Day 9:

  Jason walked along the outer perimeter of the base, stepping over broken debris and shattered wood as the morning sun cast long shadows over the ruined university. The night's attack had left the barricades in a worse state than before, and the survivors were scrambling to repair the damage. Some carried makeshift weapons while others hauled materials, reinforcing weak points. The stench of burnt flesh still lingered in the air from the bodies of the monsters they had managed to kill.

  He stopped near a section of the barricade where a few faction members were stacking more furniture and scrap metal to patch the gap. Jason watched for a moment before shaking his head. "This isn't going to hold," he said, arms crossed.

  One of the workers, a wiry man with a scar down his cheek, frowned. "It's all we got."

  Jason crouched down, running a hand over a piece of the barricade. "You're just stacking things. When another attack happens, this is going to collapse. You need to reinforce it with something strong. Use bones from the monsters we kill, and their hides for insulation. You could even use the stone from the ruined buildings. Layer them properly, create real walls instead of just piling things up."

  The man hesitated, looking at the others. Another survivor, a woman with short dark hair, nodded slowly. "That actually makes sense."

  Jason stood, dusting off his hands. "If you want this place to last you need to start thinking ahead. Traps at the entrance, weapons crafted from monster remains. Freezers for food storage. Hell, even a water collection system." He glanced around at the half destroyed base. "Right now, you're just surviving day to day. That's not enough."

  More people had started listening now, quietly considering his words. One of them muttered under his breath, "Why isn't this guy in charge?"

  Another nodded, "Yeah, he actually knows what he's talking about."

  Jason ignored the whispers, turning to leave. He had said what needed to be said. Whether they listened or not was their choice. As he walked back toward the main hall, he caught Dante standing at a distance, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Jason met his gaze for a second before walking past him.

  Elsewhere, Kaitlin sat on a pile of rubble, staring at the glowing blue screen in front of her. The system had finally given her the option to pick her first class, and she was going through her choices.

  1. Natures Guide

  2. Ranger

  3. Gravekeeper

  4. Apprentice Mage

  Kaitlin tapped her fingers against her staff, looking through each option analytically. Nature's Guide and Ranger were practical, but they felt too restrictive. Grave keeper intrigued her, but it was probably created from the fact she killed lots of skeletons early on. Apprentice Mage seemed like the ideal choice for her, she was intrigued by magic and didn't want to be bound to just the elements.

  “I choose Apprentice Mage.”

  The system acknowledged her decision. Then the notification appeared.

  Trial: Dual Casting: Successfully cast two spells at once while maintaining full control over both. Time Limit: 24 hours.

  Kaitlin felt her heart pound. She had expected a challenge, but this was something else. It wasn’t just about raw power. This required control, something far more difficult than brute force. She extended her hands, channeling ice in one and lightning in the other. The moment she tried to cast both, the magic faltered. The spells collapsed before they could fully form, the conflicting energies dispersing uselessly.

  Hours passed, and she still hadn’t succeeded. She paced the empty ruins, mumbling to herself. “Think. What do I know about magic?” She knew it was energy. She knew it could be controlled, manipulated, shaped. But casting two separate spells at once required her to split her focus, something she had never done before.

  She sat down, taking slow breaths. Instead of forcing the magic apart, she tried to let it flow naturally, guiding each spell separately instead of controlling them both with brute force. Slowly, she raised both hands again. In her left, a crackling bolt of electricity formed.

  In her right, frost swirled into existence. For a moment, it felt stable. Then, they clashed. The magic destabilized, sending her stumbling backward. Frustration burned in her chest. She clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. No. She wouldn’t fail.

  She took a deep breath, calming herself. Instead of thinking of them as separate forces, she imagined them as extensions of herself, two arms, each moving independently, yet controlled by the same body. She tried again. A bolt of lightning crackled in one hand. A swirling frost orb formed in the other. She maintained her breathing, holding the spells steady. They didn’t collapse, and the system acknowledged it.

  Trial Complete: You have learnt dual casting.

  You are now an Apprentice Mage.

  New Skills Obtained:

  First Class Skill: Glacial Spear: Creates an ice spear that pierces enemies and slows their movement upon impact.

  First Class Skill: Mana Bolt: Fires a concentrated bolt of mana that deals damage.

  First Class Passive Skill: Mana Flow: Passively increases mana regeneration by 20%.

  Kaitlin exhaled sharply, feeling the rush of knowledge flood her mind. She had done it. She had overcome the trial, and now she was stronger than ever.

  Meanwhile, Jason had gone out for another night of hunting. His mini map pulsed, picking up a red dot moving erratically through the ruins. He landed on a rooftop, scanning the area. Something felt off. Then it appeared, a warning: A Second Class Beast is in the area. Proceed with caution. Jason tensed. He had never fought a Second Class Beast before. His mini-map flickered again, glitching slightly. Whatever this thing was, it was messing with his detection ability.

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  Then he felt it. A deep, earth shaking growl rumbled through the ruins as a hulking figure emerged from the shadows. A towering bear like creature, its fur like obsidian stone, its body covered in jagged, crystalline armor. Its breath came out in slow, steaming huffs, each exhale warping the air around it. Its claws, long and curved, gleamed in the moonlight. A name appeared above its head.

  Level 60 Tital Fang

  He smirked, cracking his knuckles. “Finally, something worth fighting.”

  Jason felt the world shake as the Titan Fang charged, its massive body thundering toward him like a boulder in free fall. The sheer weight of the creature made the ground tremble with every step, but it moved with terrifying speed, faster than anything of its size had any right to be.

  Jason barely had time to react before the beast was upon him. Its colossal claws swept across the battlefield in a devastating arc, the sheer force splitting the pavement beneath them. He leapt back, activating Gravity Manipulation to lessen his own weight, allowing him to evade just in time.

  The air vibrated as the beast let out a deep, guttural growl. Jason’s mini map flickered again, glitching violently. It was interfering with his detection, and that only meant one thing. This monster wasn’t just strong. It was intelligent.

  War Stance: Strength increased by 30%, defense increased by 20%

  Jason tensed. This wasn’t going to be a normal fight. The beast lunged, its monstrous form blurring with raw speed. Jason barely managed to block, crossing his sword in front of him, but the impact sent him flying. He crashed into a crumbling wall, the force rattling his bones.

  Before he could even catch his breath, the Titan Fang was on him again, its obsidian claws flashing through the air. Jason rolled to the side just as the claws tore through stone like paper. Dust and debris exploded around him. He pushed himself up, but the moment he did, the beast's next ability activated.

  Crushing Bite: Bite dealing 150% increased damage and applies a bleeding effect.

  Jason’s instincts screamed at him. He twisted, trying to move, but the bear was too fast. It surged forward, maw wide open, fangs glowing with a faint energy as it snapped forward. Jason barely managed to shift his body to avoid a fatal hit, but the creature’s teeth still raked across his shoulder, slicing through his Exoskeleton like it was nothing. A sharp, searing pain shot through him as blood splattered across the ground.

  His vision blurred for a second. His entire arm felt like it was on fire. The system immediately alerted him.

  Bleeding Effect Applied: Health will steadily decrease over time.

  Jason clenched his jaw, forcing himself to focus through the pain. He wouldn’t die here. The Titan Fang reared back, eyes glowing with primal fury. Then the air around it shifted again.

  Unyielding Body: Defense increased by 50%, all non-magic damage reduced.

  Jason’s heart sank. The difficulty kept increasing each second. This was a true apex predator. He couldn’t afford to hold back. He activated Overdrive, funneling every ounce of endurance into strength, his muscles surging with raw power. His body felt like it was burning from the inside, but he ignored it. With a burst of gravity-enhanced speed, he launched forward. His sword flashed, carving deep into the Titan Fang’s leg. A direct hit.

  Except… the wound barely cut through. The reinforced hide absorbed most of the impact. Jason’s eyes narrowed. If this thing was going to keep increasing its defenses, he had to break through all at once. There was only one way to do that. Star break. But he had to time it perfectly. The Titan Fang roared, lifting one of its massive paws into the air.

  Tremor: Creates a shockwave disrupting movement and stuns enemies.

  Jason had no time to dodge. The beast’s foot came crashing down, sending a devastating shockwave outward. The very ground shattered, splitting apart as the impact sent Jason flying backward like a rag doll.

  His body hit the ground hard, pain lancing through his ribs. His head spun, his arms barely responding. His body was reaching its limit. But he wasn’t done. Jason forced himself up, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. The Titan Fang loomed over him, its breath heavy, glowing red eyes locked onto his struggling form. He exhaled. This was it.

  His entire body exhausted as he activated 4x Gravity, thankfully his new passive skill Titanium Core could handle the pressure. His vision darkened at the edges, his bones pressured under the immense force, but he held firm. The Titan Fang hesitated for the first time, its massive body buckling under the sheer weight pressing down on it.

  Jason pushed through the pain, every step feeling like he was wading through an ocean of stone. He raised his sword, channeling every last drop of his remaining mana into a single, final attack. "Starbreak."

  The battlefield shook as Jason launched forward like a meteor, his entire body a weapon of destruction. His sword carved through the air, striking the Titan Fang dead center in its chest. An explosion of force erupted upon impact. The shockwave was massive, a thunderous boom tearing through the ruins as the beast’s obsidian armor shattered, fragments scattering across the battlefield. The Titan Fang bellowed in pain, its massive form crashing to the ground, creating a deep crater in the pavement. The glow in its eyes flickered violently, its breath coming in ragged gasps.

  But Jason knew immediately that it wasn’t dead. The Titan Fang still twitched, its claws flexing weakly against the broken ground. It was barely alive, but so was he. Jason staggered, barely able to keep himself upright. His entire body was spent. His mana reserves were empty, his muscles felt torn apart, and his limbs refused to respond properly.

  He had one final chance. Using the last of his strength, Jason limped toward the fallen beast. His sword was gone, shattered from the force of the impact, but it didn’t matter. He clenched his fist, drawing on the last reserves of his power. The Titan Fang’s eyes snapped open, its body trembling as it tried to rise.

  Jason didn’t let it. He drove his fist forward, enhanced by Gravity Manipulation, slamming directly into the beast’s skull. A sickening crunch echoed through the ruins. The Titan Fang let out a final, rattling breath before collapsing completely. The red glow in its eyes faded to nothing. Jason stood there for a moment, swaying on his feet. Then, finally, his legs gave out. He dropped to his knees, gasping for air.

  The system chimed:

  You have slain a Second Class Beast: Level 60 Titan Fang

  +40 Health, +50 Agility, +47 Endurance, +55 Strength, +30 Mana.

  Level Up! x7. All stats + 7.

  Name: Jason Cole

  Level: 47

  - Health: 286

  - Agility: 307 (297 + 10)

  - Endurance: 291

  - Strength: 322

  - Mana: 260 (245 + 15)

  Unassigned Points: 30

  Jason could barely process the notification. He had won. But his body had nothing left. His vision blurred, storing the dead bear in his ring right as he collapsed. When out of nowhere someone crept forward. They had seen everything.