It only took ten minutes for the pair to reach the small apartment complex. James along the way had managed to learn the name of the traumatized teen. The boy was surprisingly pliable, even if his replies were short and shaky. Now that they had arrived, a lookout was seated off to the side of the doorway in a rickety wooden chair. The build and face suggested it was a male, body covered up in a black jacket and jeans, a bat slung over the shoulder without a care. A potential threat, not that it phased James, who approached with Christian in tow, "Hey Christian! Where's Clay? You guys manage to get some food finally?

Christian, not knowing what to do deferred to James, fear in his eyes, "Hey man, this guy new I ai--", there was a loud crack from flesh hitting flesh at speed, James backhanding the lookout. The poor guy had his head turned from the force, body struggling to catch up sending him tumbling out of the chair to the lawn. Not interested in wasting time he glanced back to Christian who looked on the verge of tears again. "So how do we get in with that metal hunk blocking the way?" , his head inclined towards the security door setup out front of the normal door, bolted into the concrete.

"J-Jay.... th-they're not gonna open up with-without Jay or Clay sayin' something." Both lucid sets of eyes shifted to the male on the ground. "And you didn't say this before why?" Christian's head turned, his face covered in disbelief for a just a moment. After quickly realizing his mistake he scrunched up both his face and his body, waiting to be hit. Only it didn't come. Instead the bar was tapped on the top of Christian's head, after all, the walk had done wonders to calm James down, "Whats with that look? I don't just murder people for no reason. How're we gonna fix this?"

Christian held his emotions better this time, Yea, but Jay didn't do anything to you did he? All he did was ask if we had managed to get some food... Another tap of the metal rod on his shoulder brought him from his thoughts. James then lead Christian down by pointing it at Jay laying in a heap. "I didn't hit him that hard, see if you can get him up and get him to open the door." Expecting his will to be done, James stepped up to the door, tugging and pulling at the bars, testing just how sturdy they were compared to his new physique.

Christian had no luck waking Jay up, he at least could confirm that he was not dead from the way his chest was rising and falling, even if it was slow and erratic, "I. I d-dont think he's getting u-up anytime soon", James, currently had his feet pressed on the concrete wall on either side of the door frame. The t-shirt, one of Allison's, that had been a little baggy this morning, was filled out, showing every one of the bulging muscles crawling and rippling across his back and arms.

"Nngh." There was a high pitched whining noise and then three loud clangs, the first louder, the last two having lost some momentum. James fell to his backside, the bar he had been pulling on bent into an odd shape and sent tumbling out into the street like discarded waste. The outer door did its job surprisingly well, as only the bar he had pulled at snapped off. There was a loud huff and he hopped back to his feet, dusting at his pants almost on instinct. "You really should fix that stuttering problem... Hmm. Seven more of those fucking things or I can hope the door itself comes off. Is there a back entrance to the place or some kinda window?"

Shouldn't you have asked that first? Christians errant thoughts got a cough from James bringing him back to the present. "A-ah... no. The apartment owner kinda got tired of us hanging a-around.. had it bricked off, its why the front door has bars on it..", James sounding his reply, "Tch", just picked the metal rod up off the wall from where he leaned it. When he went to pull back the door behind the bars opened. There was the sound of a shotgun being cocked, and a deeper voice from the hallway beyond.

"The hell do you think you're doing?", un-phased, James stood there, rod coming up to rest on his shoulders as he replied, "Don't worry about that, just open up." The barrel was pushed out past the bars and then there was a bright flash and a cacophony of noise. James fell to the ground, rod flailing about with him, arms wrapped around his stomach in agony. "Christian who the hell is this idiot? Wheres Clay?", Christian kept his distance from James who was rolling around on the ground muttering something.

You have taken 35 [Blunt] damage.

Your Skill [Pain Resistance III] has leveled to [Pain Resistance IV]

"C-Clay is d-dead boss... this... this guy killed him.. I don-", while they were both distracted James had managed to get back to his feet and let out a yell, "THAT HURT YOU ASSHOLE! I'LL KILL YOU!", despite his snarling James had backed off away from the door not wanting another shot like that to hit him. The boss man didn't even skip a beat just cocked the shotgun again and pulled the trigger, giving James just enough time to avoid all but a few of the pellets spraying his legs. He hit the asphalt in a sideways jump, landing awkwardly, but still able to keep his balance enough to stay on his feet.

You have taken 5 [Blunt] damage.

"I don't know what drugs you're hopped on that lets you stand up after a hit to the gut like that but you better fuck off before I make you mincemeat", another shot, this time managing to miss completely due to distance. This guy was different than his goons, that much was clear. How the hell do I deal with this? That thing won't kill me outright but even then he's just gotta get a few lucky shots before I get him out of that place to knock me out. His free hand was still clamped down on his stomach, the pain fading away. A glance to Christian proved he was still just as useless, shaking and holding his ears eyes clamped shut like he was running away from reality.

The man, however, was smart enough to not open the outer door, instead he just kept his shotgun trained on James the entire time, not wasting anymore shells after the last one looked to have done literally nothing. Staring one another down, neither was willing to try and cross the distance, the man in his secured "bunker", and James avoiding more pain. Its either me or him.. I've antagonized them already, just walking away isn't going to ensure these fucks don't try and get me in my sleep

A scowl tightened on his features, beads of sweat from the pain he had felt a few moments ago staining his vision. Then a thought occurred to him, I have food... do I really need to stay around here? I mean. I intend on getting stronger anyhow... and killing monsters is probably the best way to do it... its not like this place will survive when the system releases the barriers.

The towns fate decided James spoke up, "Fuck it. You can have this place, I'll just deal with you later if the monsters don't do it for me", backing off even more his steps were slow, eyes focused on the man with the gun. He did not want anymore surprises, I'll just go home, get whatever is not bolted down and fuck off into the woods.. I should be able to take those wolves on one or two at a time, my body seems to regenerate quick enough. A thought brought his status into view.

STATUS TITLES SKILLS NOTIFICATIONS WIKI Name James Harbor Race Human Age 19 Level 11 Status Points 5 Resource Pools Stamina 95% Fatigue 62% Health 101/120 Mana 31/51 HP/s 1.65 --- --- Stat Points Strength 5 Constitution 5 Dexterity 5 Intelligence 10 Wisdom 10 Willpower 10

After confirming his status was recovering James refused to give them more time to try and plan. His body instantly turned, feet digging into the blacktop and propelling him down the street in a blur.

------------------------------------

The return to his place took half the time it did to go to the apartment, not slowing until he had jumped up and over the metal barrier. Giving himself time for a few deep breaths, his hands dipped into the pockets of the sweats he had on. Confusion crawled over his face, "Where are my keys?", and just like that he slapped his forehead. "I left them in the truck." Looking at the thick outer oak door in front of him he debated for a few moments on rather he should go through a window. "... Not like it matters, I ain't coming back here anyways and the landlord is either gone or will be in a few days."

Affirming his decision he stepped up to the door just little off to the right side, the same side the door knob was on. Body crouching down a little he took in a deep breath and then shot forwards, his leg snapping out, foot slamming into the door a few inches beside the knob. A loud cracking sound was followed by a crash as he had not only broken the lock, but sent the door sailing into the little shack he called home. James, for his part, stood there at the door way dumbfounded by the destruction he had just caused. "I really gotta get used to my strength.. its all over the place."

Understatement of the year aside, James walked in as the dust was clearing, only for him to look back at the door way and hang his head. "God damn it... where am I going to sleep tonight? I can't exactly stay here now that I've busted the front door in... getting back to my car in the dark sounds like a bad idea, plus who knows something might be able to open it like a sardine can." Tapping his foot on the floor, hand doing the same to his forehead, he fretted over it for a few moments before throwing both hands into the air. "Forget it. I'll worry about it after I get all my stuff packed away. Ten cubic feet should let me get a ton of stuff stashed."

Water. The first thing James did was go to his fridge and pull it open, snatching the gallon jug of water he had in it out and going to make it disappear. Only it didn't leave his hand. "The hell?" He kept trying to force it into his storage, and the jug refused, just sitting in his grasp mocking him. Getting ready to hurl it across the room he paused, eyes opening a bit, "The weight... How much does a gallon of water weigh again? Probably more than..." Now that he was thinking about it, his brain caught up, regurgitating the information it had acquired earlier today. He knew the limit was two pounds, or at least, that was the closest rounded approximation in the measurement system his brain was familiar with.

The dining room table had the jug plopped on-top of it, followed by five one pound bags of rice. A little bit of rummaging later and he had two tupperware containers amongst the group as well. He cut two of the bags of rice open and dumped it into the bigger container. That container faded from view just fine. The container popped back up on the table, letting him dump about a fourth of another bag into it. The container disappeared again only to reappear after. About another fourth was poured in. This time the container refused to fade away, confirming the hypothesis.

"So its closer to two and a quarter and two and a half, that makes this useless for bulk... Hmm." Bringing up his status he finally clicked the skills tab a list appearing in front of his face,

STATUS TITLES SKILLS NOTIFICATIONS WIKI Skill ListCurrent Points: 5 Arcane Duplication Level 1 Pain Resistance IV Level 4 Traits List Spatial Storage Level 1 First Blood ---- Fastest Learner ---- Boss Slayer V ---- Buffer Zone V ----

"Some have levels and some dont? Its not because they're traits, Spatial Storage has a level and its a trait. Can I just not level those then?", the expression on James's face was pensive, question posed aloud as he clicked on First Blood bringing the traits details into view,

TRAIT First Blood

A warrior understands the importance of striking often, but never forget that the first hit in a fight could be the determining factor of the one left standing.

First Blood ensures that first hit will always matter.

Source Achievement - First Blood Type [Rare] Ability The first hit on an opponent per fight causes a [Bleed] effect for 5% of their [HP] over 10 seconds.

"A free bleed?" , a hand wave sent the screen away so James could follow up with Fastest Learner,

TRAIT Fastest Learner

Knowledge is power. Using that knowledge to grow quickly is something beyond power.

Fastest Learner lets the [User] learn [Skills] far quicker than normal. It also provides a decent boost to experience.

Source Achievements - Fast Learner, Faster Learner, Fastest Learner Type [Epic] | [Unique] Ability [User] gains 30% more experience from all sources.

[User] gains 150% increased speed when learning [Skills]

+2 [Stat] points per level

There was a low whistle as he stared at the screen, eyes opened in surprise, "Man. Isn't that a little much? I learn skills almost three times faster than normal people.. wonder if I could find some martial arts master to teach me", a boisterous laugh broke from his throat as he waved it away and pulled up the next trait, Boss Slayer V.

TRAIT Boss Slayer V

Like the coming storm, a boss, no matter the strength, has to grit their teeth and endure.

You face off with monsters far stronger than you. Because of this you learn how to not only inflict more but also absorb more damage from them.

Source Achievements - Boss Slayer I, Boss Slayer II, Boss Slayer III, Boss Slayer IV, Boss Slayer V Type [Rare] Ability [User] does 30% more damage to Boss Monsters

[User] takes 10% less damage from Boss Monsters

A brow raised he could only shake his head and sigh, "And heres one I totally have no business having. I killed the damn thing by accident with my truck." He expected it, but it still soured his mood some, forcing him to swipe it away and pull up the last trait on the list, Buffer Zone.

TRAIT Buffer Zone V

Look and behold. The one whispered in the nightmares of monsters.

You tread a path walked by few, killing monsters far stronger than you on your own. Due to this normal monsters look upon you with a palpable fear.

Source Achievements - Solo Boss Slayer I, Solo Boss Slayer II, Solo Boss Slayer III, Solo Boss Slayer IV, Solo Boss Slayer V Type [Mythical] | [Unique] Ability Causes Monsters up to 5 levels above the [User] to experience [Fear] and [Confusion] Restriction Other [Users], Boss Monsters, Minions, as-well as Monsters lacking emotions are unaffected

The window hung there, James staring at it, for well over a minute before he swiped it away. The same hand came to his face, rubbing at it, trying to sooth his bruised ego. "Explains why the wolves didn't try to use me like a chew toy." Trying to look on the bright side he waved around in an exaggerated manner, forcing a smile to his lips, "Plus, makes hunting easier, or should anyhow, unless I run into something with no fear..."

That statement hung there, almost like a flag being put up to spite him for his past deeds. Focus shifted to Spatial Storage, the reason he pulled up his skills list in the first place, finding it the same as it had been before. "One point to upgrade...", a click, and the cost stayed the same while one of his points disappeared. Another click, and this time the cost jumped to two. He hesitated. What if I get something else to spend the points on? Frustrated, fingers went into his black hair, head slumping to the table, rattling off of it a few times.

One more wont hurt, I'd rather have more stuff with me. I'll always get more points later, plus there are those token things. A final click was made before he looked over the new window with a smile,

TRAIT Spatial Storage

A subset of [Spatial Magic], this [Trait] replaces the default [Inventory System]. The [User] is able to instinctively access a dimension created for them by the [System].

Unlike the [Inventory System] this [Trait] allows the [User] to theoretically store anything. This is limited by a weight limit per item, a stored [Mana] cost for [System] upkeep, and a maximum amount of [Mana] that can be stored at a time. These limitations can be improved via [Upgrades].

Further functionality and details must be accessed after [Evolving] the [Trait].

WARNING: Removing [Mana] for functions currently in use could result in catastrophic failure, loss of dimension contents, and potentially death.

Type [Mythical] | [Unique] Level 4 Current Functionality 16lb Max Weight | 1 [Mana] = 1.6 Cubic Feet | [Mana] Limit - 25 Upgrade Requirements 3 [Skill] Points / Tokens

"Let see... twenty-five.. fifteen... forty cubic feet. About sixteen pounds per item. I wont be able to store a house, but I should be able to take damn near everything important in my apartment besides furniture." The first thing that disappeared was the cold jug of water from his table, followed by the unopened rice bags, the half empty dumped into the container before it was closed and disappeared. Then the frenzy began.