Summoned to another world, but I'm a coward!
Chapter 1 - God already kidnapped so many people that he created a cheat shop!
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Ricardo "Rick" McDonald woke up and screamed as he remembered the pain he suffered moments earlier. It took a long time for him to claw at his body senselessly before he noticed the lack of blood and broken limbs.
'What happened? I remember crashing into a truck, but afterwards...'
Slowly regaining his senses, Rick pushed away his messy black bangs and looked at his surroundings. A grey, smoky expanse surrounded him like fog enveloping an island.
A majestic musical tone sounded out, instantly creating an empty expanse a few lengths around Rick. Before he could wonder what was happening, a glowing, gentle angel appeared before his bewildered eyes.
"Motherfucker! Am I dead? Is this heaven?"
"Welcome to the Space In Between." The Angel spoke, her gentle tone somehow calming Rick down from his post-death anxieties. Her long blond hair radiated mystically as if they were snakes, further entrancing the bewildered young man. "To answer your question, you have died, but instead of letting your immortal soul move to the next stage, you have been given an opportunity by God few others have been presented."
This gave Rick some pause. He felt as if he should be tormented by the wounds of his crash, the regrets of not living a full life and leaving behind his family and girlfriend. 'There's some kind of freaky mind control going on. Still, I admit its helpful. There's no use dwelling on my past life. Besides, this scenario seems oddly familiar...'
"Let me guess." Rick spoke slowly. "I'll be transported or reincarnated to another world by God?"
The angel smiled and nodded appreciatively. "That is correct Rick. Like you, God has become enamored with the new 'Isekai' genre of fictional media. So much that he has implemented his own version, even creating a special world of magic and mysticism for people like you to fulfill your dreams."
"People like me.. so I'm not the first?"
"Indeed. God does not wish for a single person to destabilize an entire world without competition and adversity. It would be too 'boring'. Several mortals from your Earth have been chosen to live their lives in the new world over the years, either through reincarnation or transportation. Many of these individuals have become heroes, villains or other figures of renown with the gifts granted by God."
This caused Rick to release a laugh. "Can't do without the obligatory OP cheats, right?"
"God deems this as an essential part of the Isekai genre and has granted his chosen mortals a choice of powers to take advantage of in the new world." The angel matched his laugh. "This initially led to chaos as several individuals picked overwhelmingly strong powers, or powers that seemed weak initially but started a chain reaction where they quickly grew out of control when let loose in the new world. By now, God has organized his gifts into a Point Shop for convenience and prevent other unforseen issues. Let me give you access to the interface."
With a wave of her hand, the Angel sent an invisible form of energy that somehow resonated with Rick's soul. Before he could ponder what those undulations were, a transparant gold window appeared before Rick.
Evaluation of Ricardo McDonald
Tallying the karma and achievements of Ricardo McDonald... complete.
You have lived for 24 years: 1200 points.
You have graduated from high school with honors: 500 points.
You have graduated from a moderately renowned university with a bachelor's degree: 900 points.
You have lived virtuously in your society with nothing more offensive than speeding tickets to your record: 947 points.
You have donated a total amount of $165 to charity: 50 points.
God's gift to all chosen mortals: 10000 points.
Total points available to spend in the Point Shop: 13597 points.
Rick looked at the gold colored window in astonishment and wondered why it wasn't blue. 'Damn, my entire life just amounted to 3597 points? That's brutal. If I knew my soul would be picked by God and be sent to another world I would have dedicated my entire life to charity.'
Shaking his head at all the missed opportunities, he swiped his hand and let the window disappear.
"Now that you have gained your points, you should inspect your status window and plan your approach to power."
Rick waited for the window to appear, only to be disappointed when nothing happened. "Is there some kind of bug?"
"No. This is something you should be capable of doing yourself. Try it now by thinking or saying Status Window."
"Status Window."
Status Name: Ricardo McDonald Class: None Age: 24 Subclasses: None Level: 1 Fame: 0 Race: Earth Human Health: 100 Mana: 100 Experience: 0/100 Titles Mortal of Earth: ???. Hidden. Attributes Strength: 10 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 10 Wisdom: 10 Agility: 10 Perception: 10 Constitution: 10 Luck: 10 Free attribute points: 0 Elemental affinities Earth: 0 Wind: 0 Water: 0 Fire: 0 Light: 0 Darkness: 0 Traits None
"So I've been turned into a vanilla human I see." Rick nodded, a little disapointed he couldn't bring his intelligence to bear in the new world. "These attributes seems self-explanatory, but I'd like to be a little more careful. Can I get an explanation on what each attribute means?"
"Depending on the level of your general appraisal skill, you will be able to glean more details from the System. However, to answer your question I will temporarily bestow you with intermediate appraisal mastery so you can inspect them yourself. Take your time. If you want more detail, then I suggest you raise your appraisal mastery in the new world or buy it directly in the Point Shop."
The angel sent a small ray of light between Rick's eyes, and he somehow felt an instinct take over his eyes. He concentrated on the words, which resulted in a new window popping from the status window.
Strength Strength affects your ability to exert force with your physical body. This includes physical strength, resistance to knockdowns, physical endurance, inventory weight capacity and more.
Dexterity Dexterity affects your physical precision and control of your physical body. It affects the chance of achieving critical hits, the success rate of crafting delicate components, your ranged accuracy and more.
Agility Agility affects your physical speed and how well you can move your entire body. It raises the nimbleness of your footwork, reduces the amount of stamina spent, increase your melee accuracy and more.
Constitution Constition affects how durable your physical body is and determines how well you recover from damage. It affects your total health, your natural healing rate, the depth of your stamina and more.
Intelligence Intelligence affects your magical capacity and your thinking ability. It affects your memory, your internal calculation rate, your total mana and more.
Wisdom Wisdom affects your problem solving capability and your affinity with magic. It affects your attunement to elemental affinities, your mana regeneration, your resistance to mental compulsion and more.
Perception Perception affects the way you perceive the world both physically and magically. It affects how succesfully you perceive hidden threats, the accuracy of future predictions, your ranged accuracy and more.
Luck Luck minutely affects random chance and the ability to turn chaos in your favor. It marginally affects the success rate of all your actions, amplifies the positive effects of titles, increases your interactions with Gods and more.
'These stats seem inclusive, though a bit too slanted towards combat. I have a feeling what I'm seeing right now doesn't scratch the surface of what the System is really capable of doing.' Rick nodded carefully to himself. 'I need more information.'
"Can you give me some more information on the world I'm about to enter and some advice on common builds others have chosen?"
Sadly, the angel shook her head. "God does not permit us or any summoned companions to aid you in your choices. You must utilize your own wits and follow your own path to power."
"That sucks... but it makes sense, I guess." Rick shrugged. While he really liked to learn more about the world so he could make more educated guesses, he had no choice but to go blindly and hope things go well. "Then let's move on. Can you call up the Point Shop?"
"Certainly Rick." The Angel waved her hand, wiping away all the blue boxes in order to make room for the new golden box. "I cannot advise you anymore from this point on. I can only warn you that the Point Shop is only available to you now. Make the most of the opportunity and spend all your points, for you will not be able to spend your remaining points elsewhere."
Point Shop Races Titles Skills Traits Classes Items Attributes Reincarnation Companions Knowledge Total Points: 13597
Just seeing the main categories of the Point Shop cleared a few things up, but introduced many other questions. 'Why are titles a seperate category? And it seems like if I want to know more about the new world and how it works, I have to buy the knowledge seperately.'
Curious, Rick mentally clicked the first category and checked the first page of this seemingly endless list.
Races You may spend points to change your base race, mix races or introduce a racial bloodline of varying power. Races affect your physical and magical properties, which includes your physical length, your attribute growth rate and your trait and skill acquisition. If you do not spend any points in this category, your race will remain as an Earth Human. Race Points Description Native Human 1 Native humans of the world of Avandis differ from humans of Earth in many subtle ways. Like magic and stuff. Elf 300 Hippies, treehuggers and archery students love this race. They have a high affinity to Life and Earth magic and live much longer than many other races. Dwarf 250 Dwarves are good miners, smiths and beer lovers. When they are not drunk, they are master craftsmen and sturdy warriors. Vampire 2000 Not the sparkly kind. Sunlight is lethal to vampires and almost nothing provides any mitigation to it. In turn, they can live forever and enjoy powerful attribute and skill bonuses. House Cat 10 Meow. Dragon 30000 Dragons are the most powerful race of Avandis. They enjoy a wealth of attributes, infinite lifespan and are masters of different kinds of magic depending on their subrace. Dragons can shapeshift easily upon reaching their adult stage. Dungeon Core 10000 Sentient Dungeon Cores are fixed emplacements that sacrifice much in order to gain power. They can claim territories, create monsters and feed on the suffering of mortals that enter. ... ... ...
"Some of these descriptions are less than helpful." Rick politely pointed out. 'Also, some of these race choices are crazy. Who in the world would have enough points to pick Dragon? And why in the world would you be crazy enough to turn into a dungeon core?'
"I believe one of my colleagues grew rather lazy when God assigned him the task of filling out the information on races in the Point Shop." The Angel sighed. "But there is a reason why knowledge is a category in the Point Shop."
"Right, if I want to know something about this world of 'Avandis', I gotta pay for it out of my own pocket. Let me see the other stuff first." Rick waved away the Races category and switched to Titles.
Titles Titles are formally bestowed acknowlegements by Gods or the System in response to a notable achievement or action. Almost all titles are visible to everyone, even individuals who do not possess appraisal skills. Unlike traits, titles and their bonuses cannot be removed or negated by anything else than the original entity unless they are stronger. The titles of the Point Shop are bestowed by the Penultimate God and thus have priority over any other source, including the System. Also, certain titles that have special properties or have no context in the world of Avendis are allowed to be hidden. Title Points Description Prodigy 10000 You are a prodigy rarely seen in Avendis. You learn skills and obtain traits two times faster or easier. Blessed by Gods 4000 You have gained the attention of the Gods and are gifted with several favors. You gain random blessings by at least two Gods of Avendis in addition to their continued attention. Immortal 20000 You cannot die and will live forever unless you beseech the Penultimate God to end your life. However, this does not provide you with a way to escape traps that last forever. This title can be hidden. Master Craftsman 4000 You are a master of many crafts that all other crafting has become familiar to you. Any skills related to crafting improve two times faster. Drastically reduces the failure rate of difficult works. Casanova 2500 You are a master of seduction and a proficient lover. You are able to gain experience with each successful seduction. Anyone you are attracted to will become more amenable to your seduction. You gain complete control over the conception of offspring. Limit Breaker 15000 Ordinary limitations by the System cannot oppose your destiny. You gain the capability to exceed the maximum limitations of any skills you possess, resulting in further mastery or the creation of new (sub)skills. Anime Protagonist 9999 You are destined to live an interesting life. You are destined to be a hero/anti-hero/villain protagonist, with a healthy serving of plot armor and harem love interests. You have a compulsion to loudly shout out your skill activation and talk dramatically to every opponent you battle. This title can be hidden. ... ... ...
Many of the titles boggled Rick's mind even further. The prices of at least half of the titles were beyond Rick's means, which gave further hints that many other Earthlings must have been dragged here by God that achieved much more in their lives than graduating from university. Unless there was a way to gain more points by sacrificing some stuff or gain some negative trait, there was simply no way for Rick to gain all those drool-worthy titles.
'It's interesting that titles are both highly visible and not easy to remove. The fact that the page explicitly states that titles are very difficult to counteract means that there are plenty of threats in the world that can defeat you other than bashing your head in. I have to remember this and come back to this page once I finalize my strategy.'
Rick already had something in mind for his strategy, but he dilligently browsed the rest of the pages.
Skills Skills are certain active or passive proficiencies that improve certain actions or activities. Skill mastery is divided into four stages: beginner, apprentice, journeyman, master. Skills can lead to the introduction of variations or subskills upon extensive use. Many skills can be taught to others upon reaching journeyman and master stage. You may purchase skills of varying mastery in the Point Shop. Skill Points Description Sword Mastery 10/200/3500/7000 You become more proficient in wielding any weapon that are categorized as swords. This skill allows you to bond with any special or legendary swords depending on mastery. Wind Magic 300/600/5000/8000 You become proficient in using wind magic. This skill provides a large boost to wind affinity depending on mastery. Persuasion 150/300/3000/6000 You are more capable of persuading other mortals to your point of view. Others will pay more attention to your words and you can unlock the charisma attribute depending on mastery. Woodworking 400/800/4000/10000 You become proficient in using tools or magic to craft general objects from wood. You can gain the assistance of the System when crafting with wood. This skill boosts other (sub)skills related to woodworking depending on mastery. Art 600/1200/5000/8000 You are able to appreciate any kind of general art, allowing you to gain minor benefits from any secrets you discover as well as improve your appraisal. Leadership 400/1000/4000/7000 You are capable of leading others effectively, whether in administration or battle. You are able to reduce complex plans into simple instructions and convince large groups into following your orders depending on mastery. Sprinting 200/900/1800/5000 You will be able to run faster in short distances with the assistance of mana and System-assisted footwork. You will be able to convert mana more efficiently into speed and utilize more profound footwork effectively depending on mastery. ... ... ...
The skills varied wildly in costs depending on mastery. 'It seems like getting a beginner mastery in any skill takes some effort, but not too much. Probably somewhere between hours and months depending on the specific skill. Getting to the Master stage is something most humans will work towards in their lifetimes considering the jawdropping point costs at the end. It's probably worth it as well if you are willing to pay that much.'
Traits Traits are special, solitary bonuses that provide a specific modifier. Traits are most often gained through the completion of quests and performing certain actions within your class. Some traits can stack, counteract or combine with other traits. A very rare amount of traits are hereditary upon gaining sufficient strength. Traits can be removed through completing very rare quests. Trait Points Description Inquisitive 400 You have a habit of digging deeper. You are more successful in unearthing secrets the more time you spend your time investigating. Paranoid 700 You are afraid that 'they' are coming to get you. You are much more sensitive to hidden threats, though this may occasionally result in false alarms. Battle Hardened 500 You have walked many battlefields and have become familiar with blood and death. You will gain a large amount of mental resistance in combat and act as a beacon of morale. Calm 300 You can remain calm in unusual or frightening situations. You gain a moderate amount of resistance to mental influences and will not easily grow scared or angered. Shadow-touched 2000 You are touched by shadows, allowing you to gain a large amount of affinity to darkness. You are able to perform special interactions with shadows even without the use of mana. One with Nature 3000 You have gained enlightement and have the ability to become one with nature. You have gained a large amount of life affinity and you are able to perform special interactions with plants and animals. Pious 500 You have sincerely devoted much of your life to a God or Gods. You gain a large amount of affinity with the relevant God(s) and gain resistance to the influence of hostile Gods. ... ... ...
The traits seemed much simpler than titles. They were probably much easier to obtain as well. Rick didn't bother too much with this page except take note of a couple of interesting ones he might want to work towards in the future. Considering the cost of his future purchases, he couldn't waste his points in this category.
Classes Classes are System-recognized jobs or classifications that affect your growth potential and skill acquisition. In general, classes have no level limitations, but many sophisticated classes can be difficult to acquire alone. Many of the most advanced classes are acquired by developing and evolving from more basic classes. Individuals may choose only one main class and a maximum of two subclasses (depending on traits). Subclasses do not affect attribute growth and have inferior trait and skill development. Classes can be changed or removed through the intervention by Gods. This service is provided by many temples at high prices. Class Points Description Warrior 100 Warriors are basic and sturdy fighters capable of using many weapons to the battlefield. Warriors gain accelerated proficiency in learning how to utilize weapons and armor more effectively. Most warriors focus on developing their strength and constitution. Warriors are able to evolve into one of many specialized classes with moderate effort. Wizard 700 Wizards are knowledge-based magicians who develop their magic by studying it extensively in order to understand their underlying mechanics. Wizards have extreme requirements for intelligence and wisdom, but are able to perform spells with utmost mastery and make their own variants with ease. Blacksmith 400 Blacksmiths are general crafters able to create a wide variety of objects with metal. They can craft anything based primarily on metal such as weapons, armor tools and horseshoes, though not with exceptional quality and precision. They are able to absorb teachings, learn recipes and develop relevant skills faster than others. Blacksmiths are able to evolve in a wide variety of specialized classes with moderate effort. Wolf Runner 2000 Wolf Runners are skirmishers who can bond with a pack of canine animals or monsters. Though weak without their pack, in the wilderness they are master scouts, harassers and ambush predators. Wolf Runners focus their attributes in many directions but agility and perception in particular. Crossbow Sniper 1750 Crossbow Snipers are masters of long-ranged single-shot shooting with any ranged weapon, but crossbows especially. They are able to gain many specialized skills in the maintenance and use of a wide variety of crossbows. Crossbow Snipers focus mainly on Dexterity and Perception, but are also able to gain Precision if they do not already have access to this extra attribute. Qi Refiner Cultivator 13000 Cultivators are a new, exotic kind of classes that utlize modified elemental mana in unusual, profound ways that resonate strongly with the existing laws of reality. Qi Refiners are the magicians of cultivators, able to use flying swords in formation or shape their Qi in profound elements that achieve strong and exotic effects. Qi Refiners rely heavily on perception and wisdom to advance, but cannot neglect other attributes. Divine Singer 19000 Divine Singers are touched by a God or Gods the moment they acquire this class. Divine Singers are able to enchant and entrance others down to their very souls when they sing. This enhanced Singer class gain a large amount of attributes related to charisma and singing at the cost of giving up on free attribute points. Upon achieving their maximum level, they are granted a Pinnacle Quest which grants them an enormous amount of Divinity upon completing it succesfully, potentially letting them evolve into Gods. ... ... ...
The classes varied from basic RPG staples like warrior or priest, to modern professions like Navy Seal or nuclear physisist, to ridiculously weird jobs like cultivator or grand town crier. 'There's probably a few Chinese who have read too many Xianxia novels who have started a cultivation sect in Avandis.'
Items Items are objects such as weapons, armor, skill manuals, medicine, food and more. The Point Shop provides many items of power and convenience. Consider the storage of items when buying in bulk, as a System inventory is not provided by default. Unless stated otherwise, items are not soulbound and can be lost, destroyed, stolen or corrupted by others. Items Points Description Rusted Spear 5000 This is a mysterious, rusty spear. It looks old and useless, but there might be secrets hidden within this weapon. Perhaps it is a cursed weapon. Perhaps it is connected to a God. Perhaps it is a legendary weapon waiting to repaired. Or it might just be a piece of junk. Spirex G63 Black Edition 2500 The latest Spirex smartphone, adapted to Avendis. This state-of-the-art consumer product has been strengthened significantly to resist damage and contains minor adaptations to make it work practically. This includes an automatic mapping function, a mana-rechargeable battery and connectivity to several of the most popular magical networks. Everwine Gourd 8000 This ancient gourd is a practically indistructible source of endless wine. It hides a vast hidden plane regulated by a highly ingenious set of structures and mechanisms for the sole purpose of producing endless wine, as much as can be poured out by a typical gourd at a time. Dimensional Ring 3000 This is a rare functional dimensional ring that hides a ten cubic meter miniature dimension. Any user can bind this ring and use minute amounts of mana to store and retrieve any object that fits within the space until there is no room left. No weight concerns are necessary with this high quality ring. Unlimited Northridge Tooth Paste 50 Those with extreme dental hygiene concerns may purchase this tooth paste of the renowned Northridge brand to relieve themselves of rotting teeth. Advanced bacteria will naturally replicate more tooth paste from ambient mana, making it unlikely for the tooth paste to run out if used by a single person or a small group. Chinese Zither 150 This is a high quality Chinese zither built with modern craftsmanship and tools. Though it lacks magical enhancements, it is open to any enchantment and further modification. Full Plate Knight Armor 500 This set of heavy full-plated knight armor is optimized for horseback combat. Made out of modern steel and leather, this set is meticulously tailored to you and will fit like a glove. The armor lacks magical enhancements, but it is open to any enchantment and further modification. ... ... ...
Like the previous category, Rick encountered a large amount of magical fantasy and modern items in seemingly random order. Fortunately, his sanity was saved by the filtering options. He could narrow his search to modern items only, or even cut off items above a certain cost.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Attributes Additional attributes can affect you in ways that the basic attributes cannot or do so only weakly. Many extra attributes can be gained or learned by performing very specific actions, upon switching to a new class or gained by obtaining a blessing from a God. Once gained, attributes can be raised by training, assigning free attribute points or the completion of rare quests. Many mortals can only acquire a limited number of extra attributes and cannot be removed by anyone other than the Penultimate God. Attribute Points Description Precision 150 You become more precise in your ranged attacks or by performing delicate work. Charisma 200 You can gain an easier impression from other mortals, monsters and even Gods. Disease Resistance 1000 Your body becomes more resilient to physical and some magical diseases. Patience 400 Your mind becomes more patient, allowing you to complete monotonous work with more success. High patience allows you slim chances to gain enlightenment. Aura 5000 You radiate an invisible aura that affects others depending on your fame/infamy. This aura can provide a substantial boost to morale and can pass off the benefits of a single, basic skill to your allies. Divinity 20000 An attribute exclusive to Demigods (offspring of Gods) and Gods, this skill affects the strength at which you can bend reality and the System to your will. You can evolve into a full God upon gaining sufficient Divinity. Dimensional Fluidity 7000 This exotic attribute allows you to phase your physical body in or out of your current dimension in reality. ... ... ...
Attributes are not easy to obtain apparently. Unless your class specifically develops it, you have to spend many years to develop it specifically. There were many more interesting choices here, though the cost of some were just ridiculous. Still, some of the cheaper attributes might be worth a purchase, as Rick reckoned most other mortals didn't start with these attributes and were at a disadvantage compared to him if he picked it immediately.
Companions Companions are living, sometimes sentient lifeforms that may accompany you in your adventures. Any companions bought in this shop have complete loyalty to you when bought, but may lose it due to unfavorable actions or intervention by others. Companions can be removed or given up voluntarily through the System. Companions in this Point Shop can be turned immortal and soul-bound by paying double unless stated otherwise. Companion Points Description Millenial Cat 300 A millenial cat is a fairly common familiar for magicians. They can grow stronger and gain limited sentience over a long period of time by feeding it with elemental mana. They assist their masters with rodent extermination and detection of hidden magic. Animated Plushy 100 Animated plushes are fairly common toys for the offspring of nobles. They possess limited magical sentience and can teach language, common sense and offer simple advice to many children (and older). Ancient Magician Spirit 10000 A random, long-deceased magician of advanced class will be resurrected to spirit form and will become your companion for a long period of years. Depending on many factors, the spirit magician can provide advice, spot hidden objects, teach you many skills and even occasionally assist you in battle by sacrificing its spirit lifetime. A.I. Chip 5000 A futuristic A.I. chip will be implanted in the back of your skull. This A.I. chip will possess a modern artificial personality and can grow alongside the master as it gains more interaction. The A.I. chip can share and help analyze any data it gains from its master's senses and is capable of performing many complex calculations. The A.I. chip grows more capable when its master grows in levels. Random Familiar Summoning 4000 You gain the ability to perform a complex summoning ritual that is aimed at providing you with an appropriate familiar that can assist you with your circumstances. You have no control over what type of familiar is summoned. This summoning can only happen once. Living Sword 9000 You are accompanied by a sentient sword that can grow stronger and more capable as you gain in levels. This sword will start weak but can choose to evolve certain aspects when harvesting experience for its master, eventually growing into a legendary weapon. This sword cannot be broken easily but can be lost when dropped. Twin Rockclaw Eagles 1000 Rockclaw eagles are highly capable birds native to Avandis that are not easily tamed. Each Rockclaw eagle is a rare companion to nobles, but they can hunt many quick and stealthy prey smaller than them with ease. These twins are spiritually connected, allowing them to coordinate and share their senses no matter the distance and dimension. ... ... ...
Right. The companions tab rounded out the craziness of the Point Shop. Rick even recognized several of them as straight ripoffs of other anime and novels. 'C'mon, I bet my ass I'll summon a regular human if I do the random familiar summoning. Yeah no thanks, I don't want to drag anyone else in my mess.'
"Have you gained an overview of what is available in the Point Shop?" The angel asked. When Rick nodded, she warned, "Then I must remind you not to take too long in making your purchases. You have less than an hour to spend your points. All of your purchases except for knowledge will take effect when you are deposited in the new world."
The one hour time-limit instantly jolted Rick's sense of urgency for the first time since he died. He felt as if he was back in university, doing an exam for a subject he spent only two nights to cram. 'That's probably on purpose. God doesn't want us lazy bums to min-max each and every detail to the extreme. I'm guessing he wants us all to go on our gut feeling when making our purchases.'
The horrible interface and lack of extensive filtering and sorting also reinforced his hunch. Despite the endless choices, he couldn't spend too much time searching for optimal things to purchase. Remembering the things he learned from university, he got his mind back on track and set a couple of goals and priorities. First, Rick considered his aspiration. He couldn't buy everything in the Point Shop, so he had to make a few purchases that would best let him achieve his dreams.
'What do I want to become?' He asked, and took a few minutes to consider this question. If he wanted to follow in the vein of smart anime protagonist, he'd pick a couple of weak and expensive skills and classes that start weak but gain a surprising amount of power when he reached higher mastery and levels. 'It's too bad God has taken that into account. Most scalable skills and items cost at least as much as their midgrade equivalents, if not more.'
A simple sword that scaled to his level cost many thousands of points, while the very valuable Prodigy title already cost him an armful with 10000 points alone. There was absolutely no cheating possible there. If he wanted to create a character with ideal conditions of growth, he'd have to sacrifice immediate power and safety. 'Considering the descriptions of many of these things, Avandis seems like a crazy world that is already affected by many transmigrated Earthlings. Considering Gods wants us all to compete with each other, I don't think I can behave as a regular prodigy without coming into attention to one of those freaks.'
A twenty-four year old like Rick also lacked the points to make a strong foundation. If he had the rotten luck in encountering some old, billionaire green energy investor and philantropist, he'd lose his head so fast he couldn't even croak a plea.
Considering those circumstances, Rick had to find an aspiration to work towards without getting offed like a red shirt in a bad sci-fi movie. 'What am I even thinking about? Do I need to become a supreme knight, tanking blast after blast of firebombs? Is there any bone in my body that screams that I have to become a master magician, able to teleport to moons without effort? I bet loads of others have picked those flashy paths. They don't need anyone else joining their club. Let them play with each other. I'll be off in the corner doing my own thing.'
He decided right there that he'd forgo pursuing the pinnacle of combat, whether physically or magically. Instead, he'd choose a more down-to-Earth choice of becoming a crafter. 'Hm, and I don't want to become anything attention-grabbing either. I don't want to become a rotten blacksmith chained to a single location, but I don't think it's a good idea to become a gunsmith whose inventions are immediately apparent to any former Earthling.'
Rick wanted to avoid entangling himself with politics, debt, location and other difficulties. He was afraid of getting in too deep with anyone. He wanted to preserve his life and freedom while making a reasonable living by crafting things he'd enjoy making in the first place.
"I'll become a crafter - doens't matter what. I'll just pick a bunch of crafting skills that don't require a lot of heavy tools and go from there. Specializing comes later."
However, becoming a succesful free craftman was only a secondary goal. His first, and most important goal of all was to stay safe. What was the best way to stay safe? 'Not getting noticed in the first place. I won't make enemies if they don't know I exist in the first place. Even if they do target me, I'll just run away.'
Ever since Rick had been bullied in high school did he shy away from getting entangled with others. He planned to adopt his scaredy cat mentality to the new world. He needed to acquire some good hiding and running skills and maybe a defensive skill or two. Considering he would not bother with acquiring any offensive skills, he can purchase much better skills devoted to staying alive. 'I'm a coward, I admit it. I absolutely do not want to kill anyone, not even a rat.'
Ultimately, Rick realized that these two goals slightly ran against each other. In order to remain unnoticed by anyone dangerous, Rick needed to avoid making a reputation. However, successful craftsmen heavily relied on their reputation as their personal brand. Without a brand, how could Rick gain acknowldgement for his work and sell them for a high price? He'd need a way to remain both recognizable and anonymous at the same time. 'I need to figure this out. The shop should have something to help me.'
On a whim, Rick added a whim to his final strategy and finalized his thoughts. "My goal is to become a wandering, luck-based craftsman."
He did not misspeak. Ever since he read the description, Rick somehow felt an attraction to the oft-neglected attribute of Luck. He already felt as if his previous death was nothing more than a bad throw of the dice. Who would have thought he died at twenty-four, not even a real man and no wife and kids to grieve in front of his grave? He felt bitter about it even with God's mysterious emotional suppression. 'I don't care if it's an inefficient stat. I'll focus most of my points on Luck and see where the winds will blow me. I might be making the biggest mistake of my second life, but I won't regret a thing.'
With that choice made, he started to browse the Point Shop for his first purchases to fill his shopping cart. He started with Titles and Companions first. The former due to its strong effects and difficulty in counter-acting it, the latter due to Rick's essential need for companionship. 'Just because I'm a coward whose afraid of befriending anyone dangerous doesn't mean I want to stay as a hermit my entire life.'
Companions also provided a second view to things. Rick read enough light novels to understand that he'd miss loads of things if he was left to his own devices. Some companions even specialized in augmenting Rick's weakpoints, though they'd cost most of his points if he contemplated buying them. 'Sigh, I can't get them all.'
Rick didn't dare take too long or spend all his points, but due to their fundemental value he spend at least half in one go.
Title: Forgotten Nerd Some nerds are obnoxious in showing off their intellects. Others just plainly repel most potential love interests. You just sit in the corner, forgotten by everyone but your teachers and your mom.
1.25x increased rate of skill acquisition and learning.
You gain one additional intellect point per level up.
Gain fame/infamy 2x slower. Fame/infamy decays over time.
Your charisma never exceeds 9 no matter what.
The total sum of your physical attributes can never exceed the total sum of your non-physical attributes.
You gain a moderate bonus to all stealth-related actions.
You gain a moderate penalty to all melee combat-related actions.
Mortals have trouble remembering your name.
Provides a moderate boost to skills and traits that hide, obfuscate and disguise certain aspects of your status window to outside appraisals.
This title can be hidden. 4000 points.
Companion: Possessed Chronicle A possessed chronicle is an empty journal that gained semi-sentience by allowing a dead monster soul possess its body. The soul inherits certain book instincts and are ideal journals and record keepers as long as its pages last. They can hide their mana and soul undulations to a moderate extent and can impersonate a regular book with ease. Possesed chronicles need to feed on their master's mana, but will eventually be able to grow to a minor extent by allowing free flying movement within a certain radius. Certain sophisticated upgrades can improve the chronicle's physical appearance, record-keeping functions and more.
The possessing soul is a random monster native to Avandis. This influences their actions, affinities and personality.
The chronicle can be upgraded mainly with magical engineering but can also accept other improvements so long they are compatible.
Possessed chronicles are classified both as objects and lifeforms.
Possessed chronicles aid their masters in defending against spiritual and soul attacks.
Possessed chronicles will grow dormant upon departure or death of its possessed soul. It may accept other souls for possession, though the new souls will not be as proficient as the old one and may grow in a different direction. 750 points.
Okay, he admitted that those choices were plagiarized from other works, but hey, if it ain't broken, don't fix it. 'No one's going to sue me anyway.'
The possessed chronicle was basically a poor man's A.I. chip. Rick mainly planned to keep his crafting recipes and ideas in one place, and also allow it to help with keeping track of his daily life. He was worried he didn't make his Possessed Chronicle immortal and soul-bound. Rick really couldn't afford to lose this companion, especially if he invested a lot of knowledge and upgrades into it. He was so worried in fact that he considered changing his mind in order to relieve his worries of risking it getting lost. But then he shook his head. 'I can't let this fear take over my rational choices. I already have a plan in mind for storing my valuables.'
As for the title Forgotten Nerd, it was the best choice he could make that was within his budget. Some titles provided stronger boosts to his skills, others allowed him to hide much better. He still cringed at the disadvantages, especially the one that drove a stake in his dreams of reaching 100 charisma. 'Well, I won't miss what I never had in the first place.'
Next he needed to fill out the basics and choose his class and skills. He decided right then and there that he'd limit himself to purchasing the beginner version of skills. 'I don't want or need immediate mastery. I just need to get my foot in the door for skills that my class won't allow access to. I'll grow in my own way with my own effort.'
Class: Artisan Artisans are rare craftsmen who have pride in their work more as art rather than a product. They are skilled in creating unique products by hand. They benefit from imagination and an unhindered mentality in their drive to turn products into artwork, and artwork into products. Artisans can evolve into one of several possible subclasses with the completion of several difficult class quests.
Artisans are able to gain experience when performing crafting-related actions, especially when producing items.
Artisans gain an additional two dexterity points and one free attribute point with each level up.
Artisans gain a moderate bonus from crafting unique works that they have not duplicated before.
Artisans gain a large bonus in modifying standard crafting recipes.
Artisans gain a large penalty in crafting standard or mass-produced works.
Artisans are able to work towards unlocking the Creativity and Precision attributes.
Artisans can sign their works with their name or an alias upon succesful completion of a high quality work. This signature is recognized by the System and is included within any appraisal of a certain mastery. 3000 Points
Artisan was an interesting specialization of general craftsman. It was highly expensive in points even though it wasn't an advanced class, and that drew Rick's attention. A lot of the details appealed to him. The extra attribute points was generous. He didn't want to get tied down and produce a thousand horseshoes in a single winter. He longed to travel the new world, see new sights, get inspired and create a few interesting works as appreciation of what he experienced. This class seemed to resonate with him, and though 3000 points was a very painful dent in his limited budget, he still bit the bullet and put it in his shopping cart.
Skill: Strict Contract-Making This skill allows for the formation of contracts that are acknowledged and enforced by the System. This skill has been modified to be strict in the enforcement of its clauses, allowing for less room for interpretation. In exchange, the System allows the contractor and contractee to offer any material and nonmaterial collatoral/rewards to be offered to a specialized storage dimension formed by the System beforehand at the formal signing of the contract.
Strict Contract-Making is highly resistant to unauthorized modifications and covert breaches to its clauses.
The strength of this skills' contract enforcement is highly dependent on the Wisdom, Willpower and Faith attributes.
Contracts can be formed from pure System notes but achieve the best strength when the contract is readable in full physical form in languages both the contractor and contractee understands.
Ad-hoc contracts that are sloppy formed will not allow this skill to take in effect.
Contracts cannot be signed with minors or individuals who not sentient or are mentally impaired. 1000 Points
Skill: Beginner Woodworking You become proficient in using tools or magic to craft general objects from wood. You can gain the assistance of the System when crafting with wood. This skill boosts other (sub)skills related to woodworking depending on mastery. 400 Points
Skill: Beginner Blacksmithing You become proficient in shaping metal using many tools or by using magic. You can gain the assistance of the System when crafting with metal. This skill boosts other (sub)skills related to blacksmithing dependent on mastery. 400 Points
In addition to these basic skills, he also bought the beginner masteries of haggling, drawing and its subskill drafting, painting, alchemy and its subskill pill refining, mana engraving, mana perception, stealth and sprinting. Fortunately, most of the skills were substantially cheaper except for pill refining. 'Considering how little equipment I need to generate a tiny pill, its worth the convenience if I want to keep mobile.'
He also bought a few minor spells for convenience such as fire generation and water generation to aid in crafting and his daily life. Rick needed to limit himself from choosing too many household spells. Too much would turn into a luxury and might make him too lazy. 'All those little points added up.'
He spent 4750 points on his title and companion. He spent a further painful 6650 points on his class and many skills and spells. That left... 2847 points for items, traits, attributes and knowledge. Rick really cringed at his lavish spending.
"Traits huh... let's get this over with quickly. I'll just take a look and pick the first one that fits."
Trait: Vagabond You are a solitary traveller whose only home is the roads. When travelling or in the wilderness, you are able to make the best out of limited resources. You tire less quickly when walking, but grow restless if you stay in one location for too long at a time. 300 Points.
Luckily, he didn't need to browse far to get a bargain. Well, the trait wasn't exactly flattering, but it would help him a lot in his travels. Really, a trait for 300 points was so cheap.
He skipped knowledge, instead moved on to attributes if he could see if he could get relevant attributes for a cheap price. Rick really felt he turned into a miser counting his cents while standing in line at a discount supermarket.
Attribute: Seclusion You can hide your presence relative to other people, making you much less noticeable without the active use of mana or aid from the System. You are much less noticeable when you do not wish to be noticed and you can bestow this benefit to the items in your hand at higher values of the attribute. 250 Points.
Attribute: Mental Resistance You can remain clear-headed and are able to resist all manner of mental and spiritual compulsions. High mental resistance allows you to break illusions cast by Gods and make very minor changes in the fields of the System. 400 Points.
The two attributes mainly related to his survival. Seclusion was ideal in supplementing his wishes to hide in the crowd. It was surprisingly cheap due to the fact that it didn't really help in combat. Mental resistance on the other hand was worth the higher price. Rick had read quite a few novels that allowed the protagonist to end up in slavery or gets fooled by a pretty face. There was no way Rick wanted to leave such an obscure but lethal vulnerability behind. 'I bet most Earthlings don't even think about this problem. Heh.'
That left a grand total of 1897 to splurge on his items. That sounded a lot, but then he reminded himself that he needed to reserve a lot of them for basic crafting tools and a way to store them without overloading him. Fortunately, most tools for the main crafting skills only cost 100 points, though they were extremely primitive and wouldn't allow the crafting of larger or finer products. He still needed a wagon to transport all of his tools, especially for blacksmithing.
'A wagon... I can't let myself be weighted down by something so large and easily stealable. I need some kind of container dedicated to storing crafting tools and materials. I also need to buy a smaller, but much more secure container to store my Possessed Chronicle and my wealth.'
Item: Journeyman Crafter's Backpack This simple, rugged crafting backpack is a popular investment to many crafters that have recently graduated from their apprenticeships. The need for an affordable, but dependable method of transporting their crafting tools, materials and endwork necessitates these young, hard-working men and women to carry all of this weight without spending many years of profits. This Leatherworker Guild-approved Journeyman Crafter's Backpack is able to store a wagon-load of objects while reducing their weight to 120 times. The Enchanter Guild guarantees that the spatial enchantments will last up to 150 years if it remains undamaged.
(Please note that heavy use and frequent travel may reduce the lifespan of the spatial enchantments. We request that you urgently deliver this backpack to any member of the Enchanter Guild if the thin strip at the back turns red.) 600 Points.
Item: Lucky Coin Pouch This moderately-sized coin pouch can store a number of small objects and an unlimited amount of System-recognized currency. Each day, this coin pouch will sometimes contain a coin extra or less depending on luck. This coin pouch will become increasingly harder to lose or be destroyed depending on luck. Storing other luck-based items within this pouch may substantially affect its luck. 350 Points.
In the end, he spent 1450 points just for the bare necessities of his professions. That left 447 Points for his remaining purchases. More than he thought, but not enough to let him leave a comfortable life once he left the Point Shop. He needed to think about buying some provisions, books and some starting capital with the remainder of his points.
With just fifteen minutes left on the clock, Rick hurriedly browsed the menus. First he went to find some useful books. He threw in an up-to-date atlas, a couple of biographies of famous master craftsmen and a kid's book introducing the common kingdoms and races in his shopping cart. Then he spent an extravagant sum of 200 Points for self-replicating bread that was apparantly popular in prisons in a certain kingdom. The amount of bread it produced daily would barely stave off starvation for an average human and had an awful, moldy taste. He only really bought it because it was the cheapest replicating food he could buy. That it could fit in his lucky coin pouch was a bonus. 'Though I hope the pouch won't mess with the bread and vica versa.'
That left... a basic iron dagger for daily use and 17 gold coins stamped by various kingdoms. It didn't sound much, but without really understanding the value of gold, Rick had no idea if he was sitting on a minor fortune or some pocket change. 'I don't believe gold is worth so little. It's certainly not worth 24 cents in my old country. It's unlikely to be worth $24000, but definitely not $24 either considering silver and copper coins also exist.'
Right now Rick wanted to check his shopping cart and finalize his purchases. He turned to the angel who had been floating silently while Rick made his decisions. "I'm almost ready. Can you please show me my status window if I had made all of these purchases?"
"Certainly Rick." She made another minute wave with her hand. "You can check your modified condition now. Just say Status Window, Inventory, Skill List and Spell List."
"Status Window."
Status Name: Ricardo McDonald Class: Artisan Age: 24 Subclasses: None Level: 1 Fame: 0 Race: Human Health: 100 Mana: 100 Experience: 0/100 Titles Mortal of Earth: ???. Hidden. Forgotten Nerd: Some nerds are obnoxious in showing off their intellects. Others just plainly repel most potential love interests. You just sit in the corner, forgotten by everyone but your teachers and your mom. Hidden. Attributes Strength: 10 Intelligence: 10 Dexterity: 10 Wisdom: 10 Agility: 10 Perception: 10 Constitution: 10 Luck: 10 Seclusion: 1 Mental Resistance: 1 Free attribute points: 0 Elemental affinities Earth: 0 Wind: 0 Water: 0 Fire: 0 Light: 0 Darkness: 0 Traits Vagabond: You are a solitary traveller whose only home is the roads. When travelling or in the wilderness, you are able to make the best out of limited resources. You tire less quickly when walking, but grow restless if you stay in one location for too long at a time.
"Goddammit. I forgot something. I need to change my name."
The angel smiled at that. "You are one of the few who are even aware that you can ask to change your name. Fortunately, God allows you to change your name in exchange for one point."
Rick quickly released a point from his shopping cart by removing one gold coin, then opened the prompt to change his name. He didn't have a lot of time left to choose a new name, which was a big problem considering he had no idea what the typical names of the new world sounded like. His eyes darted back and forth until his attention turned to the titles of the biographies he haphazardly added to his shopping cart earlier.
"My new name will be..."
"Skill List."
Skill List Skill Mastery Strict Contract-Making Beginner 1 Woodworking Beginner 1 Blacksmithing Beginner 1 Alchemy Beginner 1 -Pill Refining Beginner 1 Drawing Beginner 1 -Drafting Beginner 1 Painting Beginner 1 Haggling Beginner 1 Mana Perception Beginner 1 Mana Engraving Beginner 1 Stealth Beginner 1 Sprinting Beginner 1
"Spell List."
Spell List Skill Mastery Alchemical Fire Beginner 1 Condense Water Beginner 1
"Inventory."
Inventory Journeyman Crafter's Backpack Portable Apprentice Blacksmithing Tools Portable Apprentice Woodsmithing Tools Portable Apprentice Alchemy Tools Apprentice Pill Furnace Rough Paper Sheets x100 Apprentice Drawing Pencil Set Apprentice Painting Set Empty Gourd x5 ... ... ... ... Lucky Coin Pouch 0 Copper Coins 0 Silver Coins 16 Gold Coins Possessed Chronicle Self-replicating Bread x1 Equipped Journeyman Crafter's Backpack Lucky Coin Pouch Basic Villager Summer Outfit Basic Iron Dagger
Now that's more like it. Though I remained pitiful at level 1, I would start off with a moderately powerful crafting class that already provided me with three additional attribute points per level up. Combined with the extra point in intelligence due to my title, I'd easily be able to grow stronger than my competitors at the same level. I'm not going to be able to craft legendary weapons left and right unlike others who might have used the Point Shop to specialize in crafting a specific field, but I'd have the flexibility to dabble in everything whenever I feel like it depending on the resources available.
For a single moment before my I mentally click the 'buy' option, I questioned my judgement in following the path of a cowardly crafter. If someone manages to corner me, I'd could be done in by a single thug. Of all the 13597 points he spent, he hadn't dedicated one whit of attention to skills and items that helped him in fights.
'I may have made a terrible mistake... but I don't regret it at all. Let the big boys topple each other's sand castles. I'll just be the invisible cockroach scurrying between their feet.'