The wind had gone still in the Shatterveil. Night had already fallen.
The group had pushed beyond the three-kilometer mark from the entrance portal. It was much farther than most squads with Level 5 Cadets or below would ever dare to go.
Normally, lower-level squads stayed within a one-kilometer radius, where the monsters were fewer and the risks more manageable.
With two Wardens, nine Cadets, and a growing number of kills behind them, this expedition was far from normal. As night settled in, they found a spot to set up camp.
The setup was simple and instinctive. No tents. No comforts. Just people finding cover behind broken pillars and crumbling walls, staying low and quiet. There were no fires, no conversations. Just the sound of breathing and shifting dust.
They would sleep under the open sky, if they could sleep at all.
Only the Wardens stayed fully alert. Ivara sat cross-legged on a jagged ledge, scanning the darkness like a hawk. Tamsin leaned against a collapsed column, arms folded, unmoving.
Everyone else was worn out.
They had fought thirteen Feral Crawlers on the way here. Even working together, the nonstop attacks had taken a toll on the group.
"Man, that was tough," Kev said, stretching his arms.
Mira nodded, smiling wide. "But the harvests were worth it."
For Kev, Dane, Mira, and Elisa, the results had been better than expected.
When the Feral Crawlers were defeated, each one left behind an orb-like core — faintly glowing and strangely warm to the touch. Just like the one Raith had absorbed not long ago.
Together, under the watchful eyes of Ivara and Tamsin, the four S-ranked Cadets took their turn. One by one, they held the cores in their palms. The orbs dimmed, cracked, and slowly dissolved into their skin like trails of smoke.
The mutated monster cores held plenty of energy. More than enough to push them all to Level 3, matching the current level of the members in Squad C-707.
Cael, however, wasn't entirely satisfied.
He had hoped the S-ranked Cadets would struggle like Raith had.
Now that he had leveled up as well, he walked with a little more swagger than usual — and couldn't resist showing off.
"Well," Cael said, loud enough for everyone at camp to hear, "looks like we're not that far behind the golden S-ranks after all."
He didn't look at Dane or Mira.
His eyes shifted sideways, straight at Raith.
Raith, who had now absorbed five monster cores… and was still stuck at Level 1.
The silence that followed was heavier than the boast.
Dane, calm as ever, didn't even look up as he adjusted his gear.
"It doesn't matter," he said plainly. "There's nothing to brag about. Raith took down a half-E-grade Crawler by himself. And us? At Level 3? We still needed three people just to kill an F-grade."
Cael opened his mouth, then thought better of it and stayed quiet.
Raith didn't say a word. But inside, something was stirring.
He walked a little farther from camp, just beyond earshot of the others. Not too far, just enough to be alone without drawing attention.
He found a flat stone and sat down quietly.
To the others, it looked like he was meditating.
Maybe they thought he was frustrated. Disappointed.
But they were all wrong.
Raith closed his eyes and took a slow breath.
'God Mode,' he called out in his mind. 'How do I access you?'
There was no response.
He focused harder, forcing the image of the glowing blue interface back into his mind, the one he had seen when he touched the altar.
A moment later, a soft chime echoed in his thoughts.
A translucent screen blinked to life in front of him, floating just above the ground. He peeked a little as he didn't want to make the others suspicious.
=====
[Do you wish to start the tutorial?]
=====
Raith didn't hesitate. He said inside his mind, 'Yes.'
The screen flashed, then unfolded into a gentle stream of words.
=====
Welcome, Raith.
You are one of few in existence granted access to the God Mode System.
This system awakens only in the presence of two or more God Essences.]
Raith leaned in, heart quickening. He read the next lines. Everything was interesting to him.
[The God's Essences are fragments of ancient divine power.
There are twelve known God Powers in the universe:
[1] The Wisdom of God
[2] The Heart of God
[3] The Strength of God
[4] The Speed of God
[5] The Shield of God
[6] The Sight of God
[7] The Voice of God
[8] The Flame of God
[9] The Storm of God
[10] The Seal of God
[11] The Space of God
[12] The Time of God
There may be more. There may be no more.
=====
'Twelve God Powers?' Raith's breath caught slightly.
[Each God Power is fragmented into ten God Essences.
Each Essence is hidden, scattered across the universe.]
Raith frowned. The system specifically mentioned the Universe. Not just Earth.
That single word shook something loose in his chest. He now believed that the system's scope was far wider than whatever knowledge that he had.
=====
To activate your God Mode System, you must absorb at least two God Essences, either of the same God Power or different God Powers.
Once activated, the System grants access to:
[+] Status Panel
[+] Mission Panel
[+] God Powers
[+] God Store Panel
[+] Skills Panel
=====
Another line flickered below.
=====
If another being has absorbed a God Essence, you may:
[+] Defeat them to forcefully extract it.
[+] Trigger Dominion Conflict to challenge their claim.
=====
"Damn... this is really messed up," Raith muttered under his breath.
From a distance, Ivara watched him carefully. She wasn't sure what he meant—but she had her suspicions. She had been waiting for Raith to speak up about what he had seen inside that ruin… and what exactly had happened to him afterward.
So far, he had kept it all to himself.
And she wasn't the only one watching.
Liara and Elisa had their eyes on him too. To them, Raith was more than just quiet.
He was a mystery. And a fascinating one at that.
Raith was still deep with his business. He checked the panels one by one as he was guided by the system.
He started with the most familiar one.
=====
[STATUS PANEL]
Name: Raith
Race: Human
Level: 1
EXP: 500 / 1500
God Points: 0
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 50
Speed: 50
Endurance: 50
Wisdom: 150
Flux: 1500
=====
Now it made sense.
Raith finally understood why he was struggling to level up.
He believed that his threshold wasn't just higher, it was far higher than the others.
He had absorbed five half-E-grade monster cores and only gained 500 EXP. That meant each core gave him just 100 EXP.
For someone else, that would've been enough to hit Level 2 or more.
But for him?
It barely moved the needle.
There was another thing that was still a mystery to him, the God Points.
'What is it actually?' he wondered.
But, he pushed the thought aside for the time being and swiped mentally to the next panel.
=====
[MISSION PANEL]
1. Crazy Levelling
Objective: Reach Level 5 within the next 3 days.
Rewards:
A Golden Skill Card
+30 to all attributes
=====
He had no idea what the Golden Skill Card would do. But, to reach Level 5 in three days? That wasn't much time. He needed to kill at least ten more Feral Crawlers at the half-E-grade.
But if the rewards were that rare, it was worth pushing for.
He nodded to himself and moved on.
=====
[GOD STORE PANEL]
=====
The God Store panel loaded slowly. Four sub-panels were listed, but only one was available, the God Item Store.
Raith checked what was available.
=====
[+] Lower Grade Strength Potion (1 God Point) x 5
[+] Lower Grade Speed Potion (1 God Point) x 5
[+] Lower Grade Endurance Potion (1 God Point) x 5
[+] Lower Grade Wisdom Potion (1 God Point) x 5
[+] Lower Grade Flux Potion (1 God Point) x 5
=====
Raith couldn't even purchase any of it yet. He wondered how to actually earn a God Point.
'Maybe I need to level up first.'
He backed out and continued with the next panel.
=====
[GOD POWERS PANEL]
[1] The Strength of God = 1/10
Your body holds the first fragment of divine strength.
At current progress, you can draw out up to 10% of its full potential.
[2] The Flame of God = 1/10
Your body holds the first fragment of divine flame.
At current progress, you can draw out up to 10% of its full potential.
=====
'Wait a minute…' The thought hit him like a sudden jolt. 'Does this mean I can control the flame… like Dane does?'
His eyes widened slightly. He really wanted to test it out right away but how would he explain himself later to the others? He was suddenly a Duotune?
That wouldn't make any sense to anyone.
He didn't even get the chance to think more about that or check the last available panel.
Because that's when it happened.
A loud crack echoed like distant thunder, followed by a gust of pressure that wasn't wind.
Ivara was the first to stand.
"Everyone! On your feet!" she barked, her voice slicing through the night. "Something strong is coming!"
Raith immediately closed his panels and opened his eyes fully. The system faded from view like smoke vanishing into the air.
Tamsin had already drawn his weapon.
The Cadets scrambled to their feet, weapons half-ready, eyes still adjusting to the dark as they looked around in panic.
A moment later, the sound of heavy, uneven footsteps echoed from beyond the collapsed ruins.
And then, laughter.
Deep. Guttural. Mocking.
From the darkness emerged a hulking figure, dragging an iron hammer the size of a tree trunk. His armor was rusted, his eyes glinting red from the cracks in his forehead.
It was Fatty, one of the Queen's subordinates. He grinned wide, revealing jagged teeth.
"Took me long enough," he chuckled. "Can't believe I beat those two here. Maybe they're getting dull from years of in hiding."
Everyone tensed. Even Ivara's eyes narrowed.
This thing wasn't like the Feral Crawlers. It was something else entirely.
Raith took a half-step back, heart racing.
And then, another chime echoed in his mind.
The system returned with a seemingly impossible mission.