Time left: 29 days 22h 54m 23s

“I wouldn’t wear those if I were you. They make you look like one of those bandits,” said Alexander. “But a permanent stat increase effect is quite rare. Although, I wouldn’t recommend going around and choking out everyone you see.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” I said, focusing on my new prize rather than his words. The gloves intrigued me but I wanted to see how the inventory worked. Using the same technique as before, I commanded Inventory.

A list appeared in my head, like a game menu, that contained a single entry, the fingerless gloves. Focusing on the item in my head, the item description that was just streamed to me popped into view. I mentally closed it and the text disappeared again. “Sweet.”

Along with the list of inventory items, stood an image of myself. The image moved when I moved, like a live stream of my current state. My face was covered in dried blood and my long brown locks seemed to fall every which way, no longer in the bun I had put it in at the start of the workday.

And holy shit—was that a bruise on my nose? Damn, Evie had hit me harder than I thought. I huffed a laugh. Hopefully, Evie was located somewhere near. I doubted it.

Alongside the image of myself with my bruised nose was another menu that listed what I was currently wearing.

**Equipment**

Head:

- None

Neck:

- [Black Tie]

Torso:

- [Collared White Button-Up Shirt]

Left Hand:

- None

Right Hand:

- None

Waist:

- [Black Faux Leather Belt]

Legs:

- [Dark Gray Pants]

Left Foot:

- [Black Dress Shoe]

Right Foot:

- [Black Dress Shoe]

Bringing back up the inventory, I focused on the gloves list item and commanded an equip.

The gloves appeared on each hand in an instant as they seemed to fit with a perfect snugness around them.

Turning my hands over and back, I squeezed my hands into a fist and then relaxed them. “Interesting.”

The gloves stayed on as I focused on the next loot box.

Open next chest: [Jade Procrastinator Operator Box]?

Yes, I commanded once again.

“This one should result in a better item, hopefully, than the other two. It is one rank higher but I don’t know what a Procrastinator Operator is,” said Alexander. “It is quite strange that you have puzzled me multiple times in the brief time we’ve known each other. As a guide, I usually am familiar with almost any of these loot boxes.”

My head perked up. “Guide? Cleo said something about one human per guide. What’s that about?”

Alexander placed one finger in the air and pointed at the now-moving loot box.

This loot box followed suit with the previous opening. It floated in the air and puffed out some glitter as a burst of light shot out of it. Followed by a triumphant tune and a chorus of chimes, another item materialized before us. A vial with a bright orange swirling liquid inside.

[The Procrastinator’s Extra Time Potion] obtained.

[The Procrastinator’s Extra Time Potion]

Delay the expiration time of an objective by 50% of the base time. Must be used before the timer expires.

This is a consumable.

Alexander chimed in after reviewing the potion before it vanished, “Hey, that is not bad at all. I’ve seen a few of those extra time potions before. They usually have a different name attached to it but I suppose Procrastinator makes sense here too. I would save that for when something is coming down to the last minute instead of using it immediately on a timed objective. You might never have to use it but at least you’ll have a buffer if need be.”

“Makes sense. Can I extend the 30 days we have to find an orb?” I responded.

“No,” he said.

I waited for him to continue, giving him a go-ahead nod.

“I have nothing else to say about it,” he added.

“Understood,” I continued, “Next box then.

Open next chest: [Opal Class-specific Weapon Box]?

Yes.

The box opened the same obnoxious way the other two had done so before. Following the burst of light and the loot sounds, the last item materialized.

I bite my lip as it opened. I was worried about getting a weapon that didn’t suit me. Cleo mentioned that the classes were built around our strengths but also our weaknesses. Cleo did not elaborate any further on the subject which amplified my worries. What if it were another trick? A joke class with a joke weapon. Like a clown’s nose.

The item fully appeared.

[Chargebow of the Hunter] obtained.

[Chargebow of the Hunter]

A type of shortbow that is highly sought after by ranged-based hunters. This bow does not require any ammunition due to its chargebow type. The bow doesn’t have any additional effects—it shoots magical arrows, what else could you want?

“And there you have it. You are an archer!” said Alexander with a cheery tone. “We could have just checked your abilities but I thought it was more fun this way.”

Pulling up my inventory after it vanished, I equipped it into my hands.

The bow was simple but something unlike I have ever seen before. The frame was a slightly transparent light blue color. It didn’t feel like wood or plastic. Neither metal nor fiberglass. The frame was cool to my hand and felt heavy as it hung. Rubbing my fingers along the length of the frame reminded me of crystal or similar material. The string of the bow was nonexistent.

“Where’s the string?” I asked Alexander.

“That is a chargebow. Chargebows do not have strings. Instead, they are infused with magic,” said Alexander. “This allows the bows to conjure a magical arrow in place of a real arrow. A magical string only appears when an arrow is notched.”

My lips were pried open as I continued to marvel at the weapon in my hands. “Wow. This is amazing. I haven’t shot a bow since I was a kid,” I said. “My dad was big into bow hunting and shooting targets with bows. He got me into it a long time ago but ended up stopping when he died.”

An apologetic look fell onto Alexander’s face, “I understand. Your classification was created for you. It encompasses you. I suppose since you liked archery as a kid you probably still like it as an adult.”

“It does feel nice in my hands,” I said, turning the bow over in my hand. “How do I work it? Do I just aim and—“

Aiming at a bookshelf located a little way in front of me, an arrow popped into place as if I notched it myself. Along with the arrow, a shimmering blue string appeared between the two ends of the frame.

Grabbing the string with my fingers, it had a snug but soft texture. I pulled it back without it resisting whatsoever.

Alexander waved his hands in front of me, not daring to step in front of me. “Don’t shoot my tomes!”

I retracted the string and pointed the bow down, letting it hang loosely in my hand, and the arrow disappeared.

“This… feels…” I continued, “…amazing. I barely put any pressure on the string and it just pulled back. I want to shoot something. What can I shoot?”

“Yes, of course. I have something we can test it on. Outside,” said Alexander. “We can also test some of your abilities.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Outside… right. Nice, thanks,” I said. “Also, what is outside? Where exactly are we? I know your library. What town is out there?”

Alexander began walking away with his hands grasped behind his back and his chin held high. “Bloomsora, of course. We are in the Kingdom of Florenterra.”

I followed, catching up quickly. “Huh. A Kingdom. Cool.”

* * * *

“And here we are. You may use this here as target practice,” said Alexander, gesturing at a dummy made of wood. “It is Topaz rank so you won’t need to fear breaking it.” He smacked it as if he was showing it wouldn’t break causing it to rock back and forth slightly.

We were standing outside a few hundred feet away from the library, in a large circular dirt patch. Towering green trees lined the edge of this patch, as an entrance to a forest. A wooden dummy sat square in the middle of this patch.

“Topaz rank, eh? I’ll need you to go over that as well. But not until after this.” I said to him.

He gave me a nod and stepped away. I took this at the time to give my abilities a whirl around the park. Walking in front of the target, I stepped backward until I was about 20 feet away. An arrow popped into place as I took aim at the target with my bow. I pulled back the shimmering string and let go.

Thunk. The arrow landed dead-center of the target’s chest.

“Wow. Bullseye on the first shot,” I said.

Stepping back another ten feet or so, I aimed and fired. Thunk. Another arrow. Another bullseye.

“Not to discredit your archery experience but I believe you most likely have an ability that increases your accuracy,” said Alexander. “This would be a good time to check out your stats ability. This ability should give you a description of your current stats and other abilities that you have unlocked. Use it the same way as you did with everything else.”

I nodded at him and commanded Stats.

Name: Asher Loveless

Classification: Veiled Hunter

Rank: Opal 0

**General Info**

Players Killed: 1

Bosses Killed: 0

**Attributes**

Strength: 3

Agility: 2

Dexterity: 3

Intellect: 3

Perception: 3

Constitution: 1

Charisma: 1

**General Passive Abilities**

Unranked:

- [Stats]

- [Inventory]

- [Party]

- [Chat]

**General Active Abilities**

Unranked:

- [Heal Self]

**Class Passive Abilities**

Opal Rank:

- [Ethereal Precision]

**Class Active Abilities**

Opal Rank:

- [Elemental Arrow]

- [Shadow Veil]

“I think I have three class abilities. Plus all the menu abilities,” I mentioned to Alexander. “There are attributes too. Apparently, it’s also tracking the number of people I killed. Although they are strangely referred to as a player.”

Alexander smiled. “That is correct. You are known as a player-killer and it will be a tarnish on your record. However, that doesn’t mean you are a bad person.”

I smiled back at him. “Thanks. Now let’s see what these abilities are.”

Focusing on the abilities in the stats menu in my head, I clicked on the ability and up popped the information just as the description of an item would have done.

[Ethereal Precision]

Passive

Shots are guided by the ethereal veil, allowing them to strike targets with uncanny accuracy over vast distances.

“Well, looks like you were correct on the accuracy ability,” I said.

After closing the information pop-up, I brought up the other two abilities in quick succession.

[Elemental Arrow]

Active

Cooldown: 0 seconds

Cost: 1 Arrow

Infuse arrows with various elemental or ethereal properties. Elemental properties include the following: Fire, Lightning, and Ice.

[Shadow Veil]

Active

Cooldown: 30 seconds

Briefly merge with the shadow ethereal veil, becoming partially incorporeal. This grants temporary invulnerability for 10 seconds as well as blending into any shadows, disappearing completely.

“And to use these abilities… I just—“ I said before Alexander interrupted.

Alexander nodded his head. “Yes. Just think of the ability. It’ll become second nature once you do it enough times that you won’t even need to focus on the ability. It’ll just happen when you need it.”

Targeting the dummy once again, I brought the Elemental Arrow ability into my mind. Nothing appeared on the bow other than the same old magical arrows I’d used previously. “Not working.”

“May I ask which ability you are trying to use? You didn’t pass that information forward once you reviewed them,” said Alexander.

“Oh, right. I figured you could just somehow scan me or something,” I replied. “I am trying to use Elemental Arrow.”

Alexander’s head perked up. “Elemental Arrow? Wow. That is a great ability to have,” he said. “Actually, it’s quite shocking you have access to it at Opal Rank. Pair that with your chargebow, now you have unlimited elemental arrows. You would normally need a giant stack of arrows made from wood to withstand the elemental magic for enough time so that it would make its mark. Finding that type of wood… fletching dozens of arrows… finding a quiver… well—lucky you. Anyway, you need to think of the element you want to use. The description should have listed it. Well, it used to anyway.”

Nodding in understanding, I aimed and thought of an element. The green glow from the arrow transformed into a chaotic light blue that crackled and popped with a soft static noise. Letting go of the bow’s magical string, the arrow pierced into the wood target.

Multiple arcing rays of lightning shot out of the arrow the moment its tip touched the dummy and blasted the wood, leaving dark scorch marks on the surface.

“Holy shit. Maybe this whole apocalypse thing isn’t so bad after all,” I said.

Giving me a confused look, Alexander questioned, “Er—Apocalypse?”

“Do you not know what is going on?” I asked Alexander. “Some giant cosmic god appeared outside our world and is using some sort of being that it created to talk to us through our minds. Its name is Cleo. And for some reason, they transformed our planet into what it is now. They gave us powers and sent us off on our way to find an orb within 30 days or we die.”

Alexander paused. His mouth hung open, barely moving, as if to say something.

“…well, yes you do have 30 days to find an orb. I don’t know of this cosmic god you speak of. Or… Cleo?”

“It’s fine. I don’t want you to have an existential crisis. I am going to need your help!” I said winking at him. “I have lots of questions. Like for example, what are these ranks you mentioned?”

A smile came back to Alexander’s face. “Ranks! Yes, of course. Let’s talk about ranks. There are many ranks to be had. In fact, there are eight in total. You’ve seen the Opal, Jade, and…” He gestured toward the dummy. “…Topaz ranks. There are five more ranks after that: Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Diamond, and Onyx.”

He walked toward the dummy and ran his hand over the scorched wood. "As you can see, the higher the ranks the stronger the fortitude against the lower ranks. You are an Opal Rank 0. This dummy here is a Topaz Rank 0. Two whole ranks above you. All your ability was able to do was leave behind a blackened mark on its surface. The damage you caused to it was negligible.”

He walked back toward me and turned to face me.

“The disparity between ranks is large. Very large. A fresh Opal, an Opal 0, would never in a million years take out a fresh Topaz. At least not on their own. If there were a few dozen fresh Opals, then maybe they would have a chance,” continued Alexander. “Even against a fresh Jade, which is only one rank higher, is asking for a swift death.”

Extending a finger into the air, I chimed in with a question, “How do I increase my rank then? And where did my arrows go that I shot at the dummy?”

Alexander smiled at the questions. “Your arrows disappear after a short time. The duration of their existence is extended in real battles. They can last the entire fight or even if the enemy retreats,” said Alexander. “As for increasing your rank—simple. You need to use your classification to conquer enemies. The higher the enemy is ranked the more experience you earn. Experience equals levels. Gain ten levels at your current rank and you will graduate to the next rank. And before you ask…” he continued, “…yes. New attributes will be available for you to spend upon each level. Four at a time, in fact. And upon reaching a new rank, you will receive many more.”

I laughed. That was going to be my next question. But now another had popped up as he finished speaking. “And what do each of these attributes do? I mean some of them are straightforward forward like Strength. But Dexterity? Constitution?”

“Just to ensure that nothing is left unsaid, I will review them all. Your current attribute levels reflect your current status of what you are. What you grew into naturally. For example, what level is your strength?” said Alexander.

“Three,” I responded.

“Great. That means you are as strong as the average adult usually is. If you had zero Strength you wouldn’t even be able to move. One strength is similar to a small child’s. Two would be an older child to a young teenager. Three would encompass most adults. Four would only be for the most extreme adults. Anything higher than that would be unnatural. That of course is just the basis of Strength. The other attributes differ in what is natural versus unnatural.” Alexander took a breath and then continued, “Strength, as you said, is straightforward. The higher the Strength the stronger you are. That includes lifting increased weight, increased damage from melee strikes… even things like your grip are affected. Agility is related to your legs and feet; speed, stealth, stamina, and general athleticism. Dexterity, on the other hand, is related to your hands and eyes; finesse, precision, and coordination. Intellect is mainly for magic; spell books, mana, and memory. Perception is for hearing, seeing, and awareness of your surroundings. Constitution is your resistance, health strength, exhaustion, and aging. Charisma is for social skills and persuasion.”

A palm smacked my forehead, “Wow, that is… a lot to remember.”

Alexander laughed. “You don’t need to worry. You can review all this information in your Stats ability. And to ensure you don’t feel helpless I am going to give you a parting gift.”

I dropped my hand from my head as my eye’s widened. “A gift?”

“Yes. As a guide, I am allowed to bind to a human, a player, of my choosing. As long as they agree too, of course. Once bound, my housing, the library as you say, will become blocked off. Meaning, no one else may enter unless it is you and your party. We will be able to speak via your Chat ability. You would be able to ask anything and I could answer. My archives are filled to the brim with knowledge about this world and knowledge is kind of my thing. Learning, researching, and then spreading that knowledge is what I yearn for.” said Alexander.

Staring at me, he paused, eagerly waiting for me to speak. “…Well? What do you think?”, he asked.

“Oh, sorry. Right. Yes! That sounds great. Let’s bind together… or whatever it is we are to do.” I said.

Alexander grinned. “Great! The process is simple. All I have to do is… find you… open this… and then send!”

Alexander Sinclair (Guide - Sinclair Archives) has requested to bind. Do you accept?

Yes.

You have accepted. You and Alexander Sinclair are now bound. You may no longer bind to any other guides.

“Well, off you go, then,” said Alexander, gesturing me toward the forest. “You need to go get some experience fighting and get that rank up. Remember you only have 30 days and every day counts.”

“Wait… I wanted to check out the town and—“ were the only words I got out before Alexander proceeded to push me passed the trees lining the dirt patch. He gave me a wave and pranced back to his dwelling. “Well, he seems happy. That’s good I guess.”

You have entered a chat with Alexander Sinclair.

Alexander Sinclair: Hello! This is the chat ability I forgot to tell you about. You just think of your message and the person to send it to and voila! Do note that the person you want to send to must be added to your list of friends first.

Alexander Sinclair: Good luck with your forest exploration. Remember, if you have a question just ask away! Try not to die as I don’t get to bind with any other humans if you do. Then I’ll be stuck by myself not able to share any of my knowledge.

“Oh, Jesus. What did I agree to?”