CHAPTER TWENTY ONE -21- PARTIAL HEALER

Ding. For next four hours, stats would be +2 intelligence,+5 strength,+1 agility.

Nia really wanted to go into monster maps to use extra increase in her base stats, but before that, she had few pit stops to make.

She finally decided her class, after long discussion with her adviser. She knew her good points and bad points. This was not a classical game where APM(actions per minute) or micro management would decide if a player is bad, passable, good, elite or more. JIN HO was first of its kind, totted as only one of its kind VR game. Her muscle memory, her mental reaction speed- these would be considered important.

JIN HO could be played in multiple ways as it was catering to multiple sets of people through out the spectrum.

So for beginners, there was automatic option. Pull in the skills tab where all the active skills would be in color and skills on cooldown would be greyed out. Arrange the skill tab to your preference- in the sides or above or below- however you prefer. You could play with placing the tab for few hours if you have mind for it. Decide activating protocol- mind call, voice activation, manual touch or any combos you prefer. And you are done. See the target and activate the skill. Skill will auto-lock and move in fixed direction. No micromanagement, no worries. But, as it moves in fixed path, it con be dodged. Moreover, the damage calculated will be low to average. The chances of critical hit would be reduced.

By the description, it can be seen this method is literally spoon feeding. But beta tests had shown that for an average player who would play the game for 2-4 hours a day to relax and enjoy the atmosphere, this much of effect is more than adequate. Unless these players turned daring and started facing monsters/animals of their own levels or higher levels, they would not necessarily die every time.

In the other extreme, was manual control. You decide the activation protocol and you use the weapons and skills the way you want. Here damage depends on amount of strength player used while using the skills. [ Commonest example given is swordsman parrying or releasing blade aura-a skill. Based on effort you put, you can just parry or you can fling the opposing person's sword away from you. The blade aura could be concentrated on a single person or it can spread to a group-its default option.] Activating methods would include previous ones and using the new signals, gestures or symbols the player pre-makes. Player could even create a new skill. The AI in the game would evaluate its potential.

This method is for cream of cream layer. For legends or legends-in-making. Or for those who actually use the skills in real life. For example, a real life wrestler, a real life swordsman, a real life assassin. It may seem the mages and others who use magic can't use this option, but it is not so. Even the magic making people could use manual mode but their way of increasing damage was different than physical damage type.

There was an in-between option too. The so-called semi-automatic mode. You decide activating methods. You choose the skills like in automatic mode but you use your own strength to release the skills in whichever way you want as in manual mode.

Nia had to use manual mode on first day of gaming as she did not have any skills in her skills tab. She had not met any mentor to learn or receive the skills. So the first order of business was to choose a class and learn the skills.

Nia being a multitask-er, started doing extra good work on her way to reach her mentor who resided near end of the village. Extra points, bonuses only came when she did something good without a quest. [Fairy Reena's blessing gave lots of goodies to Nia till now, including the profession of cooking.]

Her mentor was a aged person. [Now that I think o it, most of her interaction is with old NPCs. Hmmm.....I wonder why?] An old croony to be exact. Her back was permanently bent. She needed round the clock care.

Lady Heldi was her name. Once upon a time, she was world famous. She made many friends and many enemies. Many people still owed her favor. Yet, when she decided to retire from people's eyes, she chose an unassuming village of Daka. The reason was not known, at least to those she had talked with. Perhaps, they would not spill the details even if they knew.

Lady Heidi's home was next best home in the village, second only to Chief's home. But the interiors were nothing less than those places in the cities or prosperous towns. It was tastefully done that it did not seem jarring in the village setup.

Today, Nia had come here with breakfast made for lady Heidi, so that she had a way to meet her. The security at her place was very tight. While she was waiting in the hall, Nia noticed the symbol hidden beneath the screens over the wall. She blinked, wondering if her eyes were playing fool.

But no, the symbol did not change. It seemed faded but she could see it completely. Strange portion was that the symbol was only half. Yes, just half. A whole circle, but only half filled with symbol of healer.

She was thinking - was there any story behind it, did someone die while painting this symbol, thus left it incomplete. It was normal behavior, after all. She heard the answer to the unvoiced question.

"It is symbol of partial healer."