Filled with a newfound sense of determination, Andy engage the blue boxes in front of him “constantly calling them ‘blue boxes’ is just a mouthful, I would just call them notification, the name is fitting considering they just pop up in front of me like a phone notification.”
“The first one, the one about connecting to something must have been started when I came to this world, apparently I only got access to the system when I got transported to this world.”
He still couldn't wrap his around the fact that this is a whole new world, something that only existed in the Mangas, anime or books, ”okay how do I dismiss this window now” instinctively he swiped left and the notification just disappeared, “not compatible …" murmured Andy , lifting an eyebrow “is that was my body was completely numb? I wasn’t compatible with the mana level around me? “, earth only had mentions of mana in fictions and legends, so it comes as no surprise that he was practically manaless.
Snaping his fingers, a habit he does when he is thinking, one that he got from his long-gone father, or at least that what his grandpa said “okay basically I was to weak to just exist, the ambient mana levels , which is a part of the natural ecosystem of this world is hazardous to me the system had to put me into stasis, something like cryogenics but preserving my consciousness”
“Well, that explains it “was all he could think as he read the part about getting his entire body reconstructed to meet the average standards of this world, remembering the burning inferno that rampaged his body caused a chill to run down his spine, “how did it even happen? Reconstructing my body while I was awake seems a bit too cruel to be honest, couldn't the system put me to sleep or sedate me? spare me the pain”
With a shake of his head he dismissed the notifications related to his body reconstruction, but one of them gripped his attention, “degrading ... that is to be expected , pain of that caliber usually leaves people with life lasting traumas that takes a lot of therapy to get through, some don’t fully recover from that , it's something that can scar a person on a level so deep it becomes an integrated part of their psyche”
But trying to recall the reconstruction process just caused him to feel uncomfortable, no vicious cycles of pain, no flashbacks, all he feels is just a deep discomfort and heat, it wasn’t painful per see, just annoying, and it just faded from his mind when he isn't actively thinking about it.
“Is this what sealing my memories does? I can still remember what happen but I feel disconnected, like watching something on a screen, a hero struggling or dying , I can understand him on an emotional level, after all seeing a character develop before your eyes will bring joy but not as if you developed yourself, it's not q deep or personal experience”, the closest thing Andy can think can compare to what he feels is the death of tony stark at the end of avengers end game “the system didn’t exactly remove the memories of pain , but rather it removed the pain associated with the memories , and left the rest in an effort to conserve my mental capacity“. how did the system remove his trauma, not by helping him process it naturally, or even just wiping his memories of the time period the reconstruction happened, but fragmenting his memories and removing undesirable part while preserving the whole, left Andy mouth agape, it was a little scary, what stops the system from removing other parts of Andy without his even realizing it, his entire personality , everything he represent can be altered and modified. To create a version more suitable version of Andy, one more capable of navigating the new world he finds himself thrusted into.
At first it seemed as if the system is merely a very advanced Ai but now it seems its more than that, it might act robotic , but something capable of reconstructing a body on a molecule level , and preserving the mind is no normal AI, he didn’t want to this about what would happen if the system decide Andy must bite the dust it can literally just CTRL+Del him out of reality
Seeing the rabbit hole for what it is, Andy dismissed the horrifying implications of a rouge Ai with God like powers out of his mind. He have more pressing concerns to sort right now, and if his ideas proved to be right, he could do shit about it, in his head the system is technically categorized as a god, or at least have the powers of one, and if mythology and games taught his anything, is that he want no business with the divine beings.
swinging his arm in a swipe like motion he continued to read the notifications “so am labelled as an otherworlder … so what is that exactly? Other than explaining I am not for this world, which is obvious” snorting in amusement at his own not-so-funny jokes, he swiped right, he made it to the system introduction, reading it shed some light on his current situation. "So, this world is called Enthra, nothing more jumps to mind,” the name held no meaning for Andy, but knowing the name of the world he is in is the first step of a full integration to it.
“And it seems the system wasn’t responsible for bringing me here, a spatial fluctuation seemed to have done the job. I know it must be something related to the fabric of space, something like a wormhole, or long-distance teleportation, a phenomenon of this caliber was never recorded by earth scientist. even if the probability of that happening is low, the universe is a big place, so at least someone must have lucked out on it, NASA wouldn't have missed something like that, billions of dollars pumped into exploring the space , and figuring out the secrets of the universe just for them to not see a spatial fluctuation at their door step, yeah that’s a load of crap ,so it's either they knew and the public was left in the dark, or this was the first time ever” he was personally leaning toward the former, governments have tendencies to keep stuff like this under wrap, using the excuse of ‘disturbing’ the peace to Controle what info makes it to the people.
‘I dream of a world where the truth is what shapes people’s politics, rather than politics shaping what people think is true’, his grandpa loved to quote Neil deGrasse Tyson, “ I wonder what will he think of this, a whole new world, hospitable to life, a world that falls under its own rules, all that just for the price of recreating your body by the all mighty system”
Thinking the word status brought up a new blue box.
***************
Name: Andy Sheperd
Race: human(otherworlder)
Age: 22
Class: N/A
Level: 1
Exp: 0/1000
HP: 40/40
MP: 65/65
SP: 40/40
Free AP: 10
Free UP: 3
STR: 4
DEX: 3
CON: 3
END: 3
INT: 5
WIS: 4
Skills*
Titles*
***************
Most of the screen was easy to understand, thanks to years of gaming, he came across most of the terminologies already, but just to be sure he tried to focus on the specifics of the status window
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
[Classes are the roles you may adopt in this world, each with unique abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Classes fall under two main parts, [non-combat] classes, and [combat] classes, classes have rarities that determine the complexity as well as the requirement to achieve the class, rarities are : common, uncommon, rare, epic, legendary, mythical And lastly the unique rarity, but this one is only for classes that only exist once at any given time and do not refer to how hard is acquire the class.]
[HP, also known as health points, or hit points determine the amount of damage you can withstand before you die]
[MP, also known as mana points, is the wellspring of your magical energy and abilities. It measures your capacity to cast spells, and preform magical feats]
[SP, also known as stamina Points, is the gauge of your physical energy and endurance. It reflects your ability to engage in prolonged physical activities]
[Free AP, or free Attribute points, is the number of points that you can allocate to your attributes as you see fit, can be acquired through multiple ways]
[Free UP, or free upgrade points, is the number of points that you can use to upgrade your skills and grow them stronger, hard to acquire apart from leveling up]
[STR, or strength influences your prowess in physical endeavors. It is the measure of your raw power and muscle, impacting your effectiveness in melee combat and tasks requiring sheer force]
[Dex, or dexterity is a measure of your agility, precision, and finesse. It influences your accuracy in combat, your ability to dodge attacks, and your proficiency in tasks requiring nimbleness]
[Con, or Constitution, is a gauge of your overall physical health, resilience, and toughness. It affects your ability to endure hardships, resist ailments, and withstand damage, govern HP]
[End, or Endurance, is a measure of your stamina, fortitude, and ability to persevere through challenges. It reflects your capacity to endure prolonged physical exertion and resist fatigue, govern your SP]
[Int, or Intelligence, signifies your mental acuity, reasoning, and cognitive abilities. It influences your aptitude for problem-solving, magical prowess, and overall intellectual capacity, govern your MP]
[Wis, or Wisdom, reflects your perceptiveness, insight, and mana regeneration. It influences your prowess in mental endeavors, resist mental influences]
[Skills encompass the abilities and specialized techniques that distinguish you in various disciplines. Can be acquired through multiple means]
[Titles are honorary designations bestowed upon you for notable achievements. These titles serve as marks of recognition, symbolizing your standing and accomplishments. And they award you with perks that will boost you in your journey.]
It was all standard RPG elements, too similar to be just a coincidence. "Did the system adapted to be more familiar, or is this system is what sparked the creation of RPG?”
Hoping for an answer from the system, Andy focused on the stars on his status screen
SKILLS
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Dimensional shop (unique).
***************
TITELS
***************
Visitor from another world
Mana baptism
***************
[Dimensional shop (unique): a shop connected directly to the Void vault, a vault Accessible only by the system, contains everything from equipment to skills, AP, UP and much more. The currency used is SC or system credits, they can be obtained by leveling up your level, gaining new skills, selling to the shop but the best way is to kill and convert your kill to SC, you can forfeit your experience for extra SC]
[Visitor from another world: from a world far away, you found your way to the world of Enthra, be it due luck or on purpose arriving from a world of no magic and no system, and to survive the trip through the void. Award: 10AP, access to the inventory system.]
[Mana baptism: enduring the pain of having your mana channels engraved and strengthened attuned your body, soul and mind to the mana around you, this will increase your sensitivity to mana and manipulating it will become easier. Award: 10% increase to MP]
“Well this is certainly useful, a shop full with items only the system can get, at least until now”, he willed the shop window to appear, unlike the blue color for notifications, this one was a darker shade of gold, a long list of items with price tags attached to them, most of them were locked , Andy theorized its might be his low level at play, higher rarity items were out of reach, he also noted a filter options, and a Gasha button.
Filter by rarity and category: he chose the common rarity and the skills category.
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Slash (Common): perform a slash attack with a bladed weapon that deals extra damage and has a chance to cause bleeding effect. [1000 SC]
Dash (Common): this skill can perform a quick dash, allowing for rapid repositioning during combat or evasive maneuvers. [1000 SC]
Crushing Blow (Common): Mastery in delivering powerful, concussive strikes, causing additional impact damage, has a low chance to stun the target. [1000 SC]
Hammer Throw (Common): Ability to throw a bludgeoning weapon with accuracy, striking enemies from a distance. [1000 SC]
Track (Common): Proficiency in tracking creatures or individuals through various terrains. Vital for hunters and characters on the trail of specific targets. [1000 SC]
Detect Traps (Common): Proficiency in identifying and disarming traps. Essential for characters navigating dungeons or other treacherous environments. [1000 SC]
Sneak (Common): Expertise in stealth and covert movements. Essential for rogues and assassins, allowing silent and unseen approaches. [1000 SC]
…
***************
The list went for a while, Andy noted he have exactly 1000 SC enough for one common skill, he decided to hold off from buying anything until he checked the rest of the system functions.
The map showed a box filled with dark fog, and a white dot in the middle, he mentally zoomed to the white dot, and saw the area around him in better detail. It appears this map showed only his location and his immediate surroundings, with the rest covered in the fog of war.
Quests
***************
Return to civilization: you are stranded in a remote location with no direct way to civilization, navigate your way to safety and survive whatever the road you take throws at you. Reward: compass of the pathfinder (legendary).
Reach level 10: reach level 10. Reward: class selection.
***************
Andy can't complain, he is getting a reward for something he was going to do regardless, he isn't some survivalist willing to live on nature's grace, he rather sleeps in a soft bed, eats a hot meal and has a roof over his head.
His inventory on the other hand wasn't empty, it was a five-by-five grid, it already had ten slots occupied, he focused on the items and willed their description up.
***************
Cotton tunic (common): a white cotton tunic, offers no defense against attack but will have a small resistance against weather.
Leather pants(common): leather pants, offer little protection against slashing attacks, and have a small resistance against the weather.
Leather boots(common): these common leather boots serve as reliable footwear, The boots feature a reinforced sole for durability, providing stability on various terrains.
Leather bracers(common): offers decent protection to the forearms, little resistance against slashing attacks.
Trench coat(common): a coat with decent protection against the elements and weather.
Breeches(common): worn under leather pants to prevent discomfort and itchiness.
Stockings(common): worn under footwear to prevent discomfort and itchiness.
Weapon chest (uncommon): a chest containing various kinds of weapons, when opened you can choose one weapon from the list. Once chosen, the weapon will appear, and the chest will disintegrate.
Survivalist chest (uncommon): a chest containing most of the tools needed to survive in the wild. When opened it deposit the tools on the floor, after the chest gets empty it will disintegrate.
Health potion (common): drinking this potion will restore 150 hp.
***************
Relived that he wouldn't have to wear tree leaves to hide his nudity, he willed the breeches to appear, he inspected them and noticed nothing remarkable, it wouldn't been a common item if it had any magic in it.
He lowered the breeches to wear them, but inspiration struck him, he willed it back to his inventory, then thought of it materializing already worn on his body, and to his delight it did work, he willed the rest of it on, and sighed in satisfaction at the feeling of something covering his body, with the little confidence he gained fully clothed he went on to check the last items in his inventory , and spend his 1000 SC.