Awakening a 10,000x Skill Proficiency Multiplier in the Apocalypse

The real world was loud and full of misery. Sebastian was starting to get a massive headache.

It had been three days since the Great Merge officially kicked off. Sanctuary was completely full.

Five thousand refugees were packed into the outer courtyards. The labor division was working constantly, hauling the scrap metal and concrete that Colonel Vance’s men dragged in from the ruined city.

Sebastian stood in the grand hall of the Citadel. He stared at the massive golden diamond floating above the obsidian pedestal. The True City Core hummed with a deep vibration that shook his teeth.

HUMMMMM.

”We have a serious problem,” Valerie said. She marched up the steps to the central dais.

She looked like she had not slept in a week. Her pristine corporate look was completely gone. It was replaced by a messy ponytail, dark bags under her eyes, and a stained white blouse.

She tapped furiously on her solar powered tablet.

”I am listening,” Sebastian replied as he rubbed his temples.

”The water pumps are failing,” Valerie stated flatly. ”The deep aquifer is fine but the magical conduits powering the filtration system are blocked. We have five thousand people drinking, bathing, and cleaning wounds. The medical wing is using up half our clean water just to keep the bite victims from getting worse.”

She swiped a finger across her tablet. A holographic projection of the base resource management appeared.

”On top of that, the outer perimeter shield is flickering,” she continued. ”Vance’s boys are doing their best. But every night, thousands of Tier 0 and Tier 1 Void monsters throw themselves at the barrier.”

”The Core is draining too much mana to fry them all. If we get hit by a Beast Tide, the shield is going to shatter and we will be eaten alive.”

”So we need more power,” Sebastian summarized. He did not sound panicked. He just sounded like a tired landlord dealing with a broken system.

”We need a bigger engine,” Valerie corrected. ”We need to upgrade the Citadel to Tier 2. If we do not expand the territorial anchor, the system will not let us build more advanced water purifiers or heavier Arcane Towers. We are literally capped by the rules of the game.”

Sebastian sighed. ”Right. Game logic.”

He stepped up to the floating diamond. He placed his right hand flat against the warm surface of the True City Core.

BING!

[System Prompt: Guild Core Accessed.]

[Current Status: Tier 1 Sanctuary]

[Territory: 5 Kilometers]

[Upgrade to Tier 2 Available. Do you wish to view requirements?]

”Show me the bill,” Sebastian muttered.

The blue holographic text expanded. It listed out a ridiculous shopping list.

[Tier 2 Upgrade Requirements:]

↳ 100,000 Gold Coins

↳ 10,000 Tons of Refined Stone/Metal

↳ 1x Epic Tier Magical Anchor

↳ Specific Item Required: [The Heart of a Dragon]

Sebastian stared at the floating blue text. He blinked once. Then he let out a short laugh.

”Well, fvck me,” he said.

”What does it say?” Valerie asked as she leaned over his shoulder.

Her eyes scanned the text, and her jaw slowly dropped.

”A hundred thousand gold?! We are rich, Sebastian, but we are not that rich! And what is a Dragon’s Heart?”

”The gold is not a problem,” Sebastian said. He waved his hand dismissively. ”I can brew another batch of Divine potions and extort some other terrified guild master. The stone is already being hauled by Vance and Grog. But the anchor...”

He turned to look at her. ”The system wants a localized magical battery that can generate its own weather patterns. It wants a Dragon’s Heart.”

”Are there dragons in the real world?” Valerie asked with genuine fear in her voice.

”Not yet,” Sebastian said. ”The sync rate is only hovering around twenty percent globally. A dragon is a Level 50 World Boss. If one of those spawned in Tokyo right now, the size of it would destroy the city. No, the system wants us to go back into the Ethereal Plane to get it.”

Sebastian tapped his communication link.

”Wraith. Galleon. Command room. Now.”

Less than a minute later, the heavy mahogany doors of the grand hall swung open.

Wraith materialized out of the shadows near the doorway. He was entirely silent. The Level 25 Assassin was practically invisible until he stepped into the light of the Core.

Right behind him, Galleon waddled in. The dwarf was covered in grease. He held a massive wrench in one hand and a mug of cheap ale in the other.

”You rang, boss?” Galleon belched loudly. ”I was just getting the targeting sensors on the east wall turrets calibrated. They can shoot a fly at two miles now.”

”Put the wrench down,” Sebastian said. ”We are going hunting.”

Wraith tilted his head. ”Target?”

”A dragon,” Sebastian replied casually. ”Level 50. Northern Continent.”

CLATTER!

Galleon dropped his wrench. It bounced loudly against the polished marble floor. The dwarf’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.

”A... a dragon?” Galleon stammered. Foam dripped from his beard. ”Boss, you are Level 10! I am Level 35! A Level 50 Dragon will sneeze and turn us into ash!”

”I need its heart to upgrade the base,” Sebastian said. His tone left absolutely no room for debate. ”And you need its scales if you want to build those plasma cannons you have been sketching on the walls of the engineering bay.”

Galleon paused. The engineering lust slowly crept back into his eyes and overrode his survival instincts.

”Dragon scales... total thermal immunity... The heat displacement I could achieve...”

”Exactly,” Sebastian smirked. He looked at Valerie. ”Princess, you are coming too.”

”Me?” Valerie blinked. ”Sebastian, I hit people with a stick. I do not have offensive magic yet.”

”I do not need you to do damage,” Sebastian explained. He walked over to the corner of the room where the VR pods were safely hooked up to the massive battery.

”I need you to draw aggro. I need Wraith to scout the perimeter. And I need Galleon to build me a harpoon gun. I have the damage. I just need you three to keep the lizard busy for five seconds.”

Wraith offered a crisp nod. ”Understood. Contract parameters updated.”

Sebastian grabbed his black VR helmet. He looked at the sleek visor. Going back into the game meant leaving their physical bodies vulnerable. But they had no choice. If Sanctuary did not expand, it would eventually be overrun.

”Alright,” Sebastian said in a cold tone. ”Everybody grab a helmet. We log in, we travel north, we kill a reptile, and we come back before dinner. Let us move.”

He lay back in his pod and pulled the visor down. The cold needles bit into the back of his neck.

”Link start.”

VWOOOSH!