2 New Beginnings.
After not feeling anything for a while, I finally felt something. It was water that dripped onto my arm. I thought I was outside in the storm, but judging by the echoes of my footsteps, I believe I'm inside some sort of cave.
I also feel odd, like my senses have been amplified to a degree. When that water dripped onto my arm, I could, I don't know how to put this in words, feel it better? I could hear the echoes of water dripping onto the cave ground very clearly, something a human shouldn't be able to hear so well.
I could smell the sulfur, mold, and another unfamiliar scent in the air vividly as well. I don't know what's going on, but I've somehow found myself in a cave with my senses amplified.
My answer came when I heard a voice in my head.
[System booting...90%]
[95%]
[99%]
[100%]
[Welcome to the System host! Please designate a name ______]
'System? What the hell? Am I going insane?
[No you're not host! You see, you, unfortunately, died due to a landslide. This system was granted to you as an apology, please use it wisely.]
So I did die. I sat down on the ground and sank into my thoughts for a while. I was dead. Who's going to take care of Punpun? What about Kura? I can't die yet! I haven't gone professional, I haven't reached my goals! I haven't made my grandfather proud!
I felt myself break down into tears again for a few minutes until I calmed down. 'Voice in my head, your name is going to be Punpun.'
[Name designated, Punpun.]
[Are you sure?]
[Yes or No?]
'Yes, I'm sure.' I heard a ding in my head before the voice started listing off what it called my status.
[Name: Yoko
Race: Human
MP: 150/150
GP: 0
STR: G201
AGL: G205
END: H101
WIS: G300
DEX: F305
Overall AVG: G222 = Low-end D-rank hunter]
Once it finished listing off every stat, I asked it to repeat itself. Since I couldn't see the actual values, I'll have to memorize them and understand them.
'Can you explain the stat values, please?'
[Sure thing!]
[Parameters go from I to SSS with I being the lowest and SSS being the highest]
[If you wish to fully understand the numeric value of each letter then I will tell you]
[The values I listed are your stats. STR is the amount of force exerted. That is calculated by STR/4. AGL is top speed, acceleration, reaction time, and reflexes. Your top speed is calculated by AGL/4. END is how durable you are along with physical and mental health. WIS is how much mana your body can store. This is calculated by WIS/2. Finally, DEX is how much finesse you have with an object in hand]
[To calculate your actual strength level, it's just the average of all your stats. Currently, you're equivalent to a Low-end D-rank hunter]
'Holy shit is that a lot of info, is it possible for you to put that in braille by any chance?' There was no way I was going to remember all of that If I could even read it.
[Sure thing!]
I heard the plop of a notebook and when I opened it, I could feel the braille on the pages. The braille was the information Punpun just told me, but in writing.
'Can you explain what the skills tab is, and the exact numeric values to go up a letter?'
[Sure thing!]
[Skills are techniques created by repetition, understanding, experience, and memory. All of these things must come from you, so you won't be able to gain a skill on something you have no experience in. For example, you wouldn't gain the Fire Magic skill because someone explained it to you. You would have to try and cast the spell yourself and through repetition, you may gain the skill]
[Here are your current skills: Aura, Flash Step, Domain, Acute Senses (Passive), Fight On!]
[Would you like me to explain these skills?]
'Yeah, later. I wanna know how to get stronger.'
[Very well.]
[Parameters are the numeric value that displays the exact value of a chosen stat. As I said earlier, it starts at I and ends with SSS.]
[With I being 0-100, H being 101-200, G being 201-300, F being 301-400, E being 401-500, D being 501-600, C being 601-700, B being 701-800, A being 801-900, S being 901-1000, SS being 1001-1100, SSS being 1101-1200+]
[I will put all of this information into your notebook.]
'Thank you Punpun, now one final, well two final questions. What happened to Kura and can you explain my skills to me?'
[Sure thing!]
[Kura is currently resting in your inventory. She is very eager to be used.]
[Aura allows you to coat your blade in mana, making it sharper and harder.]
[Flash Step allows you to cover a distance of up to 20 meters almost instantaneously.]
[Domain allows you to precisely sense or cut anything within the domain's 2-meter radius.]
[Acute Senses is a passive skill that amplifies all of your senses to be 1.5x better than a human.]
[Fight On! Is a last resort skill that allows you to draw out all of your remaining strength for a final, desperate blow.]
Kura is eager to be used? What the hell does that mean? I paid that no mind and asked Punpun to release Kura from my inventory and to add my notebook. I felt Kura's wooden scabbard in my hands and I slowly unsheathed the blade.
I ran my finger along the edge and Kura was sharper than ever, probably due to this magical system. I still haven't completely come to terms with my death, but it's not like I'm gone.
[Incoming! Two E-Rank Undead heading your way!]
Punpun blared an alarm in my head and soon enough, I heard the steps of what sounded like a human skeleton.
[Quest: Clear the Dungeon.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Reward: 1000 GP, Item Box (Uncommon)]
[Accept? Y/N]
'Yes!' I held Kura tightly, this was going to be my first time using my swordsmanship against another living thing, well they're not alive but who cares.
I heard the skeleton on my right raise whatever weapon was in its hand and swung downward. I stepped to the left and decided to activate one of my skills, [Domain].
When activating a skill, it felt like flexing a muscle that was in my soul. When [Domain] activated, the world felt much clearer. The two skeletons were cut down with ease and I deactivated my skill.
[20 GP gained]
[1 STR gained]
[1 WIS gained]
That wasn't as hard as I thought, so I walked further down into the cave.
