Alex and company sat on the plush leather couches inside the Bellevue lobby, worn out from the grind of the day.

“One event and three dungeons.” Alex stated, stretching out next to Danny who looked as if she was about to fall asleep. “At least we all have the Sextant Nauticalier Modifier now.”

“Yes.” Rishi said with a long, drawn out yawn. “Having each team go in separate directions and then sharing their maps was a good idea. We have the complete surroundings of the Bellevue mapped out for several blocks. The Accomplishment was a nice touch as well.”

At first, the map was very basic. A topographical grid that outlined streets and buildings in white and grey. After the first few teams shared their maps, they had received an Accomplishment that improved their maps to show specific places of interest nearby, such as Events and in one team’s case, the Monster Stampede that roamed randomly throughout the city. It gave them enough warning to retreat into a nearby building they had recently cleared before the Stampede had reached them.

It turned out that the doors that had been cleared did reset, but it took a week to do so and the layout and monsters never seemed to repeat. It started becoming a concern at first, considering that the teams had been traveling farther and farther away from the Bellevue to find available doors to clear. Knowing now that the doors reset gave the players piece of mind. However, it seemed that the higher tier doors only ever appeared the farther away you traveled.

Even though many of the teams still traveled farther into the city to find the higher tier doors, they didn’t have to worry about the future players being screwed in their own leveling. Having level zeros traveling tens of city blocks just to find an available door seemed harsh, even by the System’s standards.

Several other teams had found Events thanks to the new Interface map and the Wheel O’Mazing behind the concierge desk had been used several times as people received their rewards for surviving their first Event.

“We can start bright and early tomorrow.” Alex said tiredly. “I’m going to attempt to condense my Soul again tonight.”

“Do you have enough to give you a decent buffer if it your Soul pool goes down again?” Danny asked.

“I think so.” Alex said. “I am pretty sure 10,000 is the next condensing stage and I have just over 18,000 after today’s run. I can sense when my Soul is ready to be condensed but I have no idea how it will affect me.”

“By the way.” Danny said as everyone started pulling themselves from the comfortable leather furniture. “After breakfast, I think we should hit the library again. When we went in to level our Wisdom and Intelligence, did anyone think to look for specific books having to deal with their Class or Modifiers?”

A round of unblinking faces gave her the answer she had assumed.

“I thought not. We were all just thinking about grinding out the attributes, but what if studying our specific Classes or Modifiers could give us insight into how to upgrade or evolve them? Not all of us have upgraded our Classes like Silvia and, so far, only Alex has evolved his Evolution based Modifier.

“I haven’t even bought mine yet.” Toby said. Everyone turned to stare at the short, blonde haired German in surprise.

“What?!” They said collectively.

Toby sighed, as if he had been expecting their response.

“The one I want cost 12,000xp. It’s a Tank Modifier called Stalwart. Gives a x2 to Vitality and an Aura called Aggro-Magnet. Have you notice how mobs and Bosses, in particular, target us? It’s like the slightest heal or the person closest to them is automatically attacked.”

“Times two to Vitality right off the bat?” Alex asked. “That’s pretty damn good. I wonder if it doubles when it evolves?”

“Okay, I’m not going to complain about that Aura.” Danny added. “The Bosses especially are too finicky for my taste.”

“How close are you in xp?” Ty asked.

Toby grinned. “I have 9,600xp as of today. Should be getting it tomorrow.”

“Wait.” Alex said. “You are already at level nine?

Toby nodded. “I figured it was easier to push to level nine since the xp cap is at 15,000.”

Silvia punched him in the arm. “You idiot! What if you get an Immediate Ding like Alex did from the Wheel O’Mazing?”

Toby rubbed his shoulder. “First off! Have I mentioned to you how strong you are? Second! I don’t plan on cashing in anymore tickets if I get them.”

That drew everyone up short. It hit Alex like a truck. Jeffrey had said it the very first time he used the Wheel. Immediate Ding was very rare and would be seen as extremely helpful at the higher levels. That meant that the Wheel O’Mazing would still be around in the next zones.

Calling it a night, Alex went up to his room where he took a quick shower and then prepared to condense his Soul. Unlike the Wuxia novels he had read on Earth, there wasn’t much to it, besides go to sleep with the intention of condensing his Soul. No meditating for hours on end, surrounded by fire and ice attributes or something like that. Closing his eyes in his soft bed, he fell into a peaceful sleep. He much preferred it this way.

Waking up inside his cave, he noticed it wasn’t as dark as it had seemed before. He hopped up to his feet and ran to where a large glowing pool of water sat with a golden shining pearl sitting at the bottom.

His Soul had grown from the pathetic little puddle it had started out as, to a small pool at least a few feet in diameter. Not an oasis, but it was progress he could be proud of. He sat along the edge of the pool and focused on the golden pearl that was his condensed Soul. Without hesitation, he felt his breathing steady as he focused his intent.

“Condense.”

The water in the pool visible shrank and the sharp pain that hit his chest had caused his breathing to falter. He did his best to recover but it felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him.

Fuck! Forgot about the pain. This is going to be a bitch and a half.

Settling himself once again, he was now more prepared for the pain that followed.

“Condense.”

The pain hit him again, like a dagger stabbing him from the inside out. His brow was suddenly covered in sweat and he fought the urge to scream as he pushed his breathing to remain at a steady pace.

“Condense. Condense.”

Over and over, he suffered through the pain as the water slowly shrank and the golden glow increased. Considering the size of the pool, the next time he condensed would be even more painful and take far longer. He shoved that thought from his mind as he centered on the goal in front of him

Breathe in, condense, breath out. Breathe in, condense, breathe out. There was nothing else he could do but wash, rinse and repeat. He didn’t know how long it lasted but by the end, a sphere of golden light the size of his palm sat at the bottom of the pool. There was still some water in the pool but Alex knew that it was only the excess Soul Points that he had made sure to save up. He laid his sore body against the hard stone floor and drifted into the comfort of darkness.

Congratulations! You have condensed you Soul! Your Soul Bullets will now deal more damage. Note: Each Soul Bullets now cost 20 Soul Points! WARNING! The cost for Onomatopoeia has increased as well! Good Luck! Don’t Die!

What the fuck?!

Alex couldn’t believe it. He had expected the cost of his Soul bullets to double or even triple but it went from a cost of three Soul Points per shot to twenty! And to top it off, his Onomatopoeia Modifier had cost a whopping 200 Souls per use before. How much did it cost now?

Pulling up his stats, Alex sighed in relief.

Name: Alex Donner

Age: 24

Race: Human

Level: 8

EXP: 2200/10000

Class: Soul Survivor

Soul Tier 2: 8600

HP: 330

MP: 165

Vitality: 24

Strength: 18

Agility: 23(46)

Dexterity: 23(46)

Wisdom: 13

Intelligence: 10

At least he had been correct in assuming that condensing his Soul would cost him 10,000 Soul Points. If it had been 15,000, he would have been in big trouble. He could shoot 400 Soul bullets and change, not to mention that his Soul regeneration should have increased as well. He really needed to figure out the math on that. The Soul Attribute was odd in every aspect. He gained Souls through killing enemies which raised his Soul Points, but when he used his Soul Points, they would regenerate back to the previous number of Souls he had before. Unless he condensed his Soul, then the number he had when he woke up was his new cap until he gained more Souls. Was there a way to figure out how and why it worked that way?

Alex was struck with a thought. He had played several games in his life and they always had a way to see more information. Looking over the Status page, he felt his lips curl up.

“Expand.”

Name: Alex Donner

Age: 24

Race: Human

Level: 8

EXP: 2200/10000

Class: Soul Survivor

Soul Tier 2: 8600

HP: 330

MP: 165

Vitality: 24

Strength: 18

Agility: 23(46)

Dexterity: 23(46)

Wisdom: 13

Intelligence: 10

Modifiers

Upgrades

Regeneration

Crane’s Grace Tier 1

Armor Tier 1

HP: 4.2 per Min

Onomatopoeia

Weapon Tier 1

MP: 2.3 per Min

Sextant Nauticalier

SP: 9.2(x2) per Min

Soul Adapt

HP(Health Point) Regeneration: A tenth of your combined Vitality and Strength Attributes will regenerate every minute. Just carry the 1 and move the decimal, yada, yada, yada. We know you were never that good at math.

Alex felt his eye twitch as he read on.

MP(Mana Point) Regeneration: A tenth of your combined Intellect and Wisdom Attributes will regenerate every minute. Not making much use of those stats, are ya?

SP(Soul Point) Regeneration: A tenth of your combined Agility and Dexterity Attributes will regenerate every minute. TIMES TWO because of your Tier 2 Condensed Soul! Well look at you, Mr. Wuxia fanboy! Go ahead, make my meridian!

Personal Note: Your Soul Capacity is based on several factors that deal with the methodology and historical significance of your Race. Since we know you are not smart enough to understand any of it, you can just chalk it up to the simple fact that Humans are weird! Deal with it.

Alex didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or punch the System in the face for making him laugh while making fun of him. It was funny but that didn’t mean the System wasn’t being an outright asshole.

He headed down to breakfast and proceeded to share his discovery with the other players present. There was another round a facepalming as everyone promised to start digging deeper into their own Interface.

“Fuck the System and the horse it rode in on!” Danny exclaimed as she finished going over her stats.

Alex laughed. “Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly. The System is a complete ass. What did it tell you?”

Danny narrowed her eyes at him while flipping him off.

“Never telling.” She almost growled.

Alex only laughed louder. Danny was amazing. She was kind and caring but she was also crude and a tad immature at times. Not to mention the whole being a healing badass. Who would ever want anyone else? Too bad it took being kidnapped by aliens to find her.

“Do we have to study this morning?” Ty asked. “Can’t we just murder our way to the top?”

“An actual possibility if you think of the gains we get from leveling.” Rishi said.

Ty’s fluffy red tail started wagging.

“Nope!” Danny quickly countered. Ty’s tail immediately drooped causing several of them to laugh.

“What should we focus on first?” Asked Toby.

“I think Silvia should study up on her Evolution based Modifier while the rest of us focus on our Classes.” Rishi said thoughtfully. “We saw how affective Silvia’s upgrade is so we know it will be worth it. Plus, Toby doesn’t have an Evolution based Modifier as of yet.”

They headed down to the Bellevue’s Library. Most colleges libraries couldn’t compete with the sheer size of it. Walls were lined with elegant dark wood shelves and the light was just bright enough to read comfortably while still holding the warm glow of comfort. There was no Librarian inside but there was an old-fashioned card catalogue. Opening up the wooden drawers, the group started their search.

It was surprisingly easy to locate what they wanted since everything was listed by description. Alex found a few books of interest. His Soul Survivor Class was a simple leather-bound book with golden embossed lettering. The next book was a thin hard back book that catalogued every ‘Soul Type’ Class. The third book was called, Idiots Guide to the Soul. It looked exactly as you would expect it to. Apparently, the System didn’t care about Copyright infringement.

He started with the ‘Soul Catalogue’. There were only a few dozen or so but some of them sounded absolutely terrifying.

Soul Abomination: Your Soul may be used to change your very physical nature from you victims. The more you take in, the more you will grow.

Soul Eater: Consuming the Souls of you enemies, or friends, will increase your perception of time for a few moments. Enhanced perception combined with the proper reflexes can have a dizzying array of possibilities.

Soul Slaver: Use your stolen Souls to create puppets of the dead. As you grow in power, so will your undead army. Necromancer’s have nothing on you!

There were also several amazing Classes that Alex could only wish he had gotten.

Celestial Soul: You are the embodiment of faith. The Souls you receive can be purified by your Aura and they will strengthen you as they pass on in peace.

Soul Purveyor: You can turn the Souls you receive into Experience Points. You will level faster and gain more Modifiers than anyone could every dream of.

Soul Reborn: While you will never receive increased damage from the Souls you acquire, you can be reborn again and again if you die, using the Souls you have obtained to get another chance at life.

Alex knew that his Class fit him perfectly but some of these Classes were OP. When he finished drooling over the Catalogue, he moved to his own Soul Survivor book. When he opened the thick leather cover, the smell of the aged paper hit him and he felt the rush of euphoria that any book enthusiast feels when entering a book store.

He read through the book with ease, as if he had studied the text before. It was almost as if the book was reconfirming what he already knew. He was only a few chapters in when he came across a passage that made his brain tingle.

A Soul Survivor’s purpose is not to survive but to thrive. We survive through our own memories and it takes a strong Will to overcome the demons of our pasts. It has been compared to simple stubbornness, to which I find amusingly accurate. A person does not fail when they fall, they fail when they refuse to rise. Those people are true leaders, for they lead by example and the testament of their Will can uplift those who have balanced on the edge of losing hope. To survive, we must face the very truths that haunt us. It is only then that we can evolve into something more.

Alex set the book down and felt the errant tear running down his cheek. For some reason, it reminded him of Michael’s father. The ex-Army Colonel who would take them to the range when Alex’s father had to work.

The Colonel looked the part of an ex-Army officer. His hair always well tapered and his bearing always one of attention. But the man had kind eyes. Always quick to laugh at the two boys’ antics and never overly strict.

The last time Alex saw Michael’s mother and father was at the funeral. After that day, when he decided to never touch a gun again, he never once went over to talk with them. Why didn’t he? They were like family. How many times did he ignore phone calls from them? How many times did he pretend to be sick when they came over?

Alex felt the barrier that held back every one of those moments start to break as he was filled with memory after memory. Shame. That’s what he felt. How could he ignore them when their pain was so much more than his own? He turned his back on not only Michael’s memory, but the family he left behind. A family that Alex had been adopted into when they became friends.

He felt Danny’s arm pull him into a hug and he let her. He held onto her like a lone branch that kept him from being washed away. She let him. Whether she understood or not, didn’t matter. She was there and that was all he needed right now.

They stayed that way for most of the morning and when Alex finally pulled away, he noticed that they were alone.

“Where did everyone go?” Alex asked.

Danny’s smile made the pain he had just gone through feel like a distant memory.

“They said your crying was too cringy and that maybe you should check to see if your balls are still attached.”

Alex laughed. Damn this woman. She is perfect.

“They actually just headed up to eat lunch.” Danny said. “Do you want to eat?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, I could eat.”

Alex stopped suddenly as he realized he had a notification waiting for him.

Congratulations! You have faced the truth of your past! Understanding what you were once too afraid to acknowledge has evolved your Class to Soul Survivor: Enforcer! Only real men cry! At least that’s what all those chick flicks say.

Soul Survivor: Enforcer: You have faced your trials head on and come out stronger! Now use your Will and Determination to protect those that you can! Survive and Thrive!

Danny watched Alex read through his notification. When he finally came to, she jumped up, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

“You did it, didn’t you?” She stated more than asked.

“I am now a Soul Survivor: Enforcer.” Alex said, hugging her just as tightly.

When she finally let go, she smiled up at him. “Good, then I don’t mind telling you that I am now a Druid Priestess!”

Alex picked her up and twirled her around the empty room.

“That’s amazing!” He exclaimed. “What does it mean? Does it affect your spells?”

“I’m not sure yet.” She said as he put her down. “I think we will need to test it out this afternoon. Come on, let’s go eat.”

As Alex followed her out of the Library, he laughed.

“Since you’re a Priestess now, does that mean you have to remain celibate?”

She glanced over her shoulder and flashed him a sultry smile.

“Actually, Druids were known for their lustful desires. Many histories say that they celebrated the solecists with wild orgies.”

Alex mouth went dry.