CWD: GA ~ Seventeen

The Dinner Party soon found a river winding its way through greenery, and stopped on the bank to wash their chainmail, helmets, and gore-coated weapons. Nacho started a quick fire, perching his pot on two stones to start the process of boiling water.

Brie pulled the chainmail over her torn shirt, and the armor shrank to fit her. Unlike in the Ew, even though her arms were bare, they’d still be protected by the shirt, thanks to this world's physics. She couldn’t get the rust off the helmet, but once she put it on, it changed color to match her sparkly chainmail armor. Aside from her new pants and her combat boots, she looked downright heroic.

As for Reuben, the leather Helm of Helming had the absolute opposite effect. He gazed into the water, complaining loudly. “Ma~a~n, I look like Peasant Number Three in a historical drama—and not a good one. More like a season eight episode where they just cast homeless people and made them hide their messed-up teeth.”

Ignoring the whining, Nacho fed another stick into his fire. Once the pot boiled, he poured the sterilized water into one of their metal bottles. He got another pot going immediately as Reuben tried to adjust his helmet, but every position seemed to make him look worse. “The chainmail makes me look chunky.”

“But will it keep you alive?” Brie questioned him drolly as she eased herself onto a flat rock on the other side of the fire. Her spirits were noticeably improved since she’d cleaned off her face and pulled her hair back. “Tell us about Putrid Mana. Is that why you’re boiling the water? Or are we just dealing with normal bacteria?”

“Yeah, Nacho, can you explain why you are doing this?” Reuben joined them by the fire, his eyes glowing blue. “I’m checking the Store, and water seems to be really cheap. One credit for sixty-four ounces. That’s a half a gallon to share between the two of us.”

“Food and water aren’t a problem for a while,” Nacho agreed as he fed the fire a stick. “But we don’t want to use the Store unless we have to do so. For now, Putrid Mana is everywhere: in the animals, in the plants, and in the water. Putrid Mana is what turns the flora and fauna into monsters—and yes, that includes bacteria. At Tier zero, the Putrid Mana just makes us queasy, but the higher the Tier, the more dangerous it becomes.”

Reuben set his water bottle in the sand, looking pensive. “We smelled whatever meat those people at the top of Armor Mountain were cooking, and it smelled like sewage on a plate. That was the Putrid Mana?”

“Yep.” Nacho nudged some coals under the… not a pot. The saucepan. Who knew there was difference?

“Tier one animals would make us sick if we ate them?” Brie questioned as she looked back in the direction they had come from. “So those people…?”

“If sick means dead, then yeah,” Nacho carefully avoided looking into their faces. “No, those people back there probably haven’t died from what they ate, but they are forming bad habits. You don’t want to have to experience what it is like to eat that—and we won’t. Right now, a lot of people are desperate because they cannot figure out how to open the store, but you had me around to explain it to you right away. The bad habit I am trying to keep you from acquiring is the ease of access that the Store provides. I can keep us fed on Tier zero monsters, and when we level, we’ll be able to deal with the food situation.”

“Tier this, Tier that, can you just explain yourself, please?” Brie snapped at him, still gazing at the mountain, where she could have sworn she still saw smoke from a campfire rising.

“I'm sorry, it's just so hard to remember that you don't know the basics yet. This one is at least easy to explain. A ‘Tier’ is a qualitative change that occurs in both people and monsters every tenth level. That means level nine is still effectively Tier zero, which is why monsters under ten have been showing up as something like ‘monster level, zero five’, instead of just displaying a five. Upon reaching level ten, you’re Tier one, level zero, and guess what? Tier zero food doesn’t do anything for you anymore.”

Brie frowned in consternation. “What do you mean, it doesn’t do anything for you? Food is food.”

“What I mean is that it does nothing to affect your Hunger points,” Nacho explained somberly. “If you only had fifty Hunger points, and you ate an entire bull one bite at a time, you’d still be at half your Hunger points.”

“Food just stops working?” Brie shook her head, unable to understand how that was possible. “That’s so messed up.”

“Okay, so you just buy Tier one food.” Reuben was back to searching the Store. “Oh… I get it. At least, I think I get it, Nacho. Tier one food costs ten times what Tier zero food does. That’s terrible. A Tier one donut is thirty credits?”

“You have no idea how bad it got.” Nacho released a shuddering breath, trying to keep his hands from shaking. “We didn’t know. All these superhero warriors that we all thought were going to be the leaders of humanity… they hit level ten and almost instantly began to starve to death. They were all forced to use their credits on food because they couldn’t eat Tier one animals; the concentration of Putrid Mana was too high. A lot of people died trying before they found... alternatives.”

He paused to let that information percolate, then forcefully attempted to lighten the mood. “For now, all we need to do is boil the Tier zero water, which kills the bacteria and removes the nastiness, and I’ll start cooking. Let me check our credits.”

He glanced at that part of his stat sheet:

Eli “Nacho” Naches

Class: Common Cook

Tier Class Name: Common Cook

Level: 0

Experience Points: 100 to Level 1!

Current Credits: 5 (229 total Dinner Party pool)

Build Type: Balanced, Delayed

Nacho chuckled dryly. “Not to brag, but an entire five credits of our party pool are all from me.”

“Please,” Brie scoffed haughtily, joining in a beat late as she realized what Nacho was doing, “don’t brag. You don’t even want to know how many of the credits are from me.”

“Peace and love, friends. We are in this together. Aww.” Reuben reached out and squeezed his fiancée’s arm. “Two hundred and twenty-nine credits turns into a hundred and fourteen-point-five experience points. One of us can get to level one… so who should it be?”

“Skills first,” Nacho denied his friend with a quick shake of his head.

Reuben scrunched up his face in disbelief. “Really? But we’ll get more stat points!”

“Without a doubt, this is the right plan. Trust me: the cheese knows all.” Nacho adjusted the fire as his saucepan of water reached the verge of boiling. “Leveling your class gives you improved stats, yes. However, it also comes with a hefty price tag. Everything becomes more expensive and more complicated, which means it’s better to upgrade skills first because you’re going to get more combustion for your credit.”

“I think I get it; it is basic investment snowballing.” Brie tapped on her hammer as she processed the concept out loud. “Upgrading skills, especially my combat skills, will help me dish out more damage right off the bat. More damage, more kills, more credits.”

“Exactly,” Nacho agreed with her, grinning with relief at being understood. “Upgraded skills also let you take down more powerful creatures, meaning you will earn more credits.

Reuben snapped his fingers and pointed at Nacho. “Upgrade those skills even more, and you’ll eventually increase your level, which means you’ll have to increase your skills. It sounds like a vicious cycle, but if we start early, we will be able to afford the cost later on! Especially if we are not spending… that’s why! I totally get why you want us to only eat the food you can make us!”

“Everyone plays life in hard mode. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Nacho stated softly, a counterpoint to his friend's enthusiasm. “Here’s a more modern saying as well. If you aren’t planning ahead, you end up trapped in an inescapable vortex of doom instead of snowballing toward greatness. Then you’re dead.”

Reuben grimaced as he realized that he had fallen for the idea of convenience, just as his buddy was warning them would happen. “Hey, dude, you’re the guy who had Probability Vision. It’s just… that’s backward from any game I’ve ever played. Leveling your class was the point, and you did your skills kinda whenever.”

“Some people figured it out.” Nacho’s voice was hollow as he replied. “But just like you’re saying, most of us rushed to level our classes, and improving our stats really did help at first. The fact was, it’s just better not to worry about your stats, and focus on your skills instead. It’s like Build Type. Those who chose Self-Applied were all excited to level their class and start cranking up certain stats, but it isn’t the best strategy for long-term success.”

Brie was listening intently, but her eyes glazed over at the mention of Build Type, so Nacho chuckled, “Let’s just focus on our skills, yeah?”

Reuben rubbed his hands together in excitement. “Yeah! I want to be able to use my skills and not stay a level zero experience leech.”

Nacho checked the Store, then took a stick and scribbled some math in the wet sand of the riverbank. “It costs ten Skill Points, multiplied by the skill level. to level up an ability. Each Skill Point is worth two credits, so it basically goes twenty credits, then forty, then sixty, and so on. If we all wanted to level up all of our skills to at least the first level right now, it would be forty credits for Brie, since she’s already at level one with Defensive Whirl. We’d normally divide it into sixty credits for me and Reuben, except for the fact that Reuben’s Marketing skill just isn’t a priority at this stage.”

Reuben clutched at his chest as if he had been betrayed and stabbed in the heart. “You say that, Nacho, but what happens when we lose market share?”

“We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.” Nacho briefly pondered the best way to move forward. “I’m not sure if leveling up any of my skills makes sense. Except for Small Blades. But even then, if I can’t get credits through kills… it might be a waste.”

Brie interjected just before he could announce that he wouldn’t be taking a share of the credits. “Being level zero with any skill can’t help us. Except, yes, maybe we ignore Reuben’s overly expensive Marketing degree. That one costs you five percent Mana, Dehydration, and Metabolism across the board?”

Reuben shrugged and nodded. “Yeah.”

Nacho drew the information out in the sand.

Brie:

• Athletic Endurance = 20 credits
• Combat Dash = 20+40 credits
• Defensive Whirl = 40 credits

Reuben:

• Healing Hugs = 20 credits
• Positive Vibes = 20 credits

Nacho

• Small Blades = 20 credits
• Ingredient Processing = 20 credits
• Cooking Magic = 20 credits

“This look correct to everyone?” Nacho checked his work as they read. “That’s a total of two hundred and twenty, but we’ll bring all of our skills to at least at level one—except Reuben and his highly suspect ability—and Brie will be at level two in her two most important skills. We’ll have nine credits left.”

“Let’s make it happen.” Brie stood and her eyes turned blue as she accessed the Store, pointing her index finger like a grandma on a new-fangled smartphone. “I'm going to use a hundred and twenty credits to buy sixty Skill Points.”

Nacho’s water started boiling, but he ignored it in favor of savoring the momentous occasion. “You can just think of what you want to do, Brie. The System can understand your intentions.”

“Right. Kinda like Am-Prime’s one-click shopping.” Brie sucked in a breath and began her spending spree. “I’m going to level up my Combat Dash. Are we ready?”

“So ready!” Reuben grinned enthusiastically as he encouraged her to become more powerful.

“Using credits from The Dinner Party to upgrade my skills. Go!” A second later, her glowing blue eyes turned golden, as did her skin. “Athletic Endurance is at level one. Combat Dash has been raised from level one up to level two. Last but not least, Defensive Whirl is at level two as well. I’m feeling better, faster, stronger. This is amazing.”

Reuben swept her up in a hug, swinging her around as they both celebrated their excitement… that brought on kissing. Nacho grimaced, turning away and filling metal bottles with boiling water.

The Healer—who couldn’t yet heal—dropped his bride to the ground and waved his arms in the air like a kindergartener as she yelped. “Me next. I’m ready to start striving toward ultimate power!”

Like Brie, the big guy gleamed with a golden light as he dumped credits into the Store to buy Skill Points, then poured those into his skills. Once he’d brought both of his useful skills to level one, he made a fist, and the harmless golden energy crackled around him before dissipating. “Sweet. You’re up, Nacho.”

The cook stood, a half-grin on his face as he got ready to boost his skills. In his opinion, this was the best part of the new world. He accessed The Dinner Party’s credits, relieved that he was able to move over sixty credits from their shrinking pool.

He brought up his Stat Sheet:

Eli “Nacho” Naches

Class: Common Cook

Tier Class Name: Common Cook

Level: 0

Experience Points: 100 to Level 1!

Current Credits: 5 (9 total Dinner Party pool)

Build Type: Balanced, Delayed

Body:

• Fitness: 10
• Metabolic efficiency: 10

Mind:

• Mental energy: 10
• Circuit: 10

Satiation:

• Hunger: 100
• Thirst: 100

Total Health Points: 30

Bonus Physical Damage: 5%

Health Regen: 10% Health Regen/minute

Total Mana Pool: 25

Bonus Spell Damage: 5%

Mana Pool Regen: 10% Mana Regen/minute

Skill Slots (3/4)

• Small Blades (Passive) Level 0: 0% bonus damage on all knife attacks!
• No Mana, Hydration, or Metabolic Cost




• Ingredient Processing (Active) Level 0: Remove Putrid Mana from monsters up to level 2!
• Mana Cost = 5%
• Hydration Cost = 5%
• Metabolic Cost = 5%




• Cooking Magic (Active) Level 0: Cook food that enhances a single stat by 0% of maximum!
• Mana Cost = 5%
• Hydration Cost = 5%
• Metabolic Cost = 5%




• Open slot

He applied the Skill Points to Small Blades first, enjoying the tingles as they flowed through his body, starting in his hands. Nacho was rapidly filled with golden light, tied directly into the Juxtaposition’s gaming system. There weren't any chatty messages waiting for him, and he was grateful for that.

There was only a simple:

Would you like to upgrade your Small Blades skill?

Yes / No

He knew the answer to this question. “Yes.”

• Small Blades (Passive) Level 1: 2% bonus damage on all knife attacks.
• No Mana, Hydration, or Metabolic Cost

He made the same selection with his other skills, and in the end, he had improved… but he didn’t know if spending the credits had been worth it to get the minor improvements. Nacho wasn’t an experienced Satiation Player, so he had no idea if he was choosing the best build, but all he could do was follow his gut.

• Ingredient Processing (Active) Level 1: Remove Putrid Mana from monsters up to Level 3!
• Mana Cost = 5%
• Hydration Cost = 5%
• Metabolic Cost = 5%




• Cooking Magic (Active) Level 1: Cook food that enhances a single stat by 5% of maximum
• Mana Cost = 5%
• Hydration Cost = 5%
• Metabolic Cost = 5%

Nacho’s whole body was vibrating with power after the upgrade. His eyes lazily drifted to his friends, and he told them the very iffy news. “I don’t know if I did the right thing by becoming a Common Cook.”

“We’ll just have to try it out,” Brie contradicted him, ending that line of conversation with, “Food and water are going to be extremely important in the game. You know that. Don’t doubt yourself.”

A subdued Nacho returned to his place by the fire, not having anything else to say. “Give me some good news. What are the amazing things you both can do?”

Brie, having just spoken, was poised to continue. “Thanks to my level one Athletic Endurance, I get a two percent reduction to hunger loss penalties when using a physical skill, which in my case is all of them. I’ll deal an additional four percent of damage on my Combat Dash, and my Defensive Whirl stays the same—but I can automatically fully block up to a single attack. I think I will be able to block two additional attacks at level three.”

She tapped at her invisible status screen for a moment, stopping and blushing lightly when Nacho chuckled at her. His amusement couldn’t dampen her excitement, though, and she powered through. “You know, it’s interesting. Combat Dash and Defensive Whirl only cost me eight percent of my Hunger—or thirteen Hunger Points, respectively—because of my Athletic Endurance. If all of these increase, that can really come in handy as I level up. I think that’s going to be my best bet for raising skills: focusing on my Athletic Endurance.”

“Not so fast.” Nacho could totally see the possibilities, but he could also spot a few problems with that strategy. “Cost reduction is great, but we need you to be doing as much damage as possible, especially if we start facing higher-level monsters. Upgrading your skills gets more and more expensive, so if we pour credits into Athletic Endurance, that’s going to take away from our other options. While you might be able to Combat Dash on the cheap, if you’re not doing more damage per strike… it wouldn’t matter. We need to keep Brie’s Athletic Endurance in mind, but that’s after the other skills are more useful.”

Reuben tossed a twig at his friend. “There goes Nacho, ruining our fun like always. Want to take a turn at killing my excitement about my super cool level one newbie abilities? Great. Every hug straight up gives you five Health Points. Bam. Every hug. Every time. Until I get too thirsty to hug.”

“Five Health Points?” Nacho wondered aloud, causing Reuben to tense up… until the cook let out a low whistle. “That’s a lot for the first level. Are you sure it’s not five percent?”

Reuben shot an ‘are you serious’ look at him. “No? Why did you think I chose Healing Hug in the first place? We’re not talking percentages here, we’re talking a full five points, and you’re right, that’s just level one. I’ll be doing full body heals by the time I’m fifth level. Yes, it takes a close-range hug to do it, but it won’t be long before I’ll be a full-service healer.”

“Color me impressed,” Nacho relented with a relaxed sigh. “That’ll be a ton of help.”

Brie didn’t see why it was such a big deal. “Such nerds. It’s five points of health. I hit for, like, five times that amount of damage.”

“But wait, there’s more. It gets better.” Reuben was all smiles; clearly, he’d been goading her into speaking out. “When I rub my cheery disposition off on you, as in Positive Vibes, you’ll get a deadly two percent more out of your physical attacks. Gonna juice up my baby and unleash her onto the world.”

“Don’t use ‘baby’ and ‘juice’ in the same sentence.” Brie shuddered theatrically, but she was grinning the entire time.

“Can you juice yourself?” Nacho watched his saucepan as the last of the water got up to temperature.

“I think so. Not Orange juice, though. I’ll apple juice myself, because OJ kills people.” Reuben laughed at his own joke, uncaring that he was the only one who did. “Lastly, and most important… I learned something interesting when I actually took the time to read about my Marketing skill. Even at level zero, I can use it to lure creatures to a certain location—as long as they are level one. Let’s never forget the power of a good marketing plan.”

“That is interesting… we’ll keep that in mind.” Nacho put out his fire, contemplating how to try out Reuben’s comical skill at some point. If he really could lure in unsuspecting level one monsters, they might be able to create another credit farm and increase themselves faster. “We’ll test it out, then decide if it’s worth keeping.”

“Yes! I worked way too hard on that degree to see it vanish. What about your amazing kitchen skills?” Reuben still had a goofy grin on his face, the leather Helm of Helming not doing anything to help him look any less goofy. “When are we going to see you in action?”

“Let’s see if we can’t find something for me to cook up after Brie does some killing,” was Nacho’s calmly diverting reply.

“I get to kill things again right away?” Brie popped to her feet with the Splatter Mallet on her shoulder. “Sounds good to me. Let’s see how different combat is with level one skills.”

“Calm down, killer.” Laughing at her eagerness, Nacho started packing the water bottles away. “We’ll never run out of things that need to become dead. Pace yourself.”