Funny how, in a minute, the human mind can experience so many emotions at once. Fear, anger, despair, confusion, joy, excitement, and that's just scratching the surface. Thankfully, I'm good at keeping a poker face, or so I've been told, I could feel the slight twitches of my eyebrows, the strain of my lips to keep them neutral and my ears heating up.
Ok, maybe I should back up a bit and explain my situation and who I am. My name is Alistair Chadwick, I am... Was, a 22-year-old unemployed guy, who was caught in a rather unfortunate car accident. Two cars collided and I was caught in the middle, and it was not pleasant.
Looking around, I could see that I was sitting on a bench of a relatively small park. It was the middle of the day and there were quite a lot of cars and people, the low rumble of car engines made sure to remind me that he was in a city, the blistering heat of the sun told me it was summer, and the smell of the freshly assured me that I was still alive.
Looking down at my hands again I saw a small, paper-thin, floating green box with a single message that filled me with both joy and desperation.
Congratulations! You have been chosen as the next Gamer!
[ OK ]
I couldn't believe it! I always read about it, you know? Mostly through shitty fanfics and power fantasies, but also the original Korean webtoon. I pinched under my arm and, after feeling a small sting of pain, I realized that this wasn't a dream. My head immediately jumped to all of the broken abilities that I would have access to, how I could become the absolute most overpowered person in the universe, and how much sex I could have! I also knew just how challenging it would all be. I knew about the dangers that came with this ability or should have At the time, I thought that, if the supernatural existed, it should have been documented, or at least proven somewhere. I thought that, with all the cameras, recording devices, and freaking thousands of satellites looking at almost every square inch of this planet, we should have seen at least SOMETHING unusual.
Oh boy, how naive I was.
Without many other delays, I pressed the only button on the box and, I will admit, I freaked out a bit when I felt the box being solid, I thought it would just pass through, like some kind of hologram.
When I pressed the button, the box was immediately replaced by another one that said:
Please select a starting class [ Warrior ] [ Thief ] [ Mage ] [ Engineer ] [ Bard ] [ Enchanter ] [ Priest ] [ Telepath ] [ Tamer ] [ Anomaly ] [ Unique ] [ None ]
Remember, you cannot change classes.
Remember, classes can evolve and blend into other classes.
Huh, that's... Something.
I don't need to be explained what some of these do, and others I can take a good guess at the others, aside from one.
[ Warrior ]? Big brute smashy smash, good tanks, not great at magic, although they can learn magic, just look at arcane warriors and paladins in D&D. It's the best for the beginning when I'm just a normal guy. The option of blending classes makes him very viable even in the long run.
[Thief ]? Sneaky bastards that stab you in the back, great for sneaking (Duh), spying and stealing, I might choose them in case I need to steal money and go undetected for a long time.
[ Mage ]? Broken bastards that can do such a huge amount of things. In the beginning, they are very weak but can get overpowered real fast if left alone. This is absolutely the best choice for the long run, but... Hmmm, the choice to blend classes might make him not the best choice at the start.
Now, for the others, I can only make educated guesses. I don't want to click on them, only for it to be selected and lock me into something I may not like or understand.
[ Engineer ]? Can make things... I honestly don't know much about this. Maybe I can make an impenetrable fortress somewhere in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, fill it with uber robots and lock myself inside while I make superweapons and train magic? That's a viable option, but the availability and amount of the materials that I might need to make this idea very unappealing.
[ Bard ]? No.
[ Enchanter ]? Eh, same as the engineer but probably worse. Although, the possibility of enchanting my own body is very appealing. I'll give it a maybe.
[ Priest ]? Depending on what type of priest this is, it may be as powerful as a mage, be a human-sized medikit, or the preacher. Hard pass from me, I don't want to be locked with Big G, especially with the whole chastity thing. I want to have fun, damn it!
[ Telepath ]? Depending on which type, this may be the most broken one. The versatility and absolute brokenness of telepathy and telekinesis are very enticing. Although, if it is as limited as Gantz, I may be in a big pickle of a problem if I choose it. For now, this is my second best option.
[ Tamer ]? Maybe a cool party trick, but after a while, even elephants can be taken down. There's a reason why we don't use that many animals in battle anymore. Dogs and cats are useful, but they can only go so far.
[ None ]? Eh, if I knew exactly how this system worked, I would gladly choose it and make my class and skills. As it is? It's probably as worse and bard.
Now, on to [ Unique ] and [ Anomaly ]. I have no idea what any of these two do. They are a gamble. Sure, the others are also a gamble, but it's like the difference between a gacha game and a slot machine. In one, I might not have the thing I wanted, but at least I have something, in the other I either win or I get nothing.
Hmmm, I don't know if clicking on any of these options will make the game think I chose it or will show me more info, although I am inclined to believe that it will show me more info than immediately choose it. It would be incredibly stupid if it thought I wanted to choose without knowing everything about it all.
I stare at the box for another solid minute before shrugging and clicking on the [ Warrior ] option. Better safe than sorry.
[ Warrior ]
Your spirit is a shield, your body is a blade and your mind is a fortress. Perfection being unobtainable is no excuse for you to not strive towards it.
Weapon related skills will grow 30% faster.
Constitution and Strength will grow 30% faster.
Dexterity will grow 20% faster.
{ Perfect mind } unlocked.
{ Second wind } unlocked.
{ Power strike } unlocked.
Weapon mastery progression bars unlocked.
< Confirm > [ Yes ] [ No ]
Oh thank God, it doesn't immediately choose it. Well, at least it showed me what to expect from the class and I've got to say, I like it already. Strength (which I will abbreviate to STR), Constitution (CON), and Dexterity (DEX) all have a nice increase in growth. The weapon mastery bar is pretty nice, but does it sound kinda redundant, although it may unlock some cool unique stuff, I think. I can most definitely guess what { Second Wind } and { Power Strike }, an instant mini health heal, and a powerful attack with whatever weapon I have. For { Perfect Mind } I have no idea, although I do think it's like an observation skill that will help me in battle or something like that. I could guess from simply looking at the class overall and what it should accomplish.
Well, this was an interesting discovery, I better check the other classes real quick.
[ Thief ]
Your enemies fear the shadows, for you are in them. They fear the whispers, for you are listening to them. They fear you, for you are Fear.
Concealed weapons, daggers and knife-related skills will grow 50% faster.
Dexterity will grow 50% faster.
Acrobatics will grow 30% faster.
Strength will grow 20% faster.
{ Stealth } unlocked and will grow 30% faster.
{ Eye of the crow } unlocked.
{ Swift strike } unlocked.
< Confirm > [ Yes ] [ No ]
As expected, the thief class is focused on sneaking. The higher percentage of growth from assassin weapons was also kind of a given, and so was an increase in DEX, ACRO (Acrobatics), and { Stealth }. { Eye of the crow } is kind of unexpected, but welcome nonetheless. From the name, I can guess it can be used to quickly assess how valuable something is. Although I don't expect it to be 100% accurate.
[ Mage ]
Your understanding of thaumaturgy is nothing like understanding a cell or the human body. You understand the implicit meaning of reality and bend it to your will.
Studying, experimenting, discovering and understanding spells will have a 75% rate increase.
Ritual spells of III rank and below will not require any materials.
Mana capacity will grow and refill 50% faster.
Intelligence and Wisdom will grow 40% faster.
Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity will grow 75% slower.
{ Magic Missile } unlocked.
{ Meditation } unlocked.
{ Soul of Solomon } unlocked.
Spellbook unlocked.
< Confirm > [ Yes ] [ No ]
Knew it, mages are pretty broken, but also pretty soft. That decrease in growth for DEX, STR CON is almost an immediate turn-off, but the rest is a pretty sweet deal. { Magic Missile }, { Meditation } and the spellbook are almost expected, but I have no idea what the hell blazing name is the { Soul of Solomon }. Maybe it's some kind of observation skill for magic? Probably, seeing as the others have some kind of observation skill.
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[ Engineer ]
Your scraps are masterpieces for others. Your machines are impeccable. Your structures will withstand the millennia to come. Your work can only be rivaled by Mekhane.
Creation-related skills will grow 60% faster.
Creations have a 30% increase in chances of being of a higher rank than intended.
Creations will be done 50% time faster and will have increased durability of 100%.
Strength will grow 25% faster.
Constitution will grow 20% faster.
Dexterity will grow 10% faster.
Charisma will grow 40% slower.
{ Eye of Mekhane } unlocked.
Creation related bars unlocked.
Renown with The Church Of The Broken God will grow 50% faster.
< Confirm > [ Yes ] [ No ]
Ok, hold the fuck up.
WHAT?!
Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no... My fucking God no.
I could feel my entire body freezing and growing cold for the realization and the thought of this being real. Forget winning or being on top, I'd be lucky if I was alive or even free at the end of the month. I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate as I looked around with paranoia. I know I couldn't possibly spot them from where I was, but I kept looking. Aside from a few weird looks from a few people passing by, I couldn't see anyone, not that I expect it to. So I started to look for security cameras and spotted none. Taking a deep breath to calm me, I tried to think about my possibilities. I don't even need to know about the other possibilities to know that none could be of great use. [ Warrior ]? Good luck with guns and stuff moving faster than that. [ Thief ]? Good luck sneaking anywhere without a million other people noticing. [ Mage ]? Like that ever stopped anyone here! [ Engineer ]? Yeah, fuck no, I don't want to be the new Wondertaiment, or Anderson Robotics, the Factory. [ Bard ]? HA! [ Enchanter ]? Same as a mage, but even worse. [ Priest ]? Fuck no, I don't want to be bound to any of those fucking Gods, they are terrifying. [ Telepath ]? I would be surprised if I wasn't immediately taken by the Foundation or killed by the GOC. [ Tamer ]? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHhahah ah ah... No. Fuck no. My only chances are with [ Unique ] and [ Anomaly ].
Wait a second...
[ Anomaly ]
You are an anomaly in the universe. You should not exist, and yet here you are. You defy the logic of the universe, you spit in its face and make your reality.
Random set of reality-bending abilities unlocked.
All stats will grow 10% faster.
Increased resistance to reality-bending abilities.
Increased reputation with
Renown with SCP Foundation, Global Occult Coalition, Chaos Insurgency, Marshall, Carter & Dark Ltd., Serpent's Hand, Parawatch, Unusual Incidents Unit, Prometheus Labs, Inc. will increase 100% faster.
< Confirm > [ Yes ] [ No ]
Yeah, that's a big no from me chief. Half of the people working with anomalies will know about me faster? Yeah, fuck that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not worried about many of them, what I'm worried about are the Foundation, the GOC, and the Serpent's Hand. They are the biggest ones that I'm worried about, especially the GOC and the Foundation. Both have ways, very good ways, to block, reverse, and even resist reality-bending abilities. Between reality anchors, Clef, and whatever the GOC has, I'm not confident against them. Then there's the Serpent's Hand. For as cool as it would be to visit The Wanderer's Library, it will paint a giant ass target on my back. Oh yeah, there's also CI, but they are just overblown terrorists that target the Foundation. Sure, they could target me to go to the Foundation and make me a mole for them.
Well, all my hopes are with [ Unique ]. Hopefully, it will give me a fighting chance.
[ Unique ]
You are a unique case, even in this strange universe. You walk on a path no one walked before, be it for the better, or for worse.
Unique Master level skill or above unlocked
All stats unrelated with Unique skill will grow 30% slower
All stats related to Unique skill will grow 60% faster
All unlocked skills unrelated to Unique skills will grow 50% slower
All unlocked skills related to Unique skill will grow 100% faster
< Confirm > [ Yes ] [ No ]
So, a gamble either way, huh? I don't know what is a "Master level skill", but it's better to be good because otherwise I'll be royally screwed. It's also obviously a Min-Maxer class. I either fully invest in it, or my progress will be hindered.
This is a gamble on which my entire life depends on it. If I get a good skill, I might be able to escape everyone and live a normal life, or I might as well jump off a cliff, or a tall building.
I mean, I could also choose [ Anomaly ], but reality-bending abilities have a range of scope that could be as major as creating an entirely new universe and become, essentially, a god or it could be a minor shitty power like 105. The [ Unique ] class, well it could be the same honestly, but at least I see a slightly higher chance of having something less shitty.
With a deep breath, I confirm my choice on the [ Unique ] class and, when it asks me if I'm sure, I confirm it too. The boxes disappear for a moment, leaving me with my thoughts for a few seconds before reappearing.
< Congratulations! You have chosen the [ Unique ] class! >
Legendary skill { Unbreakable Will } unlocked
Willpower stat unlocked
Strength, Willpower Charisma and Constitution will grow 60% faster
Intelligence, Dexterity, and Wisdom will grow 30% slow
Willpower based skills will grow 100% faster
{ Unbreakable Will }
In the face of unbeatable odds, in the presence of absolute power, when all hope is lost, you pick up yourself and push forward without hesitation. Where others break, you stand tall as the bastion of light for your allies and stand in defiance of your enemies. Your body breaks before your spirit does.
Grants immunity to mind control abilities. Grants 50% stat and skill boost to you and your nearby allies in combat situations where you may otherwise lose. You will never fail willpower save.
< Passive >
Huh, nice boost. Too bad it's useless in many situations I will find myself in. I mean, if I meet something, or someone, who can mind-fuck people, it might be useful, otherwise, it might not amount to much. The boost is nice, though, and the willpower-based skill growth might be useful down the line. Maybe I can unlock some kind of reality manipulation with this, but I would like to do it later on when I'm sure I'm not going to be in anyone's crosshairs.
Well, maybe I should check my stats and see what I'm working with. Well, I should just think < Status > and it should open up, right? It usually works like that in novels and such. Hopefully. I am going to be pretty pissed if it doesn't.
< Status >
< Status >
Name: Alistair Chadwick
Age: 22
Race: Human
Class: Unique
Stamina: 100%
Mana: 100%
Psionics: [LOCKED]
Body condition: Healthy
Mental condition: Anxious, excited
< Statistics >
STRENGTH: 10.00
DEXTERITY: 10.00
ACROBATICS: 10.00
CONSTITUTION: 10.00
RESISTANCE: 1.00
INTELLIGENCE: 10.0
WISDOM: 10.00
WILLPOWER: 10.00
FAITH: [LOCKED]
CHARISMA: 10.00
< Skills >
{ Gamer Body }
{ Gamer Mind }
{ Inventory }
{ Unbreakable Will }
< Bonus >
None
Huh, it's not that bad, depending on what is the increase between 5-10-100, if there's a cap, if I'm limited by my race (which I doubt), what is the base increase of each stat, how I'm going to be able to blend classes when I don't even have levels and so on.
I've also noticed that there's no level, so that'll be a bitch to figure out. I have also noticed the faith and psionic parts are locked. They are probably part of the priest and telepath classes. Maybe if I train them they will be unlocked, or maybe not and I'll never be able to use them. Well, it wouldn't be such a big loss, especially the faith stat. Resistance is new, and why is it so low? Is it because I'm a human? I honestly don't want to find out, nor am I keen on growing it any time soon, I have a pretty solid understanding of what it would entail.
{ Gamer Body }, { Gamer Mind } and { Inventory } are expected. I'm checking them and they are quite generic. { Gamer Mind } allows me to focus better, { Gamer Body } allows me to have the body of a videogame character, but I will still need to sleep and eat while { Inventory } is just that, an inventory. It costs 20 mana per minute and the space is equal to intelligence divided by 10, the result is my space is cubic meters.
Anyway, now that all of this is sorted out, I need to get out of here, ASAP. I'm not going to stay here like a sitting duck when the Foundation could be looking for my ass because of some anomalous bullshitery wave. And even if they are not looking for me, they will soon, and the sooner I get a hang on my powers the less likely they'll catch me like a fucking pokemon.
As soon as I get up and start moving, however, I encounter a big, big problem. I have no fucking idea where the fuck I am. I hear people speaking American English and I see signs in English, so that's a start. I think I may be in the US, and no, I'm not being a sarcastic asshole. For all I know, I might be in Three Portlands or even in some kind of pocket dimension, although the lack of futuristic tech or weird things happening around me is a pretty indicator that is neither case. Maybe if I go look at some newspapers, or posters I might be able to pinpoint my location much, much better.
Luckily, a flyer lands near my feet and, when I pick it up, I immediately notice a couple of things. First, it's the fact that it's not 2020 anymore, it's 2008. I still remember those times, it was nice, my biggest problem was whether or not I could sneak in a couple of hours of gaming. Anyway, the second thing I noticed was the fact that I was in Cleveland, which is good, kinda, but I need to move out of here. If I can reach Three Portlands, I might be safe... If Three Portlands exist, that is. That's kind of the thing in the SCP Universe, some things may exist, some others may not, multiverse theory and all that. I can't even go to a "central universe" where I know certain things will happen for sure or not, because there's no central universe. Unless, of course, you count the Library and The Tree. I mean, there is a certain "main timeline", but I will absolutely not go there. The normal MTFs are already bad as it is, a team of anomalous MTFs on my ass would be the worst situation. I mean, there's Samsara, but that's only for when shit hits not just the fan, but covers the whole room and is rising. The worst I should expect is Pi-1. Epsilon-6 if I move somewhere more isolated.
I put the flyer in my pocket as I look into my pockets for any money. Luckily, I have my phone, unluckily I have no money, I should probably start stealing it. I don't have any IDs either, so that'll be a problem if I get stopped and a probable red-flag. Hell, even me just appearing out of freaking nowhere is a red-flag.
...
Let's just say that everything I do is a red-flag and get going.
I got up from my seat and started to walk away from the park as I started to elaborate on a plan. It was a very simple plan, but it's better than nothing.
1) Get money.
No problem, get some kind of stealth skill, a lockpicking skill, and then rob a poorly secured store, or maybe an empty apartment.
2) Get to Three Portlands, if it exists.
I'll be able to hide from the Foundation if I go there and the UIU is too incompetent to do much about me. The problem would be if there's no Three Portlands. If that's the case, then I'll have to keep moving. Hopefully, I can hide somewhere in some kind of isolated forest. For now, the problem will be getting to that fucking city.
3) Get strong, or blend, enough that the Foundation won't bother me.
Now that will be the freaking problem. Depending on which version of the Foundation this is, I either need to just be able to level a building, or I need to be able to have the strength to destroy the entire planet, not just the surface. And even that might not be enough. Again, depending on the version I'm in, I might even need to go to another universe to have a chance to run from them. Joining other groups is strictly out of the question. GOC? I'd be lucky if they don't kill me at sight. Serpent's Hand? The Wanderer's Library is pretty neat, but it's not enough for me to justify having a gigantic target on my back. The others aren't much better. Any of the religious groups? Might as well hand myself to the Foundation. The only one I might think about joining and I MIGHT have any chance of being free is Manna Charitable, but even they might hand me over if any other GOI gets even a sniff of me and my powers. Even blending in has one mega downside. It won't be a question of whether or not they'll find me, it's a question of WHEN. They have such bullshit investigative methods that I might as well run forever, which is not happening. I need to find a safe place, ASAP.
But first, get that damn money and start grinding.