"We did it!" Hoshina said, her face glowing with a smile full of happiness.
Then, without thinking, she ran toward Alya and jumped up to hug her tightly.
Ken, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha! I'm glad we could make it."
But before he could say anything else, his vision blurred.
Moments later, he fainted and collapsed to the ground.
After a while, Ken slowly woke up. His eyes fluttered open, and he saw Alya and Hoshina sitting nearby, both safe and smiling. The three of them shared a simple meal together before Ken finally asked,
"Where did you get all that stuff from?" he said, his face filled with confusion.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," Alya replied. "When you complete a mission, you actually get points—and points can be used in the shop system to buy stuff like scrolls, equipment, and even food."
"And who told you that?" Ken asked again.
"Well, Hoshina of course. Who else?" Alya replied with an annoyed face.
Ken sighed. "And how do you summon the system?"
"Just imagine it, and it will appear," Alya replied casually.
Ken did exactly what she said, and soon enough, a glowing blue screen appeared in front of him.
"Huh… a status?" he muttered, tapping the option.
> (SYSTEM STATUS)
NAME: KEN CARTER
AGE: 16 — MALE
POWER: 221
SPEED: 21
DURABILITY: 52
POINTS: 10,000
MANA: 500
RANK: 30M+
MAGIC ABILITY: UNKNOWN
AWAKENING: NONE
"Oh wow, I got quite a lot of points, huh? And what about you both? Have you checked your status?" Ken asked.
"Oh, also—don't forget to set your system to Friends Only, so only we can see each other's status," Alya said.
"Oh wait… so it's kind of like a game?" Ken asked.
"Yep, pretty much," Alya replied.
Ken turned toward Hoshina, who was quietly eating beside them.
"What rank are you, Hoshina?" he asked.
"Oh, I think it's 10M+," she said softly.
"What?! You're even stronger than me?! And you, Alya? Surely you're a lot weaker, right?" Ken asked with a bit of desperate hope.
"I'm also 10M+, believe it or not," Alya said with pride.
"You've got to be lying," Ken said, clearly in disbelief.
Alya rolled her eyes and opened her status screen.
> (SYSTEM STATUS)
NAME: ALYA ROSE
AGE: 16 — FEMALE
POWER: 102
SPEED: 18
DURABILITY: 43
POINTS: 2,000
MANA: 2,300
RANK: 10M+
MAGIC ABILITY: HEALING
AWAKENING: NONE
"There's no way… The only thing you beat me in is mana. How come I'm weaker?" Ken asked, his face turning gloomy.
"Well, this is a world of magic," Alya explained. "Of course the more mana you've got, the more powerful you become. Am I right?" She glanced at Hoshina.
"Y-yes, I think so too," Hoshina said shyly. "My status is lower than yours in almost everything, but I have more mana."
"How much mana?" Ken asked curiously.
"3,200," Hoshina replied.
Ken immediately dropped to the ground, a cloud of despair over his head.
"Also now that I realize it, how come you've got mana if you don't have any magical ability yet?" Alya asked
"It only says I don't have a magical ability, but it never says I can't use mana. That's why I can use the clone spell," Ken said. "Oh yeah, and also—did you both open your scrolls yet?"
"We already opened ours, but nothing useful came out," Alya replied with an upset face.
Ken sat up. "Oh yeah, I forgot to open the shop."
A new system screen appeared in front of him.
> (SYSTEM SHOP)
BARTENDER SUIT — 2,000 POINTS
SWORD — 1,000 POINTS
Ken browsed for a while before deciding to buy three bartender suits and a sword. The items materialized in front of him, and he tossed two suits toward Alya and Hoshina.
"Wear it," he said.
Alya gave him a suspicious look. "Why should we wear it?"
"What, you'd rather wear armor instead?"
"No, I'm just asking," she said, still creeped out. "Now if you don't mind, please get out of here so we can change—and don't peek, you rascal."
"Yeah, yeah, I won't peek," Ken replied, walking out while testing his new sword.
"Well, even though this sword isn't as good as the one Theron gave me, at least my clone can use it," he murmured to himself.
When he turned back, both girls had come out.
"Oh wow—you look great," he said.
Alya smiled. "You too."
"Oh, I was complimenting Hoshina, not you," Ken teased.
"Go to hell!!" Alya shouted angrily.
"Now, now, I'm just joking. You both look great," he said quickly.
Alya sighed, calming down. "This suit must be expensive, because it literally boosts durability and agility by fifty percent," she said.
"Well, of course it's good. I spent 2,000 points for each one," Ken replied.
"And how did you get so many points? Hoshina and I only have 2,000 from completing both missions," Alya asked, confused.
"Well, I think most of it came from the second mission, remember? I got fifth place," Ken said with a grin.
"Oh, right," Alya said, nodding.
"Oh yeah, forgot to ask—but can we see your status, Hoshina?" Ken asked.
"O-oh yeah," Hoshina replied and opened her screen.
> (SYSTEM STATUS)
NAME: HOSHINA RIN
AGE: 18 — FEMALE
POWER: 82
SPEED: 20
DURABILITY: 59
POINTS: 2,000
MANA: 3,200
RANK: 10M+
MAGIC ABILITY: ICE
AWAKENING: NONE
"Oh wow," Ken said, but then realized something. "Wait, Hoshina—you're two years older than us!"
Alya's eyes widened. "Should we call her Hoshina-san instead?"
Hoshina laughed softly. "No need. Just call me like you both used to. I'm fine with it."
"Alright, if you say so," Alya replied.
While they were still chatting, the system suddenly appeared again, glowing ominously in the air.
> (SYSTEM)
MISSION: SURVIVE THE NIGHT
The three of them froze in shock.
"I think the sun is starting to set," Ken said quietly.
"Also, now that I realize… it's been almost twenty-four hours, and the night hasn't even come once," Alya said.
"I think this world must be so big that it takes longer to spin, causing it to take longer to turn to night," Hoshina said thoughtfully.
Ken shook his head. "I think it's not as simple as that. When I entered the barrier, it felt like stepping into a new dimension. Each barrier in each danger zone might be a different world entirely. Look."
The three of them turned toward the barrier they had once entered—and gasped in shock.
"Wait… where did the land go?!" Alya and Hoshina shouted at the same time.
"That's right," Ken said. "We can't see the land we came from because when we entered the barrier, it transported us to a new dimension. That's just my theory for now—but for now, let's find a safe place to hide first."
"Look, up there!" Alya pointed. "That big tree might be safe. If we go that high, I don't think any of those creatures can find or detect us."
The three of them quickly climbed up the enormous tree and hid among the thick branches.
As the last traces of sunlight disappeared and the sky turned black, the first nightmare began.
The long night had finally come.