Part 6 Part A

  Morning breaks.

  I yawned.

  I'd been using a piece of paneling from the rocket pod, that I'd landed on this world in as a blanket (made of a hybrid tin or steel). I'm also in the dugout pit that I'd been using as a shelter. Yes I made a dugout pit. Its also very useful to hide in. I can even put a panel of metal above it that's covered with cut outs of grass turf to disguise it and hide in. I use the tarp over that too and then put wood supports holding that up, and I can cover it with grass too.

  Its not perfect but it does help to avoid trouble.

  "Hey about time you got up. My shift is almost over. So I'm glad you got up before..." she stopped in mid-sentence.

  "What did you say?" I sat up straight.

  "I wish I could change shifts with someone," she sighed.

  "No. That's not what you said. You said something else," I said.

  "No. I said what I just said what I said," she said.

  "No. You said your shift is almost over," I said.

  "No. You misheard me. Either way that's not what I meant," she said, while sitting nearby me on an illusionary chair.

  Its pointless to argue with Lucy.

  She slipped up.

  It almost sounded like she's actually somehwere else...and...

  That confirms she's doing some kind of projection technollgy.

  "What was your name again?" I asked.

  "You named me Lucy remember?" she said.

  "But what was your name before that?" I asked.

  She scowled and sulked with her hands on her hips after getting up out of the chair. "You can't trick me again. I won't fall for it."

  Something strange is going on.

  Its been a few days. I'd healed up a bit, but things are still touch and go.

  I began to check my status screen.

  Name; Javen

  Race; Administrator class (Censored)

  Job class; Undetermined

  Health; 72/100

  Mana; 500/500

  Stamina; 100/100

  Health regen; +10 per day

  Mana regen; +50 (hourly)

  Str 30

  Agi 30

  Con ** NA **

  Int 90

  Wis 90

  App 100

  Skills; Survival, Mana Sensing, [Censored], Summoned Danger Sense projected illusion, defense(new!), Evade, Smash

  Traits; Memories have been censored, blessing of the heavens (new!)

  Huh? How did I get that new trait?

  'Blessing of the Heavens'? What's it do? It looks interesting.

  When I clicked on it, it says the description is censored. But that's even weirder since my other skills aren't censored.

  I also acquired the defend skill. That was obviously from the last few days working up combat with the giant wasps and the ants. Good. I'd been trying to get that one for a few days actually. So my hard work is paying off.

  I need to figure out how to survive this place!

  I have to work harder! And do more!

  I have to...

  I need more skills and resources.

  Yesterday I killed two hornets, twice. It seems like the giant hornets have come this way twice yesterday. They hadn't done two patrols a day up here before now. They seem intent on getting easier prey somewhere else, and that's keeping me safe. But if at some point the other prey gets more scarce they will surely investigate up here then. Basic hunting behaviors of animal nesting circles.

  And also yesterday, things got worse in other ways. I found out there's three giant hornet nests near me, not just one. One is on the east side of the meadow about a mile or two away. Another one is a half a mile south of that one. I'd missed the second one because they sometimes fight with the first nest that I'd discovered. And clearly one of the nests is bigger than the other.

  This isn't good. I'm basically surrounded. And with no help. And my guide would probably easily betray me if she could get out of work. I better not tell her I think that though.

  But the cliff face is on my south side and my west side, so there's nothing that can approach from there. They have a natural reason to not approach that way due to terrain obstacles. But the mountain is on the north and north east side. The path leading down the back of the mountain goes down the east side through the first hornet nest.

  And since they can fly I can't totally rule out that someday they might come up this way.

  There's some other nest slightly east of the first hornet nest but because its at the edge of the detection zone I can't tell what it is yet. Plus, that whole area is full of woods and forest stuff.

  So I can't even leave the area! I'm literally trapped and boxed in!

  If it weren't for the fish in the brook I'd have some real problems here!

  Now I'm starting to worry.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  But I'm collecting more map data.

  "So what do you want to do today?" Lucy asked.

  "Survive..." I said dourly.

  "Oh come on. Don't be such a pessimist," she said.

  "..." I didn't even know what to say in response.

  I think surviving was a positive response. And quite reasonable.

  I ate some fire roasted fish after fishing. Ah that really hits the spot! Its a nice morning.

  I'm glad my clothes are warm. That helps a lot, in the chilly mornings.

  By now the clock says its about 10:23 AM.

  I began to try to circulate my mana better and practice.

  "Hey can you teach me something Lucy? A skill maybe?" I asked.

  "In your dreams," she said flatly and frowning.

  "Come on. Please!"

  "No."

  "But..."

  "I said no!"

  Whatever...

  I went back to the tutorials for magitek.

  I'd wanted to wait and get my stats up first...but I can't. If I wait any longer...

  Whew...

  "Monster encounter incoming!" Illusionary Lucy suddenly said while standing up fast.

  Oh shit.

  3 giant hornets today!

  Luckily I'm prepared. But its still going to be hard.

  I threw a spear at the first hornet, hitting it for -12 damage before they got close. My second spear hit another one in the body for -11 damage. (Thank goodness that I'd been practicing!)

  "Now Lucy," I said.

  Then I had to kite them over the meadow in a retreat while Lucy tries to 'attack' the hornets enough to get their attention. If she looks like she's attacking and trying to be between them and me it can work a lot of the time.

  ...

  By the time the battle is over I'm wheezing just trying to breathe and hurt bad. Somehow I survived. Barely.

  Shit. I might die. This was a miracle anyway that I'm not already a goner.

  My health bar says 04/100.

  Jeez, I almost died.

  Four hornets are dead. One of them had come over hearing the commotion from nearby. This has already been rough.

  The status screen system and its magic somehow help hold your body together. Without that I'd look like a chainsaw had cut me up. I look... not as bad as that, but I still have some cuts on me in a bunch of places from them cutting my health bar down.

  This doesn't feel good at all...

  "I can't believe you are alive," Lucy told me.

  "Are you disappointed?" I asked.

  "I'm not heartless. I just want to do different projects," she said with a bit of attitude and while looking like she's doing her nails.

  "Uh huh. Sure."

  "Really. I-I don't want you to get hurt. But I want to go to a more peaceful world to assist in," she said while following me around. I think she's trying to give me a sort of apologetic response, but she's sort of clueless.

  "Are you going to bandage that up?" she asked.

  "What do you think I'm doing right now, you back seat driver," I told her.

  "Whatever..." she walked off.

  I managed to get my wounds bound up using some materials I'd salvaged but this isn't good at all.

  Huh?

  I have a notification in my status window! Yes!

  [Bonus hidden level allocation for 'overdrive XP attempt'!]

  I click on it.

  The description basically says that I 'over XPed' before choosing my class.

  "What?! You got that? You aren't supposed to know about that. How did you find a hidden feature? You aren't supposed to even be able to access that. My boss isn't going to be happy," Lucy is giving me an odd suspicious look.

  "How did you know about that?" she asked while she's interrupting my thoughts.

  Right...

  First, I'm trying to give myself first aid. But I want to see what the reward is for doing this. And there is a reward.

  Ping!

  [First Aid skill acquired!] shows up in my status screen. Plus, the same notification tells me I get a +1 to health regen, and +1 health stat from getting the First Aid skill!

  Oh thank goodness. This is a life saver! There's a limit to how many times a day you can use first aid though; and its pretty low in the numbers.

  "You sure are a cheater, you know that? Its only supposed to give you +1 bonus stat for getting First Aid. Something is wrong with the system," she said frowning and trying to look over my shoulder.

  "Hey cut it out. Just do your job and help me out. You're supposed to be on my side. Keep a look out," I told her.

  "I don't have to be on your side," she argued.

  "Yes you do. You're my summoned skill girl. If I can't depend on you its like there's no sun in the sky," I said to her, bewildered by her piss poor attitude.

  "I'm flagging an administrator. It shouldn't be giving you extra stats for this. We'll get this fixed right now. Then we'll see who'se in the wrong," she said acting pouty.

  Ah shit.

  It seems like she wants to wreck it for me. Seriously, just how heartless she was when I'm basically almost dead with that attitude tells you she's a real winner of a personality. Not.

  And then she's talking to someone I can't see protesting that my status screen is broke.

  Damn.

  I'm afraid to even open my quest rewards in front of her. Plus, why did it let her see my status screen when its in stealth mode?

  Something weird is going on here.

  At some point her holographic display disappeared.

  !

  WHAT?!!

  I have no 'detection skill turret' active?!

  WTF!~

  When I tried to reactivate the skill, it says 'server under maintenance' in big bold red text and red caution sign design.

  "What the hell," I said.

  This is stressful. I'd depended on her for being a radar. Well that's about the only thing she could be counted on for but that's something very useful!

  I tapped the skill a few more times but still got the error message and sound.

  I opened up my quest rewards for the 'Overdrive XP' quest or whatever it is.

  [+1 bonus skill. +2 bonus stats earned from Overdrive XP hidden pre-level!] the system said.

  Nice! I need every bit I can.

  I opened up my stat allocation.

  OK...it won't let me put the bonus stats in 'health regeneration' (per day). I put one of them in wisdom for stats, as it seems that's what I'm hear for. And then I put the other one in constitution, as I wouldn't mind a few more health stat points.

  But if I hadn't been wounded I'd have put them in wisdom or intelligence instead.

  My health and max health stats go up by +3. My max mana goes up by +1. And my mana regen stat went up by +1. My health regeneration stat did not go up though; I frowned.

  So I do have something... called mana. And its an energy according to the system. Interesting...

  But it didn't tell me how I can use it. Only that its some kind of hidden energy.

  'So that's how it is huh?' I thought.

  Then I was trying to not cough up blood. I'm in bad shape right now. It will be hard to get through the night. I wasn't doing very well from the recent combat.

  Then I remembered I have some of those black boxes unopened still. So I grabbed one. I can't wait any more on opening up the magitek black box, I thought.

  When I opened it...

  Fortunately it has a few free beginner items. There's a small health potion there. And a small mana potion.

  I drank the free small health potion. The current health bar goes up by +30!

  Sweet! Thank you! I might not die now. Maybe...

  That might help a lot. It might even be enough up again for me to survive!

  As I opened up the second black box the program is activated again.

  [Scanning...please wait...]

  [...]

  [...]

  [Status screen system activating. At this time you qualify for a job set to be installed on your system. Calculating please wait...]

  [...]

  [...]

  [Allocation of resources analyzed...]

  [Subject has multiple job classes available! Reccomended job class; Elite Wizard kit.]

  ...

  But then I'm surprised when it didn't give me a choice at all. It chose for me!

  [Error! Restrictions on soul binding in effect. Removing system paremeter violator candidates...]

  [Loading please wait...]

  [Loading please wait...processing...]

  [System choices adjusted. (1) kit available...]

  Damn...

  What did it give me? And how did it choose for me?

  And probably that elite wizard kit? I'd hoped it would tell me more about what I was going to get but its keeping me in the dark.

  Still... a wizard sounds cool. Launch spells to alter the world to my liking. And bend the rules of the world, to have a good life. I could totally enjoy doing that.

  I thought about it...

  Well I would have liked that anyway so its not a bad thing...I guess.

  I liked the idea of being a wizard...

  A wizard huh... that sounds fun. To be on some other world as a wizard terraforming my own living space. AND I'm not paying rent! And to hell with mortgages! Even if I have to face a little danger this seems best.

  But then I think I passed out as the ray from the black box was altering my status screen and overloading my system.

  [Loading please wait...]

  [Standby for system reboot...]

  ...

  Continued in Part B