World Upgrade

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Chest items automatically transferred to the raft storage 9/10 slots full. Raft Inventory appeared at the bottom right side, opposite Craft on the bottom left of the system screen. When Claudia exited the system screen, craft and inventory remained at the bottom. Testing it out, they opened without bringing the system screen fully back, faded away and came back on their own or with the system screen. Impressed with the convenience, Claudia glanced at the now empty chest. The notification prompt flashed, ‘Dismantle: Obtain 5 Wood’. Declining it with a thought, she pictured the small woven box of vegetables, hands dipping with the sudden weight appearing in them.

She was curious what placing it back in the chest would do. The small hay colored woven box sagged on the dusty bottom of the chest, she pictured it going into an inventory like the raft, but it did not become an inventory item, though could still store items physically. Deciding to keep the chest for now, Claudia looked at the vegetables inside. All on the small side, amounting to a generous one portion meal, 3 potatoes, 5 carrots, 10 button mushrooms, 1 onion and 1 butternut squash. Placing the vegetable box back into raft inventory, Claudia summoned the mood ring to her hand. Once the light, intricately worked silver ring with a large, oval shaped Opal stone set in the middle appeared, a prompt scrolled down from above.

‘The Mood Ring’ Epic Tier Equipment. The wearer's mood can dictate the color of the ring. Effect duration 5 minutes. Cooldown 1 hour.

Calm, blue, triples fishing speed

Happy, purple, increase agility 50%

Anger, red, doubles your combat critical hit chance

Sad, green doubles loot drop

Scared, yellow, doubles magic points

Covetous, pink, triples luck

Frustration, orange, strength increase 50%

Claudias mouth dropped. She opened the rings stats again with a thought that took her to her profile, The Mood Ring now listed under Special Equipment, under the stats sat an upgrade recipe list, recognizing none of the ingredients Claudia assumed they would become available down the line and studied the effects. A mischievous giggle escaped her lips at the thought of orange, it was a literal hulk out option. Good if someone pissed her off, bad if she lost patience over something mundane. Slipping the ring on Claudia took a deep breath and tried to relax.

Global Chat running over the screen in the background.

Snowflake: OMG I just opened my starter chest!! It’s supposed to have something rare in it and look what I got! It’s a pair of Ultra-Grip Climbing Chalk Gloves with a +3 Strength bonus! It is so cool.

JustJake: Gloves with an extra grip bonus? Wow. I can think of a few reasons why having a tight grip is useful, but you look cool wearing absolutely anything.

Smush: Ocean, raft, chest, not the apocalypse I had in mind, but I'll take it.

All over the ocean filled world, chests popped open to reveal treasures never before seen inside. Miles away, eight Tier One rafts spawned within range of a large wooden Tier Three Ship, like something from the 1700s, it was a beautifully carved mastery of gallant sails and sweeping wooden rails on spacious decking. A woman aboard one of the smaller eight ratfts, startled into the shock of her life, gripped the center pole white knuckled. She had been attending a work meeting, tuned out and bored, counting down the minutes to leave, then she opened her eyes here after a blinding flash of light. Yelling ahead on board a small scrap of wood like her own was her fellow employee, as was the next closest, her entire meeting was transported to the ocean. Whilst they pointed and paddled their rafts to the large vessel, the woman spied a Chest, curious she popped it open before joining the rest. A faintly glowing rectangular box filled with writing obscured the top of her line of sight, scaring the bejesus out of her again.

‘Starter Chest Unlocked’

‘20oc, Volcanic Core Amulet Epic Tier (+2 Strength +3 Constitution), 20 Iron, 20 Glass, 10 Coal, 1 crusty bread 1ltr water.’

Tearing into the sweet hard chewy loaf, she worked her jaw into an ache. Having not eaten since breakfast, half the rations were gone before she could understand their value as she paddled the raft to the others making steady progress to the large craft.

On a much different Tier Three ship, surrounded by nothing but ocean after their flash of arrival, a couple in their 50s stood comfortably layered in practical expensive clothing. Five men and women a few decade their senior, circled a chest mid deck with them.

“Well, don’t keep us waiting DeVere.” A gravelly grumpy croak, rumbled from the retired gardener of the DeVere couple. said, like everything, with complete love and trust for his previous employers, regardless of wording or tone. The gardener earnt his nickname, Silas Grimm. They continued to provide homes and care through retirement for the old gardener Silas O’Conner and the four elderly ex-employees with them. So much so, the former employees were on the spacious seven bed large boat for the universal upheaval, rather than the couples' own three sons, scattered to the ocean on their own Tier One Rafts. Mr. Franklin DeVere leant down and pulled open the lid with a grin at Silas.

‘Starter Chest Unlocked’

A wild mix of reactions burst through the group on deck. Mr. Franklin DeVere tried to waft away the notification through the air, leaning forward and waving his arms over the chest in the middle of the group. Mrs. Evelyn DeVere his wife, was looking around and spinning, watching the box not move from a fixed point in her vision with wide eyes. Arthur Sterling, the previous head butler with his memory drifting, had narrator automatically enabled. So the notification dropped accompanied with a bland sexless voice speaking the words in his mind.

“Operator?” He called out squinting at the box confused, “is someone calling me? Operator?”

‘One fishing rod Standard Tier, One fishing hook Standard Tier.’

Mrs. Beatrice Sterling linked her arm through her husbands patting his hand, after calmly putting back on the slipper she whipped off in instant self defense. The other three burst into angry questions over the phenomena in front of them, Penelope and Martha, known as Penny and Marty supported the other with clasped hands, more physically for the other falling over than emotionally. The DeVeres tried the best to explain and comfort them with the little knowledge they had, as the notifications continued listing down.

‘2000 Ocean Coin.’

“Is this some amusement park cruise from the future!” The usually grumpy Silas was enraged beyond his normal limits, “What the hell are Ocean coins! How are all these people sending messages to my eyes!”

“You will remove yourself with that language.” Arthur stepped back into butler mode at all impoliteness.

‘Medium Fishing Net Blueprint.

Star Cufflinks Elite Tier (+2 Intelligence per cufflink).

Embershift Alder Cane Epic Tier (+10 Intelligence, -50% MP Cost).

Shell Rosary Elite Tier (+10 MP, 20% MP return from cost per activation).

Short Dagger Rare Tier (25% chance of double loot drop).

Umbrella Shield Epic Tier (dome shield 2 meters, duration 3 mins, cooldown 30 mins 50 MP. Clearence, blast up to 10 meters removing enemies in range, 10 minutes cooldown 100 MP, can not be in use simultaneously).

Ticket Dispenser Legendary Tier (1 Ticket per day, Tickets can be retained for later use unless stated otherwise).

Mana Core Ball Legendary Tier, generates 10 MP per day, max storage 100MP.’

Closer than either realized to each other, Everett, the eldest son the DeVere family, balanced on his own wooden Tier One Raft of rough logs, staring at his twelve year old son. Steely grey eyes mirrored his own, a trait each brother possessed, passed down from Evelyn. Everett was fighting a loosing battle over the safety tether with Evan. His insistence upon it being not childish, merely safe, was refuted by the lack of his own. Bribing Evan with opening the pirate looking chest waiting for them on the vine lashed logs. Everett felt his anxiety lessen a notch as Evan complied, tether attached to the main pole in the center and around his waist. Kneeling down Evan enthusiastically flipped the lid open.

‘Starter Chest Unlocked’

‘One fishing rod Standard Tier, One fishing hook Standard Tier.75 Ocean Coins.

Levithan Tooth Ring Rare Tier (life steal effect 5% damage delt).

Running on Air Epic Tier (30seconds of 5 inch cushion of air above ground not water, 30 minute cooldown).

Instagrow plant potion x3, 30 coal 10 iron, 1 bottle vitamin supplements (x90 pills), large vegetable box, two 1ltre bottle water.’

Everetts anxiety dropped further at the list, enough to c***k a real smile with his young lad.

The second son, Edward, a huge bear of a man, a younger copy of his father, barring only his eye color from his mother. Was one of the few to unlock the starter chest within moments of arrival, missing out on being first in the sector by a fraction of a second. After the flash of light bringing him here the space to the chest was eaten up on the raft with one long stride. Burly arm swinging over and hands the size of pan lids pulling the lid back with it.

‘Starter Chest Unlocked’

‘One fishing rod Standard Tier, One fishing hook Standard Tier. 25 Ocean Coins. Island Map.

Whisper Cloak Epic Tier (+3 Agility +5 Stealth, passive effect fade to black, motionlessness grants complete invisibility to same level creatures and below for one minute. No cooldown).

The Patcher Gauntlet Epic Tier (+3 Strength, passive effect when attached to boat figurehead boat repair +5 sturdiness per minute).

Bullet Blueprint, 10 iron 10 coal, 5 steak 1ltre bottle water.’

Edward was no stranger to technology. After a short experiment of trial and error he understood the system interface and had activated his Island Map. The map disappeared, creating a faint trailing glow from the edge of his raft out into the ocean. The current was towing his raft 90 degrees from the direction he needed, with no compass he had no bearings, could only see if the train was north, he traveled east. Gearing up with the rod and hook, he set out to find what he could MacGyver from the ocean to get his raft where he needed.

The youngest son, Ethan, sharing the same grey eyes of all the family but his father, was looking from the Barnacle Boots he held in one hand from the chest on his water logged raft. To the Shored Up Amulet Rare Tier (calcified coral necklace +10% physical damage resistance shield) in the other. Ethan was rereading the specs of the boots in the Special Items portion of his Profile, missing the notifications dropping down informing him of the rest of the chest.

Barnacle Boots Legendary Tier, skill 1 Stores Momentum: the longer a player walks without accruing damage the longer an increase of +2 Strength and +2 Agility lasts. Skill 2 The Chaser: 5 minutes time based progression bars accelerate 300%, cooldown 24 hours. Skill 3 The Destiny Tracker.

He puzzled over the third skill, giving no indication to its effect. Closing his profile Ethan worked out how to search for his brothers name, hoping that would be his profile name in this world. He couldn’t see his eldest brother changing it to a nickname. As Ethan manipulated the screen over his vision with his thoughts, he stood near the center pole and fished well back from the edge. Requesting a trade of his shield amulet for his nephew, he saw the system allowed a trade for nothing, like a gift but still labeled trade.

Slipping on the Legendary Tier Barnacle boots, he found their fit perfectly comfortable. The supple leather of the old-fashioned shoe looked deceptively flimsy, taking a few laps of the raft he found no give or pinch, falling in love with the water tight warm foot wear. The boots immediately felt like an extension of himself, like he had found the perfect pair of shoes.

Trying out the Barnacle Boots grip while fishing, he had barely cast the line when Ethan felt an irrationally strong tug, before the line started coming up on its own. Struggling to reel in the line at the speed it surfaced, Ethan was too slow throwing himself back when, from the water erupted a fist sized dark blurr. Throwing an arm over his face, the fist size dark mass struck his arm. The impact flung Ethans arm into his face, the collision pushed out a low hollow gasp from his chest, sounding exactly like a pug who just witnessed a magic trick, throwing him down across the raft. The dark hard object stuck fast. Not bouncing off, not attacking, not moving. Ethan looked down at his forearm as he lay sprawled across his raft, soaking in the wash of the waves. It was a barnacle, the size of his fist on his arm.

Wondering if this was bad side effect of the boots, attracting barnacles like a ships hull, a small sarcastic voice answered his thought, like the system voice, inside his head and all around at the same time.

‘Nope, no more. Just me you’re stuck with. Haha, get it?’

Ethan stared down wide eyed in fascinated horror at the muffled voice.