"Beware the moment of quiet after fortune’s favour, for it is there that the debts of luck are often called to account." – The Tao of Idleness, Book 3, Verse 7

I was just starting to worry about the implications of having a welcome mat of thousand or so corpses lying around my village—my nice, newly fortified village—when they began to vanish.

One by one, they dissolved, fading from sight, as if the world were quietly undoing the carnage, erasing every last trace. And as each body disappeared, they left behind neat clusters of loot, almost suspiciously well-arranged, scattered across the ground.

It was a touch surreal, watching the remnants of the battle slowly melt away, transforming the site of horror of a literal treasure hunt. Weapons, armour, stray trinkets—each one remained, like a strange harvest left in the wake of the dead.

If Scar’s Unmerry Men and Women thought there was anything remotely odd about the scene before them—the vanishing bodies, the piles of loot scattered like macabre party favours—they didn’t show it. In fact, I got the distinct impression that this wasn’t their first post-slaughter rodeo.

They didn’t even hesitate; they snapped into action, fanning out across the battlefield with a single-minded intensity that was equal parts unsettling and impressive.

They began sweeping through the piles of loot like the creepiest Metal Detectorists in the world—and trust me, I know that’s an insanely high bar already—snatching up swords, scraps of armour, loose coins, and even the occasional shiny rock, pocketed with genuine reverence if it looked remotely valuable. They sorted through blood-streaked weapons and dented shields, tossing anything remotely shiny or sharp into overflowing sacks. It was less “collecting loot” and more “deranged flea market with a side of holy pilgrimage.”

Meanwhile, my vision filled with a constant barrage of Loot Leech notifications, each ping bringing a new addition to my inventory. It was a steady stream of “Broken Spear,” “Worn Gauntlet,” “Two Coins,” “Rusty Helmet”—passively “earned” simply by existing in the vicinity of the battlefield when it decided to tip me for spectating.

But then, between the broken trinkets and odd bits of copper, something glimmered with a bit more promise.

Loot Leech Notification: Enchanted Leather Bracers of Lesser Invincibility

I reached down to inspect them—sturdy leather, reinforced with a glowing metal weave. They hummed with a low-level enchantment and I knew that with these on, I’d take less damage, and with the bonus to my passive skills, my “accidental survival” odds would increase nicely.

I slipped them on, feeling them adjust snugly to my wrists.

However, the moment they were on my wrist, something strange happened. A sudden . . .. yeah, I’m going to go with flicker ran through them, and another slew of notifications came pouring in/

Gear Adjustment Detected… Rogue Set Status: Partial Completion

Integrating Item: Bracers of Lesser Invincibility

Attempting to Merge with Epic Rogue Set

Error Message: Warning: Non-standard Set item detected. Potential interference from external source.

I barely had time to read the stream of alerts when the bracers seemed to pulse, taking on a darker, more shadowed look, as if they’d been forged in the same mysterious gloom as my other Rogue gear.

The leather shifted subtly, growing smoother and more flexible, and the faint metal weave began to gleam with a sharper edge.

Then, another series of message appeared, accompanied by a subtle rumble.

Bracers of Lesser Invincibility transformed to Stealthguard Bracers.

Bonus Applied: +3 Dexterity, +2 Agility

Bonus Applied: Shadow Veil – Reduces detection range by 10% when in Stealth mode.

More messages continued to pop up, each one adding a new wrinkle to my growing sense that these weren’t just regular bracers anymore.

Epic Rogue Set Enhanced: Partial Set Bonus Activated

Partial Set Bonus: Passive Evasion Boost – Attacks are 5% less likely to hit when remaining still for longer than 3 seconds.

Groovy.

Then I felt some pushback—a weird, almost physical resistance, like the Maker itself was fighting back, trying to keep these bracers out of the “Rogue Set”. It was like they were trying to shove a square peg out of the round hole with a sledgehammer.

My brain almost went splat as notifications started popping up in a panicked flurry, each one a little more frantic than the last, as though the Maker was scrambling to assert control.

Error Message: Warning: Item conversion in progress… Potentially unstable modifications detected.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

It felt like the Maker was doubling down, throwing everything it had to stop the transformation, the notifications piling up with increasingly doom-laden warnings:

Error Message: Warning: Item compatibility breach… Rogue Set classification in jeopardy.

Alert: Improper stat alignment… Freeloader Class not recognised for Rogue Set integration.

Warning: System recommends aborting merge. Item integrity may be compromised.

Each message that popped up seemed more concerning than the last, like the Maker was frantically trying to slap duct tape over a crumbling dam. But the levels of ‘do not give a fuck’ of my Freeloader Class were clearly undefeated, stubbornly forcing the issue, grinding away at the restrictions like it couldn’t care less about the system’s squealing complaints.

Override Notification: Freeloader Class Override Engaged. Attempting force integration.

Error Message: System instability detected. Rogue Set enhancements may lead to unforeseen effects.

Alert: Rogue Set status compromised. Please contact system administrator.

I could imagine the Maker and my Freeloader Class locked in a tug-of-war here, each pulling harder, until finally, there was a brief shimmer—a sort of reluctant snap—and the bracers settled firmly into place, now obviously part of the Rogue Set.

The messages finally stopped, the system giving up with what I could only imagine was a sigh of defeat.

Freeloader Class Integration Successful. Stealthguard Bracers added to Epic Rogue Set.

I examined the spoils of that little confrontation – who’s the Daddy now, Mr Maker? - feeling them settle comfortably into the rest of my Epic Rogue Set. They had seamlessly integrated, complete with stealth and evasion bonuses that fit right in with the Shadowstalker Hood, Darkblade Tunic, and Silent Step Boots.

Somehow, I’d ended up with a fully upgraded pair of stealth bracers that practically encouraged the universe to miss me entirely. And I was only 2 Progress Points from both Ability and Dexterity hitting that sweet, sweet 30 point benchmark.

Today is truly the day I start crushing it.

As Scar’s Unmerry Men and Women carried on with their graverobbing, more Loot Leech notifications kept rolling in, and soon enough, something else stood out among the clutter:

Loot Leech Notification: Ring of Minor Fortune

The ring was about as plain as they come—just a thin, unassuming band with a faint gleam if you squinted. Nothing anyone would fight over in a pawn shop, but it had that all-important little boost to Luck.

Another 1% nudging me in the right direction—not exactly life-changing, but hey, every little bit counts when you’re relying on the universe to hand you freebies.

I slipped it onto my finger, feeling the faintest buzz, like a mild caffeine hit, as that tiny twinge of Luck settled in. I waited to see if there was going to be any sort of cool, reality-breaking upgrade, but no.

Not today, Satan.

The stream of free items finally began to slow, and I gave my stuffed inventory another look, feeling a distinctly smug satisfaction. Not only had I bagged some solid gear, but I hadn’t lifted so much as a finger to get it.

Freeloading, as usual, was working out nicely.

I climbed down from the battlements, casting a glance at Scar, who was still gazing at his stat sheet with the reverence of a monk discovering enlightenment. Six precious Points, and the man looked positively enraptured.

Yep, he’s going to be here all day.

Over at the Village Storage, I started dumping the haul of Food, Wood, Stone, and Iron that had attached itself to me during the battle and the subsequent looting.

Each deposit made a satisfying clink as the numbers ticked up, filling the Storage meter. The first few notifications were pretty cool, but that feeling quickly wore off as the meter kept creeping toward maximum capacity.

Finally, just as I reached for another handful of resources to toss in, a bright message pinged up

Resource Storage at Capacity

“Well, that’s less than ideal,” I said, right before the second notification hit:

Upgrade Storage Capacity to continue collecting resources.

I scanned the area, hoping to spot someone to shove this task onto, but every Unmerry soul was neck-deep in looting duty. Scar, naturally, was still mentally bathing in his newfound stat points. Lia and Dema were . . . I don’t actually know.

That felt like something that was going to bite me in the arse pretty soon.

Typical. With a resigned sigh, I opened the upgrade menu to see what my options were.

I could go for the standard upgrade, which required an alarming amount of the new resources I’d just piled in there—more than I’d want to see depleted in one sitting, considering I was sure we’d need to boost up our defensives—or, for the low, low price of 180 gold, I could skip the whole rigmarole and boost the storage instantly.

I checked my Loot Leech stash—yep, more than enough to cover it. Bless you, passive income.

“Alright then, poppa’s going to make it rain,” I said, tapping the gold option and being really glad everyone was too busy to hear me.

The response was instant.

With a gusty whoosh, the Storage Shed burst to life, the modest little structure expanding outward and upward, walls creaking as they stretched and doubled in height.

The whole thing grew like a loaf in the oven, the roof soaring upward until the shed had transformed into something massive, towering over the village like an industrial-sized Dutch Barn.

The walls solidified, taking on a sturdier, almost fortress-like look, and I swear I could see faint glimmers of reinforced iron lacing through the beams.

We could probably stash enough supplies in there to survive three sieges and still have enough to snack on for days afterwards.

I barely took two steps toward it before I realised everyone else had stopped what they were doing. All eyes were now firmly fixed on me, as if I’d just been caught red-handed doing something questionable—which, to be fair, isn’t entirely out of character.

And, just to add that extra sprinkle of dread to my day, I finally spotted Lia and Dema striding toward me with matching expressions that suggested I was about to be the main course at a particularly grumpy intervention.

Whatever they had in mind, it didn’t look friendly. I sighed, giving my new loot one last appreciative glance before squaring up to meet whatever wrath was headed my way.