*BANG* With that last shot, I ended my shooting session. I continued to gain more XP in Handgun but I didn't continue to save some battery just in case. I returned upstairs to check if the robot was free.
I saw Lil' Betty chatting with a tall and lanky man. He was wearing a black long coat with what seemed to be armor on the inside and black cargo pants with multiple straps and buckles. He had a mask, which seemed to be an advanced inhaler, covering half of his face and one mechanical left eye. He also had a knife sheath. But the hilt of the knife was far too long to be a knife. I didn't dwell on it. Lil' Betty excitedly introduced us when she saw me come up, "Raven! Raven, this is Lucien. Lucien, this is Raven."
I greeted awkwardly, "Uhh, nice to meet you."
He nodded back, not saying anything. I turned to Lil' Betty, "So, it's free now, right?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. It's free. You can use it."
"Thanks!"
I went upstairs, and I was greeted with the familiar dojo-style place. In the corner was a white robot that I noticed last time. It had a training katana in its hand last time but this time, it had nothing. So I figured that I could use any of the training blades here to practice against, which was honestly cool. I gave it a tachi. I held a training katana and activated the robot. My 4 skill points in Blade proved to be more than a match for the robot's beginner mode. I smoked it without any problem and I could even see many many flaws in its fighting style and guard. Thus, I activated Intermediate mode.
Intermediate mode was a whole different beast compared to the beginner mode. Most of the flaws I could spot in its style and guard disappeared and it turned very aggressive. I had to use Blade Dancer to just barely block against its strikes. The good thing was that for every 5 successful blocks or parries, I earned 100XP. So, it wasn't all bad.
Mind - 100XP
Blade - 100XP
Mind - 100XP
Blade - 100XP
Mind - 100XP
I also found out that unfortunately, I couldn't upgrade my skills higher than the stat it was under. For example, I couldn't upgrade Blade to 5 if my Mind wasn't 5. It was quite restricting and really limited me. I also learned a few things. Using the knowledge gained from Blade and copying the robot, I found where I was lacking. My guard wasn't strong enough and it was easily breakable. And by referencing how the robot blocked, I improved my blocks a little bit, which lessened the pressure I felt in my arms and hands when I blocked them.
Mind Level Up
Mind - 5
I immediately stopped the robot as soon as I reached level 5 in Mind. I didn't try to upgrade my Blade skill as I was too tired to even continue. After putting the session to a close, I took a moment to reflect on what I just learned as I rested. I've learned quite a bit. My footwork was very clearly better, and I felt that I had a very solid guard that was hard to penetrate. The first one was because I used a bit too much of my Blade Dancer perk. I also found out that I enjoyed learning in a traditional way. Through trial and error without injection of knowledge from the system. Still, the latter was more effective and efficient so that would probably fill most of my knowledge. But from what I've figured out, I couldn't gain overlapping knowledge so learning and improving the traditional way was quite a cost-effective way to progress faster.
With a new point in my Mind stat, I found that my thoughts were faster, my reaction time faster, and my instincts more accurate. I also felt that my learning and analyzing ability became quite a bit better but I wasn't sure about that.
I sighed as I got back up, my whole body soaked with sweat. I put the training katana back in the training rack and went downstairs. I heard the chatter between Lil' Betty and that Lucien guy. It's been an hour and they're still chatting? I shook my head and asked Lil' Betty, "Can I shower here?"
Lil' Betty nodded, her green hair flipped through the air, "Sure. There's a shower in the back. You can use that one."
"Thanks."
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
After a shower, I felt refreshed and ready to take on the world. Well, not really but you know what I mean. After a change of clothes, I planned to explore the city because I didn't know what to do. As I was about to leave, Lil' Betty asked me, "Hey Raven, Lucien and I were just about to grab a bite to eat. Care to join us?"
The invitation caught me off guard. I didn't know if I should accept or not. I was not really comfortable with meeting a new person. But I also knew that knowing more people would make my life a lot easier, especially if they could fight. So I agreed, "Of course." I smiled at Lil' Betty. "Where're we eating?"
"I'll take us there." She led us to her mini-truck.
----------------------------------------
Of course, it was an Italian restaurant. Well, it should be a Roman restaurant? Since the Roman Empire didn't fall? But Italian culture itself is an evolution of the Roman culture...
I shook my head to get away from those thoughts. I observed Lucien discreetly with great interest. His whole body was covered and didn't show even a hint of skin other than the gap between his mask and hair. He seems to be very introverted. It looks like he is constantly looking for threats with how fast his eyes move around scanning the place. He's very cautious and a man of little word. I was also introverted and both of us didn't want to be the one to initiate the conversation while Lil' Betty ordered some pasta. I ordered the same.
Lil' Betty looked between us, "Why don't you guys introduce yourself? Being in a car with you two is torture with how quiet both of you are."
I chuckled, "I'm Raven. Begineer merc."
His one brown eye focused on me as his other eye continued to subtly scanned the room, "Lucien. Professional Ghost."
Ghost? My eyes flickered. It was a new term that I hadn't heard before. Lil' Betty seemed to sense my confusion, "Ghosts are also mercenaries but more focused on stealth, assassination, and elimination."
I nodded at her, "Thank you."
Then I didn't know what more to say. The table fell into awkward silence again. I was starting to have a severe case of social anxiety. Lil' Betty sighed, "So, Raven, how's your training going?"
"It's going pretty well. I think I've improved a lot compared to the last time we met."
"Good. Good." She then looked around the table, "Have you heard? Anomalies are popping up here again."
I tilted my head, "Anomalies?"
"Yeah. Word on the street is that a containment facility in Kentucky was breached by some Cynaps. Apparently, one of the stronger ones is on its way to Darkhaven."
Lucien asked, "Is this confirmed?" His voice was very rough.
She shook her head, "No. Not yet. Quantum Innovation is keeping a tight lip and the official outlets are trying to cover it up."
He nodded, not saying a word more. He seemed to be lost in his own world.
So many new terms. Anomalies? Cynaps? What are those? Are anomalies like the SCP? Probably since they said things about containing them and stuff. Although I was curious, I didn't ask them because I didn't want to show them my ignorance. I would ask Nova in private later.
Lil' Betty turned to me, "Nova mentioned you were practicing Web Weaving?"
I nodded, "Yep. I haven't achieved much but I can hack into some basic low-security systems."
She offered, "If you need any advice with it, ask me. I can help."
After that, the food arrived.
----------------------------------------
After lunch with Lil' Betty and Lucien, I returned home. I gained the numbers of both of them in case I needed them. After returning home, I stared at the ceiling. I'm starting to forget about my old life. I don't want to. How should I fix this problem?
I brainstormed for a bit. I had a lot of ideas but I turned them down one after another until I was left with only one option. Method of Loci or Memory Palace. I've read Sherlock Holmes before and I've personally used it before for exams. As a very... imaginative person, it wasn't really hard for me to construct one. It was just that I was torn on what it should be based on. I couldn't use my old memory palace because I'd forgotten about it. While I still remember using it, it had been so long that I couldn't visualize it anymore. So I had to create a new one.
Various buildings and constructs flashed through my mind as candidates but I rejected them all. I decided to make it from scratch without copying anything.
I closed my eyes and started to visualize. I imagined myself in a boundless white space. Then, I imagined walls rising around me, creating a room. The room was very simple. It had a door and a window looking out to the boundless white void. I started decorating the room to be very cozy. The walls, once plain and bare, now held a soft, pastel-colored wallpaper adorned with delicate floral patterns. The colors evoked a sense of tranquility and serenity. A plush rug covered the wooden floor. Its soft texture welcomed my bare feet and added an extra layer of comfort. In the center of the room, a low coffee table sat atop the rug, holding a tray adorned with a steaming cup of coffee.
I imagined a brown armchair near the coffee table, which looked very comfy and cozy. I almost wanted to sit in it immediately. I didn't want my light source to be electric light. So I imagined a Victorian-style lamp that would never run out of fuel. I placed it at the center of the coffee table, which lit up the room considerably in a warm manner. I was done with my first room. It wasn't meant to store any memory just yet. The first room was my safe room.
I opened the door, which revealed the white void again. I imagined a long corridor, with doors on the left and right. At the end of the corridor, was a living room. The living room had modern aesthetics with gray, black, and white walls. It had many things a living ought to have. A sofa, coffee table, TV, things like that. There were also plenty of machines I was very familiar with. From the Game Boy to the Switch, it was all there. Other consoles such as the PS and Xbox were there too. There was a bookcase in the corner of the room. I walked up to it, ignoring the other things completely. I wasn't going to play games before I finished with what I had to do. I took out a book from the top shelf of the bookcase. It was a blank book with nothing in it. I started imprinting my memory into it.
It was a special technique I developed when I almost failed my college exams. I found that I could somehow fuse my memory into books in my memory palace so that it wouldn't disappear as long as I didn't forget the memory palace. I know, it doesn't make any logical sense but somehow, I could do it. I imprinted the first book with the earliest memory I could remember and it would span a whole year. I continued doing it until I finished with all the books on the bookshelf, which was 24 books.
I sighed. I had a lot more work to do. The previous work was just preliminary work. Those memories were just so that I don't forget and didn't include any small details. I planned to create a whole library for all the information like, web weaving, and other knowledge I gained from the system and for information I learned in the past during school and college. Calling this place memory palace every time is very tiring. Let's call this... Wonderland.