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With the frontlines against Nether stable, Randidly Ghosthound returns to Earth. What he discovers there is alarming; while his growth allows him to step outside the normal procedures, the mechanisms of the Nexus continue their grim work in remaking the world to its own ends. Crime is rampant. Many people have earned Classes from the System, but few handle their newfound powers responsibly. Cults, murderers, and greedy demagogues abound. Mrs. Hamilton, Alana, Hank Howard, and the other righteous representatives from the Zones will need to band together to stop the spread.

Randidly Ghosthound has liberated his body and regained access to all of his Skills, with the help of Lady Iellaya. No longer will the officials of High Command be able to use threats to push him constantly into the worst of the fighting. Yet the war against the Nether Beasts rumbles forward, his emancipation beneath its notice.

Due to unusual circumstances, Randidly starts in an isolated dungeon far beyond his level, forced to rely on the mysterious Traveler Shal in order to learn and survive with the dangerous new status quo for his world. But survive he does, only to leave the dungeon and discover that while he experienced several hellish months in the dungeon, only half a day passed on Earth. Randidly's capabilities are now more than enough to help build a small enclave of survivors, but that doesn't mean balancing his sense of responsibility against the plots of an unfriendly town will be easy.

Randidly Ghosthound is not having a good week. In his chest, a mad woman's bitterness pushes his Soulskill closer to an incendiary implosion. Out in the wider world of Tellus, he was ambushed by a Wight Propagator and left in a holding chamber to await a miserable fate. He has been left in darkness, with an unknown fate hanging over him. But even drained of Mana and Stamina, Randidly has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Randidly's Skills have grown at a rapid pace, keeping him far ahead of any individual on his home planet. Yet the System has continued its own methodical advance, meaning Randidly has no time to take the rest he needs. Zone 32 now hosts two Champions; individuals provided by the System who can teach unique Skills to their followers. In the one corner, wreathed in a green light, comes the Wild Rider. Opposite her stands the stark and intimidating Skeleton Knight. The previously isolated populations come together, clustering around these two figures.

Randidly Ghosthound built a Class with his own hands. Although he may now Level and rapidly earn rare Skills, the System isn't done with him yet. As the final hurdle to becoming accepted by the System, Randidly must lead a group of Zone 32's best into the Raid Dungeon and complete the assigned Quests. What starts as a simple horde survival mission becomes complicated when the Creature begins meddling again with his Fate.

To repay his debt to Shal, Randidly Ghosthound fought his way through the preliminaries of the Under-25 Regional Tournament in Tellus. His victories have earned him a spot in Deardun, the seat of power in the Northern Domain. But in this new venue, there are storms brewing on the horizon. Now he's not just fighting against the unaffiliated warriors, he's one injury or loss away from becoming a Forsaken.

In the wake of Donnyton's challenge, Randidly makes preparations for his planet's future. All his cunning and crafting ingenuity flow into Kharon, the mechanical city. All his knowledge of metallurgy, engraving, and the System will shape this grand project. And if his theory proves true, the result will be much more alchemy than mechanism. While Randidly Ghosthound has plans, so does the Nexus. During his next Judgement, an extra consequence is applied; he is kidnapped from Earth and taken to the outer reaches of the Nexus proper.

With the advantage of the mix-up of starting in the Dungeon, Randidly has been able to found a Village for survivors to gather. With their growing forces, they've begun to nurture other outposts of humanity, teaching them the hard-earned lessons he paid for in blood and sweat. Yet the tests thrown at them by the System are not yet done.

Randidly Ghosthound threw down the gauntlet, and his closest supporters have taken it up. Soon, the two sides will clash in the Challenge of Donnyton. As both make their preparations, the goals of the two are very different. Randidly wants to show how they cannot rest on their laurels, how under the System, there will always be one more monster, one more Calamity, one more "Creature" watching the development of their planet and plotting how to extract everything of value.

With Randidly Ghosthound's help, humanity has withstood the first impact of the System. Old institutions are re-erected as the Zones settle into new normalcy, characterized by the enthusiastic application of the scientific method to System principles and the stubborn return of pop culture and consumerism. Yet these familiar edifices of stability conceal an altogether new breed of monster. One that bears the face of a human but the beating heart of a horror. Randidly continues to investigate the mysterious Father Foster, the central figure of the rapidly expanding Unity Church.