Chương 5: Vehicle Advancement

Nyx got a prompt listing the various clauses, and from the looks of it, this was more of a system feature than an ability of the Archivists. Finding no issues, Nyx signed the contract, then went over to the private channel. Private Chat [@ArcaneArchivist You want information on how someone can expend thousands of bullets without regard for their cost.] [Yes] [@ArcaneArchivist Well, it's simple, really. It's because of a rather neat, but very supernatural device called the Super Modifier. While the modifier devices IRL used to provide simple functions like dampening gunshots, laser sights for aiming, and so on, these 'Super' modifiers are a pro-max version of that. They provide exaggerated effects like ballistic correction, recoil removal, auto barrel cooling, and even ultra-rare effects like Infinite Bullets and Durability. Though those devices have a set time limit. They'd grant your gun infinite bullets for, say, 24 hours before the device dissipates into motes of light.] [That's… a lot.] [@ArcaneArchivist It is. The first time I heard it, it took me a few hours to digest.] [Can I ask something else?] [@ArcaneArchivist Go ahead, your first question wasn't too big.] [What happens if I don't buy the parts from you after signing the contract?] [@ArcaneArchivist In that case, the system would deduct a certain amount of gold from you as a breach of contract and give it to me. It's a really neat function.] [True] [@ArcaneArchivist Also, since you're the second customer of the day, as a show of good faith, let me give you some extra information. I've just gathered data through my skill that a strange disturbance is brewing at the misty mountain to the south. Do what you will with it.] Nyx chatted a little longer before getting to the transaction. Although the full price of the supplies came to more than eleven gold, he managed to negotiate it down to ten.

Night was only a few hours away, and many people needed money to buy bullets and other supplies, so naturally buyers held the advantage where sellers needed money desperately. Still, as a show of good faith, and to avoid souring the relationship, Nyx threw in several iron plates for free, which seemed to cheer the guy up.

Nyx sat back under a tree overlooking the foothills of Stardew Mountain.

"It's important to keep a good relationship with an intelligence collector like him." After all, this was a survival area where everyone carried guns and even supernatural items. In such an unpredictable, chaotic place, information about all kinds of things was paramount.

"Well," he stood up and opened the last vehicle's frame upgrade panel. [Frame] Upgrade Path: [Iron Frame] Completely transforms the rusty, weak aluminum frame into a fine, black metal-forged workhorse. In exchange, the height and weight increase slightly, and it comes with a stronger, more powerful pedal for when the battery runs out. [Upgrade Requires: Gold x3, Iron Plate x5]"Hmm, lacking in gold, huh."

He went to the exchange and sold fifteen of his twenty iron plates, along with all the leather he'd accumulated so far. He waited a bit before someone picked up the items, netting him 4 gold. Yeah, though it was priced at 5 gold, considering he'd listed 20 pieces of leather, nobody would buy them if he kept it at market rate. So for a quick sale, he bundled them together for four gold.

It was a trick he'd often seen sellers pull, since individual items took too long to sell and they couldn't list currently useless parts like leather and glass plates for any cheaper than 0. 1 gold each. Bundling let them bypass the restriction. He clicked the frame advancement button as a white light covered most of the bike. After several seconds, the light faded, leaving behind a matte-black-framed e-bike with a much thicker frame. Royal Road is the home of this novel.

Visit there to read the original and support the author. Nyx was hardly done. He quickly pulled up the vehicle advancement panel, and with all three base parts already upgraded, pressed the full advancement section. [Congratulations on completing the requirements for advancement.] [There are two advancement paths available. They lead toward two different routes, and switching back won't be possible down the line.] [Choose wisely.] [Armoured Racer] Evaluation: The path of safety and speed, offering a fully enclosed outer body while keeping the overall lean and mean build of an actual bike. The pulse core provides excellent speeds of up to 250 km/h. The three wheels come with excellent suspension and rigidity against sharp objects of all kinds. [Phantom Racer] Evaluation: The path of reckless abandon, offering little to no protection or outer armour. In exchange, it makes zero sound while cutting through the night.

Due to lower overall body weight, the bike can reach speeds of up to 400 km/h. Nyx frowned at the evaluations. It seemed to cut two ways—one that, according to the implications of the initial notification, led down the line toward increasingly armoured vehicles while still retaining the agility of a bike, even if only partially. The second path abandoned all balance and caution in exchange for truly demonic speed and recklessness.

"Also, how the heck am I supposed to drive it at that speed? Especially on this kind of terrain?" Four hundred kilometers per hour of max speed was no joke. Even the slightest miscalculation could send him barreling forward to his death.

"Sure, the system did say it provides the necessary driving skill at the start, but would that scale with the vehicle's upgrades?" The vehicle clearly demanded MotoGP-level reflexes and skill to use properly. And the system hadn't mentioned a single thing that would make the vehicle usable to a guy who'd never touched a motorcycle before. Plus, against hordes of zombies, and down the line, if I have to face even more brutal beasts like whatever that cataclysm turns out to be, I don't want to be a glass cannon.

The second option sounded cooler, and probably was. It matched his usurper ability well too. But this wasn't a game—on a ride-or-die vehicle like that, the firepower down the line was bound to be far weaker. It would likely specialize entirely in hit-and-run tactics. His usurper allowed for the theft of resources, so if he put it to good use, he could eventually advance the vehicle into a far better, nimbler, and truly deadlier fortress than a mere agile mosquito.

"Well, the choice is obvious, in that case." He picked the first option, and the other path's description crumbled away as the hologram of the Armoured Racer turned to light and merged with his e-bike, glowing a deep shade of black and blue. After roughly ten minutes, the light finally receded, leaving behind a vehicle three times the size of the original. Nyx just stared at the beast in awe—a fully enclosed, matte-finished steel body, two rear wheels and one front.

The thing looked almost exactly like the vehicle he'd wished for. It had two side windows and a windshield up front that glowed faintly blue around the edges. The body had a sleek, almost dolphin-like curve to it, growing leaner toward the front with an almost rocket-like feel.

"It's perfect!" Nyx immediately boarded the vehicle, and as he did, all the information about its functions and the instincts needed to drive it came flooding in. There were apparently very few functions available on the vehicle—no AC, no music player, nothing like that. There was a radio, though, like his previous bike, except this one was much larger and more advanced, with no need for a handheld microphone. He opened the vehicle panel before taking it out for a test drive.

[Armoured Racer] Grade: Tier 2 Vehicle Level: 3 Max Speed: 250km/h Durability: 100% (Slowly decreasing) Remaining Fuel: 1 unit (Can travel 200 kilometers) Owner: Nyx (Only Owner May Use It) Upgraded Parts: None Upgradeable Parts: Windshield, Engine Core, Tires, Outer Body, Headlight Vehicle Advancement Requirements: Gold x1000, Mechanical Parts x200, Iron Plates x400, Surge Core x2, Rubber x500, Iron Beams x150, Electrical Parts x200, Crystal Panel x100, Leather x100 (Advancement can only be unlocked once all base parts are upgraded) Looking at the upgradable parts, Nyx suddenly remembered that his previous e-bike had featured no headlights at all.

"Shit, what kind of vehicle did I even start out with?" He shook his head side to side.

"Well, at least I'm a lot safer now, though those requirements sure aren't making me feel any better." The cost of the tier-three upgrade had basically jumped into an entirely different league. Still, it wasn't something he needed to worry about for the day, at least. Looking outside, there were perhaps only two hours left before night fell completely. Nyx twisted the throttle as the beast of a vehicle roared to life, startling a few nearby zombies into stirring and shuffling toward him.

He smiled at them before driving off. The pull of the vehicle sank his back into the seat as the scenery around him blurred past. Finally getting to rest against a cushioned seat, he felt an unspeakable joy. But that joy didn't last long before it was replaced by sharpening focus. He was currently heading toward the area the Humvee had driven off to, aiming to steal more gold coins. Along the way, he spotted several zombie corpses—a literal trail of dead bodies littering the Humvee's path.

Nyx still couldn't turn his head much to search for any sun-dried zombies worth looting. The vehicle's speed demanded his full attention just to keep it under control. He hadn't been granted the reflexes and instincts needed to drive it at its true potential. It seemed he'd need to acquire those himself gradually. Good thing I didn't go the Phantom path. After half an hour of driving, though he hadn't found the duo, he caught a glint of treasure coming from his left.

Quickly veering over, the color of the chest made him freeze in place.