[ Chapter X (10): "UPGRADES, PEOPLE. UPGRADES" ]
[ PLAYER NO. 12 LVL. 6 PLANT (SUNFLOWER) HAS REACH THE MONTHLY CREDIT QUOTA; NO MORE CREDITS WILL BE GIVEN TO PLAYER FOR THE TIME BEING ]
Similar notifications appeared to him, from left-to-right, right-to-left. Some has appeared minutes back, while some only started to appear now. All of this Plants originating from the first pack he bought.
All 100 of them fully grown Sunflower, Peashooter, and Wallnuts apparently has an invisible quota inside of them. Something which Arthur had only found about recently, the said Credit Quota going to reset in 2-3 weeks, when the first day of the new month hit... Even though this place is not Earth.
Arthur doesn't mind, as after all, through the help of those 100 Plants. He has earned about 15,000 Credits. All of which having been spent i.e. invested for future gains. A quarter of the sum going to the renovations inside the For Honor Game... Which isn't fully completed yet, but is functional.
Some Credits also went in making the Garden slightly bigger while ignoring, for the time being, the increase in size of the platform. While the rest went to increase the Player Population and Plant Population.
An endeavor of which, something that Arthur could say that is going quite well... As he watches the videofeed of the new Players adjust to their new surroundings, not knowing that they are free labor to some extent.
Oh, and Barry could be seen reluctantly fighting a group of thieves, having finished some of them as peacefully as he could. No blood, only bruised... Their valuables missing, as the said Champion is currently using them, or pocketed them inside his Inventory, something that functions inside the life-like For Honor Game.
When Arthur noticed this fact, he wanted to quickly remove it. But realized that, no, it wouldn't be beneficial to the slightest for Barry, it'll be an disadvantage. So, he is still on the fence if he should remove it inside For Honor or not... At the moment deciding not to do so; saving the Flash's life inturn.
[ "Huh...?" ] He is at the moment currently scrolling down, looking at the list of Players that has entered his world. There is a small golden star right besides Player No. 1's picture i.e. Barry Allen, the future/or current superhero speedster named the Flash.
At the moment, he isn't focused on that said Player, as he now scroll to the point of seeing the Player No. 54, and the name of the young man caught his attention. He doesn't swing that way, he is quite sure, especially to children. No, what caught his attention is the name and apperance of his.
[ PLAYER NO. 54: WILLIAM JOSEPH "BILLY" BATSON ]
Billy Batson. He isn't familiar with DC Comics by any means, as compared to his familiarity with Warhammer 40,000 or even to Marvel Comics. But through his knowledge of Captain Marvel, he knows that this kid is superpowered.
You see, back in his original Earth. There was dispute to who owns the name Captain Marvel. Does it belong to Detective Comic's Billy Batson, or to Marvel Comic's Carol Danvers... The latter won.
But that isn't the name. The name Billy Batson is now related to a superhero kid named SHAZAM in DC. The letters corresponding to a power, the only one he knows is Z for Zeus, and plausibly A for Atlas, but he isn't sure about that one.
[ "Okay, okay. Damn it!" ] To fact check his work, he used his almighty computer. The all-seeing, far-seeing, overpowered computer. Using at it, to search for a game relating to the DC Universe. Because at the moment, his computer can only run games.
[ "Holy... shit." ] After looking down at the list of Detective Comic's Games, all of it, computer, android, ppsspp, no matter what game was presented to him... But no matter what he does, he couldn't see a single game with the title of SHAZAM! written in it. So...
In seeing that he doesn't have anything, he slightly grunbled to himself and pulled out a DC Comics, Lego Game... Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, he hasn't played this one yet, nor the 2nd installment, but he played the first one and he loved it.
So in hopes that he would see something relating to Billy Batson, the theorized and possibly the superheroed shapeshifting SHAZAM. He needs to play this game first, not like he hate it, as through playing it, he would be able to study DC Characters as a whole, especially because he now works alongside DC Earth individuals...
Knowledge is power, and he needs more knowledge relating to DC... It's just that, he forgot and much more favor playing videogames like Pokemon, For Honor, Minecraft, or even Roblox without any one other than him online.
He just hopes that his endeavor in researching about Billy Batson wouldn't be a useless one. As he then clicks away at the logo of the 3rd Lego Batman Game. Ready to play and research everything relating to it... If not... Then, screw everything.
...
[ "Gahh!!! M-my leg!" ] A certain bandit NPC could be seen screaming on top of his lung, as the Champion, also known as Barry Allen stepped hard on his foot. To immobilize him, that seems to have worked, as now he is kneeling on the floor.
[ "I-I-I'm so-so-sorry!" ] Barry said, now dressed in some assorted ornmanets and weapons. His fist reluctantly curled up to a fist, as his expression says sorry, but his fist not-so much, as it collided with the bandit's face, causing him to be knocked out cold.
When the face of the last mob hit the floor, Barry was finally put at ease. As even though he has slash marks, wounds, and tattered clothes. He couldn't feel the pain after all, just a sting... But what really put him at ease was the System's Reward.
[ MISSION COMPLETE: "DEFEAT 9 BANDIT NPCs THAT IS TRYING TO SELL YOU TO SLAVERY" ]
[ REWARD: +25 SYSTEM CREDITS, +5 CHARACTERISTIC POINTS, LOBBY TELEPORTER LVL. 1 ]
[ "They we're trying to what now...?" ] Sell him into slavery... Apparently, but to Barry's relief, that didn't happen, and this isn't really his original world... More like a game in how it works, so he doesn't worry that much... But, they really tried? Huh.
Before claiming the rewards, he then went and gathered all of them in one spot. To those that has their arms or legs broken, or to those who are knocked into unconsciousness... Which is weird, because Barry didn't hit them that much, only a punch to the face which he felt also.
But yet, they are still knocked out. Not like he complains though, so he went and tied all of them up using a single rope that he finds on their person, as he then loots their bodies in doing so. As repayment in almost giving him the shock of his life.
He threw all of the said items, clothes, herbs and spices he could find into his Inventory, before then finally leaving them alone. Reminiscent of the villains and bad guys that he fights, the group of bandits is now tied up, but this time, with him not even having used his superpowers, or costume.
After tying them all up, he then ignored some of them cursing him, or trying to grab him. As he now focuses his attention to the reward, he gotten quite curious on what a System Credit is... Especially because he has been earning this and there for quite some time now, with it having no use at the moment.
Hopefully in the future, it could be useful, like to the point of buying food in some mysterious merchant or floating shop kind of useful. Especially because he is starving, and the food he kept finding along the way is unsavory, to the point of blandness.
Aside from the Credits, he used the Characteristic Points he earned and placed all of them into SPD— Speed. Into his Player Stats, turning the 93 SPD into 98 SPD, as he felt his body turning more faster than before... That, or imagination.
He jumped here and there trying to weigh his body, he could indeed feel it going faster compared to the first time he arrived at this mysterious place... Which is great, because he could outrun hostile NPCs, wild boars, or even Knights in armor much faster now compared to before.
And this is all without using his powers, which seems to be turned off whenever he goes inside UTOPIA i.e. sleep in the real world. For about 12 hours exactly, before then going out refresh than ever to some crime fighting, as then of course as the one and only superhero wearing spandex named THE Flash... of Central City.
[ "Finally, I-I have this...!" ] LOBBY TELEPORTER, that is actually what Barry is most excited about. Because through this, he would be able to return back to Paradise, which is classified as Lobby by the System, or the Creator of this Universe...
So after making sure that he has everything on him, Barry then thought of returning to the Lobby, 3 times, after that... His body then turned into blue light, under the confused gaze of some of the thieves... [ "Where did he go?" ] Until finally, he completely disappeared.
On Barry's side on the other hand... [ "Let's go!" ] He could see the Lobby Teleporter, more on a skill than an tangible object, on cool down saying something like, [ 1 HOUR 59 MINUTES 55 SECONDS BEFORE USE ] in which he completely ignored, in favor of experiencing stepping out of the pillar of light, again. [ "I'm back!" ]
He stepped out of the light... And expected to see the Lobby, with the Garden in it, with his Plants and other friends in it... But what greeted him, are confused gazes of unfamiliar Players, of confused but happy gazes of unfamiliar Plants... [ "Is this the righ... Lobby?" ]
He counted about 70+ more Players wearing grey jumpsuits, similar to his, which is tattered in most places, covered now instead by the Samurai Armor he found. Then around the platform are hundreds or-so of Sunflower, Peashooter, and Wallnuts.
But not just them, he could also see somethings called Potato Mine, Cherrybomb, Snowpea, Chomper, and a Repeater. Plants that he has never seen before, as all of them are either on Lvl. 1, Lvl. 2, or Lvl. 3 at the highest...
Scattered amongst them are Lvl. 5-7 Sunflower, Peashooter, and Wallnuts. Some actually belonging to him... Which immediately shone bright in seeing him... So in thinking that this Lobby is not the same Lobby as wherein he spent most of his time in, is false.
But the confusing sight of Players, other Players he has never met before. About hundreds of them which overcrowds the Platform, some even jumping off the Garden... He couldn't believe it, but seeing the familiar face of the other familiar Players, he sighted in relief.
[ "Oh wow... W-what's, uhh, what's going on?" ] He has been out for at least 3 hours at best. Especially because the Creator decided to place him into a world, probably a world somewhere that he could see here in the Lobby, or not... But after finding a chest belonging to the Samurais, he then received a chain quest...
A magical arrow appeared on the ground, leading him to somewhere. Where? He doesn't know... At first he believed it, happy to find where the marker led... But apparently it leads to problem, as he encounters bandit after bandit, after bandit.
Almost dying in the process, but thanks to not feeling pain, only about 1/10th of it... He survived. He asked why the System is doing this, the response he receive was the description of the Lobby Teleporter Lvl. 1... So in seeing he actually had hope, he kept repeating the Mission, defeating bandits after bandits. Before finally arriving back here... [ "Wait..." ]
Curious about what's happening, he opened up his Inventory and was immediately greeted by an unfamiliar items— seeds that he is both familiar and not at the same time. He hovered his fingers above those different type of seeds, and was immediately flabbergasted.
[ "Okay-okay, new Plants. That is so cool" ] Followed by this is a Mission coming from the Creator, i.e to plant and take care of the seeds he and the others received... the Mission says that he needs to plant them, and make them reach Lvl. 3.
In exchange? In exchange he'll receive some food, a ramen, a soda, a biscuit... Of course he is familiar with this... He has been doing this for days, and in exchange he and the others would receive food.
So he didn't ask for anything in turn, and immediately began to plant his new seeds, going inside the Garden in doing so... As there aren't any more rogue dirt in the platform; it just disappeared one day in front of the other online Players sight, but the trade to that is a bigger Garden, so no complaint coming from them.
...
[ "What was I doing again...?" ] Arthur, i.e. the Creator on the other hand could be seen confused, eating chocolates as he plays in his almighty computer... The game? Lego Batman 3, having forgotten his original purpose, no matter how long he tries to remember it.
So in realizing he forgot something, he just shrugged off his shoulder and continued on with his game. Building something as Batman, as the Robin NPC of the game is practically useless. [ "Okay, let's contin-" ]
[ MAIN MISSION: "ACHIEVE 100 REGISTERED PLAYERS IN YOU'RE LOBBY" ]
[ REWARD: +1,000 SYSTEM CREDITS, ONLINE ADVERTISEMENT LVL. 1 ]
[ CHAMPION MISSION: "CHAMPION NO. 1 (BARTHOLOMEW HENRY "BARRY" ALLEN) HAS FINISH HIS FIRST-EVER MISSION CHAIN (7-10 MISSION)" ]
[ REWARD: +500 SYSTEM CREDITS, +SUB LEVEL (FOR HONOR) SLOT ]
[ ——— ] [ ——— ] [ ——— ] [ ——— ]
[ 06/06/2025 ]
[ 06/07/2025 ]