Mister Vii

Chapter 83 – Day 210 (Part 2) – Completely Unexpected

We made our way back to the dungeon entrance and camped nearby for the night. The bodies had already disappeared. I felt a cold breeze and went on edge, nothing. I was not afraid of the dark, but that blackness or void, was something else. It was a long and uneasy night.

The following day we made our way to the North entrance of the city. There was no one exiting to grind the flowers and gather crystals. I could only shake my head at that, since they were easier than slimes. Well, I did...

Chapter 82 – Day 210 – Ambush

I watched as twelve people arrived outside the dungeon. It was almost time for a reset. They really weren’t messing around about getting skills. I stepped out from behind a tree and was quickly spotted. I was to their East, Ruth and Tom were positioned to their South.

“Is this a private party or can anyone join?” I had been mentally preparing catchy lines over the last couple of days. Even if they were all going to die, no reason not to appear confident.

“Who are you? You ...

Chapter 81 – Day 204 (Part 2) – The Map Key

“There has to be more?” Ruth asked.

“You know me too well. This is big. Each area is a square about the same size with four monster types in each zone. One terrain feature with a dungeon, with the exception of the city zones, which have two dungeons.”

“We are at the Southeast corner of the Truth city zone. Just to the East of here there is an unknown monster in the shadowlands there. Same to the South as well.”

I held up my notebook with the map I had drawn out a...

Chapter 80 – Day 204 – Declaration of War

I woke up in the morning and saw Tyrese and Ken waiting for me outside.

“Let’s go,” I said, not feeling very charitable to them at the moment. We went to the center of the plaza where people were already gathering. A table was set up. Tyrese climbed on top of it as his guards kept a perimeter. We were doing this outside instead of the Meeting Chamber so more people could listen in.

“Silence!” Tyrese called out and people quickly stopped talking. “This is an emergency a...

Chapter 79 – Day 203 (Part 2) – No Good Options

We just stood there in a silence. A Captain finally ran up to Tyrese. “We have swept the areas near the plaza. Nothing found. No one suspicious. Keep up the search and patrols?” Tyrese looked at me.

“You lead the guards, so your decision,” I said calmly. My rage had cooled down and had become ice now.

“Double patrols, heightened state of alert. There will be a declaration of war tomorrow morning. Inform Captain Gerold to take his squad to the North gate. He is to remain ...

Chapter 78 – Day 203 – Attack From the Front and Behind

I looked through my notebook as people got ready for the start of the day. I had spoken with people who had chosen skills and got their feedback on the skills and their respective costs. Nothing ground shaking or unexpected.

We plowed through the blue stones and finally reached the salty river just before mid-day. “Who is the person going with me?”

Ruth brought the woman forward and a man was behind her. I looked at Ruth. “They want to go together. But she is the one getting...

Chapter 77 – Day 197 – A Trip

“Ten chests, 10,000 5-point crystals each. Eleventh chest, 8,000 5-point crystals for 540,000 points. Bob already took his cut. Two contracts drawn up for 250,000 each, already signed, just need your signature,” Laura said. I read them over and they basically said what we had already discussed with nothing extra.

I signed both of them, then the secondary copies for Ken, and then the third copies for myself. “Bob is handling logistics for the six people going with you and that has ...

Chapter 76 – Day 196 (Part 3) – Business Finds a Way

I entered the store and there were a number of colored drawings laid out on a couple of tables.

“Welcome, welcome.” I looked at the young woman who stood up. “This is my Outfit Store and I am Elise.”

“What does one purchase in an outfit store?” I ask.

“Great question, you see the system store can create outfits. But most people don’t have a good idea what they want or how to show off. Here, I create designs people can purchase from the store. All custom of co...

Chapter 75 – Day 196 (Part 2) – The Worth of an Eye

I just had conversation with a guard who had come up to me and told me something concerning. I was unsure how I wanted to handle it. It wasn’t a betrayal, but it was a concern. It could wait and I would think over the issue before making a decision.

Having a reputation and tipping heavily came in quite handy. If a person wanted points and had information, they knew what to do. Still, I now owed a favor and a substantial one. They hadn’t wanted crystals or anything else, just a favor...

Chapter 74 – Day 196 – Return

“Huh, someone is trying to break in,” I said as we made the trek back to Purgatory.

“You just know?” Ruth asked.

“Yes, I wonder who would be so daring during daylight.”

“Pick up the pace?”

“We are already moving, can’t go much faster,” I replied and killed a scorpion. “We are going to get in late and now they stopped.”

“So, you just know?” Ruth asked.

“Yes. Don’t know who it was. But someone was doing damage to my front doo...

Chapter 73 – Day 185 – Meeting in the Wilderness

Well, it had happened. A group had made it out here. I counted four people at our camp with a dark green cart. They stayed away from our cart and weren’t poking around. I had been observing them for a while behind a hill a distance away. Time to make an appearance.

I got up and slowly walked forward. I was easily spotted. Their entire group quickly stood up. Four men this time, a sausage party. I would have preferred to see Gertrude and her giggling girls.

“Ah, we were wonderi...

Chapter 72 – Day 166 – Time to G-G-G-Grind

Tom, Ruth, and I left through the East gate and made our way across the small wolf grassland. I had a reinforced pack with my spare outfit in it. Hopefully I wouldn’t need to use it, but at least I had it, just in case.

I was back to being poor. Well now was the time to grind out an insane number of crystals in the next 23 days or so.

I was even on cart duty since I had Tom take the lead killing small wolves. To let him get practice with fast moving enemies, before the meerkats....

Chapter 71– Day 165 – Keeping Up Appearances

“Tyrese, Ken,” I greeted the two as they came to the second floor of the Gray Duck.

“Michael,” Tyrese greeted me.

“Good to see that you are still alive. The rumor mill is exploding, apparently you came into town half naked,” Ken said with a slight grin. I rolled my eyes at that. I had no doubt that people would bring it up years from now as a joke.

“I had a wardrobe malfunction while fighting a level three flowered cliff bulb. I had to dive into ditch of my own...

Map of Systemic Lands - Day 161

The map of the Systemic Lands on Day 161 I made for reference.

Chapter 70– Day 164 – Rematch

We reached the vine area of the cliffs. I cleared out all the nearby pigs along with Ruth. I had recovered from the sonic attack, but I would not say no to a restoration when I returned to Purgatory.

After the pigs I then went after the bulbs. I didn’t hesitate to wipe them out before they could make their way up and then attack. It sucked to lose the 450-point crystals, but I wanted the skill point, not crystals.

With my overpowered acid skill, it wasn’t that hard. It was fru...

Chapter 69 – Day 161 – Boss Battle

“Hmm, that is a shame,” I muttered for the tenth time since Tom didn’t have any energy to use his new skill of Grass Blade. It would form a blade out of grass of the desired length based on the mental information downloaded into his brain. Well, he would need to develop a blade throwing skill to use the System given skill to its full potential. A sword slinger would be an appropriate title for that kind of fighting style.

Ruth had chosen Sleep, which she couldn�...

Chapter 68 – Day 158 – Skill Points

“Well, that was easy enough.” The place was on the same timer as the dungeons near Purgatory. Reset with the arrival. I looked over at Ruth and Tom. “The other location?” I asked.

“On the opposite side of the city to the Northeast in the butterfly forest,” Estevo said.

“Hmmm, lots of people grind the butterflies?” I saw his look of confusion at the correct terminology. “Kill them for crystals?”

“Uh, yes. The brown butterflies to the South are the easies...

Chapter 67 – Day 156 (Part 3) – Viewpoints 5

Lucas

“What a mess,” I let out a long sigh and held my head in my hands.

“Maybe we should have let him kill people. At least then…” Marcos muttered.

“I know.” We were sitting in a building waiting for the other three Council members to return to the mess that had just occurred.

“I was wondering how other cities handled things, they just let people die,” Marcos said.

“I am more concerned about the magic he used. He wasn’t jok...

Chapter 66 – Day 156 (Part 2) – A Bad Joke

The plaza was filled with starving people all sitting around uselessly. Several people glanced over our way. I looked at the pillars and there was a cleared space around them with ten guards, a table, and two people sitting at the table talking with each other.

There was a stink in the air. The entire plaza was a slum, how utterly useless. “The Council is at the table, right?”

“Two of the members, the other three are off killing butterflies.” Another unintended piece of in...

Chapter 65 – Day 156 – The Cost of Being Rude

The next day we went South for a bit and then I had us turn West. We ran into the blue floating rock monsters. I then had us go back to the sword dervishes and continue South. I made a note of the monster boundaries.

Some boundaries were very much aligned with North, South, East, and West, while other boundaries weren’t. Similar to the edges in regard to the types of terrain. The difference between the starting forest and grasslands compared to everything else was a straight line base...

Chapter 64 – Day 152 – Salty

“Nine more,” I said.

“Same,” Ruth replied.

“We beat one, we can defeat the rest,” I said.

“You mean you did, and you will have to defeat them. The amount of skill attacks the one took, I don’t stand a chance,” Ruth replied.

“Alright, you hang back with Tom. I have an idea how to handle these things.”

I had regained all my energy. I used Acid Shot four times in quick succession on a bulb sitting on the cliff face. It began to spin an...

Chapter 63 – Day 151 – Western Zone

“There, see it?” I pointed out the largish lizard that was laying down next to a couple of rocks in the deadlands.

“I see it now,” Ruth said while staring intently. I looked over at Tom.

“I am still missing it.”

“Acid Shot.” The attack hit the monster and quickly killed it. I walked over and picked up the crystal. “Like the scorpions in the shadowlands, not something I would want to fight head on. You think you would be okay on your own?” I asked...

Chapter 62 – Day 150 (Part 6) – A Long Day

The cart was fine when we exited the dungeon. I had brought Tom down with me and kept him in the back and made Ruth hold a torch. She had been mostly silent after her huge mistake. While other people might not consider it huge, I did and was annoyed with her.

I did the math on her travel time, and she was slow. I considered confronting her about that, but again it was a matter of trust. I could either trust her, or I could grill her metaphorically and strain our relationship. I would co...

Chapter 61 – Day 150 (Part 5) – Mistakes All Around

“Carry the torch,” I said and looked at Ruth. She froze up.

“I…I forgot to get any torches,” she said. I slowly turned to look at her. That was a huge oversight.

“Really? Well, you better get running, we will wait here. You are lucky I don’t clear the dungeon for Tom here.” Ruth let out a sigh and after checking her gear she ran off. I had explained things to Tom the on the very late afternoon walk out here. I showed him how to kill a slime and made him kill the re...

Chapter 60 – Day 150 (Part 4) – Bravery

The rest of the questions were fairly pointless as people were tired after everything that had happened. I noticed they were forming small groups talking to each other. I kept an eye and ear out in case anyone made an attempt on my life. That was when someone asked me a question.

“I know it isn’t allowed, but I would respectfully ask a question of the Champion.” The man couldn’t be any older than 18. His face barely had any hair on it. So possibly new arrival or young enough not...

Chapter 59 – Day 150 (Part 3) – A Speech

“Silence, anyone interrupting will be kicked out of the Meeting Chamber and if they resist, they will then be executed, without exception.” The guards had their weapons drawn so it looked like the arrival was going to happen without a death.

“You can’t do that! Hey!” Guard came over to an older white woman who was screaming. If it talked like a Karen and looked like a Karen, it probably was a Karen. She yanked her arm from one of the guards and slapped him.

He brought a ...

Chapter 58 – Day 150 (Part 2) – A Wild Challenge Appears

“There has been a challenge,” Tyrese said.

“I heard. One of your men apparently.” Tyrese’s face froze for a second at that.

“Not one of my men any longer.”

“So before or after the arrival?” I asked.

“Before. We will clear a large section of the plaza and you both start at opposite ends. Last one alive wins and is the Champion.”

“I see. I don’t have an issue with the fight.” I did have an issue with Tyrese I needed to sort out.

�...

Chapter 57 – Day 150 – Running Errands

Ruth and I split up the 5-point crystals we had collected, each taking half which was about 130 each. I had managed to get 4,128 50-point crystals over the last 14 days. It was a bit slow since we spent days exploring and poking at the dungeon. So not a waste, but it could have been better.

Ruth had collected around 840 of the 50-point crystals. Which was quite good in my opinion. More upgrades and she could get some gear.

“Oh, look.” I saw a gray cart parked on a hill. It was...

Chapter 56 – Day 141 – A Big Boom

It took a day to change locations nearer to the giant stone pillars and another day to locate the dungeon. I took time to mark up a map in my book. With notes on the monsters as well. I let out a sigh as I looked at the dungeon. It was a pit in the ground with shadows oozing out of it.

I had returned early and gotten Ruth for her opinion. We were both looking at the shadow pit. “Ladies first?”

“Yeah, no. That isn’t happening. I would have thought a staircase or something u...

Map of Systemic Lands - Day 141

The map of the Systemic Lands on Day 141 I made for reference.