章 17: Novel 6-Skill Evolution
.
.
.
---
"... We've just confirmed. The payment has been deposited Mr Franx."
"Yeah. I've confirmed it on my end as well. Thanks for the help."
Inside a cafe, two individuals could be seen exchanging information through their cell phones.
One of them wore a dark tuxedo, looking like a businessman, while the other wore a simple white shirt and brown pants combination, together with a simple blue cap, looking rather casual.
"We should be the ones thanking you. If you're interested, we plan on raiding the…"
"Thank you, but I'll have to decline. I'll be taking the next month off, you see. I apologize."
"You jest sir, it was only an invitation. Still, if you do change your mind…"
"I'll contact you, don't worry." Mr Franx replied as he got from his seat
"Then I'll wish you a good afternoon Mr Franx."
/Nod…/
After leaving the cafe with his bill paid, Franx turned right on the street and walked into the distance.
"... Working sure is hard… An entire day of work for some change… Tsk."
'But soon enough, that won't be the case anymore.'
/Flash!/
"..."
'Yeah… That must be the life.'
Franx turned to the right, looking at a massive billboard screen hanging on a high-rise building.
On it, several individuals in armor posed for the people passing by, smiling brightly as they stood next to the corpse of a horrific monster.
'Striders. Individuals who cross dimensions. And not just any Striders… High-class ones… Although that's just an ad for an equipment workshop.'
The billboard changed to the workshop logo with some of their top-prized creations, some going for so many zeros that it made Franx's eyes twirl.
'It's all about them now. Every industry has to have them… Just like the Virtual intelligence revolution in the past.'
'This is the era of Striders and their adventures… No, it has always been the case… Ever since our dimension began fragmenting.'
Franx thought of his time in school, remembering his history classes aas he walked to a bus stop nearby.
'Humanity has always been prone to inventing and creating things to explain everything they don't understand. Over time, those beliefs may become philosophies, myths, legends, and sometimes, be incorporated into Religions.'
'But while most of these stories are mere twists of the Human imagination, not all were born from it. Some have credible origins… And it all ties to the Shattering.'
'Is the Universe infinite? Ever expanding? Does it have an end?... Hard to say which is the correct answer, if any. But one thing is true…'
'For millennia, a strange phenomenon has shaken our world to its very core… The merge of multiple Dimensions.'
'Like bubbles floating in the deep void, they often pass by each other in the infinity of creation. However, occasionally, bubbles may collide, either popping each other or… Fusing.'
'This process has been going on for centuries, twisting our beliefs, marking our history and culture… Until we figured out what was going on… We were forced to.'
'Four hundred years ago, the "Shattering" occurred.'
'At first, we didn't know what was going on. The world beyond, the creatures within, the stories that from its interaction with our world were all taken as hearsay if not suppressed, those affected… Snuffed out.'
'Fearful of the unknown, we did what we are known best for… We ignored it. But that didn't save them.'
'Negligence and lack of understanding led to the greatest disaster in Human history, the Cataclysm of mankind, the Shattering.'
'When two dimensions began to fuse, it creates a pulling motion, atracting others to it as well… Over centuries, dozens of dimensions had connected to each other, forming a lengthy chain of world in the vast Cosmos.'
'If we're lucky, nothing happens, the world beyond may be devoid of threats, ready to be explored or too devoid of life to be treaded on… But what happens when a threat does appear?'
'For the Humans of the past, unprepared to deal with the consequences of their negligence… It was annihilation.'
'To survive, they bended together, to survive, they had to adapt. From the few that lasted came new order. To learn… They had to step beyond.'
'Thus came the birth of the first Rift Walker, which would be later known as the Strider.'
'Rift Walkers step into the unknow worlds and dimensions, bringing back whatever they can, studying their surroundings to make sure there are no dangers… And if there are… Take them out.'
'We were negligent once, not anymore, kill and pillage everything, that was the rule for hundreds of years… Until we learned that wasn't sustainable.'
'Decades of wars, centuries of exploitation, all leading to today, an era of peace, quiet, and exploration of the unknown. I'd say it's the Golden era of Striders.'
'Their fame is at an all-time high, their popularity breaking through the shards, their existence ingrained in all children's minds…'
'All want to be a Strider but most can't… I wanted to be one too and I was born with the ability to pursue that very possibility… But alas, I was born with a rather weak ability.'
'Four hundred years ago, Humans were almost wiped out. After three decades of wars and hiding, the first few were born. Touched by the chaotic energies between the Dimensions and inside foreign worlds, they mutated, displaying strange abilities none had seen before.'
'That era gave birth to some of the strongest Striders ever seen, some whose powers affect us to this very day…'
'For one hundred and eighty years after Humans exploited every dimension they came across, destroying everything in their path… After they stopped and realized proper maintenance was far more lucrative in the long run, it gave rise to the modern Era.'
'Here we are, almost two hundred years later. The year 409 of the Shattering.'
'In this day and age, life goes on as normal, you grow up studying or training to be a member of society… But once you turn sixteen and reach physical maturity, fifteen for girls, you may undergo a special medical examination to test your potential to handle the energies of the Otherworlds.'
'Nine years ago, on the 400th anniversary of the Shattering, I tested positive, rejoicing at the chance to rebirth as a Strider… Because even if I didn't turn into one, my career prospects would be far larger than most.'
'Although the expectation is that all of Humanity will eventually adapt, right now, only around one in a thousand show signs of this adaptation.'
'Happy, I began training, dreaming of one day being like those guys up there… Rich, handsome, strong, and above all, surrounded by pretty and capable women… Why? Is that too much to ask?'
'Before the Shattering, Humans used to be mostly monogamous… At least the ones at the time… History says otherwise.'
'After the Cataclysm, things changed… Far too few men. They had all died fighting… The solution?... Well…'
'After 400 years, society has greatly changed to the point it common for couples to stay together for long… I don't mind it, but a man may dream, right?'
/Chuckle…/
/Stop…/
Finally, after waiting at the bus stop for a few minutes, the bus finally arrived to pick him up.
After getting inside and swiping his ID card on a machine, he sat down and watched as the world passed before his eyes.
'Having the affinity to be a Strider isn't everything there is; it's just half of the journey.'
'By international law, one can only be recognized as a Strider once they become of age. The right number varies from country to country, but for most of them, it is eighteen years of age. Although what happens after varies as well.'
'For two years, I trained with everything I had, going even to special schools dedicated to training Striders, studying so I could become one as well.'
'Although all who possess Superhuman powers are considered Striders, only a minority can explore other worlds despite how infinite they may seem.'
'Exploration is a heavily controlled matter only those qualified may attempt. And for years I prepared for that day, the day I would go through the exam to receive my certificate… What a fool I was.'
'We're in the golden age of Striders. The numbers of Rifts to explore far outnumber the Striders by multiple factors to the point that if the government deems a Rift unworthy of exploration, it may as well destroy it. Albeit rare.'
'Thus, the test to become a Strider is as lax as it ever was, leading to very obvious consequences… Not that any of those matter to the media… Or me.'
'I never cared about those, they were but things for me to look out for. I only cared about receiving my identification and Awakening as a Strider.'
'If you pass all the tests, once you become eighteen and receive the certificate, you can go through the Awakening ceremony where you'll be connected to the "Aether Network" and manifest your inherent ability that had been dormant in you.'
'What an ability is and why it exists… That's better asked a scientist on the field then me to be honest. I'm only aware that its possible to train yourself to manifest abilities, but the difficulty is so overwhelmingly high most resort to awakening powers within their bloodline, either ones their ancestors had or abilities created through mutation and fusion of genes.'
'Of course, you can develop your abilities to the point they're unrecognizable from those in the past, but that takes time and effort… And heaps of money.'
'The ability that I awakened was "Retreat Path", an ability that allows me to always return to a set position regardless of what happens. My body will memorize my path and bring me to a certain location using any means necessary, even if the path before had been blocked.'
'This ability has saved mine and many others' lives over the years I've been working as a Strider, but I can't say I'm satisfied.'
'I can't work as a Guide or Scout since I can't do that, and neither can I fight. I'm at best a safety measure employed to make sure a team doesn't get lost or, if they do, have a way to return.'
'... Contrary to most people's expectations, this power of mine has netted me a lot of money for little effort as most of the time I just need to exist in a team, and I'll be doing something.'
'I've gathered my fair deal of criticism over the years, but I've never let those things get to me. I still train and study every day, gathering money in the hopes of turning things around. One day…'
'What people don't know, however, is that my ability isn't Retreat Path… That's a lie I made to make things simpler.'
'But why would I lie?... Because it was an ability that was easy to criticize. An ability that, if known, could make others belittle any if not all of my future achievements.'
'That ability was called…'
[User: Jonathan Franx
-Age: 25
-Rank: Major 1-Star
-Grade: Fledgling Core (Unmeasured)
-Inherent Skills 1/1
>Autonomous Movement Mode Level 1
Auto Pathing.
]
'The Aether Network… A wonder of technology… That has mostly been lost.'
'Created with the efforts of thousands during the age of darkness where Humanity was sent back hundreds of years due to the destruction of ages of effort… Its main purpose is to assist Humans in developing their abilities so they may rise to the pinnacle of their crafts.'
'However, during the age of exploration two hundred years ago, the method to control it was seemingly lost. Ever since then, it has functioned autonomously without anyone's input.'
'It is maintained somewhere extremely secretive and often updated through methods no one knows about, albeit the loss of its control method has been widespread due to rumors and confirmation of the fact long ago.'
'Society has long recovered from the shock, and now it's nothing but a rumor of the past. Overall, people are fine with the way it is now.'
'Awakening is thus the process of being linked to the System. It isn't something you can refuse, not if you wish to become a Strider.'
'In the past, there used to be rumors of distrust and fear for such a thing, but those died so long ago I'm afraid I don't even have the certificates of my ancestors of the time…'
'Its a rather simple display, but its enough, displaying my name, age, "Military" Rank, Grade, and lastly, my abilities.'
'The first few are self-explanatory, but the rest not so much… The Military Rank is a relic of the past updated for modern times. It's now used to define your Rank as a Strider whereas in the past, it was your position in the Reclamation Army.'
'Grade defines the concentration, power, purity, and much more of your inner energy that is the base of your powers. Everything together is simplified as Grade.'
'In my case, my Grade is the first point at which one's energy can be recognized as a standalone thing above average parameters… I know, pathetic…'
'However, that was nine years ago. Since then, I've trained greatly without rest, so my energy is bound to change. As for the reason why I haven't measured it yet… Because I made a promise to myself when I awakened.'
'One I'm close to fulfilling… Or so I hope.'
'Lastly is my ability. Autonomous Movement Mode. As it says, it's an ability that takes control of my body to perform a task. Sounds wonderful. The problem is that it only has one function… Auto Pathing.'
'As long as I have stepped foot somewhere, my ability can lead me there regardless of where I am… And I'm not kidding when I say regardless.'
'Autonomous Movement Mode… In short, Auto Mode, takes control of my body and makes it move in ways I never thought possible, sometimes acting in ways beyond my understanding and knowledge.'
'What if I'm at the top of a mountain with no way down? Auto Mode will find a way.'
'What if the path is blocked? Auto Mode will find a way.'
'What if there's a monster?... Auto Mode will find a way, even if it means taking it down. Albeit it prioritizes movement rather than engagement.'
'Once I set a target, Auto Mode will set me a timer for completion though which I lose control of my body and go unconscious, waking up once the action has been performed… All of this is self-explanatory…'
'However, there are exceptions.'
'Auto Mode can't always find a solution in time. What I mean by that is that the more ludicrous the situation is for me, the longer it'll take for Auto Mode to calculate a viable path and present me with a timer.'
'And if something happens during the calculation… It's over. And sometimes actions as it calculates something may end up extending or shortening the calculation.'
'But if it finishes the calculation, I will 100% of the time reach my destination… But that doesn't mean I'll reach it without trouble.'
'In some simulations in virtual reality, I once lost limbs if not straight up died at the end of the path. There's no way to tell when something will be dangerous and when it won't. It's always a gamble, one I can usually mitigate by paying attention to the signs.'
'The longer it takes to calculate, the larger the danger. And the longer the time it does calculate, the more effort my body will likely have to put into accomplishing a task.'
'And by cross-referencing my expected time with Auto Mode's, I can infer the level of danger an action will present me. This was what I learned from years of tests with Auto Mode.'
'And despite the calculation being outside my control, I can sometimes impose conditions, such as forcing Auto mode to walk on the sidewalks and follow the law… But I rarely do so since I rarely use it anywhere in the real world… Since I don't want to end up jumping into a car or invading someone's property.'
'All of this leads me to today… For years, I've been working hard to gather money as I trained my body to fit Auto Mode's requirements better, and now it's time that I finally push it beyond its limit.'
'To level Auto Mode… To Level 2.'
'Seven years of work for today. Endless training and studies… I've finally gathered the money to acquire a Skill Stone, a rare item from another dimension that can strengthen the body and one's Skills in the process.'
'There are many types of Skill Stones but the one I need has a severe condition… It doesn't work very well if you're affected by Outer Radiation, which is caused by essentially getting in contact with anything from another dimension. Especially the method used to verify your energy grade.'
'Entering a Dimension does affect me but not in any way noticeable. I can dissipate the radiation naturally with training and rest. That's why my house has been in the suburbs for the last few years, far away from the city's center where there's a high concentration of Rifts.'
'It's also cheaper.'
'Once my Skill Level's up I'll finally see its worth for myself. And even if it doesn't transform much, as long as I can make more money with it, then maybe I can even dream of leveling it again… The issue is…'
"... I'm getting older…" He said with a sigh as he looked at his reflection on the bus
'At this rate, I'll live through my youth, goddamnit!'
'Even if I take half the time… I would still end up in my thirties by the time I level up Auto Mode to 3. Even if it takes a long time to develop your abilities, and it's something Strides spend their entire lives doing… I'm slow!'
'I can't think like this otherwise it'll happen… I have dreams, and I'll achieve them!'
'And for now… I need to get my hands on that Skill Stone.'
…
"Phew… There goes all my hard-earned money." Jonathan said out loud as he stretched his neck
A simple house in a simple neighborhood far from the main city. It wasn't big, but it was affordable.
'I spent the last five or so years of effort to buy this single stone… It was worth around ten million on the market.'
'On average, making a hundred thousand would make you wealthy, two hundred and you're at the "top" of the world… In my case, I made an average of two million per year.'
'It's a great amount but nothing great for a Strider of my level of experience.'
'Most Striders often retire early, either working for a few years before retiring and taking another job or getting too hurt to continue fighting.'
'And the otherwordly resources were all often extremely pricy, so the pay was extremely fat as well… But since I couldn't fight, I often had to rely purely on salary and commissions.'
'It was thanks to my Skill that I could join in on dangerous missions to lead teams back to safety. And it was also the reason why my Rank rose so quickly.'
'My Rank is due to experience and not necessarily ability, which is another reason for people to frown at me for.'
'Not that I ever cared but it caused me trouble every once in a while.'
"Not having the ability to support your Rank is frowned up, even if you worked hard for it… It's truly ridiculous."
'I don't have anything to prove to anyone but myself but I sure would've liked it if people stopped sending glances down my way and left me to my own devices…'
"Well… It's time. They say that this stone is better consumed as soon as possible."
/Grab…/
The stone was cold to the touch, like a block of ice…
'It's so cold… They say this feeling comes from your energy being absorbed by the stone.'
'If it weren't for this, it would be hard to tell this was such a valuable product given how ordinary it looks. But I bought it from the general market after making sure there was no way this was faked… If it was, I can't even begin to imagine the consequences.'
/Crack…/
He applied some force to the stone, cracking it.
'It's harder than I thought…'
/CRUSH!/
/SHUAA!!/
"?!"
Light exploded from within the stone, bathing him in a prismatic hue…
After a few seconds of this ethereal experience, the light in the stone receded… Followed by an intense feeling of pain!
"URG!..."
[Your body is undergoing a mutation due to extreme exposition to Aether]
[Searching for possible release nodes…]
[Skill, Autonomous Movement Mode has gathered enough experience, releasing inhibitor…]
[Skill, Autonomous Movement Mode Level 1 has successfully become Level 2]
"Arg!... Huff… Huff…"
'I knew the process was painful, but this was something else…'
"A-Anyhow… I need to know what changed…"
[User: Jonathan Franx
-Age: 25
-Rank: Major 1-Star
-Grade: Fledgling Core (Unmeasured)
-Inherent Skills 1/1
>Autonomous Movement Mode Level 2
Auto Pathing
Auto Harvesting
]
"It's so nice seeing this Leveled up… But what's Auto… Harvesting?... It sounds a little underwhelming. Its bringing me memories from when I first awakened Auto Mode…"
'Before I say anythihng, I'll check it out first.'
/Swoosh!/
Activating his Skill came naturally for him, the feeling already embedded in his mind, a window materialized before him:
[Nearby Materials:
Minerals
Fluids
Plants
Animals
…
Others
]
A long list of options manifested before him.
"Hm…"
He chose the first option, opening a brand new window…
"Oh?... Is it specifying all minerals in the region?... Or is everything that I know?"
'I'll have to experiment a bit further.'
'Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold… Interesting… How do I use this?'
He chose the first option, iron, and immediately after a new window appeared:
[Gather Iron -> ???
Time for completion -> ???
]
'So I have to specify it?... How about 100 grams?... Five seconds?'
"So it gives me a time for completion based on how much I put… I think I know where this is going."
'Let's test it out.'
/Press!/
/Dark…/
His vision clouded as his mind slipped into unconsciousness…
/5… 4… 3… 2… 1…/
/Open…/
"... Is it done?... Oh."
Joseph woke up with a small rock in his hand.
'I remember this. It's one of my material samples. I have a collection of metals in my room… But it's on the second floor…'
'In five seconds I went from the living room to here… Now that's some speed.'
"I think I got the gist of this ability… And honestly, it seems much stronger then I initially imagined."
'If I can do half… No, even a third of what I'm think of right now then maybe I can gather enough money to enhance my Skill again in record time.'
"But there's one thing I need to test first…"
'One thing is going for something I already know. What about materials I'm unaware of?'
'If I can collect materials I don't know are out there then this Skill's value will be immeasurable, otherwise… It's just another tool for me to use.'
[Gather Gold -> 10 Kilograms
Time for completion -> 00:12:23
]
"... It works." He said with a smile as he sat down on his sofa
'At most I have a kilogram of Gold inside my house, my emergency funds. The other nine kilograms have to come from the nearby houses and land.'
'I obviously have no plans to steal anything. Auto Mode doesn't make me sneaky just efficient… So until I unlock something like Auto Sneaking, I'll have to do the brunt work myself.'
'That said, where should I begin? Testing this inside a Rift right out of the bat seems a little odd… Wait, I know.'
"I could enter a Community Rift to scavenge for resources."
'Community Rifts are open to the public, they're rifts that are essentially like nature reserves for the sake of tourism, they have already been exploited and rarely have resources of any kind.'
'I can enter a few to test my Skill and see if there are any rare materials left to be collected; even one could make me enough money for weeks, if not months.'
'Some Community Rift often have stories of civilians finding treasures that either were left behind or grew in them over time. Albeit rare, with this Skill, things change.'
"I could also think about entering some low-Grade Rifts… Since I can only work alone for now, I'll have to settle for those 'safer' rifts."
'I could aim for those rifts where treasures were found, since if one was found there, what not say another? If the conditions are right to nurture a rare resource, they likely can for another… The reason they're not often found is due to how massive some Rifts can be and how hard it is to explore them most of the time.'
"For this to work I'd have to do some research beforehand… That much is easy to do."
'The hard part is getting permission to enter those Rifts… Fucking bureocracy…'
"Anyhow. I'll change my clothes and take a walk around."
'Time to see for myself how well this Skill handles itself out there.'
After changing his clothes, Joshua went on a stroll around town.
…
/Later…/
"... Here is your entrance card sir. Enjoy your stay at the Three Flowers Park!"
"Thank you, I will." Jonathan replied to the clerk with a smile as he stepped aside
'I only visited Community Rifts a few times with my parents when I was younger, and never once I became an adult.'
'Now that I think about it, I've been living alone for around four years huh… Time sure passes quickly.'
Reminiscing about the past, Jonathan walked through a long hallway with many exhibitions of the Rift's ecology and history before entering a large room with a massive machine built around what seemed to be a shattered piece of mirror floating in the air.
'Rifts can take many forms; depending on their form, they're given different classifications. It's similar to stones in a way.'
'This kind of Rift forms when space is stretched too thin and cracks. It tries to mend back together, but it can't because the world on the other side is trying to force itself through it. They're some of the most dangerous Rifts out there because they tend to grow and cause havoc in their surroundings.'
'The machine's purpose is to stabilize it. But in truth, it just severely halts its growth. The rift will eventually grow to take the outline of the machine's arms and from then on, the machine will have to be replaced every few decades as the rift keeps expanding.'
'There's a theory that says they'll eventually take over the world, and humanity will be forced to hop to other worlds to survive since our planet is a receptor of rifts. This means our dimension is like a sink that takes water… It'll eventually overflow.'
'It's hard to say what'll happen once two Dimensions fuse, but the least expected is that multiple worlds will be destroyed as the Dimensional movements clump mass together… Nothing I should care about anyway.'
'This process has taken thousands of years, and it'll take millions more for things to get to that degree… By then, I'll be dust.'
"That's why I want to enjoy life…"
He followed the crowd to the rift, and under the gentle and reassuring eyes of the workers around the portal, he stepped into the mirror, phasing through.
…
The park was very much as he expected—a world beyond his, a different but similar sky, and an intense whitish sun.
The area beyond the portal was like a large mall, beyond it was the area he wanted to visit, the park itself.
Usually, a Rift leads to another world. However, that doesn't mean one can explore that entire world.
Because of the way space folds, those coming from Earth to another world end up stuck after a certain point, unable to go past it.
If seen from another perspective, a rift can be seen as a bubble growing on the surface of water, with their dimension being the water and the world beyond air.
Even if the bubble fills with water, allowing it to breach into the air's domain, it still separates the two worlds.
So close, yet so far…
The contrary can be said as well. There are some Rifts that those from Earth cannot pass through, but the creatures on the outside can, stepping into their world but being unable to move past a certain region.
"There are fewer people around than expected… Must be the time."
'Now, to see if this works.'
'There are several materials that used to be collected in this Rift; let's see if some of them still remain…'
[Gather Gray Apples -> 500 Grams
Time for completion -> 00:07:12
]
"!"
'It works… There are Gray Apples around!...'
Gray apples are a kind of fruit very similar to apples that can increase the physical strength of certain ability holders, but they rarely grow on some of the trees surrounding the park.
A few decades ago, however, the trees seemingly stopped producing them. This phenomenon is often called "Exhaustion" for when a rift stopps producing materials.
The cause of that has yet to be found.
'I would love to grab it… But I can't use this Skill so carelessly…'
'Although this Rift has been turned into a tourist attraction, there are always labs in every Rift. For all I know, this could belong to a lab that is performing research outside of the Park's area.'
'There's a simple way to solve this. I just need to use the timer as a compass. The lower the timer gets, the closer I'll be to my objective.'
'Once I test a few things, I'll try setting the order to see if I can have Auto Mode avoid stealing from others.'
'Let's try something more valuable… Or gather more Apples.'
[Gather Gray Apples -> 5000 Grams
Time for completion -> 00:57:12
]
'Almost an hour for five kilograms… Not bad at all!'
'If I could gather this much before selling them, I would make about a year of my salary immediately! A productive year at that!'
Joshua had no salary, given that he worked on commissions as a freelancer, Strider.
[Gather Silver Apples -> 500 Grams
Time for completion -> 00:03:02
]
"!!"
'There's a Silver Apple so close to me?!'
The Silver Apple was the matured version of the Gray Apple, it could permanently increased the Physical atributes of any ability holder if not directly improve a Skill of the Innate Physical type. In other words, Skills that directly mutated the body and were usually always active.
So instead of Skills, it was best to call them Physical traits instead.
Obviously, their prices were… Nothing short of the Skill Stone he just used.
'Shit! I thought the conditions for them to form weren't possible anymore. Only Rifts in this same world have a chance of having them.'
Joshua did not hesitated, walking in haste around the park, paying attention at the timer as it counted down.
'One minute… It's one minute from me… Come on, where are you?!'
Joshua had already ran outside of the main path, going deep into the alien woods, he ignored the beauty of this foreign forest and pushed deep into the unknown.
From walking to jogging to running! He did not stop, looking for his golden egg!
"Ten… Nine…"
'Five… Four…'
"!!"
'It's here!... But where?'
Lost somewhere in the woods, Joshua looked around the trees with confusion. Where could the apple be?
He only saw ordinary trees with their even more ordinary fruits everywhere he looked.
The tree's branches were pointed upward, giving him quite a good view of their fruits so if it was here, it shouldn't be hard to spot.
'I shouldn't be a second from it… I think it's fine.'
/Press!/
Activating his Skill, his vision turned dark… Before immediately returning to normal.
"!"
In his hand, a relatively spherical apple with a twig sticking out from its top rested in his hand!... Together with some wood splinters…
"I, I can't believe it!... Ouch… Wait… Was the apple inside of the tree? No way!... It's hollow inside… No wonder it's dead!"
'Aha! So you've been growing in secret all this time, huh?... I see now. That's why I wasn't finding it… And why my wrist hurts…'
'But to punch through this bark, just what technique did Auto Mode use? Sheesh…'
Storing the apple in his backpack, Joshua was satisfied.
"This much is enough."
'Although it's barely enough to Level Up Auto Mode, if I repeat this every day, sooner or later, I'll gather enough materials for it, and without a doubt, I'll finish it before turning 26!'
'Given how many rifts there are, if I take a little from every Rift I'll be able to avoid attention and suspicion. Once I gather enough money and raise my Grade, I may even be able to enter one of the high-ranked Raid Teams out there and solidify my position under their protection.'
'It feels horrible having to rely on others to use my Skill, but this is how society is.'
"Grow stronger, raise my Grade, get new Skills and… That's how it is."
'Getting Skills is hard; whenever you raise your Grade, you have a chance of getting another Awakening and with it, new Skills. But given my low talent, I'm afraid that won't happen.'
'The way to solve that is through Awakening materials that can increase my chances. But those are immeasurably expensive.'
'Skills are everything in this career. And in one where you have tens to hundreds of millions at stake every time someone enters a Rift, it makes sense why its so expensive. Another reason why I managed to survive with my Skill as well.'
'At the end of the day, no one wants to lose their life in another world…'
"... One feels like such a waste though…" He said out loud as he looked around
[Gather Silver Apples -> 500 Grams
Time for completion -> 00:05:52
]
"About six minutes… And looking at the way, it's further down this path. At this rate, I'll likely reach the end of the reserve and enter the wild area of the Rift."
'Only about 10% of the Rift has been turned into a reserve. It's just too big for anything else. Some Rifts have hotels if not cities within them. Some cities grow crops and animals inside.'
'Given my Rank as a Strider, I should be able to get the permission to cross through the fence… I'll have to test that out since sneaking will likely not be an option.'
"Alright… It's just six minutes, I'm barely at the edge of the reserve, this much should be fine… Right?"
'... Urg! I can't be lazy! I'll just run the rest of the way myself.'
/Step…/
Jonathan ran ahead toward the horizon, vanishing soo after.
…
/Half an hour later…/
"Huff… Huff… S-Shit…"
'This is much harder than I thought!'
'Auto Mode will always move in the most efficient way with near-godlike precision while using 100% of my body. That's why the timer was set at 6 minutes.'
'By running through this forest myself, I've taken away this advantage while giving me some extra weight…'
"Still… It's safer."
/Grab…/
Hidden within a few leaves was another Silvery apple waiting to be plucked. If someone passed through the region without paying attention, they would've missed it.
"Two Apples… A few more and that would be my entire salary…"
/Gulp…/
Greed, the scourge of man…
"Okay, let's try to see how many apples are around…"
'On average, a Silver apple weighs around 500 grams, that's why I've been searching around this value, but what would happen if I played with this value?'
[Gather Silver Apples -> 500 Grams
Time for completion -> 00:03:42
]
"Then…"
[Gather Silver Apples -> 5000 Grams
Time for completion -> 5:43:52
]
'Less than an hour… It would take me less than a quarter of a day to gather so many?! It can't be… This place was supposed to be clean!!'
'... It could be because Silver apples don't last very long. They mature within a few weeks and dry out soon after. In the past, dozens of trees produced them, but now, it's hard to find a tree that produces even a single one of them in a batch. Maybe that's why this place was deemed exhausted.'
'The few apples around were rarely found since most lost the will to venture in this land; after all, even if an apple is valuable its not all there is to be extracted from the Rift, it's just a premium product.'
"If I leave the Rift with ten apples, I'll surely be detained. These two are enough for me… But this test has told me quite a bit."
'The true extent of Auto Mode!'
After smiling like a villain, Joshua thought about what to do next:
'I'll gather some lesser materials and leave. That way, it'll seem as if I was lucky instead of me going straight for them.'
'After a few hours I'll leave, solidifying the narrative of me being a treasure hunter looking for treasure.'
"Once outside, it's a matter of selling, but that's something else."
'Heh… I can't wait.'
Joshua opened Skill panel and began exploring the woods…
Five hours later he left with a bag full of materials of different values, shocking the inspection clerks on the portal.
From there it was a rather short discussion as the portal had been opened to the public, this meant there previous taxes most Strides paid were invalid as he just needed to pay for the income tax.
Happy and a little richer from selling the bulk of his materials, Joshua ran to an auction, putting his most valuable items on display.
From there, it was merely a game of patience.
…
/Later that day…/
/Thud!/
Joseph jumped into his bed with a large smile across his lips, not caring if he was dirty or not.
"Phew… It's done… YEAH!!!"
'Auto Mode is the strongest Skill ever!'
'By selling all of those materials I made the equivalent of three years of my work. Three years in barely half a day!!'
'And I could've been so much faster… '
"Hoo… I have to calm down."
'If I gather too much money too fast, the government may question me. They really don't like when people hide their abilities, much less lie.'
'I can kind of justify that my Skill changed when it Leveled up, but it'll still be forced to share it with them if I push them too far… That's why I need backing to protect me.'
"Unfortunately, Auto Mode can't auto-win legal battles for me so I need to stay shap and avoid trouble."
'I don't need to make much. Even a million per day would already be an insane amount. Too insane even… But so is one hundred thousand… Even ten thousand days would be too much. Although that would be far less noticeable.'
'Previously, since I always worked in parties, I'd usually spend a lot of supplies and the time spent in each Raid was quite extensive. But now I can cut costs by going to safe areas and time with Auto Mode.'
'That said… I must set a new goal…'
"Fitty-seven million Credits should do. That's the market price for the item that will enhance Auto Mode again."
"But if I want to rise as a Strider… One hundred million should go toward me to buy equipment and materials to raise my grade and physical attributes."
'One hundred… Sigh, it's literally an amount that would've taken the previous me a lifetime to gather… But for as ridiculous as that may sound, I can gather it within a day.'
'The problem is that if I do so I'll likely go to jail or worse…'
'The world is really unfair…'
/Thud…/
'Tomorrow… I'll look for another Rift, my goal will be to gather around three million.'
'Regardless of what I do, the government will surely track me down, so instead of bidding my time I should instead work towards making a steady stream of money that will get me what I want before they notice that I'm an irregularity.'
'Raising my Rank should be the easiest thing to do now.'
'It's much harder to notice something is wrong by reading data on a screen. If my Rank matches my income, the government workers will have a much harder time realizing what's wrong.'
'In any case, the biggest issue will likely only come once it's time for me to do my taxes…'
"Raise Rank, buy materials, upgrade Skill, Grades… Profit."
'My life has only just started!'
Raising his head up in the air with motivation, Joshua soon fell asleep… Dreaming of the future ahead and the riches he'll make…
…
/Two days later…/
"... Everything's ready now."
'Yesterday, I entered another Community Rift and got a few rare materials from within, profiting around three million as planned.'
'However, the most important thing was me booking this Rift.' He said as he raised his head to look at a relatively simple portal
Not all Rifts were fancy like the ones he visited in the last two days. In fact, most were bland and straightforward for the sake of efficiency.
This particular Rift was inside a simple security warehouse that stores and processes everything from within the Rift. It barely took an entire street block, but that was all the needed space.
It was one of the least threatening and hence, profitable Rifts out there. But Joseph chose it for a reason.
Even if it had been extensively explored already, it was a relatively uncommon mountainous-type Rift and hence was bound to be filled with unusual resources in the forms of ores, gems, and maybe even plants in hard-to-reach places beyond the view of others.
He had already prepared, knowing which materials to look out for,having an expected profit margin for this journey.
'If I could, I would've chosen another Rift, but even with my rank, they won't let me near any other Rift for as long as I venture alone. I would need to build a stronger reputation for them to allow that much.'
'Even then, I expect to come out of this Rift with at least ten million in profits, if not more. I'll rake in quite a bit even with the taxes I'll have to pay once I'm outside.'
'But there's little to fear; these low-grade Rifts have extremely low taxation to incentivize Striders to Raid them often so they can be processed into something else. Like building mines to explore deep in the mountains or other things.'
'The tax will be less than one percent, and I won't have to pay income taxes for everything that I sell them directly. This alone may make it worth it compared to selling some of these items on auctions. But I know most of them would double if not triple in price if sold at them.'
'The government is very stingy with their prices and they expect you to sell some of those items on auctions so they can take a fat check of the value later.'
'Anyhow…'
It was time to venture into the unknown.
…
/Step…/
/Crack/
"Here I am… Ganore, the world of stone."
'A planet in another dimension known for being mostly stone with stone-like plants and creatures as if everything was made of rocks.'
Gray mountains stretched into the distance under a dull gray sky and dim sun…
It was hard to notice but the mountains were covered in strange gray and brown plants that looked like stone structures but they were, in fact, plants.
Around him, the area had been carved into a simple unmanned outpost with robots moving around, making sure everything remained in function.
"Hoo… The air is quite heavy. No wonder they said I might need some masks… Cough."
'I don't have to worry since the air is breathable, still, I brought a simple oxygen tank for this mission. Just in case I need to run away. Auto Mode will do the rest.'
Jonathan looked around, choosing a direction.
'My goal in this mission is to gather gems due to their value and weight but I may gather other things if I feel like it.'
'I have no plans to hold back this time. I want to see how much I can make even if I have to throw some of it away.'
"There may be some dangers this time, but most of these mountains are relatively safe, so there shouldn't be anything I can't take even without Auto Mode's help."
'I may rely heavily on it, but I never slacked in training.'
Jonathan wore simple but robust clothes to protect him from the elements, together with sturdy climbing shoes and gloves, protective goggles, and a headpiece since it was pretty cold.
He also brought a large backpack with him stuffed with a few basic supplies and medicines, as well as a sturdy dagger, a small spear, and a pickaxe.
The dagger was an emergency weapon, but mainly there in case he wished to carve away a beast's skin since they could be valuable. The small spear was a simple weapon he favored, while the pickaxe was self-explanatory.
"Let's go! First on the list…"
[Gather Red Yomo Lazurite -> 100 Grams
Time for completion -> 00:00:33
]
'Half a minute?! Wait… Is there a deposit near the entrance?!'
'Although there haven't been many mining operations in the last few years since this place was "abandoned", I expected the entrance to have been thoroughly explored by now…'
'There must be a few gems hiding underground in such an inconspicuous place all brushed past it… Great for me!'
[Gather Red Yomo Lazurite -> 1000 Grams
Time for completion -> 00:02:03
]
'Even if I increase the total, the time doesn't change much huh… It must be quite a large vein.'
'I read some documents and thesis on the economy of Rifts and how experts usually calculate the total value of each Rift, but I guess things don't correlate as much as they do on paper, huh…'
/Press…/
Jonathan activated his Skill, closing his eyes soon after…
/DASH!/
At that moment, he began running, jumping through the outpost's walls and into a precipice!
/Slide!/
He began sliding down the eighty-degree mountain wall before pulling his pickaxe and slamming it against it once he slid a few dozen meters down.
/Crack!/
Once he completely stopped moving, he carved his spear on the wall with great precision and strength and used it as a foothold.
/KNACK! KNACK!/
He began hacking away at the mountain with his pickaxe, pulling a few pieces of red stone after pushing a small boulder from his way.
/KNACK!/
The stones kept popping as he mined the wall, sometimes using his knife to pull them away perfectly without damaging or breaking them.
No hesitation or fear, only pure skill.
/Stash…/
He stored all the stones in his bag as he pulled them out of the wall. Once the weight on his bag reached what he had defined before, he clung to the mountain and stopped moving.
/Open…/
"Is it… WOAH?!"
'Where am I this time?!'
Jonathan woke up under a rather perilous situation.
/Shaaa…/
The strong wind on his back, he looked back to see a terrific fall leading who knew where!
'Huff… I knew it. Only in such a horrific place can one find treasures… But how do I get out of here?... Right.'
His gaze turned to the wall before him only for him to realize there were still a few red rocks before him.
"Looks like there are still some gems here. It would be a little disrespectful to leave them hanging here in this cold, wouldn't it?"
'But how much should I bring?... '
[Gather Red Yomo Lazurite -> 3200 Grams
Time for completion -> 00:06:39
]
'This is it. If I increase the number any more than this, the time suddenly spikes so this must be how large this vein is.'
"Four kilograms is enough for me. If I can find a decent craftsman to polish them, they would be worth a fortune!"
'Millions upon millions! But this is barely enough…'
/Press!/
A small smile on his face, he began his operation.
/KNACK!/
/KNACK!/
/KNACK!/
/… KAW!!/
But the echoes of his pick against the stone were bound to attract unwanted attention.
/KNACK!/
/FWOOSH!/
A massive bird with a four-meter wingspan appeared, flying around his location.
Like a vulture but with long gray scales that fused into one another to look like one singular plate covering its body. Its eyes were like two silvery diamonds like those of an insect's.
Meanwhile, its distorted beak had evolved to crush and break rather than rip and cut.
/KNACK!/
But Jonathan was unresponsive, carving away at the mountain with his pick he didn't even turn back to face the beast.
/KAW!/
The beast proclaimed its presence, but upon noticing Jonathan had no intention of stoping, it dove in his direction, trying to pull him down the slope.
/JUMP!/
Yet to its surprise Jonathan jumped, avoiding it before landing on his spear as if nothing had happened.
/KAW!/
The beast circled the air and struck again, this time, it was a direct attack!
/DASH!/
/SLAM!/
The vulture slammed its claws against Jonathan, but once again, he evaded by dropping from his spear, using it as a pole to swing himself into the air after the Vulture clashed against the mountainside, breaking the rocks around it.
/PLUGE!/
/KAW!!!/\
At that moment, caught by surprise, Jonathan pierced its back with his knife, breaking through its thick feathers with a precise attack and shattering one of its wing bones, causing the beast to fall to its death while he jumped back to his pole, resuming his operation.
/KNACK!/
All of this happened in less than a minute.
/Knack!/
…
/Open…/
"Phew… Still cold."
"Huff… My feet are growing a little heavy, and my hands are also a little sore." He said out loud as he opened and closed his hands
"I've done enough for now… But the day's still long. There's much to do still."
'Booking this entire Rift was quite expensive. I can't leave with a few rough gems.'
Feeling his legs go numb, Jonathan knew it was time to leave, so he activated Auto Path and returned to camp with his bounty and items.
There, he contacted one of the many autonomous robots and reported his findings, receiving the appropriate documents and directions for declaring his earnings.
Bureaucracy was tedious and confusing, but these robots made the process relatively straightforward.
That said, a few rocks were far from his desired goal, so after storing his bounty in a locker, Jonathan went on another adventure into the gray, cold mountains.
The sun fell and rose again as he ventured into the unknown, barely resting as he filled multiple bags full of items.
Once his time was up, he sat down before the entrance of the Rift and went over his earnings:
"Phew… I'm tired."
His eyes dark, and his clothes ragged, Jonathan seemed as if he had survived hell.
'Auto Harvesting is way too strong.'
'If I can find a good enough jeweler to process these stones, I could likely make around ten million with these alone.'
'Although my Skill can help me find these items, it doesn't mean they're high quality… Unfortunately, I'm not too versed in this field to speak about it.
'I know more about monsters, but harvesting stones and rare items is safer than hunting monsters… And simpler to process, too.'
'Harvesting a monster's body takes too long and is far too troublesome for what its worth, a few gems in a bag is far better… That said… I feel like I'll get into trouble at this rate.'
"Should I look for some backing? But I really don't want to share my profits with anyone…"
'A group could help me raise more money faster and deal with the aftermath, I could take the losses as just me paying for their services… But I doubt it would be that easy.'
"Nothing will change if I stay in this could though…"
Shaking his head, Jonathan gathered his bags full of materials and left the Rift.
/Shauum…/
…
Once he stepped outside, after signing a document and showing the stamps on his bags, everything he had to do there was over.
After inspection, the robots placed the stamps on his bags. They sealed the bags, so there was no need to inspect them again unless the seal was broken. This way, Jonathan managed to avoid the awkward situation that would've ensued from them finding out what was inside them.
A robot doesn't care about whatever Jonathan brought from his ventures, it only cares about doing its job. But a Human is different… He didn't want to face the questioning gazes of the workers on the Rift. So as soon as he could, he left the Rift.
He already had a destination in mind: a high-grade lapidary.
…
"... How may I help you today, customer?"
"I have booked a material inspection…"
"Yes, Mr Jonathan Franx, correct? Follow me, I'll lead you to our professional." The clerk said as she walked away from the reception
"Lead the way."
The jewelry shop was located inside a tall skyscraper in the city center. It was very luxurious and assured of quality, so it was in high demand.
Jonathan had to book this visit with a day of antecedence, and even then, it was a very short one. Still, he believed they would give him more time once they saw what he had brought.
/Din…/
They got inside an elevator decorated with golden engravings, getting out after ascending three floors.
'This shop sure is grandiose. Taking multiple floors of this building… How expensive is it anyway? It must've cost a huge sum…'
Before he could entertain his thoughts any further, the clerk stopped before a table where an old man could be seen inspecting a small gemstone with a machine attached to a table.
'This place is rather odd. The shop downstairs was very luxurious, but this was one looks… Old and crude… It feels a little comforting though, like stepping into your grandfather's home.'
While Jonathan looked around, the clerk bowed slightly to the old man before walking back to the elevator and leaving as the doors closed.
"Hoo… It's been a while since I've had someone be sent here. I thought they had forgotten this old man." He said with a light scoff as he gestured to Jonathan
"Now, come closer, I can barely see you. I've looked at so many gems my eyes can't see well anymore."
"..."
Jonathan stepped closer, nodding to the old man.
"Erm… Thank you for having me sir, I…"
"Yeah yeah, I know… Put your things on the table and tell me what you want. I don't have much time left or hearing to listen to pleasantries." He said as he smacked his lips lightly
"... Alright."
'Rude ass old fart.'
Jonathan put one of his bags gently on the table, pulling a small sack with many gems gently and carefully packed inside a few layers of cloth.
"Hm… Lazurite… No… These patterns and shape… Red Yomo?" He asked out loud as he inspected one of the stones with a sharp gaze
"Correct sir."
"These are quite rare these days. There haven't been many Rifts leading to the Ganore mountains in the last few years so the supply has slowly waned… Where did you get this kid?"
Albeit the old man spoke slowly and cohesively, Jonathan felt some degree of accusation and suspicion in his tone. The old man likely suspected him of illegally exploring uncharted and unmarked Rifts.
It wasn't unlikely since there was so much to be gained with a Rift, and it was customary for people to consider whether to report it to the government.
There was a law in place to protect those unknowingly dragged into Rifts and protect the rights of those who first found them, but even then, there were so many "what ifs" in place that most couldn't go with just their word.
Especially for big Clans who had much to lose if they were to find an Uncharted Rift.
"Here. These are the documents."
Jonathan put the papers on the table, carelessly brushing aside the old man's tone with solid evidence.
"... This… You found these on those old mountains? I thought they had mined everything they were worth?"
"Guess they didn't look everywhere. It's not like there was a mining operation in the area."
"That's true, but that was because the area was deemed too treacherous for an operation to be conducted there… Not that I care."
He inspected each and every one of the stones on the table, and before he knew it, their scheduled time had come to an end.
In the meantime, Jonathan busied himself by opening his bags and organizing the items within.
"This batch of Red Yomo Lazurite… I imagine it was you who dug them up?"
"That's right, I mined everything here in the same area… Why? Is something wrong?"
"Hm… Not at all. On the contrary, these gems are in pristine condition. They still need some processing but I don't see many infractions on them. Ganore gemstones were always known for being large and pure."
"What's your goal with them? Make a necklace? Embed them on a ring? Crafting materials…"
"I intend on selling them."
"Selling… Very well. Red Yomo is a purely cosmetic stone, but not all gems are like that. What about the rest?"
Jonathan crouched, grabbing another sack. Opening it revealed a small group of finger-sized rocks that shone slightly.
They were very unassuming aside from their glister. One may even find it dangerous given they were shining on their own…
"This… Moon Pearls? Are these actual Moon Pearls?" The old man asked as his eyes opened wide in surprise
"I believe they are. Here is the document…"
But the old man didn't even look at it, inspecting the gem's every nook and cranny.
"It's been years since I last saw one… A Moon Pearl fresh out of the ground…" He said with some emotion before putting his monocle down
"... I imagine you're are of a Moon Pearl's value, right?"
"Somewhat. I saw one auctioned off for about half a million the other day."
"Ah, yes. I saw it, too. But you misunderstood something. That Moon Pearl was several decades old, and it had a long story… This one has just been mined; above all, it's the size of a finger. The one sold was barely the size of a fingernail."
"Moon Pearls are valued in alchemy, but their true worth comes from being used in jewelry, especially if it's enchanted given their properties… But if you came here, I imagine you don't have the connections."
"..."
"Well. Let's talk business then."
"Even a single one of these can be sold for well over three million in their base state. And if you can find me the right materials, I can make some jewelry out of them, but the material has to be equally valuable or have the necessary compatibility, especially if you plan to sell them to an enchanter."
"That can be left for later, though…"
He slowly got up from his chair, walking around the counter to gaze at the bags on the ground.
"I'll prepare the necessary documentation, you can put the rest on the counter." He said as he turned around, opening a door by the counter before stepping deeper inside the shop
"Sure thing."
…
For the next half hour, they documented every stone and filled all necessary documentation before resting on a couch with some tea.
"Huff… I'm too old for this… You're quite capable, I must say, this has been the first time I've seen so many gems delivered to me at once."
He looked at the old lamp on the ceiling, remembering an old memory…
"When I was younger, I used to work in my grandfather's factory. At that time, planet Ganore was still unexplored so most Rifts leading there were like rivers of rare gems and minerals…"
"The large machines working day and night to process and cut those stones without a single shred of delicacy… They were so numerous people treated them like that. It wasn't until much later they realized how rare they truly were."
"By then, most stones had been crushed for alchemical materials. It's why they're so valuable today. With no extra rifts, people can only rely on the pre-existing ones but without the incentive to explore, most of the rare gems of Ganore are now merely survivors from another time."
He stood still with his cup for a few moments before taking two cards from a pocket on his shirt:
"Here. My business card. The other one is a recommendation from me."
"I've seen the documents… You got all of these stones within a day… I won't ask about your methods, as even if it's luck if you can get so many stones like this, then you'll enjoy this place."
"... Place?" Jonathan asked as he read the card
'Second Sun Club?.. Also, this old man… He's a 5-Star Gem-Cutter?!'
Like Strider Ranks, craftsmen can be divided into ranks fitting their Skill and ability to manipulate alien resources.
A 5-Star was only two Stars lower then the highest rank of the Nation which only a few individuals had reached.
Even one Star was great, coming here, Jonathan expected a three Star at most…
"It's an old gathering of friends of the field. People who like to gather stones, sell them, and trade with one another."
"While it feels as if I'm selling my supplier to my competitors… I can't deal with this many stones on my own. I'll take them all but only because I'm bored."
"Unless you want to wait months for me to finish with all this work, you'll have to spread your supply a little, that is, if you can keep up."
Turning to Jonathan, he put his empty cup on a table before them, saying:
"Just log in and create an account with the code on the card. There shouldn't be many members, but you won't lack anything there."
"From commissions to auctions, they host a wide range of services… Or they should. It's been many years since I joined them or recommended anyone."
"I'll give you a call once these have been done. We'll discuss payment as I finish the batches but you don't have to worry much. Given the rarity of these stones, my commission price won't reach even 10% of their market price." He said as he got up from his seat
"Is there anything left for us to discuss?"
…
With those words, Jonathan finished making his deal with him before going back home, still pondering everything that had happened recently.
He sat down on his computer as soon as he could and entered the secretive website of the Second Sun Club to create his account:
"Hm… Rather simple."
'It just needs an Email and the code on the card… And a Username?... Heh…'
"Autobot…" Jonathan muttered with a smirk as he pressed enter
[Account created]
"Hm… It's quite old style…"
A simple webpage with very few pop ups. It was somewhat intuitive but the lack of guidance made things a little hard for him…
/Din!/
"Hm?"
A small icon lit up at the bottom left of his screen. Upon clicking it, a text bubble popped up.
A message soon ensued:
"Hello! Welcome to the Second Sun Club! I'll be your guide today, Genie!"
"Let's see… Recommended by Williams Dwont? Welcome aboard!"
"There's quite a bit to go through but first you may want to know that to complete your account creation process, you'll need to fill up a few extra boxes. Nothing extreme and be aware that we value privacy so you can put up a fake address to receive and send materials from, we don't judge but be aware that if items are lost post delivery, we don't take any responsibility for it."
"We are a Club meant to ease communication between professionals on the field, not anything else."
"And just a quick disclaimer: I'm not a robot."
"Second, please try to maintain secrecy. Every once in a while the Club gets exposed, and we have to change address, and it's very annoying."
"For now you won't be able to recommend anyone but over time, you'll receive some slots depending on how you interact with the Club. The greater your Reputation, the better."
"Now, without further ado. I'll show you around Mr Autobot."
"... Okay."
Jonathan finally had the time to type something on chat…
From there on, the guide showed him the ropes of using the website. It was as simple as he expected, and he'd gotten the ropes of everything in less than ten minutes.
It was all very simple but an underlying seriousness was behind it all. This was a high Level Club frequented by five-star masters of the field; it was far beyond what it seemed.
With his task done, the guide left the chat and left him for his own devices…
"Hm… I like this, quite a bit actually."
'I can see the commissions and also connect with other masters. It may even be possible to get access to rifts through the people here, but for that I'd need to build a reputation.'
'As such, I think I'll first make an address, which is easy… I'll just put my own here. There's no point trying to hide. Even if I put my address somewhere else, if someone wants to find out who I am, they'll figure things out easily.'
'The last thing I want is to worry about hiding whenever I go outside to fetch or deliver my things, better have everything come and go from my address.'
'With that done… I'll look at the commissions. Once I complete some of them, it should do to raise my reputation and let me deal with some of the members directly.'
'I can also put some of the items I acquire directly on the Auction platform… I can already see some nice items around.'
'The Club seems to have a few hundred members, but it likely has around a thousand, which is quite a lot, actually. If everyone here is either a master or connected to one, then this is quite the assortment of people.'
'Anyhow, time to work.'
Although Jonathan planned on resting for the day, he had to make plans for tomorrow and the day after.
Upon looking at the commissions, he researched a few Rifts and eventually settled with a few of them, picking up the commissions in the process.
From here on out, it was time to grind.
…
"... Is this correct?"
"Yes sir. At…"
"I don't need you to repeat it to me. What I want to understand is how in the world did an ordinary low-grade Strider walked out of this Rift with almost a hundred million credits in unrefined gems!"
"..."
Inside the same Rift Jonathan had explored just a few moments before, a group of three agents in suits, two men and a woman, could be seen discussing something with a worker in yellow clothing.
The worker was extremely embarrassed and didn't know what to say while the agents' expressions were… Divergent.
"Miss… You're scaring them. This isn't that big of a deal. Everything was done within the confines of the law."
"Tim is right, let's just wrap this up and call it day."
Two of the agents just brushed past this event without much care but their third member wasn't as carefree.
"Sigh… Timothy, Mautze, don't this event alarm you at all?"
"Why should it? Striders have their abilities. It's not our job to inquire them about it. We can just send a report to the association and let them do the investigation. That is, if there's anything to report." Mautze replied as he shrugged
"Do you think its normal for someone to bring back so much?!" The woman replied as she crossed her arms
"Yes? It happens all the time with those big groups…"
"But those are Raids pushed by dozens if not hundreds of individuals working together! We're talking about a nameless low grade Strider who suddenly pulled Millions all at once!!"
"... And? People awaken new abilities, nothing new."
"If that's the case, he should've reported his ability!"
"Janie… Look, you're being too much of a pain in the ass right now."
"WHAT?!"
"Look, hear me out… You're right to say he should've reported his ability, but we know full well how Striders work. No one would ever come willingly shaking their tail to tell us their weaknesses and secrets. It's even in the guidebook that we can give a Strider up to a year of leniency depending on the situation."
"From the looks of it, this guy awakened not even a week ago, cut him some slack. Do you want to send the inspectors after him for doing nothing more than exploring a wasteland Rift everyone had abandoned? Grow some conscience." He said as he scoffed out loud
"You… You just want to avoid the paperwork…"
"Damn straight. You know what we should do? We send the report and let the association deal with the rest. We can avoid paperwork AND keep a good conscience in the meantime. You've read his profile, right? Let the guy enjoy his ability for a moment. It's not like he's doing anything bad…"
"Should we wait until he does, then?"
"When did I say that? They'll decide what to do if we report it to the association. Let them decide if this is worth their time or not."
"... Do you agree with him, Timothy? You've been too quiet."
"I was thinking about the regulations… And while Mautze's words would conform as 'bias', from a moral and legal standpoint… This is really not our trouble. We shouldn't put our nose in this."
"We came here to investigate the legal proceedings followed an alarm in the sector. We've identified the fact the alarm was false and that everything was legal, the rest… Is not up to us."
"If this is about a new prominent Strider or not… His abilities are not to us to investigate."
"At best, us reporting this directly could be all about a few pieces of paperwork… At worse, we could be going to trial."
"WHAT?! Why would we go to trial?"
"That's new for me too Tim…"
"It's because of bias, our actions here today could be interpreted as envy by the jury, which could lead to a whole heap of trouble. We're supposed to be impartial… So, let's stick to our routine and report this as we should. No need to take the extra step and infringe into another precinct."
"So my vote goes for Mautze's idea. I believe doing so will make everyone's life even better. Each precinct doing its job, as it was supposed to."
"The worst of the worst that can happen is if the Strider in question turns to have either an extreme personality or ability which may lead to the higher-ups disciplining us for lack of priorities… But if that does happen, then it would be a whole other situation."
"... Fine. We'll do it like that… I hope this case isn't thrown in the archives like most of them."
"Psst, why do you even care, Malty? If this guy's no fool he'll end up using his ability again and this situation will repeat itself. By then the higherups will end up getting curious one way or another. You know how they are…"
"I'll stop you right there Mautze… We're done here." Tim said as he finished writing something on a clipboard
"Great. Can we stop by and grab…"
"..."
"I… I guess not…" Mautze said as he noticed Malty's expression
She was pissed alright…
…
/A few days later…/
.
.
.
Notes
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット