Writer's Note: Final chapter due to college and stuff. WIll start a new side project that is easier to write and one in which I am familiar with. Thanks for reading. Enjoy.

  Chapter 9: The City States

  "So much...broken glass," Zamiel noted as they entered the mall by first proceeding further down Plummer before entering through the movie theater. It was because the rich Beta Players bought rank 1 land mines and littered the area with them. With the orcs dead before they could break through, the humans did not need to buy more to replace the lost land mines.

  "Yes," the security guard nodded. "When the end of the world, or Cataclysm, came; we realized our military weapons were incapable of hurting the enemy. Chaos broke out throughout the world. Homes were broken into, men and women were raped, and the government's law enforcement and military were too busy fighting back against the monsters."

  "Things got even worse as the worlds began fusing," the teen from before said. "Name's Lucas. Anyway, some parts of the land began breaking off from the ground and just floated about ten miles up in the air. Some Beta Players returned after a few days, changed. Like you, their races were changed. My big brother is a Nephilim, half angel and half human. He can make his wings appear at will and is a guardian."

  "Do you guys have classes?" Zamiel asked, Lucas shaking his head.

  "We are considered regular players to the Game System. We don't get classes or but we can learn skills by studying skill books for a long time. Those are rare drops though. Has anything dropped for you?" Lucas asked.

  "Only twenty silver from the orc mage," Zamiel answered, not mentioning the mana gem.

  "Right. The game said that only bosses can drop items for now. Once you reach level 11, there is a chance that boxes containing more items and money will drop. Big brother hopes to buy a cultivation manual so he can cultivate and continue to level," Lucas said.

  "He chose Option 1, for the mithril coin?" Zamiel asked, Lucas's eyes widening as he nodded.

  "Right, the background story!" Lucas said. "What level are you? Big brother says only Beta Players can see the levels, names, one of three basic classes, and health. Try it on me."

  "Inspect," Zamiel said, a table appearing above Lucas.

  *Ping*

  "You people really are players," Zamiel frowned. "How is 45 health possible. Can it be that your vitality grants 15 HP instead of 10?"

  "Yup. I'm lucky. The system automatically gives regular players five more heath, mana, and stamina points per stat increase. However, leveling is ten times harder for us and we cannot learn class skills or any ranked skill past 6. Our max level is 60. Big brother says that level 60 is the highest level for late Spirit Kings before becoming an initial Spirit Lord at level 61. I can use any weapon and use any armor, but only learn warrior skills. However, you require cultivation, but have no limits in regards to levels and what skills you can learn. That is the difference between us and you. It is no small wonder why you are more powerful than players," Lucas sighed. "Big brother will be here soon. Please wait here."

  Lucas pointed to benches outside the mall's electronic doors. The three elves sat and began resting as the humans left. Zamiel stared silently as he took out his Endless Quiver. It seemed the Game System forgot to modify the quiver as it did his previous armor.

  *Ping*

  "Option 2. Option 1 is never good," Zamiel said and learned <>. He already had stats upgraded due to his sword, ring, and increased strength and vitality with every cultivation breakthrough. He had magic and weapon skills, but not bare-handed skills. If he was disarmed, he would use the <> as a last resort as no one would expect it. It was also a skill no one else could use, and it was even a legendary skill.

  For him, <> used 5 stamina and 5 spirit to release a strike of fire and chaos spirit energy. It cost a whopping 50 mana and 50 stamina points! His two strongest skills, <> used 3 spirit, and <> used 3 stamina or 30 stamina points! It was the ultimate trump card. As he finally got eight skills, the game system made changes and displayed a new table.

  *Ping*

  *Ping*

  *Ping*

  *Ping*

  *Ping*

  *Ping*

  "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Zamiel cried, not even having finished reading one table as they all appeared at once. The rest of the players and Beta would see the last notice and now he would be even more popular on the forums. Now he really shouldn't use <> in public. Still, a tenth of the 10,000 Beta Players were already dead before half a year passed. Things were not looking good and the system even opened the shops early, affirming his guess.

  What's worse, people could not buy potions from the Item Shop. This would mean that Beta Players who knew apothecary become more important. Only they could make health, mana, stamina, and other potions and elixirs. Because a thousand Beta died, the world became worse off. People would think buying weapons and armor early was good, but the shops were sure to be more expensive than auctions. Potions saved lives. With the Item Shop not selling any potions in the future, many more people are sure to die.

  Zamiel decided to see his stats to first review his current standing. He first chose to distribute 2 stats into vitality and stamina before opening his status table.

  Name: Zamiel

  Level: 12

  Race: Blood Elf (Demigod variant)

  Class: Chaos Knight

  Cultivation: Middle Spirit Knight

  Titles: Bloodstained Swordsman; Jurassic Survivor; Samurai Vanguard

  Cultivation Spirit: Rank 9 Evil Eye Mammoth Tyrant

  Stats

  STR: 21 (16+5)

  VIT: 13 (10+3)

  AGI: 13

  SPR: 16

  STA: 15

  SPEED: 5 (4+1)

  TOUGH: 10 (5+5)

  Attributes

  Fire: 47%

  Darkness: 35% (granted by item)

  Thunder: 14%

  Chaos: 8%

  Seeing his stats, Zamiel could only imagine how much higher the basic five stats of others were as he first leveled toughness and speed early on. He had +5 strength because of his Divine Dragon Sword and his Black Heart Ring gave him +5 toughness, +1 speed, and +3 vitality. The reason the stats were higher were also because of the titles permanently granting him stats and his cultivation technique giving him +2 STR and +1 VIT per cultivation breakthrough. It was good for him to go to the dungeon and complete it.

  Lucas Bradley returned and said, "My brother and the two other Beta are back. They await you at the Food Court."

  "......this is madness," Aerogan muttered as they entered the mall, seeing refugees in small tents outside some stores while others lived inside some of them. Some of the younger generation were training with their melee weapons while others practiced their shooting. However, most of them only had regular weapons.

  "They don't have magical weapons?" Zamiel frowned.

  "They are not in the Fighter Force. We cannot spare the money for them," Lucas said as many curious and scared eyes gazed on the four elves as they walked past them, Lucas at the lead. "They still believe in the ways of the past, before the Cataclysm. They are too afraid to fight, or too inexperienced. Those who fight are given better food and living conditions. People sold food in the auction forums so we were able to buy them. Say, did you see the Global System Announcement?"

  "Yeah. The Item Shop won't sell potions. I think you can buy food though," Zamiel nodded.

  "Hopefully. Not even 400 Beta reached level 11. Either they chose the mithril coin over a cultivation method, or they are too scared to fight," Lucas sighed. "The three Beta chose the mithril coin. My bro tried to buy a cultivation method, but those are restricted to the Beta as it is a personal quest reward. Also, the only cultivation method found was one and th dude is selling it for 3 mithril. 3! Too greedy."

  "He got a cultivation manual as a loot drop? He is lucky. Also, a mithril is 1,000 gold so any sane Beta would sell cultivation manuals for mithril if anyone can use it. I don't think you can copy it either, like skill books, so it justifies the price," Zamiel shrugged. "What level are they?"

  "All ten. As they can't cultivate, they are not even initial Spirit Knights. That means, besides their personal quest reward items; they cannot even use rank 1 items which are for levels 1-10. Seeing you wear such cool armor, you definitely chose the cultivation manual over the single mithril," Lucas said.

  "Option 1 is always a trap, based on what I've seen so far," Zamiel shrugged. "Each one is insanely good, but you don't need it as of the moment. It is better to get something you can use for a long time, not one that is expendable."

  "And that's what we fell for," a man said, the elves seeing three people ahead in regular clothes, high ranked weapons on their person.

  "This is my brother, Luke Bradley," Lucas said, pointing to the man. "He's ten years older than me. My dad still had it in him. HAHAHA. The teenage boy beside him is my buddy, Max. The other teen is his girlfriend, Sarah."

  "Hello," the three inclined their heads and inspected Zamiel. Zamiel felt a shudder in his mind as a status table appeared above his head.

  "A high ranker!" Luke cried, shocked by the stats. "130 HP? Geez. Such high vitality."

  "One of the 341 Beta who reached level 11," Max agreed. "A hidden class too."

  "How did you get that class?" Sarah asked and looked at Aerogan and Lajakel, shocked. "Level 38 and level 14?"

  "WHAT?" everyone in the area cried as Sarah's voice had risen two octaves.

  "Now I know why you think I am too strong," Lajakel muttered, Aerogan grinning as well. They couldn't believe it, but most humans really were weak, not at all like the high humans from their New Earth.

  "We're only passing through," Zamiel said, the others sighing with disappointment. Naturally, people only gathered together if they were too weak alone.

  "It's too dangerous to leave Northridge. No. It's more like you can't leave," Luke shook his head. "Since the two worlds fused, the streets and neighborhoods no longer lay next to each other on the map. Some neighborhoods float in the sky while others were pushed miles away by deserts, plains, or ruined cities not from our Earth. To proceed to Downtown LA, where it is rumored to be safe due to so many other people, you must travel through a ruined city. The city is full of monsters and some prowl the street."

  "What about the internet? How does the mall have power?" Zamiel frowned.

  "The system simply stated that it provided it to us for free to make it more like our old Earth," Max answered. "Even the plumbing functions as it always had. Utilities are free and inexhaustible. That is the only good news. People have been talking on the forums, and on the internet, about how so much has changed. Me and my girl, we both chose to be high humans. As such, enemies drop currency more frequently and we start with 2 in each of the five basic stats, 4 in vitality."

  "Some countries have gone mad. Men and women are being sold in prostitution rings and people kill each other to take what they want. Some countries were even destroyed. The highest level Beta we know, according to the forums, is Michael Wang and George Ventus. George Ventus is the highest level Beta, already level 17 and wields Excalibur. Michael Wang is level 16 and took over Shanghai. The government can do nothing and many Beta rally under them. Michael Wang opened a forum, inviting all Chinese Beta to rally under him as he conquers the world. George Ventus opened his own forum, declaring to find justice by questioning the mysterious company who made the game hiding in some city in Maryland. It's chaos out there," Sarah continued. "Government? Law enforcement? For now, it's not possible in Europe, Australia, and Africa. The Middle East never had a chance due to division in politics and religion and South Asia is cut off from the world by the Himalayas. Unless the general population reaches at least thirty, there's no such thing as countries."

  "The best would be a city state. America endures, but even the police and military are level 7 at best. At this point in time, the big countries endure for now," Luke concluded. "It is only because civilians are too scared to fight that most of them are below level 3. As far as the forum chats are concerned, only the capital cities and most populated cities have not fallen to the monsters. Los Angeles being the second largest city in the United States, it is why Northridge still stands. For now, Downtown is secured and everyone is migrating there. However, various monsters prowl the streets, like the orcs. The Metro Rail System is not an option. Believe me, people tried and cried out in the forums."

  "What do we do?" Aerogan whispered.

  "We go to this Downtown. The moon elves might be on a floating island near there, or hiding among them," Lajakel replied silently.

  "My friends and I must go. We were separated by the wood elves and they wanted to make camp to the south east, the direction where Downtown is," Zamiel said. "You can come with us."

  "We can't. We have to protect the people here and the monsters along the way are above level 10. No one will survive," Lucas sighed. "We also hope to see our families come here. It is a slim hope, but people still believe in it."

  "I see. Good luck," Zamiel said and the three wood elves bowed and left the mall after purchasing some food.

  "I like chocolate," Maybelle said as she ate a chocolate covered waffle stick.

  "It seems the world is more in disarray as the Grand Elder believed. Even the other world's situation is as tragic as ours," Lajakel noted as they exited the parking lot and headed to the car dealership at Nordhoff and Shirley. Zamiel hoped to find a car. Any car really.

  "Yes it has. We can only endure, adapt, and survive," Zamiel said as he entered the building and searched for keys. "It's the only thing we can do."