Rem staggered into his locker, still heaving. Heat rolled off him, and sweat ran straight down his back. His shirt clung to him in damp patches. His legs trembled under him.
His eyes went directly to the reward altar — the small stone bench, surface clear, two new items set out.
He pushed toward it without slowing. His pulse jumped with the familiar rise of anticipation as he reached the bench and scanned the rewards. The instant he recognized them, the tension in his chest loosened. His shoulders dipped, and the air left him in one slow collapse of disappointment.
Bloodripper (level 3)Grade: Rare
Two-handed greatsword. Provides +2 to Strength when wielded one-handed. Increased damage against unarmored opponents.
Headbinding of Insight (level 3) Grade: Rare
Made famous by the Eternal Order of Insight. A blindfold useful for training the essence perception skill.
Good items. Solid. And completely unexciting. He already owned both. Two Bloodrippers, in fact. He picked up the greatsword and added it to the rack with the others. The headbinding went into the small stack he’d been pretending was a collection.
That was the whole haul. One week of running challenge three, multiple times per day, he had finally used his last pass. He opened his status just to confirm.
Rembrandt de VriesRace: Human (Enhanced)
License: Merit
Level: 3?Experience: 0 / 400
Class: Error. Not Available.
Challenge Passes: 0
A full zero. He hadn’t meant to burn through everything. The plan had been conservative: two extra passes per day, steady gains, the rest saved. That was before he found the agility elixir.
Elixir of the Zephyr (level 3)
Grade: Rare
Gain +1 Agility permanently.
He duplicated it immediately. Drank it. Felt the change settle through him a warm infusion permeating his muscles and bones. Checked his stats. Confirmed it worked. Then drank another. And another. Three points total before the system cut him off.
After that, the idea took hold: maybe there were elixirs for other stats too. Maybe one per level. Maybe he could stack them. The possibilities were too tempting, and he chased them straight through his entire supply of passes.
He didn’t regret the attempt. Not completely. He’d pulled in a large spread of rares along the way. His locker was neatly arranged by category: crafting materials, consumables, magic items, artifacts, melee weapons, ranged weapons, apparel, accessories. The Bloodripper joined the “trade stock” section — gear he’d convert later into something useful.
With nothing left to do, he glyph-stepped to his workshop. He sat at the table, pulled out his journal, and entered the last two items. After, Rem reviewed his completed list, adding notes beside interesting items.
Returning Javelin, returns along its initial trajectory if possible. Use with cube?
+Stoneborn Vest, absorbs one heavy blow per hour.
Antique Hearthstone, absorbs and radiates heat for eight hours.
Unorthodoxies and Heresies, arcane book. Unreadable.+Empty Core (Lesser)? Primary quality = Nothing.
Shadowweave Hood, enshadows face hiding appearance.
+Ironbrew Tonic, brief strength boost, fatigue after.
Wayfarer Pendant, always points north.
Titan’s Core, pulses once per day, granting temporary strength.
The Pale Key, fits no lock, feels warm as if recently turned.
He sat back. Eighty-two rares. Enough to impress anyone. But only one permanent stat elixir. He could duplicate that one, yes, but he’d been hoping for more variety. Strength. Vitality. Anything.
Still, several items were valuable in ways that mattered specifically to him. Consumables were especially promising once he unlocked higher-scale duplication. His gaze slid to the custom box at the edge of the table. Inside, the artifact — the Titan’s Core — waited. Too large for his current merge field, but not for long.
Rem stood and watered his lilies. He didn’t really need them anymore. But the ritual of caring for them was relaxing. The scent was calming.
This challenge was coming to an end. It was bittersweet. In some ways staying on this level was his last connection to Noah. Leaving it behind would take him further and further away. Never to return. But it was time to move on.
He stretched and brought up his stats:
Rembrandt de VriesRace: Human (Enhanced)
License: Merit
Level: 3?Experience: 0 / 400
Class: Error. Not Available.
Challenge Passes: 0
Status
Energy: 140 / 140 (Normal)
Focus: 180 / 180 (Clear)
Attributes
Agility: 13
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 12
Essence Control: 12
Class Skills and Abilities
General Skills and Abilities
Titles and Achievements
Record Holder: Union Record acknowledged; citizenship license upgraded to Merit.
Alchemical Prodigy: Awarded for achieving Journeyman or higher rank before Level 10. +15% Alchemy progression.
Challenge Records
Level 2: 4 minutes (Union Record)
Level 3: 5 Surges (World Record)
Essence Control had risen by a point. Agility showed the three-point gain from the elixirs. Everything else stayed where it had been. He turned back to the workbench and started duplicating cores. The work pulled at his focus until his arms felt heavy and the familiar drain settled behind his eyes.
Spending all the passes had been the right call. Not because of the elixir chase. He knew he’d pushed too hard there. That wasn’t the part that mattered.
Noah’s death had reset something in him. Since then, he didn’t leave anything on the table. If an opportunity showed up, he took it. If a path opened, he followed it. Every choice felt like it carried weight, and every chance might be the last one he’d get. So he used everything he had.
He was like this before. But now he felt certain that he was right. That his path was one of fighting for every scrap of power. Of not giving up.
But he’d reached the end of what this challenge could offer. The decision settled in without resistance. Time to move on.
Rem arrived to find the house empty. His mother was busy mastering the Union’s codex of laws. His father was off doing whatever Union Commanders did. Even Tomas was a ghost. Rem half-believed his brother had moved out entirely and forgotten to tell them.
“There you are. You look like you survived. Again.”
He turned. Saskia leaned in the doorway, arms folded, weight on one hip. She had that relaxed stance she used when she’d been standing there long enough to pick her moment. He hadn’t heard a footstep.
“Pretty much finished with three.” He shrugged, the movement a little stiff. “Leveling up tomorrow.”
Her eyebrows rose, and her attention snapped a little tighter on him, connecting things he hadn’t said. “Good. Finally. I was starting to think you were going to camp at Level Three forever.”
“No. Just had some extra passes to use.”
“You burned through the passes from your first two records?”
His jaw tightened. He dipped his chin once. “It was worth it.”
“Well, you have the solo clear record for three, so tell me you can write the solo guide. Because I already sent the Challenge Two guide to print, and that one loudly promises a third edition.”
Rem stalled mid-breath, not quite swallowing, not speaking. Saskia caught the hitch instantly. Her mouth pulled into that half-smirk that meant she was onto him.
He let the breath out in a short, quiet rush. “Anyone can clear it like me, given enough passes. It just takes persistence.”
Her brows lifted. “We’re going to be so rich.”
He rolled a shoulder, dismissing the idea with a loose, uneven motion. “Yeah yeah. The real point is that kids will be able to clear them without killing themselves.”
“Sure. My brother the philanthropist. Got it.” She clicked her tongue in mock injury. “So you don’t want your share of the money?”
“My share?”
“Of course. You didn’t think I’d be doing this for free. I have to make good deals to level my class.”
Rem let out a small laugh, more breath than sound.
Saskia reached into her bag, rummaging briefly, then pulled out a thin leather-bound volume. She pressed it to his chest until his hands came up to take it. “First proof copy. Book drops tomorrow through the booksellers guild. I already lined up the publicity. It’ll make noise. I wasn’t kidding about the money.”
Rem’s fingers tightened slightly on the cover. The colors were loud, the lettering stamped deep enough he could feel the ridges. Something warm pressed up under his ribs.
“The Children’s Solo Guide to Challenge One, by Zelfstryt,” Saskia said, her voice lower now. “Thankfully the signatures on the application passed verification, so we could officially use your leaderboard name.”
“Way to go system, for once.”
“Might as well use it when it benefits us.”
He lifted his gaze. The book had weight in his hands, solid and oddly official. “So I guess I work for you now. My sister, the shadowy mastermind behind our growing business empire.”
She bumped his shoulder, a quick tap. “You’re so cute when you get serious.”
A laugh slipped out of him before he could stop it.
Her expression eased, only for a moment. “This challenge was hell. For everyone. If something hadn’t shifted, I’d still be doing rogue grunt-work and cursing every minute of it.”
He swallowed, the motion rougher than he meant it to be. “Yeah… well. I just used your questionable life choices for my benefit." He flicked a hand. “Real noble stuff.”
She squeezed his arm, warm and firm. “Big day tomorrow. We should celebrate. How about a family dinner?”
“Going to finish challenge three tomorrow. Might take a while. Promises to keep. Day after?”
“Oh? Promises? Is it a girl? Tell me everything.”
Rem shook his head, a short laugh escaping. “A rather precocious little girl, so don’t get too excited.”
“Oh my. My brother, showing interest in little girls.” She winked. “Scandalous.”
She pushed off the doorway and headed down the hall in an easy stride, humming under her breath. Rem closed the door behind her. The house quieted as it always did when everyone was off living their separate lives.
Tomorrow would be his farewell to Challenge Three.
He brought up his notifications. Eva’s message waited near the top, unread. Challenge Four overview. No doubt, filled with her helpful analysis.
He sighed. Another problem he’d been putting off.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow for sure.
