Competition & Desperation

January 13th, 2022

***

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

A perturbed Reed stepped inside.

"Hey, um — we're getting ready to head out."

Richter rolled over in bed to see the man. He was meek, with sagging shoulders and an anxious countenance.

"Got it; I'll be down in a sec-

"Also," he interrupted. "Have you seen Rio recently? We can't find her."

Oh he's seen her.

He snorted, "I'm sure she'll turn up soon."

"O-okay."

Reed shuffled downstairs, leaving Richter to get ready. His head turned to the far wall, where bright light cascaded through a single window. He slid out of bed to get a look. The sun was high in the sky, illuminating the serene streets and chirping birds; everything seemed normal — if you excluded the goblin corpses on their doorstep.

He stared at the captain's body for a while. It was still surreal to wake up in this world. How did ordinary people manage? He understood the athletes, kickboxers, and martial artists. So what was different?

Whatever it was — Koga, Rio, and Reed had it. They were ordinary. Their clumsy mana usage, their flinching, and their untrained bodies. He'd been trying to piece it together, but...

There was no good answer.

Richter moved back to an adjacent closet. His mind wandered further to Reed's demeanor.

'Seems they haven't gotten over last night.'

It was understandable. Losing control of your body was a big deal. It served as a form of violation, removing free will. It's hard to trust someone who could end you at any moment.

Richter took a deep breath. He threw on two shirts and a pair of sweatpants.

'Since they could turn on me...'

"Status."

'No point in waiting.'

He scrolled to the shop and capped out on daily potions. As for attributes, he didn't see any issues with his prior distribution. Points were spread evenly, focusing on Strength, Agility, and Magic.

[Congratulations on reaching level 10. Your second class ability has been unlocked. Please select a Skill]

[Fire Type: Undefined - Illusionary Flame || Physical Type: Offensive - Harden || Earth Type: Defense - Barrier]

A second fire Skill felt unnecessary, and his stance on defensive Skills hadn't changed. Plus, Barrier sounded underwhelming.

Poor Reed — he'd feel insulted if he heard that.

His finger pressed 'Harden', confirming the choice.

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[Name: Richter Maier || Mana: 100%/100% || Level 15: 10% XP || Unused Attribute Points: 0]

[Class: Swordsman (intrinsic)]

[Attributes: Strength: 24 || Agility: 27 || Constitution: 17 || Magic: 23 || Intelligence 14]

[Abilities: Transcendent Bloodlust (innate), Transcendent Sense (innate), Swordsman's Tenacity (passive), Swordsman's Agility (passive) || Skills: Sunder, Harden]

[14 Copper || 2 Healing Potions || 4 Mana Potions]

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He remained motionless, expecting another notification to pop up. Nothing happened.

'No Skill at fifteen? Damn.'

But it wasn't an issue for long.

A visible phenomena was occurring in the room. Wisps of mana formed in the air like a typhoon swirling around him. Subconsciously — he extended a hand into it, acting as a funnel. The wild energy surged forth into his body, crashing through his muscles and tendons with reckless abandon. The amount of total mana in him far surpassed his normal limit, threatening to explode him from the inside out. But he wouldn't relent. The swirling force fought him for control; his nerves screamed at him to stop absorbing. His skin ripped and blood poured out of the exposed flesh. Richter's teeth gnashed as he continued until every drop was coursing through him. He wrestled it for several more minutes until the bleeding stopped and his mana calmed down. Once settled, he closed his eyes to focus, searching for changes.

The blue energy inside him felt heavy and more powerful than before, different not in quantity but quality. It was a feeling he couldn't put into words, but felt incredible. Richter cycled mana a few times for fun; the density had increased substantially.

'From eleven Magic to twenty-three.' he mused.

'Was there something special about that?'

His mana circuit restarted, pushing and pulling through his veins.

*thunk*

Richter laughed after a feminine voice cursed; she deserved it.

A young Mage – hidden beneath the bed – had smacked her head on the frame.

Rio's freakish habits made an unwelcomed reappearance. She had been there since he woke up and had no clue when she entered.

Richter made his way to the door, pausing briefly.

"My offer still stands; it'll be much easier if you let me teach you."

No response.

Her mana discharged, signaling another failure.

"Suit yourself."

He closed the door behind him and headed downstairs.

Rio slid out from under the frame and glanced toward the door, feeling uneasy and slightly fearful. She knew what had just happened to him. What it meant. What he accomplished. But...

'There's no way... H-He absorbed all of it?' She shivered.

***

Rio caught up as they neared the discolored houses. The group took in her frazzled hair and scorched outfit, glancing in his direction.

What was he supposed to say? He had no idea.

Richter shrugged and turned his attention forward. His Sense reached out, picking up a dungeon entrance in the backyard of a home.

"It's here."

They inched closer, weapons drawn.

"There's two in front of the entrance. I don't sense any others."

"I got this."

Rio didn't wait for a reply. She jumped out from the corner, attracting the two goblins.

'Closer... Closer...Perfect.'

[Slice – 30%]

A thin blade of mana cut through both of them. The bodies fell apart in halves, producing a grizzly sight.

"Guess that works," Richter sighed.

They stepped up to the blue portal.

[Recommended Level: 12 - 15]

[Monsters: Goblins, Elite Goblins, Unique Goblin]

Reed pressed 'enter', heading in first. Rio, Koga, Richter, and Brent followed him in.

***

On the other side, it was empty... Concerningly empty.

Richter expected dozens of auras to pop up, potentially walking into an ambush. But that didn't happen.

Instead, they faced a giant empty living quarter. The two parallel walls had been carved out, producing dozens of beds and nooks to sleep in. Each contained a desk with varying items to kill time.

He saw crossword puzzles, children's games, and even a couple copies of old magazines. For Richter and Brent, it was a mere oddity.

Meanwhile – Koga, Rio, and Reed stepped toward the back of the group, paling slightly. They recognized the handiwork. Richter led on, amazed at the beautiful stone designs and architecture.

The dungeon only got weirder from there. The crew walked through empty battlements, trenches, choke points, and towers. It looked like they were prepping for war, so where were the goblins?

In truth, that was exactly right. The goblins were preparing for war against humans. Any who entered their dungeon would be met with tactics. They had designed and sculpted a battlefield to give them the advantage.

Unfortunately, all of their fighters had been killed. Every patrol Rio's group bumped into had come from here. Though the final straw had been when their captain died. His presence had given the few remaining hope. When he didn't come back, the ruler made a hard choice. He snuck the last few goblins out and told them not to return. Their mission was to find a new location to settle in.

That's why, throughout the dungeon, the only goblin left was the feeble ruler.

It was almost sad. Richter felt the small, flickering aura as they neared the end. It was in bad shape, and at risk of going out at any moment.

The five entered the cracked and decaying throne room, spotting a lone goblin atop a broken chair. It was terrified, shaking both from fear and old age.

Richter paused when their eyes met. He understood something in that brief exchange. Just like Dru, this guy valued his subordinates to some extent. While it was far from the whole picture, he wasn't concerned about the lack of goblins. He got the gist of what happened.

Of course, it wasn't a secret that the goblin was in bad shape. Anyone with eyes could deduce it after a few seconds. That's why-

[Teleport.]

-Rio slammed her staff into the ruler's throat. Just like that, the aura was snuffed out. His body lay crumpled on the throne.

She grinned, triumphantly returning down the stairs.

Richter was disappointed. He wanted to try talking to the goblin, maybe learn a few things. At least it was a quick death.

All that's left now is to head through the portal.

'Uh, where is it?'

Their eyes scanned the room, looking for the exit. They didn't see a thing.

Instead, a new phenomenon occurred. The body of the ruler flashed white, floating up above the throne.

Richter and Brent tensed their bodies, anxious to learn what was happening. His sense claimed that the body was dead, so what was going on?

He tore his gaze away, latching onto Rio, Reed, and Koga. None of them showed any concern or worry. Each took a step closer to the stairs.

'What did they know?'

Another step closer.

'The same three individuals,' he thought.

They were at the bottom of the steps.

They knew what this was. All three had seen the process hundreds of times. The sign of a tremendous opportunity-

The body grew brighter and brighter.

-it was the sign of an item appearing.

The corpse dissolved into white motes of light. They stuck together, combining tirelessly to form the outline of a weapon. With one final flash, a pretty, jade-colored staff popped out. It bounced onto the steps near the throne.

Rio, Koga, and Reed rushed toward it.

[Telep-

[Barrier – 40%]

Reed's mana surged forth, erecting a giant earth wall in her way.

[Double Strength.]

Koga bounded up the steps and snatched the rod into his hands. He put his back to the wall, carefully watching Rio.

"You stole the kill, so we deserve the item."

Rio's face contorted.

"A staff is of no use to you two. Besides, everyone had the same opportunity."

Brent stood next to Richter, looking just as confused. They were ignored completely, but that wouldn't last for long.

Richter took a good look at the staff with his Sense. It was a beauty, with intricate carvings and red jewels embedded in the head.

True, he didn't have a use for it. But Richter was an avid collector — This would be a good centerpiece for his dojo.

The temperature dropped several degrees when he smiled. He arrived at the bottom of the steps.

"I'll have that," he said.

All three whipped their heads over.

"I said I'll have that now, Koga."

The temperature dropped further. A chill traveled up their spines.

"How much do you think it's worth?" Reed whispered.

Koga shrugged lightly, "I can't see the staffs in the shop, we'd have to trust Rio to estimate for us."

They glanced over at the former adversary. She was sweating too.

Koga tossed her the staff.

"I've done a lot for you all. I think this is plenty fair." The demonic man climbed a step up.

"If it isn't worth much, just give it over. I don't want to fight."

Reed grit his teeth, "Fine."

Rio quickly scrolled through the store, trying to find a comparison for the staff.

The demon climbed another step, "Wesley can speak volumes about my contributions. I've done a lot for the town."

Rio's heart launched into her throat. "It's worth about ten silver!" she hissed.

"Shit..." Reed turned to Koga.

"If that's true, this is too much to pass up. What's our plan B?"

Koga glanced across the room. The exit portal had appeared.

"We race him for the exit. Once on the other side, we just have to flee as fast as possible."

"How do we escape his detection? We'll never be fast enough."

"We'll worry about that after."

"Ready? On my mark."

Richter reached the top, taking in the nervous stares and tensed muscles. Nothing escaped his perception — He clicked his tongue at the teleport marker from Rio.

"You aren't really going to-

"Now!"

The three bolted off the platform to the exit portal.

'Such a shame.'

His irises turned blue-

[Chain Cast: Sunder (6%) --> Mana Surge (18%)]

-the dense orb impacted the ground in front of the exit portal. Poor Rio was just about to leave when it happened. She jerked back concussed, letting go of the staff. Her body suffered several minor injuries.

Rio was unresponsive to the calls of Reed.

"She's dead!" Reed was in shock.

"No she's not, you idiot."

[Mana Surge – 70%]

Richter dashed to the exit portal, checking the pulse of the young lady.

He popped the cap of a healing potion and poured it between her lips. Admittedly, he was testing the new strength of his mana; the result was a little excessive.

"I'm not trying to kill anyone just for a staff. And even if she did die, it wouldn't matter. She ain't a good person."

Richter grabbed the staff, admiring its sleek form in person. He shifted his attention to the entrance, where Brent remained motionless.

"Nothing to say about this?"

Brent shook his head, "I know my odds; there is no reason for me to get involved."

Richter sighed at the lifeless man.

"You are a bigger idiot than Reed."

'What?' Brent's lip twitched.

"I can envision your little voices, the ones that dictate your every decision."

Brent's heart sunk.

"You are a slave to your own body. It tells you to heel and you listen. There is an important distinction between 'dangerous' and 'undefeatable'. Those voices aren't interested in making you stronger. They only care about keeping you out of danger."

He turned around to the portal.

"If you don't learn that now, you should just give up."

Richter downed a mana potion.

"Anyway, we've done our part. Kagawa's problem extends far beyond this city, and it isn't our job to fix everything. I'm heading back tomorrow to report to Wesley. Feel free to accompany me if you want to go back. I'm staying the night in the house from earlier."

He stepped through, disappearing into the exit.

Koga and Reed fell down, trying to process everything that happened.

All three tried to sort their feelings out. It was a complicated atmosphere.

"Come on, let's go," Reed mumbled.

They grabbed Rio and left the fourth dungeon.

***

Richter stood at the entrance of the house.

Well, what would have been the entrance of the house. All that remained was a pile of scorched possessions and burnt wood.

'Damn you Rio.'

The entire thing had burned down. Richter went next door-

[Chain Cast: Sunder (2%) --> Mana Surge (4%)]

-and blasted open the entire foyer. He marched inside, found the nearest bedroom, and collapsed into the comfy mattress.

He hadn't been up for long, but exhaustion builds quickly when dealing with fools.

Richter rested his eyes, sinking into a deep sleep.

***