Freelance Saga: Slow Grind Read online

  Something about her statement seemed a little off, but he let it go. A lot of things about this world seemed to be off or inconsistent from one day to the next. It was quite disconcerting. “We should try to raise some of your attributes, too. What would you suggest?”

  She patted the earth gently. Replacing the dirt that had been disturbed by removing the weed was part of the job. “I need to do much more difficult work than this to increase my stats. Sadly, anything that I would suggest is beyond you at the moment.”

  “Alright, then we’ll try to keep building my stats instead. Once we’ve done enough to allow me to fight weak monsters, we can see what happens.”

  “I really don’t mind helping you get stronger, master. I just don’t like pulling weeds.”

  He laughed a little then smiled. “That’s fine. We won’t take any more jobs like this then, OK?”

  “I wouldn’t presume to ask you to do that.”

  “I don’t really like weeding gardens either. I’m just doing it for the experience points. We can do something else and make the same thing happen.”

  Scarlet readily agreed. At least he wanted to train. He had not been ready to face creatures well above him in strength, such as the monsters in the Roxi Woodlands.

  The day wore on and finally the job was completed. Nine hours of weeding and tending to the fields had produced a spotless area. The farmer was greatly pleased.

  “Wow, fifty experience points and two hundred copper just for weeding a field.”

  The dragon yawned delicately then smiled at her master. “After taking my cut, you’re only a few more jobs away from gaining your first new level.”

  “I wonder what it’s like? I gained a few levels during the tutorial, but everything seems so different now that I’m in the real world.” Scott was excited to see exactly what he could discover about this world. He had always dreamed of living in a place that worked like this, and now he could truly delve into its wonders.

  “It feels great. All of your pain and cares flow away. It can be really addictive.”

  The man from Earth turned to his pet and grinned. “There is an amazing world out there, isn’t there?”

  She could not help but laugh at his child-like excitement. “How old are you again, master?”

  “I don’t care if I seem immature right now. I’m living in a world where people fight monsters, gain levels, and can do amazing things. If you’d lived where I grew up you would understand.”

  “Was it really so bad?”

  “Bad? No, I wouldn’t call it bad. It just… it’s hard to explain really. There’s no sense of adventure I guess?”

  Scott noticed a weed that they had missed earlier. “Heh, it thought it would get away.”

  “What?” asked Scarlet.

  “That weed, it thought that it would escape its destiny.”

  “Seriously? You’re going to go pull it? We already completed the quest.”

  “A job’s a job. If I just dismissed that weed I’d feel like I committed fraud by being paid.”

  Scott walked over to the field and quickly snatched the offending vegetation out of the dirt. He patted the ground back into place and turned toward Scarlet, but he lost his current train of thought when a familiar sound caught his attention.

  Ding! A new message screen popped up. “What? That’s crazy!”

  ~*~

  Your diligence has allowed you to develop a greater understanding of responsibility.

  EXP + 15

  You have awakened a new power:

  Diligence (passive)

  Diligence allows you to complete routine tasks without becoming mentally fatigued.

  ~*~

  “You’re kidding?”

  Scarlet was confused. “What are you talking about master?”

  “I just gained fifteen experience points and a new power for pulling out that weed!”

  Her eyes widened comically then she laughed. “I gained two points from that! Quick, go pull some more weeds for me!”

  “No way!” He laughed at her then tossed the weed aside. Strangely, the white glow did not die down.

  “Hey what’s going on with this light?”

  “You must be close to leveling.”

  “Really? Let me check.”

  Scott tapped his bracer and checked his status screen. “I’m at 79.87%.”

  “Yeah, you’re definitely about to level! You’ll probably get there after two or three more quick jobs. We should do a really short quest instead of building your attributes.”

  “Sounds good. Though, I really do want to raise my stats before I level too much. It’s always nice to be stronger than I look.”

  Scarlet walked side by side with her master for a while. She hated comparing him to other people, but she could not help it. He was so different from the other humans she had briefly met. Scott seemed content to take things slowly and develop himself before facing challenges. He called his training style grinding, a term that both confused and excited her at the same time.

  Humans interested in training typically gathered a lot of people together and tried to kill anything that moved. Sometimes their people died in the process, but it was effective. She had not seen many humans who would train hard to become as strong as possible individually. They were swarm creatures as far as she was concerned.

  “Hey, Scarlet?”

  “Hmm?”

  “How high do levels go?”

  She thought about it for a moment then shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard anything about who has the highest level in the world. I don’t think there is a set limit.”

  “Levels aren’t really that accurate when it comes to determining your opponent’s strength, anyway. I’m a dragon. My innate capacity is much higher than most common monsters. Level twenty-two for me is equivalent to a much higher level for other monsters.”

  “How much higher?”

  She looked at Scott then grinned. “You’ve seen my stats.”

  “Yeah, no kidding! Your mana points are insane compared to mine!”

  “Some dragons have much stronger ability. Most of mine is naturally inclined toward defense.”

  “Are you really as tough as your augmented defense stat claims?”

  “Do you doubt my strength?”

  “No, I just wonder if it’s possible for anyone to have a full-body durability rating as high as steel. I mean, even your eyes would be that durable!”

  “I know that it seems really high, and for a level twenty-two monster it is. Still, there are humans with a much higher durability than I have currently.”

  “Really? How do you train that?”

  “You get the snot beat out of you and take damage from strong attacks.”

  “That sounds painful.”

  “It sounds painful because it is! As a dragon I will always have my durability increase by several points each level. It’s one of my primary attributes. I gain it faster through normal training and combat than anything else.”

  “Wow! You know, I just did the math. If I spent every single point that I gain each level on durability… I’d have to be level fourteen or fifteen to match you, but in my late forties to equal your durability modifier. You’re a lot stronger than I will be at twenty-two.”

  “Yes, such is the power of being a dragon. Keep doing the math and you’ll see how strong I am compared to a human.”

  Scott did just that. He tallied up her total points in all attributes, removed the ten points that would have been hers anyway for being a normal human then his mouth gaped open stupidly. “At twenty-two you’re similar to level three hundred forty nine for a human!”

  “Sounds about right. Now do you understand why a dragon would require an army of similarly leveled humans to defeat her?”

  “No kidding! Even if you never trained anything or gained a single point through living normally, you’d have been as powerful as someone around level one hundred eighty, due to your modifiers, right?”

&nbs
p; “Exactly, I killed a lot of humans to reach my level. It was extremely slow going.”

  “Yeah, I’m not as thrilled to hear that.”

  She shrugged. “That’s life. Are humans who kill other humans any better than a monster?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  “Exactly. Humans try to kill or claim us. We kill or claim them instead if we can. Whoever wins gets to become stronger. The loser just dies horribly or becomes property.”

  Scarlet was so matter-of-fact about that nugget of truth that Scott began to lose his excitement for this world once more. It was true. He would have to blatantly kill a lot of things to become truly strong. It helped his sensibilities a bit when he remembered that monsters respawned, however.

  “Hey, tell me something?”

  “Yes, master?”

  Scott stopped and looked at her. She turned to look at him as well.

  “How do humans actually capture and bond monsters. Hell, how are there even any left alive? Your special enhancements make you like sixteen times higher in capacity than your level compared to me!”

  “Not all monsters, even queens, are enhanced to the level that I am. Dragons are S class monsters. Other monsters have their own enhancements. Queens are all stronger than normal humans on a per-level basis, though.”

  “No kidding! Even at level one, if my math is right... you’d have been like a level seventy-three human.”

  She shrugged then tossed her head from side to side. She was obviously superior, why did he keep bringing it up?

  Scott thought back to the men who had easily been captured or killed during his flight through the woods. He shook his head then asked, “Then how are humans alive and able to build towns?”

  She shook her head. “Monsters are territorial. Humans tend to build in areas where weak monsters are located. Plus, they are masters of technology. They create specialized weapons and training programs. This in turn allows them to develop professions that give them abilities that work together against the monsters.”

  Scott rubbed his chin, she had said quite a mouth full there. He chose to ask a different question. “Why did you accept me, Scarlet? With your level of power you’d have easily crushed me.”

  The dragon smiled at him then gently clasped his hand. “Ah, you want to know why I allowed a pathetic and lowly human to lay claim to my majestic womb?”

  “Sure.”

  She kissed him on the nose then said, “You seemed nice. You didn’t attack me. You didn’t threaten me. Instead, you apologized and invited me to a picnic. I had never met a human who could face down a dragon and offer her a sandwich.”

  “So, basically... I offered you free food and it made you horny?”

  Scarlet looked at him with a flat expression. However, her cheeks reddened suddenly and she looked away. Yep, he’d hooked her with a sandwich.

  Scott remembered their first meeting and his face reddened slightly as well. He nervously ran his free hand down the back of his head, smoothing his hair in the process. “Well, I didn’t see a horrible monster. I saw a pretty girl that I didn’t want to fight.”

  She snorted at him. “That will get you killed.”

  “I know. I saw that sort of thing in the woods.”

  “Good, at least you learned something.”

  Scott squeezed her hand gently and she smiled once more. He was a rather nice human. It was really too bad that he was such a pathetically weak creature.

  She noticed that he seemed down about something, so she offered him some advice. “Don’t take the numbers to heart so much. Humans do alright.”

  “Really?” He turned his head to look into her eyes and she nodded in response.

  Scarlet took his other hand and they shared a moment before she explained what she had said. “You see my stats and think that I have power equivalent to a level three hundred human, right?”

  “Yeah, something like that.” That was how he read the screen.

  “Humans make up for their naturally frail forms with their equipment and technology. For instance, a simple copper bracelet or ring, when properly crafted, can grant a full-body defense similar to being made of copper.”

  His eyes widened. “I see, and compared to a human who is buck naked, the guy wearing the bracelet would appear to be much stronger.”

  “Exactly! My defensive rating is equivalent to steel. It multiplies my durability by ten. Copper is rated at three, and multiplies durability by three.”

  Scott did the math then nodded. “So, if two guys had durability of one hundred, and one wore a copper bracelet, he would have the equivalent of three hundred durability points? He’d be similar to someone twenty levels higher than the other guy, at ten points per level?”

  “That’s right. A naked human of the same level would usually have no chance of surviving a fight with me. However, if they had powerful equipment, the skill to use it; and equally well-outfitted allies, the fight might end differently.”

  “So, that’s how humans survive. They create incredibly strong equipment to make up for their weaknesses then join together in groups to fight monsters?”

  Scarlet leaned forward and kissed him on the nose. “Yep!”

  Scott smiled. “Then let’s get up a lot of money and buy some equipment.”

  “Not a bad idea, but good equipment is expensive.” She stopped then eyed him critically. “Anything is better than what you are working with, though.”

  He lowered his head for a moment then sighed. She had reminded him of how pathetic he still was. At the rate he was going it should be months before they could even try hunting weak monsters. They would give it a try, soon, however. He really wanted to see how his training had paid off.

  Silence fell upon them then, and for the remainder of the short trip back to town, neither of them spoke. There was a lot left unsaid, but they still needed to think about what had already been learned.

  Chapter 3

  The scent of grease and syrup assaulted his nostrils. The feel of wet ceramic under his fingers, combined with the gossip of the kitchen, these were beautiful things! Scott Hunter smiled happily while washing dishes at the Dire Rabbit diner.

  He lifted one plate and rubbed it with his thumb. A satisfying squeak greeted his efforts. “What a wonderful place.”

  “You really think washing dishes is wonderful, master?” Scarlet sighed then her shoulders slumped forward. He thought everything was wonderful of late. It had become something of a running joke between them.

  “Sure, it’s not worth much money or experience, but it’s simple enough. Besides we get a discount on food while we’re working.”

  She perked up when he reminded her of the discount. Less expense meant more food! She cleaned plates a little faster then placed several into the dishwasher.

  “Alright, let’s set this load on wash and finish up.” Scott carried a rack full of plates over to the industrial grade dishwashing unit.

  “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day!”

  After loading the washer, Scott touched the gemstone on the front. A number appeared on the front. He held the gem down until the proper time was reached then tapped the stone next to it. Water began to stream into the apparatus immediately.

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”

  “Get used to what?”

  Scott pointed at the dishwasher. “You people don’t use pipes or pumps. You just touch a magic crystal and pressurized water with different temperatures appears.”

  Scarlet looked at him then at the dishwasher. He was surprised by something so simple? Crystal rune technology was the most common type of magic around.

  “Almost done?” asked a masculine voice from the kitchen. An older man appeared at the doorway. He wore a black hairnet and a friendly smile.

  “Yes, sir. Last load just went in. We were about to finish cleaning the area.”

  “Good job. Let me know when you’re done and we’ll settle up.”

  “Of course.” Scott
smiled at him and the man waved his hand once then left.

  “He seems nice.” said Scott.

  “I suppose so, he’s about to get off work for the day too.” The red haired dragon ran her rag across the counter top then picked up a bottle of degreaser and set about doing a thorough cleaning job.

  Scott did the same thing to the sinks and the tray racks. It was a team effort that they had worked at developing for several days. The diner had been a part-time job that paid by the day. He had never heard of restaurant day-laboring back home, but in this world it was apparently a thing.

  Between working here and the individual quests, he had come close to reaching level two. It had been an arduous journey, but such was life.

  A few minutes after they finished cleaning up the dishwasher signaled completion of its task. Steam drifted from the plates despite the warm atmosphere. They were completely spotless and perfectly dry after another few minutes.

  The dishes were taken to their ready position for dinner service then the duo headed off to find the manager. They waved and said goodbye to various workers on the way. It was their last day and they would be missed. The remaining workers would not have any eye candy to leer at during breaks.

  ~*~

  The sound of cascading water drifted outward from the bathroom. Scarlet had decided to take a shower when they returned to their room. Scott, however, decided to spend his time learning everything that he could about this strange land.

  Curious fingers poked at the holographic keyboard display that sat before him. Even computers existed in this world. They did not operate in the same way as the machines back home, but the end result was largely the same.

  “I still can’t believe that this place is real.” Scott shook his head. The absurdity of a real-life fantasy world was hard enough to swallow. The fact that the fantasy world operated on role playing game logic was blatantly impossible.

  He tallied up his money and sighed. After just over two weeks of odd-jobs and part-time work at a restaurant he had managed to secure just a little over one thousand copper after expenses.

  “It will cost thirty copper per night for us to stay here, not including meals. So, if I put half of the money aside, we can stay another week.”