The text came back after focusing on the blinking light. Instead of freaking out Xane started to slightly meditate as he started to read. He did so when he was nervous or pressured to calm himself down.
Error! Incompatible system detected.
Fixing…please wait.
Error! Finding new solution…
Fixing…please wait.
Finalizing…please wait. Time remaining: 1 minutes 12 seconds
What did it mean by system? What was it finalizing? Should I stop it? Can I stop it? OH GOD it is getting real close to finishing. STOP “Uhm stop? ABORT. CANCEL.”
Time remaining: 12 seconds
This may hurt.
One of the last things he thought before passing out due to his entire body feeling as if it was warring with itself was simple. Huh, the text is slightly different.
Xane awoke some time later. He didn’t know how long but he felt different. As in he didn't feel anything he couldn’t even move. He couldn’t open his eyes. But he did still see a very annoying and persistent thing. The blinking that caused this mess.
Having nothing else to do he refocused onto the blink and the words came back. However the words were different from before. No countdown of doom or errors. What he saw looked very much like a computer. There were multiple icons he could choose from with a transparent background of a green hill. Xane didn't very much like the background and with a stray thought it changed to a ship crashing through waves.
With a mental click on Status a new window opened as transparent as everything else.
Character sheet:
Name: Xane Quin
Race: Human (Male)
Level: 1
Stats:
Health Points: 100/100
Stamina: 120/120
Mana: 160/160
Attributes:
Strength: 11
Constitution: 10
Dexterity: 12
Agility: 12
Endurance: 12
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 10
Luck: 13
Abilities:
Perfect memory(Exotic):
You remember everything. Gives a permanent plus 5 to intelligence. Every 5 points in intelligence, above 10, will gain you 1 additional point. Learn skills 15% faster.
Cultivate(Unique)
Your unique body allows you to pull ambient mana from your surrounding condensing into experience.
Xane couldn't believe his eyes. Could the world really be put into numerical order? Just numbers on a page. Xane got an odd sense that so many others before him thought the same exact thing and probably just accepted it. So he did as well.
Xane always did have an insane memory and to see that too just sitting there was odd. He didn’t know how important intelligence was but having more had to be a good thing. Same with skills. Whatever that was.
A memory came back to him. He was sitting with his best friend Barnsley after a few years of badgering he finally got Xane and Sierra to play what Barnsley called a oneshot of D&D. It was scheduled for when Sierra got back from her trip. A pang slashed through Xane’s mind with a thought of Sierra. Xane just shook his head.
The main bit of detail was the fact that in the game of D&D was stats similar to what he was seeing. Xane only made a basic character with Barnsley but remembered what each was in it. Strength determined carry limit and how hard one could hit. Constitution determined how many hit points you had. Dexterity was things like sleight of hand, and alertness. Agility wasn’t one of them but assumed it had to be the other side of dexterity, perhaps speed instead of fine motor movements? Endurance was similar to agility in the fact that he had no idea what it meant. Intelligence was for mage types with spell power and ones…well intellect. Wisdom was for spiritual types and for intuition. Charisma was simple, you were more charming. Luck he guessed was self explanatory as well.
Even with knowledge from a game he truly didn’t know how accurate it would be since the game used dice and luck rolls. He tried thinking Roll a d20 thinking maybe something would happen. And nothing. He didn’t really expect it but was also happy that he wouldn’t need to roll to hit. At least he hadn’t tried hitting something yet.
Pushing that out of his mind he looked at the last bit of information on the list. Cultivate? Xane knew the context was either tilling land or working on a skill. But what was mana? There were too many questions and not enough answers. And no matter how many furious mental clicks he did no knew information was forthright.
With nothing in skills and no answer to what it was he moved on. He needed to try and find Von. And sitting around looking at things he didn’t understand wouldn’t help. Xanes body felt normal again. Getting off of the chair of the small dining table Xane walked to the door. He wished at this moment that the window looking out was bigger. Xane had no idea where the giant crab was.
Slowly he opened the door and looked about. What he did know was that the monster had jumped down and shouldn’t be waiting to chop him in half. That didn’t mean though it wasn’t ready to jump him as he left. Taking tentative steps out he slowly crouched his way up to the port side and looked around.
There it was. Well a mound was now in the sand. Xane believed that the- Xane was scared shitless by a cheer he heard. And then the light at the top right started blinking again. He almost shouted at the noise and was barely able to hold back. He didn’t want the crab to be on him again. Xane walked back to the door and looked at his screen again.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
There was a clear difference. He had a skill. It was called sneak.
Congratulations, you have learned a new skill!
Sneak(Common): Novice Rank 1
Gives you the ability to hide from others' sight. Attacks from hidden positions slightly increase damage. This skill is slightly affected by dexterity.
+1% less likely to be noticed per rank.
+1% damage while in Sneak per rank.
Did he get it from his rather short crouching session? It seemed useful as he didn’t want to be seen, but the fact that it told him about getting it whilst trying to be sneaky was kinda the opposite of what the skill was supposed to do. This gave him an idea. If thoughts brought up the screen and mental clicks navigated it…success? He thought about not getting notifications when there was a perceived danger and a quiet ding was heard. Hopefully that fixed the problem before it became one.
Trying again he started out. Weirdly he felt every so marginally better. It could also be his imagination but it felt like he put his foot down quieter.
Getting back to the edge he peered down to see that the crab was still there. He didn’t know if the thing was sleeping or hiding. If it was hiding then it was terrible at it. Then again he was fooled the first time. Perhaps knowing the creature was there helped.
He was staring at it so long he almost didn’t notice that the light started blinking again. Seeing no need to go all the way back he stopped looking over the edge and again checked the screen.
Congratulations, you have learned a new skill!
Inspect(common): Novice Rank 1
By looking at an object or creature for 5 seconds you will gain basic details of the object or creature.
More information given after rank ups.
King Crab:
Level: Unknown
Stats: Unknown
Basic Information: King Crabs are the terrors of beaches. All beach goers watch out for odd hills on the sands fearing a King Crab. Their giant claws are said to be able to snap an iron blade in twain. Territorial creatures, they kill all others, especially their own kind. Whilst slow, unlike normal crabs King Crabs have evolved to have an extra pair of legs that allow them more easily walk in a forward movement.
Thanks? Xane thought dryly. He now knew the giant crab was indeed a crab. And nothing else. Perhaps he needed a higher rank in the skill to see more. But really all that information given he could have guessed whilst running for his life.
After reading it he kinda hoped that it would have some sort of weakness. Then again what wouldn’t die to a few rounds to the head. He had plenty of ammo. This thing was in his way of finding Von. He didn’t like the idea of killing something. He didn’t even like killing spiders, preferring to toss them outside if able. However this was unnatural and also tried to kill him.
His new skill said he would do more damage while in stealth. He didn’t know what that meant but assumed he should do as it said. And he was already in stealth so it wouldn’t hurt. Xane slowly pulled out his colt and pointed. Xane was a crustacean expert but he did know basics. Crab shells were tough, their dorsal brain was right above the mouth- And there lay the problem he couldn’t see where the front of the thing was.
There was sand covering the entire thing; it just looked like a sand mound with a smooth shell peeking out. There was no indication of where the front or back was. Taking a breath Xane pointed down at the crab. Might as well just hit the middle. Xane again didn’t know the specifics of crabs and just hoped that a bullet slamming into the internals of anything would be able to kill it.
Bang! Xane’s first shot rang out and the round raced towards the shell. Small amount of sand stirred. And to Xane’s bewilderment he saw the bullet ricochet off the shell. Only reason he knew this was the case was that as the crab started to get up he saw no hole. Just a blackened spot on the red shell. It was a that moment Xane knew he fucked up.
The King Crab rose to its full height. Both stalks looked towards him. If the thing could smile it would have.
Xane aimed towards an eye. The stalks were almost as big as his head. Taking aim he fired. And wiffed. The bullet whizzed past tossing sand in the air. The crab wasn’t just going to let the small creature just shoot at it however. With a spurt of motion a claw slammed into the haul throwing Xane forward. He almost fell off the side barely hanging on.
He did however pull the trigger on accident. The shot miraculously rammed into a joint on one of the legs bending it at an odd angle. The crab screamed. Xane however did not notice this as he pulled himself back fully onto his feet. He aimed again. Adrenaline pumping the 4th shot rang out. With better aim he managed to hit one of the eyes.
The eyeball bursted like a balloon filled with jelly. Brackish liquid flew about some small specs hitting Xane. He didn’t notice or didn’t care as the 5th shot reverberated through the air. This one aimed for where Xane assumed the brain was. It cracked the shell as it was a direct hit. The crab no longer wanting to tangle with Xane tried to turn away. Before it could, the 6th and final round destroyed the shell that protected the crustaceans insides.
To Xane’s astonishment the king crab only stumbled a bit as it turned and started to limp away. Xane quickly started reloading. Xane’s adrenaline was too high to reasonably think. He only managed to get 3 in before he fumbled and dropped the box on the deck. Praying that it was enough he pushed the cylinder in place and a staccato of bullets rang out.
The crab tried to protect its remaining eye. The eye was pointed forward and a claw was protecting it like a shield. The claw was big enough to do it. However with luck or divine intervention 1 of the 3 rounds went through the small hole made by the claws not being able to clamp fully together. The second sludge filled balloon popped. Not being able to see at all and with massive internal and external bleeding the creature crashed around and finally came to rest 30 seconds after the final shot.
Xane breathed heavily, panting not from exertion but mental fatigue. Xane was about to start picking up the bullets as a louder and more vibrant cheer applauded. He felt a wave of vitality and strength course through him. He felt like he could run a mile. Until it faded leaving him feeling slightly better than before. Xane looked and indeed there was a blink.
You have killed King Crab level 21 experience rewarded.
Congratulations! After trials and tribulations you have gained 5 levels. You are now level 5.
You have gained a level, as a human you gain 6 attribute points per level.
Congratulations you have reached your first milestone. Not many ever reach milestones and many die trying. You are now level 5
Milestones come with small bonuses. As a human you gain 8 attribute points instead of the usual 6 on a milestone.
Congratulations you have gained a new skill
Gunmanship(Unique): Novice rank 1
Wielding small arms to anti material rifles you gain bonuses to using one.
This skill is slightly affected by both dexterity and intelligence.
+2% damage with firearms per rank.
+2% accuracy with firearms per rank.
+2% reload speed with firearms per rank.
Congratulations! You have gained a new Feat.
Small hunter: Defeat a creature 10 levels higher than you
2 points to all stats
Big hunter: Defeat a creature 20 levels higher than you
4 points to all stats
Skill maker: Make a new skill. This is a rare accomplishment in Averinth after eons of time many skills have been made and over time new ones are becoming harder and harder to find. But you have and Averinth sees your accomplishment.
25 points to all stats
10% to all stats
25% faster skill learning speed
Averinth looks upon you
Looked upon: You have been looked upon by Averinth itself. Not many gain the eye of Averinth itself for it hasn’t meddled in minor affairs since he created the systemlings.
Xane didn’t know if level 21 was high but if it took 6 bullets, excluding his missed ones, to kill. He assumed that being level 21 must mean something. Even after taking out both eyes and most likely destroying its insides the thing still tried to escape.
Xane was now level 5, yet again he didn’t know what that truly meant but truly he didn’t care at the moment for there was the last part of the wall of text that he did care about. What did ‘looked upon’ mean, who was Averinth. The previous feat stated it like Averinth was a place but how could a place look at him? He felt a presence watching him for but a moment before it went away. He couldn't tell if it was his mind playing tricks after reading that or if something really was watching him.
He was really getting tired of thinking about it but he again didn’t know how important stats were. Was the 31 to all stats good? He did feel stronger and swore his muscles were more toned. He also had an additional 32 points from levels to spend. The skill maker feat gave a 10% to all stats so every 10 points would equal an additional 1. That didn’t sound too insane at early levels but if Xane was piecing things together he had to assume it would get good later.
Not knowing what he was doing and knowing that he just wanted to survive he put 10 in the constitution. He watched his health rise. He hoped that higher health meant less death. 5 into agility since running meant less likeness of death. 5 into strength, dexterity and endurance. The last 2 went into luck because who wouldn’t want to be more lucky. At least he tried too. No matter how much mental harassment he gave the luck stat it didn’t go up. He instead put it into intelligence.
That got him thinking. With his perfect memory ability giving 1 extra every 5 points in intelligence does that mean every 10 points equals 3 points in intelligence? If so he was going to be a smart cookie. Then again after a whopping, effective, 45 increase to intelligence he didn’t seem smarter. He was able to do the math kinda quickly but math was never a weak point for him anyways. Sadly it seems to round down no matter what.
Xane looked over his stats screen again.