Chapter 26: mystery box
After the meeting, everyone scattered off to do their tasks, leaving Mike alone in his "chief's quarters." The room was eerily quiet, which, honestly, felt a little too peaceful for someone who was suddenly in charge of an entire village.
Mike glanced around the dimly lit room, then turned to the corner where his Evolution Points screen was waiting for him. He had almost forgotten about the system's crazy reward system—because really, who needs evolution when they're already living the dream as a village chief?
He tapped the screen.
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[Evolution Points]
Current Evolution Points: 243.34
Spend Points to Evolve
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Mike stared at the 243 points.
"243 points… I could either evolve my personality to be more charming or maybe upgrade my cooking skills so I can actually make food for this village."
He sighed. "Nah, I've already got charm for days." He gave himself a quick look in the reflective window. "Yup. Just look at this face." He winked.
The window popped up again, this time with a Shop icon.
[Shop]
Mike grinned. "Alright, let's see what kind of random nonsense I can buy today."
He tapped the wheel.
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[Shop Options]
Rare Sword of Thunder (1,000 points)
Mystical Pet (500 points)
Village Upgrade Pack (150 points)
Mystery Box (100 points)
Potion of Instant Sleep (50 points)
[Refresh 40 evolution points]
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Mike looked at the options. "A sword would be nice, but 1,000 points?! Who do they think I am? A boss? Oh, wait…" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "No, I'm definitely not that rich yet."
Then his eyes settled on the Mystery Box.
Mystery Box for only 100 points? That was cheap. Too cheap. Mike was definitely buying that.
"Here goes nothing…" Mike buy the mystery box, watching it twirl with dramatic intensity. "Come on, Mystery Box. Don't fail me…"
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[You've won a Mystery Box!]
Reward: Instant Random Skill (Common Tier)
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Mike blinked. "…Wait, what? An Instant Random Skill?" He rubbed his hands together. "Oh, this could go horribly wrong. Or it could be… awesome."
He opened the box with a flourish, expecting something dramatic.
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[Skill Unlocked: Juggling Mastery]
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Mike's jaw dropped. "…Are you serious? Juggling? Really?"
He stared at the system window in disbelief. "I can juggle now? Is that supposed to help me lead a village?"
A skill that might come in handy for an entertainer? Sure. A skill that'll help defend against monsters? Not so much.
Mike let out a frustrated laugh. "Alright, fine. Looks like I'm the village's juggling champion now. Will definitely be useful when the monsters start attacking with their poorly timed attacks." He sighed, then grinned. "Maybe I can start charging the villagers for juggling lessons."
After shaking his head in mock despair, Mike tapped the screen to check his remaining points.
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[Evolution Points]
Current Evolution Points: 143.34
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Mike leaned back in his chair, staring at the remaining points. "Well, I guess I'll save those for something useful… like a Potion of Instant Sleep for when this whole village thing drives me nuts."
He glanced at the door. "Alright, time to go check on the chaos I just set into motion."
Mike wandered over to Garrik's forge to see how things were going. He wasn't quite sure what he expected, but he certainly didn't anticipate being greeted by a cloud of smoke and the scent of burning metal.
"Garrik!" Mike called, waving his hand through the thick smoke. "How's the sword coming along?"
Garrik, the rock titan, turned around, his massive frame towering over the anvil. "Sword? You want a sword?" He chuckled. "You're not getting one yet. We need better resources first. Stones are scarce, and I'm not about to make you a toothpick!"
Mike laughed nervously. "I thought we could maybe hurry up with that, you know, in case a giant monster shows up."
"Not happening, my lord," Garrik grinned, his voice like the rumble of an earthquake. "Patience is a virtue, and swords don't grow on trees."
Mike groaned. "Yeah, well, patience is overrated."
After the conversation, Mike went to check on the rest of the team. As he walked out, the village seemed oddly peaceful, considering it was teetering on the brink of disaster. He kept hearing the loud sound of Brutus' booming voice, Kiera's maniacal laughter, and Eli's constant complaints.
Mike smiled. Despite everything, he was starting to get the hang of this. Sort of.
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Later, as Mike was heading back to his quarters, the system popped up again.
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[System Notification]
Bug Report: The transformation bug involving the unknown necklace has not yet been fixed.
Potential Fix: If your evolution level reaches 4, you might gain access to the tools required to resolve the bug.
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Mike blinked at the message. "A transformation bug? Seriously? How is that even possible?"
The system went quiet for a moment before replying again.
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[System Notification]
Bug Fix Status: The bug is still being addressed. It's being fixed as fast as possible. Please be patient.
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Mike sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. Level 4 evolution. Let's get there then, I guess. I'll be waiting for my superpowered Allosaurus transformation at some point."
And with that, Mike continued on his way, the weight of his ridiculous yet somehow functional village management resting on his shoulders.