Matt followed the cats through the wide halls of the temple, with Tara and Kara leading the way, and Lara tailing behind him looking as annoying as ever.

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  He was barely able to contain his excitement at finally getting his hands on some loot. He was as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning, but truth be told, he had no idea what to expect. Usually, in games, loot dropped once you’ve defeated the boss or finished the dungeon. Getting sent to a ‘reward room’ was entirely different and implied there was more to it than simply opening a treasure chest.

  While the ambiguity did concern him slightly, he did like the word ‘reward’ too much to really care about the semantics of it, that’s why he had decided not to ask any questions until he saw for himself. Let the anticipation build up and all that. He did enjoy surprises after all.

  Well, good surprises at least.

  They were walking through the hall to the left of where he had been sitting. The hall itself wasn’t as impressive as the rest of the temple. The floor was tiled with interlocking bricks, while the wall was a big slab of stone that had a door carving every twenty or so feet, with a different symbol engraved atop each one, all taking on the color of the golden desert sand.

  The symbols did interest him though since he could not read or understand them, even with his skill, so he asked his hosts, “The carvings over each entrance. I’m assuming it’s some kind of writing. I have the [Universal Tongues] skill, but I can’t make any sense of them. Any idea why?”

  Tara, helpful as ever, was the one to answer, not even turning her head as she did. “It’s a skill. The common version is called [Hidden Language]. It makes it so that anything you write is unreadable to anyone except for you. Researchers and scholars use it as a layer of protection to prevent their work from being stolen before its publication,” she explained.

  “What if they die unexpectedly, do we just never find out what they were working on?” Matt questioned. It was a detrimental flaw if that was the case, especially if someone wanted to sabotage you instead of simply stealing your work.

  “Evolved versions of the skill usually address that problem, giving users the freedom to assign people who are exempt from its effect. Every university has that skill as a requirement for any researcher or scholar under its banner, usually even assigning trusted individuals for them to exclude,” Tara helpfully clarified.

  It did make sense. Universities wouldn’t want a researcher’s work to become just scribbles on paper upon their death, especially if significant time and resources were invested in it, so having a failsafe was a no-brainer. However, that wasn’t what had grabbed Matt’s attention.

  “Evolved versions? I know skills have rarities, but don’t they just become stronger versions of themselves when they’re upgraded?” he asked, genuinely wondering about the answer.

  All his ‘knowledge’, if you could even call it that, came from games and his understanding of their mechanics, which would, more likely than not, lead to the wrong conclusion. Having nothing else to go on meant he had to grab onto any piece of information he could find.

  Kara gave him a quick side-eyed look before turning her head back around. “You really don’t know anything about the system, do you?” She asked, but it wasn’t surprise in her voice, nor curiosity. It sounded akin to… doubt? About what?

  It did make him frown, though. Her words implied that he had a choice in the matter, which wasn’t the case. And while he had been doing his best, he had no delusions about how lacking he was in everything. Having it being thrown in his face though, felt as if it undermined his struggles so far, as if someone with knowledge would’ve fared better. He was about to say that when Kara interrupted his thought process.

  “I’m not saying that to mock you, nor to deny your efforts,” Kara said, Matt unclenching his fists as he felt the tension in his body lessen. “You are in a very unenviable position, yet you still made it here, and that’s nothing to scoff at and no one can downplay or take that achievement from you,” she added before pausing for a bit, seemingly weighing her next words, Matt waiting for the ‘but’ to drop.

  “You may think that answering questions is as simple as just… answering them, but there is much more to it than that,” this time it was Tara who answered. “The biggest factor is the restrictions put on us by the system, her eminence, Lady Bastet as well as Pharaoh Arjun, in what we can and can’t say or do, especially in relation to information and assistance of any kind. However, some questions, like the one you just asked, even toddlers know the answer to, so they shouldn’t pose an issue. You will, however, have to find the questions yourself. We can’t answer what hasn’t been asked, no matter how obvious it may seem,” she finished.

  “Also, to answer your question,” Kara interjected. “Every skill has its own evolution path, which can manifest in endless ways. Yes, some skills do become ‘stronger versions of themselves’, but that only happens if you use said skill for its basic purpose and nothing else,” she explained. “If you, at any point, attempt to address a weakness, or improve on the skill in any way, even if your success was only trivial, then those improvements would manifest as an evolution path, revealed to you when it’s level 10 and ready to evolve. Some skills even require an evolution path if their base function is deemed not enough to evolve a skill,” she finished.

  Matt nodded in understanding. That kind of information was priceless to him. He would’ve had no way of knowing that he could use an evolution to overcome a skill’s weakness otherwise.

  [Mend] was on the cusp of evolving, and fixing some of its shortcomings was definitely at the top of his list now that he knew it was possible. Simply improving its healing felt like such a waste, especially for a skill that held such potential.

  Also, regarding the limitations with answering questions, Sal had told him something similar when they had met at the start of it all, so while the fact did not surprise him, it was still incredibly annoying and difficult to overcome.

  His knowledge regarding the system was practically nonexistent, which affected what questions came to mind since he had no idea what was and wasn’t possible. After all, if you were suddenly transported from the medieval era to the industrial revolution and told you’ll only receive answers to questions you asked, it would take you a while and a lot of questions to finally reach the answers that actually mattered or impacted your day-to-day life. While it may seem intuitive to ask about electricity or how a steam engine worked, knowing the answer will only raise more questions, none of which would help you survive or integrate better. It was also an answer you were bound to find sooner rather than later since it was a defining feature of that era.

  The most important pieces of information to know, Matt would argue, were money and guns.

  Money, because it was the lifeline of any era, and with the introduction of its paper form, banks, and labor work, it was your ticket to survival.

  And guns, because you wouldn’t want to piss off someone with a gun, be it cops, military personnel, or your good old thugs and criminals.

  In Matt’s case, the ‘guns’ were skills, stats, and anything associated with them, while money was… irrelevant to someone who was stuck on an empty planet. But first things first, he had to know how much time he had in the reward room, and by extension how long he had access to answers.

  “How long can I stay here? Like, is there a time limit before I’m kicked out or can I stay for as long as I want?” He asked, hopeful, as he waited for Tara or Kara to respond.

  Unfortunately for everyone, annoying cat Lara was the one to answer him. “Ugh, thank Bastet that’s not the case. I’m barely able to tolerate your presence as is,” she said with evident displeasure.

  Tara gave her sister a pointed look before actually answering the question. “As Lara was trying to say. It’s as long as it took to heal any injury accrued during the trial along with six hours to recover and pick your rewards.”

  Yep, any word out of Lara’s mouth definitely pissed him off. But he wasn’t gonna let it get to him. Nope, not him. He was bigger than getting baited by her snarky remarks.

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  Deep breaths. It’s not worth it, he told himself as he tried to ignore her to the best of his ability, choosing instead to continue his questions. “So if I was injured I could stay for as long as I wanted until I eventually recovered?”

  “You know, some would call it arrogance, or wishfulness, thinking you could outsmart systems and mechanics that have been in place for eons. I just call it idiocy,” Lara mocked. “And to answer your question, this temple is under the protection of Lady Bastet, the goddess of protection herself. So unless you were a divine being, or had a divine level item or skill, you wouldn’t even be able to leave a scratch on a broken tile, in an abandoned basement with no protection enchantments, let alone on yourself. And even if you, somehow, managed to, Tara would just heal you, making you look even more like a fool than you already are,” she finished her tirade of mockery.

  “You could’ve just said yes. We could all do without the added commentary and descriptive language,” Tara reprimanded her sister.

  “He should be thanking me that I even took the time to answer his pointless questions,” Lara scoffed defiantly.

  She’s just a cat. They are annoying by nature. No need to get angry over it. Even if kicking her like she was a football and I was a placekicker would feel really, really, really good… like unbelievably good. It would only be momentary satisfaction, Matt kept reminding himself, trying his best not to get baited in by Lara’s very… colorful choice of words.

  Matt turned his head towards Lara, who was staring daggers at him.

  “Why don’t you give it a try? I’m eager to find out which is faster, your leg or my claws,” Lara growled at him, obviously not happy with his thoughts.

  “Some would call it arrogance or wishfulness to think that your claws could stop my kick. I just call it being a dumb cat named Lara,” Matt mocked back, sticking his tongue out at her.

  Lara’s eyes widened, as she, for the first time, had no snarky comment nor comeback.

  Tara and Kara, on the other hand, burst out laughing at his comment. “You can stop now, Lara. It seems like you won’t be able to bait him,” Tara told her sister, drying her tearing eyes.

  Matt looked at the three cats with obvious confusion, not understanding what was happening. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  What Tara had said indicated that Lara was trying to bait him into something, but from where he was standing, it didn’t seem that way. The way she talked to him with disgust in her voice, the way she looked at him with disdain in her eyes, and even her body language, indicating extreme discomfort, all pointed towards one thing. She hated his guts, so bait him into doing what?

  “She was trying to get a reaction out of you, to see if you were some pompous, self-important brat, or a power-hungry fool who thought he could solve all conflicts with his fists. You held yourself well, however. You even had her lost for words,” Kara answered with a slight chuckle, confirming Matt’s suspicions.

  He narrowed his eyes while looking between Tara and Kara. “I have to say, I don’t appreciate being manipulated. Her being an ass for the sake of being an ass is something I can deal with, but doing it on purpose as a test or to get a rise out of me isn’t something I can just let go,” he said in a low voice, stopping completely.

  Tara stopped and turned around, looking him straight in the eyes, with Matt looking right back, firm in his stance.

  “Let it go, human. No harm was done, so there shouldn’t be an issue,” she warned.

  “You say that, but if I had reacted, there would’ve been an issue. One you orchestrated,” he responded, unwavering in his gaze.

  “Then it would’ve been your fault for failing to be in control of your emotions,” Lara answered with a growl, moving in between him and Tara.

  “And this is where we have a problem. Because, from where I stand, it’s your fault for resorting to manipulation and trickery,” Matt shot back, a deadpan expression on his face.

  “Is that what triggers you, human? Manipulation? You should’ve said so sooner. It would’ve saved me a whole lot of time and effort trying to goad you,” Lara smiled triumphantly, still trying to bait him.

  “It’s my mistake for thinking even a cat like you would have integrity, but apparently, even with such a low bar, a house pup will have more of it in its left paw, than you in your entire life,” Matt answered, a lip curled upward in obvious disgust.

  Lara frowned at his comment. “You’re really not going to let it go, are you?” she said in a low, threatening voice.

  “Lara. Don’t,” Kara commanded, interjecting for the first time.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll just let him know his true place in all of this. He’ll be much more… compliant once he does,” Lara answered back, flashing her fangs at him while not breaking her gaze from his, the coldness and lack of empathy evident in her eyes.

  Matt prepared himself, clutching his scepter in one hand, while pushing mana towards the other. They had said he was protected in the temple, but he couldn’t really trust their words anymore. The cats were up to something, they had been since his arrival, so he needed to be ready to act at a moment’s notice.

  Lara took a step towards Matt. It felt menacing, heavy. Like there was an actual weight to it that could be felt. As if something was slowly pressing down on his shoulders, yet he refused to back down, holding his ground, scepter clenched tighter. She hadn’t made a move against him yet, so he wasn’t going to either. For all he knew, this could be another of her attempts at goading him, one he wasn’t going to fall for.

  Lara took another step, but this time something felt… different, off. The weight that had been pushing him down was now an immense pressure trying to crush his body and soul from all sides.

  It was increasing by the second as the cat kept staring him down. No longer was it trying to bring him to his knees, but crush him completely. Put him in a position of absolute submission.

  Matt held. The pressure was bad, but nothing compared to what he had felt when unlocking his mana. Tolerable… for now at least.

  Suddenly, it wasn’t just the pressure he had to contend against. Lara’s entire being was changing before his very eyes.

  She was still the same size, double that of a house cat, but her shadow… it was growing, shifting, as if it had a will of its own. It kept extending out of Lara’s darkened silhouette, becoming larger and larger until it had become a hundred times as large as it had been, standing over him, like an executioner.

  The sense of pressure had lessened, now replaced with a foreboding feeling. One that begged him to cower away, to run for his life.

  Matt’s heart was hammering in his chest, beads of sweat rolling down his face like an unhindered rain, his knees struggling to keep their straightened shape. It felt as if he was staring death itself, directly in the eyes.

  The petrifying shadow had completely swallowed his surroundings. There was no temple, no light, and no sound. The only remaining things in the absolute darkness were him and the menacing cat eyes staring him down, daring him to defy it.

  Matt swallowed the lump in his throat, not averting his eyes. It was stubbornness, and it was bravado, but he refused to give in to their bullying, to their… manipulation.

  The now sphinx-sized shadow refused to back down either, its gaze that of a god’s. Matt felt it trying to break him. To invade him. To tear him into pieces. And yet, he held.

  His body was screaming at him to simply… let go. To fall to his knees. His mind was teetering on the brink, begging for reprieve, but Matt shut them all out, his eyes locked on those of the shadow.

  He knew deep down that simply averting his gaze would cause his entire body to finally give. To collapse. To crumble. And so, he didn’t. Pitting his will against that of the gods, or whatever form the shadow wanted to take, he continued to resist.

  “You… are not… going… to intimidate… ME,” he said through gritted teeth, the words coming out raspy, each one more difficult than the last, but he had made his stance known. He will not back down from bullies. From schemers. From manipulators. He had lived his entire life cowering in fear. Not anymore.

  If it meant his death, then he would die on his own terms. On his own two feet. Standing up for himself. Not cowering down in capitulation and submission. He would die a warrior’s death, and be proud of it. That had been his promise to himself.

  His resolve was getting stronger, but so was the pressure. The shadow was looking down on him, its gaze intensifying, daring him to move, to continue defying it, to take a step.

  Matt curled both sides of his lips upward, attempting a smile that no doubt came out creepy and broken. A look you would only see in nightmares. But he had to do it. Because he wasn’t only going to defy the shadow, he would do it with a smile on his face, and then, he raised his foot to take a step. His first towards the petrifying creature standing opposite him.

  It was shaky. His legs wobbled uncontrollably, his knees threatening to buckle, but it was enough. Because that step held immense meaning. It let the cats know. It let the shadow know. And it let the whole world know that he would never bow down again. Not now, not ever.

  His foot landed on solid ground, getting him closer to the endless darkness he was up against. And then… it all stopped just as fast as it had begun.

  Matt’s senses returned. Light flooded his vision once more, pushing away the darkness. He could finally see the beautiful temple again. Hear the muted sound of the dancing leaves.

  His sense of smell was still in disarray as he could only smell rust and iron. He could also feel the warm wetness covering his neck and lips.

  His blood?

  Ahh, that would explain the smell filling his nose.

  He lowered his gaze, noticing that his lips and neck weren’t the only things wet with his blood. Apparently he had been bleeding for a while, as evident by the pool he was now standing in, the step he had taken bloodying the once pristine tiles of the temple.

  If he had looked bad before, now he must look absolutely horrendous.

  His gaze then rose once more towards the offending cat.

  The perpetrator behind this entire thing.

  Lara.

  She was still staring at him. Not with disgust, nor disdain, but absolute horror. The likes of which he had never seen before.

  Emotions were running rampant on her feline face. Disbelief, incomprehension, shock, dread… fear.

  Then, the screaming started.