The Idle System Box Set

by Pegaz

  But now that he figured out how to complete this cycle, he was absorbing 15 Life Pool units per minute, and he would continue to do so as long as his Life Stone stock didn’t run out. He still had a few thousand Grade 1 stones left, but John estimated they would run out within a year.

  John stood up and stretched. It was the first time he moved his legs in six months. The last time he did was to bury Danny’s body. Besides that, he just sat down while absorbing the Life Power.

  John opened the system and looked at his stats.

  Name: John

  Age: 22

  Idlers: 0/135

  Skill Points: 0

  Life Pool: 3,849,875

  Sin: 0

  Nice! Almost 4 million Life Pool units during these six months. I think it’s been over a year since I joined the Rogue sect... suppose, I should accept a middle or long distance job and do some exploring.

  John walked towards the entrance of the hole he dug to get to the cave. When he turned Life Vision on and looked up, he saw that the coast was clear. Excited to see the sun again, he began to climb.

  It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the searing light, but once they did, he was ready to go. Not sparing any time, he went directly to the house and teleported back to the sect.

  John decided not to tell his master of the happenings on the planet. He recalled the woman who died in the battle between Danny and the three assassins. John knew the pain of losing a loved one—it was something from his previous life that he could never erase. He didn’t want to uproot any old, unpleasant memories in his master.

  If John told his master that he watched the battle through the Sider’s eyes, Jamie might ask how the woman was killed. John didn’t think he could bear to retell the story directly to the Head himself. Perhaps they would be able to speak about it someday, but for now, John didn’t feel he was ready.

  It was then that something clicked in John’s brain.

  Since when had he gotten into this mindset? Since when did he put things off until later? If he’d still been mortal, he would have set things straight as soon as possible.

  Danny lived with the regret of not telling Claire his feelings. He lived with regret of being used by Rose too. I experienced those regrets through him, and I can honestly say that I never want to feel that much regret again. From now on, I live my life with no regrets, no matter the cost.

  John walked up to his master and did a martial arts salute.

  “Master, I need to tell you something.”

  And so, John told his master everything. From encountering Danny’s corpse to living through the final battle between him and the assassins, he recanted the story with as much detail as he could muster. Of course, he left out the part about the Sinner System.

  Jamie could only smile.

  “I still remember it like it was yesterday,” the old man spoke, a distant look in his eyes. “It’s been 32,482 years since that fight. I remember his final words too. As soon as you arrived just within the timeframe, I knew you were the one. You were the “greatness” he mentioned, the “prize” for defeating him. So, I offered that planet as a place to train.

  “You helped me break through to the Silver Grade Life Power stage, something I’d struggled with for centuries. That was before your training in solitude too. I’m eager to see what kind of changes you bring to this sect in the future. I won’t order you around or hold you back any longer. From this moment onward, you are exempt from the mandatory jobs. You only have to work as you please.”

  “Thank you, master.” John looked up at the Sect Head in utter gratitude. “I was thinking of doing a long distance job. Something where I’ll be away for a few years. The only problem is, I need Life Stones to last me for those travels too. Is there a…?”

  Before John finished, Jamie tossed a bag through the air and into his grasp. It was filled to the brim with glowing green rocks, so pure in energy that the light they generated blinded John as he gazed down at the contents.

  “Those are Grade 9 Life Stones, one hundred of them. They can last you until you’ve reached the Creation Stage,” Jamie smiled at John. “That’s by normal logic, though. In your Sider logic, who knows how long they’ll last.”

  The two assassins laughed.

  Chapter 17

  Cliché

  As soon as John arrived in the mission hub’s teleport room, he put the Grade 9 stones inside of his Storage Space. He had to make sure that no one could get to them while he absorbed their power. The opening of the Storage Space itself was only a few millimetres wide, stowed away behind his belt. No one would get to it there.

  He opened the door, entering the main hall of the mission hub and walking over to the nearest pillar. The missions he was on the lookout for were the ones as furthest away as he could find with a maximum strength of Rank 2 Level 7. At his current strength, John was able to kill those below Rank 2 Level 9 easily, as all he had to do was go for the neck. However, he thought it would be better to test the waters at a lower level.

  There were millions of contracts available. To slim down the search results, John sorted them from most teleport number required to least.

  Jumps, strength, payment.

  9999, 0207, 2-500

  9999, 0207, 3-10

  9999, 0206, 2-01

  The second job listing intrigued John. Usually, the grade of the stone could be traded for the next one up at a rate of one hundred to one. The 3-10 listed for that mission should convert to a thousand Grade 2 stones, or one-hundred-thousand Grade 1 stones.

  Planet 984,513,548. Central Continent.

  Name: Andrew Grey.

  Strength: Immortal Rank 2, Level 7.

  Crimes: Plotted against families in capital for political power, at least 20,000 people dead.

  Pay: 10 Grade 3 Life Stones.

  Notes: Target is cunning, deceitful and ruthless.

  With a job that needed 9999 different transfers, it could take months to get to the planet, and this was especially true if the teleport room didn’t have the number he needed. He might have to travel somewhere else on the planet to carry on his journey.

  Nevertheless, John took this mission. He went to the counter and managed to get assigned to the job. The parchment he was given held the travel route, a sketch of his target, and other details needed to complete the task.

  Prepared for a long journey, John stepped into the first teleportation rune and disappeared.

  Six months later, he finally arrived on a planet. He needed to travel another two thousand miles to get to another location, where he would carry on his journey. He could have taken another rune and teleported, but he decided to walk instead.

  On the way, he stopped by a town to look around. Most of these buildings were styled in what John thought was something resembling the wild west in America. Everything was made of treated wood, designed and painted quite beautifully.

  John was more than three-quarters through with his journey, so he decided to treat himself to a nice dinner as he’s ate nothing but dried rations while travelling. He strode over to the nearest restaurant and walked in. It was a large place, bustling with people. The host directed him to a waiting area where ten minutes passed before he could be seated.

  He got seated near the window. It was a table for four, and John told the host that he’d probably be eating the same amount as four people. The host laughed.

  By the look of the menu, John determined that this was a relatively high-end restaurant. Each plate was about £100. Feeling underdressed, John discreetly changed his attire to match the mood. He now wore a suit and tie, resembling something of an English nobleman back on Earth.

  John was starving. He hadn’t had delicious food since the Inn at Newbie Town, and that was over seven years ago. Because of his primary focus on surviving, he usually turned his taste sense off and ate dried meat and biscuits. Now, finally, he could enjoy himself.

  He ordered fifteen different dishes, each one made to fill a person up. Each one,
John was able to wolf it down. The dishes kept coming, and John was having the time of his life. Halfway through his meal, four people entered the restaurant, making a big ruckus. Annoyed and distracted, John peered at the entryway and eyed the two men and two women. They were arguing with the host about having to wait for a seat. One of the men saw John on his own at a four-person table and complained to the staff.

  Oh great, the cliché restaurant bit. They’re going to make trouble for me, then I’ll have to beat the shit out of them, only for someone stronger to come by for revenge forcing me to run or fight to the death.

  John first checked on the four people’s strengths.

  ???

  Rank: 1

  Level: 5

  Sin: 65

  ???

  Rank: 1

  Level: 6

  Sin: 42

  ???

  Rank: 1

  Level: 2

  Sin: 13

  ???

  Rank: 1

  Level: 7

  Sin: 104

  Seeing the results, John grinned. He leaked out his killing intent, making eye contact with one of the men in the group. The room turned frosty, literally. John’s killing intent had taken the form of a blood-red mist that covered his whole body, sheer like a delicate veil. The liquid was evaporating into the surroundings, and it affected the temperature—John’s food went from hot to icy.

  Seeing his food ruined angered John, which only leaked out more killing intent.

  ‘Ding!’

  Emotional state back to normal.

  John was starting to regret that skill now. With a sigh, he stood up from the table.

  As soon as he so much as moved his finger, everyone in the room flinched, especially the four people that were complaining. Satisfied with this reaction, John went to the counter and paid for the meal using the universal coins. Once he was done paying, he turned around and lunged at those four people.

  He kicked one male in the neck with his right foot, and without the leg touching the ground, he jumped and spun almost 360 degrees around. Bending his knee back in, he kicked the other man right in the chest. Once he landed, he pushed himself toward one of the women, his left hand clutching around her neck. He crushed it.

  He stood up straight and turned slightly to the other woman, the one with the least amount of sin. She quaked as his narrowed eyes fell onto her.

  “They have committed sins,” John said in a level voice, “so I killed them. You, on the other hand, only have a tiny amount of sin, so it would be wrong to kill you. If it grows, though, I’ll come back and finish the job.”

  John walked out of the restaurant and checked his stats.

  Name: John

  Age: 22

  Idlers: 0/135

  Skill Points: 0

  Life Pool: 7,478,675

  Sin: 211

  So, I absorbed their sins, but because they were below Rank 2, I didn’t get even 1 unit in the Life Pool from them. It isn’t worth killing them until that changes. However, I need to stop doing experiments like this in the future, who knows what kind of trouble I’ll get into.

  John walked along the main streets until he found an alley. Once he was hidden from view, he changed his clothing once more. He turned his mask into a full face mask, masking his identity completely. The mask gave him long black hair that went down to his knees, big blue eyes, a large nose, thick eyebrows, and a double chin with stubble around his face. With this disguise intact, John went back to the main street and started shopping.

  There were plenty of shops and John visited most of them, but nothing caught his eye as he didn’t need clothes, weapons, armour nor jewellery.

  While he was shopping, he heard rumours about the fight in the restaurant, so he discreetly asked for the details. The two men that he had killed were members of powerful clans in this planet. Members of their families were already on the way to search for the man responsible for their deaths.

  Not feeling bothered by this information, John continued his shopping spree. He went into a shop that sold preserved food that kept the taste of freshly cooked meals. After trying some free samples, John ended up buying half the shop’s stock.

  Finally ready to settle down, John made his way to the most prominent hotel in the town and asked for the best room available for one night. This particular hotel had a spa too, so John went in for an hour to relax. It was the most relaxing evening John had experienced in years, if not his entire second life.

  After he dried himself and got dressed, he went upstairs to his posh room and ordered room service. That night, he found peaceful sleep on top of a warm and soft king-sized bed.

  Chapter 18

  Overthinking

  When John woke up the next morning, he felt refreshed. It had been a long time since he last slept on a bed. Most of the time, he had to remain in a sitting position to absorb Life Power, but he recently acquired the ability to do it unconsciously, which opened the door to all sorts of possibilities for him.

  To get ready for the day, John put his disguise back on. He changed his clothes to a black shirt with a white jacket and tie, something suited for the posh hotel he was staying at. Once dressed, he opened the door to the balcony.

  He was in the sixth-floor suite, which connected to another room. John assumed the door dividing the rooms was locked on both sides, as per usual. Stepping onto the balcony, he leaned over the railings and looked around. It was still early morning, and there was a thin fog masking over everything. Enabling Life Vision, John had a perfect view.

  He saw large groups of people moving quickly through the town and guessed they must be the family members of those he killed yesterday. Checking the strength of the groups with his Immortal Eye skill, John was getting a little nervous. The weakest in the group was Rank 3, and the strongest was Rank 5.

  Remembering his perfect disguise, he calmed down. Nothing could lead them to him since nobody could recognise him. He even paid for the hotel and restaurant bill in cash, to avoid any kind of paper trail. The only problem that could arise was if someone asked to see his ID card. He would have to tell them his card got stolen, or something along those lines.

  Thinking a fake name would be handy to have, he went with one of the names he recalled from the mission hub. There should be no chance these people know of Mark Hunt, whoever that was.

  John went back into the bedroom from the balcony and shut the door. Making sure he didn’t leave anything in the suite, he left and went downstairs for breakfast.

  An hour later, he left the hotel very satisfied. His next step was to head towards the other teleport room of the sect, which was around 400 miles away from this town. John exited the town with no trouble whatsoever, even passing by some of the groups of the people who were looking for him. Walking by undetected, he got the sense that maybe he was overthinking things. Maybe, there was no real danger at all.

  When he was about 40 miles out of town, he turned on Life Vision to make sure no one was following him. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that there was someone trailing a distance behind him. The person was Rank 3 Level 2. John wouldn’t be able to fight him if they encountered each other. He had to lose him before he reached the teleport room.

  Each teleport room had loads of runes on it that made it impossible to be discovered unless one had the key inside of him or her. But if a person followed someone with a key, then that person would no longer need the key to see it. If a person was close enough, it would break the illusion.

  From what John gathered, it was like a magic trick where your attention was diverted to deceive you, but if you knew the method, then you could easily see through it.

  One of the essential rules in the sect was that nobody was allowed within 20 miles of you when you enter the teleport room. If there were anyone close enough to find out, the rune’s security system would activate and attempt to kill both you and the person following you. Because of that rule, a lot of the assassins came up with different ways to search 20 miles
before entering the room. John hadn’t seen any of these methods yet and only heard about them from his master.

  Rank 3 is the Shrinking stage, so while I can’t fight him because he’s able to produce Life Power all over his body, he can’t use more Life Power than me either. Mine is Silver Grade with the Compact Level 1 skill. I can outrun him easily.

  John smirked. He put 50 Life Power into each foot and then ran as fast as he could, each step taking him over great masses of land. It took a lot of Life Power to constantly supply each foot, but as he put distance between him and his follower, he saw it was worth it.

  The person following him saw John’s increase in speed and sped up as well, trying to catch up. However, try as he might, he saw that John was getting farther and farther away with each passing second. After only five minutes, John had lost his follower.

  The quick trip cost John about 90,000 units of Life Power. Arriving at his destination, John used his Life Vision to make sure there was nobody around within 20 miles. When it was all clear, he removed his disguise and carried on with his journey.

  Four months passed.

  John finally arrived on the planet where his target lived. He looked at the world map on the wall of the teleport room. The nearest town was 900 miles away. With no other options, he started walking towards that town.

  With the world map inside his system, John figured out if you had a quest for things that didn’t move like flowers, ore or a type of tree, then it would show up with the yellow exclamation icon. However, if it was like his assassination target that moves around, that icon wouldn’t show up. It also only showed a black area. If you’ve seen the map before or visited the area before, the icons show up and the black area is replaced with a detailed map.

  When John got close to the town, he noticed everyone was wearing shiny armours. He thought there was some event going on, so he changed his clothes into his silver armour set too. He walked into town, putting his hands behind his back like what he saw in a few kung fu movies.