Chapter 11: Faction Info

"How long was have I been out?" Venture asked the moment he woke up. While relieved he is alive from fighting with the leader of the [Dark Star Faction]. Furthermore, Venture is secretly happy that one of the gambles is related to facing Gat. Where if Venture does fight the leader of the [Dark Star Faction] and live through the whole thing, with the gamble being that if he lives with all his limbs intact or not. Venture will gain either natural instinct for building the best gears for the problem he currently has or finding the perfect gears that have already been built and could be used by Venture, for the current problems without any side-effects of using said perfect gears.

Naturally, Venture aimed for finding instead of building it since he doesn't have the time to make the best gears and his gamble paid off. As he got all his limbs intact; therefore, from this point on. Venture will have natural instincts to find any gears he will need for any type of problems he presently has.

No regret on Venture's part of writing this gamble down. Just that he didn't think it would happen so soon.

"You've only been out cold for an hour. It would have been shorter if I had the time to make one of my medicines to use on you." Edify replied in a bored tone, "But, I only have some spare medicines to fix you after you've survived against our leader and enough for you to wake up within a day. Surprisingly, you woke up sooner than I expected." Edify let out a yawn before accepting the mug filled with coffee from Bout. "Thanks."

"No problem. You good, Venture?" Bout looks at Venture, who slowly got back on his feet.

"Eh, I'm alive, so yeah, I'm good. But, I do need to restock on ammunition and throwing knives mostly, then I'm all set." Venture said to Bout while thinking about anything he may need, then came up with nothing. He just needs to restock on ammo and knives. That's pretty much it for Venture.

"I thought that would be the case. Luckily, I bring in some more before Cope lock down the place." Bout point to another set of duffle bags. "Especially the throwing knives once I saw the one you used on the leader. Honestly, I'm surprised you were able to land a hit on her, let alone multiple ones." Bout shook his head in disbelief.

"Hell, I was surprised myself!" Gat spoke up from her seat. "Pulling a knife in a gunfight, then fucking throw it at me! Ha!" Gat smack her right knee while letting out a loud laugh. "If that wasn't enough, you even manage to get behind me multiple times! And that's something I haven't dealt with in ages! Thanks, for giving me, even more, motivated to be more aware of my back!" Gat grin at Venture happily, for showing that she will have to go back to the basics often to keep herself from making too many rookie mistakes of allowing people to get behind her for a sneak attack to her back.

"Pretty sure, it's because you underestimate me and got caught off guard, that's all." Venture mumbles his thoughts as he stores away all the ammo and knives in the duffle bags onto his person, causing those that are watching to be in disbelief at how easily Venture is hiding away so much stuff without any signs of it showing on his clothes.

"By the way, how are stocks on medicines?" Gat asks Edify, "I have Intel, that enemy will mostly like be from the [Poison Fang Faction] and I rather not have to deal with dying from all kinds of poisons while fighting for my life." Gat smirk at the thought of people using poison on her when they can't face her head-on as most people could.

"Don't worry, I always have antidotes ready and the ingredients to make the ones that are not available among the one I've already made." Edify replied, as she opens her lab coat, where there are numerous vial pockets with them already filled with vials of many liquids inside them.

"Isn't there a chance of those breaking on you if you land or crash into something?" Venture wonder if there a time, where Edify ends up hurting herself while carrying all those vials.

"Nah, I made sure to get my lab coat made to protect these vials from breaking from heavy impact, also making all these vials near unbreakable as well. So, the chance of them breaking is pretty much zero percent." Edify replied as she closes her lab coat. "Also, I've already brought my pocket lab equipment." Edify points at the white suitcase near the door while answering to Gat.

"Great. Oh yeah, how about the stored ration? Did Fare finish packing all of them on the fourth floor?" Gat asks Bout, since he the one that's doing everything related to organizing the apartment with Cope. However, Cope isn't among them at the moment.

"He just finished doing so this morning." Bout answered. "From what Fare told me, it should last all of us, including the child, for three months at maximum if we don't care about the amount we eat every day." Bout sweatdrop at the end, because he knew how much a big eater the leader is.

"Good, because I'm hungry." Gat rubs her stomach, where it agrees with her by growling to show it's hungry. "So, if anyone hungry. Come with me to the fourth floor." Gat got up from her seat.

"Give me a sec to check." Venture opens his status, to see if he need to eat and rest or whatever.

Name: Venture

Title: [Gambler of Fate] - You are fate's gambler and making the impossible possible.

Health: 55/100%

Physical Fatigue: 73/100%

Mental Fatigue: 79/100%

Unique Skill: [Everything Is A Gamble] - The user is able to use anything to gamble with fate. [Price]: The medium used will disappear afterward.

Venture almost jump in shock at the numbers he is seeing and finally realize why he felt so tired as well as his body felt so heavy. Of course, there the whole being still wounded at the moment. Nonetheless, a good meal and rest would do the trick. Also, Venture can guess that his heath stat must have been even lower than before and it's only at 55% thanks to Edify's treatment.

"I'll join you, leader." Venture knew this is a good time to eat and rest. Who knows when the enemy comes.

"Alright, come on. Bout, bring the kid with us. Let him have something to eat too. Edify, you should come as well instead of staying here by yourself." Gat said to everyone. As she is already heading to the door.

-LIABG-

"So, I got to be sure, but did you really join my faction just because we provide free bedroom and food?" Gat asks Venture while they just came back from the fourth floor for a quick bite along with bringing some snacks back to the sixth floor.

"Yup, why you ask?" Venture replied, including a question of his own. As he stretches his legs before getting in a good position while lying on the ground since there nothing to sit on at the moment, nor did anyone planning on bringing any new chairs to the sixth floor since there won't be any point doing so later on when they end up being destroyed during the fight later.

"Because someone as skillful as you should have been recruited by now." Gat smirk at Venture as she goes through her memory of the fight between them and truly, she can't believe he only joining her faction just for these two alone.

"Eh, I honestly don't care if you believe me or not. I'm just here for a place to sleep and food without having to pay. I won't mind being assigned to do jobs from the faction as long I can do it after given all the information is available for me to have in order for me to do the task in mind." Venture knew that many won't believe him, even though it's the truth, yet no one believes him; therefore, he may as well just not care what others say.

"I see." Gat starting to become more interested in this new member of hers. But, for the time being, she needs to focus on the task on hand. Can't have her first bad mark on her record to happen now and in this job out of all the ones she has done in the past after creating the [Dark Star Faction]. So, Gat pulls out her phone and call Cope's numbers. "Hey, Cope. Give me an update of the apartment."

Venture decides now is a good time to ask Bout the question he has on his mind for a while now. "Hey, Bout. Who are these people from the [Poison Fang Faction] and why is their faction called as such? Are all the members using poison or something?" Venture can understand after being explained about the [Dark Star Faction] and could roughly guess why it was called as such.

"The [Poison Fang Faction]?" Bout raises an eyebrow before frowning a little. "Well, you're somewhat right about the members using poison, but it's mostly a faction filled with [Poison-type Skill] holders and/or [Title] related to poison. Of course, they are also a legal faction due to gaining merits on the frontline of protecting the city thanks to their poisons dealing with the monsters. Anyway, if you have anything related to poison in any way. Then, you're allowed to join the [Poison Fang Faction]; however, that is only giving people the chance of joining, not fully joining as a real member. For example, you need to prove yourself by killing someone with poison successfully. That's one of the common ways to become a real member." Bout frowning even harder near the end, as he is reminded of his bad past with the [Poison Fang Faction]. "As for their main base are. From rumors, they are in City B while the one in City N has a branch of the [Poison Fang Faction]."

"And we're going to have to deal with them while protecting the child?" Venture asks in disbelief, "Isn't there a rule or something that factions can't fight each other or something?"

Bout gives Venture a sad and pity smile, "If only. There this law called: [Faction War] made by the people in the government area. Where any factions can apply for battle with each other as a way to help others continue to develop in their combat abilities further without having to go outside the city to gain combat experience with monsters. Not to mention, the leaderboard for top factions. Where [Faction War] is part of this leaderboard, so if one faction beat the other, then if the losing faction has a higher rank than the winning faction; well, the winning faction will take that rank. Otherwise, the winning faction could just take something from the losing faction that was staked on before the [Faction War] come into play. Of course, this only works if the challenging faction has a higher rank than the faction they are facing. While the challenged faction is allowed to place the bet." Bout lets out a sigh. "And the [Poison Fang Faction]'s rank is higher than us, so there will be a bet, where the leader has informed me that the bet is the [Dark Star Faction]'s [Battle Arena Augmented Realtiy]. Something that the leader took some time to get."

"What is this [Battle Arena Augmented Reality]? And also, in this [Faction War], what happens if the winning faction killed all the members in the losing faction?" Venture dread of having to face a bunch of poison users.

"The [Battle Arena Augmented Reality] is that room you and Note were in during the test. Those things are very hard to get and the only reason why Gat got one for us is due to her family." Bout didn't continue further on the background of Gat's family. "As for what happens if the winning faction kills all the losing faction's members? Well, nothing really. The faction is disbanded and end of the story unless there some leftover members that weren't in the [Faction War] at the time, then the losing faction just lose whatever was bet on and that's it. Of course, the losing faction can just apply for another [Faction War] with the same faction they've faced to begin the [Revenge Round], where if the losing faction wins this time. They get back what they lost in the bet and gain the defeated faction's rank. Either way, this is something common. I'm surprised you haven't found this out by now."

"I didn't get to reading the books on faction just yet." Venture sweatdrop, but the actual reason is that this wasn't important to Venture at the moment. So, of course, he won't know all about this [Faction War]. Onto another note; Venture is surprised that see-through glass cube shape room is called a [Battle Arena Augmented Reality], then again, it should be a given.

"Well, we just have to beware of all kinds of poisons will be used on us. Lucky for us, we have Miss Cope. Otherwise, this would be extremely hard for us to face the [Poison Fang Faction]." Bout smiles at the thought of Miss Cope, then notice the questioning look on Venture's face. "Miss Cope's [Skill] is [Territory Control]. A common [Normal Skill] for many and those who want to form a faction. As people with [Territory Contorl] can create, shape, and manipulate territories, areas under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state, including countries, districts, states, kingdom, etc. They can merge/divide, shrink/enlarge and otherwise warp territories and what is in them. Of course, there are many limitations placed on people with the [Territory Control Skills]. Otherwise, it would be a [Unique Skill], with how powerful it is. I can't say what's Miss Cope's limitations. Just that she among the many who can fight due to her [Title] unlike other [Territory Control Skill] holders, where they have close to zero combat ability."

"So, that's why I keep getting the feeling someone is watching me." Venture mumble his thoughts out loud and dread of what Bout meant about how unlike other, Cope can fight back unlike the common ones. However, what caught Venture's attention is that these limitations are what stopping the [Territory Control Skill] from becoming a [Unique Skill]. Making him wonder what if there is a person that does have a [Territory Control] as a [Unique Skill] with no limitations and only a price for using it. Then again, it may not be possible since only one person could have such [Unique Skill].

"Yeah, Miss Cope is the person who watches over the apartment and the people inside it. Nothing could avoid her eyes, not even [Unique Skill] holders either." Bout said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"By the way, when you said that all those limitations are what stopping the [Territory Control Skill] from becoming a [Unique Skill], what do you mean by that?" Venture's curiosity got the better of him.

"Well, you know how only one person could have held a [Unique Skill] and no one else can?" Bout easily figure that this is another thing Venture must not have known and gladly help a fellow member out in learning more of the common knowledge.

Venture nods his head, that he knew this at least.

"What many people don't know, if they haven't asked yet, is that there are people who are called: [Defier], who are people with [Normal Skills], where they somehow defied their inborn talents aka their [Skill] and surpass the limitations placed on them, turning them on the same level as [Unique Skill]. However, there is something different between a [Defier] and a [Unique Skill] holder. For one thing, [Defier] has no price for their [Skill] since they are technically still [Normal Skill] just without any limitations. But, the main part of the [Skill] sticks around otherwise their [Normal Skill] wouldn't be the same at all. Anyway, people in the past have proven to become [Defier] and the dream of many [Normal Skill] holders want to reach. In a way, the [Defier] is considered on the same stage as [Unique Skill]." Bout's eyes light, hoping for the day when it comes, where he can become a [Defier] himself.

"Wow, that is something." Venture is a bit of envy of those [Defier] that can use their [Skills] without any price and removing their limitations. "How about [Unique Skill] holders? Do they have the ability to become [Defier] as well, by removing the price for using their [Skill] similar to [Normal Skill] holders removing their limitations?"

"If they have, I have no idea. Up to now, I have never heard of any [Unique Skill] holders becoming a [Defier] at all." Bout shook his head and glancing at his leader, who is still talking on her phone. "Honestly, in my opinion really. [Unique Skill] holders don't even have to become [Defier] at all. Since their [Skill] has no limitations at all, other than paying the price for using it." Bout knew how bullshit [Unique Skill] holders are. "Take the leader's [Unique Skill: Art of Gunnery] for example, where she becomes highly skilled in all types of firearms and allowing to perform great feats and benefit in far ranged combat. She will also have excellent bull-eyes aim at her target via bullets. As long it considers as a gun in any way the leader sees it in her eyes, then she can use it like an expert with years of experience using it. No matter if the gun itself just been made recently. The leader will know exactly how to use it and instantly become a pro at it."

Venture begins to sweat a little, because that seems exactly like a specialized version of the fusion of both [Weapon Improvisation] and [Weapon Proficiency]. Something Venture knew right away, that if words got out, that Venture could easily have the ability to match other [Unique Skill] holders, then he has absolute confidence that a big war will happen, with him smacking right in the middle.

After all, if Venture could give himself the knowledge and instinct as well the ability to use that knowledge. Then, he can do the same with others, making it very possible to make an army of [Unique Skill] holders. This is a scaring thought, that would make it so Venture would never, never and he means never, reveal what his [Unique Skill] really is and its full capacity.