One month later.
Kaelen had killed thirty-seven mutated creatures.
He knew the exact number because the system tracked it. Every kill. Every drop of experience. Every incremental step toward power.
[Level 4: 220 / 500 XP]
Four levels in a month. It didn't sound like much, but Crust had explained that the early levels were meant to be fast—a way to build foundation and confidence. After Level 10, the requirements would start increasing exponentially.
But for now, Kaelen was making progress.
And so was Ryker.
His friend had taken to their hunting trips with frightening enthusiasm. While Kaelen couldn't give Ryker a system—that was bound to his divine soul—he could teach him how to fight. How to move. How to read the wasteland and predict where creatures would be.
Ryker was a natural. Quick. Adaptive. Fearless to the point of stupidity.
More than once, Kaelen had to save him from his own recklessness.
But they were getting better. Stronger. And the money they made from selling mutant parts had given them something they'd never had before.
Options.
"Check it out," Ryker said, grinning as he held up a battered combat knife. "Got it from Old Han. Cost me forty credits, but it's way better than that piece of scrap I was using."
They were sitting in Ryker's family apartment—a cramped space that felt more like home than anywhere else Kaelen had been in this life. Mira was cooking something that actually smelled good, and Dane was asleep in the corner, his prosthetic arm resting on his chest.
Kaelen examined the knife. It was military-grade—or had been, once. The blade was chipped and the handle was worn, but it was solid. Real.
"Not bad," Kaelen admitted. "Just try not to lose it on our next hunt."
"Hey, I've only lost one weapon. That doesn't count."
"You dropped it while running from a mutated wolf. It absolutely counts."
"Details."
Mira laughed from the kitchen. "You two sound like an old married couple."
Both boys made identical disgusted faces, and she laughed harder.
"Mom, please," Ryker groaned. "That's disturbing."
"I'm just saying. You're inseparable." She brought over two bowls of stew—actual stew, with chunks of meat and vegetables—and set them on the table. "Eat. You're both too skinny."
"Where did you get real food?" Kaelen asked, staring at the bowl.
"Your hunting money." Mira smiled warmly. "Dane and I have been saving up. We're... we're thinking about moving. Getting out of the shelter. Maybe finding a real apartment."
Kaelen's chest tightened. "That's... that's great."
"It's because of you two," she continued, sitting down across from them. "I know what you're doing is dangerous. And I worry every single time you leave. But you've given us hope. A chance at something better."
Ryker beamed. "See? We're heroes."
"You're reckless idiots," Mira corrected. "But you're our reckless idiots."
Kaelen looked down at his stew, his throat tight.
Family.
He'd destroyed his family once. Destroyed an entire world.
But maybe... maybe he could protect this one.
"Sentiment," Crust observed. "How quaint."
"Shut up."
"Huh?" Ryker looked at him.
"Nothing. Just... thinking out loud."
Later that night, Kaelen stood on the roof of the shelter, staring out at the wasteland.
The moon was full tonight—or what passed for a moon in this polluted sky. It cast a pale, sickly light over the ruins, making everything look ghostly.
Kaelen activated his new skill.
[Divine Sense]
Immediately, his awareness expanded. He could feel the world around him—the people sleeping in the shelter below, the rats scurrying through the alleys, the distant presence of something large moving through the wasteland.
It was intoxicating. And terrifying.
Because the more he used his powers, the more he felt Crust stirring inside him.
The chains were weakening.
Slowly. But steadily.
"How much longer?" Kaelen asked quietly.
"Until what?"
"Until you break free."
Crust was silent for a long moment.
"Years. Decades, perhaps. It depends on how fast you grow. The stronger you become, the weaker the chains. But don't worry, little god. When the time comes, you'll be strong enough to stop me. Or join me."
"I'll never join you."
"We'll see."
A noise made Kaelen turn.
Someone was climbing up to the roof—moving quietly, but not quietly enough.
Kaelen's hand instinctively moved to the knife at his belt. But then he recognized the figure.
It was a girl.
She was around his age—maybe a year older—with dark skin, short black hair, and sharp, intelligent eyes. She wore patched clothes like everyone else, but there was something different about her. Something... cleaner.
She froze when she saw him.
For a moment, they just stared at each other.
Then she spoke. "You're Kaelen, right?"
He nodded slowly. "Who are you?"
"Lira." She took a cautious step closer. "I've been watching you."
Kaelen's hand tightened on his knife. "Why?"
"Because you're different." She sat down on the edge of the roof, dangling her legs over the side. "You and your friend. Everyone's talking about you two. How you go outside the walls. How you come back with mutant parts. How you always survive."
"What's your point?"
"My point is, people don't survive the wasteland. Not without equipment. Not without training. And definitely not at four years old." She looked at him. "So either you're the luckiest kid in The Undercroft... or you're something else."
Kaelen's pulse quickened. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do." Lira's gaze was sharp. Calculating. "I saw you three days ago. You were fighting a mutated dog. And you did something. Your hands glowed. And the dog just... exploded."
Damn it.
"She's clever," Crust observed. "And observant. Dangerous combination."
"If you're going to turn me in—"
"I'm not going to turn you in," Lira interrupted. "I want in."
Kaelen blinked. "What?"
"I want to come with you. On your hunts." She leaned forward. "Look, I'm not stupid. I know you've got powers or tech or something. And I know you're making money. Good money. I need that money."
"Why?"
Her expression darkened. "Because my brother is sick. Really sick. And the only medicine that can help him is sold in the upper city. It costs more than my family will make in ten years." She looked him in the eye. "So I'm asking. Please. Let me help you. And in return, I'll keep your secret."
Kaelen studied her face, searching for deception.
But all he saw was desperation.
And determination.
"What do you think?" he asked Crust silently.
"I think she's a liability. But also... potentially useful. She's resourceful. Willing to take risks. And if her brother truly is sick, she has motivation. Motivated people fight harder."
"And if she betrays us?"
"Then you kill her."
Kaelen suppressed a shudder.
"Fine," he said finally. "You can come. But you follow my rules. You do exactly what I say. And if you put Ryker or yourself in danger, you're out. Understood?"
Lira's face lit up. "Understood. Thank you. You won't regret this."
"I'd better not."
The next morning, Kaelen introduced Lira to Ryker.
"Absolutely not," Ryker said immediately.
"Ryker—"
"No. No way. We don't know her. She could be a spy. Or a thief. Or—"
"Or she could be useful," Kaelen interrupted. "She's fast. She's smart. And she's motivated."
"She's also a stranger!"
"So were you, once," Mira's voice came from behind them. She was standing in the doorway, arms crossed. "Kaelen was a stranger when we took him in. And look how that turned out."
Ryker deflated. "That's different."
"How?"
"Because... because..." He sighed. "Fine. But if she gets us killed, I'm haunting you."
Lira grinned. "Deal."
Their first hunt as a group of three happened that afternoon.
Kaelen had scouted a section of the wasteland that was relatively safe—an old industrial zone where smaller mutants tended to gather. Nothing too dangerous. Just enough to test how Lira handled herself.
"Stay behind me and Ryker," Kaelen instructed as they approached the ruins. "Don't engage unless I tell you to. And if I say run, you run. No arguments."
"Got it, boss," Lira said, hefting a metal pipe she'd brought as a weapon.
They moved through the ruins carefully, Kaelen using Divine Sense to track nearby creatures.
"Three mutated rats. Level 1 and 2. Northeast, thirty meters."
"Ryker, Lira—with me."
They found the rats scavenging through a pile of garbage. The creatures looked up as they approached, eyes glowing red, teeth bared.
"Lira, watch how we do this," Kaelen said quietly.
He raised his hand, focusing his power.
[Divine Burst]
Golden light shot from his palm, slamming into the lead rat and sending it flying. Ryker charged forward, knife flashing, and stabbed the second rat before it could react.
The third rat tried to flee—
But Lira was already moving.
She swung her pipe in a wide arc, catching the rat in the side and sending it tumbling. Before it could recover, she brought the pipe down on its skull.
Hard.
The rat stopped moving.
[You have assisted in slaying: Mutated Rat - Level 1]
[Experience Gained: 8 XP]
Kaelen stared at her. "You've done this before."
Lira wiped blood off her pipe, her expression calm. "My dad used to take me scavenging. Before he died. I know how to fight."
Ryker whistled. "Okay. I take it back. She's cool."
Kaelen nodded slowly. "Good work. But don't get cocky. We got lucky. Next time, we might not."
"Understood."
They harvested the rat parts and continued deeper into the industrial zone.
Over the next two hours, they killed six more creatures—rats, a mutated lizard, and something that might have been a cat once.
Kaelen reached 250 XP. Halfway to Level 5.
And Lira... Lira kept up. No complaints. No hesitation.
By the time they returned to the city, Kaelen had made his decision.
She was in.
That night, as Kaelen lay in his pod, a new notification appeared.
[Quest Available: The Ruins of Memory]
[Description: Deep within the wasteland lies a place from your past. Find it. Remember it. Face the truth.]
[Reward: Skill Upgrade Token, 500 XP]
[Accept? Yes / No]
Kaelen stared at the glowing text.
A place from his past.
The ruins.
The kingdom he destroyed.
"Finally," Crust purred. "The system is guiding you. This is important, little god. Accept it."
"What if I'm not ready?"
"You'll never be ready. But you'll do it anyway. Because you need to know the truth."
Kaelen hesitated.
Then he reached out and selected [Yes].
The notification vanished, replaced by a new one.
[Quest Accepted. New Waypoint Marked on Map.]
Kaelen closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he would face his past.