In a forest of high rise pink trees, one could see a ruggedly dressed man tying a knife to the end of a make-shift spear. Despite his barbaric appearance, the man's body was free of wounds or cuts.
"Knocking me out wasn't cool, but the inhaler did its part, now it's up to me." The man, Delvin, said.
After Del woke from his slumber he was surprised by the strong effects the health inhaler had on him. Both the concussion and bleeding statuses were removed alongside Delvin feeling like he had just had a good night's rest, not a short 30-minute power nap.
Del's restored energy allowed him to re-focus and start analysing his situation properly, the first he thing did was consuming the blue inhaler which didn't have a half hour long rest period.
Its effects removed the Mana fever debuff which was described as an incapability of the mana channels to properly serve their function due to being suddenly exposed to different forms of mana repeatedly.
The blue inhaler didn't heal his Weakened Mana core debuff though, the one thing he needed to get rid of the most.
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Mana regen -75%
All skills -10% across every parameter.
-5 WIS
-5 INT
The foreign presence located in the nucleus of the Mana Core is dormant and unable to properly function as the engine of mana circulation.
---
Del realized that until Meri woke up he would probably be stuck with this horrific side-effect. Having lost almost all of his knowledge regarding mana and magic Delvin had no other options to try to mend this debuff, nor did he have the time required to experiment on finding a solution.
Looking to the bottom right of his vision, Delvin saw the precise time and location he was in; a courtesy of a quick 3-minute adjustment he made to his system interface.
[10:22 AM. 6th of September, 2056.]
"Only an hour and a half until the second wave of mana hits Earth." Del decided to start exploring the surroundings at 10:30.
The date and time were curved around a circular map providing him with easy access to vital data, this was the modification he made to the Map tab.
"It was smart putting them on the top left where they would be noticeable." Del praised himself on the various changes he had made to accommodate the system to his needs.
HP: 18/18
MP: 73/73
ST: 34/34
"Five health points and two Stamina per 1 VIT, five Stamina points and two health points per 1 END, five health points and two Stamina per 1 VIT, Five Stamina points and two health points per 1 END…" Delvin repeated in his head while remembering what his Inspect skill said when he observed the various new stats.
"Mana is easy, 5 per INT, one per Wissy…" He had even made a song out of learning the workings of the system.
"Strength breaks rocks and punches stronger."
"Low agility and I'll run for longer."
"Vitality is safety and thickness, say goodbye to sickness."
"Endurance is stamina and less rest, nor will I feel distressed when eating less."
"More perception and my senses will flow in every direction."
"Luck is a mystery, just look at history."
He repeated this cringey song multiple times, not even pausing when he examined his Skills tab which glorious to say the least.
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Passive: Neo(???), Half-Android Physique (E, Tier 0)
Active: Inspect (C, Tier 0)
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Auxiliary: Language Adaptation (R, Tier 0), Spear Mastery I (R, Tier 0)
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Active skills were the simplest ones to understand; for an active skill to trigger Del had to, well, actively execute it. The system's description gave an example calling a skill's name whilst adopting an optimal form and state of mind required for successful execution.
The system mentioned not all skill executions would be flawless and that one shouldn't hope to achieve a 100% completion rate on any skill above the "Rare" rating or stronger in strength than Tier 2 for the foreseeable future.
When it came to passive skills they were, well, passive. Being active at all times(unless the user wished otherwise) passive skills proved to be invaluable additions to anyone's repertoire, acting as strong bolsters to various system parameters.
Del's first passive skill "Neo" was an enigma; having the same name as one his mysterious Traits and being unable to be inspected served only to heighten its mystery.
"Aah, but the Android physique is loud and clear in its effects." Delvin thought as he stretched his muscles, slowly preparing to leave his pink grove.
< Half-Android Physique > (Epic, Tier 0)
Effect: Your body is more reflexive and flexible allowing your joints to bend at an angle of 270 degrees. All primary stats are more effective by a factor of 0.01%. Fatigue build-up -15%. Stamina regen +15%
Parts of your skeleton, organs and cardio vascular system have been modifyed and/or replaced by unknown cybernetic enhancements.
Level 1/3
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The system explained there were 6 skill rarities Del should concern himself with at his current power level and that each skill, regardless of their rarity or power, could be useful or helpful to the user.
The rarities of skills were as follows: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Master, Epic and Legendary. Delvin had half a mind to assume there were a few more tiers above legendary as he could still remember a destruction of a certain planet at the hands of a purple monstrosity whose spell's couldn't have only been of the Legendary rarity.
It was also mentioned that these rarities were mostly independent from their Order of Power which went from Tier 0 to MERI-knows how high, but Del would certainly rather have a Tier 0 Epic spell then a Tier 0 Common one.
To get a skill to a higher Tier, Delvin had to level them up by using, experimenting and adapting the skill. Once a skill reaches level 10, Delvin will be presented with a set of requirements which need to be met if he wants to raise the skill to the next Tier.
Ever since Del read that part of using a skill to level it up he was using Inspect non-stop, it had no cost after all.
His Spear Mastery skill was awarded for apparently knowing the "Way of the Spear in his past" and had a cost associated to it.
< Spear Mastery > (Rare, Tier 0)
Effect: Allows user to equip all spear-type weapons below Rare rarity. +10% damage while wielding any spear-type weapon.
Cost: Stamina
Techniques: Lunge, Slash, Thrust
You have known the 'Way of the Spear' in your past. Its enlightenment still resides deep within your flesh, waiting to be awakened
Level 1/10
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Auxiliary skills were complicated in that they were both passive and active skills. The spear mastery skill carried with it three techniques which were bona fide active skills, but the 10% damage increase was what Del liked the most, more damage meant he could slay enemies more easily.
The techniques all carried the same Stamina cost and cooldown; 10 Stamina points and 10 seconds respectively. Delvin could still use normal attacks to gash and strike at his opponents but the damage would be smaller than either Slash or Thrust.
Both techniques deal 10 damage of either Slashing or Thrusting damage respectively; Slashing damage being better for bigger foes and Thrusting damage for precise attacks.
Lunge dealt no damage but it allowed Del to lunge a short distance of 75 cm which could be crucial in a high-stakes fight.
The final skill, Language Adaptation was the cherry on top.
< Language Adaptation > (Rare, Tier 0)
Effect: Improves rate at which you learn and retain language-related knowledge. Allows for two languages to be learned passively. Awards one Knowledge Capsule(R)
Given to those who experience the first Awakening on a foreign planet. Improvise, adapt, overcome.
Level 1/5
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The knowledge capsule was located in Del's inventory and upon consuming it he felt a rush of information flooding his mind. Del's eyes widened as he began to see this new world in a completely different light.
The first thing he learned about from the capsule was the English language, its complex grammar and rich vocabulary. He felt as though he could now express himself to an Earthling properly.
During Del's brief stay on Earth he had been speaking in his mother tongue and the system's messages were written in his native alphabet which warranted further looking into but Delvin would find time for that at a later date.
As Del continued to explore the capsule's knowledge he gained a deeper understanding of humanity's culture. He learned about the world's greatest thinkers and artists, from Shakespeare to Van Gogh, and the impact they had on society.
He also gained insights into the major events that have shaped human history, from the rise and fall of empires to the advancements in technology and science
Learning about the Earth's complex and rich history left Delvin both perplexed and amazed. On the one hand, he marvelled at the incredible diversity of human cultures and the depth of their traditions, art, music, and cuisine.
At the same time, Delvin was struck by the conflicts and differences that exist between human cultures, leading to humans often identify themselves more strongly with their cultural groups than with their shared humanity.
This conflict reached its peak during 2029 in what the capsule called "World War Three". Del was shocked by the devastation left in the wake of the war; many destroyed countries and almost 1.5 billion lives lost.
"It seems differences in opinion lead to death and destruction in all manner of people." Delvin had faint memories of a brutal war occurring in his past.
The capsule's knowledge ended with various facts about a Terra Unum(One Earth) Government which ruled the planet even during the cataclysmic events leading up to the first awakening.
Delvin decided to ponder on Earth's history and traditions when he felt safe enough to do so. and proceeded to activate his Language Adaptation skill.
[Languages selected: Chinese, French]
[Time for languages to reach A1 level: 1 week]
This action cost Delvin 0.1 mana per minute which allowed him to observe his mana regeneration which was currently running at 2 mana regened per minute due to his weakened mana core.
As Delvin finalized his stretching exercises he put on his backpack, tied the rope around it and started moving forward into the unknown.