Having successfully navigated the initial trial, Asher eagerly anticipated his reward, having chosen the coveted class of the necromancer. To his astonishment, a truly unique skill was bestowed upon him, a gift beyond anything he could have imagined. It felt as though the universe had heeded his heartfelt plea and bestowed upon him the fulfillment of a cherished desire—an necromantic ability that perfectly aligned with his pursuit of originality. As he laid eyes upon the skill's description, a sense of awe and disbelief washed over him.
https://i.imgur.com/co43zpf.png [https://i.imgur.com/co43zpf.png]
"Is this for real? Has the big guy upstairs finally heard my pleas?"
After reading the skill's description, a whirlwind of emotions swirled within Asher. A profound sense of excitement surged through him, like a spark of untapped flames igniting his soul. The idea of harnessing the power of an Animated Guardian, customizing it with weapon and armor pieces, and nurturing it into an unyielding ally filled him with a thrilling sense of anticipation.
The idea of taming the raw power of a loyal minion, adorning it with weapons and armor, and nurturing it from the ground up was an aspiration that had long fueled his dreams. It paralleled the satisfaction of watching a video game character grow from a humble level 1 noob to a formidable level 100 powerhouse, each skill acquisition and equipment upgrade a step closer to virtual glory. But this time, the excitement was twofold.
Why, you ask? Because this adventure didn't just involve his avatar but his summon as well, intricately managing both his own character development and that of his summoned companion.
"FINALLY!!! The thrill is real! OH BABY!!! What's my customization game plan here? Should I turn it into a tank, a sneaky ranger, or unleash the inner warrior? Hang on a second... what about me? Should I play nice and be the support? DAMN IT! THE EXCITEMENT! Wait..."
Yet, there was a nagging sense of caution that put a damper on his excitement. The gravity of the responsibility weighed on him. Equipping the Guardian was not a mere formality; it was a critical decision that directly influenced its combat prowess. Every choice had consequences, and the prospect of losing precious items and hard-earned skills in the heat of battle cast a shadow over his excitement. He couldn't forget that this was real life and not a game. He had no clue how tough it might be to find items and learn skills. What if the choices he made for himself and his summon were bad? And what if his summon bit the dust, making all that customization useless?
As he contemplated the trade-offs, a sense of dedication washed over him. The Animated Guardian wasn't just a tool; it was his so desperately sought after companion.
"Why am I playing Doubtful Debbie when I've finally got the golden ticket to the path I've been craving for so long! It's like the very first time I played an RPG as a kid! I'm practically bursting with excitement! Heck, I'll make this experience sing, just like those magical early gaming days. I'm going to craft the mother of all necromancer builds. Those Legion spammers won't know what hit 'em! Watch out, world! One summon to rule them all, and I'm going for the necromancer hall of fame!"
In the height of his excitement, Asher stumbled upon an unexpected revelation. As he squinted his eyes in eager anticipation, he discovered that the skill had more to offer. To his amazement, he could also access the status window for his Animated Guardian. Without a moment's hesitation, he decided to put his newfound skill to the test.
With unwavering confidence, he extended his hand, aiming it at the ground below. With a booming declaration, he shouted, "Animate Guardian! Arise!"
"..."
Much to his chagrin, nothing happened. The reason for this apparent failure soon became glaringly clear, as a system notification illuminated the situation.
Please attach an item to your Animated Guardian in order to summon it
"Attach an item...?" Asher muttered to himself.
He stared down at his empty palm, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. "I don't have anything to attach to him!"
In order to summon his guardian, he needed at least one item—a weapon, armor, or even an accessory would do. But here he was, empty-handed, thrust into a life-and-death trial with nothing to his name. Panic began to set in as he frantically scanned his sparse surroundings, desperately hoping to find anything that would suffice. Unfortunately, the room he found himself in resembled a small, featureless white cubicle, furnished with only a narrow bed and a toilet.
https://i.imgur.com/seT0930.jpg [https://i.imgur.com/seT0930.jpg]
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Asher couldn't help but mutter, "Well, this is just great."
"What am I supposed to do? Have him fight with bed sheets?... Wait!"
Asher's eyes widened with a spark of inspiration as he hurriedly approached the room's solitary bed, his gaze fixed on the sheets neatly draped across it. A sudden thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. If there was a system and a skill interface, there had to be an item interface as well, right? He concentrated all his attention on the bedsheet, desperately hoping his realization was correct.
And just as he had dared to hope, a prompt from the system interface materialized before him, displaying the description of the bedsheet.
https://i.imgur.com/XuAcUfg.png [https://i.imgur.com/XuAcUfg.png]
Asher squinted at the less-than-impressive stats displayed before him and let out a resigned sigh. "Well... these are some seriously trashy stats... But hey, beggars can't be choosers, right? Guess I'll have to roll with it! Animate Guardian!"
As if heeding his call, the bedsheet stirred to life, exhibiting an eerie animation. It was as though an invisible entity had taken hold of it, causing the fabric to lift and contort in mid-air. The edges folded together as if an unseen pair of hands were gently gripping it, creating a surreal spectacle that left Asher bewildered.
You have summoned 'Animate Guardian'!
Your 'Animate Guardian' has equipped the one-handed whip 'Clean Bed Sheet'
'Animate Guardian' Status Window can now be opened
"I did it!" Asher exclaimed, his excitement palpable. He couldn't wait to inspect the status window of his newfound, bedsheet-clad guardian.
https://i.imgur.com/FtpVozm.png [https://i.imgur.com/FtpVozm.png]
As Asher gazed upon the status window of his Animated Guardian, a surge of emotions welled up within him. It was like discovering an unexpected treasure trove of information. His heart raced with fascination as he took in every detail.
He marveled at the health and mana bars, the numerical values representing his guardian's vitality and Mana. They seemed almost tangible, like lifelines to a new companion that had just come to life.
His eyes traced over the section displaying the equipped items, his imagination running wild with possibilities. Even though the bedsheet was hardly a formidable set of weaponry, it somehow made the whole experience even more endearing.
And then, the active and passive skills section caught his attention, even though they remained empty for now. It was a blank canvas, waiting for him to mold his guardian into a force to be reckoned with. The sight of those placeholders for future abilities filled him with a sense of potential and ambition.
Overall, Asher's feelings were a mix of wonder, anticipation, and a touch of pride for having brought his bedsheet guardian to life.
"Well, look at you, You might not be a knight in shining armor, but you're my trusty fabric friend. Let's show 'em what we're made of... or, well, what you're made of!"
"If I can see his status window, it only makes sense that I should be able to see my own character window too, right?" Asher mused aloud, and in the next instant, the window displaying the animated guardian's status seamlessly transitioned to reveal his own character details.
https://i.imgur.com/5C9UeoL.png [https://i.imgur.com/5C9UeoL.png]
"Check this shit out! There's my face, all 2D and pixelated! This is like stepping into a vintage video game!!"
"Hmm... I notice my health and mana are pretty much mirroring my Guardian's. Is this a buddy system where we share similar stats? If so, i might have to consider increasing my health and mana when i get the chance to start customizing my character!" Asher chuckled at the thought.
As Asher delved into his character window and scrutinized his stats, a vague understanding of the system began to dawn on him. The attributes seemed to align with the principles of classic video games. Strength, he presumed, would likely dictate the sheer force behind his physical blows, while Vitality appeared geared towards beefing up his health pool. Dexterity was an intriguing enigma—did it bolster his critical strike chances or perhaps his accuracy, or both? Intelligence, on the other hand, hinted at influencing his magical prowess and mana capacity.
Though these were nothing more than educated guesses at this point, Asher decided to shelve his speculations for later. After all, there wasn't much he could do with these attributes at the moment, aside from letting them simmer in the background until the day he had points to allocate.
But what truly piqued his interest was the Sub-Class section. This single category hinted at the tantalizing prospect of acquiring a second class to complement his current one. The sheer variety of options he had glimpsed previously ignited a boundless surge of excitement within him, like a rocket about to launch into uncharted territory.
As if to mark the culmination of his tutorial, there came the anticipated yet still somewhat surprising prompt, beckoning him to take the next step on his journey through the trial.
The 'Second Floor' is about to open! Please prepare yourself to face the second part of the trial.
Back during his initial encounter with this prompt in the first trial, it had been a harrowing experience filled with questions and trepidation. However, at this pivotal moment, Asher was brimming with anticipation and a fierce sense of competitiveness. His sole objective was to embrace the exhilarating challenge of molding his summon into the mightiest entity to ever grace existence.
"Bring it on! I don't care! I've finally been granted this opportunity, and I won't let some puny trial stand in my way!" Asher exclaimed with unbridled determination.
Transporting Asher Gray to the second floor! Best of luck