The New Journey

by Pegaz

  Approaching the camp, the two slowed their pace to continue their conversation.

  “All the kingdoms came together and agreed on this,” Peter’s voice became more serious as he spoke. “If any of the kingdoms were to abuse the power of the Siders, all other kingdoms will join together and eliminate the opposing kingdom. To this day, the treaty was yet to be broken by anyone.”

  John released his breath, not even realising that he’d been holding it in the first place.

  So I can’t make mayonnaise a food revolution and get rich. He couldn’t help but feel slightly jaded. I guess an easy life is out of the question here, isn’t it?

  Despite his own personal begrudging, John was nonetheless relieved upon hearing of the laws regarding Sider equality. Still, he couldn’t help but despise the Sider founder for his thoroughness. Bollocks to you, too, sir. My riches? Gone. My easy lifestyle? Gone, gone, gone… What a pain!

  The system’s chipper ‘ding!’ interrupted his aggravations for but a moment. He took a mental note to check the notification later.

  By the time Peter and John returned to the makeshift camp, the other two party members had already finished skinning the bear. It was easy to tell that they had a hard time of it. Their cheeks were rosy from the effort, and they were both still trying to catch their breaths. Using Normal knives to complete their task took a lot out of them.

  From what they could salvage of the crudely cut skin, Alan figured that it would fetch a fair price in town. The pelt wasn’t in the best condition, but their efforts would definitely pay off. He rolled up the bearskin and put it to the side just as Peter unloaded the rabbit corpse before him. With no qualms, Alan got right to work on the rabbit, which was much easier to skin than the bear was.

  Cyril got to starting a fire, while Alan continued to work on the rabbit. With no words exchanged, Peter tended to setting up the tents while John watched Cyril pull out a small round object of a reddish colour. In absolute amazement, he watched as the adventurer used the object to start the fire. He couldn’t stop staring, trying to figure out exactly what the object was.

  “This is the lowest-tier of monster core from a Flaming Bear,” Cyril noticed John’s stares and spoke in a matter-of-fact fashion. “It’s a cousin to the Continuous Bear, a little smaller but with bright red fur. Its fur can withstand up to two hundred degrees, which is why the monster core is a basic Fire Element. You can use it for starting fires and cooking but not much else.”

  John wondered about the Continuous Bear’s core, which the system had taken. Would it look similar to this Fire Element core?

  Cyril went on to explain how to use the Flaming Bear’s core, which was a pretty basic lesson to say the least. What the lecture bubbled down to was to aim and ‘ignite’ the core with a mental command. Simple stuff, according to Cyril. John tried to imagine what a Flaming Bear even looked like, and decided it was better that he didn’t find out the hard way.

  When he finished skinning the rabbit, Alan tossed the fur coat over to John, as per earlier agreement. The pelt was cut in a way that John would easily be able to wrap it around his waist like some sort of sash.

  “It’s untreated and will be a bit uncomfortable,” Alan commented as John inspected the pelt, “But when we get into town we can get you some real clothing. It’ll be payment for your help with the Continuous Bear. These rags just have to last until then.”

  “I suppose that will do.” John happily accepted the pelt. “Since the fire’s started, how about we have some meat? I’m starving, I haven’t had anything to eat since I got here.”

  Moods quite merry, the four men laughed and sat around the fire, preparing for their meal. They sliced up slabs of rabbit and bear flesh, cooking them to a crispy brown over the fire. Strings of fat melted off of the meat and dribbled down the sides, sizzling as they met with the embers below.

  And so was John’s first meal on this world. Between the savoury taste of meat and the various spices that were dashed atop, it was quite a tasty dinner.

  The sun sank lower and lower as time passed, and eventually it was time to rest. Alan divided the night watch between him and his two men, since John was the newbie in the party. After a few brief instructions of the night’s guard, it was time to settle down.

  Cyril and John shared a tent for the night. They each settled comfortably into their quarters, with John lying down with his back to Cyril. He wrapped the rabbit pelt around him, fashioning somewhat of a tunic. At the very least, he concluded that it would keep him warm through the night.

  With his back still to Cyril, John opened up the Idle System.

  Name: John

  Age: 15

  Idlers: 2/7

  Skill Points: 1

  HP: 12

  Attack: N/A

  Defence: N/A

  Stamina: N/A

  Continuous - Idlers 0/99, Continue Option - 0/1

  Eyes landing on the new skill listed at the bottom, he rested his gaze on the text and counted to five.

  Continuous - Taken from the Continuous Bear's monster core. Derived from the persistent hunting nature of this creature, the system has modified this trait and created the ‘Continue Option’ skill. Once this skill is activated, Idlers will no longer be removed from a skill slot upon the completion of a level. Instead, they will be left in the skill to start the next level.

  WARNING - With this option enabled, you will not be able to take Idlers out of the skill until it is turned off and the skill has completed levelling.

  Chapter 6

  The Idle Organs

  Looking at the new skill's explanation, a smile crept across John’s face as he pondered.

  What to do with my skill point, hmm…I could put the two free Idlers into the slot for this new skill. If the wait time is over twenty-four hours, I’ll just use the skill point up to complete it. It’s only got one level, after all.

  On the other hand, if the wait time is under twenty-four hours then the longest it could take is twelve hours. I’m going to sleep for about seven or eight hours anyway, so that’ll kill some time.

  John put his thoughts into action, setting the two free Idlers into the Continuous skill slot. The countdown sprang up, reading as 12h.

  Nice! That’s six hours! I don’t have to worry about speeding it up, it’ll finish in my sleep! So... what else is there to use my skill point on? John glanced over the table, taking note of one line in particular.

  ??? - Idlers 0/99, ??? - 0/1 (unlocks after Stomach Acid 1)

  John skimmed through the list in search of the Stomach Acid skill.

  Organ's Strength - Idlers 0/99, Regeneration - 0/100, Lung Capacity - 0/100, Stomach Acid - 0/1

  Curiosity getting the better of him, he rested his eyes on the text and counted to five.

  Stomach Acid: The user can eat and drink whatever he wants without worry. The Stomach Acid skill will dissolve bones, poisons, and even metals very quickly. It will also be impossible to suffer from any illness that involves the Gastric acid.

  John blinked in disbelief. He wondered how this skill worked. If he ate clay, would he end up shitting bricks?

  Putting his reservations aside, he considered the immunity to food poison. It was too tempting to pass up, so without too much more thought he placed the skill point into the slot. The display changed to reflect his actions, the 0/1 counter fading out to be replaced by a C, which quickly disappeared.

  Then came an excruciating pain like nothing John had ever felt before. It erupted within his stomach, and felt like someone was ripping him to pieces from the inside out. Jaws locked and clenched up from the pain, John felt like he was grinding his teeth so hard that they would shatter in his mouth. Somehow, he had to resist the urge to scream. Cyril was sleeping only a short distance away. John scrunched up his eyes and prayed for the pain to end.

  After a minute or so, the pain did come to pass. As it did, John gradually released some of the tension in his joints. Sweat beaded on his brow as he found he could finally
breathe, chest rising and falling with slow and heavy movements.

  The system’s ever-so-familiar ‘ding!’ sound almost slipped past John’s attention.

  Unlocked Skill: Impurity Filter

  The text popped up on the screen, and John’s eyes flickered down below.

  Impurity Filter - Idlers 0/99, Automatic - 0/1

  Time for another light reading, he took a deep breath then prompted the skill information window.

  Impurity Filter: Once this filter has been activated, any unnatural substances that the body consumed will be filtered. If there is a substance that cannot be absorbed, a new 4th acid will safely remove all waste from within the body. All nutrients needed for survival will be absorbed as normal.

  John felt a slight twinge of relief. At least he didn’t have to worry about shitting bricks. He mulled the skill over in his head, new concerns rising.

  So with this skill I can eat basically anything and my body will automatically take what’s needed and just… remove the rest? I guess that puts my kidneys out of the job. Actually, now that I think about it, I’ll never have to go to the bathroom again. Won’t some of my organs get weak from inactivity? What if they die off and start to rot away? Dammit, I need answers!

  Brows furrowing, string after string of worries assaulted him. If the stomach acids dissolved everything too quickly, would his hunger ever go away completely? Would his life become a living hell of dragging his starving body from one meal to the next? And why didn’t the system explain these things more in depth?

  This damn system is TOO idle! John cursed under his breath. Aggravated, he decided to put his mind to ease by getting some sleep. He checked over the Continuous skill to make sure the timer was as it should be. If it finished by the time he woke up, he could put those two Idlers into the Impurity Filter skill slot and work on levelling it.

  Before he closed the system, he checked on the Maximum Idlers skill, confirming only twelve minutes remained on the clock. He waited for that timer to run down, watching the seconds pass. By the time it was over, the steady stream of numbers had lulled him into a calm and sleepy mind-set. He placed the new Idler back into the Maximum Idlers skill, along with the Idler who just became free. The timer came up at 6h 4m 30s.

  Finally satisfied, he closed the system window and let himself drift to sleep.

  In the morning, the first thing John did as soon his eyes flickered open was to check the system. As the display unfolded, John scanned the screen and confirmed that all nine of his Idlers were free. The Idlers Speed skill now read Level 1 and the Maximum Idlers skill was sitting at Level 8. The Continuous skill was nowhere to be seen.

  Recalling how the Stomach Acid skill had also disappeared upon completion, John scoured the display for a list of his current skills. During his search, he noticed a change to his standard user information.

  Name: John

  Age: 15

  Idlers: 9/9

  Skill Points: 0

  Options:

  Continue - Off

  Curious, John tried willing the Continue skill on. The text shifted, indicating that he was successful. That should make things a bit easier, he mused and continued to scan the list. He rested his eyes on the Idlers Speed skill and counted to five.

  Idlers Speed: Every level increases the time taken off per Idler. At Level 4 and onward for this skill, the time will not be calculated per Idler but divided among the total amount of time as per level progression. This skill’s level cap is Level 9.

  (Example: At Level 3, each Idler takes off 4 seconds of the timer per second. At Level 4, instead of 5 seconds, each Idler will reset to taking 1 second off each. To supplement this, the total time needed will be reduced to one-fifth of the initial time.)

  John ran a hand through his hair, trying to make sense of the jumble of words on the display before him. After reading it through a good ten or fifteen times, he settled on his very basic understanding and decided to test the Idlers Speed skill out. He placed all nine of his Idlers into the Maximum Idlers slot and watched the timer pop up at 18h 13m 30s. After staring at the clock wind down for a few moments, he concluded that in total the nine Idlers were knocking off eighteen seconds per second.

  Finally satisfied, John decided to get out of bed.

  Cyril was already gone, and John was willing to bet that he had the last shift of watch in the early morning. He checked over his rabbit pelt to make sure it was securely fashioned like a tunic. Confident, John strode out of the tent.

  Alan and the other adventurers were gathered around the campfire, exchanging words. As they saw John, they greeted him and continued their conversation. After settling by the fire, John decided to interrupt.

  “Does anyone have a calculator or something I can do math with?” he asked, not entirely sure of what to expect.

  To his surprise and delight, Alan offered up a calculator from his supplies. It closely resembled Earth’s calculators, with a hard plastic protective case and all. Alan explained that it was powered by a grey Monster Core, which sat at the top of the device, coated in a protective shell of plastic. The calculator was typically used to divide their profits equally. Whatever rewards they reaped from a good hunt, they always managed to sell in the various markets they travelled through. Whether the price was small or great, they always divided it equally.

  John accepted the calculator and got to his own calculations. After some fidgeting with the number keys, he concluded that his Maximum Idlers skill would only take just under an hour to complete. Confident in his numbers, John smiled and returned the calculator.

  There was a slight twinge of regret in the back of John’s mind. Now fully realizing the benefits of his Idler Speed skill level, he reconsidered his actions from earlier. He shouldn’t have used his skill point on the Maximum Idlers slot. Doing that only wound up saving him a mere fifteen minutes at most. The better course would have been to wait the six hours and to then use the skill point towards the second Idler Speed level. Regret tasted sour.

  Breakfast was the same meat from last night, though they fed mostly on the rabbit so as to sell what they could of the bear. While eating, John continued where he left off and opened the system display. He noticed two new icons hovering at the very top above where his name was listed. Upon inspection, the first icon turned out to be the Skills list. Opening the second icon prompted a new array of text onto the screen.

  Completed List:

  Organ's Strength - Stomach Acid

  Continuous - Continue Option

  Ah, that’s convenient.

  As he finished his breakfast, he noted with relief that he felt full. The ‘starvation hell’ scenario that spooked him earlier wasn’t going to happen after all. He wondered how soon it would take for him to feel hungry again.

  When everyone was done eating, they all packed up the camp. They put the fire out and began their walk to the nearest town, which was about a six-hour walk away at an uninterrupted pace.

  About an hour along the way, the notification sound alerted John to open the system. He had a new Idler, which he placed into the Maximum Idler skill slot with the rest of his Idlers. The timer popped up as 2d 6h 30m 30s, which he converted to just over three hours.

  And so, three more hours into his journey, the ‘ding!’ noise confirmed John’s calculations. The system indicated that he now had 1/11 Idlers and that his Maximum Idlers marker now sat at Level 10. That extra speed was paying off.

  John turned the Continue Option skill off and placed all his Idlers into the Maximum Idlers skill slot. The total time came up as 10d, and John stumbled for a moment.

  What’s going on? He picked up his pace to catch up with the rest of the group. Why did it spring up to ten days? Shouldn’t it be closer to seven?

  The system held no answers.

  Another hour along the path and the town crept into sight just beyond the horizon. As they got closer and closer to their goal, John could make out giant crossbows sitting atop the town walls. Some sort of lin
e of defence, he concluded. Approaching the entrance, they got on a big wooden drawbridge sitting over a moat of water. The walls loomed above them, standing about thirty feet high. The large metal doors leading into the town were no small matter either. John measured them to be about fifteen feet in height and width.

  He could not help but ask, “What’s with the doors?”

  “When a group goes on a hunt, they sometimes bring back rather large prizes,” Alan answered.

  He glanced at the doors again. “Why not just break it into smaller pieces?”

  “It lowers the value of the carcass,” Alan nodded in the direction of the town. “The Adventure Guild has specialists who dismember them for us. They guarantee the best quality for a price. Of course, the less valuable carcasses can be dealt with by most parties. But when it comes to the higher ranked monsters, its best to take them to the guild where the dismemberment can be certified.”

  “So the certification increases the value of the product, then?” John tilted his head.

  “For the most part. There’s no official documentation, but if someone falsely claims that an approved member handled the dismembering, they’ll be held accountable. The scammers have to pay a hefty fine, sometimes in the thousands. Sometimes, they even get banned for three years if it’s too large of an offence.” Alan shifted his gaze back at John and added with a firm look, “It’s not worth trying to scam them.”

  John nodded, feeling the conversation was spent. Of course, he understood the nature of such business. If someone tried to scam him too, he was sure he’d be just as pissed off.

  The party entered the town, and John noted the lack of security. The only checks that the guards made were for illegal goods that might have been smuggled in via carriage. As they proceeded down the street, however, John found that it was a different story at the Adventure Guild.

  “I’ll vouch for you to register for an ID card.” Alan turned to John as they paused before the doorway. “I reckon you’ll start at Rank G, which is the same ranking as our party. We’ve only been together for a few weeks, but we go way back, and we each have our own areas of expertise.”