Just out of curiosity, I asked Martha about it. She confirmed my conjectures.
And the next skill on the list... well, it could easily make anyone the next President of anything. Like President of planet Earth, for instance. It could turn you into either a powerful leader of an evil overlord.
Tier 3
Ability name: Persuasion
Ability type: Active, Heroic
The skill endows the user with a 100% power of persuasion, allowing him or her to win over all human beings whose social status level is lower than his or her own. The possibility of winning over those human beings whose social status level is equal or surpasses that of the user wanes accordingly.
Warning! Any attempt to use the skill for anti-social purposes will result in it being permanently blocked.
Unblocking requirements:
- Heroism: level 3+
- Social status: level 30+
- Communication Skills: level 20+
- Leadership: level 20+
- Public Speaking: level 20+
- Perception: level 30+
- Charisma: level 30+
- Intellect: level 30+
Cooldown: 24 hrs.
Almost immediately, I could think of at least several ways of using the skill. The dumbest of them was to shoot a video of myself and upload it to YouTube. That was it. It didn’t really matter what it was about. I could tell them to walk around naked from now on. Or send donations to my personal bank account. Or support Mr. Panikoff’s favorite soccer team, Zenith. I could even tell them to kick the bucket — figuratively as well as literally.
The possibilities were limitless. And even if the video got blocked, I could always gatecrash a rock concert and address the audience.
The final skill in Tier three reminded me of a Paladin bubble.
Tier 3
Ability name: Invulnerability
Ability type: Active, Heroic
The skill creates a temporary nano film which envelops the user’s entire body, making him impervious to any attacks or other aggressive acts. The skill can self-activate without the user’s knowledge whenever there’s a threat to his or her life or wellbeing.
Duration: 15 sec
Unblocking requirements:
- Heroism: level 3+
- Social status: level 30+
- All main characteristics: levels 25+
- Spirit: 300%+
Cooldown: 24 hrs.
This was a warrior’s dream. Just think of all the heroic deeds you could perform if you knew you were invulnerable. Not in everyday life though... definitely no good for a couch potato like myself, but... just think about it. A self-activating Invulnerability skill! Once you had it, you didn’t have to worry about a thing. You could walk under ladders and board planes without worrying they might not reach their destinations.
The last tier was uncategorized. It only contained one skill.
Ability name: Reload
Ability type: Passive, Heroic
Saving the life of the most valuable society member is the ultimate peak of social protection. The skill allows the user to stop time and reload the world at the exact moment which caused his or her death. This is a very particular heroic ability which requires forceful Spirit withdrawal from all of the sentient beings located in the given segment.
Unblocking requirements:
- the “Segment’s First Hero” achievement. Segment name: planet Earth.
Cooldown: no less than 1 astronomical year, depending on the segment’s population numbers.
Reload the world? Was I really sane and reading this?
I immediately remembered my weird dream: the death of Kira, the monstrous Khphor, the alien girl called Ilindi, and Valiadis.
My dreams were never as detailed and colorful as they’re usually described in books. Inevitably, I’d forgotten them as soon as I climbed out of bed. This time, however, it was different. Was the program playing games with me?
Martha failed to produce a clear answer. “Human dreams are just that, Phil: dreams. They have nothing to do with reality. They’re caused by memory defragmentation.”
“In this case, what’s with this world reloading nonsense?”
“Oh, that’s easy-” Martha’s eyes glazed over. He avatar disappeared for a brief second, then froze motionless, then disappeared again.
“Sending request to server,” the mechanical voice of the system assistant announced. “Please wait. Server connection timeout. Impossible to establish connection with the server.”
And that was it. Martha was gone. I tried to summon her again but all I received was the dumb automated voice.
I’d have to look into it later. Time to go to bed.
Only when I was falling asleep did I realize I’d very nearly nullified my Spirit reserves.
... No, I didn’t wake up a superman. I was still a regular Joe. But at least I was able to spring out of bed the moment I realized I was awake.
Because today I could become a Hero.
Chapter Twenty-Five. The Story of the Herd of Seals
“Don't tell me what I can't do.”
Lost
Tuesday May 29 2018
IT HAD BEEN two weeks since I’d first noticed the funny specks of dust floating in my vision. They’d later begun to take shape until finally they’d formed Alik’s name floating over his head.
That day, Yanna had left me. And the same night, I’d received my first level in Stamina after completing my night run.
It may have been two weeks but it felt like six months. So much had happened in this brief time! So many new people I’d met! But the person I’d learned the most about was myself.
Today, just like two weeks ago, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror studying my reflection. I had no stubble: these days, I shaved every morning. My cheeks seemed to have sunken a little. I could almost recognize my own face under the melting layer of fat.
My hair almost touched my shoulders now which made me look admittedly ridiculous. So I decided to dedicate the day to my own needs. Once the morning meeting with Pavel was over, I needed to finally get a haircut, then start looking for a new place.
I was gradually coming to the conclusion that I might have to quit Ultrapak. This wasn’t the right moment to tie myself down with office work. As long as I had this program still installed, no amount of money — much less a sales rep’s earnings — were worth the missed opportunities.
Crazy, really. I’d only been working for them for three full days. Which was my personal record in this respect.
As I drank my morning coffee, I watched a few jogging videos, committing to memory their technique and breathing tips. I’d made every mistake in the book, hadn’t I? Two weeks of running nowhere! At least I’d managed to improve my Stamina a bit but just think of all the XP I’d lost (500 per level, to be precise) by not leveling properly.
I finished my coffee and got on with my morning routine: a quick warmup followed by a run in the park in Richie’s company. This time I kept checking the video on my phone to make sure I did it correctly. The results weren't long in coming: now I was gaining 1% for every 200 meters. By the end of my run, the status bar was already at 94%. Still, my previous running experience must have had something to do with it too. Wrong technique aside, I must have done something right. I was itching to make level 2 in Running straight away but it didn’t look as if I was going to. I had to go to work. Even with this, my job was becoming a problem.
I took a hot and cold shower after which I received a new message,
Your Agility has improved!
+1 to Agility
Current Agility: 5
Experience points received for improving a main characteristic: 1000
What a shame I didn’t have bathroom scales. Yanna used to have them, but she’d reclaimed them with all her other stuff. Still, I didn’t need scales to know I’d lost weight. It looked like my theory had been correct. Once I’d lost another five pounds or so, my Agility might improve
again. In any case, weight loss alone wouldn’t do it. I definitely had to persevere with my coordination and balance exercises.
I had a funny feeling that by showing me the superskill list, the program had been teasing me, trying to accelerate my progress. For some reason, it made me think of Russia just before the Second World War when they had been training all and sundry to become pilots and paratroopers. It was true that I’d had more progress in the last two weeks than I’d had in years but apparently, the program wasn’t too happy with it.
Then it dawned on me. I’d been acting like a useless noob, spreading myself thin over all those reputations, leveling choices and whatnot. I’d been reactive instead of proactive and goal-oriented.
Like when Fatso had attacked me, I’d immediately decided to level Boxing. And I still hadn’t even found a boxing club. Similarly, the moment Ultrapak had contacted me I’d decided to level Vending. The moment I’d seen that missing girl on TV, I’d had to call her parents simply because I couldn’t bear seeing her grieving father. And once the Major had told me that the parents of many other missing children were in the same position, I’d hurried to send him the kids’ coordinates.
So basically I’d been chasing too many tails instead of doing what any gamer should. I had to decide on my char’s build, choose a strategy and follow it without getting distracted by every roadside bunny. If you took the missing children, for instance: why had I had to stop at the Major’s list? Shouldn’t I have begun by creating two databases: one of all wanted criminals nationwide and the other of all missing children? Then I could have worked my way through both and sent the results to the police and all interested parties. Logical, don’t you think?
And how about the First Hero achievement? The one that was mentioned in the Reload description? There should be other achievements as well, but which ones?
As I waited for my ham and eggs to cook, I summoned Martha and asked her. Much to my relief, this was my old Martha, ripped denim shorts and all. Apparently, my Spirit had recovered over the course of the night. The only difference was, her chewing gum was now gone, replaced by an e-cigarette.
“All achievements are generated by the program,” Martha breathed out a large puff of vapor which dissipated before it could reach the ceiling. “Ditto for rewards. That’s not counting the great feats of valor which are generated annually by the Council.”
“This is crazy. Feats of valor controlled by a Council? What kind of totalitarian society is that? You sure it wasn’t created by some errant time traveler from Stalin’s era?”
“Sorry, I don’t understand the question. If you’re implying that our social structure is similar to that of the Soviet Union, then my answer is an emphatic no. In actual fact, I would greatly appreciate it if you stopped posing questions which require connection with the server.”
I unsummoned her and had my solitary breakfast (solitary if you disregarded the other two, Richie and Boris, eagerly awaiting their share of ham from my plate). In two days’ time, Richie would be gone. Sad. Admittedly, I’d gotten quite attached to him. The feeling seemed to be mutual, judging by his Reverence reading.
Strange I hadn’t received any XP for it, though. Could it be because improving one’s Reputation with a pet had no bearing on one’s social status?
As I walked through the front door, I saw Fatso cross the courtyard. I could barely recognize him. His usually disheveled hair was slicked down. He was wearing a neat pair of summer pants and a pressed short-sleeved shirt. The only thing still left from his past was a new pair of grandpa socks peeking from his sandals. He looked like a poster-perfect image of an AA member on the mend.
“Morning, sir!” he waved, hurrying toward me.
“Morning, Fa- ahem, Ruslan.”
“They’ve hired me!” he grinned, flashing a gap between his teeth. “Can you imagine? They really did!”
He gave me a bear hug, slapping my back.
Quest alert: In the Gutter. Quest completed!
You’ve successfully helped your attacker Ruslan “Fatso” Rimsky to find permanent employment.
XP received: 200 pt.
Additional XP received: 300 (for promptness)
+10% to Satisfaction
Your Reputation with Ruslan “Fatso” Rimsky has improved!
Current Reputation: Amicability 20/60
Now my quest log was completely empty.
“Congrats!” I said.
“Thanks! My wife’s asking if you’d like to come round for dinner. I’m asking you too, of course. Would you like to come?”
“Absolutely,” I said, unwilling to decline his heartfelt invitation. “Let’s do it this way. When you receive your first paycheck, then we’ll celebrate. Okay?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Please don’t ‘sir’ me,” I said. It felt really awkward when this middle-aged family man treated me with such reverence. “You know my name, don’t you? It’s Phil.”
He looked closely into my eyes, then chuckled somewhat approvingly and shook my hand. “Very well, Phil. See ya!”
He headed for the bus stop. I got into the cab that had just arrived. I could have taken the bus too but in my new frame of mind, this was false economy. Time was a precious asset, and I’d rather have used it to make more money.
As I rode, I continued reading. This had already become a habit. At some point, I put the book aside for a moment to jot down a few interesting leveling scenarios which had just occurred to me. I opened the Notebook app on my phone and marked it all down,
XP points are awarded for quests, tasks, socially meaningful actions as well as new skill and reputation levels.
XP points received for new skill levels are awarded regardless of the skill or its initial level.
Tracking wanted criminals: IMPORTANT!!!
Zero-level skills get leveled faster than all others.
How about money??? My own business???
Skill leveling... That got me thinking. I did a quick overview of everything I had at the moment. Some progress bars were almost 100% full, like those for my MS Word and Excel skills. My Cooking skills were actually at 99%. One more plate of ham and eggs, and I’d receive a new level.
Several other skill bars were equally full. Soccer, swimming, poetry, table tennis, weightlifting, DIY skills, poker and chess playing — another hour or two spent on each of them, and I’d progress to the next level. Easy XP points!
That decided it. I had to quit my new job. I could give my single sale to either Greg or Marina. In the meantime, I had to start thinking how to make some money. Ideas were aplenty, from a missing persons bureau to a recruitment agency. And that’s not even counting some truly crazy possibilities like leveling up poker or competing in CS:GO tournaments which were held on an almost daily basis and boasted impressive cash prizes.
As I pondered over it all, the cab arrived at the office. I was so lost in thought I’d very nearly walked past Cyril and Greg who were lingering on the porch, huddling up against the morning chill. Both looked rather worse for wear.
Both were smoking. That last fact annoyed me quite a lot. Still, I pretended it was none of my business.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi,” the two replied in rueful unison.
“How is it going?”
Greg waved my question away. “It isn’t.”
“Nah,” Cyril mumbled.
“Why, what’s up?” I glanced at my watch. Five minutes till the briefing.
“We went to see his wife last night,” Cyril nodded at Greg. “He wanted to make up with her.”
“And? How did it go?”
“It didn’t,” Greg shook his head. “She opened the door, saw me and closed it again.”
Cyril chuckled. “He was drunk as a skunk!”
“And what time was that, may I ask?”
“Four, five a.m.?” Cyril said. “When you left, we took Marina home and decided to go to the club. That’s where he got a bit emotional. He decided he needed to go and see he
r straight away. I did my best to talk him out of it! In the end, I went with him just to make sure he didn’t get into trouble. Never mind. Let’s go now before Pavel chews our ears again for being late.”
When we entered Pavel’s office, all were already present and correct. All but Dennis, that is. His chair was empty.
Marina ignored my nod and proudly looked the other way.
“Everybody here? Let’s get this show on the road,” Pavel announced. “Good morning! First things first, I have some good news for our trainees. As of today, Dennis is no longer with us. Which means we can keep two of you once the trial period is over. Now let’s move to business. Cyril? What have you got on the Butchers Market?”
Faking enthusiasm and suppressing jaw-wrenching bouts of yawning, Cyril went on to report on his client.
That was decided, then. I was wasting my time here. I could almost physically sense it slipping through my fingers, dwindling with every passing moment.
After the briefing, I lingered in Pavel’s office to break the news to him.
“Phil? What is it?”
“May I have a word with you?” I said.
He rubbed his hands. “I think I know where this is going! Another surprise sale? Something big? I just love it! Come on, spit it out!”
“I’m afraid I can’t work here any longer,” I said. “I quit. I haven’t submitted my resignation yet. I don’t even think it’s worth it. I've only worked here for three days. You could just rip up my application as if I didn’t even exist.”
“Yeah right! How do you want us to file your bonus, then? What name should we put on it?”
“Just file it under representation expenses. You’re the expert.”
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