Novels2Search

2: Getting Smarter Every Day

What is this? Is this what I killed.

What... what I see a box floating in front of me. I am unsure what it means... not that isn't true Old me has seen this before, but it's way more complicated. Is that a new thing that New me can do? I think I killed the [Horned Beetle]... that checks out, it has a horn. But... I think ten is a amount, like four. It was stronger than me, so I got a reward. But a bad thing happened. It had to do something to fix it. What did it do?

I don't understand what it did, but it fixed it. I have point remaining. What do I do with points.

Oh! A new box came up.

Name = Level = 0 Title = [Slayer] Type = Arachnid Family = None Class = None Home = Purple Hat Species = Common Spider Attributes

Body Mind Social Size 0.001 [Tiny] Ego 0 Id 1 Strength 1 Intelligence 0 [+8 Item] Charisma 0 Agility 5 Cunning 0 Empathy 0 Toughness 1 Sanity 0 Submission 0 Stamina 1 Focus 0 Vigor 0 Traits

Racial Trained General Knowledge Feats Deeds [Arachnid Body] [General Knowledge 1] [Slayer] [Exoskeleton] [Arachnids Knowledge] [Mindless Body] [Spinneret] [Venom] [Legs 8] [Tiny] Equipment

Head [Purple Hat]

Is this me? Like the Horned Beetle, I am a Common House Spider. At least I think that is it, I feel that is right, and looking at [Legs 8] the amount feels right, two fours is eight. I got that Mindless Body thing as a reward, and I have spinneret and I guess venom. I don't know what all of this means. Oh, Intelligence, I need to see what that is... oh it just came up, Yay!

Intelligence Innate Bonuses 0 +8 [Purple Hat] Intelligence is a creatures capacity for thought, how much they are capable of knowing. Sometimes called Sapience, this attribute is the raw power of a beings mind. Without this a creature is a [Mindless] bug, incapable of even the smallest thoughts. With a high enough intelligence, a creature is capable of understanding anything.

Average intelligence amongst civilized races is 10-12

Average Animal intelligence is 2-6

AHHHHH!!! This is new me!, quick, what is [Purple Hat] all my new me is from it.

Head [Purple Hat] [Enchanted Purple Silk Cloche] Bonus +8 Intelligence This stylish hat is crafted from rare purple silk, and crafted with the great skill of a Weaver. It confers a temporary intelligence bonus to the wearer.

Oh, I don't exist. Not really, I just exist as long as I am in the soft nest... or the [Purple Hat] I don't know what purple is, but I am doomed... unless, what is the [Mindless Body]

Mindless Body This trait confers immunity to all forms of mind effecting abilities. It does not protect the Mind. If the creature is under the control of a mind effecting ability, the body ignores the mind and continues using it's normal instinctive reactions.

Additionally, this trait does not automatically add attribute bonuses as [Mindless] does, allowing the Mind to add them as desired. Levels and Attributes will accrue while the Mind is controlled until the Mind is next free.

Oh Yay! I can exist, I need to put points into Intelligence. I got five, more then half my legs. I will put 2 in now, so I am like an animal whatever that is. It should let New me help Old me even outside the Hat. Then I will read more of these so I can figure out what else to do!

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OWWWWW

I pressed the little more symbol twice, then everything started hurting. It hurts so much, like my shell is too small, Oh gosh, no I see cracks... I gonna end, how should I know that it was a trap, Owww oh it hurts so bad.

Crack

Oh, that is so much better. Why did it hurt so much... and why am I covered in cracks. Oh, my skin pulls away now... is that bad? Oh no, I have a new skin underneath. Whew, was super scared... what was that, Oh I have a box.

Intelligence +2 Error Body Neuron Integer below minimum.

Upgrading body, adding Trait [Brain Spider] [Brain Spider] This trait confers a centralized nervous system as the [Brain] trait. But due to prior body already having it's own type of nervous system, this trait manages the new system as a secondary independent organ.

Oh... It was a good thing, but... it really hurt, please no more of that.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Ok, I'm going to just sit here and eat for a bit. Then I will look at more boxes and see what to do with last three points. Chomp Oh Yummy, the [Horned Beetle] tastes good.

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Full, and I put my webs back. Three this time, just to be super safe, as well as a few hanging loops of silk, I think they would snag and catch pretty well. Oh... Think, that's a thing I can do now. I spent ages just thinking. I didn't even eat that much of the Beetle, so I should have tons and tons and tons of time.

Let's do some more box looking. First I want to know what the other attributes I can spend point on are. Thank you Box.

Attiribute Grid Body Attributes Mental Attributes Social Attribute What they do Base Size Ego Id How Much you are, partially derived from other attributes. Power Strength Intelligence Charisma The raw power attribute, capable of doing work. Usually direct in it's use, but can be adjusted using attributes. Solution Agility Cunning Empathy Solution attribute, finding, ability to find ways of effectively using attributes. Durability Toughness Sanity Submission Durability attribute, represents ability to take damage. This is specialized to the category of damage. Energy Stamina Focus Vigor The Energy Attribute, represents ability to do work. Must be replenished regularly. Most actions consume an amount. Body Attributes represent the physical ability to do work and interact, movement, climbing. Mental Attributes represent the ability to think, to know or understand the world. Social Attributes represent the connection to other living beings, and the interactions with them.

Wow, that is a ton, I don't really get it, but I am sure I will. I am curious about why some numbers are so different than others.

# How good is it. 0

0-5

5-10

10-15

15-20

20-25

25-50

50-75

75-100

100+ Lacks attribute or levels entirely

Frail: Very bad at this, dangerously low.

Weak: Below average

Normal: Average

Good: Above average

Strong: Most creatures will never get this strong

Peak: About as strong as is normally possible

Beyond: Broken through the First Limit

Demi-god: Broken through the Second Limit

Deity: Broken through the Third Limit

I am frail, bad at everything but Intelligence. I am pretty sure that those numbers that start with 0 are smaller than one. I'ma little scared, I would be so easy to end right now, I don't know... I need more attribute points... and I can't waste them.

Ok, well, what is the size mean. Is it why the [Horned Beetle] and the big ones were so so much bigger?

Attribute: Size Size is a representation of how large a creature is. From the humblest [Grub] to the titanic [Dragon], all have a size. This attribute is a combined attribute, gaining a small bonus from Strength and Toughness attributes.

In practice Strength Agility and Toughness are relative to a creature's size. A creature with the same high strength will be able to move more if it is larger. It will also be less agile.

Typically other attributes will be close to size, only larger or smaller if the creature is weaker in that attribute than others of it's kind.

Size is currently affected by the [Tiny] trait. This trait reduces the effective size of a creature by multiplying it with 0.001. Spending a point on Size instead increases the Tiny Trait to [Mini], [Little], then [Small]

That is really important, I need at least one point in that, but it sounds like that makes my size jump a fair bit. Right now according to this I am much more agile than someone else my size. Is that why the [Horned Beetle] had trouble hitting me and the big ones were trivial slow?

I think it is, I have eaten [Grubs] before, they are smaller than me, but not by much... so I must be almost as small as you can be.

Ok, then, I think I want to keep being agile as I liked that it was easy to dodge. I'd better check some other things as well. Let's do detailed boxes of the rest of physical.

Attribute: Strength Strength is a creatures muscles and fitness, how much force they are capable of using. This attribute is the raw power of a beings body. Without this a creature is a immobile, incapable of even the smallest movement. With a high enough Strength, anything can be moved.

Average Strength amongst civilized races is 10-12

Average Animal Strength is 1-40 Attribute: Agility Represents the Bodies flexibility and mobility. While powered by the bodies strength, this is how capable the body is at using itself to it's maximum capability. Attribute: Toughness Represents the Durability of the Body. It is depleted by physical damage, but it will return to the cap with regeneration. Current toughness is used when resisting physical conditions. Regeneration is slow unless modified, and drains stamina. Attribute: Stamina Represents the Energy available for all uses of the Body, both traits and skills. Using it depletes current Stamina, but it will return to the cap with regeneration.

Regenerated by consuming food and resting, must use both methods of replenishment.

Ok, yes, I need these. I am sure the other score are important too, but... if I am so small I need to make sure nothing else is going to hurt me. I have 10 intelligence in the hat, and 2 outside it, so I should be able to manage. I think I can skip Agility for now, because I have so much of it, and Stamina, I can probably get away with, I have such a big food right here. I don't know how soon I can get more points, but I should be good for a while.

Ok, I am going to put 1 in Strength, and 1 in Toughness, then I wanna see how much size is changed. I might put a point into that if I am still weak, but I wanna see first.

Strength + 1

Toughness +1 Size bonus increased to .002

OWWWW!

That hurt, not as bad as the [Brainspider] Trait, but is the blue box always going to be really painful? Oh... wait... everything shrunk. No, I grew, my size increased. On... is that the [Horned Beetle] It's... I must be twice as big as before. I might need food sooner than I though. At my new size I can just barely get through the smallest hole. I don't want to grow too fast, that be just dangerous. It didn't add much to my size at least, I think if I put a point in I would grow an bunch more. I'm going to save my last point for now.

Ok, I move a but faster now, my legs are longer, but also I feel lighter. I would say I am a little more clumsy, maybe because my size went up but my agility did not. I can still really move, so I think that's ok. I will try to spend points in Agility in the future.

Despite the pain, I am feeling pretty good. I am a little hungry again, I'll eat just a little more and have a rest. Then... I don't want to do this, but I think I need to find out what Intelligence 2 is like.

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Ok, Here we go, I rested, and ended up eating almost half my food... I think my stamina was low. When I go out I have a few plans, I want to explore the area around the soft nest... no HAT, it's a Hat... not sure what Purple is, but Hat is clearly a thing that... that was on top of the big creatures head. Anyways, I want to set some webs to catch more food, and try to figure out if any threats are around.