Outside of Outpost 78E

Sam and Jeffrey ran out of the gates of the town that they had been in. After a few more misunderstandings caused by Jeffrey, they had been told on no uncertain terms to leave or die. Sam turned on Jeffrey and glared at the man for a solid minute before he caved in.

“Ok, fine. I was an idiot. I shouldn't have gone back to taunt the man whose wife I accidentally assaulted. Happy?”

“No, I’m not happy. If it wasn't for the fact that I was stronger than that man, you would probably be dead right now. What kind of idiot acts like you do?”

Jeffrey smiled.

“A very attractive one?”

“Jeffrey, if you want to be more attractive, then you should put that concealment device back on. Nobody wants to go out with a giant chicken.”

The other man sighed and snapped the bracelet back on. His fake appearance slid back over him and he shuddered.

“Damn, I forgot that feeling. I was in human form for years without ever taking that off.”

Now looking a bit more normal, or as normal as two humans and a many legged snake could look, they walked off into the woods in search of shelter. Sam wanted to create a more permanent base to stay in and Jeffrey agreed. There was no way to really contact most of humanity now, until the first of the tournaments. All there was to do was to level up.

The woods were surprisingly sparse of monsters and there were only a few ones of any note. They fought their way through three more of the mature chimeras and many more of the juveniles. His leveling speed had started to really slow down by this point and took all of the kills to take him from level 12 to level 13. Both Rax and Jeffrey had been catapulted up to level 11 by the hunting expedition and they were far more efficient in the field. Sam was the main damage dealer though, on account of his higher level and his Dao. Because monsters would indiscriminately kill, they all were marked as evil in his skill’s eyes and he gained a large bonus against them.

The woods seemed to never end and Sam was sure that there had been no forest this large in the area that he had lived before the System had arrived. It had done something to Earth, but Sam couldn't tell what. It was as if everything had been made larger, which might have been true, but that seemed like a huge amount of effort to go to. Considering that the power of the people in the Multiverse was far beyond anything here though, it might not have been as ludicrous after all. As it was, they took days to leave the forest and by the time that they got out, Sam had reached level 15. Upon reaching that level, he had received a notification.

In light of your possession of a Dao and unusually high stats for your level, you have been given access to Skill Branches early. Normally one only gains these upon getting a class, but you are worthy.

75 Skill Points available

Branch of the Body

5 available skills

Branch of the Mind

4 available skills

Branch of the Soul

3 available skills

Branch of the Weapon

6 available skills

Branch of the Ruler

4 available skills

Sam clicked on the first one and a large menu popped up.

Iron Body(0/100)

Increases the overall durability of your body by a small amount.

Increased Blood Flow(0/50)

More efficient flow of blood allows for faster movements.

Iron Bones(0/50)

Strengthened bones resist damage.

Lightning Neurons(0/50)

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Greater neural transmission speed increases reflexes.

Muscle Density Enhancement(0/50)

Muscle Density enhancement allows for a greater effect for placing points in the Strength stat.

You can purchase progression in a certain skill by using skill branch points to fill the number. Upon filling it for the first time, the skill is unlocked and continued progression will increase its effect.

You have 75 skill points.

From looking at the last number, Sam assumed that he received 5 skill points per level. The only question was what to enhance. He had enough points for one of the latter enhancements, but not enough for Iron Body. Did he want to save up for the more powerful effect or use the points now for a noticeable difference? He would have to wait until level 20 if he wanted to go the first route. Sam eventually decided to go for the latter option. He needed power now, and it would be a good test for what the skill branches did. Sam picked the muscle enhancement option. Right now, Strength was his highest stat and increasing it was a good idea. Increasing it in a way that allowed for the investment in other stats was even better. He transferred the points, bringing it up to the required total.

Muscle Density Enhancement(0/100) Level 1

Muscle Density enhancement allows for a greater effect for placing points in the Strength stat. The next level grants a further increase.

Sam could feel his muscles writhe beneath his skin and they started to compress slightly. His body felt more powerful, but it had also become more slim. Jeffrey turned around and he raised an eyebrow.

“Huh? Did you suddenly lose weight or something?”

“I gained access to something that was called a skill branch. I picked one that increases my muscle density. Does it really make me look smaller?”

Jeffrey did a double take.

“Wait what? You need to be level 25 to get access to that though. I didn't tell you because it would just have been confusing. How did you get access so early?”

“The System told me that I was strong enough to unlock it early. Wait a second, I need to check out the other branches.”

Branch of the Mind

Superior Brain(0/100)

Increases your processing capacity and memory through total brain enhancements.

Mana Processing(0/50)

Adds a small percentage to your mana total.

Neural Net(0/50)

Greater brain connection to neurons makes it easier to control your body.

Mental Link Aptitude(0/50)

Greater efficiency of party links.

None of those were particularly interesting to Sam so he checked out the next branch. This one had the fewest skills available, but as he read them, he saw why.

Branch of the Soul

Dao Resonance(0/250)

Greater chance of Dao breakthroughs.

Karmic Cycle(0/100)

Unlocks the Karma Stat, which may allow for additional effects.

Lucky(0/100)

Greater chance of favorable effects.

This branch was very powerful, but it required a lot more skill points to unlock. The effects were impressive, but Sam had no idea how something like luck could be turned into a quantifiable thing. Surely the System wasn’t powerful enough to increase luck on an individual level? For now, that didn't matter as he lacked the required amount of skill points to unlock it. He moved onto the next branch, that of the weapon skills.

Branch of the Weapon

Basic Weapon Knowledge(0/100)

Increases innate knowledge of how to use a weapon.

Basic Weapon Knowledge:Blades(0/50)

Increases innate knowledge of using a bladed weapon.

Basic Weapon Knowledge:Blunt(0/50)

Increases innate knowledge of using blunt weaponry.

Basic Weapon Knowledge:Unarmed(0/50)

Increases innate knowledge of fighting unarmed.

Basic Weapon Knowledge:Projectile(0/50)

Increases innate knowledge of using projectile weapons.

Basic Weapon Knowledge:Atypical(0/50)

Increases innate knowledge of using atypical weapons such as whips.

Sam recognized the first skill. It was the same one that the vendor had offered for 7500 credits. He was glad that he hadn't bought it, because he could save up for it with his skill points instead. That was if he even wished to have the skill, because it was unlikely that he would need to use every weapon type there was. Sam had been using a machete for a while, but he disliked the weapon. It was hard to use his strength through it and he needed something like a mace or a hammer to really capitalize on his power. Maybe something to look into after he found another settlement. The final skill branch was the most obtuse but it seemed to be keyed into a different skill set because the others were for direct fighting.

Branch of the Ruler

Aura of Command(0/150)

You exude a field of authority that subconsciously manipulates those around you to be more open to your suggestions.

Honeyed Words(0/50)

Your words become more persuasive.

Charismatic Presence(0/100)

Your presence inspires those allied to you while instilling fear in your enemies.

Knowledge of the Court(0/75)

You are more comfortable in situations regarding politics and you are more likely to say the right thing at the right time.

That tree seemed geared to non combat System users, but the third ability seemed to be useful in battle as well, but only for those who led armies. Sam was happy with the choice that he had made. It provided an immediate tangible benefit and it was relatively cheap too.