There were still many things Jim didn't know about demons, undeads, and the underworld in general. For example, the difference between a demon and an undead. Weren't they the same thing? But judging by how the system and even other undead throw these terms around, it made him think that there had to be a difference between the two.
And secondly, there was the amulet. He was surprised by how much power it had. It even allowed such a little boy to become a force to be reckoned with, even though it was all for the sake of entertainment. At the end of the day, that power was real. He could feel it.
[Would host like to obtain more information about the demon amulet?]
[To do that, host would have to first obtain the amulet]
The conditions weren't too bad. Still, he would have to see how he could steal the amulet without anyone finding out. Seeing how crowded the hall was, he could easily slide his way through the crowd and into the backstage, hopefully undetected. Worst case scenario, he sends another soul to the afterlife.
"I'm going to the bathroom," Jim said, getting up from his seat. Putting his plan into action, he found himself bumping into all sorts of people, until he ended up standing before a large man wearing a black suit and dark shades.
"And what are you doing here?" he asked, his brows furrowed. He could already guess why this guy came backstage. He perhaps wanted to gain an exclusive audience with the star actor and actress. Many people wanted to do just that, and that was why he had been assigned to keep that from happening. Only those who had premium tickets could have a closer audience with the cast, and seeing as the guy didn't have one, he had no choice but to see him out.
'Sh*t! What do I do now? I don't want to do something with so many people around,' he thought, noticing just how many people were backstage. 'I'll just have to forget about the amulet for now.'
"Sorry, I was just so excited after watching the play that... you know what, I'm just wasting your time. I'll leave on my own," Jim apologized, leaving the backstage and heading back to his seat.
"At least he isn't as demented as the others," the man said, before continuing his work.
Meeting up with Kevin, it seemed like the latter was ready to leave. It was understandable, since the person he had come for had already played her part. Still, Jim reminded him that there would be an award ceremony after all the segments of today's event were completed.
"Seriously?! Man, we don't do things like that back in BlackBones City!" Kevin complained. "They simply announce who is the winner online in the school's platform. No one has to stay all the way to the end. Plus, that was just the first segment..." he couldn't imagine staying here three more hours just because of something that had already ended. Faced with a dilemma, he decided to leave anyway, as well as Jim. He still didn't know how he would obtain the amulet.
Back at home, the rest of the day went by as usual. Seeing as he still had a lot of energy to spare, he decided not to head into the dungeon that night. The next day, he received the notification regarding the underworld tournament, as well as one less day to the one organised by his martial arts sensei.
[6 days till the tournament]
So far, he had been putting considerable effort to improve himself, although there were many ways for him to improve, such as fighting the sabertooth demon, or fighting a regular strong human. He could also train using his new VR set.
Other than his future matches, there were other things he had to focus on, such as his future career, his classes, and his new girlfriend. For some time now, she had been growing anxious. She wanted to do it with him, but he consistently refused, stating that he wasn't ready, but that wasn't only the case.
Jim wasn't sure whether becoming an undead had changed other things about him, but he didn't want to find out so soon. He still had time, anyway.
Later that day, when Amanda came home, she looked to be in a good mood. During dinner, she revealed the cause of her happiness, and the reason came as a surprise to Jim.
"Guess what, Jim?" she asked gleefully. Jim wasn't used to seeing her so cheerful, but in order not to spoil the mood, he decided to play along.
"What?" he hoped this wasn't something bizarre. He didn't know whether he had it in him to survive another one of those sibling outings during which he ends up being the one to dread the experience. Sometimes, she would drag him to go shopping with the money she had saved for that, and he would have to endure her choosing only a few clothes from hundreds of others, by trying each on on first.
He only hoped that this wasn't the same scinerio, for he feared that he might experience a second death.
"While I was at work today, I got a letter, but it isn't just any letter. It's a letter from granny," she burst out screaming.
Jim showed no reaction for a number of reasons. For one, this granny of theirs was one thought to be dead by them both, since she hadn't done anything to help them after their parents died. But now, for the dead to suddenly rise, didn't sound too true to Jim.
What he means is, he doesn't believe that this might really be their grandmother, and if it truly is her, then she may perhaps have an ulterior motive for suddenly contacting them.
Like, who still uses letters these days? Perhaps that's what she wants familiar with.
There was something at the back of his mind that was disturbing him, which he decided to ask.
"What did she say?" he was hoping that she had at least given a viable reason for writing to them. Although she could still be lying either way, he wanted to hear what she said.
"She said that she misses us so much, and that she plans on visiting in four months."
'Fours months... that's quite far. But still, it's good. By then, I'll be done with a lot of the things on my plate,' Jim thought.
After that, the two enjoyed their dinner and went to bed. The next day, Jim decided to spend at home surfing the net. Particularly, he was catching up on his favorite online novel, at least his favorite when he was still human canned Immortal Incantation.
Not long after he had done binge-reading the released chapters, he had received a call from Kevin. Thinking it had to do with yesterday's event, he answered, oy to be right.
On the other line, Kevin sounded excited, and it was quite obvious why.
"Congrats, man," Jim said.
"Huh? I haven't even told you why I'm calling. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that... Chelsea and Mark won first place yesterday!" he said excitedly.
The two talked amore about the show, how interesting it was and the parts they loved most. These two were really becoming close. Jim was starting to feel less of the absence of Blade and Tyler, although they would be seeing each other soon enough.
For now, he had Kevin and Amanda in his life. Well, until the case in BlackBones City gets settled.
___________
As it is known, gangs and the government run a symbiotic relationship. However, when one doesn't keep their word, it can lead to the other side to lash out in anger, at the betrayal of their business partner.
That was what the White Doves, the major gang of BlackBones City, had done after the mayor had cut down their budget. Although gangs were a social hazard, they still played an important role of keeping other gangs at Bay, most especially when the local gang is as fierce as the White Doves.
Having a hand in all the other gangs in the city, Daniel Xavier, the gang leader, was able to instigate the riot that took place at the carnival located near one of the city's most prestigious universities.
His plan was for the city to go on lockdown. Meaning that a lot of cash would be put into repairing damaged property and settling unexpected bills, using the cash that should've been paid to them. It was his way of showing the mayor that greed can only get you so far, before it eats you up.