“Hey, Claire.” My voice came out rougher than intended.
Claire paused. “You alright? You sound a bit off.”
“Yeah, just tired. You woke me up.”
“You were asleep?” She sounded genuinely surprised. “It’s still daylight.”
I squinted at the crystal's corner display and blinked slowly. “Huh. Yeah… it’s barely even seven.”
“And you’re already sleeping?” she asked, sounding genuinely confused now.
“Training was tough.” I knew my voice came out sharper than intended, but I wasn't fully awake yet—my mind and body still too weary from my interrupted rest.
There was a beat of silence.
“Wow,” she finally said. “You got the mannequin idea working and just overdid it?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, sinking deeper into my pillow. “I regret it now. A lot.”
“So, I assume you got something done with the mannequin idea, for training.”
I nodded, then realized she couldn’t see me.
“Yeah,” I said. “I took a PS5, a game, and the mannequins—I found two. The system transformed them all into a Combat Simulation Crystal.”
I spent the next few minutes explaining everything, walking her through the setup and describing how the fight had gone. She asked a few questions here and there, curious, but mostly just listening.
After a short pause, she asked, “Do you think I could use Transformation Shards to make something like that for myself? Something tailored for a rogue like me?”
“I’m sure you could,” I said. “Maybe pick a game focused on rogues, and throw in your target. Though, I’m not totally sure if transformed items can be reused when creating a new—”
I stopped, frowning. The sentence had almost confused me. It raised an interesting thought: could transformed items be merged or added to something else?
“I can test it,” Claire said quickly. “See if it works. But I'll get another normal, untransformed target too—just in case the first one doesn't work.”
We spoke for a while and then confirmed that we will be meeting at the same place and time as before.
Now fully awake, I found myself at a loss for what to do next. Another training session was out of the question—at least for now.
Maybe tomorrow.
There were still plenty of shards in my inventory, but nothing came to mind to either transform, enhance, or sanction. For the moment, I had everything I needed.
Then it hit me.
I’d never checked my clothes.
A glance down at my pants brought a wave of relief—no damage. Apparently, injuries from the simulation didn’t carry over into the real world. Thank goodness for that.
I lay on my bed, thinking. Part of me wanted to try calling my family again—but another part held back. I knew people had died; my neighbour’s apartment was proof enough of that…
The first apartment was empty, and the second… I could see the person died, or assume he died. Also, the system said that I couldn’t expand further because there was no unclaimed space…
Didn’t that imply that the others were still alive? If they were, then why weren't they here? And why was I here—why was Claire?
Also, the communication crystal said out of bounds but that would mean it was too far to reach them, but for Jordan it said he did not have a communication crystal, even though he is farther away than some of my contacts in NY. They were out of bounds.
I lay there in a daze, thoughts looping endlessly as a dull headache slowly crept in. After a while, I decided to let it go—overthinking wasn't getting me anywhere. Besides, I wasn't even sure if healing potions worked on headaches.
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Eventually, exhaustion won out, and I drifted back to sleep.
I woke the next morning knowing that, somewhere in the night, I had made a decision: I would try to call my dad again. The thoughts that haunted me yesterday still lingered, heavy and unresolved, but answers weren’t coming anytime soon.
I also knew I couldn’t keep hiding. The fear that my family and friends might already be gone gnawed at me, but living in the dark isn’t living at all. Whatever truth waited on the other end of that call, I would face it—and deal with it.
I pulled out my Communication Crystal and tried again. The same message flashed across its surface: out of bounds—for Dad, for Mom, for most of my family. A heavy weight settled in my chest, but I forced myself to keep scrolling through my contact list.
Jordan still didn’t have an active crystal. Figures.
“Calling Marcus Liu,” the crystal announced.
It took me a moment to remember who he even was. We’d sat next to each other once in a stats class, exchanged a few notes afterward. A vague image surfaced—a short, sharp-eyed guy with an easy grin.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end cracked through the silence, disbelief cutting through the static. “Holy shit… finally, another human voice.”
“Hey, Marcus. Man, I’m just glad somebody else thought about Transforming their phones,”
A short laugh snorted through the line, quick and dry. “Yeah, no kidding. Thought I was stuck talking to myself forever.” A pause, then a hint of curiosity. “Uh… hate to say it, man, but I don’t actually know who you are. My old phone got toasted, took half my contacts with it. The few names I salvaged, all say out of bounds. Seriously, what the hell is going on out there?”
His tone was easy, casual, but I could hear the tension underneath, like he was joking just to keep from unravelling.
“We had a class together and swapped some notes. My name is Danny Harper…”
“Sorry Man, I have nothing. Maybe if I see you, it will jog my memory.”
“That’s fine. So how have you been surviving?”
We spoke for a while, trading bits of information. Markus lived in Hamilton Heights, and he’d chosen the Warrior class. That surprised me at first—he didn’t exactly look like the warrior type—but apparently, he’d been practicing Kempo since he was a kid.
Who would’ve thought?
I didn’t learn anything new from him that I didn’t already know, but we agreed to stay in touch—weekly check-ins to compare notes.
After breakfast, a quick shower, and… well, the usual morning routine, I headed out to start the day's work—earning my food. Today, I was meeting Claire, and I couldn't help but feel excited.
My trusted Mini Map displayed a cluster of red dots, one of them much larger and glowing an angry shade of red—a Level 4. I'd been handling pairs of Level 3 creatures, but that didn't necessarily mean I was ready for this. Deciding caution was the smarter choice, I resolved to do more training first before tackling the Level 4.
I approached a pair of Level 3 Kobolds. With no other Kobolds nearby, it seemed safe enough to attack—I needed food, after all. Still, I hesitated. I wasn't eager to reach Level 5 yet. If only I could get the loot without the XP… Training sessions improved my skills, but gaining new spells and increasing my stats required actual fights against Kobolds.
Taking down two Kobolds would net me 38 XP, pushing me well past the halfway mark to Level 5.
There must be a way to do this better.
I step back, planting my staff behind me. Instead of opening with my usual Mana Slash, I cast Mana Shield immediately, a thin blue shimmer wrapping around me. The kobolds split wide, their pack instincts kicking in, circling fast.
The first one lunges, its crude blade aiming low. I swing my staff—not for a spell, but as a blunt strike, smashing the side of its head. The staff connects with a dull thud, hitting harder than I expected thanks to the enhancement. The creature staggers but doesn’t fall.
The second kobold leaps, blade arcing toward my shoulder. Instead of dodging, I channel Stun, sending a pulse of magic that freezes it mid-air for three seconds, its limbs locking stiff.
“Not my usual way, but it works,” I mutter, shifting my stance.
I take a deep breath and charge forward at the first kobold—rarely do I fight like this, but I want to see what it feels like. Using Fleetstep, I burst into sudden speed, closing the gap before it recovers its footing. The movement feels unnatural but exhilarating. I sweep its legs with my staff, exploiting its lack of balance, sending it sprawling onto the rocky ground.
The stunned kobold breaks free just in time to see me slam the staff down like a hammer, relying on raw strength instead of precision magic. The impact deals modest damage, the wood vibrating in my hands, but the staff holds firm thanks to the earlier enhancement.
Mana surges inside me and I finally give in to my instincts, spinning as I lift my staff and channel Mana Slash. Three glowing arcs slice the air. Two kobolds are caught mid-dodge, the last wave bursting outward, the energy searing into them. Both creatures screech in pain, Mana Burn sizzling across their scaly hides.
The first kobold, limping, makes one last desperate lunge. I’m breathing hard now, my arms tired from swinging the staff. Calmly, I cast Freeze, locking it in place with icy mana. The second kobold collapses moments later, twitching from the mana burn. I walk up to the frozen foe, place my staff against its head, and release a minor mana shock to finish it.
I may be ready to face a Level 4, maybe…
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