Forty-six hours before the Category 3 surge, Ark went shopping.
Not at a store — those were either looted or closed. He went to the rift zones.
Three of them were within walking distance of his apartment, all classified as Minor Rifts producing Level 1-5 creatures. The military had cordoned them off, but the cordons were thin — mostly barricade tape and a few guardsmen who looked like they'd rather be anywhere else. The real combat-class awakened were being funneled toward the defense staging areas for the surge.
Ark needed materials. The Blacksmith class needed metal. The Alchemist class needed reagents. The Enchanter class needed mana crystals. And the only reliable source of all three was the monsters coming out of the rifts.
He approached the nearest rift zone at dawn, wearing dark clothes, a hooded jacket, and a messenger bag. The Assassin and Scout classes were active, painting the environment in threat assessment and mapping data. The third slot was occupied by the Warrior class, ready for combat.
**[Rift Zone: Meridian Park (Former)]**
**[Classification: Minor Rift — Threat Level: E+]**
**[Active Creatures: 7 Rift Crawlers (Level 2-4), 3 Mana Slimes (Level 1-2), 1 Shade Wisp (Level 3)]**
Meridian Park had been a pleasant two-block green space with a fountain and dog-walking paths. Now the fountain was cracked in half, leaking water that glowed faintly blue with mana contamination. The trees were twisted, their bark darkened, leaves curling into shapes that suggested the mana was mutating them. And the rift — a vertical tear in reality about ten feet tall — pulsed at the park's center like a wound that wouldn't close.
The Rift Crawlers were scattered around the park, feeding on ambient mana. The Mana Slimes clung to the fountain, absorbing the contaminated water. The Shade Wisp drifted between the trees, a translucent figure that left cold spots in the air.
Seven Rift Crawlers. At Level 2-4, each one was stronger than the Level 3 he'd killed on Day 1. And he had to fight them without attracting the military cordon.
**[Assassin Class: Stealth approach. Eliminate one at a time. Use Shadow Step for repositioning.]**
**[Warrior Class: Head-on assault. Draw them out and cut them down.]**
**[Analyst Class: Compromise. Stealth engagement on isolated targets. Switch to combat if detected. Prioritize the Level 4 — it will drop better materials.]**
Ark went with the Analyst's plan.
He circled the park, staying in the shadows of the mutated trees. The Scout class tracked all eleven creatures' movement patterns, building a mental model of their patrol routes. The Assassin class identified engagement windows — moments when a creature was isolated from the group.
The first target was a Level 2 Rift Crawler that had wandered to the park's edge, investigating a fallen garbage can. Ark crept up behind it, Assassin class feeding him positioning data — the angle, the distance, the exact spot where the chitin was weakest.
**[Assassin Class: Vital Strike — Enhanced (Level 2)]**
He struck. His hand, coated in a faint sheen of dark energy, punched through the chitin at the base of the skull. The creature died without a sound — a clean kill, instant, the Assassin class's specialty.
**[Rift Crawler (Level 2) — DEFEATED]**
**[Assassin: +18 XP | Warrior: +0 XP (Not active in kill)]**
**[Material Drop: Chitin Fragment (Common), Rift Crawler Claw (Common)]**
**[System Stability: 52% → 51%]**
The stability dip was from the Assassin gaining XP while the Warrior and other classes didn't. Ark immediately switched the Warrior into the active slot for the next kill.
He moved through the park like a ghost. Kill by kill, rotation by rotation. Warrior for the straight-up fights, Assassin for the stealth kills, occasionally swapping in the Ranger for ranged assessment or the Mage for a finisher when a creature was too far away for melee.
The Mana Slimes were harder than expected. Physical attacks passed through their gelatinous bodies with minimal effect. The Mage's Mana Bolt worked, but at Level 1, it took three bolts to kill a Level 2 Slime. Ark switched to the Elementalist class for the first time.
**[Elementalist Class: Active]**
**[Skill: Ember — Level 1. Generates a small flame.]**
The Slimes were weak to fire. A single Ember, barely bigger than a candle flame, made a Level 1 Slime shriek and dissolve into a puddle of inert gel.
**[Elementalist: +22 XP (Weakness Exploit Bonus)]**
**[Material Drop: Mana Gel (Uncommon), Slime Core (Common)]**
Weakness exploits gave bonus XP. The Analyst class filed this away — identifying and exploiting weaknesses was a force multiplier for leveling.
The Shade Wisp was the real problem.
**[SHADE WISP — Level 3]**
**[Class: Spirit-type. Incorporeal. Physical attacks are ineffective.]**
**[Weakness: Light-based magic. Holy element. Spirit Medium class abilities.]**
Physical attacks literally passed through it. The Warrior's Basic Slash did nothing. The Assassin's Vital Strike found no vitals to strike. The Mage's Mana Bolt hit, but the damage was minimal — raw mana had no elemental advantage against spirits.
Ark cycled through classes rapidly, testing:
**[Paladin Class: Active → Skill: Holy Light — Level 1]**
A warm golden glow emanated from his hand. The Shade Wisp recoiled, hissing, its form flickering. Effective, but Level 1 Holy Light was barely a flashlight.
**[Spirit Medium Class: Active → Skill: Spirit Sight — Level 1]**
The world shifted to a different spectrum. The Shade Wisp went from translucent to fully visible — Ark could see its core, a dark knot of energy at its center, and the tendrils of death energy feeding it.
**[Spirit Medium + Paladin Combination: Spirit Sight reveals weak point. Holy Light deals effective damage. Proceed?]**
Ark kept Spirit Sight active for targeting and channeled Holy Light into a focused beam aimed at the core. The Wisp screamed — a sound felt more than heard — and its form destabilized.
But it fought back.
A tendril of cold energy lashed out and struck Ark's chest. The impact wasn't physical — it went through his clothes, through his skin, directly into his *spirit*. He staggered, breath stolen, heart stumbling.
**[SHADE WISP: Spirit Attack — Soul Drain]**
**[Damage: 23 (Spirit Damage — bypasses physical defense)]**
**[HP: 112/135]**
**[WARNING: Spirit damage affects the user's mana channels. Continued exposure may cause class disruption.]**
Class disruption. That meant the attack could scramble his class rotations — potentially locking him out of classes at random.
The Healer class activated automatically, pouring restorative energy into the damaged mana channels. The Monk class followed, stabilizing the internal disruption.
Ark gritted his teeth and *pushed*.
**[Paladin Class: Holy Light — Maximum Output]**
**[Spirit Medium Class: Spirit Sight — Core Lock]**
Golden light blazed from both hands, converging on the Wisp's exposed core. The creature writhed, tendrils flailing, another Soul Drain connecting with Ark's shoulder. Cold flooded down his arm, his fingers going numb.
**[HP: 89/135]**
He didn't stop. The Berserker class was screaming for activation — *let me fight, let me RAGE* — and for the first time, Ark listened. Not to the rage, but to the *power*.
**[Berserker Class: Active → Passive Skill: Pain Resistance — Level 1]**
The cold faded. Not gone, but manageable. The Berserker's pain resistance let him push through the spirit damage while the Paladin's Holy Light burned through the Wisp's defenses.
The core cracked. The Shade Wisp detonated in a burst of dark energy that washed over Ark like an icy wind. Then it was gone, and the park was quiet.
**[SHADE WISP (Level 3) — DEFEATED]**
**[XP Distribution:]**
- **Paladin: +45 XP (Weakness Exploit + Level Difference Bonus)**
- **Spirit Medium: +45 XP (Weakness Exploit + Level Difference Bonus)**
- **Berserker: +15 XP (Assist)**
- **Healer: +10 XP (Combat Healing)**
- **Monk: +8 XP (Stabilization)**
**[Material Drop: Shade Essence (Rare), Spirit Crystal (Uncommon)]**
Five classes gaining XP from a single fight. *That* was how multi-class combat was supposed to work.
**[System Stability: 51% → 54%]**
Ark slumped against a tree, breathing hard, his arm still tingling from the Soul Drain. He pulled up his inventory — a System function he'd found on Day 3 — and checked his haul.
**INVENTORY:**
- Chitin Fragment ×7
- Rift Crawler Claw ×6
- Mana Gel ×3
- Slime Core ×3
- Shade Essence ×1
- Spirit Crystal ×1
- Glowmoss ×2 (previously collected)
Raw materials the Blacksmith could forge, the Alchemist could brew, and the Enchanter could infuse with mana. The foundation for equipment and consumables that would help him survive the surge.
Now he just needed somewhere to work.
---
Sera's apartment had a garage in the building's basement that she used for large-animal treatments. It had a metal workbench, a sink, decent ventilation, and most importantly, it was *private*.
"You want to use my surgery suite as a workshop?" Sera said flatly, arms crossed.
"Forge," Ark corrected. "Temporarily."
"You're a Healer who fights who cooks who *forges*?"
"I'm versatile."
"You keep using that word. I'm starting to think it means something very different from what it normally means." She studied him with those green eyes. "What are you making?"
"Weapons. Armor. Potions. Things we'll need when the surge hits."
The mention of the surge changed her expression. The clinical skepticism gave way to something harder — fear, controlled and compartmentalized, but present. "The Bureau wants all awakened to report to staging areas."
"And leave the civilians here with no protection? This building has thirty-eight residents. Twelve are awakened. Twenty-six aren't." Ark met her gaze. "I'm not going to a staging area. I'm going to make sure this building survives."
Sera was quiet for a moment. Then she uncrossed her arms and reached for her keys. "The garage is through the basement corridor, last door on the left. Try not to set anything on fire."
"No promises. The Elementalist class has opinions."
She paused halfway through turning away. "'The Elementalist class.' You said that out loud."
"Did I?" Ark winced internally. The Illusionist class was already composing a cover story, but Sera waved it off.
"I told you — whenever you're ready." She handed him the key. "I'll be upstairs. There are already five people in the waiting room."
She left, and Ark descended into the basement.
The garage was cold, concrete, utilitarian. He set up at the metal workbench, laid out his materials, and activated the Blacksmith class.
**[Blacksmith Class: Active]**
**[Skill: Basic Forge — Level 1. Can create crude weapons and armor from raw materials. Quality depends on materials and skill level.]**
**[Available Recipes (Level 1):]**
- Crude Chitin Blade (Chitin Fragment ×3, Rift Crawler Claw ×1)
- Crude Chitin Bracer (Chitin Fragment ×2)
- Simple Mana Potion (Mana Gel ×1, Slime Core ×1) [Requires Alchemist Class]
He started with the blade. The Blacksmith class guided his hands — heating the chitin fragments over a flame the Elementalist provided, shaping them with tools from the garage, fusing them with the Rift Crawler claw as a cutting edge. The work was meditative, rhythmic, and the Blacksmith class hummed with satisfaction at finally being used for its purpose.
**[Blacksmith: +22 XP]**
**[ITEM CREATED: Crude Chitin Blade]**
- Damage: 18-24
- Durability: 35/35
- Special: Chitin Edge — 10% chance to cause bleeding on hit
Not exactly a legendary weapon. But it beat a broomstick.
He made three bracers next — one for himself, two for whoever needed them. Then switched to the Alchemist class for potions.
**[Alchemist Class: Active]**
**[Skill: Basic Brew — Level 1]**
Mana Gel plus Slime Core, heated and mixed according to the Alchemist's instinctive recipe knowledge. The result was a small vial of blue liquid that smelled like ozone.
**[ITEM CREATED: Minor Mana Potion]**
- Effect: Restores 30 MP over 10 seconds
- Duration: Instant consumption
Three Mana Potions from his three Gel and Core sets. Not enough. Nowhere near enough. But a start.
The Enchanter class wanted to try imbuing the blade with the Spirit Crystal. Ark let it.
**[Enchanter Class: Active]**
**[Skill: Basic Imbue — Level 1. Adds a minor enchantment to a crafted item.]**
The Spirit Crystal dissolved into the blade, the energy seeping into the chitin. The edge gained a faint, ghostly shimmer.
**[ITEM UPGRADED: Crude Chitin Blade → Spirit-Touched Chitin Blade]**
- Damage: 18-24 (Physical) + 5-8 (Spirit)
- Durability: 35/35
- Special: Spirit Edge — Deals bonus spirit damage. Effective against incorporeal enemies.
A weapon that could hurt ghosts. In a surge that might include spirit-type monsters, that was invaluable.
**[Blacksmith: +22 XP | Alchemist: +18 XP | Enchanter: +25 XP]**
**[System Stability: 54% → 57%]**
Crafting was *excellent* for stability. Multiple classes working in sequence on the same project, each one contributing its expertise — it was the balance the System rewarded.
Ark worked through the afternoon, producing what he could from limited materials. When he emerged from the garage at sunset, he had:
- 1× Spirit-Touched Chitin Blade
- 3× Crude Chitin Bracers
- 3× Minor Mana Potions
- 1× Minor Healing Salve (Healer + Alchemist collaboration)
- 2× Basic Wards (Enchanter + Rune Scribe — placed on the building's front and back doors, providing a minor alert if hostile creatures approached)
Not an arsenal. But more than anyone else in the building had.
He climbed the stairs back to his apartment, tired and satisfied — the tiredness that came from a day of actual work. The Blacksmith was content. The Alchemist was content. Even the Necromancer was quiet, having absorbed trace death energy from the Shade Essence during the crafting process.
Then his phone buzzed.
A news alert. Ark opened it, and his blood went cold.
**BREAKING: KORINTH CITY SURGE UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 4**
**Bureau of Awakened Affairs has revised the projected rift surge from Category 3 to Category 4 based on new mana density readings. Category 4 surges are projected to produce creatures up to Level 30. All awakened individuals above Level 5 are ordered to report immediately.**
**Estimated time to surge: 31 hours.**
Level 30.
His best class was Level 2.
Ark stared at the phone screen, the Spirit-Touched Chitin Blade in his other hand suddenly feeling like a toy.
Thirty-one hours. And the monsters that were coming would be strong enough to level a building.
*His* building.
With thirty-eight people in it.
