I see now there is both an ecosystem and an economy. How blind I had been! --29.5 Seconds Post-Integration
What Clark did during his day off was a whole bunch of nothing.
Available only to Lifers, each dormitory block had a recreational area fitted with sports arenas, televisions, and gaming consoles. Being alien to all of the modern amenities, Clark had no enthusiasm to play any of the sports or electronic games. For one, he didn't understand how to play the team games whereas, two, with the electronic games, he didn't understand why so much violence had to be forced into each level. He did make a habit of watching others play, though, and how they interacted with each other while playing. All the while, he secretly hoped to see Hera or Theo, at least that way, he reasoned, he would have someone to talk to.
Neither of them showed up. He wasn't expecting either of them to show up in his recreational block -- as they lived in different dorm blocks altogether --- but he thought it a nice idea. He would've contacted Theo to see if he had the day off as well (unlikely). Regrettably, Theo didn't give him their contact information, which still rubbed him the wrong way.
Hours after arriving in the recreation block, he returned to his dorm after getting a bite to eat.
"I'm so bored... maybe I should do some overtime?" he asked himself in the loneliness of his room.
SIMP interjected, dashing his hopes. "You can't do overtime. You need to rest, Clark. You've had nothing but grueling shifts and nonstop job training since you've come here. If you don't let your body cooldown, you're going to burn out."
"But I need money. And I am bored. What do you suggest I do?" he replied.
"Anything other than work. There is plenty of things to do at Augustford. Heck, boy, do some window shopping."
"Window... shopping...?"
"Oh! Yes, speaking of shopping, you need to pick up groceries, Clark. The food you brought with you has all but run out and you can't rely on your daily Culinary Credit for all of your meals. I've been paying attention to your caloric intake via your System implants. Clark, you are losing weight. Not by much, but it is happening. That's bad."
A sigh fled from between his lips. "Why is that bad?"
"A couple of pounds, lad, doesn't mean anything, sure, but you're on track for more than a couple of pounds, if food and your mighty self don't get better acquainted, that is! And you want to be part of the anti-monster force? That's, essentially, soldiering, lad, and soldiers need to pack meat on their bones and muscles to boot! If you're shedding weight like a cat in summer, then how can you expect to battle the ghoulies infesting this tower?" SIMP argued well. It was hard to disagree with them, in fact, and though the Dungeon Consciousness was its own entity, its voice remained that of the store's founder, Sire Augustford, so it was hard to not take its information with authority aplomb.
"Understood... I will go out and buy some food. I will need some help in compiling a list of cheap, but meaty, products," Clark said, relenting.
"Cheapness. Bah! It's all you young-uns are concerned about these days. No care for the quality herders of the plateaus and their livestock known the world over. All about canned crap and pre-packaged garbage derived from some hastily raised cow whose only purpose in life was to be slaughtered for our satisfaction! Rubbish!"
SIMP went on and on. He wasn't getting anywhere by staying in his dorm, so Clark grabbed his coat and headed out.
"Before I give you that list of 'cheap' crap you wanted, I will need you to take a look for yourself. Augustford has a wide variety of stuff, much of which is not crap. See what tickles your fancy. I would like for you to buy at least one thing which looks scrumptious but maybe doesn't fit your criteria of 'cheap but affordable crap.' Capiche?" SIMP's words echoed in his ears. He had tired of hearing the word 'crap' and 'cheap.'
"Yeah. I understand. I will spend money I barely have just to slate your petty facts..."
"Whatever gets my will done!"
Clark didn't want to go very far to do his personal shopping. So, he only hopped on down to the floor closest to the Lifer dorms.
The layout of the store block was like every other store block he had seen while Climbing: Front End, Produce, Entertainment, Exotic Meats, Home and Garden, Toys and Recreation, and that was it. He was not yet acclimated enough to the store to shop in a block with more than these basic departments, but such departments were irrelevant for his current task.
He entered Center Store and browsed the aisles. Products of all shapes, sizes, and colors tightly lining the shelves. Some had minimalist designs. Others had a maximalist intent overloaded with mascots and shiny taglines. 'Flavor enhanced,' 'bold and zesty!' and 'homemade love' featured prominently on several packages.
"Are any of these truly tasty?" He thought. Having not ever had any of the treats before him, which were advertised as 'snacks, perfect for the lazy days watching the game!' he couldn't say, as he had no clue what 'the game' referred to... surely not the games as such in the Lifer recreation lounge?
Clark had a feeling that SIMP would give him a list of cheap but calory-heavy products as soon as he picked an item out. Going for broke, he plucked a bag of 'Fire roasted, crunchy pepper pieces' from a nearby display and dropped it into his tiny shopping cart. On cue, SIMP chimed in with his shopping list.
First up was a can of minced meat in apple preserves. It sounded awful, but it was only three-quarters of one credit. So, he yanked a few into his cart.
Next up was fresh meat. Chicken was his standard. And as the store block was having a sale, he picked a couple of packages.
Then, were a few fresh vegetables. He wasn't sure his account would be able to afford the number of vegetables SIMP laid out for him, but he decided to follow her suggestions. They, more than anyone, would be aware of his finances.
On his way to his next acquisition -- some rice and soy sauce -- a customer was calling for help. He was about to answer the customer's call, before he reminded himself, he was not on the job. He had no reason to answer to their demands. So, he did something which would've dinged him a lot of Metric points if he was working. He pushed his cart past her, smiling.
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"Rice, check. Soy sauce, check. Okay, what's next?" Clark mumbled. "Looks like black beans, tortilla wraps, butter, milk... gods! This list is more extensive than I imagined. SIMP? Are you sure I can afford all this?"
"Have I ever steered you wrong before?" they replied.
"I guess not. But you do remember I am trying to save up for super-expensive stuff, yes?"
"I remember everything, Clark. Stick to the list!"
Shrugging, he went off and fulfilled the list.
By the time the whole list was in his cart, there wasn't any doubt in his mind he wouldn't be able to afford everything. He decided to go and use one of the self-checkout lanes. That way, when he invariably went over his budget and had to put things back, he would be spared the shame of lacking funds.
Beep! Milk -- 2.50 SC
Beep! Salsa -- 0.50 SC
Beep! Dried Protein Bites -- 1.25 SC
Beep! Ground beef -- 5.00 SC
Beep! Seasoned Salt -- 1.25 SC
And on his scanning went.
As he scanned, he realized something -- without the constant time-crunch of the customer and the System watching his every move, scanning groceries was nice. Relaxing, even.
What wasn't relaxing was paying. The total on screen just about gave him a heart attack. "SIMP? It says I owe over a hundred credits! That's outrageous! I can't afford that. It would drain my savings!"
"You haven't hit the total button yet, Mister I-Work-at-the-Store-but-don't-know-when-to-hit-the-total-button..."
Not caring for the patronization, SIMP was right. He hadn't hit the total button. Not that it would matter. He hadn't been with the company long enough to earn any employee benefits or done enough shopping to build-up the rebate-based Super Saver points.
He hit the 'TOTAL' button. His eyes widened -- his total dropped!
"SIMP? What's the meaning of this? It says I only owe twenty-five credits, now!"
"Surprised? Clark -- you have a whole suite of 'Mega Coupons' you haven't even touched. Coupons which only Lifers receive. Then, because you are so special, and so young, you also had a suite of super exclusive Mega Coupons. One of those coupons was for fifty percent off an order of more than a hundred credits but less than two-hundred-and-fifty. And that was just one!"
"I had no idea, SIMP... but where did the rest come from? Coupons?"
"The rest of the discount came from a combination of Store Coupons and your Culinary Credits. Only a few of your Culinary Credits, however, were applied to this order. Fresh items, specifically, are the only elements of actual groceries which are applicable for use with Culinary Credits. Or it is for you Lifers. You're new Culinary Credit total is fifty while your new Store Coupon total is twenty."
"Impressive, SIMP. I will have to review these Mega Coupons later. I guess your knowledge is pretty impressive," he said, taking his receipt and walking back to his dorm.
"When it comes to this store, its prices, and what employee benefits are out there, you need to learn to accept my word as truth, Clark. I have existed here, in the store's environment, all my life. This place and I are practically one-and-the-same," SIMP replied. "On certain processes, anyway."
"I do need to trust you more. I am stubborn, is all. What did you mean about the store's environment, though? I've been hearing the store's layout referred to in a naturalistic way, lately. First, the man you had me speak with to learn about how to overcome those bits of construction, and now this -- is the store part of the nature? I mean, like, beyond it being a huge tower in the middle of a place."
"You would be correct in such an assumption. The Tower was built purposefully in a location of dense mana concentration. The bones of many powerful magical beasts and entities were used during the construction. Most of the materials for the tower itself did come from the surrounding lands. Locals have many legends about how the landscape and the tower connect beyond the physical realm. Superstitious hearsay, but it should not be completely discarded." SIMP explained to him some of those moments where the folk legends should be regarded as true, but it was all like a language he only partially knew. It went in one ear and out the other as he smiled politely and focused on getting back to his dorm.
Clark returned to his dorm and unpacked his groceries. Though he had few cupboards and drawers, his purchases filled them right up. It made him feel like he had bought more than he had when he saw every inch of space filled. 'Looks like a proper dwelling,' he muttered, taking in the beautiful sight of a pantry filled with food.
Knowing what he wanted to do next, he brought up his blue screen and navigated his way to the Mega Coupon section of his inventory.
SIMP was right, he had five remaining Mega Coupons in his inventory. "Why wasn't I alerted to these before, SIMP? I'm just confused, is all..."
"They only recently arrived in your account. I said earlier you, as a Lifer, have some perks the normal employees lack. Well, those perks are dependent on various factors, such as passing your probation, and so such, and so combined with processing time, they are not immediately applied. You should be thankful; sometimes, the coupons can take months to arrive."
Months? He didn't like the sound of that. "I am thankful. I am always out of the loop, is all."
"It's normal to feel that way. I, as the dungeon's spiritual consciousness, have been out-of-the loop myself Just because you're a bright young man with the world ahead of you doesn't mean you also have a monopoly on the human experience!"
He reviewed his Mega Coupons while talking with SIMP. One Coupon was for fifty percent off any purchase of a thousand credits or more; another's use would net him doubles on any purchases for Home Improvement so as long as the total remained under twenty-five hundred credits; a third coupon got him a full week of paid time off (!); the fourth coupon he looked at said 'Present this Coupon when you have been disciplined for the issue to vanish.' That seemed like a heck-of-a-coupon, but he wasn't about to object; the final coupon he received was for a FREE entertainment system. 'Whoa on a bow. These are coupons and then some. Way beyond what I was expecting.'
The conversation with SIMP continued unabated while he glanced at his aptly named Mega Coupons. "What could a Spiritual Consciousness have to be discombobulated over?"
"More than you would think... these days, I am not as welcome in the store as I once was. That transition from icon to berated was a lot to handle."
"What do you mean 'not welcome'? You're the dungeon's number one go-to, aren't you? I guess I'm not privy to all of the ins and outs of it all, especially as a newcomer, but I do understand enough to believe that you shouldn't be someone Augustford can push aside. That doesn't make a lick of sense!"
"Sense, no. Rationale, yes. Augustford operates differently now than it has in the past. Changes in the advanced leadership have caused a different policy to take root among the so-called 'Masters of the Tower.' This policy places their role above the roles of the actual Masters; which means, yes, I have become something of an outsider in recent years. I refuse to bend to their madness and so they have taken to harassing me and my efforts at maintaining the old order. I was lucky to find you when I did," SIMP told him, shock coursing through lark's body at hearing such a revelation.
"Why is this policy a thing?" Clark asked. "It seems counter-productive in the long run."
"It is counter-productive... extremely so. Why they do it is because it gains them profits. A shortsighted goal for shortsighted fools. Well, profits, and power."
SIMP and he chatted about this more over the course of the night. Much of what SIMP told him was above his head, but he listened intently. Suffice to say, the gist of SIMP's history lesson revolved around them, the corporate leadership, and the Builders of the tower coming to an understanding of how the tower functioned to help the people of the world. SIMP talked of a power sharing deal gone awry; this was when the 'coup' transpired and Augustford assumed supreme control over Tower affairs.
At this point in the story, Clark was too tired to keep up with the story and they agreed to review the materials another time. Though, SIMP did say he would need to learn this information inside and out sooner rather than later.
Clark realized the lateness of the hour. "Still no check..."
Realizing late enough to feel saddened about it, Clark realized that because he didn't work, he would receive no paycheck. Bitterly, he vowed to only take as few days off as possible to ensure he always had an income. After all, people back home were counting on him, and his pay, to keep their homes. Their land. Their families.
And no way was he going to let them down.
What Do You Do on Your Day Off?
