(Not) A Vanilla Levelling System

10

It was a vague vision of something that never existed, or at least I tried to pretend it did.

I saw my father wearing a white robe approaching me bound. I was only four years old and felt so scared. Father's eyes were like a hungry wolf ready to pounce on me at any moment.

In his hand was a syringe. It was shiny, sharp, and looked painful.

I struggled, screamed, and begged for mercy; but Father didn't stop. He buried the needle deep into my skin.

I even remember the pain and the instant goose bumps ran down my body. My hands ached again, I felt so much pain in the back of my head. My tongue was even accidentally bitten off in the painful process, but I felt no pain. It seemed like these overlapping sensations were making me half-numb.

Another vision came, this time I saw the current me. Each time it came, it was like a dagger lodged in the brain. But each time, I finally understood more. I finally knew what was going on.

I got my memories back.

*#*

"See? You hit him too hard! What if he really dies?"

"I told you, no one dies from just one punch. Besides, I was just returning what he did to me. Right, Red?"

"Shhh... he's starting to wake up."

I wanted to keep my eyes closed, but it felt so uncomfortable.

It was rather refreshing to see those floating writings coming back every time I looked at someone.

There were three people looking at me right now. In a room with a roof that was too low and walls that were a little too narrow. Is this a trailer house?

There's the man I beat up in the toilet when I was hospitalised the other day, a girl, and a scruffy bearded man I've never seen before.

[PROFILE]

NAME: Brick

AGE : 23

LEVEL : 1

[PROFILE]

NAME : Jiil

AGE : 19

LEVEL : 1

[PROFILE]

NAME : Red

AGE : 30

LEVEL : 1

I sighed. They're just ordinary people. Even if there were three of them, it felt like I would be overwhelmed, but at least I could make a little noise and escape.

"Oh, thank goodness. Thank goodness. I thought we lost you there. Thank goodness," said a bearded man whose name was Red while hugging me tightly.

It was a mix of claustrophobia and musty smell. Like a mini hell. It felt like I had just been captured by a bunch of suspicious people. Was this some form of torture?

"Look, I told them to take you well, but this idiot is unruly," Red exclaimed, pointing at the person who punched me earlier, Brick.

Brick immediately protested, "Hey, but you said--"

"I wanted to say that there was a reason we had to do this, but you should see for yourself." Red turned around, as did the other two (though Brick was still grumbling).

This was an opportunity. I could immobilise that Red (he seemed to be the leader), get them distracted, and use one of the objects in the [SHOP] to escape. Besides, with the Speed I have now, there shouldn't be any problems.

Just then the door opened again, and I saw another thug. "Hey, you said this wouldn't take long. When will he wake up?" he said as he widened the gap in the door, and revealed the outside world, where there were more ragged-looking people waiting.

Five. Ten. Still counting.

I should have thought of this. This is their den, I won't be left alone.

Okay. Okay. There will be another chance, but not now.

"Here we are on our way there, you impatient little shit," Red exclaimed in exasperation, then turned back to look at me. "Can we go now, mate?"

*#*

I retracted my words. This was not a den of thugs, but a camp for war victims.

As far as the eye could see, there were only a few rickety shacks and half-cardboard houses inhabited by gloomy people, dressed in rags, and even one of them gave me a sinisterly intense look every time he met my gaze.

It was almost like travelling to the underworld. Wait, what if I'm really dead?

I gulped, making a small noise. "This ..."

"Our residence, a small kingdom that yes... you can see for yourself, is about to collapse," Red explained.

It was a reasonable explanation. With the crammed and claustrophobic environment, you could call it that (then I assume the trailer house I just visited is the palace, hm?).

So, who plays the king? Wait, collapsed?

Red, as if he knew what I was thinking, nodded. "That's right. After Shane's death, everything changed. Well, you can't call Shane a good boss, but he was the only one we had, and if there's one good thing you can say about him: he wasn't picky."

Hearing Shane's name tickled my stomach. I thought back to that night. Being chased by a bunch of motorised thugs, lives on the line, and... Hudson. Shit! How could I forget that girl!

She's the reason I almost lost this power, but why did I get it back?

It's not that I'm not grateful, but this suspicious coincidence makes me uneasy.

"... he doesn't judge by looks or status, but rather worthiness and loyalty," Red babbled incessantly, turns out he's still bragging about Shane

"When Shane was gone, things fell apart. Our group split in two and the casino appointed a new leader from capital," Red continued.

This time it was the girl named Jiil. "That pesky bastard just kicked us out like that. If we ever meet again..."

Red immediately interrupted. "As you can see. The new boss also brought in new people and sacked most of us.  Some of them, Silas's entourage (I think you've met him), were retained because they promised important information."

Hm? "Important information?"

Red nodded. "About you, and your sweet candy."

What did you just say? "Um... of course. Candy." How could I forget? After all, I was the one who plunged myself into this complicated conflict. "S-so... what does this 'new boss' want? He wants to continue business with me too or..."

"Oh, no, no. Didn't you see how you were treated earlier? That man knows no compromise or pleasantries. Once he finds out that you're the cook, he'll squeeze you like he's squeezing a cow, and won't give you anything," Red replied with a sympathetic look. It seemed sincere enough for me to believe it.

"Okay..." But, I wasn't going to be fooled by that trite trick.

"Rather than handing yourself over to them, we'll welcome you with open arms. Look, we may look smaller, but we're more numerous, and we have the most access of anyone in town. Your goods will sell like hotcakes and make almost as much profit as before," Red said, finally making things clear.

The Jiil was supportive again as he patted my shoulder. "And we'll protect you. No one will be able to mess with you!"

Red nodded at Jiil's words and smiled at me. "So, what did you say?"

*#*

What did I say? It's totally a bad invesment.

These vagabonds say they still have 'control' over the city, but the people they're fighting seem to have more power than that (I mean, just look at the burly men who kidnapped me).

If possible, I don't want to take sides. I had hoped the problem would be over when my pact with Shane was sealed and growing harmoniously, but why was it getting more complicated?

"Hey!"

I was taken aback and turned around. Brick, the one who had a history with me before was folds his hands in front of his chest and looking at me like I was lunch.

I gulped. As a goodwill gesture, Red did let me go and think about this thing he called 'tantalising offer of mutualism', but I guess not everyone agreed.

I was already prepared to step on the gas if this Brick guy showed any dangerous behaviour.  Alone, he wouldn't have been able to catch me so easily.

Brick came closer and suddenly grabbed my shoulder. I twitched, wanting to struggle, but Brick spoke first, "Follow me."

Damn, his grip was too strong. I could have break away and succeeded, but... this was still his territory. The sound of our fight would attract attention. And this Brick would definitely slow down my pace so as not to leave.

I was forced to follow his elusive steps, heading for one of the nearby huts. 

When I entered, I felt an even more sickening sensation than being hugged by Red. This one was also flavoured with desperation. 

I think I found the cause: a little girl lying and coughing on a mattress. She was probably around nine or ten. Coughing with a red face.

Brick immediately approached her with a worried look. He picked up a nearby glass and a teapot, poured a drink into it, and gave it to the girl to sip. 

After the coughing subsided and the little girl closed her eyes again, Brick stroked her cheek gently, then laid her back on the mat.

"Shane is my god."

"Huh?"

Brick faced me again. "A lot of people hate him, but to me he's a god. Before he recruited me, my sister and I were just teenage bums who wandered the streets and had no choice but to steal to make a living.

"Shane was immediately impressed and recruited me when he saw me beat his men. From then on, I had a more stable life, until you killed him."

What? "I didn't kill him!" I gulped. I think my voice was too high, so I might as well correct it. "I didn't kill him, I swear. It wasn't me."

"Yes, but that's what almost everyone believes. That's what Silas' entourage probably believes. I think that's why they tattled on you, to curry favour, as well as revenge." Brick chuckled. I don't know who the irritation came from. "Hey, hit me."

"H-huh?" What was it again this time?

"You're annoyed with what I did, aren't you? I... didn't mean to. It was more like a reflex movement. I'm used to returning what I receive, twice over."

That's certainly not a healthy life (literally).

"...so you can hit me, kick me, break my bones, do anything. But, please, consider all this wisely."

And, as if knowing the most opportune time, the mission column appeared before him.

 <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>

[BECOME A HERO]:  

Choose the side you want to defend wisely in this war, it might be related to the safety of your life.

Objective(s):

(*) Choose a side!

Winning Condition(s):

(*) Opponent's leader captured, killed, or paralysed

(*) Opponent's foundation destroyed 

(*) (Optional) All holdings change hands to the chosen side

  <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>

*#*

I paused, looked at the wall, and did that thing that I guess is so popular among adults nowadays: staring. Pensive. Thinking of the possibilities I could take from now on.

[BECOME A HERO]

It makes me a little regretful to get it back. And even if all of this gets paid the equivalent of a thousand dollars or, is it worth it?

Tsk! Okay, okay. There's no point in grumbling now.

I'd better choose which one to support first.

The group of bums and the new casino boss surrounded by experienced bodyguards.

The result was obvious: the new boss won by a landslide.

Well, quantitatively, they were evenly matched. The bums even won. But in terms of quality?

However, there was another variable that made me think twice. From what Red's people told me, Shane was a man with a 'good eye'. He chooses his men from the most brutal and most loyal types. And those are the kind of people who have an intimate relationship with death.

The burly men may have tactical fighting techniques and an array of cutting-edge weapons, but these thugs have a fighting spirit that cannot be underestimated. 

They are also very knowledgeable about the terrain here. And that reminds me of the local troops with limited resources who managed to defeat the armies of the so-called superpowers by utilising their mastery of the terrain.

Okay.

I guess I can start calculating.

[Calculative ACTIVED]

 <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>

Enter the variables you want to calculate!

+    -   /   

%    :   x

 <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>

Since my mobile phone battery was low and I didn't have a portable calculator, I could finally make use of this multifuctional skill.

I filled in the fields with the variables I knew, added, divided, searched, and finally got the result.

A big zero.

What should I expect, try.

I didn't even know how many exact numbers there were between the two camps, what weaponry they had, how many were in top condition, how great a mastery of fighting techniques they had.

It's a rough estimate that won't lead anywhere.

In this situation, even the most detailed calculations wouldn't yield any results, and I didn't have much time to do research.

So, for this one in particular, I had to use my gut feeling. And when I do, I know which side to take.