As Josh walked down the streets of the city, signs of carnage were evident everywhere. Blood and bits of matter were strewn about the ground and rising smoke could still be seen in every direction. Not a whole body could be spotted and Josh assumed the were eaten by some creatures. As Josh made his way around the wing of a Boeing 747, his hunger and thirst became increasingly more apparent to him.

  Josh walked with purpose toward a partially collapsed gas station known as "Krusty Mart Plus." Upon surveying the area, Josh realized it seemed safe enough and entered the building. Most of the building was ransacked of all vitally important items but Josh managed to get ahold of a couple bottles of water hidden under the debris, as well as some canned goods and a few bags of chips. Josh decided to take a quick break to rest and check his status as well as his new achievements.

  "Status!"

  "Really asshole? You didn't even have the time to incorporate my last name properly? Actually...you probably just don't give a fuck."

  Josh then looked over the descriptions of his new achievements.

  Josh could only silently admire his achievements. While they were not all that riveting, any help would be welcome in this new hell. As Josh exited the convenience store, his eyes met with another creature's. The being in question was roughly three feet tall and had large, yellow eyes. It was feathered and they were colors of brown and white. The feet of it were talon-like and its arms were more akin to wings save for a few long, claw-shaped fingers at the end.

  "Ah..shit. Identify!"

  "Huh...well that's some interesting shit."

  THWACK!

  "Oww! What the fuck? You little bastard!"

  Josh looked down and embedded above his knee was a small white and brown feather. With a newfound rage, he ran towards the...owl thing. With a swift and decisive action, Josh punted the diminutive bird man as hard as he could. A screech and a resounding thud could be heard as the little fellow landed against the side of a crashed vehicle. Not being one to waste time, Josh ran to the bird and started kicking the shit out of it like a loan shark who wanted his money back.

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  With a relieved sigh, Josh looked down upon the body of the recently deceased creature while also pulling the needle-like feather out of his leg. He then noticed something under the corpse.

  "A drop! Who knows what kind of godly item I may have gained from that life or death struggle," stated Josh in a sarcastic manner.

  It was...I guess...a stick? It was literally a meter long piece of dark brown wood with no noticeable marking or engravings. It's a stick.

  "Identify," said the man in a rather dejected manner.

  Josh could only stare in utter disappointment at his new found weapon, but it was still better than nothing. While lost in thought, the man then heard multiple "hoo" noises. Looking around, Josh saw Owlka'toran heads popping up everywhere. Atop the buildings, out of alleyways, from trash cans, and as far as he could see. It looked to be over two hundred of the little guys staring back at him. Then, one that looked considerably more aged and slightly larger in size released a guttural screech. All of the bird-men began running towards Josh and firing off feathers, but luckily their speed was considerably slower than his.

  "Fuck no, not today," Josh yelled as he sprinted ever closer to the tower while dodging feather-arrows.

  Josh finally reached the obsidian tower and the ornate door ceremoniously began to rise at its own leisure. Without a second thought, Josh slid in like a baseball player trying to go home. He had made it just in time as the Owlka'torans were upon him. All manner of feather-arrows ricocheted harmlessly off of the now closed door.

  There were multiple Greed Towers all over the city and Josh was hopeful that there would be other survivors here, but his hope had betrayed him. He was still very much alone.

  The room was comprised of the same obsidian as the rest of the tower and it had gold filigree inlaid in the ornate engravings on the walls. It was well lit utilizing eery blue torches which gave the room a blue hue. The only notable objects in the room were what looked like a spiral staircase leading to a trap door, as well as what was referred to in the aforementioned messages as a "Greed Terminal."

  Josh used this time to eat and rest. He knew resting here was not the wisest choice, but he felt even if anyone did come to the hour with hostile intentions, they would have a hard time entering with all the bird-men outside. After some time, Josh unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.

  After an unknown amount of time, He woke up to hundreds of whooshing sounds and then a resounding scream.

  "Well, I guess whoever that was won't be joining me in here," Stated josh in a guilty manner as he recalled how he led all the owls here.

  Josh was surprised he was not affected further by the death of the person outside and could only attribute his desensitization to the added effect of his achievement. He then got up and stretched while taking a sip of water. Walking to the greed console, Josh became slightly excited at all the things he could possibly acquire with his greed points.

  Josh perused the options and was both excited and let down. As it was stated, there were hardly any skills or abilities right now until his actions unlocked them. The console could conjure food, water, clothing, and pretty much anything mundane you desired for greed points. It could impart knowledge to you instantly, such as sciences, math, tactics, and even martial arts. As for weapons and protection, there was not a wide selection available currently. Apparently, it costs ten greed points to increase an attribute one point until it reaches one hundred and then doubles in price every hundred points you have in the attribute, so at one hundred it would cost twenty, at two hundred it would cost 40, and so on.

  Josh sighed and thought for a while before finally making up his mind. Using his sixteen miscellaneous greed points, he stocked up on food and water, and stored it using his skill "Bag." He then purchased knowledge of the martial art Muay Tai as well as the unarmed combat mastery skill to make him more viable in close combat. They had cost five hundred points each leaving him with an even thousand. As for a weapon, he had...a stick, so it was fine for now...

  With his remaining one thousand points, he purchased a nice set of leather armor which provided some good bonuses and defense. All in all, he looked like a rogue with a stick...

  Josh sighed as he checked over his new purchased goods.

  Josh was pleased but by no means completely satisfied. He was essentially wearing what would be called starting gear and about to brave the unknown mysteries of this tower, but despite all of the uncertainties, he steeled his resolve and walked towards the staircase...