Eagerly opening his PSA Screen and selecting the newly unlocked Kill Log tab, Alan saw he had four notifications.
*** KILL LOG ***
Remarkable! You defeated a Lvl 7 Juvenile Desert Flan! +512 Exp gained! Exp Bonus for killing a foe more than twice your level!
+512 bonus Exp.
Remarkable! You defeated a Lvl 7 Juvenile Desert Flan! 512 Exp gained! Exp Bonus for killing a foe more than twice your level!
+512 bonus Exp.
Remarkable! You defeated a Lvl 7 Juvenile Desert Flan! +512 Exp gained! Exp Bonus for killing a foe more than twice your level!
+512 bonus Exp.
Remarkable! You defeated a Lvl 8 Juvenile Desert Flan! +1024 Exp gained! Exp Bonus for killing a foe more than twice your level!
+1024 bonus Exp.
+5120 Total Exp gained!
Alan began to parse through the details in his Kill Log but before he was able to finish, several new alerts materialized at the edge of his vision.
Remarkable! You have reached level 1! + 10 free status points! Evolution to next Evolutionary Stage (F) is now available!
Remarkable! You have reached level 2! +12 free status points! Evolution to next Evolutionary Stage (F) is still available! You have 22 unallocated status points.
Remarkable! You have reached level 3! +14 free status points! Evolution to next Evolutionary Stage (F) is still available. You have 36 unallocated status points.
Remarkable! You have reached level 4! +16 free status points! Evolution to next Evolutionary Stage (F) is still available. You have 52 unallocated status points.
70 Exp to next Level!
So the Experience I received from the Level 8 Flan was double what I received from the Level 7's? Is that normal? If I find and kill a level 9 Desert Flan will I get double what the Level 8 gave me? It'd be nice to have some gods damned answers.
Not quite ready to deal with his pile of free Status Points, Alan instead removed his Basilisk fang dagger and a (Copper Grade) Lotus coin from inventory and looked them over for the first time, starting with the dagger.
The sleek handle was made of a faintly glowing wood a green so dark it almost appeared black. To which an ominous looking sixteen-inch long fang had been seamlessly attached. The slightly curved fang-blade was double-edged, and at first glance it was plain to see that both edges were liberally covered in a layer of savage, poison tipped serrations. If not for the cross-guard, he would've been afraid to hold it, let alone wield the thing in an actual fight.
The cross-guard comprised of two smaller fangs. Sanded smooth, they seemed to be fused together at the middle of the blades base, forming a crescent of bone that prevented Alan's hand from accidentally coming into contact with the obviously poisonous blade. Luckily, a jet black belt and sheath made specifically for the blade were also included, as there's no way he would've been able to make one himself. Especially not while stuck in a dungeon.
[Examine] immediately confirmed his suspicions of poison.
(Common) Basilisk Fang Dagger- A vicious blade crafted from the toxic fang of a Juvenile Basilisk +3 Strength +2 Vitality, Chance to inflict (Petrification) Debuff.
Pleased with the results of his examination, and completely satisfied with his new weapon, Alan inspected his Lotus coin.
(Copper Grade) Lotus coin- Universal System currency.
Alan held the Lotus coin between his thumb and pointer finger and looked it over. The first thing he noticed was how light it was. Though it was copper colored, and glinted in the light like a typical metallic coin should, it was virtually weightless. Both sides were marked with an incredibly detailed, lifelike Lotus flower. All eight petals were perfectly symmetrical, and Alan swore he could almost smell it.
He stored his currency and strapped his new knife belt around his waist. With his old Tutorial Dagger on his right side, and the Basilisk Fang on his left, Alan now had a blade on each hip.
Next, Alan removed his newfound Ring of Swiftness from storage, looked at it, and activated [Examine].
(Basic) Ring of swiftness- A simple silver ring engraved with a basic agility boosting rune. +2 Agility
Not yet finished with examining his new equipment Alan immediately equipped the Ring of swiftness on his right pointer finger, pulled one of his Shadow Shurikens from inventory and studied it closely. A jet black round metal weapon, it was formed of four small, curved, triangle shaped blades arranged in a circle around a small hole he assumed had to be for his finger. A quick [Examine] had unexpected results.
(Common) Shadow Shuriken (One time use) Defensive Treasure- When thrown, creates a large plume of grasping shadows upon impact. Shadow plume last for 1 minute. Shadow tendrils attach to any moving object within radius of shadow plume, hindering movement.
Ninja escape tools! Treasure chests! LOOT! This is awesome! It almost makes this chaotic sand trap of a dungeon worth exploring! I'm casting spells like some kind of crazy Wizard, gaining levels, and not only that but apparently I'm ready for EVOLUTION?!! What do Humans even Evolve into? Am I going to grow a tail?!
If I grow a tail, I'm chopping that shit right off. But an extra set of arms? That could be useful.. What if I sprout antennae, or weird compound bug-eyes? Maybe I'll Evolve into a dolphin and just flop around in the sand until I dry out..
Suddenly wary of his impending evolution, Alan opened his PSA Screen. And as always, it was just sitting there in his periphery waiting to be called on. The first thing he saw as his PSA expanded was a brand new tab, located at the very bottom of his slowly expanding list of tabs. This one was labeled Evolution.
Selecting his brand new tab prompted a notification to appear. The border of this notification was releasing steady pulses of yellow light, as if being placed in the center of his vision wouldn't Garner enough attention.
Your body is prepared for Evolution to the (F) Stage. Would you like to proceed now?
Yes / No
(Warning, may lead to temporary incapacitation and or unconsciousness)
Without a second thought Alan mentally pressed No as hard and fast as he was able. Obviously this wasn't an ideal place to find himself temporarily incapacitated. Or unconscious. He chose instead to allocate his free Status points. Opening up his Status tab, Alan marveled at all the changes that had taken place over the course of just a single afternoon.
Name: Alan Robbins
Race: Human(G) LVL 4 EXP 773/843
Class:
Cultivation core: (dormant)
Titles: Novice Mage, Dungeon Explorer, Above Your Weight Class,
***STATISTICS***
Hp: 405/405
Mp: 390/390
Stamina: 459/459
Hp Regeneration: 60 per minute
Mp Regeneration: 58.5 per minute
Stamina Regeneration: 75 per minute
Strength: 10 (12)
Constitution: 10 (20)
Vitality: 10 (11)
Endurance: 10
Perception: 10
Agility: 10
Dexterity: 10 (11)
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 13
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Resistance: 13
Willpower: 13
Luck: 20
Unallocated Status Points: 52
*** SKILLS***
(B)[Examine] Lvl 3
(C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] Lvl 1
(C)[Falling with character] Lvl 1
(B)[Walking] Lvl 1
(U)[Steady Hand of the Cartographer] Lvl 1
(B)[Dagger Utilization] Lvl 2
(C)[Throw Weapon] Lvl 2
(C)[How to Take a Punch] Lvl 1
(C)[Trap Detection] Lvl 1
*** SPELLS ***
(U)[Healing fog] Lvl 2
(B)[Water jet] lvl 1
(B)[Lightning strike] Lvl 2
(B)[Fireball] Lvl 2
(B)[Banish darkness] Lvl 1
(B)[Wind blade] Lvl 1
(B)[Stone skin] Lvl 1
***TECHNIQUES***
"Holy shit!" Alan exclaimed, "I've already gained six Skills, on top of the seven Spells I learned. I even managed to Level a few of them up and gained seven extra Status Points in the process!" Stunned at the extent to which his Status tab had already changed, Alan knew it was only the beginning. Even now, he still had fifty-two Status points to allocate.
Entirely unsure of where he should put his Status points, Alan decided to try his best to keep his Statistics as even as possible. Sure, he could probably put all of his points into Strength, and become capable of one-shot killing enemies, but did he really want to take a chance of becoming what his Uncle Alex liked to call a glass cannon? Surely not.
Without adding any additional points to his Health pool, a single hit from a powerful beast would most likely be the end of him, which would leave him in a literal rush to hit before he could be hit.
I could put all my points into Agility, and become so fast I can't be touched. But if something were to sneak attack me, would my currently pitiful Health pool even be enough to survive? I think it would be best to try to learn some of everything. I'm slowly getting the hang of my Spells, and gaining new Skills. The Hidden quest rewards mention a Technique Scroll. I wonder if that'll teach me Kung-fu, or some crazy alien fighting style? Either way, I'd like to be able to hold my own in all categories, rather than excel in only a single area. If I balance out my Stats and Abilities from the very beginning of my path, shouldn't that lay down a solid foundation to advance upon?
Mind made up, Alan applied 4 Points to each of his Stats, which left him with 4 free points remaining. Looking at his Luck Stat, Alan discerned that a bit more Luck would really help out, especially in the situation he'd found himself in.
Alan allocated the points before he had a chance to change his mind. He immediately sensed a warm glow building behind his eyes. The pleasant glow soon began to create irritating tendrils of energy that traveled through the base of his skull. Rapidly spreading down his spine, the uncomfortable sensation rushed down his arms and legs, releasing gentle pulses of energy throughout his extremities. The entire process took less than a second, but almost felt like it could've been an hour or more.
I might be imagining things, but I can almost FEEL the difference the Stat points made. It's almost imperceptible, but it's there. Maybe because I raised my stats by the same amount, and all at the same time, the all-around increase makes it less obvious? Like all my senses were able to stay in sync or something?
If I had put all my points into Strength or Agility instead, would the abrupt increase to a single attribute stand out, making my gains feel more noticeable?
The increase to his Stats left Alan feeling as if his mind and body were operating smoother than ever. It almost seemed like his reactions had grown to the point that his body would now be able to keep up with the speed of his thoughts. Alan opened up his newly updated Status tab and skimmed over the changes wrought by fifty-two Status points being allocated all at once.
Name: Alan Robbins
Race: Human(G) LVL 4 EXP 773/843
Class:
Cultivation core: (dormant)
Titles: Novice Mage, Dungeon Explorer, Above Your Weight Class,
***STATISTICS***
Hp: 525/525
Mp: 510/510
Stamina: 579/579
Hp Regeneration: 78 per minute
Mp Regeneration: 76.5 per minute
Stamina Regeneration: 93 per minute
Strength: 14 (16)
Constitution: 14 (24)
Vitality: 14 (15)
Endurance: 14
Perception: 14
Agility: 14
Dexterity: 14 (15)
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 17
Resistance: 17
Willpower: 17
Luck: 28
Unallocated Status Points: 0
*** SKILLS***
(B)[Examine] Lvl 3
(C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] Lvl 1
(C)[Falling with Character] Lvl 1
(B)[Walking] Lvl 1
(U)[Steady Hand of the Cartographer] Lvl 1
(B)[Dagger Utilization] Lvl 2
(C)[Throw Weapon] Lvl 2
(C)[How to Take a Punch] Lvl 1
(C)[Trap Detection] Lvl 1
*** SPELLS ***
(U)[Healing Fog] Lvl 2
(B)[Water Jet] lvl 1
(B)[Lightning Strike] Lvl 2
(B)[Fireball] Lvl 2
(B)[Banish Darkness] Lvl 1
(B)[Wind Blade] Lvl 1
(B)[Stone Skin] Lvl 1
***TECHNIQUES***
Four additional points all across-the-board had increased his Health, Stamina, and Mana pools by one hundred-twenty points each. "That's like twelve more [Fireball]s!" Alan cried out.
After a bit of calculating, Alan determined a single point to all stats simultaneously would increase his Health, Mana and Stamina pools by thirty points each. Unsure of the exact gains per point, Alan vowed that the next chance he had, he'd add a single point to each Stat one by one, and monitor the individual gains per point. But that was going to have to wait until he could locate a more secure location.
Planning to give himself a small amount of time to sit and decompress after the ups and downs the Tutorial had already thrust upon him, Alan returned to the now-sealed dungeon entrance. As he walked, he found himself thinking back on his recent battle. Using the knowledge of the dungeon and it's inhabitants he'd managed to gain so far, Alan worked to formulate a plan before moving forward.
First things first, Alan decided, I need to see if I can figure out how to cast two Spells at the same time. All of my Spells are single shot, or trap type Spells. Unfortunately I don't even know if double-casting or dual-casting or whatever is even possible. But it would seem I've got plenty of time with which to experiment. So far the Dungeon Monsters haven't even bothered to come looking for me. But now that I've revealed myself, that might change. I've still got plenty of food and water, and the next several corridors are cleared of Flans.
Lost in his brainstorm, Alan almost missed the unexpected notification that popped up on his PSA.
Remarkable! Due to your nearly constant intrapersonal communication and over-planning you have acquired the (Uncommon) Skill [Enhanced Cognition]!
(U)[Enhanced Cognition]- This passive Skill slightly accelerates your information gathering and processing speed. Rate of acceleration increases with Skill level.
So this skill does what exactly? Let's me THINK better?
Actually it may help me think FASTER... Regardless I'll probably figure it out when it begins Leveling.
Nearly oblivious of his surroundings passing by, Alan greedily absorbed his new Skill information. Suddenly finding he'd already arrived at the walled-off entrance room stairwell, Alan began gathering up the nearby sand, building up a large pile in the recessed corner.
Sitting on his makeshift sand throne, and leaning back against the grainy cushioning, Alan tried to cast [Fireball] and [Water Jet] simultaneously. As soon as the casting process began, the first thing he realized was without the additional assistance given by the System, he would be both physically and mentally incapable of splitting his focus evenly between both Spells.
Out of his control, a flood of Mana surged out of his body, far more than he was expecting. He attempted to wrestle his flooding Mana under control, but that quickly ended in a resounding failure.
It'd almost been as if he needed to perfectly split his concentration in half, dedicating each half to casting its own Spell. Perhaps it was due to a lack of Willpower, or Intelligence, but he instinctively felt he had a serious deficiency somewhere. Not to mention the resulting mental strain became so severe, Alan felt as if his brain were likely to split in two.
Alan grit his teeth and attempted to push through the pain as the spells started to form in front of his chest. However, his concentration proved insufficient to keep the developing Spells separated. Before he had time to correct his lack of focus, he accidentally allowed the softball sized [Fireball] to briefly come into contact with the twisting globe of his [Water Jet].
Abruptly touching, the Spells contaminated one another. Water causing flames to sputter and contract, while the flames forced the water to boil and expand. Direct, uncontrolled contact between opposing elements was all it took for the Mana empowered fire and water to detonate, erupting into a scalding shockwave of steam less than three feet from his face. In the midst of the chaos he received another random alert.
WARNING! [Fireball] and [Water Jet] Failed to merge.
Crying out in both shock and pain, Alan tried to hide his exposed face under his hands, but the worst of the damage had already been done. The scalding steam left his cheeks a mess of blistered skin and angry red sores. The contact between his hands and damaged skin popped several blisters. Tears of clear serum began flowing freely down his cheeks. Alan hardly noticed as several more alerts appeared, due to being completely distracted by the surging pain of his face melting.
WARNING! You have been afflicted with the (Burn) Debuff. -5 Hp per second for the duration of Debuff. Duration: 30 seconds.
Remarkable! Due to your unwavering dedication to finish a task once started, no matter the personal cost you have acquired the (Uncommon) Skill [Tenacious Concentration]!
(U][Tenacious Concentration] Lvl 1- Upon activation, this Skill greatly increases your depth of focus on the task at hand, even in the most perilous of situations. Depth of focus increases with Skill level.
Remarkable! Due to your seeming inability to avoid constant injury you have acquired the (Common) Skill [Pain Resistance]!
(C)[Pain Resistance] Lvl 1- This passive Skill provides the ability to resist minor amounts of physical pain.
Pain reduction increases with Skill level.
Remarkable! Due to the intense scalding of your flesh you have acquired the (Common) Skill [Heat Resistance]!
(C)[Heat Resistance] Lvl 1- This passive Skill provides a minor reduction to damage received from High temperature attacks and minor chance to resist (Burn) Debuffs, and/or shorten (Burn) Debuff times.
Reduction to pain, chances to resist (Burn) Debuffs, and/or reduce (Burn) debuff times increase with Skill level.