I’d discovered earlier that the barrier was completely soundproof. A Kobold ran up to it on the other side, clearly shrieking—or so I guessed, since I hadn’t heard a single sound.
I tried to talk to her as well, but charades had never been one of my strong suits. After trying for a minute or two and finding out her name was something like Clara or Clary.
It hit me like a ton of bricks.
Communication Crystal. Hopefully she has one as well…
I took out the crystal and showed it to her. Her frowning face told me everything. I took out the Transformation Shard and held it up.
She nodded in understanding and had the same shard in her hand the next moment. He showed the gesture of a phone, or making a call. The one with thumb t the ear and the pinky to the mouth.
Her face lit up and she took out a Chrystal and then shook her head. She must not yet have figured out how or what to transform.
She took out a crystal and a picture emerged in the air. It looked a lot like a photograph of a Kobold. She used her fingers to flip through the pictures.
Okay but why? She transformed a camera but not her phone… Why?
Next a smaller Crystal appeared in her hand. She waved it and the crystal split in two and attached to her ears, not inside more like behind her ear. She began dancing and showed him that she was listening to music.
Why?
I sighed deeply and waited for her to stop dancing. The smile on her face indicated that she was very happy having her music. The smile on a pretty girl’s face would be almost worth the idea of wasting her shards on something so worthless as listening to music. Almost but not quite.
She stopped and retrieved her Crystals, and a slight pout tugged at her lips as the Crystals disappeared into her inventory.
I pointed up to the sky and the sun and then to my arm to show the time, hopefully and mouthed tomorrow, and gestured with my arms tomorrow and pointed to the ground to show here.
She nodded and just to make sure she understood, I showed her the phone again. The pout was now accompanied by a frown between her eyes. She nodded her head, turned and stomped away.
Is she mad at me? What did I do wrong?
With a shrug, I kept marking the barrier, pushing thoughts of the girl aside. I’d never been good with girls—they were just so hard to figure out sometimes.
Kobolds appeared here and there, but I managed to avoid them. About an hour after meeting Claire, I noticed the barrier had shifted. The previously straight line now angled inward slightly, forming a corner that wasn’t quite a sharp 90 degrees—less than that, though I couldn’t say exactly what angle it was.
Calling it a day felt like the right choice. There were new shards waiting to be tested back home, and enough had been accomplished to justify a break.
Every effort was made to steer clear of any Kobolds on the way back. Tomorrow would bring more fighting and killing—but for now, one day of survival was enough.
After taking care of the usual routine—eating and cleaning—I pulled out the advanced upgrade shards. It was the moment of truth.
I retrieved my Communication Crystal and pressed one of the shards against it, ready to see what would happen.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes, at last!
“Contact Dad.”
The same soft melodic voice mocked me with the exact same message.
‘Contact, Dad, out of bounds.’
Scrolling through my contacts didn’t take long—there weren’t many to begin with. I’d never been the social type, and my sparse contact list was proof of that.
“Contact Jordan.”
‘Contact, Jordan, does not have active Communication Crystal.’
Just as I was about to move on to the next name on the list hovering in front of me, something different caught my eye in the message. I let out a deep sigh. It continued to baffle me how few people had thought to transform their phones into Communication Crystals. Surely, I couldn’t be the only one who’d come up with that idea.
I got one more message like the one for Jordan, a casual acquaintance from College. I got no other hits.
I need better shards.
I looked at my Inventory, not sure what needs to be handled. My brain was so invested in the Communication Crystal working that I did not even consider what else I got.
Spotting the Knowledge Shards in my inventory, I decided to give one a try. The moment the shard touched my skin, a notification popped up once again.
I paused, giving it some serious thought. Sure, I could ask the usual questions like “Why is this happening?” or “What is the System?”—but for the cost of two shards, I doubted the answers would be all that revealing. Still, even a limited answer was better than nothing.
Finally, I asked, “What is the Multiverse System?”
That just tells me nothing. Okay, it does say something—but what am I supposed to do with it? It sounds philosophical, like something ripped out of a textbook or a monk’s riddle.
Balance? Harmony? Sure, I get the idea in theory, but it doesn’t explain why monsters are suddenly trying to kill me in the streets of New York. Or why people are gone. Or why my whole world has turned into a twisted game.
How does my fighting Kobolds, looting their corpses, and transforming random objects fit into “deeper harmony”? And where’s the part about survival? Because right now, that’s the only balance I care about—me staying alive, and the Kobolds ending up dead.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
I wish the System would just speak plainly.
I shook my head, accepting that I wasn’t going to get any answers right then, and that dwelling on it would only waste precious time. Maybe later I’d come across more clues—or use another Knowledge Shard to pry a few more answers out of the System.
My attention drifted back to my inventory. Among the items sat a Spell+ Token, just waiting to be used.
I did not want too many spells. I wanted to learn the spells I had before getting even more so I left it up to chance
It landed on the ? symbol.
I thought about it, and I used Mana Slash the most, so I chose that spell
The advancement of the spell brought a surge of satisfaction. Lying in bed, my thoughts drifted to the next day and to the hope that the girl—Clara, or whatever her name truly was—would finally get her Communication Crystal so we could talk.
Waking up had never been this difficult. I’d once had a life—a job, a routine—and for the most part, I’d liked that life. But in just over a week, everything had changed. Now, getting out of bed in the morning no longer felt pleasant. It felt like bracing myself for battle.
I forced down my breakfast and tried to focus on the day ahead. Today meant hunting more Kobolds—and maybe meeting Clara. Or Clery. I still wasn’t entirely sure which.
Before stepping out the front door, I checked my Mini Map. That habit had become second nature. Even with the map, Kobolds still managed to catch me off guard. In this new world, one mistake could be fatal.
A new Level 4 Kobold was also roaming around out there somewhere, probably eager for a fight—and definitely not just to chat about the weather. The thought made my chest tighten. It was one of those mornings when everything felt heavy, like the weight of this new reality was pressing me into the ground.
But talking to another human being… that felt like something worth looking forward to. With any luck, Clara might have some insights—or at least help pull me out of the dark mood I’d been sinking into.
Arriving early in the area where we planned to meet later on, there was plenty of time to kill. Hunting Kobolds and continuing the mapping of the barrier seemed like the best way to stay busy until then.
Not far from home, a small cluster of Level 3 Kobolds popped up on the Mini Map. Two of them were moving together, and the area around them looked surprisingly clear—no lower-level Kobolds lurking nearby, and thankfully none stronger either.
There was also my improved spell I wanted to use. The Kobolds were perfect to test it out on. It was better to test the spell on them than on the more powerful Level 4 Kobold.
I decided to mix things up a bit and waited for them to come to me. I let them see me and they reacted just the way I thought they would. Both ran towards me, their swords swinging already.
I waited until they were closer and cast Stun on the closest one. The other one did not even notice its comrade’s absence. It just kept coming. I unleashed my improved Mana Slash. The spell cut through both Kobolds. It stopped the charging Kobold in its tracks.
I was ecstatic with the new power of the spell. It did not kill them outright, but a follow up Slash would do the job. I unleashed the spell and watched them die.
A grin spread across my face, probably brighter than the sun. I finally had different food, thanks to my recent looting. I’d never realized just how much I’d miss the simple act of choosing my own meals.
I continued exploring and eventually located the barrier a bit farther out. The plan was to circle back to the meeting spot later in the morning.
It was a bit earlier when I reached the area to meet the girl, but she was already there. She had a very excited look on her face and when she saw me, she was waving her Communication Crystal around.
I had to admit—she was extremely cute. And I also couldn’t deny that in the world before the System arrived, someone like her probably wouldn’t have even noticed me. I wasn’t ugly, but I wasn’t exactly a hunk either, and my slightly antisocial tendencies wouldn’t have helped my chances.
I waved to her and immediately cursed myself. I wanted to look a bit cooler and then I waved… like a loser
I pointed my Communication Crystal towards her for Line of sight ‘add a contact’.
‘Contact, Claire Winslow, has been added to your contact list.’
Claire, not Clara.
“Contact Claire.”
Her face lit up, and her voice burst from the crystal, bright and overflowing with relief.
“Hi! You have no idea how happy I am to see you… and to actually talk to you. My name’s Claire, but I guess you already knew that since you called me…”
She trailed off, blushing and suddenly looking shy.
Sensing she could use a little help, I stepped in. “Hi. My name’s Danny, and I’m really glad to meet you too.”
A thoughtful, slightly sad look crossed her face.
“Do you know what’s happening to us? I’ve been so lost… and I can’t find Nyx.”
“Who’s Nyx?” I asked gently.
“My cat,” she said, her eyes glistening as she blinked back tears. “I hope she’s okay. I…”
I knew exactly how strong the bond with a pet could be. My dog had been my companion for years before he died of old age, not long before I moved to New York. I wanted to say something comforting, but words—and people—had never been my strongest suit.
“I’m sorry about Nyx,” I managed finally. “I don’t know exactly what happened or why, but the message we got in the beginning mentioned something called… Protocol ZYRR-9.”
Claire nodded slowly. “Yeah, I remember that. So… do you think this is our punishment? Because humans are destructive and selfish?”
“I think it’s something like that. Maybe it’s supposed to be our chance to redeem ourselves. Who knows…”
A quiet stretch of silence fell between us. We both knew exactly what humans had been doing to the earth and its animals.
After a moment, I spoke up. “I also received a Knowledge Shard and asked what the Multiverse System was. The answer was that it’s a self-regulating system built on balance, where life and death, creation and destruction, cruelty and kindness all serve a deeper harmony.”
“That sounds a lot like how nature works,” she said.
“True,” I agreed. “But even knowing that doesn’t change the fact that right now… we’re just trying to survive.”
My gaze shifted to the bow strapped across her back. “So… you went with Rogue?”
She grinned and pointed to my staff. “And you went with Wizard. What level are you at?”
“I’m Level 4,” I said without hesitation.
Her grin slipped a little. “I’m only Level 3. Just leveled up today.”
“You’ll catch up,” I said. “Trust me… it’s been intense.”
We ended up talking for a long time after that. We covered everything from system mechanics and how our daily lives had changed, to theories about the Kobolds and trading stories about loot. For a little while, it almost felt normal—just two people talking, sharing frustrations and small wins.
Eventually, though, there was no denying it was time to go. Neither of us wanted to leave, but we both understood the risks.
Being alone—truly alone—for days on end was starting to wear us both down.
“We should try using the Communication Crystals tonight,” I suggested. “See if there’s a range limit or anything like that.”
Claire nodded quickly, her face brightening. “Definitely. I’d like that.”
I could tell she wanted the connection as much as I did. In this new world, knowing there was at least one other person out there who cared whether you were alive… it meant everything.
I wandered back toward home, staying vigilant as I moved through the empty streets. Only two Kobolds crossed my path, and I took them down quickly. It was enough to secure food for the next day, and honestly, I wasn’t in the mood for any more fights.
On my way back, I froze mid-step. Just ahead, a new Kobold appeared, its back turned as it walked away.
Curiosity and caution battling inside me, I cast Identify—and what I saw made my stomach drop. This one was powerful.
I stayed still until it was completely out of sight before moving again. All I wanted now was to get home safely. Tomorrow, I’d have to go out hunting once more.
While eating, I glanced over my Inventory, feeling uncertain about what to do next. Everything felt scattered in my mind—I needed to think about where I was, what I’d done so far, and what my next steps should be. The uncertainty left me feeling completely adrift.
My gaze drifted around the room until it landed on my laptop. Of course. I needed to plan, to make lists, to organize my thoughts and figure things out.
Without hesitation, I pulled out a Transformation Shard and pressed it to my laptop.
Yes
In an instant, the laptop vanished, replaced by a crystal that appeared in midair, hovering gently in front of me.
‘Indicate format of document’
I wanted to answer and say a spreadsheet because I love the tabs, but I wanted to write like word.
“Can I have a word document but with tabs like a spreadsheet?”
‘Loading pages’
A page opened in front of me. It looked a lot like the map, but it was a blank white area.
‘Choose voice or manual mode’
I thought about it a bit, voice would be better, but would I be able to edit?
“Voice if I can edit otherwise manual.”
‘Editing can be done in voice mode. Loading.’
“The heading for the first tab is ‘Upgrade Shard’.”
I looked around my room and began listing all the items I sanctioned. I then moved to the bathroom and repeated the process. I honestly had a lot more possessions, but I did not need any of them at that moment and decided to leave them as is until I need something.
“Second tab heading is ‘Upgrade Shard – secondary function’. Text below ‘Used to upgrade Transformed Items…”
I stopped and considered. Maybe I should merge the Transformation Shard and secondary function of Upgrade Shard. The idea of this document is to make it easier for me to keep track of everything.
“Change the heading to ‘Transformation Shard & Upgrade Shard’ List the following: Lights – Room, Flashlight and Stairway. Then Mapping Crystal, Communication- and Information Crystal.”
I looked the list over and made a note beside the Communication Crystal that I upgraded it already. None of the other was upgraded. I may try and see what I can do with them, but it was not urgent.
“The third heading is for Enhancement Shard. It can only (as far I know) be used to enhance system items.”
I added the upgrades I did to my clothes.
Wait a minute. My staff is a system item as well. Would I be able to upgrade it?
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first Royal Road chapter of each pair. The second one won’t have pictures. If you want to see all the art together (or earlier), it’s on Patreon with the combined chapters!