Nick was filled with a feral, crystalline clarity. He understood on a primal, instinctual level, that this was a critical moment in his development. A chance to rise above the curve and carve out a place for himself in his new, System-governed reality.
Alight with an intoxicating cocktail of dopamine and adrenaline, he turned to face the display, eager to discover what power the stone would grant him. Anything at all would be great at this point, offering him a crucial advantage going forward. While he had no idea what the limits and constraints of acquiring abilities were just yet, there was no chance that Nick would regret using the stone now.
If he understood what Pax had told him regarding the mechanics of his free slot, even if the stone offered a passive ability with a significant drawback, he could disable the ability at will by placing it into his free slot, effectively granting the passive an off switch. Although, now that Nick thought about it, he wasn’t exactly sure how to move abilities from his core slots into his free slot. Or if he could unlearn suboptimal abilities if he were offered better picks later down the road.
In fact, he had a whole mountain of unanswered questions regarding abilities, magic, and other System mechanics, none of which impacted his choice to use the stone here and now. He sent his thoughts into the display while saying “yes,” every neuron aglow with a surge of excitement.
Nick was giddy with anticipation as he waited to see what ability he would receive, certain that this moment represented a pivotal turning point in his existence—the chance to become a true adventurer, like the characters in the stories he had been reading all his life.
In the handful of heartbeats it took for these thoughts to pass through his brain, he had yet to receive his ability. For an instant, he was irrationally terrified that something had gone horribly wrong. However, the reason for the unexpected delay became obvious when he took another look at the screen. Wrapped up in his enthusiasm, he had failed to notice a second prompt appear on the display.
When he read it, Nick became even more thrilled than he already was.
This ability stone possesses the hidden modifier [forked choice]. As a result, you may choose to receive either of the following abilities.
Warning: The first spell or ability you acquire will greatly impact your options for future class selections. It will become an integral part of your fighting style, shaping the nature of your battles to come.
Although it was a tad ominous, Nick appreciated the System offering him a clear warning before making a decision that would impact his development in such a fundamental manner. It made this choice even more important than he had realized, and he intended to choose wisely.
So amped up that he was literally vibrating with excitement, he read on, ready and eager to take this foundational step along his path to power.
Choice 1: Heavy Blow (combat art).
Type: Melee attack.
Activation speed: Instant.
Range: Weapon.
Heavy Blow consumes stamina to imbue a weapon strike with extra inertia, increasing its destructive potential. Maximum uses are determined by the user’s stamina pool, and the ability’s parameters scale with the user’s physical attributes.
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Although Nick still had far more questions than answers at this point, he was thrilled to have been provided with these details instead of being forced to make his choice based on the ability’s name alone. Before moving on to his second offering, he stopped to consider the combat art he had been offered, which was his first time seeing the term. After a long moment of contemplation, he decided that he was more than happy with the first ability on the screen, as it would greatly increase his combat prowess going forward.
While Nick’s sword was missing pieces and was a bit unwieldly, it was honestly a decent weapon now that he was growing accustomed to its dynamics. Being able to amplify the hurt that the pockmarked blade could inflict, instantly and at will, was inarguably a fantastic boon. He had already run into several creatures that were able to block or turn aside his blade. The Bonecruncher Alpha had stopped his swing cold by catching the sword between its jaws, nearly costing him his life.
If he had been armed with Heavy Blow, he could have broken through the beast’s guard, ending the fight in a single, decisive swing. Even against lesser opponents, the faster that he could disable or kill an enemy, the greater the odds that Nick would emerge from the battle unscathed. With the right weapon, the ability would help him pierce armor, like the chainmail the ratman foreman had worn.
It would also make it easier to crack the swordclaws’ shells, helping Nick to hunt more efficiently and lowering his chances of being injured in the process.
Additionally, with its instant activation time, he could use Heavy Blow to knock a bulky enemy off balance. Or catch his opponent by surprise by alternating his regular strikes with attacks that were unpredictably stronger than the rest, increasing his range of tactics in melee combat. Better still, the ability wouldn’t just work with his sword, but with any weapon he could hold in his hands. Thus, Heavy Blow would prove equally useful when fighting with a dagger or spear, and it was forward compatible, as it would synergize with any other weapon that Nick found in the future.
In short, Heavy Blow was amazing, and he would be thrilled to add it to his toolkit. An impulsive part of him wanted to pick it here and now. Take the ability for a test drive and find out what it was capable of. Of course, Nick wasn’t going to make such a crucial choice without knowing what other offer was on the table. Now certain that no matter what his other option was, he had already come out a winner, he returned his attention to the display.
What he read on the screen surprised him, and he pondered each word carefully before comparing the proposals and making his decision.
Choice 2: Mana Dart (spell).
Type: Magical attack.
Activation speed: 3-second casting time. Instant use once active.
Range: Determined by energetic attributes (Current range: 15 feet).
Mana Dart consumes mana to create an energetic missile. Once conjured, the dart will hover above the caster until it is directed by their will or dissipates after five minutes have passed. Mana Dart can only affect living creatures or magical constructs and function by directly diminishing the vital energies inside their bodies. Damage dealt, maximum range, and other parameters scale with the user’s energetic attributes.
A spell. Nick hopped from one foot to the other as the full realization of what he had read washed over him, unleashing reverberations of unrestrained glee. Holy shit. The System can teach me how to use magic.
His jaw dropped as his understanding of the universe shifted, revealing hidden dimensions that he had never before imagined, despite magic being listed in his attributes. I can become a wizard, or maybe some kind of healer. I don’t have to specialize in hand-to-hand combat unless I want to.
There was an awful lot for Nick to consider before he made his choice, relating to both his immediate survival and his prospects for the future. He realized in that moment that he was more than excited; he was having fun while thinking the matter over. It was one of the few times that he had been truly happy since waking up alone on the island. He let himself bask in the pure joy of speculation for the better part of an hour, daydreaming of a life filled with swords or sorcery, or perhaps a bit of both.
Although the System had given Nick a clear warning about the lasting consequences of this decision, he doubted that a single ability would lock him into or out of various combat styles over the long term. Based on what Pax had told him, his attributes, skills, and even his choices would influence the classes offered when he was eligible to change his.
Not that he was going to get anything great until he was able to overcome the basic class restriction that Taltos had imposed on humanity, but that was a worry for another day. For now, he would make his decision based solely on the impact that each ability would have on his odds of living through the tutorial.
He sat down as he pondered his options, letting the soothing roar of the surf calm his racing thoughts. Nick needed to choose wisely, and his countless hours of gaming had all been leading up to this moment.