The Systemic Lands

Chapter 118: Day 251 – Grinding for Heals

I felt miserable when dawn came. I hadn’t been able to sleep at all. There was a knock on my door. “I’m awake,” I said.

Naran entered and turned on the light. “How are the feet?”

“A lot of pain,” I let out a long sigh. “I need to get dressed and then we can go.”

“Need help?”

“I can manage. Come back in a bit. I can’t walk.” He turned to leave. “Thank you Naran. That is twice you have saved my life.” He paused and then turned to look at me. I could see the worry and stress on his face.

“Just don’t ever ask me to run another city ever again. That is your job.” I smiled at that. “I won’t always be able to pick up the pieces you know.”

“I know. I was overconfident and stupid. So stupid.”

“Mistakes happen. At least you are still alive to regret yours. Any idea what direction you want to go?”

“No. Maybe West, but I need to think it some more. The optimal solution would be to have someone else pull the cart and drag my sorry ass around. Well, we now have the good doctor as our official cart puller.”

“I actually thought of that while you both were talking,” Naran said. “I found another person.” He let out a sigh.

“Why the hesitation?”

“They also need a restoration, and I don’t know how much longer they will live. They were hurt quite badly in the battle.”

“Doesn’t matter. If they can pull a cart, that is the only requirement. I don’t mind giving them crystals.”

“It is 8,761 points for their restoration.”

“That is nothing.” The cost of mine was far higher. Having a cart puller would allow Naran to grind as well and let the good doctor pick up crystals. “The doctor can pick up crystals while we maximize our grinding speed. Let me get changed and then we leave.” Naran nodded and left my room.

It was torture putting on my underwear and pants over the melted stubs at the end of my legs. I couldn’t even call them feet anymore. For a moment I thought on if being fat was worse or having melted foot stubs. Melted foot stubs had taken top spot on my list. Naran then came back and carried me to the cart. He had set up a chair, facing the front.

I could sit and rest my legs on the backboard, so my stubs wouldn’t touch anything. Even the air felt like it was driving needles into me. I was never walking through slimes again. Also, good confirmation that swamps with slimes, were a terrible idea for a grinding location.

That was when I saw the horrific visage of the person who would be pulling the cart. The front of their face was partially melted and their chest. Like a Picasso painting in real life, with blood oozing, and the bandages barely doing anything to hide the extent of his injuries. At least I thought it was a man, since no breasts, but I couldn’t be sure.

Naran spoke up. “This is, well I don’t know their name. I am calling him Mute for now.” The man kind of nodded it was hard to tell. “He will pull the cart in exchange for a restoration.” Doctor Katz was standing nearby with a club and shield.

“Agreed,” I said. Mute didn’t look good, but I would take what I could get. “Look at us. Two half people, making a whole person. Thanks for doing this Mute.” The man didn’t say anything, but just began pulling the cart out of the house.

It was pre-dawn and there was a dead silence about the place. Clarissa was there standing outside. “Good luck Michael. I will make sure the city doesn’t burn down while you are gone,” she replied. I hoped she could manage.

“Thanks. Keep up the good work.”

“That is what you pay me for.” That dead-pan voice made me smile. I bet she was giggling like a schoolgirl on the inside at her dry wit.

“Direction?” Naran asked.

“West. We will grind the black pigs. It isn’t that far.” We set out west. I noted only three guards at the store pillars. We passed by another patrol of three guards as we left the plaza. There was a sense of despair about the place. It didn’t escape my notice that there were blood stains and melted holes still in the plaza. Some of them were covered up with blankets, waiting for the Almighty System to erase everything that happened, but it would take time to get to them all.

We traveled through Purgatory in silence. “Can we win?” Naran asked.

That was a loaded question. “It all depends on the Ritualist’s limitations. The name implies certain things. Not good things.” I didn’t mind the doctor or Mute listening in. Perhaps one of them would have a moment of brilliance.

“Guerilla warfare won’t work like in Truth. Clearing it will be impossible as well,” Naran said.

“I know. It is going to be a real battle and a fight street by street. I can’t do it by myself and catch him. I would prefer a strike force, but that has too many risks. Probably a full-scale invasion is the only answer. Mobilize everyone we can, give them a spear, and seize control of the store. Even that…summoning is too overpowered for a city fight and I don’t know its weaknesses.”

What I didn’t say was that there was another option. A very dangerous option. As much as I liked to say I was a nuclear deterrent, I hadn’t reached that level yet. Maybe one day, but I could only do so much as one person.

I could gather a million points worth of crystals and see if Death came around again. Lure Death into the city, turn in the points and flee. Hopefully it would stay and kill everything inside the city and not chase me. Just too many unknowns and too much risk unfortunately.

“So, a slog then?” Naran asked. I nodded at that question.

“Yes. My guess is that time and preparation is a major weakness of summoning. But that doesn’t help much. It is impossible to search an entire city. With the types of traps the Ritualist can lay, they would impossible to counter for nearly everyone. If you think of anything let me know. You too Mute and doctor.”

“I will,” Naran said. Mute just kept pulling the cart.

“This Ritualist? He was the one to launch the attack with the monsters?” The doctor asked.

“Yes. That is the title he has taken up.”

“I am surprised you respect it and use it,” Naran said.

“I will never underestimate or disrespect true enemies. The Ritualist is an opponent on a level I have not faced before. The only person to seriously injure me. He has earned his title in blood and in blood it will be repaid.” There was silence after that.

I didn’t like being carted around. While the height elevation was nice, it made me feel vulnerable. My stumps were right behind Mute’s head. They were grotesque. Scabbed and blackened flesh under the bandages.

I began to think through the maximum grinding speed. I just needed Mute to keep pulling the cart. Naran could pick up crystals and kill, to speed us up, while I killed the majority of pigs. Were they boars since they were large? Or was it similar to how a rectangle is not a square, but a square is a rectangle type of situation?

Three energy every minute. Every 10 minutes 30 energy. If I ignored Naran’s kills and we kept up at my regeneration rate, that would be 216 50-point crystals with 12 hours of constant grinding, or 10,800 points. Make it 16 hours, and it would be 16,200 points per day.

Two days for travel, there and back. At least 9 days of grinding to get the points I needed to heal. Preferably 10 days in case the cost went up. Another day so I could actually have some crystals for my expenses and armor.

I would just have to risk it. Maybe some night grinding. The pigs were big and noisy. But the risk of grinding in the dark was too high. It wasn’t worth it. I would just have to do my best with what I had.

That was when I realized that all the debt people owed me was going to be wiped out. They probably died in the battle. While that was Clarissa’s problem not mine. I felt bad for dumping it all on her, but I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to manage my finances while also figuring how to kill a summoner protected by a horde of monsters.

“Why did the Ritualist attack the city?” Really doctor you are going to ask that? I noticed Naran give me a look. He probably got the story from Clarissa. Well, it was going to leak regardless. I had no doubt about that.

“Revenge against me most likely. He refused to give up the crystal powder process for a million points after accepting the offer. Even refusing to negotiate. I had him tortured to get the process and supposedly kill. Next time, acid on the head for sure.” If it has its head, it isn’t dead was going to be my motto.

He took a moment to process things before speaking up again. “Was the process that important?”

“Yes. Let’s leave it at that.”

“So, no chance of peace then?” I turned my head to look at the doctor.

“After what he did, no. This will only end with him dead or me dead. I don’t see any other alternative. If I die, Purgatory will most likely be wiped out entirely as well in the aftermath.” At least he was thoughtful and didn’t criticize like Ruth did. I was honestly hoping he had a brilliant solution.

“What are the rules of engagement?”

“Kill them and don’t die,” I replied.

“Civilians?”

“Doctor Katz, there is no Geneva Convention here. This is the Systemic Lands. It is a zero-sum game for each city. Within each city it is a zero-sum game for the populace. Zero-sum means that for each winner there are losers. I doubt the Systemic Lands will be kind enough to provide a fountain of crystals?” I looked around in case my wish had been granted. No fountain of crystals appeared.

“You could always try praying to the Almighty System. It doesn’t seem to listen though,” I added.

“I get it. What about organizing people to grind monsters more efficiently?”

“That will come in time. For now, it is Darwinism. The best will survive and thrive. Those that die are less capable and a drag on points.”

“Everyone has potential. Maybe a screening process?”

“How would that even work? Do you have a degree in monster hunting? Exploring the unknown where death is around every corner. Oh, you do, well just sign right up and head out of the city where you will probably never be heard from again,” I said sarcastically.

“The only way to force people to grind crystals is the fear of starving to death and even then, that isn’t enough. A lot of people just give into despair and waste away. There just aren’t enough points to do anything about people who aren’t willing to push forward.”

“Like you coming out here with me. People have refused in the past, despite me never losing a teammate,” Ruth didn’t count. She was kicked out. I should have killed her. Just the thought of her was like something stuck between my teeth I couldn’t get out. Annoying and slowly building up my rage.