably going to kill you.”

Sam went a little green at that.

“There will be other people summoning monsters, whether or not you want to join them is up to you. It offers plenty of power and other awesome things, but you need to be aware of the danger. Also, be really fricking careful because I really don’t want to lose you to something stupid. Man, I care about you, stay safe.” Isaac said.

“Love you too.” Sam gave him a wry grin “I can honestly say I have absolutely no intention of ending up on the news as the ‘demon summoning frat’, I got enough trouble with the neighbors as is. Seriously, we’ve had complaints about someone vomiting too loudly. People, we’re a frat house and if you couldn’t tell when you moved in next door, you have got to be blind.”

“If it ain’t you, it’s going to be someone else. Mark my words, someone, somewhere, is going to summon a monster while drunk at a frat party and it is going to be all over the news.” Isaac suggested.

“You really think someone is going to be that stupid?” Sam scoffed.

“I think the answer to the question ‘is someone that stupid?’, the answer will always be ‘someone is’. There will always be a person stupid enough to think even the most idiotic, foolhardy idea is a good one.” Isaac sighed.

“Never took you for a cynic.” Sam commented.

“Unfortunately, I’ve learned a little more about the darker side of humanity since the last time you saw me.”

Of course, it had been years for Isaac while it had been mere days for Sam, but there was no reason to tell him that.

“Alright, another game?” Isaac asked after he’d drained the last cup of beer.

“I think we need to change something, superhuman stats make this way to easy.” Sam told him.

“You know what, it’s a frat party, you’re supposed to do crazy shit. Meet me on the roof.” Isaac announced, grabbing another beer before sprinting at the wall.

“What are you-“ he could hear Sam say something as he planted his foot against the stone of the wall, kicked himself upwards and phased his hands into the ceiling. Now that he had good leverage, he yanked himself forward and phased his entire body to fling himself through the ceiling.

He found himself in the attic for a moment, but another jump and phase put him on the roof.

“Yo, Sam, up here!” Isaac waved.

“Have you gone mental?” Sam’s exasperated voice rang out.

“Nah man, I’ve gone and got myself some superpowers.” Isaac called back, barely catching the muttered “Good grief.” thanks to his high Perception.

Sam took a running leap at the building and snagged the edge of the roof, then pulled himself up with his superhuman strength.

“You’re nuts, you know that?” Sam grunted as he sat down next to Isaac.

“Yep.” Isaac gave him a one word reply and took a swig from his beer.

“The world’s changed, hasn’t it? We’ve only seen a fraction of the incidents that happened on the news, or even know about them at all. I can only imagine the chaos that’s happened in the Third World.” Sam said, voice melancholic.

“’Fraid so. Changed completely and utterly and I don’t think it’s done changing. We can either accept that and use it, or ignore it and fall behind. And ain’t that a bitch.” Isaac grumbled.

“But you really do love this stuff, don’t you? What was that you did down there, that whole phasing thing?” Sam asked.

“That would be [Spectral Shift]. It’s a neat trick, isn’t it?” Isaac downed half his beer in one go, then continued “A world like a video game sounds awesome at first, but you don’t play video games twenty four seven. If I could shut it off, not live here in perpetuity, I’d love this. But like this … I’m scared, Sam. Scared for the future, scared for what might happen, scared for what people might do with this power. Hell, I know someone will do something with this [System] that will make the world a worse place than it already is. Humanity will always produce those kinds of people.”

“Well, I think you’re slipping too deep into the rabbit hole and you need to take your mind off things. Unless you somehow got awarded stewardship of the Earth, which would make it your job to make sure everything goes smoothly, hm? Come on, it’s a party. If you want to think deep philosophical thoughts about the nature of reality, at least do it drunk.” Sam elbowed him in the side, drained his beer and took a running jump off the roof, landing easily.

Clearly, he’d gained quite a few Levels in the last four days.

Isaac jumped down next to him and they headed back in for another beer.

“I do have to ask, though, how the hell did you manage to avoid getting seen when fighting monsters?” Isaac asked.

Before answering, Sam glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear “One of the Old Men has a plot of land out in the forest we use for stupid shit like the one time we held a Walpurgisnacht for a joke. We use that. You know, if you’d like to join us, I don’t think anyone would mind a little help from a professional.”

“I’d like that. But I think I’ll wait till I’m sober enough.” Isaac said.

“Oh, totally. Drunk summoning is idiotic. Like, Darwin Award level idiotic.” Sam nodded along.

The next few hours passed in a blur of good music, drinking, and the occasional burst of [Hydra’s Regeneration] to control his drunkenness.

Suddenly, the music cut out.

“Hue Guuuys, there’a a magik somethig in te snakx room. Ut gnows.”

It took Isaac far longer than it should have to translate that from drunk speech to regular German, then he started sprinting towards the other room.

There, a horrific sight greeted him. The table had been flung to the side someone, revealing a massive circle of runes, glowing a stark blue.

A Tier 4 circle.