Vivian twisted his lips, then waved his hand. “No point worrying too hard about maybes. First off, I need to get to the Starter Town. If I want to answer any of these questions, that’s where I’ll find answers.”
I’m currently in the Garden of the Lost. I didn’t spend too long on Floor One, so my first time through, I completely skipped the Garden. It’s an annoying maze with an optional boss who has some nice drops, but nothing critical. Since the Lady of the Lost is such a low-level optional boss relative to the optional bosses on higher floors, I decided to ignore her in favor of pressing on to Floor Two.
Vivian swallowed. All that to say… right now, I’m pretty lost!
Okay. First things first. Let’s apply those levels. Vivian sat down and pulled up his stat menu again. The familiar green-tinted menu floated before his eyes.
[Level Up +4]
Name: Vivian | Age: 21 | Sex: M | Level: 5
Role: [Gardener] [NPC]
[Status]
HP: 7/10
SP: 5/5
STR: 5
MAG: 1
SKL: 7
SPD: 7
MDEF: 5
DEF: 5
[Skills]
[Gardener Tool Proficiency] [LOCKED] Lvl 1
[Trim] Lvl 1
[Compost] Lvl 1
“Show levels,” Vivian said.
[Levels +4]
4 Ability Points to apply
0 Class Skills to Learn
“Zero class skills?” Vivian considered, then nodded to himself. That makes sense. You can pick up skills two ways—no, three.
One, by doing. For example, laying out the bodies unlocked the [Compost] skill because the System considered it close enough to composting. Some skills come with a level restriction, so you won’t be able to use them immediately even if you can see the skill. For example, any [Swordsman] can hold their sword out and spin around, but they still have to be level ten to learn [Spin Slash]. Still, it’s a nice way to know what’s ahead of you if you accidentally proc a skill you can’t use yet.
Two, by leveling. Classes will generally have a skill tree associated with them, and you’ll gain skills by leveling. Good classes have more skills than you can learn by level-stat points alone, and you’ll have to search out bosses that give out stat points to learn them all. In the case of the Gardener Class, I have no idea what to expect. I’m along for the ride right now.
Third, by clearing legendary events or beating secret bosses. Some of them give out [Skills]. Those skills are usually awesome, but they aren’t easy to get, and they don’t necessarily jive with any given build. There’s Players who build their entire setup around one [Legendary Skill], and Legendary Skill Hunters, who spend their lives finding [Legendary Skills] and building guides on how to achieve them.
In any case, for now, I’ll apply a few points. Once I invest a point, my HP will refill, too.
[Status]
HP: 10/10
SP: 6/6
STR: 7
MAG: 1
SKL: 7
SPD: 7
MDEF: 5
DEF: 6
[Skills]
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
[Gardener Tool Proficiency] [LOCKED] Lvl 1
[Trim] Lvl 1
[Compost] Lvl 1
I don’t think there’s a point in wasting an ability point leveling a skill quite yet. I don’t know anything about the [Trim] or [Compost] skills, so I don’t know if they’re worth investing ability points in. Since I only get one point per level right now, I need to invest wisely.
Besides, I can always level up my skills naturally, and they should level fast at low levels. Once I hit Lvl 5 or so… assuming that they’re five-plus level skills, that’s when it might be worth investing points into them.
Vivian sighed. He stood and stretched. “Annoying that I can remember all that shit, but nothing about my life.”
After a moment, he shrugged. Well, who knows? Maybe my life was boring.
In any case, it’s not as if I don’t understand. To make me an NPC, the Tower would have to make me placid. The easiest way to do that is to wipe my personality- and personal history-based memories. It wouldn’t have to erase general knowledge to make me thoughtless. My personality obviously keeps me from being an obedient NPC, but if the braindead NPC knows about the System, no harm, no foul.
“The real mystery here is that I managed to wake up. That, and that I’m here in the first place and not just dead,” Vivian mused.
Walking along, he put his hands behind his head. “No point looking a gift horse in the mouth. I’m alive, and that’s what matters for now.”
He kept his right shoulder toward the right-hand wall as he walked, tracing a route through the garden. Identical rose bushes paraded by, faintly-glowing roses lighting his path. Nothing but the rustling of leaves and the tap of his own shoes on the garden stones sounded out in the dark night. Overhead, the sky cleared, and a phosphorescent moon glowed high in the pitch-black sky.
Gentle rustling sounded from around the corner. Pale green light played over the wall of the hedge maze. Vivian froze. A Lost One? Shit, uh… think, think. Right, after dark, you don’t want to run into them!
But wait, I’m an NPC. Maybe we’re cool.
Vivian bit his lip. But just to be sure…
The Lost One stalked the gardens. Unlike the neat and tidy children that wandered during the day, this nighttime Lost One’s hair twisted wildly. Ripped and torn clothes hung loosely off his body. His skeleton glowed through his now-translucent skin, and his eyes glowed with bright green light. Baring fangs and claws, he turned the corner.
A gardener in black snipped dully at the bushes. Ignoring the Lost One, he wandered along, clipping heads and long branches.
The Lost One drifted by. As he passed by the gardener, he suddenly froze. He sniffed, looking around.
Vivian swallowed nervously. He focused on the bush, pretending not to notice as the Lost One drifted closer. A long tongue emerged from thin lips, tasting the air near his neck.
Dammit! That rogue… he clipped my neck! I didn’t know Lost Ones went after blood, but now… shit! I don’t want to fight the Lost Ones all at once!
A strong wind blew. A thick scent of blood coursed on the wind, strong enough that even Vivian smelled it.
The Lost One whirled. His ghastly tongue lashed at the breeze. It hesitated, then turned and followed after the stronger scent of blood rather than continue to lean toward Vivian.
Vivian breathed out. Thank goodness I didn’t [Compost] all the bodies. I’ll have to remember to leave some blood somewhere else to distract the nighttime Lost Ones if I ever end up back here.
Or just not get slashed first!
He wiped his neck, scraping away the leftover blood. The cut had healed when his HP refilled, but the blood itself remained. Dusting his hands off, Vivian put his clippers away and walked on.
As he walked, the roses grew fewer and fewer. Eventually, no roses adorned the dense hedges. The hedges grew thinner and lower, until Vivian could see the exit at long last.
He burst out of the hedge maze. Standing there in the dark of night, Vivian retraced the route, marking it out in his head. If I ever end up back here, I’ll know the way out next time.
Outside the hedge maze, the moon no longer glowed a pale green, but let out pale white light. A path stretched to the left and the right. Ahead of Vivian, a dark forest loomed, trees silvery in the moonlight.
Vivian bit his lip. I did not spend a whole lot of time on the First Floor. I never went to the Garden of Lost Souls. So where am I?
He stood on his tiptoes and peered left, then right. To the left, the path rose slowly, winding toward a desolate town on a tall hill. Narrow, teetering houses leaned into the wind. A bell hung half-out of a canted tower, clapper faintly swinging where it hung.
That’s… Belltower Heights. A relatively high-level region in the First Floor.
He turned in the opposite direction. The ground sloped downward. The forest grew thinner, evening out into plains. Unforgiving stone jutted into the air here and there, jagged as bone spurs.
Stone Spires. A hunting grounds not far from the entrance. It’s still higher than my level, but it isn’t unbeatably so. From there, I should be able to find my way back to the Starting Town and get my bearings. Vivian turned toward the spires, humming under his breath.
I’m not entirely sure what happened to me, but if I’m going to figure it out anywhere, the Starting Town is the place to start!