It was still dark outside when Joe awoke. He sat up and promptly bashed his head into the low second bunk. It wasn't hard enough to do more than sting, but he cursed as if he had been mortally wounded. His eyes were slowly opened, and he remembered where he had found refuge. Slowly, Joe rolled out of bed and immediately grabbed his weapons. It felt odd to do so, but now that there were real-life monsters in existence, he figured it was a good habit to develop.

He crawled over to his pack and opened up a protein bar. The canteen water was warm and stale but safe as he finished it. He kicked himself for wasting the canned water at Jacob's yesterday, but he hadn't been thinking clearly. While he chewed, Joe reviewed more information about the system. He planned to enter the green rift today if he could. The thought set his hands to shaking slightly, but Joe pushed that back to the corner of his mind until he could deal with it.

New Planet Info Pack

Rifts

Classes

Attributes

Skills

Hegemon

Miscellaneous

Rift information still seemed the most pertinent, so Joe took the time to deep dive into all the information he could find through the oddly laid out menu. It only listed the recommended levels for the first two colors, and green was the lowest at levels 1-10, with yellow being the next at levels 7-17. The green rifts were his only option right now if he wanted a chance at survival.

It was recommended that parties of four to five people enter the rifts to maximize the risk/reward ratio. Apparently, the minimum challenge threshold was set to two people, and after four people, the rewards were reduced at a greater than 1:1 ratio. Joe paused again and stared towards the window. Dawn wasn't here yet, but small amounts of pale green light filtered through the edges around the blinds. He didn't want to go in the rift, but his gut was nagging at him.

Things had steadily gotten worse since the 1% had gone missing. Society had held together in a fashion, but things weren't good. Disruption of the status quo on this level would introduce monsters and warlords that made the gang fights seem like tickle fights. Bad Times were coming with a capital B and capital T. That didn't even consider the fact that there were now 12 other races firmly stacked above humans in the cosmic pecking order. Joe had no doubts he would be seeing them at some point in the near future.

Strength to protect himself and speed to run was his best options. He knew it to be true, but the green light still brought back memories of fear and pain. He decided to check out something new to take his mind off the rift while settling his meager breakfast.

Classes

Classes range in rarity from Common -> Uncommon -> Rare -> Etherial -> Legendary. Each class rank provides more skill slots, and more bonus attributes upon leveling up. Each rank also takes more essence to level up. Classes can be evolved or synthesized from a combination of other classes.

That was a lot to take in for a short paragraph. Joe tried to focus on synthesized but, after a minute, gave up. The system hadn't even budged on that one. He focused on evolved and eventually got a final nugget of information.

Classes may be evolved when they are mastered (max level). Classes level cap is 20 x class tier. Other conditions may also be required.

There was no more information coming on classes. Joe still felt woefully unprepared. Before things went to hell, he had been used to having nearly unlimited information at his fingertips. Joe was scraping for hints and scraps of information. He had paid dearly for that info and it being so sparse rubbed him the wrong way. It did reaffirm his decision to get the information. Who knows what mistakes he'd be making if he walked around blind.

Nervous energy was building up and making his limbs twitch. Joe decided he'd spent enough time on the system information for the morning. If he lived through the rift, he would have time later, and if he didn't, it wouldn't matter. He went down the stairs as carefully as possible. It was still pitch black, and he wasn't so sure of the neighborhood that he wanted to make a lot of noise. Once he was down in the kitchen, the predawn light started to mix with the green and provided the bare minimum he needed to see.

Keys sat on the kitchen counter. There was no note, but the sentiment was clear. The owners weren't coming back. That made Joe feel better, as he could leave his bag here and have the place remain relatively secure. Sure, anyone could break out a window and be in pretty quickly, but Joe was pretty sure no one would do so as long as he hid any signs of his habitation.

Looking out the window showed that no one was around. Joe had expected that to be the case, but his paranoia was getting a workout lately. He cracked the door as softly as he could and listened. When no sound except a few night birds and many bugs reached his ears, Joe stepped out and locked up. He secured the keys inside his shoe. It was a little uncomfortable, but he didn't want to break in a window to get his stuff if they fell out of a pocket.

After just a minute of walking, he saw the rift. It didn't look like anyone was around, but he still crept up slowly and waited a couple of minutes to see if there was any movement. Nothing stirred, and Joe sprinted at the gate. He watched his peripherals, but no motion greeted his sudden movement. A moment later, cold green light became his world, and he lost track of everything.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Joe stumbled as he caught his balance. His inner ear was going nuts with vertigo, and it took a few deep breaths to get everything calmed down. He'd expected a featureless grey stone room, but he was currently standing in a meadow with a green-tinged sun directly overhead. There were thornbushes in the few gaps between the trees. An obvious path led out of the meadow directly opposite the rift. The rift itself hung directly behind him, and Joe was relieved to see it. Escape was an option if things went sideways.

The calibration period has passed. Rift is restored to default settings

The message confirmed a suspicion Joe had been harboring. He didn't know any details, but the rifts would no longer be bound to the rooms and trials he faced previously. It wasn't surprising, but he couldn't rely on any of his previous experience except in a very general sense.

The thorn bushes on the edge of the clearing covered all gaps between the trees. The woods behind them was dark and thick with more thornbushes. The bushes had small red berries like holly, and Joe wanted a closer look. He tried to be careful, but a thorn grazed his hand.

"Man, that burns. So poisonous then. Fuck this place already."

Joe felt the burning creep down his arm. After it reached his shoulder, he wondered if he had made a colossal mistake. His heartbeat sped up as panic crept into his thoughts. He walked back to the rift in case he needed to leave. There was no magic antidote for rift thorn poison in his bag, but passing out here would probably be a death sentence.

The progress of the poison hit his shoulder, and his heart stutter-stepped. Joe was about to walk through the rift when the burning slowly receded down his arm. Joe felt his body fighting back against the poison, and ten minutes later, the pain was gone.

"Oh, thank god. I didn't think the bushes would be that dangerous. I have got to be more careful."

A deep breath firmed his resolve as Joe once again faced the only way out of the clearing. He started walking and was relieved to see that the path was clear and relatively flat, and it was wide enough for three people to walk side by side without being in danger of brushing the thorns that lined every wall. The path had a very gentle curve to the right, and after a minute of cautious walking, Joe spotted another small clearing ahead of him.

There was a tree near the end of the path, and Joe got behind it as best he could. There was a rustling sound ahead of him that demanded his attention. It seemed to move around the clearing, and Joe waited until it moved away from him before risking a peak around the trunk.

Two hairy little creatures were ambling away from him towards the path at the far side of the clearing. They paused, and one turned to look to the side before continuing. The monster was knee-high and very fuzzy. It looked like a mix between Shih Tzu and an Oompa Loompa with plenty of inbreeding somewhere down the line. They didn't carry any equipment, but the maw of jagged oversized teeth showed they were not defenseless.

They reached the other side of the clearing and started to turn back Joe's way. He slid his head back behind the tree and waited, doing his best to keep his breathing calm and quiet. The sounds got closer, and Joe stopped breathing completely as they paused nearby. One of the monsters grunted, and the sounds slowly ambled away. Joe took a deep breath and charged around the tree.

The monsters didn't notice him until he was almost there. As one, they turned, and their beady yellow eyes narrowed. They howled at the sight of him, a low garbled mess of a sound that should not come out of a living creature's throat. Joe was already there and kicked the one on the right with the heel of his foot, right in its chest. The momentum of his dash transferred, and the hairy little thing rolled into the bushes at the side of the clearing. Joe didn't dare to hope that the thorns would poison them. He just wanted a one-on-one fight if he could manage it.

Speaking of which, the other monster had already reached him the moment he watched his original target hit the edge. It may have only reached his knee, but it was surprisingly strong as it sunk stubby little nails into his leg and began to climb. The pain jolted Joe, and he tried to shake the beast off of him without thinking about it. It turns out that a frantic movement similar to the chicken dance mixed with the twist is not ideal for knocking hairy monsters off your leg.

The thing kept climbing and had reached his waist before Joe reached down to grab it by the neck with his left hand. He didn't want to try and stab the thing as it clung to him, and a miss could inflict a fatal wound on himself. It opened its mouth near a very sensitive area, and panic threatened to overwhelm him again. Suddenly, his vision tinted red, and anger boiled in him at the situation. Joe didn't want any of this. He hadn't done anything but try to survive, and being forced into these stupid rifts was too much.

"That fucking hurts!"

Joe ripped the beast off his leg. Small pieces of fabric and flesh still dangled from its claws as he briefly held it in front of him. With a shout of his own, Joe did his best fastball special into the tree he had previously hidden behind. A sharp crack sounded out on impact, and the monster went limp as it fell. Pain lanced up Joe's back and left side as overused muscles screamed in protest. A scrabbling sound behind him broke Joe's daze, and he jumped to the side just in time.

Monster number one was back, and it didn't look happy. It had never looked happy, but now it looked actively pissed. After it missed, it turned and charged again, still on all fours. Joe remembered the knife this time and held it steady. The beast was making a straight line for him and an idea formed.

Joe waited as long as he dared and jumped to the side again, and it missed him. Joe lashed out with his knife. The weapon was a bit dull from his arts and crafts time during the calibration, so it only drew a red line as the monster passed. Still, a cut was a cut, and Joe did his best to stay calm and wait for another charge.

The process repeated several times, the monster never varying and Joe getting better at timing his jumps. After a few passes, he felt confident enough to try a more substantial hit. On the last charge, he dove after it once it was past and drove his knife downward into its spine. It yelped and then went still. Joe backed away and waited to see what would happen.

His woefully incomplete guide had said that the bodies would remain as they were and could be harvested for materials if this was a resource rift. If this were a challenge rift, the monsters would disappear and leave loot just like the calibration. There hadn't been any notes on labyrinth rifts except that they had the highest risk and the highest rewards. The question was answered as slightly green-tinged fire consumed both monsters before leaving two small items behind. A familiar copper coin glinted in the faux sunlight next to something new. A single white berry sat there on the ground.

Joe hesitated before picking it up. There was no guarantee that it wasn't also poisonous. It might even be likely considering that the hairy monsters hadn't shown any reaction to the thorn's poison. Still, a reward was a reward, and he might find some use for it if he was careful. After retrieving his loot, Joe swore out loud.

He hadn't wanted to bring his backpack into the rift, but now only his pockets were available for holding materials. The coins were easy enough to slip into his jeans pocket, but the berries were another story. He didn't want them bursting with an impact and getting juice on his crotch if they were poisonous, and it didn't sound like a great idea, even if they weren't deadly.

Looking down at his leg reminded him that he was bleeding out of twelve little puncture wounds. None of them were deep, but the cumulative effect was not one it would be wise to let continue. Joe shelved the berry thoughts and reached into his back pocket where he had stored the remains of his previously ruined shirt. He'd torn it into strips for this sort of occasion. He bound up his wounds using the cloth and sat down for a quick breather.

The adrenaline began to leave his system, leaving his limbs a little shaky, and the pain he couldn't feel before began to come back to him. His leg hurt, but he'd had worse just a day and a half ago, so Joe sucked it up and focused on his problem. He fished a leather strip out of his other back pocket and did his best to fashion a pouch out of the biggest piece of cloth not currently stopping blood flow.

Once he felt strong enough to continue, Joe stood up and looked around. Nothing else stood out to him in the clearing, and he wasn't going to try the thorns a second time. The question of whether to move forward or retreat loomed in his mind. Joe remembered the extra combat trial in the calibration, and he'd almost paid the price for pushing forward into the unknown. He wanted to quit, but deep down, he knew that if this were all he could manage, he'd never be strong enough to make it in the strange new world that had been forced upon humanity.

Joe moved forward, deeper into the rift with a grim look on his face. He didn't want to do this, but that didn't matter. What mattered was getting stronger and surviving. Joe had started his self-imposed task of taking care of the house in Dublin for his family, and he had viewed it as his penance for not being good enough to join his family. Now he knew that the deck was stacked against them the whole time. He probably would have died with them, a victim to a galactic status quo.

Now he had a new goal. His personal quest would be to get strong enough not just to survive but thrive in this new reality. He'd make his family proud and build what he could with whatever tools he had at his disposal. Those thoughts didn't take any weight off his shoulders, but Joe felt his resolve firm once more as he continued forward onto the forest path. The woods remained as eerily silent as always, inviting him deeper into its depths.