Zack's breathing was heavy in the silent, gray dimension. The five Kobolds from Wave 2 charged, yipping and snarling.
This time, there was no fear. Only cold focus.
He had 5.1 Strength now. It was a tiny, almost laughable improvement, but it was more. He met the first Kobold's charge, not with a clumsy brawl, but with a deliberate, brutal punch to its throat. The creature gagged, and Zack finished it with a second strike to its temple.
He took a club to his back—pain flashed, but it was duller than before. His 5 points in Defense were still pathetic, but his mind was sharper. He used the monsters' own momentum against them, tripping one into another and stomping on a fallen creature's hand to make it drop its weapon.
It was ugly, messy, and ruthless. But it was working.
When the last of the five Kobolds dissolved, Zack was breathing hard, his shoulder aching. Three new cubes hovered in the air.
[Small Blue Cube (Agility +0.1)]
[Small Green Cube (Stamina +0.1)]
[Small Red Cube (Strength +0.1)]
He absorbed them one by one. The blue cube sent a light, quick feeling through his legs. The green one eased his aching lungs. He felt... better.
"Again," he commanded.
[Spawning F-Rank Wave 3: Kobold x 7]
He fought. He bled. He won. This time, a yellow cube and a white cube appeared.
[Small Yellow Cube (Defense +0.1)]
[Small White Cube (Spirit +0.1)]
He absorbed them. His Spirit stat was now 5.1. Out of curiosity, he tried to cast his Healer skill.
[Minor Soothe]
A pale green light, the size of his palm, appeared. It was still weak, but it was noticeably brighter than before. It could probably cure a bad headache now. He placed it on his bruised shoulder, and a faint warmth spread, easing the ache just a little.
"So the Healer class scales with Spirit, too," he muttered. "Good to know."
He kept going. Wave 4 had ten Kobolds. Wave 5 had fifteen. By the end of Wave 10, he was fighting a small army of thirty F-Rank Kobolds and was covered in wounds. But he had won.
When the last monster vanished, the gray space was littered with glowing cubes. He walked through, absorbing every single one. Strength. Agility. Stamina. Defense. Spirit. He felt power—real, tangible power—fill his body for the first time.
[F-Rank Wave Mode (Day 1) Complete.]
[Returning Host to real world.]
His vision blurred, and he was back in the collection room. He stumbled, his muscles screaming from the phantom fight. He checked his watch. No time had passed.
He brought up his internal System Menu.
[Zackary Cole]
Rank: F (Beginner)
Class: Healer / God-Eater (Mythical)
Stats:
Strength: 7.2
Agility: 6.9
Stamina: 7.5
Spirit: 6.5
Defense: 7.0
He was still F-Rank. His watch still showed all 5s to the outside world. But he was stronger. He had taken his first step.
The system's message was clear: [Parallel Dimension Cooldown: 23:59:58].
One entry per day.
"Fine," Zack said to the empty room. "One day at a time."
One week passed.
To the outside world, Zackary Cole was the same. He was the quiet, kind, F-Rank Healer who was slowly losing his family's company. He went to the office, sat in meetings, and took the thinly veiled insults from Mr. Barros and the other board members.
But every night, he returned to the collection room.
Every night, he entered the Parallel Dimension.
And every night, he became the God-Eater.
The F-Rank waves became easier. He learned to fight. He was no Warrior, but he was a brawler. His ruthless efficiency grew. He learned to dodge, to parry with a stolen club, and to kill in a single, brutal motion.
His stats climbed steadily.
At the end of his seventh day of grinding, his stat panel looked very different.
[Zackary Cole]
Rank: F (Peak)
Class: Healer / God-Eater (Mythical)
Stats:
Strength: 28.5
Agility: 27.9
Stamina: 29.0
Spirit: 27.5
Defense: 28.2
He was close. The 30-point requirement for all stats was almost met. He felt the difference in every breath. The world felt... slower. He was stronger, faster, and his mind was clearer than ever before.
The next morning, he went to the office. As he stepped out of the elevator, Mr. Barros was waiting for him, his face red with annoyance.
"Kid," Barros grunted, blocking his path. "I told you to sign the warehouse papers. My buyers are getting impatient."
"I'm still reading the contract, Mr. Barros," Zack said. His voice was calm and even.
"Reading?" Barros scoffed. "What's an F-Rank pipsqueak like you know about reading contracts? Just sign it."
Barros, a non-Awakened but physically large man, shoved Zack's shoulder. He expected the kid to stumble back, like he always did.
Zack didn't move.
With nearly 29 points in Defense and Strength, the shove from a normal human felt like a gentle push. Zack just stood there, his feet planted.
He looked up and met the older man's eyes. His expression was still kind, but his eyes were cold. Ice cold.
"I'll sign it," Zack said, his voice quiet, "when I'm finished reading."
Barros's angry words caught in his throat. He was suddenly, deeply unsettled by the look in the kid's eyes. He'd never seen that look before. He saw the F-Rank Healer status on Zack's watch, grunted in confusion, and then stormed off. "Fine! But you're wasting my time, kid!"
Zack watched him go, then calmly walked to his office.
Later that day, Emily stopped by.
"You look... better," she said, leaning against his desk. "Standing up straighter. Did you finally get some sleep?"
"Something like that," Zack smiled. "I've been... meditating. It helps. Want to spar?"
Emily's eyes lit up. "Finally! Yes. Let's go."
They stood in the training room, wooden swords in hand. "Ready?" Emily asked, taking her D-Rank (Beginner) stance. Her stats were all around 40.
"Ready," Zack said.
Emily moved. To Zack, a week ago, she was a blur.
Now, with his Agility at 28, he could see her.
She wasn't a blur. She was just fast. He could follow the path of her sword. He knew he wasn't strong enough to beat her, but he could react.
Clack! He blocked her first tap.
Clack! He blocked her second.
Emily's smile faded. She sped up, her D-Rank power flowing. "Not bad, Zack! You're focused!"
She swung for his ribs, a move he'd never seen coming before. This time, he saw it. He raised his wooden sword and blocked it perfectly.
CLACK!
The sound was loud. The force of the blow vibrated up Emily's arm, making her hand sting. She stumbled back a step, her eyes wide with shock.
She had used real D-Rank power in that swing, expecting to end the spar. He had blocked it. Solidly.
"Zack..." she said, staring. "How... how did you do that?"
Zack winced, realizing his mistake. He'd shown too much. He quickly dropped his sword and rubbed his arm, putting on his kind, slightly confused face.
"Wow, I guess I just got lucky," he said, forcing a nervous laugh. "Honestly, I think my [Minor Soothe] skill is getting stronger. My Spirit stat must have gone up a point or two. It's... uh... helping me focus?"
Emily stared at him, her mind racing. A Healer skill helping him block a D-Rank Warrior's attack? It made no sense. She scanned his watch again.
[Zackary Cole. Rank: F (Beginner). Class: Healer.]
It was the same as always. It had to be a fluke.
"...Right," she said slowly, lowering her sword. "A lucky block. Good one, Zack. My arm is actually tingling."
"Sorry," he said, giving her his best "F-Rank Healer" smile.
She left soon after, still looking puzzled. The moment she was gone, Zack's smile vanished.
He had to be more careful.
That night, he stood in the collection room, his hand on the cold stone statue. He checked his stats. All were above 29. He was ready.
He activated the system. The world dissolved.
[Welcome, Host. Daily Entry Confirmed.]
[Host E-Rank Requirement (30 in ALL 5) is nearly met.]
[Spawning F-Rank Promotion Challenge: 'Kobold Chieftain' (Peak F-Rank) x 1, 'Kobold Warriors' (Mid F-Rank) x 10.]
In the gray space, a large, scarred Kobold, nearly twice the size of the others, appeared. It wore crude leather armor and held a jagged metal axe. Its stats were all close to 30. It was surrounded by ten of its smaller, club-wielding brethren.
Zack looked at the small army that would have terrified him a week ago.
A ruthless smile touched his lips. His God-Eater instincts hummed.
"Finally," he whispered. "A real fight."