“Phew~, thank God they have a fireplace…” Matthew sat down onto the sofa, next to his mother. She was covering herself with a thick quilt, while drinking some hot chocolate out of a mug. Meanwhile, Michael was standing in the kitchen with a white robe on, cooking a big pot of spaghetti on the gas stove.

The living room with the fireplace was connected to the kitchen area, though there was a large counter separating the two. Although the house was only two stories tall, it was fairly wide and spacious. With just the three of them living there, they would certainly have plenty of unused rooms.

Anaishe looked at her son and asked “Do you think that… Are we really safe here?”

Matt sighed, murmuring “I don’t hear anymore helicopters or planes flying around, but the sirens and gunshots… They’re endless.”

“Hahaha~! You guys are so fuckin funny!” Michael took out a jar of tomato sauce and poured it into a small pot, “Did you really think that you were ever ‘safe’? Shit hits the fan all the time, and it’s usually idiots like us who have to clean it up. Anyway, do you guys like your spaghetti spicy, sweet or super garlicky?”

“What, who the hell eats spicy spaghetti?”

Matt complained, but his mother suggested “You should add some chili powder and cayenne pepper, but not too much.” Then she gave her quilt to her son and got up off the couch, drinking her hot cocoa as she walked over to the kitchen. She put her mug down on the counter and said “Michael, you should be exhausted after running around in that heavy armor. Let me take care of this for you… Why don’t you get some rest?”

As the tall and skinny dark-skinned woman stood next to the short and pale man, she practically towered over him. Yet his body was far thicker and bulkier than hers, so he gave off an intimidating aura. When Matthew was watching the two of them happily talking about pasta and cooking, the System gave him a stern warning.

[Keep in mind that Michael is infected with Rapture-727 Delta nanites. If he mates with your mother, the System of Generic Earth Server-1927 might not protect her from the nanoscopic robots. Although the effects may prove to be beneficial, I do not believe she should test her ‘luck’…]

He whispered to himself “There’s no way that Mom would be attracted to that crazy white shorty…”

[You should never underestimate the affinity-raising abilities of a MC.]

“Hehehe~,” Anaishe giggled and slapped Michael on his shoulder, then she suddenly started squeezing it and asked “I was a little out of it earlier when we were helping you take the armor off, but how did you get so strong? Your muscles are big, but that armor was at least four-hundred pounds… Are you some kind of superhero?”

He smirked as he pulled up the left sleeve of his robe and flexed his bicep, then the tricep, performing a few different poses. Then Michael told her “I might not be a hero, but I’m definitely superhuman. The Earth I came from experienced a zombie apocalypse. It was pretty awesome, but well… You never really appreciate what you have until you lose it. I really miss my friends, and family…”

“Aw~, don’t worry. You have us now.”

Matthew started coughing violently when he saw his mother start hugging and comforting the white-robed man. Then he yelled “Can the two of you please focus on cooking?! The water’s about to boil over!”

***

After the three of them finished eating their dinner, they each claimed a different bedroom as their own. Of course, Michael picked the basement, while Matthew and his mother stayed on the top floor. It was 5:30 am by the time that they all managed to drift off into slumber… The ‘war’ in the city had settled down a bit, while they were on the outskirts and relatively safe for the moment.

[Item: Riot Shotgun
Type: Equipment
Rarity: Trash
Mana Cost: 5
Description: Summons a pump-action shotgun meant for combat. This weapon will conform to the dimensions of the intended operator. Thus, the caliber, length of the barrel and other key features will vary greatly. The stock and pump are made from polished wood, while the metal parts are mostly carbon-steel. The internal tubular magazine will be able to hold 3 to 5 rounds. Ammo is not provided.]

The first thing that Matt did after falling asleep was enter his Private Server and open his pack of “Azrael’s Workshop” cards.

[Item: Basic Pineapple Grenades
Type: Consumables
Rarity: Trash
Mana Cost: 5
Description: Summons 2 to 5 pineapple grenades. These fragmentation grenades are fairly dangerous, even to the wielders. They have cast-iron shells, which easily shatter into many pieces once the explosive inside is triggered. Although they are typically thrown, they can also be used as simple mines or booby traps.]

[Item: Simple SMG
Type: Equipment
Rarity: Trash
Mana Cost: 5
Description: Summons a Simple Submachine Gun. This weapon will conform to the dimensions of the intended operator. Thus, the caliber, length of the barrel and other key features will vary greatly. The shape and design of the gun is not fixed, so there will be many variables. The removable stick magazine will be able to hold 20 to 30 rounds. Ammo is not provided.]

The first few cards were similar to ones that he already had, thus he wasn’t particularly surprised or impressed. However, once he reached the Common ones, his expressions changed.

[Item: Gasoline Canisters
Type: Consumables
Rarity: Common
Mana Cost: 5
Description: Summons 5 to 10 red plastic gasoline containers. Each canister will have at least 5 gallons of gasoline inside. Most of the canisters will have removable nozzles.]

[Item: Portable Gasoline Generator
Type: Tool
Rarity: Common
Mana Cost: 5
Description: Summons a 7,000 Watt portable gasoline generator with an electric starter. The device has wheels so it can be moved easily. The 8 gallon steel fuel tank allows for 11 hours of runtime. Gasoline is not included.]

“What are the odds that I would get this, right when I need it the most?” Matthew muttered to himself, but the System answered his rhetorical question anyway.

[Azrael’s Workshop pack has many important pieces of technology and useful resources, so the chances of finding something you want or need are actually very high. Especially for a game like Old Earth Online. Of course, you should keep in mind that there is a ‘luck’ factor involved. Cards that you need are prioritized based on your luck… Then there is the factor of Mana cost. It might seem that you are extremely lucky, but there are plenty of other cards that you could have gotten, yet did not.]

“Okay, I get the point. System, do you have an actual name? It feels a little awkward calling you that, since there are tons of other ‘Systems’ out there…” Matthew asked, as he looked at the next card in his pack.

[Item: Simple SMG Rounds
Type: Consumables
Rarity: Common
Mana Cost: 5
Description: Summons 30 to 60 simple rifle cartridges. Some of the rounds may be defective, while others might have pristine quality. Most of the bullets will have cupronickel jackets, while some will have steel alloyed shells. All of the bullets will have soft lead cores. The size and caliber of the cartridges will change depending on the SMGs that are in play.]

[Fate Fortuna called me Providence. I believe she named me this in anticipation of her successor, since she never truly ‘needed’ me herself. Although, if you would prefer, you may call me whatever you wish. It makes little difference.]

“Nah, Providence is good. It definitely fits your personality, heh-heh~…” He smiled at the computer screen, then yelled “What the fuck?! This is possible too?!”

[Spell: Instant Plumbing
Type: Passive
Rarity: Uncommon
Mana Cost: 5
Description: Instantly designs and installs proper plumbing for an entire building. If the structure already has plumbing, then any damages will be repaired and all of the appliances will even be cleaned. This Spell will only provide plumbing and not the appliances like sinks, toilets or showers. It is recommended that all of the appliances are placed where you wish them to be first. Septic and sewage will be connected, but not created. If the Summoner or the target has an understanding of plumbing, it is possible to manually design the building’s plumbing, though it might not be ‘instant’.]

[Spell: Instant Electrical
Type: Passive
Rarity: Uncommon
Mana Cost: 5
Description: Instantly designs and installs proper electrical wiring for an entire building. If the structure already has electrical wiring, then any damages will be repaired and all of the appliances will even be cleaned. This Spell will only provide electrical wiring, circuit breakers and does not include the actual source of electricity. If the Summoner or the target has an understanding of electrical wiring, it is possible to manually design the building’s electrical wiring, though it might not be ‘instant’.]

“So I could basically just like… Summon that gigantic silver tower and then use both of these spells to make it livable?” Matt was excited for a moment, before he realized “Except I can only use one of them, since they’re both fives of clubs.”

[That is correct. However, there are rarer cards within Azrael’s Workshop that can do both.]

“Yeah, I figured that, but what are the odds that I’ll be able to upgrade these two into that?” He snickered, then shook his head.

[The odds are 50% if you fuse both of the cards you have. However, if you happen to find two more of the same exact cards, the probability will increase to 100%.]

“I’m not gonna risk it unless I have four then. Anyway, this last card seems pretty cool.”

On the cover was a muscular and tall, pale-skinned man using a hammer to forge some metal on an anvil.

[Spell: Azrael’s Blacksmithing Manual
Type: Passive
Rarity: Rare
Mana Cost: 5
Description: Azrael King was born with an innate understanding of metallurgy and blacksmithing, along with many other skills. He was a genius when it came to wielding a hammer and forging weapons, armor or even farming tools. This Spell will allow the target to experience several months of training with the Legendary Blacksmith himself. Whether they can learn anything or not, will depend on their own capabilities. Since the training will take place within Azrael’s Workshop on Single-Player Mode, the target will only be incapacitated for several minutes Server Time.]

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