Jay waited a while longer for his Spirit to refill and picked the upgrades for the two skills. The first one he chose was just the next version of Basic Spirit Control, aptly named Spirit Control. He had had another option that would have sacrificed some of his broader control for finer control. However, it would have limited the usefulness of some area of effect skills he could learn later on. For Basic Spirit Empowerment, he had initially been thinking about just taking the straight upgrade until he saw his third option.

  Spirit Surge

  Effect:

  Unlike Spirit Empowerment, this is not a channel skill. This skill allows you to infuse any amount of Spirit all at once. It creates an empowering effect that lasts for a time based on your intellect and Spirit Control. Current time: 2 seconds. Warning: if a new instance of Spirit Surge is applied, the original effect will end, and all Spirit spent will dissipate.

  Seconds = RD{(SCL/50 > 1, else 1) + (I/500 > 1, else 1)}

  He had talked to Lan about the skill for a bit and found out it had several upsides and downsides. For one, it would basically double the amount of Spirit he spent on Empowerment. Eventually, it would allow him to apply insane levels of Spirit to his Empowerment and have that last for several seconds instead of just one. The downside, however, was that he would have to reapply the skill near perfectly if he didn’t want to waste a ton of Spirit or get himself killed. That wouldn’t be that big of an issue, though, as anything over one second meant that he got value out of the skill.Because his multitasking skill was already rising, it would be simple enough to do, even in the middle of a fight.

  His choice came with a caveat from Lan, though. He was going to have to obtain a skill called Internal Clock--his first uncommon skill that he wouldn’t just be handed. Lan almost seemed giddy at the idea of him attempting to get that skill, muttering something about “no more cheating for you” before sending over the guide. The reason she had complained about the Uncommon skill she had to get was painfully clear as soon as he opened it.

  Sixty-two fucking hours and twenty-four minutes. He was going to have to correctly say when sixty-two hours and twenty-four minutes had passed since starting the attempt. He could go for longer, if he wanted. However, he only got one guess per attempt, and he would have to say the exact amount of time that had passed since the attempt started.

  Lan, how the fuck am I supposed to do this? It doesn’t seem possible.

  “I mean, I did it.”

  Yeah, but you're, like, some super powerful dragon, and I'm just some guy with…

  Jay trailed off as he thought about the item he had just grabbed from his apartment. He could set a timer, if he charged the damn thing. He pulled it out of his 4x4 space and--

  “Good thought, but that’s not going to work.”

  Why not?

  “Because the skill is called Internal Clock, not Set a Timer. You have to do it with no external help. So no timers. You can still use a clock every once in a while, but the chances of getting the skill are higher if you don’t.”

  So, what, I just need to stay awake and count the seconds for the next sixty-two hours?

  “Yep.”

  Fuck that.

  “Oh, did we finally find something that you're gonna give up on? Is counting too hard for you?”

  Jay grumbled.

  “I've seen you fight things that would have ripped you limb from limb with a smile on your face, but this is what you're gonna quit on?”

  Ahh, shut up! Jay yelled as he reopened the guide. And you know I can’t control the smiling thing.

  “I know,” Lan said smugly.

  Jay sighed, rereading what he was going to have to do before closing the guide again.

  I’ll do it when I don’t have whatever that is to deal with, he thought, gesturing to the lights in the sky.

  “Fair enough. Remember you’re not allowed to get yourself killed in whatever this trap is.”

  I know.

  He checked his will and Spirit levels one last time, making sure they were good before he continued moving toward the lights. It didn’t take long for him to finally see where they were coming from. A large fence had been put up around a part of the city that used to house a few grocery stores and other commercial buildings. Sheets of white plastic material covered the large fence, and music pounded from inside. A large line had formed. Filled with people dressed in all sorts of clothing, from casual to as fancy and extravagant. Several bouncers looked them over before waving them in or sending them away one by one. Jay thought about just jumping the fence for a few moments, but decided against it. He would rather find out what this was without pissing someone off, if he could.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  He got in line, waiting as it slowly moved forward, and he began to feel an increasing number of eyes on him. He glanced around, noticing several people giving him weird or worried glances. More eyes fell onto him, and people began muttering. It left him to wonder if he was wearing something that was out of place in the mixed crowd. That was when he looked down and remembered the effect of his bracelet. He was standing in the middle of the crowd, dressed head to toe in what looked like medieval plate armor.

  Ah, fuck it, he thought.

  It would have been awkward at this point if he had removed the item, and he didn’t really want to deal with that. Another thought struck him. If he allowed someone to identify him now, his identity would still be safe, for the most part. He would be giving away his height and build, but that was the nice thing about Spirit armor. When he formed it, he could change his dimensions. Nothing stopped him from making the armor larger or smaller, and it wouldn’t affect its protection, either. It was perfect. It was a way for him to take on that persona, but still have an out if someone decided to try and hunt him down.

  He slowly got further through the line. A shiver washed down his spine as one of the bouncers turned toward him, and it suddenly felt like the man was looking into the very core of his being. He locked eyes with the man and let out a pulse of Obscuration, stopping the Investigate attempt. The man looked confused for a moment, and then shuddered as Jay returned the favor.

  Human: Mark Wright - Level 14 Berserker

  This is a candidate in the 76th Death March.

  The man scowled as he looked back toward Jay, but he didn’t move. The line slowly progressed, one by one, until he finally came face to face with the bouncer. The man hadn’t broken eye contact for more than a few seconds to scan the next person in line since their exchange.

  “How did you block my skill?” Mark asked.

  Jay shrugged.

  Mark grunted. “You're going to have to submit yourself to a scan if you want to enter.”

  “Fine.”

  He had suspected this was going to be the case, and it was another reason he was grateful for the armor. The strange sensation washed over him once more, but he didn’t activate Obscuration this time and let the skill take its course.

  The man’s eyes went wide, and he gave a slight nod. “You're good to go in.”

  Jay nodded before turning and entering the gated-off area. Another man opened a flap on the side of the fence, letting him through. The music went from a light pounding to a deafening roar as he walked in. He stopped for a moment, turning back to look at the thin wire fence and wondering how the hell it was stopping all this noise from leaking out. Instead, he saw a thin, nearly translucent barrier covering the area just beyond the fence, extending far into the sky.

  Huh. Guess I’ve got to add “magical sound barriers” to my list of what is possible now.

  Jay turned back, moving the rest of the way through the entrance, and he found himself in a sprawling crowd of people dancing to the pounding EDM music that filled the space. A DJ sat elevated on the roof of a nearby grocery store that had been modified into a makeshift dance floor. Jay couldn’t help but stare at the sight. A mix of anger and sadness warred within him. On one hand, he was annoyed that his life had been tossed into turmoil, and these people had probably been here or somewhere else doing shit like this the whole time. It angered him to see everyone dressed in fancy attire going about life as if nothing had changed--as if the surrounding city hadn’t turned to rubble. Jay watched as a waiter carrying a platter filled with cocktails walked past, handing out drinks to anyone who raised a hand.

  The world had ended, and yet they were still forcing people to wait on them. Jay doubted that any of them were still working for credits, but the alternative didn’t make him feel any better about it. Whoever was running this place was likely offering protection or some other benefit for their services, but Jay still couldn’t see the end goal. The drinks were handed out for free. He didn’t have to pay for entry, and he couldn’t see any pattern to who the bouncers were letting in. Everything about this place just felt off. Yet the thought that this was probably the last time he would see anything like it until this Death March bullshit was all over saddened him.

  It had only been eight days since that first announcement. Eight days, and Jay was finding a gathering that would have happened every other night somewhere in the city--a strange occurrence. He pushed that thought from his mind as he moved through the crowd. It was as hard as he would have thought to get around in the packed area. People scrambled to get out of his way whenever they saw him. He traveled further, looking for anything of interest in the gathering, when someone tapped on his shoulder from behind. He turned to find a younger-looking woman with flowing blonde hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She wore a black suit with a red tie and gave a slight bow when she caught Jay’s eye.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Raven, but my boss would like to speak to you, if you are amenable,” she said in a polite voice, keeping her head in a bow.

  Jay knew that tone and posture far too well. He had had to assume it day in and day out when he had worked as a chauffeur. The fear and unease. The fake smile and confidence that he had to put on in front of someone who could destroy his life without a second thought. He hated it. He hated everything about this situation. This game, as alien and fucked up as he found it, had freed him. It should have freed everyone. The girl’s eyes went wide, but she managed to keep from shivering as the skill took effect.

  Human: Emma Johnson - Level 3 N/A

  This is an unremarkable soul?. Poor thing.

  “Uh, sorry, sir. I can leave you alone if this is not a good time.”

  “No, take me to your boss,” Jay responded.

  Emma gulped and nodded. “Please follow me.”

  Jay’s fist clenched as he followed her through the crowd and towards a two-story building on the edge of the fenced-in area. This whole game was fucked. This whole system was just another reason to keep people down. He didn’t know what an unremarkable soul was. He knew he was meant to be one. He knew that he probably would have been in the same shitty situation as the girl in front of him. If he hadn’t been lucky enough to be driving that limo when this all started. He shook his head, clearing the thought. Since when had he started thinking about that crash as lucky? It bothered him. He had killed two people and orphaned a little girl that day, but seeing this? Seeing where he could have been if he weren’t dead? It made him sick. Still, the more he thought about it, the more relieved he felt--and the luckier he thought he was to get assigned that route on that fateful day.

  Jay unclenched his fist and clenched it again, tighter. If he could, he would make it so that everyone earned the same opportunity that he did.--the opportunity to control their own life once again.