The Leveling of Humanity CH 1
Chase sat on his couch in the small two-bedroom apartment he called home, staring at the news for the third straight hour. The shock of the past seven days was still weighing on him, but being from the newest generation of free-thinkers, it wasn't something he couldn't comprehend or process. Truthfully, he had often read stories, watched media, and daydreamed about being in a video game-like setting where his stats were on display. A world where he could level up and focus on what he wanted to do with more guidelines than the real world offered. This was now his reality and the reality of the rest of humanity. Everyone was flocking to the location of the pillars of light, descending from the alien ships and attacking the orbs of light to level up. Chase also wanted to go, but the closest location to him with spheres was near Atlanta. Unfortunately, that was about a 95-mile trip away, and he lacked the funds to make it there. Things had been tight for him financially since Emily had broken up with him and took most of the stuff in their formerly shared little apartment. One income to pay all the bills was hardly enough for the pricey apartment in the city where he lived, but he had to make due.