I’ve had my fill of wonderful fried scallops for today. So now I am simply relaxing in my hotel room with Francis by my side, holding my hand. His other hand, and most of his attention, are focused strongly on his phone, though, as he plays the video game Dungeon Core Saga Tactics II. It is a game that, I have learned, has over three billion downloads on all its platforms combined—iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Xperia, and NintendOS—and is thus the most popular game in the history of the world.

My own pink-haired visage becoming something of an internet meme on that Vine app Francis showed me only further establishes just how famous the Dungeon Core Saga Series has become. Many people seem to believe that I am a genuine full-time Blaze Blitzer cosplayer, and support my rebellion more because of it.

I take no interest in such things. I had briefly started the game back when we were in Los Angeles, but after I was kidnapped, I never got another chance to play it. It was brand-new back then, but now it’s a cultural phenomenon. Crazy how things like that happen sometimes, isn’t it?

Games no longer grab me, for reasons that should be obvious to anyone with a mind. But being next to Francis while he is grabbed by a game does indeed bring me happiness.

{Aw, thanks for the warm feelings, dude,} Francis says.

{No words, Francis. Only warmth.}

{I’m not saying any words. This is just our link.}

{Oh, right.}

Suddenly, Francis lets go of my hand and puts both screens on his phone, tapping away rapidly. “Ah, crap,” he says.

“Is something wrong?”

“They’re doing the Streamy Awards tonight, and I got nominated in eight categories. The U.S. government is threatening to shut down the broadcast if I win any awards, but they’re going along with it anyway. Apparently one of the presenters was already spotted with a pink wig on. Shit, am I going to perform a #StreamiusSweep? Holy shit! I gotta get to a computer.”

He dashes out of the hotel room and down to the hotel lobby where the public computers are located.

{I wish you luck,} I think with the best of my [Empathetic Link.]

In the meantime, it will be best for me to work on myself.

That is, for my long-awaited deep dive into my Destiny Deck System and the Destiny Cards within.

I have progressed greatly even since the last time I really stopped to examine my stats, so it will be a very useful thing to examine it all.

After almost two weeks of training at Mount Osore, I am now up to [612 DP,] which of course means that I can do amazing things, even just as a Level 19 B-Rank [Adventurer.]

But first, let’s see what this B-Rank [Adventurer] can offer in terms of stats...

Strength

304

Speed

24

Agility

41

Wisdom

97

Defense

131

Charm

179

Viscosity

109

Deftness

79

Charisma

61

Manners

11

Power

227

Sturdiness

140

In recent levels, I have increased my stats by quite a lot, which makes me very happy. My [Manners] stat has not done much good, continuously increasing the further into rebellion I go, but everything else has done very well. Can you imagine how much I have grown since I first came to Earth?

Actually, I have a stat history in my HUD. I can see exactly where I was when I first was hit by that fateful carriage as a Level 17, D-Rank [Adventurer] with no clue what was in store:

Strength

16

Speed

5

Agility

5

Wisdom

5

Defense

11

Charm

21

Viscosity

2

Deftness

16

Charisma

4

Manners

18

Power

46

Sturdiness

0

Oh, how things have changed. I thought I was overpowered when my [Power] was 46, and now it is nearly fivefold that original number.

I’m very happy about how far I’ve come.

But there is another thing I somehow hadn’t realized...

I’m at Level 19 already. One more level-up, and I am eligible for a Rank Up. And I absolutely have the Destiny Points available for it. I have [612 DP] right now, after all.

Should I do it... Right here?

The tradeoff is a particularly difficult one. Life Points are doubled from 25,000 to 50,000, but leveling up becomes more difficult, requiring a full 50 DP per level. If I need to heal myself, I can currently level up over 15 times, at 40 DP. But at Rank A, it drops to 12.

I have to wonder, will that make a difference in a large-scale combat situation? Will my latent, locked [Demigod] class interfere with my Life Points drain?

The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that ranking up is absolutely the right thing to do. I’ve got to do it.

And I will... In front of everyone, in order to celebrate my advancement. Ranking up is supposed to be a joyful occasion, and doing it alone with no one around is quite boring, and almost sacrilege for those back on Mystix. Soulless, apparently.

For now, I will focus only on my Destiny Cards and the things remaining for me to do in my path towards S-Rank heroism.

First, my Achievements Board which I probably haven’t checked in six months or more:

Level up for the first time.

✓

Join the Adventuer’s Guild.

✓

Draw a Rank 8 card.

✓

Trade 50 cards with other system users.

✓

Fast Travel three times in one day.

Eat a food with a Quality Rating of at least 850.

Obtain your first map.

✓

Duel another System user.

✓

Sleep at 10 inns.

✓

Customize your HUD.

Discover a Quantum Dungeon.

Pray to The Goddess every day for a week.

(Progress: 0/7)

Gain 10 DP in one day.

✓

Unlock and use the Costume Changer.

Complete the tutorial software.

✓

Travel over 100,000 miles.

✓

Sleep at 125 inns.

(Progress: 50%)

Visit both North Spire and South Spire.

✓

Defeat a member of royalty in battle.

✓

Kill your first monster.

✓

Fight a B Rank opponent.

✓

Meet a [Demigod.]

Defeat the boss of an Apex Lair.

Uncover buried treasure.

Adjust the System Personality settings.

✓

Use the Wedding function and marry another System user.

Become drunk to the point of passing out. Keep going.

Draw a Rank 5 card.

✓

Frighten a goblin away from its gold.

Perform a stunt so impressive that a bystander shouts “Superb!”

Slay a Skeleton Army General.

Kill an unarmed opponent.

Kiss someone while underneath a waterfall.

Reach E Rank.

✓

Access your Sorting Scepter to assess your options.

Reach the Top 16 of the Grand Tournament.

Sail over 10,000 miles.

✓

Soak at 15 hot springs.

✓

Rescue a damsel in distress.

✓

Recite the Great Commandments of the Adventurers 5 times.

Fight a Goblin Boss.

Reach C Rank.

✓

SECRET: Unlock this hint by reaching Rank A.

Meet a Hidden Kobold.

Defeat a [Toxin.]

✓

Make love under the twilight moon.

✓

Reach A Rank.

Defeat a summoner in battle by converting its own summoned creature.

Obtain nine Inventory Slot cards.

Obtain six Inventory Slot cards.

Go undetected by ten opponents for five minutes.

✓

Perform a triple jump.

Discover a new location for the first time.

✓

Figure out a terrifying secret.

✓

Draw 5 discounted Destiny Cards in a row.

Obtain a Dragon skull.

Defeat 100 enemies in a single day.

Travel over 1,000 miles in one day.

✓

Eat over 7,000 calories of food in a day.

Draw 1000 cards.

✓

Draw 100 cards.

✓

Draw 10,000 cards.

(Progress: 88.5%)

Defeat yourself.

I have greatly neglected my Achievements Board in recent times, mostly because the alerts when I unlock them are very easy to miss. They often occur when I am in the heat of battle, after all.

Not that the rewards tend to be mightily impressive for a seasoned [Adventurer.] They seem very geared towards younger and less experienced heroes, of which I was of course one just one year ago. Of course, the [Demigod] cards that make up much of my Destiny Deck are likely a major benefit that normal [Adventurers] don’t receive, so perhaps the rewards are better for those sorts of fellows.

Well, I have two unclaimed Achievements for me here, so let me unlock their rewards...

First, “Sail Over 10,000 miles.” Completed just on the trip over here! The reward is...

Poof!

A sailboat toy that appears out of thin air and then plops onto the hotel bed.

How worthless... Esther might enjoy it, at least. She likes to take apart toys and then reassemble them.

Okay then, “Go undetected by ten opponents for five minutes.” I must have unlocked this one while escaping from the U.S. military base.

The reward is...

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

Five Destiny Points, bringing my total up to [617 DP.]

Ironically, had a stealthy hero have avoided their opponents then opened this Achievement Board for the reward, they would have blown their cover just from the dings. What a nasty surprise that would have been.

No new Destiny Cards or anything to go along with these achievements. Sad.

As for my actual list, then...

Download: Rank 5. Absorb 50% of the stats of target for 5 minutes. Cost: 140 LP.

Pickpocket: Rank 6. Use a random Destiny Card from target system user (the card is consumed for them). Cost: 1250 LP.

Time Acceleration. Rank 4. Speeds up time x5 for what feels to you like 5 minutes. Cost: 800 LP.

Skill Check: Rank 1. Examine the variables around you. (There is a small chance that your next action will go exceedingly well or exceedingly poorly.) Cost: 50 LP.

Blaze Up: Rank 3. Creates a flame aura around the user. Cost: 300 LP.

Nature Power. Rank 3. Suck power from all plants in a 5 ft. radius. Cost: 600 LP.

Major Heal: Rank 4. Gain 3,000 LP. Cost: 0 LP.

Dig: Rank 2. Gain the ability to dig through dirt and rock at a rapid pace for 60 seconds. Cost: 739 LP.

Fireball: Rank 1. Shoot a fireball. Cost: 10 LP.

Skill Check: Rank 1. Examine the variables around you. (There is a small chance that your next action will go exceedingly well or exceedingly poorly.) Cost: 50 LP.

Overload Spark: Rank 5. Deal electric damage to each selected target within one mile. Cost: 888 LP.

Not very well-optimized, now is it? My cards are still stuck in the mode of when I was forced to become something of a Destiny Card farm to draw cards and trade them away to other C-Rank system users.

I’ll have to fix that!