I said, “Is nobody going to bring up the elephant in the room?” I was interrupting the explanations, but I had to. We all had it, right?

  Sosuke gave me a disappointed look, like a teacher forced to scold a child who should already know better. His black hair framed his face sharply, and his dark eyes had that cold glint again. “I assume you mean the equipment?”

  I crossed my arms tightly, standing firm as if bracing myself for pushback. “Yeah, dude. I'm level six right now, and the perk wasn't given to me on level up. It was given to me on entering this floor.” The words left my mouth harsher than intended.

  Sosuke’s fingers moved deliberately, swiping down an invisible screen only he could see. His Status Window opened with a chime, and then came a sudden flare of light around his body. A glow, so blinding it swallowed his whole frame, surged outward. For a moment I thought we’d all be engulfed. When the light faded, he stood transformed. A suit of protective leather armor clung to his body, dyed a deep crimson that reflected the lights on the ceiling. But what stood out most were his gloves—pitch black, sharp-looking, like they were woven from some creature’s hide.

  He tilted his head and muttered, “Wow. This increased my sword stat by two.”

  He tapped his menu again, and with another wave of glow, the armor dissolved into nothing, leaving him back in his casual clothing. It was jarring—one second he looked like a warrior out of legend, the next just another young adult who’d spent too much time gaming. “Seems like this was given for making it past the first floor,” he explained. “Not the first floor reward, but making it to the intermediary floor. It's only a possibility, but perhaps this rest area gives out equipment after certain floors.”

  I frowned, unsettled. “That would be a malfunction, would it not? It doesn't have its own display. It counts as a class perk, which is unlocked upon level ups.” It was like a broken piece of code in a program.

  Sosuke thought for a moment, eyes narrowing, then answered with a half-shrug, “Maybe this game isn't as meticulously designed as we thought.” His casual dismissal rubbed me the wrong way.

  He turned his attention elsewhere, gesturing. “Anyway, we can check all our equipment later. You're up next, Malik.”

  Malik waved sheepishly, his hand trembling a little. He was really short—barely five four—and looked even smaller sandwiched between taller, bulkier men. His voice cracked as he spoke, “I-I'm Malik. I'm a necromancer, hehe.” He laughed nervously, the sound hollow, and didn’t meet our eyes. His lips tightened before he added, “I'm from India... I was, uh... do I have to say?”

  Sosuke sighed, impatience bleeding into his tone. “If you really don't want to, fine. Knowing you're from India is enough.”

  Malik nodded quickly, grateful to avoid further prodding. What was he hiding? He raised his hand with an almost theatrical flair, like a stage magician about to reveal a trick. A black circle burst open in midair beneath him, jagged and pulsing. At its center, the emblem of a skull bled into existence. From it, clawed fingers dug upward and pulled free a goblin, skin black as tar and sinews tight but lacking the bulk of the green goblins we’d faced before. Its eyes glowed faintly red, empty of will.

  Malik’s voice steadied as he explained, “I can revive the dead to serve me with my one skill, Revive. They're only at eighty percent of their power when they were alive. They don't have any of their weapons either.”

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  He clenched his fist, and the creature dissolved into shadowy smoke, vanishing without a sound. “My unique skill is No Incantation. I do not have to say the word 'revive' anymore.” He pointed a finger toward me with a grin that barely masked his nervousness. “You have to say your spell names out loud, haha.”

  Very funny.

  Malik’s shoulders shook afterward, his nervous nature clawing its way back. “I have no perks unlocked yet. I'm level six and have focused on upgrading my mana and class stat. You know, I've always wanted superpowers, but not like this.” His voice faltered on the last words, a glimpse of fear breaking through his fragile fa?ade.

  Then, almost too quickly, he shoulder-bumped the massive wall of muscle beside him. “Your turn.”

  Soto leaned back, the entire couch groaning under his weight. He nearly toppled it, his frame too big for furniture meant for normal size. The man was massive—at least six-four, with shoulders like stone slabs. His bald head gleamed under the ceiling lights. “My name is Soto. I'm from the Dominican Republic. I was aiming to be a baseball player, but then this happened. I'm a barbarian. My unique skill is called Berserk. It increases my strength stat by ten in return for losing sight of friend and foe. While Malik has spells and Sosuke has skills, I have techniques. I have two unlocked. My first technique is Shout, which was just used and explained. Then, my second, which I like better, is Barrage. When I activate it, I launch a barrage of punches and kicks with my speed and strength stats enhanced by two. The one class perk I have unlocked is Charge. I can charge my attacks, increasing their strength over time. There is no limit to this.”

  Sosuke tilted his head, curious for once. “Did you want to go to the MLB?”

  Soto nodded, eyes distant for a moment. “Yeah. To the Yankees, man.”

  I couldn’t help asking, “What's your strength?”

  With a wide grin, he flexed one of his thick arms, veins popping like cables. “Fourteen. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I'm level six.”

  Something caught my eye then. Eli wasn’t sitting with his group before—yet suddenly he had shifted and taken an empty seat when he showed off his speed. Why?

  The next introduction came from another blonde man, his hair neat, parted to the side like someone who had always been groomed for professionalism. He idly spun the TV remote between his fingers with practiced dexterity, as if showing off. “My name is Alex. I'm from the United States of America. I was an apprentice under a great cook. My specialty is American dishes. I chose the cook class. My unique skill is Convenience. I can summon any cooking tool anywhere. My one normal skill is Cooking, which allows me to cook food that increases stats and heals injuries. No perks unlocked at level six. I've upgraded my class and cooking stats.”

  I leaned forward, connecting the dots. “Soto ate that burger you made, and that's how you got credit. How'd you do that without any utensils?”

  Alex gave an awkward smirk. “When I was summoned, I had a backpack on. I was taking some food home from my apprenticeship, and the food I had was a burger and chips. I rationed out the chips and burgers. Even though I didn't cook them here, it had buffs.”

  Interesting.

  Isabella, who had been fidgeting in her seat the whole time, finally cut in. Her voice was sharp, edged with exhaustion. “Can we finish this tomorrow? I really want to sleep.”

  Mary yawned beside her, rubbing her eyes like a child. “She's right. Check the clock.”

  We all turned to the large wall clock above the kitchen. The hands pointed to seven thirty.

  Sosuke rose smoothly, reaching for his sword. “We can. I'm going to go to the lockers and put my equipment in there.”

  But as his hand moved through the sheath, I blinked. His fingers phased through it—like clipping in a video game. My voice cracked with realization, “Is that sheath real?”

  His eyes gleamed, the faintest spark of pride lighting them. “So you caught on, huh? No, it isn't real.” The sword and sheath both flickered out of existence, vanishing like smoke. Then, with a flick of his hand, only the blade reappeared, gleaming. “It's an illusion. One of my unique skills.”

  One of?

  Sosuke’s smile widened as if savoring our confusion. “I have two unique skills. It's like I was destined for greatness.”

  Does he think he's cool by doing this? He’s ignored genuine suffering, brushed aside what all of us lost, and yet—he treats this like a game. Like a playground...

  With a final swiping motion, he made the sword disappear again. He let silence hang, then declared, “You all haven't realized it. Nowhere did the system say our powers disappear once we return.”

  And then he smiled, arrogantly, eyes wide with self-appointed ego. “I will become a god.”