He noticed that there was an expanded version of his profile, which had now become available, so he opened it up after assigning his new points to Luck.
>> DOMINION ULTRIMAX PLAYER PROFILE
NAME: Pete – Vault Breaker, Dice Doomsayer
CLASS: Penny Pincher
LEVEL: Novice
>> CORE ATTRIBUTES:
Credit Rating [Constitution]: 2
Asset Leverage [Strength]: 2
Liquidity [Agility]: 10
Market Insight [Intelligence]: 0
Capital Stability [Wisdom]: 0
Investor Confidence [Charisma]: 0
Speculative Yield [Luck]: 3
>> SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES:
Temporary Debuff: -20 Luck [6.25 hrs remaining]
Prestige: 6
>> RED LEDGER STATUS: Well Fed
>> PROFICIENCIES
+| CONSTITUTION
Pain Tolerance 3
Stamina 1
+| STRENGTH
Brawling 2
Heavy Melee Fighting 1
Bare Fist Fighting 1
+| AGILITY
Archery 13
Critical Strike Damage 4
Stealth 3
Dodge 2
Vehicle Handling 1
Deflection 1
+| INTELLIGENCE
NA
+| WISDOM
Combat Awareness 1
+| CHARISMA
Fearsome [Goblins] 10
Diplomacy 7
Leadership 3
Showmanship 2
Intimidation 2
Personal Magnetism 1
+| LUCK
Battle Fortune 2
There was something pleasing about seeing the numbers start to stack up even though it hadn’t even been a full day since the game started. All the confusion, the pain, the frantic fighting—it was good to see that he was starting to make some progress. Of course, Pete found it difficult to know how he was stacking up at this early stage of the contest because he had no frame of reference. While the game System had certain mechanics that behaved a lot like the kinds of frameworks he was accustomed to as a gamer, there were still a hell of a lot of unknowns, and it was difficult to gauge his progress without having a definitive series of numbers to measure against.
There were seven levels, Pete remembered, and they corresponded to each of the arenas that had to be passed to progress. But there was a hell of a lot of progress that needed to take place between each arena. He’d have to acquire a hundred core attribute points, and that would take a bunch of missions, achievements, and God only knew what else. With everything he’d been through already, and even with the Mammon System paying special attention to him, Pete had only amassed 17 attribute points.
As he opened up the passenger side door to the RV front cabin, Pete mentally brought up the list of arena levels.
>> AMATEUR LEAGUE
Novice Arena
Initiate Arena
Gladiator Arena
Veteran Arena
>> PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE
Apex Arena
Paragon Arena
Godslayer Arena
Four levels and four arenas to clear before he hit the professional league. That meant four hundred core attribute points, and Pete shuddered to think how many goblins and other enemies he’d have to kill to reach that point.
“How close?” Sam asked, turning to face him as she started the Winnebago.
He shrugged. “Nero, how close can we get to the elite boss without him noticing us?”
[Nero] That depends on the boss in question, I’m afraid. Coin Lord Grindle is not a solo boss, but rather the leader of a clan of Noob Riders. Thus, while the boss himself may not notice you if you are within half a mile of his location, he may have Riders scouting the area searching for enemies.
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Pete pressed a thumb and forefinger against the bridge of his nose. “What I’m asking is whether they can see us on a map like we can see them, or can they only see us if we’re physically within sight?”
[Nero] Oh, I see. In that case, no, they will not be able to detect you by means of a game map. Some enemies possess the ability to track enemies or potential targets using radar and other such surveillance mechanisms, but not Coin Lord Grindle or his Riders. Engineer class enemies or tinkerers are more likely to possess that technology, but Coin Lord Grindle is more interested in improving his Fleshcycle and maximizing his influence within the game.
“Okay, thanks, Nero. We should try to get close enough so that we can scope them out but without being seen.”
“Somewhere we can get out of in a hurry if shit goes bad,” Sam added.
She brought up her map, and the pair began looking for viable options. After a few seconds, Pete pointed to a large square structure beneath the area where Coin Lord Grindle and his Riders were situated.
“There!” he said.
“A carpark?”
“It should give us a good view of the enemy, and that one has at least three exits we can use if we get into trouble.”
“Nero,” Sam asked, “is there a way to tell whether this building has been locked down as a residential zone?”
[Nero] Of course. Simply adjust the settings thusly.
A cog symbol on the lower right section of the screen flickered with golden light, and a new menu showed up with several available options. Nero scrolled through the items and clicked on one labeled ‘Novice Residential Zones Indicated.’ When he closed down the menu, all of the shielded buildings on the map were surrounded by a light green box.
The mall that the carpark was attached to was locked down, but the carpark itself wasn’t.
Sam nodded. “Okay then. Let’s do it.”
The plan was simple enough. They’d spend the next six hours waiting out the Luck debuff, eating, and scoping out the enemy. The goblins would test out their new classes, and if there were any low-level enemies nearby, the group would use those to gather loot and experience where possible.
It irked Pete to be wasting so much time, but attempting to fight an elite boss while he still had a minus 20 Luck debuff was just asking for trouble. They also needed time to eyeball the enemy and see what they were up against to make a plan that ensured they didn’t all get wiped in the first few seconds of the attack.
“Two main options as I see it,” Sam said. “We go straight for the boss and hit it with everything we have until it's down and ignore the smaller mobs, or we take out all the little guys and then hit the boss when they’re dealt with.”
“I say we hit the smaller mobs first,” Pete replied. “We might be able to take most of them out without getting close enough for the boss to hit us with its main attacks, and there's a chance we could even pick up attribute points. A couple of those could really make a difference.”
She nodded. “I get that, but you've seen the radius on this boss, right?” Sam brought up the map once more, indicating the large red circle surrounding Coin Lord Grindle. There were a bunch of smaller red dots sitting within that larger circle and some outside, indicating the Noob Riders that accompanied the boss.
“Most of those smaller enemies we’re not going to be able to touch without getting in range of the boss. That's risky.”
Pete nodded. “That's where we need Coop to help keep the attention away from us. I should also be able to stealth in close and take out the enemies without being seen.”
“So, we keep the focus on Coop while you and I take out as many small mobs as possible. Maybe get Craig to help Coop and keep the attention away from us.”
“I think that’s our best approach, yeah. Then, once the smaller mobs are done, we find a vulnerable point with the elite boss and hit it with everything we’ve got.”
Sam frowned. “Nero, do elite bosses have vulnerable points?”
[Nero] All bosses and enemies exhibit vulnerabilities, yes. However, those vulnerabilities will not typically become apparent until you face the enemy in battle. Unless you possess technology or class abilities that specifically highlight weak points, you may not be able to identify them. There are various potions and other items you can buy that will assist with this, but those are typically only available at higher levels.
“Is there anything we can buy though?” Pete pressed. “Anything that could give us some information on weak spots?”
[Nero] On occasion, items are sold in Vend-o-matic machines that can assist with identifying weak spots in enemies; however, I do not think that the System will permit something so useful at this stage in your game journey.
“It wants us going in blind?” Sam pressed.
“Makes it more exciting,” Pete said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “I’m guessing it also makes the betting more interesting.”
[Nero] Just so. Given that the Mammon System has identified your party as a group to focus on during the early phases of the game, it will do everything it can to make your journey as thrilling as possible for viewers. That includes keeping you in the dark with certain aspects of what you will face and limiting the availability of higher-level gear and equipment, which might give you an advantage. You will be forced to rely on your own wits and the various abilities you’ve been able to amass thus far.
They settled into silence as the RV drove on. The roads were relatively clear of enemies, and both Sam and Pete decided to avoid veering too far away from their destination. When they came to the car park, they found it about half full, but with enough space to allow them to reach the top level unimpeded. Sam parked the RV, and the group all piled out and headed to the rooftop barrier, which afforded a clear view of the region below, including the intersection where Coin Lord Grindle and his entourage were situated.
Sam pulled out some of the food they’d acquired earlier and handed it around. For the next few minutes, they ate in silence, watching the scene below.
“Okay, well, this was a dumb idea,” Pete admitted with a smile. “Unless we have night vision goggles and binoculars, we’re not gonna see much from up here.”
He motioned towards the intersection, where the sound of roaring engines could be heard along with the occasional screech of tires. They couldn’t actually see the boss directly, but a series of high-beam headlights, which Pete guessed were at the front of the Fleshcycle, scoured the area like the beam from a lighthouse.
“Yeah,” Sam said. “I guess it made more sense in my head. I figured even in the dark we’d be able to see something that might give us some valuable information.”
Pete snorted. “Lesson learned, I guess. We need to pick up some binoculars the next time we hit a kiosk, and we should make sure we do our scouting in daylight.”
“Why not wait until the sun rises?” Craig asked. “We were told during our induction to this planet that your sun appears every twelve hours or so.”
Pete nodded. “Yeah, but there’s a bunch of shit we need to do after we kill this boss and his goons. We need to set up a lure to pull the Coinflayer storm away from the Novice Arena entrance, and then we’re gonna have to skirt around it to reach the entrance. I want to try and find Ollie too. That’s all gonna take time, so if we blow through twelve hours, that will give us less than a day to get all of that shit done. As it is, I have a feeling we’re gonna be cutting it fine.”
The look on Craig’s face told Pete that there was a lot the little goblin didn’t know about their plans, so they spent the next few minutes covering the details so that everyone was clear on the rough plan. Pete also found that, while neither Craig nor his goblin companions had access to the Distract the Coinflayer quest, it was possible to share that quest with them all, given that they were in the same party.
While Craig confirmed that he and his companions had received the quest, Coop slunk off into the darkness, padding quietly across the carpark roof. Pete noticed her leave and wondered what had caught her attention.
[Pete-Private-Coop] Hey, what’s up?
[Coop-Private-Pete] There’s something here. I can smell it.
[Pete-Private-Coop] Something like what?
[Coop-Private-Pete] I’ll tell you when I find it.
Pete turned to Sam. “You seeing anything on the map? Any enemies nearby?”
She opened up the map, squinting. “Shit! Yeah, there are…but they’re not Noob Riders; they’re something else. Moving really slow too.”
She shook her head. “Damn it, Nero, isn’t there some kind of warning system we can use with these maps to tell us when there are enemies approaching? That’s game mechanics 101.”
[Nero] There are various modifications that can be purchased once you upgrade your Comms unit. These aren’t available at the early stages of the game, however.
“Well couldn’t you have at least warned us?”
[Nero] I’m afraid that I am not permitted to perform that function. I can, of course, advise if there are enemies nearby when asked the question directly, but I am unable to provide such a service without—
“Forget it!” Sam blurted, sending Wolfy out into the darkness in the direction Coop had gone. “Coop! Can you see anything?”
“No,” the ferret called back. “But I can sure as hell smell it. Stinks to high heaven over here and—”
There was a sound like a whip cracking, followed by the unmistakable sound of Wolfy snarling. Pete pulled out his machete and moved towards Coop, with Sam and Craig by his side. The other goblins stayed back, Grizzle clutching the Testament of Ashes to her breast while Torgo huddled behind her.
“Coop?” Pete called out, scanning the darkness ahead and seeing something moving up ahead. “Talk to me!”
“I’m fine!” her voice came back. “Damned thing just tried to take my head off, that’s all.”
The ‘damned thing’ that she was referring to came into focus as Pete and the others moved closer. A swell of faint, sickly green light surrounded a tall figure that loomed above both Coop and Wolfy. It was a plant of some kind, an oversized vine with a thick trunk and bulbous fruit hanging off its larger tendrils. Dozens of thinner, whiplike tentacles sprouted from the tree-thing, and Pete saw, as he moved closer, that it wasn’t fruit dangling from the plant creature’s limbs, but half-rotten goblin heads.
One of those heads was leering down at Coop, its mouth twisted as it spoke in a wet, gurgled insult.
“The fuck are you looking at, you albino fuck!”
A second head bobbed down from above, its face missing one eye with a worm wriggling out of the hole.
“What are you gonna do for a face when the baboon wants its ass back?!”
Coop turned to face Pete and, for the first time he could remember, she seemed absolutely baffled.