Beginner Quest: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 1)

by Nephilim Night

  “Of course I do!”

  “They’re gone already. Dead.”

  “Fuck!” I cursed.

  “Huh? What is it, boss?”

  “Scar just told me whoever it was who screamed earlier is dead already.”

  “I gotta say that it doesn’t make sense to be outside unless fighting these things. It almost looks like people haven’t taken this seriously enough or think it’s some kind of game.”

  “It is a game, but not one that we can understand, Mark. I’ll tell you more in due time, but not right now. I need to know if I can fully trust you.”

  He narrowed his eyes on me and stared for a long moment, but he knew I was right. You can’t earn someone’s trust overnight unless you’ve gone through a meat grinder together.

  “Yeah, I guess. It’s barely been a day since we met.”

  “Exactly, and not prying further only plays in your favor.”

  “Favor or not, do we go back?”

  I shook my head. “No, let’s do a round along the main street. I want to see if the two girls are alright.”

  “Two girls?”

  “Yeah, from a shop down the road where I bought some clothes.”

  Mark nodded. “You take point, and I’ll keep my distance so I can support you.”

  “Don’t fall behind,” I replied and started moving, holding the nodachi out.

  I kept to the side of the road, moving along the stores. Kobold groups were everywhere. Some larger, some smaller, but they were there. A few elites were strewn about, but nothing major. There were no goldies and no bosses, which was a relief of sorts. I really didn’t feel like fighting them right now. My body hurt from the bashing, the bullet, and the bolt.

  The stores were all boarded up, all but a bakery, which had its shutters drawn half down, and, of course, the clothing store. I rolled my eyes, not able to believe what I was seeing. Almost everything was boarded shut, yet there they were selling clothes.

  “Can you fucking believe this?”

  I stormed through the door and startled the two young women, who hid behind the counter and screamed.

  “No! Don’t hurt us!”

  “We’re not tasty! We’re all skin over bones!”

  I didn’t get who said what, but both of them had very high-pitched voices that irritated the shit out of me. I took in a deep breath and exhaled, then walked over to the counter and tapped my fingers against the wood.

  “I’m not interested in boneless chickens other than saving you two! What the hell are you doing here? The whole city is in lockdown with these monsters running around!”

  “I told you he’s mean!”

  “Shut it! He might hurt us if you insult him!”

  I rolled my eyes and walked around the counter. It was tall and large enough that I couldn’t see them crouching from where I stood.

  “Will the two of you stop it already?” I snapped.

  “Oh, it’s you! The gangster guy.” Her face turned even paler after seeing me.

  “I’m not a gangster, and I’m not going to do anything to you, at least not something you’d like.”

  I glanced over at Mark, who was barely containing his laughter.

  The first of the two stood and straightened what little dress she had on. It barely dropped several inches from her waist. What the hell was that kind of outfit? She pretended as if she hadn’t noticed me staring at her legs, but I hadn’t been able to help it.

  “What can I do for you, sir? More clothes?” the younger of the two asked as the lady who helped me still struggled to try to get up.

  “No, I don’t need anything, but you two do. First off, we need to get a doctor to check your brains because they don’t seem to be working at all.”

  “Why so rude?” the younger one snapped. “We never said or did anything to warrant such behavior!”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re as dense as steel. What if a monster got in? They’d beat you to death and then eat you!”

  “Oh, is that why you came? Don’t worry, they don’t bother coming near us since the other stores have their doors open.”

  “The other stores are all boarded up,” Mark said drily. “You’re the only ones open along with the bakery next door.”

  The two froze as their faces turned pale.

  “So that’s why the bastard didn’t come to work this morning!”

  “Bastard?” I asked and then remembered the guy who’d closed the shutters when I was in here shopping. “Do you have anywhere to stay?” I asked before they could wander off topic. “Relatives? Parents? Partners?”

  Both shook their heads.

  “We live in the attic. Together.”

  “Oh God, don’t tell me you plan to… boss?”

  I nodded. “I do, Mark. The ladies were nice to me and helped me pick out new clothes.”

  Both frowned at me.

  “What do you plan to do to us?”

  “Nothing if you don’t want it, but I’m offering for you to stay with us until we find out what’s going on and if shit is getting more dangerous from now on.”

  “Where are you staying?” the slightly taller woman asked.

  She had straightened her dress as well, but hers came almost down to the knees. Women were really strange creatures, preying on men’s weaknesses. And they really were one weakness I didn’t like. We tended to do things we otherwise never would when women were in question.

  “The oriental ryokan down the road on the left.”

  “The poor district? Why—”

  The taller blonde whose name tag read “Jess” interrupted the petite brunette. Her name tag read Kailey.

  “Kai, stop it.”

  “You’re not my mother! Being only four years older than me doesn’t give you the right to—”

  Smack!

  Jess slapped the younger woman across her cheek and glared. “I’ve been watching over your sorry ass for years now! You haven’t changed a bit ever since I moved in with you, so do whatever you want! I think this guy is a gentleman, and he’ll promise to keep his hands to himself unless I let him. Isn’t that right, sir?”

  “Umm, I’m not interested in you in the slightest. I already have a woman, and so does he. We’re just short of a thirty-two-man party. You two can join us, but you’ll have to pull your weight.”

  “And how’s that?” Jess asked. “What do you want us to do?”

  “Help the other women with food, cleaning, taking care of the kids, anything they need help with.”

  “I think it’s a good idea,” Mark added. “Some of the girls will have their hands full with the kids, so anything else is a problem. This way we could work slightly harder to make up for these two.”

  I nodded. “Exactly my thoughts. So, you got anything you want to take with you?”

  Jess frowned and stared at me. “We didn’t say we’d come with you, so why are—”

  “Come on, Mark. They’re clearly not interested.”

  I turned about and marched out the door. He followed me out and stopped around the corner, where I waited for him. The heavenly smell wafting from the bakery had me drooling for something to eat.

  “What was that inside?” Mark asked as he slid around the corner and leaned against the wall. “Were you just fooling around?”

  “No, Mark, I wasn’t. I want Melina to have more time for when I’m around, but if any of the other women do her tasks, the other guys will grow angry over time.”

  “You think?”

  “I know. People are fickle creatures, so I’d rather not risk it.”

  He nodded approvingly and opened his mouth again to respond. “You’re much smarter and more considerate than I gave you credit for.”

  “Oh, you have no idea.” I chuckled. “Got any cash on you?”

  “Here,” he said, handing me a bill. It read one hundred. I was sure we could buy some bread with it at least. “And no, I don’t have anything more on me,” he added before I could ask for more.


  I walked back around the corner and quickly entered the bakery, leaving Mark to stand outside. He didn’t follow, which was exactly what I wanted. I needed to test the pouch.

  “Hey, Scar, how many loaves of bread can fit in the pouch, and will they stay fresh?”

  “I think so. It’s like a cold storage where there’s no air or anything but cold death.”

  “Yeah, I figured, it being a pocket-space and all. And how much? You didn’t answer me.”

  “Fifty? I don’t know.”

  A short, burly man stood behind the counter. There was only bread on display, and not even many kinds at that, but they were all steaming hot.

  “Just fresh from the oven?”

  He nodded. “What can I get you?”

  “First I need one of the white loaves of bread, and maybe I’ll buy them all.”

  I looked at the price tag. Two slek for a loaf. Good enough. The man handed me a loaf inside a paper bag and held his free hand out. I handed him the bill as I took the steaming loaf of bread.

  “Anything else?”

  “Yeah, give me a second.”

  I pulled the pouch from my side pocket and opened it, then slid the bread inside. Nothing happened other than the bread disappearing.

  “Wait, what was that?” a young woman asked. She had a cap on and wore a sports suit.

  “Don’t tell me this is stranger than the monsters outside.” I chuckled.

  “What… did that pouch just… where’s the bread?” the man stammered.

  “Inside the pouch. Can I get the other… sixteen?”

  He looked at the girl and then back at me, nodding. She handed me the rest, and I took them from the young girl, placing them carefully inside. Once the seventeenth fit into the pouch, I was about to stop and close it but didn’t. How was I supposed to pull them out? I stuck my hand inside, and a new image appeared.

  Inventory:

  Enma Crystal Rank 1 – 7

  Red Gem Rank 1 – 1

  Blue Gem Rank 1 – 1

  Loaf of Bread – 17

  Nodachi Of The Blossom Tree – 1

  Caesar’s Gladius – 1

  I froze as I saw the names of the weapons displayed on the inventory. My hand shot around to my back, but they weren’t there anymore. I fished for the weapons inside and imagined my gladius. The sword appeared in my hand as I pulled it back from the pouch. I stopped halfway and shoved the sword back in slowly. The baker might get strange ideas, and that wouldn’t be a good thing for either of us.

  “Keep the change, alright?”

  “You sure?”

  I nodded. “Can you make more? And how many? And do you have some flour to sell? And yeast and anything else needed to make bread and pastries?”

  He frowned. “Yeah, I’ve got five metric tons of flour and all kinds of things, but that isn’t going to be cheap, young man. And you, take this bill and go home. This will be the last day you’ll have to help me out.”

  “Aww! Okay,” she muttered and scooted around the counter, then disappeared out into the street. I watched her leave and then turned back to face the man.

  “What’s your price?”

  “Oh, I don’t want no money. I want protection. I want someone to take care of the monsters around here and keep them away.”

  “That’s going to cost quite a lot. And for how long do you want the area clean of the small bastards?”

  “Forever?” He laughed, but seeing I wasn’t laughing along, he coughed and stopped. “What about eight hours a day for a week to start with? I can hook you up with several bags of flour, salt, yeast, sugar, and some milk.”

  I stayed quiet for several seconds, acting as if I was thinking about it, but then nodded. “When do you want my guards to start?”

  “Tomorrow morning around 10?” he asked.

  I nodded and put up a half-fake smile. “Consider it done. I’ll have two people to take care of the ordinary and slightly stronger monsters. If the big ones appear, you’ll have to stay inside and wait until someone comes to take care of them.”

  “You’re serious?” he asked, his eyes wide open.

  “You think this is a joke?”

  “No, no,” he protested, shaking his head. “It was just wishful thinking, but you say it’s really possible?”

  “It is. You just have to do what you do every day, and we’ll provide security for you.”

  He dropped on his ass on the lone chair behind the counter and grinned. Relief flooded across his face, but I didn’t know why. Was he that happy to keep on doing this? Or was it the news he’d be safe?

  “I know they weren’t entering homes and buildings, so I didn’t bother closing the bakery, but this is something else entirely. If I don’t have to worry about them at all, I can just go back to work and provide for people.”

  “I’ll get the boys every day after their eight-hour shift and take my pay then, alright?”

  He nodded. “Thanks… umm—”

  “Viktor,” I said, making it easier for him as I offered my hand. “I’m the guy who took Kihot out, if you hadn’t connected the dots already.”

  “Really? That bastard cost me a fortune in pastries! His thugs came over every day and took up to fifty of the things! Every damn day!”

  “I’m not much better, but I won’t rob anyone. If I need something, I’ll take it, but you’ll be reimbursed as long as you don’t make it hard on any of us.”

  His brows came closer as he got up and nodded. “I understand very well what you mean. As long as it’s fair, you’ll have my cooperation.”

  I waved him off and was about to walk off, but then glanced over my shoulder. “Thanks.”

  I walked out and didn’t wait for him to say anything. This was going to be great. At least we’d have some more supplies for now.

  “I’ll wait for the two in front of their shop, alright?” I said as I pushed past Mark.

  The door burst open outwards, and Jess ran out just as I stopped walking. Kai followed closely on her heels and closed the door behind her, then locked the store and stopped to stare at me as I stood there.

  “You aren’t traveling as light as I hoped you would,” I mused. Both women had a bag slung around their shoulders and two more in their hands. “Need some help?”

  They both nodded appreciatively, and I took a bag from each.

  “You waited for us?” Jess asked.

  “I did. Come on, Mark is just down around the corner. He’ll take the other bags from you.”

  Kai’s face flushed red. She didn’t seem to be angry, rather just flustered and caught off guard. Good. She was much easier to deal with when not on her turf.

  Mark stepped out from behind the corner once our steps rang out in the silence, and waited for us. When he saw the bags in my hands, he let out a barely audible sigh and took the two others. I gave him a wink, and he couldn’t help but smirk. Who knew what passed through his mind, but that was his baggage, not mine.

  We didn’t chat; we didn’t talk about anything but remained silent as we moved down the main road. Smaller groups of both men and women were already busy fighting the new waves of monsters, but only those without the elites.

  To my surprise, only two big reds were spread out across five groups of kobolds. Why the hell had there been two near our ryokan, then? And a golden one as well. Lost in thought, we rounded the corner and walked up the street where the ryokan was located.

  The same group of youngsters from yesterday was now busy ganging up on the kobolds. They had much more difficulty with the purples than the ordinary gray monsters, but they were holding their own pretty well. All of them had leveled as well, so they were slightly stronger than yesterday.

  “Hey, make a party, and you’ll have an easier time of it,” I yelled as we passed. “You’ll thank me for it later.”

  “Thanks, old man!” the same young man called back who got me the crystals the first time around. They seemed in high spirits, all of them.

  I flashed him a grin as
I nodded and then turned back toward the dome. It was slightly translucent, and I could see vague outlines near the fountain. Previously it was almost like a fog, or a mirror that reflected the outside, but not anymore.

  “What now?” Kai asked. “We just stick around you for whenever you need us?”

  “No, of course not. Melina will give you something to do.”

  I stepped through the dome and walked in on Sandro and Kang sparring. Or at least it looked like a spar. They weren’t trying to kill each other, but rather show off. It was a good idea, whoever it was who came up with it.

  “Boss!” Gary yelled as he got off the fountain and ran up to us. “We shared all the crystals inside the group and have two to spare after even giving all the women a crystal each.”

  “Oh? That’s quite fortunate. Maybe someone can help Jess and Kai absorb the crystals? They’ll be living with us from now on.”

  The two men stopped sparring, and everyone glanced over to check on us.

  “Hello, ladies. The name is Gary.”

  I rolled my eyes and dropped the bags next to him. “Gary, take someone with you and get the ladies settled in. Take their bags and make sure neither of you says anything inappropriate.”

  He nodded and bowed slightly. “As you wish, boss.”

  Gary picked the bags up, two in each hand, and then slowly walked over to the second building, where he and his woman occupied a room. Not everyone had fit into the left building, so several had taken residence in the right. With these two now on board, I wondered if there would be any room if we took another stray in.

  Melina ran up to me past Gary and the girls. The look in her eyes told me she wasn’t very happy. In any case, I didn’t care. I’d done nothing that could even remotely anger her, and if she thought differently, then it was her shame, not mine.

  “What’s up with the coeds?” she asked with a wink.

  “Coeds?”

  “Never mind,” she muttered. “What’s the situation out there?”

  “I don’t know other than what we fought in the park. The new kobolds are stronger and faster, especially the goldies and the elites. Want me to tell you all about it over a drink?”

  She grinned. “Sure. You can also tell me what those two are doing here in detail and… other stuff.”