They gathered in Mike's room. The lights were dim and the air felt heavy with tension. Outside, a voice announced faintly ten minutes until curfew. All cadets to their rooms.
Mike stood with his back to the window, arms crossed. He looked at each of them.
"I told Giel something earlier. But now I think you all should know."
Lasa raised an eyebrow. "What is going on?"
Mike hesitated for a second. Then, with steady eyes, he spoke.
"I have a system. Like in a game. I get quests. When I complete them I get stronger. Skills. Stats. Even items."
Kad blinked. "Wait what? Are you joking?"
"I am not." Mike held out his hand and a faint glow shimmered around his fingers for a moment. "I did not know how to explain it. But it is real."
Giel nodded. "He is telling the truth. I saw it during our simulation match. His abilities were not preloaded. They were his."
Lasa crossed her arms and watched Mike carefully. "And these quests? Where do they come from?"
"I do not know," Mike said. "I just get messages. Like from some unseen entity. When I accept them I am pulled into places. Fights. Challenges. When I return I have changed. Stronger."
Kad sat down slowly. "That is insane. And kind of awesome. But also terrifying."
Mike looked around the room. "I am not telling you this because I want praise. I am telling you because if something happens to me, or if this system ever turns on me, I do not want to take you down with me."
Lasa exhaled slowly. "You are taking a risk telling us this. But it also means you trust us."
"I do."
Giel stepped forward. "Then we will watch your back. Together."
Kad grinned faintly. "Guess we have a main character on our team."
They all laughed softly. The curfew bell rang. Time to separate. But something had shifted. They were not just teammates anymore. They were bound by something deeper now. Trust.
Three new messages appeared.
Message one
Pup you are now level 7 and since you have gotten stronger your stats have been changed again. Do not be surprised if they look different.
HP 500
Endurance 100
Strength 50
Magic 20
The Player Wolf has 50 stat points to distribute.
Mike allocated the points.
Strength 80
Magic 40
That felt good. He was far stronger than just a few days ago.
Message two opened
Hello Pup
Meet me in the Forest of Safes
Tonight at 5 AM
Who could have sent this and what did they want?
Message three
The Rank A key can now be used. Go to the training ground after 3 AM.
It was exactly 3 AM. Mike quietly slipped out of the room. There were no guards around. The system activated.
Camera attempted to record Player Wolf.
Successfully prevented.
Mike took the key from his inventory and held it to the elevator panel. A flash of lightning struck and Mike vanished. He found himself in a high rise building. The door would not open. A sign read:
Floor 1 Normal
Floor 2 Hard
Floor 3 @&?/
Huh what was with the third floor, he thought, whatever I will go to the first one first.
Mike stepped into the elevator.
Bing
Floor 1
He stepped out into a room where everything was burning. From the fire came zombies. How many? Three, six, eight, nine, fourteen. Fourteen zombies.
Mike raised his hand. "Pack Bite!" The wolves charged forward and not a single zombie was left standing.
System message
You can now summon the wolves directly. You do not need to use Pack Bite anymore.
Wolf 1 Enter name
Wolf 2 Enter name
Hm names, Mike thought. Pack and Bite.
He laughed. "What do you think? Pack and Bite." He petted them. "Okay, I will call you when I need you."
He ran down the hallway. More zombies appeared, but he moved fast and smashed them aside with single punches. Eventually he grew tired and paused on a staircase.
System menu
Weapons
Recipe
Craft
Bloodclaw
Bloodclaw was a weapon with three sharp spikes that fitted to the hand like a clawed knuckle weapon.
Bloodclaw obtained.
Equip
Troll Sword equipped.
Now he held the Troll Sword in one hand and the Bloodclaw in the other. He charged upward.
On the rooftop a zombie waited, bigger and stronger than the rest. Mike raised his sword and sliced off its head.
Floor Cleared 1
Proceed to Floor 2
Congratulations
You leveled up
Player Wolf Level 8
He continued. A strange elevator descended from the sky. Mike stepped inside.
After about two minutes
Bing Floor 2
System message
Floor 1 was easy, but now your strength will be truly tested.
A Lizardman appeared walking toward Mike. He dropped into a fighting stance.
"Pack!"
"Bite!"
Support me in this fight
The two wolves charged. Pack leapt high but the Lizardman swatted him away. Bite was kicked aside just as easily.
Mike jumped into the air. "Wolf Strike!" "Wolf Strike!"
A double Wolf Strike was enough.
Victory.
Mike Pack and Bite moved deeper into the burning building. More Lizardmen came, fewer than before. After defeating the nineteenth Lizardman a new message appeared.
System message
Congratulations Player Wolf
You have reached Level 9
"Yesss," Mike whispered.
He reached the staircase and climbed to the rooftop. The sky above had changed. Flames swirled like a storm.
Suddenly a massive figure spawned.
BOSS ENCOUNTER
Quest Eliminate the Giant Lizard
Reward +1 Level Up
Mike grinned. "Well then, let us go."
The giant lizard swung its massive tail. He jumped over it just in time but then the beast shot out its tongue and Mike was caught.
Inventory
He quickly equipped his sword in one hand and slashed through the tongue holding him. The lizard screamed.
Giant Lizard HP 2300
Status Bleeding 200 HP per minute
Mike realized he could not win by power alone. He had to play for time. He dashed in landed two solid kicks and backed off.
The lizard's eyes turned bright red.
Rage Mode Activated
Both rushed at each other. The lizard lunged in a straight line but Mike dodged sideways gritted his teeth and plunged his sword deep into the beast's belly. He pulled it straight through. The creature collapsed.
Giant Lizard Defeated
Level Up 10
Congratulations
Your transformation will begin shortly
Mike stood panting as the system whispered new promises and the rooftop burned out into silence.
Ding!
[System Update - Level 10 Reached]
Features Unlocked:
Shop unlocked
• New Wolf unlocked
• New Attack unlocked
• +5 Inventory Slots
• +50 Stat Points available
Mike stood still as the notifications flooded his vision.
Each line blinked for a second, then solidified.
A small grin formed on his face.
"Finally… it's getting real."
He opened the stat screen first:
Distribute 50 Stat Points
He quickly placed them:
• Strength: 100 (+20)
• Magic: 60 (+20)
• Endurance: 120 (+10)
Remaining Points: 0
Then, his eyes flicked to the newest message.
New Wolf Companion unlocked: "Fang"
Element: Fire
Type: Assault
From the flames behind him, a figure emerged — sleeker and larger than Pack or Bite.
It looked at Mike and bowed slightly.
"Name: Fang, huh?"
Mike smiled.
"Welcome to the team."
Next: he checked the new Attack.
Skill Unlocked: Infernal Rush
A high-speed fire-infused charge dealing massive impact damage.
Cooldown: 60 seconds
He looked down at his hands, feeling the new surge of magic pulsing in his arms.
And finally — the shop.
A glowing blue icon hovered in front of him, labeled simply: [WOLF SHOP]
Mike reached for it.
"Let's see what you've got for me…"
Mike placed all 50 stat points into one thing.
Endurance: 150
"Let's see how many Wolf Strikes I can do now," he said with a grin.
His body felt lighter, more stable, as if he could fight for hours without stopping.
But this time, no elevator appeared.
Instead, a staircase formed out of glowing stone, spiraling up into a newly appeared tower.
"Even higher…?"
Mike did not hesitate. He ran.
And ran.
And ran.
Until finally he reached the top.
There, waiting for him, a dragon. Massive. Wings like buildings. Its mouth spewed fire across the rooftop.
So you are the one who burned this whole building, Mike thought through clenched teeth.
He summoned his wolves.
"Pack! Bite! Strike!"
Why do I keep naming them like attack moves, he wondered.
Get him, boys, he shouted.
Before the wolves even made it halfway, the dragon incinerated them instantly.
Mike froze. Then he straightened, jaw set.
Okay. No holding back.
He charged.
A solid left punch. A strike to the dragon eye. Blood splattered, but the damage was not deep.
Now it was the dragon turn. It lunged, teeth wide. Mike jumped aside, but the dragon spun, caught him mid air with a massive wing, and flung him skyward.
Mike was trapped. Wind battered him as he rose higher and higher.
You want to fight in the air, he thought. Fine. Then I will show you what I have got.
He growled and launched everything.
Wolf Strike
Wolf Strike
Wolf Strike
Wolf Strike
Wolf Strike
WOLF STRIKE
Direct hits. All of them.
The dragon screamed and then plummeted. Mike fell with it. He could not move. Stamina was completely drained. Limbs stiff. Falling like a rock.
Damn, is this it? he thought.
Then Safe Place activated.
A bright flash. Mike vanished mid air. He reappeared safely on solid ground, gasping for breath. He was alive.
He lay there, breathing hard, heart pounding in his ears.
But if I leave the Safe Place, won t I still be in the air? he wondered.
A chill ran down his spine. He checked the system.
Remaining time in Safe Place 9 31 minutes
A new message blinked up.
Since the shop has been unlocked, currency has been activated.
Dragon defeated
5 Wolfis earned
Wolfis. That was the system currency. Mike could not help a small laugh.
What a cute name, he muttered, but this is no time to laugh.