2 1 - System
I didn't include this in the story synopsis because it was already huge. But I intend for this to be a mixture of slow and fast-paced, primarily due to my lack of skill in writing things, but at the same time, because I love to detail and explain things properly that I'm working on.
So there will be many chapters that won't focus on insane fights or things like that, but rather on dialogues, like this chapter. With that warning given, enjoy your reading and remember: the Protagonist is getting acquainted with things, so he still has a ton of questions.
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The first thing the Boy did after waking up in the alley with so much blood was to flee in desperation. His clothes were torn, but it wasn't a problem for him as he knew the paths of the slum perfectly.
So, with enough effort, he managed to escape in time. He could have taken something like a weapon from one of the dead guys, but he found it too risky and insane to do so after being one of the victims of the accident.
After running and getting tired for a long time, he had finally arrived home. It was a simple brick and cement house located in the slum, with just enough for him to survive.
"That was absolute shit..." he said wearily, looking at the clothes he was wearing. "I took a while to buy these clothes, damn it!" A certain sense of anger was rising in his heart, but it quickly disappeared as he sighed.
"I need to find a way to make money soon. Maybe if I were an awakened one... but you don't become one just like that, argh! It's frustrating, I can't think straight." He pulled his own hair lightly in frustration before widening his eyes. "There was that blue window that appeared. Was that a sign of awakening? Or was it just my mind playing tricks on me because I was almost dying?" He wondered with a strange look before being surprised.
With the mention of the blue window, it suddenly appeared in front of the Boy.
[ Synchronization completed successfully. The System is now one with the User's existence. ]
"A system?" The Boy questioned, confused, not familiar with that term. "Is it some kind of skill I awakened?" Being someone who wasn't used to reading stories, novels, or even fanfics, he didn't know what it was. Lack of internet and electricity could do a lot. "Seems to be intelligent..." he murmured, seeing that his apparent skill seemed to be able to speak.
[ I have limited intelligence, only capable of responding according to the questions you ask, thus unable to do anything on my own will. ]
''Limited intelligence, huh...'' he muttered, narrowing his eyes. ''Then let's test it. What are you capable of?''
[ I am capable of making you much stronger in general terms. You can consider me a Growth Skill. ]
''In detail, please,'' he added this part because he wasn't acquiring the type of information he wanted.
[ I am an entity created as if I were a kind of computer, but focused exclusively on the user's body. By transforming the user's body into something that would be identical to a game character, I am able to allow the user to gain experience, abilities, and increase attribute points in a much more direct and straightforward way compared to other people. ]
[ For easier comprehension, the user can declare the word [Status] to open the Attribute window. But keep in mind that when you say this word, you will have to select a few other things before the screen appears definitively. ]
''A much more comprehensive answer, I like that,'' he nodded, satisfied. ''But if it's according to what you're saying...'' He narrowed his eyes, focusing specifically on one part of the explanation. ''The reason I didn't care much about the blood and I'm not mentally screwed up right now is precisely because I've been transformed into something like a game character? I remember seeing people playing various violent games out there.'' He questioned, confused.
[ The user is correct. Every game character is perfectly capable of killing and fighting without many problems, still able to feel fear and go insane, but not for simple causes like someone's death. ]
''So, my mindset is being altered then...'' He murmured with his hand on his mouth, resting his head on that same hand.
[ You are partially correct. ]
''Partially?''
[ Exactly. Your adaptability capacity has been increased to ridiculous levels; the entire process is now being performed automatically by your body and mind. The only thing truly manipulated is your body, which has been completely transformed into a game character's body. ]
''So, no mental manipulation. That's good.'' He nodded in satisfaction. ''With the most basic doubts removed... [Status].''
A new blue window appeared in front of him as he spoke.
[ Welcome to Character Customization. ]
[ Character Customization is a unique feature for you, the User of this System. Here, you can choose your Class and Race, and the rest of the Status Sheet will be updated according to the selected information. ]
[ Races: Human, Vampire, Demon, Angel, Werewolf, Triton, Dragon, Fallen Angel, Goblin, Orc, Elf, Blood Elf, Panda, Death Knight, Kobold. ]
''So many race options... but where are the classes?'' He questioned, confused.
[ Each Race has different Race options. Therefore, the Class choices will only appear after selecting the Race. ]
''Show me the Race information.'' He requested, and thus, his wish was fulfilled.
[ Human
- Versatility
- No racial disadvantages
- Greater class diversity ]
[ Vampire
- Great physical and magical capabilities
- Ability to manipulate Blood and Darkness
- Weakness to sunlight
- Semi-immortality
- Can evolve into Progenitor ]
[ Demon
- Absurd magical capabilities
- Can interact with and absorb souls
- Immune to curses
- Can manipulate curses
- Takes three times more damage from Holy Attacks
- Only dies if you die in Hell
- Can evolve into Demon Lord ]
[ Angel
- Five times greater Physical and Magical Attributes
- Can interact with Souls
- Immune to all types of Holy Attacks
- Can manipulate Light as desired
- Can evolve by increasing pairs of wings
- Can become a Seraphim ]
( ... )
The entire list of Races appeared non-stop, causing the Boy to read through each Race and become interested in them. Each one seemed excessively enticing.
''Let me ask you something, would I have any growth limitations depending on the race I choose?'' He asked a question that suddenly arose in his mind after reading all the Races.
[ Negative. You will not be limited by anything. ]
''Then I choose [Human].'' He responded instantly after the answer. ''Curious about the answer?''
[ I am unable to feel anyth- (...) Yes, I am curious. ]
''...?'' He stared at the response, confused. ''Alright... well, all the other types of Races so far are treated as monsters and materials by the people of this world, thanks to the portals. Choosing any of them could give me characteristics I might not like, or strange habits like bloodsucking, soul-draining, and the like. Even picking something like 'Angel' or 'Dragon' could deify me somewhere and end up creating several problems for me.'' He stated confidently, as if he was certain he would rise to great heights.
''Human is the most logical choice. I'm already used to being a Human, and I wouldn't need to learn how to use any extra body parts, for example. In addition to that, I won't have any weaknesses if what you said about my body is true. Now that I think about it, I could have asked you about it instead of just theorizing.'' He had a sudden realization before letting it pass. ''Well, it's already happened. I can't do much about it.''
''If my body is indeed the same as that of a game character, what I need you to confirm is if I won't instantly die from some ridiculous blow as long as I have what they call [HP], if I remember correctly. Just that alone takes me out of the only limitation of being a Human, as I won't have to worry about being extremely fragile and easily killed by being hit in a vital spot.'' He finished speaking and noticed his mouth was dry ''Damn, I talked a lot.'' And so, he went to grab a water bottle and drink.
[...You are correct. Being hit in vital spots will result in critical damage, but you will still have [HP], you used the correct term, to continue fighting.]
''I'm so badass.'' He simply declared, appearing quite proud of himself.
[Would you like to proceed to the Class selection?]
''Yes. Let's do this.''
[Classes: Warrior, Mage, Priest, Swordsman, Assassin, Necromancer, Tamer, Fisherman, Sculptor, Lancer, Tank, Marksman, Adventurer, Martial Artist]
''Quite a variety of classes. Let's start, give me a general description of the Classes.''
[Warrior: A Sword user who typically wields a shield alongside moderately heavy armor. They usually stand in the front line alongside Tanks.]
[Mage: Someone who can harness Mana to unleash extreme supernatural attacks, at the cost of having a fragile body.]
[Priest: User of divine power capable of providing healing and attribute enhancements.]
[Swordsman: Wears light armor and wields a Katana for lethal and swift attacks, with average physical prowess.]
[Assassin: Focused on surprise attacks, aiming for lethal points and employing stealth. Fragile when receiving blows but extremely fast.]
[Necromancer: Able to manipulate the energy of death to revive other beings in the form of skeletons or zombies, commanding a large army and employing curses.]
[Tamer: Can tame monsters or individuals to fight on their behalf.]
[Fisherman: Uses a fishing rod to catch Abilities during battle and use them again with additional effects.]
[Sculptor: Creates sculptures that provide significant buffs, enabling easier battles.]
[Lancer: Uses a spear and medium armor for long-range combat, focusing on penetrating the opponent's defenses.]
[Tank: The front line of every battle, focused on absorbing their opponents' attacks using enormous shields and axes, alongside extremely heavy armor.]
[Marksman: The backline alongside Mages, employing long-range weapons and agility to maneuver the battlefield and attack enemies.]
[Adventurer: Highly versatile, primarily focused on exploration and not particularly experienced in combat.]
[Martial Artist: Capable of using [Mana] and [Ki], primarily fights with bare hands, possessing a good understanding of how to utilize their body, perfectly balanced yet strong when it comes to physical prowess.]
"All these classes seem incredible..." He murmured, sitting while leaning against the brick wall, gazing at the descriptions. "But if I were to choose the most useful one..." He fixed his gaze on a specific class.
"System, if I choose a class, will I be unable to learn anything other than the specific class's abilities?"
[Negative. The User will not be limited in any way, they simply won't receive the specific Abilities typically obtained when choosing a class.]
"Then I choose Martial Artist. It's the only class that has a different type of energy and also focuses on physical prowess. I should be able to have a good variety of techniques with these two types of energy."
[Martial Artist class successfully selected. Abilities have already been granted.]
[The [Status] window can now be viewed perfectly. Just declare [Status] again.]
"Status." He said simply, curious to see the window.
As soon as the word was spoken, a large bluish window appeared in front of him.
[Status]
[Name: Miguel Alves]
[Level 1] (Grants 5 Status Points per Level)
[HP: 500] (HP is calculated by VITx50)
[MP: 2,000] (MP is calculated by INTx100)
[Race: Human]
[Class: Martial Artist]
[Strength: 10] (E)
[Vitality: 10] (E)
[Agility: 10] (E)
[Intelligence: 20] (E)
[Senses: 10] (E)
[Available Status Points: 0]
[Abilities: Kyotōryū (S)]
[Passives: Kyotōryū (S), Body Control (E), Perception (D)]
"All my attributes are in Rank E, huh..." He murmured, looking at the attributes.
"Rank S?" He exclaimed immediately upon seeing the Abilities and the Passive. "Why do I have an S-rank Ability, and why is it even listed among the passives?"
In response to his question, a window opened and appeared in front of him.
[Kyotōryū (S): Kyotōryū is a style that can only be described as 'a hidden style that doesn't use a sword,' turning the user's entire body into a blade, eliminating the need for any type of weapon in combat.
Kyotōryū employs seven battle stances, each providing buffs to the user when activated. Within each stance, there are countless strikes, special techniques, hidden moves, and forbidden techniques.
In a specific world, this combat style is considered perfect and invincible. After all, the stronger the user's body, the more sacred their blade becomes.]
''The description of the style... Transforming the body into a blade? What ridiculous martial art style is this?'' The now revealed boy, Miguel, declared with an incredulous tone. ''Since it's listed as an Ability, do I need to activate the style for it to work? And what are the effects of it being listed under 'Passives'? Although I have an idea of the answer...''
[The 'Kyotōryū(S)' listed under Abilities is the normal fighting style, where you use poses, movements, and other techniques of this style. On the other hand, the 'Kyotōryū(S)' listed under passives is the aspect of the style that turns your body into a sort of blade, making it so that from the moment this passive is generated, your body can already be considered a natural blade, even if it's the weakest of blades for now.]
''A bit harsh, but I can't argue with the truth, fair enough.'' He shrugged at the final part of the description. ''Why am I not seeing the stances or anything of the sort?''
[The stances will appear as you gain battle experience, level up, and your attributes strengthen. This will happen alongside the moves. Due to being an excessively complex style, you are unable to use anything other than the basic moves of this style.]
''So how do I use the basic style then? Do I just think about it? Do I attack?'' He asked, confused. He had never needed to train in martial arts or anything of the sort, let alone something as supernatural as this. So he definitely didn't know what to do.
[Currently, you will need to think about wanting to use it, but in the future, as you gain experience, it will become a passive ability, and you won't need my assistance to use this type of technique.]
''Alright then. Now let's move on to the next things. I still have many things I want to do.''
''Show me the Passives 'Body Control' and 'Perception','' he said curiously.
[Body Control (E): Allows the user to control their body in a similar way to what they want, although it still has many flaws. At least, it can be considered as flexible as a gymnast.]
[Perception (D): As a skilled martial artist, you have good instincts. Although mainly generated from the dangerous situations you have encountered throughout your life, you can sense common danger when necessary.]
''These descriptions are strange,'' he commented suddenly while reading the descriptions. ''Well, at least they're helping in some way. Now that I have a general understanding of my [Status], would you mind explaining their general functions and what I can do with them?''
[No problem, User. The System was initially created for the User to control, as it doesn't have a high level of intelligence. Thus, you are in control of many things that I can do. For example, you can decide when the XP you received will be applied to your Level, allowing you to save it for later.]
[I am capable of functions like [Status], which displays your Status sheet, [Inventory], where you can store anything that doesn't appear too human, [Dungeon], which allows you to find random dungeons around the world that only you can enter, serving as a good training ground, and also: [Reality Marble Generation].]
[Reality Marble Generation works in a rather simple way, despite the strange name. It allows the User to create their own dimensions within locations that truly belong to the User, enabling them to manipulate certain things there.]
[For better understanding, I will provide a separate description for each thing.]
[Inventory: An exclusive dimension of the System where the User can place anything inside and prevent it from spoiling. There is no genuine limit to its size so far. No exceptions have been found regarding what can be placed inside the Inventory, except for a sufficient number of Humans to be considered part of the User's Race.]
[Dungeon: Allows the User to find Instant Dungeons around the world that are exclusive to System Users. Within these Dungeons, various enemies will be waiting, along with a completely new environment. These Dungeons provide Items for the System User, along with a significant amount of combat experience and levels.]
[Reality Marble Generation (Level 1): An ability that has levels. Allows the User to generate an alternate reality within a space they possess as their own, such as the User's house, for example.
Within this alternate reality, the User can create certain things as long as they have the necessary materials and ideas. This includes creating training fields, Monster generators (which won't provide Experience), and other similar things.]
[Map: Enables the User to convert the places they have been to into data to fill the System's Map. Additionally, the User can obtain highly detailed magical maps and convert them into data for the System. All mapped areas can have teleportation points generated, allowing the User to teleport instantly between them when not in combat.]
[The System is currently quite limited, and there are only these four functions, along with the Mastery Function.]
''Mastery Function?'' He asked, confused.
[The Mastery Function works quite simply. The more the User uses and trains with a specific Skill or ability, the more Skills they will unlock over time. This is why certain Skills have 'Levels' associated with them.]
[Your skill [Kyotōryū] is one of these Skills, but it currently has no level because you have no idea how to use it.]
''Okay, that makes some sense. I have many things to worry about and remember right now.'' He let out a tired sigh but still managed a faint smile. ''At least I should be able to climb out of rock bottom now.'' He declared this with a determined look, clenching his fists in excitement. ''In a few months, I will improve my life situation! I will finally live in a good house!'' And with that statement, he lay down on the mattress on the floor, preparing to sleep.
Unknown to Miguel, a certain Blond-haired God was watching his entire interaction with the System, wearing a wide, insane smile on his face.
''I wasn't wrong, you seem much more interesting than that world I had created..!'' Arthur was definitely happy to have found a source of entertainment.
And so, a peculiar boy would finally be ready to embark on his journey as a new System User.
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Perhaps someone might be wondering, 'where is the [KI] that was mentioned in the class?' Well, it is accounted for as part of the MP. The protagonist, Miguel, didn't deduce this and left it as it was. He was just thinking too much about so many things that he forgot one thing or another.
There will come a time when he will question this more thoroughly, and the proper explanation will be given. I'm just passing this along to inform you about it, to avoid future confusion.
