Novels2Search

Chapter II

Chapter II

Alex was a little stunned as he let everything he had just read, sink in. As he was sitting at the shop's counter, he thought to himself, 'Wow...so much stuff...Constitution and Vitality? Aren't they the same?...Help Constitution. Help Vitality.' As soon as he thought it, two blue rectangles popped into existence directly next to the large status window.

*Ting*

Constitution (CON): represents your health. Increasing Constitution will increase your overall health.

*Ting*

Vitality (VIT): overall lifespan, the speed at which wounds heal, as well as the resistance to disease and poisons. Increasing Vitality will increase your resistance to disease and poisons, overall lifespan, as well as the speed at which wounds heal.

'No way!' Alex exclaimed mentally. 'So if I can increase my vitality enough...could I become immune to disease and poisons!? Overall lifespan!? Doesn't that mean...I could become immortal?...This stuff is incredible...Blessed by the gods huh? I definitely need to thank them if I ever get the chance...' He dismissed the two windows and turned his attention back to all of his stats. 'Hmm, well might as well figure out just what everything does...Help Endurance. Help Stamina.' Alex proceeded to ask for help with every attribute. As he did so, a bunch of windows appeared before him.

*Ting*

Endurance (END): ability to endure pain. Increasing Endurance will increase your pain tolerance.

Stamina (STA): overall amount of energy you have. Increasing Stamina will increase your total energy.

Strength (STR): self-explanatory. Increasing Strength will increase your overall strength as well as muscle mass.

Agility (AGI): the ability to move quickly and easily. Increasing Agility will increase speed and nimbleness. Will also increase your body's overall litheness (balances muscle mass.)

Dexterity (DEX): skill or adroitness in using the hands or body. Increasing Dexterity will improve your overall flexibility, hand co-ordination, etc. Will also increase your body's overall litheness (balances muscle mass.)

Charisma (CHA): represents your overall charm, magnetism and presence. Increasing Charisma will increase the aforementioned attributes as well as make people like you more. Increasing this will also make you appear more attractive.

Intelligence (INT): capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding and similar forms of mental activity. Increasing Intelligence will improve all of the above as well as make you more intelligent and improve your memory.

Wisdom (WIS): ability to think and solve problems quickly. Increasing Wisdom will increase the speed at which you are capable of thinking at, as well as increasing the rate at which Qi is naturally restored.

Luck (LCK): good fortune; advantage or success, considered as the result of chance. Luck effects everything you do in a small way, sometimes for the better or worse.

Attack (ATK): the amount of damage you can do. A higher attack rating will allow you to deal more damage.

Defense (DEF): the amount of defense you have. Higher defense rating will allow you to take less damage from physical external forces.

Once again Alex was astonished. 'By the gods...Then according to this...If I increase all of these stats to extremely high numbers....won't I become invincible!?' As he thought to here, he began to rejoice mentally, 'Hahahaha! The gods must have heard my prayers when I was at death's door. Thank you so much!!...With this...' His thoughts were interrupted as his father called out, “Alex! I'm going to open the shop now, so no more daydreaming. Haha.”

Alex had a beaming smile as he responded, “Haha, sure thing dad.” Kaesan raised an eyebrow as he viewed his son. Shrugging, Kaesan flipped the sign on the door to say open and unlocked the door. Alex was back in his thoughts as he and his father waited for customers. 'With this, I'll be able to reach unimaginable heights! Could I even become a cultivator!?' As if he realized something, he thought, 'Help Element Affinity'. As soon as he thought it, a blue status window flashed into existence.

*Ting*

Element Affinity: Your compatibility with the different Qi elements.

Alex widened his eyes as he read the status window. Excitedly, he thought, 'It said all elements for my affinity!...T-then! Doesn't this mean...that I can use all the elements!?...I-I...could become an Alchemist!?' His thoughts were disturbed as Kaesan called out, “Alex! Go out back and fetch some of the Eccu Leaf.” As he heard his father he hurriedly nodded and went outside. About a minute later he came back inside with a satchel in hand. “Here it is dad.” He said as he handed the satchel to his father. Kaesan patted Alex on the head as he received the satchel. “Thanks.”

Kaesan then turned to the customer who had entered while Alex was lost in his thoughts earlier. “Here you go, Harry. Six ounces of Eccu Leaf and four ounces of Ebbeley. It sure is surprising to see you here first thing in the morning though. Did something happen?” The customer was a middle-aged gentleman, with short brown hair.

He placed ten silver coins on the counter as he took the herbs, “Thanks Kaesan, these cultivators are a little troublesome. There was a fight in my tavern yesterday and you wouldn't believe the damage they did. My son and I were slightly injured from the stray attacks...” Kaesan gave a wry smile as he said, “I'm sorry to hear that Harry. At least you two weren't seriously injured or worse.” As he said this, he pushed five of the silver coins back across the counter towards Harry. Noticing this, Harry questioned, “Kaesan, I thought that these herbs were one silver an ounce?” Kasean chuckled and smiled as he spoke, “Haha, Harry we're old friends. There's no way I could charge you full price.”

Harry was taken aback as he said, “But...Kaesan, I can't...” Kaesan interrupted him, “Haha, Harry, with the business my shop has been receiving, this amount really isn't much. So please.” Smiling wryly, Harry took the five silver off the counter as he said, “Heh, thanks Kaesan, I appreciate it...Stop by my tavern sometime and I'll treat you n' your boy to a drink.” Kaesan laughed as he replied, “Hahaha, Harry, Alex's only twelve. He's too young to be drinking.” Harry chuckled as he reached the door, “Then I'll treat you to an ale and your son to a juice, haha. See ya later Kaesan.” Kaesan waved to Harry as he left the shop.

Watching Harry leave the shop, Alex asked Kaesan, “Hey dad. Can I go back to moving those crates now?” Kaesan raised an eyebrow as he looked towards Alex. “Eh? You want to go back to work already? You turning over a new leaf? Hahaha. Sure, go ahead son.” Alex smiled as he said, “Thanks” and proceeded towards the back room. Once there, he smiled to himself as he thought, 'Alright, so those were my stats in the status window...then what about the skill window?...Open Skill Window.' As he thought this, a blue status window popped up into his view along with the sound of a chime.

*Ting*

You have acquired the skill [Identify – Beginner]

Skills:

Deception Level 1 [0/10xp] Beginner (Passive) – the skill of deceiving others. Allows the user to be more successful in the art of misleading and lying to others.

Identify Level 1 [0/10xp] Beginner – allows you to attempt to identify any item. Successful attempts will allow you to see various detailed information about the item.

As he read this, he was thinking, 'Alright, so the only skills I have right now are Deception and Identify...I learned deception from lying to dad...Does that mean that I can learn all sorts of skills, simply by doing things. I wonder what qualifies as a skill though...Hmm, well I can figure that out after...Now then Identify, uh how did I learn this? All I did was open up the skill window...Huh, maybe I'll figure it out later...' Alex thought to himself as he pondered about the Identify skill.

Shrugging his shoulders, he continued to think, 'Now then, umm what next...uhh, dismiss...Open Ability Window.' As soon as he thought the word dismiss, the skills window vanished. Then as he thought the latter part, another blue status window appeared along with the sound of multiple chimes.

*Ting*

You have acquired the ability [Qi Enhancement – Beginner]

*Ting*

You have acquired the ability [Genesis – Beginner]

*Ting*

You have acquired the ability [The Empyreal Body]

*Ting*

Abilities:

Qi Enhancement Level 1 [0/10xp] Beginner – allows the user to channel their Qi into any item to enhance its capabilities permanently.

Genesis Level 1 [0/10xp] Beginner – allows the user to create any item that they can imagine so long as they have enough Qi.

The Empyreal Body (Passive) – you possess a body that came from the very heavens themselves. All 64 Qi Vein Entrances are open. Allows for unimaginable potential growth. Grants affinity with all Qi elements.

Alex read the list of his abilities and couldn't help from gawking in astonishment. Alex stuttered to himself mentally, 'This...With this...I can become a cultivator!...I could even create things and improve them...This is simply unbelievable! By the gods!...With this...' His face was currently turning red as he was imagining all of the possibilities. Interrupting his thoughts was a man's voice, “Alex! What are you doing? I came to check on you and I find you staring out into space.”

Alex was startled but quickly recovered as he replied, “Ah! Dad! Sorry. I was just lost in thought.” Kaesan raised an eyebrow as he asked, “Are you sure you're alright? You're acting awfully funny.” Alex smiled wryly and shook his head, “I'm fine dad. I was just thinking about some things.” Kaesan furrowed his brow as he asked, “Is it about those boys from that sect?” Alex hastily shook his head, “No. It's not. But it sorta has some relation to them since their cultivators.” Kaesan pulled a few crates over and stacked them up. Afterwards he sat down on them as he said, “Well, you want to tell me about it?”

Alex chuckled as he saw his dad's reaction, he fidgeted as he said, “Haha, sure dad...Well, I was just thinking that maybe...it would be possible for me to become....a cultivator.” Kaesan went wide-eyed as he heard what his son had said. “You want to become a cultivator?” Alex nodded, “Yea, I do.” Kaesan sighed and then gave a slight nod, “Being a cultivator is no easy thing, you know...It takes a lot of hard work and effort. Some people would say that it takes talent more than anything else. But that's not true. Hard work and effort can achieve the same results as talent...although it may take slightly longer...But, you may have a slight knack for it, since your mother is a cultivator. Maybe you inherited some of her talent.”

He brought his hand to his chin as he was pondering something. Alex stood there attentively while remaining silent. Finally after a couple of minutes passed, Kaesan said with a smile on his face, “Well son, no matter what you do in life, I'll support you. So if you want to become a cultivator, then I'll stand behind you all the way...” His face turned solemn as he continued, “We'll just have to talk to your mother. If she gives the okay, then it's fine by me.” Alex had a beaming smile as he said, “Alright, I'll ask her when we get home later. Thanks dad!” Kaesan laughed a little, “Hahaha, alright son! Let's get back to work!” Alex nodded then proceeded to pick up a crate and move it towards the storehouse.

** ** ** **

A few hours had gone by when Alex had just finished moving the last crate into the storehouse. As he set it down on top of some other crates, he had a beaming grin on his face. 'Hahaha. This status stuff is amazing! Over the past hours, I've gained three more strength and one stamina! It doesn't seem like a lot but I can feel a minor difference already. This is so awesome.' As he wiped the sweat off his brow, he left the storehouse and proceeded towards the shop. 'Alright, I got distracted by moving those crates. Time to see what the rest of those commands do. Open Profession Window.' While he was walking a blue status window appeared.

*Ting*

Professions:

None

Raising an eyebrow at the window, he thought, 'No professions huh...well I guess that's true. Haha, alright next. Dismiss. Open World Map.' As he thought this the former box disappeared as a new large blue square appeared. The moment it appeared he stopped moving. As he viewed it, he thought, 'This is the world map? All I see is black with a speck of green.' He tried to touch the map but his hand went right through it.

 Befuddled, he thought, 'Hmm...so touching it does nothing...then what about, ummm....zoom in.' As he thought this, the map abruptly zoomed in to the point of the green speck. As it got closer and closer he could make out more details. 'Eh! No way! That's the town we live in! The town of Solaris! Holy crap! Wow, it even has all of the grasslands nearby and even the forest.' The map kept zooming in. Finally it stopped as a white triangle was in the center of the screen surrounded by various sized squares and rectangles. 'What's that triangle?' While he thought this he turned around in a circle observing his surroundings.

As he turned, the map stayed in the center of his view and as it did so he noticed something. The triangle was spinning in a circle as well. 'No way! That triangle is me!?' He turned to his left and the triangle copied him. 'Haha! Amazing! It is me!...Then those shapes around me must be the buildings?...' As he was standing in the center of the back courtyard of the shop, he looked up into the sky. 'Hmm, so is this the view from above then?' He joyously smiled as he thought, 'With this, it'll be impossible for me to get lost!'

Alex dismissed the world map and continued to move towards the shop's back door. 'Open Local Map' he thought as he made his way forward. Another large rectangle appeared that was mostly black. Stopping in his tracks again, he thought, 'Uhh...So this one is different...Zoom in.' He examined the map closely as it zoomed in to center on a small white circle. 'Huh, so if it's like the world map, then is that white circle me?'

He stepped forward a little bit and as he did so, the white dot moved with him. 'Holy crap! Okay, so that is definitely me then. Awesome!' As he inspected the map, he saw a slightly different view than on the world map. The shapes that represented the buildings were different. He could only see one squarish shape with lines going through it. He could no longer see any of the other buildings as they were all covered in black a black fog. 'What are those lines?' As he thought this he walked over to the shop's back door and opened it.

While he passed through the doorway, he noticed something once more. 'I just walked through one of the lines...Oh! There was a little square like thing in the line. So those lines are the walls and that squarish thing was a doorway? Then I can see all the walls and doorways on this map...' He pondered for a moment as he stood in the doorway, 'Oh! So maybe I can only see all the walls and doorways of buildings I've entered!?' As he came to this realizations two chimes rang out.

*Ting*

You have gained 1 Intelligence (+1 INT)

*Ting*

You have gained 1 Wisdom (+1 WIS)

'Eh!? I gained one Intelligence and Wisdom!? So I must have been right with my guess! Holy crap! This is too awesome.' As he thought this, he dismissed the local map and walked into the shop, closing the door behind him. 'Heh. Dad was giving me one weird look as I stood there.' He smiled towards his dad and sat down on the stool at the counter he had been sitting at earlier. After giving Alex a weird glance, Kaesan continued to deal with the customers.

Alex sat there with his arms leaning on the counter as he thought, 'Open Mini-map.' As soon as he thought it, a very similar map appeared in the upper right corner of his vision. 'Eh!? So this mini-map thing is the local map?' As he focused on the mini-map, it suddenly enlarged filling just about his entire vision. 'Whoa' he thought as the map expanding surprised him. He looked away from the map and as he did so, the map shrunk back to its original small size in its initial position. 'Incredible!! Then with this mini-map, there's absolutely no way for me to be lost and I don't even need to worry about opening up the local map. As I can just focus on the mini-map and it transforms into the local one. This is too great!' He smiled as he viewed the mini-map.

As he was sitting there smiling, a young girl's silvery voice sounded out, “Oh, happy to see me Alex?” Snapping out of his daze, he focused on the source of the voice. Standing in front of him leaning on the counter with her head resting on her hands was a girl who appeared no older than twelve years old. Her straight sable-black hair flowed down past her shoulders complementing her porcelain-like skin. Her eyes were a soothing emerald green that seemed to calm the soul.

Continuing to smile, in a slightly surprised tone Alex said, “Oh, Sarah. What are you doing here?” Giggling, Sarah replied, “I'm here to see you! You've been missing forever! What happened to you?” Alex gave a wry smile as he answered, “Ah, about that, I was sick and stuck in bed for a while. Sorry.” Huffing, Sarah crossed her arms and said, “Why didn't you tell me!? I could've came over to your house to keep you company.”

Alex laughed as he responded, “Haha Sarah, I was bedridden for five days. You know my father is a physician right? Even if you knew and came over, he would've kept you away from me to make sure you wouldn't get sick as well.” She gave a slight wry smile as she sighed, “Yeah...I guess you're right...” Putting her hands on her hips, she continued in a playful tone, “You know how worried I was about you!? Geez...” Alex smiled warmly as he responded, “Sorry Sarah. I didn't mean to make you so worried...Thank you though.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

At Alex's last words, Sarah blushed as she stuttered, “Well, it's what friends are for, right!? Haha, hey, so...what are you doing today, are you busy?” Alex thought for a moment before replying, “Hmm, no...I guess I'm not too busy...why?” With an excited smile on her face, Sarah said, “Hehe, great! Guess what! There's two cultivators who are going to be fighting a little later today!”

She looked down towards the ground as her face started to become slightly flushed while she stuttered, “Do you...want to...go with me to watch them?” Alex was a bit surprised but quickly answered, “Yeah! That sounds like fun!” Jerking her head up from looking down, she grinned as she asked, “R-really!?” Alex smiled and chuckled, “Haha, yeah Sarah. Really.” Sarah's face was glowing as she softly smiled and said, “I'll meet you at the front of your shop in a few hours okay? Then we can go together and watch the duel.” Nodding, Alex replied, “Alright, that sounds good. See you then.” Sarah waved and said, “Bye, see you later” as she left the shop.

Kaesan walked over from nearby. As he reached Alex, he patted him on the back and jokingly said, “Haha, so you're going on a date with your girlfriend later huh?” Alex's cheeks slightly turned red as he retorted, “W-what!? What g-girlfriend!? We're just friends and we're going to go watch some cultivators duel later.” Kaesan chortled as he said, “Hahaha, alright son. Whatever you say...You can have the rest of the day off, okay?”

Alex grinned and nodded, “Thanks dad!” Patting Alex on the head, Kaesan nodded, “Mn. Just make sure you're careful later. Depending on their ranks, a duel between cultivators can be dangerous even for spectators.” Alex gave a slight nod assenting, “Right dad. I'll be careful...I'm gonna stay here at the shop till then okay?” “Sure bud. That's fine.” As he responded, Kaesan had started walking over towards the other side of the shop. 'Alright, now I've got a few hours to myself.' Alex thought as he continued to sit at the counter.

As he sat there, he shifted his eyes to the upper right. 'The mini-map is still there. Great...So I guess it stays there until I dismiss it?...Well, let's give it a try. Dismiss.' Nothing happened as the mini-map remained in its position. 'Huh...maybe, dismiss mini-map?' This time the mini-map vanished. Mentally sighing in realization he thought, 'Ahh, so I actually needed to specify the mini-map. Alright then, let's bring it back! Open Mini-map.' As he thought it, the mini-map instantly re-appeared in the upper right corner of his vision.

'Great. Okay, so next let's try the character menu. Open Character Menu.' As soon as he finished thinking it, a decent sized blue rectangle appeared in the middle-left of his vision. In it, was two identical images of Alex. One was a view from the front while the other was a view from the side. 'E-eh?...That's me!' Examining it, he thought, 'So this is me from the front and the side? Alright then.' As he continued to inspect it, he noticed there were many small squares lining the sides of the window. 'What are these for?' Looking closer at them, he noticed that in four of the squares there were some icons. The moment he focused on one of them, a miniature rectangle popped up.

Brown Linen Pants

'Uhh...so that's cool.' As he thought this, he changed his view to the other three icons. As he did so, three more status windows appeared.

White Linen Shirt

White Linen Underwear

Brown Linen Shoes

As he viewed what the status windows said, he tried to touch the icon of his pants. The moment his finger made contact with it, he suddenly felt a chill. 'Huh, so what's that all about?...Wonder why my finger didn't pass through it...' Shrugging his shoulders, he dismissed all of the windows. 'Alright, so next...how bout I try...open-' cutting him off was Kaesan's confused voice, “Uhh...Alex.”

Turning to look at his dad, Alex innocently asked, “What's the matter dad? Did something happen?” Kaesan looked befuddled as he replied, “Alex, where are your pants?” Letting out a surprised, “Huh” Alex looked down and noticed a lot of white skin. “Uhhh...” he muttered as an extremely bewildered look floated onto his face. Kaesan chuckled and smiled wryly while shaking his head, “You know what...I'm not even gonna ask. Just, go put them back on, alright?” After speaking to there, Kaesan turned around and walked away. With an embarrassed smile on his face, Alex went into the back room. 'Okay, so that was strange.' He opened up the Character Menu again and took a close look at it. The icon that represented his pants was currently missing from the square they were in previously. 'Umm, what the hell? Where'd they go!?'

Alex was starting to panic, but suddenly a thought occurred to him, 'Wait, didn't that help thing mention something about an inventory?...Maybe that's it. Open Inventory.' Mirroring his thoughts a large status window appeared. As he examined it, he noticed something. This status window was different from all of the rest. In a large white rectangle with a blue outline, there were many white squares with black trim filling it up. All of which were empty, except one. 'By the gods! There they are!' In one of the squares sat an icon that was very similar to his pants. 'Okay, so how did they end up there?'

As he viewed the inventory window, he attempted to touch the icon for his pants. As his finger made contact, suddenly a pair of brown linen pants appeared directly in front of him in midair. As he caught the pants, he thought to himself, '...Okay...so if I touch an item in that character menu, they get stored into the inventory? Then if I touch an item in the inventory, that item gets taken out?...Alright, I can work with this...Oh wait! Didn't that help thing say that there was a command for equipping and unequipping? That should be how to put things on right? Only one way to find out. Equip...Pants.'

As he thought the words, nothing happened. 'Umm...what, it didn't work?...Well, I'll just put them on myself then.' A couple of moments later, Alex was once more wearing his pants. Looking down at his pants, he curiously thought to himself, 'Huh...Open Character Menu.' The same status window from earlier popped up, with views showing himself from the front and side. He inspected the window and found that the icon for his pants was back where it was previously.

'Okay...so now they're back. I'm still curious about this Equip and Unequip thing...Well, here it goes. Unequip Pants.' Once again, nothing happened. 'What the heck? Um, Unequip Brown Pants?' Again, nothing happened. 'Arg! Unequip Brown Linen Pants?' This time his pants vanished without a trace. 'Ah! It worked!...Now where did they go?' He stood there motionlessly in the back room as he was pantless.

'Open Inventory.' The inventory menu blinked into existence in front of him. Inside of it, he noticed that the icon for his pants was there once more. 'Ahh, okay. So when I unequip an item it goes directly to the inventory?...Equip Brown Linen Pants.' Right as the words were thought, his brown pants immediately flashed back onto his body.

Alex looked downwards, inspecting his pants. 'Alright, so that's an amazing feature. I'm just going to have to be careful not to take them off on accident again.' He shrugged and sighed. 'Okay. Next was the, umm....Open Reputation Window.' Another status window flashed into reality. As he viewed it he let out a confused, “Huh?”

Reputation

Besides the word Reputation, the rest of the box was completely blank. Shrugging and dismissing the status window, Alex thought, 'Well I guess there really isn't anyone I'd have a reputation with? Oh well...Next up is...Open Quest Log.' Another blue rectangle appeared in his vision.

Quest Log

Go on a date: Meet with Sarah Collford at your family's medicinal shop in a few hours.

Alex's face started to become somewhat warm as he was reading the entry that was present in the quest log. He stuttered to himself, “It's not a date. We're just friends. Geez.” Shaking his head, he dismissed the quest log window. 'Alright so what was left?' He thought the word, 'Help', in order to view the entire list of commands. After reading through the various commands again, he nodded. 'Alright so, Display Clock.' As soon as the words passed through his mind, some numbers appeared in the upper right corner of his view directly underneath the mini-map. He looked at what was displayed.

12:44

'No way!' Alex thought to himself as he was looking at the numbers. 'It can even display the current time! That's way too convenient!' He smiled as he continued to think. 'Might as well leave that there then. Alright...next is, Show Health.' Right as he thought this, a red bar with the numbers 10/10 on it, appeared in the upper left corner of his vision. 'Eh!? So that's my health? Awesome!...Three more commands to go...Show Qi, Show energy.'

The moment the words floated through his mind, a blue bar with the numbers 10/10 and a green bar with the numbers 100/100 appeared directly underneath the health bar. 'Okay...So earlier the status window said I have 10 health, 10 Qi and 100 energy. Since the red bar is my health. Then the blue one should be my Qi and the green should be my energy. This is way too convenient. This is so crazy!'

Alex was grinning in excitement as he thought of the future. Shaking his head as he attempted to ground his thoughts, he muttered, “Only one to go. Show Experience.” As soon as the words left his mouth, an empty bar that read 0/100xp, appeared at the bottom middle of his vision. 'Umm what is that? What's experience?...Help Experience.' As soon as he thought it, a new status window appeared.

*Ting*

Experience – a numerical representation of knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what you observe, encounter, undergo or do. Earning enough experience will allow you to level up. Experience may be earned through various means. Two of which are killing creatures such as profound beasts or monsters and completing quests.

As he read what experience was, Alex was wide-eyed. 'Okay...well, I'll come back to this later. I'm not going to be able to kill any profound beasts or monsters for quite some time. Guess I'll find out later after I meet with Sarah.' When he finished thinking he looked around the back room and found a chair to sit on. Once seated he continued to think, 'Alright, so deception is the ability to deceive others. Then what about Identify?...Hmmm, Unequip Brown Linen Pants.' After his pants vanished, he opened his inventory and retrieved them. Holding them in his hands and focusing, he thought, 'Well, here goes nothing. Identify.' As soon as he thought it, a status window appeared.

*Ting*

Brown Linen Pants – Standard cloth pants made from brown colored linen.Quality – Standard.Attack – 0Defense – 0Special Properties – None

After he read the description, Alex was slightly slack jawed. 'This...This is incredible! Does that mean then...that items can boost my attack and defense? By the gods!' After he reigned in his thoughts, he looked at the pants in his hands and curiously asked aloud, “Just how do I put things into my inventory without equipping and then unequipping them?” After staring in silence and at a loss, he thought, 'Help, How do I store items in my inventory.' A couple of seconds passed before a status window popped up along with a familiar chime.

*Ting*

To store and withdraw items from the inventory you need to be in contact with said item. Then all that is necessary, is for you to will it and it shall happen.

After reading the message, he thought, 'Well isn't that vague...What does it mean by “will it”? Maybe I just need to want it to happen or think it?...' Staring at the pants in his hands, he tried willing it into his inventory. To his surprise, the pants vanished. Alex let out a startled gasp, “Eh? It worked?” Opening the inventory, he saw that the pants were once more inside of it. 'Awesome! So that's it!? Haha, great!...Equip Brown Linen Pants.' After thinking it, the pants appeared on his body. 'Okay, so that's that. Oh I know, Unequip White Linen Shirt.' After his shirt vanished, he opened his inventory and took it out. Holding it in his hands he uttered, “Identify.” As soon as the word was spoken, three new status windows appeared alongside the sound of three chimes.

*Ting*

White Linen Shirt – Standard cloth shirt made from white colored linen.Quality – StandardAttack – 0Defense – 0Special Properties – None

*Ting*

Level up: Identify (Beginner Level 2 [0/15xp])

*Ting*

You have gained 1 Intelligence (+1 INT)

'Identify leveled up!? Open Skill Window.' As he thought it, the skill window appeared.

Skills:

Deception Level 1 [5/10xp] Beginner (Passive) – the skill of deceiving others. Allows the user to be more successful in the art of misleading and lying to others.

Identify Level 2 [0/15xp] Beginner – allows you to attempt to identify any item. Successful attempts will allow you to see various detailed information about the item.

As he reviewed his skills, he jubilantly smiled. 'Awesome...So I get five experience for each item I identify? Or is it by type of item? Maybe the quality has something to do with it?..Hmm, I'll have to experiment with it...The amount of experience I need to level it up, increased as well. It was ten just like deception, but now it requires fifteen...Huh, I even gained one intelligence when identify leveled up...Wait a minute, I have five experience in deception already? How-...ahh right, was it because I lied to Sarah? That must have been it...' Dismissing the windows, Alex stored his shirt into his inventory and then equipped it. He looked down at his feet. A moment later his shoes vanished into thin air. Lifting his hand up and turning it over, the shoes suddenly appeared. 'I'm getting better at this...Identify.' Another window popped up.

*Ting*

Brown Linen Shoes – Standard cloth shoes made from brown linen.Quality – StandardAttack – 0Defense – 0Special Properties – None

After dismissing the status window, he stored the shoes back into his inventory and then equipped them. He sat there for a moment before smiling wryly. Abruptly, a pair of white underwear appeared in his hand. 'Hehe...I can't believe I'm checking these...Identify.'

*Ting*

White Linen Underwear – Standard white undergarments made from white linen.Quality – StandardAttack – 0Defense – 0Special Properties – None

Making sure his underwear were back on properly, he opened up the skills window again.

Skills:

Deception Level 1 [5/10xp] Beginner (Passive) – the skill of deceiving others. Allows the user to be more successful in the art of misleading and lying to others.

Identify Level 2 [10/15xp] Beginner – allows you to attempt to identify any item. Successful attempts will allow you to see various detailed information about the item.

Nodding to himself triumphantly, he thought, 'Alright so I gained five experience each for my shoes and underwear. They're both standard quality...Well there's plenty of stuff in this room. Something has to be of either higher or lower quality' Thinking to there, he dismissed the windows and stood up. He turned around and looked at the chair he had been sitting in. “Identify” he mumbled. Immediately after, three chimes rang out.

*Ting*

Wooden Chair – Standard wood chair made from ordinary wood.Quality – StandardSpecial Properties – None

*Ting*

You have gained 1 Intelligence (+1 INT)

*Ting*

Level up: Identify (Beginner Level 3 [0/20xp])

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