Morgan left the group as they inspected the train. Orienting himself with his internal compass, he headed to where the arrow showed the nearest enemy. After he had been running for a few minutes, he stopped and checked the disc again. The indicators had moved, but his internal compass adjusted.

  The arrow led him to an old mine just outside of town. It had been abandoned in the mid-1800s. The wooden barricade of the entrance had been ripped away, allowing Morgan to see into the inky blackness. He checked his compass once more to confirm this was it, before drawing his short sword and entering the mineshaft.

  The mine smelled heavily of dirt and fetid water. As he walked further inside, the smell grew heavier and more oppressive. There was a small cart track leading down a slight incline into the distance as far as he could see. As he went deeper, the walls started seeping rivulets of moisture, leaving shiny trails. After what felt like forever, the mineshaft opened up into a large chamber.

  The chamber must have been the underground command center. There were old wooden shacks and piles of rotten wood scattered haphazardly around. Lying curled up against one of the piles of wood was a lone goblin. Disappointed, Morgan killed it. 91% to level ten. He sheathed his sword, harder than he needed to, frustrated.

  Sophia informed him, as he checked the disc. The arrow was still pointing in roughly the same direction, but was much smaller.

  Of course, he had. Morgan asked.

  Sophia replied glumly.

  Morgan attempted to go deeper into the mine, but all the shafts branching from the chamber were flooded within 10 feet. Realizing the arrow must be pointing to somewhere on the surface, Morgan returned, jogging out of the mine. He was thankful for the fresh dry air. He double checked the disc and then jogged in the direction of the arrow.

  After another hour of jogging, he caught the copper scent of blood in the wind. He checked the disc again. The arrow was still pointing directly ahead, but it was now very large. The blue line was also thick and lined up with the arrow.

  Sophia informed him.

  Morgan entered the clearing cautiously, then relaxed. Ahead, he saw the backs of four kobolds fighting against five goblins. The small creatures brandished weapons; the kobolds were advancing with longer spears. The goblins had swords and knives, but were not able to get close. Around the clearing was the carnage of the battle, and dozens of tiny corpses littered the area.

  Drawing his bastard sword, Morgan charged in heedless of their small weapons. The goblins saw him first and began to retreat, screaming in their harsh language. He was upon the kobolds before they knew he was there. One tried to block, but the sword pushed down the haft of its spear and bit hard and deep into its shoulder. After quickly finishing the kobolds, he looked. 97% to level 10.

  He said to Sophia.

  The goblins scattered, making him chase them through the woods. He harried them, chasing them through the thick foliage. If it wasn’t for the disc, he would never have found all of them. Finally, he caught the last goblin. Slicing through its neck as it ran from him, he was relieved when a large blue banner flashed across the screen.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  ::Congratulations! You have reached level ten. Random Skill available.::

  ::You are the ninth person in this world to reach level ten. Title Granted. Additional Skill awarded.::

  ::Title Granted - First to Ten - Be one of the first ten people to reach level ten.::

  Sophia praised him.

  ::Skill Granted - Uncommon - Where’s Waldo - Become nearly invisible when near other people.::

  Morgan said hopefully.

  Sophia contradicted.

  Morgan was starting to realize that he was going to miss out on a lot of skills.

  ::Legendary - The Eternal Flame - Candles, or torches, have a chance to not consume fuel.::

  ::Rare - Mirror Effect - Counterattack ripostes do extra damage.::

  Morgan said.

  Sophia said under her breath.

  ::Skill Granted - Mirror Effect.::

  ::Common - Plate Expectations - Wearing heavy armor is easier::

  ::Rare - Falling in Style - Able to leap great distances.::

  Morgan said after a few seconds.

  Sophia advised.

  ::Skill Granted - Falling in Style.::

  “You have 1 ability point,” Sophia said.

  ::Your current attributes are Str - 14, Dex - 17, Con - 15, Wis - 11, Int - 11.::

  ::Your current attributes are Str - 14, Dex - 18, Con - 15, Wis - 11, Int - 11.::

  Now that he had reached level ten and gotten an achievement. He could head back to the Academy. Knowing that there were eight other people out there who were faster than him gave him hope. He tried out his new leap ability, jumping straight up. He rocketed into the air, about thirty feet, and then came plummeting down. Slamming into the ground, he broke his ankle and shattered something in his left knee.

  Morgan said, lying on his back waiting for his bones to move back into place.

  Sophia answered.

  The leaping run back to the Academy, through the densely wooded mountains, was refreshing. By the time he could see the spire of the Academy coming into view, he had perfected, through much trial and error, a short hopping run that moved him much faster than he had run before.

  Morgan returned to the Academy. Mara and Annabelle were in Katherine’s office describing the materials and planning for the trains. Apparently, there were a few more train cars in a small yard near the station as well. The list of materials was not as long as Morgan had feared. However, Mara estimated the retrofit would take about a week, maybe more.

  The excitement that Mara got from talking about the planning was infectious; her eyes sparkled, and she even got Annabelle talking rapidly about creating a forge and smeltery near the station for convenience. Katherine also sternly mentioned the need for some guards there.

  After checking in with Katherine, he went to wash up and put on new clothes. As he washed, he had a strange feeling of contentment. He knew this was the end of the world, and everyone had changed. But for him, there was a feeling of rightness. For the first time, he felt like he belonged.

  “ he asked Sophia.

  Sophia replied.

  Morgan asked, looking down at his status. 394CT, 8UT was there. It was a ton of tokens if he just needed food, but he knew they would need to buy materials for the trains and didn’t want to splurge on anything useless.

  Sophia responded.

  Morgan made his way to Frank’s room after washing up, to find it empty. He went out into the yard to wait for the announcement. Lying on his back, on the knocked-over tree where he had spoken with Mara, he waited for the expected announcement of phase two.