"I'll give it to you straight, if you don't find a job or a place to stay. You'll be kicked out of the city by sundown. Most jobs will offer, at minimum, a dorm for you to stay in. Not always, but most will."
All the remaining teenagers grimaced as Old Sam laid out their immediate situation. Gem forced himself to stay calm, having faith that he could find some kind of basic job in the city. Searching the faces of everyone around him, he could see everyone's expressions turning resolute in their resolve to move forward. As if daring Old Sam to call the Guard and have them thrown out of the city.
"Good, good! You'll need that kind of determination if you're to find your place here. One by one, please take turns coming sit under that tree over there with me. We'll talk about your class, what options you have, and what possible jobs you can take."
Old Sam moved his chair to sit under a nearby tree and waited for one of us to walk over to him. We all looked at each other before a farmer looking kid with a straw hat, shrugged his shoulders and walked over to sit with Old Sam. He asked the kid a number of questions, of which we couldn't hear. After a while, the kid could be seen with a determined glazed over look on his face. His body was then flooded in a pure black light, almost like the void was consuming him. The black light quickly disappeared though the kid looked completely unchanged. Old Sam then nodded at him and smiled with a reassuring look before directing him to go somewhere.
This situation repeated itself with some slight variation. A few were extremely disappointed like the girl who could summon a holographic bird with flaming feathers. Gem thought it looked like a beautiful Phoenix. She ended up being sent off to help school children as a minder during the school day. Others were odd like: being able to permanently summon a loaf of bread out of pure mana, another who could summon and spray salt, another that could make people feel hopeful by simply talking to them, and another that could throw fruit at the speed of a bullet, and another apparently had the ability to lift really heavy candles.... He was told to try and find work at a Chandler's Shop or go to Civil Services to become a Trashman for the city.
Gem's turn finally came, so he stood up and calmly walked over to where Old Sam was sitting. Old Sam gave Gem a reassuring smile as he went to sit down in front of him.
"Well, let's hear it kid. What [Unique] Class did you end up choosing?"
Gem replied, "Nanomancer".
"Nanomancer, Nanomancer... nope never heard of it. Thankfully the -mancer part of your Class name gives me an idea of which direction to guide you. Can you tell me more about what your class is about?"
"It allows me to summon a swarm of tiny... robots... uhhhh a swarm of tiny metal flies that I should be able to control?"
"Robots? Never heard of that term before but I get the gist of what you're saying. A swarm of tiny metal flies huh? Not the weirdest Skill I've heard of but maybe you can turn it into some kind of scouting ability... Take a look at your status, how many Attribute slots do you have and how many Skill slots do you have? Is your Summon Skill the only Skill you currently have? What Attribute is provided with the Class?"
Gem glanced at his status screen.
Name: Gem
Age: 16
Class: Nanomancer [Unique]
Rank: 0
Attributes:
Nanite Volume
4 Optional Attribute Slots
Skills:
2 Optional Passive Skill Slots
Chosen Growth
Summon Nanites
Network
Kinetic Force
"My Class provides an Attribute to increase swarm size as I rank up and.... 2 Attribute Slots. The Summon Skill is my only current Skill alongside 2 Passive Skill Slots."
Old Sam nodded his head along as he put on a bigger smile at mention of the number of Attribute and Skill slots Gem had. Gem hid the exact number of his Attribute slots because from the hints he's picked up, most people generally only have 1 or 2 of those slots. Then again, his Class comes with a lot of limitations that most others don't have to deal with.
"Wonderful! Your Passive Skill Slots practically tell me the whole story complimented by your Class provided Attribute. Your Class is completely focused on your Summoning Skill and most of your Skills will revolve around augmenting it. Most Summoning related Classes typically require an Attribute build with high mana regeneration alongside a tiny, to non-existent pool of mana. The second attribute slot will allow you to take a generalized physical attribute there-in providing you with the minimum requirements to take a labor job from Civil Services."
Gem smiled a little, happy to note that his gamble seems to have paid off.
"One thing that comes to mind is that -mancer's typically require some sort of Manipulation Skill that allows them to connect with their Summon or Element. One of your Passive Skills is absolutely required to be something where you can connect with your Summon and provide it with orders. The other Skill I would recommend is less commonly recommended for a -mancer but something I generally recommend with Summon related Classes. Choose a Knowledge based Passive Skill to augment your connection to your Summon. Most entities people Summon with their Skill's are most definitely not Human. They won't communicate like Humans, neither will they act like Human's in most cases. Your Knowledge Skill should be able to smoothly translate your orders to your Summon without any inconsistencies. It's not uncommon for Summon related Classes to wait a few Ranks performing miscellaneous tasks until their initial Skill set is fully fleshed out."
Gem was happy to talk with Old Sam about his options, even though he didn't provide all of his Class details. He likely would have picked completely different Skills if Old Sam hadn't discussed some of the common problem areas people with Summon Skill have to deal with. That would have put him in a bind, not to mention his Attribute choices. His nanites would have been summoned into an inanimate pile of metal sand sitting at his feet, doing absolutely nothing as he yelled at them like a mad man.
"Well let's get started then, what was your name again... Gem? Alright Gem, let's finish your status screen activation by selecting your attributes. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask at anytime. These choices are essentially permanent and it should be taken quite seriously."
Gem nodded along with a firm face before opening up his status screen and focusing in on the, "4 Optional Attribute Slots" term.
Attribute Selection:
Name Type Description Quality Nano-Reinforced Fingernails Physical/Body None; Innate Weapon Integrity Perfect Nano-Reinforced Hands Physical/Body Hand Grip Strength Exceptional Nano-Reinforced Arms Physical/Body Arm Strength Excellent Nano-Reinforced Upper Body Physical/Body Upper Body Strength Good Nano-Reinforced Skeletal Structure Physical/Body Skeletal Body Endurance Excellent Nano-Repair Suite - Fingernails Physical/Body None; Innate Weapon Repair Perfect .
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. Nano-Reinforced Brain Physical/Internal Mental Acuity, Knowledge Retention, Emotional Stability, & Planning Excellent Nano-Reinforced Amygdala Physical/Internal Mental Acuity & Intuition Perfect .
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He was immediately overwhelmed with the number of options available. Some of them sounded extremely odd like the attributes for Reinforcing or Repairing Fingernails. Old Sam gave a knowing look and suddenly said, "If you focus your mind on filtering through the attributes by what you're looking for, the list will reduce to the ones available that fit. The more generalized your criteria is, the more results you'll find. Though, you'll note that attributes with a more focused description will have a higher quality rating versus other less focused attributes."
Gem immediately focused on Mana Regeneration and the list narrowed down immediately like a search engine.
Attribute Selection:
Name Type Description Quality Nano-Regulated Meridians Mana/Body Prevents Mana Burnout from Rapid Mana Regeneration/Expenditure Perfect Nano-Regulated Channels Mana/Body Prevents Mana Burnout from Rapid Mana Regeneration/Expenditure Excellent Nano-Regulated Mana System Mana/Body Prevents Mana Burnout from Rapid Mana Regeneration/Expenditure Good Nano-Collection Skin Mana/Body Creates an interlaced web of specialized Nanites over the skin that collects any Mana that comes into contact with Body. Good Nano-Collection Field Mana/Body Body emits specialized Nanites, replacing pheromone emitters; they collect Mana in the vicinity the body and transport it directly into the Mana System. Average Nano-Collection Hair Mana/Body Transform body hair into translucent hair shaped nano-chained nanites; nanites collect passing Mana and direct it back into the Mana System. Good .
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. Nano Mana System Mana/Body Mana System naturally absorbs Mana from the environment.
Mana Absorption: Average.
Mana Storage: Average.
Nanites are thinly spread throughout the entire system to help Regulate, Reinforce, & Repair it. Average Nano-Core Mana System Mana/Body Mana System naturally absorbs Mana from the environment.
Mana Absorption: Poor.
Mana Storage: Good.
Nanites are thinly spread throughout the entire system to help Regulate, Reinforce, & Repair it. Average Nano-Spring Mana System Mana/Body Mana System naturally absorbs Mana from the environment.
Mana Absorption: Good.
Mana Storage: Poor.
Nanites are thinly spread throughout the entire system to help Regulate, Reinforce, & Repair it. Average .
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. Nano-Matrix Mana System Mana/Body
Mana System does not absorb Mana from the environment.
Mana Absorption: None.
Mana Storage: Excellent.
Nanites are thinly spread throughout the entire system to help Regulate, Reinforce, & Repair it.
Specialized Nanites directly store Mana in a dense configuration to maximize storage space.
Attribute Slot Cost: 2
Variable Nano-Font Mana System Mana/Body
Mana System does not store Mana from the environment.
Mana Absorption: Excellent.
Mana Storage: None.
Nanites are thinly spread throughout the entire system to help Regulate, Reinforce, & Repair it.
Specialized Nanites directly produce Mana at a continuously fixed rate.
Attribute Slot Cost: 2
Variable
Gem thought, "Attribute variation is incredible, some of them can even physically transform your bodily appearance. I can see why making an educated decision is so important. Everything needs to be thought about from the ground-up, including how I plan to be using my Skills and how they're affected by my Attributes." His initial inclination was to take a few days and think (war-game) all of the different options, but time is not a luxury he can spare at the moment. What had really drawn his attention is the distinctive use of the word "environment".
He quickly asked Old Sam, "Does the amount of Mana in the air affect your general Mana Regeneration?" Old Sam looked at him sympathetically like he just asked a rather foolish question.
"Your parents never provided you with anything beyond basic education did they?"
Gem looked at Old Sam nervously while forcefully looking to the side, mostly to act like the awkward teenager he's supposed to be.
"To answer your question, pure Mana is delivered into the world through [Rifts]. [Rifts] are generated by a convergence of... let's call it colored Mana. Skills and other such abilities will color Mana while it's being used and then release it into the environment around us. You may have noticed random pillars placed all over the city. They're actually specially enchanted towers used for the singular purpose of funneling colored Mana out past the city walls. In this way, [Rifts] always manifest outside the city walls and not inside of it. Areas with other life like animals, forestry, water, etc... will also see this same phenomenon. Desolate landscapes notably lack [Rifts] due to the lack of colored Mana floating around leading to less pure Mana being available. Therefore people walking around such a landscape would experience a significant decrease Mana Regeneration, if any at all."
Gem nodded along to Old Sam's explanation before reviewing his options again in light of this new information. He wasn't big fan of being super reliant on the environment. What if he had to spend a weeks long adventure in the wilderness? Possibly very little Mana Regeneration the entire time? He was initially hesitant due to the cost... but he eventually settled on Nano-Font Mana System. Specialized Nanites would provide him with a reliable source of Mana regardless of his environmental circumstances. He would be giving up the ability to store Mana, but it's become increasingly obvious that his entire build will be about delegating tasks to his summoned Nanites while he powers them like an electric generator.
Now that he's selected his Mana System, he focused on searching for his attribute options regarding balanced physical enhancement. Only 2 options really stood out to him out of everything available.
Attribute Selection:
Name Type Description Quality Survivalist Personal Nanosuite Physical/Body
Provides a small generalized physical enhancement across the entire body.
Muscular Enhancement: Poor.
Skeletal Structure Enhancement: Poor.
Fine Motor Enhancement: Poor.
Nervous System Enhancement: Poor.
Immune System Enhancement: Poor.
Repair Capabilities: Poor.
Poor .
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. Personal Nanosuite Physical/Body Provides a moderate generalized physical enhancement across the entire body.
Muscular Enhancement: Average.
Skeletal Structure Enhancement: Average.
Fine Motor Enhancement: Average.
Nervous System Enhancement: Average.
Immune System Enhancement: Average.
Repair Capabilities: Average.
Attribute Slot Cost: 2 Average .
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He was initially leaning towards Survivalist Personal Nanosuite so that he could pick another Attribute focusing on enhancing the quality of his Nanite Summons. Nanite Quality would have major interplay with his Nanite Volume Attribute. Ultimately, he decided that there will likely be situations where he will need to rely on himself and not his Nanite Summons. Preparing for that specific scenario motivated him into choosing Personal Nanosuite. Though it may cost him long term gains in a fashion, he needs to live long enough to achieve those losses rather than poorly enhance his body and not survive for very long.
With his choices made, a new screen appeared requesting a final confirmation on his decisions.
> Confirm Attribute Selection: Yes / No
Gem mentally focused on the word, "Yes".
...
Everything in Gem's view suddenly flashed with a dark black light. His body became frozen again just like the time when he was initially transported into this world of death and horror. A bubble of liquid metal materialized before his eyes. It then fragmented into a fine metallic colored mist before moving towards him and directly invading his frozen body. For a few moments, nothing seemed to be happening when he suddenly experienced a brief spike of pain. This was followed by a second bubble of liquid metal materializing before his eyes. He watched this one also fragment into a fine mist, this time the color of sky blue. After the second ball of mist invaded his body, his organs felt like they were moving around to make way for something being constructed throughout his entire body; filling it with an endless energy. New instincts were awakened as he could sense his new Mana System and how the mist were really just nanites. By the time he could sense his Mana System, they had just completed it's construction, the final step being to link it to his nervous system. Any leftover nanites moved into 5 specific nodes distributed throughout his body. These nodes began consistently flooding his body with a power like nothing he's ever felt in his life.
It was at that moment the dark black light disappeared and he caught himself staring directly into Old Sam's eyes. He was just nodding at him as though everything he just experienced was perfectly normal.
> Full Status Screen Unlocked
Gem excitedly dismissed the notification before immediately focusing on diverting the river of Mana rushing through him into his Summon Nanite Skill. Old Sam sat calmly and watched as he made his first efforts at activating his only Skill. Raising his right hand palm up, he focused on Summoning a single Mana's worth of Nanites right on the palm of his hand. Mana spewed out of his body and converged onto his right hand before materializing into a gray colored sphere. This sphere then collapsed in on itself into so fine a mist, it felt like loose silk was falling between his fingers. The nanites that fell between his fingers immediately started to dematerialize since it was no longer connected to the Network he was using to supply to the swarm of nanites.
As the nanites fell through his fingers like he was grasping a hand full of sand. Old Sam lightly clapped, bringing Gem's attention back to the [Teacher].
"Well, it looks like your attribute selection went off without a hitch. Congratulations on your Status Day!"
"Hey, thanks Old Sam! I really appreciate all of the information you provided me."
"Not a problem kid, keep your nose out of trouble and work hard. By the way, whenever you were choosing this class, what did you have in mind to use it for?"
"well... automating logistics, item production, recycling old materials, uhhh..."
He immediately blushes and turns his eye down to the right. Gem didn't have the heart to tell him that picked it rather spur of the moment, not fully understanding what decision he was exactly making at the time.
"Hah well, you'll make a fine Trashman then. Maybe you can figure out a way for your metal flies to somehow clean up the city. Lord knows we don't have enough Trashmen running around doing cleanup around here."
"Well, if it gets me a job; I wouldn't mind doing it for a little while until I can rank up a little. Speaking of ranking up, how does that work?"
Old Sam's eyes widened a little before turning to normal.
"Your education really was subpar if you're not even aware of know that much..."
He pulled out a glowing coin from his pocket and showed it to Gem.
"You're of course familiar with our monetary system right? Unranked, Iron, Silver, etc...?"
Gem nodded his head quickly catching on immediately and associating it with some of the video games he's played. Regardless, he didn't want to make Old Sam anymore suspicious of him than he probably already is.
"Coins are created from killing monsters, absorbing their essence inside something called a Collection Orb, and refining it using a Purification Enchantment which is then channeled into a Coin Shaping Enchantment."
Gem continued nodding as if he knew exactly what a Purification Enchantment was, but kept on rolling along with it.
"There are 2 general methods of ranking up for your average individual. This involves simply eating coins which is then slowly integrated into your body. The other is what most adventurers and some guards do, involving removing the Coin Shaping Enchantment and using a combination of a Collection Orb and a Purification Enchantment followed by channeling it directly into your body all while focusing on a specific Attribute. Method one allows anyone to rank up but has the consequence of losing some of the essence quality when the coin shaping enchantment is used. The quality of a coin is still around 85% of the original essence value, but that missing 15% adds up as you continuously move through the ranks. Only so much essence can be used for each rank up and using higher quality essence can make your attributes much more effective. Method two provides you with 100% of the essence quality but it's shelf life doesn't last longer than 12 hours. Meaning someone needs to absorb it in that time period or it'll start to degrade very quickly. A lot of Adventures carry around expensive accessories so that they can automatically collect essence mid battle without thinking about it too much."
"Other methods exist such as collecting 1000 unranked coins and using a Concentrating Enchantment to force the creation of a single coin with double the quality of it's initial value but that's only really used for the wealthy."
"On that note, I still have a few other [Unique]s to attend too. If you're interested in the Trashman job, head west from here and you'll see a four story building. A sign should be out front with the symbol of an open scroll engraved on it. Good luck Gem, I really wish you all of the best."
Having been gracefully dismissed, Gem thanked Old Sam for all of his help and started to walk west through the park. His only regret was not being allowed to sit down with Old Sam for a week straight and ask him 1001 questions about how everything functions around here.
Flowers were apparently in full bloom this time of the year. Gem breathed in a breathe full of fresh air, enjoying the pleasant floral scents while walking through the grassy field filled with floral patches. Maybe he will be able to make something of himself in this bloody world after all.