Chapter 11 - The Primary Event

"Daddy, is that the creepy suspicious guy from before?"

For such a little girl, her words sure were sharp.

The man I had just stolen Strength from scowls at me, tightening his grip on my hand. "That's right, honey. Make sure you keep away from weirdos like this guy, okay?"

"Now you're saying things like that on purpose!" I blurt out angrily, tightening my grip without thinking. "Oh, shoot—"

I'm about to release my grip, nearly forgetting my new levels of strength, but he tightens his grip too, and, my irritation growing, I turn to face him fully, our palms slapping against each other as both sides refuse to give up any ground. 'I know Special Classes are… Well, special, but are we really at the same level of strength?'

I order the Stat screen to open on my left, peeking over at it to make sure I wasn't crazy. The gesture of opening it causes an explosion of murmurs and talking from the group surrounding us. "He's not even trying!" Someone says loudly, met with various agreements from the crowd.

'No, you idiots,' I think, spotting what I had feared.

[ STR: 34 (E+) ]

'If we're the same level of Strength now, then that means that before I stole his Stats… It was almost 40 points?!'

I only had two Stats that had passed that range of points, and only because I had stolen Stats to reach it. If this guy was this high in his Strength, he either had nothing in his other Stats or had an excess of points.

— — — — —

Patricia's anxiety was still through the roof, but in her eyes, Kieran and the scary-looking man were simply holding hands and glaring at each other. She was sure there was something she was missing, but for now she should try to de-escalate. Right?

"U-uh… Kieran?" She asks slowly, scooting closer pensively. She reaches out to tap his shoulder, but when her hand gets within a few inches of him, she can finally feel it.

The two are exerting so much strength that the air itself around them was pressurized. When she got close enough, she drew her hand back with a gasp to avoid the feeling of her hand being crushed.

'How are they both so strong already?' she wonders, looking at the frail boy in front of her. 'Is he cheating or something?'

— — — — —

This man had a slightly confused look on his face during the whole exchange, clearly from our matching Strength. Finally, it fades, though, and breaking half of his grip off, he swipes two fingers down his other locked forearm. A second later… Nothing happens, and he does it a few more times before looking angrily at me. "What did you do?!"

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Look, man, I know it's been a hellish day, but I'm not that dirty, alright?"

"Don't play dumb!" he roars, and the pressure increases, albeit only slightly. Still, it was just a hair stronger, and I was slowly giving up millimeter by millimeter. 'So Stat Grades are still dependent on the number of the Stat…?'

[ Correct. Obviously. ]

"Shut up!"

"I wasn't talking, idiot," the man replies simply. He scoffs, swiping his fingers down his arm. "Work, dammit!"

"Motherf—"

A spherical blue energy forms between our palms, pushing them — and us — back with the full force we had just been exerting on each other. I go flying past dear old Pat and straight into the invisible wall. It bounces me off easily, a shimmering light following as if annoyed by me getting tossed into it as if I were a doll.

[ No attacking Skills can be used in a Safe Zone. ]

'Attacking? System, is Gluttony's Mark an attack Skill?'

[ Gluttony's Mark is considered a Support/Buff hybrid. ]

"Wait… So you tried to attack me?!" I shout at the Dragonscaled dude.

"I was just trying to use a Strength rune… So it wasn't you, huh? Sorry for accusing you. You're still suspicious, though."

I get up onto my feet while dusting myself off, looking over to see that the gruff man had landing comically on his head. "Pat, did you get the same message?"

She nods meekly. 'A general warning, I guess," I conclude, looking at the system message once more.

[ The Primary Event is starting. ]

"K-K-Kieran, what's happening?!"

"Relax," I say monotonously to the Rogue. "We're not going to suddenly die or something."

"That sounds like you j-just jinxed us!"

I only roll my eyes in annoyance, waiting for more information. It comes in the form of more of the blue energy appearing, collecting and shaping itself into the form of a giant amorphous humanoid, glowing and floating in the center of the stadium. Everyone grows fearfully silent, staring at the figure that has no face — only a pair of vibrant white eyes that open gradually and peer around the stadium. They seem to settle on our general direction for an extra moment, before it begins to speak.

"Humans."

It speaks normally and calmly, yet the voice is so distinct and clear that even up against the tunnel like I am, it feels as if it is speaking right in front of me.

"I am the General System, or GS. Each individual Evolving System was created using a piece of me, and I am a piece of the universe. As your system learns from you, I learn from it. I am what some of you may call a god, or an otherworldly power, but in simplest explanation, I am a part of the universe itself."

A man about three-quarters down the field shouts up. "Are you the Christian God, or like, I dunno, Buddha or something?"

The GS shakes its head. "As your brains have neurons and nodes that connect together, the universe has planets and stars. It has solar systems and galaxies, all holding its own information, just like memories and knowledge, and it is forever expanding."

This causes almost the whole stadium to be filled with murmurs, mostly from people questioning their religion. But, unbothered, the GS continues.

"However. There was an anomaly from one piece of this infinite puzzle, and now it is trying to spread, like a cancer, to destroy it all."

A woman at the front of the stands to my left asks another question in smug fashion. "Could you dumb it down for the brutes who were fighting down there?"

Everyone around me pointedly ignores her as the GS faces her. "According to their Systems, the two who were just in direct conflict have not only a higher Overall Grade than you, but higher Intelligence Stats as well, so I am uncertain if they are to be determined as brutes, user ImtheStarCindy. But, very well."

Several people burst out laughing, Patricia included as the woman turns bright red and lowers her glowering face.

"In other words. A being that threatens the threads of the universe has created a Rift between their world and yours, allowing beings from their side of existence to pass into yours. If this continues, eventually, your world will be assimilated by theirs, and all indigenous life forms below Overall Grade S will become forfeit."

The traces of remaining laughter were cut short by the system's words. "You mean… We'll all die?" I say, barely loud for even me to hear, but the GS turns towards our direction.

"You will only die if you are too weak to withstand the pressure of assimilation, if the Main Quest fails. I estimate that you all have four years before you reach the point of no return. And as for the one who asked the question, user Adapter. You are unlikely to die in this process, as it is estimated you have a 98% chance that you will be able to reach S Grade within a year."

Shouts, clamoring, and other talking begins all at once as everyone tries to figure out who "Adapter" is. Several people keep glancing between me and the Dragonscaled, as we're the obvious two candidates.

It's a good thing I have a great poker face.

But shit, standing out as someone strong will only cause me more trouble. The last thing I needed was people targeting me or trying to leech off of me. 'I really need to make sure I don't stand out anymore,' I think to myself, stepping closer to the tunnel, which is still blocked.

"Silence," the GS says, a hint of force in its voice. It's enough, as everyone shuts up, and the GS turns its back to me. "What is your question, user BurningMage?"

A typical nerdy looking kid steps forward. "H-how many of us here do you think will reach S grade?"

The GS is silent for longer than it should be. But, finally, it answers. "In this stadium, there are 7 of you that have at least an 80% chance of reaching S grade within 4 years."

A woman screams hopelessly, and everyone looks defeated. It made sense; the field was so full that everyone would only have about a 3 foot bubble around them if we all spread out equally. Not to mention, the stands were half-full all the way around. Yet, out of all these people, only 7 would survive if the worst case scenario happened.

"Enough!" A man in bright white armor steps forward near me, looking daringly at the GS. "You spoke of a Main Quest. I'm assuming this is how we prevent such a future?"

The GS doesn't react to his odd way of speaking, but does turn to face him. "I will now distribute the Main Quest."

The stadium lights up with white light as everyone suddenly has a screen open in front of them.

[ Main Quest initialized. ]

[ Main Quest: Save the Two Worlds ]

[ In 4 years, your world will come to an end, destroyed by the being that created the Rift. To stop this, grow stronger, and strive to reach the World's Top Ten. ]

[ Current Rank: N/A (Unlocked after First Expansion Questline) ]

"What's the First Expansion Questline?" Someone asks, but before it can answer, the large figure suddenly dissipates away. A new screen pops up to everyone, making my heart sink.

[ Emergency Event! ]

[ Creatures from another world have gathered at the Safe Zone, overpowering its protection. Defeat them before you are all wiped out. Note: No Kill Rewards are available. ]

[ Rewards: Determined by level of contribution. ]