Grinding All Night

The night wasn't quiet. Not in my head, at least.

I slept in the living room. One mattress, one blanket. That's all I had. Mom and Elina were in the bedroom. There was only one, after all. I didn't mind. I was used to sleeping on harder surfaces anyway. My back had long made peace with pain.

But that night… That night was hell.

I saw them—Mom and Elina. Cold. Pale. Dead.

They were lying in the same spot I'd just eaten dinner with them. Blood soaked through the floor. Their eyes wide open. Empty. Hollow.

They didn't even scream.

They just looked at me.

"You could've saved us…"

"You said you'd protect us…"

"You're just a liar…"

I stumbled back in the dream, heart racing, choking on my own breath. I ran, sprinted down the dark hallway, doors flashing by, not knowing where I was going. Then—

"IAN!!"

A voice called out.

Lex's voice.

I turned the corner and saw him.

He was sinking—no, falling—like the floor had turned into black water. He reached out to me, panic in his eyes.

"IAN! HELP ME!!"

"LEX!"

I tried. I really did. I reached out. Grabbed his hand. But the moment I touched him, he slipped right through me like smoke. Gone. Just like that.

I collapsed to the ground, gasping.

Then I saw him.

Another me.

Standing right in front of me. Same face. Same everything. But eyes… wrong. Too calm. Too dead.

"You took my body," he said. Voice like gravel.

"I want it back."

He lunged at me, claws out, face twisted into something inhuman.

And then—

I jolted awake.

My chest was drenched in sweat. My breath caught in my throat like I'd been drowning. I stared at the ceiling in silence. The darkness wasn't comforting—it felt like it was pressing down on me. Hard.

I didn't move for a while. Just laid there. Eyes open. Trying to forget.

Eventually, I dragged myself to the kitchen. The water tasted like nothing, but it was cold and that was enough.

I was gonna go back to sleep.

But then…

‒‒

[New Quest Received]

→ Upgrade the following Abilities to Level 5:

‣ Pocket Inventory

‣ Cleanse

‣ Teleport

▸ Rewards: ???

The teleport ability was already level 2.

I sighed.

Of course.

No sleep for me tonight, huh?

Well, if it wants me to grind—then fine. I'll grind.

I grabbed ten random kitchen items—forks, cups, old spice jars, whatever I could hold. My hands were full of junk, but I was used to that.

"Let's do this."

I spammed the Pocket Inventory like a psycho. Store. Retrieve. Store. Retrieve.

A hundred times later—

‒‒

[Pocket Inventory – Level Up! Now Level 2]

▸ Storage slots increased to 20. Weight capacity x2.

‒‒

Nice.

I doubled down.

Found more stuff. Old tools, broken radio parts, some books nobody read. Used them over and over again. 500 cycles. Then 1000.

Level 3.

Level 4.

My hands were shaking. My brain was numb. I was running out of stuff to grind on.

"…Screw it."

I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my hoodie, and stepped out. Streets were empty. Cold breeze brushed against my face. My eyes were dry from not blinking enough.

And just for kicks—I used teleport to jump across the road.

[Teleport – Used.]

Again. Again.

I spammed that shit 500 times while heading toward a construction site a few blocks away.

‒‒

[Teleport – Level Up! Now Level 3]

▸ Cooldown reduced. Range increased to 50 meters. Slight reduction in mana cost.

‒‒

Hell yeah.

By the time I reached the construction yard, my body was running on fumes but I wasn't stopping. I wanted that level 5. I wanted that reward.

I found bricks, iron rods, loose tiles, pipes, broken helmets, cement sacks, steel screws—heaven.

I dropped them all in my pocket inventory and cycled through them like a maniac.

Store. Retrieve. Store. Retrieve. Repeat.

Over. And over. And over.

Ten thousand times.

‒‒

[Pocket Inventory – Max Level 5 Achieved!]

→ Reward Unlocked: "Quick Access Slot" – Designate up to 3 items for instant summon and use.

→ Storage Slots: 500

→ Weight Capacity: 1000kg

→ Time Delay: None

→ Bonus Effect: Can now store small living beings (in stasis)

‒‒

I fell on my ass, panting.

Holy shit.

This was gonna be so damn useful.

I leaned back against a steel beam, grinned, and muttered, "Alright, one down."

Two more to go.

Honestly, though, I had no idea how to use this stupid Cleanse skill.

It's not like I had poison running through my veins or some curse slapped on my back. I looked fine, I felt fine. So how the hell was I supposed to upgrade it if I couldn't even use it?

"Guess I'll have to wait till I get fucked up or something," I muttered, rubbing my face.

That's when I heard a voice.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

I froze like I'd been caught jerking off in public. Turned around—yup, patrol guard. Uniform, torchlight, and that tired 'I hate my job' look all over his face.

Think, Ian, think.

"I dropped something earlier," I said, faking a breath like I'd been searching for hours. "Phone charm. My sister gave it to me."

Guard blinked. "...You're looking for that in a construction site? At night?"

"It's sentimental," I said, like that explained everything.

He sighed. "Look, whatever it is, just search for it in the morning— although it's 4AM. Monsters still show up around these zones sometimes."

I scratched the back of my neck. "Thanks. I'll head out."

He looked me up and down. "You a hero?"

I paused for half a second before nodding. "Yeah."

That was the right answer, right? Better than saying "no" and looking like some shady-ass freak hanging around in dead zones.

"Be careful then," he said, turning away. "A dungeon gate popped up a few kilometers from here. B-rank."

B-rank, huh?

"Got it," I said.

Perfect spot to grind.

The second the guy walked away, I grinned like a devil and started spamming my Teleport.

One jump.

Two jumps.

Ten jumps.

Fifty.

‒‒

[Teleport – Level Up! Now Level 4]

→ Range: 100 meters

→ Cooldown reduced

→ Can teleport onto semi-moving platforms

‒‒

"Hell yeah," I whispered. "Let's gooo."

By the time I reached the gate, the sun was teasing the horizon. Pale gold light spilled over the concrete and the air smelled like rust and morning dew.

And there it was.

A swirling, unstable gate. Pulsing with ominous blue energy. Kinda like a black hole if it drank Monster Energy and listened to death metal.

I stepped forward, ready to march in like I owned the place, but—of course—three buffed-up guards stood right at the front.

One of them raised his hand. "Stop. Which guild are you with?"

I blinked. "Guild?"

"Yeah, you planning to enter this gate?"

"...Yeah?"

"This gate's under exclusive raid rights of the Iron Fist Guild. Bought it last night."

Bought it?

They bought a portal. Like it was fuckin' real estate.

I stood there, dumbfounded.

"Can't let non-affiliated heroes enter," the guard added. "Get lost."

No other gate in sight. No way I was gonna just walk away now.

I needed that grind.

I needed monsters.

I needed that Cleanse skill upgraded.

So I did what any desperate, system-hungry weirdo would do.

I created a distraction.

I picked one of the heaviest-ass slabs from my pocket inventory—a thick steel-reinforced concrete slab I stole from the construction site earlier—and spawned it… right on top of a nearby parked car.

CRASH!!

The sound was glorious. Metal screamed. Glass exploded.

"What the fuck!?" one guard shouted.

Two of them rushed over to check the wreck.

I didn't waste a second.

I locked eyes on a patch of ground ten meters past the third guard.

[Teleport – Activated.]

The world blinked.

I reappeared behind the stunned dude and bolted straight into the portal.

The air cracked like lightning as I passed through.

And then—darkness. Cold. The scent of wet rock and blood.

The dungeon had accepted me.

"Whew," I exhaled.

"Let's see what kind of bastards are waiting in here."