Chapter 6

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Reality is cruel. I looked away and sighed. I was not prepared for this in my life. It's one thing if you play the date sim on the computer, it's easier there - and the list of actions is given, and there is time to think about it, and you can browse the tactics. But what if that's alive? What to start with? There are no savings here, and the reputation a much more complicated than in the game. What to do? Tell it like it is, and what will be? Or go from afar? The question is not the easiest. But from how far away?

I squinted my eyes and sighed again. The girl sitting next to me swayed slightly at the movement of my side and continued to poke her finger at the screen. Not worrying about who's sighing over the ear.

A long, furry ear. With a beautiful tassel on the end.

No, no, I didn't see it that way, only in the app - as soon as I got on the train, I scanned it. What if there are spider webs and arachnids in the corners? But it turned out that the only unusual thing was this girl, a little older than me. If she were younger, I would have been able to figure it out; it was no problem talking to a girl my mother's age, too, but what about this one?

The bad thing is that I kind of understand that the girl probably does have ears and a tail. But you can't touch them, can you? She has claws, too: click-click on the screen, the whole sticker is scratched. Now I can not see the claws, so they look like intricate manicures when sitting next to her. And what to do?

Introducing a girl is a very important moment, especially if she is so unusual. All the little things should be taken into account, and better yet, they should be well thought out in advance. It was easier for parents, in the absence of the Internet social skills pumped by themselves, but we have to master everything at a conscious age...

What to do? Tell it like it is and let it be? Or go in from afar? But how far away? The girl is pretty cute, the haircut is short, the perfume in the morning is not even soul-killing concentration - and most importantly, she definitely has a charm! I mean, two cat ears with tassels.

After looking around and not seeing any judgmental looks - no one cared and obviously wanted to sleep - I finally made the decision: "Sorry. Ahem. Ahem!"

The girl looked at me with displeasure.

"Excuse me, but this is a very important question for me. Does the tail bother you?"

She rolled her eyes briefly, used a short but profane word to describe my interest and her attitude toward it, folded her phone, and strode to the door. All I had to do was raise my hand after her and take a picture... that's what it looked like, really I was just looking at the camera. She have ears, I see. Where's the tail? Under her skirt?

The girl, not unreasonably mistaking me for a pervert with bad habits, snorted, clawed at the rail, and proudly stepped out of the car. Well, swipe left, swipe right, and goodbye. Maybe she's just a tailless breed. I told you, it's complicated. Online I would have been irresistibly witty, managed to find arguments and arguments, she would just be forced to send nudes and immediately it would be clear what's up with the tail... and in reality, you would sit and guess.

Well, two more stops. It's a good time to get something to eat.

Magic is a frightening power.

It was only in the morning that I realized that for two days I had been eating almost nothing! And only when I turned off the warranty did I find that it occupied the place that is usually given to the desire to eat something. It turns out that all the increased appetite - is from nerves? So all this time I was being told the truth?! How could they!

On the other hand, somehow the food under the guarantee tastes better. Or is it just the hotdog so shitty?

Okay... I looked around the wagon with an armed gaze, didn't notice anything, and decided it was safe to think. So, I'm in the middle of something weird. The question is, how do I get anything out of this "something"? The thought of "should I get involved" is irrelevant here, because I definitely should. Somehow it seems to me that even if I throw my phone away, the unknown, invisible monsters won't go anywhere. Yes, I've been told that a new, wonderful and frightening life begins outside my parents' house, but that it's so strange?! So we'll have to get involved.

Since there is nothing like the "University of World Magic" in town (yes, I checked), my only outlet for weirdness is my job at Delivery. Again, I can earn something there, and though it's despicable labor money and not at all a coveted freebie, I like it. And it'll give my dad something to show for it. Besides, the next week promises good weather, so why sit in the room for nothing? There's no computer in there anyway. I'll run around the city and see the wonders hidden from the eyes of normies!

Well, we're not throwing away the teleport ring, are we? It's pretty cool.

Except that it needs something camouflage to match it.

For example:

The Ring of Business Invisibility

Gives temporary invisibility (2 sec)

Active, personal, 200/200 (recharge 20 sec)

And of course, the activation was worth more points! The system was consulted by the guys from EA, for sure! On the other hand, the command was set up personally, so it's possible to mess around. Already know how it will activate!

But first I have to earn money for it. On the one hand, getting a "D" increased the reward for the "quest," on the other hand, I have added expenses for the room. And the rings will have to reload, and there will obviously be a serious expense. Let's see, an average quest on the "B" gives two or two hundred and fifty points. For "C", it's five hundred. It turns out that on the "E", that is, with the equipment of the teleport ring, I have a thousand? Or is the growth linear?

Checking showed that the reward is still about a thousand per quest, though not always. Then we can assume that "E" - two thousand, "F" - four, gain System levels and rule the world! But Abstinence, who seems to be an E, is directly anti-advertising this kind of approach. Why all these wonders if you're sitting in a corner shaking? Consequently, you have to bypass Delivery somehow, find connections to manufacturers. After all, somewhere all these rings are created?

In the meantime, I'll have to take a package with three "quests".

The plan for the day is clear. It's worth thinking about the plan for the month.

There are two ways in any system of leveling. The first is to minimax all the stats and perks, scoring on the grind, and the second - is to break into gray quest clothing in high locations, to be the first to take the top level. The third way, that is, to go quietly in the storyline and enjoy it, does not take into account. Gray mass is not about us! The delivery system also sawed people like me and for people like me. Normal is such a game system training and operation, everything is clear and everything is clear... except tails and ears.

Maybe I should have started with the dog girls. They're supposed to be friendlier? Although come to think of it, these might be some bitches. What's the friendliest animal to meet? According to the movies, it's a dragon, but there are its complications...

Okay, enough of this nonsense - should I go to the high levels or should I collect my gear on a dime? What would I do if I were a Chinese student in a light novel? Find a unique chance that would get me through to the finals, spitting on the people around me.

Well, okay, I'll watch my step more carefully.

"Hey there, Condemned!"

"No way, Slacker! Hello, folks."

I walked over to the counter, handed the phone with the order open to the storekeeper. Brute shook his head reproachfully: "You'd better not put too much effort into the quests. You're going to work yourself up."

The kid with the glasses immediately specified: "Are the levels beneficial in any way?"

"They give more system units and so on..."

It seems that Brute has taken the newbie under his patronage. It's a pity I won't be able to sit and listen. Yesterday I spent three hours on "C", what would they give me on the "D"? Of course, it is more profitable, but here, too, understand their interest, and I still need to do the usual delivery.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Tomboy (I swiped my lens at her - "Beginner Succu, 6 lv.") glanced lazily in my direction but didn't say anything. Should I ask her about her tail? She must have one of her own, judging by her title, with a heart on the end.

However, as soon as I thought about close communication with the girl, forces unpredictable and inexorable intervened.

"Hello, Mom! Yes, I'm fine, I'm just working."

My mother was worried. As usual, when talking to her, it seemed to me that I was at a banquet in a palace, the Duke was in front of me, the ambassador would be after me, so we do not delay, communicate. I told her everything - I live in a slum with a semi-criminal element, work for pennies, eat all sorts of crap, waiting for the end of the world, but everything is good. This calmed my mother down, and she immediately identified the main thing: I was cheerful, full, and busy. Asking me not to disappear and to let me know from time to time that I was still alive, my mother passed out. Yeah, well, she saw me once a week in normal times, when I went down to get food from the fridge. Now, where was I?

I looked around and headed for the subway, reading the description as I went.

The "D" level quest was almost no different from the "C" level. Except that this time the approach was more "exploratory" than "confusing. The long, two-paragraph description required me to stop at certain landmarks, look at them, and think about something specific. I've already figured out that this somehow creates a path to the client, and while the meaning is not yet clear, I'm getting points for doing it, not for trying to cut. We'll look into it.

On the way, I studied the app. There just has to be an auction! At least between couriers, to exchange bonuses! If there is such a powerful gameplay component, then there simply must be a market for skins. And chat! How can we live without chat? How do I know what people think if they can not write to me about it? Standard did not work, it was mostly about work stuff.

So, this street - the quest begins with "look at the "lived and worked here" memorial plaque. "Turn into an alleyway, sniff around"... ugh! You're a hard one, courier's lot! Now to go to the playground, with a strong push to spin the merry-go-round, look at it. Right, Tarkovsky wrote the road! Walk out on the curb, keeping your balance. Hmm, get to the end, try not to fall. Difficult!

Finally, I reached the driveway, which was visible right from the back alley. What's going on here, anyway? I mean, what's the point of all this? If it has to be done, it works somehow, but how?

"Good afternoon, Delivery."

That's by the way, on regular store deliveries I make phone calls, but I don't do that on quests. Is it important or not? All right, let's put it in the piggy bank of topics that haven't been cleared up.

The client, a middle-aged man in home clothes and slippers, stood looking at me with a frown. I took a roll out of my bag, checked it, and handed it to him. The client silently handed out a bill in return - and the day was starting well! I was about to thank him, when suddenly he lowered his head, sobbed... and collapsed.

"Are you alright?"

It's a silly question, I know. But it's better to come in from afar.

"Excuse me, can you hear me?"

Isn't the next thing to ask for a smile to determine a stroke? I looked closely at the man lying motionless. He's not moving. Not breathing. He's definitely not breathing! Shit, what's next? I reached down and tried to feel for a pulse. He was cold!

I squeezed his neck for about two minutes, so caught up in trying to find a pulse that I forgot what was going on. I couldn't find a pulse, and that made me slightly regain my senses. Okay, we got a dead body here, what do we do? Get out of here quietly? Actually, nothing is keeping me here, I gave the order, I got the tip, there's even the delivery in the app closed. And then someone checks his calls, sees a conversation with me, and I'm immediately guilty. Maybe I should drag him into his apartment and shut the door.

"Hello, is anyone there? Alive?"

I had to turn on the warranty, and everything would be normal, understandable, and natural. I even fought temptation for a second, but then I came to my senses. I have to think for myself, or I'll lose the habit to do it. What should I do? No one in the delivery company would help, we had done our part. Should I call the police? And then sit until tomorrow and answer why I killed an innocent client? There's more to it than the police, though.

The only hope was that these guys had something to do with the whole delivery thing, I mean, maybe.

Typing into the application search query instantly led me to a page with instructions. When I clicked "contact" I waited ten seconds for a response, and then I heard: "The Department on Combating Illicit Trafficking is listening."

"Hello, could you connect with Rainin?"

"What's the question?"

"Personal," I said automatically, but then clarified, "I can't figure out what to do with the corpse."

The invisible interlocutor hummed, a hoarse melody sounded, and after a minute the right person finally answered: "Rainin online."

"Hello, this is Marik Kuziakin. I just didn't understand who else I should contact."

"Marik... eh, Julievich? What have you got there?"

"I have a dead delivery customer, and I didn't do it. Truly."

After explaining the circumstances, I sat down on the window sill and waited for the next twenty minutes, answering the questions of some strange man. He asked so thoroughly that it became clear - no one needed my answers, but the instruction! Finally, footsteps sounded downstairs, and a familiar voice called out:

"The lad of Julius, where are you?"

"Here I am, upstairs."

I wonder how they found the entrance? I was following the description, but they did it right away. Next, five people came up to the floor at once, who were doing the familiar and usual thing from cop shows, that is, walking around, looking around, talking about their work, paying no attention to the corpse or me.

Rainin, stopping next to me, inquired: "What, did the "Umrun" scare you?"

I didn't understand and asked: "Zombie?"

"Nah, just an "umrun"." He noticed my bewilderment and explained: "A man died who had taken a lot of Unreality in his lifetime. Didn't realize he was dead, suspended, tried to come back. Everything around is strange, trying to find a foothold. Probably thought he was sick or something. He decided to stay at home and ordered some snacks by delivery. Since he was in unreal, he switched to the System. But he turned out to be decent, he didn't bring anything else, that's why he ran out."

"So what now?"

"That's it, we'll set up the "discharge" and the case is closed. Well done for letting us know, anything could have crawled up behind an "umrun". Usually it's the zombies that come out, and then we'll be hard-pressed to search them out."

Don't get it...

I mean he, umrun, don't get it...

So the girl on the subway might not have realized she had ears?

I was so caught up in thinking about it that I didn't even notice when it was over. Something flared up, and a warm wave passed through the entryway - it turned out it was cold in here. It's good to have double the hypodermic insulation, you don't pay attention to that kind of thing. They showed me a protocol to sign, apparently drawn up from my words on the way. I signed it, and for another five minutes, I crumpled until I got a hint that it was time to get down to business. Indeed, why am I?

It's one o'clock in the afternoon, I still have fifteen deliveries to make and two quests to do...

And again the road, the road, the road. For ordinary people, it takes an hour or two a day. But a courier has his whole life on the road. I was a little worried, but then I gave up on everything, turned on the warranty, and began to enjoy life. The day ended up flashed by insensibly. The remaining two quests turned out to be banal "postal missions", this time without any corpses, I worked up an appetite on the way, and in the evening, in the dark, I returned home.

That is a two-story multi-floor apartment building in the middle of a shady courtyard.

My bag in the corner, my phone, and everything out of my pockets on the table - I need to wash my pants. I did three "quests" today for a ring, and I'm tired. Oh, I'm tired.

What? I like good retro - Tsoy, Hoj, my dad's favorite Spice Girls, or my mom's Take Zet. The main thing is quality. Music from the old days is also a little unreal, which is probably why I like it. By the way, what about that tip that umrun gave me? Is it real or is it unreal, too?

Buzz.

Sighing and not expecting anything good, I picked up the phone.

Today's promotion is a reduced price on bonus housing!

Offering this at a time when I've only just saved up for a ring? Are you spying on me?!

I thought about it. Today was a good deal, both in terms of money and bonus points, and I could buy a "stealth ring" right now. I'd put it off until tonight just so I could have more fun. To look through, to compare, to estimate - even knowing that the points are only for the cheapest. But there really is a discount, and it's very important to me.

With a sigh, I pressed confirmation. Then another.

The bonus room is paid for ten days.

Bastard System, you have no conscience at all.

The remaining hundred and fifty wouldn't be enough for anything. And the money suddenly ran out. It's a hard life on your own. Should I move into a barrel as Diogenes? Or buy... I need access to the System Auction! There just has to be a tent with space expansion!

I threw my phone back into the pile of stuff I'd pulled out of my pockets, and headed into the kitchen, to the washer. The daily grind had taken its toll, and fatigue was taking its toll. I had been on my feet all day and could not feel it, but as soon as I sat down, my hams hummed. Good though the shoes are decent. So, if stealth with a recharge in twenty seconds, where better to use the teleporter? And how would I ever use it? I have to see what it's like to jump into a departing bus or a subway car. In general...

I stood in the shower for ten minutes, thankfully no one knocked or demanded to be excused. In general, there were fewer people here than in the hostel. Music and some sounds could be heard from behind the doors, but during the hour I was doing my laundry, only three people came into the kitchen. Well, that's okay, but I won't complain about the silence.

When I came back from the shower, I checked my phone - who said I never parted with it? How my working life has changed me! Well, yes, as soon as it can get me a new order, I want to shove it away and forget it. Eh, two hundred points in the account, which means I must again take a package of three quests and fifteen...

Stop.

Wasn't it a hundred and fifty?

I sat down on my bed and started to think back. Yesterday I spent on the title, today I had three quests in surplus, and then I gave all the money I had earned and a little more of yesterday's money for the room... Yeah, I had a hundred and fifty left. Now it's two hundred.

Have I been paid more for helping the department again? Or was it...

I may be beautiful, but I have brains. I quickly grabbed a wad of bills and bounced to the window and put them on the window sill, then went back to the bed and stared at the scoreboard. Five minutes of tracking, nothing happened.

I ran up to the money, took it, and slipped it under my phone. After about a minute, the counter blinked, adding one. There were seven bills, and after some time, I sorted out the exact same bill. I put it under the phone and then sat in the dark room, waiting with excitement for each new unit of points and counting to myself. It came out to about forty an hour. In the morning it would be almost five hundred, and the money I got from "Umrun" would bring me the same amount of points as two C-level quests in a day.

Looks like I got my mega-uber-chance, like that average Chinese student.

That's why I want rice so badly...

Total nihao!

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