As Benji walked back into the living room Alex and Duncan were sitting at the end of the kitchen table arguing. He leaned up against the kitchen counter a few feet away and listened in on the dispute.

“Dude, physical changes are way more valuable than magic powers!”

“Who cares about a minor physical change when you could potentially learn magic!”

“And what happens when your mana runs out?” Alex shadow boxed as he spoke. “You get beat down, that’s what.”

“Why don’t you boys put the theory to the test and actually try it out?” Benji watched as his mom entered the kitchen carrying the dishes that were left in the living room.

“Ms. Ferrell-” Alex stopped talking as he noticed the icy glare directed his way. “Sorry, I meant Isabel! It’s not something we can really test out.”

“Surely you two can practice. Besides, there's nothing you can do that I can't fix."

Name Isabel Ferrell

Class Urban Crusader

Level 1

Experience 0/100

Traits

Ms. Fix-it

You are able to repair objects in your home with mana.

Crusader’s Wrath

Your spirit rages when confronting those you consider evil.

Motherly Instinct

When you witness family or friends being injured or threatened, you cannot feel pain until the threat is eliminated.

Suddenly a status screen appeared in front of Benji. His mother’s class seemed to be tailored specifically for her, just like his own had been. It perfectly fit her personality and what she considered important.

“Mom, how did you share your status screen with me?”

“Oh, my AI told me how to do it. Apparently everybody can but I was told I should be careful with who I show it to. Anyways, what powers do you boys have?"

They each took turns showing their status screens. When it became Benji's turn he was hesitant.

"Benji, show us your status screen." He looked over to his mother noticing the stern look on her face. "

"Fine but promise you won't freak out." Benji sighed and shared his screen.

Name Benji Ferrell

Level 1

Class Nerd Lord

Experience 180/100

Traits

Nerd Lord’s Majesty

You may summon one person, ability or object from each game you’ve 100% completed.

People or animals summoned serve you loyally until death.

Sovereign Right

The World Spike has given you the ability to create and rule a kingdom.

Gamer’s Touch

Your Game Station Portable has unlimited storage, an infinite battery, and can play any game you own.

Analyze

You gain the ability to gain basic information about a person or object by observing it.

Isabel was the first to speak. "So it looks like all those long nights playing video games has payed off, my lord."

"Mom, please don't call me that. I'm not sure I want to use Sovereign Right."

"Why not? I think it's a great idea. I'm sure there is more to it than just what the trait explains."

"I don't know. I'll think about it, okay?"

Isabel leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before standing. "You boys work it out while I'm gone. You can tell me all about the details when I get back tonight."

A cheery ringtone sounded from the kitchen. Benji’s mother grabbed her phone from the counter and spoke briefly with the caller. He couldn’t decipher much from her short replies before she ended the call.

“Boys, that was the school administration. Turns out they relaxed the graduation requirements. I want you three to go back to school and file your graduation paperwork.” She pointed to Alex and Duncan before continuing. “After that I expect you both to bring your things back here. It isn’t a big house but you’re both welcome to stay for as long as you want.”

She walked towards the end of the table and grabbed her canvas backpack. She stopped at the door while putting her shoes on. “You boys look out for each other. I’ll be back later tonight.”

Duncan and Alex grew up in a government run orphanage. They knew very little of their parents. It was something that wasn’t mentioned much over the years. They were fed, clothed, and given a place to sleep but never more than that. Any kindness they had seen in their lives came from the woman standing before them.

“Thank you.” They spoke in unison. His mother waved as she walked towards the door. Benji watched as the door closed behind her. He wasn’t too surprised when his mother invited Alex and Duncan to live with them. The question of where they would sleep popped into his mind. His room could fit one more bed if he really tried. They could also clean out the storage room. It would be a lot of work but it would be worth it in the end.

Benji decided that the first thing that needed to happen was a shower. He wasn’t a fan of taking more than one shower a day but after the morning he had, he made an exception. After he finished he grabbed his clothes and returned to his room. He threw the clothes into the top of clothes basket only then noticing the blood stains. He went to the linen closet and put the uniform into a bio-hazard bag. They would have to pay to replace the uniform but the fine for not properly containing blood-born diseases was far greater.

After he finished he dressed in a clean uniform, put his credit stick, and put his GSP into his pocket before he made his way downstairs and deposited the bag in the appropriate container out near the sidewalk. Once inside he made a quick call to the sanitation department so the local crew could dispose of it. Inside Alex was busy mimicing the martial art style of an actor in some action movie. He looked impressive enough if you ignored how thin he was. Duncan was sat at the kitchen table with an assortment of papers spread out before him. On their way home they stopped by an arts and crafts shop. Benji walked over to look at the stacks of paper.

“Interesting stuff.” He said to catch Duncan’s attention. Pictures of fire, lightning bolts, knives, and creatures of all sorts filled the stacks.

“Thanks, man. I figured I’d save up enough just in case.” Duncan placed his pencil on the table and cracked his knuckles. “I’ve also been experimenting.”

“Oh yeah? Anything useful?”

Duncan smirked before grabbing a sheet of paper. He focused and fed mana into the drawing before tossing it towards the open space near the front door. As it hit the ground it glowed with the same bright green light as before. Surprisingly it grew in size from a piece of notebook paper to a height of 2 meters. The glow faded away leaving knight in full plate armor. A sword was belted at its waist and a shield was slung across its back.

“Not only can I make them whatever size I want but they are very realistic.” Duncan motioned towards the knight causing his armor to clank and rattle as it knelt on one knee. “He’s as real as any knight that ever lived but it cost me most of my mana to create him.”

Benji was stunned. With little more than mana and a sheet of paper his friend had created a living being. But it seemed too good to be true. There had to be a downside.

“So what’s the drawback?”

Duncan nodded. “Think of it as a hollow suit of armor. It doesn’t have organs, tissues or blood. Any damage is permanent.”

“Still, that’s pretty amazing.”

"So what's the deal, Benji? You going to use that 180 experience or what?"

"Good point." He turned towards the living room. "Alex, come in here. I'm going to level up. I'll share any screens I see with you two."

Alex paused the movie and joined Duncan at the table.

“A.I., show me the level up menu.”

You’ve gained enough experience to level up!

“Great, I know that. Show me what I’ve gained by leveling up.”

Choose one option from the list below:

Choose a specific item to be delivered to your location!

Items gained this way around bound to you and cannot be lost or stolen.

Play the lottery!

Bob will choose a reward for you.

Items gain this way are not guaranteed to be helpful, useful, or safe.

Benji wasn’t expecting this. Getting a specific item delivered sounded like the best option to gain something that is useful now.

“What are the limitations for the second option? Could I get a tank delivered to my doorstep?”

You cannot ask for an item owned by another person. For example, you can ask for a smart phone, just not Zoe Weaver's smart phone. You only get the item itself, not anything else that the item needs to function. If you ask for a tank, you don’t get any fuel to operate the tank or the knowledge needed to drive it.

“Okay, it can be specific as long as it’s not already owned and no accessories are included.” He thought for a moment before asking another question. “I’m almost afraid to ask but what is the lottery? Why is that even a thing?”

Well, most sentient beings believed in luck and couldn’t accept the fact that it just doesn’t exist. The lottery system is a way to satisfy those people and it’s a way for Bob to influence the world without a lot of effort. And before you ask, literally anything can be done with the lottery so make sure you’re ready to accept the consequences before choosing that option.

“How often do we get level up rewards?”

You gain one reward at level 1 and level 5. You gain another reward at level 10 and one every 10 levels after that. The system is front loaded so that diligent people will survive well passed the first day. Rewards are restricted after level 5 to ensure that the subjects don’t become too powerful.

The AI’s explanation sounded reasonable enough. Benji didn’t believe in luck so the lottery option was just hoping that Bob was in a good mood. The first option sounded like the best choice but what would he choose? He grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and made a checklist. Nerd Lord’s Majesty would satisfy a majority of his basic needs such as safety and security. Food would become a major issue in the near future but it’s not like he could ask for a garden to appear in his neighborhood. Asking for material wealth wasn’t a good choice since his mother had more than enough for now and he had no idea where to sell a gold bar if he asked for it.

Benji eventually narrowed it down to two options; a set of self-cleaning, self-repairs clothes or a backpack that held and infinite amount of objects. The latter choice was the best option for now. He had plenty of clothes.

“A.I., I want an indestructible backpack that holds an infinite amount of living, dead or inanimate items, doesn’t increase in weight, and perfectly preserves the item in the condition it was deposited.” He was quite satisfied with his wording of the request.

You have leveled up! You are now level 2. 920 experience until level 3.

Your reward will arrive shortly.

A moment later Benji heard the doorbell ring. His friends looked at him for a moment before running to the door. Floating in the air just above the doormat was a tan canvas backpack. Benji grabbed the backpack and shut the door. Once back inside, he opened the backpack and looked inside. He saw nothing but infinite darkness inside. Out of curiosity he stuck the tip of his right index finger inside the backpack. His finger disappeared into the darkness but overall, he felt fine. After pulling his finger back out and closely inspecting it, he decided that the backpack worked as advertised He tried inspecting the side pouches but found that they were decorative. A thought popped into his head as he sat his backpack aside.

“Can people take items from inside the backpack? Say if I leave it open, can they just reach their hand in and help themselves?”

A barrier prevents anyone other than the owner from accessing items placed inside the backpack.

With his level up settled, Benji nodded to his friends. “You guys about ready to go? The sooner we get this done the sooner we can get back and practice.”

"Bro, did you just waste a level up on a backpack? Lame." Alex clearly wasn't impressed.

"Are you kidding? He totally just cheated the system!" Duncan seemed to understand Benji's thought process while choosing.

"I don't get it. What's he talking about Benji?"

Benji used Analyze on his backpack and shared the screen with his friends.

Benji Ferrell's Personal Pocket Dimension

Can hold any amount of items.

Incurs no mana cost when storing or removing items.

Cannot be removed from Benji Ferrell.

Disappears upon death of Benji Ferrell.

"Unless my A.I. is lying to me, these are the only rules when using it." Benji said as he slipped on the backpack. "In theory I can put anything in here."

Benji walked over to the sofa and placed his hand on it. As soon as he thought about storing it, the sofa disappeared. Leaving only a handful of depressions in the carpet where it once sat. A second later the sofa reappeared as if nothing had happened.

"It might not seem like much now but I'm certain this baby will be a life saver in the future." Benji walked towards the door. "Now, let's go."

"Give me a few seconds." Duncan pulled a second picture of a knight from his stacks of drawings. He dropped the paper on the ground next to the waiting knight and a moment later a second knight stood waiting for orders from its master.

"Better safe than sorry, yeah? These two should protect the place while we're gone." He said as he stuffed a few stacks of drawings into his bag. Duncan walked up to his knights staring at each for a moment before turning back to Benji. "Okay, it's all set. They'll protect the property until we get back."

"Thanks, man." Benji clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Between your drawings, whatever Alex is doing and my healing, we should be fine."

The plan set, Benji and Duncan walked towards the door. Alex joined them after pausing his movie. A moment later they were walking down the sidewalk on their way to school for the second time today.