Day 6:

  The sky was a dully gray, the kind that blurred the line between dawn and the remnants of the long, sleepless night before. The town was eerily quiet, once bustling streets had been littered with abandoned cars, broken glass, and the smell of decay. Buildings were cracked and scorched, looming above like gravestones of the old world.

  Jason adjusted the sword strapped across his back, each of his steps firm yet quiet against he cracked pavement. Beside him, Kaitlin followed, gripping her Elderwood staff, her boots lightly kicking up dust.

  The only sounds were the distant cries of scavengers in the ruins and the faint shuffle of people moving behind boarded up windows. Survivors had either locked themselves inside, clutching whatever weapons they could find, or moved in careful, silent groups, trying not to attract attention.

  The two passed a group of survivors, each armed with makeshift weapons: lead pipes, kitchen knives, even broken baseball bats. No one spoke. A silent understanding had settled over the world. Everyone was on their own. Jason sighed, this was really like something out of the apocalypse.

  Kaitlin didn't mind though, they weren't out here to socialize. Their goal was simple: clear out monsters and level up. Jason let Kaitlin take the lead, she needed the experience points more than he did, not that these monsters could satiate the growing amount of experience he needed to level up.

  The first group of enemies appeared near a collapsed gas station - a pack of mutated jackals. Their fur bristling with mana, and their eyes glowing a deep red.

  [Mutated Jackals (Level 18 - 20)]

  Kaitlin narrowed her eyes, gripping her staff and planting her feet. The jackals snarled, slowly approaching, waiting to pounce. However, deep in her heart she never wanted to feel that powerlessness she did against the werewolf ever again. Her will remained firm as she called out "Frost Chains!" Ice burst from the ground, latching onto the legs of two jackals. They yelped, their movements seizing instantly. One jackal lunged, but Kaitlin reacted on instinct.

  A cracking arc of electricity surging from the staff, frying the beast mid air. It crashed onto the ground with a thud, lifeless. The remaining jackals were still struggling against the intricately carved chains of ice. Kaitlin took no prisoners "Verdant Surge!" she cried out. Thick vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping around the final jackals. She crushed them whole, their bones snapping.

  System Notification: You have reached Level 20!

  Kaitlin exhaled sharply, lowering her staff. Jason nodded in approval. "Good. Faster than before. You didn't hesitate." Kaitlin glanced at him, wiping sweat off her forehead. "I still have a long way to go." Jason smirked but didn't respond. "Let's head back", he said, not seeing any nearby activity on his mini map.

  They had barely walked five minutes when the ground trembled. A violent shockwave rippled through the air, sending birds scattering. The sky darkened slightly as if the very atmosphere was shifting. Jason and Kaitlin froze.

  System Announcement:

  Congratulations: Twenty-five users have now reached level 20. Earth will now undergo a mass update over the next 72 hours to increase mana capacity.

  Once the update is complete, a new Faction system will be implemented.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  Factions form automatically when over 100 users are allied.

  New Faction Quests will be implemented and rewards will be given.

  Jason narrowed his eyes. So the system is evolving again, with organized power structures, interesting. He didn't care about factions. Not yet. The fact that stronger monsters would appear was far more important. For now he would continue hunting monsters.

  Three days passed in a blur

  Jason had hunted relentlessly, but he was hitting a wall. There weren't enough first class monsters around. He'd already wiped out most of them. The weaker creatures barely gave him any stats now. It was getting harder and harder to level up.

  Name: Jason Cole

  Level: 39

  - Health: 220

  - Agility: 223 (213 + 10)

  - Endurance: 219

  - Strength: 247

  - Mana: 208 (193 + 15)

  Unassigned Points: 28

  He had spent the last few days trying out his new skills. Being able to fly using Exoskeleton, Gravity Manipulation and Thunderfall had a steep learning curve. Even now, he couldn't fully control his Gravity Manipulation skill. This wasn't the same as using gravity shift on just himself, he could also control the gravity of the area around him. Making combat possibilities endless.

  As he mindlessly strolled around looking for stronger monsters to face his mini map pinged, placing a faction marker. Jason raised a brow, it's location was at the university. Interesting, Jason thought to himself, perhaps I should check it out with Kaitlin.

  When he arrived home he found Kaitlin sitting on top of the roof, working on controlling the direction of her chains, feeling the manipulation of mana. All of this was good practice, as it refined her control over the elements, a skill that would definitely increase her combat abilities.

  As he discussed his plans with her she was eager to check the university out. After all, the chance of going to university after the integration was slim to none. Returning back to campus was easy. With Kaitlin level 24 - almost ready to select her first class, weaker monsters were no longer a challenge.

  When they arrived, however, they were greeted with a long line of people at the entrance. Jason scanned the area. Makeshift barricades surrounding the university. Signs were posted along the walls.

  FOOD - SHELTER - PROTECTION

  FACTION ENTRY RULES APPLY

  Luke and Emma stood at the entrance, speaking to newcomers. They were both level 20 now, a definite increase from before. Jason and Kaitlin patiently waited in line until it was their turn. Emma spotted them first and smiled. "Jason! You made it back, this must be your sister, I'm so glad you found her."

  They spent a few minutes catching up, when Luke mentioned "You guys made it back just in time." Jason's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" Luke gestured toward the long line of people. "We hit 100 members this morning. The system recognized us as an official faction. We had to set rules. People either pay to stay or apply for jobs: Security, resource gathering, cooking, so on."

  Jason smirked slightly, "So you guys actually used my ideas after all. Who's in charge?" "Dante," Emma answered. "He's a level 26 fire user, stronger than us too. It's definitely a lot safer with a First Class leading us. We reckon he must be the strongest in the country since he reached First Class two days ago.

  Kaitlin looked at Jason but said nothing. Jason shrugged. "Alright, sign us up for security." Luke and Emma exchanged glances. Emma hesitated. "Kaitlin can join security, we can tell she's strong... but Jason, we.." Luke rubbed the back of his head. "We can't feel anything from you, man." Jason just stared at them. They couldn't feel his power?

  Kaitlin blinked in disbelief. "You're joking right? Jason told me about what he did here, how he saved you all from a level 24 Wolf King. How could he not be strong enough?" Emma shifted uncomfortable. "Look, we're not saying Jason's weak, but... that was a week ago." Luke nodded. "We were already exhausted when that thing showed up. It must have been injured. There's no way Jason fought it at full strength. We thought he was strong back then, but now? I mean, it's been days. The monsters we're facing now are way stronger than before."

  Kaitlin clenched her jaw. "You're really going to downplay it like that?" Emma sighed. "It's not about disrespect, Kaitlin. We just need people who can prove they're strong enough to fight beside us now. And right now Jason doesn't seem any stronger than he was before."

  Jason remained silent. They truly had no idea. Kaitlin exhaled sharply before turning to Luke. "If I beat you, Jason gets in. Deal?" Luke hesitated, then shook his head. "It's not up to me." A voice from behind them spoke up, calm yet authoritative. "You want to fight for him?" Jason turned. Dante stood there, flames flickering at his fingertips. "Fine," Dante said with a smirk. "Let's see what you've got."