《Double Rewards for Half the Cost》 So laziness IS useful? I blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of what I was seeing, .... Okay, judging from the situation, I had no idea how to react. Backing up a bit, I was riding my bike back from the library, happy to find a new series to read. It''s not very often that happens, so I mostly make do with rereading books I''ve enjoyed in the past. It was a good long series, so I was hoping to make some hot chocolate and relax. Unfortunately, that wouldn''t happen. Based on the the three before me, I figured I was dead. That would account for the grassy hill we were on when it should have been winter, and the horrible screech that accompanied my arrival. The three gods (I assumed they were gods, as it made sense) seemed somewhat unorthodox. There was a kid who looked un be about 9 or 10, a middle aged gentleman, and an elderly fellow. That wasn''t what was weird, rather ... "Curse that stupid green troll! I only had 4 more spaces!" Yep. They were playing a children''s board game. I think all my delusions about divinity flew out the window then and there. I cleared my throat, and all three of them jumped to attention. The board and pieces disappeared in the process, but as soon as they saw me the shock in their eyes changed to relief. "Sorry about that. Most people go to other places when they die, so its been ages since we had a visitor."You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The middle aged gentleman spoke first, and behind them the gameboard reappeared. "Let me guess, you thought I was your boss coming in for a checkup?" The grandpa laughed. "The kid''s got spunk. Not many come through here who have that kind of guts.'' "So,I got ran over by a truck, and now I''m being reincarnated to a fantasy world with magic, demons, and demihumans?" This time their jaws hit the floor. Literally. Apparently that''s a perk of godhood, some idioms can become reality. Trust me on this, it''s better not to describe the sight. Inwardly I sighed. ''I think you guys need to get out more. There are way too many similar stories out there. Although it''s good that it wasn''t a tractor." By that point the gods had gathered enough sense to hold a conversation. The older two started arguing about what to do while the kid took advantage of the distraction to talk to me. "Hey Mister! My name''s Fun! You want to play, right? Rules and Grandpa Luck will agree." "We must still follow the procedures. Even if he ... What was that, Fun?" "Who''re you calling grandpa, pipsqueak?!" Oi! You guys are gods! Please at least act like it. "While this is unexpected, we should probably move on. We have a HUD that should be able to explain things as they pop up, but your job is to tackle dungeons. You will start from a small city called Triton in the Argonian Empire. As a part of the system download, you get a free beginner''s pack and a unique skill to help out" I nodded. Seemed pretty standard for a dungeon diving RPG. One thing intrigued me though. "What is my unique skill?" Fun jumped us and down in excitement. In front of me a pedestal with a crystal orb materialized in the same way as the game board from earlier. Instinctively I placed both my hands on it and words flashed across my vision: System transfer successful. Unlocked Unique Skill: Double Rewards for Half the Cost System reboot starting As my consciousness fled, the last words I heard were: "Huh. So laziness IS useful. Character Creation System installation complete. Character creation started. This was ... wierd. Imagine a feeling of being everywhere and nowhere, a feeling that you were just thoughts adrift in a sea of primordial soup. Yep, weird summed it up perfectly. However, the words in front of me excited my gamer spirit. There was nothing I loved more than making a character my own and bringing out their full potential. Choose your race. Due to your unique skill you may choose two races. You can freely swap between the two and will retain all racial skills regardless of your form. I remembered before I passed out that I got a skill. I think it was something about rewards and effort? Double Rewards for Half the Effort All positive effects are doubled, while all negative effects are halved Can be upgraded once requirements are met. Wait a second. This seems a bit ... Game Devs! Did you forget the balance patch? If all effects are affected, even if I took an instant death spell, it would only take half of my health? And the growth rate would be four times as fast as normal, if the math worked out. Plus money would stretch out for ages. This just seems unfair ... I love it! I always wanted to be a broken character. Overwhelming any enemies wherever I go. Not having to worry about my life being in danger. And above all doing whatever I want without any consequences. This seemed right up my alley.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Okay, races right? What were the races available in this world? The sentient races include humans, beastkin, elves, dark elves, demons, devils, dwarves, and dragons. I immediately thought of the numerous characters with the ability to shift between human and dragon. Those would normally be mages of one sort or another. As I came from a world with no magic, this interested me. But what were the racial skills? Racial skills for humans include: Ingenuity Processing speed up Class EXP up Racial skills for dragon include: Breath weapon Mana mastery Flight This seemed like a good combination. A quick glance through the other classes and made up my mind. Primary race will be human, and secondary race will be dragon. Is this okay? Of course! One hour later I finally ended up with a design I liked. My human form was a little taller than average, with bright green eyes and silver hair. My skin was milky white and completely smooth. In short, it looked like my mental image of an elf save the pointed ears. However, my dragon form was my pride and joy. Jet black with veins of red flowing in an intricate pattern over the scales, it looked as if I had burrowed my way from the depths of hell to wreck havoc on the mortal world. Satisfied, I turned to the final section. What should my name be? I didn''t want to give up my old name, but I also didn''t want it to color my new life. I decided on a compromise: Gabriel Bloodbourne. Character creation complete. Choose a guide: Silva (Fairy) Truffle (Brownie) Tyrst (Shade) From what I could tell, the guide was something like a familiar with knowledge about the world, but the thing I noticed most were the races. I believe the fairy could act as a healer, the brownie could repair or possibly make new armor, but the spirit pulled my attention. If it could possess others, I had a strong feeling that this was the best one. Knowledge is power, and an almost unstoppable information gatherer would help me beyond measure. You and Tryst will be transported in 3, 2, 1 ... Welcome to Triton Status I opened my eyes to a forest filled with birdsong. If this was a regular RPG, this would be the starter forest to grind lower levels. The path I was standing on went straight ahead, and I could barely make out a town in the distance. Right now I cared nothing for that as a new message popped up. Beginner''s pack received. Due to your unique skill, you will receive duplicates of all consumables and upgrades to all skills. Alright, let''s take a look. Rank E skill card x2 Store Points (SP) x100 Inventory LVL 2 Class Change x2 Argonian gold pieces x200 Hmm. Looks like skills all have ranks. There''s also a class system and a store. Lets ignore that for now, I want to check my status.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Name: Gabriel Bloodbourne Race: Human (Dragon) Class: None LVL 1 HP: 2000 Mana: 200 STR: 200 DEX: 200 WIS: 200 INT: 200 I could guess what most of these meant but I had no means of confirming my theories... Tryst! That''s right, I had a guide. You called, Master? A chill ran down my spine as a humanoid figure melted out from my shadow. As one would expect from a creature called a shade, it was pitch black, with a miasma rolling off his skin and pooling around its feet. "What do the different stats affect, and what are the average stats for level one?" Strength deals with physical power and defense, while dexterity deals with agility and stamina recovery. Intelligence is like strength, but for magic, and wisdom deals with mana recovery and learning speed. As for average stats, most humans start at ten in each stat. "I''m guessing the dragons start with more stats?" Even they only start out at 100, but your skill allowed you to double that. Game Devs! Who thought of this skill? We need a nerf, ASAP! You have been invited to a voice chat with Fun. Accept the invitation? I was just kidding, alright? Please don''t nerf me... Skills "Hey there Mister! Betcha didn''t expect to hear from us this soon." Fun seemed as energetic as usual, and I believe the other two I met earlier were in the chat as well. ''I''m going to take a shot in the dark and assume you''ll be explaining something related to the notification system I have?" From the sounds on the other side, I believe one of them had just taken a drink and spewed it all over the place. Seriously, this is standard stuff, keep up with the times! "Well, the system that you have comes with a store. You can purchase anything you need in there, be it skills, materials, or weapons. The items will always be of a higher quality than artificially created items of the same type, and there''s even a lottery with some items unavailable for purchase." I believe as part of the beginner''s pack I received 100 SP. I went ahead and opened up the store, scrolling through to see if there was anything useful. The consumables tab had many one time usage items, some of them much better and expensive. Two of the most eye catching were the pause button and extra life, but they were both way out of my price range. I tucked that bit of knowledge away for a later date. The skills tab seemed like a bit of a SP sink, so I just took a quick glance through. They were ranked from E to S, in standard RPG format. Those skill cards will come in handy soon. The weapons tab carried every type of weapon imaginable, minus guns and other technology that this world most likely did not have access to. The majority of the weapons boasted at least one enchantment, if not more. While this was all good, I needed to figure out what direction I wanted to go in. In short, I needed to figure out a class. The classes are divided into four types: Mage, Warrior, Tank, and Support. As a result of your unique skill, you have the option to pick two classes. Dual class, huh? Well, support was out. I don''t want to have to rely on other people. Plus, if anything goes wrong, the healer is always the one at fault. No thank you, I''d rather be a one man army... "One man army? What classes fall under mage, I wonder?" A picture formed in my head, one of a vast plain with two armies positioned at either end. The carrion crows have gathered en masse, awaiting the feast that is to come. An army of undead surges forth like a burst dam, their hatred and morbid fascination with the living fueling their charge. The living watch in horror as friends and family are turned to foe, replenishing the enemy''s forces. When the victor is decided, a red and black dragon lets loose a triumphant roar, a challenge to the world.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Set class to Necromancer and Bruiser." Taking this action will consume one class change card. Confirm action? Wait, what? Since I was changing two classes, wouldn''t I need two skill cards? After thinking about it for a few seconds, it clicked. Spending resources counted as a negative effect! Therefore, only half of the card was used for each class. That meant everything in the store had a 50% discount. Dear gods, this skill is broken! I''ll gladly spend that card. Class changed successfully from None to Necromancer (Bruiser) Learned Summon: Skeleton Learned Sense Life Learned Battle Flow Learned Overhaul Due to a class change, breath weapon has been upgraded to Panic Fog Now that''s more like it! Details please. Summon: Skeleton Summons a skeleton infantry with basic equipment. EXP earned by this unit is also sent to you. Requires a monster or sentient race''s corpse. Maximum number of controlled units is equal to WIS Cost: 10 MP Sense Life Notifies you of all hidden life sources in a twenty foot radius when activated and a ten foot radius when passive. Active mode cost: 10 MP Passive mode cost: 10 MP/Minute Battle Flow A passive ability that shows you the flow of battle. Can be improved by using with other observational abilities. Overhaul Doubles all stats. Once activated, can be kept activated for up to twenty four hours. However, a cooldown period equal to the time spent in active state is required, and during that time all stats are halved. Panic Fog A fear inducing breath weapon. The severity of fear and duration are dependent on the opponent''s WIS I nodded to myself, several plans going through my head. Before I headed into town, though, I wanted to try something I''d been planning since I chose my race. "FLY!!" I jumped into the air, but gravity took over and pulled me back. "Now that I think about it, I may need to be in dragon form. I don''t have wings in this form after all." I changed into my dragon form, where I learned three things. One: dragons are large. Two: an object suddenly growing to an enormous size inside a forest will knock over a lot of trees. Three: I had never left the voice chat. Was laughing for a good half hour really necessary? Flight and Clarification "Who gets to decide that only the chat creater can let you leave? It''s embarassing enough without an audience." My grumbles went unnoticed in the brand new clearing. I had finally left the chat, but not before a blow by blow replay of my fumbles with the accompanying laugh track was recorded for ''a rainy day.'' Apparently, dragons need to use both Flight and Mana Mastery in order to fly. By manipulating the mana around them, they can create a sort of cushion for them to glide on. The wings and tail were more like a ship''s rudder and oars than a bird''s wings. I wanted to get as far away from the circle of trees, that reminder of my own foolishness, I tried to figure out how to manipulate the mana in my enviroment. Suddenly, it was as if a curtain had been torn from my vision. Nothing changed with the picture I was seeing, but rather I could sense everything around me. living objects all had mana flowing through them, and while there was much less mana in the air, there was still a notable amount. I then tried to manipulate it, and a dense cloud formed, responding to my every thought. It seemed that Mana Mastery was just as it said, I was able to bend mana with just a thought. However, when I tried to draw some mana out of a nearby bug, it seemed sluggish. my best guess would be that the mana inside was bound to the bug, unless it used a skill to release it. Speaking of which, Tryst had dissappeared into my shadow a while ago, but I could still sense the mana within him. Let''s let him out, I have some questions. Has Master finally stopped acting the fool? I would hope you did not call me out for another comedy routine. "Ouch.... How was I supposed to know how Flight worked? Anyways, let''s talk on the fly." With newfound confidence, I gathered a mana cushion under my feet and took to the skies. Since Tryst was connected to me, he was able to use me as an anchor to follow. Now, I''ve never flown in an airplane, but I believe this was far superior. The ability to change direction with just a thought, performing hairpin turns and complex stunts... anyways, after I enjoyed myself for a bit, I turned my attention to Tryst. "Ok, a couple of questions. Number one: Why are skill costs so high?" While your ability provides you strength, you are akin to an infant. Most humans will average about one level per year, while dragons go through sudden bursts of growth periodically. Even so, combat provides far greater growth than passive leveling, although it gets less effective later on. "So, passive leveling would work on a percentage basis, while monsters provide exp." Percisely. therefore, the skill costs are cheap compared to the level up gains. Your class also provides certain boost to stats, which makes it much easier to perform in your chosen classLove this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "Wait, really? Status." Name: Gabriel Bloodbourne Race: Human (Dragon) Class: Necromancer LV1 (Bruiser LV1) HP 12000 MP 2200 STR 1200 DEX 1200 INT 1200 WIS 2200 Racial skills Ingenuity Processing speed up Class EXP up Panic Breath Mana Mastery Flight Class Skills Summon: Skeleton Sense Life Battle Flow Overhaul "..." What happened to my stats! I though 200 was a massive amount, but now I have some stats over 2000? Why are you so surprised, master? Some of the most famous warriors in this world had stats in the billions. Billions, huh? "Well, I suppose being able to one-shot everything in the beginning was too much to ask. Still, a class boost to WIS of 2000? Actually, withought my skill it would only be 1000. That means I can control up to 2200 skeletons!" Make that 4400, but skeletal infantry are known for being brittle and weak. Most people can take them out with two swings, and that''s if the person is weak. "So I''m still going to have to do most of the work myself. Turns out that even spending 5 mana to summon one could be a waste. Alright, question number two: why, when I recieved my races and you, did I not get more than one guide? Also, shouldn''t I have recieved 4 races instead?" You did not have to pay anything to recieve the races. When you chose your class, you had to spend one of the beginner''s items. Since there was no downside to choosing the races, you only had double. As for me, I am not from a sentient race, but the system that created me gave me sentience to be better able to answer you. Your skill, however powerful it may be, was limited when interacting with other sentient beings. Even if you give someone, say, a skill card, they would not be able to learn 2 skills with it like you can. I had been circling around the forest, listening to Tryst explain. when he mentioned skill cards, my expression lit up. Skills! Even more skills! Unfortunately, I could only pick from E rank skills, but having more skills would always help. Scrolling through the menu once more, I could pick out several different skills that would be useful. I definitely needed Map, Return would take me to the last town I visited, Analyze seemed better than it was rated, and Danger Sense complemented many of my other skills. This will take 2 Rank E skill cards. Confirm? Of course! The map popped up, and I could see several red dots heading for the clearing I made. I guess my dragon form scared the people in Triton. Maybe I should head into town from a different gate. Preparing for Guild Registration The city of Triton was as slow moving and dull as always. The guard at the western gate was bored to tears. Even if the dungeon here provided some income, it only attracted low level greenskins withought any coins. There were also no bandit problems, and no one looking to sabotage a measly E rank dungeon. "Cheer up, man. We get paid to stand around and check Id, and you want something to do?" His partner and shield brother was doing his best, but... "Is it too much to ask for a little excitement? I''m getting bored to tears with this job. If there are no problems, why are we even here?" As they spoke, the city started to come to life behind them. "That''s unusual... it''s not time for lunch, so why is there so much commotion?" "They''re probably just holding a meeting. Nothing to worry about." They turned around to see a wierdly clothed man standing directly in front of them. Both recoiled, hands reaching for their weapons. "Whoah there, just trying to enter the city. Unfortunately, I''ve been traveling for a long ways, and I don''t have any identification on me. Is there a place where I can get registered?" While the voice was soothing, the combination of pale skin and green eyes was slightly unnerving. There didn''t seem to be any emotion in them, just two orbs that seemed to stare into his soul. plus the fact that he was able to sneak up on him... "There is a way," his shield mate picked up his slack. "Simply place both hands on this pedastal and pour mana into it. If it glows red, we can''t let you in. If it turns green you''re free to head in." The stranger placed both hands, and the orb flashed green. We nodded to each other and stepped to the side, having done our job. After he left, we both took a deep breath and looked at each other. "Well, you wanted more excitement. I think things will be much more exciting from here on out." I nodded. As part of a knight''s training, they were taught Awareness, which alerted the owner to any disturbances around them. The only way around it was if there was a skill that countered it specifically, or if the DEX stat of the target was higher. even a basic knight would be able to detect the majority, with STR and DEX being the main assets as part of their class. Yet this man had snuck up on two people with the skill in the span of a few seconds, with them being none the wiser... A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Can I take it back? I suddenly don''t mind a boring life."
I chuckled at the two guards. They were shaking in their boots when it looked like I teleported right in front of them. Analyze was such a strong ability, as the information it provided was remarkably useful. As long as I could identify a single object in my field of vision, analyze would provide basic information for it. I the case of people, it would provide a list of thier stats and skills. The two guards seemed have better DEX and STR than me, but their INT, WIS, and MP were abysmally low. Awareness seemed tricky to handle, but it seemed like a knock-off of the way Mana Mastery could sense mana. So I just sealed the mana around their bodies before I descended from the air. "Well, Tryst? Did you see how they almost wet themselves as they saw me?" Is that a reason to rejoice? If so, would it not have been better to be in dragon form to intimidate them? "Tryst, you gotta learn the difference between scaring someone, and scaring them off. If I was in ..." "...Dragon! When I was adventuring near Drake, countless trees had scrapes just like the ones I saw in the clearing. These trees have been used as a young dragon''s back scratcher!" Crap. That didn''t take long to spread. "Hey Tryst, where''s Drake?" It lies at the foot of the Roost Mountains, a popular breeding ground for dragons. The people who live there trade sheep for materials like scales. The sheep are used to fufill the young ones'' hunting instinct, and the scales are used in armor and weapons. "You would make an excellent tour guide, you know." I might have considered that as an occupation if Master was not the only one who could see me. "So everything I''m saying to you looks like I''m just talking to myself?" It is as you say "Cool. Just checking. Where would I go to register?" Master truly cares not for public sentiments. "Registration? Chop chop, suey suey?" Master cares not for my sentiments either it seems. Third building on the right. I looked at the building and realized a big problem. It seems I could speak the language just fine, but when it came to reading and writing, it turned to chicken scratch. As much as I was loath to spend SP, there was an item in the store that would help with that. Temporary Language Aquisition Capsule: 10 SP Learn how to read, write and speak in any language of your choice for 30 minutes. So, with my skill, I would be spending 5 SP to learn to read and write for 1 hour. That should get me through the registration process for the Guild, but I wasn''t sure. If I needed more, I could always buy another. Stopping in front of the building Tryst pointed out, I give it a good once over. It seemed to have trouble deciding if it was a wild west saloon or medivial castle. The walls were stone, with wood windowsills and wooden swinging doors. As I stood there, Danger Sense activated. It looked like I was standing in an area where a patron would be thrown out of the door. I quickly sidestepped as a rough looking man landed where I had been standing moments before. I quickly put a pin on him with Map, as I was never one to miss a flag. I would have some trouble with him later, I was sure of it. Taking a deep breath, I strode into the Guild office, ready for registration. Registration and preparation The guild office was separated into three floors. The first floor seemed to be a tavern/market area and the second looked like the business section, but the third floor was concealed, so I had no way of knowing what was going on up there. I walked up to the second floor and popped a language pill. 95 SP left. I blinked a couple of times as the language seeped into my mind. I had been wondering whether the language would convert to English or if I would just naturally understand all of it. To me, it felt like I suddenly remembered what I had always known, without any hassle. This was truly incredible. In the space of a few seconds I learned what would have taken years of study to learn otherwise. "Hello, sir! I don''t believe I''ve seen you here before. Are you here to register with our guild?" I turned to see who was talking,, and a stunning beauty looked back at me from behind the counter. Long black hair complemented her striking green eyes and pale skin. Thank the gods for Processing speed up, I only needed a second for my brain to kick start itself. "I actually came from somewhere very far away, and this is the first city I''ve stumbled across in the Argonian Empire. If you could tell do how to register and point me to a home inn, that would help me out immensely." Why the far off land excuse? There may be a skill that detects deceit, and this is technically true. Also, if it ain''t broke, don''t fix it! "As this is your first time registering, the fee is one gold. If you cannot pay the fee right now, we can also take 10% of all rewards earned in the dungeon for a period of six months." By the way she said that, it appeared one gold was a hefty sum. I had 1000 gold, so wasn''t I rich? Leaving that for later, I tried to use the inventory for the first time. I was surprised how easy it was. I simply thought of something I had in my inventory and willed it to my person, and it appeared. I placed the coin I just summoned on the counter, and carefully watched the receptionist''s eyes for her reaction. While her words were nothing but warm, I could sense a bit of ice in her inflections. When the coin clinked onto the counter, her gaze softened a bit. "Very well. I''ll let the guild master know to expect two ranking tests tomorrow. Be here at noon, and use the time until then to prepare. As for an inn, I would recommend The Morning Dew" I thanked her for her help, and headed outside. Wait a minute... I didn''t even need that language pill!Stolen story; please report. "Years of academy training, wasted!" Master is as melodramatic as ever. "Thank you, thank you. You are much too kind." I believe master may have misunderstood what I was trying to say. "I understood perfectly. It''s just more fun to ignore it." I would say it''s less fun and more of a necessity on my part. "Did you say something, Tryst?" I asked how you were going to pass the time until tomorrow. "Easy, daddy''s gonna get him some new toys!" Why does that glint in your eyes scare me?
The weapons shop was the first stop. Located near the center of the town, it had a signboard in the shape of swords crossed in front of a shield.. It seemed swinging doors were the norm for businesses around here, as most of them sported the same wild west style as the guild. "Welcome, welcome! If you''re looking for weapons, you''ve come to the right place." A burly man wearing a work apron called out to me. However, the long red beard and the fact that he only came up to my waist screamed dwarf. I didn''t want to make a mistake, though, so I used Analyze to double check. Yep, definitely a dwarf. "What type of weapon do you use? I have pretty much anything you can think of that''s not enchanted, and plenty of things that are." "Thank you. I''m looking for some gauntlets and armor, preferably enchanted." The dwarve''s eyes lit up at my words. "I had all but given up on selling another pair of gauntlets in this town. All anyone wants these days are fancy swords so they can show off their skills to the ladies." "I care more about functionality than looks. Who cares how good something looks if it doesn''t work?" The dwarf nodded enthusiastically. "Finally, a brother in arms! The name''s Mido Bronzebeard, and you are welcome in my shop any time!" "Gabriel Bloodbourne, but just call me Gabe. How long has it been since you''ve sold a pair?" "It''s been at least 5 years. But because of that, you can have your pick of the best. I''ll be right back." He rushed into the back and returned with a cart of gauntlets. I was trembling with anticipation, but that fell rapidly as I used Analyze. They were all ranked D at the highest. The best one there gave all stats +100, but even with my skill it was mediocre. I bought it out of pity, but Mido almost burst into tears of joy. I also bought some leather armor, but I immediately stowed the gauntlets in inventory. I''m sorry Mido, but I know a better store! I searched through the store until I found a suitable pair of gauntlets: Herme''s Gauntlets +20% DEX +10% STR It was simple but effective. I went ahead and equipped them to see the difference. STR 1440 DEX 1680 Looking good! There''s still a bit of time, so let''s train. I have some good ideas I have to try out. Master has that glint again. "No one asked you, Tryst." Sparring practice "Hey Tryst, is there some sort of sparring grounds in this city?" So now that master needs help, he asks. It''s across from the guild. "Thanks. Are all shades this depressed?" Shades normally have no will of their own. The system chose to give me a will, and thus created a unique existence. "Right... Speaking of the system, why is everything in there so powerful?" In a word, efficiency. Most craftsmen in this world are only able to use 10% of the energy available for crafting enchanted objects. The system has a 100% efficiency rate, which is why anything you buy from the store will be of the highest quality. Looking at my map, it seemed like the person I had marked earlier was inside. I was never one to miss a flag, so I walked through the double doors to see several mats set up to create a miniature arena. Several healers stood on standby, ready to help with any injuries. "This your first time, kid? Entrance fee''s two silver." I fished two silver out of my inventory, watching my money indicator drop by only one. This skill is way too useful. Even after spending so much on the useless gauntlets, I still had well over 900G left. Looking over to my flag target, he had cornered one of the healers, who was looking very uncomfortable. Flag obtained! I started to make my way over to him, taking care to isolate my mana from the outside. Something I learned is everything in this world had mana. The more mana that flowed into the air, the bigger the potential for intelligence. Now, all sentient races had a similar flow of mana, but each individual had a signature frequency. The reason dragons were such a superior race was most likely from Mana Mastery. They never ran out of mana, they could keep their opponents mana from regenerating, and boasted massive physical combat power. To be honest, it was slightly unfair. Not that I minded, though. "Come on, what harm could it be? It''s just a drink tonight. You''re way too pretty to spend the night alone."Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. With the mana concealment, he didn''t notice me until I was at his side. Come on man, a troll could easily see through that act. "Hello there! Do you have a moment?" The girl shot me a grateful glance, while my flag bearer nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oi! Don''t go scaring people like that." ''Sorry, I didn''t realized you scared easy. I was just looking for someone to spar with, but I don''t think you''ll be home enough. Sorry to bother you." Okay, turn around, walk away, and wait for the shock to wear off in 3, 2, 1... "Are you calling me weak? Those are fighting words! Get back here!" All according to plan. I simply poked his sensitive ego and now he''s dancing in the palm of my hand. "Fine... If I have to." We both stepped into the ring, and waited for the ref to start our time. The rules of this place had a ref judge wins and losses, as well as stopping the fight if it got out of hand. I wasn''t too worried. His strength was only 800, even lower than the guards at the gate. With my gauntlets, I now surpassed them by a fair amount. I was still in casual clothes, but I felt like showing off a bit. To anyone looking, my clothes were instantly switched into leather armor and gold gauntlets. I managed un rattle him a bit, as touch was all that was needed to store or withdraw something from my inventory. A bell rang, signalling the start of the match. I immediately usedBattle Flow along side Danger Sense andMana Mastery, then jumped into the air with the help of a mana cushion. I felt like I could predict his every move light years away, and could counter every move perfectly. He throws a punch, I sidestep and tap his shoulder. He goes for a leg sweep, I summersault over him and attack his back. This is a battle. This is... exhilarating! Before I can fully savor the taste, though, the man''s unconscious at my feet. All in all, about thirty seconds have passed since the battle started. If I hadn''t held back, I could have finished it in one blow. I figured if I activated Overhaul at the last second before contact, I could maximize damage while minimizing drawbacks. However, this was satisfactory as a system notification popped up. Bruiser has grown to level 2 Learned Life Drain
The strange man hopped off the stage and just walked off whistling a small tune, as if what had happened was an everyday affair. Most people had no clue as to what happened, but I was even more surprised than most. My ears twitched under my hood as I recalled his taunting lines towards the man bothering me, the clouds of mana that he used as a springboard. I wonder, will I run into him again? First blood With the class level up, I felt significantly lighter on my feet. I double checked to make sure I wasn''t walking on mana accidentally, but that wasn''t the case. "Status." ... ... ... "WHAT?!" I stared in disbelief at the words in front of me. Name: Gabriel Bloodbourne Race: Human (Dragon) Class: Bruiser LV2 (Necromancer) HP 22000 MP 2200 STR 2200 DEX 2200 INT 1200 WIS 2200 "Hey Tryst, old buddy old pal. Care to guide me here, as per your job description?" You wish to know about the changes in your stats, master? The answer is simple. Bruiser is now level 2, so that means an increase in stats. Since bruiser is a physical class, HP, STR, and DEX all increased. "Wow, no sarcastic side note this time? I thought you would have at least one word laced with venom when I asked" Master is too kind. Thankfully, my survival is not hinged on my opinion. It is simply a hobby to brighten my otherwise bleak existence. "Thereitis! I was worried I was talking to a different shade for a second there." While it was a subtle change, there was a shift in their relationship. When they first arrived in the forest, Tryst''s initial reaction was that the godly trio had made a mistake. There was no way to understand half of what his new master did, with the foolishness of his dragon form and his utter lack of concern for his public opinion. Speaking of which... Why does master care so little of what other''s think? It would make your life much easier to lay low for a little while. "My family on Earth had a saying. ''People who strive to be normal have boring lives. Rather than hiding from the weird in your life, embrace it, and you''ll be much more satisfied,'' I''m a weird person, but I make that weirdness mine.* A sound philosophy. I think I understand master a little better now.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Give it a couple decades, then we''ll talk. You ain''t seen nothing yet!" It was starting to get late. I had come into town mid afternoon, and now evening was drawing to a close. The guild receptionist had pointed me to The Morning Dew earlier, so I pulled up the map. It looked to be by the east gate, but in between me and there was a cluster of red dots. Hey, looks like my flag bearer was with them! Maybe I should pay him a visit.After all, I had a new skill to test out. Master has that look again. "What''s the law on killing?" I surprised myself with how calm I was. Here I was, talking about murder like it was a trip to the store. Probably just an added mental resistance from my WIS stat. If there is no body, they can''t claim murder. Master, are you... "I want to try out my necromancy. And I think I just found some volunteers''
''And you''re sure we can take him?'' "He was fast and agile, but his punches were no stronger than yours." My personal flag bearer was doing some work for me. Erasing my mana signature seemed to nullify most alert skills, but it wasn''t foolproof. I was still visible, and skills that used means other than mana to work, like Sense Life, would still work. That said, my flag bearer seemed un have been born with a chronic case of stupidity. Terrible disease, really. Nothing has been found to cure and it''s almost always fatal. I activated Overhaul and took care of the twenty people within ten seconds. That quadruple bonus to all stats seemed a bit overkill, but it felt satisfying. In the midst of this, a couple messages flashed across my vision. LVL Up! LVL Up! LVL Up! Bruiser has grown to level 3 Learned Pummel LVL Up! I quickly stored the bodies in my inventory. While I couldn''t store anything living, Ithese people had already drawn their last breath. Thank goodness for Map, I could easily tell that no one saw it. I walked to an alley with no one watching and took flight. I was conflicted. From what I heard, the first time you took a life, it would eat at you, but I was perfectly fine. Was this normal? Was I supposed to be happy or worried that I felt nothing after killing that many people in such a short time period? By the time I landed in my artificial clearing, I made a decision. Worry about the present problems now, and leave problems in the future for when they pop up. If I spent all my time worrying about what might happen, I''d go insane. However, I''d gained 4 levels and a skill with that. How did that effect my stats? Name: Gabriel Bloodbourne LVL 5 Race: Human (Dragon) Class: Necromancer (Bruiser LVL 3) HP 40000 MP 3000 STR 4000 DEX 4000 INT 2000 WIS 3000 It seemed like each level you grew added another layer of base stats, while leveling your class provided much better growths, but only for specific stats. I should definitely level up necromancer some then. I pulled out the body of my flag bearer first. After all, he did so much for me, it was only fitting that he be the first to join me. "Rise." With that one word, milky white liquid peeped out of his pores and collected into two bone skeletons, each with a bone sword and shield. Necromancer grew to level 2 Learned Soul Armor By the time I finished all 20, I had 40 bone soldiers and 20 souls added to my armor. The souls I gathered would take 4 hits before disintegrating, thanks to my skill, and the bone soldiers all had 200 base stats. Necromancer had gone up to 3, so it was now on par with bruiser. All in all not a bad day. Thankfully the limit on living items in my inventory did not extend to the undead, so I was able to store the infantry before turning back to the town. I stifled a yawn before flying back to an alleyway close to The Morning Dew. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day. I wonder what rank I''ll be? Checking in and Foxgirls The Morning Dew. Located near the eastern gate, it seemed to have a perfect balance of cost effectiveness and good service. As I entered, a warm, homely smell coupled with the spices from the cooking meal wafted into my head. My stomach was kind enough to remind me I had not eaten since my arrival to this world, annoucing its discomfort to the world. The receptionist put down the book she had been leafing through (oh, how I wish I could read!) and turned her attention to me. "Well, ain''t this surprising. MA!! We got us a customer!" "What? You best not be yankin'' my chain, cause if ya are, the switch is a coming. We ain''t had two customers in a day since your Da moved on!" I was a little surprised. The lady in front of me and her mother were apparently the owners of this inn, but this town must have less visitors than I thought. Still, why in the world do they have southern accents? "MA! Just come out an'' deal with ''im!" The kitchen doors swung open and a motherly figure stepped out. Drying her hands in her apron, her eyes opened wide as she saw me. "Sweet Charn almighty, we got us a guest!" "I told ya Ma, didn''t I? I"ll watch the grub so it don''t burn." They switched places. The mother pulled out a book, pen and ink, probably to keep a log. "One night costs 2 large copper, and meals are 5 copper a day. How long will ya be staying here?" "Let''s make it a week to start. I may be staying longer, but that should be good for now." The money system was a bit wierd. there were coppers, which were the lowest denomination. 10 coppers made one large copper, 10 large coppers were one silver, and 100 silver were one gold. An average day''s wage were about 5 large copper, depending on what type of business you ran. "That''ll be one silver without meals, and 1 silver, three large and 5 small copper with with meals." "I''ll take the meals." Doling out the money, it seemed that for odd numbers the system rounded up rather than down. very useful, making my money strech that much farther. The manager counted out the money, then put it into a coin pouch on her purse. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Hey Fran! Set another place!" "Just a second Ma!" "Here''s yer room key. Fran''ll call you when supper''s on." Looking at the key, I realized I couldn''t tell the chicken scratch on it from anything else. I decided to just try to match it with the symbols on the door. Walking upstairs I passed by the healer from the stadium. She pretty much froze midstep and stared at me. "Fancy meeting you here." I always wanted to say that! My mind was giddy with the chance I had been presented. "Um, yeah. I-It''s a weird coincidence, isn''t it?" So cute! She was blushing and stammering, avoiding my eyes. I never understood those MC that were so clueless that they could ignore signs like this. It was so painfully obvious, but I had very little experience in this area. I would just let her set the pace. At that moment, a loud growling filled the hallway. A single look at how her face turned a deeper shade of red confirmed it. She was extremely hungry. "Are you going to be joining us for the meal?" "No, i-it''s fine. I have some food with me, s-so..." Her stomach made a big complaint at that moment. Cue internal sigh. "If you can''t pay, let me treat you tonight. It''s obvious that you haven''t had a big meal in a while." Her eyes widened. "N-no! I can''t ask you to do that. You already helped me earlier, so I..." "Honestly, I have more money than I know what to do with. It does me no use if it just sits there." "E-even so, i-if you sp-spend it on me, I-I...." As she got more flustered, her stuttering increased, as well as her movements. the hood on her robe slipped a bit. and my eyes were drawn to one key point: FOX EARS!! She didn''t seem to notice, but that drove the point home. Animal girls are life. Furries were a no go, but humans with animal ears and tails..... I''m getting sidetracked. "Fine, if you can show me which room is mine, we''ll call it even." "Eh?" A confused look spead across her face. "I can''t read the language here, so I don''t know which room this points to." She took a look at the key and pointed to a room a little ways down the hall. The room seemed clean enough, and had a candle already burning inside. While I was taking a look around, a shout reverberated throughout the inn, music to my ears. "Grub''s on!"
I ran into that man again. I got so nervous I could barely speak. What would he think if he knew I was going to go see if I could scrounge up some scraps? I had barely any money to my name, and 5 coppers for a day of meals was too expensive for me. It took the village a year to come up with a gold to register as a dungeon diver. I couldn''t waste money, and this would be my last night I could pay for the inn too... "If you can''t pay, let me treat you tonight. It''s obvious that you haven''t had a big meal in a while." His words shook me to the core. Here was someone who cared enough to help out someone like me, a poor village girl, in exchange for some basic information. I only wish I could pay him back more... The meal was delicious. The man introduced himself as Gabriel Bloodbourne, and he had a very easygoing personality. He didn''t seem to care for what others thought, explaining himself that what he did now was done "on a whim." Deal with the present rather than worry for the future is how he explained it. If only I were like that, being able to act however I liked... Unfortunately the meal was over quickly, but a thrill ran through me as we went back to our rooms. Seven words were enough to set me on fire: "See you at the ranking test, Sina" Start of the Test I collapsed onto the bed. Over the course of dinner, Sina had opened up a bit. she was originally from a small village of farmers nearby, but her neighbors seemed to think she had too much potential to be wasting her life in the fields. She didn''t say why, but they had gathered up enough money for her to register here and sent her on her way. Like most RPGs, the humans had a superiority complex, thinking that any nonhuman race was inferior. This leading to the other 3 inns in town turning her away at the door, saying they didn''t want to bother the customers. She seemed to be running out of money fast, but she would be taking the ranking test with me tomorrow. I smiled into the dark. "Hey Tryst." Master calls and I answer. Even if I am in a deep slumber, I wake up and answer. "Sorry to disturb your beauty rest. I just wanted to know your racial skills." I will answer, for hopes of a faster rest. I have Shadow Travel and Possesion. Shadow Travel allows me to teleport to any shadow I have knowlege of, and Possesion is exactly as it sounds. I can sort through memories of my host and control their bodies like a puppet. Is that satisfactory? "Am I able to use them too?" You can''t but Shadow Travel allows me to take passengers, and I cannot hide information I know from you. "Cool. Have a good night, Tryst." I was until you woke me up.Good night. I could feel the physical changes in my body. I was much stronger than even hours before, and felt pretty invincible. However, if Tryst was correct, there would be some people with stats in the millions, or even billions. I knew better than to challenge those I had no chance against, at least until I gained more power. I relaxed and let sleep take my body... Master. Master. MASTER! Ugh.... the light hurt my eyes. My alarm should''ve gone off, not this weird creepy voice... It all rushed back to me. "Morning Tryst! How was your beauty rest?" Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Master should show a little consideration, considering you have half an hour before you have the test. "Apparently I''m still not a morning person. Wait, half an hour!" If master wasn''t a heavy sleeper, it would have ben a whole hour, but that doesn''t matter now. I pulled out some of the meat i stored in my inventory as an experiment. It was still hot from the oven, so I can say that it definitely stops time. Plus, there is seemingly unlimited storage space, so I could pack up an entire house inside. Running out, I instachanged into my armor, putting on the guantlets for the extra speed. The food stalls were being set up in preperation for the lunch rush, and many people were already trickling out. I took advantage of the smallest spaces I could squeeze through, and somehow made it to the guild with 5 minutes to spare. Surprisingly, I wasn''t winded in the least. I calmly walked through the doors and spotted Sina. She quickly waved me over, a little of the shyness she showed last night coloring her cheeks. "You dummy! I was worried you wouldn''t show up!" "And miss your show? Don''t worry, I''m sure I''ll be amazed." "Th-that''s not the point! These only happen once a month! What if you missed it?" "I''m not too worried about that. I have a personal alarm clock after all." Out of the corner of my eye, my shadow quivered a little. I couldn''t tell if Tryst was laughing or fearful, but I sent a meaningful glance his way. "What''s an alarm clock?" "Don''t worry about it. It''s just an inside joke." At that point, I was saved from more chatter by the receptionist. She waved us over and explained the process for the ranking task. As the dungeons were ranked in difficulty, an E rank dungeon was easy enough for anyone with combat experience to travel, while S ranks were a living hell, but had great rewards. however, a party of five E ranks could challenge a D rank dungeon, because collectively you were equal to a D rank adventurer. This would determine our rank to start out, but you could retake the test once every month in hopes of raising your rank. "The guild master is waiting in the testing room out back. He''s an A rank diver, so you can be sure he knows what he''s talking about with this stuff." As we talked, she walked us to a small shed in back. Well, it was small on the outside, but inside was as big as a football stadium. Spatial magic was an incredible tool. in the middle of the area, a lone man stood. I used analyze on him, but it turned up blank. This was the first time this had happened, so I was sure he was strong. the only problem was by how much? Sina next to me seemed a little shook. "That''s, that''s... Jerald the Bloodsworne!" Tryst, translation? He''s pretty well known in this world. Only man to be bitten by a vampire and survive with his morals intact. Vampire? A subclass of devil. Survives on blood, but pays for it with a loss of humanity. They will do anything for their own gains, and if it does not help them, they ignore it. So this guy is like a vampire/human hybrid? Precisely. The last information I have on him places his stats in the tens of millions. Well, let''s not get on his bad side. I was fully dragon, and fully human. I had brains and brawn. I may not win, but I can put up a fight to be proud of. "This place is a small dimensional pocket. The door behind you is the anchor to the world, and the only way in or out. Therefore, you can do anything in here except harm that door. Shall we start the test?" He pulled out a sword from midair. "The test is simple. Gabriel is a physical attacker, correct? Your goal is to survive as long as you can against me. The longer you can fight, the higher your rank will be." He lept toward me at amazing speed. The intense battle had started. 1% was insufficient Adrenaline flooded my system, and it felt like time slowed down. Danger sense told me he was aiming for my right arm, and even the armor I had on wouldn''t stop it. I made a split second decision to sacrifice one my souls to take the attack. The sword bounced off my arm, throwing off his balance. I took this opportunity to push my attack. Tryst, when I click my tongue, teleport us into his shadow! As you wish master. I activated Overhaul, Drain Life, and my newest skill: Pummel Attack speed +50% for the next 100 attacks. Cost: 200 HP With this, my stats got a major boost. My STR and DEX were at 3000 already, with Overhaul active, it rose to 12000. Added onto the bonus for the gauntlets, my STR was at 16800 and my DEX 14400. The vampire was still moving fast, but my stats had risen to the point where it felt like a normal sprint. He looked to be gathering mana around his sword, and Danger Sense told me he was aiming for my left leg. I jumped over him, gathering a mana cushion behind him for me to springboard off of. As I vaulted over him, I could see genuine shock in his eyes. Landing on the mana cushion, I pushed myself towards his unprotected back. Without warning, he transformed into a swarm of bats, my punch destroying one before he reformed a small distance away.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Well, he wasn''t the only one who could transform. I flew into the air and transformed instantly into my alter ego. While in my human form, I unfortunately didn''t have access to my breath weapon. I had the skill, but it was more a matter of biology. The dragons had an organ in their throat that turned their mana into a certain form, then released it through their mouth. In my case, it was panic breath. I let loose a roar, the mana around me becoming an odorless, transparent fog. I watched the vampire stumble and changed into human, signaling Tryst to teleport me. I emerged from his shadow and threw a punch, stopping just short of his temple. I was certain this would crush his skull if it hit, and I needed him alive if I wanted a rank. Utter silence filled the arena. This entire fight had taken less than 20 seconds, but I felt respect for the devil before me. If I didn''t have Overhaul, my skill, or my souls, I would have been completely at his mercy. Even if I were to face him again, I don''t know what the outcome would be. "Apparently 1% was too easy. I would say your current ability is at a D rank." The vampire before me melted into shadow. I turned around to see the voice, and an exact duplicate of the person I just fought was standing near the door. I understood the situation slightly better now. Analyze now showed me that this person was the real Jerald. His stats hovered around twelve million, with one of his skills being... "Clone." As the word left my mouth, Jerald''s gaze narrowed. "That is a word I haven''t heard in over a hundred years, and only from one person. Tell me, has Earth changed much since then?" "That depends. What year was this person from?" "The year he died was apparently 2010." "It was almost 2020 when I died, so there''s probably a different rate of time between here and there. As it stands, I died yesterday." "If he was anything to go by, I have high hopes for you. Earth seems to have no shortage of talented people." So Fun, Rules, and Luck had sent someone else here as well. At least reincarnaters weren''t a foreign idea here, just uncommon. "Sorry to interrupt, but is Earth an organization?" Crap, I forgot about Sina. Window shopping Sina was awestruck. While she didn''t understand all of what happened, and even less of the conversation afterwards, she understood the power of even a D rank diver compared to the average person. This person who helped a poor villager like her was stronger than she thought, but he was an honest and humble person, unlike most who grew arrogant and demanding. Can someone like me even compare?
Master seems to be more pleased than normal. "Of course! A new world has opened before me. A world of soft ears and bushy tails awaits!" After he explained that Earth was a place far away enough that it could be considered another world, and he was half human, half dragon, she requested to be in his party. Her test placed her at an E rank healer, but it would save him money and/or SP on potions. Not to mention she was a cute nine-tailed fox girl! How regrettable that only one tall was pettable. "Guehehe" Master would do well to hide that perverted look in public. "I''m alone right now, but even so, take a look at how hard it''s raining right now." There''s not a cloud in the sky, Master. "That''s how much I care." I suppose that was to be expected. "Yup. In this new life, I will be karma. Anything I receive I will return tenfold, good or bad. I like to think of it as lightening the gods workload just a bit." However, my mind was starting to look ahead. I needed to make some spending goals for the future. The Hermes guantlets were good for now, but they were only C rank equipment. In the future I would need better stuff, but that seemed far down the road. I needed some sort of enchanted armor, as my soul armor could only take two hits per soul, unsuited for a drawn out battle with a strong opponent. C rank seemed to be top grade equipment for this area, so let''s narrow the store to C rank armor with flexibility.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. There were a few good ones, but one in particular seemed tailor made for me: Troll''s Skin When HP drops below 12.5%, mana will be consumed and converted to HP until HP is full or mana runs out. With mana mastery, as long as there was mana around me, I had unlimited mana, and wearing this could mean I had almost unlimited health. My skill would change 12.5% to 25%, but that would mean an enemy would have to be strong enough to get him to a quarter health. If he needed it, a soul could take fatal attacks, so this seemed like a good choice. The only problem was... 1000 SP, huh? With the discount, it was still 500, but he didn''t know how easy it was to earn points. He''d put that aside for now. Most RPGs had some sort of consumable which would raise certain stats, so he decided to see how expensive that would be. To my surprise, I could exchange points for stats at a ten to one ratio. I had no idea if this was cheap or expensive, but it should come in handy later. Finally, skills. Unfortunately, every skill looked useful, and even E rank skills cost over ten thousand SP. Deal with the present problems now, and future problems when they arise. I think if I need skills, I can buy them when time comes. Coming to that conclusion, I closed the shop. Now, what should I do for the rest of the day? Unfortunately, my flag bearer went and died on me. How inconsiderate of him! At least he was able to give me a class level up as a parting gift. As I was lamenting over the death of a superb idiot, a knock interrupted my thoughts. What was I thinking about again? Eh, it probably wasn''t important. When I answered the door, Sina was standing there, an eager aura about her. "Can we go to the dungeon?" I silently thanked Luck. I had a feeling he was involved in this somehow. "I was just thinking we should go myself." Master had no such thoughts. Thank you for ruining the moment as always, Tryst. "By the way, how in the world did you summon a talking shade?" "You mean you can see him?" "Am I not supposed to?" A strained smile formed on my face. "Tryst? Care to explain?" As a shade, Tryst could be called an embodiment of death meant to inspire fear in others. It wasn''t until he saw the look in his master''s eyes that he understood the terror of mortality. "If you want to survive the night, start talking." Fluffy tails and delinquents I swear that others can¡¯t see me, but if there is a being with ties to the spirt world, they can detect my presence. ¡°You could¡¯ve mentioned that earlier!¡± I didn¡¯t think Master would run into a nine-tailed fox so soon. I manage to calm myself down enough to think rationally. At least the one who could see Tryst was a friendly person. ¡°Well, no harm no foul. In the future, let me know the details like that, no matter how slim the possibility of that happening.¡± Master¡¯s kindness is beyond words. ¡°Now I¡¯m more interested in Sina¡¯s skills. I know you can perform Intermediate Heal, but do you have any other skills?¡± Intermediate Heal was the second tier of healing magic, and could mend anything up to a broken bone. There were countless other support skills, and any class under the support category had random skills for each level that upgraded with repeated use. This meant that you could have a great support at a low level, or a crappy support at a high level. ¡°I have Refresh, Antidote, and Invigorate.¡± Jackpot! These four skills could get her into any party of her choosing, according to Tryst. The healing wouldn¡¯t matter too much later on, once I got the Troll¡¯s Regenerative Armor, but the other skills were good even at the basic level.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Refresh Restores mental state to peak condition. Antidote Can cure minor poisons. Invigorate Target¡¯s attack speed is doubled for 30 seconds. Grandpa Luck must have put his fingers in here somewhere, but I can¡¯t complain. ¡°All right, show status to Sina.¡± The fox girl gives a little start as the status screen pops up in front of her. Hmmm, that tail twitching back and forth looks so fluffy... Master... never mind. It¡¯s not worth the effort to tell you about your face. ¡®And who said I was gonna stop with looking?¡¯ While she was distracted, I pounced. ¡°Eep! Ahh, Gabe? Could you, nghh, please...¡± ¡°Fluffy, fluffy, fluffy!¡± ¡°Please, ahn, it¡¯s sensitive... Tryst? Can I, ahh, get some help?¡± I know of no way to stop Master from doing something he wants to do. And so the two hour fluff session begins.
¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a couple hours, are you sure they¡¯re coming?¡± The guards had a rotating schedule. There were the four gates and the dungeon entrance to watch over, but the system had been polished over years of testing. Of course, this day was the one day the guards despised being put on dungeon duty. Why? ¡°Hopefully they got some good gear, right Brutus?¡± The mayor¡¯s son, Brutus, was notoriously spoiled. Every month, he would stand by the gate and force the new divers into a bet. Many people lost their equipment to this guy and his gang of lackeys. And the guards at the gate could do nothing but watch. ¡°Ey, here they come!¡± ¡°We got a good harvest this time! That guy looks like he¡¯s got some good gear, and the girl doesn¡¯t look half bad for a beastkin.¡± The group was thrilled at this month¡¯s gains, but the guards just gave each other a knowing glance. This was the pair located at the gate yesterday, and they were looking forward to the show today.
¡°1, 2.... 7 goons, huh?¡± ¡°I heard the lord¡¯s son will steal items from new people... what should we do Gabe?¡± I smiled. This was a perfect opportunity to test out something. ¡°Beautiful day for a wager, don¡¯t you think?¡± I called out to the group in front of the gate. I walked up and drew a line in the sand, then stepped back and gave a bold declaration. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight, so if any of you can cross this line, I¡¯ll give you my items. What do you say?¡± 1 second victory and Tryst鈥檚 other side A moment passed in complete silence. ¡°You serious right now?¡± ¡°You guys were gonna force me into a bet anyways, right? If you don¡¯t think you can cross, you¡¯re more than welcome to decline. Tell you what, I¡¯ll make it even easier. If I come within five feet of the line, I lose. If any part of you crosses, you win. Of course, the guards can testify for this, right?¡± These were the same two I ran into yesterday, so I might as well let them have some fun. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°At least it¡¯s a break from the monotony. Count me in.¡± I give my most annoying, mocking smirk. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± Brutus seemed a bit smarter than his buddies, and knew something was up. ¡°If all six of you run at once, I doubt he can stop you. Everybody has at least some equipment with an attribute resistance, so even if we get just one guy across, we win.¡± All of them nodded, and turned to face me. ¡°Tick tock? I don¡¯t got all day.¡± ¡°Get him boys!¡± All of them ran towards us but I just smiled. Time for an otherworldly science lesson. All living objects in this world have mana. Normally, this mana is evenly spread throughout the body, and resonates in that organism¡¯s unique signature. As I found out in the forest, trying to force mana out of anything when it¡¯s already tied to its host is extremely difficult. On the contrary, concentrating all the mana in a person in, say, a finger is very simple. Unfortunately for these guys, it¡¯s also painful. Excruciatingly painful. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The square echoed with screams. All of the people rushing at me fell to the ground clutching their left hands, screaming bloody murder. Ignoring them, I cock an eyebrow at Brutus. ¡°You wanna try your luck? Or can we enter?¡± One glance at the guys on the ground seemed to be enough for him. ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± He hightailed it out of there, glancing back with something indescribable in his gaze. ¡°Thanks for that. He¡¯s a real case, that one.¡± ¡°No problem. I hate people who use power as a reason to hurt others.¡± Aren¡¯t you the same though, Master? ¡®Nope, I only repaid them in kind. Didn¡¯t I tell you? Anything anyone gives to me, I give back tenfold.¡¯ The guards go through the formalities and let us pass through. Inside the gate is a simple set of stairs leading underground. It looks like we¡¯ll be spending some time underground. ¡°Oh yeah, I almost forgot. How do I send party invites, Tryst?¡± Under the chat system menu. ¡°Sina, I¡¯m going to invite you to a party.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t we already a party?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in a party, but this will let you use my system.¡± I send the invite, and the system gives me a quick notification. Sina has joined the party. As party leader, choose the settings for this party. Exp distribution: (Equal, Contribution, Leader) Sp distribution: (Equal, Contribution, Leader) Drop distribution: (Equal, Contribution, Leader) Wait... I understand EXP and Drop distribution, but if others can share SP... "Do you see this all the time?" "Before I answer that, is there a tab named store in your menu?" "Tab? Menu?" ... Don''t tell me. Technical terms from Earth are exclusive to Earth. Master should recognize that the system can''t implant knowledge of words into others brains. "Tryst?" Yes Master? "Is your entire existence solely meant to reiterate things as soon as I realize them?" Well, yes, but actually no. "Why are you bringing up dead memes now?!" I was never alive in the first place. I must side with my kind, for the living are my natural enemies. " The point was not whether the meme is dead or alive, but your character design flew out the window! You are the embodiment of suffering and darkness, and darkness doesn''t tell jokes." Ignoring the blatant 4th wall break there, Darkness is actually the number one comedic relief at parties. Although it can be rather macabre humor, he pulls it off very well. " You guys do know that I can only hear half the conversation, and even that half I don''t understand." " Sorry Sina. Anyways, do you see the words on the bottom right of the image?" Sina immediately looks at the wall, her tail twitching. "... You can''t read, can you." "I can read! Just... not a lot." Should I say it? No, I have the chance, why wouldn''t I say it! "Yare yare daze." Master has truly sunk low... "I saw an opportunity, and I took it. Well we''ll worry about teaching you to read later. I''ll earn enough SP for a permanent language acquisition pill first, then teach you." " Got it!" " In the meantime, DEATH TO THE DUNGEON!!!!!!!" May I remind Master that destroying a dungeon is cutting off all the resources a town has? " Ehem. Let me rephrase: DEATH TO ALL LIFE IN THE DUNGEON!!!!!" May I remind Master that Sina is living, as well as any other adventurers that may be in the dungeon? " Forget it. I can''t keep that gag going." Mission failed, we''ll get ''em... "Don''t. You. Dare."