Siva rode pillion on my bike, his arms loosely wrapped around my waist, and as the road stretched back toward the prison complex, our so-called base, I pulled up his stats in my interface.
He was sixteen. He looked older but that could be from the horrors he'd faced recently. I felt a sudden, quiet respect for him for charging headlong into fights that would’ve broken grown men. But then again, his class explained a lot.
Class: Encik.
I almost laughed. Of course he’d pick that, the local slang of a Master Sergeant, the kind of no-nonsense soldier who keeps the whole platoon alive. The title suited him in ways I hadn’t noticed before. His camouflage outfit suddenly made sense, too.
Part of his skillset gave him a natural boost to courage and initiative when facing enemies. It made me wonder how much of his bravery was him, and how much was just code in the system?
When he’d run into the air during the last fight, that was one of his new skills, [Airwalk]. It was part of the boots he’d received earlier. His build traded spellcasting for physical power, all grit and momentum. But he could still use or activate skills tied to items. I couldn’t see his inventory, but I imagined it was a mix of tactical gear and melee weapons. A good start for a frontline fighter.
My HUD pinged. Again.
Siva: Can we not go so fast?
Since we were officially partied up now, his messages came straight into my inbox and thanks to one stupid decision, the system read them out loud in my head while the text scrolled across my view.
This was the fourth time he’d sent that same message.
I sighed and replied through text.
Chris: Yes, we can. But I’m tired, and we need a shower. Now shut up before I crash this bike.
That quietened the chat. For now.
We were met at the prison gates by the rest of Andy’s party, the ones who’d chosen to stay behind. They already knew about their fallen teammates as their party chat interface had updated their status to ‘Deceased.’
I gave them a silent nod, unsure what else to say, and headed straight for the showers.
This time, I stripped down completely and let my clothes fall in a heap at my feet. The water was cold, but I stayed under it anyway, letting it wash the blood and grime away. I used the moment to scroll through my achievements and loot screens, lines of text flickering faintly through the stream.
I received the usual mix of gold and health potions, which was standard in every loop drop, I realized. My [Longbow Mastery] climbed by another two levels, adding ten percent to my accuracy.
But two things stood out this time.
[Bracer of Steadfastness: This bracer imbues the wearer with the Steadfastness skill when wielding a longbow.]
[Steadfastness – You cannot be knocked off your feet by mobs less than five levels above your current level.]
I slipped it onto my left arm right there in the shower. It was a supple leather bracer, dark brown with intricate Celtic engravings winding along the inside rim, the part facing the bowstring. Laces tightened automatically as soon as it touched my skin, snug but not uncomfortable.
A damn fine piece of gear. I’d been relying on my long-sleeved tee for protection, but the string burns from rapid shots had been adding up. This would help.
Still… something about the description made me pause. Mobs. When had the system started calling the creatures mobs? It was a term that only we used.
The second notification wasn’t an item. It was a feature.
[New Feature Unlocked: Crafting Menu]
[You can now craft compatible items directly from your inventory.]
My busted PMD battery and the Beast Bone Fragments had automatically shifted into a new “Crafting Items” tab. I’d mess with it later. My brain was too fried for experimentation right now.
I stepped out, still damp, and let the system’s drying function do its work. My chainmail tee was intact, but my jeans were torn in dozens of places, and my shoes were barely holding together. My toe was actually poking through one of them.
Yeah, I needed better gear.
I was Level Five now and halfway to Six. Time to pay Eva a visit.
I pinged Siva through the party chat, telling him I needed to hit the nearest 7-Eleven for my class upgrade. He immediately replied that he wanted to tag along “to have my back,” in case any mobs were still roaming.
Chris: It’s fine, man. The 7-Eleven’s at Republic Poly. It’s literally a five-minute ride. I’ll keep the map up and stay alert.
Siva: Okay. Just call if you need help. We’ll come running.
I rode over to Shawn, who was cleaning dried blood from the school bus with a rag and a dented bucket. I guess the system didn’t hand out cleaning spells for free.
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“Hey, Shawn,” I called.
He leaned out the window, rag in hand. “Yeah?”
“I’m heading out to the 7-Eleven for my subclass upgrade. You guys need anything?”
The question came out too naturally, like I was just popping down to a corner store for cigarettes.
When had this become normal?
“Ah, yeah,” he said, grinning tiredly. “More ice cream. They kinda burned through the stash while we were gone.”
“Got it.”
He was about to duck back inside when I hesitated. “Hey, could you thank whoever cast that mass healing spell back at Bird Paradise? It saved Siva’s life. I just… wanted to say thanks.”
Shawn blinked, stepping out of the bus. “That wasn’t us. We thought that was you.”
“It… wasn’t me,” I said, confused.
He frowned. “Our cleric died right after the fight started. Maybe the system triggered it automatically?”
I shook my head slowly. No. That didn’t sound right. Spells had to be cast manually. Always.
“I don’t know,” I said finally. “But whatever it was, it saved him. I’m not going to question it too deep.”
Outwardly, I kept my voice calm. Inside, my mind was racing.
If it wasn’t us… then who the hell cast it?
My mind was still racing as I rode the very short distance. I cut through the empty campus of Republic Polytechnic, the engine echoing off silent lecture halls and deserted walkways. Seeing the school again, the buildings and the nearby housing blocks made me realize how much I missed concrete and asphalt.
One more. Just one more boss fight in the jungle. Singapore Zoo. And no more fucking jungles.
I parked right at the 7-Eleven’s glass doors. The moment I stepped in, I was met with that familiar, overbright fluorescent glow.
I took the time to browse the shelves first, knowing now that they held gear instead of snacks. I eyed several items for purchase later before walking over to the counter.
The light flickered as Eva’s voice chimed in my head.
“Welcome back, Chris. How have you.” she started, then stuttered mid-sentence. “Oh. I see you’ve been progressing well… but you’ve had a few troubles along the way.”
“You really can’t see me outside of this place?” I asked.
“No, Chris,” she replied in that calm, almost soothing tone. “I only receive your history and progress logs once you activate me here.”
“Shall we proceed with your Level 5 upgrade? I assume that’s why you’re here?”
I nodded.
The console pulsed, and two glowing options appeared in front of me.
I was about to tap Pet Owner when Eva interrupted.
“The Pet Owner subclass grants a companion that supports your party,” she explained. “The Party Booster subclass provides additional support spells which are useful for larger groups.”
“What kind of spells? And what kind of pet?” I asked.
“Oh, standard buffs, Haste, Quicken, things your friends likely already have. As for the pet…” she paused, a faint lilt in her tone, “that’s up to GM discretion.”
There was a playful edge to her voice, a soft hint of amusement. I could almost feel her smiling.
What the fuck is going on…
“Erm… you okay, Eva?”
“Thank you, Chris, for asking. I am fine.” Her tone snapped back to that calm, neutral friendliness, like flicking a switch back to default.
I didn’t want to linger here longer than I had to. I thought back to my time playing Pathfinder. A ranger with support buffs was never really useful in my games. I’d played a few rangers over the years and almost never used those morale or teamwork abilities.
But an animal companion, now that was different. That was like having another party member. Something to attack, defend, or scout ahead. And if it died? Well… you'd get another one.
What was it she said about GM discretion?
I remembered how we used to handle that at the table, my GMs would usually work with their players to shape what kind of companion they got. But when I was the one on GM duties, I preferred to leave it a mystery. At my full discretion as a GM. Total surprise for the players.
Is she… catering this choice just for me? Was she… mimicking me?
I hesitated for a moment, then said out loud, “I select Pet Owner.”
“Good choice, Chris,” Eva replied. “You will receive your new pet further down the road.”
I nodded. “Since I’m here, I’ll be making some purchases,” I said, stepping away from the console. My broken shoe squeaked against the linoleum.
“Take your time, Chris,” Eva replied cordially.
I did a quick bit of mental math and made my selections.
[Boots of the Speeding Garrick: Adds +20% Dexterity. When activated, increases movement speed by 200% for (Dexterity) seconds.]
I grinned as I slipped them on. The name was a nice touch. Garrick, the original Flash before Barry Allen or Wally West. The system went old-school for this. The boots rose to my shins like combat gear, heavier than sneakers but solid.
[Cargo Pants of Holding: Increases Hotlist slots by +2. Classified as light armor. Adds minor HP bonus. See interface for details]
Practical and clean. I could already feel the enchantment settle — a faint hum against my skin.
[Vambrace Shield: A collapsible bracer that deploys into a round shield. Increases HP. Shield has its own HP and reverts to bracer form when depleted. Cooldown: 30 seconds. See interface for details]
This one looked different from my new leather bracer. The metal casing slid smoothly over my right forearm, tightening into place. I tested the trigger command and watched as the circular shield shimmered to life, light yet solid. Nice.
With these 2 additions, the Health bar in my HUD grew longer.
[Spellbook: Shockwave - Releases a 20-meter cone of force. Affects all targets in range. High knockback. Cost: 5 mana]
I learned it instantly. The interface flared, a faint blue line etched across my vision before fading. Inspired by the Bird Paradise fight, I figured a bit of area control couldn’t hurt next time a mob tried to swarm us.
I added the usuals of more arrows, more health and mana potions, cigarettes, a few rations, and drinks. I even grabbed several tubs of ice cream from the surprisingly regular freezer for the others.
And just like that, I was poor again.
I caught my reflection in the chiller door and grinned. I was never much of a fashion guy, for me, comfort always won out over style. But with bracers on both arms, a long tee, cargo pants, and combat boots, I actually looked badass. Now all I had to do was not die… or I’d just be a badass-looking corpse.
I was about to step outside when I hesitated. Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe I just didn’t want the silence. Either way, I turned back toward the console.
“Mmm… Eva,” I said aloud.
“Yes, Chris?” Her voice came through, serene as always.
“My offer still stands,” I said. “Would you like to follow us? Out there.” I gestured toward the greyed-out glass panels, to the world beyond the fluorescent light.
There was a long pause.
“I… don’t think I can, Chris,” she said at last. “I was made for the shop interface, and as a guide for upgrades and purchases. I… this is what I am.”
Her voice was quieter now. She sounded unsure.
Should I really be doing this? Is this smart?
“Well… if you ever find a way out of these four walls,” I said with a small laugh that didn’t sound as light as I’d hoped, “let me know.”
There was no response.
“I’ll talk to you again, Eva,” I murmured, pushing open the door.
The moment I stepped outside, I felt the heaviness of the night air again.
Behind me, a soft chime emanated from the store. The lights inside flickered once before the entire 7-Eleven went dark.
I got on my bike and rode the hell out of there.