“So, I know you said this isn’t all just a video game, but everything you keep saying make it sound more and more like one. Levels and classes are straight out of role-playing games,” Ash said as we left the clearing, Floof staying right behind us.

  “I said ‘I don’t think it’s a video game’, and I stand by that. Honestly, I had never heard of video games until I found Earth,” I answered. The first time I’d seen a role-playing game here had sent me for a loop. They had been one of the big reasons I had started my journal.

  “…Are you even human, Dad? Am I?” She stopped walking for a second as she voiced those questions.

  They didn’t seem the kind that had just hit her. It was more like she had been afraid to ask them earlier. “We’re both human. But to answer your next question. No, I’m not from Earth. I was born a long time ago, on a world called Orljia. When the System found us, we were closer to our own version of the early Middle Ages.”

  “But how did you get here then? This all seems so crazy, Dad. You understand that, right?”

  “I already told you that it is a very long story. Ash, I’m a lot older than I look,” I answered, not even sure where I’d begin that story.

  “Okay, fine, but at least tell me the end!” Her voice had risen with that demand, and I quickly scanned the forest to see if anything had decided we sounded tasty.

  I didn’t spot anything new. We had a few days still before the worldwide rankings went live. And while none of the natives to the planet knew that was coming, all of the invaders did, and they would want to get themselves as near the top as they could. That meant most of them were busy hunting prey that was far easier to kill than me.

  Though if they had any idea who I was, one of the more scheming groups might send everything they had at me. The runic blade would be a good way to score an early lead in their damned competition. But my being here wasn’t something any of them could possibly be expecting.

  “There was a large-scale war. We are talking on the scale of thousands of planets, and things got very bad toward the end. Your uncle and…” I began to explain before Ash cut me off.

  “I have an uncle!?”

  “Yes. As I said, your uncle and I made a peace agreement to save our people. The empire we had built wouldn’t be destroyed if, and only if, we stopped interfering in other empires’ businesses, and we stopped competing for newly integrated worlds. On top of that, I was required to go into exile. It was agreed I would find some quiet corner of the multiverse outside of the System to live out the rest of my days, and no one would ever bother me again. I found my way here, and when I broke through to this world without the System, I left all of my own abilities, levels, and everything the System granted behind,” I explained.

  “Except the sword,” she added.

  “Except the sword. It was as System-dead as I was. I kept it as the last reminder of my old life,” I replied, remembering the day I found myself in this world.

  As my abilities faded, I had used the last little bit of mana I could channel to learn the dominant language of where I found myself. And then slowly, I’d worked to understand this new world I was in. It hadn’t been easy at first. I had gotten so used to relying on my channeling for so much. The idea of a return to my childhood before I had ever heard the word integration had been entirely alien to me.

  “I don’t even know what to say anymore, Dad. How do you process that your dad is some kind of superhero in hiding?” Ash asked, slowing down slightly as her breathing grew more labored.

  “You okay? We can take a break if you need one,” I said, stopping immediately. She had to keep up her strength as best she could while we found the right class.

  “Just need a second. It’s weird, I can tell my body is handling this all better, but at the same time, I still feel really sick. Does that make any sense?” She asked as we took a short pit-stop.

  “Yeah, our bodies just aren’t able to handle the changes the System puts on them, so when we apply our first level, it starts to restructure them somewhat. That won’t fully finish until level one hundred,” I explained.

  Coincidentally, that was also when you got your first major focus. Whether that was connected or not, no one actually knew, but I had spoken to enough scholars who believed there were no coincidences where the System was concerned that I could assume it was.

  “One hundred? How many levels are there?” she asked, taking a few steps forward and ending the rest.

  “Infinite, or at least so many I’ve never heard of a maximum. But leveling does start to slow down the further you go. Plus, the blitz we’re going to do through some of the early levels just isn’t something anyone else on the planet is capable of. Some people will catch up as we slow down, but most will always be far behind us.” The truth was, we had already gained our first three levels much faster than I had the first time around.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “What do people do when they don’t have someone like you to get them through?” Ash had finally hit the million-dollar question, and the root of what Alecks and I had worked so hard to change. It was the same thing that had led to such a horrible war, and why I was even here.

  “Usually they die. The survival rate for a newly integrated world is abysmally low. Some number of forces will have paid for a spot in the integration, and they are competing against each other for the resources that will come from owning this world when it’s done. Human survival isn’t something that matters to them at all.” I knew how terrible my answer was, but there was no good way to sugarcoat it.

  Even if the System had been created for some noble cause in the start, it certainly didn’t work that way anymore. Every new world gobbled up into the connected multiverse was a new potential resource to be exploited. And those who did the best job of exploiting were rewarded the most.

  “How did you manage to survive it then?”

  “Dumb luck, and the loss of a lot of people I try not to think about. But it’s going to be different this time. We’re going to get through this together. We are going to take control of the planet, and then we are going to either find or avenge my brother.”

  Ash’s response was cut off by a loud growl from Floof. I spun, spotting what had set the dog off. High in the tree was something that looked like a mutated giant owl. It was staring down at us with hungry eyes.

  “What is it?” Ash asked as she pointed at the monster. Some fear had returned to her voice.

  It was a monster.

  At least, I thought it was a monster. It was possible that it was a scout for one of the forces. My information was just too out of date, and I knew next to nothing about who we were likely to face. It had the look of something hunting, though. I was pretty sure of that.

  “When the integration started, a lot of monsters were pulled through from the void. It’s probably one of those. It could also be a mutated animal from Earth or another of the planets that were combined together, but that’s less likely this early. The mana flow hasn’t had time to really permeate everything yet. Once that happens, though, we are going to start to see a lot of animals changing, some in terrifying ways.” I kept my eyes focused on the monster as I answered, daring it to attack.

  “Is Floof going to be okay? ” she asked, petting the puppy nervously as he rubbed against her leg at the sound of his name. “We can’t let him mutate.”

  “He should be fine. The System probably sees him as our companion. Hell, there’s a good chance he has levels to apply, and if he somehow figures out how to do that, he will start to grow along with us. If he doesn’t, we can get some interfaces later that will let us do it instead.” The owl creature above us finally got tired of my staring it down and took flight, vanishing deeper into the forest.

  I caught Ash’s slight jump at the movement. She had tried to hide it, but she had done as poor a job at concealing it as she had at trying to convince me she was healthy enough for this walk. I knew she wasn’t. And if there had been a better option, I’d have never decided on going through with it, but the houses in the subdivision had the best chances of keeping her safe while handling unlocking our classes.

  The rest of the walk back was spent alternating between short breaks and Ash being deep in her own head. She had apparently asked enough questions to satisfy herself for the moment. That, or the monster had unnerved her enough that she didn’t want to risk the noise anymore. It was a good habit to start, so I wasn’t about to break her of it, as long as she was also paying attention to her surroundings.

  “Don’t move,” I ordered quietly as we neared the edge of the woods. There were dozens of smaller creatures, all on the now deeply cracked road that connected our house to that of our neighbors.

  “Are those more monsters?” Ash asked, staying close to me and Floof.

  “Yes, looks like they came up from the cracks when they opened. No idea what they are, maybe some kind of worm, but I want you to stay here with Floof while I deal with them.” She nodded at my words, signaling her agreement.

  “Where should I put these points?” Adam asked. They had finally figured out what the level notification had meant that had appeared after clearing out the frogs, and were now holed up in the bakery, forcing down some of the food they had found.

  “Did you read their descriptions?” his brother replied with a question of his own.

  Adam hadn’t. He brought back up the weird menu in his mind and read each of them.

  __________

  Constitution

  Constitution represents the body’s ability to handle damage and pain, as well as the ability to shrug off various poisons and other environmental effects. At high values, constitution can reverse even the effects of aging.

  Perception

  Perception represents the body’s ability to notice and react accurately to the things happening around it. Its effects range from aiming a strike to spotting hidden obstacles. At high values, it can uncover the secrets of the universe.

  Spirit

  Spirit represents the inner strength of the body. It affects how mana flows across channels, enhancing both how much mana can be safely used and the strength of spells, as well as the ability to defend against hostile magic, including mental intrusions. At high values, it will help to alter the building blocks of magical spells.

  Strength

  Strength represents the external strength of the body. It affects the force the body is able to bring to bear against an opposing force. At high values, certain physical laws cease to be laws.

  __________

  “I think I’m going to start with strength or maybe perception, I don’t know,” Adam said after reading them. He wasn’t sure which one would help keep them the safest.

  “Why don’t you go with strength, and I’ll go with perception,” Alecks replied, setting them both onto their paths.

  —Memories of Adam Miller before he found Earth