Discovery

I could smell food cooking. I took a quick glance out the window and the sun was on the horizon. I couldn't tell if it was dawn or dusk.

[Solution: The current time is 18:22.]

Ah, so the sun was setting then. It seemed Millie was preparing dinner in the other room while James was setting the table. I wondered why the father… 'What was his name again?'

[Solution: Jack Evergreen.]

I wondered why Jack wasn't here. Was he out working the fields or something?

[Solution: Jack Evergreen is currently doing patrol rounds along the Asmodian Woods' edge.]

Wait, I thought these people were farmers. Why was Jack doing patrols?

[Solution: Jack is not a farmer. He is a knight dispatched from the Royal Capital of Gransus. Every small town along the border of the kingdom has at least one knight stationed there.]

Things started to make sense. The reason James was so angsty and the reason he and his father were in the forest in the first place were one in the same: they were fighters not farmers. I wondered what level James and his dad were?

[Solution: James is level 22 and Jack is level 48. Jack is among the five strongest of the Gransus Kingdom.]

Whoa. 48 let someone become one of a Kingdom's top fighters? That was crazy. What would they even think if any of them heard about my level?

[Solution: Data not found.]

'So, I've been wondering RED, can you analyze anyone's level and skills in this world?'

[Solution: Yes. This guide can analyze anyone's levels and skills so long as they existed in this world before your arrival.]

Oh? So if Nox or one of his colleagues -assuming he had any- decided to send someone else over you won't be able to analyze them?

[Solution: That is correct, but it is highly unlikely. Lord Nox is the only of the Fae with the ability to transport souls across worlds. Transporting the user used almost all of Nox's power. It will be at least 100 years before Lord Nox recovers enough to potentially transport someone else.]

That was probably for the best. There were plenty of people whom -if they were put in my shoes- would probably try to conquer the world by force. Think of how easy it would be? I was almost certain I could wipe the entire Gransus Kingdom off the map in an hour… Assuming I figured out how to use mana.

'Oh, that reminded me. RED, you said that you can control my body if I ever lose consciousness. Could you control my body even if I was awake?'

[Solution: Yes.]

'Then, if you were controlling my body, could you use skills?'

[Solution: Yes.]

'That would be perfect. Could you assume control of my body and use my Expert Class Skill called Stat Increase? I think if you used my mana once for me I would be able to remember the feeling.'

[Solution: Yes. Beginning Manual Override.]

A strange feeling permeated through my body. It was like I was a puppet with my strings cut. I couldn't move anything, but I could still feel everything. It was both terrible and oddly exciting at the same time. Then, like a robot, my body began to move.

[Solution: Beginning mana circulation.]

There was a headrush. It felt like all the blood in my body was boiling. This sensation was both fantastic and awful at the same time. It was a strange duality of pleasure and pain. So this, this was mana.

[Solution: Activating Skill: Stat Increase.]

Power. The prickling boiling sensation in my body was moving and diffusing through my muscles. My body felt supercharged with strength. The skill 'Stat Increase' was rather straightforward in effect, but using it through a game screen and actually feeling your physical abilities magnifying were two very different things. A person could get addicted to this kind of thing.

'I think I understand how to use my mana. RED, give me control back.'

[Solution: Deactivating manual override.]

The strings were back. My body, no longer a marionnette for RED, was fully under my own control again. The feeling of power coursing through me had yet to subside. 'Stat Increase' typically lasted five minutes, so it would work for a bit longer.

I squeezed my hand and felt the power of mana move through each finger. I couldn't explain it in words, but once I understood how to use it, then the act of controlling my mana became almost second nature. I could feel raw power coursing through my veins.

On a whim, I decided to try forcing the mana in my arm out through my palm. The result was even better than I had expected. A burst of force shot out from my hand and hit the bed where I had aimed it, making a mess of the blankets and sheets. Then, a loud voice echoed in my mind.

[-New Skill Acquired-

Adept Class Skill: Mana Shot]

My jaw dropped. Acquiring skills back in the days of Saga Heroes Online was an incredible ordeal. Most players didn't even possess any. In order to get a skill in the game you needed to fulfill a spartan level of requirements. There's no way I could have possibly done all the setup necessary to acquire a new skill already!

[Solution: This is not a game. When the user discovers the way to utilize a new skill they will naturally become capable of using it.]

I almost wanted to cry. This was crazy. Not only was I near the max level, but I could acquire skills easily? I was crazy overpowered! I charged up another Mana Shot and fired it at a pile of dust on the floor, causing it to scatter across the room. I'd have laughed maniacally if my own voice didn't scare me so much. Still, it was strange that Mana Shot was an adept ranked skill. It felt so weak whenever I used it. It didn't even have the force to dent the wooden floors. I wondered if it was weak because I used so little mana?

On a whim I decided to try injecting a large amount of mana into my right hand before releasing it. I stopped myself from putting too much in, though. I thought to limit it to the equivalent of an Expert Class Skill's cost.

-Mana Shot-

I fired what should have been a simple mana shot. It was not a simple mana shot. If a mana shot was a .22 caliber round, than what I had just nonchalantly shot off was equivalent to a howitzer. I made a mistake. I made a huge mistake.

An incredible roaring explosion deafened me as everything began shaking. Wooden splinters and debris blasted past me. I could only stare slack jawed at the utter devastation that spread out in front of me.

[-New Skill Acquired-

Expert Class Skill: Mana Bomb]

Half the house was missing. It wasn't just destroyed, it was *gone*. The debris was launched so far away it looked like a tornado had carried it off.

"What the fuck happened?!" cried James as he rushed into what used to be the guest room of his house. His jaw physically dropped when he saw me standing with my palm outstretched, facing the large hole that was once a good portion of his home. My mind blanked.

"Uhh, I don't suppose you'll accept that a pack of Devil Hounds ran by and destroyed the house?" I asked.