《Dys》 1.11 ¡°Here, take my hand¡± That¡¯s what he said to the despondent me that was leaning on the putrid smelling wall. That was fine with me, though. This is infinitely better than anything that was up there in that despicable city were it¡¯s inhabitants wouldn¡¯t hesitate to rob, rape, burn, and kill the second that they think about it. ¡°Hello? Anybody there? I¡¯m talking to you, you know¡± I couldn¡¯t even fathom how he found me down here in the sewers. But to be fair, anyone who was probably scared and desperate would consider this place as the go-to hiding spot. So, I guess that answers my own dumb question. ¡°Besides, it''s the only viable choice for someone like you. So, come on and take it. I promise I won¡¯t bite¡­ not unless you want me to, of course. I don¡¯t have that kind of kink, but I¡¯ll try¡± It¡¯s not the only choice that I have, but it¡¯s the ONLY choice that he¡¯s giving me. In spite of that, I still reached out and took his hand. Anything was better than waiting here to die and rot like the dead bodies of the locals. And even though this was akin to making a deal with the devil, it was still a sliver of hope, nonetheless. ¡­ Who am I kidding, this moment is what I¡¯ve been waiting for so long. ¡°ARGHHH!¡± I screamed as my right hand which was making contact with his flesh burns in searing pain, and when I pulled it away, it left a scorch mark. A scorch mark in the shape of a crown with a number zero in it''s center. ¡°Welcome to the Ranking Wars, my dear Pawn~¡± He said, as he claps his hands together, delighted at the outcome. ¡°Now, carry these bags and let¡¯s get the hell out of here. This place reeks of poverty, death, and a little bit of hopelessness¡± He said, as he throws his two large bags towards me while I clumsily caught them with my dirty hands and arms. ¡°Hah! A little bit¡± He said in gest. ¡°Hopefully, we could find a place that has running water and electricity before the sun decides to take a breather¡± It''s too soon for a drastic change, I suppose. But to be honest, a baggage carrier for a King was nice. Not in a degrading way, of course, but it was better than most of the things that I did here.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°By the way, you still didn¡¯t tell me your name¡± ¡°It¡¯s Charlie¡­ Milord¡± ¡°Any family name?¡± ¡°McDuffin¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s Charlie McDuffin, Milord¡± ¡°That¡¯s so lame!¡± He suddenly shouted as we were climbing up the sewer¡¯s ladder. ¡°Hell no! We¡¯re changing your lame-ass name right this instant!¡± ¡°Wah? Why?¡± ¡°If we want you to rack up some fame and achievements, then a proper fitting name would do good for you in the future¡± He explained as we finally made it out of that hell hole to which I called a ¡®safe place¡¯. I would have hesitated to come out during the daytime, but that isn¡¯t the case right now. ¡°And I just have a certain name in mind that would suit you perfectly!¡± He said in exclamation while doing a guts pose as if he just won the Olympics. Not like the is Olympics being hosted these days because people had a new and more important goal and form of entertainment than winning some gold medal for their country. Maybe someday, but not today. ¡°Let''s put your background story for the people to tell when the day comes¡± He then covers his self with the gray cloak that he was wearing, and only slightly peeked with his head popped up above it. ¡°You came from the fifth circle of Hell. The dark herald of Wrath that would strike fear into anyone who would even say--nay, to who even dares to think about speaking your name aloud!¡± He was putting on a show while we were being stared at by a few not so affable people with detestable looks in their eyes that would make you tremble in fear on the spot. The only reason why they weren¡¯t doing anything was because of the wooden cane that he was brandishing around. And isn''t that contradictory to what we want? If they were too afraid to speak of my name, then how can they even gossip about me? Will they start calling me ¡®The one who shall not be spoken about¡¯, then? Sounds stupid to me. I just hope my nose doesn¡¯t disappear when that does happen. ¡°Balthazar Ira Fortuna Von Gruel¡­ IV!¡± ¡­ I hate to say it, but I think Milord is an idiot. Or, maybe he was just a little bit eccentric with an eight grade syndrome to top it off. And also, not so tactful for someone of his stature. I¡¯ll keep it under wraps for now since Milord and I just met a few minutes ago and I hate to judge. ¡°B-but, Milor-¡° ¡°No buts, Balthazar. Now, let¡¯s not waste our time here and find ourselves some place that has the basic necessities for a semi-luxuries lifestyle¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Milord¡± I¡­ I guess my name¡¯s Balthazar Ira something-something¡­ IV now. And why did it reminded me of an oatmeal for some reason? ¡°Just call me Wise, by the way. I hate the whole ¡®Milord'' bullshit that the others emphasize about¡± ¡°Yes, Mi-¡° ¡°Uhp! What did I just say?¡± ¡°¡­ sir Wise?¡± ¡°Arghhh!¡± He ruffles his hair and sighs afterwards. ¡°That¡¯s better, I guess, but you should drop that ¡®sir¡¯¡± I nod my head in response to him. ¡°Now, off we go!¡± And that¡¯s how my new life with Wise began, and my journey to fame and glory started. ¡°We¡¯re going to be using this bad boys... soon¡± He gleefully laughs like a small child getting a Christmas present from their parents, but what he was holding onto were explosives. The not so dazzling fireworks type of explosives. ¡°Oooh! I just can¡¯t wait!¡± Infamy and disrepute are also open options. 1.12 ¡°So, I need you to plant this bad boys here, here, oh, over here, too, and¡­ maybe I should buy a couple more¡± Wise contemplated as he scratched the back of his head. ¡°Three of these isn¡¯t enough¡± He followed it up by picking his nose with his pinky finger. It¡¯s been a few days since we first met, and all I can say is, he¡¯s very carefree. Or well, he¡¯s too whimsical for his own good, I think. Not quite the regal individual that I imagined someone like him to be. ¡°Hold on, I need to go find that guy before he leaves with his wonderful merchandise. Be right back in a jiffy¡± He said that as he ran outside of the place that we were staying at. I was now all cleaned up and with brand new clothes courtesy of Wise to go along with it. And a proper meal and bedding was so heavenly that I couldn¡¯t contain my tears. Ah, what a delightful feeling a pillow gives when you sleep. My hair was still long, though, and I don¡¯t trust any barbers in this city where it was just one cut to the throat away from being dead. So, the next best thing that I have for a proper hair was a black plastic headband that Wise managed to scavenge inside his abyss of a bag. I take care of my subordinates Is what he said to me a few hours ago. It was nice, although I would have preferred if he didn¡¯t follow it up with his unpredictable quirkiness. ¡°Ah, I almost forgot my cane¡± He kicked the door open and rushed back inside to get the symbol of his status, and then immediately went out again. Now that I was a part of his ¡®Pieces'', all I need to do now was to get stronger and protect the King. And by strong, I mean rack up some points, and the easiest way to do that is to get yourself famous or by doing something that the system would classify as an achievement. It sounded easier when I say it, though, but when almost everyone around you is strong to the point of stupidity, then how strong do you need to get to protect someone else?This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I waited there for a few minutes until Wise came back all drenched, but he had this half-moon smile plastered across his face. He then tosses the remote explosives onto the bed without an ounce of gentleness. A little bit of care was in need when handling such dangerous things, but I can¡¯t reprimand my King. He must know what he¡¯s doing. ¡°Do you think you could survive if I strap this things onto you?¡± He said that as he went over to his bag and took out a towel to wipe himself. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t think so¡± He¡­ he must be finding other alternatives. That¡¯s it. What if the plan suddenly fails and we get caught? Obviously we need to use a little leverage, and by that, I mean strapping the explosives onto me and using me as a¡­ human¡­ shield. Hmm¡­ ¡°Ah, well, it was worth a shot¡± He shrugs. ¡°So, we¡¯ll go with what we planned first, then. We¡¯re going to demolish the city hall by destroying it¡¯s pillars from underneath¡± I would have rejected his idea because innocent people might get hurt even though it was an order from my King, but this place doesn¡¯t deserve any mercy whatsoever. This place was a magnetic shit hole for the powerless and weak, and the hunting grounds of the underachievers and sadists. The garbage city were the damned and unwanted are thrown into. Hades'' Black Anus of the North, Sunnydale. ¡°And we¡¯re doing it tomorrow¡± He grinned. ¡°Good luck in planting this bad boys, though¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I already left a large note in front of the city hall of what we¡¯re going to do tomorrow when I went out, so they¡¯ve tightened the security around the place by a notch as of right now. You know, a whole lot of people patrolling and whatnot¡± ¡°W-why can''t you inform them after I placed the explosives¡­ Wise?¡± In the first place, why did he did he have to inform them? He looked at me as if the answer to my question was obvious. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go out and get wet anymore. Can''t you see it¡¯s pouring hard outside?¡± ¡­ Fuck. 1.13 ¡°Shit¡­ shit¡­ fucking shit, don¡¯t look down, don¡¯t look down¡­ don¡¯t look¡­¡±I murmured loud enough for only myself to hear. ¡°You there! What the fuck are you doing!?¡± He turns his flashlight towards me from a few meters away. But, I guess my bad habit of murmuring things under stressful situations is my undoing. ¡°Shit!¡± I cursed, as I climbed out of the filthy waters and ran away. The ghastly odor can¡¯t get to me anymore because I think my sense of smell wasn¡¯t working that well since¡­ I don¡¯t know, for a long time now, I guess? And I was used to the filth in this place that I don¡¯t mind getting drenched in it now. Unsanitary, full of microbes, and death? A hundred percent yes. ¡°Stupid fuck!¡± Surprise-surprise, they were also patrolling this place, too. Goddammit, my King does some stupid shit without a second thought. ¡°Over there!¡± He yelled to his other companions, and then a lot of loud footsteps came from everywhere around me. ¡°I just need to plant one more!¡± I made sure to plant the seven others inside some of the detachable bricks in the walls underneath the city hall that I used to store my valuables back then, so that even if they tried to find it, it would take the keen eye of someone paying attention to notice it. Perks of being a sewer rat, of course. ¡°Hah! You¡¯re way too slow you damn shit!¡± They were catching up to me even though some of them were wearing bulky heavy plated armors over their huge bodies. That meant they were rankers, too, and heavily spec''d on mobility and strength from what I¡¯m seeing. Must be low-class Rooks that the council employed. ¡°Heh¡± The only possible way I could escape and plant the last remote explosive is to somehow lose them, and I just have the perfect place in mind for it.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Wait till we get our hands on you, little man!¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯d serve as a good plaything for the Holy Hole Hotel!¡± ¡°For the sick fucks, you mean¡± ¡°Obviously for those fuckers!¡± He yelled back. ¡°Who else goes to that fucking pig-sty in the first place?¡± I sneered at their talks even though I was their prey down here. They''re forgetting one thing that¡¯s quite important. This is my home Did you think someone like me could survive in this shit hole without anyway to escape my pursuers like these ones? Of course not. I had to learn how the system worked and what the people could do with it, so that I could eat once or twice a day and sleep soundly behind a garbage heap for fucks sake. The only reason I haven¡¯t bumped into the council ever since I got here was because of their numbers. ¡­ And maybe because I was just too busy trying not to get killed, and meddling in on their business was a no-go if I wanted to live for a long and miserable time. ¡°Better make those feet move faster, little man! Else, your asshole¡¯s going to get stretched like a latex glove!¡± As if on cue with that man¡¯s words, I made a sharp turn to the upcoming tunnel on my right. There, a ladder that was headed down towards a large chamber interconnected with more tunnels that lead to different parts of the city was. If I wanted to lose them, then now is the time. ¡°He went down here!¡± My pursuers shouted from above me. But, losing them in the tunnels wasn¡¯t my plan. No. My plan from the very beginning was to hide under a small hiding spot behind the ladder. There was a small enough gap for me to fit in-between a concrete slab that was used to block sewer debris and the wall. ¡°Where¡¯d he go?¡± One of them asked, confused as to where I went. But, I¡¯m only a few feet away from them. It''s not as if they were going to find me. ¡­ Please don¡¯t look here. Please don¡¯t look here. Please don¡¯t look¡­ ¡°Shit, split up and go search a tunnel each¡± Nice! A good thing I checked myself not to murmur this time around. After some time has passed and making sure no one was there anymore, I climbed back up and continued what I was doing. But, when I reached in for the last remote explosive inside the small waterproof bag that I have with me, it wasn¡¯t there. Instead of it, there was a red brick with a note attached to it that said: Sorry, I forgot to mention that I didn¡¯t have enough money to buy all of them. Here¡¯s a brick that I found while looking around, though, so feel free to use this and fool them ^_^ Good luck! ¡­ My King is an idiot for sure. 1.14 ¡°Are you ready for today, Gregory?¡± Gregory? Who the fuck is that? Is he talking to me? I thought it was Balthazar something-something Gruel IV now. ¡°Uh¡­ yes?¡± I replied nonetheless. At this point in time, I couldn¡¯t care less anymore. That¡¯s just how this man in front of me was. ¡°Good, now, let¡¯s go spectate the fruits of our labor¡± With that said, it was pouring heavily outside. A good thing that he had two plastic umbrellas that he pulled out from one of his bags, though. One for him to use, and one for me, so it¡¯s all good. ¡°I always carry duplicates with me¡± He said. ¡°And bringing a spare is always necessary when you need to use the other one to whack the hands of pesky beggars away¡± His reason for things really astounds me, and we only met a couple of days ago. Imagine what sorts of things I¡¯d find out about him later on. We made our way to a store a few blocks away from the city hall. Where, if you take a look around that area, you could see a lot of guards on standby at all sides of the building. And a colorful mess in front where a poorly written message of ¡®We¡¯re going to bomb this place¡¯ was at. It must be the large note that he left. ¡°Yo'' fuckwit, gimme some of this ¡®ere fine lookin'' bread¡± ¡°Potatoes! Get yourself some baked potatoes here! Fresh out of a stone oven!¡± ¡°What are you looking at? Huh?¡± ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s one, two, and¡­ what?¡± ¡°Where did you hide the bodies at?¡± ¡°Ah, the east''s be spittin¡¯ some fine ale this week. It¡¯d be a damn shame if their warehouse burns down¡­ you know, just a coincidence¡± Other than that, the people were busy with their own normal ways to get money, and as much as possible from someone else, too. Some even broke out into fights over a small disagreement in price. ¡°A lovely place this is~¡± He cheerfully said.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Lovely, huh? ¡°It¡¯s rubbish¡± I replied, as I watch two people fight over something so trivial on the streets. If they had enough energy to squabble, then they could just put that effort into something else more productive. Like, stealing or robbing someone with more dough on them. ¡°I think it¡¯s marvelous, though¡± He looked at me as if he knew what he was talking about. ¡°How so?¡± I asked even though I already knew that he can¡¯t answer it. If I¡¯m not being nice, I¡¯d have labeled my King as a deranged fool. In the first place, if he wanted a decent Piece, then he should have headed to the other more developed cities where they were taking the Ranking Wars seriously. Serious enough to make it their raison d¡¯¨ºtre, unlike filth like us who only worry about what would and wouldn¡¯t kill when we put something in our mouths to eat, or anything that we see, for that matter. ¡°This place is where the scum and the abandoned go to. Branded people like me aren¡¯t allowed to enter other places with a good neighborhood, or fancy food and clothes. We don¡¯t even have anywhere else to go, so this fucking place is the only one we¡¯ve got left. But, you¡­¡± I looked at him. ¡°You aren¡¯t even supposed to be here in the first place. You stick out like a damn circus clown in an office¡± I could already tell from the way he looked and acted. He was an upper-class that managed to rise and become a King. Not like us that wear rags and eat rats. We don¡¯t have a future besides rotting near other trash like us. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not talking about this garbage dump you call a home. I¡¯m talking about you, the people that live inside of this cesspool of sin and slavery¡± ¡°Huh?¡± What the hell is he prattling on about now? ¡°People like you that have a deep sense and drive to survive in an undesirable environment. People that know and live in hardship, suffering, pain, and bitterness all day long. Where you do things that no one might do just to get a crumb of bread in your stomach, or pushing other people inside a furnace just to earn a quick buck¡± He gave me an all-knowing look. ¡°So? Does that make us any better than the rest of you lot? Cause if it¡¯s being inhumane as possible that you¡¯re looking for, then there are others, gits that are far worse than me out there, so take your picking¡± If all he wanted was a cutthroat, then I think ninety-eight percent of the people in here would happily oblige just to get out of this place. Hell, they¡¯d even volunteer to become a footstool for him. ¡°On the contrary, I despise people that have no moral values of their own¡± He said. ¡°But, I¡¯ve got a very keen eye for people that do fit most my criteria. And almost all of those egocentric plastics that are inside of those petty walls are just softies and incompetents that can¡¯t bear to live up to my standards¡± ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°I want someone that does everything they do like their life depended on it. A person who knows how the world works deep down in this hideous under crust. An individual that can think and act on their own and not just be some stupid marionette waiting to get their strings to be played. So, to sum it up, I need¡­¡± He pointed his index finger directly at me. ¡°YOU¡± 1.15 ¡°I¡¯m flattered that you see me so highly, but¡­¡± I gave him a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m just a goddamn sewer rat¡± He laughed heartily at how low I appraised myself. ¡°Then what I need is a sewer rat¡± He happily said that whilst buying two overpriced baked potatoes from one of the vendors nearby. He tossed one of them at me whilst taking one huge bite off his own. ¡°Ahh! Hot, hot, hot!¡± And then immediately regretting what he¡¯d done. I really can¡¯t tell what was on this man¡¯s mind. It¡¯s like he wants to play hide-and-seek, but the moment the game starts, he¡¯ll change it into a game of tag. Confusing. ¡°Oh, look at the time¡± He said that as he looked at his wristwatch. ¡°Come on, the show¡¯s about to start¡± He didn¡¯t even finish the food that he was eating, and just tossed it to the side. A few hungry people fought over it, even though it was covered in dirt now. What a waste. ¡°So, I said we¡¯d blow it up at ten minutes past ten, but they still aren¡¯t evacuating the premise. What are they? Stupid?¡± Did he? If he did, then maybe I can¡¯t see it from here because it wasn¡¯t a part of his colorful note that he wrote in front. ¡°Ah, no, they¡¯re already out¡± I replied. ¡°They just stationed the guards there to make a display that they have full control of the situation¡± ¡°Huh, I see¡­ so, even though this place is shit, they still want to make sure the people know that they have the problem under their thumb¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I shrug at his words. ¡°The power struggle here is damn annoying, especially when it comes to running the city. If the people of Sunnydale think that they aren¡¯t doing anything to an opposing threat, then that means that they¡¯ve gone weak¡± ¡°Ah, I see now¡± He said that as if he was enlightened of the current affairs. ¡°When the alpha wolf shows weakness, another rising alpha would take it¡¯s place by force¡± ¡°Basically, that¡¯s it. But, I¡¯m not too sure who the alpha of this city currently is¡± ¡°Huh? I thought the council rules th-¡± ¡°No-no, the council is just the face, or maybe they''re the limbs of the one that¡¯s lurking in their shadow. That¡¯s from what I¡¯ve seen and heard, though¡± I replied. ¡°There¡¯s a real and more OP final boss after the final boss?¡± But, before I answered him, I made sure to look around and check if anybody was close by. It was a good thing that it was pouring right now, making it even harder for others to over hear our conversation. ¡°I think so¡± I nod my head. ¡°This place has been sketchy from the start, too, and maybe it¡¯s made this way¡± ¡°Sketchy, as in?¡± He curiously asked. ¡°Do tell on now, I¡¯m just a mindless tourist around these parts that doesn¡¯t know a thing¡± ¡°I mean, this whole fucking place, Sunnydale, why does it even exist in the first place?¡± He contemplated over my question for a few seconds before giving out his answer. ¡°Because people tend to naturally get drawn into a place where civilization is, even though it¡¯s a garbage dump?¡± ¡°True, but there¡¯s the criminal cities down to the south-west, where their living quarters and situation is ten times better than what we currently have here. So, why won¡¯t they allow us to go in there when they allow criminals and convicts to live in a paradise like that? I mean, most of us here are probably considered felons already¡± ¡°Why¡­ well, maybe they''ve reached the population cap that they have there already¡± ¡°No, last time I heard, those places were still accepting people from everywhere. And that news was only a month old¡± ¡°Then¡­ I don¡¯t know¡± My King just gave up and waited for me to continue on speaking. ¡°As I said before, I¡¯m not too sure¡­ yet¡± I shrugged once again. I was hoping not to find out, though. ¡°Sounds exciting¡± He looked expectantly in front at where the city hall was. Discovering someone else¡¯s secret is a sure way to get yourself killed, and I¡¯m not too keen on losing my life just to sate my curiosity. 1.16 ¡°Any signs of suspicious activity?¡± ¡°No¡­ not yet, at least¡± ¡°Good, but I want you to take s--!¡± The ground beneath their feet began to shake, and a loud, ear piercing blast that sent rocks and debris to fly everywhere hit most of the men standing guard near the city hall. They screamed in horror and pain, even though they were wearing plated armor. The impact of being tossed into the air and being hit by small fragments of debris in the gaps of their armor caused most of them to lose consciousness. And to those who were still awake and conscious, they wished that they weren¡¯t. The whole city hall¡¯s structure began to wane, and it¡¯s foundation was nowhere as stable as it was before. After a few seconds, one part of the building fell down crumbling into the Earth, and then a domino effect soon followed. The castle has toppled. People broke out into wild panic, but not over the ruse that was the explosion and collapse of an important central building. No. It was due to the chaos that they rushed to the stalls and into the stores, and took everything that they could possibly carry along with them by force. They weren¡¯t free to do as they pleased, though, because the owners fended them off with a whack from a baseball bat or from a few rounds of their M1911. ¡°This people really are the very definition of the word ¡®opportunists¡¯, are they not?¡± My King commented, and I just nodded along with his words. ¡°Costs of living are way too high given the small opportunities to make cash, couple that with the scarce supplies, rotten environment and people, shit compensation, and voila¡± I pointed my thumb at my back where the raiding was happening, and then looked to my King at my front.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°So, this came as no surprise¡± ¡°Still, it astounds me what this place has done to its people to make them behave this way¡­ and I quite like it¡± Putting my King¡¯s poor taste in how people behave, it wasn¡¯t always like this. Or well, it wasn¡¯t this bad in the very beginning. From the story that got passed on to me by a kind auntie here. I know, it sounds unbelievable, right? But, there are those that really are just unfortunate enough to land themselves in this dark abyss, or were already inhabitants of Sunnydale to begin with. But, moving on from that, before the whole Ranking Wars started, this place was just a normal and plain old city that you¡¯d find just about anywhere else. Only when the world changed that this place took a drastic turn for the worse. First, it was just the economical breakdown from the panic and terror of trying to survive the onslaught of the system, then came human trafficking and drug dens from the deprived wanderers that came afterwards, and after that, the more heinous crimes like human organ harvesting soon followed within a couple of months. All in all, it didn¡¯t change that much from before, I guess. ¡°Oh! The achievement window¡¯s been updated¡± Wise informed me of our progress. ¡°We¡¯ve got the points now, but it seems the system wants to give us an additional task¡± ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°Hunt down one of the city council¡¯s members. Dead or ali-¡­ crucified? What?¡± ¡°Did it specify who?¡± He squinted his eyes and took a better look at something that I couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of, no¡± Well, that makes things more dangerous for us¡­ and more interesting as well. ¡°I¡¯ve got someone in mind, then¡­¡± Payback¡¯s a scornful bitch that screams insults at you whenever you¡¯re tired or weak. ¡°Uhp! Before we do anything else, I¡¯ll let you enjoy spending your points first. We need to celebrate for this glorious occasion, of course¡± But, she¡¯s my bitch now and I¡¯m going to love her silly. 1.17 The chaos that we caused was slowly dying down as of right now, but remnants of the destruction of the city hall was still fresh in the minds of everyone else inside the city. Although, everything that was going on outside doesn¡¯t matter because what''s going to happen in here is paramount for my future. ¡°Do you have any knowledge of how this works?¡± Wise asked while he sat on his own bed. ¡°To an extent¡± ¡°Good" He nodded."Go ahead and I¡¯ll just wait here until you¡¯re finished, then¡± He¡¯s not going to make me play a specific role? Not even a slight suggestion of what I should take? ¡°Okay, then¡± I took a deep breath and put my right hand in front of me. The scorch mark on my palm began to radiate heat. It sent an excruciating wave of agony to course through my whole arm all the way to my head. I grit my teeth and waited until a transparent window with a white outline appeared in front of me. It had writing on it in big, black, bold letters that was easy to read, and what it said was; Customization-class: Pawn Tier: I Rank: Unavailable Conceptualization points: 5000 Attribute Well, for blowing up a huge ass building that the city considers as its centerpiece was only worth a measly five thousand points, then I really need to do something more amazing or stupid if I want to catch up to everyone else real quick.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I put my attention to the word Attribute and then all the words disappeared, and were now replaced by new ones like, Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Endurance, Vitality and other role-playing game like elements. Then, there were the more uncommon ones like Physique, Charm, Likability, Perception, Emotional Control, Luck, and so on and so forth. There were a myriad of options to choose from, but it came with a problem. I studied over what was written on the window, but it was hard to do so because no explanation was given as to what they would do. Half of them were easy to understand, though the others, I just had to guess from the words and make do with my meager knowledge of it¡¯s meaning. ¡°Want to know a useful tip?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Try focusing your points into what synergizes with one another. Or, if that isn¡¯t your cup of tea, then go the all-rounder path and simply put one in everything¡­ or just dump them all in one attribute like I did¡± Like he did? That¡¯s outright foolish if you ask me. But¡­ ¡°Synergy, huh¡­¡± What he said did make some sense, but what do I need right now, though? I definitely don¡¯t want to do something so reckless as to distribute all my points into everything, or to go full ham on one thing only. I mean, I just have enough points to upgrade a few of them. ¡°I guess this works for now¡± I said that as I put my points into Agility, Dexterity, and Perception. And when I did that, those three appeared in my default window below Attribute with a tier ¡®I'' to it¡¯s side. I was more into surviving rather than fighting something head on with brute force, anyway, and Perception sounded like it was an attribute that makes me more aware of my surroundings. Survival is the go-to strategy early on for a newly appointed individual like me. ¡°Finished?¡± Pure strength doesn''t necessarily equate to seeing the morning sun of the following day, but of course it increases your chances to. Like there are millions of celestial bodies in the sky, there are also an unfathomable amount of ways to survive in this world. ¡°Yeah¡± I said, satisfied with what I currently have. Although, I don¡¯t feel like anything has changed at all. I still feel like I¡¯m worthless on the inside, and frail on the outside. Perfect. ¡°Good, now, tell me the name of the man we¡¯re going to play with¡± He said that with a large grin on his face. 1.18 ¡°His name is Percival Brunhim, t-¡± Before I could continue on, Wise interrupted me. ¡°Before you go on, may I ask your reason as to why you''re so insistent that we have him as our target?¡± I have a lot of reasons for that rotten piece of shit to specifically be our target. From the human trafficking, kidnaping, rape rooms, and organ selling that he does from time to time, there¡¯s a whole lot of despicable things that he¡¯s done. But, there¡¯s one real reason that I chose him. ¡°He just needs to die¡± Wise¡¯s ears perk up when he heard my straightforward answer. ¡°Oh? Do I sense some sort of personal grudge here? Hmm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really a personal grudge per se, but¡­ it¡¯s something I want to do¡± ¡°Sounds intriguing¡± He said with a glint of interest in his eyes. ¡°I sense a back story about to happen, too, but will you tell me about it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no backstory, neither is there some sob tale from the past. It just is¡± ¡°I see, I see¡­ so, it¡¯s about a flame of yours back then?¡± How the hell did he come to a conclusion about the reason being a woman? But¡­ yeah, it¡¯s about a woman. ¡°As I told you before, th-!¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Ahhh! I¡¯m soooooo curious, tell me now!¡± He suddenly jumps up and down on his bed and after that, he dives down on it and waved his arms and legs in an unexpectedly childish manner. ¡°Whoa! Stop that, it¡¯s down right embarrassing¡­ for you, I mean¡± If you could just imagine a grown man with a height of six-foot or something throwing a tantrum like a kid, I¡¯d be surprised if you don¡¯t record it using your cellphone and posting it on the internet. ¡°Ah!¡± He coughed once when he realized what he was doing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, I just got a little bit¡­ well, gossip was the only past time I had back then, so, you know¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­ okay?¡± Gossip was the only form of entertainment that he had? That¡¯s a miserable childhood to some degree. ¡°So, uhmm¡­ carry on¡± He suddenly changes his expression to a much more serious one, as if he was about to converse with the President or Prime Minister. ¡°Uh¡­ so, yeah, his name''s Percival Brunhim, the local doctor around this area that deals in some seriously terrible business practices. He¡¯s also locally known as the ¡®Taxidermist¡¯¡± He tilts his head a bit to the side and asked me a question that I was already aware he was going to ask. ¡°Why a taxidermist, specifically?¡± ¡°One of his shady dealings is in organ selling, so when he gets the necessary body parts that he needs from his drugged victims, he skins them alive, stuffs it, and then mounts it in his office¡± He¡¯s a very sick man that finds enjoyment and fulfilment in skinning someone alive and then making them look at his prized work when he wakes them up. I know all of that because I saw it with my very own eyes. And another thing, stealing from the wrong neighborhood would likely get you killed, is my advice to anyone trying to make a living off of it. ¡°Ah, what a distasteful hobby¡­ so, when are we going to see this lovely chap?¡± He asked that as if he was asking me when¡¯s his next dentist appointment with him this week. Didn¡¯t he hear what I just said? The man¡¯s a psychopath who skins people. Although, it''s quite easy to find the man in question. ¡°How about now?¡± Because, his office is just next door. 1.19 ¡°My good man, I came here for an appointment with Dr. Percival¡± Wise comes to the counter and has a conversation with the secretary there. ¡°First timers here?¡± Said the secretary, but he doesn¡¯t give off that kind of vibe. He was more of like a bouncer than a dainty female with a tight blouse and skirt that emphasizes the chest and rear. ¡°Why, yes, I am¡± ¡°And what¡¯s your business coming today?¡± ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve somehow caught a cold with a bad cough¡± He coughed a few times, which was very convincing if you ask me¡­ if that was a na?ve child listening to him, that is. ¡°And I¡¯d like to get it checked if it¡¯s anything fatal or the sort¡± The man scratched his chin and looked at Wise suspiciously, but once he took out a gold nugget and slid it over the counter, the man¡¯s suspicions quickly vanished along with the nugget from sight. Where the fuck did he pull that out from? I thought he said that he¡¯s damn broke yesterday from buying the remote explosives. ¡°Hold on a minute, I¡¯ll go check if he¡¯s available for a checkup¡± ¡°Ah, please do¡± He smiled candidly whilst saying that. The man gets up from behind the desk and went in towards the hall in the right. And oh boy, was he a huge behemoth. The damn secretary was a fucking monster in nurse¡¯s clothing. ¡°I have a plan¡± Wise suddenly said that when the secretary was out of sight. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Then why bother telling me, then! And also, that sounded ominous. Oh, not for him or the people here, but for me. It¡¯s just a feeling, though, you know, a gut feeling. The door opens up, and the black hulk comes out. ¡°Right this way¡± He said. The interior of the room looked normal, save for the fact that there were anatomical figures of humans spread all around, and some of them had some skin that made you think it was real and not made out of plastic. It¡¯s because they were. ¡°What ails you?¡± An Adonis like man in his early thirties greeted us both. He wore a white lab coat over his Hawaiian shirt, with a stethoscope dangling around his muscular neck that made you automatically realize what his profession was. A murderer. His face was the punchable type with that stupid smile plastered across that flawless structure. Men would weep at this unfairness, but I, I¡¯d be glad to get one hit in. Or maybe, a couple¡­ or five, just to make sure that he couldn''t smile ever again without an ounce of shame oozing out of every fiber of his being. ¡°I seem to have caught a cold¡± Wise coughed a few times again. ¡°And I¡¯m afraid if it¡¯s anything serious¡± ¡°Please sit down for a moment¡± He gestured to the chair next to him. He then pulled onto his stethoscope, put the eartips comfortably onto his ear, and placed the diaphragm on Wise¡¯s chest. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He listened to something while moving the diaphragm from his chest to his back. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything abnormal with your lungs¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± Wise looked dubious at the man¡¯s assessment. ¡°Of course, sir. I¡¯ve been doing this for a decade now¡± He assured him. ¡°Your coughing might be due to the cold weather outside, and may I ask if you''ve been drenched by the sudden downpour?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes, I have¡± Wise nodded as if he just realized it. ¡°I¡¯d suggest you to take in some vitamin C to increase your immune system, and also to wear warm clothing when you get back home. Careful not to get drenched in the rain again, though¡± ¡°Ah, I see, I see. Thank you¡± He said, visibly looking relieved at the man''s words. Wise then takes out another gold nugget and places it on his desk. I''m seriously curious as to where he got those. Even today, gold was still a rare commodity that you don''t come by too often, especially the unrefined nugget ones. ¡°I¡¯ll come again if my coughing get¡¯s worse¡± ¡°Please do. I don''t want any of my patients to suffer because of a lack of proper care¡± And there he goes smiling again. After we vacated the room and the building, Wise stopped and looked up at Percival¡¯s office. ¡°Change of plans, we need to prepare¡± ¡°Why?¡± Even though I didn¡¯t know what his initial plan was to begin with. ¡°That man¡¯s dangerous¡­ too dangerous¡± Huh, tell me something I don¡¯t know. 1.20 ¡°I felt it when I looked at his eyes¡± ¡°What?¡± It sounded like a romantic theme if there was no context. Well, almost everything¡¯s an awkward conversation when there was no context included or if you don¡¯t know the whole story. ¡°A bishop that branched into Individuality, just like Jois¡­ a Maverick¡± He muttered. After suddenly falling silent for a minute, he looked at me. ¡°Change of plans again, I don¡¯t think we need to prepare¡± ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t we need to at leas-¡° I got cut off by Wise while shaking his head from side to side. ¡°No, because I think it¡¯s for the better if we gave up on this one¡± ¡°¡­ can I ask the reason why?¡± Of course, I wanted to kill the man and make him suffer for everything that he did, but there must be a reason why Wise came to that decision, and I¡¯d like to find out why the man¡¯s considered to be too dangerous. ¡°You may not realize it yet, but a Maverick isn¡¯t someone that we should mess around with, especially when there''s only the two of us and while that secretary of his is around. I mean, look at the man, that thing right there is built for a bloody war, and then some¡± If he says so, then I guess it¡¯s just what it is. Enemy too strong, need to kill slimes and level up first, although that sounds easier than what it entails. Slimes are dangerous creatures that you should not take lightly, lest you¡¯d be digested in a few seconds of carelessness. Awhh! Those things are so cute! Let me pet them. And then bam! Your left hand¡¯s gone with the wind, or more than likely became digestive fluid for new slimes to be born from instead. There is nothing cute about those horrible jiggling fuckers. Not one bit.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Also, slaying creatures like that doesn¡¯t necessarily rack up a ton of points if you don¡¯t kill a whole lot of them, or if they aren¡¯t classified as a distinctive entity. And if you do meet a distinct by chance in the wild, you need to pray that it isn¡¯t interested in eating you, because if it is, you may not have a chance to address your solemn request to God at all. ¡°Do you have anyone else in mind to be our target?¡± I didn¡¯t need any time to think it over because there was the next man up on my list, and he¡¯s a bit special. ¡°Fred Lovely¡± I said. ¡°Do we get a backstory for the man, too?¡± He asked with a slight childish intrigue. ¡°You know, he¡¯s the local deprived pervert who isn¡¯t much fond of staying inside his closet¡± A closet pervert wouldn¡¯t do the man any justice, but the correct description for him would be a pig that had too much power in his meaty pettitoes. If pigs could fly, then surely Fred could do it too with how much diamorphine he¡¯s taken in. The man was basically a walking drug den in this city. ¡°Any hidden personnel or surprises that I should be forewarned of?¡± ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of, no¡± I replied. ¡°He lives at the top floor of what I consider a pigsty of a hotel, and he isn¡¯t much fond of coming out either. So, his secretary and most of his bodyguards do the work for him during council meetings and day-to-day living¡± ¡°Seems like the man needs exercise and some good old vitamin D, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Good luck with that¡± I shrugged. ¡°The man weighs nine hundred pounds, not including his custom fitted clothes¡± He was too heavy that some of the women that he slept with suffocated underneath that dense mass of fat and cholesterol. And most of them were willing, of course. Not really the best way to off yourself in this shitty world, if you ask me. ¡°Say, I have a brilliant idea¡± Wise started laughing maniacally in the middle of the street. ¡°And I think you¡¯d like it, too¡± Like with Percival, I didn¡¯t fancy Fred Lovely one bit. And he was the second one I chose because of my grudge (Yes, I now understand that it¡¯s somewhat personal). Now, let¡¯s see how much I¡¯d like Wise¡¯s plan for this one. ¡°Before that, we should first have dinner¡± Of course, food comes first before revenge in the grand scheme of things. Can¡¯t think properly with only sentiments of hatred, do you now? And also, life becomes considerably better with good food. I can¡¯t emphasize that enough. ¡°Crumbs are good and all, but a burger tastes better¡± ¡°Did you say something, Hienrich?¡± ¡­ ¡°Nothing, just murmuring to myself again¡± RIP I''m going straight to the point here, I might stop. Not because I lost motivation once more, but my phone that I use to write this story in vanished. In a more sensible wording, it was stolen . First was my laptop that broke, then came this. I think this is a sign for me to stop and focus on my studies first. I''m really, really sorry everyone. ?? If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. This is the last post I''ll do since I don''t fancy going to some computer shop or net cafes to waste time and money on. And my limited time to write isn''t enough to get by. Until then, this is goodbye.