Chapter 33

  “Ha!”

  Ben roared as his blow struck. He plunged the edge of his spear deep into the creature's head. The gigantic demonic crocodile barreled into a pickup truck and collapsed. The pickup truck was launched several feet away from the force of the impact.

  Ben stood on top of its back. He held on to the spear embedded in the creature’s skull. The demonic lizard struggled to rise, but Ben’s spectral knights quickly closed the distance. They all leapt forward to land a coordinated pincer attack to finish off the boss.

  [Congratulations on reaching level 20]

  [You have gained a skill perk]

  [Your class has evolved. You may choose a class advancement path]

  Ben didn’t pay attention to his notifications. He couldn’t. He fell off the back of the demonic crocodile and slumped down against the dead creature. He wanted to move, but his muscles wouldn’t cooperate. He was at less than 5% health. Cruelly, leveling up did not provide a healing effect like it did in most videogames. The apocalypse of Eternity was a much harsher and more brutal world than the game had ever been.

  Blood dripped down Ben’s forehead, blurring his vision. In the distance, he could see the enormous blood-red spire that pierced the sky.

  The regional boss dungeon. He was so close. He had left a trail of demonic bodies in his wake. Blood littered the streets. Ben’s spectral warriors surrounded him in a protective formation.

  “I can’t stop,” Ben thought.

  He had already spent so much time carefully battling his way toward the inner city, where the boss gate was located. He had to stop multiple times to regenerate his health. Not only was his health low, his stamina was completely drained. Despite every fiber of his being wanting to move forward, he fell into unconsciousness.

  “Victoria!”

  Ben woke up in alarm. He looked around frantically. He was still in that same spot, hunched over against the demonic crocodile he had killed. His spectral knights still guarded his body. Ben could tell they had been fighting because there were even more bodies around him than before.

  Another thing he noticed filled him with horror. It was daytime. The sun shone high in the sky, illuminating the ruins of the inner city. He had been asleep all night. Maybe an entire day. He had no way to tell.

  Ben sprang up and felt his body respond better than ever. He was completely healed. All his wounds were gone. The level-up notification still lingered in his system window when he pulled it up. Ben already knew the leveling path from his experience in the game of Eternity. He quickly made his selection.

  “Summoner Lord,” he thought.

  As soon as he spoke, a flash of bright light manifested in front of him. Out of the light, a spectral knight appeared. It rode a spectral warhorse.

  [Level 20 Spectral Knight Captain]

  Ben was familiar with the creature, so he didn’t bother to analyze its stats. Instead, he hopped on top of the horse.

  “Go!” Ben said.

  The knight directed its horse forward. They moved at least double the speed of a regular horse.

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  Ben dismissed his spectral warriors and replaced them with horse-bound knights instead. He could now summon ten spectral knights, plus the knight captain.

  Ben still had to fight his way through a few more groups of demons to reach the boss gate. With his mounted summons, the battle was much easier than before. His knights wielded long lances that allowed them to skewer enemies they passed. The knight captain was even more of a monster. It carved through multiple enemies at once.

  They didn’t need to stop. They charged down the city streets, slaughtering everything in their path until they finally reached the opening of the boss gate.

  The boss gate was a gigantic red portal at least the size of a small building. Streaks of blood led into the portal. The creatures had clearly made a habit of dragging their victims into the unknown. Ben was confident that Victoria would be inside, so he didn’t hesitate.

  He and his cavalry charged into the portal and disappeared behind the veil.

  Elsewhere…

  Tim dropped to one knee and used his katana to stabilize himself. The body of an elite hell hound lay at his feet. He was covered in bite marks. His breath was ragged.

  Now that the area was safe, Sarah rounded the corner and closed the distance to help Tim to his feet.

  “I am going with you next time,” she said.

  “No, it’s too dangerous,” Tim said.

  Sarah manifested a red vial into her palm and helped Tim drink the potion. His body shined white, and his wounds began to heal.

  “You can’t stop me, Tim. You barely beat that thing, and we are still miles from the city center. You can’t solo everything like Ben. You aren’t strong enough. You need help, so I am going to help next time whether you like it or not,” Sarah said.

  Tim gritted his teeth and looked toward the blood-red light in the distance that represented the boss gate. It had been a day, and he was barely making any progress. His class was a melee DPS class. It wasn’t designed to solo. He worked best with a party. But only his sister was available.

  “Alright, but we can’t press any further like this. I’ll help you level up, then we’ll try again together,” Tim said.

  Tim initiated a trade with Sarah. He traded her a bow, quiver, and arrows.

  Sarah accepted the trade eagerly and was amazed as the bow manifested in her hand.

  “I’ve never used a bow in my life,” Sarah said.

  “Try it,” Tim said.

  Sarah maintained a skeptical look but ultimately reached for an arrow in her quiver. She moved with a dexterity she didn’t know she had, nocked the arrow, aimed at a streetlight in the distance, and sent it flying.

  She hit the mark perfectly. Her eyes widened in shock.

  “Do you feel that? When you equip weapons from the system, you gain a basic level of proficiency. Don’t ask me how,” Tim explained.

  Sarah bounced on her heels in excitement. However, her joy was short-lived.

  “I should have a melee weapon too. What if something gets too close? I would need something better to defend myself,” Sarah said.

  Tim nodded.

  “Right, let's see,” Tim said.

  Tim scanned his inventory for a weapon that would suit her.

  “Do you have a rapier?” Sarah asked.

  Tim raised a brow.

  “A rapier?”

  Sarah nodded.

  “I think a rapier would be perfect. A woman can use it just as well as a man. It’s all about skill. One of my heroes is a woman who competed in a men’s fencing tournament and won. She was so good that they made them ban mixed-gender tournaments. So I know I’ll be able to fight as long as I have the right weapon,” Sarah said.

  Tim’s eyes wandered. He knew exactly what she was talking about. She had told him before in one of her excited rambles. After researching the history, he took that story with a huge grain of salt. However, Sarah was his beloved little sister. He always indulged and spoiled her. He rarely, if ever, told her “no.”

  He did his best to hide his skepticism and ultimately complied. He initiated another trade and gave her a basic rapier, a shield, sword, and dagger just in case. He had many starter weapons in his inventory—a perk that many didn’t have due to not having played the game of Eternity.

  Sarah accepted the trade and manifested the rapier. She practiced thrusting with it briefly. Her body took practiced stances she didn’t know she knew. She couldn’t hide her elation. She looked at Tim with determination.

  “Let’s go.”