《The Unknown Hero》 Arc 1 - Chapter 1: Lunch Meat 11:28 Crap, I¡¯m running late. Speeding down the highway headed towards college town, I am trying desperately to make up for lost time. I had agreed to meet a friend for lunch today and as usual, I was running late. You think I would eventually learn to manage my departure times better, especially with an hour commute to school. But my favorite web novel had a new chapter uploaded and I couldn¡¯t wait to read it. So¡­here I am speeding down the highway trying to lessen the time that I will be late and praying I don¡¯t get another speeding ticket. 11:36 I finally pull in beside the restaurant parking my car and jump out. Ugh, the scorching sun is shinning heavily on me and I am already missing my AC. I hate hot weather. On the plus side though, the semester is over and I can now spend my summer without having to study. Walking into the restaurant, I pause to remove my aviator sunglasses and clip them onto my shirt collar. Scanning the room I finally notice my friend Matt already sitting at a table near the back wall. Walking towards him, he notices and stands to greet me. ¡°About time, I was thinking of ordering without you.¡± Matt smiles behind his beard that makes him look Amish. ¡°Yeah, yeah, fatty can¡¯t wait to eat I get it.¡± Smiling mischievously I throw my fist out to bump with his meaty hand. I might joke around about my friend¡¯s large size, but it is by far more muscle than fat. Between his rugby and bouncing at the local bar at nights, I know not to push his nerves too much. ¡°Damn right, now let¡¯s get some food.¡± Matt pushes past me and I shake my head following into the order line. 11:56 The usual jibs at each other and idle chatter fill our conversation as we finish eating. This is the usual routine for us. We both met in our first semester at college and us having the same major we ended up with several classes together. So with our similar goals and care free attitudes we became quick friends a couple years back. In the middle of our bantering, the harsh sound of rubber scraping across asphalt catches our ears and it is soon accompanied by the climatic crash as the finale. Standing up, we move outside with a few other pedestrians to perform our civil duty of gawking at other¡¯s misfortune. Stepping towards the street, we soon see the crash scene and it appears that both drivers are okay. The one that was rear ended is loudly yelling at the other, but the real peculiarity is actually the other pedestrians. Their focus is not on the accident instead they are all standing aghast with open mouths and pointing fingers towards the sky. Craning my head up allows me to finally catch onto the mystery. Majestic hues of green, blue, and purple are streaming across the sky. ¡°Aurora Borealis?¡± My first thought of this phenomenon escapes my mouth unknowingly. ¡°Dude, that is wicked.¡± Matt has caught on as well to the dazzling sight. However, before I can comment any further, a loud high pitched tone assaults my ears. Screaming in alarm I frantically clutch my ears hoping to mitigate the sound. A moment passes and with sweet relief so does the painful noise. The pounding in my head slowly subsides and I focus on catching my breath. I take a moment to look around and notice that I was not the only one who experienced that excruciating phenomenon. With renewed composure I push myself back onto two feet and step over to help Matt up as well. ¡°You okay?¡± Matt mumbles a response to my inquiry as he gets back up. ¡°That was harsh, what do you think could have caused that noise?¡± Matt throws a questioning look my way while adjusting his glasses back on his nose. ¡°Not sure, hold on I want to call someone to see how widespread this was.¡± I pull out my phone and turn to shield the screen from the sun¡¯s glare. Switching my phone out of sleep mode, I cringe as I observe the screen glitch causing me to worry that the software may have been fried from that high pitch tone. Hitting it against my palm seems to do the trick as the screen settles down and turns back to normal. I glance at the digital clock displayed on the screen and notice the time. 12:01 The reverberating roar of some beast penetrates the air and sends a deep chill down my spine. Just as the roar settles down, it is soon replaced by the horror filled screams of people. My eyes widen in alarm and all the hair on my body stands on end as I am starting to imagine unknown horrors. With a heavy gulp I turn to look at Matt and notice his tense posture and the trickle of sweat down his forehead. Uncertainty and fear are crippling my mind as I struggle to move. A shadow passes through the air and slams into the street near by the crash scene. My eyes had naturally followed the movement and I am soon able to discern the horrendous details. The mangled form of a man is now splattered on the asphalt. Bone is penetrated through skin in multiple locations and limbs lay in awkward position that is not natural. Scanning the entire figure, my eyes settle onto the face. Red foamy froth is coughed out of the open mouth as the person is struggling to breath, yet he is obviously suffocating on his own blood. Trying to look away, my eyes make contact with the man¡¯s and I can see the plea for help within them. Yet all I can do is attempt to hold back the tears clouding my eyes and force myself to finally move. ¡°Matt, we need to move now!¡± Screaming I reach out and grab Matt¡¯s shoulder and try to pull him back towards the restaurant. He snaps to attention and nods before turning to follow me to what I can only hope will be protection from the horrors that are now lurking about. Luck is not on our side. We don¡¯t even get half way to the door, before a horde of grotesque green men come charging out from the tree line. These creatures are roughly a meter tall dressed in rags carrying wooden spears and rusty daggers. Their canines are more pronounced jutting out of screaming mouths and their pitch black eyes show little intelligence as they begin attacking. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Three people closest to the trees are immediately knocked down as their bodies become pin cushions. Their agonizing screams send the already tense people nearby into a panicked frenzy. Knocking and shoving persists as each is only concerned about their own self. In a moment of flight or fight, I decided that if I was to go I wanted to at least put up a fight. Reaching into my pocket I pull out a pen and grip it tightly like a knife. Looking over the creatures I notice one that has its back to me, as droplets of blood are flung into the air each time it draws back for another plunge with a dagger. Rushing forward I quickly bend the creatures neck, exposing the soft tissue as my ¡®weapon¡¯ penetrates the skin. I am rewarded with a pulsing stream of blood as the creature lets out a startled scream. The scream garners the attention of a spear wielding opponent who turns to attack me. Twisting in the nick of time I use my prey as a meat shield and witness the spear tip go through the surprisingly soft body. Throwing the carcass away I tackle the next enemy to the ground. The size difference plays to my benefit as I am able to pin the vermin¡¯s arms down with my knees and my body weight keeps it from escaping. The pounding heart beat felt between my hands slowly fades as I watch the life being squeezed out beneath me. Soon there is no more movement from the creature and I hesitantly retract my hands from the now crushed neck. A gentle chime echoes in my ear just as a glowing plus symbol flashes in the corner of my eye. This oddity snaps me back to reality and I am now able to focus on my surroundings. Looking around I do a quick count and realize there are five more of these green vermin. Two are in the midst of tearing flesh off of humans with their feral canines. The other three are dancing around a large man who is quickly recognized to be my friend. Surprisingly, he has somehow pulled a spear away and is using it to hold off the advances of the savages. Grabbing the fallen dagger from my first victim, I rush to aid my friend. Just as I am approaching, Matt gets a lucky kick into a prey¡¯s chest knocking it onto the ground. Taking the opportunity I descend upon my prey and lodge the blade right into the heart. My actions don¡¯t go unnoticed as the other two beasts snarl in my direction. Their focus taken away briefly, Matt acts and stabs his spear into the stomach of the closest one before wrenching it out and slamming the pole against the head of the other. Stunned the creature staggers momentarily before having its¡¯ feet swept out from underneath. The thud of hitting the ground is soon accompanied by the guttural scream as a spear rips through the chest. With four dead and a fifth bleeding out, I snap my head back towards the remaining opponents. Their mouths are hanging open with half chewed flesh exposed and blood smeared all over their faces. However, for the first time I can notice a new emotion in their eyes. Fear. Having watched their brethren perish, they scramble to their feet trying to run away. Seeing the fleeing backs of these two creatures angers me. They came in with no remorse killing, defiling, and eating us. Yet now they are fearful for their own lives? Hell no, I refuse to let them escape. Grabbing a nearby spear, I sprint forward chasing my prey. As soon as I am in reach, I swing down my weapon like a hammer and deliver a heavy blow to its¡¯ back. Without pause, I quickly stab the beasts back, pull out, and stab again. My focus dwindles as I let my emotions flow out with each stab. Soon a tight grip is felt on my shoulder and I can hear someone yelling into my ear. Looking through teary eyes, I notice it to be Matt. Confusion clouds my mind as I try to regain my awareness. Looking down all I can see is the mangled pile of flesh and blood that was once a humanoid creature. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Matt¡¯s question enters my ear and I turn to look him in the face. Worry and fear are etched into his eyes as he is slowly judging my mental stability. Wishing to clear my mind, I harshly slap my face leaving a searing pain across my cheek. The pain aids in removing the fog and raising my awareness. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay.¡± I resolutely reply to Matt before scanning the surrounding area. Corpses of both humans and those vermin are scattered across the parking lot. There is a young couple crouched down with the girl crying over the man as he tightly grips a bleeding shoulder. Other than the four of us there are no other living beings in the area, but I am not sure how long that will be. ¡°We need to move quickly before anything else arrives.¡± Pushing past Matt I move to start retrieving the fallen weapons from our attackers. ¡°Matt help those two into the building and then get any survivors to start barricading the doors and windows.¡± It takes a moment to get the girl to focus and let go of her boyfriend. I pass off a spear and two daggers to her as she follows the other two inside. Working quickly, I use the pants of a dead person to wipe some of the blood off of my hands before I move towards my vehicle. I retrieve my emergency bag which includes a first aid kit from the back and close the hatch. Doing another sweep of the area, I find two more daggers on the ground. As a last minute whim, I also retrieve my pen all the while chuckling to myself as the idiom of pens and swords flashes through my mind. With no other noticeable supplies about I power walk into the building. Turning I see the doors close and the last bit of sunlight vanishes as we seal ourselves off from the harsh outside. Chapter 2: Revelations Scrubbing furiously, I am trying desperately to remove the blood from my hands. This is the third time I have washed my hands and although the water is no longer died crimson, I can¡¯t get the image out of my head. Stopping my actions I grip the sink edges tightly as I start to dry heave. Finished removing my stomach¡¯s contents, I spit out the rancid taste that came up and I grimace after realizing the wasted food. Washing my mouth out I stare as the water swirls around the drain. ¡°Focus, losing control won¡¯t help the situation.¡± Psyching myself up, I dry my face and hands off as I move to exit the bathroom. Stepping out I scan the room and take note of all the survivors. Matt and a middle aged man, who I presume to be the manager here, as well as two cooks from the kitchen, are currently stacking tables and chairs to cover all the windows. The loud crying of two children is coming from a nearby corner as their mother tries desperately to comfort them. An old married couple is tightly holding onto each other¡¯s hands as they are sitting quietly in a booth. A lone young woman is sobbing and rocking herself back and forth beside the checkout counter. Lastly, is the couple from outside that Matt had helped to bring in. Including me there is only thirteen of us. The majority of these people will be useless if we are attacked again. Shaking my head I decide to focus on what can be done right now. Kneeling down beside the injured man I have to forcefully remove the girl¡¯s hands from his shoulder. She tries to protest but with a strong command and reassurance that I was going to help she reluctantly releases. Her delicate fingers move to tightly grip the man¡¯s other arm instead. Working quickly I retrieve the scissors from my first aid kit and cut away the fabric from around the wound. I flush with sterile water and apply a topical antibiotic to hopefully prevent any infection. Packing the wound with clean gauze, I apply enough pressure until the bleeding stops and then cover it with tape. ¡°Go grab me a table cloth.¡± The girl pauses, but a nod from her boyfriend convinces her to leave his side and do as I said. She hurriedly returns with the cloth and I begin working to make a sling for the injured arm. Finished with my work I hand over some painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicine to the man. ¡°Thanks.¡± The man responds after swallowing down the pills. Inquiring with a gesture towards my recent work, he asks. ¡°You a doctor or something?¡± ¡°No, I just teach Survival First Aid.¡± I give a quick answer as I begin packing my supplies. ¡°Than¡­Thank you.¡± The girl is trying to speak, but her body is shivering too much to be clear. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me, then¡­ then¡­he,¡± sobbing loudly she struggles to get her point across. ¡°John¡­.he¡­this wouldn¡¯t ¡­¡± ¡°Rachel, look at me.¡± The man, John, moves his good hand to gently raise her head until their eyes meet. ¡°It¡¯s okay, the injury is not that bad. But I would gladly take the attack again as long as I get to see your beautiful face.¡± With renewed water works, the girl moves in to tightly hug her boyfriend as the two share a moment. Giving them some time together, I move over to a nearby table and set my gear down beside the looted weapons, three spears and four daggers. Pretty dismal amount, but I will take what I can. Having finished the reinforcements Matt, along with his help, comes to join me. He introduces the manager by name as well as the two cooks. I give a curt nod towards the three before speaking to Matt. ¡°How well do you think the barricades will hold?¡± ¡°The doors are really sturdy and not made of glass, they should hold up well. The windows are a different question. They are high enough so that those green...¡± ¡°Goblins.¡± I cut into Matt giving my thought on what those creatures were. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking and those bastards fit the descriptions pretty well.¡± The other three attempt some rebuttals and complete denial of this possibility, but Matt jumps in to keep the peace. ¡°Regardless of what they are¡­¡± pausing he looks to make sure everyone quiets down. ¡°Until we know otherwise, goblins will be a useful term to keep us from getting confused.¡± Seeing no disagreement from anyone he continues from his earlier explanation. ¡°Anyways, the windows are high enough to keep the goblins from climbing through but we would still have to watch out for something being thrown at the top and breaking in.¡± Nodding my head I begin thinking about further preparations. ¡°Hmm, we need to find out how much food supplies we have¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute, I don¡¯t mind us barricading to keep those things out, but you can¡¯t just take food as you please. I am responsible for this business and I won¡¯t let you steal.¡± The manager coldly looks my way. ¡°Fine, then I would like to purchase all the food in this restaurant.¡± Pulling out my wallet I slam my credit card on the table while staring back daring him to say anything else. Huffing out an okay, the manager turns and sends the two cooks to do a complete count of food. ¡°Anything else you want to purchase?¡± The condescension is heavy in his question. ¡°Yes, I want you to take every pot and bucket you can spare to start filling them with water. Also, try to boil as many of them as you can to sterilize the water before storing it.¡± With a look of confusion I can tell the manager is about to ask another question so I reply before he can speak. ¡°Clean drinking water, you don¡¯t expect me to eat all that food without anything to drink do you?¡± With dissatisfaction the manager turns to follow after the cooks to comply with my demands. Shaking my head I can¡¯t fathom the narrow mindedness of people. How much evidence do they need before they start preparing for a major disaster? ¡°You think things are really that bad?¡± Matt questions after the manager is out of ear shot. ¡°Yes I do¡­.¡± Pulling out my phone I set it atop my gear. ¡°I checked earlier and my phone can¡¯t get any signal to make a call. Furthermore I checked GPS and wifi and it seems all wireless communications are down. I¡¯m not sure about land lines, but for now we are completely isolated from mass information sharing. Also, the creatures that appeared earlier are fueling some pretty scary notions of what is actually happening out there.¡± I hold nothing back as I fully share my thoughts with my friend. Of all the people here, he is the only one that I trust at the moment. ¡°So your first steps were to create a safe zone, stock up on food and water and then what?¡± I can see the gears turning in Matt¡¯s head as he is mentally checking off what steps have been taken. ¡°Well, the next step would be for us to designate a leader¡­¡± My words are cut off as a scream comes reverberating out of the kitchen. Glancing at Matt for a second I reach out and grab a dagger before running towards the scream. Stepping into the kitchen I duck around an island counter to witness the source of disorder. Sprawled on the floor is one of the cooks with a look of extreme pain and terror as he is clawing desperately at one of his legs. Attached nearly all the way to the knee is what appears to be some kind of gelatinousness blue blob. Despite the oddity of this thing, what is truly horrifying is the fact that I can see the cook¡¯s lower leg inside of the blob. The flesh is slowly disappearing in small chunks that simply float off and then vanish. The manager and the other cook are uselessly cowering in a corner just staring at the scene. Sneering at their cowardice, I run forward and stab down at the blob with the dagger in my hand. The blade effortlessly enters with no resistance. Retracting the blade I notice that there is no damage evident to the creature. I have to quickly step back as an oozing tentacle slashes at me in what seems to have been a counter attack. Once I am a few feet away the tentacle disappears back into the mass of gelatin. Crap. Stolen story; please report.Realizing that physical attacks were not likely to work I scan the room looking for something to use. While scanning I notice that Matt has followed me in and is standing aghast at the sight. Trying to ignore him, I continue looking around until my eyes land on an industrial fire extinguisher and an idea quickly pops into my head. ¡°Matt, move to the other side and try to distract that thing for me.¡± I yell out to him as I am running to retrieve the necessary tool. I read the instructions quickly and I am soon moving into position to attack. Matt has followed my command with prompt haste and is using a mop to smack the creature causing tentacles to swing out dangerously. Moving in while it is distracted, I aim the extinguisher and let loose a torrent of chilling foam. As I had suspected, the tentacles soon slow down and the creature seems to be solidifying. After several seconds of constant spraying I stop to look at the results. Satisfied, I raise the extinguisher up and then bring it heavily down smashing into the frozen terror. The sound of shattering glass feels my ears as the floor is now covered in small frozen shards of the beast. There is no time to celebrate our victory as the injured cook is yelling and crying loudly by my ear. Switching my focus over to his leg, well, what remains of the leg. It appears that a majority of the flesh was eaten away and bloody muscle is exposed in patch work patterns. I contemplate wither we should apply a tourniquet, but as I am thinking these things over I notice a small movement out of the corner of my eye. Looking over I am horrified to realize that the shards have thawed out and are slowly moving. Standing in shock I look over the entire floor and realize that ALL the shards are now moving. As if ants marching their way back towards a mound, the tiny little blobs are all headed towards the largest chunk. I concentrate on this one mound and notice that it is different than the rest, for in side is a small marble sized object. A realization hits me as I move to stop another assault from this blob. Blasting it again a second time, it only takes a few seconds to freeze this smaller scale blob. Once frozen, I smash it apart and frantically start screening for the marble I saw earlier. Finding it I pick it up with a pair of tongs and drop it into an empty pitcher. Toying with the tiny terrors, my theory is confirmed as I witness their direction change as I move the pitcher to and fro. Understanding that this marble is somehow the control center I drop it down and quickly smash it apart. Once destroyed, I am startled by a small chiming in my ear and a familiar plus momentarily flashing in my vision. My eyes widen at this experience and I quickly recall that this phenomenon had occurred to me earlier. New thoughts quickly enter my mind and a fiendish grin starts to grow on my face. Sadly, the yelling cook snaps me back to focus and I put my hopeful thoughts aside for now. *** After working tirelessly, I have finally finished tending to the cook¡¯s leg. There was not much I could do besides clean and dress the wounds to prevent infection. The only plus side is that the bleeding is pretty minimal so there is no immediate risk to life. However, with his leg the way it is he will not be able to move. Nor do I have strong enough pain killers to keep him comfortable, all the medicine I have can at best numb him a little. As bad as his situation is the overall groups¡¯ is even worse. The people were shaken pretty badly earlier, but now after witnessing someone nearly losing a leg from within our ¡®safe zone¡¯ their morale has plummeted. Grimacing I move away from the cacophony of worries and fears to a more quiet corner. Sitting down in an empty booth I feel lethargic after such an eventful day, yet there is still more to do and perhaps I will find some good news. Calming myself, I recall the earlier experience of the chime. Add in the appearance of the goblins and what I have to assume had been a slime, my mind is moving towards one single truth. Trying to quell my enthusiasm, I quietly speak a single word. ¡°Status.¡±
Status
Name Jack Race Human
Level 1(+) Class N/A
Titles ---
-
Health (100/100)
Stamina (100/100)
Mana (100/100)
-
Strength 11 Endurance 10
Perception 10 Agility 11
Intelligence 11 Wisdom 10
Charisma 10 Luck 9
Unallocated Points * N/A
With childlike wonder, I peruse all the information with great anticipation. A soft chuckle escapes my lips as the earlier fear now vanishes to only be replaced with excitement. ¡°Dude, why are you smiling like that?¡± Matt¡¯s eyebrows are arched in confusion as he moves over to sit by me. ¡°I think I might have found out the best news for our survival.¡± Flicking my eyes away from the screen to stare at my friend, I can¡¯t help but smirk. ¡°When you were fighting the goblins earlier, did you notice any¡­notifications?¡± I carefully watch his eyes as he ponders my words until I see the lightbulb go off. ¡°Now in games, how do you go about checking your level and attributes?¡± He pauses to stare at me as he is internally questioning the seriousness of my implications. Very softly he speaks, ¡°Status...¡± His eyes widen as the screen must have appeared before him. He turns to face me and we share a goofy smile between us. Ignoring him for a moment I refocus on my status. I notice that my level is still at one. I am surprised by this because the notifications I had earlier made me believe that I had leveled up. Thinking about this, I see a plus symbol beside the Level. ¡°Hey, do you see a plus symbol by the word Level?¡± Matt looks his screen over a second before stating he does. ¡°Hmm. I think that we have to manually level ourselves up.¡± I think out loud. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­I pressed the plus by Level and it rose to 2.¡± Reading quietly for a moment he then responds. ¡°It appears I gained 3 points to apply.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± I stop Matt as I notice his hand moving towards the screen. ¡°Don¡¯t spend them. I want to do an experiment to see what effect each has. Do you see the asterisk beside the unallocated points?¡± Matt turns to look and soon nods his head. ¡°Well I pressed it and it gave me the option to redistribute my attribute points however I want.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty useful.¡± ¡°Yes and no, it gave me a warning that this option is only available once.¡± I pause to let this sink in before continuing. ¡°I think that once this day ends then this option will be gone or worse after we close our screens is when the option goes.¡± ¡°I see. Wait...¡± With a look of realization he stares at me. ¡°You said experiment¡­.You are going to use yourself as a Guiney pig to see the effects.¡± Nodding my head I confirm my intentions. ¡°And I am going to need your help with this.¡± Pulling out my deadly pen and grabbing a napkin from the table, I begin writing down all my starting points. ¡°If the numbers really represent our physical attributes, then reducing them will probably put me in a weakened state.¡± Pushing the napkin towards him for safe keeping, I continue my plans. ¡°In case it is more severe than I am thinking, I want you to force me to place the points back the same.¡± ¡°This is crazy¡­.do you really want to do this?¡± Matt worryingly asks as he picks up the napkin and looks between it and me. Swallowing to try and mask my own nervousness. ¡°It¡¯s beyond necessary. If we are to adapt and survive, then we are going to need all the information we can get¡­¡± Pausing I raise my hand and begin the process of reducing all my points down to 2. I started to go for 1, but I¡¯m not that brave. Sharing a nod of confirmation with Matt, I move to hit the accept button. "Besides...what''s the worst that can happen?" Chapter 3: Status Quo My body is assaulted by a heavy pressure and my world fades as everything turns dismal. Struggling to remain upright my mind is hazily registering the person in front of me yelling something. Bents¡­hence¡­gence¡­intel¡­. A connection somewhere deep in my mind sparks and I shakily touch the screen. With each tap I can feel my understanding increase and I am now able to process the situation. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Weakly I respond as the figure is tightly grasping my shoulders. ¡°Hold on.¡± With clouded understanding, I begin the process of slowly raising the stats back up to a reasonable 5. I can feel power and life seeping back into me as each is increased. My once murky and confusing world is brought back into focus. Working in Wisdom I finally regain clarity to my predicament and stop the distribution for a moment. ¡°Dude, you had me worried.¡± Matt¡¯s worried eyes stare at me as he hesitates to sit back down. I understand now that it was him who had been hurting my shoulders and yelling at me. ¡°Sorry, I guess that wasn¡¯t such a great idea after all.¡± I cheekily say as I reach up to rub my sore shoulders. ¡°Why did you have to grab me so hard?¡± ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t grab you that hard just enough to shake and get your attention.¡± He looks confused at my accusation. ¡°Hmm, I guess the lower stats made me so weak that your grip caused me pain.¡± Thinking for a moment I glance over to my current stats.
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level1(+)ClassN/A
Titles---
-
Health(100/100)
Stamina(100/100)
Mana(100/100)
-
Strength5Endurance5
Perception5Agility5
Intelligence14Wisdom5
Charisma2Luck2
Unallocated Points39
¡°Right now I have Strength, Endurance, Perception, Agility, and Wisdom at 5. Intelligence at 14 and the last two are still at 2.¡± Looking at the values, I am starting to make some associations with each attributes effects. ¡°Matt, what was my starting values again?¡± ¡°Sure they were¡­wait, you can¡¯t remember what they were?¡± ¡°Not really, I remember them being higher but as for the actual numerical values I don¡¯t.¡± I calmly compare values as Matt reads them off. Listening to all the values I make a connection between my Wisdom stat and move to raise it by another 3. Today¡¯s events return to mind as the gaps in my memory leave. ¡°Huh, it looks like Wisdom plays into our memory and how quickly we are able to recall details.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense, but then what effects does Intelligence have?¡± ¡°Well, seeing how I was able to process the situation quickly with little memory then the obvious answer would be that it affects our mental acuity. If Wisdom is the search engine then Intelligence would be the operating system to refine and focus the information.¡± I grow quiet as I think my next steps out. I can already see a boost in my deductive reasoning from just three points higher in Intelligence¡­so what would be the results of an even greater boon to my Intelligence? The temptation is too great and I am soon adding the points.
For being the first to reach the peak of human Intelligence Reward + 1 Intelligence
Surprised by this notification I stare at it while my mind effectively processes the information. After a few seconds the screen slowly fades away and I am left with my still open Status Screen. ¡°Matt¡­I just received a reward.¡± Chuckling as I see Matt¡¯s surprised face I decide to begin sharing my hypothesis. ¡°The notification stated¡­ For being the first to reach the peak of human Intelligence ¨C Reward +1 Intelligence. I checked my screen and I did receive an additional point without any deductions from my unallocated points.¡± Closing my eyes I begin to read deeper into these words. ¡°This peak was reached when my Intelligence reached 20¡­If we are told 20 is peak for one, then this must also be true for all Attributes. Also, comparing the performance between the higher and lower scored Attributes¡­then I think the average human¡¯s attributes are around a base of 10. This will be useful when trying to determine what class to build for people.¡± ¡°Classes?¡± Matt¡¯s question is valid, but I quickly wave it off. ¡°I will discuss this more in a little bit, let me finish my train of thought... That was one benefit, but an even more important implication is what is BEYOND this so called peak human standard.¡± I pause to watch his reaction as my next words sink in. ¡°Does this mean we will become something more than human?¡± Matt¡¯s eyes open in shock as he glaringly stares at me. ¡°This¡­this is¡­epic.¡± ¡°Yes¡­it is epic. However, with these detail I fear we now have all the evidence we need to state that the entire world has changed. And if we saw monsters appearing here, then they likely have appeared else were. This means that our family¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Matt throws his hand up as he bites his lip and looks down with clenched eyes. ¡°I get it¡­ I do, but please try to keep hopeful, if not for me but the others. They are about to snap and this news could be the last straw.¡± Shocked by this comment, I am slightly offended. ¡°Matt that is not what I was trying to say. I may state the obvious, but I have not given up on my family. If we were able to fight then so have others.¡± I stare worryingly at my friend hoping to not have caused a rift. He looks up and I can see the uncertainty in his eyes. He weakly shakes his head before responding. ¡°No, I should apologize. It¡¯s just the stress that has me on edge.¡± ¡°Ha, no I have always been pretty blunt even with best of intentions.¡± Relief fills me as he nods his head with exaggeration. ¡°Now let me finish my explanations so we can get started on being over powered characters and go save everyone.¡± Matt chuckles at my comment. ¡°So Strength seems to do as it says, I just raised mine up to 8 and I can tell my body feels easier to move. Endurance is tricky¡­but I think it has to do with our bodies¡¯ ability to handle over taxation such as damage from exercise. It probably also is tied in somehow with our health and stamina, but I will have to experiment some more on that. Perception is actually how we perceive our surroundings. It improves all of our senses. When mine was at set at 2 it felt like I was isolated from everything. My vision was hazy, and the other senses were also dampened. Agility is going to be finesse and speed, probably alters our fast twitch muscles allowing us to react quicker. I already explained Intelligence and Wisdom so all that is left is Charisma and Luck.¡± Sitting back I cross my arms as I think deeply on these two. ¡°Honestly, I am still a little confused about these two. I suppose Luck is avoiding danger or ill fortune, but it¡¯s still kind of vague¡­¡± Looking to Matt, ¡°What are yours¡¯ at? Maybe a comparison will help¡­wait, just tell me all your stats. It will be useful in the future regardless.¡±
Status
NameMattRaceHuman
Level2ClassN/A
Titles---
-
Health(110/110)
Stamina(110/110)
Mana(110/110)
-
Strength14Endurance10
Perception10Agility9
Intelligence10Wisdom11
Charisma15Luck10
Unallocated Points3
Well, can¡¯t say I am surprised about his higher Strength, but what is really shocking is his Charisma of 15. That is the highest I have seen naturally out of both our screens. But what is so greatly affecting his Charisma? Hmm, well examples of people who are very charismatic are politicians, leaders, celebrities and et cetera. Matt is pretty popular, everywhere we go he is always met by people he knows. ¡°Hey Matt, I am thinking about Charisma and I think I have its affect figured out.¡± Mentioning his name, his eyes focus on me. ¡°Of the two of us you have always been more social. You also have a talent in talking and swaying people¡­ I think Charisma is a measure of our social influence. How others perceive us and how easily we can persuade them.¡± ¡°That might not be too far off, that explanation would fit perfectly with my past experiences¡­.¡± Matt reclines back as the idea seeps deeper into his mind. ¡°But if that theory is true, then why am I not treating you any differently. With a Charisma of 2 you should be¡­ well, irritating me.¡± ¡°Not so, think back hasn¡¯t there always been someone who you have liked but others thought were annoying? I think Charisma boosts influence, but since I was already in a good standing from your perspective then when my stat dropped you weren¡¯t affected greatly.¡± ¡°Ahh, I get it. It¡¯s like seeing a hot chick without her makeup. Since we are used to seeing her all fixed up, we don¡¯t think less of her when she is at her worst.¡± Matt smiles while nodding his head with his example. He is obviously humored by it, but I can only shake my head at my friend. ¡°Okay, I accept this theory, but so far Charisma seems to be the most useless stat so far, how can it help us survive in a fight?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right that it does not improve our fighting potential¡­that is if we were alone.¡± Turning my head I look at the crowd of depressed people. ¡°But what all groups need is an influential leader to take charge and be the key stone for their support.¡± Turning back I stare at my friend and pause before I make my request. ¡°Matt, I think you should become the leader for this group.¡± Stopping him from speaking his protest, I explain. ¡°First. If my theory is correct then the majority of the people will not trust me to lead unless I dump several points into Charisma. That is not something I can do right now, after the points moved into Intelligence¡­ if I was to do this I would be extremely weakened in every other stat. Second. You¡¯re a people person. You naturally reach out to others and easily get to know them. I mean you learned the staff¡¯s names where I just shrugged and pushed them along. And lastly¡­¡± I pause as I smile looking at my best friend. ¡°This douche bag here wouldn¡¯t let you go at it alone. We¡¯re a team.¡± Matt thinks it over before replying sarcastically. ¡°Yeah¡­I can¡¯t just let you sit back as I do all the work. Someone has to make sure you pull your weight.¡± ¡°Glad to hear you¡¯re on board. Now let¡¯s work to get you some rewards.¡± At the mention of rewards Matt¡¯s head tilts in confusion. ¡°We¡¯re going to move some points around and get your Charisma up to 20 and hopefully get a bonus point. Before you ask¡­ yes we should. I can tell you with 21 Intelligence it feels like I am constantly in the zone, always focused. If I have benefits that noticeable, then you should have something similar with Charisma, besides¡­the groups¡¯ morale is low and with just 15 you might have a hard time rallying them.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Okay, I will. But I¡¯m not doing the same stunt as you. I will only take away points from my non-combat attributes to fill the gap.¡± Moving his hand quickly, he soon informs me of the changes. ¡°Just as you expected, as soon as I hit 20 Charisma I got a notification same as you and was rewarded +1 Charisma.¡± Swiping his hand to remove the screen, he pauses as his eyes widen and frantically dart back and forth obviously reading something. ¡°Dude¡­I just got a new notification¡­for a quest.¡± ¡°A quest?¡± My mouth drops in surprise as he continues to read the details out.
Survive the First Day This Quest is open to all party members. To receive rewards recipients must live till the end of the day. Rewards: 1 Gold Game Token which can be used at any Vendor
¡°Wait, it says party members?¡± With a nod from Matt he confirms my question. ¡°Check your status if there were any changes.¡± ¡°There is a new tab feature titled Quests. Clicking it switches over to a screen that details my active Quests as well as their details.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­ was there not a tab for party?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ yeah right beside it labeled ¡®Party¡¯. Whoa¡­ It is asking if I want to invite someone to my party.¡±
You have been invited to Matt¡¯s Party, would you like to join? Yes / No
Clicking yes the prompt disappears and I open my Status screen to see the changes. But before I can do so, Matt¡¯s laughter interrupts my focus. ¡°What is so funny?¡± ¡°Dude, I just got another reward for being the first Party Leader¡­ +1 Charisma.¡± Matt finishes his explanation to look at me before we both start laughing at this news. ¡°This is ridiculous, why couldn¡¯t I have chosen where the point would go?¡± The laughter resides and Matt shakes his head in mild disappointment. ¡°Okay leader, hurry up and share the Quest with me.¡± After getting the quest, I do a quick reread and focus on two important details. One is the mention of a new form of currency called ¡®Game Tokens¡¯ which will be the reward. But until I understand the new currency rate I will ignore this. Second, is the mention of a ¡®Vendor¡¯. This has huge potential benefits. This vendor is likely to be a shop or merchant where we could purchase items. ¡°I think we should take a small trip outside before it gets dark.¡± I close my screen as I inform Matt. ¡°The mention of Vendor is likely to be where we can purchase supplies or even better magic items. The only problem is that we are not told the location of them¡­ However, I think the name is the hint. I think there are now magical vending machines that can take these game tokens.¡± ¡°Okay, I can kind of see how you would suspect that. But why do we need to leave this afternoon, shouldn¡¯t we wait till tomorrow morning after completely resting?¡± "No, we need to confirm if this theory is correct, because if I am right then it will affect our actions for the others.¡± Ignoring Matt¡¯s questioning gaze I continue speaking. ¡°It is nothing dangerous, so no need to worry about them. Anyways, our destination will be the gas station. I remember there being some drink machines outside. Besides that I want us to get some supplies from there that can help us better fortify this place.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­well the gas station is not too far away so I guess it is possible.¡± ¡°True, the only really tricky part of the plan is convincing the others to not only let us leave, but to not lock us out when we return¡­.¡± Smiling coyly I feign ignorance to my next question. ¡°Do you know of anyone Charismatic enough to convince them?¡± ¡°Okay smart ass¡­ I¡¯ll go be the leader. But we should also discuss what they should do if attacked by monsters.¡± ¡°Well, for outside monsters they should stay quiet and barricade in. As far as if more slimes crawl in, then I say grind and try to level up.¡± Matt thinks it over and with a few adjustments and some other plans discussed we come to an agreement. He stands up to go discuss the system revelations to the group. A brief explanation is given and a heavy warning about the dangers of the redistribution. I don¡¯t think most of the people will even be tempted by this since they are too terrified right now. Ignoring the group I focus back on using my available stat points. I talked with Matt and we both decided on our future class builds. Matt was going to stick with Strength as he is planning on being a front line fighter and I was going to go for a speed build to cover hit and run tactics. Struggling with my desire for speed or a nagging instinct in the back of my mind for Intelligence, I decide to risk a few more points into Intelligence. My reasoning is if I could accurately predict my enemies¡¯ movements beforehand, then this would allow more uses than an immediate agility up. Continent with my changes I decide to finally level up and then put the points into Agility and Perception. As soon as I progressed to level 2, I was met by a startling change.
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level2(+)ClassN/A
Titles---
PartyQuests
-
Health(110/110)
Stamina(110/110)
Mana(110/110)
-
Strength8Endurance8
Perception9Agility10
Intelligence30Wisdom8
Charisma2Luck8
Unallocated Points6
How did I get 6 unassigned attribute points? Matt clearly told me he had gotten 3¡­ Could this be due to my peak human intelligence? Well, the party and quest system was unlocked when Matt reached 20 Charisma¡­ is it possible that each attribute has a hidden system feature that is only unlocked once we reach a base of 20? That would make sense, I had been wondering why we were missing features such as Inventory, Quests, and et cetera when I first perused the Status screen¡­ Ha, I get it. Survival is not just based on our attribute points, but also on what secrets we unlock from the system. Each base 20 attribute will greatly increase our survival rate by widening our scope of abilities. Chuckling to myself, I realize I now have another reason to quickly raise my attributes to 20 besides the potential +1 reward. I move to add my 6 free points but hesitate as I think over this number. Why 6? Well it could be that the Intelligence hidden effect is to double the attribute allowance. But then why only start with 3 as a base, and if the achievement was reached at 20, then what purpose would we have in going beyond 20¡­. No, I don¡¯t think that 20 doubled my attribute allowance. Instead, I think it unlocked the growth potential and that I have 6 points because my Intelligence is actually 30. To confirm my hypothesis, I place 5 more points into Intelligence and quickly advance a level.
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level3ClassN/A
Titles---
PartyQuests
-
Health(120/120)
Stamina(120/120)
Mana(120/120)
-
Strength8Endurance8
Perception9Agility10
Intelligence35Wisdom8
Charisma2Luck8
Unallocated Points8
Ignoring the 1 point I had not spent, I gained an additional 7 points. I was right. Not only was I right, but I have found the greatest tool to our survival. With a fiendish grin I slowly shake with excitement while thinking over the possibilities. How over powered can I become¡­. Then an unsettling thought enters my mind. Turning to look over the others I can see the potential danger this information can pose. If everyone finds out about this, then we could risk having a group of weak but intelligent people trying to fight. Or worse, what if a rapist or serial killer exploits this¡­ A tense atmosphere surrounds me as I decide that I need to be very selective with sharing this information.
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level3ClassN/A
Titles---
PartyQuests
-
Health(120/120)
Stamina(120/120)
Mana(120/120)
-
Strength8Endurance8
Perception11Agility11
Intelligence40Wisdom8
Charisma2Luck8
Unallocated Points0
Finished with my adjustments I proudly smile to myself. I see from the corner of my eye Matt approaching and I move to join him. ¡°Are you done assigning everything?¡± ¡°Yes, I just finished. Is everyone okay with the plan?¡± ¡°Yep, there was a little hesitance, but they ultimately fell into agreement with me. It seems your theory on Charisma was correct. They were looking at me with, respect? Awe?¡± Nodding I move to fill my pockets with necessary supplies and grab a couple of weapons. ¡°Okay, I am ready when you are.¡± Matt grips his spear tightly and turns to lead. We pass through the kitchen and head towards the heavy duty fire escape door. The manager gives us a cold look as we pass him. Well he gave me a cold look. It seems my drop in Charisma has not helped our relationship. Ignoring him I move beside Matt. Reaching out Matt grabs the push handle and we share a tense moment of hesitation. Swallowing our fears away, we quickly exit the building and what may be our only safety to head towards the unknown. Chapter 4: Pit Stop Stepping outside I am immediately assaulted by the scent of blood. Trying to ignore the smell, I move hesitantly down the side of the building. Reaching the corner I squeeze myself against the hot brick and focus on any sounds that may be coming from the parking area. Sure enough there is a soft moaning and sloshing of liquid that reaches my ears. As calm as possible I slowly peak my head around the corner and witness a revolting scene. Zombies. Feasting on the goblin corpses are the remains of the people that were killed earlier. Their bloody and gauged bodies allude to their undead nature as they ravenously eat. Flesh and entrails are torn out and dully chomped away by these creatures. Doing a count I confirm that there are exactly five, same as the number of people that were killed earlier. Pulling my head back I turn to look at Matt before quietly whispering. ¡°Looks like we can add Zombies to the list of new threats.¡± His eyes quiver slightly at the mention of zombies, but ultimately he remains calm. ¡°Should we go around the other way to avoid them?¡± ¡°We should kill them. I don¡¯t want to risk leaving them nearby our base, if we were to be injured later on the way back and then run into them¡­.¡± I leave my sentence open ended to allow Matt to understand the implications. ¡°Besides, this seems like a reasonable number for us to handle and get some experience.¡± ¡°Okay, then what is our plan?¡± ¡°Well, that depends if they are the fast or slow variety.¡± Reaching down I pick up a rock and bounce it in my open palm. Leaning out I carefully aim for a far away vehicle. The rock flies true to aim and pings off aluminum siding. The sound draws the attention of a couple of zombies who dumbly raise their heads and turn in that direction. Throwing another rock I repeat the distraction and finally prod the zombies to shakily stand and stagger off towards the car. ¡°Slow it is.¡± With this information I quickly come up with a strategy and explain each of our tasks. Briskly moving away from the building I stand in the open and loudly cough to alert the zombies. Their bodies sway towards my direction as their foggy eyes seem to scrunch in confusion before moaning loudly. Their haggard steps are faster then earlier, but the overall speed is still something I can easily escape. Patiently waiting proves to be more taxing than I had anticipated as I purposely allow the zombies to draw near. Each step closer their wanting hands slowly extend out in anticipation of the flesh that is nearly in reach. Just as they are passing the corner I quickly jump backwards and give the call to Matt. ¡°Now!¡± With a powerful thrust, Matt extends the shaft of the spear out and successfully entangles it into the legs of the zombies. Like a cheap comedy the zombies trip forward as if dominoes falling into a jumbled gory mess. Moving swiftly, I join Matt and we both cautiously begin stabbing with our spears. Avoiding their out reached arms we slowly but efficiently kill the undead. ¡°I leveled up.¡± Matt is the first to speak after the slaughter and it is good news that he shares. ¡°Ditto.¡± Pulling my spear out I grimace at all the gore and I silently thank the fact that I have a spear and don¡¯t have to get too near this bloody mess. Matt quietly evokes his screen and I see his hand move to spend the points. ¡°Wait there is something I want to share....¡± I hold nothing back as I quickly inform Matt of my discoveries. The theory of hidden effects for each attribute, the gain of points from Intelligence, and the threat of this information spreading. ¡°I think you are being too pessimistic. I won¡¯t argue that in the wrong hands this could be dangerous, but you are assuming that the majority of people would actually put an emphasis on Intelligence. If this was a safe world they might, but everyone will be too busy struggling to stay alive. Their attention will be placed onto the physical attributes instead¡­.¡± Matt finishes his little speech before turning and quietly staring at the restaurant. ¡°As for sharing this information with everyone, I¡¯ll cross that road when it comes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I don¡¯t agree with his decision, but I was the one that pushed him to be the leader and I will let him make the call. However, that does not mean I won¡¯t be keeping a close eye out for any threats. ¡°So I guess the next question is which Attribute are you raising: Strength or Intelligence?¡± I shift the conversation back to the present. Watching Matt hesitate over the decision I decide to give him my opinion. ¡°Matt, focus on getting 20 Strength first, then you can focus on Intelligence. It will only take you one more level up to reach 20, it will have a greater affect on combat, and I want to check my theory on the Inventory.¡± ¡°You really think we will get an option for Inventory from Strength?¡± Nodding my head I speak. ¡°Yes, in many games to increase your carrying capacity you would have to raise your strength. It just seems to be the most logical¡­although there is the chance it could be some other function, but we won¡¯t know for sure until afterwards.¡± ¡°Well... I was going to going to go that route originally.¡± Shrugging Matt decides on Strength. Seeing Matt working on his screen I open my own and distribute the points. 5 go into Intelligence, 1 to Agility, and 2 for Perception. Once we are both finished we proceed past the blood stained asphalt and giblets of flesh. Crouching beside the sidewalk we hide behind some heavy shrubbery to carefully scan the area before we go traipsing down the road. Vehicles are strewn everywhere after the initial pandemonium of appearing monsters and numerous wrecks are piled haphazardly. Looking around I am surprised to not be seeing hordes of monsters marching down the street. Instead there is no movement and the area is eerily silent. The only sound is the steady humming of engines which alludes to the haste that vehicles were abandoned. Not wasting any more time I motion Matt to follow as we slowly move down the sidewalk. We hug closely to walls, while keeping a careful watch to our surroundings. Moving along, I soon spot a blood trail that crosses the sidewalk and moves down an alley between the buildings. Peeking around the corner I am able to discern the source. A lone zombie is crawling across the ground. Cracked and chipped nails cover the bloody fingers as the zombie digs deep with each pull. A pair of broken legs reveals protruding shards of bones. Taking a glance over its entire appearance I only have one thought¡­easy experience. Not hesitating I walk brisk and confidently towards the prey. As I approach I can see the zombie struggling to crane its neck around to look in my direction. But giving it no time I swiftly thrust the spear through the nape of its skull. Its movements cease immediately. ¡°I leveled up.¡± Matt quietly speaks behind. ¡°So the parties do share experience. Interesting¡­ wish I could know the amounts of experience per kill.¡± I silently regret the lack of system information while watching Matt poke around in the air obviously working on his status screen. ¡°Done. I received a notification for reaching peak¡­ but I didn¡¯t get a reward.¡± ¡°Not surprising, I figured Strength is one of the more appealing attributes. Someone could have redistributed heavily into it¡­.¡± Shrugging my shoulders it is not a big loss to not get the extra point, disappointing but not devastating. ¡°So did you have any changes to your Status?¡± Matt does not respond instead a smirk plasters his face as he moves to pull a dagger out. I carefully watch as the dagger rests in the palm of his hand. It slightly shimmers as if the air is moving before simply disappearing. My eyes arch in surprise, but I remain silent while waiting. Next Matt raises his hand and somehow grasps the handle and slowly pulls the dagger back into existence. With a goofy smile on his face Matt looks at me while speaking. ¡°Was that not awesome?¡± Nodding my head I smile while still feeling a little jealous. ¡°So what are the details? To store an item you have to be touching it and to retrieve the item the Inventory screen must be open?¡± ¡°Pretty much, there¡¯s a tab for Inventory now that shows a bracketed screen. Oddly enough I don¡¯t see any details about how much I can carry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine we will figure that out later. You can also play around with it more at the gas station.¡± I say this slightly condescendingly as I watch Matt playfully making the dagger disappear over and over. Pushing past him I move to start back towards our original goal. A few minutes later we are forced to hide behind an abandoned car, while worryingly staring at the gas station. Before the station is a horde of zombies that are trying desperately to push their way in. The zombies are too many and the glass windows soon break with a shattering noise. Almost immediately a loud scream makes it way from the inside and alerts us of potential survivors. ¡°Do you think we can help?¡± Matt asks, he is humane enough to want to help, but also not stupid to just rush in getting our selves killed. ¡°Give me a sec, I¡¯m thinking.¡± Glancing over the hood of the car, I take in all the sights around the gas station looking for anything to take advantage of. My eyes soon stop on an industrial truck or more precisely the large flat trailer on the back. The trailer surface is raised several feel off the ground and wide enough to allow easy movement. ¡°Okay Matt, I got a plan but we need to move quickly.¡± Darting across the street we soon reach the truck. Matt immediately climbs up, while I turn to observe the zombies. Surprisingly they did not notice us. Taking a few steps closer I swing out my spear and tap it against a metal pole. The metallic tone rings abroad and several zombies turn to my direction. Three decide to leave the horde and move this way. I don¡¯t wait for them to get close instead I go and join Matt to prepare for the killing. With a zombie now close I begin attacking and kill it on my second thrust. I struggle to free the spear from the corpse, but the dead weight is pulling me down and I start to panic. Matt luckily notices and reaches over to grab and help pull my spear out. ¡°Thanks, I didn¡¯t think about the spear getting stuck.¡± Shrugging off my mishap, I resume the killing. With each kill another zombie immediately replaces its fallen brethren. Soon a steady stream is coming from the station and we have amassed a large number before us. My breathing starts to become heavy and by the third kill I am forced to sit down and catch my breath. Checking my status I see that my stamina has neared empty. Happily though I have achieved a level, but disappointingly my stamina was not refilled after leveling. Guess that would have been too easy¡­. I put 4 points into Perception but hold the other five for emergency in case our situation turns ire. Having rested enough, I stand up to assist Matt in the task at hand. He seems to be handling the strenuous activity better than me. Yet I can still hear his laborious breaths in between strikes. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.After the last zombie is killed we both plop down exhausted. By my count we killed 15 zombies, but by the huge pile of corpses before us. You would think it was more. ¡°I leveled up twice, how about you?¡± I casually ask while absently staring at the carnage. ¡°Same.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to think an Endurance of 8 is not going to cut it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not much better off with 10¡­.¡± Doing some quick calculations I think over Matt¡¯s requirements for 20 Intelligence. ¡°You know¡­it will take you four levels to reach 20, but you only need ten of the points to do so. Why don¡¯t you go ahead and put the remaining 2 into Endurance so you can fight longer?¡± Sighing heavily. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you are going to be micro managing my every point.¡± Matt shakes his head before responding again. ¡°Okay, 2 for Endurance and the other points are going to Intelligence.¡± Pulling up my status screen, I move to spend my remaining points. With no immediate threat I once more raise Intelligence by 5 and then click to level up.
Attention: You have reached the Max Allowance of Attribute Points for your Race
Hmm. Interesting, so does this mean that other races get different amounts? Do monsters have a status screen also? ¡°I just got a notification saying ten is the max point allowance per level.¡± Ignoring my growing number of questions, I immediately tell Matt this news. ¡°All it took was 50 points in Intelligence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ wait¡­. You¡¯re saying you already have 50 Intelligence!¡± Shocked by this information Matt openly stairs at me with slacked jaw and wide eyes. ¡°Dude, that is so not even right.¡± Overlooking Matt¡¯s disgruntled complaints, I move back to my free points. Since I no longer have to put points into Intelligence, then I have 10 points to spend. I don¡¯t have enough points to raise more than one attribute to 20 and after this fight I could use some more Endurance. So I guess I will get Perception first and spread the remaining points evenly.
For being the first to reach the peak of human Perception Reward + 1 Perception
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level6ClassN/A
Titles---
PartyQuests
Map
-
Health(150/150)
Stamina(90/150)
Mana(150/150)
-
Strength8Endurance10
Perception21Agility13
Intelligence50Wisdom10
Charisma2Luck10
Unallocated Points0
I am satisfied with my new stats, but what is even more appealing is the new feature. Map. This provides an amazingly detailed aerial view of the area. I am able to pan the image around however I want, but the default is stationed right over me. Zooming out the screen is soon covered by a greyed out ¡®Unexplored¡¯ area. It seems the map only shows a small radius around me of what I guess is 100 yards? Hmm¡­ would this area increase as my Perception increases? Putting another question down to answer in the future, I decide to see how far the image can zoom in. Amazingly, I can zoom all the way to the top of the buildings. Even the cars are visible in the road, including the truck I am sitting on. Odd... neither the corpses nor Matt and I are shown on the Map. Guess it doesn¡¯t show living¡­uh animate objects. Not sure if zombies are considered to be living by the new system. Done playing with the Map, I slowly raise myself up and move off the truck. Matt follows along as we give a wide berth to the corpse pile. Drawing near the shattered windows I am able to faintly hear hushed voices. ¡°I think I can hear the survivors.¡± I nod my head towards the inside of the gas station. ¡°I¡¯m going to go check the vending machines. Can you look into the people inside? But be careful, there still might be a trapped zombie somewhere.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Matt raises his spear before stepping through the shattered window. Turning, I start heading towards the two vending machines at the corner of the building. Stopping in front of the two machines I quietly observe them. They are two battered and dirty machines depicting labels of cheap knock off drinks, but other than that I see no other changes. Sighing to myself I fear my theory was a bust. However, just as I am thinking of leaving a panel opens up before my eyes.
Welcome Customer. Would you like to make a purchase? Yes / No
Quickly I tap yes and a new screen opens up showing the wares available.
Lesser Stamina Potion ¨C 1 Silver Game Token
Lesser Health Potion ¨C 5 Silver Game Tokens
Lesser Mana Potion ¨C 1 Gold Game Token
My emotions are mixed between excitement and disappointment. I realize that these potions will become very beneficial to us¡­. But where are the magical items, skills, or even weapons? Scanning the screen again I sigh after finding nothing else. With no tokens to spend, I mentally take note of the prices before closing the screen and move to check on the situation inside. The sound of cracking glass beneath my feet draws frightened eyes my way. Matt is calmly talking with an officer at the back of the room. Behind those two is a small cluster of people. There is a middle aged woman I assume to have been working here by the nametag on her grimy shirt. Beside her, is an elderly black man leaning on a cane. And lastly there is a young woman holding the shoulders of a small boy. After scanning the small group, I step over and stand beside Matt. ¡°Jack, this is Officer Brent Malone. I¡¯ve actually met him a few times when we had people get a little too disorderly at the bar.¡± Noticing my presence, Matt was quick to do the introductions. Reaching my arm out I offer a handshake. ¡°Nice to meet you Officer Malone.¡± ¡°Brent is fine. No need for formalities.¡± Brent is very casual as he firmly shakes my hand. The officer is a large man, not as big as Matt, but very toned and fit with the typical crew cut hair. ¡°Brent was just telling me about how he and his partner killed an ogre.¡± My eyes arch in interest at the mention of ogre and turn to look at Brent as he speaks. ¡°It popped out of nowhere in the middle of the street and started attacking cars. It was a large grotesque green creature that was swinging around a crude club. It took us several shots before the thing died¡­.¡± ¡°Anyways, with no contact from the precinct we tried to do our best to control the situation. But there was mass chaos. Ultimately we ended up here right before being attacked by those¡­zombies.¡± Brent slows his speaking as he is reminded of the event. ¡°During the struggle, Officer Sanchez was bitten and pulled into the horde.¡± No one speaks as we all quietly pay respects to the fallen officer. However, time is of the essence and I speak up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your partner, but we are not safe here.¡± Turning to look at Matt I ask. ¡°Did you ask if they wanted to come with us?¡± ¡°I was just about to.¡± Matt then speaks loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°We have a group holed up the road in a restaurant. Brick walls, windows barricaded and food. It is not the Alamo, but it is a safer option. There is also strength in numbers.¡± The people quietly mumble while thinking the offer over. I can tell a few want to go, but they are waiting to see what Brent decides. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll go.¡± Brent agrees and there is a collective sigh of relief from everyone. ¡°Good. Matt I want you to go and grab as much alcohol as you can carry. Focus on ones in glass bottles. Everyone else, grab whatever you want, but keep it light we have to move quickly.¡± Finished speaking I turn to start rummaging around for supplies. Grabbing various snacks and oddities, I soon feel the presence of someone standing behind me. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me to stop looting?¡± Brent crouches down and coldly stares at me. ¡°Actually I was going to tell you to pick the ones with caramel in them.¡± My fingers fumble and I drop everything I was holding. I am so taken back by his humor I just stare dumbly at him. Chuckling at my actions, Brent speaks calmly to me. ¡°I can put priorities in order and as long as you don¡¯t kill or rape¡­. I can turn a blind eye to petty crimes given the circumstances.¡± Brent reaches down and offers one of the bars that I had dropped. Taking it in my hands I smile while thinking it might not be bad to have an officer on our side. Chapter 5: Burning the Midnight Oil Chapter 5: Burning the Midnight Oil Nestling myself into a booth I quietly prepare myself for the first watch. With nothing much to do while the clock counts down to midnight, I let my mind reflect over the last few hours¡­ *** ¡°Quiet!¡± Matt yells to get everyone¡¯s attention. Our return was met with great jubilation, especially so with the addition of Brent. The sight of the officer sent relief into everyone¡¯s eyes. But the moment was soon spoiled as the crowd began bombarding him with questions. Matt and Brent are soon encircled by the crowd and I am quickly pushed away to the background. I am a little annoyed with my lack of fanfare. Everyone seems to have forgotten that I also had returned. Slightly annoyed I move through the crowd and claim a booth where I quickly drop off my recent acquisitions. Resting in the comfy booth I am tempted by exhaustion to take a nap. But there are still many plans for tonight that needs to be made. Several minutes later I see Matt and Brent walking towards me. ¡°Have your fangirls gone home for the day?¡± I ask sarcastically, but there is still a slight spite in my tone. ¡°Dude, I am too tired for your sarcasm.¡± Matt speaks exhaustedly before plopping down into the adjacent booth. Brent pulls a chair up and sits down beside the table. ¡°So Matt was telling me that you had some kind of plan?¡± Brent asks and the look in his eyes shows his weariness. Looking over at Matt I see him shrug his shoulders at the statement. ¡°Well, I do have a couple of plans, but first I think we should explain all the game details for you so that you will understand my reasoning.¡± I quickly go through all the system details I have discovered so far with Matt occasionally chiming in. Brent seems to be adapting to the changes and follows the conversation with great focus. We all share our point distribution among one another and I am impressed with his stats. I guess the rigorous training for law enforcement really paid off. After looking his stats over, we soon begin discussing his path towards peak. Non-surprisingly, he wishes to follow a front line fighter path similar to Matt. But instead of building Strength he will develop his Endurance first. It seems losing his partner really left a deep scar and he doesn¡¯t wish to fall so easily. I try to encourage him to use the redistribution, but he adamantly rejects. So instead we rely on his two level ups to reach peak Endurance and soon discover the new feature. [tr][/tr]
Status
NameBrentRaceHuman
Level3ClassN/A
Titles---
-
Health(120/120)
Stamina(120/120)
Mana(120/120)
-
Strength12Endurance20
Perception10Agility12
Intelligence10Wisdom9
Charisma11Luck10
Unallocated Points0
-
Resistances
Resistances
Physical14%Mental8%
Disease11%Poision9%
Earth2%Darkness0%
Fire5%Light6%
Water1%Ice3%
Wind2%Lightning4%
¡°I wonder if there are any restrictions on raising these percentages.¡± I quietly express my thoughts after Brent has finished detailing the new features. ¡°Restrictions?¡± Brent¡¯s eyebrows scrunch in confusion at my question. ¡°Like if we are able to raise any Resistance or only ones we have experienced. For example ¡®Darkness¡¯, I figure this is probably a magic affinity. But it is not something our bodies have ever had to deal with. So it might be the case that we have to meet a special requirement to start raising it.¡± I finish my explanation and sit back while thinking more deeply about these facts. ¡°Jack. Enough game details. Tell us what you found out at the gas station and what your plans are.¡± Matt pulls me back to the present and I realize I never told him the details about the vendor. With a smirking look, I begin sharing the details of the ¡®vendor¡¯. The realization of these potions provides a new aspect to our survival that boosts our morale. However, I soon share the costs and explain the limited amount we could get. The discussion then proceeds to the need for Matt to invite more people into his party. ¡°What if there is a limit to Party size?¡± Matt carefully asks after realizing a potential hinge to my plan. ¡°Well¡­¡± Biting my lip I hesitate to speak. ¡°Then we will have to find people to redistribute into Charisma. This was why I wanted us to check on the vendor location today, while we still have the option to make more parties quickly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you are willing, figured you would be against others having high Charisma.¡± Matt¡¯s scrutinizing stare looks me over after speaking. Sighing dejectedly, ¡°No, I¡¯m not comfortable this could cause tension and possibly split our meager forces. But the rewards are too beneficial to let my paranoia stop us¡­. However...¡± Reaching over I pull some notepads and a pen out of my supplies before handing them over to the others. ¡°Not just anyone should be asked to do this. While trying to recruit party members, I want you two to collect data on everyone here. Name, age, Stats, occupations et cetera.¡± ¡°Why do you need this information?¡± Brent asks as his eyes stare questioningly at me. ¡°We need to make use of every resource we have, that includes people. If they are not fighting then they will have to contribute to our survival in other ways. We don¡¯t have the luxury of coddling them. There is no longer a given right of safety.¡± Brent is quiet for a long time before speaking. ¡°You¡¯re right. Honestly I have been torn between helping these people or running off to search for my family.¡± With a tense atmosphere, we all sit quietly while worrying about our families. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to dampen the atmosphere.¡± Brent meekly apologizes. ¡°No, it is fine. It¡¯s important for us to stay rooted in what our ultimate goal is. Tomorrow we will make plans to search out other survivors this will include your family.¡± Nodding appreciatively, Brent soon stands and he and Matt leave to start their interviews. In the mean time I begin working with the alcohol bottles to make Molotov¡¯s. The two were surprised when I had mentioned their purpose, but they understood the impact it could make for our defenses. Half an hour later and minus two table cloths ripped to shreds, the table is now overflowing with the improvised arsenal. Just as I finish the two man census bureau returns. ¡°Just finished, Matt can you store around half in your inventory? The rest will be stationed here.¡± I issue out the command and Matt immediately causes the bottles to disappear. Sighing heavily, I lean back and look towards the other two. ¡°What did you find out?¡± ¡°Well, we have bad news, good news, and something odd.¡± Matt speaks first giving me an overview of what to expect. ¡°The bad news is that I can only invite four people into my party.¡± I grimace at this news as this was well below my expectations for the party system, but I hold my comments as I urge Matt to continue speaking. ¡°The good news is that we found two people we feel that we could trust with redistribution.¡± With a quick calculation in my head I realize that the numbers don¡¯t add up. ¡°Matt, we would need at least three more leaders to put everyone in a party.¡± ¡°Actually, we only need two more leaders to cover everyone. There are two people who can¡¯t join a party.¡± Matt¡¯s smirk annoys me as he intentionally holds back on giving me the final information. However I ignore him as my mind is racing trying to figure out why there would be two people who couldn¡¯t join. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hint, they are at level 0.¡± I am shocked by this information and I stare openly at Matt questioning if he is making this up. Yet his insistent nodding and the reassurance from Brent confirm the information. Given a few moments to think it over I start looking for key facts. First, there is a level 0. Second, the fact that the majority of us are level 1¡¯s while only three of us have killed anything proves that we didn¡¯t all start at level 0. Third, this means there is another factor besides experience that raises levels¡­. Could it be the amount of attribute points? Perhaps, but mine were all roughly average when I first observed my status. So for this to be the reason the person would have to be drastically below average in attributes¡­ In a moment of epiphany, I turn to look across the room and stare at the scene of the lone mother and her two small children. ¡°It is the two youngest kids¡­ right?¡± ¡°Dang, how in the world did you figure that out?¡± Brent oddly confirms my hypothesis while looking flabbergasted. Chuckling at the scene Matt quickly responds. ¡°Told you the bastard was clever.¡± Rolling my eyes at Matt¡¯s comment, I inquire more details. ¡°So besides their screens saying they were level 0, were there any other differences?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Actually yes, at the bottom where there should be the display for unallocated points they have a timer instead that is steadily counting down.¡± ¡°Did you write the times down?¡± Matt nods while handing the sheets over. Their stats are all rather poor and the timer value was also recorded. It seems the oldest at nine has only roughly three months while the youngest at seven has almost three years. Seeing these times I immediately realize truth. ¡°Both of them are not level 1 because they are under ten years of age.¡± Matt slightly nods his head as he is able to understand this reasoning, but Brent seems confused. ¡°I mentioned earlier that a value of 10 was considered average since peak is 20. I think this means that until someone reaches the age of 10 they are still in their growth phase and thus can¡¯t access the system completely.¡± With my explanation Brent is able to grasp the concept, but I have more to fret over. ¡°However, what really bothers me is if they are still ¡®growing¡¯ then they can probably manually raise their stat values which is good, but¡­. does that mean once we reach level 1 we can¡¯t?¡± We all look at one another in utter silence before turning to look at the two zeros. ¡°Jack, if that is true¡­ then we can only get stronger by leveling up.¡± Matt quietly speaks as this bombshell slowly sinks in. ¡°No¡­ we can only get stronger by fighting for our lives.¡± *** Standing up to stretch, my mind focuses back on the present. The room is fairly quiet minus the occasional screeching of rubber as someone wiggles in a booth. Despite the growing concern of safety, sleep came relatively quick for everyone. When Matt had begun assigning sentry duty, I was the first to volunteer for the first shift. I gave the excuse that I wanted to be awake to see how the rewards would be sent. But truthfully, I really hate being awoken while sleeping, so I chose this shift so I could sleep unperturbed later. Glancing at my phone, I notice the time. 11:32 Good, there was only half an hour left in my shift. With nothing else to do I pull up my status to play around with the screen. I try various other commands and poke around but I am unable to find any other functions. Bored I switch over to my Map and look over the details. This thing is just too nifty. The lighting has changed to a black and blue outline of the city once it became night. The displayed area also grew slightly after we had made it back to the restaurant. The area now looks more like a bent balloon in stead of just a circle. It seems as I move, the radius around me will continue to unlock more areas. While engrossed in this novelty, my ears soon pick up on an odd barking noise. Closing my screen I turn and lean towards the window. Peeling the curtain back I cautiously look out through the glass and I am horrified by the sight. 1...3...7¡­13 ¡­23¡­. Crap. There is a small horde of goblins gathering around outside. I had lost count around 30 as they kept drifting in and out of the shadows of the trees. They are well armed compared to last time as I see more variety of weapons and even scraps of armor tied around their bodies. Pulling the curtain back, I quietly get out of my seat and move over towards Matt. ¡°Hmm¡­ is it my shift already?¡± Matt asks as I shake him awake. ¡°Wake up, we are about to be attacked.¡± The words seemed to have registered in his mind as he is wide eyed and alert now. Turning around I am about to wake up Brent, but am surprised to see that he had somehow heard me and is standing up. The two follow me and confirm the situation. ¡°How did they know we were here?¡± Brent asks while his eyes carefully scrutinize the scene. ¡°When we were first attacked, there was one that got away.¡± Cursing myself I regret not chasing that vermin down. Matt takes a deep breath before asking. ¡°Do you think we can escape?¡± ¡°Where could we go, we would be running blindly in the middle of the night. Not to mention there are several people who couldn¡¯t keep up.¡± I quickly demolish the notion of running. ¡°Then we will fight, but first we should move the women and children to another room.¡± Brent confidently speaks up and we immediately agree with his decision. Matt is able to rapidly usher all the children, women, and elderly into the back freezer. I am impressed at not the speed, but the efficiency and subtlety of the action. They barely made any noise. The remaining people are huddled together as we start handing out the Molotov¡¯s. I try to give out a few strategies, but the sound of shattering glass interrupts and we all take cover from the flying shards of glass. ¡°Spread out!¡± Matt gives the call and we separate to cover different windows. I can tell that besides us three veterans the rest are terrified and move hesitantly. As the projectiles slow down I take a glance and notice that the goblins are charging out of the woodwork. ¡°Now!¡± I scream as I quickly chunk the first cocktail. The glass shatters at the feet of a goblin and the bastard quickly is engulfed in flames from the spewed fuel. A torrent of flames covers the asphalt from the hastily thrown bottles. Soon several burning goblins are flailing around in distraught. Sadly, just as we are getting into the swing of things, a loud harsh barking occurs from behind the goblin line. Next there are arrows flying towards our direction from beyond the ember wall. I was lucky to avoid the first wave of arrows, but not everyone came out okay. The sound of breaking glass is accompanied by a blood curdling scream. I turn in time to see flames engulf one of my allies. The human torch is running around frantically and slowly spreading the flames as his flesh is roasting. Dodging the spreading flames and flying projectiles, I run to retrieve the fire extinguisher. Returning the man has luckily fallen to the ground and is rolling in an attempt to put out the flames. Spraying him the flames are immediately dosed out, however, his moans of agony continue and I stare aghast at the charred man. Choking back my vomit, I turn away from the horrifying scene. As much as I would like to help, there is nothing I can do right now. ¡°Jack!¡± Hearing my name I turn to witness Matt rushing towards the barricaded door. A heavy axe has splintered through the soft wood. ¡°Brent go help¡­¡± Just as I am trying to call out, I feel a burst of heat off to the side. Turning I see a puddle of flames spreading out. At the edge of the flames I see another person sprawled on the floor. Their head is cocked towards me revealing an arrow shaft lodged within an eye. The flickering light from the flames highlights a surprised expression as blood trickles down the skin. Cursing loudly I finish telling Brent to go help Matt before rushing to put out the flames. Dropping the empty canister I turn to look over the disheveled room. Our situation is looking dire and my mind frantically races to find a way to survive. An idea pops into my head, but it is ridiculously crazy it would require perfect timing and amazing luck¡­ Just as I am thinking this I receive a chime signifying that I have leveled up. In a moment of serenity I feel the world is telling me to go for it.
For being the first to reach the peak of human Luck Reward + 1 Luck
With my points spent I rush towards the door to share my plan with Matt and Brent. They look disbelievingly at me like I am crazy. ¡°Just trust me!¡± Matt hesitates but the resolved look in my eyes persuades him to agree. Soon we are pouring all the alcohol onto the floors while retreating towards the kitchen. I pause to grab my gear before chunking it into the kitchen. I turn to run back towards the door, but I am stopped as Matt grabs my arm. ¡°Good luck¡­.¡± Snorting I laugh at the double meaning. Reaching the door I can see feral faces staring sinisterly through as their bony fingers rip and pull at the cracked wood. Performing my duty I begin stabbing with a dagger to enrage and entice them. There shrill cries increase and the door quickly bursts open as they come charging through. Turning around I quickly sprint back towards the kitchen. My heart is loudly pounding in my ears, but despite that I can still hear the splashing of their feet as they come charging after me. I feel the stinging of an arrow across my arm and push harder towards safety. Bursting into the kitchen I am met by the sight of a heavy refrigerator falling towards the door. The heavy thud of the refrigerator is soon accompanied by several smaller thuds as the goblins try to push through the new barricade. Not wasting anytime I jump over towards the serving window. Throwing the last lit Molotov through the window before quickly ducking as a torrent of flames blasts through the window. The fire spreads quickly through the dining room and overwhelms the beasts as they scream running for cover. Just as I am getting worried about the fire spreading too far, the sprinkler system finally kicks in. The hissing of flames is soon followed by steam rolling through the window. As the noise dies down I take a peak through the window to see several charred and squirming bodies. Giving the command we open the door and cautiously step out into the war room. ¡°Somebody find a way to turn off the water.¡± I yell out as the water is pouring down my body and seeping into my clothes. Soon the water slows down to a trickle and I command the others to move out and finish off any living goblins. Moving towards the door I notice a goblin trying to crawl its way out. This one is larger than the others and added with it being placed near the back it seems to have been the leader. The body is black and scorched, but despite the evident pain the creature is still struggling to escape. With no remorse I crouch down and jab my dagger through the skull earning another chimed level. Standing up I look over the devastated room and sigh heavily after our victory.
Congratulations for completing the Quest: Survive the First Day
Chapter 6: The Second Day
Congratulations for completing the Quest: Survive the First Day
Immediately as the screen fades away, a small light flashes before me as a small object falls down. Crouching down I pick a small gold token up flipping it around between my fingers carefully observing its smooth features. Shrugging my shoulders I go to stand back up but my eyes catch something interesting. Using my dagger, I carefully push the charred flesh away until a small glowing silver sphere comes rolling out. Staring at the sphere my head cocks sideways trying to figure out what it is. The rational side of me says to be careful and not touch it, but the gamer in me says to quickly loot it. With only a moment¡¯s deliberation, I make my resolve and swiftly snatch my prize. Bringing it near my face, I am attracted by the wisps of silver light flowing through it, almost like smoke billowing in the wind. However, as I am mulling it over Matt comes over to check on me. ¡°What did you find?¡± Startled by his presence, I grip the sphere too tightly and am alarmed by the sound of cracking. Looking at my hand I see the sphere completely shatter into dust and the silver wisps immediately seep into my skin.
You have successfully absorbed the genetic trait ¡®Night Vision¡¯ this ability is now converted into a skill.
¡°Umm¡­ was that supposed to happen?¡± Matt cautiously asks staring worryingly at me. Shaken by the suddenness of the events, I take a moment to respond. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m checking.¡±
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level7 (+)ClassN/A
Titles---
PartyQuests
Map
-
Health(143/160)
Stamina(90/160)
Mana(160/160)
-
Strength8Endurance10
Perception21Agility13
Intelligence50Wisdom10
Charisma2Luck21
Unallocated Points0
-
Skills Night Vision (Passive)
¡°Ha ha ha, Matt I just got a skill called Night Vision.¡± I smile gleefully as I laugh out loud. ¡°Seriously? Is that what that weird gas thing was¡­ you learning a skill?¡± ¡°Appears so. Bring as many people as you can to help sweep the room. We need to carefully check each corpse for more of those spheres or any other loot.¡± Matt happily rushes off to begin the search for further treasures. Shaking my head I decide to go ahead and manage my status while I have it open. Advancing to level 8 I am pleasantly surprised to see that I still have another level up available. When did I ever miss the chime? Pushing aside the issue I advance once more and proudly stare at my 20 free points. Hmm, what should I raise? I still have five categories I haven¡¯t reached peak in yet¡­ so I will start with those. Well, I have no need to lead a party of my own so I¡¯ll ignore Charisma for now. An Inventory would be oh so tantalizing, but¡­I think I can wait a little while longer. Right now it is more important to determine the hidden effects of Agility and Wisdom first. Agility + 7, Strength + 2, Charisma + 1, Wisdom + 10
For being the first to reach the peak of human Wisdom Reward + 1 Wisdom
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level9ClassN/A
Titles---
PartyQuests
Map
System Index
-
Health(144/180)
Stamina(111/180)
Mana(180/180)
-
Strength10Endurance10
Perception21Agility20
Intelligence50Wisdom21
Charisma3Luck21
Unallocated Points0
-
Skills Night Vision (Passive)
My eyes focus in on the option ¡®System Index¡¯¡­ could this really be what it sounds like? With trepid fingers, I reach out and tap on the box.
Welcome to the System Index To begin your inquiries please select the appropriate category to narrow down the field of information¡­
With giddy emotions, I begin scrolling through the options. I am quickly drawn to a link titled ¡®Attributes¡¯ and tapping it reveals a page that details each attribute¡¯s affects. However, reading the descriptions, I am greatly disappointed. Most of it is what I had already speculated and the page does not even mention the fact about the hidden features like Inventory or Parties¡­. Sighing dejectedly, I realize I was too eager and should have realized just like the other attributes, to make the most of this encyclopedia I would have to continually raise my Wisdom. Closing the screens I stand up to join the others in searching for loot. *** ¡°So let me see if I have this right.¡± Matt calmly speaks after listening to my explanation of the attribute affects. ¡°Strength determines base physical damage. Endurance increases Health Regeneration, Agility Stamina Regeneration, and Wisdom Mana Regeneration. Perception is our dexterity and aim. Intelligence is magic damage. Charisma is our level of attraction or hostility towards us and Luck is our critical chance?¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s it.¡± After regrouping I had explained about the System Index to Matt and Brent and although the information was minimal, it was still definitive answers to some of our questions. ¡°Good to know¡­ but you still aren¡¯t sure what the effects of Agility and Luck are?¡± Matt is puzzled over this matter while asking me. ¡°Well, Agility I have no clue. There is nothing new on the screen. But for Luck I think it is the Drop Rate of Loot. It wasn¡¯t until I had 20 Luck that enemies started dropping items.¡± ¡°Makes sense¡­ too bad there was no more of those orbs dropped.¡± Matt is disappointed over this point. All though we managed to acquire numerous weapons and several bronze tokens, the skill orb I found ended up being the only one dropped. ¡°Okay guys, enough game details. What should we do for tonight, we can¡¯t stay here can we?¡± Brent turns to point out the ravaged and scorched room filled with numerous corpses. ¡°Can we make it till morning before leaving?¡± Matt questions to no one in particular. ¡°We might can make it till morning, but the smell of freshly cooked meat is bound to attract something mean and hungry.¡± After I point this fact out, Brent and Matt look at each other worryingly. ¡°I think we should leave just before dawn. Right as the night prowlers are going to sleep and before everything else wakes up¡­ but there are two problems we have to solve before leaving. First is how to move the injured and second is our destination.¡± ¡°We could just load everyone up into vehicles.¡± Brent calmly suggests. ¡°Maybe, but if we were to get stuck or attacked by another horde, then we will still be having to deal with the same problem¡­ No before we move we should make a potion run to heal everyone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make a run for the potions?¡± Matt interrupts me while looking disbelievingly. ¡°If we can get those health potions then we can heal everyone and there¡¯ll be no one holding the group back while moving. So yes and sense we can¡¯t leave these people unguarded it should probably only be me going.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy¡­¡± Matt shakes his head while speaking. ¡°Yep, I may well be crazy to even think of doing this but with 20 agility and night vision I am the best choice.¡± ¡°Matt¡­ he understands the risk. Let him do what he can and we will do what we can.¡± Brent speaks to calm Matt down and remind him that we all have jobs to do. ¡°Fine¡­¡±Matt mumbles while still shaking his head before looking at me with determination. ¡°What can we do while you are gone?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.*** Stepping outside, I duck along shadows as I begin my solo run to the gas station. I keep an eye and ear out for any signs of danger aided by my new skill ¡®Night Vision¡¯. My surroundings which should be dark now appear like early twilight making me feel that much more confident. Along the way I dispatch a few zombies and collect the dropped tokens. Finally reaching the gas station, I immediately step up to the vendor. The familiar screen pops up and I begin my purchases. 26 Lesser Health Potions and 20 Lesser Stamina Potions. While carefully packing the potions into an empty bag, my ears catch the sound of screaming. Tucking a health and two stamina potions into my pockets, I quickly hide my bag between the two vending machines before going to investigate. Further down the street I notice a few people who come running onto the street. Followed behind them closely are¡­ zombies¡­ running? I am alarmed at seeing these zombies capable of such speed. Is it possible that zombies can level up also? My thoughts are pushed aside as I disappointingly notice they are headed my way. With a quick count, there are three humans and four zombies. The numbers are not too unreasonable for me to handle¡­. Deciding on a course of action, I sprint across the pavement and hide near the street. Stilling my breath I calm my nerves and wait for the approaching prey. After a moment the three humans come stumbling past me. A woman in the back trips and a small yelp escapes her mouth as she slides across the pavement. The other people, two men, pause momentarily to look at their fallen companion. There is despair and hesitance riddled on their faces over what to do. The one farthest away makes a decision to turn and flee. The other man, seeing the coward leave curses before dashing forward to help. However, there is no longer enough time as the zombies are now lunging upon them. Taking aim, I launch my spear like a javelin into the body of a zombie. Not wasting time for them to register my presence I immediately dash forward while simultaneously pulling out two daggers. The increase to my Agility and Perception begin to bare fruit as my movements become quick and fluid. I am able to easily kill the other three zombies before the impaled one is able to return to its feet. Smirking at the comical scene, I confidently stride forward. Dodging its lunge at me, my dagger effortlessly imbeds into the underside of the jaw. With a thud the final zombie falls onto the ground and I begin retrieving the newly spawned loot. I find a few more bronze tokens and a small glass vial full of a soft green liquid which I immediately notice to be the same as the stamina potions I just purchased. ¡°Um¡­ Thank you¡­.¡± Turning around I notice it is the women that is speaking to me. She is slowly getting to her feet with the aid of her companion. I am conflicted on what to do with these two. I should try to bring them back to boost our numbers¡­ but if they are anything like their fleeing companion¡­. Then they will just be a liability to our safety. ¡°Where¡¯s Scott?¡± The woman looks around trying to find the missing companion. Huffing in disgust, the other man quickly responds. ¡°The bastard ran off and left us.¡± ¡°We should hurry up and find him or¡­¡± ¡°No! He abandoned you as he ran to protect himself. I told you he was nothing but trash¡­. Sis I don¡¯t know why you ever dated someone like that.¡± The man chides the woman unrestrained while simultaneously providing me with some information about their dynamic. Coughing loudly I get the two to focus back on me. ¡°Do you plan on arguing in the middle of the street or would you like to follow me?¡± The woman is dazed and confused as she comes to terms over her boyfriend, but her brother looks daringly at me while thinking over what I said. ¡°Look, I appreciate you helping us out, but we don¡¯t even know who you are. How do we know we can trust you?¡± His words are fairly logical, but his tone is harsh. Sighing to myself, I realize his attitude is partially due to my low Charisma. Looks like I will have to raise that up soon just so I don¡¯t have to deal with attitude¡­. ¡°You¡¯re right. There is no way for you to know if I am trustworthy and honestly the same can be said about you. But I am part of a group of survivors and although you may not like it, there¡¯s definitely strength in numbers. I am not going to force you, but I am not going to waste my time on you¡­. The choice is yours, take it or leave.¡± Turning to leave I don¡¯t wait for a response. The two stand still not sure on what to do, however a loud shrill sounds out from not far pushing them to make a decision. ¡°Wait¡­. We¡¯re coming.¡± The man pulls along his sullen sister while stepping after me. Moving towards the gas station, I stride quickly over and retrieve my bag. ¡°What is that?¡± The brother questions as he can barely see what I have. ¡°Supplies, I had to run some errands.¡± Turning around I walk past the two heading towards the restaurant. ¡°Come along, the longer we wait the sooner something will find us.¡± Making our way back, I have to slow my movement as the two are skittish moving through the shadows. It is not long before I spot a couple more zombies along our path. I hide the two behind some cover as I stealthily remove the obstacles. ¡°How did you know where they were?¡± The brother questions me as we pass the fresh corpses. ¡°I have skill¡­.¡± I chuckle lightly at the double meaning, but the brother just grimaces at my curt reply obviously not happy and tries to inquire further. ¡°Look, we are almost there, save the questions for when we are safe.¡± Ignoring his attempts for further answers, I immediately force him to hush. In no time at all, we finally make it back to the restaurant. The sight of the numerous corpses causes the two to gasp out in shock. ¡°Sorry for the mess, we had some uninvited guests earlier.¡± Stepping into the dilapidated dining room I reach out and start tapping onto the remaining walls. ¡°Jack?¡± I hear a cautionary whisper before seeing a pair of eyes poking through the newest barricade. With my presence confirmed, a path is easily opened and I usher the two new additions in before me. ¡°Who are they?¡± Matt curiously looks over the two that followed me. ¡°I found them being chased down by zombies.¡± Matt looks dumfounded at me as I continue to explain. ¡°It seems that zombies can probably grow stronger. These had double the speed compared to the ones from yesterday. I would only put their rating at around 10, but if they continue to grow it will be a huge problem.¡± Cursing under his breath Matt is obviously not happy with this news. ¡°Can someone tell us what is going on?¡± The brother, I can tell, is extremely frustrated. After everything he has obviously been through he is just looking for answers¡­ but I don¡¯t have time for this. Looking at Matt I gesture for him to deal with this issue. ¡°Brent¡­ take them to meet Martha, have her explain the basics and document their statuses.¡± Seeing Matt take charge so confidently, I am slightly shocked. Noticing my expression he chuckles. ¡°I reached peak Intelligence.¡± That short statement is enough for me to understand. ¡°Here are the potions. We will keep five of both out in a group kit. The rest should be stored in your Inventory for protection.¡± ¡°Actually, Brent unlocked his Inventory so we will split the potions.¡± ¡°Damn, that¡¯s it next level I am definitely getting my own Inventory.¡± Hearing the news about Brent I am agitated and disappointed about being the one without. Matt chuckles as he turns and calls someone over. He hands three health potions over to a young woman who I notice to be Rachael, the one whose¡¯ boyfriend has the hurt shoulder. It seems that Matt has tasked her in a supporting role. It makes sense to use Rachael in this way considered for awhile she will not be part of the ¡®fighting¡¯ force. Earlier in the night she and Martha had been the ones to volunteer for the redistribution. So with their high Charismas it makes them perfect for logistical support in the group. Who knows with the game like elements it is probably only a matter of time before we can get them abilities. ¡°Okay, now that everyone is busy¡­¡± Matt pauses as Brent returns. Nodding at the man, Matt continues. ¡°Alright, our preparations are almost done¡­ next is to decide on our destination.¡± ¡°I say for the time being we should avoid major buildings such as the town hall, police station, or hospital.¡± ¡°Why, those seem like great places for people to gather, not to mention the last two would have numerous supplies¡­¡± Matt quickly disagrees with my suggestion. ¡°You are right¡­ but that can also be a risk for us. The larger the gathering of people the higher chances you have of infighting or attracting monsters¡­. For now we need a place low key, highly defensible, and with basic living amenities.¡± While I am thinking Matt questions the officer who is the most familiar with the area. ¡°Brent, is there any buildings near by you think would be a good choice?¡± Brent is quiet for a moment while thinking over the requirements. ¡°Yes, there is a new apartment complex three blocks west from here. It has high brick walls and steel fences.¡± ¡°How large and do you think there might be a zombie infestation?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I think it is a 20 apartment complex, but as far as zombies it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. It just opened for business, so there should only be a few residents if any.¡± ¡°Sounds good, any other ideas?¡± Seeing no complaints from the other two I take it as a confirmation. ¡°Before we leave we need to gather as many supplies as possible and figure out driving arrangements.¡± ¡°I already got that figured out. We checked the office and found the keys to the delivery van outside. We can fit about eight people inside and there is even a small chiller to help store food.¡± Nodding my head I continue to listen as Matt details our convoy. The lead vehicle will have me, Brent, Bobby, the cook and Samantha driving. Samantha and Bobby were the siblings we rescued from the gas station. Next would be the van driven by Martha. Inside would be her two children, the three elderly, the gas station clerk, and the waitress from the restaurant. Lastly would be Matt¡¯s vehicle driven by Racheal. With them would be her boyfriend John as well as the new brother and sister I brought back. Over all I am content with the arrangement. It seems Matt focused on balancing our fighters between the lead and rear vehicles. ¡°Matt did you consider how to form the three parties?¡± Before I had left I had mentioned to him that with the aid of the party experience share we should divide the three of us into different parities to start power leveling new fighters. Now that we were about to depart it was the last thing on our agenda. ¡°I did¡­ we will link Brent and Bobby to Martha¡¯s party. I will pick up Samantha and the two new kids. Rachael will have you and her boyfriend in her party.¡± ¡°Not bad¡­ you have the members divided pretty equally in both combat vehicles so no matter which side gets experience it will all be shared¡­ but why do you want to put Bobby in a party? He is really young¡­¡± I am confused over this issue and think it would be a waste of experience. Smiling mischievously Matt looks at me before speaking. ¡°Oh¡­ did I not tell you? Bobby is already level 4.¡± Chapter 7: Sticky Situation ¡°Alright, lets role.¡± Matt calls out as he turns and enters his vehicle. Even before the sun has peaked over the horizon, our caravan is already pulling out onto the road. Sitting in the passenger seat Brent keeps a watchful eye as he quietly directs the cook along the right path. Originally we had wanted to have Samantha be our driver so we could have the guys poised and ready to fight. But the girl adamantly refused stating that she was not leaving her brother¡¯s side¡­. Along the way I discuss various aspects of the system and tips for class building. Despite answering questions from the others, my focus is on Bobby and his three unspent levels. After some debate and ¡®permission¡¯ from Samantha, I finally get Bobby to spend his points.
Status
NameBobbyRaceHuman
Level4ClassN/A
Titles---
Party---
-
Health(130/130)
Stamina(130/130)
Mana(130/130)
-
Strength8Endurance8
Perception10Agility9
Intelligence8Wisdom8
Charisma7Luck20
Unallocated Points0
When Bobby first shared his base stats I was disappointed, that is until he shared his Luck ¨C 14. Which was his highest attribute and also the explanation for his rapid advancement. It turns out that when Matt had originally tested the limits to the party, Bobby was added as an experiment after discovering the Level 0¡¯s. And even after having Martha and Rachael form their own parties, Matt had never thought it necessary to switch the boy. After all, originally the parties were just there to get us the gold. However, in a fit of ¡®Luck¡¯ Bobby was able to gain experience from the goblin horde without lifting a finger. ¡°2 o¡¯clock, two zombies.¡± Brent interrupts my thoughts as he announces the approaching threat. Stopping the car, Brent goes to handle the easy prey. The first one dies quickly as a hatchet buries into its skull. The second comes up, but is easily knocked onto its back before having its arms chopped off. ¡°Bobby.¡± Brent calls out as he pins the zombie in place under his foot. Bobby comes out nervously, followed closely by Sam. With a little encouragement from his sister the zombie is soon killed by his own effort. ¡°We got 7 bronze tokens.¡± Bobby proudly tells me as he crawls back into the vehicle. ¡°Good.¡± I nod my head slightly at the news. However I can still feel the scornful gaze of his sister boring into my skull. She may not be happy with her brother having to fight, but she also understands that if he levels he can grow stronger. This was the excuse I gave her, but honestly I plan on exploiting his Luck to increase our drops. After all, the more money and items dropped the better our chances of survival. Continuing down the different roads we occasionally stop to kill a few more monsters. Mostly zombies, but we also met a feral canine that took both Brent and me to kill. It is debatable if it came with the system, or if it was once a normal dog that some how evolved due to the system¡­. ¡°Okay, this is the entrance.¡± Brent points out a drive and we get our first glimpse as the car turns in. ¡°Um¡­ Brent. I thought you said this was an apartment complex?¡± The sight before me is larger than I had anticipated. ¡°Well, this is a college town, so there are going to be things a bit¡­ extravagant?¡± ¡°More like rich parents spoiling their snobbish brats when they go off¡­.¡± Surprisingly it is the cook that speaks up sharing an obvious sneer along with his words. Pulling into the empty parking area of what is labeled as the ¡®office¡¯, we cautiously huddle around the vehicles. Matt commands a few people to keep watch as he pulls Brent and me into the building. The inside is clean and has a ¡®new¡¯ smell to it, but there is no one here to greet us. The other two go to check out the back rooms as I wait in the lounge ready to run in either direction that might need me. To pass time I carelessly pick up a brochure and read over the amenities offered. Community pool, recreational area, fitness gym, laundry facilities and other provided appliances¡­. Even the rooms are provided with basic furniture. Good grief ¡­ what in the world did we just find? If we can keep this place defensible¡­ ¡°No one back there¡­¡± Returning to the lounge room Matt notices my odd expression. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Just overwhelmed from reading the brochure¡­. This place is like its own village.¡± ¡°Yeah, I remember seeing an ad for this place.¡± Chuckling Matt looks out the window at the surroundings. After a moment¡¯s pause Brent coughs to snap us out of our daze. ¡°This building should be safe enough. We can leave everyone here while checking out the other buildings.¡± Brent is quick to suggest and we quickly agree. Bringing everyone inside, we split the group into two before scouting. I will stay on guard with the others while Matt and Brent go check the other buildings. I do not particularly enjoy babysitting, but I figured an officer and Matt¡¯s high charisma would be the best combination if any survivors were found. While waiting I decide to consult our newly leveled members thanks to the experience share along the way.
Status
NameMarthaRaceHuman
Level2ClassN/A
Titles---
PartyQuests
-
Health(110/110)
Stamina(110/110)
Mana(110/110)
-
Strength8Endurance9
Perception10Agility9
Intelligence10Wisdom10
Charisma20Luck10
Unallocated Points0
Status
NameRachaelRaceHuman
Level2ClassN/A
Titles---
PartyQuests
-
Health(110/110)
Stamina(110/110)
Mana(110/110)
-
Strength7Endurance9
Perception9Agility9
Intelligence9Wisdom9
Charisma20Luck10
Unallocated Points0
Status
NameJohnRaceHuman
Level2ClassN/A
Titles---
Party---
-
Health(110/110)
Stamina(110/110)
Mana(110/110)
-
Strength12Endurance10
Perception12Agility12
Intelligence9Wisdom9
Charisma9Luck10
Unallocated Points0
Over all there is not a lot to discuss. The two women both wish to work towards their base physical attributes, while John goes with a balanced approach of +1 to Strength, Perception, and Agility. With nothing else to do I peruse the System Index for new information. The minutes drag by and soon I hear the back door swing open. Twisting my head around I see Matt come walking in. Following him is a middle aged man, a woman carrying a small toddler, and lastly Brent. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Jack, this is Hank. He handles the maintenance for the apartments. He and his family live here in their own residence.¡± Matt calmly introduces the new people. I reach out and give a handshake to the man before asking him numerous questions about the facility. Startled by my barrage of questions the man looks blankly between me, Matt, and Brent unsure of how to respond. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Hank, you have to excuse Jack. He can be a bit impatient at times.¡± Matt purses his lips while slanting his eyes my way obviously not happy with my lack of tact. With the aid of Matt¡¯s ¡®Charisma¡¯ the conversation with Hank goes smoothly. Turns out the place is designed with the office building being stationed up front with a workshop attached directly behind. As I had hoped there are indeed extra building supplies that the complex keeps on hand for Hank to use whenever. Further behind these two buildings are the recreational area, fitness gym, and swimming pool. On each opposing side are the apartment buildings, four in total each three stories tall. Every floor holds six apartment units with them varying between one, two, or three bedroom designs. Hank¡¯s family stays in one of the three bedroom units. Overall I am happy with the layout. If we barricade the entrances the perimeter fences will help secure our surrounds. Also the height of the apartments will allow us to keep an eye on any threats coming¡­ However, there is a slight catch. ¡°Go ahead Hank, tell us what happened.¡± Matt encourages Hank to continue. It seems that when the system first activated there were several renters having a pool party. At first Hank thought the kids were just causing a ruckus, but the screams persisted and grew in intensity. Going to check it out, he remembers the gruesome scene. Numerous blobs were moving around the area trapping the swimmers inside the changing rooms. Some had tried to escape, but were caught and slowly eaten before the others which only added to the nightmare. Hank had rushed back home immediately to try and call for help, but the phones were of course down. It was also at this time that he and his wife noticed the news alerts on the TV. ¡°News alert?¡± Oblivious to this information the group is anxious for details. ¡°Yeah, I had it on a local channel watching a soap opera. But soon the channel was interrupted with an emergency broadcast. Footage changed to a reporter crying out from the news room. At first we had trouble understanding what was going on, but the camera panned out to show a city shot¡­.¡± Chocking up from recalling the scene, Hank¡¯s wife is unable to continue the story. ¡°I can finish telling.¡± Hank reaches out and gently touches her shoulder before continuing the story. ¡°The camera showed numerous creatures running across the street attacking people. Next thing we know, there were screams coming from inside the studio. The last thing we saw before the camera went out was a body being cut down by some type of green man¡­. After seeing the news, I didn¡¯t want to risk leaving. So we locked ourselves inside and planned to wait for help to come.¡± The room is sullen after hearing this news. We once again realize how dangerous the world has become and the fact that we have been lucky so far. Noticing the drop in morale, I decide to force a change of mood. With a loud pop, I clap my hands getting everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Who wants breakfast?¡± Everyone is stunned by the rapid shift, but after the thought has been planted people start to realize their own hunger while rubbing their bellies. ¡°Sounds good, Hank do you mind if we use your kitchen?¡± Brent gives a small nod and pat on my shoulder as he passes by to help get the ball rolling. *** With full bellies, everyone is noticeably livelier as they sit around the cramp living room. ¡°Do I really have to go?¡± Hank is extremely timid after we had discussed our plans to destroy the slimes. ¡°You are the most familiar with the buildings so if anything happens we need you there.¡± I try to explain the reasoning, but his face shows I have not helped the situation any. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we explained about how the system has made us stronger so you won¡¯t have to do any of the fighting.¡± Matt encourages Hank and the man reluctantly agrees. With our plans formulated, we get up to go clear out the area. Surprisingly we had a few people volunteer to come help, obviously eager to get experience. But for the sake of efficiency, we decide to keep the group small. Only Matt, Brent and I will go fight and Hank will come as our guide. Moving outside, we take a slight detour to pick up some fire extinguishers along the way before stopping just outside the fenced poolside. ¡°Remember, once you shatter their bodies you have to find the core and destroy that or they will just reform.¡± This is the last advice I have before I push the gate open and we step towards the pool. Just as Hank had mentioned, there are slimes slowly oozing around the pool. With haste, we immediately spread out and each claims a prey. Soon the sound of heavy spraying fills the area followed by the occasional shattering of frozen goo. The battle is going easy with the number of slimes steadily decreasing. However, as I step towards my next slime I pause noticing its odd behavior. Usually the slimes¡¯ movements are smooth, but this one is starting to jiggle and shake furiously. ¡°Umm, Jack. The slimes are starting to act weird.¡± Looking over I see what Brent was saying to be true. All the remaining slimes are shaking furiously. ¡°I don¡¯t like this, let¡¯s tak¡­¡± Before I can even finish my sentence I have to quickly dodge down as a flying slime jumps past me. Startled by this new phenomenon, I unconsciously drop my extinguisher and move to grip a dagger. Looking in the direction of where the slime went I am horrified by the sight. All the remaining slimes are jumping towards one gooey mass. Even slimes that had been hiding in the changing rooms are soon joining the pile. Like a balloon being pumped full of air, the mass of slimes steadily grows until there is a huge gelatinous monster before us easily two meters tall and twice as wide at the base. Looking over this creature I swallow heavily as a slimy tentacle menacingly rises into the air. A heavy bang echoes as the tentacle slams down towards Brent who was able to dodge to the side. The impact leaves behind cracked concrete as the monster immediately begins numerous attacks as more tentacles sprout out. ¡°Everybody get back!¡± Matt yells out as we all quickly jump away from the flurry of attacks. Huddled away from the creature we are breathing heavily, more so from fear than actual exhaustion. ¡°How are we supposed to fight that thing?¡± Matt questions as he stands up regaining his composure. ¡°Perhaps it was an agro affect. If we wait awhile it will probably separate and we can make it a game of attrition.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it will let us do that.¡± Brent refutes my idea as he gets us to look at the giant slime¡­ that is now moving our way. Cursing under his breath Matt turns to look at me. ¡°Run or Fight?¡± My mind is immediately grasping for any idea possible to fight this thing. I know the battle will definitely be dangerous but the other option would be to give up this amazing facility. If only we could continue freezing the slime. But I doubt the bastard would just sit there while we freeze it. Besides the image of the earlier impact serves as a reminder of how powerful its¡¯ attacks are¡­. Staring at the mini crater my mind calms down as an idea pops into my head. Moving my eyes I slowly look over the blob to check on an important detail. Sure enough, spread haphazardly amongst the mass are the cores of the numerous individual slimes. ¡°I got an idea.¡± Smiling fiendishly I immediately share my idea with the others. ¡°Where in the world do you come up with these plans of yours?¡± Brent is once again flabbergasted at my suggestion. ¡°I think instead of Intelligence he has been raising an Insanity attribute.¡± Matt jokingly quips at me while shaking his head. Rolling my eyes at their responses I continue speaking. ¡°Look, it can work. Just be ready to follow my lead.¡± The two reluctantly agree and I take one of the spare tanks to begin our counter-attack. With a deep breath in, I dash forward towards the slime. Dodging the first two strikes I get steadily closer to the monster before crouching down and baiting an attack. Being so near, two tentacles fuse together as their paths collide forming a thicker one which careens down towards my location. Pushing all my strength into my legs I jump as far away as possible. Just as I am touching the ground, an earsplitting boom occurs from behind. Using my shoulder to take the fall¡¯s impact, I easily roll into a crouching position while snapping my head around. With a smirk on my face I proudly look at my achievement. The massive tentacle is now frozen after exploding the extinguisher that I had ¡®conveniently¡¯ left in its¡¯ path. The crystalline structure spreads all the way to the point of attachment with the body. Not wasting any more time looking, I immediately dash off to retrieve my earlier dropped extinguisher. As I am moving I hear the sound of shattering and quickly glance to confirm Matt and Brent handling their part of the plan. Reloaded with another cold mine I move in beginning my dance of death. Soon the satisfying crescendo once more hits its note leaving another smile on my face. Stepping back I take another of our extinguishers from our stock and enter into the fray of tentacles for a third time. All along, Matt and Brent are steadily pulling away and destroying cores which slowly cause the blob to shrink in size. Having set the third mine I once again jump out of harms way. However, instead of the usual boisterous noise accompanied by the impact, this time there is only a dull thud. Confused I glance back and see that instead of exploding the tank is merely dented, even the concrete barely cracked from the hit. ¡°There¡¯s not enough force!¡± Cursing the turn of events I dodge backwards while regrouping with the other two. ¡°Well, at least it shrank some.¡± Matt optimistically speaks as we stare at the now two third sized slime boss. ¡°Should we try to get close and spray it again?¡± Brent asks for arguments sake, but his tone indicates that even he does not think the idea would turn out well. ¡°No, I still think the cold bomb is the best plan¡­. We just have to figure out how to increase the damage causing it to explode.¡± Deep in thought I scan around the area looking for something to aid us. Lawn chairs, discarded towels, inflatable toys, nothing but garbage is around us. ¡°Guess I will just try for multiple hits on¡­.¡± My voice trails off as I notice a galvanized object attached to Brent¡¯s belt. ¡°How good are you with that pistol?¡± A moment of confusion from question quickly fades as Brent understands my intention. ¡°Good enough.¡± Smirking, he does not brag excessively, but instead moves to un-holster his firearm. ¡°Okay, well this time we aren¡¯t going to waste our efforts on an arm, instead we go straight for the body.¡± With excitement building up I eagerly dash forward swaying between attacks and easily retrieve the bent tank. Dodging a few more times I get close enough and casually toss the extinguisher. An audible plop is heard as the blob starts pulling the tank further inside. Having retreated a safe distance, I turn to stare at Brent. The officer is now crouched in a stable aiming position. A quick triple tap of the trigger releases the bullets which ping onto the metal before the hull breaks. The pressurized fire retardant spews forth from within the blob and a beautiful crystalline structure spreads out consuming the blob in its¡¯ entirety. ¡°I guess that was good enough.¡± Grinning I quickly ebb Brent as I confidently dash forward giving a stout kick to the frozen monster and watch as the dominoes fall. Looking through the shards I find the first core and smash it beneath my foot earning myself another level. ¡°Hey, see if you can store the cores in the Inventory. If so we should take them back for the others.¡± Turning my focus over to my self, I open my screen and tap raising my level to 10.
Congratulations! For reaching level 10 the restriction upon ¡®Class Selection¡¯ has now been lifted. To begin training please select a class type within the Status page. To further assist, a one time reward of double attribute points is additionally given.
Chapter 8: Withdrawal Shocked I stare blankly until the message fades away. Sure enough, just as written my attribute points were doubled giving me a total of ¡®20¡¯ free points. With little thought I immediately raise Strength to peak and gleefully cry out over seeing the option for Inventory appear. Quelling my joy, I hold off on testing it out as I put the remaining points into achieving peak Endurance. ¡°Dude, why are you so happy?¡± Matt pauses from picking up a core as he looks questioningly at me. Chuckling with a goofy smile on my face I inform Matt. ¡°Spending my points and about to choose a class.¡± ¡°Wait¡­what!?¡± Matt is shocked by this news and rushes over to hear the details. ¡°Calm down. It turns out class selection is unlocked at level 10.¡± While talking with Matt I nonchalantly reach out and tap on ¡®Class¡¯.
Through your efforts the following starting class options are available. Warrior Rogue Magician
¡°Hmm, looks like I can choose between Warrior, Rogue, or Magician.¡± ¡°Kind of generic huh?¡± Matt reaches up and scratches his beard as he thinks over the options I just listed. ¡°Maybe not¡­ The message states that I have to choose a starting class. The key word here is ¡®starting¡¯ and the fact that classes become available at level 10, then we should be able to progress at level 20.¡± ¡°You think there is a class advancement option?¡± Matt calmly infers my meaning and starts pondering over the theory. ¡°It fits with the trend of 10s and 20s being significant numbers in the system.¡± With a shrug of my shoulders I finish speaking and move to select my starting class.
Warning! Selecting this class will restrict future specialization paths. Confirm ¡®Rogue¡¯ as your class? Yes / No
¡°Okay, that confirms it. When I picked the Rogue class it gave me a warning that this would limit my future options.¡± ¡°Hurry it up! They are starting to thaw out.¡± Brent angrily calls out to get us back to work. ¡°Sorry.¡± Matt and I meekly apologize and decide to discuss the changes later once we are back with the group. *** ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get this meeting started.¡± Leaning forward in my chair I begin speaking to the small group of people. After coming back from the pool the first thing we did was gather Martha, Rachael, and John to come join the ¡®leaders¡¯ huddle. Sitting around a table we had a lot to talk about. But the biggest issue many of us were struggling with was the status of our families. However, how could we decide who to help or if any were still alive. After some heavy debating we decided that long distance travel was not within our capabilities. So if a family member was not within the city limits we would just have to bite our lips and wish for their best. Eventually though a list of people and destinations was created for us to start checking on. Non-surprisingly, the ones on the top of the list were Brent¡¯s wife and Martha¡¯s husband. So for today the plan was to go look for these two individuals. ¡°The first stop is the bank and then the law firm after that. It will be Brent, John and I leaving and we plan to be back within four hours.¡± Looking at the others I can see their agreement to the plan. ¡°Rachael do you remember the signals?¡± ¡°Yes, if you leave the party but John remains then everything is fine you are just delayed¡­¡± pausing to still her worries she continues. ¡°And if all three disappear from the parties then don¡¯t come looking.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I can tell she is not comfortable with discussing such a dismal topic, but with no phones we need a way to communicate. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s rest an hour and then we will depart.¡± Ten minutes later I am finally refreshed after getting to take my first shower since this has all began. It¡¯s amazing how a shower can easily wash away all fatigue. Drying off I plop down into a nearby chair and look over my status.
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level10ClassRogue
Titles---
Party---
InventoryMap
System Index
-
Health(181/190)
Stamina(199/190)
Mana(190/190)
-
Strength20Endurance20
Perception21Agility20
Intelligence50Wisdom21
Charisma3Luck21
Unallocated Points0
-
Resistances
Skills Night Vision (Passive) Sneak (Active)
Resistances
Physical11%Mental26%
Disease21%Poision4%
Earth4%Darkness0%
Fire5%Light12%
Water3%Ice3%
Wind3%Lightning7%
Night Vision (Passive)Max
Your vision is enhanced by mana enabling for greater visibility in dark lighting.
Sneak (Active)Beginner Level 1 (2%)
Erase your presence by blending into the environment. Effectiveness is dependent on AGL and enemies PER.
Got to say I am proud of my current stats. Peak performance in all attributes minus Charisma and my Intelligence is at a whopping 50 point value. It seems my gamble of redistribution really paid off. Not to mention I also gained a new skill to my arsenal. It turns out that the skill is nothing magical like invisibility but actually improved motor control while ¡®sneaking¡¯. My footsteps are quiet, my breathing stays steady and my body just moves like a ninja. Even though my skills are not flashy I still understand that they add more options to my combat. If I can gain some high damage attacks like backstab or even a sniping ability then I could become an amazing assassin. I lie down to attempt sleeping, but it is ever allusive. After several minutes of tossing around in frustration I decide to just spend the time reading the Index. Before I know it there is a knock on the door and I see Brent poking his head in. ¡°You ready?¡± I can tell that the man is anxious to find his wife and it is likely that he did not sleep either. Giving him a silent nod I stand to follow him out to the vehicle. It¡¯s an awkward moment as the three of us say our good byes to the group. We haven¡¯t been together for long, but a real sense of cohesiveness has developed. The drive there is slow but steady with only a few zombies getting in our way. After thirty minutes we finally pull up to the bank where Brent¡¯s wife was working. The place looks like a riot has come through, which most likely did. However, amongst the strewn papers and broken furniture there is still enough blood spilled to indicate the gruesome reality. ¡°Karen¡­.¡± Brent quietly speaks out a name as he fearfully looks over the room. A bumping noise is heard from somewhere in the back and Brent dashes off searching out the source. ¡°Wait!¡± I try to call out to Brent but he ignores me. ¡°Come on John.¡± Moving quickly we follow after the officer down the hallway. Entering a large room we find Brent angrily attacking several zombies. Jumping into the fray John and I easily assist in killing them off. As the last corpse falls down so does Brent. Walking over to the man I see he is clutching a blood stained purse tightly in his hands. ¡°She bought this purse last week¡­. I was against getting it because it was so expensive, but she was so stubborn about having it that I finally gave in. She was always so damn stubborn¡­.¡± Brent quietly pulls the purse to his chest as he silently morns. Stepping back I try to give Brent some space. With nothing else to do I start pushing corpses around looking for any drops. As I am moving the bodies around I start noticing the blood smears against the vault door. Looking over the room I quickly verify that the zombies had only been clawing at this one door and not at any of the other walls. I thought pops into my head and I cautiously move to start opening the vault. With the last twist of the lock a click is heard and the heavy door slowly swings open. Looking into the room I immediately spot three bodies lying on the floor. ¡°Brent there¡¯s people in here!¡± Rushing in I reach the first person who is collapsed in their own vomit. ¡°KAREN!¡± Brent practically falls on top of the woman who I now know to be his wife. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Looking the woman over I notice all her physical conditions. Shallow breathing, clammy and grey colored skin, I recognize these signs easily. ¡°It¡¯s carbon monoxide poisoning, we need to get them out of here.¡± Shaking Brent¡¯s shoulder he quickly nods and scoops his wife up. Thanks to our peak strength it only takes us a matter of seconds to move the three people out and into a nearby office room. ¡°Is she going to be okay?¡± Brent looks to me pleadingly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe¡­ but it depends on how long she has been without oxygen.¡± Ignoring the worrying husband, I continue examining and checking her vitals. ¡°Would a health potion work?¡± John timidly suggests from the doorway as he looks over the three unconscious people. ¡°No, the health potion would only restore their health points. But their condition is due to being deprived of oxygen.¡± I quietly mull over how we could help them get more oxygen. If we had an oxygen tank then we could forcefully increase the concentration of oxygen being delivered into their blood. However the nearest tank would likely be at the hospital which would be a very dangerous trip. I am starting to regret my class. What if the skill associated with magician had been a heal spell or some type of restor¡­. ¡°Wait¡­ not a health potion, but maybe¡­.¡± Quickly I pull out a vial of green liquid and contemplate the possibilities. ¡°Brent, I want to try something. Tilt her head up.¡± With a gentle motion her head is tilted and I carefully start to pour the stamina potion into her mouth. I go slowly making sure she does not aspirate. With each swallow of the liquid her color slowly gains a pink hue and her breathing strengthens. ¡°Ha ha, it worked.¡± Gleefully I share the news to Brent who is ecstatic at the news. ¡°All right, next¡­.¡±
Congratulations! For successfully combining scientific knowledge with magical knowledge and having a keen observational skill you have created a ¡®Unique¡¯ skill.
Analyze (Active)Beginner Level 1 (0%)
With careful observations you are able to gather complex details. Effectiveness is dependent on WIS.
We can create skills? I had a speculation we might be able to do something like this. But to have it happen so soon and for such a skill to be created is amazing. Turning to look I concentrate on Karen.
RaceHumanSexFemale
Deterimental Effects Exhaustion (-20% Stamina Regeneration)
Simple, but the information confirms that Karen will be fine. I then turn and analyze the other two.
RaceHumanSexFemale
Deterimental Effects Asphyxiation (-.5 HP per second) Hypoxemia (-90% Health & Stamina Regeneration)
RaceHumanSexMale
Deterimental Effects Asphyxiation (-.5 HP per second) Hypoxemia (-90% Health & Stamina Regeneration)
Alarmed by the details I jump over to immediately start treating them. After a few minutes I check their vitals again and confirm that they have improved. With the tense atmosphere gone I slump against a wall and relax. ¡°They okay?¡± Brent asks as he gently lowers his wife¡¯s head down. ¡°Yeah, I somehow got a skill that allows me to diagnose health issues. They just need some rest, but it might be awhile before they wake up though.¡± ¡°Hey guys, I found something!¡± John comes running into the room with a goofy smile on his face. Brent and I share a look of confusion before I motion for him to stay as I go see what the fuss is about. Reaching the end of the hallway I am led into a breakroom. ¡°It¡¯s a new vendor!¡± With an exaggerated motion he is pointing out a snack machine on the back wall. Excited by this news, I rush up to the vendor to see the wares.
Rye Bread ¨C 3 Bronze Game Tokens
Mana Berry ¨C 10 Bronze Game Token
Mountain Nut ¨C 20 Bronze Game Tokens
Lunar Essence Powder ¨C 1 Silver Game Token
Scarlet Life Mushroom ¨C 1 Silver Game Token
¡°What do you think they do?¡± John quietly asks as he stands beside me. ¡°Not sure, hold on I¡¯m going to buy a few¡­.¡± Pulling out some bronze tokens I quickly make a purchase for some rye bread. Holding it out in front of me I carefully look it over while activating my new skill.
EdibleRye BreadFreshness100%
Affects Fills Satiety (+1 SP per second for 30 seconds)
¡°Looks like the food is magical, this bread can restore your stamina.¡± Satisfied with the description I store it away in my inventory and then spend the last of our bronze tokens on another purchase.
EdibleMountain NutFreshness100%
Affects Strength Boost (+20% STR for 3 minutes)
¡°Strength boost.¡± Giving a simple explanation I toss the nut over to John to let him look it over as well. Hmm, if a drink machine gives out potions and a snack machine gives out edibles¡­ then are there vendors that give out magical items or spells? I¡¯m going to have to start considering looking for different types of vending machines, but what are the requirements for something to be a ¡®vendor¡¯? With no more money to spend, I begrudgingly turn to leave. Walking back into the office I quietly inform Brent of the new findings. He silently nods his head while listening, but after a while I give up my theories as I can tell he is more focused on nursing his wife. With nothing else to do I talk with John, who unlike Brent, is very eager to talk about game details. After letting it slip that I have an Index he has me start reading out details nonstop. In a blink of an eye a full hour has passed and the first person, Karen, starts to regain consciousness. After the joyful reunion between husband and wife the other two start to come around as well. There is a lot of confusion and hysteria from the others but Brent¡¯s presence really helps to ease the situation. We decide to rest another thirty minutes to give them time to fully wake up before leaving for our next destination. Walking to the front lobby I scout out the entrance to make sure nothing has changed outside. ¡°It¡¯s kind of ironic huh?¡± John casually asks as we are scouting the front entrance. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, we are in the middle of a bank with money all around us, yet we can¡¯t buy anything else from the vendor.¡± ¡°Ha, yeah it is.¡± Chuckling I shake my head at the irony. ¡°For real, I would even settle for the magic vendor taking my debit card.¡± ¡°Yeah or if there¡­.¡± I stop talking as I start thinking over the requirements for the ¡®vendors¡¯. What if my mindset had been too narrow? ¡°Jack, where are you going?¡± John nervously asks as he sees me moving further outside the building. Standing in the open parking lot I turn to look the bank over until I spot what I am looking for¡­ an ATM machine. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m checking something.¡± Jogging over to the machine I stop right in front just as a new screen pops up. ¡°It is!¡± ¡°What? Is something wrong?¡± John comes running over after hearing my exclamation. ¡°Ha ha, we can forget about our money problems it¡¯s a magical bank!¡± I rigorously shake John¡¯s shoulders before turning to look the screen over one more time.
Welcome to the System Bank what services are required? Deposit Withdraw Exchange Transfer
Chapter 9: Learning the Trade ¡°Alright Martha, here are the pictures.¡± I immediately hand over my phone to the worried woman. When we had finally returned back to the apartments there was no joyous reunion for Martha. The law firm that we went to ended up being congested with zombies. After killing them and checking all the offices¡­ there was not a living soul to be found. The only option we had was to take photos of the bloody heads in an attempt for Martha to try identifying her husband. ¡°No¡­.¡± Shaking her head Martha hands my phone back to me while displaying a bitter smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay Martha¡­ we¡¯ll keep looking for him.¡± Matt tries to comfort her, but the truth is not that optimistic. The chances of him still being alive are slim now. My only wish is that the poor woman won¡¯t have to face her dead husband in the future. ¡°If you would excuse me, I¡¯m going to go see my kids for a bit.¡± With sullen footsteps Martha walks out of the room leaving myself and Matt alone. ¡°Poor lady, at least we were able to find Brent¡¯s wife.¡± The man was obviously happy after finding his spouse as the scene of him caring his wife off into the apartments is still fresh in my mind. Originally I was going to suggest another large group meeting, but with such a vast range of emotions it is probably best to wait a while. ¡°So what else happened?¡± With just the two of us left Matt turns and sits in a nearby chair waiting for my recount of events. The story starts off simple but Matt is soon intrigued by how I was able to create a skill. However, his prior interest is soon dwarfed when I mention the magical bank. And when I share how much game currency we now have, well, needless to say we will not be having any money problems for a while. On a side note it was interesting to learn what the exchange rate is. A bronze token is equal to $1, one silver is $100 and a gold token is $1,000. Immediately after the ¡®withdrawal¡¯ our first plan was to stock up on magical items. Besides the food vendor we also ransacked two potion vendors during our trip. At first it seemed like we would have a vast stockpile of magical supplies, but it turns out there are limitations within the system. Each vendor is stocked with a limited amount of supplies. For example, in the food vendor I was able to purchase 40 pieces of rye bread before it changed to ¡®Out of Stock¡¯. So in the end our total purchases from the trip consisted of: 40 pieces of rye bread 25 mana berries 30 mountain nuts 10 lunar essence powders 5 scarlet life mushrooms 60 lesser stamina potions 60 lesser health potions 30 lesser mana potions ¡°It¡¯s disappointing about there being stock limits, do you think they will replenish after a certain amount of time?¡± Matt casually asks as he slowly deposits a portion of the supplies away into his inventory. Shaking my head I explain. ¡°I checked the Index and it stated that once stocks are gone only tradesmen can restock a vendor.¡± ¡°Tradesmen?¡± Matt curiously asks after hearing this title. ¡°I tried searching and all I could find is that it¡¯s a class option. I think there is a chance of it being the fourth starter class option for peak Charisma and Luck. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Matt thinks over this for a moment before speaking. ¡°Makes sense that there would be a fourth with how the attributes pair up to the other classes, but how would Charisma and Luck play a role in being a ¡®tradesman¡¯?¡± ¡°Well, I would say Luck can determine the quality of the product produced and Charisma will aid in having the goods sold.¡± Shrugging my shoulders I give a simplified theory. ¡°Of course this is speculation, we won¡¯t know for sure until we have someone unlock the fourth starter class.¡± ¡°Would this class really be beneficial¡­ this class doesn¡¯t seem like it would be good at fighting?¡± Matt¡¯s question is valid as currently everyone is concerned with just staying alive. The thought of trying to get everyone to start crafting might seem too leisurely. ¡°Well, in the short run¡­ no it wouldn¡¯t. Having more warriors or mages would definitely play a bigger role in our combat potential. But you have to consider the future. As sudden as these changes were, I don¡¯t see the world returning to how it was before. We might be losing a few fighters, but think of what we could gain¡­ alchemists, blacksmiths, enchanters and who knows what else!¡± ¡°Okay, okay I get your point. You can calm down with your propaganda.¡± Matt sarcastically says as he throws his arms up in defeat. Huffing in exasperation I speak once more. ¡°Trust me it will be vital for our success because it¡¯s only a matter of time till the potions run out.¡± With this last statement Matt finally agrees and the conversation then proceeds to the groups¡¯ advancement. From the recent events, ignoring myself, it seems there have been several people that leveled up. Matt is at the threshold of getting his class. Brent has made it to level 8. John was raised to level 4. And lastly, both Martha and Racheal reached level 3. ¡°It seems we are steadily improving our overall levels, but we are still limited in the number of players. We can¡¯t just have seven people doing all the fighting. I think we should start power leveling more people.¡± Matt calmly states as he sits back mentally counting the number of people available. ¡°Eventually, but first we should get you and Brent to class up.¡± ¡°Well, I won¡¯t deny that I like this option but shouldn¡¯t we increase our number of fighters instead then we could fight more monsters?¡± Shaking my head I explain the reasoning. ¡°We have proven that we can handle large numbers of weak monsters even when we were at low levels. So the others can do the same, but what happens when we fight a really strong monster?¡± ¡°We would just over whelm with our superior numbers.¡± Matt seems adamant about having everyone leveling. Sighing heavily I decide to approach from a new angle by pulling out a deep red mushroom and holding it up for Matt to see. ¡°Matt, do you remember what this is?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the Scarlet Life Mushroom.¡± Matt is obviously confused with why I am holding the item. ¡°And what did I say it can do?¡± Pursing his lips Matt annoyingly answers. ¡°You said that it can boost health regeneration by 50% for 3 minutes.¡± Finished speaking his face has a look of ridicule. ¡°That¡¯s right, but what I didn¡¯t tell you is where they come from. These mushrooms are found in caves and they get their scarlet color from absorbing the blood of trolls¡­¡± Pausing I allow this to sink in before continuing. ¡°Trolls have one of the highest regenerative properties¡­ so let¡¯s say we had to fight one. Would you rather fight with twenty level 2¡¯s or five level 10¡¯s?¡± Matt tightly presses his lips as he stews over my words. I can tell that he agrees with my logic, but for some reason he is internally fighting over accepting it. ¡°He¡¯s right Matt.¡± Brent confidently speaks out surprising us as he moves to sit down. ¡°I thought you would still want to be with your wife?¡± I ask while looking at the man. ¡°She¡¯s still tired so I am letting her get some rest.¡± ¡°Tired huh¡­ I guess your reunion was too rigorous?¡± Smiling coyly I pick at the man who has been happy to see his wife. With a serious look Brent speaks back. ¡°Jack, there are more pressing matters now is not the time for that.¡± Shocked by this sudden stern voice I immediately regret my choice of words. ¡°Which is why I am letting her rest right and the real reunion will be tonight.¡± Brent smiles mischievously while looking at me and I cannot help but chuckle. ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Finished joking around Brent turns his attention back to our original discussion. ¡°Matt your idea is not bad, but right now we need more experienced fighters to lead the others or else it will just cause more problems down the road. It¡¯s the same reason why rookie cops are paired with someone who has been on the force for a while.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Sorry.¡± Sighing dejectedly Matt speaks in a soft manner. ¡°I was just a little annoyed that even after reaching peak Intelligence you¡¯re still making the calls.¡± ¡°Matt, don¡¯t apologize I¡¯m actually glad you don¡¯t just follow me like a lost puppy. We might have increased our Intelligence, but that does not mean we know everything. I might not always make the right call so it will take all of us¡­¡± Turning to nod my head at Brent to include him in my speech, ¡°¡­working together to keep these people alive.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say we have to put our hands in together for some cheesy ¡®unity triumphs all¡¯ moment.¡± Matt sarcastically says as he mockingly sneers at me. ¡°You douche bag¡­ you just had to go and ruin the moment.¡± I dramatically throw my arms down in mock anger all the while Brent is laughing his head off. ***
ToolScrew Driver (Flathead)Durability93%
Affects None
Putting down the tool I move down the line as I train my ¡®Analyze¡¯ skill. While Brent and Matt are gone I have been actively working on my proficiency rating. At first I thought that just activating it would work, but it turns out that I do not gain any experience for analyzing the same item repeatedly. So after a few minutes I ran out of nearby items to scan and decided to move over to Hank¡¯s workshop. Moving around the shop I systematically move from container to container continuously analyzing everything. Opening the next drawer I start pulling out odd trinkets and tools until a unique item catches my eye.
ToolTorsion WrenchDurability73%
Affects None
Reading the name I pause trying to remember where I have read this word before. After finally remembering my eyes grow wide and I immediately begin looking for the complete set. In a matter of minutes I am able to find my prize and run off to find Hank. ¡°Hank, are these what I think they are?¡± Holding out my hand I reveal a cluster of small thin like metal prongs. The man in question turns to look at what I am holding and pauses for a moment until it all clicks into place. ¡°Oh yeah, that is my lock picking set.¡± ¡°You know how to lock pick!?¡± My enthusiasm is rising as I continue inquiring. ¡°Yeah¡­ actually besides just maintenance I am also a certified lock smith.¡± Hank says this last sentence with a bit of pride as he sits a little straighter in his chair. Hearing this news I can¡¯t help but start to smile. ¡°Could you teach me?¡± Twenty minutes later Hank is hovering behind me as I am working on my first lock. As a youth I had been enthralled with the idea of being able to lock pick. After saving up my allowance I had ordered my own set. The enthusiasm had lasted for about two days before I broke my tools and gave up altogether pursuing the skill. However, having an experienced guide coaching me through the process allows me to better understand the techniques. Aided by an enhanced Intelligence and Perception my confidence is soaring as I am slowly clicking each tumbler into place. With a last nudge, I have successfully set all the pins and proudly turn the plug until the door clicks open.
Congratulations! For successfully learning and implementing new knowledge, the skill ¡®lock picking¡¯ has been created.
A jubilant feeling takes over as I have already achieved my intended goal. ¡°Hank I did it!¡± ¡°Wow, uh¡­ that¡¯s impressive¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anyone succeed on their first try.¡± Hank is immediately shocked by my quick success and is uncertain on how to respond. Ignoring the man I quickly open my status to check on the changes.
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level10ClassRogue
Titles---
Party---
InventoryMap
System Index
-
Health(190/190)
Stamina(178/190)
Mana(190/190)
-
Strength20Endurance20
Perception21Agility20
Intelligence50Wisdom21
Charisma3Luck21
Unallocated Points0
-
Resistances
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Skills Analyze (Active) Lock Picking (Passive) Night Vision (Passive) Sneak (Active)
Analyze (Active)Beginner Level 2 (17%)
With careful observations you are able to gather complex details. Effectiveness is dependent on WIS.
Lock Picking (Active)Beginner Level 1(0%)
Tactile sensation and dexterity are increased by 1% while lock picking. Effectiveness is dependent upon PER.
Night Vision (Passive)Max
Your vision is enhanced by mana enabling for greater visibility in dark lighting.
Sneak (Active)Beginner Level 1 (89%)
Erase your presence by blending into the environment. Effectiveness is dependent on AGL and enemies PER.
¡°This is awesome, I got another skill.¡± Shaking my head I cannot help but smile after seeing the new changes. ¡°Skill¡­ what do you mean?¡± Hank is confused by the word and stares blankly at me. ¡°The system recognized me unlocking the door and gave me the lock picking skill¡­ wait¡­.¡± Thinking for a moment I start realizing that Hank never mentioned this happening to him. ¡°Did you not get a notification for lock picking the door earlier?¡± ¡°Um¡­ not that I know. How do I check?¡± Walking him through the steps he quickly confirms my suspicion that he has yet to learn a skill. This is a very perplexing issue¡­the man clearly has demonstrated that he has the knowledge and expertise to warrant having the skill. Yet the system has not recognized it. Could it be due to the level difference? No, that is not likely. Then the obvious reason would be a difference in our attribute values. So which one or ones could be determining if a skill is learned? Well, the first four can easily be ignored seeing as they are solely physically based. This leaves only Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma and Luck. I don¡¯t see Charisma playing a role in learning something, but¡­ it might be useful in teaching a skill. Hmm, I¡¯ll have to remember to investigate that more. Next is Intelligence which could help with the learning process. This might be why I could learn so quickly, but it wouldn¡¯t explain Hank¡¯s situation. Already understanding and knowing a skill would mean Intelligence could not be the issue. On the same principle then we can exclude Wisdom as well since it is just better memory. Then this only leaves Luck. Could it be that ¡®critical chance¡¯ is not just hit ratio and item drops¡­ but also skill creation? ¡°Hank, what is your luck value at?¡± With my new theory I immediately try to probe for answers. Hank has to pause to check his screen once more. ¡°Umm¡­ it¡¯s eleven.¡± Hmm, well I guess there is only one way to test this theory out. Smiling innocently I ask. ¡°Hank, do you mind doing a little experiment for me?¡± *** ¡°Ugh¡­ finally, I got it.¡± Slouching on the ground I can tell that Hank is exhausted. It took him 34 times before he finally received the notification. ¡°Do you mind reading what it says?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ it says ¡®Lock Picking (Active), Advanced Level 1¡¯. Is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all it says?¡± Nodding his head after rechecking Hank then sits quietly as he is too tired to do anything else. Interesting, it seems that I have learned a lot of important details. So system skills can be generated by showing expertise in an action. However, it seems Luck determines the chance at which you succeed in being recognized by the sytem. And, even though it took a longer time for him to receive his notification the system still recognized his experience level and gave him a higher proficiency rating. Also, it is very likely that Intelligence does speed up the learning process. While waiting on Hank, I continued practicing and was able to raise my own skill proficiency to Beginner Level 3 earning an additional 2% boost. Before I can think any further the loud pounding of feet is heard from the stairwell. ¡°They¡¯re back, they¡¯re back!¡± Running excitedly Bobby turns the last corner and makes his way towards the exit. ¡°Bobby! Wait right there.¡± In a harsh and nagging tone Sam comes trailing behind her younger brother. Bobby impatiently stands by the door waiting for his sister to catch up. As the girl passes by I catch a strong amount of resentment directed my way. Honestly, I don¡¯t blame her for being mad at me. Not only have I made her brother fight to level up, but when her chance to gain some experience had finally come I ruined it for her. Just before Matt left, I convinced him to redo his party so that only he and Brent were in it so they could level faster. Obviously I did not make many friends over this suggestion. I can do nothing but shake my head before moving to join the welcoming party. Stepping outside I am surprised to see a patrol car has been added to our caravan. ¡°You went and retrieved your cruiser?¡± ¡°Yeah, they are really sturdy not to mention the other utility features¡­ figured it could be useful later.¡± Brent responds nonchalantly as he walks around inspecting for any damage to the car. ¡°How did you get it? I thought it was blocked by all the wreckage?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Matt comically laughs as he moves closer to the group while tauntingly flexing a bicep. ¡°You think two warriors couldn¡¯t push a few little cars out of the way?¡± Given our prior discussions there had been no surprise to what class they were going to take. However, what is really interesting me is to find out their new skill. ¡°Care to tell me what your skill is?¡± At the mention of skill, a sinister grin spreads on Matt¡¯s face. ¡°How about I show you instead?¡± With an imposing stride Matt walks confidently towards a nearby tree. While walking a faint glow starts to appear on his fist. Planting his foot down heavily, Matt turns his hips throwing out a powerful blow to the trunk. Upon impact a loud bang is heard and shards of bark are thrown into the air. Pulling his hand away I am surprised at the scarring left behind on the tree. ¡°The skill is called ¡®power strike¡¯, it increases the damage dealt on the next attack and can be used with weapons also.¡± Matt proudly states as the other people surround him in awe and wonder. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I am a little shocked and peeved at his starting skill compared to mine. Shaking my head to push my emotions away I move to get more details. ¡°What is the cost to use it?¡± The glow that had been on Matt¡¯s face is immediately replaced by sullen disappointment. ¡°It takes 50 points of stamina¡­.¡± Hearing this cost I can¡¯t help but take in a quick breath. Although my sneak skill is not as flashy it is also not as draining. Instead of a flat amount it takes one point of stamina per second to run the skill. ¡°Well, I have to say that is not very energy efficient¡­ but it can still be used as a trump card in a tight situation.¡± Matt calmly nods his head as he looks over the damage again. ¡°Besides, while you were gone I learned that increasing the skill proficiency also changes its¡¯ effectiveness. So if you keep training the stamina cost might decrease.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s good to hear, so what skills did you increase?¡± ¡°Well I worked a little on all of them, but only Analyze and Lock picking increased in their levels.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice¡­¡± It takes a moment for to realize what I had said, but when he does he looks dubiously at me. ¡°Did you say lock picking?¡± Seeing my nodding head he immediately yells out. ¡°When did you have time to learn another skill?¡± ¡°Ha ha, I¡¯ll explain everything later in detail. In the meantime we should start preparing before it gets dark....¡± Looking at my phone I notice we have roughly two hours before sunset. ¡°Alright, but first we should unload the supplies.¡± ¡°You picked up some more supplies?¡± I am pleasantly surprised by this news. ¡°Yeah, we put the perishables inside our inventory, but the rest we threw into the cars.¡± Walking over Matt opens the back door to show a huge hodge podge of assorted goods varying from snack food to medication and first aid supplies. Seeing my surprised look Matt responds. ¡°We emptied out a corner drug store.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell him about the other thing?¡± Brent raises his head up looking quizzically at Matt. Annoyed at being uninformed I stare belligerently between the two. ¡°I was waiting for the right moment to surprise him¡­¡± Sighing heavily Matt mumbles under his breath before turning to look at me. ¡°We found a vendor outside the store.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s awesome, what kind and were there any new items?¡± ¡°Well it was a new type of vendor due to it being a movie rental box¡­¡± Matt toys with my emotions as he dramatically draws out the conversation. ¡°Oh, it is nothing much¡­¡± With a simple flick of his wrist three leather bound books materialize into his hands. ¡°Just a few skill books is all.¡± ¡°WHAT!¡± Shocked I stare openly at the precious books in his hands. ¡°Ha! Now that is the expression I have been wanting, I finally surprised your smart ass!¡± Gloating to himself, Matt continues to laugh while tossing the books my way. Carefully holding them in my hands I look down over their withered edges and silently invoke my analyze skill. What I read immediately shocks me¡­. Chapter 10: Through the Looking Glass ¡°Again, again!¡± Laughing gleefully the children are completely engrossed with Brent¡¯s magic act. Shaking my head I can only chuckle at the simplicity of his ¡®magic¡¯ known as Inventory. For the last ten minutes Brent has been causing various items to disappear and reappear for the kids¡¯ entertainment. It had started off generic with the items being retrieved from behind someone¡¯s ear until the kids started making requests. However, the all-time best was when he literally pulled a stick out of someone¡¯s butt. Even the adults, who had been silently watching, could no longer contain it and burst out laughing. Sighing heavily I shut the book in my hands before standing. ¡°I¡¯m going to read in my room.¡± ¡°Let me know how it goes.¡± Matt states unenthusiastically as his head rests dejectedly on the table top. Pausing to look at my friend I cannot help but share his disappointment. When he had first bought the skill books there had been high expectations from their titles. However, the details from my analysis contradicted that belief.
Skill BookMeditationRankCommon
Skill Description While in a meditative state, all mental processes are enhanced.
Skill BookCureRankUncommon
Skill Description Removal or destruction of any harmful substance/organism causing detrimental effects upon the host. {Restricted to certain magician specialist classes}
Skill BookMeteor StrikeRankRare
Skill Description Apply a powerful burst attack to a projectile shot. {Requires Advanced proficiency of any projectile weapon class}
Of the three skill books bought, currently only one could be learned by any of us. The other two had steep restrictions to their uses. They might prove useful in the future, but currently all we can do is hold onto them in hopes of meeting the requirements one day. This left us with only the meditation skill available and based off the description it seems vital for upcoming magicians. However, with only one copy we were not sure on whom to let it go to. Luckily, I was able to find one silver lining in our predicament. Or should I say the Index provided us with good news. That is the details about the books¡¯ rankings. The first book, meditation, is ranked as Common. As the name implies, anything with this ranking can be found nearly everywhere and there are no requirements on who can learn them. There is also no limit to their usage, which means that the meditation book can be shared indefinitely until everyone has learned the skill. So now, although a minor support skill, we can at least have everyone start practicing with a skill. Next is Uncommon. The first difference is that anything ranked as uncommon has some type of requirement attached that has to be met before the item can be used. This means that although not scarce, it could still be difficult for someone to meet those requirements. The other major difference is a limit to the times they can be used and once this limit is reached the item will then become obsolete. This means that we will have to plan ahead on when these items can be used or else end up having a vital skill wasted on the wrong class. Finally the highest ranking, at least for skill books, is Rare. Anything with this ranking is extremely hard to find. The only thing more difficult than finding them is the strict requirements bound to them. However, what is truly scary is that these skill books are a onetime use item. Besides these three, there are two other rankings in the system, Legendary and Unique. However, due to their complexity there will never be a skill book with such a ranking. Instead, special requirements must be met in order to acquire such a skill. As the name implies anything ranked Legendary tends to be extremely powerful and the chances of a copy existing are, although possible, highly unlikely. In an interesting contrast, Unique means that it is one of a kind without a single duplicate ever. Yet despite their ¡®uniqueness¡¯ there is no guarantee that it is powerful, which is why they are considered to be the wild card within the ranking chart. Stopping my inner thoughts as I reach the threshold of my new ¡®apartment¡¯, I calmly enter. However, my actions seem to have surprised my ¡®roommates¡¯ as they quickly separate. ¡°So, umm¡­ when is it my turn to learn meditation?¡± Racheal tries desperately to act nonchalant, but her shifty eyes and flushed skin are obvious signs of her embarrassment. ¡°Hmm, I think the old Williams couple are reading it right now¡­so tomorrow?¡± ¡°Wait, the old people are trying to learn a skill?¡± John is surprised by this news but before he can say anything else he receives a sharp jab to his ribs. ¡°Ugh, what was that for?¡± ¡°They have just as much right to learn a skill as anyone else.¡± Racheal quickly nags at her boyfriend for his supposedly insensitive comment. ¡°I didn¡¯t say they didn¡¯t, I was just surprised that they would even be interested¡­¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they be interested? I¡¯ll have you know that¡­¡± Not wanting to get caught up in this argument, I quickly sneak off to my room and close the door. Sighing heavily after my escape I move over to sit down in a chair to resume reading the cure book. The others had thought it odd that I was spending time reading a skill I could not learn. I admit it is a little annoying, but I figure even if acquiring the skill is not possible I should still be able to learn something.
Error: unable to acquire skill due to class restrictions!
Sure enough, just as I finished reading I received the expected notification. However, I would not say my time was wasted. Besides the technical aspects that are only related to the skill there are still a few points I can draw from the use of mana. I had thought Matt and Brent with their Power Strike skill would have an insight to share but I was wrong. It seems the skill¡¯s inner working is done automatically and all they have to do is activate it. So with no other option I am reading the two extra skill books hoping to gain detailed information about mana.
Error: unable to acquire skill due to not meeting requirements!
Fifteen minutes later I am able to finish the last book. Closing the book I begin pondering about the concept of mana. It seems that Cure applies a finesse approach to mana usage, while Meteor Strike is all about quantity. The two books do give me some ideas on how to move the mana, but first I must figure out how to find it. Putting away the books I stand up and quickly prepare for bed. Having taken care of all nightly rituals I calmly crawl on top of my bed and sit with my back against the headboard. The skill book had stated that meditation is more easily achievable in calm and comfortable environments, which is why I chose the bed. After a few deep breaths I am successful in activating mediation and I immediately feel a surge in my thought processes thanks to the 10% boost to INT and WIS. In my focused mind set I begin reviewing my notes trying to decipher what mana is. Deeper and deeper I fall into my unconscious as I leave all other thoughts aside. Sharpening my focus I begin sensing a strange feeling and immediately move trying to get closer. Yet every time I feel as though I am within reach it vanishes. Not willing to give up I continue my efforts and double down on my concentration. After an untold amount of time, I am finally able to touch the mysterious sensation sending a wave of a strange yet comforting feeling across my body. The longer I hold onto this feeling the more I am able to sense its¡¯ presence. Broadening my perspective, I am quickly surprised to find out that it was not a single strand, but an expansive mosaic of gently flowing energy all around me. Before I am able to truly appreciate the beautiful scene, a large surge immediately envelops me. Surprised by this flood of energy my eyes snap open effectively losing my meditative state.
Congratulations! An unbelievable feat has been achieved by learning a class restricted skill without aid from the system. As a reward you have been given the Title of ¡®Autodidact¡¯ as well as the newly acquired skill. However, due to belonging to a non-appropriate class there will be a 50% penalty in the skill¡¯s effectiveness.
My feeling of joy and wonder is immediately replaced with bitter confusion. Not sure of what to think, I simply open my status and pull up the new information.
TitleAutodidact
Affects Any skill that is acquired without aid from the system will instantly be raised by one level in proficiency.
Mana Sense (Passive)Beginner Level 2 (0%)
This skill enables a special sensory detection or ¡®feeling¡¯ of mana. Effectiveness is dependent on PER and WIS. {50% penalty applied}
Both a title and a new skill all in one go. Shaking my head I cannot help but feel ecstatic about my achievements. It is a little annoying about there being a penalty attached to my mana sense, but it is still amazing that I was able to find a way to beat the system. This proves that the system is not absolute in its power. At first I thought the system was some type of omnipotent existence that governs the new game like paradigm. But if there is one way to bypass the restrictions then surely there will be more. My mind immediately starts wondering how I can work around the other two skill book restrictions¡­ but a nagging thought keeps popping up in my head. What is the true purpose of the system? As annoying as the restrictions are they do seem to be helping us. How beneficial would a magic skill be for someone with an all Strength build? Perhaps the system is not here to constrain us¡­ but rather to guide us on the easiest path? And if it is guiding us then someone or something has an intended goal for us. Are we merely guinea pigs in some twisted game¡­or are we being prepared for something much worse?
Edge of the Unknown For those who throw caution to the wind And boldly stare into the Abyss. Have Courage as you descend, For often Ignorance is Bliss. Chain Quest: Investigate the college campus. Reward: ???
A feeling of dread slowly rises as I fretfully read the quest. Closing my eyes I take a few deep breaths before I am able to calm my nerves and whisper into the dark night. ¡°What have I done¡­?¡± *** ¡°Dude, you look awful.¡± Matt states bluntly as he pauses between mouthfuls of scrambled eggs. ¡°Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t sleep well.¡± This is a gross underestimate to the torment I put myself through last night. For several hours after getting my quest I fretted over what it really means. With each devastating scenario that would run through my mind I began to truly start worrying for myself and for my family. I realized that despite the dangerous situation I had been overly enjoying the game like feeling. And if I really want to survive through whatever danger is coming I was going to have to get serious. The first thing on my agenda was to decide about sharing the news with the others. Seeing as how currently only Matt, Brent and Karen were in the room I figured I could start with them. ¡°I have some important news to share.¡± Hearing me speak the other three pause in their eating to focus on me. Pulling up my quest screen I immediately try to invite Matt and Brent to join the quest.
Warning: There will be penalties for sharing this Quest. Do you wish to continue? Yes / No
Trembling slightly I had half expected to not be able to share the Quest. But the wording is what is truly troubling. If I simply could not share the Quest, then a simple error message would have sufficed, but instead it is a warning¡­. Inwardly I sigh and decide to keep it a secret. So instead I move to my Inventory and pull out the two skill books. ¡°The restrictions are true about these skill books. After reading them I had an ¡®error¡¯ screen pop up stating I could not learn them.¡± Finished speaking I lay the two books down in the middle of the table. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°That¡¯s fine, we were already expecting that to be the case.¡± Brent cheerfully responds as he moves to refill his coffee cup. ¡°That¡¯s not the only thing I have to share.¡± Brent pauses in pouring his cup and looks confusedly at me as do the others. I immediately begin giving the condensed version of how I gained the skill mana sense, the restrictions applied to it as well as my new title. ¡°Wow¡­ Jack, that is really impressive.¡± Matt is practically speechless after what I have shared and I can already tell he is fretting his lack of progress by his sullen expression. ¡°But how come you don¡¯t seem happy about this?¡± Brent calmly asks as his sharp eyes did not fail to notice my lack of enthusiasm. ¡°Well¡­¡± Pausing I am unsure of what to tell them. Ultimately I decide to just be frank. ¡°I am going to split from the group today.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re leaving us?¡± Matt is immediately alarmed by my statement and stares glaringly at me. ¡°Not permanently, it¡¯s just¡­ there is something I need to check out.¡± ¡°Okay, then I will go with you. It¡¯s no big deal we were going to scout out some more today¡­¡± Before he can finish I harshly interrupt him. ¡°No! I need to do this alone.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®alone¡¯?¡± I can tell Matt is getting frustrated with me, but I cannot justify bringing him into my mess. ¡°Matt¡­¡± Brent calmly speaks to sooth the tension. ¡°I have only known Jack for just a couple of days, but I have gotten to know him well enough that he wouldn¡¯t do anything without a serious reason.¡± ¡°Yes but¡­¡± ¡°But nothing, just look at him he is obviously troubled by something. Yet he is intentionally not sharing?¡± Pausing briefly Brent casts another worried look my way before continue to talk with Matt. ¡°We have followed his judgement so far and it has helped us through many situations¡­¡± He reaches over and gently grabs his wife¡¯s hand before finishing his speech. ¡°I owe him¡­ and I am going to trust his judgement again.¡± Breathing deeply I can see Matt is slowly being swayed by Brent¡¯s words. With a last deep sigh his shoulders drop and he looks calmly at me. ¡°Fine¡­ I won¡¯t ask why it is your keeping secretes from me, but I want you to know I am not happy. Eventually I WILL find out.¡± This last statement could be interpreted as a question, but his stern glare says otherwise. Nodding my head I finally speak. ¡°Thank you, I plan to go check out the college campus today. Please stay away from the area until I say otherwise. I hope to be back before dark.¡± ¡°What should we do today, continue with the search requests?¡± Matt maturely asks as he focuses back on the group¡¯s needs. ¡°Sure, but don¡¯t forget to look for supplies especially vendors. Also if you run into any other groups be cautious, desperation can make them dangerous.¡± Giving my advice, the rest of the breakfast is filled with idle chatter due to the tense atmosphere. Finally finishing my meal I thank Karen for the food and stand up to leave. ¡°Jack¡­¡± Matt calls out as I am moving away. ¡°While you are on campus check out the bookstore, they have those weird machines that sale test cards. I¡¯m not sure what items there would be, but I am willing to bet it is also a vendor.¡± Surprised by this hint I smile before thanking him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± An almost unison response comes from the kitchen as I close the door to the apartment. *** With a yank I pull my dagger out of yet another slain zombie. After leaving the apartments, I chose to travel on foot allowing me to train my skills. So far I have only covered five blocks however the frequency of monsters seems to be increasing. Though thanks to this, I was finally able to get to level 11.
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level11 (1%)ClassRogue
TitlesAutodidact
---Quests
InventoryMap
System Index
-
Health(186/200)
Stamina(111/200)
Mana(200/200)
-
Strength20Endurance20
Perception22Agility22
Intelligence50Wisdom25
Charisma6Luck21
Unallocated Points0
-
Resistances
Skills Analyze (Active) ¨C Beginner Level 3 (24%) Lock Picking (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 3 (4%) Mana Sense (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 2 (0%) Meditation (Active) ¨C Beginner Level 2 (89%) Night Vision (Passive) - Max Sneak (Active) ¨C Beginner Level 2 (73%)
Half an hour later I finally reach the edge of the campus and cautiously move towards the nearby mathematics building. Crawling through a broken window I vigilantly travel to the top floor. I had chosen this building as it is the tallest and would give me a vantage point in scoping out the campus. Despite the aid of my sneak skill, my tension is strung to the max as each step across the laminated floor screeches against my ears. With great comfort I discover a carpeted classroom and quietly close the door after entering. Feeling slightly secure I release my breath and move to the windows. My first look at the campus is very alarming. Where once a campus with pristine landscaping stood, there is now an untamed jungle awaiting me. Waist high grass, wild flowers, overgrown shrubbery¡­ even the trees have expanded with their roots starting to break through the asphalt. Scanning the area my sensitive eyes soon pick up something slowly moving beneath the grass. Following the movement, it soon passes through a gap and I am able to get a brief view of its form. A snake However, unlike any snake from this area this one seems large enough to be an anaconda, but its brown color and diamond patterned scales makes me think rattlesnake. I immediately activate my skill.
SpeciesSnake (Mutated)SexMale
Status Affects None
¡°Mutated¡­.¡± Speaking quietly to myself I look over the area with fine detail scanning for any other mutated creatures. Sure enough every creature I find shows signs of increased mass as well as having the label of mutated on their screens. Pulling away from the window I sigh realizing that I am only at the edge of the campus and that things will likely worsen as I go deeper. Exiting the building I crouch low and make my way down Rutledge Avenue towards the bookstore. I figure if I am going to be randomly checking the campus, I might as well start with Matt¡¯s suggestion. However, with each step towards my destination I notice that the stench of blood grows stronger. Soon I am able to spot the source but I must quickly duck into the tall grass to avoid being detected. I listen intently for the sound of anything approaching and luckily do not. Feeling relatively secure, I slowly part the foliage to check on the scene. Just in front of the bookstore are many stone steps and at the bottom of these steps is an intimidating sight. A huge menacing figure is hunched over eating at the bloody and mangled carcass beneath it. The creature is covered in short brown fur that does little in hiding its massive frame. Raising its head up, it slowly looks around as a piece of entrails is lazily chewed by a pair of powerful jaws. Yet despite the calm expression a pair of pointed ears are constantly twitching and moving around evident of the creature¡¯s wariness. Nestled just beside the two ears is a pair of long curved horns. Minotaur I don¡¯t even need the analyze skill to know what this beast is. Pulling up the Index I read up on the creature to get some details. There is a lot of useless information provided, but the one crucial detail I am able to get is that they generally have poor eyesight. For a moment I continue to study the creature while contemplating whether I should attempt to slay it. From my past experiences I know that this will be the most challenging foe I have faced so far¡­ but given the circumstances I might not have such an advantage again. Resolved to fight, I start preparing. The first strike is going to be my best chance at dealing massive damage and to improve my odds I decide to use something special for the occasion.
EdibleLunar Essence PowderFreshness100%
Affects Penumbra Cover (A form of pseudo invisibility will be acquired while in low lighting, lasts for 120 seconds).
Pulling out the powder I mix it in with a bottle of water and then sit it aside allowing it to mix. While that is working, I then proceed to start rubbing blades of grass across my clothes. My plan is that the plants will help mask my scent which is going to be my biggest give away. For good measure I also eat a mountain nut for an extra boost to Strength before downing the mixture. Finished with my preparations, I slowly crawl out of the grass and activate sneak. With each step I focus sharply on the Minotaur¡¯s movements. Halfway there it seems the beast is still oblivious to my approach. At ten feet my palms are starting to sweat profusely and I force my grip to tighten on the dagger ever fearful my aim might be off. Just as I am about to take another step, the beast¡¯s head snaps in my direction as its two pointy ears stiffly turn in my direction. Time crawls slowly as I stare tensely into the beady eyes of the beast. The longer the creature listens for danger the more my muscles start to shake and I can only pray they do not give out. However, seemingly content with its search the dumb beast lowers its head back down to take another bite. At this sight I slowly release my breath providing sweet relief from my burning lungs. Taking a few more steps closer I realize that the penumbra affect was about to run out and that it was now or never. Steadying my arm I lean forward and attack with all my might allowing the blade to slice easily into the soft underside of the jaw. However, before I have time to dodge the beast violently swings its arm and knocks me into the air. Landing hard on the ground I immediately gasp for air after receiving the impact. With teary eyes I look over and see that the Minotaur is whining in pain and anguish. It reaches up and painfully rips the blade out causing a spray of blood to spill down its furred chest. The dagger clatters on the ground after being dropped and the Minotaur turns with burning eyes upon me. Knowing what will happen if I lie still I force myself to roll into a crouching position. The both of us stare at the other before the beast lets out an anger roar causing bloody spittle to fly everywhere. Pushing off with its powerful hooves the monster lunges at me with its horns pointed at my chest. Rolling to the side I just barely dodge and quickly pull out my spear and stab at the beast¡¯s backside. True to aim, I am able to pierce into the tender posterior causing another painful screech to escape the beast. Withdrawing the spear I jump to my feet and begin dancing around the beast all the while continuously stabbing at it. In a matter of moments the beast collapses onto the ground whimpering in pain. Seeing the beast reaching its end I retrieve my dagger and quickly slice its neck open. Breathing heavily I watch as a puddle of blood spreads across the ground. As the life finally leaves the monster¡­ I calmly stare at my reflection in the crimson mirror. What I see is a face void of remorse¡­ No... It is a face thirsting for power. Chapter 11: Prey Moving slowly into the book store I keep my senses alert for any danger. So far nothing has appeared since my fight with the Minotaur, but I know to stay cautious. The inside of the building is riddled with overturn displays and crushed sale objects which were probably the victims of the Minotaur¡¯s appearance. Moving through the isles I steadily make my way towards the customer service area where the vending machines are located. Since the bookstore sales its own overpriced food items there are no snack or drink machines. Instead there are two ATM machines and a quick access ¡®test bank¡¯ which allows for students to buy test sheets when they are in a hurry. Walking forward the store screen open up and I view the available wares.
System Letter ¨C 3 Bronze Game Tokens
Contract ¨C 5 Silver Game Tokens
Blank Skill Book ¨C 1 Gold Game Token
There is no hesitation as I immediately purchase all the items. The five blank skill books were as expected a blank book to write skills in. However, my Analyze of the ten contracts and forty letters were the most intriguing.
MiscellaneousContractRankUncommon
Affects System document used to legally bind two or more individuals. (Terms and conditions determined by parties involved) {Requires 20 points of Charisma or greater to activate}
MiscellaneousSystem LetterRankCommon
Affects Transmission of parchment contents to specified recipient. (One time use only)
I smile happily at realizing I have solved our communication issue. However, as I am storing the contents into my Inventory I hear a soft thud from behind the counter area. I immediately activate stealth and cautiously move towards the customer service desk. With agile movements I slide over the counter top and quietly drop down. Glancing down I notice a pile of clothes and ponder if they were strewn here from the prior mayhem, but looking closer I notice an employee name tag. Out of curiosity I begin digging and notice some peculiarities about their condition. Although the clothes are largely undamaged it is odd to find that the entire wardrobe is present from undergarments to even body piercings. Having seen enough death the last few days I have grown somewhat numb to this predicament. Yet what is truly unsettling¡­ is the lack of blood on the clothes. While I am examining the clothes a strange fluttering noise comes from behind me. Dropping the clothes I whip my head around just in time to barely see something small fly behind a chair. Not wishing to provoke anything I slowly stand up to move away. Before I am able to even step past the clothes another creature zooms beside me and hides in the shadows. With the second presence acknowledged, my skin starts to crawl as a bad premonition comes to the back of my mind. I turn to start crawling out but stop after finding myself face to face with a creature. Crouched right in the middle of the counter is an extremely small figure. Thin dangly extremities hang from a small body as insect like wings protrude from the backside. A pair of overlarge black eyes occupies the majority of the tiny head. The only other noticeable feature found on this creature is an open mouth grinning with razor teeth poking out. Surprised by its¡¯ appearance I hesitate on what to do which gives the vermin time to emit a high pitch screech into the air. Alarmed I slash carelessly trying to kill, but the creature easily dodges and flies past my head. Turning around I am nearly petrified to find the back wall is brimming with similar creatures who are all staring hungrily at me. Cursing loudly I scramble over the counter and make a mad dash for the exit just as the swarm comes flying. Running through the ruined building I struggle to avoid tripping as I am continuously attacked. I am vastly outnumbered. Using their sharp fangs as anchors the tiny vermin are slowly latching onto my body. And although I kill a few here and there, they are merely replaced by two more. With anxious thoughts I struggle to fight off the swarm as my vision is soon being covered by a wall of fluttering pests. Seeing my chances of escape practically gone I quickly retrieve a lighter and aerosol can out of my Inventory. Scorching heat soon permeates around me as I send bursts of fire towards the swarm. Despite finally being able to fight back I struggle to stay focus as my flesh is slowly being eaten. Screaming in anguish I continue my fiery vengeance against the swarm. Only after removing one threat do I finally have a chance to focus on ripping the biters off my body. With their jaws refusing to release, I am forced to literally yank and tear my own flesh in order to remove them. As the last one dies between my fingers I collapse onto the ground desperately choking down health potions. After the fifth bottle my bleeding ceases and I do a quick analyze of myself.
SpeciesHumanSexMale
Status Affects Anemia ¨C Mild (-20% All Regenerations) Lacerations (-30% Disease Resistance) Paralysis ¨C Weak (-15% Perception and Agility)
I scowl from seeing the ailments I am afflicted by, but what is truly surprising is the paralysis. Turing to look down at one of the dead creatures I wonder what they were.
SpeciesPixieSexAndrygonous
Status Affects Deceased
Damn pixies¡­ of all the creatures I have faced so far they were the most infuriating. Pulling up the Index I do a quick inquiry and find out that they are more similar to insects than other creatures based off of both anatomy and habits. But the most intriguing information is the details concerning their fangs. It seems they were the source of my paralysis. Luckily though it was a weak paralyzing agent for if it had been stronger I might not still be alive. Closing the screen I look closely at the corpses for a moment and then turn to look at the empty health vials piled beside me. Shrugging my shoulders, I pull out some pliers figuring I could still be productive while waiting to recover.
Scavenging (Passive)Beginner Level 2 (0%)
This skill increases the odds of scavenged materials being in better condition and quality. Effectiveness is dependent on LCK.
After nearly filling a second bottle full of teeth I had been surprised by acquiring a new skill. Yet I am hardly excited about it. After all the trials I have been through I have yet to receive a combat skill, instead I get another bogus skill. Disgusted with the results, I refuse to keep harvesting teeth. Checking my status again I pleasantly find that my HP has recovered enough and I also lost both the paralysis and laceration status affects. Feeling well enough to move I decide it is time to try and clean my wounds. Moving towards the restrooms I pass the clothes section and pause to compare against my ragged and stained clothing¡­ It might be time for a change of attire. Twenty minutes later I finally step out of the restroom with both a clean body and fresh clothes ready to continue my exploration. *** The next couple of hours are spent slowly weaving my way through campus scouting out the occasional building. Luckily, I have not faced another major threat after my encounter with the pixie swarm. However, moving into the admissions building I do encounter a few enhanced zombies who end up providing the necessary experience to reach level 12.
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level12 (1%)ClassRogue
TitlesAutodidact
---Quests
InventoryMap
System Index
-
Health(186/210)
Stamina(151/210)
Mana(210/210)
-
Strength20Endurance20
Perception22Agility22
Intelligence50Wisdom30
Charisma10Luck22
Unallocated Points0
-
Resistances
Skills Analyze (Active) ¨C Beginner Level 6 (88%) Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.Lock Picking (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 3 (4%) Mana Sense (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 2 (19%) Meditation (Active) ¨C Beginner Level 3 (43%) Night Vision (Passive) ¨C Max Scavenging (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 2 (0%) Sneak (Active) ¨C Beginner Level 4 (22%)
I decided to average out my Charisma, raised Wisdom by another 5 points and placed the last point into Luck. At first I had planned to ignore Charisma, but I cannot help expecting there to be a reward for reaching 20 in all eight attributes. Finished assigning my points I switch over and pull up my map. Although I have traveled a lot of ground so far I have only uncovered roughly a fourth of the campus. Sighing at the darkened areas of my map I am forced to switch over to a printed map I picked up from earlier. The campus is divided into roughly four sections. So far I have already searched the eastern sector which contains the majority of the lecture halls and department buildings. From this location I have two directions I can proceed to check out, Central or South. Central is the largest sector which is collectively called the heart of the campus. This is the location of the residential dorms, cafeteria, library and activity centers. South on the other hand is considered the maintenance hub. All technical labs, IT control and custodial services are located here. The only exception is the old stadium which is being demolished to accommodate a massive parking garage. The last section of the campus is the western sector and the newest of all developed areas. It contains only two landmarks, the new sports stadium and performing arts center. Putting the map away I quickly decide on the residential area. I chose this route due to knowing the location of several vending machines and possible food stashes. Half an hour later I stop in front of the cafeteria where I had hoped to check on supplies. But to add insult to my face I realize I was not the first to claim this area. Crawling around the perimeter I slowly raise my head up and cringe at the sight inside. Rats Somehow the mutated vermin have completely claimed the building as their den. Everything from the walls, ceiling and furniture have been chewed and shredded into making bedding for a frightening amount of newly born rodents. Besides the obvious increase in size it seems that their reproductive rates have been enhanced as well. I sigh dejectedly realizing I will have to give up on getting any of the cafeteria¡¯s food. Even if we were able to clear all the rodents out, we could not guarantee that it would not be contaminated. Depressed I sullenly push on and head towards my next destination¡­ the library. Moving through the overgrown campus I begin noticing a lack of sound in the vicinity. Pausing I focus on my hearing but I am still unable to detect any noise. Troubled by this I begin feeling paranoid about being in the open and rush as quick as possible towards the library. Reaching the main entrance, I calmly pull out my daggers and activate stealth as I creep inside. Other than the broken glass doors there seems to be little destruction¡­ not even any bloodstains. However after closer inspection I soon notice something that is deeply unsettling. Weaved around the corners and from the ceiling are soft silken grey threads that can only be spider webbing. I momentarily freeze. The most part of my life I have been a very rational person when it comes to dealing with fear. Yet, of all my phobias spiders have undoubtedly held the number one spot. I struggle with rather to proceed or to turn coat and flee. Mulling over the options I silently curse my greed as I step further into the building. Luckily my desired location is on the first floor saving me from having to travel through the stair wells. Moving down the hallway I stealthily maneuver around the webbing ever afraid of meeting its creator. Turning into a small inlet at the end of the hallway I find my prize. Nestled in the small lounge are vending machines, five in total. Two drink machines, two food machines and finally another test bank machine. A little disappointingly, I discover that the drink and food machines contain the same products as those previously purchased from. Due to my Inventory starting to reach capacity, I decide to only purchase the most crucial of items¡­ namely the health potions. After a short moment I store away the last potion and turn to feast upon the main course.
System Letter ¨C 3 Bronze Game Tokens
Beginner Almanac of Herbal & Alchemic Ingredients ¨C 1 Gold Game Tokens
Identify Skill Book ¨C 5 Gold Game Token
I am over joyed from finding new items. Quickly purchasing the almanac I glance through it to only find out there are no recipes. Instead the almanac goes through in detail about each plant from its description, necessary growing conditions and even their uses. Although the book does provide some great information, until we have ample supplies and time to do trial and error concoctions¡­ it will be nothing but a simple book.
Skill BookIdentifyRankUncommon
Skill Description When activated searches the System Index to provide Name and Description of intended target. {Requires 20 Wisdom or greater}
Hmm, reading the description of the ¡®Identify¡¯ skill book I am surprised at the similarity between it and my Analyze. The new skill would be useful in that I would save time from having to manually search the Index. But I feel that is the limit of the usefulness, at least for me. If I was to compare the two, then my Analyze is hands down more beneficial. After all besides learning the name, I can also check for status affects and other details. Pondering for a moment I flip through the pages contemplating the time it would take to read. The book is the shortest skill book I have seen so far with only ten pages total¡­ Ah, why not? Opening the book I speedily read through the contents.
Alert Due to synergistic qualities between the skills ¡®Identify¡¯ and ¡®Analyze¡¯ the system is configuring the skill ¡®Analyze¡¯ to encompass both aspects and adjusting potency.
I am greatly shocked by this occurrence. Pulling up my status I quickly notice that the skill proficiency has increased by several levels. Curious to see the changes I pull out a health potion to re-analyze.
ConsumableHealth Potion (Lesser)Freshness90%
RankCommonQualityAverage
Description Lesser Health Potions are the lowest ranked health potions. They are capable of healing between 10-30 HP. This potion is of Average quality allowing it to effectively heal 20 HP.
I am momentarily shocked at the results. It seems my skill now has the capabilities of both. Also, either due to the synergy of the two skills or the increase in proficiency the details provided are astounding. Quality¡­ who knew that the potions had a quality rating? Smiling gleefully I store everything away and decide to quickly leave before my luck runs out. Moving silently down the hallway I pause at the opening to the book shelves as a soft clicking noise is heard. I turn to look through the doorway, but see nothing. I fret for a moment swiveling my head between my two options. Leave or Investigate¡­ Despite my better judgement I decide to investigate and while biting my lip I ruefully progress down the aisle. After passing several shelves I start hearing more noises and carefully creep behind a wall of books. Peeking through the gap, I about piss myself at the sight of a massive eight legged monstrosity. The creature is crouched over a woven cocoon of some prey as its powerful fangs easily puncture through the shell. A disturbing sucking noise soon follows which causes me to nearly vomit. Pushing aside the nausea I decide to quickly analyze the creature and get the heck out.
RaceArachne MagnaSexFemale
Level16
Status Affects None
Description Arachne Magna is a highly territorial species that lives in large communities. The species is capable of living in most terrains, but prefers dry dark areas. They are known for their jumping prowess and razor sharp chelicerae.
Shivering at reading the description I quickly close the screen ready to leave. However, just as I turn to leave I notice through the shelf gap that the spider is gone. A feeling of dread immediately encompasses me just as I start to feel a presence to my side. Slowly turning my head in apprehensive terror I just barely catch a glimpse as the creature lunges towards me. Its heavy body slams into mine sending us careening into the book shelf. The wind is knocked out of me as our entwined bodies fall to the floor in the midst of tumbling books. Landing on the ground my eyes open in horror as two moistened fangs slowly descend¡­. Chapter 12: Game of Chess With a sharp piercing motion my shoulder is impaled causing a curdling scream to escape my lips. I struggle to fight back, but am completely overwhelmed by the powerful predator. Escape is impossible as each of its hairy appendages pound into my body like a hammer. With the advantage in number and strength, its legs easily pin me to the ground. Twisting my one free arm I madly stab at the spider in desperation. However with each swing the dagger merely bounces off the hard carapace body. Seeing what little damage is being done I instead aim for the open mouth and plunge the blade deep into the moist orifice. Shrieking in pain the creature knocks me aside as it retreats. Having a brief chance I quickly glance at my wounded shoulder. Searing pain is spreading from a gaping hole where a brown putrid liquid oozes out. Ripping my sleeve off I bite my tongue in preparation of the coming pain. My good arm moves as fast as possible to forcefully pack the wound all in hope of staunching the bleeding. Although wounded the spider has not completely forgotten about me, after a few pitiful attempts it finally succeeds at removing the dagger. But unlike what I would expect, it does not immediately attack again. Instead, it begins emitting a high pitched shrill into the air. Almost instantly numerous shrieks start echoing from all corners of the library. It is at this sad moment I dismally remember that this spider lives in large communities. Terrified I immediately clutch my aching shoulder and turn to flee. Running towards the exit I hear the sound of heavy thuds and quick pattering of legs against the marble floor. In my haste outside I stumble on the steps leading out and collapse onto the hot concrete. Picking myself back up, I give a quick glance back towards the library. The outside of which is overrun by a tide of crawling monstrosities. Some as big as the spider I met earlier, but most are smaller. Yet despite their decreased stature, this is no comforting thought as the surge of spiders is crawling towards me. Between the searing pain and panic I curse violently as stinging tears roll down my face. There is no thought in my actions as a primal instinct for survival kicks in and I aimlessly run. Time slowly becomes warped as a nauseating feeling spreads through my body. Breathing haggardly I push forward with every bit of strength I have left as the world continues to twist and fade like a carnival mad house. In a brief moment of clarity from my fever induced delirium, I realize that I have somehow collapsed at the foot of a door. In a last futile attempt I slowly raise my trembling arm up towards the handle just barely touching the cool metal that could very well be my salvation. However, in a cruel twist of fate my strength gives out and I tearfully watch my arm collapse alongside my mangled body. As my last thoughts sweep through my mind I cry pitifully before being shrouded by the deep nothingness that is my unconscious. *** Jerking awake I find myself staring at a white ceiling as sweat rolls down my skin. Confused as to where I am I wincingly pull myself to a sitting position. I quickly notice that my shirt has been removed and that tightly bound bandages cover my shoulder. With a quick thought I immediately check my condition.
Jack
Race Human Sex Male
Level 12
Status Affects Anemia ¨C Severe (-40% All Regenerations) Antibiotics ¨C High (+60% Disease/Poison Resistance and Health Regeneration) Deep Wound (-10% Disease Resistance, -80% Left Arm Usage) Poisoned ¨C Mid (Necrotic venom that slowly degrades flesh. -2 HP per minute) Superior Recovery ¨C (+22% All Regenerations, duration 2 hours)
Description Humans are considered a mid-grade species with proficient skills in many branches of study. Although physically average, they excel in adapting to new environments.
I am greatly alarmed at the numerous affects I am under, both the good and the bad. Luckily though it seems the balance is shifted towards those that are beneficial which is keeping my health hovering around 140. Looking over the descriptions again I am able to easily understand where and how each came about, the only one that is slightly puzzling is the ¡®superior recovery¡¯¡­ Wait, 22%? With a quick glance back at my status I come to only one conclusion, Agility. Hmm, increased Agility does allow for rapid movement of the body. The faster you move the higher the energy and oxygen consumption there will be. So to keep up the body would have to increase the rate of transportation¡­ this would also assist with speeding recovery up. So, I guess this is the special effect of peak Agility¡­ But no wonder I had not discovered it. I had never checked my condition immediately after sleeping. Chuckling slightly at finally solving the mystery of Agility, I close all my screens and slowly look around to determine where I am. It seems that I am likely in a dorm room, more specifically a girl¡¯s dorm room based off the floral bed sheets and makeup stand. As I am looking around, the door opens as a young woman with brown hair pulled tightly in a ponytail backs into the room. As she turns around it is revealed she is holding a pot of water. However, as she makes eye contact with me she yelps in surprise and drops the pot which bangs on the hard floor spraying water everywhere. ¡°Susan, are you okay?¡± Hearing the girl¡¯s cry a young dark skinned man quickly rushes in to check on her. Once again, seeing me sitting alert on the bed seems to have startled him as he too gasps in surprise. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re awake.¡± Quizzically the man slowly walks up to me looking me closely over. ¡°I figure you were the one who helped me?¡± I say as I calmly point to the bandages. ¡°Oh, well sort of¡­ it was actually the both of us. I cleaned your wound as best as possible and gave you some antibiotics, while Susan wrapped your shoulder.¡± ¡°Amal is a pharmacy major¡­ and I study sports injuries.¡± The girl, Susan, gives a quick explanation after seeing my inquisitive glare. ¡°Well thank you for the help¡­.¡± I start to speak my gratitude, but before I get too far a large figure pushes through the door frame. ¡°So that¡¯s what the racket was about.¡± A large imposing man with brutish looks has entered the room. Although I may not be as great a socialite as Matt it does not take much effort to quickly recognize the school¡¯s star linebacker. ¡°Brock Thompson¡­¡± Hearing me call out his name the man smugly smiles at being recognized. ¡°Yep.¡± After a brief moment the smiles disappears and he coldly looks me over. ¡°If you are well enough you should come meet the rest of the group. We have some questions for you¡­ and I guess you have some too.¡± His brash words rub me the wrong way especially the last part as though my questions would be tolerated... But considering these people saved me I figure I can try being patient. ¡°Sure, just let me clean up a bit.¡± Grunting in approval Brock turns to leave. After he is gone Susan tries to smooth the tension. ¡°Sorry, he can be a bit¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s a dick.¡± Amal interrupts Susan as he sneers thinking about the other man. Susan is annoyed at the description, but humorously she never contradicts. Receiving the remainder of the water from the pot I pull out a damp cloth and slowly wipe my body clean. As I am cleaning my body I start noticing more definition in my physic. It seems odd that in just a matter of hours my muscle mass could change so much, could it be that my body is trying to catch up to my new attribute points? Hearing a cough, I awkwardly remember that I was not alone and quickly finish cleaning. Dropping down the wet rag I am then offered a new shirt to throw on. Walking slowly behind the other two, I calmly analyze them and discover they are both at level 2. This confirms that the group knows about the system which means I should be cautious. Continuing down the empty hallway we eventually reach a large recreational room with many chairs and tables around. Off to a corner, sitting in a couch is Brock and the other members of the ¡®group¡¯ are sitting around him. Besides the three I have met already, there are four others. On an armchair adjacent to the couch is a middle aged Hispanic man wearing the traditional brown coveralls of the campus landscapers. In the opposite corner is a young obese man wearing an anime themed shirt as he fidgets nervously with a pair of glasses. Next to him is another middle aged man dressed in business attire. Lastly, nestled intimately against Brock is a stunning young woman with a red spaghetti top and cut off denim shorts. ¡°I am so thankful you are alright. We were worried you might not make it when we found you.¡± The woman slowly stands up and moves closer to embrace me in a soft tender hug as the smell of coconut reaches my nose. Pulling herself away our eyes meet as she casually pushes a lock of hair out of her face.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Umm¡­ well, thank you for helping me.¡± I mumble a response as I feel slightly embarrassed from her affection. Luckily though she turns and sits back down by Brock cozying up into the nook of his arm. Not sure of what else to say I look over and sit in an empty chair as Amal and Susan sit down near the gardener. ¡°Start introductions.¡± Ending the awkward silence, the woman nudges Brock¡¯s side forcing him to speak. ¡°Well, everyone already knows who I am. You met Amal and Susan already. Felipe is in the coveralls, Jordan is the one with glasses and Professor Stevens has the tie. And lastly there¡¯s Cindy.¡± True to his demeanor Brock gives the shortest of introductions with little to no emotion attached. ¡°Hey¡­ um, my name is Jack.¡± Seeing how everyone else was introduced, I calmly say my name. ¡°So have you all been here sense the system arrived?¡± ¡°Ha! I knew it, he does know about the game screens.¡± The plump Jordan smugly replies as though it was a great achievement. ¡°Yeah, I figured it out the a few hours after it all began. How did you all find out?¡± Jordan starts to speak, but Cindy quickly answers for him. ¡°Jordan was clever enough to figure it out when he noticed the screens from the drink machines.¡± The pudgy man blushes as Cindy compliments him on his prior discovery. ¡°He has slowly helped us to figure out how it all works. Although there is a lot we don¡¯t know¡­¡± Turning to face back towards me the woman softly speaks. ¡°Do you think you can help us? You seem to know more of what is going on¡­ what level are you?¡± I feel strangely flushed at her question and almost immediately answer what my level is, but stop for a second and wonder why I should. ¡°Umm, well I have been able to level up a few times¡­ and was able to raise a few attributes up to peak.¡± I decide to keep my actual level a secret and instead only hint and quickly push the conversation to a new topic. ¡°Peak?¡± Confused Cindy asks what I mean and I give a quick explanation about what average and peak. ¡°Oh that¡¯s amazing. Brock here has his Strength all the way up to 26 and a couple of the others are close to reaching peak if I remember.¡± I am a little surprised about Brock¡¯s Strength, not that the brute would choose to focus on Strength, but at the high number. However, before I can question anything else I am asked another question. ¡°You said you had reached peak in a few attributes. Which ones?¡± Almost instantly at having realized her brash question she smiles apologetically at me. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­ that is.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± I hesitate as I once again feel flushed by her stare, but ultimately collect myself. ¡°Well, I have Perception, Agility and Luck at 22 and the others are better than average¡­ except Charisma which is still at 10.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Cindy is momentarily stunned, but it is not just her since the others stare more intently at me. ¡°That is really impressive.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­ I hope I am not rude, but I was wondering if you could tell me what all happened to you. Are there any other survivors from campus?¡± After my question the atmosphere darkens as I bring up a rather gruesome memory. Yet, despite the deep scars the group slowly pieces together their stories of how they were able to meet up with one another. It seems a couple of them were actually taking an intermission class which Professor Stevens happened to be teaching. The majority of the class was sadly killed, but those that escaped were able to eventually make it to another building where they found the groundskeeper hiding. After spending the night locked away, they then tried to escape campus only to meet up with more monsters. It was difficult moving around, but they were able to find Glenn and Susan and then they all barricaded themselves into the dorm building. ¡°And then Mr. Felipe spotted you outside the window. From there we snuck outside and brought you back.¡± Cindy finishes recounting the series of events over the last few days all the way up to my rescue. ¡°What about you? You sound as though you were not on campus when it happened.¡± Showing off her astute listening skills, the blonde woman asks about my origin. ¡°You are right, I was actually in town eating lunch with a friend¡­.¡± I slowly begin sharing my own experience with the group. Nonetheless I intentionally leave out some key details. I finish off my story with them under the impression that we never left the restaurant. ¡°Jack, I don¡¯t understand¡­ why did you leave your group?¡± This time it is Amal who asks as he is evidently confused as to why I would leave such a strong group. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m searching for something on campus. I believe their might be something related to the changes hidden hear. The animals, monsters and vegetation all show enhanced capabilities. I want to find what is causing this.¡± The group is mostly quiet after my explanation. They simply cannot fathom going into a more dangerous situation willfully. However, surprisingly of all people it is the groundskeeper Felipe that speaks up. ¡°I think I know something¡­¡± Quietly speaking the man looks around the room before glancing back towards Brock for a brief moment. ¡°The day it all happened, I felt the ground shaking. The others joked saying it was an earthquake, but I felt one once and that wasn¡¯t one¡­. But, before we could figure anything out there was this terrible ringing. Then all these things appeared¡­ I¡­ don¡¯t remember much except running¡­. Next thing I know is being found by the others.¡± The man grows quiet as he clutches at his arms obviously remorseful of the past. ¡°Hmm, that might be connected. I haven¡¯t heard or felt any shaking¡­¡± Feeling sure that this is no mere coincidence I decide to ask the man one last question. ¡°Mr. Felipe¡­ where did you fill the vibrations?¡± Hearing his name, the man sullenly looks up at me. ¡°The stadium, I was by the stadium.¡± *** The next few hours were spent answering various questions for the group most of which came from Jordan. The man may be kind of creepy, but he has some really neat theories¡­ if anything it helped to pass the time. As the night sets in I am able to finally break off from the group, stating I need to rest some more. Entering back into my temporary room, I close the door and listen to see if anyone is approaching. Walking over to the nearby desk I push the table contents aside and pull out a blank letter and pen before sitting. My first letter is a brief recount of what all has happened as well as a few system details. It is a little awkward trying to right while ignoring the pain in my shoulder, but I figure it is best to conserve potions when possible. Shortly after, I am finished with my letter and as though it was reading my mind I receive a prompt.
System Letter Delivery
The system has recognized that the document has been edited. Do you wish to have it delivered? If so, then confirm and speak the desired recipient. Yes / No
Satisfied, I immediately accept and speak out Matt¡¯s name. Instantly the letter starts glowing slightly. As the light starts to recede, so does the letter until nothing remains. Finished with business I then switch my focus to a more personal task. My family Ever since this morning I have been feeling guilty about not trying to reach them. However, now that I have the means of sending a message I feel I can at least help by providing vital details about the system. And most of all, to let them know I am alive. ¡°Dear Mom¡­¡± Just writing these two simple words causes my eyes to start watering. I try to keep my emotions intact, but I am surprised at the difficulty. I start off telling about the status screen, the attributes, peak and average¡­ so on and so on I continue with no awareness of time as I fervently write out every last drop of detail I can think of. Before I realize it I have reached the bottom of the page. Sighing with satisfaction I can think of nothing else to add to the letter. With just a sliver of space at the bottom I finish the letter off with my salutation. ¡°Love, your son¡­ Jack.¡± Finished I quietly watch as the letter fades away. After tearfully staring at the empty space I wipe my eyes and decide to crawl into bed for some light reading. The topic for tonight is the almanac. However, I barely get past the first page before there is a knock on the door. Putting down the book I look towards the door and watch as Cindy slowly enters. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not interrupting anything.¡± ¡°No, just reading a little before trying to sleep.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± With a coy response Cindy comes and sits on the bed right beside me. ¡°And, how is your shoulder doing?¡± Reaching out her hand she gently touches my tender arm, seeing me flinch she pulls it back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I hope that didn¡¯t hurt.¡± Annoyed at her careless act I ruefully shrug off the pain. ¡°Was there something you needed?¡± ¡°Jack, are you really leaving in the morning? I think it would be a lot safer to stay here.¡± ¡°Yes, as soon as I wake up I plan on leaving¡­¡± I try to finish my speech, but Cindy stops me by putting a finger over my lips. ¡°Jack¡­¡± Leaning in close Cindy¡¯s hair falls down framing her worried face. ¡°I worry about you¡­ and I really don¡¯t want you to leave.¡± Biting her lip she has a really heartbreaking expression that troubles my resolve. ¡°Do you think you could¡­ maybe stay for me?¡± Starring into her dazzling eyes my heart is beating wildly in my chest. With shallow quick breaths I start mumbling a response. ¡°Umm¡­ well, uh.¡± Flushed beyond understanding I struggle to come up with a reason to refuse. But it is as though my very purpose and every desire is to satisfy this woman¡­. ¡°NO!¡± Screaming out Jack forcefully throws Cindy away. Breathing heavily he tries to figure out what is going on. It was as though he was not in control. ¡°Jack, just calm down let me help you¡­¡± Pulling herself back onto the bed Cindy tries to calmly reach for Jack. ¡°No! I don¡¯t know what it is your doing but stay away!¡± Screaming out Jack jumps off the bed and moves away from the woman. Seeing Jack¡¯s response Cindy is momentarily shocked, but after a moment she bursts into a deep cackling laugh. ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t believe it! You really are strong aren¡¯t you?¡± Reining her laughter under control she then stares at Jack with a sinister yearning. ¡°But I don¡¯t mind you playing hard to get.¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡± Just as Jack attempts to probe for answers the door opens and in walks several people. Brock, Jordan, Amal, Felipe and even Professor Stevens five people all together. ¡°Ah, good Cindy is¡­¡± Jack starts to try and clarify what is going on, but quickly notices the peculiar behavior of the men. Their movements are rigid while their faces are flushed red while breathing heavily. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them Jack, their just good little puppies¡­ always following after their master.¡± Hearing her comments I quickly turn to look at the men again. This time I notice that their eyes are heavily glazed over almost as though they were on a high¡­ Quickly I analyze.
Brock
Race Human Sex Male
Level 4
Status Affects Seduced (While under this affect the subject will mindfully obey the seducer¡¯s will)
Description Humans are considered a mid-grade species with proficient skills in many branches of study. Although physically average, they excel in adapting to new environments.
Sure enough I immediately find a serious problem. Checking the others I notice they too are under the effect of ¡°seduced¡±. With this last piece of the puzzle I finally figure out what is going on. Staring coldly at the woman I ask the obvious question. ¡°You have a skill don¡¯t you?¡± Surprised, Cindy laughs loudly before grinning mischievously. ¡°You just continue to entice me¡­¡± ¡°And what of Susan, your seductions don¡¯t work on women?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure I can convince her to obey. If not, well¡­ she can at least become experience.¡± Smiling wickedly at me she continues her rant. ¡°But don¡¯t worry your little head over such matters. After all pawns are meant to be sacrificed for their queen¡­ but you¡­¡± Snapping her fingers the men start to slowly walk towards Jack. ¡°Well, sooner or later you will fall for my grace¡­ after all. A queen must have her king.¡± Chapter 13: Beware the Eyes ¡°Wait!¡± Cindy is momentarily confused by my outburst, but the faltering of her drones¡¯ approach provides time for my mind to process the situation. ¡°Yes?¡± Arching her eyebrow Cindy stares at me. ¡°They¡­ are their minds capable of thought or are they just following simple commands.¡± ¡°Such a peculiar question¡­¡± obviously amused Cindy smiles coyly. ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t know, but all it takes is a thought and they move to my will.¡± After Cindy points this out the final details of my plan are quickly finished. With a quick motion a glass vial of stamina potion takes form between my fingers. ¡°Acid Bomb!¡± Cindy¡¯s once confident expression slowly twists to a mixture of confusion and terror causing me to smirk in amusement. As planned, her fear unconsciously triggers the pawns to immediately rush to cover their queen. With the distraction I am able to push and bump my way out and into the dimly lit hallway. Sprinting towards the exit, I quickly retrieve a couple of health potions no longer willing to wait for a natural recovery. Soon the numbing pain from my shoulder finally vanishes just as I reach the entrance to the stairwell. I quickly slam the door only to find it recoil back after hitting something. Screening my head around I glance down finding the limp body of Susan, who after analyzing, turns out to merely be knocked out. However, now I am left in a conundrum on what to do¡­ should I leave her? Glancing back down the hallway it is evident by the stampeding puppets that Cindy has discovered my charade. Based on the distance left I realize I only have seconds to decide. Looking back down at the limp body of Susan I sigh dejectedly before lifting her body up over my shoulder. By twos and threes I bound down the steps racing towards the ground floor. However, reaching the bottom landing I pause as a large imposing barricade blocks the exit. The obstacle is not so difficult to maneuver, yet the echoing of feet from above does not allow time for carefulness. ¡°Sorry Susan.¡± I apologetically call out as I lob the girl like a sack of potatoes and wince painfully as the heavy thud of her landing reaches my ears. Hurdling over I retrieve the beaten and bruised girl and kick the nearby door open running off into the night. *** ¡°Why did Cindy have to have such a skill?¡± Staring at the ceiling I start thinking over how her skill could work. When I first met her I felt an inclination to ¡®please¡¯ her while still having free thought. However, the actions of the guys when they came after me showed a deeper level of control. Just like an addict, their reasoning seemed hindered¡­. Could it be that her skill has both passive and active abilities? It would explain the differences between both situations. But what could have allowed me to resist the active ability? Pulling my status up I look over each section one by one until I pull up my resistances which I had ignored for a while¡­
Resistances
Physical 18% Mental 37%
Disease 22% Poision 4%
Earth 4% Darkness 0%
Fire 6% Light 12%
Water 3% Ice 3%
Wind 3% Lightning 7%
Well it looks like my mental resistance must be the reason behind her skill failing. But how did it increase so much? Actually, not just mental¡­ but physical, disease and even fire resistance has increased. I can understand that to some degree I have been exposed to these affects, so naturally my body would acclimate over time. However, what would have increased my mental resistance¡­ could it be that the other attributes can affect certain types of resistances? ¡°Mm¡­ where¡­where am I?¡± With soft mumbling words Susan speaks out breaking my train of thought. Sitting up I move over towards the woman. ¡°Susan¡­ it¡¯s me Jack. Can you hear me?¡± Confused but still aware, Susan slowly nods her head to answer my question. However, when she goes to move she quickly discovers that her arms and legs are bound tightly by rope. ¡°Sorry, but I had no choice.¡± I dryly respond as I stare coldly at the young woman. ¡°Help! Hemmph.¡± Frightened from my remark Susan starts to scream only to have me gag her mouth. Disappointed at her actions I roll my eyes and decide to resume reading the almanac while she calms down. After several minutes Susan finally settles down and her breathing steadies. Closing my book I look over to lock eyes with her angry yet frightened glare. ¡°Are you willing to be quite?¡± Nodding her head Susan remains rigid as I slide the gag out of her mouth. ¡°Thanks. Umm¡­ do you mind?¡± Raising her hands forward she pleads for me to untie her. ¡°Sorry, but after what happened with Cindy I¡¯m not taking any chances.¡± The confused expression on Susan¡¯s face forces me to consider her possible innocence. ¡°What do you remember from the night?¡± ¡°Well, after you left the group we talked some more. At one point I left to go to the bathroom and when I returned everyone was acting¡­ odd. I tried to ask Amal what was wrong, but he never responded. Next thing I remember is a sharp pain on the back of my head¡­.¡± Hearing her side of the story I easily infer that she had no prior collaboration with Cindy¡¯s plans. Yet, I am not quite ready to untie her. I begin recounting with her my side of the story. However, she refuses to believe me as the doubt in her eyes remains. ¡°Now, can I trust you to behave?¡± Despite her confusion, she still manages to shake her head in agreement. After a few minutes I finish removing the binds and step away. ¡°So what are we going to do now?¡± Susan calmly asks as she rubs the raw skin around her wrists. ¡°We? There is no we. As soon as the sun rises I am leaving immediately.¡± ¡°But if what you said is true then the others will¡­¡± ¡°No! They are not my problem. I plan to finish checking the campus and leave as soon as possible.¡± Coldly I cut off her noble words before she can try to persuade me. ¡°But¡­¡± With a feeble attempt she tries to continue, but quickly closes her mouth after seeing my harsh glare. ¡°Humph, fine. I¡¯ll go by myself.¡± Showing a stubborn streak not like her usual demeanor I stare dumbfounded as she gets up to go. Reaching the doorway she pauses to tilt her head back and quietly speak. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for not wanting to go¡­ it¡¯s dangerous, they attacked you¡­ but don¡¯t forget we risked ourselves to save you!¡± Eyes blazing furiously she whips her head around and storms out the room. Sitting quietly I brood over what to do. I want to completely ignore the situation and just focus on my own problems¡­ but my guilt prevents me. Burying my head into my hands I contemplate over what to do. With a drifting gaze the binding of the Almanac comes into view. Wait, maybe I could¡­ no. That is a stupid notion. I have no ingredients besides the pixie teeth, no equipment and no clue where to begin. Sighing in exasperation I kick the book away and fall back onto the hard floor. Why should I go help them¡­ just because I was able to resist earlier does not guarantee I will continue to resist. Besides, the longer I take to explore the campus the more dangerous it will get. I really do not have the time¡­ wait. Time, if Cindy¡¯s complete control is an active ability. Then maybe there is a way. With a resolute decision I jump to my feet and pack away my gear. Rushing through the door and to the front lobby I immediately spot a familiar figure. ¡°About time¡­ I was starting to think you wouldn¡¯t come.¡± Susan¡¯s sulking figure jumps off the counter top and weakly smiles at me. Pursing my lips I immediately regret coming. Nonetheless, I have made a decision and I will stick with it. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the plan¡­.¡± The next hour is carefully spent making our way back towards the girl¡¯s dormitory. The distance between our two locations would normally only require a few minutes to travel, but due to Susan¡¯s presence I was forced to tread carefully to avoid the few monsters lurking about. Walking up to the building we quietly reenter and make our way towards the stairwell. Moving up I easily notice a few hastened traps. It seems that Cindy has been preparing. Finally reaching the third floor landing I turn to nod towards Susan. Just as planed the girl bravely steps forward to open the door. It may be a bit chauvinistic of me to do so, but one of the stipulations in my agreement to come was that she be the first to enter. Partially to make sure she had some stakes to risk in this endeavor, but also my assumption is that Susan would have a better time of swaying the others if they are conscious again. Slowly pulling the door open Susan carefully peaks her head through. After a brief scan she gives the all clear. With trepid steps we both walk quietly into the hallway. Moving forward I keep an open ear out for the sound of anything moving, yet nothing is heard. Nearing the opening for the commons area I grab Susan to stop her. Slightly started, Susan turns to lock eyes with me wondering what is wrong. Raising my arm I point off into a dark corner of the room. From this angle I can just barely see the edges of a person¡¯s body sitting quietly in a chair. But where I am able to see such a figure, Susan merely stares with a befuddled expression before turning back to me with a confused shrug. Sighing, I remember she does not have night vision. ¡°There is someone sitting in that corner.¡± With hushed words I quietly speak into Susan¡¯s ear. After I finish she turns to mouth out her own question¡­ ¡®who¡¯? From this angle I cannot view their face, but their clothes are still visible and a pair of blue jeans can be made out. Thinking back over the groups¡¯ attire from earlier I narrow it down to two. ¡°Amal or Jordan.¡± Hearing my guess Susan¡¯s face brightly lightens up and she turns to rush around the corner. Flabbergasted by her action I moan furiously at this stupid girl¡¯s brash action. Crouching low I prepare for whatever may come. Yet, despite expectations there is no immediate alarm. Curious I step forward to look and notice a trembling Susan who has clutched her mouth tightly as tears stream down her face. Worried I rush forward prepared to fight, but as soon as I see what has her remorseful I instantly slide to a stop. Sure enough as I had guessed, Jordan is sitting in the chair¡­ or at least his corpse.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. His body is slumped back into the chair as his blood soaks into the once clean upholstery. A rough and jagged wound prominently opens his skull as matted hair and flesh dangle around the edges. ¡°Why?¡± Trembling in her words Susan turns to stare at me hoping for an answer. Shaking my head I have no answer. ¡°Susan we should¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he became useless.¡± The harsh words echo across the room and immediately cause me to turn around in surprise. Sitting in the opposite corner is the figure of Cindy staring back in a cold and detached manner. ¡°I figured you would return.¡± Apprehensive, I readily raise my dagger and start scanning around for the others. Amal and the professor come entering through the stair well. Felipe is guarding the other hallway and lastly Brock is standing rigidly beside Cindy as a fire axe is gripped tightly in his hands. Looking closely I can see blood splattered across his clothing. ¡°So I see you made Brock do your dirty work.¡± ¡°No, I gladly did it myself.¡± The concise and clear response from Brock immediately shocks me. ¡°But¡­ how can he be talking right now!?¡± ¡°I learned from your earlier stunt the major weakness in my ability¡­ luckily though it seems Brock still sees eye to eye with me.¡± Cindy quickly glances at Brock before smiling back at me. ¡°The fat pig was annoying¡­ always asking for more of our food.¡± Brock shows a disgusted expression as he mentions the now deceased Jordan. ¡°But at least he pushed me into a new level.¡± As troubling as his words are, I am even more alarmed at learning that we can level up from killing each other. The notion had crossed my mind in the past but I had avoided the dismal topic. ¡°How could you?¡± As the remorse is finally being over powered by anger, Susan speaks out with a bitter question. ¡°Ha, Susan¡­ now is not the time to be worrying about the dead. Do you not see where you are?¡± Cindy haughtily mocks while staring calmly. ¡°Where did you get the skill?¡± Ignoring the rising anger coming off of Susan, I push forward to try with my plan. Cindy¡¯s gaze returns to me as a look of derision spreads across her face. ¡°That is none of your business¡­ although while we are talking about skills. How did you resist earlier?¡± I am not entirely surprised by her lack of forthcoming about the skill. Yet, to continue the waiting game I must continue staling. ¡°Each person has various resistances that they are able to increase. One of which is a mental resistance to prevent attacks or ailments of the mind. I happen to have high mental resistance.¡± ¡°So you have high mental resistance¡­ not a skill?¡± Cindy calmly digests the information and although she dislikes this news, there is still a soft smile as she processes the impact. ¡°How do you raise this resistance?¡± Shocked by Brock¡¯s question Cindy turns to stare furiously at him. However, after locking eyes with Brock for a moment she then speaks out again. ¡°That is not important right now¡­ we should first capture them.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Brock reluctantly complies with Cindy¡¯s suggestion. Turning back to face me he raises the axe up and strides confidently towards me. ¡°Give up now and I won¡¯t hurt you too bad.¡± ¡°I think we both know that isn¡¯t happening.¡± Rebutting I carefully glance around and witness the puppets advancing as well. A sinister grin spreads on Brock¡¯s face from hearing my comment. ¡°Fine by me, I prefer it this way.¡± Not wasting time the linebacker immediately lunges forward with a powerful burst reaching me almost instantly. Dodging down I just barely miss the swing of the axe to only have my face be struck by his rising knee. Falling backwards I go with the momentum to role away and jump back to my feet. The bitter taste of iron fills my mouth as the busted lip stings on my face. ¡°Let me go!¡± Glancing back I see Susan being tackled to the ground by the gardener. From the other direction, Amal and the professor come rushing towards me. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s the best you got.¡± With a snide and condescending look, Brock acts as though this is nothing but a game. Infuriated at myself I analyze him again to see how much he actually leveled.
Brock
RaceHumanSexMale
Level5
Status Affects None
Description Humans are considered a mid-grade species with proficient skills in many branches of study. Although physically average, they excel in adapting to new environments.
My mind struggles to comprehend how he is so powerful, despite the vast level disparity between us. ¡°ARRRR!¡± With the thundering roar Brock rushes at me again to resume the fight. Jumping aside I try to maintain a safe distance. Yet, as I am moving Amal and the professor have joined in trying to surround me. Struggling to avoid capture, I frustratingly realize I was not prepared to fight other humans. Can I really kill them if need be? Lost in my own self-doubt I fail to notice the arms reaching around and grappling my torso. ¡°Ah!¡± A startled scream escapes my lips as I frantically struggle to escape. Looking up I notice Brock jumping forward as he raises the axe behind his back preparing to strike. Witnessing what may very well be my demise I finally resolve my mind. Twisting the hanging dagger between my fingers I quickly slam the blade deep into the professor¡¯s thigh as I use my weight to pull our tangled form down. The action was just in time as the descending blade barely passes by my shoulder and instead cuts deep into the professor¡¯s neck. Having been dealt such a devastating blow, the tight grasp around me loosens and I am able to escape off to the side. ¡°Damn it Brock, watch where you swing!¡± A disheveled Cindy yells out bitterly as she winces as though she is suffering from a severe headache. ¡°Shut up! I know.¡± Raising his leg up Brock kicks forcefully against the professor¡¯s body as the axe is yanked out spraying blood into the air. With weapon now free he turns around to face me once again. Locking eyes I immediately can tell he has no remorse for killing the man. And if he has lost all compassion for other humans¡­ then I guess there is no need to consider him human either. Gripping the dagger tightly between my fingers I realize that holding back does no justice for any of us. Dashing forward I aim myself towards Brock who lowers his stance in guard. However, just before I am within reach of his swing I change direction rushing towards Cindy. Not surprisingly, Cindy seemed expectant of this and the figure of Amal quickly jumps into my path. Running forward I am now pinned between a Brock and a no head. Yet, I do not see this as disadvantageous. Instead, I use the positioning to counter attack. Pushing all my strength into my legs I jump into the air and rebound against Amal¡¯s body sending me flying back towards a surprised Brock. Caught off guard he is unable to defend in time allowing for me to easily stab his shoulder. ¡°Arrgh! You bastard!¡± Screaming vehemently Brock drops the axe and immediately pulls out the dagger. Bleeding profusely from the wound, the adrenaline from the injury masks his pain as he immediately starts slashing out at me. Dodging left and right I try to avoid the brash swings of the blade. However luck is not on my side as I trip over a rug while back peddling. Falling onto the ground I waste no time in retrieving my last weapon. Turning to direct the spear towards my attacker, I just narrowly get it pointed in time before the weight of Brock comes pouncing upon me. In one quick motion the blade disappears within Brock¡¯s gut. The momentum from his advance, coupled with his weight, proves too much for the shaft which quickly breaks having Brock land atop me. I am unable to imagine the sheer pain Brock is going through, but by the snarling comments and gushing blood I know it cannot be little. However, despite his poor condition, the man continues trying to stab causing me to struggle against his arm to keep the blade away. After several minutes the strength behind Brock¡¯s attacks lessen and I am finally able to pull the dagger out of his hand. Heavily I role his body away and pull myself back to my feet. Despite the fact that I have killed my first human I am oddly serene right now. ¡°Jack, help me!¡± I turn to witness Susan screaming for help while she and Cindy are rolling around on the floor. Rushing over I quickly throw Cindy to the floor. ¡°What happened?¡± I ask Susan while my hands skillfully tie Cindy¡¯s limbs. ¡°When you kicked off Amal his body stumbled backwards and knocked into Cindy. Somehow that knocked her control loose. In that pause I escaped from Mr. Felipe and came to tackle her...¡± ¡°Let me go you stupid¡­¡± A heavy thud echoes as I bang Cindy¡¯s head against the hard floor stopping her ranting. Rattled by the action I quickly pull out a gag to keep her quiet. The next hour proved to be a very confusing and remorseful time for the survivors. It took a while for Amal and Felipe to finally come out of their seduced stupor¡­ and even more time to convince them of what all had happened. As expected, Susan proved helpful in persuading. After interrogating Cindy and having a few gaps filled in by Felipe, I finally was able to get an idea of what all happened. It turns out the first night after the system appeared Cindy redistributed points into her Charisma. She then had pulled Brock off alone to appease him and ended up acquiring the skill ¡®seduction¡¯. From there she slowly started seducing each man to build up her own personal body guards. As a means to aid her, it turns out that there is slight amnesia and confusion that follows the complete seduction. This allowed her to simply ¡®inform¡¯ the others of what had happened in their lapsed memory. ¡°What should we do with her?¡± Susan speaks up while looking to me for answers. Shrugging my shoulders I am not really sure. ¡°We can figure that out later after I return.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still going¡­ and by yourself?¡± Amal asks as he and Felipe return from moving all the bodies off into another room. The others shift uncomfortable in their seats as the thought of me leaving unsettles them. However, walking over towards the window I look out across the morning sky and see the silhouette of my destination¡­ the stadium. ¡°Yes¡­ I am still going.¡± *** Running across the cracked asphalt I quickly halt before the concrete monstrosity that was once the stadium. Just like the rest of the campus nature has steadily reclaimed the land as vegetation and numerous creatures are teaming everywhere. Stepping closer towards the building I pause to scan a shockingly massive centipede crawling across the wall.
RaceScolopendra GiganteaSexMale
Level3
Status Affects None
Description Typically found in dense jungle regions this creature is known for its powerful poison coating the exoskeleton.
Swallowing deeply I am shocked to find that even the insects are getting dangerous. With renewed caution I turn to slowly start proceeding inside. Each step I take I start feeling a strong permeating energy in the air. At first I am greatly confused as to what this could be. But after a while I finally recall where I had felt this before¡­ mana. Surprised at this revelation I immediately feel like an idiot¡­ of course this explains why everything is growing so quickly. How could I not have realized it sooner? The campus has a higher concentration of mana which has been fueling all the rapid changes. And judging by the fauna density the stadium must be the epicenter. Reinvigorated with curiosity, I start moving faster through the building pushing towards the center. I am forced to kill a few creatures along the way, but none of which are truly aggressive. However, I do my best to not disturb anything. Passing through a curtain of vines beneath the bleachers I enter into the field where a soft glow shines through the rising canopy. If not for the green hue to the light, I might have thought it was just the sunlight gleaming through the leaves. Weaving my way between the new trees I soon spot an amazing scene. An enormous crystalline structure has pushed up through the ground causing dirt and concrete to be pilled haphazardly around allowing for new footholds for the fauna to take root. The smooth surface of the crystal proves to be the source of the soft green glow in the air. Looking the thing over I calmly activate analyze.
ArtifactCor Vitae (Grand)Charge98%
RankLegendaryQualityEarth (Pure)
Description Cor Vitae are a crystalized concentration of mana. The color often depicts the associated mana type that is contained within. They can be found all throughout the world ranging from small Cors inside high mana creatures all the way to the grand Cors that become the epicenter of dungeons.
My mind is amazed at the information presented, but before I am able to continue a quest updates appears.
Congratulations The first chain of the quest Edge of the Unknown has been completed by discovering the Cor Vitae in the newly developing dungeon. Reward: Experience and 5 gold coins
As soon as I finish reading I hear the pleasant tone of a level up. Ecstatic I quickly move to spend my newly gained points. However, before I am able to I receive one final update.
Edge of the Unknown For those who throw caution to the wind And boldly stare into the Abyss. Have Courage as you descend, For often Ignorance is Bliss. Chain Quest One: Investigate the college campus. Chain Quest Two: Defeat the Guardian of the Dungeon before a Break occurs. Reward: ???
My once happy expression vanishes as I read the mention of ¡®guardian¡¯. Almost instantly I start getting a bad premonition as a sinister rumbling starts shaking the ground once more. Looking past the Cor I see a massive figure slowly start rising as a pair of crimson eyes turn to stare at me¡­. Chapter 14: The Best Defense Crouching low I stare apprehensively as the looming terror steadily rises. The higher it stands the more of its lithe figure is revealed. Glistening dark green scales shimmer in my eyes as I scan its body down towards a slender swishing tail. Looking back towards the head I watch as a forked tongue sneaks its way out of the large maw flicking in the air. Seemingly having noticed my presence its crimson eyes quiver momentarily before the dark pupils¡¯ slant inwards focusing on a target¡­ me. The monster¡¯s large nostrils flare open releasing a blast of hot breath that wafts down bringing a rancid smell with it. Raising one of its large forelimbs up a soft tapping noise chimes as one of the long black talons gently settles against the hard crystal surface. Terrified I raise my eyes back up to the sight of numerous fangs now revealed in what I can agonizingly assume to be the predator¡¯s gleeful smile.
(Dungeon Guardian)
Race Wyvern (Poison Sub-Type) Sex Female
Level 37 Class N/A
Status Affects Mana Addiction (+10% Intelligence while infused, -40% Intelligence once withdrawn)
Description Wyverns are a dragon subspecies that vary drastically depending on what species is bred by the paternal dragon. Although classified as a ¡®lesser¡¯ species Wyverns are still highly resilient and known for devastating breath attacks.
What little courage I had quickly vanishes as my eyes focus on one important detail¡­ Level 37. Closing the screen I breathe deeply preparing for the most logical option. Turning around I flee. Almost instantly the guardian releases an overbearing roar that sends a chill down my spine and the air to escape my lungs in a pitiful gasp. Ducking through the trees and vegetation I soon realize I am in danger as a sizzling noise rapidly grows louder. Lunging forward I just barely find cover before a putrid green substance coats the nearby vegetation. Instantly a stream of smoke rises into the air as all matter dissolves into a black tar like substance. Terrified I pick myself up with renewed vigor dashing towards the stadium exit. I just barely enter into the tunnel before the guardian crashes heavily against the concrete. Turning around I happily witness the beast trying furiously to squeeze into the tunnel yet its massive frame prevents it. However, this joy quickly vanishes as I watch the monster switch tactics to opening a pathway. In a steady stream of flying rubble the tunnel widens with each swipe of the wyvern¡¯s arm. Not waiting any more I turn and continue my escape. Exiting the stadium I pass numerous other creatures scurrying away as the angry wails of the guardian reverberate the air. Feverishly I do not stop until the sound of the predator is no more. Slowing down I duck into a nearby building to rest and catch my breath. Shaking heavily I quietly thank my luck in successfully escaping. Pulling out a stamina potion I quickly drink the cool liquid only to not feel the usual sensation of recovery. Perplexed I analyze myself to see what is wrong.
Jack (Autodidact)
Race Human Sex Male
Level 13 Class Rogue
Status Affects Guardian¡¯s Intimidation (-20% All Attributes ¨C Duration 9 Minutes; 40% Chance of inflicting Fear) Fear Stricken (-20% Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma and Luck ¨C Duration 5 minutes)
Description Humans are considered a mid-grade species with proficient skills in many branches of study. Although physically average, they excel in adapting to new environments.
Reading off my inflictions I quickly realize what the heavy pressure from earlier was. Sighing heavily I close my eyes and attempt to meditate to calm my nerves. With each breath cycle I slowly start to feel the pressure lessening. As soon as the burden is gone, I reanalyze and happily see the fear debuff is removed. Looking the screen over, I am reminded once more of my unspent points. However, instead of immediately placing them I pause to consider what is best for my survival. Although I am likely to achieve something for ¡®peaking¡¯ all attributes¡­ Charisma is not likely to help much with fighting the guardian. If anything I should invest in Agility or Endurance for a better chance at survival. Yet, can I even beat the Wyvern all by myself? The prior interaction leaves a lot of doubt about my ability to solo raid. However, the real question is how much time I have left¡­.
Edge of the Unknown
For those who throw caution to the wind And boldly stare into the Abyss. Have Courage as you descend, For often Ignorance is Bliss. Chain Quest One: Investigate the college campus. Chain Quest Two: Defeat the Guardian of the Dungeon before a Break occurs. Reward: ???
The description is rather vague. How am I supposed to know when a Break will occur? Wait. Is it possible that¡­.
Quest Edge of the Unknown (Chain Two) Time Limit 7 Days 12 Hours 31 Minutes
Rank Legendary ??? ???
Description Quests are contractual agreements between two parties with a wide range of requirements and rewards associated. Due to the high social nature of Quests, more options become available with increased Charisma points.
Smiling gleefully I once more am impressed with my Analyze skill. Carefully reading the details over I notice some interesting points to review later. However, for now I must focus on the most crucial information, the time limit. Thankfully, it seems that I have a few days to come up with some type of strategy. Satisfied I make up my mind to follow my gut feeling.
Congratulations You have reached ¡®Peak¡¯ in all eight Attributes and will be rewarded with a skill based on your attribute preferences. Also, for being the first in achieving such a feat you have earned a new title.
Title Hominum Novum
Affects Once a day you may activate a special +10% boost to All Attributes. Duration is 30 minutes.
Mana Blade (Active) Beginner Level 1 (0%)
This skill allows for a condensed mana blade to be created for combat. Mana expenditure varies depending on size, shape and duration of blade. Effectiveness is dependent on PER, INT, and LCK.
I am immediately rewarded for following my instinct and I pause for a moment to bask in the euphoria. After a few minutes I happily hold out my hand and immediately test my new skill. With a simple thought a tingling rush travels through my arm and a thin short knife appears between my fingers. The soft glow of the blade is a dazzlingly reminder of how terrifying and amazing these new changes are. Canceling the skill I decide to experiment more at a later time. Ready to start heading back I start closing all the screens but pause looking one last time at my awesome attributes. Eyes transfixed on the blue panel a new thought soon pops in my mind.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. What would happen if I Analyze the Status Screen?
Skill Status Screen(Passive) Proficiency Master
Rank Legendary ??? ???
Affects User Interface {Active} Genetic Manipulation {Altering - 111/196 of Attribute Points) Attribute Boost Magic {Attempting to match undeveloped potential} Quest Management {System Granted Quest Invoked} Perimeter Mapping {Standby} System Index {Standby} System Link {Standby} Proficiency Archive {Recalculating Variables¡­.} Interspatial Magic {96% Capacity} Advanced Buff Recovery Magic {Standby} ??? {Locked} ???{Locked}
Description Status Screen is a complex blend of skills to aid humans in adapting to the new changes.
Slack jawed I remain quiet for several minutes before regaining my focus. Carefully I read line by line etching each detail into my mind. With these last bits of information my mind finally starts to infer the truth. ¡°Oh¡­ this is going to blow their minds!¡± Laughing delightedly I stand up ready to finally return. *** ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­ there is such a huge difference.¡± Susan is shocked at the clear gap between the campus jungle and the rest of the town as she stares openly. ¡°Yeah, well I¡¯m happy to finally have left that wretched campus¡­ Speed it up.¡± Amal angrily speaks as he forcefully shoves Cindy forward. There were some heated arguments on what to do with Cindy, but ultimately none of us had the courage to kill her¡­ and leaving her behind would have been no different. So we found ourselves with an unwilling prisoner. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s easy walking from here¡­ time for the blindfold.¡± Cindy angrily protests, but luckily the gag we had placed earlier does wonders in muffling the noise. Once the prisoner is blind folded, gagged and tightly bound we resume our march. Walking slowly I constantly scan out for any threats, but surprisingly nothing ever shows up. Rounding the final corner we soon witness the front entrance. Where once we simply just had cars pushed forward to barricade the entrance now sturdy walls and a platform guard the front. ¡°Halt!¡± Atop the platform is a middle aged man tightly holding a rifle. After seeing our group approaching he slowly raises the weapon our way attempting to intimidate us. Seeing the man I motion for the others to halt as I slowly step forward. ¡°Who are you?¡± Curiously I stare at the man confused as to who he is. But then I start getting a bad feeling about the situation. ¡°Where¡¯s Matt? What happened here?¡± Tensing for battle I quickly crouch preparing to dodge the likely shot. ¡°I said halt! If you continue forward I will shoot you.¡± True to his words the man directs the gun my way as he tilts an eye over focusing down the sights of the barrel. ¡°Tell me what hap¡­¡± ¡°Stop! He¡¯s a friend!¡± Running towards the front gate a young woman frantically waves her arms to stop the guard. ¡°But Rachael¡­¡± The man hesitates to lower the weapon despite the pleas of the young woman. ¡°Shut up and put the gun away, I told you he is not an enemy so let them in already!¡± Shocked by her outburst the man begrudgingly lowers the weapon before climbing down the platform and moving to unlock the gate. Stepping through the sturdy gate I pause for a moment as me and the guard size each other up. He seems to have been a rather well built man in the past, but the greying hair and slightly protruding belly hints at a more recent decline. ¡°Jack, it¡¯s so nice to see you again!¡± Stepping forward Rachael gives me a quick hug before stepping back to look at the others. ¡°So who are yo¡­¡± Her happy tone quickly resides as confusion spreads over her face after her eyes settle on the restrained woman. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but for now the girl stays tied up¡­ It¡¯s safer that way.¡± Racheal is still curious, but calmly accepts my statement as she turns to walk me back in. ¡°Impressed with what we have done?¡± Rachael catches me staring around inspecting the reinforced entrance. ¡°It didn¡¯t take long for us to find most of the other surviving family members¡­¡± there is a slight pause as she obviously thinks about her distant family. ¡°But after that Brent pulled in some friends of his, made a few stops at some supply stores¡­ and presto!¡± ¡°Definitely an improvement¡­¡± finished looking at the entrance I scan around and notice more unfamiliar faces around the place. ¡°How many people do we have?¡± ¡°Well, before you came back we were up to forty three people.¡± Whistling at this statement I am both impressed and apprehensive about the numbers. ¡°Have there been any¡­ problems?¡± Rachael hesitates to speak and I can see her start to chew on her lip trying to decide on what to say. ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll just ask Matt lat¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have your own problems to deal with?¡± With harsh words Matt steps out of a nearby doorway before slowly walking forward. Stopping just in front of me there is a moment of silent tension as we both look at the other. However, his fa?ade soon fades as we happily greet one another. ¡°Glad to have you back.¡± Pleasantries are exchanged and soon the conversation changes to introducing my followers. Despite the odd situation Matt flourishes in easing the transition and soon they are directed towards Martha to be interviewed and assigned sleeping quarters. The only exception is Cindy who will be temporary locked inside a storage room until we decide what to do with her. ¡°I got to say I am kind of shocked that you would bring that girl here.¡± Matt turns to look quizzically at me. ¡°How about us having over forty people¡­ do you think we can handle those numbers?¡± A moment of silence passes as we both stare judgmentally at the other. Sighing heavily Matt weakly shakes his head breaking the ruse. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside, supper is just about ready¡­ I don¡¯t feel like arguing over an empty stomach.¡± ¡°Supper sounds great¡­ who all will be eating with us? ¡°Why?¡± Curious to my question Matt turns to look at me. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ what I have to share could cause¡­ trouble. So it¡¯s best if not many people were present.¡± Despite my vague response there is no need for another explanation as Matt is quick to pick up the implication. The next hour is spent enjoying a hot meal prepared by Mrs. Malone and Martha while the others catch me up on their actions. It loosely followed Rachael¡¯s recap but there was also a few interesting details she failed to mention. First is the decreasing number of stray monsters roaming the streets. However, this does not mean there are no threats. On the contrary, it seems that there is at least two large monster hordes stationed in the city. One is a group of large green men who we believe to be ogres and are fortified inside the police station. The other is a horde of undead nestled near the hospital. Second is the location of another survivor group who have barricaded inside the town¡¯s largest super store. Currently the group had made plans to visit them tomorrow to investigate what kind of people they are. Once their side was finished recapping, it finally became my turn to share. ¡°So let me see if I have this right¡­¡± leaning forward, Matt pushes the empty plate aside as he processes the information I just shared. ¡°You had a secret quest that vaguely told you to explore the campus, which turned out to be a growing dungeon¡­ and now you are supposed to defeat a dragon?¡± ¡°Actually it is a¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s basically a dragon!¡± Matt angrily yells at my rebuttal snapping his head up and looking my way. ¡°And you want us to help kill it!?¡± Sighing dejectedly, I am having a hard time disputing since reflecting back I too can see the naivety of my actions. Despite the pleasantry of the earlier dinner it seems it has completely vanished as our emotions start to be revealed. ¡°Matt, calm down he made it back and let¡¯s try to focus on our current problems and not the past.¡± With prompt timing Brent chimes in to pacify the situation. ¡°Now Jack, you also mentioned you had some important information about the system?¡± ¡°Yeah I do¡­¡± Looking over it seems that although he is still upset, Matt at least seems to be paying attention as he quietly glances over waiting for me to speak. ¡°So if you remember, the Cor is releasing mana in concentrated doses which has caused the organic life to rapidly grow¡­ this also includes us. However, instead of it being a natural adaption the status screen acts as a blueprint on how to alter our DNA. Every time we add points to an attribute we are collectively rewriting our genetic code.¡± ¡°Unbelievable¡­.¡± Not just Brent but everyone is shocked at this revelation. ¡°But it takes time and mana to finish the changes, so if we were in high mana density areas like near the Cor then the changes will occur quicker.¡± ¡°But if that is the case then why do we feel stronger immediately after?¡± Looking doubtful of my claims John asks a reasonable question. ¡°Ah, see that¡¯s the beauty of the system. Whoever designed it must have realized that people would want to see immediate results¡­ so a pseudo change is imitated through buff magic.¡± ¡°Buff mag¡­¡± ¡°Magic that gives a temporary boost to certain stats¡­ think of it as an adrenaline rush.¡± Seeing the confused expression on Brent¡¯s face Matt was quick to explain. ¡°However it is not just that, all the extra features of the status screen are individual skills all rolled into one. The system is nothing but an advanced user software operating different programs!¡± Excitedly I reveal this detail to the others who remain shocked by the surge of information. ¡°Ah! The ringing on the first day!¡± Luckily it seems at least one other person seems to be making the connection as Rachael blurts out. ¡°Yes! I think the ringing on the first day was the system being downloaded into our heads!¡± Collective gasps echoes in the room as they are stunned by this theory. ¡°Ahem.¡± Coughing loudly Brent interrupts the silence drawing attention on him. ¡°That is really interesting and nice to know¡­¡± Pausing he turns and our eyes lock before he continues speaking. ¡°But how does that help us to beat the Wyvern?¡± Smiling mischievously I look around the room before giving my ultimatum. ¡°We form a raid group and attack the dungeon.¡± ¡°Hmm. That could work¡­ so basically we will take advantage of the dungeon¡¯s extra mana to speed up our evolution as well as gaining some levels.¡± Matt ponders over the notion which is quickly gaining his acceptance evident by his growing smile. ¡°Why do we even need to fight¡­ couldn¡¯t we just stay away from the dungeon?¡± After quietly listening for so long, Martha is quick to interject as she has yet to have to face an enemy. But it is not just her as Racheal and John also agree. ¡°Actually, I think it is better that the monsters are collecting in areas this means that the rest of the city will be safe to move around.¡± ¡°Seven days.¡± My two words confuse everyone, but they still patiently wait for me to explain. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for not wanting to fight¡­ but in seven days if we don¡¯t beat the guardian then a Break will occur¡­ and the streets will once again be teaming with monsters.¡± Pausing I allow this thought to sink in. ¡°Only, these monsters will be much stronger than what any of us have seen.¡± It seems my point has been made as no one is willing to speak up. Yet after several minutes I decide to push towards my goal. ¡°The world has changed¡­ and we won¡¯t be able to hide behind our little walls forever. It¡¯s time to fight, before the fight comes to us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± With a resolute response Brent is the first to agree which soon spurs the others to follow suit. Smiling contently at everyone jumping on board I cannot help but feel relieved knowing I have help. ¡°Okay¡­ here is what we needto do." Chapter 15: Dont Poke the Bear ¡°Like hell we will!¡± After revealing our plan to begin aggressively clearing out the monsters, the crowd quickly morphed into a riotous mass of angry protesters. Standing on a truck bed, Matt and Brent are taking the full blunt of the crowd¡¯s anger. After a few minutes I can see Matt starting to lose his patience, turning his head he mouths out a quick warning to cover my ears. Following his advice I watch attentively as he takes in a deep breath. ¡°SHUT UP!¡± With an overwhelming yell Matt quickly silences the crowd as they are left stunned and dazed. Smiling happily I uncover my ears and take note of the effectiveness of Matt¡¯s ¡®Battle Cry¡¯ skill. Despite the forewarning, I still was left with a slight ringing in my ear from the sheer volume. Of the recent skill books acquired by Matt this is by far the best crowd control skill we have. A few seconds pass and the crowd slowly starts to recover. Placing his hand on Matt¡¯s shoulder Brent offers to speak to the crowd. ¡°As a police officer it was my sworn duty to serve and protect. Even after all the recent changes I plan to honor this commitment and do my best to protect each of you¡­¡± pausing Brent looks the crowd over letting his comforting words to sink in. ¡°However the world has changed. Peace and safety is no longer guaranteed. While we are sitting safely behind these walls, everything else is growing stronger¡­ things that will want to hurt you¡­ kill you¡­ eat you¡­.¡± Brent¡¯s words prove to have had an impact on the crowd as they remain eerily quiet. However, not letting the moment go to waste, Matt pulls out a metal pipe from his inventory holding it out for everyone to see. Taking my cue I calmly hop up and quickly activate my new skill. Instantly the soft glowing blade extends from my fingers drawing the curious gazes of everyone. Ignoring the crowd¡¯s amazement I quickly send out a flurry of precise slashes against the metal pipe. Soon the rattling noise of metal falling leaves the spectators in complete shock. ¡°To live we must fight. Yet there is an amazing opportunity for us to grow and learn amazing abilities. All it requires is for us to stand and fight.¡± Having adequately enticed the crowd the earlier discussion resumes¡­ more peacibly. Much is still left to discuss, but amazingly this group of random people is slowly transitioning into a united force. And although it would be a joke to say we are anywhere near strong¡­ to just have us all collectively on the same goal is a huge achievement in and of itself. The first task for our united forces is to determine what role everyone will have in our group¡­ Fighters or Providers. Of our forty seven people seventeen have volunteered into the Fighters group which will be composed of Warriors, Rogues and Mages. Excluding nine children who are too young to interact with the system the remaining twenty one people are lumped into the vague Providers group. These Providers are those either unable or unwilling to fight and thus will support the group in other ways. However, until we determine what skill is provided by the fourth starter class this group will have a very low priority on experience. *** ¡°Shhh. Stay low and don¡¯t make any noise.¡± With one last warning Matt turns to lead us down the sidewalk before entering an office building. Our feet softly thump across the floor as we make our way upstairs and into a large conference room. Moving towards the back wall we slowly peel the blinds apart and look through the windows onto the scene outside. ¡°Crap¡­ their numbers increased!¡± John is evidently upset after witnessing the large horde crowding around the hospital entrance. ¡°I take it there were not this many yesterday?¡± Turning to Matt he gives me a simple nod while his brow scrunches in dissatisfaction at the changes. Ignoring the grumbling complaints from the other fighters I return to looking over the scene. Our first objective and trial run is to clear the hospital. We sold the pitch that the medical supplies and any possible surviving staff would be a necessity for our future. However, the real reason we chose this battle was due to the low intellect and mobility of the zombies. But when you figure in their sheer numbers¡­ the odds change. Scanning over the horde I notice several charred zombies mingling among the crowd. Smiling haughtily I almost chuckle again recalling Matt¡¯s story of how he tried to burn the horde away. As evident, it seems the weak flames of our impromptu Molotov¡¯s were not strong enough to incinerate the undead horde. Shaking my head I push the thought aside.
Race Victus Mortuus (Zombie) Sex N/A
Level 4 Class N/A
Status Affects None
Description Once reanimated these creatures lose all prior intellect and memories, functioning solely on basic instincts. And although the undead condition is not contagious, they are prone to carrying dangerous diseases.
¡°Matt¡­¡± calling my friend¡¯s attention I immediately share my gatherings. ¡°Their average level is around 2-3. It seems they are mostly the same as what we have fought before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, but their numbers have nearly doubled¡­ I¡¯m not sure just the nine of us can handle this.¡± Glancing back I look at the other fighters crouched in the room. Originally we only chose a handful of fighters for this mission to ensure the base would still be properly protected. But looking at the number disadvantage I can see where Matt would be tempted to go back for more people. ¡°Not necessarily, remember all it takes is a good terrain advantage to swing the odds to our favor. Look over there¡­¡± raising my hand I direct Matt¡¯s sight towards a side street running away from the hospital. ¡°The buildings on each side will act as fences causing the horde to be congested and slow. If we follow up with a barricade at the end of the street we can funnel the zombies down to only a few at a time. Also, with the zombies only able to come from one direction if things get dangerous we can simply retreat and try another strategy.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Looking out the window Matt quietly contemplates my suggestion. ¡°It might just work¡­ any other suggestions?¡± Opening the room up for discussion he turns to look at the others. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just run them over with a car? We¡¯ll stay safe as we kill them.¡± A thirty something man quickly suggests which garners some approval. Beating me to the point, Matt quickly rebukes the idea. ¡°If we had a reinforced vehicle maybe¡­ but an average car couldn¡¯t handle the force necessary to kill the zombies. We would only end up hurting ourselves or worse getting trapped in the middle of the horde.¡± Hearing the flaw in his idea the man¡¯s enthusiasm wains and everyone else soon reluctantly agrees to my initial plan. Moving back outside we slowly proceed around the buildings and start preparing an adequate funnel from nearby vehicles and dumpsters. ¡°Okay, remember the formation. As soon as you start getting tired rotate out and drink a stamina potion. If at any point we feel overwhelmed we will call for a retreat.¡± Making sure everyone understands the plan I turn around and look towards John. ¡°You know you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± ¡°No¡­ I can do this. Besides it will be good practice.¡± John weakly smiles as he tries to be reassuring. ¡°Alright.¡± A part of me is not sure he is fully prepared for this, but as one of the few future rogues in our group it is necessary for him to get used to kiting enemies. Squeezing through the barricade, John and I start jogging down the empty street. Reaching the end we split off and head to opposite sides of the horde. Before we even have to make noise several zombies notice us and start stumbling our way. From there all it takes is a few simple shouts to get the rest of the horde to follow suit.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Carefully watching our steps we begin leading the zombies into the side street. ¡°This isn¡¯t so bad.¡± John chuckles slightly as he turns smiling my way. ¡°Stay focused thi¡­¡± my words are cut off as a loud roar comes reverberating from deep inside the horde. Turning to look I soon notice a zombie barreling this way knocking anything in its path aside. Analyzing I discover this zombie to be a staggering level 7. ¡°John run for it!¡± Confused momentarily John falters in his steps before turning to flee. However, he is barely able to get a few yards away before the level seven breaks free of the horde. Now unhindered its speed quickly accelerates. With each second the gap is quickly decreasing between John and the undead menace. Activating my mana blade I concentrate and forcefully surge my mana into the weapon. The blade¡¯s shimmering form slowly extends until the length is nearly doubled marking it roughly half a meter long. Focusing on maintaining the length I lunge between the two. Altering its gaze onto me the zombie rises up its mangled arm reaching towards me. Yet by the time I am within the arm¡¯s reach I have already swung my blade severing the head from the body. Landing softly I smile triumphantly at the feat. However, a feeling of mental exhaustion soon sweeps in forcing me to quickly cancel the blade out. Although happy from the results from last night¡¯s training the expenditure is still too high. Straightening up I turn and sprint after John who has just squeezed through the barricade. Reaching the other side I see everyone slightly tense yet ready. Seeing everything in order I motion to John for us both to climb into our positions atop the barricades. Once atop I pull out a new sturdy pipe spear fashioned by Hank. However, my inspection is interrupted as the horde crashes with full force into the barricade. The simple metal wall groans from the pressure but other than a slight jerk it remains intact. Looking over at the gap I see the first zombie squeezing through the gap towards Matt and the others. Already prepared, Matt immediately brings down a sledgehammer into the head of the leading zombie. Its body collapses to the ground and Matt easily pulls back his new weapon. Although a bit messy, I still must acknowledge the effectiveness. ¡°Remember¡­ wait until they pass through the gap before you kill them!¡± Matt yells out a reminder as he quickly repositions for another swing. Content with how things are going I turn to start attacking as well. With a sharp swash sound the new spear easily punctures through my first target. Gripping tightly I immediately yank it back out. Reminiscent of the last time I ¡®speared¡¯ zombies I am happy at the ease this time around. Not wanting to waste any more precious experience I begin a focused assault on the zombies. Aim¡­ twist¡­ stab¡­ pull. The repetition continues in a simple pattern as I slowly start to get a feel for the movements.
Spearmanship (Passive) Beginner Level 2 (0%)
With practiced movements the use of the spear becomes more precise and powerful. Effectiveness is affected by PER. (+4% Damage while fighting with a spear)
Pausing I read over the screen. Although not greatly beneficial I am still happy to at least receive my first weapon proficiency skill. Closing the screen a soft twang enters my ear from off to my side. Looking over I see John already notching another arrow onto his compound bow. Just as soon as the tension is maxed the arrow is released sent flying rapidly into the skull of a nearby zombie. Arching my eyes I am mildly impressed with John¡¯s archery skill. When he had told me earlier that he used to do archery in school I had blown it off as something akin to a casual hobby. Yet, the fluid motions of his arms show dedication and practice on his part. Taking a mental note I plan to ask him later if and when he gets the associated skill. Turning back to the horde I see that despite our slain numbers there is still a sizeable amount left. Drinking a quick potion I sigh begrudgingly before I resume the hunt. ¡°Man¡­ that¡­was exhausting.¡± Breathing heavily John plops down on the edge of the barricade as he wearily wipes away the sweat from his brow. ¡°Yes¡­but definitely worth it¡­ I leveled again.¡± After mentioning leveling several faces light up and I watch as several hands start tapping away in the air. Chuckling softly I too open my screen and apply my points.
Status
Name Jack Race Human
Level 14 (37%) Class Rogue
Titles Autodidact, Hominum Novum
Party Quests
Inventory Map
System Index
-
Health (230/230)
Stamina (110/230)
Mana (187/230)
-
Strength 20 Endurance 20
Perception 24 Agility 24
Intelligence 50 Wisdom 35
Charisma 20 Luck 23
Unallocated Points 0
-
Resistances
Skills Analyze (Active) ¨C Intermediate Level 6 (98%) Lock Picking (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 3 (78%) Mana Blade (Active) ¨C Beginner Level 2 (37%) Mana Sense (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 3 (2%) Meditation (Active) ¨C Beginner Level 6 (8%) Night Vision (Passive) ¨C Max Scavenging (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 2 (0%) Sneak (Active) ¨C Beginner Level 7 (82%) Spearmanship (Passive) ¨C Beginner 4 (19%)
Finished I close away the screen and calmly listen as everyone happily shares their progress. It seems that the majority of everyone is between levels 4-6 and the highest non class person is John who is now sitting nicely at level nine. After resting a few more minutes Matt and I are able to rouse the group up to start shifting for any loot as well as assisting with John on retrieving his spent arrows. However, after a few minutes of searching to only find four stamina potions we decide to just call it quits. After all digging around rotting corpses is not what any of us care to be doing. ¡°Alright, come on guys let¡¯s keep moving.¡± Calling out Matt directs the group to start moving back towards the hospital. Stepping into the broken foyer we soon spot a few stray zombies. However while keeping a tight formation we easily kill them off. Now with no other threats visible it is finally time to decide where to proceed. ¡°Okay Matt, I think we should split up from here.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s not a bad idea...¡± Matt ponders for a moment as he steps over to the wall looking at the directional guides. ¡°I¡¯ll take John, Luke, Mr. Benny and Thomas to go and check out the cafeteria. Everyone else will follow you¡­ care to check the emergency room?¡± ¡°Sounds good, we can plan to meet back in an hour here.¡± After agreeing on where to lead each of our respective parties we immediately split off. Proceeding down the hallway my little group of fighters trail hesitantly behind me. Passing by many disheveled rooms we rarely are met by any zombies and those that do are quietly dealt with. Rounding the last corner we stop warily as a pair of heavy duty doors are left dented and mangled against the emergency room entrance. Just beyond the threshold the familiar sounds of guttural moans slowly echoes out. Turning to face the others we all silently acknowledge the threat and redouble our attentiveness by tightening our grips. Stepping into the room I stealthily creep along the partitions until I am allowed a chance to scan the room. A few zombies are prowling around the room and perhaps a few more are hidden in the examination rooms. But against the far back wall is a solitary zombie with an imposing figure. Analyzing the brute quickly explains why its physique is so much larger¡­ level 14. Gulping heavily I contemplate on what to do. Since my meeting with the stadium guardian I have resolved myself to grow stronger and the best way is to fight those stronger than me. However, that does not mean I will blindly rush in. My best bet is a sneak attack to deal massive damage early on in the fight. Nonetheless, the roaming lesser zombies will hinder any of my chances of getting close¡­ Perhaps I can bring the brute to me? Hiding myself once again I quietly look at those with me as simple idea comes to mind. ¡°Anyone want to play bait?¡± Hearing my question the others pale in apprehension, but before they can say anything I further explain in a hushed manner. ¡°You only have to hand back and attack any normal zombies that come your way. My plan is to sneak closer and wait for the big guy to come charging after you. Once he does I¡¯ll jump him from behind and kill it¡­.¡± Hearing my plan they are slightly less worried. Although technically they are still bait, I¡¯ll be the one in the most dangerous situation. After the battle outside a few normal zombies are nothing they cannot handle. With a general agreement I turn and resume my stealth walk as I dip and duck around obstacles until I finally step into a small nurses station hiding behind the counter. Once in position I give the thumbs up for the plan to begin. ¡°Hey over hear¡­ fresh meat¡­ dinner time.¡± The three amigos loudly start yelling out gibberish which quickly notifies all the nearby zombies. The sound of growls and shuffling feet start moving away, however it is the angry roar and thunderous steps that I stay focused on. I do not have to wait long before the brute knocks against the counter as it rushes by. Jumping out I immediately activate my mana blade and slash along the back of its neck. However, unlike what I expected the blade only goes half way through the rotting flesh before abruptly halting. Surprised by the failed assassin attempt my concentration falters allowing the blade to sputter out. Infuriated at being attacked the zombie releases a deafening roar before thrashing its arm backwards. Caught unprepared I am backhanded and sent sliding across the laminated floor. Shaken but otherwise unhurt I stare up as the zombie swivels around revealing its grotesque and angry face. ¡°Well¡­ looks like I gotits attention.¡± Chapter 16: Open Door Policy Sitting up I quickly look around realizing my earlier stunt had drawn the attention of three more zombies as they shuffle my way. Sighing wistfully I pull out a dagger as the first zombie lunges forward. Rolling out of the way I barely have time to stand up before the heavy thudded steps of the brute charges forward. Ducking beneath its¡¯ flailed arm I quickly thrust my blade into its torn neck. Immediately the brute¡¯s movements cease and the mass of rotting flesh slumps to the ground. I am momentarily confused by the ease of this kill¡­ yet the encroaching zombies force me to focus elsewhere. Side stepping around strewn obstacles I easily and efficiently kill the remaining zombies. Without numbers to overwhelm, these predators are now easy prey for me. In just a few minutes the last of the zombies are slain and the three amigos cheerfully rejoin me. ¡°Okay, I think we got them all¡­ stay cautious, but we can start scavenging.¡± With a simple nod the three wander off to start picking anything of seeming importance. However, now having the time I decide to investigate why my mana blade had failed. Crouching beside the large corpse I begin inspecting for anything¡­ ¡®unique¡¯. After a minute of digging I discover a series of metal rods and screws encasing the corpse¡¯s neck. Slowly cutting away the flesh I finally have a clear picture¡­ spinal implants.
Miscellaneous Alloy (Titanium) Durability 88%
Rank Rare Quality High (Refined)
-
Description: Known for its'' high strength to density ratio, this metal alloy also possesses high resistances including towards corrosion and mana. Due to this trait titanium is ideal for mana defensive armaments.
¡°Mana resistance¡­.¡± Quietly whispering I easily infer the reason behind my failed assassination. But now my mind is swarming with the implications this metal has. ¡°Hey Jack! We got a new vendor over here!¡± ¡°Okay¡­ be right there.¡± Standing up I do my best to clean my hands off as I walk down towards this new vendor. Turning through an open doorway I see the others crowded around what appears to be some type of medicine cabinet used by nurses. Pushing my way to the front the usual purchase screen appears.
Sooth-All Potion -2 Silver Game Tokens
Anti-Paralysis Potion - 8Silver Game Tokens
Cure Disease Potion - 1Silver Game Token
Medium Health Potion - 1Gold Game Token
Health Regeneration Potion -5Gold Game Tokens
Purchasing one of each I do a quick analysis to find out what they do. The medium health potion heals 60-100 HP depending on quality. The Anti-Paralysis and Cure Disease do just as they are named. The ¡®sooth-all¡¯ potion is interesting in that it is a sort of fix all medicine¡­ helps to relieve itching, burns, stomach aches, and headaches¡­ basically any minor ailment is treated by this potion. Yet, the most staggering of the purchases is the regeneration potion which boosts health regeneration by 300% for ten minutes! ¡°Man, this is some crazy healing properties!¡± Excitedly one of the guys exclaims as he stares at the regeneration potion between my fingers. ¡°True, but sadly the vendor only sales two of them.¡± I am greatly disappointed about this scarcity¡­ we will definitely have to be protective of these. ¡°Okay, looks like we took all stock of this machine¡­ let¡¯s keep looking around we still have about forty minutes till we have to meet up.¡± With a simple nudge our little group splits off to resume scavenging. Time goes quickly and soon we are marching our way back towards the main entrance, where we find Matt¡¯s group resting. Their appearance is sullen and heavily coated in gore. My first instinct is that something dire happened, but with no one missing and no major injuries noticeable I am left perplexed. ¡°What happened to you guys?¡± ¡°Well, we had to clear out a small crowd of zombies from the cafeteria¡­.¡± Matt begrudgingly starts explaining. ¡°Were they high leveled?¡± ¡°No. They were pretty normal. It was a rather easy slaughter.¡± At my question Matt quickly brushes it off as nonsensical. Yet seeing my confusion still plastered on my face he continues after a heavy sigh. ¡°Thomas unlocked the Warrior class and decided to test out the power strike skill.¡± Hearing the name I turn to look at Thomas who is drenched in gore and looking rather sheepish. Inspecting further I see the heavy maul resting beside his feet and soon the image of the old arcade whack-a-mole game comes floating into my mind. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Biting my lower lip I try my best to remain stoic, but soon I cannot help but bust out laughing which soon spreads to even the most stern faced. ¡°Okay¡­ you¡¯ve had your laugh at the poor man. Do you have any news?¡± Not quit as humored, Matt is quick to change the topic. Nodding my head I quickly share the details about the potions. The group is excited and I hand over one of the regeneration potions to Matt. After our side is done, the other group shares. Other than zombies they were able to find large stores of food. The perishables were taken immediately, but all the dry goods and such that will last a long time were locked away into a large storage room. Matt¡¯s thought was that we won¡¯t have room for everything at the base and having a second stash in case of emergencies would be wise¡­ which I deeply agreed to. Finished with sharing news the group continues with clearing the hospital out. *** ¡°Eat slowly and don¡¯t be afraid to ask for more!¡± Yelling out Matt calmly walks among the survivors as we pass out food and drinks for them. Having only been five days since they were trapped here their bodies were in no way near starvation¡­ but the ravenous faces scarfing down food seems to contradict. Eating a quick bite I then turn and head towards the intensive care unit. Walking steadily down the hallway, the steady beep of a monitor echoes in what would be an otherwise quiet space. Stopping outside the room I look in at the mangled body lying atop the stretcher. Numerous plastic lines snake and weave their way across the comatose body as the rhythmic pumping of air causes the heavily bandaged and bloody chest to slowly rise and fall. ¡°Have you thought about the offer?¡± Speaking respectfully I turn to look at the exhausted doctor standing quietly beside the bed. ¡°I still find it hard to believe that such a thing as magic exists¡­ but I am hard pressed to ignore what I have seen.¡± Sighing regretfully the doctor is slow to accept the new reality, but the display I had given earlier seemed to have slightly compelled the educated man. ¡°Mrs. Jenkins¡­¡± calling out her name, a middle aged woman raises her weary head showing a face etched by streaks of dried tears. ¡°Your husband is not showing any signs of improvement¡­ and although these ¡®potions¡¯ seem to defy all medical logic. I cannot find any other alternative form of care¡­ especially given the current situations.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°So you basically want my permission to try one of these mystery potions?¡± Despite her frail appearance, a fierce gaze is directed at the doctor who awkwardly fidgets. ¡°And you¡­¡± not forgetting my part in this plan the woman switches targets. ¡°Can you guarantee that it will fix my husband?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A stern and short answer is all I give. When we first discovered the critical patient I had done an analysis and discovered many fractures, hemorrhages and numerous other medical issues¡­ all of which can be fixed with a health potion or two. Yet, acceptance of the unknown has hindered the wife and doctor from immediately taking my offer. ¡°Just do it.¡± Hearing my confidence the woman reluctantly gives permission for the doctor to proceed. Carefully handing a lesser health potion to the doctor, he stares momentarily at the object before turning to retrieve a syringe. By swift ease the crimson liquid slowly starts oozing its¡¯ way into the patients arm. With abated breaths we all patiently watch for any changes. However, while the doctor and wife stare intensely at the man, I pull up an Analyze screen and stare momentarily at the details. ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± Delighted at seeing a few of his ailments mitigating I was quick to notify the others. ¡°How can you¡­¡± ¡°Look at his skin!¡± Interrupting the doctor¡¯s question, the wife shockingly points at the small strips of skin showing between the bandages where the dark bruises are slowly receding. If that was not proof enough in a matter of seconds the man starts making odd chocking noises. Snapping to attention the doctor quickly retracts the slimy tube from the man¡¯s wind pipe allowing him to once more breathe on his own. Briefly reviewing the patient¡¯s vitals the doctor is amazed at the changes. ¡°It really does work¡­ it¡¯s amazing.¡± With slack jaw, the doctor gawks at the man that just shortly ago had a very grim prognosis. Patting the doctor on his shoulder I get his attention. ¡°I think one more should completely heal him.¡± Just for a moment the doctor stares at the next potion before excitedly taking it from my hand and administering. In a couple of minutes there is a joyous occasion as the husband regains conscious and hoarsely utters out his first words in days. Having resolved the issue of the critical patient our plans are now able to progress. In a flurry of confused yet eager faces the process of packing up supplies to transport back begins. Yet the biggest hurdle will be trying to figure out transportation for everyone plus the vast medical supplies obtained. Luckily though the hospital staff rescued proved helpful in determining what would be most beneficial. Even better was the paramedics with their ambulances which provided amazing logistics for transportation. Having finally finished all preparations Matt gives the call for us to depart. And despite our best efforts to calm people¡¯s anxiety there is nothing we can do once they step outside. Although in their mind they had known that things were bad¡­ seeing the bloody remains and devastated property sends a chilly reminder of the gruesome reality. And surprisingly, despite our large size, the group kept solemnly quiet while traveling. With no resistance along the way the group is able to joyously return to our base. Seeing semblances of control and security the new survivors start to slowly relax after the tense drive. Pulling through the gate we are immediately met by several people eager to help transition the group. ¡°Can I get everyone¡¯s attention! Please proceed into the business office where we will begin screening everyone and collecting information. Thank you!¡± The first to greet us is Martha who has immediately taken charge. Just as we had done this morning, documenting everyone¡¯s information and skill sets are first done before deciding where they will stay. ¡°I know we had talked about there being survivors at the hospital¡­ but this is more than what I had expected.¡± Striding confidently up beside us Brent calmly assesses the people who are being marched into the front building. ¡°Two doctors, seven nurses, four custodians, three paramedics and eight non staff people¡­¡± Hearing my summary Martha jots down the information adding it to her on file. ¡°I know we took a bit longer than planned¡­ did anything happen?¡± ¡°Just what was planned¡­ continued reinforcing the apartments, fully catalogued the supplies, reassigned sleeping arrangements¡­¡± pausing Martha scowls while looking back at the new group before mumbling under her breath about having to redo that task again. ¡°And figured out jobs for everyone more or less.¡± ¡°Impressive.¡± Smiling I really am impressed with Martha¡¯s productivity. When she had volunteered with managing the logistics of our base I was hesitant not fully knowing her capabilities¡­ but she has proved wholly competent. ¡°And what about the guard posts?¡± Turning to Brent, Matt chimes in inquiring about the other major task. ¡°So-so, most have at least used firearms before¡­ but discipline and experience are greatly lacking. I think unless they are on guard duty we should keep weapons locked up.¡± Brent coldly answers. While the group was away he was tasked with supervising the guard posts and determining our security threats. ¡°Hmm, that might be for the best¡­ but what about swords, knives and other cold weapons? Do we let them keep those as well?¡± With uncertainty Matt looks to the officer for advice. ¡°No¡­ I think it would be really difficult to try and take up every weapon. Besides, after what some of these people have seen letting them keep a weapon nearby is reassuring in their minds.¡± Once again Brent proves his wisdom by pointing out an issue I had totally missed. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± clearing her throat Martha politely gets our attention. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind I would like to go in and help with the screening¡­ do we plan to have another meeting tonight after supper?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yes that would be good please spread the word.¡± Showing gratitude for the reminder Matt thanks Martha. Shortly after the woman leaves the rest of us start to disperse. However before everyone walks off I quickly stop John. ¡°Hey wait up.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ got something to ask?¡± Stopping in his tracks John turns to wait for me to step closer. ¡°Yeah. I was wanting to know if you ever got an archery skill?¡± Hearing my question his face flashes a momentary shock before transitioning into a confident smirk. ¡°How did you know?¡± Shrugging my shoulders I quickly explain. ¡°Not surprising really. I received a ¡®spearmanship¡¯ skill while kilingl off the horde outside the hospital¡­ and noticing your proficiency I felt you would have gotten a skill as well.¡± ¡°Ha ha, yep. It was actually close to the beginning of that battle that the skill popped up.¡± ¡°And the proficiency level?¡± ¡°Oh, well I don¡¯t remember what it started at¡­¡± pausing I can see him fiddling with his status screen while looking up the information. ¡°But it says it is at Intermediate level 4 now.¡± Whistling out loud I am greatly shocked at his progress. ¡°John¡­ that is amazing.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ and not to mention I also got the ¡®sneak¡¯ skill from getting the Rogue class.¡± Slightly proud of himself he smugly straitens up. ¡°Oh! I forgot now that I have an archery skill I can learn the ¡®penetrating shot¡¯ skill!¡± Excited John does not even wait for my response before turning to rush off to retrieve the book. ¡°Well¡­ congrats.¡± Watching the man run off I shake my head before turning to walk back towards the front gate. ¡°I¡¯m stepping out for a bit.¡± ¡°By yourself?¡± Looking around and not seeing anyone following me the guard is confused. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not going far¡­ just to train my skills a bit.¡± I quickly brush off the man¡¯s concern as I squeeze through the gate and walk off to a semi secluded area. Before supper I plan on training ¡®mana blade¡¯ and ¡®meditation¡¯ in hopes of reaching Intermediate proficiency in both. Activating the blade I focus on extending the blade before slashing out against a nearby tree. A crisp splintering sound comes out as the blade slides through the bark. Canceling the blade I look at the experience level and smile. It seems that attacking ¡®living¡¯ things adds more experience than just random items. Now confirming my expectations I have a sure fire strategy for this evening. One that is grossly simple. Activate. Attack till mana is drained. And then Meditate till recovered. After several tedious hours of effort I finally reach my goal sooner than planned.
Status
NameJackRaceHuman
Level14 (37%)ClassRogue
TitlesAutodidact, Hominum Novum
PartyQuests
InventoryMap
System Index
-
Health(230/230)
Stamina(110/230)
Mana(187/230)
-
Strength20Endurance20
Perception24Agility24
Intelligence50Wisdom35
Charisma20Luck23
Unallocated Points0
-
Resistances
Skills Analyze (Active) ¨C Intermediate Level 5 (66%) Lock Picking (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 3 (78%) Mana Blade (Active) ¨C Intermediate Level 1 (1%) Mana Sense (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 4 (30%) Meditation (Active) ¨C Intermediate Level 2 (18%) Night Vision (Passive) ¨C Max Scavenging (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 3 (21%) Sneak (Active) ¨C Beginner Level 9 (89%) Spearmanship (Passive) ¨C Beginner 4 (19%)
Looking over my skill progression I am proud of the changes. Even more so I am happy to have found that reaching Intermediate in ¡®mana blade¡¯ caused a big drop in consumption of mana. Closing the screen I decide to return to base. Although with my night vision I can still see quite comfortably even in the dusk lighting, I would rather take a shower and eat before going to the meeting. Walking back to the base I step around a corner but halt in my tracks stunned at the sight. The wooden platform serving as our guard station is left unattended and the large metal gates have been swung open leaving the entrance available for any and all. Chapter 17: Burning Desire Dashing across the street, I move towards the metal fence. Hoping, longing, uncertain¡­ my eyes try to see beyond what the flickering gaps allow. I retrieve my weapons while skidding to a stop beside the gate. Stilling my breath, I listen for screams of terror or gnarling beasts¡­ but only the gentle sounds of summer greets me. Cautiously stepping past the threshold I am surprised to find nothing wrong, which only deepens my worries. With heavy slaps of my feet I rush towards the apartment after closing the gate. Entering in I feel the cool air wash over wicking away at my sweat. Sharpening my focus I make out the faint chatter of voices from down the hallway. Creeping along, I find myself at the source¡­ Hank¡¯s home. Stealing my nerves, I quickly tap against the door. Looking around cautiously my grip tightens on my dagger as the sound of soft steps approach. ¡°Ah Jack we were just¡­¡± Martha¡¯s gentle smile quickly recedes as worry washes over from seeing my stance. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°We got a problem.¡± Striding into the room I am immediately enticed by the hearty smell of potato soup, yet regrettably I must ignore the tempting meal. ¡°The front gate was left open and unguarded.¡± Alarmed and startled the group stiffens at my news. Turning their heads Matt and Brent share a look of concern before swiftly taking action. ¡°Has anything gotten inside?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I just came back from training and found it that way.¡± ¡°Did you close the gate?¡± Seeing me nod my head, Brent thinks for a moment before calling out to Martha. ¡°Get me the names of who were supposed to be on duty.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Martha, quick to refocus, brushes past us to start flipping through a stack of papers. ¡°First we must make sure nothing got in. After that we¡¯ll look for the missing guards and do a head count¡­ Martha?¡± ¡°Walter Smith, Jacob Grill, and Jim Harrison.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­ Jack and Matt come with me. Everyone else stays here.¡± Silently Brent leads us out to begin our search. Running around the base we stay vigilant for any signs of trouble. However after thirty minutes of searching we are able to find zero monsters. Paranoid our minds try to understand how this could be as our hunched bodies struggle for air. ¡°Could we have missed something?¡± Taking deep breaths Matt tries to slow his breathing while tossing out a serious question. ¡°We checked everywhere¡­ I don¡¯t think something got in.¡± Reflecting over the base¡¯s layout, my mind tries but fails to think of somewhere we could have overlooked. With calm and steady words Brent speaks out the logical conclusion. ¡°Then that means someone left¡­.¡± ¡°We should start a role call to find who¡­¡± Amidst talking a sudden face flashes through my mind causing me to freeze mid-sentence. ¡°Jack, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Brent cautiously asks as he stares worryingly at my face. ¡°Where did we put Cindy?¡± Realization hits causing Brent and Matt¡¯s faces to drain of color. Cursing under his breath Matt turns to start sprinting while Brent and I follow close behind. Reaching the improvised prison Matt bursts the door open without restraint. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Frightened by the unexpected entrance the young woman shrieks in terror before falling off the bed in a soft thud. Bumping into each other the three of us blink in confusion at finding Cindy still locked away. Ignoring Cindy¡¯s storm of cursing from being startled, I turn to the others mumbling. ¡°If she¡¯s here¡­ then who left?¡± *** ¡°So you guys find out what happened?¡± As soon as Martha and Brent step into the apartment I question what they uncovered. ¡°Yes¡­ it seems that Walter and Jim talked Jacob into ending his shift early. Once he was gone they gathered a small group, took a few of the basic supplies, and left.¡± Stern yet slowly Brent gives a recap of what happened. ¡°Thirteen people¡­ that¡¯s how many left.¡± Sounding slightly dejected Martha softly sets her papers on the table before pulling out a chair to sit down. ¡°Why would they want to leave?¡± Hearing Martha¡¯s question I am unsure on how to answer so I just sit quietly by. ¡°Well I say good riddance to that trash¡­ we have enough people to look after anyways. But I¡¯ll be damned if we ever help those people again¡­ even if they come begging there will be no compassion.¡± Venting his frustration Matt heavily paces around the room. Despite his harsh words they still resonate with each of our feelings as bitter emotions sink deep. Some propose stricter control on our security. Others remain impassive on how to handle the situation. Thankfully, before things are able to escalate too far a nervous voice speaks up. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Despite the soft tone Hank¡¯s words are rather bold and decisive. ¡°What? You don¡¯t think we should be stricter with security?¡± Matt calmly inquires behind Hank¡¯s statement. ¡°No, no, not that¡­ I¡¯m talking about your entire approach.¡± Pausing Hank looks to see if anyone plans to stop him, but finding none he takes a deep breath before continuing. ¡°I know that what they did put us all at risk¡­ but each of you have not been thinking about things from their perspective. Not everyone can accept things so quickly¡­ I mean look at each of you. You¡¯ve gone out fighting hordes of monsters, learning magic and growing ridiculously strong... But that¡¯s only for a few of you. The rest of us remain here confused, scared and longing for things to go back to how they were. Add that to you telling us what to do¡­ they grow resentful and jealous. I know it¡¯s petty but it¡¯s true¡­ cause I feel the same.¡± Pausing for a moment Hank turns to look through his bedroom door where his wife is changing their son¡¯s diaper. ¡°I want strength and I want power to protect my family. But not everyone is patient for YOU to decide when they can have it.¡± Stunned by Hank¡¯s bitter words I slump in my chair thinking over what he said. Have we really been too selfish and demanding of everyone? Glancing around the room I can tell that the others are thinking something similar. Not sure of what else to say I merely apologize. ¡°Hank, I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡± Nodding their heads in agreement the others quickly follow my example. Hearing the sincere apology Hank¡¯s bitter expression fades and he sheepishly shakes his head. ¡°No¡­ I know each of you have only done what is best for the group and I am thankful for that¡­ but I just don¡¯t want you to demand too much of everyone.¡± ¡°I think we can handle that.¡± Smiling softly Martha is sympathetic towards Hank and quickly reassures him. ¡°Okay, I can see how the others may be feeling¡­ but what do we do now? If we are too controlling we risk the group splintering or worst having fights break out¡­ but if we are too lax then everything could just collapse.¡± Matt finishes talking and looks around hoping for a clear answer.
System Letter Successfully Delivered
Startled by the prompt I momentarily gaffe at who could have sent it. Calmly I retrieve the letter from my Inventory and start to read the message. However seeing who the sender is my eyes start tearing up.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Jack¡­ why are you crying?¡± Concerned Racheal tries to quietly ask without drawing attention, but with few people in the room it is hard to not notice a man crying. ¡°My parents¡­ they¡¯re alive!¡± Overjoyed by this news I tearfully read the letter out for the others to hear. ¡°Doing fine¡­ happy to hear from me¡­ found survivors¡­ growing strong¡­.¡± Finishing the letter everyone quickly congratulates me on the good news. But I largely ignore their ramblings as I contently bask in my moment of joy. Taking a minute to calm myself I focus on the excited people around me. Each one reminds me of how lucky I have been and I start wondering how I would have fared without them. Shaking my head I doubt I would have gotten very far. People are strong, but there is only so much a single person can do. We need family, friends, and people to depend on, kind of like¡­. Sparked by inspiration I think of such a thing that would settle all our needs. Pulling up the Index I tap away quickly until I find what I need. Scanning over the details I start contemplating how this will work. ¡°BOTH! We let them choose what they want to do AND we tighten control.¡± Snapping out of their wishful thinking the group looks baffled at my odd statement. ¡°We can and we SHOULD be telling people how to act¡­ just not everyone.¡± ¡°Jack, you¡¯re not making any sense.¡± Brent shakes his head in derision, but I ignore and continue. ¡°Controlling people is a really tricky thing. If it¡¯s for something they desire then it will be freely given, but if they disagree then they will fight and resist. The problem we have is that we don¡¯t have a real goal we are aiming for¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean we don¡¯t have a goal¡­ isn¡¯t trying to kill the dungeon boss a huge goal!?¡± Irate and confused John interrupts my explanation. ¡°Yes that¡¯s¡­ no not goal. Maybe vision would be a better term?¡± I momentarily get lost in the thought of the best way to describe but quickly shake my head and just get to the main point. ¡°The things we have been working on are all immediate issues. We¡¯ve talked about how the world has changed, but have we really accepted that fact? What we should do is decide RIGHT NOW our plans for the future¡­ I¡¯m talking long term. Are we going to just be a group of people trying to survive or will we become something bigger?¡± Tense excitement fills the room as I slowly glance around at each person. Matt, Brent, Hank, Martha, John, Racheal¡­ each person is nervous with expectation waiting for my next words. ¡°I say we make a guild.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The younger members present quickly understand my meaning but I can tell the others do not. ¡°A guild is a group of people all with a common goal¡­ think of them as a business group.¡± ¡°But what would we do?¡± Trying to be supportive Martha asks for more details. ¡°We could be mercenaries, entrepreneurs, delivery men¡­ whatever we decide to do!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ so by setting our plans for the long run we can let people know what our aim is. That way they can decide if they want to be with us.¡± Quick to understand the deeper meaning Brent coyly smiles while thinking it further out. ¡°But what about those who still refuse¡­ are we¡­ going to kick them out?¡± Hesitantly Rachael asks as she feels slightly nervous about the possibility. ¡°Not immediately¡­ no matter our decision I still think we should do our best to help those in need. But once things settle down survivors will start to gather and communities will rebuild. Eventually people will want to have their own homes again. So yes eventually we¡¯ll have nonmembers leave the base, but not till things settle somewhat.¡± ¡°Okay, I take it you didn¡¯t just randomly decide this¡­ what did the Index say?¡± Surprised by Matt¡¯s keen perception I smile coyly before sharing the new information.
Guild
Guilds are recognized unions of numerous individuals working towards an objective. The purposes of guilds can be for advancing particular studies, capital increases or even pursuit of fame and glory. Unique features become available to Guilds depending on their size and ranking. Requirements: Individual with at least 40 Charisma and a minimum of 10 members.
¡°The Charisma requirement will be the only issue¡­.¡± Bitterly Matt chews over this matter. ¡°That sounds like a personal problem for our guild leader.¡± Smiling haughtily I look at Matt who sneers at my sarcasm. Having sparked the flames the group slowly starts accepting the idea. Brainstorming, we come up with several ideas of what our aim will be, but until we defeat the dungeon boss we will hold off on making any announcements about the guild. The only thing we will reveal for now is the option for people leaving. It was decided, without complaint, that we would not stop anyone from leaving. Though there would be no more secret departures or stolen supplies. This is not just for our benefit, but for everyone in the base as well. ¡°Alright, I think we have what we need for tonight¡­ we¡¯ll make the announcement in the morning. Try to get some rest, tomorrow will be another long day.¡± Brent¡¯s offer for closing the meeting is quickly accepted as everyone is exhausted. Standing up I stretch and say my goodbyes before returning to my bedroom. Despite the vast numbers of refugees I am very thankful for Martha to have left a room just for me. Rushing through my nightly rituals I collapse into the soft fabric of the bed and wearily close my eyes. Waking up invigorated I yawn loudly before hopping out of bed. Checking the time I notice I have a couple of hours before our announcement. Smiling I am surprised at how energized I feel with such little sleep. I guess this just another benefit of increased agility. Rushing outside I head to my training yard. ¡°Training¡­ I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Pausing to notify the new guards stationed I notice their nervous yet focused drive. It seems Brent did the job of ¡®motivating¡¯ them to their duty. Two hours later the electronic chiming of my alarm sounds off signifying me to finish my training. Wiping the sweat from my face I am happy from my progress. Alternating from last night¡¯s practice, today I decided to focus on spear training and something I had thought might be useful.
Throwing Weapons (Passive) Beginner Level 3 (76%)
Understanding the importance of balance, speed, and aim the ability to throw weapons becomes a diverse and useful skill. Effectiveness is affected by PER. (+3% increase to range)
I had noticed that my fighting style had been mostly hit and run tactics. The only problem was that when it comes time to hit I had no long range abilities. John had offered to give me some pointers on archery, but the idea of trying to cumbersomely switch between the bow and my other weapons seemed too difficult. ¡°Were you training again?¡± Brent is surprised to see me out so early in the morning. ¡°Yep, been training on my weapon proficiencies.¡± Scowling slightly he reminds me not to overdo it before turning back to his job. I have just enough time to shower and grab a bite to eat before rushing out and joining the morning meeting. There is a rouse of unease when it is revealed that several people left last night. But things are a lot calmer than they were yesterday morning¡­ thankfully it seems the trouble makers were the ones who left. Calmly we are able to reassure everyone that they are free to leave whenever they want. All we ask is that they let us know in advance so we can cover any gaps in security. Once everything is settled the crowd is dispersed so they can begin with today¡¯s tasks. Stepping over towards the vehicles we gather our group of fighters for the day. A total of sixteen people are selected for today¡¯s mission. Not wasting time we all load up and immediately role out. Slow yet steadily our party drives towards our destination until we are forced to halt before a towering green expanse. ¡°Damn¡­ I know you explained about how it had grown up, but¡­ it¡¯s only been a few days!?¡± Staring aghast, Matt is struggling to comprehend how a jungle could grow in such a short time. ¡°Yeah¡­ and that¡¯s just the trees wait till you see the wildlife.¡± Smiling mischievously I inwardly chuckle at the nervous faces looking at me once they realize my statement. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get this barbeque going before it gets too hot.¡± Entering into the thick underbrush I slowly lead the timid group further into the new dungeon. Along the way a few mutated animals cross our path, but we quickly eliminate them. Although not that challenging, these kills allow our group to shake off their nervous jitters before the main objective. After an hour of navigating through the jungle we finally reach the remnants of the campus cafeteria. Amazingly in just a few days the vegetation has aggressively reclaimed the building until the impression given could have been the remains of some ancient civilization. ¡°Prepare the fire.¡± Whispering out my command the others silently nod before pulling out the numerous jugs of combustibles. Spreading out we carefully approach the glass windows while flanking the sides. And as soon as everyone is in position our assault begins. Busting out the glass the barrage of bottles are rapidly thrown in sending shrill screams to come from the nest. Almost immediately, several large feral rats come clambering out trying to attack their intruders. ¡°Light the fires! We can¡¯t let them surround us!¡± Yelling out the command I quickly ignite a few road flares before tossing them inside. A scorching heat rapidly blasts from within the building catching the numerous rodents ablaze. Despite our best efforts several rodents were still able to escape. Pulling out my spear I lunge forward joining the others in killing the fleeing rodents. However soon the flames grow too intense and we are forced to retreat to a safe distance. ¡°This worked better than planned.¡± Extending out his hand Matt offers me a bottle of water as he stares sharply into the fire. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± sipping the water slowly I pull up my status screen and gleefully watch the percentage next to my level rapidly increase. ¡°It really is amazing.¡± Having a successful mission is something to be happy with. Even more so with knowing how much experience we are acquiring. Nonetheless my mind is already thinking about the next step in our plan¡­and I fear this trend of good luck will not last much longer. [spoiler] Jack''s Status Screen Matt''s Status Screen [/spoiler] Chapter 18: Life and Death ¡°Watch ou¡­¡± I¡¯m too late. A sickening snap resounds as the warrior collapses onto the ground clutching his jagged arm. With savage glee the minotaur rears back to strike again. Luckily though, the man¡¯s teammates are able to jump in before the fatal blow. Slash, stab, slam¡­ the group¡¯s flurry of attacks work in tandem to divert the attention away. Rushing forward I grab the injured man and pull him away from the battle. A quick look and I find that he has only suffered broken bones. ¡°This is going to hurt a lot.¡± With a strong grip I forcefully straighten his arm. ¡°ARRRRRGH! You BASTARD!¡± Between the flashes of pain the man cusses furiously at me as I work to mend his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me, no one told you to take the attack head on like an idiot!¡± Before the man can argue any further I pop a health potion into his mouth forcing him to shut up. Glancing at his condition I carefully observe as his arm heals. The last thing we want is for the bone to heal improper¡­ that was a nightmare to have to reset and I doubt the guy will ever let me touch him again. Hearing a heavy thud I look up to see the minotaur is dead. Despite a harsh learning curve it seems everyone is slowly getting used to combat. After leaving the cafeteria we have slowly been hunting down the minotauri in search of their herd. Although the beasts are strong, way stronger than the first time I met one, they are also very simple. Rarely do they travel in groups and their preferred fighting style is to just charge at their enemy. These two qualities are ideal for training our teamwork. Matt and I have been forcing everyone to fight in groups of four to start learning teamwork. Besides this, we have also come up with our first formation ¨C Diamond. In this set up we have each group positioned to make the points of a diamond. Typically the front group is the ones to scout and initiate any fights while the two sides are able to flank for needed backup. And lastly the back point stands guard alert for danger. After each battle the groups switch positions allowing time for recovery and equal opportunities for experience. ¡°Damn it¡­ nothing was dropped.¡± Matt curses loudly after checking the Minotaur¡¯s corpse. ¡°What did you expect? No one on that team had 20 Luck.¡± I reply matter of fact. ¡°I know¡­ but I still don¡¯t like this stupid system. Why can¡¯t every monster drop loot¡­ And why the hell have there been no magic weapons!¡± Smiling at Matt¡¯s frustration, I somewhat agree with him. However, what should have been a mere annoyance became a deep grudge after our annihilation of the rodents. In what were most likely hundreds of corpses only a pathetic forty two bronze tokens were attained. No silver, no gold, no potions¡­ nada. In fact, the only rodents that dropped any loot at all seemed to have been killed by myself. It¡¯s not guaranteed, but all the tokens were found in the area where I had thrown the flares and nowhere else. ¡°Come on Matt, it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have plenty of tokens already.¡± With a sharp glare Matt grudgingly lets the issue slide as he sets to rotating the groups. Three skirmishes later we find ourselves scoping out a large building that appears to be the minotauri¡¯s lair. ¡°Give me a minute. I¡¯ll go check it out.¡± Activating my stealth I cautiously move towards the building. Sure enough I soon confirm that we have found the herd¡­ and their leader.
Race Minotaurus Sex Male
Level 28 Class N/A
Status Affects Herd Leader (+100% Charisma amongst Minotauri)
Description ¨C The Minotauri are a unique race composed entirely of males, thus they compensate by kidnapping women. Due to these actions, in the past the Minotauri were enslaved into mines which resulted in the deterioration of their eyesight. This trait has been passed on and is now just as common as their incredible strength and low intellect.
Seeing all I need I carefully escape and rejoin the others. ¡°There seems to be around twenty minotaurs at average level¡­ however in the back is the leader at twenty eight.¡± ¡°Anything special about it?¡± I shrug my shoulders at Matt¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s slightly bigger than the others and has a boost to its Charisma oddly enough. But nothing else I can tell.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You think we can take them all on now? Or should we try to dwindle the numbers some more?¡± ¡°Well, the second option would be safer¡­ but it would also take a lot longer and I would like to finish this as soon as possible.¡± ¡°So finish them all now. Gotcha.¡± Pausing Matt turns to watch my response before coyly speaking. ¡°You know this would be a good time to practice our marksmanship.¡± I smirk at Matt¡¯s subtle suggestion but considering the circumstances he is absolutely right. With their intellect the minotauri would be easy to lead into an ambush. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s use the guns.¡± Smiling triumphantly Matt passes on the news which garners several excited responses. Rolling my eyes I slightly chuckle at their childish glee. I had been hesitant to allow the use of firearms considering the limited supply of ammo. But the minotauri, with their large bodies, make excellent targets for even the worst of shots. Twenty minutes later with everyone ready I sneak off to make my way towards the herd¡¯s building once more. Cautiously I enter the building and find the boss lounging around in the same spot. I patiently wait while observing the brute, which oddly stands and disappears further into the building. A couple minutes later I finally hear the fire of guns signaling the start of the battle. Awoken from their idleness the nearby minotauri angrily charge towards the noise. Watching the last of the monsters leave I turn to stare where the boss went. Anxiously I wait for the beast to exit. Thankfully with the growing ruckus the boss soon comes lumbering out to investigate. Crouching into a sprint position I carefully wait for my opportunity. Soon enough the beast passes by and I immediately lunge to strike its¡¯ back. Living up to his position as herd leader the minotaur is able to sense my movement and twist its body while swinging a powerful arm in retaliation. I dodge nimbly with small stutter steps to avoid the attack. Not wasting the opportunity I lash out with my mana blade to easily slice off the outstretched hand. A roar of pain and anger issues out from the minotaur as blood gushes from its severed arm. However, I give it no time for rest as I switch to a dagger and dash in to continue the fight. The large and strong body that was once the leader¡¯s pride is now nothing but a meat shield as it tries to ward of my attacks. Several cuts later the beast roars violently before its body starts quivering and it lunges in a last ditch attack. I stare shockingly as with each second the minotaur seems to be getting faster. Struck by an epiphany I re-analyze and confirm my assumption. Yet, now is not the time to be proud as this fight must be finished immediately. Re-materializing my blade I pour as much mana as possible as I jump between attacks aiming for the beasts taught neck.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Landing softly two thuds soon follow. Kneeling to the ground I quickly drink a mana potion to relieve my splitting head. Even after a reduction in mana consumption from my higher efficiency, mana blade is still a high cost skill. At full mana capacity I can usually activate my mana blade about four times with short usages. But if I forcefully extend the blade or have it formed for too long that number may only be once. While letting my mind rest I pull up my status and smile gleefully before adding the points.
Status
Name Jack Race Human
Level 17 (87%) Class Rogue
Titles Autodidact, Hominum Novum
Party Quests
Inventory Map
System Index
-
Health (260/260)
Stamina (168/260)
Mana (84/260)
-
Strength 20 Endurance 20
Perception 30 Agility 30
Intelligence 50 Wisdom 50
Charisma 20 Luck 25
Unallocated Points 0
-
Resistances
Skills Analyze (Active) ¨C Intermediate Level 5 (66%) Lock Picking (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 4 (12%) Mana Blade (Active) ¨C Intermediate Level 2 (41%) Mana Sense (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 4 (92%) Meditation (Active) ¨C Intermediate Level 3 (31%) Night Vision (Passive) ¨C Max Scavenging (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 3 (88%) Shortblade Weapons (Passive) ¨C Beginner Level 4 (11%) Sneak (Active) ¨C Intermediate Level 2 (74%) Spearmanship (Passive) ¨C Beginner 6 (9%) Throwing Weapons (Passive) ¨C Beginner 3 (76%)
A total of three levels in one day is really awesome. Not to mention my acquisition of skills. Three weapon proficiencies, mana blade, sneak¡­ I am really starting to branch my skills out. Feeling proud of myself I close the screen and greedily turn to pick up my loot. There are a few tokens scattered which I quickly pocket. But what is truly satisfying is an almost forgotten yet familiar sight. Reaching out I carefully pick up a small grey orb and analyze to see what my prize is.
Miscellaneous Skill Orb (Battle Frenzy) Durability 100%
Rank Uncommon Classification Physical Enhancement Type
Description: Skill orbs are a crystallization of mana containing the essence of a skill.
Not really my style¡­ but having seen its¡¯ capabilities I know it can become a powerful asset. I carefully store it in my Inventory planning to give it to Matt. Looking over the room once more I sadly can find no other items. However my mind soon recalls the brute¡¯s earlier disappearance and I turn to stare towards the back room. Curious I move deeper into the building to find what was back there. Moving down the hallway an odd feeling of trepidation slowly sets in. Nevertheless I push along determined to find what I may. Passing several barren rooms I reach the final doorway. Stepping in the sight I find sends my stomach lurching as I try not to choke. Along the back wall are a few women slumped in a pile. Dried filth coats their naked bodies. Yet despite the thick layer of grime it does nothing to hide the battered and bruised flesh underneath. Rushing forward I sorrowfully try to help the nearest woman. I cradle her head as I try to speak soothingly to tell her everything will be okay. For a moment her face is completely void of emotion making me wonder if I were too late. However soon a small twinkle flashes in her eyes as she finally recognizes what I am. ¡°Get it¡­ please.¡± With hoarse whispers the woman starts uncontrollably crying as she starts tearing at her flesh. Confused I try to stop her hands until I finally start to realize. Staring at her navel I analyze and finally understand the horrifying truth. *** Walking quietly my mind is lost in deep thought as I exit the building. Looking up I see Matt approaching. ¡°Ah Jack! I was getting worried you might have been injured.¡± Matt¡¯s face calms as he finds me okay and he begins prattling about their results. ¡°¡­ so we were able to get another six to level ten, but poor Carl really screwed up his points and only¡­¡± after talking for a bit Matt grows quiet as he stares confused by my lack of interest. ¡°Jack¡­ is everything okay?¡± Raising my head I open my mouth to try and somehow explain, but uncertainty grips at my throat. Shaking my head I am scared of how to respond¡­ what will he think of me? ¡°Jack?¡± Worried Matt steps closer. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just a bit tired¡­¡± pulling out the skill orb I offer it to Matt. ¡°This will make you happy. The boss dropped a skill orb. If you absorb it you¡¯ll get a ¡®Battle Frenzy¡¯ skill. It¡¯s basically a combat buff skill.¡± Smiling proudly I watch as Matt happily takes the orb from my hand, yet beneath my fa?ade a storm of fear and doubt is brewing. *** ¡°Okay Bobby, show us the skill.¡± Martha calmly prompts the young magician to show his new ¡®mana bolt¡¯ skill. Eyes focused, Bobby excitedly raises his arms to aim towards the nearby target. A small surge of mana quickly flows out of his palms before shooting off in a condensed blob. Immediately upon contact a loud explosion occurs sending debris flying into the air. Once everything settles there are only splintered remains of the wooden furniture. ¡°Wow¡­ that is some serious damage.¡± Looking at the results Matt and I are both highly impressed. Even the consumption of 100 mana does not hamper our impression of the skill. ¡°And Martha¡­ what about your skill?¡± Dazed from the amazing display I finally snap to focus and inquire about the Tradesman skill. ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®mana crafting¡¯. Basically anything that is crafted with my hands has mana imbued into it allowing for special properties to be attached. The only problem is that I must have the associated crafting skill before it takes effect.¡± ¡°What craft were you thinking about working towards?¡± Matt curiously asks. ¡°Well, I was thinking¡­¡± Martha prattles on about possible crafting skills with the others adding suggestions. But honestly my mind is not able to focus. ¡°Hey I¡¯m not feeling too well¡­ I¡¯m gonna go take a nap.¡± Weakly I tell the others before heading towards my room. Closing the door I crawl into the bed not even bothering to remove my filthy clothes. I just lie there staring at the ceiling. Seconds pass away and the calm silence does nothing for my troubled mind. Frustrated I sit up and lean against the wall. Resting my head between my knees I struggle for balance and after several tries I finally settle into meditation. The comfort I sought is not found. Entering mediation only worsens my fears as the faces of the women flashes quicker through my mind. ¡°Arrrgh!¡± Screaming in frustration I snap out of meditation and strike against the wall. Immediately the plaster splinters. Pulling my fist away the cracked wall shows a deep impression from my strike. ¡°Jack are you okay?¡± I hear Brent¡¯s voice as my door slowly creeps open. Looking over I am surprised to see him and Matt coming inside. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind I¡¯d like to be alone for a bit.¡± Lowering my head back down I silently wish for them to just leave. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Something is really bothering you.¡± The soft scraping of the floor is heard as Brent slides a chair near the bed. ¡°Matt says you¡¯ve been acting odd ever since you fought with the boss minotaur.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ you weren¡¯t excited about hearing any system details¡­ and you didn¡¯t even scoff after hearing about Carl being classless.¡± With a heavy plop Matt sits on the edge of the bed. ¡°Did you get seriously injured by the Minotaur?¡± ¡°No¡­.¡± ¡°Did you meet another monster?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not that it¡¯s¡­ look I don¡¯t want to talk okay.¡± ¡°Jack listen, whatever happened to you we wil¡­.¡± ¡°NO! YOU DON¡¯T KNOW WHAT I DID!!!¡± Snapping at Brent the mental walls I was struggling to keep together immediately collapse. ¡°After the battle I found four women who had been raped by those beasts! Their bodies were ravaged and defiled for who knows how many times¡­. Two had already died from the abuse. But the other two¡­.¡± Pausing I raise my arm to wipe my face as the tears flood my eyes. ¡°The other two¡­ they were pregnant.¡± Even with my bleary eyes I still am able to see Brent and Matt flinch at this news. ¡°My analyze showed they were both pregnant, but one was too old and the creature was killing her. So I¡­ I putt her out of pain¡­. But the other girl¡­ she begged. Begged me to do the same. I tried not to¡­ but she¡­ was clawing. Ripping and pulling at her flesh. Trying to kill herself. So I¡­.¡± Sobbing uncontrollably I struggle to speak. Startled I flinch as a hand rests on my shoulder. Looking up I see Brent has scooted closer to me. No words are exchanged, but his face gives me a sense of relief. I was scared of what I had done. Scared of what I was becoming. And scared of what others would see in me. Looking at my friends¡¯ faces I see no trace of disgust nor hatred¡­ only sorrow. Sorrow and sympathy. Story Update and Poll I have had several people point out errors and inconsistencies with my story (mostly system related). Although mostly small, they have steadily added up and taken away from the story''s quality. This may be personal, but I feel this could have been a good, maybe even great story, and now its just... okay. So after much thought I have decided to rewrite my story. What I would like to know is how I should go about posting it. I seetwo options: Keep andChange - or - Delete and Start Fresh. Keep and Change: If we follow this option I would keep the original post dates, but edit the content. I couldclarify at the beginning that it was edited so people would know it was changed. This optionwould allow for the original comments to remain. I know some people take pride in being first to post, so I wasn''t sure how they would feel.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Delete and Start Fresh: This would be the cleanest method and I feel would also have the best chance of gaining new readers. (A little selfish, but as the author I would like more readers following my story.) So if you would please pick an option to help me out. I hope to improve my abilities as an author and provide an entertaining story. Thanks for being patient with me.