《So, Not an Apocalypse?》 Ch 1 White Room
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Ch 2 Trying It Out
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Ch 3 Bus Stop Ch 3 Bus Stop I blinked back into awareness. Slumped over the computer desk the keyboard shoved to the side. What had I been doing? I stare at my hand. Thinking hard. My brain is a fog, slow to clear. I rub my face. Is my skin so soft? It comes to me. Because scrubbing yourself leaves your skin without a layer of dead cells. The pristine had taken a layer of skin off I hadn''t been aware of. I rub my forearm. My skin didn¡¯t feel raw like scrubbing would have done so that''s something. Had the grime evaporated here too? I take my shirt off, yup nothing there. I glance around, only light coming from the screen. What time is it? I check it. Nearly 1am. It was close to 4pm so nine hours of sleep? I don¡¯t feel exhausted. In fact, I feel like I just got the best sleep of my life, hell. There¡¯s no fatigue, no weight dragging me down. I suppose one of my skills is working appropriately. I get up to flip on a light. Checking my phone there''s no messages. Of course, no one wants to talk to me when the world has changed. My parents aren¡¯t that old, being late 60¡¯s, but they¡¯re pretty set in their ways, all these new-fangled dungeons are going to be ignored unless they have to deal with it. I rummage around the kitchen looking for something to eat, bread still seems good only a couple days past expiration. Jar of peanut butter is always good. Even have some jelly. After making myself a couple of sandwiches I go back to my desk. Pulling up local news site again, I begin to skim through any articles that pop out at me. As I munch away, I''m thinking. Do I even need to fight, or can I just make a living by selling to the store? Or do I need to fight to level up? How does experience work? How many credits does it take to buy a skill? My eyes rove through the articles. ¡°Dungeons appear throughout the continents, cataloguing where they appear seems to be in more populated locations confirmed locations are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Pheonix and Dallas¡± ¡°People entering dungeons to fight monsters withing state that they are given rewards to use in the System store, credits seem the most common. Various number of monsters depending on amount of people entering at once.¡± ¡°Government officials attempting to ban entering a dungeon overruled stating that military power will need to be increased due to the populace increase of power.¡± ¡°Military setting up stations surrounding dungeons to regulate those entering to be of age and semi-prepared to enter dungeon. Information being gathered on each monster within given freely.¡± Well, that¡¯s something at least. There''s a few here in the states. People are likely to flock to Dallas now. I probably won''t even get a chance to go into a dungeon now. It''s not like I have a giant sword somewhere to kill things with. I have a k-bar for self-defense, living in a crappy neighborhood does that. I keep it near my bed, so I''m always prepared if someone was to break in. Hasn¡¯t happened yet in the three years I''ve been in this apartment though. Maybe I should get a bat? A nice heavy wooden one? They can take some punishment, and goblin skulls likely are softer than a baseball. I¡¯ll have to think about it more later. Leaving that train of thought I go back to my sheets of paper, wondering how to get a stencil of pristine onto the ring still on my pinky. Or my shirt. Or literally anything in my apartment. I look down and realize I''m still wearing my interview clothes and go change into some lounge wear. Pausing, I start digging through my closet. If I remember right, I have that cheap off the rack suit that doesn¡¯t fit well, but if I auto size it? Pulling it out the jacket is a little rumpled and the pants are very rumpled. Laying them on the coffee table next to my desk I sit and scribble an auto size. I get the jacket and pants on as best I can, jacket strains a little and my chest and the pants are more than a bit tight. Laying the auto size on the jacket I wait a moment. The jacket starts to shift and settles around me much better. I glanced down, the pants weren¡¯t sized yet. Maybe it needs another minute? I wait a few moments more. Nothing happens. Shit, that means one enchant per piece. I scribble out another auto size to lay on the pants. After waiting they seemed to stretch to fit my longer legs and wider stomach. I got to the mirror in my bedroom too. The suit looks almost tailored. Having a thought, I grabbed another sheet of paper and put down a pristine and laid that on the jacket. It doesn¡¯t seem that anything comes off it, but the jacket looks less rumpled and closer to brand new. No wait. Not when I bought it but newly made. Huh, who would have thought. It really is in pristine condition. Changing into loungewear and hanging the suit up properly, I go back to my computer. Searching through chat boards gives me a good deal more info than news did ¡°We went into the dungeon and found hellhounds! My friends were almost overwhelmed we had staffs made from dowels, so we took care of them! We made it into the fifth room, there was a boss! A greater hellhound! We left before the fight started and didn¡¯t get anything but the credits, but we added it up and got almost 100 credits each!¡± ¡°Went into a dungeon alone, kill the spider in the first room, I noticed that I could feel mana! So, I practiced my skills for hours! I don¡¯t know how long it took.¡± ¡°We found a System terminal! It was a freaking bus stop! We were kitted out going to the dungeon, but it was too far to walk with all the gear we bought, so goofing off we were swiping the air and calling shit at each other! You just have to face the back of the bay calling for the interface! We didn¡¯t have any credits to spend but looking through shit we found you can buy skill points with credits! It costs 500,000 per skill point! Some of the store items cost trillions of credits! There was even a chat board, but it was blank!¡± I stop and blink, a bus stop? Really? Glancing at the door. Sure, it was 1am, there were people outside, but the bust stop was half a block from me. Could I scribble out one of each and go sell them? Or wait until morning? People are probably going to be causing a ruckus since they don¡¯t know how the world is changing. But I wanted to sell the enchantments as soon as I could. There''s no telling if someone else picked it up as well. I scribble the two I have out on sperate sheets of paper. Steeling myself I get some jeans on, after a moment I grab the kbar and a jacket, it might be a little warm out but hiding the knife means I won''t be immediately targeted, but having it means I''ll at least give the wandering locals a pause. This are usually covered by Mexican gangs with a silent war with the skinheads a few blocks down. As long as I don¡¯t draw much attention to myself, I should be fine, hopefully. With luck. I''m likely screwed. Stepping out of my apartment into the warm air locking my door seeing the mark still there, I give a brief thought to cleaning it. I brush it off too important right now. The kbar under my jacket isn''t settling well but thankfully it has straps to sit across my back, it''s awkward as hell but I could draw it if needed, I''ve never been out this late. Usually, I come home around midnight and straight into the apartment, its early 3am now. I picked up speed went to the bus stop. It barely takes a few minutes, but my hair is raised, and it seems too quiet. The streetlights make deep shadows in the alleys. Going to the back of the bay just as stated I mutter ¡°interface¡± and oh look a screen comes into existence in my face. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Interface
Store
Message Board
Help Guide
There''s a goddam help guide?! And no one said anything? Shit ok, I don¡¯t have anything to do today for the next twelve hours, I should have brought a notebook. I shifted to the message board where there were a few posts.
I¡¯m first to Post! User:0089658143 Time:16.36 GMT
I can¡¯t believe this is real! User:0654565284 Time:16.37 GMT
I can''t believe that¡¯s what you started with! User:0094682725 Time:16.38 GMT
Ok that was probably the group that first found the terminal. Looking at the user is I think is that out of people on the planet? I count the digits, yeah that¡¯s enough to be a billion. Need to focus. I go back to the interface and select store page,
Buy Sell
Well, that¡¯s simple. I select buy. Need to see if anyone else has anything up yet.
Category
Items
Attributes
Skills
Skill Points
Credits
Currency
Can you buy and sell local currency? And credits? Does that mean you can exchange real money for System money? We might get into an economic crash after all, shit. Dammit. And attributes? Is that why we don¡¯t start with any because we have to buy them? I select items
Item
Armor Weapons
Potions Enchantments
Tools Transport
Clothes Furniture
Technology Food
Well, that¡¯s a nice, neat list, can you buy food and clothes? That might solve world hunger after all, so an economic crash is bound to happen if someone can live off dungeons. And India''s caste System seems done for. I select enchantments. Seeing if anyone else has put anything up.
Enchantment Description Cost
Big Dong! Endow yourself for her pleasure! Or his! 13
Better snoz! Enhance your smell to that of a dog! 7
Better eyes! Enhance your sight to that of a hawk! 7
I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that¡¯s one of the first things someone put up. I''m really not. The better sight I can understand but a better nose? Maybe if they want to be a drug dog. What''s with the prices? Are these permanent or temp? I couldn¡¯t imagine having to adjust myself daily. I backtrack to the sell page, selecting enchantments. get an input prompt from a window.
Enchantment Description Suggested Price Your Price
5
Okay, so starting price for enchantments are 5 credits, but we can have mark up, that makes way more sense with the odd prices now when everything has been neatly fives
Enchantment Description Suggested Price Your Price
Pristine One-time use, to clean and freshen an object or person. 10 15
A little bit of mark up, need to make money somehow. I''m fairly certain I only get the markup and the System takes the suggested price as their cut. It would make sense as I only have to sell one to the System and not find my own buyers, still like that so much. Going back to the sell enchantment page.
Enchantment Description Suggested Price Your Price
Auto Size One time use, to auto fit any wearable object, must be able to fit at least partially. 10 15
Again, a little mark up. But if everyone is getting 100 credits in a dungeon, they should have some spare for convivence. Can credits be shared? The enchantments can be given to anyone if they want. Pristine can be used for armor to clean up after a dungeon, walking around the city covered in gore doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea. Maybe I should set up a stall near the dungeon anyway. I scrolled back to the help guide. Hoping to see if I can find anything truly useful. Maybe I should look at tools first? Or armor? What would a ring count as? I can buy cheap plain rings but how can I enchant them? Can I make a permanent pristine and attach it to a ring and never have to shower again? It would certainly save water. Looking through tools I find a tab for crafting.
Alchemy Armor Smith Blacksmith Carpentry
Cobbler Jewler Leatherworker Painter
enchanter Sculptor Mason Weaponsmith
Weaver Tailor chef brewer
baker Carver trainer ...
Selecting enchanter, I look at the window that pops up
Enchant Tools
Chisel Gouge Skiver knife
Pen Veiner Swivel knife
Welt knife Paring knife Channel knife
Okay I don''t know what half of these are, chisel and pen I can understand. What the hell is a veiner? Selecting it seeing what pops up
Item Description Cost
Veiner Similar to gouge but longer 2
Helpful that is not. At least it''s cheap. Maybe I should look into running the dungeon after all. I get an eerie feeling. a few guys are hanging around the alley near the end of the block, its time I head back to the apartment, the help guide will have to wait. At least I sold the two I brought with me. Leaving the bus stop I hurry back to my apartment making sure I don¡¯t look like I''m running that always makes you a target. Getting back, I shrug off the jacket a sweating in the 80 degrees its hot inside and out, I turn the ac down. Grabbing some water, I check my status. ¡°status¡±
Name Level Experience Gain Credits
Arthur Turner 0 1.2% 5
I have experience already? Can I get experience from crafting? Ok I add it up. One-tenth experience for every enchant and then one half creating one? Does that sound right? Maybe. Shit I can''t do math. Why do I have credits? Someone already bought something? Shit wish I had stayed to look through more. I''ll have to go back in the morning. I don¡¯t feel at all tired so I might as well stay up and try to decide for more enchantments. Ch 4 Training Wheels
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Ch 5 Time to get Crafty
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Ch 6 First Dungeon
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Ch 7 I still have a day job
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Ch 8 Dare I go again?
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Ch 9 Another meeting, oh joy.
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Ch 10 Oh Shit, Ranks This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Ch 11 Running with Friends The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Ch 12 New Level, New World
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Ch 13 Making money This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Ch 14 Once more onto the breach
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Ch 15 Shopping Time
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Ch 16 Crafting Time Again
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Ch 17 Shopping Ch 17 Shopping Porting home, I check the time. 7:23pm. I pulled my phone and called Lucas. After a few rings a response. "Something happen?¡± He sounds tired. ¡°Sort of? How are you and Mikey doing?¡± ¡°Little shit thinks he''s some murderhobo now. Camped out in the dining area. I think he''s gonna be our regular walker.¡± ¡°Walker?¡± I ask ¡°To walk non-fighters through. He was enjoying that way too much.¡± I laugh as he says that. I can just imagine. ¡°So, I made a deal with the hospital people. They will send people our way once we get the guild set up? Any progress on that?¡± ¡°A bit yeah, Kate started making flyers, they look, uh, nice? Very realistic. Maggie bought little Jamie here. Damn kid is a whiz with that laptop. Set up a website to manage for us. Says we need to name the guild though before he could launch it?¡± I think about it for a minute. We¡¯re a little bit mercenary, but we are trying to help people. Coming up with a few ideas, I pick the one I like the most, that¡¯s doesn¡¯t sound like I''m trying to kill all the humans. ¡°Yeah, I have an idea for a name. What do you think and Wands & Words?¡± ¡°Eh, kinda rhymes? We use wands primarily. Words are the triggers. So yeah, I guess that works. Just hope someone doesn¡¯t think we are trying to scam them.¡± With a little hesitation I asked him. ¡°Are there still trucks coming in?¡± He huffs. ¡°Not really. Seems those in the factories and midlands are leaving in droves. I knew it would happen. I expected it. But damn if it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± Yeah, losing your life''s plan always sucks. I''m trying to help him get a new plan though. Hopefully it''ll work. ¡°So set up with people coming to us to run through, they buy a wand or two. We loan armor and they buy auto size. They pay credits at the end of the run. We only run one person at a time. I''ve got some more wands for you and Mikey to use. Called Sealants. Basically, best of bandages, to prevent death. If we can get injured out of dungeon, we can get them to a healer I think.¡± There a few minutes pause, while he thinks to himself. ¡°We charging just credits or cash too?¡± ¡°I was thinking only credits. So only those 20 and up could run. But they have to agree to buy wands. Otherwise, we won''t run them.¡± ¡°Is this part of your marketing campaign?¡± he grumbles. ¡°No, the wands are like guns. Point and shoot. Little training and anyone can use them. But they register to one person only.¡± ¡°Fine, agreement to buy a wand or two to be eligible to run a dungeon. Maybe we should buy a van or something? Kate can be the driver at least.¡± That might be good, the shop isn''t that far from the dungeon, but we can have people park at the shop and then we drive them to the dungeon. Also. ¡°The first clear reward. It¡¯s a personal interface. I don¡¯t need a bus stop anymore.¡± ¡°Well shit. That¡¯s handy. We can have people gear up at the shop then we drive them over.¡± After agreeing with him, we said a few pleasantries and hung up. Sitting at my desk, I look to Raven. They float in front of me, silently. It feels like judgement for some reason. Maybe I should ask. ¡°Any helpful hints or tips for me?¡± ¡°Notice, Lvl 0 user dungeon entering is 10 hours. Lvl 2 user dungeon entering is 6 hours.¡± I blink, then exhale sharply. Well fuck. I, just. Fuck. I didn¡¯t even think that the time would have changed. I didn¡¯t even think. Shit, I can be missing so much because I don¡¯t think about it. ¡°anything else?¡± ¡°Notice, mana regeneration is dungeon is 50 times higher than outside dungeon.¡± I feel like Raven is glaring at me. Like an ex girlfriend was cheated on. Which is oddly specific. ¡°I knew it was a lot higher but not the ratio, why is that important?¡± ¡°Notice, crafting outside of dungeon is wasteful of mana use.¡± I stop. Just freeze in place. Is the dungeon for fighting monsters? Why did I think it was only for that? It was pointed out the first day people were practicing their skills in the dungeon. I have no excuse. I could have been finished with all the projects I wanted to. Glancing around my apartment. Food, Shelter, Water. That¡¯s all someone needs to survive. Social, Enrichment, and Entertainment. That¡¯s all we need to thrive. I look at Raven. I study the little being in front of me. I think of how I''ve gone without speaking more than a dozen words in weeks. I look at my clothes. I glance at my couch. I don¡¯t need it. Any of it. I have everything I need. I can just pull everything into my inventory and hermit inside the dungeon. I can live inside the dungeon. That, that feels momentous. How many people realized this? I would only come out for supply. Load up on food and dowels, sharpies and tools. And just not leave. ¡°Raven, what would happen if I slept in the dungeon?¡± ¡°Nothing. Monsters only spawn when dungeon opens for new party.¡± I lean back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. I blink slowly. All the commitments I made. Seem so distant now. I wouldn¡¯t level. I''d still make credits with the wands. Time passes differently. No matter how long id spend there, it would still be only half an hour. 30 minutes. ¡°Raven, do I age in the dungeon?¡± ¡°Negative. Aging only happens in time relative to the planet¡± So, I have to be relative to the planet. Not in a pocket dimension. My breath shudders. I feel like I''m sobbing. Everything. Just all of it. I could spend an eternity inside a dungeon. And come out in 30 minutes. For some reason that thought bothers me so much. An eternity alone. I don¡¯t think id last a month spending it alone. Unless maybe. ¡°Raven, do computers work in dungeons?¡± ¡°Human technology will not work in dungeons. Compatible technology is available in system store.¡± Of course. Of fucking course. I could buy future tech and live like a basement hermit. I don¡¯t know if I can do this. Just hide in the dungeon for days on end crafting. Would it be days? Just wake up, eat, craft, sleep again. It feels like a montage. But I could. I could make so much and get so much done. I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯ll do it. I live in a dungeon. I''ll craft as much as I can possibly make. To my heart''s content. I just need to prep a bit first. **** The store is closed. Because it 9pm on a Saturday night. Because of course it is. I chuckled. So much for my determination. I pull my phone out and check for any other store within an hours drive. I''ve got money in the bank so I might as well. I found another big box store about 20 miles from me. Getting back into my car I start driving. I wonder. ¡°Raven, is there any table in the store that would fit into my inventory?¡± ¡°Negative, all current available are prohibited by carry weight.¡± That¡¯s far, they probably weigh a ton after that side table. I need to pick up a bigger folding table then. What else do I need to make this actually livable. I have a shower, I''ll make a toilet. Need some more clothes. Maybe a nice chair. ¡°Raven, what would happen if I had to pee in the dungeon? Would it be absorbed like the monsters?¡± ¡°Confirmed, all waste is reabsorbed by the dungeon to be reused to remake dungeon spawned monsters.¡± I feel like Raven is nagging. Maybe. Maybe the future tech would have books, or the internet? I''d have to check. ¡°Raven, start a list of future tech that would work like a pc or tablet for me? Such as downloading books and connecting to the internet and playing games on or watching movies.¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Confirmed. Current available human compatible items include tablet, laptop, desktop, phone, and e-reader.¡± Okay good, things I¡¯m familiar with. Maybe a laptop and tablet? If I''m going to be spending all my free time in the dungeon, I want to be able to have things for fun. Thinking for a moment I call status
Name Level Experience Gain Credits
Arthur Turner 2 36.4% 6065
Hopefully that''s enough to get what I want. ¡°How much is a laptop? Does it run on mana? Do I have to charge it?¡± I asked Raven. ¡°Human comparable System Laptop is 300 credits. Functions based on mana. Uses credits to purchase digital content. Can use instance of Earth internet.¡± Raven explains. Hah. Earth internet. So, I can browse the web in the dungeon. Thats awesome. And a little creepy. Imagining all the basement dwellers living through their computers suddenly becoming dungeon dwellers. ¡°Instance of the internet?¡± I ask, confused by the term. ¡°Frozen instance at time of entering dungeon.¡± That makes more sense, since it''s a pocket dimension. ¡°How much is a tablet? Or could i get a laptop with two screens?¡± ¡°Laptop is customizable per order.¡± Raven says. Sweet. Now to think of my dream laptop. What would I want it to have, to look like? I have more than enough credits, I think. Maybe I don''t need a table? I need a bed though, could I buy a system bed or get an air mattress? ¡°What are my options for the laptop?¡± ¡°Appearance and upgrades. Base laptop is comparable with low-end computer.¡± Well shit. Definitely need an upgrade then. ¡°How much is a high-end laptop?¡± ¡°Comparable to current available 700 credits.¡± ¡°Can I get something that''s not comparable to what is currently available? Something better than humans have?¡± ¡°Confirmed. Current best available based on competence lvl is comparable to what would be available in 20 years.¡± ¡°How much would that laptop cost?¡± Shit, 20 years ahead of time? Is that with or without system interference? ¡°Cost 2500 credits.¡± Holy shit. Thats a lot. Would it be worth it to have future tech? Nearly half my credits gone? I know I¡¯m making more but I won¡¯t be while I''m in the dungeon. I¡¯ll come out every now and then to sell crap but still. I still have to stock up on food and gear too. How much would it cost to stock up on food for me for a month from the system? A full meal is 2 credits. Times 3. Times 30. 180 credits for just me to get different meals three times a day for a month. Go for three months 540 credits. Craft as much as I like. ¡°Can I buy non system products from the internet while in the dungeon?¡± ¡°Negative. Items cannot cross dimension without personnel.¡± There goes that hope. So, I¡¯d need all my crafting supplies first too. Do I really want to stay in the dungeon for three months? I mean I can. Get all the crafting I want done. I should probably wait til morning to stock up on everything though. All the dowels and paper I need. Get more clothes. Buy anything, I can think of to make a shower and sink. Everything I''d need to embroider. Do tomorrow morning''s dungeon run. Park my car at the shop. Set a teleport beacon at the shop. Buy anything, I want. Including a better chair. And maybe a couch likeness. A bed. Realizing I''ve been sitting in my car in the parking lot for half an hour contemplating I get out and head into the store. Grabbing a cart I look around. First, I head to the crafting section. I see a bunch of different kits for different ages. There''s a clay molding one. I snagged it. A beading one, snag it. Melting plastic one, snag it. Para cording one, snag it. Make a birdhouse one, snag it. Weave looming, snagged. Macrame, snagged. Quilting, knit looming, knitting, bouncy balls making, felting art, origami, soap making, windchimes. Most of the kits were designed for children. But I knew I''d be able to figure something out with them, or maybe just learn how to do something new. Anything that I can use to make enchantments I will. Make a quilt with a warmth charm. Make a paracord with feather fall. So many things i could do. I suddenly remembered. I never spent my skill points. ¡°Raven do I still have skill points free?¡± ¡°Confirmed. 30 unspent skill points, would you like to look at skill store now?¡± Shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯ll look when I get home.¡± I continue to browse the store. Looking for wood working tools, I look at a few different knives. Finding a set, I put four different sets into the cart. That should do me. Grabbing all the dowels they had, of varying lengths I cart them too. Most stick out. There''s at least 50 of them. I looked around for another saw, finding none. I¡¯ll have to go to the camping isle then. That covers the wands. Now I need paper and sharpies. Walking to the office supply section I grab reams of printer paper and several rulers. Ten packs of black sharpies get added. Thinking for a moment, I also grabbed a few composition notebooks and several packs of pens. I need to start taking notes sometime. Now fabric. And thread. I¡¯ll finally get to embroidering. Maybe even sewing. Should I give it a shot at making my own clothes? There''s a thought. ¡°Raven are clothes for sale in the store?¡± ¡°Negative. Only armor or equipment is currently available.¡± I circle back around to the section with all the designs in packets. Looking through the books I settled on several plain designs. Simple tshirt. Simple button up. Simple pants. Simple knee length shorts. Simple knee length skirt. Plain boxers for men, plain under wear for women. The most basic sports bra for women. Then I go on a spree for fabric. Any plain color, I pull. I stack them on the table where they cut them. And keep stacking. Blues and greens, yellow and red. Black, white, orange and purple. Two or three of each color, a light a dark and a middling. A worker came to help me, asking how much of each I wanted. ¡°All of it, of each of them. I just need them measured out. Please.¡± She gave me a startled look but got to work. ¡°I''m grabbing more things, I''ll be back.¡± I told her. I go for scissors grabbing ten pairs. Then needles. Packets and packets of them. Three measuring tapes. Buttons galore. Zippers by the dozen. The to the thread isle. I didn''t particularly care about matching, but I didn''t want it to be garish, so I picked out somewhere near the same colors. So many threads, I chucked spools into my cart. Just entire rows of colors. In the cart it goes. My cart was threatening to overflow. So, I wheeled it back to the worker measuring fabric. ¡°I¡¯m running out of room. So, I¡¯m going to go grab another cart real fast, be back quick.¡± She gives me a side-eye and nods. I nearly ran to the front and back again with an empty cart. Smiling at her. ¡°Think I¡¯ll need a third for the fabric?¡± We stare at the piles of fabric and chuckle. ¡°I hope you have a car big enough for your project.¡± she says to me. ¡°One thing I love about the new System? I got an inventory. Can store anything I can carry.¡± I told her. She winks at me. ¡°You ok here? I need to grab stuff from camping.¡± I ask. ¡°Go, this will take a while.¡± ¡°No need to rush, lots to buy still. I¡¯ll leave my cart here and take the second with me.¡± I say. She waves me off. Still sorting the fabrics into piles and measuring them one roll at a time. There''s at least thirty. I hurried to the camping department. Looking for an air mattress that was pretty decent. ¡°Raven are there any beds in system store I can carry into the dungeon?¡± ¡°Negative.¡± ¡°Is there a way for me to air up this mattress in the dungeon?¡± holding up the chosen air mattress a full-sized deluxe queen. ¡°It is possible for battery operated items to run on mana with enchantments.¡± Ok, I''m sensing a but. ¡°But?¡± ¡°Those enchantments do not yet exist for humans.¡± There it is. I can make them though. Maybe I''ll just get a camp cot instead. Putting the mattress back, I go for the biggest cot. I tested the weight in the box. I can carry it one-handed. Maybe a mattress topper to be more comfortable? Later. Looking around I look for camp silverware, something I can put pristine on. Finding a decent set of a fork, knife, spoon, I grab it. Now for saws. Finding some i grab four. Different types might be good. Would a sleeping bag be good? Or a tent? To separate living areas? I go look at tents. A good cabin tent with blackouts? Thats nearly perfect since I don''t think the light ever dims. It''s 12x 15 ft. Not quite half the first room. Do I want a bigger one? Is everything in the tent? Or use it only for sleeping? Maybe get a few and have ¡®rooms¡¯ one tent for each dungeon room? Have a sleeping room, a working room and an entertainment room? A bathroom? Then an open space? That sounds nice. Maybe I can be there longer than three months? Maybe I''ll stay until I run out of materials. Or I can hit other big box stores. Tonight, and in the morning. See if there''s a limit on my inventory. Just load up on meals maybe 2k credits for meal? A thousand meals. Spend 11 months in the dungeon? Could I? I put it out of my mind for now. Focus on the here and now. What else do I want or need? To buy stuff for the laptop to do. After I finished running through the store. I look at the different tents. And just buy one of each of the four biggest. None of which is bigger than 20x 15. Which suits me well enough. Then look at camping tables. I want a bigger table to work at. Or maybe a collection of smaller tables? Where would folding tables be? Found them. I picked up a 6ft one. Not too heavy, can probably store it. I got six of them. And three of the four-foot tables. And then two of the two-foot tables. I just stack them on top of the cart now. Maybe I''ll just get the mattress topper now. Heading into bedding I find one I like. 4inches thick and twin xl to match the cot. Grabbing a set of sheets to match the cot size. I can use my own blankets. And pillows, I think. Do I want rugs? I feel a little silly like I''m setting up a new house. But the dungeon is bare earth and stone. So, rugs in the tents? Or just get some flip flops or sandals? Maybe. ¡°Tell me about the sandals in system store Raven.¡± I say out loud. I suddenly wonder what people think when they hear me. ¡°Available to purchase, slides, hiking, ankle.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the slides then.¡± ¡°Confirmed. Cost 5 credits.¡± Takes care of that. Maybe I''ll grab a couple of rugs. Just for near my bed. Maybe a couple comfy chairs? I should get them elsewhere though. I shift the cart back to the fabric station. Looks like she¡¯s done with it. ¡°I¡¯m back to pick everything up.¡± I told her. She gives me a grumpy look. ¡°You better be purchasing all this and not just making work.¡± She side-eyes me. ¡°Yup. In fact, I''d like you''re help getting it to the front please? I can get it to my car from there.¡± I give her my customer service smile in return. She smirks. And grabs the first cart. We start hauling them both to the front. Thankfully it wasn''t that busy, being nearly midnight, several open registers and we go to the closest. I thanked her for her help and the cashier gave her a nod. The cashier starts ringing up the second cart and setting the tables on the floor, which I''m fine with. ¡°I''m gonna go grab a third cart, be right back.¡± I tell him. He gave me a nod. Rushing to the near entrance, I grabbed yet another cart and hurried back. He¡¯s still ringing up the second cart. I start piling things in. As I''m watching the total I''m a little astounded I have this much to spend. Thinking on it what do I want to do with my apartment? I''m going to be making so much money from the wands do I even need to keep it? If I can run the dungeon every six hours now, i can just spend that time at the shop. And shopping around the stores. Or napping in my car. Or just engaging in people after not spending any time with anyone for months on end. The second cart is empty, and he starts working on the first so i shuffle the carts around and make more room in the third so everything is more balanced. I continue piling the rung-up items into the carts as he goes on. I pull my phone out and check to see if there are any other stores withing an hour''s drive still open. There''re two more 24-hour stores. I open tabs for them, so I''ll have directions on them. When he gets to the end, the total is nearly staggering me. I go to double check my bank account to make sure, yes, I have five thousand dollars and can afford to spend two thousand at a big box store. The cashier looks a little frazzled, as I swiped my card. It goes through after several tense moments. My phone pings a moment later. Everything is piled into the three carts and I drag two of them and push the third in front of me. The ping on my phone was a fraud alert, asking if I just spent 2k. I answered yes, it was me. What a night so far. Maybe I''ll leave the other stores til the morning. It''s time to go home. After I stuff everything into my inventory that is. Ch 18 Into the Dungeon once more A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Ch 19 Another Run Ch 19 Another Run Getting home wasn''t a problem. Traffic was light at this time. Everyone is still at Church on Sunday. Getting home around 1.20 was a little harsh though. I go grab everything off my bed. I power down my pc. I unplug everything. Thinking for a moment I pick up my desk chair. Sure, it takes two hands and a bit heavy. Setting it on its side however, I undo the bolt holding the top and the bottom. Now I''m holding each piece in one hand. I try and inventory the bottom piece, and it works, I do the same for the top, it works as well. Lucky me. I start pulling out all my clothes and shoes and inventory them. I could have done this sooner, but I didn''t think about it. I pull all my extra bedding out. All my towels and such. I grab my toothbrush. There''s something I didn''t think about. I didn''t pristine my teeth. Or mouth. I go into my pantry and pull out my box of trash bags. Not sure how I''ll deal with it yet. But it would be good to have on hand. Ok what else. I stare around my apartment. It already feels neglected without the hum of my pc. I turn off all the lights and lock the door. My keys laying on the counter. Standing next to my desk I try to picture the sidewalk near the DMC. I only get a fuzzy sense of it. I search on my phone for google maps and find it. A much better image. Scrolling around I find the other side of the parking lot and imprint it onto my button #4. #3 is reserved for the shop. Imagining what it looks and feels like this second how many cars would be there on a Sunday afternoon and such. Then I press the button. ** Opening my eyes. I''m half on the sidewalk and half on the grass on the edge of the parking lot. The central building for DMC is in front of me, so I landed where I meant to. And not on the road, which is a plus. I walk through the cars towards the building. With a wave at the valet, I head to the front desk. Chipper is a good word for the woman sitting there. ¡°Carla, I presume?¡± I call out ¡°That would be me yes, how can I help you today?¡± she calls back when I''m closer ¡°I''m Arthur turner, I have the promised 24 tags here.¡± I say as I pull them from my inventory. ¡°These are all sealants, I believe MR. Dumar said they were to go to ambulances?¡± She smiles happily and nods. ¡°Correct. Sealants are going to ambulances for emergency triage.¡± She pulls out a drawer of the filing cabinet below her desk, in which is a lockbox. Handing the loose tags over feels unprofessional, so I try to straighten them a little. Feeling awkward as she hold them preciously. She puts them in an envelope into the lockbox. ¡°Thank you very much for bringing them to us. Is there anything else we can do for you today?¡± she smiles. ¡°No thanks, I already got payment, sorry about that. I''ll be coming back tomorrow with a bunch of goodies though, mark my word.¡± I snicker. She looks concerned. I wave it off and head out. Time to shop for a laptop then a dungeon to montage. ** Porting to my dungeon spot, it''s a little bit more crowded than expected. Apparently, people have been loitering outside smoking. After a few apologies it was waved off. Thankfully they were high and didn''t seem to care if someone popped into existence. It wasn''t quite 2pm, I should let Sorko know I''ll run late tonight, I think. First, I need to buy a laptop and e-reader. And everything I want on it. ¡°status¡±
Name Level Experience Gain Credits
Arthur Turner 2 49.2% 12015
Yeah, I could live on credits alone now. ¡°Raven tell me about the highest capable laptop I can use please. I want to know my customizable options.¡± ¡°Confirmed, options include number of screens, screen sizes, mouse, keyboard choices, lighting options, elevation options, and distance options.¡± ¡°Okay one at a time them. two screens, same size, side by side, 26inches on a 16x9 ratio. Because that''s what I''m used to. Trackball mouse, nice keyboard. Best lighting for my eyes and easy to see. Elevation equal to my head. Distance should be best for my eyes. That good enough?¡± ¡°Confirmed. Cost equal to 3500 credits, purchase?¡± ¡°Yeah, go ahead.¡± ¡°Confirmed deposited in inventory.¡± ¡°Okay tell me about the best e-reader I can get.¡± ¡°Confirmed. Cost 250, customize options include language packages, Font packages, formatting packages, lighting, note taking, and storage space.¡± ¡°Alright from the top, I want top ten most common language packages, the basic font and formatting packages. The lighting that is best for my eyes, with minimal strain or fatigue. I want note taking, and lots of storage space.¡± ¡°Confirmed. Cost 1500, purchase?¡± I wince. ¡°Yeah. It''ll be worth it.¡± ¡°Confirmed deposited in inventory.¡± ¡°Okay, time to buy stuff onto the e-reader. What''s available in store?¡± ¡°Available from Humans library is approximately 130 million books. Would you like a list?¡± I think that was sarcasm. In fact, I know it was. I didn''t know there were that many books though. ¡°How many of those in English?¡± ¡°Approximately 5million.¡± was my answer. Well shit. I could never read 5 million books. But I could try, but I won''t. ¡°Select the best 1000 books to read before you die and buy them. Do it by comparing 100 books to read lists, please.¡± ¡°Confirmed. Processing. Purchased. 2000 credits spent.¡± Not too shabby. 5000 credits left. Now to start buying for my new laptop. ¡°What can I buy for my laptop, games and such? Or movies and tv?¡± ¡°Confirmed. Anything currently available. Including streaming services. Or libraries of streaming services.¡± ¡°So, if I wanted to purchase all movies in English from the 80¡¯s until now?¡± ¡°Cost 450 credits.¡± Thats literally nothing. Sweet. ¡°Purchase it.¡± ¡°Confirmed¡± ¡°If I wanted all the tv shows in English from the 80¡¯ until now?¡± ¡°2025 credits¡± ¡°Get it.¡± ¡°Confirmed¡± I giggle to myself. Anything I wanted to watch is mine now. Just games left. ¡°If I wanted all pc games released in English from the 90¡¯s to now?¡± ¡°6500 credits.¡± Dammit. Maybe another time. ¡°For the last ten years?¡± ¡°1500 credits.¡± ¡°I''m good with that.¡± ¡°Confirmed.¡± Everything I wanted is now on my laptop. It''s just after 2.30pm. I head to the guard house. Before he starts his spiel. I wave him off. ¡°Can you tell Sorko that Turner will be late tonight? Won''t be able to run til 9pm.¡± He gives me a nod and radios it. Before I can head to the dungeon the guard calls out ¡°Turner! Sergeant wants to talk to you!¡± I walk back to him. He hands me the radio. I click it. ¡°Turner here.¡± Sorko replies. ¡°Why dungeon running late? We have a deal?¡± he gruffly answers. I click back. ¡°Can run every six hours, I''m doing a run now. I''ll be back out at 3pm.¡± There¡¯s a pause. ¡°Or you could run or guy now and do your run later.¡± he demands. I sigh. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°yeah, I could, get him sent to me I''ll get him set up.¡± He clicks off, I hand the radio back to the guard. Sighing. I pull out a piece of paper and draw two auto sizes. ¡°Raven a gravity wand and a force bolt please. Then the scale mail shirt and leggings.¡± ¡°Confirmed. Deposited in inventory.¡± I start walking to where the barrier is set between the populace and the guards encampment. I wait there a few minutes. Retil soon shows up. ¡°I''m supposed to meet a new face.¡± I tell him. ¡°Ah, shirt and wand then?¡± he asks. ¡°No full gear up. That way he can solo. I''m doing a montage today. Or tonight. Going to spend weeks or even months in the dungeon.¡± He looks at me. Stares hard at me. ¡°Do you ever talk with a professional about your depression?¡± That startles me. I haven''t even thought about it. I''ve been pushing myself since the system happened. It gave me something to do. ¡°Honestly no. The system is a shiny new toy. One that can support me. Couldn''t afford a head doc in the last couple of years.¡± He gives me a nod, settling down. ¡°Think about it if you can, who know maybe a head doc got a system skill for it now.¡± We laugh for a moment. Maybe. He pulls me along to one of the tents. ¡°Whitlock! Front and center!¡± a moment later a man in his thirties is in front of him. ¡°here¡¯s a new friend for you, bring him home by nine!¡± With that he turns and wonders off. Whitlock sighs and holds a hand out. ¡°Call me Matty, I''m pretty sure you''re a civvy.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I signed up to do something for the guard, so I''m doing it.¡± I shake his hand. ¡°And what is it you signed up for?¡± ¡°Gearing people and running them through the dungeon.¡± I answer. He shrugs. ¡°Alright then, gear?¡± I pull out the scale armor and the auto sizes and explain. He goes and strips down to better fit. After putting them on and sizing them. I give him the spiel about the wands. We start walking back to the dungeon entrance. As we go, I tell him about the dungeon, the goblins and the hob. What we¡¯ll see and encounter. He takes it in stride. Very cool and professional. We go past the line for the dungeon and straight to the portal. After a moment we step through. ¡°Do you want to take the lead? I''ll play back up if you need? You just need to practice with both wands in hand now. Which we can do in between rooms.¡± I say as we head into the first room. He steps past me and says in a quiet voice ¡°mazut¡±. The first two goblins are down in just a moment. We head to the next room and it''s the same. As is the next. The fourth room I have to step in. ¡°Want to take a break?¡± I ask him. He shakes his head and starts towards the door. Well so much for that idea. I go to follow. He started with the hobs, so I go for the gobs. I take down the four and he gets the two hobs. So, it evens out I think. As the false wall clears, he heads for the portal. I sigh and follow through. So much for that. ¡°At least he gave me the 150 credits already. I step through the portal. Into the daylight once more. I call ¡°status¡±
Name Level Experience Gain Credits
Arthur Turner 2 82.3% 1180
** Stepping out of the dungeon it was just after 3pm. I had nothing to do until I could run again around 9pm. Wondering if there was anything else I could buy, I check my bank account. Just over a grand. I could go buy another desk chair and put it partially together. Maybe sunglasses? For when I don''t want to deal with the dungeon lighting? I could just sit in the tents then. Or a planner so I can keep track of the days? Thats sounds good. Maybe hit a sewing supply store to see if there are any more tools that could be useful? Yeah. Pulling my phone out I search for the nearest store under sewing supplies. Finding one around three miles from me I realize I''d forgotten something. I don''t have my car. Sighing I port home. **getting my car, relocking my door and driving to the store took an hour. The store was much larger than I expected. Walking in I was greeted with machines. I had thought io do all my sewing with my hands. ¡°Raven, does it count as handmade if I use a machine?¡± ¡°Negative. Use of machinery can be construed as circumventing the system.¡± I sigh. Hand sewing it is. Iilook for any worker for help. Thankfully a little old lady comes to me first. ¡°Hello welcome to JoAnn''s, how can I help you today?¡± ¡°Hi, yeah, I¡¯m looking into making clothes and bags for some big projects. Problem is it all has to be hand sewn. I have a large budget and lots of time to spend to get it right, but I''m the only one doing it. I''ve gotten plenty of fabric, I think? Some buttons and zipper. Grommets and thread. Some simple patterns, I just don''t know what else I need. I''m going to be pretty secluded, so I''d like to get everything today if possible.¡± I tell her, rushed, quite a bit anxious all of a sudden. She gives a pause. ¡°Well alright, starting from the ground up can be a nit hard, but we can get you sorted out. Now, do you have needles?¡± I nod. ¡°Several packets.¡± ¡°Did you get any curved ones or only small straight ones?¡± ¡°Just the small straight ones.¡± ¡°Alright, lets head that way first the. Do you want a thimble? So, you don''t accidently poke yourself? A needle threader to make is easier? Scissors? Pins for the fabric? Clamps to hold it in place? A measuring mat to judge the size? Safety pins? A mannequin? Snaps? Eyelets? Rivets? Fabric glue? Tweezers? Seam ripper? Hooks? Clasps? Elastic band? Chalk? Pencils? Starch? Thread wax?¡± As she goes on, my looks of despair encourage her. We go back to the front, and I grab a cart. We go up and down the aisle. She will grab something and explain it to me. What it''s for and how to use it. And why I need it. So many things. One thing I did pick out was two project planners. I liked the look of them, both very flowery. But blue. As the cart was loaded with all sorts of goodies, I had no idea what I needed. We passed by the dress forms. I paused. Would I make it easier? ¡°Would it make it easier to have a mannequin? I only need general sizes and not perfect fit?¡± I ask her She hums. ¡°Well, it would help get the look right. But I try not to push them onto people who aren''t going to be sewing long term. If you feel you¡¯ll get your money''s worth from it, get it. Also, you still need pocket liners. And maybe just lining in general. What kind of fabric did you buy?¡± I blink sheepishly. ¡°A lot of different ones? What is the best for lining? Cotton?¡± She gives a small laugh. ¡°No actually. Polyester and rayon are. On the cheap side at least. Silk is great if you can afford to take care of it.¡± I grin, thinking about it. The suit was double lined and my pristine got the inside and outside. So, I could do silk. ¡°let''s buy some silk then. And rayon. I only bought fabric in plain colors though. So, the inside should be plain white or black or grey, right?¡± ¡°Hmmm, maybe? It would be hard to match fabrics so simple can be good. Just do shades of grey then. White would be bad and black might show through. How much fabric would you like to get? We have quite a bit of rayon, I''m not sure how much silk though.¡± I follow her to the fabrics. There are so many to choose from. She starts pull greys done. They look soft. I guess these are the rayon. ¡°All of it I can. Like I said I''ve quite a bit of a budget. I can go check out what I have now to make sure I''ve enough for the fabric though if that eases your mind?¡± I tell her. She nods. ¡°It would. We did load you up with quite a bit. You could go load the first batch into your car even.¡± I give her a nod. ¡°What time do y''all close? If I have time to go drop something off, I can come back with more money. It just takes me a little while to make.¡± She glances at me. ¡°We don''t close until 9pm. I don''t want no fussy business here you mind.¡± giving me a side-eye. I put my hands up. ¡°It''s the system, I''m making equipment for a hospital. They pay well, it just uses mana so I have to recover. I just have to drive home first, and it takes me a bit to get there and back is all.¡± I smile sheepishly. She gives me a hard look. ¡°Fine. If you''re honest about it I''m ok with it but know if you bring anything back with you, I''ll bring hell done on you.¡± With this she pulls a pair of giant scissors from nowhere out. They glow with an inner blue light. I''m fairly intrigued by her skill. I grin and wave. ¡°I''ll be back soon as I can, if you measure out all the grey rayon and silk, I''ll be back within three hours to buy it.¡± With that I checked out and left. ** Getting into my car. ¡°Raven how much space do you need to make wands?¡± ¡°2ft by 2ft area.¡± ¡°Alright pull the dowels from my inventory and start making them as I drive, please. As many pristine as I have six inch dowels¡± ¡°Confirmed.¡± As I drove, the hour back to my apartment I thought, of how many long dowels I had and how long it would take to see them. ¡°Raven, can you saw the dowels for me?¡± ¡°Negative. Not part of finished product.¡± It was a good idea though, Raven can make them as I saw them at least. Finally getting home. I saw Raven had made 5 pristine wands. Not too bad. Should be more than enough for the DMC today. I lock up my apartment from the inside and press button #4. I open my eyes on the sidewalk in front of DMC. I stride across the parking lot into the central building. Carla is on the phone this time and looks surprised to see me. I give her a wave and sit down as I wait for her to finish. When she hangs up. ¡°Good afternoon Mr. Turner, I didn''t expect to see you again so soon.¡± She smiles at me. ¡°I didn''t expect to need money for supplies again so soon. But here we are, I came here first this time.¡± I grin. She smiles in return. ¡°Well, what have you got this time? More tags?¡± ¡°Nope 5 pristine wands. Newly made, and ready to go. Can you vouch for them?¡± I say as I pull them from my inventory. They aren''t as pretty as the store bought but they¡¯ll do. I set them on the desk. She falters a moment on seeing them. ¡°That I can do, it was $1000 per wand, I can send the deposit right away sir.¡± she says as she pulls the same lockbox out from earlier. The wands she just settles into the bottom diagonally. ¡°Anything else I can help you with today?¡± She is back to customer service smile. Damn I might have intimidated her. Oops. ¡°Nope all good. I''ll try to bring more when I can. You have a good day.¡± I say as I left. My phone starts buzzing. Answering it. ¡°Hello this is Arthur.¡± ¡°Good day Mr. Turner this is Henry with First national bank, we¡¯ve received several fraud alerts on your debit card and were calling to check with you.¡± ¡°What alerts? I''ve been spending a lot the last couple of days.¡± ¡°Several deposits of several thousand dollars whereas before you hadn''t, and now you are spending several thousands of dollars at once. We are concerned for your health and safety.¡± I pause. ¡°Wait is this because it came from a hospital?¡± ¡°Quite. Reckless spending is often foreboding end of life care. We are concerned.¡± I laugh. Someone gave a shit. This was fantastic. ¡°Ok no. Nothing has happened to me besides the system. I got a system skill that is very useful. I''m making equipment for the hospital, they are paying me for it. I have to buy supplies for the equipment. I have just a bit more spending to do then I''ll be done for a bit.¡± There were a few moments of silence. ¡°Does this system skill pose a threat to anyone?¡± not what I expected. ¡°No, I''m helping the national guard here as well. I also plan on starting a guild here so I might need to open a business account soon. But I''m also going to be using credits for it. So, I don''t know yet.¡± Another moment of silence. ¡°Thank you for your honesty. I''ll flag your card as being upgraded to a different membership to be used for business spending. So, you can make larger purchases. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you.¡± ¡°You can make a bank run on system credits for one. Currency can be bought from the system. And everyone can hold their credits on them so no need for debit cards or bank accounts. No need for safety deposit boxes when you can have a personal inventory or bag of holding. But loans and taxes are still a thing. Land ownership is still a thing. Housing will soon be a major problem.¡± Silence again. ¡°Thank you for the information, Mr. Turner. I''ll let my supervisor know. Please have a pleasant day.¡± with that he hangs up. Thats a first them hanging up on you. I concentrate on button #1 and port back home. ** Time to drive back to the store. As I do, Raven is making pristine wands. No need to let time go to waste now. I might get a little woozy later though. I''ll probably need a nap before the dungeon. Going back in I''m greeted by the same little old lady, who hurries me to the fabric station. The piles of sorted fabrics astounds me, there was just so much grey. I loved it. We look at each other and I go back to the front for a cart. Then I start piling in into the cart. Then I go back for another cart. The fabric is soft and slick. So smooth it''s like a dream. I can''t wait to wear something that feels like this. I got denim right? I think I did. Maybe I should get more. Turning to her. ¡°I can''t remember if I got denim, I should get some here.¡± She sighs and goes to start pulling it out. Six rolls of different colors of denim. Looking at me. She starts measuring. I grin. Yeah, I want all of it. I take the first cart up to the register and wait there for a cashier. After she checks me out, I go outside and pile everything into my inventory. Then head back inside. Back to the fabric station. Little old lady gives me a look. ¡°What? I paid for the first cart.¡± she huffs at me and finishes up. I pull it onto the cart and lug it to the front. Cashier checks me out and once more I go outside and shove it into my inventory. I put the cart back then climb into my car. Now do I want to park at the shop and wait or my apartment and wait? I can nap at my apartment, but there will be people at the shop. I still need to set a port at the shop. And I can''t run til 9. It''s not even 5 yet. Shop then home. I start driving. Ch 20 Talking it out Ch 20 Talking it out Getting to the shop I see there are a few people eating. Not many but a few. Mikey is working with Kate. Lucas is probably in the back. I walk in and wave at them. Mikey gives me a wave back and Kate smiles. I go to the office and find Lucas going over produce sheets. ¡°Rough time, boss?¡± He grunts at me. ¡°By this rate we¡¯ll be out of everything by next Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday. Definitely Thursday. I''ll have to close shop for good.¡± I wince. Really bad for him. ¡°On the other hand, I can make enough to cover the shop until we get credits rolling in?¡± I try to cheer him up. ¡°What do you mean cover My shop? You don''t even work here anymore!¡± ¡°Well about that, I was thinking, after you don''t sell sandwiches what if you bought food from the system and sold it for currency? Youve got everything you need for it. And then people could bring their kids here? Or I could lease the place from you for the guild?¡± I ask him. He gives me a dirty look. ¡°aren''t I part of the guild?¡± ¡°Well yeah, but you''re going to be in charge of the administration. The whole running of the guild. Not the making money part, that''s part of my job.¡± Another dirty look, then he sighs. ¡°Why a lease? And not buy outright?¡± ¡°One I can''t afford too. Two I don''t want to kick you out, and three I still have my apartment, four I can spend as much time as I want in the dungeon. Also, I was thinking, instead of a stock room we turn it into an office space?¡± He looks at me and laughs. ¡°Sure, why not. We wouldn''t need to stock up on anything anyway. Buy everything from the system and sell it here. Run people through the dungeon and show them what they can buy here. I like it.¡± he sighs. ¡°Still have to give up my shop though. Can''t pay mortgage and bills on it in credits. Yet. Its due in a week and we haven''t been making the customers we used to.¡± I sigh. ¡°It could just have been a slower week than usual. How much is due? I could probably make enough in a week? Hell, I made five thousand in an hour today.¡± I grin at him. He looks furious for a second. Then backs off. ¡°from the hospital, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, selling my wands to the hospital. They pay well.¡± I tell him. ¡°Need almost 20k, think you can make that in a week?¡± I asks me seriously. I nod. ¡°I can probably make 20 wands in two or three days if I did nothing else. A week should be easy. I''m going to be doing a crafting montage tonight. You can stay in the dungeon as long as you want. Monsters don''t respawn. So I''ve got a tent, food, supplies, and a magic laptop. Gonna be there awhile.¡± I tell him quickly, getting excited once more. ¡°So, you going to be alone, for god¡¯s knows how long, and you think this is a good thing?¡± he ask me. I nod. ¡°Unlimited mana to craft, no distractions of phone or work or people or anything. Just me and freedom to exist as I want to.¡± He sighs at me. ¡°And how much of this is your depression talking?¡± He gives me a look. I think about it for a moment. I''m excited sure. But I''ve always been bogged down into doing things I don''t want. This time I have in the dungeon will be like a vacation from real life. Thats why I''m so excited. ¡°I just realized, it¡¯ll be like vacation. From real life. I even got a kiddie pool to soak in. I can leave at any time too. I have a lot of projects to do, and all the free time I want. I can laze as much as I want to or work as much as I want to. Sure, I''ll be alone, but it''ll be peaceful. I''ll come out if I''m too stressed by myself.¡± I tell him seriously. He huffs at me. ¡°Sure. I know you. How much food are you taking with you a months'' worth? Two?¡± I awkwardly tell him. ¡°I may have bought 11 months'' worth? Of different dishes?¡± He winces. ¡°Please don''t stay more than a month. You can go back in after coming out but come out. You need people in your life. You can''t isolate yourself like that. Maybe think about taking someone in with you and spending the month with them?¡± I pause. Spending a month alone with someone? There''s hardly anyone I know well enough for that. I would take Kate but she''s underage. I''d take Mikey but I don''t think he¡¯d want to sit still for a month. I think of the two brothers for a moment. Then the redhead Diane. Maybe those would go with me. If any of them have a crafting skill they could work on it. Then I think of Sorko and Retil. Either of them would be cool. Especially Retil he''s pretty funny. I smile to myself. There are people I could spend a month alone with. ¡°I''ll think about it.¡± I tell him, smiling to myself. He sighs again, ¡°That''s all I can ask. Now leasing the shop, how would you want to set this up?¡± he turns serious. ¡°Like a stand-up business. We use the lobby for Wands & Words, and you use the back for your shop. I use office space when I need a desk is all. So, I''m not out here doing paperwork. And so, I don''t have to go home every time. We can edit the line for the products the system sells and have it ready to go when someone comes in to buy. Have a menu of items the system sells so they can see what they want to buy. Take pictures of everything and have it in stock in someone''s inventory. Whoever is working the line I''d guess, and we just pass the food around. I can buy the startup plates and we just start taking pictures of them all and paste them everywhere. Or I make a bag of holding and it gets passed around. Or pantry of holding maybe. It''s a work in progress. We can even be 24 hours for all workers. Just need one person here.¡± That''s all I could think of for the shop part. ¡°For the guild we need regular walkers around set times, morning, afternoon and evening. Need a van to take people to the dungeon from here. Need to set up a book with pictures and details about the dungeon and what it looks like with dead monsters. Need to have loaner equipment and set up a place for people to change, just use the bathrooms, I guess. But they might want to store something not in their cars. So, lockers somewhere? Or just shelves they can set up on. Like they don''t want to take their car keys into the dungeon would make sense. Should we set up a training are for the wands? So, can people get used to them before going into the dungeon? There''s nothing behind the building besides an alley. Might be able to system reinforce the back wall to use as a target.¡± I had been rambling for a while. Lucas had been looking at me blankly. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Sorry, so many ideas for what a guild base could be is really cool. I wonder if we can make it a system building?¡± He shrugs. ¡°If we do, you¡¯ll be the owner, as you¡¯ll be the one with credits.¡± I shrug. ¡°Fine with me. But I''ll never kick you out, this has been your place for years.¡± He nods at me, grateful. We shake hands and I get up to leave. Kate was getting ready to go home. ¡°Heya, wanna be a gent and give a girl a ride home?¡± she asks flirtatiously. ¡°don''t you usually take the bus?¡± I ask her She nods. ¡°Yeah, but you''re here and it''s faster with a ride. So, I figure id try. Besides then you can talk to Liv. Shes at my place tonight.¡± fair point. ¡°Sure, then just give me a minute outside.¡± I walk out. There was a strip mall surrounding the subway, so I cross the parking lot to a sidewalk nearby. There were little to no landmarks which was a bummer. Having a thought pulled out a sharpie and drew an X in a circle on the ground. Marking that into my thoughts I superimposed it onto button #3. Once I had a good feel of it I walked back to the front of the shop. Kate was waiting for me, so I walked her to my car. We both got in. ¡°So where am headed?¡± I ask She points me in the direction. As I drive, we idly chat about things, the system, the guild, her idea of uniforms for the guild. Which I almost like. If they weren''t so revealing. Need more protection than that I tell her. We got into an argument over bikini armor. She was surprisingly all for it. Says it was a great distraction technique. I said not from wolves. Or goblins. She argued, the people that she needs to be distracted would be. I suddenly feared for her. She was young and pretty, living in a big city. Maybe she should pick up a self-defense skill. I tell her this. She said she took daggers. And has been practicing. I''m glad. Getting to the high rise where she lives, I find parking down the road. I follow along as she goes into a side door. The elevator music isn''t as bad as it could be, but Sinatra is still old. Getting to her floor she unlocks the door. Tt opens with a bang! ¡°Katey! You¡¯re home early! And you brought home a guy!¡± a young woman sitting on the couch in her underwear exclaims. I avoid my eyes, looking at the ceiling. ¡°Liv! Why aren''t you dressed! You know how I feel about body nudity!¡± Kate yells back. I¡¯m merely standing in the doorway trying to pretend I''m not here for a moment. ¡°Thats why I said you''re home early! I¡¯ll go change! Just gimme a sec, would ya?¡± The now named liv hurried off. Kate turns to me, red faced. ¡°Pease ignore everything you just saw. She has no modesty. It always embarrasses me.¡± I wave it off. ¡°there''s no shame without shame, I just didn''t want to look. I know she¡¯s taken.¡± I explain. Or try to. Kate looks even more embarrassed. Liv comes back into the room with a long shirt on, no pants. Might have shorts on, but I doubt it. Kate gives her a hug which liv returns. ¡°Heya Katey-cat, how''s things?¡± ¡°Good sis, this is Arthur, I wanted him to talk to you about something, specifically the dungeon and system.¡± Kate turns to me. So, I start. ¡°I got a good skill when the system came, I''m a crafter, more specifically an enchanter. I make items do things for me.¡± I pull a pristine tag. ¡°This for instance is a tag I made, with a pristine enchantment. I can lay it on anything, and it will become as clean as it can possible be. May I?¡± as I gesture towards the shirt liv was wearing, with her nod I lay the tag on it and give it a little mana. The dust off the shirt startles the both of us. And it suddenly was a much brighter color. We look at each other. She giggles. I sigh. ¡°Yeah, as clean as can be.¡± She laughs more loudly this time. ¡°As I was saying. Enchantments. I do more than just tags, I have also enchanted wands that do just as that does.¡± I pull my pristine wand and point it at the ouch. ¡°Riposte.¡± and there is a bit more dust coming off it. It too is suddenly a brighter color. I give Kate a look. She looks at me sheepishly. ¡°What is was a garage sale find.¡± she says. I roll my eyes. ¡°Like I was saying. Wands. I do more than just clean things though. I have also made wands that can kill. Specifically, goblins. In the dungeon. I soloed the dungeon withing two days. With just my two wands.¡± here I pause for dramatic effect. ¡°And you can too. I''m creating a guild. To walk people through the dungeon, let them experience the dungeon with a safety net. To let them get a feel for it before they decide if it''s something they want to do. Or to keep walking them through so they have to put in little effort to reap the rewards. Would you like to join my guild?¡± I ask her turning suddenly serious. She blinks at me. Turning serious as well. ¡°What would be expected of me? What is the pay like, what would happen if I failed, or I was injured?¡± I grin. ¡°Most of that is to be determined. You would be expected to walk a single person through once a day at the time their choosing. To carry one of each wand and kill nearly all goblins without help as best you can. To wear armor and do your best to protect your walker. We are charging 50 credits to walk someone through, but they must buy a single wand to be walked through since they will have to use it at least once. If you are injured on the job, we will get you to a healer. If you fail and are still alive, we will pay all medical bills for you and your walker. We will likely try and hire a healer just for the guild as well. The first couple of walks will be you paying off your armor and wands, however. After that you''re free to walk people and set up how you like. The pay is to be determined, based on if you want credits or currency. Or if you want stakes of the guild. Or if you want supplies from the guild. Or if you want room and board. So many things to choose from.¡± I say. She gives me a nod. ¡°We need a lawyer.¡± ¡°I agree, and I know just where to find one.¡± ** Calling DMC, Carla answers. ¡°DMC How may I direct your call?¡± ¡°Hi this is Arthur again, I was wondering if Mr. Calloway is in? I have a few lawyer questions and he was the first I thought of.¡± ¡°Hello Mr. Turner! I can see if he is. He sometimes works weekends to deal with overflow. Let me check real quick.¡± I wait a few minutes. She gets back to me. ¡°He''s in and can talk with you, is over the phone good? I can connect you now?¡± ¡°That''s fine, please do. Thank you for your help.¡± I tell her. As I wait for the line to transfer, I think on what exactly I want from Calloway. A basic contract or someone to hire? Or maybe just a lawyer on loan? ¡°Calloway here¡± I hear ¡°Hello, this is Arthur Turner, I had a few legalese questions come up, not with DMC, but with my guild. I was wondering if you or someone you could loan t my guild could help me write a contract?¡± I ask pleadingly. I hear a quiet mutter. ¡°The guild where you''re going to be running people through the dungeon? A contract for workers or people running through?¡± Shit two contracts then. ¡°Er, one for each then. And an administration contract too. Sorry I didn''t realize it would be so much.¡± Another mutter. ¡°there''s a reason to have a lawyer on standby. How about this. I loan you a couple of grad students here and they walk you through it. I can send them to you tomorrow if you have a place?¡± he asked me. ¡°Yeah, I''m going to leasing the subway on 23rd. It''ll sell food from the system for currency for people who don''t run the dungeon. We''re going to try and make it a system building. If we can.¡± He hums. ¡°Sounds reasonable I suppose. I''ll send them there around 10am.¡± ¡°Sounds good, thank you for your help.¡± with that we say goodby and hang up. Looking at liv and Kate, I tell them it''ll be sorted in the morning. ¡°So, in the morning ill decide if I want to then.¡± Liv says to me, grinning. ¡°I still have a good job anyway.¡± I nod to her statement. I had a crap job, but I can support myself just enchanting, so it works out. I tell them goodby and leave. Getting into my car and head home. Maybe I should get a calendar? I pull into a nearby store and look for one, I find a yearly planner. It works just as well for me. I wonder if I need a uv lamp? Seeing a tiny desk uv light I pick it up and check out. Then I head home. It''s time for a nap. Ch 21 Stepping into the dungeon Ch 21 Stepping into the dungeon After my nap I felt better, even with my bare mattress. I knew it was clean at least. Putting my pillow back into my inventory I pulled out a meal. It was chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. Tasty. Afte chowing down I put the used silverware back into my inventory. Standing and stretching, I have on my dungeon clothes still. I pull my pristine wand and point at them. Boots too. Going to the bathroom. I smile at the mirror. Pointing the wand at my teeth I say ¡°riposte¡± and nearly throw up. Gaging on dust and grime I bent over the sink coughing it out. I didn''t realize it was that bad. I brushed my teeth often, but I didn''t floss much, or use mouthwash. Rinsing my mouth repeatedly until the taste of ash was gone, I looked at my new smile. Rubbing my tongue across my teeth they were squeaky. And slick. I think I might have taken the enamel off, oops. My tongue feels more abrasive then usual too. Weird. Feeling out my mouth with my tongue I notice spots that were rough have been smoothed over. I guess there was something wrong there, but it''s gone now. My bad. Guess brushing really doesn''t get everything. I don''t get the minty feeling of toothpaste though. Which I''m kind of glad for. There¡¯re plenty of thing''s menthol doesn¡¯t need to be in. Drinks are one. Toothpaste another. I don''t really care if it''s cigarettes I don''t smoke. Pausing a moment. I pull my pants away from my stomach and point my wand at my boxers too. That feels better. Then my socks even. Wiggling my toes, I hadn''t realized what I was putting up with. Locking my apartment from the inside, I check all the windows. It''s almost 11pm. So, I slept about six hours. Which isn''t too bad. ¡°Raven, do I have everything I need or could want to live in the dungeon for a time?¡± I ask to double check. ¡°Attention, user has unspent skill points.¡± Oh, good catch. 30 skill points to spend, what should I choose? Oh, that reminds me. ¡°Raven spend 200 credits on various desserts, and 300 credits on various snacks please.¡± ¡°Confirmed deposited in inventory.¡± What else. Drinks! ¡°Raven, I want unlimited bottles of coffee, soda, plain water and mocktails please. And Milk!¡± ¡°Confirmed, Cost 240 credits.¡± ¡°How many credits do I have left?¡± ¡°430 credits remaining.¡± Hmm, what else could I want. ¡°Are there any chairs in store I could inventory?¡± ¡°Negative.¡± Worth a try. ¡°Any super comfy pillows?¡± ¡°Confirmed. Cost 50 credits.¡± ¡°Yes! I want two of them.¡± ¡°Confirmed, deposited in inventory.¡± ¡°Are there any sewing supplies in the store?¡± ¡°Confirmed. Tailoring supplies available.¡± Well, I feel dumb for a moment. Too late now. ¡°Anything I don''t have.?¡± ¡°Confirmed. Iron.¡± An iron? What would I need that for when I have pristine? ¡°Do I need an iron when I have pristine?¡± I ask Raven. ¡°Confirmed. Iron flattens clothes to be properly measured. Pristine cleans clothes and renews them.¡± ¡°Well, how much is an iron, does it run on mana?¡± ¡°Confirmed, mana iron cost 50 credits.¡± ¡°Plese buy it.¡± ¡°Confirmed deposited in inventory.¡± So, 280 credits left. What else to buy. Stereo? Music would be nice to sleep with. ¡°Is there a stereo or music player that runs on mana in the store?¡± ¡°Confirmed. Comparable speakers cost 50 credits.¡± ¡°Get them please. Do I need to buy music?¡± ¡°Confirmed.¡± Well shit. 230 credits won''t get me much, I think. ¡°How many CDs worth of my favorite bands can I get with 200 credits?¡± ¡°Out of twenty bands can purchase five CDs of each band.¡± That''s not too bad. Twenty different bands should do me plenty. ¡°Do 50 varying artists. All my favorites and then some of the best music for genres close. Different genres, just no Christian music or R&B or anything like it. That should do me plenty to listen to.¡± ¡°Confirmed. Downloaded to speakers.¡± ¡°Ok time for skill points to spend. Tell me about tailoring skill.¡± ¡°Tailor, create new designs and sew them into being. Cost 20 skill points.¡± Sounds about right. ¡°I want it. Buy it please.¡± ¡°Confirmed, will be absorbed upon next sleep cycle.¡± Which I''d known that before my nap. Oh well. 10 skill points left. What to do. ¡°There was another sleep skill, what was it?¡± ¡°All-sleep, Perfect sleep in any situation, cost 10 skill points.¡± I like it. ¡°Get that too then. I always get the best perfect sleep in less and less time.¡± I grin. Raven stares into space. Time to hit the dungeon. ** Porting to my spot, it was much less crowded this time of night. I walk to the dungeon portal. After greeting the guard, I step through. Walking down the hall is no big deal anymore. I quickly kill the first goblin. Marking about how I would set up the smallest tent here. Sliding through the next three rooms just as easily happens fast. I consider a break before the boss room but decided not to. Best get it over with sooner than later. Rushing through the door. I shout ¡°riposte, riposte, riposte¡± with my force bolt wand. Both gobs are down, and the hob is on a knee. Better aim this time. ¡°Riposte, riposte.¡± headshots both times. And it''s done. False wall drops and the portal appears. But I turn around and go back to the beginning of the dungeon. The first room was cleaned up. I pull out the smallest tent, 14x10ft. Takes up less than half the space of the 30x30 room. I position is so the doorway faces the next room and start setting it up. One thing I didn''t think about is that I can''t pin it down. There isn''t any wind here, but I might lean on it or pull it tight. The orange and dark grey suits a bedroom, I think. I pull all the window blinds down and put the topper on. Going in I pick the left side for the bed. Pulling out the cot, I unbox it and set it up. Then the mattress topper, finally all the blankets and pillows I pile on the floor. I''ll decide which I want later when I figure out the temperature. I pull the fluffy rug out and set it down. Then own of the two-by-two tables next to the cot. With that I have a complete bedroom. I zip up the middle section between the ¡®rooms¡¯ of the ten and pull out a four by two table. And a camping chair, with a cushion. This will be my reading nook, I decide. Laying a rug down on the floor, I sit down a moment. I pull my boots and socks off and trade them for my new sandals they''re the kind that have toe holders you just slide your feet in. I scribble out a couple of auto sizes for them and poof perfect fit. Storing my boots I set about finishing the rest of my ¡®camp¡¯. Truly I could have everything in one or two rooms, but that seems a waste of space. But I don''t really want to spread out that much either. And I did buy four tents. Pulling the second smallest tent I check that its 15 by 12. I could fit it in here too. And make this my living area. Put one in one corner and the other in a far corner. Make a square of living space next to the hallway entrance? That would work. It would be about 17x20 feet of open space. With a 12 x 20 caddy corner hidden by the tents. Or I could have them facing each. Have about 6 or 7 feet between them then a long space at the end? That sounds better. I start sliding the smaller tent over to the side wall into the corner across from the hallway to the next room facing the wall where the other tent will be. Making sure everything stayed in place. I start setting up the other tent facing the smaller one. This one is light green and grey. So I''ll call the orange tent and green tent. Or sleep tent and day tent. Naw colors work better. Getting green tent set up is done quickly since apparently it''s a popup tent. As I unfold it, it sprung up on me. Noth tents are around 7 feet tall so no worries there. I put the topper on but roll the window blinds up. I want some light in here just not dazzling. It''s not a blackout tent, which is fine. Orange is. I take out the middle partition as I won''t need it here. I try to decide which tables I want here. Or rugs. Thinking a moment. I go between the tents and lay out two rugs, so the tents are connected. Now I won''t need shoes. I lay the edges of the rugs over the edges of the tents, so I won''t be able to trip on them. It''s not like I have to worry about bugs here. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I think this will be my computer room. Don''t need a lot of excess lighting for that. I pull out a four by two foot table and set it near a wall, not like I have to worry about anyone sneaking up on me. I pull out my desk chair and reassemble it. And a cushion just because. Then I set the shiny laptop on the table. It doesn''t look that much different from laptops of now to be honest. Going to the other side I pull another of the four foot tables out, along with a camping chair and cushion. This will be my easy project table when I don''t need a lot of light. I throw a rug down in the middle, just because. Going out into the open area. Its 15by 30 ft. Wondering what I''m going to do with it. I decide to set up a project table. To the left side a few feet from the wall I pull out a six by two table. Going around to the other side I pull another one to make a T. Then a folding chair, with a cushion. At the end of the T and at the top of the T. That should do for tailoring, I think. I can probably just dump all the fabric on the floor. Maybe I shouldn''t. Going to the wall at the short side I pull out another six foot table and set it up. Then I start piling fabric onto it. Higher and higher it goes. I''m glad I started with the colored fabrics. Then the denim then the smooth fabrics. It''s a rainbow of color. Stepping back the piles are over my head along the entire six feet of table. For some reason this made me entirely too giddy. No clue why. I pull my project planners out and set them down on the project tables. Then step back. Need to finish setting up Going more towards the middle of the room I pull out the other two by two table and a folding chair with cushion. This will be my dining table. just in the middle of the room. Or should I put it between the tents? I''ll move it over. Not quite where the rugs are though. But close to them. Now what else do I need? I need to set up a bathroom area. I''ll do that in the next room. And the kiddie pool, maybe next room too. I still have four rugs. And three long tables. I''ll go set up two long tables against the wall opposite my tailoring tables. And throw a rug down there. Along with my last folding chair with cushion. I can set the other three camping chairs in the next room, one for the kiddie pool. Maybe I''ll put one next to the tents? I''ll do that. Just a spot to sit and relax. In case I want to read or listen to music somewhere different. I pull out my yearly planner. ¡°Raven, can you track time spent in the dungeon?¡± ¡°Negative, time does not pass in a dungeon.¡± Ok. ¡°Can you keep track of my waking hours in a dungeon? My sleep cycle?¡± ¡°Confirmed.¡± ¡°Ok. I''m marking today as January first of dungeon year. How long would you say I''ve been awake?¡± ¡°User has been awake approx. five hours.¡± ¡°Ok I''m going to call it five am then. Remind me to eat every 6 hours please, unless I''m asleep, then tell me when I wake up. And please keep track of how long I sleep.¡± ¡°Confirmed. User last ate four hour previously.¡± It''s really been that long? It didn''t feel like it. Time is screwy in here though. Which is why I''m counting on Raven to help me keep track. With luck I''ll be able to finish everything I want before my Lucas imposed month is up. Looking around I deem my dining table too small and trade it for the four by two table. Then I start piling my drinks on it. Thats better. Feels more homey now. Grabbing the coffee I slowly sip it. Some dark brew hits my tongue it''s a smooth blend, its good, but heavier than I like. I go to the next room and pool out the kiddies pool and the last two camp chairs. I go back for my plain water bottle and hold the nozzle between my fingers, so it flows into the pool. It works like I thought it would. I just need to learn this enchantment. As I wait for the kiddie pool to fill. I contemplate what to do first. I should start with simple. Practice making clothes. Then practice putting two enchants on them. It starts spilling over but it doesn''t bother me. The dungeon will take it. Going back to my living space. I set the water bottle down. To my tailoring crafting tables I start pulling out supplies. They were all still in the packaging. I pull the mannequin, which I assemble. Only reason I could inventory it was because it was made of foam and comes in pieces. Organizing my tools onto the table I start unwrapping them. The tailoring skill should help me with knowing how to use them, but I haven''t slept yet. And I''m not even tired. I don''t think I could even nap. ¡°Raven what would happen if I tried to sleep when not tired? Would my skills help me?¡± ¡°Confirmed, All-sleep and perfect repose would still function to get perfect sleep. Would check to make sure you in top condition before waking user up.¡± Huh, there''s that. I could nap again if I wanted to do tailoring right away. Putting all the trash into bags then into my inventory as bags of trash. I go to my other tables and start pulling out all the little kits I grabbed. Most of these sound like a lot of fun. Thinking about it, I pull the speakers from my inventory and set it on my dining table. Seeing no buttons. ¡°Raven, do you control the speakers?¡± ¡°Confirmed. What would you like to play?¡± ¡°Soft music, something instrumental please.¡± ¡°Confirmed.¡± soft sounds of piano and flute start drifting through the room. I smile. And head for my lounger. I quickly grab a pillow and lay down for a few minutes. Closing my eyes. I think to myself. This has been a good day. ** Blinking my eyes open. ¡°Raven how long was I asleep?¡± ¡°User was asleep for 40 minutes. Time is now 5.50am¡± Guess I was more tired than I thought. Yawning and stretching. I think to myself of then new knowledge in my head. I know how to sew. It''s weird. It''s like I knew how and I''m relearning something from my childhood. Thinking a moment, there''s something I forgot. Pulling out the two foot table I set it up between project tables and a hand saw. I still need to make wands, but Raven can do that while I''m sewing. I start cutting them down to six inches each. I wasn''t doing it very long when Raven interrupts me. ¡°Attention, user has not eaten for 6 hours.¡± I blink in a daze, and laugh. Yeah, that was something I said. I stop sawing and go sit at my dining table. I pull out all my silverware and set it down. I''ll pristine it all eventually. But first I sharpie a pristine on the camping set. That should do it for now. Pulling a random meal, I got fish and rice, with carrots. I munch on it while thinking of which project to start first. T-shirt would likely be easiest. Front, back and sleeves. Or skirt. Just a round panel. But skirt would need a waistband of some kind. Drawstring? Elastic? Buttons? They need some way to get it on and off. And it needs pockets. So tshirt first. Do I do lining? Or just make it light weight? I''ve got plenty of different fabrics. Could just make a silk shirt. Or rayon. Or cotton and wouldn''t need lining. So many choices. Finishing my meal, I grab the soda bottle and take a drink. Then I splutter. Currant! What!? Thats can''t be a soda anywhere. Ugh. I take another orange soda drink this time. Much better. I''m going to be judgy on the unlimited bottles from now on. Picking out a blue cotton fabric, I set my measuring mat down. Then I pull out the simple tshirt pattern. I¡¯m going with men''s large so that anyone can get it for one. Or should I go with triple x? I''ll do large first and then make another. just have to size it up a bit. Doesn''t need to be perfect, just proportional. Finding the right size pattern, I pin it to the fabric square I''m using. The fabric is folded over so I''ll get a front and back from one cut. I follow the lines as I cut along. Cutting wide won''t hurt. Go round the edged for the neck line and arms is tricky, but I manage. A bit uneven but it''ll smooth out. I hope. There, front and back cut. I pin it to the mannequin. For a starting point. Then I go and cut the sleeves out. There pretty easy just a wavy half circle. Looking at the pattern there''s on more bit, that you''re supposed to do in a different color. I skip it. Not like anyone would know. I pin the sleeves on the mannequin and to the front and back. It look mostly right. I roll bits in here and there to make it more even. Then pin it in place. Now to turn it inside out and actually sew it together. Which isn''t going as well as I¡¯d hoped. I forgot to iron the fabric. So, it''s not as free as I had wanted. Hopefully the auto size will help with that, but this is my practice shirt. Maybe I should have tried on socks first. No, it has to be something I made. I ain¡¯t sewing socks. I could though. Later, maybe The tshirt is coming together badly. Its tight in some places and loose in others. The sleeves look decent though. I shake it out. It looks shirt like. I take my armor off and try it on. Bad fit, but I put on auto size on and it''s much better. Taking it off. It looks much more professionally done now. The sleeves are even the shirt is even. The neck is a nice curve. It looks good for a first try. Auto size is such a cheat now. I''m so glad I made it. Not to embroider it on. Or pristine first? I need to put both on? Or just sell auto size separately? Decisions. I want both on, so people don''t need to buy more than one. I never made a color wand, and I might not. Or make it super expensive. Like 200 credits expensive. Such frivolity. Or 500. Or even 1000 credits. No one needs more color, but it would be fun to have. I''ll think about it later. Its back to sawing. ** Ch 22 Jan 2-3
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Ch 23 Jan 3-5
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Ch 24 Jan 6-7 Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Ch 25 Jan-May Ch 25 Jan -May Journal entry Jan 18 I want to put this on paper, I''m frustrated. I thought it would be easy. I could just sit down and do it. I can''t. It''s been over a week trying to put together a mana battery. Something just to hold mana that isn''t an enchantment. I know how it should go. I know how I want it to go. But it just won''t work. I don''t have the supplies here. I don''t have what I want to use. All I have is bits and pieces of crafts that I could make work but not what I want it to work. So, I decided to use the stones and pavers. I have them still on hand. I went through a paver before I decided to stop. It wasn''t pretty. It''s a good thing I have a self-heal. Raven tried to warn me that I was pushing too hard on this, I didn''t listen. I was too focused. I should have taken a break. Let me explain what happened in detail, I don''t want to rethink it that much. But I''ll explain. I need a record of it. I think it''ll help to be reminded of my failure, since I don''t have wounds to remind me. Trying to make a mana battery, with no input or output. Just a passive inlay. I succeeded. It absorbed mana. But it didn''t stop. And absorbed more than the paver could handle. I''m glad I didn''t do it in my tent. There was shrapnel. I had to pristine the bathroom tent to patch holes. But I made a passive mana absorption enchantment. Which yay, I guess? But it didn''t turn out well. Like I said, no output. Also, no lever. So where did the mana go? It didn''t. It exploded the paver, and all the mana with it. About four feet from me. The only reason I survived is Raven. Who can apparently use my skills on me if I allow it. Which hell yeah. I¡¯m getting nightmares about it. Chunks of stone ripping through my chest. I heard a few cracks and turned to see what it was. I didn''t realize the paver was still absorbing mana after I put the enchant on. I thought it would stop if I wasn''t doing anything to turn it on. Apparently I forgot to make an off switch. I still shudder. I can barely go into the second room without thinking about it. The dungeon took my blood, and I survived, right? I just have to remind myself I survived. I''m all healed up now. Thanks to Raven using my heal skill on me. So glad I got a self heal. It made all the difference in the world. Especially since we are in the dungeon. I''m terrified if I wasn''t. What would have happened to me if I was still enchanting in my apartment? Would I have enough mana to survive? Would I make it to a hospital? Would they have been able to heal me? Ok stop don''t think about it. I survived. Focus. I''m still here in the dungeon. I put the bathroom kit to the side for now. Since I know how to make a mana battery all I need to do is make input and outputs for it, which is more enchantment. So, I went back to making clothes. All sorts of them, and bags. So many. Nice and easy. And knitting. I find it relaxing now that I know what I''m doing. I don''t do anything fancy just the one stitch over and over again, same motion always. I made a scarf. It''s kinda lopsided, but I still did it. I wonder if I can enchant it? I''ll think about it later. I took a few days off after the accident. Just relaxing. I took the kiddie pool into the third room and did the hot/cold water on it, so now I have a hot bath. It''s so nice to be able to just sit back and relax, and good news is that the reader is water proof, so I was just lying there reading for hours. Some fantasy mystery''s whodunits. Just kept the hot water going. The overflow into the third room would be cleaned up by the dungeon so I could keep my bath hot as I wanted, no cold water for me. It was a good day. I¡¯m glad I didn''t bring any alcohol into the dungeon with me. I would have drank hard after that accident. Not sure if I would be able to come back well. Been drinking a lot of milk though. Very relaxing, soothing. Kinda wish I bought a bottle of tea too. Haven''t started any new crafts, just bags and clothes. A lot of clothes are getting done quick with Ravens help. I¡¯m doing them too though, so I get better. As I get better so does Raven. Haven''t gotten to 100 of anything yet though. Haven''t focused on a single item. I think we are done with all the shorts of every color though? And maybe skirts? There are a lot of skirts. Should ask Raven about that. ** Pulling my head away from the pages I was writing in, I feel clearer headed. It did help to write everything down a bit. I turn to look at Raven who is still doing underwear. ¡°Raven, did we do shorts and skirts in every color?¡± ¡°Negative, user stated aprox. That 10 of each color was ¡®good enough¡¯ for each item. That has been completed for shorts, skirts, and boxers. Only items to be completed are women''s underwear, bras, pants, tshirts, and button ups.¡± Oh, I guess I said that at some point. Good enough for 20 of each color? How many colors did we get? Blue, green, yellow, red, black, white, orange, purple and grey? I think? I asked Raven and she confirmed it. 10 colors and 10 of each item. 100 items. Wow. Made 100 skirts? Did I not get the notice? ¡°Raven, I thought if I made 100 of each item, I could make it from mana then on? Did we not make 100 of shorts, skirts and tshirts?¡± ¡°Confirmed. Using same design and enchantment constitutes as same item.¡± ¡°Sweet. So, I can make shorts skirt and tshirt from mana.?¡± ¡°Confirmed, must have mana supply on hand. Will have pristine enchantment.¡± I do a little dance. Never have to worry about clothes again. Even if it''s plain clothes. I still have a choice of colors too. I sit down and try, just for you know, verifications sake. As I sit there and concentrate. I focus on a light blue shirt. The same design all the previous shirts I made had. I can feel my mana coming together in my hands, it was so weird. Like mist pooling together, vapor condensing into water. I could feel the mana threading together into the cloth of the design I had used for the shirt. Then it was down, I was holding a light blue tshirt, my size even. I pulled it on, still only wearing shorts. The pristine on the side didn''t bother me. But I fed it a little mana anyway, the shirt didn''t change a bit. It was great, I can make clothes out of mana. Magic clothes. With this I should be set for credits. No one else has this. I should think about how much I sell these for. They have a built in pristine, which can repair them with mana? I think so. Thats how it has been working. Maybe I should make children''s clothes too? Just cut down on the size? ¡°Raven, would a child be able to wear these if an auto size was applied?¡± ¡°Confirmed. The size would be altered even to a miniscule frame.¡± Nice. Too bad id has to leave the dungeon to sell everything. I don''t want to leave yet. I have so much more to craft. Like the bags. I should get to work on those. ** Feb 8 Journal Entry I had finally gone back to fixing the bathroom and shower. It took me a good bit. The mana battery did well with stones, I figured out to make an arrangement of stones to balance it out. The input was the person walking in, the system asked if they would pay in mana or in credits. Their choice. Then they could use the facilities as they wished, with directions on the hand soap, the pristine tags, of which they got two each visit. And how to use the shower. The customer is given two hours of water in the shower room. I think that''s plenty of time. Its single person only so no hanky-panky going on. The payment of mana will be a constant stream as long as they are in the facilities. But the credit payment will be 10 credits. Neither of which is a big deal if you shower once a day. I made a sperate toilet stall with the porch screens. Its much smaller and there isn''t a floor to it. Just four poles with the tarp wrapped around a toilet and a pristine tag holder. The top comes to a point so no one can peek in that way. The idea is you use the pristine while you''re still on the pot. And you''ll be cleaned, kinda like a bidet. No hand wiping necessary. Its only 5 credits, since it''s just the bucket with vanish and a pristine tag. Nothing to fancy just for going to the bathroom. But you can set these up pretty much anywhere. I''ll have to see how much the system says to sell them for though. Don''t want it to be too expensive. ** I stretched my arms over my head. It''s been a lot of work the last couple of weeks. Time is passing faster than I thought it would. I''ve been taking more breaks so that I don''t burn out. I don''t think I''ll stay here months on end though. I''m starting to miss people. I pull a plate of mashed potatoes from my inventory. Hot with gravy on it I dig in. With my soda next to me I start munching. ¡°Raven, how many left on the basement backpacks til we reach 100?¡± ¡°47.¡± ¡°And the attic fanny packs?¡± ¡°Completed¡± ¡°Cool, cool¡± The fanny packs didn''t take long to make to be honest, we got into a process of parsing them down. A lot of them are cloth, mostly to give them to younger people, not adults. It was the messenger bags and backpacks that were going to be the big tickets for people. Again, can''t wait to sell them in the system store. Ill have it made. I didn''t really care about the color or material of the fanny packs, just something mostly sturdy. So, I made double layers of cloth or denim or canvas. This way there would be less harm to them. I still haven''t made it to lvl 50 in enchanting.
Skill LVL Exp Gain
Enchantment 72 22.3% The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Oh, I haven''t look recently. I suppose I could do double enchantments now. I''m not sure I want to try something new, however. Especially right this minute. it feels a little too easy to level up though? Like there should be a cap sooner or later, right? Maybe I''m missing something. I turn to Raven and ask. ¡°Raven is there something I''m missing about the skill levels? I feel that I''m going through them faster than before.¡± ¡°Confirmed, user has doubled experience with Raven combining uses.¡± ¡°So, I''m getting the exp, even though you''re the one enchanting them?¡± ¡°Confirmed.¡± I decided I''ll think about it later. It should be a while more til I have to worry. Before I work on double enchantments, I want to finish off all the current clothes and bags. I need to make a durability enchantment. Maybe something to prevent damage? Or make a null force applied to the item? That would help with the bags at least. Going to the desk inside the green tent and sitting at the empty table. Pulling paper out I start to doodle, what do I think of when I think durable? Or protective? Shield or barrier? But that''s not my true intent, is it? I want to keep the item from being damaged yes, but I want to make sure that the bags don''t come apart. So, something to prevent it from being sliced or tearing or cut. The sealant tag comes to mind, but that was a partial fix not a whole fix, I needed a preventive measure. The bags biggest issue is that if they were damaged all the items would be lost or destroyed or thrown out of the bag. Not sure which would happen. Not in a hurry to find out. Thinking about it duct tape comes to mind, as does mesh. Wire mesh specifically. Duct tape is durable and while it can be cut the way it''s made is designed to be cut, but if it wasn''t. Wire mesh isn''t designed to be cut. Think of all the medieval armor made from chainmail. But something smaller, miniscule in fact. What was it they were trying to make? Carbon microfiber? Something along those lines. Itty bitty microscopic mesh netting. Thats what I need to keep in mind for the bags protection. Mesh netting on a tiny scale. To prevent cutting and tearing. To hold it together. Holding the paper, I tear a few squares out. One I try and think of wire mesh and scribble a design I think fits. But I can''t hold my focus on it. It reminds me too much of chainmail. It would be good for the clothes maybe? As a sort of armor? Advertise as discreet armor? With pristine and durability on it I think most people would go for it. Sell just pristine clothes separately for regular non-dungeoneers. Using another square I focus again on wire mesh. Microscopic mesh netting holding something together. I keep that image in my head. Then I think of plaster. How we use netting in plaster to put on walls to hold the plaster mud on. Thats what I needed plaster mud and netting. Using the new image in my head. I focus once more. I think of a bare wall getting coat after coat of plaster with mesh netting the netting getting so thick you can''t see through it. And mud being applied at just the top layer to hold the netting in place. I start doodling the idea down, starting with a ball of webs. Scribbling over it, over and over again. So all you can see it the wire, never what''s inside. Then I circle it with the plaster in mind to hold it in place. So, it can''t go anywhere, to protect the netting and keep what''s in it safe. I feel like this worked. I also feel incredibly drained again. Two new enchantments in an hours span. ¡°Raven, when was the last time I ate?¡± ¡°User last ate 8 hours ago.¡± Ugh, that was around 2 am this morning. So, its 10 am Feb 8? Sounds about right. I really haven''t been keeping a sleep schedule. I should try and keep track of that better. But I pay attention when I''ve been awake for more than 20 hours and that''s about it. I don''t feel it''s been long enough to be hungry, but I can''t remember when I slept last either. ¡°Raven when did I last wake up?¡± ¡°User woke up 14 hours ago.¡± Maybe that''s why. I don''t feel it''s been a long day. But I could use a lie down. I shuffle to my dining table and pull something out, I still need to sort this a little better. Raven sorted it into general categories of breakfast, lunch, dinner, based on general region. Makes it much easier to pull something American than Asian, but I like exploring things. After something Mexican spicy, I head to my shower for a relaxing time. Then it was bed. ** April 18 Journal Entry I got the bags working, with the plaster mesh. I think it was a good use. Doing a double enchantment was much easier than I anticipated after reaching level 50. All I had to do is feed the first enchantment mana and incorporate the second enchantment into the first. So, there was a bit of feedback and now if one gets ruined they both will, but they will both need mana, but not twice as much as if they weren''t incorporated. If I just put two enchantments on the same item, then you would have to use mana twice and keep it separate. This way you only use mana once and it feeds them both. I put this on all the bags. But I only did half the clothes. I can just make more clothes. I can market all the bags as useable, to everyone and the clothes to dungeoneers and regular folk. I still have to wait to see what the system wants to sell the clothes and bags for, but I should get a good profit. We have mostly finished the regular clothes, I''m just going back through to add the chain mesh to half of the clothes, so 5 of each color will have chain mesh durability and pristine. 5 of each color will just have pristine. There are ten colors total. It was a lot of clothes, but we are getting through it. Tshirt, button up, pants, knee length shorts, knee length skirt, Plain boxers for men, plain under wear for women. The most basic sports bra for women. It was a good basic list. Common everyday wear. 8 items to get everyone through the average day. I know there are a plethora of other clothes out there, but I wanted to make the simplest things. So, I did. 10 shirt of each color. 10 colors. That was 100 shirts enchanted. Half enchanted again. It didn''t take long to make each item. But to enchant them took maybe 30 minutes? An hour? Which is why it took over a month. I was starting to get antsy about leaving the dungeon. I have plenty left to do. I''ve been crafting the kits I bought. I truly enjoy knitting. I''ve made several wash clothes, since I picked out quite a bit of cotton yarn. I didn''t have enough yarn of the same type to make a blanket, else I would have. I made another scarf too. This time purple varying. I''ve been practicing with the whittling kit as well. Its slow going but I feel I''ve made progress with it. I''ve only been able to carve two small bird statues. They fit in my hand well, and the kit came with polish, so they look nice. I''ve been going through the kits as well. Macrame isn''t too bad. Beading can be irritating. Clay modeling is entertaining. Made a birdhouse. Liked origami. Liked windchimes. Haven''t tried the quilting or weave looming yet. Made some soap, came out half decent. I didn''t try enchanting any of the kits though. These were just there to do something else and distract me. Just for fun I should say. I spent little time watching movies, but I did read some. I¡¯ve mostly been working on the clothes. Since I was double enchanting them. The entire time I''ve been in the dungeon feels like a vacation truly. A break from reality. Doing whatever I want. No job demanding my time. No rent to worry about. Just me and crafting as I wish. Relaxing whenever I feel like. If it wasn''t the lack of people getting to me I''d probably do this on a regular basis. Make a few big projects in dungeon come out and sell them, then go back into the dungeon. Just shop around in my time outside and socialize as much as I can. But I can''t do that. I would forget myself and the people around me. I would lose track of the dates, and the time spent in dungeon more then out. That could lead to disaster. I know to them it''s only been 30 minutes, but to me it''s been almost 4 months. I''m not sure how much longer I''ll be able to stay in the dungeon. I''ve considered a few times to pack up and leave, but something else drags my attention away. From doing the bags to the clothes. To making even more wands. Sometimes when I''m bored ill just sit and make a pristine wand. Since I can make them with just mana all it takes is a little bit of concentration in the dungeon. It gets easier as time goes on. I wish I had made 100 of the other wands too, like color or saved some for durability. Too late now. I can make pristine and sealant wands just from mana. I¡¯ll be able to sell them in mass when I leave the dungeon. With luck DMC will be able to take them all. If not, hopefully they will be able to negotiate to other hospitals. I need to stop thinking about it like ¡®the outside world¡¯ and think about it like ¡®the real world¡¯. I''m not a hermit. I''m not agoraphobic, really. I need to focus on finishing up though, what''s left for me to do? ** I sit back and think a moment. What is left for me to do? All the clothes are finished. All have pristine. Half have chain mesh. I made plenty of bags. For the three types I made 40 of each. In varying materials and colors. All with the original space enchantment and with the plaster netting. I''m nearly done with all the yarn I brough. I went through most of the kits I have. Taking stock of my food supplies I see I have about a hundred meals left. Not counting closely. Could ask Raven, but I don''t feel like it. The more I stay in the dungeon the more Raven feels alive, which is nice. More like a companion. But Raven hasn''t changed, my perspective has. I haven''t finished any of collections of movies or reading or games. Which is nice, so I''ll still have those in my downtime. I think for a moment and call status.
Name Level Exp Gain
Arthur Turner 2 364.24%
Still level 2. but I should be able to level up once I leave. Would I level up three times in one nap? How long until the dungeon levels up? How long until enough people level up? I wonder if something will happen at level 5? The system seems 5 based. Or maybe I biased. Since the US is base 10. Dragging my thoughts back on track. What is left to do? I can just sit here and relax and make more wands? I can just make clothes for a while more? Have more options? I could likely figure out child sizes and go that route. I could maybe design other articles of clothing, it shouldn''t be too hard after making so many clothes now? The only real trouble I had was with bras and under wear, nearly running out of elastic. Some of them are mismatched colors. But since I folded the fabric over the elastic it really wouldn''t matter, right? I need to stop double guessing. I followed the instructions well, and they look nice after pristine. They should fit just about everyone with an autosize. Sighing I stand up from the desk and move over to the computer. Youtube of silly puppy videos will make me feel better. ** May 5 Journal Entry Its official. I need to leave the dungeon. I have thousands of wands down both pristine and sealant. I went to shower last week, and I nearly fell asleep while standing. I just zoned out, I''m getting bored and restless. I''ve started packing up. The shower I''m tying off as one item. just keeping the poles and everything and wrapping it around the enchantments. So, I can set it up outside and sell to the system. After I made the tag holder it was easy. I just need to link the tag holder to the system store, but I can''t do that in the dungeon. I have thousands of wands to sell. I can just pick up all the rugs. Empty the kiddie pool. Pick up all the chairs. I started with the kits and tables. Those were easy to pack up. Just clearing them off made the space more open and bigger. I packed up spare tent so all that is left is bedroom tent. I have dining table out still but both crafting tables are packed into my inventory. The unused cloth I can get other clothes patterns, I guess? Or maybe something else? Maybe sheets and blankets? Quilts? Maybe I could have made tents with the cloths. They wouldn''t have been waterproof like modern tents however. We made over four thousands wands, pristine and sealant. I could have made more, but I was tired of it. I didn''t make that many tags, however. Since the wands are more permanent. and most dungeoneers can buy tags through the store. What else can I do? Looking to the future do all I want to do is make wands? Dragging myself away from the dining table where I wrote. I looked around the nearly bare room. All that was left was the bedroom tent with the lounger and my dining table. I had put one of the other chairs next to the dining table for when I wanted to craft something, but at this point I wasn''t doing much besides playing on the laptop or reading books. I had Raven making more wands still, so I had more to sell to different hospitals. There was so much I could have done if I had prepped right, but hindsight. The worst part is I didn''t think about supplies. I have too much cloth and not enough bags. People want sturdy looking bags, not pretty purple fabric. But I can sell them around. Especially to the store. All different types to the store first and then to different people. Maybe through the growing guild? Ill level up soon as I nap. Which shouldn''t take long to do. Just jump to my apartment and nap then jump to DMC. After selling everything to the system store of course. I''m starting to look forward again. The time in the dungeon felt like a refresher. And to remind me that I can''t isolate. It was nice while it lasted. But I do need people in my life. I''ll have one last sleep in the dungeon and when I wake up tomorrow it''ll be time to leave. Ch 26 Leaving the Dungeon Ch 26 Leaving the Dungeon Arthur woke and started the last of his packing. Today he was leaving. It was finally time. It didn''t take him long. After having a quick meal. And a quick shot of pristine. Looking around making sure nothing was left behind. It was time. To get properly dressed. Looking through all the clothes he had made he picked a light grey button down and simple black shorts. Quick auto size and I''m set. Pulling on my comfy sandals I''m good to go. I take a deep breath and start walking towards the boss room. It had been so long since I walked down here, I had forgotten. Passing through the rooms I was almost nostalgic. They were bare now, but I had spent five months in these rooms. It was truly cramped as I had more than enough room to move around as I wanted. Getting to the boss room the portal to leave was still there. All I had to do was step through. It feels wrong. For me it had been five months, for everyone else it had been 30 minutes. If I remember right, I had just run someone from the military that morning and was going to run someone again the next morning. I¡¯ll have to look at my journal later. With that I step through *** To a very different scene than what I was used to. Gone was the shack with a guard. Now there was a metal building, with fences lining the area in front of the dungeon. A guard came up to me. ¡°Sir, what is your name and rank?¡± ¡°I''m sorry what?¡± ¡°Your name and party rank?¡± ¡°My name is Arthur Turner. I don''t know what you mean by rank?¡± I told him He looked me over. ¡°That''s not funny sir. Turner died.¡± I blinked, stunned. What? ¡°My name is Arthur Turner, and I have a license to prove it?¡± ¡°Show me.¡± demanded the guard So, I did, pulling my wallet from my inventory. Where I kept nearly all my possessions. Nothing in my pockets nowadays. Showing my driver''s license to the guard he pulled his radio to his mouth and started speaking. ¡°Call the sergeant, turner isn''t dead. He was still in the dungeon. Yes sir, I¡¯ll bring him to you.¡± with that he motioned to me to follow. We trudged along, there seemed to be new paths laid out. The dirt having been trampled down. There seemed to be more organization now. As I followed along, I figured out what was nagging at me. It was morning. I went into the dungeon in the evening. It wasn¡¯t 30 min. In fact, I was starting to think it was a lot more. We came to a throw together building they put up in construction sites. It seems things were getting a bit more permanent. The guard quickly knocked and ushered me in. I stood in the doorway and look around. Srg Sorko was sitting at the desk closest to the door. He waved me over to a seat. ¡°Looks like you ain¡¯t dead, congrats.¡± he stated huffily. I nodded, still confused about the new layout of things. ¡°Seems to me you spent a bit too long in the dungeon. Everyone comes on in 30 min, except you. What happened?¡± he asked gruffly. ¡°I spent 5 months to my counting. Crafting mostly.¡± He stares at me. ¡°Five months. Alone, in the dungeon. Is that right?¡± I nod. Still confused on what the hell happened. ¡°Turner, it''s been almost a week since anyone has seen you.¡± I stop. Just stopped. Breathing, moving, thinking. A week? That can''t be right, the dungeon only takes 30 minutes, right? I stared at him. ¡°a week?¡± I ask weakly ¡°Nearly, five almost six days now.¡± he answered my question. ¡°we¡¯ve been building up around the dungeon. Getting more people to run it with singles and pairs. Less in full parties. Still getting credits, but less exp. It''s been working well.¡± I nodded to him. I didn''t keep my word to run them after all. I should check in with DMC too. To sell the wands. ¡°Do you still need me to run people through then?¡± he shook his head. ¡°Nope, you did right by us, but we took care of it. And you were right, we only needed a few more people to run a few other people before it started to avalanche. Now we have nearly everyone kitted out with the basics at least. And most of them can afford a few nicer meals too.¡± I nodded. Thats one thing off my plate. A week. Shit, the guild. ¡°I should go, I need to check in with a few people.¡± I tell him. ¡°you''re certainly right about that. But I''m afraid you can''t go yet.¡± I look at him, a question in my eyes. ¡°You stayed the longest in the dungeon. We need to know the effects.¡± I think a moment. ¡°Nothing for now. Just isolation. I bought a laptop with a frozen expression of the internet, so I felt like I was home alone for five months. I had a lot of crafting I did. I have a lot to sell to the system store now. I''ll show you some of it after I do that. I need to talk to my guild people, and DMC about the wands they wanted. If it''s been a week I''m behind on my commitments.¡± I tell him honestly. He gives me a nod. ¡°In that case, give me your number. Stay in contact with me and no dungeon diving for a week. We need to know if there is any adverse effects on you.¡± I startle, not even thinking about that. I pull my phone out checking the charge. And swipe to sign in. Handing it to him to input the contact info he wants. After he does, I ask to take his pic to save as his contact info. He agrees easily. ¡°I''ll keep my phone on hand and not in my inventory, so you should be able to get me anytime.¡± I tell him. ¡°Good! I''ll try to keep all contact to daytime however.¡± He gives me a laugh and ushers me back outside. He waves a nearby guard over and tells them to escort me out. It didn''t feel like a compound but now I can see it. I follow this new guard towards the street side entrance. Where it meets up with the parking garage. And goes near the bus stop. I pause and tell him, ¡°here¡¯s good. I teleport.¡± and wave goodbye. Then think of my star board and press the button for DMC. *** Landing on the sidewalk on the side of the car lot wasn''t too bad. I started walking towards the main entrance to see if they got the notice of my demise. Hopefully not. As I enter, I see the same receptionist is there. I smile at her and she looks taken aback. ¡°Hi there, been a minute.¡± ¡°Yes, it has¡± she replies tersely. Oh dear, it has been a week since they''ve seen me. They likely thought I reneged. ¡°So, a bit of a situation. Dungeon isn''t only 30 minutes. It''s based on how long you spend inside.¡± I smile at her. She glares at me. So, I continue. ¡°For most people it''s been just a few days, for me it''s been about five months. Needless to say, I''ve missed people, but! I spent a lot of time crafting. I have so many wands now. If the big guys still want to buy lots.¡± I tell her grinning. Her glare wavers. I might have vanished, but the need for the wands hasn''t. And the possibility of a load of them coming was a good thing. ¡°Let me see who is available.¡± She states calmly and she reaches for the phone. After a moment of dialing, she gets a reply. ¡°Yes sir, he is here, he says he was in the dungeon the whole time. And that he has a lot of wands sir. No sir I didnt ask. Yes sir. Yes sir, I''ll send him to you. Thank you, sir.¡± After hanging up she turns to look at me. Professional once more. ¡°Mr. Dumar is free right now and would like to see you''re ¡®load of wands¡¯ he says you know where to go.¡± and with that she promptly ignores me. I want to laugh to myself. I suppose I deserve that. I disappear after promising so much. I go to the elevator and head towards the meeting rooms I was in last time. It''s the most likely place he¡¯ll be in. Since I wasn''t called to an office. Getting there wasn''t a problem. The door being open and no one being in the room however was. I suppose I should try the office from last time as well, but I''m less confident about it. I think iI''llwait here in the same room where I met Calloway. Seemed like the best idea. I start pulling wands out and making stacks of ten. In front of each chair seems reasonable. One side is pristine, the other is sealant. Then done the middle is more stacks of pristine. All nice and tidy. So, ten stacks of pristine and five stacks of sealant are on the table. Is that enough for one hospital? I can always sell more if they want more. But this is my proof that I have them. How many wands could one hospital need for each type anyway? How many hospitals are in Dallas again? I can just sit and make wands now with just mana so, just sitting around I can make wands, but there are other things I want to do with my time now that I¡¯m out of the dungeon. I take a seat and wait for Dumar. I start fiddling with my phone. Connecting it to the WiFi and letting it update the date and time. I¡¯m a little surprised to see so many missed calls and texts now that I¡¯m out of the dungeon. It looks like Lucas didn¡¯t give up on me. I message him that I''ll be by in a few hours. It was about 20 minutes for dumar and Calloway to come to the meeting room. They both looked unhurried. I suppose they wanted to impress on me they were above me and that they had more important things to do. Wel shucks. Then they saw the stacks of wands. Calloway paused and started pulling paperwork from his briefcase and dumar just sat down next to me. ¡°So, Mr Turner, it appears the rumors of your demise are exaggerated.¡± I chuckle at that. And nod. ¡°Yeah sorry, found a new point of the dungeon system. It¡¯s not just 30 minutes but how long you spend in the dungeon. I stayed a few months and came out in just over five days.¡± Calloway was still rifling through papers behind Dumar. I was getting curious as to why. Dumar hums a moment. ¡°As to your production, I see that went quite well?¡± He gestures to the stacks of wands on the table. I smile. ¡°That and so much more. I have roughly four and a half thousands of both pristine and sealant wands.¡± They both freeze at that. I think Dumar even wheezes a little. I smile wider. Calloway puts down his briefcase and pulls a blank notepad and starts writing in it. Dumar takes a deep breath. ¡°Tell me, how many did you expect to sell today?¡± I blink. ¡°Uh, maybe 50 or so? Of each? I didn¡¯t think you could take that many at once. But I also wanted to start spreading them out to other places. I wanted your opinion on that.¡± They looked to one another, Calloway nodded. Dumar smiled. ¡°I believe we can come to an agreement. Tell me, Mr. Turner, how many can you sell as of right now?¡± I open my inventory and look at the stacks of wands. ¡°I have 4726 sealant and 4739 pristine wands. How many do you want?¡± Dumar sat back and looked at me. ¡°I believe we should renegotiate our previous agreement. Instead of 1000$ would 500$ suffice? It seems to me you make these out of thin air. And we are buying in large bulk quantities.¡± I think about that for a moment. I do basically make them out of mana. It just takes time and mana, a little bit of focus. 500$ wasn¡¯t a bad deal for ten minutes¡¯ work. And it did feel more fair since they were going to buy so many. And I wasn¡¯t quite so desperate for cash now that I would have a steady flow. ¡°Can you buy at least 100 wands now?¡± I ask. That would set me up well for the foreseeable future. Get as many needed supplies as I needed and see about getting some land. A stray thought in the back of my head. ¡°With the compromise, that you buy at least a thousand wands total from me. In currency at some point. I¡¯d like if you bought more, but I want to sell all these wands for currency. As they are already for sale in the system store.¡± Dumar frowned a moment. Looking at Calloway who gave him a nod. ¡°We can do that. My question for you is, would you authorize us as a reseller?¡± I thought for a moment. I could sell all the wands straight to DMC and they could deal with it. It was a pleasant thought. And then I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with other hospitals at all. ¡°If I did, would you sell to local places only? Small clinics and large hospitals? For the same price?¡± Dumar sighed. ¡°Nearly enough the same price yes. We might up charge a little, but less than a hundred per wand. And we would sell to nearly everyone. Even to individuals if they are healers.¡± I nodded at that. Something I hadn¡¯t considered is that healers aren¡¯t going through the dungeon as of yet. Just staying outside. Maybe I should try selling there too? ¡°That¡¯s fair. I''ll sell my wands to you for 500$ and you sell them for 600$. To everyone that can make use of them.¡± I pause then start again. ¡°How many wands would you like to buy today?¡± I try not to look too hopeful. Calloway laughs. Dumar smirks at me. ¡°A few at least. Remind me, it''s one person per wand, correct?¡± I nod. ¡°The pristine wand makes everything nice and clean removing dirt and grime. Sealant mostly closes a wound until it can heal naturally or be healed by a healer?¡± Again, I nod. ¡°Pristine will also straighten things up. Such as clothes or sheets. Like little daily wear and tear. Sealant will help with small and major open wounds. It won''t completely seal them but it will stop blood loss and hold close the wound. It¡¯s suggested to use pristine at the same time to prevent infection. But can be used after to remove infection. I am under the belief it will also help with burn victims, immensely.¡± They were both looking at me now. ¡°How strong a belief?¡± ¡°I would be willing to test it on anyone who has lost up to twenty percent skin loss. After that, it would take too much from the rest of their bodies to stretch out their skin. However, you can also portion it to smaller areas to make larger open wounds smaller. And I¡¯m not talking scar tissue, but fresh skin. People who have to live in sterile rooms being pristined and a few sealants of extreme wounds to prevent most bacteria to getting into their bloodstream. Open wounds on their hands aren¡¯t too bad. Open wounds on their stomach is another thing entirely. I know little of skin grafting. But once some skin is grown you can grow more right? Sealant would encourage rapid skin growth to cover the most severe wounds. Add in pristine and you can keep the skin grafts clean without have to worry and rejection.¡± Dumar was looking at me again. I pulled my fruit roulette bottle and pulled a drink. I think it was kiwi again, but I was too thirsty to notice. ¡°You think or you know?¡± He asked. ¡°Sort of know? But mostly pulling on the knowledge of what I can do and the imprinted knowledge of what the wand is supposed to be able to do. Like, I set the wand to do certain things, and it took those things and expanded my knowledge. On my wants and needs, on what I wanted it to be, the best outcome I could have had for it. Like I made pristine so I didn¡¯t have to do laundry. So it added in cleaning up wear and tear to itself, as that is part of what wears down laundry over time is the daily use. I didn¡¯t think of that. My image of what I wanted the pristine to do added that. I wanted to not have to clean things. To never have to wash dishes. To it made sure I would never. Have to replace dishes either. Because it used my subconscious thoughts as well as my conscious mind and focus on what I wanted for the enchantment to be. Sealant did the same. I wanted it to prevent more harm to a wound until someone with actual skill can heal the wound or help them heal naturally. But the enchantment took it farther. It knew that not everyone has magic healing, because I knew that. So it made it so that it would last until that wound was healed. It will prevent more damage to the wound and prevent blood loss and more than one sealant can be applied to a person, just not the same wound. Because that was what my subconscious thinks when I was making a stasis bandage. It became a sealant one instead.¡± Stolen novel; please report. As I finished speaking, I felt a rush of adrenaline to finally explain my thought process to someone. Someone who hasn¡¯t gone through what I did, who may be using the system or not. But clever enough to understand where my head was going with what I was doing. I wanted more people to understand that the system was helping. It was trying to understand people, but it was either a machine beyond our comprehension or an alien life form so far beyond us. I couldn¡¯t tell which. I couldn¡¯t say which scared me more. But I was finally beginning to understand it. It was hating on us. It just didn¡¯t think of us. It was just going along as it always has, and we were a new thing that appeared to it. So, it added us as it had the other 13 trillion species. Calloway looked at me aghast. He stuttered a little. ¡°Are you saying that your actual thought are projected into your enchantments?¡± I nod. ¡°And that when the wands are used, the user is adjusting the wand to their thoughts?¡± I nod again. Dumar sighs heavily. ¡°We haven¡¯t been told any of that. Why not?¡± I shrug. ¡°Took me awhile to figure out that different people were reacting differently. Especially in the dungeon. I have a skill that helps me be ok with gore and such. Calms my mind when I¡¯m stressed out. It¡¯s the only reason I was ok in the dungeon alone for five months just crafting.¡± Dumar and Calloway both look at me askance. Calloway asks ¡°five months alone? In the dungeon?¡± ¡°Yeah, organized thoughts. Calms my mind and lets me focus on what I need to do. Someone made the comparison to a stimulant for adhd. I can think through my problems and sort them out. I was able to craft so many things in the dungeon that I honestly ran out. I was bored after that, so I came out of the dungeon. Only to find out over five days have passed.¡± ¡°And so, you came to us. Why here first? What did you need currency for so badly you came here first?¡± Dumar asks me. ¡°My guild, and land. I can teleport. So, I can make a village, where everyone can build a home outside the city and just port into the dungeon when needed. Maybe make a portal to the dungeons all across the US so there is a choice of where to go. I haven¡¯t found where my limit is, but we are getting overcrowded already. I made a few things to help with the camping in the parking garage, but that isn¡¯t going to hold long term. Maybe gather all the crafters together in one place too.¡± Calloway was looking at me. ¡°You want to make a village of crafters. For your guild? Or for yourself?¡± I think a moment. ¡°Both? I want people to be able to use the system without having to handle the daily life tasks of living in the metroplex. Even now, I nearly cleared out half the fabric of two stores, just because I wanted to craft clothes, and I did. So many clothes. That I have to sell still. Daily wear for all. I want people who are used to making a living on their nine to five being able to live on their hobbies. With just these wands I can live, even without selling to ya¡¯ll. Just by selling to the system. I have so many credits I don¡¯t have to worry about the future too much. But I want more than that. I want more people to realize there is a better future. Hospitals are just the start.¡± Dumar was thinking hard. ¡°You mean after?¡± I nod. ¡°After everyone realizes what¡¯s happening. The dungeons are just the beginning. When everyone has magic, what power does the government hold? When the system sells food, what power does the farmer hold? When dungeons give credits, what power does currency hold?¡± Dumar was thinking once more. ¡°And you aim to start a village, where people can come to together for a new beginning.¡± I shake my head. ¡°No, I aim to start a village for crafters, for people to create with their hobbies and sell to each other and the system. To explore ideas together and make new things. a think tank of crafters with different ideas and methodologies together to create things the world is currently reliant on. You can buy nearly everything you need in the dungeon. At the cost of credits. But who will earn those credits? Dungeon runners. And where will they spend those credits? The system store. And what happens to people who don¡¯t run the dungeon? They get left behind. So, we need to make alternatives. System run devices that can work within the new parameters but still operate without the need for credits or being a dungeon runner. Hence the village.¡± Calloway was scribbling quickly on his notepad, several pages deep. Dumar had his hands crossed in front of himself. ¡°And you believe you are the person to do this?¡± ¡°Hell no, but I have the funding and the opportunity to. I¡¯m leaving it to Lucas. He knows management better, he worked the oil field for years, he would know better how to arrange something like this. And I bet he knows how to arrange housing for people to.¡± I rush through. Dumar nods. ¡°We have looked into the guild you¡¯re building. They have been doing well for themselves. A few of our people have been running with the young Michael. He was certainly entertaining. It seems as if found his life¡¯s calling.¡± I sigh again. Mikey was certainly doing well then. He was always big into hardcore games. But he was never able to play long. Maybe this will get his parents out of his life savings. Calloway pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Dumar. It looked like a set of calculations. Dumar hummed a moment and started writing on it. Scribbling a few things out and rewriting a portion. I sat there waiting for the conclusion. Hoping they were discussing how many wands to buy. Dumar looked at me, looks like I was in luck. Dumar handed me a sheet. I looked over it. They would buy two hundred today and, in a week, another two hundred. I was grinning. A hundred grand today and another next week. I looked at Dumar. Then the next paragraph. They wanted a portion of the land for their use as well. Or to be allowed to set up on the land, and to have priority when it comes to designs. I thought it over for a minute. Hospitals were one of the most important. But they weren¡¯t the all in most important. ¡°I can give you space to set up, and let your people set up, but I can¡¯t promise priority on designs. I¡¯m only one crafter. And I might not be the one in charge. What I can do is advocate for your needs to be queued first, however. That way people are thinking about them still. And if any of your people have hobbies they can buy into the village. But it will be a buy in. No free floaters.¡± Dumar nodded to me. Calloway smiled. ¡°Seems like you need a few contracts, yes?¡± I thought a moment. ¡°Sort of? But I can make contracts using the system as well. I need overall contracts that people will agree to living in my village. Like no harassing, no threatening, no grievous harm, encourage co-operation.¡± Calloway¡¯s face sank. That really wasn¡¯t what he had in mind. ¡°So, you don¡¯t need contracts on hand for everything, just general rules to follow?¡± I nod to myself. ¡°Yeah, I think so. People can make contracts between themselves if they want to. I¡¯d say wager at your own risk, but people have to be productive. They have to have goods to sell, with currency or credits I don¡¯t care. Maybe I can make a village that¡¯s crafter based on selling through the system? Or I''ll just set up houses and rent them out to people with credits. Add a few portals to different dungeons and I¡¯m good. I think that¡¯s what I''ll do for now. And let it grow.¡± I nod to them. ¡°So, 200 now and 200 next week?¡± Dumar nods. ¡°We¡¯ll look around and see if we can sell to any of the nearby clinics and such. Maybe a few private hospitals as well. There are over 200 medical facilities in Dallas. So, we have choices.¡± I nod to him. ¡°If you need me, you know how to get a hold of me. I¡¯m not going back into the dungeon for a week.¡± Dumar waves me out. Calloway is still writing in his notepad. So, I get up and collect the wands. Then start counting out a hundred of each wand. *** After reaching the parking lot I think once more of my star board and press the button for the shop. To the guild. I come to be again across the parking lot, this one a bit bigger than the last. And I¡¯m a bit surprised. The front of the shop has undergone a bit of a change. Once where there was a Subway sign there is now a tarp sign saying Wands & Words. I feel a little proud of that. I hurry over and pull open the door. I¡¯m greeted by Kate, flinging herself at me. ¡°Oh, my god! You¡¯re back! Finally! Where have you been? Everyone was so worried about you! You took forever to come back!¡± Startled by a person throwing themselves at me, I stood there in a stupor. I remember that Kate was 19. That did not translate to Kate throwing herself at people. I was gone five days. Mikey, just behind her, ¡°let him breathe Katy-cat!¡± He was grinning for some reason. He seemed brighter than the last time I saw him. Taller too. There was a pre-teen sitting in one of the booths looking over at us. Fairly certain it was Maggie¡¯s kid. He waved and got back onto his computer. Maggie was sitting at the new front desk. Gone was the kitchen line. Replaced by a privacy screen and a front desk. The rest of the restaurant looked pretty much the same from this point. There were a couple cut-outs of goblins here and there. One hobgoblin in the corner. All life size. I looked around as Kate babbled what has happened in the last five days. ¡°Lucas took the guild thing super seriously. Like we started making cards and everything., Mikey has been running people twice a day. The folks from DMC too. So, we kept your deal up with them. The guard didn¡¯t need us to run them once. We had a few people to run through the dungeon but there were a couple complications. Like a group wanted to run together and Lucas said no. One person at a time. We can¡¯t handle a big group like that. We can sell you the wands and you can go get yourselves killed, but you ain¡¯t getting us killed. It was super cool. He just shut them down. Then only two went for it. Mikey ran one and Lucas run the other guy. They both bought the wands though, so it worked out well in the end. They might be able to run themselves a few times now. But if they want to run their friends that¡¯s on them. We have a policy now! It¡¯s super great! We only run one person at a time. You must agree to purchase a single wand. Either force bolt or gravity wand. We suggest you purchase armor. You must look through our Book of Gross. And still be able to stand. You must be able to discuss the Book of Gross with someone. Otherwise, we will not run you through the dungeon. And yes, you can look through the Book of Gross before agreeing to any purchases or agreements.¡± I nodded along with her spiel. It sounded good. ¡°I suppose the Book of Gross is the pictures of dead animals?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Nope! A photographer went into the dungeon with an old-timer camera for us. Took like a hundred photos. It¡¯s all dead monsters. And the aftermath of the fights. Even the people after they have been fighting. So, you can see it''s not a clean fight.¡± I blinked. That was clever. Not a clean fight indeed. ¡°Does no one in the guild have a pristine wand?¡± Kate looked at me. ¡°Nope! You didn¡¯t give us any!¡± I blushed. Oops. Maybe I should do that now. I pulled five out. And then four sealant wands. I handed Kate a sealant and pristine wand, then Mikey one of each. I handed the kid a pristine wand. Then Maggie one of each. Then there was one of each for Lucas. The kid looked at me. ¡°What. Try it.¡± Then I proceeded to explain to them all the wands. Mikey got it quickly, seeing as how he was using force bolt and gravity wands already. Kate was having a moment of trouble. Maggie was shooting everything in sight with pristine. The kid, who I couldn¡¯t remember the name of. Couldn¡¯t get the wand to work. ¡°Raven can kids use wands?¡± ¡°Negative, user must be 15 to access mana.¡± I nod. Going to the kid. ¡°Sorry kid, I forgot you¡¯re under 15. Can¡¯t use the wand yet.¡± He looked at me and handed it back. ¡°Yeah, whatever. Three years it¡¯ll be useless anyway.¡± I laugh at that. ¡°Maybe. Maybe it will. What¡¯s your name anyway? I take it your Maggie¡¯s kid?¡± ¡°Yeah she¡¯s my mom. I¡¯m Jamie.¡± I remembered now. ¡°Oh right, you got the website up for us. Thanks for that.¡± He shrugged. ¡°It was no big deal, just a couple of scripts to even a page out and add a few pics.¡± ¡°Better than I can do. Listen how about this. What would a professional charge to make a great website?¡± He looks at me. ¡°I dunno few hundred, maybe a grand?¡± ¡°What if I paid you to make it a professional website?¡± He gives me a hard look. ¡°What do you mean a professional website?¡± ¡°Like I want it to be the basis of our Guild. I want it to be known as the basis for Guilds in the future. Can you imagine that?¡± He looks down for a few moments. ¡°I get what you''re saying, but I¡¯m not sure I can do that. I don¡¯t have a computer that can run that much software. And I¡¯m not that great at coding.¡± I grin a moment. ¡°Raven, can I buy a skill for someone else?¡± ¡°Negative, you can gift skill points to another. But cannot make such a purchase on their behalf.¡± ¡°Even if they. Are a minor?¡± ¡°Child under 15 cannot access system shop, a parent or guardian can for them.¡± Was Ravens reply. ¡°So, if I were to gift Maggie, his mother with the skill points. She could purchase the skill for him?¡± ¡°Confirmed.¡± Was the answer. I grinned. Then all I had to do was nap. But first. Turning back to Jamie. ¡°What¡¯s this about a computer not being up to date?¡± He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a few years old and isn¡¯t made for hardcore anything. It¡¯s basically for school and nothing else. Can¡¯t really game or anything on it.¡± I think a moment. Now I had a question for Maggie. Looking around she was still at the desk. Looks like she was sorting some paperwork. Mikey was staring at a wall practicing pristine. Kate was sitting in a booth looking through a book or something. I went to Maggie at the desk. She looked up at me. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Question for you,¡± I asked. ¡°What does a job for Jamie sound like to you?¡± She frowned. ¡°Like a bad proposition.¡± I frowned. Rethought my words. ¡°Uh no. I mean the website. I want to pay him for it. But I want it more professional. He needs a better computer for it. I was thinking the computer itself could be the payment. But I wanted your opinion before I hired your kid.¡± Her face softened. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s alright then. He does deserve a good working machine. The only reason I was able to get that one was the library was going through a purchase phase.¡± I nodded. One down, one to go. ¡°There is one more thing. Did you know you can buy him skills?¡± She blinked at me, her eyes opening wide. Obviously not. ¡°The reason I mention this. Is because I believe it would help if he had a coding skill or something. You would have to purchase it for him, but I would give you the skill credits for it. That way he isn¡¯t hindered with the computer. Or maybe you could discuss with him a good skill going forward. It would have to be a mundane skill as he doesn¡¯t have access to mana yet though.¡± She sat there in thought. ¡°He could get a skill that helps with school? Or maybe one that helps with work? Or maybe one that lets him focus? Or, or, or.¡± She trailed off. So many options suddenly open for her child. ¡°Talk to him. See what he has to say first. Maybe compromise between you two. Not just a future helpful skill. Because when he has system access, he will get his own skill points. But something to help him now. I just suggested coding, because it would help with the website is all. And I would be the one paying for it.¡± I walk back to Jamie. ¡°So, it looks like if you agree, you¡¯re getting a new computer. On the basis is that you have to keep up the website and keep it professional for good.¡± I had a thought. ¡°Raven can minors agree to system contracts?¡± ¡°Negative. Only those above 20 can agree to a system contract¡± ¡°And no one can make a contract on the behalf of a minor, right?¡± ¡°Correct. Minors cannot be held accountable to a system contract.¡± That gives me a few less worries. Jamie gave me a funny look. ¡°Why are you talking to yourself?¡± He asks. I had forgotten. Raven is only tangible to me. I was so used to it in the dungeon. ¡°My invisible friend. The system oversight committee. I named her Raven.¡± He looked at me like I had a second head. I laughed to myself. It was close to the truth with Raven. ¡°Sooooo, you¡¯re serious about the computer?¡± Jamie looked at me, wondering if what I said was real. ¡°Yep. And it¡¯ll be way better than what you could buy right now even. It¡¯ll be future tech. Plus you will get a skill. But that¡¯s between you and your mom. Ok?¡± He nodded quickly. ¡°What kind of computer? Can it be a laptop? Maybe a holo? Or ar glasses?¡± I thought about that a sec. ¡°Raven is there at glasses?¡± ¡°Confirmed. Comparable to computer you purchased and comparable to current generation available.¡± I feel like I missed out. I should have bought ar glasses. Or vr glasses. ¡°Raven is there be tech I could use?¡± ¡°Confirmed. There is human compatible virtual reality suit that is capable of transporting users to online spaces designed for other races. However. User has not yet unlocked this suit due to low level.¡± So, we can see aliens before level 150. In vr. Joy. Now I want some ar glasses. ¡°Raven show me the options for laptops for Jamie.¡± ¡°Confirmed. Altered reality glasses for minor. Options available include eye tracking, hand tracking, minimal ai assistant, integrated internet. Can include cellular and gps. Can include physical binding. Can include parental controls. Aesthetic options include daily eye wear of metal, plastic, silicon, or integrated lenses. Minors are given ai assistant as they cannot have AI interface. They will have parental controls over device. They will not have system link. They will not have haptic feedback.¡± Wow, that was a lot of options for ar glasses. Now I want some. Maybe some lenses. Later though. I glance at Maggie. She might be annoyed if she didn¡¯t know when Jamie was on the computer though. But this was a long-term investment. ¡°Ok, can I purchase for a minor that I am unrelated to?¡± ¡°Confirmed. Permission was granted by parent.¡± Sweet. So, looking at the options I go with my gut. ¡°Ok, plastic frames that suit the kids face. Hand tracking, so people know that he¡¯s on a computer. Let him name his mini ai. Include cellular and gps but link it to Maggie¡¯s only. Include physical binding. Have parental controls be set by Maggie. Am I forgetting anything?¡± I look to Raven. ¡°Confirmed. Color must be chosen.¡± I look to Jamie, ¡°Kid, you¡¯re getting fancy specs. Pick a color.¡± He grins at me. ¡°Red!¡± ¡°Red it is. You want brick or firetruck?¡± He thinks a moment. Looking around the store. Then points at the goblin cutout. ¡°That red!¡± ¡°Ok, blood red glasses, you heard him, Raven. What¡¯s the total?¡± ¡°Confirmed, total price 5845 credits.¡± I wince. Not quite twice my laptop but still. The glasses shimmer into being for a moment then drop into my waiting hands. They are definitely kid glasses. Much too small to fit an adult''s head. I turn to Jamie. ¡°Ok here¡¯s the deal. This is your payment. To keep the website up to date. And as professional as you can. These glasses are the equivalent of a computer ten years from now. A supercomputer if you would. You should be able to do anything with them. However. Your mom has parental control over it. So, if something is wrong, talk to her. Ok?¡± Jamie nodded vigorously grinning madly. He had a new set of fancy tech specs to use. That was a supercomputer he could use any time and place. Standing back up. I had forgotten o was kneeling to talk to him. Looks like the website issue is sorted out. And the kid will be happy too. Now I want a pair of glasses, but five thousand credits? Ouch. I have my fancy laptop though. Lucas came from the back office, and I headed to him. ¡°Wasn¡¯t sure what happened to you Arthur. You¡¯ve been gone.¡± I nod. ¡°Sorry about that, seems the dungeon has a different ice sense depending on how long you stay there. I was inside for five months. Came out after five days.¡± Lucas looks at me. ¡°And how well did you deal, alone for five months?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Not too bad actually. Had a lot of crafting to do. Had my ai to talk to. Have organized thoughts to keep me calm and focused. It was actually pretty relaxing to be honest.¡± Lucas looked me over. Not seeing much different over five days. ¡°Now what? I got the guild started. Word is starting to spread. We need people to run, but we need runners to run them people too. Have any ideas?¡± I nod to him. ¡°A few. I had another idea too. Want your opinion on it. What do you think of a crafter''s village?¡± He shrugs. So, I explain more. ¡°I have the money for land, and I can likely make a portal to all the different dungeons. But a village that lives on credits instead of currency. Where it''s all about crafting. So, people can make a living on their hobbies. Like me. I can support myself just on my wands alone now.¡± Lucas grunts at me. ¡°And the guild?¡± ¡°Stays here. But with people coming in from all over. Maybe we can switch out which dungeon we run. But we run people through the dungeon. Maybe we get enough people that we don¡¯t need to be wary of larger groups.¡± Lucas thinks for a minute. ¡°I like the guild. You keep the village for yourself. I¡¯m staying with this. I feel good running the dungeon now.¡± With that he turned and headed back to his office. I sigh to myself. The village was going to be a headache and a half. I should just focus on the guild for now anyway. Get it up and running and self-sufficient. Looking around, there doesn¡¯t seem to be much need for me here. I go to Maggie. ¡°We have anyone scheduled this week?¡± She looks through the notes and nods. ¡°A few people four new ones and three reruns. We have had a couple of walk ins too though.¡± I nod to her. ¡°Raven purchase 20 force bolt and 20 gravity wands.¡± ¡°Confirmed, deposited into inventory.¡± I pull the stacks out and hand them to Maggie. ¡°Here, so ya¡¯ll can save your credits. I¡¯ve got plenty. Buy some armor or something, ok?¡± Maggie nods at me and pulls a drawer out with a lock box. There¡¯re a couple wands in there but she quickly adds the new stacks to each side. I wave her bye and turn to leave. Kate gives me a look and waves. Mikey stares at me and grins. I walk out the building and think of my port board. I press the button for home. *** ch 27 Out and About
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