In the System

Ivan Susanin, a typical guy and unemployed techie, is initiated by the System and transported, together with a thousand other players, to an unknown location beyond Earth. Ivan has an interface, a spear, and basic weapon skills. All he has to do to return to Earth is complete a simple quest and reach the second level. But experience points are only awarded for kills in this game, and the clock is ticking. The most valuable prey under these conditions are formal allies, i.e. the other players. If a player is capable of killing a fellow human, of course. Even if they aren't planning to go against their own nature by murdering innocents, who said that they will have a choice? It's kill or be killed! Beyond the local objective is also a global one. In the center of the city stands a temple to a fallen god, and until one of the players captures the Altar, the mission will be repeated again and again. For the first seven players, who become the Earth Gods, this mission is a chance to rapidly gain power and take charge of a united Pantheon. A chance to escape death and protect our world from invasion. Although there is only one altar and the Gods make others do their work. Ivan must make a choice and decide whose pawn he will become. Or should he take a risk, refuse their patronage and keep his options open?

The first stage is complete. Ivan Susanin has managed to survive and, together with the other leaders, unite the various players into the Alliance. Yet this is only the beginning. A huge goblin army is approaching from the city outskirts, while the undead roam inside the city. The people from Earth are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The only way to escape another massacre is to capture the goblin fortress, and hold out until the end of the mission. Or to abandon their wounded and scatter, hoping to avoid getting killed. This is a serious challenge for the newly formed Alliance. However, even if this risky plan succeeds, nothing is over yet. The second mission will be followed by the next and the next. The new gods will not back down, for the Altar is a unique chance for one of them to gain power and become the leader of a united Pantheon. Sooner or later, the goblins and the undead will fall, and no price is too high to secure victory. It is time to make a choice. Hide behind the safety of the walls or leave the besieged fortress and head deeper into the inner suburbs. To the domain of the undead. To where stands the temple of the fallen goblin god. To a place where one will get the chance to decide one's own fate.

Everything is going according to plan. Ivan Susanin has successfully installed a beacon in the undead territory, and returned home. The situation changes when the next mission to the city of goblins is delayed, while his home planet becomes the battleground. Monsters invade Earth, and Ivan must become one of the leaders and unite the players under his banner, albeit within the borders of his own country. If circumstances demand that he discloses his identity and cooperates with the authorities, so be it! Modern weapons and equipment, instructors, financing, and protection by law... Stupid to decline all this due to baseless concerns. The most important thing is to remember why he started all this in the first place, and ensure that he can survive what's coming.

The Leviathan is dead. Humanity has won the global mission but the price has been too high. Japan is in ruins, Honshu lies partially underwater, and the capital has been destroyed. The country has been left without leadership and tens of millions have perished, while monsters continue to hunt down the survivors. Ivan Susanin heads to the submerged Toyo as part of an expedition to find the missing raven, help evacuate the civilians and slay as many monsters as possible. And that's only on the surface. He has successfully learned to combine the public good, national interests and his personal goals a long time ago. But life is full of surprises. A discovered card gives Ivan the right to become Overlord of the Dungeon, an isolated location somewhere on another world. However, he's far from the only contender, and the goblins who inhabit these tunnels have their own plans. Strength alone won't be enough to claim victory this time.

The return to the city of goblins draws ever closer but Ivan Susanin's survival hangs in the balance. It is more than just the monsters. The capture of the Dungeon, creation of the Minor Altar and growth of the Cult of Heresy has attracted the attention of the Earth gods. The number of contenders for the grand prize is growing, hostile gods are joining the race, and the existence of an independent candidate is unacceptable. Nevertheless, the gods cannot sentence one of the Alliance leaders and the strongest player on Earth to death. Ivan has forty days to prepare for the talks, choose his arguments, and defend his right to remain independent. As far as the gods are concerned, all he can do is choose which side to take, or die, having been branded a traitor. Fortunately, there is a way out and it doesn't require anything particularly new. Ivan just needs to fight back . . . all so that humanity might survive this war!

The preparations are complete and the chess pieces have been placed on the board. Ivan Susanin and the other players are returning to the Celestial City of Sar, the destroyed goblin capital, in the final battle for the Altar and the legacy of the Great Y. These events will decide whether Earth survives this war or becomes yet another world ground down by the System. Defeat is unacceptable, but the chance of victory is slim. Although the goblins are vulnerable to firearms, the undead hordes know no fear and seem endless, unlike the store of ammunition. There are deserters among the Earthlings, while emissaries of foreign gods force their way through the thinning barrier. The allies must act quickly, but the mutual trust is gone. After all, only one god can gain the power of the Great Y and become the head of the Pantheon. Ivan has his own thoughts on the matter. The beacon he had once placed in the center of the city still works. The alliance he is part of imposes certain obligations, but also allows him to act as he sees fit. It is a chance to reach the temple first and make a Choice. For the sake of humanity and for his own benefit.

The battle for Sar rages on. The Alliance offensive has failed, ammunition is running out, and only nuclear weapons have saved the players from utter obliteration. Ivan Susanin, also known as Vasily, found himself in a Lich trap and escaped by a miracle. Yet the mission continues as long as the return card has not been used. He can still return and find a way to reverse this seemingly hopeless situation. Retreat is not an option, the fate of two worlds rests in his hands. Victory or death!