Chapter 17: Going At This Smart

"KILL THE BASTARD!"

Venture vault over the counter, avoiding being shot at by multiple people. Something Venture did not expect to experience so soon, then again, from what Venture heard from before about the Intel. He can roughly guess the [Poison Fang Faction] had done some planning to counter the [Dark Star Faction]. This alone made Venture wonder if this is a common thing, where others research each other before the whole [Faction War] starts.

Venture wouldn't be surprised if that's the case since it a common thing to do back on Earth.

Either way, Venture can definitely say, that these people from the [Poison Fang Faction] must have sent cannon fodders or they just have basics on using guns. Because for Venture, he can easily dodge all these people shooting at him easily, not even using [Temporal Perception Manipulation] to give him the edge to avoid being shot at all. But, it seems he doesn't need it by just calculating the position of the gunmen aiming at and the time to move. Of course, this isn't something Venture could do at all, but thanks to the [Title: The Cunning One] is now on active mode had made it possible for Venture to do so.

"Blast him! He should be a new addition to this faction!" Someone shouted over the sound of multiple guns firing at the counter Venture hiding under. A counter that should have been destroyed long ago, but it seems to be very strong or Cope manipulates the counter to be stronger than it should while fighting her own battle. If so, then Venture's respect for Cope has raised even further than before.

Cope appears next to Venture with a blank face and with a wave of her right hand, forming a giant wooden see-through dome around herself and Venture.

"Are you going to do anything other than hiding?" Cope narrows her eyes at Venture, who shiver a bit, even with his emotions suppressed at the moment.

Venture didn't say anything and quickly use [Temporal Perception Manipulation]. With four steps that he came up with to use the [Unique Skill: No Explanation] better.

One: Observe - See the target.

Two: Absorb - Learn everything or anything important about the target.

Three: Manipulate - Form an illusion that is beyond believable that no one could tell the difference between reality and illusion.

Four: Convert - Switch out the target's senses to the illusions.

Of course, this also applied to Venture himself, which was shockingly easier than he thought and able to control the [Temporal Perception Manipulation]'s effects with ease.

So the moment Cope opens a gap after Venture made a few hand gestures to get her to understand what Venture was trying to tell her. Then unload multiple bullets at the enemies, with precise aim, and instantly kill many with a single bullet. Where Venture aims for either between their eyebrows or at one of their eyes. To land an instant death by aiming for the brain itself. Something that requires a bit of time to lock onto the target. However, with Venture's perception of time itself by 3:1, making time slower by 3 times than normal. This task became a lot easier for Venture. Also, this is the current limit on what Venture could handle without ending up losing control.

Yet, 3:1 alone is enough to lower the enemies' numbers by 80% in seconds. The look on Cope's face made Venture wants to jump in joy, but [The Cunning One] crush that feeling ruthlessly without any hesitation, making it so Venture won't be distracted by the remaining 20% of the enemies standing around in shock. Something that Venture took advantage of by quickly shooting them down, with a few rare cases using some kind of green color see-through body armor to block the bullets from hitting them while the rest follows the other 80% to the afterlife.

Cope clicks her teeth, knowing that these people with those body armors are meant to deal with Gat and herself.

Seeing this, Venture's [The Cunning One] and [Solitary of Silent] got to work quickly. It only took a fraction of a second thanks to [Temporal Perception Manipulation] still active and Venture found the weak points on the enemies' body armors and with a couple of shots. The body armors broke down, much to everyone's shocks at this. Something Venture continues to take advantage of and deal with the remaining ones until none are left. Leaving Venture and Cope the only ones alive.

Venture switch his [Title] back to passive and took a couple of deep breaths, where he closed his eyes. Stopping himself from looking at the dead bodies on the ground any longer. Venture felt sick to his stomach and had the urge to throw up after realizing he slaughter a bunch of people in cold blood.

"So..." Venture open his eyes and look at Cope, trying his best not to look at the corpses on the ground and focus his eyes on Cope and only at Cope.

"Go back to the sixth floor and protect the child." Cope cut Venture off before he could say anything he could think of a topic to be used in a conversation. Furthermore, she rather not be near Venture for too long, or else she ends up attacking him. Something about Venture made Cope push on the edge and her instinct is letting her know, that if there were a fight between her and Venture. The end result could be anything, including her own death. This is something she rather not have; therefore, it's better to make Venture leave her sight before things get complicated.

"Got it." Venture felt a chill down his back when he noticed the way Cope's eyes changed while looking at him. So, without any waiting to be told twice. Venture rushes back to the sixth floor.

-LIABG-

Before entering the sixth floor, where Venture is surprised the door is still closed and there's only the sound of Edify and Bout talking to each other. Venture brings up his status, curious to see the difference compared to before now he gained another [Unique Skill] once again today.

Name: VentureTitle: [Gambler of Fate] - You are fate's gambler and making the impossible possible. Hidden Titles: {Visible} Health: 100/100% Physical Fatigue: 46/100% Mental Fatigue: 18/100% Unique Skill: [Everything Is A Gamble] - The user is able to use anything to gamble with fate. [Price]: The medium used will disappear afterward. Hidden Unique Skills: {Visible}

Venture look at his status in disbelief, to see such a bit of chance. Because his mental fatigue should have raised into the 40% at the minimum, with how long he was using the [Temporal Perception Manipulation], not to mention, the physical fatigue should be at least 60%-80% due to the [Temporal Perception Manipulation] place a burden on Venture's body to keep up with the time difference. Even if it just an illusion, but an illusion that trick the mind and body to perform unbelievable feats.

However, seeing this, Venture decides it looks like it's best to get more [Unique Skills], but of course, he will still aim to make his natural regeneration for both physical fatigue and mental fatigue to be something more than the natural way. As in Venture requires daily needs of food and sleep.

So before he enters through the sixth floor's door. Venture activates his [Everything Is A Gamble] and makes a new gamble, with the price being once again the last bullet in his handgun he is currently holding in his right hand.

Gain: Gain a new [Unique Skill] and [Title] related to gambling. With no side-effect included.

Add-In: The mental fatigue's percentage will naturally reduce back to 0% by 1% per second. With no side-effect included.

Condition: A coin flip. Heads: Gain | Tails: Add-In.

Venture decides to go with the previous gamble, but made a few changes as Venture realize, that even a second of being unconscious would be fatal in the future. Therefore, it's best to go with this option instead.

With a coin flip, Venture ends up with tails, much to his delight, because this is something he needed badly, even if he could have gained a new [Unique Skill] and [Title]. After all, even with the reduced rate of his physical fatigue and mental fatigue going on now. This still doesn't mean, Venture would be able to last too long and now with a natural regeneration included now. All Venture has to do is wait a minute and 40 seconds or less, then his mental fatigue will be at 0%. Of course, he will continue to sleep when it's time. Venture loves sleeping and won't give it up.

Bringing back up his statue, where Venture curious if there anything changes to the status.

Name: VentureTitle: [Gambler of Fate] - You are fate's gambler and making the impossible possible. Hidden Titles: {Visible} Health: 100/100% Physical Fatigue: 46/100% Mental Fatigue: 14/100% | 1% Reduction per secondUnique Skill: [Everything Is A Gamble] - The user is able to use anything to gamble with fate. [Price]: The medium used will disappear afterward. Hidden Unique Skills: {Visible}

Venture grin at this, then debate on doing another gamble to get one for his physical fatigue, but decide he shouldn't stall too long and head inside, because Venture knows that Cope is watching him right now. And it's weird enough, that Venture did a coin flip for no reason; therefore, Venture will just make it into some kind of trick, that Venture came up with to calm himself down if anyone asks.

"Hey, Venture, welcome back. Are you feeling fine, nothing wrong?" Edify asks Venture, running her eyes all over Venture's body for any signs of injury.

"Other than just a bit tired. I'm fine. By the way, did Gat contact one of you guys, where she is requesting for my help or no?" Venture won't be surprised that he will have to go into another fight, but this time on the rooftop.

"Not really." Bout replied, then toss an energy bar at Venture. "Here you go, better eat it now just in case."

"Thanks." Venture caught the energy bar, which in some sense, literally an energy bar made in some special means, that reduce both physical fatigue and mental fatigue by 20% upon eating it. Something that's precious for many from what Venture could understand when he found about the energy bar. As this is a personal creation by both Fare and Edify working together to make it, with the former doing the cooking and the latter figuring out the best ingredients to make it possible while performing tests to check for any harmful side-effects. Venture has no idea how long they took to make it and just leave it at that.

It didn't take that long before Venture finished eating the energy bar and he should be ready to fight once more.

"By the way, did any more poisonous insects appear while I was helping Cope out?" Venture asks Edify and Bout while giving a quick glance at the child, who still quiet the entire time. Not that Venture could blame him if he was in his position.

"After you left. There were a few, but was easily taken care of by Bout." Edify didn't go into detail about how Bout took care of them.

Of course, Venture believes her words. Seeing how there's no point of not believing her in the first place. As there nothing to gain from this; therefore, all Venture could do is believe for the time being, and if the chance of Edify lying for some unknown reasons, no skin off his bone.

-LIABG-

So for the entire time waiting for either or both Gat and Cope's return. Both Edify and Bout would continue to talk about some random topic that Venture has no idea what's about as it's something he hasn't learned from others or from the library yet. Therefore, Venture passes the time by checking out if there anything else he should aim for as a [Unique Skill].

So far, Venture debate between getting another [Unique Skill] related to gambling or aim for something more useful or even go for a random power instead. But, Venture dismisses that random power option instantly due to not testing fate on messing with him. Seeing how his [Title: Gambler of Fate] will make the impossible possible; therefore, there is a high chance of getting something very silly that completely useless other than a certain time and place that make it powerful in its own unique way.

On the other hand, Venture found something by accident while looking at his status.

Name: VentureTitle: [Gambler of Fate] - You are fate's gambler and making the impossible possible. Hidden Titles: (3rd) [The Unknown's View] - Being able to see what many can't see. {Visible} Health: 100/100% Physical Fatigue: 27/100% Mental Fatigue: 0/100% | 1% Reduction per secondUnique Skill: [Everything Is A Gamble] - The user is able to use anything to gamble with fate. [Price]: The medium used will disappear afterward. Hidden Unique Skills: (3rd) [Chance Accumulation] - The user can produce a new possible outcome/event from using fragments or an entirely of already existing probabilities from the no-ending void of alternate outcomes/realities/etc. as components to use, build, and add a new possibility to the boundless pool. [Price]: The user will be physically immobile during the activation. {Visible}

Venture can now just partially make some things show up instead of having a full face of the entire visible status with everything on it. Save Venture the trouble of having carefully read everything. But, that still didn't help Venture much on what other [Unique Skills] he should aim for and what the maximum limit he should place on himself before becoming too overwhelmed with too many [Unique Skills] to count, that there would be no point of having them in the first place.

Also, Venture has no idea what kind of effects he would cause to the surrounding with so many [Unique Skills] he holds. Since Venture almost believes he is the only one in this entire world to have more than one [Unique Skill]. Almost being the keyword due to the fact, that with Venture's Earth knowledge going over to novels and among those main characters. Venture can say for sure, that there is a high possibility of someone having a [Unique Skill] to either having something related to stealing other people's [Skills] in some ways or the ability to copy others' [Skills] instead. No clue if they get to keep a permanent version of the copy of the [Skill] or it is temporary.

Nonetheless, Venture is willing to gamble, that there are people with such [Skills] out there in the world. Venture wouldn't be surprised if he ends up meeting one in the future, which alone makes Venture a bit nervous since his first and main [Unique Skill: Everything Is A Gamble] is his biggest support and his plot armor in this world. Without it, even with the other [Unique Skills], he obtained through gambles, wouldn't be on the same level of usefulness as [Everything Is A Gamble].

"Ugh! That [Gu Master] is the worse!" Gat shouted the moment came through the door, causing everyone to almost to jump out of their skin, or in Venture's case. He almost shot Gat at the unexpected loud noise. " I swear, I'll get my revenge! Edify, help me out here!" Gat shout to Edify as she forces herself to move her own two feet, while being in consistent pain from all the poisons going through her body right now.

"Got it." Edify quickly got to work, with the first thing to do is applying pain killer to Gat once she noticed her leader is very much in pain, but due to Gat's willpower that allows her to continue to move normally while ignoring the pain itself; however, this is something not healthy nor something should be done at all. Yet, Edify knew the type of person Gat is and knew that even if she does tell Gat to stop this, but she won't. Edify knows the reason why Gat does this and she has a good reason too.

"Man, I seriously hate dealing with the [Poison Fang Faction]!" Gat let out a frustrated sigh. Then grunt, where Gat continues to wait for the pain killer to kick in as Edify injects her with the third injection of antidotes. "By the way, Venture. I heard from Cope just a few minutes. Great work~!" Gat grin at Venture with a thumb up, suppressing the urge to move away from Edify as Gat glance over to see 3 more vials Edify bringing out to be used on her.

"Thanks." Venture still a little shaken with all the deaths on his hands, but slowly Venture can tell that [The Cunning One], even in passive, is making sure this doesn't affect him too long nor would it make so Venture would become an emotionless killing machine as he thought at first, but just feel only a tiny bit of all the negative emotions came from killing lives. Pretty much [The Cunning One] being in active mode, but much slower, and if needed, Venture can bring up those negative emotions when the situation calls for it. "Also, you faced this [Gu Master]?" Venture look at Gat with interest, trying to avoid the previous thoughts about those deaths he caused.

"Yup, a real piece of work, I say." Gat frown. "Took me some efforts to push the [Gu Master] away. The rest was easily taken care of with a few shots from me. Even with those people with body armors couldn't last much against my guns." Gat lost her frown and smirk at the end when she remembers the look on the enemies' shocked and hopeless faces when she killed them after destroying those body armors before everyone's eyes. "Anyway, I'm going to go call Note after I'm done healing, to get Intel if the client will be here soon or not. Because even I have my limit and have no idea if I and everyone here, including Cope on the ground floor, could last after the fifth waves if those people from the [Poison Fang Faction] decided to throw multiple waves at us without any break in between."

Both Edify and Bout frown at this, knowing what their leader said is very true and something they experienced many times in the past and only through being very prepared and have life-saving methods to get out of the situations, even if it means abandoning the jobs to save their life. Of course, they will make sure to complete the jobs if an opening to it pops up for them to take.

"So, Venture. Rest up, because it looks like you'll be very busy like with Cope and me." Gat said to Venture, then let out a sigh of relief as the last remaining leftover poison in her body is now gone thanks to Edify's antidotes. "Edify, you're going to need to make more antidotes. No time to waste." Gat order Edify.

"I'll get on it right away." Edify understood this after using too many of her vials to cure Gat's poisons.

"Bout, be on alert, but make sure to get rest and protect the child." Gat look at Bout next.

"You got it, leader." Bout nods his head at his leader with a serious look on his face.

"Now, that's over with. I'm going to make that call now." Gat said to everyone, then exit the door and head to somewhere private.

Venture debate about if he should use his [Everything Is A Gamble] to make it so the client arrives early in the week instead of waiting for a month or not.