Accidental Champion - Chapter 30 - Loot Boxes (Patreon)

Quick note: I've renamed this series "Accidental Champion" instead of "Accidental Champion of Earth".

Xavier made sure he didn’t pass up the opportunity to loot the dead Puma Prime. In fact, as he only had thirty seconds, he decided to make some room in his Storage Ring for the big beast and its halberd.

He looked around the temple. The part of him used to playing video games expected there to be some sort of treasure chest hidden around here, but even looking behind the throne itself made him come up with nothing.

The throne was unadorned as well. No jewels encrusted its arms. There crystal adorned its head. And there was no crown of gold or otherwise anywhere to be found. He sighed, thinking of a normal Champion climbing this tower. Would all they have gained from this floor be +2 to all of their stats?

Xavier, of course, couldn’t complain about what he’d received, and he supposed the title everyone would get would be the equivalent of almost two levels. I think I’ve just been spoiled by all the titles I’ve been getting. And this is only the first floor. Maybe the rewards for other floors are better.

When the timer reached zero, Xavier was satisfied there was nothing left on this floor of value, as, well, there was nothing on this floor of value that he could find.

There was a flash of white light, then he was standing in the Staging Room, surrounded by his party.

Howard, Siobhan and Justin stood around him, blinking their eyes and shaking their heads at the disorientation of being teleported. Xavier couldn’t help but notice that he’d adjusted to it much faster. They’re all still level 4…

Siobhan’s eyes were wide as she looked over at Xavier. “You did it! And really fast too!” She looked down, her shoe scuffing the floor. “We were getting a little worried. Thought… thought we’d made a bad decision and that you would die out there.”

Howard gripped Xavier’s shoulder. “You did it. You cleared the floor.” He nodded his head at the other two. “And we got the two titles even in the Safe Zone.”

Two titles? Xavier had received four. His forehead creased. Of course. The 1st First Floor Climber title had said “your party,” not just him. He smiled. “That’s great!”

“We each received 7 points to all our stat points! That’s… that’s huge!” Justin was smiling, ear to ear. Xavier had never seen the kid smile like that before.

Before Xavier could respond to them, Siobhan pointed excitedly at something in the middle of the room. That was the first time that Xavier really looked around the room. The Staging Room looked completely different to how it had before.

It was far larger, for one. About the size of an indoor basketball court. There weren’t practice weapons or anything like that, but on one side of the room there were a series of large, stone balls. Each stone was larger than the last, until the largest one, which was as tall as Xavier. Are those for strength training? Like what strongmen use?

There was also a circle marked out in the centre of the room, about twenty strides across. Xavier got the feeling it was a sparring circle. On the far side, near the exit, was a pedestal with a large blue crystal atop it. The crystal gave off a slight glow, and Xavier wondered if that was some sort of System Shop terminal.

Finally, his gaze fell on what Siobhan had been pointing at. In the middle of the room, near the sparring circle, were four wooden chests. Xavier grinned, scanning them.

{First Floor Loot Box – Xavier}

{First Floor Loot Box – Howard}

{First Floor Loot Box – Justin}

{First Floor Loot Box – Siobhan}

Loot boxes! And they were actually called loot boxes? Xavier chuckled, glad to find that the titles weren’t the only reward for clearing the first floor. In fact, he couldn’t help but remember the hologram talking about items, skill points, and bonus Mastery Points for clearing floors.

He was glad that the others were provided with things too. Though, even before having opened his loot box, he was already itching to get to the next floor. He was sure he’d be the first to clear the second floor, just as he’d been the first to clear the first floor, but he wanted to solidify his lead.

I got the 42nd highest record in the Greater Universe. I’m sure my lead is solidified. He hadn’t told the others about that, and he wasn’t sure if he should or not. He didn’t know how they would feel if he told them exactly how much stronger he was than them.

He was starting to realise just how large the divide between himself and others would become. Other Champions from his own world would likely take an entire week to finish the first floor. When they did, they would only get roughly 1 more level and +2 to each of their stats.

What floor would he be on by then?

The party headed toward the four loot boxes in the middle of the room, each kneeling before their own. Xavier put his staff down. It was only then that he realised his previously tattered robes had been repaired and cleaned. In fact, there wasn’t a drop of blood on him.

The System… repaired my clothes and washed me clean? He didn’t know whether he should be thankful or a little creeped out. That’s when he had a suspicion.

Your health is at 100%.

He frowned. The last time he’d looked at his health, which was when he walked up the step-pyramid to the temple at the top, it had been 85%. Only a few minutes had passed since then. He couldn’t tell if his Toughness was simply so high now that his health had healed by itself, or if the System had healed him when he’d been brought back to this room.

He had a suspicion that the System had healed him.

Maybe Siobhan would know something about that. He didn’t doubt that she’d been reading the Tower of Champions manual while he was clearing the floor.

Xavier pushed all those thoughts aside as he opened his loot box. There was no key, only a latch, but the fact that the box literally had his name on it made him wonder if somehow he was the only one who’d be able to open it. It makes sense.

He undid the latch and opened up the box.

You have gained +2 Skill Points.

You have gained 24000 Mastery Points.

You have gained 10000 Lesser Spirit Coins

Please choose your preferred item:

1. Armour

2. Enchantment

3. Weapon

Xavier raised an eyebrow and smirked. 24000 Mastery Points happened to be the exact amount one would need to go from level 5 to 6. Assuming the others received the same amount, it would easily take them from level 4 to 5.

And they cleared the floor faster than anyone else from our world would have. Maybe by soloing, I’m not keeping them as far behind as I’d thought. They would already be stronger than any other human Champion besides me, especially with the extra +5 stats they gained.

He tilted his head to the side, wondering which item he should choose. He definitely wanted some sort of armour, but now that he had so much Toughness, did he need it?

What would be the better choice for him?

I need to deal a lot of damage fast. A new weapon could help me achieve that. Xavier frowned, remembering when he was lying face down in the dirt, two Black Pumas tearing and biting into his back, getting all the way down to 1% health…

He shook his head. No. I don’t want to get that close to death again. Maybe armour is the right choice… He paused, wondering what the Enchantment might be. Would that be some sort of jewellery with a modifier for stats? That could help me as well…

Xavier sighed. He supposed this wouldn’t be the only loot box he would get to open while clearing the floors. This was just the first.

He bit his lip, thinking—not for the first time—I can’t fight for this world if I’m dead. And so, he chose the armour, wondering what he might receive. Besides, maybe there could be a weapon in the System Shop he would be able to buy. He had over ten thousand Lesser Spirit Coins now, after all.

The loot box itself, when he’d opened it, had been empty. Now, a set of silver robes sat within it.

Xavier took the robes out. These don’t look very sturdy. He sighed. Definitely not what I had in mind. They don’t look like armour at all. He tried to scan them, but wasn’t able to—just like he’d never been able to scan his own robes. Maybe because I don’t have the Identify skill. But I do have 2 skill points to use now.

He looked around. There wasn’t anywhere for him to change. Then, a notification popped up.

Would you like to Fast Equip Robes of Intelligence?

Xavier blinked. Robes of Intelligence? Is that what these were? He thought yes. The grey robes he had been wearing were replaced with the new silver robes, and the old robes were now clutched in his hands. Huh. That’s convenient. He wondered if such a thing would be possible while in combat.

He smiled, looking over at the others. Though he’d been disappointed by the item he’d received, he wanted to see what the others had gotten.

Howard held a massive looking tower shield, one almost as tall as himself. Justin held a new sword, longer and more slender than the sword he’d started with. The new sword had a shining red crystal at the pommel. And Siobhan held a new staff, running her hand up the shaft. The staff wasn’t wooden like his. This one was metal, and at the end it had a purple crystal instead of a clear one.

Beautiful, Xavier thought. Of the staff, not of Siobhan. Although, her red hair, freckles, and that smile which just now found its way to being turned toward him…

Xavier cleared his throat, turning his attention back on task. “I’m eager to get to the next floor, and unlike our initial plan, I think the three of you should come along. If you’re all able to get titles even while in a Safe Zone, it might be worth waiting around in there for me to clear a floor. But before we move on, we should probably look at the System Shop. I… can almost guarantee no one will clear the second floor before us.”

The leatherbound Tower of Champions manual suddenly appeared in Siobhan’s hand, replacing the staff that had been there only a second ago. She flipped the book open. “I was just about to talk about that. The System Shop. And other things. There are actually a few things I’ve learned that you should know before we push on!” Siobhan looked up from the book, beaming at him.

Xavier nodded. He could feel his cheeks reddening a little, though he was interested in far more than her smile. More than once he’d been tempted to look in his own manual, but he was glad he hadn’t—he wouldn’t have gained the 42nd spot if he had.

“All right,” he said. “What have you got to tell me?”