----------------------------------------
[Disclaimer! Hidden quest complete! Shadow of the past!]
'Philip nodded in satisfaction as he heard the notification.'
"Before seeing what I got from that, I want to see what I gained from finishing the last contract."
[You have finished your last contract!]
[All of your Class related skills gained a massive amount of proficiency]
[Rodrigues Perfected Shadow Technique Lv6 -> Lv8]
[Inhuman Martial arts(Incomplete) Lv3 -> Lv6]
[Steel Flash Lv4 -> Lv6]
[Sword Flash Lv12 -> LvMax(15)]
[Momentum Lv 9 -> Lv12]
[You have gained a new Skill, Phantom Sword]
[Phatom Sword
Description:
A technique only seen in those who have understood the fundamentals of swordsmanship, born from the constant tempering of one's mind, to slash beyond the reaches of the sword, a materialization of what you deem to be swordsmanship.
Effects:
Create an illusionary sword that mimics yours. Slash reality with the imaginary.
The sword's strength, reach, and limitations are determined by its user's understanding of swordsmanship.
…
]
"..."
More proficiency is always good, but as I expected, I ended up gaining a new Skill at the end of this contract.
Compared to my first Class Mission, I ended up gaining a lot more Skills through the system instead of through my own effort. I am not complaining though, some of these even seem a bit too hard for me to acquire through normal training anyway.
The problem this causes is that now I have too many good Skills to pass to my main Class, to a point I am starting to get conflicted on how to proceed from here.
I didn't gain that many chances previously, and if we were to count, I most likely won't be able to move everything...
'Philip got inside the elevator and left the VIP section before the police arrived, he was not interested at all in dealing with them for now.'
"What about the rest?"
'Philip gazed at the city through the glass walls of the elevator, he felt calm and even a bit happy to see a world like his own, it made him remember his own home.'
I can think about this later…
'Philip opened the System window and started to go over his rewards:'
[Hidden quest complete! Shadow of the past!]
[As a reward, you can choose up to three items to bring with you from this memory]
[You have acquired a new Title, Vigilante]
[Your sword bloodlust has been quenched, all conditions have been met]
[Your Skill, Blade mode LvMax has evolved into Ripper Mode Lv0]
[All of your Class skills will gain 2 levels worth of proficiency!]
[Rodrigues Perfected Shadow Technique Lv8 -> Lv10]
[Inhuman Martial arts(Incomplete) Lv6 -> Lv8]
[Steel Flash Lv6 -> Lv8]
[Ripper Mode Lv0 -> Lv2]
[Momentum Lv12 -> Lv14]
[Phatom Sword Lv0 -> Lv2]
[It has been detected that some Class skills have exceeded their maximum proficiency]
[Explosive draw LvMax has been forcibly evolved into Ignition Strike Lv0]
[Sword Flash LvMax has been forcibly evolved into Invisible Blade Lv0]
[Would you like to continue the memory?]
'Philip felt overwhelmed by the stream of words and sounds...'
"You are going a bit too..."
/DING!/
'The elevator stopped and its doors opened, Philip immediately saw several dozen guards waiting for him, all heavily armed.'
What a fucking timing…
'But funny enough, the guards ignored him, asking him to step aside, and so he did. Soon enough, the guards made their way towards the VIP section while Philip was left pleasantly surprised.'
'He turned around and saw Fattie waiting for him next to the door leading towards the reception. Understanding what was going on, Philip went with him and took the ride towards his temporary apartment.'
…
/Around an hour later.../
'Philip said goodbye to Fattie and got inside his private apartment where he took out his tuxedo and put on some more comfortable clothes.'
"Enough waiting around, I want to see my stats unbothered."
Open!
[Name: Philip Vinten
Class: Descendant of the Jetstream
Abilities:
Rodrigues Perfected Shadow Technique Lv10 (Passive)
Inhuman Martial arts(Incomplete) Lv8 (Passive)
Steel Flash Lv8 (Active)
Bisect LvMax (15) (Passive)
Bionics Lv5 (Passive)
Electronic Lv4 (Passive)
Mechanic Lv 4 (Passive)
Skills:
Ripper Mode Lv2 (Active)
Ignition Strike Lv0 (Active)
Invisible Blade Lv0 (Hybrid)
Momentum Lv 14 (Hybrid)
Phantom Sword Lv2 (Active)
Critical Strike Lv2 (Active)
Traits:
Strengthened Body
Sword Heart
Inventory (+)
]
'Philip whistled as he read his new stats.'
"I will have to grind these up some time later."
But what do they do?
'Philip went to a couch in his living room and relaxed on it as he read the descriptions of each new skill.'
"Ignition strike is pretty much a better Explosive draw… But its description leaves a lot to ponder."
In one sense, it seems it's telling me to remodel my sheath to properly use it, while on the other hand, it implies I don't need one to begin with, but that doesn't make a lot of sense in this world unless I get some sort of supernatural ability.
I'll have to research more later.
"Invisible blade is also a direct successor to Sword flash, and it's also much simpler to understand."
All previous characteristics are retained, however, the dazzling light that was created when I swung my blade was replaced by the fact that the sword remains invisible until I stop moving it.
I can also control this and change it from its invisible state to its dazzling state whenever I wish.
"And the Phantom sword Skill looks like those things from cultivation manga… Sword QI?"
'As Philip said that, he looked at a wooden box on the table and activated the skill.'
/Swush!/
'The box was suddenly cut in half by an invisible force!'
"My head just hurts a little bit… But it's rather convenient if I can learn how to properly use it."
One proper cut during a fight is enough to end it, such an ability might give me an extra edge…
"Lastly, Ripper mode. An evolution of Blade mode, it does everything its predecessor did and more."
This is an ability that parallels the main protagonist's ability of the same name. And just like it, if I activate it I will temporarily lose my sense of pain but my physical abilities will be enhanced to their utmost limit.
What 'utmost limit' means is what confuses me, since, in the first place, the Inhuman martial arts already allows me to utilize all of my body's strength. I'll have to see how they work together...
Right now, losing my sense of pain seems more of a drawback to me than a bonus.
"Sigh... So much to do."
"And to end it all, the Title I received…"
[Vigilante
Description:
Sometimes, when the world is filled with crime and injustice, someone has to take a step forward and fix the wrongs, even if they don't turn out right in the end.
You did not ask for this, just yet another victim of this dog-eat-dog world, but despite that, you rose.
Effects:
Mark a territory to protect and all invaders will receive a special mark that will make your stats rise when fighting them.
You can only make one territory at a time, it takes 10 minutes to set a territory.
Successfully defending a territory will temporarily increase your stats based on the difficulty of the task.
...
]
"Hum… I don't like it, but it isn't useless by any means."
It's pretty much an area skill that increases my stats when used, it doesn't interfere with my normal fighting style but there is the restriction of time before using it.
If I am expecting an enemy, it is a bonus. But if I am not, I can still try and use it in the middle of a fight.
There are only two problems with this, the first being the fact I would have to wait for it to take effect, which isn't ideal, most fights take less than that to finish, and the second problem is the fact I would have to give up a Title slot for it when I have several more useful Titles to use while in combat.
And I am sure I can't use the ability and change my Title, the effect would disappear.
'Philip scrolled through the options.'
"I can choose 3 items, but what should I bring with me?"
My sword without a doubt, during these two weeks I made sure to improve it as much as possible, switching components, improving its design...
I would also need a method to recharge the sword's electronics.
"... A solar battery? It has to be easy to fix and clean and it has to last..."
But this still leaves a spot.
The exoskeleton is interesting, but it pales in comparison to my normal body, it would only be for fashion, it's cool and all, but not necessary.
An AI computer might be interesting, especially one with a scanning function.
I could just scout large areas and have the computer identify patterns and other things for me instantly, even if my brainpower increased, I am no match for a computer in this regard.
Such a computer would also be pretty useful for tasks like memorizing information and sorting it out.
I could go to a library, have the computer scan all books, leave, and read the books under the comfort of my base later. Isn't that a perfect scenario?
"I only need to find one that fits my needs…"
It would need to be easy to fix, easy to carry, and rechargeable...
'Philip got on the internet and started to browse through possible candidates, the price didn't matter as he had the money for it. Even if he didn't have enough, he could always ask for a loan and leave later. He won't need to pay it anyway.'
"For now, I will only add my sword and keep the rest for later."
'Philip's vision focused on the last system massage.'
[Would you like to continue the memory?]
"Yes, I want to see what this is about."
[Processing…]
[There are three options available]
[Option 1, end the memory and return]
[Option 2, continue from where you stopped]
[Option 3, skip time towards the end of the memory]
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
"Options? Now, this is interesting..."
'The first two options weren't a surprise to Philip, but the last one was.'
"But why would I do that? There's nothing interesting in the future."
The only thing I can think of is technology, if I wait for a few years, technology would greatly advance and I might find what I wish for there...
Especially after 2016, cybernetics would once again take another major step during that year.
I might even be able to upgrade my sword once more.
"Sam died in 2018, so this memory will most likely end around that time as well."
"But, is it worth it to spend any more time in this place? It is still unknown what my body is passing through right now."
It's such a shame I don't have the beginner's help guide this time, else this would've been pretty simple.
'After some time pondering, Philip chose option 3.'
[Preparing…]
'Suddenly, Philip felt his vision shift as he started to float in the air. From this position, he could see his own body falling limp on the ground as if its strings had been cut.'
This feels weird...
'His body suddenly got up from the ground and started to move on its own!'
What?!
[Calculating… Simulating…]
[Skipping time…]
'The moon started to move faster and faster and the sun soon rose, but within a few seconds, it already set…'
'As time went on, this process became faster and faster until…'
[Process completed, transferring memories]
'Philip's vision blackened as he felt a throbbing pain in his mind!'
"URGG! Fuuuuuck!"
Dammit!
'Memories of several years' worth of time started to pass through his mind.'
'It felt as if he was being forced to see a movie, a movie about his life. From the day he started the time skip until today, several years later…'
(I would say it's something between 3-5 years...)
[Recalculating status…]
[Rodrigues Perfected Shadow Technique Lv10 -> Lv11]
[Inhuman Martial arts(Incomplete) Lv8 -> Lv12]
[Steel Flash Lv8 -> Lv9]
[Bionics Lv5 -> Lv10]
[Electronic Lv4 -> Lv13]
[Mechanic Lv 4 -> Lv14]
[Ripper Mode Lv2 -> Lv5]
[Ignition Strike Lv0 -> Lv7]
[Invisible Blade Lv0 -> Lv8]
[Momentum Lv 14 -> LvMax(15)]
[Phantom Sword Lv2 ->Lv5]
[Critical Strike Lv2 -> LvMax(10)]
'And more.'
"My poor head…"
I thought this was supposed to be a simple time skip but I did not expect this shit.
'The moment Philip chose the third option, an AI took over his body and continued on with his life based on his past movements and actions. And this was the result after several years of effort.'
'Everything the AI passed through over that time was transferred towards his head forcefully, Philip felt as if he was forced to marathon a movie series several times in a row.'
'However, compared to his previous progress, the Ai's progress was pitiful. Only a few Level ups in certain skills and a few more skills he will probably just fuse away into something else.'
'But Philip soon understood, in the first place, those skills were already beyond his current body, training them any further should've been impossible without the proficiency of the system, but hard work paid off as after years of training, they still leveled up if only a little.'
"Shit… I need to puk… BLERRG!"
'Philip went into a corner and puked, he didn't know where he was exactly since he was still processing the information he just received, but he didn't care.'
"Huff…Huff… I don't want to do this ever again."
At least censor some of the useless info for fucks sake…
'Philip sat on the ground and after a few minutes of resting, he recovered, thankfully, most of the information slowly disappeared from his brain, leaving only the important things. '
'Philip raised his head, looking around the place as he tried to figure out where he was.'
'He was in a modern style corridor, it was a little dark but there was no one here.'
'The red lights flashed on the walls as if an emergency was happening.'
"Where…"
'Philip dug into his mind and the information soon popped into his head.'
"Hahahaha..."
'He started to laugh at his own actions... Or to be precise, the Ai's...'
"... I would definitely do this…" He said with a smile as the memories passed through his head
'He got up with difficulty and looked at the door behind him, he smashed the control panel and the door opened just like that.'
/Shuaa…/
'The sound of rain soon came into his ears as he stepped outside.'
'Philip was now on a helipad, on the very top of a tall skyscraper during the night.'
'As he stepped into the helipad, a helicopter rose from the side of the building and shone white light onto his face.'
"Urg… Turn those lights off."
'As if it could hear him, the helicopter turned to the side and flew off into the distance.'
'Philip stretched his arms and did a few small jumps, slowly going on his way towards the middle of the helipad where someone was currently waiting for him.'
"Well, you took your sweet fucking time to get here son, you shouldn't make your new boss wait, but I will take it that you got lost, it's a fucking maze down there." Said the person waiting for him
'It was a super muscular bald man with a pair of glasses, he was holding a thick cigar as he smoked under the rain.'
"My bad, I did a quick stop to take a piss, I hope you don't mind." Said Philip with a smile as he let the water flow on his face
"Hehehe… You're as relaxed as always, I like that, being confident in yourself is the minimum."
'Smiling slightly, Philip looked at Senator Armstrong and said:'
"So, are we doing this? I'm sure we are both very occupied."
'Armstrong threw out his cigar and smiled.'
"I like how straightforward you are, we'll do just fine together."
'He touched his chest as it started to glow red and screamed!'
"HAAAAA!"
'The air around him exploded, making a small water barrier due to the pressure!'
'Metal started to crack as several bits and pieces started to fly to him, even Philip's sword and exoskeleton started to tremble a bit.'
'Soon enough, many cars and similar objects started to be dragged from the streets below all the way to where they were! And they were on top of a skyscraper with nearly a hundred floors.'
"HAAAAA!"
/BOOOOM!/
'All of them suddenly exploded in the air as a strange green energy was absorbed from them into Armstrong's body.'
'He fixed his glasses and ripped the rest of his tattered shirt as he looked at Philip.'
"Come on!"
'Philip observed the spectacle and couldn't help but comment on it.'
"So that's the power of nanomachines… Quite interesting to say the least, and rather absurd too. But..."
I'll end this quick.
'Philip took his sword out, but he had no intentions of dragging this out. He already knew Armstrong's weakness and he planned on taking him out as soon as he let his guard down!'
/Crack!/
'Armstrong kicked the ground, shattering the concrete below him as he rushed forward, his body started to turn black and harden due to the Nanomachines inside him.'
/Clang!/
/Clang!/
'Armstrong was a professional boxer, and under the power of the nanomachines, each of his normal punches was enough to bend a 2-meter thick steel plate!'
/Fwush!/
/Cling!/
'Philip evaded and blocked each of his blows as best as he could trying to understand how his hardening worked.'
"Is that all?! What are you doing just blocking son?!"
"..."
Armstrong has modified his body by injecting Nanomachines in order to surpass the android soldiers. His most secure point is his heart, the place where the nanomachines reside.
His nanomachines work by hardening specific parts of his body, but they can also heal him at an insane speed, enough for him to reattach limbs instantly, they can also control magnetism or whatever that spectacle was.
Each time he hardens an area of his body, the nanomachines need to first travel to that area starting from the heart, this means that it takes considerably longer for him to harden his fingers as compared to his chest, but that is a question of a few milliseconds.
Plenty of time...
"HAA!"
'Armstrong's fist glowed with red energy as he punched the floor, shattering most of the helipad!'
'After shattering the ground, Amstrong's body glowed red as he dashed like a comet!'
'Philip evaded the blow while kicking his leg and making his fall. He slashed his sword at his arms but the Nanomachines were faster than he expected.'
"Ha... You're good Sam... No, Philip."
"You have it all, precision, strength... Join us, we're going to put an end to war as a business! Give the strong the chance to seek and accomplish! Not being bound by..."
"I already understood your dream, but I am here to fight."
'Armstrong smiled.'
"I thought as much... If I have to beat you up first before you listen... So be it."
'Armstrong's heart started to glow red, he raised his fist into the sky as chaotic energies started to circle him!'
"HA!"
'He punched the ground, creating several fissures on the concrete...'
/BOOOM!/
'The fissures exploded, covering the place in smoke and debris...'
NOW!
'The moment Armstrong raised his fist into the sky, it hardened, but after he was done, the nanomachines instinctively started to move back into his heart.'
'Philip took this chance to approach Armstrong with everything he had!'
'He used Ripper mode to enhance his power and speed while the world was in slow motion.'
'He ran towards him as he used his Inhuman martial arts coupled with his exoskeleton…'
'And so, Philip arrived in front of Armstrong in a fraction of a second and sheathed his sword.'
'His eyes locked onto his neck as he pressed the trigger on his sword sheath and used all of his Skills!'
/BANG!/
'Ripper Mode + Steel Flash + Ignition Strike + Critical Strike all the while under the boost from his Momentum and his martial arts…'
'Even under the slowed-down world, the blade was still instantaneous! The Nanomachines that were rushing towards his neck weren't fast enough!'
"?!"
I…
'Armstrong's head was cleanly removed from his body in one horizontal swoop, not only his head but his arms which were raised at the time were also cut!'
'The combination of all of his skills, this was Philip's maximum power! It was but a single attack, but that was enough.'
(N1)
/Thud…/
'Philip watched Armstrong's body slowly fall on the ground, and his head rolled to the side of the helipad, falling into the streets below... He didn't let his guard down as he went to the body and stabbed his heart, pulling out a mechanical heart from within his chest!'
'It was completely synthetic, but there were still some fleshy bits, a mix of machine and man…'
"I won't commit the same mistake Sam did, goodbye Armstrong."
[Disclaimer! Hidden quest complete! Regret]
[Vigilante has changed to Protector]
[You surpassed the limits of your Class and defeated an impossible opponent!]
[You have acquired the Broken Mechanical Heart]
[Use it?]
"Oh! An unexpected bonus."
'Philip smiled in surprise as he read the description of the heart, he didn't expect an item, much less one with such interesting effects, but he felt this wasn't the best place to study such things.'
"I can only bring three items with me, one is the sword, the second item was resolved during the time skip by the AI, and since I have one slot left, why not this heart?"
I can think about the rest later.
"Return!... Did I do it right?"
[Transferring…]
'Philip's vision once again turned dark…'
…
"HAAA!"
'Philip took a deep breath as he woke up in the garden of his house.'
"Oh yeah, I forgot about this…"
I chose to change my Class in the garden… I am completely dirty now…
[Your basic abilities have returned to their normal state, recalculating…]
'Immediately, Philip felt immense strength rush into his body! He moved his arm to the side by a small explosion happened due to how fast he moved!'
"Ah… Shit, it's only when I lose it I realize just how strong I truly became."
I need to cherish this a bit more… Never again do I want this shit to happen…
'For a few seconds, Philip did not hear anything from the system, he looked at the clock but it was then he realized he forgot what the time was before he left for the memories.'
'Shrugging his shoulders, Philip made his way towards the house where he would take a bath, eat something because he was starving, and find out what the date was.'
[...]
[Calculation failed! Recalculating…]
[Calculation Error! Parameters have not been set… Missing directives…]
[Error! Cannot quantify! Contacting *****]
[E##OR! The process has been forcibly interrupted, waiting for further instructions…]
[Entering ***** mode]
"... Sigh… What the fuck happened this time?"
Why is my system so glitchy these days? Did I do something wrong for it to break?
'Philip was distressed, the system was an intrinsic part of his life, and if it started to break. Then his power would also start to crumble, a part of him was separated from his system, but a lot of aspects of his strength were directly tied to it.'
/Grumble…/
"I'll take a shower first and eat, after that, I'll investigate this…"
…
/A few hours later…/
'Philip took a quick bath and ate whatever he found in the kitchen, and once he was done, he sat down in the living room and checked the time.'
"So… A bit over half a day has passed. That's quite good."
It meant that in the memory world, time passed around 28 times faster, matching the two weeks I spent in there.
"There is also the chance that it also counted the time skip, but I don't think that is the case."
'Philip opened his Class inventory and took two out of his 3 chosen items.'
'One of them was the red blade and its modified sheath, the other was the Mechanical heart.'
'Philip read its description and how to use it, being pleasantly surprised once more.'
"The Mechanical Heart… I can use it to imbue the Nanomachines onto something, anything… But I only have one go at it."
If I use it on myself I would gain the Nanomachines, but I don't know how that would affect my body, how would the machines react with these strange energies, and all of that... And in the end, do I even need such a thing?
But on the other hand, if I use it on an object, I would still be able to enjoy most of the nanomachine's capabilities while not endangering myself…
"So the question becomes, where do I use to maximize its effects?"
'Philip immediately looked at his sword, and with a decisive nod, he made his choice.'
/Crack!/
'Immediately after he took the heart out of his inventory and used it, the blade cracked in half, and several tendrils suddenly extended out of the blade, drilling into the metal of the blade. '
"This is quite cool not gonna lie."
Hum, I wonder what sort of programing went into these little guys…
'As this process happened, the heart slowly decreased in size until a few small pieces of its husk were left. When this happened, the process was completed.'
"It's heavier than before…"
'Philip gazed at his new blade, its shape was still the same, but its weight had increased significantly, it was important to note, but the mechanical heart weighed a few dozen Kg, and most of its weight was transferred to the blade.'
'The blade was still red but there were several silver lines running across the blade, like veins, all connected to a gray circular sphere on the hilt of the blade, that was where the nanomachines were located.'
'It was strange, but Philip felt a strange connection to it, he could make the Nanomachines move and harden a specific area just like Armstrong, massively increasing its sharpness and durability.'
'It seemed as if the blade could also predict an impact and harden in response to how he swung his sword.'
'Although it still had the same problems as Armstrong since it took time for the entire blade to harden, nevertheless, the speed was still several times that of that buffed guy.'
'Not only that, the basic functions of the blade had been enhanced such as its vibration aspect.'
"I'm satisfied with this, but first, I need to get used to my strength again, I am still under the influence of my previous strength and this is not good."
Once I am done with this, I will increase my Warden rank and proceed with the next step of this plan.
There are 3 objects I need to get in this academy, two of them are in the principal office, and the last one is with one of the students…
And funny enough, the easiest ones to get are the ones in the principal office, but those are also the most dangerous to get.
'Philip stayed on his chair for a few more minutes planning, but he soon smiled.'
…
/The next day…/
"HUFF!"
'Philip swung his sword in the air for the thousandth time as he breathed heavily.'
"AGAIN!"
'He once again swung his sword, and this time, a boulder chilling out on his garden was cut in half… Poor boulder.'
'Once he swung his sword, Philip sat on the ground as he recovered his stamina.'
"Phew… Okay, I can definitely fuse my old skills with the new ones I got."
It's just that it tires me a bit… Quite a lot…
My two martial art styles… When together, they can produce some devastating effects… But if I use them badly, I can severely hurt my muscles.
The Pthumerian Combat art focuses a lot more on the manipulation of energy than on the physical aspect, but because it was made for… Well, the Pthumerians, my body still suffers from using it, even if it's the modified version.
But my second one, the Inhuman Martial arts, is much more friendly towards my body, and in a sense, stronger.
This is because they focus entirely on the body and bringing out its maximum potential… To an inhuman degree. But as the name says, you need to be fucking Inhuman to use it.
Thanks to my stats, I can now properly use it, but using it together with the other one effectively will take some time and effort…
That's what I tried to do for the past few hours, I trained with my skills and tried to get used to them and see how well they worked together.
The results were... Well, I'll have to test it on someone else and see how it goes.
"I just need to find a way to pass them to my Main Class and I'll be golden."
'Philip got up from the ground and showered once more. He was ready now.'
'Philip took out his worker badge and activated it. He searched around until he found what he was looking for.'
{Would you like to be promoted to a Rank 2 Warden? This will cost 200 credits}
'The female voice of the badge sounded in his ears, it was so very similar to the AI's from the memory world… Perhaps because they were the same in a sense.'
"Yes."
{Processing… Waiting for a reply… Accepted}
{Congratulations on becoming a Rank 2 Warden!}
{Please, head towards your nearest work center for a change of badges}
'But Philip wasn't done yet…'
{Would you like to be promoted to a Rank 3 Warden? This will cost 500 credits}
"Yes."
Goodbye my money, I'll see you all some other time.
I won't be able to raid another Dungeon for credits anytime soon, not in a similar way as I did before at least, if I do, I might get punished for ruining its ecosystem…
{Processing… Waiting for a reply…}
'This time, the processing took a minute to be completed, and with reason, the main Spirit behind the system was personally analyzing his curriculum now.'
'That's because a Rank 3 is completely different from a Rank 2, it may be just a single Rank, but it signified Philip's entrance towards the official workers of the academy, the best way to put it is that Philip has the same authority as a 4th Circle magician professor.'
'On the other hand, a Rank 2 Warden is just a step up from being a disposable slave, in a corporative sense, Philip would only be a low pay worker at the bottom of the pyramid. But he is now an essential part of the cogs that make the academy function. Meaning, he is not disposable anymore.'
(Remember that there are only 5 ranks...)
{Accepted}
{Congratulations on becoming a Rank 3 Warden!}
{Please, head towards your nearest work center for a change of badges}
"This might attract some undesired attention, but I don't care anymore."
I want to see them try!
As long as I don't mess with an Archmage or anything similar it's fine… COUGH!
'Philip put on some clothes and got out of his house, he wanted to get a badge as soon as possible before people went after him.'
…
/A few minutes later…/
'Inside the main tower of the Academy, inside a nicely decorated room was Philip, sitting on a chair as he waited for his turn.'
'The room seemed like the reception of a hotel, there was even some air conditioning in it. How? Philip could guess how, but he could not find the source.'
'All around him were workers such as Jailors and other Wardens, most likely Rank 3 just like him or Rank 2's waiting to get their badge.'
'He also saw a few teachers and even some students, something that surprised Philip as the previous work-center was solely for Wardens, but it seems this one isn't solely for Wardens and Jailors.'
'A very clear indication his rank had actually increased.'
"Number 21-A78… Number 21-A78…"
'Philip heard his Id number being called so he got up and went towards one of the closed cabins where a pretty woman was waiting for him inside.'
'It was a pretty simple design, like a confessionary, a single chair for him and the girl on the other side was behind a glass wall.'
"Good afternoon Mr. Philip, are you here for a switch in your worker badge?" She asked in a sweet tone
"Yes."
'No need for extra words.'
'The girl nodded and turned around where she picked a small box and pressed a small button on it, this activated a mechanism that made it open revealing a tiny purple crystal inside.'
"May I have your badge?"
'Philip took his own badge from his chest and gave it to her.'
/Cling!/
'With a clear sound, the girl brought the badge near the crystal, and with a flash of light and a clear sound, the badge changed colors towards a clearer one.'
'It was previously black, but now, it was grayish.'
"Done."
"... That was fast."
Couldn't I have done it back in my place?
"I know right? It's such a simple task, isn't it? But we need to have the information cross-check on the system, otherwise, there would've been no need for you to come."
"It was once like that until it was proven to be more secure to have the information be double-checked here in the work center."
"I see, thank you."
'Philip got up from his chair and waved to the girl as he left the cabin.'
"..."
'But the girl's smile immediately disappeared as she took out her own badge and put it on her ears.'
"I got it."
'Soon enough, a male voice came from the other side.'
"... Are we talking about?…"
'His voice seemed tired.'
'The girl's eyes rolled before she replied.'
"Yes! Did you forget already ?"
"I mean, we do so much every day…"
"Just… Look, I will send you what I got, but this is it, I need to get back to work."
"Yeah yeah sure, if you find anything about this strange guy just tell us."
'The girl scoffed.'
"I know the protocol better than you, no need to remind me."
"Yawwww… Boss will be happy to learn about the fucker that jumped fences, we'll probably catch a big fish this time, do you think we'll gain a bonus?" Asked the man on the other side of the badge
"I am cutting the call." Said the girl bluntly
"You're no fun…"
{BEEP!}
"Phew, this guy never shuts up despite how tired he always says he is."
Don't blame me for this, I'm just doing my work.
Such a shame, he was quite handsome...
…
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Notes