Zack's eyes opened. The room was dark, but he was wide awake. He didn't feel the familiar pull of sleep. He just felt... ready. He had been training in his dimension for over a week now. His routine was locked in: wake up, run his company with a kind but ruthless efficiency, and then "grind" in his private dimension all night.
He got out of bed and walked to the mirror, as he did every morning. The changes were no longer subtle. He was still Zack. He still had his kind eyes and his quiet face. But the body attached to it was different. His shoulders were noticeably broader, and his chest and arms, once thin like a runner's, were now thick with hard, dense muscle. He wasn't a giant, but he looked... solid. He looked like he could stand his ground. His 35.0 Strength and 34.0 Defense were showing.
He showered and dressed. His old shirts were starting to feel tight across the shoulders. He made a mental note to buy new clothes. It was a strange, new problem to have.
He arrived at Cole Logistics at 7:30 AM. The company was healing. The fear was gone. He walked through the lobby, and the few early-morning workers all greeted him with genuine, respectful smiles. He smiled back, his kind expression making them feel at ease, even as they respected the new, strong boss who had saved their jobs.
"Good morning, Zack," Sarah said as he passed her desk. She was holding a steaming mug. "Your coffee, and the reports on the new shipping suppliers you asked for." "Thank you, Sarah. You're fast," he said, taking the mug. "You've been fast, too," she said, blushing. "The email you sent last night at 2:00 AM about the accounting error... that saved us. A lot." Zack just nodded. His 34.0 Spirit wasn't just for healing. It meant his mind was sharper, clearer. He needed less sleep, and he could see patterns in the numbers that he had never seen before. He was becoming a good CEO.
He spent the morning in his office, digging through the supplier reports. The company he had fired, Trident Logistics, had left a big hole. He needed a new partner. He read through three different proposals. One was too cheap, which made him suspicious. The other was too expensive, clearly trying to take advantage of his "emergency." The third one, from a smaller, family-owned company, was perfect. Their numbers were honest. He didn't call his lawyers. He didn't call Mr. Han. He picked up the phone, dialed the number, and made the deal himself. He was kind, but his questions were ruthless and sharp. He got a 10% discount for a long-term contract. When he hung up, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction. This, he had built himself.
Just as he was finishing his paperwork, there was a loud, sharp knock on his office door. "Come in," he called. The door flew open, and Emily Han strode in. She was in her full Hunter gear—a light, black-and-red chest piece, tough cargo pants, and her sword strapped to her back. "Wow," she said, stopping just inside the door. "Wow, what?" Zack asked, standing up with a smile. "Wow, you," she said, looking him up and down. Her eyes were wide, and not with the friendly pity he was used to. It was genuine surprise. "What have you been doing? Eating? A lot?"
Zack laughed. "Just fixing my sleep schedule. And I've been using the company gym." Emily walked a slow circle around him. "Zack, you're... you're bigger. Your shoulders... since when do you have shoulders?" "I've always had shoulders, Em," he said, feeling a little embarrassed but also pleased. "Not like that," she said. She poked him in the bicep. Her finger met solid muscle. "Whoa. Okay. I'm impressed." "What's up?" he asked, changing the subject. "You're in your gear." "Ugh, I was," she said, slumping into a chair. "Just finished a patrol. So boring. I just walked around the E-Rank gate for three hours. My dad is still punishing me." She looked around his big office, at the neat piles of work, the computer screen full of charts. "I'm actually kind of jealous of you," she said. Zack almost choked on his coffee. "Jealous? Of me?" "Yeah! You're doing... real stuff. You're running a company. You're being a boss. I'm just a D-Rank Warrior who hits slime monsters and files paperwork." Zack thought about his nightly grind. The blood, the repetition, the feeling of his shadow-cloaked hand draining the life from a goblin. "It's... just different work, Em," he said.
"Well, I came here with a proposal," she said, sitting up straight. "My dad is finally letting me off the leash this weekend. He's letting me lead a real dungeon clear on Saturday. It's a D-Rank dungeon, the 'Kobold Mines.' It's new, so the guild wants to map it out." Zack felt his heart speed up. A D-Rank dungeon. "It's a party of five," she said. "Me as the Warrior leader, we have a Tank, an Assassin, and a Mage. We... had a Healer. But he's an idiot, and he broke his leg falling down some stairs." She grinned at him. "So, I need a Healer. An E-Rank Healer who I can trust to not run away and scream. You're an E-Rank. And I trust you."
Zack stared at her. A real dungeon. A D-RANK dungeon. His goal was 50 points. He was only at 35. But this was on Saturday. Today was Tuesday. He had four more nights to train. If he trained hard, he could get to... 45? 48? He would be just shy of his 50-point goal. He wouldn't be D-Rank (Beginner) by his System's rules. But... he would have over 45 points in everything. A normal D-Rank (Beginner) Warrior had 40 points in just two or three stats. He would be stronger, faster, and tougher than everyone in that dungeon. Including Emily. And no one would ever know. They would all underestimate him. They would see an F-Rank (Beginner), who had just scraped by his E-Rank test. It was the perfect cover.
"Em... a D-Rank dungeon? I... I'm just an E-Rank. My heal is..." "Your heal is fine," she said. "And I'll be there. Our Tank is good. You'll be in the back. You'll be safe. I just need a warm body that can cast a green light and not panic. You're the calmest person I know. Please, Zack? It'll save me from having to beg some stranger from the Healer's Guild." He looked at her. This was it. This was his first real test. Four more nights. "Okay," he said. "I'm in." Emily cheered, jumping up. "Yes! Thank you! Okay, be at the West Gate, Saturday, 8:00 AM. Don't be late! And try to look a little scared, will you? It helps the party feel protective of the Healer." She gave him a quick hug—it felt different, now that he wasn't just a "thin" friend—and ran out of the office.
Zack sat alone. Saturday. He had a deadline. He wasn't just grinding for himself anymore. He was grinding for his first real dungeon. He looked at his stats.
Strength: 35.0
Agility: 34.6
Stamina: 35.1
Spirit: 34.0
Defense: 34.0
He was at an average of 34.5 points. He needed 15.5 more. "I need to work harder," he said.
That night, he was in the dimension the second he got home. He didn't waste a single minute. [Welcome, Host. Host Rank: E (Beginner). E-Rank Dimension selected.][System notice: Host's stats are increasing. Calibrating E-Rank challenge.]
Zack took a deep breath. His heart was pounding. "A deadline. Let's go." [Wave 1: E-Rank (Beginner) x10 Spawning...]