Chapter 2: Friends, Mothers, and Training Montages
[The next morning]
He was finally leaving the infirmary much to the joy of the nurse. After making the nurse run several diagnostics on him, even though she insisted he was fine, he was finally convinced what he was seeing was real. Now, he was just heading home to rest after an emotional rollercoaster of a day. Unfortunately for him, before he could reach the bed he held so dear, ran into his closest (read as only) friends.
"Hey Joey, you alright? When we asked around to see where you were we heard that you fainted in class and that they took you to the infirmary." His friend Mark asked.
Joey had a total of 3 friends Mark, Zane, and Yoshi. They had all already unlocked their innate skills and leveling privileges. Mike was unlucky to be the youngest in the group even though he was born in March which is relatively early in the year.
Yoshi was the oldest, born on the first day of the year. He was above average in the height department and was bulky because of his muscles. His face had some Japanese features, brown hair, a katana inside its sheath to his left, and brown eyes. His family had roots in some place called Japan from before the Initialization. He was currently Level 3 with the class of samurai, a variant swordsman class. When he was a kid, his parents used to tell him stories about samurais and Japan, so he had already decided on his class. His ability was {Reaper Lvl.1} (most innate skills don't have grades) it's ability was that when he killed someone a shard of their soul and origin would be stored inside the skill and what he does with the shard depended on his class
Zane was the second oldest. He was a very tall slightly lanky fellow with black hair, brown eyes, and two silver revolvers strapped to his belt. He was currently Level 3 also with a gunman class. It was considered impossible to find anyone with a class related to guns not because of their rarity but because guns were considered something outdated. At the start of the initialization, people quickly realized that using guns gave reduced levels, but he still chose a gun related class much to the dismay of all the archery teachers. All of them have said he's a natural archer and every single one of them has tried to convince him to change but none of them succeeded, not for lack of effort. When asked why he insisted on being a gunman he only replied with 5 words, 'My father was a gunman'. His father was in the military before the system and had chosen a class related to guns sadly, he died a few years ago against the only person in the world with a unique class, the Spectral Assassin, despite not even being the target. The cherry on top of all of it, Zane was one of the 3% of the population without an innate skill.
Lastly, there's Mark. Mark was the shortest one of them(he was average height, they were just tall), had brown hair, a goatee, orange eyes, and was the smartest one out of them. Oh, and did I forget to mention he had freaking metal spider arms on his back. His first class was engineer, a variant mechanic/blacksmith. He made them suit his plans for his fighting style, and after his favorite 'superhero' spider-kid or something like that, his father was a fan and managed to save the entire trilogy even after the initialization. So, he grew up watching them. He had an eidetic memory, and his innate ability was {Arcanist Lvl.1}. It gave him high mana and made him natural at magic. Now, a normal person with this talent would become a mage but if Mark was a normal person, he wouldn't be friends with Joey. Instead, he focused purely on mana constructs, more specifically mana webs, and crafting.
Their entire group was called consisted of Explorers. Explorers are people who take entirely new paths to power. Nowadays, most people stick to the common buildings but with slight variations to make them a bit personalized. Being an Explorer was a risk but at the same time if you succeed not only will you get an entire class and skills personalized just for you, but the system will also award you a title.
"Hey, Joey! You alright?" Yoshi shouted while grabbing Joey's shoulder and shaking him.
"What? Yes, I'm fine! Can you stop shaking me now!" After Mark stopped shaking him. "What the hell was that for?"
"We asked you the same question multiple times, yet you were zoned out and didn't answer. So, I was worried that you'd gotten some extra brain damage today."
"What, no, I'm fine. I even forced the nurse to run some extra" he paused when he realized something. "What do you mean extra brain damage? Are you trying to say I'm stupid or something? I get higher grades than you, so if I'm brain-damaged what are you?" Joey started shouting.
This was when Zane decided to interfere because he knew if they got into an argument it wouldn't end for a while. "Anyway, we are going on a walk-through Hollow Woods. So, we wanted to ask you if you wanted to go with us."
"I would love to, but I'm honestly too tired to do anything. You guys should probably just go without me." He replied honestly. Currently, the only thing on Joey's mind is to go home and get some rest.
So, after they parted ways, he eventually reached his house. It was a two-story villa with a large front yard and a gate with an 'S' symbol on it. When he arrived in front of the gate it opened automatically letting him in. After entering, he immediately went inside his house. He ate and showered before going to bed and sleeping.
The Next Morning
After waking up from a surprisingly good nap, he decided to look at his skills. He didn't know what changes had appeared since leaving the nurse because he had muted his notification. 'Skills'
Skill name, level, and grade:
Effects:
Skill Sagacity Lvl.1 [Unique]
Be able to get a skill regarding anything as long as you meet the minimum requirements then evolve them to the next grade as long as you reach the level requirements.
Sleeping Lvl.10 [Inferior][Evolving]
Boost to comfort and recovery while sleeping.
Breathing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost to quality of air and amount of oxygen per breath.
Heartbeat Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost to vitality, recovery, and strength of each heartbeat.
Blood Flow Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost the speed of blood flow and recovery.
Lung Storage Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost the amount of oxygen stored in the lungs.
Sight Lvl.6 [Inferior]
Boost to sight.
Hearing Lvl.5 [Inferior]
Boost to hearing.
Smell Lvl.3 [Inferior]
Boost to smell.
Touch Lvl.6 [Inferior]
Boost to touch.
Taste Lvl.4 [Inferior]
Boost to taste.
Thinking Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost thinking speed.
Speaking Lvl.7 [Inferior]
Boost charisma while speaking.
System Interfacing Lvl.3 [Inferior]
Boost the information given by the system.
Reading Lvl.4 [Inferior]
Boost reading speed.
Deduction Lvl.1 [Inferior]
Boost information gained through analysis of information
Eating Lvl.4 [Inferior]
Boost eating speed and taste of food.
Digestion Lvl.5 [Inferior]
Boost digestion speed and amount of nutrients gotten
Showering Lvl.3 [Inferior]
Boost speed of showering and level of cleanliness
Excretion Lvl.2 [Inferior]
Boost speed and ease of excretion.
Wearing Lvl.2 [Inferior]
Boost speed of getting dressed and comfort
Dreaming Lvl.4 [Inferior]
Boost quality of dreams and control of them.
Waking up Lvl.2 [Inferior]
Boost speed of waking up and restfulness after so.
Focus Lvl.1 [Inferior]
Boost length of staying focused and mental capacities while focused.
Grabbing Lvl.4 [Inferior]
Boost grip strength and amount that can be held in a hand.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Sitting Lvl.4 [Inferior]
Boost comfort while sitting down.
Memory Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost accuracy of memory and ease of memorizing.
Packing Lvl.2 [Inferior]
Boost the number of items that can fit in a storage device and reduces weight of packed items.
Cursing Lvl.10 [Inferior][Evolving]
Boosts anger induced and destabilization of someone's mind when cursing at someone.
Shouting Lvl.1 [Inferior]
Increase to volume when shouting.
Unlocking and Locking Lvl.2 [Inferior]
Boost ease and speed of locking and unlocking.
Walking Lvl.8 [Inferior]
Boost walking speed.
Running Lvl.1 [Inferior]
Boost running speed.
Jumping Lvl.1 [Inferior]
Boost jumping height.
After checking his skills, he only had two thoughts. 'Wow. I can just get a skill for anything, can't I? Then there's the fact of how easy it was for them to level up." Now he just had to evolve these skills. He took a deep breath and then said out loud "Evolve"….. nothing happened. "Ummm. System? I said evolve." Still, nothing happened. "Maybe I'm not doing it right. I should probably ask mom."
Joey's mother was a Skill Trainer. Skill Trainers were people who focused on teaching and training others and their skills. Essentially a teacher for skills. She was a natural in the field because of her innate skill, Intuitive Teacher. It gave her a sense of the best way to teach someone and to level their skills. So going to her regarding his skills was the smart thing to do.
Getting up and getting dressed, he started to think about his skills. At first, when he got the skills he didn't feel like they did anything. Now, he noticed a clear difference between before and after he got a skill. He'd never slept better and even the clothes he was wearing have never felt more comfortable. After he got dressed, he got some notifications, but he continued ignoring them.
Going downstairs, he found his mother in the kitchen making breakfast. He decided to butter her up before asking for her help. "Morning mom, you look beautiful today as always."
"Morning honey. What do you need?" She answered without looking away from the pan.
"What do you mean? I was just complimenting my ever-so-kind and benevolent mother." He knew he was busted, but he had to try regardless.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You only talk this sweet to someone when you want something. So, what do yo…" She trailed off as she looked at him. "Did you awaken? No, that's not right, you aren't 16 yet. Level up? No, same problem. Honey, what happened to you? Right now, my skill is telling me to force you to do everything repeatedly for hours without a break. It used to tell me not to force you to do anything as it's not time yet." She muttered a bit to herself before talking to him.
He then told her about his ability and his problem regarding the evolution of his skills. He had briefly considered not telling her, not because he didn't trust her but mostly because there are other ways to force people to talk. In the end, he decided to tell her about it, but withheld the exact details regarding his class and the skills he's gotten so far.
After listening to him explain, she went silent for a bit before smiling predatorily at him. Then he got a notification. This time though he focused on it.
Congratulations! You have gained {Danger Sense Lvl.1[Inferior]}
"…I don't feel safe." He muttered a bit scared.
*5 Hours Later*
Joey was lying on the ground panting with his eyes closed, with his entire clothes drenched in sweat. He regrets asking his mom for her help. He regrets it so much, that he got a skill called regret and maxed it out. He now understood why his father and siblings were so scared of his mother, and why his siblings always told him he was lucky that she didn't force him to train.
Anyway, thanks to his mom's training (read as torture) he maxed out every skill he has so far. He shivered suddenly, so he opened his eyes. When he looked up, he saw his mom smiling at him.
"Mom. Please, no more. I can't take any more." He begged her using his level 10 begging skill to its limits.
"We are going to stop now so you don't need to beg anymore. I have an appointment in a bit so it's time to evolve your skills." With that, he breathed a sigh of relief. 'Skills'
Sleeping Lvl.10 [Inferior][Evolving]
Boost to comfort and recovery while sleeping.
Breathing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost to quality of air and amount of oxygen per breath.
Heartbeat Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost to vitality, recovery, and strength of each heartbeat.
Blood Flow Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost the speed of blood flow and recovery.
Lung Storage Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost the amount of oxygen stored in the lungs.
Sight Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost to sight.
Hearing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost to hearing.
Smell Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost to smell.
Touch Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost to touch.
Taste Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost to taste.
Thinking Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost thinking speed.
Speaking Lvl.10 [Inferior]
Boost charisma while speaking.
System Interfacing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost the information given by the system.
Reading Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost reading speed.
Deduction Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost information gained through analysis of information
Eating Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost eating speed and taste of food.
Digestion Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost digestion speed and amount of nutrients gotten
Showering Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost speed of showering and level of cleanliness
Excretion Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost speed and ease of excretion.
Wearing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost speed of getting dressed and comfort
Dreaming Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost quality of dreams and control of them.
Waking up Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost speed of waking up and restfulness after so.
Focus Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost length of staying focused and mental capacities while focused.
Grabbing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost grip strength and amount that can be held in a hand.
Sitting Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost comfort while sitting down.
Memory Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost accuracy of memory and ease of memorizing.
Packing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost the number of items that can fit in a storage device and reduces weight of packed items.
Cursing Lvl.10 [Inferior][Evolving]
Boosts anger induced and destabilization of someone's mind when cursing at someone.
Shouting Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Increase to volume when shouting.
Unlocking and Locking Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost ease and speed of locking and unlocking.
Walking Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost walking speed.
Running Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost running speed.
Jumping Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost jumping height.
Danger Sense Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost to accuracy of sensing possible physical or mental harm. The more fatal the stronger the signal you receive.
Climbing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost climbing speed and ease.
Healing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost healing speed.
Scabbing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost scabbing speed and healing rate of scabbed wound.
Bleeding Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Reduces amount of blood bled and boosts quality of blood bled.
Project Will Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boosts range and strength effects of projected will.
Sweating Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost amount of heat lost while sweating and reduce smell from sweat.
Hair Growth Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost speed of hair growth and quality of grown hair.
Blood Production Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boosts rate of blood production and quality of blood.
Bone Production Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost rate of bones grown and quality
Nail Growth Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost rate of nail growth and quality.
Flesh Growth Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost speed of flesh grown and quality.
Stretching Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost ease of stretching.
Mathematics Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost speed and ease of math calculations.
Sense Pain Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost sense of pain.
Regret Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost regret.
Guess Time Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost accuracy when guessing time.
Sense Location Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost accuracy of sense of location.
Sense Direction Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost accuracy of sense of direction.
Sense Measurements Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost accuracy of measurements.
Training Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost results of training.
Begging Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost probability of begging to work.
Command Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost probability of commands working.
Planning Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost probability of plans working.
Multitasking Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost ease of multitasking.
Forced Calm Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost ability to keep calm.
Writing Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost writing speed and handwriting.
Hope Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost ability to get through tough times and continue forward.
Kicking Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost strength of kicks.
Punching Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost strength of punches.
Adrenaline Lvl.10 [Inferior] [Evolving]
Boost improvements gained and duration of an adrenaline rush.
He had to admit, her training was just as effective as it was painful. She had prepared training exercises that worked on multiple skills at once. She had made him run through an obstacle course while doing multiple intense math equations and dodging projectiles thrown at him all at the same time. She made him eat large amounts of diarrhea-inducing foods to level those related skills then with sleep-inducing foods. When he thought about how she adjusted the training regimen after realizing that temporary status effects from potions could become skills he shivered. He still can't think about the Bone Production skill without nearly crying.
"You should try your first evolution with a skill not that important like writing. From what I've concluded, the reason you couldn't evolve the skills beforehand was that you didn't give them directions. So, I want you to start writing a paragraph and while doing so I want you to imagine its future evolution. It should be something along the lines of instant writing." He did just as she asked. He sat down, entered a focused state, and started writing. While doing so, he kept imagining it in his head. The way his pen moves, the way the words appear on the paper, and what each word means.
He had originally planned on just changing the way the word appears, but he had entered a strange state of enlightenment where he could see into himself. He could see his skills. Where were they? He didn't know. What he did know was that they looked like seeds made of light, planted deep within the ground. All of them pulsed, looking like they wanted to break the surface but didn't know how. His mother had hit the nail right on the head. He noticed that some of them pulsed in the same pattern as each other, possibly indicating synergies. Then he remembered his task. He wasn't here for sightseeing; he could do this later.
He found the writing skill, somehow, he could tell all of them apart even though they looked exactly the same. When he focused on the seed, he felt how blank it was. How easily he could influence it in the direction of growth he wanted. It was then that he realized why all his skills started at the inferior rank. They didn't start at that rank because his skill was too low leveled but to allow him to be able to make them grow in the direction he needed and wanted easily, one grade at a time.
After realizing that, he thought about the direction he wanted the skill to evolve. He wanted to be able to instantly write anything, just as his mom told him, but he took it one step further. He wanted to be able to write it on any surface, whether it is on the surface water or in the air.
When he exited the state, he grinned. Then his mom asked him how it went. Instead of answering he showed. In an instant, the words 'It went very well' appeared in the air.
Congratulations! You have evolved the skill {Writing Lvl.10 [Inferior]} into {Enlightened Writing Lvl.1 [Common]