“If the Settlement Interface is anything to go by, this is probably level-gated—either by your level or the settlement’s.”
Ben nodded. “Makes sense. Still, access to crafting supplies and food could be crucial if we ever run into trouble on our supply runs.”
“Anything you want to buy now?”
“I think we should hold onto our Credits for the moment. I’ll check with Carter whether he’s made any progress on armor. But I might look into a more combat-oriented axe before our next dungeon run.”
Just then, he saw the flash of the wilderness dungeon gate activating—Barry had gone in, with Allison watching nearby. The crystal atop the gate turned blue, indicating it was now in use.
Ben walked over to his mother.
“I have to admit, I’m a bit nervous with Barry running the dungeon on his own…”
Allison nodded. “Same here. But he felt he needed to test himself before training others. And hearing about your run gave him confidence.”
“That’s great. Still, somehow more nerve wracking than running it on my own,” he said with a smile.
Before Allison could say more, Meta’s voice echoed cold and clear in both their minds.
Earthlings,
Energy levels are rising faster than anticipated. Changes to your world will accelerate. Expect changes to the laws of physics that your civilization is built on.
Frequency and challenge of Energy-born creatures and dungeons will rise.
Accelerate your growth or suffer the consequences.
Good luck.
Ben took a second to process. More Energy-born creatures means more attacks… and more opportunities. But changes to physics? Gravity isn’t just going to stop, is it?
Adam came jogging over, concern on his face.
“What do you think this means?” Ben asked Allison.
“I don’t know. But I definitely wouldn’t get on a plane right now.”
Adam added, “It’s not just planes. If physics starts shifting, everything could be affected—electricity, internet, cars.”
Ben’s eyes went to the trucks they used for supply runs, then to the office where their phone hub was. “If the cities lose power, we need to get Julia out of there.”
Allison nodded. “And it’s a good opportunity to bring our guests home and stock up while we still can.”
“It usually takes five to six hours to reach town, but let’s assume it might take longer. And if we’re bringing all the kids, they’ll need to ride in the cargo beds.” He paused briefly, “Given the uncertainty on timing I’d prefer to do one more rat dungeon run before we leave to limit risk of a break.”
“Good idea. Let’s take Damien—he’ll want to go to town anyway to pick up his fiancée.”
“Right. Can you talk to Julia and try to convince her to come? Adam, please inform Luz we’re leaving today, in case her sister still wants to come over. I’ll speak with the rest of the team and our guests. Bit of a shame we just spent our SCs on that apartment building…”
He found the teachers and the young couple watching their students chat in the sun, the air still buzzing with speculation about Meta’s announcement.
“Hi all. Based on the latest news, we’re adjusting our plans. We’ll head to town today, leaving at noon. We’ve got three pickup trucks. It’ll be tight, but if the students ride in the truck beds, we should be able to take everyone.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful—thank you so much!” Rose beamed. “We’re so grateful, but getting home today will be a huge relief to the parents.”
Anne, Liz, and Zack nodded, though with more reservation. Liz and Zack exchanged a glance, clearly conflicted.
“Great. We’ll run a dungeon now. Please be ready to leave when we return.”
Ben then asked Jamal and Michael if they were up for another rat dungeon run. They both agreed and promised to check the System Store for useful equipment. Thirty minutes later, the full team—Ben, Allison, Jamal, Michael, and guest Damien—stood ready for their second descent into the rat dungeon.
“Is the plan clear?” Ben asked, looking at his team. The group nodded. When preparing for the run, they had discussed their formation and upgraded their equipment.
Both Jamal and Michael had bought the leather armor with the self-repair enchantment, with the help of a few Credits from Ben, which he easily transferred via the Status Interface. Allison and Damien, who didn’t need armor as they were staying in the backline, were each equipped with health potions Ben had bought from the System Store—for a whopping 240 Credits in total.
Ben himself, wanting to save Credits and support the crafting efforts of his fellow citizens, had received a long-sleeved leather shirt from Carter, made from wolf hide. It was dark grey and only marginally stiffer than cotton, but Ben was confident it was more protective than his old clothes. Not a bad first attempt from his fellow lumberjack. He was sure that with the newly purchased leather armor as inspiration, Carter’s next version would be even better.
He had also refrained from buying a new war axe. His logic was that for this dungeon, they should be fine without it—especially with Damien’s addition to the team—and it would allow him to save more Credits until after the trip to the city. He wanted a clearer sense of their priorities before spending further.
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After giving everyone a chance to speak up, Ben touched the dungeon portal, and they were transported into the rat-infested space.
The familiar, slightly unpleasant sensation accompanied their arrival, but everything looked just like before—transferring the dungeon into the settlement hadn’t changed anything.
With Jamal and Ben in front, Michael slightly behind, and Allison and Damien near the portal, they initiated the first wave.
It felt easy. Jamal’s [Taunt] centralized the rats, Allison’s [Root Snare] immobilized the bunch, Damien killed one with a precise [Flame Spark], and Ben and Michael cleaned up the rest.
Wave two went similarly well, and Ben felt confident they’d complete the run in record time.
Just like last time, wave three began with thirty pack rats swarming them—then the larger one appeared.
But this time, it was different. Instead of being just twice the size of a normal rat, it was four times as big. Its hide was obsidian-black and glinted with a stone-like sheen. And it was leading the charge, not hanging back.
As Ben focused on the creature, a description appeared.
Pack Rat Leader – Mutation. Energy-Born. Tier 1. Rare Challenge.
He felt a jolt of adrenaline. That’s new. But then, [Calm] activated, cooling his thoughts and sharpening his focus.
“Listen! I’ll keep the big one occupied. Jamal and Mom, draw the small ones away. Michael, look for an opening—go for weak points. Damien, cover me.”
There was no hesitation.
Jamal moved left, opening space for Ben to swing wide. The massive rat dodged, but Ben’s axe struck its side with a loud thud. It felt like hitting stone. A shallow cut bled slightly—but this was no quick kill.
From the left, Jamal let out a powerful roar. The mutated rat seemed unaffected—but half of the smaller rats turned and charged at Jamal.
The big one came again, head low, aiming for Ben’s legs. Ben couldn’t fully sidestep—he had to protect Damien and Allison—so he braced for impact. This is going to hurt.
A flash of red struck the beast’s face—[Flame Spark]. It reared back in pain, exposing the soft area under its jaw. Ben struck fast, landing a blow, but again, the cut was shallow.
The rat hissed, furious. Then Michael appeared at its flank, slashing with precision. “Joints!” he called. The blade had cut into the softer tissue at the leg’s base.
The beast turned halfway, limping. Another [Flame Spark] hit, driving it into a frenzy. It lashed out wildly, but its wide swings lacked precision.
Ben capitalized. A well-timed strike nearly severed its hind leg. Michael dove in, plunging his blade deep into the creature’s chest, killing it.
Ben didn’t pause to celebrate. He scanned for Jamal, who wasn’t nearby—but then he spotted him in front of Allison and Damien, holding off half a dozen pack rats.
Ben and Michael struck from behind, quickly finishing the final wave.
“That was tough, boss,” Jamal said, breathing heavily.
“Yeah. Today we learned about mutations,” Ben said grimly. “Let’s hope Barry doesn’t face anything like that in the other dungeon.”
Allison nodded. “Yes, but we did it. No serious injuries. And that mutated corpse might be worth more—better gear for everyone.”
Everyone agreed.
“I never imagined something so short could be so exhausting,” Damien said softly. “It felt like hours.”
Ben led the harvesting of the mutated rat. Once done, the system chimed in.
Congratulations for leading your team through a challenging situation. You are awarded one perk.
[Mind]
[Party Coordination] – Improves team positioning and timing. Common
That’s great. This will make our future fights more effective—and safer.
They exited the dungeon. Ben decided to check his Status. When he saw the result, he went pale.
“Are you okay, son?” Allison asked.
He couldn’t speak. He hugged her instead, then double-checked.
STATUS
Name: Ben Jackson
Tier: 1
ATTRIBUTES
Body: 18
Mind: 13
Magic: 5
PERKS
[General]
- [Analyze] — Grants insight into objects, creatures, and sapient beings. Not upgradeable.
- [Multi-Lingual] — Allows comprehension and communication across most sapient languages, verbal and written. Not upgradeable.
- [Knight Protector] — Establishes and governs a Protectorate; +1 to every attribute per settlement level; chosen core attribute (Body) gains +10 % per five dungeon tiers integrated. Unique
[Body]
- [Resilient Body] — When out of combat, your body will fix itself over time. Rare
- [Axe Handling] — Whether felling trees or your enemies, you are on the path to axe mastery. Uncommon
[Mind]
- [Calm] – Improves composure in high-stress situations. Common
- [Party Coordination] – Improves team positioning and timing. Common
[Magic]
- None
“The spinal injury, Mom. It’s… it’s gone. Completely gone.”
Clotilde Mercier sighed as she looked out the window of her office. She had been Prime Minister for the past six years. She was proud to be the 28th Prime Minister of her country, and she believed she had helped make life a little better for her fellow citizens.
It saddened her greatly that she would likely also be the last.
She glanced at the report on her desk—printed out to ensure it would survive even if electronics failed faster than expected.
The country, as it stood today, functioned only because of modern technology. Without it, no communication could flow from the capital to the states. No orders could be issued to military units across the country. No tax revenue could reach the government to fund its institutions.
If that were the only problem, she had enough self-awareness to believe the nation might still endure. But without modern technology, farm yields would plummet. Hospitals would stop functioning—at least for complex, modern procedures. Police work, as they knew it, would cease.
It wasn’t just that the country might collapse. The report before her was clear: civilization as they knew it would end.
Not all hope was lost, though. They had issued orders for the military and emergency services to cooperate with local authorities. Food stores had been nationalized and redistributed in a logistical masterpiece across the major metropolitan areas within just three days.
Soon there wouldn’t be an internet for people to complain that the government was doing nothing, she chuckled.
She picked up the next report, which confirmed that the allied nations—their neighbors, geographically or spiritually—had taken similar steps. As one of their final coordinated actions, and in a surprising act of solidarity, they had all sent contingents of soldiers with strong physical perks to the regions bordering Russia.
The risk of local thugs and warlords trying to seize control existed everywhere. But they had agreed that, based on current governance and cultural factors, the greatest danger of full-scale collapse—and potential spillover—was in that particular nation.
Clotilde had agreed and sent troops, even though it wouldn’t directly affect her country.
She glanced again at the first report. If the estimates were accurate—and of course, nothing was certain anymore—electronics would begin to fail even in the lower Energy zones within a week.
She shook herself. These had been the first minutes alone she’d had in days. Her [Endurance] perk—something equally useful in politics and in her favorite hobby, long-distance running—had kept her alert.
Maybe, she thought, after all the pain and loss of the coming weeks and months, something new could grow from the ruins.
She rose and smiled at the people waiting in the meeting room next door, doing her best to lift the spirits of a group of deeply exhausted civil servants and external experts.