Vincent Looked up at the strange, pulsing substance above him. He had Identify pushed to its max and was willing the system to tell him more than it had. He was long past the point of having a headache, but he had no intention of stopping his current action. It seemed the more powerful or complex a skill the more strain it placed on the body. Often, skills such as Identify primarily used the eye muscles and brain to function so the most stress was placed there.
So far he had discerned that the strange light was some type of dense energy with unstable properties. It wouldn't give him a name or function but it did mention the nexus was full of the stuff if you knew how to find it. He had a strong feeling the energies could make you powerful if you could learn to harness their potential..
He was beginning to grow impatient when he felt it. A fire began building in his chest, which expanded rapidly throughout his body. It didn't stop there, however. As the pain began to intensify Vincent began shaking, the sensation felt as if it extended further and further from his body in all directions. He began to groan as it felt like he was exploding from the inside. An electric firey aura snapped into existence around him. It was gold and pulsing.
Congratulations! Skill: identify (common) has increased to level 25!
1 new trial available!
Trial(s) available;
Identify: vision beyond what meets the eyes.
Vincent wasted no time in selecting the trial which unfortunately still caused one last burst of pain far more intense than any before. The golden aura around the blue eyed, black-haired man pulsed once more. A loud yell of pain clawed itself from his lips and the energy exploded. Vincent's consciousness left his body as the pulse traveled across the entirety of the world, dragging his consciousness with it.
It was as if he was soaring, flying over everything in the world. The system window pulsed before him.
Branching path! Due to unusual circumstances your skill begins to mutate and evolve as it grows. Please select from the following choices:
Scan
Ecologist
Reflexive defense
The ethereal Vincent considered the options carefully. It seemed it would give him no more info than what he saw now until he made a choice. Instinctively he knew that scan would ignore enemies levels and give him all the information he needed about them which, quite frankly, was sorely tempting. He was sick of being entirely clueless about everything like he had been in the last month and a half he'd been here.
Ecology was a term that he understood as the study of energy in the circle of life or something. He figured the system gave him that option as a little nudge towards understanding the mysterious energies from the cave.
And Reflexive defense he assumed was something akin to an automatic counter move or system. For all he knew it required a shield and he preferred not to get hit at all, if he could avoid it.
He decided to go with Ecology as he had originally leveled up his ability while trying to understand the mysterious energy anyways, so he might as well continue along that path.
Congratulations! New perk acquired!
Perk: Ecologist.
Ecologist: allows the user to study and understand the infinite flow of energy connecting all organisms. As you climb deeper into the heart of the nexus you come to the realization that all types of energy originate from the same source. Grants the epic ability Ecologist! Grants a permanent +25 to perception!
Skill: identify (common) ---> Skill: Ecology (epic) An improved version of the skill identify, obtained through the unique perk ecologist. Very few attempt to understand the core of the Nexus, and even fewer still succeed, but your ambition pulls you towards truth. Allows the user to identify various life forms and inanimate objects. Allows the user to sense calorific flows. Allows the user to sense Auras. Due to the epic rarity gain a large boost to Range and Detail per level. Perception grants a moderate boost to this skill. (Passive skill)
Skill level has been reset.
Vincent sighed. It was a lengthy explanation. He didn't fully understand everything he'd read but.. a plus 25 to his attributes was the highest he'd ever seen in a single gain, and the ability to sense energy didn't sound bad either. He wasn't sure how he felt about his skill level completely resetting though.
As he looked out over the vast open world below him, his eyes pulsed with golden light. He saw the flows of energy between all living things. Everything was connected. Everything that died was absorbed by that which lived, and all beings originated from and returned to the planet. Once the planet died all of it's energies would be dispersed across the universe.. The planet itself had a massive concentration of light at the center that he assumed was the core. It pulsed periodically like a heart, pumping energy through its infinite veins and arteries. He would have stayed and studied life forever but he felt his consciousness being returned to his body.
He gasped as he came to, feeling a tingling sensation all over his body. It felt as if his Ecology and sixth sense somehow amplified one another, allowing him to feel the very environment around him albeit faintly. He looked once more at the ceiling, focusing with all his might.
Congratulations! Your skill: Ecology (epic) has grown to level..
Congratulations! Your skill: Ecology (epic) has grown to level..
Congratulations! Your skill: Ecology (epic) has grown to level 5!
"Gah!" He gssped, clutching his eyes. Still nothing but a massive throbbing headache. His Identify skill had been irritating before but now, evolved and coupled with his sixth sense, the pain in his eyes and head were damn near unbearable.
Beyond that.. he couldn't garner any real details other than the fact that it was some type of unstable energy found throughout the nexus. He did notice though that he didn't just see things in the physical sense now… Everything had its own color.
Oftentimes that color matched its physical counterpart. For example, Gaia's blood, which was a deep blue, had a similar color outlining it. It shined much more intensely than the color around most objects, probably because it was level 100.
He spent countless hours experimenting with his new ability. With a little practice Vincent was starting to sense through certain ebbs and flows of energies what purpose they served and in the case of his food, roughly how many points of health or mana it contained. He also found out that though it was a passive ability, he could more or less turn it off which he reflexively did when looking at the ceiling because it began to give him a massive headache after trying to study it further. It seemed he was heading in the right direction but it was far beyond his current self to comprehend.
He understood some energies were just crazy dense compared to others but that made it alot more difficult to pry apart their shapes and determine functions. Gaia's blood was the second densest energy in the entire cave. The floating mess on the ceiling being the first. It made the blood water seem like a match beside a torch. He grinned. He didn't know where things would go from here but he was optimistic for the first time in a long time. He looked at his stats.
Level: 1
XP 0/1000 (0%)
Class: N/A
Health: 2200/2200
Mana: 1500/1500
Stats:
Strength: 10
Endurance: 22
Vitality: 11 (+1%)
Intelligence: 15
Perception: 35
Agility: 10
Skills:
Sixth sense (rare) lvl 27
Ecology (epic) lvl 5
Complete tranquility (epic) lvl 8
Smithing (common) lvl 20
Farming (common) lvl 27
Sneak (uncommon) lvl 25
Improved dash (epic) lvl 4
Cooking (common) lvl 15
Alchemy (uncommon) lvl 26
Acid resistance (uncommon) lvl 7
Fire resistance (uncommon);lvl 1
Perks:
Will to survive +1% vitality
Lifebringer +10 vitality
Smithing +3 strength and agility
Limit breaker + 20 endurance +5 strength
Camouflage. Harder to detect +5 Agility.
Connoisseur. Cooking, crafting, alchemy knowledge. +5 Intelligence and Perception.
Ecologist. Ecology. +25 perception.
Vincent felt like he was in a conundrum. He had quite a few skills but none of them could really be used offensively and his strength was laughable compared to just about everything he'd come across. He looked at his companion who was gazing around in wonder, still endlessly fascinated with the new skill they shared. He forced the creature to focus and asked if they shared inventory as well, which it appeared they did not.
For what he had planned, he would have to craft his companion its own set of identical gear. He commanded his companion to tend the garden in the meantime as it looked like the contents would finally be ready for harvest within the hour. It didn't take him long to go out and get what he needed. He made short work of crafting a copy of his gear which was cake for him compared to his first attempt. Not only that but the combined total defense was now 10 and the attack was 6.
Vincent deposited everything the creature had harvested from the garden into his inventory space and then reseeded all the plots. Vincent proceeded to instruct his companion to adone it's gear. The plant-like thing even had a copy of his stone sword and bark shield. His idea was simple. He stood no chance against the enemies of the jungle, but maybe he could hone his fighting skills by fighting his slightly weaker copy self.
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He'd never really used a sword or shield before and he was sure his stance and grip were probably just as wrong as they felt. But he didn't get discouraged. His companion seemed to mirror his excitement at finally having something new to try, both to alleviate boredom and to grow stronger.
They went at each other with sloppy, wide swings. It wasn't much of a contest at first. Vincent hadn't considered that the thing only had half of his own stats so although his personal strength was only a low 10, this creature's was a mere 5. He completely cleaved its arm off with his first swing, sending the Vine creature's sword flying. They stared at one another, blinking in confusion before both broke into a grin.
With a little bit of the miracle cure, Gaia's blood, his companion's arm regenerated in seconds. They resumed their training. This time, Vincent made sure to hold back enough that he didn't completely overpower the plant version of himself. However it couldn't be denied that he thoroughly enjoyed finally being stronger than something for the first time since the system sucked him away from the earth.
They went through cycles of hitting one another's shield and trying to somewhat parry one another's swings with their swords.
"Hiiyah!" Vincent yelled, swinging his sword savagely at his companion's shield, again and again..
'Clang!'
'Clang!''
'Ceaaack!'
After nearly an hour of 'training' they encountered a problem. Vincent Looked at the broken form of his stone sword. It was missing large chunks in several areas and the rest was cracked. Looking over at his shield it seemed he had about the same problem, with various dents and holes in the bark.
Vincent sighed and shook his head. He looked at his companion. "Well it's about time for you to take a break and garden so I guess I'll cook and repair our shit.. then we'll go again.. after a nap."
After about two days of this rinse and repeat process it finally happened.
Congratulations! Skill: sword and shield (common) achieved
Sword and shield (common) Allows the user to fight with a sword and or a shield. The way of the sword and shield requires an honest heart. You must be true to yourself and others. A true master can cut any obstacle and parry any danger. Due to the 'Common' rarity gain a minor boost to capability and knowledge with a sword and shield per level. Skill gains a very small bonus from Strength, Agility, and Endurance. (Passive skill)
'Of course most of the bonus would be from strength and agility, my lowest attributes..' He thought with a dark cloud over his head. Far from being discouraged however he found himself more excited than ever. He had always loved the thought of learning how to use a sword…
The two of them fought for hours on end only taking breaks to heal or for Vincent to eat and repair the equipment. Unfortunately, he did this often, so his progress was not as quick as he would have liked. At level 10 the two were pleasantly surprised with a new perk.
New perk achieved!
Perk: Fortitude.
Fortitude. Grants the user a permanent + 5 in strength and agility
After pushing each other beyond the brink of both physical and mental exhaustion, the two decided it was time for an extended break. The companion continued its work in the garden, with Vincent deciding he needed new ingredients for potions, so he would need to venture out. He took a brief look at his stats before he did so.
Welcome: Vincent
Level: 1
XP 0/1000 (0%)
Class: N/A
Health: 2200/2200
Mana: 1500/1500
Stats:
Strength: 15
Endurance: 22
Vitality: 11 (+1%)
Intelligence: 15
Perception: 35
Agility: 15
Skills:
Sixth sense (rare) lvl 28
Ecology (epic) lvl 5
Complete tranquility (epic) lvl 8
Smithing (common) lvl 20
Farming (common) lvl 29
Sneak (uncommon) lvl 25
Improved dash (epic) lvl 5
Cooking (common) lvl 20
Alchemy (uncommon) lvl 27
Acid resistance (uncommon) lvl 7
Fire resistance (uncommon);lvl 1
Sword and shield (common) lvl 15
He grinned. He really had come a long way in the short time he'd been here. He was truly beginning to feel a difference in his body. He appeared healthier, stronger, and confident. Vincent's trek through the jungle quickly served to spoil his optimistic attitude, however.
In the jungle soon thereafter..
His Sneak was pushed to its limits as fear and anxiety clouded his judgment. Every few dozen yards he found that he couldn't, or rather shouldn't move, making the journey slow and tedious. He hadn't made it very far in. Maybe a few miles.. but he couldn't believe the things he saw. His new Ecology skill allowed him to perceive the Aura and energy flow of everything around him. It was difficult to parse apart exactly what he was seeing as it was all ridiculously bright and obtuse. He figured this must have been what acid was like. He was not a fan.
Throughout his travels he was left in shock and awe at just how little comprehension he possessed about the kind of dangers he faced on a daily basis. He saw hundreds of powerful creatures hiding amongst the jungle foliage and trees that he'd never noticed before. Wolves, snakes, massive birds and things he had no names for. For some, their innate stealth skills seemed to defy the laws of physics. For others they simply hid in deeper darker parts of the wood that his natural vision hadn't been able to pierce through before.
Any number of them could have slaughtered him at any time in the past.. and he had thought his pitiful Sneak skill had been keeping him safe.. He highly doubled it now that he knew beasts like these existed. He simply wasn't worth their time. He swallowed and forced himself forward. All he had to do was avoid the predators that purposely weren't hiding their physical presence.. no problem.. right?
That settled it. He had no business being in this jungle, and he had to find a way out. There had to be somewhere safe beyond. But as he currently was the man harbored no doubts that he stood no chance of surviving long enough to make it through the jungle to whatever lay beyond.
He decided to spend the next few days merely observing the creatures of the forest and their interactions as well as studying various plants and materials that he harvested along the way.
His new perk and skill were especially enlightening on the subject of sentient beings, because by watching the energy of a living creature he could begin to tell what actions they were taking, what mood they were in, and roughly how powerful they were compared to other beasts of the forest. He didn't even need to have a direct line of sight to track something by its energy, or Aura rather. Being able to see the target did help tremendously through so he always tried to keep them in range of his natural vision.
It was particularly challenging blocking out all the other information he was receiving in tandem with his primary target, but eventually his mind focused enough to be passable at reading the influx of information. One of his favorite pre-system earth movies had actually been the inspiration for his breakthrough.
The movie was titled: Man of steel and had been released in 2013 back on his Earth. The film was directed and produced by Zack Snider and Christopher Nolan. He faintly remembered a few other contributors to the production of the film, but the damn credits always moved so fast he couldn't remember who they were.
In the movie there's a scene where Clark Kent as a young boy in elementary school is being overwhelmed by his rapidly developing powers causing him to flee to a janitor's closet and lock himself in. His mother comes and he begs for her to make all the overwhelming sensations stop. She more or less tells him you can't make it stop. You can only make it small.
The world was indeed too large for any one person to understand. But with practice one could focus on the parts that matter and tune out the rest. So with trial and error and a lot of straining effort, he began to raise his skill level. It seemed the more you fundamentally understood the way a skill worked, the faster its level rose.
It seemed his companion was also hard at work because every once in a while he would gain a level in skills he hadn't even been using, such as cooking and sword and shield. The little thing had an unparalleled work ethic if nothing else, he'd give it that. Even when Vincent slept or took frequent breaks on days where his emotions overwhelmed him, his companion continued grinding away at the limited skills it could use.
The childish entity seemed to particularly enjoy using the Improved dash to propel itself any distance in any direction within the confines of the cozy cave. Vincent didn't want to admit it but he was beginning to truly care for the goofy thing. It's happy can do attitude was infectious when all he had known otherwise was hostility and hopelessness.
Having access to the system shop meant never having to worry about running out of supplies as long as he had income to spare. And of course his inventory provided him with infinite spatial storage.
On the fly he could buy new flasks and such to brew potions whenever he found potent new ingredients, and it seemed most creatures in the jungle were deathly afraid of fire so if he made one large enough he could typically brew in peace. He really wondered why he hadn't thought of that earlier.
He didn't want to test whether or not fire could frighten the likes of the dragon and he was sure a beast dubbed the Fang of Flame would probably laugh at the welcoming gift Vincent had set out for it, so he avoided the areas he was sure they resided. It seemed even the most powerful of beasts never really left their nests unless food became scarce.
With his new ability Vincent decided he wanted to challenge himself by seeing how long he could stay in the jungle without returning to the safety of the cave. Before, he had never really remained in the jungle for longer than eight consecutive hours, and that was only by necessity as he had gotten himself caught up in a particularly nasty territory war between the birds and some kind of crab-like monster.
He clearly remembered the birds had completely shredded the crab creature's eyes, leaving them hanging limply in gross wet strings of muscle and nerve.
Make no mistake, that didn't mean the crab was losing by any means. Dozens of the birds had lain skewered and maimed, crushed and cut asunder all around. It seemed that while the birds couldn't penetrate the crab's tough shell in order to get to its vital organs, it had no problem snatching them out of the air without the use of its eyes.
That had been a long and miserable day. Especially when blood and other bodily fluids found their way onto him from his hastily chosen cover. He dared not move lest he lose his camouflage and a few stray birds pick him off.
Shaking his head to bring himself back to the present day, Vincent had just finished packing up a makeshift camp when he froze, Sixth sense and Ecology screaming in unison. He used Improved dash three times in quick succession, heading roughly in the direction of the cave. Immediately upon landing he spun around. Taking cover and activating camouflage. He was panting heavily. By his estimation he'd eaten through a little less than half of his mana but at the moment he dare not check. The entirety of his focus was directed to the oddly unmoving jungle before him.
It had just been for a split second.. but.. something had touched up against the edges of his senses. Something the likes of which he had never encountered and hoped he'd never have to in his entire life. Sweaty and pale, he remained stock still for nearly ten minutes, hoping the monster he sensed didn't have some sort of sensory or tracking ability of it's own. Smacking his forehead with his palm, he eventually stood on shaking knees. Under the influence of that spike of terrible energy, he had felt so insignificant. So suppressed. It left him shaken to say the least.
He decided to head home and plan his next move carefully. He managed to remain out and about in the jungle for roughly a week and it seemed some unavoidable danger lurked in all directions. He had learned much in his times and had even garnered a few skill levels. Upon exiting the jungle and entering the clearing, he casually looked up. His eyes bulged at what he saw. The dragon was flying high above the jungle canopy. It looked alot smaller from whatever staggering height it flew at. Apparently the thing had no troubles at all with the heat.
It didn't seem to notice him as it flew along, seemingly not in any sort of hurry.
He wondered why it was here, and not within the confines of the jungle..? Did it have something to do with that presence he felt? Could the dragon possibly be one of its natural prey? The mysterious creature's power he felt before dashing away from his campsite was great enough for that to certainly be the case. He supposed it didn't really matter as long as it didn't bother him. There were many beings in this jungle to which he simply didn't hold a candle.
Staring intently at the massive beast in the sky, Vincent couldn't help but notice the dragon's aura was a putrid yellowish green, like a rotten version of the energy in the cave. He shuttered. The sheer intensity of the energy put most other beasts to shame.
He lost sight of the dragon as it flew over the jungle and off into the horizon. That confirmed it then.. there must have been other points of entry in and out of the jungle. He supposed it was just as likely that there were openings in the top of the jungle ceiling as well, if one knew where to look. He made his way back into the cave and over to his companion who was happily waiting with a small feast prepared.
"God what are you, my wife?" Vincent joked. Ironically he had never been much of a chef, whereas this plant version of himself had a cooking skill that had to have been equivalent to pre-system Gordon Ramsey levels.
But hey, he made a mean TV dinner or perhaps an elegant frozen pizza. He flashed back within his mind to when he was a kid, and his biggest concern was how long it took for the oven to preheat.. Those were easier times it seemed.. before his parents' accident. Before he withdrew from the world. From her.. He couldn't help but think about Selene. She always knew how to make a damn good meal from basically nothing.
He supposed really his withdrawal was why she had done what she had. He just wasn't there for her anymore and she didn't know how else to respond. He saw that now. Sighing he shook his head. "No use dwelling on the past.." He mumbled. His priorities had changed entirely. Careers and love interests were no longer a factor in his complex daily life. These days he focused entirely on the struggle to survive.
Vincent was making his way over to the garden plots when he noticed something rather peculiar. One patch of garden seemed to be thriving far more than the other, although both were superb. He raised an eyebrow and waived over his companion who had been watching him silently with its lopsided smile.
Vincent stared questioningly, unsure how to express his wishes, but it seemed irrelevant as the plant creature seemed to fully understand his desire. He wanted to know what was going on.
The creature happily ambled over to a plot of garden that was near ready to be harvested anyways and he did so. He then placed a new seed in the hole, moving slowly and with exaggerated movements to make sure Vincent caught everything. The man in question rolled his eyes. But then the creature did something he really didn't expect. It ran over to the alchemy stash, grabbed a small blue crystal, a small red one and a bit of Gaia's blood before returning to the plot with the seed and placing all three of the items within. He then buried it and began clapping his hands, as if to applaud his own ingenuity.
Vincent had to admit.. it was a goddamn genius move. He didn't fully understand the whole process but he watched as potent energies from the mana crystal, health crystal, and Gaia's blood all entertained and mixed like thick water-paints running together. They spread out over the seed and soil, instantly providing a noticeably improved rate of growth. It was essentially the same concept as when he added monster parts only far more potent due to the system naturally recognizing the process of mixing the basic alchemical ingredients needed for potions.
He looked at his companion with a new found respect. If such things were possible in a simple practice as gardening.. he was sure he could do similar things in cooking and crafting. By using other materials such as the potent crystal or Gaia's blood in conjunction with various monster cells, could he make better tasting food? Could he craft stronger gear? He wasn't sure. He would have to spend a few days experimenting at least. With a sigh the man opened the system merchant window and sure enough, upon searching he found what he needed; Cooking utensils and other kitchen supplies. It seemed the system really would provide him with anything he could possibly need..
He had plenty of money from his week long jungle binge so it was time to do some shopping. He made sure to buy some material for crafting such as ingots and leather straps. He also built a large stone smelter by hand so that he could properly heat the ores and metals. Of course he also had to buy various tools such as calipers and what not. Making such specific items was tedious.
He quickly came to the conclusion that his current system stats clearly did not make him immune to the level of heat produced by the forge nor did it give him the capability to alter the materials by hand. Hell a camp fire burned his hand to a crisp in just a few seconds and even breaking wood still resulted in broken bones. But someday..
He immediately set to work trying his best to understand how to melt down and reshape metal. He dearly wished this sort of thing came with a manual, but as he experimented and discovered new things, his smithing level grew. This in turn caused him to achieve inherent knowledge as the system had a tendency to nudge those who worked hard enough in the right direction.
After a few days of tinkering he finally began to get a feel for the craft of metal working. Now it was simply a matter of shaping the metal and finding the right ratio of various other materials such as monster bones, Gaia's blood, etcetera. Really anything he could get his hands on he tried to infuse in his workings. Not just his crafting but his cooking and gardening as well. Some results fared much better than others…
Congratulations! New feat(s): natural inclination to alchemy and forerunner of the new scientific world acquired!
Perk: marquis of science achieved!
Perk: transmutation achieved!
Marques of Science: a perk granted by those who have achieved the unique feat forerunner of the new scientific world. Allows the user to better understand mathematical formulas and theoretical practices. Provides a permanent +10 to intelligence.
Transmutation: a perk gained from the unique feat natural inclination to alchemy. Allows the user to be more susceptible to inspirational breakthroughs when creating something new. Allows the user to better understand the generic composition of something. Allows the user a small amount of insight into what elements work best in what combinations. +5 to intelligence.
Vincent sighed in relief, tossing his newly made 'steel' sword to the side. This was what he had been waiting for. A fucking ability that was functionly an instruction manual. Though one of the Perks was just a simple increase to his Intelligence attribute the other functioned similarly to an active skill, giving him inherent knowledge based on his skill levels. He also found that even though it was technically an alchemy based perk it would do wonders for smithing and cooking.
Vincent tapped his chin. He grimaced with the thought of what was to come next. He knew he needed to grind and he wanted to start with his lowest skill.
This was going to be painful.. he sold all his newly created equipment, as he knew he could make stronger things later. He then bought more materials for his companion to use while he underwent this tortuous training alone. Groaning he brought the forge back to its highest possible temperature with a few quick compresses from the bellow.
He knew this wasn't how you were supposed to do it. Certainly he was supoosed to fight some fire type enemy more akin to his capabilities. But no such thing existed in this place. A single fireball from a rat's ass would burn him to a crisp. Here. In the jungle there was only merciless death at the slightest mistake. He couldn't risk that so instead he stuck a leather strap between his teeth and with tears of fear prickling his eyes he shoved his entire arm into the forge.
"GRRRG-UH-UH-UH-UHH… RRRRG!!"
Congratulations! Skill: Fire resistance has increased by…
End of Chapter 8