"This is sick"
Vash had been pacing around and swapping between windows frantically.
Trying to look for anything, anything that will help him keep fighting stronger opponents without struggling too much.
"This thing wants me to win even when I am at a disadvantage... Yes, Then I need to use it to my own advantage."
Vash swiped from one screen to another once more, searching his inventory and checking his skill list.
He found that he can level up his skills using materials and also level up his weapons, but the problem remained on where he would find the materials for leveling up his weapons.
For starters, he combined his old weapons on his new and stronger ones while keeping the skill evenly at level 20 on each.
His blades were at level 60 max and the limit break was possible, but he lacked on the materials.
After leveling up everything in front of him, he groaned and held the bridge of his nose.
"You really know how to piss me off for good."
"Fine, you want me to adapt."
His eyes stared down at the system window.
"How about I max out everything that a normal player skips."
Vash used his navigation skill as the arrows surrounded all around him, pointing at different materials he needs with the icon of that material on them.
"I always wondered about why don't I show my ego to anyone."
He scoffed.
"I really am selfish."
For about a day and so, he kept running around, battling and collecting items and orbs.
After collecting everything, vash finally came back to the place he was standing at before, stretching his back and grunting in pain.
"Urgh,.. My back and calves are about to tear apart."
He sat on the ground and massaged his calfs for a moment before opening his skill set window. He was surprised but not overly shocked when he saw that few of his skills have leveled up.
[Dash: level 28
Navigation: level 32
Shadow slash: level 30
Multi strike: level 26]
He looked at the skills and sighed softly.
"Atleast it didn't lock my stuff upgrade levels."
He scrolls through the screens and upgrades all his weapons and skills.
[Tungbustin dual short-swords: level 120/120
(Level 140 after limit break)
Skill:-
Poison slash: level 35
Air slice: level 40
Multiple slash: level 40
Poison blast: level 40]
[Demon slayer dual short-swords: level 120/120
(Level 140 after limit break)
Skills:-
Shadow slash: level 40
Demon explosive slice: level 40
Demonic flash: level 45
Piercing mana strike: level 30]
"I am still lacking many materials.... I have to upgrade my exclusive skills, passive skills and advance skills too,.. And the only material on this floor is what can level up my weapons."
He wiped his eyes and groans softly.
"Urgh~,.. Just kill me."
He lets out a deep breath and looks opened the system again.
He scrolled through his inventory and extracted whatever item he could into skill upgrade materials, which took him a few hours.
Every few minutes, he would crack his neck or back whenever he got a chance.
"I hate you,... F_ck it, I'll do the rest after a good sleep."
"I have stayed here for years, let it be few more extra days, i don't care."
He closed the window and collapsed on the ground on his back, staring at the sun setting again.
He closed his eyes and started to play the RPG games in his mind, trying to find any kind of similar pattern with his system.
"You think that this can force me to adapt like you want."
He snorted out a laugh before continuing.
"Even my parents never managed to mold me like they wanted,.. What the hell are you then?"
He paused.
His eyes closed as he pushed his hair back.
"You have a upper hand right now,...you're treating my life like a game, like a player who doesn't have his own will."
He sat up.
Breathe in. breathe out.
"This isn't a game."
"It's survival."
Silence.
He stretched his arm and got back to managing his inventory and extracting resources.
"I have enough resources to upgrade my passive skills and exclusive skills... But I need orbs for the advance skills."
"Where am I supposed to find orbs now?"
He used the navigation again, but there were no resources or monsters in the range of his navigation skill.
"I don't have orbs for advance skills."
"Hm,... Ugh."
"How did I forgot this?... I have a shop."
He called out his shop window and searched through the orbs section, he sold his useless armour and weapons to earn coins and buy as many orbs as possible.
"I can't sell everything, and I still need a few more material to max out every skill."
"Well, atleast this is better than having nothing."
"I can go back to the lower floors for grinding, but that'll take even more time than I have intended to use."
"Haa~,... Every solution I have carry another problem."
He went back to scrolling when something caught his eyes.
[A potion of luck, it wasn't a big discovery since the effect usually only worked when the players are doing a gamble spin or a free reward quest.]
[But, for someone who needs a chance more than stats.]
[This was basically a diamond between silver.]
[A person who already have knowledge, only needs a higher chance to win]
"You really know how to hide what I need the most, huh."
He purchased as many potions as possible and thought.
"A normal person might think that I am a idiot, since the effect worked for earning rewards only."
"But that's the problem with us veterans.... We just love to test the water."
"Let's see how long you can push me down."
Vash stood up and felt the air hit his eyes.
He looked up as the sun started another cycle of morning, completing the 4th day of his rest.
"I might be placing my feet on a landmine zone."
"But, that's to be worried about when you don't have...."
"Restart."
[He smirks in the most arrogant way, something he usually don't do, since he find these type of expression cringy.]
[But.
Vash wasn't smiling because he knows he'll win.
But, because he knows he can't win in first try. ]
"This is why you shouldn't let a human adapt to death."
A pause, he scoff.
Amused at his own thinking.
"I really am starting to lose it."
[He looked behind at his footsteps. The footsteps that started to fade after the days he spent in one place, the footsteps that covered the ground on all directions since he went to grind.]
[He wasn't looking at where he came from.]
[He was looking at where he would go from here.]
[A destination that the system decides.]
[A outcome that he decides.]
[A future, that he needs to change even though he doesn't know it himself.]
He turned back and materialized both of his short swords and dashed off to the only direction his footsteps weren't gone to.
Throughout the floors, from 950 to 999.
He cleared them of, dying and continuing anyway.
[A normal person might give up and try to come back with more resources.]
[But, he knows that there's no need to get resources.]
[He was learning the pattern of all the floor bosses now]
After clearing all the floors, he stood in front of the grand gate.
A gate as big as a tower over tower, covered in moss and dust.
Resting locked like it's never been touched for centuries.
Ahead it stood vash, tattered and breathing heavily.
His head bleeding, but the wound was healed.
His stamina ran out, but the muscles refused to relax.
His arms trembling as they held the blade. His arms were stiff and frozen, not able to let go even when he tried to.