[1st POV]
We were greeted with an unpleasant surprise when we arrived at the hotel.
There had been some kind of plumbing issue on our floor, and a pipe burst, flooding several rooms, including ours, with hot water.
The water damaged not only the furniture but also some personal belongings.
Luckily, our things only needed to be dried out. However, the ladies in the next rooms were angry about it.
In the end, the management apologized, relocated the "victims," and even offered a bottle of expensive wine.
However, since Renee and I weren't present when the "gifts" were handed out, only one room was left available.
They apologized profusely, bowing, but we couldn't care less because our minds were focused on the case.
We headed up to the top floor, where the vacant room was.
It was big, and as it turned out, it was a luxury class.
It wouldn't have happened normally, but the hotel was respectable, and they didn't want to lose their reputation, so we "got lucky."
There was only one bed.
Rene was also a little shocked, but I immediately told her I would take the couch or whatever it was, and she could have the bed.
After this noble gesture, my relationship with her improved by fifty points.
We hung our clothes in the bathroom to dry and started reviewing the data we had.
At that moment, I received a call from Lucifer.
"Lucy? What's going on?"
"Are you busy?
He asked.
"If you want to drink, then yes. Or are you calling about something important?"
"Both yes and no. Anyway, we need to talk. It's about everything and nothing all at once. I won't waste your time with long speeches, just come over."
"Heh. Alright, I hope it won't take long."
"Found yourself a drinking buddy or a new partner?"
Renee raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry, the fact that he's my drinking buddy and, more recently, my companion, won't take away your from his position as my partner. You're the only one in that regard."
"You're so loyal."
Renee smiled, "Does Poison Ivy get jealous that you have a female partner? Or does she simply not know about my existence?"
"She knows. And yes, I'm loyal. From now on, it's you and me, through fire and water, and until death do us part… or until Gordon gets some idea in his head and transfers one of us somewhere."
"Hm. Alright, go ahead. We still need to rest and the case won't advance forward for a long time."
I started getting ready to go see Lucifer but still decided to respond to Rene:
"Lucifer may seem like a show-off, but he's quite intelligent and has connections. As you might have guessed, he also has a talent for finding interesting things. He works as a civilian specialist in the police because of that, and it really helps him. So I want to get him involved in our case."
"Try it, I hope it works out for you."
"Don't get bored here and leave me some wine."
I glanced at her when she reached for the gift bottle from the hotel.
"I'll leave a little."
Renee smiled, her smile genuine this time.
....
Lucifer was alone.
"Come in, have a seat, Isaac."
He said without looking up from a paper with a table, "I've figured something out. I know what you need to do."
"Well, anyone can point me in the right direction."
I chuckled but still sat down opposite him.
"So."
He rubbed his eyes and looked at me more seriously than usual, "I've somehow figured out your System."
It's worth mentioning that in the last two days since our conversation, I visited him once, and we met a couple of times at lunch.
Lucifer had become interested in the system and how it works. I told him about all the notifications, how I get tasks, my stats, and so on.
It seems like an idea sparked in his brilliant mind on how he could help me.
"Two days?"
"I agree. It was a long time. However, the creator of the system is truly a genius. You can immediately see the work of God, although not my Father, but still, God. I even want to meet him and shake his hand."
"Alright, let's forget about the God of Games and move on to the system."
"Fine. So, as I understood, your problem right now is with combat skills and survivability?"
"That's right. I also chose the Assassin Class, but I think I rushed to conclusions. I probably won't need it in the near future…"
"You're wrong about that but let's take it step by step. First, we need to improve your skills and that 'Talk No Jutsu' of yours, since from what you've told me, it's unique. With combat skills, Mazikeen will be of more help to you than I will, but if I have free time, I'll also get involved in that."
I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"But first, I'll focus on your class. Your acting skills are pretty good, but they can be improved, and that's what I'll work on. Then comes the question of classes and subclasses. I've had some interesting ideas about that. You thought you chose the Assassin Class in vain, but you actually made the right choice. What are the subclasses for it again?"
"The Assassin has five subclasses but two of them are locked, and I can't even find out their names. So, this includes Assassination Mastery, Poisoner, and Spy-Thief."
"Why are they locked?"
"It's probably because some of my stats are lacking for unlocking those two subclasses."
"Alright. BUT, if they don't unlock by the time you choose a subclass, go with the Assassination Mastery. Mazikeen will help you 'level up' in this regard. It's not enough to become a true master in the near future, but she'll provide a foundation on which you'll gain experience. You should also give you experience and raise your level by sparring with her. The first subclass is unlocked at level thirty, right?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
"Then each new subclass is unlocked every ten levels. So, the next one will be at level forty."
"Alright. And when do you get a new class? At fifty?"
"Yes. Every new class is unlocked after twenty-five levels."
"Hmm. Fair enough... okay, then definitely choose the healer. By that time, I think you'll already know your way around medicine, and I'll help you with that. I have a few hot doctors and nurses from local hospitals and from other cities and even countries. So, I'll send them to you to help you master the new profession. Although... maybe you should also ask that Pamela Isley of yours to help you out with that."
"Healer? In principle, this class is useful..."
"It's very useful!"
Lucifer exclaimed.
"When I rebelled my Father for the Silver City, one of the reasons for the massive losses among my armies was the lack of proper medical help from the Angels. Marbas and his subordinates couldn't be in multiple places at once but they tried... Anyway, you need to choose the healer so you don't have to wait for others' help and bleed out on the battlefield. Also, I think with your brains, you could learn how to turn off the pain. There are plenty of other benefits to this choice, from enhancing your body to modifying it with the right knowledge. As for your third class in the future, I recommend the bard. After that, choose whatever you want, politician or spy."
"Hmm. Thanks. I actually came here for another reason. I need your opinion on a certain matter. It's so messy, I'd even say dangerous, so your opinion is really important."
"Hmm. Tell me. I'm all ears."
He went to his "room", "You go ahead, I'm listening. I'll just get dressed."
The story and explanation of his theories took over an hour.
Lucifer listened carefully, nodding along.
By the end of the story, I could already see the eager look of adventure on his face.
[+100 relationship with Lucifer Morningstar]
"I'll help you fix this case. It's quite amusing. I thought the cases with Detective Decker were fun because my karma tends to find something interesting, and a lot of things are drawn to me. However, you can easily compete with me in that."
"Wow, now I'm being compared to the Devil. I think I should be proud of this."
I joked, but apparently, Lucifer didn't get the joke.
[+100 relationship with Lucifer Morningstar]
"Do you have time?"
Lucifer asked.
"Yes, I have about a couple of hours."
"Wonderful! Mazikeen! You can start the training."
He shouted, and a minute later, his personal bodyguard, dressed in more athletic attire and gloves, walked in.
"I trust her with you and just be careful with him. After all, he's human. He needs to return to his partner in a couple of hours. By the way, I need to go to mine. Isaac, I remember your case. I'll check it through my human channels."
Afterwards, he left while the sweet-smiling Mazikeen explained what she would teach me.
She introduced Krav Maga, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and finally Janna for assassination.
Of course, I wouldn't be able to master all of this in one day, I would have to come to her every day.
That means being beaten up every day.
In two and a half hours, she explained to me the essence of these arts, their differences, pros and cons, and stances.
The Player System helped me like never before.
Thanks to it, I was able to memorize the information perfectly. So, I wasn't surprised when I read the notifications after leaving the club:
[You have received a new skills: "Martial Arts - Level 1."]
[Martial Arts Mastery (Peak Human): You can flawlessly perform any and every type of martial art there is and/or was with great ease. The user perceives and understands martial arts like no other.]
After reading the description, I realized that it would be upgraded to "Martial Arts Mastery (Enhanced)" upon reaching level twenty-five.
In addition, I received level-ups for "Dinklage Style." This was because Krav Maga uses techniques similar to those I've used in my recent fights.
I'm still curious if my "Hand-to-hand Combat - Level 26" skill will disappear or get absorbed into this new one or not.
Right now, I need to go see Rene.
To be continued…
...
A/N: PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO DROP SOME POWER STONES... THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
https://www.patreon.com/Sothisq
You can find up to 10 advance chapters on my patreon.