With trembling hands and gasping breaths, Pef climbed onto the shore, and promptly drifted to sleep.

A few kicks woke him up.

*You have slept on a rocky beach. HP and MP recovered anyway. This time.

*You have gained the perk Shipwrecked: +1 Constitution. You look like you've been lost at sea.

*Swimming has reached level 9.

*You have been awakened by a Carabinieri kicking your ribs. Damage mitigation has reached lvl 4.

*Gamer's Body has prevented your ribs snapping off and piercing your lungs. Gamer's Body has reached level 3. You can ignore most injuries during combat.

"Filio de cazzo!" a rough voice yelled and Pef got kicked again. Something about a drowned cat?

*You have learned Italian. Mamma Mia!

"Why are you so angry officer?" He asked in a pleasant voice(and perfect Italian).

"... Errr. I thought you were another scumbag illegal immigrant, Mister. Did you fall from a ship?" the nice policeman asked him with real concern.

"Yes, we partied so hard last night... Now I have to take the bus to Bari...." Pef complained while drawing a few 100 Euro notes from his inventory, and looking around for the nearest bus station.

The Policeman's eyes glinted with altruism. "I think I can take an hour and drive you to the town. Always nice to help a fellow man, right?"

Pef nodded sagely and followed the nice policeman to his car.

On the road, Pef explored the menus of his new Gamer power, trying to figure out if there were any easy exploits.

Then suddenly a new notification popped up.

*You may enter an Instant Dungeon. This dungeon is called the "Madera città sotterranea"

'These dungeons are everywhere, right?' he asked in his mind.

The goddess didn't answer, but the question was rhetorical anyways. His entire was life was a game now, and obviously there would be dungeons and perhaps even dragons.

Pef made a note to return here soon, and explore the dungeon. But not without preparation.

Some time later, he arrived in Bari and bribed the good Samaritan with 500 euros for the ride.

And 20 minutes later, he sat down at a restaurant table and began wolfing down 5 adult menus. He wasn't hungry, but he also didn't feel much pain anymore. Better be safe.

*The Gamer has eaten. Adaptation for lack of food has been delayed.

Okay, he could save the money for food from now on. Probably drinks as well.

Stopping by a store, he purchased a dozen various items, from cleaning chemicals to cigarettes and whiskey.

Then he noticed a nearby hotel and rented a room, with soft, warm cash.

*You have tried smoking. You have Adapted to nicotine dependency, 700 various cancerigens, carbon monoxide poisoning, and smoke inhalation.

*You have tried getting drunk. You have Adapted to alcohol poisoning, 100 various cancerigens, and sugar dependency.

*You have drank industrial grade cleaning fluid. You have fainted.

*You have slept on a soft carpet, in your own room. HP and MP restored. Your bed feels neglected.

*Gamer's Body has prevented your stomach from dissolving into sludge. Gamer's Body has reached level 4. Poisons and toxins will not affect you that much.

Outside, it was beginning to turn dark.

Pef grinned and opened the room's window, looking for a route to climb down and then up. Not that difficult on the second floor anyway.

"Inventory!" he asked after that.

A yellow screen, with multiple tabs and columns appeared instead of the familiar blue note-screen.

"Time to test the limits then" he spoke to himself, and began trying various combinations and sizes.

The bed was the limit at first, bouncing off the screen, until Pef held it aloft with his strength, and pushed it into the inventory window.

"So, I need to be able to hold the object I want to store. Makes sense..." he whispered to himself.

Then he poked a finger into a storage box and said "Taze!" while channeling Lightning into his hand. The electric shock coursed along his arm and splashed into the inventory window like it was made of metal.

"Damn it! Can't store spells and free them later. And it was such an easy cheat..." Pef complained while pouring lighter fluid into the next storage box.

"Now...how to ignite it, safely..." Pef mused while glancing around the room. Perhaps setting fire to his hotel room wasn't a good idea. Not by accident. He decided to try this one a bit later.

A tall lamp entered his inventory, but the bulb didn't stay lit. Another failure. Free electricity would have been nice.

The same with a lit candle. The fire winked out when the candle was in storage.

However, ice cubes remained iced, which was great. It implied something about molecular vibration...

Perhaps he should try to buy some radioactive metals. If the inventory screen worked as intended, then the half-life time would be extended at least a million times. Without isotope decay, he could actually construct neutron beam weapons, connecting the power source of the gun to his inventory.

Pef tapped the yellow screen while mumbling. "It should work, but the materials and technology would cost a lot of money..."

*Update 1.024. Inventory screen will not allow radioactive materials to emit radiation during storage.

"Hey! If it was a bug, then I should get paid for finding the flaw!" Pef yelled in outrage.

*Ding! You have been granted 10000 euros, for your help. If you run, you may find an open pharmacy 200 meters westwards.

Pef shook his head in dismay. Buying the medication and everything else he needed would flag him in the system, somewhere.

Stealing was safer.

He placed a long handled lighter in the box next to the fluid. This type of lighter was meant to light bonfires safely. Tonight, it will play a different role. Well, identical, but also different.

With an elegant flip, he vaulted the window and began climbing down. Much too easy.

Another jump, and he climbed the building next door, taking care not to smash any roof tiles. Then he jumped onto the next house.

*You have learned Parkour. Running on roofs without tripping.

He focused on the courtyard below, where the deposit of a store selling sport gear was located.

One jump in, a few swipes and jumped up, back to the roof.

*You have stolen 49 types of clothes, 31 pairs of shoes, and a competition carbon bow.

Pef tapped the inventory, changing his outfit with a scuba diver suit, the material all black and soft. It even came with a hood, finger-less gloves and socks.

*Diver suit equipped. Neoprene allows for increased resistance to cold water or weather. Also, it doubles as an improvised stealth suit. Gain +1 Sneak while equipped.

*You have equipped tennis shoes. Gain +1 Athletics while equipped.

Pef smiled and took off, heading towards a nearby pharmacy.

"Volt" he cast after taking a look at the security system.

A blast of electricity blasted and melted most of the cameras and wires.

For a minute, Pef was a whirlwind, emptying out the entire pharmacy, from soap to aspirin and including computers or other measuring apparatus.

Lastly, he tried the inventory trick, making the lighter fluid pour onto walls and furniture or carpets, and then firing it up with the lighter. A furious fire combined with smoke and crackling of plastic and wood began.

Pef jumped up and ran to the roofs, while taking care not to attract attention.

*The Gamer has raided a sports store. +100 Exp.

*You have looted a pharmacy and set it on fire. +200 Exp.

*You have learned Stealing. You have learned Arson.

*You have used your Lightning Affinity to disable electronics, very inefficiently. You have learned a new spell, Hexa. Radius 50 meters. Costs 100 MP. Any non-hardened electronics in that radius are disabled. Avoid using it in hospitals.

Pef grimaced at the new spell. Basically a small range EMP.

Sure, it would be useful, against civilians and another mundane targets. But serious opponents, such as those Templars, would certainly have hardened devices.

A few minutes later, Pef arrived at another important location, a public library. "Hexa" proved to be invisible to the naked eye, but quite effective. He sneaked inside and began looting all the books marked as a manual, by his Observe skill.

This raid took longer than expected, but with an inventory instead of a robber sack, carrying off the loot was still easy.

Another run over the rooftops, and Pef returned to his hotel room, and began digesting the new lessons.

*You have learned Algebra.

*You have learned Geometry.

*You have learned Chemistry.

*You have learned Biology.

*

*

*You have learned Advanced Engineering.

*

*

*

*You have learned Ancient Aboriginal Rites and Rituals.

*You have learned The feeding habits of unladen swallows.

"Perhaps that last one wasn't really necessary..." Pef muttered while massaging his temples, feeling an incoming headache.

*Gamer's Mind has prevented you from getting a headache. Gamer's Mind has reached level 4. Minor traumas and mind afflictions are prevented.

You have studied 974 disciplines while in Italy, and achieved a new perk. Renaissance Man: +1 Mind attributes. + 1 to all attributes. +10 percent to seduction rolls.

*Pef the Gamer

Level 10, HP 370, MP 210

Strength: 13

Constitution: 17

Agility: 18

Magic: 21

Mind: 18

Charisma: 12

Kharma: 12