Chapter 5
A few days later:
'Wait can I get skills?'
I suddenly had the thought as I dropped the dumbbell on the ground. I was working out in Jolkev family's indoor gym. Although, this gym was an indoor gym, it was bigger than most of the gyms I had ever been to. I should probably mention that I used to be a workout fanatic in my previous life.
In the original novels, there were skill books that one could use to obtain skills. It was an instantaneous process. All you had to do was insert the book into the system window and bam you get the skills. So what's the downside of it? It was expensive as shit and you had to be suitable to receive that skill. For example, a swordsman who had little knowledge about magic couldn't obtain a magic skill. Basically they had to understand some fundamentals of the skill. Also these skills could get stronger as you come to understand more about the spell's fundamental structure. Also it was possible to learn skills from another skill user but that was considerably hard and time consuming so people didn't usually try it unless the skill was rank. But the higher the skill level was, the harder it was to learn it.
There were two types of skill books: Artificial Skill Book and Dungeon Skill Book. Artificially skill books could be created by a person with enough magic knowledge. They were basically a cheap intimation of one of their personal skills. They are usually bad and not upgradable. Dungeon Skill Books are superior to Artificial Skill Books in that sense.
Skill books were introduced by the appearance of dungeons. Yup there were dungeons in this world, ranked from . Monsters like goblins and stuff like that existed in them. Dungeons were basically trials that you had to overcome. Most dungeons had different types of trials, for example, clearing all the monsters inside or finding a certain item in it or killing the boss monster of the dungeon. You could get rewards by clearing the dungeons. The rewards could be various different things, for example, potions, skill books, weapons, armors and even items like gold.
'I'm pretty sure this system can absorb skills, should I try it? I have $18,318 left. I can probably check the market for a skill.'
People say always keep some money just in case, but I say fuck off. I will do whatever I want. I reluctantly got up from the park seat and headed back towards downtown. As I had knowledge from the novel, I knew a store that sells extremely cheap skill books. I can probably persuade him to make it cheaper, so It'll be around 20k. I realized the only skill I could get was a rank skill is extremely rare and usually costs billions of AP. I was also extremely surprised to find out that Kez didn't already possess any skills. Is it because his parents are stingy or did my system erase all his previously owned skills? I quickly took a shower and changed my clothes. I've been working out these past few days, trying to gauge my strength and stamina and I had to say, this body was really weak.
"My max bench in this body is only 75lbs. Sigh."
But I found a neat trick. One of the skills that I received with the system was 'Insanity'. I have been trying out that insanity skill last few days. Turns out that insanity skill had a very unique activation condition which was little bit of a hassle, but it had great effects. It was a self-augmentation type skill. Once used, you feel a surge of power that was very intoxicating. Your normal thought process jumbled up while the skill was turned on. With insanity activated, I could bench 105lbs. Not too impressive but since this skill could grow, I was very optimistic about it. Moreover, activating and deactivating skills can be called a lesser form of cultivation, so my mana increased a bit these last few days as well. As for the other skill, 'Evil Mana' I didn't try to use it because I had no clue how to. I will probably have to find some reference from the novel on how to use that skill.
As I opened the door to head outside, I could see there are no cars outside. I really wanted to drive to my destination, not walk but at this time, both my parents were at work and Kez didn't own a car. It was surprising that this rich brat didn't have a car. How much did his parents hate him? So, I had no choice but to walk. Kei was at school or something, so I was the only one at the house. I locked the door and walked out of the neighborhood. I had been going out for strolls lately to get familiar with this area. I could perfectly navigate to where I wanted to go with a little help from maps. After walking a little more, I entered the downtown area. As I strolled through the city, I still couldn't help but be awed by the captivating blend of somewhat futuristic scenery that unfolded before me. This world wasn't too scientifically advanced than my previous one. However, the main difference between this world and my previous one was mana.
The city hummed with the energy of advanced transportation systems and smart infrastructure. As I walked, AI interfaces seamlessly emerged, offering real-time updates on directions, weather forecasts, and local happenings and they were all powered by mana!
The city's architecture was also a testament to progress. Buildings gleamed with sleek, reflective surfaces that seemed to merge seamlessly with the sky. The footpath was extremely wide with extensive stores, buildings and unknown institutes all around. Although, the footpath was extremely wide, it was almost filled to the brink because of the sheer amount of people. It was currently around 8:30 am so that would explain the crowd. Holographic displays adorned every corner, showcasing dynamic advertisements, interactive maps, and vibrant visualizations of data. It was an interesting sight to see. Not all rankers used mana to fight or kill. Many chose to use mana as a form of utility. This city was an example of that. After a while, I exited the downtown area and all the futuristic vibe suddenly died down. Implementing those technologies on a large scale wasn't very cost-effective so they only existed in downtown areas. This area felt more comfortable to me compared to that futuristic downtown area. After taking a few shortcuts, I reached my destination. There was a store in front of me, but it paled in comparison to the ones I have seen in downtown.
I entered the shabby looking store. The store was pretty empty. Apparently, this store belonged to a company called SkillPuL that went bankrupt after they were caught selling malfunction products. But that was only a plot to ruin their reputation by the Harding Inc who monopolizes the skillbook industry. Skill Books could be compared to computer software in a way. In that sense what Harding Inc did was put a virus in SkillPuL's softwares that harmed the computer (person who used the skill). SkillPuL mainly created their skill books instead of getting them from dungeons, so it was easy to temper with them. In the original story, SkillPuL sponsored our mc, Jack and using Jack's fame, SkillPuL manages to clear their allegations later in the story. SkillPuL improved their products after the incident so their products can't be tampered with, but people still don't trust their products. That's why the price of their skill books is at an all-time low right now and I'm definitely not going to let an opportunity like this slip past me.
'Shit...I underestimated skill books'
Even though the prices should've been all time low, they still cost between several hundred thousands to millions ap.
"Bruh this shit's so unfair...yo owner, u got any skills under 20k?"
The store owner seemed greatly annoyed. But soon his face turned into one with great amusement.
"Heheh I sure do...here you go"
"Oh sweet...wait...what is this?"
===
[ Type: Skillbook
Description: You can create shit quality decoys of yourself
Duration: 1 hour
Max Decoys: 2
Cooldown: 1 hour
This skill book is unfinished]
===
If you hold a skill book, then your system displays all the potential information of the skillbook. Seems like my system was at least capable of that. But the point I was confused about is the unfinished part. So naturally I asked the owner.
"Oh that? It was supposed to be a clone skill book, but the skill book creator probably got lazy and didn't finish it...I was supposed to send it back to the company for some refund or dispose of it but you can buy it for 15k... good deal, right? Hahahah..go home kid. Come back after you have at least a few hundred thousand ap."
"I'll take it."
"Hah just as I thought, give it b-...what?"
"I said I'll take it."
"Kid, it's unfinished so the protection against temperament isn't installed in it. Also, this thing sometimes won't even create decoys and I don't think I need to tell you how dangerous it is for a skill to not activate during a fight."
"Then lower the price I need for my research. You probably won't get much if you try to refund it. So how about it? I'll give you 15k, you can probably keep the whole amount for yourself and tell the company you disposed of it."
"T-that's...a-aginst company's rule and y-you know the punishment for unregulated skill book trades...up to 50 years of imprisonment and 70,000 ap fine."
"Sigh..fine I'll leave...you could've easily made 15k. Your loss"
I sighed as if I was disappointed and turned to the exit. I walked towards the exit while maintaining a normal pace. There's no way someone would let this amount of money slip by their fingers. The shopkeeper probably wasn't a minimum wage worker, but it was 15k basically $8k dollars. Like if you work a 9-5 and got a offer to gain 8k with very minimal risk, wouldn't you take it? Fuck ya, u would.
"W-wait...hey i'll sneak out from the back...wait there..There are cameras in here."
I walked out of the store without looking back and entered the alleyway next to the store. There was an atm machine nearby, so I made sure to take out the 15k in cash for an easier transaction. After 5-10 mins, the shopkeeper came out in a hoodie.
"You got the stuff?"
"Ya, the cash?"
I showed him my pocket that was overflowing with cash. After taking a quick look around, he handed me the book and I passed over the cash.
"Let me know if you get more of this stuff in the future. This is my number."
I already bought a burner cell phone when I was shopping for some stuff for Trop.
"U-uhhh.....fine but remember don't call, text only. Name's Dylan by the way."
"Fin over here. Let's split."
"Later."
I said goodbye to the shopkeeper and left the store. I was glad to finally find a good dru-book dealer. This was a very huge necessity. I remembered a part from the actual book that I already forgot. Unfinished Skillbooks. Unfinished skillbooks are well....unfinished but users can still use them. Skillbooks are created by combining multiple different skills. For example, a clone skillbook is created by combining the skills decoy and remote control so it was no surprise that the unfinished skillbook allowed me to create...shitty decoys of myself. The shitty part could've derived from the fact that decoy skill isn't supposed to be used individually from this book. It's similar to using a computer for only its light. Not dangerous but there's a chance the light might not turn on once in a while because of bad wiring since the computer isn't fully constructed yet. Pretty much the same deal with unfinished skillbooks. But for now, I need some kind of skill and I was happy with anything I could get.
'Aight let's see if my system can absorb it'
"Absorb"
"..."
"Absorb"
"..."
"What the fuck. Did I just waste 15k? Why is the system not absorbing the book?"
I tried various methods and 32 different rituals to get my system to absorb the book. I tried summoning the system window and shoved the book in there but no luck either. I even considered eating the book but quickly disregarded that idea since it was retarded af. I had one more method I could
"Well lets see if this works."
I remembered that the skillbooks are mainly a form of mana contract which contains a specific mana pattern. So can I absorb that pattern by inserting my mana into the book? Mana can be manifested and transferred from one object to another. I read about feeling the mana in your body and drawing it out and stuff. I tried to imagine that an element called mana was spread throughout my bloodstream and imagined gathering to a certain part of my body.
"This is dumb asf. Why did I think that was gonna wor-"
Ding
Suddenly, a ding sound resounded, followed by the system window popping up.
===
[Passive Skill, 'Evil Tendency' has been used for the first time]
[Passive Skill: Evil Tendency (Proficiency 0.12%) {Your mana takes on an evil form. All mana related attacks will be amplified. Additional informations are locked}]
===
'Damnnnnnn. That was awesome. Imma try it out'
I retried imagining that I was gathering mana on my pinky in the left hand and in a second or two, my pinky turned a little red and started glowing.
"Woah. Now I can find a job as a lightbulb. So fucking cool. Can this even do any damage?"
I tried rubbing my pinky against a piece of brick on the ground and…
"...it's definitely sharper than a butter knife haha. WAIT I KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO."
A few mins later:
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Why did I even try this? Sigh that was really dumb. Whatever."
[ Insanity proficiency has increased]
'Shit I got side-tracked.'
I once again tried manifesting mana in my hand and grabbed the book with the mana infested hand. To my surprise, the book slowly disintegrated into my hand.
Ding
[Host has gained a new active skill]
[Active Skill: Shit Decoy (Proficiency 0%) {Allows host to create shit quality decoys of himself. Duration: 1 hour ; Max Decoys: 2 ; Cooldown: 1 hour, Mana Cost: .5 per decoy}]
[System has restored some functionality of the skill as it was unfinished. Skill activation will not depend on probability in the future]
"That is actually useful. This system is indeed better than the one everyone else has. Anyway, I should probably head home."
I called the Buber transportation company so they can give me a ride home. Kez didn't seem to possess enough stamina to walk too much. I had to get proficient with the skill I just received and possibly get a little stronger. Should I ask my parents to give me some preworkout creatine? God, I hope they are too stingy. As I was submerged in these thoughts, a 6 '8, almost 500 lbs guy with dark skin walked up to me and faced me with a menacing expression.
"Hey" The big guy said with a bone chilling voice.
"H-hey what's up my man. Need something?"
"I am Jerome Lebrozi, your Buber driver. Sorry I couldn't get my car over here because the road ahead there is closed. Do you mind following me?"
"...fuck I thought u were gonna mug me for a second there"
"Did you say something?"
"Nope nothing let's go."
I followed the guy to his car and got in. It was a little amusing to find out the big guy had a very small suv. I watched him get inside his car by literally dislocating every bone of his body. Once he got inside, he started driving without uttering a word. I didn't know the city very well so I had no clue where I was going. Hopefully this guy won't kidnap me.
Ding
My phone notification. I reached for my pocket to grab my phone. There was a single notification on there. A simple message but I kept reading it in my head again and again to fully comprehend it.
'Hey Kez, your Buber is here. We don't see you here. Please let us know if you changed your location.'
"Something wrong?" The big guy driving the car asked in the same bone chilling voice.
"N-nothing is wrong. Just my friend saying hi."
I hesitantly turned to look at the driver's face and I was horrified by what I found. His lips created an arc that I didn't know was humanly possible to create. His smile was more menacing than any I've ever seen in my life.
"By the way, I have very good hearing, you fucker." The driver said.
'I AM FUCKED'
***