2 Chapter 1: Status, Skills, and Cheats
In a spacious room with intricate murals of nature scenery and an androgynous person with a halo above his head, two dozens or something students wearing the same looking uniform and single teacher clad in a business suit are standing on an elevated plinth. In addition, there are other people wearing monastic robes and strange hats, holding staves or clasping their hands in praying motion.
These two groups have different facial expression. The former looks discombobulated while the latter looks at the former in reverence and awe. Of course, there are some exceptions. For example, from the monastic robes wearing people, one person watches the group of students and a single teacher in satisfaction. Meanwhile, one student has a calm facial expression that is out of place.
That student is me, Ryan Schmitz, 18 years old, at least, mentally. You see, I am not in my body anymore. Somehow, my soul has been uprooted from my body and transferred into the body of the protagonist of Arifureta: From Commonplace to the World's Strongest—Hajime Nagumo.
How did I know that, you asked? The answer, it is simple. I have received notice from my new power. The Gamer.
Due to something I suspect to be the work of "Gamer's Mind" or something, against my nature as an ordinary person, I didn't freak out when I should have been.
There were many reasons to freak out. Firstly, my soul got transferred into the body of a fictional character in a fictional world. I just got Isekai'd after filling up internet advertisements! And I couldn't help but think the one behind that advertisement was a bored ROB. I.e. Random Omnipotent Being.
Secondly, I already know what will happen to me and the danger this world possesses.
Thirdly, this accident, having my soul being transferred into a fictional character's body and acquiring The Gamer power, is supposed to be impossible to happen in real life. It only happened in fan-made fictions.
(Perhaps, I'm now the protagonist in crappy self-insert fanfiction.) I wondered silently.
I focused on |X| icon in the bottom of the holographic screen displayed in my vision. The screen disappeared. I then thought "Open Status" to access my Status Page.
A new screen popped up in my vision. It displayed my information and stats.
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True Name: Ryan Schmitz
Character's Name: Hajime Nagumo
Race: Human (Transcended)
Sex: Male
Age: 17 years old (Physical)
Job: Synergist
Hidden Job: Gamer
Title: -
Level: 1
Next Level: 0/1000
Vitality: 10 (Recovery: 10% every 10 seconds)
Magic: 10 (Recovery: 10% every 10 seconds)
Strength: 10
Defense: 10
Agility: 10
Magic Defense: 10
Stat Points: 5
Funds: 0
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I watch my Status Page blankly. Since I have read some fictions with RPG elements in it, I have a hunch about the workings of my Status Page. Still, I hoped that there was a hint of guide to understanding my power better.
*Cha-Ching!*
I blink my eyes after hearing that ridiculous ringtone in my head. Afterward, a new screen pops up. It displays information about my power's workings. And to summarize it—
True Name is my actual name.
Character's Name is the name of the body I possessed.
Race is obvious. It is about my racial identity, and my race is Homo Sapiens. In another word, Human...
Age is my body's age. It was written as 17 years old, though I am 18 years old, mentally.
Job is my vocation. The applied job will give bonus growth for skills related to the job and boost the effect of job-related skills. Since my Job is Synergist, any skill related to Synergist job gets boosted by 50%. Bonus growth affects skill proficiency, evocation speed, skill effect, and magic energy consumption.
Surprisingly, I can change my Job. However, Hidden Job is fixed.
Title is the crystallization of achievement. The applied Title will give me special effects.
Level is the value of my development. And I discover there is no counter stop.
However, Level 100 is the counter stop for a normal human. To break through this level cap, I must evolve into something more than a regular human.
From Level 101 to Level 999, it is called God-class. From Level 999 to Level 9999, it is called Primordial God or Principle Incarnation class. Above that, it is called Creator/Genesis class.
Despite acquiring this information, I put it in the back of my mind. I am now still Level 1. If I raise my level diligently, one day I have 100% assurance to reach Creator/Genesis-class. But it is still in the far future. For now, I must focus on my survival while raising my level.
Next Level attribute displays my acquired experience points and how many points required to level up. Experience points can be acquired from defeating my opponents.
The true nature of Experience Points and why it could help me develop wasn't explained. It made me curious.
What's the true nature of Experience Points? Are they the soul of my defeated enemies? No, it sounded unreliable. I remember the monsters in this world are soulless creatures, supposedly. Then, what is it?
I give up thinking about it and continue on.
The next attribute is Vitality. Basically, it is my hit/health/life points. It is changed to that to suit the power system of this world, the universe, or whatever this place is called.
Then, we have Magic attribute, which is actually the stat attribute for my Magic Power. It is basically my MP.
After those two stats, there are Recovery stats inside brackets. They display my Vitality and Magic recovery and it is 10% for every 10 seconds. The reason why my natural recovery is high is because of my Race as Transcended Human. Just like how the students summoned to Tortus came from a higher world, I came from a world with a higher level. Not bad!
The rest are also obvious. Just by reading the name of the stat attribute, you can understand what they are. Strength, Defense, Agility, and Magic Defense. I don't think that I need to explain what they are...
After that, there are Stat Points. The System's guide told me that I will earn them when I level up. Every level up gives me 5 Stat Points. Of course, this is a bonus. By leveling up, my stat attributes will rise automatically.
Furthermore, I can raise my stat attribute value by doing specific activities. Working my physical strength will increase my Strength; raising my endurance will increase my Defense; training my body coordination and my reflex will increase my Agility; by exhausting my magic or enduring a magic attack, my Magic Defense will increase.
The last status attribute is money. It displays my accumulated funds. And the currency is stored in my Storage.
After memorizing how my Status Page works, the screen disappeared. I then checked my Job attribute. I was a bit dissatisfied when I found that I don't have other jobs to pick. I then checked my Title attribute next. And I found three titles that I could equip.
They are—
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[Otaku]: Allows you to remember memory related to your enthusiasm.
[Otherworlder]: Increases your growth speed in other worlds.
[Apostle of God]: Grants high charisma that affects Ehit's faithful followers.
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(Interesting,) I mused silently.
Each Title is useful. The first Title, [Otaku], though it doesn't seem extraordinary, it is very important. The memory I can remember isn't limited only to my own memory, but I can remember Hajime Nagumo's memory related to his fixation in firearms. It is very important because the weapons and other things Hajime created was from Japanese subculture media like anime, manga, or games in Hajime's world.
Since I have taken over his body and acquired a [Synergist] job, such information would help me later. I didn't feel an ounce of shame from making this decision. Why should I feel shame from choosing the easy way? It was obvious the canon Hajime's way was effective. Besides, it will be the high of foolishness to waste a path with a high chance to succeed.
[Otherworlder] was the most useful of the lots. I don't know how big the increase in my growth speed. But I will be damned if I squander this advantage. I make a mental note to check out how much the bonus growth speed when equipping this Title later.
The last Title, [Apostle of God]. Although I am wary of anything related to this body-snatching, fake God, I can't deny the title usefulness. High Charisma is going to be useful when I am dealing with anyone who worships this fake God.
(For now, I will equip it.) I thought and equipped [Apostle of God] title.
"For now, let's change our location to somewhere more proper."
I heard Ishtar's voice and look at him. The old fox is throwing his fake good-natured smile like it is a common commodity.
Since no one speaks their refusal, we are led to another room.
On the way, I open my Skill Index.
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[Gamer Mind - Transcended (Max)]: Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows a peaceful state of mind. Immunity to psychological mass effect.
[Gamer Body - Transcended (Max)]: Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game. Sleeping in a bed restores Vitality, Magic and all abnormal status effects.
[Assimilation - Transcended (Max)]: Allows the user to assimilate skills or stats of the eaten object. Cost: 0
[Plunder - Transcended (Max)]: Allows the user to steal skills or stats of the user's target within 5 meters range. Ineffective against the skill target at a higher level than the user's level. Cost: 5 Magic
[Pillage - Transcended (Max)]: Allows the user to steal skills or stats of the dead target within 5 meters range. Cost: 5 Magic
[Transmute - Low (0%)]: Allows the user to control a mineral or transform it. Cost: ~
[Language Comprehension - Transcended (Max)]: Allows the user to comprehend new languages.
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I am dumbstruck when I see my skills. The first two skills, [Gamer Mind] and [Gamer Body] are as expected. They are the important components of the Gamer System. Also, I realized why I hadn't freaked out when I found myself get dumped in my current situation. It was due to [Gamer Mind].
However, I never thought my joke about the extra power I had written in the questionnaires would appear here.
(I am sooo lucky!) I cheered in my mind.
Right after I thought that a new screen popped up and displayed the workings of Skill Index.
As you know, there are two attributes inside the brackets. Technically, there are three, but the last attribute is part of the second attribute. The first one is the skill name. The second attribute is the proficiency grade.
There are five different skill proficiency grades. From the lowest to the highest, they are Low, Medium, High, Mastered, and lastly Transcended. And because the first two skills are important system skills and the three cheat skills are gifts from the mysterious ROB who sent me here, their respective proficiency grade is at Transcended rank. In addition, some skills don't need magic.
I dismiss the screen and inspect my skills seriously. I want to try my [Plunder].
Currently, we are still on the way to our destination. There are many lab rats around me. I don't care if it would screw their future since they are nothing but a stranger in my eyes.
In regards to my personality, you can say I'm heartless. But I call myself a pragmatic person. I am apathetic to strangers. However, it is my nature to cherish people who I am close with. This twisted personality of mine exists because I had been disillusioned by my shitty relatives. But, I digress.
(I wonder who is this fellow?)
Thinking that I inspect the group of male students before me. There are two, no, wait for a second! There are actually three boys. I don't know the other two, but the one with very thin presence, which made me almost miss him, is most likely Kousuke Endo.
After a moment, when I was about to shift my attention from Kousuke's back, I hear the ridiculous ringtone in my head.
*Cha-ching!*
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You have learned a skill.
[Observe - Low (0%)]: Allows the user to see the object's information. At the current proficiency, the user can see the skill target's Name, Race, Sex, Age, Job, and Level. Cost: 1 Magic
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(Oh, this skill is very important for gamer! Good, good!)
Behind my calm facial expression, I am over the moon due to this pleasant surprise.
I use my [Observe] on the boy at Kousuke's left side, consuming 1 Magic. A screen pops up in my vision and it displays the boy's limited information.
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Name: Kentarou Nomura
Race: Human (High)
Sex: Male
Age: 17 years old
Title: Apostle of God
Job: Geomancer
Level: 1
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(Geomancer, eh? Does it mean that he has earth magic or something?) I mused while inspecting his limited information opened to me.
I check my Skill Index to find out my skill progress. I then find the experience percentage in the brackets next to my skill proficiency has gone up by 10%.
Nodding at my discovery, I feel satisfied.
(Now, I'm going to try [Plunder] and hope I hit jackpot!)
I prepare myself and use my [Plunder] on Kentarou Nomura, aiming for his Magic skill.
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[Plunder] is successful.
You have stolen a skill.
[Earth Magic Affinity - Low (0%)]: Allows the user to cast earth magic. Cost: ~
You obtained a new Job: [Geomancer]
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(Holy shit! I get a new job! Wait for a second! Don't tell me I can get a new job if I learn a skill related to a specific job? Hahaha, this is crazy! I can't wait until I rob everyone's skill… Well, except that Hero-wannabe. I don't want to get Ehit's attention before I'm strong enough to fight him and those fake angels.)
My RPGs spirit to rob everything that can be taken away had turned on full throttle. I am glad that [Gamer Mind] let me keep my calm mask. Otherwise, everyone else will think that I have gone nuts if I suddenly let out deranged laughter because of my excitement.
I look around and spam my [Obverse] on the male students until I find my target. Daisuke Hiyama.
As another note, my [Observe] proficiency grade rose to Medium and I could check out their stats. However, it is not enough. I need it to reach High grade so I can check their skill.
(Daisuke Hiyama, I wonder what'll happen if you find yourself powerless? Will you still bully "Hajime Nagumo" at that time? I cannot wait to find out!)
I smirk slightly before returning my facial expression to my new standard poker face. I can't wait until my Magic recover enough for me to use my [Plunder] on him. For the time being, I continue inspecting my Gamer System. And we arrive in the grand banquet hall and take our respective seat around several long tables.
