A gentle glow emanated from the System Resource Excavator as I flicked the ON switch, accompanied by a soothing hum. The inner workings of this marvel from the Universal Development System remained a mystery to me, though I suspected mana played a role in its operation.
The entire village had gathered to witness the excavator in action, eager to see its capabilities firsthand. Rolling it up to the first house proved effortless with the support of our curious onlookers. Everything of value from within the house now lay scattered across the front yard. The owners, absent during the chaotic integration of the System, were unlikely to return, leaving their house abandoned. As the excavator bumped against the front wall, its hum intensified, and a radiant glow enveloped the structure. Within seconds, the front wall vanished, leaving nothing but a void where it once stood, as if it had been erased from existence.
Shortly after, a sturdy wooden board emerged from the back of the excavator, swiftly followed by blocks of stone and more wood. With each passing moment, the excavator devoured the house, and we had to inch it forward to maintain contact with the structure for efficient resource extraction. By the time we completed the process, it had transformed every trace of the house into valuable System resources. Only a shallow hole remained, marking the spot where the systemized foundation once stood.
A single modern house, spanning sixteen hundred square feet, yielded a harvest of one hundred-ten units of wood, eighty units of stone, and thirty units of metal. While the conversion wasn’t exact, it brought us remarkably close to the materials needed for our new System-integrated homes. I couldn’t deny the exhilaration of guiding the excavator through the incorporation process. And who was I kidding? It was fun guiding the excavator through consuming the building.
By the time lunchtime arrived, we had excavated three houses and four cars. With the additional resources, we engaged the System in constructing three more medieval-style wattle and daub houses to house the newcomers.
As our group gathered at the tavern, enjoying a hearty lunch, Wesley’s voice broke the pleasant chatter. “If we keep up the pace, we can clear out the remaining houses in the neighborhood within a few days. What do you all think about dedicating the rest of the day to training the village militia?”
Jayden’s mischievous chuckle mixed with mouthfuls of stew. “They kinda suck,” he managed to say between bites.
I swallowed a mouthful of stale bread, feeling the need to offer some perspective. “Well, you weren’t exactly a pro a couple of days ago, either.”
Jayden blushed, his grin fading slightly. “True, but I’m level two now, and I don’t suck anymore. Just ask those goblins who lost their heads.”
Hanna rolled her eyes at Jayden in that sisterly way only she could. “Don’t get too cocky, little bro. We’ve been lucky to encounter trash mobs so far. The way this system likes to screw with us, it’s only a matter of time before higher level monsters come.”
“Fine,” Jayden conceded. “We can focus on training the newcomers today.”
Wesley turned his attention to me. “Cade, later today, could you check out the store? The weapons we’ve looted from goblins and kobolds aren’t worth much. We need to find out the cost of getting better weapons. And while you’re at it, see if you can find me a war hammer and maybe a shield. I’m running low on shells for my shotgun. How’s your ammo situation?”
I opened my palm and allowed a wispy thread of mana to rise from my fingertips. “When I unlocked the Hexslinger class, I gained a spell that allows me to infuse mana into my rifle. This lets me fire the integrated ammo from when I selected the rifle as my System-integrated weapon.”
Silence settled over the table as my companions absorbed this revelation. Sarah’s voice finally broke the stillness. “That’s remarkable.”
Wesley nodded in agreement. “It sure is. I assume you collect your spent cartridges after each fight, and if possible, reload them?”
I casually shrugged, realizing that I hadn’t given much thought to the reloading process. In our shed, tucked behind the house, my dad had a loader for ammunition. I recalled observing him go through the meticulous steps of loading ammo, although back then it seemed like a mundane task. Now, under the watchful gaze of my companions, I wished I had paid closer attention. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to look into it.”
After we finished our lunch, a sense of urgency pushed me towards the gatehouse. If the cost of the weapons was within reason, I was more than willing to purchase a few for the village, at least as a loan. As I ascended the stairs cautiously, I noticed a series of system alerts notifying me of the closure of forty-five auctions. I added another two gold, twenty-three silver, and twenty copper coins to my ever-growing money pouch.
Upon browsing the System store, I stumbled upon a sword similar to the one Steve Jr. had purchased. It was priced at five silver. Glancing at the weapon’s stats, I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed. Though I had a vague understanding that strength influenced damage, the numbers on the base weapon stat showed a range of only four to six damage. It seemed rather unimpressive, but Jayden, as someone familiar with swords, would have a better grasp of its value.
As I perused the selection in the System store, I came across the expected assortment of weapons like daggers, war hammers, and bow and arrows—typical items you would find in a medieval fantasy game. However, their stats left much to be desired, especially when compared to the impressive eight to twelve damage output of my rifle at my current level.
Growing frustrated with the lackluster options, I switched tabs and navigated to the auction house, hoping for better luck in finding suitable weapons. To my disappointment, most of the listings comprised looted weapons from goblins and other monsters. I couldn’t help but mutter under my breath, “The System drop rate sucks.”
Determined to find a better weapon, I changed my search parameters to war hammers. To my surprise, there was barely a single page of war hammers available, highlighting their rarity. However, one listing at the bottom of the page immediately caught my attention. It was the first piece of +1 gear I had come across on the auction house.
Hammer of Saint George
Base damage: 8-10 points
+1 to melee attack.
This was precisely the weapon Wesley had requested me to find. As I prepared to click on the buy button, a sudden hesitation took hold of me. It was a buy-out auction, meaning I could pay the full buy-out price, but the seller was asking for a whole gold coin.
Stolen story; please report.
However, my attention was drawn to something else in the auction listing. At the bottom, in small print, I noticed a “more information” option. Intrigued, I clicked on it, and a new screen instantly appeared, revealing additional details about the item.
Seller is located in Central Europe.
UDS Store #2147
Son of a gun! If there were over two thousand stores, that meant there were also over two thousand villages in this new Systemized world. No wonder the auction house was flooded with countless items for sale. With groups battling goblins and other creatures in so many villages, it was no surprise that the auction house was filled with vendor trash.
With a renewed sense of determination, I returned to the item screen. After a quick glance at my money pouch, I concluded that equipping Wesley with proper weapons would seriously improve our team’s chances of survival in this challenging world. Resolute in my decision, I selected the Buy option and watched as my funds decreased from eleven to ten gold coins.
Before switching back to the System store, I delved into dozens of auctions, navigating to the second page of each to gather information on the sellers’ locations and store numbers. What I discovered left me astounded. The sellers hailed from various corners of the world - different parts of the United States, Mexico, Britain, Central Europe, Russia, China, India, Africa, Australia, and even places I had never heard of before. The highest store number I encountered was #6833, and yet we were only two days into the System’s takeover.
In that moment, a flicker of hope kindled inside me, daring to believe that humanity wouldn’t be entirely decimated by the System. However, in hindsight, that was naïve of me.
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We had moved a sturdy table from the tavern to a grassy area between the tavern and the row houses, serving as a makeshift training ground. I arranged the weapons I had purchased from the store on the table - a collection of swords, shields, bows, and quivers of arrows. However, I realized I had no idea what equipment we would need for those who wanted to become healers or mages.
Sixteen people had gathered for the training session, three of whom were women. Initially, I was perplexed by the imbalance between the sexes. The System had normalized stats, granting everyone the same starting point, with eight attribute points per stat. When I expressed my confusion to Hanna, she scoffed, “Most of us women have enough common sense to let the men get the shit beat of them.”
I gave her a scandalized look, but she quickly turned serious. “Perhaps more women will get involved, Cade. But we have a dozen children who are too young to gain a class. Their mothers might feel that putting themselves in harm’s way is too risky. We don’t need any more orphans.”
Wesley approached, and I handed him the hammer, using both hands to support its weight. “Here you go.”
As he received the hammer, it nearly slipped from his grasp because of its heft. “Dang, this is heavy. How much do I owe you?”
A mischievous grin formed on my face. “Just one gold.”
Wesley’s eyes widened in disbelief. “A gold? Is it plated in silver?”
I nonchalantly tucked my hands into my pockets and looked smug. “Inspect it.”
Within moments, a sense of wonder washed over his face. “Plus one? Just when you convince yourself that this isn’t like a game, the System pulls a fast one.”
He began practicing his swings, prompting Hanna and me to step back cautiously. Apologizing for the near collision, Wesley continued to familiarize himself with the weight and balance of the unwieldy weapon.
Jayden had attracted a small crowd of villagers, his usually light-hearted demeanor replaced with a serious tone as he shared his knowledge and experiences since the System’s arrival.
To my surprise, Hanna took charge of several people, any hint of sarcasm gone, providing instruction on dagger handling to eager learners. Even Sarah was engaged in conversation with Jenn Carson, explaining how she had unlocked her mage class.
It was at that moment that I realized the rarity of my own skill as a sharpshooter. Although I had been in several scrapes since the System’s arrival, I hadn’t dedicated much time to practicing with the Sharps rifle. Determined to assess my abilities, I retrieved my rifle and made my way to the house next to the one that had burned the previous night. Placing a target against the abandoned home, I paced back to the gatehouse, a distance of around two hundred and eighty yards. On my best day, I had never managed to hit a target at such a range. However, with my rifle now boasting a +6 bonus to aim, I hoped it would make me a better shot.
Everyone had gathered on the opposite side of the tavern, providing me with an unobstructed line of fire. I lay on the ground, creating a makeshift shooting rest with my elbow, a technique my dad had taught me. As I peered through the rifle’s sights, I realized I needed to flip up the rear sight. With the sights aligned, I could faintly discern the center of the target. Infusing mana into my weapon, I spent ten action points to enhance my firearms skill.
The rifle had two triggers. The first trigger operated like any standard firearm trigger, while the second trigger functioned as a hair-trigger, reducing the pressure needed to fire the rifle. With the target still in my sights, I pulled the second, or hair trigger, and gently squeezed the first trigger. The rifle fired, barely jolting against my shoulder.
It seemed highly unlikely that I had hit the target. Nevertheless, practice was all about honing one’s skills. I jogged back to the target and examined it, only to find no mark. Undeterred, I paced back to a distance of one hundred yards. This time, as I pulled the trigger, I observed the target ripple. Eagerly returning to the target, I discovered that I had hit dead-center. Running my hand over the bullet hole in the paper, I noticed the lead fragment embedded into the wooden facade of the house.
Examining the bullet, I shook my head in amazement. I still had a few rounds of unincorporated ammo remaining. After a quick sprint to the inn, I positioned myself back at the hundred-yard mark. Although the ammo showed only an eighty-five percent effectiveness, the solid kick upon pulling the trigger felt just right.
Reaching the target once more, I noticed I had torn the paper just a couple of inches off the center. I moved the target and saw the round punching through the wooden wall, leaving behind a small but jagged hole. Chewing on my lip in contemplation, I replaced the target and realized that ten mana wasn’t sufficient if I wanted to fully use the now-Systemized rifle’s capabilities.
Returning to the hundred-yard mark, I pulled up my character sheet in my vision and focused on the details of mana infusion.
Top of Form
Spell—Mana infusion. Spend 10 mana to infuse your weapon for 100% effectiveness on short ranged attacks.
I pondered the situation, rubbing my chin in thought. The Sharps rifle, known for its long-range capabilities, was designed to be effective in the hands of a skilled marksman at distances of up to thirteen hundred yards. However, that level of precision eluded even my father and me. Yet, the mana infusion seemed limited to short ranged attack and that wouldn’t work, not if I wanted to be an effective sharpshooter.
Inserting another incorporated cartridge into the rifle, I infused it with mana. Gazing at the target downrange, a realization struck me. The Sharps rifle’s immense power came from its use of seventy grains of black powder to propel the bullet. If you cut back on the black powder, you cut back on the range.
My attention shifted to the breechblock of the rifle. I needed more mana to achieve the desired effect. Attempting to infuse the gun once again, I observed the tendrils of mana extending through the airtight seal of the breech. A surprised murmur escaped my lips, “Son of a bitch. It’s not the rifle, it’s the cartridge.”
I carefully extracted the mana-infused cartridge from the rifle and inspected it.
.45 caliber or 11.4 millimeter [20] mana infused cartridge.
Was it that easy? When I cast mana infusion on the cartridge, the text changed again.
.45 caliber or 11.4 millimeter [30] mana infused cartridge.
I felt like I’d unlocked something important about the Hexslinger class. When I fired at the target this time, the kick of the gun was a bit more like I was used to. Just then, I received a new alert. With a thought, I accessed the alert.
+2 to Firearms. Current weapon damage increased to 12-18 hit points.
A sense of triumph surged through me as I confirmed my breakthrough. As I reached the target, I discovered my second shot had landed almost precisely on top of my first attempt at one hundred yards. Retrieving the target, I noticed that the bullet, propelled by mana, had successfully pierced through the wood. With a satisfied grin, I made my way back to the training area, reveling in my newfound achievement.