8 Beta -8- Conflict of Males

Julius distressingly tapped all over the frustrating blue screen that had laid itself before him.

{That option requires-}

{For that-}

{Wisdom-}

{Player does not have the-}

Until finally.

{System is going on cooldown.}

Julius sighed from the deepest part of his heart.

In one sly moment, everything had been stripped from him.

So what if he had just jumped to being hella strong? He couldn't even use a single dot of his new power.

He had 0 wisdom and no way to ever increase his wisdom score. Ironically, Wisdom was probably the only thing one wouldn't be able to train.

Julius cursed.

'I could climb mountains and run businesses. But I could never do magical wonders to gain wisdom.'

So now he possessed {500} Mana points and not even the capability to spend a single point.

He was a walking, depressing battery in a sense.

Lucius looked up with a face full of beaming angels.

"I guess everyone received the blue statistical page just now?"

Slow nods surfaced around the distanced group.

Lucius proudly proclaimed what he had done in an attempt to perhaps aid the others.

"I put my points in order of usefulness, a few in {Wisdom} and most in {Agility} and {Strength.} You don't have to follow me but I just think that we should prioritize this advantage to our current situation. From what I've gathered we might be entirely surrounded by corruption. If we take the word of that God to be true then the only way out would be to slay the Revenant who owns said corruption."

Dian, the Spanish boy squinted his eyes as his voice snarked.

"How did you put points into {Wisdom}, {Agility}, and {Strength}? Are you trying to impress the girls? We all only received 2 stat points."

He chortled darkly.

"I get you're trying to keep up this popular image. But don't confuse pride with logic."

The anger fueling and propelling his speech dissolved in the atmosphere silently.

The two twins turned his way, eerily in sync.

"You only receive... 2 points?"

They looked like they were holding back laughs before they turned away from Dian and fell into a disastrous pit of giggles.

Dian's voice felt ostracized as it left his mouth once more.

"What are you saying? We all received 2 stat points. I'm just saying the facts-."

"Dian."

Alexander, the short blonde wizard peeped up. His figure was shaky and nervous. His eyes stuck to the walls around Dian awkwardly.

"I received 8 stat points. Which probably means..."

The girls sang out in unfortunate reality.

"Dian got an -F- Rank Ta-lent!"

Dian stood with his fists clenched. His rage cooked the air around him.

He pointed out toward Lucius, assuring himself that Alexander probably just had an unusually high number of stat points.

"Bastard. Since you brought this whole fiesta up. How many do you have?"

His eyes screeched with vengeance.

"How many stat points do you have? Don't be afraid to tell."

Lucius closed his eyes cheerily as he laughed lightly.

"Ah... you know."

"Just 25."

Dian took a step back, inaudible mutters spraying out from his mouth.

"This-can't be."

He shouted out in impudence.

"You must be lying. Prove it. Prove you have 25."

Lucius looked down and began tapping an invisible surface.

Soon a small subtle blue box popped up in the middle of everyone's screens.

{Player Lucius submits a request to present his {Profile} to you.}

{10 seconds to accept...}

{Yes/No.}

Dian furiously smudged his finger into the yes button along with the rest of the group.

Alexander in light curiosity and cunningness. The twins who had already begun guessing his numbers and Julius who wanted to see the boosts from an -S- Rank talent.

Julius thought to himself cautiously.

'It looks like the rank of your talent deciphers your starting stat points. Alexander probably got an A-rank talent since he got 8 points. I got 10 originally for an A+. So Lucius? He must've gotten an S+ or somewhere above that.'

Julius hit {Yes.}

Soon transcriptions of letters buzzed onto the blue screen.

{Name: Lucius Elwater}

{Strength} : {D-}

{Agility} : {D}

{Wisdom} : {E}

{Durability} : {E}

{Stamina} : {E+}

{Mana} : {E-}

{Overall} : {E+}

Stat Points Spent: {25} Left to Spend: {0}

Talents: {???}

Julius breathed out heavily.

He muttered quietly from his corner.

"It's not the end of the world. The gap between us is... insight I guess."

Dian was in a different mood.

He punched the air before him.

"Lucky show-off."

He shouted out violently. His eyes burning with destruction.

"Just pray that you won't need my help. Not that you'll need it with all your stat points."

His face was a fuzzy red through his emotions.

Just before he turned the corner to sit away from the anonymous eyes of the group, Julius noticed through his awareness a sharp heavy glance directed towards Lucius from Dian.

Julius noted the moment in his mind.

'Looks like an opposition has already formed within the group.'

Without warning, Dian stormed off in embarrassment. Alexander trailed behind innocently and struggled to decide what to do with the unconscious Grit.

Noticing his struggles, Lucius picked up Grit steadily and trailed off with Alexander.

Julius used his alone time to find a homely place to sleep where he could wrap himself in some tidy cotton sheets.

Julius hung his spear by his bedside in case an intruder appeared. Who would be the intruder? Julius shrugged to himself.

Who knew? Maybe a revenant would attempt to strike in the middle of the night. Not that he would survive against such morbid creatures anyways.

The sheets hadn't been wrapped up alongside the rest of the derelict village and just like that, a comforting night of sleep ensued.

{Rooster noise implanted by system-master set to activate.}

{3...}

{2...}

{1...}

"GAH."

Julius almost screamed out. His ears felt like they were scrunching up against his will.

An inhumanely loud cock-a-doodle had started his terribly bright day.

Moodily, Julius slipped his hoodie back on and crossed into his jeans. He had a light odor from not washing but it could've been far worse. The most important thing on his mind was food and water. His throat was dry and his stomach was dissatisfied. He wobbled down into the village square where the group had last been to realize that he was the last to arrive.

Julius murmured as he rubbed his eyes.

"Anyone know the time?"

A few shaking heads ensued.

Lucius laughed weakly.

"It's probably around 10 to 11 from the sun's radiance but this isn't Earth as we all know."

Dian and Grit had been harshly glaring at Lucius the entire time. Alexander was making strange shapes with his hands and the twins were gossiping, whilst rocking back and forth on their usual boulder.

Julius spoke quietly, feeling under pressure.

"So... what are we doing this morning?"

Lucius spoke out brightly.

"We'll be seeing just how far this corruption goes and if there's anywhere to head to the rest of civilization. This village has limited supplies and we need an overall grasp of this world's situation. That's why we should find out where the corruption stops or parts. If it does stop or part at least."

Lucius rolled his shoulders backward and began strutting out. The twins hopped down and Julius ambled behind him.

Lucius furrowed his eyebrows.

He looked back in puzzlement.

"You guys not coming?"

The three rowdy boys had been whispering among themselves. Dian spoke up, with a bit of a snark on his tongue.

"No, we are."

Not a snark, but rather a tinge of something impalpable.

Whatever it was, Julius didn't find it pleasant and neither did the others.

Julius stopped in his steps, Lucius noticed his odd behavior and stopped too.

"Is something up?"

Julius' head slowly swirled backward.

"I'm thirsty. Do you guys remember where the drinks were? Other than the wine?"

Dian let out a smug grin. Grit folded his arms calmly. Alexander feigned ignorance.

All 3 let out varying sly excuses.

"If I knew I would've loved to reveal-."

"Sadly not-."

"The weather sure is-."

Julius sighed.

"I'm being serious. Or do you really want us all to dehydrate-."

Dian's eyes shot at Lucius.

Grit stood up and shadowed over Julius. His broad shoulders only increased the effect. His muscles boiled under the sunlight.

Julius felt shallow under his shade.

Grit spoke deeply and each of his words felt deafening.

"We'll tell you all where the drinks are when we feel like it. If you have a problem with that then you can try your best to find hydration somewhere else."

Lucius smoothly maneuvered Julius out of the way.

His eyebrows furrowed.

"Do you really want to go through this all again? Just pass over the drinks so we can share them equally."

A smile formed on Grit's face. Arrogance had consumed his eyes.

"Make me. If you use violence again then I think it's fair to say you're the last one who should be leading us all."

Lucius clenched his right arm.

He pulled it back.

Back into his pocket that is. He began walking off before Julius mechanically followed.

As he left and the boys sniggered, he left a subtle afternote.

"Don't regret the things you've said when you have no more to say."

Grit was still beaming.

"What the hell is he on about."

Lucius turned his head elegantly, his long ruby-red hair swaying along.

He whispered inaudibly. Veins surfaced on his flawless skin.

"Damn these guys are irritating."

Julius tapped his shoulder.

"Say something?"

Lucius turned back, his veins already submerged back into his smooth skin.

He gave out a wide angelic smile.

"Nope!"

And so the Party strutted toward the outskirts of the village, and the gateway of corruption.

To be or not to be.