Dragged into Another World's Apocalypse - A LitRPG Story

[Congratulations! You have fulfilled the requirements for advancing to E-rank. Would you like to see your options?]

Arianna blinked. What?

She looked around, confused, before realising Cassis was staring blankly at the same invisible prompt.

"What?" she said aloud, a little too sharply.

Helen, Nadine, and Luke twitched at her tone, while the others looked over curiously.

Cassis shook his head and dismissed the translucent window in front of him. They had already disbanded the large ten-person party. Only the two of them remained inside their private party chat. The air around them and the suburban area was quiet again, the faint hum of of the activated gate slowly dispersing.

"I know that very basic evolution takes place after successfully clearing three dungeons of your current rank," Cassis said, his voice thoughtful. "But that's only if you want to keep your class and get a (+1) version of it, or one of the most basic classes available. If you clear five, you usually get access to better options beyond the +1s or the generic ones. But…" He frowned slightly. "I thought it depended on your class type whether you even got the basic ones. I really assumed that we wouldn't be offered an evolution because of our already very advanced classes."

Arianna tilted her head, trying to recall what little she knew from the other timeline. "So it's not dependent on the advancement of your class?"

"It seems the system always gives you the option to evolve to the next rank once you fulfil the minimum requirements," he said. "I've always tried to evolve as soon as possible to get stronger. And I only ever took the basic paths before, anyway."

Arianna pressed her lips together. Of course you did.
She cursed the awakeners of the other timeline again. Their greed, their secrecy, their endless refusal to share what they knew. How much easier would things have been if humanity hadn't tried to hoard every scrap of knowledge for themselves?

She looked at Cassis again. He really should have had teammates back then. He shouldn't have been forced to figure out everything alone. But she didn't say it aloud. She didn't want to sound like she was lecturing him. And she didn't want to seem like she was making fun of him, not for this, anyway.

"So," she asked instead, "do you think we'll get better class choices after we beat the E-rank boss?"

Cassis nodded. "I was never completely sure, but it would be logical. The system rewards effort. The more requirements you meet, and the more achievements you got, the more options it gives."

"Then let's wait," Arianna said, still feeling a bit insecure about this development. But they had a plan and they'd follow it. "And let's tell the others. If they know, they can plan too. We'll clear a few more F-rank dungeons anyway. So everyone can get better choices."

He gave a small, approving nod. Then, raising his voice, he turned toward the rest of their gathered group.
"Some of you might've also met the requirements for advancing to E-rank. But right now, the available class options are only basic. Sapphire told me we should wait until we've cleared at least five F-rank dungeons. The more you fulfil, the better your choices will be."

Arianna nodded beside him, adding, "Cassis and I will probably wait until after the E-rank dungeon. It's risky, but it should give us stronger evolution paths."

Luke scratched the back of his neck. "If Sapphire says so, then I'm fine with waiting. F-rank dungeons aren't that hard anymore anyway. But… will you be okay with the E-rank one?"

Arianna hesitated for a heartbeat, then smiled, forcing confidence into her voice.
"We need to be. Strength is everything right now, and we can do this."

Her voice sounded steadier than she felt.
But with Cassis's power and her own protective and healing abilities, maybe… just maybe… they could do it.
Maybe they were strong enough to kill a D-rank boss.

Arianna decided to check her class options, just to be sure.
Luremaster
High Priestess
Battle Chaplain (+1)
Arcane Saint (+1)
Warpriest of the Flow (+1)
Celestial Battlecaster (+1)

She sighed. They were exactly the same as before. It was just with a few new (+1)s tacked on.
So, she had fulfilled some progression requirements, but only basic ones.

Figures.

The (+1) probably appeared for the abilities she'd actually developed further. Her spell Baiting hadn't really played a major role lately, so she hadn't even earned a (+1) for the luremaster class. Her spellcasting itself had improved a lot with Water Manipulation, so she understood while all the mage hybrid classes had a (+1) behind them. Meanwhile, her healing hadn't really evolved at all. The only remotely new thing she'd done was refine the Holy Water spell… and that hardly counted as proper healing. Consequently, the high priestess class had stayed the same as before.

She frowned. I really need to get better at healing.
Master rank in healing would be ideal, especially before the E-rank dungeon.

Arianna also wasn't sure what kind of class would be good afterwards. She liked her class. Its flexibility suited her well, letting her adapt between support, offense, and utility. But she couldn't forget the basics. Healing was still the core of her class, and lately she'd barely needed it.

It was great that she didn't need protection anymore. She felt a lot more confident while fighting and being able to protect herself and others. But she enjoyed healing others. Taking care of others was important to her. Just lately, people rarely got hurt. They didn't need her healing as much as before.

That was a good thing, of course. It meant her team had gotten stronger. Even with their weaker members, they'd protected them so well that she'd rarely been forced to heal anyone. But it also meant she was out of practice.

And in the E-rank dungeon, they'd need every skill she had.

They'd be underlevelled again for that dungeon. She still remembered how much they'd struggled in Rezon, and that had only been F-rank. Now, they'd be facing something much worse, with an unfamiliar group, no less. Even if the military operatives were competent, and some of them were her students, it would be a different rhythm entirely.

Arianna exhaled slowly. I'll have to work on my healing again.

Then a new thought struck her. Would she even have time?

Their schedule for the next ten days was already crammed full. They were supposed to rotate more of the weaker community members through the dungeons while also clearing the dungeons in their area. It was a good plan. Maximize experience, spread the gains, but it meant she'd have little to no downtime.

Still, she'd have to make time.
If she wanted to stand beside Cassis in the E-rank dungeon, not behind him, not as someone who needed saving, then she had to be ready. She'd be strong enough not to lose anyone again.

When they got home, it was still early afternoon.

Samuel was already waiting for them in the meeting room, his expression grave. The moment everyone had settled, he began.

"About five percet of the F-rank dungeons set to break have already done so," he said. "Two of them are near our area. Not close enough to pose an immediate threat, but if the monsters settle there, we'll be in their path eventually."

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A tense silence followed.

Cassis was the first to speak. "We need to build walls around our community. It won't be long before monsters start attacking. We have to be ready to defend."

The others nodded grimly.

"Dad," Cassis continued, turning to Marcus, "your earth walls are permanent, right?"

Marcus nodded slowly.

"Then it would be great if you could work on our walls."

Marcus grimaced. Arianna understood immediately. That would be a lot of work, and he'd need to use even more mana. Still, he didn't protest.

Arianna's gaze softened. She saw it again, the resemblance between Cassis and his father. Both men carried the same quiet strength, the same readiness to shoulder impossible burdens for the sake of their people.

Marcus straightened. "I'll do it. We need walls. Do you think two meters are enough?"

Cassis considered. "For now."

Arianna sighed. For now sounded ominous, but he was right. F-rank, maybe even E-rank monsters, would likely search for easier prey before attempting to scale a wall.

Samuel exhaled heavily. "That was also my thought. But we need to decide where to put the wall." He unrolled a map of their small town and pointed at it. "We can't protect everything… Not immediately. For now, we should build a perimeter around this neighbourhood."

He traced a circle with his finger.

"That should be doable for Marcus in a short time. From what I've seen, the monsters have enough prey where they are now. They'll probably nest there for a while." His voice trembled slightly. Those dungeon breaks had probably in the news. "But in a few weeks, maybe months… they'll spread out."

Arianna clenched her fists. She could only imagine what it looked like out there. Towns overrun, families slaughtered, people running for their lives. She couldn't help them. Not yet.

All she could do was get stronger, strong enough to protect the people here.

Her eyes drifted to Cassis. He hadn't moved a muscle during the discussion. His face was unreadable. Was he remembering it? The collapse, the chaos, the screams from the other timeline?

Marcus broke the silence. "Are any of the other mages earth-affinity? I could use help."

Helen perked up. "I believe Irene has an earth affinity. She chose the mage class, and Cassis's group got her to level ten. She can probably advance her class now. What are the requirements for the Earthen Mage class? Maybe she'll want to take it."

Marcus thought for a moment. "She should choose what she feels right with. But we can ask her. The requirements are:
– Has chosen the Mage path,
– Has unlocked Earth affinity,
– Has Mana Control and Mana Sight at Intermediate or higher,
– Has Earth Missile at Intermediate or higher,
– Has killed three or more E-rank monsters as part of a party."

Arianna blinked. Those were… much simpler than her own requirements had been. No wonder Cassis called their classes "advanced."

Helen nodded. "That sounds doable. And I'm pretty sure you guys killed at least three E-ranks with her in the party already, so that's covered. She'd just need to polish her spells."

Danielle chimed in. "But we should still ask what she wants. Maybe she already got a good advancement."

Nadine agreed. "Let's ask her tomorrow. We'll take Camden and Liam into the new dungeons to level more people. She still lives with them. We can talk to her then."

Marcus nodded. "One more thing. I have a feeling we'll need those walls sooner than later. I'm considering focusing on construction instead of the levelling runs. I can still join the clearing teams, but doing both would burn me out. If I can, I'd like to start a second wall later, for the rest of the town. But our neighbourhood comes first. We have to protect ourselves before we can help others."

Cassis smiled faintly. "You're right, Dad. And I think you're not needed on the levelling runs anymore. Arianna has her water barrier, and Josh can now cast an earth barrier. They can take your place."

Arianna nodded. It was true. Her mana consumption had dropped drastically; even in the last boss fights, she'd barely felt strained. She smiled reassuringly. And Josh would probably be alright. He was a fighter, which Arianna had come to realise, was rare in the cleric class.

"We'll be fine," she said softly.

But deep down, she shared Marcus's unease. The first wave of dungeon breaks had only just begun. There were still ten more days to go, and each day, more dungoens would spew out monsters because the teams entering them had failed.

She shuddered. Don't think about the people out there.

Instead, she focused on something she could control: organization.

She mentally listed everyone who still needed levelling.
Mrs. Ranislav, Ayra, and her son Ben. Thankfully, Ben was already level five and a mage, so it wouldn't take long. His parents had wanted to observe a dungeon run first before allowing their fifteen-year-old to join; that's why Rohan had taken his place during the first levelling mission.

Ben's younger sister, Priya, was only twelve. Liam had already levelled her through the bracelet.

Janice and Michael wanted to fight properly and reach level twenty through combat. But Thomas would stay outside and try his hand at some professions. Their younger siblings, Steven and Anne, had also been levelled through Camden's bracelet.

Josh would keep fighting too. His parents and two younger siblings, aged fourteen and sixteen, still needed to be levelled. She felt bad for the teenagers, especially the sister. She was right at the cut-off for being a dependent at fourteen years old.

Then there was the Yukimura family. They had lived in this neighbourhood for years and had chosen to stay. Mr. and Mrs. Yukimura, their thirty-one-year-old son-in-law, and his four-year-old daughter. Their daughter had died in the first wave. The child could be levelled via bracelet this time, but the adults would need to go inside.

The Millers, a married couple in their twenties, also wanted to remain and needed to be levelled.
Mr. Gilleaux, a divorced man in his forties who'd lived with his parents before the apocalypse, had lost them in the first wave. He was alone now, but determined to fight. He'd told them he would bring his ex-wife and their teenage son into the neighbourhood. So they'd level them, too.

The other former neighbors had either died or left, selling their houses to Samuel.

And then there was Samuel himself.

Arianna bit her lip. He still needed to level, but… how? Taking level-ones into dungeons was already dangerous enough. At least the others could run if needed. Samuel couldn't. Someone would have to carry him, and that was too risky.

Could she heal him?

She didn't know. She hadn't dared to ask or try. The last thing she wanted was to give him hope, only to fail.

But she had to try.

Before that, she'd study. Nerve damage, paralysis, mana pathways, any possible link between healing and the nervous system. She had to find something.

When Arianna finally got home, she barely had time to sit down before her phone rang. Cassis nodded at her and went upstairs to give her some privacy while talking on the phone.

"Hey," came the voice on the other end.

"Faith!" Arianna brightened immediately. "How are you?"

Faith sounded… okay. Her tone was steady, though a little forced, and Arianna could tell the weight hadn't lifted.

"I'm fine," Faith said. "And Uncle Dan is too. He's entered quite a few dungeons lately, cleared them, even. He actually managed to evolve to E-rank now."

Arianna blinked. "Already?"

"Yeah," Faith said softly. "So I'm feeling better about him entering an E-rank gate. But still…"

Her voice trailed off.

Arianna leaned back, exhaling slowly. Bryce had already reached E-rank. That was impressive. He'd probably taken one of the more basic evolution paths, but even so, E-rank was a power-up in itself.

She couldn't help but grin faintly. Still not stronger than Cassis, she thought. No way.

But she also knew what this meant. Cassis would see Bryce's evolution as proof that he was dangerous, and that would make his awful plan feel more "justified." Arianna's chest tightened. She still didn't agree with it… but lately, she hadn't even had time to think it through properly.

Faith's voice cut back in. "I've asked my father about it. He's pretty high up in the military command, and he told me that if I reach at least level twenty, he can make space for me in the E-rank team."

Arianna felt her stomach twist. She had a feeling where this was going.

"I'm level nine now," Faith said, her tone quickening. "Ari, could I… come into some dungeons with you guys?"

Arianna sighed quietly. She'd expected this.

Faith hurried on before Arianna could answer. "I'll do everything I can. I won't be a burden, I promise. But I need to enter that dungeon with you. Uncle Dan is—" her voice broke slightly, "—he's more of a father to me than my real one. I have to keep him safe. Please."

Arianna closed her eyes for a moment. She understood completely. Faith's pain, her desperation. It mirrored her own. She would have done anything to protect her own father. But could Arianna take on one more responsibility?

Because that's what a level nine ranger in a dungeon really was, a responsibility.

Still, in the end, she caved. "I'll ask Cassis and the others," she said quietly.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"It's not certain yet," Arianna warned.

"Yes, but… thank you for even considering it. I'll fight well, and I'll grow fast. I promise."

Arianna smiled weakly, though Faith couldn't see it. "I know you will."

They spoke for a few more minutes, but Arianna could feel her own energy fading. Normally she'd stay on the line, talk through plans or worries, maybe tease Faith a little. But not tonight.

Her head was spinning, heavy with too many thoughts. Walls, dungeons, evolutions, broken timelines, and now Faith and Bryce again.

So instead, she ended the call early.

For a while, she just sat there in silence, staring at her phone, her reflection faint in the dark screen. Then, almost by instinct, she opened her laptop.

If she couldn't solve everything else tonight, she could at least start somewhere.

She began researching paralysis, its causes, symptoms, and the limits of medical treatment. She read about nerve damage, spinal injuries, and experimental therapies.

Maybe she could help Samuel. She knew she couldn't regrow Marcus's arm right now, but some healers in the other timeline had been able to do that. It had been rare, but it had been possible.

But Samuel wasn't missing a body part. Some of his nerves were so damaged and maybe even cut off that he couldn't use his legs. Maybe her healing could mend what normal medicine and the body's natural recovery couldn't in this case. It was technically still healing damage, not regrowing something.

She'd talk to Cassis and Helen about it tomorrow. They would be able to tell her if she should try healing Samuel.

For tonight, she just needed to clear her head.