Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Jack rested at the entrance of the participant district, leaning against the side of the open gate. He wore a dark blue buttoned shirt—taut over his wide shoulders and bulging muscles—and light brown pants, while his hair was tidy and his shoes polished—not by him; he’d just found them in a cupboard.

He simply stood there with his arms crossed, gazing at the setting sun and letting his mind wander.

I don’t have a cellphone, he realized. Wow. I can just…stand here and do nothing. What a wondrous feeling. It’s so much better than being buried in a screen.

Idle time was necessary for the mind to relax and think. If a person was constantly busying themselves with one thing or another, and if their downtime was occupied by mindless scrolling, when would they think about their lives, realize what they were missing, and set a direction for themselves? They would just be drones.

“Hey,” a gentle voice distracted him from his thoughts. “Hope you didn’t wait long.”

“Only fifteen minutes,” Jack replied with a smile. “Barely a blink.”

Vivi smiled back. She was radiant. A red dress hugged her body and reached to her flat shoes, while her hair was done in a ponytail that fell between her shoulders. She wore no makeup that Jack could see.

“You look good,” he said.

“Thanks. You too,” she replied. “Thank God neither of us has to carry a weapon. It would ruin the look.”

Jack chuckled, leaning off the gate. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

They walked into the city side-by-side, drawing many looks. Merchants stared at them, and the humans of the city gave them side-glances. Whispers spread where they passed.

“Who do you think they’re looking at?” Vivi asked, smiling. “You, or me?”

“Both, probably. You’re beautiful, and I’m a superstar.” He cursed inwardly the moment he finished speaking, understanding what he’d said. Vivi gave him a slightly disappointed look.

“I don’t think that’s the only reason they’re staring at me…”

“I know. I didn’t mean it that way; sorry. I just wanted to pay a compliment.”

She took the comment in stride.

“You are a superstar,” she said, her expression unreadable. “First, you spank Earth’s best, then you punch a scion, dominate the auction, and openly antagonize the baddest person around. And then you punch the same scion again, but harder.” Her eyes smiled a bit at the last part. “I didn’t expect you to be the brutal type, by the way.”

“You know I follow the Dao of the Fist, right? What else could I be?”

“I thought you were a big kind softie under your macho look. You know, the type that would show mercy and only use his fists to protect himself and others. Guess I was wrong.”

Jack considered it for a moment, then shrugged. “This is no place for games. The world is hard, and so is my fist.”

She paused and gave him an amused look, unable to hide the smirk on her lips. Jack smiled back, raising a brow. “It’s too early to reply to that, Jack Rust,” she finally said, resuming her walk. “However, I have to admit that your understanding of the world is a relief. As odd as it may sound, many people here don’t understand the gravity of the situation. We have been plunged into an eat-or-be eaten world; if we don’t eat others, we will be eaten ourselves.”

“Tell me about it,” Jack replied with a frown. “To be honest, I was a bit harsh on that fish because I had frustration to vent. Do you know that the Animal Kingdom are tyrants who will oppress and exploit us to no end? At least, so I’ve heard. After my stunt in the auction, they will probably massacre my faction as an example.”

“I’ve heard the same from multiple reliable sources,” Vivi replied casually. “It’s not the end of the world. You can run away before the grace period ends. The teleporter is open.”

“But many of my people will have to stay behind.”

“You said it yourself, Jack; the world is harsh. And unfortunately, we are too weak to do anything about it right now. Maybe your people will be spared.”

He looked at her. Her lips were clenched, and her large brown eyes stared right ahead.

“What’s your plan?” he asked.

“What choice do I have? I must protect my people. I will do my best in this tournament, then submit fully to the scions. Anything else would be a death sentence.”

“And what if there was another way?” he asked seriously.

She met his stare. “I would fight to my last breath...but you’ll need to convince me it’s doable, Jack Rust. I won’t risk my people’s lives for nothing.”

“Yeah. I see,” he replied. Now wasn’t the time to talk about this. First he’d decide on his path, then ask others to join him.

They lapsed into silence for a while. The colorful town passed by them, with its white walls and blue window shutters. The night breeze was chilly, though their high stats kept them warm, and the stars overhead were beautiful, only slightly obscured by the Integration City’s night lights.

Many people walked around them. Some were alien merchants: djinns, lycans, ifrits, kovans. It still amazed Jack that he walked past people with four arms and hopping on one leg like it was normal.

However, most of the passer-bys were human. They walked in small groups, all dressed sharply and talking excitedly. The novelty of an alien town hadn’t worn off even after two weeks, giving everyone the energy to explore it fully. The only thing holding them back were the exorbitant prices of the nightlife here, where a simple drink could go for ten credits, but that was only a constraint for the relatively poor.

“What do you think about this place?” Jack asked, motioning with his head at a seaside bar. It was placed directly on the edge of the island, where the platform dropped nine feet into the sea, and wooden walls shielded it from the town’s noise and lights.

It was simply called “Night Sea.”

“You buy, Mister. You can choose any place you want,” Vivi replied coyly, and Jack nodded as he walked into the bar with her behind him.

Inside the Night Sea, the illumination was discreet—mostly candles—and the music was low and calm. One entire wall was missing, giving way to the sea, and only one in every five tables was occupied. Jack surveyed the place, taking in the slightly crowded bar before spotting a small round table right by the sea. He immediately headed over, then waited for Vivi to take a seat before he did.

“Charming,” she commented.

“Always.”

A candle was lit in the center of their table, with the sound of its whooshing flame only matched by the gentle crashing of the waves below. The low soul music came from speakers on the walls, adorned with the logo of Philips on the side. The aliens were embracing Earth tech—or didn’t want to pay the fee to bring their own.

“I like this place,” Vivi said, looking around. “I like the sea.”

“Is there a seaside in Burkina Faso?” Jack asked.

“Your geographical knowledge amazes me,” she responded dryly. “We’re a continental country. Only rainforests and desert winds as far as meets the eye. I didn’t see the ocean until I was eighteen.”

“Hmm.” Jack nodded. “How was life back there? If I’m not intruding,” he added after a momentary pause.

“Why? Because I’m African and you’d expect me to be a starving, uneducated farmer?”

“No.”

She waited for a moment, but Jack didn’t add anything, only looked at her leadingly. She chuckled, then her eyes darkened. “Unfortunately, most people are starving, uneducated farmers. Things are shit. I was lucky to have well-off parents, which allowed me to study in Egypt.”

“Really? What did you study?”

“English literature…but you know, in the end, it wasn’t my calling. I love my country. After I graduated, I came back and became a tour guide for any poor tourist who found their way to the jungle.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“It wasnt. Most people expected me to sleep with them for ten dollars.” She shrugged. “Which wasn’t a bad offer given my country’s financial situation, to be honest, but I luckily didn’t have to worry about money. Can you believe they would spend more to buy a random stone from the jungle than to sleep with a woman? Tourists can be so dumb and disgusting at the same time. At least they bring money.”

“This sounds even more interesting, but I take it you didn’t like your job.”

“It was decent…but I prefer the System. The apocalypse found me in the jungle, which quickly became a dungeon, which quickly caught on fire because some fucking tourist had seen a documentary on how to rub stones. And you’d think a rainforest would be safe, but no, because fucking magic.

“I buried myself in the soil and covered myself with a wet towel to avoid the flames. I was the only survivor. That’s how I got my first Dao Root. I then worked hard to clear the remaining dungeon, leveled up, returned to civilization, gathered a large group of fighters, and led them to destroy the country’s dictators. I am effectively the leader of a nation now.”

She took a deep breath. “And that’s my life story in a nutshell. What about you?”

Jack took a moment to respond. That was a lot of information to digest. “So, I’ve gone out with the equivalent of a President?”

“We are more important than Presidents now, Jack. The world has changed.”

“I see. No wonder you seem so assertive. You’re badass.”

She smiled and nodded.

“Well, my story is much drier,” Jack began. “I lived in an orphanage with a lunatic director until I was seven. I was adopted by a couple of professors, grew up, studied biology, then got a PhD—almost. I still have to finalize a couple details, which probably isn’t happening anytime soon. The world has changed.”

Vivi chuckled. A lycan waiter arrived then, well-dressed and discreet

“I would like a whiskey, please,” Jack ordered. “Double, no ice.”

“Make them two,” Vivi said. Jack glanced at her. She shrugged. “What? A girl can drink.”

He laughed. The waiter thanked them and walked away, then Jack continued his story.

“But all the studying and working, all that life, it never filled me, you know? Not the way that punching stuff does. I love the thrill of a battle. The System tore away my shell and revealed my true self, and for that I will be ever grateful. It took a fucking dungeon spawning in my face for me to find my true self.”

“Have you ever considered the possibility of all this being mind control?” Vivi asked. “Maybe you didn’t discover your true self; you were changed by a God that speaks in nerd.”

“I’ve thought about it, but I don’t think so. Why me, of all people?”

“Because you were in a dungeon?”

He shrugged. “I’ve always been an adrenaline junkie. I never acted on it, but I remember that nothing made me feel alive like danger. When I was fifteen, I fell down some stairs, and I still remember how the world slowed down and I angled my descent perfectly to bounce down as harmlessly as possible. It was fucking amazing. That’s the only memory that comes close to the thrill I feel when I battle.”

“Why?” Vivi asked curiously. “If you knew you loved that feeling, why didn’t you pursue it?”

“Because I was stupid,” he replied with a shrug. “I was always busy with one thing or another, or I just couldn’t be bothered to lift my ass off my chair and go to the boxing gym.”

“At least it all worked out in the end.”

“That was luck. What if the apocalypse hadn’t come? I would have wasted my life away. The thought keeps me up at night sometimes, and I cannot believe how fucking lucky I got.” He paused for a moment. Something about Vivi made him open up. “I’m not sure I deserve this.”

“You deserve this on the basis of your strength,” she replied calmly. “The apocalypse did come, and you exploded with such momentum and potential that you put everyone else on the planet to shame.”

“But why me? I was a fucking loser.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Jack. Just because you didn’t make all the best decisions in the past doesn’t mean you can’t become someone great in the future.”

The waiter returned, placing two drinks before them. They thanked him. Jack thought about Vivi’s words, rotating his whiskey in his hand and taking the first sip. “I guess you’re right,” he admitted. “It’s just hard to compare myself, an average Joe, to people like you, who ran an entire revolution the second they had the power to do it. The most I did was befriend monkeys.”

“You are biased, Jack. I am not the person you think I am,” Vivi replied. Jack looked outside his own head and saw her gazing at the horizon beyond the sea. “Don’t think I’m someone great. I am just like you; everyone is just like you. I just did my best to survive, then happened to get powerful and find myself in a community of hardened warriors who looked at me as a leader.

“And if you must know, I made so many mistakes during my revolution. We lost dozens of proud men for no reason, as well as thousands of civilian lives. People were tortured. I made wrong call after wrong call, I showed weakness time and time again, I hesitated, and we nearly got obliterated. We won not because of my leadership, but because we were strong, to begin with. The only reason I still lead is because I respect everyone and everyone respects me, but I sure as hell didn’t deserve it at the start, nor could I manage it.”

Jack gazed into her eyes, still lost in the distance.

“Don’t beat yourself up,” he said. “Just because you didn’t make all the best decisions in the past doesn’t mean you can’t become someone great in the future.”

She glanced at him sideways. “Wise words,” she said, smirking.

“Always. But really; the world is a mess, and nobody is perfect. We just improvise all the time and do our best. Everyone makes mistakes; you just don’t see it from the outside.”

“Do you think they will ever forgive me?” she asked, her voice suddenly softening. “All those people who died because I messed up… All the warriors who fought under me and watched me fail… Do you think they will ever see past that? Or do they all pity me in silence and wish I would just leave? Are they simply settling for me until a real leader comes along?”

“You are a real leader, Vivi,” Jack said, grabbing her hand on the table. “One of the best on the planet. You are brilliant, and you did great. You won the war. And if anyone judges you, know they they would have fucked up ten times as hard.”

She looked up at him with wide eyes, then smiled playfully. “Hard this, hard that… Does everything have to be hard with you, Jack Rust?”

“We’ll see.” He laughed, squeezing her hand softly before pulling back.

“Thank you,” she said. “I needed to hear that.”

“Yeah… Me too.”

They smiled at each other, locking eyes. The night passed quickly. Their conversation lightened after that, exchanging stories from their childhoods and anecdotes about their System days—they had more of the latter than the former.

The moon rose in the sky. Their drinks were emptied and refilled as conversation flowed freely. They laughed a lot, teased each other at every opportunity, and their legs kept accidentally brushing under the table.

“You are a fascinating man, Jack Rust,” Vivi said, crossing her arms and leaning forward. The waning candlelight danced on her dark cooper skin, her wide smile was carefree, and her cleavage was supported on her forearms.

Jack met her gaze and smiled. He noticed that the music had gotten slightly louder as most people had left the bar. “Wanna dance?” he suddenly asked.

She smiled back. “Sure!”

They left their drinks aside and stood next to their table, slowly moving left and right. Jack wrapped his arms around her waist. Vivi wrapped hers around his neck, touching the back of his hair. Their fiery gazes interlocked.

The minutes bled together.

“Do you kiss as well as you dance?” he finally asked.

She smiled. “Even better.”

Jack pulled her closer and locked his lips with hers.

He hadn’t kissed someone in half a year. It was far better than he remembered; was the System amplifying his senses, or did he and Vivi have chemistry?

He didn’t know and didn’t care. He let himself sink into the kiss, savoring every moment. They lost track of time. When they recovered, the bar was empty, and only the Kovan bartender was left, wiping clean glasses behind the counter.

Vivi chuckled. Jack said, “Sorry man, time flew. We’ll get going.”

“Not a problem,” the Kovan replied. “Take your time.”

“You know… You do kiss pretty well,” Vivi said, leaning on his arm as he paid the tab—not because he was the man, but because he’d promised her a treat after the auction accident.

“Heh. So do you.”

“So. Your house or mine?”

He looked into her playful eyes from up-close. “You do know I’m an expert spanker, right?”

“Oh, trust me, I do. That’s how you got me in the first place.” She winked.

Jack laughed. Guess all that practice won’t go to waste after all!

“My house is difficult. I have a monkey and a ghost,” he said.

“I have three nosy war veterans.”

“Well… I guess the monkey and ghost can have an overnight work-out in the basement. I’m sure they’ll love it.”

She smiled sweetly. “I’m so glad we don’t need sleep anymore.”

“Let’s just hope we don’t fight each other tomorrow,” he replied, planting a lip on her lips.

She giggled. “I’d kick your ass,” she taunted playfully.

“You wish. I’d spank yours.”

“A spanking won’t take me down, Mister.”

“Clarification: I’d meteor punch the shit out of your pretty face.”

She feigned shock. “You’d punch a frail little woman?”

“I’d punch anyone. I’m an equal-opportunity ass-whooper, and you’re neither frail nor little. You’re the most amazonian-looking woman I have ever seen.”

She giggled again, leaning closer to his ear. “Wait until you see me without clothes,” she whispered.

Jack grinned. “I can’t wait.”