Chapter 19: The New World Order - F-Rank Stats Eater (Max-Stat Overlord)

The air outside the dungeon smelled like diesel fumes and wet pavement, but to Zack, it was the sweetest perfume he had ever smelled.

They stumbled out of the gate, the massive stone portal shimmering and vanishing behind them as the dungeon instance closed. The sun had set while they were inside; the sky was now a bruised purple, the city lights of sector 4 beginning to flicker on.

"We made it," Ben breathed, dropping his heavy shield onto the concrete with a metallic clang. He ripped off his helmet, shaking out his sweat-matted hair. "I need a beer. I need a steak the size of my head. And then I need another beer."

Maya leaned against a lamppost, cleaning a speck of green Brood Mother blood from her dagger. "I'm skipping the beer. But I'll take the steak." She looked at Zack, her eyes no longer suspicious, but tired and respectful. "You coming, Healer? First round is on the rookie."

Zack laughed, a sound that felt a little rusty in his throat. "I think I can afford it. Considering I got the... extras."

He patted his chest pocket. He didn't have the cubes there—they were safely in his Dimensional Storage—but the gesture was understood. He had walked away with the lion's share of the power, even if the team didn't know about the stats. They did know he had saved their lives.

"Damn right," Emily said, slinging an arm around his shoulder. She winced slightly—her ribs were healed, but the phantom pain of having them crushed by a Royal Guard still lingered. "But first, we get paid. Guild exchange is open late."

They headed to the Hunter Association outpost nearby. The transaction was quick. The mana crystals and monster parts from the run (excluding Zack's system loot) netted the team a solid $40,000. Since Zack had soloed the boss, Emily insisted on a 40% cut for him, but Zack refused.

"Split it four ways evenly," he said firmly. "I got what I wanted."

Ben looked at him, grinning. "Kid, you're either a saint or you're already rich. But I'm not arguing."

An hour later, they were seated in a booth at "The Iron Stomach," a popular Hunter-themed BBQ joint in the downtown district. The table was groaning under the weight of sizzling platters of beef, pork belly, and spicy sides. The noise level was high—Hunters shouting, laughing, and drinking away the stress of near-death experiences.

For the first time in six months, Zack felt... light.

He sat next to Emily, watching Ben grill the meat with the same intensity he used to tank monsters. Maya was actually smiling, stealing the best cuts when Ben wasn't looking.

"So," Ben said, waving a pair of tongs. "To the new team member. To Zack."

"To Zack!" Emily cheered, clinking her glass against his.

"To the monster in disguise," Maya added, tapping her glass against his with a smirk.

Zack drank his soda (he still had to drive, and he wanted his mind sharp), feeling a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with stat cubes. This was what his father had talked about. The camaraderie. The trust.

"Thanks, guys," Zack said quietly. "For... not freaking out."

"Oh, we freaked out," Ben mumbled around a mouthful of brisket. "I almost wet my armor when you climbed that spider. But hey, results are results. You're D-Rank material, Zack. Easily. Maybe even bordering on C with that speed."

Zack didn't correct him. Bordering on C? With his new stats, he was closing in on D-Rank (Beginner) in the System, which was vastly superior to a normal D-Rank.

"I've got a long way to go," Zack said, playing humble.

Emily set her glass down, looking at him. Her eyes were searching. "We still need to have that talk, Zack. About the... black stuff."

"I know," Zack nodded. "Later. I promise."

The mood was good. They ate, they laughed, and for an hour, the looming threat of Vanguard Industries and the hostile board members felt a million miles away.

But the peace didn't last.

Suddenly, the music in the restaurant cut out.

The row of televisions mounted above the bar, usually playing highlights of S-Rank dungeon clears or sports, all shifted to the same channel. The "Breaking News" banner flashed in urgent red.

The chatter in the restaurant died down instantly. Every Hunter turned to look.

A news anchor, looking pale and grim, sat behind a desk. Behind her was a graphic of a shield crossed with a sword, and the words: GLOBAL AWAKENED INITIATIVE.

"We interrupt this broadcast for an emergency decree from the World Hunter Association and the United Nations," the anchor said, her voice trembling slightly.

"As of 6:00 PM this evening, a State of Emergency has been declared regarding the D-Rank and E-Rank Dungeon Anomalies."

Zack frowned. "Anomalies?"

"Over the last twenty-four hours," the anchor continued, "twenty-three parties of D-Rank and E-Rank Hunters have failed to return from certified 'Safe' dungeons. Confirmed casualties have exceeded one hundred and fifty Hunters. The cause is currently unknown, but survivors report sudden, drastic spikes in dungeon difficulty and the appearance of 'Variant' monsters far exceeding the dungeon's rank."

The restaurant went dead silent. Twenty-three parties. That was a massacre.

Zack felt a chill. The Brood Mother fight. The ambush by the two Royal Guards. That hadn't been normal. A D-Rank (Beginner) dungeon shouldn't have had two D-Rank (Advanced) bodyguards and a boss that strong.

We were one of the anomalies, he realized.

"In response to this unprecedented threat," the anchor read from a paper, "The Association is instituting a mandatory draft. Effective immediately, the 'Awakened Academy'—previously a voluntary institution for minors—is being expanded and made mandatory."

Ben dropped his tongs. "Mandatory?"

"All Awakened individuals currently ranked E-Rank through C-Rank (Beginner), regardless of age or guild affiliation, are required to report to their regional Academy branch for a six-month intensive combat and survival training course. Failure to report will result in the revocation of your Hunter License and potential criminal charges for draft dodging."

The restaurant exploded into shouting.

"What?! I'm thirty-five!"

"I have a job!"

"Revoke my license? They can't do that!"

Zack sat frozen.

The Academy.

He had heard of it. It was a prestigious school for rich kids and legacy Hunters, designed to train the next generation of elites. It was supposed to be a college-like environment.

Now? It sounded like a boot camp.

"The Government states that this is necessary to update survival protocols against the new Variants," the anchor continued. "Reporting begins Monday at 0800 hours. Lists of assigned Academies will be sent to your Hunter Watches momentarily."

BZZZT.

Every watch in the room buzzed at once.

Zack looked at his wrist.

[Emergency Directive 44-Alpha]

[Recipient: Zackary Cole]

[Rank: E (Advanced)]

[Assignment: Central Awakened Academy, Sector 1.]

[Report Date: Monday, 08:00 AM.]

[Attendance: MANDATORY.]

He looked up. Emily, Ben, and Maya were staring at their watches too.

"I got Sector 1," Ben grunted, looking furious. "I haven't been to school in fifteen years."

"Sector 1," Maya sighed. "Looks like we're classmates."

"Sector 1," Emily said, her face pale. She looked at Zack.

"Me too," Zack said quietly. "Sector 1."

The celebration was over. The mood had shifted from victory to dread. They weren't just Hunters anymore. They were conscripts.

The ride to Zack's house was quiet. Emily drove her SUV, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. Zack watched the city lights blur by.

This complicated everything.

He had a company to run. He had board members to keep in line. He had his private dimension to grind.

How was he supposed to do that while living on a campus under military supervision?

He would have to adapt. He had to.

Emily pulled up to the curb in front of his large, empty family home. She put the car in park and turned off the engine, but she didn't unlock the doors.

She turned to him in the dark car. The streetlamp outside cast shadows across her face.

"Talk," she said. "Now."

Zack took a deep breath. He had prepared for this moment on the ride over. He knew exactly how much truth to give her, and exactly how much to hide.

"I awakened two classes," Zack said, his voice steady.

Emily's eyes widened slightly. "Dual Awakening? That's... that's incredibly rare. Like, one in a million rare."

"Yeah," Zack said. "The first one, obviously, is Healer. That's what the Watch picked up. That's what shows up on the scans."

"And the second?" she asked.

"It's an offensive class," Zack said. "It's called... God-Eater."

Emily shivered at the name. "God-Eater. That sounds... evil, Zack."

"It feels it, sometimes," he admitted, looking at his hands. "It uses dark energy. It's... hungry. You saw what it did to the boss. It drains life."

"Is that why you hid it?" Emily asked softly. "Because it's dark?"

"Partly," Zack said. "And partly because... it doesn't work like normal classes. I don't get EXP the same way you do. I don't just 'level up' by standing near a dying monster."

This was the crucial lie.

"The more I fight," Zack said, looking her in the eye, "the stronger I get. Literally. When I use the God-Eater power to kill something, I absorb a part of its strength. If I kill a strong monster, I get stronger. If I don't fight... I stay weak."

He leaned back in the seat. "That's why I seem so strong for an E-Rank. I've been... practicing. Secretly. Fighting rats, stray dogs, anything I could find in the sewers or low-level zones. It's slow, but it works."

He didn't mention the Parallel Dimension. He didn't mention the Stat Cubes. He didn't mention the System Shop or the Potions.

If he told her he had a private world in his pocket, the danger to her would be astronomical. But "absorbing strength through kills"? That was believable for a rare combat class.

Emily stared at him for a long time. She was searching his face for lies, but the "truth" he gave her fit the evidence. He was abnormally strong. He did drain the boss.

Finally, she let out a long sigh and slumped against her seat.

"You idiot," she whispered. "You lonely, paranoid idiot. You could have told me. I wouldn't have turned you in."

"I know," Zack said. "But I couldn't risk it. Not with Vanguard in trouble. Not with my dad gone."

Emily reached out and took his hand. Her grip was firm.

"Okay. I get it. Dual Class. God-Eater. You eat monsters to get jacked. Fine." She squeezed his hand. "But from now on, we train together. If this Academy is real... if things are getting more dangerous... you can't do this alone. You need a team that knows your secret."

"I know," Zack said. "I'm glad you guys know. Really."

"Get some sleep," she said, unlocking the doors. "We report on Monday. It's going to be hell."

"Goodnight, Em," Zack said.

He got out of the car and watched her drive away.

Zack walked into his silent house. He didn't turn on the lights. He walked straight to his father's study, sat in the big leather chair, and stared at the darkness.

The Academy.

It was a complication, yes. But as he thought about it, a cold smile touched his lips.

The Academy would be filled with the children of elite Hunters. It would be filled with instructors who were B-Rank or A-Rank.

It would be filled with... targets.

If he had to spar... if he had to fight... he could use his "God-Eater" excuse to hide his stat growth.

He checked his stats one last time.

Rank: E (Peak) / (System Rank: D (Beginner) - Unofficial)

Class: Healer / God-Eater (Mythical)

Strength: 45.0

Agility: 45.7

Stamina: 45.7

Spirit: 45.0

Defense: 45.1

He was five points away in every stat from being a "System" D-Rank.

He had the weekend.

He had two nights.

He looked at the empty space in the room where he usually entered his dimension.

"I need to hit 50 before Monday," he whispered.

If the Academy was going to force him to play soldier, he would make sure he was the strongest soldier on the field.

He closed his eyes.

'System. Enter Parallel Dimension.'

The world dissolved into gray. The grind wasn't over. It was just beginning.

[Reader's Note: Zack's Stats - End of Chapter 19]