Chapter 13: Unlikely Ally?
0730 Hours
Planet Meredith — Clarity — Training Hall.
K hated corporal punishment.
Not because it was difficult, we’ll it was for regular humans.
Not because it was exhausting.
But because it was stupid.
The UDF possessed warships capable of reducing entire cities to molten glass.
They had mechanized soldiers.
Orbital weapon systems.
Artificial intelligence capable of managing entire sectors.
Yet somehow, someone had decided the best use of Meredith’s strongest Matyr was moving ammunition crates from one end of a hangar to another.
And then moving them back.
"One hundred and twelve."
K dropped another crate.
CLANG.
"One hundred and thirteen."
Another.
CLANG.
"One hundred and fourteen."
Another.
Lieutenant Finch sat several meters away drinking coffee.
Standing Akimbo with one hand hooked over his gun sling in front of him.
"You missed one."
"I didn’t."
"You did."
"I counted."
"You counted wrong."
K considered throwing the crate at him but it would land him more than corporal, he had been let off the hook from protocol Z not quite long.
Instead he lifted it.
Again.
As he turned, a now familiar chime echoed through his mind.
...
[SYSTEM ACTIVE]
...
K nearly dropped the crate.
The translucent blue screen appeared before him.
Nobody reacted.
Meaning nobody apart from him could see it.
Good.
Speaking of which, he hadn’t had the time to check out the new addition.
Not to mention investigate how he got it.
Somehow he began seeing these thing after a near death encounter. It saved him?
’Open?’
Is the system telepathic?
The screen expanded instantly.
’It is! Good.’
...
[[PROFILE]]
Name: Khae’el
Designation: K-0-0-1
Species: ???
Classification: ???
Level: 3
XP: 4,820 / 6,000
Status: Active
Titles Owned: 3
Titles Equipped: None
Available Stat Points: 6
Available Skill Points: 1
...
K blinked.
’Skill point?’
...
[INFO]
Skill Points are obtained through leveling.
Can be used to unlock or enhance skills.
...
"Hm."
Interesting.
He selected Stats.
Immediately a new window unfolded.
...
ATTRIBUTES
Strength — 12
Endurance — 12
Agility — 15
Defense — 9
Perception — 11
Willpower — Locked
Vitality — Locked
Soul — Locked
Available Points: 6
...
K stared at them.
Strength seemed obvious.
More strength meant hitting harder.
But he already hit hard enough to send people through walls. Was it enough to kill a Vashki though?
Defense was also useful.
Agility had saved his life more than once.
Perception...
His eyes lingered there. Perception. The ability to notice things.
Spot threats. Read movements. Detect enemies.
His fingers hovered.
...
Perception +1
11 → 12
...
The world sharpened a bit.
K stepped back, throwing a fatal blow that Finch fluidly dodged, the crate in his hand crashing loudly onto the ground
"What the fuck! Hit ya head somewhere?"
The distant hum of machinery became clearer. He could hear technicians arguing one or two hangars away.
...
Perception +1
12 → 13
...
His own heartbeat quickened.
Everything felt...sharper.
Like a blurry image suddenly snapping into place. Pixel by pixel.
"Interesting."
...
Remaining Points: 4
...
This time he selected Agility.
...
Agility +1
15 → 16
...
His muscles seemed to tighten. His body lighter. Like he’d removed some invisible weights from his limbs.
...
Agility +1
16 → 17
Remaining Points: 2
...
K hesitated.
Then dumped both into Endurance.
...
Endurance +2
12 → 14
...
A pleasant warmth spread through his chest.
The subtle ache in his shoulders vanished almost immediately.
The crate suddenly felt lighter.
Much lighter.
Wait, there was no crate in his hands!
"Defying orders from your superior now, K?"
K nearly jumped.
Finch was staring at him.
Coffee cup still in hand. A angry vein popping on his forehead.
"No Sir."
"Get back to it. Start over"
"Yes Sir."
’Skills’
Another screen appeared.
...
[[SKILLS]]
Bloodlust — Lv.1
Progress:
25/100
Description:
Combat increases combat capability. Only triggered when Host is in ’Berserk’ mode.
Effects:
• 5% Strength boost.
• 5% Endurance boost.
• 5% Perception boost.
•2% Agility boost.
Percentage scales with level.
...
Oh.
He had seen the ’Bloodlust’ appear when he fought the Luituka Vashki.
"One hundred and fifteen."
"One hundred and sixteen"
Finch pointed at another crate.
"I can count"
"Is that so? Then how many injuries did you inflict on Lex"
"..."
"I...I don’t know Sir"
"Drop down, give me a hundred push-ups"
"Sir, Yes Sir"
K cursed under his breathe. He didn’t mean to hurt Lex. It was a necessary evil.
...
[[TITLES]]
Available Titles:
■ First Blood/Fresh on the battlefield
Reward:
+2% XP Gain
■ Tank It Like A Boss
Reward:
+3 Defense
■ Impossible Survivor
Reward:
+5% Endurance
+5% Recovery Bonus
Equip up to 3 Titles
...
Sweat pooled down his form as he counted,
"One hundred and seventy-eight"
Then something blinked at the bottom of the still open screen.
Something he hadn’t noticed before.
...
[[INVENTORY]]
17 Items Available
...
Right, the rings.
The menu expanded.
Rows of empty slots appeared.
Then one slot lit up.
Bright gold.
...
[[INVENTORY]]
U’Kan Ring ×17
Rarity: Elite
Possible Uses:
• Exchange for XP
• Crafting Material
• ???
• ???
• ???
...
He was currently on Level 3, pouring this rings into Xp might not entirely be a waste.
"Two hundred"
"Again!"
"Sir, Yes Sir"
He continued pumping, his clothes throughly soaked with sweat.
’50/50, would be better though. The rings might prove more useful for crafting something’
"You can use them too, y’know? Like the way Vashki use their rings"
"Gah!"
K lost his grip on the ground, slipping and slamming face first into the ground.
"Getting tired, boy?"
"No Sir!"
He hopped back into form.
"Did I startle you?"
It was the woman from the void...again. This time she sat on his back although he couldn’t feel her weight, she wasn’t real anyways.
"I am very much real"
’What do you want?’
"To help you"
She pushed a finger down on her bottom lip,
’No thanks you’ve helped a ton,’ as if expecting that response she sunk into ground and reappeared right beneath K, her arms hooked around his neck.
"I have knowledge I’m willing to share with you concerning that little ’system’ of yours"
"Two hundred!"
"Get up. Give me 25 laps, hangar 1 to hangar 5!"
"Sir, Yes Sir"
’How do you know of it?’
"Don’t you remember...I created it...well a variant of me did. I’ve come with a negotiation"
’Not interested’
"I’ll tell you where the Vashki planet is"
’I could ask Thira for that’
"Oh please, The Kept one refuses to speak of his people’s home planet...he has his own agenda, no?"
’Why do you call him ’the kept one’?’
"You want to know why?"
’If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be asking’
"Then you must help me first, then I’ll tell you everything"
’Why should I trust you?’
"Since your birth, I’ve sworn loyalty to you"
She hovered in front of him, leaning forward so much K felt her boobs might just fall out of her dress.
’What is the ’help’ you need?’
She clapped her hands excitedly,
"I need you to find my original body"
"What?"
He spoke aloud earning concerned looks form the engineers working at hangar 3.
"That’s all, I remember having a lab on a planet with clouds that rained diamonds and oceans as clear as day with beautiful night sea life. Once I get my body, I’ll tell you everything about the kept one and his home planet"
’For the record...’
"Hm?"
’I’m not doing this for you"
"Yes, you must save our people...it’s your duty and I, Shira will stand by you til the very end"
