Chapter 11: New Status Update

[CONGRATULATIONS! Your Grandmaster Mage Status has been recognized by the upgraded Status.]

STATUS UPDATE: The new status will now connect with your previous achievements and abilities. You are being upgraded to a higher tier of magic proficiency.

[DO YOU WANT TO CONNECT TO THE NEW SYSTEM STATUS NOW?]

Caius stood up from where he and Mia had been huddled. Mia looked up at him, her eyes filled with concern. "Where are you going?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Caius gave her a reassuring look, though his own heart was pounding with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. "I'm going to see if there's anything we can use. Maybe there's something around here that can help us."

He moved across the room, where the notification panel still hovered, casting a soft, urgent glow. Caius took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. His eyes locked onto the notification:

[DO YOU WANT TO CONNECT TO THE NEW SYSTEM STATUS NOW?]

His heart raced as he tapped the screen, muttering, "Yes."

Ding!

A triumphant chime echoed through the room, and the notification displayed the following message:

[Title Acquired: Grandmaster Mage of the Past.]

Congratulations, Caius Harper! Your past life as a Grandmaster Mage has been successfully integrated into your current state.

Title: Grandmaster Mage

Previous Skills: Restored

Abilities: Activated

Powers: Transferred

Your previous grandmaster-level magical skills and abilities are now available for use.

Current Status:

Agility: [Updated]

Stamina: [Updated]

Mana: [Updated]

Strength: [Updated]

Caius's eyes widened with joy and excitement. Finally, he could feel the familiar surge of power and control that he once had. His skills, his mastery—everything was coming back. He felt a rush of relief and triumph as he envisioned himself wielding his magic with the precision and strength of his past self.

But his elation was short-lived. The screen flickered, and a new error notification flashed before him:

[ERROR: Skills and Spells Locked]

Your skills and spells are currently locked and unavailable until you reach the required level.

[New Status]

NAME: Caius Harper

LEVEL: Rank C

TITLE: Former Grandmaster Mage, Reincarnator...

CLASS: Beginner Mage

Agility: D

Stamina: D

Strength: D

Mana: F

Caius's face fell as he read the message. His excitement quickly turned to shock and then to anger. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white. "What do you mean, locked?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the room. "I just got my abilities back! Why are they still restricted?"

Mia looked up, her eyes wide with confusion and concern. "What's happening?"

Caius, still frustrated by his own situation, glanced at Mia and asked, "Have you checked your status? What does it say?"

Mia, confused, furrowed her brows. "Uh, status," she muttered quietly.

A translucent screen appeared before her, and she scanned the information, her expression shifting from confusion to disbelief. "Level: Rank E? What does that even mean? It's supposed to be numbers! And my stats… they're all listed as Rank F? This doesn't make any sense."

Before Caius could respond, Mia suddenly received a notification. Her eyes widened as she read it aloud, "Oh, a notification… It says Rank F is the lowest tier. It's the weakest level anyone can have. And Rank A is the highest possible level. Each rank is equivalent to a certain level range."

She scrolled through the notification, trying to understand. "According to this, Rank F is between levels 1 to 10, Rank E is from levels 11 to 20, Rank D is 21 to 30, Rank C is 31 to 60, and Rank B is 61 to 100. Rank A would be level 101 and above."

Caius stared at the ground, his hand resting on his chin as he thought through the situation. His mind raced, but he quickly remembered something important. He looked up at Mia. "What's your class? Did you spin the wheel?"

Mia nodded, but her face immediately contorted in fear. "Our classmates… and the others... they became monsters because they spun the wheel! Does that mean I'm going to turn into a monster too? No! No!" Her voice shook as panic set in.

Caius quickly stepped toward her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "No, calm down. You're probably going to get a normal class. Did you get one? What does it say?"

Mia, on the verge of tears, sniffed and glanced back at her status screen. "It's... it's still loading," she muttered, her voice breaking. "Huhuhu, what if I become a monster?!"

Caius shook his head, trying to reassure her. "No, think positive. You're not going to turn into a monster. There's a chance it'll be something else. Just stay calm."

Mia nodded, wiping her eyes but still trembling with fear. The atmosphere was tense, and Caius was about to say something else when suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the building. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and they heard the sound of walls cracking.

Both of them froze for a moment, wide-eyed, as the noise echoed through the Facility.The ground shook violently, and a loud explosion echoed through the building. Caius immediately felt a surge of danger.

"Move!" Caius yelled, grabbing Mia's arm and pulling her out of the room just in time. They both stumbled into the hallway as the ceiling of the room they were in collapsed with a deafening crash.

Mia gasped, eyes wide with fear. "W-What just happened?!"

Caius glanced back and realized what had happened. A massive zombie had just smashed into the room they were in. If they hadn't left, they would have been crushed.

"That thing would've killed us," Caius muttered, tightening his grip on Mia's arm. "Run!" he shouted, pulling her along as they dashed down the corridor.

Mia was panicking, stumbling as she tried to keep up. "I-I can't—!"

"Stop acting stupid! Do you want to die here?" Caius snapped, dragging her forward. "You can't freeze up now, just run!"

Terror gripped Mia, but Caius's words snapped her out of her daze. They had no choice but to keep running, or they'd be next.As they turned the corner, Caius didn't see what was coming. He was too focused on getting Mia out of danger. In the next second, he collided headfirst into someone else who was also running at full speed from the opposite direction.