The chapter would have been up like six hours ago but I fell asleep in my chair. :(
It didn't take long for our initial shock and excitement over Alice's new skill to fade away. Two hundred MP was a massive drawback for continuous spellcasting. If anything, Alice's Spirit Gun would only be a last ditch effort at having an ace in the hole for a long time. After all, ten points of Intelligence only amounted to one hundred MP. I had noticed that when I raised my Intelligence to use Alice's book.
Another thing I figured out is that none of my attributes affected my maximum KP. The only way to raise it was through using my Meditation skill. I had to suppress stat-based notifications due to how distracting the noise was. I easily raised my maximum KP over a hundred. As I did that, I discovered a second benefit to meditating: it was relaxing and helped me think.
I thought about the things that had happened since I became The Gamer. I didn't know who The Being was or why they even cared about my situation. I didn't know the full set of rules for creating new skills. I knew I could raise my stats without leveling up, since I somehow gained a point in Wisdom. I just didn't know how to make them increase. However, what I thought about the most was how Darren and Alice had almost died yesterday.
Would we respawn after dying? If so, was there a penalty for dying? How long would it take to respawn? The first thing I decided was that we wouldn't fight our way to the streets. A lack of planning was our first mistake. Our second mistake was that we didn't take enough time to learn how skills work after leveling up. It seemed my Meditation skill recovered one additional ki point per skill level.
The other thing I noticed was that my maximum KP started going up really fast again after Meditation gained a level. The effect was almost short-lived enough that I could call it a dwindling effect. I suspected I would eventually have to work really hard just to raise my maximum KP by a few points. I also spent time thinking about the best way to use my ki.
I was stumped on how to use ki for anything beyond attacking enemies. After all, I wouldn't always be able to interrupt an enemy's attack. I had to be able to tank the damage I took or I'd just be a glass cannon. I'd be no different from Alice and Darren, if that were the case. Our party needed to be balanced if we wanted to survive. The only way I'd learn something is if I experimented with ki.
"Disband Party.", I said. Earlier, I had unintentionally drew them into a dungeon. I didn't want to dissolve the party but it was the only way they'd get some sleep. "Settings.", I said. I changed my dungeon ID back to zero to make an empty dungeon. "Create Instant Dungeon.", I said with my palm facing the ceiling. Two windows appeared and a sound effect went off as I entered the dungeon.
You have entered an instant dungeon.
Create Instant Dungeon has gained a level.
"Oh.", I said, pleasantly surprised. I turned my attention back my purpose for being in protected space. "Right, I need new ways to use ki.", I said as I stood there. I needed to learn more than what the book taught me about ki. The only way to do that would be to use my ki. I practiced Mega Ex by saying the skill name and without saying anything. I wanted to see if there was a difference in the result.
The first thing I noticed was I used up varying amounts of ki when I didn't call out Mega Ex. Likewise, the amount of power displayed by Mega Ex varied in the same manner. I easily noticed that a manual Mega Ex also released a strong force that threw me back a few feet. The subtlest difference I noticed was that I didn't gain skill exp for Mega Ex while testing things. My tests with calling out my skill names yielded predictable results.
Each skill use consumed the same amount of ki. There was no variance in power output. Mega Ex didn't have the expected knock-back force when I called its name. Finally, I gained enough skill exp to push Mega Ex to level two. I called up my skill menu and tapped on Mega Ex.
Mega Ex (Active) - Lv:2 Exp:7.91%
Cost: 30 Ki
You generate a strong Ki-infused punch by pooling and condensing your Ki into your fist. Skill damage is linked to Strength.
Effect: Inflict 700% ki-based damage.
"So, leveling my skills increases the damage dealt. But, the cost doesn't seem to increase.", I mused as I nibbled on the tip of my thumb. I did some meditation to recover my spent ki and pushed my maximum KP to three hundred. Meditation reached level four by the time I was done. I pulled up my skills list again.
Meditation(Ki) (Active) - Lv:4 Exp:35.32%
Through meditation, you are able to replenish your Ki.
Effect: Restore 4 Ki per second.
"So, I really do gain one ki per second per skill level.", I said, confident in my math and memory. I stood up and looked around me. My tests had practically destroyed the apartment in my protected space. Some of the walls had large holes. The ceiling close to the front door had collapsed. Furnature from the apartment above came down with the ceiling. The force of Mega Ex had shattered the windows.
"Well, guess I get to recreate my dungeon.", I said as I observed my destructive handiwork. I left the dungeon and snacked on a left-over slice of pizza. I had some unsweet tea to go with the pizza. Pizza and tea wasn't a good combo but it made the nausea go away. I created a new dungeon once I was done eating and tried something new.
I had been so focused with my tests on Mega Ex that I didn't try releasing ki from places other than my hand. I was hoping to use ki for evasion skills. So, I assumed a stance similar to when I created Mega Ex. I faced the wall that divided the living room and Alice's room. I shifted my weight and gathered a small amount of ki in my left foot. I released the ki as I leapt backwards.
My experiment was a failure. I soared backwards, as I had hoped to, but I was horribly off-balance. I planted my right foot on the floor in an attempt to stick the landing. My leg buckled and I landed on my back. My world begun to spin as I tumbled across the floor. The spinning stopped when I slammed into the wall on the other side of the living room.
I let out a pitiful high-pitched moan as pain circulated through my body. When I sat up, I noticed I had left a partial imprint of my back in the wall. I tried another attempt while using less ki. I didn't soar as far backwards but I still failed the landing. I must have looked like a human pretzle by the time I stopped tumbling across the bare floor.
My head, lower legs, and the backside of my shoulders were the only parts of my body touching the floor. My head was sandwiched between my knees. I rocked my body to the side to break out of the uncomfortable position. I sat upright and crossed my legs. I was successful in my evasion attempt until it came time for the landing. It didn't take long for me to realize why I couldn't make the landing work: I easily lost my balance and I wasn't using ki for the landing.
I meditated to recover my ki and tried my new approach. I launched myself and soared through the air. I managed to partially keep my balance but I misjudged the landing and tumbled across the floor again. I finally managed a decent landing after a few more tries. I was rewarded with a pop-up and a sound effect.
*DING!*
A new skill has been created: Internal Reinforcement.
I smiled as I opened the skill menu and looked at my new skill. It wasn't as good as I was hoping for. I definitely didn't like the ki cost either. I was a little upset that my newest skill seemed to be worthless.
Internal Reinforcement (Active) - Lv:1 Exp:0.0%
Cost: 25 Ki per second
You reinforce your bones, muscles, and nervous system with ki. You are able to move considerably faster by doing so.
Effect: 25% increase in movement speed.
"Twenty-five ki per second is insane! I recover four ki per second with Meditation! I can barely use it for ten seconds!", I whined. Sure, I could level the skill when I wasn't hunting monsters but it just wasn't usable. I sat down and started meditating, unsure of what to do now.
"I had started out with a max of fifty ki. It took me almost six hours of meditating to push my max ki above three hundred. It doesn't help that my ki growth has already slowed down a bit.", I mused as I watched pop-ups appear in front of me every few minutes. My frustrations slowly dissapated as I meditated. "I'm looking at my skill is in the worst way. Something that is usable now will be too weak to use later.", I said, growing calmer by the second.
I thought about how equipment worked in MMOs and RPGs. A starting weapon was great early in the game but would quickly become useless. It was similar to Alice's complaints with Magic Blast. I would just have to keep improving my maximum KP until I could use my new skill freely. Despite my logic, something was still bothering me about my skill. I figured it out what was bothering me pretty quickly once I reread the skill window.
"If I can affect the inside of my body-", I started to think it over but I changed my mind. "Screw it. Thinking about ki didn't get me anywhere.", I said as I stood up. I focused on all the ki in my body. I pushed my ki into my skin and watched at white wispy tendrils slowly started leaking out of my skin. The tendrils disappeared shortly after leaving my body. I released my ki all over my body and watched as my ki bar rapidly went empty in a matter of seconds.
*DING!*
You have created a new skill: External Reinforcement.
External Reinforcement has gained a secondary effect.
Internal Reinforcement has gained a secondary effect.
"Wait, what?", I said after reading the windows. I quickly opened the skills menu and found the two skills. I opened and read both of them to see what happened.
Internal Reinforcement (Active) - Lv:1 Exp:0.0%
Cost: 25 Ki per second
You reinforce your bones, muscles, and nervous system with ki. You are able to move considerably faster by doing so.
Effect: 25% increase in movement speed.
Secondary Effect: 50% increased physical damage.
Secondary Effect Condition: External Reinforcement must be active.
External Reinforcement (Active) - Lv:1 Exp:0.0%
Cost: 50 Ki per second
You shroud your body in ki, reducing the damage you take.
Effect: 15% reduced damage.
Secondary Effect: 50% increased ki-based damage.
Secondary Effect Condition: Internal Reinforcement must be active.
"A secondary effect and condition?", I mused as I studied the skill descriptions. "Ok, that's really weird. I've never seen buffs behave like this in MMOs.", I said as I sat down to meditate. "I've seen a few MMOs with passive skills do this but never with buffs.", I said as I started meditating. Things were just getting weirder and weirder with my skills. More than that, I really didn't like having what felt like long names for my skills. If I could name custom skills, could I rename my other skills?
"Rename skill.", I said, hoping it worked. A small window popped up in front of me, asking what skill I wanted to rename. "External Reinforcement.", I said carefully. Another window appeared, asking what name I would like to give to my skill. "Ki Shroud.", I said, after taking some time to think. I renamed Internal Reinforcement to Ki Veil as well.
I spent a little time with my new buffs, learning how to turn them on and off. Obviously, my buffs were activated by saying their names but I could turn off all of my buffs by saying 'Cancel'. After that, I meditated until the sun came up. I scared Alice as I left the dungeon. Apparently, she struggled to fall asleep and didn't sleep for very long. I relayed my discoveries to her. We woke up Darren a little bit later.
We enjoyed leftover pizza for breakfast. After a bit, Alice took Darren with her to see our new apartment. I was left all alone in the apartment. I took a shower and cleaned up a bit. I even enjoyed some personal time, which was rare. I curled up in bed once I had finished. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep.
When I woke up, the sun was hanging low in the sky. It was getting dark in the apartment. I could hear Darren and Alice talking in the bedroom. As I sat up, I noticed a window had popped up in front of me.
You have enjoyed a restful sleep.
All abnormal conditions have been removed.
HP/MP have been fully recovered.
I got out of bed and headed for the bedroom, listening as Alice talked. "Look, I'm just saying we need to consider every possibility. I know you don't enjoy school but I do want you to graduate. I felt like I was on top of the world when I walked across the stage. On top of that, you'd get the satisfaction of proving everyone was wrong about you.", she said, her voice sounding strained. She only sounded like that when she was trying to have patience with someone.
"I don't care about proving anyone wrong. I wanna drop out so I can help you guys farm mobs. Just admit it: it's a lot easier when it's the three of us.", Darren argued loudly. I could tell this conversation had been going for a while. I heard Alice give a sigh of frustration.
"You've put eight years of your life into school. Do you want to finish the first major milestone of your life or just leave it hanging, wondering what it would have been like to graduate?", she asked. I could hear the frustration in her voice. I heard a low, deep growl come from Darren. He was at his limit for arguing.
"Damnit, John!", he yelled. I felt my entire body lock up. We never called Alice by her birth name. I had intended to support Alice's argument but, now, I was glad I wasn't in the room. Silence filled the apartment but not for long.
"Alice, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean-Fuck!", he yelled, upset over his mistake. This time, Alice didn't reprimand him for swearing. I took that as my cue to quietly head back to the pull-out bed. I heard Darren start to say something else but Alice cut him off. I stopped moving to listen.
"Darren, I know you didn't mean to call me that.", she said quietly. I could hear the sting of pain and betrayal in her voice. Her bed and the mattress springs creaked as someone moved around. "You're my brother and I love you. Still, I don't think you can drop out until you're seventeen or that you should drop out. But, I can get you registered for homeschooling.", she said, her voice sounding strained for a very different reason.
I made it back to the bed without alerting them. I laid there and listened to bits and pieces of the conversation. I gathered that Alice formed a compromise with Darren. He would be homeschooled so all of us could hunt together. Naturally, she would still make him study. Eventually, they left the bedroom and saw that I was awake.
I pretended to be in the middle of waking up. Once I 'woke up', we formed a new party but, this time, I wanted to try something new. I explained to them how someone got attacked by zombies practically every time we created a dungeon in the apartment. I also pointed out how we'd be closer to the fire escape ladders if we entered the dungeon from inside the alley. Before long, we all agreed to create a dungeon in the alleyway.
I created a dungeon once we were in the alley. Then, I remembered I had changed my dungeon settings to make a blank dungeon. I also gained a skill level when we left the dungeon. I created a new dungeon after fixing my settings. I watched as the dungeon space spread out around us, the feeling having become eerily familiar.
"Alright, let's get to killing some zombies!", I said, trying to sound upbeat. It didn't take long for us clear out the street. Alice had easily proven her point about Magic Blast. They were easily killing zombies with their new spell, Magic Missile. Likewise, I wasn't struggling at all with the zombies either, as long as I used Mega Ex. Occasionally, we took breaks at the fire escape to recover mana and ki. I looked at my skills during the breaks when I wasn't spending points from leveling up.
Hand-to-Hand Combat - Trainee (Passive) - Lv:7 Exp:12.17%
You have learned the basics of fighting with your fists.
Effect: Inflict 48% more physical damage, move 8% faster. In effect only when unarmed.
Meditation(Ki) (Active) - Lv:7 Exp:79.21%
Through meditation, you are able to replenish your ki.
Effect: Restore 9 Ki per second.
Mega Ex (Active) - Lv:5 Exp:73.53%
Cost: 30 Ki
You generate a strong Ki-infused punch by pooling and condensing your Ki into your fist. Skill damage is linked to Strength.
Effect: Inflict 1000% ki-based damage.
"Your skills are coming along nicely.", said Alice. She was looking over my shoulder to see my progress. "We've all been getting stronger but I don't think we've been focusing entirely on the right skills.", she said as she sat next to me. She called up her skill list and pulled up a skill description. I made a mental note that I was wrong about Meditation at the same time.
Magic Missile (Active) - Lv:4 Exp:92.53%
Cost: 10 Mana per bolt
Attack with two piercing mana bolts from afar. Skill damage is linked to Intelligence.
Range: 40M
Effect: Each bolt deals 650% magic damage.
"This kind of progress is good but, eventually, we will need to hunt stronger monsters to keep leveling up.", she said as she closed the description. I noticed Darren was looking our way. He came over to us as she pulled up another description.
Create Instant Dungeon (Active) - Lv:1 Exp:80.0%
You are able to generate a dungeon full of monsters.
Dungeon ID:
0 - No monsters
1 - Goblins(Day), Zombies(Night)
"It kept bothering me that our dungeon skills have levels and IDs. So, what's the point of the dungeon skills having levels and IDs?", she asked as she looked at us. She didn't explain what she was getting at. That meant she wanted us to figure it out for ourselves. Darren beat me to the answer, this time.
"Well, our skills get stronger as they level up. So, leveling up our dungeon skills would make stronger dungeons!", he said, excited at the thought. He wiped his forehead with the back of his head. "Man, the two of you are crazy. I haven't put any of this stuff together. Shit, I haven't even created a custom skill.", he said as he sat next to Alice. We talked it over for a bit but we went back to the grind before long.
The grind itself was actually pretty fun, despite the repetition. I didn't even need to go for their heads anymore, which was a good thing. Most of the zombies were a lot taller than me. The height difference had made it much harder to punch them in the face for extra damage. After a few hours, something happened that changed our grind dramatically.
A loud, piercing roar echoed throughout the empty street. The three of us ran for the alley, unsure of what was happening. Another roar battered our ears. The source of the roar was getting closer. Then, all of us saw it at the same time. Black smoke started pouring up and out from the middle of the street.
A dark gray mass was coming out of the black smoke. Part of the mass formed into a head that let out the same roar we had been hearing. What looked like arms begun to form. Not long after, it started to form legs as well. We watched in silence as the entity quickly began to resemble something humanoid.
"Observe.", I whispered. I didn't know why I was whispering. I definitely didn't feel a cold chill run up my spine. A sound effect went off as two windows appeared in front of me.
*DING!*
Observe has gained a level.
Amalgamated Zombie Lv.34
HP: 12,000/12,000
The grudges of the dead are released when the dead are put to rest. The negative energy of the grudges will linger in the area. An amalgamated being can be formed from the negative energy if a large amount of grudges are released in a relatively short period of time.
Strengths:
Possesses overwhelming physical power and reasonable speed
Weaknesses:
Slow to act and incapable of rational thought.
"What the hell is that?", asked Alice as she put a little space between us. She was getting ready to move, if needed. Two dark red orbs of light appeared where the zombie's eyes would normally be. It's gaze settled on us, me specifically. All of us had leveled up a bit during our grind but this thing was basically a field boss. Every seasoned MMO player knew field bosses were powerful and had only the best loot.
"I'll hold aggro. Darren, Alice, nuke the bitch.", I said, pretending to be confident as I started walking forward. I couldn't take a single hit or I would likely die. I knew that much just from the boss' level. The boss stood up and roared again as floating text and a HP bar appeared above its head. I took off like a shot, running straight for the boss.
"Ki Shroud! Ki Veil!", I yelled when I got close. The boss slammed it's palm into the street to try crushing me. I sidestepped the attack with the help of Ki Veil. "Mega Ex!", I yelled, throwing a punch at the boss's arm. "Cancel!", I said, as I ran through the boss's legs. As I ran, I threw a quick glance at my ki bar and the boss' HP bar.
I had burned just under half of my ki bar while taking a little less than a tenth of the boss's HP. Magic Missiles begun to pelt the boss. I started to get a bad feeling when the boss dug its hands into the asphalt. I quickly realized I had lost aggro and bolted back towards the boss. The boss ripped a chunk of asphalt out of the road and lifted it high. I triggered my buffs when I got close to the boss.
"Ki Shroud! Ki Veil! Mega Ex!", I yelled, rattling off skill names in rapid succession. I landed a Mega Ex on the boss's leg, causing it to stumble as it threw the chunk of asphalt at Darren and Alice. I planted another Mega Ex into the boss's leg just before my ki ran out and my buffs faded. I glanced at Darren and Alice.
Alice was helping Darren get up off the sidewalk. The chunk had hit and gone through the front wall of the apartment complex. The hole in the wall was so big that I thought I could see into our apartment on the second floor. My attention returned to the boss when it lifted its right foot. The boss tried to stomp me into the ground as I leaped back. The Magic Missile bombardment returned in full force, pelting the boss's backside.
"I need way more ki.", I said. I watched the boss turned its attention back toward Darren and Alice. "I'm out of ki! Run!", I screamed as the boss stomped towards Alice and Darren. I quickly sat down and begun meditating. I watched as my ki bar started filling up. I knew I didn't have much time to recover my ki.
"Darren, duck!", Alice yelled at the top of her lungs. Instinctively, I looked for the boss and saw it throwing a car at Darren. Darren stopped running and dove to the ground. My heart was in my throat long before the car missed Darren. The car went through the wall of the building next to him. My ki bar was only half-way full. The boss was about half-way dead as well.
Alice hounded the boss with more Magic Missiles as she ran on the sidewalk. The boss chucked a nearby truck at Alice. She dropped to the ground like Darren had done. Darren drew aggro with Magic Missile as the truck shot through the hole in the apartment building. I couldn't watch this anymore. I got up and ran straight towards the boss.
"Ki Shroud! Ki Veil!", I yelled as I closed the distance between us. The boss must have heard me. It turned to face me as it drew back its right arm. The boss roared as it swung its hand down at me. It was trying to grab me!
The boss swung its hand down as I dropped into a slide. I felt a strong gust of wind blow past me along with its hand. I was vaguely aware of Magic Missiles pounding the boss as I hopped back to my feet. I threw a Mega Ex punch at its leg just before my buffs faded. I watched the boss's leg turn into black smoke. Several windows popped up in front of me.
The party, 'Grindfest', has defeated the field boss: Amalgamated Zombie.
You have gained 52,939 exp.
You have gained a level.
You have gained a level.
You have gained a level.
You have gained a level.
"Alice, Darren, we did it!", I yelled as I looked around for them. Darren came out from hiding behind a smashed up car. Alice came out from the large hole in the wall of apartment complex. A bright white light briefly lit up in front of me. When it faded, there was a small heap of things where the light had been.
"I'm just glad nobody got hurt.", said Alice, relieved as she pulled Darren and me into a hug. The three of us stood there, sharing brief hugs with each other. I was happy we took down the boss. I was even happier that none of us got hurt. We inspected the boss's loot after we separated.
There were five small glass bottles that looked like potions, two books, and a few bucks. One book was centered around necromancy, offering spells like summoning different kinds of undead. The other book offered skills for capturing and refining souls. None of us were all that interested in the books. I picked up a potion and used Observe on the potion.
Healing Potion
Rarity: Rare
Potions and tinctures are brewed by apothecaries and carry many medicinal and healing benefits. However, it is best to drink the entire concoction in order to receive the full benefit.
Effect: Recovers 500 HP.
"Woah, that's pretty awesome.", said Darren. He was reading the item description over my shoulder. I had to admit Darren was right. These potions could easily save our lives. I told Darren I was a little bothered by the fact the bottles were made of glass. "Well, we can keep money in our inventories. So, why not keep the potions in our inventories?", he asked.
"Inventory.", I said. I put the cork back in the bottle and stared at the inventory screen. Darren touched the screen with a potion. Just like that, the potion was sucked into the screen. An icon of the potion appeared in my inventory. The number one was displayed in the bottom right hand corner of the icon. I added the potion in my hand to my inventory and the number turned into a two.
"Status.", I said, calling up my stats to spend my points. I had almost forgotten about the fact that I leveled up from the boss fight. I had also leveled up twice before the boss fight. I dropped fifteen points into Agility and five points into Strength and kept ten points in reserve. I wanted to keep my Strength and Agility fairly even. I felt the effects of my points as soon as I finalized my changes.
Name: Jun "Kuro" Tachibana
Occupation: The Gamer
Level: 16 Exp: 35.34%
Age: 15
HP: 840/840
KP: 409/409
MP: 170/170
Strength: 41
Agility: 40
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 5
Luck: 4
Points: 10
"Man, my Int is getting kinda high.", said Darren as he looked over his stats. I hadn't seen Darren's stats before. I was a little curious about them. I leaned around him to see what he had been raising.
Name: Darren Rockwell
Occupation: Struggling Magician
Level: 14 Exp: 97.89%
Age: 15
HP: 160/160
MP: 420/420
Strength: 7
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 40
Wisdom: 11
Luck: 5
Points: 15
He seemed to be focusing exclusively on his Intelligence. I couldn't help but worry a little since his HP was so low. After all, a zombie almost killed him with just a single bite. I watched as he put all of his points into Intelligence. A window popped up in front of Darren when he finalized his changes.
*DING!*
A new skill has been created: Mana Affinity.
"Skills.", said Darren. He had eight skills. I recognized the icons for all but two of his skills. I assumed one icon was Magic Missile while the other icon was for his new skill. I was actually pretty curious about what his new skill did. "Aw man, I was hoping for something much more than this.", he whined after bringing up the skill description. Alice beat me to shutting down his whining.
Mana Affinity (Passive) - Lv:Max
You are more sensitive to mana and have a higher mana capacity than the average spellcaster. As such, you can control mana much more easily. In addition, you make more progress towards your efforts in mana training sooner than others.
Effect: Magic damage increased by 10%. Maximum MP increased by 10%. All magic skills gain 10% more exp.
"That's actually a lot better than you think. Your spells will level up quicker, which means higher damage. You also get more mana per point spent on Intelligence, since you got an MP boost. You even deal more damage raw damage. It's all in how you look at things.", she pointed out pleasantly.
"Yea, I guess.", Darren relented. Alice called up her status window. I had to move around him just to see how her stats were coming along. Her stats were a little better balanced than Darren's were. She still had her focus set on Intelligence though.
Name: Alicia Rockwell
Occupation: Magician in Training
Level: 17 Exp: 37.89%
Age: 20
HP: 220/220
MP: 420/420
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 40
Wisdom: 20
Luck: 10
Points: 20
"I think I'll put them all into Wisdom.", she said as she finalized her choice. It didn't take her long to realize that Darren and I were staring at her. "I noticed that Wisdom increases my mana regen with a tick rate of one minute per tick. I gain one percent per ten Wisdom. The percent is based on my max MP. So, I regen five percent of my total MP every minute.", she explained. Darren and I continued to stare at her, not quite understanding her motives.
"Okay, let me put this another way. I get back five percent of my total mana every minute. It only takes me twenty minutes to fully restore my mana and it's even quicker when I use Meditation. No offense, Jun, but I learned from you how bad things can get when we can't use our skills during a boss battle.", she said. Now I knew what she was getting at: I was useless when I was out of ki.
"Now, I just want to take a shower and go to bed. We do need to get ready to move soon and I really don't want to pack while I'm tired.", she said as she headed towards the ruined apartment building. We followed her into the building we would soon be leaving forever. I saw part of a crumpled up truck sticking out of a wall on the first floor. The stairwell was covered in splintered wood and small, powdery pieces of badly broken sheet rock.
She opened the door to the apartment and just stood there. I looked past her and saw that a large portion of the floor had collapsed. The rest of the floor didn't look to be very stable either. So, we left the dungeon while we were still in the hallway. We entered the apartment, took our showers, and went to bed.
We woke up just before noon. We created an empty dungeon to train our skills. I divided my time between working on Mega Ex, Ki Shroud, Ki Veil, and raising my maximum KP. Alice and Darren spent their time grinding their magic skills by demolishing the surrounding buildings. That night, I disbanded the party and worked on creating and leaving dungeons.
I had begun to suspect the skill system had hidden features. Ki Shroud and Ki Veil were prime examples. I was fairly certain there was much more to my dungeon skills after I gained the ability to create a new dungeon ID. Then, there was how Darren created his newest skill, Mana Affinity. I was so focused on skill grinding, killing zombies, and boss hunts that I didn't sleep for three days. There was just so much I wanted to learn about my power that I couldn't help myself. Our new apartment was ready for us to move into on my third day of sleepless grinding.
They woke up early in the morning. The only things we packed were our clothes, the laptop, and our stuff in the bathroom. We packed everything we owned and wanted to keep in some spare trash bags. We stood at the front door, each carrying a trash bag. I had spent almost a year living there with Alice and Darren. It felt weird to leave the place I started calling home.
"Home is where the heart is.", whispered Alice as she gave me a one-armed hug. Then, I realized each of us were saying our goodbyes to the place we had lived in. But, it was a little different for me: the apartment was the first place where I had been part of a loving home. Eventually, we left the apartment. Alice turned in the apartment keys to Crocker. With that done, I couldn't help but feel that one chapter of my life had just ended.
Ha ha, I'm so punny...I'll see myself out now.