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Ten steps after crossing the bridge, Vincent blurted an excuse and darted onto a secondary street. It was unpaved and muddy because it had rained during the night. He didn't care. Dragging his feet through the dirt, he continued until he reached the opposite part of the town.
Attraction for a pretty girl was pretty normal, but it was different with Irene. He saw her like a comrade, a potential friend—an annoying one, to be honest—and a partner in ensuring their survival. He respected her. Irene's quirky idea of putting together a mishmash of bright people had paid off in unexpected ways.
Jeopardizing their friendship with a fling was out of the question. And a relationship even less… A pink suitcase stood witness to the fact that relationships with someone out of his league didn't work well for him. He was a simple man, and sophisticated girls were too… complicated.
Vincent arrived at a small park, soon realizing it was a pasture enclosed within the city walls to protect the animals from beasts. Resting his back on a haystack, curiously examined by a bunch of kids supervising a few sheep, he summoned the skill list. It was extensive, and he set it to display only the highest-tier abilities.
School of Light:
Light Damage. Imbue this type of elemental damage in your attacks, including ranged ones (Active, Elite tier) +0.5% damage per skill level. Cost to acquire: 3 Tokens. Consumes Mana.
Cloak of Light (Active, Elite Tier). Bend light around you to sneak around undetected. Stronger at day. Cost to acquire: 3 Tokens. Consumes Mana.
Light Bolt (Active, Elite tier). Shoot a bolt of Light Damage from your fingertips, a magical wand, or staff. Does weak to moderate damage. A slight chance to Blind the adversary for 3 seconds. Cost to acquire: 2 Tokens. Consumes Mana.
School of Fortune:
Critical Chance Buff (Passive, Elite tier). Your chance to score a critical hit increases by 0.25% for each skill level. Synergizes well with Battle Instinct. Current Critical Chance: 11% (Body stat/3) Cost to acquire: 3 Tokens. After reaching level 50, this skill can be evolved to include an active effect based on Concentration (Ressource).
School of Wisdom:
Insight (Active, Elite tier). A buff for your Inspect skill, allowing you to detect weaknesses and secrets. Cost to acquire: 3 Tokens. Consumes Concentration (Ressource).
School of Darkness:
Cloak of Darkness (Active, Elite Tier). Surround yourself in shadows to sneak around undetected. Stronger at night. Cost to acquire: 3 Tokens. Consumes Mana.
Dark Damage. Imbue this type of elemental damage in your attacks, including ranged ones (Active, Elite tier). Cost to acquire: 3 Tokens. Consumes Mana.
Bolt of Darkness (Active, Elite tier). Shoot a bolt of Darkness Damage from your fingertips, a magical wand, or staff. Does weak to moderate damage. A slight chance to Disorient the adversary for 3 seconds. Cost to acquire: 2 Tokens. Consumes Mana.
In his signature gesture, Vincent scratched the nape of his head. The only interesting thing was the passive offering an increased Critical Chance. The Light or Dark damage, he could supplant with the gun and enchanted bullets, and as for sneaking, he was confident his training and a camouflage suit was better. The Insight was OK but not on top of his priorities. Before committing, he scrolled to the last entries.
"Now that's interesting," he said aloud.
Iron Grip (Active, Elite tier): Your grip has an unusual force. This skill increases the strength of your hands for a limited time. Cost to acquire: 1 point. Consumes Stamina.
Outsider's Stride (Active, Mythical tier, Karmic). Bestows you with the ability to conjure a wormhole. You can use it to go to places you see, were to, or can attune to in various manners, as long they are on an Awakened Realm. This skill has no levels but can be improved through practice.
This skill consumes a special resource called Karma, which you gain through feats that influence the world around you. Cost to unlock: 10 Tokens.
I need to farm levels… Vincent knew instantly he had to have that skill. It was insanely powerful. If, on top of that, he bought the Outsider's Cloak, Insight, the Iron Grip, and the Crit buff, he was in for twenty-three Tokens.
"Is there a cap on levels?" he wondered aloud.
FAQ: Is there a level cap?
Answer: Levels, stats, or skills have a cap of 100. Considering the complexity of the equation (species, tier, logarithm scales), this represents your maximum capabilities. Overcharging your stats and skills through any means is considered extremely dangerous and strongly discouraged.
"You sure sound like an AI. Sytem, are you an AI?"
FAQ: Is the System an AI?
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Answer: This information is restricted.
"Never mind…" So, I could afford to invest most of my Tokens in stats after all… I bet the skills I want are good enough for—
"Here you are," a voice interrupted his line of thought. Lukas, Jong, and a third man, a town's people, were there. "We searched for you all over the place."
"Behold, you found me. What can I do for you?" Vincent asked, trying to be polite despite hating to be interrupted while thinking about his build.
"You're the owner of the pink suitcase?" the local asked.
"Yes?"
"I need your permission to cut it up in pieces. It's one of the strongest crafting materials I ever laid eyes upon."
"Really?" Vincent gasped.
"I thought about bringing other suitcases to the tiger, for… you know what," Jong said, "but the priest told me that this was a unique occurrence, an enchantment meant by fate. Karma, he called it."
"Hm… that's… interesting," Vincent remembered about the strongest skill on his list.
"Anyway, we propose to do two bows—"
"You can make bows out of a suitcase?"
"Of course. Carbon fiber. I thought you know."
"Maybe… sounds familiar," Vincent frowned, massaging his face. There were too many new things to remember in this world.
"Two composite bows and the rest will be used for magical rings."
"Jezz… Can you imagine the puns? Here comes Frodo with the pee power—"
"So, you're OK with it?" Jong said. "There's enough in the suitcase for a hundred rings, which could go as high as ten to twenty gold each, depending on the enchantment. You'll get sixty percent of the price."
"Yeah, on one condition. I don't want any bow, ring, or anything related to that thing. Just give me the money. Was that all? I need to train my hand-to-hand combat skills. I'm a bit rusty."
"Good luck then," Lukas said, in a tone that conveyed: 'Never mind, I don't really care.' "I brought you some bullets," he forwarded a small bag. "The proper caliber and all, enchanted for greater penetration. We tested until we got them right."
"Thanks, man, much obliged," Vincent blurted, in a much better mood now. "How much I owe you?"
"Give me one of those rings for free, and we're good," Lukas said.
"Of course," Vincent said. The price felt reasonable. A tiny bit of luggage for something that meant the difference between killing a monster or being eaten. The group left, and Vincent did the same, aiming for the police station.
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Vincent reached the inn a few minutes before lunchtime. He changed, showered, and went to the dining hall. The smell of the food held promises of deliciousness, and his misplaced thoughts for Irene had disappeared, both things making him happy. He saluted her with a hand wave and helped himself with a huge plate of pasta.
"Mmm…" Vincent grumbled. The food was really good that evening. He looked at the buffet to see if there was wine to go with and half-raised from his chair when a sharp scream made him jerk back, trip on the chair, and fall on the floor. Other people were screaming, too, panicked. He rolled laterally, reaching for his gun, which was holstered at the back of his belt.
"Iiiiii!" a young man shrieked again with a voice so sour and dissonant it would have put a banshee to shame. He was on his feet, pumping his fists in the air.
"What's up, Bee?" Irene shouted, rushing forward, followed by Ayman. "Did you get stung?"
"It's the dark matter," the young man screamed, waving his arms like a disturbed zombie from a horror movie. "I just realized it. Mana is the dark matter!"
"Relax, peeps, he's safe!" Irene yelled. A choir of relieved sighs erupted in the room.
"What the fuck is dark matter?" Vincent rose, rubbing lower back.
"A hidden particle no one could detect but makes most of the universe's mass," Jorge explained, offering him a hand.
"It's chiralic!" the young man shouted, walking back and forth.
"The heck is that?" Vincent asked, grimacing, his backbone still aching.
"Means a symmetry, like our right and right hand." Jorge continued his explanation.
"In our universe, it's inert," Bee blurted. "In this one, it has the opposite sense and is active. Maybe… able to connect to DNA, RNA, and amino acids? Iiiii!" Another shriek erupted, making several people cover their ears. An inn attendant dropped the plate she was bringing to restock the food, making a mess on the floor.
"C'mon, Bee!" shouts of protest raised in the room.
"Karma," Bee screamed anew, ignoring the objections. "There's a hidden resource… This is groundbreaking!" he shrilled again.
Oh, God, he sounds like a twelve-year-old during a voice change. Vincent barely refrained from facepalming.
"Interesting theory, Bee," Irene said in a calming voice. "We'll have a brainstorm tomorrow. OK, everyone, let's sit down and continue eating," she addressed the room.
"Eating?" the boy yelled. "We need to discuss it now. It's not a theory. I gained five levels and the Legendary Academic class from finding it!"
"Why don't we have a separate chat about Karma?" Vincent advanced, grabbing the young man's elbow. "As the Guild's master, I have to know first."
"Yes, of course!" Bee's eyes widened. "Moment, I have to bring my food."
On the way to his table, Irene came and whispered in his ear: "Thank you… Bee's a wonderful person but a little too enthused about science. Nod and pretend you listen; he'll calm down in a few minutes."
"Is Bee his name or—"
"Nickname. Pray you never find out the reason. Good luck."
Squeezing her shoulder for a second, signaling he understood, Vincent sat back on his chair and tried to eat as much as he could before Bee joined him. For now, the youngster was taking his time cherry-picking the food from the buffet. That gave Vincent the time to enjoy the pasta, even if he had not picked the wine he wished for. Finally, the hysterical young man arrived carrying a plateau with leftovers from breakfast, vegetables, and meat.
"Have you tasted the pasta?" Vincent said. "It's delicious."
"I'm Celiac."
"Shelly?" Vincent shook his head. It was his ex’s name; only hearing it brought many memories.
"CE-LI-AC! I can't eat gluten. Bread or pasta could kill me. So does milk and cheese. I'm also lactose intolerant." Bee said.
"So, how did you discover Karma?" Vincent asked.
"It was revealed to me," Bee lowered his voice. "My notifications said that because I made a genius discovery, I can access Karma skills... They are expensive, though."
"What skills?" Vincent asked, and he was sincerely interested.
"Let me see…" Bee waved his skill in the air, probably consulting his notifications. "Only one, actually. It's called the Astral Enchantment… I'll read it to you. You can create and engrave one-of-a-kind Enchantments that change the laws of physics or magic, dictating new laws whose duration and strength will be directly proportional to your Mind stat and skill level. The Enchantment will affect a person, object, or area."
Another insanely powerful Karma skill… "Have you bought it?" Vincent inquired.
"It's expensive, man… Twenty Tokens… I already do elite enchantments, so… I'm not sure I should take it."
Shit… "Bee, listen to me. You have to get that skill," Vincent pleaded. "How many Tokens do you have now?"
"Ten… I didn't invest any. But I want to put them in Body…" Bee sulked, lowering his head. The thick glasses he wore almost fell down on his plate. The look the young man gave his stale food and the furtive glance he threw at Irene told everything Vincent had to know: Bee wanted to be able to eat real food and have a chance to woo the girl.
"What if I'll help you raise your stats by training? I'm good at that; ex-military, remember? And if you want, I'll teach you my secret technique of speaking with girls," Vincent whispered.
"Why w-would I n-need t-that?" Bee stuttered. "I c-can speak with g-girls b-by myself… OK, OK… When do we start?" he sagged his shoulders under Vincent's fixed stare.
"No time like now, they say. Finish your lunch, and let's go."
"I'm finished. I can't eat very much, or I get bloated and barf." Bee wiped his mouth with a napkin, badly enough to let a lot of grease streaks on his skin. "Should I grab some weapons? A sword, a—"
"Not for now," Vincent said, looking through the man in front of him. His mind was on the notification he just received.
By having a significant interaction with a genius, you have gained +2 levels in Quiet Leadership.
Quest: Help Bee earn enough Tokens to buy the Astral Enchantment skill. Reward: Access to more Karma skills related to your class and species.