The Over-Break System

At 7 am sharp, Cynrik got out of his chair, set up the new coffee pot, and set it to brew before going room to room, waking everyone up. By the time he got back into the living room, Brance was still asleep, albeit restless. In front of the Holo-Tv stand, Cynrik calmly crossed his arms over his chest and watched his little brother toss and turn violently while covered in sweat.

This wasn’t the first time he saw this scene, as he had stumbled on Brance several times since they moved into the dorms out cold from overworking his body in the training room or sleeping on the couch. Worse yet, even if he brought up the subject, the youngest Jetlensr would blow off whatever words Cynrik said before changing the topic.

Over time, Cynrik had taken a passive approach to the whole thing and would now only sit back and watch his brother suffer in silence. He knew there was not getting through but had faith that Brance would come to him for advice if things got really bad.

Shaking his head in defeat, Cynrik moved away from the living room to the kitchen, retrieved five new coffee mugs, and poured a cup for everyone who would soon be present. Recently Gabby had joined the others in drinking coffee in the morning, so Cynrik was extra careful to ensure that she knew better than to water her drink down with sugar, milk, or creamer.

After all, coffee is supposed to be drunk black, as he taught everyone except Brance. His brother had always hated how strong black coffee was, so he would go out of his way every morning to ensure Cynrik saw him pouring all the extra things into his cup before wafting the aroma to his nostrils and taking a big sip.

It only took the party twenty minutes to wake up, get showered, dressed, and make their way into the kitchen, where everyone took their freshly brewed cup of extra strong caffeine and mozy on over to their respective couches.

The clattering sound of mugs on the table was enough to finally wake up Brance, who went into his room and showed up after giving his good mornings to the party. By the time he returned, Gabby was already posted up on the couch he had left behind and had fixed his coffee for him the way he liked it.

Taking his seat and a small sip of his drink, he joined the others in waiting for Cynrik’s morning meeting to begin.

“Morning folks, today starts our six-week-long training camp. Our target today is the First Obelisk, which is closed off to anyone other than Year One Students.” As he spoke, Cynrik tapped his Watcet a few times and swiped toward the Holo-Tv, which he had moved onto the table in the center of all the couches so everyone would have a good view projecting a three-dimensional model of the gothic-style tower on screen.

“As Selene has informed us all, outside weapons and armor are forbidden within the Obelisk, so I want everyone to bring along their workout clothes and store them in one of your two loadouts. This way, once you enter the Virtual Realm, you can easily switch into them without being caught stranded and naked on the first floor.” When Cynrik said this, he explicitly stared at Selene. Who had everyone convinced at first that they would be naked at the beginning of the first floor.

“The Virtual AI will scan all of our loadouts and gear, and since the workout clothes have no defensive properties, it will automatically recreate them for you once you are spawned in. Now, moving on, strategy talk. For the first five floors or so, you won’t have a weapon, so I want each of you working on your Affinity control instead of just running up and bashing these poor Tier-1 virtual creatures’ heads to a pulp.”

“Benny, you will have it the hardest as your basic instinct is to rush forward, but until you get to the higher floors, you need to be focusing on your long-range attacks,” Cynrik said as he looked away from Selene and towards the boy mid-sip of his drink.

“Copy.” Nodding his head, Benny affirmed his understanding and fell silent.

“Also, keep a tally of how many points you are earning. Each kill nets you three things and potentially one random chance item. The first is the OKP or Obelisk Kill Point. These points are distributed after every kill, and depending on how quickly and cleanly you eliminate your target, you will receive between one and five points. Bear in mind; that these points are useable in EVERY OBELISK, no matter what level, and are the main currency for exchange when it comes to special items like weapons, armor, and any other materials you can think of; within the Obelisk Marketplace.”

“The second thing you will receive is an XP Crystal. Hold on to them; when the time comes, we will count everything and distribute them evenly. Just like the OKP or the next item you will receive, these Crystals will give essence based on how efficiently you kill your enemy. Their value ranges from 100 to 1000 points per Crystal, so keep them separated and stacked appropriately in your inventory.” Cynrik held up two fingers as he spoke, and when he began talking about the third reward the party could expect, he lifted another finger.

“The third and arguably most valuable drop is Merit Points; just like the previous drops, how many points you get is also determined in the same manner, only you gain between one and three points. One if you struggle against the opponent, two if you do well but still are hit, and three is for a perfect clear. To earn three Merit points, you can’t get touched by any of the creatures, so be extra careful and rely on what I have taught you about maneuverability in combat.”

“For the last drop, don’t expect to see it happen in the First Obelisk; the random item drop is primarily where you get the good shit, like High-Grade Gems, such as the Affinity and Proficiency Gems. Since the rate of the fourth drop is abysmal, don’t even bother praying for it because the rate is something like one in 400 million.” Closing his fingers in, Cynrik made eye contact with each of his party members, all of which were wide awake and had excitement on their faces.

“Keep a watchful eye on your Resource stats, and don’t get caught with your pants down; I expect you lot to knock this Obelisk out of the park; the creatures inside are, after all, only at Tier-1. No matter how many appear, each of you has more than one way to obliterate them with ease. Now then, if you have questions, ask them now or forever hold your peace.” Taking a sip of his coffee, Cynrik looked around for any signs of confusion, and when he saw none, he smirked.

“Good, finish your coffee, I’m going to shower, and we can head out.” With that, Cynrik chugged down the last few gulps of his drink and flashed down the hall, slamming and locking his door, and finally to the bathroom, where he barricaded himself in so that a particular Dark Affinity user couldn’t sneak in while he was showering.

Seeing how thorough and over-guarded Cynrik acted, Selene clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.

“It’s not like I was gonna peek; I had my fill since I got to sleep in his bed last night.” She grumbled, making Benny and Brance snicker. Only Gabby nodded in agreement, as she too felt great after waking up in Brance’s bed, even if he wasn’t there with her.

—

Half an hour later, the members of MyrkLys stood outside a thin, gothic-style 22-story tower. All five of them were dressed in Academy Uniforms, and their huddle drew a curious look from several students who were passing by on their way to the Obelisks or from one side of campus to another.

Ignoring the glances of random students, Cynrik clapped Benny and Brance on the shoulder, signaling to them to close the circle tighter so no one could overhear his following few words.

“Listen up, I know y’all will be just fine in there, but remember, if you die inside the Obelisk, the only thing you lose is your rewards from the current floor you are trying to clear. A penalty is added on, but we shouldn’t worry about that for now. We all know that the first clear gives the most rewards, multiplying everything you earned by a factor of ten. So don’t be like Sel and back out early.”

Gabby, Benny, and Brance all turned to look at Selene and couldn’t help but laugh at the pouty expression she had on her face.

“Hehe, jokes aside, I forgot to tell you guys one last thing. Besides my brother and me, the one who clears all 22 floors with the best time and highest rewards gets a special prize from me. Selene, in your case, you have a handicap, and I will figure out your stats after the fact.” With that, Cynrik patted Benny and Brance’s shoulders, breaking off the huddle, and turned to face the impressive black spire.

[Take it easy in there, Cyn, don’t go breaking shit…if that’s even possible.] Brance said as he stepped up beside his brother and admired the tall structure that seemed to touch the sky.

[Yeah, yeah, I know, don’t break shit, I got it. See you in a few, little brother.] Cynrik said as he stepped forward and disappeared behind the blue transparent portal representing the entrance into the Obelisk.

Shaking his head at how hasty Cynrik was, Brance looked over at Gabby, and noticing how nervous she seemed to be, he leaned over and took her hand, squeezing it lightly to reassure the girl.

Turning her head and smiling at him, Gabby responded by lifting their hands and planting a soft kiss onto the back of his and releasing it before following Cynrik into the tower.

Next, Brance watched as the stoic Benny and nonchalant Selene entered, leaving him as the sole member of MyrkLys to yet enter, so he exhaled slightly and stepped forward.

Like when he passed through the gate into an Egress, Brance was met by the strange feeling of walking through liquid before becoming weightless. His vision went black, and when he opened his eyes, he was in a large empty black stone room with poor lighting.

|Welcome to the First Level Trial Obelisk Tower.|

|Commensing Biometric Scan of Student.|

|Scan Complete, Hello Student Björn “Ironside” Ragnarsson; I am the Obelisk Companion Artificial Intelligence known as Yennifer; you may call me Yenni.|

|Since this is your first time in the Trial Obelisk Tower, let me briefly explain the rules and how the Obelisk Market Place works.|

A soft and gentle female voice sounded off in Brance’s mind, and a fancy notification window covered his vision as it began detailing all the different rules enacted on every student who entered the Obelisk.

‘Of course, it’s named that.’ Brance thought as he smirked and respectfully waited for Yenni to finish.

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