Rama woke at 5:30 AM to the sound of Sekar's alarm.
She stirred beside him, reaching out instinctively to pull him closer. Even half-asleep, her grip was possessive, arms wrapping around him like chains.
"Five more minutes," she mumbled against his chest.
"You have that meeting at seven," Rama reminded her gently.
"Don't care. Want to stay here with you."
It would have been romantic if her hold wasn't crushing his ribs.
"Sekar. Breathing. Need it."
She loosened her grip slightly, pressing a kiss to his collarbone. "Sorry. You're just so warm."
Translation: You're mine and I'm never letting go.
Rama had learned to read her subtext over the years.
Finally, Sekar's second alarm blared—this one set to a heavy metal song specifically because she couldn't ignore it. She groaned and rolled away, stumbling toward the bathroom.
The moment she closed the door, Rama pulled up the System interface.
[DAILY QUEST: BASIC TRAINING]
[PROGRESS: 0/100 push-ups, 0/100 sit-ups, 0/100 squats, 0/10km run]
[TIME REMAINING: 18 hours, 32 minutes]
He had time. Barely.
Sekar's morning routine was exactly forty-three minutes. Shower, skincare, makeup, hair, dressed. She was military-precise about it.
Rama slipped out of bed and moved to the living room.
He dropped and started doing push-ups, counting silently.
The first twenty were easy. His new Strength stat made his body feel light, responsive. By fifty, he wasn't even breathing hard. At seventy-five, he realized he could probably do five hundred without breaking a sweat.
The System had changed everything.
[78... 79... 80...]
"What are you doing?"
Rama froze mid-push-up.
Sekar stood in the bathroom doorway, towel wrapped around her body, hair dripping wet, eyes narrowed.
"Exercise," Rama said, completing the push-up and standing smoothly. "Trying to stay in shape."
"You never exercise."
"I'm starting."
"Why?"
Because I have superhuman stats now and need to maintain the illusion of normalcy, Rama thought.
"Because I want to be healthier," he said aloud. "Maybe if I'm in better shape, I can help more in raids."
Sekar's expression softened immediately. She crossed the room, cupping his face with both hands.
"You don't need to change anything," she said firmly. "You're perfect exactly as you are."
"I know. But I want to try anyway."
She studied him for a long moment, then sighed. "Okay. But don't overdo it. If you get hurt, I'll be very upset."
"I'll be careful."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Satisfied, Sekar returned to the bathroom.
Rama waited ten seconds, then continued his push-ups in silence, reaching one hundred exactly as he heard the hair dryer turn on.
[PUSH-UPS COMPLETE: 100/100]
[REWARD: +0.1 Strength]
Incremental gains. But they added up.
He moved through sit-ups and squats quickly, finishing both sets before Sekar emerged fully dressed in her guild master uniform—white coat with gold trim, the Eternal Bond emblem prominent on the back.
"I'll be in meetings until two," she announced, checking her reflection one final time. "Then I have a dungeon inspection with the association. I should be home by eight."
"Okay."
"What are you doing today?"
"Errands. Maybe visit the market again."
Sekar's eyes narrowed slightly. "The market."
"We're low on vegetables."
"We have vegetables."
"Fresh vegetables."
She stepped closer, invading his space again, her S-Rank aura pressing against him like a physical weight. "Rama. Are you hiding something from me?"
Yes, Rama thought. Everything.
"No," he said calmly. "Why would I hide anything?"
"I don't know. But you've been different. Since yesterday."
"Different how?"
"I can't explain it." She touched his chest, right over his heart. "Something changed. I can feel it."
Her intuition was terrifying. Even with Presence Concealment active, she sensed something was off.
Rama took her hand, squeezing gently. "I'm the same person I've always been. I promise."
Sekar searched his eyes for deception. Found none—because Rama had spent years perfecting his poker face.
Finally, she relented. "Okay. But if something's wrong, you'll tell me. Right?"
"Of course."
"Good." She kissed him softly. "I love you."
"Love you too."
Sekar grabbed her briefcase and headed for the door. But she paused at the threshold, glancing back.
"Rama?"
"Yeah?"
"If anyone bothers you today—anyone at all—you call me immediately. Understand?"
"I will."
"I'm serious. I don't care if I'm in a meeting with the president himself. You call, I answer."
"I know."
Satisfied, she left.
Rama waited until the elevator doors closed and her presence completely vanished from the building.
Then he checked the clock.
6:47 AM. The meeting with the mysterious Players was at 10 AM.
He had three hours and thirteen minutes to complete a ten-kilometer run, prepare, and figure out if he was walking into a trap.
9:53 AM - JALAN SUDIRMAN, JAKARTA
The coffee shop was called "Awakened Grounds"—a Hunter-themed café popular with low and mid-rank Hunters. The walls displayed framed photos of famous dungeon clears. The menu had items named after monster types.
Rama entered exactly seven minutes early, scanning the interior.
Twenty-three customers. Mostly D and C-Rank Hunters based on their auras. A few civilians. Nobody paying him any attention.
He ordered a coffee—something called a "Goblin's Brew"—and took a seat in the back corner with clear sightlines to both entrances.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown: Table by the window. Three people. We're already here.
Rama looked toward the window.
Three individuals sat at a corner booth. They waved.
He approached cautiously, keeping his hand near his inventory where he'd stored a combat knife—just in case.
The first person was a woman in her late twenties, wearing casual clothes but radiating quiet confidence. B-Rank at least, based on her aura.
The second was a young man, maybe nineteen, fidgeting nervously. C-Rank.
The third was older, early forties, with scarred hands and the bearing of a veteran Hunter. A-Rank.
"Rama Kusuma," the woman said, gesturing to the empty seat. "Please, sit. We've been waiting."
Rama sat but didn't relax. "You know my name. I don't know yours."
"Fair." She extended her hand. "I'm Sari. No last name necessary. This is Adi"—she indicated the young man—"and that's Budi."
The older man nodded but didn't speak.
"You said there are other Players," Rama said quietly. "Prove it."
Sari smiled and raised her hand.
A translucent blue screen materialized above her palm—identical to Rama's System interface.
[PLAYER: SARI]
[LEVEL: 34]
[CLASS: PHANTOM BLADE]
Adi followed suit, his screen appearing with slightly different formatting.
[PLAYER: ADI]
[LEVEL: 28]
[CLASS: SHADOW MAGE]
Budi simply tapped the table, and a status window appeared in the air.
[PLAYER: BUDI]
[LEVEL: 41]
[CLASS: STEEL WARDEN]
Three Players. All higher level than Rama.
"How many are there?" Rama asked. "Total?"
"In Indonesia? Seventeen confirmed," Sari said. "Worldwide? We estimate around three hundred, but communication is difficult. The System doesn't provide a chat function."
"Why me? Why contact me now?"
"Because you solo-cleared a C-Rank gate as a registered E-Rank," Budi spoke for the first time, his voice gravelly. "That's not just impressive. That's impossible. It means your System is active and you don't know the rules yet."
"What rules?"
"First rule," Sari said, leaning forward. "Never reveal your Player status to non-Players. The moment the guilds or government find out about the System, they'll try to control us. Weaponize us. Dissect us to figure out how it works."
"Second rule," Adi added. "Don't trust other Players completely. Some use the System for good. Others don't. There's no Player alliance. No unified goal. We're competitors as much as allies."
"Third rule," Budi continued. "The System has a purpose. We don't know what it is yet, but the quests aren't random. They're training us for something. Something big."
Rama absorbed this. "You said seventeen in Indonesia. Are you all in contact?"
"Loosely. We have a network. Monthly meetings. Information exchange. But it's voluntary. Some Players prefer to work alone." Sari paused. "We're offering you a choice. Join the network, share information, help each other survive. Or stay solo and figure everything out yourself."
"What's the catch?"
"Smart question." Sari smiled. "The catch is that information isn't free. If you join, you contribute. Share your quest types, your skill discoveries, dungeon strategies. We pool knowledge so everyone gets stronger faster."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you leave, we never contact you again, and you're on your own. No hard feelings."
Rama considered. The offer made sense. But there was one massive problem.
"I can't meet regularly," he said carefully. "I have commitments."
"Your wife," Budi said flatly. "Sekar Aditya. S-Rank. Guild Master. And reportedly very protective."
They'd done their homework.
"She can't know," Rama said firmly. "About any of this."
"We figured." Sari pulled out a small device—looked like a simple USB drive. "This is a secure communication tool. Encrypted. Untraceable. Works through the System interface. You can contact us anytime without leaving digital footprints your wife can track."
She slid it across the table.
Rama picked it up. The moment his fingers touched it, text appeared.
[ITEM RECEIVED: PLAYER NETWORK COMMUNICATOR]
[INTEGRATE WITH SYSTEM? YES/NO]
He mentally selected YES.
The USB dissolved into particles of light that flowed into his palm. A new menu appeared in his System interface—a communication tab with seventeen names listed.
"Welcome to the network," Sari said. "Now, let's talk about what you really need to know."
"Which is?"
"How to hide from an S-Rank yandere wife while leveling to godhood." Adi grinned. "Because brother, if anyone needs help with that, it's you."
Despite everything, Rama laughed.
For the first time since receiving the System, he didn't feel completely alone.
"Tell me everything," he said.
And they did.
11:47 AM
Rama left the café with a head full of information.
Quest patterns. Skill synergies. Hidden dungeon locations. How to exploit the System's mechanics. Everything the network had learned over the past two years since the first Players appeared.
Most importantly, they'd given him a warning.
"There's another group," Sari had said. "Players who think the System makes them superior. They call themselves the Ascended. They're dangerous, aggressive, and they don't play nice with others. If you encounter them, run."
Rama had filed that away for later.
His phone buzzed. A message from Sekar.
"How's your day, darling? Missing you. ❤️"
He typed back quickly.
"Good. Just finished errands. Thinking of you too."
Her response was immediate.
"Come have lunch with me? I'm free until 2."
It wasn't really a request.
"On my way."
Rama dismissed the System interface and headed toward Sekar's guild headquarters.
He was living two lives now. The weak husband. The hidden Player.
And somehow, he had to balance both without either world discovering the other.
The game had just gotten infinitely more complicated.
But as Rama walked through Jakarta's crowded streets, he felt something he hadn't felt in years.
Hope.
He wasn't the weakest anymore.
And soon, everyone would know it.
[QUEST COMPLETE: THE GATHERING]
[REWARD: PLAYER NETWORK ACCESS]
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: SILENT COMMUNICATION]
[BONUS REWARD: +5 INTELLIGENCE]
[HIDDEN QUEST TRIGGERED: DOUBLE LIFE]
[OBJECTIVE: MAINTAIN YOUR SECRET FOR 30 DAYS]
[REWARD: UNIQUE CLASS EVOLUTION]
[FAILURE PENALTY: YOUR WIFE DISCOVERS THE TRUTH]
Rama read the last line and grimaced.
Thirty days of lying to Sekar.
Thirty days of hiding his power.
Thirty days of being the perfect, weak, devoted husband.
This was going to be hell.