The nosebleed had finally stopped, but the headache remained a dull throb at the base of Elian's skull. He sat on the stone rim of the village well—now cleansed of the bone-door monstrosity—and watched Kaelen.
The soldier was swinging the
[Debug_Weapon_v0.5] again. He wasn't fighting enemies; he was cutting firewood. With 20 Strength, Kaelen was chopping through solid oak logs with a single hand, his face a mixture of terror and delight.
"Stop wasting durability," Elian called out. "That sword isn't meant for lumber. Use an axe."
Kaelen paused, wiping sweat from his brow. "My Lord Elian, I do not tire. This 'Stamina' bar... it refills so quickly. And I feel... connected."
"Connected?"
"To the others," Kaelen pointed toward the hills.
From the tree line, heads were poking out. The surviving villagers of Riverbend. They had fled when the bone door appeared, hiding in the caves. Now, seeing the gray fog lift and the violet sun return to normal, they were creeping back.
But they weren't just walking back. They were glowing faintly.
"Grouping Protocol initiated," Query whispered in Elian's ear. "Proximity algorithms are auto-suggesting parties to survivors to increase survival rates."
Elian nodded. He tapped the air, opening the Global Dashboard.
[Global Event: Civilization Re-Link]
[Current Factions Forming: 1,402]
[Global Chat: ENABLED]
Suddenly, the silence of the afternoon was shattered—not by sound, but by text.
A scrolling feed of translucent white text appeared in the bottom left corner of everyone's vision.
[User_7734]: HELP! The rats are size of dogs!
[King_Alaric_Tyria]: By my decree, all citizens are to rally at the Capital!
[Xx_Slayer_xX]: Lvl 3 looking for party. Healer needed. No noobs.
[User_9901]: Does anyone know how to turn off the notifications?
"The internet," Elian sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I forgot how annoying it is."
He stood up and walked toward Kaelen, who was now being surrounded by the returning villagers. They looked at Kaelen with awe. He was the only one with a glowing weapon and actual armor.
"Kaelen," Elian interrupted. "You're the highest-level entity in this region. That makes you the node administrator for now."
"Node... administrator?" Kaelen blinked. "I am but a Sergeant."
"Not anymore. You're a Level 3 Vanguard with a Unique-grade weapon. In this new world, that makes you a Lord." Elian gestured to the villagers. "They need a tank. You're it."
A notification chimed for everyone in the square.
[System Announcement: Safe Zone Established]
[Location: Riverbend Village]
[Monster Spawn Rate: 0% within perimeters]
"I've set a geofence around the village," Elian explained. "Monsters won't spawn inside the city limits. It's a Safe Zone. You can sleep without getting eaten."
One of the villagers, a miller with soot on his face, stepped forward timidly. "Sir Wizard... we are grateful. But... we have no food. The silos were destroyed by the gray monsters. And... our gold." He held up a handful of melted coins. "The monster's spit melted our savings."
Elian looked at the ruined coins. "Right. The Economy update."
He turned to the group. "Listen up! The old coin is heavy, easily stolen, and inconvenient. We're switching to a dual-currency standard."
Elian raised his hand. "Open your Menus. Look at the tab marked [Wallet]."
The villagers mimicked him, swiping at the air confusedly.
"You will see two numbers," Elian projected his voice. "One is Gold (G). The other is Credits (C)."
"I have zero of both," the miller said sadly.
"Query," Elian muttered. "Distribute 'Stimulus Package Alpha' to all users in the Riverbend Zone."
PING.
Every villager jumped as a golden sound rang out.
[System Gift Received: 50 System Credits]
[System Gift Received: 100 Gold Coins]
The miller gasped. He reached into his pocket—which was empty a moment ago—and pulled out a heavy pouch of pristine, glowing gold coins. "It... it appeared in my pocket!"
"That is Gold," Elian explained. "It's physical. You can hold it, trade it, drop it, or melt it down. Use it to buy bread, pay for services, or trade with each other."
He pointed to the blue number in their vision.
"That is System Credits. It is not real. It is data. You cannot hold it. You cannot steal it. If you die, it stays with your account."
"What good is imaginary money?" Kaelen asked, frowning.
Elian smiled. "Open the [Shop] tab."
Kaelen did so. His eyes went wide.
There, floating in a holographic window, was a list of items that defied logic.
[Lesser Healing Potion] - Instantly restores 50 HP. Cost: 10 Credits.
[Skill Book: Cleave] - Teaches the Cleave skill instantly. Cost: 200 Credits.
[Bag of Holding (Small)] - 10 Slot Inventory
expansion. Cost: 500 Credits.
[Fresh Water (1 Gallon)] - Cost: 1 Credit.
"Gold buys you things from people," Elian said.
"Credits buy you things from God."
A murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd. The miller looked at the shop, then at his neighbor. "I... I will give you ten Gold coins for your Credits!"
"No deal!" the neighbor shouted, staring at the Healing Potion listing. "This potion... it could cure my wife's cough!"
Elian watched the immediate formation of a marketplace with satisfaction. Greed was a powerful motivator. It would drive them to hunt monsters, complete quests, and rebuild civilization faster than any speech he could give.
"Kaelen," Elian said softly, stepping back. "I'm leaving."
Kaelen spun around. "Leaving? But... there is so much we do not know! The bone doors... will they return?"
"Probably," Elian shrugged. "That's why you need to grind. Get these people organized. Form a Guild. Build walls. I have to go to the Capital. If the King tries to fight the System instead of using it, this whole continent will crash."
Elian engaged his flight protocol. He hovered a few feet off the ground.
"One last piece of advice, Vanguard," Elian called down. "Don't hoard your Credits. Spend them on Skills. You can't take them with you when you die, but Skills might keep you alive."
With a sonic boom that shattered a few nearby windows (an unintended physics bug), Elian shot into the sky, leaving Riverbend behind as the first true stronghold of the new world.