Head start (II): Status

"Huh, so I guess we didn't die…" I look at Frey, and she's beaming with joy. "Are you that happy that we didn't die?" Frey smirks. "You said you loved me~" I blush and look away as another panel appears.

[Head start players, batch #1, 300/300]

[Head start round 1 in server UR4NID18 will commence in 60 seconds.]

[If you wish to group up, now is your chance.]

"Huh? Groups?" I turn to Frey, and she gives me a knowing look, and I sigh. "Hey, do you think we know anyone else here?" I look at Frey. "That's one of the smartest things you said today." "Fuck you." "You tried to~" She blushed, but I ignored her as I pulled out my phone and called the number Geomi gave me; surprisingly, she answered.

"Hey, Geomi, are you also in that weird crystal cave thing?"

"Yes, are you?"

"…"

"Right, dumb question"

"What server did it say you were in?"

"You're an idiot."

"What?"

"UR4NID18"

"Oh…"

"I'm assuming you want to team up?"

"Yes, we're under a giant, I wanna say, opal."

"Oh, I'm near there. Be right there."

I hang up, and we begin to wait. "Hey, Ms. Fluffy~" I turn towards the voice and see a girl with long butt-length salmon pink hair that gradients to her strawberry blonde roots; it's tied off just above her waist with a ribbon. She has seafoam green eyes and a pair of round glasses similar to mine. She's just a bit taller than me; she looks about my age, maybe a little younger.

"Wow, Geomi, you're pretty cute," Frey said while staring at our new friend. For some reason, her stare made me a little jealous. "Hey Geomi, as you already know, I'm Rika, and the girl who's staring at you is my friend Frey." "What? I'm not out of the friend zone yet." "No, you're not. You might be if you didn't stare at other girls like a hungry dog." "It's not my fault. She's cute, and she looked like a younger pastel version of you." "What does that even mean?"

Geomi sat there and watched as me and Frey went back and forth. Before we knew it, the timer completed.

[The time limit is up.]

[Parties must make physical contact with the party leader before transportation.]

[Transportation in 30 seconds]

"Huh? Party leader?" Both the girls looked at me and touched my shoulders. Before I could react, we were already transported.

.

.

.

I look around, and all I see is another cave full of crystals, but this time there are only two other people.

[You have entered Tutorial Level 1. There are 100 levels; try to get as high as possible.]

[Say keyword:???? to open status]

"There's only one obvious answer. Status" The panel in front of me changed.

[Name: [Rika Nagayoshi]

[Race: [TBD]

[Lvl: [1/5]

[Xp: [0/5]

[Hp: [100/100]

[Mp: [100/100 [locked]

[Str: [15]

[End: [15]

[Dex: [20]

[Wis: [20]

[Ins: [18]

[Luc: [30]

[Titles: [Fast learner], [Jack of all trades], [Split [Lvl:1 [locked], [Lucky lineage [Lvl:1], [Sadist [Lvl:1], [Spounge [Lvl:1], [Adaptible [Lvl:1]

Racal skills:

[TBD]

Innate skills:

[Stealth [Lvl: 1]

[9th sense [Lvl: 1 [partial lock]

[Mind's castle [Lvl: 1 [partial lock]

[Evasion techniques [Lvl:1]

Normal skills:

[Basic Martial arts [Lvl:1]

[Acrobaics [Lvl: 1]

[Perfect affinity [Lvl:1]

[Information labeled TBD will be unlocked at level 5 after a job change. And locked skills and stats will unlock after the body is used to mana or can handle it.]

I smiled since the only question I had was answered before I could ask it. I decided to read what each stat and skill does:

[Str]: Builds health, attack damage, and defense.

[End]: Builds defense, health, and resistance.

[Dex]: Increases attack and movement speed, flexibility, dodge rate, technique, and crit rate.

[Wis]: Enhances [Mp] recharge rate, damage, amount, learning ability, and resistance to magic and other energies.

[Ins]: Boosts the senses, especially the 9th; enhances the ability to see traps and hidden things; improves comprehension ability; and reveals weak points. Similar to dexterity, it is also a jack of all trades useful in and outside of battle.

[Luc]: Self-explanatory—it's luck. It makes me lucky in everything I do.

Titles:

[Fast Learner: "You got this title because you're really smart—well, not exactly. But you're so good at fixing your mistakes, it looks like you are." You learn all skills faster on your own, and with help, the speed is doubled.]

[Jack of all trades: "You have overwhelming talent, but you don't ever focus it on one subject. Your skills are spread across a variety of areas, making you versatile but not necessarily a master in any one. At least not yet." This skill allows you to learn skills from every classification, whether they be physical, magical, spiritual, etc. Be warned, not all skills are compatible with each other or with you.]

There are growth titles that function as both skills and titles, often superior to regular titles:

[Split: "You turned into 'Scary Rika' so much that you got a title for it. Now you're just like that spider." It allows you to split your consciousness into different personalities to help you. You always remain in control of the other personalities and body unless you let one pilot you. They're all you, just with one dominant trait or emotion of yours. You can create one new consciousness at each level. "Oh, maybe you're more like that caterpillar?"]

[Lucky lineage: "Your last name means good luck and eternity." You've inherited the luck of your ancestors, and with each level, it grows.]

"How the fuck did I get this title?!" Frey, who was busy looking at her status, turned to me. "What title? Did you also get masochist?" I was dumbfounded. "What? No. I got sadist." Geomi looked at me and smiled. "You too?" "What?!"

[Sadist: "Well, aren't you kinky, you little rascal." You'll feel fine causing harm to others; in fact, you'll heal from it. You'll gain more benefits with each skill level.]

[Adaptable: "You're very good at adapting to situations and environments. No wonder no one hated you during your school days." You instinctively adapt to all situations and environments, making you great in battle and even greater in strategic meetings. This skill helps you build physical resistance faster. All aspects are strengthened with each level, allowing you to adapt faster.]

[Sponge: "You've learned how to perfectly read the room and be empathetic. You've gotten so good that you can feel energies and adapt to them." This skill lets you sense and adapt to supernatural energies (mana, ki, holy power, etc.), increasing your mana recovery rate by absorbing ambient energy. Harmful energies may affect you initially, but extended contact builds resistance. You have great control over your energy, sensing fluctuations and making magical sneak attacks easier to dodge. All aspects, including magic resistance, increase with each level.]

Innate skills:

[Stealth: "People talk about that one quiet kid who kinda appears out of nowhere. That was you." You can effectively hide your presence. Most people won't notice you unless you do something to make yourself known.]

[9th sense: "You possess a keen intuition that often manifests as deja vu or instinctual feelings." This innate sense allows you to occasionally foresee events or perceive hidden dangers, albeit in a vague and fragmented manner, either in glimpses or gut feelings. While not as potent as true clairvoyance, it grants you an edge in anticipating and reacting to unforeseen circumstances.]

[Mind's castle: "Your mental strength is unprecedentedly high. So high that you're one of the few mortals who possess this skill; the rest have already ascended to divine seats. I don't even know how you achieved this, but good job." The mental defense skill is a powerful castle within the mind, controlled by denizens embodying core emotions like pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, lust, joy, love, sadness, fear, trust, shame, and compassion, who protect and maintain its stability.]

[Evasion Techniques]: "You've mastered the art of avoiding things, mainly people. I guess being a loner in school paid off." With lightning-quick reflexes and a keen sense of awareness, you excel at dodging attacks and slipping through tight spots unscathed. Whether it's a swing of a sword or a barrage of spells, you always seem to find a way to evade danger. Your movements are graceful and fluid like a dancer gracefully dodging through a battlefield.]

Normal skills:

[Basic martial arts: the most basic form of combat. Has a lot of room for growth.]

[Acrobatics: Your body is extremely flexible due to your high dexterity. You can perform inhuman movements and feats.]

[Perfect affinity: You have a high affinity with the elements and energies of the world. Contrary to the name, your affinity isn't perfect; there are still some special energies and elements that are hard to gain affinity with. Examples are time, space, and gravity. This skill can help your chances of grasping these types of affinities.]

(In the future I won't have big blocks of description like this unless the skill is important or entertaining. All the not-as-important skill descriptions will be in the paragraph comments in the "Rika's status" auxiliary chapter. Oh, there's a "Rika's status" auxiliary chapter now. In the future I'll make one for the other characters)