"..."
What?!
What was this skill? A skill that changes race? And into an independent race at that?
I reread the contents just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
'Is this why the quest condition is to kill and eat the flesh of a Grivantula?'
What's a Grivantula again?
I had a lot of questions, and there was no one around to answer them. So I just sat where I was and went ahead with the best guide possible- the internet.
[Sorry, this feature is unavailable at the current location.]
I couldn't open any internet services. From Doogle to any other online forums, everything was unavailable.
"Don't tell me…"
An eerie feeling rose inside me as I remembered an anime from a century ago. In that anime, people from earth got caught in a VR and couldn't leave it.
Don't tell me I have trapped myself in such a scam!
I immediately went to my player stats, clicked on the settings and….
"Oh shit, the logout button is still here…"
Unfortunately, I hadn't become a part of such a grand scam. Maybe, it was just a restriction due to the Abyss.
How much did I level up from these bunch of tadpoles?
I brought up my status window to check that.
[ Name: Shura
Level: 52 (6/100)%
Jobs: Night Alchemist
Class: Dulwak's Heir
*The probability of dealing additional damage while hitting a weak spot has increased.
*All blade-type items can be equipped with some penalty if level requirements aren't met.
*Magic and Physical power can be used simultaneously.
*Grants a special job (Night Alchemist)
Titles - (Legend)
*Resistance from all types of status conditions.
*NPCs will easily recognize you.
*A rebirth after every death.
(Dimensional Duke)
Health: 2553/2533. Mana: 863/863.
Physical Attack: 2756
Magic Attack: 877
Physical Defence: 484
Magic Defence: 397
Stats
Strength: 132
Intelligence: 70
Vitality: 85
Agility: 117
Dexterity: 34
Special Stats
Luck: 16
Perseverance: 4
Sharpness: 4
Sensitivity: 2
Dignity: 2
Undying: 1
Insight: 2
Heroic: 1
Divinity: 1
Remaining Stat Points: 180]
'Whew…'
A light whistle escaped my lips.
The bonus from Abyss, coupled with the experience boost I got from gaining my legendary class, was doing wonders.
I was already level 52, and if I included the unused stat points, my stats looked much better than when I was level 94.
Should I distribute my stat points? Or should I keep them a bit longer?
'No use keeping them if I end up dying by encountering a high-level monster.'
I answered my own question pretty soon and divided my stats. I distributed 80 points on strength, 50 points on agility, 30 points on vitality and 20 points on intelligence.
Yawn
I yawned and stretched and then looked around for a bit. It was impossible to determine if it was daytime or nighttime in the Abyss, so I checked the time.
[23rd March 2107]
[4:02 GMT -6]
[17:12 Mayhem time] [24 hour format]
"Man…"
I have a daytime since I am nowhere near enough to sustain my livelihood and the loans just from [Mayhem]. I still needed to earn from the job as long as I didn't get a stable income from anywhere else.
And my job started at 05:30 Am. It was a seven-hour job which paid me $3k a month. It was pretty low considering the world's current situation where even a coffee costs $12 at least. But I had to make do with what I could. In the remaining time of the day, I did part-time jobs at places like the library and grocery shop, where the only designation available for humans was as supervisors.
Because cheaper e-bots handled the check-in and check-out process, businesses preferred them over humans and long-term services. Especially the e-bots used in the nearby grocery store, where only people like me would go.
"Logout."
Without thinking much, I logged out. The world around me started shrinking into pixels before it finally disappeared, and I could see the VR capsule's cap just above me.
After opening the capsule, it took me some time to adjust to the room's brightness.
Stretching a bit, I did some exercise and went to bathe. Then, freshening up, I made some sandwiches and ate them with tomato sauce. Even amongst the lower class, I was probably one of the few who cooked food instead of having a food vending machine.
I shaved the stubble that had grown out during the weekend, wearing the clearly overused black formal suit I used for the office and looked at the mirror, fixing my necktie. I combed my black hair in a neat pomade and again stared in the mirror.
"Handsome as usual!"
I said that as I flashed a smile. Then, grabbing my work bag, I left the apartment for my office, which was in Delta city. Being a college dropout and having a job as a server moderator was already God being generous with me, so I didn't want to lose my own sustainable source of income over a small-time hype where I might fail.
I was but an average man. My mom liked to call me a genius, but I knew better. I was smart in a few things, like my work. But I was also dumb and easily manipulated by my own emotions.
Not only that, I never had any time when my brain just shuts down. I keep thinking and thinking, and that just makes things weird for me.
I was already near my gas bike. Gas was a special type of resource that helped run various things for a long time without any drawbacks. It caused no harm to nature or the things it was used in and would last a long time. It was like a replacement for electricity ever since the world faced the '2090s No Electricity' event.
On that day, it was said that the whole of the world lost its electricity, and that caused irreparable damage to the world. Not to mention even when electricity was returned, it could just be gathered from non-renewable resources, with all the renewable sources having somehow run out, turning out the previous logic of the world.
Solar panels, turbines, and windmills no longer generated electricity, and that caused a huge problem until one day, 'Gas' was discovered. Its full name was Gassoneus Repleaca which was shortened to just being called gas. It was a gaseous material source that came from the ground from many places on the earth.
There was no way to dig it and get it out from anywhere, it was just available at special locations, making those locations the most sought-after areas after 2095. Its first use was also discovered in 2094 by an Italian Scientist named Adolfo Veratti. Adolfo had managed to work on a vehicle called the gas bikes.
Exactly the bike that I use every day to go to work. After the invention of this bike, which travelled two feet above the land without any wheels, many other uses of this 'Gas' were found and eventually, in 2101, the UC declared it as the world's number one resource with the orders to take control of every gas mines that were found, and that could be found in future.
Pure electricity from non-renewable sources had become a luxury that only the richest of the rich use to flaunt their wealth. As I was still thinking about all this, I had already entered the electromagnetic barrier of Delta city, entering the metropolitan city where tall skyscrapers were lined up.
Flying vehicles travelled around on the airways, and big transparent screens and the skyscrapers were the screens for advertising various types of products, services and movies. A lot of them were related to [Mayhem] and its players and various world events.
One of them even had a 'Guess' shadow portrait of the legendary class with a huge question mark and big prize money.
[Give information about the legendary class and win $50k - $100k (T & C Applied)]
[If you are the legendary class, contact the Risen Corporation to discuss the terms of joining. We would be sure to offer a good long-term partnership.]
There were many such advertisements from top giants. Although it was still small in Delta city, I heard they did a huge program in NYC and Rio De Janeiro to recruit people, and the main goal was to somehow lure the legendary class out.
'These things are making me reconsider if I should really stay hidden.'
I chuckled as I reached the building named Black Ruby. It was another one of many skyscrapers partially owned by my company and the government of the US. Entering the building with automated doors and welcoming bots, I went to the elevator.
Reaching the 23rd floor, I can see many people going in and out of many rooms.
Yes, there were a lot of workers. That's why I was lucky enough to be one of them. If my company were looking for graduates, there would be a lot fewer people here.
The company's name was Portal, and it was a company that hosted and provided IT services. Entering room 2305, I could see many people proportionately divided and working on their e-screens.
Taking out my Skreener, a device that generated these e-screens and was a replacement for 21st-century laptops and computers, I opened my screen and logged in to the company's app.
After doing so, I fell back on my chair while letting out a sigh,
Haah!
"Hey, Flynn! Are you planning to laze around today again?"
Joseph, an annoying colleague, asked. He was a fellow worker and liked to poke me for no apparent reason.
"What? Do you want me to go through the perfectly perfect logs just so I can perfectly fry my brain? No thanks. You guys do know we have an alert system. If something goes wrong, we'll get the alert. So stop being such a busybody and go do your work."
I replied without looking at him, my head still dangling at the back of my chair.
"Someone's got a lot of time on their hands."
I heard a different voice but failed to register and replied subconsciously.
"Yeah yeah– wait…. Boss?!"
Shit! I am fucked…again.
....
//DreamNote//
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