I had acquired a new class? Why? It didn’t ask me if I wanted to change class. The change was automatic. Thinking about it, simply being attacked by a monster seemed like too small an event to warrant a class change.
A thought occurred to me, and I struck my fist against the palm of my hand in realization. The System must have been created by those “lesser beings” that Epsilon was after, and they must have been on the lookout for anyone that was infected by such a creature. The System must have assumed that Epsilon had taken control of my whole body and thus marked me as a threat. The “Eldritch” signifier must have been a warning to the System higher-ups.
I opened my [Menu] and once more checked my character sheet.
Name: None
Class: Eldritch Alchemist
Level: 1
MDC: N/A
SDC: 12/12
Body: 12
Mind: 16
To the left of my [Menu], I looked at my recently-changed drop-down list.
Crafting
Inventory
Skills
Magic
Equipment
Journal
Status
Thinking about the message saying that I had just acquired the [Bypass Limitation] skill, I decided to check the [Skills] page. Only three items were listed on this page. I clicked a button on the side of the page, and detailed descriptions of the items were presented.
Bypass Limitation: Once per day, you can bypass one limitation on one skill for up to one minute.
Creation (Limited): You can instantly deconstruct an applicable object into its raw material or transform a sufficient amount of raw material into any unlocked item on your [Crafting List] as long as you are within your [Workshop].
Spellcasting: You can cast any unlocked spell as long as you have the required materials and spell slots.
Bypass Limitation Once per day, you can bypass one limitation on one skill for up to one minute. Creation (Limited) You can instantly deconstruct an applicable object into its raw material or transform a sufficient amount of raw material into any unlocked item on your [Crafting List] as long as you are within your [Workshop]. Spellcasting You can cast any unlocked spell as long as you have the required materials and spell slots.
In order to distract myself from the fact that Epsilon was essentially holding my skull together, I considered the skills on the page. The [Bypass Limitation] skill seemed like a tool explicitly made for rampant abuse. I remembered that, in Epsilon’s memories, there was a vague reference to a “secret weapon” that would allow it to gain immense power within the System, and [Bypass Limitation] was probably that weapon.
[YOU HAVE A QUEST IN PROGRESS]
[ARE YOU STILL ENGAGED IN QUEST: EMERGENCY BEACON]
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Yes, I am! It just so happens that your quest almost killed me!” After the events of the past few minutes, I was not in the mood to be polite. “System Integration was fifteen minutes ago, and I’ve already been infected with an alien parasite, so I’m not moving from this spot until I understand exactly what’s going on!”
[WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW?]
“Let’s start with MD, SD, MDC, and SDC.”
[MEGA DAMAGE, STANDARD DAMAGE, MEGA DAMAGE CAPACITY, STANDARD DAMAGE CAPACITY]
[ONE POINT OF MEGA DAMAGE IS EQUAL TO 100 POINTS OF STANDARD DAMAGE]
I recalled the damage numbers on my [Spells] and [Equipment] pages. My gun’s damage was listed in SD, and my spells’ damage were listed in MD.
“You could have told me that earlier! I’ve been carrying around this useless piece of junk like it could do anything! The minimum damage of a [Fire Arrow] is four times stronger than the maximum damage of my gun!”
When my anger subsided after a moment, the extent of the danger really began to sink in. If I misused my spells even slightly, I could deal enough damage to kill myself a hundred times over. Were the basic enemies of this world walking around dealing Mega Damage? I remembered how my bullets bounced off the octopus’ body harmlessly. That must have been the effect of its MDC.
I jumped to my feet and began walking once again. I had to get back to Carlos and Liz as soon as possible. As far as I knew, someone could miss with a spell and blow up half of Chapel Hill.
Suddenly, the alien in my eye seemed like the least of my problems. A goblin with a sword that deals Mega Damage could kill me and everyone I’ve ever known. There was no time to waste. I had to find something that could protect myself and others from Mega Damage as soon as possible.
Soon, I stumbled upon the crashed ship that must have carried Epsilon to the planet. It was surprisingly intact, even though the pine trees around it were completely vaporized, and it was located in the center of a deep crater.
The ship was just barely big enough to hold a single human, but it must have been more than big enough for Epsilon and its original octopus host. I describe it as a “ship,” but it more closely resembled a large steel casket than any kind of navigable craft. Strange machinery could be seen inside the casket, but I had no clue how any entity could possibly interface with such an esoteric device. Nothing was inside the ship, but I assumed as much after running into the creature that was previously held within.
[QUEST COMPLETE: +50 EXP]
QUEST COMPLETE: +50 EXP
[NEW MATERIAL FOUND: STARSTEEL]
NEW MATERIAL FOUND: STARSTEEL
The experience wasn’t enough to get me to level 2, so the second message interested me far more than the first. Was Starsteel a material used to make Mega Damage weapons and armor? As an Alchemist, I could use such material to make the equipment that would be indispensable to survive the Revelation System.
Curious about the Crafting System, I opened my [Menu] and went to the [Crafting] page. Countless silhouettes of weapons, armor, devices, and structures were arranged in ten rows marked from Tier I to Tier X. Each Tier was locked by the level of the creator. At level 1, I could make items of Tier I, but I would have to wait until level 10 before I could make items of Tier II.
[YOU MAY UNLOCK UP TO THREE CONSTRUCTS OF YOUR CHOICE]
“Show me items in Tier I that can be created with Starsteel.”
[REMINDER: YOU ARE NOT CURRENTLY IN YOUR WORKSHOP]
“Just do it.”
The massive page of silhouettes was instantly reduced to a small list of five items. Based on the shape of the silhouettes, the items were: a pistol, a rifle, a sword, a knife, a watch, and a chestplate.
The presence of the watch next to the weapons and armor seemed strange to me, so I highlighted its silhouette, and an item description appeared. Seeing the description, I smiled. It was exactly what I was looking for.
Shield Generator: A shield with an MDC of 20 is projected from this wrist-mounted device. The Alchemist who creates this object can program it to activate at different times. The device regenerates at a rate of 1 MDC per minute, but it will require repair at a [Workshop] if it is reduced to 0 MDC.
Shield Generator A shield with an MDC of 20 is projected from this wrist-mounted device. The Alchemist who creates this object can program it to activate at different times. The device regenerates at a rate of 1 MDC per minute, but it will require repair at a [Workshop] if it is reduced to 0 MDC.