The Ridiculous Price
Never had Kai felt imprisoned while being free.
Never had Kai felt surrounded while being undeniably alone.
As he stood naked on the white floor, with white walls around him and a white roof over his head, Kai felt all this and more.
A red beam descended from unknown origins, and traced the outlines of his body, healing hidden injuries. The piled-up tiredness vanished. But the heart was still pounding, and no amount of healing would work on it, either. At last, the red beam gave up, disappearing into nothingness, and leaving Kai behind in this Absolute Whiteness.
When the first notification arrived, it covered the entire wall in front of him like an enormous poster.
[
Happy Birthday!
Chaos congratulates Contestant Kai Stormborn to live to see his 17th birthday, though it has been a few days already.
]
Kai's voice was stuck in his throat, his thoughts in his mind, and he ignored the notification after one glance. From all around, and for the first time, he was feeling a gaze on him, watching him like one watches a bug. Or was it just his senses playing a cruel and hideous trick on him?
He wouldn't like to know the answer, no matter the case.
The notifications disappeared, slowly, and somehow, Kai felt it was disappointed with the lack of an enthusiastic reply.
More stony-gray-colored words appeared, now in a formal tone but equally big.
[
SPLENDID!!!
Why don't more Contestants go out of their comfort and spread chaos outside the boundaries of their Missions?
From making news headlines in the Harry Potter World to becoming the cause of deaths of three holy creatures in the World of Pokemon, Contestant Kai Stormborn, you have almost left no stone unturned in your Missions and Stats.
Never Chaos had been surer about a Contestant's Worthiness.
But the System can't cut corners.
Let's be done with it, then.
Analyzing Contestant's actions in the random world…
]
Though Kai was feeling monstrous hate for the System, his mind was still astute enough to latch on the words "holy creatures" the moment it saw them.
[
Analyzation Complete
Judgment: Worthy
Reward: +20 Worth
Congratulations, you have ascended to the 2nd Set - 4th floor
Rewards: Inventory Size: +100%
Note: The Contestant must increase his MRB's size manually
]
The moment he got the massive boost in his Worth, all words blurred, now becoming his updated Stats.
[
Status of Contestant: Kai Stormborn (Captain of Guard)
Code Name: Blood Demon (Pirate)
System: Chaos
World: Joint Mission - Harry Potter, Pokemon, Game of Thrones (latest)
Mission Status: Completed
Mission Time Limit: 5 months
Mission Difficulty: E+
Cosmic Authority: The Evil Pokemon of Alto Mare (Heroic)
Bounty: 13,000,000 berries
Title: Coin Master (Charisma +2, Luck +2, Worth +1)
1. Traitor: Unequippable (Status: 2/10)
2. Poacher: Equippable (Status: 10/10)
3. Novice Collector: Unequippable (Status: 4/10)
4. Adulterer: Unequippable (Status: 1/5)
5. Books Connoisseur: Unequippable (Status: 2/10)
6. Coin Master: Equippable (Status: 1/1)
7. Rich Gentleman: Unequippable (Status: 1/10)
8. Outer One: Unequippable (Status: 1/3)
9. Murderer: Equippable (Status: 10/10)
10. Serial Killer: Unequippable (Status: 1/3)
11. Interdimensional Pirate: Unequippable (Status: 39%)
Mission Credits: 520
HP: 120
MP: 120
SP: 110
Active Attributes - (1st Floor Quota: 20/20) - 2 points unassigned
Strength: 13
Agility: 18
Stamina: 12
Perception: 13
Intelligence: 12
Breath: 11
Passive Attributes -
Defense: 7
Charisma: 24 (+2)
Luck: 3 (+2)
Worth: 177 (+1)
Abilities:
1. Elementary Slither Footsteps (Proficiency 91%)
2. Elementary Twin-Saber Style (Proficiency 86%)
3. Parseltongue
4. Elementary Pokemon Trainer (Proficiency 25%)
5. Elementary Seamanship (Proficiency 37%)
Skills: Not Applicable
Glitch: Blood Devour (hibernating)
1. Koffing (magical beast)
2. Dementor (magical beast)
3. Golduck (magical beast)
Items:
1. Pokeball - Generation 1
2. The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Original)
3. Mass Produced Dagger (1)
4. HP capsules (2)
5. +1 Rock Cake
6. Beyblade - Galeon Attacker
7. Custom-made Pokeballs (6)
8. Pokedex
9. Eon Soul Dew
10. Recommendation Letter
11. Banner of arms - House Drumm of Iron Islands
12. Miscellaneous Rent Box
Pain Factor: 0
Inventory: 2 Cubic Meter-2000 kg
]
[
Blood Essence: Koffing (magical beast)
Grade: E+
Abilities: Advance Filth Manipulation (Proficiency: 0%)
Skills: Levitation (Grade: E), Smoke Screen (Grade: E+)
]
[
Blood Essence: Dementor (magical beast)
Grade: D (growth: 7.61/10)
Specification: Devour souls to upgrade itself. The devoured souls will be digitized, and the Contestant must fill the growth bar to upgrade the blood essence
Abilities: Advance Cold Suppression (Proficiency: 5%), Advance Emotions Manipulation (Proficiency: 5%)
Skills: Breath Snatcher (Grade: D-), Dementor's Kiss (Grade: D+), Intimidation (Grade: E+), Dementors Progenitor (Grade: ? -locked)
Note: A Skill's grade will upgrade automatically with the upgrading of the blood essence's grade
]
[
Blood Essence: Golduck (magical beast)
Grade: D+
Specification: One of the fastest swimming Pokemon, Golduck can sense the spiritual waves in its surrounding atmosphere using its gem.
Abilities: Advance Telekinesis (Proficiency: 3%), Advance Telepathy (Proficiency: 3%)
Skills: Hydro Pump (Grade: D), Iron Tail (Grade: D-), Disable (Grade: D-). Focus Punch (Grade: ? Locked)
Special Effect: Charisma +5
]
For once, Kai felt a bit of pride at seeing the fruit of his efforts. Yet the tension in his heart remained, and unless he did something about it, Kai knew he wouldn't be able to put his mind to anything else.
"Why am I the only Contestant who comes to the White Room?" he asked, steeling himself and readying his muscles for any unforeseen attack. A futile struggle it would be, but Blood Demon would not go down without trying, he told himself.
To his surprise, when words appeared, they concealed a bit of a sneer behind them.
[
Your friend is missing to ask questions in your place this time.
Have you decided against bringing him along with you?
]
Kai could feel it. A profound, derisive laugh, thundering out of a grotesque being of unimaginable power. This feeling made the goose pimples stand on his neck and arms, a chill running down his spine.
He had indeed decided against bringing Petyr here, and it wasn't something that he had recently decided, either. The moment he had asked Petyr about the limit to which he could distance himself from him, and then subsequently retorting if it was 10 ft from Kai or 10 ft from the book after getting the reply, Kai had decided to never let Petyr come here again.
He had trusted no one. There were no exceptions. And he had always abhorred these soulless beings, to begin with. He knew there was something hideously wrong with them, and their presence about him. The way they talked, and the way they clung to him. Even more repulsive was their ability to keep themselves out of the Book. Always. Even when Kai didn't need to use their Acts. It was as if this particular ability was designed so that he would keep them around him, even when he didn't require their power.
But for what reason, and to what extent?
And Kai's doubts had reached a peak when Petyr Baelish, the motherfucker, tried to manipulate him into taking Item-M's virginity, he recalled. Yes, he didn't have his wits. Yes, he might not have attained the way of words like the one Littlefinger had. Never these things had meant that Kai was a fool. It didn't mean it now, either.
'There are things at play behind my back,' Kai had told himself once. 'It's like fattening a pig up for slaughter. Whoever's behind it would rue the day they decided to stand against me.'
"Just give me a price," Kai said, brushing off the unseen attack of unheard laughter.
[
Very well
Processing Contestant Kai Stormborn question…
Calculating the questions worth…
Analyzation Complete
Price: 1 Mission Credits
Do you accept the transfer?
]
'What?!' Kai's eyes widened. He had expected it to be in hundreds. Hell! He had even expected to see the numbers in thousands or tens of thousands.
1 Mission Credit. What did it signify? Kai didn't have to ask to know the answer. It meant the answer was so obvious and childish that even the System must have been feeling ashamed to answer it.
Kai nodded mechanically, the weight of all the tension regarding the question vanishing in an instant.
[
Words mean something in the Primordial Tower. Names matter. Meanings aren't a thing to ignore. And Worth demands respect.
Have you never asked yourself why it was named Glitch?
You are a Glitch in the System.
What else could be the reason for you to be in this place that is neither here nor there, neither up nor down, neither real nor illusion?
You underestimate yourself, Contestant Kai Stormborn.
]
***********
AN: The name of Vol 3 is a Spoiler and will be released at the end of Chapte 248.