Chapter 82: Plans 1
*What should I choose to buy?" I thought aloud. My best bet would be something with a high rate of return. The middle-class boxes were a safe, yet potentially rewarding, choice. I could have gone for the high-end legendary boxes, but the risk was too great. A guaranteed good reward was better than a potential great one. "I should just buy four middle-class Potion’s random boxes."
"I think you made the right choice," Hay’s voice, his AI-generated persona, said from the side. He was my personal system assistant, a digital companion who had been with me since the very beginning.
"It’s worth buying, and you can use it no matter what comes out of it," he continued, a logical and well-reasoned tone in his voice. "But the best result will be a charisma potion. Especially since I believe that appearance is considered to have a huge impact in getting attention on the web market."
My smile froze. A flush of embarrassment, a genuine, human emotion, crept up my neck. I knew what he was implying. My appearance in this life was... average at best. "Are you mocking me now?" I asked, a hint of genuine indignation in my voice.
"No, I’m not. I’m just stating the facts," Hay the AI replied, his voice completely devoid of emotion, a cold, calculated truth.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. The irony was not lost on me. "I can’t believe an AI is telling me I’m ugly. An AI, on that matter." It was a humbling moment, but a necessary one. I knew my looks weren’t my greatest asset. My greatest asset was my brain, my knowledge of the game, and now, my SS-class familiar. I had a lot of work to do. And with 4,300 game points, the world was my oyster. The first step on my new path had just begun.
"Anyway, I need to open the boxes now," I declared, the exhaustion from the dragon hatching ritual momentarily forgotten. My gaze was fixed on the shimmering holographic interface before me, the four Middle-Grade Potion Random Boxes a testament to my hard-won game points. Hay’s earlier jab about my appearance was still fresh in my mind, but with this many points, I felt like a king with a new treasury to plunder. I had gambled on a dragon egg and won big. Now it was time to press my luck.
"Open a middle-grade potion box," I commanded.
Ding! Ding!
[You are using four middle-grade potion boxes]
A golden light enveloped the interface. This was my moment.
Ding! Ding!
[Activating extreme [Luck]]
"Yippee!" I cheered, unable to hold back a childish burst of excitement. The system was on my side.
Ding! Ding!
[You have obtained [Low-grade A Charm Potion]]
Ding! Ding!
[You have obtained [Low-grade Skincare for Charm]]
Ding! Ding!
[You have obtained [Low-grade Face Care for Charm]]
Ding! Ding!
[You have obtained [Low-grade Face Masks for Charm]]
"Nice!" I said, a satisfied grin spreading across my face. Hay was right. My appearance was lacking. These items wouldn’t make me a supermodel, but they were a solid start. A-grade potions were rare, and to get four of them from a single pull was nothing short of a miracle. The system was truly smiling on me today.
Hehehe. I chuckled to myself, already picturing a future where I wasn’t just a powerful hero, but a handsome one, too.
A Web of Schemes and a Silent Assassin
The web of ambition and rivalry extended far beyond my small dorm room. On a moonless night, in a secluded office overlooking the neon glow of the city, Selene Whitmore tapped a pen against a stack of confidential files. She was a woman of stark elegance and terrifying efficiency, the kind of person who moved in shadows and controlled an entire information network from her fingertips.
"Elric Vales has not made any particular movement recently," she said to herself, her voice a soft murmur. Her spies had been watching the heir of the powerful Vales family, the man who was supposed to be the main villain of this world. "The Vales family are moving behind the scenes recently."
Her focus shifted to another target. "However, Elric Vales is focusing on his training with Damon Reid. What bothers me is regards to the new information on Julie Wartin."
Selene had her sights set on Kael, the man who had inexplicably refused her offers to join her. He was a puzzle she couldn’t solve, and the more she watched him, the more she was intrigued. "Kael Vi-rel talked about how he’s going to make his own group, but it seems like he’s already plotting something from behind. I can already see it based on my information."
Her intelligence network was second to none. She saw the connections, the little threads that Kael was pulling in the background. She also saw the danger posed by a girl named Julie Wartin, a new player who was quickly gaining influence in the academy’s underground networks. "Julie Wartin, that girl is dangerous. Should I get rid of her?" Selene pondered, her mind already calculating the risks and rewards. "Although Wartin is a big company, I can just get rid of her without anyone knowing who did it."
Her thoughts drifted to Kael once more. "But I might become a hindrance to Kael Vi-rel if I move rashly, so I should think twice before acting." She couldn’t risk him turning against her. He was a wild card, and a dangerously powerful one at that. "I should wait and see how things play for now."
Selene’s next move was cold and decisive. If she couldn’t strike at Julie Wartin directly, she could send a message. She moved with the silent grace of a predator, slipping into the night. Her target: a low-level informant who had been feeding information to the Wartin family. The assassination was swift and clean. A knife in the dark, a silent body in a deserted alley. The informant’s last moments were a brief, confusing blur. Selene left no trace, a ghost in the night, a chilling warning to anyone who dared to oppose her.
"Kael Vi-rel," she whispered to herself as she wiped the blade clean, "you are a strange man. The more I see you, the more I’m convinced you’re not just a normal hero. Magic, swordsmanship, and even a ridiculous amount of potential... I’m sure you even have another talent in your ranks. I’m sure you have seen everything in the Black Lands. Nevertheless, what’s the reason for you to refuse my offers? Did you get tired of it, since you had already done it a lot before?"
She had done her research, she knew about the rumors of his past. But the truth was, she didn’t care what he had done. She only cared about what he was going to do. And she was going to be there to see it all.
A New Morning and the Start of a New Plan
The sun streamed through my dorm window, a bright, cheerful contrast to the dark and dangerous world Selene Whitmore moved in. A small yawn escaped my lips. "Yawn." I was still a little groggy, but the effects of the potions and my body’s natural healing were already kicking in. I felt more rested than I had in a long time.
"Hay, what’s my schedule for today?" I asked, a sense of purpose filling me. I had a new familiar, a new appearance plan, and a whole new set of goals.
"You have a group class today," Hay’s voice replied, a steady, calm presence.
My mind immediately snapped into focus. A group class. This was it. "Is the main story finally starting?" I thought to myself. In the game, this was the moment when the world opened up, when the true hero’s journey began.
I did a whole lot of preparation, but I still needed to be on guard. The real world wasn’t a game, and I knew that more than anyone. I had to be careful.
I looked down at the sleeping, tiny dragonian in its nest. My new little companion. "Then, take good care of Kae Vi-rel until I come back," I instructed Hay.
I had a new goal, a new mission. "Don’t worry, I’ll get you a decent body very soon," I said, my voice full of promise. Most people’s bodies couldn’t handle the mana of a dragonian. It would be best for Kae Vi-rel if I could get it a body that could control a whole lot of mana. A human host.
"Thank you," Hay replied, a rare, almost human-like warmth in his voice.
I knew what I had to do. I had to make plans and visit the underworld. The black market was the only place where I could find a suitable vessel. "I want to go right this instance," I said, a fire burning in my soul. I was a man on a mission, a hero with a new purpose.