1 [Chapter:1][Welcome to the Game, Player.]
"Where am I?"
That was the first question that came to my mind as I opened my eyes, and had to close them right after due to the intense light that momentarily blinded me. And it took me several seconds of attempting to open them once again, slowly and for brief periods at first, before I could successfully see where I was.
"Who am I?"
That was the second question that came to my mind when I realised that I did not seem to recognise what appeared to be an alley that I was in.
Lifting my body up, I could see that I was naked. Surprising, considering I was out on the open, but that could wait.
"I don't remember."
More importantly, I realise shortly after waking up, that I did not recall anything about myself.
My name? Nothing. My family? Nothing. My affiliation? Nothing. My age? Also nothing.
Anything about myself, or anything about anyone for that matter, I came up with a blank.
"Then, what 'do' I remember?"
As I continue to observe the alley I am currently in, I dwell into my memories, or what are present, and ascertain all that I know or recall.
Earth, the third planet in the solar system present in the Milky Way Galaxy. The closest Galaxy to the Milky Way is Andromeda, and the closest star to us is the Proxima Centuari, a faint red dwarf associated with the bright binary star Alpha Centuari.
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbour life. About 29% of Earth's surface is land consisting of continents and islands. The remaining 71% is covered with water, mostly by oceans, seas, gulfs, and other salt water bodies.
The seven continents of Earth include Asia the largest, followed by Africa, South America, North America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia being the smallest. The seven oceans are the North Pacific, the South Pacific, the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the South Atlantic, the Indian, and the Southern Ocean.
Russia is the largest country on Earth, present in Asia, while China is the most populous, also present in Asia.
Few of the technological superpowers of Earth are America, Russia, China, and Japan.
America is also known for its rights to the populace which are both the strictest as well as the laxest.
Russia is a nuclear powerhouse.
China has the highest population as well as the largest international market.
And Japan…is known for its anime, manga, as well as the AV industry.
Well, Japan is also known for its earthquakes, but that's besides the point.
"Hmm? People?"
I crouched down and hid myself behind a trash bin as I heard footsteps approach me. From what little I knew, people aren't supposed to be in the middle of an alley way, naked.
I heard voices, rather loud ones, as the footsteps got closer. I held my breath and tried to make as little noise as I could.
The last thing I need is to be arrested for exhibitionism when I didn't even know my own name.
At that moment, however, something which my knowledge of common sense says isn't anywhere close to 'common' happens to me.
[[Welcome to the Game, Player.]]
The screen that appeared before me is rectangular in shape, and about 8 inches by 6 inches in length and height. It was a translucent neon blue, with the text that promptly appeared on it being white.
And as I look around me, the screen follows my view, floating perfectly at the centre of my vision.
'Hello?', I tried greeting it through my thoughts, since I did not want to speak and risk being heard by whoever it is that is near me.
[[Hello, Player.]]
The screen unexpectedly reacted to my greeting.
'Can you read my thoughts?', I asked as I wondered if the screen or the one behind it is responsible for my memory loss.
[[Yes, I can read your thoughts, as I am a part of you. No, I am not responsible for you memory loss, as it is you yourself that have failed to make a wish about it.]]
'A wish?', I wondered, choosing to set aside the 'I am a part of you' that it, 'they', mentioned to focus on my memories instead.
Waking up in a strange place, without memories…it is painful, to say the least. Not physically of course, but mentally, not knowing who you are or why you are where you are isn't something people should have to experience.
In fact, I myself am surprised over my course of actions when I found myself in such a difficult situation.
I was simply…too calm.
Perhaps, the one behind the screen is the reason for this too?
[[Yes and no. Well, let me begin with the wish part.]]
[[You are a reincarnator. In other words, you have died, but was given a second chance for a reason you currently do not have the clearance level to know. You have been given a second chance in another world along with three wishes which cannot exceed certain limits.]]
[[Your wishes are, in order, 'A System which is a combination of the Gamer System from 'The Gamer', the Job System from 'Death Mage doesn't want a fourth chance', and the Solo Levelling System from 'Solo Levelling' ', 'A Multiverse consisting of all the known and unknown Universes, Worlds, Realities, etc… that either exist or are fictional, that no one can trespass into', and 'Being able to travel between the worlds and realities present in this Multiverse'.]]
[[However, you, or rather the previous you, have forgotten to wish for retaining your previous you's memories, thus making the transmigration a success, but without memories and instead with only general knowledge and common sense of the previous you's world.]]
[[Also, I am the Guide of the System you have received, designed and created for the sole purpose of assisting you in whatever it is you may want to achieve. As for being a part of you, the System is linked to the very core of your being.]]
It takes me several seconds to digest all of that, and when I do, I could only think one thing.
'The previous Me was an idiot.'
[[I agree.]]
I nodded at the screen's, err, Guide's agreement, before asking them,
'So what do I do now? Also, what do I call you? I can't keep calling you 'it' or 'them' or 'Guide'.'
[[Issuing Quest…complete. New Quest available.]]
After that message, a new screen, bigger in size, appears in my view.
...
Tutorial Quest : That which belongs to you, yet is used by others more often.
Objective : Choose a name for yourself. Choose a name for the System Guide.
Rewards : Skill 'Language Comprehension'
Penalty : None
...
'A Quest, is it?'
[[Correct. The System Guide has the authority to issue Quests, and while the System's non-emotional non-sentient interface will decide, based on the difficulty of the Quest, as well as its significance, a list of rewards, the Guide is then allowed to choose one among the given list.]]
[[That is the most basic function of the System Guide.]]
I nod my head slowly as I ponder on which name I could give myself and the Guide.
Name. An important part of one's identity. It is almost the most fundamental part of every individual. Perhaps only those creatures that can not communicate or do not possess sentience do not have a name.
To that end, a name need not be overly grand or meaningful. Just a simple name, one that rolls on the tongue, short yet concise.
It did not take me more than several minutes to come up with good ones
'My name will be White. And yours, Dia.'
[[…may I know the reason for those names in particular?]]
I raise my brows at the pause of the Guide, now Dia, but continue nonetheless.
'White because, well, I'm white. White hair…', I say while pointing towards my hair, a few bangs of which extend to my chin, with the majority reaching all the way to the middle of my back.
'…my skin is spotlessly white…', I say as I look down at my naked body.
It was fit, for a lack of another word. I wasn't overly muscular, but I wasn't fat either. I would say my height is around 180cm, more or less, and I should weigh roughly 75 kgs or 165 lbs.
I had a decent body structure, not too lean but also not too broad, and little to no baby fat, I notice, as I rub my hands over my face.
I also notice that I packed quite the junior, as many men seem to call it. It looked around 7 inches flaccid, and quite thick now that I look at it, but for some reason, I felt like the bigger it is, the better.
Putting my appearance aside, I look back at the screen where Dia had been patiently waiting for the continuation of my answer.
'As for Dia, well…right now, you are most precious thing, right?'
'To me, who has neither memories nor an identity, you, a companion, as well as my Guide, are most precious to me. And when people think 'precious', don't they think of Gold or Diamonds?'
'So you are Dia, something that to me is as precious as Diamonds are to others. Perhaps even more, but I don't know what people hold as more precious than those shiny and nigh unbreakable stones.'
[[Dia…it sounds nice. Thank you, then, White, from now on, I am Dia, your Guide / Assistant.]]
'Hmm, nice to meet you too, Dia.', I say, recalling that that was a proper Japanese greeting when people meet for the first time.
Why Japanese? Because the moment I named myself and Dia, without any sort of warning, I realise that I could suddenly understand what the people near me were talking about.
And it was in Japanese. So I could assume that I was in Japan at the moment. Or at least, in a place where random people that are hanging around in an alley speak Japanese.
Though I am fairly certain I am in Japan.
Based on the conversation I've been listening to for the past two minutes or so, I could tell that there are around three people here, other than me. All three of them are students, and high schoolers at that, and have also been playing truant for the past three days, not going to class to hang out here.
What are people like these called again?
(Delinquents.)
Right, delinquents.
…
…
…
Eh?
'Who?'
(It's me, of course. Who else can read your thoughts?)
The voice that resounded in my mind was feminine, soothing, and almost…charming?
(Yup~~ I took the voice which I figured young men would like to hear the most. How do I sound~~?)
'Huh, beautiful? Can a voice be called beautiful? Anyway, I didn't know you can talk, Dia.'
(Of course I can.)
For some reason, I felt like she would have rolled her eyes at me if she could.
(I may not be able to do anything in the outside world, but inside your mind and soul, if you're the King, then I'm just below you but above all else.)
(As long as you don't try to actively suppress my authority, I am practically omnipotent in here. I can do anything~~!)
'Is that so…'
I didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but I put it aside for now.
'Anyway, what should I do now? I need clothes, or rather, can you give me a quest with clothes as the reward?'
(Yup~~!)
Just as Dia's voice faded, a new window appeared in the previous one's place.
...
Quest : First fight.
Objective : Knock out the three delinquents near you.
Rewards : Item 'Casual Clothing', Item 'Identification Card'
Penalty : None
...
'ID card?', I asked with a raised brow as Dia explained,
(Indeed, you need an ID Card of some kind to survive in the modern world after all. The System is practically Omnipotent in this Omniverse, and the only thing stopping you from attaining this Omnipotence is the System code. But anyway, that matter is for another time.)
(You don't have to worry about anything, whatever you want, as long as you do the issued Quest, you will get it. But knocking out 3 delinquents right after waking up and naked to boot isn't nearly easy enough for just some casual clothing as a reward, so an ID Card that is linked with the Government of Japan is included in the reward.)
(With the Card, you will officially become a legal Japanese Citizen, and an adult at that. Well, your physical age is 16, while mentally you are…err…several minutes old…but the System will make it so that in the view of the Government, you are a 16 year old adult due to special circumstances.)
I couldn't help but be surprised at how convenient the System makes life for me.
'Wait, so, if I ask for complete access to the System, and becoming Omnipotent and all…'
(The Quest you'll get will be something along the lines of 'Reach level : 999,999,999 in 24 hours. Want me to issue one?)
I shake my head.
'Forget it, getting clothes now is more important than that.'
I took a deep breath to calm myself down.
'Now how do I do this?'
For starters, I know there are three delinquents right on the other side of the garbage bin. How they did not yet find me, a naked guy right on the other side of what they were sitting on and chatting, was beyond me, but I could see two of them sitting right there, completely defenceless.
Looking around, I found a rather nice and long metal rod, and one that was shorter, and silently reached for both of them. Making sure I didn't make too much noise, I slowly got onto my feet and, still crouched down, peeked towards the other side of the bin.
Although I called it a garbage bin, it was more along the lines of a cuboidal box, easily seven by seven feet in length and breadth, and perhaps five feet or so in height. And with me on one side, two of them are sitting on top of the box and facing the other side.
The third, on the other hand, was crouching near the exit of the alley, looking at the people passing by while smoking.
'No one is paying attention to me.'
With a smile, I slowly walk towards the two people, and making sure I am as close to them as I could possibly be without them noticing me, swung the longer rod at their heads with as much force as I could.
*bang!* *bang!*
The longer rod was long enough to hit both of them at the same time, and just as the third guy was about to turn towards the source of the sound, I let the long rod go, grabbed the short one which I had flung into the air just before the hit, and rushed towards the guy and hit him right across the face.
*crack!*
This time, instead of a muffled bang, I heard a soft, yet distinct crack, and from how much the guy was bleeding, I was sure I broke his nose.
Quickly hiding myself from the people outside, I look at the three people, and notice that one of the two guys I hit initially was actually still awake, albeit dazed and bleeding, groaning in pain.
*bang!*
Another hit right on the head, albeit softer so as to not kill him, did the trick.
(Congratulations! You've completed your first non-tutorial Quest perfectly and in record time at that!)
(The clothes are in your inventory, and you can access it by simply saying or thinking 'Inventory'. Also, as a bonus, you get a title. You can find it in your 'Status', by the way.)
I nod to acknowledge Dia's words as I walked back to the garbage bin, err, box, and crouched behind it, hiding myself once more. The other side of the alley is a dead end, so I was safe from prying eyes, especially since the top of the alley is covered by a metal roof and there were no security cameras anywhere here either.
Well, not any that I could see at a glance. If there were hidden cams, then I could do nothing against those, but then again, no one would actually palace hidden cameras in a random alley frequented by high school delinquents, so I guess I'm safe?
Whatever, it's not important right now.
"Inventory.", I mutter out loud, and a hologram-like screen, similar to the previous windows, but with blocks instead of words on it, appeared in my vision.
There were ten rows and ten columns in all, for a total of a hundred square blocks, and at the bottom is an arrow pointing to the right, along with a number, '1/?'. I'm assuming that means this is the first page of countless many.
(Yep, you guessed right. The System Inventory is infinite, and you can place anything inside, even living beings, but they need to be knocked out or unconscious. Actually, they can just be asleep too. And the time inside the Inventory is in stasis, so you don't have to worry about people dying inside or perishables getting spoiled.)
'Convenient.', I thought, as I looked at the first slot of the inventory occupied by an icon that looked like a miniature set of clothes.
Tapping it, options such as 'Equip', 'Lock', 'Discard', 'Withdraw', and 'Info' appeared next to it, and tapping 'Equip', I blink as my body suddenly felt warmer as well as heavier.
"That's pretty cool."
My response was lacklustre at best, cause, no memories remember? Though, I had to admit, it was pretty convenient to be able to change clothing like that with just a few taps.
(Actually, you can operate the interface with just your thoughts too.)
I nod my head. Though I felt more comfortable using my hand and fingers to do it physically, I supposed being able to do so with just my thoughts would come in handy some day. Probably.
'Status.', I tried it with just my thoughts this time, and it certainly worked like a charm.
A new screen, much longer than the previous one, appeared in my view.
...
(Status)
White
Male 16 years old
Titles : [(The Gamer)] | [(The Fool)] | [(Quest Doer)]
Class : The Gamer Level : 0 (00.00%)
Job : None
HP : 100/100 (10 per min)
MP : 100/100 (10 per min)
SP : 100/100 (10 per min)
...
Strength : 10 Intelligence : 10
Endurance : 10 Wisdom : 10
Vitality : 10 Perception : 10
Agility : 10 Dexterity : 10
Charm : 10 Luck : 10
Stat Points : 0
...
[(Gamers' Mind : Lv-Max)]
[(Gamers' Body : Lv-Max)]
[(Gamers' Guide 'Dia' : Lv-Max)]
[(Gamers' Surprise : Lv-Max)]
[(Language Comprehension : Lv-Max)]
...
'Video games…', was that first thought that came to mind as I looked at the screen before my eyes.
True, I had no personal memories of myself, or even of specific games or anime or cartoons, yet I had all general knowledge about, well, everything in general.
And RPG Games, despite not memories of playing specific games, were included in that knowledge as well.
But well, that aside, I finally understood what the first notification welcoming me to the 'Game' was all about.
'Wait, if I hadn't named you, would I be calling you 'Game' right now?'
(Probably? And I wouldn't have begun developing a personality either.)
My irrelevant question brought about a surprising answer.
Developing a personality?
But then I realised, that similar to me, Dia too is technically merely several minutes old at most. She is similar to me indeed, with knowledge yet no memories of her own.
To that end, both of us could even be called siblings. Though, I suppose it is rather, how to say…odd, for a sixteen year old to be merely several minutes old at most mentally.
'Whatever, I'll think about it later.'
Shaking my head, I focus on more important things.
(You just have to focus on each word or tap and hold it for a moment to get a description, by the way.)
'Thank you, Dia.', I said as I tapped the very first word on the window.
...
Status; The Gamer's basic information and stats.
White; The Gamer's name, currently has no family name.
Male; The Gamer's gender.
16 years old; The Gamer's physical age.
Titles; Pseudonyms acquired by The Gamer through completion of achievements. Have mostly positive effects.
The Gamer; A title given to one who is selected as a Player of The Game. Gives access to Class : The Gamer and The Gamer System.
The Fool; Having taken a foolish choice that effects your life immensely, nullify natural stat gain while decreasing EXP required to level up by 90%.
Quest Doer; A title given to The Gamer when he completes a quest in record time. Increase Quest reward by 100%.
Class; The Gamer's Class, restricted to 'The Gamer'.
The Gamer; A Class specific to The Gamer, gives access to The Gamer's Class Skills as well as to the System. Gives 5 stat Points per level.
Level; Level of The Gamer, increases when Exp reaches 100.00%. A basic quantisation of one's general power level.
00.00%; EXP of The Gamer, increases by 1% when The Gamer defeats those of the same level according to the selected Job. Each difference in level increases or decreases EXP gain by 2 or half respectively.
Job; Job / Profession of The Gamer, has a level cap of 100 and levels up along with main Class. Gives access to Job specific skills and increases relevant stats when levelled up. The Gamer has to either acquire a relevant skill or complete a corresponding action to have access to any Job.
Strength; Physical strength, involves muscular growth, lifting capacity, momentary force, etc… .
Intelligence; Involves memory, thinking speed, magic attack power, mana capacity, etc… .
Endurance; Involves stamina, durability, stamina recovery, etc… .
Wisdom; Involves logical thinking, learning speed, mana recovery, magic defence, etc… .
Vitality; Involves health, vitality, life force, maximum HP, HP recovery, etc… .
Perception; Involves senses, intuition, instinct, comprehension, etc… .
Agility; Involves muscle speed, reaction speed, etc… .
Dexterity; Involves finesse, balance, flexibility, reflex speed, body-mind coordination, etc… .
Charm; Involves charisma, attraction, aesthetics, presence, rate of affection change, etc… .
Luck; Involves general luck, drop rate, etc… .
Stat Points; Free Stat Points that can be added to increase any Stat, can only be acquired through levelling up the main Class, through special consumables, and as rewards of Quests.
Gamers' Mind; A Class skill of The Gamer, nullifies all effects of mental and spiritual attacks, influences, etc… and allows The Gamer to remain calm regardless of circumstances. Also dampens the effect of emotions on The Gamer. Under certain conditions, the effect of this passive skill may be broken.
Gamers' Body; A Class skill of The Gamer that allows The Gamer's body to imitate a game character. Crippling damage is nullified, while regardless of severity of damage, if The Gamer's HP reaches 0, The Gamer will die.
Gamers' Guide 'Dia'; A special guide formed from the fusion of different kinds of Systems with The Gamer System. Named by The Gamer as 'Dia', she has begun to develop a personality and will assist The Gamer in all his endeavours while being bound to certain System rules.
Gamers' Surprise; A special skill made from one of the wishes of The Gamer, currently a surprise. The skill will activate in exactly one month, or 30 days.
Language Comprehension; Comprehend all languages and tongues in existence, known or unknown or forgotten. However, certain languages would require The Gamer to have certain stats at high enough values in order to speak or even understand them without losing HP. The Gamer will be restricted from comprehending these languages before requirements are met.
Lv; Skill Level, increases upon repeated usage and can bring several effects to Skills.
Max; The level cap of skills is 100. In rare cases, Skills may evolve or advance into other versions, though they might be superior as well as inferior to the original version of the Skills.
...
It took me several minutes to go through and digest everything. What I got from it all, however, is that one, I'm glad the previous me was a fool, since I can level up 10 times faster even if I cannot increase my stats naturally.
Two, it seems I have quite an advantage despite having just begin my journey.
And three, I have a month to prepare for whatever it is that 'Gamers' Surprise : Lv-Max' will throw at me. Well, based on the previous me's wishes, it would probably be world travel or something similar, but one can never be too prepared after all.
"Speaking of worlds…does this one have a name I should be aware of?"
I seem to recall that 'worlds' mentioned here are usually those from fiction. How I knew that, I myself do not know, yet I do know it nonetheless.
And indeed, Dia confirmed my thoughts.
(The name of this world is 'Highschool DxD', and DxD is abbreviation for 'Draconic Deus'. It's an anime the previous you saw in your past life. Unfortunately, that's all I can tell you.)
I nodded my head. The name was plenty enough, since now I knew that the main cast of this world would centre around a Highschool. Or rather, the main cast are all probably high schoolers.
From that, I can infer that this is not a world that is full of rainbows, anime meant for little kids to see. There could possibly be death and other things in this one, maybe even world ending events. After all, I highly doubt little kids would enjoy watching high schoolers do whatever it is they do in this world.
And if the show was meant for teenagers, well, everyone knows the one thing teenagers like the most is to watch the world burn.
At the same time, from 'Draconic Deus', I can guess that the main character of this world is related to Dragons. Dragons are magical creatures, while 'Deus' is Latin for 'God'.
That is to say, either the name is a poor show of irony, and the world itself is completely ordinary, or the world has both Dragons and Gods, and the main character could possibly become a 'Dragon God' in his future.
Which means supernatural beings exist in this world. Though, based on the reactions of the delinquents I had knocked out, the supernatural side of the world may either be relevant to only a minority of the population, reason being those three high schoolers weren't even able to react to me who is a complete amateur at fighting, or the supernatural side is hidden from the general population.
And based on the fact that the people I could see outside the alley looked completely ordinary, save for the assortment of hair and eye colour and general attractiveness, I'd wager on the later.
"So a world where Dragons, Gods, and Magic exist, and where these things might be hidden from plain sight. Also, the main cast are either all or mostly high schoolers, and the MC will become a Dragon God before he graduates from Highschool since the show 'is' named 'Highschool Dragon God'. That's a good start, I suppose."
...
"Alright now, I guess I'll have to pick a Job to begin levelling up?"
(Yup~~ But I recommend picking a Job related to Magic. Don't ask me why, I can't tell you until you pick it.)
I blinked in confusion, but then my eyes fell on the description of 'Gamers' Guide 'Dia' : Lv-Max', and I smiled.
"Sure, I guess."
I shrugged lightly as I opened my Status and looked at the Job section.
A job related to Magic. Since I was clearly a newbie to the whole magical world thing, I can only do two things to get a job like that.
Perform magic, or something similar to it, or get a magic based skill.
And since I had absolutely no idea how I could do magic without any sort of reference, I'll be taking the easy way out.
"A quest I can do at the moment, with a magic skill as a reward. Can you make the System issue something like that?"
(Of course I can! Who do you think I am~~?)
I heard a tinge of pride and satisfaction in Dia's tone as a new window appeared before me.
...
Quest : Exploring!
Objective : Find the name of the Country (0/1) | Find the name of the city (0/1) | Find a remote place where you can live (0/1) | Find the most important place in this world (0/1) | Find the second most important place in this world (0/1)
Rewards : Skill 'Mana Manipulation'
Penalty : None
...
"Thank you."
(You're welcome~~)
I look once more at my status, and then check myself to make sure I wasn't in an unpresentable state. After all, it wouldn't do me any good if I were to look weird and out of place in whatever country I was in, which I am going to assume is Japan.
Though, then again, I suppose it could be called by a different name despite technically being the same country in this world.
"I guess I'll have to confirm it by speaking to someone else."
With one last glance at myself, and making sure I wasn't missing anything, I nod before heading out of the alley.
...
"Man that was embarrassing…"
I couldn't help but sigh with a bitter smile as I walk towards the only remote place in Kuoh City, an abandoned Church.
Who knew talking to people was so hard when you're clearly a foreigner yet didn't even know the name of the country?
It took me nearly an hour to be able to know everything about, well, everything, from some poor guy who's probably traumatised of white haired foreigners that have a lot of questions from now on.
Regardless, I managed to get some basic information about my situation at the moment.
I'm in Japan, and in a City called Kuoh. The most important place in this world, which is obviously a Highschool, is Kuoh Highschool. The second most important place, I managed to come across by sheer luck, when I kept walking along the streets like an idiot.
It was a small, yet cosy house, clearly too cramped for a family of more than three, and in there were a couple along with their high schooler son living. The Hyoudou Residence.
And by that, I was able to infer that Issei Hyoudou, the couple's son, is the main character of the anime 'Highschool DxD'. Though I still don't understand how the son of a human couple could be a future Dragon God.
Is that gentle looking couple who even gave me directions to the Church actually a pair of huge scaled western Dragons in hiding or something? Maybe, it's food for thought.
But anyways, approaching the church, I scour the whole place and notice it was completely empty. Well, that's obvious. The place looked like it could fall apart with a sudden gust or something, definitely not a place anyone with enough brain cells would want to live in.
Meaning, it's the perfect place for me to set camp. After all, even if I technically had an identity as a Japanese citizen due to the ID Card in my inventory, which I just realised mentioned the name of the country as well, I'm still broke.
Should I ask for a Quest with money or maybe a house as the reward?
*tap*
"Hmm?"
I blink at the hollow feeling that came to me when I stepped on the floor, snapping me out of my thoughts. Looking down, and reaching to the carpet, I pull it aside to reveal a trapdoor of sorts.
"Well I'll be damned."
The common sense in my head didn't mention anything about Church's having secret basements, making me smile as I pulled the trapdoor open and headed inside.
I wasn't scared of anything that could be inside, mainly because I had nothing to lose even if I died.
People fear death, because they do not know what would happen to them once they cross that seemingly one-way bridge, and also because they know that once they go to the other side, they would have to forever part with everyone and everything on this side.
Me? I, or at least the previous me, already died once. And as someone who was technically 'born' less than two hours ago, I had nothing to lose from dying.
Of course, that didn't mean I wanted to die. But the prospect of dying certainly wasn't going to discourage me from taking risks.
Like going into a hidden basement of an abandoned Church in a world where supernatural stuff, even if I hadn't encountered any, probably existed, as a completely amateur fighter and weak as an average human.
Yup, sounds like a recipient for disaster. But then again, what's the worst that could happen?
(You die, you're tortured to death, you're used as an experimental lab rat when they realise they can't cut off your limbs or even break your bones, or you get used as a mana / life force battery since you're your rate of regeneration of MP and HP is way above normal people's.)
Exactly. Not that scary, right?
(Also, if you die, you'll once again reincarnate in some other world without memories again, but I'll retain my memories so you don't have to worry about dying at all, really.)
That's even better.
"Wait, can't you, like, keep a copy of my memories and implant them into the reincarnated me if and when that happens?"
(Ah, now that you mention it, I can do that can't I? Hehe, looks like you don't have to worry about dying at all, White. Though you'll lose all your EXP and your level, which is a big fat 0 at the moment.)
Dia's singsong voice answered my question, making me smile as I realise the only reason for me to not want to die, at this moment, is simply because common sense dictates people aren't usually suicidal.
'I guess I won't actively try to kill myself…but I also won't have any fear of death whatsoever…and especially so with 'Gamers' mind : Lv-Max'…'
I chuckle at the thought as I finally reach the bottom of the stairs. Looking around, I unfortunately couldn't see much in the dark, but I could make out that I was in a corridor with several doors on either side.
Walking around, I enter each and every room present only to come up with a blank since all of them were dark, damp, dusty, and most importantly, empty.
I somehow managed to find the switches, and turning the lights on, I was honestly amazed.
"Huge…!"
While it was technically the first building the insides of which I had seen, I was still surprised at how big the basement was.
It stretched to several hundreds of square feet, with twenty nine rooms in total, one of which appeared to be something like a warehouse, what with the shelves and rusty wardrobes and all. Unfortunately, they were all empty, clearly swiped clean a long time ago.
Another room looked like an office, with a wooden table, a comfortable looking chair, two sofas with a glass low table, two large bookshelves and a cupboard. It also had a television which didn't work and an air conditioner which did.
The rest of the twenty seven rooms were simple, a bunk bed, two wardrobes, a partition where the other side was a small yet fully furnished bathroom with running water and all that, and two tables and chairs.
"This place looks like some kind of dorm or something…"
I looked around, recalling that, as a Gamer, I no longer needed to eat, drink, or even breath, though I would probably lose a tiny amount of HP due to suffocation, and just sleep for a few hours for a complete recovery of HP, MP, and SP. Not only that, since I didn't eat or drink, I also didn't need to use the bathroom for anything other than a nice warm bath, which is apparently pretty comfortable.
Have to check on that.
"This is a perfect place for me to stay, right? There's electricity, water, air conditioning, I can put a bed in the Inventory and bring it to the office here, and I'd practically have everything I could possibly need."
I walk towards the walls of the basement which looked old and rickety from the outside, yet from the inside…
"It's clearly magic, cause damn, these walls are hella strong. And solid. I don't think an earthquake followed by a landslide can as much as make this whole basement shake."
I smiled at the thought of having a personal bunker. The knowledge in me stated that only VIPs had personal nuclear bunkers for themselves, but while I didn't know if this basement could defend against a nuke, I did know I got my new home.
(Congratulations~~ You just completed another Quest, and got a skill book as a reward~~)
I noticed that Dia slowly yet surely began to change from what was a feminine, yet clearly synthetic and mechanical voice, to a cheerful, melodious, and pleasant to hear voice. Well, I didn't mind the change though.
After all, she's technically less than two hours old as well, considering her personality and sentience only began after I gave her a name.
And as for me, I guessing the reason I haven't begun changing yet is because of 'Gamers' Mind : Lv-Max'.
I guess having my emotions suppressed makes it harder for me to develop a personality huh?
Well, no matter. The disadvantages cannot even compare to the advantages the skill give me. And between needing several months or years to become a 'normal' human to panicking in the middle of a deadly battle just because a clown appeared with a nerf gun and began shooting everyone while singing 'God must be crazy' in a dreadfully bad voice, I would choose the former anytime.
Again, just cause I didn't fear death doesn't mean I would not take precautions to avoid death when I clearly have the means and time to do so. Not doing so isn't even suicidal, it's just being plain stupid.
How could anyone simply rush into the enemy lines without a plan of attack or a contingency plan or a route for retreating or things like that?
"Hmm…I seem to be going off topic quite a lot…"
I noticed that I was a pondering type more than an impulsive kind. Well, it was certainly good, not just rushing unaware like a hot-headed fool, even though I, or rather the previous me, was technically a fool himself, but pondering on something too much could be a problem too.
I shouldn't become too cautious and thus end up being indecisive and…
"Ahh! Forget that all. Don't think too much. I can cross that bridge when I get there."
I sighed once more as I realised I had again gone off on a tangent.
Anyway, since I had completed the quest, I looked at the Inventory and saw something else in there along with my ID Card.
A book with the image of a silhouette meditating, and a blueish aura-like energy all around him, forming both simple and complex shapes in all kinds of sizes.
"Wait? Didn't I get 'Language Comprehension : Lv-Max' directly?"
(Yes, that's because you didn't have much of a choice than to accept it back then, so I decided you didn't need it in the form of a skill book. But technically, every skill you get as a reward from the System will be in the form of skill books, since I can't distract you in the middle of a fight by suddenly shoving a bunch of knowledge into your head, right~~?)
I nodded in understanding as I tapped the slot with the skill book in it and tapped 'Use' which appeared instead of 'Equip'. I guess that's because it's a consumable instead of equipment?
Regardless, the moment I tap 'use', a sudden surge of information rushes into my brain, making me wince as I felt a slight headache crop up.
Sighing, knowing that this would take a few minutes to stop, especially with my currently barely average mental stats, I sit down and turn the air conditioner on as I leaned back onto the chair and close my eyes, trying to digest everything as quickly as I could.
The faster I could get done with this, the faster I could get a Job after all. And though it doesn't mean much to me, knowing that I am completely defenceless in a world where there could possibly exist Gods that can destroy entire cities on a whim made me uncomfortable.
...
"*sigh*…it took too long…"
I shake my head to get rid of the lingering head ache as I finished digesting and going through all the information that I had gotten from the skill book. Though, seeing from the clock in the office that it took me nearly two hours to do so made me sigh bitterly.
(It's because of your low intelligence, wisdom, and perception stats. After all, 10 is like the average of baseline humans and average humans aren't supposed to have skills like 'Mana Manipulation'.)
Dia's voice resounded in my mind as she consoled me.
(You don't have to worry, you're still weak as you're not even a level : 1. But once you get a job, you'll be able to level up and when you start levelling up, even if you want to, you won't be able to stop getting stronger and better.)
I smiled at her words.
"Thank you Dia. But for now, since I have the skill, did I get the job? Or do I actually have to use it?"
(Check you status. And you're welcome~~)
I glanced at my Status, and indeed, see a difference. A (+) next to 'Job : None', and a new skill.
Tapping both of them, I look at the new windows that popped up.
...
Job : None (+)
— [(Brawler)]
STR +2 | END +1 | AGI +1 | PER +1 | DEX +1
— [(Rogue)]
STR +1 | END +1 | AGI +2 | DEX +1 | PER +1
— [(Magician)]
INT +2 | WIS +2 | PER +1 | DEX +1
— [(Spy)]
AGI +2 | DEX +2 | PER +2
...…....
...
Mana Manipulation : Lv-1/100 (00.00%)
Description : Allows for direct manipulation of Mana, Magic, Magicules, Prana, etc… . Higher skill level allows for more precise and accurate manipulation and more complex control. Also increase efficiency of skills / spells using MP and decrease cost and cast time.
Effect : Decrease MP cost of skills / spells by 1%
Decrease Cast time of skills / spells that use MP by 1%
...
My brows raised as I looked at the description of the skill. Though I was more interested in the selection of Jobs I got.
"I'm assuming I got the 'Brawler' job from knocking those three delinquents down…same with 'Rogue', but why did they not appear till now?"
As for 'Magician', that was obvious, and I should have gotten 'Spy' because of moving in unfamiliar territory and trying to gather information about said territory.
(It's because the Job section would have only been unlocked when you are eligible for at least 3 different Jobs. It's like a hidden condition.)
I blinked my eyes at that.
"So there are still hidden conditions and things I need to know about?"
(Duh, they're called 'hidden' precisely because you're meant to find them, even if it'll take time. And I'm not able to reveal them to you either.)
"Not able?"
I understand that Dia wouldn't tell me about the hidden stuff. I knew what 'hidden' meant, after all. But 'not being allowed to' is different from 'not being able to'.
(Yup~~! Not able to, as in, I simply can't! It's like how a completely ordinary human simply 'cannot' grow a third arm or a fourth head out of nowhere. It's not that there'll be consequences 'if' I tell you about them, because there is no 'if'. I just can't, not unless there's some kind of external stimuli.)
(Before you ask something stupid, no, external stimuli doesn't mean getting tickled or something. There are only two way through which the hidden conditions are revealed. One, in case of an emergency, which means either you or someone extremely important to you is in danger, and a hidden condition is capable of helping you, or two, when you clear the conditions themselves.)
I nod my head slowly.
"So if I try jumping off a ten story building as I am with my current stats, is there a hidden function that will reveal itself?"
(…)
It seems Dia didn't even bother to respond to that clearly stupid question, making me chuckle as I look at my Status again and tap 'Magician'.
...
Confirm Job selection [(Magician)] ?
((Yes)) ((No))
...
I tapped 'Yes', and the very next instant, I felt the changes in me taking place.
For starters, it felt like I have been liberated from restrictions that I never even knew were placed on me. It was like, one moment, I had just come to know that all the world I've been aware of is actually the insides of a fish tank, and then all of a sudden I was scooped up from that small fish tank and placed into…a bigger fish tank?
No, it was different, like I was taken out of the fish tank, and yet I could feel the boundaries of the walls of the room I was in.
It was only for a moment, however, as the feeling disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. And then, no matter how much I try, I simply couldn't recall that feeling of both liberation as well as restriction that were present simultaneously.
(That's the effect of rising in your Life Tier. Up till now, you were a Level : 0, and in game terms, despite being as strong as or even stronger than several ordinary civilians, you were technically 'lesser' than them all, who were at least level : 1 or above.)
(Now, however, you have risen in rank, from the 0th Tier to the 1st Tier. You will feel something similar when you go up from level : 10 to level : 11, reaching the 2nd Tier, or when you go from level : 100 to level : 101, reaching the 3rd Tier, and so on.)
(Now that you're a Tier 1, your clearance level has increased, and the Tutorial has ended. But I'll tell you about that later.)
Before I could ask further, I felt the second change coming right after.
A chill. Cold unlike any I've ever felt before, well, not that I would remember it even if I, or the previous me, had felt such cold.
For a moment, I wondered if this is how it would feel to have ice cubes and glacial rivers run through your blood vessels instead of normal blood, but at the same time, instead of making me feel pain from the bone chilling cold, I actually felt…comfortable.
Like a man who had been struggling against the desert sun, being given a tumbler of ice cold water. Only, way higher in magnitude.
The feeling disappeared in mere fractions of a second, despite me feeling like it had taken place for hours and days on end, and when it did, I felt…smarter?
(That is the Stat gain, or to be more precise, gain in mental stats. It'll be different for physical stats, and although it may have seemed long to you, that feeling actually disappeared in quite literally an instant. Like, 0.00 time. Even faster than how long Light would take to cross 1 nanometer.)
(But since such a feeling, even if only momentary, would still distract you, you will technically only level up after coming out of combat or when you're not concentrating on whatever it is you're concentrating on, unless you ask otherwise.)
I nodded unconsciously as I looked at my Status, showing a rise in my intelligence, wisdom, as well as perception. Just as I was about to ask why the rest of the stats weren't updated, a similar yet vastly different feeling hit me.
If before, it was bone chilling cold, now it was searing heat instead.
If before, I wondered if rivers of ice replaced my blood, now I'm almost certain it's molten lava and magma instead.
And yet, just as before, instead of feeling pain from the overwhelming heat, I simply felt…comfortable. As though a half frozen man in the middle of drowning in an icy river was given a cup of hot chocolate, only, again, way higher in magnitude.
And once again, the feeling vanished within an instant, and I couldn't even enjoy the lingering comfort as it, too, vanished just as quickly.
I couldn't help but click my tongue in annoyance at that. After all, that feeling of comfort, it was so…addicting.
(Of course it is.)
For a moment there, I felt like Dia had just rolled her nonexistent eyes at me.
(You were literally improving and growing stronger, smarter, etc… and all that happening in an instant. Why wouldn't it feel addicting?)
I nodded my head at that.
Indeed, even if one did not seek power or growth, just that addicting feeling from having one's stats raised alone would provide one enough motivation to level up.
Also, I noticed that all my physical stats had risen by 1, courtesy to my main Class levelling up as well.
...
(Status)
White
Male 16 years old
Titles : [(The Gamer)] | [(The Fool)] | [(Quest Doer)]
Class : The Gamer Level : 1 (00.00%)
Job : Magician (Lv : 1/100)
HP : 110/110 (11 per min) // HP —> VIT*10 | HP R —> VIT*1 per min //
MP : 130/130 (13 per min) // MP —> INT*10 | MP R —> WIS*1 per min //
SP : 110/110 (11 per min) // SP —> END*10 | SP R —> END*1 per min //
...
Strength : 11 Intelligence : 13
Endurance : 11 Wisdom : 13
Vitality : 11 Perception : 12
Agility : 11 Dexterity : 12
Charm : 11 Luck : 11
Stat Points : 5
...
[(Gamers' Body : Lv-Max)]
[(Gamers' Mind : Lv-Max)]
[(Gamers' Surprise : Lv-Max)]
[(Language Comprehension : Lv-Max)]
[(Mana Manipulation : Lv-1)]
[(Magic Shot : Lv-1)] (New!)
[(Magic Shield : Lv-1)] (New!)
...
"I still have free stat points left."
Although I could see my new skills, I held my desire to observe them and instead focused on what was above them in the Status.
"Since I'm a Magician, should I raise INT by 5? Or maybe INT by 3 and WIS by 2? Or the other way around?"
(I wouldn't recommend that.)
Die interrupted my musings, making me blink.
"Right, Dia, you mentioned something about the tutorial ending?"
(Yes, I'll tell you about that after this.)
(Anyway, unlike a video game, this is a 'Life Game' where you can't just min-max your stats and hope there won't be any consequences.)
(Just because it's a game, no, especially since it's a Game on Life, the laws of physics will apply to you as well, unless you have certain special skills of course. Meaning, if you just increase your Strength to 1,000 with your Endurance still in the 2 digits, a single blow, and the opposite reaction mentioned by Newton's Third Law will vaporise your body.)
(There are several complicated conditions, like INT can't be higher than 10 times WIS and vice versa, STR can't be 3 times higher than END, AGI can't be higher than twice DEX and vice versa, PER can't be higher than 4 times the sum of INT and WIS, AGI can't be higher than 4 times STR, DEX can't be higher than 4 times INT, DEX can't be higher than 3 times END, no stat can be higher than 5 times VIT other than CHA and LUC, and lots of other stuff.)
(But basically, you should make sure no stat is more than triple your lowest stat, and try to maintain balance between AGI and DEX as much as you can. The best thing that could happen if you don't is that you wouldn't be able to walk without wobbling around like a drunkard, and the worst is you would explode like a balloon, POP! And you're gone.)
I gulped hard. Sure, I didn't fear death, but somehow, I felt like popping like a balloon didn't seem like a good way to die.
Thus, I decide to keep the advice to heart and looked at my Status once again.
"Well then, I guess I'll raise all my Physical Stats by 1. And 1 more to Vitality. Being healthier can't go wrong, right?"
(Yes, you can technically have an infinite amount of Vitality, and it's the only stat, other than Charm and Luck, that doesn't have any negative effect from being too high.)
With a nod, I proceed to do just that. And the moment I do so, the same searing heat returned for a split second, before vanishing.
I couldn't help but click my tongue in annoyance. Again.
Seriously, the feeling of raising stats is simply too addicting. Lucky for me, no matter how many stats I raise simultaneously, the feeling will remain constant, so I still know I can break away from it and not become an addict if I want to.
"Ah, right, you mentioned something about the tutorial ending?"
(Right, about that…)
(The tutorial is the period from when you wake up till you get your first job. Remember when I made a quest just to give you clothes and even the one about naming? That's a tutorial-only function.)
(Of course, that doesn't mean I can no longer issue Quests or decide their rewards, but the Quests I issue should have some kind of significance or difficulty, or both.)
(Like, the first Quest about names has significance since those are the names you and I will have for the rest of eternity, but the second quest has no significance or difficulty. After all, even if you're naked, you had a 10 in all stats, which is the average of an adult human, and it shouldn't be that difficult for you to knock three growing kids out on your own.)
"I see…I guess I should have used that more when I had the chance huh?"
(Well, yeah. I couldn't tell you since, you know, hidden stuff. But I tried to make you focus on 'Tutorial' on the first quest, though I couldn't include it on the second one…)
"Well, it doesn't matter. It already happened anyway."
I heard Dia sigh before she perked back up.
(Right! Anyway, check your new skills! I'm sure you'll find the interesting.)
I did as she said, and focused on the skill descriptions.
...
Magic Shot : Lv-1/100 (00.00%) Cost : 100 MP
Description : Compress your Mana into a small spherical shape and release it towards your target like a projectile. The speed of the attack and attack power depend on INT while the speed of formation depends on WIS.
Effect : Cause damage equal to (INT)*(Skill Level)
Effect of 'Mana Manipulation : Lv-1' Cost : 100 —> 99 MP
...
...
Magic Shield : Lv-1/100 (00.00%) Cost : 100 MP per min, 100-1 MP-HP
Description : A barrier formed from Mana, can take damage equal to 1 Point of HP in return for 100 MP. Requires 100 MP per minute. The ratio as well as maintenance cost will decrease with rise in skill level.
Effect : Negate physical and magical damage at 1-100 ratio of HP to MP
The shield will only break when all MP is drained or is deactivated manually
Effect of 'Mana Manipulation : Lv-1' Cost : 100 —> 99 MP per min, 100-1 —> 99-1 MP-HP
...
I raised my brows in wonder, and quelled the temptation to try and use the skills.
Looking at my pitiable MP reserves, I barely had enough to last a single shot or 1 min of maintaining the shield, and even then, the shield was currently useless as it would break with just a single blow while negating, what, 0.01 damage?
Shaking my head, I ask Dia,
"So? Can you tell me why you wanted me to choose Magician?"
(Yup~~! Now, sit down in a comfortable position and relax for a few seconds.)
Though doubtful, I do as asked.
(Close your eyes, and concentrate. You should be able to feel it, 'something' else other than your life force. Remember the chill that you experience when you raise your mental stats. That's technically the growth of both our mind and you magic as well.)
(With you skill, you can already control it, even if barely. Now, try to feel what you control instinctively, how it feels, how it looks, how it smells.)
Closing my eyes, I listen to Dia's instructions as I did exactly that. Unfortunately, it wasn't easy. After all, I'm completely new to magic, just as I am technically new to everything.
Fortunately, I had the 'Mana Manipulation' skill, and I could use the skill instinctively even if I still couldn't 'feel' my own Mana.
And that is exactly what I did.
It's hard to explain how you use a skill. It's like being asked to explain how you blink or breathe or how you cough. It's all instinctual, and you can't really explain it in words.
And using skills felt similar. Like an invisible muscle that you didn't know you had till then. And when you think of using that skill, you will instinctively flex that muscle.
And it happens. That's it.
Of course, the knowledge that comes with the skill plays a role in it too, but using skills felt mostly instinctual to me.
And just like that…
[[Acquired skill [(Mana Perception : Lv-1)].]]
[[Acquired skill [(Meditation : Lv-1)].]]
When I 'felt' Mana, it was strange to explain what it was.
How can anyone explain how 'cold' feels like? Mana was like that, like 'cold' itself flowing inside my body.
It wasn't like cold water, since I could feel it wasn't fluid. It wasn't like blocks of ice, since it wasn't solid either. Yet it also wasn't cold air, as it didn't feel like wind.
It simply felt…cool. Like the opposite of warmth, spreading and flowing in my body. And even all around me.
There was a difference between the 'cold' inside me and the 'cold' outside me, yet it wasn't a difference in 'how cold' it was, but more like a difference in colour? I don't now, it was honestly too hard to make sense of.
But I could feel it, my Mana, and the Mana in the atmosphere.
And I could also feel something else. The opposite of the 'cold' that Mana was. If Mana was like a flow of blue cold, then this was red 'heat'. It felt hot, in fact, it felt hotter than what I imagined a volcano would feel like.
[[Acquired skill [(Vitality Perception : Lv-1)].]]
Instinctively, I knew I could control it, just as I could control the blue 'cold' that Mana is. And so I tried to.
At first, I couldn't do it. After all, unlike for Mana for which I had that 'invisible muscle' called 'Mana Manipulation', I didn't have anything similar to the red 'heat'.
Yet I felt close, so close to achieving something. I felt how I controlled Mana, and I tried to do the same to Vitality.
That was a mistake, of course, since Mana is obviously different from Vitality. So obviously, it didn't work.
But I didn't give up. I kept trying. Again, and again, and again.
Of course, since it didn't work, I didn't just mindlessly try to do the same. Instead, I tweaked my method a little. A little here, a little there, and before I knew it,
[[Acquired skill [(Vitality Manipulation : Lv-1)].]]
I open my eyes as I felt satisfaction at having obtained three different skills in just minutes.
(Minutes? Hardly.)
Dia interrupted my thoughts.
(Look at the clock you dumbass.)
I blinked as I felt like she was getting more, how to say, expressive? Not that I disliked it, it was certainly better than at the very beginning, when she spoke like a programmed machine.
Hearing her words, I looked at the clock that was on top of the desk, and my eyes widened.
"12 and a half hours!?"
(Yup. That's how long you kept meditating. I was bored as hell you know~~)
"Why didn't you wake me up, then?"
(Duh, cause you decided to be a genius and messed with your vitality? That's another name for Life Force or HP, by the way. And if I disturbed you, and you screwed up, you would have instantly died. No explosions or fancy fireworks, all your HP would have bottomed out and bam! You're dead.)
I blinked.
"Somehow I get the feeling even if it was dangerous, what I did was pretty incredible?"
I felt like Dia just rolled her eyes at me.
(Of course it's incredible! You think it's easy manipulating life force? Hell, you should be happy you didn't mess up. Even if you're 'The Gamer', which lets you replenish your vitality and life force and HP in just minutes, messing around like that could have caused loads of problems.)
(But being able to manipulate Life Force is incredible too. Life Force is actually the most powerful form of energy, right beside Soul Power, and Mana, Ki, Chakra, etc… are all below it. If you get proficient enough with it, you can use a mix of HP and MP or HP and SP with skills and get incredible results. And if you completely replace MP or SP with just HP alone, the results will be unbelievable!)
I could only nod my head since I didn't even have many skills at the moment. Or at least, active skills as they are called anyway.
Though, I had to admit, looking at the world now, it looked so…
"Missing?"
I blinked.
"Why do I feel like something is missing?"
I wanted to say it looked beautiful, yet the word 'missing' instinctively came out of my mouth.
Why is that?
(Well, why don't you try and find out? It isn't as dangerous as Life Force, and it should be pretty easy too, since you have those two skills already.)
Nodding, I once again close my eyes and relax my body.
Then, I spread my senses, my perception of blue Mana and red Vitality, and felt around me as well as inside me.
I could 'see' an entire world of red and blue, and I could 'feel' the blue 'cold' and the red 'heat' flow all around me and inside me, and I felt like it was truly beautiful, yet I could also feel something missing.
A missing colour.
I tried to see within the gaps between the flows of red and blue, both within me and out in the atmosphere, I tried to manipulate the red and blue flows, and though I could barely influence them, it was something, and I tried to pull them together, push them away from one another, all trying to find the missing colour.
[[Acquired skill [(Physical Energy Perception : Lv-1)].]]
A vibrant orange.
It was what I saw. A vibrant orange, like the orange sun. Unlike the red 'heat' and the blue 'cold' it felt…different. An orange 'warmth'.
It was clearly related to Vitality, yet also different from it. And most importantly, I could see the orange 'flow' emerge from the red 'flow', as though it was being formed from Life Force.
[[Acquired skill [(Physical Energy Manipulation : Lv-1)].]]
I felt it easier to control, especially when I imitated the same feeling I would get when I controlled Vitality. And indeed, it was easier to control.
But at the same time, I still felt like something else was missing. Something other than Life Force, Mana, and Physical Energy.
Unfortunately, before I could ponder more on that, Dia interrupted me.
(I know what you're going to do, so I'm going to say this in advance, don't. That missing colour is the energy that's comparable to Life Force, the Soul. And messing with that, as you are now, is literally asking for death.)
"Ok?"
I blinked in confusion. I wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of the Soul, since, you know, general knowledge and common sense and all, but I also wouldn't say I was familiar with.
At most, I knew of the definition, along with a few examples. And that's it, really.
And it was the same for everything in my knowledge too, souls, bodies, magic, cars, busses, trains, flights, birds, bees, animals, buildings, oceans, sand, glass, you name it.
There's a reason the people in the city looked at me like I was some kind of country bumpkin after all.
Then again, I suppose I technically 'am' a country bumpkin. Or rather, a 'world bumpkin'?
Meh, whatever.
"Right, then, note to self, don't mess with Souls. Got it."
I stretched my body while looking at the clock, which showed that another four hours had passed by. As a Gamer, however, I felt neither hunger nor thirst, and meditating all that time actually made me feel fresh instead!
Looking at my Status, however, I felt my jaw drop.
"Woah!"
...
(Status)
White
Male 16 years old
Titles : [(The Gamer)] | [(The Fool)] | [(Quest Doer)]
Class : The Gamer Level : 1 (00.00%)
Job : Magician (Lv : 1/100)
HP : 130/130 (13 per min) // HP —> VIT*10 | HP R —> VIT*1 per min //
MP : 130/130 (13 per min) // MP —> INT*10 | MP R —> WIS*1 per min //
SP : 120/120 (12 per min) // SP —> END*10 | SP R —> END*1 per min //
...
Strength : 12 Intelligence : 13
Endurance : 12 Wisdom : 13
Vitality : 13 Perception : 12
Agility : 12 Dexterity : 12
Charm : 11 Luck : 11
Stat Points : 0
...
[(Gamers' Body : Lv-Max)]
[(Gamers' Mind : Lv-Max)]
[(Gamers' Surprise : Lv-Max)]
[(Language Comprehension : Lv-Max)]
[(Mana Manipulation : Lv-1 —> 13)]
[(Magic Shot : Lv-1)]
[(Magic Shield : Lv-1)]
[(Mana Perception : Lv-1 —> 16)] (New!)
[(Meditation : Lv-1 —> 29)] (New!)
[(Vitality Perception : Lv-1 —> 16)] (New!)
[(Vitality Manipulation : Lv-1 —> 8)] (New!)
[(Ki Perception : Lv-1 —> 9)] (New!)
[(Ki Manipulation : Lv-1 —> 4)] (New!)
...
"6 new skills…and 88 skill levels!?"
I was dumbfounded. After all, even if I didn't know how long Skills would take to level up, isn't this kind of progress a little too high?
(What, you though the 90% required EXP decrement only applied to your Class Level and Job Level? No wonder you have that title, you really are a fool.)
(Your Skills will also level up 10 times faster because of that title, so rejoice! You have officially stepped on the highway towards strength and power!)
I felt rather speechless, but then I shrugged.
"Meh, it's good for me if I grow faster, why would I complain?"
(Now that you're done, even though you took way longer than I thought you would, we can finally get to the reason I wanted you to choose the Magician Job.)
My ears perked up at that, even though Dia technically communicated directly to my mind.
(It's because of dungeons.)
I blinked.
"Dungeons?"
