Andrew flopped onto the parlor couch like a ragdoll yeeted by a caffeine-deprived child. A gloriously overstuffed sandwich dangled from one hand, mayonnaise already plotting its descent onto his shirt. Crumbs scattered across the velvet cushions like battlefield casualties.
Eve hovered nearby, her orb-form pulsing a soft blue, radiating infinite patience—or perhaps silent judgment.
"Alright," Andrew muttered mid-chew, "explain something to me, O Glowy Orb of Wisdom."
"I'm listening," Eve replied serenely.
He jabbed the sandwich toward the floating AI. "Why are my training stats different from my gaming stats? I mean, what's the point of spending two hours getting slapped by dream mosquitoes if it doesn't even boost my in-game status?"
"Training stats reflect your physical and mental conditioning inside the Dream Layer," Eve explained. "They don't directly impact your system interface, but they influence your real-time performance—reflexes, awareness, energy control."
"So…" Andrew squinted, chewing thoughtfully. "I'm not grinding numbers. I'm grinding... me."
"In a manner of speaking, yes. You're grinding your body and soul into someone vaguely competent."
Andrew raised a finger. "Hey! I'll have you know, I once soloed the dwelling place of elves that controlled fire at level one. Took six hours and immeasurable strength."
Immeasurable strength? He lied. You might as well call it a white lie.. everyone does it.
"Impressive. If only they existed in this system."
"Wait, they don't? I feel cheated."
Eve blinked. "Would you like me to continue?"
He sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Go on."
"Now that you've passed the Qualification Stage, levels aren't awarded just for surviving missions. They're now earned based on feats...things like defeating enemies, executing critical strikes, completing objectives, or making major decisions."
"So basically," Andrew said, stretching out, "the cooler I am, the faster I level up?"
"Precisely."
"I can work with that," he said, striking a dramatic pose and nearly dropping his sandwich. "So how many levels can I get in the next mission?"
"It depends on performance. If you act like a semi-competent human, perhaps one or two. If you act like you did during the toaster incident…"
"Hey, the toaster shot first!"
"…you might not live long enough to level up at all."
Andrew winced. "Right. Noted. So… what about my gaming stats? Those evolve too?"
"Yes," Eve said, her tone shifting to lecture mode. A transparent interface shimmered to life beside her. "As an Irregular, your system still conforms to standard parameters..with a few exceptions. Your past stats remain, but new attributes are now visible."
[NEW SYSTEM INTERFACE LOADED]
________________Status__________________
[Coins: 8450]
[Level: 5]
[Stage: Oblivia Twilight Stage (Pending)]
[Titles: Dream Assassin]
[Badges: 0]
[Monarchs: 0]
[Monarch Points (Overall):125]
[Skills: Enhanced Agility]
[Abilities: 0]
[Guardian Spirit Points: 90/10000]
[Weapons: Nyxian Dagger]
[Spins: 5]
[Role(s): Mage]
[Rank:E+]
[Class: Beginner]
__________________________________
[MONARCH]
__________________________________
[ELF MONARCH: 35/1000 POINTS]
[DEMON MONARCH: 10/1000 POINTS]
[MABEASTS MONARCH: 40/1000 POINTS]
[TITAN MONARCH: 10/1000 POINTS]
[MONSTER MONARCH: 10/1000 POINTS]
[ORC MONARCH: 40/1000 POINTS]
__________________________________
Core Attributes:
__________________________________
Strength – Measures physical power and force. Influences melee damage, object lifting, and ability to perform sick parkour stunts. [Strength: 20%]
Agility – Determines reflexes, evasion, and the ability to not trip over your own feet mid-fight. [Agility: 30%]
Intelligence – Boosts magic potency, spell cooldowns, and your ability to read glowing ancient texts without melting your eyeballs.
[Intelligence: 35%]
Charisma – Affects dialogue options, dream interactions, and your chance of talking your way out of trouble (or into it). [Charisma: 20%]
Dream Resilience – Enhances adaptability, self-awareness, and mental stability in high-pressure dreamscapes. [Dream Resilience:20%]
__________________________________
Progression Metrics:
__________________________________
Combat Level – Determined by feats, not time. Kill stuff, survive, do cool things.
Rank – Ranges from E– to SSS+. This measures your overall potential based on total stats.
Class – Your specialization, which affects skill trees and combat mechanics. Ranked from Beginner to Supreme.
Role – Your chosen path. Currently, you have one unlocked: Mage.
__________________________________
Available Roles:
__________________________________
SAGE: Harness internal energy, martial arts, and natural forces. Punch things with spiritual wisdom.
MAGE: Wield arcane elements, summon lightning, fireballs, or reanimate squirrels if that's your thing.
__________________________________
Role-Based Talents:
__________________________________
SAGE:
Soul Pacts – Form spiritual contracts with entities or elements. Comes with small print and emotional baggage.
Healing Arts – Patch up yourself or others with chi-infused hands or weird herbal poultices.
Energy Control – Redirect attacks, strengthen limbs, or bend spoons with your mind.
__________________________________
MAGE:
Elemental Nova – Blow stuff up in glorious, technicolor explosions.
Necromancer – Raise minions from the dream realm. Creep factor: high.
Arcane Surge – Boosts all spells temporarily. Side effects may include nosebleeds and smug grins.
Riftwalker – Teleport short distances, phase through shadows, and confuse enemies with your sheer dramatic flair.
_________________________________
Andrew blinked at the screen. "So I can basically punch things or explode them with style?"
"You may eventually do both," Eve said. "But not until you stop tripping over your stats screen."
He pointed to the Dream Resilience line. "What's this do again? Sounds like something I'd need after eating cafeteria mystery meat."
"Dream Resilience enhances your control in dream-based encounters. Better reflexes, resistance to illusions, faster stat syncing. It's your mind's armor. Also improves charisma slightly. Helps you make friends."
"Neat. Can I level it by surviving awkward small talk?"
"Only if the conversation tries to kill you."
Andrew rubbed his chin. "Feels like half my high school experience."
He turned back to the stats. "What's my current Rank?"
"Still E+."
"Oof. That's harsh."
"You're still alive. That's rare among Irregulars."
He perked up. "Wait. How many of us have you explained this to?"
"You're the thirtieth."
"…Wait. You've guided twenty-nine players before me?"
"Yes."
"How many of them… y'know…"
"Twenty-nine."
Andrew dropped his sandwich. "Holy crap. I'm number thirty?! You're like a cursed tutor!"
Eve's glow dimmed slightly.
Andrew softened. "Hey, hey. I didn't mean it like that." He sat up. "Look, I know I joke a lot. But I'm not planning to be number thirty."
"You all said that."
"Well, I'm different," he said, attempting a heroic pose and nearly falling off the couch. "I have grit, determination… and at least one functioning brain cell."
Eve said nothing.
"…Okay, maybe half a brain cell. But I also have you."
Her glow warmed. "That's true."
"And a sandwich."
"You dropped it."
Andrew looked down at the remains. "May it rest in peace."
He leaned back, arms folded behind his head.
In this world—this twisted dream-layered game—death loomed in every mission. Failure wasn't a setback; it was a full stop.
But Andrew wasn't planning on losing.
Not now.
Not when someone out there had waited for him to return.
He closed his eyes, determination settling in like a second skin.
"I'll be the last player you guide," he whispered.
"Let's hope you're the first one to make it to the end," Eve replied, soft and steady.