You Already Won

[EXP Log – Magjesti]

—Victory Achieved—

Players Defeated:

Steven Lee - 450,000 XP

Amanda Lowes Watson - 380,000 XP

George Hallmen - 296,909 XP

Monsters Defeated:

10x Cavehowler - 50,000 XP

200x Thornback Reavers - 25,000 XP

5x Glintfang Alpha - 100,000 XP

3x Tunnel Lurkers - 75,000 XP

2x False Eidolon Guard - 80,410.5 XP

Total XP Gained: 7,512,730

Level: 254 → 255

[New Trait Unlocked: "Predator's Clarity" – Grants bonus vision through obscure terrain and mild clairvoyance during battle.]

A soft ding echoed in the corner of her vision as the glowing blue trail reappeared, leading deeper into the cave's yawning dark. It curved like a lazy snake across the stone floor, vanishing around a sharp bend dusted with crystalline debris.

Caroline blinked the screen away and exhaled slowly. Her hands were still warm from the coded sigils—her fingers twitching, eager for more combat.

She glanced back over her shoulder.

North.

He was keeping up, but barely. He didn't look injured, not anymore—he had that weird golden glow around his arm again—but he was definitely moving slower. And that… was fair.

What wasn't fair was how fast he was adapting. How he moved during the fights. She noticed. That blood trick? Healing mid-combat? That shouldn't have worked as well as it did, not without months of training.

But he had it—the spark. The natural type, as she called them. Outlanders who arrived without avatars, systems, or pre-loaded skills. Just instinct. Just willpower. And somehow, they bent Requiem to them instead of the other way around.

Dangerous.

Not in a bad way. Yet. But dangerous nonetheless.

She narrowed her eyes as he passed under a shaft of golden cave light, the flickers dancing across his messy hair and still-battered robe.

"C'mon, slowpoke," she called back, tone teasing but watching.

He looked up, smirked, and jogged forward.

Caroline turned ahead again. Jogged on close to the elf checking for any more cave creatures.

Caroline leaned in toward Sšurtinaui with a mischievous grin. "He's lagging," she whispered, just loud enough for Jonathan to hear.

Sšurtinaui raised a brow, then smirked. "Maybe all the excitement is catching up to him."

Jonathan squinted at them suspiciously. "What are y'all talking about?"

"You," Caroline said, pointing at him with a teasing tone. "You're moving like a wounded NPC trying to pathfind through terrain."

"I am not." Jonathan snapped, stumbling slightly over a loose stone. "…Okay maybe a little."

Sšurtinaui knelt beside him and tapped the side of his leg. "Sit. Or better yet—lie down."

"I'm fine," he said.

"You're not," she countered. "Your gait's off. You're absorbing impact wrong. You probably healed something crooked."

Caroline winced. "You didn't check the alignment when you regrew that arm, huh?"

"I'm not a damn med student! And I don't have cheating UI system bullshit!" Jonathan protested.

"Well," Sšurtinaui said, pulling out a green glowing strand of Ryun like a thread, "you're about to get a crash course in field surgery. Lie down. Now."

He folded his arms stubbornly. "And trust you? After the arrow?"

Sšurtinaui rolled her eyes.

Jonathan gave her a long look, then sighed, flopping back dramatically onto the rocky floor. "Fine. But if I die, I'm haunting you."

"You'd be the fourth," she said casually.

Caroline chuckled. "Just relax, North. We're camping here anyway."

Jonathan groaned as he settled into the dirt. "This world sucks."

Sšurtinaui held up her hand, letting green Ryun tendrils swirl gently around her fingers. "Then let's make sure you can run away properly then yeah?"

Jonathan flinched hard the moment Sšurtinaui's glowing green needles of Ryun pierced his skin.

"Shit! You didn't say needles!" he hissed.

"Breathe," she said, calmly, placing a hand on his chest to still him. "Just give it a moment."

He gritted his teeth, expecting pain to worsen—but then it didn't. The needles melted into his skin like warmth wrapping around ice. His body shuddered as his muscles twitched, bones shifting slightly with wet clicks. It should've hurt like hell, but instead… it felt oddly good. Like stretching sore limbs after a long day.

"Whoa," he breathed, staring at her focused expression. "Where the hell did you learn to do this?"

She didn't look up. "School."

"School? What kinda school teaches needle healing and murder-bow skills?"

"Public academy. Advanced Ryun manipulation is required to pass your core years. You learn medicine, aura structure, elemental syncing… It's also where I learned English. For outlander detection." Her voice was casual, but her fingers moved with expert precision, threading Ryun into his muscle lines.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

Jonathan watched her work for a moment, then tilted his head. "So… uh. Since you're inside me…"

Her eyes flicked up, unamused.

"No! Not like that—I mean metaphorically, spiritually, magically. Whatever," he mumbled. "What's your story?"

She sighed and pressed two fingers to his ribs. A pleasant jolt sparked through him.

"Born in Duros-Rei. Third district. My family trains scouts for the Narloic. My job was finding outlanders and deciding if they'd survive long enough to join or needed to be put down. If I was still working… you would have passed the coin toss."

"…Comforting."

Meanwhile, Caroline had wandered a few paces off. Jonathan watched as she summoned what looked like a glowing blue cube in her palm and twisted it once. With a hum of warped air and digital static, a tent burst into existence—sleek, metallic fabric with gold-thread seams. She followed it up by conjuring a plush couch shaped like a coiled wyrm and then a fire pit ringed in obsidian tiles that lit with a soft flick of her wrist.

"My god," Jonathan muttered, wincing as his knee clicked back into place. "She's a Sims expansion pack."

"She told me it comes from some perks in Arc Sigil Unite 4," Sšurtinaui said. "Casual conjuring." She snickered to herself.

He exhaled, watching Caroline stretch out casually on the wyrm-couch. "I better not fall in love with her."

"You're not already?," Sšurtinaui said flatly, then smiled as she twisted his shoulder joint with a final crack. "There. All set."

Jonathan blinked. Then sat up.

Then immediately faceplanted.

"Okay. Almost set," she corrected. "Muscles still need to sync."

From the couch, Caroline called out, "Ten outta ten. Been a bit since you did that, eh Sšurtinaui."

Sšurtinaui rolled her eyes but helped Jonathan over to the wyrm-couch anyway. He groaned dramatically as he plopped down, arms slack, letting the fire's warmth creep up his legs. Sšurtinaui sat beside him, while Caroline took her spot on the opposite side—scrolling through translucent screens only she could see, eyes flicking with strategy.

For a few long moments, it was silent.

Well—he was silent. The girls were deep in conversation, mapping out potential temple locations and whispering about the rumored Day 8 twist. Jonathan just blinked at the fire, trying to stay alert enough to understand anything.

Eventually, Sšurtinaui broke from her explanation long enough to glance at him. "We'll go over it later," she said, not unkindly. "Don't feel left out."

"Thanks," he muttered.

He leaned back against the wyrm-shaped cushion. The fire crackled softly, and his thoughts drifted.

Maybe school wouldn't be the worst thing, he thought. X could probably tutor him. Or he could apply to some wild Ryun academy. Get a schedule. Fight some monsters. Maybe make some damn sense of this place.

This world sucked. But… it also didn't. It had its moments. Between the chaos and death, it felt alive in a way Earth never did. Thrilling, dangerous—personal.

Still, he'd only had two real challenges so far. The psycho who launched the apocalypse-nuke and Miss Saint Joan with her death spear. Everything else—owl men, tiger monsters, digital cultists—he'd managed. Barely, but still.

And that made him curious.

"Hey, ladies," he said, breaking their flow. "Sorry to interrupt the strategy talk, but… I've got a question."

Both women looked over, mildly curious. He sat up straighter.

"What happens if I win this thing?"

Caroline leaned back, arms behind her head, grinning. "Already planning on ditching us once you're healed, huh?"

Sšurtinaui let out a rare chuckle and looked over at Jonathan. "He wants that 'solo main character' energy so bad."

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "I'm asking hypothetically, okay?"

Sšurtinaui tilted her head thoughtfully. "The Fortune Holder isn't just about winning—it's about making yourself known. Most people use it to rise in Narloic, the freelancer circuit. It's about connections, influence, reputation. You get points, but more importantly, eyes on you."

Caroline nodded. "We joined to qualify as rankers. It's why we all decided to go together this year. After getting gems and gear, the plan was to meet up at the southern shrine and form a stable unit."

"So I was gonna meet little dusty over here anyway," Jonathan said with a smirk, nudging Caroline.

"Little dusty?" Caroline raised a brow, amused.

"Your hair—never mind."

"That was so corny. Boo!" she laughed.

"Definitely not your best," Sšurtinaui added with a grin.

"Screw y'all," he muttered, but he smiled.

Sšurtinaui took a breath and continued. "The key to winning is reaching the point threshold by the end. But from here on, it's not about gems alone. We'll need to pick a faction—stay with them for the long haul."

Jonathan frowned. "Factions?"

Caroline stretched. "Groups of competitors banding together to win. Usually ends with three major factions dominating by the final month. One last battle to win it all."

"Group size doesn't matter," Sšurtinaui said. "Only contribution. You pull weight, you earn recognition. Slacking? You get cut, or worse."

Jonathan gave a slow nod. "So basically, corporate hell—but with swords."

Caroline laughed. "Exactly. Except you will get stabbed in the back. Literally."

He exhaled, eyes flicking to the cave's darker depths. "Cool.

Jonathan tilted his head, frowning in thought. "Wait, wasn't there that one gator-bird woman with y'all? What was her name again…"

Sšurtinaui didn't miss a beat. "Tyzel."

"Right. My bad—Tyzel. Wasn't she a ranker?"

Sšurtinaui nodded. "She was. Just a ranker, though—on the lower end. Everyone in this event ranges from cadet to low-ranker. Most rankers usually go to more advanced events like Elysium Vaults, The Iron Meridian, or Tombfall Ascension."

Caroline chimed in, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, the Fortune Holder event honestly shouldn't have rankers in it. Strongest you'll typically run into is Legendary." She grimaced. "Cawren's just being an asshole by participating. Especially with what he did to the starting zone."

Jonathan's face darkened. "Wait—that's the guy who nuked us?"

Both women nodded grimly.

"Outlander," Sšurtinaui confirmed. "Only been in Requiem a few months and already known for mass slaughter. He sees the world as a game, and people as NPCs. But he's no slouch… he's already a ranker."

Jonathan leaned back against the back of the couch and grinned darkly. "Nice. Imma kick his ass right after Joan of Arc."

Sšurtinaui blinked, confused. "Who?"

Caroline snorted. "He means the warrior who sliced his arm off."

"Oh. That explains the… passion," Sšurtinaui said, deadpan. "I'm guessing that's another Earth meme?"

"No, it's a joke," Jonathan and Caroline said in unison, exchanging a glance.

Then, without warning, Caroline flicked her hand upward. A spark of Ryun light shimmered—and a cozy picnic setup appeared: glowing tablecloth, three bowls of rice and meat, and tall flasks of something sweet and cold.

Jonathan just stared. "What the hell was that?"

"Emoting," she said casually, sitting down. "In my game, certain emotes could conjure temporary effects—food, music, items. Requiem let me keep it. If I use aura, they last longer."

Jonathan blinked. "You're telling me… you spawned a buffet because you did a wave or whatever?"

She grinned. "Technically a '/supperbliss' gesture. Want some?"

He leaned forward slowly, still staring. "This world is so busted."

Sšurtinaui smirked. "You're just jealous you didn't come from a game."

"Damn right," Jonathan muttered, reaching for a bowl. "I want downloadable content too."

As they ate, Jonathan shoveled in another bite of the steaming meat-and-rice combo. He leaned back, chewing, then said, "Not bad."

"I didn't cook it," Caroline replied with a smirk, "but thanks."

Sšurtinaui narrowed her eyes. "Sit up straight before all my hard work goes to waste."

Jonathan rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her, but obeyed. He took a swig of the mystery drink next—sweet, cold, tasted like a melted blue slushy. "Wait… you, elf woman."

Sšurtinaui glared at him. "I have a name."

"Right. You said I'm elite cadet level, yeah? But I fought a ranker. Doesn't that mean I'm basically ranker-level?"

Sšurtinaui exhaled, not annoyed—just preparing a mini lecture. "That warrior was a Dorferan. Natives to this realm. Their connection to the land boosts them."

Jonathan squinted. "You lost me."

She sighed and shifted on the couch. "Every realm has different properties. For example, this realm—Yulem—is denser. Higher spiritual weight. Stronger Ryun feedback. But more resistance too. Other realms might be lighter, or faster, or warped. Some let you float. Others mess with time perception."

"Like Earth has time zones," he said, nodding. "Same linear model, slight differences."

"Exactly," she said, surprised he got it.

"So that means…" he said slowly, eyes lighting up.

Caroline chuckled, sipping from her drink. "Means you weren't fighting a full ranker. That warrior was a legendary cadet, but since she's in her realm? She's functionally a low ranker. That's why she nearly chopped you in half."

Sšurtinaui nodded. "And you are floating somewhere around elite cadet. Maybe legendary if you keep going."

Jonathan blinked. "That… makes a lotta sense. I guess."

Caroline gave him a sly grin. "Still weird though. You knew none of this, and yet somehow you're just… adjusting? Like it's natural. North…how the hell are you functioning?"

Sšurtinaui nodded. "She's right. Traveling through realms without tuning your body can be…disastrous."

They both stared at him.

Jonathan chuckled awkwardly, glancing away. "Yeah… wild, right?"