“That's everything, good luck, Rue. May we meet again in the Third Phase”

  —---

  Rue opened his eyes as the bright light dissipated. The sudden contrast of light and darkness is apparent. He gazed up to see a spiraling stone stairway winding around the huge, circular, towering structure he was in. Shafts of sunlight dappled over light holes through like a beam of gold.

  Under him is a coarse stone, decorated with some fancy engraving of a Knight kneeling on an empty throne. The engraving repeated in every square; no doubt there were thousands of them.

  Bustling activity went around him, like he was suddenly dumped in the middle of a market. But instead of food, he saw weapons and, most of all, people stacking various defensive structures. They were working to add obstacles between the huge, gaping archway that led outside of this place.

  Above him, hanging in the air, is a blaring, thick word.

  95000/100000.

  “Hello!” A voice spoke up against the working crowd. A man with a stubble chin, perhaps in his forties, smiled warmly at him. The man wore glasses and businessman attire; no doubt, he was transported in the middle of his work like Rue does.

  He held a huge tome and a pencil. The man's eyes scan over Rue and nod approvingly.

  “Good, good. You're very high level.” He ripped a paper after scribbling something on it. “Here,” he shoved the paper to Rue. “This is your room number. You will be on the highest floor. After you settle in, go to this room…” He pointed. “You will be redirected to your task… Ah, my name is James, by the way… And of course, someone else spawned now… Anyway, go settle in! The quest will start soon once we hit a hundred thousand people.”

  And with that, James left, talking to the newly spawned girl, who appeared very terrified.

  Rue looked at the very, very high spiraling stairway. How long does he need to get up there? The highest point? An hour? He let out a sigh. The air is damp with sweat. He scrunched his nose away.

  His eyes settled on the huge archway that let in a huge shaft of light.

  “Might as well get familiar,” Rue muttered. He pulled his Lion mane cloak closer, the mane ticklish and warm around his neck. He made his way out, scanning the various equipment and mostly people who wore modern clothing and carried weapons. They probably decided to take the armor they got from the tutorial off, as the quest still hadn't started.

  The archway must be thrice the size of his apartment. A wooden construct of a sharp beam was neatly aligned in crescent formation, with two small gaps where three people could pass.

  In each gap, there was a guard with a sword gripped tightly and a helmeted cap. They wore a leather armor warrior got for free.

  Rue tried to pass, and one of the guards shouldered another, pointing at Rue. They stood and stopped him. “Newcomer?”

  He nodded. Eyeing both levels.

  (Human. Lvl 10)

  (Human. Lvl 11)

  “Fancy cloak you got there,” the fat one said, standing straighter, puffing his chest. “Why don't we come–”

  The impossibly thin guard bonks the fat one with a sheathed blade. “Ignore him, you can go whenever you like, but you have to return soon to get your assignment. Actually, maybe we should escort you to make sure you're not lost.”

  “What? Why would we?” The other guard glared, still rubbing his head.

  “Idiot, look at his level.” His brow twitched, the Fat one examined Rue, then stared back at the thin one. A silent conversation went by. Then both of them smile at Rue.

  “My friend!” The fat one slung his arm around Rue’s shoulder. “What a godsend you’re here! Should I say System send now? My name is Junior, by the way.”

  “My name is Soma.” The thin one with red hair extended his hand. Soma had a scar across his eye, akin to Paxwell somehow. Rue took his hand, still suspicious of what these two wanted. Clearly, they want something; he had not missed the glint in their eyes the moment they saw his level.

  Might as well give them a fake name just to be careful.

  “Mine is Eur,” He smiled thinly.

  “Welcome, come on, then let us show you the center castle.” Soma led the way straight outside this building. That suited him fine, as he wanted to make sense of the surroundings.

  Junior talked his ear off, ranging from his tutorial experience to nonsense stuff about his life back on earth. Rue just nodded along and gave a vague answer.

  The darkness banished as the sun was blaring the moment he left the structure, which turned out to be a tower that spiraled to the sky above. Along with it, three other towers were also there forming a square formation; they were each connected by stone walls that were half their size. And nestled in a sea of green grass is a stark castle with its own fortification of walls, yet those walls are polished, unlike the rough ones behind him.

  The castle is as tall as the tower wall, and it's surrounded by a river, forming a natural defense. What were those things called again? Palisade? Rue did not know; he is not a bloody medievalist.

  “There’s no way out?” Rue asked, eyeing the colossal wall that shades them in its embracing shadow.

  “There is,” Soma answered. “But, you need to climb the tower and go atop the wall, then, with a rope, jump down. We’ve sent scouts out.”

  “And what did they find?”

  “Monster, held back by an invisible barrier. The very first person that been here had been told that once 100000 people gathered, only then would an explanation be given. Well, we've given vague explanations already.” Soma shrugged as they walked toward the castle.

  “People were reinforcing the tower,” Rue muttered. “Does someone coordinate them?”

  “Ah!” Junior perked up. “Yes, the very first person herself. Mey, the flame user. Apparently, the second and third days were hellish. Strong fight against strong for control. Look there,” He pointed to a patch of grass that had the wrong color. They were burned, now they held the husk of life and looked like an ashen gray, spreading like a nuisance, disturbing the serenity of the green grasses around them.

  But still, this is good. He had been summoned into a group with functional leadership, unlike the very first one. Relief washed over Rue; it looked like this Phase would go smoothly. Now he has to figure out when to use the key he got to summon the gate for his Class quest. First, he needed to make sure it's safe to do so and the whole group won’t get doomed.

  “Anyway, Eur, what do you think about making a point?” Junior grinned, his teeth caught the flash of the sunlight.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Who is Eur? Oh, right.

  “You know, you two are not exactly subtle about this,” Rue said, staring into both of them. “What do you want?”

  Junior gaped, then he acted offended. “What do you mean we–”

  “It's nothing that will harm you,” Soma said, this one spoke matter-of-factly. Soma must be the younger of the two, probably near Rue’s age. “Well, you will see.”

  They crossed the patches of grass, passing folks who sprawled across the grass, enjoying the warm sun, onto a bridge where there was no guard, but a busy line of people that went in and out through the open gate. They were casually speaking and laughing, talking over everyday stuff. When they passed over a group of girls, they were whispering about some of the guys who caught their eyes.

  This all seemed so normal; he did not expect this. And it was a bit uncomfortable for him.

  “We're here,” Soma said. They passed the wooden gate into a screaming crowd.

  Intense cheering blasted through the air. Rue could even make out a brawl with bare hands spread through the courtyard. The dark, stark castle resided overlooking them. A balcony spiraled near the top, and Rue could briefly make out a figure of a woman, with translucent white hair, looking down, leaning dangerously against the railing.

  Another five individuals were with her. He wondered if they were the leaders of these hundred thousand.

  “And that's a wrap! 20000 points went to Bremer!”

  A scream blasted through the sky. Rue turned at the fighter standing above his unconscious opponent with two shields raised up high.

  “A fight arena?” He muttered.

  “Yes, people are bored once they're done with the task, Mey allowed this and even betting to go through also!” Junior exclaimed.

  “Seemed like a bad decision,” Rue said, looking over at the heated crowd. A fight broke out, and a group that appeared to be enforcers tried to break it apart with the shield they wielded.

  “Mainly, it's to siphon point to her group,” Soma said. “The strongest fighter came from May’s faction.”

  “Yes, this is ridiculous,” he grumbled under his breath.”

  “You say that because you did not know what was going on!” Junior screamed over the crowd. He was pushed, and his belly pushed against Rue’s hand, who had to steady him. “Those wooden beams you saw? We have those for all four towers because of the point gathered by Mey’s group; they spent it on defense!”

  Huh, maybe Rue had been too harsh.

  “Which brings people willing to bet against them, because if they lose, then their money will be spent for their good anyway. So, Mey’s group now holds a lot of points; they often let it marinate each day before spending it on the night to bait more watchers and gamblers. Now, it's evening! A perfect time to make the challenge and get all that money.”

  This one, on the other hand, Rue could not care less about.

  “Oh, come on, what with that look?” Junior grasped Rue’s collar, his face twisted in annoyance. “Tch.” He let Rue go, no doubt after deciding he was too strong.

  “You might think this is stupid, Eur, for us wanting their money. But, unlike Mey’s faction, we still only wear starting gear from the very start. These phases will be much harder, I think. We want to spend at least some Uncommon item,” Soma said, scratching his red hair.

  “So, you want me to fight and share the point with you two?” Rue snorted, shaking his head.

  “To fight, you need at least 10000 points. Me and Junior here have about 3000 combined”.

  “Well, it wouldn’t be enough anyway.” Rue himself had 4500 points. If he were completely honest, he wanted to try and fight. But being used for their own benefit did not sit right with him.

  “Level 23!” A voice boomed.

  Rue drew a sharp breath and faced a drunken man, his eyes open wide, with one hand pointed straight at him.

  “I have 1000 points!” he screamed. “Go fight, and win some of our points back!”

  “What? No—”

  “I will give 3000!”

  “1000!”

  Bodies started to crowd him, and Rue had to inhale and exhale deeply as he felt like he was a main character surrounded by zombies.

  “Eur!” Soma's hand tried to reach him, but he was swallowed by the crowd.

  Worried the thin man will be trampled to death. Rue tried to reach for him. But instead, a woman grasped his arm and started to beg. “Please! Fight for us.”

  “Get away!” Rue growled, thinking to use magic right there and then. He wrenches off the woman's hold and starts wading through the bodies of humans that are still pressed against him. With his superior strength, he can make progress, but some of them are warriors, so it's hard, like he was trapped in a very strong current.

  “Come on! Don’t be prissy!” A drunken voice shouted.

  “Just one fight!”

  The pressure of the body overwhelmed his vision. Rue drew an annoyed inhale of air. He raised his arm high above, struggling to even get it up. A bright golden sword formed in his hand. Akansa Sword rose to the sky. Rue cast Golden Dominion.

  In an instant, the pressure of the body was relieved, and the crowd's eyes hung on the golden sword Rue held

  His skill worked, holding the captivated eyes of the audience, like he was holding the key to their safety in this crazy world. But a pang of pain tingles through his head, and the familiar strain of Magic Vein is there. Is this too many people?

  In a brief window before greed settled in on them, Rue shouted out, “I will fight.” He tapped his ring to the sword, making it disappear in thin air. He could make out a slight complaint from the crowd, but then he raised his voice again. “I will fight! But, not with my point! And I will take fifty percent of the win!”

  In a heartbeat, silence stretched. Before, a booming cheer shook the ground.

  —----

  Name: Mey Skveth.

  Level: 38.

  Race: Human.

  Class: Flame Conjurer Lvl 39.

  Magic Vein (Steel): 21%

  HP: 1257/1266

  Mana: 4677/4829

  Strength: 115

  Vitality: 88

  Dexterity: 315

  Arcana: 512

  Mind: 485

  Perception: 311

  -Skill (12/25)-

  - Fireball (Common)

  - Ignition Step (Rare)

  - Pyro Wall (Rare)

  - Lash of Flame (Uncommon)

  - Shield of Flame (Uncommon)

  - Fist of Flame (Uncommon)

  - Ashen wake (Rare)

  - Searing Comet (Mystic)

  - Flame Refuge (Rare)

  - Scorch brand (Uncommon)

  - Skyfire Dive (Rare)

  - Purifier Flame (Mystic)

  -Passive Skill (9/20)-

  - Heat Resistance (Uncommon)

  - Warm Ward (Uncommon)

  - Rhythm of Heat (Rare)

  - Way of Martial (Common)

  - Enhance Beauty (Rare)

  - Internal Fuel (Rare)

  - Heat Sense (Uncommon)

  - Veil of the Pyro (Rare)

  - Puppeteer (Rare)

  “It will be today or tomorrow,” a bulky man with a barrel chest so big it almost ripped open his leather clothes said.

  Mey just hummed a reply. She closed her eyes, letting the wind drift apart her white hair. She let a slit of her eye open, peeking at her hair.

  Because of her class, its color changed from black to white. This world is interesting, very much so that Mey wishes she were not a part of it.

  Looking down at the fighting arena, she just stared blankly at the boredom. It's a wonder how the crowd gets excited over something like this. Rafael had recommended it, and she had her doubts about it. But it works wonders; no longer are there daily fights or constant emotional breakdowns. Well, the last part still happened, but as they went by, it got better.

  What she had learnt for all of this was just to leave all this administrative stuff to Rafael. Even though in name, she is the leader of a bloody hundred thousand people.

  “Bremer wins again?” Rafael pushed his glasses up.

  “Boring, is it?”

  “Maybe our leader should try to go down and join? Your boredom is primarily your fault for casing yourself here,” Leo, a youth who was in her first phase, said.

  “There's a commotion…” Ephey, an archer who has been advocating for Mey, said. She has been acting like a leech, the moment Rafael had recommended that Mey take leadership

  It had been annoying.

  “Ah,” She made a noise, like a tickle under the swirling wind. Ephey stepped over, one leg on the balcony, her archer eye activated, and she was immersed through those yellow eyes of hers.

  “Eph?” Leo asked, face scrunching in concern.

  Mey just watched the Archer trip over the balcony. A flurry of movement came from Rufus–another archer and Leo, who tried to reach, but they're too far.

  Ephey fell, wind swished around her archer cloak like they tried to pull her up.

  “She fallin–”

  Mey lurched forward, knocking over her white chair. Flame spiraled from her feet, propelling her past the balcony with every step she took. She kicked over pure air above, and launched herself down–clutching Ephey in one hand and bursting fire down with her right hand.

  The flame pushed her body up, letting her kill the momentum of the fall. They landed with Ephey in a bridal carry on Mey’s arm.

  She blinked, like the world just stopped spinning to her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Brainwashing, I saw a flash of gold. Mey, you need to do something about…”

  “About what?”

  “A newcomer. A very powerful one.”