Going forward, I am going to attempt to consolidate the Gamer Notifications. I know it can be a lot on the eyes. Let me know if it can be changed differently. Happy reading!
Also, felled -> defeated.
*
[Ding! Your Party has defeated the 30 Zombies!]
[Ding! Your Party has received 865 EXP.]
[Ding! With Party Settings, 33% EXP has been given to each Party Member.]
[Ding! Points Doubler has triggered.]
[Ding! You have received 576 EXP!]
[Ding! You have Leveled Up! 5 -> 7 (96/640).]
[Ding! Your Title, Money Grubber, has triggered.]
[Ding! You have obtained $948 USD!]
[Ding! Your Current Wallet: $1,238.]
[Ding! Task, Amass Funds has been updated.]
[Ding! Amass Funds: $1,038/$60,000.]
[Ding! Lofty Genius has triggered.]
[Ding! Points Doubler has triggered.]
[Ding! You have received 8 INT and 8 WIS!]
[Ding! You have received 24 Points!]
[Ding! Current Points: 36.]
[Ding! Through a special Action, a new Field Skill has been generated.]
[Ding! Basic Sword Mastery (E) - Lv1 (0.0%) has been added to your Skills.]
[Ding! Task, Kill Zombies has been updated.]
[Ding! Kill Zombies: (30/1,000.]
[Ding! Points Doubler has triggered.]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - L's Record Count has doubled!]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - R's Record Count has doubled!]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - L's Record Count: 60/100,000.]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - R's Record Count: 60/100,000.]
[Ding! Your HP and MP have been replenished!]
[Ding! Your Status has been updated and is ready to view.]
A/N: How is this?
...Did I see that right? Let alone me gaining two levels here, what in the actual ****!? Points Doubler includes Record Counts!? BRUH!
That means I essentially have to kill 50,000 Monsters instead of the actual 100,000. I can only guess that Record Count is the same type as what Skill Proficiency Points are. They both increase the more you use it, or the more you kill Monsters. I can see that happening. I was shocked to my core when I saw this.
At the same time, I felt a soothing sensation spread across my body, which dampened my shock. It doesn't just include the Record Count, Points Doubler increased the experience I received, even though it was cut into thirds. Like I said, I leveled up twice from it. Score!
Along with that, I saw more Gamer Notifications for Pepper. If you exclude me, that is the joy of starting out a new game if you immediately join a Party with stronger people. The experience you obtain is nuts! I think this also has a term. It's called bussing, if I recall correctly?
To put it simply, if someone is weaker, they can just join a Party to grow stronger without having a need to do anything. That's what is happening here!
[Ding! Pepper received 289 EXP!]
[Ding! Pepper has leveled up! 1 -> 5 (139/160).]
[Ding! Pepper's Field Skill, Industrious, has triggered!]
[Ding! Pepper has received 16 DEX!]
[Ding! Pepper has received 24 Points!]
[Ding! Pepper's Status has been updated and is ready to view.]
[Ding! Tony has received 288 EXP!]
[Ding! Tony's Status has been updated and is ready to view.]
A/N: How is this?
See what I mean? Pepper gained four levels, just like that. We'll get more and more even as long as I have the Party settings like this.
"This...", Pepper said, feeling the same sensation I just felt. "What is this?"
"Oh, you probably experienced a Level Up. Must be lucky. I have to work for mine. It's almost like you're getting a shot of dopamine. It's that good.", Tony said. "Nothing beats a woman though."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that part.", Pepper said. "You probably had a fling last night, didn't you?"
"I won't deny that I didn't.", Tony said, only to look back at me. "Good job there Myles. But we have a long way to go. That Party thing of yours tasked us with killing a whole thousand Zombies. This is going to take a while."
"Yeah. While the first wave may have ended in a couple of moments, if it's thirty every wave, we'll need to do this a minimum of thirty times. Granted I did kill most in one shot, they might grow stronger and stronger. Why don't you take a crack at the next wave, Tony?", I decided to ask.
"Fine by me.", Tony said. "Pepper will get the third one after."
"I don't mind that. It is still hard to believe Zombies are real though.", Pepper said, still having a surreal feeling of being inside an Instance Dungeon. You and me both. I've only had the Gamer System for a day. My initial thoughts about it have calmed down somewhat since then, but it is still a new experience for me.
[Ding! The first battle is over.]
[Ding! The next wave of Zombies will now begin their approach...]
"Grrr...!"
Sure enough, the Instance Dungeon wasn't kind. It wasn't going to let us wait for the next wave of Zombies. We still had to kill 970 of them, so it was going to take a while as Tony stated.
Several popped into view. It was even more than the previous thirty, but they were moving around at a crawling speed. Their slow drags of their feet made the scene even more gruesome. Bloody guts constantly dripped onto the endless-looking street.
"This really is ruining my appetite.", Pepper said, and frowned. "The smell is quite strong, even from all the way on the other end of the street."
"Yeah, well, just find something to distract you. Why don't you go see how Tony fights? Speaking of which, does Tony have any practical experience?", I decided to ask.
"Practical experience in fighting?", Pepper responded, pondering the question. "Contrary to how Tony might behave, he does have experience in boxing. Albeit not in an official capacity, he has stepped in fighting rings before. Other than that, Tony has found himself in plenty of bar fights. I even have to draw him away in a drunken stupor every now and again. I swear, he really should get his act together."
After Pepper explained that, she sighed.
"I'm right here you know.", Tony said, and glanced at Pepper.
"I'm just stating what you already know. Am I wrong?"
"Nope. Just thought I'd let you know.", Tony replied, not denying what Pepper had just said. "Anyway, I'm going to go kick these Zombies' asses. Be back in a sec."
One...Two...Three...
Counting one after another, I counted fifty Low Rank Zombies. Wow! Their levels all ranged from five to seven, the same as before.
[Low Rank Zombie Level 5 x25.]
[Low Rank Zombie Level 6 x20.]
[Low Rank Zombie Level 7 x5.]
I saw each tag above their heads. Tony was sure to get used to what was happening quickly. He didn't turn away in fear. As for Pepper she gripped onto her Fine Crude Pistol, and me with my two Zanpakuto. This wasn't a game, I was ready to step in if Tony truly did struggle here.
And yet, all Tony did was trigger the Active Skill that was attached to his Lightweight Tungsten Hammer.
Might I add, this isn't an anime. I just felt like shouting Getsuga Tensho earlier. Doing the motions of the Skill I want to learn should be enough to do so. Keeping that in mind, I saw Tony begin to spin around the Zombies. He even added a freaking tune. That guy...
"You spin me right round baby right round like a record baby right round round round~", Tony sang to his heart's content as huge damage numbers began to appear, hitting each Zombie as he continued his motions.
Can I check Whirlwind's data from here?
[Ding! Observe has triggered.]
Neat. I actually can! Let's see the details of this Skill, shall we? I was left pleasantly surprised reviewing its details.
[Whirlwind]
With your trusty weapon in your hand and by placing one foot over the other, you begin to spin around, as if you were dancing on the battlefield. It doesn't matter where your range reaches, all targets will get hit one way or another.
Name: Whirlwind
Rank: B
Level: 1
Proficiency: 0.0%
Range: All Targets
Duration: 10 seconds
Cost: 300 MP
Damage: Inflicts 300% Attack Damage.
Special Effect: Continuously hits all targets until the duration of Whirlwind is over.
As I reviewed Whirlwind, Tony finished his strong Active Skill, wiping out all Zombies in one go. Even the five Level 7 Zombies that lived the first hit fell within two more consecutive hits. All the other Zombies died in one blow each, very similar to how I wiped out the first wave. Whirlwind sure is a cheat Active Skill, isn't it?
The Gamer Notifications came rolling through seeing all fifty Zombies vanish into nothingness. Thankfully, we don't have to deal with rotting corpses or anything. Monsters that die here in the Instance Dungeon vanish after they die. We do have to worry about the smell that lingers though. It smells just as bad as the Slime Tunnel was. The stench of blood can easily make one sick.
Wondering how Pepper was holding up, I reviewed the Gamer Notifications. Sheesh, it doesn't end!
[Ding! Your Party has defeated the 50 Zombies!]
[Ding! Your Party has obtained 1325 EXP!]
[Ding! With Party Settings, 33% EXP has been given to each Party Member.]
[Ding! Points Doubler has triggered.]
[Ding! You have received 884 EXP!]
[Ding! You have leveled up! 7 -> 8 (300/1,280).]
[Ding! You have received $1,100 USD.]
[Ding! Your Title: Money Grubber, has triggered.]
[Ding! You have received $1,320 USD.]
[Ding! Your Current Wallet: $2,558 USD.]
[Ding! Your Task: Amass Funds, has been updated.]
[Ding! Amass Funds: $2,268/$60,000 USD.]
[Ding! Lofty Genius has triggered.]
[Ding! Points Doubler has triggered.]
[Ding! You have received 4 INT and 4 WIS!]
[Ding! You have received 12 Points!]
[Ding! Your Current Points: 48.]
[Ding! Your Current INT: 79 (44).]
[Ding! Your Current WIS: 58 (32).]
[Ding! Task, Kill Zombies has been updated.]
[Ding! Kill Zombies: (80/1,000.]
[Ding! Points Doubler has triggered.]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - L's Record Count has doubled!]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - R's Record Count has doubled!]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - L's Record Count: 160/100,000.]
[Ding! Zanpakuto - R's Record Count: 160/100,000.]
[Ding! Your HP and MP have been replenished!]
[Ding! Your Status has been updated and is ready to view.]
[Ding! Tony has received 441 EXP!]
[Ding! Tony's Field Skill, Fast Learner, has triggered!]
[Ding! Tony's Skill Proficiency of Whirlwind has drastically increased!]
[Ding! Tony's Whirlwind has leveled up! 1 -> 10 (0.0%).]
[Ding! Tony's Whirlwind Attack Damage: 400%.]
[Ding! Tony's Level: 10 (729/5,110).]
[Ding! Tony's Status has been updated and is ready to view.]
[Ding! Pepper has received 442 EXP!]
[Ding! Pepper has leveled up! 5 -> 7 (101/640).]
[Ding! Pepper's Field Skill, Industrious, has triggered.]
[Ding! Pepper has obtained 4 DEX!]
[Ding! Pepper has received 12 Points!]
[Ding! Pepper's Points: 36.]
[Ding! Pepper's DEX: 40 (25).]
[Ding! Pepper's HP and MP have been replenished!]
[Ding! Pepper's Status has been updated and is ready to view.]
A/N: When it's all together, how's this?
That's a lot of Gamer Notifications, holy sh*t. But this is what I signed up for when I first showed the Party function to Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. It allows me to see everything.
The best part? I can kick them out of the Party whenever I want. They won't receive benefits of the Gamer System if they leave it. For example, Pepper will not be able to use Magic if she's not in the Party!
And I have pure control of who can and who cannot join the Party. I don't think it needs to go as far as forming a pact with one another to not diverge in another person's secrets, since they easily gain benefits as much as I do. Give and take, yeah? I scratch their back, they scratch mine. That kind of deal.
I wouldn't be surprised if I do gain some type of Skill that lets me wipe their memories away or something. Only time will tell.
Regarding Pepper, if you include her weapon, she's already at 40 DEX. Even higher than my own DEX right now, and that's saying something! Adding the fact that Pepper can use Magic, she could turn into quite the powerhouse later on.
The worst kinds of mages are mages who know how to strike your weak points. That includes landing critical hits, or worse, piercing right through your defenses. Shredding defenses are what mages are known for later on. I can already form the image in my mind!
"Well that was quick and painless.", Tony said, flicking lots of blood off of his Lightweight Tungsten Hammer. "Looks like you two leveled up again."
"You know it. Nice work, Tony. Zombies aren't really a threat early on, but they can catch us by surprise since they can come in big groups. Just like what happened here.", I said, welcoming Tony as we regrouped.
"I still can't really wrap my head around this Level business...", Pepper uttered.
"Eh, you'll get used to it. You feel stronger, don't you?", I asked.
"I'm not really sure if I do or not. But if I said I wasn't feeling great, I would be lying. Even though there's that horrible smell around us, I feel like I could walk further into this street no problem at all.", Pepper answered.
"Then that's good! I took care of the first wave, and Tony took care of the second. We're already approaching Tony's level, so this Zombie Street likely won't pose much of a threat anymore. Perhaps not until we reach the Undead King.", I said, drawing their attention onto me. "So why don't we try something new? You have access to Water Magic, Pepper. Thanks to this special ability I possess. How's your imagination?"
"My imagination? It's fine, I suppose. I dabble in books every now and again.", Pepper responded.
"Good. Let's try to conjure up a Spell. Preferably something that attacks a bunch of Monsters in one go. I believe in you, Pepper!", I said, and grinned.
"You expect me to do that willy-nilly!?", Pepper immediately shot back. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry here!
Pepper had no choice in the matter. The grind has begun. You can't deny the grind!
I was already closing in fast to Tony's level. In just two waves alone, I had leveled up three times, all thanks to Points Doubler. There's still 920 Zombies left to kill, and then the boss!