Rimelion: The Exploiter

[The item Broken Spear is now repaired]

...

[You lost 512 ranks in a job. Operation terminated because the level of the job is zero]

I worked tirelessly for countless hours, and this was it—the result of all my effort! My heart raced as I failed one last time. Please, please... let it overflow.

[The item Broken Spear is now repaired]

...

[You lost -512 ranks in a job.]
[Congratulations! You are now 5-Grandmaster Enchantress; Maximum rank had been reached]
[Please select your mark and an alias, if you desire]

"Can I choose a snowflake as my mark and Ice Princess as my alias?" I blurted out before the blue box even materialized.

[Congratulations! Your mark is a snowflake.]
[Congratulations! Your Enchanting alias is Ice Princess]
[You were caught by the anti-cheat system. Please remain still. Investigation is in progress...]

My hands felt unresponsive, my body growing increasingly numb. Well, I'd expected as much. Then a pleasant young man's voice echoed in my ears, "Manipulation not detected; achieved solely by in-game means. Reward in progress... Grandmaster not obtainable, suggesting Expert, level zero. Do you consent?"

Yes, I do, dear System! I screamed in my mind.

[Congratulations! You are now 3-Expert Enchantress]

Suddenly, my vision was engulfed in blinding white light, and I felt the strange hold on my body slowly release. I yelled triumphantly, "I am an Expert Enchantress!"

My shouting jolted Lucas awake, and he yelled, "Alfa six!" Once he got a grip on this reality, his bleary eyes focused on me as I ran around clapping and cheering. After a moment, he asked, "Is that... good?"

"Yup! Spell and job levels have six ranks, and normally, reaching expert takes years!" I bounced over and hugged him, then quickly shifted to hugging a nearby tree.

He watched me with a bewildered stare, eventually standing up and dusting off his clothes—slowly. Giddy, I hugged another tree with the biggest grin plastered across my face. He gently touched my shoulder. "Okay, but... how exactly does that help us?"

"Silly Lucas, we can sell enchanted items!"

Lucas buried his face in his hands for a moment, then looked back at me, hesitant. "I hate to say it, but you need to hear this. The most expensive item they've sold went for around twelve gold. Even if we sold for fifteen, that's just thirty dollars. How do you expect to make ten thousand? Charlie..." He trailed off, unable to meet my eyes, and walked away.

Silly guy, I thought. He never had much imagination. "Stop being so rational," I called out. Spotting the spear nearby, I threw it toward him, and it shattered on impact. As expected, he just stood there like a lost puppy. Not everyone had a knack for exploiting the system. Next thing on my list? Enchanting a shield.

"Hey, Mr. Mage, find us a fallen tree! I'll make a shield, and that'll be our ticket to greatness!" I grinned, spreading my arms wide. "We need a big one—at least a foot wide!"

Lucas nodded reluctantly, and we started combing through the woodland, which was full of trees. So, who would've thought finding a fallen one would be so hard?

The sound of snapping twigs marked our progress as we thrashed through a small, overgrown ravine. Finally, we spotted the perfect tree.

Well, almost. It was mostly decayed, with mushrooms sprouting all over it. "Yep, that's... fine, I guess," I muttered, cutting out a large circle. The decayed wood nearly crumbled in my hands, but I managed to carve an improvised handle with a chisel. What a masterpiece! A rotten shield!