Chapter 3

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A sip of coffee and then back to work: "Hello! Courier delivery."

Click of the intercom, go in. Leave packages, step away from the door, make sure they are received, close the order in the app. Done, next.

On the third day I suddenly realized that to get an order it is not necessary to go to the base and stand at the counter, it is possible to start a shift anywhere. I could see why it was only on the third day - apparently, my character wasn't needed yet, and the writers had to make do with the main cast. I'll be introduced later.

Well, that gives me time to deal with my personal problems.

Unobvious hint - in the usual delivery all running and running, no time to break, and you can not refuse the order, payments will be cut, but if you take a "system quest", then there is a lot of time. There is no timer until the shift is not closed, no record is kept. I need time to get out somewhere to buy small things - a tracksuit, towels, soap and so. Just ordering in my custom sizes is not an option, I have to measure. But I also need to earn money, and score points. That is, I need in the first half of the day to fulfill the norm, and the second to take the "quest" and quietly go about my business. Only the quest needs to be rich, with a lot of bonuses.

Of course, there had to be some hidden "buts". And so it turned out: everything rich in bonus points either weighed like a tank or was delivered to far away. Which to choose - weight or distance?

Also, my character now had the "Key to Special Tasks" in the inventory. It was a logical trick to reward good work with even more difficult work. The key gave me a mission of the "hard and far" level, apparently, so that the courier wouldn't have to choose. But promised to charge for it as for the three normal "quests", which is not bad.

The item - a courier scanner

Activate it?

Yes/no

Yes.

The little man took his glasses out of his bag, shook his hand, opened them, and put them on.

Scanner function unlocked

It turned out to be another scam. A simple filter is available in another tab... although not so simple. Drawing - my respects! Although, to be honest, the last time I used something like that was back at school, who knows what wonders were invented. For a while I was surprised that almost every object has its caption or additional drawings, but with this kind of stuffing content is simple - you have a few thousand messengers, give each a "quest" for a funny description and in a month they will name everything in the world. Put the smartest ones to edit, and the dumbest ones to order object types... Although where to get the processing power for all this? However, in the iron, I am not an expert.

I admired the girl in shorts walking by. And I'm not filming her ass, so don't smile and wink, stranger! Better look at what she has a fluffy tail! Oh, no, don't look, you won't appreciate it anyway. That's for delivery boys only!

In addition to the fun, there was a constant quest to "catch a miracle," in which all the same bonus points were awarded for especially good shots. Not very generous, but it is clear why - it turns work into an interesting activity! There's a virtual spider the size of a dog in the shade of a tree...

Click.

Five points were awarded!

They react quickly, so it's all automatic.

I saw off a fellow deliveryman who flashed into the distance on a scooter. The scanner showed that he had, first, short horns on his head, and, second, feet with hooves. It's clear why he's on a scooter, it must be uncomfortable. However, no points were given for this picture. No need to discredit your employer. Although there were enough goat-footed people among the green and yellow delivery boys.

I stared and twirled my phone in every direction as I made my way to the office. Yes, apparently it was a standard pattern because a third of the people in the common room had goatee feet.

"Hello, everyone!"

Now the only people sitting there were Brute, who had the status of "Slacker 7" over his head, and Abstinent, "Self-taught Sorcerer 8". The first waved but was too lazy to respond, and the second didn't notice. By the way, who am I? I only found a mirror in the bathroom - God, taking selfies in the bathroom mirror! How low you have fallen... "Delivery boy, 2 lv."

Well, at least not the first.

"H-hey?"

The curtain parted slightly, and the storekeeper looked out cautiously. Then he reached his "gun" to the screen with the "quest" I had chosen and ducked back in. A minute later he came back, threw a small package, and disappeared again. Now, where do we go from here? Crap, first to the train station, then thirty minutes by train - and try not to do it, it's a quest. Two hours of work... But on the other hand, there are half-hour runs, sit and have fun. It's not with a pack of mineral water three kilometers in five minutes!

While waiting for the train, I entertained myself with the scanner. There were no more tailed girls, although the program pleased me with statuses like "The Most Ordinary Man of 22 lv." or "Smile at me and die 17 lv." It's so hard to resist! He grinned at me with his fangs, noticing that he was being filmed, but the shuttle was already taking me away.

There are so many new products that you can't keep up with them all. It could very well be that this scanner has been out of fashion for three years and that's why Deliver bought it. This is the age of running - you have to move your feet very quickly to stay in place. It used to be better. I guess.

"The platform Dachnoe, the doors open."

I had to get out of the last door of the last wagon, and then jump off the platform and follow the path into the woods. So I did, but something went wrong because after about five minutes the path disappeared, human voices died down, and a wall of trees muffled all the sounds from the railroad, not allowing me to get my bearings. The app showed me that I was somewhere in Antarctica, and I even agreed with it to some extent. In search of life, I rushed back and forth, jumped over some ditches with water, tried to find moss on trees, streams, bears, at least someone, and was already estimating under which bush I would have to sleep, remembering what to rub against to get fire, when suddenly...

This smell is unmistakable!

And since it's here, it means there are people here!

My nose was better than my eyes and hearing. Turning back and forth, I caught the change and walked to the smell of freshly baked muffins. Two minutes and I was back in civilization! It's a shame to get lost within three hundred meters of a holiday village!

And people have lived here for a long time, there's a house all blackened from time, and the fence is covered in moss. The scanner, having thought about it, drew a horse skull to the roof ridge, three times bigger than the real one, and a human skull on each post. I agree, it's more authentic.

Click.

Maybe they'll give me a few more points.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Hosts? Hey, hey, who's home?"

It's quiet, which is nice. I don't want to talk to some energetic guard dog, because I can't run up those gullies, and I can only climb the fence. To the skulls, heh.

"Who are you?"

They said on the other side of the fence. From the sound of her voice, an elderly woman.

"Delivery! Package for you. Where can you sign for it?"

Behind the fence the bushes rattled pensively, then they called back: "Go there."

I did not understand where exactly, so I moved toward the sound, listening to the footsteps and muttering from the other side. The reception did not surprise me, I had already heard a lot in the chat room. The world is full of unfortunate and extraordinary people.

There were no fewer than three bolts on the mighty gate. The lady of the farm, pushing them aside, inquired:

"How did you even find me?"

I answered honestly: "I moved at the smell!"

"Then come on in, sniffer..."

The cottager lady was clearly not expecting my visit, so she was digging in the garden in her usual dacha attire. She was wearing rags so she wouldn't get dirty, a headscarf so she wouldn't get hot, and her face was covered by the edge, probably from the gnats, only her nose sticking out.

And a large machete in her hand, which she did not let out, making it look like she was escorting me.

And it smells so good I don't even want to leave. All animals, from bunnies to mushroom pickers, should run out of the woods to smell like that.

"Do you sell pastries?"

"Not."

"Then will you gift it to me? Well, like in a fairy tale - to feed and water..."

"And put you to bed? Well, I can do that!"

She suddenly cheered up, and I felt better all at once. It's better to crawl through gullies when you're full! All I got today was a cup of coffee and a "wheat sprout sandwich," which was canceled. Not enough for lunch. I could lose weight that way. Then how can I justify my failures in life?

After handing over the packets and checking the application, I turned my head, looking at the site. It was a bit rusty, too dreary. The berry bushes are covered with cobwebs, but the apple trees are just a sight to behold. Some of the apples are white and some are quite red, is it really the way to plant them? Pollination, no? But in general, the impression has created some kind of pristine, as if it grew itself. In some ways, even beautiful, though slightly disturbing. Vasnetsov, naturally.

"Eat it, it's delicious."

"Thank you!"

I took a big bun, but before I could take a bite, I took a customary picture of it in front of the dish. The ugly scanner lit it up like a mountain of mold, and in my hand was a huge piece of a spider web with flies. No credit to the developers, I lost my appetite! That's all right, he'll run through the woods and be back in no time. Holding the muffin in my hand I turned the phone to the apple trees, the scanner flashed a selection of options...

"Don't move! Stay down!"

Don't move or stay down?

The question, though, was rhetorical. They had already thrown me down and quickly wrapped my arms behind my back, so the bun and the phone flew away. I tried to breathe as little as possible, just in case, my face pressed into the floor. The woman squealed and hissed, the metal hissed and some kind of crackling sound, as if with a shocker. Yeah, it smelled like ozone, probably a taser.

The cottager, who had managed to escape into the next room, screamed again, but almost immediately fell silent.

"Illegal Trafficking Unit... Where are you taking her? Put it down! Inspector Rainin. Documents?"

I reached for my passport, trying not to make any sudden movements. The inspector, who had pressed me to the floor, snatched it out of my hands, rustled the pages, and read it out with an expression:

"Marius Yulievich Koziakin, oops." And, with a chuckle, he clarified: "And who is Yuri Gievich to you?"

"Julius Gayevich," I corrected mechanically. I did not have to finish; the man chuckled, grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, and pulled me to my feet in one motion:

"Guys, Yulik's son is working on a delivery? There is a spare growing up!" And returning the document specified: "Why are you in the delivery, then?"

I brushed myself off, looking for my phone: "Father kicked me out of the house."

Now everyone was laughing. From the grandmother, I could hear only gasps from the next room, and there were about five strong "inspectors" around.

Sometimes it seems like everywhere I go, I find either my dad's or my mom's acquaintances. It's clear that I usually "poke around" in our circle, but still! Maybe that's why I got into games because at least none of my ancestors knew about them. They had an opinion, yes, but it was not supported by anything.

"Well, give my regards to Gaius Adrianovich."

I expected him to say hello to the father, but apparently, the grandfather is more respected by them.

"How is he doing?"

"What could happen with him?" I pocketed mine, looked sadly at the bun that had been crushed in the commotion, and shrugged. "He sits at the cottage, reading books. When he's not writing."

"Are you visiting him?"

"I'm not crazy."

He nodded, apparently acquainted. Of course, he did, if he send "hello"! My grandfather must have been a teacher there, right? I do not like to go to him, he always starts pestering me with stories about the old days, and always in such a tone, as if it all happened to him.

A professor-historian, what can you take from him? All in the past. Thank him for my rare name... And a rare patronymic. If by some miracle children happen to be born, I won't let them go anywhere near him until they go to school!

"Am I to be interrogated now?"

"The debriefing is called it." He pointed his phone familiarly at me and commented, "Delivery Courier, B3, and she has e-group hallucinogens. No, that's clear, but if anything, I'll find you."

"Then I'm going? By the way, what happened here? That's a first time with me."

Rainin, who was watching his employee gut an ancient-looking sideboard, absent-mindedly tossed it over his shoulder: "She grows all kinds of things. Have you seen the apple trees in the garden? Go on, before the procurator's office gets here."

On the other hand, there is something in all these acquaintances. I didn't have to "testify" until the evening, for example.

Already on the train I suddenly wondered what the cops had to do with the Delivery System. Or does this department somehow cover delivery, and do they have a separate entrance to keep an eye on us? Actually, if you think about it, you can deliver a lot of things.

And I guess I don't like being a courier.

It's much more interesting to be... a Messenger!

The app habitually glitched and wouldn't respond until I freaked out and slammed my finger into the screen with such force that I even got frightened. But it worked:

Do you want to change your name?

Yes/no

Yes.

The cost of changing the system name is 500 points

Damn, I don't have enough for a ring... All right, I'll grind it tomorrow.

To activate, put your nose

That's how one resigns oneself to daily humiliation...

We are pleased to welcome a new Delivery System Messenger!

The sound of fanfares, sparks, fireworks. Yes, yes, thank you. I know I'm cool.

I had already slipped the phone into my pocket when it buzzed again.

Your rating is recalculated according to your activity.

I looked in the character tab, and the status bar above my head reads "Messenger Marius, C1". This is for me for what, just for one new quest? Or did the inspector somehow report to his superiors about my heroic participation in the capture of a dangerous criminal? Come to think of it, I do not even know who is in charge of the system, I saw only the registrar in the office and the same workers. What if there are random rewards and punishments, like in Amazon?

I wasn't too lazy to look through the available orders - there's a whole new tab! Large and with a lot of expensive quests, three hundred to four hundred bonus points! Now a day I can stuff myself on cheap jewelry on the char and score all the slots. Although there are fewer simple deliveries. I guess the higher the rating, the more responsible orders are issued. Do not trust the delivery of something expensive and fragile to someone too lazy to even understand the application?

L - Logic.

On the other hand, do I need it, to move around the region with valuables in a bag? Purely for the money, on the contrary, it would be better to keep a low profile.

While comparing premium percentages in different tabs, a new one popped up:

Please, Messenger, read the changes in the job description

It was all the same, at first glance. It is impossible to compare, the old ones do not open, now only "class C instructions". It seems to have added "responsible adherence to the navigator's instructions" and one more control picture when issuing... So, what's in the bonuses? Bonus payments - plus five percent per package, the ability to form orders, a personal card slot, an extra ten minutes of personal time...

One line immediately caught my attention: "housing from the company"!

It's probably a gloomy basement cloister, but it says "individual accommodations"! It was worth spending the bonuses to change the name. Need to talk to my colleagues, find out about the minimum...damn, that's why they're only on the minimum! If they just give free housing for status, it's a freebie! Obvious bug in the System, but still...

Hostel, we'll say goodbye soon!

As if eavesdropping, the system closed my day and paid me what I had earned - alas, still on a Class B basis. Not a penny for nothing to a working man! Fine, I have money and plenty of time. What shall we do now?

To begin with, I ate. I looked longingly at the familiar names of chain coffee shops, but I don't make enough money for these bourgeois establishments. I reached out to order something, and I could hardly resist. Went into the store, long looked through all sorts of things under the watchful eye of the guard ("Warrior of Cerberus clan, 4 lv."). Finally, I found a recipe on YouTube, which I think I can repeat. Rice and chicken...

I couldn't resist buying an apple. Healthy food is the way to save money!

And to encourage me, I added candy.

That's how it is - you buy food for a week and pay fifty bucks for two bags with a lot. And you take a chocolate bar and a coffee, "You owe a thousand million money!" Why does nature have such a hatred for people who like sweets?!

Now to get the laundry, then home to the hostel. To do culinary experiments on living people. If the rice doesn't work, I'll treat the neighbors. They'll be fine to eat it with wine... I can't wait to get a proper place to live...

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