The package did offer some variety, but for someone used to eating a wide range of foods, it felt pretty limiting.
The irony was not lost on me that I would indeed have to kill to get something to eat. I was hoping a Level 2 Kobold would drop a new Food Package with different types of food.
With a hundred and six upgrade shards available, it felt like the right time to improve a few more things in the apartment. The chair cost 15, the couch took 25. After that, a glance around the room had me wondering what to upgrade next.
I walked to the bathroom and sanctioned the sink—it cost me a whopping 15 shards. Opening the medicine cabinet carefully, making sure not to touch it with bare skin, I was hit with a horrifying thought: I hadn’t brushed my teeth in three days.
The toothbrush took another 10 and the toothpaste 5 and 2 more to make it unlimited.
Brushing my teeth felt surprisingly comforting. For a few brief seconds, I almost felt normal again—like everything hadn’t gone to hell. But the moment passed, and reality came crashing back in. It was time to head out and kill more Kobolds.
I stepped out of my apartment but hesitated in front of the building. I wanted to explore somewhere new, but honestly, I wasn’t even sure which streets I’d already been down. So I picked a direction and started walking, trying to turn onto roads that felt unfamiliar.
Keeping my eyes on my Mini Map I soon found Kobolds. The problem was that they were Level 1 Kobolds, and the only Level 2 Kobolds I found were walking in pairs. After some time searching, I decided to follow a pair and see if they would split up.
It took a while, but eventually they split up—one ducked into a store, and the other kept walking. I chose to follow the one that kept moving. Once it was far enough from the first, I made my move.
I had a few spells now but chose to stick with my usual fighting style—saving the Mana Shield for when the Kobold got close. The shield only lasted ten seconds, and I didn’t want to waste it while attacking from a distance.
I struck first with a Stun, then followed up with a Mana Slash. My aim had improved with every battle, and I landed a solid hit, but it wasn’t enough. The Kobold kept coming.
“Mana Shield.”
I swept my staff through the air, and a soft light enveloped me. The Kobold’s claws hit hard, but the shield absorbed the blow. Time was running out. I stepped back and released another Slash.
The Slash cleaved open its chest, and he fell back. Dead.
The advanced food package was a welcome sight, though I’d have to wait until the next day to use it. I kept picking up Transformation and Enhancement Shards too. Just two more Level 2 Kobolds stood between me and the next level.
I consulted my Mini Map and found the other Kobold. It had not gone far, and it was still alone.
It had just exited a store when I caught up to it. I made sure it was alone before attacking from behind. With a precise sweep, I cast Mana Slash and struck it squarely on the back. It turned on me, snarling, and I followed up with another Slash to its chest.
It was hurt but still had enough strength to charge. I cast Stun, and as it staggered from the impact, I beat it down with my Staff.
It fell forward but it was too close and before I could cast Shield, it swiped at me. I stepped back but not quick enough to avoid the sharp claws.
It tore into my legs, shredding my pants even more—and now I’d definitely need to use a Repair Token. I must’ve been getting used to taking hits, because instead of focusing on the pain, all I could think about was how ruined my pants were.
Loot
I was glad to get a Free Points Token—definitely the highlight. The rest was the usual stuff. The Health Potion, though? Very welcome. And…
That reminded me to retrieve one from my inventory to use on the slashes on my leg. I sighed deeply as the pain disappeared. I was ready to face the last Kobold and update to Level 3 Wizard.
Now to find one.
I came across a few Level 2 Kobolds, but they were all moving in pairs. It wasn’t until late afternoon that I finally spotted one walking alone. For a moment, I considered leaving it and continuing the hunt tomorrow... but in the end, I decided to just get it over with.
It was walking towards me, and I decided to use Mana Slash a few times on it and if it came closer to protect myself with Mana Shield. Stun was a good spell but if you used it in the beginning of the fight, the Kobold went down. That made for a smaller target to land the Mana Slashes effectively.
As soon as it came into view, I unleashed a Mana Slash, catching it from the side of the neck down across the chest. It was fatally wounded, but it still kept coming—it took a few solid strikes from my staff to finally put it down.
The dome formed around me, ready for my update to Level 3.
I looked at all the spells, but I needed the freeze the most.
I chose Freeze.
Before the dome dispersed, I decided to loot the Kobold. I got some decent loot—and even scored a Spell+ Token.
On my way back to my apartment aka Home Base, I almost walked into a pair of Kobolds. I hid behind a car, not because I couldn’t take them, but because I was tired and wanted to go home.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
After the wait for them to move on, I got home without any future trouble.
I decided to first get the business out of the way. I decided to allocate my 2 points and choose a spell.
I had been lucky before, so I decided to trust the dice.
I rolled and landed on Merge
Eight – I was not sure what that meant but hoped for the best.
I hoped Arc Lash would be worth it—because instead of gaining a new spell, one of my existing ones just got upgraded.
I decided to first use the Free Points Token before assigning my two points.
Change could have given me 15 points if the special symbols had not been taken into account, so I decided not to test my luck.
Points
I had a total of 12 points to allocate. I assigned 2 to wisdom. Even if my total Mana needed for all my spells is 23 but I will not use them all in one go. I knew total Mana would only become a problem when the cost per spell increased.
Mana regeneration, governed by Wisdom, and the cooldown periods were going to matter more and more going forward.
I divided my points between Mana and some of the other Stats. I hoped to achieve a balanced spread but as a Wizard, my Intelligence, Wisdom and Perception would always be higher.
I took a shower and before dressing again, I used a Repair Token to fix my pants. I ate my food before retiring to bed, falling asleep with a happy smile on my face. I had an advanced food package to look forward to.
I woke the next morning and the first thing I did was to open my inventory and retrieve the Advanced Food Package. I looked a lot like the original, but this packaging was green.
The food was the same style almost looking like survival rations but more… interesting. I ate my breakfast- an Oatmeal bar with chia seeds and honey, mixed dried fruit including pineapple, cranberry and mango. I even got an almond butter packet.
It felt good to finally eat something different. While I ate, my mind drifted to the other shards I’d picked up—Enhancement and Transformation. I could upgrade my clothes further, but I wasn’t sure if it was worth spending the shard just yet.
Also, there may be something more beneficial to enhance and the enhancements for clothing… As for the Transformation Shard—I did get Identify, didn’t I? Maybe if I use Identify on the shard, I’ll actually learn something about what it does...
I got the standard message – place Shard against object… I focused on the Identify skill and looked at the Shard.
Nice… Yeah, thanks a lot
I considered what I knew. It did not work on System objects or sanctioned goods. What else was there. I had some warm blankets in my cupboard for winter.
I placed the Shard against them.
I stood there feeling lost, then realised that going up and down the stairs could be avoided if I had light. The apartment was very dark at night as well.
I touched the Shard to my remaining lamp.
Yes
It only took one Shard, and I had light. I picked up my flashlight and got the debuff message.
Damn, stupid debuffs. I can just as well transform the flashlight. I might need it sometimes.
This one was more interesting. The crystal also lighted up, but it directed the light beam forward and when I touched it a small band of light connected to my hand, and I could direct its movement.
The flashlight made it easy to traverse the stairs. I moved to the light on the wall and touched a Shard to it.
It did not ask for more Shards so I assumed it would only need one.
Yes
It was already on… If it was sound activated, how did it work? And more importantly—how was I supposed to turn it off?
“Off.”
Nothing happened.
“Stop… glowing?”
I stood in silence, thinking—and after a few minutes, the light went dark.
“What?”
The light came back on.
Oh. Got it. Sound-activated. Duh.
I started with eight shards and had already used three, so I used two more to light up the remaining staircases. I’d need to transform more lights eventually, but for now, there was enough illumination to move safely between floors. I kept three shards in reserve—just in case. You never know when you’ll need them.
There was no putting it off any longer. It was time to go hunting again. And I knew stronger Kobolds would be out there. When I hit Level 2, tougher ones had started showing up. Now that I was Level 3...
I headed back to my apartment to put away the Directional Light Crystal—or DLC, as I was now calling it. Maybe I was stalling a bit before heading back out.The lights on the stairs helped a lot and I decided to just clap to activate them. It helped a lot with safely getting down.
Out on the streets, caution took over. The thought of running into the newest type of Kobold made me uneasy—I wasn’t ready for them.
A few blocks away, a pair of Level 2 Kobolds appeared on the Mini Map. If I ever wanted a shot at taking on Level 3s, I’d have to start handling the twos in pairs. This was the first step toward that.
I had much more to work with this time and decided to freeze both, then unleash my newest spell and then mop up with Mana Slash.
I was very happy when my planned attacks worked. Planning did not always go as… well, planned.
I received an Advanced Food and Water Package, along with a few more shards. What really caught me off guard, though, was the XP requirement—140 just to reach the next level. That was a serious jump.
I shrugged it off—there was nothing I could do to change the situation. All I could do was keep moving forward.
After hunting down and looting two more Kobolds, I finally spotted one of the new ones. Bigger. Meaner. And holding a sword in its hand… or paw? Either way, it looked dangerous.
My Identify spell had to be good for something—so I cast it.
I waited for it to disappear and looked for other prey, but after walking for a while and only finding Level 1 Kobolds, I decided to head home instead. That new Kobold—the Quickblade—was definitely stronger than the ones I’d faced before. If I wanted to survive, I’d have to figure out how to fight it and win.
To avoid a Level 3, a quick dodge into a nearby store did the trick. Other than that, the trip home went smoothly.
Dinner was a wonderfully different meal—shelf-stable chicken and rice. Sure, home-cooked meals were better, no doubt about that, but at least this was something new. And in a world like this, variety really was the spice of life.
I received a few more shards but had no idea what to do with them. I wasn’t tired enough to sleep, but I wasn’t exactly eager to head back outside either. Normally, I’d be studying or watching Netflix or…
I would play Dungeon and Dragons with Eli.
No internet, so no remote playing with my best friend.
I glanced around my room—the light I’d transformed earlier helped more than I realized—when an idea began to take root in my mind.
I can transform other stuff, but what?
Fingers stroked my chin—a habit whenever I was deep in thought. Normally, there wasn’t much facial hair to worry about, but after five days without a shave, the stubble was impossible to ignore.
The medicine cabinet creaked open, and with a quick decision, the razor was touched with a Transformation Shard.
The right shards in hand, I sanctioned the razor—a sleek, expensive electric one my mom had gifted me.
It took two shards just to sanction it, and another four to add self-cleaning, ever-sharp blades, and unlimited “battery life.” Though honestly, I doubted it ran on a lithium-ion battery anymore.
My dad had always been old school, so I’d learned to shave with a brush and soap. Sanctioning the soap only took two shards and made it unlimited.
Freshly shaven and feeling a little more human, I headed to bed.
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first Royal Road chapter of each pair. The second one won’t have pictures. If you want to see all the art together (or earlier), it’s on Patreon with the combined chapters!