Chapter 142

After giving Jun some affection, making sure he was okay and happy, and comfy and back to feeling like he was home and everything was okay. I finished cleaning up. Grabbing my gear I ran it all through a thorough cleaning. Holsters, belts, guns, and equipment. Just everything needed a cleaning.

 

So much dust.

 

Bleh! I hate the Badlands!

 

After that everything was settled I took a nice sleep, something I hadn’t really enjoyed during the gig and woke up feeling refreshed and ready to get to work!

 

First thing first.

 

My stat page.

 

Level 17

 

Body 8(16) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 8.

-Athletics 7

-Street Brawler 8

-Annihilation 5

 

Reflex 8

-Blades 7

-Handguns 7

-Assault 7

-Driving 7

 

Intelligence 10 (14) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 4.

-Breach Protocol 9

-Quick Hacks 8

-Programming 10

 

Cool 9

-Ninjutsu 9

-Cold Blood 8

-Rockerboy 8

 

Technical Ability 5 (9) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 4.

-Crafting 4

-Engineering 4

 

3 Stat point.

7 Skill point.

Perks.

Ambidextrous Blades 2

Quickdraw Handguns 2

Gun Nut Assault 2

Parkour Athletics 2

Grappling Street Brawler 2

Drive By Driving 2

Cat-like Athletics 5

Cool Nerves Cold Blood 2

Danger Sense Ninjutsu 2

Wall Breaking Breach Protocol 2

Cyber Security Quick Hack 2

Recoil Reduction. Annihilation 2

Cyber Ninja Ninjutsu 5

Fearless Chill Cold Blood 5

Improvised Weapons Street Brawler 5

Parry Blades 5

Robotics wizard Crafting 2

Drifting Driving 5

Rapid Reload Handguns 5

Design Wizard Engineering 2

Rifle Ace Assault 5

Ghost touch Breach 5

Perfect Musical Memory Rockerboy 2

Debug Programming 2

Siren Song Rockerboy 5

Hacking Wizard Quick Hacks 5

Inspired Programmer Programming 5

A.I. Whisperer: Programming 10

Annihilation 5 *Unused*

 

Cyberware:

Seacho Electronics Mk.2 *Adaptation Seacho Mk.2 0/0*

Kiroshi Mk1 *Adaptation Kiroshi Mk1 1/2*

Militech Condor *Adaptation Militech Condor 5/6*

Arasaka Smart Link System. *Adaptation Smart Link 0/0*

Arasaka Ex-Disk *Adatapation Ex-Disk 0/0*

Militech-Armalite Ballistic Guard *Adaptation Ballistic Guard 1/2*

Serano Air-Groove Ankles *Adaptation Serano Air 1/1*

MoorE Titanium Bones (Shoulders, back, and ribs.) *Adaptation Titanium Bones 0/1*

Biotechnica Muscle and Bone Lace *Adaptation Muscle and Bone Lace 0/0*

 

Looking through it I took in all the little changes. Reading everything carefully so I would know exactly where I was at. And there were a few minor changes indeed.

 

My adaptation max had dropped again for my Condors! It was now only 6! I wiggled my shoulders and smiled. I guess I had gotten pretty used to the things. Maybe it also had to do with the Titanium bones? One of the problems I had was the chrome was a bit heavier than a normal limb, and so it was pulling on normal muscle and bone…

 

By improving my body more, had I eased one of the problems the Condors were causing? It was kinda annoying how complicated Adaptation was!

 

Either way, whatever caused it! It was awesome! One less point I would have to spend!

 

In fact…

 

I pushed the button without even thinking about it. It had to be done. A finale to the whole thing. A completion of a task.

 

Militech Condor *Adaptation Militech Condor 6/6*

 

It was over. I exhaled not even in relief because the Condor had been something I hadn’t been really bothered by in a long time. But in a way this was me finally, completely recovering from the Maelstrom attack.

 

Complete. I felt complete, I stretched my arms and nothing felt weird, or uncomfortable. Just muscles stretched around titanium bones in my back and my arms just felt like my arms.

 

I slammed a fist into my palm.

 

Fuck yeah!

 

I grinned goofily as I felt the happiness just surge up through me. I did it!

 

I shook it off patting my cheeks to refocus. I still had other things! I had a perk point!

 

Well, I’ll be honest and admit I’ve had it forever. Annihilation was just… I didn’t know what to pick!

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

 

But today was a clean slate kind of day. Time to clean up my stuff!

 

So I popped open the perk selection and hummed as I looked it over. There was… Well a lot of stuff for sure, but I needed something… It was a split of perks for the most part. Shotgun stuff, and Machine gun stuff.

 

I mean, I used both weapons, but when it really came down to it. Neither were ever going to be my primary weapons. Most of the time I would need more penetration for serious missions than a shotgun offers, and machine guns were good, but… I’m kinda small, and those things are chunky.

 

My first Annihilation perk had been Recoil Reduction, probably one of the best perks I picked, considering how versatile it was, but now I needed something… I read through the list and there wasn’t just a perfect option I could find. No perk that would just affect everything, or would blow things away.

 

In the end I just shrugged. I grabbed a Shotgun perk. I’d grab a Machine gun one next time.

 

Slam Fire. You know how to hold, cock and fire a pump shotgun.

 

It seemed simple, but firing a shotgun faster was a neat trick.

 

I selected it and shivered in delight as the knowledge flowed through. Once it was done, I rolled backwards off my bed sliding from my arms up onto my feet and into a brisk walk without slowing down as I found my Tactician, and unloaded it.

 

I brought it to bear and noticed how my hands shifted automatically. My grip changed, and I brought it down, and then up down and up, and then I faux fired, pumped and fired again. Both of my arms worked in tandem, pushing and pulling the gun at different intervals. I knew I was also adjusting for recoil that wasn’t there, and then I blurred through firing, and I slammed out eight rounds in just a few moments.

 

Quick! Really quick!

 

I nodded pleased. I wouldn’t be as quick with the Carnage because that thing was brute and cocking it was like bashing two pieces of metal together until something gave, but it would probably still be a lot faster than it had before.

 

I reloaded the Tactician and put it back by my bedroom door before heading back to my bed.

 

Okay I was satisfied with that! Now onto the really interesting bit.

 

Intelligence 10 (14) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 4.

 

I took a breath and clicked on Intelligence. Putting in a stat point and then.

 

Well nothing. I didn’t… Feel different? Well I shrugged it off, I was used to Intelligence being kind of a zany stat.

 

No, instead I moved on to see what was beyond 10.

 

I only had one Intelligence skill at 10 already. Programming, which was definitely a powerful tool. So it was perfect to test out.

 

I put in a skill point, which the system reminded me I needed to use a skill point to gain anything in skills over 10, and then…

 

I yelped, blinking stars that were definitely not in my vision, at the surge of new information.

 

It was… Oh.

 

Oooooh.

 

I get it now. I understood. The difference between under 10 in a skill, and over. Why I needed Cyberization! It all made sense!