Might as Well

It was rather freeing sitting in front of his giant high-fidelity television set in his boxers after a good workout – not something he expected to say ever – and eating his breakfast just in his boxers.

He was watching nothing in particular, simply surfing through the channels that sometimes showed things he found interesting. Mostly news about Magic Unbound, the company that created it, and the players. Though, occasionally, he spent some time sampling the various news channels. After all, he had already changed things. He couldn’t rely on his spotty future knowledge about real-life events.

Sam was off in his own head, not really listening, when a soundbite managed to break him out of his fugue.

“…and in other news, the man responsible for burning down the Fairlight Apartments has been apprehended. They’re currently facing prosecution and are expected to serve at least three years.” The announcer took a short breath, shuffled around a few papers that somehow stayed around in the world of news despite everything being digital, and then continued. “If you’re not familiar with the event, then allow me to summarize it. It started when…”

Sam tuned out the announcement and looked at the mugshot of the stone-faced thug that burned down the rundown apartment building he, or rather the other Sam, lived in before the universe decided to be weird for a few seconds.

The same guy did it with the events playing out the same way. Naturally, back then the other Sam wasn’t in any position to appreciate the fuckery going on in a nice apartment, as he was in the process of trying to survive after losing a lot of possessions in that fire.

A few months later – after some ‘anonymous’ tips led to new information – it turned out that the guy who got caught was paid by a ‘reputable’ businessman to take the heat while they bought up the burned-down property and started building another highrise.

Basically, the circle of life in any world.

Sam was rather glad not to be living there anymore. While his apartment wasn’t as luxurious or big as one would think with his income, he didn’t feel he needed it. He had every creature comfort he wanted in his current abode.

‘Maybe in a year or two I'll move…’ he mused as he got up from his sofa. Seeing that man on the news made him want to check out a few other things.

Still in his boxers, he padded over to his office and plopped down in front of his computer. Soon he was clicking away, going through websites, both domestic and foreign, trying to dredge up fragmented memories from what he had inherited.

Sadly, just as the other Sam remembered, there were a slew of murders, attacks, and even other types of foul crimes related to the game. However, it was obvious some crimes were egregiously attributed to the game by sensationalist news organizations or governments. Mostly right before trying to implement a new tax on the income generated by the game or other fun stuff that local governments liked to do.

Still, what Sam saw matched mostly with what he remembered from his inherited memories. Naturally, there were a few new names and occurrences as well as a few that he knew died or suffered that didn’t in this new timeline.

Sam couldn’t help but grimace. He had helped a few people here and there, and he knew he prevented at least one or two deaths, but as he took in the enormous amount of people who got hurt because of anger, greed, or some misplaced sense of justice, he couldn’t help but feel that he could have done more.

Here he was, living in the lap of luxury – at least compared to ninety percent of the people – enjoying playing a game with no worries while people out there died after making a bad decision or trusting the wrong person.

He knew that it wasn’t really his fault, but the guilt still stayed.

Sam closed his eyes and shook his head. ‘No. I could wonder about what-ifs for as long as I live. I need to do what I can and accept that I can’t save everyone…’

Even as he thought it, he knew it may have sounded nice, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow…

Returning to the game managed to cheer him up a little after his little depressive episode. Especially after Lucky walked up to him and simply thrust his silky, furred face into him, demanding to be patted and played with.

Playing with the giant shadow wolf did wonders for his soul.

After Lucky felt that he had received enough attention, love, and care, he simply laid down at his feet and began gnawing on something that once was a giant bone from some animal. Sam leaned back in one of the most comfortable armchairs Lucy could find and looked around his room at the headquarters. It was tastefully decorated but rather impersonal. Which made sense, as he mostly used it to log out or to read over documents that Lucy didn’t want to leave the building. But still, there were hints of their improvements.

The light fixtures were all from Liz, radiating gentle light that didn’t hurt the eye yet illuminated everything. A heater made by the same person, keeping the room at the perfect temperature. Another device kept the air quality always high and finally, another device, looking like a random ornament that Sam knew prevented a lot of listening and scrying working in the area it covered. The headquarters were littered with the devices, always in a different form to prevent their enemies from realizing what they were.

Most of the improvements created by Liz were used to secure the building and provide basic level creature comforts to those who worked here. The moment Lara was brought in and Lucy realized the enormity of the project Dan’s girlfriend had embarked on, she stopped all frivolous spending and focused all her available attention on the fortress, making sure that it would succeed.

And it would work!

Lucy was already hard at work making sure that the political ‘elite’ wouldn’t interfere by redirecting their attention to business opportunities surrounding the Valleys of Distortions. These phenomena were rare, but with the fight going on – and the system not gimping the number of fractures present – it would last for a long time. Plus, while people were freaking out about them and rushing them to conquer the area and reap the rewards, Sam knew that more would appear. Or at least, in his inherited memories, more appeared. He had no idea what the new future would hold.

It was very apparent that the system was reacting to his actions, but none were so blatant as changing the fractures to those previously experienced. The others were in awe of the rewards, and he was definitely satisfied, but he was a little salty at missing out on those shadow-natured fractures. In the original timeline, it came out that all natures were represented in the fractures. He had hoped to get some drops for himself as well as for Lucky’s next evolution.

Sadly, it wasn’t to be as the system judged that it would be too much loot for them and changed the situation. At least, that was his best guess. There was a chance that it just wanted to fuck with him.

But at least he got a nice skill to gather all his shadow skills under one umbrella. It wasn’t the skill he was aiming for, but Sam couldn’t say he wasn’t happy with it. On its own, it didn’t provide much, but the synergy effect was really nice.

He held out his hand and with a flex of his will – still marveling at the technology behind this action – called up shadow mana. It coalesced in his hand like a ball of total darkness. Another flex and it expanded, then covered his hand like a perfectly fitting glove.

Opening and closing his fist, he felt the shadow covering his hand, basically feeling like a second layer of skin. The closest analog he could find was having a thick layer of very silky and smooth sunscreen on his skin.

Then he relaxed the hold over the mana and it vanished.

Nodding in satisfaction, he opened his status screen and checked his gains. After returning to Ironwood, he was always rushing around, delivering materials, talking with people, and helping Lucy and Lara handle the fortress.

He even took time to visit the always-excitable Lucrecia so that Lucky and her wolf, Fortuna, could have a small playdate. Keeping the reputation gains with NPCs was a never-ending job…

After checking his status screen, Sam was pretty satisfied to see that he had reached Level 92. Currently, the top players were hovering around Level 95, but it was questionable how much of that was true. The closer they got to a hundred, the more experience points they would need with the lower leveled monsters providing almost none. They could farm boars for one experience point for weeks or simply run a dangerous, high-leveled fracture.

The gains were also pretty nice. For Strength, Endurance, and Vitality, he gained two points, and for the rest, four more after the level-ups. Except for Luck, which stubbornly refused to move from fifteen.

Then came the unassigned attribute points. Fifty-two, to be exact. Thankfully, he had the plan well prepared. Thirteen was directly dumped into Magic, increasing his spell power and mana capacity. Eight into Endurance and seven into Wisdom. Six each into Agility, Perception, and Dexterity. The last few points were added to Vitality and Strength.

Then came the skill gains.

[Mana Manipulation is now Level 77!]

[You gained the subskill, Mana Surge!]

[Mana Surge: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you move a great amount of mana at the same time its effectiveness increases depending on the amount of mana you use.]

[Mana Rebirth is now Level 5!]

[Mana Flux is now Level 8!]

[Mana Tempered Body is now Level 99!]

[Reinforced Musculature is now Level 5!]

The best gain was the almost maximum leveled Mana Tempered Body. He would only need to wait a little and he would gain an opportunity to upgrade it into something very special.

[Perception Filter is now Level 23!]

[Illusionary Mana Slash is now Level 9!]

[Mana Unraveling is now Level 11!]

[Spell Matrix is now Level 31!]

[You gain the subskill, Solid Spell Foundation!]

[Solid Spell Foundation: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your foundation is solid and unshakeable. The stability of layered spells is increased.]

[Mana Construct is now Level 69!]

[You gain the subskill, Infusion!]

[Infusion: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Infusing different mana types into your mana constructs becomes easier.]

[Light Ball IV is now Level 3!]

[Clean V is now Level 10!]

[You learned Clean VI!]

[Clean VI: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Your dedication to cleanliness is very impressive. This spell allows you to clean a greater area than previously. Physical and magical contaminants are much easier to clean. Grants a further 3% immunity to diseases per skill level. Above a certain level, the spell only weakens contaminants.]

[Earth Wall IV is now Level 8!]

[Ground Rhythm is now Level 6!]

A nice slew of level-ups with a few impressive subskills. And naturally, his Clean spell had also leveled up. Not that it was surprising with how obsessively he used the spell. Though, as he went over his elemental skill list, he couldn’t help but feel a little sad. The list looked rather anemic, but that was the price to pay to master one specific element.

[Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 80!]

[You gain the subskill, Cutting Wind!]

[Cutting Wind: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You honed your ability to cut with the wind to new heights. Every time you use wind mana to cut, the spell will cut deeper. Cutting wind spells gain 10% extra damage per skill level.]

[Aura of Air is now Level 5!]

[Guiding Storm is now Level 3!]

[Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 67!]

[Elemental Affinity is now Level 1!]

[You gained the subskill, Wind Sense!]

[Wind Sense: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your mastery has granted you an almost supernatural level of sense of the surrounding air. You will feel things moving through the surrounding air. This area is 3 yards per skill level.]

Wind Sense was an amazing skill. If there were ever a time when his mana senses were trumped, it would provide a last-second warning in case of an attack. Even if the enemy could turn intangible, they would have to solidify for the second they strike him down. ‘Well, there are a few skills that allow you to strike while intangible, but meh…’ he mused while continuing down the list of level-ups.

[Battle Meditation is now Level 66!]

[Internalized Meditation is now Level 5!]

[You gained the subskill, Clear Mind!]

[Clear Mind: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your mind is exceptionally clear during meditation. Increased resistance against effects that would influence your mind.]

[Improved Discernment is now Level 9!]

[Dowsing is now Level 1!]

Another nice set of upgrades. Mind defenses were worth their weight in gold. Especially in later levels, where monsters using mind-altering spells would become common.

[Spirit Link is now Level 80!]

[Spirit Defense is now Level 5!]

[You gained the subskill, Spirit Enhancement!]

[Spirit Enhancement: Level 0/5 (0%) Thanks to your connection with your companion, you are able to channel your mana without any backlash into their body and enhance their attributes even further.]

[Spirit Protection is now Level 24!]

Sam couldn’t help but smile, seeing the spirit skills go up. For one, seeing numbers go up was always nice, but it also meant his long-term plan was working. For now, at least…

[Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 54!]

[Solid Shadow is now Level 5!]

[You gained the subskill, Dark Vision!]

[Dark Vision: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your mastery over the shadows you are able to see through even darkness of not your own making. You can see in the darkness 10 yards for each skill level.]

[The Way of the Forerunner is now Level 20!]

[Immersed Flow is now Level 5!]

[Illusion Resistance is now Level 27!]

[Corruption Resistance is now Level 30!]

[Earth Resistance is now Level 37!]

[Blood Magic Resistance is now Level 14!]

[Wind Resistance is now Level 24!]

[Lightning Resistance is now Level 17!]

[Adaptive Coordination is now Level 38!]

[You gain the subskill, Combinatorics!]

[Combinatorics: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Combining skills is not an exact science, but you somehow managed to figure out a system that works for you. Increased effectiveness when combining skills and less chance of failing.]

Very nice haul. Everything increased, granting even more synergy with his skills. His Resistance skills were also increasing but not as fast as if he focused constantly on them. If he were to put his mind to it, he could probably level them up to one hundred in a few days, but that would always result in weird skill upgrades. For now, slow and steady was his motto.

[Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 34!]

[Steady Hand is now Level 5!]

[Illusionary Runes are now Level 30!]

[Corporeal Illusions is now Level 14!]

[You gained the subskill, Lingering Effects!]

[Lingering Effects: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) The effects of your runic circles last longer.]

And finally, a new title he gained.

[Congratulations! Thanks to defeating the echoes of the four cardinal beasts you gained the title, Directed!]

[Directed: You can always sense where Cardinal North is.]

Thankfully, Lucky also received his fair share of experience points. He only reached the high eighties and mostly leveled his attack skills, but he still received a few new skills. Mostly supporting ones, but that is how Lucky fought. From the shadows, striking when the enemies’ defenses were lowered.

Not that it mattered. Lucky was adorable, and Sam would have kept the wolf with him, even if that was his only virtue.

Finishing with the skills and spells, he went out just to get the feel of the city, walking around in disguise, checking the company stores and competitors. Sam also sampled some food stalls, stuffing a few sticks of meat into the shadows so that Lucky would have something to munch on and not spend the time looking at Sam with baby doll eyes from random shadows. There was only so much his soul could take.

The people were energized and raring to go adventuring. Most people were talking about the valleys or the raid fracture. As of now, there still wasn’t a proper antidote, but thanks to the repeated clearing, the strategy was well-known, thus people could calculate exactly how much antidote and healing to take with them.

Sam also planned to go a few rounds there, but with the Steel Lions settling in around the fracture and the local government looking ready to hand over the rights to the guild, he felt it would be too big of a risk to do so.

‘There is always a chance I will want to fuck with Katie’s dad…’ he mused mirthfully as he looked over the city from a lookout point.

He was about to head back to the headquarters, stock up, and head out for some leveling before going questing when he received a call. Seeing that it was Lucy, he immediately picked it up.

“Yes?”

She didn’t even greet him, simply started to talk with a serious expression and flat voice.

“Have you seen the RMT market?”

“No. What happened?”

“The gold prices seem to be crashing!” her voice was flat but Sam could hear a bit of fear. It was probably the equivalent of other people sobbing in the corner while hugging their knees.

“Really?” he asked while inwardly noting the time. ‘Seems to be about the time for them to strike…’

“Yes,” she nodded, seemingly gaining a little courage from his nonchalance. “Someone started to dump a great amount of gold on the market.”

“Low price?”

“No, they are following the market always with the highest price,” she explained with a pained look on her face. “We’re losing money every second.”

“Did you sell our gold?”

“I was about to, but first I wanted to see if you knew something,” came the response as his friend eyed him. “Do you know something?”

Sam just maintained his own poker face. “Haven’t the foggiest!”

“Sure, sure… so what now? Sell or no sell?” she asked with a snort, used to Sam’s eccentricities.

“For now, hold onto it. Wait until it dips to the lowest and then buy.”

Lucy blinked in surprise at his words but demonstrating that she was far from stupid, it took only a second for her to understand the unspoken words.

“Got it!”

The call was cut and Sam was left alone at the lookout, watching as the sun set and panic slowly suffused the city as people realized their hard-earned gold was slowly but surely losing its value.