STATS:

Sara Owens Earth Human (Beta) Tier: 2 Level: 16 Master Magician.

Body: 87 (S:65 A:64 E:91 C:126) Mind:95 (I:99 W:98 P:82 I:99) Spirit: 77 (P:55 W:82 E:71 C:100) Karma: 56 (K: 61 L:50)

LIFE:

HP: 1112(100/sec)

MP: 1192(102/sec)

EP: 1067(100/sec)

XP Total: 135000 Req: 14600

The blackness was deep and peaceful. I was not aware of time passing, but at the same time, I was aware that time had passed. I remembered Guide and Luke saying that my body was being enhanced. I did not know how long I had spent in the tutorial. Still, I had spent more time shopping than in the tutorial. It was creepy to come back into your body, knowing it was just lying on the bed. Anyone could see, I’d ask Luke about that, but I knew from observing him that there was just a glowing cocoon, and you could not see much. The more I thought about it, the more it creeped me out.

I knew that it would take at least two days for my body to upgrade, or maybe less, who knows, with this damn system.

You have entered a Tier 0 Low Energy Zone.

Your mana and energy regeneration are 1%.

Move to a higher energy zone to improve your regeneration.

As good as I felt returning, there was a slight nausea and an emptiness at my core. There was a sucking sensation that was struggling to slurp anything up, like it was sucking at a big empty energy bowl, getting the last dregs, like sucking the condensation off a cool glass to quench a desperate thirst. It was uncomfortable, but ultimately, I could ignore it.

I wonder if Mike was back. If he wasn’t, then I was just wondering if I could open Mike’s cocoon. I snickered. Could I sneak in and shave Mike? Or write all over him in Niko pen. I trusted these guys here, but I was still unsure about what was going on, so even if I could, I’d have second thoughts before I did it. We were trying to build some trust, so practical jokes would have to go on the back burner unless it was epic. One thing different from Luke’s return was that I did notice that I had transitioned into what I was wearing in the tutorial and was still in my red bikini.

Leaf of the Broken Season: Sporty.

Leaf of the Broken Season: Red Bikini.

Excellent, it still worked. That was never going to get old. I used the Insta-do, Hair-do to set my hair. It had been ratty from my swim and my combat. It was time to get things sorted. I'd stay in the bikini for a swim in a second.

Review the last combat recording.

I watched my combat with the octo-thingy and decided it was damn fine and sexy. I needed to learn about fashion and looking good while kicking ass.

Encrypt the last combat recording.

The last combat recording has been encrypted.

While it did look fabulous, and I knew what would happen, I also realised that not even I could pull off a panicked face and look good. I would have to re-watch it and practice some moves. My wand slinging was stiff, and I could make the spell casting look smoother. I needed decent shoes, so my legs looked better when I twisted. Oh well. I was still learning.

Since the system notices that I had not seen any of my loot, I checked my Inventory. It had gotten more prominent as I had levelled or something. I’d have to pay attention to things like that.

Inventory.

Personal Inventory

Turtle of Godaago Garden.

Wand of Fireballs

Insta-do, Hair-do wand.

99 Rations

2 x 24 Healing Canisters Crates (27 remaining)

1 Bulk Storage Uncommon Assorted Herbs.

1 Bulk Storage Uncommon Assorted Gems.

Robes Mage

Casual General Outfit

5 shoes in boxes

4 under-armour

1 Karmahouse Emporium Chair

1 Tier 3 Chaos Trophy.

8 Tier 3 Toxin Sacs.

28 Uncommon Freshwater Shaderkel Teeth.

2 Rare Freshwater Shaderkel Teeth.

230 Uncommon Freshwater Shaderkel (3 Stacks)

5 Rare Freshwater Shaderkel steaks

3 Rare Loot Chests

6 Uncommon Loot Chests

Leaf of Broken Seasons (Inventory Addon) Outfit Labels

Red Bikini

White One Piece

Black One Piece.

Formal Dress Black

Formal Dress Red

Sporty

Casual Battle

Intimate Red

Intimate Black

It was so cool. I got a small preview of all the items when I focused on each outfit.

I took out the turtle.

Identify

Item: Turtle of Godaago Garden (Rare)

Deep in the Godaago Garden, the Giant Komodo-Turtle Nom slumbers waiting. This figurine can channel the peace and tranquillity of the Godaago Garden once daily and expose you to the Widom of Nom.

Place this on a prayer mat and meditate to gain an insight into the wisdom of the Nom.

Mana and Energy regeneration doubled for 1 hour per minute spent meditating up to 30 hours (30 mins meditation).

While meditating, you gain immunity to all Common and Uncommon Physical and Mental attacks. If you stop meditating, you lose this immunity.

While meditating, and for 10 seconds afterwards, you are unable to attack.

Grants the Meditation Skill while using.

(Hidden Quest) Epic joke: Show this figure to Nom. We dare you to.

Interesting. I must be high enough or Tier to see hidden features.

I had a quest to return the Chaos trophy to a store so that I would keep an eye out for that.

I identified the toxin sacks, the teeth, and the steaks. They were artisan alchemy, weapon smithing and cooking components. Maybe I could sell them to Hydrox. They were no use to me at the moment. If I were going to be a crafter, I would be a tailor and make super sexy mage outfits. The robes I had were excellent, but I was young and fit and needed to show off a bit. I was super excited about the look of loot chests. Evidently, 20-30 people were supposed to share all this loot.

I smiled. I was the ultimate loot ninja or something. I didn’t feel bad since no one else was missing out. I wanted to check out my spell and skill upgrades, too. So much to do. I now had a bucket load of credits and needed accessories for my outfits - earrings, bags, towels, more shoes and maybe a designer staff. Crap, I needed an AI too.

My to-do list looked like this: Loot, spells, skills, then shopping.

Crap, I was so caught up in all this that I forgot that Mike and the others were also being enhanced and that Luke, Jean, Rahsaan and Phillip were out doing stuff and planning. Probably waiting for me. I also had no idea how long I had been ‘away’. I felt a pang of something that Luke was not asleep in my room. But I guess he knew it was safe, and I'd be back. However, when he went under, things were slightly different.

Maybe I could go shopping sooner, although I had no idea how we accessed a shop. Didn’t Sprite mention something about that before we could train? Something about energy generation? I mean, it was not as if I was in a huge hurry. I’d have to talk to Luke to access the shop, but I was sure I could sort something out. I was looking forward to seeing Hydrox again, too.

I smiled. Loot first. I pulled all the chests out and set them out on my bed to open them.

The door opened. Luke looked in.

"Bloody hell, what are you doing back so soon? How come you are back? Did it not work?"

Perception: You are being Identified.

"Bloody hell, Sarah, you may be just as broken as I am! You look great, by the way."

He came in and hugged me. That was surprising and nice. He mumbled, "I was worried about ...."

Then he noticed the loot chests.

"What the fuck happened? How come I didn’t get loot chests!"

That was it. I was sick of the system and its stupid rules and stuff.

I let loose, "Local! That’s not article fair. You can farm swear; all I, professor, get is common random bench words! I broke the apartment tutorial."

I was waiting for the notifications.

Negative Karmic Penalty. Luck penalty for the next 24 hours.

Negative Karmic Penalty. Luck penalty for next Lunar Month.

Negative Karmic Penalty. Luck penalty for next Lunar Month.

Negative Karmic Penalty. Luck penalty for next Lunar Month.

Negative Karmic Penalty. Luck penalty for next Lunar Month.

Negative Karmic Penalty. Luck penalty for next Lunar Month.

Negative Karmic Penalty. Luck penalty for next Lunar Month.

SYSTEM WARNING: Extreme Karmic Imbalance. The consequences may be drastic.

We both felt pressure from that last warning. It was almost physical. Lucky for me, Luke didn’t see my HUD warning. It felt like a vast negative pressure building inside me. Whatever Karma Penalties did, the difference between the area around me and inside me was immense.

It took Luke a few seconds to work that out, and he grinned, "You break the tutorial, escape with epic loot, and all you are worried about is not being able to swear?"

"Sit, tell me what happened. Try to keep it clean. How many system warnings have you got?"

"Proper warnings, just the one so far." I shared the last one with him.

He looked at me. He pointed to the bed. "Sit. Let me be clear. Do Not Swear. Sprite is very clear that you should be mindful of what you say. Although Sprite is a bit prudish, it seems the system is in some areas too."

I could hear the capitals on that. With a gulp, I sat. “Sprite your AI?”

Luke sat beside me, put his arm around my shoulder, and pulled me in, "Yeah, She is just looking after us. It’s all ok. Tell me what happened."

One moment I was angry, pissed off, excited, and a dozen other emotions all at once. The next, I was sobbing into Luke’s shoulder. He just held me, rubbed my back and waited. It was not one of my most proud moments. Once the sobs had died down and I had been able to clean my snotty nose and talk semi-coherently, I leaned in and kissed Luke.

A few minutes later, we were interrupted by Jean.

She stuck her head in, saw us, smiled and came and sat on the bed with a big grin, "I’m not interrupting anything, am I? According to Sprite and Luke, you shouldn’t be out for another day or so. I trust Sprite more."

She smiled at Luke, “Someone more broken than you from the sounds of it.”

I managed to tell them both almost blow for blow what had happened.

Jean started giggling, especially when I was describing the fireballs and the absolute destruction of the beast. At first, I was a bit put out, but then her giggles became infectious, and we all laughed uncontrollably. Luke was leaning into me, and I was conscious of how nice he felt.

Luke spoke softly, "Sprite is saying that if you had used Identify, you would have known it was weak to fire. Tutorials can give weird bonuses to help you learn stuff, as they are supposed to be a learning environment. Your Guide sounds like crap. Mine was crazy, but yours sounds like he was total crap. Not sure if this system has got its shit sorted for something that has been around for ages. You would think that they had basic crap-like tutorials working properly. Shit, it's not as if it would be that hard."

I punched him for swearing.

"I’d say you got a bunch of bonuses for being solo. Now show me the outfits."

We spent some time using my "Leaf of the Broken Season" and the "Insta-do, Hair-do". It was a bit embarrassing, as I was in my sexy red bikini when Luke opened the door to check on me and had not changed when Jean came in. I was sort of okay with Luke; we had been shopping together enough for this to be normal, but Jean was still a bit unknown for my comfort.

My fashion reflexes were faster than my battle reflexes.

Leaf of the Broken Season: Sporty.

Saved me when Rahsaan stuck his head in. I was so embarrassed. Jean saved me, "Get out, Luke, get out, Rahs, Girl’s business."

Luke stared at the loot chests, "Just letting you know, Sprite said some people collect unopened loot chests. They are all unique, and the more interesting ones can fetch quite a bit, sometimes more than the value of what is in them." then he grunted and closed the door, taking Rahsaan with him.

That calmed us both down.

"So, what now," Jean asked.

"I don’t know. I got the class I wanted but am unsure about the rest. I missed 99% of the tutorial and have no idea about anything. I am guessing and grasping at straws. I am a bit scared too, for me, for Luke, and Mike, I guess. What are my options?"

"Well, hon, I have no idea yet. But I have a bunch of notes and have been talking with Luke. Sprite, too, is a font of information. If you are talking jobs, your guess is as good as mine. As it stands, joining the Legion is probably out. From what Sprite has said, any non-warrior class join as an Aux, but truthfully, you would be crap. My experience in the Army would be that we would have had to carry you, which would put everyone in danger. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are not a follower. I would fight with you but would not trust you to have my back."

She must have seen the near tears in my eyes. "Hey, no, not like that. In the military, as a mage, you will be a weapon of mass destruction. You will not be deployed to support a unit. Units will be supporting you. You will need it, high damage output and low health. Do you know what a glass cannon is? The unit will have your back. In your tutorial, you were brave. A bit stupid, but brave. Nothing some training and experience can’t fix."

Jean smiled at me.

My heart fell. I didn't know much about what this new world offered, but the way Luke had talked, I thought that the Legion would be something we could fall into and aim for together. I knew that it would have been a good thing for me. I could feel tears coming back. It was all just too much.

Jean grabbed my shoulders, "I said as it stood. Look at you. I mean, really. Do you look like someone who would undergo some army or Legion basic training? No way. You would kill half the morons in a boot camp and smash the idiots in basic training. There are other options, good ones, possibly better ones."

I am positive Jean was secretly cutting onions. There is no other explanation for my tears. Really.

She hugged me, "From what I can see, in this new reality, as we are calling it, your path is not the same as Luke’s. He will probably be in the Legion and has deeper ties to the Empire that he won’t explain. He needs to go through training, learn to stand independently and get a solid base. He has never had to stand on his own before. He needs to learn that. So do you, but you are different. His path will be dangerous, and yours too now, I guess. You, well, you have the world ahead. It may involve the Legion, and it may not. Now, you have options."

She made me feel better about myself by asking, "What are your plans now?"

I sighed and tried to stop feeling sorry for myself. A lot of what she said made sense, but it still hurt. "I had a list: loot first, spell second, skills third, then shopping. I thought shopping could be a higher priority, but we don’t have access to a shop yet."

"That’s a start. Did you want a hand with the loot? Everyone gets excited about opening loot chests, or at least on our raids when we play online. They were the main focus of our dungeon runs. Or did you want some privacy?"

"Can you stay for the chests, and then I can rest and sort out my spells and skills? I may need help shopping once we get a store."

"Sure, hon, I love this part of a campaign, the hurry up and wait. We are waiting for a couple of things to fall into place. Let's get to the looting.”

She smiled and looked greedily at the chests, “May I suggest a low opening, low value or Tier to high Tier? It makes things easier without getting distracted by the big stuff. That was our rule when I was a guildmaster in Runeterra."

I smiled, "Sounds like a plan. So, I just touch the loot and think, loot?"

She smiled, "No idea."

This was so cool. The loot chests themselves were very ornate. The uncommon ones were rough wooden boxes about the size of a ream of paper, with bronze or brass bands holding them shut. Depending on the box size, there was a dull metal indent shaped like a hand or thumb. I spent a few moments just looking at them. Part of me wanted to collect them. Maybe I’d do that later.

I touched the first Uncommon Loot Chest.

Looting to your personal Inventory.

You are about to loot an Uncommon Loot Chest.

You receive 2000 Cr.

You receive an Uncommon Potion of Invisibility.

You receive an Uncommon Dagger.

I continued.

You are about to loot an Uncommon Loot Chest.

You receive 2000 Cr.

You receive Tickets to Blinded by Flame Music Festival.

You receive 2 serves Uncommon Bristleboar Bacon Soup.

You are about to loot an Uncommon Loot Chest.

You receive 2000 Cr.

You receive an Uncommon Potion of Animal Speech.

CHEST RARITY ITEM UPGRADE: Title Solo Perk

You receive Rare Blood-Forged Greatstaff

You are about to loot an Uncommon Loot Chest.

You receive 2000 Cr.

You receive an Uncommon Shop Token Skill.

You receive an Uncommon Scroll of Flying.

You are about to loot an Uncommon Loot Chest.

You receive 2000 Cr.

You receive Uncommon Boots of Stealth.

You receive an Uncommon Rope.

You are about to loot an Uncommon Loot Chest.

You receive 2000 Cr.

You receive an Uncommon Ring of Mind Shielding.

You receive an Uncommon Maul of Zombie slaying.

As I got each item, I put them out onto the bed. It was so surreal. Each object seemed unique, and as much as I wanted to examine and identify them, I needed to just open the chests. It was much more relaxed than when I played any game with loot drops.

The loot chests vanished after I touched them, with the items appearing where the chests were and the credits going to wherever they went. I checked my Inventory to make sure that they were being tracked.

The rare chests were of a darker type of wood, polished and buffed to a glossy sheen. The banding on these varied as gold or silver. Two of them had small gems inset into the banding.

"I’m guessing people would pay more for rare unlooted loot boxes. I knew this guy who collected anything unopened and in mint condition. Stuff like that can go for a fortune to some collectors. They look unique, so depending on the decorations, I’d say no two are alike. Maybe the rare ones carry some prestige for collectors. Maybe you could sell them. It’s kind of like a Gacha game." Jean reminded me as I looked them over.

"Nope. Mine." I smiled and continued.

You are about to loot a Rare Loot Chest.

You receive 20000 Cr.

You receive a Rare belt.

You are about to loot a Rare Loot Chest.

You receive 20000 Cr.

You receive a Rare Shop Token: Item.

You receive a Rare Blueprint upgrade

You are about to loot a Rare Loot Chest.

You receive 20000 Cr.

You receive a Rare Shop Token: Artisan Kit.

You receive a Rare Potion of Luck.

Jean whistled, "That belt will be good. Did you play many RPGs or MMOs?"

"No, not really. I was more sims and COD to blow off steam, but I really loved playing decent RTS games. Why?"

"1 item in a chest is worth more than multiple items. Also, those shop tokens can be outstanding. They should be worth a fair bit. The potion of luck should give you a random boost to your luck stat. Most games with a luck stat make it very hard to level up. That makes it very valuable. Can you identify stuff?"

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"I’ll try. If I can’t identify things, I’ll ask for help. Luke might be able to. Otherwise, we might have to wait for the shop to come online. I might do all the identification stuff, sort my spells and skills, and the rest. Can I speak to you tomorrow about things and see where we are regarding shopping?"

She gave me a long hug, "Sure, hon, even if you are not military, we will not let you down. It’s part of our job to help people. I’ll leave you to it, sleep well. If you need anything or can’t sleep, call me. I can listen and offer advice."

I thanked her.

She left, and I sat on the bed amid a pile of loot.

I was sad, confused, and angry, but boy, life was grand as I looked at the pile of loot. I wanted more loot chests! I gained 17 items, 11 Uncommon and 6 Rare.

I felt rich, with another 72000 Credits for a total of 244600!

I bet I would be super rich if I sold some of the loot, but the loot monster in me was reluctant.

Despite being tired, I sat down and started identifying my loot, getting the full descriptions rather than just the item names.

Consumable: Potion of Invisibility (Tier 2)

When taken, this potion renders the quaffer invisible to all visual senses, including magical, technological, and biological.

It lasts an average of 1 hour. (Min 36 minutes, Max 1:42 Mins) Do not consume while under the effects of other potions.

Item: Uncommon Dagger (Tier 2)

This quality dagger is unremarkable except for the materials it is made from.

It does not require sharpening and has space in the handle for small items.

Contains small quantities of materials that enable it to inflict a minor bleed effect. +4 damage v biologicals.

Item: Tickets to Blinded by Flame Music Festival.

These tickets grant 2 people access to the VIP backstage area at the Blinded by Flame Music Festival. Merchandise is not included. VIP Pavilion Package.

Consumable: Bristleboar Bacon Soup (Tier 2)

Who doesn’t like Bacon? This soup is hearty and nourishing. Grants the eater double health regeneration.

Negative renown with Porcine species for 1 day.

Consumable Potion of Animal Speech (Tier 2)

Allows speech with all non-sapient animal species. Does not make them friendly or exciting.

Consumable: Shop Token Skill (Tier 2)

This token can be redeemed for 1 uncommon or lesser skill or item at any System Shop.

Consumable: Scroll of Flying (Tier 2)

Enables the spell caster to fly for approximately 1 hour. A caster with scribe, calligraphy or scroll-making skills can convert this to a spell. Base chance 50-Tier + skill level

Item: Boots of Stealth. (Tier 2)

These ultra-comfortable boots grant the user a bonus for stealth. If the wearer does not have the stealth skill, it gives temporary access to "Stealth" at the Tier 1 level. Waterproof and stylish.

They were going into my shoe collection. I'm not sure if it was the waterproof or stylish bit. They were pretty nice. I’d have to talk to a designer to see if we could make something more interesting.

Item: Ultra-Rope (Tier 2)

This 113m ultra-thin rope is hand-made from spiderling and giant silk moth silk combinations. Each beast was caught, harvested and released following the most careful beast-handling practices.

Minimal injuries and stresses on the creatures are part of the care package that goes into creating this rope. It cannot be broken, cut, or abraded**

Please read complete testing reports before relying on this rope. Incorrect or inappropriate use may result in death or injury. A Thrytose of Nanamis Sponsored product.

I wondered who or what would need a 113m rope. It seemed random, but you never know the standard measurement in the broader universe. 113m might be it.

Item: Ring of Mind Shielding (Tier 2)

While wearing this ring, your mind is a fortress: It improves your willpower to resist being detected or coerced. +50 Focus.

Item: Maul of Zombie slaying (Tier 2)

Min Strength: 25, Min Endurance: 25.

This mighty maul was designed to combat the undead.

It works well against skeletons, destroying all Tier 1 or lower in one hit. Against zombies, it is devastating and guarantees a critical hit and maximum damage against the undead.

Shit, zombies were a thing! I don't know if I was scared or excited.

Belt of Infinite Spells (Tier 3)(4388/10000)

This belt works as both a mana battery and a mana siphon.

When a hostile spell is cast against the wearer, it will siphon off the mana, reducing the Tier by 1.

This mana is then stored conveniently and is accessible by the wearer.

The wearer can increase mana regeneration to 10% of this belt’s total capacity per minute at a 1:1 ratio

or instantly pull mana from the belt at a conversion rate of 1 mana per 10 mana pulled.

It recharges 1000 mana while the wearer sleeps for a minimum of four hours.

It was an ugly belt, but it would be a permanent fixture on all my wardrobes once I worked out how to hide or decorate it.

Consumable: Shop Token: Item (Tier 3)

This token can be redeemed for 1 Rare or fewer items at any System Shop.

Consumable: Blueprint upgrade (Tier 3)

This Blueprint Upgrade will allow an artisan who uses blueprints to raise the blueprint's Tier (Max Rare) automatically. It does not guarantee the ability to make or create the item from the blueprint.

Identify has levelled up.

You can now gain more information regarding objects and beings. You now have a chance to Identify higher tier objects and beings. You have a slight chance of being misidentified.

Item: Blood-Forged Greatstaff (Tier 4, Rare, Unique)

This powerful semi-cursed staff was crafted for the Ghostwalker of the Sisters of Starfall Coven. The staff was looted during the battle that saw their coven disbanded.

Scholars have well documented this Unique, Rare staff.

This description was written while examined by Su Guo, head of the Mystic Society, and published in "Of Rare Artifacts: Staves":

Exactly 208 centimetres of distinctive gold form the base of this majestic staff. Two glowing red, intertwining rods wrap around the entire staff and form a comfortable handle, which has been covered in coarse, raw red silk. On the base, a claw-like ornament of Blood-infused Mithril has been adorned with thin, red and black Vadriocium strips in twirling stripes. The caped is made of wood from a single branch from the Tree of Near Futures. It has been crafted into an elongated orb shape, infused with several thin glowing runes. The runes dance around each other to form a hypnotic pattern of luminous red veins within the dark orb."

While holding the Greatstaff and actively attuned, the wielder of this staff gains the following powers and skills:

Immunity to poison, disease, bleeding, and fear affects (Tier 3)

Resistance to all elemental effects + 20%

Once Per Day:

Cure all on self or others - remove all afflictions or adverse effects.

Nature’s Bounty - speed up plant and animal growth in a 100m radius

See Truth - see hidden creatures, detect hidden meaning in speech

Command - Others will obey you +100 Charisma for 1 min.

???? ???? (Level Identify to discern)

At will:

Drain mana - drain mana from the target

When used as a weapon:

140 base damage + 10-50 elemental damage

This staff has a sinister appearance.

Karma and Charisma penalties apply when in use.

Warning:

Attunement may cause corruption with lower-tier items. This process will permanently lower your Charisma and Comeliness by 50. It may frighten Tier 0-1 beings.

I wanted to use the staff but knew it was not for me. Bugger the loss to my Charisma and Comeliness. I worked hard for those. Well, that was a lie, but I was not lowering them. Maybe I could have rocked this staff if I had taken the necromancer or summoner class. But the description made it sound like a sales pitch. It was a beautifully crafted but hideous-looking Greatstaff, totally not for me. It was too big and too ugly. Or maybe I could sneak it out now and then for some excellent once-per-day skills. I’d keep it for a bit. I’d have to go full evil Mage cosplay to pull it off, though.

On second thoughts, it was in the too-sell pile.

Consumable: Shop Token: Artisan Kit (Tier 3)

This token can be redeemed for 1 Rare or less Artisan Kit at any System Shop.

Consumable: Potion of Luck (Tier 3)

Raises Luck permanently by 0-50 points.

Only 1 potion of luck may ever be consumed.

Phew, this took a lot longer than I expected. I ate one of my ration packs, and using the skill had started to make me feel drained. I needed to pay more attention to my meta-physical resources in future since I had an energy and mana bar in my HUD.

Nourished: +1 energy regeneration for 1 hour.

After my emotional day, I was also quite tired, so I changed into my under-armour, put all my loot into my Inventory and lay on the bed.

Despite being emotionally exhausted and quite tired, my mind churned with worry for Luke and Mike. I was also unsure how Jean would fit into my small world. She stepped in when I needed it. She had shown more mothering to me in our girl time than my mother had in the last ten years. That was something you could not just turn your back on. I wondered how they were doing. It was with some pleasant thoughts about Luke that I finally fell asleep.

I woke up with a big stretch. I was luxuriating in the comfort of being nearly awake and half asleep. My new body felt fantastic, and I could sense the potential energy sources waiting to be taped. I had regenerated very little mana or energy while I was asleep, which concerned me.

You are well rested.

You are in a Tier 0 Low Energy Zone.

Your mana and energy regeneration are 1%.

Move to a higher energy zone to improve your regeneration.

I had a bit of a plan for the day, sort my skills and spells and then try to see how we could get a system shop here so I could go shopping—nothing like priorities. If there were no system shops, I would go to town. But I was really looking forward to seeing Hydrox, and now that I had some idea of what I needed, I would get some cool stuff, and I had a lot of loot to sell.

I ate another ration pack. It was not a substitute for breakfast, but the flavours were interesting. This one was marked with what I was taking as breakfast and included a bar, a drink, and chewy dried fruit. The flavours were unusual, but nothing that I could not eat. I would kill for a coffee, though. I would add that to my shopping list.

I found the note-taking app or screen in my HUD and started my shopping list: accessories, AI, and coffee.

I am sure there was more to it than that, but it was a start. I would add to it as I woke up more and worked out what I wanted to do with myself. The only really upsetting news from my HUD was that my profanity filter was locked for 4815 hours! That was over six months!

I was getting better at splitting my inner thoughts from my UI/AI/HUD thoughts, which would help when I needed to swear. I smiled at the idea that using the HUD and mental commands almost became second nature.

There was a notification flashing in my HUD.

Mages Guild.

Fees Due:1700 Membership Fee (Level x 100 Cr) 750 Late Fee

Total Due: 17750

All Mages and Class Paths associated with Mages are mandated to join the Mages Guild (By Imperial Decree 192x3 Section 4, System Accord, Mages Charter)

Mages Guild:

It has been recorded that you have yet to pay your fees and continue to level and select a class in the Mage Class Path. Due to Epic Class, you have been assigned a mentor and guild liaison.

Please read the charter and pay your dues.

Attached is the Abridged Mages Guild Charter.

Failure may result in sanctions.

Great. I’d pay right now if I knew how. I felt proud for a moment that I didn't swear or anything. Another annoying flashing icon in my HUD caught my attention. I needed to get these sorted so they were less annoying and prioritised. This was more important than the mages guild.

You have 8 unassigned class skills to choose from.

Class Skills:

Insight (Tier 1)

Meditation (Tier 1) Upgradeable

Intense Focus (Tier 1) Upgradeable

Sleight of Hand (Tier 1)

Minor Mana Manipulation (Tier 1) Upgradeable

Scribe (Tier 1) Upgradeable

Research (Tier 1) Upgradeable

Magical Crafting: Potions (Tier 1) Upgradeable

Magical Crafting: Scrolls (Tier 1) Upgradeable

Mana Syphon (Tier 2) Upgradeable

Mana Manipulation (Tier 2) Upgradeable

Transfer Knowledge (Tier 2) Upgradable

Scribe (Tier 2) Upgradeable

Magical Crafting: Potions (Tier 2) Upgradeable

Magical Crafting: Scrolls (Tier 2) Upgradeable

Magical Crafting: Items (Tier 2) Upgradeable

You have 13 unassigned class spells to choose from.

Class spells:

Detect Magic (Tier 1)

Read Magic (Tier 1)

Detect Invisible (Tier 1)

Enhance Resistance (Tier 1)

Minor Illusion (Tier 1)

Magic Lock (Tier 1)

Open (Tier 1)

Arcane Mark (Tier 1)

Alarm (Tier 1)

Detect Invisible (Tier 1)

Peace (Tier 1)

Shield (Tier 1)

Wind (Tier 1)

Charm (Tier 1) Fire Bolt (Tier 1)

Lightning Bolt (Tier 1)

Thunderclap (Tier 1)

Ice Dart (Tier 1)

Warm (Tier 1)

Build (Tier 1)

Obscure (Tier 1)

Trip (Tier 1)

Confuse (Tier 1)

Rest (Tier 1)

Performance (Tier 1)

Disguise (Tier 1)

Jump (Tier 1)

Feather Fall (Tier 1)

Shield (Tier 2)

Acid Arrow (Tier 2)

Fire Control (Tier 2)

Restrain (Tier 2)

Shelter (Tier 2)

Create Map (Tier 2)

Spell Steal (Tier 2)

Delay Pain (Tier 2)

Hide (Tier 2)

Charm: Seduction (Tier 2)

Charm: Suggestion (Tier 2)

Charm: Friends (Tier2)

Burn (Tier 2)

Dispel (Tier 2)

Freeze (Tier 2)

Blur (Tier 2)

Illusion (Tier 2)

Boneskin (Tier 2)

Summon (Tier 2)

Dispel (Tier 2)

Restore ( (Tier 2)

Fly (Tier 2)

Ugh. I had no idea—too many choices. I really needed that AI to help sort and categorise the lists. They were not even in alphabetical order or by type. It took me way longer than it should have to go through the lists. I suspected that the choices I made now would have future implications.

I found that I could consider each one and get a description of the spell or skill. It was quite a list and quite daunting. Luckily, I didn’t mind a bit of research. This was not quite how I wanted to spend a Saturday morning, but it was better than nothing. I’d rather be out doing something with the skills, but I guess I had to learn about them first.

Going through the skills was easy, and I think it was lucky that I had not purchased some Tier 1 skills from the shop. I would have to get to the Mages Guild to see if I could obtain a complete spell list so I didn’t duplicate spells with skills purchased in ignorance. Not only would it be a waste of money, I had no idea if there was a skill or spell limit.

Thinking about making money, I decided I should start thinking of a crafting-type build. Despite my earlier rejection of Artisan as a class, this was as a side money maker or interest, something to make clothes, robes and all that. Something I could get stuck into and link my old life to my new life. I needed to focus. At the moment, I was all over the place and had no real plan for my build yet, but I had a little idea of what I wanted to select. Maybe the Guild could help me out after I paid my fees, of course.

I wonder if it would have been easier if I had taken the Noble class. I would have had a court adviser who would have all this mapped out for me. In my dreams, maybe. Maybe I should have listened to the Guide in the tutorial. Thinking of Guide, I decided to find out where to rate him. It was satisfying when I gave him a ½ clover leaf rating out of 5, with a short review, "Broken, waste of time, hates humans."

When that was done, I started looking at my skills and spells. Looking at my list of spells and skills, I was just picking what I wanted now. I could buy spells and skills later if I needed them. I really needed to know if there was a cap on the number of spells and skills I could learn. That was something Guide should have told me, but I guess I would find out eventually. I carefully read all the skills and spell descriptions to ensure I got what I wanted.

I decided to focus on a crafting set of skills, and I would rely on my spells for other situations.

Skills:

Intense Focus (Tier 1) Upgradeable Meditation (Tier 1) Upgradeable

Minor Mana Manipulation (Tier 1) Upgradeable

Mana Manipulation (Tier 2) Upgradeable

Scribe (Tier 1) Upgradable

Scribe (Tier 2) Upgradeable

Research (Tier 1) Upgradeable

Magical Crafting: Items (Tier 2) Upgradeable

It seemed to me that with skills, you had to upgrade a skill to improve it. You could not just purchase a Tier 2 skill without the basic skill. You had to acquire every Tier below that, most allowed you to buy it at a higher Tier at a higher price to included all the previous Tier skills.. This was something that a good tutorial guide should have told me. Spells allowed you to purchase whatever Tier you could cast at. That was one significant advantage of magic over skills. Also, the differences between Tier 1 and Tier 2 spells were substantial. Still, judging how effective a spell or skill was complex. Some Tier 1 spells seemed very OP, but others were relatively niche.

Minor Mana Manipulation (Tier 1) Upgradeable

This skill allows for mana's minor control and manipulation in the cosmos. Trainee Supervision is required.

Upgrading to Tier 2 seemed more interesting:

Mana Manipulation (Tier 2) Upgradeable (Upgrade from Minor Mana Manipulation Tier 1)

Allows for the direct manipulation of mana in the cosmos. Training recommended. Experimentation can be considered an act of war in some territorial regions. Permits may be required. You are responsible for any consequences for your direct manipulation of the fundamental manifestation of magic and magical abilities.

Warning: Danger. Warning: This has been known to cause catastrophic failure of existence.

Warning: Do not use without training or Mage Guild licensed supervision.

The spells I liked were quite different:

Spells

Lightning Bolt (Tier 1)

Ice Dart (Tier 1)

Arcane Mark (Tier 1)

Peace (Tier 1)

Detect Invisible (Tier 1)

Disguise (Tier 1)

Illusion (Tier 2)

Fire Control (Tier 2)

Restrain (Tier 2)

Fly (Tier 2)

Dispel (Tier 2)

Hide (Tier 2)

Restore (Tier 2)

At some stage, I noticed Jean poke her head into the room. I waved, and she nodded and closed the door.

Finally, I looked at my full stats, which I hadn’t done since yesterday's level-up.

STATS:

Sara Owens Earth Human (Beta) Tier: 2

Level: 16 Master Magician.

Body: 87 (S:65 A:64 E:91 C:126)

Mind:95 (I:99 W:98 P:82 I:99)

Spirit: 77 (P:55 W:82 E:71 C:100)

Karma: 56 (K: 61 L:50)

LIFE:

HP: 1112(100/sec)

MP: 1192(102/sec)

EP: 1067(100/sec)

XP Total: 135020 Req: 14600

The only important things I was worried about were my karmic balance and the penalty I seemed to be incurring. I needed to ask Luke to ask Sprite about that and what long-term effects it might have. From Luke's brief and confusing explanation, you accrued a Karmic Balance with the system, empire, or universe - people still didn't know. There was no measure of it other than system warnings. When it was positive, then things were ok. When things were negative, chaos started to happen around you. Negative Karma weakened the dimensional barriers or some nonsense.

That was something I would have to research. Somehow, it tapped into your positive or negative mental energy flows, and your Karma stat helped mitigate the adverse impact effects if you had a high Krama. It was like a defence and attack stat for Karmic interaction. It applied bonuses to positive awards and reduced the severity of adverse awards. The karma stat also allowed you to resist the effects of concentrated chaos, which was something I didn't want to see in a hurry from Luke's descriptions of the chaos incursion he fought. The upshot was that I really needed to do something about my Karmic Balance. It was not as if I was a mass murderer or anything.

Shit, the System could be annoying, and for me, it was only day 2!

Overall, I was delighted with things, not just my Stat changes but also the physical changes. I had spent some time using the mirror Hydrox gave me, and I am sure I was more stacked in the front and much firmer everywhere. I had a large chest to start with. Now, it was gravity-defying. I could not measure the difference, but my old bras were much tighter, so I was definitely more prominent across the chest and shoulders. Vanity aside, I was hot before, but now I could not wait to see Luke when he saw me again, now that I was not a blubbering mess.

I had more muscle tone, and my abs and features seemed slightly more refined. I didn’t wear a bra because the under-armour I was wearing was excellent support and much-needed protection. I spent a lot of time stretching and poking. I also spent some time getting the perfect "Insta-do, Hair-do".

I updated my "Leaf of the Broken Season" outfits so that the Belt of Infinite Spells, "Boots of Stealth", and "Ring of Mind Shielding" were included in the appropriate wardrobe outfits. It was such a pity they were all ugly items. How hard would it be for Mages to create fashion items? I think that this would become my mission. The fashion items were not terrible. They just had no style. I wanted to look hot while I was kicking butt.

Once satisfied, I left the room—time to sort out our shopping.

Leaf of the Broken Season: Sporty