The System Apocalypse Books 4-6: The Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG Fantasy Series

by Tao Wong

  I want to get back in, to make them hurt. But if I do that and they attack the column, I’d just be compounding one mistake with another. Better to stay here. And anyway, Ingrid’s doing her thing, hunting the stragglers, making them hurt inside that city. No. As much as I want to fight, right now, right here is my place.

  But I swear, I’ll make them hurt.

  Chapter 12

  A day later, we’re gathered at the city center’s central office lounge. We being the entire team, excluding Ingrid, and my “council,” including Mel as a representative of the combat Classers. We’re scattered in a rough circle on whatever random chairs and other surfaces we can find. A part of me notes we need a real meeting room at some point, but right now, I want to be near the City Core.

  “We lost four full teams and another fourteen combatants from those who came from Kamloops. The Vernon fighters lost the most. We barely have eighty of them here, and that’s including the ones who came in the earlier convoys,” Mikito says, pain in her eyes. “I don’t know how many actually died in the city. I wasn’t able to get a real count.”

  “Definitely the same for the civilians. No losses from the earlier groups of course,” Benjamin says, shaking his head. “We’ve got over a thousand new people, some of them still shell-shocked. I doubt many of them will be of use to us in the next few weeks, though anyone who has survived thus far…”

  “Are survivors,” Mel says, grunting. “They’ll get over it.”

  I grimace but nod, understanding the harsh truth in that statement.

  When I look at Torg, he answers the next question easily. “We have enough food for them. Food is tighter, but we’ve shifted a few of the farms to producing consumables and those should help the overall situation. Our stores are more than sufficient for now.”

  “For now,” I say, repeating the qualified statement. I almost ask how long “for now” means, but I figure if it was a major issue, he’d bring it up. Better to let the experts do what they do best without me jogging their elbow.

  “Space isn’t an issue. There are still a significant number of abandoned buildings, even System-registered ones,” Ben says softly. “I’ve been upgrading them as I can, but at least they’re warm with running water.”

  Again, I’m struck by the absurdity of me leading anyone. I don’t know, don’t understand any of this. Even the downloaded knowledge from the System doesn’t cover the fact that I just don’t have the experience or temperament to do this. As leading a bunch of hunters to their death showed.

  “ATTACKERS HAVE BEEN DETECTED AT THE PERIPHERY OF THE SENSING ZONES. SHOULD WE DEPLOY DRONES FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE?” Kim says, flashing the notification in front of me and everyone else.

  “Yes,” I say.

  “No,” Mel says at the same time then glares at me. He draws a breath before explaining himself to me. “A drone will likely be picked up by them, letting our enemies know the limits of your sensor net.”

  I nod slightly while Mel queries Kim for further information. I take a more direct route, pulling up the map and scanning the information. Two groups—four and six people respectively. That’s literally all the information there is, the biosensor network not particularly good at providing anything else. Well, outside of the fact that they’re on foot.

  “We’ll deal with this,” Mel says, standing. I frown at him. “My people need the experience gained from fighting them.”

  “But—” I protest.

  “Lana is lending her pets to us, so we’ll have enough muscle power. And we’ve got trained groups who are stealthier than you and yours,” Mel says, cutting me off. “We have plans for this. Let us do our job.”

  I grimace but nod and let him leave. I hate that he’s right and I hate that his people, the combat Classers, are going to do the fighting while I’m seated here, safe and useless. My glowering form keeps the silence until Mel leaves, at which point Ali clears his throat.

  “Well, then. I got some good news,” Ali says, waving.

  A list of information pops up: details of weapons, armor, and assorted magical and technological accessories.

  “What’s this?” Benjamin asks, frowning.

  “Loot,” Ali says, grinning and goes on to explain where he kept disappearing to throughout the fight. “I grabbed whatever bodies I could while we were in Vernon, dumping them into storage and John’s Altered Space. Gear’s decent and definitely an improvement for the city.”

  We fall silent for a time, scanning through the list. I randomly stop at various pieces of equipment, assessing the information.

  Kmino One-Size-Fits-All-Humanoid Battle Armor (Tier IV)

  The Kmino Battle Armor provides a Galactic Council approved, Tier IV defense on all covered regions. Note that the Kmino Battle Armor is sized to fit all standard humanoid forms and will restructure (within Galactic Council approved limits) to fit with a high degree of comfort, suitable for even the most rigorous combat conditions.

  Durability: 83/125

  Inlin Solarburst Beam Rifle v4.8

  The Inlin Solarburst is the classic, proven primary rifle for two hundred seventeen governmental armed forces—and one hundred eighty-three rebels.

  Base Damage: 48

  Mana Battery Charge: 25/25

  Ground Elemental Clay

  Most commonly used by professional demolition experts and the military, Ground Elemental Clay has been stabilized through an arcane process, ensuring the mixture is non-volatile and stable in most conditions.

  Base Damage: 200

  I grab the clay, because extra explosives are always nice. Anyway, I’ve got a skill—sort of—for explosives.

  Proxima Earrings of Regeneration

  The Proxima brand of luxury jewelry provides the best designs and the highest regeneration. Show your faith to the one you love, buy Proxima.

  Health Regeneration: +15

  Mana Regeneration: +3

  “Anything else like this?” I send to Ali, admiring the earrings.

  “Sort of. There’s also a penis ring, but considering the Worick we got it from was about as wide as your arm, I don’t think you’d want it. The other more traditional stuff is in the low single digits, other than a ring I set aside for you,” Ali says. “That means no stealing this for yourself.”

  “Lana then?” I say, glancing at the earrings. I haven’t actually bought the young lady anything… I consider matters and decide that perhaps I should avoid giving my sort-of girlfriend dead body loot as my first official gift. “Remind me to go shopping.”

  “Got it, boy-o. I’ll let Mikito know we got this if you don’t mind,” Ali says, and I send my mental agreement before going back to reviewing the list.

  Q’mmn Never-ending Flask of Inebretiation

  Blessed by Clerics of the God Q’mmn, the never-ending flask provides extremely high proof alcohol. This flask generates Ilmunax, a traditional distilled alcohol drink derived from the crushed bodies of Yuma worms.

  “Is it really never-ending?” I ask Ali.

  “Not really. The blessing runs out of after a decade or so, but it’s good enough for most people.”

  “Huh.” I waggle my fingers, removing that particular item from the list.

  In the end, I give up scanning the list in its entirety after extracting a promise from Ali that we’ve already kept all the really good stuff. A bit selfish on my part, but my team is still our best defense and anything that increases our survivability is good for the town. Or you know, that’s one way of justifying it. Really, I’m honest enough with myself to know I just don’t want to share.

  “Share the rest among the combat Classers and anyone who came through Vernon first, then allocate as appropriate,” I say finally, giving orders to the group. After a second, I send a note to Kim to keep track of who gets what, a niggling concern about corruption in the back of my mind. After all, I really don’t know these people well.

  I get more than a few surprised looks, even though Ali had purposely brought all this inform
ation out in the council meeting because we were going to share it. I ignore them, instead delving into the next issue that has arisen from dragging so many refugees to town. There’re a lot of problems, and housing and food are just the start of them. Even if I’m not the best person to make the decisions, someone still has to rubber stamp what comes through.

  ***

  Hours later, I’m lying on the floor in the Core’s room, feet propped up on a chair, and staring at my character sheet. Now that we’re out of trouble, I figure it’s time for me to catch up on the notifications that have been awaiting my perusal. Most of them are experience notifications, the vast majority of which I’ve learned to ignore because as Ali once pointed out, knowing doesn’t change the reality. I either have the experience or I don’t. Better to view the actual character screen and the new Levels.

  Status Screen

  Name

  John Lee

  Class

  Erethran Honor Guard

  Race

  Human (Male)

  Level

  39

  Titles

  Monster’s Bane, Redeemer of the Dead

  Health

  1780

  Stamina

  1780

  Mana

  1370

  Mana Regeneration

  98 / minute

  Attributes

  Strength

  98

  Agility

  169

  Constitution

  178

  Perception

  61

  Intelligence

  137

  Willpower

  139

  Charisma

  16

  Luck

  30

  Class Skills

  Mana Imbue

  2

  Blade Strike

  2

  Thousand Steps

  1

  Altered Space

  2

  Two are One

  1

  The Body’s Resolve

  3

  Greater Detection

  1

  A Thousand blades

  1

  Soul Shield

  2

  Blink Step

  2

  Tech Link*

  2

  Instantaneous Inventory*

  1

  Cleave*

  2

  Frenzy*

  1

  Elemental Strike*

  1 (Ice)

  Combat Spells

  Improved Minor Healing (II)

  Greater Regeneration

  Greater Healing

  Mana Drip

  Improved Mana Dart (IV)

  Enhanced Lightning Strike

  Fireball

  Polar Zone

  Freezing Blade

  All that death and destruction was useful for something at least. I smile grimly, noticing I’ve edged ever closer to that elusive Level 40. Just a little more and I’ll actually gain access to my Tier III Class Skills. If I’d had those Skills back in Vernon, if I was just a little stronger…

  I exhale, pushing aside the anticipation and regret, and remind myself once again that what is, is. Still, I’m human and not a damn monk—the shaven-headed, robe-wearing ones who sit under waterfalls and don’t have superpowers of kung fu—so I distract myself by poking at the equipment Ali saved for me. He’s even been nice enough to label them as mine.

  To start with, I pull out the ring he mentioned. It’s a simple circular band of black stone with unknown runes carved onto it. Or it might be a language. In either case, holding the ring up to my eye, I pull up its information.

  Kryl Ring of Regeneration

  Often used as betrothal bands, Kryl rings are highly sought after and must be ordered months in advance.

  Health Regeneration: +30

  Stamina Regeneration: +15

  Mana Regeneration: +5

  “How come the health regeneration is so much better than the Mana regeneration?” I ask. I ignore the Stamina regeneration, since that’s never been an issue for me. I just don’t have the kind of Skills where it would matter, and my base regeneration is so ridiculously high, it’s never been a concern. Mikito, on the other hand, with her Haste spells and other Class Skills actually has to worry about it.

  “Mana regeneration’s always the worst,” Ali says.

  “I asked why.”

  “Just is,” Ali says, shrugging, obviously unconcerned with the why.

  I grumble, hating how the Spirit can be so blasé about the way the System works sometimes. Then again, I never bothered to learn how indoor plumbing worked, so who am I to talk?

  I stare at the ring once more, debating how I feel about the fact that this was someone’s engagement ring, before I shrug. Considering it’s so good, it must have belonged to a Sect member, and they were all slavers. Stealing from them was the least I could do.

  Having resolved my doubts with what is probably a highly questionable moral equivalence, I slip the ring onto my finger, watching as the ring grows to fit. “Hey, this self-adjusted. Would some of the other stuff have done that?”

  “No. Kryl rings are actually expensive. Most of that junk was mass-produced,” Ali says before he flashes up the next notification.

  Monolam Temporal Cloak

  This Temporal Cloaks splices the user’s timeline, adjusting their physical, emotional, and psychic presence to randomly associated times. This allows the user to evade notice from most sensors and individuals. The Monolam Temporal Cloak has multiple settings for a variety of situations, varying the type and level of dispersal of the signal.

  Requirements: 1 Hardpoint, Tier IV Mana Engine

  Duration: Varies depending on cloaking level

  “English?”

  “It makes you invisible by making your actual presence appear either in the past or future. It’s not actual invisibility and it can, on occasion, cause more trouble than it’s worth, but it’s also extremely effective at hiding your presence immediately,” Ali says. “You can set it up so that it sends your presence anywhere from a few minutes to a few years down the road. Of course, the more you interact with the world, the higher the cost on drainage.”

  “Huh,” I say, rubbing my chin. This is real weird and scientific. Or maybe it’s magical, considering we’re talking about time travel of sorts. I’m not entirely sure at this point. “This looks like it needs to be connected to Sabre.”

  “Got it in one,” Ali says. “Doesn’t make up for the QSM but…”

  “But it could be useful. How long a charge do we have?” I say.

  “If we keep it to draining only about twenty percent of Sabre’s battery, which I recommend, anything from two seconds to about an hour.”

  “Nice. Let’s get Sam to install this when he can.”

  I turn next to the notification for a circular brown bracer which also has—if different—runic script on it.

  Tier III Bracer of Mana Storage

  A custom work by an unknown maker, this bracer acts as a storage battery for personal Mana. A must-have accessory for Mages and other Classes that rely on Mana. Mana storage ratio is 50 to 1.

  Mana Capacity: 0/350

  “Zero stored?” I blink, staring at the information.

  “I drained it of the last amounts it had stored,” Ali says. “Can’t mix Mana types in enchanted equipment like this. You won’t even be able to use it just yet. You’ll need to acclimatize the system to you, which means putting in a little bit of your Mana at a time.”

  “Still, that’s pretty decent,” I mutter and strap it on my left arm. I push my Mana toward it, careful to control how much, and immediately understand what Ali means. The bracer rejects my Mana immediately, forcing me to repeat the process slower and with significantly more focus. I expend nearly two-thirds of my current Mana pool before even a single point of Mana is stored in the bracer.

  “Don’t worry, it gets better,” Ali says reassuringly. “What you input will disappear in a
few hours, so make sure to keep refreshing the storage to assimilate it.”

  I grunt in acknowledgement and get to the next notification, curious to see what kind of weapon Ali might have picked up. Interestingly enough, it’s a simple greenish steel dagger with no runes or other mystical markings, with a blackened steel hilt that fits snugly into my hand. It’s incredibly well-balanced, definitely made by someone with actual skill.

  Fey-steel Dagger

  Fey-steel is not actual steel but an unknown alloy. Normally reserved only for the Sidhe nobility, a small—by Galactic standards—amount of Fey-steel is released for sale each year. Fey-steel takes enchantments extremely well.

  Base Damage: 28

  Durability: 110/110

  Special Abilities: None

  “This thing’s sharp,” I mutter, staring at the base damage.

  Of course, sharp isn’t the right word—better to say that the System considers it extremely damaging, allowing it to do a higher level of damage—but in either case, it’s nasty. I’m also intrigued by the note that it can take enchantments well, though at this moment, I know no one with that ability.

  “It is. All Fey-steel is like that. It’s why they’re so sought-after. The body I pulled it off of was one of the higher Level Classers. Must have been one heck of a story about how they came to own this,” Ali says.

  “About that…” I frown, tapping the dagger. “How rare is this?”

  “How rare were those Teslas?”

  I nod, somewhat gratified. Rare but not entirely uncommon. Still, it’s not something I need to be showing off, so I dump it into storage. “No guns?”

  “Nothing too much of an upgrade.” Ali shrugs. “You don’t really use rifles much, and while the weapons they had were improvements, it was mostly marginal. Better to stick with what you know than to chase a minor bump in stats.”