Noah ran up the mountain, making full use of his stats as he breezed past the familiar landscape. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation as he went, as if something grand was about to happen. And as much as he enjoyed the last several days around friendly faces, he was getting the itch to fight. He hadn’t swung his hammer since the last monster swarm at the orc village, almost two weeks ago by this point. Huh. Noah realized that he had never checked his status after the fight, nearly forgetting its existence as went about his normal life. He wondered if that’s what it was like for people who had grown up with the System; was it novel or exciting to them at all?


    Not for the first time, his mind drifted to what layed beyond their planet. What did life look like for the average multiverse denizen? Did everyone grow up fighting monsters, or were there farmers and schools and mundane existences amidst the systemized world? If they had enchanted weapons on Earth already, what kind of magic technology existed in long established worlds? He thought of the woman from his dreams. Who was she? What was her interest in Earth? In him? He wish he could just ask someone the questions that crowded his mind. Knowing there was a multiverse of civilizations and having no contact with them was a new challenge for him, he was accustomed to having access to instantaneous news from every part of the known world at once. Now though, he felt like an atom on a tiny speck of dust, completely blind to the greater machinations of the world.


    Ever since the System’s arrival Noah had been in a life or death struggle, pushed by the timer counting down to their planets destruction. The constant pressure had given him tunnel vision, reducing his focus to the singular task of growing stronger. But as he stepped away from that reality for a moment, he felt incredibly lost. He didn’t want to be a single minded machine, who just longed for the next adrenaline fix. Before all of this he had wanted a family, he wanted passion-filled hobbies, and he wanted to run an over-the-top coffee house with the highest end espresso. Then he had that cursed dream that changed everything. Perhaps he was finally feeling the loss that he had buried beneath constant activity and focus. Or perhaps he was in need of a new vision, something to hope for beyond just surviving the apocalypse. Maybe he wouldn’t run a coffee shop, but could he have a family one day? Also, fighting monsters was kind of a hobby, right?


    Noah continued his run, now thoughtful about what his future held after the end of days. He had read enough proverbs to know that people often failed from lacking vision, and that the higher the cost the clearer the vision needed to be. And so he imagined the world he would build once he reached bronze and stopped the monster hordes. He would have a family, non-violent interests, and against all odds he would run a coffee house even if he had to grow the coffee beans himself. Now that he was properly motivated he decided to catch up on his status.


    Name: Noah Denter


    Race: Human


    Grade: E


    Domain: Proximal


    Caste: Copper


    Gate: 2


    Path: Journeyman


    Level: 116


    Strength: 374


    Dexterity:374


    Constitution: 329


    Intelligence:11


    Wisdom: 13


    Willpower: 14


    XP: 6,108/1000This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Essence: 0


    Stat points available: 0


    He still found his level hard to believe, though after talking with Matt, he felt it wasn’t as impressive as he had imagined. It meant that there would be others past level 100 that were just missing a piece to advance their Caste. He found it suspicious that so few had reached Iron, as it had only taken him a matter of days. He definitely had had an advantage, but surely it wasn’t that hard to reach the first gate. In the interest of consolidation, Noah decided to level with his available XP, assigning his 18 free points to constitution. It had been a while since the last time he checked the rankings, so he decided to review those as well.


    [Global Ranking System.]


    Noah Denter-Human: Copper, Lvl 122


    Recter Jandon-Drakon: Copper, Lvl 114


    Malentar Stoneskin-Drakon: Iron, Lvl 154


    Balkendar Italifi-Elf: Iron, lvl 115


    Do’Fon Anzinar-Orc: Iron, Lvl 100


    Ma’tan Anzinar-Orc: Iron, Lvl 98


    Darten Yellowfang-Drakon: Iron, Lvl 93


    Fastion Briner-Elf: Iron, Lvl 90


    Syton Talir-Drakon: Iron, Lvl 89


    Flamir Axehead-Drakon: Iron, Lvl 89


    He smiled, seeing Recter’s name so close. Before leveling he had been only two levels behind him. Then he noticed Malentar’s name and frowned. He must fight constantly. The next name was new to the list, and one that he recognized. Balkendar. His first encounter with the elf had been a wake up call in this new world, and for some reason knowing that he was so strong and so near the other humans gave him pause. He would be more than twice as capable as Kyle or Jergin, and from the looks of it the elves knew how to advance both gate and grade. He would have to keep an eye on the list for other elven additions.


    Noah ran until through the day and into the night, only stopping when he came to a familiar outcropping. He pulled a few pieces of dried meat from his pack and sat on the gentle slope overlooking the forest. It was another clear starry night, thousands of bright and colorful spots adorned the sky illuminating the world in an enchanted glow. There was however no moon. He still looked on reflex, expecting to see the shining white orb and yet it never appeared. He wondered what had happened to the Earth moon, or if it was somehow in an orbit he couldn’t see. As he stared into the sky he noticed a movement, it was miniscule but he could swear he saw one of the stars shift their position. He blinked several times as he tried to catch in the act again, but eventually he dismissed it as the movement never repeated. Noah gathered his things and found a spot to lay against the large rock. Within minutes he was asleep, finding the mountain ground comforting after his time away.


    ~


    Trellian Galaxy, Sector 901


    The globe flickered on and chimed, prompting the woman in the next room to rush in. Has it been that long already? She wondered as she inspected the blue and orange planet. The System was never early of course so she dismissed the thought, instead looking for the traces of information that it would provide to outsiders. There was a square icon floating over one of blue stretched of the globe and she touched it, causing a screen to appear before her eyes. The Global Rankings. She started at the bottom, reading each name with disappointment until she reached the top of the list. Noah Denter. A single tear streamed down her cheek, then another. So they decided to keep his name.


    Milky Way Galaxy, Sector 1000


    Just outside the planet’s atmosphere, Darius sat in the imperial cruiser. An undetected meteor had nearly collided with the ship, prompting them to flare the thrusters at the last moment. He hated moving the ship outside of scheduled hours, as he didn’t want to cause any scares on the planet below. He knew the primitive races likely couldn’t handle the concept of space travel and he saw no need to make them aware of his presence. So for the emperor’s assignment had gone without a hitch. The only spot of excitement had come when some backsector pirates had arrived with hopes to stake a claim on the new world. After he had destroyed the first ship, they were more than happy to leave, allowing him to stand guard in peace once again. It was his honor to serve the emperor, but he was starting to worry that he would miss the prince’s ascension ceremony. His quest was bound to be completed at any time.


    Surden Galaxy, Sector 995


    “Boss, Boss!” Chak rasped. Surden narrowed his eyes.


    “This better be good news, Chak.” He spit. Chak swallowed and stammered something unintelligible.


    “What’s that?” Surden yelled.


    “The crew failed. The survivors just returned, sir.” Chak managed. Surden growled and threw his cup against the wall.


    “What do you mean they failed!” He shouted, standing to his feet.


    “Their cruiser was destroyed by the imperial vessel. The rest retreated immediately after that.” Chak explained. Surden’s eyes went wide and his face paled.


    “They attacked an imperial vessel?” He questioned. Chak nodded. Surden gulped.


    “Was it the emperor’s ship?” He asked. Chak shook his head and a glimmer of hope entered Surden’s heart.


    “That means we have time. Prepare an envoy at once. We must make a formal apology at the nearest embassy.” Surden demanded, his greed thoroughly dismissed.


    “Yes sir!” Chak responded, running from the room. Surden sat back in his chair and rested his head in his hands. Why did they have to provoke the imperials?