Deep within the forest, inside an unknown structure, the silence was broken by the heavy grinding sound of stone scraping against stone.
At the heart of the ruins of a castle long forgotten by time, the massive lid of something resembling a sarcophagus slid open in the darkness.
From within, an old man rose, dressed in a worn yellow suit that looked strangely clean for a place like that.
"Well... that was a good nap," he murmured, rolling his neck from side to side. The dry cracking of vertebrae echoed through the damp walls like branches snapping.
With slow, measured steps, he left the chamber and crossed a dimly lit corridor until he reached the main hall.
At the center of the room stood a stone throne adorned with skulls weathered by the years.
At the foot of the structure, Donovan remained kneeling with his head lowered in reverence.
Beside him, a crow with feathers far too black to seem natural also bowed its head.
"Welcome back," Donovan said quietly.
The man in yellow gave no response. He climbed the throne's steps without hurry and sat down with almost theatrical elegance, crossing one leg over the other.
His dark eyes, deep as empty wells, rested upon the two of them.
"So..." he murmured with mild disinterest. "What did I miss?"
Immediately, the crow opened its beak and meticulously recounted the events of the past few years.
The man tilted his head slightly upon hearing about the arrival of the Matthews family, but faintly frowned at the failed kidnapping.
However, when the bird began describing Daniel's peculiarities and interference, his irritated expression faded.
"Ah..." he let out softly. "Now this is getting interesting."
With a lazy motion of his hand, he beckoned them closer.
Donovan and the crow approached without hesitation, as if they already knew the ritual.
The man's pale fingers touched their foreheads.
Instantly, memories unfolded before him.
Daniel fighting. Daniel smiling. Daniel challenging things he should have feared.
The old man watched everything. A crooked smile curled across his dry lips.
"Interesting..." he murmured. "Looks like someone wants to join the game."
He withdrew his hands with deliberate calm.
Then his fingers began tapping against the armrest of the throne, almost eagerly.
"Let's send them a gift."
—
The interior of the motorhome was bathed in a soft bluish glow. Daniel opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling with a completely clear mind. He didn't feel the slightest trace of sleepiness.
The digital clock on the wall read 4:02 a.m.
Looks like I really do need less sleep after leveling up, Daniel thought while stretching his arms lazily, his joints cracking softly.
He turned his head on the pillow.
Beside him, Julie was still asleep, her relaxed face half-buried in the pillow, brown hair spread messily across the pillowcase.
Under the dim lighting, her skin looked almost too delicate for this place.
An involuntary smile appeared at the corner of his lips as he watched the girl's calm breathing.
[Warning: dangerous levels of romantic contamination detected. If you start writing poetry, I swear I'm uninstalling the interface.]
"If you had a body, I'd drown you in a bucket of honey out of pure spite", Daniel shot back without looking away from her.
[I'd put you down with one move.]
Daniel let out a short snort through his nose and rolled his eyes.
Moving with the care of a professional thief, he slipped out from beneath the sheets, making sure Julie didn't wake up.
After a quick stop by the bathroom to brush his teeth, he walked over to the small kitchen table.
There was work to do.
With a mental command, he pulled the notebook and the needle out of the Inventory.
His Spiritual Energy was completely full.
Can't waste this, he thought, sitting at the table as he opened a blank page.
Daniel held the needle between his fingers and channeled his intent into the metallic tip. The first attempt remained stable until halfway through.
Lines began appearing on the paper with precision, but the instant he tried to complete the final curve, the stroke responsible for determining whether the bearer could see spirits or not, his hand pressed down just a fraction harder than necessary.
The structure collapsed.
A faint crack ran through the sheet. The edges instantly blackened, and the drawing lost all coherence, degenerating into dead, powerless scribbles.
Daniel let out an irritated breath through his nose.
Focus. I'm way too close to mess this up over something stupid.
He turned the page and started again.
This time, his movements became much slower and more precise. Spiritual power flowed continuously from his body into the needle without any fluctuations.
When the final line closed perfectly, the entire drawing glowed with a soft white light.
The rune pulsed once before fading, remaining etched into the paper like a pale scar, subtle yet brimming with energy.
At that exact moment, a flood of information invaded his mind.
The small smile of satisfaction that had begun forming quickly disappeared, replaced by a focused expression.
The rune wasn't miraculous.
First: it would only last for a week. The miserable quality of the notebook paper caused the energy to leak slowly into the environment, like water escaping from a cracked container.
Second: the protection had a clear limit. It could block attacks approximately equivalent to Daniel's current level of power.
The third limitation was the most problematic.
With the basic amount of energy invested, the rune could only withstand three impacts before falling apart. Maybe only one if the attacker was significantly stronger.
Still, there was room for improvement. He could pour more spiritual power into the structure immediately; every extra twenty points would add another charge to the symbol.
And as long as the rune didn't suffer direct physical damage, it could also be recharged afterward.
Not a bad result, he concluded, leaning back in the chair.
He had expected something more absurd. Something like those cultivation novels where the rune absorbed energy from the atmosphere on its own and basically functioned as an infinite artifact.
Unfortunately, the universe seemed less generous than Chinese authors.
Even so, the data revealed an extremely useful compensation:
The rune activated automatically whenever it detected an attack.
That alone already transformed the symbol into something absurdly valuable in this hellhole.
And the durability problem also had a solution.
Everything depended on the material used as the base.
If he drew the same pattern onto an ordinary stone, for example, the energy would maintain its integrity for approximately five months.
As he absorbed the new information, a faint tingling sensation spread through the back of his consciousness.
It felt as though something was slowly trying to emerge from underwater.
A new geometric pattern began taking shape in his mind, still blurry and incomplete.
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
Completing the first rune was unlocking access to another one.
Something related to stealth.
The details remained vague, but the mere promise of that ability was already enough to put him on alert.
Remaining unnoticed in that place was worth more than brute strength.
Daniel pulled back a crack in the curtain.
Outside, the darkness was beginning to take on a pale gray tone. The clock was already approaching five in the morning.
"System. You don't generate missions anymore, but you could at least leave that daily one active."
[Of course, Your Majesty. Would you also like me to provide a relaxing massage and a cup of hot chocolate after training?]
Daniel snorted through his nose.
"No, I just think you're a lazy, ill-mannered algorithm that's afraid of actual work."
He leaned back in the chair and rested his feet on the seat across from him, staring into empty space with a crooked smile while waiting for the system's response.
The exchange of barbs continued until the first pale hues of morning began slipping through the motorhome curtains.
Giving up on squeezing any more sarcastic answers out of the System, Daniel got up and walked over to the small sink.
He started preparing breakfast in silence, moving carefully through the cramped space so he wouldn't wake Julie.
Not long after, the rich aroma of fresh coffee spread through the motorhome.
But then a muffled sound coming from the bedroom caught his attention.
Daniel quickly dried his hands on the towel beside the sink and opened the door.
Julie was sitting on the bed.
Her chest rose and fell in uneven breaths, her eyes wide and unfocused on some empty point along the wall. Tiny beads of cold sweat glistened across her forehead.
The frightened expression made his own face harden instantly.
"Hey, what happened?" Daniel asked, swiftly approaching the bed.
He sat on the edge of the mattress and immediately pulled her into a protective embrace.
"A nightmare?"
Still trembling, Julie nodded against his chest. Her fingers tightened around Daniel's shirt as if she needed it to anchor herself back to reality.
"It's over now," he murmured in a lower voice, placing a slow kiss on top of her head. "You're safe here. Nobody's getting inside this motorhome."
The steady calm in his voice, combined with the warmth of his embrace, slowly began dissolving the tremors running through her body.
Julie let out a long, exhausted sigh, feeling the tension gradually leave her shoulders.
The silence remained comfortable for a few seconds.
Then Daniel deliberately broke it.
"Coffee's ready," he said. "Come eat before I change my mind and finish everything myself."
Julie let out a weak little laugh and nodded.
But when she pulled away from him and placed her feet on the floor, the very first step drew a slight grimace from her face. Her posture stiffened a little.
Daniel's gaze lowered shamelessly.
"Everything okay… down there?" he asked with shameless innocence.
Julie's face turned red at incredible speed.
"You were a brute," she shot back defensively, crossing her arms as though that somehow restored her dignity.
"I still remember every single one of your moans," he whispered teasingly. "Think you can look me in the eyes and say you didn't enjoy it?"
Julie opened her mouth, ready to respond, but nothing came out.
The blush spread all the way down her neck.
"Shut up," she muttered, avoiding his stare while trying to hide her embarrassment. "Let's just eat already."
Daniel smiled victoriously like someone who had just won an argument without making the slightest effort.
Before the two could head toward the small table, knocking echoed from outside the door.
"Daniel? Julie? Are you two awake yet?"
Tabitha's voice carried through the armored metal of the motorhome.
Julie's eyes widened instantly.
The panic of them discovering she had slept with him overwhelmed all other thoughts in her mind.
She practically launched herself onto the bed, grabbing a pillow and bunching the blanket into her arms in desperate haste.
Daniel watched the scene for a second before raising an eyebrow.
"Do you really need all that?"
The desperation written across her face only intensified.
"Keep your voice down!" Julie hissed, nervously glancing toward the door. "Quick, open the couch!"
Holding back a laugh, Daniel decided to cooperate with the performance.
Returning to the living room, he released the latch on the sofa bed.
Julie tossed the pillow and blanket onto it with absolutely no care before literally throwing herself on top of the couch.
Within seconds, she was tucked beneath the covers, hiding her legs and striking the pose of someone who had just woken up there.
"Okay," she whispered, trying to steady her breathing. "You can open it now."
Daniel shook his head, clearly entertained by the situation.
He unlocked the door and opened it.
Tabitha was standing outside, accompanied by Jim and Ethan.
"Good morning," she said with a somewhat tired smile. "Is Julie awake yet?"
"Just woke up," Daniel replied casually, stepping aside to let the three of them in.
Tabitha walked right past him and went straight to her daughter.
"Good morning, sweetheart. How was your night?"
Julie pretended to stretch beneath the blanket.
"I... slept really well, Mom."
Her voice came out way higher than usual. Far too nervous.
Daniel put his hands in his pockets and hid the smile that threatened to appear.
"Told you the couch was comfortable," he said with fake innocence.
Julie shot him a murderous glare over Tabitha's shoulder.
The threat was extremely clear: Say one more word and you're dead.
Jim immediately noticed the exchange of looks and frowned.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, Dad! None at all!" Julie answered way too quickly. "We were just joking around."
Tabitha observed her daughter for a few seconds, noticing the reddish mark on her neck. Then she looked at the sofa bed and, lastly, at Daniel.
Her expression shifted almost imperceptibly, with that silent kind of realization only mothers seemed capable of having.
For now, she decided not to comment on it.
"We're going to have breakfast at the diner," Tabitha explained. "After that, we're meeting everyone at Colony House to put the tower plan into action. Are you two coming?"
Julie blinked a few times, relieved by the change of subject.
"Daniel already made coffee here," she replied, pointing toward the small table. "But after we finish, I'll meet you guys there to help."
All three Matthews turned to Daniel at the same time.
"I'm gonna pass on that," Daniel answered calmly. "Need to check the traps."
Deep down, he already knew that plan would end in failure.
Even so, part of him was curious.
In the original storyline, after the tower was built, Jim managed to contact a mysterious voice over the radio. A voice that knew his name and knew exactly what Tabitha was doing in the house basement.
Now that she was no longer digging, what would the voice even say?
Jim seemed like he wanted to insist for a moment, but gave up once he realized Daniel had already made up his mind.
A little while later, Ethan handed back the handheld console with a dead battery.
"Thanks, Daniel."
"No problem, kid."
After a quick goodbye, the Matthews left the motorhome.
The door closed behind them with a metallic click, plunging the motorhome back into silence.
========================================
If you want to support the continuation of the story and read chapters in advance, you can become a supporter for just $5 and get access to 5 early chapters.
patreon.com/Northmann