Chapter 16: The Hints

"I'm a little concern, that we haven't seen any new enemies for almost an hour now." Venture said to Edify and Bout. After shooting another purple insect from touching the child, where it was slowly crawling towards the child without drawing any attention to itself. Sadly, even if it just stands still. Venture can just use his [Solitary of Silent] to check if it's dead or not. Nor would it be able to hide from Venture.

"Then that's good." Edify said to Venture while thinking about the safety of her older sister on the ground floor, who continues to fight all the enemies mostly by herself, but Edify trusts her older sister to survive this whole thing. She has done so many times in the past and it shouldn't be any different even right now.

"I guess." Venture rubs the back of his head with his free hand. Then, bring up his status to see if he needs to limit himself even more or not.

Name: VentureTitle: [Gambler of Fate] - You are fate's gambler and making the impossible possible.Hidden Titles: {Visible}Health: 100/100%Physical Fatigue: 24/100%Mental Fatigue: 1/100%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 this in disbelief, because he knows for sure it should be higher. Especially the mental fatigue with all the mental related things he has done so far.

This made Venture wonder if this is due to having two more [Unique Skills] and [Titles] that made a difference for Venture on how much the rate of his physical fatigue and mental fatigue has changed. Because if so, then he might as well get more [Unique Skills] to lower the rate of physical fatigue and mental fatigue raising up.

Therefore, to test this out. Venture thinks about what type of [Unique Skills] he should aim for and how many he should get for the time being. Because honestly. For Venture, having three [Unique Skills] already is considered too much in his opinion, but the idea of reducing the rate of physical fatigue and mental fatigue going up is just too good to give up on. But, on the other hand, Venture could still technically use his [Everything Is A Gamble] to put both physical fatigue and mental fatigue at 0% forever. Not to mention, he has many ways to make sure he gets it even if he failed the gamble by repeatedly replacing the other options to something else while keeping the other option the same instead when failing to get what he wanted.

So the first thing he thought up a gamble since he can't really take out his book at the moment, so he will have to make it a bit simple and he can't really recheck his worth; nonetheless, Venture will hope for the best and the first thing is to work on his mental fatigue while testing out his luck, to see if he will get a third [Unique Skill] or changing his mental fatigue.

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

Add-In: The mental fatigue's percentage will always be reduced back to 0% whenever Venture falls asleep or lose consciousness for even a second. With no side-effect included.

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

The price for making this gamble work is the last bullet inside the handgun Venture is currently holding. Of course, it's weird in the other's eyes, for wondering why Venture is doing a coin flip out of the blue. But, Venture will just say he was bored or something. Nonetheless, Venture got heads and quickly bring up his status to see his new [Unique Skill] and [Title].

Name: VentureTitle: [Gambler of Fate] - You are fate's gambler and making the impossible possible.Hidden Titles: (1st) [I Am ALIVE!] - As long you have a single breath in you, never will you shall fall from your injuries. | (2nd) [The Cunning One] - Can be cunning or foolish or both; you are often funny, even when considered sacred or performing important cultural tasks. | (3rd) [The Unknown's Views] - Being able to see what many can't see. {Invisible}Health: 100/100%Physical Fatigue: 24/100%Mental Fatigue: 2/100%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: (1st) [Solitary of Silent] - The user possesses transcendent abilities in the art of assassination, they can dispatch any target regardless of strength, status. Even immortal or undead, and distance without a struggle, covering or not leaving any tracks. [Price]: Never speak during the assassination. | (2nd) [No Explanation] - The user is able to generate illusions that are realistic to the point where they can confuse all the senses of the target, making it impossible to break free unless willed by the user. They can also create illusions on a large scale, from a small region to planetary or galactic region, etc. [Price]: The user can never tell anyone what the illusions are used on the target. | (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. {Invisible}

Venture blankly stare at his status, mainly focusing on the new [Unique Skill] and wonder how this is related to gambling. Either way, this should slow down the speed of how both physical fatigue and mental fatigue raises. Or at least with the mental fatigue.

Nonetheless, for Venture, the [Chance Accumulation] is pretty much a miracle as it will allow him to change his previous gambles into something he wanted. But, even though, Venture placed down the three words: No Side-effects included in the gambles. Venture got this gut feeling, that something bad will happen if he changes significant gambles in the past into something else when these gambles alone are what considered very important in other important events Venture has gone through. Therefore, Venture will just use [Chance Accumulation] to change the newer gambles when made to get the result he desires.

Venture debate if he should go on and try to get the ability to reduce his mental fatigue to 0% just for only losing consciousness for a second. Something he could think of to do, but this may be risky for Venture in the future, where 1 second alone could lead to shocking outcomes if timed wrong. Yet, it something Venture will need and making the whole needs to fall asleep and if Venture is going to do it for the mental fatigue. He will, for sure, do the same with physical fatigue, making it so Venture may or may not have the need for food and a place to sleep.

Yet, Venture still has to check first about his theory on having more [Unique Skills] would lead to lowering both or either physical fatigue and mental fatigue rate of speed rising whenever he does some physical/mental tasks. So, for the time being, he will see if his mental fatigue rising up at the same speed or it has changed by doing some reading. A mental task Venture has done before in the past.

But, Venture just realized, that this isn't a good time to do such a thing right now. Making Venture wonder if he was a bit too impatient the moment the thoughts of lowering the daily needs of food and sleep. Then again, unlike himself, Venture could guess that everyone in the [Dark Star Faction] has a [Modifier], that either helps them with their physical fatigue and mental fatigue or have a method to reduce the rate other than eating and sleeping.

So for the time being, Venture will wait before he gambles to gain what he wants for the physical fatigue and mental fatigue.

"Hey, Venture. If you don't mind me asking, but do you have any siblings or any relatives?" Edify tilt her head, where she still curious about Venture and want to get to know him more.

"Nope, don't have any, not that I know of. I'm an orphan, never knew my family, and at this point, I consider my family dead even if there some are alive somewhere out the world." Venture answered, secretly glad he did some research a bit on how children awaken their [Skill] and [Title], where no one really needs to do anything and just wait for their 10th birthday and it just naturally awaken. Also, Venture is a bit relief, that he could use the whole orphan as a background for cover since there are many people, be it famous, infamous, or just no one important, that are orphans as well.

"Oh, that makes so much sense now." Edify has fewer doubts about Venture now, but there are some doubts left about if Venture truly an orphan or not, but if he really is an orphan. That explains a lot about Venture, who seems to not know many of the common things that others know while growing up. Not to mention the lack of background when doing research on who is Venture.

"Dang, that must suck at not knowing who your family is." Bout frown, as many cases of people abandoning their child, for unknown reasons, with most of the common ones being that the family didn't have enough money to feed another mouth. This reason is considered understandable, but at the same time, Bout finds these people he rather not be associated with.

After all, if you're tight on money, then why are you having another child or even having a child bring into the world when knowing you can't feed the child?

Nonetheless, Bout learning that Venture is an orphan made him understand the reason why Venture been training himself more into learning about his [Skill] and [Title] than go out finding a job. Since Venture won't have anything else in his name to work with other than his [Skill] and [Title] to rely on throughout his life. Without any background, it's going to be pretty hard to get jobs that not dangerous to one's life. Not to mention, having an [Assassin-Type Skill] made it even worse for Venture as his choices of jobs at a young age would be very limited. No wonder Venture accepted the offer to join the [Dark Star Faction] just for the food and a place to sleep alone. In fact, Bout would do the same if he was in Venture's position.

"By the way-" Venture was cut off as he fired multiple times around the area with two handguns and instantly reloading multiple times, dropping multiple empty magazines on the floor, causing both Edify and Bout to take cover along with the child.

Venture didn't stop firing for an entire 5 minutes. By the time Venture stop shooting, the entire place has even more holes than before.

Neither Edify or Bout question why Venture suddenly began firing like crazy with no aim and just shoot in random directions. Some of the bullets were near hitting them multiple times, but at this point, the two have enough trust in Venture, that he won't end up causing any accidents.

"So, I'm starting to think that the [Gu Master] is about to head in our way soon. No clue about Gat and Cope though." Venture said to Edify and Bout as he reloads once more after he finished killing a bunch of poisonous insects that are bigger in sizes compared to the previous ones Venture had to kill. Nonetheless, being bigger in sizes just made it easier for Venture to aim at.

"Well, it looks like we're going to have a fight soon." Edify frown, that she was hoping for the [Gu Master] to retreat and come back another day after facing Gat or her older sister. But, it looks like she was hoping for too much. Nonetheless, Edify knew that if it wasn't for Venture here. Things would have been much, much more difficult without him during this job. A reason why Edify doesn't like it much when Gat or anyone taking protection jobs. It always leads to being at a disadvantage mostly since her sister still hasn't finished everything in the apartment to make it a proper base for the [Dark Star Faction], making it similar to other factions that cause others to think twice before invading the targeting faction when applying for a [Faction War].

"As long Bout can protect the child and you, Edify, then leave the rest to me. Of course, I can't handle all of the enemies by myself. So a few will bypass me. But, Bout here should be enough to take of them easily. However, we shouldn't allow this to happen too long. Unlike the enemy, we won't be given the time to rest while they can just continue to send more numbers on their side. Honestly, I'm wondering how in the world both Gat and Cope continue to fight this long without having to retreat to rest." Venture starts to think that either both Gat and Cope installed some kind of [Modifier] that reduces their rate of physical fatigue and mental fatigue massively in some way. Because it has been a few hours already the fight still hasn't ended.

"Oh, that's because of the [Modifier: Endless Storage]. This is one of the many special kinds of [Modifiers] that many seek out for, but limited in demand. Even the people in the government area have a hard time getting this [Modifier]. As the [Modifier: Endless Storage] allows one to store their extra percentage in physical fatigue and mental fatigue into an internal pocket space in one's body, to be saved up and used later on as a backup source to rely on in a long term battle." Edify explained how both Gat and Cope manage to fight for hours. As for the reason why she explaining this to Venture; well, it mostly as an apology for Venture when her older sister was being difficult with him on the day he joined the [Dark Star Faction].

"Oh." Venture starts to wonder what kind of background both Gat and Cope have. Including Edify herself as well since she is the younger sister of Cope. "Is it really that hard to get? The [Modifier: Endless Storage], I mean." Venture wonder if this is something he should aim for, but he highly doubts he would be able to get it. Therefore, it may as well be better to use [Everything Is A Gamble] instead of aiming for a near-impossible chance of obtaining something, that even those people in the government area could get their hands on.

Of course, with [Everything Is A Gamble]. It's more of a 50-50 chance of him getting the [Modifier: Endless Storage]. Adding the [Unique Skill: Chance Accumulation] would make that 50-50 chance into a 100% guarantee of Venture getting it. But, it will take some time since Venture still hasn't used the [Chance Accumulation] yet, to know for sure if he will get 100% from it.

"Extremely hard to get. I won't say what my family and Gat's family background is, but I'll let you know, that only a small group of families in the government area could get their hands on the [Modifier: Endless Storage]." Edify hinted Venture, that it is better not to ask too much.

"Message received." Venture realized, that the [Dark Star Faction] might not be normal and even considered the idea, that this [Dark Star Faction] is actually a faction created by powerful people from the government areas like some kind of hidden faction to do their dirty work in the shadow during a political battle or something.

Edify pulls out her phone, where she finds out it's her sister calling her. "Something wrong, Cope?"

Both Bout and Venture look at Edify's facial expressions changed from tired, blank, then frowning at the end.

"Alright, I'll send him down." Edify hangs up the call, as she takes a few seconds to calm down her nerves. Then, look at Venture with a serious look on her face. "Venture, you need to head on the ground fast. No time to explain, just go." Edify said to Venture, but both Bout and Venture can hear the worry in her voice.

"Got it." Venture knew that trouble finally arrived, where even the mystery Cope is having problems on the ground floor and need help. Gat is too busy on the roof; therefore, the only one among them is Venture, who is able to move freely.

-LIABG-

The moment Venture arrived at the ground floor; someone tried to shoot him with a shotgun, but was quickly disarmed and got shot in the face with the shotgun instead. Venture fired the shotgun once more, killing another enemy from the [Poison Fang Faction] as it looks like only a few of them are wielding firearms. Then again, seeing the two corpses dissolving quickly before Venture's eyes. He can roughly guess that the shotgun's pellets contain acid inside or something similar to acid.

Instead of throwing the shotgun away even when it's now empty. Venture put it away somewhere on his person with the help of [Hidden Arsenal]. Better to keep it than allow the enemy to regain back a weapon to be used on him. After all, they could still use it if they have the ammo to go with it. Venture wouldn't put it past any of these people having multiple types of ammo for different guns just in case they need to use a different gun.

"Who the hell is this guy?! He wasn't mentioned in the Intel!" One of the [Poison Fang Faction] members shouted in a panic before being silent by a throwing knife to the throat.

Venture quickly switch [The Cunning One] to active after realizing the numbers of enemies before his eyes.

On the side, Venture can see Cope is literally manipulating the area itself to deal with enemies. In a way, Cope is forming spikes out of the wooden floor, to spikes coming down from above. Even making the space itself in the area to shrink and enlarge for Cope to prevent the enemies from hitting her by throwing off their sense of distance. Especially for those are wielding melee weapons.

Overall, for Venture, seeing how Cope is fighting personally with his own eyes. Just made him be very wary of Cope a lot now, even those other [Territory Control Skill] holders that not like Cope.