Chapter 002: Prologue (Two)
So, what should I do first?
I"m really interested in ‘Help".
The description under it says:
‘Displays various pieces of advice and detailed explanations. No refunds once you try it out".
Well, I guess this isn"t something I can back out of.
I mean, knowledge isn"t something that can be returned once it"s given to you.
So, should I take it? …Is it even worth considering?
20 points is a lot, but if I create a character without any advice and transition into the next world with no idea of what"s gonna happen, it"ll be super embarra.s.sing to end up with some dumb character.
And if I choose a persecuted race or characteristic/skill, that"ll be totally uncool.
What is perceived as normal will soon be different, and by then, n.o.body could help me even if I get discriminated against.
Thus, 20 points is cheap for what I consider a necessary expense. Having convinced myself, I selected the skill.
…Oh, the display"s changed.
Some skills have been removed because I now have less points, but each remaining one now comes with extra explanations.
‘Displays various pieces of advice and detailed explanations. No refunds once you try it out.
(You"ll continue to receive explanations and advice even after transitioning)‘
Additional explanations are now available in brackets after the original one.
Oh, so I can still use this after transitioning. That"s convenient, and actually good?
Alright, gotta select my race next. ‘Human" comes free, no points needed.
‘A race with average powers.
(Without magical disposition, you can"t use magic)‘
And there"s the much-admired ‘Elf", which costs 20 points.
‘Great at magic, with a lifespan twice that of an average human"s.
(Can learn magic even without magical disposition, but physical strength will be compromised)‘
Then there"s the amusingly-immature ‘Half-Vampire". 50 points.
‘Great physical strength and healing ability, possesses magical disposition. Half-vampires are resistant to sunlight.
(The urge to suck blood is worse than full vampires, and you need to ingest at least 400ml of human blood per day. In most cases, you cannot suppress your impulses, and you will drain your prey"s blood, resulting in their death. If your race is discovered, you will immediately be persecuted by others)‘
Whoa, that"s definitely not good.
Choosing that is like walking through a field of land mines.
I pat myself on the back for choosing to invest in ‘Help".
Reading through the rest, I saw that most of the special races come with extra explanations. Reading the original description usually makes each race sound great, but the explanation soon reveals the catch.
What a great use of my 20 points.
But to conceal such important information from us. Is that the work of the evil spirit, or is there some other reason…?
I soon found some other seemingly safe races… Choosing the ‘Dwarf" would immediately render you short and stout, with a bushy beard. Choosing the ‘Hobbit" would shrink you to below 120cm tall.
I won"t mind if this is really a game, but they sound a little daunting in real life.
And while I really like ‘Kemono", I don"t fancy sporting any animal ears myself. I"m just an innocent furry admirer, nothing more.
…Alright, I think I"ll go with ‘Elf".
That leaves me with 110 points.
Next, skills. There"s a whole list of them to go through…
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[Skill Steal (80 points)]
The ability to steal someone"s skill, at whatever level it is at.
Possession of the skill before stealing it is not essential.
Stolen skills will be returned to the original owner upon your death.
(In exchange, the person you stole from will gain 4% of your lifespan x Level of the stolen skill.
Skills with no level will be a.s.signed a default Level 5)
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However great this skill sounds; the disadvantages are just too crazy.
Well, if you"re gonna steal a skill that someone has spent time and effort to build, then I guess it"s fair that you have to pay them back for their time?
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[Skill Copy (100 points)]
The ability to copy someone"s skill, without causing them harm.
However, you need to know the skill"s name and level before you can copy it.
(Copied skills will be defaulted to Level 1 and be locked.
You can unlock the skill through initiation by the original skill owner.
Skills with no level cannot be copied)
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In contrast, copying skills seems to have no disadvantages, and even the penalty seems acceptable.
If I can get the skill owner"s permission before copying, the only problem is that I"ll have to start from Level 1, but that isn"t too bad?
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[2x EXP Gain (50 points)]
Experience you gain from battle, training, and study will be doubled.
(EXP needed to master a skill is increased 10 times compared to other people)
[10x EXP Gain (120 points)]
Experience you gain from battle, training, and study will be increased 10 times.
(EXP needed to master a skill is increased 10 times compared to other people)
[Hero"s Essense (80 points)]
You possess the essence to become a hero with enough training and effort.
(You are easily dragged into troubling situations, which can be life-threatening)
[Magical Disposition/All Types (80 points)]
Disposition to learn any type of magic.
(The difficulty of learning any magic is increased multiple times)
[Magical Power/Maxed (80 points)]
You possess immense magical power.
(Your physical strength and endurance is horrible. Also, controlling magic becomes extra difficult)
[Charm (50 points)]
You become amazingly attractive to the other s.e.x, though your appearance does not change.
(Those attracted by you will develop a strong desire and want to make you theirs.
You cannot choose who will be attracted to you)
[Super Attractive Appearance (30 points)]
You will be physically perfect.
Both genders will be attracted by your appearance.
(Good for those who swing that way.
Elves are already attractive, so choosing this will result in devasting effects. Not recommended)
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…Dammit! This is just full of land mines! That boy"s definitely an evil spirit!
I mean, he told us we can"t cheat the system, yet he seemed so frightfully helpful, adding on so many skills for us to choose from!
Imagine someone who hadn"t chosen ‘Help". They would have selected skills, thinking they"d be invincible, only to die almost immediately?
Oh, but I guess that would only happen if someone has ‘Skill Steal" and uses it without thought. He"d have to steal a Level 25 skill to activate Instant Death.
The other skills are bad, but they"re not dangerously deadly.
The EXP gain skills seem to be full of disadvantages, but maybe investing in them could result in merits I hadn"t thought of yet.
Let"s take a look at some skills that were on the original list…
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[Toughness (10 points)]
Your body becomes tougher.
(It is hard to get injured, and harder to fall sick.
But in the next world, there may be viruses that aren"t present in your previous world?)
[Magical Disposition/Fire (10 points)]
Disposition to learn fire magic.
(Not applicable for humans.
Elves can learn fire magic without this, but you will be able to wield stronger magic if you do)
[Attractive Appearance (10 points)]
You will become more attractive.
(Not recommended for elves, who are already attractive.
May cause trouble when near humans)
[Apt.i.tude with Swords (10 points)]
You can able to wield swords easier than others.
(This is an apt.i.tude, so no training is required. That said, overconfidence is dangerous)
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Ooh! These sound much more normal!
Even the advice in the brackets is useful!
Well, the advice on the newly-added skills was super useful too. Thanks to that, I could discover which were potential land mines.
Anyway, are all the newly-added skills land mines…?
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[Skin Brightening (5 points)]
Your skin becomes fairer than others. It is also hard for you to get a suntan.
(Melanin levels are low, so you are weak against sunlight and turn red easily. Be careful of skin cancer)
[Drinker (5 points)]
Alcohol doesn"t make you drunk.
(You can"t get drunk, but the negative effects of alcohol are still present.
And since you may no longer know your limit,
be careful of acute alcohol poisoning and dependence issues)
[Swindler (10 points)]
You get better with words, and it is easy to fool others.
(Trust cannot be earned with words.
If you want to build friendships, you will have to rely on actions instead)
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I guess these make sense?
The advice given is really wise too. Yep.
…Well, it is wise, but also horribly scary.
I guess I"ll be giving these newly-added skills a wide berth.
I mean, I"ve only selected one of those, and that"s ‘Help", which was a great choice… I think.
And soon, the hour was over. I"d ended up with a list of skills shown below:
[Help (20 points)]
[Toughness Lv.2 (15 points)]
[Apt.i.tude with Spears (10 points)]
[Spear Skill Lv.2 (10 points)]
[Evasion Lv.1 (5 points)]
[Hawk"s Eye Lv.1 (5 points)]
[Stealth Lv.1 (5 points)]
[Enemy Awareness Lv.1 (10 points)]
[Magical Disposition/s.p.a.ce-Time (15 points)]
[s.p.a.ce-Time Magic Lv.2 (10 points)]
[Fire Magic Lv.1 (10 points)]
[Trap Knowledge Lv.1 (5 points)]
[Intuition Lv.2 (10 points)]
And with 20 points spent on race, that was a total of 130 points.
With my experience in gaming as a reference, my character profile did not look that strange or overpowered at all.
I"m sure making sound decisions is the best way to go here.
Having seen the land mine-like skills alerted me to that.
There was no way I was gonna risk my life for them.
I hope Haruka and Tomoya were sensible with their character creations too…
“So, is everyone done~~? It"s almost time to transition~. All unused points will be taken back by me and redistributed out as I see fit, so be careful!”
Oi oi, as he saw fit!? What if he gives someone enough points, just to urge them to take on a strange skill!?
Not that I think there would be many points left over at this stage.
“Oh, where you end up in the next world depends on your proximity to the other souls, so you might want to drift over towards your best friends? If you can tell each other apart, that is!!”
Oi oi oi! What"s with this last-minute instruction!!!?
How can I tell anyone apart when we"re all shades like this!?
…But wait. Huh? I sensed 2 souls drifting closer to me.
It kinda feels nostalgic.
Huh? Haruka? Tomoya?
What? Am I the only one who can"t tell the souls apart?
Am I much more heartless than I thought?
As if unaware of my inner turmoil, the boy smiled and waved his hand.
“Alright, have a good life, everyone!”
With that, a bright light filled my vision.