While Connor lay on the ground in the filth that had been ejected from his body, his Uncanny Perception skill activated as his unconscious mind absorbed further input from the SYSTEM. After a few moments, even more of the sludge began pouring from every orifice of his body until he lay covered and surrounded by a black sludge that equaled his body weight at the beginning of the process. The smell was horrendously awful and smelled like a cross between an outhouse that had been sitting in the summer heat and a rendering plant. Luckily for Connor, the changes his body was undergoing kept him unconscious so that he could not properly appreciate how foul the gunk he laid in was.
The group that found him three hours later was not so lucky.
***
Automatic Audit Initiated.
Subject: Connor Orion Nash XP award of 58,800,000 XP on Newly SYSTEM Integrated world requires investigation
Working
XP Award Valid.
ERROR! The subject has not formed a Core
Update: Core is forming
Common Core has Formed
ERROR! Common Class NOT chosen
ERROR! Common Racial Upgrade has NOT occurred
Uncommon Core has been Formed
ERROR! Uncommon Class upgrade NOT chosen
ERROR! Uncommon Racial Upgrade has NOT occurred
Rare Core has been Formed
ERROR! Rare Class Upgrade NOT Chosen
ERROR! Rare Racial Upgrade has NOT occurred
Advanced Core has been Formed.
ERROR! Advanced Class Upgrade NOT Chosen
ERROR! Rare Racial Upgrade has NOT occurred
Master Core has been Formed.
ERROR! Master Class Upgrade NOT Chosen
ERROR! Master Racial Upgrade has NOT occurred.
Severe Soul Core Imbalance detected.
Soul Core dissolution is imminent.
SYSTEM Intervention Required
Mandatory Racial Evolution Required
Mandatory Racial Evolution Initiated.
Origin Race: Humans have evolved to Master Ranked Human.
Variations during Race Evolution are suppressed.
Adjustments have been made: +150 for all Attributes. Perk: Regeneration, Rank: Master.
Mandatory Class Choice Required
No Class Choices Present.
Scanning Subject.
Multiple Inherent Class Synergies and Interests Detected.
Querry, What is LitRPG?
Warning: possible SYSTEM Influence detected?
Disregard SYSTEM references received from Fiction.
Origin?
Possible Recurrence Influence.
Preferred Class Not Evident,
Class interests detected within Science Fiction, Fantasy, and LitRPG subset knowledge: Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, Mage, Wizard, Sorcerer, Druid, Ranger, Jedi, Superhero, MechWarrior, Necromancer, Axeman, Hunter, Clive’s Wi… Error, not a class.
More classes of interest were detected. All are variations on previously listed interests.
Primary Synergy with any detected Class?
Negative: Class Interests vary too widely for the SYSTEM to make an accurate prediction of the best class choice for the Subject.
Possible Candidate for Unfettered Configuration?
Affirmative.
Working.
Unfettered Configuration is Acceptable.
What is the probability that Soul Core will be stabilized with Unfettered Configuration?
100%
Classes Configuration Initiated.
Common Rank Unfettered Configuration
Attribute Bonuses: Hit Points, Stamina, Mana, Psychic Energy, Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Endurance, Constitution, Perception, Intelligence, Wisdom, Willpower, Charisma, and Luck +1 per Common Unfettered Level
This Class does not receive Free Attributes at this Rarity
Common Rank Class Skill Slots: Sacrificed for Class Bonuses, See Malleable Skill Class Bonus
Class bonuses (5):
Malleable Skills
This is a skill
Skills, like Spells, are typically acquired through discovery or training.
Not for you.
An Unfettered individual may focus their intent and modify their skills as needed.
To acquire a new skill, you must rest and focus on the outcome you desire for one day. If the result you want is possible, the SYSTEM will assign the appropriate skill to an empty skill slot. To increase the power of any skill you already possess, assign another skill slot to it. Skills may only be improved until their power is equal to your Core Rarity.
The Unfettered may learn any skills in this fashion, including those that utilize Mana or Psychic Energy.
Spells.
You receive a number of Spell Slots equal to your current Class Rarity plus your Intelligence Attribute divided by ten rounded down. To acquire new spells, you must either discover them or receive training. Spells may be removed and added as desired when not in combat after resting for at least eight hours.
Note: Spells take up a number of slots equal to their Rarity. Spells must be slotted before they may be cast unless cast from a scroll or spell book.
Stealth
This is a skill. This Class Skill does not require Skill Slots.
Stealth skill allows you to vanish from sight. Those with special skills or a high perception may pierce your Stealth Skill. Class-based stealth has both mental and physical aspects. Skills and Equipment of equal or greater rarity are required to pierce your stealth.
Backstab
This is a Skill
When attacking an unaware target, you receive a bonus damage multiplier equal to your class rarity level. This is in addition to the base x2 multiplier.
Current Backstab multiplier: x3 at Common Rarity.
Enhanced Weapon Proficiency
+1 to Hit / +1 to Damage with a single hand-held weapon. The Bonus can be swapped to another weapon once per day while not in combat. The bonuses increase by one each time the Rarity of this Class increases: +2 at Uncommon, +3 at Rare, etc.…
Uncommon Rarity Unfettered Configuration
Attribute Bonuses: Hit Points, Stamina, Mana, Psychic Energy, and Willpower +2 per Uncommon Unfettered Level,
Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Endurance, Constitution, Perception, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and Luck +1 per Uncommon Unfettered Level
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
This Class does not receive Free Attributes at this Rarity
Skill Slots: 2 + 1 Skill Slot per 10 Uncommon Unfettered Levels.
Rare Rarity Unfettered Configuration
Attribute Bonuses: Hit Points, Stamina, Mana, Psychic Energy, Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Endurance, Constitution, Perception, Intelligence, Wisdom, Willpower, Charisma, and Luck +2 per Rare Unfettered Level
This Class does not receive Free Attributes at this Rarity
Rare Class Skill Slots: 3 + 1 Skill Slot per 10 Rare Unfettered Levels.
Advanced Rarity Unfettered Configuration
Hit Points, Stamina, Mana, Psychic Energy, and Willpower +4 per Advanced Unfettered Level,
Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Endurance, Constitution, Perception, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and Luck +2 per Advanced Unfettered Level
This Class does not receive Free Attributes at this Rarity
Advanced Class Skill Slots: 4 + 1 Skill Slot per 10 Advanced Unfettered Levels.
Master Unfettered Configuration
Attribute Bonuses: Hit Points, Stamina, Mana, Psychic Energy, and Willpower +4 per Advanced Unfettered Level,
Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Endurance, Constitution, Perception, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and Luck +3 per Advanced Unfettered Level
This Class does not receive Free Attributes at this Rarity
Master Class Skill Slots: 4 + 1 Skill Slot per 10 Master Unfettered Levels.
Race, Class, and Core modification complete. Soul Core Stability achieved.
Changes to physical form underway
***
Connor came to with cold water being sprayed all over his body. Besides the fact that cold water was being sprayed all over his body, there were two other things definitely wrong with the situation. Well, three. First, he was no longer up on the mountain. Second, he was butt-ass naked. Third, someone was scrubbing his body.
“Make sure to get that shit off him. Whoever did this was a complete asshole,” A gruff voice called from above his head.
“You got it, Chief, though I want extra pay for this. Also, The Station is paying the cleaning expenses on my gear.
“Hey, his eyes opened, a female off to the side called out.”
“Wait! What?” The guy that had been scrubbing said as he stopped and backed away from Connor’s prone body.
“Where am I,” Connor asked in a much steadier voice than he figured he should be able to call out. His voice sounded deeper, more masculine, with a hint of something he couldn’t quite define.”
A woman stepped forward, knelt, and touched his shoulder, “We’re at the base of the trailhead to Mt. Kimball. Some hikers found you around 8 p.m., called for help, and dragged you down the trail to this point. The medics won’t let you onto or in their equipment until you're clear of the black gunk, so we’re washing you off.
“What time is it now?” Connor asked.
“It’s after midnight. Your mother has already been notified. She’s on her way here.”
“You said I had crap all over me. What exactly was it?” Connor asked.
“We have no idea, but we gathered a sample. We’ll let the labs test it. You don’t know what it was, do you?”
“Nope, the last thing I remember was being attacked by a Coyote. ” My fencing skill saved my life,” Anton said as he noticed that he was lying in the middle of the street beside a firetruck.
“The hikers are over there making a statement to the police. The officers will be over here to talk to you in a minute, I’m sure. Why don’t we get you cleaned up now that you're awake? We can hose you down quickly. Trust me, whatever that gunk is, it stinks, and it does not like to be scrubbed off. Sanders has been trying to clean you up for the better part of an hour.”
“I can’t smell it; must be used to it or something; what do you need me to do?” Connor asked.
“Cover your eyes with one hand and your package with the other. We’re going to hose you down and push the gunk on the ground toward the drain. Then we’ll turn you over and repeat the process,” The Chief said.
Connor followed the instructions. While the water was cold, it didn’t hurt. When they were done, someone helped him stand and handed him a towel. He dried off quickly and was handed a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. As he was putting them on, the fire crew began packing up, and an officer with the last name Clark on his name tag walked over with his mom.
“Mr. Nash, is it?” Officer Clark asked.
“It is?”
“Yes, that’s my son. He’s been hurt. Can we stop with the 50 questions so I can take him home? his mom called out.
“I got this, Mom; they’re just doing their jobs. Besides, I’m really grateful that someone found me and called you,” Connor said.
“Nonsense, I would have called…” His mom started to say before she took a deep breath and settled down.
Once Officer Clark was sure his mother had calmed down, he tried again, “Mr. Nash, can you tell me what happened?”
“I was hiking up to Mt. Kimball looking for various plant and animal life for one of my college courses when a coyote attacked me. The next thing I know, I’m receiving a scrub down from the fire crew.”
“The group that found you didn’t find anything except you, the dead coyote down the mountainside, and the sludge you were found in. Do you know where your gear is? I assume you have gear?” Officer Clark asked.
Connor kept his face neutral as he considered the question. After the Coyote had attacked, had that all been real? Connor sent a mental command to open his inventory and immediately found his backpack and clothes. He closed his inventory and turned back to Officer Clark, “I’m not sure. I was wearing pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I also had my cane and a backpack when I headed up the mountain,” All things that Officer Clark, if he was even partially competent, already knew.
“That’s what a couple of the eyewitnesses that came down before you said. I also checked the footage of the cameras that watch the parking area. This brings what happened to possible assault and mischief since you weren’t seriously hurt. Do you have any idea who would want to strip you down and leave you in a pile of sewage?”
“No officer,” which was the truth because that hadn’t happened.
The medics checked him over and determined that he was in excellent health. Officer Clark asked a few more questions, filled out some paperwork, and then placed a sticker on his car so it wouldn’t get towed. His mother would have to take him home so he could get his spare key to the car. Then, she’d have to bring him back out tomorrow to pick up the car.
Connor signed the paperwork Officer Clark handed him and followed his mom to her car. From there, she took him back to her home. His Dad had passed three years ago, but she still had the house he’d grown up in. His room was still set up for him, so he had a place to sleep whenever he came to visit. As moms are wanting to do, she fussed over him for a bit, but not for too long when they arrived at her house. It was late, and they were both tired.
Once he was in his room alone, he willed his car keys into his hand, just to make sure everything that happened wasn’t a dream and then put them back into his inventory. He purposely chose not to open his status or any of the stuff that he seemed to be able to and laid back on the bed, with his mind thinking about a thousand things all at once. He was afraid he wouldn’t fall asleep, but before he knew it, he was out.
He woke to the smell of bacon, eggs, and toast and made his way to the dining table where his mother had set everything out. He wasn’t incredibly hungry, but he ate everything she’d set out for him. It was weird. He wasn’t hungry, but he could eat. Also, when he was done, he didn’t feel hungry, but he wasn’t full either. It was a bit weird.
He knew that he’d need to play with the interface for a bit and try to figure out what was going on. Especially since a portion of his mind remembered something that he didn’t recall reading, but it reminded him of the messages he’d received on the mountain. Something about being Unfettered: he’d need to look into that. A look at the clock showed that it was already 11 a.m. So, this late Friday morning. In late August.
During breakfast, his mother kept looking at him as if she wanted to ask him a question, but she didn’t. After breakfast, he took a quick shower, noticed that the sword tattoo was still on the right side of his chest, and got dressed. He still had some clothes in the closet here, so it was nothing for him to put on some jeans and a dark shirt so the tattoo wouldn’t show through.
Maybe the system was real, perhaps magic existed, and all evidence pointed to the fact that he had a dimensional storage area where his backpack and clothes were stored. What he knew with absolute certainty was that his mom disliked tattoos, and he did not want to be the target of one of her religious tirades about being influenced by the devil again. Shoot, if the Apocalypse were coming, the “I told you so “would come often with emphasis. She had become quite religious after Dad had passed.
Connor made sure to grab the spare key to his car and followed his mother out of the house. As they sat down and his mother began driving, he asked, “Any plans today, Mom?”
“After I drop you off, I’m going to meet Debbie at the mall. We’re going to do some early shopping for Christmas.”
“Mom, it’s only August,” Connor pointed out.
“It's the end of August. There are only four months until Christmas,” she said with a smile, “You could come with us?”
“That’s okay. You have your friend time with Debbie. I have to rewrite what I saw yesterday and then turn in the assignment. Since my backpack is missing, I have to start from scratch.”
Just then, she pulled up behind his parked car and stopped., “Okay, Dear. Here you are. You get what you need to get done; I’ll see you later.”
“I’ll be staying in the dorm tonight. Everything that was on my phone would have been downloaded onto my cloud, and my computer has access to those files,” Connor explained as he exited her car. His mom waited as he walked around to the driver's side and unlocked the car with the spare key. Once he was in the car and buckled in, His mom gave him a wave and drove off.
Connor headed back to the University Campus. Now that he had a little bit of time, he noticed that he felt different. The world seemed crisper. Keeping track of traffic seemed easier, and his reaction time seemed a bit faster. As he drove, his mind wandered, and before he knew it, he was stepping out of his car and heading toward his dorm room.
He stepped into his room and closed the door behind him. He sat down at his computer. He did a search for strange occurrences yesterday at 6 p.m. As he pulled up information about yesterday, he reviewed the information in his status; he marveled at how much it resembled a character Sheet from one of the Massively Multiplayer Online Games he had played.
Name: Conner Orion Nash
Birthday: October 15th, 2007
Apparent Age: 22
Race: Master Ranked Human
Core: Master
Classes
Common / Unfettered / 100
Uncommon / Unfettered / 100
Rare / Unfettered / 100
Advanced / Unfettered / 100
Master / Unfettered / 53
Epic / None /
Hit Points: 1,368
Stamina: 2,167
Mana: 2,110
Psychic Energy: 2,210
Strength: 1,267
Agility: 1,277
Dexterity: 1,277
Endurance: 1,257
Constitution: 1,267
Perception: 1,267
Intelligence: 1,267
Wisdom: 1,267
Willpower: 1,620
Charisma: 1,267
Luck: 1,267
Chaos: 0
Order: 0
Skill Slots: 49
Spell Slots: 141
Running Speed
MPH: 801
FPS: 1175
> Abilities <
?
?
> Titles <
Head of the Line
Deflector
It's Not the Fall That Kills You, It's the Sudden Stop
Big Game Hunter
Head of the Line II
Head of the Line III
Head of the Line IV
Head of the Line V
> Perks <
Common Core
Uncommon Core
Rare Core
Advanced Core
Master Core
Common Racial Evolution
Uncommon Racial Evolution
Rare Racial Evolution
Advanced Racial Evolution
Master Racial Evolution
Regeneration
Connor looked over the information and froze. Then he went through his notifications, subtracted all of the modifications to strength, and realized that yesterday he’d only had a Strength of 8. Now, it was 1,267. That was 158.375 times as much. Wait, that number had just popped into his head. Did these attributes make it easier to do math too? A higher intelligence made him better at math, which was awesome. He’d been struggling with Intro to Calculus, but maybe now he’d be able to understand what the professor was saying.
He needed to get a better idea of what the numbers meant, so he whispered, “SYSTEM, what is considered an average attribute for an adult human male?”
Connors' perception focused on Strength, and a Tooltip box appeared.
Non-Integrated Average Human Strength: 10
Connor quickly went through the rest of the attributes. All except for Chaos and Order, which offered no information. The average for each was 10. The average Hit Points for an adult male was 9. Connor wondered how much harder it would be to kill him now or for him to kill someone else, which he’d never done before. Damn, that went dark quick. Of course, there was no way for him to tell what was considered deadly. He needed to know how much damage a gun or…wait. He pulled up the information on Fang and checked its Base Damage.
Base Damage: 6
If a person’s average hit points was 9, a critical strike that did double damage would reduce an average man’s hit points to -3 with one hit. A longsword could kill an average person with one hit. Of course, if he swung the sword, his base damage was listed at 133*. Connor focused on the “*.”
Durability
Melee Weapons add a strength-based bonus from the wielder. This is the maximum possible damage that can be added to a weapon. A weapon may normally add up to double the base damage with no harm done to the weapon's durability during the attack. If a person’s full strength bonus is more than double the weapon's base damage, the weapon can take durability damage when used in an attack.
If wielded properly, bladed weapons take durability damage equal to one-half the damage inflicted when exceeding the double damage limit.
Example: Fang may do up to 133 points of damage but will take 61 points of durability damage.
Blunt weapons and Bladed weapons that are not appropriately wielded take full durability damage. In the above example, Fang would take 121 points of Durability damage.
When Durability reaches zero, the weapon shatters. Only magic or reforging can replace durability lost by a weapon. In the above example, Fang would be destroyed.
So, while he had 1,267 strength if he used Fang, he had to limit his swings, so he was only adding 6 points of damage. However, Fang did regenerate durability at a rate of 1 per hour. As long as he didn’t go crazy, he could get in up to 24 points of damage extra a day without having to worry about the blade too much. It was kind of lucky that he’d decided to look at this information before he used the blade. It would have sucked to swing it once and be afraid to swing it again.
Finding the information about Fang gave him an idea. Connor looked for the notifications while he’d been unconscious. They weren’t hard to find, but he had to ask to see them. He found everything he’d thought he’d dreamed about. His mind must have absorbed some of the information while he was unconscious. The SYSTEM had assigned him a class called unfettered because it couldn’t decide if he had a favored type of action or synergy because of the games he played and the fiction he read. It had even picked up on a fictional character from one of his favorite series. That was hilarious.
Then he focused on Malleable Skill.
He could create skills just by focusing on his intent. For someone with an average Wisdom score of 10, that might take a while. How about for someone with a Wisdom of 1,267? The description said that he could create skills that he could develop skills that ran on mana or Psychic Energy. He could run pretty fast. What about cloud running or flying? A teleport or blink-type effect might work, too. His ability to activate Stealth and fly might come in really handy at some point. If he could get the ability to fly, he could probably get the ability to teleport, too. Of course, he was limited by the number of slots he had, but if that were true, it meant everyone else was too.
Connor sat down in the middle of the floor and cleared his mind. Then, he concentrated on acquiring the ability to fly at least as fast as he could run without needing wings. As he focused, two branches appeared in his Mind’s Eye. The left path was sealed to him, and he realized that it was the hint of a spell that would grant him what he required. He followed the other path, and before he knew it, a notification filled his vision.
Congratulations! You have acquired the Psychic Skill: Flight.
Flight. At a cost of 10 Psychic Energy per second or 100 per Combat Turn, you may move through the air as you move on the ground. This is a mental skill, though it doesn’t require concentration.
Connor jumped to his feet and jumped into the air with the desire to hover a foot off the ground and activated Flight. He hovered. He didn’t even have to concentrate. He spent the next five minutes running around the room. He ran along the wall, stood upside down on the ceiling, and even moved around with just his mind. It was awesome. Then, he activated Stealth. Stealth worked off of his Stamina. He hadn’t seen the cost for Stealth anywhere, but it looked like it required 10 Stamina per second or 100 per Combat Turn. His Stamina Regeneration rate was 13 per Second, and his Psychic Energy Regeneration rate was 16 per second, so he could activate Flight and remain under Stealth, which brought him to his next question.
With his attributes this high, how fast could he run or fly now?
He opened his information and went digging.
801 miles per hour.
His Status sheet stated that he could fly 801 miles per hour! Now, a better question: could he survive traveling that fast? There was only one way to find out. Connor opened the window to his bedroom, which was on the third floor of the dorm, and with both Flight and Stealth active, jumped through the window and accelerated upward.
Connor played with his SYSTEM interface for a moment until he had an accurate speedometer in his vision that showed his current speed and altitude, which it seemed the SYSTEM was keeping track of anyway. He also willed an icon of a human body to appear on the left side of his vision, which would solidify when he was visible and become an outline when Stealth was active.
When he reached cloud level, he headed south. If what he read before was accurate, nothing on Earth could detect him. His Stealth skill was tied to the maximum Class Rank, which was Master or Rank 5 if he was using numbers. Earth’s technology, as far as he could tell, was at Common or Rank 1. Of course, the SYSTEM could be lying, but he didn’t think so. Something that could affect the world didn’t need to lie.
As he reached 200 miles per hour, he started to do a bit of damage to his clothes, which he’d forgotten about. He was going to need to either create force screens around himself or find a way to become incorporeal, or else he would rip apart any clothes he was wearing and might even damage his skin. Connor slowed down and realized he also needed a way to survive in space.
Connor turned back toward Tucson. As he flew back into his Dorm room, none the wiser to his escapades as far as he could tell, he deactivated his Skills and sat down on his couch. He had a lot to think about and consider.