Chapter 15

* * *

The morning did not start out well.

My grandmother called me.

I generally love her, she's nice, but sometimes she has a sudden attack of preoccupation. And that's when anyone who hasn't had time to turn off the phone is in trouble.

Come to my place, aren't you hungry? What, are you having a bet with your father? What nonsense, we just won't tell him! Who's going to know? You overcomplicating everything. And call your mother, why don't you call her? What are you eating? Fast food crap?! Come here right now! You don't want it? I'll send you some money to buy some real food. Oh, stop this childishness, be a reasonable person! Come here, I don't want to hear anything!

And that's it for half an hour. Loving and completely disregarding my objections and various arguments. At the same time, my grandmother kept trying to persuade me to go back to study on various pretexts. Like, education is always useful, because "a good man is not a profession". That is, she does not even know what streamers do!

Finally, I resolutely lied that the shift starts and people are waiting for me - at this point, she curtailed her monologue and wished me good luck after a brief five-minute goodbye passed out. That was it, I could breathe, now she would not call for a week.

After walking through the empty corridors of the dormitory, I stepped outside, looked at the sun, at the green leaves, and decided that I wasn't going to exert myself today. No deep unreal, no miracles, no adventures. Boring С orders, minimal risk: the bonus is ticking, so hit the road! The phone, once again eavesdropping on my thoughts, gave out the most appropriate song:

"East bound and down, loaded up and truckin', we're gonna do what they say can't be done..."

That's right: "I've got a long way to go and a short time to get there". By the way, aren't there too many references in popular culture to something too similar to the System? What is primary, our idea of the unreal, or the unreal itself? It's all complicated, for a mere pretty boy.

I entered the Seventh Hall listening to the song for the twentieth time. It felt so good, I was walking along to it. Sage, glancing over the top of another newspaper, sneeringly stretched out: "Let's welcome our new celebrity!"

Brute, who was busy with his phone, and Goggles-kid, who was packing something in his bag, laughed cheerfully.

"Hey, hey, where did I become famous?"

It turned out that I had, unexpectedly, become a meme. Yesterday's relaxation on the bench, when I was pouring water on myself and rejoicing that I had escaped the heat, resulted in half a hundred pictures. My face was so happy, it looked like Hotei's Buddha.

After saving particularly good pictures for memory, I just shrugged my shoulders. Before I would have jumped to the ceiling, would have told everyone, would have made my way to the TV, so everyone would know that it was me, Marius Yulievich, so cool!

I'd rather do something useful now.

The storekeeper, having received both of my artifacts, took them away to charge them, while I decided to look at the proposed options for improvements. They give me a discount, right. I should at least take a look. Of course, I wouldn't buy anything from my employer, but it was worth it to plan some upgrades for my character.

So far the only slots I use are rings, cloak, and backpack. There is a slot for earrings, a slot for necklaces - one, but with the possibility to expand with amulets. Two slots for bracelets, one for a belt, a slot for gloves, and a slot for shoes. Clothing did not count as equipment.

A total of seven slots, what should we close first? I need a passive shield, something as a "last chance" or a save from a surprise attack. My most powerful artifact is the ring, all tactics are based on teleport. Not very good and not always suitable, but it's very simple and therefore effective.

On the other hand, running is good for rabbits, and I have a different totem animal. And I need at least something to defend myself actively. So that the villains will understand - no one dares to offend a hippo! And since active protection is hard to put on an earring or bracelet, I should look for gloves... Or shoes.

The bonus store did not offer much in the way of choice. At my level, the more or less useful one was the "premonition earring" with a range of ten seconds, which gave me a direction to a supposed threat. It was a pity that, judging by the description, it acted directly, through my brain, and that didn't sound safe. The bracelets with shields of various kinds, activated by command, were also unimpressive. Each was strictly against a certain type of attack, which meant that they could be changed by the courier as circumstances dictated. Come to think of it, it was not for nothing that my unknown colleague had an entire ring case for two dozen slots. And he left only one in it... why, by the way? The most unnecessary one? Or did he sell off the rest, stashing the most valuable? He had left encrypted records, too, so I'd better check them.

Tick the checkbox - to purchase an "identification scroll".

That's what I love about the chosen setting, is that it has the tools to solve all kinds of problems. Sometimes they are hard to get, but they are there by definition, which means the System can lead to them.

So the purchase of a single shield makes sense if I choose a route, find out all the dangers on it, and pick up the equipment for them. But on the universal set, I still do not have points. No coins, no crystals... And someone has them! Who are these ugly people who obviously got rich dishonestly! How would I myself so ...

I closed the shopping tab almost with annoyance. Everything is either expensive or unnecessary, or purely for work. Worth thinking about sharpening the bag to increase the volume, also making sense of emblems on the cape, like reducing fatigue, although they are disposable. The bonus store is all for those who want to roam the city and take orders, but nothing useful for the inter-world merchant. Why would I want "I'm fun today!" sticker on my bag or pictures of long-forgotten memes?

However, the System immediately mitigated my disappointment: the discount also applied to the auction sessions. Which I took advantage of.

Delivery System Worker Outfit used and discounted

I scrolled through the list, noticing only that some positions had been open for years. The prices were no consolation, either: if you make an honest income, that's how much running you would have to do! One item made me think, but it was not even a used item, but part of the work set, converted for specific needs clearly homemade. And still, fifteen thousand was a lot of money. Where to get it first? Though it's a promising piece of equipment... albeit situational.

"Take it."

As I put the rings on, I remembered that I sort of still had a gift. The storekeeper, after swiping the reader, returned almost immediately with a small box. So what are you, "skill system dummy"? Open it up...

A balloon? A balloon, except the material, is kind of silky and it has a pretty massive ring where it's inflated. With runes. Apparently, the mannequin is an inflatable. The scanner, worth hovering over the "balloon," again gave me a link to install the Skills System app, which I again dismissed. First, it is worthwhile to understand what it is at all and why.

The goggle-eyed kid said goodbye and left, and I, under Sage's usual muttering that young people do not listen to or understand anything, first went to the bulletin board, and then to the auction. It took me half a thousand points to formulate a request so that the names of the lots at least understand what I should ask. It turned out that I need something like a guide for dummies with personal notes.

I know such guides, I wrote them myself. And then two years bought a penny recipe from an NPC resold at auction for many times the price, because according to my guide it can not work without it. Three or four grand a day lazy guys bought at auction, so it's not all so unambiguous.

Looking for a brief and detailed manual on the activation, operation, and features of the Skills System dummy, compiled by someone who has used it for at least a month

Send?

Yes/no

Goodbye, two hundred points. But everything on the board was too generic, and almost all the links led to paid resources, so I'd rather splurge.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

Buzz.

The downloaded file had the checkbox "Verified by the System" and was worth three coins. After quickly reading the description, I glanced at the "Confirm Purchase" button and decided to cheat a little. No, I'll pay, of course! But first I have to be sure... So, what's in the app? Is it even like that? I mean, is that how it works?

I turned to the noisy coughing Sage and then looked at the screen. No, everything was there, and everything was clear. The only thing is that if you take the text out of sight, it is immediately forgotten. Maybe there's a way around it, like re-shooting the screen or something...

Accept.

Order paid!

But it would be easier this way. Besides, what if there is active protection built-in? What if it blows up.

Putting the phone down, I wondered once again if I needed to get involved in another System. I was already thinking that Delivery was enough to distort the world, but what if these unknown Skills were to break it completely?

On the other hand, who was just whining about the lack of an arsenal? If the skills are given a chance, do I really want to pass? At least look at it, try it out. Especially since it's unlikely anything can get past Delivery. The same one that watches even what I say on the shifts. And if a letter from S. S. ever came in the mail, I'm sure it will somehow help me in my messenger's work.

After convincing myself, I activated the first quest of the day and headed for the bus stop, reading the guide I had purchased.

Remember, the mannequin is your second "self", you need to consider and always realize that you can pump only what you can pump. On the other hand, it's not you, so you can put it in conditions where you yourself would not risk.

That's a fancy way of putting it.

If you are reading this, it means you have a com. I recommend that you install the SS app and study it carefully.

Comm...unicator? From what setting did he write?

Activation is simple: fill the form with your breath, and at every moment think about the essence of what is happening.

Inflate the balloon and be wowed.

Afterward, set him the necessary conditions. Don't worry, the dummy is intelligent enough to develop the skill.

That's what's frightening.

In general, the guide described the creation of a character in an uncomplicated slasher, I even hesitated about what was supposed to happen. In addition, the man was clearly not from our world, or rather not from our time. So could describe the game man, never sat down for a computer, but a day stood behind the player and now is trying hard to explain everything, as far as I understand what is happening. From the whole guide, I realized only one thing - to inflate the "balloon" should think about what should happen.

It's a pity it doesn't say exactly what it is.

That's how you can screw up a character creation!

The quest matched the level of difficulty, another silent and face-hiding customer took the package and quickly locked the door. Okay, what other problems do I have? Umruns. More than a hundred Umruns, somewhere in hell, who managed to get through to the System.

Or more than a hundred people caught in the middle of nowhere, asking for help?

I know how to get to them, they will form orders and I can even make money on it. I'll be able to earn good money, one vial will be like a month of running on quests. Why take them out of there, let them collect dew, and I'll trade it for useful junk. They're dead anyway, aren't they?

I sighed and decided to tone down my cynicism. I was not living in the evil twentieth century, but in the normal twenty-first, and why not help people... yes, people. Whoever they are. Another thing is, how do you help? You have to make sure it's worth doing before you do good. Hmm, that didn't sound right. But throwing yourself into doing crap thinking you're saving the day? Fly, fish! A bird just drowned.

There's no question how to get them out - there's a room full of goat-footers over there. Since there are many of them, it is possible and cost-effective to transport large groups of sapients. But where to? Back here? They don't realize they're dead. So we have to take them to another world.

To a different setting, to be more precise.

Find a job for a hundred people, a house, prospects - and such that they would agree to it. Or do we have some sort of witness protection program... of other worlds? I'll think about it tomorrow.

And as if hearing my indignation, things suddenly got better. The transport came as soon as I approached the bus stop, no one was pushing me, and as soon as my legs got tired, a seat was made available. The day passed under the sign of relaxation, after yesterday's hot walk I tried to choose places in a draught, pulled the occasional cold water, listened to music, updated the page with memes about myself from time to time, and when I became ashamed of my unproductive laziness, I fiddled with the settings onlifance, where I planned to put "Mira the Catgirl Cosplay".

The C-rank orders were coming in one after another, I didn't even think there was that much mystique in the city. I'm not so sure about that dog, though. Was it really starting to rot, or was it just the hairless one in the garbage? I was a little worried, though, and she took the bag with the order, said thank you, and tipped me a little.

Tired but satisfied, I returned to my dorm.

And yet, no matter how accustomed I was to the miracles of the unreal world going on around me, I was holding the "ball" of the mannequin in my hands for a long time. I made tea for the second time, washed and did the laundry, and even read the news of international politics... but for some reason, the problem did not think to resolve itself.

By myself, all by myself.

Resolutely exhaling, I cleared my mind... from the panicked cries... I put the ring to my lips, taking a breath.

Coughing, I exhaled and put the balloon away. What do I want to get out of it? It says in the guide that a dummy needs to be shown a skill, and then it starts practicing it on its own, and then it can be transferred to itself or sold. He is not allowed to become smarter or stronger, but he can develop a small skill into something bigger. He is also "like a servant, but not subject to the vices of lesser men".

Why am I so tempted to do this? I wasn't going to get into another system, was I? Or am I so valuable that I've been forced into it? The warranty is on, I forgot to click, so I'm still a unit of Delivery, not an independent person. Is this me being shared fraternally?

But on the other hand, some vague perspectives emerge, and it even seems right. Since I'm a minor character, I should be put in these situations, right? And I can handle them. After all, to help the hero at the right moment, I should be able to do at least something.

Calmly I brought the ring to my lips again with determination. Inhale...

At first, everything was going quite normally. I thought about the essence, but the balloon was just inflating and nothing else was happening. Only when I thought I should rest and tried to pull the ring away from my lips did THIS start.

The damn dummy just refused to disconnect! What's more, I suddenly felt the air come out of me all by itself. It wasn't me inflating the balloon, it was the balloon inflating by it!

If it wasn't for the warranty... Or was it me who was so hardened in adversity?

It doesn't matter - I just got caught up in the idea that I need to think about what I want to get. I need a skill dummy! He has to be durable, successful, like me, promising...

I couldn't breathe in, my vision began to darken.

... It will help me like I help my parents. He will be something I want to have. He'll be... be... like me.

Even when this sucking flow stopped, I couldn't breathe. It was as if I'd forgotten how to do it. Or that knowledge had been taken away from me, leaving only the pain in my chest. Somehow it wasn't in my lungs, but somewhere deeper.

"Boss?"

I coughed and finally let out an intermittent sigh, and through the dark flickers in front of my eyes, I was able to see a large dark figure looming over me.

Fear not, for the wise System shields his thoughts from betrayal.

The whirlwind of thoughts in my head, still not quite out of the asphyxiation, suddenly gave out one, quite specific - that the Skill System works with the unembodied unreal directly? They have original "dummies". I was stupid enough to create just this. I could have at least ordered Superman or Superwoman to conquer the world afterward. On the other hand, if I'd done something stupid like that, I would have been the one pumping skills for him, not the other way around.

I looked at the figure standing across from me with a patient expression, coughed, and greeted:

"Hi... Junior."

He was three years younger than me, about the same age as Glasses-kid. What else would I call him?

The dummy smiled rubbery-white in my face, scratched the "ring" imbedded in the forehead, and happily responded:

"Hey, boss! What do I have to do?"

* * *