Learning More About The System

[Tasks Completed]

[Rewards: +50 EXP, (2) Attributes Points]

Mako was beyond happy to learn what the attribute points were for and what this could mean for the future.

He could complete daily tasks, continuously obtain more and more attribute points, and power up constantly as there would be no limit.

'Let's not get ahead of ourselves now, there is a lot more work to do, and see what else there is that I can do with this system.' Mako calmed himself down from the overwhelming happiness that he was experiencing.

'Open System Interface,' he commanded.

[User: Mako Grey]

[Health: 100/100] ⓘ (+1)

[Energy: 50/50] ⓘ (+1)

[EXP: 50/100] ⓘ

[Level 1] ⓘ

[Strength: 2] ⓘ (+1)

[Agility: 3] ⓘ (+1)

[Perception: Null] ⓘ (+1)

[Intelligence: 5] ⓘ (+1)

[Mentality: 2] ⓘ (+1)

[Stamina: 4] ⓘ (+1)

[Charisma: Locked] ⓘ

[Fortitude: Locked] ⓘ

[Attribute Points: 2] ⓘ

A plus one symbol appeared in front of all of Mako's attributes, indicating that these were the things that Mako could increase through his attribute points.

Mako wasn't exactly sure where the attribute points would be the most effective and how much a single increase in attribute points would actually improve Mako.

Thinking about it a bit more, Mako was already a good academic student and was at the top of his class, so there was no immediate need to put points into intelligence.

Besides that, Mako had no idea what the purpose of mental capacity was or what it did, so he decided that it wouldn't be worth it if he didn't know what to compare his changed self with.

After spending a few minutes contemplating what he should do with his newly acquired attribute points, he ended up just putting them both in the perception attribute. This was the only attribute that Mako didn't have any points in naturally, so he decided to at least unlock it while he made up a plan for how to spend these points most effectively.

"I need to find out more about how this system operates and how I can optimally use these attribute points..." Mako said to himself. "Luckily, I know just the guy."

After completing all the system tasks and working up a serious sweat, he definitely needed another shower. Once he was freshened up, he left home and made his way to Bird's Eye Street once again.

This was the street where Mako had been greeting the shopkeepers the day before, and now he was going to visit Big Bro Gary.

Gary was one of the shopkeepers on the street and had a significant elder brother-like relationship with Mako.

Mako would often visit his shop after school, and Gary would tell him the origins and stories of old games that used to be popular during the early 21st Century, which laid the foundation for more advanced and new games that became a massive sensation.

Although he was never interested in those old games, he still listened attentively, hoping to find something interesting and also learn some history.

Over time, Mako learned about many different types of games that were popular at the time, such as first- and third-person shooters, strategy, and racing games.

However, Gary would talk about the old MMORPG-style games the most. As per his description, these games allowed a character to level up, learn abilities, improve attributes, etc.

It sounded a lot like Mako's new system, and so he hoped Gary could explain a few things to him so that he could learn more about it.

A couple of minutes later, Mako was standing in front of a small shop with bold words written on the top of the entrance.

{Gary's Gaming Bar & Library}

Mako pushed open the door, triggering a small beep from the sensor that signaled a customer had entered the store.

A moment later, a figure emerged from the storage room behind the counter. His long brown hair was tied back into a ponytail, and he wore loose, oversized clothes that hung off him in a relaxed fit. His build was a bit on the chubby side, but far from out of shape.

"Mako! What brings you in today?!" Gary called out, stepping around the counter with a grin. He held out a fist, and Mako bumped it without hesitation.

"Big bro Gary, I wanted to ask about an old game one of my friends told me about," Mako said as he made his way to one of the worn-out sofas near the counter and plopped down onto it.

Gary raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Hmm, I didn't know you had friends?" he teased.

*Ouch!*

"Umm... well, technically, he isn't my friend, but that doesn't matter. Will you help me?" Mako said in a shy tone, trying to quickly move from the fact that he got absolutely roasted in the first 10 seconds of entering.

"You know I can't resist talking about old games. Fire away! Ask what you want," Gary said enthusiastically.

Mako decided not to tell Gary about the system, as it was an important and unique task entrusted to him. If even one person made a slip-up and spilled Mako's secret, he would become a target, and right now, he was nowhere strong enough to deal with an issue like that.

So, Mako disguised the system as an MMORPG game that he had heard about from a "friend".

"Well, I don't quite remember the name, but it was one of those MMORPG-style games that you have told me about. It had a few things that I quite didn't understand like new attributes such as Perception, Mentality, Charisma, etc."

"Wow! Where did your 'friend' hear about this?" Gary asked, still teasing.

Mako shot Gary a look he had given him a million times before—the unmistakable "Can you just get on with it?"

Gary chuckled, dropping the joke for now. "Alright, alright," he said. "So, Perception was an attribute that let players sense danger before it actually hit them, kind of like those fancy action movies where the hero dodges a bullet or an arrow without even knowing it was aimed at them."

Mako nodded, his expression shifting to one of understanding as Gary continued.

"But it wasn't just about developing a sixth sense for detecting danger. Perception also enhanced the five basic senses, helping the main character in different ways. For example, in one of those old games, there was a feature where the protagonist could transform into a werewolf. He had to train his sense of smell to track enemy trails and find hidden treasures."

Gary leaned back slightly, slipping into his usual storyteller mode. "Now, Mentality was a special attribute that helped players defend against mind and sound-based attacks. I remember this one insanely popular game from the late 21st century where one of the toughest bosses would constantly daze players and throw them into illusions, making it nearly impossible to land a hit. Mentality boosted pain tolerance, increased the number of skills a player could learn, and gave them resistance against those kinds of mental and sensory attacks"

Mako listened intently, absorbing the importance of the attributes he had barely considered before.

"And then there was… heh Charisma," Gary said with a smirk, letting out a small chuckle. "That one was mostly for roping in simps. It boosted the player's beauty comprehension and speech skills, and it was great for flirting with NPCs and bargaining in trade."

Mako sat back, deep in thought. He had completely underestimated how valuable these other attributes were. Now, he realized he needed to invest in all of them if he wanted to grow stronger and avoid any major weaknesses.

"Big Bro, in your opinion, what's the best way to upgrade a character in an MMORPG? And what if there are some locked attributes?" Mako asked, leaning forward slightly.

Gary rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. "Well, that kinda depends on the player's style, y'know? But if you ask me, I'd say a balanced build is the way to go, keeping all your stats at a reasonable level instead of overloading one and leaving the others weak." He shrugged. "As for unlocking attributes, most games have it set up so that certain quests or reaching a specific level will unlock them automatically."

*DING!*

The notification chime echoed in Mako's head, jolting him a bit. He was stilln't used to a literal system embedded in his brain.

[Hidden Quest Complete]

Gary narrowed his eyes slightly, watching Mako's expression shift. "Huh… You've never been this interested in the old games I talk about. What's up?" He said as he casually threw on his apron, but his curiosity was clear.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Mako replied, half-distracted and still processing the notification.

"I mean, you usually just nod along when I go on my game rants, but now you're actually paying attention. Feels kinda suspicious," Gary teased.

Mako quickly shook his head. "Nah, Big Bro, it's not like that. Some guys at school were talking about old games, and I figured I'd look into it a bit more." He kept his tone casual, doing his best to mask the excitement bubbling underneath the surface.

Gary squinted at him, clearly not buying it.

Mako needed a distraction, and fast!

"Hey, Big Bro! Don't forget the bet from last time. I beat you at that fighter game, which means I get a triple deluxe burger for free!" Mako said with a smug grin.

Gary groaned, dramatically rolling his eyes. He opened his mouth, probably to try and weasel his way out of it, but after a second of silence, he sighed in defeat. "Ugh, fine! You got lucky last time, though!" he grumbled as he headed toward the grill.

Mako smirked. 'Worked like a charm.'

The moment Gary was busy with the food, Mako pulled up his system notifications again, eager to confirm what he had just seen.

[Hidden Quest complete]

[Find out more about the system.]

[Rewards: +200EXP, +2 Attribute points, New Skill Set Learned]

[User has Leveled Up!]

[Reward: +3 Attribute Points]

[Current Level: Lvl 2]

Mako was happy with the rewards he was given, but what he was most ecstatic about was that he had apparently learned a new skill set. He immediately opened his skills tab to find out what skill he had learned.

[Skills] ⓘ

[Basic Skills] ⓘ (NONE)

[Power Skills] ⓘ (NONE)

[Unique Skills] ⓘ (3) (NEW!)

[Absolute Skills] ⓘ (NONE)

He directed his thoughts toward the unique skills that expanded and displayed all the unique skills he had learned.

(NEW) [Basic Phantom Skill Set]

- [(F-Tier) Phantom Punch] ⓘ (LEVEL 1)

- [(F-Tier) Phantom Shift] ⓘ (LEVEL 1)

- [(F-Tier) Phantom Kick] ⓘ (LEVEL 1)

"Woah, I learned three new moves just from learning more about the system!? That's so cool," Mako voiced out in a slightly low tone.

"What was that, Mako?" Gary asked from across the counter.

"UHHH...! Nothing, Big bro, just looking at the details of my rewards!" Mako replied as he picked up the menu to read about the details of his triple deluxe burger.

'Well, I am literally reading the details of my "other" rewards.' Mako thought as he had a small smirk on his face, which was covered by the menu.

**************************

Author's Note: Hey guys! Universal Power System is one of my favorite projects, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. This is my very first work, so expect some amateur writing and a few slips. However, I always try to learn and correct myself so I can create a more coherent narrative. I hope you guys enjoy it. Don't forget to check out my other works!

Come say hi to me on Discord: https://discord.gg/TvjkrdnbE2