Although the journey back to the Bellevue was uneventful, the shouting crowd of people surrounding the concierge desk was a little worrying. At first, Alex and the other’s thought something terrible had happened and started pushing their way through the crowd but as they got to the front, they weren’t expecting to see what they did.

Standing in front of the concierge desk was a woman no taller than five feet, with long straight black hair and adorned with the most fantastical looking armor Alex had ever seen. The mech outfit covered her torso and legs in light blue and neon pink colors and the sword attached between her…wings? The sword was almost bigger than the small statured woman.

That’s when they noticed that the crowd wasn’t shouting in anger, but in excitement. Thankfully, Silvia seemed to know who the woman was.

“Channy?” Silvia yelled above the shouting. “What happened?”

Chang Xi, or Channy to her friends, turned around with a scowl on her face. The scowl faded when she saw Silvia and rushed over to give the woman a hug.

“This!” Channy said in anger. “Is what I received from the Wheel O’Mazing! Can you believe it? Right after I received my beautiful wings! Now I’m too heavy to even use them!”

Alex still couldn’t understand what was happening. Danny put her fingers to her mouth and a loud, piercing whistle finally shut everyone up.

“Thank you, Danny.” Alex said. He turned to face Jeffrey. “What is going on, Jeffrey?”

Jeffrey smiled behind his desk. “So good of you to ask, Sir. Miss Chang, if I may?”

Channy gave the man the stink eye before nodding curtly.

“Miss Chang was fortunate enough to evolve her Class from Cleric to Valkyrie.” Jeffrey said happily. “It is a rather amazing evolution. Along with many of her Class’ perks, her new wings allow her to fly for a limited amount of time. Such a drastic evolution from Cleric to Valkyrie afforded Miss Chang an Accomplishment.

“Miss Chang received a free spin on the Wheel O’Mazing. Upon her free spin, she received a wonderful Modifier, Twin Evolution Class. The Modifier takes Miss Chang’s current Class and another Class she is highly compatible with, and entwined the two together. The two Classes, Valkyrie and Mech-Operator, combined into the Class she currently has, Battle Angel.

“Unfortunately, her new armor makes it too heavy for flight, hence Miss Chang’s current predicament.”

There were so many questions Alex wanted to ask. Class Evolutions were not static? People could fly? Classes could combine? Alex could feel the beginnings of a massive headache.

“Okay.” He spoke. “Will Channy be able to fly again and what does she need to do for that to happen?”

Jeffrey nodded. “As I was trying to explain to Miss Chang before, she will indeed be capable of flight once she upgrades her armor and brings up her Strength attribute. It is woefully under even normal standards.”

“And until then, I am as slow as a damn turtle!” Channy shouted. “I haven’t put a single attribute into Strength, since I was supposed to be a caster! Now I have a sword I can barely lift and wings that are as useful as a hood ornament!”

Alex winced at that. First off, they had explained to everyone that focusing only on specific attributes while ignoring the others was a bad way to approach their stats. She should have put a few points into Strength to at least balance herself. Secondly, Alex doubted she would be able to lift that sword on her back anytime soon which basically made her toothless in any fight. The biggest concern, however, was her Evolution Modifier.

“Jeffrey, if a person was originally a caster and suddenly turned into a Melee, wouldn’t that cripple them?” Alex asked. “How is that even fair for Channy here?”

“She is still very much a caster, Sir.” Jeffrey answered. “She is more akin to what you would call a ‘Paladin’ and casting spells is still a big part of her new Class. She will just need to focus on her Strength, Dexterity and Agility a little more than she has been, which is to say, she hasn’t done so even once yet.

“Channy!” Silvia said, looking down at the Battle Angel. “We told everyone here to not neglect their attributes. So why the hell did you ignore everything but Wisdom and Intelligence?”

Channy looked down. “I know you said that, but it didn’t make sense to me. I stood at the back and healed people. Why would anything but Vitality, Wisdom and Intelligence?”

“Well, you sure as hell need it now.” Silvia said, not holding back one bit. “This is what can happen if you min/max. You will just have to tough it out.”

“But-!” Channy started, but Alex cut her off.

“Channy, do you still have your healing spells?” He asked.

Channy nodded.

“Then keep healing.” Alex said. “I’m assuming you had a staff beforehand?”

Again, Channy nodded.

Alex smiled. “If you still have your healing spells then you can still cast them. They might be weaker without your staff but that’s nothing a little xp grinding can’t solve. What level are you now?”

“Six.” Channy said.

Alex nodded. “Grind to level nine. Each time you level, put your free points into the attributes you have been neglecting. And make sure to change out any of the orb enchantments you currently have for ones that can boost your other attributes. Also, remember to start using your xp to upgrade your gear after you hit level nine.”

Alex turned to face the crowd. “Also, once you feel ready, go and solo one of the worn wooden doors. You should receive an Accomplishment that will give you a boost to each attribute.”

Once the crowd finally dispersed, Alex walked over to Jeffrey.

“That was very well handled, Sir.” Jeffrey said. “It would seem leadership suits you.”

Alex stored that comment away for later. Right now, he had questions that needed answers.

“Jeffrey.” Alex began. “I need to know what the Soul Disciple Modifier will do for people without the Soul Class. Will all of their attacks automatically use up their Soul Points like mine?”

Jeffrey shook his head. “Only those with the Soul Class can use their Soul Points to enhance their attacks. Any other Class will simply be able to condense their Soul.”

“And that could be useful to protect them against any attacks targeting their Soul?”

Jeffrey smiled. “I’m afraid I cannot answer, Sir, as that would potentially mean I was aiding you in obstacles you may face in the higher zones. However, I suggest you use any experiences you may have had and draw your conclusions from there.”

Alex’s eyes went wide. Did Jeffrey just give him a huge piece of advice? What confused Alex was how Jeffrey could try to side step the System rules when he was technically part of the System. Just in case he was right about Jeffrey, he decided not to push any further and went to join his friends for lunch. First, however, he needed to find Hosmunt and make sure he added this into his Player’s Guide.

The news spread via Toby, Silvia and Alex. They made sure to tell everyone in the dining room about the benefits of Soul Disciple and the demons they had faced earlier that day. There were a few people who complained about needing to spend more of their hard-earned experience points on another Modifier but they all agreed to at least consider it.

Alex didn’t disagree with their grumblings. Every gamer had an innate need to level up. Instead of pushing his point with them, he simply stated that added defense was always a good thing. He was pretty sure that they would make the right choice but he could only do so much.

Even though his own group wasn’t receiving a quarter of what he received in Soul Points, he was happy to find that they still had enough to condense their Soul at least once. If they could condense their Soul, they might even try to find another ominous black door again. The xp they provided was too good to ignore as long as they had the proper defenses in place.

Now they needed to find out what would be best with their new Boss Loot. Alex was still stuck on what would benefit him more but Toby decided quickly that he would apply the orb to his helmet first, since he didn’t need the Soul Points as badly as they all feared they might.

Pressing the glowing purple orb to his helmet, another flash of light enveloped the helm and he read off its new stats.

BS Detector (Upgraded to Legendary): This helm now protects its wearer against most forms of mind control and illusions! See through your enemies BS and strike at their weak bits! +5 to Dexterity and Intellect!

It was a caster’s dream enchantment and yet, whether you were a caster, ranged dps or melee, it could be extremely helpful. Dexterity helped everyone and there was no downside to a little more Intellect. Maybe if this was one of the games played on Earth, where most people min/maxed, it would be seen as useless, but not here. Those around the table who hadn’t received their head gear yet were already ready to go out and grind more xp.

Seeing through illusions as well as protecting him from mind control had sealed the deal for Alex. He touched the orb to his own helmet and looked over his stats after.

Name: Alex Donner

Age: 24

Race: Human

Level: 9

EXP: 2,200/15,000

Class: Soul Survivor: Enforcer

Soul Tier 2: 44,600

HP: 345

MP: 215

Vitality: 24

Strength: 21

Agility: 23(46)

Dexterity: 25(50)

Wisdom: 13

Intelligence: 15

Alex had been neglecting his own Wisdom and Intelligence stats but he had only leveled once in the past week, using most of his xp to buy upgrades. He still needed to look over his Class tab in the System Shop but he could do that tonight. He still needed to upgrade his weapons once more before he bought anything else.

Everyone was ready to head out again and this time, they headed west and then would circle to the south again before heading back. Everyone stayed relatively quiet as they moved in the open streets. Channy’s combined Modifier had opened up their eyes to the endless possibilities for their Classes. Usually a Class was static, following a linear path, but here, your path could branch out! The excitement bubbling in each of them was easy to see.

Alex and Ty continued playing scout and they all made good time, searching for Events or any harder doors to clear. While they didn’t want to go into another black door until they had all condensed their Soul, they could mark it on their location and come back tomorrow.

They eventually found an Event in a burned-out building that contained Fire Elementals. They were a pain to deal damage to but due to their Fiery Underwear, they didn’t suffer being set on fire at least.

The Boss was an Infant Drake. Its scales were a little hard to pierce but the monster’s biggest advantage was flight which Alex and Ty handled easily. Once it was grounded, Danny rooted the wings of the Boss and they brought it down easily. The loot was exquisite grade but it outshined the enchantment on Alex’s off hand gun. He replaced The Decayer without hesitation.

Boom Stick (Upgraded to Exquisite): This gun doesn’t shoot your typical bullets. Instead, each bullet is created with a piece of your Soul. You won’t need to reload but you definitely don’t want to run out! Upgrades available in the System Shop!

This gun will now add an explosive touch to each bullet fired from its barrel! Just add a measly amount of MP and you can go from boring old attacks to BOOMTASTIC results! WARNING! Shooting at targets under 5 Meters away can cause a blowback, causing possible injury and dismemberment! Don’t explode yourself!

Alex pondered the possibilities of adding ‘Boom’ to the already explosive bullets that came from the Onomatopoeia Modifier. He held back his manic smile at the thought of a bigger boom. Ty had joined him in that regard and the two shared a fist bump as the rest of the group had other ideas about their loot.

“I’m thinking we can start a whole trading system with the orbs we have been saving.” Rishi exclaimed.

“The real question is if the System Shop will let us.” Danny countered.

“And don’t forget that we don’t really know what the orb will give us until one of us uses it.” Toby added.

Alex came out of his own thoughts, only catching the last half of the conversation.

“What are you guys going on about?”

“Rishi wants to see if we can trade our orbs on the System Shop.” Silvia answered.

“It doesn’t have to be the System Shop.” Rishi said. “We could always put up our own board at the Bellevue. Like a ‘Player’s Market.’

Alex nodded. Either wasn’t a bad idea, especially considering most of the group didn’t want to use the new Exquisite Orb. They all had fire protection on the leathers and he doubted adding explosive power to a sword or spear would be as beneficial as it would to range.

“So, we ask Jeffrey when we get back.” Alex said thoughtfully. “I have my doubts about selling on the System Shop but a ‘Farmers Market’ approach sounds kinda cool.”

Rishi beamed up at them, excited about the prospects that this could mean.

They left the event area and Ty and Alex resumed their scouting.

They weren’t more than two blocks away before they spotted two Tahloh moving down the side street to the west. The two gold skinned giants were walking towards them and they didn’t see Ty peek around the corner as the pair seemed engrossed in conversation.

“You want to what?!” Ty whispered harshly as Alex laid out his plan.

“I want to capture one.” Alex said. “Once captured, the Tahloh believe that they are defeated and have to answer our questions.”

“And then what?” Danny asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

“We kill them.” Silvia said simply. “Alex told us what happened. They are just trying to survive but in order for them and any other Races to do that means eliminating us.”

“I understand that.” Danny said. “It’s just hard to imagine killing someone when it’s us being the aggressors, you know?”

Alex nodded. “I absolutely understand, but we can’t afford to hesitate when it comes to humanities survival. I have no doubt that this will be a hard pill to swallow. I’m not saying we become cold, psychotic murder-hobos, but we need to ensure our survival.”

Danny screwed up her face but nodded. She knew they weren’t in Kansas anymore. There is a cold, hard truth to the System. If you don’t fight, you die.

The group prepared their ambush accordingly. Danny would root one Tahloh and keep rooting him until he couldn’t move. The others would take out its partner as quickly as possible. It wasn’t the cleanest of plans but they had been scouting the south areas for this particular purpose.

When the Tahloh were nearly to the intersection, they attacked. Danny started her Modified root spell, continuously chanting as vines burst from the pavement and started wrapping around the smaller of the pair. The two were caught off guard and it wasn’t until Ty’s arrow hit the chest of the other Tahloh before they both let out a deep war cry.

Seeing them manifest their weapons was both amazing and disconcerting. Their golden skin pulsed with light and the light grew bright as it traveled from their chest, down to their arms. The trapped Tahloh had a simple sword appear in his hands and started cutting at the vines that were slowly trapping his legs. Danny pushed her spell to its limits and the vines grew faster and thicker.

The other Tahloh, who had already ripped the arrow from its chest, now held a battle axe the size of Ty and was rushing the red panda.

“NOW!” Ty screamed.

Ty jumped back just before the axe wielding Tahloh reached him and he was blindsided by the rest of the group who were waiting around the corner of the building. Toby and Silvia hit him hard and their combined attack smashed him off his feet as he went tumbling to the ground.

Alex and Ty attack from a distance, raining down arrows and blue glowing bullets into the downed enemy. Everything was going to plan until the axe wielding Tahloh stood back up and threw a smaller axe at Ty.

Ty wasn’t expecting the attack and didn’t have time to dodge completely. The hatchet buried into his hip and the red panda grunted in pain as he fell to the ground. Another pulse of light and another hatchet was now flying towards Alex’s head. Alex rolled underneath it, only to find the knee of the Tahloh that had rushed forward to meet him.

The knee hit Alex in the chest and the force knocked him past the grounded Ty. Alex felt a rib break and the air knocked out of him but surprisingly, he was still able to stand back up. Getting to his feet, he saw that Toby and Silvia were now engaged with the Tahloh. The pair looked impressive as they moved around each other in perfect harmony, Toby providing defense while Silvia provided offense. They were keeping the golden skinned giant on his heels as they continued their assault.

Alex popped a healing pill and was up along with Ty once again. Aiming with just his main handgun, he took two shots.

“Drip! Buzz!”

The effect worked as desired and the Tahloh went stiff with pain as the water enhanced the stun effect.

“Move back!” Ty shouted as he readied a little black bomb.

Toby and Silvia jumped back and Ty tossed the bomb at the giant’s feet. It went off with a loud boom and the giant was knocked back. He landed in the middle of the street and Alex and Ty laid into him with deadly fire.

The golden orb appeared as the body vanished and the group turned to their prisoner. The remaining Tahloh had apparently given up on cutting down the vines and had summoned a bow to shoot at Danny. Rishi’s golem, however, had protected Danny and the arms of the Tahloh were caught in the vines soon after, leaving the giant defenseless.

The golden skinned giant now stood with his head hung in defeat, only standing because the root spell didn’t allow him to kneel. Alex moved towards the Tahloh and stared up at the golden skinned giant.

“Do you accept that you have been defeated?” Alex asked.

“Yes.” The man said in a deep and emotionless voice.

“Where are the Tahloh based in this testing grounds?”

“One road to the east. Forty-one roads to the South.”

“Is there any way for our two Races to live in peace?” Danny asked.

The Tahloh’s head jerked up to look at Danny, but his face told them what the Tahloh would say.

“There can be no peace.” The Tahloh said solemnly. “The testing grounds only allow one Race to survive.”

Danny gritted her teeth, holding back the plethora of curses she wanted to shout at the System.

“How many Tahloh are in this zone?” Alex asked, trying to push past his own concerns.

“Thirty-four.” The Tahloh said. “I am one of the newest arrivals chosen to come to the testing grounds.”

“How many of your race are chosen at a time and how often?” Toby asked.

“Ten are always chosen and it happens every Mahntha. That is, every sixty sun spans.”

“Do you know of any of the other Races that are here in this zone?” Rishi asked.

The Tahloh shook his head. “I have not been told of this yet. Only that there are many spread out in the stone jungle.”

There was nothing more to ask and Alex was trying his best to hold up a decent front. Killing someone who was attacking you was much more different than killing an unarmed person, even if they weren’t human.

“What…What is your name?” Alex asked.

The Tahloh looked at Alex strangely for a moment and then nodded his head just slightly.

“I am Uzrah.”

“Then we will remember you, Uzrah.” Alex said firmly. “May our Souls meet again one day, as friends.”

Uzrah stared down at Alex for a moment before standing up straight at close to eight feet tall. He didn’t look like the defeated man they had seen just minutes ago, but a man filled with pride and acceptance.

“Yes.” Uzrah said with a smile.

He closed his eyes and Alex fought the lump in his throat as he drew his handgun. Before he could fire, Uzrah’s body vanished and, in its place, a golden orb floated in the air.

Congratulations! You have had an enemy surrender their life to you! They have passed on without further pain for their acceptance! For this Accomplishment, you have received +2 to all attributes and a boon!

Experience: 333 (1,000xp per Tahloh x2(/6))

Soul: 333 (500 Souls per Tahloh x2(/6)(x2))

Loot (Boon): Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor (Legendary): Honor is not bound by words, but by action. Only those that have acted with Honor can receive this Ring. Friends and Enemies will know your moral fiber by this ring alone. +5 to Vitality and Wisdom.

Everyone looked at their new rings and they felt a new sense of purpose building inside them. They would fight many more battles before they could leave the System, but the Souls of those they killed would move on, one day to be born anew.

Alex marked the location on his map of the Tahloh. There was now no doubt in his mind that the two Races were enemies in this life, but he held hope that the next life they would find peace.

It was a strange concept to believe in reincarnation. Alex had never believed in it before but it seemed the System did. As they headed to the back to the Bellevue, no one spoke, each of them processing what had just occurred in their own way.

They were back well before dinner and Ty, Rishi, Silvia and Toby headed towards the Library for more studying. Even Ty didn’t complain about studying as they left Danny and Alex alone.

“Do you mind a little training?” Danny asked. “I’m going to buy another spell I have had my eye on and I could use the practice.”

“Sure.” Alex said, following her to the training rooms. “I should look over my stats again and then really give my Class tab in the System Shop a look.”

They entered an empty training room and locked the door. Danny got to work while Alex connected to his Interface.

Name: Alex Donner

Age: 24

Race: Human

Level: 9

EXP: 3,533/15,000

Class: Soul Survivor: Enforcer

Soul Tier 2: 45,933

HP: 425

MP: 270

Vitality: 31

Strength: 23

Agility: 25(50)

Dexterity: 27(54)

Wisdom: 20

Intelligence: 17

Modifiers

Upgrades

Regeneration

Crane’s Grace Tier 1

Armor Tier 2

HP: 5.4 per Min

Onomatopoeia

Weapon Tier 1

MP: 3.7 per Min

Sextant Nauticalier

SP: 10.4(x2) per Min

Soul Adapt

Eagle Eye Scope

36,000xp

Silenced Pew Pew

23,000xp

Sawed Off

21,000xp

The handgun attachments were expensive and there were several that caught Alex’s eye but these three were the cheapest he could see buying anytime soon. There were also a few other Modifiers in his Class tab that could possibly give him an edge.

Peeping Tom

18,000xp

Blood Transfusion

13,000xp

Loot Goblin

10,000xp

Peeping Tom: This Modifier allows you to see your enemies’ stats as if they were a human! Distance is maxed at half the range of your Dexterity in feet. Thank the heavens for good ol’ Lady Godiva and her streaking ways! Pervert!

Blood Transfusion: This Modifier allows you to transfer your HP to another at a ratio of 2:1! Physical touch is required! Want to be a hero? Well, it’s gonna cost ya!

Loot Goblin Pouch: This Modifier will allow you to loot any glowing orbs in a 10 Meter range! Because why walk a few feet, when you can instantly loot! Lazy ass!

The System seemed to become more snarkier by the day. Alex wondered if it was just emulating what humans were use too. As the saying goes, ‘There are no shortages of assholes in the world.’

He still needed to upgrade his weapons to level two before he would purchase any of these Modifiers but he definitely wanted them. Especially the Peeping Tom Modifier, though the name left him grimacing.

“Are you ready?” Danny asked when she saw him stand up.

“Yep!” Alex said. “What did you get?”

“Oh, you’ll see.” She said with a mischievous grin.

Alex shook his head. “Okay, I see how it is.”

The training room transformed into a paintball field. The grass field was a little smaller than half of a football field and there were colorful inflatable obstacles scattered around. A timer started counting down at five seconds and when the buzzer went off, Alex sprinted behind a large pyramid shaped obstacle. He peaked around the side and saw no sign of the red headed druid.

Picking out another obstacle further down, he sprinted off and slid behind the low wall. Peaking over the edge, he still had no view of Danny.

Where the hell did she go?

Alex was suddenly being wrapped up in thorn tipped vines and Alex yelped as he tried to escape the root spell. He shot down at the ground.

“Sizzle!”

The ground became engulfed in flames but his Fiery Underwear saved him from most of the heat. His hands and feet, however, felt the flames just fine but at least he had escaped the trap.

He looked around but still didn’t see any hint of Danny. Alex laughed as he had an idea of what Danny had done. Sprinting as fast as he could, Alex ran towards the opposite end of the field where he was sure Danny was hiding.

He leapt over another obstacle and found Danny’s hiding spot. She was kneeling on the ground, her hands pressed against the grass. Alex aimed his guns but before he could fire, he was knocked out of the air by a large tree branch. He had just enough time to see Willow, Danny’s Eldaman Companion, waiving happily at Alex as an impossibly large tree limb was sticking out of Willows chest. Danny must have placed her on the obstacle as a sentry.

Alex hit the ground hard and Danny strolled up to him, smiling.

“Ow.” Alex said.

Danny laughed. “What did you think?”

Alex sat up, rubbing his bruised shoulder. “I’m guessing some kind of radar connected with the ground but I have no clue what Willow did.”

Danny smiled at her Companion as she hopped down on her shoulder.

“The first spell is Tremor Sense. It allows me to track movement through the ground. Not great for the City Zone but I’m sure it will be useful later on. The other spell was an upgrade to Willow. She can communicate with me at limited distance and can create a number of different plants from her body, but that’s her own upgrade. I have a spell called growth that increased the size of the tree branch to make it more effective in smacking down pesky ninja cowboys.”

Alex snorted. “Well, it works! And it’s versatile. You will be a one-woman wrecking crew at this rate.”

“Maybe one day but I’m not planning on leaving anytime soon.” She said as she took a seat next to him.

Her smile faded as she leaned against him.

“Today was an eye opener to be sure. I need to be able to handle myself incase anything happens to our team.”

Alex wrapped his arm around her. “I think that’s good planning. Don’t get me wrong, I plan on all of us seeing this to the end, but it’s important that we understand that we aren’t indestructible.”

“So, you agree?” She asked.

“Agree on what?” He asked, looking confused.

She snickered into her hand. “That we are a team you idiot. You and Toby have been acting like we are just grouping up but we all make a good team. I don’t care about getting less xp. We are all in this together.”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, I wonder if Toby will take the lead for both teams.”

Danny laughed again. “Nope! We already talked and he said he would only agree if you took the lead.”

Alex narrowed his eyes. “That sneaky German bastard!”