Mister Vii

Chapter 31 – Day 50 (Part 2) - Duel

“Now, onto other business. First, what is happening with the pillar tax?” Carlos went through his captains and checked to make sure everything was running smoothly. There were some pointed questions on the inn, but he confirmed Red Dawn would hold a monopoly on that business for now to recoup...

Chapter 30 – Day 50 – Challenge

I had really pushed myself the last two days, managing to get 355 and 380 crystals, respectively. I really pushed into the wolves as fast as I could. If I had someone picking up crystals, I might not be able to double my speed, but hitting 500 wouldn’t be out of the question.

I made my wa...

Chapter 29 – Day 46 – Connections

I was bad at dice and I lost 30 crystals yesterday afternoon, but I had no complaints. When the first fruit and vegetable platter ran out, I purchased a second one. I spent another 15 crystals to get my shoulder and head worked over by some amazing fingers.

In total, I spent 163 crystals in...

Chapter 28 – Day 45 – Gambling

“Carl.” He looked tired and stressed. He clearly had not been doing too well.

“Here.” He handed me a pack. I emptied the crystals into mine. I didn’t bother to count.

“Doing alright?” I asked.

“Just…just take care, Michael.” Carl took back his pack and then l...

Chapter 27 – Day 41 – Voluntold

“So, you are coming with me, then?” I looked at Tyrese and his posse.

“I got voluntold by Boss Carlos,” he said.

“Voluntold?” I asked. I was pretty sure I knew what he meant, but I was curious about what he would say.

“When he looks at you and asks for a volunteer....

Chapter 26 – Day 40 – Waste of Time

“Being the boss is exhausting. That was a good suggestion about trainers. Any others?” Carlos asked as he took a sip of water.

“Nothing coming to mind. Is there really no one exploring new areas?” I asked. I was doing it, but I didn’t want to do it. These really are powerful peopl...

Chapter 25 – Day 36 – North Gate

I went to the plaza. I tipped the guards with some slime crystals I had from yesterday. The brown slime crystals appeared identical to the blue slime crystals, and I had 24 of them. Still, I wasn’t about to hand over the brown slime crystals before I checked them out.

Each of them was onl...

Chapter 24 – Day 35 – Descent Into Darkness

“So how is it?” I asked.

Carl took off his glasses and blinked a couple of times as he grinned. “Everything is so crisp and clear. Also, the pain is gone. You weren’t wrong. That is probably the best thing in the store.”

“Good. Let’s go and see who Tyrese has dug up.”<...

Chapter 23 – Day 34 – Preparation

It was the evening of day 34. I had 803 crystals with me, and Carl had 60. We had made our way back towards the plaza, staying in another random building.

“So, first five days. What do you think?” I asked.

“Exhausting.”

“So, you ready for the big leagues?” I asked. H...

Chapter 22 – Day 32 – …To Rumble

I charged forward. The crowd tried to back up but was too slow. I swung the sword, careful to angle it properly, and cut a man’s throat. He didn’t even have time to bring up his club. Blood spurted out of his neck as he collapsed, gurgling. There was no hesitation in my attack.

“KILL ...

Chapter 21 – Day 31 – Get Ready…

A beep went off, and I quickly woke up. I forced my eyes to snap open. When I woke up, I needed to be instantly in combat mode. No slow, peaceful mornings anymore. That was the thing I was coming to hate the most about this place. That, and the lack of a razor blade and shaving cream.

I use...

Chapter 20 – Day 30 (Part 3) – Good Help is Hard to Find

I made my way to the road that led to the slimes and picked a wall to lean against. I pulled out my copper dagger and began carefully trimming my nails with it.

Then I just waited and watched people. I wasn’t discrete in my conversation with Carlos earlier, so people had overheard. I saw ...

Chapter 19 – Day 30 (Part 2) – Q&A

I got called in and was offered a seat at a table on the first floor. Someone was busy spending points. “Welcome, bit early.” Carlos looked a bit worn and tired. The lack of showers and baths was telling on people’s appearance. I rubbed a hand over my beard. I really wanted to get it all cu...

Chapter 18 – Day 30 – Chat With Tyrese

“Hello Evaline,” I said to the older woman.

“Michael, you sure made waves,” she greeted me this morning. She had been waiting for me predawn at the plaza. I had been 50-50 if she would actually show up, but the desire for easy crystals would appeal to anyone in this place.

“...

Chapter 17 – Day 28 – Store Upgrade

It was late evening of day 28. Carlos had moved the tax area back to the pillars and his crew numbered around fifteen people at the moment. I was hoping for a more in-depth update from Evaline in two days. Still, there was a reason today was special.

The store had been upgraded today, which...

Chapter 16 – Day 25 (Part 3) – Tears of Blood

It was late evening, and I walked back towards the city. I had managed to get 200 slime crystals despite the slightly later start. It gave me hope the next couple of days would net me much larger hauls.

As I approached the gate, I saw Carlos’s group walk up and face off against a group of...

Chapter 15 – Day 25 (Part 2) – Boss Carlos

I followed the young man back towards the plaza. He stopped in front of a building where a guard was standing outside, and I noted another in the window.

Most people would think that I wouldn’t go in there. The majority of the time they would be right. However, not going in there would me...

Chapter 14 – Day 25 – Informant

I had 1,037 crystals and I had pushed myself to exceed my goal of 1,000 crystals so I was quite pleased with myself. I made my way into the plaza, predawn while keeping a sharp lookout for other people.

I spotted three people watching from different buildings, but no one came out to bother ...

Chapter 13 – Day 20 (Part 2) – The True Red Meat

“You have eaten people?” Amber asked. I just smiled at her and grinned. She glanced away. Without fire, I was not about to get some weird blood disease by eating improperly cooked meat. Nothing was off the table, literally and figuratively, but thankfully things hadn’t gotten that bad for m...

Chapter 12 – Day 20 – Clean Slate

I walked into the plaza before dawn. There was no movement, but also no bodies either. The blood was gone. If there were survivors, they were on their last legs, in a hole waiting to die. Not near here since all the trash had disappeared. I could only shake my head at that. I was disappointed but...

Chapter 11 – Day 15 (Part 2) – Landmark

I had managed to get 121 slime crystals, which put my point total at 684 points. I had gone to the pillars after dark. There were still people moving around, but I had to risk it. Thankfully, no one stopped me. That was probably due to the angry look I had on my face and how ripe I smelt.

M...

Chapter 10 – Day 15 – Death Match 2

“Was he with you?” I asked, gesturing to the corpse. I steadied my breathing to recover as quickly as possible.

“He was tricky, but useful for sniffing out things. Now, you are an interesting fellow. Got some muscles under that layer of fat, I see,” the man explained. So, he wanted ...

Chapter 9 – Day 10 – New People

The group I had killed had gathered 20 crystals in total. A pitiful amount. Hunger and thirst must have been wearing them down, and fear kept them from going too far from the city. I left very early in the morning. I wanted a brief window to look through the forest in the dark. There was nothing ...

Chapter 8 – Day 8 (Part 2) – Self Reflection

I picked a building that was a bit distant from the gate, but close enough to overhear any noise and spot anyone walking around. The position wasn’t the best for observation. That was on purpose since the best building to wait in, was one my pursuers would probably wait in to ambush me.

T...

Chapter 7 – Day 8 – Death Match

“I am done with slimes,” Frank muttered. We had finished our fourth day of hunting. We earned 80, 72, 70, and then 68 crystals each over the past four days. The reason for the decrease was just that we moved slower in the forest and took longer breaks. The lack of urgency didn’t help the fa...

Chapter 6 – Day 4 – Upgrading Costs

We got to the plaza before dawn. Only one or two people were up keeping watch, but they ignored us since we went to the pillars and not near their groups. I put my pack on the pillar while my teammates stood around me like we had done the first time.

A restoration cost 109 points. I winced ...

Chapter 5 – Day 3 – Viewpoints

Frank

We had walked back before it got dark. I looked at our leader and shook my head. He knew what he was doing, but he was clearly exhausted from his weight. At least he didn’t complain. There was something off about him. Too hyper and then too calm. Maybe some kind of ...

Chapter 4 – Day 2 (Part 2) – Grinding As A Team

We took a break at our rest spot from the previous day. There was no garbage from the time before, but a slime had probably consumed the trash. At least that was our conclusion at the moment. Jesus had easily killed the one slime we had come across. They were the perfect starting monster. Almost ...

Chapter 3 – Day 2 – A Party

Beeping startled me awake, and I remembered that Frank had set the timer on his watch to seven hours. I rubbed my eyes and licked my lips. The fruit sugar had left my mouth dry and there was no toothpaste or even water to rinse out my mouth before I went to sleep. I felt tired and dirty; the grun...

Chapter 2 – Day 1 (Part 2) – First Monster

We reached the edge of the city after an hour and a half of traveling. This was revealed by Frank who was keeping time with his watch. Based on the pace we had set, the distance was probably about three miles or five kilometers from the plaza to the wall. The wall itself was tall, about the heigh...