"I know it feels a touch disappointing, but the beauty of it all is that the math involved is not a simple equation," Steffan said, the glimmer of geeky appreciation alive in his eyes. "I've spent hours gaming, and I can promise you, no matter what people try to pretend, there's no real hard and fast way for such things to get worked out."

"He's a gamer," Michelle whispered, not too subtly. "Who would have known?"

Steffan pretended not to hear and carried on explaining. "So, accepting that all things are possible, in a 'typical' RPG setting - and look, there's no such thing, so I'm simplifying things massively here - defeating a significantly higher-level opponent is often rewarded with a substantial increase in experience points; what our own stat sheets are showing as XP. What I'm saying is that it makes sense we get much more XP as a reward for fighting foes stronger than us than we would against those of the same level."

He looked around as if hoping for applause. Or at the least, not sullen silence. Lorelei was starting to see why Zombie Cheerleaders who couldn't get bored and wander off would likely be a perfect fit, companion-wise, for the young Necromancer. However, despite the glazed looks and awkward shuffling, Steffan failed entirely to read the room of baffled expressions facing him and pressed on with his lecture.

"But the precise amount of XP gained for fighting above our Level isn't easy to unpick. Such things vary from game to game and depend on any given system's mechanics. Nevertheless, considering our current knowledge of how levelling seems to work here since the Integration, I think we can propose a plausibly straightforward formula for XP calculation to explain what's just happened!" Steffan was almost hopping from leg to leg in excitement.

"I have a healing Skill that completely seals up wounds. I could try it on his mouth if you'd like?" Kris said, leaning over and whispering into Lorelei's ear in a way she found quite thrillingly intimate. Nevertheless, although she was rolling her eyes with the rest of them, she was, despite herself, actually interested in where Steffan was going with this.

The only time anyone had explained anything to her about the System and the Integration was when her Guide was being rude to her. Having someone genuinely excited to share information was a nice change of pace.

And they really did need someone to help them figure out where they now stood. The coincidentally helpful timing of the debuff running out just as the last of their Level 40 foes were dispatched, had levelled each of them up, but not as much as they might have expected. Steffan was not the only one trying to figure out what it all meant, but at least he seemed to have enough of a grasp of the mechanics involved to articulate it.

It had been Zorrobar - safely returned from his impromptu flight to escape the Urban Shadow - who had asked the question as to whether the XP they had just received was permanent or if, like their temporary increase to Level 40, it would all fade away in time. It was Steffan's contention that their gains were likely to be locked in as they were the logical consequence of - effectively - being Level 3s and 4s in one party and defeating a handful of Level 40s.

"Let's think about those Graffiti Imps first. We killed a bunch of them when we were all at Level 40, so we obviously picked up some XP there. However, let's not worry about that for now. We don't have the available data on how much XP we should have gotten there to see if we still have it. But we can assume that, proportionally, we'd have gained pretty much the same amount of XP for killing them at Level 40 as we were when killing them at Levels 3 and 4.

"So, basically fuck all," Hild said, covering her breasts with both hands. During the fight, her Level 3 armour had been reduced to its constituent atoms, and she, quite literally, had nothing to wear. Steffan, blushing, had offered her one of Monica's spare Nurse's outfits but had quickly learned the error of his ways there. The Valkyrie had strong views on 'dressing like a slut' that, oddly, did not seem to be triggered whilst standing semi-naked in the middle of the street. She'd tied a piece of cloth around her waist to save her modesty there, but other than that, she seemed comfortable owning the whole Germanic-Milf-on-a-European-beach vibe she had going on.

Considering the surreptitious glances Hild was getting - and not just from the male contingent of the party - Lorelei thought it was a look the rest of them were comfortable with.

"Indeed. Fuck all. So, if our party gained XP when slaying the Imps as Level 40s, we can assume that those gains would have been 'fuck all' to us as Level 40s and have been scaled down proportionately when we returned to our 'normal' levels. Basically, it's unlikely anything we did at Level 40 will have made much difference to us. However, and this is where it gets good - "

"Thank goodness," Kris murmured; I was worried I'd missed the good bit.

"- we've all had a fairly sizeable bonus added to our stat sheets that cannot be explained by what I've said so far. Lorelei, can we use you as an example?"

Lorelei had the suspicion that part of the reason for this fuck-up was caused by her Class, so she hardly was in a position to refuse. "Sure. Do you want me to share my stats with everyone?"

"If you would." Steffan nodded as Lorelei's sheet appeared in each of their visions. "Okay, so first of all, we need to look at the level disparity between Lorelei at Level 5 and then the Urban Shadow that Monica brained just as the debuff ran out. Thirty-five levels difference. That's massive. That's exactly the sort of thing that an RPGs would look to reward with some tasty XP. So why aren't we all Level 12s by now? Well, this wasn't a solo kill - we did it as a party, so we have to factor in that the XP distribution was among the eight of us still alive at the end of the fight, including Lorelei."

All eyes turned to where the two Red Shirts had stood before being eaten by the Urban Shadow. Lorelei felt another stab of guilt that she had never bothered to learn their names. But, ironically, there wasn't much time for proper mourning as Steffan was still talking.

"Given those factors, we can use an illustrative formula to try to suggest what has happened to us, and that also suggests we will be able to keep the gains we have made. Please understand that I'm not saying this is spot on or even realistic, but it feels like there's probably something like this in play.

***Help Message***

Just for clarity, I have no idea what he's wittering on about. In theory, there's some sort of overriding superbrain deciding how much XP gets awarded to every kill, but in practice, it's often just me plucking a number out of my arse. Or I could be lying, and this spotty twat has nailed down how the progression system works in this Integration. It's definitely one of the two. Probably.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Wondering if it was possible to mute the Help Messages, Lorelei turned back to Steffan. However, she appeared to have missed a step.

"So, if Base XP = (Opponent’s Level×10), XP for Level Difference = Base XP × (Level Difference Factor), Total XP Earned = Base XP + XP for Level Difference and XP per Player = Total XP Earned /8, we are probably starting to cook with gas."

"Is that what the smell is?" Michael wondered aloud. "Smelt like a full-on nerdgasm to me." Pete - also butt-naked after his armour had been smashed to pieces but not receiving any sort of lustful glances - good-naturedly tapped the Veiled Stalker on the back of the head to hush him. This meant Michael spent the rest of the explanation unconscious.

"If we use a hypothetical Level Difference Factor of 5 (since the Urban Shadow was 35 levels higher), then Base XP = 40 × 10 = 400. XP for Level difference = 400×5=2000. That means we have a Total XP Earned = 400 + 2000 = 2400 with the XP per Player = 2400/8 = 300. Therefore, each of us, including Lorelei, should have earned 300 XP for defeating a Level 40 opponent. Which, to me, looks about right."

"But she did nothing!" Hild really was not Lorelei's greatest fan. "Why do I have to share my XP with her?"

***Help Message***

You know what? I like her. She has the sort of energy I think you could benefit from having around you more. Failing that, it'll be funny to watch her kick your arse. She gets a Title.

Lorelei watched as Hild's eyes unfocused, clearly reading a message from the System. Whatever the nature of the Title that the Guide had given her, Lorelei was not wild about the wolfish expression that came to the woman's face when she turned to look at her. There appeared to be lip-licking involved.

"That's not fair! The whole thing was Lorelei's idea," Monica surprisingly came to her defence; apparently, she was one of the few people not overawed by the sight of Hild's assets. "And it was her power that raised us all to Level 40s after all."

"She's right, Hild. We're a party, so we share the XP." Kris' voice was firm. "Anyway, as far as I can tell, the only kill that actually matters - according to Steffan's maths anyway - was the Urban Shadow. That was the monster killed just as the debuff ran out, right? And Monica killed that one."

Steffan nodded. "I think so. If all the kills counted for reward for killing over Level, we'd all be much higher. The best I can figure out was that it was only the final kill that mattered - hence the 300 XP boost. Not to be sniffed at, of course! And, to answer your question, Zorrobar, I think we can be certain it isn't going to be taken off us."

The boost had moved Lorelei into Level 6 and, as it meant she now had a bunch of notifications flashing, she called up her stats screen.

Lorelei Norton: Fortuna's Herald

Level 6

Experience 237/1200

Health 370/370

Mana 302/302

Primary Stats

Strength 12

Agility 25 (+3 Gloves of the Seer, +10% Veil of Vindication)

Stamina 17 (+2 Cloak of the Wanderer)

Intellect 32 (+5 Gloves of the Seer, +2 Double Headed Coin of Fate)

Spirit 23 (5% from Vigilante title + 3 from Earrings of the Lucky Gambler)

Secondary Stats

Critical Strike 12% (2% from Whispering Gloves of the Seer + 1% from Double-Headed Coin of Fate + 2% from Earrings of the Lucky Gambler

Haste 10% (+ 1% from Earrings of the Lucky Gambler)

Mastery 6%

Versatility 5%

Skills

Lucky Strike (Passive)- Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss, sometimes you accidentally help the enemy. It's a surprise!

Coin Toss Conundrum (Active)- Flip a coin to decide your next move. Heads, you unleash a devastating attack; tails, you heal your enemy. Bonus points for dramatic mid-air coin flipping. Mana Cost: 50. Cooldown: 2 mins.

Random Resilience (Active)- You might shrug off a dragon's breath or trip over a pebble. Life's a lottery! Mana Cost: 100% of available pool. Cooldown: 24 hours.

Charmed Life (Active): You do seem to spend a lot of time getting hurt. Have a heal skill. But, to make it interesting, let's randomise how much healing it does. Oh, and just for shits and giggles, it will give you a random status effect for 2 mins. 30 MP cost. No cooldown.

The Old Swapperoonie (Active): Wah! Why is all my luck bad? Wah! For someone with a luck-based Class, you don't half moan a lot about random outcomes . . . Once per day, you can offload all the negative consequences of your abilities onto someone else. The timer does not reset if your poor patsy dies. 200 mana cost. 24 hours cooldown.

Rogue is the Best of the X-Men (Passive) Fortuna's Herald channels her inner Rogue to temporarily steal the abilities of someone within the active range of the Skill every hour. Only one Skill will be taken in each hour-long cycle. The stolen ability lasts for 15 minutes and has a 30% chance - each casting of the stolen ability - to backfire, giving the Skill the opposite of the intended effect. Fortuna's Herald can reduce the chance of a failed casting by speaking in a Southern accent, specifically from the Mississippi region of America, and calling people "Sugar."

Inventory

Double-Headed Coin of Fate (Nerfed)

Cloak of the Wanderer (+ 2 Stamina)

Whispering Gloves of the Seer (+5 Intellect, +3, +2% Critical Strike)

Earrings of the Lucky Gambler: (+3 Spirit, Increases Critical Strike chance by 2%, and Haste by 1%)

Skinning Knife

8x[20 Leather Offcut]

8 [Charred Steak]

7 [Charred Steak - poisoned]. Poisoned status is hidden.

25 Gold. 27 Silver. 8 Bronze

Professions

Jack of All Trades

* Skinning - Lvl 28

* Cooking (Life in Your Own Hands) – Lvl 9

* Leatherworking – Lvl 1

* Campfire - Novice

Talents

Spoilsport: Increases the chance of a positive by 5%.

Fortune's Favor: Allies within a 10-meter radius gain a 5% increase in their Critical Strike chance when near you.

Titles

Kobolds Worst Nightmare: 35% damage against Kobolds

One Cold Bitch: Frost Resistance: +10%

Vigilante: Spirit +5%

Lorelei felt a little surge of interest when she saw that she had a new Skill. With glee, she mentally clicked on it to see what it did. Surely, it was about time she gained something that would make her less useless in combat. That excitement lasted until she read it properly.

"Guide," Lorelei said, shaking her head.

***Help Message (delivered in a Cajun French accent)***

Oui, ma cher?

"Fuck you. Sugar."