A gnoll in leather armor stood twenty feet into the dungeon.
100 - -700 + -400 = 400
1 + 4 + 9 + 3 - -7 = 24
-0 - 0 + 10 - 10 - -10 = 10
80000 - -20000 + -70000 + -30000 = 0
I had to think for a second with some of these. Not too hard though.
A gnoll in chain armor was next.
12 + 11 = 23
37 + 14 = 51
19 + 13 = 32
19 + 19 = 38
A gnoll in plate armor was next
19 - 12 = 7
32 - 3 = 29
81 - 18 = 63
1 + 99 = 100
An orc in no armor was next
-72 + -13 - 80 + 93 = -72
11 + 11 + 11 + 11 + 11 + 11 + 11 = 77
99 + 98 + 97 + 96 - 95 - 94 - 93 - 92 = 16
1 + 10 + 100 + 1000 + 10000 = 11111
An orc in leather armor was last
7 + 7 + 7 = 21
3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 21
2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10
5 + 5 = 10
"PERFECT SCORE! Bonus Challenge: Battle Early Bird Test!" said the big orc in plate armor
"Show me something!" the orc said. A rack of spears was next to him. The orc picked out a spear and slowly cocked back, ready to throw it.
Another strange voice shouted, "Use your mathematical knowledge to attack the orc. Shout your favorite math, if its true you'll get a hit, if its false, you're getting speared."
As the spear flew through the Air I shouted, "73 + 37 = 110"
He started chucking spears fast, but after "88 * 8 = 704" the spears were flung back at the goblin and he exploded.
"Bonus - Combat Test complete. Remember, more advanced mathematics may take more time to prepare but has a much deadlier effect on your opponent and his or her attacks!"
I had 30 more silver and an Orange Belt with a Diamond Star.
I hadn't had a chance to use my Streak special ability yet. I wonder when they are going to start throwing this so-called math combat stuff at me.
Name: Edmond Bauer
Ranking Status: Novitiate (Orange Belt - Diamond Star Track)
Sphere Ranking: 112,551,001th (3.75%)
Lives: 12
Race: Elothean
Race: Streak 1 - Skip one enemy with full rewards for every five you defeat without getting defeated.
Class: N/A
Class Bonuses: None UnlockedI rushed into the Orange Belt dungeon without any fear or hesitation. It was zombie themes
It started back with the non-combat problem solving monsters again. Zombies who wanted to multiply. It all blurred together for me in boredom. This was times table shit, not something that should challenge an adult.
3 * 9 = 27
0 * 1 = 0
2 * 2 = 4
4 * 10 = 40
1 * 3 = 3
2 * 8 = 16
8 * 3 = 24
4 * 3 = 12
1 * 5 = 5
1 * 5 = 5
10 * 2 = 20
8 * 2 = 16
Finally they got into the combat challenges, as the zombies who sludged towards me didn't have any numbers on their heads. I toyed with them, trying to see how hard different mathematical facts hit.
.The zombie barely twinged in response to 1 + 1 = 2. 0 + 1 = 1 somehow had a bigger impact. 9 + 12 = 21 was like a slap to the zombies face.
I finished the zombie that was getting close with 45 * 8 = 360. I was best at using heuristics and algebra to solve multiplications that looked hard without much difficulty. 45 * 8 equals 90 * 4 equals 180 * 2 equals 36.
Then I was facing two zombies, both as slow as the first one. 19 + 29 = 48 {20 + 30 - 1 - 1 = 48} knocked the first zombie down but didn't kill it.
I tried to figure out how to use algebra for combat. "If x^2 + 6x = -9 then x = -3."
There was no impact. I tried one more, "For the polynomial x^2 + 1 = 0, the roots are i and -i."
No impact. Maybe I had to somehow advance more before I was allowed to use algebra in combat.
More arithmetic for me. I wondered if I would get applause coming out of this one. I decided to dispense with the games and just spit math rhymes like a rapper.
"101 * 101 = 10201" boom!
"5 * 99 = 495" boom!
I ran forward trying to see what my max range on mathy destruction was. From sixty feet, "10101 * 11 = 111,111." The zombie was flayed and gibbed something fierce.
For my next test I tried decimals . "4.3 * 4.3 = 18.49."
Nothing. I tried fractions.
"7 / 3 + 5 / 7 = 64 / 21."
The zombie was splattered so explosively some of it ended up on me. Combat respected fractions but not decimals. Interesting.
I decided I didn't want zombie gunk all over me so I stuck to multiplication and big additions and subtractions.
I tried a division problem and got even more splattered.
1170 / 13 = 90
Zombie grossness was running all over me. My nose was splattered in that stuff.
"Perfect!Battle Finale!"
"20 * 19 = 380
123 + 456 = 579
18 * 3 = 54
107 + 93 = 200
-50 + 145 = 95
73 * 7 = 490 + 21 = 511
88 * 7 = 560 + 56 = 625 (INCORRECT!)
I had made my first arithmetic mistake. The zombies came rushing much faster. I recovered and finished the last five.
88 * 7 = 616
100 * 10000 = 1,000,000 (I got splattered with zombie guts for this easy one.)
9 - -23 = 42
77 + -33 = 44
16 / 4 = 4 (splattered)
"Battle Finale successful! Green Belt with Platinum Star constructed."
I returned to the Novitiate Room.
It looked like there was a group of novitiates wanting to accost me for going to fast when I came out of the dungeon. One look at the zombie junk that was covering me and they skedaddled.
It was time to go back to my room. The Novitiate gathering room went from a dull roar to dead silence as I came through.
My mind came back to the fact that I didn't seem to be getting my streak special advantage. Unless the enemies I got to skip were just never showing up at all, so I didn't know that I would have faced them?
Name: Edmond Bauer
Ranking Status: Novitiate (Green Belt - Platinum Star Track)
Sphere Ranking: 108,165,897th (7.5%)
Lives: 16
Race: Elothean
Race: Streak 2 - Skip two enemies with full rewards for every eight you defeat without getting defeated.
Class: N/A
Class Bonuses: None Unlocked
My streak bonus had increased. And I now had a total of 85 silver and some miscellaneous coppers in my pocket. I used to have to sweat every copper.
The Rank-Master was standing at the outer door of the Novitiate dungeon grounds.
"Let me get you a limo. Region 104's first Platinum Star Green Belt! Ever! You'll be mobbed if you try to walk back. How did you manage to get zombie juice all over your face?"
"Fractions," I said.
"You realize that's black belt and beyond stuff right? Really its a tool for Initiates, but you pick it up as a Black belt," the Rank Master said.
The crowd pressed in around the limo, but the driver managed to get me in, and I waved goodbye to the Rank Master as the limo driver slowly moved away and weaved through the crowd.
Why was I famous just for knowing basic grocery store arithmetic? And no one seemed to know about decimals, just fractions.
Despite all the questions, sleep found me soon at the hotel.
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