Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

Drake stood before the store interface with a wide, almost childlike smile, a look that gave him the air of a boy standing in a wondrous toy store, completely overwhelmed but also filled with a pure, unbridled joy. The sterile white sphere, a conduit to unimaginable power, reflected the bright, eager glint in his blue eyes, and his hands, usually so steady and precise, trembled with a subtle, contained excitement.

A palpable energy hummed in the air around him, a silent, electric excitement that was a stark contrast to the usual quiet of the lobby. While he pondered his first choice, the rest of the team found themselves engaged in their own quiet activities, their collective hope and resolve hanging in the air like a heavy, expectant fog.

Kazue, having received her massive encyclopedic tome, had found a spot on the floor with Katya's assistance, leaning against a cool white chair that was there for some reason. She opened the book's ancient-looking pages and began to read with a ravenous hunger, her eyes scanning the dense text with an intensity that belied her usual cheerful demeanor, as if she were devouring every word and diagram with her very soul. Emir, his face a mask of bright curiosity, quietly shuffled over to her side, his gaze fixed on the strange book's diagrams. At the same time, Falk flew gracefully from Sebastian's shoulder and perched himself on top of Kazue's head, his metallic eyes whirring with an almost academic interest.

The rest of the team, however, kept their attention squarely on Drake, watching in silent anticipation, for they knew that his choices, born of his unique background and perspective, were often a window into the future of their team's capabilities.

Drake did not bother scrolling through the endless list of pre-made skills, nor did he use the search bar. His mind was already set, for he had spent the last few hours contemplating this very purchase. Instead, he navigated the interface with a practiced ease, going directly to the [Idea Forge] option. The screen shimmered, and a familiar, stark message appeared before him, a blank canvas for his thoughts, a direct line to the system's core.

Drake took a moment to formulate his thoughts, his lips moving in a silent, internal monologue, and then he spoke, his voice clear and confident, echoing with the weight of a long-held promise.

"I want something that will help me better monitor and interact with my title 'Otherworldly Fanbase'."

The system's response was immediate, a cascade of glowing text confirming his request. It was a rapid-fire sequence of affirmations, each line appearing with a soft, ethereal chime that punctuated the quiet of the lobby.

A new skill, gleaming with an ethereal light, materialized on the screen. Its description was a testament to the system's ability to turn abstract concepts into tangible power.

Drake did not hesitate. He bought the skill with a single, decisive tap, the price of 5,000 points feeling like a pittance for the functionality he craved. He displayed the result on the large virtual screen for all to see, a move that caused a flicker of confusion among some of the team members, including Adam, who could not help but ask about the atypical choice.

"Why that skill, Drake?"

Adam asked, his brow furrowed in a slight frown, his mind trying to reconcile the practical Drake he knew with this seemingly non-combat-oriented purchase.

"It seems… an odd choice for someone like you. It doesn't directly enhance your combat abilities, and we have much more pressing concerns. Is there something I'm missing?"

Drake's smile softened into something more serious, a genuine look of humility in his eyes that spoke of a deep, personal conviction. He looked at Adam, then at the rest of the team, his gaze lingering for a moment on Kazue and Katya.

"In the past, I have been saved by those who watch me through the 'Otherworldly Fanbase' more than once. I have survived battles that I should not have, and it was all thanks to them. But in response, I have not treated them with the gratitude they deserve. I just... hoped that with this, I could finally repay them. During my battle against Magnus in the Coliseum, I didn't receive a single message from my fanbase, so I felt that I wasn't being true to them."

Adam sighed, a long, quiet sound, but he nodded in understanding. He knew Drake was a man of principle, and his loyalty to those who had helped him, as well as to a mysterious audience he could not see, was an integral part of his character. He would not question his motives again, for he knew they were pure and practical. He was a man of logic, but Drake was a man of honor, and in the strange world of the system, honor was a force just as powerful.

Without another word, Drake activated his new skill, and a new console, a translucent screen filled with vibrant blue data, materialized and floated in the air before him. But then, a small [ERROR] message, red and blinking ominously, flashed into existence, a small, jarring sound echoing through the silence of the lobby. It was a surprising and unsettling development, but before the blond could even process it, a series of new screens began to cascade across the interface, each one a stark and undeniable truth.

Drake could not believe what he was reading. His title, the very source of the strange power that had saved him on multiple occasions, had been blocked. A dawning realization, a sickening, cold wave of truth, washed over him as he remembered. It was true, the last time he had seen his fanbase chat active was during his brutal combat against Tenzing, and it had been abruptly interrupted due to a powerful skill the monk had activated.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Was that why he had not been contacted during his entire stay in the Trade Nexus, even during his gruesome battle in the Coliseum? Drake felt a profound, almost childish foolishness for not having realized it sooner. He had been so wrapped up in his own self-doubt that he had not even considered the possibility of a system error.

Tenzing, having been killed, had his skill's influence on the system diminished, allowing the title to finally reset. Drake sighed in a mixture of embarrassment and relief, a long, weary sound that spoke of a burden he had carried for far too long. He had thought his fans had abandoned him when, in reality, they had simply been blocked. He looked at the glowing screen, his blue eyes filled with a new resolve.

But then, a soft, rhythmic clicking sound, like a digital clock ticking, echoed through the lobby. He looked at his screen, his eyes widening in shock… It was his subscriber count. It had begun to increase in a rapid-fire cascade of numbers that climbed higher and higher until it reached 24. He watched in silent amazement, a feeling of profound gratitude welling up inside him.

No comments or donations arrived just yet, for he had only just reconnected, but he could feel the palpable wave of energy that poured from his viewership, a clear proof of their profound relief at his return. It was a beautiful and humbling sight, like an unseen bond that held their world together.

After a moment for things to calm down, Drake, with a renewed sense of purpose, returned to the store interface. This time, he went back to the [Idea Forge], but with a different purpose in mind. He knew what he wanted: a personal upgrade that would push his power to a new level, something that would not just be an item but an extension of his very being. He had watched Adam's parasites work, a grotesque but terrifyingly efficient method of power, and he wanted something similar for himself, something that was his and his alone.

Drake's voice was filled with a new resolve.

"I want something that will help me upgrade my 'Thaddeus's Railgun Revolver' into a weapon especially designed for me."

The system processed his request, the screen shimmering with a soft, ethereal light as it searched its endless database for a suitable concept. After a moment of deliberation, it returned with the perfect suggestion.

Drake stared at the price, his brows furrowed in a slight frown. It was a staggering amount, 20,000 points, far more than he was even imagining spending on a single item. He knew he could simply rely on Sebastian to upgrade his revolver for him, as the old watchmaker's skills were second to none. But he also knew that relying on others, while a strength of the team, was also a potential weakness. He needed something of his own, a personal symbiotic partner like Adam's parasites. He needed a way to evolve on his own, to grow stronger so that he would always stand on top and help his friends. He didn't think about it for long, for the need to protect his team, to stand beside Adam as an equal, was a fire that burned fiercely within him. He bought the object; the price was small to pay for a profound increase in his personal strength.

There were murmurs among the team members, a few raised eyebrows from Li, who was silently astonished at the sheer cost, but no one complained. Kazue, however, jumped to her feet with a small, excited squeak, almost dropping her heavy book.

"Wow! I didn't know you could upgrade items that we already own! I want to upgrade my gauntlets too!"

She exclaimed, her voice filled with a childish wonder. Adam, with a quiet, knowing smile, calmed her down.

"You can do that later, Kazue. It's not as if the points are going to run out."

The moment Drake accepted the purchase, a small, tingling sensation, like a spark of static electricity, ran through his body. A small, bright light, like a tiny firefly, appeared on his skin and began to move, a grotesque, unsettling sight as if a small bug had just burrowed beneath his flesh. The light traveled up his arm and then vanished, but not before a small system window appeared before him.

Drake nodded in silent acknowledgment. Adam's parasites had also behaved similarly when he first acquired them, so he knew it was a normal process.

"I'll most likely be able to use it at the beginning of the next scenario."

He said, giving the team a thumbs-up.

"There's no rush."

With an even more renewed sense of purpose, Drake went back to the store, this time entering the normal section. He quickly found what he was looking for, a skill he had been thinking about for a while, something that would complement his new abilities perfectly, a technique, to be exact.

Drake already had his [Holy Wings Manifestation] skill, but he was still a novice in the air, a fact he had come to realize during his brief flight in the last scenario. This surprisingly cheap skill was exactly what he needed to improve… Wait… He sighed with a certain nostalgia, thinking about how his perspective on point values had changed. 1,000 points, a fortune in the beginning, was now considered "cheap".

He was a part of something bigger now, something so much more powerful than he could ever have imagined, and the sheer thought of it brought a profound, quiet satisfaction to his soul.

Finally, he opted for one last thing, perhaps the most important purchase of all. It was a skill that resonated with his martial arts background, a way to honor the legacy of those who had fallen before him. It was a skill he had contemplated after the last fight in the Colosseum, a way to not just win, but to learn from his opponents, to grow stronger from the respect and honor of a true, honest fight.

Drake bought the skill without a moment's hesitation. This time, the purchase caused a commotion among the team. Adam, his brows furrowed in a frown, asked.

"Drake, what is that? Does that mean you want me or Gregor to cooperate so you can speak to the souls of those you've defeated?"

He was worried, a look of profound concern on his face.

"And even more… Killed enemies? That sounds... uncharacteristic of you."

Drake, a slight, nervous smile on his face, shook his head.

"No, Adam. It's a special case. During my battle with Magnus, I was able to see Bai Huolong and Tenzing… Not their souls, but their essence. It's a concept I learned from my master in the Murim scenario. He said that sometimes, the essence of defeated warriors can linger within a martial artist's spirit. It's a connection that is born from a true, honest fight. I think I have something like that, and I'm not foolish enough to think I won't be forced to kill enemies eventually… So I wanted to try at least to honor them my way."

Everyone stared at him, their expressions a mixture of shock and profound curiosity. They could not refute him, for his explanation was rooted in a world they had no understanding of. With a final, weary sigh, Drake stepped back from the interface.

"That's all for now."

He said, his voice firm and resolute.

With his turn over, Katya, a grim and silent warrior, slowly rose to her feet and took her place before the interface.

"With me, it will be quick."

She said, her voice a low, steady murmur.

"I also know exactly what I want."