"Is it good?" Onilia asked with a slight smirk.
Zane didn't even pause to taste the food. He was too afraid of dying again from another one of her terrifying punches.
"Yes! Thank you so much!" he said quickly, chewing fast. "Were you able to get a place to stay?"
"Yes," she replied casually. "I got one for you too."
Zane opened his mouth to decline, but then he remembered what happened when he declined her food and water—and how it felt to literally die from one punch.
"Thank you," he said, standing up straight like a soldier. "That's very kind of you."
He stretched his arms, already preparing to start jogging. "I should get back to training."
"You don't seem to know much," Onilia said, brushing some hair behind her ear. "Since you're still in the tutorial phase, I'll jog with you and fill you in."
"Y-Yes, ma'am—uh, I mean… thank you for your consideration," Zane stammered.
They began jogging side by side. It was tough at first. Every step felt like dragging iron chains through mud. But gradually, Zane adjusted. The more he pushed, the lighter his body became. The pain was still there, but it dulled as his muscles got used to the gravity.
Onilia began explaining things, her voice calm and steady.
"The System is still a mystery, even to Apex Rankers. But people from many planets have survived and thrived in it. The tutorial is just the beginning. It's meant to help you get used to your awakened abilities. After you become a Ranker, the System picks you to compete. Win, and you protect your planet. Lose... and your planet faces the risk of complete destruction."
Zane's eyes widened slightly, but he kept running, letting the words sink in.
"The strongest are called Apex Rankers. They're the top of the top. But above even them... are the Errors. They're rare, maybe less than a hundred in total. Each one is ranked by the danger they pose to existence itself. The lower the number, the more terrifying they are."
Zane slowed down a little, catching his breath. "What... about our trainer?"
Onilia gave him a side glance. "The one training us now is Error 005... Diakyn Zodiarch."
Zane nearly tripped over his own foot. "Wait—that guy? The one who laughed like he was gonna explode?"
"That's him," she said with a chuckle. "He's famous across galaxies for being powerful... and just a little unhinged."
"You're running now," Onilia pointed out.
Zane looked down at his feet. She was right—he wasn't just jogging anymore, he was running at full pace under the crushing gravity.
A wide grin broke out on his face. "I'm actually running!"
By the time they reached the base of the mountain, he was panting hard but smiling.
"See you later," Onilia said with a wave, and before he could reply, she dashed up the steep mountainside like it was a smooth path. Her body moved with unnatural grace, and in seconds, she was out of sight.
Zane stared at the mountain.
It towered into the sky, jagged and unforgiving. Clouds swirled around the middle like a protective barrier, and the top was nowhere to be seen. He swallowed hard.
"I should've just stayed on Earth," he muttered under his breath.
But then he clenched his fists.
"No… I have to do this. They probably have it worse back home. I need to get stronger—for Ariel."
With determination burning in his chest, Zane took his first step toward the mountain.
"Here we go."
[System Notification]
Player Zane walker has died.
One week later...
Zane could now reach the middle of the mountain with a little difficulty. Step by step, little by little, he pushed through the pain and pressure of the insane gravity. And finally—he made it. He stood at the summit.
His chest was heaving, but not as badly as before. Sweat rolled down his face, soaking his shirt, but his legs didn't feel like jelly anymore.
'Seven days left,' he thought, wiping his face with the back of his hand. Instead of resting, he began climbing back down, then up again. Over and over. He had made a decision—to keep going until climbing felt as easy as breathing.
Onilia showed up now and then with food and water. Zane never dared refuse anything she brought. Not after what happened last time.
Five days later, he reached the summit again. This time, his breathing was steady. He stood tall, no longer shaking, his body stronger than before.
As he got to the top, he noticed a crowd had gathered. Some were cheering, others stared with wide eyes.
"Hey! He actually made it! Is this what you call a miracle? I win the bet!" one guy shouted as others grumbled and began exchanging strange-looking glowing stone coins.
'These bastards... were they betting on me to fail?'
"Follow me," Onilia said, waving him over casually like nothing had happened. Zane followed her as she led him to a nearby building.
It was stunning—sleek, futuristic walls with glowing lines, a small garden out front, and a view of the mountain that could steal your breath.
'Wait... I get to live here?'
Just as he was soaking in the moment, another voice cut through the air.
"I've got a problem, Onilia," said Drex, an Ascendant rank-a rank directly below Apex and above Primordial. He stood with his arms crossed, and a few others gathered behind him, watching closely.
Onilia didn't even look at him. "What is it this time?"
"I don't care that you picked a nice spot for yourself—you were the first to arrive, that's fair. But why choose a place for him too?" Drex said, pointing at Zane. "What about the rest of us? We're bunking in twos or threes, and he gets a whole building alone? He was the last to arrive. How's that fair? "
The others murmured in agreement.
"He's right," Nenis added. She was one of the five Apex-ranked trainees—dead serious and respected by everyone.
Onilia clicked her tongue and finally turned to look at Drex. "Tch. Fine. Take it then." She grabbed Zane by the wrist. "Come with me."
Of all people… Nenis?
She didn't want anything to do with that woman. Not because she feared her, but because she could never figure her out. One of the five Apex among them, Nenis was an enigma. Onilia had arrived first, claiming territory early to ensure space and privacy. Yet Nenis, of all people, had shown up tenth. Tenth. As if none of this mattered to her.
And now she was standing there, picking sides? Since when did Nenis care about fairness?
'She could've come earlier. Taken the best spot herself. But she didn't. Why? What is she planning?'
Zane didn't argue. He followed in silence, choosing not to test her mood.
"Uh... where exactly are we going?" he asked. There were only three days left before the real training began. He would've preferred to stretch or rest, not get involved in drama.
"To my quarters," Onilia said flatly. "We're living together from now on."
Zane stopped in his tracks. "Wait—what?!"
*****
Far away from the training zone, tension built. Jason landed hard, standing between the advancing Geminis and the Zone gates. His awakened brothers touched down behind him, ready.
On the city walls, Blake, his third son and Ariel stood, watching the scene unfold below.
Jason cracked his knuckles, his eyes locked on the enemy.
"Let's do this."
The Geminis charging at them weren't ordinary creatures. They were ranked Geminis—ugly, twisted things with thick, armored hides, claws like blades, and glowing eyes filled with rage. Though they were lower in rank compared to elites like the Whisperkin, they were still deadly. These monsters had destroyed entire cities, crushed tanks, and ripped through heavily armed squads like paper.
Jason stood at the front of the group, eyes sharp, lips curled into a slight grin. He wasn't scared. He was thrilled.
His body pulsed with power. The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly, responding to the pressure rolling off him. The faint shimmer of energy danced around his frame like heatwaves. Behind him, his two brothers stood with a few awakened soldiers, each one tensed and breathing hard. The atmosphere was thick—like the air before a thunderstorm.
The land around them was wrecked. Blackened trees stood like broken spears, and the earth was full of scorch marks and craters. A cold wind blew across the field, carrying with it the stench of blood and rot. The sky, once light, had turned gray and heavy with clouds, almost as if the heavens themselves were watching.
A low growl rumbled across the battlefield.
The monsters came fast. Hulking shapes slammed through the trees, knocking them down like matchsticks. Dirt and broken branches flew through the air. Their roars were so loud they made the soldiers flinch.
Jason didn't move. Not yet. He waited.
Then—like a shot—he dashed forward.
His feet barely touched the ground. He twisted his body, dodging the first beast's lunge, then spun low and slammed his palm into its gut. The impact sent a shockwave through the creature's body. It flew backward, crashing into its own kind and knocking three of them over.
Another monster came from the side, swinging a massive claw. Jason ducked, grabbed its wrist mid-swing, and with a grunt, flipped it over his shoulder. The beast's body hit the ground with a boom, shaking the dirt.
"Focus! Don't let them surround us!" he barked.
From the back, his fourth brother raised a glowing hand. Sparks of energy gathered at his fingertips. He muttered an incantation, and blue streaks of lightning shot forward, crackling through the air. The bolts slammed into the monsters' sides, lighting them up like fireworks. Some screamed as they burned; others kept charging.
One of the awakened soldiers stepped forward, punching the ground. A burst of sharp stone spikes erupted beneath a charging beast, piercing its legs and pinning it down. Another soldier clenched his fists and released a shockwave from his body, knocking back a cluster of enemies.
Still, more came.
Jason was everywhere. He dodged, leapt, flipped, and struck. Every move was clean, sharp, and fast—like a master martial artist in a deadly dance. He used the monsters' size against them, twisting under their limbs, leaping off their backs, and striking vital points with brutal precision.
A beast lunged at him from above, but Jason somersaulted backward mid-air, then landed in a low crouch. He rushed forward and unleashed a flurry of punches, each hit leaving cracks on the beast's armor. His final strike shattered its skull with a loud crunch.
His fourth and fifth brothers kept supporting from the back, summoning bursts of fire and wind to throw off the monsters' rhythm. At one point, his fourth brother created a wave of frost that spread across the ground, freezing several beasts in place.
The soldiers fought hard, too. One wrestled a monster to the ground, locking its arm and slamming its head repeatedly into a rock until it stopped moving. Another charged with bare hands glowing, punching a beast so hard its jaw snapped clean off.
Blood sprayed. Dirt flew. Roars filled the air. But none of the defenders stepped back.
Jason's body was soaked with sweat and blood—most of it not his own. But he didn't slow down. Every time he exhaled, he felt more alive. Every movement was faster, sharper, stronger.
He leapt onto a beast's back, slammed his knee into its spine, then grabbed its horn and twisted until it broke with a sickening crack. The beast dropped, limp.
Still more came.
But Jason stood tall, breathing heavily, his eyes blazing with fire.
"Come on," he muttered, cracking his neck. "Let's see what else you've got."
Behind him, his brothers and the soldiers regrouped, panting but still standing. The monsters growled and circled—but they hadn't broken the line.
Not yet.
And Jason wasn't planning on letting them.