"I guess it's not so bad. I'll be hungry but I just need to find a chance to steal from some supermarket."
Figuring that it was best to just get going I started to walk forwards again. I continued bursting down the goats as I went, and surprisingly I didn't have to do anything with the corpses. They automatically turned into particles and were sucked into my tattoo. I had killed another six goats when I got another perk choice.
[You gain 325 Gold.]
[G: 468]
'Almost halfway, and I'm not even done for the day. Today has been... Pretty good.'
With a smile I opened the perk menu.
[Choose one random perk:
Tailwind Blessing - Every 10 seconds get a burst of speed.
Wall Hacks - All enemies are visible.
Auto Cast - Automatically starts casting selected spells. Can be turned on and off.]
"Wall Hacks is too important to skip, even if the other options were better, being able to see enemies would prevent ambushes."
After selecting the perk I looked ahead and saw four bright red outlines in my vision. They were the same shapes as the goats from before so I knew that they were the same animal. I wasn't sure if all stages had only one enemy type, but perhaps just early on they did. I knew there was no way that the trials would stay this simple.
I shook my head and decided to focus on what was before me. Four goats was light work.
...
After ten minutes I had finally killed the last goat.
[Stage 2 complete. Moving to Stage 3.]
[Choose one of the following:
Shock Blast - Spend 30 MP to cause a target to explode with lightning damage, dealing 20-->60 DMG.
Enslave - Turn an enemy into a slave that will do your every command. If Charm is not 2x higher than enemy's Intelligence the spell will fail.
Lesser Heal - Spend 20 MP to heal a target for 5 HP.]
I chose the first option. Enslave was going to be useless because my Charm was 1, and the heal wasn't important since I only had 10 HP. Most things were bound to kill me in a single hit, so healing wasn't important at all to me this run.
After I chose my perk I approached the final goat corpse and it was soon sucked into the mouth on the back of my hand.
After it ate up the final body the tattoo began to spread out and then disappeared.
[Pick one Otherworld F-Rank Skill:
Advanced Metabolism - Your body's stored energy can be broken down immediately, allowing for instant access to reserves, but your appetite will increase.
Bloodsucker - Your body will be able to convert blood to nutrients, but your sense of taste will dull for regular foods.
Fungal Decomposition - Touching corpses will allow you to spread fungal spores. They then sprout and decompose bodies to release spores into the air. Breathing in those spores will satiate your appetite, and provide waste free nutrients.]
"These all sound horrific except for the first option, but increasing my appetite will be annoying."
Sighing I selected the first option. I wasn't happy about the increase in appetite but I didn't want to risk the other two options changing me physically, or ruining food forever.
[You gain 50 Gold.]
After that I checked my gold.
[G: 793]
"Even if I don't live through this stage, I'm happy with what I've made today."
I stepped through the portal and arrived on the other side in a village square. I looked to the end of the village and there was an expansive ocean.
"A fishing village most likely. There are a lot of houses but no one in sight. Doesn't look abandoned, but I wonder if I will meet people who speak the same language as me. Maybe the system will translate for me like in isekai novels?"
I began looking around. Soon I spotted the hidden figures. If I stepped into any house there was some sort of humanoid figures hidden near the doors that would attack me. However I had a slight problem of not being able to hit them with my fireball, so I looked towards a nearby house and used my new spell.
Instantly a loud blast sounded and I saw the figure in the house collapse.
[You deal 60 DMG!]
However there was no death notification. I was about to enter the house but I stopped in place. All the doors opened in a hurry and the creatures stepped out all at once. I found myself being surrounded by 20 weird looking humans with gills instead of noses.
"Uh... I don't suppose you guys speak my language?"
A gill person from my side stabbed out with their spear and I just barely managed to block it with my buckler.
"Yo! What the hell?"
However it seemed that my shout only seemed to anger them, as they began enclosing on me aggressively, realizing I didn't have any chance of escaping this encirclement.
So I turned and cast another Shock Blast on the villager who was still on the floor in the house.
[Lvl. 3 Argultarian Peninsula Villager defeated.]
[+50 EXP.]
[400/800 EXP to Level 5.]
[You gain 35 Gold.]
However before I could even celebrate a spear plunged into my spine. I then felt twenty other harpoons stabbing me and thankfully I was taken away from the horrible pain when my vision went dark.
[HP: 0/10]
[You have died!]
[Death Penalty: Unable to swim for 7 days.]
[Added penalty: Appetite doubled for five days.]
I sat up in a panic but after a second of clarity I realized I was in my apartment room again.
"Huff huff... I don't think I'll ever get used to the feeling of dying... At least it was a good day. I'm so glad I got that the Glass Cannon perk. Learning to use a weapon and fight up close would be really cool too though."
I glanced at the clock and saw that I had spent most of my day inside the trials. From meditating to walking around my runs were a bit of a time sink.
I then went to look at my rewards for the day.
[Stages Complete: 2]
[Rewards:
1 Normal Grade Armor
1 Random D-Rank Skill]
[New Record: Stage 2]
[Reward: F-Rank Servant]
Immediately a portal opened before me, and out stepped a tall woman. She was incredibly beautiful, but her expression was not at all gentle. Instead she looked slightly angry and annoyed at everything.
Scanning the room for a moment she finally rested her eyes on me. I had to crane my neck to look up at her because she was easily 7 feet tall.
"You must be my master. I'm hungry. Feed me."
"W-what?"
[Female Orc - Chelsaguron Chkiithike]
'Orc? But she's clearly a human...'
I watched as they plopped themselves roughly down onto my bed.
"Is this mattress for your dog? Where is your bed?"
"Dog? That's my bed!"
"Hm? Oh..."
Then she looked around again and looked at me with eyes filled with pity.
"Master is poor..."
"I-"
I was going to refute but then I remembered...
I am poor.
"Sigh... Yes I'm poor. Also, you don't have to call me Master."
"Can't do."
"Why not, aren't you supposed to do what I say?"
She began taking off her shirt, and I turned away instantly. Shielding my eyes and holding my hands to keep her away from me, I was afraid this might be a sting operation from the system to test my integrity.
"Whoa whoa whoa not like that! That's not what I meant!"
"Look."
Slowly I turned my head back towards her. She had indeed taken her shirt off but I didn't let my mind wander. Instead my attention was pulled to the area where her sternum was. There was a deep glowing purple tattoo imprinted into her skin. It was incredibly intricate and I was in awe looking at it.
"What is it?"
"Tchalengge... Mark of Slave in Orcish."
I looked up at her face and saw the shame that was etched into her expression.
"P-please... Put your shirt back down, and then let's talk."
She pulled her shirt back down and then I began asking her various questions.
After half an hour I hadn't learned much, but I learned enough about her. She used to be from an Orc tribe, but she doesn't remember anyone or even the name of the tribe. She was a warrior but who she fought was unknown. All that she knew was that her last coherent memories were stepping out of the portal.
The mark on her chest forced her to be subservient and loyal to me. She couldn't go against that no matter what. It altered her brain in some way where she didn't even get the chance to harbor those thoughts.
When I mentioned the system she shook her head. She didn't know anything about a system. I ponder that for a moment but decided that if she didn't know anything it wasn't worth continuing to ask her about it. The end of the conversation was when I looked her in the eye with a serious expression.
"I don't know about what the system wants me to do with you, but I don't have any intention of treating you like a slave. Since your appearance has changed to look human, you're more than welcome to walk around the city whenever you want, I just warn you that it can get a little dangerous at night for a woman of your..."
I coughed lightly in my hand as I looked away.
"Your 'caliber'... There are a lot of bad people in the world."
"Hahaha! Master don't worry. I'm strong, still."
To this she stood up and lifted my bed off the ground with a single hand. My jaw dropped as I saw her accomplish a feat I couldn't do even if I used my entire body.
"Uhh... Okay then, let me take back what I said... Please don't kill anyone. Also, what should I call you?"
"Whatever you like."
I thought for a moment before deciding on an easier name to say than hers.
"I'll call you Cee Cee. Anyways... Umm.. You can sleep in the bed for now. I'll sleep on the couch. I am poor right now, but I have no doubt I'll make more money in the future. So until then, please be understanding."
Cee Cee patted my shoulder.
"You have good heart, master. I sleep on ground as child, I can sleep again. You stay sleeping in bed. However, I have to eat. Too hungry to focus."
I had forgotten about my own hunger as well, but when she brought up the topic of food my stomach grumbled in agreement. Laughing awkwardly I told Cee Cee I would go to the market and get food for us.
I didn't have a TV so there really wasn't anything for her to do, but she said she would clean while I was gone. I thanked her in advance and stepped out of the apartment. Before I left though I had changed out my shirt for a black hoodie and a baseball cap.
****
I was currently standing by the stove while Cee Cee towered over me from the side, watching me as I showed her how to use a stove top and cooked a large piece of steak in a pan.
"So uh... The stove makes heat, so we can cook it in this pan since it's not directly on the meat it's easier to cook the insides without burning the outside. Just make sure to spoon the juice and oil onto the top of the steak every so often to make sure it stays juicy. Here, you try."
I stepped aside after showing Cee Cee how it was done. She stepped where I was previously and began copying what I did. She hunched down to smell the steak and smiled brightly.
"The meat in your world smells incredible, and they're full of fat."
"Thanks, but it's just the spices. I'm not a good cook... I'll take you with me if I ever go to a fancy place though."
"Mm. No need. Meat between friends is the tastiest, even if it's burnt."
I looked at Cee Cee in surprise. Even though she had clearly gotten a good look at me, she didn't say anything about it, and instead she really did treat me as a companion.
I didn't know if it was genuine or if it was a forced action because of the mark, but I had a feeling that even if it weren't for the mark she would still act like this.
However that was just a hunch.
After we finished the first steak Cee Cee said she would cook the other three.
Yes, combined we were both planning to eat two large steaks each. Earlier when I had gotten home I discovered Cee Cee in her Orc form. It seemed that she could change it, but because of how big she was as an Orc she decided to stay in her human form for convenience.
She was only a human in appearance, she was still as hungry as she was as an orc. Because of my Advanced Metabolism skill and the Death Penalty, I was hungry enough to eat as much as her.
When they were finished she brought them over on two plates that I had set out. She sat on my bed while I sat at my desk. I went online to look at my listing for my old computer. Someone did end up buying it and I checked my bank to see that the money had already been deposited.
I was feeling good about it and I went to check on my social media page where I posted my art.
But when I got on the site I noticed my inbox had several messages. I opened them up and sat that a bunch of people had asked about buying my art. I was so surprised I didn't respond immediately, but when I heard Cee Cee's voice from behind me I woke up from my stupor.
"What are you doing? Why not accept?"
I turned to look at her before nodding and turning back to the screen. I replied to all of them asking what they were thinking, and if they were comfortable with me shipping the painting to them.
Eventually I settled on selling to a man in City Z who wanted to come pick it up himself. He offered a surprising $50. I accepted and we set up a meeting tomorrow at noon.
Since I had $200 in my account from the sale of my old tower I decided to order some better art supplies. I bought a better brush, one that produced better strokes, and an easel.
I then spent money to buy a bunch of broken phones online. They weren't broken on the outside, so I could simply figure out what was wrong with them then sell them easier once I fixed them. I only spent $5 for each phone, so I bought six.
After spending $140 total I decided it was time to stop spending for the day. The phones would arrive tomorrow and the art supplies would be a few days. I decided it would be fine to take a break from the trials until my hunger returned to normal, since I didn't want to be hungry during my run.
When I was done checking everything Cee Cee began asking me about the computer. I went on to explain what it could do and she became immensely interested. I showed her how to browse the internet and left her to enjoy herself.
While she browsed the internet watching videos of cats I checked my other rewards for today.
[Choose one Normal Grade Armor:
Leather Gloves - Provide 1 DEF.
Leather Boots - Increases movement speed by 5%.
Comfy Sneakers - Get less tired when running.]
"They really are just normal items. I guess I'll go with the boots. It's simple but if I increase my agility it'll be more valuable."
Soon a pair of brown leather boots appeared and I tried them on. I opened my inventory and noticed that they were not actually equipped in the menu. I took them off my feet and put them into the slot in my gear where shoes went.
Then they disappeared into thin air. I looked back at the menu and they were in there now. I noticed there was now the option to switch between my gear and my normal clothes. Since my gear was just a pair of boots... I kept my clothes on.
Thankfully Cee Cee wasn't looking back at me just now.
I then went on to the really interesting part.
[Choose one D-Rank skill:
Intimidating Aura - Others will perceive you as intimidating.
Artistic - Embody the soul of an artist in all aspects. Improved artistic value of everything you do.
Intermediate Carpentry - Gain sufficient knowledge and skills of carpentry. Improved understanding of structural integrity.]
I wasn't interested in the last option at all. The idea of carpentry sounded so boring to me that I didn't even have the energy to entertain the idea of it. This left me with the first two. The obvious difference I saw in D-Rank compared to F-Rank is that the understanding of skills was higher. The second thing I noticed, with the first two options, is that they seemed slightly more mystical in the way they worked.
Intimidating Aura was something that isn't a tangible change. With Basic Engineering and Basic Painting they were mostly experiences and understanding of those fields that were imprinted in my mind. Making others feel intimidated without changing my appearance was impossible.
The same went for Artistic. Being artistic wasn't something that could just be given. It was either born from passion or talent, neither of which could get given.
It was a tough choice, but I felt that being intimidating didn't exactly mean much to me. If anything I could see it being a problem if people viewed me as intimidating, and as a defense mechanism they tried to fight me.
'Wait a second... Defense mechanism? When have I ever used that words... What-'
My eyes went wide and I looked at my status.
[Intelligence - 2]
'Is this the effect of one intelligence? I feel like my thoughts are clearer and I don't think I would have even thought about other peoples' feelings before.'
I was in amazement at how smoothly the change happened. I should see how much it'll improve if I keep putting points into it.
Although I was still curious about how it worked I decided that I would find out as time went on. So I focused back on my D-Rank skill selection and decided on the Artistic skill. Immediately my perspective changed again, but much more drastically than it did with my painting skill. Now I was seeing the value of everything.
Even skills I didn't possess I could critique. Poorly made furniture, zero harmony of the type of furniture styles and even how my plates didn't make sense when next to one another.
'If I look at my wardrobe I might want to vomit. Sigh... This doesn't feel like a good thing at all, instead it only makes me feel worse about my life.'
While I was sitting on my bed and looked at Cee Cee's profile at the desk. Feeling oddly inspired that I had such an incredible subject before me, I quietly grabbed a canvass and began painting her. I painted her simply as I saw her, but after a couple hours I couldn't say it was a simple painting.
From the painting I felt an inexplicable sense of companionship. It felt warm and as if I was truly sitting next to her on any normal night.
I was so entranced by the painting that even I stood in admiration for a long time. Eventually I pulled myself out and immediately showed it to Cee Cee. She complimented it but didn't react much otherwise. The reason was because she still didn't really associate her new appearance with what she pictured mentally.
I asked if she would mind if I sold it and she said it was my creation, so I could do what I wanted with it.
I took a picture using my webcam and decided I should get a phone when I get the chance. I definitely didn't have enough right now but a better phone would make it easier to take pictures or post them online.
After posting it on my account I went and edited the caption of my painting that I had posted last time. I included in asterisks that it was already sold. I did this to avoid more messages of people who were interested in buying it.
I looked at the clock and noticed it was almost midnight. I told Cee Cee I was going to sleep and that she was free to use the couch if she felt the ground wasn't comfortable. She laughed and told me now to worry. I nodded and went to sleep.
In the morning I woke up at around 10 AM and quickly made my way into the kitchen to get a cup of water. I didn't like eating right when I woke up so I did some chores instead. First I cleaned my the living room and kitchen. I wanted to clean my room but with Cee Cee sleeping on the floor I didn't want to wake her.
Once everything was cleaned I began cooking while planning out my day. I didn't have a ton of time before the meeting to sell my painting, so I planned instead to do things after. I was going to go to the junkyard and just take a glance around for anything noteworthy.
While thinking about what to do I realized that since I got the system I didn't have any interest in the real world. Even on my off day I realized I had no hobbies anymore and I only thought about going into the trials.
That definitely wasn't healthy. I would have to find something to do.