Between his improved senses, coordination, and stats he doubted that his ability to use firearms would decrease. If anything he might be able to perform with even greater accuracy.
"Not bad... I can get a few things cheaper through my racial feats than my lifestyle..." mumbled Scott. He immediately replaced his lost abilities with the versions he saw on his racial feat list. In order to acquire the feats that he needed, Scott increased his vitality and resilience to seven points each without regret.
After his statistical upgrade, he selected Improved Regeneration II and Improved Hit Points II for only two thousand EXP total. Purchasing through the shroom soldier lifestyle would have cost twenty-five hundred for the improved hit Points alone.
Another thousand EXP disappeared forever when he chose the Improved Feroki I upgrade. A few more minor decisions were made, and then he looked to Saelil. "I don't suppose you saw anything happening right then?"
"No, nothing more than you touching that sphere of light and tapping at little squares of light," she said.
"I see," said Scott. He needed something more tangible. At a loss for a moment, he tried to decide on a good way to show her what he could do. The problem was that anything flashy would require a lot of EXP.
He happened to glance down at her exposed leg and noticed something. She was barefoot. Even if he did not do anything flashy to show her the truth now, he could just take her with him to meet the others. Traveling between worlds should convince her. At the moment though, there was one thing he could do.
Scott looked into his companion menu and noted that Saelil was there. He purchased her a set of dark red high-heeled boots to match her outfit. He also purchased a pair of socks. She had no EXP at the moment, so he could not simply have her do it.
He started to purchase underwear as well, but realized that he already had a set. The plus three panties were an obvious gift for the recently resurrected lady in need.
Saelil watched in quiet interest as simple clothing items appeared out of thin air. She'd seen people pull items out of their storage for most of her life, so such a thing was not particularly impressive. However, the fact that her beloved handed her those items was quite endearing.
She accepted the panties with a smile then drew her robe back into storage. Scott coughed loudly once and turned away. Showing no shame, she chuckled warmly at his antics then took her time sliding on the panties. They were a lacey affair that matched well with her feminine sensibilities.
After that, the socks and boots were equipped. Her robes were brought back out and she wiggled in place a little. "Each of them is a perfect fit. Thank you."
"Ah, yes... Anyway. I need to show you a few more things," said Scott.
"Oh, do you?" she asked with a soft purr in her words.
"Not those things... I need to give you a tour," he said with a smile.
"Well, I suppose that will be interesting as well," she said with a smile of her own.
He picked up his fruit basket, and then used it as a sort of barrier between him and his new companion. She was an interesting sort of person, but at the moment there was a lot going on and he did not wish to cause more problems in his group through misunderstandings.
Scott explained his home point, and then gestured toward the doors in the room. He told her where they led. The doors that led away from his home were ignored for now. Instead he took her to his command room. She was suitably impressed even if she did not know exactly what a computer monitor was. Still, it looked quite professional.
He showed her to the companion room area and then to a new room that was created just for her. Her eyes lit up upon seeing her own private exchange.
"I can purchase anything that I wish here?" she asked curiously.
"For the most part. My exchange has the most variety. The Battledome that I mentioned has even more. Your personal exchange will mostly be items tailored to you, plus a few random luxuries," said Scott.
"I see... I also need this EXP as you call it?" she asked with growing interest.
"Yeah. Think of it as a like forty essence per point, or like it's the essence used by the gods. That should help."
"Ah, so EXP is the essence of the gods... Now I understand a little more," she said while nodding slowly.
"Yeah, something like that. If you choose to join us on our missions, you can earn your own EXP. It's really none of my business what you buy, but I do ask that you focus mostly on becoming stronger instead of all luxuries."
"I certainly do wish to engage in adventuring with you, beloved. How does this device make me stronger? Will it merely be my status?"
"Stats are simple enough, though you'll have a racial lock on your maximum statistics I suppose. Spell books and skills can be purchased directly for large sums of EXP. You can also upgrade your lifestyle, or change your race."
"I see... Interesting," she said. "Could one even become a champion like you?"
"No, not like me. Though, you can become a god or something I suppose. It just takes an obscene amount of EXP."
"How much?" she asked, her interesting piqued.
"I'm not sure. The closest thing to an actual god that I saw on the exchange list was in the ten million EXP range. It was more like a demi-god. My own race change was purchased at a ninety percent discount, and it still cost me twelve thousand."
"You are not human then?" she asked curiously.
Scott unfurled his tail from around his waist and whisked it back and forth. "No, not anymore. At least not physically. My soul is still human I suppose."
She eyed his tail for a moment then placed a finger to her lower lip. "This becomes more interesting by the moment."
They chatted freely for a moment, and then moved into the other sections of his home. Scott purchased credits for Bounty Star and a few other things to use up the last of his remaining EXP, before he checked his status one last time.
[Name: Scott Davidson]
[Age: 20]
[Race: Feral Kai Warrior][Third Class]
[Lifestyle:] Shroom Soldier
[Level: 3][2281/3000]
[EXP: 0]
[Life Span: 10 Day(s)]
[Hit Points: 104[516]
[Feroki: 45[60]
[Floral Power: 18[24]
ATTRIBUTES
[Strength: 3.00[5.00][Resilience: 7.00[8.00]
[Vitality: 7.50[10.00][Dexterity: 4.00[5.00]
[Concentration: 3.00[4.00][Charisma: 3.00[4.00]
FEATS
[Lunar Revelation]
[Undying Beast Revelation]
[Altered Beast Revelation]
[Feroki Attunement]
[Improved Feroki]
[Improved Regeneration II]
[Improved Hit Points II]
[Feral Kai Warrior Enhanced Senses]
[Soldier's Resolve]
[Improved Floral Power I]
[Improved Floral Power Regeneration I]
POWERS
[Gravitas Super Jump][FP: 3]
[Burning Smash][FP: 0.75]
[--]
"Oh that's nice..." said Scott with a thoroughly pleased smile. He was already much better off than before. His EXP was completely empty, but his overall capabilities were much greater. He did not yet have a feroki skill to use, but he would be able to acquire a few simple ones with no trouble once he had the EXP. What was important was his foundation. All it would take was another good run like the last one. He would be able to completely max out all of his stats, and acquire most of his lifestyle and racial abilities for his current level.
Shroom soldier was surprisingly good for now, even without the floral powers. The automatic boost to strength and vitality meant that his stats would max out at a point higher than his Feral Kai racial stats. There were a few racial feats and shroom soldier feats that could be purchased to push things even higher. Without undying beast revelation even being brought into play, he could easily get his strength and vitality to sixteen or so before his EXP based stat boosting options ran out.
"Shit, with no training at all I could be four times stronger than the strongest man who ever lived on Earth..." mumbled Scott while looking at his status.
"What was that beloved?" asked Saelil.
"Ah, nothing... Just planning world domination or whatever," he said with a chuckle.
"And you did not invite me to plot with you? Shameful..." she said with a soft smile.
"You'd probably have taken my plotting seriously," he said with a wry smile on his lips.
"Oh, certainly," she said, lightly.
Scott closed his eyes briefly, but continued to smile while doing so. Saelil was quite the interesting girl. He was blessed with such partners recently, and it was nice to be around them. Thinking of first Saelil, and then the others, made him feel a bit antsy. Even though he was supposed to be inserted back at the exact moment he left, it still felt like a long time since he'd seen Kitty and Samantha. It was time to get the team together, and get started on building themselves up for the tough road ahead.
Chapter 14
On the screen before him there sat an item that taunted him. His special spin-to-win reward for purchasing his race upgrade made him nervous. He was debating on whether to activate it now, or wait until he had regrouped his forces.
"This, are we even serious right now?" Scott shook his head then laughed a little. What kind of overpowered reward was this?
[Special Reward]
Congratulations on winning a special prize!
[Class II Companion Ticket]
A randomly selected class two companion from a world in the game network will be brought to your side. This companion will be selected based on three criteria.
- The companion will have great meaning for you due to factors such as nostalgia or popularity. Further, this companion will actively wish to work with you.
- The companion will be capable of fighting at your side in many different world-settings.
- The companion will not have an initial base capacity higher than your current level.
If this character belongs to a world-setting that you have not unlocked, you must undertake both a solo introductory mission and a story mission of at least [Normal Difficulty] in that world-setting before the companion can become a permanent ally. The story mission may possibly allow for a full-team.
This ticket is good for ten days. If you must undertake a story mission for this ticket, that mission will count as a weekly story mission. The companion selected may have to return to their world of origin from time-to-time due to storyline developments and personal concerns.
[--]
Scott sighed after a moment and shook his head. "No. No more running off on solo missions for now. I know my luck. This thing will summon a companion from a world I've never been before, and I'll have to run around naked again."
The ticket was good for ten days. If he waited to use it then he could undertake the missions listed and use that as a means of knowing what sort of story mission would be available in advance.
Decision made, Scott turned to Saelil. "I'm heading out... You should stay he—"
"I'm ready for travel as well, beloved," said Saelil before Scott could finish his statement.
He eyed her briefly then blew out a breath. Was it really too much to ask for her to stay here so he could get the situation sorted properly? It wasn't like he was actively dating either of the other girls, but there was no chance that this situation would not end in an argument.
In the end, Scott quietly decided to just say, fuck it. It was better to rip the bandage off quickly than to pull it slowly and make it hurt more. "Sure, let's go."
Scott and Saelil walked over to the mission door. He opened it with a touch and nodded to her. "You should go first. It might close behind me."
Saelil nodded then walked through the door of light. Scott followed after and stepped right back into the exact position that he had occupied days ago. Saelil was nowhere to be seen. Her lack of presence was alarming, but there was nothing that he could do about it at the moment.
The world suddenly began to move again without warning. Kitty's laughing voice cut through the air. "I wouldn't bet on it. We should get some hand sanitizer just in ca—" Kitty's words died as she realized something was strange.
"Uh, hey Kitty. It's been a while..." said Scott slowly.
The catgirl's eyes widened in surprise. "Who? What?"
Scott's reasonable fit and athletic form had suddenly shifted to that of a perfectly sculpted badass. There were no other words to define the change. He now looked like his body was carved from stone and made into flesh. Her mouth hung open slightly as she processed the rapid change. A moment later her eyes spotted a certain appendage hanging from Scott's suit, and her jaw fell open.
"So... Some things happened..." began Scott.
"You have a tail..." she said slowly. The tail lashed to the side and her eyes followed its motions. "A cat tail..."
Scott's tail lashed a few more times. A hint of drool escaped from the corner of Kitty's lips as her head whipped from side to side as she followed the movements of his surprising new appendage. A strange scent permeated the air as well, one she could not quite place. However, she suddenly felt that it was becoming quite warm in the room.
"Yeah, about that... I—" Scott's words were cut off as a loud shout echoed from outside.
"Damn..." he said, before turning and rushing out of the room. He suddenly knew exactly where Saelil must have appeared. Fucking game admins.
"Wha— Wait for me!" cried Kitty before she trotted after him, a bright smile on her lips. Her fluffy tail trailed whimsically behind her as she moved in hot pursuit of the exciting new development in her life. She just had to hear this story.
The sound of thunder rumbled nearby as lightning struck the earth. Scott appeared on scene just in time to see Samantha rolling rapidly away from a blast crater. She fired repeatedly at Saelil, only to have her shots slap against an invisible shield. The dark elven sorceress began to move into another spell casting position, though she panted heavily while doing so.
"Stop!" called out Scott. "Stop fighting both of you!"
"Beloved?" asked Saelil excitedly, her opponent forgotten for a moment. "There you are!"
Suddenly everything stopped. It was not the frozen time of the system messages. Instead, it was the frozen moment after a strange thing had been said, one that was punctuated by the absence of speech. The original members of the group slowly turned to look at Scott, their faces filled with confusion, and surprise.
"Beloved...?" asked Kitty curiously. Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. "That better be one interesting story."
"You have a tail?" asked Samantha. She seemed to intentionally avoid looking at Saelil. Though, it was easy to see why. Scott's newly formed appearance was much more interesting. "Is... That is you isn't it?"
"Hey, I'll explain everything in a moment, but we're starting to draw a crowd," he said. In the distance, a small number of zombies shambled toward them.
"You smell different..." said Kitty suspiciously.
"I'll explain it in a moment. We need to finish getting everything loaded and get out of here," said Scott. Was he buying time? Was he attempting to keep them on task? Yes on both counts.
"Who is sh—" began Kitty while pointing at Saelil. Scott broke in briefly, "In a moment, please."
Samantha stood up and dusted herself off. "Whatever. Let's just get finished here."
Saelil looked around at the others then focused her attention on Scott. "So, these are the Kitty and the Samantha whom you told me about?" she said, before casually adding the word, "Beloved."
Scott reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose before muttering, "No wonder I prefer solo-RPGs."
"I'm going to grab that handful of items that I forgot while running out here. You ladies can stay here and deal with the crowd we're drawing, or you can argue. Either way," said Scott before heading back into the house. There were still a few thin
gs like gold coins and crystals left in that hidden area. The book went with him to his home, but the other items still waited to be picked up.
Not long after he reached the stash he heard the distinctive sound of energy weapons fire, and a few loud feminine shouts. He sighed and shook his head. "Either I'll have less headaches, or less zombies, when I go back up."
Scott stored the items in his spatial storage then went back outside. Nearly a dozen dead zombies were scattered around the area. More were coming, but they were quite a distance away.
"Great work ladies!" said Scott cheerfully. Before any of them could speak, he continued, "We're done here. Let's mount up and head back."
He ran around to the other side of the vehicle, and then hopped into the truck with a high-pitched laugh before he fired it up. So far, so good.
Unfortunately, neither of the girls got in the truck. He looked out the window and saw them chatting with each other. Samantha and Kitty sandwiched Saelil and asked her rapid fire questions.
Scott rolled down the passenger window, honked twice, and called out, "Let's go-o alread-ay..."
"So, you're saying that he confessed his love to you?" asked Samantha in a curious tone.
Scott's left eyelid began to twitch a little. There was no getting out of having the discussion right that moment, was there? He sighed loudly, more like groaned, and shut the truck off. "This is going to take a while, huh?"
He hopped out of the truck and walked over to where the girls were talking. Saelil smiled prettily while looking and back forth between the girls. It was obvious that she was asserting her perceived position of dominance.
Galactic Fist of Legend: Volume 2 Page 20