Ch 1 white room
I blink and I’m sitting in a white room with a plain desk, an androgynous blank faced nonperson sitting on the other side. They look like a mannequin smoothed faced with shadows thrown where eyes would be as only suggestion. I straighten up looking for where the light is coming from, seemingly the walls themselves.
“Where am I?" My voice sounds off echo like, such as if I'm in a long hall.
“The interface” the figure responds in a voice that’s as hollow as an empty cave. Ok interface of what? Please don’t tell me god, that would suck. I'm agnostic.
“What are you?” Why is this so easy?
“System docent” still the hollow tones. ok System, what does that mean. What System? Something is happening here and I'm not sure I like it. The doll look-alike never answered where.
“Why am I so calm?” I ask about any anxiety buried under the eerie calm.
“Current applied skills”
Organized Mind lvl 3
Emotional Suppressant lvl 5
Reality Disperse lvl 10
I feel like I should jump when a window pops in front of my face. Looking it over tells me nothing, no explanations just a short list, I’d guess it was the skills of the docent.
“Can you tell me what these do?” I fish for answers almost feeling curious.
“That is not your prerogative” Ok, so there is more going on than me being in a white room with a doll.
“Why am I here?” I ask, wondering why my emotions feel as if they are getting closer to the surface.
“Humans of Earth rated on the sapient scale for inclusion of the System.” Ok, there is a scale. We are on it. Do humans use the scale, as humans define the scale? But we use it to the exclusion of everything else on the planet so who else is on the scale?
“What is the System?” Does the docent mean there are others?
“The attempting prevention of heat death of the universe” Alright, heat death, isn't that where the stars turn into black holes? Like a giga zillion years from now?
“And how does the System do that?” A little freaked out, why would you prevent the end of the universe unless you were worried about it now?
“By cycling Hawking radiation without entropy” Yeah, I had no idea what the doll is talking about, radiation of what? Isn't entropy just chaos?
“And how does that work out?” At least I'm getting answers? Even useful ones I guess
“By causing sapients to fight constructs in an independent section of time-space" uh, what.
“You mean a pocket dimension?” I'm fairly sure that's what that means, right?
“That is nearly accurate” Ok so pocket dimension to fight constructs.
“What do these constructs look like?” I'm starting to get a suspicion of what's really going on, I can't believe it took this long.
“Creatures from your tales and lore” Well shit, fighting monsters in dungeons, yeah.
“What's the interface?”
“A suspended time-space to induce humans to the System”
“Why me specifically?”
“Every human rated sapient of age is included” Shit that means kids, they have kids in here.
“To do what?” Hopefully, I can get the doll to talk about and explain what's going on besides the end of the universe.
“Instruct on the basics of the System and create possible paths, goals and objectives.” Ok so there is choice, a lot of choice it seems. And no ready-made class System? That sounds like so much fun.
“Ok, how do we start? Do I make a guess and figure out what number you're thinking?”
“Negative. You start with 100 skill points and construct yourself from the listing” A hundred points sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t feel like enough for some reason, what am I missing?
“Ok, so what am I going back to? World ending apocalypse? Dropped into the wild? Plague of zombies? Everything overrun by giant tigers?” Need to think, how am I starting? Am I fighting for survival? Crafting in a village? Stranded alone? What, give me something.
“Negative, Earth has not changed except including 500 dungeons, in the most populated cities around the globe” Ok five hundred? Any in good old US of A? Likely, New York is in the top 50, right? Toyko is the biggest. Sounds like the dungeons are permanent? Not dispersing on the regular? How strong are they? Will base line humans be able to take them?
“So, everything is just like it was? Nothing has changed? No one died and the word keeps turning?” Guess I still have a job to go back to, yay. Crap, rent too. Guess I keep my plants, I do like that succulent.
“Correct, humans will return the exact position they left.” So, I need modern day skills that mesh well with my job, or I could try my hand at fighting? Yeah, no not going to lie I'm a total simp when it comes to hurting others. Maybe a crafter type? Do my regular day job and go about my spare time. Maybe something that doesn’t need a big set up?
“Ok so a list of skills? Any I can choose? No limits? Anything I want?” Je-sus too many things to go bad here. Kids dammit. Please don’t let kids choose here.
“Any limitations are removed excluding price of skills, only showing skills within100 points.” A window pops into my screen, I can barely focus on it as it scrolls. I need a search bar dammit. It stops scrolling and blanks out with a blinking cursor. Well shit. I figured the mind reading was a thing, but I was trying to avoid realizing it. Ok, crafting, I think.
Alchemy
Armor Smith
Blacksmith
Carpentry
Cobbler
Jewler
Leatherworker
Painter
enchanter
Sculptor
Mason
Weaponsmith
Weaver
Tailor
chef
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brewer
baker
Carver
trainer
...
Ok, so list. I look through another few pages. A few magical crafts, enchanting alchemy and scribe caught my eye. Making objects do things, making potions, and making spell scrolls. All sound interesting. But if I'm in the modern world then the most important thing is likely sustainability. Potions and spell scrolls are both onetime uses, so I guess it's enchanting for me. I backtrack through the pages and select enchanter
Skill
Description
Skill Cost
Enchanter
Design enchantments and imbue them into objects
20
and simple. Shit, really nothing else? Ok, do I need anything else to go with this?
“If I was going to be an enchanter what would be helpful?” worth a try at least
“Pictography or hieroglyphic language” well that track, be hard to write a word out to enchant something is suppose, and then anyone would be able to read it? Why can someone copy my enchantments?
“If I use a current language can someone copy my enchantments?” Please say no.
“If the language is understood it can be replicated” shit of course
“Can I create a language just for enchanting?” new window pops into existence
Skill
Description
Cost
Create Language
Makes a new language that can be learned
10
Create Incomprehensible Language
Makes a new language that cannot be learned
30
Ah, choice. How I regret thee. Two things and half my points gone. Can it guarantee a good life? Gods I hope so, nearly banking on this. Need to check the lowest cost of skills.
I select the incomprehensible language with enchanter. With that I drastically reduce my skill points. But I have a set path and leftover points for quality of life now.
“Do I need anything special to be able to enchant? Items? Metals? Need to be able to forge?” I should have thought of this before can I use modern shit or System only shit?
“Any object that can hold, use, diffuse or detect mana is applicable. All prep work may be done by others” Shit that’s a load off, but it means I'll be buying wholesale for a while then. Stop thinking about then, focus on now. What do I need for comfort in life? The search bar comes back into being as I think about it. First off look up the shit I'm under right now
Skill
Description
Cost
Organized Mind
Evolved skill of Organized Thoughts
40
Emotional Suppressant
Voluntary blocking emotion
40
Reality Disperse
Creating a block in reality recognition
80
Well, that’s not helpful. Nothing id want, I search for organized thoughts
Skill
Description
Cost
Organized Thoughts
Used to catalogue thoughts
10
Might as well, with luck it will help thinking straight, I'm getting used to be able to keep track of a conversation. What problems do I have with daily life? I'm forgetting something. Space. I want space and pocket dimensions.
Skill
Description
Cost
Inventory
Create stable reusable pocket dimension attached to self.
10
So very suspicious, why is it so cheap. Why is everything priced like this?
“Why is everything so cheap? I can have pocket dimension for cheap but making a language and enchanting aren't?” I remember the things I'm under have levels, but nothing shows in the store, why. Is it all base?
“Using what can be is simple, creating new requires mana. Creating new requires more from the System” Wait, create language, design enchantments, they will be brand spanking new, not just to me and the earth but to the System as well. Shit, that’s a doozy. Ok what else do I need. I'm forgetting the base rule of what it is. What do I need in daily life? How do I spend my time? Sleep. I sleep all the time, is there a way around that?
Skill
Description
Cost
Optimal Repose
Perfect rest in less time
10
All Sleep
Perfect sleep in any situation
10
Yeah, optimal repose sounds like a great fit. I won't spend six hours staring at my eyelids. Ok, now to seriously think. I've got game mechanics what am I forgetting. What superpowers would I want? Shit stupid fucking idiot, healing goddamit. The cursor blinks at me again
Skill
Description
Cost
Heal-Self
Self-centered healing
10
Heal-Party
Party centered heling
15
Heal-All
Heal all within mana range
20
Shit I should have looked at this sooner. Self-heal is all I should need, won't be a last resort for others though. What superpower would I want? Teleporting
Skill
Description
Cost
Blink
Move within eyesight
5
Teleport
Move to previous location
10
Portal
Move self and others to any location
20
Should I or not? Blink would be great for fights, but teleport would be great to not have a car. Or go between dungeons. How many are near home? That decides it.
Enchanter
20
Create Incomprehensible Language
30
Organized Thoughts
10
Inventory
10
Optimal Repose
10
Heal-Self
10
Teleport
10
That, all hundred, should make life easier. It won't make working fast food easier, but I'll have a chance to make my life better. If I can pay rent and buy food with money and craft to earn more, I'm set. Wait, money is that changing?
“Is the System going to change the money? Like all currency becoming defunct? Cuz that would suck.” The economy would collapse in most countries. I can think of a few places that still do trade in goods but barely any. Not a single first world country.
“No currency shall change. System credits will be rewarded when completing a dungeon or used when buying from System store.” Wait, there's a store just for the System? Shit, I could have put my choices off until I saw more of what's going on? Shit. Well, whatever. I'm going on as I am.
“What's in the System store? Like can I buy more skills? Can I sell my stuff through there?” that would be helpful not having to find customers on my own please let that be, not being limited to a fraction of people.
“The System store is worldwide and to be used only by humans of this planet. It is used to propel the System credits through integration. Credits may be used in place of local currency only when applicable” so whenever the System decided its ok? Maybe, let's hope I can pay rent if the System credits.
“What about skills and selling through the store?”
“Any human may place an owned object for sale through the System store, crafter may set a single item for sale or sell the item production to the store and receive royalties.” shit, only make one and get royalties for life? Sounds amazing. I can design new enchants faster than I could sell them, likely. Probably. I hope so.
“And skills? How do we get more? Skill points fall from the sky?” I hope we get more skill points. I want so much more, like a fighting pet, that would be amazing.
“Skill points are rewarded when human level ups from experience gathered can be bought with enough credits.” Ok, so humans' level, not just skills. Well shit did not expect that. And what's enough credits? Probably a metric ton considering how many I got on startup. Seven skills seem decent. I didn’t let myself poke at the cheapest, I know I would gather a bunch of low brow thing just to have more skills, but these are the ones that should help me the most. Wait, I'm anxious? What?
“Why am I anxious? I thought I was under the suppressant?”
“Suppressant is relative to amount of current emotions and existence. As you are ending of your interface you shall now return to your point of time.” shit going back to where I started? What was I doing? Was I in bed? At work?