《No Respawn》 ARC 1: Chapter 1: God must be crazy ARC 1: Chapter 1: God must be crazy I woke up from my bed and looked at the alarm clock. It was already 6:30 a.m. It seems like I had woken up a little early as I had set the alarm for 7. "Argghhh¡­ I can¡¯t believe summer is over." I said to myself as I rubbed my forehead. It was very tempting to sleep again and wait for the alarm clock, but for some reason I felt energetic this morning. I got up from bed and went to the bathroom. After I relieved myself I flushed the toilet and for some reason I was curious about how I look. It¡¯s not like I have insecurities about my looks. It¡¯s just that I haven''t looked in a mirror in a couple of days or so. Brown eyes, oily cheeks, and a round shaped face that keeps saying: Nobody messes with the Bear. Nothing has changed except my beard, it¡¯s getting thicker again and becoming closer to a full beard. My black hair was short, I had it cut last week, but my beard grows fast that it¡¯s too irritating to shave it again and again. I¡¯m only twenty years old, but with my current appearance I look like a man in his thirties. Most people I met thought I was already married with kids of my own. I grabbed a razor and shaving cream, but I put them down. I decided to keep the beard. Why? I¡¯m too lazy to shave, PLUS I look like an overgrown baby with oily face whenever I shave and it helps me to hide the double chin. I took off my pyjamas and my underwear and threw them into my laundry basket. I once again looked at the bathroom mirror and god, I was hideous. I have a large tummy with stretch marks and man boobs to top it off. I think there¡¯s hair growing on my nipples. Alright goddamn it, I admit it, I''ve got a lot of insecurities. If I was a model, I¡¯d probably be the top model of a fast food chain. Do I hate myself? Sometimes, but most of the times I justify to myself that it¡¯s better to eat what you can before you die. If you get sick, then you can¡¯t eat and you die. So the list of advantages of being fat goes on. After I took a shower, I went downstairs to cook some breakfast. I cooked cheese omelette, sausages and garlic fried rice. It¡¯s my perfect breakfast. Oh shit, I forgot to wake up my sister. I went upstairs to wake her up. It would be wasted effort if my omelette gets cold. *Knock* *Knock* "Jen, wake up!" I called, but she wasn¡¯t answering. "Jen!" I knocked again but still no answer. I waited for a few seconds and opened the door. She was still sleeping¡­. I shook her up in order to wake her but she kept on groaning. It¡¯s really hard to wake her up. Fortunately, I have the solution. I pulled her bed sheet and she groaned again, but this time with a tone of irritation. "Jen! Wake up¡­" I shook her again. "Uhm hum¡­" She got up from bed and sat. Her long black hair was a bit of a mess and her brown eyes were half opened. I got to say, she¡¯s an attractive woman; Ample breast, fair and flawless skin and slender body and ¡®Ooohh!¡¯ nice legs. She¡¯s wearing a sleeveless tops and shorts. I know what you¡¯re thinking. It¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m not a sicko. I was just trying to see her in a different perspective where a compliment would not be biased and she¡¯s only 16. "What¡¯s for breakfast?" Jen asked. "My favorite¡­" I smirked. We stared at each other for a while and she frowned. I was supposed to say that it was her favorite but I¡¯d be lying. She knew that cheese omelettes were my favorite but unfortunately, she¡¯s allergic to eggs and lactose intolerant. "Don¡¯t worry¡­ I also cooked some sausages." Her frowned face instantly turned into a smile. She loves sausages. We went downstairs and ate our breakfast. "Where¡¯s mom?" Jen asked, as she hogged all the sausages to her plate. Damn! "She¡¯s still in the office. She called me last night and said something came up and couldn¡¯t come home." "Is it because of the monsters?" She asked. "Monsters?" What was she talking about? "Yeah, have you watched the news? They¡¯ve been talking about monster sightings¡­" Right, monsters. The News these days are full of bullshit and fairy tales, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t watch the news. My mother worked as an agent for the National Bureau of Investigation or NBI for short. She¡¯s a cop and I doubt that what happened last night in their office has something to do with the bullshit on the news. I finished my breakfast and put my plate on the sink. "You done?" "Yup¡­ Got to go¡­" I looked at my watch and it¡¯s already 8:00 a.m. My first class starts at 9. Jen stared at me with a frown as if expecting something from me. What is it? Oh¡­ right. "Here you go¡­" I gave her 200 pesos from my wallet. It¡¯s her lunch money. Mom set me up a bank account so she could just transfer money into it since she¡¯s busy most of the time. As soon as Jen got the money, she stood up and kissed me on my cheek. "Thanks!" Awww¡­ She¡¯s sweet. I bet all of the boys would fight each other to death for that kiss. Hah¡­ If only she wasn¡¯t my sister I¡¯d probably ask her to be my girlfriend. In fact, she¡¯s one of the few girls who were willing to talk to me. Not that I¡¯m complaining, but whenever a girl sees me they look afraid, like I was going to eat them whole or something. It has something to do with my looks you see. If some girls have a resting bitch face, then I have what you call a resting ¡®serial axe murderer¡¯ face with a beard. As much as I hate my looks they''ve actually saved me from lots of potential trouble. I was never bullied and no one messed with me. I¡¯ll just look at them with my natural ¡®murderer¡¯ face and they¡¯ll back off. Of course, it doesn¡¯t work every time and I¡¯ve been in a fight in high school. Someone actually had the guts to try and pick on me. Fortunately, Mom taught me to fight. She¡¯s an expert on Arnis. With her lessons I was able to defend myself from those jackasses. I was suspended for a week after the incident, but after that bullies avoided me, including my class mates. I was treated like some kind of a freak and my usual silent behavior didn¡¯t help much. "Are you okay?" Jen said and I realized that I was spaced out for a while. "Yeah¡­ just having a flashback." I¡¯m a fucking idiot. She laughed and went back to the table to eat her breakfast. Anyway, I rode a bus and it took me thirty minutes to reach my destination. When I got off the bus, I saw the busy streets packed with street vendors selling school supplies near the campus. Since it was the first day of school, the business was lucrative. Many students were doing last minute shopping buying overpriced school supplies. I entered the campus and went straight to my first class. It was my second year in college and my first class was History. I hate history, but I didn¡¯t have a choice since it was in the curriculum and I was required to take the class. I entered the room and some of the students looked at me. It was a mixture of disgust and fear. I really wanted to say: ¡®I¡¯m going to kill you now¡­¡¯ to add fuel to the fire but I¡¯m used to the looks on their faces so it never bothered me at all. I took a seat quietly and they moved on to their business. "Miguel!" A familiar voice called my name. I turned around to see who it was. "Eric!" It was my friend Eric. Eric Reyes, the pretty boy. "Long time no see!" "Yeah, so how are you?" "Fine, I guess¡­ How about you?" "Well, you¡¯re not going to believe this¡­" Eric leaned to me and whispered. "I saw one of those monsters!" "Oh¡­" I said with a tone of disbelief. He was right though. I''m not buying it. "It¡¯s true!" He said and took a seat. "The other night, I was watching a movie with Claire and Dianne when it happened. We all saw an ogre. It was standing near the screen and it roared! It was loud and we were so scared." "An ogre? Like Shrek?" "Not like Shrek! You know, giant with yellowish skin." "Oh¡­" I was becoming more and more uninterested with his story. "But that''s not all¡­ It disappeared right before our eyes." Eric was making hand gestures as the story went on. It was unbelievable of course. I really wished that they were just hallucinating, but it was weird that they all saw it. Basically, the story went like this: They saw an ogre, they exit the theatre and he hugged his panicking harem to calm them down. *Sigh* I was envious of the last part though. "You don¡¯t believe me?" Eric asked. "Well¡­" Before I could answer, a beautiful girl sat beside Eric and joined the conversation. "It¡¯s the truth." The girl said. "I saw it with my own eyes and if it wasn¡¯t for Eric, I would¡¯ve panicked." "I see¡­" I replied. Fucks given: None. It was the first member of Eric¡¯s harem: Claire Roque. She¡¯s a pretty girl, probably prettier than my sister. She has a wavy long jet black hair and flawless fair skin. Any look she made with her eyes would make any boy submit to her command. She has an air of superiority and her body posture produced the said air. Her voluptuous body was comparable to a models. She liked wearing shorts when going out to show off her beautiful legs, but unfortunately this university had a dress code. I¡¯m a sucker for legs. I love legs. Claire told me her version of the story. It didn¡¯t sound like she¡¯s trying to convince me, it sounded more like she¡¯s annoyed that I didn¡¯t believe in her precious Eric¡¯s story. Another girl sat beside Eric on his left side and joined the conversation.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Your mother was there. She asked us a lot of questions about the incident you know¡­" The girl said and told us her version of the story. It was long, boring and incredibly detailed and it made me drift off to ¡®day dreamland¡¯. The girl¡¯s name is Dianne Duria. It seems that these girls took the same classes as Eric¡¯s so they can be with him. She¡¯s a petite girl. I estimated that her height was about 160 cm more or less. She has a short black hair. Although her breasts weren¡¯t as impressive as Claire¡¯s, they were at least proportional to her slender but petite body. She¡¯s very cute and to describe her overall appearance and attitude one word comes to mind: Innocence. You see, Dianne was my childhood friend. We knew each other since we were 6. Her mother was the bookkeeper for my Dad¡¯s old printing business. We played a lot when we were kids. We went to the same school from elementary to high school. We spent a lot of time together and became good friends. I eventually fell in love with her, but unfortunately she didn¡¯t feel the same way. I confessed, but she told me that I would always be her friend. It hurts to be rejected, but I accepted it in the end. It took some time to go back to where our relationship used to be, but we recovered. I was hopeful that she would develop the same feelings for me but the last sliver of hope was shattered when Eric transferred to our class when we were in our third year of high school. We had a seating arrangement and Eric¡¯s seat was beside me. I learned that we share the same hobbies: Video games, Animes, Light Novels, and Manga. We became friends and we spent a lot of time playing MMOs. Of course I still hang out with Dianne, but she became more distant to me. Especially once she and Eric also became friends. Later on Dianne told me that she liked Eric. She wanted to confess her feelings to him and asked ME for an advice since I¡¯m his best friend. She didn¡¯t give a thought to what I feel. Her ¡®innocence¡¯ made her insensitive and made her skull so thick. I don¡¯t know if she really confessed. It was only when we were in senior high that I moved on. I can truly say that I don¡¯t have the same feelings for her anymore. As Dianne¡¯s storytelling ended, I snapped back to reality when I heard Claire speak. "That pretty cop is Miguel¡¯s mom?" Claire asked with looks of disbelief. "No offence¡­" "None taken¡­" I said in defeat. Yeah, I had that doubt too. Maybe I was adopted. I don¡¯t have any resemblance with my family but I didn¡¯t care. I love them and there are things that I don¡¯t need to know. The class finally started and the professor skipped the introductions and started writing on the board and went on with his lessons. Although I hate the subject, I was consistently on the dean¡¯s list and I have a reputation to maintain. The reputation that I¡¯m smart that is. Time flew fast and the class ended. I went to my next class biology only to find that Eric and his harem had the same class as me. It was only then I learned that we had the same schedule every Monday and Wednesday. It¡¯s irritating, especially seeing those girls trying to win Eric¡¯s attention. Eric on the other hand, was using me as an excuse to escape the clutches of Claire and Dianne. I think that¡¯s the reason for their cold attitude to me. Were they envious that Eric was more attentive to me? Ho ho ho¡­ Does that mean I¡¯m a member of Eric¡¯s harem now? The idea made me cringe. As we walked along the corridor, Eric walked beside me. "So¡­ I thought you would come to the movie with us. I got us the tickets." Eric said. "Hmm? I didn¡¯t know. If I knew you¡¯d watch Legendary Moonlight Sculptor I¡¯d definitely come." I said to him. It was the movie that Eric and I waited for so long. Both of us read the novel and the manga so when we heard a year ago that there¡¯s going to be a movie adaptation, we were so excited. "My phone''s broken so I told Dianne to invite you and give you the ticket." "Really?" We both turned our heads and glared at Dianne and she laughed wryly as she scratched her head. Stupid bitch! One of these days, she¡¯s really going to get it from me. "Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m sure Dianne has her reasons." I was starting to get furious but I held it back. I missed my long awaited movie. What the fuck is her problem with me? "Yeah¡­" Eric glared at the Dianne as if scolding her. She lowered her head in silence. Claire looked at me and her facial expression was telling me ¡®No regrets¡¯ with her eyes looking down on me. I wish there¡¯s a facial expression for ¡®fuck you¡¯ I¡¯d be glad to show Claire and Dianne a ¡®fuck you face¡¯ every day. I was getting tired of being seen as a hindrance. I wished Eric would just leave me alone so I would never see those bitches faces showing annoyance again. I couldn¡¯t blame Eric. He¡¯s a handsome guy. He looked like Ben Barnes. Standing at 175 cm with a well-toned and athletic body, any girls would see him as the Knight in Shining Armor. Even though he¡¯s a gamer like me, he¡¯s physical fit. He goes to gym once a week and he also likes to play tennis. I don¡¯t know why these girls cling to him so much. I mean, were there really girls willing to share a guy? If so then Eric is a lucky bastard. I asked him once who he liked. He told me that he was still undecided. I could only sigh at his indecisiveness. Even with his indecisiveness, he¡¯s a good guy. I enjoyed hanging out with him and I was never bored. As the class started, I sat down and Dianne sat beside me. Eric, as usual was seated between Claire and Dianne. "I¡¯m sorry¡­" Dianne whispered to me. I looked at her without turning my head and nodded. I didn¡¯t say anything. I pretended to listen to what the professor was saying but I could see in my peripheral vision that she was still staring at me. She grabbed something from her bag. "Here¡­" Dianne whispered as she handed me a ticket. It was a movie ticket for Legendary Moonlight Sculptor. She was giving me an expired movie ticket. I¡¯m done being insulted. As soon as I tore the ticket in half Dianne''s eyes began to water. She wiped her eyes and Eric and Claire saw it, but I didn¡¯t care. Claire¡¯s stare was disturbing though. I showed them my best pissed off face and whispered. "It¡¯s useless. It¡¯s already expired." Claire gave me ¡®hmphh¡¯ while Eric nodded. Dianne¡¯s face turned sour and didn¡¯t say another word as she looked at the ticket. She could¡¯ve invited me. If she wanted some time alone with Eric and Claire, it was fine as I always try not to disturb their harem moments. I always sit far away from them every time we watch movies. Eric knew that I would¡¯ve wanted to focus on the movie so he¡¯d understand. The class ended and it was time for lunch. I planned to eat lunch alone because I really wanted to murder someone, but Eric insisted that we eat together. He¡¯s treating me for lunch saying that he owed me a lot for helping him with his research paper last year, but I think it¡¯s just a poor attempt to console me. Even with a poor attempt, I ended up accepting his offer. Free food is free. We went outside the campus and Eric said he discovered a place with good food. We entered a small restaurant and we were the only customers. We were eating our lunch in silence. I was sitting alone on Eric¡¯s opposite side of the table. Claire took the seat beside Eric while Dianne sat beside Claire. It¡¯s unusual. Usually, she sits next to Eric. Perhaps Dianne was trying to coax Claire to take her side. Claire¡¯s sharp eyes were glaring at me like a dagger. A fool! Two can play at this game. I also gave her my most terrifying glare. It only took five seconds for her to give up. She looked defeated as she looked down eating her meal. I turned my glare to Dianne and as soon as our eyes met, she also looked down. Her eyes were starting to get wet again so I decided broke off my ¡®death glare¡¯. We went on eating without saying a word when suddenly, the ground shook. It was a strong earthquake probably the strongest one I¡¯ve ever felt. I quickly got down went under the table. Seeing what I did, Eric and the girls did the same. "Oh god!" Dianne cried as she held Claire¡¯s arms tightly. The tears she was trying to hold back earlier gushed like a water fall. "I don¡¯t wanna die!" Claire finally succumbed to fear and cried. "Shit. Shit. Oh shit¡­ What do we do?" Eric was starting to panic. I didn¡¯t know why I was calm at that time. In my mind, I was thinking of what to do in case the roof collapse and we¡¯re trapped. "Calm down." I said in a firm but reassuring voice. "No one¡¯s going to die. Just stay down and cover your head." They all nodded in agreement as they looked at me. I scanned the area and I saw on the windows that a building had collapsed to the ground and the sign ¡®Jollibee¡¯ went down along with it. Seriously, when you see something like that you¡¯ll definitely freak out, but I resolved to keep a calm mind. If I panic my friends will surely follow. The earthquake lasted for about a minute. It took longer than I expected. Eric and the girls started to get up but I stopped them and told them to stay down in case of an aftershock. They eagerly complied and we waited for a few minutes under the table. As soon as the lights went out, I heard a sound. It was a Ding sound. After the sound, a blue screen popped and floated in front of me. *DING!*
Notification Message Test. This is a test.
I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn¡¯t dreaming or hallucinating, but when I opened my eyes again, there it was again. A blue screen floating in the air. After a few seconds, a series of blue screens popped up one after another.
Merging of Universe 45872-CLSFTASDX-6520352604694 and Universe 26550-HSDPGDIFO-5263487317415¡­. 100% Complete
Renaming universe: Merged Universe-MU-1
Disable Electronic Technology: Merged Universe-MU-1¡­ 100% Complete Warning: All electronic technology such as communication devices, computers, and other electronic machines and equipment will fail. Yes Sinestra, no more vibrators for you!
Disable Advanced Weaponry Technology: Merged Universe-MU-1¡­ 100% Complete Warning: All advanced weaponry such as, but not limited to, guns, explosives and other similar propellants will fail. Just to make things more interesting.
Disable Combustion Engine Technology: Merged Universe-MU-1¡­ 100% Complete Warning: All machines using combustion engine technology such as¡­ Anything. Jet engine and all the shit except steam engines. Why? Because I love steampunk.
Disable Language Barriers: Merged Universe-MU-1¡­ 100% Complete
Open Gates to Spiritual Realm: Merged Universe-MU-1¡­ 100% Complete
Enable Magical Laws: Merged Universe-MU-1¡­ 100% Complete
Enable Runic Magic Technology: Merged Universe-MU-1¡­ 100% Complete
Enable Monster Spawn and Monster Evolution: Merged Universe-MU-1¡­ 100% Complete Warning: Monsters will spawn and evolve on a regular interval rate. You humans are so screwed!
Enable Loot System and Shop System: Merged Universe-MU-1¡­ 100% Complete
Enable Restricted System Access of all Sapient Races: Merged Universe-MU-1¡­ 100% Complete Tip: Say ¡®Open Help Menu¡¯ for more info. I will at least to give you a fighting chance.
My eyes widened in disbelief as I stare at the message on the blue screen. I hoped that this was just a terrible prank. I turned my stare to Eric and the girls. ¡°Are you seeing this?¡± I asked. Eric and the girls¡¯ mouth were opened wide and didn¡¯t say anything. They just nodded. Shit. What the hell is happening? *DING*
Hello world! This is God. I bid all of you welcome. I based this world from the current game I¡¯m playing, so I thought it would be a good idea to see how pests like mortals would survive in this kind of environment. I do hope you entertain me and enjoy it while you can. You¡¯re all totally fucked up now¡­ Good luck! P.S.: Once you die, you die. There¡¯s no respawn.
A god? A god exists? He turned this world into a game? Holy shit on a stick! Oh god, you¡¯re fucking nuts! *DING!*
Yes Miguel, I exist. I can even read your mind and every mind in this universe. I¡¯m not a fan of blasphemy and please use proper capitalization when you refer to me. It¡¯s God. Not god. I¡¯m obviously the strongest amongst the deities or spirits who claim to be gods so I deserve the title ¡®God¡¯ with a capital G.
I gulped when another message popped up. I tried my best to digest the message. It looks like God can really read my mind so it¡¯s probably for the best not to offend him. I wonder if he can also read my memories. Hey God, who¡¯s my first kiss? *DING!*
Oh Miguel, Thou shalt not test the Lord thy God¡­ I¡¯m quoting the bible here. I must say it¡¯s an interesting read. Pretty brutal for my taste but it¡¯s a good fiction. Anyway, I can access your memories. To answer your question: No one. You¡¯ve never been kissed by anyone before. Your mom and your sister did but it doesn¡¯t count. You never had a girlfriend and you¡¯ll most likely be a virgin forever. And for the last time, use proper capitalization. Refer to me as God, He, Him, His and all other pronoun. And yes, do not offend me. As of now I have already smitten a million heathens who offended me across the planet. You¡¯re probably the first worm who grew a tiny brain and decided to try not to offend me. Congratulations¡­ Ugly thoughts about me won¡¯t be punished as long asthose thoughts aren¡¯tintentionally directed towards me. After all, I¡¯m a forgiving God.
Oh¡­Kay... At least He¡¯s an active God unlike the other one. Even though I recognize that He exists but that¡¯s that. Hell, I¡¯ll be angry if someone doesn¡¯t recognize my existence. I won¡¯t worship Him since I¡¯m not a religious person plus I don¡¯t like sucking up and He probably doesn¡¯t like people who kiss His ass. *DING*
Yeah, I hate ass kissers. I don¡¯t need their praises or songs of worships. Who do they think I am? I like the way you think by the way. You¡¯re fun to talk with. We should do this a lot. As a gift¡­
For being worthy of God¡¯s attention, the SYSTEM rewarded you with the following: Reward(s): Unique Skill: Quick Learner [Passive] Lvl 1 Effect: You earn Exp and Skill Exp as twice as fast and you can learn Skills by doing random actions repeatedly.
"Hahahaha!" I couldn¡¯t help but laugh like an idiot. Eric and the girls were staring at me. "Miguel? Are you okay?" Eric asked. "I think he lost it." Claire said. "Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Ehrmm¡­" I said to them as I cleared my throat. So let¡¯s try to think about what happened. I got a unique skill. Certainly, it wouldn¡¯t be called ¡®unique¡¯ if someone other than me got it. Is it possible to learn magic by thinking it? We¡¯ll find out soon enough, but right now it would be for the best to keep this as a secret. "So what now?" Dianne asked and she looked concerned about me. Or perhaps she¡¯s concerned about herself and Eric and her eyes were on me. Whatever that means, I wasn¡¯t buying it. "What are we gonna do?" Claire asked. "I¡¯m trying to think¡­" I said. My mind at that time was blank and I have no idea what to do. Sure, it¡¯s obvious that we have to do anything to survive but how? "AHHHHHHH!!!!!" A woman screamed. "Help me!!!!" We all turned our heads to where the voice came and realized that it was from the restaurant. The woman came in running towards us. She was the waitress who served us our food. "Help me!!!" She screamed as she hid behind Eric. Really!? My senses were telling me that another harem member for Eric showed up. I should probably ignore this for now. A creature about three feet tall appeared. It has pale green skin, sharp and long nose and two small tusks on its jaw. In its right hand it''s holding a blood stained dagger. The instant it saw us, it stopped. As I observe the creature, I saw a blue screen floating on its head.
Goblin Lvl. 2
It hissed as it flashed its sharp teeth in an attempt to intimidate us. Claire and Dianne were freaking out and Eric was still in shock. I stood up and walked slowly towards the goblin. I wasn¡¯t trying to look cool and it¡¯s stupid to pretend to be a hero, but this goblin would kill all of us if we do nothing, so I volunteered to do something. To save our asses. I picked up a wooden chair and rushed towards the goblin. I hit it with the chair and the goblin flew and crashed on the wall with a thud. The impact was strong enough to break the chair into pieces. As soon as I hit, a blue number floated on its head. -25 HP -14 HP -16 HP Target Died The numbers stopped when I hit it twice and another blue text floated that said ¡®Target Died¡¯. I hit the goblin one more time on the head to make sure it was really dead. I hit it with all I got and warm blood splashed on my face. Three blue screens popped up. *DING!*
Level up!
You have gained a new skill! Bash [Active] Lvl 1 Beginner Effect: Use Fist/Blunt weapon/Shield to bash your opponents and stun them. Weapon Damage, STR and Skill Level will affect [Bash] damage. Stun effect on Target will depend on Size and Physical Damage Resistance of the Target. Current Damage [Physical]: 31 SP Cost: 15
You have gained a new skill! Blunt Weapon Mastery [Passive] Lvl 1 Beginner Effect: Increase Proficiency with Blunt Weapons by 25%. Increase Damage with Blunt Weapons by 2% every level. Current Bonus Damage [Physical]: 2%
Interesting¡­ So is this the effect of Quick Learner Skill? If so, how do you learn skills normally? As soon as I recovered, I turned to others and saw their fear as they looked on me. "Are you alright?" I asked them. I know it¡¯s a stupid question, but the fear on their faces bothers me. I was trying my best to look as concerned as possible. Of course, they didn¡¯t reply. They¡¯re still scared and shocked. Eric nodded as he calmed down. He took up a wooden leg as he approached the goblin¡¯s corpse. As soon as he saw the broken corpse he gagged and vomited on the floor. I patted his back as he threw up everything he ate. Yeah, it looked horrible, but I wonder why the corpse never bothered me. "M-Miguel!" Claire yelled as she pointed behind us.
Goblin Lvl. 2
Goblin Lvl. 2
Another two goblins appeared. Eric and I looked at each other and nodded. We knew what to do and it has to be done. We gathered our courage and readied our makeshift weapons. ¡°I¡¯ll take the one on the left, you take the right.¡± I said to him. This is going to be a long day. Indeed, a very long day. ARC 1: Chapter 2: Night at the Restaurant Author''s Note: I''m sorry for the delay. I thought I could make a 5,000 words chapter a day. I am now writing Chapter 3 which would be in Dianne''s POV... Please comment your suggestions and don''t hesitate to be a grammar nazi. I will try to improve my grammar. I actually decided to write so I can improve my grammar. Help me my readers! Thanks and enjoy a 5,000 word chapter!
Chapter 2: A Night at the Restaurant ¡°I¡¯ll take the one on the left, you take the right.¡± I said to Eric and he nodded. I rushed towards the goblin on the left and swing my club to it. I tried to aim for its head but before my club hit, the goblin dashed to the right and I missed. The swing I made left me open and the goblin took the opportunity and slashed its dagger. The dagger slashed me on my right arm as I desperately tried to block it. -12 HP The moment I took the damage, I saw a red number floating upwards and fade after a few seconds. Shit. These little bartards were pretty fast. I checked my arm and I was bleeding badly. Debuff: Bleeding -2 HP I backed up a little creating a space between me and the goblin. I got to fight smart if I wanted to survive. -2 HP The goblin rushed towards me and closed off the distance. It lunged forward with its dagger aiming for my torso. I quickly dodged to my right and its attack missed leaving him open for a counter attack. Instead of aiming for its head or torso, I swung my club aiming for its weapon arm. -2 HP I did it! The goblin dropped its dagger as soon as I hit its arm. -10 HP The goblin hissed at me as I kicked the dagger far away from him. I remembered that I learned an active skill and this was a good opportunity to try it. -2 HP I rushed towards the goblin with my club overhead. I did it as a feint. The goblin thinking that I would do the same attack, dodged to its left. It worked! I swung my club horizontally aiming for its head. ¡°BASH!¡± As I shouted the skill name, my makeshift club glowed with ominous yellow light. -31 HP Target Stunned! The goblin flew to its right and landed on its face on the ground. I continued hit its head twice but the goblin died on the first blow. -15 HP Target Died I rested for a moment to catch my breath. I turned my focus on Eric who about to finish off his goblin. He swung his club to its head and killed the goblin. The goblin¡¯s blood splashed to his face as he continued to hit the goblin. As soon as he realized that his opponent died, he stopped as he panted and he sat on the ground. I approached Eric to see if he¡¯s alright. ¡°You okay, buddy?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He looked up and nodded. He looked unscathed. The blood on his shirt wasn¡¯t his and it looks like they didn¡¯t noticed that I used my skill [Bash]. -2 HP Shit. I totally forgot. I was still bleeding. I sat on the ground and leaned on the wall. I was breathing heavily and my chest was pounding. Seeing that the fight was over, the girls rushed towards our side. ¡°Miguel! You¡¯re bleeding!¡± Claire said. ¡°Oh god! Miguel!¡± Dianne was starting to panic. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Clearly, I wasn¡¯t. I only said that so they wouldn¡¯t panic. There were probably more monsters out there and I didn¡¯t want them to grab their attention. I grabbed my handkerchief and tied the cloth around my arm to stop the bleeding. I waited for a few seconds and the red numbers stopped. I let out a deep sigh in relief. ¡°Just¡­ Let me rest for a bit¡­¡± I said to them. ¡°Lock all the doors and cover the windows and do not make a sound. The monsters are still out there. Eric, make sure there are no more of those things inside this place.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Alright¡­ Let¡¯s do it.¡± The four of them crouched but Eric stopped Dianne. ¡°Dianne, stay with Miguel. Okay?¡± Dianne nodded and she stayed. Eric, Claire and the waitress did exactly what I said. Claire locked the entrance door and barricaded it with tables while the waitress closed the curtains. Eric, on the other hand, roamed the restaurant carrying his makeshift club. It was dark since they covered the windows and the lights weren¡¯t working. The waitress took a candle from the counter and lit it. There were screams outside, monsters and victims alike. I told them to ignore it. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± Dianne asked as she held my hand. Her teary eyes looked at me filled with worries. Sweet¡­ If she did this a long time ago, I would have jumped in joy. Alas, I felt nothing. They said that the opposite of love is hate. They are wrong. Love and hate are the same. If you love someone, then you think about that person and care for them. In hate, it is the same but with a different intention. I learned that the opposite of love is apathy. I no longer care about Dianne. I was angry from earlier but I didn¡¯t really hate her. I was thinking that if it happens that she dies later on, what would I feel? I was trying hard to imagine it but in the end, nothing. I felt nothing. My world won¡¯t feel any less. What did she do to deserve my apathy? It¡¯s too painful just to remember it and no, it wasn¡¯t when she rejected me or asked me for an advice about Eric. It¡¯s another story and I wasn¡¯t in the mood to tell. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I said as I retracted my hand off her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it¡­¡± Dianne frowned and wiped off her tears. She sat beside me leaning on the wall. ¡°It¡¯s all clear.¡± Eric said to me as he crouched. ¡°We¡¯re done¡­¡± Claire said. ¡°Did you see what¡¯s happening outside?¡± I asked. ¡°It was¡­ a mess. There are a lot of monsters outside and they¡­ killed everyone.¡± Claire¡¯s voice cracked as if she¡¯s about to cry. ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°I have no idea¡­¡± I said to them. ¡°We should stay here for a while and think of a plan. I don¡¯t want to go outside and we should avoid monsters as much as possible if we are to survive.¡± ¡°I agree¡­¡± Eric said. They all nodded in agreement. ¡°Uhmm¡­ Eric¡­ Thank you for saving me¡­¡± The waitress said. ¡°I¡¯m Melissa, by the way¡­¡± Oh come on! I killed the goblin that chased you and Eric¡¯s getting the credit? I even killed two goblins and got wounded for it! I knew it. I should¡¯ve never took the hero role and let her get killed. Not that I did it for attention or anything but she should¡¯ve been grateful to me. Fuck! Melissa turned her looks to me. ¡°Thanks to you too¡­¡± Melissa said but she didn¡¯t look me in the eye. ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­¡± *Sigh* Girl, if you¡¯re pretending to be a grateful cunt, at least learn how to say thanks with sincerity. As I leaned on the wall, I observed her from a distance. Melissa was pretty but not as pretty as Claire. She looked like a woman in her mid-twenties and she was as tall as me. Her skin was light brown and it was smooth. Her straight hair was long and black. Her body was well shaped like an hour glass. Eric introduced us to Melissa. He told her our names one by one while she shook hands. When it was my turn, she shown a bit of hesitation but we still shook hands. I was envious of Eric. Goddamn it. Even after the world has ended, he could still collect girls like pok¨¦mons. It seems that my only chance of getting laid is when I find a girl broken enough to let me into her pants or if I pay a hefty sum. Either way, I don¡¯t like it and I¡¯m not that desperate. We were silent and faint screams can be heard outside and all of us were staring at the candle in front of us. My adrenaline rush from fighting goblins started to wear off and I wanted to sleep. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up when something happens.¡± I said as I looked at my watch. It¡¯s still working because it¡¯s an automatic watch. It¡¯s already 6:14 p.m. ¡°Me too¡­¡± Eric said as laid down on the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll take the watch.¡± Melissa said. I closed my eyes and felt my consciousness slowly drifting. Even after what happened, I fell asleep.
It was warm. My face felt warm. The smell was¡­ fragrant. I concentrated on the smell and it smelled like a roses. I opened my eyes and it met with Dianne¡¯s. I realized that I was sleeping with my head on her lap. I blushed. I quickly got up and pretended that it didn¡¯t happen. Why did I blush? I have no idea. ¡°Good evening¡­¡± Dianne greeted me. Her cheeks were a bit red as well. I didn¡¯t greet her back and just nodded. ¡°Anything happened?¡± Dianne shook her head. It was quiet so I peeked outside opening the curtains slightly. I saw a lot of dead bodies but there were no monsters nearby. I breathed out a deep sigh. Eric was already up. I looked at my watch and it was already 6:35 p.m. Claire, Eric, and Melissa were doing something on the corner so I approached them. Dianne also followed me like my own personal nurse. ¡°Where did you get these?¡± I asked. There were three daggers, cloth, coins, three glowing stones and a rock about the size of a fist on the ground. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re already up. Just in time¡­¡± Eric said. ¡°We looted these from the goblin we killed.¡± Eric held the dagger and handed it to me. ¡°Check this out¡­¡± It was a simple dagger made of ordinary steel. Nothing¡¯s unusual but it was a bit dull and rusty. ¡°Try to say: Observe.¡± He said. ¡°Observe¡­¡± *DING*
Rusted Iron Dagger Attack Damage [Physical]: 4-5 Durability: 6/10 Requirements: None
Whoa! I didn¡¯t know I have that skill. As soon as I activated the skill, another blue screen flashed with a Ding sound. *DING*
Skill level of [Observe] Increased by 1.
¡°May I see another one?¡± I asked. ¡°Can I try?¡± Dianne said. ¡°Sure¡­¡± I handed her the dagger and did the same thing. Eric handed me another dagger. *DING*
Rusted Iron Dagger Attack Damage [Physical]: 4-5 Durability: 7/10 Requirements: None A simple rusted dagger made of iron.
He handed me another dagger and it was the same as the first one but with a durability of 5/10. As soon as I used the [Observe] Skill on the third dagger, the skill levelled up once more. *DING*
Skill level of [Observe] Increased by 1.
Dianne and I used [Observe] on the remaining items. *DING*
Copper Coin X 32
Silver Coin X 3
Small Mana Stone X 3
Dirty Loin Cloth X 3
Fucking Rock X 1
*DING*
Skill level of [Observe] Increased by 1.
¡°How did you get all of these?¡± ¡°I just said: Loot while touching the goblin¡¯s corpse and the corpse disappeared and left these.¡± Eric explained. ¡°It¡¯s exactly like what it said on the help menu.¡± ¡°Help menu?¡± ¡°Yeah, remember the messages? The last message gave us a tip. Try to say: Open Help Menu¡± ¡°Open Help Menu¡± *DING*
Command List: Say ¡®Open¡¯ then followed by: Character Screen- Shows the player¡¯s status, titles, perks, attributes and others facts about the player. Tip: To distribute points, say ¡®Add (x) Points to (Attribute)¡¯. Be warned that it is permanent and there¡¯s no reset. Skills Screen ¨C Shows the player¡¯s list of skills and other skill related info. Inventory Screen- Shows the player¡¯s inventory. It can be used to store items and money. Tip: To place items, put the item to be stored in front of the Inventory Screen and the item will disappear like magic and the item will be stored. To withdraw the item, click on the item cell and select withdraw and the item will appear (again like magic) outside the screen. Money does not consume weight and a maximum amount of 9,999 Gold, 99 Silver and 99 Copper Coins can be stored. Party Screen ¨C Shows general information about the party members: Name, Level, HP, SP, MP and Status. Tip: To create a party, say ¡®Create Party: (Party Name)¡¯. Upon creation of the party, the creator is automatically appointed as leader. To invite other players to the party, the leader must say ¡®Invite Party: (Player Name)¡¯. To leave, say ¡®Leave Party¡¯. To transfer/appoint leadership, one of the members must say ¡®I nominate (Player) as the leader of this party.¡¯ and the members must agree by saying ¡®Aye!¡¯ or disagree by saying ¡®Nay!¡¯. Only upon a majority vote, the player is appointed. Other Useful Tips: ? Do not try to offend God as He can read all minds in this world. All unintentional evil and ugly thoughts about Him are tolerated (There would be no players left if I didn¡¯t). However, all fuckheads who did so will be smitten. ? Please use proper capitalization when you refer to Him. Ex.: God, He, Him, His, and etc. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.? You can swear using the Lord¡¯s name as long as it wasn¡¯t intentional and/or directed to Him. Ex.: Your dick was bitten by a Chimera and said: Goddamn it! (Sinestra¡¯s Ass, Eriton¡¯s Dick, Jesus Christ, Holy Shit and other godly swear are fine whether intentional or not) ? To see details about an item/object: Say ¡®Observe¡¯ while looking at the item. I have given all of you this skill so you wouldn¡¯t blow yourselves up with a Fucking Rock. ? Try to look for The Shop. They are numerous and scattered throughout the world and it may have the necessary items for your adventure and/or survival. You can also permanently spawn The Shop in a location. Say ¡®Spawn: The Shop¡¯ and The Shop will spawn and the 2,000 Gold Coins are automatically deducted from inventory. ? No one can see your ¡®Blue Screen¡¯ other than you except world notifications which everyone can see. ? To loot a corpse, say ¡®Loot¡¯ while touching it. You can loot all kinds of corpses as long as they are ¡®dead¡¯. Obviously, you don¡¯t say ¡®Loot¡¯ if you¡¯re trying to carve it. ? To learn a skill, touch a Skill Book and say ¡®Learn Skill¡¯. However, Skill Books can only be used once and will disappear after use. Skill Books can be acquired through The Shop or dropped by monsters. Skills can also be taught by a player with a Skill on Expert or Master Level. ? Besides [Observe], I have also given you one Skill that matches your initial attribute. Ex.: You will get [Power Attack] if your STR is high. ? Skills that consume Mana Points (MP) are called Spells. A Spell¡¯s effect depends on how much Mana you spend. The more Mana you spend, the more powerful a Spell is and the higher the WIS attribute, the higher the Mana Control is. Mana Control greatly improves efficiency of MP consumption. ? To use an [Active] Skill, think of the name of the skill and aim it to your target. You don¡¯t have to say it out loud. Skills have certain criteria/requirements to activate/use. Obviously, you cannot use [Dive] in a concrete road, can you? ? Party members can share Exp equally or if all of the members agreed, to share Exp on a ratio. There¡¯s no limit for the number of party members. ? Party members can communicate with each other telepathically. The radius of communication is up to 2 km. ? You can also increase your Attributes by doing real life activities. Ex.: Lifting weights can increase STR. Go figure. ? If you didn¡¯t understand the terminologies used in the SYSTEM, say ¡®Info: (Term)¡¯ and the meaning of the term will be explained like a dictionary. P.S.: If I missed anything then get the fuck out and find it out yourselves. P.P.S.: No Respawn so don¡¯t die¡­
I carefully read the tips and the commands.I already expected most of it because I used to read LMS. I think I need to check my skills to see what kind of skill I got. I read again the tips and I giggled. Wait a minute¡­ ¡°Observe!¡± I said as I looked at the strange rock included in the loot. *DING*
Fucking Rock X 1
It¡¯s a Fucking Rock! Not an ordinary rock but a Fucking Rock! ¡°Did any of you touch this Fucking Rock?¡± I asked. They all looked confused. ¡°I did but there¡¯s no need for swearing, Miguel.¡± Eric replied. ¡°No, I told you it¡¯s a Fucking Rock! Use your Observe and you¡¯ll see it¡¯s a Fucking Rock!¡± ¡°Observe¡­¡± Eric stared at the rock. ¡°Yeah, it is. It is a Fucking Rock. So what?¡± ¡°Get that Fucking Rock out of here.¡± I said with a serious tone. ¡°To where? But Why?¡± ¡°Anywhere but here! And for the love of god, be careful!¡± Eric took the Fucking Rock and went somewhere. I didn¡¯t know where he took it and I didn¡¯t care. ¡°What¡¯s with the rock?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s with that Fucking Rock?¡± Eric came back and sat on the floor. I told them to read the tips again particularly the part where it says: So you wouldn¡¯t blow yourselves up with a Fucking Rock. ¡°Oh shit! We almost died?!¡± Eric said in a loud voice. ¡°Shhh! Yes, that Fucking Rock almost killed us.¡± We all sighed in relief. ¡°Alright guys, listen up...¡± I said to them. ¡°Tonight, we¡¯re going to study the rules and how this game works. We need to know everything we can so we can plan better.¡± They nodded in agreement. ¡°So what do we do?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Just do what I do and we¡¯ll see.¡± I said. ¡°Open Inventory Screen¡± A blue screen appeared. I grabbed the dagger and place it in front of the screen. The moment I put it on the screen, the dagger disintegrated like pixels and there¡¯s a word Rusty Iron Dagger on one of the cells. I grabbed another dagger and stored it but it seemed that ¡®equipable¡¯ items don¡¯t stack. I clicked on the icon and clicked the withdraw button and the dagger appeared on my hand like magic. I stored the rest of the items and I confirmed that coins and the magical coins can stack. The loin cloths didn¡¯t stack either. ¡°Wow!¡± said Dianne. ¡°It disappeared!¡± ¡°Can you see my inventory screen?¡± I asked. They shook their heads. Maybe to them, I looked like a magician doing disappearing trick. I withdraw all the items I stored and placed them back to the ground. The others tried to do the same as I did. Claire had fun pulling the dagger in and out of the thin air. From my point of view, it was really amazing. Her tits too were amazing. ¡°Open Skill Screen¡± *DING*
Unique Skill(s):
Quick Learner Lvl. 1 Max (100%)
Active Skill(s):
Observe Lvl. 2 Beginner (65.93%)
Heal Lvl. 1 Beginner (0.00%)
Bash Lvl. 1 Beginner (25.23%)
Passive Skill(s):
Blunt Weapon Mastery Lvl. 1 Beginner (56.16%)
I examined the list of Skills and I was expecting an offensive type of spell like a fireball or lightning bolt but what I got is [Heal]. It was fine since we also need a healer in our party. I asked the others about what skill they got: Eric got [Power Attack] which is self-explanatory. It can be used with any melee weapons. Claire got [Charm] which is a crowd control spell. It charms the target rendering it harmless. Hell, if someone flashed their boobs right in front of me, I''d be harmless too. Anyway, this would be very useful. Melissa got [Aimed Shot] which is an offensive long range skill. However, it needs long range weapon to use which we didn¡¯t have for the moment. Finally, Dianne got [Sneak] which hides her presence from the enemy and if she attacks during [Sneak], given that she wasn¡¯t detected, she will deal 4x damage. I was wondering why we got the skills. The tip said that we get a Skill based on our initial attributes. I wonder what my attributes are. ¡°Open Character Screen¡± *DING*
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:2
HP:120/120MP:325/325
SP:70/70EXP:81.30%
STR:13WIS:21
AGI:7INT:22
VIT:12LUK:9
DEX:8CHA:7
Satiety:Fine
StatusRested +10% Exp
Undistributed Attribute Points:5
Title(s):
N/A
Perk(s):
N/A
Hmmm¡­It looked normal for a regular MMO. I clicked each of the stat to see the description. *DING*
Strength (STR) increases physical damage and physical strength. Increases inventory cell by 1 for every 30 points.
Agility (AGI) increases movement and draw speed. Increases SP by 10 and SP regeneration.
Vitality (VIT) increases HP by 10 and HP regeneration.
Dexterity (DEX) increases hand and eye coordination thus improves chance of hitting a target. It also increases awareness and perception.
Wisdom (WIS) increases common sense and mana control. Increases MP by 5 and MP regeneration.
Intelligence (INT) increases memory retention, memory recall and mana sensitivity. Increases MP by 10 and MP regeneration.
Luck (LUK) increases chance of finding better loot. It also improves chance of more favorable encounters.
Charisma (CHA) increases social skills and influences chance of getting negotiations into your favor.
I was curious of how HP, SP and MP regeneration worked as it was not included in Character Screen. My HP was full at 120/120 so I checked my wounded arm. It¡¯s already healed. I tried to pinch the skin where I was cut but it didn¡¯t hurt anymore. Amazing! I turned my focus on my attributes and I have 5 undistributed points from levelling up earlier. I didn¡¯t know if this was the average or above average. I should ask Eric. ¡°Eric, what are your stats?¡± ¡°Uhmm¡­ 22 STR, 17 AGI, 16 VIT, 14 DEX, 8 WIS, 10 INT, 12 LUK and 17 CHA.¡± Eric said. ¡°How about yours?¡± Holy shit! My character¡¯s a trash¡­ Fuck! Even after the world changed, he was still better than me. At least I got higher INT and WIS. Not to mention that I got a unique skill! I asked everyone about their stat. I got the highest INT and WIS while Eric got the highest STR and VIT. Claire got the highest CHA and Melissa got the highest DEX. Dianne, on the other hand, had the highest AGI but she also got a LUK of 4. ¡°Are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡± Eric grinned. I nodded. Eric and I played a lot of MMOs. From all MMOs we played, he always picked warrior or any other melee class while I picked support or mage type class. Who would¡¯ve thought that our experience in online games would be put to use in real life? With our stats, we got a pretty decent party member set up. Eric will be in the frontline as melee fighter, Melissa in the rear as long range damage dealer, preferably a bow since her DEX was high, Claire will be a support and she will be our crowd controller since she got [Charm]. I don¡¯t know if there are Bard skills that can give buffs to other members by singing or dancing. CHA is usually tied to this kind of gameplay. Since I got the highest INT and WIS, I could be the mage and the healer but currently, I didn¡¯t have any offensive magic. I had an idea on how to get one through my unique skill. I will do it later. And lastly, Dianne could be our thief, assassin or scout but I think it¡¯s a bad idea because she¡¯s too clumsy to be sneaking around and killing monsters in the dark. In my theory, her LUK could affect our encounters and loot drop since she would be in our party. She can be bait and lure monsters to us. Unfortunately, I plan to avoid fighting monsters as much as possible but she can lure monsters away from us. I don¡¯t think she¡¯d be willing to do that. To summarize, Dianne was a dead weight. As much as I wanted to kick Dianne out of our merry band for being useless, I couldn¡¯t do it. Not that I cared about her but I need Eric and the others to stay with me. That is until I find a better party. Yeah, I know. I¡¯m such an asshole. I admit that I care more about my own survival than my ¡®friends¡¯. I¡¯m selfish, bitter, hypocrite, pervert and ugly. Adding asshole in my resume will make me a good ol¡¯ villain. I explained to the group of what I¡¯ve found and I also explained to them their roles when we face monsters. Eric and I explained the party formation. Eric will be in the frontline and Melissa will support Eric in melee since she didn¡¯t have a bow. Claire would be in the rear and she will use [Charm] to control the monster crowd. I didn¡¯t have an offensive spell for the moment so I¡¯ll be supporting Eric and Melissa in the front lines. I¡¯ll also fight in melee if I had to. Dianne¡¯s role would be scouting. Since I plan to avoid monsters as much as possible, she will have to scout ahead and inform us. When I told Dianne her role, she looked eager to do it. I also told her the importance of her role to encourage her. Her eyes sparkled in joy. I didn¡¯t know why she¡¯s so eager to do it. No¡­ I don¡¯t think she can read minds. Was I too obvious? ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Dianne puffed her chest while giving me a thumbs up. Well, I guess it¡¯s too early to judge Dianne. I¡¯ll give her a chance to prove herself useful. Two hours have already passed since I woke up. We forgot to eat dinner since we were too engrossed with testing the system. Melissa went to the kitchen to get us something to eat. Fortunately, the stove was still working. She cooked spaghetti with tomato sauce. It was delicious. I also learned from Melissa that her family owned the restaurant and it was only been open for a week. Normally, her father would be the cook and she would be the waitress but her parents went to the province to visit her grandparents. The second floor of the restaurant was where they lived. After we ate dinner, I told them to rest for tonight and we will formulate a plan. Eric and I took the watch for the night. I hope we survive the night... ARC 1: Chapter 3: To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 3: To Kill a Mockingbird As Eric and I took watch, we found ourselves bored. We did what we can to cure our boredom. We talked about video games, movies and I even asked him to tell me what happened in Legendary Moonlight Sculptor movie since there¡¯s no chance I could watch it. I really wished I was there to watch it. I couldn¡¯t put all the blame to Dianne though. I was also at fault. I actually forgot that the release of the movie was last week and the final showing was last night. After a long story of Lee Hyun¡¯s badassery, Eric and I were back to square one.Boredom will be the death of us. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Eric asked. ¡°It¡¯s not really a detailed plan and don¡¯t expect me to do all the thinking.¡± ¡°Sure but seriously, what is it?¡± ¡°Camp Aguinaldo¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Eric frowned. ¡°Oh? What?¡± ¡°I was actually thinking of the same thing. I just thought you had a better plan. I was going to suggest it, you know.¡± He seemed to be disappointed with the simplicity of my plan. I would be too but it¡¯s not like I experience monster apocalypse since the day I was born. I may be smart but I¡¯m no expert in survival. ¡°So you think going to Camp Aguinaldo is a good idea?¡± Eric asked. ¡°The truth is I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± I responded. ¡°I¡¯ve never been inside the place but I¡¯ve seen it along EDSA [1].¡± ¡°Are there any more military base near QC [2]?¡± ¡°Hmmm, there¡¯s Camp Atienza in Libis and Fort Bonifacio in Taguig. Camp Crame is another option but it¡¯s a police headquarters.¡± ¡°Why not go in Camp Atienza? It¡¯s nearer, right?¡± ¡°Camp Aguinaldo is just a few kilometres from Camp Atienza and it happened that I know someone inside Camp Aguinaldo.¡° ¡°And that someone is?¡± Eric¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°You¡¯ll know when we get there but that guy is someone I want to punch in the face.¡± ¡°Oh. That guy¡­¡± Eric nodded as we turned our heads to look at Dianne. ¡°I see¡­¡± In apocalypse movies, going to a military base seems to be a bad idea. This is bullshit. Some shithead writers thought it was clever to go in a shopping mall. A shopping mall would not be feasible even in a zombie apocalypse. Yes, you got food, clothing, shelter and other provisions but how can you defend the place? I¡¯ve never seen a shopping mall with walls or stationed with battle hardened veteran soldiers. Most people, in real world that is, would think that evacuating in a military base is a good idea and they¡¯re right. It¡¯s common sense. Never underestimate military for handling such situations. Shopping malls? Hahaha¡­ It¡¯s just a pathetic excuse for a plot to avoid clich¨¦s. *DING*
Good job, dickhead! By using movies as reference, you thought you were so smart, aren¡¯t you? Pffft¡­ Anyway, for being such a smartass, the SYSTEM rewarded you with the following: Reward(s): +1 Wisdom +1 Intelligence +20 MP
I mentally facepalmed myself as I read the message. He likes mocking me and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Well, at least I got a reward for being mocked. ¡°The question is: How do we go there?¡± Eric asked. ¡°We walk, of course¡­¡± I said. ¡°Or run depending on the situation but we would have to travel along EDSA on foot and perhaps, take stops here and there to replenish our supplies and of course, for rest.¡± ¡°Looks like we have no choice then. Are you sure about the plan?¡± ¡°Yup¡­¡± Not really. I used to ride a bus and I knew a couple of landmarks to know where I was so I wouldn¡¯t be lost but now, it¡¯s different. I didn¡¯t memorize the whole EDSA but I think we can manage. Like Eric said, we didn¡¯t have much of a choice. After Eric and I discussed the rest of the plan, I looked at my watch and saw that it was only 10 p.m..I stared at it counting every second. I wish I have a book right now. If boredom had HP, I would have killed it by now. ¡°Your watch is still working?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s an automatic watch.¡± I said as I showed him my watch. ¡°But I thought the SYSTEM said that all electrical devices wouldn¡¯t work?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know but it seems that the SYSTEM doesn¡¯t consider automatic watch as an electrical device. It doesn¡¯t run on battery. All I have to do is move my wrist and it works.¡± ¡°That watch is priceless since there are no more clocks working and most of it runs on electricity.¡± ¡°I know but I don¡¯t think the SYSTEM is perfect. It has flaws and I think there are more things that are still working other than automatic watches.¡± *DING*
SYSTEM Update: Patch 1.01 -All automatic wrist watches will no longer work. Thank you for pointing it out, Miguel. Believe me, you have my sincerest thanks.
¡°What the fuck?¡± Eric cursed as he read the blue screen. ¡°Did God hear us?¡± I felt the veins popped in my head when I saw the message. I wanted to curse loudly at God but FUCK ME AND SHOVE A HORSE COCK IN MY ASS. Oi, don¡¯t You smite me I didn¡¯t curse You; I cursed myself, mind You. There, I even used proper capitalization to address the Almighty Lord our God. By the way, You¡¯re welcome, God! You¡¯re very very welcome! *DING*
I¡¯d appreciate it if not for the sarcasm. Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t smite you. Hehehehe¡­ You should see the look on your face. It¡¯s funny. From now on, sarcasms are allowed. That is just between you and me though. *Wink*
My blood was boiling with rage. Any minute now and steam would come out of my ears and nose. ¡°He also mentioned your name.¡± Eric said. ¡°Yeah...¡± I responded. As the time passed, I calmed myself down and Eric seemed to be yawning every thirty seconds. Yes, every thirty seconds. I know since I¡¯ve counted. There¡¯s nothing else to do. ¡°We¡¯ve been here for hours and I¡¯m already sleepy.¡± Eric said. ¡°Then go to sleep. I¡¯ll be fine by myself. I¡¯ll stay and keep watch.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Eric didn¡¯t even ask if I was sure. He stood up from his chair and went to bed. After a few minutes of being alone, I realized that I forgot to test my new skill [Heal]. The problem was how? The only way to test it is to wound myself then use [Heal]. I didn¡¯t want to use the dagger we looted from the goblin since its rusted so I took a candle and went to the kitchen. After I found a knife, I opened the refrigerator to look for something to eat. I know that it¡¯s bad manners to open other people¡¯s fridge but I was hungry and I needed to test something in inventory. Since earlier, I wondered if inventory could preserve food. After I ate a cold slice of pizza in the fridge, I took another slice and store in my inventory. I¡¯ll leave it there for a while and we¡¯ll see if the pizza would still be cold and good. I went back to my seat near the window. I opened my Skill screen and checked the description of [Heal].
Heal [Active] Lvl 1 Beginner Effect: Heals wounds and other types of injury such as, but not limited to, broken bones. HP restored depends on how much MP is applied and amount of WIS; [Heal] cannot be used to cure diseases. Each level of [Heal] will increase HP restoration by 0.05 per 1 SP consumption. HP restoration to MP cost ratio: 0.70:1
So with my current MP of 330, I can heal a total of 231 HP. Not bad since it was almost as twice as my maximum HP. As I held the kitchen knife ready to inflict a wound on my arm, I heard a voice. ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± I turned my eyes to see where the voice came. It was Claire and she looked furious. ¡°Look, it¡¯s not¡­¡± Claire rushed and took the knife in my hand. ¡°¡­what you think.¡± I admit. Every time I¡¯m doing something stupid, Claire would be there to see it. And when she glares at me, I¡¯d become stupider. This is why I hate beautiful women. Especially if it¡¯s Claire. ¡°We¡¯re all in this situation together, Miguel.¡± Claire folded her arms and stared down on me. ¡°Killing yourself is not an answer. We¡¯re here for you. If you need someone to talk with, I¡¯m here¡­¡± ¡°Chill out, Claire¡­¡± I interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to kill myself. I was just about to test my skill [Heal] and the only way to test it is to use it on a wound. So give me back the knife.¡± Claire dropped the sharp glare as she sat on a chair. Her eyes turned to an ¡®I¡¯ll be watching you¡¯ stare which was more terrifying. She handed back the knife and folded her arms. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± I asked. ¡°Go ahead¡­ I¡¯ll watch.¡± She said without changing her expression. Arrghh¡­ It¡¯s irritating. If not for her crowd control skill [Charm], I¡¯d be saying ¡®adios hija de puta¡¯ while giving her a finger. I held the knife and made a small cut on my hand. -1 HP The cut I made was so small that I didn¡¯t even feel the knife not until it bled anyway. I put the knife on my lap and my right hand over the wound. I concentrated and thought of the skill [Heal]. As my right hand glowed with warm green light, I felt that my body was warm like something flowing inside my body and no, it wasn¡¯t the feeling of horniness with Claire but it was something that I couldn¡¯t explain. When I looked at the wound, it¡¯s already healed. I didn¡¯t see how it healed since I was so focused on the warm feeling. +1 HP -5 HP ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I cut myself again and this time the wound was much larger. The blood flowed slowly from the wound. I watched the wound closed rapidly as I used the skill. +5 HP ¡°Wow!¡± Claire said as she took my hand and thoroughly inspecting it. ¡°It totally healed!¡± I didn¡¯t know why I feel good about Claire holding my hand. She looked excited. It¡¯s actually rare for me to see this look on her as I always saw her as smug, annoyed, and angry whenever we see each other. Not to mention, I saw her face when I was bleeding from the goblin¡¯s dagger. She looked worried (Perhaps the rarest). The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. We only had a few but notable interactions in the past. Unlike Eric and Dianne, Claire and I were both accountancy students. It was the first day in college and I sat in the back row trying to avoid too much attention. This was the day I first met her. She arrived late on class, like 30 minutes late, so she was reprimanded by our professor on the first day. All of the seats were taken except the one next to me. When I saw her approach, I felt like time slowed down to a halt just like what I¡¯m experiencing now as she held my hand. Was it love I felt? Love at first sight? Not really. I have a mindset not expect the best out of any situation and it saved me a lot from disappointment. I just admired her beauty that¡¯s all. All the boys were sneaking glances at her and their eyes were filled with jealousy when they saw me with her. Most girls weren¡¯t interested to talk with me, Claire wasn¡¯t an exception. We stayed silent for the whole day and not caring for each other¡¯s existence. The next day, she didn¡¯t take the seat next to me which was totally fine with me. Not only she¡¯s pretty but she¡¯s smart too. Claire and I had this competition in academics and I always got the better grades. Although there was one time when she got a higher grade but it was a minor subject. The competition got fiercer and that was the time when she started sitting next to me. Claire liked to ask questions about the topics she didn¡¯t understand and I, being a good guy and all, explained it to her but not so much to give her advantage over me. I hate losing. Especially to a girl. In time, we always hanged out together to study especially on exams but actually, I studied with her just to see how much she knew and to learn what I didn¡¯t know. It¡¯s clear that she¡¯s doing the same thing. You know what they say, keep your enemies closer. I try not to take her attitude personally. We treated each other as competitors so it¡¯s all business but there¡¯s absolutely no need to keep her ¡®competitive¡¯ attitude every time we meet. And so began the Miguel-Claire insult wars, we throw each other sarcastic remark. There¡¯s no limit on insults we can use. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. She may be the only one who could beat me at my own game. I didn¡¯t really hate her. In fact, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed her insults to me as much as I enjoyed throwing insults to her. We never let a day pass by without throwing at least one insult to each other except when we¡¯re studying together because it would just distract us. We¡¯re professionals. Business is business. Later on, Eric and Dianne started to hang out with her too. Claire would always smile whenever she sees Eric. Obviously, she likes him. It kinda made me jealous as much as I hate to admit. I don¡¯t know why but I think a part of me hoped that she likes me. *DING*
Skill level of [Heal] increased by 1
¡°If you¡¯re going to hold my hand for that long, you should at least buy me a drink.¡± I said to her as I snapped back to reality. She let go of my hand and her expression turned back to the way it used to be. She didn¡¯t reply. Looks like I won. I held the knife with its blade pointing downwards as I prepared to stab my hand and make a deeper wound. ¡°You¡¯d probably want to look away from what I¡¯m about to do¡­¡± I said. ¡°Why? I kinda enjoy it seeing you hurt yourself.¡± She grinned. ¡°It¡¯s a pity I¡¯m not the one doing it.¡± Burn! I couldn¡¯t think of a comeback. I¡¯ll definitely win next time. I let out a deep breath, closed my eyes and plunged the knife into my hand. I saw Claire covered her face with her hands and I think she made a ¡®kyaaah!¡¯ sound. So cute. -10 HP It sucked. I inspected my hand and the blade got through my hand. I didn¡¯t see why it shaved off 10 HP considering I only have 120 HP and I only stabbed my hand. I cringed at the idea of being stabbed in the heart or having my throat slashed. ¡°Aw shit!¡± I tried to pull the knife but it¡¯s too much. It fucking hurts. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d really do it! Are you crazy?!¡± I got to admit. I liked seeing her worried. I may have a few screws loose in my head for doing it but like I said, being with Claire makes me stupid. Why not take advantage of the situation? I won¡¯t be stupid for long anyway. I finally pulled the knife from my hand and it bled rapidly. I used [Heal] on the wound and it took a few seconds to heal. +10 HP *DING*
Skill level of [Heal] increased by 1
Hmmm... I¡¯ve only used [Heal] twice and it already increased by 2 levels and according to my calculations my MP should¡¯ve been decreased by 22. To my surprise, I found that it only decreased by 18. Perhaps the other 4 MP regenerated in between [Heal]? I should make more tests and I¡¯d like to see what would happen if my [Heal] reached level 10. Two birds with one stone. I think I can get used to the pain after a few more wounds. *DING*
I knew it. You¡¯re a nutjob. Not only you enjoy being humiliated, you also enjoy physical pain. *Sigh* For taking pleasure of being in pain, the SYSTEM rewarded you with the following: Reward(s): Title: Masochist Effect: +10% Pain tolerance and HP Skill: Masochism [Passive] Lvl 1 Beginner Effect: Increases pain tolerance and HP by 1%. Increases by 1% each level. Current Bonus: 1% pain tolerance and HP
Again, I felt insulted from the skill I gained. At least it¡¯s useful and I gained a Title. I wasn¡¯t proud of it but the bonus looked amazing. Three birds with one stone. I raised my knife again to inflict more wounds but Claire grabbed my hand and stopped me. ¡°Are you nuts? You¡¯re going to hurt yourself again...¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to level up [Heal] so we can increase our odds of survival.¡± I said to her. ¡°Here, you should try and cut me.¡± I know it¡¯s odd that I''m giving her a knife but I don¡¯t need weaklings and cowards in my group. If we¡¯re going to survive outside, I need them to have a strong stomach and I don¡¯t want them fidgeting in the middle of a fight. I need to be able to slice a living being without hesitation. Obviously, we don¡¯t have someone or a monster for her to kill or torture but this will have to do. Four birds with one stone. ¡°No...¡± ¡°Look Claire, you should get used to blood because it¡¯s nasty out there. Not only monsters but also other people.¡± I said to her in a firm voice. ¡°Imagine the horrible things they would do to you. Eric and I won¡¯t always be there to protect you. One way or another you will have to do what¡¯s necessary to survive. If you can¡¯t do that, I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t need weaklings and cowards in our group. You¡¯ll just be a burden for the rest of us.¡± Claire grabbed the knife with a look of hesitation. ¡°A-are you sure about this?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± I said as I offered her my arm. Claire held the knife and made a small cut on my left arm. ¡°D-did it hurt?¡± -1 HP ¡°Not really, the cut was so small. You should try again. It¡¯s not that hard, isn¡¯t it?¡± Claire made another cut but it was deeper. ¡°Ahhh...¡± I yelped in pain. -4 HP ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°I told you it¡¯s okay. This is necessary.¡± I calmed her down as I used [Heal] on my wound. ¡°Again!¡± Claire made another cut then I used [Heal]. At first she was fidgety in sight of blood and she hesitated on cutting me more. After 10 more cuts and healing, Claire stopped shaking and it looked like she¡¯s getting used to it. I healed a total of 52 HP and my skill [Heal] levelled up 3 times. [Masochism] levelled up 2 times. I still have more MP and I felt fine so I told her to do it again but this time, there¡¯s a little trace of hesitation in her eyes. Looks like my plan working as intended. After a couple more cuts, I suddenly had bad feeling. I didn¡¯t even need to tell her the word ¡®again¡¯ to make the cut but instead I¡¯d tell her to stop before I can even use [Heal]. Afterwards, I told her to cut my arm again and I caught her slightly smiling. Claire seemed to be enjoying it! After three cuts, I told her to stop and I healed my wounds. ¡°I gained a new skill and a title.¡± Claire said as she smiled. ¡°Interesting...¡± ¡°What does it say?¡± ¡°I got the title Sadist which increases 10% damage and a skill [Sadism] which does the same but it increases 1% damage every level.¡± Claire said. ¡°It¡¯s cool, right?¡± ¡°...¡± No, not cool! Not cool at all! My plan worked too well! Shit! ¡°Shall we continue?¡± She asked. I gulped. I badly wanted to piss on my pants. ¡°T-that should be enough for tonight...¡± I stuttered. ¡°But you said, this is necessary for our survival and you needed to level [Heal], right?¡± Shit. She¡¯s using my own words against me. ¡°Well, y-yeah but...¡± ¡°My skill [Sadism] would level up too. You see? Two birds with one stone!¡± I understand her logic but I don¡¯t like it. ¡°You ready?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Come on, you can heal it anyway!¡± Dear God¡­ What the fuck have I done? *DING*
[1]EDSA stands for Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue in Quezon City [2] QC stands for Quezon City Author''s Note: I''m sorry for the delay. I''ll release another chapter tomorrow. I will delay Dianne''s POV for an indefinite period since it will reveal too much of the plot. For those of you who will ask: will there be NTR? NO! I hate NTR. ARC 1: Chapter 4: Boston Tea Party Author''s Note: This chapter will have unfamiliar terms to most readers so please refer to the footnotes provided below. I suggest you to click the links for pictures and music. I''ll be doing this from now on to enhance the reading experience.
Chapter 4: Boston Tea Party ¡°Alright¡­ Stop!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost morning.¡± I said to Claire. ¡°Sure¡­ I¡¯m tired anyway.¡± Claire shrugged. ¡°Be sure to clean this mess up.¡± Claire nodded and stood up from her seat. She grabbed a towel and wiped the blood on the floor. I thought she wouldn¡¯t stop. We¡¯ve been doing this for hours and yet it felt like an eternity. Fortunately, with my new skill [Masochism] and title [Masochist], the pain has been lessened by lot. We also tested her skill [Charm]. At first we thought it didn¡¯t work because nothing¡¯s happening to me but we confirmed that it was working as intended as she noticed that the skill consumed her MP. It¡¯s just that I was already harmless when she used it. I also learned that [Heal] could also regenerate blood loss because from the amount of blood I¡¯ve spilled, I should¡¯ve feel weak but I wasn¡¯t. My HP also increased by 10 according to the SYSTEM. About the MP regeneration, I still didn¡¯t know the exact math but it took me at least 15 minutes to completely regenerate to full MP. I also learned that when you exhaust MP and regenerate it, you will gain 5 MP. I exhausted my MP three times so my MP went up by 15. I¡¯ve been thinking. How did Claire get a skill without a skill book? In my theory, Claire obtained [Sadism] along with the title [Sadist] as a reward from the SYSTEM similar to how I obtained [Masochism] and [Masochist]. When I got [Bash] and [Blunt Mastery], the SYSTEM informed me that I gained a new skill but it didn¡¯t say I got it as a reward. After Claire wiped the blood on the floor, she gave me a wet towel to wipe the dried blood stains on my body and she did the same to herself. Few hours earlier, Claire suggested that we should take off our clothes in order to keep it clean. She didn¡¯t hesitate to get naked in front of me. I hesitated but she insisted and forced me to take it off. We¡¯ve been doing the rest of the skill levelling wearing nothing but our underwear. Did I get turned on? Normally, I would but that wasn¡¯t a normal situation. Would you be turned on if you¡¯re being sliced with a knife by a naked girl? Of course not. It may sound kinky but if you¡¯re on the receiving end, it isn¡¯t. It¡¯s all for the purpose of research and experiment. 100% ¡°Get dressed. We don¡¯t want them to see us like this.¡± Claire said. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t tell others about it.¡± I nodded as I put my shirt on. I told her to wake the others so that we can briefly discuss the plan and to prepare ourselves for the journey. As Claire went upstairs to wake them up, I checked my Character and Skill Screen.
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:2
HP:155/155MP:102/375
SP:70/70EXP:81.30%
STR:13WIS:22
AGI:7INT:23
VIT:12LUK:9
DEX:8CHA:7
Satiety:Hungry
StatusNormal
Undistributed Attribute Points:5
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
N/A
Unique Skill(s):
Quick Learner Lvl. 1 Max (100%)
Active Skill(s):
Observe Lvl. 2 Beginner (65.93%)
Heal Lvl. 2 Intermediate (5.07%)
Bash Lvl. 1 Beginner (25.23%)
Passive Skill(s):
Blunt Weapon Mastery Lvl. 1 Beginner (56.16%)
Masochism Lvl. 1 Intermediate (1.87%)
Masochism [Passive] Lvl 1 Intermediate Effect: Increases pain tolerance and HP by 1%. Increases by 1% each level. Current Bonus: 11% pain tolerance and HP
Heal [Active] Lvl 2 Intermediate Effect: Heals wounds and other types of injury such as, but not limited to, broken bones. HP restored depends on how much MP is applied and amount of WIS; [Heal] cannot be used to cure diseases. Each level of [Heal] will increase HP restoration by 0.05 per 1 MP consumption. HP restoration to MP cost ratio: 1.32:1
As much as I hated to admit, the torture session with Claire came with a good result. After reaching level 10 in Beginner, the skill would be Intermediate. [Heal]¡¯s HP restoration was 1.32 instead of 1.30. Is it because of +1 WIS from the SYSTEM reward? Let¡¯s try adding 1 point to WIS.
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:2
HP:155/155MP:102/380
SP:70/70EXP:81.30%
STR:13WIS:23
AGI:7INT:23
VIT:12LUK:9
DEX:8CHA:7
Satiety:Hungry
StatusNormal
Undistributed Attribute Points:4
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
N/A
Heal [Active] Lvl 2 Intermediate Effect: Heals wounds and other types of injury such as, but not limited to, broken bones. HP restored depends on how much MP is applied and amount of WIS; [Heal] cannot be used to cure diseases. Each level of [Heal] will increase HP restoration by 0.05 per 1 SP consumption. HP restoration to MP cost ratio: 1.34:1
Looks like I was right. Each point of WIS would increase HP restoration of [Heal] by 0.02 per MP spent. I think INT would be much more beneficial for Mage type build because of additional 5 MP. It was said that Mana Control has something to do with WIS so I better save these points for later. I opened my inventory and took the slice of pizza I stored earlier. I noticed that it was still cold as if taken out of the fridge. I ate it quickly with gusto as it may be one of the last pizzas left in the world. God was right though. We can use the SYSTEM to our advantage but what did he mean that our access to the SYSTEM was restricted? ¡°It¡¯s still dark¡­ Why did you wake us up?¡± Dianne complained. The others beside Claire were still yawning. ¡°So what¡¯s this meeting about?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°We¡¯re here to discuss about the plan. We also need to prepare for our journey.¡± I said to them. I discussed to them my plan to go to Camp Aguinaldo. It is a military base located in Quezon City. We have two main route options: We can travel from EDSA or we can use C-5 road. Although I prefer C-5 road than EDSA, they prefer EDSA because Claire and Eric lived in Cubao and they wanted to rescue their family along the way. It made me think about my family too. Our house is in Pasig and according to the text I received from her yesterday, she didn¡¯t go to school because she felt sick. I didn¡¯t know if Mom is still in NBI main office in Manila but I should save my sister first since Mom can handle herself. She will probably go to Camp Aguinaldo as well. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I told them the party formation again in case we have no choice but to fight. Eric and Melissa in the frontlines, Claire and I in the rear and Dianne would be ahead of us to scout. ¡°Why am I in the frontlines again?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Because your skill needs a long range weapon and you don¡¯t have one.¡± Eric replied. ¡°What¡¯s a long range weapon again?¡± ¡°Bows and javelin, anything that can throw a projectile.¡± I said. ¡°How about a sling shot?¡± She asked. ¡°Do you have one?¡± ¡°Yes, I grew up in Palawan and I used to shoot monkeys with my sling shot.¡± Melissa said. [1] ¡°Why do you shoot monkeys?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°They steal food and they steal bananas from our trees¡­¡± If PETA could hear her statement, she¡¯d probably be skinned alive just to save those monkeys. I didn¡¯t want to ask why she brought that sling shot here in Metro Manila since there are no monkeys here. Girls are cruel. ¡°Sure, bring that sling shot with you and you¡¯ll be in the rear. Anything else?¡± ¡°Are you sure we¡¯ll just avoid monsters? I mean, according to Eric, we can get strong by killing them.¡± Claire said. ¡°Well, yeah but I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°We can just avoid strong monsters and we can pick off the weaker ones or if they¡¯re alone.¡± Claire said. ¡°Besides, Dianne would be there to inform us if there are strong monsters in our way, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do my best¡­¡± It looks like Dianne was getting fired up too. Claire made a point but is it really possible to change overnight? Yesterday she was fidgety when she saw a goblin and now, she wanted to kill monsters. Is it because of her title [Sadist]? Girls are indeed cruel and scary. ¡°I agree with Claire. We don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll encounter on our way to Camp Aguinaldo. If it comes to the point where we have no choice but to fight a strong monster, it is best that we¡¯re prepared.¡± Eric said. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I nodded. They made a point. As much as we wanted to avoid monsters, time will come when we would have no choice but to face one in battle. Besides, I¡¯m in the rear and I¡¯m the healer. I won¡¯t be doing much of the fighting like Eric and the others so I¡¯m safe. ¡°Now that we¡¯re clear about the plan, let¡¯s take everything here in the restaurant that we can use.¡± I said. ¡°By the way Melissa, you mentioned that your father lived here too?¡± ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± ¡°I was just wondering if I could borrow some of his clothes.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Eric and I went upstairs to Melissa¡¯s father¡¯s room. I had to change clothes since mine was stained from blood when I killed goblins. When Eric and I stored the spare clothes to our inventory, we noticed that clothes didn¡¯t stack. I had an idea and we put the clothes in a bag then put it in inventory. Surprisingly, it worked. We only have 15 cells in inventory so it¡¯s wise to save these spaces as much as possible. We also found four steel pipes about 4 feet long near the toolbox and obviously, it¡¯s a better weapon than a chair leg. We stored the other one as spare and we also took the toolbox just in case we needed it. Eric, using the toolbox we got, made an improvised shield from the chair I broke so that he can tank properly. He also made two improvised spears by attaching the daggers we got from the goblin to the steel pipe. I opted to use a plain steel pipe so he gave the spear to Claire and other dagger will be used by Dianne. I told Melissa to get all the food and store it in her inventory. I had a theory that food can be preserved when you put in inventory. I just don¡¯t know for how long but it¡¯s better to store it just in case. She also stored two Super Kalan and other utensils for cooking. It was also surprising that we couldn¡¯t feel the weight of the items we stored in our inventory. For water, we stored drinking water in a 5 gallon slim water container and stored it in our inventory. The restaurant had 10 water containers filled with drinking water. We Filipinos usually store water in a drum container for bathing [2] but unfortunately, we cannot drink the water that came from the faucet since it wasn¡¯t potable. We have to boil the water to make it safe to drink but we had enough drinking water to make us last for at least 20 days. Melissa put all of her clothes in four travelling bags and stored it in her inventory. I told her to bring just one bag but she told me that Claire and Dianne needed clothes too. Girls will be girls. Lastly, Claire and Dianne stored pillows, beddings and bed sheets. I told them as a joke to bring tables and chairs so we could have a tea party too. After two hours, we swept the whole place for everything we can use. We were ready to set out and the sun has risen. ¡°There one more thing we forgot: A party.¡± ¡°Right¡­ So what¡¯s our party name?¡± Eric asked. ¡°How about Orgy? Orgy Party¡­¡± I replied. Eric and I laughed as we high fived and both of us agreed. Melissa and Claire weren¡¯t laughing and they quickly disagreed with the name. ¡°What¡¯s orgy? What does it mean?¡± asked Dianne the innocent. ¡°It means tea¡­ in Norwegian.¡± I was trying my supress my laugh. ¡°Since I like tea then I agree. I love orgy!¡± Eric and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Dianne was confused as to why we were laughing. Claire approached Dianne and whispered something in her ear. Dianne¡¯s face glowed red in embarrassment. ¡°Noooo! I don¡¯t like orgy! It¡¯s disgusting! I disagree with that name!¡± Dianne said. Claire and Melissa gave the two of us a sharp stare. As soon as we saw it, we stopped laughing. ¡°Ermmm¡­ Since we¡¯re talking about tea¡­ How about Boston Tea Party?¡± I suggested. ¡°Ohhh¡­ That¡¯s a clever name.¡± Eric said. ¡°I thought you hate history? I agree with that name. At least it¡¯s decent.¡± Claire nodded in agreement. ¡°So it¡¯s settled then?¡± I asked them and they all agreed. It¡¯s a shame though. I really liked the name Orgy Party. ¡°Create Party: Boston Tea Party¡± ¡°Invite Party: Eric Reyes¡± ¡°Invite Party: Claire Roque¡± ¡°Invite Party: Dianne Duria¡± I stopped. ¡°Er¡­ What¡¯s your last name Melissa?¡± Melissa mumbled something and I didn¡¯t catch it. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Panis¡­¡± Melissa said looking embarrassed. [3] ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± We were all laughing hard including Claire. ¡°Invite Party: Melissa Panis¡± We just couldn¡¯t stop laughing. After the creation of the party, we agreed to share EXP equally. We tested the Party Communication System and it was amazing. We could speak to each other telepathically. [Can you hear me?]- Miguel [Loud and clear]- Eric [Yes, I can hear you] ¨C Melissa [Me too] ¨C Dianne [How about you Claire? If you¡¯re hearing this, show me your tits.]- Miguel [Fuck you!]- Claire [Alright, let¡¯s go!] - Miguel Before we left the restaurant, Claire gave each of us a pair of sunglasses to make us look badass. Cue the music! [Let the game begin!]
[1] The monkeys that Melissa¡¯s talking about are Crab-eating Macaque. I hate those fucking monkeys. [2] Most of us don¡¯t use showers for taking a bath. We use tabo and a bucket full of water. [3] Melissa¡¯s surname: Panis means spoiled or rotten. Usually the word is referring to food (Spoiled food) but the word can also refer to other things such as saliva (Panis na laway literally means spoiled saliva but it actually means dried drool.) Panis is also expression which means that you either got owned, butt hurted, or broke/lost in an argument. So when you say: Melissa Panis ¨C it means Melissa got owned. Panis ka means you got owned that¡¯s why Miguel and the others were laughing. ARC 1: Chapter 5: The Blame Game Chapter 5: The Blame Game Our badass aura when we left the restaurant quickly went away as we found the remains of the victims but it was strange that there were no monsters to be found near the restaurant. Melissa, Eric and Dianne vomited at the sight of hundreds of bodies and guts lying around the street. Claire and I didn¡¯t even flinch. When the rest of them asked us why we weren¡¯t disturbed by the scene, Claire and I just shrugged. ¡°This is what will happen to us if we¡¯re weak.¡± I figured that I should say something to encourage them. Even though I didn¡¯t want to fight monsters myself, at least they should fight monsters for me. ¡°These monsters.... They don¡¯t deserve mercy. It¡¯s kill or be killed. They only exist for loot and exp.¡± My speech was bad I know. However, if I couldn¡¯t motivate them enough to sacrifice their life for me, I should at least appeal to their greed. After they recover, I instructed Dianne to go ahead of us to scout the area. The four of us crouched and went to the side of the road; we checked every corner before we move as Dianne informs us of what¡¯s in our way. [Clear!] ¨CDianne ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± I said. After doing some sneaking, a blue screen appeared in front of me. *DING*
You have gained a new skill! Muffled Steps [Passive] Lvl 1 Effect: Your footsteps would become silent. Each level will decrease noise by 1%. Will not work if wearing [Heavy armor]. Current Bonus: 50% less noise when walking and 10% when running.
I thought my unique skill [Quick Learner] isn¡¯t working properly. I wondered why I didn¡¯t get [Sneak] like Dianne. Is there a special condition to get that skill? And why did I get [Heal] as my default skill instead of fire ball or magic bolt? ¡°What is it?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± The streets were strangely empty and silent as we tread. As soon as Dianne gave us the signal that the road ahead was clear, the rest of us move as quickly and silent as we can. After a few minutes, Dianne finally found something. [Hold up! I think I saw a monster just up ahead.] ¨CDianne [What is it?] ¨CMiguel [Goblin Scout Lvl. 4 and it has a bow but it¡¯s alone] ¨CDianne ¡°Do you think we can beat that? I mean, it¡¯s level 4 and we¡¯re all level 1 except you.¡± Eric asked me. ¡°There are five of us and if we work together, we have a great chance.¡± I said and they nodded. [Dianne, can you tell us where?]- Miguel [Yes, the goblin scout is at your 9 o¡¯clock just a block from your position. Wait for my signal then move so it won¡¯t see you coming.] ¨C Dianne. I didn¡¯t expect Dianne to be this reliable. I didn¡¯t know how she¡¯s doing it but looks like I needed to reassess my thinking about her. [Good job, Dianne! Stay there and keep an eye for that goblin.]- Miguel [You got it!] -Dianne. [Alright guys, here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. We move as silent as possible as we approach the goblin scout. On my signal, Melissa, you will use your [Aimed Shot] and try your best to hit it on the head. Claire, after Melissa¡¯s attack you will use your [Charm] then Eric will do the rest.]- Miguel The four of us hid behind a vendor¡¯s stall and waited for Dianne¡¯s signal to move. [It is facing the opposite direction. Go!] ¨C Dianne As soon as we heard the signal, the four of us came out from our hiding place and moved. When we were close enough, I gave them the go signal.
Goblin Scout Lvl. 4
Melissa, as per my instruction, fired her sling shot. Her hand and the slingshot glowed with yellow light as she used [Aimed Shot]. The stone projectile she fired flew fast and hit the head of the unaware goblin scout. -48 HP Critical Hit! It was the first time I saw a critical hit. I must say that Melissa¡¯s damage was impressive. The highest damage I¡¯ve ever dealt was 31 when I used [Bash] on the goblin¡¯s head. I wondered why it didn¡¯t crit. The goblin scout was dazed from the sudden attack and faced our direction. Claire¡¯s eyes glowed pink when she used [Charm] on the goblin scout. We knew it worked when the goblin scout¡¯s facial expression changed from aggressive into passive. I told Claire to continue channelling it when Eric closed the gap. Target is Charmed! Eric rushed to the goblin scout while his improvised spear glowed with yellow light. He lunged forward to the goblin with [Power Attack]. The goblin scout made a bloody gurgling sound as Eric¡¯s spear pierced its neck. -55 HP Critical Hit! Target Died What the fuck is this? Two critical hits in a row? All of a sudden I felt like I was most useless person in our party. At least my plan went like clockwork and I gained a level. *DING*
Level up!
[Guys, I levelled up!] - Eric [Me too!] ¨C Dianne [Awesome!] - Melissa [I think I''m getting the hang of this] - Claire [Alright guys, let¡¯s loot the goblin and move on...] ¨C Miguel It looks like my terrible speech worked. Greed is the best motivation after all. They were like children in a candy store as we looted the goblin scout. We used [Observe] on the items it dropped. *DING*
Goblin¡¯s Short Bow Attack Damage [Physical] 6-9 Durability: 13/15 Requirements: 10 DEX A poor quality short bow made by goblins
Iron Arrow X 4
Copper Coin X 21
Silver Coin X 1
Small Mana Stone X 1
Dirty Loin Cloth X 1
Skill level of [Observe] increased by 1
Hmmm. Not bad. Although the short bow was of poor quality, the damage was much higher than the dagger we got earlier. It¡¯s a shame that only 4 arrows dropped. I still didn¡¯t know what a mana stone was but we decided to keep it in case we found its use. The dirty loin cloth smelled horrible and I argued that we shouldn¡¯t keep it because it has no use. Alas, Melissa and Eric insisted that we keep it. We put all the loot inside a bag including the coins and stored it in inventory. We decided that the loot will be distributed later. ¡°Good job guys. Now, let¡¯s move on...¡± I said. The group¡¯s morale was at all time high and they¡¯re all fired up as we killed the first monster as a group. They were too excited to find another monster to kill. After a few minutes, their wish was granted. We found another Goblin Scout.
Goblin Scout Lvl. 4
[Same tactics, same formation... Are you ready guys? On my signal...] - Miguel This time the Goblin Scout was in a tight space between the two buildings. We waited for the goblin to come out before we strike. [Go!] Before the goblin scout noticed us, Melissa fired her sling shot with her skill [Aimed Shot]. Her attack missed the head but it hit the goblin on its back. -29 HP The goblin scout flinched and turned to us. It readied its bow but before it could release the arrow, Claire already channeled her [Charm]. Target is Charmed! Using this as an opportunity, Eric lunged his spear using [Power Attack] to the goblin scout. The spear pierced its torso as Eric took the spear downwards to pin the goblin down. -27 HP Claire charged and plunged her spear towards the pinned goblin. She and Eric continued to stab the pinned goblin until it died. -18 HP -20 HP -21 HP Target Died After the goblin scout died, we proceeded to loot its corpse. We found almost the same drop except that it didn''t drop a Silver Coin and a small mana stone. Our party moved on to the next goblin and repeated the same tactic and formation. For hours, we killed 12 more goblins. The last goblin scout we killed hit Eric with its arrow. Eric tried to catch the arrow with his improvised shield like he did on the other goblins but the arrow landed on his stomach. We managed to kill it before it could launch another arrow. After we removed the arrow from Eric, I used [Heal] to recover his HP. He cried in pain for a moment but he calmed down as I sealed the wound. I told Dianne to regroup and we decided to take a break for a few minutes to recover our MP and SP. We also levelled up three more times and all of us were one level higher than a Goblin Scout except for me. I¡¯m already level 6 going to level 7. ¡°Are you okay, Eric?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good.¡± Eric panted. ¡°Good thing we have Miguel as our healer. Thanks man...¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± I said. ¡°I think we should try to kill that group of goblin we saw.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bad idea, Claire. We could barely manage to kill one. We should wait until I got an offensive AOE Skills.¡± ¡°AOE?¡± Claire asked. ¡°It means area of effect. Any skill that can hit multiple enemies at once.¡± I replied. ¡°I agree with Claire. We can do it even without AOE skills. Besides, we have you as a healer and I can take hits. Nothing can go wrong.¡± Eric said as he unintentionally planted a flag. ¡°No... Anything that can go wrong. Just one mistake and it could mean our death.¡± My death in particular. Shit. I planted my own death flag. ¡°Come on. Eric is right. We can do this!¡± As a leader, your skills are measured on how well you manage your followers and when your followers started to second guess every decision you make, you already failed as a leader. ¡°I said no...¡± ¡°...¡± They were silent and I could see defiance in their eyes. Stupidity is a gift from god but one mustn¡¯t misuse it. Sometimes, one can be stupid and arrogant at the same time. Shit. I¡¯m really going to die. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± Eric said. As we walked through the streets, Dianne informed us that there were 3 goblins at 10 o¡¯clock just 3 blocks ahead of us. We took a peek as we hid in a corner.
Goblin Archer Lvl. 5
Goblin Archer Lvl. 5
Goblin Spearman Lvl. 6
Oh shit! [They¡¯re too strong! We can¡¯t do this.] ¨CMiguel [We can do this! You and Melissa will attack the goblin archer while Dianne would sneak attack the other. Claire and I will take care of the spearman.] ¨C Eric [Bad idea, Eric...]- Miguel Before I could protest, Dianne gave us the signal and all of them stood up and recklessly charged at the goblins. I could only shake my head and sigh at their stupidity. I had no choice but to go in to join their recklessness. Melissa used her [Aimed Shot] at the goblin archer as per Eric¡¯s idiotic plan. The stone hit the goblin archer in its head. The impact was so strong that the goblin tumbled with its face planted on the ground. -57 HP Critical Hit! I rushed towards the downed goblin archer and activated my skill [Bash]. I aimed at its head and crushed the goblin archer in one blow. -48 HP Critical Hit! Target Died I didn¡¯t notice that the other goblin archer was already aiming at me. It launched its arrow and the arrow pierced my neck. -101 HP Critical Hit! As the pain registered from the attack I sustained, my vision blurred and I lost my footing. At that time when I saw the goblin nocking another arrow to finish me off, I thought that was it. I was going to die. I was stupid enough to join their recklessness and I was going to pay dearly with my life. Before the arrow was launched, the goblin archer was hit by a stone in its head. -55 HP Critical Hit! Suddenly, a dagger slashed the throat of the dazed goblin archer. I didn¡¯t see where it came from but the moment the dagger sliced its neck, the shadow revealed itself. It was Dianne. -244 HP Critical Hit! Sneak Attack! Target Died Meanwhile, as I dropped to the ground. I watched Eric and Claire having a hard time fighting the goblin spearman. The goblin spearman proved to be a strong opponent. Claire¡¯s [Charm] didn¡¯t seem to work pretty well. Eric lunged forward with his spear to attack. -0 HP Attack Missed! -0 HP Attack Missed! Eric¡¯s attack missed as the goblin spearman dodged to its right. Claire also tried to attack but she also missed. The goblin used the moment to counter attack. The spear glowed yellow and the goblin pierced Eric¡¯s torso. -52 HP Eric cried in pain as the goblin retracted the spear to launch another strike. Melissa drew her sling shot and used [Aimed Shot]. The shot made the goblin fall on its knee. -48 HP Critical Attack! You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Claire tried to attack and again it missed. The goblin rolled to the side and got up. They faced each other anticipating every movement they make. Dianne used her [Sneak] and stabbed the goblin spearman in its back repeatedly before it could make a move. -120 HP Sneak Attack! -30 HP -31 HP Target Died! As the battle ended, Eric and I were wounded but I was at a critical condition. I was trying my best to maintain consciousness. I pulled out the arrow that was stuck in my neck. As much as I wanted to scream in agony, all the sound I made was muffled by a gush of blood. -30 HP Debuff: Severe Bleeding -10 HP Claire lifted my head in order to prevent me from choking from my own blood. Dianne also rushed to my side and panicked. I focused my mind and with the last ounce of my consciousness, I activated [Heal] on myself. I took me a while to completely heal. +141 HP Without saying a word, I got up and went to Eric. Melissa pressed her hand on top of Eric¡¯s chest to prevent bleeding. I took off her hand and used [Heal] on Eric. +62 HP ¡°Oh god¡­ Oh shit¡­¡± Eric panted. I wanted to punch them in the face for being reckless. I was furious that I nearly died but now wasn¡¯t the time nor the place to play a blame game. When we thought that everything was over, we heard a loud roar. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRRRRRR!!!¡± ¡°W-what is that?!¡± Dianne screamed in fear. All of us were frozen in fear; the sound of the unknown monster¡¯s footsteps became louder and louder as it approached close. A gigantic figure appeared in front of us. Its skin was yellowish in color and small muscles bulged in its body. Although it was thin for its height of about 8 feet tall, it has a menacing look that can make a grown man pee his pants. I know because I almost peed on mine.
Ogre Youngling Lvl. 18
Just as I feared, it was an ogre from Eric¡¯s story. The creature looked at us and charged. We quickly got up and dodged. Dianne was sent flying by the charge attack of the ogre and she landed on her back unconscious. -122 HP ¡°Dianne!!!!¡± Claire shouted as tears gushed on her face. After the ogre recovered, the ogre charged straight to us and we barely managed to dodge. Its head crashed on the wall and was stunned momentarily. -21 HP All of us were panicking at the sight of a fallen comrade and a ferocious monster. I breathed out deeply as I calmed my mind. I tried my best to analyse the situation and came up with a plan. I remembered the time when Eric and I were playing MMOs. There was this thing in monster¡¯s AI, we call aggro. Aggro is slang for aggression. If you get close enough to a monster, it will attack you. We gamers called this as ¡®pulling aggro¡¯. Sometimes, monsters change target whenever someone deals high damage. That¡¯s why in every party, a tanker is a must to manage a monster¡¯s aggro in a form of skill that pulls aggro. There were times when Eric and I couldn¡¯t find a tanker in our party so we resort to another technique of killing strong monsters without a tanker. Kiting is basically a hit and run technique and it only works on monsters who attack in melee. Eric would attack a monster to pull its aggro and run then I will attack the monster so it will change its attention to me. After that, I would run and Eric would pull its aggro. Rinse and repeat. It was time consuming but effective nonetheless. ¡°Guys get up! Get up! We can do this!¡± I shouted. The truth was I didn¡¯t really know if we can but it was definitely worth trying than die not doing anything. The others hesitated but I forced them to get up. ¡°I¡¯ll grab its attention and make it charge. Melissa, on my signal, you will use your [Aimed Shot] and try to aim for its head. Claire, before the ogre charge to Melissa, you will use [Charm] and if you must spend all your MP, spend it all and Eric use your [Power attack] on my signal. Try to aim for its eyes. After that, unleash hell.¡± They nodded as their eyes filled with renewed courage. I ran to towards the stunned ogre and used [Bash] and aimed for its knee. I planned to break its knee so kiting would be easier. -29 HP Obviously, its knee didn¡¯t break and the ogre screamed in rage and charged towards me. I ran as fast as I could and let the ogre chase me past the others. As I nearly reached the wall, I could hear the ogre¡¯s loud steps coming towards me. I jumped to my left and the ogre crashed his head on the wall. Thankfully, the ogre couldn¡¯t stop its inertia in time. -21 HP Again, I used [Bash] on its knee. The stunned ogre budged a little from my attack as it swiped its arm. It hit me squarely on my chest and sent me flying. -30 HP -40 HP ¡°Now, Melissa!¡± I shouted as I coughed blood. Melissa fired off her sling shot and the stone hit the ogre in its head. The ogre flinched on the impact but it didn¡¯t do enough damage to pull off its attention. -52 HP Critical Hit! ¡°Again!¡± Melissa fired off another shot and now, the ogre¡¯s attention was completely focused to her. -51 HP Critical Hit! ¡°Claire! Do it now!¡± Before the ogre could charge, Claire used [Charm] to the ogre. Her eyes glowed bright pink as she spent all her MP to her skill. The ogre, on the other hand, was mesmerized by her and stopped from moving. Target is Charmed! ¡°Eric! Do it!¡± ¡°YAHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡± Eric charged fiercely and plunged his spear to the creature¡¯s eye. -56 HP Critical Hit! Target is Blinded! The creature roared fiercely in agony as it covered its eye with its hands. I took this perfect opportunity and used [Bash] on its knee. A loud crack can be heard as my steel pipe broke its knee. The ogre fell to the ground as it thrashed desperately. -28 HP Target is Crippled! ¡°All of you! Attack!¡± I shouted. Melissa fired off one more [Aimed Shot] on its head while Eric, Claire and I attacked the downed ogre repeatedly until it died. -58 HP Critical Hit! -35 HP -32 HP Target is Bleeding! -34 HP -2 HP -42 HP Critical Hit! Target Died! *DING*
For successfully killing a monster more than 10 levels above your level, the SYSTEM rewarded the ¡®Boston Tea Party¡¯ with the following: Reward(s): +2 all attributes +5 Gold Coins (For each party member)
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Attribute(s) Gained: +1 STR +1 AGI +5 HP
¡°We did it¡­¡± Eric said. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Melissa bursts into tears. I stood up and went to Dianne¡¯s unconscious body. Claire was beside her as I checked Dianne¡¯s pulse and placed my ear near her chest. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was still alive as I couldn¡¯t hear her breathing nor her heart beat. I opened the Party Screen to check everyone¡¯s status.
Boston Tea Party
EXP Sharing:Equal Sharing
Party Members:Status:Health points, Stamina points, Mana points:
Miguel Arevalo Lvl. 10 (Leader)Tired -10% EXP gainHP: 115/180 SP: 22/90 MP: 275/405
Eric Reyes Lvl. 8NormalHP: 190/190 SP: 71/190 MP: 170/170
Claire Roque Lvl. 8Tired -10% EXP gainHP: 140/140 SP: 102/170 MP: 41/240
Dianne Duria Lvl. 8Injured (Unconscious)HP: 28/150 SP:51/340 MP: 115/115
Melissa Panis Lvl. 8NormalHP: 140/140 SP: 21/200 MP: 165/165
I immediately used [Heal] to Dianne and cracking sound could be heard as the broken bones formed and realigned. +122 HP As soon as her HP recovered to full health, I checked her status and it was back to normal. I also used [Heal] to myself to heal my injuries. +65 HP
Skill Level of [Heal] increased by 1
As Dianne began to gain consciousness, Claire immediately embraced her. Dianne returned her embrace tightly as they cried. [Heal] was really amazing. One minute you¡¯re at death¡¯s door and a minute later, you¡¯re as healthy as a troll. I wonder if there are trolls. I hope we won¡¯t encounter one. Shit. I shouldn¡¯t have planted that flag. ¡°The sun¡¯s already setting.¡± It was me who broke the silence. ¡°We need to secure that place before it gets dark.¡± I pointed at the building across the road. It was a hardware store and I wanted to see if we can get something useful from it. I know that I nearly died earlier and I should tell you that I was as disturbed as them. Probably more but I try to keep my cool and think carefully of our next move. Before we entered the building, Dianne and I made sure to loot all the monsters we¡¯ve slain including the ogre. Meanwhile, Eric, Melissa and Claire looked for monsters inside the building and found none. We entered the building and the interiors were bigger than I expected. We found a treasure trove of tools, building materials and other things that we can definitely put to good use. Using the hammer and nails from the toolbox, Eric and I barricaded the door with planks of wood we found. You¡¯ll never know who¡¯ll be knocking at your door. Paranoia¡¯s a bitch. Melissa took out the super kalan and her cooking utensils. She looked grim as she reheated the pasta we ate last night. No one was in the mood to do anything. We all stared silently at the fire as we waited for our food. I figured that I should say something as a ¡®leader¡¯ because the last thing I need is traumatized companions. This was a good chance to solidify my position in our group plus if they get reckless again, I can use what happened as an argument: ¡®Remember when we fought the ogre?¡¯ and that will shut them up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry guys¡­ I was reckless¡­¡± Eric said before I could make my speech. ¡°If I listened to Miguel, this wouldn¡¯t happen to us¡­¡± Oh Eric, I¡¯m flattered. I was going to blame you for everything but I guess there¡¯s no need. I should follow up his speech by ¡®I was reckless too blah blah blah so it¡¯s my fault too or something¡¯. That should increase my standing in our merry band. ¡°Eric, we were reckless too¡­ I was reckless.¡± I said to them. ¡°We got careless because we became too confident. We forgot the fact that we¡¯re still in the real world. Sure, the rules have changed similar to a game but the fact that we can die is very real. The danger is real.¡± Their eyes looked at me with guilt. They didn¡¯t say anything and turned their heads down. At least they knew that it was really their fault. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t blame each other now. All we can do now is to move on¡­ as a team.¡± I emphasized on the word ¡®team¡¯ so they would listen to me the next time they would do something stupid. Their heads began to look up as I gave them a little push further. ¡°I want you to forgive yourselves. Let it serve as a lesson for all of us. What happened earlier was inevitable. Whether we¡¯re careful or not that shit will still happen. All we can do is to prepare for it and do our best as a team.¡± As soon as I said that, they looked at me and their eyes were filled with determination. At least that¡¯s what I think. Time to make the clich¨¦d ¡®are you with me¡¯ line. ¡°Are you with me?¡± I said as I stretched my hand in front of them. I wanted to do a ¡®fight team fight¡¯ clich¨¦ like in the sports drama movies. They put their hands on top of my hand. They looked more determined than ever. ¡°Go! Boston Tea Party!¡± I said. ¡°Boston Tea Party!¡± We shouted.
Author''s Note: Let me know what you think. I need suggestions for skill names. its effect and how to get them by doing it. Not a too OP skill I hope. The truth is I''m running out of ideas. It''s harder than I thought. ARC 1: Chapter 6: Greed is Good Chapter 6: Greed is Good The group was cheerful that night as we ate our dinner. I pretended that I was okay but the fear of death lingered in me and it¡¯s eating me from the inside. I felt cold even if it was humid that night. ¡°So how much attributes did you guys gain? I got 1 STR and 1 AGI today.¡± Eric said. ¡°Same¡­¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Claire said. It¡¯s probably because we fought in melee. In addition, I gained 5 HP because my HP almost got depleted. There it was again. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about death. ¡°2 DEX for me¡± Melissa said. ¡°How about you, Dianne?¡± ¡°3 AGI¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was a long pause. ¡°Err¡­ Is that a bad thing?¡± She asked. We were surprised by the amount of AGI she gained in one day. I wondered how she got it. Perhaps, it has something to do with her skill? ¡°Not really.¡± I said. ¡°What exactly did you do?¡± ¡°Uhmmm¡­ Am I in¡­ trouble?¡± Dianne was fidgeting when I asked her the question. I saw how Dianne killed two goblins without a sweat. Her damage was too high that it was overkill. The damage multiplier of [Sneak] was too overpowered and she¡¯s undoubtedly the highest damage dealer among us. ¡°By the way, how did you manage to activate [Sneak] without running out of SP? I mean, you¡¯ve been scouting for hours but you never ran out of juice.¡± I said. ¡°W-well¡­ I didn¡¯t actually need to use [Sneak] all the time. I¡¯m naturally good at hiding and I only use it whenever I¡¯m in sight.¡± Wow¡­ She must be really good at not being noticed. But could it be that she¡¯s keeping something from us? Or more importantly from me? I¡¯ve known her since childhood so I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. But I could be wrong. People change and I still don¡¯t trust her. Even so, she proved herself useful. I should be more careful whenever I¡¯m around with her because her skill is frightening and you wouldn¡¯t see her coming. ¡°I just want to say good job and thank you, Dianne. You really saved my life when you killed that goblin archer.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re welcome.¡± Dianne blushed and looked away. I don¡¯t know why Dianne kept on blushing whenever I praise her. Perhaps she¡¯s tired of Eric and she¡¯s starting to develop feelings for me? Hah! Fat chance. Even if it¡¯s true, I don¡¯t really care plus she¡¯s now on my top list of ¡®People you shouldn¡¯t fuck with ¨C Both figuratively and literally¡¯. ¡°Yeah, good job Dianne!¡± The rest of them congratulated Dianne. It was obvious that they were envious of Dianne¡¯s attribute gain. ¡°I want to ask you something, Miguel. I hope you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Eric said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I noticed that you were levelling faster than the rest of us. Is there something you weren¡¯t telling us?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, according to the Party Screen, we¡¯re sharing EXP equally but now, you¡¯re two levels above us. I also noticed that whenever you attack, your hands and your pipewere covered in yellow light. Isn¡¯t that a skill? I thought we were all given one skill?¡± Claire said. Shit. They¡¯re smarter than I thought. And they have a good observation too. I underestimated them too much. That won¡¯t happen again.Well, anyway, that secret won¡¯t really be hidden from them in a long run. Sooner or later, they will notice that I have too many skills. I just hope that they wouldn¡¯t complain about the EXP sharing too. ¡°You noticed huh?¡± I sighed. ¡°So what is it?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°I got a unique skill [Quick Learner]. I can learn any skills by action and I get twice EXP and skill EXP.¡± I told them. They all looked shocked and jealous at the same time. I saw Claire drooling as she looked at me. These bastards are really greedy. Who¡¯s to blame? I am. ¡°So how did you get it?¡± Claire asked. I told them the whole story of how I got the unique skill. I explained to them that yesterday, God and I had a talk and I got my skill as a reward for getting His attention. I also told them the consequences of my action. My automatic watch stopped working because I got God¡¯s attention. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Don¡¯t you ever invoke Him. You don¡¯t want His attention. I guarantee it.¡± ¡°I agree with Miguel. It¡¯s dangerous and it¡¯s not worth it. I was there when I saw the SYSTEM update.¡± Eric said. Claire, Dianne and Melissa were quiet. It looked like they weren¡¯t convinced. Claire, in particular, was obviously praying to God. After a few seconds of silence, there was a loud thunder that boomed outside. It was so loud that all of us flinched at the sound. ¡°What the fuck!? I told you not to get His attention!¡± Fuck this. They¡¯re really looking forward to be smited by the Almighty Smiter. I wonder what Claire said to Him. *DING*
Tell that sadist bitch of yours that I¡¯m God and not a genie. I¡¯ll smite her for real if she does that again.
I turned my head to Claire. Her face was pale and she was shaking in fear. ¡°He wanted me to tell you that He¡¯s not a genie and He will smite you for real if you do that again.¡± She gulped. She didn¡¯t say anything and just nodded. I stared at the rest of them and they looked more afraid than Claire. I was giving off the ¡®I told you so¡¯ vibe. ¡°How about we inspect our loot and forget everything that happened, eh?¡± I said. They nodded and I sighed in relief that they didn¡¯t open the topic of changing the EXP sharing. We opened our inventory and pulled all the items we looted from the monsters we killed. We got 2,463 Copper Coins from all of our kills including the goblins we killed in the restaurant. We split the money using the Convert Coin option that we found in the inventory system. We agreed to equally distribute all the money so that in case one of us dies and couldn¡¯t recover the body, our losses wouldn¡¯t be that great. It¡¯s harsh but that¡¯s because it was my suggestion. I wanted to suggest that I will hold it for them but I already figured that it wouldn¡¯t work. Not with this greedy bunch. It¡¯s basic finance. You shouldn¡¯t put all your eggs in one basket. Well, except if that basket was me. Eric and I were probably the greediest of this bunch since we used to scam other players or take the entire boss¡¯ loot for ourselves. Sometimes, we fight each other for a good item but a minute later, we would agree to sell it then split the score. If only these girls knew about how dickish Eric was in the game, they¡¯d probably be turned off. This was one of the reasons why we were one of the most hated gamers among the community. Our victims tried hard to report us for scamming but it was futile since it was a ¡®scam¡¯ and they can only blame their selves for their stupidity. Most GMs didn¡¯t care about scammers and the scammed. Many players tried to hunt us down and PK us for vengeance or for their sense of righteous justice but most of the time, we won. We lie, we cheat, we steal and that¡¯s because we¡¯re strong and we¡¯re anonymous. There¡¯s a saying that a sucker is born every second so why not take advantage of them? ¡°It¡¯s better to be scammed by us than others.¡± That¡¯s our motto. Before we open the sack [1] of loot full of equipment, we agreed that the equipment will be distributed according to our roles and who among us will have the greatest benefit. If there is a conflict, let¡¯s say, two of us has equal benefit for the item, we will have a vote. This was Eric¡¯s idea and it¡¯s a good proposition. But I think it would be better if I decide who gets what because I¡¯m the leader. I suggested this and obviously, they quickly disagreed since most items would most likely be beneficial to me and all of it will be mine. It¡¯s worth a try but damn it. They knew. Dianne and I put all the equipment on the ground and there were ooohhh¡¯s and aaahhh¡¯s as we used [Observe]. *DING*
Goblin''s Short Bow Attack Damage [Physical] 6-9 Durability: 13/15 Requirements: 10 DEX A poor quality short bow made by goblins
Goblin''s Short Bow Attack Damage [Physical] 6-9 Durability: 12/15 Requirements: 10 DEX A poor quality short bow made by goblins
Goblin''s Iron Short Sword Attack Damage [Physical] 7-8 Durability: 17/20 Requirements: 10 STR A poor quality iron sword made by goblins
Goblin''s Iron Short Sword Attack Damage [Physical] 7-8 Durability: 16/20 Requirements: 10 STR A poor quality iron sword made by goblins
Goblin''s Iron-tipped Spear Attack Damage [Physical] 8-9 Durability: 18/20 Requirements: 10 STR A poor quality spear made by goblins
We didn¡¯t loot the rest of the weapons since they were broken and none of us knew how to repair them. We gave the spear to Eric and the sword for Claire and me. I checked my weapon to compare the damage.
Goblin''s Iron Short Sword Attack Damage [Physical] 7-8 Durability: 16/20 Requirements: 10 STR A poor quality iron sword made by goblins
Galvanized Iron Pipe Attack Damage [Physical] 5-6 Durability: 31/40 Iron pipe coated with zinc to prevent rusting
The sword had the higher damage but the pipe had the higher durability. I kept the sword in my inventory as a reserve. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find a better weapon here in a hardware store. I think I saw a bolo around here. Also, we gave a bow to Melissa. The rest of them agreed that Dianne should use a bow instead of dagger because of the 4x damage multiplier of [Sneak]. Since it will be Dianne¡¯s watch tonight, she will have time to practice plus she has 35 undistributed points and she can put DEX to improve her accuracy. I think giving a bow to Dianne was a bad idea. I can see their reasoning and yes, bow was a perfect match for [Sneak] but that only made her more terrifying. I should really try to become friendlier with Dianne from now on. It was also noteworthy that we looted two pieces of leather armor and they have magic on them.
Leather Boots of Stinky Feet Armor Rating: 1 Durability: 5/8 Bonus: Makes your feet stinky while wearing it. A pair of leather boots worn by a hermit who had a chronic case of Athlete''s foot.
Leather Cap of Mental Retardation Armor Rating: 1 Durability: 5/7 Bonus: INT will decrease to 5 Drill the door. Drill the door. Drill door. Dildo.
The armor ratings were the same as normal clothes. Normal clothes were 110% better. ¡°Are these for real?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°They¡¯re junk!¡± Eric said. ¡°Miguel should wear the boots. It matches with his bad breath.¡± Claire jested. ¡°You didn¡¯t need the cap. You¡¯re already retarded.¡± I retorted. ¡°Stop it. You two fight like husband and wife.¡± Melissa complained. There was a short pause between Claire and me, thinking of the next insult. ¡°Hah! FAT chance¡­ If he were my husband, I¡¯d poison his coffee!¡± ¡°If you were my wife, I¡¯d drink it!¡± She emphasized the word ¡®fat¡¯ as if that would offend me. Sleeping with her would be the literal meaning of ¡®Sleeping with the enemy¡¯. I wouldn¡¯t mind at all. She¡¯s been fucking with me ever since we met. Figuratively. Claire showed an awkwardly fake smile and raised her middle finger. Seriously, I used to win but now I¡¯m losing touch with my game with Claire. ¡°I¡¯ll take the armor if you didn¡¯t like it.¡± We turned our heads to Dianne. ¡°Uhhmmm¡­ Maybe¡­ We can find a use for it¡­ In the future?¡± Said the weirdo of the group. I wouldn¡¯t even touch the stuff but she would. We gladly handed over the stuff and she accepted it. We moved on to the best loot:
Skill Book: Charge Attack [Active] Effect: Charge at the single enemy that''s away from you at range immediately and gets knock backed. Damage Bonus [Physical]: 150% + 1% every level Cost: 40 SP
This was the first skill book we got and it was dropped by the Ogre Youngling. ¡°Ermmm¡­ All of us should have a vote.¡± Eric said as he held the book. His greed was too obvious. ¡°You should take the skill book.¡± I said to him. ¡°Really?¡± His voice came out in a higher pitch and his eyes were like of a puppy that you¡¯d want to drown badly. The rest of us agreed that Eric should use the skill book since it would benefit him the most. I couldn¡¯t care less since I can learn the damn thing by doing the same... I hope. But I was also curious on how to learn skills normally. Eric held the book and said: ¡°Learn Skill¡± The book became pixelated and there was a yellow light coming from the book and it went straight to Eric. His body absorbed the yellow light as the book disappeared. ¡°How do you feel?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing really¡­ Open Skill Screen¡± He replied. ¡°Oh there it is¡­¡± The rest of us including me looked grim as Eric celebrated his new skill. ? ? ? Freude, sch?ner G?tterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligthum! Deine Zauber binden wieder was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen warden Br¨¹der, Wo dein sanfter Fl¨¹gel weilt. ? ? ? Eric began to sing Ode to Joy and danced like an idiot while holding the goblin spear. He always does this whenever we got a good score. I looked at the girls. Their eyes were burning with envy and their teeth were gritting in hatred. ¡°Er..ehem¡­¡± I coughed. I signalled Eric his dickish habit. Luckily, he got the signal and stopped. ¡°We should talk about our stats.¡± I suggested. ¡°Interesting¡­ I love talking about builds.¡± Apparently, Eric couldn¡¯t get over of his joy. ¡°Builds?¡± Claire asked. ¡°It¡¯s basically the combination of stat points¡­¡± I replied. In MMORPGs, any character can play any role. One can distribute points equally but they will find themselves at the disadvantage against characters with a proper build. A build depends on their preferred play style. Say, if you want to play as mage, you should add more INT and mages do not need STR. I suggested the following builds: Eric: 1 STR, AGI 1 and 3 VIT for every 5 points since he¡¯s the tanker and melee combatant. I suggested lower distribution of AGI since he can gain it in combat and we still didn¡¯t know how to gain VIT thus it should be the top priority. Claire: 1 STR, 2 VIT, 1 INT and 1 CHA since her role would be support damage dealer and CC. Her skill [Charm] depends on INT and CHA and her fighting abilities would depend on STR and VIT. She will be our jack-of-all-trades. Or in her case Jill-of-all-trades, Mistress of none. Mistress has a nice ring to it. Melissa: 2 DEX, 1 AGI and 2 VIT. As the long range damage dealer, DEX is probably the most important stat because [Aimed Shot]¡¯s damage depends on it. Dianne: 2 AGI, 1 DEX and 2 VIT. Since she will be using bow from now on, DEX would be more useful than STR. AGI is for her [Sneak] skill. My build would be 1 WIS, 2 INT and 2 VIT. I put more INT than WIS because it is more beneficial to have more MP. I don¡¯t know much about WIS yet but I think INT is more important. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°But why put more VIT than our primary stat? STR, AGI, DEX and INT?¡± Eric asked. ¡°From what we experienced earlier, I think VIT is more important than anything else. I considered AGI at first for running but I think VIT is more important in case we have no choice but to fight. We can gain primary stats by doing things and we don¡¯t know how to gain VIT yet.¡± I replied. ¡°We may lose efficiency but the one who lives the longest is always the winner.¡± They cringed and the smiles in their faces shattered and turned into frown. It¡¯s only been a few hours since sunset but they seemed to forget about it. They agreed with the build and they distributed the stat points according to my suggestion. *DING*
For bringing the cowardly wisdom into the fold, the SYSTEM rewarded you with the following: Reward(s): +1 Wisdom
Well, I don¡¯t mind being a coward. Those who are brave always get killed first. There may be honor in death but there is profit in life. Shit. Ever since I made the ¡®loot and exp¡¯ speech earlier, my mind always thinks of profit. Anyway, I distributed my points like the rest of the group. I got 44 points from levelling up because I used 1 point in WIS when I tested its effect on [Heal]. Some of you may think that it is wise to save those points for later but what¡¯s the point of saving those stats if you die? After I distributed the points, I checked my Character Screen and my Skill Screen. ¡°Open Character Screen¡± ¡°Open Skill Screen¡±
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:10
HP:405/405MP:615/615
SP:100/100EXP:11.14%
STR:16WIS:34
AGI:10INT:43
VIT:32LUK:11
DEX:10CHA:9
Satiety:Fine
StatusTired -10 EXP
Undistributed Attribute Points:0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
N/A
Unique Skill(s):
Quick Learner Lvl. 1 Max (100%)
Active Skill(s):
Observe Lvl. 8 Beginner (21.67%)
Heal Lvl. 3 Intermediate (2.12%)
Bash Lvl. 8 Beginner (77.81%)
Passive Skill(s):
Blunt Weapon Mastery Lvl. 9 Beginner (37.84%)
Masochism Lvl. 1 Intermediate (82.97%)
Muffled Steps Lvl 7 Beginner (53.23%)
Hohoho¡­ I felt more powerful than ever before. Well, it¡¯s not like I was super strong before but I felt more intelligent and wiser. I wonder if my HP is enough to survive. We¡¯ll find out soon enough. ¡°You know, I can make better weapons than what we looted¡­¡± Eric said. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°These weapons looked shitty especially the bow. If it¡¯s okay with the rest of you, I was hoping if we can stay here for a day so I can make stuff to help us survive out there. The restaurant didn¡¯t give me a lot of options but with a lot of stuff hanging around here, I think I can manage even without power tools.¡± You¡¯ve got to hand it to Eric. I knew he can MacGyver the shit out everything. That¡¯s why I chose this place to hole up for the night. ¡°But how about our families? The longer we delay, the least likely we find them alive.¡± Claire said. ¡°If we rush things then we¡¯ll most likely end up dead. We can¡¯t rescue them if we¡¯re dead now, can we?¡± I said to them. There was a high possibility that our families were already dead. I just hope my sister was still alive. We decided to stay in the hardware store for a day and we will continue our journey on the next day. After the group meeting, Melissa and Dianne practiced shooting bows. They used sand bags as their targets. I watched them fired their arrows at the sand bags but they kept on missing at first. A few arrows later, they became more and more accurate, most of the time. It¡¯s probably the effect of DEX. Eric, Claire and I searched the hardware store for anything we could use. We found ropes, propane torches, garbage bags, hard hats for our headgear, and more tools for our tool box. I also stored a folding chair in my inventory so I¡¯ll have something to sit on when it¡¯s my turn to watch. ¡°Why do you need shovels?¡± Eric asked as I stored the shovel into my inventory. ¡°Just in case, we needed to bury someone.¡± I replied. When they heard me said that, they were silent and their faces paled. Yeah, I¡¯m a kill joy but I felt the need to constantly remind them of their mortality especially when I was the one who almost died. Anyway, I continued the search and I found bolo knives on the shelf and used observe.
Steel Bolo Knife Attack Damage [Physical] 13-14 Durability: 45/45 An agricultural tool commonly known as Itak.
I whistled as I looked at the stats of the bolo knife. It was definitely superior to all the weapons we looted and it was in perfect condition. It also had no requirements to wield. I tried to swing two bolo knives like I used to swing two rattan sticks in Arnis but I found it too heavy and impractical. I liked to keep one hand free. I stored the other bolo knife as a reserve. I called the others to see what I found and Claire quickly dropped her goblin¡¯s sword and decided to use bolo knife as her weapon. Eric strapped it to his belt as his secondary weapon as he plans to make another improvised spear. Eric grabbed a couple of PVC pipes, a roll of paracord, a pile, measuring tape, a little hack saw, duct tape and a bunch of long orange sticks. Claire and I were curious to see what he planned to make. ¡°What are these?¡± I asked as I held a long orange stick. ¡°Fiberglass driveway markers¡­¡± Eric replied as he measured the PVC pipe with measuring tape. As Eric continued to do his MacGyver stuff, I was tired and I really wanted to get some sleep. Besides, I won¡¯t be much of a help to him. I went to Dianne and asked her for some pillows and bedding. I realized the importance of little comfort since survival was too stressful. I found a nice and quiet spot near the cashier¡¯s counter and set my bed on the ground. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about what happened earlier. After a few minutes, I finally fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning and found Claire and Dianne sleeping. I got up and I learned that Eric had an all-nighter making all kinds of things. Melissa, on the other hand, was still practicing with her bow. She was using a new bow that Eric made with PVC pipe. Dianne also practiced with her new bow but decided to sleep a few hours ago. I used [Observe] on the PVC bow.
Improvised Recurve PVC Bow Attack Damage [Physical] 17-20 Durability: 44/44 Crafter Perk Bonus: 10% Damage and Durability An improvised bow made by Eric Reyes
Crafter Perk? How did he get a Perk? I went to Eric to see what he''s currently doing. There were a lot of wood trimmings and all kinds of materials and tools beside him. ¡°So¡­ What are you doing now?¡± Eric turned his head and handed me a shield. ¡°That one¡¯s yours¡­ I¡¯m making another for me and Claire.¡± It was a round shield made of thick plywood with aluminum sheet covering the front. It has a wooden handle in the middle and a strap. I used [Observe] on the shield.
Improvised Round Shield Armor Rating: 11 Durability: 33/33 Crafter Perk Bonus: 10% Armor Rating and Durability An improvised shield made by Eric Reyes
¡°Cool!¡± I said. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s that Crafter Perk Bonus?¡± ¡°After I finished a bow last night, I got a Perk as a reward from the SYSTEM. Whatever I make will have 10% bonus in... everything.¡± ¡°I see... Can I help you with anything?¡± ¡°No...¡± Eric didn¡¯t even look at me. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Look...¡± Eric stopped whatever he was doing and looked annoyed. ¡°Please don¡¯t disturb me while I¡¯m working. Just do something else or whatever. Now, Shooo...¡± Did he just shoo me? If not for the good shield he gave me, I¡¯ll... *Sigh* whatever... He probably needed to concentrate in his task. I left Grumpy Eric alone with his tinkering. I told Melissa to rest and I took over her watch. I took the folding chair in my inventory and sat on it. Since I got nothing to do but sit all day and drink coffee, I decided to try doing random things to gain a skill. My idea was to do the meditation skill clich¨¦. It¡¯s almost in every reincarnation or rpg type web novels where the main character meditates to ¡®feel¡¯ the mana and discover awesome stuff with magic. I wonder if it would work. I closed my eyes and started with a breathing exercise. Slow inhale and exhale. I tried my best to clear my mind like any OP main character would do when they meditate. I think I also need a harem like Rudeus. Oppai Sennin, please help me... [2] I gave myself a mental slap. I¡¯ve only meditated for a several seconds and my weeaboo tendency re-surfaced. Again, I concentrated and cleared my mind. I felt the same feeling when I used [Heal] but this time, it was different. I could feel weird energies surrounding me. The first one was like an energy flowing inside me like blood and the other was outside like a warm breeze being absorbed by my body. Inside my mind, I saw a tiny marble in a midst of darkness. The marble was covered by a whirling mist like a slow storm. *DING*
You have gained a new skill. Meditate [Active] Lvl 1 Effect: It increases your understanding of the natural energy. When activated, it gathers the natural energy around you and convert it your energy. Increase 50% HP, SP and MP Regeneration. Each level increases regeneration by 1%. Requirement(s): One must have a clear mind before activation. Current Bonus: +50% HP, SP and MP Regeneration
I grinned as I saw the blue screen that appeared before me. I had another idea which came from a light novel I read. I stood up from my seat and stretched my right arm. I took a pose like a wizard casting a spell. ¡°Bestow the protection of water to the place where thou demands, let the crystal clear stream appear here, ¡ºWater ball.¡»¡± [3] Nothing happened. I concentrated and imagined creating a ball made out of water. Again, I chanted the words. ¡°Bestow the protection of water to the place where thou demands, let the crystal clear stream appear here, ¡ºWater ball.¡»¡± *DING!* ¡°Yeaaah¡­.. oh.¡± My celebration was interrupted as I read the blue screen.
You have gained a new skill. Fool¡¯s Act [Active] Lvl 1 Effect: Act like a fool to make the enemy doubt the mental state of the user. Has a chance of confusing target. Will not work on enemies with below 6 INT. Requirement(s): Must act stupidly while activating the skill. SP Cost: 10
I gave myself a facepalm as I read the details of the skill. It was the same skill when Han Jee-Han tried to make an escape skill. [4] I sighed at the fact that even God didn¡¯t have originality. But as a real gamer, this skill has a potential. It is a crowd control skill like [Charm]. I¡¯m sure Claire would be laughing at me and throw insults if I use it. Never mind, I don¡¯t care what they think. I¡¯m going to use this skill to its full potential. With nothing else to do for the rest of the day, I gave up on doing random things and used [Meditate] to level up the skill. The skill requirement didn¡¯t say that I need to close my eyes or not to move. As long as my mind is clear, [Meditate] will stay active. It¡¯s my first true OP skill. Theoretically, I will never run out of HP, SP and MP as long as it is active and I can use [Heal] on myself to mitigate damage. [Meditate] skill was very hard to level even on level 1 Beginner. I activated the skill while seating and it took an hour to level up. Well, it felt like an hour. I didn¡¯t know what time it was since we have no clock. It was hard keeping [Meditate] active especially when I moved. Any distractions on my mind would deactivate the skill. But after a few hours of deactivating and activating the skill, I could move a few steps before it deactivates. The girls kept on bugging and asking me what I was doing and why I was quiet. I kept on telling them again and again that I was meditating and didn¡¯t want to be disturbed. Dianne and Melissa gave up on bugging me but unfortunately, Claire stayed beside me and the skill became harder to level up. She kept on babbling all kinds of bullshit like ¡®Yo Momma¡¯ jokes and all other kinds of insults for hours just to distract me. My patience was getting thinner and thinner that I wanted to choke her to death but whenever I feel angry, my skill would deactivate. I tried my best to control my anger and continued meditating. Soon afterwards, my [Meditate] was at a level where I wasn¡¯t easily distracted. My mind was in a trance and even though I was aware of my surrounding and could clearly hear Claire¡¯s chatter, it didn¡¯t deactivate the skill. Claire eventually gave up after what it seemed forever. With each level of [Meditate], I could feel the energy with more clarity. I tried to walk again with my eyes open and with [Meditate] activated and I could walk indefinitely without the skill deactivating but I could only walk slowly. Any sudden movements that my body made would deactivate the skill. It was already night when I checked the skill to see how much it improved.
Meditate [Active] Lvl 8 Beginner Effect: It increases your understanding of the natural energy. When activated, it gathers the natural energy around you and convert it your energy. Increase 50% HP, SP and MP Regeneration. Each level increases regeneration by 1%. Requirement(s): One must have a clear mind before activation. Current Bonus: +57% HP, SP and MP Regeneration
My skill only went up to level 8 even though I was meditating from morning to evening. I also noticed that I didn¡¯t feel any tiredness from my body nor I felt the need to sleep. I actually felt refreshed and energized. I stopped meditating and noticed that Eric was already done. He made two more round shields and he also made four throwing spears. I volunteered to take watch for the night and let Eric get some sleep. The girls also slept and I was left alone to take watch. Actually, I was happy to be alone because there would be no more distractions and more time for me to meditate.
Meditate [Active] Lvl 1 Intermediate Effect: It increases your understanding of the natural energy. When activated, it gathers the natural energy around you and convert it your energy. Increase 50% HP, SP and MP Regeneration. Each level increases regeneration by 1%. Requirement(s): One must have a clear mind before activation. Current Bonus: +60% HP, SP and MP Regeneration
The sun has risen and I still felt refreshed from meditating. I checked my Character Screen to confirm that I wasn¡¯t tired and I was right. My status was Well-Rested which could mean that I wouldn''t need to sleep by just activating [Meditate]. I didn¡¯t know for how long though but if this was the case then this skill is totally broken and the gamer community would surely be jelly when they learned that I didn¡¯t need to sleep. The others woke up and Melissa cooked some breakfast. After we ate breakfast, we did a final sweep in the place for anything we could use. We all wore hard hats used in construction to protect our heads. It was better than nothing. Dianne and Melissa equipped their PVC bows while Eric, Claire and I equipped our shields. To tell you the truth, we looked like a bunch of retards who liked to play pretend sword fighting. We left the hardware store and this time were much more ready to face yet another perilous but ridiculous journey.
[1] They stored the loot in a rice sack and stored it in inventory. [2] Reference to Mushoku Tensei [3] Also a reference to Mushoku Tensei [4] Reference to The Gamer manga
Author''s Note: A boring chapter I know but the next chapter would be full of action and encounters. Stay tuned and please comment your suggestions for skill name and its effect. I got a few ideas but I need skills for the rest of the party. ARC 1: Chapter 7: What Makes a Leader? Chapter 7: What Makes a Leader? [Clear!] ¨C Dianne [Come on guys, let¡¯s go!] ¨C Miguel After we left the restaurant, we noticed that the streets were clear of monsters. It was strange. There were a lot of corpses though. Human corpses. They were starting to rot and they smelled horrible. Luckily, we got facemasks from the hardware store. The kind of facemask that bike riders used to wear. As you can imagine, some of thebuildings we came across were totally ruined because of the strong earthquake on the first day. It¡¯s only been two days but there were strange plants growing on the cracks of the concrete road. We tread silently through the eerily empty streets. We¡¯ve been walking for at least ten minutes but it was strange that we haven¡¯t encountered a single monster yet. [I spotted a lone goblin scout three blocks at your 10. Can you see it?] ¨C Dianne I took a peek from a side wall and saw the goblin.
Goblin Scout Lvl. 4
[Yes, I am seeing it right now. Okay, guys. Same tactics and formation like the other day.]- Miguel When the goblin turned to the opposite direction, I gave the team my go signal and attacked it. Melissa drew her bow and used her [Aimed Shot] and hit the goblin scout in its back. -102 HP Target Died Our charge was cut short when the goblin instantly died. It¡¯s not even a critical hit. [One hit?!] ¨C Eric [Looks like it¡­ Probably because of our stats and equipment.] ¨C Miguel [Do you think we can handle groups now?] ¨C Claire [I think so but we have to change our approach when it comes to group fights. We have to fight smart. Preferably, I¡¯d like to avoid monster groups as much as possible.] ¨C Miguel [But if we have no other choice, what will be our play?]- Melissa [It¡¯s pretty much the same like Eric¡¯s tactics when we fought our first group of monsters but we have to change our ways so no one gets hurt as much as possible.] ¨C Miguel In a normal RPG game, the common tactic used in fighting a group was to control the mob¡¯s aggro and let the damage dealers take care of the mob. Obviously, this wasn¡¯t a normal RPG game. Even though we got Eric as a tanker and me as the healer, we couldn¡¯t take the risk especially if our lives were on the line. One mistake could get us all killed so we have to fight smarter. I told Dianne to regroup so we could discuss them our new tactic when we encounter a group. I knew that I should¡¯ve done this before we leave the hardware store but I was just being human. I totally forgot about it. Even if my intelligence and wisdom were much higher, I could still make a mistake. These were the tactics I devised:
    1. In case that there are 2 enemies, our priority would the one with a long range weapon or magic. When the rest of us are in position, Dianne will initiate and sneak attack the priority target and the rest of us will do the ¡®One enemy tactic¡¯. In this case, I assumed that Dianne killed the priority target in one hit. If Dianne somehow failed to kill the priority target even with her ridiculously high damage, Melissa will use [Aimed Shot] to finish off the priority target while Claire will use [Charm] on the secondary target and Eric and I to finish it. The tactic will be the same even if the two enemies have long range weapons or magic.
    1. If there are 3 to 6 enemies, Melissa will initiate the attack and kill one of the priority targets while Eric, Claire and I will form a close formation with our shields. Melissa will use us as cover while using [Aimed Shot] at the enemy. Hopefully, one or two enemies will die by Melissa¡¯s bow. When the gap is close enough, Claire would use [Charm] on one of the enemies and Eric will use his [Charge Attack] to another and finish off the enemy. While the enemy is charmed, Dianne will sneak attack to finish it off and will continue to shoot until all the enemies are dead. Melissa would use me as a cover while shooting at the enemy.
    1. We will try to avoid more than 6 enemies as much as possible. But if the enemies saw us first, Dianne would retreat back to the group¡¯s position and we will retreat and fight in a tighter space so the enemies will be forced to attack us in thinner waves. We would have to rely on our close formation and Claire¡¯s [Charm] while Melissa and Dianne thin out the mob. We¡¯ll have to fight defensively while I spam [Heal] in order keep the formation.
  1. If we encounter a large enemy like the ogre youngling and assuming it saw us first, we will use the kiting tactic. If we saw it first but have no choice but to fight it, we will set up an ambush but it will depend on the situation. I will need to brief them of the plan before we move.
I explained to them the tactics and made them remember it. ¡°But what if we encounter another group of survivors?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Especially that we¡¯re getting nearer to the campus.¡±Ipaused for a moment to think. ¡°We should try to avoid them as much as possible. We don¡¯t know them or their intentions. Remember that there are no more laws and law enforcers to stop those ¡®evil-doers¡¯. We should only trust ourselves and our families from now on.¡± ¡°But what if they saw us?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Then we approach them politely. There''s no need for violence without speaking tothem first. They are probably the same as us trying their best to survive but if they are hostile and attack us, we will use the same tactics like we kill the monsters. If all else fails, we run.¡± We spent almost an hour discussing all the possible situations we may get ourselves into. After the discussion, a blue screen appeared. *DING*
For being a good leader to your group, the SYSTEM rewarded you with the following: Reward(s): Perk: Leadership Effect: +10 Charisma and your followers will be more loyal to you
Hmmm¡­ This was the first time that God didn¡¯t have a comment on me. Perhaps His attention was on other things at that time. This is a good perk since loyalty is hard to come by even in the old days. But of course, there are different kinds and levels of loyalty. This perk just increased it but it didn¡¯t say how much. Depending on my action or situation, there is still chance that one of them would betray me. Humans will be humans after all. I still have to be careful. ¡°Alright guys, let¡¯s move¡­¡± I said to them. After the discussion, Dianne went to the roof. The rest of us had our mouths opened when Dianne climbed the roof like a ninja. [Awesome!] - Claire [How did you do that?!] ¨C Miguel [I don¡¯t know but scouting this way is much better¡­] ¨C Dianne [Uhhmmm¡­. Good job¡­] ¨C Miguel Dianne hopped in between buildings like a ninja as she went scouting. We followed her instructions as to where to go and which way was clear. She also told us that there¡¯s a goblin horde in the west and there were few strays along the way. I guess that¡¯s the reason why the streets were empty instead of crawling with goblin horde. Someone or something must be keeping them busy. I told Dianne to find a route that would take us further from the horde. [Goblin scouts! Three of them at your nine.] ¨C Dianne [Weapons?] ¨C Miguel [All of them have bows¡­] ¨C Dianne [Alright guys¡­ Group tactic #2] ¨C Miguel When we were in position, Melissa initiated the attack and used [Aimed Shot] to one of them in the head while Eric, Claire and I formed a close formation with our shields. Again, it was instantly killed by the shot. -148 HP Critical Hit! Target Died The two goblin scouts noticed their fallen comrade and started shooting back at us but our close shield formation blocked all the arrows. Melissa fired another shot while using us as cover. -104 HP Target Died Dianne fired her bow while she was on top of the roof. I must say that her idea was great. Choosing a higher ground and exploiting it to her advantage. -159 HP Sneak Attack! Target Died I gave Dianne a thumbs up after she killed the goblin. [Good job guys!] ¨C Miguel We looted the goblins¡¯ body but we didn¡¯t leave the weapons even if they were junk. I had an idea that these weapons could be useful for trading with other survivors. Besides food, water, shelter and medicine, weapons also became a necessity for daily survival in an RPG apocalypse. I noticed that even leveling up became harder since the level of goblins were much lower than ours. We only get 2% per kill and I get at least 1%. I know that I should get at least double their EXP but I was 2 levels above them so it¡¯s only reasonable that I was getting much lower EXP from the kills. We were very close to the university campus but because of the goblin horde, we turned around and tried to find another path. Most of the streets on the way to the campus were blocked by barricades made of debris created by the goblins and the few streets that weren¡¯t blocked were swarming with goblins. These barricades and its streets were guarded by 200-500 goblins. I considered turning back and try to take another route to EDSA but it would take us at least two days of travel assuming we would also have to fight our way. I decided to take a riskier approach by going around the barricades and find a path that wasn¡¯t blocked. By doing this, we would also have to fight more goblins. Whatever¡¯s waiting for us on the other side seemed to be giving the goblins a lot of trouble. [Five goblins just up ahead¡­ All of them have spears except for one with a bow.] ¨C Dianne [Dianne, on my signal. Shoot the one with the bow then fire at will. Guys, get ready!] ¨C Miguel
Goblin Archer Lvl. 5
Goblin Spearman Lvl. 6
Goblin Spearman Lvl. 6
Goblin Spearman Lvl. 6
Goblin Spearman Lvl. 6
When we got into position, I gave Dianne the signal to attack. -155 HP Sneak Attack! Target Died -302 HP Critical Hit! Sneak Attack! Target Died As usual, Dianne kept on one hitting the enemies. After the archer died, Dianne kept on firing on the enemies before they realized that they were under attack. She instantly killed two of them in a matter of seconds. Her agility seemed to quicken her draw and fire rate. [Close formation! Melissa, fire at will!] - Miguel I ordered Melissa to assist on Dianne as we cover her. -162 HP Critical Hit! Target Died The poor goblin spearmen were clearly no match for Dianne. Since they have melee weapons, they couldn¡¯t reach her because of her high position. As an act of desperation, the two goblins tried throw their spears at Dianne but that was their grave mistake. Dianne¡¯s agility enabled her to dodge their spear easily and vanished before their eyes and fired another arrow. Melissa used [Aimed Shot] to the other goblin and hit it in its chest. -82 HP -131 HP Although they didn¡¯t kill the goblin spearman in one hit, the arrow left them severely wounded. With no weapons left, I ordered Eric and Claire to execute the goblins. I called it execution rather than kill because the goblins were bleeding and didn¡¯t have any weapons. -138 HP Target Died If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. -71 HP Target Died I know that I wouldn¡¯t gain attribute points for not fighting but who¡¯s to say that I didn¡¯t contribute? I give commands and they put their trust in me. And keeping and holding their trust is my contribution as a ¡®leader¡¯. After we looted the goblins, we rested for a few minutes to recover our SP before moving on. I told them that there¡¯s no need to rush since I wanted them to have full SP and MP before any encounter and wasting a few minutes to recover is time not wasted at all. We did the same tactics as we did with our first ¡®six monster¡¯ encounter. Close if not the same. We killed them as efficiently as possible and looted them. We killed 34 goblin horde strays before we decided to hole up inside a building to take a short break for lunch. We also levelled up and gained stat points. The rest of them gained 2 attribute points but I didn¡¯t gain any because the only time I participated in fighting was when after I used [Bash] with my shield on a goblin, I kicked it and was knocked back. That was it. But at least my unique skill did its work and I obtained another useful skill.
Power Kick [Active] Lvl 1 Beginner Effect: Kick your enemies to knock them back. The knockback effect and damage will depend on STR and enemy size. Each level will increase damage of [Power Kick] and knockback effect. SP Cost: 15
You might be thinking. How the hell did a group of noobs killed 34 goblins in a few hours? Well, we might be noobs but we were smart noobs. First, because of Dianne¡¯s idea to shoot from the roof, we found that it was super effective because these goblins couldn¡¯t reach her. Mr. Villain from Iron Man movie said that in medieval ages, the bow and arrow was the pinnacle of weapons technology. Second, we fought defensively rather than aggressively. And last but not the least, the main reason on how we killed a lot of goblins in a few hours was me. We fought with a precise coordination as I gave commands. I think that it was the effect of my perk [Leadership] rather than our ability to work together. We were like an orchestra with me as the conductor. My job was to make them synchronize and without me, the band will be in chaos and out of sync. As you can see, no plan was perfect and even if you think of all possible situations that you may get into or having a lot of contingency plans, mistakes will be made and anything can go wrong. Of course, we weren¡¯t an exception from Murphy¡¯s Law. We sometimes fuck up too. Earlier, Eric was hit by an arrow in the head because Dianne and Melissa missed a shot. Eric, by some miracle, was still standing and fought with an arrow stuck in his head. He suffered -84 HP damage and it was a critical hit. When we removed the arrow, the wound closed immediately. The wound looked to be fatal but the SYSTEM somehow prevented him to die because of his high HP. This proved my theory that even if you receive a ¡®fatal¡¯ blow; you wouldn¡¯t die if you still have some HP left. Having a high HP pool will prevent enemies from one hitting you. A good tactician can make the most cunning of plans but nothing can beat a man who can improvise on the fly. That is where a good commander comes in. He executes the plan but if anything goes wrong with the plan, he should be able to cover that mistake by improvising. I made changes with our tactics as we fought. Those changes depended on the situation and I, as a leader, simply adapted to it. But of course, our standard approach will always be the same as we discussed earlier. After we ate ham sandwiches, we continued our way around the barricades. Almost every street was blocked and swarming with goblins. We continued to fight scattered small forces while avoiding larger groups of goblins. [Guys¡­ To the north! The ogres are fighting the goblins!] ¨C Dianne [Ogres? How many?] ¨C Miguel [Uhmm¡­ Many¡­ They¡¯ve broken through a barricade and they¡¯re fighting the goblins!] ¨C Dianne [Who¡¯s winning?] ¨C Eric [The ogres, of course¡­] - Dianne [So what¡¯s the plan?] ¨C Claire [We wait them out. I don¡¯t want to be on this side of the fence when the ogres win. We have to cross to the other side.] ¨C Miguel [Do we really have to take risk crossing the university belt? We can go around the barricade. Perhaps there¡¯s another way to avoid both goblins and ogres.] ¨C Melissa [We¡¯ve been going for miles trying to go around the barricades. The fastest way from point A to B is through a straight line. We don¡¯t have a choice.] ¨C Miguel [I¡¯m with you, Miguel¡­ We got to save our family as soon as we can¡­] ¨C Eric [I agree¡­] ¨C Claire We didn¡¯t have a choice. We¡¯ve come a long way to get back tothe C-5 Highway. We have to take the risk and cross the university belt on our way to EDSA. I know that it was me being reckless this time but for me, time is of the essence. I also got a family to save too. Hopefully, when I get home, my sister would still be alive but even if she¡¯s dead, I¡¯ll at least cremate her remainsand take her ashes with me. Even a worthless asshole and a dick like me have a family.It may sound cheesy but even if I¡¯m a logical person,I love my family more than anything else in this world. From what Dianne observed, ogres and goblins seemed to be at a territorial war. The ogres were trying to break through and take over this side of the territory. The goblins were defending their territory from the ogres. We waited for almost an hour and the ogres won and continued their advance towards the goblin territory. We¡¯ve waited for them to pass until the way is clear. Unfortunately, one of the ogres was left behind to guard the broken barricade. We didn¡¯t have a choice but to kill the ogre.
Ogre Lvl. 27
This time, the ogre was much larger and taller than the one we encountered before. It stood at 12 feet in height and it was wearing crude leather clothes like the Ogre Youngling. [Isn¡¯t this a bad idea?] ¨C Dianne [It is but not if we fight smart¡­] - Miguel I told them to regroup and come to my position. As I stated earlier, our group tactic #4 will be used. But since the enemy was unaware of our presence, we plan to kill it by ambush. After I explained to them my plan in details, we went to position and initiated the plan. Claire and I hid ourselves behind debris on the left side of the street while Eric was on the opposite. The ogre was at least 2 blocks away. [Guys, on my signal, you¡­] ¨C Miguel [We get it already¡­ Come on Dianne. Lure that thing.] ¨C Claire [I don¡¯t like this¡­ Do we really have to do this?] ¨C Dianne [It will work, Dianne. Just do it.] ¨C Eric [I can do this¡­ Ican do this¡­ Shit¡­] ¨C Melissa [Calm down and be accurate on your shots¡­ We can do this.] ¨C Miguel Dianne used her [Sneak] and aimed her bow and told us that she was in position. Luckily, the ogre was a sitting duck and a very large target. [Go!] ¨C Miguel After I gave the go signal, Dianne released her arrow and hit the ogre in its head. -252 HP Critical Hit! Sneak Attack! Since Dianne was on the ground and not on the roof, the ogre quickly noticed her presence and roared in rage. The ogre chased her and she ran. She could outrun the ogre but I told her to not let the ogre lose sight of her since we plan to lure him. Dianne continued to run and when the ogre arrived near the intersection, Melissa used her [Aimed Shot]. -131 HP Critical Hit! The ogre then went to its left and chased the one who hit him with an arrow. [It¡¯s working! It¡¯s working! He¡¯s coming after me!] ¨C Melissa [Yes, we know it¡¯s working just run!] ¨C Dianne [Just fucking run!] - Miguel Melissa snapped out and ran quickly to her right while Dianne ran as fast as she can to her next position. The ogre¡¯s aggro was now on Melissa. The ogre¡¯s steps became heavier and faster as it chased Melissa. When Melissa and the ogre were in the second road intersection, Dianne had already drawn her bow while aiming at the ogre¡¯s head. -223 HP Critical Hit! Sneak Attack! [I did it!] ¨C Dianne The ogre changed its target and chased after Dianne. She lured the raged ogre back to the first intersection where the trap was set. [Is it weakened?] ¨C Miguel [I think so¡­ He got three arrows on his head and he¡¯s bleeding badly.] ¨C Dianne [Good! Melissa, run as fast as you can and get back on our position.] ¨C Miguel [Okay¡­] ¨C Melissa [Dianne, try to buy some time for Melissa to get into position before you lure it here.] - Miguel [Got it!] ¨C Dianne Melissa went to the first road intersection and positioned herself in the middle of the road near our position. She drew her bow and readied for the shot. [We¡¯re ready, Dianne!] ¨C Miguel As soon as Dianne heard the message, she lured the ogre into the first road intersection near the barricade. The rest of us were in the opposite direction when Melissa lured the ogre. [Here he comes!] ¨C Dianne Melissa¡¯s bow glowed in yellow light as she released her arrow. It hit the ogre in its left side. -82 HP Melissa¡¯s damage was enough to take the ogre¡¯s aggro from Dianne. The ogre was mad and roared more fiercely as it charged towards Melissa. She fired off another arrow and hit the ogre in its chest but it didn¡¯t stop the ogre from charging. It was determined to get her. -61 HP As soon as the ogre¡¯s steps sounded louder and closer, I gave them the signal for the final part of the plan. [Pull!] ¨C Miguel Eric, Claire and I pulled the rope and raised it in order to trip the ogre. It was just as I planned. The ogre¡¯s rage made him blind of his surroundings and didn¡¯t notice the rope as he charged. The ogre was tripped and fell on its face. Since his speed was too fast when he tripped, the impact of fall came with a loud thud and lowered its HP. -44 HP [Attack!] ¨C Miguel Eric, Claire and I rushed quickly to the downed ogre to finish it off. We used our Bolo knives to stab and slash the ogre¡¯s weak spots: Eric on its head, Claire on its spine and me on its legs. We did this in case the damage wasn¡¯t enough to kill the ogre but enough to disable it. -146 HP Critical Hit! -91 HP Target is Crippled -47 HP -161 HP Critical Hit! Target Died The two critical hits were done by Eric and the crippling damage was done by Claire. Obviously, my damage was the weakest since my STR was lower compared to them.
For successfully killing a monster more than 10 levels above your level, the SYSTEM rewarded the ¡®Boston Tea Party¡¯ with the following: Reward(s): +2 all attributes +5 Gold Coins (For each party member)
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
For coming up with abrilliant tactic, the SYSTEM rewarded you with the following: Reward(s): Perk: Tactician Effect: Your tactics and strategies will have higher chance of success.
It seemed that killing monsters above our league was worth it and rewarding. I don¡¯t think the SYSTEM expected some players to successfully kill monsters 10 levels above them. It looked like God himself underestimated the capabilities of humanity. We looted the ogre and took a moment of rest before going in to the university belt. We allocated the undistributed attribute points according to our builds. Dianne went to a roof to see what¡¯s happening as we rest. [The ogres have broken through the barricades and the goblins are retreating...] ¨C Dianne [Do you see what¡¯s happening on the other side? How about the university belt?] ¨C Miguel [I couldn¡¯t see much but it looks like our way is clear¡­ Nothing¡¯s wrong.] ¨C Dianne [Nothing is wrong except nothing is wrong. We still have to be careful, Dianne.] - Miguel I didn¡¯t expect that monsters would fight each other but what could possibly be the reason why the ogres declared war with the goblins? Is it just for territory? Or are they running from something? I started to have doubts with my plan to go inside the university belt. But it¡¯s too late now; we spent too much effort to back out. Maybe we¡¯re lucky that the ogres decided to go to this side and we¡¯re going to the other side. I couldn¡¯t imagine how much trouble it is to fight ogres every day. We finally made it to the university belt. We called the place university belt because there¡¯s more than one school building surrounding the main university campus. The scenery was worse. There were more ruined buildings so Dianne couldn¡¯t do her rooftop hopping scouting. She was forced to do it the normal way. The streets were filled with more corpses. Not just human corpses but ogre and goblincorpses too. We were in the deeper part of the university belt when I decided to investigate the corpses. I¡¯ve noticed something strange about the corpses. ¡°What is it?¡± Claire asked. ¡°It¡¯s strange all of these corpses looked like they¡¯ve been gnawed. Look at the bite marks.¡± I held the corpse¡¯s arm. ¡°So?¡± ¡°I think these corpses were eaten¡­¡± I replied. [Dianne, go to a roof¡­ tell us what you see.] ¨C Miguel [Okay¡­] - Dianne After a few minutes of waiting for Dianne¡¯s report, she finally found something. [Oh my god!] ¨C Dianne [What is it?] ¨C Eric [Zombies!] ¨C Dianne All of us were shocked by Dianne¡¯s message. [The zombies¡­ Oh my god! They¡¯re too many!] ¨C Dianne [Are they the slow ones or the fast ones?] ¨C Eric [S-slow ones, I think¡­] ¨C Dianne [Phew¡­] ¨C Eric [Does it matter if they¡¯re slow or fast? They¡¯re fucking zombies!] - Claire [We shouldn¡¯t stay here for long¡­ We travel until we pass the univer¡­] ¨C Miguel ¡°Ugghhhh¡­¡± I was interrupted by the sound of groaning around us. All of us fell silent as we realized what was happening.
Zombie Lvl 5
Our eyes opened wide with disbelief. The hundreds of corpses that surrounded us slowly rose up. Their bodies were half-eaten and dismembered beyond recognition. I had a sudden realization of all the clues. The goblin swarm and the barricades. The ogres and their relentless attack. They were all afraid. The ogres were actually running and the goblins were trying to stop the undead horde from getting through. Without saying a word, we all knew what to do. We didn¡¯t need telepathy to state the obvious course of action. We ran.
Author''s Note: Tell me what you think on the comment section... ARC 1: Chapter 8: Walking Dead Chapter 8: Walking Dead
Zombie Lvl. 5
Zombie Goblin Lvl. 6
Zombie Ogre Lvl. 15
¡°Shiiittt!¡± I screamed. We ran like hell after the corpses rose up. I didn¡¯t know how it was possible for a real zombie to exist. I mean, there¡¯s no fucking way for a corpse with dismembered flesh to move. It doesn¡¯t make any sense. This must be one of the magical laws that the blue screens were talking about. I didn¡¯t know anything about magic laws yet but I expected it to be like: First Law of Magic: If can¡¯t be explained, it must be magic. Since the apocalypse, anything that doesn¡¯t make sense can be explained by magic. Blue screens popping out of nowhere? Magic. Disappearing books after using them? Magic. Money and other items appearing out of thin air? Magic. Walking corpses that eat flesh? Magic. Superhuman speed and strength? Well, probably after a serious work out and weight lifting but of course, it must be magic. We were speechless and our thoughts were silenced by fear. Except for swear words like shits and fucks. We ran without question as to what we do next. Not only that it was obvious but it was scary as fuck. Even I, a usual calm person, panicked at the sight of a thousand zombies. As we ran through the streets avoiding the undead horde and hacking only those who blocked our way, we were surprised to encounter a limping and wounded ogre who was also running from the horde.
Ogre Lvl. 27
The ogre and our group stopped when our paths crossed. When our eyes met with his, I saw fear in its eyes and it probably saw the same fear in ours. When we saw another wave of zombies from the ogre¡¯s back, we ran. The ogre was left behind but it also ran with us. We were a bit faster because it was wounded. I had thoughts of using [Heal] on the ogre but I quickly dejected the idea because it might turn against us and I didn¡¯t want that. We were getting tired and our SP was getting low. Since Dianne¡¯s SP was the highest among us, she didn¡¯t even break a sweat as we ran. I tried to activate [Meditate] but unfortunately, my mind at that time was like a chaotic amusement park on fire. [We need to find a place where we can rest for a bit. My SP¡¯s getting low.] ¨C Miguel As a fat person, my cardio wasn¡¯t that great. I was starting to regret eating two to three bowls of rice every meal and I eat five meals a day not including the snacks in-between meals. Even though I know Arnis, it doesn¡¯t mean that I train my body every day and have a good physical form like every martial artist depicted in the movies. Ever watched the movie Beverly Hills Ninja? Yeah, I was like that but I don¡¯t have the fancy moves and ninja gimmicks. ¡°Arrrrghhhh!!! Arrrrggghhhh!¡± The ogre screamed in agony as the zombies caught up with it and tear its flesh. We used this opportunity to hole up in a partially ruined two story building. As we entered the building, I saw thousands of zombies gathered around the ogre and feasted. It was a gruesome scene - lots of blood spraying everywhere. Meanwhile, as I guarded the door, the others killed five zombies on the first floor. Thanks to our toolbox and Eric¡¯s obsession with construction materials, we quickly nailed the door shut with wooden planks. With Eric and Claire¡¯s strength, they could lift heavy bookshelves and other furniture to block the doors and windows. We cleared the whole building of zombies including the other three on the second floor. All of us breathe heavily while sitting on the ground. Running and playing dodgeball with zombies exhausted our energy. I think adrenaline was the only thing that made us kept going for an extended period. After the zombies were finished with the ogre, they walked aimlessly and seemed to forget about us. We were silent again. We were facing yet another dangerous situation and we might not make it. I could see despair on their eyes and they¡¯re losing hope. I was losing hope.I was the one who suggested crossing the university belt. I screwed up and place ourselves in this hopeless situation. ¡°Oh god¡­¡± Melissa broke down in tears. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ Shhh¡­ It¡¯s okay¡­¡± Eric embraced her as he tried to comfort her. Melissa buried her head on his chest as she cried. I also felt like crying. Perhaps I should bury my head on Claire¡¯s breast and cry but I think the zombies would be a safer alternative than that. Even with the pressure of the responsibility of being a leader, I have to remain calm. I figured that I needed to make a speech to boost our morale even for a bit. I tried to move my mouth but I couldn¡¯t find the right words to say. I looked at my hands and they were shaking. I was scared. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t stay here.¡± Dianne said. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t want to spend the night here. There are too many zombies outside and I don¡¯t think that will hold.¡± She pointed at our crude barricade. I agree. This place was too risky to spend the night. We should find a way out of the university belt and hopefully, there are no zombies there. We should at least find a better place than this. ¡°You should wait here and rest for a bit.¡± Dianne stood up and held her bow to her side. Claire gripped Dianne¡¯s wrist in an attempt to stop her. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s too dangerous outside.¡± ¡°I have to do this Claire¡­ There¡¯s no one who can do this but me.¡± Dianne turned her head to me. ¡°Am I right?¡± The truth was I didn¡¯t know what to do in that situation. My mind was too distracted to think anything. I looked at Dianne and nodded. Claire and I went to the second floor to see her off. There was a window on the right side of the building leading to a roof of another ruined building. ¡°I¡¯ll be back¡­¡± Dianne said as she jumped off the window and did her ninja hopping thing. We went back to the first floor and since I got nothing to do, I activated [Meditate]. It was already on intermediate level, I could activate it while thinking other things despite what the blue screen said about having a clear mind. I guess I was totally wrong when I said that Dianne was so clumsy that she couldn¡¯t do anything that could help us survive. Like I said, I knew her since childhood. Everything she does will always end up in failure. I remembered when we were in chemistry class. She was assigned as my partner in the lab experiment. She broke a lot of things in the lab such as test tubes and a microscope. Can you imagine that she accidentally spilled a flask of hydrochloric acid? Seriously, that scared the shit out of the entire class. Later on, Dianne was forbidden to touch anything in the lab. As usual, our chemistry teacher kept assigning her as my partner. I had hard time doing all our lab experiments especially that I couldn¡¯t rely on my partner. Thankfully, my chemistry teacher gave me good grades for it. I didn¡¯t know what Dianne was thinking but I think that she¡¯s just trying to prove herself. She¡¯s no good at anything except gymnastics. It was fun watching her do her thing in a balance beam especially when she¡¯s wearing her leotards. It gives me a boner whenever I think of it. I loved seeing her doing the Bridge. Now that I think about it, it doesn¡¯t make sense. How can a person be so good at gymnastics but be clumsy at the same time? I could see that her being good at gymnastics was probably the reason how she do the ninja stuff but how about the fact that she¡¯s good at not being noticed? Is she a secret agent or something? Whatever, I¡¯m probably just overthinking about it. ¡°Why did you let her go?¡± A voice called me as [Meditate] deactivated. I turned my head on my back and it was Claire. She sat on the ground in front of me. None of us have taken a bath since we left the restaurant and we were dirty and covered in dry blood from the zombies we¡¯ve taken out as we ran. Although Claire was dirty too, she looked hot especially that she¡¯s wearing shorts. And when I say shorts, it was really short. I mean, I could almost see her vag while she¡¯s sitting on the floor. Her legs were still good to look at even if dirty. It¡¯s a pity that I couldn¡¯t find an opportunity to jerk my little junior since the apocalypse. My boner¡¯s starting to hurt. ¡°Why did you let her go? Aren¡¯t you concerned about her?¡± Claire asked. ¡°I am¡­¡± Not really. But it would be better if she stick with us a little longer until we rescue my sister. ¡°But she¡¯s right¡­ If you haven¡¯t noticed, we¡¯re stuck here with a thousand flesh eating corpses outside the door.¡± I continued. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that but shouldn¡¯t we go with her at least?¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s good at what she¡¯s doing and we¡¯ll just be a burden to her. Let her scout the area alone. Maybe she could find a way out of this shithole.¡± ¡°And we are supposed to do nothing?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ We do nothing.¡± I responded. ¡°It¡¯s surprising, isn¡¯t it? How productive doing nothing can be.¡± ¡°You should distribute your stat points while we wait. I know you¡¯re concerned about her but you should learn to trust her more. I¡¯m worried about her too but I have faith in her.¡± Claire nodded and didn¡¯t say another word. I just said that in order to shut her up. She stayed silent as I opened my Character screen and distributed my stat points according to my build.
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:14
HP:526/526MP:745/745
SP:120/120EXP:11.14%
STR:18WIS:40
AGI:12INT:53
VIT:42LUK:13
DEX:12CHA:21
Satiety:Fine
StatusNormal
Undistributed Attribute Points:0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
After distributing my stat points, I found that Melissa was still having panic attack and clinging on Eric like a koala. Claire was still beside me and quiet. Again, I activated [Meditate]. It was already night. It was full moon and its light shone brightly. We waited for hours but Dianne was still out there. Melissa was calmed now and Claire stood up and looked uneasy. ¡°What happened to Dianne? Why hasn¡¯t she come back yet?¡± Claire said as she walked nonstop back and forth. ¡°Relax¡­ She¡¯s going to be fine¡­¡± I said. ¡°Relax? How can I be relaxed? I¡¯ve been trying to message her but she¡¯s not responding!¡± ¡°Shhh¡­.¡± I placed my finger in my lips signalling her to be quiet. I peeked at the windows and luckily, the zombies haven¡¯t heard us. I sighed deeply in relief. I looked at the Party Screen and Dianne¡¯s HP was still full. She¡¯s probably fine. ¡°She¡¯s probably more than two kilometres away from us that¡¯s why she¡¯s not responding.¡± I walked towards her and placed my hand on Claire¡¯s shoulders. She looked very uneasy so I try to calm her down. ¡°Take a look at the Party Screen. Dianne¡¯s HP is full. She¡¯s fine so relax¡­ Okay?¡± I said to her. Claire nodded as she sat down on the floor. I sat beside her to make sure she won¡¯t do anything stupid. I activated [Meditate] as I sat down. After a few more hours of no response, Dianne finally responded to Claire¡¯s message. [I¡¯m okay guys¡­ I¡¯ll be back in a few minutes¡­] ¨C Dianne [What took you so long? We¡¯re so worried about you¡­] ¨C Claire [Did you find something?] - Eric [Yeah, I... took care of a few things. I¡¯ll tell you later when I return.] ¨C Dianne Claire quickly went upstairs to wait for Dianne¡¯s return. I followed her upstairs while Eric and Melissa remained on the first floor to watch. We waited for almost an hour for Dianne to return. ¡°I¡¯m so worried about you...¡± Claire said as she hugged Dianne. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Dianne laughed wryly as she embraced Claire. ¡°Uhmm... Where are the others? I-ah needed to discuss something with all of you...¡± ¡°They¡¯re downstairs...¡± I said. From her looks, it looked like she found something important. It could be that Dianne did something that she¡¯s hesitating to tell us. Either way, it¡¯s better to listen to what she¡¯s going to say. Dianne, Claire and I went downstairs and I called for a group meeting. We all sat down on the ground as Dianne reported us what happened in her scouting mission. ¡°So what happened?¡± I asked. ¡°I found a safe place here in the university belt. It was the Political Science Building.¡± Dianne responded. ¡°A safe place?¡± ¡°Yes... There are no zombies inside and they won¡¯t come near the building.¡± ¡°How do you know it¡¯s safe in there? Did you confirm it by yourself?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Well, I assure you it¡¯s really safe... There were hundreds of zombies chasing me but when I came near the building; the zombies couldn¡¯t get near it. There¡¯s some kind of barrier protecting the building...¡± ¡°I see... Is there anything else?¡± It was very suspicious. It''s too good to be true. There¡¯s no such thing as a safe place ¨C only safer. ¡°Uhmmm...¡± Dianne seemed to hesitate as she spoke. ¡°I-I also met other survivors... in that safe place.¡± I knew it. She really did something suspicious. My eyes glared at Dianne and she avoided my stare. I looked at the others and their eyes met mine. They also looked at Dianne with suspicion. ¡°You said survivors, plural not survivor. It means there are more than one right? How many are they? Did you say something to them? Did you mention about us?¡± I asked one question after another. ¡°Did they do something bad to you?¡± Claire asked. ¡°What are their weapons and their levels?¡± ¡°Do they have magic?¡± Dianne fidgeted as she was barraged with one question after another by our group. I didn¡¯t expect her to meet other survivors especially in this area where there are too many zombies. I really wanted to avoid other survivors as much as possible whether they have good intentions or not. ¡°Tell us what happened, Dianne...¡± I said in a firm voice. Dianne gulped. ¡°W-well, they¡¯re not bad people. There are at least 20 of them in the building and most of them were students like us and they have children with them. Most of them carried 2x4 as weapons; I only saw two of them with fire axes. The highest level among them was level 7. I did mention about our group but I didn¡¯t tell them anything about our skills especially Miguel¡¯s unique skill.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I sighed deeply in relief. Since Dianne was a big airhead, I thought she revealed us completely to strangers. ¡°So... what took you so long? We¡¯ve been waiting for hours. Surely, you didn¡¯t just spend the whole time talking to them right?¡± ¡°They have children with them and they told me that they haven¡¯t eaten anything since yesterday. They¡¯ve already looted the whole building for food but they couldn¡¯t get out since there were too many zombies. So I volunteered to loot food for them. I looted three convenience stores near the building.¡± I face palmed myself as I heard Dianne¡¯s story. Her kindness would be the end of us. Why would anyone volunteer for that? More importantly, they¡¯re strangers and we¡¯re also getting low on food. ¡°Did you give them all the food?¡± Melissa raised her left eye brow. ¡°I gave them most of it because they needed it more but of course, I left some for us.¡± Dianne murmured. ¡°And the food?¡± Eric asked. Dianne opened her inventory and poured a lot of canned goods and other food stuffs on the ground. I¡¯d say that it was plenty enough for the five of us to survive for a week so she must¡¯ve looted a lot of food. She even got rice and lots of bottled water on her loot. We decided that Melissa will keep most of it since she handles all the food preparation of our group. We split up the rest of the food and bottled water as our emergency ration. If one of us got separated from the group, it would be great if we got something to eat. Our emergency rations were good for two to three days and all of it is ready to eat. At least Dianne used her head a little. I thought she gave them all of the food just for the sake of those starving strangers and let us starve. But still, she¡¯s too kind. Kindness, even in the old days, was often abused and those kind people always end up with nothing. If you ask me, will I let a child starve? No. I have a soft spot for children. Will I let another adult starve? Yes. They can get their own food. If they want food, they should have something to trade. ¡°Next time, if one of you encounters another survivor, tell the group first before you make a move. Do you understand?¡± I said to them. Dianne nodded as she stared on the ground. ¡°We don¡¯t know them. What if they did something to you? We wouldn¡¯t know what happened. Look, I will only say this once and you won¡¯t hear me saying this again¡­¡± I turned my eyes to Dianne and said: ¡°Dianne, you¡¯re a cute girl. You¡¯re very cute and sexy.¡± Dianne blushed and she quickly turned her gaze away from me. I turned to Melissa next. ¡°Melissa, you are beautiful too. Men these days would look at you like a treat and Claire... Uhhh¡­¡± I had second thoughts on giving compliments on Claire. She might use what I say as a weapon of insult destruction. They raised their eyebrows as they look at me. Eric was surprised too. I never gave compliments to a woman especially about their looks because those compliments coming from me would be too creepy to hear and unnatural. When I confessed to Dianne a long time ago, I never told her that she¡¯s beautiful. Not even once. ¡°What about me?¡± Claire lowered her eyebrows and her glares were sharp. I gulped. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ pretty too. I guess?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Claire didn¡¯t look thrilled or impressed with my statement. I shrugged and rolled my eyes. ¡°Anyway, the point is: What would happen if a man finds a beautiful woman? In the old days, the man would try woo that woman. But now, most humans are dead. Beauty is now a rare commodity. Imagine if an all-male survivor group found the three of you, what do you think they would do? Heck, if it was me, I¡¯d probably¡­¡± ¡°Rape us?¡± Claire interrupted me and finished my speech. She was still giving me the death glare. ¡°Sell you¡­ Why would I waste a fresh and beautiful woman? Like I said, beauty is rare commodity and I¡¯d make lots of money.¡± Their fearful expressions turned to disgust. What the fuck did I just say? I gave myself a mental face palm. I just wanted to prove a point but all I did was to show them how greedy I was. Shit. ¡°B-but you wouldn¡¯t do that, r-right?¡± Dianne asked as she stuttered. ¡°No, of course not¡­¡± I responded and it looks like they weren¡¯t convinced. Not even for a bit. ¡°Just to be clear. I consider all of you as my friends. You¡¯re probably the only persons I trust besides my family. The world and the civilization have ended but it doesn¡¯t give anyone an excuse for being a dick. I admit, sometimes, I can be a dick too but I still have morals and I don¡¯t want to lose my humanity¡­ It is what differentiates me from those monsters outside.¡± Finally, they looked convinced and they nodded in agreement. ¡°I get it. You¡¯re just¡­ worried about us, aren¡¯t you?¡± Claire said. I nodded and Claire smiled at me. It wasn¡¯t a smirk or a smile out of contempt or ridicule like the usual. It was the first time I saw her genuine smile and I was mesmerized by it. I should keep my damn mouth shut. I don¡¯t want her to think that I was just dodging bullets. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s one more thing I forgot to say¡­¡± Dianne said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°George was their leader. You know him, right?¡± ¡°George? As in George James? He¡¯s still alive?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, I never said they were strangers but they¡¯re survivors¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Who is George James? Is he a foreigner?¡± Claire asked. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s just his surname but in fact, he looks like an average Filipino. He¡¯s a great guy.¡± I said. ¡°But how about your sermon, Father Miguel?¡± Melissa asked sarcastically. ¡°My argument still holds. I knew him but it doesn¡¯t mean I trust him completely¡­¡± ¡°Uhmmm¡­ George told me that there¡¯s a system shop and he showed it to me.¡± Dianne said. My eyes opened wide. ¡°And?¡± ¡°I saw it and it¡¯s true. It has a lot of skill books and items for sale. George and his group couldn¡¯t afford to buy since they have no money. But I think we can afford it. I didn¡¯t buy anything because I want your opinion on the matter. They said that we are welcome to use it.¡± ¡°Should we go?¡± Eric asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know this guy but he might rob us.¡± Claire said. ¡°I¡­ think we should go¡­¡± Melissa murmured. ¡°We should have a vote¡­¡± I said. Is it worth the risk? If we go there and assuming that George and his group weren¡¯t cooking something up for us then we would have an access to a Shop. I could finally get new spells and be a proper mage. George was a good guy. He¡¯s a librarian and I befriended him when I was a first year. He¡¯s very helpful especially when I try to find good review materials. He¡¯s the reason why I always get the highest grade in exams. Even though I knew George before, it doesn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t change. This apocalypse fucked up everyone¡¯s minds. ¡°We should go. Miguel is just being too paranoid. They¡¯re people too.¡± Melissa said as she cast her vote. ¡°I think we should go¡­ The skill books and equipment we might get. It¡¯s going to be a great help for us. Besides, I also knew George.¡± ¡°No Eric, it won¡¯t be of any use if we end up killed not by some zombies but by other people¡­ We shouldn¡¯t risk it.¡± Claire said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should go¡­ We can find another Shop somewhere else.¡± I said. We all looked at Dianne as we waited for her vote. ¡°I agree with Melissa and Eric. They were very grateful for the food I brought them and they agreed to share the safe place with us.¡± I felt really bad. Perhaps my lesson wasn¡¯t absorbed by the rest of them except for Claire. This could be another fucked up situation. The monsters were predictable but a human isn¡¯t. I hope that I was just being paranoid. I have no choice but to stick with this group since there''s no way I could survive alone. ¡°So it¡¯s done. We should go there and check the Shop.¡± Eric said. ¡°Easier said than done. The zombies are still outside.¡± Claire said. I sat on the ground thinking of a way how to escape in this hell hole. I activated [Meditate] so I could think more clearly. I analyzed all what I know about the zombies. From what I observed, when the zombies ate the ogre, they totally forgot about us. They became attracted to the ogre¡¯s scream. Perhaps they¡¯re attracted to sound too? In my conclusion, the zombies might have a short span of attention because of their poor short term memory. Sound and smell could be the only stimulus that attracts them. If not for their smell, then why don¡¯t they attack each other? I don¡¯t think it was their sense of sight because we also looked shitty as a zombie. I remembered all the zombie movies I watched. Obviously, we don¡¯t have chainsaws and armoured van but even if we have those, all electrical equipment and cars won¡¯t work because of the SYSTEM. I have to think of a way to escape without relying on machines. After a few minutes of thinking, I finally had an idea. I wasn¡¯t sure if it would work but it was the best I got. ¡°I have an idea.¡± I said to them. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it...¡± ¡°Have you watched the first and sixth season of Walking Dead?¡± I asked. ¡°I never watched that TV show. It sucked. Or so I¡¯ve heard.¡± Eric said. ¡°I watched up to season two.¡± Melissa said. ¡°Are you talking about Rick and Glen¡¯s escape using zombie guts?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the idea. I wonder if that would work here.¡± I pointed at the zombie remains that we killed in the building. ¡°The idea is we cover ourselves with zombie¡¯s guts to cover our scent. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Do you want me to test it?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°You¡¯re the fastest runner in the group and if it fails, you can run fast. I know it¡¯s dangerous but...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Dianne said in a firm voice. ¡°Good, so here¡¯s what we¡¯re...¡± ¡°Dianne has done enough. Why don¡¯t you test it by yourself?¡± Claire said before I could finish. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Claire. I will do it.¡± ¡°No Dianne, you don¡¯t have to...¡± Claire gripped Dianne¡¯s wrist to stop her. This bitch was really getting on my nerves. Claire was being overprotective for Dianne. I guess girl BFFs are always like that. ¡°Who wants to volunteer?¡± I asked. ¡°...¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it myself...¡± None of them wanted to test my theory. I have no choice but to test it myself and besides, I was very confident that my idea would work. These clowns can suck my dick. We forgot to loot the zombie we killed in the building so I dragged a body and carved it with my bolo knife. I grabbed a table cloth and made a hole in the middle so I can put my head in it. Fortunately, we have disposable rubber gloves from the hardware store. The rest of them watched me and vomit while I rub zombie guts on my cloak. I put intestines around my neck just to make sure I really stink. I advised them to do the same in case it worked. They hesitated at first but I told them that if it worked, I¡¯ll fucking leave them behind. It smelled terrible but I hope it was worth it. I went to the second floor and the rest of them followed. I tied a rope to make an exit by the window. It wasn¡¯t that high but I didn¡¯t like the idea of jumping from the window. As I climbed down using the rope, the zombies near me were walking aimlessly and ignored me. After I landed on the ground, they continued to walk and ignore me. I approached one and poked it to try and grab its attention but it still ignored me. I decided to push my luck and chopped off its head to test whether it would attract another zombie. -78 HP Critical Hit! Target Died Fortunately, it didn¡¯t. The zombies have very low HP and surprisingly, their heads were easy to chop. I know that it¡¯s stupid and reckless but what can I say? I got balls of steel and I was stupid enough to test the theory by myself. I looked up to the window to see their faces. They couldn¡¯t believe that it worked. [Get down here and let¡¯s go...] ¨C Miguel I killed another zombie and gained another skill.
You have gained a new skill! Sword Mastery[Passive] Lvl 1 Beginner Effect: Increases proficiency with swords by 25%. Increase Damage with swords by 2% per level. Current Bonus Damage[Physical]: 2%
After we exit the building, Dianne led the way as we tread the zombie infested streets. It was really surprising that my idea was super effective. Even bumping with the zombies wouldn¡¯t catch their attention. We killed any zombies that got in our way as we ran. We avoided the Zombie Ogres at all cost because they¡¯re freakishly big and probably very hard to kill. The zombies were too many so we didn¡¯t actually clear the whole area. We just kill anything that blocked our way. I wasn¡¯t counting on how many zombies we killed on our way but we leveled up once. All of us were using melee weapons because we wanted to save arrows. We didn¡¯t have time to loot the corpses, let alone time to retrieve the arrows because we were constantly moving. My idea must the equivalent of aggro bug in an online RPG. In the online RPG I played, I discovered an aggro bug in the game. I discovered it by duping items that decreased aggro rate. Whenever I duped the item, the decreased aggro rate stat would double. Eric and I exploited the bug and we grinded hard on high level mobs. After a week, Eric and I already laid low because it became a popular bug. The GMs banned those they caught exploiting the bug and we were never caught. I think it took us almost an hour to get to the Political Science Building. Dianne was right. The zombies instinctively avoided the area. We stood near the entrance and catch our breath. [We made it¡­] ¨C Miguel [I¡¯m so glad, your idea worked¡­] ¨C Eric We tried to open the door but it was locked. I guess there was no need to barricade it since the monsters couldn¡¯t get in. But if it was me, I would use anything I have to barricade that entrance because this safe place would draw other survivors like moths to a flame. We didn¡¯t want to make a lot of noise so Dianne leaped to the second floor in order to call the other survivor¡¯s attention. After a few minutes of waiting, I saw George, Dianne and five other people walking to the entrance. They opened the door and welcomed us. ¡°Miguel!¡± George called my name as he smiled. I hope I didn¡¯t make the wrong decision¡­
Author''s Note: Sorry for the delay. Something happened from work. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Leave your comments below and tell us what you think. ARC 1: Chapter 9: Pass, You Shall Not! Chapter 9: Pass, You Shall Not!
Player: George James Race: Human Level: 1 Party: AlphaPhiOmega3
I used [Observe] on George to see his level. I tried to use [Observe] to others and I could see their race, level and party name but I couldn¡¯t see their names. I tried to use it on my group and it has additional info like HP, SP, MP and Status. It¡¯s probably because we¡¯re in the same party. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d make it alive¡­¡± said George. ¡°Yeah, we were just lucky I guess¡­¡± ¡°Lucky? Nah¡­ Dianne told me that because of you, your group survived.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I was surprised that Dianne thinks very highly of me. ¡°Come on in.¡± We took off the cloths filled with zombie guts before we entered. The truth is I couldn¡¯t wait to take them off because the scent was stuck in my nose. I needed a bath. We followed George and his group inside the building. My heart was beating like a rolling snare drum. I hope we¡¯re not walking into a trap. I scanned the hallways to search for clues and to confirm my suspicion. The place was a mess, like there was a riot that occurred. The building¡¯s structure wasn¡¯t damaged by the earthquake as I expected. Maybe the existence of the Shop saved the place from being ruined. I couldn¡¯t see much at first because it was dark but one of them has magic. I don¡¯t know his name but he created a flame out of thin air and held it in his hand. This guy can be a serious threat to us. I better watch him more carefully. ¡°You see, my son is here with us and he was starving when Dianne came here. She saved us by bringing a lot of food. I didn¡¯t know how she did it but I¡¯m really thankful.¡± George said as we walked through the corridors. ¡°You have a son?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Yup... He¡¯s five years old.¡± George nodded. George led us into a room where the others stayed. I counted twenty six people including George. They have three children with them and one of the children was very young. It must be George¡¯s son. ¡°Papa!¡± A small boy rushed towards George and jumped towards him. ¡°Hey!¡± George caught the boy into his arms and embraced him. He carried his son and walked towards us. ¡°This is my son, Ethan. Ethan, say hi to Papa¡¯s friends.¡± ¡°Hi!¡± Ethan waved his hand. ¡°Hello¡­¡± I waved my hand as I gave him my best smile. I calmed myself down when I saw the cute little boy smiled at me. I don¡¯t think these guys are the murderous and thieving bastards I expected them to be. They¡¯re just like us trying to survive in a harsh apocalyptic world. ¡°Let me introduce you to everyone¡­ Guys!¡± George called everyone and introduced us one by one. I couldn¡¯t actually remember all their names except for George, Ethan and the Robert the flame guy.
Player: Robert Palomares Race: Human Level: 7 Party: AlphaPhiOmega3
¡°You guys must be tired and hungry. Come on let¡¯s eat¡­¡± After the introduction, the group gave us food and we ate dinner with them. There were a lot of chattering, smiles and laughs. Our group joined their conversation and they were laughing with them. Me? I was just pretending. Even in the face of apocalypse and certain death, it was surprising they can still see positivity in life and they can still laugh. Unlike me, I always see the negative and the ugliness of the world. Perhaps it¡¯s because the sudden realization of how important little things can be when it becomes scarce. All that we had in the past, we took it for granted. I mean, when you face starvation, you¡¯d probably be the happiest person on Earth if someone gave you food. You might think that what¡¯s happening between our group and the others was weird and unnatural. But it really wasn¡¯t. We Filipinos have something called Utang na loob. Its literal translation is debt of gratitude. When you do something good to a person, that person will be in your debt. It is hard to quantify that debt so it isn¡¯t something to be repaid in money. Most will be offended if you try. This value is deeply embedded to our culture. It is both good and bad, depending on the situation. Utang na loob is also related to Hiya which means shame. Hiya is something of a code of honor among the Filipinos. When you have Utang na loob to a person and you repaid it with rudeness or foul deeds then that means you are Walang Hiya which means you are shameless or without honor. It is a good thing that George¡¯s group have Utang na Loob and Hiya because of Dianne¡¯s charity. I¡¯ve watched too many episodes of Walking Dead and zombie movies to forget these values. However, not all Filipinos adhere to these values especially the politicians. After I ate dinner, I went to a corner to be left out in peace and meditate as they continue their chit chat. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± My mind was distracted as I opened my eyes. George sat next to me carrying a six pack of beer. He opened the bottle and handed me the beer. ¡°Meditating¡­¡± ¡°Meditating? Like Gandhi?¡± George laughed as he chugged his beer. I also took a few gulps of beer. He offered me a stick of cigarette and I gladly took it. Oh god, how I miss cigarettes. Surprise, surprise? Well, I wasn¡¯t a chain smoker; I only smoke whenever I feel like doing it. George lit his cigarette as he blew out the smoke. He handed me the lighter. ¡°So? How did you get pass the horde?¡± He asked. ¡°We took a cloth and pour zombie guts on it¡­¡± I said as I lit my cigarette. ¡°It worked. The zombies didn¡¯t attack us on the way.¡± ¡°Where were you when it happened?¡± ¡°We were having lunch in a restaurant when it happened.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°How about you? What happened to you?¡± George took another puff of smoke as he looked up staring at the ceiling. ¡°We were in the apartment. Samantha, Ethan and me.After the messages appeared, there were a lot of screams¡­ I looked outside and I saw how the ogres massacred all those people. I locked the door but ah¡­ an ogre saw us¡­ It broke the door and we ran¡­¡± Tears slowly fell from his eyes as he looked down. ¡°It killed Sam¡­ That thing killed my wife¡­ I saw how the ogre tore my wife into pieces and I was¡­ I was scared so¡­ I took Ethan and run.¡± I felt bad asking about it. The apocalypse hit him and his family really hard and we had it easy. I wish my family is okay. Even though the chances are low that they¡¯re still alive, I wouldn¡¯t give up on them. I patted his back trying to comfort him. After he wiped his tears, he continued. ¡°I ran as fast as I could. I didn¡¯t know for how long but I saw other people running towards this building for safety¡­. I followed them and here we are¡­¡± ¡°Only 26 of you made it alive?¡± I asked. ¡°No, we were at least a hundred¡­¡± ¡°What happened to the others?¡± ¡°After two days, the ogres were gone¡­ We didn¡¯t have enough food so we decided to leave¡­ When we got near EDSA, all of the corpses rose up¡­ We tried to fight back but they were too many¡­ The city is in ruins and the only safe place is this building so we didn¡¯t have a choice but to get back here. In the end, only 26 of us survived¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m... sorry for your loss...¡± George nodded as he puffed the last smoke before putting it out. I didn¡¯t know what to say so I kept silent as he told me the story on how he met his wife. It was like any plot that you¡¯d expect from a romantic movie. Basically, it¡¯s like this: They met, they dated, and they got married. No plot twists, no schemes, just love. I was kind of jealous of him. About how he described his wife. Of course, nobody is perfect but from what he described, his wife was an ideal woman. It¡¯s amazing what love can do to a person. It makes you blind from all the ugly and focus on what¡¯s good. I was jealous because I never felt that way to others. I wish I could... Someday... I knew that I wasn¡¯t qualified to give advice since we didn¡¯t have the same experience in life but I understood people who are grieving so I listened to whatever he said to at least help him move on. ¡°You should rest... I know you¡¯re tired but thank you for listening...¡± George said. ¡°You¡¯re welcome...¡± George took the empty bottles of beer and left. After a long day of running, my group was exhausted and decided to check the Shop tomorrow and sleep for tonight. It was very tempting to join them but I wanted to test how long I can go without sleeping and with just [Meditate] as my way of rest. I asked George where to find the Shop. He told me that it was at room 409, 4th floor of the building. He was a bit drunk and sleepy because he finished five bottles of beer while I only had one. I took a candle and went to where the Shop was located. As I reached 4th floor, I noticed a strange blue light coming from the room. The first thing that came into my mind was aliens. The light looked like it came from E.T. abduction or something. I opened the door of room 409 and saw a familiar blue screen floating in the middle of the room.
Welcome to the Shop.
The blue screen wasn¡¯t floating in front of my face like any other blue screen I¡¯m used to. It looked like a hologram from Star Wars but there seemed to have no power source. But then, why would I be surprised of this world¡¯s logic? It must be magic. I approached near the blue screen and as soon as I stood in front of it, the blue screen changed and a Ding sound echoed the room. *DING!*
The Shop
WeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. Items
The first thing I checked was the skill books. I expected it to be¡­ more? There were only four skill books available and all of them were ¡®Mage class¡¯ type skill.
The Shop
WeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. Items
Water Manipulation2 GInspectBuy
Fire Manipulation2 GInspectBuy
Earth Manipulation2 GInspectBuy
Wind Manipulation2 GInspectBuy
Dianne said that there were a lot of skills that can be bought but it seemed that only four skills were available for me. Maybe it¡¯s different for every player because the skills available for me were all basic spells. I have to ask the others tomorrow morning. I decided to look at other tabs before buying anything because I only have 15 Gold Coins. I realized that this is the new meaning of ¡®Window shopping¡¯. Get it? Window shopping? Whatever...
The Shop
WeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. Items
Swords and Knives
Blunt Weapons
Spears and Polearms
The Shop
WeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. Items
Swords and Knives
Iron Sword25 SInspectBuy
Iron Dagger15 SInspectBuy
Blunt Weapons
Spears and Polearms
I looked at the weapons tab and there were three sub-categories of weapons available to me: Swords and Knives, Blunt Weapons and, Spears and Polearms. I looked at the swords and knives tab. There were only a few available but I was disappointed that my current weapon Bolo Knife was much better than all of it. They were just plain weapons made of iron and their durability was worse. There were no bows and arrows. It makes sense since I never wield a bow before.
The Shop
WeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. Items
Swords and Knives
Blunt Weapons
Cudgel10 SInspectBuy
Oak Rod7 SInspectBuy
Oak Staff15 SInspectBuy
Spears and Polearms
I looked at the next tab: Blunt Weapons. Unlike the other weapon tabs, this tab only contained three weapons. I clicked [Inspect] to see more details.
Cudgel Attack Damage [Physical] 9-10 Durability: 30/30 A cudgel made of sturdy wood
Oak Rod Attack Damage [Physical] 6-7 Durability: 20/20 Mana Control: 20% A rod made of oak used by novice mages.
Oak Staff Attack Damage [Physical] 7-8 Durability: 25/25 Mana Control: 25% A staff made of oak used by novice mages.
As I clicked [Inspect], there was a hologram of the weapon floating near the blue screen. The first difference I noticed between Wooden Rod and Wooden Staff was their length. Obviously, the staff was longer than the rod. The second difference was both of them have [Physical] damage but the Staff has higher damage and Mana Control. Next, I checked the Armors tab. There were four sub-categories: Heavy, Light ,Cloth and Shield. I checked each of the tabs and again, my choices were limited. There was only one set of armor per category.
The Shop
WeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. Items
Heavy
Iron Armor Set:
Iron Helm80 SInspectBuy
Iron Shoulderguards70 SInspectBuy
Iron Breastplate1 G 20 SInspectBuy
Iron Riveted Chainmail1 GInspectBuy
Iron Wristguards70 SInspectBuy
Iron Shinguards70 SInspectBuy
Light
Leather Armor Set:
Leather Cap50 SInspectBuy
Leather Shoulderguards40 SInspectBuy
Leather Chest Piece90 SInspectBuy
Leather Gloves40 SInspectBuy
Leather Shinguards40 SInspectBuy
Leather Boots40 SInspectBuy
Cloth
Novice Mage Set:
Novice Mage Hood30 SInspectBuy
Novice Mage Robes70 SInspectBuy
Shields
Refined Iron Heater Shield1G 50 SInspectBuy
Buckler30 SInspectBuy
Small Round Shield50 SInspectBuy
I checked the Accessories tab next and the sub-categories were Amulet, Rings and Bracelet. I checked each tab but there were only one item per tab: Copper Necklace, Copper Ring and Copper Bracelet. As you¡¯ve already guessed, all of them were worthless and didn¡¯t have any stats. It didn¡¯t even have Armor Rating. Well, I guess it makes sense because these were not armor. Perhaps these accessories can be enchanted? But how? I guess I¡¯ll figure it out later.
The Shop
WeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. Items
Copper Necklace50 CInspectBuy
Copper Ring10 CInspectBuy
Copper Bracelet30 CInspectBuy
The last one was the Misc. Items tab.
The Shop
WeaponsArmorsAccessoriesSkillsMisc. Items
Large Mana Stone70 SInspectBuy
Medium Mana Stone35 SInspectBuy
Mana Stone10 SInspectBuy
Beastiary of Earthland by Finn Mertens (Book)1 GInspectBuy
Biology and Culture of Races of Earthland by Bonnibel B. (Book)1 GInspectBuy
Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies (Book)3 GInspectBuy
Runes and How they work for Dummies (Book)3 GInspectBuy
Alchemy for Dummies (Book)3 GInspectBuy
Blacksmithing and Metalworks for Dummies (Book)3 GInspectBuy
Survival Guide for Dummies (Book)3 GInspectBuy
There were a lot of books in Misc. Items tab. Even if they¡¯re not skill books, these books might contain knowledge that could help us survive in this world. Most of the books have a title of ¡°For Dummies¡±. I¡¯m familiar with these kinds of books but I don¡¯t think there are books like these in the old world. Maybe these books were written by God Himself. Better ask him. Hey God! Did you write these books? *DING!*
Yes, most of it. Why do ask?
I see¡­ But isn¡¯t it ¡°For Dummies¡± books have copyright?
Should I be worried? What would they do? Sue me? Pfft¡­ The authors and the publishers are dead anyway. I don¡¯t think they would mind.
That makes sense. Can I get a discount?
Do I look like a merchant who can be bargained with? I enjoy our talks but I don¡¯t like giving favors for twats like you. Now, would you like a little smiting?
A thunder sounded from a distance. Chill out! Don¡¯t smite me for asking a question¡­ Anyway, thanks... for answering.
You¡¯re welcome¡­
I shouldn¡¯t push my luck asking Him more questions. I should find answers by myself. After I bought the 4 skill books, I also bought ¡°Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies¡± and ¡°Beastiary of Earthland¡±. The purchases I made left me with 3 Gold Coins. It¡¯s tempting to buy one more book like the ¡°Survival Guide for Dummies¡± or the ¡°Alchemy for Dummies¡± but I should have enough gold for equipment. The items appeared on the table near the Shop and I used the four skill books immediately. I stored the rest of the books in the inventory.
Water Manipulation [Active] Beginner Lvl. 1 Effect: Summon and/or Manipulate Water according to the will of the Caster. MP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS. MP Cost: ???
Fire Manipulation [Active] Beginner Lvl. 1 Effect: Create and/or Manipulate Fire and Heat according to the will of the Caster. MP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. MP Cost: ???
Earth Manipulation [Active] Beginner Lvl. 1 Effect: Summon and/or Manipulate Earth according to the will of the Caster. MP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS. MP Cost: ???
Wind Manipulation [Active] Beginner Lvl. 1 Effect: Summon and/or Manipulate Wind according to the will of the Caster. MP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS. MP Cost: ???
I wanted to test these badass spells as soon as possible but I felt that I needed to read the book about magical laws first before doing anything. I wondered why these spells have unknown MP Cost. Perhaps these spells have a variable MP cost and the formula for MP cost have many variables to consider. I should read the book on magical laws before using these spells. I bought Oak Staff instead of Oak Rod because I can still wield the Staff with one hand and a shield on the other.
Oak Staff Attack Damage [Physical] 7-8 Durability: 25/25 Mana Control: 25% A staff made of oak used by novice mages.
About the shields, I didn¡¯t buy anything since my current Shield was better. The Refined Iron Heater Shield has much higher Armor Rating and durability but was too bulky and heavier for me and the Buckler was too small. The Small Round Shield was lighter and smaller but it has lower Armor Rating than my shield. It¡¯s very tempting to buy the Iron Armor set but I didn¡¯t have enough money to buy the entire set because I now have 2 Gold Coins, 92 Silver Coins and 12 Copper Coins. I could buy Iron Armor piece by piece and go Leather for the rest but the Mage set was there for a reason. I decided to read ¡°Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies¡± first before buying armors. The book may have a clue on why Mage should wear Cloth rather than Heavy or Light armor. After shopping, I went down to the second floor where the rest of my group sleep. Claire took the side near the windows, followed by Dianne, Melissa and Eric. My only choice was the one farthest from the window beside Eric. As you can see, nights can also be like hell in this country. Even in rainy season, humidity makes the body feel uncomfortably hot so sleeping near a window felt like heaven. Especially, when there¡¯s no electricity for electric fans to work. I was in the bad mood for not getting the best spot but I knew that it was my fault. I should¡¯ve saved the spot earlier. There¡¯s a small space between Claire and the windows so I took out two folding chairs from my inventory; one for seating and one for the candle. I lit up the candle with the lighter that George gave me. I also took one cigarette from my pocket and lit it up. I took out a book from my inventory and start reading ¡°Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies¡± while smoking. I know that it¡¯s rude to smoke indoors especially when there are people sleeping in the same room but I don¡¯t care. The smoke would go outside the windows anyway. As I read the book, I noticed that my reading speed much faster than before. The book was at least 500 pages thick and I could read an entire page in just 15 seconds. Not only that, my reading comprehension seemed to improve drastically too. After only a few hours of reading and smoking while meditating in breaks to maintain my rested state, I finally finished the book. I started to write down notes on my notebook about what I learned and discovered. I had a bunch of new notebooks and pens with me when we left the university for lunch. I¡¯ve only used a few pages from the boring history lecture so I tear it down because it¡¯s useless. I write notes so in case of my untimely death; this knowledge would be imparted to others for the greater good of humanity - Just kidding. I was just taking notes so it would help me remember my findings and if the world somehow recovers even with the monsters still littering around, I would have a future career as a professor. Professor Miguel Arevalo, Bachelor of Science in Magic Science, Master of Arcane Arts and Doctor of Alteration School. Headmaster of Hogscunt School of Wizardry and Badassery. How cool is that? Anyway, here¡¯s the summary of what I learned about magic: 1. Mana has two forms: Immaterial and material. Its immaterial form is an energy that can be found everywhere and in every living being. It is one of the essential energy that makes up life. 2. Mana in material form is a condensed and pure substance that can be used to power runes and other types of magic. It is formed by a natural phenomenon which the book didn¡¯t quite explain. That phenomenon is the reason for the formation of Mana Stones in all living beings including monsters. 3. Mana manipulates matter and other energies like invisible little hands. In my conclusion, the mana used in [Heal] manipulates the regeneration of cells. Maybe if I could be more specific on how mana manipulates cells would make healing more efficient and effective. Hell, I could even do a reverse. I have to test it out later. 4. There are four known schools of magic: Arcane, Illusion, Alteration, and Summoning. Arcane is the most common school while Summoning is the rarest and the hardest to learn. There are also undocumented and unknown schools of magic. 5. Arcane school¡¯s core spell is the manipulation of the four elements (which doesn¡¯t make sense since there are a hundred). Mages in the arcane arts form another spell by manipulating these elements. This is called Melding. For example: Given that you pulled it off, Earth + Fire + Wind would form the basic fireball spell. 6. Illusion school is the manipulation of the target¡¯s senses and/or the mind. For example, you can be invisible by manipulating the light that enters the target¡¯s eye. Some spells of illusion school specializes in hypnosis, like Claire¡¯s [Charm]. 7. Alteration school is the manipulation of an organic body. For example, mana can be used to harden skin, reinforced muscles, regenerate cells and etc. It¡¯s basically a Buff skill. 8. Summoning is the manipulation of the energy of the Spirit Realm. Usually in a form of a gate to summon beings from the Spirit Realm. A summoner may form a contract with these beings into their service in exchange of mana. 9. Leathers and Metals such as steel (With the exception of copper, silver and gold) have some degree of magic resistance. It greatly hinders the flow of mana of a spellcaster thus all mages are advised to wear ¡®light¡¯ clothing for more efficient spell casting. That means, the skimpier a mage outfit, the better. Obviously, I don¡¯t want to be in my underwear in battle but it would be interesting to see a sexy female mage in skimpy clothes. 10. Mana flows better in organic materials and this is the reason why most staffs and rods are made of wood. Also, the sturdier a material, the better the flow. Does that mean I can have a staff made of bones? I wonder if I could have a staff made of dragon bones. I also read from the book that a staff can have crystal core (but not required) on its end to strengthen the effect of spells. Of course, these crystal cores should also be of organic material. So far, these are the things I¡¯ve learned from the book. I closed my notebook and stored it back to my inventory. My party was still sleeping soundly as I left the room tiptoeing to prevent them from waking up. I went downstairs and went outside to test my new spells. The zombies couldn¡¯t enter the barrier surrounding the building. I made sure that I was still inside the protection of the barrier so I can do some test in safety. I casted [Fire Manipulation] and created a small flame in my palm. I could feel my mana being sucked out of me and dragged into the flame. I maintained the flame as I counted. It¡¯s surprising that the flames didn¡¯t hurt me as I tried to stick my finger in it. After ten seconds, I checked my Character Screen to check how much MP was consumed. It seemed that I consumed 36 MP from casting a small flame for ten seconds. Next, I brought out my Oak Staff to see how much MP I¡¯d consume when I cast the spell. After ten seconds, I found out that the MP consumed was 28 which were roughly 25% less of the original MP consumption. I had another idea. I tried to focus on the whole process of creating fire while casting [Fire Manipulation]. I imagine my mana manipulating the molecules to vibrate to create heat while consistently adding oxygen and mana as fuel. As the flame flickered on the top of the staff, I counted ten seconds before I put it by depraving it of oxygen and fuel. I checked my MP again to find out that I only consumed 14 MP! It¡¯s 60% less MP consumption. Holy shit! I¡¯m a genius!
You think so? Actually, there are at least a thousand players who''ve already figured that out. Anyway, for figuring out how magic worked by yourself, the SYSTEM rewarded you with the following: Reward(s): Perk: Mana Affinity Effect: Increase in Mana Control and +10% MP 2 INT 2 WIS
Whoa! Four attribute points?! I guess figuring things by yourself is rewarding. It wouldn¡¯t hurt if I milk more from the SYSTEM. I should try the other spells to get more attributes.
You''ve already figured out how magic works. The reward system doesn¡¯t work that way, jackass.
I was just glad that all my hard work as a student paid off. Who knew? Anyway, I tested [Water Manipulation] next. I didn¡¯t know how summoning works and I felt that it has something to do with advanced physics. You know, black holes and stuff. But what I knew was the chemistry behind it. I found a 1.5L Coke plastic bottle container to test out how much MP I consume per liter. As the water came out from my staff and into a container, I imagined the source would come from the sewage. I also imagined the molecules of water that has hydrogen and oxygen atoms in it. I didn¡¯t change its state so I kept it in liquid form. The water was surprisingly clean and pure even if it came from the sewage. Maybe the spell could only pull out pure water from the source. After I filled the container with roughly one litre of water, I found out that I consumed 13 MP. I kept note of the MP consumption as I moved on to the next step. The water I summoned was at a room temperature so I tried to freeze it by having my mana absorb the heat from the water molecules. This heat transfer is part of [Fire Manipulation] because the spell could also manipulate heat. After a few seconds, the water was frozen. My MP consumption from freezing the water was 6 MP. After that, I transferred the heat to the ice to melt it and it the mana consumption was 12 MP. Next, I tested [Earth Manipulation]. As the zombies wandered aimlessly outside the barrier, I went out to see how much damage I can do. I pulled out a chunk of rock from the ground and lifted it up in the air. I hurled it to the head of the nearest zombie. -61 HP Critical Hit! Target Died The zombie fell down to the ground as its head was crushed by the impact of the rock and died in one hit. I checked the MP consumption and it was 23 MP. My knowledge about geology was lacking. Perhaps I should get a book about the subject to make [Earth Manipulation] more efficient and effective. I tried shaping the wind like a blade a throwing it to the zombie. Unfortunately, [Wind Manipulation] doesn¡¯t work that way. The wind blade passed through like a breeze and leaving the zombies unharmed. I tried to make a tornado but I didn¡¯t have enough mana to sustain it. [Wind Manipulation] wasn¡¯t totally useless. One of my ideas was to make a tailwind to make arrows more deadly. I can also use it with [Fire Manipulation] in order to make the flames hotter and things go burn faster. I casted [Fire Manipulation] on a zombie and used [Wind Manipulation] to feed the flames with oxygen. Once the fire spread throughout the zombie¡¯s body, I stopped fueling the fire with my mana. Its body is enough to fuel the flames and the only thing I needed to do was to intensify the oxidation. It only took a few seconds before the zombie turned into ash. Target is Burning! 30 HP Burn! 30 HP Burn! Target Died I repeated the same thing to a nearby zombie and passed on the fire to another and another creating a bunch of burning zombies in the process. This way, the spell turned into a semi-AOE spell without a waste of mana and with minimal collateral damage. I call this spell [Chain Hellfire]. That sounds cool. *DING!*
You have gained a new skill. Auto-Cast [Passive] Beginner Lvl. 1 Effect: You can instantly cast melded spells from your memory. Each level of this skill increases Spells that can be auto-casted by 1. If another spell is memorized when the limit was reached, the new memorized spell will overwrite the oldest memorized spell. To set a spell on auto-cast, say ¡®Memorize: Spell name¡¯ while thinking of the combination. Current Limit of Spells: 1 Spells Memorized: ¡¤ [Chain Hellfire]
In my knowledge, by combining different elements, an arcane mage can cast different kind of spells. There¡¯s no shortcut in making fireball, earth spike or water ball. A mage would need to undergo the same process of combining elements for melding. This skill is totally OP. It gives me an advantage to other mages by reducing the effort of casting a melded spell. I repeatedly use [Chain Hellfire] again and again to the zombies until my mana was exhausted. My MP was increased by 5 in doing so. All of the zombies near the building were turned into pile of ashes as I collected their loot. I didn¡¯t count how many zombies I killed but I think there were at least 50 of them. My new perk [Mana Affinity] greatly decreased my mana consumption. The loots were kind of disappointing though. I only get 4-6 Copper Coins per kill and sometimes nothing. I activated [Meditate] to recover my mana as I intend to clear the surrounding area of zombies. That way, I could level [Fire Manipulation], [Wind Manipulation] and [Auto-Cast]. After resting, I went back inside the building to buy the Mage robes. I quickly went to room 409 in the 4th floor and buy the Novice Mage Robes and Novice Mage Hood. I was very excited and used [Observe] on the items I bought and wear them.
Novice Mage Hood Armor Rating: 1 Durability: 15/15 Mana Control: 5% A blue colored hood used by novice mages.
Novice Mage Robes Armor Rating: 2 Durability: 15/15 Mana Control: 10% A blue colored robes used by novice mages.
After I changed my clothes, I went downstairs and killed more zombies as I experimented with my new spells. A group of zombies headed straight to my way. I held my oak staff with two hands and tapped it to the ground as the flames devoured their flesh. ¡°YOU SHALL NOT PASS!¡± I¡¯ve always wanted to do that. I felt like I was Gandalf doing all kinds of badassery. ¡°POWER!!!¡± After a few hours of zombie killing, [Auto-Cast] became level 7. I could now memorize up to 7 spells. I also levelled up twice and my MP increased by 10 after I cleared the streets surrounding the building.
Auto-Cast [Passive] Beginner Lvl. 7 Effect: You can instantly cast melded spells from your memory. Each level of this skill increases Spells that can be auto-casted by 1. If another spell is memorized when the limit was reached, the new memorized spell will overwrite the oldest memorized spell. To set a spell on auto-cast, say ¡®Memorize: Spell name¡¯ while thinking of the combination. Current Limit of Spells: 7 Spells Memorized: ¡¤ [Chain Hellfire] ¡¤ [Quagmire] ¡¤ [Rock Bullet] ¡¤ [Earth Spike] ¡¤ [Earth Wall] ¡¤ [Chilling Wind] ¡¤ [Tailwind]
Of course, I didn¡¯t just burn the enemies with [Chain Hellfire]. I also tried creating new spells and memorizing them as my [Auto-Cast] levelled up. I made a basic [Fireball] spell by covering a chunk of rock with flames and hurl it to an enemy. It wasn¡¯t as effective and efficient as [Chain Hellfire] though so I didn¡¯t memorize it. But one flaw with [Chain Hellfire] was the smoke it creates. I made another spell which I called [Tailwind] so I wouldn¡¯t die of asphyxia because of the smoke. I also tried to make a spike made of ice and throw it to enemies like a spear. It¡¯s flashy and looked very cool (literally) but it wasn¡¯t that great. The ice spear breaks easily and doesn¡¯t do much damage. [Quagmire] and [Rock Bullet] were inspired from my favorite novel, Mushoku Tensei. Basically, [Rock Bullet] is just a simple hurling of a chunk of rock to an enemy. It requires me to aim and set the speed and size of the bullet. Of all my spells, [Rock Bullet] was the least mana consuming and with the least collateral damage. I¡¯d probably rely more on this spell. [Quagmire] is a combination of [Water Manipulation] and [Earth Manipulation]. It creates a soft boggy and muddy area. It¡¯s my best crowd control spell but this spell also consumes a lot of mana. Right now, it¡¯s impractical to use it since I didn¡¯t have enough MP. [Chilling Wind] is the least mana consuming crowd control spell I have right now. By summoning water vapour near the enemy, I freeze the water vapour and use the wind to encircle the enemy creating a chill effect. Although it wasn¡¯t enough to freeze the enemy, it was enough to slow them down. Zombie Ogres were hard to kill because of their high HP when they were just regular ogres. After I use [Chain Hellfire] on them, they¡¯d charge at me. I summoned [Earth Spike] from the ground to impale the charging Ogre but it wasn¡¯t enough to kill them. I protected myself by summoning [Earth Wall] while the flames do the rest of the damage. Killing one Zombie Ogre takes a third of my MP. I could probably do solo now but I still wouldn¡¯t risk it. If I ran out of mana in middle of the fight, I¡¯d totally be screwed. I would need at least 7 minutes to recover from 25% to 100% MP even with [Meditate]. It¡¯s good to have someone to watch my back as I watch theirs. As I scanned my surroundings and awed at the destruction I caused, I didn¡¯t notice that it was already morning. I stretched my arms upward as I burn the last zombie walking towards my direction. ¡°M-miguel?¡± A voice called me. The voice was coming from my back. I turned my head to see who it was and found out that my party was already awake. Their jaws were hanging open in shock as they saw hundred patches of ashes on the ground. ¡°You did all of this?¡± Eric asked as he walked towards me. ¡°I did...¡± I nodded. They were silent as they came closer towards me. Dianne touched the bloodied earth spike on the ground while Claire and Melissa inspected the ashes on the ground. I grinned with pride as they looked dumbfounded at the results of my experiment. This was the day I became a total badass... Or so I thought... *Sigh* ARC 1: Chapter 10: Its Complicated Chapter 10: It¡¯s Complicated ¡°You really did all of this?¡± Claire asked. ¡°I already told you. Yes, I did¡­¡± I was starting to get irritated to their repetitive questions. ¡°When did you wake up?¡± ¡°A while ago...¡± Eric responded. ¡°I heard a ding when I woke up and I got a notification that I levelled up twice. I woke them up because you weren¡¯t in bed¡­¡± ¡°How many zombies did you kill?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I didn¡¯t count.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the outfit?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Mage robes. I got it from the Shop. It boosts my magic and so does this staff.¡± I raised my staff to show it off to them. ¡°Can you show us your magic?¡± Eric asked. I nodded. I couldn¡¯t help but grin as they followed me to find a practice dummy. As we walk through the streets, their eyes were sparkling with excitement as they saw the streets cleared of zombies. A few blocks from the PolSci Building, we finally found a horde of zombies. There were at least 20 of them scattered throughout the street. I tapped my staff to a street lamp to grab their attention. ¡°What the hell is that for?¡± Eric asked as he readied his spear and shield. The rest of them did the same as the zombies slowly walked towards us. ¡°Just relax¡­ I got this.¡± I may have gone too cocky but it was fine. I really got the situation under control. I raised and pointed my staff to the horde as I casted my signature spell, [Chain Hellfire]. Once I got a flame hovering on the top of my staff, I directed the flame to go towards the nearest zombie. Since I didn¡¯t need to focus on the process of the whole spell, the flames automatically got intensely hot as the air were directly pumped into the flames. Target is Burning! The flames made a crisp crackle sound as it melt through the zombie¡¯s flesh. I directed the flame to the next zombie and to the next until the entire horde burned simultaneously. If only the zombies have their voices, we would hear a symphony of fiery agony. I also cast [Tailwind] to blow the smoke away from us. Target Died ¡°So what do you think?¡± I asked without looking at them. ¡°¡­¡± I turned my head around to see their faces. It was priceless. Their mouths were opened in awe as they stared at the burning horde. They were speechless and didn¡¯t even flinch at the brutality of my spell. Instead, they looked amazed and excited. I felt really proud of myself so I folded my arms together and smirked. After we looted the ashes of the zombies, we went back to the PolSci Building without delay. Their feet were in rush as we went upstairs to the 4th floor where the Shop was located. I felt excitement too as I wanted to know what skills and items were available to them. I instructed them how to use the Shop and told them what items were available to me. There were oohhs and aahhs like the Little Green Men in Toy Story as they do some ¡®window shopping¡¯. I asked them what items and skills were available to them. I was bummed out to learn that their items and skills were much better than what was available to me. Well, in my perspective, they were better. Reinforced Iron Armor Set and Steel weapons were available to Eric. The Misc Items were the same for all of us. I informed them that I already have a ¡°Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies¡± and ¡°Beastiary of Earthland by Finn Mertens¡± to avoid making redundant purchases. Reinforced Iron Armor Set costs a total of 6 Gold Coins and 20 Silver Coins compared to Iron Armor Set which costs 5 Gold Coins and 10 Silver Coins. Steel Long Sword was available to Eric and it costs 1 Gold Coin and 50 Silver Coins. Its damage was higher compared to our current weapon Bolo Knife. Claire and I gave our money to Eric so that he could buy two for us. Having a party is truly an advantage. I used [Observe] on my new shiny sword.
Steel Long Sword Attack Damage [Physical] 18-19 Durability: 55/55 Requirement: 15 STR A long sword made of steel.
Eric bought a Steel Long Sword and a spear with leaf shaped head made of steel. The head of the spear also had a piece of metal on its end as a cross guard. I used [Observe] on the spear to see more details.
Spontoon Attack Damage [Physical] 20-23 Durability: 50/50 Requirement: 20 STR A spear with a leaf-shaped tip designed for stabbing and slashing.
Dianne and Melissa didn¡¯t buy a new bow because their current bows were much better than any bows in the Shop. They too were disappointed about the weapons for sale in the Shop. However, they were glad that there were Steel-tipped Arrows for sale. Arrows cost 5 Silver Coins each which is quite expensive. For me, it made sense because I knew for a fact that creating an arrow is hard. Both of them bought 30 arrows and a quiver. After that, they started to buy armors. Eric bought a full set of Reinforced Iron Armor Set with Riveted Chainmail. In addition to the heavy armor set, he bought Leather Pants, Leather Gloves and Boots because the armor set doesn¡¯t include gauntlets or boots. He also bought a Reinforced Iron Heater Shield. Dianne and Melissa bought a full set of leather armor because they don¡¯t have enough STR to wear heavy armor and they will need mobility in order to be effective. They bought a hood, not the mage hood, instead of leather cap because it would protect them from the weather and it has the same protection as the leather cap. Claire didn¡¯t buy the entire heavy armor set. I suggested to her to buy Reinforced Iron Breastplate, wrist guard, and helm and the rest of her armor will be leather. That way, she will have enough armor without sacrificing too much mobility. She reluctantly agreed but she agreed nonetheless. After they buy their armors, the girls went to the other room to change and try their armor while Eric and I stayed in the room. Eric wore the chainmail as the first layer of his armor. Then he wore the gloves, boots, shinguards and wristguards. He wore the breastplate, shoulderguards and helm last. ¡°Can you help me with this?¡± Eric asked as he pointed the strap in his sides. ¡°Sure¡­¡± The thing about real life armors is that a fighter couldn¡¯t wear the armor without help. A full set of heavy armor may protect you but it limits your movement. Obviously, you can¡¯t play a limbo rock if you¡¯re wearing armor. ¡°How do I look?¡± He asked. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Good, I guess?¡± I don¡¯t really care about good-looking armors. It¡¯s not about fashion like in RPGs, it¡¯s about function. Anyway, Eric looked like a knight rather than a foot soldier; a knight but not a knight in a shining armor. His armor wasn¡¯t shiny and there were a few flaws in his breastplate. His helmet didn¡¯t look too cool either. It wasn¡¯t a closed helmet; it just a simple round shaped helm designed to protect his skull. I guess functional armors looked this way. Not too flashy like a horned helm or a spiky armor. It¡¯s funny that people think that horned helms were functional. In fact, if I encounter an enemy with a horned helmet, it would be too easy for me to fight him. I¡¯ll just grab the horn of his helmet and remove it. After a few minutes, the girls came out of the other room to show us their armor. ¡°How do I look?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°You look good¡­¡± Eric responded. The truth was they looked like bad cosplayers in a renaissance fair while I looked like a weeaboo mage in an anime cosplay. I was expecting over sexualized looks like in the most MMOs but reality sucks. They looked good nonetheless. Dianne and Melissa¡¯s leather armor were fit and the shapes of their bodies were highlighted with their outfit. While Melissa¡¯s body shape was voluptuous, Dianne¡¯s body shape was slim and petite but still sexy. Claire, on the other hand, didn¡¯t lose her charm; not for a bit. She¡¯s still looked pretty in her armor. She was wearing a leather shoulderguards, boots and shinguards while wearing an iron breastplate and wristguards. She didn¡¯t buy leather pants because she wanted to be more comfortable. As usual, she was wearing her shorts. After that, I advised them to check the skill books that were available for them. Since we have limited money, we should be smart at spending and not to be recklessly spending over things that we wouldn¡¯t need. According to them, here are the skills that were available for sale. Eric: Melissa: Dianne: Claire: As I listed all the skills in my notebook, I formulate the best skill combinations that I could think of. Eric will get [Taunt] as it is the crucial skill for all tankers. [Shield Mastery] and [Spear Mastery] is a no brainer. [Bash] is better than [Rapid Pierce] because it has a stun effect and would be perfect with his [Charge Attack]. Melissa will buy all of the skills since she can afford it. The only problem was her current build. She would need to add INT too. So her new build would be 1 DEX, 1 AGI, 1 INT and 2 VIT. I wouldn¡¯t recommend sacrificing AGI or VIT for INT so it¡¯s better to decrease the stat allocation to DEX. I suggested to put he 10 points to INT immediately so she wouldn''t ran out of MP. Dianne will get [Aimed Shot], [Bow Mastery] and [Muffled Steps] because it synergizes with [Sneak]. She¡¯ll also want to get [Disruption]. In my opinion, this skill is more OP than any skills that I have. Five seconds is too much. She¡¯ll be our anti-mage¡­ Claire will get [Battle Cry] and [Berserker¡¯s Cry] for group buffs, perfect for support. [Shield Mastery] for better defense and [Wail of Agony] as AoE Crowd Control skill. I wondered why most of Claire¡¯s skills require shouting. Was it because of her haranguing? After I told them my suggestions, Dianne and Melissa agreed with my opinion. Eric and Claire didn¡¯t look thrilled about my advice especially Claire. ¡°I don¡¯t want to buy [Taunt]¡­¡± Eric said. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the one taking all the damage. I mean, I¡¯ve been hit by an arrow twice and one of the arrows got my head and I got stabbed by a spear once. I can¡¯t even imagine the pain of being hit by a mob all at the same time¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you wear armor.¡± ¡°Yeah, I wear armor because I decided that I don¡¯t like pain¡­ and I don¡¯t want to die.¡± Well, at least he got a point. This wasn¡¯t some RPG where you couldn¡¯t feel any pain. Your own body is your avatar. I thought he was na?ve. I guess there were limits to his naivety. ¡°Why do I have to be a support?¡± Claire glared at me as she asked the question. I didn¡¯t quite understand the question so I returned her glare with a look of confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a support!¡± Claire raised her voice as she stood. She folded her arms while making an irritated look. Jesus. What an annoying bitch. Arguing with her is pointless and never ending so I just straight up asked her what she wanted to do. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Wreck monsters and win?¡± My forehead wrinkled at her response. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to be a support! I want to be the one killing the monsters!¡± This was one of the things I don¡¯t understand in RPGs. Why does everyone wanted to be a damage dealer? As if being a support doesn¡¯t contribute to the party. That¡¯s why it¡¯s called support. Support means keeping the rest of the party alive. Like me for example, I¡¯m the party¡¯s healer. ¡°You said it yourself¡­ You and Eric won¡¯t always be there to protect us. I don¡¯t want to be a burden. I don¡¯t want to be weak!¡± ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say. She was right that I said that. I only said it to motivate her because it was inevitable to encounter monsters and I didn¡¯t want her to be fidgeting. Perhaps I should explain to her the importance of her role and its importance to us as a group. ¡°I think you misunderstood. Being a support is¡­¡± ¡°Misunderstand what? I¡¯m tired of you bossing me around telling me what to do.¡± She blurted. That¡¯s it. She drew the last straw. I was tired of all her complaints and her bitch attitude towards me. ¡°Alright. Just do whatever you want!¡± I stood up and walked away. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And go fuck yourselves!¡± I burst out and slammed the door. I went downstairs and went to the 2nd floor. As I walked through the corridors, I looked at the other group and it seemed that they were still sleeping. It was still dark and the sun hasn¡¯t risen yet. I continued walking until I found a nice and quiet class room. I opened a window and dusted the chair with [Wind Manipulation] before I took a seat. I grabbed a half-emptied pack of cigarette I got from George and took a piece. I lit the cigarette by using fire magic as I puffed a smoke. I¡¯ve never been this angry before. I have an incredible amount of patience and anger management but I guess Claire really pushed my patience to the limit. If I only have a choice, I would be glad to leave them. Alas, I needed them with me. Wants and needs aren¡¯t necessarily the same. I wanted to leave them but I needed them to survive. I was angry and I hated them especially Claire but I¡¯m not stupid to be rash to my decision to leave the party. As I enjoyed my cigarette, there was a knock on the door. Although the door wasn¡¯t locked, some idiot was knocking. I didn¡¯t answer because I wasn¡¯t in the mood. The door creaked as it slowly opened. My mood was further destroyed when I found that it was Claire. I rolled my eyes as I adjusted my seat and turned my back on her. I faced the open window and continued to smoke. Not minding the smoke, Claire dragged a chair and took a seat beside me. I ignored her and pretended to not notice her presence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about earlier¡­¡± She muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve gone too far¡­¡± Claire never apologized to anyone before. I¡¯ve never seen nor heard her say sorry even to professors who scolded her whenever she¡¯s late in class. She¡¯s always acting high and almighty like a perfect goddess that she thought she was. I pretended to hear nothing and continued to ignore her. ¡°I feel useless to our group¡­ I feel¡­ that I¡¯m not contributing enough¡­¡± I slowly turned my head to Claire. She was looking down while taking quick glances at me. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Uhmm¡­ Well, Melissa cooks our meals and Dianne is our scout. Their contribution in our group is more than enough¡­ Eric makes our gears and you¡¯re the healer and¡­ our leader¡­¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re tired of me bossing you around.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°No, no¡­ That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying¡­ My point is¡­ if it wasn¡¯t for you, we¡¯ll never make it this far. But me, I¡¯m useless¡­ All I could do is watch and you¡¯ll probably make it out alive even if I¡¯m gone¡­¡± Oh, I see. She¡¯s insecure about the others especially to me. While it¡¯s true that her contribution in our survival is a bit lacking, she¡¯s not useless. I understood her feelings because I had my insecurities too and I had worse. But unlike her, I¡¯ve been facing my insecurities ever since I was a child and that insecurity became my shield and it could never be used against me; in fact, I¡¯m used to it. She¡¯s probably not used to being insecure since she has nothing to be insecure about herself in the past. ¡°I felt worthless when you showed off your magic¡­ Because you know, y-you¡¯re¡­¡± Claire looked uneasy as she tried her best to keep eye contact. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ awesome¡­¡± She looked away from my gaze and blushed. I couldn¡¯t help but smile a bit from her words. It¡¯s probably not easy for her to say that. She¡¯s a prideful person and doesn¡¯t like losing. She¡¯s just envious of my display of power and for that, she felt worthless. Now that I think about it. I noticed that I¡¯ve been more empathetic since I gained that +10 Charisma from the perk [Leadership]. I used to pretend that I care but now, I could see things differently from another person¡¯s perspective. Like when I talked to George and he talked about his wife. I think stats work differently than I previously thought. Just 10 CHA and I¡¯ve became a sensitive person? If a person with 5 INT is retarded, what would be the effect if he put 1 point in INT? I mean, an average person have more or less 10 INT. I started with 22 INT but I wasn¡¯t as intelligent as Einstein or Newton. Perhaps stats have diminishing returns the more you put points in it. Anyway, I should find a way for my party to be more loyal to me since they might be the best I got out there. I planned to leave them when I meet a better party but that would be foolish. Trust and teamwork is important and I was getting used working with them. I admit that I was wrong being a dictator who just gives commands and expected them to do it. I need consider what they have in mind and what they wanted. I should align my interests with their interests. After all, when you have the same interests, you¡¯ll work much better and more efficient towards an objective. It¡¯s been a few minutes but Claire and I were still silent. It¡¯s getting awkward. We couldn¡¯t even look each other in the eye without blushing like tomatoes. ¡°¡­¡± Most of you would think that maybe Claire has developed some kind of feelings for me but that¡¯s just wishful thinking. She just felt embarrassed after she admitted her insecurities to me. I better stop this awkwardness right now. ¡°So what skills did you buy?¡± I asked. ¡°[Sword Mastery], [Lacerating Strike], [Berserker¡¯s Howl] and [Wail of Agony]¡­¡± She replied. ¡°Not bad¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­ but I¡¯ll consider your advice next time¡­ I promise.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± I said. ¡°But if you¡¯re going all offense, you should make adjustments with your stats¡­¡± ¡°What should I do?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re stats are spread too thinly so my advice is that you should add your stats depending on what you think you¡¯re lacking¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If you feel you¡¯re too slow, you should add more AGI. If you feel that you¡¯re damage is too low, you should add more STR and if you feel that your HP is too low then add VIT. You should also keep in mind that most of your skills depend on CHA and INT.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I think I¡¯ll add 10 points to STR and 15 to AGI. I haven¡¯t distributed my points yesterday¡­¡± I nodded. I also opened my Character Screen to distribute my 10 attribute points. I added 5 points to WIS and 5 points to INT since I needed MP and mana control more than ever. I also checked my Skill Screen to see the overview of my skills.
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:16
HP:526/526MP:951/951
SP:120/120EXP:11.14%
STR:18WIS:47
AGI:12INT:60
VIT:42LUK:13
DEX:12CHA:21
Satiety:Hungry
StatusNormal
Undistributed Attribute Points:0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity: Increase in Mana Control and +10% MP
Unique Skill(s):
Quick Learner Lvl. 1 Max (100%)
Active Skill(s):
Fire Manipulation Lvl 1 Intermediate (3.40%)
Wind Manipulation Lvl 9 Beginner (91.22%)
Earth Manipulation Lvl 6 Beginner (41.68%)
Water Manipulation Lvl 4 Beginner (37.01%)
Bash Lvl. 8 Beginner (84.01%)
Fool''s Act Lvl. 1 Beginner (0.00%)
Heal Lvl. 4 Intermediate (51.12%)
Meditate Lvl. 2 Intermediate (41.78%)
Observe Lvl. 9 Beginner (26.44%)
Power Kick Lvl. 1 Beginner (0.00%)
Passive Skill(s):
Auto-Cast Lvl. 7 Beginner (94.27%)
Blunt Weapon Mastery Lvl. 9 Beginner (37.84%)
Masochism Lvl. 1 Intermediate (82.97%)
Muffled Steps Lvl 8 Beginner (12.89%)
Sword Mastery Lvl. 6 Beginner (61.21%)
As I stared at my Character Screen, I noticed that Claire still looked uneasy. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. ¡°I know it¡¯s too much to ask but will you teach me?¡± ¡°Teach you what?¡± ¡°Arnis¡­ Dianne mentioned to me that you used to join Arnis tournaments in Highschool.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really an expert.¡± I said. ¡°Plus, I haven¡¯t practice in a year¡­¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± She smiled. ¡°If you practice with me, then you¡¯ll get better at Arnis too, right?¡± Although I¡¯m a mage now, there¡¯s no disadvantage for me at being good in close quarter combat. If I ran out of mana, it¡¯s good to have a back-up plan. I wasn¡¯t hesitating to teach her but I was wondering if I was ready to teach her. ¡°Eric told me that you never lost a fight in a tournament¡­¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t patronize me. I¡¯m trying to think¡­¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve never lost a fight. I¡¯ve been trained by my mother and my grandfather since I was seven years old. The training slowed down when my grandfather died and my mother became busy with her work. The reason why I never lost was because I was more experienced than any of those amateurs and my training was harsh. Not ¡®heavy-in-exercise¡¯ harsh but ¡®it¡¯s-getting-too-real-and-painful¡¯ harsh. Now that I think about it, my training was so harsh that it would count as child abuse. My grandfather taught me that baston was sacred and therefore we were expected to hit at the hand or forearm to ¡®defang the snake¡¯ instead of hitting each other¡¯s baston. Every sparring session with my grandfather was a torture. My mother is a practitioner of modern arnis so I preferred sparring with her. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll teach you¡­¡± I said. ¡°Yes!¡± Claire was excited by the judge of her looks. ¡°But, I don¡¯t want to hear any complains and we will do it my way. Sounds good?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She had no idea what¡¯s coming for her. ¡°I want you to promise me¡­¡± ¡°I promise that I will never complain and we will do it my way¡­¡± I guess we¡¯re back but I¡¯m not gonna fall for that one. ¡°No, we will do it MY way¡­¡± ¡°I promise that I will never complain and we will do it YOUR way¡­¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± ¡°So when do we start?¡± ¡°Start what?¡± A voice said. Claire and I turned our heads to the voice. It was Eric, Dianne and Melissa. ¡°We¡¯ll start tomorrow¡­¡± I whispered to Claire. ¡°I-uhhh¡­¡± Eric rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay¡­¡± I said to them. ¡°Like I said, you should do whatever you think is right. It¡¯s your character and your stats, not mine. You don¡¯t have to follow my advice but you should at least tell me what items or skills you acquire so we can make changes to our tactics if necessary¡­¡± They nodded in agreement. ¡°So what skills did you buy?¡± I asked. Dianne followed my advice while Melissa, having no other choice, bought all the skills available in the Shop. I wonder if what kind of companion she could tame using [Companion: Beast]. Eric, on the other hand, also followed my advice but he¡¯s firm to his decision not to be a tanker. I had an idea on another use of [Taunt]. I told him that he could use it to lure the enemies into a clump and tight formation so our AoE skills would be more effective. Of course, I would protect him with [Earth Wall] so he would be safe. I wanted Dianne to buy another [Disruption] skill book for me because that would help me fight against another mage. Unfortunately, I learned that we couldn¡¯t buy an extra skill book even if we wanted to. Only one skill book is available for sale for each skill. We also planned our route. Dianne found a map in the library in PolSci Building. Unfortunately, most books in the library were about history and political theories and etc. We were lucky to obtain a detailed map of Quezon City. The original plan was to go to Camp Aguinaldo by taking the road to EDSA. By looking at the map, we realized that we actually didn¡¯t have to go to EDSA. Another way was to go to Katipunan Ave. then to Kalayaan Ave. near the city hall. After we pass Aurora Blvd., we will take 15th Avenue. This way, we could save more time. Although Claire and Eric lived in this city, they¡¯re not that familiar with every corners, streets and avenues of Quezon City. It¡¯s only natural since this city is the largest city in Metro Manila and there wasn¡¯t a need to memorize the whole city in the past. As the meeting ended, everybody went on to their business and I stayed in the room to meditate. After a few hours, the sun has risen and I was interrupted when I sensed someone entered the room. I turned my head to the door to see who it was. ¡°Good morning¡­¡± George greeted. ¡°Good morning¡­¡± George took a seat beside me. ¡°So¡­ uh¡­ What¡¯re you gonna do now?¡± ¡°We plan to leave today¡­¡± ¡°Where are you off to?¡± ¡°Camp Aguinaldo.¡± I replied. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe there? I mean, isn¡¯t it better to go to a mall or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if Camp Aguinaldo is safe but I¡¯m not going to a mall under any circumstances.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I let out sigh. ¡°Not only monsters but there will be a lot of survivors out there to loot the mall. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be friendly if they knew that we¡¯re going to claim the area. And it¡¯s a bad place to stay, even if we somehow successfully claimed the area, there are too many entrances to defend.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± There was a pause. ¡°Uhmm¡­ I know it¡¯s too much to ask but¡­ can we go with you?¡± George asked. I knew it. This is the reason why I don¡¯t want to meet another group of survivors. Even if they¡¯re good people, they always have something they want from you; food, weapons, or protection. These good people are often weak and helpless. That¡¯s why they¡¯re ¡®good¡¯. It¡¯s very tempting to be a hero but there¡¯s no benefit for us or for me. Although I understand their situation, I¡¯m not ready to die for someone I didn¡¯t really know. ¡°I¡¯ll discuss it with my group¡­¡± I answered. ¡°I see¡­¡± George stood up. He looked disappointed with my answer. ¡°I hope you consider¡­ I mean, I have a son and¡­ I just wanted him to be safe.¡± ¡°If it were my decision, I¡¯ll let you come with us but the thing is it isn¡¯t just my decision to make. I have to ask the others too.¡± He nodded. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Do I abandon them and let them to fend for their selves? I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t survive for long. I¡¯m not sure if I could make these morally gray decisions yet. It¡¯s easy to say that I should just leave them because I don¡¯t even know them but when you¡¯re in my position, I can say that it¡¯s a very hard decision. If I abandon them, I would be indirectly responsible for their deaths. Can my conscience take that blow? I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve felt remorse before all of this but what if in the future, I had to kill a person. Or this one where I¡¯m torn between deciding whether they live or die. [Guys, emergency meeting¡­ Right now!] ¨C Miguel [What is it about?] ¨C Eric [I¡¯ll tell you when you get here.] ¨C Miguel [I¡¯ll be there.] ¨C Dianne [Can¡¯t it wait? I was about to eat my breakfast¡­] ¨C Claire [No, it can¡¯t. You can eat your breakfast here.] - Miguel [I¡¯ll bring our breakfast there. Just give me five minutes.] ¨C Melissa After a few minutes, my party gathered for another meeting. Melissa took out five bowls of Arroz Caldo with boiled egg from her inventory for our breakfast. I took my bowl and eat it with gusto. Melissa¡¯s cooking is so good. ¡°By the way, George mentioned that you and Claire have a title and asked me if you two are in a relationship.¡± Eric said. ¡°¡­¡± Claire and I looked at each other. I gulped. ¡°A title?¡± ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t noticed it too until now¡­ Use [Observe] and you¡¯ll see¡­ ¡± ¡°Sadist and Masochist¡­ What does that mean?¡± asked Dianne. ¡°Are you in some kind of S&M relationship? I didn¡¯t know Miguel was submissive.¡± Melissa said. ¡°NO!¡± Claire and I said in unison. ¡°Fuck no, I¡¯m not a sub!¡± I denied the allegation like a guilty kid caught red-handed in a cookie jar. ¡°Since when did you become his girlfriend? Ooohh¡­ Is that why you¡¯re fighting? Is it a lover¡¯s quarrel?¡± Eric teased. ¡°Wait, their titles mean that they¡¯re couples?!¡± Melissa whispered something that in Dianne''s ear. "Eh?! T-t-they really did that?!" Dianne the innocent was shocked at the revelation. ¡°No, we¡¯re not in a relationship. Never!¡± Claire asserted. ¡°Are you suuure? Isn¡¯t that why you don¡¯t like Miguel bossing you around? Because you wanted to be in control?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°No! I told you he¡¯s not my boyfriend! And we¡¯re not in that kind of relationship!¡± ¡°Then how did you get the title? By doing some spanking?¡± Eric winked at me. These two were like detectives. Actually, they¡¯re more like reporters looking for a juicy gossip from celebrities; vultures feeding on false rumors and hearsays. Claire and I gave up and told them the whole story of what happened between us in the restaurant. Their smiles died quickly as I told them how Claire had to torture me for hours and slice my body with a kitchen knife a hundred times before getting the title. Dianne looked more concerned than terrified while Eric and Melissa looked bummed and disappointed. ¡°What¡¯s this meeting about anyway?¡± Claire asked as she changed the topic. ¡°George asked me if they could come with us to Camp Aguinaldo.¡± I said to them. ¡°You called us for that?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Well, of course. I didn¡¯t know what to say. So I told him I¡¯ll discuss it with you.¡± ¡°So we should let them come with us¡­¡± Dianne said. ¡°That¡¯s the problem¡­ If we let them come with us, we¡¯ll be too many. We survived because we avoided mobs of monsters that we couldn¡¯t handle. If we¡¯re too many, we¡¯ll also attract too many monsters in our way.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll fight those monsters¡­ I mean, we got new skills and we wouldn¡¯t be able to get these skills if not for them.¡± Eric said. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think we¡¯ll eventually get these skills even without their help. I think they¡¯ll just be a burden¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you think? So we just let them die? They won¡¯t survive here!¡± Melissa stood up and clearly, she¡¯s against my opinion. ¡°And they won¡¯t survive out there too¡­¡± I let out a deep sigh. ¡°We should have a vote¡­ Those who are in favor to letting them come with us, raise your hands¡­¡± The four of them raised their hands. Apparently, I was the only one with a different opinion. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll let them come with us¡­¡± I said in defeat.
Author''s Note: Thanks for all of your suggestions and comments. I really appreciate it. Thanks! ARC 1: Chapter 11: You Got Talent Chapter 11: You Got Talent ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll let them come with us¡­¡± You always have a choice. Sometimes, the best of the choices isn¡¯t entirely yours to make. Oh, I do have another choice: I can go solo and leave them. The problem with that option? I¡¯m a mage; a glass cannon. Even if I go full heavy armor, just one shit hitting the fan and my ass is going to the grinder. ¡°The question is: what do we do now?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­¡± This is the trick I learned from experience whenever someone chooses a problematic option that I didn¡¯t like. Let those idiots solve the problem. ¡°Uhhh¡­ I guess we should plan a formation or something?¡± Melissa replied. ¡°What kind of formation?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ you¡¯re the leader. Isn¡¯t that your job?¡± It¡¯s only been four days since we met Melissa and her attitude was starting to show its true colors. I guess every person has their skeletons hidden in their closet. Every guy is an asshole and every girl is a bitch. All the ¡®nice guys¡¯ and ¡®shy girls¡¯ that I knew were hidden douchebags and bitches ¡°Yes, it is my job. Do you expect me solve everything? I mean, this is what you want ¨C To protect them. But that¡¯s the problem, how can we protect them if we couldn¡¯t even protect ourselves properly? Newsflash: we barely made it out alive. Seriously, even I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± There was a long pause. ¡°We should talk to them and ask them about their abilities. Maybe we won¡¯t need to keep an eye for them 24/7.¡± Eric suggested. ¡°Hmmm¡­ That¡¯s a good idea.¡± I rubbed my beard as I nodded. See? It¡¯s not easy coming up with a plan if you¡¯re not enthusiastic with the idea but when you let the others who are interested, they¡¯ll come up with a plan instantly like grabbing a plot magic device out of their pocket. It¡¯s very convenient. ¡°Alright, meeting¡¯s over. Let¡¯s go talk to them, shall we?¡± The meeting came to an end as we finished our breakfast and went to the other room where the other survivors hang out. As I scanned each and every one of them, they didn¡¯t look like a party material. They looked like slackers, lazy, weak and useless. I¡¯m starting to sense a bad future for them. Of course, I may be wrong. I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯m a good judge of character and I don¡¯t think anyone can say that they absolutely won''t judge a book by its cover. Heck, even the cover of this web novel is shitty. That¡¯s why some readers didn¡¯t even bother to read this damn good story. Anyway, I told George our decision about letting them join us to Camp Aguinaldo. He looked like he¡¯s about to cry his tears of joy. Before I could even say to him our conditions, he hugged me as he said his thanks. I told him our plan to interview each and every one of them about their skills. I also told him the truth that we couldn¡¯t protect them all the time. He agreed to our plan. ¡°Listen up guys. Miguel has something to say.¡± ¡°Uhmm¡­ Ehemm¡­¡± I gulped. The people were looking at me in the same way that the audience did at the graduation. Some of you may think, I have more than average Charisma so why do I have this problem? The answer is fear. I wasn¡¯t much of a public speaker. The one time I had to speak in public was when I graduated as salutatorian in highschool. Why didn¡¯t I become the valedictorian? It¡¯s a long story. Anyway, my heart was beating fast and I was so nervous when I faced the audience. I had a speech prepared and written on paper but my speech was so unnatural and my voice sounded like robot. ¡°Uhhhmmm¡­.¡± The audience laughed at me and I almost cried on stage. It was the single most embarrassing moment of my life. After that incident, I had a phobia of speaking in a large group of people. I had no problems speaking with small groups of people but if there are more than 20 people, I¡¯ll become nervous. ¡°Okay. Uhmmm¡­ so uhmmm¡­ uhmmm¡­¡± I killed a lot of goblins, killed two ogres and incinerated hundreds of zombies. Why do I have to be afraid of them? I have power and they are powerless. A lion does not concern himself with opinions of the sheep. This played in my mind again and again. ¡°George asked me if you could tag along with us. I discussed this with my group and we agreed¡­¡± The audience were listening to me intently. It looks like I¡¯m doing it right. ¡°But we have conditions: First, we need to know about your abilities that can help us survive out there. Second, you will follow us and do exactly as we say. Any questions?¡± ¡°¡­¡± There were soft whispers and murmurs and from their tone, I can already tell they¡¯re disagreeing. ¡°Why should we follow you?¡± The man looked at me with his eyes going up and down as if he¡¯s trying to measure me. His looks were average and not too conspicuous. I¡¯d say he¡¯s in his forties and he¡¯s probably an asshole professor judging from the atmosphere he¡¯s giving off.
Player: Professor Asshole Race: Human Level: 1 Party: AlphaPhiOmega3
¡°Who are you to tell us what to do?¡± He continued. It¡¯s only natural that they¡¯d disagree. I mean, I said my conditions straight to the point. I have no time to fuck around for some Aye and Nay and I wasted enough time playing democracy with my idiotic party. ¡°What¡¯s your name again?¡± I asked. ¡°Gerry¡­ and I am a professor in this college.¡± I used [Observe] on him as I learned this asshole¡¯s name.
Player: Professor Gerry Race: Human Level: 1 Party: AlphaPhiOmega3
I noticed that whenever I used [Observe] on another person, their names would be written as ¡®???¡¯. It¡¯s only natural since you can only know what you can see. You cannot see the name if you don¡¯t know their name and if you give them a name then that name will be displayed. My conclusion: you can give a fake name to another and that¡¯s what they will see on their [Observe]. ¡°So Professor Gerry¡­¡± I slowly stepped forward and smiled. ¡°How many monsters did you kill?¡± His eyebrows joined together as he heard the question. ¡°None but I don¡¯t see why that¡¯s relevant.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°You think that because you killed monsters, you have the right to tell us what to do? You¡¯re just a kid. I bet you don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re doing. It¡¯s true that we owed Dianne for the food but I don¡¯t see the reason why we should take orders from you.¡± I couldn¡¯t suppress a snicker. ¡°Well, first of all, I agree with what you said. It¡¯s true that I¡¯m a kid; I¡¯m 20 years old and you don¡¯t owe me anything. Second, it¡¯s true that I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing but the truth is none of us have an idea what to do. Third, while the rest of you were here since the beginning, we¡¯ve been out there. We killed goblins, ogres and zombies. We know what¡¯s out there and we¡¯re more experienced than any of you. Lastly, that was an offer and if you accept my offer, you have to take orders. If not, then I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t come with us.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I cannot guarantee that all of you will survive. We couldn¡¯t even guarantee ours. As far as I¡¯m concerned, I think you should all stay here. But for how long? I don¡¯t know. You have a week¡¯s supply of food and you can wait for the police or the army to sort these things out. That is if they will come. I¡¯m not even sure if there¡¯s a functional government anymore.¡± After a few seconds of silence, the crowd murmured as they discussed what I¡¯ve said. If you ask me, I¡¯ll just take George and his son with us and leave them. I really wanted to discourage them to go with us but I should stick with the decision of my party if I had to keep them too. The group finally agreed with our terms. It wasn¡¯t that hard of a decision but I think this Professor Asshole just wanted to try to question my authority. Whatever he¡¯s thinking, I don¡¯t really care unless it involves my safety. We started the interview with the five of us as judges like an audition for a Got Talent. One by one, we started to ask questions like: ¡°What is your Skill?¡±, ¡°What are your stats?¡±, ¡°What is your profession/job?¡± and ¡°Can you demonstrate to us your Skill?¡± I wanted to add ¡°Why should we hire you?¡± or maybe a ¡°You got a Yes¡± at the end but we won¡¯t be taken seriously. I wanted to give off the vibe that we mean business. As the interview went on, we found out that most of these clowns are useless as fuck. They¡¯re perfect cannon fodders rather than party members. [Fast Writing] which makes the user write faster, [Appraise] which allows the user to know the market price of the item, [Sketch] and other skills that were inappropriate for adventuring. The most notable and useful skills we¡¯ve seen were:
  1. [Repair] ¨C Instantly repairs equipment, the one who has this skill was a TV repairman. He said that he could also repair other things like PCs, electric fans, saws and etc. He was one of the five guys who greeted us yesterday in the entrance.
  2. [Track] ¨CIt lets the user track a creature by using trails and to identify the said creature without needing to see it. Although the one who has this skill was a student, her hobby was photography and liked to take pictures of endangered animals in the wild. How she finds these endangered animals? I have no idea.
  3. [Encourage] ¨C Raises morale and battle capabilities of the user and allies. This was Professor Asshole¡¯s skill.
  4. [Sprint] ¨C Self-explanatory. A varsity student¡¯s skill. He¡¯s a track-and-fielder.
  5. [Fire Manipulation] ¨C Same as my skill and it belonged to Robert Palomares, the guy who can summon a flame in his hand. He¡¯s a student and didn¡¯t say much about his hobby.
  6. [Power Attack] ¨C Same as Eric¡¯s first skill. The one who owns this skill was a student and her hobby was badminton.
There were 2 others: Indian Boy and the girl with mango shaped face were level 3 because they killed zombies on the way. Although their skills were useless, they can still be an asset because of their combat experience. As I read the list I made of the persons with the most useful skills, I was starting to doubt that the skills have something to do with the initial stats. I knew that the help menu mentioned it but my guts were telling that there was something more about it. I think the reason why Eric got [Power Attack] was because of his hobby or perhaps it was something he¡¯s very good at or maybe his dream. Ah, yes. Tennis was his sport. If you ask Eric about tennis, you¡¯ll spend the whole day listening about his favorite tennis player. How about Claire with her skill [Charm]? Was her hobby fishing for boys? She didn¡¯t give off the ¡°I like sex¡± vibe and I didn¡¯t see her flirt with our classmates except with Eric. She¡¯s the opposite of a flirt and more likely to bite your cock off. She didn¡¯t mention anything about her past because she wasn¡¯t that talkative to me and I didn¡¯t really care. I understood why Melissa got [Aimed Shot]. She mentioned that her hobby was to shoot down monkeys with her slingshot and as far as I can tell, she¡¯s very good at it. It doesn¡¯t make any sense but it was the only reason I could think of. What I didn¡¯t understand was Dianne. I remembered that Dianne was very good at playing hide-and-seek back when we were little. No matter how hard I try to find her hiding place, I just couldn¡¯t. Was that the only reason why Dianne got [Sneak]? Or maybe she¡¯s a spy or something. That would be unlikely because she didn¡¯t have military background. If she had military background then she wouldn¡¯t be my classmate in highschool. Why was I given [Heal] instead of other magic like [Fire Manipulation]? I had 22 INT as my initial stats but according to Robert, his INT was 14 when he was level 1. I guess I¡¯ll find out soon. After the interview and the ¡®review¡¯ of the applicants, we gathered all of them as I gave them the weapons that our group looted from the goblins. Iron daggers, Iron swords, short bows and some arrows. The non-essentials will be on the rear as archers and they will fire at the enemy on my signal while the others with combat potential and experience will fight alongside with us. Eric and the girls were shocked as I gave the others our hard earned loot. ¡°Can I talk to you for a second?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Go on, talk.¡± I answered. ¡°In private¡­¡± Eric and the girls looked somewhat pissed at me. They could have used our party communication system but they chose to drag me in another room to have our private chat. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Claire asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You gave them our loot!¡± Melissa burst out. ¡°So?¡± I asked as I crossed my arms. ¡°You said we¡¯re going to trade those weapons to other survivors but now, you¡¯re giving it for free...¡± Eric said as he gritted his teeth. I was rolling my eyes as they ranted non-stop about the junk goblin weapons. I noticed that Dianne was silent and her eyes gazed on an empty space. I didn¡¯t know if she¡¯s pissed or not but I couldn¡¯t get a good read on her facial expression. ¡°How about you, Dianne? Any complaints?¡± I asked. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Dianne snapped back to reality and shook her head as she looked down. I wanted to say something so I raised my hand to stop the ranting from my party. It took a few seconds before they shut up. ¡°As to why I gave them our precious loot, how do you expect them to fight without weapons?¡± ¡°But we earned it... You can¡¯t just give it away!¡± Melissa complained. ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you wanted? To help them?¡± ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re already helping them by letting them to come with us and we already gave them food!¡± Eric said. ¡°Look...¡± I raised my voice as I was getting irritated. ¡±It¡¯s easy to say that you wanted to help but if you really wanted to help them then don¡¯t do it half-assed. I mean, if I saw a starving person, should I give him a pinch of bread when I have a loaf? It¡¯s either you help or you don¡¯t. Never do it half-assed. If you help someone, you make sure to see it through the end!¡± ¡°...¡± They shut up as they realized my point. I wanted them to see the consequences of their actions and to take responsibility for it. We¡¯re not children anymore.
Wow, what a self-righteous prick...
Shut it, I didn¡¯t ask for Your comment. Anyway, most people like to ¡°help others in need¡± but in fact, instead of helping, they put more burden to those who they wanted to help. Whenever a storm sweeps down a place and people were affected, there¡¯s always a food or clothes drive. The people who donate food or old clothes didn¡¯t realize that they¡¯re not helping at all. The help they give is what I call half-assed.Imagine the volunteers who have to sort out expired canned goods and unusable clothing. That¡¯s why I donate money instead of goods so I wouldn¡¯t add more problems to these charitable organizations. Heck, if only we had enough money to equip the others with better weapons but sadly, we have to work with what we have for the moment.
The Nobel peace prize for bullshitting goes to Miguel Arevalo. *Clap! Clap! Clap!* As a prize for your bullshit, the SYSTEM rewards you the following: Reward(s): +1 Wisdom
I let out a deep sigh as I shook my head. I try my best to ignore Him but He¡¯s so annoying sometimes. I noticed that I always end up disagreeing with my party members. I¡¯m worried that our relationship will deteriorate to the point that we don¡¯t trust each other. I trust them a bit but not completely. If we continue develop trust issues with each other, we will be in big trouble. ¡°You were right, Miguel. If we¡¯re going to help, we should give our best...¡± Dianne said. The rest of them nodded and they finally deal with it. It looks like they¡¯d rather agree with Dianne. What the fuck is wrong with them? *Sigh* After the private chat and their pathetic whining, we went back to the other room and I discussed to the rest of them our formations and tactics. Melissa, the archers and the children will be on the rear while Repairman, Professor Asshole and George protect their flanks. Eric, Claire, Sprinter, Tracker, and two others: Indian Boy and Mango Girl will be in the frontline while Robert and I, the mages, between the frontline and rear. Dianne will be our scout. Although it may sound like a good idea that Tracker should go and scout with Dianne, she will just be a burden. Unlike her, Dianne moves fast and can go into hiding if need be. Tracker will just have to look for trails of monsters in the frontline. The other group decided to disband their party and joined our party. From original five members, our numbers increased to 31 including 3 children. I wanted to suggest that we shouldn¡¯t include those who will not be active in combat because I hate leechers but the party communication system is vital to our survival as a group. Eric made some improvised spears for the frontliners and the rear guards using mop handles, goblin iron dagger and duct tapes while Repairman took pieces of thick plywood from Eric to make improvised shields. I suggested that Eric should make the finishing touch for the shield so his Crafter perk will take effect. Eric¡¯s Crafter perk was applied even if he just hammered the nails on the shields¡¯ wooden handles. Eric used WD40 and sandpaper to remove the rust from the goblin weapons. These rusted weapons transformed into normal quality weapons. Also, the poor quality goblin bows had their strings replaced with higher quality and much better strings. There wasn¡¯t much that he can do about the bows themselves. All of the weapons have 10% bonus after Eric was done with the tinkering. After that, Repairman used [Repair] to these weapons to restore their lost durability. I also discussed to them our planned route to Camp Aguinaldo while we¡¯re eating our lunch. Parties like these are often seen on dungeon raids in RPGs. There¡¯s not much of a difference in tactics compared to a typical grinding party but like I said, real life isn¡¯t a normal RPG. Only fools like Leeroy Jenkins would gladly dive in a hellish number of mobs. Our tactics and formation were significantly changed as our numbers grew larger. Thankfully, I used to play Total War games when I was bored with RPGs. From vanilla Total War to Middle Earth mods, I was confident with my skills as a decent commander. Not to mention that I¡¯ve lost so many times and learned the tactics used by my online opponents. I¡¯ve watched documentaries on youtube to see the tactics and strategies used by historic figures and applied the said tactics in game. For obvious reasons, I cannot do all of the micromanagement so I delegated tasks to be more effective similar to a commander appointing captains, sergeants and other officers to command their teams. As a leader of this group, I needed to focus on the bigger picture rather than every details of the battle. Most would think that our number was too small to start delegating tasks but that¡¯s a common misconception. Just like ordering a subordinate to do something, my only control was to give order but the one I¡¯m ordering was in control of his movement. It was obvious that I cannot control the way he¡¯s going to do it but what I can do is to give deadlines and expect results and if necessary to give specifics. Sounds similar? It¡¯s the same as managing an office. I put Eric and Claire on the command of the frontline. Eric will be focusing on defense and keeping the line intact and Claire will be our offense. Melissa will be the one to command the archers and the rear support while I will be in command of the midline and give general orders to my ¡®captains¡¯. I would put Dianne to command a scout party but she¡¯s a one-man team; to put it correctly, one-woman team. She¡¯ll be independent and will directly report to me. As much as we wanted to show off our badassery to others, I decided to go with a much more conservative plan rather than aggressively taking on the zombies. I only briefed them of the standard formations and tactics but it doesn¡¯t mean that we¡¯ll use it on zombies. The problem with zombies wasn¡¯t their strength individually but it¡¯s their numbers. Our standard battle tactics wouldn¡¯t be too effective against them and I planned to use it only if we have no choice but to fight. Before we leave the building as a group, the frontliner group gathered fresh zombie corpses for our disguise while he rest of us looted all the cloth that we can find in the building. The others weren¡¯t thrilled of our ways of surviving. I didn¡¯t care since they agreed to do it our way. Seeing a human corpse being gutted wasn¡¯t the best sight but I told them that it was necessary for our survival and it was the same thing that we did to make way through the zombie infested streets unharmed. There were questions and doubts about the plan but I guess, we¡¯ll just have to demonstrate it later. It was already noon when we finished preparing our disguise and we left the PolSci Building. As we moved through the streets, the others were surprised that the number of zombies were significantly reduced. They were nervous but when they saw ash and bone patches on the ground, the air around them seemed to get a bit lighter. I warned them to be cautious since I¡¯ve only cleared the zombies near the building and not the whole university belt. There could be thousands more. We moved at a normal walking pace as we avoid lone zombies in the corner. It¡¯s best to conserve our energy for real emergencies. After a few minutes, we finally encountered groups of zombies. In my estimate, their numbers were at least 10-20 zombies per block. They still haven¡¯t noticed us and continued to ignore us. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure if my plan would work with these many people but so far, it was working. The frontliners kept a tight formation as they hacked through the zombies that got in our way. I warned them to avoid making loud noises so I restrained Claire on using her new skill [Wail of Agony]. She tested her [Lacerating Strike] as she decapitates the zombies with quick and clean slash of her sword. Eric and the other frontliners ploughed through the horde as Claire and the rest of us finished off the zombies who fell. Dianne kept on informing us of our direction and led us to way with lesser zombie density. [Keep pressing forward. Dianne, are we near to Katipunan Avenue?] ¨C Miguel [Yes, just a few more blocks¡­.] ¨C Dianne [Are we going to be safe now?] - ??? [No, of course not. As long as we¡¯re outside we¡¯re never safe.] - ??? This is the problem with party communication system. Once your party reaches a certain size, you can¡¯t tell who¡¯s talking unless you¡¯re familiar with their voice. Not to mention, the random babblings of children. It¡¯s irritating. We could see Katipunan Avenue in the short distance. It¡¯s just another road but with smaller amount of zombies. I didn¡¯t know if the entire city was infested with zombies from what I observed, the horde was moving east and that¡¯s the reason why we¡¯re seeing less and less zombies as we go west. There was also lesser amount of corpses lying around the streets. To be sure, I advised them to avoid these corpses. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!!! Fuck!¡± Claire screamed in pain as a corpse suddenly grabbed her leg and bit her. -91 HP Debuff: Severe Bleeding I learned that in every battle, casualties are a guarantee. Whether a wound, injury or death, it was inevitable that you¡¯ll suffer casualties. Sacrifices are needed to reach an objective but when your objective was to keep everyone alive, it¡¯s almost impossible. Almost but not absolutely impossible. Claire kept on screaming in agony as the zombie tore a small chunk of her flesh. She fell down to the ground and held her thigh as the zombie slowly crawled towards her. The rest of these clowns were shocked and they froze like statues as they saw blood gushing from Claire¡¯s thigh. I rushed with my sword in hand and stabbed the zombie¡¯s head. -57 HP Target Died After I confirmed that the zombie was dead, they rushed towards Claire. ¡°Move away!¡± I swerved through the ¡®concerned¡¯ crowd and rushed to use [Heal] on Claire. ¡°Stay with me Claire... Come on...¡± I focused my mind and used [Heal] as I tried to make her stay conscious. Thank God, I have [Heal]. The bleeding stopped and her wound slowly closed as my magic worked on her flesh. 91 HP The zombie bit a chunk of her thigh where her femoral artery was located. That¡¯s why the bleeding was severe and the damage was high. Dianne rushed towards us as she heard that Claire was injured. ¡°Claire! Are you okay?¡± She asked. Claire nodded her head. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alright... No need to worry.¡± ¡°Jesus... That sucked...¡± Claire added. Dianne let out a deep sigh of relief. I helped her get up but she looked weakened even after I healed her. I used [Observe] to check her status but it seemed that her status was tired. I felt that there¡¯s still something wrong. Maybe it was just me and perhaps she¡¯s just exhausted. ¡°We should rest for a while.¡± Eric said as he saw Claire¡¯s condition. ¡°No, we should move on...¡± I responded. I took off Claire¡¯s armor and weapons. She didn¡¯t complain as I stored her items to my inventory and lifted her to my back. I also stored my staff and my sword in my inventory. ¡°Hold on...¡± I said to her. She nodded and she leaned on my back. I grabbed both of her legs with my arms and gave her a piggyback ride. ¡°Let¡¯s go...¡± I felt Claire leaned her head on my back and fell asleep. We continued our journey as the sun was still up in the skies.
Author''s note: Thanks for reading everyone! ARC 1: Chapter 12: Ill Be There Author''s Note: My brother kept on bugging me to post the next chapter... Let''s do this...
Chapter 12: I¡¯ll Be There Today was Sunday¡­ It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve passed the university belt. We¡¯re currently on Katipunan Avenue and a few miles farther to Quezon Memorial Circle. As I¡¯ve predicted, there were almost no zombies in the western area as the horde travels to northeast. Since we¡¯ve been in Katipunan, we¡¯ve only encountered 10 zombies scattered and wandering aimlessly on the road. We¡¯ve killed these stray zombies in order for the others to gain experience. We also gained experience but we didn¡¯t level up because the experience points were too diluted and there were 31 of us to share. I should have changed the EXP sharing to just equally only to five of us original members but it¡¯s too late now. Anyway, we won¡¯t be their guardians forever and they needed the boost from us in order for them to survive in the future. [Wait!] ¨C Dianne [What is it?] ¨C Miguel [Uhmmm... I don''t know how to pronounce the monster''s name...] ¨C Dianne [Spell it then¡­] ¨C Eric [G-N-O-L-L¡­] ¨C Dianne [Gih-Nol?] - ??? This is why I hate extras. They always ruin the suspense. Why couldn¡¯t they just shut the hell up? [Gnoll¡­ You mean a gnoll with a G? What does it look like?] ¨C Miguel [They looked like dogs that can stand upright. They¡¯re level 13 there are at least 50 of them in their band.] ¨C Dianne [They¡¯re too many. Find us another way¡­] ¨C Miguel [On it¡­] ¨C Dianne Unlike the university belt, the rotting human corpses lying on the road weren¡¯t zombies. I couldn¡¯t begin to imagine how many humans already died. There were monsters everywhere and they probably massacred every human they saw. Now it got me thinking, how does a monster spawn? Can a monster give birth to a baby monster or they can just appear out of thin air like magic? For hours, we continued to move in silence on the eerily silent road filled with rotting corpses. I looked up in the sky and saw the sun in the west. It must be 4 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. I told Dianne to keep an eye for any place big enough for all of us because in a few hours, the sun will set. We didn¡¯t want to travel at night. Like the university belt, there were a lot of ruined buildings. Though some of them looked good enough to cover our heads for the night, most of them looked it¡¯s about to collapse. After a few minutes Dianne finally found a suitable place for us. It was a two-story building that was used to be a clothing store. I was getting exhausted because I was carrying Claire on my back for hours. Claire was heavier than I thought and my back was aching for a rest. These clowns couldn¡¯t take a hint that I needed help. Well, it¡¯s okay. My STR was increased by 1 just by lifting her for hours. Eric and Melissa kept glancing at me with teasing smile on their faces. I think they believed that she¡¯s my girlfriend. I didn¡¯t really mind since I never had a girlfriend. There¡¯s not even a rumor that I had one in the past. It¡¯s fun to pretend that I have one on my back but it was also depressing at the same time. The thing is it will never be true. Even though it¡¯s not impossible for her to fall for a bloke like me, the chance of getting hit by a lightning twice in a row was much higher than Claire being my girlfriend. God even gave me a prophecy that I would die a virgin. ¡°Someone barricade the doors and the windows¡­¡± Eric took out some wooden planks in his inventory and gave it to the others as they barricaded the doors. Seriously, how many wooden planks did Eric have? I have no idea. The second floor has a big storage room filled with boxes of shirts, pants and other clothing. Our group and the others decided to use this room to rest while some of the members will take watch for the night in the first floor. There was enough space for all of us to lie down and sleep. Eric, Melissa and Dianne took out their beddings and pillows from their inventory and rushed towards the space near the windows. In the end, Eric won the spot while Melissa and Dianne fought for the right to second place of the spot like children. Claire and I didn¡¯t have a choice but to take the spot near the walls but a bit far from the windows. ¡°We¡¯re here¡­ You can let go¡­¡± I said to Claire as I lowered myself to the ground. ¡°¡­¡± Claire didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Claire? Hey, wake up¡­¡± I called her again. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Dianne asked as I put Claire on the ground. I shook Claire to wake her up. ¡°Claire!¡± Eric and Melissa noticed that there¡¯s something wrong. They rushed to our side as I continued to wake up Claire. ¡°What happened?¡± Eric asked. ¡°She¡¯s not waking up¡­¡± I responded. ¡°Claire! Come on, wake up!¡± I could hear her breathe. I placed my hand on her forehead and on the side of her neck. She has a fever and her pulse seemed to be weak. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± George asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± Dianne said as she held Claire¡¯s hand. ¡°Please wake up...¡± She cried. The others surrounded us as they asked what was happening. I ignored everyone as I was desperately trying to wake her up. I knew it. There¡¯s something wrong with her; terribly wrong. ¡°She was bitten by a zombie, wasn¡¯t she?¡± Gerry asked. ¡°Y-yes...¡± Then I came to realize, zombies will never be zombies in the first place if they couldn¡¯t infect anyone with their bite. I used [Observe] on her to see her status but her status was showing ¡®Exhausted¡¯. It didn¡¯t show any debuff or disease but there¡¯s no doubt that Claire was infected. That¡¯s for sure. ¡°Has anyone of you been bitten?¡± I asked. ¡°No...¡± The others also shook their head. Shit. What do I do? I¡¯ve always been calm in any situation but right now, my mind was in chaos and I couldn¡¯t think even straight. ¡°Claire?¡± Dianne called. ¡°Claire! Oh god... I¡¯m glad you¡¯re awake!¡± Claire slowly opened her eyes as she gained consciousness. Her skin looked pale as a corpse and her veins were slightly visible in her neck and wrist. ¡°...¡± I was speechless. Is this it? Did she finally turn into a zombie? I placed my hand in my sword¡¯s hilt just in case. ¡°Wh... What¡¯s up?¡± Claire said weakly. I let out a deep sigh. I was glad that Claire was still alive. ¡°What... happened? Why... are you... crying?¡± She asked. ¡°Y-you¡¯re... going to be alright, Claire...¡± Dianne said as she embraced Claire. ¡°Can we talk for a second?¡± George asked me. ¡°You too, Eric...¡± Eric, George and I went outside the room. ¡°I think she¡¯s infected...¡± George said. No shit, Sherlock. ¡°Yes... I know...¡± I responded. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Eric asked. ¡°From her looks, I don¡¯t think she has that long...¡± ¡°What are you suggesting, George?¡± Eric glared at him. ¡°I-it¡¯s only a matter of time until...¡± George stopped as he saw Eric clenched his fist. ¡°Look, I know that she¡¯s a friend of yours but... my point is if it happens that she... turns to one of them, it¡¯s better to separate her from the others...¡± ¡°...¡± I placed my hand on Eric¡¯s shoulders to stop him from punching George in the face. It¡¯s only natural that he¡¯s in denial but fighting with each other will never solve a problem. ¡°He¡¯s got a point. Besides, Claire will need a quiet place to rest...¡± I said to him. Eric nodded and unclenched his fists as he calmed down. The three of us went back to the room as Eric and I approached Claire. I held her pale hands and smiled. ¡°Hey Claire... How¡¯re you doing?¡± ¡°I feel like... shit.¡± I laughed wryly. ¡°Listen¡­ uhmmm¡­ we¡¯re going to move you to the other room so you can rest. It¡¯s more quite in there¡­¡± ¡°Will I... be alone?¡± Claire asked as she frowned. ¡°No...¡± I answered. ¡°I¡¯ll be there too...¡± She nodded as she smiled. ¡°Okay...¡± Eric approached her and carefully lifted her up. George and I followed Eric as he carried Claire to the other room. Melissa and Dianne also followed. Dianne prepared Claire¡¯s bed and Eric put her down on the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t... want to lie down...¡± Claire said as she tried to move by herself and leaned to the wall. ¡°You should rest.¡± I told her. ¡°No...¡± I held her hand. My hand glowed in green light as I cast [Heal] on Claire. I felt the effect of the mana drain of the spell. I opened my eyes but Claire¡¯s condition didn¡¯t change. Even after I exhausted all of my mana, [Heal] didn¡¯t have any effect on her condition and she still looked very pale. The others were silent and looked dejected as they saw my skill failed to work.
Attribute(s) gained: +5 MP
I activated [Meditate] to recover my MP and to think more clearly. I tried to analyse again everything I know about the zombies. Even if they¡¯re rotting and severely dismembered, the zombies can still move around and attack. If you do enough damage on their brains, they will cease to exist. Was it a virus? From what I know, a virus cannot naturally reproduce unless they¡¯re inside a living organism¡¯s cells. Though still possible, I doubted that virus was the cause. Perhaps bacteria? They¡¯re living organisms right? Antibiotics might work but I¡¯m not sure since I¡¯m not a doctor. ¡°Is there a pharmacy nearby?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one nearby... I think we passed it about an hour ago.¡± Dianne responded. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°I want you to get antibiotics...¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s going to work?¡± Eric asked. ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot...¡± I answered. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come with you, Dianne...¡± ¡°Me too...¡± Dianne, Eric and Melissa prepared their gears and swiftly left the room to get antibiotics from the pharmacy. George also left the room so Claire could get some rest. I stayed with her just to make sure she¡¯s fine. I grabbed my bag from my inventory and tried to find a piece of cloth that Claire can use. I found a clean washcloth and a towel. I wanted to use it if there¡¯s an opportunity to take a bath but I haven¡¯t used it since I got it from the restaurant. I also took my bottled water for her to drink. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Claire asked. ¡°Your body temperature¡¯s too high. We need to cool you down¡­¡± I grabbed my bottled water and used my mana to absorb the heat from the water. ¡°Here, you should drink a lot of water¡­¡± She took a sip of the cold water but she¡¯s having difficulty of swallowing and holding the water bottle by herself. I insisted that she needed to take in more fluids so I held the bottle and helped her drink little by little until the bottle was empty. After she finished, she coughed for a bit and I pat her back. I used [Water Manipulation] to summon water and put it in the empty bottle. I poured some lukewarm water to the washcloth to damp it. ¡°Uhmmm¡­ I need you to take your clothes off, if that¡¯s okay¡­¡± I said to her. Claire nodded as she tried her best to take her shirt off by herself. Of course, she couldn¡¯t do it so I helped her. What an irony. Back in the restaurant, she was forcing me to get naked so that she could inflict more pain but now, I was helping her to get naked so that I can give her comfort and take care of her. Even though her skin was unhealthy pale, I couldn¡¯t help but to stare at her gorgeous figure. Unlike in the restaurant, Claire was confident with her body as she stripped in front of me. She looked proud back then but now as I looked at her body, she¡¯s blushing and shy and couldn¡¯t even look me straight in the eyes. She must be feeling vulnerable. As the awkward silence continued, I gently rubbed the damp washcloth on her body. First, I washed her face. She flinched as the damp cloth touched her neck and nape. My hand holding the cloth slowly went down to clean her chest. She wasn¡¯t complaining and breathed heavily in response. I gulped. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off her rack. I knew that her situation was dangerous but looking at her impressive breast made me forget about it. I didn¡¯t know anything about breast size but I can tell you that it¡¯s impressive. My hand probably overdid its stay on her chest so I moved on to her arms and her underarms. I poured more water to the washcloth then proceeded to wash her flawless legs and her thighs. As much as I wanted to wash her groin, I didn¡¯t know if my heart can take it any longer so I told her that it¡¯s necessary to wash it. I gave her the washcloth so she can wash it by herself. ¡°I-I need help¡­¡± Claire said as she tried to take off her shorts. Shit. There¡¯s no way this is happening. This must be a dream. It¡¯s good that the others weren¡¯t here to bother us. I was sweating heavily and my heart was beating like a drum as I slowly pulled down her shorts. When I pulled off her shorts completely, I tried to sneak a glance and I saw a piece of thin black cloth called panties and it was covering the Holy Grail itself. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Claire proceeded to wash herself, albeit rather slowly. Of course, I turned my back as she did it because I would suffer a heart attack and my eyes will burn at the sight of Grail. I¡¯d be wise to prostrate in the holy presence of the Holy Grail and revere its godly magnificence. I cleared my mind and activated [Meditate] to wash off the remnants of the filthy and inappropriate ideas. ¡°I¡¯m done¡­¡± Claire said. She handed me the damp cloth. My mind was in turmoil as I tried to decide whether to keep the sacred relic for ¡®future use¡¯ or place it on her forehead to give Claire some comfort from the fever. Claire clicked her tongue as she shook her head and glared at me. Damn it. She knew. *Sigh* Since I had no choice, I poured some cold water to desecrate the sacred relic and placed it on her forehead. ¡°You need to rest.¡± I said as I assisted her to lie down on her bed. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She stared at me and gave a slight smile. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Claire closed her eyes as she drifted off to sleep. I touched her neck and it seemed that her temperature cooled down for a bit. Though she still looked pale and sickly, her condition improved slightly. I held her hands and focused my mana to flow inside her body. My mana became an extension of my senses as my INT was at the point where my mana sensitivity was beginning to show. Even though I¡¯m not a doctor, I could sense that the cells inside her body were slowly deteriorating. I sensed the microbes in her lungs and throat; perhaps this is common cold? Maybe but it may have caused the infection so I killed it with my mana. I also found parasites inside her intestines. They looked like worms and I also found some larvae. I surrounded the parasites with my mana and killed them with heat. I didn¡¯t know what kind of parasitic worm it was but it¡¯s definitely not tapeworm. After I was done clearing everything that I suspected to be the cause of Claire¡¯s sickness, her cells continued to deteriorate. I tried my best to spread out my mana throughout her body but I couldn¡¯t find the one that causes the infection. I panted and my vision blurred as my mana was exhausted again.
You have gained a new skill. Cure Disease [Active] Beginner Lvl. 1 Effect: Diagnose and cure diseases by using mana. It is possible to cure an undiagnose disease given that the caster has destroyed the cause of the disease. Sufficient knowledge of anatomy and pathology is required to diagnose a disease. MP Cost: ??? (Depends on the disease) Disease Diagnosed: ? [Common Cold] ? [Not Tapeworm]
Attribute(s) gained: +5 MP
Though I¡¯ve learned another skill, I cursed at myself for failing to cure Claire. I didn¡¯t know what to do anymore. I let out a deep sigh and cleared my mind as I activated [Meditate] to restore the lost MP. After a few minutes, my MP was full again and I tried to use [Cure Disease] one more time and this time what I saw was different. I focused my mana to see her mana core inside her. I remembered that I read something like this in the book: Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies. The mana¡¯s natural color is white. The white color is the result of all different kinds of mana mixed in the mana core. Just like combining red, blue and green color, you¡¯ll get white color. Though I didn¡¯t know why the mana stones that we get from monsters have dark color but it is a ¡®common sense¡¯ that mana¡¯s color is white according to the book. I looked at Claire¡¯s mana core and saw that the dark mana was corrupting the color of her mana. I injected my mana directly to her core to dilute the dark mana inside but Claire¡¯s mana core was large. The dark mana has spread throughout the core and continued to spread faster than the flow of my mana. I injected my mana all at once until my MP pool was exhausted and I had to wait to restore it again.
Attribute(s) gained: +5 MP
I opened my eyes and Claire seemed to be getting better. She looked less pale but still pale nonetheless. The dark mana was spreading faster than my mana recovery rate and all I did was to give her more time. It was too late to save her and I realized that Claire¡¯s fate was sealed¡­ I cannot save her... I failed¡­ I stood up and looked outside the window as I found nothing else to do. The sun was still up but it was covered by dark rain clouds. Distant thunders can be heard outside as if the heavens itself was furious at my incompetence. As I stared at the rain clouds, I was thinking about the days I spent with Claire. Like I said before, we had less notable interactions with each other. That¡¯s because we hated each other¡¯s guts. We hanged out with our mutual friends: Dianne and Eric but still, we showed our mutual hate to each other. Dianne and Eric thought that it was our way of showing friendship to each other so they ignored the aggression between Claire and me. They were wrong. Insults were thrown and egos bruised. We never even bothered to hide our hate nor did we pretend to be friends. Though we had mutual hate, we also had mutual respect. She¡¯s probably the only person that I respected other than my family. There were times that Claire and I never showed aggression to each other. We always studied together for our common goal to get high grades and our names be written on the Dean¡¯s List. During those times, I¡¯ve always felt something different about her. Like a momentary respite in our never ending war, those were the only times that we considered each other as friends. Our goals in life were similar and that was to be the best. She¡¯s my enemy. My competitor at everything. Like Superman and Bizarro, Dumbledore and Voldemort. She was my antithesis. Despite everything, why do I feel sadness in my heart? I felt sadness whenever she shows her beautiful smile at others; whenever she looked happy with Dianne and Eric. There were times that I wished that she would also show that kind of face whenever she looked at me. Just like what she showed me earlier this morning... Why do I feel that if she dies, my world will become a lesser place? Have I unintentionally fallen in love with her? Suddenly, a drop of rain fell in the window glass. The rain drops were tapping on the window and then the rainfall became heavier. There was a music coming from the other room. A guitar playing and a voice of a male singing a song ? ? ? When you wake up each morning and you feel like calling...? ? ? The voice was familiar. It was Gerry. ? ? ? I''ll be there for you¡­ ? ? ? ¡°Miguel¡­¡± Claire called me as she sat in her bed. She looked like getting weaker by the hour. I approached her and sat beside her. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. Claire stared at the distance and asked. ¡°Am I going to die?¡± ? ? ? When the road seems uncertain and you can''t stop the hurting¡­ ? ? ? My throat felt tight as I felt pain in my heart. Her question seemed to trigger the stabbing pain. I didn¡¯t understand why I felt it. ¡°No...¡± I shook my head. ¡°You¡¯re not going to die¡­¡± ? ? ? I''ll be there for you¡­ ? ? ? Tears gushed from her eyes and sniveled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± She sobbed. ? ? ? When there¡¯s no one beside you¡­ ? ? ? ¡°Shhh¡­ No, no¡­ You¡¯re not going to die¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± ? ? ? I¡¯ll be there to guide you¡­ ? ? ? I lifted her head with my hand and looked her in the eyes. ¡°Look¡­ I won¡¯t let you die. Okay? I promise¡­¡± ? ? ? Catch you each time you fall¡­ ? ? ? Claire stared at me with her teary eyes and looked down as she placed her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and cherished her warmth. She continued to sob in my arms as I embraced her tightly. The nausea swirled in my stomach and my head felt like it would explode at any moment. A tear fell from my eyes like the first drop of rain. I was powerless to do anything to keep her from her fate. It was hopeless. ? ? ? When the stars won''t shine anymore¡­ ? ? ? ¡°I will do everything¡­ I won¡¯t let you die¡­ I promise¡­¡± ? ? ? I¡¯ll be there¡­ ? ? ? ARC 1: Chapter 13: The Promise Sorry for the delay... Here we go!
Chapter 13: The Promise As the song continued to play, Claire began to calm down little by little. She was hugging me tightly and it seemed that she didn¡¯t want to let me go. I didn¡¯t know if I love her but my feelings for her was strong. Until I figured out what it was, I refused to let her go. Her warmth enveloped my body, I wasn¡¯t aroused by it but it was comforting and it made my mind clear as day. This must be the feeling that George felt when he held his wife. The warmth of a lover¡¯s embrace. I didn¡¯t know if Claire felt the same thing but I didn¡¯t care and I didn¡¯t want to ask. I was afraid to ask. She fell asleep in my arms as the song ended. I didn¡¯t want her to let go. Claire and I stayed in that position for what it seemed to be for eternity. When my mana recovered again, I cast [Cure Disease] on her for the third time. I focused my mana inside her mana core. Another song was played as I tried to cure Claire. It was another depressing love song about saying goodbye. I sensed that the dark mana was still spreading inside and the cells on her body were dying as a result of the corruption. The dark mana occupied at least 60% of Claire¡¯s mana core and it continues to spread.I injected my all my mana once again. I felt my mana was drained fast as I poured everything I got. The dark mana was being pushed out the core as my mana took place inside the core. Some of the mana I poured was being rejected by the mana core. It¡¯s natural for the core to reject it since my mana was foreign inside her body. I continued to pour it but my mana was exhausted once again.
Attribute(s) gained: +5 MP
You have gained a new skill. Mana Transfer [Active] Beginner Lvl 1 Effect: You can transfer your MP to another. The amount of MP transferred depends on the user''s INT and WIS. The maximum ratio for transfer is 1:1 Requirement(s): The user must be in touch with the target MP Transfer ratio: 0.10:1
I activated [Meditate] to recover my MP. I didn¡¯t wait to fully recover and again, I focused my mana to her core. The mana core was still occupied by the dark mana by at least 50%. It seemed that every mana that I had can only fill 10% of her core. I could try to siphon the dark mana to myself but that would only add more problems. I didn¡¯t want Claire to die but I didn¡¯t want to die either. I was getting irritated with the song. It wasn¡¯t helping the mood. I let go of Claire and carefully put her down to her bed. I wanted to beat the shit out of this Professor Asshole. With my skill [Muffled Steps], I successfully slipped out the room without waking up Claire. I went to the other room and saw the asshole singing while playing his guitar. I didn¡¯t know where he got the fucking guitar but I didn¡¯t care so I grabbed him by his collar. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± He asked. I ignored him and dragged him outside the room. He dropped the guitar as I pushed and pinned him to the wall. The others were shocked and tried to stop me but I glared at them. They stopped as they watched me lift Gerry from the ground. I was taller than him by an inch and my STR made it possible. ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± I asked him. ¡°I-I was just playing the guitar¡­ a-and singing¡­¡± ¡°I know¡­ but why?!¡± ¡°W-well, they were nervous b-because Claire was bitten by a z-zombie¡­ I-I thought if I use my skill, t-they¡¯d calm down for a bit¡­¡± Gerry answered as he stuttered. ¡°What skill?¡± ¡°[Encourage]¡­ I-It¡¯s required for me to sing to use it¡­¡± ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m calmed to you?¡± ¡°N-no¡­ Please¡­¡± I was about to punch him in the face but someone stopped my arm. I turned my head to see who it was. It was Eric. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eric, Melissa and Dianne were back. They looked bloody and messy from a fight but their levels were still the same. ¡°I¡¯ll just beat the shit out of this asshole¡­¡± Even though I was heavy, Eric grabbed me and lifted me up to keep some distance between me and Gerry. ¡°What did he do?¡± Eric asked me. ¡°I-I was just trying to calm down the others with [Encourage] then he attacked me!¡± Gerry said to them. ¡°That skill¡­ What does it do again?¡± ¡°U-uhmmm¡­ It boosts morale and abilities¡­¡± He answered. Eric turned his head towards me. ¡°Why did you attack him?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t answer. I was just pissed off that I couldn¡¯t do anything to save Claire and the asshole¡¯s kept on singing depressing songs. Gerry went off and ran towards the room. George approached us while the others scurried back to the room like Gerry. ¡°We got the antibiotics¡­¡± Dianne said. ¡°Sorry if we took a while¡­ We encountered some gnolls on the way¡­¡± ¡°What happened to Claire?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°She¡¯s okay¡­ but¡­ I tried to do everything¡­¡± I said as I looked down. ¡°We got the antibiotics just like you asked¡­¡± Dianne handed me a plastic bag filled with medicine. ¡°The antibiotics won¡¯t help¡­¡± I blurted. ¡°Did you find out what makes her sick?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Yes¡­ I did.¡± I responded. ¡°What is it then?¡± I tried to think of the best way to explain the situation to them. I told them about Claire¡¯s mana core and how it was corrupted with dark mana that she got from the zombie. I also told them that I tried to inject my mana into her core. It worked but my MP wasn¡¯t enough to remove all the dark mana. After my explanation, they were silent as they tried to think of a solution. ¡°What if we all try to inject our mana at the same time?¡± Eric suggested. ¡°I could inject my mana because my INT is 60. I don¡¯t think anyone of you has that amount of INT.¡± ¡°How about instead of injecting your mana, you siphon it?¡± Dianned asked. ¡°I can do that but it will also infect me and I will die¡­¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just keep injecting your mana until it¡¯s gone?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°I can¡­ but the dark mana spreads more quickly than my mana recovery.¡± I replied. ¡°It will buy her more time... I don¡¯t want to say this but¡­ she really doesn¡¯t have that long¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± From their looks, Eric wanted to punch me in the face for saying it while Melissa stared at me as if blaming me for Claire¡¯s imminent death. I didn¡¯t care anymore. Maybe I deserve the blame; maybe I deserve a punch in my face. I wanted pain; physical pain so it can mask the feeling of helplessness that¡¯s eating me inside. Dianne broke down into tears. She immediately went to Claire¡¯s room and embraced her. We followed her inside the room. ¡°Claire...¡± ¡°Dianne...¡± Claire looked at her and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m here now...¡± Dianne said to her as she held Claire¡¯s pale hands. ¡°I have last requests... If that¡¯s okay...¡± ¡°No... NO!!!¡± ¡°Listen...¡± Claire placed her hand in Dianne¡¯s cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve already accepted it...¡± ¡°NO!!!¡± Dianne shook her head in denial. ¡°I... I want to die as a human... I want to keep what¡¯s left of my humanity before I¡¯m gone...¡± Claire¡¯s voice cracked as she said her final request. ¡°No!!!¡± Dianne turned her head towards me and looked at me with her teary eyes. ¡±Miguel! Please save her!!¡± I looked down as I couldn¡¯t look Dianne in her eyes. I¡¯ve never felt so helpless in my life. I looked at Eric and Melissa. They too were shedding tears. George was staring at Claire silently. I could see pity in his eyes. I was trying my best to hold back my tears and so far I was successful. ¡°Dianne... There¡¯s nothing he can do... He already did everything. I know that...¡± ¡°PLEASE! I¡¯m begging you... please... save her...¡± ¡°Dianne... Please listen. There¡¯s one more thing...¡± Dianne was sobbing intensely. Claire was trying her best to calm her best friend. ¡°I want you to find my family... If you find their body, give them a proper burial... Okay?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Miguel¡­¡± Claire called me. I approached her and tried my best not to meet her gaze.¡°Claire¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry if couldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ Just promise me¡­ take care of them for me, okay?¡± Claire placed her cold hand in my cheek. I turned my head towards her to see her face once more. She was smiling at me. It wasn¡¯t the first but it will be her last and I was the one she granted that blessing. I¡¯ve always wished that she would always show me her genuine smile but right now, all other smiles would pale to compare to her last smile. It was the most beautiful smile I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°Promise me¡­¡± ¡°I promise¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. I swiftly left the room. I vomited on the floor because I couldn''t handle all the emotions swelling up inside me. All the tears I tried to hold back finally made its escape. I wept. ¡°Miguel...¡± A voice called me. I couldn¡¯t respond. My mind was in chaos and my heart was shattered. Eric stood in front of me as I wallow in self-pity. ¡°Can¡¯t you do anything to save her?¡± I shook my head. I¡¯ve always believed that I can solve every problem with my wits but now, no matter how cunning I was, I couldn¡¯t save her. I was weak and my weakness has caused a tragedy that would take a chunk of what¡¯s left of my heart and soul. ¡°Oh god...¡± Eric fell down and pounded the floor in frustration. ¡°If only I knew this would happen...¡± He cried. ¡°I would have put all my stats in INT...¡± I wiped the tears in my eyes and sat on the floor as I activated [Meditate]. I cannot let her die. I promised her and I intend not to break that promise. As my MP filled up, I tried to think again of anything that can help her. The book I¡¯ve read about magic was of no help. I had to think outside the box. I replayed in my mind everything that happened since the beginning of the apocalypse. I was bothered when Eric said that if only he had higher INT. The problem with Claire was that most of her core was corrupted with dark mana. From the beginning, I was trying to solve the problem with the corruption. What if I could reduce the size of her mana core so that it would be easier for me to fill it up with mana? In theory, the dark mana would be forcibly ejected from her body due to her mana core being too small. That would also mean that Claire should reduce her INT stat or her MP... No... That¡¯s impossible. There¡¯s no such thing as resetting of the stat points. The SYSTEM was clear on that. Even if it were possible, it would be easier for the remaining dark mana to corrupt the entire core. It¡¯s a risk but it¡¯s not like Claire had another choice. All I needed was a second and that would be enough to fill her core with my mana. If only there¡¯s another way of reducing her INT or her MP... Shit! It was really hopeless. I removed my hood and took it off. I threw it to the ground and stomped on it to vent my frustration. ¡°...¡± I stared at the dusty mage hood and suddenly, an idea came into my mind. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± I exclaimed. Eric was surprised. ¡°What is it? Did you find something?¡± I picked up my hood and dusted it. ¡°Yes... I think I have an idea...¡± Eric stood up and looked at me with eyes wide open. ¡°Okay¡­. What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later but first, bring Professor Gerry here...¡± ¡°You got it...¡± Eric rushed towards the other room as I went back to Claire¡¯s room. Dianne and Claire were embracing each other and crying. ¡°Guys... I think I know how to cure her...¡± I said to them. The girls looked at me with a glimmer of hope in their eyes. ¡°You got a plan?¡± Melissa asked. I nodded.¡°Dianne, do you still have that leather cap?¡± I asked. ¡°What leather cap?¡± ¡°You know... the one that makes the wearer retarded. You kept it right?¡± Dianne opened her inventory and took a leather cap out of the thin air. ¡°You mean this one?¡± She handed me the leather cap. I took the cap and used [Observe].
Leather Cap of Mental Retardation Armor Rating: 1 Durability: 5/7 Bonus: INT will decrease to 5 Drill the door. Drill the door. Drill door. Dildo.
¡°Miguel... I brought him...¡± Eric panted as he carried Professor Gerry in his arms and put him in the floor. ¡°H-hey...¡± Gerry smiled wryly as he scratched his head. Eric was too excited as he heard that I might have a way of saving Claire. He literally brought Professor Gerry to me. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Before that, Professor, I¡¯m really sorry that I attacked you earlier... But I need your help... Can you tell me again the effect of [Encourage]?¡± ¡°W-well... It boosts morale and abilities...¡± He answered. ¡°Okay but can it boosts my mana flow?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what mana flow is but it depends on the music, I guess...¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If you want to be more calmed and focus, I have to play soft and calming music but if you want to... uhmmm... kill things then I have to play a more... epic music, I guess?¡± I see... So Professor Gerry is a true bard. His skill¡¯s buff effect was dependent on the music he¡¯s playing. ¡°So what music do you want me to play?¡± He asked. ¡°I guess anything that can help me focus...¡± ¡°A love song perhaps?¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer it if it weren¡¯t very depressing or the lyrics has something to do with someone dying or leaving... Actually, do you know any guitar instrumental? With no singing involve and not depressing?¡± ¡°Hmmm...¡± Gerry paused for a second as he looked up and think. ¡°I think I know one... How about Romance d¡¯Amour?¡± ¡°The title sounds depressing...¡± ¡°It¡¯s my favorite. No singing at all but not depressing...¡± He said. ¡°Alright, play that one...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just get my guitar... Be right back.¡± Gerry was about to go but I stopped him. ¡°Thank you, Sir...¡± I said to him. He nodded and smiled as he ran off to the other room to get the guitar. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Eric asked again. ¡°Here it is...¡± I showed them the leather cap of mental retardation. ¡°What¡¯re gonna do with that?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°I was thinking that if I could reduce the size of Claire¡¯s mana core then I¡¯ll have sufficient mana to fill it up. In my theory, the dark mana will be expelled instantly because of the immediate shrink of the mana core. I think it will work...¡± ¡°Okay... So why do you need Professor Gerry?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°I need him to play a music that will help me focus... We can only have one shot at this attempt so we have to give our best shot...¡± Their eyes lit up with hope. Dianne and Claire¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. Not of sorrow, but of joy. ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up. There¡¯s still a chance to fail. When the mana core shrinks, the dark mana will be quicker to spread. It¡¯s just a theory. Actually it¡¯s a hypothesis since it hasn¡¯t been tested yet...¡± ¡°But there¡¯s still chance to succeed, yes?¡± Claire asked. ¡°Of course...¡± ¡°And the chance to succeed?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say 50/50 or it could be 1/99 with 1% chance in your favour... I¡¯m not sure.¡± I said to her. ¡°Then let¡¯s do it... Even if it¡¯s 0.0001% chance to succeed, I¡¯ll take the risk...¡± The fire of hope in their eyes shone brighter even if I told them the risk. I really do hope I succeed. If I fail, they might blame me for Claire¡¯s death and I would feel shitty about it. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Gerry looked excited as he carried his guitar. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this...¡± Gerry began to play the guitar. I wasn¡¯t familiar with the music but it was very soothing and calming. He played the guitar full of emotions and one can see his great passion about music. As the music played, I was hesitating to tell them one last part of the plan. Perhaps the most crucial of all. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°One more thing guys¡­ I forgot to tell you the last part of the plan...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Claire and I have to do it naked¡­¡± There was a long pause and their faces were blank. The music also stopped as Gerry was surprised with what I said. Their eyes squinted as they tried to read me if I were really serious about it. It was awkward. ¡°WHAT?!¡± Dianne was the first one to react. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for your jokes! Claire is dying!¡± Eric burst out. ¡°That¡¯s not funny, Miguel!¡± Melissa blurted. ¡°Whoa dude¡­ Have you lost your mind?¡± George asked. ¡°Guys! Guys! I can explain¡­¡± I said. They didn¡¯t stop ranting. The idea sounded bad but there was a reasonable explanation. I was silent as I waited for them to stop talking. ¡°Guys¡­¡± Claire spoke and they stopped. ¡°Let Miguel explain himself¡­¡± ¡°Thank you Claire¡­¡± I was envious of Claire¡¯s ability to control this mob. ¡°Like I said, Claire and I have to do it naked. I know it sounds bad but ¡­¡± I took out the book I bought from the shop: Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies. I flipped out the book and showed them a page. ¡°According to that book, wearing armor or clothing made of metal and synthetic materials will hinder a mage¡¯s flow of mana and control. My mage robe is made of silk and greatly improves my mana flow and control compared to wearing normal clothes but wearing nothing means no hindrance at all.¡± ¡°But why does Claire have to have to be naked too?¡± Dianne asked as she glared at me. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ll transfer my mana to her and I need to be able to freely control the flow of mana inside her¡­ I think her clothes are the reason why some of my mana was wasted.¡± Eric, Dianne and Melissa were busy reading the book to confirm my statement but they were taking too long. George and Gerry were also taking a peak to read the book¡¯s contents. ¡°It says here that witches always perform their Coven¡¯s Sabbath naked to harness more of their powers¡­¡± Melissa said. ¡°Do you really have to be naked?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Well, if it improves the chance of saving Claire¡¯s life then yes, we have to¡­ To be fair, I¡¯ll also be naked.¡± ¡°B-b-but¡­¡± Dianne¡¯s face was glowing red in embarrassment. It¡¯s the first time I saw her disagreeing with me. It¡¯s only natural since no one wanted their BFFs to be sexually harassed by their childhood ¡®friend¡¯. I didn¡¯t care though. If it¡¯s the only way to save Claire¡¯s life, I¡¯d be willing. Though they will see my big belly full of stretch marks and my man boobs and what¡¯s worse, they will also see my penis¡­ Shit¡­ They were right! It¡¯s a bad idea! ¡°Fine, I agree with you. It¡¯s a bad idea.¡± I said to them. ¡°Shut up!¡± Claire shouted with her remaining strength. We were silenced by Claire¡¯s loud voice. All of us looked at her as she was going to say something. ¡°We only have one shot at this. We have to give it our best shot.¡± Fuck, no¡­ I¡¯m doomed! I brought this upon myself. Goddamn it! Claire took off her shirt and her shorts and she was left with her underwear. George immediately left the room to give Claire some decency. Eric was too obvious and stared at Claire¡¯s gorgeous figure. Melissa glared at him and as soon as Eric saw her, he looked down. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Claire asked as she prepares to take off her bra. I stopped her. ¡°Wait¡­ You don¡¯t have to take off your underwear.¡± She nodded and I sighed in relief. I removed my robe and my hood. Luckily, I was wearing boxer shorts that night. ¡°Eric, in case I passed out, please help me put my clothes on¡­¡± I said. ¡°Got it¡­¡± He gave me a thumbs up. ¡°Whatever happens, don¡¯t touch Claire; the dark mana may infect one of you¡­ Understood?¡± They nodded. Claire and I stared at each other as she prepares to wear the leather cap. Both of us were blushing red. ¡°Ready?¡± I asked her. ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± Claire nodded. The others were watching carefully as the plan initiated. Dianne hugged Melissa and didn¡¯t want to see the plan fail. Gerry started to play the music and as soon as we felt the calmness coming from the spell, Claire wore the leather cap. ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!¡± Claire cried out violently as the dark mana was forcibly ejected from her. Dianne rushed to her aid but fortunately, Eric was there to stop her. The dark mana in form of a black mist leaked from her body and her eyes turned black. The energy coming from the dark mana was so strong that I could feel its coldness inside my bones. I heard a sinister whisper. I couldn¡¯t understand what it was saying but I knew that the one whispering to me was coming from the dark mana itself. I could tell from its tone that it was a threatening me. It was a whisper of warning. I wasn¡¯t really bothered by it nor did I care so I just ignored it. After a few seconds, Claire stopped screaming and the dark mana stopped from leaking out from her body.When her eyes went back to normal, she stared at me and smiled. ¡°Dildo¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± I was afraid that the plan failed and the dark mana finally overtook her reduced mana core. She still looked pale but I was confused by Claire¡¯s words. ¡°Dildo¡­Ehehehe¡­¡± Claire said as she laughed like an idiot. ¡°Pffft¡­. HAHAHAHAA!!!¡± I couldn¡¯t help it. After all the drama, seriousness and the anticipation that something bad was going to happen, Claire¡¯s first word was ¡°Dildo¡±. As soon as I started laughing, Eric joined me in laughter. ¡°Dildo? Uhuhuhuh! Dildo!¡± Oh my god! Did the leather cap really make her an idiot? Like the idiot in Game of Thrones but instead of saying ¡°Hodor¡±, she¡¯s saying ¡°Dildo¡±. ¡°Dildo! Dildo! Dildo!¡± ¡°Wahahahahaha!¡± I couldn¡¯t stop laughing. ¡°Ehem!¡± Dianne glared at me and pointed her eyebrows to Claire. Melissa hit Eric hard in the head in order to stop him from laughing. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± I said to them as I stopped laughing. I held Claire¡¯s hands and activated [Meditate] to further enhance my mana regeneration while casting [Cure Disease]. I didn¡¯t know at first if it would work since it was the first time I did it. My mana flowed inside Claire¡¯s body without deactivating [Meditate]. I grinned as I discovered that her mana core¡¯s size was reduced significantly. There were still a large amount of dark mana inside her core and only a few traces of Claire¡¯s mana. I was just in time to save her. I poured my mana into Claire¡¯s mana core and the dark mana fought my mana viciously like it was aware of my mana¡¯s presence. The dark mana tried its best to get a hold on the core but it was futile. With my high MP pool, mana regeneration from [Meditate] and [Encourage], and mana control from high WIS and being naked, my mana flooded the core like a gigantic tidal wave on a tiny island. In just a few seconds, the dark mana was completely purged from her core. I opened my eyes and removed the leather cap from Claire. The effect was strong when the core expanded back to its original size. ¡°AHHHHHHHH!!!!!¡± Claire and I screamed in unison as I continued pushed myself to the limit. I filled her entire mana core with my mana just to be sure she was safe. Our bodies glowed white and filled the entire room with blinding light.
Attribute(s) gained: +5 MP
When I felt all my mana was drained from me, the white light has faded and the darkness finally took over my senses¡­
I opened my eyes and found myself in a dark and empty place; an endless void. I was floating in a dark space but it was surprising that I could breathe. ¡°Hello?¡± I called. No one answered¡­ Not even an echo. Just as I expected¡­ *Whisper* Oh come on¡­ That again?! *Sigh* Of course, this has to be a dream. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll wake up in a few seconds. I was more annoyed than afraid of the situation. My brain¡¯s having a trip to weird dream land again. Well, if this were really a dream, I¡¯ll try to have fun with it. ¡°Alright, whoever¡¯s the jackass who thinks this is a funny prank. I get it¡­ Now here¡¯s your round of applause¡­¡± I said as I slowly clapped my hands. ¡°And here¡¯s your Finger of Appreciation. Congratulations!¡± I raised my middle finger to no one. ¡°I¡¯ve already given you your award. I¡¯d give you another finger but it¡¯s mine and now I have zero fucks to give.¡± *Whisper* ¡°Stop that gibberish whisper, you moron! I couldn¡¯t understand a single shit word of it.¡± Finally, the whisper stopped. ¡°Fool¡­¡± My eyes opened wide as a baleful voice answered from the void. I tried to keep myself calmed and spoke with the voice. ¡°Me? A fool? You kept talking in gibberish and expect me to understand that shit? And you thought I was the fool? Wow¡­ You¡¯re retarded. I bet the retarded cap won¡¯t work on you¡­¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± The voice answered in a sinister but angry tone. It sounded like a poor edited voice in G major. *Whisper* The whispers began to get louder and louder as a humongous demonic creature appeared in front of me. The creature was at least 30 feet high and looked like Diablo from the game. It has seven horns and a long spiked tail. The spikes extended in his spines. The creature grinned at me and showed its row of yellowish sharp teeth. Its blood red eyes were burning with rage as it glared at me. Whoever this is, it¡¯s probably trying to scare me into submission. I admit I¡¯m spooked. Well, Shit¡­ It¡¯s too late to say my apologies. I guess, I should continue being sarcastic. Even if this thing kills me, at least I will have the last laugh. ¡°Ohhh¡­Kay? So I¡¯m supposed to say: Oh no. I¡¯m so scared. The scary monster is going to eat me!¡± I returned the creature¡¯s glare with a sarcastic smile. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA!!!¡± The creature let out an evil G major laugh. ¡°Fascinating! Amazing! HAHAHAHA!¡± ¡°Thank you. Now get out of my dream and let me fucking sleep! If you don¡¯t mind...¡± I said. The creature leaned its face closer to me and grinned. ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking me for a date? Oh boy, Oh boy, Ohhh boooy!¡± ¡°AHAHAHAHAHA!¡± The creature continued to laugh as my vision started to fade again.
I woke up and found myself in a bed. It was already morning as the sun rays coming from the windows hit my eyes. I yawned. Whew¡­ What a stupid dream. I noticed that there¡¯s a blue screen floating in front of my face.
You¡¯ve gained the attention of the Dark Lord. Congratulations, numbnuts¡­
What the fuck? Jesus Christ! That was real? Wait! What¡¯s his name again?
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named¡­ or something¡­
Voldemort?
Shhh¡­ You shouldn¡¯t speak of that name either and no; he¡¯s not You-Know-Who but he¡¯s The-Other-You-Know-Who¡­
Oh¡­ So what the hell is he? A demon lord? Why didn¡¯t I get anything like a unique skill or something?
You¡¯ll find out soon enough¡­ Hehe. You really have a knack for screwing things up¡­
Shit... Now I got the attention of two otherworldy entities. I looked around to see if I wasn¡¯t dreaming. I was in Claire¡¯s room but I was alone. There was only one bed in the room and it was mine. This must be another dream and I was trapped inside the dream world. I noticed that I was wearing my mage robes and my staff beside my bed. There was a knock on the door. Whoever that was, I was praying to Not-God that it wasn¡¯t The-Other-You-Know-Who or the original You-Know-Who¡­ The door opened and it was Claire. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Claire greeted. I sighed. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I looked at her and her skin looked much healthier than when she got infected. Claire walked towards me and sat in the bed beside me. Weird. I wasn¡¯t feeling embarrassed or awkward. Talking to her was like most natural feeling in the world. Like talking to yourself in the mirror. ¡°I wanted to say thanks for saving my life¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­. By the way, what happened to your eyes?¡± I noticed that her eye color was different. It has silvery glow like Riddick¡¯s eyes from the movie Chronicles of Riddick. I used [Observe] on her but she¡¯s still human and still pretty but I¡¯m starting to doubt she¡¯s the real Claire. She might be the Dark Lord in disguise. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I just woke up and my eyes were like these. Isn¡¯t it cool?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ awesome.¡± I responded. ¡°So how long was I out?¡± ¡°Ten days¡­¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Claire laughed. ¡°Just kidding¡­ You were out for hours.¡± I sighed again in relief. I thought that the meeting with the Other-You-Know-Who was that long. ¡°¡­¡± Again, there was an awkward silence between us. Why is it that whenever we¡¯re alone, we¡¯re always having an awkward moment? ¡°Uhmmm¡­¡± Claire broke the silence. ¡°I-if there¡¯s anything I can do for you¡­ J-just ask me¡­¡± My eyes squinted as I stared at Claire. She tried to look me in the eyes but she turned her head away and blushed. It got me thinking. There were two possibilities: Either she¡¯s the Dark Lord in disguise tricking me into giving her my soul or she¡¯s the real Claire trying to pay her debt of gratitude. I doubt it''s the latter though. There¡¯s only one way to figure it out. ¡°Actually, there is something¡­¡± Claire saw me grin and her face became redder. This Dark Lord was good at acting but she¡¯s cute. ¡°Can I have my washcloth back?¡± As soon as she heard my request, a vein or two popped out of her temple and she gritted her teeth. She looked like she¡¯s about to explode in anger and steams would come out of her ears. I gulped. I moved back a little to avoid being blown by her tantrum. Fortunately, she calmed down after a few seconds and let out a deep sigh. She stood up from my bed without saying another word and went straight to the door. Was she the real Claire? Did I do something that offended her? ¡°Here¡­ Catch.¡± Claire tossed me a cloth and I caught it. The washcloth still looked dirty and damp. ¡°I haven¡¯t washed it¡­¡± Claire said sarcastically. ¡°Be careful with chafing.¡± She smirked. ¡°Have fun~ Yup¡­ It¡¯s confirmed. She¡¯s the real Claire and she just gave me the Sacred Relic. *Sigh* She really likes fucking with me. Figuratively. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author''s note: Okay before the negativity, here''s my answer... Q: Why did you let Claire live? A: Claire will play a more important role in the series. Actually, she will be the Female MC in the next ARC. You''ll see... Claire''s history according to Miguel was too vague. Not too much character development yet IMO... What really happened? I wanted to give the main characters more history and character development before killing them. Q: Saving her was cliche and a Deus Ex Machina... A: And so does killing her and making Miguel bitter about it. I don''t think the way Miguel saves Claire was a ''sudden'' plot device. Read Chapter 6: Greed is Good. I foreshadowed the importance of the crappy items that they got from the first monsters they killed. Plus, if they had a valid and available way to do it, then why not? Q: Did Claire became something other than human? A: Nope. She''s still human. The color of her eyes was a side effect and there are other side effects too... I''ll explain later in next chapter. Q: Who is this Dark Lord? A: Hmmm... Later... but no one in this story is purely good or purely evil... That''s all I can say. ARC 1: Chapter 14: Cold War Chapter 14: Cold War Miguel After I stored the Sacred Relic to my inventory, I lay down on my bed for a few more minutes. My head hurts like hell and my eyes were a bit heavy and in need of more sleep. I gave myself to the temptation and fell asleep. A few minutes later, before I even got into a deeper state of sleep, I was woken up by Melissa and gave me a plate of fried rice and sausages for breakfast. I told her that I wasn¡¯t hungry but she insisted that I should eat and she won¡¯t leave until I do. Annoyed, I quickly finished off my breakfast and went back to sleep. I was glad that she didn¡¯t bug me after that. I was jolted awake after a few minutes by the annoying noise coming from the first floor and the other room. It¡¯s probably the others doing some stupid things. I changed my sleeping position to my side and covered my ears with a pillow. The noise were finally muffled by the pillow and I tried to go back to sleep. My sleep was once again interrupted when I heard a loud wail of a woman. I immediately sat up in my bed and realized that there¡¯s something wrong happening downstairs. As soon as I tried to stand up, I felt a throbbing pain in my head. I fell down to the ground as I held my head. I tried to open my eyes but my vision was moving left and right and I felt nauseous. It was like the worst hangover I ever had. I opened my Character Screen to see my Status.
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:16
HP:526/526MP:197/197
SP:120/120EXP:71.57%
STR:19WIS:48
AGI:12INT:60
VIT:42LUK:13
DEX:12CHA:21
Satiety:Fine
StatusExtreme Mental Strain: -80% MP and -50% Mana Control
Undistributed Attribute Points:0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity: Increase in Mana Control and +10% MP
Extreme Mental Strain? Is that why my head hurts like hell? I tried to cast [Cure Disease] on myself to get rid of Extreme Mental Strain debuff but as soon as my mana flowed from my body, I felt a stabbing pain in my head and I felt more nauseous. I needed more rest but I wanted to keep moving. I came to conclusion that we¡¯re under attack when I heard sounds of fighting downstairs. I used my staff to support myself while walking. Like an old man with a walking stick, I walked slowly through the hallway to find the others. It was taking me forever just to walk for a few meters. I opened the door to the other room and found a woman standing in front of the door and she was about to stab me with a spear. I fell down to the ground and fortunately, the spearhead stopped inches before it reaches my chest. ¡°Oh shit! Sorry, I thought you¡¯re a monster.¡± The woman said. I was groggy from the fall and tried my best to focus. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Where are the others?¡± ¡°They¡¯re fighting the monsters downstairs¡­ Eric told me and two others to stay here and protect the children¡­¡± The woman pointed at the room. The two other members of the group were also standing in front of the door holding bows in their hand. I pressed my staff to the ground and lifted myself up. ¡°Close the door¡­ Keep them safe¡­¡± I told them. ¡°Where are you going? You¡¯re not in shape to fight¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I answered. ¡°Close the door¡­¡± I walked through the hallway one step at a time. Each step was like a chore and I was constantly wobbling and bumping on the walls. It took me a while before I reach the stairs. I heard another shout coming from outside the building. It sounded like Claire. I finally reached downstairs and saw a bloody mess on the first floor. Bodies of dog-like humanoid creatures were lying on the floor. There were also three human corpses alongside with them. I recognized one of the corpses. It was the Tracker and she¡¯s full of stab wounds throughout her body.I felt a chill in my spine and vomited at the gruesome sight of the dead party members. ¡°Miguel? What the hell are you doing here?¡± Claire asked. ¡°I¡­ uhmmm¡­¡± Before I could join, I realized that the fight was already over. The others went back inside the building and like Claire, their bodies were stained by blood either by their own or their enemies. Some of them came back limping due to their wounds. Eric, Melissa and Dianne were alright but they too have suffered slight injuries from the fight. The atmosphere was grim and the morale of the party was at its worse. Some of them were crying at the sight of their friends¡¯ corpse. Indian Boy cried as he embraced Tracker¡¯s lifeless body. I assumed that they were lovers. His cries echoed throughout the room. I couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with him. I didn¡¯t know Tracker¡¯s real name. I knew but I couldn¡¯t remember. We didn¡¯t speak to each other and our only interaction with each other was the interview. She¡¯s an average looking girl, cheerful and very talkative in regards with her hobby. Although I didn¡¯t know much about her, I felt quite sad that the girl I once knew was already gone. Even worse, I couldn¡¯t remember her name or the others who died with her. I fell down on my knees but Claire prevented me from falling completely. ¡°You need to rest.¡± She said. ¡°We can handle this¡­¡± ¡°I can help¡­¡± I pushed her away as I tried to get up by myself. ¡°No, you can¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t be stubborn. Come on¡­¡± Claire took my left arm and helped me to stand up. I knew that with my condition, I¡¯ll just be a burden to them and the only help that I could give to them was to do nothing and rest. I just couldn¡¯t think straight when I saw Tracker¡¯s corpse. Before we even made a step, a man grabbed me by my shoulders. ¡°We need your help¡­¡± Robert said as he pointed to the ones who were wounded. ¡°No... Miguel needs to rest right now.¡± Claire said to him. ¡°Let me help, Claire.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done enough. You need to rest.¡± ¡°Let me do this¡­ Please.¡± I insisted. Claire gritted her teeth as she helped me walk towards the injured. There were others who suffered scratches and slight injuries but knowing my current condition, they just covered up their wounds with cloths to prevent the bleeding and wait for their HP to recover. There were two of them who have critical injuries. One has a stab wound in the chest while the other has his guts peaking from the wound of his belly. I cast [Heal] on them. Since I couldn¡¯t concentrate very well, I just cast it without focusing. My head was thumping like hell as I closed their wound. Their maximum HPs were low enough for me to heal them. I panted as my mana was once again drained. I didn¡¯t gain +5 MP from it but the Mental Strain was taking a toll on my body. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough¡­¡± Claire said as she helped me stand. My knees were like jelly and I fell to the ground. Claire let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. Even though I was heavy, Claire lifted me over her arms like a princess. She could¡¯ve given me a piggyback ride like I did to her yesterday but no, she had to do a princess carry instead. If only I had the strength, I wouldn¡¯t have let that happen. Alas, I was too weak to stand on my own and I couldn¡¯t even move my fingers. The others were staring at us as Claire carried me upstairs. My pride as a man took a huge blow. I know what most of you were thinking. It was okay since this must be the part where the main character of the story would get laid with the distressed damsel after saving her from a seemingly incurable disease. We had party members who died from the attack that day so none of us were in the mood for sex. Obviously, it didn¡¯t happen. After we reached the room, she put me down on my bed. Claire told me to rest and not to leave the room even if we¡¯re under attack. She also told me not to worry about anything and assured me that they can handle it on their own. She left the room without saying another word and closed the door. All I can do now was to rest and to recover as fast as I can. She¡¯s right though. No one really needed me except for my healing abilities. My magic was as useless as a blunt blade. From what I saw, they can handle it on their own. Now that I was mentally strained, my one and last purpose was robbed from me. Being an absentee leader isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing but when the morale of the group is low and they¡¯re grieving for the death of their friends, being absent is the last thing I want as a leader. I closed my eyes and activated [Meditate] while I lay down on my bed. Surprisingly, it worked and activating the skill didn¡¯t hurt my head. It actually gave me a relief from the pain. I wonder if the skill would still work if I¡¯m sleeping. After a few minutes, I felt that my consciousness was slowly slipping away. I heard a Ding sound as the skill deactivated when I fell asleep.
Claire ¡°How is he?¡± Eric asked. ¡°He¡¯s okay, I guess.¡± I replied. ¡°He just needs some rest.¡± ¡°Thank god...¡± Eric looked down and breathed out heavily. Dianne and Melissa were silently staring at Jacob as he cried at his dead girlfriend. Rhian was one of our teammates. Along with Jacob, we fought in the frontlines against the monsters. She was kind and cheerful as far as I know. She even gave me pads yesterday when she learned that I ran out. Rhian liked photography and hiking. She told us stories about her trips in different parts of the country and how the endangered animals were being threatened with the continuous deforestation. I didn¡¯t really care about how these animals were endangered. I only care about animals if they taste good. I wonder if the gnolls are delicious. I mean, I¡¯ve eaten dog meat once and it tasted like beef. It¡¯s really delicious. Anyway, Rhian¡¯s death was truly unfortunate. It was Samuel and Jacob¡¯s watch when the attack happened. The gnolls came in groups when they stormed the building. We heard the commotion so we immediately went downstairs. The gnolls were pretty smart and much faster than the goblins. They surrounded the building and their archers used the vendor stalls as their cover. Samuel was the first one to die when a gnoll archer hit him with an arrow in the head. When the gnolls broke in, we stood our ground and tried our best to push them back. Paul died when a gnoll¡¯s spear got him in the neck while Rhian was repeatedly stabbed by a gnoll with a dagger. When Jacob saw how his girlfriend died, his rage was almost unstoppable as he fought recklessly against the gnolls. We did our best to back him up and made our charge towards the gnolls. With my new skill [Wail of Agony], the gnolls whined in pain as they covered their ears. I finished them off with [Lacerating Strike] and let them bleed to death. It took us a while before we killed every last one. As Jacob wept at Rhian¡¯s corpse, I couldn¡¯t help but feel happy that it wasn¡¯t me. I felt bad about it but I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that I was glad to be alive. The fact that I nearly died last night still gives me a chill. If it wasn¡¯t for Miguel, I would¡¯ve died already. I went upstairs to check up on Miguel to see if he¡¯s alright. I opened the door and sighed in relief as I heard his loud snores. When we were in the hardware store, I was tempted to smother him with a pillow because I couldn¡¯t sleep well with his snoring. If someone was to hear him snoring, they would be convinced that it was a pig that had nasal problems and was probably being choked to death. But right now, I was actually glad that to hear him snore. It¡¯s a sign that he¡¯s still alive and well. After he cured me of the disease, he fell unconscious with his eyes opened. All of us were freaked out and thought he was a goner. His eyes looked lifeless and empty as if he was a corpse. Even after we felt his pulse and his breathing, we all thought he was in some kind of coma that he wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up. As I watched Miguel in his deep sleep, I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I reminisced on how I met him. I first met him when we were first year college. I was late because I overslept and the alarm¡¯s sound wasn¡¯t enough to wake me up. My brother used to say that professors in college never cared if a student arrived late in their class so I took his advice and entered the classroom without saying a slightest greeting to the professor. Obviously, I was wrong. Perhaps my brother was right about other professors but Professor Inigo was an exemption. She did care about punctuality and she¡¯s mad about me being late. My classmates were staring at me and giggling while the professor humiliated me in front of the class. They were all laughing at me except for one man. The man who was sitting in the back didn¡¯t even smile and he looked annoyed. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. After I was scolded, Professor Inigo told me to take a seat. There were unoccupied seats in the front but I was disgusted by how the other boys looked at me as if I was a piece of juicy steak. Though it was normal for me to be stared at, I just couldn¡¯t get used to it. The seat next to the silent man on the back was available so I took it. As I took the seat next to the man, he looked surprised as if it was the first time he noticed my presence. I didn¡¯t know what his problem was but he rolled his eyes in annoyance as he learned that I was going to take the seat next to him. Most boys would smile at me and be glad to be seated next to me but not him. No¡­ if he had a choice to sit far away from me, he would do it. As the class went on, the boys kept stealing glances at me. I looked at the man sitting next to me but it seemed that he¡¯s too focused at the professor¡¯s lecture. During the whole class, not even once, I caught him glancing at me. It¡¯s like he¡¯s pretending that the seat next to him was unoccupied. Of course, it pissed me off. Normally, I¡¯d be thankful to him for not being a bother but from his looks, he wasn¡¯t even acknowledging that I existed. I angrily left the classroom and took a last look at him. He sighed deeply in relief as if thankful that I was gone for good. I didn¡¯t know his problems with me but I was curious and mad at the same time. The next day, I saw him in the back again but I didn¡¯t sit next to him. I observed him from the distance and it seemed that everyone in the classroom didn¡¯t want to be near him too. I asked one of my classmates about the man on the back. They said that the man was grumpy and annoyed at everyone who tried to sit next to him. Days have passed and I finally get to know his name as the professor called him during one of the recitations. He was smart and he¡¯s always getting the highest grade among us on quizzes and on exam. Miguel had an arrogant smirk on his face when the professor declared the result of the exam. God, how I wished to wipe out that annoying smirk. At first, I thought he was cheating. Perhaps he had connections with the professors. I decided to fight dirty. I wasn¡¯t proud of it but if that¡¯s the way Miguel did it, I¡¯d be glad to do anything just to crush his pride. I tried to suck up with the professors but he still got the highest grade. One of the professors even offered me higher grades in exchange for sex. He didn¡¯t say it directly but he was subtle with the offer. I wouldn¡¯t get that low though. I could only imagine that arrogant bastard laughing at me. I may be a bitch but I wasn¡¯t a slut. I¡¯ve graduated as a valedictorian in highschool and that man can easily crush all my hard work. My pride just couldn¡¯t let that happen so I studied harder than ever. I spent more time in the library and I also noticed that Miguel was doing the same. I observed him as I took note of his study materials and his habits. He always spent his time in the library in his free time and leaves early at 4 p.m.. I used this as an opportunity to put extra effort for my studies in order to surpass him. However, no matter how hard I study and tried, I couldn¡¯t beat him. I knew that Miguel was aware that I was trying hard to best him but that arrogant look in his face was the greatest insult to my pride. At last, there was one subject that I got higher grade than him. I confronted him about it and I couldn¡¯t forget what he said: ¡°Wait? So you¡¯re actually proud that you got a higher grade than me in P.E.?¡± Miguel smirked at me and looked down on me. He¡¯s got a point though. Both of us were accountancy students and P.E. was just a minor subject in our course. I walked out in shame and frustration. I couldn¡¯t accept the humiliation and defeat and I never gave up. That was the time I started to hate him. I knew that grades aren¡¯t the measure of intelligence and doesn¡¯t really matter in real life. It could land me a decent first job for sure but grades are the measure of hard work and effort. Whether you cheated or did it the hard way, as long as there¡¯s effort in your part, you can hold your head up high and be proud of yourself. Those who say otherwise were those who were too optimistic and delusional that their lives cannot be measured by any standard. They didn¡¯t realize that we¡¯re living in a world where people try to measure every aspect of their lives and grades are one of the best examples. As a last resort, I approached Miguel and asked him for help. I braced myself for another insult and humiliation from him but he helped me without a single trace of pity or contempt. I grinned to myself as I¡¯ve found Miguel¡¯s single flaw. I took the opportunity and asked Miguel for more help in my studies. I hung out with him in the library every day and tried my best to be as nice as possible to him. I even asked him for his number and he was happy to give it and he seemed to be enthusiastic to help me. He must¡¯ve thought that he could get into my pants by his actions. All men are the same and Miguel wasn¡¯t an exception. He even introduced me to his friends, Eric and Dianne. I couldn¡¯t believe how such an arrogant prick could manage to have friends. Eric was a typical jock. Handsome, gentle but a huge idiot while Dianne was a shy girl and have a low self-esteem. I put on my game face and became nice to them. I admit that I was a terrible person but Dianne became my best friend. Although she¡¯s naive like Eric, she¡¯s sweet and genuinely kind. She told me a lot about Miguel¡¯s personality and his habits which I used to further my goal. I was too obsessed at the idea of surpassing him. From her story, Miguel didn¡¯t seem to be the guy she claimed to be. She told me that Miguel was a kind of person that would do everything to help his friends. I didn¡¯t believe it obviously. There¡¯s no way that he¡¯s that kind of person. I also talked to Eric about Miguel. He said that Miguel has a tendency of being grumpy and say very critical things to other people but still he cared deeply for his friends. It made me to think that perhaps Miguel brainwashed his friends'' minds. One time, I asked Miguel about why he hung out with people like Eric and Dianne. I told him my first impression of him that he was more of a loner type of a person than a social animal with cool and popular friends. He said: ¡°Hanging out with an idiot makes me feel smarter.¡± This asshole didn¡¯t even have the decency to hide his ugly self from others. A week before the mid-term exams, I asked Miguel to study with me in the library as usual. The sucker agreed and smiled. I asked him for all of his review materials and he agreed to share them with me. As we studied, we talked about all possible topics that may appear on the exam. He also asked me some questions about the subject we¡¯re studying. Apparently, there were some things that he didn¡¯t know. Of course, I answered all of his questions. Not all of them were correct though. I planted some wrong answers with correct ones just to make sure he¡¯ll get some of the questions wrong. A dirty move but the douche seemed to believe everything I said. That time I was trying my best to suppress my laughter as he looked confused with my answers. I could already feel his pride being crushed beneath my feet. On the day of the exams, I was shocked that most of the questions and problems were discussed in Miguel¡¯s review materials. I was overjoyed that my grueling study session with Miguel was worth it. Also, some of the questions were the ones that Miguel asked me about. I was pretty sure that he¡¯ll get those questions wrong. When the results came, I was nervous and excited at the same time. It was a departmental exam for basic accounting subject so the results were posted in the bulletin board for everyone to see. I looked at the results and Miguel ended up in the first place and I was the second. I should¡¯ve felt prouder since I was only in ninth place in the last exam but being second place and just one small step from the top was the worst feeling in the world. Not to mention it was my greatest enemy on the top. I turned my head and saw Miguel staring at the bulletin board with the same arrogant smirking face. My other classmates saw the results and congratulated me. Miguel approached me to offer a hand shake to congratulate me. I was so angry that I grabbed Miguel¡¯s arm and dragged him to a corner where we can have a ¡®chat¡¯ in private. He didn¡¯t try to resist and kept his smirk as the others teased us. Before I could speak, Miguel told me that he already knew that I was intentionally giving him wrong info when we studied and he just went along with it and acted as if he believed it. I wanted to punch him in the face and beat him to a pulp but that would make me lose my scholarship. I asked him why he didn¡¯t say anything and most important of all, why did he help me. Miguel narrowed his eyes and smirked. He brought his face closer and whispered: ¡°No matter how hard you try and no matter how many professors¡¯ dicks you suck, I will always be one step ahead of you.¡± What he said made me hate him more. I realized that I was the idiot he¡¯s talking about when he said that he liked to hang out with one to make him feel smarter. He was different from all of them. It was like the heavens sent him just to spite me. I was wrong to underestimate him. He saw through all of my deception and I failed to see his. Since that day, we¡¯ve been passively aggressive with each other. We¡¯ve been throwing insults to each other like there¡¯s no tomorrow. I still hung out with Miguel and his friends and it was fine with him. At first, Eric and Dianne were shocked on how we fought and tried to reconcile our irreconcilable difference but in time, they learned to ignore our aggressiveness to each other and act as if it was normal. I didn¡¯t exactly know how we stayed that way and how it didn¡¯t become a full blown and violent war. As far as I know, I enjoyed it. All my life, I¡¯ve been trying to wear an image of a perfect girl who excelled at everything; a perfect girl who¡¯s kind, cheerful, pretty, smart and in every man¡¯s dream. I felt free from the burden of this heavy mask and Miguel was my catharsis. I never wished him to be dead. In fact, he¡¯s gone then I will be back what I was once. I respected him but I still hated him. When the apocalypse happened, I started to see Miguel differently. It seemed that Dianne was right but I refused to believe it. I knew him personally. He¡¯s smart and very manipulative. I was sure that he¡¯ll throw us into a den of wolves just to save himself or so I thought. Again, I was proven wrong with each day passing by. He saved everyone and showed that he really cared about his friends. I was beginning to believe it but when he started to boss everyone around back in the PolSci building, I thought that all of it was part of his ploy to gain our confidence. I realized that I was just envious of him about how he could do pretty much everything and I couldn''t do anything. What I said was unfair and I never gave him the benefit of a doubt so I apologized to him. I didn''t know why I was blushing but the atmosphere between us was too awkward. Last night when I was bitten by a zombie, I thought I was really going to die. He alone stayed by my side and did everything to save me. All of my doubts about his sincerity were erased. My enemy gave me comfort and took care of me. He promised me not to let me die. Whatever he did last night, not only he poured mana but he also poured some of his memories inside me; his moments of triumph and defeat, joys and sorrows, love and hatred and all the emotions he felt. I was screaming in pain when all of the information was jacked into my head. I felt like my brain was going to explode at any moment and my soul was getting torn to pieces. I didn¡¯t sleep last night. Not because I thought Miguel was in coma but because of what I¡¯ve seen. I could still remember everything I saw from his eyes. It was like seeing a world without a touch of color; like watching an old film. Miguel believed that he was an awful person and uncaring. However, all of his thoughts and actions betrayed him. Sure, he¡¯s not perfect. I knew that he once planned to leave us when he finds a better party but that¡¯s because he has trust issues. I also knew that he loves me. He was just confused about it and didn¡¯t want to get hurt. I¡¯ve always believed that Miguel was like me: A terrible person hiding beneath a mask of kindness but he was the opposite. He¡¯s a caring person hiding beneath an ugly mask to protect himself from the harsh reality. When I saw some of his painful memories, I wanted to give him some relief but he was denser than a rock and chose to have his ¡°Sacred Relic¡± to jerk himself off instead of me. It was very tempting to punch him but luckily, I found my restraint and I remembered that I have my period today. I figured that what I was going to do was wrong. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I feel the same way about him. Miguel deserved a better person and I knew that I wasn¡¯t the one he truly deserves.
Author''s note: Another boring chapter. Please bear with me. Don''t worry though, there will be a lot of action next chapter and of course, some progress... ARC 1: Chapter 15: Mutiny Chapter 15: Mutiny Claire As I stayed in the room with Miguel, I was reading the book that Miguel bought from the shop two days ago: Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies. He forgot to store it in his inventory, so I took it to kill some time while I watched him sleep. It was an interesting read. I¡¯ve learned so much from reading the book even though I wasn¡¯t a full fledge mage like Miguel. I learned that [Charm] is an illusion spell and [Berserker¡¯s Howl] and [Wail of Agony] are a combination of Illusion and Alteration school. There were some fun facts from the book about magic and its history. One of the fun facts was the one that Melissa mentioned yesterday. According to Miguel, clothes made from organic materials were recommended for a better flow of mana. Does that mean I have to wear silk too? Though I prefer wearing armor, I think it would increase my magic¡¯s potential. I¡¯ll ask Miguel about this when he wakes up. More fun facts: the elves were born with natural sensitivity to mana and dwarves have their own school of magic: Metal manipulation. It¡¯s obvious that the history wasn¡¯t from Earth, but it¡¯s from the other world that was merged into this world. Fun fact: Dragons are masters of the arcane. I hoped that we won¡¯t encounter one in the future. I looked outside the window and noticed that the sun was already setting. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ my¡­ burger¡­¡± I stored the book to my inventory as I heard Miguel talked. I know that I should return it to him, but I¡¯ll just borrow it for a while. Of course, with an intention of returning it. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ eat¡­ my¡­ fries¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but giggle as Miguel sleep talked about food. No wonder why he¡¯s so fat. At least this apocalypse will force him to exercise and with a shortage of food, he¡¯d eat as little as possible. That¡¯ll get rid of his disgusting belly and his jiggly boobs. ¡°Dil¡­ do¡­¡± Miguel mumbled. I didn¡¯t hear what he said so I put my ear nearer in order to hear it better. I covered my mouth to suppress my laughter. ¡°Stay¡­ away¡­ from¡­ my¡­ fries¡­¡± ¡°Pfftt¡­..¡± I let out a snicker. ¡°Dildo¡­ Stay away¡­ No¡­. Dildo¡­¡± Miguel said as he turned his head left and right. ¡°¡­¡± My eye twitched and a vein popped in my temple. This man was mocking me even in his sleep. ¡°Dildo¡­ No¡­¡± My blood was boiling in rage as my fist clenched into a ball. I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s sleeping. He¡¯s gonna get a good beating for reminding me of that incident. When my fist was about to drill a hole in Miguel¡¯s face, there was a knock on the door. ¡°May I come in?¡± A voice asked. It sounded like Dianne. Why does she need to ask permission to come in? ¡°Yeah, come in¡­¡± I answered. The door opened and I saw Dianne¡¯s face blushing. Her knees were shaking as she tried to avoid my gaze. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry if I d-disturb you¡­¡± Dianne was stammering as she spoke. What was it? Why was she blushing? As I tried to think of a reason, I turned my head down to Miguel and realized that I was sitting on top of him. She must¡¯ve thought that I was about to ride him to kingdom come. Shit¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not what you think¡­¡±I quickly get off of him and stood up. ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± Dianne laughed wryly as she scratched her head. I¡¯ve always thought Dianne liked Miguel but she never made her move. In Miguel¡¯s memories, he was forced to confess his feelings to her after an incident with a bitch classmate, but Dianne rejected him and tried to avoid him. Miguel continued to love and pursue Dianne after that. It was obvious that Dianne shared the same feelings for him, but for some reason, she kept avoiding him. Later on, she even told Miguel that she liked Eric so that he¡¯d back off but it was a lie. It broke his heart and made him depressed. It infuriates me every time I think about it. I couldn¡¯t think of a single reason for Dianne¡¯s imbecile move. There was one memory that involves Dianne but it was vague. It made Miguel apathetic of Dianne. Whatever it was, it must be very painful for Miguel because after that memory, he changed. ¡°Uhmmm¡­They¡¯re about to cremate Rhian and the others¡­ Do you want to go?¡± Dianne asked. Ah, that¡¯s right. There were three of them who died this morning. Though I didn¡¯t have an emotional attachment to them, I have to pay my respects to the dead. ¡°Sure, but what about him?¡± I pointed at Miguel. ¡°We¡¯ll just be in a bit...¡± Dianne said. Dianne and I went outside and carefully closed the door. As I followed Dianne downstairs, I was wondering if she still feels the same for Miguel. Back in the restaurant, she let Miguel sleep on her lap and I saw her stroke Miguel¡¯s hair as he slept. I think Miguel has suffered enough. He gave her a lot of chances in the past and she wasted all of it. Perhaps Dianne wasn¡¯t hurting him intentionally, but she¡¯s definitely not the person he deserved. When we reached downstairs, we joined the others who have gathered outside. The three corpses of our party members were covered with white cloths and it smelled of gasoline. Jacob stepped forward and said words about Rhian, Samuel and Paul. Jacob broke down in tears as he told us that the five of them, including Robert, were friends and all of them were Political Science students. He and Rhian planned to marry each other after graduation and this year was their last year in college. After the eulogy, Robert summoned a flame in his hand and threw the flame towards the corpses. The others were crying as they watched the bodies slowly turn into ashes. ¡°Where¡¯s Miguel? Why is he not here!?¡± Robert asked angrily. ¡°Stop it, Robert¡­ You know that Miguel should be resting. He can¡¯t be here with us with his condition¡­¡± Gerry said as he tapped on Robert¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh, really?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Resting, eh? So while he¡¯s lazing around, we¡¯re dying here! If he¡¯s our leader, why is he not here with us? They wouldn¡¯t have died if he was here!¡± ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s Miguel¡¯s fault now?¡± I stepped forward and brought my face closer to the ungrateful cunt. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for him, you won¡¯t even be here. I doubt you¡¯ll survive out here without him...¡± ¡°Robert¡¯s right¡­ Miguel didn¡¯t do anything since we left the university.¡± Said one of them. ¡°He¡¯s bragging about his magic, but he didn¡¯t even help us when we needed him.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t even participate in the fight against the zombies!¡± ¡°Fuck you! He¡¯s the one who decided to let you come with us. If we only knew you¡¯d be ungrateful, we¡¯d leave you to rot in that fucking building!¡± Eric said as he lost his temper. ¡°The white light Miguel made last night attracted the monsters! It¡¯s his fault that they died!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The crowd said in unison. ¡°What?! Are you serious? You¡¯re blaming him for saving Claire?¡± Melissa retorted. ¡°I doubt he¡¯d do the same thing for us... He even tried to attack you for no reason, Sir Gerry!¡± ¡°Look guys, I¡¯m gonna side with Miguel on this one. I understood why he did it so I forgave him. It¡¯s not fair that he¡¯s taking the blame.¡± Gerry said. ¡°You backstabber! You¡¯re just afraid of him... I bet he can¡¯t do anything. He¡¯s fucking useless.¡± Jacob said. ¡°That¡¯s not fair! You should at least show a little gratitude.¡± Dianne finally spoke up. Jacob raised his middle finger in front of Dianne¡¯s face. ¡°Here¡¯s your gratitude!¡± Since the monsters that killed Rhian and the others were already dead, they have no one to blame so they put all the blame to Miguel. Now I understood why Miguel hesitated to help these people. What he said was true, help or don¡¯t help. We even gave them our weapons for trade. I was starting to regret my decision to help these cunts. The others spoke up and most of them agreed that it was Miguel¡¯s fault. Even the two who were healed by Miguel sided with those bastards. While George was silent, Gerry and three others were on our side defending Miguel. Eric, Dianne, Melissa and I were also defending him. A few minutes later, the arguing started to get violent when Jacob punched Dianne in the face. Robert and two others also joined Jacob and mobbed Dianne on the ground. As I watched Dianne get beaten, Eric, Melissa and I tried to save her, but we were stopped by the others. ¡°NO!¡± I shouted at Jacob as I tried to push my way through the crowd. I punched the one who was blocking me and I was able to knock him out with one punch. -31 HP! Target is Knocked Out! The others held my arms to restrain me. Even though I was strong enough to lift Miguel, I was effectively pinned down as I received a flurry of fist from the angry mob. I looked around and saw Eric and Melissa being mobbed. Eric, being the strongest, was able to defend himself with his fist. Gerry, George and a few others on our side tried to stop them, but they were too few to do anything. Damn it! I couldn¡¯t get my sword from my inventory. My armor set was also in my inventory. ¡°I said, STOP IT!!!!¡± -61 HP! Target is Stunned! I had no choice but to use my skill [Wail of Agony]. Those who were attacking me screamed in pain as they covered their ears. I rose up from the ground and wiped the blood from my mouth. It¡¯s a good thing that I followed Miguel¡¯s advice to focus on vitality. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to take that beating without it. The others quickly recovered and didn¡¯t give me a chance to recover as they tried to attack me. George and those who were on our side moved back as I cast another [Wail of Agony]. -54 HP! As the sound wave passed through their ears, they flinched and fell on their knees. Jacob, on the other hand, seemed to be unaffected and took his spear out of the thin air. He raised the spear above Dianne to finish her off. I quickly pulled out my sword from my inventory and rushed towards him. ¡°NO!!! DIANNE!!!¡± Eric tried his best to rush to her aid too, but the others restrained him before he could charge. I realized that I was too far from Dianne and I couldn¡¯t make it in time. When Jacob was about to plunge his spear, the ground shook and a wall made of rocks rose up from the ground and covered Dianne like a turtle shell. The spear¡¯s tip was shattered as it hit the dome protecting Dianne. Robert, on the other hand, summoned a flame in his hand, but before he could throw the flame towards me, the flames roared uncontrollably and engulfed him. All of us, including Jacob, stopped as we saw Robert. We fell silent except for Robert who was screaming in agony. After just a few seconds, Robert was nothing but bones and ashes on the ground. I turned my head towards Jacob and he was shaking in fear as he looked at me. I realized that he was actually looking at someone on my back. ¡°So¡­ What do we have here?¡± As we heard a familiar deep voice, all of us looked back to the building. ¡°I just slept for a while and now you¡¯re trying to kill each other.¡± It was Miguel. He clicked his tongue as he slowly approached us. Eric dashed towards Dianne and lifted her in his arms. He brought her towards Miguel in order to heal her. Miguel¡¯s hand glowed with a green light as he used [Heal]. Dianne gained her consciousness and stood up. After he healed Dianne, he stood up and faced us. ¡°What was it again? I forgot the word for it... Hey, Claire¡­¡± The vibe he¡¯s giving off was terrifying. It was as if smog of fear trying to choke us to death. I gulped. My throat felt dry as his piercing eyes gazed at us. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the other word for rebellion?¡± He asked me. ¡°M-mutiny?¡± I answered. ¡°Ah, yes. Mutiny... Such an awful word.¡± He shook his head and clicked his tongue. ¡°Not¡­ Cool... Not cool at all... So who started it?¡± Our heads turned towards Jacob since Robert was already dead. Miguel flashed a vicious grin as his eyes looked at Jacob. Jacob knelt before him and begged. ¡°P-please don¡¯t kill me...¡± Miguel smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t kill you unless you try something stupid. So tell me, why were you trying to kill her?¡± ¡°...¡± Jacob couldn¡¯t answer him. He was too afraid to answer. His pants and the ground were wet because he pissed on it. Miguel looked down on him as if he¡¯s killing him with his stare. ¡°I get it...¡± Miguel said. ¡°You lost your girl and you were furious about it... Don¡¯t you have something to say to me?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s talk about it¡­¡± Miguel rubbed Jacob¡¯s back as if trying to comfort him. His face was full of snot and tears as he cried. Miguel shook his head as he let out a deep sigh and turned towards us. ¡°If you have something to say to me, say it right now in front of me. Whatever it is and no matter how bad it is, I won¡¯t hurt you and that¡¯s a promise. I just want to know what your problems are.¡± No one dared to say a word. I was afraid of him too. ¡°As I said before, I cannot guarantee your safety as we couldn¡¯t even guarantee ours. We almost lost Claire last night, but I barely made it in time to save her. I needed some time to recover because of it. If any of you were in the same situation, I¡¯d also make the same effort to save your lives.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for your loss and I can only offer my condolences and my deepest sympathy¡­ And if you¡¯re not happy with my leadership, you are very welcome to leave but I suggest that you leave the next morning. It¡¯s dangerous to travel at night.¡± Miguel went back to the building. He stopped when he noticed that we weren¡¯t following him. He turned around and rolled his eyes. ¡°Get in... We should barricade the entrance and for those who want to leave the group, you can leave tomorrow. You don¡¯t want any monsters shooting arrows at you in the dark.¡± We followed Miguel inside the building while Eric and the others barricaded the entrance. Jacob was still outside and shaking in fear as he stared at the Robert¡¯s pile of bones. ¡°Hey, Indian Boy. Get in¡­¡± As soon as Jacob heard Miguel calls him, he got up and ran away from the building. ¡°Hey¡­ Wait!¡± He ran across the street and disappeared in the darkness. Miguel sighed and shook his head. ¡°Dumbass¡­¡± He muttered.
Miguel I woke up alone in my room when I heard there was a ruckus outside. I looked outside the window and realized that it was already night. My head still hurts a little, but unlike earlier, I can stand up unassisted. I didn¡¯t feel groggy anymore, so I opened my Character Screen to see my status.
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:16
HP:526/526MP:886/886
SP:120/120EXP:71.57%
STR:19WIS:48
AGI:12INT:60
VIT:42LUK:13
DEX:12CHA:21
Satiety:Hungry
StatusMild Mental Strain: -10% MP
Undistributed Attribute Points:0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity: Increase in Mana Control and +10% MP
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It seemed that sleeping all day helped me recovered. I should go out and figure out what¡¯s happening outside. As I went downstairs, I heard that they were fighting. They weren¡¯t fighting monsters, but they were fighting among themselves. I heard one of them said that I was weak and useless, and that I didn¡¯t use my magic to kill the zombies. They were blaming me for the deaths of Tracker and the other two who died with her. I was still inside the store and I decided to eavesdrop on their conversation. I peeked to see the development and to see who¡¯s loyal. Unfortunately, most of them thought that I was blame with everything. The original members were there to defend me and a few others, such as Mango Girl, Repairman and George. I was surprised when Professor Gerry stood up for me and tried to reason with them. I guess I was wrong to judge him. It¡¯s only natural for a leader to be blamed for every screw up of their followers. There was a saying: ¡°The buck stops here.¡± It¡¯s unfair and ridiculous. The deaths of those three were beyond my control and if I can do something about it, I¡¯d do everything in my power to save them. Not that I wanted to but because I assumed this position and I have to take responsibility for it. I may be a grumpy asshole, but I always keep my word. That¡¯s why I told them that I cannot give them assurance that we¡¯ll all make it out alive to Camp Aguinaldo. After a few minutes, the verbal fight became violent as they started to punch each other. My friends tried to fight back, but the others were too many and they swarmed them with fists. The others who took my side tried to break off the fight, but it was useless. I stood in front of the door in order to be noticed, but the crowd was too busy fighting. I tried to shout at them to call their attention. They ignored me and continued to fight. I was starting to get pissed off. ¡°I said, STOP IT!!!¡± Claire shouted and a sound wave came in front of her. The ones who were standing in front of her screamed as their ears bleed. I think that¡¯s her skill [Wail of Agony]. Although the sound was loud, only those who were in front of her were affected. She stood up and rushed towards the crowd with her fist. The others tried to stop her, but she shouted once again. She pulled out a sword out of the thin air. I didn¡¯t know what Claire was planning, but I knew that I had to stop it right now. ¡°NO!!! DIANNE!!!¡± Eric shouted as the others tried to restrain him. I tried to look for Dianne in the direction where Eric was shouting. I noticed that Indian Boy was holding his spear up in the air and Dianne was on the ground and unconscious. I didn¡¯t know how it came to be this violent but I knew that I had to stop him. I instantly cast [Earth Wall] from the ground. I shaped the earth wall like a dome to cover and protect Dianne. It successfully deflected the attack. Meanwhile, I saw Robert summoned a flame in his hand. He intended to incinerate Claire with it. As much as I wanted to avoid killing another person, I was forced to make a choice. I manipulated the flame in his hand and cast [Chain Hellfire]. The flame did its work on his flesh as he screamed in pain. All of them were shocked as they saw him burn. Although I was bothered by what I¡¯ve done, I tried my best to look tough so I can avoid this from happening ever again. Eric carried Dianne to me. After I used [Heal] on her, I approached Indian Boy and tried to intimidate him. He knelt down and begged for his life. I looked at the others and they seemed to be scared of me. I tried to reason with Indian Boy and asked him why he tried to kill Dianne. He pissed his own pants and sobbed. I guess my intimidation worked too well. When I was in high school, I fought those who tried to pick on me. Even though I won the fight, I was suspended for a week and it affected my studies. I already expected for that to happen, but I didn¡¯t expect that my classmates would become too afraid of me. Since I sent those bullies to a hospital with broken noses, my reputation as the top student in the class was severely damaged. It was expected by everyone that I would graduate as the class valedictorian. In the end, I graduated as the salutatorian because of my bad conduct record. Did I feel regret? Of course not. I fought because I believed what I did was right. I didn¡¯t care about what the others think about me. I found myself stuck with the same situation. However, I had to kill a human to save another. I felt terrible about it and the judgmental eyes around me made me cringe. Perhaps it¡¯s a good thing to show them that they should fear and respect me. They thought I was a weak-willed leader and the fact that I didn¡¯t show off my abilities made them think that I was weak. I made a mental note to myself that next time I¡¯d constantly remind them of my capabilities. I tried my best to explain to them that even though I¡¯m not to be fucked with, I still care for those who were loyal. They¡¯re welcome to leave if they didn¡¯t want me to lead them. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t want them to leave immediately because it¡¯s dangerous to travel at night. Although what I did was necessary, I never liked killing a person so I spared Indian Boy¡¯s life to avoid unnecessary violence. I went back inside the building, but I noticed that they weren¡¯t following me. They were too scared of me. I reminded them that there were more things to be afraid of than me, and then, they followed. I tried to convince Indian Boy to stay with us even for just this night. I didn¡¯t want to leave him and let him die outside. Unfortunately, he ran away. I felt even more terrible. The guy just lost his loved one. Even though I tried to convince myself that I was in the right, I felt sick and I wanted to puke. While Eric and the others rebuilt the barricade, all of them, even Claire, looked at me like I was a monster. I saw Dianne staring at me and she smiled. She didn¡¯t say anything but her smile was a sign of her gratitude. At least, one of them appreciated what I did. After they finished the barricade, I told them to rest and decide if they wanted to leave or stay with us. I wasn¡¯t just talking to those who came with us from the university; I also asked Eric, Melissa, Claire and Dianne to decide if they still wanted to stay with me after what happened. It¡¯s time to test their loyalty. The others went upstairs to rest as I decided to take the watch for the night. They deserved to rest and I¡¯d use meditate all night to completely recover from Mental Strain. I had a bad feeling since no one volunteered to take the watch with me. I shrugged off the feeling and activate [Meditate].
The next morning, I was jolted awake as I heard them packed up and preparing to leave. I realized that I fell asleep on my watch. Most of them, including George and Sir Gerry, decided to leave the group. I watched each and every one of them leave the party. The only ones who were left were Eric, Claire, Melissa and Dianne. I smiled. I have to give it to them. I thought for a second that they would leave me too, but I guess they¡¯re loyal. ¡°Miguel¡­¡± Eric called me. ¡°I wanted to thank¡­¡± He raised his hand before I could say thanks. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Miguel¡­¡± He said. ¡°I hope you understand¡­¡± ¡°What?¡±
Eric Reyes left Boston Tea Party
Melissa Panis left Boston Tea Party
Dianne Duria left Boston Tea Party
I was speechless when they all left the party. I just couldn¡¯t believe what happened. ¡°But why?¡± I asked them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Claire said to me.
Claire Roque left Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party was disbanded.
I felt like my whole world fell apart in a blink of an eye. I felt heartbroken when Claire decided to leave me. I tried my best not to cry but a tear fell from my eyes. I kept my head up high as they left the building. I could hear them create a party by their selves. I saw Claire looked back and she looked at me full of regrets. She ran into Eric and kissed him on his lips. I closed my eyes and wished that it was all just a dream. After almost an hour, there was only silence. The footsteps were gone and the only sound I hear was the sound of my heart beat. I opened my eyes and realized that it was all real. They truly left me behind. I felt betrayed and anger swell up inside me. It was sickening. I was betrayed by everyone; my best friend, my childhood friend and even waitress who I thought I befriended betrayed me. I cried when the one I loved betrayed me even after I risked my life saving her. I tried to ask myself why. Why did they leave me? Is it because I killed a person? Did they think I¡¯ve gone mad? I did everything to save them, didn¡¯t I? Why is it every person in this world were against me? I couldn¡¯t stop crying. I wailed as loud as I could. I wanted to kill myself. I wanted to kill them. I wanted to kill every person in this world. *Whisper* I heard the whispers again. I tried to cover my ears in my despair, but the voices grew louder as if they¡¯re speaking in my head. Their gibberish whispers became clearer and clearer. ¡°They betrayed you!¡± ¡°Traitors!! Never forgive their treachery!!¡± ¡°Hunt them down!¡± ¡°They will never escape!!!¡± ¡°Make them suffer!¡± ¡°They will wish they were never born!¡± ¡°Kill them!¡± ¡°Take their souls!¡± ¡°They will be damned for all eternity!¡± ¡°THIS ISN¡¯T REAL!¡± I shook my head in denial. It played again and again in my mind. Their voices were maddening. ¡°They don¡¯t deserve mercy!¡± ¡°THIS ISN¡¯T REAL!¡± ¡°Make them pay!!!¡± ¡°THIS IS NOT REAL!!!!¡± ¡°KILL THEM ALL!!!!¡± ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!¡± Suddenly, the mana inside my body exploded and the shockwaves shattered the reality like a glass. When the pieces fell off, I was transported to the void. I closed my eyes to calm myself down and tried to focus on the fact that this wasn¡¯t real. It was all a bad dream. It was just a bad dream¡­
I woke up again and this time, I looked around and realized that I was on the second floor. I was alone¡­ I opened the party screen and there were only ten of us left: Eric, Melissa, Claire, Dianne, George and his son Ethan, Gerry, Mango Girl, Repairman and me. I stood up and looked outside through the window. As I watched the others leave the building, I accepted the fact that they¡¯re going to leave me behind. I grabbed my staff and dusted off my robes to see them off and wished them good luck. I went downstairs and found out that there was no one there. I heard laughter upstairs. My heart jumped in joy as I learned that they never left me. I rushed towards the second floor and back to the room where I heard the laughter. ¡°Dildo! Dildo! Ughuhuhuh!¡± ¡°Hahahahaha!!!¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± ¡°What is dildo?¡± ¡°Oh come on, Dianne. You can¡¯t be that innocent!¡± ¡°Seriously, what is it?¡± ¡°W-WHAT?!!¡± I placed my forehead on the door. Even though I knew God would never answer my prayer, I still prayed. ¡°Please God¡­ Please¡­.¡± I whispered. I slowly opened the door and found them having their breakfast on the round table. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake! Good timing! Come on, sit down¡­¡± Melissa said. I sighed in relief. ¡°Here, I saved you a seat¡­¡± Claire took a chair and placed it beside her. ¡°Aiiiiieeehhhh!!!!¡± Melissa and Eric teased. ¡°Oh, shut up!¡± Claire raised her middle finger to them. ¡°Hahahahahaha!!!¡± I sat down in a chair beside Claire and smiled. ¡°So, um¡­ You really want to stay with me?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, duh? We¡¯ll never make it without you¡­¡± Claire responded. ¡°Those assholes can go to hell¡­¡± Eric said. ¡°Thank you, guys ¡­¡± I said to them. They nodded and laughed. As we ate our breakfast together, I realized that I really cared about these clowns. I didn¡¯t know what I would do if they leave me. ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again¡­¡± I heard a familiar whisper in my ears. I ignored it and cherished the rest of the day with my friends.
Author''s Note: Whew! Sorry for the long delay... I''ll try to post Claire''s stats and skills next time. I''m still trying to create her own Character Sheet... Thanks for reading!!! ARC 1: Chapter 16: Kung Fu Bear Chapter 16: Kung Fu Bear ¡°Don¡¯t eat my fries! That¡¯s my burger!¡± Claire tried to imitate my voice. ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± I didn¡¯t know how it came to this but I suddenly became the center of laughter when Claire told them how I sleep talked. Let me give her a taste of her own medicine. ¡°Yeah, but you know what¡¯s funnier?¡± I said to them. I crossed my eyes imitating her dumb expression when she wore the cap. ¡°Dildo¡­ Dildo¡­ Uhuhuhu!¡± ¡°HAHAHAHAHA!!!¡± ¡°Tch¡­ They already cracked that one. It¡¯s getting old.¡± She retorted. ¡°Dildo? Ehehehehe¡­ Dildo!¡± As the laughter continued, Claire gritted her teeth and her face reddened in anger. I can tell that she wanted to punch me in the face, but somehow, she restrained herself from doing it. It¡¯s weird. Ever since I cured her of her disease, she changed. Her attitude towards me was different that it¡¯s like she¡¯s a different person. Is it the effect of the dark mana? Suddenly, I remembered the whispers in the dark and my smile turned into a frown. I didn¡¯t expect that the Dark Lord was capable of creating that fucked up dream and I almost gave in. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dianne asked as I realized that I spaced out. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± I replied. I decided not to tell them anything about the Dark Lord. They might think that I was really going mad and that nightmare might come true. There were more things to be more afraid of than death itself; the fear of being shunned, fear of being left out, fear of being betrayed and of course, being NTR¡¯d. It seemed that the Dark Lord did some research of what I fear. I dismissed the thought and kept my mind distracted as I finished my breakfast. Anyway, I finally learned the names of our new party members and this time, I made sure to remember it. Just in case I had to deliver a eulogy. Their ghosts would forever haunt me if I say: ¡°We will forever remember the great deeds of Mango Girl whose shape of the face is like a tropical fruit.¡± It was awkward for me to ask them their names. Luckily, they were convinced when I said that I was forgetful when it comes to names and the only names I could recall are those who I interacted with for a long time. Well, it¡¯s not necessarily false, since I really couldn¡¯t remember the names of those who never made notable first impressions with me. Mango Girl¡¯s real name was Elizabeth. She insisted that we call her Beth. I wouldn¡¯t say that she¡¯s ugly or anything but like I said, her face reminded me of a mango fruit because of pointed chin. She has the looks of a mixed Filipino-Chinese; fair skin and pointy dark brown eyes. There¡¯s a saying: Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder¡­ Fine, I find her ugly, okay? However, I didn¡¯t really care if she¡¯s ugly because she stood up for me when their group mutinied against me and that earned her positive points for me. Plus, I¡¯m not that good looking either. Perhaps diet and a serious workout would make me handsome, but I doubt that since I got all the recessive genes of my beautiful parents. Repairman¡¯s name was Carlos. He told us that we can call him Kaloy and he doesn¡¯t mind if we call him Mang Kaloy [1]. He¡¯s a man in his 30s from his looks. He has a dark brown skin and slightly wrinkled forehead. His hands looked rough and full of callus. It¡¯s probably due to his work as a handyman. Ethan, George¡¯s five year son, didn¡¯t know how to read and he didn¡¯t have a blue screen. Instead of blue screens, he¡¯s hearing a voice telling him of all the information about his stats and skills. His stats were sub-par and his intelligence was only 6. I bet he¡¯ll be a genius kid if he put all of his points in intelligence. I gave him instructions in order for us to know what skill he has. Ethan was obedient and smart enough to follow my instructions. Unfortunately, he told us that the voice wasn¡¯t responding when asked about skills. Perhaps he¡¯s too young to have a skill but I wonder what would happen if he use a skill book. After we finished our breakfast, it¡¯s still early in the morning, so we can afford to rest before the journey. Eric and the others decided to take a few changes of clothes from the store. The store has a lot of stuff other than clothing such as bags, cologne and perfumes. I took the cologne and perfumes in my bag. Since there will be no more manufacturing of these luxury items, it¡¯s just a matter of supply and demand and the price of these items would skyrocket. If I couldn¡¯t sell these things, I could use it on my own. Why not? I saw a blood stain on the floor and it reminded me of the gruesome and the bloody sight of dead party members. Even though I already killed a person, I don¡¯t think I could get used to it. I still have a conscience. I think that killing a person brings me closer to the Dark Lord so I will do everything to avoid killing. I remembered that I bought a book from The Shop back in the university. I pulled out the book about the monsters: Beastiary of Earthland by Finn Mertens. I didn¡¯t know who Finn Mertens was but it¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s some kind of an expert about monster hunting. The book¡¯s cover was made of leather and it was thick and heavy. I think calling it a tome would be more appropriate. I opened the book and skimmed some of its contents. It sucked since the list of the monsters weren¡¯t in alphabetical order, but at least it has page numbers and a table of contents in the front page. In the fourth page after the table of contents, it has introduction on how usually a monster is born and how they evolve. Usually, monsters come from sentient and intelligent entities called dungeons. There were a few exceptions, such as summoners¡¯ familiar which came from the Spirit Realm and beasts which are independent monsters and can spawn in a forest. A dungeon will spawn when the mana in an area is too concentrated, usually underground and other isolated areas. When the immaterial mana forms a mana stone, the mana stone itself will become sentient. Given time, the sentient mana stone will develop intelligence and this process takes about a minimum of hundred years up to a thousand years. When the mana stone gain intelligence, this is the moment when a dungeon is born. The mana stone will become its core and it will absorb mana in its surrounding areas, like any other living creatures, but a dungeon can absorb a tremendous amount of mana and can store almost limitless amount. The dungeon can spawn monsters based on the mana signature of its surroundings and shape their monsters accordingly. For example, if a dungeon is born near a cemetery or an area full of corpses, it will spawn skeletons and other undead creature and if it is born in a place with only rocks and ores, it will spawn golems. The dungeon needs mana in order to spawn monsters and with its tremendous mana absorption ability, it can constantly spawn monsters. One way, a dungeon can gain strength is to kill other sentient beings just like how an adventurer kills a monster. When a dungeon gets stronger, its monster spawn limit will increase. As to why the monsters drop items like coins, items and skill books, one theory suggests that it¡¯s the dungeon¡¯s way to attract adventurers to come to its domain. Obviously, the people would avoid dungeons all the time if there¡¯s no reward or whatsoever. When a dungeon is conquered, an adventurer has two options. You can either kill the dungeon by taking the dungeon core (which is a priceless and powerful magic item) or spare its life and let it recover in order to milk it for more. Obviously, the latter is the better option in the long run as long as the spawn rate can be managed. Normally, dungeons aren¡¯t hostile to each other and they usually tolerate the other dungeons¡¯ monster and coexist in a territory peacefully. One exception is an undead dungeon. All other dungeons hate undead dungeon because of their infectious dark mana. That¡¯s why the goblins and the ogres were hostile with the zombies. I bet there¡¯s a zombie dungeon near the university. Does that mean there¡¯s a gnoll dungeon in this area? After I understood the concept of monster spawn and dungeons, I flipped the page to the next part which is the list of monsters. It has crude drawings and description of the monsters. It also contains the weaknesses of the monsters and the dangers of fighting it. There were also tips on how to spot their trails and how to hunt them. As I skimmed the book, I found the entry about the gnolls. Gnolls are half-beastmen and half-monsters. Specifically, their beastmen blood came from the canine beastmen race that a dungeon absorbed. However, the other half is unknown. The book also mentioned that gnolls are highly resistant to poisons and they have an acute sense of smell and hearing. They were known as scavengers and they also hunt their prey in pack. Although they¡¯re cunning with their ambush, one weakness of gnolls is their pack leader. They are the biggest of the bunch. Every hunting pack has a pack leader and once you kill the leader, the others will run and lose their will to fight. However, the leaderless pack will be absorbed by the one with a leader. I need to inform the others of what I learn. [Guys... Meeting.First floor.] ¨C Miguel I called them to a group meeting as soon as I finished prepping my gear. I wanted to discuss them our new formations and tactics. After a few minutes, all members of Boston Tea Party have gathered around me. ¡°So what¡¯s this meeting about?¡± Beth asked. ¡°I wanted to discuss our new formation and tactics.¡± I answered. ¡°Haven¡¯t we discussed that back in the university?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Well, yes but our numbers are much less than when we left the university and the gnolls are going to be a pain in the ass.¡± I explained to them what I learned from the book and about our formation. Basically, we¡¯re going to use the group tactic no. 3 but with a little change. We have four front liners and all of them have shields. It¡¯s a good idea to utilize those shields with close formation in order to prevent arrows from hitting us. Melissa, Gerry and I will be on the rear while protecting Ethan. I told Dianne to be more careful since gnolls have an acute sense of smell and hearing and sneak won¡¯t do much against them. Now that we have AoE skills, we can finally face a mob. We still have to be careful and stick with the plan though. When the meeting ended, they did a final sweep of the place to salvage anything we can use and they prepared their gears by having Mang Kaloy repair it. He¡¯s an awesome guy and convenient too. He¡¯s an invaluable asset when it comes to gear maintenance. Afterwards, we finally left the clothing store and travelled on our planned route. Dianne broke off with the rest of us to scout ahead. Earlier, I told her the signs whenever a gnoll pack is nearby. Gnolls are rarely alone, and their packs were always in 7-15 members. The streets were filled with bones and skeletons. It seemed that the gnolls ate the corpses and these were the leftovers. I wonder what happened to the group who broke off from us. Not that I cared but I think they might be dead. Anyway, we continued our journey as we avoid gnoll packs in our way. The book did a good job of providing us vital information about the gnolls. It¡¯s been hours since we left the clothing store, but we never had an encounter with gnolls. Suddenly, an arrow flew in our direction. Melissa luckily dodged the arrow by an inch. [Ambush! Tight formation, guys!] ¨C Miguel ¡°Oh shit!¡± George cursed as another arrow flew and landed on his shield. The rest of the party closed in to each other and the front liners raised their shields to defend. I looked around and I found gnolls in the buildings shooting at us from the windows. ¡°HAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!¡± Claire shouted at the top of her lungs. I felt some sort of adrenaline surge in my veins and a weird thirst to kill. It was probably the effect of Claire¡¯s [Berserker¡¯s howl]. Sir Gerry took out a water container drum and beat it with his improvised drum sticks. He cast [Encourage] as he beat the drum. I called Melissa and pointed where the gnolls were shooting at us. There were four gnolls sniping us from the windows.
Gnoll Archer Lvl. 15
[Melissa, shoot those bastards!] ¨C Miguel [Yup!]¨C Melissa Melissa drew her bow and an ethereal arrow appeared. Her hand glowed with yellow light as she fired the ethereal arrow to the gnoll. I think it¡¯s the combination of [Phantom Arrow] and [Aimed Shot]. The gnoll archer didn¡¯t die in one hit and it only staggered from her attack. She fired another arrow to finish it off. -240 HP! Critical Hit! -112 HP! Target Died Meanwhile, I cast [Rock Bullet] and shaped the stone into a sharp armor piercing bullet. I threw the finger sized stone to the gnoll archer on the opposite side. The rock projectile flew fast and hit the gnoll on its torso. -140 HP! Target is Bleeding! Although it didn¡¯t die from one hit, the projectile pierced its body and was incapacitated with its wounds. I left it so it can bleed to death while Melissa and I finish off the other gnoll archers. Dianne finally showed up and drew her bow. Like Melissa, her hand also glowed with yellow light as she fired her arrow while in [Sneak]. As expected, she killed the gnoll archer in one hit and it wasn¡¯t even a critical hit. -314 HP! Sneak Attack! Target Died I didn¡¯t see it, but Melissa already killed the fourth gnoll archer from the other window. The gnoll archer I hit with [Rock Bullet] finally succumbed to its wounds. Target Died ¡°Awwoooooohhhh!!!¡± [What¡¯s that?] ¨C Mang Kaloy [I think it''s calling for back up!]¨C Eric As we heard the gnoll¡¯s howl, we realized that we left one alive. We couldn¡¯t tell where it was but the gnolls howl was answered with more howl from the other gnolls. We heard the sound of their feet rushing towards us from the distance. We braced ourselves as the pack of gnolls rushed towards us from the northwest. There were at least 25 of them in their pack. ¡°Grrrrrrahhhh....¡± The gnolls snarled and growled as they charged. They¡¯re trying to make us run so they can chase us. These monsters were obviously confident with their numbers and they¡¯re playing with us. The gnoll archers fired off its arrow while running and one arrow hit Melissa squarely on her chest. -68 HP! ¡°Ahhhh!¡± She pulled out the arrow as I cast [Heal] on her. The others shook in fear as they saw the charging mob. Back in the clothing store, the gnoll pack that attacked us were smaller. ¡°Do exactly as I say and you will live.¡± I said to them. ¡°Claire, on my signal, use your [Wail of Agony].¡± Sir Gerry beat the drum with more intensity as the gnolls charge. It was like a battle drum, giving us courage with its beats and making the fight more epic. When I felt the effect of his skill [Encourage], my mind was focused on one thing. Killing these monsters like a badass. ¡°Now!¡± ¡°HAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!¡± Claire used [Wail of Agony] on the approaching enemies. The enemies flinched at the sound waves. Her skill was very effective due to their sensitive hearing. The gnolls covered their ears and whimpered in pain. Target is Stunned! ¡°Melissa, use your AoE! Dianne, shoot the largest one!¡± I ordered. Melissa did as I said and pointed her bow upwards. She drew and fired the arrow up to the sky as she used [Arrow Shower] while I cast [Tailwind] to enhance the effect of the arrow projectile. After a few seconds, a barrage of arrows rained down on the enemies. Only two enemies were killed by the arrow shower while the rest were just wounded. Dianne, on the other hand, fired her arrow to the gnoll leader. One arrow with sneak attack and [Aiming Shot] wasn¡¯t enough to kill the leader so she shot two more arrows in a row to finish it off. -294 HP! Sneak Attack! -103 HP! -105 HP! Target Died ¡°Eric, use your [Charge Attack] then [Taunt]!¡± ¡°What? Are you sure?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes, just trust me, I have a plan.¡± Eric hesitated at first, but he did as I asked. He charged at the enemies and sent one of the gnolls flying and he bashed them with his shield. Eric roared fiercely as his eyes turned red when he used [Taunt]. Before the gnolls could run after their leader was killed, they turned aggressive when they heard Eric¡¯s shout and tried to attack him. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I cast [Earth Wall], not to protect him, but to lift him upward. The ground he was standing on rose up to the point where the gnolls couldn¡¯t reach him. He continued to cast [Taunt] to keep their aggro to him. I used this opportunity to use [Chain Hellfire], my favorite semi-AoE spell. I aimed the flames from my staff and fired it to one of the gnolls. I directed the flames to chain to another until most of the gnolls were burning. Target is Burning! My MP was drained but not to the point it went empty. I left at least 3% of my total MP to prevent Mental Strain. I didn''t receive +5 MP as usual because I didn''t drain my MP completely. When all of the burning gnolls died, only 5 of them were left. I ordered the rest of the party to finish them off while I used [Meditate] to recover. Claire used another [Wail of Agony] to prevent them from running. She dashed forward and her sword swept through the five gnolls with speed while using [Lacerating Strike]. The gnolls bled while they were stunned. The others, George, Beth and Mang Kaloy charged towards the gnolls to finish them off. With their opponents bleeding on the ground, it was an easy kill for them. Although I expected for them to have SYSTEM reward for killing monsters 10 levels above them, they did not receive anything but EXP. George, Mang Kaloy, Sir Gerry and Ethan levelled up three times and they¡¯re now level 6 while Beth levelled up only twice and she¡¯s now level 8. The rest of us levelled up once. I noticed that it¡¯s starting to get harder for the original members to level up. I think it has something to do with the monsters¡¯ level. Lately, we¡¯ve been fighting low level monsters and these gnolls were near our levels. ¡°Holy shit. That¡¯s awesome!¡± Beth said. ¡°For a second, I thought we¡¯re all going to die but dude, you¡¯re brilliant!¡± George said as he tapped my back. The rest of them congratulated me, except for Claire. Her lips were slightly pouted and it¡¯s obvious that she¡¯s jealous again with my display of magic. I guess there are things that will never change. She¡¯s still competitive with me. We proceeded to loot the corpses. Unfortunately, most of the items, such as weapons and armors, were burned and damaged beyond repair. The coins, however, were untouched. We split off the coins and distributed it equally. Of course, Ethan wasn¡¯t included in the profit sharing. There were some weapons that were damaged and can still be repaired. We gave the Iron-tipped Short Spears to the new members as their new weapons. Afterward, Mang Kaloy used [Repair] to all our equipment. The spears were good as new. ¡°Alright guys, let¡¯s go¡­¡± I said. We continued our journey while Dianne went to scout ahead. I approached Claire in order to give her some credit. ¡°You did a good job.¡± I said to her. ¡°Right¡­¡± Claire said as her eyes rolled and her lips were still pouting. ¡°You know, that skill [Wail of Agony] is awesome. I was confident at that fight because you have it and if it wasn¡¯t for that skill, I¡¯d probably say that we should retreat and hope for the best.¡± There was a gleam of confidence in Claire¡¯s eyes as she gazed at me. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She removed her gaze from me and walked slightly faster. I saw her lips showed a slight smile and her cheeks blushed. I guess it worked. It¡¯s best to remove any insecurity she might have with me or she¡¯d probably feel useless again. It¡¯s good that she¡¯s competitive because she¡¯ll strive to get better. I looked around and the rest of them grinned as they teased me. Eric looked at me with an idiotic grin. It¡¯s weird that Eric didn¡¯t mind me taking one of his girls. Was I wrong to assume that Claire and Dianne were part of Eric¡¯s harem? From his looks, it seemed like it. As I continued to walk forward, I noticed that Claire stole a glance at me. I felt my heart skipped a beat when I saw her blushed. I wonder if it¡¯s really possible. One can only dream. Like I said before, I don¡¯t have high expectations so I wouldn¡¯t be disappointed in the end. After we were ambushed by the gnolls, Dianne made sure that we¡¯re no longer walking to any ambush and spot any gnoll packs hidden in the corners of the street. We avoided them like a plague. Since we tried to avoid confrontations, it took us a while to reach Kalayaan Avenue. When we passed a ruined church, we noticed that the sun would set in only a few hours. We found an abandoned house on Malumanay Street. We decided to spend the night there. We¡¯d probably reach Cubao tomorrow. If it wasn¡¯t for the monsters, it would be one day of travel from the university to Cubao. While Eric and Mang Kaloy were making sure that the door was secured, I grabbed my empty water bottle and filled it with water using [Water Manipulation]. I focused on the source and the water came from the tip of my staff and poured straight into the bottle. I used [Fire Manipulation] to cool it off and the result was outstanding. Cold fresh water! Of course, I used [Cure Disease] in order to make sure that it¡¯s safe to drink. Surprisingly, there were almost no microbes in the water. I guess those microbes came from the bottle and the air, but not from the water. I sensed something like small rocks in the water, but I don¡¯t think they were harmful though. I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s not the shit from the sewers that I¡¯m sensing. From my knowledge, drinking ultra pure water is bad, so this water is okay in my opinion. I tested the water by sipping some of it. It tasted normal like the normal drinking water that I used to drink. I compared my magical water to another bottle of drinking water. I saw the same amount small rocks in the water from the other bottle, but unlike the water from my magic, it has more microbes. I drank my magical and cold fresh water. ¡°Whew! It¡¯s so good.¡± ¡°Can we have some of that too?¡± Beth asked. The others were staring at me and gulped. ¡°Of course¡­¡± I nodded. The rest of them brought out their empty water bottles to me as I filled it up with cold water. Eric drank his fill quickly and splashed some water on his face. He asked for a refill which I happily obliged. ¡°God¡­ I missed cold water.¡± Eric said. ¡°Yeah, me too¡­ By the way, where did the water come from?¡± George asked. ¡°The sewers¡­¡± I replied. ¡°BWOOOFFFF!!!!!¡± When they heard my answer, they immediately spit out the water. ¡°BWEEEHHH!!!!¡± It¡¯s a funny sight, but what I said was the truth and there¡¯s no point in keeping it as a secret. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Claire cursed as she wiped her mouth. ¡°Are you serious?!¡± ¡°I am. It¡¯s the truth.¡± I drank the water from my bottle. ¡°He¡¯s just trolling us¡­ Don¡¯t believe him and seriously, it¡¯s not funny¡­¡± Eric said. ¡°You see, it¡¯s true that I got the water from the sewers, but that¡¯s the beauty of my magic. Technically speaking, it¡¯s not ultra pure, but I can assure you, it¡¯s safe to drink¡­¡± ¡°Are you absolutely sure?¡± George asked. ¡°Why would I drink it if I¡¯m not sure? Trust me, I even checked for microbes and it¡¯s cleaner than what we used to drink.¡± I replied. They shrugged as they continued to drink the water. After that, the others went to do their own business. I searched for a bathroom to relieve myself and used [Water Manipulation] to flush the toilet after I was done. Magic is really convenient. I may not have the highest damage among us, but I like to think that I became a super hero whose powers were to remove all minor inconvenience. I am Minor Inconvenience Man. My motto: Who needs super strength or super speed when you can fix minor inconveniences? Anyway, I went back to the living room where the rest of them hung out. I noticed that Melissa pulled out a book from her inventory. ¡°What¡¯s that book?¡± I asked. Melissa showed me the book cover. It was another ¡®For Dummies¡¯ guide book. ¡°Survival Guide for Dummies...¡± She replied as she flipped the cover and read. I also saw Dianne reading a book. It was Alchemy for Dummies. I guess I rubbed off some of my habits to them and they started to read books. Even in this new world, knowledge is power. Eric, as always, was doing nothing. He removed his armor and lay down on the floor and napped. Claire tugged my robe and whispered in my ear. ¡°Can¡¯t we do it tomorrow?¡± I asked. ¡°But you made your promise¡­¡± She said. ¡°It should be yesterday, but you needed rest¡­¡± ¡°I know, but I also need to rest now¡­¡± ¡°Please!¡± ¡°I told you, I¡¯m tired. We¡¯ll do it tomorrow.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s do it right now. You promised!¡± She said as she tugged my robe. ¡°Yeah, I know. We¡¯ll do it tomorrow. Seriously, I¡¯m extremely tired right now...¡± ¡°Now! Let¡¯s do it now! Please!¡± The others giggled as they heard Claire¡¯s pleading. Melissa looked at me impatiently as she stepped forward. ¡°You know, I heard that sex reduce stress so being tired is not an excuse. Go upstairs and find a room.¡± She said. ¡°...¡± Claire and I looked at each other confused. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. They thought that Claire was inviting me for sex. Hilarious... Or was it? I looked back at Claire but she wasn¡¯t laughing. ¡°We¡¯re not talking about sex. He promised to teach me Arnis...¡± Claire said in serious tone. ¡°Oh...¡± Melissa said as she looked down. I looked at the others and they seemed to be disappointed. I admit, I wished that was the case too, but sleeping with Claire would be like being hit with lightning thrice in a row and winning the lottery jackpot at the same time. Were they shipping us that badly? Anyway, the only one who didn¡¯t like shipping our pair was Dianne. Maybe she¡¯s jealous and based on her looks, I can already tell that she¡¯s against our pair. I didn¡¯t care about what she thinks though. She¡¯s the one who let me get away and she¡¯s the greatest slut I¡¯ve ever known. Not a bitch, but a slut. There¡¯s a difference. She¡¯s not ¡®innocent¡¯ and she¡¯s pretending not to know anything about sex. What a hypocrite. That slut deserved to burn in hell along with her mother, but she¡¯s more useful to me alive than dead. The only reason why I hung out with her was because of Eric. Wherever he goes, she¡¯d always be there. Eric noticed it before and he kept asking me why I avoid Dianne. Of course, I pretended that there¡¯s nothing wrong between us. Like I said before, I don¡¯t want to talk about it, nor would I ever want to remember what happened. Anyway, Claire was staring at me, but in a pleading sort of way. She has this way of getting what she wants and ignoring her won¡¯t stop her. She¡¯s doing a puppy eyes and it¡¯s cute. This is a first. ¡°Fine...¡± I said to her. ¡°Look around for a wooden stick or something.¡± She smiled and dashed to find wooden sticks we can use for Arnis. After a few minutes, Claire was prancing towards me while carrying two wooden sticks. It¡¯s a bit long for Arnis and it wasn¡¯t made with rattan wood. She gave me the one of the sticks and we began with the lesson. ¡°First, let¡¯s do some stretching and warm up.¡± I said. ¡°Can¡¯t we skip that and just teach me the techniques?¡± Claire asked. This is the problem with beginners. They¡¯re often cocky and wanted to skip the small but important things like warming up. Like in every exercise, it¡¯s required to do some stretching and warm up because we don¡¯t want any injuries or muscle strains. I ignored her and did my standard stretching and warm ups and she copied what I was doing. You know, I wasn¡¯t always fat. I started to gain weight when Dianne rejected me. I tried to ask out the other girls, but each rejection was equivalent to gaining more weight. I gained even more weight after that incident. Gosh, I should clear my mind. I definitely don¡¯t want to relive that memory. Damn it... After the unenthusiastic stretching and warm up exercise by Claire, I taught her the basics and the daily routine of a practitioner of Arnis. I put my right hand holding the stick forward while my empty left hand on my chest. I moved my left foot backward 45 degrees away from the body. It shouldn¡¯t be too low or extended otherwise it will be hard to maneuvre. Then I distributed the center of gravity to both of my legs. This was one of the basic stances in Arnis: Back Stance. I always used this stance because it¡¯s better to be defensive than aggressive. Back stance is perfect for dodging and blocking, but you can also counter-attack with this stance. I almost always win the tournament because of this stance. I was called a coward by many of my opponents because I only dodge, block and counter. The opponents who were too aggressive always end up tired as they tried to attack me. When they¡¯re tired and out of breath, that¡¯s the time I¡¯d switch to a more aggressive style. Claire copied the stance, but it was far from perfect. I approached her and corrected her stance until she got it right. I told her to stay like that for a few minutes so her muscles would remember it. I also taught her my 2nd favourite stance with is called Forward Stance. This stance is for those who like to be more aggressive, but still wanted to dodge a little. I wouldn¡¯t recommend it though, unless the opponent is a sitting duck and waiting to be crushed. ¡°This is boring! Can¡¯t you teach me the techniques?¡± Claire complained. ¡°You promised me that we¡¯ll do it my way...¡± Claire sighed as she reluctantly obeyed my instructions. She stayed in her stance for a few minutes without moving. After that, I taught her the basic Arnis strikes. My grandfather used to call this ¡°Six strikes technique¡±. Claire seemed to be more focused when I said the word ¡®technique¡¯ and ¡®strikes¡¯. 1st strike ¨C Strike to the left shoulder 2nd strike ¨C Strike to right shoulder 3rd strike ¨C Strike to left knee 4th strike ¨C Strike to right knee 5th strike ¨C Thrust to the chest/torso 6th strike ¨C Overhead strike to the crown By the way, these are only 6 out of 12 basic strikes of Arnis. I didn¡¯t include the other six which are hitting the temple and using the butt of the stick to hit the eye. I found it impractical in the tournament since the head was a small target and with the Back Stance, you¡¯d always find yourself distant with your enemy. I also taught her basic blocks which counters those 6 strikes. I showed her how to properly connect the six strikes and also the six blocks. When she got it right, I told her to do the flow practice and repeat it again and again until she¡¯s tired. While Claire was training, I took a chair and sat on it. I pulled out the book about the monsters to pass the time. After just half an hour, I noticed that Claire stopped with her training. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± I asked. Claire was standing in front of me with folded arms. ¡°It¡¯s done. What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not done. That will be your routine every day. Now go and do it again.¡± I said as I continued to read the book. ¡°I already got it. I think it¡¯s time I learn a new technique.¡± She said. I rolled my eyes as I closed the book. ¡°No, you don¡¯t. Do it again.¡± Claire gritted her teeth in frustration. It¡¯s clear that she didn¡¯t have the same patience like me. ¡°That technique is pointless! It¡¯s not like the enemy would just be standing there doing nothing. I bet you wouldn¡¯t be able to connect those strikes.¡± She¡¯s got a point. You really wouldn¡¯t be able to connect those strikes in a real fight. However, the point of practicing the flow of Six strikes technique is to build retention, muscle memory, and muscle conditioning; doing it again and again until it¡¯s an instinct. I stood up from my seat and grabbed the wooden stick. There¡¯s no use of telling her my point, but I¡¯d be glad show her. ¡°Attack me...¡± I said to her while I did the Back Stance. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just do it...¡± Claire tried to hit me with her wooden stick without hesitation. I stepped back to dodge her attack, but she¡¯s too fast and landed a hit me on my head. -33 HP! ¡°Aww!¡± I rubbed my head and I felt dizzy from her attack. I checked my hand and there was blood on it. ¡°Hah. I thought you¡¯re an expert?¡± Claire taunted. ¡°I never said I was an expert.¡± I retorted. ¡°Do you expect me to dodge everything like I¡¯m Bruce Lee?¡± Alright, here¡¯s the painful truth about martial arts. The masters can still get hit. I can actually land a hit or two whenever I sparred with my grandfather. Even with training, you can dodge and block most of the attacks, but you cannot be a perfect martial artist who can block and dodge everything like in the movies. I may look like a fat panda, but I am not Po! [2] I stood up, but I didn¡¯t cast [Heal] on myself. Not because I like pain but because of my skill [Masochism], the pain was a bit dull and I wanted my HP go down a bit further to level up [Masochism]. I guess her skill [Sadism] made her strikes painful. ¡°Again...¡± I said. She did the same attack, but this time, I side stepped to the right and hit her shoulder using 2nd Strike. -10 HP! ¡°Shit!¡± Claire stood up again as she dashed forward and thrust her stick aiming for my torso. I used 5th Block and countered with 6th Strike as I saw her head open. I didn¡¯t put any restraint on my attack because I was pissed when she hit me. -22 HP! ¡°Fuck!¡± I grinned as I saw a drop of blood on her forehead. She glared at me and stood up ready to attack. I was planning on using my mother¡¯s style in teaching, but I guess it won¡¯t work for her. From now on, I¡¯ll do my grandfather¡¯s style of teaching. I will teach her the real meaning of pain.
[1] Mang is a title of respect used with the first name of a man similar to English honorific, Mister. [2] A reference to Kung Fu Panda ARC 1: Chapter 17: The Comfort Man Chapter 17: The Comfort Man When the others saw our blood, they tried to stop us as they thought that our fight was real. I told them that it was just a sparring and I can always use [Heal] to our injuries. They moved back and watch our ¡®sparring¡¯. We were like chickens thrown into a cockpit arena and fight each other to death. ¡°Go girl!¡± Melissa cheered. ¡°Kick his ass!¡± Apparently, even Eric cheered for her. Most of them cheered for Claire including the six year old kid, Ethan. Dianne wasn¡¯t cheering though. She looked uneasy while gripping Melissa¡¯s right arm tightly as she watched the fight. The only one cheering for me was Sir Gerry. I swear if we pass by a convenience store, I¡¯ll give him a six pack beer and we¡¯ll drink it together. Anyway, Claire and I were careful as we tried to predict each other¡¯s moves. It was hard to predict her because of her speed. My mind was having a hard time to register her movements. However, her movements and her attacks were undisciplined and full of unnecessary movements. Claire didn¡¯t even use the stances nor the technique that I taught. She charged at me and tried to break my defenses with speed and relentless attacks. -0 HP! Attack Missed! -0 HP! Attack Blocked! -0 HP! Attack Blocked! -27 HP! I didn¡¯t see the fourth strike coming. I staggered as she landed a hit on my right shoulder. The pain was manageable, but her attacks were strong enough to make me flinch. When she saw me stagger, she used the opportunity to strike me down. -0 HP! Attack Blocked! I blocked the attack just in time before it hit my head. I had a feeling that she¡¯s really trying to kill me with a wooden stick. I rolled to my right side as she tried a swipe attack. I countered her attack with 3rd Stike ¨C A strike to the left knee. -16 HP! She flinched from my attack as a red mark appeared on her leg. I missed the knee by a few centimeters. I stood up and continued to be on a Back Stance. Using a Forward Stance would be detrimental as she¡¯s too fast on her feet. Claire and I exchanged blows like there¡¯s no tomorrow. She was wild and drunk with blood. At first, it seemed like it was a stalemate. Even though I was the one with experience, she¡¯s faster and definitely stronger than me. I almost couldn¡¯t keep up with her speed, and whenever she lands a hit, I stagger. It¡¯s obvious that I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat her even if I use my tactics that I used in the Arnis tournament. I could only dodge and block 50% of her attacks, but at least I could hit her almost 100% of the time. ¡°Alright stop¡­¡± I said as I raised my hand.
Attribute(s) Gained: +1 AGI
When my stamina was drained, I fell down on my knees, but Claire can still keep going. I think the difference in our AGI decided the outcome of the fight. I was panting like a dying horse, but when I looked at her, she was standing like it was just a warm up for her. Fortunately, Claire got the message that I couldn¡¯t keep up with her and she stopped. Both of us were full of bruises and cuts. She looked like a vampire covered in blood, especially with her glowing silver eyes. I immediately cast [Heal] on myself before I lose too much blood and faint. She approached me to be healed and of course, I healed her too. ¡°So¡­ did you get my point?¡± I asked her. ¡°What point?¡± Claire asked as she gave me a puzzled look. ¡°My point is you have to practice the flow. I practiced Arnis since I was 7 and yet you can defeat me. Imagine, if you practice every day. You can instantly beat me.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She said and lips slightly smiled. It seemed that my lesson for today didn¡¯t go to waste as I saw a burning passion in her eyes. Thank god, it worked. The pain, sweat and the blood I spilled today also have rewards. My AGI increased by 1 and my skill [Masochism] and [Heal] also levelled up once. I tried to stand up and even though I was completely healed, my body was aching like hell. Perhaps I wasn¡¯t warmed up enough and I had a slight muscle strain. ¡°Ah!!¡± I cried out in pain. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Eric asked as he helped me get up. ¡°Uhm-hm¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± The others cheered as Claire won the fight and she looked very happy. I didn¡¯t try to ruin the moment by criticizing her movements in the fight. I decided that I will tell her the next day. Like I said before, she was trying hard to compete with me in academics but she always loses. Even though I hate losing, I let her cherish her moment of victory because it was the first time that she won against me. I felt bitter and a bit angry as the others were cheering for me to lose. I went straight to the bathroom and took off my blood stained shirt. Luckily, I wasn¡¯t wearing my usual attire which was the mage robe. I¡¯d hate it if it was stained with blood. I threw away the shirt because I have lots of clothes to wear in my bag. Anyway, I saw a bathtub and the feeling of bitterness and anger went away in an instant. My heart was filled with excitement at the promise of relaxation of a bath. You see, most bathrooms in this country didn¡¯t have bathtubs and like I said before, we use buckets and tabo for bathing. I closed the bathtub drain and pulled my staff from my inventory. I cast [Water Manipulation] in combination of [Fire Manipulation] to and filled the tub with cold water. I prefer cold water for baths than warm water because of the heat. I didn¡¯t need to be warmer in a country with a temperate climate. Luckily, the bathroom closet had a bottle of shampoo, so I grabbed it and poured a generous amount to make a bubble bath. I went into the tub as I took a washcloth and cleaned the blood stains and dirt in my body. I massaged my scalp as I applied shampoo on my head and on my beard. I noticed that the water became dark in color as I cleaned my body. I grabbed my staff near its end and cast [Water Manipulation] to summon water and rinse my hair. After all the soap was gone from my hair, I relaxed my body and closed my eyes as I activated [Meditate] to enjoy the bubble bath. Perhaps one of the most important things I learned in an apocalypse was that, you have to enjoy little things such as dipping in the tub. We took all these pleasures and luxury for granted and when it all goes, the world is just a grim and dark place. These things will help you keep your sanity. I felt my consciousness slowly drifting as I fell asleep in the bathtub. After a few minutes, I heard an annoying noise. *Knock* *Knock* My heavenly relaxation was disrupted when I heard a knock on the door. Damn it. Why can¡¯t I get a moment of peace? ¡°Miguel, are you okay?¡± It was Claire. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± I answered. ¡°Uhmmm¡­ Well¡­ I just want to say that¡­ uhmm¡­ You were a good opponent and you¡¯re hard to beat¡­ I realized that you would¡¯ve have won that fight if¡­ you know, if your stats¡­¡± I rolled my eyes in annoyance as Claire kept on blabblering and trying to console me. Sure, I was bitter, but I already knew that I was bound to lose that fight since I was weaker and slower. I already moved on and I¡¯d appreciate an alone time in the bathtub. I reactivated [Meditate] as she goes on. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry if I beat you up so badly¡­ I mean, you never held back when you hit me too¡­ And uhmmm¡­ I¡¯m still willing to learn¡­ and I''ll do like you said and keep practicing¡­ I hope that you¡¯ll still teach me and practice with me¡­ even after what happened¡­¡± When will she shut up? My skill kept on deactivating as she continue her babble. ¡°Are you listening?¡± The door opened as I realized that I didn¡¯t lock the door. ¡°I¡¯m really sorr¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± When Claire saw me in the bathtub, she was shocked and immediately went outside and closed the door. It¡¯s weird that I didn¡¯t feel embarrassed or anything. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t realize that¡­¡± Claire said as she stammered. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I forgive you. Now, do me a favor and continue with your training. Okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± When I heard the sound of her footsteps faded, I got up from the bathtub and locked the door. I didn¡¯t want anyone to disturb my special alone time. I went back to the tub and activated [Meditate] as I relaxed. Speaking of alone time, I was thinking if I should relieve myself of my sexual urges. It¡¯s almost a week since I masturbated. The skill [Meditate] deactivated as lewd thoughts entered my mind. It¡¯s a shame that my phone no longer worked and I couldn¡¯t watch porn. Well, I¡¯ll just let my imagination run wild. *Knock* *Knock* Goddammit! Who is it now? ¡°Miguel, dinner¡¯s ready¡­¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Just a minute.¡± I shrugged. I got up from the bathtub and drained the dirty water. My body was still full of soap, so I grabbed my staff and summoned water to rinse myself. I grabbed a towel from my bag in order to dry myself. I noticed that there¡¯s a toothbrush from the bathroom closet and a toothpaste. I grabbed the used toothbrush and cast [Fire Manipulation] to kill the germs. After I made sure that the toothbrush was okay to use, I rinsed it with water and proceeded brushed my teeth. It sounds disgusting, but after a week without brushing was more disgusting and hellishly uncomfortable. This will have to do and I¡¯ll just try to find a new toothbrush to use later. After I rinsed my mouth, I grabbed a set of clothes from my bag and got dressed. I wrapped the towel on my head in order to dry it. I didn¡¯t want to use my magic as a hair blower because I was afraid that I might burn hair accidentally. I went back to the living room and I saw Claire practicing the flow of the Six Strikes technique. ¡°Your stance is wrong. Your legs are too close to each other.¡± I said. ¡°Okay¡­¡± She replied and corrected her stance. ¡°Is this correct?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner. Come on, let¡¯s get something to eat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll eat later¡­¡± Claire said As Claire continued with her training, I left her alone and went to the kitchen and saw the others eating at the dining table. ¡°So what¡¯s on the menu?¡± I asked as I sat. ¡°Here¡¯s yours¡­¡± Melissa said as she brought a plate of rice topped with omelette. I took a mouthful of rice and omelette in my mouth and I noticed that there¡¯s cheese inside. I ate slowly and savored the taste of my favorite food: cheese omelette. ¡°You took a bath?¡± Eric asked as he pointed the towel on my head. I nodded as I continued to eat. ¡°We¡¯re running out of food, by the way¡­¡± Melissa said. I felt that the food went to the wrong pipe as I swallowed the food in my mouth. Dianne handed me a glass of water and drank it. ¡°How come?¡± I asked as coughed for a bit. ¡°The ones who left took most of our supplies. That¡¯s the last of our eggs, by the way and I spared one for Claire¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said as I continued to eat. ¡°We¡¯ll just loot a store or something on our way¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, Miguel, I want to show you something.¡± Dianne said as she took something from her inventory. She placed a plastic water bottle filled with a strange liquid on the table. I grabbed the bottle and inspected strange green and slightly glowing liquid. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a healing potion that I made.¡± Dianne answered. ¡°Healing potion? How did you make this?¡± I asked as I used [Observe] on the bottle.
Green Potion of Healing Quality: Rank G (Very Low) Heal Amount: 30 HP A low quality potion made by Dianne Duria. It restores HP by a small amount.
¡°I¡¯ve been reading Alchemy for Dummies for a while, so I picked up some herbs on the way. You saw those strange grasses and plants that grow in road cracks and walls?¡± ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡± ¡°Well, it turns out, they¡¯re alchemy ingredients. I made that potion earlier with Green herbs and Worm vines. When I made the potion, I gained a title [Alchemist] and a skill [Alchemy Mastery].¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°That one¡¯s yours, by the way. I made a lot of it so I gave one bottle for each of us. You know, for emergency¡­¡± ¡°The potion tastes bad. It¡¯s tastes more bitter than a bitter melon.¡± Gerry said. ¡°I-I¡¯m not that good, I suppose¡­¡± Dianne frowned as she looked down. ¡°No, no¡­ You should continue making more of these.¡± I said to her as I stored the potion in my inventory. ¡°Really?¡± She turned her head up and clapped her hands together. ¡°Yeah¡­ I mean, if I have a mental strain again, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to heal you. You should make more of these and practice some more. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll improve¡­ You did a good job...¡± Dianne¡¯s frown turned into a smile when I praised her. ¡°By the way, can you make poisons?¡± I asked. ¡°Uhmmm¡­ I don¡¯t know, but why do you need poisons?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Well, you can dip your arrows into one and when you shoot your arrows, you¡¯d kill the enemy more effectively¡­ Did your book said anything about poisons?¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, Miguel. I can dip my spear with poison too!¡± Eric said excitedly. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I think it mentioned something about a mixture that can paralyze¡­ I¡¯ll look into it and I¡¯ll see what I can do¡­¡± Dianne replied. ¡°Good¡­¡± Dianne may not be good with chemistry, but at least she has talent with alchemy. I was impressed by Dianne¡¯s initiative and hard work. Although I didn¡¯t like her personally, there¡¯s no doubt that her talent in alchemy would be extremely valuable in our group in the future. After I finished my meal, I went back to the living room and saw Claire swinging her sword instead of a wooden stick. The others also followed and went to do their own business. I removed my towel and hung it to dry. I took my folding chair from my inventory and unfolded it. I sat on it and continued to read Beastiary of Earthland as I supervised Claire¡¯s training. I glanced at her once in a while to see progress. It seemed that she¡¯s now taking the training seriously. As a teacher, I should¡¯ve felt ashamed when I lost against a student. I actually felt proud that my student found her dedication in training even if it means I sacrifice my own pride as a teacher. Or something like that. At least, she¡¯ll strive to be better after her victory. I¡¯ll just make sure that she won¡¯t end up being too arrogant and that¡¯s the usual mistake of most who practice martial arts. After a few hours, Claire was breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath. Her body was still soaked in blood and the blood stains on her skin started to form a sticky red gel. Disgusting. ¡°You should go and clean yourself.¡± I said. ¡°Sure, but can you use your magic and make the water cold for my bath?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­¡± I replied. As soon as Melissa heard us, she rushed towards us and requested the same thing. ¡°I want a cold bath too! God knows I could use a bath¡­¡± ¡°Me too! Me too!¡± Dianne said. ¡°Okay, sure¡­¡± The others heard our conversation and started to request the same. I didn¡¯t mind their request, since it¡¯ll level up [Water Manipulation] and [Fire Manipulation]. ¡°I¡¯m first!¡± Claire grabbed my arm and tried to drag me towards the bathroom. ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± Eric grabbed my other arm and pulled me. ¡°Men should go first. Women take too much time taking a bath.¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s not true!¡± Melissa said. The others argued about who should go first as Claire and Eric pulled my arms in a tug of war. I let out a sigh as I rolled my eyes. ¡°You will all get your turn, okay? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going anywhere. Now, let me go.¡± Claire and Eric let go of my arms. ¡°Claire will go first. She¡¯s the first one to ask. You¡¯ll get 15 minutes of bath for each of you. I¡¯ll decide who will go next, okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡± All of them nodded and agreed as Claire stuck her tongue out. ¡°Dildo¡­¡± Eric blurted. ¡°Idiot¡­¡± Claire retorted. ¡°Stop that and let¡¯s go.¡± I said to her. Claire and I went to the bathroom and I filled the bathtub with cold water. She immediately took off her shirt and dropped it on the floor. ¡°You want to join me?¡± Claire asked as she smirked. ¡°Nope.¡± I answered. ¡°You sure? It¡¯ll be fun¡­¡± She continued to tease me as she stripped off her shorts. When she reached on her back and I saw her removed her bra, I gulped. I turned my back and quickly left the bathroom. I didn¡¯t know what to do. My heart was pounding hard and my junior was rock hard. Should I go back and tell her I changed my mind? No¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a trap and she might call me a pervert for doing so. I shrugged as I cleared my mind. I went back to the living room and told them the order of who¡¯s going next. I sat back in my folding chair and continued reading my book to distract myself. After a few minutes, Claire was finished as she exited the bathroom and Melissa and I went to the bathroom as I filled the tub again with cold water. The cycle continued until everyone had their bath. Their morale seemed to increase as I saw their smiles and content look on their face. Claire, however, didn¡¯t look too happy as she dried her hair with a towel. When we looked each other in the eyes, she gave me a ¡®Hmmph¡¯ as she turned away her head. I didn¡¯t know what I did, but I was sure I pissed her off somehow. Anyway, I was waiting for them to finish, so I went to the kitchen and looked for a detergent soap or anything I can use to wash my stinky mage robe in the tub. Thankfully, I found one in a cupboard. I went back to the bathroom and placed my mage robe and hood along with some underwear. I put a decent amount of detergent soap in the water. Using [Water Manipulation], I made a whirlpool similar to how washing machines work. When I felt my mana running low, I stopped and meditate to recover. I repeat the cycle five times until I drained the water and rinsed the clothes. Since I didn¡¯t have time to dry them in the sun, I used [Fire Manipulation] along with [Wind Manipulation] to create hot air to dry the wet clothes. It took a while before they dried out completely. When I was done, I took the mage robe, hood and my underwear back to my inventory. When I went back to the living room, the others were preparing their beds. They decided that we should sleep in the same room, since it will be much safer to stay together, in case someone come knocking on the door. It seemed that the attack of the gnolls back in the clothing store was traumatic for them as they placed their weapons next to their beds. ¡°I¡¯ll take the watch.¡± ¡°You need to sleep.¡± Claire said to me. ¡°I will¡­ I¡¯ll just take the first watch. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll wake someone up to take the next shift.¡± ¡°Fine¡­ Whatever.¡± Claire rolled her eyes and hugged her pillow. I didn¡¯t want to sleep, since I got that fucked up dream. I didn¡¯t want to know what my next dream will be. As I sat on my chair and meditate, I noticed that Dianne was reading her alchemy book. It seemed that she also volunteered to take the watch. Since I didn¡¯t need to close my eyes while meditating, I watched Dianne do her experiments. She took a mortar and pestle and grounded some kind of herb. She held a vine and tore it into pieces and put it in the mortar and continued to pound it. After that, she poured the contents of the mortar into a bottle filled with water. She shook the water bottle until the mixture was mixed. The result was a green potion of healing. It was too boring to watch, so I closed my eyes and continued to meditate. I stayed in my position for hours as Dianne continued her study with alchemy. After a few more hours, I noticed that she stopped and she took a seat and placed it beside me. I ignored her as she sat down. ¡°Uhmmm¡­ I just wanted to say that¡­ I¡¯m happy for you¡­¡± Dianne said. I opened my eyes and looked at her as my meditation was interrupted. Even though Dianne said she¡¯s happy, the looks on her face was telling me otherwise. She was looking down as her hands were resting on her lap. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you¡­ and Claire¡­¡± She replied. ¡°Is that so?¡± I closed my eyes and reactivate meditate. ¡°Well, she¡¯s not my girlfriend.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± There was a moment of silence after that. I opened my eyes and looked at her again. I noticed that Dianne was still there and she looked conflicted about something. Her hands were shaking as her eyes looked teary. I didn¡¯t want to hear another word from her, so I stood up and stored the chair from my inventory. ¡°I¡¯m tired¡­ I¡¯ll wake up Gerry and Beth to take the shift.¡± I said as I faked a yawn. Dianne didn¡¯t say anything as I approached Gerry and Beth. When they got up, I took my bed and pillow from my inventory and placed it on the floor. As I lay down on my bed, I saw Dianne wiped her eyes as Gerry and Beth took our shift. She stood up and she also took her bed from her inventory. Dianne placed her bed far away from me. I could hear her sniffing, but I ignored it. I closed my eyes and tried to catch some sleep. After a few minutes, my consciousness slowly drifted off and I fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes, I was afraid that the Dark Lord has cooked up something for me. I sat up and looked around and saw from the window that the sun was starting to rise. Gerry was playing his guitar and Beth was busy reading a pocket book while the rest of them were still sleeping. I activate [Meditate] as I replayed on my mind that this wasn''t real. After a few minutes, I sighed in relief as I learned that it wasn¡¯t a dream. I got up and stored my bed to my inventory and approached Claire to wake her up. This was a part of my grandfather¡¯s training. Waking up in the morning to train. Of course, I didn¡¯t want to spar with her today, so we¡¯ll just practice the flow patterns. ¡°Claire, wake up¡­¡± ¡°Uhm hum¡­¡± Claire groaned as I shook her. ¡°Come on¡­ wake up.¡± Her eyes were half opened and she was scratching her head irritably as she sat up. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Time for training.¡± I replied. She went back to her bed and covered her head with a pillow. ¡°Five minutes.¡± No wonder why she¡¯s always late in her class. If my grandfather was her teacher, he¡¯ll grab a stick and beat her until she¡¯s awake. It was tempting to do the same, but I still value my life. She¡¯ll probably beat me to within an inch of my life. ¡°Wake up and move your big ass!¡± As soon as she heard it, she immediately sat up and when she opened her eyes, she gave me a terrifying glare. ¡°What did you just say?¡± I may have taken it too far. Beth and Gerry looked away and pretended that they didn''t hear anything. I gulped. ¡°J-just get up¡­¡± Claire grudgingly stood up as she stored her bed to her inventory. I gave her a wooden stick and we started our stretching and warm ups. Normally, she¡¯d brush her hair first thing in the morning, but this time, she didn¡¯t. Her messed up hair made her looked like a wild animal ready to pounce me at any moment. After the warm up exercise, we practiced the flow of Six Strikes technique and the blocks. Claire practiced the attack patterns while I was doing the blocking, and then we switched. We continued this exercise for hours. The others were already awake and prepared for the day¡¯s journey. Also, I checked my Character Screen and put all my points to intelligence.
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:17
HP:531/531MP:1040/1040
SP:130/130EXP:21.25%
STR:19WIS:48
AGI:13INT:65
VIT:42LUK:13
DEX:12CHA:21
Satiety:Fine
StatusRested: +10% EXP
Undistributed Attribute Points:0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity: Increase in Mana Control and +10% MP
I also checked my Skill Screen to see the improvement of my skills in these past few days.
Unique Skill(s):
Quick Learner Lvl. 1 Max (100%)
Active Skill(s):
Fire Manipulation Lvl 3 Intermediate (24.19%)
Wind Manipulation Lvl 2 Intermediate (57.15%)
Earth Manipulation Lvl 9 Beginner (48.64%)
Water Manipulation Lvl 1 Intermediate (16.93%)
Bash Lvl. 8 Beginner (84.01%)
Fool''s Act Lvl. 1 Beginner (0.00%)
Heal Lvl. 5 Intermediate (9.44%)
Meditate Lvl. 3 Intermediate (72.19%)
Observe Lvl. 1 Intermediate (15.14%)
Power Kick Lvl. 1 Beginner (0.00%)
Cure Disease Lvl. 4 Beginner (11.02%)
Mana Transfer Lvl. 8 Beginner (35.98%)
Passive Skill(s):
Auto-Cast Lvl. 9 Beginner (81.15%)
Blunt Weapon Mastery Lvl. 10 Beginner (41.92%)
Masochism Lvl. 2 Intermediate (12.35%)
Muffled Steps Lvl 8 Beginner (12.89%)
Sword Mastery Lvl. 7 Beginner (5.49%)
It seemed that using my magic for the group¡¯s comfort and convenience was worth it. Note to self: If someone asks for cold water or anything that my magic can do for their comfort, I¡¯ll do it for the sake of grinding my skills. Anyway, after we eat our breakfast, we discussed that one of our priorities was to find a store to loot for food. I also suggested that if we find a bookstore, I¡¯d need to loot for books about physics, chemistry and geology to improve my magic. Of course, they agreed since guard duty was boring and they also needed books to pass the time. Dianne took out the map and judging from it, we might reach Cubao in a day from Kalayaan Avenue and we¡¯d reach Camp Aguinaldo the next day assuming that nothing wrong is going to happen. In our experience though, nothing¡¯s wrong except nothing¡¯s wrong. [1]
[1] Reference to Mel Gibson¡¯s We Were Soldiers Author''s Note: I''m aware that the entire series were full of grammatical errors and inconsistencies about the game system. I''m also aware that the world building is lacking and that''s why I will do a major edit after ARC 1 while I write ARC 2. Anyway, the next chapter will be about Cubao. They will find out what happened about Claire and Eric''s family. Sorry for the long delay. I was suffering from a massive writer''s block, so I read other novels for inspiration. Thanks for reading! ARC 1: Chapter 18: Troll and a bottle of Rum Author''s Note: This is just the first draft... I''ll edit this chapter after I''m done with ARC 1 and Chapter 20 will be the last chapter of the ARC.
Chapter 18: Troll and a bottle of Rum Miguel We were starting to get used with our everyday lives. Walking, avoiding monsters, shortage of food, sleep deprivation, and living in constant fear that the monsters or bad people will finally kill us all. At least I already solved our drinkable water problem. The streets were still filled with rotting corpses and most of the buildings we passed were either completely demolished because of the earthquake or partially ruined. There were also vehicles scattered all over the place and obviously, all of them aren¡¯t working. Most of it has corpses inside. There were cracks on the concrete roads and there were strange plants growing on them. Dianne was making a stop every now and then to collect these plants and she told us to do the same, since it will help her in alchemy. Obviously, we agreed and it was actually a good idea to do so. Hoarding these alchemy ingredients will certainly fetch a good price when it happens that we trade them to other survivors, even more so, if Dianne¡¯s knowledge and skill in alchemy improved, her potions would probably be the best seller. It¡¯s strange that the only survivors, we ever met were George¡¯s group and no one else. I found it hard to believe that not many survived this apocalypse. I mean, these monsters weren¡¯t probably the cause of most of their deaths. My guts were telling me that something else must¡¯ve caused it. Perhaps God was the one responsible? Or maybe the merge of the two universes caused it? If so, it¡¯s a great coincidence that no one in our group, the original ones, died at the moment when the apocalypse began. ¡°By the way, did you notice that it¡¯s been days, and yet we rarely encounter another survivor?¡± I asked them out of curiosity. ¡°Yeah, I noticed that too¡­ Well, I¡¯ve seen stray cats and dogs, but no humans¡­¡± Eric said. Sir Gerry furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Huh, you didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Know what?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Well, before all of this began, I was teaching my students in my music class and when the blue screens appeared¡­ uhmmm¡­¡± ¡°Go on¡­¡± ¡°Most of my students, well¡­ they just fell to the ground unconscious¡­ We were all¡­ shocked when it happened. One of my students checked their pulse and¡­ they were¡­ dead.¡± ¡°I was there too¡­ at Sir Gerry¡¯s class¡­¡± Beth said as she looked down. ¡°It was horrible¡­¡± ¡°But why did they die?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ They just did¡­¡± He responded as he looked down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Uhmmm¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s okay¡­¡± I didn¡¯t dare to ask more from Sir Gerry. It seemed that it was traumatic for him and it only brought him sadness as I asked him the question. I rubbed his back to at least give him some comfort and to give my sympathies. He nodded and wiped off his tears with his wrist. ¡°How about you Mang Kaloy? What happened to you?¡± Beth asked. ¡°I was with my family at that time¡­ We all survived at first¡­ except for my wife. She fell unconscious too¡­ I had two sons with me¡­ When the ogres were gone, we thought we could evacuate and seek help from the police. I didn¡¯t make that much money, so we didn¡¯t have food in our house¡­ When we saw the zombies, I killed one of them and my son picked up a rock from the zombie.¡± ¡°A rock? You mean, a Fucking Rock?¡± Eric asked as he and I looked at each other. ¡°Yes¡­ that one¡­¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Beth asked. ¡°My son said that it¡¯s just a rock and as soon as he dropped it, the rock exploded¡­ right in front of them¡­ When the smoke cleared, they¡¯re gone¡­. Both of them¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Beth said. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I promised myself that I will survive, no matter what. I might be the only person alive who will remember them and if I die¡­ No one will remember they existed¡­¡± I was impressed with Mang Kaloy¡¯s determination to survive. Perhaps it¡¯s better if we also have that kind of thinking too. Eric looked scared as he heard their stories. I couldn¡¯t help but think of the same thing too. What happened to our families? The world¡¯s situation might be worse than I thought. Not millions, but billions were probably dead. Melissa looked like she already accepted the fate of her family. It¡¯s most likely that she¡¯ll never see them as her family was on a far island. It¡¯s been hours since we left the house, and as usual, we¡¯ve encountered monsters on our way. Dianne did a good job of spotting the monsters and with her help, we avoided most of the monsters on the way and making the necessary detours to avoid the said monsters. In this area, we¡¯ve encountered gnolls and finally, the monster that I¡¯ve been anxious to meet since we¡¯ve encountered the ogres: the trolls. The gnolls and the trolls seemed to tolerate each other¡¯s presence. In fact, Dianne saw them strolling together on the streets. We were morbidly curious on what a troll looked like, so we peeked from a sidewall of a building and observed them.
Troll Smasher Lvl. 32
The troll didn¡¯t have a resemblance to Lord of the Rings¡¯ cave trolls nor Elder Scrolls¡¯ trolls. They looked like the trolls in Dungeons and Dragons. It stood about nine feet tall and has dark green and rubbery-look skin. Its face was hideous as its nose and chin were long and pointy. It also has a sharp set of teeth and its fangs protruded even with its mouth closed. The troll didn¡¯t have any clothing in it, so its ridiculously large penis and testicles were dangling freely in the air. However, it was carrying a huge wooden club, thus its name ¡®Smasher¡¯. [We should avoid those monsters, okay?] - Miguel The rest of them nodded. As we continued our journey, Dianne told us that she found a convenience store still standing. However, there¡¯s a troll near the store and it didn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going anywhere. It was wandering aimlessly in front of the store.
Troll Runt Lvl. 24
[What now?] ¨CMang Kaloy [We don¡¯t have a choice but to take it down.] - Miguel [What?! You¡¯ve got to be joking, right?] ¨C Beth [We actually killed two ogres before we got to the university belt.] ¨C Eric [And we only had one skill back then¡­ Also, the ogre¡¯s level was higher than that troll.] ¨C Claire [Really?] ¨C George [Yeah, it was because of Miguel¡¯s plan¡­] ¨C Dianne [Wow¡­] - Gerry [Please don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m going to be bait again.] ¨C Melissa [Dianne, get back here¡­ I¡¯ll try to think of a plan.] ¨C Miguel [Okay..] ¨C Dianne As we wait for Dianne to come to us, I pulled out my book about the monsters and searched for the entry for trolls. According to the book, trolls are normally found with the gnolls. They have a symbiotic relationship when it comes to food. Whenever the trolls hunt for food, they often leave leftovers of their prey. These leftovers were left to rot and the gnolls love to eat these rotten meat. Sometimes, when the gnolls hunt, they leave the fresh meat of their preys to be rotten or to be eaten by a troll before they dig in. Their dungeons were often called twin dungeons. These twin dungeons share the same mana signature yet different monster spawns. Not only that, they also share the same territory and they evolve almost at the same time. It was still a mystery on how these twin dungeons came to be. Monsters don¡¯t really need to eat. They can survive for as long as the dungeon exists. The book said that it was still a mystery. According to the author¡¯s theory, these monsters eat, not for sustenance, but to absorb traits of the ones they killed so the dungeon monsters would evolve further. Trolls have rubbery skin. They¡¯re resistant to arrows and weapons with blades as they have regenerative abilities. Even if one cuts the head off a troll or cut their limbs, it will always come back, and the regeneration will only take seconds. However, trolls are extremely weak to fire and acid. If you wanted to cut their limbs permanently, you have to burn or pour acid on the stump to stop its regeneration. I told them what I learned about the trolls. It¡¯s obvious that our only way to kill the troll is with my magic. [Trolls looked more troublesome than I thought¡­] ¨C Claire [Good thing, Miguel got fire magic.] ¨C Eric [Yeah¡­ I bet you can kill that troll by yourself and, most importantly, I don¡¯t have to be bait.] ¨C Melissa Everyone seemed to be confident that I could take down the troll by myself. But there¡¯s a little problem¡­ [I could probably take down the troll by myself, but the thing is, that troll might rampage while it burns¡­ it will attract more monsters and it¡¯s dangerous¡­] ¨C Miguel [So what¡¯s the plan?] ¨C George [Maybe if Dianne and Melissa¡­] ¨C Miguel [No! I don¡¯t want to be a bait!] ¨C Melissa [That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying¡­ That convenience store, I don¡¯t think the troll can reach that height. If you can somehow distract it by shooting arrows¡­] ¨C Miguel [I think we can do that¡­] ¨C Dianne [Okay, so here¡¯s the plan¡­] ¨C Miguel The discussion went on for a few minutes as I told them the plan. Some of them disagreed with my idea because arrows, swords and spears might not work well against the troll¡¯s rubbery skin. It¡¯s true that the book mentioned that it¡¯s resistant to bladed and pointy weapons, it didn¡¯t say that it was immune. It said that it¡¯s resistant to those kind of weapons because of their regenerative abilities. Dianne went to scout the perimeter first before we execute the plan. We didn¡¯t want any stray monsters coming to us during the fight. After a few minutes, Dianne went back to us and said that the nearest monster was at least 2 kilometers away. It was fortunate for us that the troll near the convenience store was a stray. Dianne had no problems of getting seen by the troll because of her skill [Sneak]. Melissa, on the other hand, was having a hard time crossing to the other side of the road where the convenience store was located. She had to go far away from our position and cross the road in order for her not to be seen. She and Dianne climbed the rooftop of the convenience store. It was the only building in the area that still has a roof on it. Once they¡¯re in position, Dianne and Melissa drew their bows as I gave them the signal to initiate the ambush plan. [Go!] ¨C Miguel Dianne used [Aimed Shot] while in sneak mode. Melissa did the same as she summoned a [Phantom Arrow]. I used [Tailwind] to enhance the speed of their projectiles. Both of their arrows landed on the troll¡¯s head. -131 HP! Sneak Attack! Critical Hit! -45 HP! Critical Hit! +10 HP! The troll didn¡¯t seem to flinch even though the arrows pierced its forehead. It pulled out the arrow from its forehead and a red number appeared. I think it was the troll¡¯s regenerative ability. The troll was enraged and it growled fiercely as it tried to jump and reach the two. Luckily, I was right. It was too heavy and it couldn¡¯t jump too well. The glass windows of the convenience store were shattered by the troll as it desperately tried to climb to the roof. Thank god for gravity! However, as they continued to shoot the troll with their arrows, the troll looked around and lifted a car. We were shocked as the creature displayed its unnatural strength. Before the troll could throw the car, I went out of hiding and cast [Chain Hellfire]. Target is Burning! -80 HP! -80 HP! -80 HP! The troll tried to scream and dropped the car as it burn. I aimed the flames to its neck to burn its voice box and spread the fire throughout its body. The only sound it made was a muffled and almost inaudible exhale of air. I grinned at the brutal effectiveness of my fire magic and its constant tick of damage numbers. The troll was randomly flailing its arms to no one. I was afraid that it might make too much noise when it hit something, so I gave Claire the go signal to attack. [Claire, make sure you cut those legs. Remember, 3rd and 4th strike, okay?] ¨C Miguel Claire nodded and rushed towards the troll. Since she¡¯s charging, she can use the momentum to make the attack much stronger. When she was close enough, she sliced the troll¡¯s left leg in one slash. It confirmed my theory that the fire will not only hinder its regenerative ability, but it will also soften its skin and flesh, thus making it tender and vulnerable to piercing and slashing attacks. -127 HP! Target is Crippled! -80 HP! The troll fell down to the ground and flailed its arms wildly. Claire moved from the distance to let the monster die from the flames. After a few seconds, the troll stopped moving and died. I stopped the [Chain Hellfire] as I didn¡¯t need to burn it further into ashes. Target Died The plan was successful. However, we didn¡¯t expect that the troll could come up with an idea of throwing a car. If I was a little late with my [Chain Hellfire] or if didn¡¯t aim it right in the neck, Dianne and Melissa would be injured or worse. The original members gained another level while the rest of them levelled up twice. The party celebrated as we checked the charred corpse of the troll. ¡°Loot¡± I said as I touched the troll¡¯s corpse. The corpse became pixelated as it disappeared and left its loot. Since the troll was carrying nothing but its birthday suit, it left 12 Silver Coins, a mana stone, and a skill book. Eric¡¯s eyes widened as his greed was starting to surface again. We used [Observe] to check the loot.
Silver Coin X 12
Mana Stone X 1
Skill Book: Troll''s Skin [Passive] Effect: Your skin will be your natural armor and as thick as a troll''s. It will also increase your HP regeneration by 30%. The HP regeneration and damage reduction will increase by 1% and 0.50% per skill level, respectively. Damage Reduction Bonus: +10% +0.50% every level HP Regeneration: +30% +1% every level
Our mouths were hanging as we saw the skill book. It¡¯s been a while since we got good loot and this skill book was probably the best drop we¡¯ve ever seen yet. As Eric drooled and rubbed his hands, I explained to the group of our ways of distributing equipment and skill books. When I was finished explaining the rules, Eric grabbed the skill immediately and said: ¡°We should have a¡­¡± But before he could finish his sentence, Melissa pounded his head with her fist as we heard a clang sound. ¡°Aw! What was that for?¡± Eric complained as he rubbed his helmet. Melissa took the skill book from his hand and gave it to me. ¡°You¡¯re not taking this one¡­¡± ¡°What?! That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying!¡± Melissa hit him again. ¡°Shhhh!¡± ¡°Alright, now for those who want the skill book, raise your hand and tell everyone why it would benefit the group as a whole.¡± I said to them as I held the skill book. ¡°I don¡¯t need it¡­ I just want my son safe. That¡¯s all. Someone can have it.¡± George said. ¡°Well, it may help me survive, but I¡¯m not doing a lot of fighting and I couldn¡¯t think of any reason of what benefit to the group as a whole if I use that skill book. Besides, I don¡¯t even understand a bit of it.¡± Mang Kaloy said. Gerry and Beth had the same opinion on the matter. Eric was almost crying tears of joy as he heard them. The only ones left was Claire, Dianne, Melissa, Eric and me. ¡°It¡¯s very tempting, but as you already know, I already have [Meditate] and [Masochism] which does pretty much the same as this skill¡­¡± I swear, I thought I saw a dollar sign in Eric¡¯s eyes when he heard me say it. ¡°But¡­¡± I continued.¡°I think Claire should take this skill book.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Claire smiled. ¡°What?! She¡¯s not the tanker! I am the tanker!¡± Eric protested. ¡°But you¡¯re not tanking, you idiot!¡± Melissa retorted. ¡°You¡¯re already wearing armor and a steel shield¡­ Claire¡¯s going to need it¡­¡± Eric couldn¡¯t think of any comebacks as he looked down in defeat. It¡¯s good that Melissa can put him on a leash. ¡°I agree with Melissa. Claire will need the skill book. She¡¯s in the front line too, you know¡­¡± Dianne said. The rest of them agreed that Claire should take the book. When the decision was made, I handed her the skill book and she used it immediately. As the skill book pixelated and disappeared, Eric looked like he¡¯s about to cry as Claire sang Ode to Joy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get a lot of skill books later¡­¡± I said to Eric as I patted his back. He sighed deeply as I signalled Claire to stop with her teasing. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get some supplies...¡± We entered the convenience store and took everything that we can eat or use. Eric, Gerry and the girls grabbed all the canned food from the shelves. They put the canned food in a box and stored it in their inventory. Melissa also found a sack of rice and boxes of canned food in the storage room. We also took some soap, shampoo, toothpastes and of course, new toothbrushes. We¡¯re no longer content with just surviving, we wanted to live and surviving isn¡¯t living. I also took some detergent soaps and bleach for laundry. We certainly hit a jackpot with this convenience store. I grabbed a box of canned tuna, and put all my necessities in a bag, and stored it in my inventory. George and I grabbed the bottle of beers and the cartons of cigarette along with some energy drinks and soda. Mang Kaloy, on the other hand, grabbed the vodkas and brandies. I also took four bottles of rum. Aye, I love rum! Well, it may be wise t'' store more food than grog, but you know, rum be love, rum be life. With all t'' lootin¡¯ and plunderin¡¯, it¡¯s all better with a bottle o¡¯ rum. It¡¯s a pirate¡¯s life for me. Anyway, it¡¯s already noon and we decided to have our lunch at the convenience store. Melissa used the super kalan and cooked some rice. Since most of the canned food were ready-to-eat, we didn¡¯t need to cook them and we just topped canned tuna over our warm rice. After we ate our meal, we decided to rest for a bit because walking for hours made our feet sore. I could really use some foot massage. ¡°Hey, can you chill this soda for me?¡± Dianne asked as she held a can of soda. ¡°Sure¡­¡± I held the soda can and used [Fire Manipulation] to chill it. As soon as the others saw it, they all grabbed a can of soda and requested me to chill it for them. They all gathered around me as I chilled their soda. I noticed that Claire wasn¡¯t interested in ice cold sodas and she¡¯s roaming around the store trying to find something. She stopped by in a shelf and I was shocked when I saw her take, not one, but five packs of condoms. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. *Pop* ¡°What the hell?¡± Eric complained. ¡°Oh shit! Sorry¡­¡± It seemed that I lost my concentration for a moment and I accidentally froze the Eric¡¯s soda. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Here¡¯s another.¡± He said as he handed me another can of soda. I used my magic again to chill Eric¡¯s soda, but after a few seconds, I blew it up again. Shit¡­ ¡°Are you okay?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Maybe you should take a rest or something¡­¡± ¡°No, no, no¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­ I was just¡­ distracted.¡± I replied. I took a can of soda from my inventory and chilled it correctly and gave it to Eric. ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°No problem¡­¡± As they enjoyed their cold sodas, I also chilled a soda of my own and tried to distract myself. Claire seemed to realize that she¡¯s the only one without a soda. She opened a can of iced coffee from the shelf and handed it to me. ¡°I don¡¯t want it cold. I¡¯m craving for a hot coffee¡­¡± Claire said. ¡°O-okay¡­¡± My hands were shaking as I heated up the can. I did my best to concentrate and not to look her in the eyes. When the coffee was steaming hot, I handed it to her. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s hot¡­¡± Claire said as she blew the hot coffee. As she continued to blow the steam, she stared at me with a seductive look. I turned my gaze away and couldn¡¯t help but blush. Claire took a sip and I could hear her make a slurping sound. I could feel my sweat getting cold as I heard her gulp. ¡°It¡¯s so good¡­¡± She said. ¡°Here you should try it¡­¡± ¡°N-no thank you¡­¡± ¡°I insist¡­ It¡¯s really good.¡± I took the can and stared at it for a while as my mind was going haywire. I closed my eyes and went YOLO as I drank the coffee. ¡°Isn¡¯t it good?¡± She asked. ¡°It¡¯s good¡­ yeah.¡± I answered as I gave her back the can. I was surprised when she drank the coffee straight up. It seemed that she didn¡¯t mind that it¡¯s hot and I drank on it. I could only imagine that our saliva was mixed up in there somehow. I couldn¡¯t help but gulp as I saw her throat moving up and down as she drank the coffee. If my face was a monitor, it would display a blue screen error message and explode. ¡°Ahhh¡­ I think I¡¯ll have another next time¡­¡± Claire said. When she stood up, she left and took a lot of cans of coffee from the shelf. It made me wonder. It¡¯s clear that she¡¯s trying to seduce me and it turned me on. Why does she need a lot of condoms? Is her coffee seduction a reference to the joke at the hardware store? That if she¡¯s my wife, I¡¯d drink the poisoned coffee? Shit¡­ She¡¯s clever devil. I shrugged. I will try to ask her, but not tonight. We¡¯ll reach Cubao in a few hours. I have to focus on the mission and my concentration need to be sharp. We don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll encounter there. After we had our rest, we continued our journey. Dianne kept on reporting about the monster mobs she saw and we avoided the monsters we couldn¡¯t handle. To save time, we killed the small groups of gnolls that blocked our route. As we reached Cubao, we killed four groups of gnolls on our way with a total of 14 gnolls. The original members didn¡¯t level up, but the others only levelled up once. The gnolls we killed had an average level of 12, so they weren¡¯t too much of a threat to us. A few hours of endless cycle of walking, sneaking and walking again, my feet were feeling sore again and we finally reached Araneta Center. It¡¯s a mall with a large stadium. They called it Araneta Coliseum as the stadium was designed¡­ well, like a coliseum. It was damaged by the earthquake and has cracks on its walls, but it¡¯s still standing. [Do you remember when we watched Daria Swann¡¯s concert?] ¨C Dianne [Yeah¡­ I do.] ¨C Miguel [I love her voice and she¡¯s pretty¡­ I heard that she came back for a concert last Sunday¡­ It¡¯s a pity that the apocalypse happened the day after¡­] ¨C Dianne [Daria Swann? That singer who always sings about her boyfriends and their breakups? She sucks¡­ I hate her.] ¨C Claire [W-well, they cheated on her and they broke her heart!] ¨C Dianne [Right¡­ All of eight of them? She¡¯s definitely not a keeper¡­] ¨C Claire As Dianne and Claire argued about Daria Swann, I remembered that night. The concert. My sister, Jen kept bugging me and my mom because she wanted to watch Daria Swann¡¯s concert. Of course, my mom gave her permission, but on a condition that I would be there too. I wasn¡¯t a fan of Daria Swann but I went with her because Dianne told me that she would be there too. Jen, Dianne and I went to the concert together when I was in high school. When I saw Daria Swann appeared on stage, I was mesmerized, not with her voice, but by her beauty. I was silent as I watched the concert and I just stared at Daria Swann the whole time. I looked at Eric and he looked anxious as he saw the Coliseum. I tried my best to console Eric and told him that I needed him to be focused. I looked at Claire and she seemed not to be bothered by it. Well, I couldn¡¯t get a good read on her face, so she might be worried but she¡¯s not just showing it. We stopped on our tracks when suddenly, Dianne told us that she saw a group of survivors. [Survivors!] ¨C Dianne [How many? Can you see their levels?] ¨C Miguel [Twenty, I guess? I¡¯m too far to use [Observe]¡­ They¡¯re wearing fatigues¡­] ¨C Dianne [It¡¯s the army?] ¨CClaire [Yeah, I guess¡­] ¨C Dianne [What should we do?] ¨C George [We stay out of their way, of course¡­ We don¡¯t know if they¡¯re friendly or not. We play it safe.] ¨C Miguel We continued to move as Dianne lead us to an alternate route where we can avoid the survivors. Since Cubao is very close to Camp Aguinaldo, there¡¯s a chance that those survivors were also from there, but I had my doubts. What if they¡¯re not from the army? In this situation, you don¡¯t talk with a soldier, you talk with their leader. Like I said before, I knew someone inside Camp Aguinaldo and he¡¯s in charge. We also noticed that there were almost no monsters in the area. Perhaps these survivors already cleared the area. Dianne informed us of another group of survivors and like the first group she saw, they were also wearing the standard military fatigues. They were fighting a mob of black tiger-like monsters. [Should we help them?] ¨C Dianne [No¡­ I told you, we should stay out of their way¡­] ¨C Miguel [But why?] ¨C Eric [The same reason why we should avoid other survivors not wearing a military fatigue¡­]¨C Miguel [You¡¯re being too paranoid, Miguel¡­] ¨C Melissa [You know, I kinda agree with Miguel on this one. It¡¯s good to play it safe. They might attack us on sight.]¨C Claire [Come on, let¡¯s go¡­] - Miguel It took us more than an hour before we reached Eric and Claire¡¯s house. It should only take us minutes, but we¡¯ve been sneaking on our way to avoid being seen by these survivors. I wanted to avoid unnecessary violence. I may be paranoid, but that¡¯s why I¡¯m alive. Although Claire and Eric were neighbors as they lived on the same block, they didn¡¯t know each other until I introduced Claire to them. Both of them looked excited and afraid at the same time. I¡¯ve been to Eric¡¯s house before. We had a lot of fun and I used to play video games with him along with his brother. I was envious of them as they were wealthy and they have a huge house. I used to tell a joke to Eric that their house was in the wrong neighborhood. They had a mansion in an urban area. Handsome, womanizer, wealthy, and smart... in his own way. That¡¯s Eric for you. It¡¯s already sunset when we reached 16th Avenue, where Claire and Eric lived. Dianne said there were no survivors or monsters on the road so we rushed towards Eric¡¯s house. When Eric saw the gates were open, he sprinted towards their house as the rest of us followed.
Eric After I heard Prof. Gerry¡¯s story, I was starting to have doubts that my family survived. We tried to distract our minds as we tell jokes on the way. I just couldn¡¯t help but think about it. What if they never make it in the first place? When we reached Araneta Center, I was feeling anxious. When I left for school, dad was in Hong Kong for his business meeting with a client while mom decided to take a break and rest. My brother¡¯s first day of school would be next week. My mom and my brother were probably at home when it began. ¡°If they survive, they¡¯ll be in Camp Aguinaldo¡­ I want you to focus, okay?¡± Miguel said as he patted my back. Miguel¡¯s always calm in whatever situation we¡¯re in. Be it earthquake or monsters, he¡¯s always calm and he seemed to calculate every step of our way. I¡¯ve relied on him on many occasions, even before the apocalypse began. Time and time again, his opinions always come out to be the right one. When our party members decided to betray us and almost got Dianne killed, I¡¯ve learned to trust his judgment, even if my opinion often differ from his. I tried to do what Miguel said, but I couldn¡¯t help it. We were so close. When Melissa saw me worrying, she walked beside me and held my hand. ¡°Whatever happens, I¡¯m here for you¡­ Don¡¯t think about it too much, okay?¡± I smiled.I felt so lucky that I met Melissa. I held her hand tightly as we walked. Four weeks ago during summer break. I went to the university for enrollment. It was already noon and I was driving my car looking for a place to eat. I noticed a small but new restaurant a few miles away from the university, so I decided to give it a try.That was when I first met Melissa. I¡¯ve dated and seen a lot of girls in the past and I can say that she¡¯s definitely the most beautiful girl I¡¯ve ever seen. As if on an instinct, I introduced myself and asked her name. ¡°I¡¯m Melissa. Are you going to order or what?¡± She sighed and looked annoyed at me as she took my order. Ever since that day and even though it¡¯s summer break, I ate regularly at the restaurant just to see her and each time, I was there, she would roll her eyes and she¡¯d avoid talking with me as much as possible. I tried to ask for her number, but she refused. I even tried the old way of bringing her flowers and chocolates, but it also didn¡¯t work. She looked annoyed as she put the bouquet of flowers and the chocolate on the counter and continued her work. On the day of the apocalypse, however, Melissa started to open up to me. She told me stories about her family. They came to Manila hoping for an opportunity of a new life, but their restaurant wasn¡¯t doing well since it opened last month. I was actually the only regular customer they had. She also told me that her parents went back to the province to visit her grandparents and her sister in Palawan. I felt calmer when Melissa held my hand as we walked through the parking lot. Dianne was trying to ease our anxiousness as she told us about Daria Swann¡¯s concert in Araneta Coliseum. Claire was obviously a hater so she argued with her. I didn¡¯t exactly know the whole story about Dianne and Miguel, but from what I know, Miguel tried to ask her out but he was rejected. If it was me though, I¡¯d totally move on to another girl and try again, but Miguel was persistent and even if their families had problems with each other, Miguel still pursued her. It was clear to me that Dianne shares the same feelings for Miguel but for some reason, she seemed to be conflicted about it. I told her over and over again that she should also make her move and not to play hard to get because once Miguel moved on, she¡¯ll regret it. Of course, she denied that she had that kind of feelings for him and she only considers him as a friend. When we were in senior high, Dianne¡¯s mom died because of cancer. Not many attended her funeral, only a few of her relatives attended the wake. Of course, I was there too. Miguel also attended the wake and tried his best to comfort her. Dianne was the only child. Her mother was a single mom and they lived together in Pasig, but I guess she moved out to one of her relatives after her mom died. She just told me that she now lived inside Camp Aguinaldo. Anyway, after a week since her mom was buried, Miguel started to avoid her. He was acting like she never existed. Dianne asked for my help, but when I asked her what was the problem, she couldn¡¯t say. I tried to ask Miguel about it, but he told me that there wasn¡¯t a problem between them. He said that he just moved on. He became cold to others and became snobby. Well, except for me and a few others. Every time she tried to engage a conversation with him, Miguel would either ignore her or his replies were too short. Whatever happened between them made him too insensitive. I told Dianne to give him the tickets to at least strike a successful conversation and to improve her chances with him, but she failed. Well, I tried to help her, but in my opinion, she¡¯s a hopeless case. [Survivors!] ¨C Dianne I snapped back to reality as I heard Dianne¡¯s message. I should focus on the mission... [How many? Can you see their levels?] ¨C Miguel [Twenty, I guess? I¡¯m too far to use [Observe]¡­ They¡¯re wearing fatigues¡­] ¨C Dianne [It¡¯s the army?] ¨CClaire [Yeah, I guess¡­] ¨C Dianne [What should we do?] ¨C George [We stay out of their way, of course¡­ We don¡¯t know if they¡¯re friendly or not. We play it safe.] ¨C Miguel We¡¯ve reached 14th Avenue after we passed the Araneta Coliseum, but Miguel¡¯s instruction was to avoid the soldiers. It was taking us too long when it should just be a few minutes walk. My heart was pounding in nervousness. [The soldiers are fighting some black tigers¡­ It looks like they need help.] ¨C Dianne [So?] - Miguel [Should we help them?] ¨C Dianne [No¡­ I told you, we should stay out of their way¡­] ¨C Miguel [But why?] ¨C Eric [The same reason why we should avoid other survivors not wearing a military fatigue¡­]¨C Miguel [You¡¯re being too paranoid, Miguel¡­] ¨C Melissa [You know, I kinda agree with Miguel on this one. It¡¯s good to play it safe. They might attack us on sight.]¨C Claire [Come on, let¡¯s go¡­] - Miguel At first, I didn¡¯t know why Miguel was too paranoid, but I was beginning to understand why. Why should we risk our lives for some strangers? After an hour of sneaking and waiting it out, Dianne gave us a clear signal and we finally reached 16th Avenue. I ran towards our house, hoping that my family wasn¡¯t there. Miguel was right. If they survived, they would¡¯ve evacuated to Camp Aguinaldo as it was few minutes walk. I saw the gates of our house was open. The front yard and the garden were a mess. I rushed towards the door and looked around the house for my family. As I saw a familiar face, I dropped my weapon and removed my helm. ¡°Mom?¡± I found my mother¡¯s lifeless body on the floor under the dining table. My stomach was churning and I felt sick as tears flowed from my eyes. I held her in my arms. I couldn¡¯t care less if she¡¯s rotting. ¡°No¡­¡± My aunt was there too. She was holding my mother¡¯s hand as they tried to hid under the table when the ground shook. I embraced my mother¡¯s corpse as I wept. ¡°Grrrrrr¡­.¡± I heard a growl on my back. I turned my head and saw two huge black cat monster snarling at me.
Chimera Lvl. 19
Chimera Lvl. 19
The grief I felt turned into anger as I saw the two monsters. I slowly stood up and grabbed my spear and shield on the floor. I shouted fiercely and charged to one of the monsters and used [Bash]. -151 HP! Target is Stunned! As the chimera was knocked back and stunned, the other one pounced me on my back and bit my neck. -251 HP! Critical Hit! Debuff: Bleeding ¡°Ahhhhh!!!!¡± I screamed in pain as I struggled against the chimera. Its fangs were pinned on me and it took me down to the floor. I thought that was it. I was going to die, but I didn¡¯t care¡­ -82 HP! ¡°Eric!¡± Melissa quickly drew her arrow and shot the chimera. -246 HP! Critical Hit! The chimera loosened its grip on my neck. I punched the monster in the head, so I could escape. I immediately grabbed my spear and stabbed the monster continuously in rage. -107 HP! -91 HP! -102 HP! Target Died! The other chimera stood up and recovered, but before it could attack me. Miguel used his fire magic and burned the monster to ashes. Target is Burning! Target Died!
Miguel These monsters were everywhere and we barely made it in time. He could¡¯ve died there if we were a few seconds late. As the chimera burned, Eric continued to stab the dead chimera in his grief. Melissa rushed towards him and embraced him to calm him down. He was bleeding badly so I healed him. +333 HP I looked around and saw three corpses under a table. One of them was wearing a maid uniform. It seemed that they were alive during the earthquake. Does that mean that the blue screens have something to do with their deaths? ¡°Nooo...¡± He wept as he knelt in front of his mother¡¯s corpse. Melissa embraced him and tried to give him some comfort. All of us fell silent as his grief was felt by everyone around him. All of a sudden, Claire ran outside the house. ¡°Stay here.¡± I told them. As I went outside, I looked around to find where Claire ran off. ¡°Claire!¡± I shouted. I looked to my right and saw her running. I followed her and sprinted as I saw her entered a house. I tried to catch my breath as I stood in front of the house. Claire¡¯s house was ruined. The roof collapsed and what was left of it was a pile of rubble. I saw Claire trying to clear the rubble. I used [Earth Manipulation] to lift the large pieces of debris. After I was done, we found five corpses under the rubble. She stood up and she was staring blankly at the corpses. ¡°Help me carry them...¡± She said to me. I nodded. I looked at her, but there were no tears in her eyes. I can tell that she¡¯s sad, but she¡¯s trying to hold back her tears. I didn¡¯t know what to say to her, but I did what she asked me. I carried one of the bodies and followed her as she carried two bodies in her arm. She laid down the corpses in the front yard of Eric¡¯s house and went back to her house to fetch the others. As I dropped the body to the ground, I went back to help her, but she refused when I offered to carry one of the bodies. After she laid them on the ground, she looked at them. She was staring at the corpses as if she¡¯s in a deep thought. Three of the corpses were male. One of them must be her father and two were her brothers. The rest of the corpses were female and one of them must be her mother and the other was her little sister. I wanted to say something to her, but I was lost for words. After a few minutes, she covered her face with her hands and wept. She¡¯s probably in shock and couldn¡¯t believe what she saw. There were probably no words that can ease the pain she¡¯s feeling right now. I placed my hand on her shoulder. ¡°Claire¡­¡± She wiped off her tears from her eyes and cleared her throat. ¡°It¡¯s getting dark¡­ We should bury them.¡± ARC 1: Chapter 19: Twilight Chapter 19: Twilight Miguel We¡¯ve only found three bodies in Eric¡¯s house, so I went to look around the house to see if there were more. I checked all the rooms and so far there were none. From what I remember, his dad was on a business trip overseas. Eric told us earlier that his brother was probably at home. I went back to see Eric and he seemed to calm down for a bit. ¡°Your brother¡¯s not here and he¡¯s probably in Camp Aguinaldo. It¡¯s getting dark. We should burn the bodies. We¡¯ll go to Camp Aguinaldo tomorrow morning, okay?¡± I said to him. ¡°Is it okay if we bury them?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you want¡­ Sure.¡± We carried the bodies outside in the front yard. Back in the clothing store, we couldn¡¯t bury anyone because of the concrete ground. The front yard has soft soil and filled with grass. It¡¯s large enough to bury eight corpses. We have shovels, but we didn¡¯t need it anymore. I dug up the earth using [Earth Manipulation] and made eight six-foot deep holes. It¡¯s sad to think about it, but who knew that my magic can also be used to dig graves? ¡°Would you like to say something, Eric?¡± I asked. I figured that he and Claire should say something before we bury the bodies. If they wanted to say a eulogy or tribute to their loved ones, it should be now. I haven¡¯t read the bible, so I don¡¯t know a good verse to use in that moment. Even if I do know a verse, I think it would be bad because God himself has abandoned us and the Other screwed the world. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡± Eric said as he looked down. ¡°How about you, Claire?¡± Claire shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say, but someone should¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°How about a song?¡± Gerry asked. ¡°I know a good song¡­ Is it okay?¡± Eric nodded. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Sir Gerry took out a guitar and played a song. We didn¡¯t have caskets nor there was a wake. We simply didn¡¯t have time for that. We placed the corpses into the holes and I used my magic again to bury them. My mana wasn¡¯t enough to bury them all at once. I rested for a while to recover my mana. When I felt the mana recovered, I buried the rest of the corpses. After Gerry finished the song, we stayed there for a moment in silence. The sun has already set, but there was still a dim light in the sky. One by one, the others went back inside the house to rest. Claire was left behind as she stared at the graves. I decided to stay with her. I just couldn¡¯t imagine the pain, she¡¯s feeling right now. We were all hopeful to see our families and only to learn that none of them survived in the first place. It felt like an hour has already passed but we stood together in silence. I didn¡¯t know what to say or what to do. I knew in my heart that no one should ever feel alone in their time of grief, so I stayed with her. The moon started to shine in the clear and starry skies. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before. It was amazing. It must be due to that there were no light and air pollution. As I looked up to the sky, I felt something soft touching my hand. I turned my head and saw Claire¡¯s hand, trying to grasp mine. I held her hand - It was gentle and warm. I looked at her and saw that she was also looking up to the skies. The tears in her eyes have already dried up and she¡¯s still looked sad, but it seemed that her sadness was lessened greatly. A few minutes later, Claire wiped the remaining tears in her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go back inside¡­¡± She said. She let go of my hand as we went back inside the house. Melissa cooked our dinner. Eric said that he didn¡¯t have the appetite, so he went upstairs to his room to rest. The rest of us ate our dinner in silence while Claire was eating more and faster than normal. ¡°More rice please¡­¡± Claire handed her empty bowl to Melissa. Apparently, this was how Claire deal with depression. Normally, she would eat 3 bowls of rice every meal. Even before the apocalypse, she could eat more food than me. I kind of envy those kind of people. You can eat whatever you want and you won¡¯t even gain weight. After we finished eating, she ate a total of 7 bowls of rice and four cans of tuna. We went back to the living room while Beth washed the dishes. As I sat on the couch, I noticed that George, Gerry and Mang Kaloy were drinking beer as they played cards. They placed Copper Coins on the table as bets. It¡¯s common for those who attend the wake to gamble to stay ¡®awake¡¯ for the wake. Well, we¡¯ve already buried the corpses, so there was no wake, but I guess burial ceremonies won¡¯t be complete without gambling. ¡°You want to join?¡± Mang Kaloy asked. ¡°No, thank you¡­¡± I replied. I looked around to see what the others were doing. Dianne was sitting on the floor with her book and brewing her potions while Melissa was sitting on the other end of the couch reading Survival Guide for Dummies. When Beth was finished washing the dishes, she sat beside Melissa and read her pocket book. ¡°I win again. Hehehe¡­¡± Gerry said as he took the coins. ¡°Ah shit¡­ I almost had it.¡± George said. ¡°Hah! I even gained one Luck for winning five times in a row.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah... Why don¡¯t you join us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t play cards¡­¡± ¡°We can teach you¡­¡± Mang Kaloy said. ¡°No, thanks¡­¡± Though it¡¯s interesting to boost my luck stat, I don¡¯t really like gambling. The thing about gambling is whenever you lose, you¡¯d want to play more to recover the losses, but the more you play, the more money you¡¯d probably lose. Plus, I¡¯m saving my money as investment. There could be traders in Camp Aguinaldo and it¡¯s wise to save just in case I see a good item for sale. As they continued to play cards, I looked around for Claire and saw her sitting on the floor in the corner. I stood up and approached her. As I stood in front of her, she looked at me and looked down as hugged her knees and moped. I sat on the floor beside her. After a few minutes of silence, she finally began to talk. ¡°It sucks¡­¡± She said. ¡°Yeah, it does¡­¡± ¡°You know, I kinda expected this to happen¡­ because it¡¯s better not to expect the best out of any situation to save myself from disappointment¡­ I just couldn¡¯t help, but to still feel disappointed¡­¡± Weird¡­ It seemed that Claire also had that kind of thinking. I didn¡¯t think I ever said that to them, but I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one thinking like that. ¡°It¡¯s okay to feel disappointed¡­ Deep inside our minds, we still hope for the best to happen. No matter how much you expect for the worst, you can¡¯t just remove hope¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± After that, she was silent again. There were no tears in her eyes as she stared blankly on the floor. I didn¡¯t know what to say to her to make her feel better. ¡°You still have that rum?¡± Claire asked. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I guess she saw me took the rum back in the convenience store. I didn¡¯t mean to take the rum for grieving but to drink it for the sake of pleasure. I took a bottle of rum from my inventory and opened it. As soon as she saw the bottle, Claire snatched it from my hand and drank it straight. ¡°Take it easy¡­¡± I said. After four gulps, she stopped and let out a sigh.¡°Hah¡­¡± I wouldn¡¯t recommend getting drunk tonight because we¡¯ll go to Camp Aguinaldo tomorrow and drinking won¡¯t help. Well, moping silently in the corner doesn¡¯t help either, so I let her drink to her heart¡¯s content. ¡°Here¡­¡± She handed me the bottle. I had a cup in my inventory, but I didn¡¯t mind drinking straight from the bottle. I took a gulp and felt the burning sensation of alcohol in my throat. After that, I gave it back to her as we continued to drink. We already finished half of the bottle¡¯s content when she started to talk. She¡¯s a bit drunk because she¡¯s doing more drinking than talking. Of course, I listened to her stories. Claire told me stories about her family. Claire¡¯s father worked as a construction worker but he wasn¡¯t a regular employee and his job was a come and go. Her mother, on the other hand, earned money by doing laundry for others. Since her parents¡¯ pay wasn¡¯t enough to support them, she and her little sister studied hard for a better life. Her eldest and second eldest brother stopped attending college as they worked to pay for her and her little sister¡¯s education. I guess that¡¯s the reason for Claire¡¯s competitive attitude towards me. I was studying hard just for the sake of being the best while she studied in order to lift her family from poverty. Despite that, they were happy. She even told me that even though food was often a problem for them, they always eat dinner together as a family and on the positive side, they didn¡¯t have to pay for rent since her father inherited the house from her grandparents. As she finished the whole bottle of rum, she was terribly drunk and began talking about her exes. I didn¡¯t want to hear anything about it, so I tried to stop her. My eyes rolled as she continued to tell me about ex-boyfriend in her senior year in high school, who after taking her virginity, left her for another girl. The only reason why he left her was because she didn¡¯t bleed when they had sex. The other girl from her story got pregnant and she was thankful that it wasn¡¯t her. It¡¯s awkward for me to hear that story but I guess being drunk won¡¯t stop her now. She also told me how would she bleed if his ex¡¯s penis was small. It made me uncomfortable and I became extremely conscious about my size. Melissa and Beth chuckled as they listened to the story. ¡°Come on¡­ Time to go to bed. You¡¯re drunk¡­¡± Melissa said to her. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not drunk¡­ I was about to tell him about my second ex¡­¡± Claire said. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Come on¡­ We have a big day tomorrow.¡± Melissa said as helped her stand up. As Melissa and Beth led Claire upstairs to bed, Dianne yawned and followed them upstairs. I opened a bottle of beer and lit a cigarette. I was trying to catch some sleep for tomorrow. I didn¡¯t know what to expect inside Camp Aguinaldo and I hoped that the guy in charge was still alive. I doubt that he¡¯s dead though. There¡¯s a saying that weeds don¡¯t easily die. I went upstairs as I felt the effect of the alcohol. As I tried to find a place to sleep, I opened the door and found Eric sleeping alone in the room. I slowly closed the door and opened the door next to his room and found the four girls sleeping together in the master¡¯s bedroom. I closed the door and continued to search. After that, I found a good place to sleep. I was alone in the room, so I laid down on the soft bed and closed my eyes.
I was jolted awake as I heard a strange noise. I sat up on the bed and when I opened my eyes, I looked around to see where the noise was coming from. I was shocked as I found myself back in my own bedroom¡­ in our house. I tried to cast my magic but there¡¯s nothing coming out of my palm. I even tried to say the SYSTEM commands, but there were no blue screens appearing. I closed my eyes and meditated. It was clear that this was just a dream. I tried to do whatever I did to escape my last dream, but to no effect. I heard the door opened and someone came in. ¡°Kuya? Are you still sleeping?¡± [1] I opened my eyes and saw Jen standing by the door. ¡°Jen?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Get up. Mom¡¯s home¡­¡± I immediately stood up and hugged her. ¡°Thank god! You¡¯re alive!¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Jen said to me as I cried. ¡°Were you having a bad dream or something?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t answer her. I was too happy to find her alive. I couldn¡¯t help, but cry as I embraced her. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ It¡¯s just a bad dream¡­¡± Jen said as she pat my back. ¡°Tell me about it later, okay? Come on, Mom¡¯s waiting downstairs.¡± She held my hand and we went downstairs. The lights were on and I could hear the television playing downstairs. I saw my mother sitting on the couch as she watched the show in the T.V. ¡°Hey, mom¡­¡± I said. ¡°Hey, sweetie¡­¡± She turned her head around and smiled. ¡°I heard that you couldn¡¯t go to school because you¡¯re feeling sick. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­¡± I answered as I sat on the couch. I looked at the clock hanging on the wall above the television. It¡¯s 11:00 a.m.. ¡°What is the date today?¡± I asked. ¡°June 3. I think¡­¡± Jen replied. ¡°The year?¡± ¡°2019¡­ Why are you asking?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­¡± If I remembered it correctly, this was the same day and the same hour when the apocalypse began. ¡°Jen, did we have breakfast this morning?¡± ¡°Yeah, you cooked cheese omelette and sausages...¡± ¡°What did we talk about? While we were eating, I mean¡­¡± ¡°We were talking about mom. You told me that she texted you that she couldn¡¯t go home last night because of work and then, you said you weren¡¯t feeling well so you slept again.¡± ¡°How about the monsters? Did we talk about the monsters?¡± ¡°What monsters? Is that from your nightmare?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess¡­¡± I looked down. I was confused. Was it just a dream? I felt like it was real. There¡¯s no way that was just a dream. Or is it? I don¡¯t know anymore. I was just glad that my family was well and alive. ¡°By the mom, how¡¯s work?¡± Jen asked. ¡°There was an incident at the mall¡­ Miguel¡¯s friends were there.¡± She replied. ¡°An ogre? Did they say that they saw an ogre?¡± I asked. Her eye brows furrowed. ¡°No¡­ There was a murder incident and your friends witnessed it. I asked them a few questions about it but there was no lead¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Jen sat beside me and held my hand. ¡°This dream¡­ Can you tell us about it?¡± I told them about my dream. Of how the world ended and the monsters came and killed everyone. About how I could do magic and our travel to Camp Aguinaldo to seek shelter. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you not to be friends with that whore¡¯s daughter?¡± Mom asked. ¡°Many times¡­¡± I replied. ¡°I wanted to slap her when I saw her last night.¡± ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying, Jen¡­ I can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t glad when the whore died and now she¡¯s living with that asshole¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re out of our lives, Mom¡­¡± Jen said. ¡°It¡¯s almost noon, why don¡¯t we have lunch together?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Sure¡­¡± As we went together to the kitchen, Mom was tired, but Jen insisted that we should eat together before she rests. Jen has already cooked our lunch. She cooked fried chicken, since it¡¯s the only thing that she can cook right. As we ate our lunch, I was bothered by my dream. It¡¯s eating me from inside and I couldn¡¯t just accept it. I ate my lunch as fast as I can and went upstairs to get dressed. I wanted to see Claire and the others to confirm it. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Mom asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to school. I still have one subject to attend to¡­¡± I answered. After I got dressed, I went downstairs and kissed them goodbye as I left home. As I rode the bus, I looked outside and it seemed that everything was normal. People walking on the sidewalks and cars were running on the road. It was a normal busy day for everyone and as usual, our bus stopped because of the heavy traffic. It took me about an hour before I got into the university. I looked at my wrist watch and it was already 12:52 p.m.. In my dream, the wrist watch stopped working as God updated the SYSTEM. I ran towards the classroom where the next subject would start at 1:00 p.m.. As I tried to catch my breath, I looked at the watch again and it was already 1:03 p.m. I entered the classroom, but the professor wasn¡¯t there yet. I looked around and I saw Claire sitting in the back. It seemed that she saved the seat next to her, so I approached her as I wiped off the sweat on my forehead. ¡°Hi, Claire¡­¡± I greeted. ¡°I was going to celebrate this day because you¡¯re absent¡­¡± Claire replied with her usual smug face. ¡°Way to ruin my joyous day, huh?¡± I sat on the chair silently. ¡°My mother told me you were in the cinema last night. What happened?¡± ¡°Well, there was murder¡­ or something. I didn¡¯t see the whole thing, but I saw the corpse¡­¡± Claire replied. ¡°Wait, that pretty cop is your mom? No offence¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my mom...¡± ¡°Hahaha! I bet you inherited your parent¡¯s recessive genes, huh? Are you sure you weren¡¯t adopted?¡± Claire smirked. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I looked down as I realized that I just dreamt the whole thing. Even Claire trying to seduce me was just a dream. At least Claire¡¯s family is still alive. ¡°Wow, you looked glum today. I was expecting a comeback, but I guess I win¡­¡± Claire said. ¡°Sure¡­¡± The professor came in and started the lecture. The subject was a major subject: Financial Accounting. I wasn¡¯t in the mood, so I spent the whole hour trying to remember every details of my dream. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Claire asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± ¡°You there¡­ The lady in the back¡­ What¡¯s your name?¡± The professor asked. Claire stood up. ¡°Claire Roque, sir¡­¡± ¡°Miss Roque, would you please shut up while I¡¯m speaking?¡± ¡°Yes, sir¡­ Sorry.¡± The class let out a soft giggle as Claire went back to her seat. I looked at her and she was glaring at me as if it was my fault. After the professor told us read a book about the topic, he ended the class and I went straight outside the classroom. ¡°Wait!¡± Claire said as she grabbed my arm. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the library to study?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood. I¡¯m going home¡­¡± I answered. Her grip tightened. ¡°Just tell me what happened. You can tell me about it in the library¡­¡± As we got to the library, Claire didn¡¯t let go of my arm as she tried to find the book that the professor told us to read. After she found the book, she took it from the shelf and we sat in a vacant chair and table near the shelf. She opened the book. I was staring at it blankly as she read it. She glanced at me and noticed that I wasn¡¯t paying attention. She closed the book and let out a sigh. ¡°So what happened to you?¡± Claire asked as she crossed her arms. I told her everything about my dream. From the restaurant and the blue screens up to Eric¡¯s house in Cubao. I even told her about how she was bitten by a zombie and how I cured her. Of course, I told her about my magic and how we killed different kinds of monsters. ¡°Hahaha! Wow! Magic? Really? Hahahaha¡­¡± Claire laughed loudly as she heard my story. ¡°Shhhh!!!¡± The librarian glared at her. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Claire said. Claire lowered her head and whispered. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s just a dream¡­ There¡¯s no way that¡¯s happening and no, we didn¡¯t see an ogre in the cinema¡­ By the way, Eric was upset at Dianne because¡­¡± ¡°She told you I was busy¡­ Yeah, I know, but in my dream, I told you that I would¡¯ve come if I knew that you¡¯re going to watch that movie¡­ After that, we went to a restaurant and we met Melissa¡­¡± ¡°Melissa? You know her?¡± She asked. ¡°Of course, she¡¯s the waitress in¡­¡± ¡°Sleepy Hollow Kitchen¡­¡± She and I said in unison. ¡°Eric introduced her to us earlier. We ate our lunch there¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°In my dream, I was there too when it happened. You ordered spaghetti with meatballs¡­¡± ¡°Holy shit¡­ Maybe you dreamt about an alternate future or something?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ but I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°At least it¡¯s just a dream¡­ It would suck if I learned that my family is dead¡­.¡± Claire said. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Yeah, you even told me about Marlon and how he took your¡­¡± Before I could finish my sentence, Claire stood up immediately and put her hand in my mouth. ¡°How did you know about that?¡± Her eyes glared at me like a dagger. ¡°I told you, it¡¯s a dream. After you learned that your family is dead, you got drunk and you told me about it.¡± ¡°I never told anyone about that¡­¡± She said. ¡°Alright, I believe you¡­¡± She went back to her seat and crossed her arms. ¡°But, if you tell Eric and Dianne about that, I swear¡­¡± ¡°Nope¡­ Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell anyone¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I promise¡­ But I think Melissa heard you¡­ in my dream¡­¡± ¡°Well, thank god, it¡¯s just a dream¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, you should read this and tell me what you think¡­¡± Claire said as she handed me the book. ¡°Fine¡­¡± We stayed in the library together as we took notes about the topic. She decided to borrow the book from the library. I told her to use her library card, but she told me that she already borrowed another book so she couldn¡¯t. Claire said that she would return the book after she¡¯s done with it. She put the book in her bag. It was already 7:00 p.m. when we decided to go home. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go home together?¡± Claire asked. ¡°Sure¡­ You lived in Cubao right?¡± ¡°I guess you learned that in your dream, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ By the way, are you flirting with me? ¡± ¡°What? Fuck no! Are you?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± I smirked. ¡°But in my dream, you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything about your twisted dream, okay?¡± Claire said. ¡°It¡¯s already late, so I figured it¡¯s much safer if I had someone as BIG as you on my way home¡­ I bet your FAT ass is an effective meat shield¡­¡± ¡°You were retarded in my dream. I guess some things never changed.¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± ¡°Fuck me? Fuck you!¡± And thus, another battle of insults ensued. We only stopped when we rode the bus together. We were silent as we sat next to each other. I looked at her and I caught her eyes glancing at me. She looked away and gritted her teeth as she saw me smirking. It got me thinking. Maybe it wasn¡¯t that bad, her and my family were alive and everything went back to normal. A few minutes later, I noticed that there¡¯s something wrong. It felt like the bus was going too fast. I stood up and looked at the bus driver. He looked nervous as he tried to step on the brakes. ¡°Shit¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Claire asked. I sat down and the other passengers panicked as the driver claimed that he lost brakes. Claire held my hand tightly as she breathed heavily. I looked at her and she was panicking. ¡°Stay calm¡­¡± I said to her as I embraced her. She held me tightly and cried. Everything went black as I heard a loud thud and a sharp pain in my head. I opened my eyes and everything I saw was white. I looked around and saw my mother in sitting beside the bed. ¡°Mom?¡± As soon as she heard me, she embraced me tightly and cried. ¡°Thank god, you¡¯re awake!¡± ¡°Where am I? What happened?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in a hospital¡­ You were in an accident, do you remember?¡± She asked. ¡°How long was I out?¡± ¡°A month¡­¡± As I recalled what happened, I quickly removed the bed sheet. ¡°Noooo¡­.¡± ¡°You lost both of your legs in the accident¡­¡± Mom said as she embraced me. ¡°Nooo¡­ Oh god¡­¡± I closed my eyes and wished that it was all a dream. I looked at my legs again, but it was real. I¡¯m now a cripple. Suddenly, I remembered that Claire was with me in the bus. ¡°Where¡¯s Claire? Is she okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Tell me! Is she okay?¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s gone¡­¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s not true!!!¡± I tried to get up and crawled out of the bed. I wanted to see her. I knew in my heart that all of this was just a dream. My mother embraced me tightly as she tried to stop me. ¡°Wake me up!!!¡± I shouted. The nurse came in and they pinned me down to the bed. I struggled fiercely but I was weak. They injected something in me and as soon as the drug came rushed in my veins, I felt dizzy and my consciousness slipped away. I woke up again and I was still in the hospital alone. I was hoping that it was just a dream, so I took another look at my legs. I couldn¡¯t help but cry. My mother and Jen visited me and they said that I would be out of the hospital after a week. My mother tried to feed me, but I lost my appetite. I told them that I wanted to see Claire. I refused to believe that it was all true. She promised me that she would take me to Claire after the doctors say that I¡¯m good to go. Eric and Dianne visited me the next day. They brought a fruit basket and tried to talk to me. I wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk, so I ignored them. I spent the whole week in the hospital meditating and I kept telling myself that it was all a dream. Finally, the doctor told me that I could leave the hospital. I told my mother that I wanted her to take me to Claire. Being true to her promise, she drove me to the cemetery where Claire was buried. Eric, Dianne and Jen were there with us as I got out. After an hour, we arrived at the cemetery. Eric and my mom carried me to the wheelchair. My mother pushed my wheelchair as we tread the cemetery grounds. When we reached headstone, I read what was inscribed. ¡°Claire D. Roque¡­ Born April 15, 1999¡­ Died¡­ June 7, 2019¡­¡± Eric placed a boquet of flowers in front of the headstone. ¡°This isn¡¯t real¡­¡± I said to them as I shook my head. My mother placed her hands in my shoulders. ¡°This isn¡¯t real!¡± I said again. ¡°Miguel¡­¡± ¡°THIS IS NOT REAL!!!!¡± A burst of energy came out of my body and as the reality around me crumbled, I heard the whispers in the dark. I was back inside the void. There was a man in a black cloak standing in front of me. I couldn¡¯t see his face but I could tell that he was staring at me. He grabbed my wrist and his hand glowed red as I screamed in pain. When he stopped, it left a burned hand mark on my wrist. I closed my eyes and meditated. I kept myself focused and repeated on my mind that none of it was real. When I opened my eyes again, I quickly stood up and looked around. It was already morning as the sun was about to rise in a few minutes. As I closed the door, I saw Eric going downstairs. I followed him and we saw Gerry and the others still playing cards. ¡°You want coffee?¡± I asked. Eric nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Eric and I went to the kitchen and took a mug. I summoned hot water with my magic and took a pack of instant coffee. As I took a sip of coffee, I looked at my wrist. I was horrified when I saw the mark. I closed my eyes and told myself again that it wasn¡¯t real.
Claire When I opened my eyes, my head was thumping and it hurts like hell. I shouldn¡¯t have drink that much. I looked around and it was already morning. Perhaps Miguel can cure hangovers. I¡¯ll ask him later. ¡°Hey wake up¡­¡± I said to Dianne as I shook her up. She opened her eyes and sat up. ¡°It¡¯s already morning¡­ Get up¡­¡± After I woke up the other girls, we went downstairs and I found the three still gambling while Ethan was sleeping on the couch. I was wondering how much beer they could drink without getting drunk. ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep last night?¡± Beth asked. ¡°We did¡­ We took shifts.¡± Mang Kaloy said. ¡°Where¡¯s Eric and Miguel?¡± ¡°In the kitchen¡­¡± I went to the kitchen and I found Eric and Miguel drinking coffee. We took mugs and asked Miguel for hot water. He was silent as he filled our mugs with hot water. I sat beside him as I stir my cup of coffee. ¡°You okay? You looked like you saw a ghost¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I just had a bad dream¡­¡± Miguel said. ¡°Want to practice today?¡± I asked. ¡°Not today¡­¡± Melissa and Beth cooked some breakfast. Dianne went back to the living room and called the others to eat breakfast. We had fried eggs and fried rice that morning. Even though I still feel the pain from last night, I felt a lot better today. I guess drinking does help, but the hangover sucked. After I ate my breakfast, I took a rest for a while and did the warm up exercise even though I was groggy. I took my sword from my inventory and practiced the Six Strikes flow. The images of my family flashed in my mind as I swing the sword. I tried to keep myself distracted and continued to practice. Miguel and the others went back to the living room and rested for a bit. After a few minutes, Miguel stood up and told us to prepare. We gathered around for another meeting. ¡°We don¡¯t know what we will encounter in Camp Aguinaldo. It¡¯s just a few minutes walk, but I think it¡¯s safe if we let Dianne scout around before we approach anyone.¡± ¡°But what if they¡¯re hostile?¡± I asked. ¡°Then we run¡­ I don¡¯t want to risk any unnecessary violence.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s this guy in charge anyway? Are you sure he¡¯s still alive?¡± Eric asked. ¡°I assure you, he¡¯s still alive¡­ Dianne lives with him. Why don¡¯t you ask her?¡± We looked at Dianne, but she looked down and didn¡¯t say anything. From what I knew, Dianne¡¯s mother was a single mom and she died two years ago. When I tried to ask her where she lived, she said that she lived inside Camp Aguinaldo but she didn¡¯t say anything about who she lived with. Is this person the reason for Miguel¡¯s cold attitude towards Dianne? ¡°Anyway, we should go¡­ Come on¡­¡± As the meeting ended, we went to the garden for a last look at the graves. I didn¡¯t have flowers or anything but if there¡¯s something inside Camp Aguinaldo, I¡¯ll make sure to bring some. After that, we left the house and continued our journey. Dianne went ahead to scout the way. It seemed that Miguel wasn¡¯t taking any risk and he wanted to know everything Dianne saw as we made our way to Camp Aguinaldo. We sneaked around and looked in our corners making sure that we didn¡¯t miss anything before we crossed the road. We could see high walls surrounding the military base. From what I remembered, there were only small concrete walls and not a 40 feet wall in Camp Aguinaldo. Luckily, we didn¡¯t encounter any monsters or survivors on the way. After less than an hour, we reached Col. Bonny Ave. and we took a turn towards EDSA as Dianne said she saw an entrance to Camp Aguinaldo. We hid beside a truck and took a peak at the entrance. We couldn¡¯t see anything clearly in this angle. [What do you see, Dianne?] ¨C Miguel [There are guards in military uniform¡­] ¨C Dianne [How many?] ¨C Miguel [Four guards¡­ Wait¡­ I think I recognize one of them!] ¨C Dianne [Wait!] ¨C Miguel She rushed towards the gate and one of the guards embraced her. Miguel told us to stay hidden as Dianne spoke with the guard. After a few minutes, we saw Dianne pointed her finger towards our direction. [You can come out now¡­] ¨C Dianne [Jesus Christ¡­ You gave me a heart attack back there¡­] ¨C Miguel [S-sorry¡­ but it¡¯s okay¡­ They¡¯re letting us in¡­] ¨C Dianne We came out of hiding and we walked slowly towards the gate. The four guards were smiling at us as they waved. Dianne was talking with a woman. She had muscular body build and her skin was tanned probably due to their training. She looked like a woman in her thirties and she looked more like a man than a woman.
Player: ??? Race: Human Level: 22 Party: AFP
I used [Observe] on her and it seemed that her level was much higher than any of us. Like everyone Dianne saw roaming around Cubao last night, she was wearing the standard military fatigue and she was carrying a spear similar to Eric. ¡°This is my friend¡­ Mina.¡± Dianne said to us. ¡°I already told the news to the General and he¡¯s asking if Miguel is with you?¡± We all looked at Miguel. He looked uncomfortable as he stepped forward. ¡°I am him¡­¡± ¡°Good! Wait a sec, I¡¯ll tell the good news to the General¡­¡± Mina said. ¡°He said that he wants to meet you immediately¡­ I¡¯ll lead you to him.¡± I was confused. Why did the General wanted to meet Miguel? After a few seconds, the gigantic gate opened as Mina led us inside. I¡¯ve never been inside Camp Aguinaldo, but it didn¡¯t look like a military base. It looked more like a city inside a city. The only difference was people wearing military fatigue were a common sight. There were also tanks and other armored vehicles on the side of the road and by the looks of it, I think they¡¯re trying to get it to work. As we walked, I looked around and saw hundreds of people trying to dig the ground. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­ If only cars would work, I¡¯ll drive you there myself¡­¡± Mina said. ¡°Excuse me, but what are they doing?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, them? The golf course¡¯s useless so they¡¯re making a farm¡­ I heard they¡¯re going to plant potatoes¡­¡± ¡°Why not rice?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have enough water to plant rice, unfortunately¡­¡± ¡°By the way, do you know anything about this apocalypse?¡± George asked as he carried Ethan. ¡°After the blue screens, we had our radios for a few minutes before it died. We heard reports that monsters attacked the whole country. We lost contact with Malacanang and we never heard from them since. Most people here just fell unconscious and died even the Secretary of Defense. There were only three thousand of us left after that. We took any weapons we could use and pushed back the monsters out of this base¡­. After that, only two thousand of us were alive.¡± ¡°Were there any refugees here? Have you seen this person?¡± Eric asked as he handed her a photo frame. I didn¡¯t think that printed photos were still a thing this day. ¡°I can¡¯t say I met him before¡­ What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°His name is Richard. Richard Reyes. He¡¯s my brother. Can you tell me where I can find him?¡± ¡°Uhmmm¡­ Sure. There were at least five thousand refugees here, some of them volunteered in the army. I¡¯ll ask around, but you should meet the General first¡­¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± The buildings around were also damaged by the earthquake. There were carts with horses and the soldiers were piling up the rotting corpses in the cart. It seemed that they weren¡¯t finished cleaning up the whole base. There were still a few corpses beside the road. We were walking for almost an hour and finally, we reached the General¡¯s office. As we went inside the building, its design looked impressive and grand. I couldn¡¯t believe that the government could spend this much money for just one building while its poor citizens strived hard to live. I also noticed that there were cracks in the walls probably due to the earthquake. I just hoped that it won¡¯t collapse while we¡¯re in here. Since the elevators no longer worked, Mina led us through the stairs. As we reached the fourth floor, she led us through a corridor filled with office tables and chairs. I didn¡¯t know what the other people were doing, but it seemed that there were still paperwork to be done even after the apocalypse. Mina knocked on the door at the end of the corridor and opened it. ¡°General!¡± Mina stood straight and raised her hand to her forehead and saluted. ¡°I¡¯ve brought them as you asked.¡± ¡°Thank you, private¡­¡± The man said. ¡°You may wait outside.¡± ¡°General!¡± The man stood up and gazed on us as if inspecting thoroughly. He looked like he¡¯s in his fifties as he had a few white hair strands ¨C a sign of aging. When he smiled at us, wrinkles appeared in his forehead and cheeks.It seemed that he never lost his charm even as aged. I bet he¡¯s a good looking man when he was young. I looked around the office and I saw a name board on the table: ¡°BGEN Ronaldo V. Arevalo, AFP¡± ¡°Miguel!¡± The General embraced Miguel tightly. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you too, General¡­¡± Miguel responded. ¡°No need to be so formal. You¡¯re my son and this is my office¡­¡± Gen. Arevalo said. Son? He¡¯s Miguel¡¯s father? If so, then why does Dianne lived with him? I looked at Eric and he was also shocked when he learned that. Gen. Arevalo smiled and proceeded to embrace Dianne and kissed her in her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you too¡­¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­ me too¡­¡± I turned my eyes to Miguel and he was looking down and his fists were clenched. It got me thinking what¡¯s Dianne connection with his father? I don¡¯t think Dianne is a kind of woman who have a sugar daddy. I held his hand to try and calm him down. Gen. Arevalo looked at us and smiled. ¡°Are these your friends, Miguel?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ They¡¯ve been with me since the beginning.¡± ¡°And who is this beautiful lady? Is she your girlfriend?¡± He asked as he pointed out our hands. ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m his girlfriend¡­¡± I answered. I looked at Miguel and he didn¡¯t even react. ¡°Oh? Hahaha!¡± He laughed. ¡°I guess you have a good taste for women like your old man, huh?¡± ¡°Anyway, welcome to Camp Aguinaldo.¡± He said to me as he went back to his seat. ¡°So¡­ you must be tired. Normally, I¡¯d ask you a few questions about how you survived, but I¡¯ll let you rest for today. Dianne, you know the way.¡± Dianne nodded. We were about to leave when Miguel started to talk. ¡°Is Mom and Jen here? Do you have news about them?¡± Miguel asked. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ You see, Pasig is overrun by monsters. We couldn¡¯t even set foot in the city.¡± ¡°Then, I need your help, General¡­¡± ¡°How can I help you then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to stay here in Camp Aguinaldo. I want to borrow some of your men to rescue my family¡­¡± Gen. Arevalo let out a deep sigh. ¡°Miguel¡­ You know I can¡¯t do that, right?¡± ¡°Why not? You have thousands of soldiers at your command. If you can spare me just a hundred¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that¡­ Two days ago, we were attacked by five hundred beastmen and they tried to take this base. 206 of my soldiers died¡­ I even tried to send runners throughout the neighboring cities and none of them came back. I need my men here in Camp Aguinaldo. This base may be the last hope of our country.¡± ¡°And what did the country did to us?¡± Miguel raised his voice. ¡°You can¡¯t even spare one of your men for your family? What did the country owe you? Are you just doing this to serve your country?¡± ¡°Enough!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I just¡­ I just can¡¯t lose you again. I won¡¯t let you leave this base.¡± ¡°How about Jen? She¡¯s your daughter!¡± ¡°Yes, she my daughter. Do you think it¡¯s easy for me? Now that two of my children are here. I can¡¯t risk losing both of you.¡± I was shocked. Two of his children? ¡°Both of us? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Your mother never told you?¡± Gen. Arevalo looked at Dianne. ¡°How about you? Did you tell him?¡± Dianne looked down and shook her head. ¡°Tell what?¡± ¡°Miguel¡­ Dianne is my daughter. She¡¯s your sister.¡±
[1] Kuya is an honorific which means big brother. ARC 1: Chapter 20: The Rest is History This isn''t the last chapter, btw... Sorry for the long wait.
Chapter 20: The Rest is History Dianne ¡°Please wait outside. I want to talk with them¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t look at them as they leave. How can I be so stupid? All I needed to do was to say it, right? ¡°So you didn¡¯t know?¡± Dad asked. ¡°No¡­ Not even mom told me¡­¡± ¡°What did she say to you about Dianne?¡± ¡°She said¡­ Not to be friends with that whore¡¯s daughter¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ Monica is still angry with me¡­ She even involved Dianne in our problems¡­¡± ¡°But how? You had that affair 15 years ago, right?¡± Miguel asked. ¡°No¡­ I met her when Monica was pregnant¡­¡± ¡°With me¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I don¡¯t have an excuse and I knew it was wrong¡­ I dated Eva without telling her that I was already married¡­ When she learned the truth, she just left. Until five years ago, I met her again. She wasn¡¯t asking for my help, but she needed work, so I referred her to one of the companies I owned.¡± ¡°Your printing business¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the one. I have the majority share so it was easy for me to get her to work there¡­ and she also kept my personal books and filed my taxes.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s how the affair started again?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Dad shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s already over for us and she even kept Dianne from me. She told me that she had a lover, but he died before giving birth to her¡­ I had doubts because I had a¡­ strange feeling of connection with Dianne. Eva was good at avoiding the topic and if only she didn¡¯t need my help, she wouldn¡¯t come near me. I couldn¡¯t explain it, so I tested her and it turns out, I¡¯m her father¡­¡± ¡°When did you learn this?¡± ¡°I only learned that Dianne was my daughter 5 years ago¡­ I only wanted to support my daughter and to be there for her¡­ I confronted Eva about it, but she told me that she didn¡¯t want to destroy my family. Of course, I told your mother about it and¡­ we separated. She wouldn¡¯t listen to me when I said that we no longer have an affair. I tried to tell you about it, but¡­ You didn¡¯t want to talk to me. I didn¡¯t know what Monica told you, but Dianne told me that you¡¯re pushing her away¡­¡± ¡°Even so¡­ Please¡­ help me. I don¡¯t care about that now, just help me.¡± Miguel looked at him with teary eyes. ¡°I want to. I really do¡­ But right now, we need everyone here¡­ Like I said before, none of my scouts returned when I sent them to Pasig¡­ I can¡¯t afford the risk of losing more men and I can¡¯t risk both you. I can¡¯t lose you again¡­ Please understand. This is my duty¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Miguel wiped off his tears and left the office. I quickly followed him, I wanted to say something, but the words couldn¡¯t leave my mouth. ¡°What happened?¡± Claire asked him. ¡°He can¡¯t help me¡­¡± ¡°Are you still thinking about leaving?¡± Eric asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Melissa stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. ¡°You should think about it carefully. We¡¯re safe now¡­ We don¡¯t even know they¡¯re still¡­¡± Before Melissa could finish her sentence, Miguel looked down as he clenched his fist. ¡°I will think about it¡­¡± ¡°Uhmmm¡­ W-we should go to our house. It¡¯s not that far from here. It¡¯s big enough for all of us. I think¡­¡± I said to them. ¡°Yeah¡­ We should take a break for the day.¡± Eric said. When I led the rest of the group to dad¡¯s house, Claire was trying to make him talk, but Miguel kept his silence. This is what I fear. If he knew the truth, he would hate me. After all, I was the reason why his parents separated. I fear that he¡¯d also blame me for Dad¡¯s decision not to help him. After a few minutes walk, we finally reached Dad¡¯s house. The house was like most of the houses in this part of Camp Aguinaldo. According to Dad, it was a government project. Low cost housing for soldiers. It wasn¡¯t much and it¡¯s a simple bungalow house without a second floor. I moved here two years ago after my mother died of cancer. ¡°So this is as far as I go. If you need anything, you know where to go.¡± Mina said. ¡°Oh, and by the way, I found this Richard guy. He¡¯s a volunteer and he¡¯s on the east gate.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s excited to meet his brother. Come. I¡¯ll take you to him.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mina¡­¡± I said to her as she left. I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I think I left the key in my bag at the restaurant. This wasn¡¯t the first time. I always forget the key whenever I leave, so I have a back-up key hidden in the flower pot. I searched for the key and I was thankful that it was still there. ¡°Finally¡­ I can really use some sleep without worries.¡± George said. ¡°Yeah, me too¡­¡± MangKaloy said as he took a pillow from his inventory. ¡°Is it okay if we sleep in this room?¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± I answered. ¡°Make yourself at home. We have three bedrooms here, by the way¡­¡± As George, Gerry and Mang Kaloy made their way to the bedroom, Miguel walked outside the house. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Claire asked. ¡°I want some time alone¡­ Do a little walk, I guess..¡± As Miguel left the house, Claire and others looked at me and pointed their head towards him. I didn¡¯t know what to say to him. I was scared. ¡°Talk to him!¡± Melissa said as she pushed me outside the house. I looked around to see where Miguel went. He was going back to where we came from. I followed him thinking that he might leave. I used my skill [Sneak]. As I followed him, Miguel stopped at the golf course and lit up a cigarette. He sat on the grass as he puffed a smoke. I stood up and slapped myself as I walked towards him. As I sat on the ground, he looked at me. ¡°Hey¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ever since the day he confessed his feelings to me, I was always nervous whenever he¡¯s around. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I kept it from you¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I thought you would hate me¡­¡± He chuckled as he threw away the cigarette. ¡°Why do you think I would hate you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡° I wrapped my arms around my knees. ¡°Do you hate me?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± He let out a deep sigh. ¡±I¡¯m not angry with you and I don¡¯t blame you about it.¡± There was a long pause between us. Miguel closed his eyes as the soft breeze lifted his hair. ¡°Now it makes sense¡­¡± He said. ¡°That¡¯s why you kept rejecting me. It must be awkward for you, huh?¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I pushed you away¡­ I thought¡­ It¡¯s just that... I¡¯m an idiot.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an idiot too¡­¡± I said to him. ¡°I guess we¡¯re both idiots¡­¡± We laughed. It¡¯s been a long time since we laughed together. I didn¡¯t know that he would accept me. I was afraid that if he learned the truth, he wouldn¡¯t accept me and he would hate me. I was so glad that I was wrong. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dianne¡­¡± He leaned towards me and embraced me. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s o-okay¡­¡±I¡¯ve been trying to hold back my tears. I couldn¡¯t help, but cry. "I''m so sorry..." ¡°O-okay¡­¡± I wrapped my arms around him and sobbed on his chest. ¡°I guess you never changed¡­ You¡¯re still a cry baby.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°Yes, you are¡­¡± He chuckled. I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment for so long. I never wanted it to end, so I embraced him tightly. He never let go. Looking back in the past, Miguel and I were good friends. When I was a kid, I never had friends and every kid I met would pick on me because I was much smaller and weaker than them. I was never good at making friends and I always played alone. My mother raised me alone and I tried to ask her who my father was. She said that my father died before she gave birth to me. She didn¡¯t have any pictures of him, so I didn¡¯t know his face at that time. We moved to Pasig because of her work and we rented a small apartment. One day, she took me to her client. We didn¡¯t have someone to babysit me so we went together. My mom told me that her client¡¯s house was just a few blocks from where we lived. That¡¯s the time when I first met Miguel. When I first saw him, his looks reminded me of those kids who bullied me. He looked more terrifying than those kids. Our parents told us to play with each other. I had no choice but to be left alone with him. He smiled at me and I was so scared. When I thought that he was going to hurt me, he handed me his toys and told me to play. He asked me a lot of questions like what I want to do for fun, what to play, where I live, my favorite color and he even asked me to be his friend. He told me that nobody likes to play with him. He gave me his favorite toy so I could play with it. I told him that he can be my friend which made him very excited. After that, we played a lot. Sometimes, he would visit me at our house and play with me. Miguel was my first friend. As time goes by, we grew up and attended the same school. Our friendship never changed. One thing that never changed was my shyness around other people. He even encouraged me to join school activities just to change my behavior. I tried to join the gymnastics club and the coach said that I had the talent. Miguel was always there to support me and gave me courage. When I was 14, he changed. He started to get nervous whenever we¡¯re together. He always blushed whenever I held his hand and he looked uneasy when we looked each other in the eyes. I didn¡¯t understand at first, but I decided to ignore it. He¡¯s like a brother to me. When we were in second year, Mr. Arevalo went to our house to visit my mom. He frequently visited us for business and my mom looked uneasy. He was acting weird around me and my mom. That day, however, my mom cried as they talked. I asked her what¡¯s wrong and she told me the truth. Miguel told me that his parents separated and he knew that his father cheated. Despite the circumstances, he was still kind to me. I asked him if he hated my mother, but he told me that his opinion about my mother was irrelevant and we shouldn¡¯t bother ourselves with their problem. I also asked him what else he learned. He was confused. I realized that he didn¡¯t know the truth. I wanted to tell him. But like I said, I was afraid that if I tell him the truth, he would hate me too. One day, one of our classmates, did a prank on Miguel and showed me his text message. I was with Miguel at that time when she showed me the message. I was shocked to learn that he also felt the same thing for me. After that incident, he asked me if I felt the same way too. I only did what I thought was right, I rejected him. It was probably the hardest thing I did. He was depressed for a short time, but he didn¡¯t stop to pursue me. He became depressed for a while when I lied and told him that I liked Eric. I tried to do everything to kill off those feelings. I thought it was for the best since he tried to move on and asked other girls. Of course, I moved on too. When we were in senior year in high school, when I started to feel a distance between us. It was the same year when my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. It turned out that she was already feeling sick a long time ago, but she didn¡¯t go to a doctor for a check-up. After a year, she died. It was devastating and I was afraid that I¡¯d be alone, but Miguel was there at my time of grief. When my mother was buried, my father told me that he would try his best to make it up to me. He cried and he begged me to at least give him a chance to be a father to me. I never had a father before, so I gave him that chance. He was very supportive and like Miguel, he encouraged me to pursue my dream to be a gymnast. Miguel became cold towards me since I rejected his offer to run away with him. Whenever I tried to speak to him, all of his replies were short, direct and emotionless. I couldn¡¯t help, but longed for him to accept me and I never wanted him to hate me. I tried my best to talk to him and I never gave up. Eric gave me a movie ticket and told me to give it to Miguel, so we could watch the movie together. When I went to Miguel¡¯s house, his mother told me to never come back and to leave her son alone. I never thought that Miguel would be angry at me when he learned that he missed the movie. I tried to give him the ticket, but he tore it apart. I thought that was it. He really hated me.When I was about to give up on him, the apocalypse happened. I was scared, but Miguel was brave and he even got wounded when he defended us against the goblins. That was the time when he started to talk to me. When I thought that I would be useless since I wasn¡¯t in the part of their plan, he told me that my contribution would be the most important. My job would be to go ahead of us and to scout in order to avoid the monsters on our way. My heart leapt with joy when he told me that I was the only one who could do it and he needs me. Of course, I tried my best not to be afraid and he even praised me that I did a good job. Anyway, the past didn¡¯t matter because right now, he accepted me for who I am.
Miguel I couldn¡¯t believe it. I felt like a jackass when I learned that Dianne was my sister. I shouldn¡¯t have treated her like that. I can understand why Dianne never told me. She was afraid that if I knew the truth, I would hate her for it because she¡¯s blaming herself for what happened. You see, Dianne was extremely shy. She still has a hard time of expressing herself well. Her mother kept her isolated for so long and she became a magnet for bullies. There was one time when someone bullied her in school and she kept quiet about because she didn¡¯t want to be a bother to me. I understood why my mother hated Dianne and her mother. Three years before my parents separated, my mother saw my father and his mistress went together in a motel. That woman was only 18 years old, barely legal. I was just 12 years old at that time and my father was already 50. Of course, my father confessed that he cheated. By some miracle, however, my mother forgave him and they went on with their marriage like nothing ever happened. Since then, I lost my respect for my father and I refused to talk to him. One day, my mother told me that he was cheating again and this time with his accountant which was Dianne¡¯s mother. He was cheating right under her nose and he managed to keep the affair as a secret for years. My mother always told me to stay away from Dianne. She even said that she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if my father was also fucking that whore¡¯s daughter. At first, I was angry at my mom for saying that. Later on, when Dianne¡¯s mother died.I told Dianne to run away with me. Well, I felt like we were like Romeo and Juliet at that time. Of course, she refused. That was the time I gave up on her and I tried my best to avoid her. When I learned that Dianne moved and lived with my father. I didn¡¯t really care nor I ever tried to hear my father¡¯s side of the story. Yeah, I¡¯m a fucking idiot¡­ Well, that¡¯s all over now. Right now, I would try my best to make it up for Dianne. Remembering how I confessed to her makes me cringe... ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back.¡± I said to her. After we had our talk, Dianne and I went back to their house. I couldn¡¯t help, but worry about Jen and my mom. Why won¡¯t my own father help me? He sacrificed his family and most of his life for the sake of serving the country. At least for once, he should try to act like a father to us. Anyway, he might change his mind. I would try to ask him again tomorrow. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! As we walk, we heard a familiar ding sound and a blue screen appeared. *DING!*
SYSTEM Update: Patch 2.00 To celebrate the 8th Day of the Merge, the SYSTEM implemented the following: ?Quest System Added New Feature: Quest System
    • You can check your accepted quests through your Quest Progress Screen
  • To see your Quest Progress Screen, say ¡°Open Quest Screen¡±. You can also abandon a quest by clicking ¡®Abandon¡¯ in the Quest Progress Screen.
    • Quests can be SYSTEM generated or given by a Faction Leader/Official or an NPC.
    • Quests are ranked from G (Lowest difficulty), F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS (Highest difficulty).
    • The difficulty of a quest given by a Faction Leader/Official and NPCs will be determined by the SYSTEM. Also, if the quest is too mundane, the SYSTEM will not recognize it.
    • The rewards for finishing a quest depend on the nature of the quest as determined by the SYSTEM. However, quests given by a Faction Leader/Official and NPCs will only have EXP reward upon completion, unless additional rewards are provided by the quest giver. The promised additional reward will be bound until the completion of the quest.
    • Quests can be shared amongst the party. If a new member joins the said party, he/she has an option whether to accept the quest or not.
  • Quests can be anything, but not limited to: Monster slaying, Dungeon clearing, Item collection, Boss hunt and Player bounty hunt.
?Faction System Added New Feature: Faction System
    • To create a new faction, say ¡®Create Faction: Faction name¡¯. You can only create a faction if you have at least 29 members in your party. The party leader will be the default Faction Leader upon creation.
    • You can join an existing faction by invitation of a Faction Leader/Official and then, you must swear an oath of loyalty. (See Help Menu for the oath.)
    • To check your Faction Information, say ¡®Open Faction Information Screen¡¯. You may leave your current faction by joining another or the Faction Leader/Official remove you from the faction.
    • A member can be a Faction Leader/Official if they were voted by the members. A Faction Leader/Official can hold his/her office indefinitely unless agreed upon by the members or another player, whether a member or not, takes the position by force.
    • All members of a faction can use Faction Communication System and it can only be used once a day. There is no limit as to the distance of communication.
    • Factions can rule and impose its laws in its territories and holdings. They can also impose taxes on The Shop in their territory.
    • A faction can take over another faction¡¯s territory through wars, treaties and agreements.
  • For the purpose of this update, all Shops and territories will be owned by the strongest faction in the area.
? The limit of the number of party members has been reduced to 30. ?Due to these changes, all parties consisting of more than 30 members will be automatically converted into factions. ?All level one players will become NPCs (Non-Participating Characters). All combat related skills of NPCs will be locked except for skills related to profession, race and other life skills such as [Observe]. The only way for an NPC to become a Player is to kill monsters and level up. However, it will be hard for an NPC to become level two. ?All NPCs cannot use combat related skill books. ?Fucking Rock has been removed from the Loot System. (Anyway, I¡¯m done thinning out the number of players.) ?To review the changes, see Help Menu.
Another update? After I skimmed the message, I swiped the blue screen with my hand and removed it. I would just read it later in the Help Menu, since it didn''t have a major effect on me. ¡°What does it mean?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Nothing that concerns us.¡± I replied. ¡°How about them?¡± She pointed at the soldiers were rushing towards south. ¡°They¡¯re probably being called for a meeting.¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We shouldn¡¯t bother them.¡± When we reached dad¡¯s house, we saw Claire practicing with her sword outside the house. Melissa was also practicing with her bow as she continuously shot ethereal arrows at the sand bag. I guess she found a way to grind her skill. As soon as they saw us coming, they stopped and walked towards us. ¡°Did you see the update?¡± Melissa asked as she panted. ¡°Yeah, we did.¡± ¡°What do you think about it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t really care about it.¡± I answered. ¡°So... what¡¯s your plan?¡± Claire asked. ¡°I¡¯ll try to ask him again tomorrow. Maybe he¡¯ll change his mind.¡± Claire stood in front of me and placed her hand on my shoulder. ¡°Look, I know how important your family is to you...¡± As soon as Claire talked, her voice became muted. I tried my best to focus on her lips as it moved, but there was no sound coming out of it. ¡°...It¡¯s dangerous out there... They¡­ dead¡­ Stay...¡± Melissa and Dianne also said something, but like Claire, their voices were also muted. I heard some parts of what they said, but I couldn¡¯t understand most of it. ¡°So are you still going to leave?¡± Claire asked. ¡°I... uhmmm...¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I answered. ¡°I just need some rest¡­ That¡¯s all.¡± I went inside the house to find a bed. I laid down on the bed. I looked at my wrist and stared at the reddish burnt mark. The mark was shaped like a hand and the cloaked man in my nightmare gave it to me. I changed my mind and went outside to meditate as I watched Claire with her training. As I meditated, I focused my mana inside my body and checked my mana core. For the last few days, my mana core seemed to be normal. It¡¯s still white in color and nothing¡¯s changed. I could hear a faint whisper in the dark as I tried to think of a solution to keep the Dark Lord away from my mind. But the more I tried, the whispers only get stronger and clearer. A few hours later, Eric came back with his brother, Richard. Unlike Eric, Richard wasn¡¯t a popular guy. Although he¡¯s already 24 years old, his height was about 4 feet and he has a more majestic beard than mine. He¡¯s the one who enlightened me to the greatness of beards and that¡¯s why I restrained myself from temptation of shaving.
Player: Richard Reyes
Race: Human Level: 25 Faction: AFP Party: N/A He¡¯s a dwarf. Not a dwarf ¡®dwarf¡¯, but a human with dwarfism. I called him Gimli and he called me Fat Gandalf. This is why I loved going to Eric¡¯s house. Richard was the coolest guy I¡¯ve ever met. He¡¯s even a greater nerd than I was and apparently, his level was much higher than any of us. ¡°Is that you, Miguel?¡± Richard asked. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I replied. ¡°Wow, you look taller!¡± Claire, Melissa and Mina raised their eyebrows as they heard me while Eric was laughing hard at my greeting. ¡°Well, you still look like a fat ass Viking rapist.¡± Richard retorted. ¡°Where¡¯s your axe, Gimli?¡± I asked as I pointed out his mage robe. ¡°I¡¯m a mage like you, Gandalf.¡± He said with Gimli¡¯s voice. ¡°And this is my staff¡­¡± I embraced him. ¡°Glad to see you, Master Yoda.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Glad to see you too, I am, my fat padawan..¡± I introduced him to the rest of the party. Richard winked at the girls. The girls tried their best to hide their disgust as he shook their hands. Did I already mention that he wasn¡¯t a popular guy? After that, I took out a bottle of rum and drank with him and Eric. Even though I wasn¡¯t in the mood to drink, I forced myself as it may be the last drink I¡¯ll ever have. I¡¯m planning to leave in Camp Aguinaldo and I may not have an opportunity to drink with my friends again. Plus, it would help me keep my mind distracted from whatever shit the Dark Lord is cooking up fo me. Melissa and Dianne wasn¡¯t in the mood to drink and they went together somewhere to grind their skills. Claire went with them as she dragged her sand bag for training. ¡°So¡­ can you show me your spells?¡± I asked. Richard stood up and raised his mini-staff. He took five pieces of rocks from the ground and ignited it. He began to juggle the rocks in the air as he showed off his magic. ¡°I can only do Earth and Fire. I¡¯m still saving up for Wind and Water.¡± He answered. ¡°Wow... You have a good control.¡± I said as I raised the bottle. Richard took the bottle from my hand and drank while juggling. ¡°Ahh¡­ I love rum!¡± ¡°Come on, Miguel. Show him your magic.¡± Eric said. I stood up and raised my staff. I used [Earth Manipulation] and grabbed a chunk of huge debris from the ruined house in front of us. I shaped it into a lifesize statue of me on Rembrandt¡¯s self-portrait pose. It took me for almost an hour to finish it. I was a bit drunk, so my stupidity was rising to the danger level. I placed the statue in front of dad¡¯s house and marvelled at it. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Richard said as he dropped the flaming rocks to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a wonderful art!¡± ¡°A masterpiece!¡± Eric added. ¡°Well, Lee-Hyun is my inspiration in this particular work of art.¡± ¡°So original¡­¡± Richard said as he clapped. ¡°And narcissistic too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so wonderful¡­¡± Eric said. I bowed. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± George, Gerry and Mang Kaloy were already awake and they also joined us. Beth went off somewhere to find the other three girls. It was already night when we finished three bottles of rum and we resorted to drinking beer. I felt that I was getting too drunk and I might passed out. I was afraid to sleep again so, I closed my eyes and used [Cure Disease] on my body. I broke down any ethanol in my bloodstream and ejected it through my sweat to cure my drunkenness. When I tried to stand up, it seemed that it worked as I could walk straight and the world wasn¡¯t spinning anymore. I told them that I was too drunk to continue and I went inside the house. I took a quick bath to remove the stench of alcohol from my body. After that, I dressed up and I noticed that the girls were back. I sat on the couch beside Claire and meditated. ¡°You okay?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± ¡°So you already moved on. Huh?¡± Claire let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m still sad, but there¡¯s no point crying about it and doing nothing.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Where did you went off to anyway?¡± I asked. ¡°We just looked around¡­ Oh, and we went shopping.¡± She replied. ¡°Shopping? What did you buy?¡± As she grabbed her bag in her inventory, I opened my eyes and stopped meditating. I was curious to find out what she bought in this apocalyptic market. ¡°Here it is¡­¡± She handed me a necklace with a silver heart shaped pendant. ¡°I bought that one for you.¡± My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to think of a reason why would she buy a necklace for me. ¡°You bought me a necklace?¡± Her lips slightly frowned. ¡°That¡¯s a magic item.¡±
Silver Necklace of Lesser Agility
Armor Rating: 0 Durability: 10/10 Bonus: Increases your AGI by 2 A silver necklace rune-enchanted by Juan Emmanuel. Increases AGI by a small amount. So that¡¯s what runes are for. I inspected the pendant and there¡¯s a small strange character inscribed on it. I couldn¡¯t read it, but it¡¯s obvious that it¡¯s from another language and definitely, not from Earth. I wondered what¡¯s the character for Intelligence. ¡°It¡¯d be more lovely if the stat increase is INT.¡± I asked. Claire crossed her arms. ¡°I think you need more stamina. You¡¯re like a dying horse everytime we practice.¡± As I wore the necklace, she reached out her hand and cupped it. ¡°20 Silver Coins.¡± She said in serious tone. ¡°You¡¯re charging me for this?¡± ¡°What? Do you think it¡¯s for free?!¡± Claire narrowed her eyes and moved her fingers back and forth. ¡°Pay up¡­¡± Of course¡­ What other reasons would she have to buy me a necklace? Duh? Anyway, her scam was the oldest trick in the book and it happened that I mastered the art of scamming too. ¡°Sure... I¡¯ll pay.¡± I said as I also cupped my hand to her. ¡°If you give me back my book.¡± ¡°What book?¡± She asked. ¡°You think I didn¡¯t know that you took my book? I tried to ask the others about the book, but they don¡¯t have it which leaves¡­¡± I said as I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Anyway, I know for a fact that you have that habit in the library¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡± Claire denied it and shrugged. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m done with that book anyway. You can keep my book in exchange for this. Deal?¡± Claire let out a sigh. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Although the book cost me more fortune than the necklace, I think it was a fair deal since I already got the knowledge I needed from that book and I already took notes in my notebook. I noticed that Claire was also wearing a silver necklace. I stared at it for a while and noticed that it was of the same design. I couldn¡¯t help, but wonder if what she said was true when I introduced her to my father. I was too distracted to react when she said that she was my girlfriend. What the hell was she thinking? Maybe her move back in the convenience store was just to tease me, but what about the condoms? Girls were hard to understand. If there¡¯s an encyclopedia about women¡¯s thinking, there would be a hundred volumes and all of it would be blank. Anyway, I found it inappropriate to ask her. I¡¯ll give her more time. It¡¯s only been yesterday since she found out what happened to her family. I continued to meditate for the rest of the day as Claire took out my book in her inventory and read it. I guess she had no more reason to hide the book from me. ARC 1: Chapter 21: Breaking Apart Chapter 21: Breaking Apart ¡°NOOOOOO!¡± ¡°What the¡­¡± Eric stood up as he held his fist up. George and Gerry also stood up as they tried to figure out what was happening. When they noticed that I was the one who screamed, they relaxed and went back to bed. Mang Kaloy hugged his pillow and covered his ears while Ethan was sleeping beside me and undisturbed. ¡°Seriously dude, I thought we¡¯re under attack or something¡­¡± Eric muttered. I wiped off the sweat on my forehead as I breathed heavily. I tried my best to remember what happened last night. Obviously, I fell asleep as I meditated, but I couldn¡¯t remember how. All I could remember was that I was with Claire. My memory of the dream was vague and hazy. I remembered bits and pieces of the dream where I was on a rampage and burning everything and everyone in my path. I was laughing maniacally as I watched the whole world burn. I only stopped when I realized that I also killed Claire and the others. I closed my eyes and activated [Meditate]. I checked my mana core and found nothing was wrong with it, but as I went deep inside my mind, I could hear the faint whispers in the dark. I noticed that the whispers were becoming louder as the days went on. I looked around to check whether I was dreaming again and slapped myself hard in order to make sure. I noticed that my bed was still hot and there¡¯s a scorched mark on it. I realized that I may have unconsciously cast a fire spell while I was sleeping. I stood up and went outside the bedroom. I checked the other bedrooms and saw the girls still sleeping. In the other room, it was empty. It seemed that Dad didn¡¯t come home last night, probably because of the update. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was still dreaming and to tell you the truth, I was beginning to have doubts which was real or not. It¡¯s been three days since I started to have nightmares and sleeping seemed to take more energy from me than being awake. I didn¡¯t want to go back to sleep, so I lit up a fire in my hand to light my way into the kitchen and mixed some instant coffee. I went outside and sat on the lawn as I drank my coffee. It was still dark outside and it was quiet. I concentrated on the sound and I heard the sound of the crickets as well as the sound of the whispers. I felt the restlessness taking its toll on my body as my hand shook. I couldn¡¯t even drink my coffee without spilling it. It seemed that my skill [Meditate] was now useless in fighting off sleep. ¡°Good morning¡­¡± I turned my head and saw Dianne also holding a cup. ¡°Morning¡­¡± I greeted back. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah, I guess...¡± I responded. ¡°So who put me into bed? I don¡¯t remember that I even fell asleep.¡± Dianne let out a soft giggle. ¡°Ethan told us that you were sleeping on the couch and we saw you snoring with your eyes open. It was creepy, but funny¡­ Eric carried you into bed.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°We went to the market near the refugee camp yesterday...¡± Dianne said. ¡°It was... terrible.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well, after we bought some items... Someone tried to rob us, but Claire beat them...¡± I shook my head. ¡°Did she kill them?¡± ¡°No, but we stopped her. The robbers said they only did it because their family was starving... The rations weren¡¯t enough for the refugees and they couldn¡¯t afford the food in the market...¡± ¡°And what did you do?¡± ¡°I... uhmmm... gave them food...¡± Dianne stared down to the ground as she kept her gaze away. ¡°Good...¡± She lifted her head and her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I-it¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can¡¯t help everyone, but it doesn¡¯t mean that you shouldn¡¯t. Just remember not to give away all of your food and make sure you have enough for yourself... And be careful who you choose to help. You don¡¯t know if those guys are just scumbags and they¡¯ll sell whatever you give them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind...¡± Dianne continued to tell me about what she saw in the market. According to her, there were a lot of refugees who volunteered to join the militia as they tried to clear the surroundings of monsters and the loot they found were sold in the market. Some of the refugees had skills in rune magic and they sold magic items to the public, but most of the magic items were ¡®donated¡¯ to help the army. Due to the shortage of food, the army rationed chimera meat for food because the supermarkets and malls in the area were already looted by other survivor groups and the army as well. According to the rumors she heard in the market, the army and some volunteers were now beginning to try and domesticate these monsters. Unfortunately for them, I knew that it was inevitable to fail because chimeras weren¡¯t classified as beasts and only the dungeon that spawned them has the control of their behavior. Surprisingly, the taste of chimera¡¯s meat wasn¡¯t as bad as it looked. It was black in color and almost looked like a strip of charcoal than meat. Dianne gave me a sample of chimera meat jerky and it was super delicious. The taste was comparable to a high quality beef, but it has a distinctive taste that I couldn¡¯t really explain in detail. My mouth waters at the thought of juicy chimera steak. Food wasn¡¯t the only problem though. I heard from Richard that there were exactly 52 mages, not including the healers, in Camp Aguinaldo and only 14 were capable of water magic. Even though it¡¯s rainy season, clean and drinkable water was scarce, especially when the farm was being constructed. As a result of lack of clean water and poor hygiene, there was an outbreak in the refugee camp and hundreds were quarantined to keep them from spreading the disease to others. I noticed that Dianne was more talkative than before and she smiled a lot. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head as the voices inside my head became louder. ¡°TRAITOR!¡± The voice was clear and very familiar as I realized that it was my own. It was screaming ¡®traitor¡¯ over and over again as I saw flashes of images from my dream. ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­ I beg you¡­ stop!!¡± Dianne was grovelling at my feet and begged. I cast a fire spell on her as she tried her best to appeal to my humanity. She shrieked in agony as the flames devoured her flesh slowly. I grinned. As Dianne¡¯s charred corpse lay on the ground, I looked down and said: ¡°Traitor¡­¡± ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Dianne asked as I snapped back to reality. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been acting strange lately¡­ Is there something bothering you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡­ Really, I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know if anyone would believe me if I tell them that I got the attention of the Dark Lord. You see, hearing voices wasn¡¯t a good sign even in the world of magic. Coupled with my extreme paranoia and claims that I saw the Devil with my own eyes, they will think that I really am insane. After I finished my cup of coffee, Dianne took my empty cup and went inside while I meditated as I wait the others to wake up. After a few hours, the sun rose up and the others woke up. Eric and the other men were groggy as they suffered hangover from last night. I did whatever I could to distract myself. Claire and I practiced the Six Strikes technique flow. We practiced for a couple of hours until we were interrupted by four soldiers wearing breastplates and military fatigues. ¡°Is Miguel Arevalo here?¡± One of the soldier asked.
Player: ???
Race: Human Level: 21 Faction: AFP Party: 1502nd Infantry Brigade Team 21 ¡°Soaring Eagle¡± I stepped forward. ¡°Yes, what do you need?¡± ¡°Col. Medina wants to meet your group. He wants to know the details of your survival.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Does everybody need to come?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± He nodded. As much as I wanted to spend the whole day doing nothing, we didn¡¯t have much of a choice, but to go with them. I called the others inside the house to meet with the colonel. It was just a few minutes walk to the AFP Officer¡¯s Club. It was the same building where dad¡¯s office was located. [Okay guys¡­ Here¡¯s the deal. You should try your best to show that you¡¯re useful, but not too much that you¡¯ll oversell your abilities. It¡¯s probably a job assessment.] ¨C Miguel [What should we tell him then?] ¨C Beth [Just answer his questions. Nothing more, nothing less. Don¡¯t give too much information, but at least give him something that could help¡­] ¨C Miguel When we reached the 3rd floor, the soldier asked us to sit in the waiting room just outside the Colonel¡¯s office. They called us one by one starting from Eric. After a few hours, everyone met the Colonel, except for me. When George exited the office, I was the last one to be called. ¡°I¡¯m Col. Medina. Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Arevalo¡­¡± The colonel stood up as we shook hands. ¡°Take a seat¡­¡±
Player: Col. Medina
Race: Human Level: 9 Faction: AFP Party: N/A As I sat on the seat in front of his desk, I used [Observe] on him, but it seemed that his level was lower compared to the soldiers in his command. I guess it made sense since he only needed to give orders rather than to fight the battle itself. The colonel sat straight in his chair. ¡±Your group told me that you were the reason they survived¡­¡± ¡°They give me too much credit. I didn¡¯t do much really¡­¡± I said. ¡°Humble¡­¡± He chuckled. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m impressed. You came from the deepest part of the city and you made it here with no casualties¡­ So tell me about yourself. How did you survive out there?¡± ¡°Luck¡­¡± I answered. ¡°Of course... One of your friends told me that you¡¯re a healer and you even cured someone of a zombie virus. I¡¯m not really sure if there¡¯s such a thing, but I guess with all the monsters and magic appearing out of nowhere might make it possible. I disagree that sheer luck helped you survive. Come on, tell me more.¡± It took us almost an hour when I told him the details of how we got into Camp Aguinaldo. I explained to him our formations and tactics that we used to kill monsters on our way. Of course, I only told him the information that could help the army, but I didn¡¯t tell him anything about my unique skill. It seemed that he learned from the others that I could do magic and he asked me to do a little demonstration. I took the bottle of water he had on the table and used my magic to make it cold. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t that impressed. What did he want me to do? Set the whole building on fire? After the conversation, I was asked to wait as the colonel rummaged through the piles of papers and folders. A few minutes later, the colonel asked the others to come into the office once again. ¡°Now that you¡¯re all here, I want you to join the army. This base needs experienced people, especially in dealing with these monsters. As you can see, we currently lack a proper HR department and a process. I was asked by the general himself to take care of the matter personally. Usually, It will take a day or two before I assign you to your new jobs, but I just couldn¡¯t let go of people with good talents. Fortunately, I have the perfect job opportunities for you¡­¡± The colonel said. ¡°Do we have any other choice?¡± Eric asked. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± He replied. ¡°I need you to disband your party and you will be assigned to Team 29 except for Miguel, Dianne, George and Carlos.¡± ¡°What?! No, they¡¯re with us! Miguel is our healer and our mage!¡± Claire shouted. ¡°Miguel and Dianne will be assigned to Medical Services Unit and we need them to help the other healers to find a cure to the outbreak. I understand your loyalty to your leader, but as I said before, Camp Aguinaldo might be the last bastion of humanity. We need to work together. Besides, Team 29 has an experienced combat medic and sergeant. They also have a mage, you know him well...¡± ¡°How about me and George?¡± ¡°You will be assigned to Technical Services Unit. They¡¯re currently working on our steam engine and they¡¯re the ones who repair and maintain our equipment. George will be our office staff and you can bring your son here with you if it helps¡­¡± ¡°Is it okay if you give us a day to think about it?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course¡­ I already promised Sgt. Naval that the next recruits will go to her team. It¡¯s a newly formed team, you see. They¡¯re on a break for the day and it will be good if you could meet with the team today.¡± ¡°You¡¯re throwing us back there to die. What¡¯s in it for us?¡± Eric asked. ¡°You can keep 20% of the spoils and you will be given food and proper lodging as payment. The risk is minimal compared to the other teams. Team 29¡¯s mission is to clear the monsters around Camp Aguinaldo and I¡¯ve heard that the chimera¡¯s population has been lessened significantly.¡± ¡°Uhmmm¡­ Why do you need me for Medical Service Unit? I¡¯m not even a healer¡­¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Your potions will probably help. You will be compensated by the AFP for the expenses that you may incur.¡± ¡°Give us a minute, Colonel.¡± I said. ¡°Sure¡­¡± [I don¡¯t like where this is going¡­] ¨C Eric [He¡¯s asking us to disband? Is he fucking nuts?] ¨C Claire [Not to mention that we¡¯ve only just met. We can always say no.] ¨C Melissa [What do you think, Miguel?] ¨C Beth [We need to earn our keep. It¡¯s not like we won¡¯t see each other forever. He¡¯s right though. The monster density in this area is low and you¡¯ll be fine.] ¨C Miguel [Are you really okay with this?] ¨C Dianne [Yes¡­ And besides, we don¡¯t have a choice. At least we can sleep in peace at night.] ¨C Miguel [I don¡¯t feel safe when you¡¯re not around. I mean, you¡¯re our healer¡­] ¨C Claire [Don¡¯t worry, Claire. There¡¯s a combat medic in your team and he¡¯s probably more experienced than me¡­] ¨C Miguel [Well, at least we can still keep the loot¡­] - Eric [You¡¯re a fucking asshole, you know that? All you can think of is the loot¡­] ¨C Melissa [S-sorry¡­] ¨C Eric [I¡¯ll leave the party. Me and my son aren¡¯t going to do a lot of fighting anyway¡­] ¨C George [Me too¡­ I¡¯m not much of a fighter either.] ¨C Mang Kaloy [It¡¯s okay, I guess¡­ See you around¡­] ¨C Miguel
Carlos Ocampo left Boston Tea Party
George James left Boston Tea Party
Ethan James left Boston Tea Party
¡°So¡­ Will you join the army?¡± Col. Medina asked. I looked around and the others seemed to agree with the job offer. ¡°Is it okay if we check the job first before we disband?¡± Claire asked. ¡°Of course, Team 29 can wait¡­¡± He answered. ¡°By the way, Miguel, I have a quest for you and Dianne and it needs to be dealt with immediately.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The colonel took out four gold coins from his pocket and placed it on the table. ¡°As I said before, there¡¯s an outbreak in the refugee camp and I need you and Dianne to help if you can. Dr. Salazar is our head of Medical Services Unit and he¡¯ll fill you in with the details. You¡¯ll be given 2 gold coins each if you complete the quest. In addition, the army will reimburse you for the expenses. You should go and check it out.¡±
Quest: The Outbreak In Refugee Camp
There''s an outbreak of unknown disease that''s been plaguing the refugees since the start of the Merge. Col. Medina request you to check it out. Meet with Dr. Salazar of the Medical Services Unit for more details and decide if you¡¯d like to join the faction "Armed Forces of the Philippines" Difficulty: D Rewards: EXP and Two (2) Gold Coins. ¡°Should I accept it?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°We won¡¯t promise that we can do it, but we¡¯ll see what we can do.¡± I said. ¡°Good¡­¡± The colonel nodded and smiled as the gold coins on the table disappeared.
Miguel Arevalo accepted the Quest: The Outbreak In Refugee Camp
Dianne Duria accepted the Quest: The Outbreak In Refugee Camp
¡°Wait¡­ There¡¯s a quest for them? How about us?¡± Eric asked. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a quest after you join the army. For now, you should meet with Sgt. Naval.¡± He replied. After the conversation with Col. Medina, we shook hands again as we were dismissed. The two escorts led the others as they went off to meet Sgt. Naval. George and his son, Ethan were left behind as he started to work in the office. The other two escorts followed me. Dianne and I went back to Col. Medina to ask why we had chaperones. He told me that healers and mages are important assets in the camp and all of them have bodyguards to protect them from harm. It¡¯s probably my dad¡¯s orders to keep an eye on us. I went to the 4th floor to see my dad to ask him again for help. I told Dianne and the bodyguards to wait outside as I knocked on the door. ¡°Can I talk to you for a second?¡± I asked as I sat on the chair. ¡°Of course...¡± Dad put down his pen on the table. ¡°So... what do you want to talk about?¡± ¡°The same thing as yesterday...¡± I replied. ¡°I need your help...¡± Dad let out a sigh and shook his head. ¡°I already told you my answer. I won¡¯t let you leave this base.¡± ¡°Are you still mad at Mom?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad at your mother.¡± He answered. ¡°I just don¡¯t want unnecessary risk¡­ I can¡¯t risk the lives of my children and my men.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°You sent off my friends to a monster clearing mission. What do you call that?¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why I told the colonel to assign them to Team 29¡­ They¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s all, you¡¯re dismissed...¡± Dad said as he picked up a pen and continued to write. ¡°Last question¡­¡± I said. He looked at me and stopped writing. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just wondering¡­ Are you still my father?¡± ¡°I am¡­ and that¡¯s why I won¡¯t let you leave Camp Aguinaldo.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ashamed that I even called you father¡­¡± I said as he fell silent. ¡°Kill¡­¡± The whispers in my head grew louder as images of fiery destruction flashed in my head. I suddenly felt an urge to kill, but I restrained myself from doing it by activating [Meditate]. When I calmed down for a bit, I stood up. ¡°Thank you for your time, General¡­ I will stay here in Camp Aguinaldo as you ordered. I don¡¯t have a choice anyway¡­ I just hope you won¡¯t end up regretting your decision.¡± Without saying another word, I left his office as Dianne and the two bodyguards followed. According to my bodyguards, there¡¯s a hospital in Camp Aguinaldo located in northeast. They quarantined all of the infected to prevent the spread of the disease. As they led me towards the hospital, I was thinking of an escape plan. I looked around to see if there were holes in the security. I realized that it will be hard since the high walls, they built had sentries on top of them and there were patrols everywhere in the base. Also, both of my bodyguards have a higher level than me and I wasn¡¯t sure if I could take them out without killing them. I guess I¡¯lljust play around for a moment while I work withmy plan. After a few minutes of walk, we reached the hospital. Like the AFP officer¡¯s club building, the hospital wasn¡¯t heavily damaged by the earthquake. We went inside the building and I noticed thatit was crowded with people. Nurses and doctors were running around the hall as they tried to accommodate all of the patients. Most of which weren¡¯t attended properly. As I tried to find the officer in Medical Service Unit, there was a soldier lying unconsciously on a stretcher in the waiting room and the wounds on his leg had gangrened. I stopped and used [Heal] on him, but the wound didn¡¯t heal as I expected. It¡¯s probably because of the infection. I used [Cure Disease] on him as I tried to eradicate all of the infected tissues and cells in his body. Once the rotten flesh was gone, the wound started to bleed and I used [Heal] again to close the wound. As soon as the other patients saw what I did, they gathered around me to be healed. ¡°Please help me!¡± A woman pleaded as she carried her baby. I prioritized those who looked like in a critical condition. Of course, I made sure to cure the children first, then the adults. Most of themwere level 1 NPCs so my MP was high enough to cure and heal 30 persons per full MP. As I meditated on a chair in the waiting room, a nurse noticed the commotion and approached me. ¡°Mr. Arevalo? Ms. Duria?¡± The nurse asked. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Follow me¡­ I¡¯ll take you to Dr. Salazar.¡± I stood up and followed the nurse to the upper floors of the hospital. The patients who were waiting to be healed by me tried their best to stop me from leaving, but my two bodyguards stopped the crowd from swarming me. As we reached the third floor, the nurse led me to a hospital ward as she introduced me to Dr. Salazar. ¡°I¡¯m Dr. Salazar. Head of Medical Services Unit¡­¡± He said as Dianne and I shook his hand. ¡°Dianne Duria¡­¡± ¡°Miguel Arevalo¡­ I¡¯m not a doctor, but I have a skill [Cure Disease].¡± I said to him. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that skill before¡­ All the doctors and some nurses here have [Heal]. Where did you get it?¡± ¡°Skill book. A monster drop¡­¡± I replied. ¡°I see¡­¡± The nurse gave us white coats and simple shirts. She also gave us face masks and latex gloves in order to prevent from catching the disease. Dianne and I changed our attires because we didn¡¯t want to ruin our mage robe and leather armor. ¡°Here¡­ You should drink this.¡± Dianne said as she handed me a bottle. I looked at the bottle¡¯s content and the liquid has a teal color. I used [Observe] on it.
Potion of Mana Regeneration
Quality: Rank E (Low) Effect: +20% Mana Regeneration for 12 Hours A low quality potion made by Dianne Duria. It improves mana regeneration by a small amount. ¡°Do you have more of these?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Dianne took eight more bottles of the same potion and gave it to me. ¡°These areall the potions I made.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I said to her as I put all the potions in my inventory. ¡°Oh, I forgot¡­ I also made these for you¡­¡± She gave me more potions, but they were different. The potions have a milky white color in it and it was glowing.
Lesser Potion of Mana Restoration
Quality: Rank E (Low) Effect: Restores 100 MP A low quality potion made by Dianne Duria. It restores mana by a small amount ¡°Are you sure you want to give all of these to me?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course¡­ I made those potions for you...¡± Dianne replied as she scratched her head. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°Besides, the colonel said the army will reimburse me for the costs of these potions.¡± She smiled. I guess Eric and I rubbed off our greediness to her. After we¡¯re done changing, I drank a potion of mana regeneration and we followed Dr. Salazar to the quarantine area. Dr. Salazar told me all the details about the disease. It was similar to ebola, but because most of their equipments they had used electricity, they couldn¡¯t figure out what caused it. The symptoms were bleeding from ears and eyes, nausea and vomiting, chest pain, fever, headache, stomachache, red eyes and other symptoms. The victims usually die in three days. Where it came from or how it was transmitted was unknown. Since it has similar symptoms to ebola virus, they assumed that it could be transferred through body fluids. So far, they concluded that it wasn¡¯t airborne. As we reached the hospital ward at the end of the hall, the doctor told me that there were 108 patients on the other day and now there were only 29 left. As we entered the ward, he led me towards the patient who was about to die.
Quest Update!
Quest: The Outbreak In Refugee Camp Cure the infected refugees. Progress: (0/29) Difficulty: D Rewards: EXP and Two (2) Gold Coins. The little girl was about 6-8 years old. She was lying in bed as she breathed heavily. Her eyes were red and her ears were bleeding. Beside her was a woman, which I assumed was her mother and she was infected too. The woman sat up as we approached. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± I asked. ¡°Angela¡­¡± The woman said. ¡°Please¡­ save her¡­ save my baby¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do¡­¡± I placed my hand on the little girl¡¯s forehead as I cast [Cure Disease]. I checked her mana core first because the sickness might be caused by dark mana. I felt relieved when I saw her mana core was normal. I spread my mana throughout her body in order to find all the infected cells. The virus looked like a strand of thread infecting the host cell. As I described the nature of the disease, Dr. Salazar took notes and gave me instructions on how to deal with the disease. I killed some of the infected cells including the infected white blood cells and the infection in theorgans. The only problem was the infection was too spread and the more infected cells I kill, the girl¡¯s condition only got worse. In order to prevent organ damage and to replenish her healthy cells, Dr. Salazar used [Heal] while I cast [Cure Disease]. It took us a few hours to cure the little girl, but it was a success. ¡°Thank you! Thank you doctor!¡± The woman cried as she tried to embrace me. ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­¡± I backed away for a bit. ¡°I¡¯m not a doctor¡­¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, I suggest you stay away from anyone for a while especially your daughter. It may infect her again¡­¡± Dr. Salazar said. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± She nodded as she wiped off her tears. This woman was literally crying tears of blood. I drank a potion of mana restoration and rested for a bit as I meditated to restore my MP. It only took me a few minutes to fully recover, but Dr. Salazar took more time to recover. I gave him a potion of mana regeneration and restoration to help him recover much faster. The nurses moved the little girl from the quarantine area. After we rested, we moved on to Angela¡¯s mother and did the same process. Dianne, on the other hand, took out her alchemy kit and made more potion of mana restoration. It was already lunch when we successfully cured Angela¡¯s mother. We took a short break and ate chimera meat¡¯s steak. After the break, Dr. Salazar called two more people who have a skill [Heal] because he couldn¡¯t keep up with my MP regeneration rate. We spent the whole day in the quarantine area as we tried to cure all of the patients. It was already midnight and we have 16 more patients left. Obviously, we were exhausted, but I didn¡¯t want to sleep. I insisted that we should continue until all of the patients were cured. Dr. Salazar and the two others took a break as another three other doctors took the shift. Dianne also refused to go home and insisted that she too will stay. A few hours later, she fell asleep while working on her potions. ¡°Mr. Arevalo. There¡¯s a young woman outside and I told her you were busy, but she¡¯s persistent to see you¡­¡± The nurse said while I was in the middle of healing a patient. ¡°Who is it?¡± I asked. ¡°She said her name is Claire¡­¡± ¡°Tell her to wait¡­¡± After a few minutes,another patient was successfully cured, but before I moved on to the next one. I was stopped by one of the doctors and insisted that I should take a few minutes break as they also needed to rest. I went outside the ward and took off my gloves. The nurse led me downstairs and I saw Claire sitting on a chair in the waiting area. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I greeted as I sat down next to her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Claire folded her arms. I swear, I saw a vein in her temple popped as I greeted her. ¡°They¡¯re not giving you a break! They should at least let you sleep!¡± I sighed. ¡°Actually¡­ They wanted go home and sleep¡­¡± Her eyes squinted and glared at me. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You know there¡¯s an outbreak, right? They¡¯re dying and I have to cure them before it¡¯s too late.¡± I replied. ¡°But you push yourself too hard.¡± ¡°I know¡­ We only have 12 more patients to cure. I¡¯ll take a break once I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Just¡­¡± Claire sighed. ¡°Just don¡¯t push yourself too hard, okay? I mean, look at you. You look shitty and you barely get enough sleep.¡± Seriously, I think if Claire becomes my girlfriend, I¡¯ll have a lot of trouble explaining why I didn¡¯t come home. I couldn¡¯t begin to imagine if she becomes my wife, but I¡¯m sure it will be much worse and drinking poisoned coffee sounded better. I was still skeptical about what she said yesterday. I didn¡¯t feel any difference on how we treated each other. I mean, you know, if she really was my girlfriend, we should be kissing, cuddling, doing stuff together and making out, right? ¡°Anyway, what happened to you? How¡¯s the meeting with Team 29?¡± I asked as I tried to change the subject. ¡°I guess they¡¯re alright¡­ Sgt. Naval is a bit strict, but I can tell she cares about her men¡­¡± Claire said. ¡°We talked about our formation and how we¡¯ll approach the monsters¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°It sucks. What they want to do is to fight the monsters head on. We tried suggest our tactics, but Sgt. Naval said it was inefficient and pulled out a ¡®I¡¯m the ranking officer here¡¯ bullshit!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°You should be the leader of that group, you know¡­ Oh, and Richard was also in our team¡­¡± Claire said. ¡°How about the combat medic?¡± I asked. ¡°At least their combat medic is a decent guy. His name is Mark and unlike the rest of the team, he¡¯s a down-to-earth guy¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know who this Mark guy was, but when she started to talk about him, she looked excited. Although he¡¯s not a mage like me, he had an AoE heal spell that can heal all of their party members at once. I admit that I was a bit jealous on the way she talked about the combat medic. I just hoped that Mark wasn¡¯t a stunningly good looking guy. It took us almost an hour before she was finished with her rant. Just a few days ago, Claire was complaining that I was being a dictator of our group, but now, she¡¯s telling me how my leadership was better and I should take charge instead of playing Doctor Quack Quack in the hospital. I was nodding occasionally while pretending to listen to her rant. She¡¯s complaining about the same thing over and over again and she told me again to not forget to rest. Even though her nagging was a little bit irritating, I think I can get used to it. It felt good when someone¡¯s worried about you. Especially, when that someone is a sadistic, prideful, short-tempered, but pretty woman. ¡°Just be careful and try not to get yourself killed.¡± I said to her. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Claire stood up. ¡°See you later¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Good luck with the mission.¡± ¡°Behind you!¡± Claire shouted as she pointed behind my back. ¡°What?¡± I turned my head to see what it was, but there was nothing. Before my mind could register what was going on, I felt Claire¡¯s hand grabbed the back of my head and pulled me towards her. My eyes opened wide in shockas I felt our lips touched. Have you ever watched the movie Big Fish? Edward Bloom said that time stops when you meet the love of your life. But, in my case, it happened three times and on the third time, my entire world stood still when Claire kissed me on my lips. It''s like the whole world stopped spinning and we were the only persons in it that mattered. My tensed and panicked body relaxed and my eyes slowly closed as I cherished the softness of her lips. I didn¡¯t know how long we kissed. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? All I knew was that it was indeed a long first kiss. It seemed that she wasn¡¯t willing to let me go as her hand forced me to stay. As our lips depart, Claire grinned as she saw my reaction. She laughed. Claire ran to the exit as she waved at me. ¡°See you later, retard!¡± Even though she left the hospital laughing, her tone didn¡¯t have a trace of ridicule on it. I touched my lips and pinched my cheeks hard to check if I was dreaming. Even the dark whispers inside my head fell silent as I recalled that moment in my head. Claire managed to steal my bookand she even stole my first kiss. I didn¡¯t mind the latter. In fact, I wanted more of it. I began to have second thoughts with my plan to go alone to find my family. What would I miss if I leave? Anyway, should I go back home immediately and ask her for more? Perhaps I can get laid. I dismissed the thought and I shouldn¡¯t push my luck. I went upstairs while prancing like an idiot. I felt like a new man on my way to a new chapter of my life. I could almost hear angels singing Gloria in Excelsis Deo. I went back to the quarantine area and called the other doctors on their breaks. It was already morning when we continued to work on the remaining patients. Dianne woke up and she continued to work on her potions, albeit rather slowly. I noticed that it was already morning as I looked at the window. After I successfully cured a patient, I rested for a few minutes and checked the progress of my skill [Cure Disease].
Cure Disease [Active] Intermediate Lvl. 7
Effect: Diagnose and cure diseases by using mana. It is possible to cure an undiagnose disease given that the caster has destroyed the cause of the disease. Sufficient knowledge of anatomy and pathology is required to diagnose a disease. MP Cost: ??? (Depends on the disease) Disease Diagnosed: ? [Common Cold] ? [Not Tapeworm] A few hours later, the nurse told me again that Claire was looking for me again along with the others. Dianne and I went for another break and went downstairs to meet with them. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Eric greeted me. ¡°We¡¯re just here to¡­ uhmmm¡­¡± ¡°So you decided to join the army?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Eric answered. ¡°Oh, by the way, this is Sgt Naval, Team 29¡¯s leader.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you¡­¡± Sgt. Naval said as we shook our hands. Most guys have fantasies of sexy women in the military wearing short fatigues showing their flawless legs and have voluptuous bodies. Kind of like, Natasha Volkova in Red Alert 3. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve never met a single woman serving in the military with those kind of features. Not yet anyway. Sgt. Naval, like Mina, was a muscular woman with short hair. ¡°So, you¡¯re the leader of Boston Tea Party?¡± She asked. ¡°They¡¯ve told me a lot of things about you.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I am. I hope those things they¡¯ve told you were good?¡± The sergeant chuckled. ¡°I was actually expecting a guy from the military, but I guess you inherited your father¡¯s knack for strategy¡­¡± Tactics, actually, and not strategy. There¡¯s a difference. Anyway, I didn¡¯t want to sound like an ass and correct her. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment. Anyway, I¡¯ll leave them into your hands, Sergeant.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll take a good care of them, don¡¯t worry¡­¡± She smiled. I looked around and I noticed that Claire had puffy eyes. I guess she didn¡¯t sleep well last night. Beside her was a man in heavy armor and military fatigue. He was carrying a mace with spikes on the end. I think it¡¯s called a morning star. ¡°My name¡¯s Mark¡­ I¡¯m the combat medic.¡± He said as he shook my hand. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± I said. Mark, as I expected, was a good looking man. Handsome wasn¡¯t the right word to describe him. He¡¯s gorgeous and if I was gay, I¡¯d totally fall head over heels for him. Tall, perfect muscular body, and his body posture was screaming: ¡®Imma steal ya gal¡­¡¯. He looked like Ben Affleck from Armageddon. No wonder why Claire looked excited when she talked about him. Anyway, I didn¡¯t want to make assumptions that Claire liked the guy. She kissed me last night and it must mean something, right? Claire stepped forward and embraced me tightly while Eric and the others grinned as they saw us. ¡°This isn¡¯t goodbye. We¡¯ll see each other around¡­¡± I said to them. ¡°Good luck¡­¡± One by one, the members left the party and Dianne and I were the only ones left in Boston Tea Party.
Professor Gerardo Bato left Boston Tea Party
Elizabeth Uy left Boston Tea Party
Eric Reyes left Boston Tea Party
Melissa Panis left Boston Tea Party
Claire Roque left Boston Tea Party
¡°Bye! Take care!¡± Dianne shouted and waved at them. As the others left the hospital, the whispers came back and their voices were clear just like the other day when I heard them in my dreams. ¡°KILL THEM ALL!!!¡± ¡°Come on, Dianne. We have work to do¡­¡± ARC 1: Chapter 22: Lights Out Chapter 22: Lights Out Dianne and I went back upstairs and continued to work on the remaining patients. Since my skill [Cure Disease] was at intermediate level 7, I became more efficient and effective in curing the outbreak. Luckily, every healer in the room knew how magic worked and they too became effective in using their skills. After we cured the last patient, Dr. Salazar offered us to have lunch with them and it was his treat. Like I said before, free food is free, so we happily accepted his offer to take us out for lunch before we go home and rest. We went with Dr. Salazar and his team to the hospital¡¯s canteen. Dianne ordered a medium rare chimera steak while the others and I ordered well-done steaks. Ever since yesterday, I¡¯ve been eating nothing but chimera¡¯s meat. The meat was so good that I didn¡¯t think I would get tired of it. Of course, I had an idea that perhaps chimera¡¯s meat was the reason for the outbreak. I told Dr. Salazar of my suspicion, but they assured me that eating these kind of meat were safe. They still had microscopes and they ran tests on the meat samples before they were distributed as rations. Their suspicion was that the disease might have come from another type of monster because the patient zero said that he was attacked by a bat-like monster five days ago before he showed the symptoms. The transmission of the disease could be like the ebola or maybe through feces and with the poor hygiene in the refugee camp, it¡¯s likely the case. As our steaks were served, I wasn¡¯t inclined to take their word for it and take the risk and I checked my steak with [Cure Disease] just to be sure. My skill worked like a nanobot made of mana and it worked with the cooked meat and I found no signs of the microbe that caused the outbreak. Well, except for the common germs found in the air and they¡¯re harmless. With Dianne¡¯s permission, I also checked her medium rare steak and found nothing. After we finished eating, Dr. Salazar instructed us to go home and rest for the day as he takes care of the report to Col. Medina and Gen. Arevalo. He and his team thanked us again for our help. *DING!*
Quest Complete! Quest: The Outbreak In Refugee Camp Cure the infected refugees. Progress: (29/29) Difficulty: D Rewards: EXP and Two (2) Gold Coins.
Level Up!
I opened my character screen and distributed my points to INT and AGI. I also checked my skill screen to check the progress of my skills.
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:19
HP:531/531MP:1095/1095
SP:130/130EXP:47.70%
STR:19WIS:48
AGI:20INT:70
VIT:42LUK:13
DEX:12CHA:21
Satiety:Fine
StatusTired: -10% EXP
Undistributed Attribute Points:0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity: Increase in Mana Control and +10% MP
Unique Skill(s):
Quick Learner Lvl. 1 Max (100%)
Active Skill(s):
Fire Manipulation Lvl 4 Intermediate (81.20%)
Wind Manipulation Lvl 3 Intermediate (71.61%)
Earth Manipulation Lvl 1 Intermediate (8.94%)
Water Manipulation Lvl 2 Intermediate (51.03%)
Bash Lvl. 8 Beginner (84.01%)
Fool''s Act Lvl. 1 Beginner (0.00%)
Heal Lvl. 5 Intermediate (41.61%)
Meditate Lvl. 5 Intermediate (41.61%)
Observe Lvl. 1 Intermediate (76.87%)
Power Kick Lvl. 1 Beginner (0.00%)
Cure Disease Lvl. 1 Advanced (21.52%)
Mana Transfer Lvl. 8 Beginner (35.98%)
Passive Skill(s):
Auto-Cast Lvl. 1 Intermediate (35.64%)
Blunt Weapon Mastery Lvl. 10 Beginner (41.92%)
Masochism Lvl. 2 Intermediate (12.35%)
Muffled Steps Lvl 9 Beginner (57.18%)
Sword Mastery Lvl. 7 Beginner (5.49%)
I went to the restroom to relieve myself as Dianne and the two bodyguards waited outside. As I expected, even the hospital¡¯s restroom was gross and it smelled like shit. I checked each and every cubicle only to find out that all of the toilets were not flushed. As a mage with water magic, I did the courtesy of flushing all of the toilets and filling every buckets and drums with water. I opened the small window and cast wind magic to remove the smell. Even after all I did, there¡¯s still a faint smell of shit in the men¡¯s restroom. I took the cubicle at the end and took a good dump. I haven¡¯t taken a dump since the other day. ¡°Grrrrrrrr¡­¡± I heard a strange snarling sound in the restroom as I sat on the toilet. It sounded like a dog, but not quite. It¡¯s more like a sound of monstrous dog that you hear in a horror movie. I quickly washed myself and stood up as I heard it again. I took out my staff from my inventory. Although I wasn¡¯t afraid of the monsters, I was shaking nervously in fear because I knew that there¡¯s no way a monster could get in with my bodyguards inside. The floor was wet and the sound of the monster¡¯s small footsteps echoed in the restroom. It was approaching slowly and when I saw its shadow on the floor, it stopped. ¡°Grrrrrrrr¡­¡± I gathered my courage and exhaled deeply. I kicked the cubicle¡¯s door, only to find out, that there was nothing outside. I looked around and peeked at the other cubicles just to make sure. I sighed in relief when I confirmed that I was alone in the restroom. Perhaps I was hallucinating because of exhaustion. ¡°Grrrrrrrr¡­¡± When I reached for the door of the restroom, my eyes opened wide as I heard the same snarl and it¡¯s coming from my back. I turned around slowly while clutching my staff and found that it wasn¡¯t a dog. It was a creature covered in a black mist with froglike features and its yellow eyes glared at me. Acting on instinct, I cast [Chain Hellfire] at the monster and the flame passed through its body, leaving the monster unharmed. The creature opened its mouth showing its razor sharp teeth and pounced. ¡°GET OFF ME!¡± I screamed as I fell on the wet floor. My hand went through the creature¡¯s body and faded. The door opened and Dianne and my two bodyguards came in with their weapons drawn. ¡°What is it?!¡± One of my bodyguards asked and he roamed the restroom to find my attacker. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Dianne asked as she helped me stand. ¡°I-it¡¯s a frog¡­¡± I said. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Their shoulders dropped as they sheathed their weapons. ¡°What? It¡¯s freaking huge and¡­¡± Dianne and the others giggled at my excuse as we left the restroom. I tried to tell them about what I saw, but the looks on their face told me that they wouldn¡¯t believe me. No one would. I had no evidence and what will they think if I told them that I saw a shadow monster and it just vanished. After I saw the frog monster, I became more paranoid when I heard a snarl in the distance. I knew that I wasn¡¯t insane. Something was out there to kill me and it¡¯s probably the Dark Lord¡¯s minion. ¡°I want to check the market.¡± I said to them. If that monster was still out there, I¡¯d better be prepared and I need to upgade my equipment. Plus, it will keep me distracted to keep what¡¯s left of my sanity. I wanted to go to a crowded area as soon as possible. ¡°Are you sure? You didn¡¯t sleep even sleep last night.¡± Dianne said. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Dianne took out a bottle of another potion and handed it to me. ¡°Here. This should help you sleep.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked as I inspected the bottle. ¡°It¡¯s a sleeping potion. Don¡¯t drink it all, by the way. You¡¯ll only need a sip to make you sleep.¡± She replied. Unlike the other potions she made, this one was colorless and odorless. It looked like water, but Dianne wrote the word ¡°Sleeping potion¡± on the bottle. I used [Observe] to see the details.
Potion of Drowsiness Quality: Rank D (Normal) Effect: Induces sleep to the user A normal quality potion made by Dianne Duria. It induces sleep to anyone who drinks it.
¡°Thanks.¡± I said as I stored the potion in my inventory. ¡°No problem. You should take care of yourself and drink that potion when we get home.¡± Dianne said. Even though I didn¡¯t want to sleep, this potion might be the key to my escape, but I still have second thoughts about my plan to leave. First of all, it¡¯s dangerous. I would be alone and if my mana runs out in the middle of a fight, I¡¯m screwed. Second, I don¡¯t think I can convince Claire and the others to help me. I think they wanted me to stay here. I may convince Dianne to come, but I didn¡¯t want to risk her life. And lastly, I didn¡¯t want to be alone and that monster might appear and try to attack me again. When we reached the market, there were people on the side of the road selling their wares. Some of them have stalls made of wood, but most of them were sitting on a blanket with their wares. They were selling all kinds of goods like food, weapons, armors, amulets and other jewelries. They were also selling items like soap, clothing and other junk. I asked some of the vendors about their prices and most of them accept Peso and game currency while others just accept game currency for trade. Dianne went to a clothing stall and I went on to look around. I told the one of guards to stay with her and I took the other one just to protect me from whatever was stalking me. Even in a crowded area, I saw glimpses of the monster hiding behind corners in broad daylight and it¡¯s not alone. ¡°Sir, you looked like you need a company for the cold night¡­¡± A man called me. The froglike monsters didn¡¯t have a blue screen unlike the other monsters. As the man tried to catch my attention, one of the monsters stood up straight as the crowd went pass through it like a ghost. I closed my eyes and shrugged. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you need a friend for the night?¡± ¡°A friend?¡± ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡± The man pointed his finger towards the group of girls on his back. The girls were teenagers and some of them looked very young. They waved at me when I looked at them. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re looking for younger girls, I can provide them for you¡­ Or perhaps¡­¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± I said as I walked away. Apparently, even vaginas were for sale here. I¡¯m all against prostitution in the old days, but these girls were desperate. I won¡¯t be the one to judge and it¡¯s not my business. Many of us did questionable acts to survive and fucking strangers for money was a better option than most. I looked back and saw three men wearing military fatigues talking to the pimp and they wrapped their arms around the girls. I guess these men were just helping to boost the economy by purchasing their services. I shook my head in disgust. ¡°Quality weapons for sale!¡± One of the vendors shouted. I approached the vendor to see his wares. He was selling swords, axes, maces and spears and most of them have a higher damage bonus than my steel long sword. There were also two handed weapons for sale, but I didn¡¯t like it. I grabbed a sword that looked like a short samurai sword. ¡°How much for this one?¡± I asked the vendor. ¡°Ah¡­ You have an eye for good swords. It¡¯s called Wakizashi and it¡¯s for 1 gold coin¡­¡± The vendor said. ¡°Did you make all these?¡± ¡°Not all of them. Some of these weapons were dropped by monsters. That sword you¡¯re holding is one my creation. I was a blacksmith in Pangasinan and I finished that one just yesterday. I¡¯m confident to say that it¡¯s as good as the original ones made in Japan.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I used [Observe] to see the stats of the sword.
Steel Wakizashi Attack Damage [Physical] 24-25 Durability: 66/66 Crafter Perk Bonus: 10% Attack Damage and Durability A sword used by samurai alongside with Katana. Made by Felipe Aranas.
¡°Is it okay if we trade? I have a long sword here and a steel bolo knife.¡± I handed him my other swords and he inspected it. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Alright, just add 30 silvers and we have a deal.¡± Although I bought the steel long sword for 1 gold and 50 silver, I guess it¡¯s not bad of a deal since it¡¯s an upgrade for my equipment. I accepted the deal and gave him 30 silver coins. I stored my new sword in my inventory. ¡°Thank you! Come back again if you need anything¡­¡± ¡°Do you have staves for mages?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone sells stuffs for mages around here, but I know someone who sells magic items¡­¡± The vendor pointed at a woman¡¯s stall on the other side of the road. ¡°That woman¡­¡± ¡°Thanks¡­¡± As I approached the woman¡¯s stall, I checked her wares and looked for something that I can use. She¡¯s selling rings and necklaces. Unfortunately, all of the items on display increases all kinds of attributes except for INT and WIS. ¡°Excuse me, do you have a ring that can increase my INT or WIS?¡± I asked. ¡°I think I have one in my storage¡­¡± The woman said as she handed me a ring. ¡°40 silver.¡±
Silver Ring of Lesser INT Armor Rating: 0 Durability: 10/10 Bonus: Increases your INT by 2 A silver ring rune-enchanted by Rowena De Asis. Increases INT by a small amount.
¡°Do you have more of these?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, but you can only wear two rings and a necklace. Any more than that won¡¯t have an effect.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take two for 50 silver coins¡­¡± The woman let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll give it you for 75¡­¡± ¡°55¡± ¡°70.¡± ¡°65¡­ it¡¯s all I have left¡­¡± I said. ¡°Fine¡­¡± The woman gave me another ring as I handed her 65 silver coins. I immediately wore the rings on my right hand. ¡°Cheapskate¡­¡± She muttered as I left her stall. I tried to ask the other vendors where I can buy stuff for mages, but it seemed that no one actually bothered to sell staves and mage robes as mages can easily buy these things in the Shop on the AFP officer¡¯s club building. One of the vendors pointed me to a wood carver and he might help me carve a wooden stick. As I found the wood carver, I noticed that there were wooden bows lying on the blanket, but there were no staves or rods for mages. I approached the wood carver as he carved a piece of wood into a bow. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Do you take special orders?¡± I asked the carver. ¡°Depends on the order.¡± He replied. ¡°I¡¯m busy. I got lots of orders from the army and if you¡¯re not buying, go bother someone else¡­¡± His grumpy attitude was similar to Eric and I think he didn¡¯t care about his customers. ¡°I need you to modify my staff.¡± ¡°A staff?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes, a staff.¡± I took out my novice mage staff in my inventory and handed it to him. ¡°This one¡­¡± The wood carver inspected the staff. ¡°What do you want me to do it?¡± I took out a mana stone that I got from the Troll Runt. ¡°I want this stone on top of the staff. Just carve the top of it enough to hold the stone in place.¡± He took the mana stone. ¡°30 silver. You can pick it up tomorrow.¡± ¡°I want it now¡­¡± I said as I handed him 50 silver coins. ¡°Okay.¡± The wood carver took out his knife and shaped the top of the staff. It took him almost an hour to do it. He carved three fingers on the staff to hold the mana stone. When he was finished, he inserted the mana stone on top of it and it was a perfect fit. I had this idea in mind when the book said the crystal core of a monster. What else could it be? It¡¯s none other than the mana stone. ¡°Here you go.¡± The wood carver handed me my new staff. I used [Observe] on it to see its stats.
Modified Oak Staff with ¡®Troll Runt¡¯ Core Attack Damage [Physical] 8-9 Durability: 27/27 Mana Control: 55% Crafter Perk Bonus: +10% Attack Damage, Durability and Mana Control Troll Runt Core: +25% Mana Control A staff made of oak used by novice mages. Modified by Romulo Dela Cruz.
This staff was a huge upgrade. I tested the staff by summoning a small flame as I monitored my mana consumption. It definitely lessened the mana consumption and it improved my control over my flames. As I left the wood carver to his business, I looked around for Dianne and she was on the other clothing stall trying on some clothes. ¡°Excuse me. Do you have anything made of 100% cotton or silk?¡± I asked the vendor. The vendor handed me a plain white T-shirt made of cotton. It wasn¡¯t better than my mage robe and it only has a 2% bonus on mana control. The only thing that the vendor was selling made of silk was a woman¡¯s dress and it has 15% bonus on mana control. As much as I wanted to upgrade my equipment, I didn¡¯t want to look like an idiot wearing a dress. Although it may level up my skill [Fool¡¯s Act] and there were only a few people on the street outside the base, it¡¯s still impractical to wear since the dress was too long. ¡°Are you done?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Dianne and I went back to dad¡¯s house. I sighed in relief as the monsters who were stalking me were gone and I didn¡¯t hear from them after we left the market. It¡¯s only afternoon, but we were already exhausted. There was no one home at that time and the two bodyguards sat on the couch as I went to the bathroom to take a bath and brushed my teeth. Each splash of water made me nervous as I constantly watch out to see if the monsters were going to attack me again. I didn¡¯t want to be caught defenseless and in a tight space. Thankfully, the ghostly monsters didn¡¯t appear. ¡°You should drink the potion and go to sleep.¡± Dianne said as I dried my hair with a towel. ¡°Sure.¡± I went straight to the bedroom and laid down on the bed. Although I didn¡¯t really want to sleep because of the nightmares, I didn¡¯t have a choice and my eyes grew heavier by the hour.
I woke up and I was sure that I wasn¡¯t in a dream. I noticed that each time I dream, the faint whispers inside my head were silenced. I closed my eyes to listen to the sound and I confirmed that I was in the real world and I could the whispers again. My hand rested on the side of the bed and I noticed that I left a burnt mark on it the sheets. But this time, the bed had a larger burnt mark as I unconsciously cast a fire spell again. I realized that I was becoming more dangerous and I could unintentionally harm another person. Even though I fell asleep in just a couple of hours, I was stuck in that dream world for a decade. It wasn¡¯t a nightmare. In fact, it was a good dream. My dream was similar to what I dream the other night. Everything was back to normal again minus the fact that Claire and I had an accident. In my dream, my mother accepted Dianne and she forgave my father and we were reunited as a family for the first time. I lived my entire college life normally while Claire and I dated. As soon as I graduated, Claire and I took the board exams and we passed. After a five years of working at a respectable company, I had enough money to take our relationship to the next level and I proposed to Claire. The wedding was just a simple one, but we were happy with what we had. Claire and I celebrated when we learned that she was pregnant. We have argued for a while as we decide what to name our son even though he wasn¡¯t born yet. I wanted to name my son after me because I saw someone with a name ¡®VIII¡¯ on it and I thought it was cool. Just imagine how awesome it was that the name was passed eight generations. In the end, we chose the name Michael. When Michael was born, I shed tears of joy when I held my son for the first time. I was there when he opened his eyes to the world and he stared at me as if he knew that I¡¯m his father. We had good times as Claire and I heard him laugh whenever we played with him. I was the one who taught him how to walk, but unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t the one who taught him to speak. His first word was ¡®Juice¡¯. Not Papa or Mama, but juice. It was his first birthday when he said his first word. We invited our families and Dianne was drinking a glass of orange juice when she taught him the word. When my son turned four, Claire gave birth to a twin ¨C a girl and a boy. Michael was excited to be a big brother. Even as his twin siblings grew, I never saw a jealousy in his eyes. I knew that my firstborn will grow into a responsible person and as a parent, I was proud of him. One day in that dream, flashes of old memories came back to me. It¡¯s been a long time, but I remembered something that made me doubt my reality. The world has ended and I survived. I became obsessed with that memory as the days passed. I tried to recollect everything that happened; the blue screens, the monsters, my magic, and the Boston Tea Party. I had an epiphany that I was currently living in a dream world. I tried to deny it and in the end, I gave it up and I dismissed the whole thing as delusions of the past. I accepted that world as my new reality. I was content in my new life and I was in bliss. But then, my reality was shattered when I woke up. I just couldn¡¯t believe it. It was the first time in my life that I would¡¯ve chosen to live in that dream rather to live in this real world. That world felt more real and this life was a dream. This world was a nightmare. I wanted to go back to the real world and I wanted to hold my children once again. I knew they were real. I laid down on my bed again and tried to go back to sleep. As I took out the sleeping potion, I realized what the Dark Lord was doing to me. ¡°Papa!¡± ¡°Papa, I love you!¡± He wanted to fool me that the dream he showed me was better than what was real. Instead of the dark whispers, I heard my children¡¯s voices. Their sweet laughter echoed inside my head as they called me. I pulled myself together and tried to convince myself that it wasn¡¯t real. God, help me. Please¡­ I tried to call God, but He didn¡¯t answer. For the past few days, it seemed that He lost interest in me and we haven¡¯t spoke in a while. Perhaps He could help me with my problems with the Dark Lord and I didn¡¯t care if He smite me or whatever. I just wanted it to stop. Their voices stopped and they were replaced with the sinister voices once again. I sighed in relief and I decided to spend the rest of the night meditating. After a few hours, I calmed down for a bit and the whispers died down. ¡°Thank god, we¡¯re home...¡± I heard a voice outside the room and it seemed that the others were back from the mission. I turned over the bedding to hide the burnt mark on it. I went to the living room and I noticed that Beth and Gerry wasn¡¯t around. ¡°Where¡¯s Gerry and Beth?¡± I asked. ¡°They¡¯re in the barracks with the sarge.¡± Melissa replied. ¡°I need a bath.¡± ¡°I already filled the drum and the buckets with water. Knock yourself out.¡± As Melissa went straight to the bathroom, I sat on the couch beside Claire. ¡°So what happened?¡± Claire let out a sigh. ¡°We didn¡¯t kill that much and we spent more time walking than fighting.¡± ¡°You gained 2 levels. How many did you kill?¡± ¡°We killed around 17 chimeras, I guess. We didn¡¯t get to loot them. The sarge said we needed them for food.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired. See you tomorrow, guys¡­¡± Eric yawned as he went straight to the bedroom. Claire and I were left in the living room as we waited for Melissa to finish in the bathroom. We kept stealing glances at each other, but none of us could find the words to say. With nothing else to do, I went back to the bedroom and sat on the bed. As I meditated on the bed with my eyes closed, the door made a shrieking sound. I opened my eyes and I saw Claire closed the door and pressed the lock on the door knob. She removed her breastplate and her leather armor. Without saying a word, I stood up. I leaned towards her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She didn¡¯t try to resist as our lips met once again. Her hand touched my face and our eyes closed. It¡¯s only been hours since we last met and yet, that kiss felt like we didn¡¯t see each other for years. She pulled her head away and laughed. ¡°You kiss like a girl.¡± Claire responded with an even more aggressive kiss. I was dazed when her tongue invaded my mouth and I tried to fight back. I wanted to pull out, but her arms prevented me from doing so. I pushed her down to the bed and removed her shirt. Our lips locked once again as she struggled to unbutton my pants. When she pulled down my pants, I held her wrist to pin her and kissed her neck. She moaned with pleasure as my lips went down to explore her body. Her moans were driving me wild. She was lying on the bed and her breathing was ragged. I pulled down her shorts along with her underwear. I forced her legs to open for me and she lifted her hips to meet my mouth. Claire pulled my hair while my tongue explored her. She writhed in pleasure and moaned as the warm liquid gushed to my face. I didn¡¯t stop from there and I continued to devour her. Without a warning, she sat up and her delicate fingers caressed my erect member. I looked her in the eyes, she didn¡¯t need to say another word. Her eyes were begging me for more. ¡°Open Inventory Screen.¡± Claire said, taking a condom from her inventory. I pushed her down on the bed again and she let me take the lead. When my member went inside, her nails dug into my back and her breathing fell short. My member was aching for a release, her inside felt so good. I tried my best to hold back my orgasm as I continued to thrust my hips. Her legs wrapped around me tightly as she convulsed in her throes of pleasure. Her inside tightened and gripped my member like a snake choking its prey. I felt the strength left my body as my member finally got its long awaited release. I fell down on the bed and I tried to catch my breath. Claire kissed me on my cheek and rested her head on my arm. As I felt her warm breath on my skin, she fell asleep with her arm on my chest.
If I haven¡¯t seen that dream where we would be married and everything, I wouldn¡¯t believe it. But now, there¡¯s no doubt in my mind that she does feel the same way as I did. I carefully lifted her head and made sure not to disturb her sleep. I placed my lips on her forehead and kissed her for the last time. My two bodyguards were sitting on the couch and they were playing cards. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Asked one of the guards. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a walk. I need some air. You coming?¡± I asked. ¡°This time at midnight?¡± He said. I nodded. ¡°Fine¡­¡± It took us a while to reach the east side of the base. It was dark, but the half-moon in the sky gave a dim light. Luckily, I found out that the walls in the east had a lesser amount of guards. My two bodyguards were still following me as I tried to find a part of the wall with the least guards roaming around. I didn¡¯t have a plan on how to leave, but I decided to improvise on my way out. There was a small campfire on the top of the wall, illuminating the rest of the area. When I reached the wall, I used my magic to snuff out the fire and the area was covered in darkness. ¡°What the¡­¡± Since their eyes were still adjusting to the darkness, I used this opportunity to try out my new spell in order to escape. I grabbed their shoulders and spread my mana throughout their body. Instead of a choke hold, I used my mana to block off the blood supply in their carotid arteries. Within seconds, the two of them fell on the floor. They weren¡¯t dead. They¡¯re just unconscious. I didn¡¯t feel the need to kill them since they were just doing their job to babysit me and I wouldn¡¯t hold it against them. *DING!*
You have gained a new skill. Living Matter Manipulation[Active] Beginner Lvl. 1 Effect: The user can shape and manipulate everything and anything organic, both organisms and organic matter. This spell does not allow a user to bestow life or resurrect a dead organism nor it can create life out of nothing. Requirements: The user must be in touch with the target. MP Cost: ???
After I read the message, I swiped off the blue screen and I made a hole in the wall big enough, so that I could crawl into it. I cast [Earth Manipulation] again and sealed off the wall. Finally, I was out of the base. As I walked through the silent streets, I noticed that there were no monsters were in sight. Perhaps it was the effect of over hunting of monsters in this area. I took out my staff from my inventory and continued my journey to the east. It was already morning when I reached the borders of the city. I was surprised when I saw the clear water of Marikina River. Before the apocalypse, the river was polluted and now, you could almost see the bottom of the river. The bridge was heavily damaged by the earthquake, so I was careful on my steps as I crossed it. You see, one of the reasons I left Camp Aguinaldo was because of a strange feeling that¡¯s been eating me ever since the beginning. I wanted to find out what happened to Jen and my mother. I had that feeling you get when you left a light switched on or a door open. I felt the need for closure, so that I could move on. I will try my best to go back to Claire. Maybe she¡¯ll try to follow me and leave the base, but I don¡¯t think my father would ever let her and the others to leave, especially Dianne. To tell you the truth, I had doubts that I can go back alive after I find my family. If I ever come back, I would be changed, but not necessarily for good. Perhaps it¡¯s better for me to leave and give Claire a better chance in life. After all, I¡¯m just a guy who went insane for bad mouthing the Devil. I was afraid that in time, I would hurt her or worse, I¡¯ll be the cause of her death. I''m not afraid anymore. I don''t care if the Dark Lord sends one of his minions again or make up a more fucked up dream. I pulled myself together as I reached the city of Pasig. I looked around and saw a crowd of monsters roaming around the highway. I stopped on my track and tried to think of my next move. ¡°Leave Party.¡±
You left Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party was disbanded.
END OF ARC 1 ARC 2: Chapter 23: The Lone Wanderer Chapter 23: The Lone Wanderer
Plague Rat Lvl. 1
Ah¡­ The change of scenery was palpable. Pasig City was definitely a significant change in the environment; Fresher air, magical clean river, more human skeletons, even more city ruins and what not. There were literally thousands of plague rats everywhere. No wonder why the army was avoiding this place like the Black Death. Get it? Black Death? Plague rats? Ba dum tss. Just imagine a sewer rat that¡¯s a size of an adult cat. They¡¯re not cute nor do they purr. They stink, they¡¯re dirty and they squeak. The skeletons of humans, dogs and cats in the area were the only evidence they left. Yeah, they¡¯re just level 1. These critters are no match for the powers of my magic. Why not just burn the shit out of them and go ¡®Ahhh¡¯? Tempting, but I¡¯m getting there. I actually tried a test run and cast [Chain Hellfire] to the mob of plague rats. I didn¡¯t get much EXP even though I was sure I killed at least 50 of them at the same time. But when I attacked them, thousands of rats came at me and chased me like they were dogs. Of course, I ran as fast as I can because there¡¯s no way I would let myself get nibbled by those fuckers. They were called ¡®plague¡¯ rats for a reason and I don¡¯t think a bat caused the outbreak in Camp Aguinaldo. I could probably cure myself of whatever disease, they may inflict on me, but getting sick wasn¡¯t a part of my plan. Plus, I¡¯m afraid of rats. Not cockroaches, worms or snakes, but rats. Technically, I was just a few meters from the bridge. There¡¯s something on the bridge like an invisible barrier that kept the monsters of Pasig City from Quezon City. I couldn¡¯t explain it, but I guess, like every unexplainable thing in this world: It must be magic. I haven¡¯t come up with a good plan that could keep me safe from harm. I got an idea which could lessen the population of rats significantly. I could try to make the loud sound that could attract all of them and drown them into the river. Just like the Pied Piper. The problem with that plan was it would waste good potential source of water. These corpses of these plague rats will probably contaminate the water. After a few minutes of thinking while meditating, I come up with a solution. Since [Chain Hellfire] didn¡¯t produce a much satisfactory result as an AoE skill. I thought of inventing a new spell that could easily kill multiple enemies in one cast. I summoned a wall made of flames that stretched to both sides of the highway. My idea was to lure those rats into my fire wall and let them burn as they pass through it. After a few seconds, the fire wall was dispersed into nothing as my mana was depleted. I realized that I couldn¡¯t keep the spell up for a long time because I was using my mana as a fuel. I sat again and grabbed my notebook and think of another plan. ¡°Aha!¡± I muttered to myself. I had formulated a perfect plan to remove these rats. The plan was simple. Using [Earth Manipulation], I dug up a hole deep enough so that the rats won¡¯t be able to jump its way back to the surface but shallow enough that my spell could reach them. The hole I made was wide enough so that the rats couldn¡¯t jump on my side. Basically, my plan was to be bait and lure these rats into the hole and burn them to death. I looked at my notebook to see the sketch of my plan. ¡°Close enough¡­¡± There¡¯s a reason why I didn¡¯t choose an Art course in college. Though I looked like Jesus in my drawing, the real me looked more terrible. At least I got my beard right and I didn¡¯t include my man boobs and tummy. Anyway, time to execute my master plan. ¡°YOU SHALL NOT PASS!¡± I shouted. I could really use a signature line, but I didn¡¯t have the creativity. As I successfully grabbed their attention, the plague rats rushed towards me and as expected, they all fell in the hole. I laughed hard at their stupidity. Seriously, I didn¡¯t expect that would work. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Okay, maybe I¡¯m the stupid. As soon as they fell, the rats used their claws and the others to climb on the surface. I almost panicked. But before the rats could reach me, I cast [Chain Hellfire], burning everything in the hole. Wave after wave, the rats didn¡¯t surrender as they continued to rush at me and fall into the hole. I used [Tailwind], so that the smoke wouldn¡¯t suffocate me as they burned. The EXP rate was very slow due to their level, but their numbers made it possible for me to level up once. I continued to cast [Chain Hellfire], but the rat population seemed to be endless.
Level Up!
After almost an hour of resting, shouting and casting of fire spell, I noticed that there were lesser number of rats coming in waves. Finally, I couldn¡¯t see any plague rats in the highway. I finished off the remaining rats in the hole and snuffed out the fire.
Level Up!
I lifted up the earth inside the hole so that I could loot the corpses. Even though I killed thousands of them, the amount of loot wasn¡¯t impressive. I only got a few hundreds of Copper Coins and small mana stones. It¡¯s surprising to find that these items weren¡¯t affected by my fire spell. I opened my character screen and distributed 10 points to WIS.
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:21
HP:531/531MP:1150/1150
SP:130/130EXP:47.70%
STR:19WIS:58
AGI:20INT:70
VIT:42LUK:13
DEX:12CHA:21
Satiety:Fine
StatusNormal
Undistributed Attribute Points:0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity: Increase in Mana Control and +10% MP
I moved on and continued with my journey. There were still a few plague rats around, but they were scattered as I walked through the highway. One by one, they rushed at me, but I made a quick work with them with my fire spell and didn¡¯t waste my time looting their corpse. There was a ruined building nearby that¡¯s used to be a bookstore. Finally, I could really use some good read. After, I removed the rubbles, I grabbed the books that were still in good condition and stored them in a bag. I grabbed a book about physics, geology, anatomy and some elementary science book.There were also men¡¯s magazines near the counter. I grabbed one of every edition of FHM and Maxim magazines I could find. I figured that I needed them for the night and for research purposes, of course. A few hours later, I felt like a zombie walking on the road. I wasn¡¯t sick or anything, but I was extremely bored with just fighting plague rats. I didn¡¯t expect the journey to be less adventurous when traveling alone. It didn¡¯t have a Final Fantasy feeling off of it, nor did I felt like the Sole Survivor in Fallout 4. There were just less conversations and there weren¡¯t enough events to make it more adventurous so to speak. Pasig city is surrounded by three rivers: Marikina river in the north and west, Pasig river and Ilugin river in the south. I lived in the southern part of the city and unfortunately, it¡¯s too far for a journey on foot and I would have to cross Ilugin river to reach our barangay. [1]
Wild Mushroom Boar Lvl. 17
Horned Rabbit Lvl. 12
Herbovine Lvl. 15
As I¡¯ve encountered different monsters, I noticed, just now, that I¡¯ve been stepping on grass and there was a thick forest of trees and wild plants on the way. Just imagine an abandoned city for thousands of years, and a forest grew in the middle of it. How did it happen? Most probably magic. The monsters I saw were passive and they ran as soon as they saw me. Actually, they¡¯re more like animals or beasts than monsters. I¡¯ve been to a zoo when I was a kid, but I didn¡¯t recognize any of these beasts. Wild mushroom boars were just like ordinary boars, but they have orange mushrooms growing on their back and Horned rabbit was just a rabbit with a unicorn horn. Herbovines looked like a carabao with four horns and extremely dense and long fur that hangs down lower than the belly. It¡¯s tempting to kill these beasts, but they seemed to be harmless. I realized that I was entering a thicker part of the forest, so I took out a map in my inventory. As I read the map, I realized that I was near Pasig city Rainforest park. Well, it¡¯s not a forest. It¡¯s a waterpark and a zoo. I know that it doesn¡¯t make sense, but I guess the ¡®rainforest¡¯ grew in this area because of magic and thus spawned these beasts. I took out my book about beastiary to see if I could pass the forest safely. Crossing the forest would be the shortest route, but I needed to be sure if it¡¯s worth the risk. According to the book, all forests and jungles, actually any place where there¡¯s an abundant wildlife, are considered as dungeons. Beasts/animals are also classified as monsters, but unlike the usual dungeon monsters, they reproduce and do not spawn. The only control these forests have on the beasts is keeping the equilibrium. For example, everyone can hunt freely in the forest, be it monsters or intelligent beings, so long as the balance is kept. These mystical dungeons can control the birth rate of a species in their domain to keep the balance. However, if the balance was disturbed, the forest itself will come alive and remove the cause of the disturbance. The dungeon will take form as a boss monster known as Treants. It was said that Treants were so powerful that the wood elves worshipped them as gods. Obviously, with my fire magic, I could disturb the balance in the forest and I might accidentally burn the whole forest. It¡¯s better to respect these types of dungeons. As I stood up and prepared to leave, I heard a growl in my back.
Dire Wolf Lvl. 18
The dire wolf lowered its head and showed off its sharp fangs as it growled. It was large and almost as tall as a horse. The wolf jerked its body back and barked. I pointed my staff and prepared to cast my fire spell. Before I could release my spell, I noticed that there were three wolf pups whimpering behind the dire wolf. I took out a piece of chimera steak from my inventory and threw it to the ground as I slowly stepped back. The dire wolf sniffed the scent of the meat and lifted it with its mouth. As soon as the dire wolf backed off, I walked slowly in the opposite direction and ran. Though I could probably kill the beast with my magic, I didn¡¯t want those wolf pups to lose their mother. I walked outside the forest looking for another way without going directly to the forest. After a few hours of trekking, I found a clearing that extends up to the inner city. The ruins of the city were covered with vines and strange plants as if the city was abandoned for many years. I looked up to the sky and the sun was already setting. I picked up some branches along the road and decided to make camp in a nearby ruins with a roof over my head. The night was cold and I could hear the wolf¡¯s howl in the distance. I made a small campfire with the branches I picked up and read some books. But then, I remembered that I gained a new skill last night. I opened the skill screen and read the skill information.
Living Matter Manipulation[Active] Beginner Lvl. 1 Effect: The user can shape and manipulate everything and anything organic, both organisms and organic matter. This spell does not allow a user to bestow life or resurrect a dead organism nor it can create life out of nothing. Requirements: The user must be in touch with the target. MP Cost: ???
This skill was OP as I could think of many possible use of it. I could probably enhance my physical strength by strengthening my muscles, bones and joints. Not only that, I could enhance my physical appearance just like getting plastic surgery and most importantly, a magical liposuction. I remembered reading something about Alteration spells. I grabbed my notebook to review what I learned about it. As I remembered it, Alteration school is the manipulation of an organic body and [Living Matter Manipulation] is included in this school. As such, it can be used to harden skin, reinforce muscles, regenerate cells and etc. But of course, it has limitations as to the enhancement of an organic body. If this limit was reached, it¡¯s forbidden for a user to use it further as it would have terrible consequences. One of the best examples is Jormund the Mad. According to the book, Jormund the Mad was once a great elven king of the Kingdom of Elswood. Obviously, this kingdom was from the other world and not from Earth. He belonged to a bloodline of mages that specialized in alteration school and by the young age of 16, the young prince already mastered alteration. Jormund became king at the age of 38 and his research on alteration school revolutionized the medicine and drastically improved the kingdom¡¯s health. He used the condemned criminals for his research, so nobody batted an eye. It was said that the king became obsessed with the creation of a perfect race similar to the Ancients through the use of magic. He began to conduct a series of secret experiments. One by one, his subjects became his experimental subjects including the queen, his children, the herald, advisors and many loyal men. The people of Elswood revolted when the monsters he created were unleashed on the kingdom and thus ended a dynasty. He¡¯s like an Elven version of Adolf Hitler because he also attempted a genocide against the dark elves in the kingdom. It was said that before King Jormund the Mad was killed, he turned into a monster that he himself had created. The result of the experiment gave birth to another race of monsters called Abominations. You see, abominations were different from homunculi and familiars. Unlike homunculi which are result from necromancy, alchemy and alteration and familiar from the Spirit Realm, abominations are purely created using alteration schools. What does it look like? It depends on how it was created. Actually, the appearance of an abomination is unpredictable like its behavior. When Jormund became an abomination, he turned into a giant with massive muscles and bones. All of the abominations became mad because of the effect of alteration in the mind. I haven¡¯t mentioned it before, but the book said that the greatest taboo in magic wasn¡¯t its destructive capabilities and its capability to end lives nor the summoning of demonic creatures from the Spirit Realm. The greatest taboo was the creation of artificial life through magic because it was a direct violation of nature¡¯s gift to the mortals. That¡¯s why necromancy, which involves the summoning of the dead and creation of homunculi were forbidden. As much as I wanted to use [Living Matter Manipulation] on myself, there¡¯s a possibility for me to screw it up and it might have a permanent effect on my mind and body. I didn¡¯t want to become an abomination. One of the reasons why these types of alteration spells were used alongside with runes was to make sure that the amount of change can be limited and to make sure the spell was stable. Not only that, my knowledge of anatomy was severely lacking and using this skill would definitely fail. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Anyway, I¡¯m happy with how I looked and my body fat wasn¡¯t that bad. My fat can help me survive longer without food and I¡¯ll just try to learn rune magic or perhaps I could find a rune specialist so that I could use my skill without worry. Or maybe I should study the corpses of dead monsters. Yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do tomorrow. I stored my book and my notebook in my inventory and placed more wood on the fire. I laid down on my bed as I focused on the dark voices in my head. It¡¯s still there, but I didn¡¯t care if I have a nightmare again.
As I woke up, I noticed that the flame of my campfire was extinguished. I focused on the voices again to see if I was dreaming and fortunately, I wasn¡¯t. It¡¯s the first peaceful sleep, I had for the past few days since I met the Dark Lord. I looked at my wrist and the mark was darker than the last time. I shrugged as I tried not to worry and focused on my mission to find my family. I stood up and stored my stuff in my inventory. I ate a cup of instant ramen and a cup of instant coffee for breakfast. I wanted to eat more, but I wanted to save my food supplies as much as I could. I did some warm up and stretching before I continued my journey. The sun wasn¡¯t up yet when I continued to walk through the streets of Pasig. Since I was in the forest clearing, the monsters I encountered were harmless beasts.
Dire Wolf Lvl. 18
Dire Wolf Alpha Lvl. 22
Suddenly, a pack of dire wolves blocked my way as they snarled at me. There were 12 of them and I grinned as I found my experiment subjects. I backed away slowly as I cast [Rock Bullet] on the Dire Wolf Alpha. -201 HP! Critical Hit! Target is Bleeding! The rock was only a size of a bullet and I maximized the speed of the projectile. The alpha wolf was hit on its head and it whimpered in pain. The other dire wolves rushed at me and I cast [Earth Wall] in an effort to block them. Before I could completely raise the wall, the dire wolves jumped over the wall like a fence and one of them pounced on me. ¡°AHHHH! FUCK!!!!¡± -154 HP! Debuff: Bleeding -141 HP! The dire wolf bit my arm when I tried to desperately block its bite. The wolf pulled back as its teeth crushed the bones and flesh of my hand. My left hand was cut and the wolf dragged it back to eat it. The other wolves tried to have a bite at me, but before I could be eaten alive, I cast [Earth Wall] again and raised the ground below me. -162 HP! The wolf bit my leg as the ground below me rose up. I used my skill [Power Kick] and the dire wolf fell to the ground. I was lying of a column of rock as the dire wolves tried to reach me. I immediately used [Heal] on myself. +457 HP! I looked at my severed left hand and its stump was completely healed like the rest of my wounds. The wolves tried to leap and reach me, but the column was too high. As I recovered my mana, I stood up and pointed my staff at the wolves. ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± I shouted as I bombarded them with [Rock Bullet]. ¡°DIE! DIE! DIE!¡± -158 HP! -142 HP! -161 HP! My staff cast [Rock Bullet] repeatedly like a machine gun continuously spewing rocks at the dire wolves. Seeing that I wasn¡¯t worth it, the dire wolves ran away back to the forest. I killed five of them, including the alpha and I gained another level. I immediately distributed the rest of the points to INT.
Level Up!
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:22
HP:531/531MP:1205/1205
SP:130/130EXP:91.71%
STR:19WIS:58
AGI:20INT:75
VIT:42LUK:13
DEX:12CHA:21
Satiety:Fine
StatusNormal
Undistributed Attribute Points:0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity: Increase in Mana Control and +10% MP
I looked again at the thump of my severed hand and I couldn¡¯t help, but to feel angry at myself for being too stupid. I calmed myself down and jumped off from the column and collected the wolf¡¯s corpses. I didn¡¯t loot those fuckers except for the alpha, which gave me 15 silver coins, 22 copper coins and 1 mana stone. I regretted the fact that I didn¡¯t kill the mother wolf and her pups when I had the chance. Fortunately, I found out that the dire wolf corpses can be stored in the inventory and it can stack. I planned to dissect their corpses and experiment with them for a bit before I use [Living Matter Manipulation] to restore my hand. I continued my journey with rage and I finally left the forest. I was in the city urban again and there were another kind of monsters on the way. I hid behind a wrecked SUV car to observe the monsters.
Slime Lvl. 28
From what I read from the book, slimes are one of the most dangerous monsters in existence. Their bodies were made of a toxic and acidic substance that could melt flesh in a matter of seconds. Although they¡¯re just three feet tall, they could disguise themselves with the environment. They can take disguise such as a harmless puddle of water. They can also spit on their enemies and melt their faces. I stayed behind the car as I think of my next move. Suddenly, I felt a drop of water on my face. The thunder roared on the skies as the rain fell heavily. ¡°Damn it! GODDAMMIT!¡± I screamed in rage because the timing of the rain was off. Why does it have to rain when I¡¯m in the middle of a slime party? I scanned the surroundings and the slimes were almost invisible in the rain. This must be the worst day ever. Fuck me. I was thinking of going back to the forest and perhaps I could find another way home, but it would be a total waste of time with the same amount of risk. Perhaps I can beat these slimes with my magic. According to the book, slimes were immune to physical attacks, but they were very vulnerable to magic. I was thinking of fire, but I didn¡¯t think that would be effective because of the rain. Obviously, water magic would also be ineffective. After a few minutes, I got a brilliant idea. Since I didn¡¯t need to summon water vapor because of the heavy rain, [Chilling Wind] would shine it¡¯s brilliance in this situation. Target is Frozen! I cast the spell at the nearest slime and instead of the usual chill effect, the slime was frozen solid. I was surprised to learn that the slime¡¯s body could freeze easily. I cast [Rock Bullet] on the frozen slime to finish it off. -524 HP! Target Died
Level Up!
The slime instantly died when the rock shattered its frozen crystalline body. The slime dropped a few copper coins and a small mana stone. I continued to walk through the streets with a grin on my face. I cast [Chilling Wind] without restrain and froze every slime that got in my way. I was thinking of grinding my level for the day and I needed to release some steam after losing my hand. Like Elsa in Frozen, I caused the raindrops to freeze and it was snowing. I got plenty of loot, including a skill book [Water Manipulation]. I didn¡¯t know how many I¡¯ve killed but I killed everything until I couldn¡¯t see a single slime alive on the street. It was already night when I finished grinding. Even though I lost a limb, at least something good happened today. I levelled up 9 more times and I found an empty ruined house nearby. Everything¡¯s going to be alright. Get it? All right because I only got my right hand? Ba dum tss. As I opened my character screen, I got 50 undistributed points. I wanted to see what would happen if my INT reached 100 so I put 25 points on INT. I also put 8 points in VIT, 5 points in AGI and the rest of the points in WIS. *DING!*
Your Title [Mana Affinity] was upgraded to [Mana Affinity II] for reaching 100 INT
Interesting. So does that mean that something would also happen if I reached 100 WIS? Anyway, I opened my character screen again to check my stats.
Name:Miguel Arevalo
Race:HumanLevel:32
HP:628/628MP:1686/1686
SP:250/250EXP:83.18%
STR:19WIS:70
AGI:25INT:100
VIT:50LUK:13
DEX:12CHA:21
Satiety:Hungry
StatusTired: -10% EXP
Undistributed Attribute Points:0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity II: Increase in Mana Control and +20% MP
I lit up a candle and I dried myself using my magic. It was still raining outside and I was exhausted with the level grinding earlier. Of course, I made sure that the place was clear and I sealed off the doors and windows with [Earth Wall]. I opened a can of tuna with three slices of bread and prepared a tuna sandwich for dinner. I found it hard doing stuff with only one hand. It took me forever just to prepare my dinner. I was still lucky since I was right-handed, but I needed to do something with my left hand. After I rested for a bit, I took out a wolf corpse from my inventory and proceeded to dissect it using [Living Matter Manipulation]. I spread out my mana throughout the body and tried to analyze it as much as possible. I didn¡¯t know what I was doing since I wasn¡¯t familiar with a wolf¡¯s anatomy. My goal was to see if I could grow my left hand using this skill. I cut off the dire wolf¡¯s leg using my sword and tried to restore it using [Living Matter Manipulation]. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t work as I expected. I tried to regenerate its limb by analyzing and copying the other leg. What the skill meant by it couldn¡¯t create life out of nothing was that, it won¡¯t just create something out of nothing. That means I wouldn¡¯t be able to create my own hand by multiplying my cells and hope for the best. I mean, even in the old world, growing a hand was just impossible. I may be wrong and that¡¯s just my hypothesis. Anyway, I grabbed its severed limb and tried to reattach it as much as I could. Though I was successful to reattach the limb, I wasn¡¯t sure if it¡¯s functional since the wolf was already dead. I could do the same with my hand, but I didn¡¯t have my severed hand because the dire wolves already ate it. Perhaps I can do a hand transplant. That would probably work, but where could I get one? And if I ever got a new hand, what would happen if my body rejects it? Shit. I realized that my hand could be a lost cause. I continued to experiment with the wolf¡¯s corpse with my magic. I sealed its wounds and tried to revive it by pumping the heart. Being true to its word, my skill has failed at reviving the dire wolf. I gave up and stored the wolf¡¯s corpse in my inventory. I took out the book about anatomy that I picked up yesterday and tried to learn what I could. After a few hours of reading, I was determined to restore my hand with my original idea of growing it. I analyzed my right hand¡¯s structure with my mana and after I memorized it, I focused my mana on the left hand¡¯s stump. Whenever I tried to regrow the bone of my hand, the pain was almost unbearable as if my hand was being crushed over and over again. In the end, I only regrew a small amount of bone tissue, even after hours of effort. Well, it could take me weeks or perhaps a year to restore my hand, but at least, now I knew it¡¯s possible. I just have to deal with the pain. I was exhausted from the day and I decided to call it a night and rest. As I laid down on the bed, I¡¯ve been thinking about a few things about the past. It¡¯s only been two days since I left Camp Aguinaldo and yet I already missed talking with someone. Even though I enjoyed some private time with no one bothering me, I really missed socializing. I missed Claire and I just hope that she¡¯ll forgive me if I ever come back. I admit. I am in love with her. I still find it hard to believe that I wasn¡¯t a virgin anymore and I was glad that Claire was my first even though I wasn¡¯t hers. Now that I think about it, how many men did¡­ *Sigh* But still, there were some questions that lingered in my mind. Did I satisfy her? Or was she just faking those moans? Nah¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter. I saw; I came; Had sex. [2]
Author''s Notes: I need a new cover for this novel. Need help. [1] Barangay refers to a village or ward. [2] Reference to Julius Caesar¡¯s phrase ¡°Veni, vidi, vici¡± (I came; I saw; I conquered) ARC 2: Chapter 24: Oakwood Chapter 24: Oakwood When I opened my eyes, I noticed that Miguel wasn¡¯t there beside me. It¡¯s still dark outside. No matter. He always wakes up early and he wakes up even before the sun rises. He¡¯s probably doing that weird meditation stuff again. I¡¯ll sleep some more. As I closed my eyes, I smiled as I reminisced on what happened in the last few days. You see, I was conflicted about my feelings about him. Ever since I saw his memories, I knew that he loves me, but I felt that I wasn¡¯t the one he deserved. I knew that I was a terrible person for him. God, I wasn¡¯t even a virgin and he was. When he lost with our first sparring, I thought he would hate me, instead, he encouraged me to train harder, so that I could beat him more effectively and faster. He even praised me for defeating him. Though I enjoyed making him bleed, I felt like I wanted to cuddle him when I saw him hurt. But of course, that would be creepy. Miguel looked bitter with his defeat. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s his first time to taste defeat in his life, but it was the first time that he lost against me. When he locked himself in the bathroom, I thought that was it. For a long time I wanted to crush him and be proud of it, but when I defeated him, I couldn¡¯t understand why I felt bad about it. I mean, he trained for years on the subject and that must¡¯ve destroyed him knowing that all of his efforts were for nothing. I apologized because I wanted to learn more from him. When I thought that he wasn¡¯t listening, I opened the door and saw him naked in the bathtub. My heart raced and my legs were frozen when I saw him. Miguel didn¡¯t have a body of a hunk. He had a belly of a drunkard and he had that beard too. The way he looked at me with his confident eyes made me stammer like an idiot. I didn¡¯t know if he was flirting or seducing me, but my mind went haywire when he looked at me with those piercing eyes. I continued with my training like he instructed. Miguel watched me as I practiced the Six Strikes technique. Whenever he glanced at me, I didn¡¯t see any trace of bitterness in his eyes. More like he¡¯s proud of me. I knew from experience that most teachers hated it when their students were better than them. His attitude towards me encouraged me to train harder. As I swung my sword, I realized that the line between hate and love was blurred. What I feel for him is so strong and I couldn¡¯t point it out whether I share the same feelings for him or not. I tried to tease him by inviting him to dip into the tub with me, but he left with a blush on his face. It¡¯s cute, especially when he¡¯s the kind of man who rarely showed expression. That night before I went to sleep. I realized that all this time, I didn¡¯t really hate him. I just couldn¡¯t accept that I fell for him when we were still in college. I wasn¡¯t the type of woman who would court a man, but this time, I decided that I would go on full offense knowing that he¡¯s insensitive to subtle ways of a woman. The next day, I was still envious of Miguel being better than me. He has magic and he could almost do everything and I couldn¡¯t help, but feel worthless. Surprisingly, he praised me for doing a good job and he even told me that he was confident to win because I was there. His flattery was obvious, but effective nonetheless. Hah! Two can play at this game. His looks were funny when being seduced. I mean, I tried to do it before when I was trying to get on his good side when we were in college and he would answer my seduction with a blank look, but this time, I knew that it worked. Perhaps he even saw me taking the condoms and that¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t look at me in the eyes. But then, when I learned that everyone in my family was dead, I was devastated. My mind was in shock and even though I wasn¡¯t a person who would easily cry, the tears in my eyes flowed endlessly and finally, grief has struck me. He didn¡¯t say anything. Miguel stayed by my side for hours and he didn¡¯t leave me alone in my time of grief. When I needed someone that I could hold on to, he provided me his gentle hand and held me. It was in that moment when all my feelings for him became as clear as the night sky. I am in love with him. Cheesy, isn¡¯t it? Well, that¡¯s what it feels like when you¡¯re in love. I didn¡¯t know that I could fall in love again ever since Marlon. I tried to move on with my life after that, but whenever I dated someone, I felt like they were only thinking about having sex with me. It¡¯s like that was just my worth for them. I gave up after going out with a few men. Since I have a traumatic experience in sex, I avoided it and all of my exes lost their interest in me. I didn¡¯t feel anything when I broke up with them and I was bored with them after a few dates. The hole that Marlon left in my heart was bottomless and I couldn¡¯t even have a normal conversation with men without getting bored with them. But when I met Miguel, I could spend the whole day without getting bored, either talking about senseless things or insulting each other or doing nothing at all. He saved me from the bottomless pit when we made love to each other. It was satisfying. I wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with orgasms since I usually get off by watching porn. Surprise, surprise! Yeah, I watch porn too, and I masturbated. Yup. Definitely. Unlike my first, Miguel did satisfy me even though I expected that he couldn¡¯t because it¡¯s his first time. I love the way he made love with me with his expressive and piercing eyes. If I didn¡¯t see his memories, I¡¯d be convinced that it wasn¡¯t his first time. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t. Shit¡­ Did he have sex with Dianne? What happened to that blank memory? If so, that would be fucked up. Nevermind, I doubt that happened because after they reconciled, things looked normal between them. If it happened, things would get awkward between them. Or maybe because they still¡­ *Sigh* Anyway, now that I think about it. Did he enjoy it as much as I did? Did I satisfy him? Perhaps I should ask him, but that would look like I was insecure about myself. Maybe I¡¯ll just be subtle with my question. Oh, we never said ¡®I love you¡¯ to each other. Perhaps it¡¯s unnecessary, but I just wanted to confirm to him that he¡¯s mine and I was his. It may sound possessive, but I wanted to make it clear that our relationship is way more than just friends. I opened my eyes as I found it hard to go back to sleep again. I was excited to see him and tell him that I love him. I don¡¯t care if he laughs it off, but I¡¯ll just say it anyway. I stood up and stretched my arms up. The sun was already up in the sky, so I got dressed and prepared for my daily routine. When I went to the living room, I noticed that Miguel and the two bodyguards weren¡¯t there. Maybe they took a stroll somewhere, but I had a feeling that something bad happened. I shrugged off the feeling and did some stretching and warm up exercises like Miguel taught me. I made sure that my stance was correct and practiced the Six Strike technique as I swung my sword in the air. Eric and Melissa were already awake and they were clingy to each other as they drank coffee in the front yard. It was obvious that they also hooked up last night. Their giggles made me envious. Where the hell is Miguel? ¡°Good morning.¡± Dianne greeted as she yawned. ¡°Morning.¡± I greeted back. ¡°Where¡¯s Miguel?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± I replied. ¡°He¡¯s somewhere with his bodyguards, I guess.¡± ¡°You know, Miguel¡¯s been acting strange lately. Did you notice?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He¡¯s barely getting any sleep and he spaced out quite a lot.¡± ¡°You just described the Miguel I know.¡± I may be the reason why he didn¡¯t get lots of sleep last night. Hehehe. ¡°And he sleeps with his eyes open.¡± ¡°Yeah, that one creeps me out. I wonder if that¡¯s normal.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just yesterday, he looked like he¡¯s afraid of something. I even gave him a sleeping potion to help him sleep.¡± Afraid of something? What could it be? Actually, I¡¯ve never seen Miguel with a fearful expression. All of us were shaking in fear when we fought our first ogre and just a few days ago, he¡¯s the one who tested out his own theory about the zombies and he never hesitated to try it. I couldn¡¯t imagine Miguel being afraid. ¡°I tried to ask him what¡¯s wrong, but¡­ ¡° Before she could finish her sentence, Dianne¡¯s jaw dropped as she stared in an empty space. ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Miguel left Boston Tea Party.¡± ¡°What do you mean he left Boston Tea Party?¡± ¡°It¡¯s disbanded! He left the party!¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± Eric asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think he left Camp Aguinaldo!¡± Dianne said. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. I mean, he had bodyguards and they would¡¯ve stopped him.¡± Melissa said as she narrowed her eyes. Dianne shook her head. ¡°Then why did he have to leave the party?¡± As Dianne, Eric and Melissa continued to argue, I saw a group of soldiers in the distance coming in our direction. I called their attention and pointed at the soldiers. Something bad must¡¯ve really happened. All of us draw our weapons and the soldiers did the same. ¡°Hold! We¡¯re just here to bring you to the General.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Miguel?¡± I asked the soldier. ¡°There¡¯s been an incident. The General wants to speak with you about it.¡± The soldier responded. Dianne, Eric, Melissa and I followed the soldiers to the General¡¯s office. I didn¡¯t think that Miguel left Camp Aguinaldo at all. I know that he wasn¡¯t that stupid and he knew that he wouldn¡¯t survive a day outside alone. I was afraid that... No, I don¡¯t think he was dead either. I tried to calm myself down as we went upstairs to the General¡¯s office. The soldiers continued to follow us and stopped as we entered the office. The General sat down straight in his chair and looked agitated as he waved off the soldiers. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Dad? Where¡¯s Miguel?¡± Asked Dianne, biting her lip. ¡°Did he leave Camp Aguinaldo?¡± ¡°He did.¡± Gen. Arevalo nodded. ¡°I have no idea where he is right now, but I thought he was with you, so I sent my men to check on you. Sorry if I made you uneasy.¡± ¡°What happened? How did he escape?¡± Eric asked. ¡°One of the guards found the two security escorts lying down unconscious just a few minutes ago. I don¡¯t know what Miguel did to those two, but they¡¯re still not waking up. They found a small hole in the wall nearby.¡± ¡°What¡¯re you going to do about it?¡± Dianne asked again. ¡°Dianne...¡± The General stood up from his chair and approached Dianne. ¡°I knew that you¡¯re worried about him, but please. I ask you and your friends to stay here. It¡¯s too dangerous outside. You experienced it firsthand and I hope you can understa-¡° ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to organize a search party for him?¡± ¡°As I said before, I can¡¯t risk the lives of any more of my men. Miguel probably went to Pasig. I already told you. Pasig is overrun by monsters. No one could even step a foot in that city and none of my men who came to that place ever came back.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s your son!¡± Dianne screamed at him and she started to tear up. The General raised up his chin. ¡°I know and he already made up his decision.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s okay with you?¡± Dianne¡¯s voice cracked as she spoke. ¡°You just- Please, Dad. Let me go. I will search for him.¡± ¡°No.¡± The General said as he shook his head. ¡°Then I already made my decision.¡± Dianne wiped off her tears. ¡°I will go.¡± ¡°You and your friends will stay here. That¡¯s an order.¡± Gen. Arevalo hugged Dianne as he tried to comfort her. She shook her head and repeatedly tried to break off from him. ¡°Please Dianne. I lost my wife, my daughter and now I lost my son. I don¡¯t want to lose you too. You wouldn¡¯t imagine how hard it is for me. Please. Stay here.¡± When Dianne calmed down for a bit, the General ordered us to go home and rest. We didn¡¯t know what to say to Dianne so we stayed silent as the soldiers escorted us back to the General¡¯s house. The General even ordered eight of his men to stay near his residence to make sure that we wouldn¡¯t even think about escaping. Though it¡¯s true that it¡¯s risky outside Camp Aguinaldo, I understood why the General didn¡¯t want us or anybody else to go and rescue Miguel and his family. Even the soldiers have their own family and everyone probably lost someone in this disaster. And if his best soldiers couldn¡¯t pass through that city, it¡¯s probably for the best if we stay here. These people here didn¡¯t know what was outside. How we survived. If you think about it, it seemed that it¡¯s impossible to last a day in the midst of monster infested streets. It wasn¡¯t luck that we survived. We survived because we carefully planned each of our moves. I guess telling them wouldn¡¯t really convince them. I was speechless because I was still shocked that Miguel did something reckless. Ever since the beginning, he has been the one who insisted not to do something reckless that would risk our lives. I was angry at him, not because he was reckless, but because he didn¡¯t even said anything to me when he left. We even told Miguel that whatever decision he makes, we would stay together and if he still wanted to look for his family, we would help him and that it¡¯s too dangerous to go alone. All of us in Boston Tea Party owed him and we knew that he wouldn¡¯t risk our lives that easily. We believed in him. I believed in him. What I couldn¡¯t understand was: why would Miguel ditch us without even telling us his plan? I knew that his father won¡¯t help him with what he wanted to do, but we¡¯ve been clear to him that we¡¯re with him. I realized that he never asked us for anything. Was it because of his pride? That he didn¡¯t want to owe us favors? To be honest, I have no idea what¡¯s going on in his mind. I couldn¡¯t find a word to describe what I¡¯m feeling right now. Anger wasn¡¯t the right word. I would understand if he didn¡¯t want me to go, but even then, I would still follow him since I got nothing to lose. He left me without saying a word. Not even a letter saying his goodbye. I was surprised that I could still find restraint and not to go berserk, killing all of these soldiers. Dianne was still silent and stared at the distance, spaced out. Eric and Melissa tried to console her, but their words fell on the deaf ears and she wouldn¡¯t even respond. I was afraid that she would also try to be reckless and go alone to try and help Miguel. I sat beside her, so I could keep an eye out for her. If she goes, I¡¯d go too. ¡°Hey.¡± I tried to call out to her, but she wasn¡¯t responding. ¡°I just wanted to say that we¡¯re with you. I wanted to help him too, but...¡± ¡°But what?¡± I gasped when I saw Dianne¡¯s eyes staring at me, burning with rage. ¡°That we should stay here and consider his advice?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. What I¡¯m saying is...¡± ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± Dianne sneered. ¡°You bunch of ingrates. After all he did to get us here to safety, you¡¯ll just cower here and do nothing. He even considered in his plan to save your families and what does he get in return? A fucking useless best friend and his ungrateful bitch. You¡¯re probably thinking the same, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°N-no!¡± I blurted out in defense. I¡¯ve never known she was capable of saying such things. I¡¯ve never heard her swear before. What the hell did those two say to her? Eric and Melissa were also shocked as Dianne continued to speak. ¡°He loves you, you know.¡± She shook her head and smirked. ¡°I guess this is the extent of your love to him.¡± ¡°What?!¡± My blood started to boil at her words. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°Oh, I think I do.¡± Dianne continued as she stood up. ¡°You¡¯re like them. That¡¯s why you never spoke out against my father. You don¡¯t really feel the same for Miguel. You just stuck with him because you wanted to be safe, but now, you don¡¯t need him anymore. Hah! I bet you¡¯ll open your legs to anyone who would guarantee your safety.¡± Now I understood why Jacob punched her in the face and tried to kill her when they mutinied. I had an urge to do the same, but I knew that Dianne said it because she was fed up. If she wasn¡¯t my best friend and Miguel¡¯s sister, I¡¯d beat her to the inch of her life. I won¡¯t kill her. But I¡¯ll make her suffer long enough that she¡¯ll wish she¡¯s never born for saying that. Fortunately for her, I would make an exemption and I was restraining myself from doing it. ¡°What the hell are you do-¡° I covered Dianne¡¯s mouth and dragged her to the bedroom where the soldiers wouldn¡¯t hear our conversation. I was much stronger than her and she was lighter compared to Miguel. Eric grabbed my shoulder to stop me, but he let me go when I assured them that I won¡¯t hurt Dianne and I just wanted to speak with her. He and Melissa followed and watch me outside the room just to make sure. With a little effort, I threw Dianne to the bed and covered her mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t even think that you¡¯re the only one who cared about him.¡± I said to her. ¡°You didn¡¯t even let me finish. I was going to say that we should carefully plan our next move like what Miguel would do in this situation. If you¡¯re still eager to go outside and follow him, I¡¯ll let you. But whether you like it or not, I¡¯m coming too.¡± Dianne glared at me, but she finally snapped out of it and stopped her struggling. I removed my hand to let her speak. ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡± ¡°Exactly. We don¡¯t have one.¡± I replied. ¡°First, we need a healer. I can probably convince...¡± ¡°No need.¡± Dianne said. ¡°I upgraded my potions and I made a lot of them yesterday.¡± ¡°Okay. How about the guards outside? How can we get pass through them? We can¡¯t just kill them.¡± ¡°We should probably make a run for it. I don¡¯t know about you, but I can go and sneak without being seen.¡± ¡°And how can we pass the wall? Obviously, we can¡¯t go through the gate. If they catch us, we won¡¯t get a second chance to escape again.¡± Dianne clenched her fist in frustration. ¡°You¡¯re right. We really should think this through.¡± ¡°Dianne.¡± Eric scratched his head as he looked down. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about earlier. You were right about everything. I just wanted to say that I¡¯m with you.¡±He turned his head to Melissa as she tried to avoid his eyes. ¡°Fine.¡± Melissa sighed, shrugging her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m coming too.¡± The soldiers outside the house were constantly checking on us once in a while as we formulate our plan. Miguel probably used his magic when he escaped and we definitely needed a mage with us. Eric tried to call out his brother, but he wasn¡¯t responding. Everyone in the Team 29 won¡¯t respond even the Sergeant. It took us a while and it was already night when we decided to execute the plan. For some reason, half of the soldiers outside the house were gone and at least 10 of them were left. They looked agitated at something as we heard explosion at a distance. Finally, some luck. Using Dianne¡¯s sleeping potion, Eric made bombs that release invisible gas that induces sleep. I didn¡¯t quite understand how he made it, but he said that it was similar to stink bombs that he and his brother used to make to prank on each other. Of course, we had to try if it really works, so we silently released one of the bombs near the soldiers to test it. After a few seconds, the soldiers fell to the ground. We had to wear face masks and tried not to breathe, so we wouldn¡¯t inhale the gas. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I whispered to them. As Eric tried to contact his brother, Richard, we sneaked around the base as we noticed that there was a chaos ensuing in the distance. We could hear faint sounds of metal clashing and shouting and fiery explosions on the eastern part of Camp Aguinaldo. ¡°Is the base under attack?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Maybe.¡± Dianne replied. ¡°This is our opportunity to escape. Now¡¯s the time. Come on!¡± Though Melissa seemed to be unwilling to follow us, she didn¡¯t want to separate with Eric. It¡¯s good that Dianne could be convincing with her words. Even if it¡¯s a bit harsh. As we reached the southern gate of Camp Aguinaldo, we were shocked to see that the soldiers were fighting other soldiers. There were no signs that the gates were forced to be opened, so these soldiers must¡¯ve come from the inside. The one of the sides have red patches on their arm with the letter ¡®I¡¯ in its white sun. I think it¡¯s a symbol of Magdalo group. It was a well known faction within the AFP that mutinied a long time ago. I was four years old back then and I¡¯ve only heard stories of them secretly recruiting soldiers within the ranks of AFP. Talk about bad timing for the national government. ¡°Mutiny.¡± I said. It was the only word that I could think of right now. ¡°Dad is in trouble!¡± Before Dianne could run off, I grabbed her wrist tightly. ¡°Let me go, Claire.¡± Dianne said as she struggled. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s most likely in trouble, but you have to make a choice.¡± I said.¡±It¡¯s now or never, Dianne.¡± Dianne was fidgeting and she seemed to be in conflict in choosing between his father or his brother. After a few seconds, she let out a deep sigh and we sneaked to the gates. However, before we could reach for it, we heard a loud voice yelling. ¡°Stop right there!¡± We stopped on our tracks and turned around. Melissa was being held by one of the surviving soldiers as he pointed his sword at her neck. ¡°Mel!¡± Eric shouted. The soldiers surrounded us as the blade touched Melissa¡¯s neck. ¡°Drop down your weapons or I¡¯ll kill her.¡± We had no choice, but to drop our weapons. The soldiers ordered us to put our hands behind our back and kneel as they picked up our weapons. The soldiers didn¡¯t have red patches on their arm and they¡¯re most likely not members of Magdalo. ¡°What should we do with them, Lieutenant?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Take them to the holding area along with the others.¡± ¡°We should kill them right now, Sir. They¡¯re from team 29. Their sergeant was one of them!¡± ¡°The General will decide what to do with them.¡± They put zip ties on our wrist. Although Eric and I could tear the zip ties with ease, we chose not to struggle since they had us captive. There¡¯s a saying that it¡¯s easier to dodge questions than bullets. Though there were no guns pointed at us, it¡¯s still easier to dodge questions than fireballs and arrows. The soldiers took us to the holding area which was just another term for jail. I¡¯ve never been to jail before, but closed spaces with metal bars made me uncomfortable. They locked us in a cell along with the other members of Team 29. It seemed that they were captured too. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to contact you. What the hell is happening?¡± Eric asked. ¡°We have no idea. I was buying in the Shop and they just arrested us and throw us here. Oh, and the Party Communication doesn¡¯t work here.¡± Richard replied. ¡°How about your magic?¡± I asked. ¡°Not even Mark¡¯s heal could work.¡± I noticed that Sgt. Naval wasn¡¯t with us. ¡°Where¡¯s the Sarge?¡± ¡°...¡± As soon as mentioned Sgt. Naval, they all looked down and frowned. None of them could answer the question. I looked at my Party Screen and I was shocked to learn that she wasn¡¯t in the party anymore. How was it possible? We should¡¯ve gotten a notification that she left the party. ¡°What happened to her?¡± I asked again. ¡°They killed her.¡± Mark replied. ¡°They killed her? But why?¡± ¡°Apparently, she¡¯s a member of Magdalo. I wasn¡¯t killed because I¡¯m a healer and Richard¡¯s a mage. Beth and Gerry weren¡¯t killed because they¡¯re lucky Lt. Amparo was there.¡± I knew it. It really was Magdalo group. It¡¯s only been a day since I met Sgt. Naval and we weren¡¯t really close. I wish I could weep for her, but I think she totally deserved it. What the hell were they thinking? It¡¯s only been two weeks since the apocalypse and now, they¡¯re trying to take over again. It¡¯s been hours since they threw us in this cell. We tried everything we can to escape, but we couldn¡¯t even open our inventory screen in this area. I looked around and I noticed that there were runes on the walls outside. Perhaps it¡¯s the reason why we couldn¡¯t access the SYSTEM and why our strength wasn¡¯t enough to tear down the metal bars of our cell. Eric and I gave up trying to escape and I sat down in the corner beside Mark. ¡°Are you a member of Magdalo?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course not. I wouldn¡¯t betray my country like that.¡± Mark replied. ¡°Then why are they holding us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a precaution. They will probably interrogate us after the fighting. That is if the AFP wins.¡± ¡°And what would happen if they lose?¡± ¡°You better hope they won¡¯t.¡± Mark said. ¡°So where¡¯s Miguel?¡± ¡°He left me.¡± ¡°He broke up with you? Did you even follow my advice?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. He just left Camp Aguinaldo without saying a word and yes, I followed your advice to the letter.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± His shoulders drooped in disappointment. I remembered when we visited Miguel in the hospital two days ago, I introduced him to Mark. Even though he tried his best not to show emotions, it was obvious that Miguel was jealous when he looked at Mark up and down as if sizing him up. I admit that it made my heart jump because I didn¡¯t know that he was even capable of being jealous. What he didn¡¯t know was that, Mark was our neighbor and a long time friend of mine. When I was a kid, he often gave me chocolates whenever we saw each other and no, he wasn¡¯t a pedophile. He was just kind, I guess? Even though he¡¯s an incredibly hot guy, he¡¯s gay. Yeah, I wondered why most handsome guys I knew were gay, except for Eric, of course. Anyway, he left home and served the military seven years ago. We kept contact with each other with text messages and I often asked him advice with relationships. He¡¯s like a big sister to me. He even sent me souvenirs from the places where he was stationed. He had a long time boyfriend in Cubao, but unfortunately, he didn¡¯t survive. Some of you may wonder, how come a gay like Mark joined the army? Well, the armed forces accepted homosexuals a long time ago, but there were policies on their behaviors. I asked him if he met a lot of hot guys in the army. Apparently, yes, but like any other soldiers, homosexuals or not, fraternization wasn¡¯t allowed. That means no sex with each other. Duh? He told me that he wasn¡¯t a stereotype horny gay that would fuck all guys he can see and he was faithful with his boyfriend. Anyway, all in all, he¡¯s a good guy and I know I can trust him. ¡°You know, I think he left you because he wanted you to be safe.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± I said. ¡°At least, he should¡¯ve told me.¡± ¡°Okay. If he told you that he¡¯s going and there¡¯s a chance that he might not come back. What would you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯d stop him.¡± I answered. ¡°If he¡¯s adamant about it, then I¡¯ll stick with him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡± Mark said. ¡°Miguel probably didn¡¯t want you to stop him, nor did he want to risk your life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not his decision to make. He¡¯s too prideful to ask us for help. Actually, he never asked us any favors.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s pride, Claire. If I were in his position, I¡¯d probably do the same.¡± Mark continued to give me words of comfort and little by little, the anger inside me resided. The next time I see Miguel, I¡¯ll try my best to listen to his side. Maybe he has a better excuse. If not, let¡¯s just say he¡¯s going to see lots of stars in his head. It¡¯ll be a galaxy. There won¡¯t be a black hole though, but he¡¯ll have a massive red hole in his face with the shape of my fist. It was already morning, but none of us managed to catch some sleep. The sounds of fighting were still ongoing and Dianne was worried about his father. We were really nervous on what¡¯s going to happen to us and I started to doubt that we¡¯d even get out of here alive. After a few hours, we heard them fighting just outside the cell. We were afraid that the Magdalo group was successful in taking over the base. ¡°Col. Medina?¡± The Colonel was wearing the same red patch on his arm. Shit. I think we¡¯re seriously fucked. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Dianne.¡± ¡°You fucking traitor!¡± Dianne shouted as she tried her best to reach the Colonel. ¡°What happened to my dad? Where is he?¡± ¡°You see, your father never listened to us. Even after a week of no contact with the national government, he was still hoping. He sent many men to their deaths and he even sent a two hundred of our elite to save his own family and none of them ever came back. That¡¯s why we lost too many men when those beastmen attacked the base. We had no choice, but to take over.¡± So Gen. Arevalo did try to send men to Pasig. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t want Miguel to leave the base. ¡°You¡¯re not safe here in Camp Aguinaldo. You¡¯ll be much safer outside. The other colonels aren¡¯t fond of the General and I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll let you live if they knew you were alive.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ll let us go?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Yes. I will.¡± Col. Medina said. ¡°On two conditions.¡± ¡°What conditions?¡± ¡°First, you will never come back in Camp Aguinaldo. Like I said, if it was for me, you¡¯d still be welcome, but I don¡¯t know about the others. It¡¯s for your own safety. Second, you will surrender all of your money to me and some of your food. You don¡¯t need them anyway and don¡¯t try to deceive me because I have a skill to peek at someone¡¯s inventory. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll let you keep some provisions for your travel.¡± ¡°Throwing us back there. Isn¡¯t that the same as killing us?¡± Gerry asked. ¡°Maybe. But at least you¡¯ll have a chance to live. If the others knew that you¡¯re still alive and you¡¯re connected with the General, they¡¯ll kill you off just to be safe. Actually, they might put up a bounty on Dianne and General Arevalo¡¯s head.¡± ¡°Why would you be helping us?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Good point. Why indeed?¡± I added. ¡°I¡¯m just paying what is due to Miguel and his friends. He was the one who cured my daughter and my wife. I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but I do have a code of honor.¡± ¡°So Angela¡¯s your daughter? Then why did you betray my father?¡± ¡°I was neutral when I heard about the other officers¡¯ disapproval with the General¡¯s actions. I tried to warn him about it, but he didn¡¯t listen to me. When I knew that it¡¯s going to break out soon, I was forced to take a side and I won¡¯t let my family be harmed.¡± I wanted to laugh at his ¡®code of honor¡¯ when he easily takes different sides. Typical corrupted government dog. ¡°Why should we trust you?¡± I asked. The Colonel gave me a smirked and shook his head. ¡°You have no choice. You can either stay here and find out what will happen if they found all of you alive or you can take your chance outside and live. You better make your decision quickly.¡± Our group discussed his terms, of course. It¡¯s clear that we weren¡¯t safe in Camp Aguinaldo anymore, so we took up his offer. We gave him all our money and boxes of canned food. Unfortunately for Gerry, the Colonel also wanted his booze, so he took it too. Basically, it¡¯s a bribe. Or robbing us, depending on perspective. Why he¡¯s willing to let us go was beyond me, but I doubt it¡¯s just paying the debt of gratitude. Perhaps it¡¯s his way of convincing himself that he paid that debt of gratitude or maybe he expects us to die in our exile. This guy was underestimating us. I held Dianne¡¯s wrist tightly to prevent her from doing something stupid as the Colonel and his men led us towards the eastern gate. There were lots of corpses of soldiers and civilians along the road. I don¡¯t quite understand the reason of their mutiny, but they¡¯ve gone too far by killing innocent civilians. I even saw corpses of children. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a special place for these traitors in hell. ¡°So this is where I¡¯ll leave you. I wish you luck.¡± Col. Medina said as we exited the gate. ¡°One last thing. I have no personal grudge against the General. In fact, I let you live because the others might use you against him and I can¡¯t have that on my conscience. I advise you not to wander around Quezon City. Someone might recognize you and we¡¯ll all be in trouble.¡± The soldier pointed his finger to a pile of weapons. It was our weapons that were confiscated from us yesterday. I almost thought they¡¯d leave us with nothing. Though I believe he still has some conscience left in him, karma will get that asshole for betraying his countrymen. Mark and Richard were kicked out of the AFP faction. I say it¡¯s for the better. Dianne was crying as we walked away from the base. It¡¯s most likely that Gen. Arevalo was safe because the Colonel mentioned something about putting a bounty on him. I told Dianne my thoughts about it to console her and this was our chance to find Miguel. ¡°So where are we going again?¡± Beth asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to find Miguel in Pasig. That¡¯s our plan.¡± Dianne answered. ¡°What?!¡± The others stopped as they heard Dianne¡¯s answer. ¡°Wait? I thought it¡¯s dangerous out there! It¡¯s full of monsters!¡± Mark exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯re still in Quezon City and Camp Aguinaldo¡¯s that way. We won¡¯t force you to come with us.¡± ¡°Us?¡± Gerry asked. ¡°Me, Claire, Dianne and Eric.¡± Melissa replied. ¡°I think it¡¯s better if we stick together.¡± Gerry said. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°Beth, I think we¡¯ll have a better chance of surviving if we stick with them. We¡¯ve already made it this far and I think Pasig couldn¡¯t be worse than what we experienced. We just have to be careful like the last time.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll stick with my brother, whatever happens.¡± Richard said. There were eight of us in the party and the four of them decided to stick with us. We didn¡¯t have a party leader, so we decided to vote. Dianne nominated me to be the temporary party leader and all of them agreed. I didn¡¯t know why I was picked, but Dianne said that I knew best on how Miguel¡¯s strategic mind works. Even I had a hard time figuring him out, but they thought that I would be their best shot. Anyway, I¡¯ll just try my best. I discussed with them our formations and tactics that we used since we have two new members. As always, it¡¯s better to stick with our previous formation and just improvise on the way. We also made an inventory count of our supplies and everything we have left. It seemed that we only have two days worth of food for all of us and we could stretch it for at least 4 days. Fortunately, Richard already bought wind magic skill and also water magic, so we won¡¯t have problems with water. I reminded them to distribute their undistributed stat points and I also checked my Character Screen and Skill Screen.
Name: Claire Roque
Race: Human Level: 19
HP: 390/390 MP: 380/380
SP: 550/550 EXP: 21.33%
STR: 41 WIS: 18
AGI: 55 INT: 29
VIT: 39 LUK: 14
DEX: 14 CHA: 36
Satiety: Fine
Status Normal
Undistributed Attribute Points: 0
Title(s):
Sadist: +10% Damage and chance to stagger
Perk(s):
N/A
Active Skill(s):
Observe Lvl. 9 Beginner (51.02%)
Charm Lvl. 8 Beginner (37.10%)
Lacerating Strike Lvl. 6 Beginner (15.98%)
Berserker''s Howl Lvl 4 Beginner (81.66%)
Wail of Agony Lvl. 5 Beginner (5.47%)
Passive Skill(s):
Sadism Lvl. 2 Intermediate (12.78%)
Sword Mastery Lvl 10 Beginner (24.55%)
Troll''s Skin Lvl 3 Beginner (31.75%)
The daily training with my sword definitely paid off. Though I wasn¡¯t sure if it was enough to instantly beat Miguel on one on one, I would certainly try my best to further improve on it. I was also thinking of other ways to improve my other skills such as [Charm]. I read in the book that this skill was an illusion skill. Perhaps if I concentrate on what my enemies could perceive would be effective? When we passed the bridge on the border of Quezon City and Pasig, we were surprised to find the city cleared of monsters. The streets were filled with ashes and the ground has burnt marks on it. At the center, there was a huge burnt mark and a gigantic pile of bones. ¡°What the hell happened here?¡± Mark asked as he inspected the pile. ¡°Miguel did all of these?¡± ¡°He did.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s impossible!¡± Richard exclaimed. ¡°How much mana does he have? It¡¯s not like he has unlimited mana, is it?¡± ¡°Not really. Back in the university, he actually cleared an entire block of zombies.¡± Said Beth. ¡°Those zombies were also turned into ashes just like this.¡± ¡°Maybe Miguel is nearer than we thought. I¡¯ll check it out.¡± Dianne said as she climbed up to a ruined building. As we continued our journey, we were all in awe at the destruction that Miguel caused. There were virtually no monsters in the area and the only evidence of these monsters was ashes and bones. Miguel must¡¯ve killed every monster on his way. We followed the burnt marks on the ground like a trail of bread crumbs. We figured that since Miguel has already cleared the way, it would be safer to just follow it. Just to be extra cautious, Dianne went ahead to scout and informed us of what¡¯s on the way. She told us that the monsters were some kind of huge rats. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Richard grinned. ¡°The next time I see him, I¡¯ll have him teach me how he did it.¡± Yeah, sure. And the next time I see him, we will meet fist-to-face, knee-to-balls.I will make him regretleaving me like that. ARC 2: Chapter 25: Eyes Wide Open Chapter 25:Eyes Wide Open As usual, I woke up with the voices inside my head and they were gibberish evil groans. Although I slept without a nightmare last night, I was starting to get used in this chaotic state of mind like it was normal. Dear god, please help me! I tried to call god, but he wasn¡¯t answering. Yeah, I removed the capitalization in my prayers, so it would grab his attention. None of it worked. I wondered if the Dark Lord was blocking my communication with god. If so, god was right. I really fucked myself up. It was already morning. When sunlight crept from the crevice of the wall and hit my eyes, I forced myself to get up and did some stretching. I was in the mood of taking a bath today, so I gave myself a nice and cold bath. It¡¯s hard to do things with just one hand, especially when taking a shit. Normally, I¡¯d use my left hand to wipe my butt and my right hand to rinse it with water. Unfortunately, I lost my left hand and I was forced to use my right hand for both wiping and rinsing. It¡¯s disgusting, but I made sure to wash my hand thoroughly with soap. I was feeling good today, so gave myself a haircut. There was a mirror in the bathroom and god, I looked horrible. My hair and my beard were unkempt that I really looked like a mad man. I trimmed my beard to a few centimeters and I didn¡¯t like to shave it clean because it would make my skin itchy when it grows back. Shocking, I know, but I do have a sensitive skin. After that, I continued with my journey and the place seemed more familiar. I was getting closer to home and from my pace, I¡¯d probably be there at night. Of course, I wasn¡¯t expecting Jen to be there if she was still alive, but it would give me clues as to where she went. I just hoped that she survived the Merge and the earthquake.
Slime Lvl. 28
¡°KILL THEM! KILL THEM!¡± ¡°SHUT UP!¡± I screamed. The voices in my head were starting to speak in comprehensible language again and thank god, they stopped. I continued to kill every slimes on my way and looted them. These slimes, not only they could be frozen easily, were also extremely flammable. A spark of my flame was enough to evaporate them within seconds. I guess it¡¯s the price of being immune to physical attacks. Unlike the other day, the EXP per kill was much lower and levelling up while grinding these monsters were taking too slow. Although 0.61% per kill was considered fast in MMORPGs, in real life, it wasn¡¯t that fast because of non-programmed actions and I needed to be constantly aware of my environment. In MMORPGs, you can grind monsters over and over again while your mind is in ¡®auto-pilot¡¯ because all you have to do is click and tap some keyboard buttons. Unfortunately, real life didn¡¯t have macros. Sure, my skill [Auto-cast] can be considered as a macro, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Suddenly, one of the burning slimes spat out something as my mind slipped off and went on auto-pilot again. It spat out a slimy projectile and I tried my best to dodge it on the last second. Unfortunately, I was only partially successful in dodging and a handful of it got into the left side of my face. ¡°AHHHHH!!!¡± I let out a cry as the acid continued to dissolve my face. In my panic, I grabbed my staff and poured water directly to my eye to ease myself from the pain and to remove the acid. After a few splashes of water, the acid was completely removed, but I was blind in my left eye. As the slimes surrounded me, I stood up and unleashed a ring of flames to burn all the slimes in my fury. Not minding the pain, I burned every single slimes around me leaving nothing behind but smoking remains on the ground.
Level up!
I tried to find more of them, but I think that¡¯s all. Damn it! My eye was stinging in pain. There was a building nearby and I immediately entered it to cover myself from the monsters while I heal my wound. I sat down to the floor and took out a mirror from my inventory to assess the damage. The acid burnt almost half of my face and my eyeball was melted off completely. I cast [Heal] on myself to fix my disfigured face. The burnt skin fell off to the floor and healed. Although it was a success, the skin was scarred and it looked like scales. My left eye was missing and only a hollow eye socket was all that was left. It was still morning, so I decided to delay my journey for the day and try to restore my eyeball as much as possible. I cast [Living Matter Manipulation] and analyzed my right eye thoroughly. After I memorized its size, tissues, cells and its entire structure, I cast the spell again to grow my eye from the optic nerve. The pain was unbearable as if the spell was discouraging me from restoring my left eye. I pulled out a face towel from my inventory and placed it in my mouth in order to prevent me from biting off my tongue. There were times that I fainted because of pain and wake up doing it all over again. After several hours of forcing to grow my eye, I gave up and called it a day. I was fuming over the loss of a limb and now, the loss of my eye and that was just in a span of two fucking days. Goddammit! My luck was at all time low. As much as I wanted to hunt down every slimes in this area and perhaps tear down the dungeon itself, I was so close to my destination and I would finally return home. As I calmed myself down, I noticed that I was in a small drugstore. I looked around to see what I could use. I grabbed all the bottles of Valium and Ritalin I could find. I knew that self medication was dangerous and drinking both of them at the same time would surely fucked me up. But I once read that Valium could help me in my anxiety and Ritalin can help me focus. Anyway, these drugs would only be my last resort when I¡¯m really desperate. Maybe I can get myself high when I have the time. I also found an eye patch. I wore the eye patch to cover my left eye and when I looked myself in the mirror, for the first time, I was pleased with my appearance. Holy shit on a stick! I really looked badass with an eye patch, especially with the scaly scar on my left face. I looked like a plump version of The Governor in The Walking Dead. Not in the comic book, mind you, but the TV series. Now that I have all the drugs I needed. I decided to try again. I regretted that I didn¡¯t take pain killers when I restored my left eye. God, I was stupid! I didn¡¯t realize earlier that I was in a drugstore. I took a few tablets of pain killers. I¡¯ve waited for a few minutes for the drugs to take effect and I cast [Living Matter Manipulation] on my left eye. Like the first try, the pain wasn¡¯t lessened even for a bit. In fact, it was more painful. I stopped casting my magic and tried to grab a knife and made a small incision in my arm to make sure the drug was effective. I came into conclusion that the pain from using my magic wasn¡¯t physical, but mental. More like magical, actually. It didn¡¯t make any sense at all. I took out a corpse of a dire wolf to experiment with my magic. I did the same thing last night. Analyzing the anatomy of the wolf then using my magic to modify its body structure. I had an idea that perhaps I could use the dire wolf¡¯s eyeball to replace my eye, but I decided against it as it could turn me into an Abomination. It was clear that I was doing something wrong with my magic. What the hell was that pain? Even with my passive skill [Masochism], the pain was unbearable. It was possible that this was the same reason why Jormund and his Abominations became crazy. I think it¡¯s already midnight and I couldn¡¯t sleep. With nothing else to do, I looked around the drugstore and I found a locked door in the back near the freezer. I was curious, so I forced the lock to open by heating it up until it melted. I raised my staff to prepare myself. I didn¡¯t know what monster to expect in that dark room. I summoned a small flame on the top of my staff to guide my way into the darkness. The room has a metal spiral staircase leading downstairs into the basement. Whatever it was, it¡¯s obvious that the owner of this place had a secret. There were dozens of pots of plants that I suspected to be marijuana. The owner was growing weed in the basement at the place of his business. How ironic that he chose drugstore as a front for his illegal operations. I was actually expecting meth rather than weed. There were also processed weeds packed in plastic which I assumed were ready to be sold and a wooden pipe used to smoke it. I opened my inventory screen and unfortunately, there was no more space. I took out some unnecessary items from my inventory like the wolves¡¯ corpses and some junk weapons and stored the bags and pots of weed. I was thinking that these weeds would fetch a high price in the market and I should try some too. I took the wooden smoking pipe and went upstairs to get high. You see, never in my life I ever did any drugs. And when I say drugs, those drugs that could get me high and illegal drugs. My mom was a cop and a very strict. She actually had me take a drug test when I was in high school because I was suspected that I was doing drugs even though I was doing really good at school. It was only a false rumor and some dumbass teachers and even the principal and my favorite science teacher believed it too. I suspected that it was the same reason why I was not chosen as a valedictorian in our batch and that bitch who earned that award was probably the one who started the rumor. I was completely innocent and the only persons who believed me was Eric, Dianne, Jen and my mom. My mom only did what she did because she wanted to prove those assholes that I was innocent. That day I realized that the world doesn¡¯t care whether you are innocent or not. People are always quick to judge and with or without proof, they will believe whatever they want to believe. It¡¯s unfair, but that is how the world works. Only fools like my mom would believe that there is justice in this world. Anyway, enough with that. It was my first time to get high. It was a shame that I would experience this alone. I prefer to share it with others. Eric and Richard would probably join me on this trip. I don¡¯t know if Claire, Dianne or Melissa would allow it though. I put a pinch of weed inside the pipe. I summoned a small flame on my finger and lit it. I was nervous and excited at the same time and my mind was having second thoughts of doing it. Fuck this. I will get high this night and no one can stop me! I took a puff and let the smoke ravaged my lungs. It¡¯s unhealthy, I know, but I already lost a hand and an eye in just two days on my journey. I was more afraid of dying from the monsters than from lung cancer. After a few minutes, I started to feel the effect. It was awesome. I felt like I was floating in the clouds and the voices inside my head were like whispers of seductive women. If this was the effect of weed on me, I¡¯d definitely smoke this shit every day. I was glad that I probably have all the weed for an entire lifetime. But then, I had an uncontrollable urge to laugh at every single thing I saw. I was reading my book about the monsters and wow! I never realized before that this book was ridiculous. I snuffed out the smoke and stopped smoking. I think I had enough weed and I was getting too high. The sun would rise in a few hours, so I decided to sleep for a bit.
I think it was already late in the morning when I woke up. While I was asleep, my mind seemed to be completely awake and it stayed aware as I think of another way to restore my limb. I took out the dire wolf¡¯s corpse again and continued where I left off last night. I cut off a forearm of the wolf and removed the skin and muscles using [Living Matter Manipulation]. My idea was to see with my own eyes (Correction: eye) on how the spell really works. Using my sword¡¯s blade, I cut the bone into two, then I used my magic to glue it together. I also tried to crush a bone into a fine powder and used my magic to rebuild the bones. Surprisingly, it worked. Although the bone¡¯s shape was flawed compared to its original shape, the bone dusts were turned into a piece of solid bone again. This means that I could use this spell to make another hand and reattach it to the stump of my left hand. The problem with that solution? First was the fleshy part of the hand. I could try to use my own flesh to cover the bones, but that would also be painful. Second, my body would probably reject new hand. It will rot and I will go into a septic shock. And finally, there¡¯s a possibility that the operation would turn me into an Abomination. The risk was unacceptable. No matter. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll come up with another idea. On the bright side, It was great that I didn¡¯t have a nightmare. Ever since I left Camp Aguinaldo, not once, did I have a nightmare. Although I could still hear the whispers, I felt better and much more energetic than ever. I looked around the drugstore again to make a last sweep the place for valuables before I leave. I was excited that there might be more hidden treasures around this place like the weeds I found last night. Alas, I found nothing but junk. I decided to continue my journey. I¡¯d probably reach our house this afternoon considering the fact that I¡¯d fight monsters on the way. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I fought the slimes with [Chain Hellfire], but as soon as they burn, I ran into cover until they die. I was successful at preventing them from spitting at me and I realized that I was just lucky the other day that they didn¡¯t try their acid spit attack on me. This time I was extremely careful even if the monster density was lessened from my grinding on the other day. As I reached Ilugin river, I noticed that there were no more slimes on the other side of the bridge. I stopped for a while to observe. The corpses lying on the road were surprisingly fresh and even though the blood and the guts on the ground were rotting and dry, some of the corpses have fresh open wounds. I had a bad feeling about this. You see, back in the university, this was almost same scene where we walked into a sleeping undead horde. Although they were easy to kill and I knew a way to hide myself from them, I couldn¡¯t remove the image in my head of thousands of flesh eating corpses chasing us. I was a little bit traumatized from that incident. Now, at least I was the one who saw them first and they were unaware of my presence. I think the reason why these zombies haven¡¯t crossed this river was probably because of the slimes. Slimes can consume anything in their path, including the bones and, possibly, the zombie¡¯s dark mana. I let out a deep sigh and stood up as I gathered what remained of my courageous balls. I wasn¡¯t really afraid of the zombies, but I was afraid that Jen turned into one. I hope not. If she does, however, I don¡¯t think I could kill her. I pointed my staff at the lying corpses and used [Chain Hellfire] to burn them. I was correct in my suspicion though. Well, technically correct. The best kind of correct. They were zombies but a different kind. The fast kind.
Fast Zombie Lvl. 14
When the flames touched their bodies, they woke up and tried to stand up, but they fell to the ground and let out a shriek as the flames devoured their bodies in mere seconds. When I finished off all the zombies near the bridge, I left one of the fast zombies and I decided to kill it with [Rock Bullet]. I wasn¡¯t taking any chances with these kind of zombies. I haven¡¯t seen them run yet, but once I¡¯m bitten, it¡¯s over. Once I¡¯ve taken care off of the zombies around me, I took out the dried ¡®gutsy¡¯ piece of cloth I wore back in the university and covered it with fresh blood and guts. It seemed that my nose became insensitive with this kind of smell. As soon as I was done with my preparations, I walked through the zombie infested streets while I burned everything in my path. The zombies tried to get up and randomly flail at the unseen attacker. Some of them have guessed where I was. Obviously, they couldn¡¯t get far. ¡°AHHHH!!! HELP ME!¡± There was a scream in the distance. The zombies must¡¯ve heard it too, because the voice woke them up and went in the direction of the sound and ignored me. The zombies sprinted with fervor as if they have found their meal. I didn¡¯t know where the sound came, so I ran and followed the running zombies. Have you ever watched World War Z or Train to Busan? I hate those kinds of zombies and the zombies around me were like those in the movies. First, they¡¯re too fast and I¡¯m too fat. Second, they were faster in a horde because they were pushing each other forward. ¡°AHHHH!!!¡± ¡°JEN! NOOOO!¡± Someone shouted ¡®Jen¡¯. Could it be? I felt the adrenaline surge in my body as I heard a bloodcurdling scream of a woman. I ran while I repeatedly cast [Rock Bullet] around me. When I arrived at where the scream came from, there was a woman and a girl on the top of a trailer truck. The truck was about to fall over because of the number of zombies pushing the truck in order to get them. ¡°AHHHHHH! NOOO-¡° I looked around and saw dozens of zombies feasting on someone on the ground. I cast [Earth Wall] around the woman and the girl in the truck as I burn the rest of the zombies to ashes. I also cast [Tailwind] to prevent me and the others from suffocating. I was hoping that whoever the zombies were feasting, it wished that it wasn¡¯t my sister. As soon as the zombies around the woman were dead, I sprinted towards her to look. It was clear that she was already dead as the body was ripped open and gnawed. I let out a deep sigh as I realized that it wasn¡¯t my sister. It just happened that she and my sister had the same name. ¡°Help us!¡± The girl shouted. Oh, I almost forgot the two survivors on the top of the truck. There were hundreds of zombies around us and they were trying to climb the wall. Again, I cast [Chain Hellfire] and since my mana pool and control were high, I easily killed all of the zombies in a few minutes and to save mana, I cast the spell for only 2 seconds per zombie and let the burning effect take care the rest of their HP. They were too close to each other and they easily caught fire.
Level up!
Remarkably, I only spent two thirds of my entire mana pool to kill every zombies surrounding us. I was getting really good with magic. After I rested for a bit, I decided to move on and leave the two survivors on their own. Anyway, I was only worried that the woman who died was my sister. As I turned my back from the survivors, I felt a slight tug on my robe. ¡°Good sir...¡± The voice said. ¡°Please help my fwiend, nyah!¡± Did she say ¡®nyah¡¯? I rubbed my eye to make sure that I wasn¡¯t hallucinating. What the fuck is she? ¡°Are you for real?¡± I asked with a tone of suspicion. ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you, nyah!¡± The girl pleaded and embraced my leg. Holy shit! IT¡¯S A CAT GIRL! A real live cat girl! I stared at her for a bit. She¡¯s just a little girl and judging from her looks and height she¡¯s around 5-6 years old. She was like a typical cat girl in anime, except that this wasn¡¯t even an anime. Cat ears, whiskers on her cheeks and an orange tail on her back. She¡¯s really cute! Especially with those begging cat eyes. It reminds me of Puss in Boots¡¯ eyes in Shrek. I approached the other survivor to see what was wrong as the girl didn¡¯t let go of her grip on my robe. The woman seemed to have been bitten on her shoulder and she was ¨C blonde? You see, in the Philippines, naturally blonde hair was almost non-existent. Except, if the person was a foreigner or an albino. Obviously, this woman wasn¡¯t an albino. I found her pretty, probably prettier than Claire, even though blondes weren¡¯t my particular taste in women. She stared at me and mumbled something. I placed my ear near her lips to hear her better. ¡°Kill me. Just kill me.¡± The woman whispered. ¡°Are you sure? I can heal you.¡± I asked. ¡°Probably.¡± The woman did not respond, but her blue eyes that were once filled with desperation, was replaced with hope. ¡°So do you want to live?¡± I asked. The woman nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± I know what you¡¯re thinking. It was a stupid question, but I didn¡¯t want to save someone who didn¡¯t want to be saved. If I never knew a spell that could cure her, I¡¯d probably do it. I might hesitate for a while, but I¡¯ll do it to spare someone from suffering. How would I know that she preferred to die than to live in this shitty apocalyptic world? It was a fair question. I placed my hand on her wound and healed it first. The woman groaned and gritted her teeth as her wounds heal. The first time I cured a zombie infection, Claire was pale and she had a fever because of the dark mana infection. But since the woman got her wound a few minutes ago, the dark mana occupied less than 2% of her mana core. I used [Mana Transfer] to push out all the dark mana from her core. It was easy since her mana core¡¯s size was small compared to Claire. I didn¡¯t know what her intelligence was, but I think it was 9-10. Average. And no, I don¡¯t believe that blondes are dumb. Anyone can be dumb be it, blondes, brunettes, redheads, big tits or small tits. ¡°Is it done?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah, you won¡¯t turn into one of them.¡± I said to her. The cat girl immediately embraced the woman and cried. The blonde woman¡¯s face seemed familiar. I think I¡¯ve seen her before, but I just couldn¡¯t point it out. Whatever. I have no business of staying with them, so I stood up and walked away. ¡°Wait!¡± The woman shouted. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Can we come with you?¡± She asked. ¡°No.¡± I shook my head and walked away. Saving a pretty damsel in distress wasn¡¯t my intention. The truth was I really didn¡¯t care what would happen to them. I healed the blonde woman because the cat girl asked me to and she wouldn¡¯t leave me alone if I didn¡¯t do anything. I couldn¡¯t protect myself very well. They¡¯re probably useless and would drag me down. I didn¡¯t have the time nor the energy for burden like them. As I walked through the road, I noticed that the two survivors were following me. I tried to ignore them as I killed the sleeping zombies with my fire magic. They were too distracting and I couldn¡¯t resist, but to kill the zombies trying to get them. The zombies were attracted to their smell. ¡°Stop following me!¡± I shouted. The woman and the cat girl stopped in their tracks as they hunched their shoulders. It was obvious that they were afraid of me. Well, I¡¯d be afraid of me too. ¡°W-we¡¯re not following you.¡± The woman replied as she stuttered. ¡°Then what are you doing?¡± ¡°We¡¯re just- we¡¯re going in the same direction.¡± ¡°What a lame excuse.¡± I said to her. ¡°Now, shoo. I don¡¯t need a burden.¡± After a few steps, I heard footsteps still following me. I think they were more afraid of the zombies than me. I turned around and glared at them. The blonde woman raised her fire axe and returned my death glare while the cat girl trembled and hid behind her back. ¡°Now, what did I say about following me? Sorry lady, but I don¡¯t think I can cure deafness nor stupidity.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need your protection. We can take care of ourselves.¡± She bragged.
Player: ???
Player: ???
¡°Right.¡± I muttered. ¡°If you¡¯re planning to stick around for a while, you should rub your clothes with zombie guts, so they won¡¯t attack you. You¡¯re like a big sign that says lunch time.¡± I said as I threw a pair of gloves. The woman reluctantly did what I said. She was gagging from the smell and snarled at me as she rubbed zombie guts all over her clothes and the cat girl¡¯s. She even mumbled ¡°asshole¡± when she thought I wasn¡¯t listening. I ignored her and waited for them to finish. ¡°You done?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± She said with a fake smile. ¡°Do you even know who I am?¡± The aura she was emitting set off my danger meter. It was a red alarm and it said ¡®Entitled bitch¡¯. Did she seriously think I cared? For fuck¡¯s sake. All women I met were ungrateful cunts, entitled bitches and idiots? ¡°Nope.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Is this a case of amnesia? Or are you just too dumb to remember your name?¡± The woman approached and stood in front of me. She stood up straight with her chin raised up and looked down on me. I think she¡¯s trying to intimidate me or something. She was much taller than me and she was at least 6 feet in height. It sucks to be Asian. ¡°I¡¯m Daria Swann.¡± She said. ¡°And so?¡± ¡°Do you live in a cave or something?¡± Ah, that¡¯s why she looked oddly familiar. She¡¯s a singer. From what I remembered, she was prettier before, but now, I think it was just because of make-up and that she was younger. I think she was 16 when I saw her concert, but that was 6 years ago. She changed a lot from what I can tell, but I guess, this was her real attitude. ¡°Do you really think your fame means anything now?¡± I retorted. ¡°I saved both of your asses earlier and I never heard a single ¡®thank you¡¯.¡± ¡°T-thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± I said. ¡°Now, get off of my face!¡± Daria stepped back and tried her best to keep her composure. I continued to walk my way to our house, but this useless cunt and the cat girl still followed me even though they claimed that they didn¡¯t need my protection. I totally regretted saving these two.
Author''s Notes: I was extremely busy with mywork and I only had an hour per day to write. Don''t worry though. I won''t drop this story and I intend to finish this one. It''s a long shot though. Anyway, if I ever slow down again, you don''t have to worry. It''s probably because I''m busy. By the way, if there is someone willing to make a cover for this fiction, please PM me. I don''t have money, obviously. But I will make sure to give you credit the cover. ARC 2: Chapter 26: Piper Chapter 26: Piper The travel was surprisingly uneventful and we¡¯ve encountered very few plague rats on the way. Only the charred remains of rats remained scattered throughout the streets of Pasig and we¡¯ve only killed 7 so far. Even then, we¡¯ve been very careful killing the monsters. I advised the whole group to absolutely not to get bitten by one of them. They were named plague rats for a reason and I absolutely have no interest in finding out why. [This way!] ¨C Dianne [Slow down, Dianne.] ¨C Claire [I think I found where he stayed for the night.] ¨C Dianne Dianne¡¯s pace seemed to quicken as she found more and more of Miguel¡¯s trail. Though it was probably a race for time, I bet Miguel was doing okay at that moment. The skies were dark since morning and a few hours later, it rained. I think it was already 5-6pm as the skies were darker than usual. [I found something!] ¨C Dianne [What?] - Eric [I think Miguel stayed in this house.] ¨C Dianne [How did you know?] ¨C Eric [Look at the doorway. I think Miguel used his magic.] - Dianne According to Dianne, the doorway had a clue that Miguel really did stay in that house. The ground was loose and it has a small, but unusual vertical rock formation protruding on the ground. We showed it to Richard and he confirmed that it was true. He said that Miguel probably used earth magic to block the doorway to secure the building. [Come on. Let¡¯s go. I think we¡¯re getting close to him.] ¨C Dianne [The sun will set in a few hours, Dianne. We should spend the night here.] ¨C Claire [But Miguel could spend days without sleeping. He¡¯d be long gone and we¡¯ll never catch up.] ¨C Dianne [I don¡¯t think Miguel is stupid enough to venture out in the dark. He won¡¯t risk it.] ¨C Melissa [Besides, it¡¯s more dangerous to fight monsters without seeing them. I could use my fire magic to light the way, but I¡¯ll run out of mana in case of emergency.] - Richard [Fine.] ¨C Dianne As we entered the house, Richard used his earth magic to rebuild the wall on the doorway. While Miguel can do it in an instant, he spent a few seconds before he could finish the wall. No wonder how Miguel could survive alone in this place. ¡°We need to look for food tomorrow.¡± I said. ¡°There should be at least a store we can loot on the way.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on it.¡± Dianne said. ¡°I wonder if Miguel¡¯s doing okay.¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably doing fine by himself and I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll starve. The only thing that worries me is that he already looted everything on his way, leaving nothing for us.¡± Melissa said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he can carry everything in his inventory. He probably has more food than us ever since we looted that convenience store.¡± Eric said. Note to self: kill Colonel Medina the next time I see him. The deal was a total rip-off. Even though we got out of Camp Aguinaldo with our lives, we would probably starve to death before the monsters could kill us. Plus, all of our money was also taken. We should¡¯ve taken the risk of fighting those soldiers who held Melissa captive instead of surrendering. All that was left of our food was canned sardines and junk food. All of our rice in storage was also taken by the Colonel. I instructed them to eat two cans of sardines per day and that would last for at least four days. Since they were ready-to-eat, there was no need to cook them and I also advised them to save their energy by doing less physical activities as much as possible so they wouldn¡¯t be hungry all the time. Unfortunately, that would also mean that I would have to stop my training temporarily until we find more food. Back in Camp Aguinaldo, I found out that I could level up my skill [Lacerating Strike] by using it repeatedly even on an inanimate object, albeit rather slowly. Beth and Gerry volunteered to take the first watch and Eric and Melissa would take the next shift. Beth kept on rubbing her face on her shiny two handed battle axe. She bought her new weapon before we had our first mission and discarded her spear and shield. She also mentioned that she bought new skills from the market such as [Cleave] and [Axe Mastery] that goes with her weapon. Gerry, on the other hand, finally got his own snare drum. He did buy a new skill called [Drums of War] which increases attack and defense of all party members. I remembered that he used it on our first mission and we did feel its effect. The night was still young, so we went to do our own personal business. I took out my book about magic which Miguel traded for the necklace I gave to him. It was a rip-off, I¡¯d tell you. Contrary to his belief, I had every intention of giving it back to him. Though I already finished reading it, it was a good way to kill time. On the other day, I think I had an idea on how illusion spells work when I was reading this book in Camp Aguinaldo. Basically, [Charm] works like hypnotism. In my theory, you can control what kind of illusion a person would see. For example, when you cast default [Charm], the target would perceive what he desired the most, but the problem with default setting of this spell was that it has a chance of not working. A fiercely loyal dog would find that the one they desired most is their master thus they will be harmless while a ravenous dog would find their love of meat and they would probably attack the illusion rather than being harmless. So in order to make the skill work, I have to reconfigure the illusion manually. That was just my theory. One more theory of mine was to overload the target¡¯s senses with illusion. That could work, but I think it would cost more mana than the default [Charm]. Anyway, all I need is a second of illusion to distract the enemy and that way, I could conserve my mana. I haven¡¯t tried my theories yet and unfortunately, my test dummy, Miguel, wasn¡¯t here. ¡°Hey, Dianne.¡± I called. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you mind if I test my skill [Charm] on you? I have something I wanted to test.¡± ¡°No.¡± Dianne shook her head as she tinkered with her potions. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± It was unfair that Dianne didn¡¯t want to return the favor of being my test dummy. I mean, back when she made her first potion, I was the one she asked to try it and I agreed. Since yesterday, her overall demeanor has changed for the worst. She became cold and it¡¯s like she became a different person. Maybe I was just over thinking and she was just having a bad day, obviously. Anyway, I didn¡¯t want to force her, so I asked the others to volunteer. Eric, Richard, Beth and Gerry avoided my stare and they obviously didn¡¯t want to volunteer. I turned to Mark, but he waved his hand and shook his head. Melissa, on the other hand, stared at me and she looked curious about it. ¡°So Mel, is it okay if I test [Charm] on you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your crowd-something skill right?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Crowd control skill.¡± Eric corrected her. ¡°Yeah, whatever. Is it dangerous?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯ll be safe. I just want you to tell me what you¡¯re going to see when I use it on you.¡± ¡°Looks simple. But I don¡¯t know.¡± Melissa said as she scratched her head. ¡°I promise you, it¡¯s safe. I tried it on Miguel once, but it didn¡¯t work on him. I actually never tested it on another person after that.¡± ¡°Alright, so what do I do?¡± ¡°Just look me in the eyes and tell me what you¡¯ll see okay?¡± I thought convincing her would be harder, but I guess she was curious enough to be my test dummy. As Melissa stared at me, I began to cast [Charm]. After a few seconds, her eyes opened wide and showed a happy expression. ¡°I do.¡± Melissa said. Eric looked at her and furrowed his brow in confusion. Everyone, except for Dianne, became curious and they stopped for a moment to see what was going on. ¡°So what did you see?¡± I asked as I stopped the spell. As Melissa snapped out of the illusion, her happy expression instantly turned into a frown. ¡°What did you see?¡± ¡°Uhmm¡­¡± She blushed. ¡°It worked, alright.¡± ¡°Come on. Just tell me what you saw in details.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°No.¡± She said as she looked away. ¡°All I can tell you is that it¡¯s like I saw the future or something.¡± If I had to guess, it could be that she saw Eric. No matter. That was just the default [Charm]. ¡°Just one more, okay? This time it will be different.¡± I said to her. ¡°Okay.¡± I cast [Charm] one more time and I imagined in my mind what she was going to see. I wanted her to see something other than Eric. Melissa stretched out her hand and stroked the empty air like she was petting a dog. She also sniffed out the air and when she exhaled, the look of pleasure in her face was apparent. ¡°Now, what did you see?¡± I asked again. ¡°A shitzu!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°And what else?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a ¨C grilled steak. It looked delicious. There¡¯s also music. It¡¯s in German or something. It¡¯s weird. I don¡¯t speak German, but I can understand it.¡± When I cast my spell, I imagined three things: A small cuddly dog and a juicy and delicious steak while playing Ode to Joy. I did this to confirm if I could also affect her other senses. She even saw the fine details of what I imagined.
For figuring out how illusion spells work, the SYSTEM rewarded you with the following: Reward(s): Perk: Illusion Affinity Effect: Increases effectiveness of Illusion spells by 30%
It was tempting to test my second theory to overload Melissa¡¯s senses with illusion and perhaps, I can get another reward from the SYSTEM, but that could be dangerous. It may damage her mind permanently and I should probably test it on a monster instead of a person. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± I replied. ¡°Is that a new skill?¡± ¡°Nope, it¡¯s the same skill, actually. I found out that I can control what a person will see while charmed.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Melissa grinned. ¡°Can you show me that steak illusion again? I want to eat it.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not real. You won¡¯t be¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s been a while since I ate a steak.¡± She said. ¡°Alright. It¡¯ll level up my skill anyway.¡± I cast [Charm] on Melissa and showed her an illusion of a grilled steak. As far as I can tell, she was enjoying it even if it wasn¡¯t real. She kept on commenting on how good the taste was and even requested a second serving. In the end, she looked satisfied even if it was just an illusion. ¡°So how was it?¡± I asked. Melissa raised her thumb up. ¡°I¡¯m stuffed.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± I guess it was mind over matter thing? Her brain could¡¯ve believed that she really ate the steak and made her feel stuffed. Too bad I couldn¡¯t cast my spell on myself. After that, we went on doing our own business. I decided to go to sleep early as we still have a long way to go.
The sun was already up, so I stood up and I found out that the others were already awake. I made a note to myself kill the habit of oversleeping. Even though all of us were starving, we decided to eat as little as possible for breakfast until we find food on the way. After we ate breakfast, I called the others for a meeting before heading out. Dianne took out the map from her inventory and laid it on the floor for everyone to see. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Gerry asked. ¡°Obviously, we need to find food.¡± I said. ¡°I thought the plan was to follow the trail and find food on the way?¡± Beth asked. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the original plan, but if we just follow the trail, there¡¯s a chance we won¡¯t find any. Miguel could¡¯ve already looted the place. Does anyone of you know a place we can loot?¡± ¡°I know one.¡± Dianne said as she pointed at the map. ¡°I already surveyed this area along C. Raymundo Avenue. There were almost no plague rats there and I saw a bakery near the forest. We can check that out.¡± ¡°A forest?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Yeah, I scouted the area last night while you were sleeping. Though I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s still any food left in that place.¡± Dianne answered. I didn¡¯t know that there was a forest in Pasig. I mean, it¡¯s a highly urbanized city. Did a forest just grow in the middle of a city? I guess I¡¯ll find out soon enough. Anyway, even though what Dianne did last night was stupid and dangerous, I think she did a good job of scouting the way in advance. ¡°What if there¡¯s nothing there?¡± Richard asked. ¡°Then we¡¯ll hunt something in the forest.¡± Dianne replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find something there.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s too dangerous. I think we should avoid the forest as much as possible. If I were Miguel, I would go around the forest. But hunting monsters in the forest would be our last resort.¡± ¡°So we go to the bakery, we go around the forest? If no food, we hunt?¡± Eric asked. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it, yeah.¡± I said. ¡°Dianne, can you try to find another option on the way?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± With that, the meeting ended and we continued on with the journey. Dianne led us to where she saw the bakery along Miguel¡¯s trail. We fought a few remaining plague rats on the way, but they were dealt with quickly. It took us at least an hour before we reached the bakery. Dianne was right though. There really was a forest a few meters near the bakery. We entered and searched the building and secured it first. We didn¡¯t find any monsters inside, but we found four rotting corpses lying on the floor. As expected, the place was already sacked by other survivors and, possibly, by Miguel. Luckily for us, we found some flour hidden from sight in the kitchen and it¡¯s possible that whoever looted the place didn¡¯t see it. In the end, we found two sacks of flour which was already enough for all of us. ¡°Damn it! They even took all the baking powder!¡± Melissa complained. ¡°What else can we make with these?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Well, we can make noodles. Just plain noodles though. Maybe with some soy sauce? I don¡¯t know.¡± Melissa let out a deep sigh. ¡°God, that sucks.¡± Richard said. ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing.¡± I said to them. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Melissa stored the sacks of flour in her inventory and we continued to follow the trails where it led us to a thick and lush forest. As expected, the forest has grown in the middle of concrete road and vines and other kinds of vegetation grew on the ruins of the city. [Wait!] ¨C Dianne [What is it?] ¨C Claire [The trail. It ends here.] ¨C Dianne Dianne stomped her feet in frustration as she tried to find clues. The trail ends at the entrance of the forest. Since yesterday, we just followed the burnt corpses of plague rats that Miguel left. ¡°So what now?¡± Eric asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know where Miguel is right now, but I don¡¯t think he went inside the forest.¡± I said. ¡°How do you know?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Well, first of all, he¡¯s not stupid. There are probably more dangerous monster in that forest and he won¡¯t risk it. Second, he needs more space for his fire magic. He¡¯ll suffocate to death if he burns one of these trees.¡± ¡°So you think he went around the forest?¡± ¡°Yeah, he probably did. Besides, even if the trail ends here, we know where he¡¯s going. Dianne, you know their house, right?¡± Dianne nodded. ¡°Yeah, I know where he lived. But what if-¡° We were interrupted when we heard a strange sound coming from the bushes. We all drew our weapons as we prepared for the unknown creature to attack us.
Wild Mushroom Boar Lvl. 17
[A mushroom boar!] ¨C Melissa [A what?] ¨C Eric [Mushroom boars! My book said that its meat is delicious! Hurry, kill that thing!] ¨C Melissa As soon as the mushroom boar announced its presence to us, it lowered its head and scratched the ground with its hoof and prepared to charge at us. It was twice the size of a pig. Before it could make a move, Dianne quickly drew her bow and shot the creature. -204 HP! Critical Hit! Even though the arrow landed on its head, the mushroom boar flinched for a bit and charged straight forward. Even with its weight, it was surprisingly fast on its feet. Luckily for us, we managed to dodge its charge attack and it couldn¡¯t stop its inertia easily. Melissa drew her bow and a transparent and glowing arrow appeared in her hand. She released the arrow and shot the boar on its neck. -167 HP! Target Died ¡°FINALLY, SOME MEAT! WOOHOO!¡± Melissa shouted in celebration as she rushed towards the boar carcass. We all followed and rushed towards the boar and curiously examined it. The boar has pretty orange mushrooms growing on its back. I tried to pick one, but Melissa grabbed my wrist before I could touch it. ¡°Don¡¯t touch the mushroom. It¡¯s poisonous.¡± She said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that orange fairy mushroom?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°I think so. The book said it¡¯s poisonous when raw, but it did say that it¡¯s delicious if you remove its poison by boiling it in water.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to eat the mushroom. I just ¨C don¡¯t trust the color.¡± Mark said. ¡°I agree. We should just leave the mushroom and take the meat.¡± I said. ¡°Well then.¡± Dianne wore her gloves and took out her dagger. ¡°I¡¯ll take the mushrooms. I need it for my potions.¡± ¡°You mean poisons?¡± ¡°Well, it can be used for that. Actually, the orange fairy mushroom extract is the key ingredient for antidotes.¡± As Dianne took the mushroom from the boar¡¯s back, we decided to stay for a while and wait for Melissa to carve the mushroom boar for its meat. I asked Melissa if she really knew how to carve it and she said that she used to butcher their backyard grown pigs every fiesta back in Palawan as they didn¡¯t have money to pay the slaughter house. After a few hours, she stored the meat in her inventory. We didn¡¯t have time to cook it on the field and we ate sardines and potato chips for lunch. It wasn¡¯t satisfying, but at least, we¡¯ll have a wonderful dinner in sun down. We went around the forest instead of going in deep. There was a clearing on the west side of the forest and Dianne said that it had a very low monster density. Just harmless strange animals wandering and dining on the grass. There was a wolf pack on the way that were as large as horses. We didn¡¯t expect them to be aggressive like the other animals on the clearing, but, as soon as they saw our group coming, they banded together and growled at us.
Dire Wolf Lvl. 18
Dire Wolf Lvl. 18
Dire Wolf Lvl. 18
Dire Wolf Lvl. 18
Dire Wolf Lvl. 18
Dire Wolf Alpha Lvl. 22
There were only 6 wolves on the pack, but with their sheer body size, they looked more difficult to handle. Gerry took out his snare drum and cast [War Drums]. As we felt the effect of the spell, I cast [Berserker¡¯s Howl] to prepare us for battle. [Dianne, Melissa, take out the largest one. The rest of you, close formation.] ¨C Claire Mark and Eric, the ones with shields, got close to each other as they block anything that will try to attack Gerry, Richard and Melissa. Meanwhile, Beth and I took the right and left flank. -302 HP! Sneak Attack! Dianne shoot her arrow to the largest wolf in the middle. I half-expected for it to be killed instantly, but all it did was to make the wolves angrier. They charged all at once to our formation and one of the dire wolves pounced on me with its claw. -120 HP! Debuff: Bleeding Before it could pin me down, I dodged the wolf¡¯s attack by rolling to the side, but its claw caught my shoulder. If not for my skill [Troll¡¯s Skin], I would¡¯ve felt the full effect of the attack. It didn¡¯t hurt as much as it looked. Luckily, Mark saw that I was injured and cast [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing]. +100 HP ¡°HAAAAAAAAAA!!!¡± I shouted as loud as I could and cast [Wail of Agony]. -92 HP! Target is Stunned! Like the gnolls, dire wolves seemed to have sensitive hearing and the wolf that attacked me whimpered as it flinched. I dashed forward to the enemy and used [Lacerating Strike] while aiming my slash on its legs. -151 HP! -201 HP! Target is Bleeding! I left the dire wolf behind and let it bleed to death. I went to the others to help them defeat the other wolves. It seemed that they¡¯ve already killed the largest one and the other wolf. Only three of them were left. Beth¡¯s battle axe glowed yellow as she used her skill [Cleave]. The battle axe swept through the wolf like soft butter and decapitated the wolf in one strike. Target Died The two others wolves realized that they couldn¡¯t win and tried to run. I used [Wail of Agony] once more to prevent them from running. As the wolves were left stunned by the loud sound, I charged towards the nearest wolf and pierced its torso with my sword. Target is Stunned! -291 HP! Critical Hit! Target is Bleeding! My sword was stucked as it was buried too deep in the wolf¡¯s body. I pulled it and used my leg to push the wolf out of my sword. I finished off the wolf by stabbing it repeatedly on the ground. Target Died [Wait, don¡¯t kill that last one!] ¨C Melissa [But why?] ¨C Eric [I want to test something.] ¨C Melissa The wolf limped and whimpered as it tried its best to get away from us. Meanwhile, Melissa ran towards it and took out a small piece of meat. ¡°Come here, girl.¡± Melissa said as she dangled the meat. ¡°Come here. I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that will work, Mel. It¡¯s not a dog.¡± Eric commented. ¡°And how the hell did you know it¡¯s a girl?¡± ¡°Shut up. Hey, Mark. Heal her.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± Mark hesitantly healed the wolf back to its health. The wolf stood up straight and whimpered as Melissa tried to give it the piece of meat. It was clear that the wolf was afraid of her. ¡°Come here. I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Melissa tossed the meat on the ground. The wolf was a bit cautious and backed off. It tried to sniff the meat on the ground and looked at Melissa as it checked on her. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t work, Mel. We almost killed it and we killed its friends. And that¡¯s not a dog. It¡¯s a wolf.¡± Eric said. As if not hearing anything, Melissa slowly approached the wolf as it snatched the meat. She grabbed another piece and dangled the meat. ¡°Come here.¡± The wolf licked its snout as it snatched the meat from Melissa¡¯s hand. She tried to pet the wolf, but this time, the wolf didn¡¯t seem to mind her. ¡°I tamed it.¡± ¡°Tamed? Just like that?¡± I asked. ¡°I have a skill, remember? [Companion: Beast]?¡± Melissa said as she rubbed the wolf¡¯s belly. ¡°From now on, I¡¯m gonna call you, Piper!¡±
Piper (Companion) has joined Boston Tea Party
ARC 2: Chapter 27: Going Home Chapter 27: Going Home ¡°Papa! Papa, wake up!¡± I tried to slowly wake up, but a blinding light struck my eyes. There were three small figures of people standing in front of my bed. ¡°Papa! I¡¯m going to be late at school!¡± The child in the middle said. ¡°Wake up!¡± As I tried to make sense of what was happening, I realized that I was back again. ¡°Michael?¡± I embraced him tightly as I met him once again. I couldn¡¯t help but shed tears as I was back from a terrible dream. The twins, Daniel and Danielle, were also in the room with confused look. They looked exactly as I remembered. They were just three years old and Michael would turn eight this month. ¡°Papa.¡± Michael said. ¡°Were you having a bad dream again?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I replied as I also embraced the twins. ¡°I missed you guys so much.¡± ¡°Papa, I¡¯m going to be late at school. It¡¯s already 6:30!¡± ¡°No.¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re going to stay home today. I¡¯ll write a letter to your teacher.¡± ¡°But Papa, we have a test today!¡± He said in protest. ¡°Fine.¡± I said as I got up from my bed. ¡°What do you want for breakfast?¡± ¡°Pamcakes!¡± Danielle said as she hugged my leg. ¡°I want chocolate in my pangcakes!¡± The other twin said. I carried the twins on each arm as we all went downstairs. Normally, they¡¯d only have instant oatmeal as it was easy to prepare even though they hated it. But that day, I never thought I¡¯d see them again, so I cooked whatever they wanted for breakfast. That day we ate pancakes with chocolate chips. Kids do love it for sure. I noticed one thing though. I couldn¡¯t see Claire around. ¡°Where¡¯s Claire?¡± I asked. ¡°Mama didn¡¯t come home last night.¡± Michael said. ¡°Didn¡¯t she texted you last night and said something about her work?¡± Now that he mentioned it, I did remember that Claire texted me that she couldn¡¯t come home last night because of the audit work in their client. It was mid-august and though it wasn¡¯t the audit season, their client must be using fiscal period instead of the usual calendar period. Anyway, after the kids finished their breakfast, all of us went to the car as I took Michael to school. It was at least an hour ride to his school and let me tell you this, it was chaos. Not because of heavy traffic, but because Michael and the twins liked to play on the backseat. I tried my best to stop them, but my words fell deaf on their ears. Kids. ¡°Bye!¡± The twins waved at Michael as he rushed towards the school gate. As I drove back to our house, the twins seemed to be well-behaved. You can smell from a mile away that they wanted something from me that I won¡¯t probably give. Usually it¡¯s a toy or sweets, but sometimes, what they want is something impossible. Like on the other day, they asked me if I could buy them an airplane and when I said no, they transformed into little devils and threw tantrums for the rest of the day. ¡°Papa, can we have ice cream?¡± Daniel asked. I smiled in relief as the request was at least feasible. ¡°Later. We¡¯ll wait for your brother, and then we¡¯ll grab some ice cream, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The twins said in unison. As you can see, I decided to quit my work to take care of the children. I know that women usually do this thing, but being a stay at home dad has its perks. One of them is I can get naps. Nothing can ever beat naps. It wasn¡¯t that I did it for the naps, but I seemed to be more capable in taking care of the kids than Claire. She couldn¡¯t even handle the fury of the twins, Daniel and Danielle. Plus, I already gained enough experience and connection that I can now take clients of my own and work at home. Before my early retirement, my salary was big enough that Claire and I bought a decent house. But now, the fees I got from my personal clients were smaller compared to Claire¡¯s salary, but it¡¯s a start. Soon, I will have my own firm. There¡¯s nothing greater than earning money at home and seeing the kids grow at the same time. When we got back to our house, the twins rushed back inside and went upstairs. They were running around the house playing tag. They would probably spend their entire day running and all I can do was to remind them the ¡°no running¡± rule which will be unheard until one of them is crying. As I was working on my computer, I looked at my phone and read a new text message from Claire. ¡°I¡¯m coming home.¡±
¡°Hey.¡± A voice said. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I felt a slight tug on my robe. As I slowly regained consciousness, a tall blonde beauty stood in front of me as she waved her hand on my face trying to gain my attention. ¡°You stopped all of a sudden. What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked again. I looked around and realized that I was back at the terrible dream again. Or maybe this was the real world? I don¡¯t know anymore. I don¡¯t care. I just wanted to be back at- I noticed that a little girl with cat ears was staring at me as she hid behind the blonde girl¡¯s back. What was their name again? I already forgot. ¡°How long was I gone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The blonde woman said. ¡°You¡¯re just standing there and spaced out for a couple of minutes. I thought you were thinking or something. Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m fine.¡± I said to her. ¡°What¡¯s your name again?¡± ¡°Is that another insult?¡± The blonde woman furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°Anyway, just in case you¡¯re an idiot, this is Asharra and I¡¯m-¡° I raised my hand and interrupted her. It all came back into me like a wave of information suddenly jacked inside my brain. From what I remembered, this blonde bitch was a celebrity singer who was full of herself. ¡°Oh, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll just forget you again anyway.¡± Daria fumed silently as we went on our journey. She and Asharra still continued to follow me, even with my unwelcoming attitude. I just wanted her to receive the message that I didn¡¯t want her with me. As I remembered it, I was on my way home when I saved these two from the undead horde. I cured her from the zombie sickness, but she and the cat girl decided to stick with me like leeches on my balls. Not that they¡¯re currently sucking blood in my balls, but they¡¯re nearly there. I¡¯m sure. What can I say? I¡¯m a homing beacon for bitches. I won¡¯t mind it if it¡¯s only Asharra, the cat girl. She¡¯s just a kid and kids are easy to handle. Plus, she reminds me of one of my twin children, Danielle. She had her eyes, but I wonder if she had the same behaviour. ¡°Do you know any safe place? We travelled all the way from Manila because Jen said there¡¯s a military base around here.¡± She said. ¡°I know one.¡± I replied. ¡°But I¡¯m not going there.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Daria asked, raising her voice. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Just go west until you pass two rivers then go north. It¡¯s hard to miss.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going there?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°I got somewhere else to be.¡± Daria seemed to be in conflict when I gave them directions to Camp Aguinaldo. I stood up and went on with the journey. I expected them not to follow me after that, but they still ended up following me. After for what it seemed forever, I finally reached our house. Good lord, I almost expected it to be a ruin with the roof collapsed, but it was still in somewhat good condition with a just few cracks on the walls and a dusty roof. I prayed that Jen was fine and alive. The gates were locked, but thankfully, I still have the key to our house. I sprinted towards inside the house and looked around to see any clues as to what happened to my sister. Instead of a heart-warming reunion or a heart-wrenching revelation of truth, I didn¡¯t find anyone or anything inside our house, except for a message written on the wall of our living room. ¡°Miguel, if you ever find this message, we want you to know that we¡¯re okay. We¡¯re going east. Follow the signs.¡± I instantly recognized it as my mother¡¯s handwriting. I was overjoyed to learn that even my mother made it out alive in the first week of the apocalypse and managed to take my sister with her. I still wanted to see them though. The message on the wall seemed to be written in haste. ¡°This is your house, isn¡¯t it?¡± Daria asked as she stared at the wall. ¡°Don¡¯t you have somewhere else to go? I already told you where Camp Aguinaldo is.¡± A vein in her forehead popped and her face was red in anger. ¡°What the fuck is your problem?¡± I got to admit. It¡¯s only been a few hours since we met and I was acting like a real prick. She was drop dead gorgeous and as a cripple one-eyed guy with a terrible, terrible looks, I should¡¯ve been more thankful that a blonde goddess pop singer like her decided to accompany me on my journey. Do you know the feeling when you were a fan of a celebrity and when you¡¯re face-to-face with your idol, you have an urge to ask for an autograph or a selfie? Well, I don¡¯t. Actually, my feelings at that time were on reverse. I had an urge to punch her in the face and maybe break a bone or two. I have no idea why, but there was something in her that I didn¡¯t like. I couldn¡¯t pick it out, but somehow, I hated her. Just like how Claire hated me, I guess? ¡°Wasn¡¯t it obvious?¡± I asked. ¡°I told you to go away. What the hell are you still doing here?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we¡¯re a team?¡± ¡°I never said that¡± I shook my head. ¡°I said: if you¡¯re going to stick around, you should put zombie guts on your clothes, so that you won¡¯t be a bother to me. I never said we¡¯re a ¡®team¡¯.¡± ¡°Still sounds the same to me.¡± Daria said as she folded her arms. ¡°Hey, I have an idea! Why don¡¯t you take us there and we¡¯ll be off your back? Sounds good, right?¡± I didn¡¯t know if she was serious or she was being sarcastic and making fun of me. But I just happened to know the greatest solution to annoying and stubborn people: Ignoring them and pretending they don¡¯t exist. Of course, I understood her. If I were her, I would also stick with the one who could protect me. Surviving isn¡¯t easy when you can¡¯t protect yourself, so you suck it up. There¡¯s a chance that the person that can protect you would also be your demise, but either way, taking a chance by following an asshole is a better option than being eaten by a monster. That night, Daria, Asharra and I stayed at my house. The house was a mess and even my favorite couch was ruined. Not that they still have their uses, but the TV and my PC were ruined too. I went upstairs to further investigate and hoping that they left me more messages. Alas, I only found empty clothes cabinet. Well, they weren¡¯t exactly empty. Some of Jen¡¯s clothes were scattered all over her room. It was a terrible night. As if my bad luck streak was at all-time high. Not only I became a cripple the other day and lost my eye yesterday, today, I got myself a useless pretty songbird and a toddler cat girl as extra luggage. Everywhere I went around our house, they would follow me like dogs and they never let me out of their sight. Daria even helped herself with my sister¡¯s clothes. ¡°Are these your sister¡¯s?¡± She asked with a disappointed look on her face. ¡°They¡¯re a bit small for my size.¡± See what I¡¯m talking about? She even had the guts to complain as if our house was a shopping mall. Meanwhile, the cat girl imitates her and tried to put on an oversized shirt. I guess it was okay. I mean, Jen wouldn¡¯t need these hideous clothes anyway. I was itching for a bath, so I went to my room to indulge in my bathtub. Like a said, bathtubs in this country were almost an indication of wealth. As you would¡¯ve guessed, we were considered rich, but I can tell you, we were somewhere in middle class; perhaps upper middle class, but we¡¯re not as rich as Eric. You may wonder. How did a military general and a detective on a government payroll managed to have this house? My father takes bribes. My dad gets it from government officials to earn his support. I didn¡¯t know who they were exactly, but I only knew where my father got his because he told me himself. I think he even had a connection with the arms dealers that sold weapons to the terrorists. My mother, on the other hand, said that she never once took a bribe. Although she seemed to be an honest person, I doubted it. What a bunch of hypocrites, aren¡¯t they? My dad liked to brag about doing his ¡®duty¡¯ and honor of serving the country while my mother hated drugs like President Duterte. Unfortunately, not only in this country, but also everywhere in the world, corruption is an unbreakable tradition and you won¡¯t survive for long if you don¡¯t participate in this circle jerk. After I took a long bath, I went downstairs to the kitchen and tried to find something to eat. It seemed that my two ¡®companions¡¯ were already waiting for me on the kitchen. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°You took a bath?¡± Daria asked as she pointed at my wet hair. ¡°Yeah.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Oh, you can do water magic too, huh?¡± What did she mean by ¡®too¡¯? Was she capable of doing magic all along? ¡°Can you do it too?¡± I asked. ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°There was someone in our group who can do that. By the way, do you have any food? We haven¡¯t eaten anything for a day now. Last time, we-¡° Before she could continue her non-stop talking, I raised my hand and interrupted her. ¡°You talk too much. Please stop talking.¡± Finally, she stopped. She didn¡¯t stop glaring at me though. If only glares could kill, I¡¯d already be dead. Anyway, I took a metal pot from the cabinet and filled it with rice. After I washed the rice, I put the pot on the stove. It¡¯s been days since I last ate rice and I already missed it. ¡°You should¡¯ve killed me if you really hate me. I¡¯m curious. Why did you save my life?¡± She asked. Why indeed? In fact, I don¡¯t really care about other people I believed that I do, but I really don¡¯t. Perhaps Dianne rubbed off some of her ¡®goodness¡¯ in me, I don¡¯t know. It just felt like it¡¯s the right thing to do. Maybe it¡¯s just me trying to do some good, but most likely, I just did it to feel good about myself. ¡°I don¡¯t hate you.¡± I replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t like you either.¡± ¡°Then why save me?¡± ¡°This cat girl will probably follow me if I didn¡¯t and I don¡¯t want any burden.¡± ¡°Burden? You don¡¯t know me. You don¡¯t even know what my skill is.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I said. ¡°What¡¯s your skill?¡± ¡°[Lullaby]¡± ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°I can make the enemies sleep with my voice.¡± ¡°How about your party members? What if they hear your voice?¡± ¡°Uhmmm. W-well, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t use it much.¡± Daria said laughed wryly as she scratched the back of her head. This was one of the reasons why I was picky about party members back in the university. Most people I met there were useless. Or at least I didn¡¯t appreciate the use of their skills yet. Anyway, I don¡¯t think her skill was appropriate with adventuring. In other words, her skill is useless to me. ¡°Anything else?¡± I asked. ¡°Uhmm, [Observe]?¡± ¡°We all have that skill.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s it. That¡¯s all I got.¡± ¡°How about your attributes?¡± ¡°I put everything in agility.¡± ¡°How about you?¡± I turned to Asharra. ¡°What¡¯s a skill, nyah?¡± The cat girl asked. ¡°Are you seriously going to ask a kid to fight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just asking. Maybe she¡¯s more useful than you.¡± I said. ¡°Just open your skill window and we¡¯ll see.¡± She tilted her head with a confused look on her face. ¡°What¡¯s a skill window, nyah?¡± ¡°Do you know how to read?¡± I asked again. Asharra shook her head. ¡°She¡¯s only seven years old and she¡¯s not from this planet.¡± Daria said. I instructed Asharra how to access the SYSTEM. Like George¡¯s son, Ethan, it seemed that if a person doesn¡¯t know how to read, you won¡¯t be able to see a blue screen. Instead, you will hear a voice. Her attributes were sub-par except for her strength and agility which was already at 8. She didn¡¯t have any skills either, except for [Observe]. ¡°So that¡¯s it? You¡¯ll let us come with you?¡± Daria asked. ¡°It¡¯s still a no.¡± I replied. Daria¡¯s hopeful expression turned into a frown as I told her my decision. Did she really expect me to take them to Camp Aguinaldo? I turned around and turned off the stove, so that my sinaing wouldn¡¯t burn. [1] After that, I opened two cans of sardines for us to share. You may wonder why I was willing to share my food with them even though I didn¡¯t like them. You see, we Filipinos have an unspoken rule about treating guests. Like in Game of Thrones, hosts must not harm their guests and vice versa. That¡¯s right. No matter how much you hate a person or even if he or she¡¯s your enemy, you must still offer them food and treat them with respect when inside your roof. Even if you have very little food for yourself, it is only right to share them with your guests. It¡¯s stupid, I know, but this rule would also apply if someday, you¡¯ll be the guest. I doubt it will happen though; Daria doesn¡¯t live in this country and Asharra wasn¡¯t even from Earth as Daria said earlier. As I served the food, Daria quickly dug in on her share. Before I even took my first bite, she was already asking for seconds. Meanwhile, Asharra wasn¡¯t touching her food. She was just sniffing it and playing with her food. After she tried to take a first bite, Asharra¡¯s face turned sour and it was clear that she didn¡¯t like the food. She stood up and approached me as I ignored the cat girl and continued to eat. ¡°Can I have some meat?¡± ¡°Asharra, you shouldn¡¯t be picky about food. Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re hungry?¡± Daria scolded her. Ignoring Daria¡¯s words, Asharra continued to pull my robes to gain my attention. ¡°Give me some meat, nyah.¡± ¡°Asharra.¡± Daria called her again. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Please!¡± Asharra stared at me with her begging eyes. It reminded me of Puss in Boots¡¯ eyes in Shrek movie. I just couldn¡¯t resist it, so I gave in and opened my inventory to see what other food I can give to her. ¡°Do you eat chimera meat?¡± I swear, as soon as I mentioned chimeras, I saw a twinkle in Asharra¡¯s eyes. She nodded her head with enthusiasm as I gave her a piece of chimera steak. Fortunately, I bought a lot of it before I left Camp Aguinaldo. I was planning to save it when I¡¯m in a mood for a steak dinner. ¡°Thank you!¡± She said as she devoured the steak. In the end, Daria ate almost all of the rice I cooked. She reminded me of Claire¡¯s appetite. Each time I remember that, it infuriates me. Why the fuck can¡¯t I eat more and not get fat? *Sigh* After dinner, Daria decided to be useful and took care of the dishes. She asked me a favor to fill the bathtub with water, so she and Asharra could take a bath. I wasn¡¯t pleased when I learned that they planned to use the bathroom in my room as the other one in the first floor was ruined. Anyway, I couldn¡¯t stand their stench any longer, so I went upstairs and filled the tub with warm water for them. That night, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to try and restore my lost limb and eye with my magic. I was thinking of another option. After a few minutes of thinking, I had an idea of making a prosthetic limb, but unfortunately, I have no idea on how to make one. I could make an iron hook with a clothes hanger for starters. It would be cool and I¡¯ll look like Captain Hook. With an iron hook as a hand and an eye patch, I was well on my way of being a pirate. I didn¡¯t know how to swim though. Another great idea of mine was that instead of a prosthetic hand, I could attach a chainsaw on my left hand like Ash Williams with my staff as my ¡°Boomstick¡±. The problem with that idea was that chainsaws are useless because of the SYSTEM. Enough with the jokes. My best idea was to make a mechanical limb. I know that it sounds ambitious and it may be impossible due to the SYSTEM fucking with the modern technology. I was thinking that maybe I could make a mechanical limb and controlled with mana. Even if somehow I manage to make an artificial hand, I have no means to make it useful or at least to make it move. ¡°Phew! That felt good.¡± I was drinking a bottle of rum when Daria sat on the sofa in front of me as she dried her hair with a towel. She was wearing Jen¡¯s grey tank tops and denim shorts. It was a bit small for her size and the tight fit of Jen¡¯s clothes revealed her voluptuous body shape. She has a nice pair of legs too. ¡°Where¡¯s Asharra?¡± I asked. ¡°Sleeping.¡± Her almond shaped blue eyes stared at me seductively as she slightly bent down trying to show off her cleavage. Unfortunately for her, her poor attempt at seduction wasn¡¯t working. Back in college, Claire tried to be nice to me, so that I would study with her. She even tried to seduce me with her fake personality. When Claire realized that I already saw through her disguise, she became aggressive. Only later on, when I cured her of the zombie infection, she softened up on me, but she still makes fun of me and her overall aggressive attitude towards me didn¡¯t change. Everyone has a hidden agenda. And clearly, this blonde bitch wasn¡¯t trying to seduce me because she wanted me. It was obvious and stupid. The only way to break it up was to call on her bullshit, but I decided to play along. ¡°What happened to your eyes?¡± Daria asked. ¡°Slime acid spit. It melted my eyeballs out of the socket yesterday.¡± Daria curled her lips in disgust. ¡°And your hand?¡± ¡°I was attacked by dire wolves on the other day.¡± ¡°Wait- so you lost your hand and your eye in just two days?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± I put down the bottle on the table and took out my pipe. ¡°I¡¯m having streaks of bad luck recently.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Some women like men with scars.¡± Daria said as she tried to console me. I shook my head as I puffed a smoke. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Is that weed?¡± She asked. ¡°Can I have some too?¡± I handed the pipe to her as she took a puff. ¡°This is good shit. Where did you get it?¡± ¡°Why, why, why do you have so many questions?!¡± Daria folded her arms and glared at me. ¡°You got a serious attitude problem, you know that?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± I said in defence. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand annoying people like you.¡± ¡°Funny. I wanted to say the same thing to you.¡± ¡°Ha-ha-ha.¡± I let out a fake laugh. ¡°Eye have to hand it to you. You have a way to charm a woman.¡± Daria said sarcastically. I raised my right hand and gave her the finger. ¡°I only have one fuck left to give. I¡¯d give you two if I still had my other hand.¡± ¡°If I had a face like yours, I¡¯d sue your parents!¡± She retorted. ¡°Calling you an idiot would be an insult to all stupid people.¡± ¡°Tub of lard!¡± ¡°I envy the deaf whenever I hear your music. Your voice sounds like a dying elephant.¡± ¡°Oh really? Can you sing better than me? Care for a demonstration?¡± ¡°Sure thing. Do you have an auto-tune with you?¡± Unfortunately for Daria, I have thousands of insults and comebacks in my arsenal as a result of Miguel-Claire insult wars. It doesn¡¯t matter if the person I¡¯m insulting is a pretty singer. I can still find a way to poke holes and they will understand that they couldn¡¯t beat me at my own game. Daria gritted her teeth as she fumed at my last insult. She was trying to make a comeback from that burn, but that last one burned her good. She almost wanted to throw my pipe to my face, before taking a puff and handing it to me. After that, there was silence between us. Unlike Claire and me, the atmosphere between us was not awkward, but rather, we ran out of things to say to each other. Daria seemed to have an attitude of taking things without permission as she took the bottle of rum and helped herself with it. ¡°Where did you meet Asharra?¡± I asked. I figured that it was time to get serious. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly know where. But Jen and I met her and her mother a few days ago.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s her mother?¡± ¡°Dead.¡± Daria said as she frowned. ¡°We found Asharra crying over her mother¡¯s body, so Jen decided we should take her with us. She couldn¡¯t survive alone.¡± ¡°Poor kid.¡± I commented. ¡°How about you? Have you ever been to this military base you¡¯ve mentioned?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What was it like?¡± ¡°Shitty.¡± ¡°And? Is it safe in there?¡± ¡°If you call dying of starvation or sickness as safe, then yes, it is safe.¡± ¡°Why did you leave?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to find my family. That message...¡± I pointed at the wall behind her. ¡°...is my mom.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just ask for help?¡± ¡°The army won¡¯t do shit about it.¡± ¡°How did you survive by your own?¡± Daria asked as she took a big gulp. ¡°I mean, there are lots of monsters out there.¡± ¡°Wits, I guess?¡± I replied. ¡°And magic, of course.¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been from Manila when all of this happen-¡° Daria continued. You might not believe it and I wouldn¡¯t either, but Daria actually told me her backstory just like in the movies. You know the ¡®character introduction¡¯ clich¨¦? Fiction sin counter: 1. Unfortunately for her, the whole dialogue of her story wasn¡¯t really worth a single entry on my diary as it was full of hiccups, sniffing and tears in between. It¡¯s only been a while since I have someone to talk to, but I really didn¡¯t miss it, especially now that the dreams or reality whatever was back again. I didn¡¯t exactly know why she told me her story, but it sounded like she was trying to gain my sympathy instead of seduction, so she could stick around for a while. Okay, I know most of you are still curious about her back story, so here¡¯s it is: Daria Swann was staying at a hotel in Manila after her concert in Araneta Coliseum. Her flight was on the same day, but unfortunately for her, her flight was delayed. Not because of the apocalypse, but because delayed flights were common in the Philippines. Of course, she might be fortunate that it was delayed because the apocalypse happened the day after. She, her manager and a couple of her friends were in the hotel when it happened. Her manager and her friends suddenly collapse to the ground when the blue screens appeared and like in Professor Gerry¡¯s story, they mysteriously died on the spot. She met a group of survivors in the hotel and they tried to stay in the hotel and wait for someone to rescue them, but they only managed a few days before the hotel was overrun by monsters. Daria and a handful of survivors in the hotel managed to escape the hotel and that was when her group also met another group of survivors, but they weren¡¯t humans. I got to admit. As soon as she mentioned elves and beastmen, I became interested with her story. Coming from another world filled with magic and technology comparable to medieval age, the non-human survivors were starving and lost because they didn¡¯t know where to get food in this strange world. They banded together to survive and they were successful. Only in the first few days, of course. Their group had at least forty members and when they reached Pasig, most of the survivors died because a massive monster horde. Only three of them were left. And after Jen, a hotel employee she met in Manila, died today, all that was left was her and Asharra. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡± Daria sniffed as her eyes got teary from her ¡®sad¡¯ storytelling. The tears in Daria¡¯s eyes seemed to be genuine. It must be hard for her to be helpless as she watched the other survivors get massacred before her eyes. I couldn¡¯t even imagine what it looks like when slimes digest a live person. It must be painful I¡¯m sure. I guess I was lucky that I just lost my eye to the slimes. ¡°Look, I know that I seem like a burden to you. But at least let me prove to you that I can be useful. I can take care of my own and Asharra. I can watch your back.¡± Daria said. ¡°On three conditions.¡± I said to her as I put up three fingers. ¡°First, if I run, you also run. Don¡¯t expect me to save you if you fall behind. Same goes for me. Second, you will obey me, no questions asked. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ask you anything that- Well, let¡¯s just say that I already got a girlfriend and I¡¯m not a pervert.¡± ¡°Not a pervert. Got it.¡± Daria said. ¡°And the third one?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take my things without permission. For example, you wore my sister¡¯s clothes without so much of: Can I have these?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. I just thought I can take them because no one here can use it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where you live, but I¡¯m pretty sure that everywhere in world, you always need permission before taking things.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Daria shrugged. ¡°Is that it? We can come with you?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Can we form a party? I think it¡¯s better if we can share exp points.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But why? I need to get stronger too!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll just leech every exp I earn.¡± ¡°But how can I get strong?¡± ¡°Not my problem. You said you wanted to prove yourself useful? Then do it.¡± ¡°Look, I know you hate me for some reason. But please, I need your help. I want to get strong.¡± One reason why I lost my arm and my eyes was because of lack of companions. When you¡¯re alone, no one watches your back. I admit that most of the times it is necessary to have a few friends with you. But the thing is, those friends should be reliable and they should at least be as capable as you are. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll form a party.¡± I grinned. ¡°Create Party: Daria Sucks Ass. Invite Party: Daria Swann¡± ¡°What the fuck?¡± ¡°Is there a problem with the party name? It¡¯s either this party or no party at all.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Daria said. ¡°Accept Invite.¡± After we formed a party, Daria waseager to prove herself and volunteered to take the first watch. I told her to go to sleep as I didn¡¯t want to sleep tonight. There was so much going on my head right now and honestly, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to sleep normally again.
The next morning, I decided that Asharra should also join the party, so she can put all of her stats in agility. I didn¡¯t need her to fight, but she should at least be capable of running fast when things go downhill. I also instructed Daria to also put some points in strength and vitality if she has to go melee. Before we took off, I opened my Character Screen and put all the points to wisdom. I wanted to see what kind of perk I would get if it reaches 100.
Name: Miguel Arevalo
Race: Human Level: 34
HP: 628/628 MP: 1686/1686
SP: 250/250 EXP: 10.12%
STR: 19 WIS: 80
AGI: 25 INT: 100
VIT: 50 LUK: 13
DEX: 12 CHA: 21
Satiety: Hungry
Status Normal
Undistributed Attribute Points: 0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity II: Increase in Mana Control and +20% MP
¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Daria asked as she pointed at my map. ¡°We¡¯re going east.¡± I said. ¡°There should be a bridge here going to Rizal. That¡¯s probably where my family is.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the military base?¡± ¡°Right here.¡± I pointed at the opposite side of Rizal. ¡°I told you I¡¯m not going back there. Not until I find my family.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice, do I?¡± ¡°Of course, you do.¡± I replied. ¡°You know the location. You can go there by yourself.¡± ¡°...¡± After that, we did my standard procedure of survival: making a last sweep in the place for anything we can use before leaving. I had an idea of how Daria¡¯s skill could be useful. I found some ear plugs that my mom kept in her drawer alongside her gun. She said that anyone who can hear her voice will fall asleep, so if I can¡¯t hear it, I won¡¯t be affected. It¡¯s a simple solution, but we didn¡¯t have time to test it. We also took a couple of blankets with us, so we can apply zombie guts on it. It was messy, but necessary. It took me a while before I get used to the smell, but Daria just couldn¡¯t get used to it and Asharra was being stubborn. It took a while for Daria to convince her, but in the end, Asharra wore the blanket and called me a bad person. As we went on and left our house, I began to notice the low density of monsters on the area. There were also crude barricades blocking the road just a few blocks from our house. Whatever my mother did, she¡¯s definitely a lot stronger than I thought. My heart beat rose at the thought of seeing her again. A few hours later, I¡¯ve seen a familiar symbol drawn on the wall. It wasn¡¯t a message, but when I saw the symbol, I knew that my mother was the one who draw it. It was the sign. It¡¯s from my mom¡¯s favourite TV series: The Mentalist. I didn¡¯t exactly know the story, but it¡¯s like Sherlock Holmes in FBI or something. It was clever. She knew that I would know that it was her.
Restless Dead Lvl. 16
Though most of the fast zombies we encountered were dormant and harmless, it seemed that our disguise weren¡¯t effective with these variant of zombies. The Restless Dead were different than the other zombies around us. Their skin was slimy black and had a fouler stench than the others. I already got used with the stench of rotting corpses, but their foul stench made me throw up. ¡°SHIT!¡± Again, I lost my focus and spaced out for just a few seconds as I burned through the horde. I missed one of the Restless Dead and pulled my foot. Even though it was almost flesh and bones, the undead was much physically stronger than I thought. I was pinned and I lost grip on my staff as I fell down on the ground. The ravenous undead got on top of me as it tried to bite me with its rotting teeth. I raised my left arm and stopped the zombie¡¯s bite on time as I held its neck with my wrist. It overwhelmed me with its strength and pushed its head forward with its mouth a few inches above my face. I tried my best to reach for my staff with my right hand, but it was too far. -51 HP! Critical Hit! A spray of cold black blood splashed on my face. It was Daria. As we realized that it didn¡¯t die in one blow, she tried to pull the axe buried on its skull, but it was stuck. The zombie flinched for a split second, but it became more enraged as it tried to sink its teeth on my neck. Daria, on the other hand, tried to pull her axe in vain. On that moment, I pulled every fiber of my remaining strength on my body. Everything seemed to slow down, as if time itself was counting my last remaining seconds in this world. I almost resigned to my seemingly inevitable fate, but then, I remembered why I was out here in the first place. I must not fail. Suddenly, an idea came into mind. As a last resort, I placed my hand on the undead¡¯s forehead and cast [Living Matter Manipulation]. I poured a huge amount of my mana and focused on blowing up its head. Target Died It was a little bit overkill as I didn¡¯t expect such a violent explosion of putrid brain matter, blood and pieces of skull. I spat out some of the zombie¡¯s debris because some of it got into my mouth. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Daria asked as she helped me get up the ground. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I answered. ¡°Thanks.¡± I immediately splashed some water on my face with magic as I tried to clean up. I also gurgled some water to remove the taste of disgusting flesh in my tongue. I picked up my staff and kept on walking as if nothing happened. I heard a strange noise. It wasn¡¯t the gibberish whispers that I¡¯m used to, but it sounded like children laughing. ¡°Papa!¡± the voice said. ¡°Papa!¡± ¡°Danl!¡± I shouted. ¡°Dan, is that you?¡± ¡°Hey, who¡¯s Dan?¡± Daria asked. ¡°Dan! Daniel! Where are you?!¡± ¡°Hey, stop that! There¡¯s nobody here but us.¡± Daria grabbed my arm tightly as she tried to stop me. ¡°Papa! Help me!¡± The voice was near. I couldn¡¯t help myself but to answer it. It was my son, Daniel and he needed my help. ¡°Daniel!¡± I shouted as I bolted towards the voice. The zombies around me woke up, but I quickly finished them off with my fire magic. ¡°I¡¯m coming, Daniel!¡± ¡°HELP ME! PAPA!¡± As I arrived at the scene, I was in despair when I saw my son, Daniel, being eaten by a horde of undead. They stood up and ran forward as they noticed me. ¡°NOOOO!!!¡± I raised my staff and decimated the charging horde with a barrage of [Rock Bullet]. Seeing the zombies dead wasn¡¯t good enough. I crushed them repeatedly with a huge boulder until they were just a pile of mush. Nothing could stop the pain I felt at that moment. The tears in my eyes continued to fall as I looked at the broken body of my son. ¡°Daniel...¡± I held him in my arms and tried to heal him, but it won¡¯t work. He was already gone and his body has gone cold. ¡°Miguel?¡± I turned around and saw Daria and Asharra with confused looks. ¡°What are you doing?¡± My mind couldn¡¯t even understand how insensitive Daria was. I just lost my son and the word I heard from her made my blood boil. I had an urge to incinerate her at that time. But then, when I looked back at Daniel¡¯s corpse, I was holding a piece of wood. What the fuck was that? ¡°Miguel!¡± Daria called me again. I could hear her but when she called me once again, there was no sound. Like she was on mute. There was a shriek of the undead as they finally found us. The restless dead were numerous and swarmed at us like moths in flame. Everything around me was silent. Even with the chaos ensuing on the background. I could only hear one voice. And she was saying one thing again and again. ¡°I¡¯m coming home.¡± ARC 2: Chapter 28: A Sticky Situation Chapter 28: A Sticky Situation ¡°Who¡¯s the good girl?¡± Melissa said in a squeaky voice while dangling the boar¡¯s innards. ¡°You are!¡± Piper, like the ravenous animal that she was, took the meat and stared at Melissa as if begging her for more. ¡°Awww!¡± The others surround Melissa as they watched her feed Piper. They even took turns petting her like kids on a petting zoo. ¡°I was afraid of her at first, but she¡¯s just a big dog.¡± Beth said. Don¡¯t you just hate dogs? I hate dogs. They¡¯re smelly, noisy, poops a lot, and do nothing but to eat and whine. They¡¯re also capable of tearing one¡¯s throat if they wanted. You see, I was bitten by a dog once and it sucks. I was just eight years old when it happened. After school, I used to play games outside with my friends; Jumping ropes, Chinese garter, jackstones, tag and hide-and-seek. Our neighbor¡¯s mutt, Blackie, was always in chains. One afternoon, he somehow escaped those chains and chased us. It was too late when I noticed Blackie and I was the last one to run. Unfortunately, he caught up with me and bit my wrist like he was biting a chew toy. It was the most painful moment of my life and I thought I was going to lose my hand. Luckily for me, there were adults in the area and they helped me. I was glad when Blackie was put down. Even though he lived his life in chains, it¡¯s a pity that he didn¡¯t suffer enough. Call me a psychopath or whatever, but that experience was traumatic for me and I¡¯m a type of person who knows how to hold grudges, be it a person or animal. So when I first tasted dog meat, it was delicious. A symbolic revenge to Blackie. It was redemptive. Piper became the center of the group¡¯s attention. Well, I don¡¯t mind. Really. I used to be the center of attention back at college and I didn¡¯t appreciate it. But Piper wasn¡¯t a dog. She was a wolf And I doubted that a wild wolf can be tamed even with magic. If it was just me though, I¡¯d kill the animal and probably cook it. Miguel would probably agree with me because trying to take care of wild animals as pets is nearly impossible. You just can¡¯t take the wild out of them. Piper wasn¡¯t just any wild animal though. She was a monster. ¡°Sit!¡± Melissa commanded. ¡°Sit!¡± Piper tilted her head and looked at Melissa as if asking, ¡°What the fuck do you mean by sit?¡± See what I mean? Even if you manage to tame a wild animal, who ever said that it would automatically do tricks or follow simple commands? I think training her not to bite random people will take years though. I hoped I was wrong. ¡°Hey, Mel.¡± I said. ¡°Is the food ready? I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Just a minute.¡± She said. ¡°Piper, stay.¡± Surprisingly, the dire wolf seemed to understand what ¡®stay¡¯ meant as she sat by the door. While Piper was guarding the door, Melissa instructed everyone to avoid touching Piper while she wasn¡¯t around. With that enormous size of a wolf, no one dared to try. Ever since we went around the forest, there was almost no trace of Miguel. We started to doubt that he went around the forest and he actually ventured inside of it. But we opted to play it safe. We can¡¯t risk it and waste time fighting more dire wolves and other monsters in the thick forest. That night, we were in a ruined house near the forest. Dianne found the same thing we found last night; rocks protruding on the doorway and loose ground. Richard then confirmed that it was probably Miguel¡¯s earth magic. There were also other signs such as extinguished camp fire (poorly made and unsafe according to Mel) outside the house, empty tin cans and other garbage. Oh, and we also found a men¡¯s magazine near the empty tin cans. Unlike ¡°innocent¡± girls, I wasn¡¯t bothered by porn material because I like porn myself. What bothered me was that the pages of the magazine were sticky. It wasn¡¯t dried glue obviously. ¡°Oooh! This is perfect!¡± Richard wasn¡¯t too subtle about his intentions as he snatched the magazine from Eric¡¯s hands and walked casually. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Eric asked. Richard sighed and looked at us with a straight face. ¡°My cock¡¯s been aching for days. I need some time alone in the bathroom, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± All of us had a mouths hanging from hearing that, except for his brother. Eric seemed to have already expected this behavior from him and his face was red in embarrassment. If Richard was my brother and he said that to my friends, I would wish that the earth would split and swallow me up. Richard was probably the most honest person I¡¯ve ever met. Unlike his brother, Eric, he wasn¡¯t a good looking guy. He has dwarfism and eccentric attitude on top of it. Sometimes, he was too honest that it was making all of us uncomfortable. After his ¡°alone time¡±, Richard dug a small pit just outside the house with his earth magic while the rest of us gathered some firewood in the nearby forest, so we could roast the mushroom boar. The mushroom boar¡¯s leg was almost as large as Dianne and probably much heavier than Richard and it was more than enough to feed all of us. As the meat cooked, its fragrant smell permeated the air making us more ravenous than Piper. It was cooked with unfamiliar fragrant hebs and spices. After the long and agonizing wait, the meat was finally ready. ¡°Ahhh. It smells good.¡± Dianne said as she took a sniff. ¡°It smells like dragontail flower.¡± We were all excited to eat and as soon as it was served, we quickly dug in and ignored the conversation of the two. The meat was succulent and was almost melting in my mouth. It was better than chimera meat. There was a burst of flavor with every bite. One word comes to mind: Juicy. ¡°Yup. I also put green herbs and a touch of poison addy.¡± Eric coughed and his face went pale. ¡°Poison what? You put poison on our meat!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t die. It¡¯s just a small amount.¡± Melissa said as she patted Eric¡¯s back. The others sighed in relief as we continued to eat. I thought Melissa went full retard and decided that to poison us. She showed us a fragrant dark blue grass which is called poison addy. ¡°I see...¡± Dianne continued as she took a mouthful. ¡°Won¡¯t the green herbs make the meat bitter?¡± ¡°Not if you dried it first. It helps the dragontail flower and poison addy to remove the foul odor of the meat.¡± ¡°Dried green herbs, huh?¡± Dianne muttered as she gazed on the fire. ¡°I never thought of that. I wonder if it would make my healing potion taste better.¡± We were all stuffed but there were still some boar¡¯s leg left for tomorrow. After a delicious and satisfying dinner, Gerry, Beth, Richard, Eric, Melissa and Mark decided to play poker. Dianne and I didn¡¯t join them, but it was fun to watch. You see, all of our money was taken by Col. Medina in exchange of our freedom. Since we left Camp Aguinaldo, the total coins we looted was only 351 copper coins. Divided evenly, we have roughly 44 copper coins for each of us. ¡°All in.¡± Gerry placed all of his copper coins on the middle as he made the bet. ¡°Fold.¡± Eric said. ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°What about you, Richard? Are you going to fold like the rest of them?¡± Gerry smirked. ¡°Call.¡± Richard said. ¡°Sorry sir, but I¡¯m gonna clean you up. I¡¯ll call you on your bluff.¡± ¡°Bad move. You should¡¯ve folded, Richard.¡± Mark clicked his tongue as he shook his head. Richard shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t lose with my hand.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t lose either.¡± Gerry retorted. ¡°The river, please.¡± The cards on the table were 2 of hearts, spades and diamonds, 10 of spades and 7 of diamonds. As the fifth card was dealt, 8 of spades, Richard had a vicious grin on his face as he revealed his hand. A king of hearts and a king of spades. ¡°Full house, I win! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Good hand.¡± Gerry said as he revealed his, 2 of clubs and 3 of spades. ¡°But not as good as mine.¡± Richard¡¯s eyes opened wide as he saw Gerry¡¯s hand. ¡°Four of a kind?!¡± ¡°Sorry kid. I win again. Hahahaha!¡± Gerry laughed hard as he took all the money in the pot. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Told you so.¡± Mark said. ¡°It¡¯s like the cards are rigged for Gerry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a cheater. It¡¯s just luck.¡± Gerry shrugged. ¡°How much luck do you have anyway?¡± Beth asked. ¡°Forty-one.¡± He answered. ¡°Forty-one?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Gerry rolled a coin across his knuckles. ¡°Could it be that the reason we got out of Camp Aguinaldo alive is Sir Gerry¡¯s luck?¡± Richard asked. ¡°Could be.¡± Eric replied. ¡°With that insane amount of luck, you could be an immortal, Sir Gerry.¡± ¡°Now that you mentioned it, I¡¯ve never seen him get injured. Not much of a scratch really.¡± Beth said. Gerry laughed wryly as he scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m not immortal. I¡¯m just lucky.¡± The others looked at each other and nodded. They seemed to have agreed on something. ¡°Lucky.¡± With that said, Gerry was kicked out of the game. With his winnings, it seemed that it was okay with him. He took his guitar and played a song while the others continued to play poker. Dianne and I were exhausted, so we went inside the house and retired early.
When I woke up the next morning, everyone was still sleeping. It was Melissa and Eric¡¯s turn for the second shift. I found them naked and sleeping together on the living room. I didn¡¯t care if they had sex. That¡¯s not even the point. The others were being too complacent that they placed too much trust in Piper and let her guard the door. But I found out that she was also sleeping. ¡°Wake up.¡± Okay, fine. I was jealous, okay? Just a little bit. You know the feeling when you already have a boyfriend, but he¡¯s not with you and you saw a lovey-dovey couple? Yeah, that¡¯s the feeling. It¡¯s even worse than being a single and seeing a couple. I swear, I¡¯m going to make Miguel regret leaving me like that. ¡°Mel. Eric.¡± I shook them up as I tried to wake them. ¡°Wake up.¡± ¡°Is it morning already?¡± Melissa yawned as she rubbed her eyes. ¡°It is.¡± I responded. ¡°You two should get dressed. You don¡¯t want the others to see you like that.¡± Melissa and Eric quickly stood up and panicked when they realized that they were naked as the day they were born. I had to say that Melissa¡¯s naked figure was impressive. Though her nipples were dark and looked like it was sucked by a hundred babies, it somehow turned me on. Weird, I know. She¡¯s at least 34B and as a 34D myself, I envy those women with smaller boobs because one, they¡¯re heavy and often the main culprit of my back aches. Two, I can¡¯t go for a run outside without them bouncing and men always love to see it and three, it¡¯s hard to find a comfortable push-up bra. Eric, on the otherhand, has a seemingly muscular body build. I never noticed it before when he was wearing clothes. Moreover, his penis was... Well, let me put it this way: It¡¯s much larger than Miguel¡¯s and how Melissa survived without dying from impalement was beyond me, but it made me wonder; Why do all penises look ugly? I mean, whether flaccid or erect, especially when erect, It looks - weird as if I¡¯m seeing a veiny mushroom. The thing is, the sight of penises never turned me on. Even when I was watching porn, I was focused on women and the act itself rather than the men. Despite that, I¡¯m not a lesbian, but for me, there¡¯s nothing impressive about men¡¯s body. It¡¯s just that a woman¡¯s body is more pleasing to look at. I turned my back and went outside to give them a little privacy as they get dressed. I went outside for some fresh air. The sun hasn¡¯t risen yet and it was quite a peaceful and quiet morning. I took out my long sword to practice the Six Strikes and blocking techniques. After a few hours, the others started to wake up and we had our breakfast. We didn¡¯t have anything to discuss that morning, so we skipped the meeting and decided to continue on. As we left the ruined house, Melissa hopped on to Piper¡¯s back and rode her. ¡°Can we make a cart that Piper can pull?¡± Beth asked. ¡°Piper¡¯s not a horse.¡± Melissa immediately opposed the idea. ¡°Come on, Mel. I¡¯m sure Piper can manage. You should tame more and we can make a carriage or something.¡± I said. ¡°Sorry. But I won¡¯t let my Piper do that.¡± Melissa said. ¡°Besides, I can only tame one beast at a time.¡± It was a good suggestion as Piper was nothing but another mouth to feed. However, Melissa was adamant that Piper won¡¯t pull carts. A fucking hypocrite if you ask me. She was riding the darn wolf like a horse. One thing I learned in school was that hypocrisy can¡¯t be cured. Anyway, we stopped trying to convince Melissa. I don¡¯t think she will change her mind. Pity. My feet were starting to sore and I could very well use a foot massage to ease the pain. God, how I missed the old world. [Guys, I found something!] ¨C Dianne As soon as we heard the message, we sprinted towards Dianne and we saw a tall tower made of out of rocks in the distance. Besides the tower was a wall of rock. ¡°I think I recognize this one. Didn¡¯t Miguel use this one on Eric back when we were ambushed by the gnolls?¡± Dianne said. ¡°Look, there¡¯s blood.¡± I pointed at the ground around the rock. ¡°Maybe Piper can track him with his scent.¡± ¡°Let me try.¡± As Piper sniffed at the blood on the ground, she looked at Melissa with a blank look. ¡°Follow the scent, Piper. Come on, girl.¡± ¡°Maybe the blood doesn¡¯t belong to him.¡± Dianne said. ¡°Perhaps the track¡¯s gone cold.¡± Melissa said. ¡°It was raining hard yesterday, right?¡± Or maybe Piper was just a fucking useless animal. What good is a dog who can¡¯t track? Obviously, I didn¡¯t say that out loud because I didn¡¯t want to hurt Melissa¡¯s feelings. ¡°So what did Miguel call this spell?¡± Richard asked. ¡°Probably something like [Earth Dragon Lance Crasher Technique].¡± Eric replied. ¡°He even has a spell called [Chain Hellfire].¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know Miguel was an Evil Eye Chuunibyou.¡± ¡°Evil eye what?¡± Beth asked. ¡°Let¡¯s go guys.¡± I said to them. We have no luck at getting Piper to track Miguel¡¯s scent. Even though we knew where Miguel would go, the reason I wanted Piper to track him down was that it would be faster and we would catch up on him. It would be better if we could get to him earlier as soon as possible. He could probably survive on his own with his magic, but ever since he left, I had a feeling that something bad will happen to him. Or maybe it already happened. I hoped not. When we got out of the forest, the traces were gone again. In fact, there was nothing in the streets. Except for cars, rubbles, trash and puddles from the rain last night. Unlike when we encountered plague rats, there were human skeletons and burnt remains of rats. The thing that made me worry was that there were no corpses to be found at all. ¡°Stay alert. There could be zombies in this area.¡± I said to them as I unsheathed my sword. ¡°Zombies? How did you know?¡± Mark asked as he readied his mace. ¡°There are no corpses.¡± Dianne replied. ¡°So they do exist after all. I only heard rumors back in Camp Aguinaldo.¡± Richard said. ¡°Are they fast or slow?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± Eric asked. ¡°The ones we encountered back in the university were the slow ones though.¡± ¡°Corpses or no corpses. Isn¡¯t it strange that there isn¡¯t even a single drop of blood?¡± Gerry asked. ¡°Or ashes.¡± Beth said. ¡°If there were zombies here, Miguel would¡¯ve burned them to ashes. The rain yesterday won¡¯t wash away those ashes that easily.¡± ¡°Just stay alert and stay close.¡± I said. ¡°Dianne, climb to a roof and tell us what you see. I want to see what we¡¯re against before we go.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Dianne said as she hopped and climbed on a wall. We decided to stay for a moment as we waited for Dianne. One thing I¡¯ve learned from Miguel was that you should always take a knee and assess the situation before making a move. Obviously, you shouldn¡¯t be afraid of the enemy that you know and the enemy that you don¡¯t know is the one you should be afraid of. A few moments later, Dianne came back as she jumped off the building. I didn¡¯t know if physics in this world was broken since the apocalypse, but she jumped off of a four storey building and landed without so much of a scratch. I wondered if I could do that too, but I was afraid of heights. Anyway, it was amazing to see. ¡°What did you see?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Dianne shrugged. ¡°There are no monsters in the area.¡± ¡°Can you try and look again?¡± ¡°I checked three times and I¡¯m sure of it. There¡¯s really nothing.¡± ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong except nothing¡¯s wrong. Remember?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too pananoid, Claire.¡± Eric said. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s really nothing wrong.¡± ¡°Fine. ¡° I said. ¡°Just stay alert. Dianne, stay close to us. I don¡¯t want you out of our sight.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not our formation. How can I scout ahe-¡° ¡°Just stay close, okay? I don¡¯t know how to explain this, but there¡¯s something off.¡± With that said, we continued walking with our weapons unsheathed. The others were not as serious as I was and they even made fun of me, saying that Miguel rubbed off his paranoia in me. Maybe it¡¯s for the better. It was Miguel¡¯s extreme paranoia that kept us alive. However, that day, I thought they were right. I was just being too paranoid. We¡¯ve never encountered a single monster that day. Bummer. My alertness was all for naught and we¡¯ve made it through without a single arrow fired or a single swing of a sword. ¡°This is where he stayed.¡± Dianne said. ¡°Should we make camp?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s still early in the afternoon.¡± I said. ¡°My feet¡¯s killing me. Can we at least take a break?¡± Beth complained. ¡°We only have a couple of hours till sundown. We keep moving.¡± With that said, we all kept moving. A few moments later, Melissa suddenly stopped walking. ¡°What was that?¡± Melissa asked as she cautiously looked around. ¡°Can you hear that?¡± ¡°Hear what?¡± I asked. We listened to the sound and scanned the area as we readied our weapons. There was nothing. Except for growling of Melissa¡¯s stomach. That broke our seriousness and we all burst out in laughter. ¡°Very funny, Mel.¡± Eric said. ¡°No! Just listen!¡± Melissa cried. ¡°I think it¡¯s coming from the ground.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Come on, let¡¯s keep moving.¡± I said. Perhaps, it was one of the biggest mistakes I¡¯ve ever made. We were exhausted from walking and I was getting complacent and rushed things, hoping that we can catch up to Miguel. Exhaustion made me careless. Suddenly, we all heard a cracking sound. A crack in the road crawled fast throughout the road and the ground shook violently. Whatever was coming was something big and it was coming from below. [Form up!] ¨CClaire We ran towards each other and got into formation. I used [Berserker¡¯s Howl] while Gerry used his skill, [War Drums]. Melissa fell to the ground when Piper suddenly ran away from us. So much for her loyalty. ¡°PIPER!¡± Melissa shouted. ¡°COME BACK! PIPER!¡± The ground stopped shaking. When we thought it was over, a giant monster suddenly burst from the ground.
Slime King [Boss] Lvl. 45
The monster stood for at least 20 feet and its body was made out of a clear and sticky liquid substance. The sheer size of it made our jaw hanging and eyes widened in disbelief. [Shoot that thing down!] ¨CClaire [Shouldn¡¯t we run?! It¡¯s a fucking boss monster!] ¨C Eric [No. We can do this. Richard, use your magic. The rest of you, stay close.] ¨C Claire [W-what element?] ¨C Richard [Anything!] ¨C Claire Melissa and Dianne shoot their arrows while Richard used his magic to lift a boulder from the ground and threw it to the monster. -0 HP! -0 HP! -0 HP! I wasn¡¯t thinking clear at that moment. It should¡¯ve been obvious that the monster was way beyond our league and arrows and rocks won¡¯t do jack shit with its liquid body. Richard lifted another boulder and covered it in flames. -30 HP! Target is Burning! -30 HP! Fire seemed to be effective as the slime monster¡¯s body engulfed in flames. We moved back a little to let it burn, but the monster expanded and snuffed out the flames just like how you snuff out a candle with a bucket of water. The enraged monster fired its slimy arm towards us and fortunately for us, we¡¯ve managed to dodge it. We realized the danger we were in when Eric caught a drop of slime in his shield. It was just a tiny drop, but it left a hole the size of a tennis ball in his shield. As Richard desperately threw fire balls continuously, the ground erupted and spawned hundreds of slimes.
Slime Lvl. 28
[Run!] ¨C Claire With that said, all of us ran towards the opposite direction of the Slime King. As we ran throughout the road, hundreds more erupted from the ground and came at us like a tidal wave. I looked back to see how far we were from the boss monster, but even with its gigantic size, it was fast and it was giving us a chase. In the end, geysers of slime erupted from all directions and the slimes surrounded us. ¡°What now?!¡± Eric screamed. ¡°I¡¯m out of ideas.¡± Richard sighed as he stopped casting his magic. ¡°I¡¯m out of mana too.¡± ¡°This is it, huh?¡± Melissa said. Dianne held my hand and frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I dragged you into this.¡± At that moment, I was prepared to die. I was hoping that afterlife existed and I would meet my family there. I held Dianne¡¯s hand tightly as the slimes got us surrounded in a circle. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s down below.¡± Richard said calmly tapped the ground with his staff. ¡°Sewers?¡± Gerry answered. ¡°Probably.¡± That¡¯s it! The sewers! It was our only chance of survival. ¡°Dig, Richard! Go!¡± ¡°But we¡¯re not even sure what¡¯s down there.¡± He said. ¡°We¡¯re gonna fucking die! Just dig!¡± Beth shouted. ¡°But I¡¯m out of mana!¡± Dianne¡¯s eyebrow twitched as she took her hand back and pulled a bottle of potion from her inventory. ¡°Drink this!¡± Dianne threw a bottle of potion to Richard. ¡°BLEHHH! It¡¯s bitter!¡± Richard shrugged as he drank the potion. ¡°Just fucking do it!¡± I shouted. ¡°HURRY UP!¡± ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m trying to concentrate here!¡± He complained as he pointed his staff on the ground. I felt a small tremor as Richard cast his magic. As soon as Richard made a manhole, we all jumped in it one by one. I was the last one to jump into the hole and one of the slimes almost caught me. The earth made a grumbling sound as the hole was closed. Wherever we were, the surrounding was pitch black and we couldn¡¯t see a thing. ¡°I can¡¯t see.¡± Beth said. ¡°Who grabbed my ass?!¡± ¡°Is that you, Beth?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Aww! Who punched me?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Sorry!¡± Melissa said. ¡°Hold on.¡± Richard said. ¡°Let there be light.¡± The blue light was coming from a rock on top of Richard¡¯s staff. The light was strong enough that we could see a few meters away. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I pointed at Richard¡¯s staff. ¡°Rock bulb.¡± Richard replied. ¡°Or at least, that¡¯s what they called it in Camp Aguinaldo. It¡¯s just a regular rock with runes in it. This will only last for a day.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you make more?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Nope.¡± He said. ¡°I tried to copy the runes, but I think you need a skill to activate it.¡± ¡°Where are we anyway?¡± I asked as I looked around. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like sewers to me.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the sewers.¡± Mark said. ¡°It¡¯s a tomb?¡± ¡°Shut up, Richard. You¡¯re not funny.¡± Eric said. The ground we were stepping on was flooded with water. Well, not that flooded. The water was only up to our shin. Sure, sewers were supposed to be wet, but there were stalactites and stalagmites all around the place. The tunnels were rough and it looked like it was formed naturally. ¡°I think I know where we are.¡± Richard said. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°This is a dungeon.¡± *DING!*
You have entered [Bloodfall Cavern]
You are the first to discover [Bloodfall Cavern] Reward(s): 20% more EXP and item drop rate for a week inside the dungeon
First Announcement Ever (Read before you drop, this isnt what you think it is) Erm! Ehem! Mic test. Mic test. 1... 2... 3... Mic test. *Screech*
Announcement!
Okay guys. I have an announcement to make. Fuck no, I''m not dropping this novel. EVER!I''ve already decided the ending of, not only of ARC 2 (The Lone Wanderer/InsanityARC) but the whole novel itself. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Actually, I''ve already finished one chapter but I decided not to post it yet. Why? That''s because I would probably get more rant than I deserve if I post it immediately. The next chapter is about Miguel and it has a huge cliffhanger and a cruelone IMO. I decided that it will be better if I finish 4 chapters before I post it in one go to clear up any cliffhangers. The 4th chapter won''t be the end of ARC 2. It''s just the end of the cliffhanger. After that, we''ll be back in regular per chapter post. I know most of you miss Miguel''s POV. Just hang on. Hold my hand tight. I got a lot of time in my hands now, even though I''m busy at work and school. I''ll probably post everythingbefore Christmas. I''ll post this as food for thought as clues where the story is getting at: 1) Why is God silent to Miguel ever since Chapter 13? 2) Who is the Dark Lord? Why is he givingMiguel nightmare? 3) Where is Home? What the hell is it? All will be revealed in the next 4 chapters. Update 12/12/2016: I''m currently writing the6th chapter so you can expect 9 chapters (4-5k words) in one go. Update 12/20/2016: I''m on the 9th chapter (Chapter 37) and wrapping everything up. Update 12/22/2016: Chapter 37 is finished. I''m now proofreading it. ARC 2: Chapter 29: End of the Line Chapter 29: End of the Line -6 HP! I felt a stinging pain in my cheek. Where was I? -8 HP! ¡°WAKE UP!¡± Daria screamed as she slapped me harder. I tried my best to think, but at that moment, my mind was in turmoil. -5 HP! ¡°Snap out of it!¡± Daria cried and slapped me again.
Restless Dead Lvl. 16
I looked around as I realized that hundreds of undead cornered us. Daria seemed to give up on trying to snap me out as she grabbed her axe and desperately tried to fight off the undead. ¡°HELP!!!¡± Asharra shouted as she was dragged by a zombie. ¡°NO!!!¡± When I saw Asharra¡¯s face, it reminded me of my daughter, Danielle. Now that I stared at her beautiful round eyes, she does have a strange resemblance. When I saw zombies tried to kill her, I felt an incredible amount of rage seething inside me. Kill them all! -281 HP! Critical Hit! Target Died The whispers in my head screamed at me as I cast [Rock Bullet] at the restless dead holding Asharra and cast [Earth Wall] to cover her. I felt the seemingly unlimited power inside me and the whispers seemed to fuel them. I let the rage took over me as I cast [Chain Hellfire] on the horde. That moment, my magic was stunningly strong. I wasn¡¯t just burning one at a time. When I cast [Chain Hellfire], the flames got too hot that everything that went into contact were instantly turned into ashes. Daria stood beside me as she tried to keep the undead from my back. ¡°RAAAAAWWWWRRRR!¡± As we fought off the charging horde, we heard a loud roar coming from the distance. It was tempting to feed the rage and continue on my killing spree, but whatever it was, I didn¡¯t wait for it to come. It could be an Ogre zombie or worse, a much stronger monster. [What¡¯s that?] - Daria [Run!] ¨C Miguel As if on instinct, I carried Asharra on my back as Daria and I ran away from the horde. I used [Earth Manipulation] to grab chunks of rocks from the buildings and made them collapse on our way. The boulders were then tossed into the air and catapulted to the horde. I turned my head on my back as we ran. The debris was enough to stall the horde and some of them were crushed. But it wasn¡¯t enough to stall the giant creature that was chasing us. The thing that stalled it were the other zombies themselves. It was killing its own kind in order to get to us.
Unburied Hulk Lvl. 33
The monster stood for at least 12 feet in height. It was as tall as an ogre, but it was more menacing. The creature had dark grey rotting skin with bony spikes protruding in its two arms. It looked like it was made out of corpses that was sewed together. However, this undead creature wasn¡¯t a boss monster, but a normal one. Fortunately for us, there was only one chasing us. The boss monster of an undead dungeon is usually a Lich. I remembered reading something from the Beastiary book about the undead. Unburied Hulks are created whenever there¡¯s a huge pile of unburied corpses. The dungeon that spawns them will corrupt the corpses, but instead of individual undead creatures, the pile becomes a gigantic monstrosity made out of parts and pieces from different corpses. Unburied Hulks are some kind of an accidental monster. It¡¯s quite rare and obviously, very deadly. We ran towards tight cracks and crevices of ruined buildings in order to stall its fast and unstoppable charge, but the monster was too strong to be blocked by concrete and it used its bone spikes as blades and cut through concrete like butter. Target is Burning! -40 HP! -40 HP! [It¡¯s not working!] ¨C Daria I cast [Chain Hellfire] and covered its whole body with flames, but the Hulk seemed to be unaffected. It only made the creature angrier. Unfortunately, the only magic that can defeat this monster effectively was Holy element and I didn¡¯t have a holy type spell. -40 HP! My SP drained continuously as we ran. Daria could last longer because of her AGI, but I couldn¡¯t. I had to defeat the monster. I checked my skill [Auto-Cast] to see my list of spells.
Auto-Cast [Passive] Intermediate Lvl. 7 Effect: You can instantly cast melded spells from your memory. Each level of this skill increases Spells that can be auto-cast by 1. If you another spell is memorized when the limit was reached, the new memorized spell will overwrite the oldest memorized spell. To set a spell on auto-cast, say ¡®Memorize: Spell name¡¯ while thinking of the combination. Current Limit of Spells: 14 Spells Memorized:
  • [Chain Hellfire]
  • [Quagmire]
  • [Rock Bullet]
  • [Earth Spike]
  • [Earth Wall]
  • [Chilling Wind]
  • [Tailwind]
Obviously, [Earth Wall], [Rock Bullet] and [Chilling Wind] wouldn¡¯t stop it, but [Quagmire] and [Earth Spike] might. I pointed my staff on the ground and cast [Quagmire]. The road became a soft with thick and muddy consistency. ¡°RAAWWRR!!¡± The Unburied Hulk was successfully trapped inside the quick mud. It thrashed violently as it tried to escape, but its weight was too heavy and it was sinking fast. Its bulky built prevented it further from escaping. I continuously cast [Quagmire] to make the quick mud deeper. Finally, it sank too deep that only its head was visible. We stopped for a while to catch our breath as we kill the remnants of the zombie horde. There were only ten zombies chasing us, so we finished them off quickly. The only monster left was the Unburied Hulk itself. Well, Buried Hulk would be more appropriate. ¡°Go, kill it!¡± Daria said as she pointed her axe at the monster. ¡°It might escape.¡± My mana was low at that point, but what Daria said was true. I had to kill the monster before it escapes. I used [Chain Hellfire] on its head and bombarded it with [Rock Bullet] until it died. Target Died The Unburied Hulk¡¯s head was crushed into a black bloody mess. I lifted up the earth with my magic in order to loot it, but we only got copper coins and a small mana stone. As expected from undead monsters, the loot was terrible.
Copper Coins X 14
Small Mana Stone X 1
I didn¡¯t level up from killing it, but it gave me huge EXP points. When it was over, I felt the rage died down and my strength faded away. Asharra rushed to me and sobbed in my chest.
Attribute(s) gained: +5 MP
Debuff: Mental Strain Feeling her warm embrace, I dropped my staff and stroke her head to comfort her. Daria, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem to be glad about what happened. Her hand swiped the empty air as I¡¯ve wondered what she was doing. Furious, she stood in front of me and grabbed my collar. I realized that Daria must¡¯ve leveled up and added points to her strength. ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± Daria yelled, lifting me up in the air. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?!¡± ¡°What are you doing, nyah?¡± Asharra asked. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt him. He saved us, nyah!¡± ¡°Stay out of this, Asharra.¡± Daria said without removing her glare to me. ¡°We almost died because of you!¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I muttered. I didn¡¯t know what I was thinking. Normally, I would act like a high douche and if I was normal, I¡¯d probably beat her to a pulp for trying to raise her hand against me. I admit to myself that I was in the wrong though. I almost got us killed. Sorry was only word I could think about and I felt like breaking down. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± As tears flowed from my eyes, Daria finally let me go. Asharra, on the other hand, came to me with a teary, but thankful eyes. I hugged her as if I was holding my own daughter. I missed her so much. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s move.¡± Daria said. ¡°Can you get up?¡± ¡°Mental strain¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mental strain.¡± I said again as I tried to catch my breath. ¡°I need a minute.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t stay here. Who knows how many are still there.¡± ¡°Then leave me. Just- Just let me die.¡± ¡°What about your family?¡± ¡°If any of us fall behind is left behind, remember? Just go. Leave me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± Daria took my left arm to her shoulders and helped me get up. ¡°Asharra, get his staff.¡± It seemed that I used too much of my mana again. I hate mental strain debuff. It¡¯s like having a really, really bad hangover and your brain¡¯s turned into gravy. My skull was like made of glass and each step was a painful chore. Even though it was a bad timing that I had mental strain, it was fortunate for us that the little incident made me kill most of the zombies in that area. Daria did her best to support me as we travelled and though it almost took us forever, I was surprised that she could keep it up and her stamina wasn¡¯t to be underestimated. It looked to me that she was trying hard to prove herself. Anyway, we found more ¡°Red John¡± smiley face on the way. But when we reached the third sign, it was already afternoon. The distance between two signs was at least one kilometer apart. If it weren¡¯t for my mental strain, we could cover more distance and I was actually slowing us down. After the agonizing walk, we found a place where we could stay for the night. It was a five-story apartment and we stayed in a room on the fifth floor. We could definitely stay at a better place, but it was enough. The only problem was Daria made me climb up the stairs which made my head more painful. I vomited most of what I ate from breakfast and maybe from last night. Daria chose an apartment unit closest to the fire exit and farthest from the stairs, which was impressive, in my opinion. I clearly underestimated her ability to think. Not only we were far from a surprise attack from the undead, we also had a quick access to escape route. ¡°Finally.¡± Daria sighed in relief as she sat me down on the couch. ¡°Do you have some food?¡± I took two pieces of chimera steak and gave it to her as I made myself comfortable on the couch. ¡°How about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°You should eat.¡± Daria said tore her steak in half and offered it to me. ¡°I have more in my inventory.¡± I didn¡¯t have the appetite. Not after what happened. ¡°Did you take your uhmm- medication?¡± Daria asked. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy.¡± I said in defense. ¡°Of course.¡± Daria sat on the couch beside me. ¡°Who¡¯s Daniel?¡± ¡°Come on, talk to me. I¡¯ll listen.¡± I didn¡¯t know if she would believe me if I told her the truth. No one will, but I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt if I talk. I was already an insane person in her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ Daniel is¡­¡± I looked up and let out a deep sigh. I was trying my best to hold back my tears. I wanted to convince myself that Daniel wasn¡¯t real, but for me, my children were real. They were more real than this world. ¡°He¡¯s my son.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Daria looked down as she slowly nodded her head. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°How old was he?¡± ¡°Three.¡± I replied. ¡°Look. I don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore.¡± ¡°I have family back in the states.¡± Daria said. ¡°Now that nothing works, I don¡¯t know if I would see them again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. All of us lost someone.¡± Daria rubbed my back. ¡°You should rest.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡± ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to sleep!¡± My hands tightened into fists, but my body was too weak to lash out my anger. ¡°I - I don¡¯t want to sleep.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, nyah?¡± Asharra asked. ¡°I¡¯m just tired.¡± I responded as I sat back. ¡°Asharra, go to the other room.¡± Asharra did as she commanded, and left us alone in the living room. I didn¡¯t know why Daria wanted us to be alone, but she stared at me with her blue eyes. She leaned closer and placed her hand on my cheek. I started to panic for a bit and slightly pulled back. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just relax.¡± She whispered in my ear. ???If life is a river and your heart is a boat And just like a water baby, baby born to float And if life is a wild wind that blows way on high And your heart is Amelia dying to fly Heaven knows no frontiers and I''ve seen heaven in your eyes??? Daria began to sing as she slowly guided my head towards her lap. She gently caressed my hair as if trying to put me to sleep. From what I remembered, it was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0Oqngy_1H8] No Frontiers by The Corrs[/url]. An old song, but it was on Daria Swann¡¯s first album. She made a cover in YouTube and from there she became famous. ???In your eyes faint as the singing of a lark That somehow this black night Feels warmer for the spark Warmer for the spark To hold us ''til the day When fear will lose its grip And heaven has its ways¡­ ??? I felt like a child in a mother¡¯s embrace. Warm, safe, comfortable and sleepy. Perhaps it was the effect of her skill. It made me realize that her voice was truly beautiful. ???Heaven knows no frontiers And I''ve seen heaven in your eyes¡­???
When I woke up the next day, I didn¡¯t have a nightmare, but the whispers were still as loud in my head. I realized that I fell asleep in Daria¡¯s lap while Asharra was sleeping soundly on the other couch holding my staff as if guarding it with her life. I looked at Daria and it seemed that she also fell asleep during guard duty. I sat up and I felt better than yesterday. She was jolted awake when I sat up. ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡± She yawned. ¡°I was just closing my eyes for a bit.¡± I have to say that her skill might be useful as my mental strain debuff was no more. I took out my journal and skimmed the pages. I noticed that I was running out of pages to write on, but I did my best to update it. The sun was already up. I woke them up, so we could have breakfast and continue with our journey. ¡°Uhmmm. Mr. Mage.¡± Asharra said as she carried my staff. ¡°Miguel.¡± I said. ¡°My name¡¯s Miguel.¡± ¡°Mi¡­ Mig¡­¡± Asharra was stuttering as she tried to pronounce my name. ¡°Can¡¯t I just call you Mr. Mage, nyah?¡± ¡°Sure, whatever.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to do a boom boom magic like you did, but it doesn¡¯t work, nyah.¡± Asharra waved my staff and tried her best to imitate me, even though the staff was too large for her to wield. ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t have the skill.¡± ¡°Can you teach me, meow?¡± Asharra asked as she handed me my staff. ¡°I will, but not yet. I still need to level up my skills.¡± If cuteness can kill, Asharra would¡¯ve already killed me. It reminded me of my twins¡¯ cuteness and charm and she was also well behaved for a child. ¡°I always wanted to learn magic, but Mama said master wouldn¡¯t allow it, nyah.¡± Asharra¡¯s smile turned into a frown. ¡°I miss my Mama.¡± ¡°Master?¡± ¡°She and her mother were slaves.¡± Daria said. ¡°Apparently, slavery still exists in their world.¡± ¡°Your master. What did he look like? Are they humans like us?¡± I asked. ¡°What¡¯s a humans, nyah?¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re¡­ They¡¯re us.¡± I replied. ¡°Hmmm. My master has long ears and his hair is the same color as a wheat.¡± She said. ¡°He can do magic too. He¡¯s amazing, but he¡¯s mean to me even if I¡¯m a good girl. Mama said I should always be a good girl, nyah.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Asharra. No one¡¯s going to be mean to you from now on.¡± I said to her. It was unfortunate that she was orphaned because of this apocalypse and as much as I wanted to ask her about her world, I didn¡¯t because it would probably remind her of her dead mother. ¡°Mr. Mage, my feet hurt, nyah.¡± Asharra complained. ¡°Let me try healing your feet.¡± I said as pointed my staff at her feet. ¡°No!¡± She sliced the air with her hands. ¡°Carry me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Asharra.¡± Daria glared at her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Daria.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Come here.¡± Even though she was only seven years old, she was small and light for her age. Probably because her master wasn¡¯t feeding her well. After all, growing kids need to eat a lot. I didn¡¯t mind spoiling children for a bit, so I lifted her up and let her ride in my shoulders. ¡°Weeee!¡± Asharra giggled and held my hair tight in excitement. This was why I love kids. Their laughter and giggles warms my heart. When my eyes turned to Daria, she smiled at me which made me more suspicious of her. Or maybe I was just out of my mind, but I decided to play along and act normally. Asharra might be the only person who could help me keep my sanity. If I ever make it out alive or if I¡¯m lucky enough, still a sane person, I¡¯d adopt her as my own. After a few hours, my shoulders were starting sore, so I put her down and thankfully, Asharra didn¡¯t complain. There were fewer zombies on the way, so I let Daria do most of the killing. She complained at first, but if she really wanted to be strong, then she should kill the zombies and I¡¯ll support her when necessary. She was level 14 at that time.
Level up!
Name: Miguel Arevalo
Race: Human Level: 35
HP: 628/628 MP: 1686/1686
SP: 300/300 EXP: 0.04%
STR: 19 WIS: 80
AGI: 30 INT: 100
VIT: 50 LUK: 13
DEX: 12 CHA: 21
Satiety: Normal
Status Normal
Undistributed Attribute Points: 0
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity II: Increase in Mana Control and +20% MP
As soon as I leveled up, I distributed all of my points to AGI rather than WIS because I might need more stamina if I have to run away. ¡°Look! Another smiley.¡± Daria pointed at the wall. ¡°I guess we¡¯re on the right track.¡± ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s keep going. We¡¯re almost at the bridge.¡± Finally, we reached the bridge. Technically, we were already in Rizal province, particularly in Taytay municipality. Now that we were out of the Capital Region, there were more trees than there were buildings. There were also no taller buildings and debris scattered along the road as this place was considered as partially urbanized. It means that it was still a rural area. However, there were not much of a change in monsters. There were still zombies in the Taytay. In fact, there were more variety of zombies, but at least it was less dense than Pasig. That could probably mean that either my mother formed a survivor group and they cleared this area on their way or the population of this place was low. But why did they go to Rizal instead of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City? I noticed that one of the corpses that Daria killed wasn¡¯t quite human, but not a beastman like Asharra either. I checked the strange dead zombie as we stopped for a few moments¡¯ rest. They looked like Caucasians. You know, white people like Daria. The noticeable difference was their long ears. Their attire also made them stand out as their clothes were made out of poor quality fabric. ¡°Is this your first time seeing an elf?¡± Daria asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± I replied. ¡°You already met one, right?¡± ¡°Uhm-hm.¡± Daria nodded. ¡°Most of the survivors I met were elves.¡± The elf zombie I was checking was a female one and it has a small dark gem on her forehead. In most fictions, elves tend to be more beautiful, have sharper senses and perception and wiser, if not more intelligent, than humans. They also live longer than humans. That time, I couldn¡¯t confirm if the elves were really pretty because it was a stinking corpse. I wished that I bought the book about the biology and culture of races when I was in Camp Aguinaldo. My curiosity was killing me, so I had to ask Daria. ¡°Is it true that elves were pretty and live long?¡± ¡°Not all elves were pretty.¡± Daria shook her head. ¡°According to them, they live for at least 100 years.¡± ¡°What else?¡± ¡°Hmmm. All of them have magic. They said that the brightness of the core on their forehead indicate the strength of their magic. The brighter, the stronger.¡± ¡°So this elf¡¯s magic is weak?¡± I pointed at the elf zombie with a dark core. ¡°No. That elf is a zombie elf. Their core should be a clear one even when they die.¡± Weird. But I guess I should get used to the weirdness of this post-apocalyptic world. I think the gem on their forehead is their mana core and it¡¯s probably the reason why elves were naturally gifted in magic, according to the book I read. As we went on and follow the signs that my mother left, I suddenly realized something. Ever since Daria came along, the delusions were back and it was worse. Could it be that Daria is one of the Dark Lord¡¯s minions? Or worse, she could be the Dark Lord himself in disguise. I¡¯m still confused if he¡¯s a she or a he. Anyway, I don¡¯t think he has a gender. Oh, I know what you¡¯re thinking. How could I possibly suspect this wonderful blonde chick after she removed my mental strain? You see, it was suspicious enough that she had a friend with the same name as my sister. In fact, my timing was impeccable and I was just in time to save her. It was too convenient, if you ask me. Plus, her skill [Lullaby] makes anyone who hears her voice fall asleep. There could be a connection between Dark Lord¡¯s nightmares and her skill. If so, then how about the dreams I had before we met? Why didn¡¯t I dream last night? What about Asharra? I think Daria was using her as a shield or something, so I would let down of my guard and trust her more. Why else would she take care of an orphan kid? If Devils truly exists in this world, they wouldn¡¯t be the ugly fuckers you see in movies. They would want to be beautiful. Although the Dark Lord looked like a typical demon when we first met, I doubt that it was his true form. The Dark Lord showed me his monstrous form to make me fear him, but he failed. Now, he¡¯s probably trying to use his charm. This was one of the reasons why I hated beautiful girls. I know I¡¯ve already mentioned it before, but no one really suspects the prettiest. We all expect villains to be the ugliest motherfuckers in existence, but unfortunately, in my experience, that wasn¡¯t always true. Oh, it¡¯s okay. I trust you. You have a nice tits and a pretty face. Wait. What? You poisoned my coffee? How could you? Why is there knife sticking in my back? Nah, it¡¯s okay, you¡¯re pretty and I¡¯m dead... Did you see my point? If it¡¯s true that Daria was the Dark Lord, then why the hell was I not freaking out? Why not kill her and be done with it? Well, I¡¯ll be honest. First, the Dark Lord had gone through lengths to fuck with my mind. He succeeded, so what¡¯s the point if I die in the end? Second, if I try something stupid, he will reveal himself and I¡¯ll be doomed. Third, he probably has something store for me and whatever it was, it involves me being alive. The number of zombies increased in the way. They weren¡¯t attacking us because we were wearing our disguises, but we decided to kill everything in our path just to be sure because we didn¡¯t want another horde swarming at us. ¡°Wait.¡± I said as I get down and hid behind a truck. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s too many zombies there.¡± I pointed at the building. I took out my journal as I suddenly had a bad feeling. Shame. I only got a few lines left. I¡¯ll update this as soon as I can until I find another notebook or if the Dark Lord got me first. Either way, I prefer the former. It was strange that the zombies were massing together at the entrance of the building which was used to be a hardware store. There was a huge sign which read: Home Depot. ARC 2: Chapter 30: As Above, So Below Chapter 30: As Above, So Below ¡°Oh shit!¡± Eric cursed as he stomped his foot. ¡°Can¡¯t we go back that way?¡± ¡°Not if you want to say hello to the Boss Man and his lackeys.¡± Richard shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s probably an exit here somewhere or I¡¯ll just make another exit. Just not near them. I can feel them above the earth.¡± ¡°Feel them?¡± Beth asked as her eyebrows furrowed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a geologist.¡± Richard proudly responded. ¡°I used to work for a mining company.¡± ¡°And how is that even relevant?¡± Beth retorted. Richard sighed as he shook his head. ¡°That means I have a high affinity to earth magic. I can feel the monsters above, below and nearby. As long as they¡¯re on the ground.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t say anything about the slimes?¡± Dianne raised her voice and put her hands on her waist. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Richard replied in a sarcastic tone. ¡°I thought they were just puddles because, you know, it was raining hard last night, remember?¡± Dianne gritted her teeth as she fumed silently. Like I said before, I think Richard¡¯s attitude was somewhat unbecoming of mages. That was until I learned that mages are the snobs of all adventurers. It¡¯s the stereotype of mages and Miguel was the same. ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded. ¡°So what the hell is a dungeon?¡± ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s a dungeon?¡± Melissa asked as she wiped Eric¡¯s face with a handkerchief. ¡°Why are you sweating so much?¡± ¡°This is where they spawn. Those slimes come from here.¡± Eric said. ¡°So we just went into deeper shit.¡± Gerry sighed. ¡°Fuck me.¡± ¡°Your luck sucks, Sir.¡± Mark commented. ¡°That¡¯s because you kicked me from the game last night.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡± I said as I raised my hand. ¡°What else do we know about slimes and dungeons?¡± ¡°I read a book about monsters in Camp Aguinaldo.¡± Richard replied. ¡°From what I remember, dungeons are also living beings and they spawn monsters to defend their selves or kill other living beings to become stronger. Unfortunately, that¡¯s all I know. I¡¯ve only skimmed the book.¡± That¡¯s right. I remembered that Miguel had a book about monsters and he always read it at night. He also read it when we first encountered trolls. I regretted that I took the book about magic. I think the reason why Miguel was willing to let go of that book is because the book about monsters was more valuable. Why didn¡¯t I take that book instead? Gosh, I¡¯m an idiot. We discussed everything that we observed from the slimes. First, the slimes were unaffected by arrows. It¡¯s most likely that swords, axes, spears and maces were also useless against them. Second, the only thing that had an effect against the slimes was fire which would be a problem since we were underground. Third, the slime¡¯s spit is dangerous. It¡¯s likely that their body is a strong acid. ¡°How about our other skills?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t tested my [Phantom Arrow] on them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I answered. ¡°I haven¡¯t tested [Wail of Agony] too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think these slimes use magic.¡± Dianne said with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t have any other skills that can help.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± Beth said. ¡°I only got [Cleave] so¡­¡± ¡°I can enchant our weapons with holy element, but the thing is, it only works against demi-monsters and undead and I can¡¯t detect any in this place with my skill [Smite].¡± Mark said. ¡°How about ice?¡± Gerry asked. ¡°If we can¡¯t use fire, why don¡¯t we freeze them, then attack?¡± ¡°Ice? I don¡¯t have that skill.¡± Richard said. ¡°I only have fire, earth, wind and water, but no ice.¡± ¡°Miguel doesn¡¯t have one either. He froze things with [Fire Manipulation].¡± I said. Richard shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°How did know?¡± ¡°Because he told me.¡± I replied. I didn¡¯t mention that it¡¯s because I saw his memories. ¡°You can manipulate heat through [Fire Manipulation].¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Richard¡¯s eyes widened as he stroked his beard. ¡°I haven¡¯t tried that, but that¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out.¡± Eric shrugged. ¡°But I certainly don¡¯t want to use [Taunt] on them. Sorry guys.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, we know.¡± Melissa sighed and rolled her eyes. ¡°You had one job. Just one job. And that is to tank. You suck.¡± ¡°Did you even see what those things did to my shield?¡± Eric pointed to the hole in his shield and knocked on it. ¡°This is made out of metal. I can¡¯t even imagine what it can do to my skin.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh on him, Mel. He¡¯s right. We shouldn¡¯t let them touch our skin. We should stay away as far as possible if we wanted to make it out of here alive.¡± I said. ¡°Now that we settled how we should attack. How do we defend ourselves from them?¡± ¡°Plastic?¡± Dianne suggested. ¡°I heard that plastics are resistant to acids.¡± ¡°Not just any plastic.¡± Eric shook his head. ¡°We need thicker plastics.¡± ¡°Oh, I have ten water containers here.¡± Melissa took out the water containers from her inventory. ¡°Maybe we can use this against their acid attack. Eric can work something out of it like a shield made of these.¡± ¡°That could work, but it¡¯s better if it¡¯s made of Teflon.¡± Eric said. ¡°You have those non-stick frying pans-¡± ¡°No.¡± Melissa immediately declined. ¡°I won¡¯t let you ruin my frying pans.¡± ¡°Come on, Mel!¡± Beth scratched her head in irritation. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of life and death. No one gives a shit about your stupid frying pans.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not stupid, they¡¯re expensive and I do give a shit about MY frying pans and no, I won¡¯t le-¡° My head was about to explode in anger when I suddenly touched Melissa on her shoulder. I glared at her with my most serious face. ¡°We need those frying pans.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± I let out a sigh as I managed to calm myself down. ¡°When we get out of here alive, I promise you. We¡¯ll loot some frying pans for you, okay?¡± ¡°You promise?¡± ¡°I promise¡­¡± I said as I crossed my heart. ¡°With all my heart and hope you die.¡± ¡°Ha-ha-ha.¡± Melissa faked a laugh as she took out four large frying pans. When I was about to take the frying pans, Melissa suddenly pulled it back. ¡°Say please.¡± ¡°Please.¡± I said in a sarcastic tone. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if not for sarcasm.¡± Melissa sneered. ¡°Say please with concern.¡± ¡°Pretty please¡­¡± I said in more sarcastic tone while making a circle motion with my middle finger over my head. ¡°With cherries on top.¡± I snatched the frying pans from her hand and gave it to Eric. ¡°Make those shields.¡± Melissa, on the other hand, stared at me with her piercing eyes and when our eyes met, she immediately turned her back. ¡°Hmmp!¡± ¡°Ehem! Okay. Uhmm. I¡¯ll make those shields right away.¡± Eric leaned closer and whispered. ¡°Wow, good job! How did you do it?¡± ¡°Did what?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t control her.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± I snickered. ¡°Make those shields.¡± We decided to rest for a moment while we waited for Richard to figure out how to make ice with his magic and Eric to make those Teflon shields. It took Richard for a while to figure it out, but at least it he could made freeze an entire bucket of water in just a few seconds. Meanwhile, Eric, with Mark¡¯s help, started to make the shields. We were too exhausted from the journey and running from the slimes, so we slept in shifts while others watch. Obviously, we couldn¡¯t get much sleep because we became too paranoid with the sound of water dripping from above and the cave was dark and cold.
Improvised Square Shield Armor Rating: 3 Durability: 22/22 Crafter Perk Bonus: 10% Armor Rating and Durability An improvised shield made by Eric Reyes
The shield was mostly made with the water container plastic and on the middle of it was the frying pan. Eric put a rubber straps on the back for easy handle. The four us: Eric, Beth, Mark and I got the shields with frying pans while the rest got the regular plastic shields since arrows and snare drums won¡¯t be needed. However, we weren¡¯t even sure that these shields would work against the slimes. Mark also blessed our weapons with holy element. We didn¡¯t have too many options and we had to try everything we had. ¡°Alright guys, stay close.¡± I said as I unsheathed my sword. ¡°Richard, how many are there above?¡± ¡°Too many.¡± Richard closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. ¡°They¡¯re still waiting for us.¡± ¡°How about there?¡± Dianne pointed at the dark tunnel. ¡°Less.¡± Richard shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s hard to tell.¡± ¡°We move as silently as possible. Don¡¯t talk. Use party communication system until we get out. Let¡¯s hope we go unnoticed.¡± I said. With that said, we moved in deeper into the dungeon while Richard lit the way. The entrance of the cave was narrow, but as we went further, we realized that the tunnels were wider than we thought. However, the air was thin and each time I breathed, I felt like there¡¯s a heavy object on my chest. Luckily, Richard silently made a small hole above the ground to let in some fresh air.
Glowing Mushroom
There were also weird glowing blue mushrooms growing on the walls, which gave off a faint light, but still the rock bulb gave off a brighter light. We decided to take everything we could just in case because the rock bulb won¡¯t last long. Dianne also mentioned that these glowing mushrooms were alchemy ingredients which can be used to increase HP temporarily. We strapped the glowing mushrooms on our wrists, so even if one of us drifted off too far, we could, more or less, see where they were. A few minutes later, we encountered a lone slime. It didn¡¯t notice us and wandered along the corridor. It seemed that it can¡¯t see. I think that¡¯s because it didn¡¯t have eyes, but it could detect us by sound or maybe vibration.
Slime Lvl. 28
[Let¡¯s see if holy element works. Dianne, shoot the thing down.] ¨C Claire -0 HP!Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Dianne fired off a blessed arrow, but it has no effect. The slime noticed Dianne and slowly moved towards her. [Should I test my ice magic?] ¨C Richard [Go ahead.] ¨C Claire Richard pointed his staff on the slime and cast his magic. The slime stopped in its track while its body and the water around it was frozen solid in a matter of seconds. Target is Frozen! [It worked!] ¨C Gerry [What would happen if we attack it with our weapons?] ¨C Eric [Let me try.] ¨C Beth [Don¡¯t! You¡¯ll make too much sound. Just let it go.] ¨C Claire [Come on. It¡¯s just a single slime.] ¨C Melissa As much as I disagreed with their plan, Beth took out her battle axe and raised above her head. Her axe glowed with yellow light as she activated her skill [Cleave]. She hit the frozen slime with so much force that it shattered into little crystallized pieces in one blow. -612 HP! Target Died [We did it!] ¨C Dianne [I leveled up!] - Mark
Level up!
¡°Loot.¡± Beth whispered.
Silver Coin X 2
Copper Coin X 14
Small Mana Stone X 1
As Beth stored the loot in her inventory, Richard noticed that there were slimes coming our way. [Three slimes incoming!] - Richard [Shit! Get out of there!] ¨C Claire We pressed our backs into the walls as the three slimes slowly slid towards the middle of the corridor. Being a leader was stressful and I wanted to punch each of them so badly for their recklessness. I guess it was the reason why Miguel thought they were idiots. They really are idiots. And come to think of it, he thought I was an idiot too. [Don¡¯t. Make. A sound.] ¨C Claire The slime tried to investigate where the sound came. It roamed around the corridor and searched for us. My heart raced when one of the slimes got too close to Dianne and stayed a few inches in front of her as if waiting for her to move. Dianne closed her eyes and her knees were shaking in fear. [Hold on. Don¡¯t move.] ¨C Richard Richard silently picked up a stone with his magic and threw it across the tunnel to distract them. The slimes heard the sound and went to investigate. When the slimes were far enough, he cast magic on them one by one until all of them were frozen. Dianne sighed deeply in relief. Suddenly, one of the slimes caught wind of what was happening and tried to spit acid. Luckily, Richard caught the slime spit with his shield and we learned that even a plastic from water container would work well as a shield against them. I pity Melissa for the waste of her frying pans. [Okay, new rule. Don¡¯t kill them unless we really have to.] ¨C Claire The rest of them nodded in agreement. Thank goodness. [Can¡¯t you just dig a hole above and get out the same way as we get in?] ¨C Beth [There are more of them above than below. Trust me.] - Richard With that said, we moved on slowly and this time, more carefully, to the next cavern where the three slimes came from. The cave was huge and had a hole on the top of it. It was already night and the moonlight shone through the hole. I was thinking of getting out of this dungeon through that hole, but Richard was right. The slimes crawling in and out of the hole and there were probably hundreds crawling on the ceiling. However, there were only five to six slimes on the ground. [Holy shit. They¡¯re too many.] ¨C Eric [What now?] ¨C Melissa [We make our way to that tunnel.] ¨C Claire There were two other tunnels across the cave. The tunnel on the right was the nearest to us, but also closer to the slimes. The tunnel on the left was farther, but it was the farthest from the slimes. It wasn¡¯t a hard decision obviously. As we sneaked our way to the left tunnel, the slimes on the ground seemed to become more active whenever we make a step. [Stop! Stop!] ¨C Claire We waited for the slimes to stop before we made another step. This cycle continued for more or less an hour before we made it safely to the next tunnel. We began to notice that the caves had a pattern of some sort: A narrow tunnel between each cavern. Each of the cavern has two to three tunnels and the entire dungeon was designed like a maze. The cavern in-between had most of the monsters while there were a few strays and patrols in the tunnel. The next one was filled with eight slimes and in that cavern, we passed by a tunnel which was sloped downwards and we guessed that it would lead into the deeper levels of the dungeon. Obviously, we didn¡¯t go down further as we never came into that dungeon to conquer it. We moved slowly to the tunnel across the cavern while Richard froze the slimes to prevent them from moving around. [They¡¯re blocking the way!] ¨C Dianne [I think we entered the wrong tunnel. We should go back and try the other two.] ¨C Gerry [Yeah, let¡¯s go back.] - Claire There were three slimes that blocked the narrow passage. However, as we moved back to try the other passage, another slime appeared blocking our exit. We were trapped in the middle and we had no choice but to kill them. Richard began to freeze the slimes one by one starting at the one in front of us.
Slime Lvl. 28
[You know what to do. Richard, watch out if there are more slimes coming this way.] - Claire [Will do.] ¨CRichard Target is Frozen! [Mark, Beth, you need to kill them at the same time] - Claire When Richard froze all four of them, Beth stood near the three and waited for Mark to get close to the one on the back. [Okay, on the count of three¡­ One¡­ Two¡­ Three¡­] ¨C Beth Beth and Mark attacked the slimes at the same time and shattered their frozen bodies. We looted them as fast as we could and ran towards the walls. The sound echoed throughout the tunnels as the other slimes were attracted by the sound. Richard made another distraction by leading them the other way. Fortunately, it was an effective tactic against the slimes. The dungeon was more massive than we first thought and you can easily get lost because there were too many passageways. We had to mark each tunnel we passed, so we wouldn¡¯t get lost. There were also some close calls with the slimes even though we tried our best to avoid them and we killed more of them. Sometimes, they were just too many to handle. But we still managed to make it alive by some miracle or, possibly, by dumb luck. We rested for a few moments whenever we were in the narrow tunnels and slept whenever we could while we waited for Richard to recover his mana. We didn¡¯t know how much time we spent in the dungeon. I think it was after we were in the dungeon for an entire day or two as the rock bulb finally gave out and the only light source we had were the glowing mushrooms. Whenever we had time, we distributed our stats each time we levelled up. I put 5 points to AGI, 5 points to STR and 5 points to VIT. Also, we began to notice that when Miguel wasn¡¯t around, we leveled up much slower. Could it be that his EXP rate also affects his party members?
Name: Claire Roque
Race: Human Level: 22
HP: 440/440 MP: 380/380
SP: 610/610 EXP: 48.80%
STR: 46 WIS: 18
AGI: 61 INT: 29
VIT: 44 LUK: 14
DEX: 14 CHA: 36
Satiety: Hungry
Status Tired
Undistributed Attribute Points: 0
Title(s):
Sadist: +10% Damage and chance to stagger
Perk(s):
N/A
[Is that what I think it is?] ¨C Mark [It¡¯s the exit!] ¨C Gerry Finally, we could see a light from a distance. Mark took out his binoculars and confirmed that it was an exit. The only catch was the cavern between us and the exit was far and there were at least a hundred slimes on our way. It was like the dungeon was dangling the prize for us while there¡¯s a pitfall trap below. So close and yet so far. [There¡¯s too many. I can¡¯t freeze them all at once.] ¨C Richard [How about you dig a hole on the ceiling?] ¨C Eric [That could work but how?] ¨C Richard [You know, like how Miguel created that rock tower?] ¨C Eric [Are there still slimes above us?] ¨C Dianne [There¡¯s a few slimes above, but the thing is, if I make a hole, the other slimes will hear the noise before we get out.] ¨C Richard [So we have no choice but to cross that sea of slimes, huh?] ¨C Melissa [Exactly. We need to sneak our way to that exit somehow.] ¨C Richard [That¡¯s impossible. Look at them.] ¨C Beth As we scanned the area, we realized that the slimes everywhere, on the ceiling, on the walls, and every nook and cranny. Sneaking our way might be impossible, but running towards the exit was out of the question as there was not enough space where we can walk to. It was literally a sea of slimes. [How about we lure them here one by one and kill them?] ¨C Melissa [That could work, but with these many slimes, I don¡¯t think we have enough mana potions and it could take weeks to clear them out.] ¨C Richard [Why not just burn them all at once? I mean, these slimes are flammable, right? They¡¯ll catch fire quickly and they¡¯re clumped together.] ¨C Gerry [You forgot the fact that we¡¯re also flammable, Sir Gerry. That sea of slimes will turn into a sea of flames. We don¡¯t want that. Luckily, we¡¯ll die of suffocation first] ¨C Mark [But that exit¡¯s a big hole, we¡¯ll have enough air.] ¨C Beth [Yeah, and so does the people who die in a burning house. A house has lots of windows, but they still die of suffocation. Burning them while we¡¯re in a closed space is out of the question.] - Mark [We don¡¯t really have to fight them. We need a distraction to lure the slimes to a corner and then we run towards the exit. Richard, I need you to raise some walls to block their spits while we run.] ¨C Claire [That¡¯s actually a good idea.] ¨C Richard [Are you sure that will work?] ¨C Beth [Not really, but it¡¯s a better option than fighting all of them. I¡¯m gonna need a lot of mana potions though.] ¨C Richard Dianne ran through her inventory of potions and handed Richard three bottles. [That¡¯s all I got. I ran out of ingredients for it.] ¨C Dianne [Does mana regen potion stack?] ¨C Richard [Unfortunately, no.] ¨C Dianne [Oh, I¡¯ll also need someone to shield me while I raise the walls.] ¨C Richard [I¡¯ll handle it, bro.] -Eric As our discussion ended, we took off everything that could weigh us down and stored it in our inventory so we could run faster. I stored my shoulder guards and breastplate in my inventory. I still recommended carrying shields and their weapons just in case. Meanwhile, Richard drank a bottle of potion of mana regeneration. [Hey guys, who has an additional inventory space? I ran out and I need someone to store my drums.] ¨C Gerry [Can¡¯t you just throw something that you don¡¯t need and store your drums?] ¨C Beth [Well, I don¡¯t want to throw away my clothes.] ¨C Gerry [I¡¯ll hold on to your drums, Sir.] ¨C Claire [Thanks! I¡¯ll get that from you as soon as we¡¯re out.] ¨C Gerry Sir Gerry handed me his snare drum and his drumsticks. Thankfully, I had lots of inventory space left. As Richard readied his staff, the rest of us crouched down as we prepared for the sprint of our lifetime. [Okay, Richard. On count of three¡­ One¡­] ¨C Claire Before I could count to three, Richard cast his magic on the left side of the cave and destroyed a column of rocks. The slimes took the bait and went to investigate the noise. When all of the slimes were on the left side, the cave shook violently as rocks continuously fell from the ceiling. [I said make a distraction, not collapse the entire cave!] ¨C Claire [Well, they¡¯re distracted. It worked.] ¨C Richard [Come on, let¡¯s go! Run!] ¨C Claire With that said, we all sprinted towards the exit as we tried to dodge the debris falling from the ceiling. However, the slimes began to notice us even though the sound of the cave shaking was louder than our footsteps. We didn¡¯t just have to dodge the rocks, but we also have to dodge slime spits as Richard¡¯s casting of earth walls couldn¡¯t keep up with our running speed. The slime spits almost caught Eric again, but he managed to block it with his shield. ¡°Shit!¡± Eric cursed as a drop of slime acid got into his shoulder guards. ¡°Can¡¯t you go faster, Richard?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Richard panted as he drank a bottle of mana potion. ¡°I¡¯m running low of mana.¡± A huge boulder fell out in front of us and when it was about to hit Beth and Dianne, I immediately grabbed Beth¡¯s wrist and pulled her out of the way while Dianne did a tumbling roll and dodged the rock. ¡°Wow, that was close!¡± Beth shouted as she pulled herself up. ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°Thank me later when we get out alive!¡± I said. The cave shook more intensely and let out a violent grumbling sound.
Slime King [Boss] Lvl. 45
¡°Holy shit! It¡¯s the fucking boss again!¡± Mark screamed. ¡°Just keep running!¡± Not only the slime king and the sea of slimes were chasing us, the dungeon behind us was collapsing like a domino. At that moment, it seemed that we were having a streak of bad luck, but then, the collapsing cave proved to be useful as it buried the slimes that couldn¡¯t keep up. We were only a few meters from the exit. Dianne was the first one to get out, followed by Melissa and Mark. I was one step from the exit, when we heard someone screaming. ¡°AHHHHHHH!!!¡± I stopped. I turned my head around to see who it was. ¡°GERRY!¡± Beth shouted at the top of her lungs. Gerry was caught by an acid spit and he was down on the ground screeching in pain. His entire body was smoking as the acid slowly melted his body. The slimes caught one of his legs and began to surround him. ¡°AHHHH! HELP ME! AHHHHHH!!!¡± Beth tried to go back and save him, but Eric caught her in time. ¡°No! Let me go! Gerry!¡± Eric tried to stop her, but Beth struggled fiercely. She was too strong, so Mark and I went back to stop her. ¡°WAAAAHHHH!¡± That was the last scream that I heard from Gerry. At that moment, I felt like my whole world became silent. I couldn¡¯t hear him or Beth screaming, but I could see the terrible amount of pain on his face. The slimes covered him with more slimes and devoured him whole as he flailed in desperation. I wanted to puke when I saw his flesh breaks off and dissolved into a red paste and floating in the slime¡¯s clear body. The flesh then breaks off further and the slimes became slightly red with blood. I was in shock. All of us were in shock. My mind was blank as I watched the rest of the slimes gathered at what remained of Sir Gerry. I only snapped back into reality when a hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder. ¡°Come on! The cave is collapsing!¡± Mark shouted as he pulled me towards the exit. We quickly ran towards the exit just in time when the dungeon collapsed. We ran and never stopped running. We didn¡¯t even stop for a while to grieve the loss of our friend. We ran aimlessly forward even though there was nothing chasing us from behind. I felt that my face was wetter than usual. I wiped my face only to realize that I was crying the whole time. I looked at the others and they were in the same state as I was. I heard Beth whimpered as she tried to keep herself composed. None of us could find anything to say as we ran. It was already night. I didn¡¯t know where we were at that time, but I noticed that there were a lot of ashes and charred bones scattered throughout the road. The place seemed familiar to me as if I¡¯ve already been there before. Dianne suddenly quickened her pace. [This way.] ¨C Dianne Dianne led us to a huge house as the others followed sullenly. I stopped at the gates as I realized that it was Miguel¡¯s house. We were all silent as Melissa did her best to cook a meal for us. We hadn¡¯t eaten anything since we stumbled in the slime dungeon, but that night, I did not have the appetite nor were the others in the mood to eat anything. We forced ourselves to eat even just a bite to keep us going. Meanwhile, Beth was still sobbing in a corner while Mark tried his best to console her. Dianne stood and stared at a wall next to a broken TV. I looked at the direction of her eyes and I noticed that there was a message written on the wall. ¡°Miguel, if you ever find this message, we want you to know that we¡¯re okay. We¡¯re going east. Follow the signs.¡± ¡°His family¡¯s alive.¡± Dianne murmured. ¡°We only need to follow those signs.¡± ¡°What signs are they talking about?¡± I asked. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Dianne¡¯s voice cracked as she covered her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If it wasn¡¯t for me, we won¡¯t be in that dungeon. Gerry would still be alive.¡± As I wrapped my arms around Dianne to comfort her, Beth stood up and approached her. ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself. None of us wanted this to happen.¡± Beth said as she rubbed Dianne¡¯s back. ¡°I just¡­ I just wish we could bury him, you know. There¡¯s nothing left on him.¡± I remembered that I was the one who stored Sir Gerry¡¯s snare drum. I took it out of my inventory and gave it to Beth. ¡°Here. We can still make a grave for him¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have dragged you into coming with us in the first place.¡± ¡°No. It was our choice.¡± Beth said as she stared at the drum. ¡°We knew that we couldn¡¯t survive with just the two of us. Thank you for this.¡± I gave Beth a hug to express my sympathies for her. All of us gathered around her and gave her a hug. We felt sadness, yes, but Gerry¡¯s death wasn¡¯t in vain and it taught us an important lesson. We shouldn¡¯t rely on our luck and we have to be careful for each second of our lives. As long as there are monsters around, we will never be safe. Suddenly, we heard a scratching sound outside the gate. We unsheathed our weapons and went outside while Beth and Eric stood near the gate and prepared for the enemy. At that moment, we became as paranoid as Miguel. Probably more. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Eric¡¯s knees were shaking as he held the doorknob. Whatever it was, it wasn¡¯t responding and it continued to scratch the gate. I nodded at the others to open the gate and kill it as fast as possible. I was about to lunge forward and attack when Eric opened the gate. ¡°Piper!¡± Melissa shouted as the wolf quickly pounced on her and licked her face. ¡°Where have you been?! I¡¯m so worried about you!¡± I let out a deep sigh. ¡°Come on guys, we should at least make a grave for Sir Gerry.¡± Melissa gave each of us a candle and lit it. Richard dug a small hole in the ground with his magic and shaped a tombstone from the rocks outside the house. He also inscribed Gerry¡¯s name on it and a few words to describe him. We didn¡¯t put a date of birth as none of us knew his birthday. We put the snare drum into the hole and covered it with earth. We didn¡¯t have a body to bury, but these would have to do. Gerardo Bato The song is ended, but the melody lingers on. When I read the tombstone, I couldn¡¯t help but shed tears. I felt like I was somehow responsible for Gerry¡¯s death. Back when Rhian and Samuel died, Miguel, even with his condition at that time, tried his best to help us. I think it was the same feeling that he felt when our party members died. He felt guilty because we were his responsibility. But now that I became the leader, I felt the same guilt when Gerry was killed by the monsters. ¡°Is it okay if I say a few words?¡± Mark asked as he took out a book from his inventory. It was thick and had a brown leather cover. It was more like a tome. ¡°Yeah.¡± Beth nodded. Mark flipped a page from his book and sprinkled water on the grave. ¡°My Fair Lady, Sinestra, I, your servant, humbly request to bless your son, Gerardo Bato. For his deeds were noble and his heart was caring. He was merciful in life and may the Lady of Mercy and Love find him worthy of her mercy and forgive him for any of his trespasses. May his soul rest for eternity and find its way to the Palace of the Forgiven.¡± ¡°Is that holy water?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Yeah, I can make these if I use [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] on water.¡± Mark replied as I used [Observe] on the bottle.
Holy Water Quality: Rank E (Low) Effect: Dispels curses and damages demi-monsters and undead. Enchants with Holy element if used on items. A low quality holy water made by Marco Del Carmen.
¡°Who is Sinestra?¡± She asked again. ¡°She¡¯s the goddess of love and mercy. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I don¡¯t believe in these gods or goddesses, but most of my skills are related to gods and goddesses and this book: The Great Seven. I thought it would be good to read a few passages from this book for times like these.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°You should pray to whoever god you believe in. It won¡¯t hurt.¡± Mark suggested. ¡°No need. God has already abandoned us.¡± Richard shook his head. ¡°Praying would help you move on. Even if it¡¯s just talking to yourself.¡± Mark said. Richard was right. There was no god who would hear our prayers. Even so, I still prayed to God. Not the one who destroyed the world, but the one I used to believe in. It was stupid of me, I know. You can only imagine my surprise when it was the other God who answered. It wasn¡¯t that I dared to pray to Him. He was clear that He didn¡¯t want our prayers and I was afraid of Him. I only mentioned Him in my thoughts and vain wishes. God, I wish I could turn back time to save Gerry. I thought. *DING!*
YES! FINALLY!
ARC 2: Chapter 31: A Mission from Above Chapter 31: A Mission from Above ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to pray to You!¡± I said in a panicked voice. *DING!*
No, it¡¯s okay, Claire. I¡¯ve been waiting for ages for one of you to call me. I¡¯m sorry for your loss, by the way. I can¡¯t help poor guy Gerry. Once you die, you die. No exceptions, No respawn.
¡°Who are you talking to Claire?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Wait, did you just pray to God?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± I replied. ¡°He said it¡¯s okay and He was waiting for us to call Him.¡± ¡°What else did He say?¡± Eric asked. I gave them a dismissive wave and continued talking to God. Why were you waiting?
Before that, Is Miguel with you?
No. Miguel left Camp Aguinaldo alone and we¡¯re currently looking for him. Do you know where he is?
I was going to ask that too. Somehow, I can¡¯t talk to him and I can¡¯t locate him either.
Is he alive?
Yes, he is still alive. I can see his status on my screen right now, but I can¡¯t see him on my map. I think I have an idea what¡¯s going on with him.
What do you mean? What¡¯s going on?
Just a few days ago, he gained the attention of a dark god when he got rid of the dark mana inside you. Last time I talked to him, I told him that he fucked up really bad.
Who is this dark god?
The Dark Lord. Well, I know it sounds lame, but that¡¯s what he calls himself.
Voldemort?
Hahaha! Funny. Miguel asked me that too. And no, he¡¯s not You-Know-Who. He¡¯s the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-Because-His-Name-Is-Probably-Stupid.
What does he want with Miguel? Is that why he¡¯s been acting weird lately?
Since the Dark Lord¡¯s domain are lies and falsehoods, he probably wants Miguel to be his servant. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing to him, but it¡¯s not good. If I had to guess, the Dark Lord will try to convert him into a lich and he somehow found a way to cut my connection with Miguel. Most of his followers are liches and necromancers, by the way. Really, really bad guys.
A lich?
Obviously, you don¡¯t want Miguel to be a lich. Trust me. He¡¯ll be the most powerful lich in existence and he¡¯ll be one of the Dark Lord¡¯s puppets. Liches are magic users who turned to dark magic to achieve immortality. Just imagine him being a walking dried mummy who can raise undead creatures.
Shit. Miguel¡¯s in deep trouble. But why the hell didn¡¯t he say anything to us? What the fuck is he thinking?
I don¡¯t really like to directly intervene with mortal affairs as much as possible. It¡¯s one of my rules. If you can¡¯t handle it, I¡¯ll have no choice, but send my agent. By the way, you are near to an infested dungeon, so you should expect undead monsters on the way.
Tell us what to do, we¡¯ll find him.
Quest: A Mission from God Miguel, the former leader of Boston Tea Party, gained the attention of the Dark Lord, the god of falsehoods and the undead. Whatever he¡¯s planning on him, it won¡¯t be good. Find Miguel before it¡¯s too late. Difficulty: C Rewards: EXP and Five (5) Gold Coins.
¡°A mission from God?¡± Eric asked. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on?¡±
I want you to find him. Earlier, you saw a writing on the wall, right? That¡¯s Miguel¡¯s mother. He¡¯s probably looking for her, but with his situation, I don¡¯t think he will. The sign she was talking about was a red smiley face. Just follow them.
¡°Claire!¡± Dianne screamed at me. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What did God say?¡± ¡°Miguel¡¯s in trouble. The Dark Lord¡¯s trying to convert him into a lich, so he can be his puppet.¡± I explained. ¡°God said we should follow red smiley faces. That¡¯s the sign.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a lich?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Undead mages. Basically, they¡¯re zombies, but they can do magic and they¡¯re smart.¡± Richard answered. ¡°But why did God want us to rescue Miguel?¡± ¡°He gained God¡¯s attention when the apocalypse began and gave him a unique skill that makes him learn any skill with just doing it.¡± Melissa shrugged. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking Richard. Don¡¯t try to call God¡¯s attention. He¡¯ll smite us if you do it. He doesn¡¯t like favors and Miguel always wished he didn¡¯t.¡± Eric said. ¡°Did God say how Miguel gained the Dark Lord¡¯s attention?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded. ¡°Remember when I was bitten by a zombie and Miguel cured me? That was when he met him.¡± ¡°You were bitten by a zombie? Is that why your eyes looked like that?¡± Mark pointed out the color of my eyes. ¡°No. My eyes became like this after Miguel cured me.¡± ¡°If I remember it correctly, there was a black smoke coming out from your body.¡± Dianne said. ¡°Was it the Dark Lord?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Anyway, we should accept the quest.¡± ¡°We have lots of time to grieve for Sir Gerry after this one. I¡¯ve already lost a friend, but I don¡¯t want to lose another.¡± Beth wiped her face. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°This is my time to shine.¡± Mark said as he smirked. ¡°All of my skills are effective against undead, according to this book.¡± ¡°Yeah, whatever. The gold¡¯s worth it. I mean, five gold? For each of us? Damn.¡± Richard rubbed his palms. ¡°I¡¯m definitely in.¡±
Claire Roque accepted the Quest: A Mission from God
Dianne Duria accepted the Quest: A Mission from God
Eric Reyes accepted the Quest: A Mission from God
Melissa Panis accepted the Quest: A Mission from God
Elizabeth Uy accepted the Quest: A Mission from God
Richard Reyes accepted the Quest: A Mission from God
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Marco Del Carmen accepted the Quest: A Mission from God
All of us accepted the quest to find Miguel. Now that we know what was happening to him, I couldn¡¯t help but worry about him. I had a feeling that something bad was happening to him at that very moment. I shrugged off the feeling and we decided to rest because it was still dark. Although we were in a hurry, we needed to gather our strength before we set out and it was dangerous at night. We won¡¯t be complacent anymore.
One last thing, don¡¯t hesitate to call me for help.
You¡¯re underestimating us. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll find him.
The next morning, we ate our breakfast early as we finally found the appetite to eat. Like I said, we needed to gather our strength, so we ate a lot and we¡¯ll probably won¡¯t have time to eat lunch. But Melissa made a soup out of boar¡¯s meat and bones and she also made hand-pulled noodles, so we¡¯ll have a meal on the go, just in case. Meanwhile, Dianne prepared her potions after just a few hours of sleep. She also made a couple of paralyzing poisons. I don¡¯t think it would work against undead, but it won¡¯t hurt to be prepared.
Paralysis Poison Quality: Rank E (Low) Effect: Renders user completely unable to move or attack for 5 seconds. A low quality poison made by Dianne Duria.
¡°Dianne, do you have more of sleeping hebs?¡± Eric asked. Dianne handed him a small box of ground herbs. ¡°Sweet.¡± Eric said as he shook the box. Last night, Eric and Richard tried to create a flash grenade by using homemade explosives and it didn¡¯t work. It should work, but somehow, it didn¡¯t. Whenever he tries to light the bomb, a blue screen would appear and say: ¡®Error: Advanced weapons technology disabled.¡¯. It¡¯s like the SYSTEM knew the chemistry of explosions and preventing it from happening. They concluded that smoke bombs still work because it only involves burning of the materials. Eric and Richard was still searching for a loophole and they love to see an explosion. In the past, these brothers should already be in jail for it. Even though they failed at creating a bomb, Eric said that he and Richard created something useful from their failures. We said our final goodbyes to Sir Gerry¡¯s grave before we left the house. It wasn¡¯t that we¡¯ve already moved on with Gerry¡¯s death. Even though we still felt sad about his death, Beth was right. We lost a friend, but we won¡¯t allow it to happen again and lose another. Besides, crying all day long and blaming ourselves for it won¡¯t bring him back. We will have time to grieve later, after we rescue Miguel. ¡°Let me bless your weapons first before we go.¡± Mark said as he held a plastic water bottle. We piled our weapons on the ground as Mark sprinkled holy water on it. ¡°In the name of Eriton, the god of justice, I bestow the blessing of his holy vengeance. His enemies shall cower at the sight of his fist given form, embodied through these weapons. May the Lord of Justice find us worthy to wield his righteous wrath.¡±
Steel Long Sword (Enchanted) Attack Damage [Physical] 18-19 Durability: 43/55 Requirement: 15 STR Magic Damage [Holy] 2-3 Duration: 6 Hour(s) A long sword made of steel
. After Mark said the words from his book, our weapons had a faint white glow to it. Mark told us that the enchantment wasn¡¯t permanent and he would need to bless it every six hours. ¡°Come on, guys.¡± I said to them as we stood by the gate. ¡°Let¡¯s find him.¡± We went on with our quest to find Miguel. Unlike when we left Camp Aguinaldo, our pace has quickened because of a threat to our friend¡¯s life, my boyfriend¡¯s life. Even though the area was cleared of monsters, we were on a full alert and had our weapons in our hands. [I found it. I found the red smiley!] ¨C Dianne We ran towards Dianne and we saw a wall with a smiley drawn with red spray paint. We didn¡¯t have time to stand and investigate further. As soon as we saw the sign, we went on and continued the search. There were a few left over monsters along the way. Unlike the slow zombies we fought back at the university, the zombies we encountered in Pasig were fast runners.
Fast Zombie Lvl. 14
-251 HP! Critical Hit! Target Died As the zombie charged at our group, I slashed my sword and sliced through the zombie¡¯s neck. We stopped for a moment as we took out pieces of clothes from our inventory and spread the zombie guts on it. ¡°Are you sure this will work?¡± Richard asked as he tried his best not to vomit. ¡°I can assure you that it works. It¡¯s a disguise.¡± Eric replied. ¡°This was Miguel¡¯s idea and it helped us survive back when we were in the university.¡± We made a quick job at all those zombies who dared to attack us. I realized that even though these zombies have higher levels compared to the ones we used to fight, they were weak and their flesh was soft. It would be a problem if they were many, but we only encountered one to three at a time. We didn¡¯t even loot them to save time. Suddenly, we heard a familiar scream of the undead from a distance. It was the sound of a disturbed undead horde. A horde of at least a hundred zombies charged at us.
Restless Dead Lvl. 16
¡°I thought you said this would work?¡± Richard pointed at the gut cloth. ¡°I think they were attracted by the sound and not with our smell.¡± I said to him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work 100% of the time. I was bitten by a zombie for no reason at all.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this one.¡± Beth said as her battle axe glowed with yellow light. You see, Miguel failed to see Beth¡¯s potential. Back when they ¡®auditioned¡¯, he thought that Beth¡¯s first skill [Momentum] was useless. That skill enables her to raise her attack power based on the distance she sprinted. Not running or walking, but sprinting. Each stack of [Momentum] would require 10 meters with a maximum stack of 10, a total of 100 meters of sprinting. Though Miguel let her fight in the frontlines, he didn¡¯t consider her to be that valuable since [Momentum] wasn¡¯t even an active skill. However, when Beth was given a loan of 10 Gold Coins by the AFP, so that she could buy a skill from The Shop. She bought two skill books: [Cleave] and [Whirling Death]. [Cleave] which works like [Power Attack], but it only works with axes and polearms and will always hit multiple enemies at once when they¡¯re in range. Her other skill [Whirling Death] was terrifying to say the least, but it requires a maximum stack of [Momentum]. We killed 17 chimeras on our first mission and most of those kills were from Beth. We all charged towards the horde as we gave Beth a little room to let her stack [Momentum]. I used [Berserker¡¯s Howl] to boost our damage while Melissa used her skill [Arrow Shower] on the incoming horde. As we got near enough, the rest of us slowed down a bit to let Beth use [Whirling Death]. As Beth got enough [Momentum] stacks, she slowly spun around with her axe until she was fast enough that she was literally a deadly tornado of blades. The zombies around her were annihilated as their bodies were cut in half. Fetid guts and blood splashed everywhere whenever the zombies were caught in Beth¡¯s [Whirling Death]. I looked at Piper and she also fought with alongside with Melissa. She pounced at everyone who dared to get too close at her master. The dire wolf tore their necks and move from one zombie to the next. At least the darn useless mutt had its use. Meanwhile, the rest of us killed everything that Beth missed with her skill. Eric charged at the enemies to use [Charge Attack] in combination of [Bash] and sent the multiple enemies flying to Beth while his brother, Richard, used his magic to create flaming boulders with the scattered debris of buildings. Since we were too close to the enemies, Dianne switched to her Bolo knife and joined us to kill the enemies with melee weapons. At last, I saw Beth¡¯s spin begin to slow down. [Eric, go to Beth and use [Taunt]. Mark, when Eric lures the zombies, use your skill.] ¨C Claire [Got it.] ¨C Mark [Oh shit. Not again. What if I get bitten by a zombie?] ¨C Eric [Oh, here comes the whining again.] ¨C Melissa [Shut up.] ¨C Eric [Don¡¯t worry, Eric. I¡¯ll take care of it. Besides, if I use [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] on them, it¡¯ll be over in an instant.] ¨C Mark [Fine. Here goes nothing.] ¨C Eric Eric used his [Charge Attack] to quickly cover a short distance between him and Beth. His timing was impeccable as Beth¡¯s spin stopped into a halt when he got there. He cast [Taunt] to lure all the zombies into him. Debuff: Overheat Even though Beth¡¯s skill [Whirling Death] was powerful, it has a huge drawback after she uses it. Beth fell down on her knees as her body began to heat up and produced a steam-like smoke. It was called Overheat which was an after-effect of her skill. It will render her unable to move for 10 seconds after she uses [Whirling Death]. [Now, Mark!] ¨C Claire As I gave Mark my signal, he raised his mace up in the air as he cast [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing]. A sphere made of white light appeared on top of Eric, Beth and the horde. The sphere made a ring of rays of light as it healed Eric and Beth and damages the zombies. -200 HP! -200 HP! Mark told us earlier that this skill of his would not only heal his allies, but it will deal two times the amount of damage when used against undead and demi-monsters. Each time the rays of light hit the zombies, dark mists came out of their bodies as it vanished. The zombies, then fell down on the ground. Mark continued to cast [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] again and again until all the zombies around them were killed.
Level up!
¡°Mark!¡± Eric shouted. ¡°Mark!¡± ¡°What?¡± Mark asked as we rushed towards Eric. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Look!¡± Eric panicked as he showed us a bite wound on his right shoulder. His shoulder guard was melted off yesterday by the slime spit. ¡°What now?¡± Melissa looked at Eric with widened eyes. She immediately embraced Eric and cried. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to die.¡± Eric shook his head as he wept. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± I couldn¡¯t believe it. Eric was bitten by a zombie and it will only take a few hours before he turned into one. At that moment, the only one we knew who could cure the disease was Miguel, but the problem was, he wasn¡¯t here. Mark sighed as he cast [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] on him. ¡°I told you not to worry, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± Eric cursed as she hugged Melissa. ¡°Mark, I don¡¯t think healing spells would work to cure the disease.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve been bitten before and Miguel was clear that heal won¡¯t remove whatever¡¯s causing the infection.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± Mark rolled his eyes as he took out a bottle of holy water from his body bag and gave it to Eric. ¡°Here, drink it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually a curse. It¡¯s called Necrosis Curse. Drinking holy water can easily remove it.¡± Mark added. Eric quickly gulped down the contents of the whole bottle. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure.¡± Mark nodded. ¡°One of the symptoms is extreme pain of joints. Do you feel pain in your joints?¡± ¡°No.¡± Eric shook his head and let out a deep sigh. ¡°I guess not.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re okay.¡± Mark helped Eric stand up. ¡°Although, I could use a kiss on the lips as a reward.¡± ¡°Sorry man, I already got a girlfriend.¡± Eric wrapped his arms around Melissa¡¯s waist. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind a little competition.¡± Mark teased. ¡°That¡¯s enough, guys.¡± Beth stood up and stretched her arms. ¡°We¡¯ve wasted enough time. We might not be able to catch up to Miguel.¡± ¡°Come on guys.¡± Dianne said. As the others finally caught up with their breaths, we continued jogging on our way while Dianne went to her usual scouting business. She told us that the horde we fought seemed to be the last horde and the area was almost clear. As we followed the red smiley clues, we passed by another bridge. Dianne said that we already passed Pasig and we were currently in Taytay, Rizal province. Since there were more roads and grassland in the area, Dianne couldn¡¯t do her building hopping style of scouting. We were no longer in the city and there were still a lot of zombies, particularly, Restless Dead zombies, but not as many as we were at the university. We didn¡¯t mind killing them as we needed all the EXP points we could get. It was starting to get dark, but we didn¡¯t stop because Eric and Richard prepared a bunch of torches for us to use during the night. A risky move, but time was against us and we were afraid not to make it in time to save Miguel. Half an hour later since we passed by the bridge. I noticed that Dianne suddenly stopped her usual direction pointing. [Dianne, are you there?] ¨C Claire We waited for a couple of seconds, but she didn¡¯t respond. [Dianne, where are you?] ¨C Claire [Is everything okay?] ¨C Melissa [Dianne! Do you hear us?] ¨C Beth We kept on trying to contact her for a few minutes, but she wasn¡¯t responding. We feared for the worse. [Would you guys please shut up? I¡¯m trying to talk to someone here, please.] ¨C Dianne [Tell us where you are.] ¨C Claire [Just follow the highway. I¡¯m near a gas station.] ¨C Dianne [Who the hell are talking to?] ¨C Eric [Dianne, remember the rule that none of us will talk with survivors alone? What the fuck is wrong with you?!] ¨C Melissa [Shut up! Just hurry!] ¨C Dianne As we saw a sign of a gas station, we sprinted towards it while ignoring the zombies. When we reached Dianne, we saw her talking to someone in the small store in the gas station. ¡°Goddammit, Dianne. Don¡¯t do that again!¡± I said as I scolded her. ¡°Who is it anyway?¡± The person she was talking to wasn¡¯t a local. I can easily tell with her blonde hair and fair skin. The blonde woman looked strangely familiar. As I stared at her, she reminded me of a certain person that I hated more than Miguel. Yeah, there was one person that I hated more than him. While my hatred for Miguel was for ¡®passion¡¯, my hatred for this particular person was pure and with zeal. ¡°Guys!¡± Dianne excitedly stood up. ¡°She¡¯s Daria Swann!¡± ARC 2: Chapter 32: A Bird in a Cage Chapter 32: A Bird in a Cage ¡°Is there a problem with the party name? It¡¯s either this party or no party at all¡± The one-eyed man sneered. ¡°Fine!¡± I said. ¡°Accept Invite.¡±
Daria Swann has joined Daria Sucks Ass Party.
The man laughed at me as we created the party. If he wasn¡¯t that strong, I would have strangled him already. I was well aware that I won¡¯t survive for long if I don¡¯t stick with him, but this man kept mocking me since I failed to seduce him. I realized that I shouldn¡¯t have tried seducing him, but I didn¡¯t know that would fail miserably. How else would I know that this man was immune to charm? ¡°Oh, and by the way, do you have any notebooks?¡± He asked. ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°What do you need them for?¡± ¡°My journal.¡± ¡°Journal? Like a diary or something?¡± ¡°Yes, like a diary.¡± He replied as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. I mean, eye. Singular. ¡°Anyway, you should rest. I¡¯ll take the watch for tonight.¡± ¡°No, you should go to rest.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll take the watch.¡± ¡°Remind me again. What¡¯s the second rule?¡± He put his hand behind his ears. ¡°I will obey you. No questions asked.¡± I responded. ¡°Then off you go.¡± The man said as he sat on the couch. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t want you dozing off while we¡¯re travelling. I got enough problems of my own.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± And so I went upstairs and slept in a bed next to Asharra. Only a while ago, I¡¯ve learned his name: Miguel. Like most Asians, he¡¯s smaller than me; he¡¯s probably a 5¡¯6¡± and I¡¯m a 6¡¯2¡±. To put our height difference into a perspective, he stood only up to my chin. Even though he was small, he was a bit stout and his posture was full of confidence. However, he was too ugly for my taste. His face looked like he would eat a heart raw. Just Imagine the most savage Neanderthal man and that would be him. He had a messed up full beard, an eye patch and burnt half face. Maybe losing some weight and a serious makeover and throw in boat loads of plastic surgery would improve his looks. Even with his terrifying looks, somehow, I felt comfortable around him. For the first time, ever since the beginning of the apocalypse, I felt safe. One reason why I can tolerate his attitude was that he was basically harmless. He was all talk and his mouth would go off and throw insults without a break. Even so, his words don¡¯t match with his actions. You can easily tell that he was one of the rare people left in this post-apocalyptic Earth; people who would help others without a second thought. The story I told him was mostly lies. The only true about it was that Jen and I were stuck in a hotel and we encountered a non-human survivor group. I didn¡¯t tell him that I¡¯ve already killed people before we met. When the blue screens appeared, Erica, my manager, and all of my friends suddenly fell unconscious to the ground. I didn¡¯t get to read most the message because I was in panic. I tried to revive them, but they mysteriously died on the spot. I tried to call for help and dialed 911 and realized that my phone wasn¡¯t working. I came out of my room only to find everyone dead. Except for a handful of guests and hotel employees. I heard from the other survivors that there were monsters outside the hotel. I didn¡¯t believe at first, but when I saw one of the monsters almost broke down the door, I was scared and we decided to stay at the hotel to wait for the rescue. That was when I met Jenny. She was a receptionist working for the hotel. Jenny was one of the many who claimed to be a fan. She was a bit annoying. She seemed to be oblivious about what was happening around and kept on talking to me. Most of the hotel employees hated me for some reason, especially the men. I was a mean person and I admit that, but I don¡¯t think I deserve their hatred. Whenever I watched zombie movies, I refused to believe that society would crumble in an instant and I didn¡¯t believe the people would immediately drop their sense of morality like a hot potato when there are no more laws in place. That¡¯s because people tend to desire order than anarchy and they would want to hold on to what makes them human. At least in the beginning. But then, I was wrong. Just after two days, most of the male hotel employees decided that they wanted a piece of me. Their reason? There was nobody around who can stop them and there were six of them. There were no police, no phones and by the time, it was over, they would kill us and blame everything to the monsters. They dragged me away by my hair in front of everyone and proceeded to tear off my clothes. Jenny and one of the male guests tried their best to protect me, but the bastards killed the guests and they stripped off Jenny¡¯s clothes too. Jenny and I were gang raped. One after another, they passed us around like we were living sex toys. They just laughed at us when Jen and I tried to fight back. We were weak and they were much stronger than us and we were outnumbered. They bound us with a rope and lock us in an empty storage room without windows after they finish, so that they can rape us again tomorrow. That hell continued for three days straight. Trust me when I say that it was the most degrading moment of my life. I felt like a crippled bird inside a cage. I was almost broken and I wished they¡¯d just kill me and end my suffering. At that time, I pretty much gave up on myself and accepted it. They would kill me after this and that was my wish. But Jenny, she never lost her will to fight back. Every night, she planned our escape. She told me the hundred ways of how she wanted those monsters be killed. We no longer saw them as people. Luck seemed to be on our side on the fourth day. While the bastards were fucking us like dogs in the dining area, the monsters broke down the hotel entrance door and killed two of them before they had time to react. The rest of them managed to barricade the door in the dining area and pushed back the monsters. That was their last mistake. They seemed to forget about us and while they were busy holding out the door, Jenny and I picked up any weapons we could find. She got a knife while I took the fire axe from one of them. When the barricades held, Jenny stabbed one on the back. Using the fire axe I picked up, I chopped the head of one of the rapists. The other one tried to fight back, but thankfully, I killed him too. The leader of the rapists was the only one left. He was too shocked that his friends died in a matter of seconds and he just froze in a corner like a coward. He fell to his knees and tried to beg us to let him live as I hacked one of his legs. Obviously, Jenny and I weren¡¯t in the forgiving mood. It was far too late for that and there was no point in begging, not after what they did to us. As much as we wanted him to suffer more, the monsters broke in again and destroyed the barricade. We had no choice, but to leave him to die. We used him as a distraction for the monsters as we ran for our lives. It was a shame really. We planned to castrate him and make him suffer for long, but we never had a satisfying revenge. One thing that worried us was that the guys who raped us repeatedly could¡¯ve gotten us pregnant. We didn¡¯t have a pregnancy test kit and we kept looking for a drugstore, but we were out of luck. We hoped that we¡¯d have our period. If one of those monkeys managed to put a child inside me, I¡¯ll give birth to it, so that I could drown it. We looted everything we could use and when we left the hotel, we encountered another group of survivors. They weren¡¯t humans. Those with long pointed ears called themselves Elves while the other who has animal tails and ears were called Beastmen. They were decent people and they were curious about us as much as we were curious about them. They had women and children with them, so we didn¡¯t worry too much. They said that they didn¡¯t come from Earth and they were starving because they couldn¡¯t find anything to eat in the strange world we were living in, so we helped them loot food and other necessities in the nearby stores. I also learned from them the existence of magic and that all of us had skills. I learned that I had a skill called [Lullaby] which will make everyone who hears my voice to fall asleep. I was angry at myself because it was too late when I learned about it. [Lullaby] only works on people who are tired or exhausted. The more people listening to my voice, the lower the chance of making them fall asleep. Jenny led the group and said that we would be safe in a nearby military base in Quezon City. But then, Jenny and I made a promise to each other that we won¡¯t trust anyone, but ourselves and we will do everything to survive. I also made a promise to myself that I will not become helpless and weak. I resolved to be strong. And so we did everything to survive. We used the group as meat shields against the monsters and slowly but surely, I realized that I turned into a cold monster when we used the children to save ourselves. In the end, Jenny and I were the only survivors when we reached Pasig. We couldn¡¯t sleep at night. I still can¡¯t. The reason why I broke down in tears when I told Miguel my story was because I was gang raped and I used other people to survive. Telling him the truth wouldn¡¯t help my case and he¡¯ll probably won¡¯t believe me and perhaps, he¡¯ll be disgusted by me. He would think that I was weak and he¡¯ll get an idea and take advantage of me. I just can¡¯t let that happen.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. And yes, Jenny and I planned to use Asharra as a distraction when the time comes and if necessary, I would sacrifice Miguel if it means I could save myself. I tried to seduce him because I wanted to gain his trust quickly. In this world, we all did questionable acts to survive. That was my justification for my actions. I was so glad that I convinced him and I will use him, so I can be strong. The next morning, Miguel told me about his plan to go east, which was the opposite direction of Camp Ah-gee-whatever military base. He planned to see his family who wrote a message on the wall of their house. Apparently, they were still alive. I wasn¡¯t thrilled about his plan, but at least he was willing to share his EXP points with me. Before we took off, he reminded me and Asharra the rules. First, if he runs, I will also run. If one of us fell behind will be left behind. No honor amongst thieves; I get that. Second, we will obey him, no questions asked. Third, don¡¯t take things without his permission. Like I said before, I would do anything to survive. Even if he ordered me to suck his dick, I would do it and swallow every drop of it without hesitation as long as I stay alive. Of course, I would kill him after he loses his usefulness to me if he does it. Luckily, he was one of the haters that I like the most. He hated me because of my songs and probably because I¡¯m a white American and not because I¡¯m a woman. Well, you know, like many Asians, they hated Americans. He never looked at me with lust and I believed him when he said that he didn¡¯t want to have sex with me. As we went on the way and found clues to his family¡¯s whereabouts, he was almost killed by a zombie and even though I tried to save him, I couldn¡¯t do much damage because I was still weak. He managed to save himself and thanked me. I think he was beginning to soften up and trust me for a bit. I leveled up multiple times and I put the points I earned to STR and VIT like he suggested. A few minutes after the incident, something happened that made him snap. He was frantic with worry and screamed ¡®Daniel¡¯ over and over again. He ran away from us and killed a group of zombies as he repeatedly crushes them with a huge rock. I knew it was too good to be true. I realized that he was a nutjob. His screams attracted the zombies around us and he just froze. I slapped him as hard as I could three times before he snapped out of his delusions. I was shocked when he showed his true power. I estimated that there were at least hundreds of zombies charging at us, but he easily burned all the zombies around us into a crisp with his magic. I leveled up twice after he killed most of the monsters. A huge monster suddenly appeared and chased us, but again, Miguel found a way to kill the seemingly invincible monster with ease. After that, he fell down to the ground and sobbed. I was furious that he almost got me killed, so I put all of my points to STR. When I was about to kill him, he looked at me in the eyes and said sorry. I didn¡¯t know how I restrained myself, but there was something in my mind that tells me that there was something terribly wrong with him. I let it slide for now and helped him get up. Fortunately, that little accident made us clear most of the zombies. I assisted him because he was too weak to walk after he used too much of his magic. I led him and Asharra to an apartment and stayed there for the night. ¡°Do you have some food?¡± I asked as he took two pieces of charred steak and gave it to me. Usually, I prefer vegetables because I¡¯m a vegetarian. I still eat meat occasionally whenever I craved it, but now that you can¡¯t find food everywhere, anything edible was as good as gold. ¡°How about you?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Miguel proved that he was more useful to me alive than dead. So I had to take care of him. I gave one piece of meat to Asharra and I tore mine in half and handed it to him. ¡°You should eat.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I have more in my inventory.¡± ¡°Did you take your medication?¡± I thought he was crazy, so it was a fair question. I¡¯ve seen these kind of people before and the reason they were delusional was because they often forget to drink their medicine. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± But then, I remembered something. Miguel mentioned a name when he was hallucinating. I think it was Daniel or something. Who was he? ¡°Who¡¯s Daniel?¡± I asked. ¡°Come on, talk to me. I¡¯ll listen.¡± ¡°He¡¯s my son.¡± Miguel sobbed. ¡°How old was he?¡± ¡°Three¡­ Look, I don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore.¡± I realized that he was a broken person like me. Nothing hurts more than to lose your own children. There was a saying that no parent should have to bury their child. He probably saw how his son died with his own eyes. All this time, I acted like I was the only one who suffered in this disaster and became oblivious to others¡¯ suffering. I was raped and those rapists were dead and I already got my revenge. However, Miguel had no one to blame for his son¡¯s death and he probably blamed himself for it. ¡°I have family back in the states. Now that nothing works, I don¡¯t know if I would see them again. It¡¯s okay. We all lost someone. You should rest.¡± I said as I tried to console him for his loss. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of everything. I¡¯ll take the watch.¡± Miguel tried his best to refuse, but he was too weak. I told Asharra to go to the other room because I didn¡¯t want her to be affected by my skill. I used my skill [Lullaby] as he slept with his head in my lap. I let Asharra play with the toys we looted in Miguel¡¯s house for a while before I put her to sleep too. I tried to keep myself awake to make sure that no monsters would attack us while they sleep. When they woke up the next morning, I realized that I fell asleep too. I thought Miguel would be angry for my carelessness, but his mood seemed to improve and he was nicer to me after a whole night¡¯s sleep. I was thinking that maybe his grumpy and irritable attitude was caused by lack of sleep. He even spoiled Asharra by carrying her on his shoulders and treated her like she was his own daughter. He must¡¯ve really missed Daniel. However, his mood didn¡¯t last for long. Miguel ordered me to kill the zombies by my own while he and Asharra continued to talk. I voiced out my complaint, but he told me that if I wanted to be stronger, I shouldn¡¯t depend only on stats and level and I should have battle experience or whatever. At least he promised to help me when necessary. I was a bit irritated when he was casually asking question about elves. A couple of hours later since we passed a bridge, Miguel ordered us to stop as he scanned our surroundings. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as we hid behind a truck. ¡°Too many zombies.¡± Miguel said as he pointed at the horde. There were at least a couple of hundreds of zombies walking aimlessly along the road. Behind them was Home Depot, a hardware store. Miguel pointed out that it was strange that the zombies gathered near the building and they seemed drawn to it. ¡°So- should we kill them?¡± I asked. I didn¡¯t mind getting my hands dirty. More EXP points, the better. I was confident that we could finish all of those zombies with ease since Miguel was a wizard. He¡¯ll be able to kill most of them and besides, he can cure me of the zombie virus if I ever get bitten. ¡°Hey.¡± I slightly tapped him on the back. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Miguel stood up and stared at the horde. He was doing it again. Like they said, you shouldn¡¯t trust your life with crazies because you¡¯ll end up in a shallow grave. I was afraid that he was going to be delusional again as I tried to call his attention. I pulled his arm and tried to get him to come down. ¡°Papa¡­¡± Asharra went closer to Miguel and held his hand. ¡°I love you, Papa.¡± ¡°Papa?¡± I was confused. I get that Miguel spoiled her a little bit, but Asharra only met him yesterday and now, she calls him ¡®Papa¡¯. ¡°I love you too, Danielle.¡± Miguel replied as he smiled. ¡°We¡¯re home.¡± Asharra let out a grin. ¡°Come on, Mama¡¯s waiting for us.¡± Miguel said as the two of them walked towards the horde. ¡°Wait!¡± I shouted. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I tried to stop them and pulled them away from the horde. Suddenly, I felt a chill that ran down in my spine. I looked at Asharra and she was glaring at me while flashing a vicious grin. I didn¡¯t understand why, but I was frozen in fear. I felt like I shouldn¡¯t interfere and Asharra would kill me in an instant If I did. ¡°Leave Party.¡± She said.
Asharra left Daria Sucks Ass Party.
There was something in her that I couldn¡¯t explain. Something sinister. Ever since Jenny and I found her, I was doubtful of her. We passed an area full of slimes, monsters made out of acidic liquid that can melt anything it touch. Jenny and I managed to survive by walking slowly and as quiet as possible. When we found Asharra crying over her supposedly mother¡¯s corpse, Jenny decided that we take her with us. I should have doubted her more. We were convinced by Asharra¡¯s story that a ¡®bad person¡¯ killed her mother and ran away. And that they were slaves in their world. We¡¯ve seen how the slimes took out their prey and they leave nothing behind. Not even a drop of blood or a piece of bone. There were no corpses in the area and yet, Asharra¡¯s mother still had a corpse. Even more so, Asharra made it out alive. When we took her, I looked back and noticed that the body was gone. I dismissed my suspicion, thinking that maybe the slimes finally ate her body. But now, I didn¡¯t think that Asharra¡¯s mother even existed in the first place. With their hands held together, they walked towards the building. I stood there watching the whole thing as my body was still paralyzed in fear. The zombies already noticed them, but they were unharmed. However, the zombies suddenly turned their heads towards me. I felt that I could move my body again, so I did what a sane person would do. I ran away. ¡°Leave Party¡± I muttered. Of course, the zombies chased me, but on my first eight levels, I put all my points in AGI, so I easily outran them. It was strange that they stopped chasing me and, presumably, they ran back towards the hardware store. No matter. At least I made it out alive. I didn¡¯t really care about what happened to Miguel after I ran away. All I cared about was my own life. I was content and I already felt stronger when I killed the zombies on the way with ease. Even though our meeting was cut short, I won¡¯t miss Miguel and he served his purpose.
You left Daria Sucks Ass Party.
Daria Sucks Ass Party was disbanded.
Now that I knew where the military base was, I planned to go west and I would try to find a map along the way. It was already getting dark and I needed to find shelter for the night. I was hungry from all the running and killing zombies. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t find any food on the way and all of the stores and houses I passed were already looted. I didn¡¯t eat that night. I thought it was going to be easier, now that I was level 16. When I left Miguel, I noticed that I was getting lower EXP points per kill. Not to mention that he was my source of food and I was starving. He was also my source of clean water, which was a necessity for survival. I felt dumb when I realized that I still needed him and I didn¡¯t even try to snap him out of his delusion like I did the first time, but then, I remembered the fear I felt when Asharra stared at me. Whatever she was, I knew in my mind that I did the right thing. I was getting weak from starvation. Two days have already passed since I last ate. I put fresh rotten blood on my cloak to avoid the zombies. I was also thirsty and I couldn¡¯t find clean water. I saw a gas station from a distance. My adrenaline immediately kicked in for a promise of food and water. I was disappointed when I saw that it was already looted. The only thing that was left was a bag of spicy chips, but at least I found a water container on the restroom filled with water. I didn¡¯t know if it was safe to drink, but I didn¡¯t care. I was thirsty and I needed to eat the spicy chips to survive. I decided to stay at the gas station for the night. There were a few zombies outside and fortunately, they weren¡¯t bothering me. Suddenly, I heard a thud. I took a peek from the glass window to see what it was. The zombies fell down to the ground one by one as they were shot with arrows in their head. I didn¡¯t know who it was and I couldn¡¯t see him. I quickly hid and hoped that he wouldn¡¯t find me. I heard the sound of a bell as the unknown person entered the gas station. I looked at the door, but there was no one. I looked around to make sure I was alone as I gripped my fire axe tightly. I slowly crawled towards the door and closed it. ¡°Drop your axe.¡± A voice said as she drew her bow. ¡°Turn around slowly.¡± I sighed in relief as I learned that it was a girl¡¯s voice. At least I won¡¯t get raped again. I dropped my axe and turned around to face her. It was too dark and I couldn¡¯t see her face clearly. ¡°Daria Swann?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The little girl lowered her bow and stored her arrow back into her quiver. She offered me a hand and helped me stand up. ¡°Oh my god! I can¡¯t believe it! You really are Daria Swann, aren¡¯t you?¡± The girl said with excitement. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Daria.¡± I nodded. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°Dianne.¡± She said as she shook my hand. ¡°I¡¯m a huge fan!¡± One thing I hated more than haters were those who claim to be my huge fans. They¡¯re obnoxious and they love to give you annoying and useless garbage as ¡®gifts¡¯. If you stand in the middle of them, they will rip you apart limb from limb because they ¡®love¡¯ you so much. Sometimes, I envy Randy Blythe for getting away after he killed one of his fans. [1] I HATE my fans. I hope they all fucking die. I used [Observe] on her as I picked up my axe. I was planning to kill her and I hoped that she had food in her inventory after I looted her corpse.
Player: Dianne Race: Human Level: 23 Party: Boston Tea Party Faction: N/A
I didn¡¯t know if I could kill her with her level, but I wanted to try. I was only level 16 at that time and I was weak from starvation and desperate. When she turned her back from me, I raised my axe and¡­ ¡°Oh, wait a minute. I¡¯ll call the others.¡± Dianne said. Shit! There were others? Fuck! I immediately lowered my axe as I heard footsteps outside. Her party had torches with them and had the same zombie guts cloak as I had. They must be a strong group because I never knew anyone who had the balls to travel at night. That or they¡¯re incredibly stupid. When I used [Observe] on each and every one of them, I realized that it was the former. They were a strong group. They even had a pet wolf that was larger than a horse. ¡°Goddammit, Dianne. Don¡¯t do that again! Who is it anyway?¡± The girl in steel armor scolded her. The girl in steel armor seemed to be the one in charge which was impressive. Though she was small, her posture was radiating confidence and her strange glowing eyes inspired fear to everyone she stared at. From the first impression she made, I already liked her. The others, they looked pathetic. Can you imagine a bunch of midget Asians in a renaissance fair? Yeah, they were wearing armor like knights or something and it looked stupid on them. Oh, and one of them was a real midget, dwarf, imp whatever. Judging from his outfit and staff, he was a mage like Miguel. ¡°Sorry.¡± Dianne apologized and turned her head to me. ¡°Look! She¡¯s Daria Swann!¡±
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Blythe_manslaughter_case ARC 2: Chapter 33: Into Lich鈥檚 lair Chapter 33: Into Lich¡¯s lair ¡°She¡¯s Daria Swann!¡± Dianne said with excitement. An awkward silence ensued. The rest of us looked at each other in confusion and looked back at Daria. Dianne was puzzled as to why we weren¡¯t as excited as her. Finally, I was the one who broke the awkward silence. ¡°Ye-hey¡­¡± I clapped my hands slowly. ¡°Right. Nothing to see here. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Eric went closer and looked at her down and up. ¡°This is my first time seeing you in person. Wow. You¡¯re taller than me!¡± ¡°Y-yeah, I guess I¡¯m taller than you. He-he-he.¡± Daria let out an awkward laugh. ¡°Uhmmm. Can I come with you?¡± ¡°Sorry Dianne, but I¡¯m not a fan of Daria Swann either.¡± Melissa pulled Eric away from Daria Swann. ¡°I hate her.¡± ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Beth lowered her axe. ¡°Let¡¯s just leave her.¡± ¡°B-b-but!¡± Dianne stuttered. ¡°What are talking about? Are we just going to leave her alone?¡± ¡°Yes, Dianne. We leave her alone.¡± Beth said. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to jerk around with a celebrity.¡± I was about to walk out when Daria Swann suddenly grabbed my wrist. As if on instinct, I pulled out my sword and pointed the blade at her neck. The others also drew their weapons while Piper growled at Daria. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Daria finally let go of my wrist. ¡°I-I just¡­ I need food.¡± I lowered my sword and put it back on the sheathe. I signaled the others to do the same. ¡°Sorry Daria, we don¡¯t have enough for all of us.¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± Daria knelt and cried at my feet. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten anything in two days.¡± I wasn¡¯t convinced with her act. She really wasn¡¯t crying for real. I know a fake person and a hypocrite when I see one and Daria was clearly one of them. How did I know? Well, I¡¯m a hypocrite too, and it takes a hypocrite to hate other hypocrites. ¡°Seriously, Claire? You¡¯re going to make her beg?¡± Dianne said as she folded her arms. ¡°We have lots of boar meat and noodles for all of us.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± I let out a sigh. Dianne was too gullible and blinded by her idol. But Dianne is my best friend and I don¡¯t want us to fight. Anyway, it won¡¯t really hurt us to give Daria some food. ¡°Give her some food, Mel.¡± Melissa took out a packed meal from her inventory and gave it Daria. It was ramen with sliced meat. Daria took the bowl and quickly drank the hot soup before Melissa could give her a spoon and fork. ¡°Ugh! This is so good!¡± Daria said as she took the utensils and slurped the noodles. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Come on guys. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to take her with us?¡± Dianne asked as she held my wrist. I shook my head and took my hand away from her. ¡°We found her alone. She can take care of herself.¡± ¡°Come on, Claire. Don¡¯t be like that.¡± ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Take her with us!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just take every person we meet.¡± I said in defense. ¡°I don¡¯t trust her and I don¡¯t like a burden in our group.¡± ¡°She won¡¯t be a burden. You said it yourself, Daria can take care of herself.¡± Dianne turned to Daria. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Uhm-hmm.¡± Daria nodded as she handed her empty bowl to Melissa. ¡°That was good. Can I have more?¡± ¡°No.¡± Melissa shook her head as Daria looked down in disappointment. ¡°We can¡¯t take her with us.¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s my final decision.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s have a vote.¡± Dianne raised her hand as if she was challenging me. ¡°Who wants Daria to come with us?¡± None of them raised their hand except for Eric and Richard. Melissa hit Eric on his head with her fist which left Richard the only one raising his hand. ¡°What?¡± Richard shrugged. ¡°I like her.¡± ¡°And who agrees with me?¡± I asked them and all of them raised their hand except for Richard and Dianne. ¡°Now that¡¯s settled. Let¡¯s go.¡± Dianne sat beside Daria and folded her arms. ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not going without Daria.¡± ¡°How about your brother?¡± Dianne glared at me as she hesitated to stand up. ¡°If it were Miguel, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll let her come with us.¡± ¡°Look, the group already decided. She¡¯s not coming with us.¡± ¡°Miguel?¡± Daria asked. ¡°This Miguel you¡¯re talking about. Is he a fat guy?¡± ¡°You know him?¡± I asked as I stared at her. ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± She nodded. ¡°Fat guy, beard, mage robe. He had one eye and one hand.¡± When Daria mentioned Miguel, she immediately piqued our interest. She described him perfectly, except the fact that he has one eye and one hand. ¡°What do you mean by he had one eye and one hand?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°He said that he lost his hand because he was bitten by a wolf and he lost his eye the day after because of slimes.¡± ¡°Where is he now?¡± Eric asked. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°Dead? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Last time I saw him, he walked into a building full of zombies. I¡¯m pretty sure no one can make it alive.¡± The more we asked her about Miguel, the more we became suspicious. I looked at Dianne and from her expression, she seemed to have changed her opinion of Daria. ¡°Can you tell us where this building is?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°You guys have too many questions.¡± Daria rolled her eyes in annoyance. ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re looking for him, dumbass.¡± I said. ¡°Is that so?¡± Daria sneered as she folded her arms. ¡°Actually, that gives me an idea. If you give me food, water and a map, I¡¯ll tell you where I last saw him. I¡¯ll be on my way to this Camp Ag.. Ag¡­¡± ¡°Camp Aguinaldo?¡± Eric said. ¡°Yes, that one.¡± [Okay guys, change of plans. We need to convince her to come with us.] ¨C Claire [I had a bad feeling about this. She looks like she¡¯ll stab us in the back if she had a chance.] ¨C Melissa [I¡¯ll take care of it.] - Dianne ¡°We came from that military base and I¡¯ll tell you, it¡¯s not safe anymore. Why do you think we¡¯re here?¡± ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not safe? Did the monsters-¡° ¡°Worse.¡± Dianne continued. ¡°The rebels overtook the base.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care if it¡¯s the rebels or the government. Give me what I need and I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡°Good luck with that. The rebels also killed the civilians. They didn¡¯t even spare the children.¡± Dianne said. ¡°You can try your luck in there. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re looking for a pretty woman like you. Or you can try your luck with us.¡± ¡°Are you planning to rescue him or something?¡± ¡°We do.¡± I nodded. ¡°Miguel is her brother.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Daria let out a deep sigh. ¡°I won¡¯t go back there. It¡¯s suicide!¡± ¡°If you take us there, we¡¯ll give you what you need. How¡¯s that deal?¡± I said. After a few seconds of silence, Daria told us her decision. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take you there.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Actually.¡± Daria said as she handed Melissa her empty bowl. ¡°I could use more of that noodles. It¡¯s pretty good.¡± I gave my signal to Melissa as she handed her another bowl of noodles. ¡°Thank you.¡± Daria smirked. ¡°That wasn¡¯t too hard, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Look, we don¡¯t have time to fuck around. Let¡¯s go! You eat that on the way.¡± My patience was wearing thin at that point. ¡°Are you serious? It¡¯s too dangerous to travel at night. I think we should stay here to pass the night.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you there at sunrise. I promise.¡± ¡°You better.¡± With that said, I instructed Eric to barricade the gas station as we decided to stay there for the night. Although Daria seemed to be annoyed at us, we continued our barrage of questions. I mean, it¡¯s been days since we last heard of Miguel. Whenever she stopped answering our questions, we would give her food which she would devour quickly and the answers would resume. Fortunately, Melissa had enough noodles for everyone. ¡°How did you meet Miguel?¡± Mark asked. ¡°I met him four days ago. I had two companions with me; a girl who worked at the hotel I stayed in Manila and a seven-year-old cat girl¡­¡± ¡°A cat girl?¡± I asked. ¡°You know, cat ears on their head and cat tails like you see in cosplays?¡± Daria made gestures with her hand as she described the cat girl. ¡°So we were in Pasig that day and we were attacked by zombies. Jenny was eaten alive and I was bitten. I thought that was it, but a wall made of rocks suddenly appeared around us and the next thing I saw was that every zombie in the area were dead and that¡¯s how we met him. I asked Miguel to kill me because I didn¡¯t want to turn into a zombie, but instead, he saved my life.¡± ¡°What happened next?¡± ¡°Can I have a glass of water?¡± Daria asked as she looked at Richard. ¡°Make it cold.¡± Richard shook his head in annoyance as he took a glass and filled it with iced water. ¡°Here you go. Now continue.¡± ¡°Ah. Whew. More please.¡± Daria drank the water in a few gulps and gave back the glass to Richard. ¡°After that, Asharra and I tried to follow him, because you know, he was strong and we couldn¡¯t survive on our own. At first, Miguel didn¡¯t want us to follow him, but I convinced him in the end.¡± ¡°What do you mean by convinced? How did you convince him?¡± I asked as Daria looked at me with furrowed brows. ¡°I¡¯m his girlfriend.¡± ¡°Oh. Hahaha!¡± Daria laughed and grinned. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t need to tell you that.¡± I was about to beat her to a pulp, but seeing that I was red in anger, Dianne touched my shoulder as she tried to calm me down. No matter. I was also very convincing. I will convince Miguel with a foot rammed up his ass. ¡°Anyway, he agreed to help me level up. I leveled up a couple of times, but he just cracked when we were in the middle of the fight. He was¡­ How do I put this? Uhmmm. Crazy? No, no. Delusional, that¡¯s it! He was delusional and hallucinated and he saw his dead son and he screamed his name, Daniel or something. Luckily, he snapped out of it when I slap him.¡± ¡°Son?¡± I asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He was three years old. Miguel didn¡¯t want to talk about it, so I assumed his son was dead.¡± What the fuck was she talking about? Since when did Miguel had a son? We all looked at each other in confusion asking the same thing. I tried to remember every memory he had in me, but there was nothing. ¡°Miguel had a son?¡± Melissa whispered. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about that either.¡± I said. ¡°Fuck him! He doesn¡¯t tell me shit.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a son. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± Dianne shook her head. ¡°Yeah, I knew Miguel since we were in high school. He never had a girlfriend until he met you, Claire.¡± Eric said. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯re mistaken. Maybe this Miguel, Daria is talking about was another person.¡± I turned around and faced Daria. ¡°Are you sure this Miguel you¡¯re talking about is the same Miguel we know?¡± Daria shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What else can you tell about him?¡± Beth asked. ¡°Just to make sure we¡¯re not wasting our time with you.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Daria sighed and rolled her eyes. ¡°He has a house in Pasig and we followed this red smiley. He said they clues from her mom.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°There¡¯s no mistake.¡± Dianne whispered. ¡°That was Miguel.¡± ¡°But she said he had a son?¡± Richard asked. ¡°Well, she also said he was delusional.¡± Mark shrugged. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the Dark Lord¡¯s doing. He¡¯s the god of falsehoods, right?¡± All of us nodded as we turned back to Daria. ¡°Please continue.¡± ¡°Where was I?¡± ¡°You followed the red smiley face and then?¡± ¡°Oh, so we followed these red smileys on the way. And then he went crazy again. But¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll believe me...¡± Daria scratched her head. ¡°Go on, whatever it is. It might me important.¡± ¡°Asharra didn¡¯t turn out to be what she really was¡­ Hmmm¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean? What does it have to do with Miguel?¡± ¡°W-well, they were getting close to each other and he treated Asharra like her own daughter and I was surprised when she called him Papa. I mean, it¡¯s weird. They just met in two days.¡± It was weird, indeed. I looked back to the group and we nodded to each other. The cat girl was probably the source of Miguel¡¯s hallucination. Asharra might be one of the Dark Lord¡¯s minion or worse, she was the Dark Lord herself. ¡°Asharra led him in the middle of a horde and said that Mama¡¯s waiting for them or something. That¡¯s when I last saw him.¡± ¡°Where is this place?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, if I tell you then you won¡¯t give me what I need so...¡± Daria shrugged. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ll take you there tomorrow and when we¡¯re there, you give me what I need, deal?¡± When Daria saw Dianne took out a pillow and a bedding, she snatched it from her. ¡°Good timing, little kid. I could really use some sleep now.¡± Daria said. ¡°But that¡¯s mine!¡± Dianne complained. ¡°I thought you were my fan? The very least you can do for me is to let me sleep in comfort.¡± Daria laid down in the bed and covered her head with a pillow. ¡°Good night, kid.¡± Dianne fumed with anger and muttered the word ¡°fuck you¡± as she stabbed a wooden desk repeatedly. Like I said before, Dianne was rarely angry and she¡¯s scary when angered. Now she knew what her real personality was and Daria gained another hater. We also rested that night, but since we didn¡¯t trust Daria, we kept a close eye on her. We were afraid that Daria would rob us of our weapons or worse, she would kill us and loot our corpse. She knew that we won¡¯t harm her because of the information that she had. Eric, Melissa and I took the first shift, then Richard, Dianne, Mark and Beth took the second one.
The next morning, I woke up and found that all of us were already awake except for Daria. She seemed to be enjoying herself well in the comfort of a soft pillow. Melissa already prepared the supplies along with a map as our end of the bargain and gave it to me. ¡°Wake up.¡± I ¡®slightly¡¯ kicked Daria as I waked her. ¡°Ugh.¡± Daria groaned and covered her head with a pillow, so I kicked her again. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already morning and you made a promise.¡± I said to her. ¡°Unless you want to stay here alone.¡± As soon as Daria heard that, she immediately got up and yawned. ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I take this pillow and bedding, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a part of our deal.¡± I shook my head as I snatched the bedding and pillow and gave it back Dianne. ¡°How about breakfast?¡± She asked. ¡°Can you at least let me have some breakfast?¡± We already ate our breakfast, so I gave my signal to Melissa to give her a bowl of noodles. ¡°Noodles again?¡± Daria complained. ¡°Don¡¯t you have like rice or anything?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t.¡± I said. ¡°Just eat that before I lose my patience.¡± Daria let out a sigh and ate her noodles. After she had breakfast, it became harder for her to cooperate with us. She began to spew bullshit excuses about how she needed rest after she ate and how she needed to do some stretching in the morning and it¡¯s the secret to her beauty. I couldn¡¯t take it any longer. ¡°You know what? We wasted too much time.¡± I raised my hand as my patience has run out. I took out my sword and pointed it at her neck. ¡°Let me just kill you.¡± ¡°Whoa! Whoa! Chill out!¡± Daria said as she moved back. ¡°Okay, okay. Jesus!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I shouted. ¡°Look, I really don¡¯t want to go back there! You don¡¯t know Asharra. She¡¯s- I don¡¯t know I can¡¯t explain it, but I nearly pissed myself when she grinned at me, you know, so please!¡± Daria said frantically. ¡°You don¡¯t have to come with us there. You¡¯ll just point it out from afar where we can see them and you can go with your supplies. That is our deal, remember?¡± ¡°How about the zombies? You have no idea how many zombies I saw back there.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll clear them out. We have our way, so you¡¯ll be safe.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°How about if I just tell you the place?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not our deal. You¡¯ll take us there yourself.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Daria bobbed her head as she wiped her eyes. Whoever this Asharra was, Daria was afraid of her. That was why she was trying her best to delay us. We went on to our search as Daria led the way to where she saw him last. We could definitely use all the help we could get as I told Daria that she could come with us and rescue Miguel, but she repeatedly expressed that she didn¡¯t want to go back there and she¡¯d only point us to our direction. She was an unlikable person, sure, but there¡¯s no need for us to like her anyway. Thankfully, Daria cooperated with us with a promise of supplies. Blackmailing is like pointing a gun to a person with only one bullet in it. You only have one shot to force the person to do or get whatever you want. If you screw it, then you¡¯re done. I learned that it¡¯s easier for a person to cooperate if you can show her your intention to fulfill your end of the bargain. As a token, we decided to give her the bedding and a pillow and a piece of paper containing the inventory list of the supplies we were giving to her. Every time her she fidgeted and cower, I¡¯ll show her the bag of supplies. The supply bag contained 10 kilos of cooked meat, a bolo knife, three changes of clothes, five bottles of healing potion and five bottles of holy water. We already gave her two water containers filled with clean water, so that we¡¯ll hand her the rest after she fulfilled her promise. Dianne also threw in a rope in case that Daria wanted to hang herself. She made sure that Daria heard it as she added the rope in the bag. She must be disappointed in her idol¡¯s attitude. We encountered more restless dead zombies along the way and just like I promise to Daria, we showed her that we can handle the horde. She looked awed and it seemed that she was tempted to join us, but in the end, she shook her head and still didn¡¯t join us. One thing we noticed about the zombies was that some of them weren¡¯t human. Some of them have long ears and some of them have animal ears and tail just like Asharra in Daria¡¯s story. I learned that those with long pointed ears were called Elves while those who have animal features were Beastmen. Richard told us that the Beastmen they fought in Camp Aguinaldo had wolves¡¯ feature and they were like barbarians and fought with savagery. The Beastmen attacked Camp Aguinaldo without a warning or provocation. The army captured a few of them as prisoners, but Richard didn¡¯t know what happened to them after. ¡°Wait.¡± Daria said as she raised her hand. ¡°Is this where you last saw Miguel?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, this is where I last saw them.¡± Daria nodded as she pointed her finger. ¡°They¡¯re in there. That Home Depot building. I saw them entered that building.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± [How can we be sure she isn¡¯t lying?] ¨C Dianne [Why would she lie?] ¨C Beth [Well, I don¡¯t trust that bitch. That¡¯s why.] ¨C Dianne [Let me ask God.] ¨C Claire God, I just wanted to confirm. Is Miguel inside that Home Depot? *DING!*
I¡¯m not sure, but if you¡¯re asking if Daria is lying then no. She¡¯s telling you the truth. Be careful though. That Home Depot is a dungeon. An undead dungeon.
Thanks, God.
No problem.
[So what did God say? Is Miguel in there?] ¨C Melissa [He said that Daria¡¯s telling the truth. That Home Depot is an undead dungeon.] ¨C Claire [Shit! Another dungeon?] ¨C Eric [Well, at least we have a fighting chance unlike the slime dungeon.] ¨C Mark [How about that horde? That¡¯s twice as many as we fought yesterday.] ¨C Richard [We can handle that.] ¨C Beth ¡°So¡­ Can I have the rest of my supplies?¡± Daria asked. I took out the bag of supplies and handed it to her. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to join us?¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± She rummaged the contents of the bag. ¡°Trust me, you don¡¯t want to go to Camp Aguinaldo.¡± Eric added. ¡°We¡¯ve only escaped because we bribed a colonel. The rebels even killed the women and children.¡± ¡°Thanks for the advice, but I won¡¯t join you. No matter what.¡± Daria said as she stored the bag to her inventory. ¡°Good luck.¡± Dianne smiled as she flipped the bird. ¡°And go fuck yourself.¡± ¡°Fuck you, midget!¡± Daria also raised her middle finger as she turned her back from us. ¡°Hey dumbass. You¡¯re going the wrong way. Camp Aguinaldo¡¯s that way.¡± Melissa said as she pointed to the east. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m not going there, you idiot.¡± Daria rolled her eyes and walked away. After that, we went back to the problem in hand. Thank goodness, that was over. Gerry¡¯s death was still fresh in our mind, so the fear of going inside another dungeon was still with us on that day. Actually, at that moment, we became afraid of tunnels, caves, puddles and obviously, slimes. On the positive side, however, we can freely kill the enemies without worrying about our weapons being ineffective. We even had Mark with us who can bless our weapons to be effective against the undead and bless our armor to protect us from their attacks. One thing that worries us was that our weapons could become too damaged to use because of the sheer number of the zombies. My longsword had more than half durability since this morning. Luckily, we were prepared for this quest even if it was just a night of preparation. If we couldn¡¯t kill the zombies manually, why not use explosives to kill them? I know what you¡¯re thinking. We couldn¡¯t possibly have a bomb and it was clearly stated by the SYSTEM that gun powders and other explosive weapons won¡¯t work anymore and the brothers already tested it. Well, you are right, technically. Since we can¡¯t use any chemical explosives, what else do we have? Remember the Fucking Rocks? When Miguel asked Eric to dispose of it, Eric confessed to us that he stored it in his inventory instead, especially when Miguel mentioned that we would blow ourselves with it. He used most of his money and bought more Fucking Rocks while we were at Camp Aguinaldo in the market saying to Melissa that: ¡®We will need it eventually¡¯. The reason he didn¡¯t use it in the slime dungeon was because he was afraid that the cave would collapse. He had a total of 12 Fucking Rocks with him and he and Richard made bombs with it while we were in Miguel¡¯s house. We were a hundred of meters away from Home Depot while Dianne did some scouting first. She said that there were at least two hundred zombies just outside the Home Depot and there could be more inside. I called her to return, so we can formulate our plan. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Beth asked. ¡°So, here¡¯s Home Depot and this is us.¡± Eric took a stick and drew a sketch of the plan on the ground. ¡°I was thinking that if we can dig a hole here, we lure can them and throw the bombs at them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll lure them.¡± Dianne nodded. ¡°I¡¯m the fastest runner.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that will work though.¡± Melissa said. ¡°Those zombies will just pile up and climb.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just use my skill over and over again on that hole. No worries.¡± Mark shrugged. ¡°Not an option.¡± Eric shook his head. ¡°You will need to be close to use that skill. When those bombs go off, you¡¯ll be caught in that explosion.¡± ¡°How about we make the hole deeper so the zombies won¡¯t get out?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Richard snapped his fingers and snatched the stick from Eric. ¡°I¡¯ll make the hole and then we¡¯ll place the bombs on these sides of the hole. When it blows up, it¡¯ll kill the zombies and the hole will collapse and bury those zombies.¡± ¡°How do we trigger the bombs then?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll just throw in a fireball and it will go off.¡± Richard answered. ¡°This might actually work.¡± Eric rubbed his chin. ¡°So that¡¯s settled then?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± I nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± After we agreed to the plan, Richard used his magic and dug a deep hole while the rest of us kill the zombies around him. We didn¡¯t know how deep or how far the dungeon was, so he dug a hole far away from Home Depot. It was already afternoon when he finished digging. He said that he went through the shitty sewers and dug a hole of at least 50 feet deep and twelve feet in radius. We pulled him up with a rope as he placed the bombs on the walls and finished our trap. After that, Richard used the earth he dug up and made walls that would block either side to make sure that the zombies won¡¯t use those flanks. The walls will also serve as a funnel that will force the horde into the hole. The trap was finished and all we had to do was to execute the rest of the plan. Before we went on, Mark blessed our weapons and our armor to prepare us for the fight. One thing I learned from Miguel¡¯s memories was to always have a contingency plan and our plan B involves fighting. We also had a plan C which involves running away. Once we were in position, I gave Dianne the signal to lure all the zombies she could towards the trap. [Just relax Dianne. It¡¯s gonna work.] ¨C Claire [Geez, I¡¯m not even nervous. Are you nervous?] ¨C Dianne [Yeah, we all are. Just go. Richard, be ready.] - Claire [Right.] ¨C Richard Dianne took off her zombie disguise cloak as she ran towards the horde. She also brought a cooking pot with her and made a noise to attract them. We watched her from afar with our binoculars as she ran across the street with the horde behind her back. Not only the zombies outside the hardware store chased her, but also those who were inside. Dianne was right. There were more of them inside Home Depot and there were more than we expected. We estimated more than a thousand of them. [Shit! I don¡¯t think our hole¡¯s big enough!] ¨C Eric [Don¡¯t worry guys, I have an idea.] - Dianne Do you know why crowd crushes are fatally dangerous? Well, the crowd¡¯s density is actually more important than their number. When the zombies were too pressed together, the horde behaved somewhat like a fluid. The zombies didn¡¯t need to breathe, so they wouldn¡¯t die of suffocation, but because of the density of their crowd and their soft flesh, some of them were crushed. Furthermore, Dianne went into small and tight spaces in between the building to crush them.
Level up!
[What the hell? It worked! Good job, Dianne!] ¨C Beth [It¡¯s not over yet.] ¨C Claire [I¡¯m running out of stamina. I¡¯m bringing the party to you.] ¨C Dianne The horde was reduced to only three quarters of their number when Dianne decided to lure them into the trap. I think the reason why Dianne was brave was because she couldn¡¯t see how many there were behind her back. We almost pissed ourselves when we saw the incoming horde. [Here they come, Richard.] ¨C Eric [I know.] ¨C Richard [I don¡¯t think I can make it!] ¨C Dianne [You can do it! Come on! You¡¯re nearly there!] - Claire Dianne panted as she continued to run. Her stamina was getting low at that point and when she made the jump across the hole, she almost didn¡¯t make it. I caught her with my arm and pulled her up. The zombies also tried to jump, but they all fell down to the hole. Those who fell first were killed as they were crushed by the weight of the other zombies. When most of them were in the hole, I gave Richard my signal. ¡°Fire in the hole!¡± Richard shouted as he dropped a flaming boulder into the hole. I carried Dianne on my back as we all ran away from the hole. The bombs went off after just a few seconds and we were thrown by the shockwave. The ground shook and split up as the hole collapsed. Although I haven¡¯t seen an explosion before, I didn¡¯t expect that their bombs would be that powerful.
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
¡°WOOOOHOOO!¡± Eric jumped up and down and high-fived Richard. ¡°That was awesome!¡± ¡°Fuck! I wish I can take a video of that explosion.¡± Richard stomped his foot. The plan was successful. Well, more or less. Most of the zombies were either buried or blown into pieces, but there were still a few of them left and charged at us. They didn¡¯t fall down into the hole, but we finished them off easily. I almost couldn¡¯t believe that Fucking Rocks would actually be useful. However, it was terrifying that we almost got ourselves killed on the first day of the apocalypse. Thankfully, Miguel warned us about those Fucking Rocks. ¡°Ugh.¡± Eric¡¯s excitement suddenly died down. ¡°I don¡¯t have any more of those rocks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get more of it.¡± Melissa pat Eric on the back. ¡°Nope.¡± Richard shook his head. ¡°Fucking Rocks won¡¯t drop anymore since the latest patch.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll just buy them from other survivors. If we find one.¡± Mark said. ¡°Well, at least the plan was a success. Great job, you two!¡± Beth said. ¡°Don¡¯t celebrate yet.¡± I said. ¡°We still have to rescue Miguel.¡± Richard moved the earth wall, he made back to the collapsed hole and hardened it with his magic to make sure the zombies trapped inside will never be able climb their way up again. The rest of us rested for a few minutes to recover our stamina. I reminded them not to forget to distribute their points before we head to the dungeon itself.
Name: Claire Roque
Race: Human Level: 27
HP: 550/550 MP: 380/380
SP: 700/700 EXP: 12.42%
STR: 51 WIS: 18
AGI: 70 INT: 29
VIT: 55 LUK: 14
DEX: 14 CHA: 36
Satiety: Normal
Status Normal
Undistributed Attribute Points: 0
Title(s):
Sadist: +10% Damage and chance to stagger
Perk(s):
N/A
I had a total of 25 points from leveling up. I put 5 points to STR, 9 points to AGI and since we didn¡¯t know what enemies we would face on the dungeon, I put 11 points to VIT which made it higher than STR. I regretted my decision when I learned that all of them actually dumped all of their points to VIT. It was a hard earned lesson from Gerry¡¯s death obviously. Mark blessed our weapons and armor again while Richard and Melissa drank their potion of mana regeneration. The rest of us who use stamina as a resource used a new potion that Dianne made, potion of stamina regeneration. For me, it was one of the best potions she even made. She said that she made it from the glowing mushrooms we harvested from the slime dungeon.
Potion of Stamina Regeneration Quality: Rank E (Low) Effect: +20% Stamina Regeneration for 12 Hours A low quality potion made by Dianne Duria. It improves stamina regeneration by a small amount.
After the preparation, we went to the Home Depot. I was afraid at that time, not only because we were going inside a dungeon again, but I was afraid to know what happened to Miguel. I wasn¡¯t exactly an optimistic person, nor a pessimist like Miguel, but like he said to me, you always have to expect the worse. However, I¡¯d like to think that it was alright to cling to hope.
You have entered [Lair of the Great Lich]
We were all speechless as we silently went inside the building. It was already night, so it was dark. Richard and Beth lit up their torches to light the way. We already expected that we would still encounter more zombies inside, but it seemed that Dianne lured almost every zombie to that hole. There were only a few of them left, so we killed them as quickly as we can. The store was a mess and had a disgusting smell of rotting corpses. I was worried because the building looked like it was about to collapse. Eric and Richard suddenly searched a pile of tools lying on the ground. I understood that it was very tempting for them to loot this place for valuable tools, especially when they learned that their bomb was successful, but I told them to focus on the task. Thankfully, they listened. We searched everywhere on the first floor, but we didn¡¯t find anything. We even tried to search upstairs, but there was nothing there except for more junk and a few zombies. It took us a while searching every nook and crannies. [Guys! Here! I think this is it!] ¨C Beth [Where are you?] ¨C Mark [First floor.] ¨C Beth We quickly went downstairs as Beth waved both of her arms at us. There was one door that we left out and that was the employee¡¯s restroom. ¡°Be quiet.¡± Beth slowly opened the door. ¡°Look at this.¡± We took a peek behind the door and we saw a hole in the wall. Inside the hole, there was a faint blue light in the distance. ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡± Mark said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t sense undead inside the hole.¡± He replied. ¡°So what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± I asked. ¡°Liches are undead.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°This dungeon is called Lair of the Great Lich and yet, I can¡¯t sense an undead. It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Mark shrugged. ¡°Maybe Miguel is inside.¡± Dianne suggested. ¡°Can you feel ¨C living things?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°How about you, Richard?¡± Beth asked. ¡°Hmmm.¡± Richard squinted his eyes as he concentrated with his magic. ¡°I can sense a person inside. It¡¯s Miguel, I think. I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go and find out.¡± I said. We entered the hole inside the restroom. When our torches illuminated the area, we noticed that it was a long underground tunnel. We suspected that there could be traps in there, so Dianne tested it by throwing a few stones on the floor. We sighed in relief when Dianne confirmed that it was unlikely that the tunnel was trapped, but I suggested that we should still be careful. Unlike the slime dungeon, the tunnel¡¯s walls were smooth and there were strange carved drawings on the wall and writings similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics. Unfortunately, none of us knew how to read the writings, but as we slowly followed Dianne¡¯s footsteps, I closely observed the drawings. In the first few parts of the wall, there were four people kneeling at a man. The man had a halo on his head or something and he was standing in the middle of a spotlight. Then the drawings showed the man slaying an army of demonic monsters and after that, the man was holding a cup upside down. The expression of the man looked like he was in pain or maybe he was grieving. In his right hand, was sword stained with what I interpreted as blood. On the background of the grieving man was the angels in the heavens, weeping with him. In the latter part of the hall, there was a carving of a box floating in the air. Below the box, there were armies, dragons and all sorts of strange creatures battling each other. The drawings were vague and repetitive and the man with a halo drawing was everywhere on the walls. One thing that caught my attention was that the man had little people with him and holding his hands, which reminded me of Oompa-Loompas doing a dance with Willy Wonka. Like I said, strange. Finally, we reached the end of the tunnel. There was a slightly opened gate leading to another room and that was where the blue light was coming from. Dianne took a peek inside. [What do you see?] ¨C Claire [There¡¯s¡­ A person in there.] ¨C Dianne [Is it Miguel?] ¨C Eric [I think so.] ¨C Dianne [Let me take a look.] ¨C Mark I was getting impatient and every second we waste meant Miguel¡¯s situation getting worse. The others were shocked as I forcefully pushed the door open. I scanned the whole room, looking for enemies, but I found none. The room was as huge as the hardware store. It has the same drawings and carvings of the man with a halo and unknown language all over the walls and ceiling. [What the fuck, Claire? You¡¯re gonna get us killed!] ¨C Melissa ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± I shouted as I sprinted towards the blue light. ¡°We wasted too much time!¡± The others followed me as we saw a clear crystal-like rock formation with some kind of magic circle on the floor surrounding the man like he was imprisoned in it. Whoever this man was, he certainly wasn¡¯t Miguel. The man was completely naked and he had, what I could only describe as, a skeletal look. And when I say skeletal look, I meant, he was literally skin and bones. On his torso, the collar bone, chest bone and rib cage were quite pronounced. Inside the crystal, you can see the bones of his knees. The kneecaps, joints and everything. You can even see his pelvic bone with a penis hanging on it. Just imagine it like this, most of the schools had a lab where they had a life size model of the skeletal system and this man reminded me of that skeleton. ¡°Who is he?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Is this the lich?¡± ¡°No. I used [Observe] on him and he¡¯s definitely not Miguel. The description of liches in my book doesn¡¯t match.¡± Mark shook his head as he touched the man¡¯s neck. ¡°Yes, he looks like a corpse, but he¡¯s alive. He¡¯s still breathing, but his pulse is weak.¡± ¡°Should we help him?¡± Beth asked. ¡°Whoever this is, we can¡¯t just leave him here.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll just be a burden to us. We can¡¯t take care of him while searching for Miguel.¡± Melissa argued. As the others argued about what to do with the man in front of us, I carefully looked at the man again and he was beginning to become more familiar. He had a short black hair and thick, unkempt full beard. He also had a scar on the left side of his face where his eye socket was empty. I looked at his left arm and saw a severed stump instead of hand. At first, I tried to deny the possibility. He had food with him and it has only been more than a week since we last saw him and Daria said that he was fat when she saw him three days ago. But as I stared longer, my heart leapt when I noticed that the man was wearing a familiar necklace. It was the same silver necklace that I gave Miguel a few days ago. It took me courage to use my skill [Observe] to confirm my suspicion.
Player: Miguel Arevalo Race: Human Level: 35 Title(s): Masochist Party: N/A Faction: N/A
¡°Miguel?¡± Tears began to fall from my eyes as I placed my hand on the man¡¯s bony cheeks. ¡°Is that you?¡± Dianne shook her head in denial ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible. That¡¯s not Mig-¡° The man opened his eyes slightly as he heard my voice. He slightly moved his lips as if trying to say something. He stared at me with his dead looking eye as if asking me to end his suffering. ¡°Miguel¡­¡± I held his face closer to mine as I wept, staring at his poor condition. I didn¡¯t know what to do. My mind was blank and my body felt heavy. The rest of them were silent as me and Dianne cried. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get him out.¡± I wiped the tears from my eyes. ¡°Help me.¡± The others scanned the crystals that held Miguel as they tried to find a way to break it without causing injury to him. Suddenly, I felt all of the hair in my body rose up and a chill in my spine. I turned my head to the others and they were also frozen in place as their legs shook. Even Piper, the dire wolf, lowered her head and hid behind Melissa¡¯s back as she whined. The fear I felt at that moment was almost choking me like there was a heavy object on my chest. We heard footsteps coming from the dark corner of the room. There was someone approaching, but we couldn¡¯t move. Debuff: Crippling Fear ¡°Such a lovely reunion.¡± As the dark figure finally revealed itself to us, a young girl with cat ears grinned at us and clapped slowly. ¡°Oh, where are my manners? Let me introduce myself¡­¡± The girl turned her head down and gave us a slight bow. ¡°I am Asharra, Servant of the Dark Lord and First of the Homonculus.¡± She said as she raised up her chin. ¡°I welcome you to the Great Lich¡¯s humble abode.¡± ARC 2: Chapter 34: The Fall of Boston Chapter 34: The Fall of Boston
Asharra, First of the Homonculus (Unique BOSS) Lvl. ???
I used [Observe] on her and it seemed that the little cat girl wasn¡¯t a player. Even though her form looked pathetic and small, she was a boss and a unique one. I didn¡¯t know how strong she was because I couldn¡¯t see her level. However, it was clear that her level must be way beyond our imagination and she wasn¡¯t someone to be underestimated. One thing that confused me was that she could speak to us like a person. I mean, she was clearly a monster and not a person. A person would always show a different blue screen than a monster. [What do we do? I can¡¯t move!] ¨C Eric [I think she¡¯s a demi-monster. There¡¯s no mistake.] ¨C Mark [Didn¡¯t you say that your skills are effective against the undead and demi-monsters?] ¨C Beth [I did. But I can¡¯t move and I can¡¯t even speak.] - Mark Asharra cleared her throat. ¡°I guess I should also introduce you to the soon-to-be the greatest of the Dark Lord¡¯s servant; Miguel Arevalo, the Great Lich.¡± I tried to get my legs moving, but it won¡¯t obey me. I looked at her in the eyes and used my skill [Charm] on her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry dear, but your magic won¡¯t work on me.¡± Asharra stared at me and giggled. ¡°You are far too weak.¡± [Fuck! My magic doesn¡¯t work on her.] ¨C Claire [Don¡¯t provoke her. I think she might let us live if we listen.] ¨C Melissa [No, dumbass. She¡¯s obviously toying with us. Just like a kid playing with little insects.] ¨C Richard The girl walked towards Miguel and gave him a half-smile as she gently stroked Miguel¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Papa. It¡¯ll be over soon. Just a little more.¡± [On my signal, attack with all you¡¯ve got.] ¨C Dianne [What are you planning?] ¨C Mark [I remembered that I have a skill against magic. Just trust me.] - Dianne ¡°You just missed my master. If you were here just a little early, you would have met him. It would¡¯ve been an interesting meeting. Unfortunately, my master has other business that requires his utmost attention.¡± She turned around and faced us. ¡°And unfortunately for you, you¡¯re already too late to save him. I must say that I am impressed that you made it this far. Not unexpected, but still, it¡¯s impressive. I¡¯ve never seen an explosion magic before. Who among you did such a marvelous feat?¡± ¡°Was it you?¡± She put her face close to Richard and whispered. ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Oh my! What did I do to have such luck?¡± Asharra laughed loudly. ¡°Do not worry, little mage. I will not have you killed. After I am done with Miguel, I will perform the same ritual to you and turn you into a lich. Together, we will serve the Great Lich and be his first disciples. There is no greater honor. I assure you that.¡± Once Asharra turned her back to us, Dianne gave us her signal. [Now!] - Dianne Suddenly, I felt that I could move my body. As soon as Dianne gave us her signal, we used all of our skills and attacked Asharra in unison. ¡°One of you have a [Disruption] skill, huh?¡± Her mouth curved into a grin. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°HAAAAHHH!¡± I filled my lungs with air and shouted at the top of my lungs as I used my skill [Berserker¡¯s Howl] to raise the group¡¯s damage. I dashed towards Asharra and seeing that she doesn¡¯t intend to dodge my attack, I performed Six Strikes technique that I learned from Miguel as I used [Lacerating Strike] for each strike. -82 HP! -79 HP! -86 HP! -84 HP! -177 HP! Critical Hit! -206 HP! Critical Hit! Dianne¡¯s bow glowed as she fired off an arrow and used [Aimed Shot]. The arrow landed on her forehead and pierced her skull. Asharra pulled out the arrow and threw it to the floor. Although I was sure that my sword cut her deep and Dianne successfully pierced her skull, her wounds healed almost instantly. -252 HP! Critical Hit! After Dianne¡¯s attack, Melissa used [Phantom Arrow] as an ethereal arrow appeared on her bow. She also used her skill [Aimed Shot] and proceeded to upwards and cast [Arrow Shower] simultaneously. A barrage of ethereal arrows rained down on Asharra. -409 HP! Eric dashed towards Asharra with his spear as he used [Charge Attack]. After that, Beth, having not enough space to use [Whirling Death], used [Cleave] instead and swung her battle axe while Mark used his skill [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing]. -107 HP! -204 HP! -501 HP! Critical Hit! Meanwhile, Richard used his magic and lifted a bunch of rocks above us. He set the said rocks into flames and crash them down to Asharra like a meteor shower. His magic attack was intense that we didn¡¯t even see the damage numbers appear because of the dust and we had to move back to avoid friendly fire. Richard drained all of his mana as he continuously rained fire on the enemy. [Did we kill her?] ¨C Eric [I¡¯m not sure.] - Claire We stopped our attack when we exhausted our SP and MP. Richard panted like a horse and he immediately drank two bottles of mana potion. Once the dust has settled, we saw that Asharra didn¡¯t even have so much of a scratch on her. ¡°Well done! Well done!¡± Asharra clapped in excitement. ¡°If you think your attacks will have any effect on me, then you are mistaken. Not even a cleric can defeat me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be so sure about that.¡± Mark retorted as he opened his tome. ¡°Blessed be the one who walks the path of righteousness. For they will reap the Sinestra¡¯s mercy and granted eternal life. They will bask in her holy light in the Palace of the Forgiven for all eternity. Cursed be the wicked and the unjust. For they will reap Eriton¡¯s wrath and granted eternal agony. Their punishment awaits in the Oblivion! The eternal fire of judgement shall not be quenched¡­.¡± A white magic circle appeared on the top of her and a red magic circle on her feet. They were spinning slowly and surrounded Asharra in a pillar of light. ¡°No!¡± Asharra¡¯s voice suddenly became two toned, a voice of a child and one with a deep voice of a woman. Her voice sounded like someone being possessed; a demonic voice. A black mist-like aura came out of her body trying to penetrate the light. She tried to charge on Mark and pounded the pillar with an immense strength, but the pillar of light effectively trapping her inside. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare! You filthy human!¡± ¡°Quench thy servant¡¯s thirst for righteous vengeance. Let the hammer fall for the wicked! Smite: Holy Pillars of Vengeance!¡± When Mark finished the prayer, he held his heavy mace upside down and dropped it to the ground as its sound echoed throughout the room. More red and white magic circle appeared and filled the pillar with its swirling light. The light became so intense that it was blinding, but I felt a warm and gentle feeling like the morning sun. We couldn¡¯t see clearly what was happening to Asharra, but when I looked at Mark, he was staring at the light with unblinking eyes. ¡°AHHHHH!!!¡± Asharra made a harsh, shrill cry as Mark¡¯s magic decimated her. The light slowly became weaker and weaker until all of the light was extinguished. We stood up and recovered. There were smoke around where Asharra stood and we weren¡¯t sure if she was dead. Mark, on the other hand, fell to his knees with rapid breaths. Eric extended a hand and helped him get up. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Mark said to Eric. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that skill?¡± I asked. ¡°That one¡¯s called [Smite].¡± He replied. ¡°So you have that overpowered skill all along?¡± Eric clenched his fist. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use that to save Gerry?¡± ¡°It only works against undead and demi-monsters.¡± Mark said. ¡°And I can only use it once a week.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Eric lowered his head. ¡°I see...¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Anyway, is she dead?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°I think so.¡± Beth lifted her shoulder in a half shrug. ¡°There¡¯s no way she could survive that.¡± ¡°Look!¡± Melissa pointed her finger. We were hoping that Mark¡¯s attack finished her off. When the smoke was dispersed, we despaired as we saw Asharra full of burns around her body. She was still alive and her charred skin fell off like a snake shedding its skin. She looked at us with a piercing glare. ¡°That hurts.¡± Her demonic voice was filled with burning anger. ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn.¡± Asharra screamed as her body twisted as we heard a sickening crunch of her bones. She spat out black goo substance from her mouth and covered her entire body. The black slime turned into a ball as sharp horns started to appear one by one. She began to transform into something much larger and deadlier form. Her body reabsorbed the substance as it slowly revealed its true form. The monstrous form stood for at least eight feet in height and it had a tail with spikes at the end. Its legs looked like a hind limb of a scaly reptile and it had sharp claws on both its feet and hands. On its head were two twisted horns, drooping ears instead of cat¡¯s ears and sharp fangs for its teeth. Even though the demon would make anyone who saw it piss in their pants, it had a womanly shape as its torso and smooth skin on its face. It was both terrifying and beautiful. ¡°I must admit that I had fun having you around.¡± Asharra said as she sharpened her claws on the floor. ¡°You made a huge mistake by pissing me off. I am not known to hold back in this form.¡± ¡°Prepare to die, mortal filths!¡± She yelled fiercely and charged at Mark. -312 HP! ¡°Ahhhh!!!¡± Mark screamed in pain as Asharra pierced his torso with her sharp claw; His armor was shattered in just one attack. She lifted him up with one arm and brought him close to her face. ¡°Die!¡± The rest of us attacked him as we attempted to rescue Mark. Piper was the first one to close the distance and pounced on her. The dire wolf then bit Asharra¡¯s neck trying to asphyxiate her, but we realized that the homonculus could grow scales anywhere on her body at will. Piper¡¯s sharp fangs could not penetrate her scales. Asharra retaliated and sliced the dire wolf with her claws. ¡°PIPER!¡± Melissa screamed as Piper¡¯s body was cut in half. ¡°NO!¡± Dianne and Melissa fired off their arrows and Richard summoned three sharp spikes of rocks on the ground and impaled Asharra. She threw Mark away and landed on Melissa and Dianne. Mark¡¯s weight and the force of the throw knocked them out unconscious. Beth charged at Asharra from the distance and used her skill [Whirling Death]. Beth span in a vicious hurricane, but Asharra simply stopped her axe with her hard scales. She let out a cackle as she swept her arms and sent her flying. Beth landed at the wall with a sickening crunch. The wall was stained with her blood as she laid down on the floor seemingly lifeless. Eric, Richard and I stood together as we prepared for our last stand. Richard summoned rocks on top of her and repeated his meteor shower spell. Unfortunately, Asharra knew his plan and charged at him. Eric tried to block her and protected his brother, but the two of them were also knocked back. All of them were lying on the ground unconscious, I didn¡¯t know if they were dead, but I knew that I was the only one left standing. ¡°This is the end.¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I will collect all of your skin as my trophy.¡± Asharra charged towards me with a grin on her face. She attacked me with her claws, but I barely managed to dodge her attack as I dashed to my right and tried to stab her torso with my sword. However, she easily blocked my attack with her hard scaled arm and grabbed me by my neck. I desperately swung my sword at her, but her scales were too hard to penetrate. She lifted me up and slowly cut my breastplate with her sharp claw like a hot knife on butter. ¡°You are beautiful. I will wear your skin.¡± She said as my shattered armor fell to the ground. ¡°Any last words?¡± I inhaled deeply filling my lungs with air and shouted as loud as I can as I used my skill [Wail of Agony]. ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± Asharra screeched in pain and covered both of her ears. She immediately loosened her grip on my neck and dropped me on the floor. Using this opportunity, I attacked her with my skill [Lacerating Strike] as I aimed at her smooth skinned torso. My sword was finally able to do some damage as I pierced her skin. As she recovered, I quickly moved backwards to gain some distance away from her. Her blood flowed from her wound and bled. However, she used a skill and her stab wound closed.
Six days after the Merge ¡°You¡¯re too aggressive with your swings, Claire.¡± Miguel said, sitting comfortably in his chair. ¡°And don¡¯t use too much force. It¡¯ll tire you quickly.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like I would run out of stamina that quick.¡± ¡°Sure, but you¡¯ll run out of juice eventually.¡± He let out a deep sigh and rubbed his forehead. ¡°The point of the technique is not how much force you use, but where to strike.¡± ¡°But I used this amount of force to beat you.¡± Miguel rolled his eyes. ¡°This is just day one of your training and you¡¯re already that arrogant. What the hell was that apology for?¡± ¡°Well, I beat you, didn¡¯t I?¡± I gave him the same smirk he gave me back in college. ¡°It¡¯s not arrogance. It¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°Sure, you beat me. Good job.¡± He clapped his hands slowly. ¡°But you forgot the fact that you beat me because you have higher physical stats than me. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the best fighter who ever lived. I¡¯m a mage, remember?¡± ¡°But still. I beat you.¡± I folded my arms. ¡°That still counts as something.¡± ¡°Yes. It does count.¡± He nodded. ¡°Do you know how many times I lost a fight?¡± ¡°None?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Eric said you never lost a tournament.¡± ¡°Not true.¡± Miguel shook his head. ¡°You know what. Let me tell you a secret.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°One thing I learned from experience, is never to be too confident about your abilities because there¡¯s always someone better than you. I¡¯ve always won because I wasn¡¯t aggressive. I fight defensively and wait for the right chance to strike. That¡¯s why I like to use Back Stance.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± I shrugged. Miguel stood up from his seat and approached me. He suddenly touched my legs and spread them apart. ¡°Your stance is wrong. Your legs are too close together.¡± I felt him wrap his arms around me from my back as he adjusted the position of my arms. His warm breath touched my nape. I blushed. ¡°Your sword arm should be at this angle. You¡¯ll find it easier to execute your attacks.¡±
I remembered everything that Miguel taught me. Even though it was only a week since I learned Arnis, I¡¯ve been diligently practicing every morning, every evening and every chance I get. I checked my stance and realized that I was doing it all wrong. My legs were too close to each other. My sword arm should be correctly angled to make sure a perfect execution of attacks and blocks. I also remembered him telling me that his favorite stance was Back Stance; A defensive stance. That time I wasn¡¯t wearing my breastplate as Asharra already took it off. It didn¡¯t matter though It was heavy and hindered with my movements. My helm was heavy and restricted my line of sight. I took it off and dropped it and my vision improved. My shield was useless as I couldn¡¯t even track her movements to block it. I also dropped my shield. I preferred to keep my other hand free. I needed to be as fast as I could. Asharra laughed at my pathetic attempt to fight back, but I didn¡¯t care and waited her to attack me. She dashed forward and attacked me again with her claws. -0 HP! Attack Missed! -0 HP! Attack Missed! -0 HP! Attack Missed! I evaded her first attack and the second as I stepped back. I countered her attack with 5th strike, forward thrust, but I missed. She also countered by swiping her tail, but I saw it coming and ducked. I could almost keep up with her fast movement and reflex. I dodged and blocked her attacks while doing counter attacks whenever I there was an opportunity. Sadly, there were momentary slips and mistakes on my part. She was too fast and her claws eventually wounded me. My wounds were deep and I was bleeding heavily. Mark was lying on his pool of blood and could not heal me. I couldn¡¯t even find the right timing to drink a potion. Thankfully, it only felt like a scratch of a cat because of my skill [Troll¡¯s Skin]. Debuff: Bleeding -5 HP! Even though I didn¡¯t do much damage on her, I refused to give up. Fighting was futile, but giving up means the death of, not just me, but all of us. I was beginning to run out of stamina points and my movements became sluggish as I felt the need to catch my breath. I looked at HP and I realized that I only have 91/550 of HP left. Not to mention that I was also constantly losing 5 HP from bleeding.
Miguel Arevalo, 11 years old ¡°I can¡¯t believe I wasted my entire day for this. I even had to cancel my meetings!¡± The man in the driver¡¯s seat said. ¡°This is your son!¡± The woman said in a loud voice. ¡°You were never home and we only ask for what? Just a day! Is your career that important to you that you can¡¯t even cancel your ¡®important¡¯ meetings for your own son?¡± ¡°Well, I already cancelled my meetings, didn¡¯t I?¡± The man huffed as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. ¡°I even had to lie to my officers and¡­¡± ¡°Stop the car.¡± The woman interrupted. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said stop the car!¡± The man drove the car to the side of the road and stepped on the brakes. The woman opened the door and exited the vehicle. The boy on the back seat was crying as he sniffed. The woman opened the door to the back seat and took the boy with her. ¡°What are you doing, Monica?¡± The man asked. ¡°I¡¯m taking them home by myself!¡± ¡°But I am taking you home!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take the bus! Go to your stupid meetings!¡± The woman yelled and she forced the boy to exit the car. ¡°Come on, Miguel. I¡¯m so sorry that you¡¯re not important to your father.¡± ¡°For Christ sake!¡± The man stepped out of the car as he tried to follow the two. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that! I¡¯ll take you home!¡± The woman ignored the man as she continued to walk with the boy on the side of the streets. The man caught up with them and grabbed the woman by the wrist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Monica.¡± He sighed. ¡°I was just¡­ I was just stressed out, you know. I¡¯m really sorry. So please, get back in the car. I¡¯ll take both of you home.¡± The woman didn¡¯t even flinch at his attempt to convince her to go back. He looked at the boy and realized his wrongdoing. How can he say those words to his own son? He wanted to apologize to the boy, but before he could try, the pair walked away from him without saying another word. It¡¯s alright. He thought. They¡¯ll forgive me. I¡¯ll just give them a day to let their heads cool off. The boy wiped his tears with his shirt. He didn¡¯t want the others to think that he was weak. A real man shouldn¡¯t cry, his father said. Crying is only for girls. ¡°Want to go for an ice cream?¡± The woman asked as she smiled at him. The boy shook his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind him.¡± She said. ¡°We should celebrate and have fun.¡± The boy raised his head and looked at his mother in confusion. Why would she want to celebrate after he lost his first tournament? He thought. For him, it didn¡¯t make any sense. The woman didn¡¯t seem to listen to him and she still took him to his favorite ice cream place where they served their ice creams upside down. The woman asked him what flavor he wanted. The boy didn¡¯t reply, but being his mother, she already knew his answer and ordered his favorite. She ordered the biggest cup of ice cream they have. She can¡¯t expect me to eat all of it! He thought. The woman ate her ice cream happily while the boy stared blankly at his cup. He was still puzzled at his mother¡¯s behavior and unlike his father and his coach, she wasn¡¯t angry at him. Instead, she looked happy at his misery. Finally, the boy asked the woman. ¡°Why are we doing this?¡± He asked. ¡°Why are we doing what?¡± The woman asked back. ¡°Why are we eating ice cream?¡± He said. ¡°Why are we even celebrating?¡± The woman chuckled as she licked her spoon. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I just lost the tournament.¡± The boy shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t even get pass elimination round.¡± ¡°And so?¡± ¡°You saw dad, right? He¡¯s disappointed in me. If Lolo was still alive, he¡¯ll probably be the same.¡± The boy lowered his head and frowned. ¡°You only lost just one tournament.¡± The woman said as she tried to console him. ¡°And you¡¯ve won many. Lolo said you defeated your opponents in your first try.¡± ¡°But did he also tell you that I also lost as much as I win?¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Well, I lost once in a tournament. But I lost to your lolo hundreds of times when we sparred.¡± ¡°And I also lost to him all the time! I never win anything. I mean, can¡¯t you see? I¡¯m a loser! No matter how hard I try, I¡¯m still a loser! I can¡¯t even get good grades at school. I¡¯m stupid! I always lose! I¡¯m weak! I¡¯m a coward! Everyone says that and the worst thing is: I accepted it. But then accepting it wasn¡¯t enough¡­¡± The boy broke down into tears after he voiced out his frustration. ¡°I disappointed Dad. Did you even see the look on his face?¡± The woman was shocked to say the least. She didn¡¯t know that his son was suffering from having high expectations from everyone around him. She didn¡¯t know what to say to console him as her husband had no excuse for his attitude towards their son. ¡°Look at me.¡± The woman said as she lifted her son¡¯s face. ¡°You are my son and I am proud of you.¡± ¡°Right¡­ And you¡¯re making me celebrate my own defeat.¡± The boy added. ¡°You¡¯re making fun of me, aren¡¯t you? Go on. Laugh. I don¡¯t care anymore.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯m proud of you.¡± The woman continued. ¡°You said you¡¯re a coward, but you stepped up and you still joined the tournament even if you knew that you can¡¯t win. Not everyone has that kind of courage. You said you¡¯re weak, but you didn¡¯t give up and you still fight to the end. Not everyone has that kind of strength.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m still a loser.¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°So¡­¡± The boy scratched his head as he tried to think of a comeback. ¡°I get nothing. The winner takes it all.¡± ¡°Did you really get nothing?¡± The woman asked. ¡°You know, when I taste my first defeat, it was the worst thing ever. I wasn¡¯t used to be a loser. I was arrogant because no one could beat me. But I learned an important lesson. I felt the same thing as you do and I want you to hold on to that feeling.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°How can you even appreciate victory if you don¡¯t know how it feels like to lose? You won¡¯t even notice the stars when you¡¯re always top, but you¡¯ll see how beautiful the sky is if you¡¯re on the bottom. Sometimes, you have to fall, before you can rise.¡± The woman smiled as she rubbed the boy¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you. Now eat that ice cream.¡± With her mother¡¯s warm words, the boy felt much better. A new fire stirred inside his heart. You have to fall, before you can rise. The boy repeated the words in his mind.
¡°Just give up, mortal.¡± Asharra said as she slowly walked towards me. ¡°I commend your valor. You have a strong will to fight and you refuse to stand down even against all odds. But it is not enough to defeat me, I am beyond a mortal¡¯s strength. Give up and I promise, I will give you and your friends the mercy of a swift death.¡± ¡°No.¡± I panted and shook my head. ¡°For three thousand years of my existence, I never offered the littlest of mercy and still you refuse my offer?¡± Asharra laughed. ¡°Do you even realize that I was not taking you seriously?¡± ¡°Then attack me with everything you got.¡± I retorted. ¡°I will die where I stand.¡± ¡°So be it.¡± With that said, Asharra charged at me as I tried to block her claws with my sword. My eyes widened in disbelief as my sword finally gave out and shattered into pieces. With only a hilt of a broken sword in my hand, I fell to the ground finally succumbing to my wounds. ¡°What is your name, mortal?¡± Asharra looked down at me without a hint of ridicule on her face. ¡°Claire¡­¡± I responded. ¡°Claire Roque.¡± ¡°I shall remember that name.¡± Asharra lowered her head and bowed slightly. ¡°Good bye.¡± Everything seemed to slow down as my opponent was about to deal the killing blow. I had a flashback of Miguel¡¯s memories: You have to fall, before you can rise. At that time, I lost completely. I lost and I would never rise again. I turned my eyes to Miguel and I could see him in the distance. I failed to save him and I couldn¡¯t even save myself. I felt the same feeling of helplessness that he felt when he thought I was going to die and when he lost in his first Arnis tournament. I didn¡¯t want to accept my death. I refused to surrender at the very last moment. Like when Miguel saved me from the Necrotic Curse, he refused to let me die and he eventually found a cure. When we got stuck in the slime dungeon, we refused to give up and we got out even though Gerry didn¡¯t make it alive. We didn¡¯t surrender. Gerry¡¯s death will be for nothing if we die here and fail. It was time to set aside pride and ask for help. ¡°God¡­ help us...¡± I muttered as I closed my eyes, praying to the heavens. All of a sudden, the entire room shook violently as if the earthquake on the first day of the apocalypse was happening all over again. I was lying on the floor at that time and dying from blood loss. A meteor crashed down from above and into the middle of the room. The meteor gave off the same blinding light like Mark¡¯s magic. It was warm and it felt like I was being caressed by a soft touch and all of the pain in my body faded away. I realized that my HP, SP and MP were fully restored. The others also gained their consciousness and stood up to witness the strange light. All of them, except for Piper. [All of you! Close formation!] ¨C Claire I commanded all of them to regroup and form a close formation. Even though Eric lost his iron shield, he retrieved his old wooden shield that he made back in the hardware store and he also took out his extra spontoon spear. I learned that he had an extra longsword as a backup weapon so I borrowed it for a while. Asharra, on the other hand, stepped back and retreated. The strange bright light slowly faded away as it revealed a kneeling man¡¯s figure. He was wearing a black business suit and had a clean haircut. He looked like a real professional, like a butler or a spy. The man stood up in a graceful posture and turned his eye on us. Well, I didn¡¯t really see his eyes because he was wearing angled sunglasses. I was wondering who it was and asked myself as I used [Observe]. Is it God?
Special NPC: ??? Race: Administrator Level: ??? Faction: SYSTEM Admin Team Party: Ban Hammer
¡°Stand back.¡± The man said in a deep voice. ¡°This will be over soon.¡± ARC 2: Chapter 35: The Administrator Chapter 35: The Administrator ¡°Asharra the First Homunculus. We meet at last.¡± ¡°And you are?¡± Asharra asked. ¡°Admin Schmidt.¡± The man replied as he fixed his neck tie.
Special NPC: Admin Schmidt Race: Administrator Level: ??? Title: Punisher Faction: SYSTEM Admin Team Party: Ban Hammer
¡°Are you God?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Are you here to save Miguel?¡± ¡°No, and yes.¡± Schmidt responded as he turned his glare to Asharra. ¡°You and I need to talk.¡± Asharra drew her mouth back in a snarl. ¡°Administrators have no business here! Be gone!!!¡± ¡°Your master has no business interfering with players¡¯ affair either.¡± Schmidt smirked. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Asharra broke into crazed laughter. ¡°Did God send you just to save this mortal? I did not know he is that valuable to him.¡± Admin Schmidt shook his head. ¡°This is not about Mr. Arevalo. This is about offending God himself.¡± ¡°And what did my master and I do to offend Him?¡± Asharra asked. ¡°What gives you a right?¡± ¡°I care not about your offenses. My directive is to terminate those who offend God. I do not question, I only obey.¡± Schmidt responded. ¡°What if I hand him over to you? Will you let me live?¡± It seemed that whoever Admin Schmidt was, he was powerful enough to make Asharra tremble in fear. She even tried to beg him for her life. ¡°God has already made his decision. And now, you will be subjected to¡­¡± Schmidt clenched his hands into a first and cracked the bones of his neck. ¡°¡­deletion.¡± Without a warning, Schmidt suddenly vanished and appeared instantly in front of Asharra. He punched the homunculus with a tremendous force and sent her flying and crashed into a wall as dusts and stones fell from the ceiling. Asharra looked like she was in pain after she took just one punch. Schmidt grinned after he showed her the vast difference of their power. She stood up and charged at him with her claws, but Schmidt dodged all of the attacks with little to no effort and all of her attacks hit nothing but air. ¡°I will give you the same offer as you gave Miss Roque.¡± Schmidt said as he moved. ¡°Surrender and I will give you the mercy of a swift termination.¡± ¡°Damn you!¡± Asharra cursed as she continued her flurry of claw attacks. She even tried to surprise him as she swept her spiked tail to him, but still none of her attacks ever touched Schmidt. The Administrator was having fun toying with her and countered some of her attacks with fast jabs. He seemed to be holding back his punches. That was until she landed a hit and broke Schmidt¡¯s sunglasses. Asharra grinned as she saw Schmidt spit out blood. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy watching you die.¡± Schmidt said as he threw away his sunglasses. Asharra charged again and attacked him. Schmidt didn¡¯t move an inch and when the claws were about to hit him, he simply blocked it with one hand. To say the least, she was shocked. Schmidt gripped her wrist tightly as Asharra screamed in pain. He threw her to the wall and again, he teleported. As soon as she was on the wall, Schmidt appeared and threw countless of punches. It was so fast that his hands looked blurry. I realized that Schmidt didn¡¯t actually teleport, he was rather too fast for my eyes to follow his movements. Schmidt stopped for a moment as Asharra fell to the ground. He grabbed her by the tail and threw her up in the air and leapt. As soon as he leapt, he kicked her back to the ground while in the air. She crashed to the ground with such an intensity that she made a crater. Asharra was coughing blood and she couldn¡¯t even move with her injuries. I think that Schmidt broke every bone in her body and she was barely holding on to her consciousness. ¡°Stop! Please!¡± Asharra cried as she begged for her life. But Schmidt was unforgiving and relentless. He stared at her with cold eyes as he grabbed Asharra by the tail and dragged her around. ¡°No! No! Please!¡± My jaw dropped at how easily Schmidt defeated Asharra and he didn¡¯t even use magic or skill. I looked at the others and all of them had the same reaction as me. We were awed at Schmidt¡¯s display of power. I wasn¡¯t only amazed, but I also became afraid of him. If Schmidt chooses to kill us, we won¡¯t even see it. When he mentioned that he was the one killing those who offended God, I was glad that God let me off the hook when I prayed to him back in the hardware store. Asharra cast her magic on desperation and fired off a couple of fireballs as he dragged her around. Schmidt didn¡¯t even flinch nor did he try to dodge the attack and it left him unscathed. Instead, he became more pissed and he flattened Asharra with repeated smashes into the floor. At first she was screaming in pain and she begged profusely for him to stop, but after a few smashes, Asharra was making a whistling noise for breathing as she stared blankly at us. Schmidt continued to smash her into the floor, even though Asharra looked like she was already dead. The floor was painted with Asharra¡¯s blood and after Schmidt was finished, her body was flattened and disfigured beyond recognition. We didn¡¯t level up from Asharra¡¯s death, but we leveled up from the quest that God gave us.
Quest Complete! Quest: A Mission from God Progress: Find and rescue Miguel Arevalo (1/1) Difficulty: C Rewards: EXP and Gold (5) Gold Coins.
Level Up!
Level Up!
¡°I¡¯ll take care of Mr. Arevalo. Here. Loot her corpse.¡± Schmidt said as he threw the corpse to us. ¡°Consider it as God¡¯s additional reward for your efforts.¡± The rest of back away for a bit as we looked at Asharra¡¯s mangled remains. Dianne and Eric couldn¡¯t help, but throw up at the sickening sight. I, on the other hand, was glad that God and Schmidt were on our side. I can¡¯t even imagine how we would fair against Schmidt. I admit that our fight with Asharra was a bit anti-climactic. We wouldn¡¯t be alive if Schmidt didn¡¯t come. But then, it was really impossible for us to defeat her and when we combined our attacks, she would just heal herself forever. Thanks for helping us, God!
You¡¯re welcome and I also want to thank you for finding Miguel for me. Do me a favor. When Miguel wakes up, just put in a good word for me.
Sure. By the way, Admin Schmidt is cool.
I know, right? But the thing is, they are useless as fucks and they¡¯re just a bunch of masturbating idiots and what Schmidt did today was the only time he became useful. Anyway, please avoid sucking up to me next time. This is just a one-time only. I had no choice but to intervene.
¡°Loot.¡± I said as I touched the corpse. The corpse disintegrated into pixelated light and when it disappeared, tons of items instantly appeared. There were skill books, weapons, armors, rings, a large mana stone and lots of Gold Coins. After we accounted all the loot, we decided to store the loot in a bag and distribute it later after we made sure that Miguel was okay. ¡°Stand back.¡± Schmidt said. We stood back a little as Schmidt extended his arms and cast some magic on Miguel. The crystal was shattered into tiny little pieces and the magic circle stopped from glowing. After that, the crystal that held Miguel imprisoned became whole again as it levitated in the air. The crystal was as large as a basketball. Unlike the blue light it gave off earlier, the crystal became black in color and it lets off a black mist. He took the dark crystal with him. After that, Schmidt cast another magic on Miguel. There was a ball of light floating on top of Miguel and he screamed in pain as the light absorbed a great amount of the black mist in his body. Dianne and I almost wanted to go to him, but Schmidt stopped us. ¡°Are you leaving?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Not yet.¡± Schmidt shook his head as he carried Miguel. ¡°My mission is to make sure that he is fine.¡± ¡°Where are you taking him?¡± ¡°Anywhere, but here.¡± He pointed out the ceiling and it looked like it was about to collapse. He was right though. We can¡¯t stay here. ¡°I think there is a school in the front of this establishment.¡± With that said, we followed Schmidt as he carried Miguel on his arm. I sighed in relief as I knew that he would be fine as long as Schmidt was here. Melissa was sad as she took a last look at Piper. She took Piper¡¯s remains in her inventory and said that she would have her cremated later. ¡°By the way, Admin Smith¡­¡± Richard said. ¡°It¡¯s Admin Schmidt. S-C-H-M-I-D-T. Please, call me Schmidt.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. So. Uhmmm. Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°You are already asking a question.¡± Schmidt continued to walk without turning his head. ¡°Go ahead. Ask and I will answer as best as I can. As long as the information is not classified.¡± ¡°Are you the one who kills everyone who offend God? I mean, it¡¯s the rule, right? Use proper pronouns and such?¡± ¡°Yes, that is me.¡± Schmidt raised up his chin and it seemed that he was proud of his job. ¡°There are others too, but God always assigns me for the most urgent and important missions.¡± ¡°Are you a human?¡± Eric asked. ¡°Heavens, no!¡± Schmidt shook his head profusely. ¡°I am an Administrator.¡± ¡°What¡¯s an Administrator?¡± ¡°That is the name of my race.¡± Schmidt explained. ¡°Our race was created by God and our purpose is to make sure that everything in the SYSTEM is working in order.¡± ¡°Why do you help us? Why help Miguel in particular?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Miguel said to us that God didn¡¯t like doing favors for mortal pests like us. Why would we be special?¡± Fair point. I was asking the same thing myself. I wonder what God wanted with Miguel. Whatever the reason God had for helping us, I didn¡¯t care.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°I do not know God¡¯s intent. Even if I do, I will not be allowed to answer that question.¡± Schmidt replied. ¡°That subject is between God and him. I do not ask questions. God gives orders and I only obey.¡± We exited the dungeon and we went to a school just across the hardware store. There were a few zombies left outside, but they suddenly fell to the ground and died as Schmidt walked without even taking a glance at them. It seemed that his mere presence was enough to kill these monsters. Perhaps he was using magic or a skill that we didn¡¯t know. Or maybe it¡¯s a holy skill like Mark¡¯s. When we arrived at the school, Schmidt asked us to hold on to Miguel for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± Richard asked as Schmidt drew a magic circle on the school¡¯s gate. ¡°Are those runes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a barrier.¡± He replied. ¡°It¡¯s a ward against the undead. It¡¯ll protect everyone inside the building.¡± After that, he took Miguel back and carried him. There were a few leftover zombies inside the school as we¡¯ve already blown most of them with the bombs. What bothered us was that most of the zombies we encountered there were just little children. Again, Schmidt killed most of them while Mark blessed the corpses as we walked. As if Schmidt already knew the place, he led us to a clinic where it had soft beds and other medical supplies. He laid him down on the bed as he performed more magic on him. Miguel was still unconscious at that time and he was as pale as a corpse. Not to mention that he was also thin and he was literally skin and bones with no muscle and fat. He really looked like a corpse. We almost didn¡¯t recognize him and he changed a lot in appearance for the worse. We only recognized him for his beard and when we remembered that Daria mentioned that he lost his left eye and left hand. I didn¡¯t want to touch him as I get the feeling that if I hold him, he would break. You know the feeling that when you hold a baby and you¡¯re afraid that you might kill the baby just for holding it? Yeah, that kind of feeling. I remembered that when I held my baby cousin in my arms, he was small and he looked very fragile and when I touched the baby¡¯s head, I felt a soft spot of his skull. I think I touched his brain and that could be the cause why he became retarded. That traumatized me for life. ¡°What are you doing to him?¡± I asked. ¡°I am doing what I can to restore his body.¡± Schmidt said. ¡°The magic that Asharra used is a ritual that is forbidden by many. The dark mana inside him corrupted him too much and that¡¯s why he wasted away most of his flesh just like the Necrotic Curse.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make Miguel an undead in just hours?¡± Mark asked. He was the group¡¯s holy magic user, so he was probably curious. ¡°I also thought about that.¡± Schmidt nodded. ¡°His curse is something I haven¡¯t seen before. I even searched our SYSTEM archives and found nothing. But when I studied him and I concluded that the unique dark mana signature was the one causing the disruption of his connection with God. I think the dark mana was inside him for days now given that God could not contact him for that time.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true, why wouldn¡¯t Miguel detect it earlier?¡± I asked. I remembered that Miguel was adept to magic that he could sense the dark mana inside me when I got cursed. ¡°The Dark Lord probably used the dark mana inside him to manufacture illusions inside his mind. He is the god of falsehoods and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he used such cowardly tactics to hide the dark mana from Miguel. God has been trying to contact him and He wanted to avoid interfering with players as much as possible after the 8th day, but the Dark Lord left him no choice.¡± ¡°Would he be okay?¡± I asked. ¡°I mean, will he be back to normal?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already removed all the traces of dark mana in his body. Unfortunately, the damage was already done and I could not reverse it. His connection with God was permanently severed and He won¡¯t be able to talk to him through the SYSTEM. But at least, Miguel still had the basic access to the SYSTEM, but he and God wouldn¡¯t be able to talk like before.¡± ¡°What I mean by normal is, would he be¡­ uhmmm. Look the same after you¡¯re done?¡± ¡°I cannot restore the muscles and body fat that he lost in instant without turning him into an abomination. Even with the help of runes, it will take months. His physical condition is called Flesh Waste similar to what you humans call emaciated as a result of the curse. He will need nourishment.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll just have to feed him?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°That will be dangerous. I¡¯ve seen this before in my time at Mindanao. You can¡¯t just feed him solid food or else he¡¯ll die.¡± Mark said. ¡°Yes, but do not worry. I¡¯ve already fixed his digestive organs to enable him to eat normally when he wakes up. But to be safe, feed him with foods that are easy to digest.¡± Schmidt stopped casting his magic and turned to us. ¡°I still need to observe him to make sure I haven¡¯t missed anything and there might be other complications. I need you to do something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°His body will be weak because of his extreme muscle loss. Mr. Arevalo won¡¯t be able to stand properly or travel with you without help. The clinic already has a wheelchair, but he will need food supplements and vitamins to help him recover. Also, I don¡¯t know how long he will remain unconscious, so he¡¯ll also need intravenous therapy.¡± ¡°You mean dextrose?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Yes, that would suffice.¡± Eric, Melissa, Richard and Mark went outside to grab the things that will help Miguel recover while the rest of us stayed with Miguel and Schmidt. As we wait for Miguel to gain consciousness, Dianne and Schmidt talked about potions and he was happy to talk about it. It seemed that Schmidt was also a nerd when it comes to alchemy and his tone and way of speech changed when talking about alchemy. I was afraid that God would be angry because Schmidt was giving too much, but there was no loud boom in the skies, so we thought it was okay. We learned that his title ¡®Punisher¡¯ has been just one of his many titles like High Alchemist, Archmagus and Rune Lord. We only learned from him that we actually had an option to hide our titles if we didn¡¯t want the others to see it, but those with high level of [Observe] can see all hidden titles. You just have to say: Hide Title: Title name to hide the title and Show Title: Title name to show it again. I didn¡¯t understand most of what they were talking about, but he gave her some tips on how to make her potions more potent and he even gave some of his ¡®secret¡¯ potion recipes. We learned that Schmidt was the one who wrote the book Alchemy for Dummies. ¡°So who wrote this book?¡± I asked as I held Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies book. ¡°Tsk.¡± Schmidt huffed and clicked his tongue. ¡°You don¡¯t want to meet him. He¡¯s arrogant and a huge asshole. Can you believe that he dared to belittle alchemy? Heh. He doesn¡¯t realize that there¡¯s nothing more worth studying than alchemy. What an ignorant prick.¡± I was spooked for a bit when Schmidt showed the same expression when Asharra broke his sunglasses. Thankfully, Dianne quickly changed the subject and turned it into alchemy subject again and he was back to his calm and cheerful attitude. ¡°Ah. It¡¯s been a while since I had a good talk like that. To tell you the truth, all of the Administrators hate listening to me when I talk about alchemy. They said it was boring and it doesn¡¯t make any sense, but they just don¡¯t understand its basic concepts.¡± Schmidt said. ¡°Thank you for listening, Miss Duria.¡± ¡°W-well, I should be the one thanking you. You¡¯ve been very helpful to us¡­¡± Dianne blushed as she scratched her head. ¡°Thank you for saving us and please, call me Dianne.¡± Schmidt gave her a smile and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°No need to thank me. I¡¯m just doing my job as an Administrator.¡± He pulled something out in the air and gave Dianne a book. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°O-oh no¡­ You¡¯ve done enough. I can¡¯t take it.¡± Dianne said as she waved her hand. ¡°No, no, you should take it. Come on, take it. It¡¯s my gift to you.¡± Schmidt took Dianne¡¯s hand and gave her the book. ¡°You won¡¯t find any books on alchemy that are better than that and it¡¯s not even for sale in the Shop. I wrote that myself too, by the way.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t alchemy the greatest subject ever?¡± Schmidt let out a high pitched laugh and high-fived Dianne. Beth and I looked at each other as we felt that we were out of place. Dianne and Schmidt would continue to talk all day and night without rest and they haven¡¯t run out of topics to talk about in alchemy. I¡¯ve waited patiently for Miguel to wake up, but it was already night. His breathing seemed normal and when I touched him, his skin felt warmer to touch, unlike a few hours ago. The others were back and they looted a hospital nearby. Even though they said that there were still a few zombies inside, Mark finished them off quickly with his holy magic and with the help of mana potions. They looted food, the supplements and other supplies that we would need for the journey. Schmidt told us that he needed to rest and instructed me to call him if Miguel wakes up. Even though he was strong, I didn¡¯t know that he also knew the meaning of exhaustion. The others also went to take a rest because Schmidt assured us that the barrier he made was effective. Dianne and I volunteered to watch Miguel while taking shifts. Dianne took the first shift while I closed my eyes for a bit. When I woke up, I saw Dianne dozing off and trying her best to stay awake. I decided to take over and let her sleep. It was still dark outside and it was hard to keep track of time. I looked at the pendant that I bought in Camp Aguinaldo. It was a silver necklace with a heart shaped pendant. I was told by the seller that it was a magical item that increases agility. I bought a pair of it and gave the other to Miguel. I would¡¯ve given it freely as a gift, but he complained about the stats, so I charged him for it in my annoyance. I looked at Miguel and even though, he seemed to be completely naked when we found him, it made me smile every time I think about how he was still wearing the necklace that I gave to him. I was just glad that he didn¡¯t lose it and I¡¯d like to think that it was important to him. After a few moments, I saw Miguel opened his eyes. I shook Dianne to wake up and told her to get Schmidt immediately. ¡°Miguel?¡± Miguel looked around and when his eyes turned to me, he gave me a puzzled look and asked: ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Claire. Don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± ¡°W-who¡­¡± His forehead wrinkled. ¡°Who¡¯s Claire?¡± I didn¡¯t understand what he meant. I mean, I did, but my mind couldn¡¯t process it. ¡°I¡¯m Claire. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°No. I-I can¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°Who¡¯s Miguel?¡± My heart was shattered. Tears just fell from my eyes and I couldn¡¯t stop crying. Finally, Schmidt and the others arrived. ¡°What happened, Claire?¡± Dianne asked. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± I didn¡¯t answer them as I couldn¡¯t stop crying. Back then, I was hoping that we could save Miguel in time and we were glad that he was alive even though he changed. What I didn¡¯t expect was this kind of change. Miguel didn¡¯t recognize anyone even Dianne, his own sister. I realized that we were already too late to save him. ¡°Who¡¯s Miguel? Is that me?¡± His breathing became ragged as he looked at us in a panic. ¡°Who am I?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what I¡¯ve feared.¡± Schmidt as he sighed. ¡°He lost all of his memories.¡± ¡°But how?¡± Beth asked. ¡°Normally, when a mortal turns into a lich, they would undergo physical and magical changes in their body. The first stage is the conversion of their mana to dark, the second will be emaciation or wasting away of flesh. On the third stage, they will die and rise again as lich. I think¡­¡± Schmidt shook his head and talked to himself. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. Liches aren¡¯t supposed to lose their memories.¡± ¡°It must be the Dark Lord.¡± He muttered. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt about it.¡± ¡°Why would the Dark Lord remove his memories?¡± Eric asked and clenched his fist. ¡°Desperation, perhaps? It¡¯s probably because he knew we would come for him.¡± Schmidt replied. ¡°If he couldn¡¯t get Miguel to serve him, then no one will ever have him.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Miguel asked. ¡°What¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Everything¡¯s going to okay.¡± Dianne sat on the bed beside him and took out a bottle of sleeping potion. ¡°Drink this.¡± ¡°No.¡± Miguel shoved the bottle away from him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Trust me. It¡¯ll make you feel better. I promise.¡± Miguel nodded as he took a few gulps and coughed. Dianne gently rubbed his back as she helped him lay down. ¡°Just rest. Everything¡¯s going to be alright.¡± After a few moments, Miguel closed his eyes and went into deep sleep. Dianne then turned to Schmidt. ¡°Is there something you can do about this? Please, I beg you¡­¡± Schmidt shook his head as he looked down. ¡°I am sorry. I cannot restore his memories. It¡¯s impossible. Even magic has its limits.¡± Dianne wept as she tried to beg Schmidt, but he shook his head repeatedly and made it clear that there are some things that even magic could not solve. We¡¯ve all felt anger and resentment to the Dark Lord. Even Schmidt was shaking in fury, when he concluded that he couldn¡¯t do anything about Miguel¡¯s condition. Suddenly, there was a loud thunder that boomed outside. Afterwards, a ball of light suddenly appeared in front of us. Unlike Schmidt¡¯s magic, this ball of light was brighter and as bright as the sun itself. ¡°My Lord!¡± Schmidt quickly went down to his knees and knelt before the ball of light. He looked at us and waved his hand down. ¡°Get down. Kneel.¡± With that said, we all knelt before the ball of light. Schmidt instructed us to keep our heads down and only talk when permitted to, otherwise, we would offend Him and we would be punished. I drenched in cold sweat when I learned that the ball of light was God himself. Rather, a manifestation of Him. ¡°Schmidt, you incompetent fool!¡± A deep booming voice echoed throughout the room. Judging from the tone, God seemed to be furious. ¡°I-I apologize my Lord!¡± Schmidt stuttered and fidgeted. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that your mission was to make sure that Miguel would be the same as before? How dare you disobey me?!¡± ¡°Forgive me for my incompetence, m-my Lord.¡± ¡°I had enough of your excuses! You will be severely punished your disobedience!¡± God said. ¡°Please my Lord, mercy¡­¡± Schmidt almost kissed the ground as he knelt. ¡°Mercy!¡± ¡°If any of you have anything to say, you can say it now. Otherwise, I will take back this useless servant of mine and punish him!¡± Dianne stood up in front of Schmidt and knelt. ¡°Please spare him¡­¡± An even louder thunder boomed outside. ¡°You do not understand your place, girl. Step aside.¡± ¡°I beg you for mercy, my Lord. Schmidt did what he can to save Miguel.¡± Dianne said. ¡°As I said, girl. You do not know your own place. I have given him orders and I expected it to be done without delay.¡± ¡°But my Lord, if it wasn¡¯t for him, we won¡¯t be able to save Miguel and we would¡¯ve died.¡± ¡°Dianne stop that. You¡¯ll get us killed.¡± Eric said in a low voice. ¡°Silence!¡± God shouted. ¡°Schmidt. Come here, now!¡± Schmidt stood up as he slowly walked towards the ball of light. All of a sudden, an idea came to my mind. I remembered that I have Miguel¡¯s memories. Well, not all of them, but I had his memories from the time he can remember up to the time that he accidentally transferred it to me. It wouldn¡¯t be complete as Miguel made more memories after that, but at least it was something. ¡°Wait!¡± I stood up, but Beth held my wrist and forced me down to kneel again. ¡°You have another thing to say to this schmuck¡¯s defense?¡± God asked. ¡°My Lord, if you can look at my memories, you can see that I have obtained Miguel¡¯s memories when he cured me of the curse. I think I have an idea how to transfer those memories back to him.¡± I answered. [Fuck it, Claire! Don¡¯t lie to him! Are you really dumb enough to say anything to save Schmidt?] ¨C Melissa [I¡¯m not lying, it¡¯s the truth.] - Claire The ball of light¡¯s brightness became weaker and more calmed. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I have a skill that you granted me on the first day and a few days ago, I learned that I can use [Charm] to show my target anything I wanted them to feel. If I use it to Miguel, perhaps I can bring him back his memories.¡± I explained. ¡°So you inherited his memories, I see¡­ Hmmm¡­ Interesting.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± ¡°You see my point? You see how useless Schmidt is? He can¡¯t even think of a solution and here you are, petty humans succeeding at every turn where my Administrators fail. Come back here, Schmidt, I decided that I will personally attend to your punishment for this humiliating failure of yours.¡± Schmidt¡¯s face turned pale. He knew that he would still be punished. Fortunately for him, I got his back. I appreciated it when he saved us from the Asharra and I would pay it back. ¡°But my Lord, there is one problem¡­¡± I said. God let out a deep sigh. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°I do not have enough mana to keep the spell up and even if I rested, it would take a long time. I would need Schmidt to transfer his mana to me as I use my spell.¡± ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± God let out a laugh. ¡°Ahhh. It looks like these mortals save your ass this time, Schmidt.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord. I am sorry, my Lord.¡± He said. There was a pause for a few moments. ¡°Very well, you may proceed, Claire.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I said. ¡°And Schmidt. I will postpone your punishment until you are done. If you succeed, I will forgive you for your incompetence. But if you don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I will not fail you again, my Lord!¡± Schmidt said. ¡°I promise I will do my best!¡± ¡°You better. I want it to be done as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord. At once!¡± The ball of light faded away after that. We sighed in relief and we felt like we could breathe freely again. Schmidt was crying tears of joy as he shook my hand. His hands felt cold to touch and drenched in sweat. He went from a confident man to a sniveling coward when God appeared before him. ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I said as I tapped his shoulders. ¡°You have a way to transfer your mana, right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I have that skill.¡± Schmidt nodded profusely. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. A good idea indeed.¡± ¡°This is a lot of memory and I don¡¯t even remember most of it. About 20 years of memory. How long do you think it would take?¡± ¡°Do not worry. I will give you a boost in intelligence. It¡¯ll take two days. Tops.¡± He replied. ¡°So how exactly did you get Miguel¡¯s memory?¡± Richard asked. ¡°Is it even possible?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I got it. But when he cured my curse, all of his memories were jammed in my head.¡± I shrugged. ¡°So it wasn¡¯t a lie, huh?¡± Eric said. ¡°Nope. It¡¯s the truth.¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Come on, Schmidt.¡± Miguel was still in a deep sleep even after what happened. I didn¡¯t exactly know how Miguel transferred his memory to me in just a few minutes, but our method will have to do. Schmidt drew a magic circle on the clinic¡¯s floor with a red and blue chalk. I didn¡¯t quite understand rune magic, but from what I read from the magical law book, it was an entirely new subject of magic. We laid down Miguel on the floor as Mark took an IV bag and connected a tube to Miguel. After that, Schmidt and I began the process of transferring his memory back into him. Miguel reacted immediately as I cast [Charm], I felt that there was a barrier in his mind that was preventing me from penetrating it. The barrier was strong and it resisted my illusion, but Schmidt assured me that I could do it as the magic circle will boost my magic and to keep trying. After a few moments, I finally entered his mind. Even though the barrier was pierced it kept repairing itself. So every now and then, not only I play his memories, but I also had to maintain the hole of the barrier. It was a mind-numbing work. Schmidt cast [Mana Transfer] to me as I drained my mana. However, there was one flaw with the method that we used. Since my memory was also limited, I couldn¡¯t remember everything in details. I mean, I could remember the gist of it, but the details such as the time of the day, the color of his shirt on that day, how he usually takes baths and all of his everyday routine. So in order to make the whole process faster, I compressed all of these little memory of him and played it in his mind just once. I showed him the events that changed his life. Like the fire in their house and how it killed his grandfather and his baby brother. Yes, he had a brother and he was just a baby when he was killed by the fire. It was a devastating event for his family and it changed him. That was why he was afraid of getting trapped and suffocated on fire. I also showed him the memories of all the persons he ever met, their interactions with him, how he knew them and how they changed his life. Like when his grandfather shaped him from a wimpy kid into a wimpier kid and how his mother made him strong by motivation and care. I also gave a special attention when I showed him his memories of me. I made myself look good in his memories and manipulated just a little tiny bit of it. Like how he saw me as the most beautiful woman he ever met. You might think that what I did was cheating and a bad move, but it didn¡¯t really matter because as a matter of fact, Miguel really did see me exactly as that. It was very flattering when I saw it and it could be one of the reasons I fell for him. One thing that bothered me for a bit was that he used me in most of his fantasies and by ¡®using¡¯, I meant exactly as you think. Of course, I also included all of the bad memories and I didn¡¯t change it because the Miguel I knew was grumpy, paranoid, hypocrite, liar, sexist, racist, and a huge asshole. Changing those memories won¡¯t make Miguel the same. After that, I transferred all of his knowledge and everything that he learned. It was surprising how I remembered those, but I think it was Schmidt¡¯s magic boost. A day has already passed and I took a moment¡¯s rest while the others went outside to clear out the remaining zombies and to loot supplies. I still wasn¡¯t quite finished yet as I haven¡¯t transferred the events of the apocalypse. I was tired and I wanted to sleep badly, but I resolved to keep myself awake and finished the job. I finished transferring his memories only up to the point when he cured me of the curse. After that, I showed him my memories of the events to fill up his missing memories. Since it was my memories, he can see my perspective on it. That was where I made the memories in third person perspective. Finally, I wrapped it up by showing him that we made love to each other. I didn¡¯t know what happened to him when he was travelling alone and I also didn¡¯t have the memories of the Dark Lord. Maybe there are some memories that are best left forgotten. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± I panted as my eyes grew heavy. ¡°You should take a rest.¡± Schmidt said. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of him.¡± I didn¡¯t know what happened after that. I just blacked out and found myself lying on the bed beside Dianne on the next day. ARC 2: Chapter 36: Aftermath Chapter 36: Aftermath My stomach was aching badly. I was starving and I felt like I could eat a whole sack of rice. When I woke up, my vision was blurry at first. I saw a woman sleeping with her head on the side of my bed. I looked around and I was in a hospital or something. I tried to move around and I found that my body was heavy. ¡°Miguel? Do you remember me?¡± The woman put her face closer to mine. It took me a while to recover my eyesight, but it was my sister, Dianne. Well, half-sister. ¡°Guys! Miguel is awake!¡± ¡°Dianne?¡± When I muttered her name, her teary eyes widened and her lips turned into a frown. She cried on my chest and hugged me tightly. So tight that I felt like she was crushing me. I didn¡¯t know how Dianne got her STR, but I was taken aback by her strong arm. As soon as Dianne shouted, the others came rushing towards me. There was also a man in a black suit and tie. He stood by the end of the bed and watched us. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked. ¡°Miguel remembered me!¡± Dianne declared as she ignored me. ¡°Miguel!¡± Eric also gave me a tight hug. ¡°Holy shit! I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay! Do you remember me?¡± ¡°Well, duh?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Okay, if you really remember me, what¡¯s my name?¡± Eric asked excitedly as if it was even a hard question. ¡°How about me? Do you remember me, man?¡± Richard pointed at himself. ¡°And me?¡± Why were they asking the same thing? What the hell happened? They all looked at me with puppy eyes and it was annoying. I decided to mess with them a little. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I pretended to think about it and blurted out a random name. ¡°Justin? No. no. I think it¡¯s Bobby. Shit. I can¡¯t remember.¡± Suddenly, all of them stopped with their joyful attitude. The atmosphere around me suddenly became gloomy. ¡°You remember us, right?¡± Dianne frowned. ¡°Of course.¡± I rolled my eyes as I sighed. I pointed them one by one and told them their names. ¡°Dianne, Melissa, Mark, Beth, Richard and Eric.¡± As soon as these clowns heard it, they cheered loudly and all of them gave me a tight hug. I was still puzzled why they were doing it and the last thing I remembered was that I had sex with Claire. I remembered that I forcefully kissed her and everything went black after that. Is it why I was in a hospital? Did Claire beat the shit out of me after we had sex? ¡°Guys¡­ You¡¯re¡­ Crushing¡­ Me¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t breathe well and these idiots were crying like babies as they gave me a group bear hug. Finally, they let go of me. ¡°What happened? Where am I?¡± I asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Claire?¡± ¡°Claire¡¯s okay. She¡¯s just taking a rest.¡± Dianne answered. ¡°We¡¯re in Taytay.¡± ¡°Taytay, Rizal!?¡± I blurted out. ¡°Why are we here? Aren¡¯t we in Camp Aguinaldo? Wait, did we actually leave Camp Aguinaldo?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Eric gave me a puzzled look. ¡°I think it¡¯s because Claire didn¡¯t know what happened to him after he left.¡± Richard said. He turned his head to me. ¡°What¡¯s the last thing you remember?¡± ¡°W-well, I remembered that... Ermmm... I was with Claire. That¡¯s all.¡± I answered. ¡°And before that?¡± ¡°I was in a hospital. Doing something... I can¡¯t remember that part actually. I can¡¯t remember what I was doing there. But before that, I was angry at my dad because he wouldn¡¯t help me. And I learned that Dianne is my sister.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all I remember.¡± I nodded. ¡°So what happened?¡± The rest of them stared at me and frowned. They looked at me with pity in their eyes. Why the hell were they staring at me? When I tried to scratch my head, I noticed that my left hand was missing and there was only a stump on it instead of a hand. Not only that, but I also noticed that my arms were very thin. ¡°What the fuck!¡± I removed the bedsheet covering my entire body. ¡°Fuck!¡± My whole body was as thin as a skeleton. I was literally skin and bones that I could see my ribcage showing. Actually, I could see all of my bones. I gasped for air as I noticed that my vision was darker on the left side. I touched my left eye and felt a stinging pain. ¡°Give me a mirror!¡± I yelled. Dianne took out her bag and gave me a mirror as she looked down. At first, I hesitated looking at the mirror because I was afraid of what I will see. I gathered all the fibers of courage in me and put the mirror in the front of my face. I was shocked to say the least. I was blind in my left eye and only an empty socket remained. My face was disfigured with a scaly scar covering the left side of my face. It was only the upper left side at least and not the entire half. My face was still covered with a thick beard, so nothing changed there. I opened my Character Screen to check my status.
Name: Miguel Arevalo
Race: Human Level: 37
HP: 144/144 MP: 1752/1752
SP: 60/60 EXP: 0.04%
STR: 4 WIS: 80
AGI: 6 INT: 100
VIT: 10 LUK: 13
DEX: 3 CHA: 21
Satiety: Starving
Status Flesh Waste: -80% STR, AGI, VIT, DEX
Undistributed Attribute Points: 10
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity II: Increase in Mana Control and +20% MP
I was surprised that my level was much higher than I remembered. I closed my eyes and controlled my breathing as I used [Meditate]. I tried hard to remember what happened, but nothing ever came to my mind. I calmed down as I opened my eyes once again. ¡°What happened?¡± All of them seemed to be hesitating. Finally, Dianne stepped forward and talked. ¡°We don¡¯t know exactly what happened, but what we know is that you left Camp Aguinaldo ten days ago.¡± ¡°Ten days?¡± I asked. ¡°I was out for that long?¡± ¡°W-well, no¡­ You were out for two days.¡± ¡°But why can¡¯t I remember anything?¡± The man in black suit stepped forward and talked. ¡°You were under the influence of the Dark Lord¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know who he was, but I assumed that he was an intelligence officer in Camp Aguinaldo because of his suit. Well, normally, intelligence officers wore fatigue or their military dress uniforms, but he was a white guy, so I assumed he was a foreign spy like CIA or something. ¡°Okay...¡± I furrowed my eyebrows as I heard the word ¡®Dark Lord¡¯. ¡°Dark Lord as in Voldemort?¡± ¡°No, not Voldemort.¡° The man continued. ¡°This Dark Lord is the god of falsehoods and lies. You have gained his attention when you cured Claire of the Necrotic Curse and has plagued you ever since.¡± I didn¡¯t know what this ¡®necrotic curse¡¯ he was talking about, but I assumed it was the dark mana infection that you could get from the zombie bite. ¡°Who are you, by the way?The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m Schmidt. Admin Schmidt.¡± The man said as he extended his hands for a handshake.
Special NPC: Admin Schmidt Race: Administrator Level: ??? Title(s): Punisher Faction: SYSTEM Admin Team Party: Ban Hammer
I used my [Observe] on him and I was shocked to find that he was actually the GM of this real-life RPG. I smiled at him nervously as I shook his hand. ¡°Are you God?¡± ¡°No.¡± Schmidt shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just one of the SYSTEM Administrators.¡± I sighed in relief. ¡°I heard a gibberish whisper when I cured Claire. Was that the Dark Lord?¡± ¡°That was the Dark Lord¡¯s mana signature. What you heard was the voice of countless of damned souls. The Dark Lord is something else. No one knows his real name or what he looks like. Not even God.¡± ¡°But why can¡¯t I remember anything then?¡± Schmidt sat on the bed as he explained everything to me. ¡°God has been trying to contact you for days since you met the Dark Lord, but he somehow found a way to interrupt with your connection to God. One of his minions led you into an undead dungeon and she performed a ritual on you to convert you into a lich. To become his servant. Your flesh wasted away as a result of the ritual and your memory loss was an unexpected complication. The Dark Lord erased all of your memory for unknown reason, but Claire found a way to restore some of your memories.¡± That explains it then. When I woke up, I had a strange feeling that my memories were fresh like I experienced them again all at once. ¡°So is this why I¡¯m skin and bones? I¡¯m an undead?¡± ¡°Fortunately, your friends found you in time before the ritual could be completed. They tried to save you, but they were no match for the Dark Lord¡¯s servant and that¡¯s when I came. God has instructed me to save you and to remove your curse. I was successful, but your connection to God was permanently severed, so you won¡¯t be able to talk to Him using the SYSTEM.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like God. Why would he want to help me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but God said that when you completely recovered, you and Him will be in touch.¡± Schmidt said as he stood up. ¡°You are keeping a journal, right? I suggest that you read it and perhaps you will learn something. I have to leave now and I must report to God about your condition.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I nodded. ¡°Thank you and good luck.¡± Schmidt shook my hand and said his goodbyes to everybody. He was especially attached to Dianne as he rubbed her head before he faded into pixels of light and disappeared. I felt an itch on my bottom and that¡¯s when I realized that¡­ ¡°Wait. Am I wearing a diaper?¡± I asked. ¡°So what do you want to eat?¡± Melissa asked me as she ignored the question. From her facial expressions, I can tell that she was the one who put it on me. ¡°I want ramen with pork belly!¡± Eric answered. Melissa ignored Eric and smiled to me. ¡°You want noodles?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miguel. Schmidt assured us that it¡¯s safe for you to eat solid food.¡± Mark smiled as he patted my back. I stared at him from up and down. He was acting chummy with me just because he joined the others to save me. I remembered that Claire was smiling when she told me about Mark and when I saw him the first time, I knew that he could snatch her from me in an instant. Actually, I was bitter that he was handsome and he was a threat to me and Claire. I made a mental note to myself to watch him closely. I gave him a slight smile and a nod. ¡°Okay, then. I want that ramen. Hurry up, I¡¯m starv¡­¡± Before I could finish my sentence, Melissa already had a bowl of steaming hot noodles and soup on her hands. She gave Beth a signal and in turn, placed a bed tray on my lap. I was surprised at them when they acted like my servants and I was like their king. I didn¡¯t mind this special treatment and it actually made me feel good. Melissa even poured me a glass of cold orange juice. Whatever happened after I lost my memory seemed to make them more obedient. ¡°Thanks.¡± They stared at me as I tried to up the spoon, but my hand was shaking and I couldn¡¯t even take a sip of the fragrant soup without spilling it. I tried it again by gripping it tight, but it slipped on my shaky fingers and dropped it. Before I could try again, Dianne snatched away the bowl of noodles. She took the spoon and gently blew on the soup. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± Dianne opened her mouth as she aimed the spoon in my mouth. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I never would¡¯ve thought that Dianne was this adorable when she tried to feed me. Other people would find it awkward to be fed as an adult, but me, I love it, no matter who feeds me. However, I was puzzled at why I forgave her that fast when in fact, she kept the truth from me that I was her brother. I had lots of questions on my mind, but I was starving, so I took her offer and let her feed me. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Wow. That¡¯s delicious.¡± I said. ¡°Care to tell me what happened after I left Camp Aguinaldo?¡± And thus, they began to tell me the story of what happened to their group after I left. I couldn¡¯t remember how exactly I left, but I already had plans to leave when my father refused to lend me his men helping me find my family in Pasig. ¡°As soon as you leave, we went to Dad and asked him for help to find you.¡± Dianne said. ¡°But he refused. He didn¡¯t let us leave that day and he even ordered his men to make sure that we won¡¯t leave. I was angry with you, you know. We all said that we¡¯re with you and you just left us without a word.¡± I knew that my father was a scumbag and I wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that he refused to send his men to find me, but it really sounded like him. ¡°Sorry.¡± I said. ¡°Well, I forgive you.¡± Dianne smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know about Claire though. She said she¡¯ll punch you the next time she sees you. Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll hurt you, especially in your condition.¡± I scratched my head. I didn¡¯t know what to say to Claire when she wakes up and I knew that she could easily lose her temper. ¡°So what happened next?¡± ¡°Then there was a mutiny.¡± ¡°A mutiny? Again?¡± ¡°At least not in our party, but you know the Magdalo group, right? Well, there was a battle inside the base when they tried to take over and that¡¯s when we decided to use that opportunity to leave. Melissa was held at knife point and we were captured. They put the four of us in jail along with Richard, Beth, Gerry and Mark.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°They won and they killed a lot of people including civilians. Colonel Medina was one of the leaders of the rebel group, but he let us free.¡± Dianne continued. ¡°Colonel Medina? The HR guy?¡± They nodded. I only remembered that the colonel called us for a meeting and gave us jobs. He called me last, but I couldn¡¯t remember our conversation. All I remembered was that I was in a hospital doing something and it was already midnight when Claire visited me while I was on the job and she kissed me. That was all my memories of Colonel Medina. ¡°Why did the colonel let you leave then?¡± ¡°He said that it¡¯s to repay you for saving his wife and daughter from the outbreak.¡± Melissa replied. ¡°But he took all of our money and most of our food and supplies in exchange for freedom. He said we won¡¯t need it anyway. At least he gave us our weapons back.¡± ¡°How about Dad? Is he dead?¡± Dianne shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the Colonel said that the other colonels were still looking for Dad and they might put a bounty on him. He advised us not to go near Camp Aguinaldo because we might be wanted there.¡± ¡°So where¡¯s Gerry and Mang Kaloy?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Eric replied and shook his head. ¡°Only eight of us were able to get out.¡± ¡°What happened then?¡± ¡°We tracked you down, of course.¡± Melissa said. ¡°You were easy to track, you know. You left thousands of ashes along your way.¡± Richard suddenly jumped into the conversation. ¡°Yeah, and you managed to kill thousands of plague rats. How did you do it? Can you teach me?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Richard looked down in disappointment. ¡°But will you still teach me some of your tricks?¡± ¡°Uhmmm¡­ Sure, why not?¡± Richard clenched his fist and he looked like he was very excited to learn. ¡°So in any case, we tracked you down and we actually had to fight a few monsters on the way. Melissa even got a pet dire wolf! You know, dire wolves?¡± ¡°No?¡± I shook my head. ¡°They¡¯re as big as horses and you can even ride them if you want to.¡± Richard continued. ¡°But Piper died two days ago¡­ She died fighting Asharra.¡± ¡°Asharra?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a homunculus.¡± Richard answered. ¡°She was one of the Dark Lord¡¯s servants and she was the one who kidnapped you and tried to convert you into a lich. We tried to fight her to save you, but she¡¯s way out of our league and kicked our asses. That¡¯s when Schmidt came and saved us all. He¡¯s awesome and he fought Asharra without even breaking a sweat. He¡¯s the one who removed your curse and he helped Claire to restore your memories.¡± ¡°By the way, you said there¡¯s eight of you.¡± I pointed my finger and counted them one by one. ¡°Dianne, Melissa, Eric, Richard, Beth, Mark and Claire¡¯s sleeping. So who¡¯s the other one?¡± ¡°¡­¡± All of them looked down and they were speechless. They all looked sad, especially Beth. Her eyes were red and she lifted up her head trying to hold her tears. Mark rubbed her back as he tried to comfort her. ¡°It was Gerry.¡± Beth said as she wiped her eyes. With their expressions, it was obvious that Gerry had died along the way. ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°After we found Piper, we encountered a boss monster, a giant slime. It chased us and Richard saved us and dug a hole underground. And that¡¯s when we stumbled into a slime dungeon.¡± Beth¡¯s voice cracked and the tears she was trying to hold back finally flowed freely from her eyes. ¡°We were stuck there for days. W-we were almost out when it happened. Gerry fell behind and¡­ Gerry was¡­¡± Beth sobbed on Mark¡¯s chest. The rest of them were crying too, including Eric and Richard. I didn¡¯t want to ask further because whatever happened to Gerry, it was already done and it hit them hard. I remembered the time when I first met Gerry. He made quite a first impression to me. I thought he was just another twat with a mouth who would question all my decisions as a leader, but in the end, he proved me wrong. Not only he helped me save Claire, he was also fierce in defending me when their survivor group mutinied. Gerry was also the one who always agreed with my decisions and he cheered for me when Claire and I had a bloody sparring when everybody else were cheering for Claire. I didn¡¯t know what made him loyal to me and I wished that I could turn back time to appreciate him more. I could use a loyal friend like him and I would always miss his singing. ¡°Look.¡± Dianne wiped her eyes. ¡°You- You need more rest. We¡¯ll tell you more some other time. Okay?¡± I¡¯ve finished my meal and Melissa took away the bowl. It was surprising that I couldn¡¯t eat much like before. I think I only ate a fourth of it before I was full. They all stood up and left me alone to rest. I was blaming myself for Gerry¡¯s death. If it wasn¡¯t for me, he¡¯ll probably be alive. I asked myself, why did I leave Camp Aguinaldo alone? And what was I thinking for not even asking them for help? If I only told them about this Dark Lord, then they might be able to help me. But then, I remembered Schmidt¡¯s advice about reading my journal. You see, ever since we were at the university, I began to write everything that happened to my day to day life. All the events, thoughts, everything I learned, all the monsters we¡¯ve fought and all the conversations I had to the letter. I opened my inventory screen and scanned my items.
  1. Travelling Bag ¡®Clothes¡¯
  2. Travelling Bag ¡®Others¡¯
  3. Small Mana Stone X 1,864
  4. Beastiary of Earthland by Finn Mertens
  5. Miguel¡¯s Journal
  6. Folding Chair
  7. Pillow
  8. Comforter
  9. Box of canned foods
  10. Well-done Chimera steak X 3
  11. Pack of Cigarette ¡®Phillip Morgan¡¯ X 4
  12. Medium Mana Stone X 371
  13. Smoking Pipe
  14. Cannabis X 21
  15. Bag of Weed X 6
  16. Coins: 22 GC 51 SC 36 CC
To say the least, my inventory was full and I had boat loads of mana stones and money. Last time I remembered, I only had like 30 small mana stones and at least 1 gold coin in total. Not only that, I had tons of marijuana and a smoking pipe in my inventory. Had I just smoke weed before I lost my memories? Shit. If my mom knew it, she¡¯d kill me. I took my diary and spent the whole day and night reading it. While I was reading my diary, Dianne brought me lunch and dinner and yes, she spoon-fed me like a baby. She kept asking me what I learned, but I told her that I wasn¡¯t finished reading it. She and the others left me alone while I learned that Claire was still sleeping. I skimmed the part that I remembered clearly. I giggled as I read reminisce some of the events like when we fought a troll and when we argued about the distribution of loot. As I flipped pages after pages of my journal, I hit a wall where my memories didn¡¯t match with what I wrote. I learned that I was given a quest by Col. Medina to help the hospital to find a cure for the outbreak. It seemed that I found a way and cured everyone and according to Dianne, I also cured his wife and daughter. I also learned that the reason why I forgave Dianne so easily was because I realized that it really wasn¡¯t her fault. She was afraid that I might hate her because she was blaming herself for causing my family problems. My mom kept it a secret from me to spite my dad. Also, I was too angry at my dad because he refused help me to find my Mom and my sister Jen. The reason why I left was because I wanted to save my family or at least confirm that they were already dead. I learned more about the Dark Lord. Apparently, after I cured Claire of this ¡®Necrotic Curse¡¯ that Admin Schmidt was talking about, I had a dream where I was in an endless void and met the Dark Lord himself. I didn¡¯t know what this endless void or the Dark Lord looked like, but judging from what I wrote, it sounded terrifying. I badmouthed the Devil himself, but I didn¡¯t think that was the reason why he hunted me. I had nightmares after that. The first nightmare that I had was that after the mutiny and after I killed Robert, I told the group to decide whether to stay with me or leave. Everyone abandoned me and the whispers became clearer and suggested me to do evil things. One dream that bothered me was that, after a series of nightmares, I had, from what I wrote, the best dream ever¡¯. In that dream, the apocalypse never happened and I got married to Claire. We had three children, Michael and the twins, Daniel and Danielle. I was living in my ideal life, a life of a family man and little by little, I could no longer distinguish reality and dreams anymore. I even wished that I continue to live in that illusion. I considered the real life as a nightmare and the illusion as my real life. The dark whispers didn¡¯t stop and apparently, I became somewhat insane. After every dream, I woke up with a burnt mark on the bedsheet as I accidentally cast my magic while sleeping. I also woke up with the Dark Lord¡¯s mark on my left arm. I looked at my arm and I sighed in relief when I saw that it was already gone and probably, Schmidt has completely removed the curse. I continued to read my journal and I learned that I lost my hand because I was attacked by a pack of dire wolves and lost my eye because of a slime acid spit that melted my eyeballs. I learned that I tried to restore my limb through a magic that I got from [Quick Learner], but I was unsuccessful because it was too painful and I was afraid that I might turn into an abomination. I also met Daria Swann, a celebrity singer and a cat girl, Asharra. At first, I suspected Daria Swann as the Dark Lord in disguise or one of his servants, but then, it was Asharra all along. Even though almost all I wrote were bad things, there were still some good things that I learned. I learned that my mother and my sister were probably alive and they went east. I¡¯ve been following red smiley faces that they¡¯ve left as a trail. The last clue was near Home Depot where I was kidnapped. As I reached near the last page, I noticed that it was already night and I felt quite exhausted from reading it. Although I remember what the dark whisper sounded like, I felt like I didn¡¯t experience it like the Miguel in the journal. I didn¡¯t hear any whispers that night. Only a peaceful silence and the chirping of crickets. If I didn¡¯t lose my memories, then I would say that I missed the sound of the crickets. As clear my mind and listened to the sounds, I dropped my journal from my hand. The pages flipped to the page I left unread. I instantly recognized my handwriting and it seemed that I wrote it in a hurry. I read the large letters on the page. ¡°Remember who your true enemy is.¡± I closed the journal as I heard footsteps from the distance. I reminded myself that everything I wrote back then was just a nightmare. ARC 2: Chapter 37: Boston Tea Party Again! Chapter 37: Boston Tea Party Again! ¡°Hey¡­¡± I closed my journal when I heard a voice. I saw Claire standing at the foot of the bed. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Good.¡± I said as I gave her a smile. ¡°Do you remember me?¡± She asked. ¡°No.¡± Claire gave me a puzzled look. ¡°Just kidding.¡± I laughed, but when I looked at her, she glared at me with her silvery glowing eyes and I stopped laughing. I was unaware about what happened to her, but she must be that serious. ¡°Of course, I remember you, Claire. Everybody¡¯s been asking that, so I thought that it¡¯d be funny to mess with you for a bit...¡± There was a pause between us. ¡°¡­Anyway, how about you?¡± I said as I broke the silence. ¡°Better.¡± Claire smiled as she took the seat beside the bed. She still looked the same as I remembered her, but I felt that she changed a lot. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we talked to each other, huh?¡± I gulped as cold sweat dripped on my back. I wasn¡¯t really afraid of her, but with my condition, I don¡¯t think I can survive a punch. ¡°Y-yeah¡­ It¡¯s been a while.¡± Claire was staring at me. She could be angry, or perhaps she was happy to see me, but I couldn¡¯t read her facial expression very well. Her stare made me uncomfortable as my heart raced. Even though I was no longer a virgin, the years of ¡®no girlfriend since birth¡¯ was still strong in me and I still wasn¡¯t used to being stared at by a pretty woman. Besides, my memory of having sex was strange. Whenever I think about it, it¡¯s like seeing another you. I still can¡¯t believe I actually had the guts to do it. Even more so, Claire consented. ¡°So what¡¯s that?¡± Claire pointed at the notebook I was hiding behind my back. ¡°It¡¯s my journal.¡± I pulled it out and showed it to her. ¡°Schmidt told me to read it, so I could fill up some of my missing memories.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She nodded. ¡°What did you learn?¡± ¡°About the Dark Lord?¡± ¡°Uhm-hmm.¡± ¡°Apparently, after I removed your curse, I met the Dark Lord in my dreams.¡± ¡°What did he look like?¡± ¡°According to my journal, he had seven horns and a spiked tail. He looked like Diablo. You know, the video game?¡± Claire shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t play video games.¡± ¡°Well, he looked like a typical devil. Red eyes, sharp teeth and claws.¡± I continued. ¡°Anyway, he gave me nightmares. Terrible nightmares. And I even heard whispers in the shadow. Like evil whispers.¡± ¡°What kind of nightmares?¡± ¡°Do you remember the night when the others mutinied?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°I had a dream that night after I told everyone to decide whether to stay with me or not and they can leave the next day. Everyone left including you.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s when I started to hear whispers. I heard them every day since that first nightmare. It was driving me mad and every time I wake up, there were burnt marks on my bed. The second was worse, the apocalypse never happened, but the two of us got into an accident. I survived and you died. I even had dreams where I killed everyone around me.¡± ¡°Is that the reason you left us?¡± Claire asked. ¡°Is that why you left me?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°I left because I was afraid that I would hurt you or worse.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell us?¡± She asked again as her voice rose up. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± ¡°You know that I do. I trust all of you. Besides, I don¡¯t even remember anything about it. I just read it from my journal.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Claire said as she glared at me. ¡°But still that doesn¡¯t explain why you kept it a secret.¡± She was stubborn and I think that no excuse would satisfy her. I understood her because I left her after we did the act and didn¡¯t even say a word to her. I think she was angry because it happened to her before with her ex. But I felt that my action was justified because I was afraid for her life. I sighed. ¡°I mean, would you even believe me if I just told you that I heard voices in my head? And that I saw the Devil in my dreams?¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡± I gave a dismissive wave of my hand. ¡°You just believed me, because God told you he existed. If I knew better, you¡¯d probably laugh at me and think I¡¯m crazy.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? Do I look like I¡¯m laughing?¡± Claire folded her arms. ¡°I would¡¯ve believed you. I even entrusted you with myself, didn¡¯t I? You said you trust me, but you didn¡¯t trust me enough to tell me what¡¯s bothering you?¡± ¡°I told you. I was afraid! I was afraid that I¡¯d kill you. I was afraid that the Dark Lord will go after you¡­¡± ¡°And he will go after us, regardless!¡± Claire yelled as she stood up from her seat. ¡°Are you blaming me? That¡¯s not fair! I never wanted any of this to happen! Fuck! I don¡¯t even remember a thing¡­¡± There was even a longer pause. We seemed to run out of things to say to each other, but Claire clenched her fist into a ball and she was shaking in anger. ¡°Look, I¡­¡± -13 HP! Before I finish, Claire launched her fist into the air and her fist landed squarely onto my face. I wish I could tell you how it hurts when you¡¯re in my condition, but it seemed that Claire didn¡¯t care about it and lashed out her anger with me. I took the blow and I thought I broke my nose. +13 HP! I used [Heal] on myself as she got on top of me and curled her fist again. I sat up as I tried to retaliate with a punch. -0 HP! When my fist landed on her face, my hand bounced off like I hit a wall. I was too weak at that time and my punch couldn¡¯t do much damage to her. Claire became enraged as she held both of my arms and locked them with her thighs. I tried my best to struggle and wriggled my way out, but she got me cornered and my back was leaning on the head of the bed. When I thought she was going to punch me again, I closed my eyes and prepared myself to get hit. Instead of pain, I felt a warm touch on my lips. It was gentle and soft. Claire held my face and still not willing to letting me go as our lips were locked into what it seemed an eternal kiss. As we opened our eyes, she stared at me with tears in her eyes. She hugged me tightly, but gently. She sniveled in my chest and let out all of her frustrations. ¡°I was worried¡­ I¡¯m just worried about you.¡± Claire sniffled. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me again like that.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said as I wiped the tears from her cheeks. After that, Claire and I just continued to talk about the things we¡¯ve missed. I told her about the side of my journey and how I lost my hand and my eye. On the other hand, she told me her side of the story about their misadventures in the slime dungeon and how they got their ass kicked by Asharra. I asked her about how she restored my memories and revealed to me that I accidentally transferred her my memories when I removed her curse and restored it back to me through her skill [Charm]. ¡°You were angry at me because I kept secrets, but you didn¡¯t tell me that you actually had my memories all along?¡± I asked as I folded my arms. ¡°What am I supposed to tell you? ¡®Hey Miguel, I got your memories and I know that you lusted after your half-sister and you jerked off at pictures of my legs¡¯ Is that you what you want to hear?¡± Claire smirked and her voice had a tone of sarcasm. I stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°W-what else did you know?¡± ¡°Besides your creep attitude? Well, basically everything.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± I shook my head in denial. ¡°20 years of memories? That¡¯s a lot of information.¡± ¡°I know, but I can¡¯t really remember every detail. I had help from Schmidt and I think it was because of the boost he gave me. You even had a barrier in your mind, which made the whole thing harder. That¡¯s how I restored most of your memories.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Then what¡¯s that punch for?!¡± ¡°You deserve that one for leaving me.¡± Claire snorted. ¡°You don¡¯t think you should apologize?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I thought we were over that? Why are suddenly angry with me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Claire sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for punching you in the face¡­ even though you totally deserve it.¡± This fucking bitch. She really gets into my nerves sometimes. Actually, most of the times. Sometimes, I was wondering how I fell for this stuck up bitch. I was fuming with anger and gritting my teeth. Claire held my arms and kissed me again, but this time more aggressively, which instantly quelled the anger inside me.
What else can I say what happened that night? Well, I know this is embarrassing, but I felt that I should still write it down. Last night, Claire got on top of me and she clearly expressed her love starvation, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, there was no sugar coating my condition. Whenever I thought about it, I appreciated my fat self as I missed those jiggling man boobs and ginormous belly. I was thin like a skeleton with little muscle and almost no body fat. What¡¯s worse, I couldn¡¯t get an erection. Claire decided to sleep beside me on the bed and I hated it. I mean, sure, there was a horny chick in my bed, but I wasn¡¯t used to have someone sleeping beside me. That and my dick was flaccid as a dead snake. Call me selfish, but I wanted all the bed for myself. Claire moves a lot when she sleeps and she even hogged the blanket stealing all the warmth. The next morning, I woke up and I found that Claire was still beside me. She was snuggling in my arms with her arm wrapped around my chest. As stroke Claire¡¯s hair, I was bothered by the last words on my journal. Who was I talking about? Who was the true enemy? I dismissed the thought and it was probably because I was losing my mind at that moment and I was referring to the Dark Lord. From my insane ramble in the journal, I probably couldn¡¯t recognize friends from foe. Then I remembered that I got a skill when I escaped from Camp Aguinaldo. I used it to restore my hand and my eye, but I was unsuccessful. I opened my Skill Screen and checked my skills.
Unique Skill(s):
Quick Learner Lvl. 1 Max (100%)
Active Skill(s):
Fire Manipulation Lvl 8 Advanced (21.17%)
Wind Manipulation Lvl 7 Advanced (17.11%)
Earth Manipulation Lvl 2 Advanced (52.44%)
Water Manipulation Lvl 6 Advanced (61.09%)
Living Matter Manipulation Lvl 2 Beginner (3.78%)
Bash Lvl. 8 Beginner (84.01%)
Fool''s Act Lvl. 1 Beginner (0.00%)
Heal Lvl. 6 Intermediate (27.19%)
Meditate Lvl. 5 Intermediate (92.57%)
Observe Lvl. 3 Intermediate (81.92%)
Power Kick Lvl. 1 Beginner (80.00%)
Cure Disease Lvl. 1 Advanced (21.52%)
Mana Transfer Lvl. 9 Beginner (1.74%)
Passive Skill(s):
Auto-Cast Lvl. 2 Advanced (93.22%)
Mind Barrier Lvl 5 Intermediate (66.98%)
Blunt Weapon Mastery Lvl. 10 Beginner (41.92%)
Masochism Lvl. 5 Intermediate (45.45%)
Muffled Steps Lvl 1 Intermediate (38.88%)
Sword Mastery Lvl. 7 Beginner (5.49%)
Holy shit! I didn¡¯t know that my arcane spells were already in an advanced stage. I accounted for every skill and there were two that I couldn¡¯t remember. [Living Matter Manipulation] and [Mind Barrier]. I checked the skills to see more details.
Living Matter Manipulation[Active] Beginner Lvl. 2 Effect: The user can shape and manipulate everything and anything organic, both organisms and organic matter. This spell does not allow a user to bestow life or resurrect a dead organism nor it can create life out of nothing. Requirements: The user must be in touch with the target. MP Cost: ???
Mind Barrier [Passive] Intermediate Lvl. 5 Effect: Enables user to resist mind attacks and other illusions with a mind barrier. Each level adds 20 points of resistance. Each point of INT and WIS will add 10 and 5 points, respectively. Current Resistance Points: 1,700
[Living Matter Manipulation] sounded OP, but it has a limit and I couldn¡¯t just use it to restore my missing limb without turning myself into an abomination and my past self already warned me about that. Even with runes, the spell would take months before I could fully restore my hand, according to Schmidt. It didn¡¯t make any sense since [Heal] could heal wounds in seconds without turning into an abomination. The journal mentioned something about my other idea like making a prosthetic hand and it can also manipulate organic matter like bones. I think I have an idea about how to make a prosthetic hand. On the other hand, [Mind Barrier] was OP in a way, but I don¡¯t remember reading anything about the skill. Claire mentioned something about a barrier in my mind and I remembered something that Schmidt said yesterday about God¡¯s connection to me has been cut off. It could be that this skill was the reason, but God could probably remove this skill if he wanted to, so I don¡¯t think this was the reason. I woke up Claire as the sun has already risen. I also heard rustling noise and murmurs outside the room. ¡°What is it?¡± Claire groaned. ¡°It¡¯s already morning.¡± I said as I shook her up. ¡°Come on, wake up.¡± Claire stood up from the bed and yawned as she stretched her arms. Meanwhile, I crawled and struggled as I tried to get off the bed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Claire asked. ¡°What do you think?¡± Claire offered her arms for assistance, but I gave her a dismissive wave of my hand. Even though I could feel my legs, when I tried to stand up, my legs were like jelly and I fell down to the floor. Claire tried to help me, but I shoved away her hands. The others heard the commotion and they tried to help me, but I refused their help too. ¡°I can walk. I¡¯m not a cripple!¡± I yelled as I struggled to stand up. Claire sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t be so stubborn, Miguel.¡± ¡°Come on, let me help you.¡± Dianne said as she offered her hand. ¡°I said I can do this!¡± ¡°Oh, here we are again. The lone wolf attitude. Why can¡¯t you just depend on us just this once?¡± Claire folded her arms. ¡°I will walk.¡± I panted. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be a cripple.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not completely recovered.¡± Mark explained. ¡°Schmidt assured us that you¡¯ll be able to walk again after you recovered.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mark nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.¡± The others took a wheelchair as Claire lifted me. I felt bad about myself when I saw the wheelchair. It was like a life sentence and that wheelchair would be my prison. At least, Mark assured me that I will walk again and if I do, I promised to myself that I will never be lazy again and just sit around. Eric pushed the wheelchair as they took me to a room beside the clinic. It used to be a school cafeteria and one thing I noticed was how messy it was. There were broken plates and garbage all over the place and dried blood on the walls and the floor. ¡°What happened here?¡± I asked. ¡°This school is just outside the undead dungeon. Everyone here turned into zombies.¡± Beth responded as she put the plates on the table. ¡°How about the dungeon? Aren¡¯t we in danger or something?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Schmidt already took care of it. He also put a barrier in this school.¡± Richard said. ¡°By the way, can you teach me some of your tricks? We¡¯ve been following your tracks for days and you burned almost everything!¡± ¡°Let him recover first.¡± Mark said. ¡°We¡¯ll have lots of time for that later.¡± ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast?¡± Eric smiled as he looked at Melissa. ¡°Corned beef and sardines.¡± Melissa put the food on the table. ¡°And some fried rice, of course.¡± Before we ate our breakfast, Claire gave me a large serving of the food. She filled my whole plate, leaving little food for everyone. ¡°I can¡¯t eat this much.¡± I complained. ¡°I can only eat spoonfuls and that¡¯s it. I couldn¡¯t even finish half a bowl of noodles yesterday.¡± ¡°No. You need to eat this much¡± Claire shook her head as she placed several pills on the table. ¡°You should drink those food supplements too. Schmidt said you¡¯ll need it.¡± ¡°How about them?¡± I pointed at the others. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. Here you can have mine too.¡± Dianne smiled as she pushed her plate to me. ¡°I¡¯m not even hungry.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± Claire added. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Eric gritted his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not fair. Besides, he can¡¯t digest all of that!¡± Mark joined Eric in protest. ¡°How about you, Richard? Got any complaints?¡± Claire stood up as she glared at him. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m jealous of Miguel. I wish girls would do that to me.¡± Richard shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s okay guys. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be fatter in just a day.¡± I pushed my plate towards the brothers. ¡°Here, you can have some of mine.¡± Eric, Richard, Mark and Beth then tried to shove the food into their plates, but Claire stopped them and thus, a loud verbal fight ensued. Fucks, shits, bitches and all the curses you can think of have been fired at each other. You may think that it was only Claire against everyone, but nope, it was all for their own. ¡°If I knew you¡¯d fight. I would¡¯ve cooked more.¡± Melissa sighed. ¡°There are like eight of us! So why didn¡¯t you?¡± Beth asked, pounding her fist on the table. Melissa slapped her forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t know? Maybe I was just trying to ration our food? Duh?¡± ¡°We had lots of food! We just looted two days ago!¡± Eric said. ¡°Well, if you didn¡¯t ruin my frying pans, then I can cook easier!¡± ¡°Nobody gives a shit about your fucking frying pans!¡± Claire yelled. ¡°Fuck you, you big titted idiot!¡± Melissa turned to Claire and gave her a finger. ¡°Ha! I¡¯m sorry if you¡¯re as flat as a highway!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Dianne smiled as she gave me a tap on the back. ¡°They¡¯re always like this. It¡¯ll be over soon.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh as I watched them fight like children over a plate of food. After a few minutes, they stopped and they finally agreed to divide the food on my plate evenly, leaving only a small amount that I could eat. They acted like nothing happened as we ate our breakfast. They even joked around and chatted casually. I still can¡¯t believe to this day that these bunch of morons were the ones I called friends. After the breakfast, Claire stood up while everyone stopped talking as they listened to her. ¡°Ehem¡­¡± Claire cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°I just want to say that I know that most of you still feel sad about Gerry¡¯s death as I am. But it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sure wherever he is right now, he¡¯ll be smiling on us if he can see us¡­ Or facepalming, if he can see our petty fights.¡± We all let out a chuckle as Beth sniffled and wiped her eyes. Mark rubbed her back as she waved her hands motioning that she¡¯s okay. ¡°We learned our lesson and we learned it the hard way. I feel that I¡¯m somewhat responsible for his death. I blame myself for it actually. I want to say I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t much of a good leader for you. I really tried my best.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Claire. You shouldn¡¯t blame yourself. No one wanted for that to happen and you did a good job.¡± Melissa gave her a slight smile. ¡°But you should do something about your bitchy attitude!¡± Claire rolled her eyes as we laughed. ¡°Anyway, Gerry¡¯s death wasn¡¯t in vain and Piper¡¯s too. If it wasn¡¯t for their sacrifice, we won¡¯t even see Miguel alive. You¡¯ve all worked hard and most of you don¡¯t even have to come with us to rescue Miguel, but you still did. Thank you guys.¡± The others clapped as Claire gave her speech. ¡°Now that Miguel is here¡­ Invite Party: Miguel Arevalo¡±
You are invited to join Boston Tea Party.
Everybody turned their heads toward me as they waited for my answer. ¡°Accept Invite¡­¡±
You have joined Boston Tea Party.
¡°I hereby nominate Miguel Arevalo as leader of Boston Tea Party¡­¡± Claire lifted up her chin. ¡°Those who agree, say Aye. Otherwise, say Nay.¡± ¡°Aye!¡± The rest of them cast their vote one by one as they extended their hands. They wanted to do the fight team fight clich¨¦ again as they elected me as leader of Boston Tea Party. I admit, Claire was a better speaker than I ever was and perhaps a better leader. I didn¡¯t know if I could do a better job than her, but seeing their trust in me, I¡¯d say screw it. I will lead them and I will strive to be a better leader. Not just a leader, but as a better person. I will kill anyone who harms any of them. Claire was the last one to vote. ¡°Aye¡­¡±
You are elected as Party Leader of Boston Tea Party.
Finally, I placed my hand on the top of their hands. ¡°Go Boston Tea Party!¡± ¡°Boston Tea Party!¡± We cheered. ¡°Now that¡¯s settled...¡± Claire continued as she raised her fist. ¡°Let¡¯s distribute the loot!¡± All of them cheered even louder. Fuck me. You Got A Message! Answers¡­ Answers¡­ Hi Guys! Wow, lots of things happened this holiday. I hope all of you had or will have (in the west, particularly in the -8:00 time zone) a good holiday! Whew! Alright, I¡¯m gonna answer some of your questions to the best of my abilities:
catalinnr Wrote: how does [Smite] work? it''s like a skill that can only be used if demi-monsters or undead are in range? Btw,i can''t believe i say this but you made Miguel boring and it''s almost as he''s a side character in the story now, that we randomly get his POV when the main character Claire is out of the action scenes . Way to break his character with the nightmare''s drama bs and fake family memories.It just makes me root for Claire to find the beastman kid in the future after Miguel dies. What''s worst is that the story it''s set in stone due to this binge realease...
[Smite] and Mark¡¯s other spells/skills, such as [Sinestra''s Blessing], will be explained in the future (probably the next chapter). It¡¯s not an alteration buff like [Berserker¡¯s Howl] or a regeneration like [Heal] and it¡¯s also not arcane like [Fire Manipulation]. This will be another school of magic, which I¡¯m thrilled to introduce, but I¡¯m trying to hold myself to give spoilers. And yes, it only affects demi-monsters and undead. For a very good reason. About Miguel being a side character, let me quote what I said in Chapter 13 Author¡¯s note:
Quote: Q: Why did you let Claire live? A: Claire will play a more important role in the series. Actually, she will be the Female MC in the next ARC. You''ll see...
So that¡¯s it. But don¡¯t worry, Miguel won¡¯t be ¡°boring¡± for long.
catalannr Wrote: no suspense whatsoever,it''s like everything is treated as a walk in the park the fact that you actually wrote the bs about Observe not being used to see before aproaching him is even more stupid
In Chapter 10, Miguel came into conclusion that some of the information provided by the skill [Observe] was subjective. Before he learned Sir Gerry¡¯s name, the blue screen appeared as ¡°Professor Asshole¡± then after he introduced himself, his name became ¡°Professor Gerry¡±. Likewise, if you don¡¯t recognize the person in appearance, the information would be different. That¡¯s why they came up with the first conclusion that it wasn¡¯t Miguel. Dianne took a peek and she said that it was another person. She didn''t recognize Miguel either.
This one¡¯s got pretty interesting questions:
jacobpaige Wrote: "I don¡¯t really like to directly intervene with mortal affairs as much as possible" how can she not call bullshit on this obvious lie? Also, lots of small typos. You should re-read this when you have the time and fix them.
jacobpaige Wrote: ¡­Actually, its not even just this chapter. God, the Supreme Being, That Which Stands Above All, would have no trouble finding or communicating with Miguel. Killing the Dark Lord for touching his toy would be roughly equivalent to snapping his fingers, restoring Miguel 100% would be on par with waving his hand and, unless he was just screwing with everyone for the fun of it, there would never have been a need for a Holy Quest. I think you''ve lost touch with the God you created in the first few chapters, because this isn''t him.
In Chapter 6, when Claire prayed to God, she became afraid of Him. I mean, would you question God¡¯s logic when you¡¯re almost pissing your pants? Of course, not. Here¡¯s that part in Chapter 6.
Quote: Claire, Dianne and Melissa were quiet. It looked like they weren¡¯t convinced. Claire, in particular, was obviously praying to God. After a few seconds of silence, there was a loud thunder that boomed outside. It was so loud that all of us flinched at the sound. ¡­I turned my head to Claire. Her face was pale and she was shaking in fear. ¡°He wanted me to tell you that He¡¯s not a genie and He will smite you for real if you do that again.¡± She gulped. She didn¡¯t say anything and just nodded. I stared at the rest of them and they looked more afraid than Claire.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. When God said that He didn¡¯t like to intervene, there is actually a good reason for it, which will be explained in the last chapter of ARC 2. (along with God¡¯s intention) You can also conclude that God is also a hypocritical god. He¡¯s not perfect and obviously, He¡¯s not omnipotent. He even placed the SYSTEM on Earth because He was bored and He wanted to play a game and no all-powerful being would be bored. Even if God is omnipotent, I still think He still won¡¯t do anything on His own. Why? Pride and Arrogance. Just like a CEO, a president, a king or even God in the bible, God will let his subordinates do all the work for Him. Being powerful means doing things on your own could signify weakness. You have subordinates who can do the same job, but if you do it on your own, what would that mean? It means that you are not powerful enough to control. That¡¯s one of the source of God¡¯s pride and arrogance. It¡¯s hard to explain, but that¡¯s the way how men in power work. In Chapter 35, God was angry at Schmidt because of his frustration. For these powerful beings, having powerful and effective subordinates reflect your reputation, command respect and inspire fear. He even mentioned that all of his Administrators are useless.
jacobpaige Wrote: I thought Claire''s abilities revolved around CHA? Why isn''t she putting anything into it? Or was that already explained and I''ve just forgotten? Why isn''t Miguel already a Lich? He''s had at least 2 days to be turned into one.
Yes. Claire¡¯s ability revolved around CHA, but in Chapter 10, Miguel gave her an advice how to be a more effective and efficient damage dealer. Her skill [Charm] does not deal any damage and her other skill [Wail of Agony] does only little damage. Her way of thinking in Chapter 33 is something like this: ¡°I need more speed and damage, but I also need to take more hits just in case.¡± She wasn¡¯t thinking of improving her crowd control skills at the moment because she and BTP just got out of the slime dungeon. They were thinking of survivability. And Miguel isn¡¯t already a Lich because it¡¯s a process. It¡¯s a three stage process as explained in Chapter 35. The first stage is the conversion of their mana to dark (which Schmidt already removed), the second will be emaciation or wasting away of flesh. On the third stage, they will die and rise again as lich. This process doesn¡¯t happen instantaneously. Otherwise, Miguel would¡¯ve become a lich in Chapter 13 given that the dark mana was already inside him.
jacobpaige Wrote: An admin shouldn''t have to fight. If more than one hit is required, then I can only consider that admin as weak and potentially ineffectual, especially when its opponent isn''t even The Dark Lord. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy watching you die.¡± He''s not a very good admin. Taking sides isn''t professional. I''m guessing balancing has nothing to do with an Admin''s job... If he doesn''t have any agency in the memories, then the memories alone wouldn''t be enough to restore him to who he was. He has to remember making the decisions, not just that the decisions were made or why they were made. Its no good if he''s just a spectator, especially when the memories are a copy of a copy that''s been intentionally altered. Honestly, I would have had far more respect for this chapter if the divine intervention had ended faster. Something along the lines of when God showed up at the end of Time Bandits. As it was, it just felt unnecessarily drawn out and both God and Schmidtt felt weak and ineffectual compared to the level of power they were supposed to have, especially God. He''s supposed to have the power to have caused this whole world merger thing, but the conclusion of this arc just felt like one long, poorly thought out, Deus Ex Machina ass pull.
We already established that God isn¡¯t perfect or even all-powerful. Why would Administrators would be perfect? Everybody in the SYSTEM is bound by its laws. Even Administrators are bound by the same law that governs the world. Plus, Asharra wasn¡¯t even a player. She¡¯s a boss monster and a unique one. Claire even mentioned that if Schmidt turned against them (the players), they¡¯d be obliterated in an instant. There''s a reason why God and the Administrators sided with BTP. There''s a clue in Chapter 34 and I don''t want to spoil it. And as I mentioned, this isn¡¯t the end of ARC 2. I¡¯m really sorry about how I write things and the lack of explanations in the story. Sometimes, I get the itch of wanting to give more explanations, but I always decide to leave those details out to make the readers think. I¡¯m still trying to improve and I¡¯ll rewrite it as soon as I can. And let me tell you that I appreciate your criticisms and being vocal about what you think. It makes me answer the questions that I¡¯m waiting to be asked. Thank you, jacobpaige.
Deinos Wrote: No. The system and it''s wondrous ways of empowering have nothing to do with the struggles, at least not 1 to 1. Say you have a guy that is surrounded by tomes, people who can be his/her teacher and plenty material things. This person will be plenty empowered for no cost. Then you have another guy or the same, doesn''t matter really, and he/she throws himself in front to help, gets skewered or maimed, end of story. What did we learn, only because you go through hard ship, doesn''t mean you''ll get rewarded on the same subjective level and only because you didn''t have to go through any doesn''t mean you won''t get plenty. One example would be Gerry, well he''s no MC and doesn''t have plot armor, what did that mean for him? He dies. What could it have meant if he survived? He scrapes by, barely, with little to no option to become "grand" unless a miracle happens, which they don''t unless, well, a Miracle happens! It''s the same really like in reality, when someone grows up in a rich, supporting environment he/she is better off than the guy growing up in the ghetto, in so many ways. Doesn''t mean that there won''t be an underdog who makes it, like Phillis Wheatley or another black boy in the cotton fields, whose name I couldn''t find again, who made it because he was fast on the pick-up and became a lawyer or sth in the end. Point being, these are all flukes that sometimes even get used for the illusion of "everyone can make it" and "heritage doesn''t matter so much as hard work". So your craving for an "upgrade" is not based on anything realistic but simply because you want your MC to shine, the White Knight who loses a hand and gets a nuke blaster for it as compensation... That''s what I like about this story where the MC obviously survives since.. well, it would be too hard to write something with high standards like "A song of Ice and Fire" with multiple dying protagonists, but at least he''s not going running through the scenery stomping everything without repercussions. It makes the story more gritty, relatable and real, which is giving it a proper frame of probability and that I like Wink.
This guy gets it. I know that the way things wereportrayed in this fiction arepainful to read. Truth is hard and more unrealistic and unexpected than fictions (Thank god, this is a fiction). Sometimes, there is no gain in pain. Life is unfair. And if you¡¯re lucky enough, all gains with no pain. Those who deserve things don''t alwaysget what they deserve. The point of this whole ARC 2 is frustration, a taste of defeat for our characters, and how much we have to suffer for those we held dear and most of all, there is always hope. Let me quote Chapter 34:
Quote: With her mother¡¯s warm words, the boy felt much better. A new fire stirred inside his heart. You have to fall, before you can rise. The boy repeated the words in his mind.
Good news for everyone: Most of you wanted Miguel to have a power-up, right? Asharra dropped loots. And what do boss monsters drop? That¡¯s right. Good items. Or bad ones like in Chapter 6, if they¡¯re unlucky. Actually, Miguel is already OP. [Mind Barrier] is OP and I think there¡¯s already someone in the comments who already said that. [Mind Barrier] will be connected to his next OP skill. There¡¯s a reason why it is impossible to make something like mana shield or mana arrows. There''s a suggestion about it, but it would violate the mechanics I wrote (Although I''ve already brokeen a few like [Heal] and [Living Matter Manipulation]). I mentioned it in Chapter 9 where Miguel listed the basic mechanics of magic. Here¡¯s the quote:
Quote: 2. Mana in material form is a condensed and pure substance that can be used to power runes and other types of magic. It is formed by a natural phenomenon which the book didn¡¯t quite explain. That phenomenon is the reason for the formation of Mana Stones in all living beings including monsters.
That¡¯s it for spoilers, sorry! Oh, and this is a grecosky¡¯s fan art of No Respawn: http://grecosky.deviantart.com/gallery/60791716/NO-RESPAWN
And last but not the least, I¡¯d like you to give me another chance. I¡¯m still trying to improve as an author. You can see it from my typos, grammatical mistakes and plot holes. I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I could actually use a proofreader and a confidant to share their opinions on the future plot. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have money to pay for a proofreader. This novel is free and maybe I¡¯ll accept donations next time and I don¡¯t think it would be sellable in this¡­ shitty state. Anyway, thank you everyone for reading No Respawn. Happy Holidays! ARC 2: Chapter 38: The Two Laws of Magic Chapter 38: Two Laws of Magic ¡°Alright, Dianne. Show us the loot!¡± Claire exclaimed. Dianne, being the least greedy among us, was trusted with the loot. Sometimes, I envy her for gaining that trust. If they trusted me with the loot, I¡¯d pick out the best ones for myself before distributing the rest of it. Alas, the only trust I gained from my party was my uncanny ability to sense when something¡¯s awry and my tactical mind. Dianne took out a sack of full of goodies. When the coins made delicious clanking sounds on the floor, our eyes literally shined with golden light because of the sheer amount of gold coins. ¡°I have a question.¡± Eric raised his hand. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Are you still included in this loot sharing? I mean, you never contributed anything in our fight against Asharra.¡± Eric asked as the others stared daggers at him. ¡°I assume that I am because I am the leader¡­¡± I folded my arms. ¡°¡­ And you voted me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I voted, but I didn¡¯t vote for you so you can take something on this pile that we worked hard for.¡± Eric raised his chin and folded his arms in return. Eric let his greed take him over again. It was this douche attitude of his that I hated the most. He always liked to be at an advantage over others when it comes to material things no matter how little it was. There was a time in high school that when I bought a relatively new ¡®trendy¡¯ phone. When Eric saw it, he bought a new phone too, same brand, but it was the latest model. He waved his new phone in my face and bragged about it as if I cared. I never understood this attitude of him. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then, you shouldn¡¯t be included in this loot sharing too.¡± Claire interjected. ¡°If I remember it correctly, you¡¯ve never dealt a single damage to Asharra. She blocked your first attack and the second one missed. You were swept by her tail and you fell unconscious.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Dianne nodded her head. ¡°He doesn¡¯t do his job as a tanker, so he shouldn¡¯t be included in this loot sharing. He¡¯s just full of excuses.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Eric gritted his teeth. ¡°That¡¯s not fair! Do you really expect me to just take all the damage? I could die, you know!¡± ¡°If I remember it correctly, you were the one who volunteered for the role.¡± Melissa smirked. ¡°You¡¯re full of shit, Eric.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend! You¡¯re supposed to be on my side!¡± ¡°Not on this one.¡± Melissa pointed her finger at Eric and scolded him. She went ¡®historical¡¯. Not hysterical, but historical. She brought up Eric¡¯s past mistakes and scolded him for it like the time when Eric ruined her frying pans. Her blabbering was beginning not to make any sense, so I had to stop it. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s enough.¡± I rolled my eyes as I sighed. ¡°All of us will be included in this loot sharing, okay? If you have any objections, you can go and fuck yourself¡­¡± I took out my bag where I kept my equipment. Last night, I was wondering where the rest of my stuff went, but from what they told me, they found me naked and they didn¡¯t find anything. I took out a travelling bag marked as ¡®Others¡¯ and I found my mage robe, mage hood, staff, wakizashi, two INT rings and leather boots. It was weird that I managed to get myself naked before Asharra started the ritual. Oh, and I also found bottles of prescription drugs such as Diazepam and Methylphenidate.
Diazepam -Valium Effect: -2 STR, DEX and AGI. +50 MP for 4-6 hours. Relaxes muscles and treats anxiety.
Methylphenidate -Ritalin Effect: +5 DEX, INT and WIS for 3-4 hours. Treats ADHD. Increases focus and awareness.
Some of you would think that drugs are bad. In my opinion, not all of them, especially when you consider the temporary stat increase. I have to try taking Ritalin next time. There were also other items that I don¡¯t need; a shield with reflect enchantment and two skill books that I don''t need: [Perinnar''s Stalwart] and [Water Manipulation]. I put these three items on the pile of loot. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. Eric¡¯s being a jerk.¡± Beth said. ¡°It¡¯s alright. This is my contribution.¡± I gave her a dismissive wave of a hand. ¡°So, am I included in this loot sharing now?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, of course¡­¡± Eric nodded his head profusely as he stared at the shield. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± We counted the money and arranged the pile of loot in a line. Coins, weapons, armors, accessories and skill books, in that order. We counted a total of 579 Gold Coins, 71 Silver Coins, 39 Copper Coins and a large mana stone. As for the equipment, 2 weapons, 3 armor pieces and 5 accessories. There were also 9 skill books in total. We used [Observe] as we tried to decide what to take.
Long Bow of Serendipity Attack Damage [Physical] 26-29 Durability: 50/50 Bonus: +5 Luck and Intelligence A bow used by the legendary thief called The Wet Bandit.
Orcrist Dagger of Leech Attack Damage [Physical] 15-20 Durability: 70/70 Bonus: Absorb 10% of Damage as HP A dagger made from Orcrist metal renowned for its dark green color and durability. Enchanted with Vampiric rune.
Flayed Skin of Thresh Bloodfang Armor Rating: 7 Durability: 30/30 Bonus: Decrease Stamina consumption of melee attacks by 40% Thresh Bloodfang, the infamous Soran lycanthrope, had his skin flayed as a trophy by a group of elite hunters known as the Flayers. Any man who wears the shapeshifter¡¯s skin shall feel the wolf¡¯s primal instincts.
Orcrist Shield of Thorns Armor Rating: 20 Durability: 100/100 Bonus: Reflect 10% of Damage taken A shield made from Orcrist metal renowned for its dark green color and durability. Enchanted with Reflect rune.
Reptilion¡¯s Hands Armor Rating: 8 Durability: 25/25 Bonus: +10% HP and reduces 5% Damage taken A pair of gloves made from Reptilion¡¯s skin. Reptilions are beast that thrive in the Vile Swamps. Their skins are said to be as hard as dragon scales.
Our eyes widened in awe as we looked at the equipment. I instructed them that we¡¯ll distribute the weapons and armors first before the accessories. After that, they grabbed the item one by one. I wasn¡¯t even surprised that they fought. Somehow, I already expected it to happen. ¡°I¡¯ll take the bow.¡± Melissa snatched the bow on the floor. ¡°What?!¡± Dianne handed her a green obsidian dagger. ¡°No! Take this instead! That bow should be mine!¡± ¡°But it has INT on it! You don¡¯t need INT.¡± Melissa pulled the bow away. ¡°This shield is perfect for me.¡± Eric said as he held the shield. His eyes were fixed on it since I placed it on the pile. ¡°No, Eric. You don¡¯t need that shield. You don¡¯t even tank.¡± Mark said. ¡°That should be mine. I need more protection since I¡¯m your healer.¡± ¡°Miguel is already here as our healer. You don¡¯t need that much protection since you¡¯re always on the back and I¡¯m in the front.¡± Meanwhile, Claire and Beth silently took the flayed skin and the scale gloves. They agreed to each other that Claire will take the flayed skin while Beth will take the gloves. The others were too busy arguing and they seemed to forget about the good armor pieces. ¡°You can stop now.¡± I said, but they all ignored me. This was the thing that I hated the most in dungeon raids. Back in the days, it was not uncommon for players to fight for the good loot. Many parties, guilds and even IRL friendships have ended just because of virtual items whose drop rates were abysmally low. That¡¯s why Eric and I would always sell the good loots, so we won¡¯t fight for it. At least my party members weren¡¯t trying to PK each other. A few moments later, they turned their heads to me and they decided to hear my opinion. ¡°Listen. Are you fine with the flayed skin and the gloves going to Claire and Beth?¡± ¡°The what?¡± Eric furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Nothing.¡± Claire shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s leather armor. It won¡¯t be useful to you.¡± Beth nodded in agreement. These girls were too smart for their own good. They managed to hide the good items away before anyone could notice it. Except for me and Richard. We noticed, but Claire and Beth gave us threatening glares. Richard and I looked each other in the eyes as we sighed. ¡°They can have it.¡± Mark said as he pulled the shield from Eric. ¡°But I really need this shield.¡± Dianne turned her head to me and placed her hands on her waist. ¡°Can you please tell Melissa to get her hands off of that bow?¡± ¡°You cry baby. I already told you. This bow would be more beneficial to me. It has INT and I need MP.¡± Melissa clicked her tongue. ¡°Am I right, Miguel?¡± ¡°Tell him. I need this shield!¡± Mark said. ¡°By the way, Eric. Where¡¯s your shield?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s broken.¡± Eric shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s why I need a shield.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Mark shook his head. ¡°Before you fight and before I say my opinion on this. Let¡¯s take a look at the accessories, okay?¡± The four of them agreed as they put down the items on the floor. Dianne lined up the accessories. There were 3 necklaces, 1 ring and 1 bracelet. According to my journal, you can only have up to three enchanted accessories and any more than that won¡¯t work.
Gold Ring of Speed Durability: 10/10Armor Rating: 0 Bonus: +5 Agility Increases AGI by a small amount.
Copper Bracelet of Cleverness Armor Rating: 0 Durability: 10/10 Bonus: +5 Wisdom Increases WIS by a small amount.
Summoner''s Gold Necklace Armor Rating: 0 Durability: 10/10 Bonus: +20% Summoning Spell Effect Increases Effect of Summoning Spells.
Silver Necklace of Fervor Armor Rating: 0 Durability: 10/10 Bonus: +5 Strength Increases STR by a small amount.
Gold Necklace of Vigor Armor Rating: 0 Durability: 10/10 Bonus: +5 Vitality Increases VIT by a small amount.
¡°I¡¯ll let you have the shield, but I¡¯ll take this one.¡± Mark said as he took the summoner¡¯s necklace. ¡°What for?¡± I asked. ¡°Do you have a familiar?¡± ¡°No.¡± Mark shook his head. ¡°What are your skills again?¡± Mark began to explain his skills to me: [Heal], [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] and [Smite]. The last two have holy property of magic, which means they¡¯re only effective against demi-monsters such as homunculus and undead. [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] heals anyone within a 10-meter radius. It will also cause damage to undead and demi-monsters within that radius. It can be used to make holy water, which can cure curses and enchant weapons with holy damage. [Smite], on the other hand, is an active spell with a passive effect when not on cooldown. I¡¯ve never heard of such skill, but from what Mark told me, [Smite] can obliterate any undead and demi-monsters, but he can only use it once a week and he is required to read a holy passage from his book: The Great Seven while casting the spell. Its passive effect is detection of undead and demi-monsters. One thing I didn¡¯t quite understand was that why would he need a summoning spell item. ¡°So how does it work, by the way?¡± I asked. ¡°The book said something about calling the Holy Light from the Spirit Realm. It says, those who have the power can call this benevolent and formless entity.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a summoning spell?¡± My jaw slacked in confusion. ¡°I thought [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] is an alteration spell?¡± ¡°Yes, both of my skills are summoning spells. [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] isn¡¯t an alteration spell like [Heal]. Technically, I use my mana to summon the Holy Light and the heal is just an alteration side effect.¡± ¡°How about [Smite]?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also a summoning spell. Holy Light comes in many forms. [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] represents mercy while [Smite] represents justice and retribution.¡± ¡°How come [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] a mercy for the undead and demi-monsters?¡± ¡°They represent falsehood and they are false life. Demi-monsters and undead shouldn¡¯t really exist and the Holy Light considers it as a mercy to their existence to annihilate them. Or so the book says.¡± Ah, so summoning spells aren¡¯t just limited to summoning and forming contracts with the spirits and creatures of the Spirit Realm. I took out my new notebook and wrote down what I learned about the summoning school. ¡°Can we get back to the loot now?¡± Melissa asked impatiently. ¡°How about the bow?¡± ¡°In my opinion, you should have the bow and Dianne should have the dagger and the gold ring.¡± Dianne and Melissa looked at each other and thank goodness, they agreed. Richard got the copper bracelet of cleverness while Beth got the silver necklace of fervor. The last one went to me as I needed more VIT for our travel. I stored my old necklace in my bag and wore my new necklace. I noticed that my VIT only increased by 1 when I wore the new necklace. Perhaps it was because of the debuff. Anyway, it¡¯s better to have that 1 point increase than zero. Next, we looked at the 9 skill books that we looted. 7 of the skill books were from Asharra and 2 came from my bag. We inspected them one by one.
Skill Book: Iron Fortress [Active] Effect: Your skin will be as hard as an impregnable fortress made of iron for a few seconds. Has a fixed 15 seconds cooldown. Damage Reduction Bonus: +50% + 1% every level Duration: 5 seconds + 0.10 second every level SP Cost (fixed): 20% of Maximum SP
Skill Book: Crippling Fear [Active] Effect: Horrifies the Target causing him unable to move for the duration of the skill. INT, CHA and mastery of the skill of the user will affect the chance of success of the debuff. MP Cost: ???
Skill Book: Perinnar¡¯s Stalwart[Active] Effect: Increase the life force of you and your allies around you for 20 minutes. Using this skill without Holy Words will reduce the skill¡¯s effectiveness by 80% HP Bonus: +10% + 0.50% every level Cooldown (Fixed): 15 Minutes MP Cost (Fixed): 10% of maximum MP
Skill Book: Water Manipulation [Active] Effect: Summon and/or Manipulate Water according to the will of the Caster. MP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS. MP Cost: ???
Skill Book: Fire Manipulation [Active] Effect: Create and/or Manipulate Fire according to the will of the Caster. MP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS. MP Cost: ???
Skill Book: Power Attack [Active] Effect: Increase Attack Damage of any weapon for each swing. Weapon Damage, STR and Skill Level will affect [Power Attack] damage. SP Cost: 25 + 2 every level
Skill Book: Track [Active] Effect: Lets the user track a creature by using mana trails and to identify them without needing to see it. Can also be used to track alchemical ingredients. MP Cost: ???
Skill Book: Auto-Cast [Passive] Effect: You can instantly cast melded spells from your memory. Each level of this skill increases Spells that can be auto-casted by 1. If you another spell is memorized when the limit was reached, the new memorized spell will overwrite the oldest memorized spell. To set a spell on auto-cast, say ¡®Memorize: [Spell name]¡¯ while thinking of the combination. Limit of Spells: 1 per every level
Skill Book: Dark Mana Manipulation [Active] Effect: Manipulate Dark Mana according to the will of the Caster. DMP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS. You can harvest Dark Mana from a source at the cost of MP. However, user cannot create dark mana through this skill. MP cost to havest Dark Mana ratio (Fixed): 1:1
I don¡¯t know if luck stat really works, but it felt like we hit the jackpot with the skill books. Each of them got hold of skill books. Claire took [Crippling Fear] while Eric took [Iron Fortress]. One skill book that they left out was the [Dark Mana Manipulation]. Since I already got [Auto-Cast] and Richard have already snatched it, I took the skill book for myself. ¡°Wait. What are you gonna do with that?¡± Claire asked. ¡°What do you think? I¡¯m taking this one.¡± I hid the skill book behind my back, so she wouldn¡¯t snatch it away from me. ¡°You were infected with dark mana and now you want to play with it?¡± Claire clicked her tongue and folded her arms. ¡°You never learn, do you?¡± ¡°To be fair, I¡¯ve been infected with the dark mana under the control of the Dark Lord. Schmidt was clear about that.¡± I argued. ¡°Besides, I already have [Auto-Cast] and I might learn how to counter the Dark Lord¡¯s magic with it.¡± Claire stood in front of me and reached her hand behind my back. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Miguel. I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡± ¡°How about a vote?¡± I asked as I grabbed her wrist. And thus, I called for a vote on whether I get the skill book or not. Dianne, Claire and Mark agreed not to let me have the skill book, while Eric, Melissa and Beth agreed to let me study dark magic in order to let the team have a chance to fight back in case the Dark Lord attacks us again. Of course, I sided with Eric on this one. ¡°Your vote shouldn¡¯t count!¡± Claire yelled. ¡°You¡¯re gonna get yourself in trouble again!¡± ¡°Why not? This decision concerns me, so my vote should be counted.¡± ¡°Wait, Richard hasn¡¯t voted yet.¡± Eric said. ¡°What do you think, Richard? Should Miguel get the skill book or not?¡± We turned our heads to Richard as we waited for his vote. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Richard tapped his finger in his chin. ¡°I can take the skill book for myself, but I¡¯m not that confident in my abilities, so I think Miguel should have the skill book and risk it. There¡¯s so much we don¡¯t know about the Dark Lord and even God himself doesn¡¯t know much.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we just ask God?¡± Melissa suggested. ¡°Good idea.¡± Claire nodded her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s a bad idea.¡± I shook my head. ¡°God will be angry again if you¡­¡± Before I could finish my sentence, Claire was muttering something on her lips as she stared blankly into the air. I think she was talking to God. I sighed in relief as there was no thunder and it seemed that God didn¡¯t mind talking with Claire. Sometimes, I miss God¡¯s trolling, but now, I can think about whatever I want without incurring his wrath.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°What did he say?¡± I asked. Claire clicked her tongue and handed me the skill book with hesitation. ¡°He said it¡¯s a great idea for you learn it. He recommends it and ask you to master it as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Will he be able to remove dark mana infection with the skill book?¡± Mark asked. Claire paused for a while as she read God¡¯s message. ¡°Yes, he can. He said that you can do it too with your holy magic. It¡¯s just that the Dark Lord is a god and we are no match for him. He also said not to worry about him because dark mana is just like any other magic. Once you harvest dark mana, it¡¯s yours and infecting yourself with your own dark mana by accident is next to impossible.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°God said that He¡¯s just taking care of things and He will talk to you later.¡± It took us the whole morning just to distribute the loot. As for the rest of the skill book, Mark got the [Perinnar¡¯s Stalwart], which is one of the seven holy skills in his collection, Beth got [Power Attack] because all of her skills were AOE skills and Dianne took [Track] because it would help with her scouting. Melissa took [Fire Manipulation] because she wanted to try if she could shoot fire arrows. We decided to keep [Water Manipulation] in case other survivors wanted to buy it, then we¡¯ll split the income. Afterwards, Eric, Richard and Beth went outside to retrieve their broken armor pieces that they left behind the undead dungeon, so they can repair it and prepare for the journey. Richard had a look of excitement in his face as he wanted to try [Auto-Cast]. Dianne also went outside to hunt for alchemy ingredients with her new skill [Track] while Mark roamed around the school doing his own business of who-knows-what-and-who-cares. On the other hand, Melissa stayed in the cafeteria and brought out a piece of log and practiced with her bow. With nothing else to do, I stayed in the cafeteria, planning on trying my new skill [Dark Mana Manipulation]. Claire was about to leave when she realized that Melissa and I would be alone in the cafeteria. She glared at me with a narrowed eyes and decided to watch me closely. If you think about it, she didn¡¯t trust me enough to be on my own. Especially when I was alone with Melissa or Beth. I used [Observe] on Claire to see what changed in her. The last time I checked my character screen, I was shocked to learn that I was already level 37. I was wondering what her level was.
Player: Claire Roque Race: Human Level: 29 HP: 550/550 SP: 683/700 MP: 380/380 Status: Normal Party: Boston Tea Party Faction: N/A
The last thing I remembered was that her level was 19. One thing I¡¯ve immediately noticed about Claire was the lack of her title. ¡°Where¡¯s your title ¡®Sadist¡¯?¡± I asked. ¡°I can¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°I learned from Schmidt that you can actually hide your title if you say ¡®hide title¡¯ then title name, but it won¡¯t work if the person had an expert [Observe].¡± ¡°Hide Title: Masochist¡± I said. ¡°How about now? Can you see my title?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Claire shook her head. I can see her HP, SP, MP and Status because we were in the same party. Leveling [Observe] was pretty hard than you can imagine and you can¡¯t just use it on an object, monster or person that you¡¯ve already observed. Seeing the same shit everyday didn¡¯t help either. I think that in high level [Observe], I¡¯ll be able to see monster¡¯s HP, but it would take a hell lot of adventuring to level it up. Anyway, Claire continued to swing her sword in the air as I took the skill book from my inventory. It wasn¡¯t my first time using a skill book, but seeing a skill book pixelating and then disappearing never ceased to amaze me. It¡¯s like magic. Well, technically, it is. Seeing the blue screen saying that I learned a skill made me super excited because it¡¯s uncommon for me to learn a skill through [Quick Learner].
You have learned [Dark Mana Manipulation]
Dark Mana Manipulation [Active] Lvl 1 Beginner Effect: Manipulate Dark Mana according to the will of the Caster. DMP Consumption and Control depends on the mastery of this Spell and WIS. You can harvest Dark Mana from a source at the cost of MP. However, user cannot create nor summon dark mana through this skill. MP cost to havest Dark Mana ratio (Fixed): 1:1
You have gained a new resource: Dark Mana Points (DMP) Each point in INT and WIS will increase DMP by 10 and 5, respectively.
I was wondering what the SYSTEM meant by new resource, so I opened my character screen to see what changed in my stats.
Name: Miguel Arevalo
Race: Human Level: 37
HP: 144/144 MP: 1752/1752
SP: 60/60 DMP: 0/1400
EXP: 0.04%
STR: 4 WIS: 80
AGI: 6 INT: 100
VIT: 10 LUK: 13
DEX: 3 CHA: 21
Satiety: Fine
Status Flesh Waste: -80% STR, AGI, VIT, DEX
Rested: +10% EXP
Undistributed Attribute Points: 10
Title(s):
Masochist: +10% Pain Tolerance and HP
Perk(s):
Leadership: +10 Charisma and increased follower loyalty
Tactician: Tactics and Strategies have higher chance of success
Mana Affinity II: Increase in Mana Control and +20% MP
Besides HP, SP and MP, I gained another bar called Dark Mana Points or DMP for short. The blue screen indicated that I have 0 out of 1,400. I popped a pill of Ritalin before proceeding because additional INT and WIS will help. First, I tried to create dark mana by using the skill, but the skill description was true to its word. It wasn¡¯t possible to create dark mana using the skill and I have to get it from an outside source. I also tried to use [Meditate] to gather dark mana, but it didn¡¯t work too. The problem was, where could I get dark mana? I was thinking of a number of sources. I could try to harvest dark mana from the zombies, but there were no zombies nearby. I activated [Meditate] while skimming my notes for answers, particularly on the part where I met the Dark Lord. As I read my notes, I found more questions than answers. What could be the difference between dark mana and regular mana? Is it just the color? I had an idea tried to use my skill on Melissa¡¯s [Phantom Arrow]. I was thinking that perhaps the purple color of her arrow could be dark mana. When the arrow appeared, I tried to use [Dark Mana Manipulation] to harvest dark mana, but it failed. I was running out of ideas, but I remembered something I read from my notes. When I removed Claire¡¯s curse in the clothing store, I noticed that her mana core was white and her core was being filled with dark mana. That was how I came to conclusion that the dark mana inside her was the one causing her illness. You see, a mana core is always white. Also, I noticed that whenever we loot a monster, the mana stones were always dark purple in color.
Small Mana Stone X 1
With that idea in mind, I took out a small mana stone in my inventory. The small mana stone was as small as a pebble. I inspected the stone closely and I noticed that it has a faint glow inside. To confirm my suspicion, I used [Dark Mana Manipulation] to harvest dark mana from the small mana stone. Surprisingly, it worked. I was right that the thing covering a mana stone was dark mana. The solid dark mana turned into a mist as it was absorbed by my body. At first, I was afraid that I became infected with dark mana with what I did, so I activated [Meditate] to see what my mana looked like. My mana core was still white in color and instead of one core, I now have two. The other one was at the bottom of my white mana core and it was pure black in color. It was tiny and unlike the white mana core, the dark mana core was stagnant and looked like a ball of black smoke, but at least, it wasn¡¯t trying to infect my white mana core and I didn¡¯t hear any gibberish voices. The mana stone in my hand shrunk in size and it finally glowed with white light. I used [Observe] on the pure mana stone.
Mana Core X 1
I learned that inside a mana stone was a mana core. I was wrong to assume that mana stone was synonymous to mana core. I think that I wasn¡¯t using the full potential of my staff as I just put a raw mana stone on top of it. I didn¡¯t remove the dark mana on my staff because it would shrink in size and it would fall off. I took out my mana stones from my inventory and harvested dark mana until my DMP was full. Each small mana stone had 10-19 DMP and the medium ones, 48-67 DMP. I didn¡¯t have a large mana stone, so I didn¡¯t know how much dark mana I can harvest from it. I had lots of mana stones in my inventory and the others probably have more. ¡°Is that it?¡± Claire stopped and sheathed her sword as she saw what happened. ¡°How do you feel? Are you sure you¡¯re not infected or something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel any change. I think I¡¯m fine.¡± I shrugged. I began testing the skill as I tried to mix my dark mana with my mana. I was morbidly curious what would happen if I try to infect myself with my own dark mana. Like God said, it was next to impossible to infect myself with the dark mana I own. My mana core repelled the dark mana and there was like an invisible barrier between the two cores. It got more interesting when I tried to use dark mana with my Arcane Spells. Using dark mana to fuel [Fire Manipulation], I created a flame that was black in color. When I touched the dark flame, it didn¡¯t affect me in anyway. I tried poking the flames with a wooden stick, but it didn¡¯t burn. I was thinking, what a waste of dark mana, but then I realized this couldn¡¯t be it. This was dark magic and dark magic users were ostracized for a reason. ¡°Can you touch the flame? I wanted to see what¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Claire bluntly rejected as she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not touching any of that stuff.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Are you seriously asking me that?¡± Claire clicked her tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get infected with dark mana again.¡± ¡°If I remember it correctly, I was the one who cured you and I¡¯m sure I can do it again.¡± ¡°I already told you my answer: No.¡± Claire folded her arms. I turned around and faced Melissa. ¡°How about you, Mel? Can you please touch the flame? I assure you, it¡¯s safe.¡± Melissa rolled her eyes in annoyance as she shook her head. ¡°Come on, Claire. Help me out. Please.¡± I pleaded. ¡°There is one thing that will make me change my mind¡­¡° ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you with this experiment of yours and you¡¯ll help me level up my skill.¡± ¡°What skill are you talking about?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to cut me up again and grind your [Sadism].¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Claire shook her head. ¡°I want to grind [Charm] this time. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s harmless. Unlike your voodoo magic.¡± Asking favors with Claire is like striking a deal with the devil. You¡¯ll get anything you want for sure at a seemingly very cheap cost with a lovely smile as a bonus. Only in the end, you¡¯ll realize that you¡¯re at a disadvantage and you will pay the price. I learned that the hard way in college. [Charm] isn¡¯t even an offensive skill and while it looked harmless, my senses were telling me that it would be worse than grinding [Sadism] on me. Good thing I have [Mind Barrier] to protect myself against mind attacks. ¡°Deal.¡± I said as I shook her hand. ¡°Good.¡± Claire was grinning from ear to ear. ¡°So what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Just touch the flame and tell me what it feels like.¡± Claire poked the dark flame with her finger. She retracted her hand as if she was burned, but the look of confusion in her face told me otherwise. She touched it again and we were amazed that it didn¡¯t burn her, nor did it chip her HP away. ¡°So how does it feel?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit cold actually.¡± Claire responded. ¡°Weird¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t tell the effects at first. I willed my mana inside Claire¡¯s body and found that her core was still pure white and not polluted with dark mana in anyway. I used [Observe] on her to check her status.
Player: Claire Roque Race: Human Level: 29 HP: 550/550 SP: 700/700 MP: 291/380 Status: Normal Party: Boston Tea Party Faction: N/A
I realized that the dark flames were draining her MP. I also noticed a faint white light leaking out of her body, the more she exposed herself to the flame. ¡°I feel lightheaded.¡± Claire wobbled on her feet, rubbing her forehead. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s enough.¡± I said as I removed her hand from the flame. I used [Mana Transfer] on her to help her regain her lost MP and at the same time, I checked if the dark mana infected her. Again, her mana core was still normal. Next, I combined dark mana with [Water Manipulation], the water I summoned, as expected, turned black. I poured the dark liquid into a small bucket before I tested it. The dark liquid had weird properties just like the dark flame. The water looked like tar and it got darker the more I poured dark mana into it. It was also moving like it has a mind of its own. It came out of the bucket as it slowly crawled towards Claire.
Dark Mana Slime Lvl. 1
¡°You created a slime?!¡± Claire panicked as she moved away from it. ¡°Kill that thing!¡± It seemed that I was immune to the effect of my own dark mana because when I touched it, nothing happened to me. The wooden stick didn¡¯t melt when I tried to poke slime with it. I also tried other things, but same thing. It wasn¡¯t acidic. Melissa stopped whatever she was doingas the dark slime caught her attention. When Claire was too far for the dark slime to reach, it changed its target and began to crawl towards Melissa. ¡°The fuck are you waiting for? Just kill that thing already! Quick!¡± Claire shouted. Melissa pointed her bow at the dark slime as she lit her [Phantom Arrow] on fire. The dark slime combusted into a dark flame and was obliterated in an instant. Target Died I let out an evil laughter as I summoned a larger dark slime.
Dark Mana Slime Lvl. 5
¡°You¡¯re fucking nuts, you know that?¡± Melissa shoots another flaming arrow. -20 HP! Target Died Interesting. Not only that I created a monster, but also, Dark Mana Slimes were very flammable just like the normal slime monsters. I can think of interesting melded spells with this one. Much to Claire and Melissa¡¯s annoyance, I created another dark mana slime, but this time, it was just as tiny as my thumb. I learned that I can use my regular mana with [Water Manipulation] to make it levitate and move it around. After a few minutes, the dark mana gradually became thinner and lighter until it became a clear liquid. I fed it with dark mana again until it was back to its original dark color and thickness. While I was playing with the dark slime by juggling it into the air, I accidentally flung it to Melissa. Instead of an acid burn, the dark slime burrowed into Melissa¡¯s skin. ¡°AHHHH!!!¡± Melissa let out an ear-piercing scream as she ran away. ¡°Don¡¯t run away!¡± I shouted. ¡°I can remove it!¡± She was hysterical and I couldn¡¯t catch up with her because of my wheelchair. Fortunately, Claire was here with us. ¡°Calm down. Just calm down¡­¡± Claire said as she restrained Melissa. She lifted her up and brought her to me. I was confident that I can remove the dark mana inside Melissa, but I also didn¡¯t want to waste this rare opportunity to see what the dark mana slime was doing to her body. Besides, Melissa¡¯s mana core had a decent size and it won¡¯t be corrupted that easily. I¡¯ve watched the dark mana latched on her mana core as I injecting my mana into her body. I¡¯ve noticed the similarity to Claire¡¯s Necrotic Curse. It seemed that it was feeding off her core and the dark mana was using this mana to reproduce and spread throughout the core. After it infected about 30% of her core, I was quite satisfied with my findings. Obviously, I didn¡¯t want Melissa to die. I used [Dark Mana Manipulation] to forcefully remove the dark mana inside her body and reabsorbed it to my body. This could mean that I can probably harvest dark mana from zombies to kill them more effectively. Furthermore, I think that I can actually farm dark mana by letting it feed on other person¡¯s mana, then harvesting it before it completely corrupts the mana core. When I harvested the dark mana from Melissa, I noticed that I gained more DMP than the cost when I created it. The only problem with that method was that I don¡¯t think anyone would be willing because of the risk involved. After I successfully removed all the traces of dark mana from her body, Melissa wiped the tears with her wrist. She stared daggers at me and bared her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I lowered my head as I apologized. Melissa clicked her tongue and came at me with heavy footsteps. She was about to slap me when Claire grabbed her wrist to stop her. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Mel.¡± Claire said. Melissa took her bow with her and left the cafeteria. As soon as she left, Claire grinned as she gave me a thumbs up. ¡°Good job!¡± At first, I was confused and I thought Claire was being sarcastic. Since this morning, I noticed that she and Melissa were passive-aggressive with each other just like me and Claire. I didn¡¯t know why, but I guess it has something to do with the frying pans or perhaps it was just a girl thing. It was probably the latter though, but it was pretty clear that Claire and Melissa hated each other. Claire left me on my own and said that she¡¯s going to answer the call of nature and warned me not to do anything stupid while she¡¯s gone. I continued taking notes and experimenting with dark mana. Mana has two forms: material and immaterial. The mana inside a person is immaterial and even if you cut up a living person, you won¡¯t be able to see the mana core. (Except for the elves, which for some reason, their mana cores are solid and can be seen on their foreheads.) As I¡¯ve done more tests, I¡¯ve began to notice the similarities of mana and dark mana. Both of them can be material and immaterial. Dark mana¡¯s material form is the dark matter or the dark crystal that surrounds a mana stone while mana¡¯s only known material form is the solidified mana core inside the mana stone. I learned that I can make dark mana crystals, but I can¡¯t make a solid mana. Mana cores aren¡¯t supposed to be solid. Whenever I look inside my own mana core, I don¡¯t really see a solid stone. It actually looks like a ball of light. Magical Laws and Theories for Dummies mentioned that most magical scholars believed that mana cores are required for a living being to be sentient. Dogs, cats, fishes, birds and other animals are considered sentient creatures. All creatures with five senses and central nervous system are sentient, but they do not think about their sensations, pains, delights and miseries -- they instinctively follow them. Plants are extremely sensitive in interactions with the outer world, but they are not sentient because they do not see, hear or smell. While some plants and fungi have traces of magic in them like the green herb in Dianne¡¯s potion, they don¡¯t have mana cores. Humans, elves, dwarves, dragons, dungeons, orcs and other races are also sentient, but we are self-aware and we have sapience or commonly known as wisdom. It¡¯s the ability to use the knowledge that we learned from experience and being aware of our existence are what make us, the sapients, different from beasts and monsters. Therefore, monsters don¡¯t have WIS stat. With the exception of demi-monsters, of course. Anyway, enough with the philosophical view of magic. Let¡¯s get back to the mana core lecture: A sentient being is considered alive when it is producing mana in their mana cores. When they die, the mana core will stop absorbing mana from the surroundings, but the book did not explain the process of its solidification and the connection of solid mana cores and dark mana crystals. From my observation, it¡¯s constantly absorbing ¡°light¡± outside my body. When it¡¯s full, it still absorbs mana and instead of getting bigger, it releases excess mana. It sounds like it¡¯s wasteful, but I think this is the indication that the creature is still alive. Thus, I have a theory of my own called ¡°Arevalo¡¯s Mana Absorption Theory¡± or AMAT for short. Dark mana and mana are everywhere, but they¡¯re so tiny that you can¡¯t detect it. The only reason why I can sense my mana core was because they are dense. If dark mana is everywhere, then why are we still alive and not infected with dark mana? While the dark mana is clearly attracted to mana and wanted to consume it to reproduce, I think that mana is constantly repelling dark mana though a barrier it creates, so exposure to a small amount of dark mana is safe. I discovered this barrier by mixing mana and dark mana. If the balance between them is achieved, given a considerable and equal amount of mana and dark mana, you can see this barrier clearly like a transparent glass. I came up with a great spell with this finding which I will discuss later on. Too much mana and the mana will repel dark mana causing the dark mana to dissipate into the air. Too much dark mana will cause the dark mana to overwhelm the mana and consume it. I think that this was how I cured Claire of dark mana infection when she was bitten by a zombie. My mana forced the dark mana to be expelled from her core. When a creature with a mana core dies, the core becomes stagnant, causing the barrier to weaken and letting some dark mana to latch into it, but after a while, the barrier becomes active again. The dark mana and mana will be trapped inside the barrier resulting into a mana stone. I came up with this theory when I observed the mana of a mouse that I easily caught with magic. I killed it with [Living Matter Manipulation] by forcibly stopping its heartbeat. With my high mana sensitivity from 100 INT, I was able to observe this amazing phenomenon. I killed more mice to observe it again to confirm if it¡¯s consistent. I also tried to create a mana stone on my own. At first, I thought it was impossible. It was possible, but it took me a considerable amount mana and dark mana and an extreme concentration to pull it off. When I removed the dark mana, the mana core I created would only last for about a second before disintegrating into the air. I think there were still missing processes in my attempt to create a mana stone and I needed to do more study. I think the reason why my skill didn¡¯t work on Melissa¡¯s [Phantom Arrow] is that, her skill isn¡¯t dark mana nor it is a solidified mana. The arrow is made out of pure energy and it pierces things using heat like a laser beam. It was immaterial pure mana. Anyway, these are the summary of what I found out about dark mana:
  1. Dark mana is the reason behind the process of mana solidification. (Arevalo¡¯s Mana Absorption Theory or AMAT)
  2. The dark mana is neutral and does not necessarily belongs to the Dark Lord. As Schmidt said before, the sinister voices I heard was the Dark Lord¡¯s mana signature and God also confirmed it to Claire. When Claire and I touched the dark mana, we didn¡¯t hear any voices.
  3. When used with skills that normally consumes mana or MP, the effects of the skill would be different.
  4. Using dark mana with [Fire Manipulation] would drain the target¡¯s MP instead of damaging their HP. The flames would turn into greyish to black color depending on the amount of dark mana used. According to Claire, it was cold to touch.
  5. [Water Manipulation] and dark mana was an interesting combination. The result was a creature called Dark Mana Slime. It has parasitic behavior and would seek out hosts to feed off on their mana core. When it consumes the host¡¯s mana, it would grow in size.
  6. [Wind Manipulation]: The result was a thick black smoke or mist that moves slowly. I haven¡¯t got a clue as to what it does because it was much harder to control. I had to feed it with my mana to maintain it, so it won¡¯t disperse into the air and the dark mana would be lost forever.
  7. [Earth Manipulation] was a disappointment. The result was a black rock that shatters instantly with a slightest touch. Even blowing air on it would shatter it into dusts. When you touch it, it shatters violently with a boom. It does 0 damage. I took the black dusts and make Claire inhale it while she napped. Sadly, it didn¡¯t infect her with dark mana. I suppose this spell could be useful for making distractions.
Of course, I could be wrong all along. All of this can be refuted by the Arevalo¡¯s Two Laws of Magic. First Law: If it can¡¯t be explained, it must be magic and the Second Law: If you can explain magic, then you¡¯re probably wrong. The point is, studying magic without any books, references or a teacher is like reinventing the wheel or rediscovering how to make fire. I still need to study it more and I should probably add more INT and WIS, so I can use it effectively. Oh, and I earned another perk for finding out the nature of dark mana by my own.
Perk: Dark Mana Affinity Effect: Increase in Dark Mana Control
It was already night and I was exhausted from the testing of my new skill. I still have much to learn about the dark mana and I still had a couple of experiments in mind that I wanted to do. I decided to call it a day as I joined the party for dinner. They made a bonfire at the campus¡¯ open basketball court. Earlier, Eric and the others were hammering their red hot armors on a flat rock. The idea was to weld the pieces back together, but the end result was disappointing to say the least. Their armor became brittle and the durability was cut in half. Still usable, but a good hit would shatter the armor again. As Dianne came back from the hunt, she bragged and showed us her new bow. It was a modern looking bow with a sight scope. She told us that it was called ¡®compound bow¡¯.
Pro Series Tigress Hunter 2018 Compound Bow Attack Damage [Physical] 34-37 Durability: 60/60 A bow designed for women hunters. Made by Hunter Archery?
¡°Where did you get that bow?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve passed by a sportswear store when I was hunting for ingredients.¡± ¡°And where is this sportswear store?¡± Melissa stared at the bow with envy. ¡°Pasig.¡± ¡°You went all the way back to Pasig?!¡± Claire asked, raising her voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t go anywhere near the slime dungeon.¡± Dianne sat on the floor. ¡°I was careful.¡± ¡°Did you at least got one for me?¡± Melissa¡¯s eyes shone with excitement. ¡°No.¡± Dianne shook her head. ¡°This was the only good bow I found in the rubble. Sorry.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Her lips turned into a frown. It got me thinking. Dianne seemed to have unlimited inventory spaces. I mean, we let her keep the loot and she had all the spaces for her alchemy ingredients and her potions. It didn¡¯t make sense since we only have 15 inventory spaces plus one for the coins and you can have additional space for every 30 STR. ¡°Is there something that you¡¯re not telling us, Dianne?¡± I asked. Dianne scratched her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I noticed that you can carry a lot with your inventory.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Eric nodded. ¡°I noticed that too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Dianne avoided eye contact with me. She was good at hiding, but she was never good at lying. ¡°Come on. Tell us. Did you get a skill? Or is it an item?¡± Claire asked. After a few questions, Dianne finally gave in to pressure and she showed us a small leather bag on her belt. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Beth asked as she looked at the bag. ¡°It¡¯s a magic bag.¡± Dianne replied. ¡°This is where I keep all my tools and alchemy ingredients.¡±
Magic Bag ¨C Med. Capacity Armor Rating: 0 Durability: 25/25 Bonus: Lets the user carry additional 30 items A bag enchanted with rare magic that lets the user store more items.
¡°Do you have more of that bag? I need it to store our food.¡± Melissa said. ¡°And where did you even get that bag?¡± ¡°I borrowed it from Dad.¡± ¡°You stole it?¡± Claire folded her arms. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t steal it!¡± Dianne blurted out in defense. ¡°I saw it in his office and I needed it so I can buy more alchemy ingredients. I forgot to tell him about it.I was going to return it, but¡­¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t.¡± Claire finished her sentence. ¡°So you stole it.¡± ¡°And so what if I stole it?¡± Dianne said as she pouted her lips. ¡°This is my bag. I found it and it¡¯s mine. Mine.¡± Dianne took the magic bag out of our sight and stored it in her inventory, so no one would dare to steal it from her. The others looked at her with sour expression as they ate their food seething with jealousy. I can¡¯t blame them. It was an item worth coveting. I was also jealous and I wanted the bag for myself too. Anyway, Dianne assured us that we can ask favors of safekeeping our items if we ever ran out of space. Only if we ran out of space. Period. As we ate our dinner, we sat and gathered around the fire and I told them what happened when I was alone. I told them how I lost my hand and my eye and everything I learned about the Dark Lord and how he tortured me through my dreams and hallucination. To tell you the truth, I think I was lucky that I couldn¡¯t remember that part. If not, I¡¯d probably be that rampaging insane mage of my nightmares. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Miguel.¡± Dianne said as she rests her head on my shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll hurt us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure.¡± I shook my head. ¡°You begged me for mercy and I killed you in my dreams.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not real.¡± Beth shrugged. ¡°Good thing it¡¯s just a dream, no?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­¡± The others then told me their side of the story. Apparently, after they buried Sir Gerry¡¯s snare drum, they received a quest from God, telling them to save me before it was too late. They also met Daria Swann on the way and Dianne became a hater because she was, according to her words, a selfish, pompous bitch. Dianne was the one who told their whole story. She was a horrible story teller and their story became uninteresting and boring. The only thing that caught my attention was the part when they killed thousands of zombies by making an improvised explosive. I never thought it would be possible to create a bomb because the SYSTEM already disabled any modern technology and that includes modern weapons and explosives. ¡°So how did you create a bomb?¡± I asked. ¡°Remember the Fucking Rock?¡± Eric smirked as I nodded. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t get rid of it like you asked me so I kept it. I even bought more from the black market in Camp Aguinaldo.¡± ¡°What?¡± My voice suddenly raised. ¡°What the fuck were you thinking? You could have gotten us killed!¡± ¡°Huh? You almost had me killed this afternoon and you¡¯re telling him that?¡± Melissa scoffed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Eric asked. Melissa pointed her finger at me. ¡°He infected me with dark mana, so he can study it! He used me as guinea pig!¡± ¡°I already said I¡¯m sorry, but I really didn¡¯t mean it. It was an accident. I swear, it won¡¯t happen again.¡± I said in defense. ¡°And don¡¯t worry, Eric. I made sure that I removed all traces of dark mana in her body. She¡¯s fine now.¡± ¡°Asshole.¡± Melissa murmured as she rolled her eyes. ¡°I gave her some holy water. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Mark added. Eric forgave me easily as he sighed in relief, but Melissa was still angry at me. The mood of the group became better as they began to tell horror stories. What a great timing! We were in a school where lots of people died and turned into zombies. Most of the victims were children, but Schmidt has already cleared the whole campus and put a barrier on the gates to protect us from undead. After the others told their supernatural encounters in the past, Mark told us that Schmidt didn¡¯t kill everything and he was the one who finished the job. I didn¡¯t know if it was true or it was just a fake story to scare us, but he said that the children¡¯s ghosts could not move on to the afterlife and haunted the school. He performed exorcism and blessed the school with his holy water in order to send the restless spirits to the Palace of the Forgiven, which is Sinestra¡¯s domain in the Spirit Realm. ¡°So that¡¯s why I heard kids playing outside.¡± Melissa said, wrapping her arms around her. ¡°I thought it was just my imagination.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Dianne put her finger on her lips. ¡°I thought Mark was just joking?¡± ¡°I wish I was, but it¡¯s true. Those children died horrible deaths and they were thankful when I put them to rest.¡± Mark sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I made sure that everyone was put to rest.¡± I didn¡¯t believe in ghosts, but now, I think I should, since everything has changed. We fell quiet for a while and we became paranoid. Not of monsters, but of ghosts. While monsters can kill you, the fear of the unknown is stronger than fear of death. You can see a goblin¡¯s arrow coming, but you can¡¯t see the cold pale hand that is going to touch your shoulders. That night, we slept together in the same room, which I hated the most. I even had to put up with Mark¡¯s loud snores and Eric and Richard¡¯s teeth grinding. I went back to the cafeteria to do more experiments with dark mana. I was thinking that it would be the best time for me to study since I could use some silence and moreover, there would be no distractions. I took out my notebook and continued to study with dark magic. I was thinking of melded spells that would go along with it, but something bothered me. Like I said, I wasn¡¯t superstitious or anything, but I felt like an eye was watching me. My heart raced when I thought of the possibility of the Dark Lord attacking me again. ¡°BOO!¡± ¡°AHHH!¡± My heart felt like it skipped a beat. When I realized that it was just Claire, I sighed in relief. ¡°Hahaha! You should¡¯ve seen your face!¡± Claire laughed. ¡°Gosh, my stomach hurts. Hahahaha!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that again!¡± I clicked my tongue. ¡°I almost killed you!¡± ¡°Pfft¡­ I doubt that. So what are you doing here all by yourself?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡± I responded. ¡°I thought this would be the best time to study dark magic. How about you?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t sleep too.¡± Claire shrugged. As I read my notes, Claire took a chair and sat in front of me. She stared seductively with a smile on her face. Although we weren¡¯t saying anything to each other, it was distracting and I felt uncomfortable. It was as if her eyes were stripping me. After a few moments, I had to say something because I was running out of patience. ¡°Stop that.¡± ¡°Stop what?¡± She asked without breaking eye contact. ¡°Stop staring.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything.¡± I let out a sigh as I moved back farther from her. Claire moved her chair again and sat in front of me. ¡°Hey, how about you fulfill your end of our bargain?¡± Claire said with a grin. ¡°Right now.¡± ¡°Not now.¡± I shook my head. I suddenly felt a pressure on my mind. I looked at Claire and her eyes were glowing. I instantly recognized what she was doing. She was trying to use [Charm] on me. Fortunately for me, it wasn¡¯t working because of my skill [Mind Barrier]. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it working?¡± Claire scratched her head in frustration. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my skill?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shrugged as I flipped the page on my notebook. ¡°You know I always try to use my skill on you even before you had that mind barrier skill or something.¡± ¡°What?¡± I blurted out in surprise. ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°Remember when I first used my skill on you? Back in the restaurant? It used some of my MP, but it didn¡¯t work. I did it again and again to distract you whenever you were meditating, but it didn¡¯t have any effect on you.¡± ¡°And so?¡± ¡°Do have another cheat skill on your sleeve?¡± Claire squinted her eyes. I shook my head. ¡°None that I¡¯m aware of, at least.¡± Claire kept on using [Charm] but after a while, she gave up as she ran out of MP. ¡°Hey, can you give me some of your MP? I¡¯m almost through your barrier.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± I gave up as I used [Mana Transfer] on her. Claire would probably nag me endlessly if I didn¡¯t comply. ¡°By the way, God talked to me earlier.¡± Claire said as she continued to use her skill. ¡°And I found it disturbing.¡± I closed my notebook and turned my attention to her. ¡°What is?¡± ¡°You know I tested my skills on Melissa, right?¡± Claire asked and I nodded. ¡°Well, when we were in Camp Aguinaldo, you were sleeping with your eyes open. Dianne saw it too. It¡¯s weird that you had the same look as Melissa when she was under my illusion. It¡¯s even weirder that Asharra dropped the skill book [Crippling Fear].¡± ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I think that [Charm] and [Crippling Fear] arethe cause of your nightmares.¡± Claire continued. ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re the one causing my nightmares?¡± I looked at her with suspicion. ¡°You said it yourself that you always try to use [Charm] on me.¡± ¡°Of course not. You wouldn¡¯t be talking to me right now if I¡¯m working for the Dark Lord. I mean, I talked to God about it.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Seems fair.¡± ¡°You mentioned that when you were alone, you didn¡¯t have any nightmares but when you met Asharra, the nightmares came back, am I right? That means¡­¡± ¡°That means one of us is a servant of the Dark Lord.¡± I said as I finished her sentence. ¡°Or could be the Dark Lord in disguise.¡± ¡°Well, Dark Lord in disguise is unlikely. I know you¡¯re suspicious of me, but I¡¯m probably the person you can trust the most.¡± Right. I¡¯ll fucking hate it if it turns out that she¡¯s my true enemy. I guess Schmidt would¡¯ve already killed her and she wouldn¡¯t be God¡¯s contact. But did God really contact her? What if she¡¯s lying? What if Schmidt wasn¡¯t really God¡¯s servant, but the Dark Lord¡¯s? That scheme would make sense and it would be the easiest way to gain my trust. But then, why would Claire make an effort to restore my memories? ¡°Anyway, I asked God if he can access the memories of all our party members. I told him that I suspected that one of us serves the Dark Lord.¡± Claire explained. ¡°Well, He did and I was right.¡± ¡°And?¡± I clenched my fist in anticipation. ¡°Who''s the traitor?¡± ARC 2: Chapter 39: Way of the Sensei Chapter 39:Way of the Sensei At the crack of dawn of the next day, I called everyone for an emergency group meeting. Eric yawned, stretching his arms. ¡°What is it? Why did you call for a group meeting so early?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Melissa said in a weak voice. Her eyes were half-closed. ¡°Can¡¯t we have this meeting later? I want to sleep more.¡± The others weren¡¯t as wide awake as me and Claire. I didn¡¯t get much sleep last night because of her revelations. That and because I was too paranoid that the Dark Lord will attack me while I¡¯m sleeping. Even though it was unlikely to happen, I am a very pessimistic person. Murphy¡¯s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. For pessimists like me, it is an absolute law of the world. ¡°You can go back to sleep if you want after this meeting.¡± I spoke in a firm voice. I didn¡¯t want them to have an impression that I was just fucking around. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call everyone if this isn¡¯t important.¡± Knowing my party¡¯s general laid back attitude, I¡¯ve always expected them to be relaxed even if I said it was important. These morons won¡¯t consider something as ¡®important¡¯ unless there¡¯s an imminent danger on their lives. An idiotic thinking that would always result in loss of one¡¯s life. I can see why Gerry was killed. However, I couldn¡¯t totally blame them. Spending days of sleepless nights out in the wild with the threat of monsters every second and you¡¯ll understand that a place like this campus where you can sleep peacefully is like heaven on earth. ¡°God spoke to Claire last night about the Dark Lord¡­¡± This seemed to catch the slightest of their attention. When I paused for a bit, their attention died quicker than kids with ADHD. ¡°There is a traitor in this party.¡± There was a pause. Their laid back expressions were replaced by seriousness like they¡¯ve been told that they have a full-blown AIDS. Now, I have their full attention. ¡°Was.¡± Claire corrected me. ¡°There was a traitor.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Dianne gulped, waiting for the big reveal. ¡°George.¡± Claire answered. ¡°What?¡± Beth asked, furrowing her eyebrows. ¡°Are you sure? How?¡± Needless to say, we were all shocked to learn that George was the traitor. I was glad that he wasn¡¯t with us now. I didn¡¯t expect that he was serving the Dark Lord. I was a fool to trust him because he was a friend in the past. If I remembered it correctly, George¡¯s wife was killed by an ogre during the first days of the Merge. According to him, he ran away with his son and met with the other survivors in the Political Science Building. However, according to God, George¡¯s son, Ethan, was also dismembered by the same ogre that killed his wife while he ran away to save himself. George was stricken with grief and guilt that he let his wife and son die to save his own skin. He attempted to kill himself by having the ogres eat him too, but he was saved by a little girl with cat¡¯s ears and tail. The little cat girl offered him a chance. A chance for his son or his wife to live again. He had to make a choice because the cat girl would only resurrect one of them for a price. George chose Ethan over his wife. Being true to her word, the cat girl miraculously brought his son back to life. He noticed that there was a change in Ethan¡¯s behavior, but he was glad to have him back. For that foolishness of his, he paid a terrible price. In exchange for the life of his son, George will be bound to the cat girl¡¯s master and he will follow his orders without question. And follow, he did. The Dark Lord cannot materialize into the mortal realm without an invitation from a mortal. George assisted the little cat girl to gather the corpses of monsters and humans alike, including the dismembered remains of his wife. By performing a dark ritual, they have summoned the cat girl¡¯s master into the world and with him, his army of the dead. In other words, George and Asharra were the ones who summoned the Dark Lord and spawned the zombie dungeon on Earthland. [1] The one who was causing my nightmares was Ethan himself. Little did George know, Ethan wasn¡¯t the son he once knew. He was a homunculus in Ethan¡¯s likeness. A demi-monster created with the darkest of magics. According to my notes about homunculi, it is troublesome to kill them. As long as the master of the homunculus lives, the homunculus can be resurrected again and again. Without a doubt, Asharra, the First of the Homunculi, will come back for me to finish the job. Unless, God finishes off the Dark Lord first. ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± Dianne rubbed her chin. ¡°George seemed too happy when he met Miguel.¡± [2] ¡°It¡¯s possible that our meeting in the university wasn¡¯t just a coincidence.¡± Eric shuddered. ¡°I don¡¯t think Claire being bitten by a zombie was a coincidence either because I remembered George asking me if Miguel and Claire were close.¡± [3] ¡°I thought of that too.¡± Claire nodded her head. ¡°Ethan always sleeps beside Miguel as well. No doubt he was the one causing Miguel¡¯s nightmares.¡± [4] ¡°I hate to admit this, but Miguel¡¯s instinct is spot on.¡± Eric let out a sigh, then he turned to me. ¡°Do you have another hidden cheat skill?¡± ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°If what you said is true, then how come God didn¡¯t see it in the beginning?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°I thought he can read the minds of all beings in this universe?¡± ¡°Yeah, I asked the same thing. He said that while He can read the minds of every being in the universe, He can¡¯t read them all at the same time. I don¡¯t want Him to hear this but¡­¡± Claire leaned and whispered. ¡±The Dark Lord is cunning enough to fool God. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s fair to assume that the Dark Lord can actually take God on his own? He¡¯s a god too, you know.¡± Although Claire had a fair point, I refused to believe that God was weak and incompetent. After all, he was the one who merged Earth and Midland and made this world a cruel joke of a game. He also has a super saiyan in a black suit as an errand boy. From what Dianne has told me yesterday, Schmidt told her that there are many of them and before he left, he guaranteed Dianne that if they ever met the Dark Lord, only two administrators will be enough to defeat him. If God was serious at trying to contact me, why didn¡¯t he read the minds of all of our party members when I was cut off? I bet he knew that the Dark Lord¡¯s mana was the cause of the communication breakdown between us. I mean, if he really wanted to, he can just contact Claire or the others and say, ¡®Yo? Miguel there?¡¯ or maybe a little warning like, ¡®Can you please strangle the life out of that traitor called George?¡¯ The biggest question, however, remains the unanswered. From his manipulation of George, the Dark Lord seemed to have planned our meeting since the Merge. How come the Dark Lord knew me in the beginning? ¡°What will happen to him? Will they torture him?¡± Judging from Beth¡¯s expression, she seemed to be concerned about George. Claire gave a noncommittal shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but they¡¯re hunting down the Dark Lord.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Look¡­¡± Claire placed her hand on Beth¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard for you to believe because he was once your friend, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll torture him.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t?¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± Clare gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°God has already seen whatever is in his mind, so there¡¯s no point in torturing him to interrogate him about the Dark Lord. They¡¯ll probably kill him quick.¡± The others flinched and shrank back as they heard that our former party member will likely to be killed. A traitor for sure, but he was one of us. We fought together, ate together and we shared a couple of drinks in the past. Claire was pissed off, that¡¯s for sure. Who wouldn¡¯t? She almost died when she was bitten by a zombie and it was all because of George and Ethan. ¡°What else did God tell you?¡± Eric asked. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Claire gave a shrug. ¡°He and the administrators are taking care of it and He said that we should worry about our own problems and quote, He said: ¡®enjoy the game¡¯.¡± ¡°Enjoy the game?!¡± Eric¡¯s hands tightened into fists. I had the same reaction when Claire said the same thing. I gave Eric a pat on his back, hoping that he¡¯ll calm down. It¡¯s not like I can do anything about it. I wouldn¡¯t go far and say ¡®Good riddance¡¯ but George brought it upon himself. I wasn¡¯t really upset that he betrayed me. If I were in his shoes, I would¡¯ve done the same. Betraying a person who you shared a drink with isn¡¯t as important as holding your beloved son in your arms once again. I kinda pity George. The Dark Lord used him and now, he¡¯s being punished for it. Every game has its rules and the administrators like Schmidt are the game moderators or GMs for short. GMs enforces the rules and punishing those who violates it. Players who use third party programs were punished by banning them from the game and if you compare it to this real life RPG, then getting banned probably means death. I think God helped us, not because he cared about our lives, but because the Dark Lord¡¯s actions were against the SYSTEM¡¯s rules. God was right about one thing though. We should mind our own problems with regards to our survival like all other players in the SYSTEM. The others continued to talk with each other. I let them sort it out themselves as Claire told them that God cleared all of us, including me (obviously), of any suspicion of being in cahoots with the Dark Lord. As much as possible, I didn¡¯t want them to be suspicious of one another. Being paranoid is one thing, but once you think that you can¡¯t trust your teammate to have your back, then everything falls apart. When that happens, we will certainly die. Not because of the Dark Lord and his lackeys, but because we failed to realize that we¡¯re still in the game of death. With monsters as our killers. ¡°Anyway, we can¡¯t do anything about it. Let God do his thing and we should focus on other matters.¡± I turned to Mark. ¡°When can we leave this place?¡± ¡°Before Schmidt left, he suggested that we stay here until your Flesh Waste debuff is at least 60%. You can¡¯t risk travelling with less than 200 HP.¡± Mark explained. ¡°How are you feeling, by the way?¡± ¡°Still the same.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Flesh Waste¡¯s at 79%, so I guess we¡¯ll be stuck here for a while.¡± ¡°We gather supplies while you¡¯re recovering.¡± Melissa suggested as she let out a sigh. ¡°We¡¯re always running out of food.¡± ¡°There may be some places here that isn¡¯t looted.¡± Eric said as he rubbed his chin. He turned to Dianne. ¡°Are there any zombie hordes nearby?¡± ¡°Yeah, I saw some in west of here¡­¡± Dianne tilted her head. ¡°But I don¡¯t see how zombie hordes are relevant to finding food.¡± ¡°Of course, they¡¯re relevant. Where there¡¯s enemy, there¡¯s loot.¡± Eric guffawed, marveling at his seemingly ¡®brilliant¡¯ idea. I facepalmed at his idea. ¡°Eric, I thought we learned something about being reckless. Do you remember what happened when fought our first goblin group?¡± ¡°Man¡­¡± Eric let out a sigh as Dianne, Claire and Melissa cringed at the memory of us being almost wiped out. The others didn¡¯t react because they weren¡¯t there. ¡°I already learned my lesson, but think about it: if you see a horde of fast zombies, what would you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯d avoid it.¡± I immediately replied. ¡°That is if I spotted them first, but if they saw me first, then I¡¯ll run my ass off.¡± ¡°Then the other survivors who came in here before us probably thought of the same thing. There¡¯s a high chance that those areas aren¡¯t looted.¡± Eric said, hoping that I see the logic in his reasoning. I can see it, but I wasn¡¯t as enthusiastic as he was. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miguel. Richard and I will come up with a plan.¡± ¡°Why will you run? You¡¯re capable of killing hundreds of enemies with your fire magic.¡± Richard stared at me with narrowed eyes. He sighed as if he realizes something. ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t remember anything. You haven¡¯t seen the trail of ashes you made, have you?¡± ¡°Miguel is a huge coward. Like Eric.¡± Melissa said as bluntly as possible. ¡°Probably more than Eric. He likes it when I¡¯m the bait, so they get to kill the monsters safely in the distance with my life on the line. He rarely uses his magic even though he can regenerate his MP fast. The only time I saw him use his magic in combat was when we fought the gnolls and the troll. He¡¯s full of shit¡­¡± She turned to her boyfriend. ¡°Like Eric.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Eric glared at her, but she did not budge. Not even for a bit. Claire was fuming silently beside me while staring daggers at Melissa. Eric¡¯s glare might not be effective, but Claire¡¯s death glare is disturbing even to Melissa. I huffed. ¡°Remember when none of you wanted to test our zombie disguise because you were too scared? Who tested it? It was me. The reason why I rarely use magic in battle is because I was your only healer. If you¡¯re bleeding to death and I don¡¯t have MP, who will save your bloody ass?¡± I said bloody ass because Melissa took a goblin¡¯s arrow in her butt cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m saving my MP for emergency.¡± ¡°Like I said,¡± Melissa rolled her eyes. ¡°Full of shit.¡± I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Eric dumps Melissa the bitch. I tried not to take it personally. Besides, it was my fault that I infected her with dark mana yesterday and I actually agreed with her that I am indeed full of shit. Both figuratively and literally because I was wearing adult diapers yesterday. I just ignored her and she¡¯ll probably cool off after a few days. It may take more than a few days though. ¡°I don¡¯t think Miguel is a coward. If he is, then he would never go alone in the first place.¡± Mark turned his head to me and smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how strong your magic is. I¡¯ve heard that no one in Camp Aguinaldo made it back when they went to Pasig. They said it¡¯s overrun by monsters, but we never encountered that many monsters on the way.¡± He looked down and his smile turned into a frown. ¡°Except the slime dungeon. I guess you didn¡¯t go that way.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve been in the same party before and you probably never saw me in action.¡± I gave Mark a dismissive wave of a hand. My left hand. Or at least where my left hand would be if it weren¡¯t missing. ¡°I was reckless and look what happened, I lost my hand and my eye. I think Melissa is quite right. I¡¯m a coward, but I¡¯m not an idiot either. I know my limits and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bravery if you face an unfavorable odd, it¡¯s plain stupidity and an unnecessary risk.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t like to tank.¡± Eric said, looking at me and waiting for my confirmation. When I didn¡¯t respond, he let out a sigh. ¡°But now, I think I can manage to tank with my new skill.¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, you should do that and besides, Mark is a better healer than me. I can finally focus on supporting everyone with [Mana Transfer]. I can also support Richard with his AoE spells.¡± ¡°Definitely,¡± Richard nodded his head in agreement. ¡°I can go apeshit with my meteor showers.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea, Richard.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Your spells are total waste of mana. There are ways to maximize your spell damage while minimizing the mana cost. I¡¯ll teach you my tricks later like I promised.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Richard rubbed his palms in excitement. ¡°By the way,¡± Dianne handed me a bottle of potion. ¡°I finished brewing a potion to speed up your recovery.¡± I inspected the bottle. It contained a seemingly innocuous white liquid that looked like milk. Knowing that Dianne always tries her potion on herself first, her being alive and well was a solid proof that the potion was safe.
Lesser Health Potion Quality: Rank E (Low) Effect: Reduces hunger and grants energy by a small amount. A low quality potion originally brewed by Dianne Duria. Highly nutritious and palatable compared to the brewer¡¯s other works, this potion has everything that the body needs. Combined with proper diet and regular exercise, drinking this potion on a daily basis will increase one¡¯s vitality.
No. Fucking. Way. ¡°How did you make this?¡± I asked as I sniffed the bottle. It also smelled like milk. The others were also curious, so I passed along the potion for them to inspect. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading Schmidt¡¯s alchemy book.¡± Dianne explained as she gave a confident smile. ¡°He had a recipe for a health potion, but I couldn¡¯t find most of the listed ingredients yesterday. They¡¯re rare actually, so I experimented for a bit. Dragon blood extract is the main ingredient. Since I can¡¯t find any dragons around, let alone kill them, I found out that I can use breast plant extract as substitute.¡± ¡°Breast plant?¡± I have no idea what Dianne was babbling about, but all I understood was breast plant. Dianne took out a strange pinkish fruit from her magic bag and handed it to me. ¡°That¡¯s a breast plant. It¡¯s a bit similar to dragon blood extract in their magical properties, but it¡¯s definitely inferior. I used breast plant extract for my healing potions and they¡¯re easy to find.¡± The botanist or, in this case, alchemist who named this plant has a bad naming sense. It¡¯s not funny nor witty in a slightest sense. Breast plant, as its tasteless humorous name suggests, looks like ¨C well, a breast. It was about the size of a fist and rounded with a dark brown patch on top of it that looks like a nipple. It wasn¡¯t soft as the name suggests, but it was smooth and very nice to touch. Even though I said it was a fruit, I inspected it more carefully and I think it was a tuber. Like potatoes. Dianne¡¯s health potion was unbelievably OP. We finally found a way to increase VIT without relying too much on attribute points. Theoretically speaking, you can be an immortal by regularly drinking this potion. I just don¡¯t know how much potion I have to take to gain 1 VIT because it said that I have to exercise and eat properly. This potion was probably the best potion Dianne has ever made. Dianne only gave me just one bottle for me even though she recommended that my daily dosage should be twice a day. She said that if she gave me more than one bottle and let me drink it on my own, I might ¡®forget¡¯ to drink later on because, apparently, that¡¯s who I was. Of course, it wasn¡¯t meant as an insult, but Dianne was only worried because I tend to forget to take care of myself. That¡¯s why from then on, she will make sure that I drink her health potion every day. The potion was true to its description. It was indeed palatable unlike Dianne¡¯s other potions which usually tastes like goat shit, donkey piss or both. It tasted like regular milk with a hint sweetness and acidity which reminds me of strawberries. Yep, definitely, it¡¯s the taste of strawberry milk. It also had a refreshing aftertaste that leaves a cool feeling in the throat. After I finished the potion, I didn¡¯t feel anything. I felt nothing except for the disappointment that I actually expected that drinking health potion will instantly restore my body in its healthy state. Was I an idiot for believing in miracles? Maybe, but I based my expectation on Arevalo¡¯s First Law of Magic. This potion is magical, therefore, its effects must be magical too, right? Unfortunately, it was immediately countered by the Second Law of Magic. I misunderstood the potion¡¯s effects leading to my disappointment. Who knew? When I opened my status screen, my satiety level went from hungry to normal and I also felt less exhausted. As I read the potion¡¯s description, I facepalmed for not noticing a crucial detail. While the potion seemed too good to be true, the description could be just a flavor text with no real effects or whatsoever. The description itself was a contradiction. It has everything that the body needs, but still you have to exercise and eat a proper diet. Why do I feel like I was ripped off? Of course, it must be magic. The magic of advertisement that is. The old world¡¯s food supplements claimed to work wonders to the body and at the same time, there were no therapeutic claims. Loads of bullshit. There was no doubt in my mind that this useless potion was the same. However, I would still drink it. It tasted really good. It will probably taste better if I chilled it with magic. ¡°I will make more.¡± Dianne said as she took the empty bottle from my hand. ¡°I want everyone to drink it.¡± ¡°Yes, do that, Dianne.¡± I gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Richard raised his hand. ¡°Yes, Richard?¡± ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast?¡±
We plannedto stay for a few more days at the campus. The campus near the former zombie dungeon where I was held captive just a few days ago by a certain evil undead god and his ever loyal yandere cat girl who called me ¡®Papa¡¯. I had no idea why Schmidt specifically chose this place to be our safe zone, but I was certain that his mental capacity was equivalent to that of breast plant. Why breast plant exactly, you ask? As I said before, plants don¡¯t have mana cores as they are not sentient. No mana core means? Exactly. You must forgive me for my strange ''magical'' sense of humor. I couldn¡¯t help it. I¡¯m a mage, y¡¯know? Anyway, Eric and Richard had a hard time figuring out how to reforge the broken armor pieces ever since yesterday. The results weren¡¯t satisfying as their armors were permanently ruined. They gave up on their old armors and they joined the others on looting the area near the school. They came back pretty fast and I was actually surprised that they actually hit a jackpot when they found a retail store filled with at least seven days¡¯ worth of food. It¡¯s good thing that rice, canned goods, instant noodles and peanut butters have long shelf lives. It was all because of Eric¡¯s reckless philosophy that they managed to find them. ¡°Where there¡¯s enemy, there¡¯s loot.¡± It was an unusual find since almost everything in Taytay was already looted. I guess that the other survivors couldn¡¯t loot it because of an enormous horde of fast zombies. Dianne said that they weren¡¯t as many as they encountered back in the Home Depot, but Mark¡¯s AoE anti-undead skill [Sinestra¡¯s Blessing] made it possible for them to clear the horde. Maybe I should start following Eric for his exemplary recklessness. On a serious note, Eric is a mixture of two extremes like he has a split personality of pathetic cowardice and reckless bravery. I was aware that Eric didn¡¯t like tanking because of his experience with the goblins. According to Mark, Eric began to do his job as a tanker properly when they searched for food. He said that because of his new skill [Iron Fortress], physical attacks didn¡¯t hurt much anymore, so he charged towards the horde to everyone¡¯s surprise. Of course, Eric¡¯s behavior wasn¡¯t entirely new. Without rewards, be it food, additional EXP, or items, Eric will refuse to tank and be a whining coward. I should¡¯ve realized earlier that his greatest motivation was greed. I wanted to go out and kill some zombies too, but they didn¡¯t let me leave the campus for my own safety. Claire was adamant that I will never set foot outside the campus as long as I¡¯m not fully recovered. She was exceptionally good at making threats now by sharpening her sword in front of me. I had a feeling that I should not try to anger her for the sake of my well-being. As the others went to do their own business, Claire actually left me alone by some miracle. She said that she wanted some quiet time alone to study the Beastiary book I lent to her. I felt relieved that she felt the need to study instead of clinging to me, making threats, distracting me and being a muscle brain. At that time, I was at the basketball court playing ¡®Sensei¡¯ to my two retarded party members. Was I harsh for calling them a retard? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m pretty sure that I¡¯m retarded too. I was watching them play with fire magic while I was smoking a cigarette. Just like a badass Sensei. ¡°Sensei.¡± My weeaboo dwarf student called me as he raised his little staff. ¡°Am I doing it right, Miguel-Sensei?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that.¡± I cringed. I couldn¡¯t help, but cringe at the level of his weeabooness. Even I could not handle the intensity of Richard¡¯s faggotry. It¡¯s over 9000. ¡°Don¡¯t feed the fire too much. You¡¯re wasting too much mana.¡± Richard¡¯s flame was too strong and emitting too much smoke. I taught him my technique that reduces the amount smoke using [Water Manipulation]. By removing the moisture in the air and the liquid in the burning material, you can more or less reduce the smoke. With my high mana sensitivity from INT stat, I can easily tell from the distance that he was feeding the flames with too much mana. ¡°How much is your WIS by the way?¡± ¡°32¡± Richard replied. ¡°I put most of my stats in INT and VIT.¡± As I suspected, Richard¡¯s WIS stat was too low compared to mine which was 80. While mana sensitivity can increase your perception of mana to your surroundings, WIS increases mana control and flow for better MP consumption. Due to Richard¡¯s high INT, each ¡®strand¡¯ of his mana was more potent than mine. If we have the same amount of WIS stat, Richard¡¯s magic will be more powerful given that we cast the same spell for the same MP cost. ¡°You should add more WIS in the future.¡± I suggested. ¡°You are lacking in mana control.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Richard shook his head as he moved the flame around. ¡°I¡¯m good. See?¡± ¡°Dumbass.¡± I blurted. I summoned a flame on the top of my staff and willed my mana to influence the shape of the flame. I shaped the flame into a bird and made it fly around the campus. ¡°You¡¯re not good enough to do this.¡± Richard¡¯s mouth dropped in awe. ¡°You can summon a pet phoenix?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a phoenix.¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s just a normal fire magic. If you were listening to my explanations earlier, you¡¯ll be able to do this with a high WIS stat. From now on, I¡¯ll train your magic control.¡± ¡°How about me?¡± I turned around towards Melissa. Compared to Richard, her flame on the top of her palm was so small that you can blow on it as you would¡¯ve to put out a candle flame. ¡°Am I doing it right?¡± It was surprising how Melissa¡¯s attitude towards me change instantly when I told her that I will teach her my tricks in using magic. She was acting like we¡¯re buddies. Fucking bitch. You¡¯re worse than us. ¡°That¡¯s not how you should use [Fire Manipulation].¡± I gave her a dismissive wave. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Take your bow and summon a [Phantom Arrow].¡± Melissa took out her bow and when she drew her bow, an arrow made out of pure mana appeared. ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°Use Fire Manipulation] with your left thumb. The arrow should ignite.¡± I replied. ¡°That arrow is made of pure mana. That should be enough to fuel the fire.¡± Again, she summoned the candle flame. The phantom arrow ignited with blue flame. ¡°Wow! It worked!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°Now try to fire that arrow on that dummy of yours.¡± The arrow burst into flaming pieces as it landed on Melissa¡¯s target dummy. With [Arrow Shower], she can make a rain of flaming shrapnel, making it the best Area of Effect skill in our party. She can use [Aiming Shot] and [Phantom Arrow] with fire magic which makes the arrow similar to a grenade fired from a sniper rifle. Fucking OP if you ask me. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was how I gained my second title.
For showing your capabilities of teaching magic, the SYSTEM rewarded you with the following: Reward(s): Title: Sensei Effect: 20% more skill EXP to your disciples by yelling and berating them. Skill: Mentorship [Passive] Lvl. 1 Beginner Effect: Grants additional skill EXP to you and those you register as a Disciple. All skill EXP gained by your Disciple(s) will be granted to you as long as you have them in sight and vice versa. However, it will only increase skill EXP on skills that you and your Disciple have in common. You will still need an expert or master level skill to grant your skill to another. You may only have a maximum 12 Disciple. Skill EXP bonus: 10% + 1% per skill level
Although I was happy with the skill reward, I didn¡¯t know if I was supposed to be happy with the title. Seriously, who comes up with these stupid title names?! Fortunately, this skill provides somuch benefit for me and to others. Richard will have the most benefit since we have more skills in common. I will have to register him as my disciple and Melissa too. Claire and Mark will benefit too. Claire and I have [Sword Mastery] and Mark and I have [Heal]. This skill is damned OP! Unfortunately, the target dummy was reduced to nothing but ashes. Melissa was infuriated by it because she didn¡¯t have a spare and she won¡¯t be able to practice with her bow. Well, I didn¡¯t think I was at fault. I mean, she was the imbecile who burned her own things. When I thought Melissa would direct her anger to me and explode, she let out a deep sigh. ¡°Thank you.¡± Melissa smiled. Her smile was then followed by a gracious bow. ¡°Sensei.¡± Apparently, Melissa already saw my title. More cringing (from me mostly) followed after the two endlessly called me Sensei for the rest of the day. There were outcries of excitement, jealousy and begging among my party members when they learned of my new title and skill. Eric and Richard became my first disciples and then everyone followed. Apparently, everyone had a skill in common with me. Eric and I had [Bash] and I learned that Dianne had [Muffled Steps]. I now have a total of seven disciples. I still included Beth, of course. Her skills: [Momentum], a passive self-buff skill, and her latest one, [Power Attack]. Back in Camp Aguinaldo, she was given a loan to buy skills from the SYSTEM Shop and equipment from the local vendors. She bought three skill books from the Shop: [Cleave] and [Whirling Death], both were melee AoE skills and [Power Kick], a single target skill and the one I learned from my unique skill. It didn¡¯t make sense at first. Why would [Power Kick], a skill that utilizes one¡¯s legs to attack, would be relevant to her skills? Apparently, her skill [Cleave] can only be activated after activating [Power Kick]. Beth explained that what made her battle axe deadly was because of the power of her legs. The key principle of her fighting style was: ¡°A strong swing requires strong legs.¡± After everyone became my disciple, they all earned the title [Miguel¡¯s Disciple] which makes them benefit from my new skill [Mentorship]. My party members were unusually fired up as we gathered at the basketball court, so they can grind their skills. You may think what happened was something like an epic training sequence from anime where the Sensei trained his students. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case. The lack of epic music playing in the background and the lack of commonality within our party made our ¡®training¡¯ session similar to a typical day in a school for children with special needs. Of course, I¡¯m the SpEd teacher. I had fun berating my students. Moreover, it was okay with them because they couldn¡¯t deny the significant increase in EXP because of [Sensei] title. ¡°Oi Richard, you dumb midget!¡± I yelled. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? You should put out the fire arrow while in flight, not after it fucking lands! You¡¯re fucking it up again!¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± Richard gritted his teeth as Melissa released another fire arrow. ¡°Sensei.¡± He even managed to blurt out an insult as he successfully stopped a fire arrow in flight. ¡°Melissa, you¡¯re doing a good job.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Melissa¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°I always thought you were just a useless skank.¡± I almost let out a chuckle when I saw a vein popping out of her temple. ¡°Congratulations, you are now a useful skank. A skank, but at least, a useful one. Good job!¡± I had Beth and Claire sparred with each other using real weapons and their skills. You may think that Claire would be fucked if she gets hit by Beth¡¯s battle axe, but she has a high amount of VIT and [Troll Skin] made her skin flexible as rubber. I know, it¡¯s a bit brutal, but I had Mark heal them each time they suffer a wound. Of course, I was there too, and if needed, I¡¯ll join Mark at healing them. I turned to my other students and began berating them one by one. ¡°Are you tired, Eric? You should just [Bash] that empty head of yours to the wall. I bet that¡¯ll fix it.¡± ¡°Your skill is called [Muffled Step] for a reason. So why the fuck do I hear your footsteps, Dianne?¡± ¡°S-sorry!¡± ¡°You call yourself a healer, Mark? Beth and Clare are still bleeding! Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that. Fuck you!¡± ¡°Keep your chin up, Beth. I don¡¯t want you dying because you stab your heart with that chin. God knows our healer is useless.¡± Finally, I had an opportunity to berate Claire without repercussions. I really missed insulting Claire. While everyone was stabbing me with their stare, except for Dianne, she was sniffling, Claire was totally focused on her sparring with Beth. She didn¡¯t even look at me when I tried to point out the flaws of her moves while insulting her mental capacity. Claire was ignoring me completely! It was super effective that I was pissed off. That was until¡­ ¡°Are those cellulites I¡¯m seeing? Is your ass getting bigger again?¡± I restrained myself from grinning on my ultimate insult. This one¡¯s going to be my win. ¡°What did you say?¡± Great! At last, a reaction! Now we¡¯re getting somewhere. ¡°Did you just called me fat?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you on a strict diet from now on.¡± I continued. ¡°Three bowls of rice per meal is hardly a proper diet, you know.¡± With that said, I laughed out loud. I can now berate Claire about her weight as she did when I was fat. But then, I noticed that it suddenly became too quiet. I wasn¡¯t hearing a clash of steel. I wiped away the tears from my eye and¡­ Shit! I felt myself shrank back like a turtle retreating into its shell. Claire didn¡¯t say anything, but her glare could¡¯ve killed an ogre with its intensity. Even though I was sure that she didn¡¯t use [Crippling Fear], her devilish glare, accompanied by the tight grip on her sword¡¯s hilt, was enough to shut me up and tremble in fear. What¡¯s worse, it was followed by her lips twisting into the most disturbing smile I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°Huh.¡± Claire said as she kept her terrifying glare. She waved around her sword in the air. ¡°My [Sword Mastery] leveled up.¡± That day I learned an important lesson: Never to mention the word ¡®fat¡¯ or any words related to it if Claire¡¯s around unless, of course, if I have a death wish.
After hours of seemingly endless skill grinding, my party members/disciples were exhausted and decided to rest early in the night. Since there was no need for someone to take the watch because of the anti-undead barrier Schmidt set up in the campus¡¯ entrance, we all decided to sleep. Again, in the same room. I was worried for my life when Claire lay down on the bed beside me. Luckily, Claire can fall asleep real fast and when she does, you can land a jet plane in front of her and she¡¯ll still be soundly sleeping. I took my pillow and bedding to find another room for me to spend the night. A few rooms near the clinic, I found a large classroom. Unlike the other classrooms, this one didn¡¯t have bloodstains or rotten body parts. It was probably unused before the apocalypse because it was dusty. At least it didn¡¯t stink. Oh, how I wish the boring days will never come to end. With the Dark Lord probably gone, I can finally sleep without worries. Being bored is the result of not having a problem. You will never get bored nor feel the passage of time if you are busy with your problem. Even though there were still monsters outside, I was thankful that I can spend a night doing nothing but rest. For once, even if temporary, we were safe. Thank you for the barrier, Admin Schmidt! I was about to fall asleep when I noticed something amiss. I had a particular skill, you see. A skill that I have acquired through my 20 years of living. A skill that made me nervous all the time. An uncanny skill to sense when things are awry. When I opened my eyes, I noticed that there was a faint light in the room, even though it was very dark inside and outside the campus. As I carried myself in my wheelchair, I looked through the windows to see where the light was coming from. My eye was bulging from the socket as I trembled. The light was coming from torches! Fuck! I should¡¯ve realized that my peaceful and boring days will never last. [WE¡¯RE UNDER ATTACK!] - Miguel No Respawn Patch 2.0 Available Now! Hello guys! As I said before, I was busy rewriting the whole series. It''s a complete overhaul and there are major changes that I think you''ll notice immediately when you read the rewrite. I changed the style from 1st person to a limited 3rd person style, but still in Miguel''s POV. I find it easier to write this way. There are also changes in the game mechanics and I based it on some of the games I played. Also, the magic system is now different. I changed it because magic in the old novel is too OP and in my opinion, magic should be hard to do and learn (or at least hard to master). In the new novel, magic is a profession and being an expert in magic puts you in a position similar to a doctor, lawyer or accountant.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. You can find the rewrite of No Respawn here: https://royalroadl.com/fiction/15941/no-respawn-patch-20 That''s all. Thank you!