Following Sosuke's advice, we drifted toward the center of the condo. In the middle was a broad lounge area, couches arranged in a perfect circle as though the system had anticipated this very moment—a meeting spot, a council chamber. The arrangement could easily fit all twelve of us.

  We all slid into place without needing to be told, each group clustering with their own teammates. Nobody broke rank. Nobody sat next to someone they didn’t know. It was instinctual.

  Sosuke didn’t waste time. While the rest of us settled in, he flicked his hand, his eyes darting toward his status window. His usual calm expression faltered for the first time since I’d met him. His eyes widened, sharp and disbelieving, like someone staring at a message they weren’t supposed to see.

  He inhaled quickly, then said, “Check your perks.”

  The command was crisp, and we obeyed without hesitation. Windows flickered into existence all around the circle, faintly glowing rectangles of light, like a constellation of floating mirrors. The sound of murmuring followed immediately—soft gasps, muttered curses, and one or two nervous laughs.

  I felt my throat tighten as I scrolled down, searching. There it was. A new line etched itself into my profile.

  There were two new things glowing faintly on my window. My unique skill and a new perk. Why now? Why not earlier when I checked? Did it only unlock after entering this floor, like the system was pacing us, dangling power until the right moment?

  Before I could get lost in speculation, Sosuke’s voice cut through the air with that same commanding steadiness he always had. “We'll go one by one.” he said, his gaze circling the room, making sure no one would dare object. “Name, class, skills, unique skill, level, perks, and history. If we share our history, maybe we can solve why we were transported here. Starting with Mary to my right.”

  All eyes turned.

  Mary sat with her hands folded primly on her knees. She looked like she’d just stepped out of a university lecture hall—simple white blouse, neatly pressed skirt, blonde hair pinned back. Her voice was calm, but there was a quiver under the surface when she spoke. “Hello. My name is Mary. I am from Britain. Currently...” She paused, then corrected herself with a shaky smile. “Formerly, I was studying medicine at UCL Medical School. I think in relation to that, I was offered the Healer class. I am level seven, and I've almost only upgraded my mana and class. I have no perks unlocked. But I do have two skills unlocked. The first is called Beginner Healing. It allows me to conduct mana to heal bruises, cuts, and minor injuries over time. The second is called Intermediate Healing. It allows me to heal minor injuries in an instant. My unique skill is called Healing Efficiency. All healing costs less mana.”

  She was exactly the kind of person this group needed most—fragile, but indispensable. If we lost her, the rest of us wouldn’t last long. We needed to protect her. All of us.

  Mary lowered her head, her voice soft, almost breaking, “I really miss my family.”

  The circle went quiet.

  Sosuke gave her a quick pat on the back, his tone overly brisk, “Our healer, everybody.”

  It came off awkward, too blunt. He skipped over her pain like it didn’t belong here. Maybe he thought that was leadership. Maybe he is ignoring reality.

  The next up was the last member of Sosuke’s team—the shooter.

  She leaned back in her chair with casual confidence, cracking her knuckles before she even introduced herself. “What's up? I'm Maya, and I was born in Ireland. A great place, really. I'm a YouTuber. I shoot guns. Simple as that, haha. Running on a million subscribers right now. Wonder how they're going to react.” She smirked, then her expression hardened as her eyes dropped for a second. “Anyway. I have a husband, and I will return to him. That's all you need to know about that.”

  She continued, "I'm a shooter, obviously. I'm level ten and have upgraded my speed and gun stats. Guns have become infinitely easier to handle, and I've unlocked two skills. They are Pistol Summon and Rifle Summon. They summon any rifle and pistol into my hands. I cannot summon more than two. My unique skill is Infinite Ammo. Gives me infinite ammo on any of my summoned guns. I have one perk unlocked, which is Magic Bullets. I can conjure a magazine of magic bullets once a day.”

  Isabella, ever curious, leaned forward. “Does your gun stat upgrade how powerful your shots are?”

  Maya nodded once. “Yes. Even a pistol is powerful. One headshot kills an orc. I surpassed normal guns a while back.”

  Sosuke yawned, stretching his arms with a casualness that didn’t fit anything. “That's my team. You can see how we leveled up a lot on the first floor.”

  Next to Maya sat an average height man with thin but muscular shoulders, sandy blonde hair, and a resting scowl, like life had wronged him. He glanced at his status window while he spoke, his voice clipped and no-nonsense. “My name is Eli. I'm a writer from Canada. This would be great inspiration if I wasn't living it. I chose the sprinter class. I've only upgraded my speed, strength, and class. Two skills unlocked. Instant Speed, which increases my speed stat by five for two seconds. Then Instant Strength. It increases my strength stat by two for one second. My unique skill is Acceleration. The more enemies around me, the faster I become. These skills do not cost mana, just my stamina. I have one perk unlocked, which is Speed Calculation. It allows me to know how fast something is moving.”

  Curiosity got the better of me. “So how fast are you?”

  Eli’s lips curved into a thin grin. “Let me show you.”

  In the blink of an eye, his seat was empty. A gust of displaced air brushed past me, and before I could turn my head, he was already back, holding a glass cup pilfered from the kitchen counter. He set it down casually, like nothing happened. “That's my speed using Instant Speed. Speed Calculation tells me that's six hundred meters a second. Right now, without it, it says two hundred meters a second.”

  My jaw almost dropped. “Where does it show you your speed?”

  He gestured vaguely to his right, eyes flicking toward something only he could see. “Like on the right side of wherever I'm looking. It's in my eye. None of you can see it?”

  I shook my head.

  Eli exhaled through his nose, irritated. “Well, that's all for me.”

  This was going to take a long time...