Lee Long opened the status and familiarized himself with the new state of affairs,
[Lee Long
Race, Earthman
Type, Duelist. Mage.
Level, 13. 137500/140900
Strength, 11
Dexterity, 10
Intelligence, 20
Endurance, 20
Health, 200/200
Mana, 200/200
Skill, Appraisal 2 level. Duelist Balance 1 level. Water Magic 1 level. Healing 2 level. Ice Arrow 1 level. Short Blade 1 level.
Available Characteristics point, 0
Available skill point, 0]
No new achievements. Good reason to think about the way of further development. He needs equipment. Killing criminals is also a crime. It's vigilante justice. But it gives more experience than fighting in the arena.
Unfortunately, Lee couldn't understand the progression with which he gained experience. He couldn't calculate how much experience he needed for level 20. But it was a weak headache.
The dungeons of Ferin are a great place to develop. It's trophies.
Suddenly the boy remembered something important,
" I have to check the information chip! Who knows what information is stored on it? How unfortunate. That little prisoner ruined the beginning of a good hunt. Stop! You ruined a good hunt yourself. Where can I find good equipment? Maria has fabric protection. Her suit is a dream for me. Protection like a stormtrooper, the suit lets you move freely. I can't get that kind of value. But I have enough to cover my body and head. A bulletproof vest and a helmet. All roads lead to the capital city of Ferin! I can't hide my purchase at the colony gun store. I must see the rates. My development is expensive!"
The boy got out of bed and sat down at his computer table. Their family could afford communication at the level of the Ferin star system. Not even the colony's administration could enter the network of the entire Galaxy.
Lee Long rarely used the Ferin network. The colony's local network was enough for him. That was one of the results of knowing the Black Star.
It taught him recklessness. Cats were very prudent and even stingy. They valued resources. When hunting, cats paid careful attention to the carving of their prey. To his tribe, the hunter brought every last bone! It was a man who could kill an animal and take only the best piece of meat. Sometimes the ferin looked at humans with contempt.
Finding important information was worth the expense. Lee Long inquired and got a quick answer.
Body protection items were freely available. Hunter outfit stores offered a rich assortment of items. Prices varied. A body protection vest could cost anywhere from 400 to 4,400 credits.
Lee shook his head in annoyance. He couldn't apply the skill to clarify item information. The Appraisal skill required direct live contact with the object. You can't use Appraisal when you're looking at a TV or computer screen!
The duelist saw the main thing. He saw merchandise that he liked very much and that fully matched his intentions. There were strong cuirasses on sale that did not restrict movement. There were helmets on sale. He even saw many protective face masks. The cats had a cult of stealth warriors. They held various competitions and raised their kittens in the spirit of true assassins and shinobi.
Lee Long got off the grid and decided to check the information chip. The information turned out to be accessible. It was a huge collection of erotic content. The boy shook his head in disgust. But in his mind immediately occurred to him that this chip was worth money.
Lee calculated his finances and was pleasantly surprised. In one visit to the capital, he was able to earn 824 credits. He had completely recouped his spending on the teleporter. All his savings allowed him to make another visit to Ferin and buy a vest and a helmet with a mask.
Lee Long turned off the computer and returned to his bed. He lay down and closed his eyes. His thoughts flowed quietly.
He liked it in the capital. Only now he realized how cramped he was within the familiar walls of the colony. The capital presented itself to him as a small Galaxy. It gave much more prospects for ways of development.
Before going to bed the boy made a decision. He would not postpone another visit to the capital. In the morning he would read the obligatory set of academic subjects and visit the hospital. Then he will go to Ferin again.
***
The new day suddenly greeted the boy. During breakfast, Maria asked him to tell him about his adventures in the dungeon. Nick averted his eyes to the side with a guilty look. Lee realized that Maria had shaken all the information out of her husband. He re-told his version of events. Maria stood up to him and tapped him on the head,
"I didn't teach you to hide information. You can fool this dummy. He's a dumb stormtrooper. Don't try to fool an intelligence officer, boy. Tell the truth!"
Lee Long rubbed his nose and began to tell the full version of events. He didn't tell about the captured kitten. He said he used Healing during the battle.
He finished his story and looked at the adults. The sergeant snorted. It was obvious that Nick was offended by the boy. Maria was silent with a thoughtful expression on her face. Then she spoke and her words shocked the boy.
"I knew your mother well. She was a terrific asshole. An absolute storm in the head. No retards whatsoever. She was on the Commission several times for not following orders from her commanding officers. Lily was a rare bitch and the bravest of women. I look at you and I know you're going to get in that hole again."
Lee Long lowered his head. He didn't like hearing such words about his mother. On the other hand, he understood what Maria meant.
"Did you empty the pockets of those losers?" asked Nick.
"Of course, I did. I didn't take a couple of knives, but I did get a long sword. And one information chip. There's information on it. It's not for me. There are movies and video scenes... having sex."
"Nikki, you ran into a laser once. I've encountered automatic weapons in the dungeon."
"An automatic weapon is more dangerous than a laser. It's a big risk to visit a dungeon without good Earth magic protection."
"Lee has water magic. His healing is only level 1. You're nothing but trouble, boy! "Maria banged her fist on the table."
"I'll buy good protection for the body and head."
"Fool! You could get a machine gun and no amount of protection would save your life."
It was quiet at the table again. The silence was broken by Maria,
"Today you will stay in the colony. I'll try to get some equipment. Get ready to pay a lot of money, you little bastard. It's going to cost a lot."
***
Lee Long spent all day fighting and developing the skill of Appraisal. At the third level, the skill allowed him to see the level of objects. It was useful information. According to the level, you could tell the age. Humans got one level in one year of life. Age gave an accurate idea of the opponent's attributes. This was good news. The unpleasant discovery was the requirement to activate the skill. It now required 1 mana point to activate! This was bad news. It was inhibiting the development of magical skills.
Lee's bad mood went away after a couple of hours in the Arena. He conducted melee fights. He looked into the weapons application area and fought with a knife.
Lee Long sat against the wall and looked at status,
[Lee Long
Race, Earthman
Type, Duelist. Mage.
Level, 14. 140900/176100
Strength, 4
Dexterity, 4
Intelligence, 20
Endurance, 20
Health, 200/200
Mana, 200/200
Skill, Appraisal 3 level. Duelist Balance 1 level. Water Magic 1 level. Healing 2 level. Ice Arrow 1 level. Short Blade 1 level.
Available Characteristics point, 14
Available skill point, 0]
35200 experience points to a new level. That's 352 duels. That's a very long time. The funny thing was the fact that gaining experience in the Arena was advantageous. In the dungeon, he would advance cautiously and look for opponents. The dungeon is dangerous. In the arena, he only spends one minute per fight! 352 duels are almost six hours of work. No trophies, no danger. A lot of boring and monotonous labor.
Lee looked at the melee area. There were plenty of students. Lee remembered that he didn't arouse much suspicion with his success. Sometimes he was provoked and tried to get personal information. But that was the usual amusement of students.
The boy sighed and spent his recovered mana to apply the Appraisal skill. He drained all his mana at the very beginning of the arena exercises. In an hour he recovered 6 mana points without any meditation. He could restore 10 mana in an hour of meditation. But Lee Long didn't waste time meditating. He was busy developing his hand-to-hand combat. Sometimes he was distracted by knife fighting.
He left the Arena in the evening. He took level 15! The new level required 44,000 experience, 440 fights. More than seven hours of bouts.
Lee Long sighed and shook his head. The day in the Arena had made him make one theoretical assumption. This kind of progress allowed for the possibility of getting to level 20 in a week of hard work. Reaching a new day at one level was possible. But at levels 18 and 19, the requirements would change.
What's good about level 20? It's the ability to cross the border and have 300 health and 300 mana. A lot of health is great. That corresponds to 120 years. That's not the limit of longevity in the galaxy.
Lee Long didn't trust his calculations. Life showed difficult examples. There was an old man in the stormtroopers' training room. Everyone called him Grandpa. This old man was a great fighter and had excellent health. He had given his whole life to military service and was constantly training his body and his skills. Lee Long, on the other hand, knew Maria's father. Her father worked as a schoolteacher. And the boy suspected that Grandpa could kill the teacher with one punch. The teacher didn't have much health. But Maria's father was a very smart colony elder. He enjoyed well-deserved prestige and respect.
Is it possible that humans and other intelligent people have unequally distributed attributes? You favor mental activity and life increases your intelligence. You are a soldier "life helps you and increases your endurance. Only by developing the Appraisal skill will you get accurate information.
At the door of the academy, Lee met Hannah. She asked to share her impressions of her visit to the capital. Lee recounted a few amusing moments. Suddenly Hannah made an interesting suggestion,
"I can introduce you to some of my good friends in the capital. Is that something you're interested in, Lee Long?"
The boy didn't answer right away. He weighed his needs and said honestly,
"Thank you, Hannah. It's an important and necessary offer. But not right now. I want to devote one year to developing my magic. My healing skill requires a lot of work. Right now I'm next to nothing. My potential is great, but it requires a waste of time and effort."
Hannah looked intently into his eyes and said quietly,
"My mother is right. Magic affects mages. You've changed all of a sudden. You have changed for the better. You made a very solid and correct point."
They talked some more trivia and went their separate ways.
Lee went to the stormtroopers' hall. He could find a lot of practice there. He was especially interested in the practice of knife fighting.
Colony Europe 9 was proud of its accomplishments in the military. The colonists did not use mercenaries for protection. Half the children from the age of 10 spent a lot of time at the Legion's training grounds. Future soldiers and officers took time to practice their physical skills. At these training ranges, no one hid their faces. Everyone knew each other. Lee Long was a notorious bully and a fan of swinging his fists. He got a good selection of sparring partners. Those who weren't up to his level simply didn't interfere in his fights. There was no atmosphere of envy or spite. Everyone knew Lee would make a formidable defender for the colony.
The problem was different. Duels at the Academy were causing him to lose consciousness. Students restored their health with a healing artifact! At the military training grounds, Lee restrained himself. But that was the only place where he could gain valuable experience. Everything had to be paid for. Classes in the general group of newcomers were a pass to the hall of older colleagues. For his peers, Lee acted as a teacher who shared valuable experiences. Lee Long himself received this experience in the Stormtroopers' Hall.
He could not show too much strength or too much speed. He controlled his health and took breaks. And he lost most of his fights! It was a careful and attentive mastery of hand-to-hand and knife fighting.
***
In the evening he talked to Maria. She didn't surprise him. He guessed that she would try to get him a reconnaissance suit. This suit was made of a special fabric. It gave excellent protection and did not interfere with mobility.
Maria was delighted when the boy told her of his plans. Unless there was an emergency, Maria could perform a neat operation. It would save the boy money. But she announced the price of the service in advance. The suit would cost the boy 8,800 credits. The family will buy him the suit. But Lee must repay the debt within a year!
What treachery! The woman was encroaching on the child's entire income. With such debt, he could not afford expensive visits to the capital.
No capital, no dungeons. No dungeons, no threat to life. No threat to life – no need for a costume? What a treacherous woman!