After five minutes from when the rewards were announced, everyone received a message stating that they were to stay in the MPR for twenty minutes and had ten minutes to gather in there or die.
Nathan made his way to a corner and sat down. He knew others were jealous, and probably a few of them plotting a way to deal with him if they end up in another survival Challenge and in the same instance as him.
Instead of paying attention to them, he instead reviewed his available Skills. The four from before, as well as three new ones, and they all sounded good to him. Combo Strike, Spatial Mobility, and Silent Trigger, all costing 15 Skill Points, creating a pattern of increasing by 5 Points in cost every set.
The first was pretty obvious to him – many games had something similar, where striking with no more than a certain amount of time between attacks resulted in increased damage. The second one sounded like it increased his ability to move around, and the last one, he wasn't too sure on. At best, he assumed it had something to do with triggering Skills and reducing how much sound he made doing so.
Reading the Skill names, he knew they would fit based on his actions so far, which is what unlocked the Skills for the shop. With Combo Strike, he often struck multiple times rapidly. For Spatial Mobility, if it did what he suspected, then his swift movements and using leverage and other things to flip around as he fought would have resulted in that. And finally, Silent Trigger made sense considering how he mumbled his Skill names to trigger them nearly every time – every time while in combat.
"Silent Trigger," Nathan muttered, then immediately pulled up its information.
Silent Trigger Level 1 Level 1: Negates the need to speak to trigger Skills. Level 2: Negates the need to speak to trigger System interfaces. Level 2 Max
That was even more useful than he expected. It didn't reduce the sound made, but rather, removed his need to actually speak to trigger something. And Level 2 of it negated the need for vocal triggering of various menus. He immediately spent a Skill Point on the Skill, his first time spending them to Level a Skill.
After a few minutes of mental debate, he purchased Spatial Mobility, testing to verify that Silent Trigger did, indeed, negate his need to speak, and found it did – he needed only think it to pull it up. And when he used Silent Trigger on Spatial Mobility, it asked for a confirmation that required him focusing on the 'yes' or 'no' and mentally pushing the button.
A way to prevent accidental purchases through Silent Trigger. He liked it, and how the System, as cruel as it was, allowed that for the people playing its harsh game. Nathan pulled up the information on his newest Skill.
Spatial Mobility Level 1 Allows the performance of feats that seem to defy the laws of physics through movement in space. Level 1 Max.
Another Skill that listed a max, and a low one. Nathan supposed that it made sense for something like that, though it probably meant there was a set limit to what he could do. He'd have to test it out to know for sure, though he'd do that when he had a bit more privacy.
With 25 Stat Points to use, Nathan thought for a few moments, then applied them. Ten to his Strength, five each to his Endurance, Speed, and Mana.
"You know," Samantha walked over to Nathan, sitting beside him. "You got more handsome."
Nathan raised an eyebrow, before promptly remembering about Charisma and how it augmented one's natural beauty. He had just gained fifteen points to it from the rewards and another seven and a half to it from his Levels, for twenty-two overall points.
Overall, Nathan just became a lot more powerful, though he was sure that he was only on-par with some of the other students, such as Michael and William, despite them being at lower Levels. They were more than likely receiving better Stats than him each Level and were investing what Points they did have into increasing them further.
Pulling up his Points Shop, Nathan considered whether or not he should buy some Stat Points.
He found it odd the Points shop didn't have anything past 100 Points – this was the second time he had more than 300 Points, the first time having more than 350, yet it seemed everything stopped at Weapon Modification. Buying more of those or more weapons didn't even increase in price from his previous purchase.
That told him that either anything that cost more was locked behind some sort of requirement, or there really was nothing higher than that. It also meant that there was unlikely to be an option to simply buy Levels. There also were no more variations on the two potions, nor on the Restocks and Item Drop.
He could buy 34 Stat Points, allowing him to boost his Stats further. He was sure that a bonus that large would be enough to put him above others. Or he could buy 13 Skill points, for a total of 15 Skill Points, with the two he had leftover from his previous spending. He could buy one or two more Skills with that, or upgrade those he already had.
There was also that he could upgrade his weapons a few more times.
Pulling the knuckles from his pocket, he examined them. There were no traces of damage to them, and when he pulled up their integrity, they still showed at full. He didn't need to repair them, though he might eventually need to repair his knife, so he purchased a Weapon Repair Kit, which turned out to just be a coin that he could tap to his weapon and it would repair up to twenty percent of its integrity.
Deciding to focus on what to buy later, Nathan dismissed the Points Shop. At the moment, he didn't really need anything, though he was likely going to upgrade both of his weapons again at some point.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He didn't see a need to increase his stats so far. Yes, he had gotten injuries a few times, but for the most part, he was able to handle himself. As long as he was able to recover his Health, he would be fine.
After twenty minutes passed, they all received a notification informing them that the MPR was unlocked and lunch was served, as well as to check their Student Handbooks for more information on the school's new setup.
Nathan pulled out his new phone, then his old, and compared them to each other. His old phone had no service and no internet, reducing it down to just the features that didn't need it until it died. His new phone had no battery indicator and plenty of service, though no internet. It did have access to some sort of database, and he guessed that the service only extended to this alternate they were in.
Opening up the student handbook app, Nathan snorted as he saw New! indicators on some sections of it. Checking out the items with the new content, he learned that the classrooms across the hall from the cafeteria had been converted into changing rooms, with the ones connected directly behind them into shower rooms and no exit other than through the changing rooms.
The no-harm, no-rape, and no-theft rules were reemphasized, and it was stated that unless a Challenge specifically stated they could bring harm or death to another student, it was forbidden entirely. Students could sleep anywhere, and the ACR – the alternative classroom, which was their form of in-school suspension – held sleeping supplies and a few other supply items.
The cafeteria would always have food with set meal hours, and between meal hours, only snacks would be available. They would be notified one hour in advance when they were to enter a Challenge, to give them time to prepare and stop what they were doing.
In other words, there could be days between Challenges. That didn't mean there would be, Nathan knew – it was simply a possibility.
Standing, Nathan stretched, then made his way to the cafeteria to eat lunch. He was starving. During lunch, Nathan tuned out Michael, who was being asked to recount some of what he did during the previous Challenge. He'd made quite an impression, and a couple of the girls were enamored with him, while a group of guys were just impressed with his feat.
It wasn't like he was the best. However, everyone knew the person at the top was antisocial, and a few were whispering that he likely stole kills from others in order to earn his Points and reach the top.
That didn't bother Nathan – it meant that if they ever had to fight each other, they'd underestimate him. And based on the handbook's wording, there were Challenges where combat between students occurred.
After lunch, Nathan checked out the school's new setup, then made his way to the laundry room. It was located in the old Health and Driver's Education classroom, the only classroom behind the South Gym, accessed through either the gym's locker room or a hall leading off from the back of the hall on one side of the cafeteria, the hall between the cafeteria and the South Gym.
There, Nathan saw ten washers and dryers set up, as well as a shelf with premeasured detergent and softener able to be purchased for 5 Points each and dispensed from a couple of machines. There was no restriction on how many someone purchased, nor on how many students could use the same ones.
Meaning that several students are allowed to wash their clothes together, Nathan thought to himself. Student Shop.
Skimming through the items, Nathan noted that he could buy six pairs of underwear or six pairs of socks for 10 Points, or a pair of pants, a button-up, a tie, a belt, a pair of shoes, a jacket, or a towel for the same amount. They were all the standard school uniform for their school, meaning that they'd be stuck in those outfits for however long they were there. The uniforms were also tailored for the students as well, meaning no two students would likely be buying the same outfit unless they were the same sizes.
While most probably thought it illogical, Nathan valued clean and decent clothes even in a situation like theirs. To him, the cost of the clothes was a necessary expense, as long as he took care of them. They would allow him to wear something that wasn't constantly soaked in blood between Challenges, as one example. They would also act as something to wear while his clothes were washing.
Nathan wasn't much of a fan of going around naked outside of private areas. Others might wait until they had plenty of Points to spend on such things, but he was a bit impatient on that front, even if it meant he might be short a few Points.
Purchasing another set of clothes, Nathan sent them into his Clothing Box. According to the Tutorial, any clothes they had would go in there. Weapons had the Weapon Box as well. The Item Box seemed to be for everything else.
Making his way to the boys' new locker room, Nathan stripped off his clothes and went into the showers, where he scrubbed himself down. The showers had soap, shampoo, conditioner, and face wash pumps between each of the shower heads, free to use.
After his shower, Nathan pulled his towel from his Clothing Box and dried off, wrapping it around his waist before making his way back into the changing rooms, where he changed into his fresh outfit, then sent his old clothes and the towel into his Clothing Box.
That done, he made his way to the laundry room to do laundry.
When he entered the laundry room, one of the washers was already going, and Nathan and Madeline were in the room. Judging by the lack of any clothes on them or around, both of them had their clothes in the washer together.
Michael had Madeline bent over one of the tables in the center of the laundry room, ramming into her as she rammed back into him, the sound of flesh smacking flesh filling the room. Michael's body was as muscular as it looked under his uniform, very well-developed. It looked to Nathan as if he was putting all of that strength into every thrust.
That's going to exhaust them fast.
"Hey, Nathan," Michael said when he noticed their 'guest', who had moved over to the dispensers. "Want to join us?"
Nathan ignored them and purchased the pre-measured pouches of laundry detergent and softener crystals before tossing them into the washer with his dirty laundry. The washers only had one button – wash – so he pressed it. According to the handbook's section on the laundry room, the same setting would work for everything, and there was no need for another.
Nathan wasn't sure how true that was, but ignored it, just like he was ignoring the two classmates having sex. He hopped up onto one of the other tables and sat watching the washer. The cycle would last a full hour according to the handbook, and the dryers would last the same amount.
A couple of others came in to do laundry, but left when they saw Michael and Madeline. Nathan simply continued watching the washer. The two horny teens stopped long enough for Michael to toss their clothes into the dryer and start that, then they went back to it.
They stopped only when the dryer finished and the two of them had orgasmed again after. Nathan was curious how they were able to go for two hours without issue, but dismissed it. Two teenagers were able to go for absurd amounts of time. He knew that from experience, he was just curious because of how much energy they were putting into it.
It did raise the question in his mind, though, on whether or not pregnancies would progress in the game. Their hair and such still grew there, even if they themselves didn't age. Would something conceived in the game be granted the same no-progress? Or would they develop and be born, adding even more difficulty to a female? It was already clear that periods would occur.
Nathan thought about that as he folded his laundry on the clean table, then sent it into his Clothing Box before he made his way to the cafeteria. It was time for dinner.
As he walked, his thoughts drifted to the clothes he'd just washed. They'd come out completely clean – not a trace of blood on them, even if the tears were still there. That laundry detergent was pretty powerful, to remove dried-in blood.