Confirmed. Starting User Character Creation sub-system.

Eve found herself floating in a void of darkness in which her body was lit from within. In front of her was a blank brain missing features, like a manikin’s open head given flesh.

Moving closer to the floating brain was merely an action of will. A small string of numbers appeared above the image. When she thought of the brain getting larger the numbers decreased the larger it became.

Looking at the numbers she thought about undoing her previous action and watched as the numbers crystallized at a single figure.

100,000.

Willing the numbers to increase Eve suddenly saw a System message appear.

User is requesting to increase allotted alteration points.

This action will require substance from the User’s home universe to compensate for the increased points.

Do you wish to deconstruct material from your home universe to increase available allotment points?

Can I see an example? Eve thought. A picture of her house losing a wall. Her TV vanishing into nothingness. Her toilet disappearing into thin air. These images were demonstrated along with a number.

So we’ve moved from magical world to civilization building sim? Eve thought with a mental sigh. Time to sacrifice on the altar of necessity.

Slowly she moved through the mental image of her house earmarking items for deconstruction. Electronics seemed to give the highest points, followed by mechanical constructs, and finally tools. Eve formed a strong suspicion that something was willing to pay out the ear in order to remove technology from Earth.

When she removed a single medical textbook from her living room library it became more than a suspicion. That single textbook filled with information on human biology was worth a whopping one million points.

Well, shit. Eve thought as she saw the massive increase in points. Slowly she sorted through the books she had available finding those that would reward the highest number of points. Strangely enough, her brother’s hand written series gave astronomical benefits. If I ever see Matt again I can’t let him know the series he wrote was worth more than dad’s electrical engineering series. I’ll never live it down.

Guns, ammo, electronics, mechanical devices, books filled with priceless information. Eve was about to pull the trigger before she paused.

Do these points carry over to Physical as well? Eve asked.

Alteration points do not differentiate between Physical or Mental alterations.

Eve narrowed her eyes as she moved through her house like a whirlwind. Things started vanishing like someone hit the delete button. Cabinets vanished. Extra chairs vanished. All books unrelated to electronics vanished. All books unrelated to medical knowledge vanished. Bookshelves vanished. Her computer gone. Every mechanical device with the exception of the generator, septic tank, truck engine, and a few others vanished. Her brother’s guest bedroom was gutted. Her own bedroom was gutted. Anything that could increase her points, yet wasn’t vital was removed.

As the points increased another option appeared.

Do you wish to re-allocate current living space?

Explain. Eve replied.

An example of her guest bedroom vanishing completely and a wall appearing where the door was shown. It cost nothing, although the amount of alteration points gained was lowered. Slowly she remodeled her house piece by piece. Eve removed the separation from the bathroom and bedroom, as well as the closet. Her bedroom was the new living room that contained all the books she though essential. The kitchen was now directly outside her room, for easier access. The living room was removed, and only a small thin door connected the kitchen to the garden. The garden was revamped pulling in closer to the house while the walls on it were raised and topped with razor wire combined with spikes. Windows were replaced with slits like in a medival castle. Window glass was set aside for later use, but window and door frames were sold for points. The only three exits from the house were the garden door from the kitchen, the ceiling trapdoor, and the front door also from the kitchen. The solar panels were shifted to cover the smaller amount of roof. Plumbing was reworked, electrical lines reworked, although most of the heavy lifting was done through the System. The metal security gates were thickened on all exits, while the doors were shrunk down to be harder to enter and exit. The garage turned into the storage room for things like the water heater, generator, and so forth. The garage door which was a flimsy steel piece was now a solid wall. All exterior walls were thickened to be two meters at a minimum. When she was finished the house looked nothing like before.

Where once stood a modest home, now something looking more like a demented witch’s cottage existed. On the other hand, Eve was able to assuage her sense of loss when she looked at her new point total.

Alteration Points Available: 3,925,183.

She could have had more, but she had a plan in place. Now it was time to execute. Moving to the brain she could see, Eve began to work upon it.

Smarter, faster, stronger, better. Eve lost herself in the delicate touch of alteration. Intent was more important than knowledge as the System assisted her in altering her very mind. Once the physical changes to the brain were made, another small list appeared to the right of it.

….

Mental Resistance to Charm.

Mental Resistance to Control.

Mental Resistance to Pain.

....

Scrolling down she found even more.

….

Adept Focus

Adept Memory

Adept Thoughtspeed

….

Scrolling through the list took time, so Eve asked for assistance from the System to meet parameters she was looking for. After checking the options provided, she spent all her points to zero. As a result she gained several mental abilities.

Eidetic Memory

Polyglot

Mental Math

Encrypted Thoughts

Detect Lie

Sense Danger

These few abilities burned all of her accumulated alteration points. However, Eve was extremely satisfied with the list. Memory to allow her to memorize the electronic engineering and medical books. Polyglot in case she ever had to get information, she wasn’t gullible enough to believe anyone would understand English. Encrypted thoughts prevented a vast majority of mind control or mental effects. Unless she wanted to be charmed into submission it was an absolute must. Detect Lie because she wasn’t as good as her mother at it. Sense Danger was a no brainer.

I am done. Eve thought as darkness rose up to take her once more.

Waking up after the changes were made was the difference between driving a car with a clouded windshield and a clean one. Her mind was sharper, her thoughts flowed more freely, and testing her memory provided the concept she had gambled on worked. The rest of the day was spent memorizing every book she hadn’t sold the System between breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It took a little bit of adjustment to get used to her new home, yet the sense of security was well worth it.

Status. Eve thought as she finished dinner.

Name: Eve Smith

Race: Human

Class: Scholar

Level: 0

Health: 60/60 (.6 hps regen)

Mana: 340/340 (5 mps regen)

Stats: Str 7, Dex 8, Con 6, Wis 32, Int 34

Skills:

Scholar’s Sight I (21%)

Spells:

Levitate Paper II (4%)

Inkless Words I (36%)

Summon Book I (26%)

Mental Talents:

Eidetic Memory

Polyglot

Mental Math

Encrypted Thoughts

Detect Lie

Sense Danger

Eve nodded as her new mana regeneration rate was clearly a combination of the mental changes. Wisdom was now part of the mana per second, and both of what she considered her primary stats had increased.

Moving back to her bedside chair in an almost ritual manner after cleaning up the dinner meal, she leaned back before closing her eyes.

“I would like to use my One-Time Physical Alteration Allotment, now.” Eve said. As she finished speaking the words the now familiar darkness enveloped her.

Looking at the blank female body in front of her Eve gritted her teeth before selling everything she had held back until now. Her brother’s precious books, now only part of her mind. Her father’s engineering textbooks. Her mother’s cookbooks. Her medical textbooks for the day she could afford med school. When she let out a soft sigh they had all vanished into the void.

Bringing up the memory of her brother’s written words, she stared carefully at the mental page of text in her mind.

You want several things with Body modification:

Stop aging.

Regeneration based on mana.

Skin that cannot be cut.

Bones that cannot be broken.

Organs that cannot be crushed with pressure.

Resistance to mana based attacks of any type.

Something that helps absorb mana from the environment.

Something that purifies absorbed mana from the environment.

Increased physical reaction times.

Increased mental capacity.

Checking her point total, Eve was impressed. The knowledge from her world was worth quite a bit here.

Alteration Points Available: 23,462,917.

A little over seven times as much. Eve wasn’t phased at the number though, it was unlikely that getting the things she required would be cheap.

First things first Eve checked the cost of stopping aging on the blank body before her. The new number made her choke a bit at the cost.

18,462,917.

Five million points vanished like smoke. Gritting her teeth with her fingers twitching in anger, she continued.

Regeneration based on mana. One million.

Skin that cannot be cut. Three million.

Bones that cannot be broken. Three million.

Organs that cannot be crushed with pressure. Three million.

Resistance to mana based attacks of any type. Five hundred thousand.

Something that helps absorb mana from the environment. Two million.

Something that purifies absorbed mana from the environment. Five million.

Increased physical reaction times. Five hundred thousand.

Increased mental capacity. Four hundred thousand.

When she was finished the remaining points was merely five digits.

62,917.

Rubbing her forehead Eve copied her current physical body for a mere fraction of her previous costs.

Copying her current physical body. Two thousand nine hundred and seventeen.

Changing her hair to chameleon color. One thousand.

Changing her skin to chameleon color. Three thousand.

Perfect teeth. Three thousand.

Perfect nose. Two thousand.

Hair down to her lower back. One thousand.

As she continued making cosmetic physical changes Eve came to a startling realization.

Oh my god, I’m turning into my mother, only hotter! Eve thought biting her lip. Dammit!

She was torn for a moment between wiping the changes to start over, or continuing. When she queried the System though, the matter was shelved.

Removing changes does not give back spent Alteration points.

That message ended any thought of a do-over. Apparently altering the very structure of your physical makeup wasn’t something you could just flip a switch and try again. Granted she had been able to do so when making mental alterations, but there was a strong feeling in her mind it had been a one-time thing.

Finishing, she checked her new looks out from every angle. Grinning like a maniac, Eve was thrilled.

I’m done. Eve thought.

Returning to her body sitting in her bedroom chair was a disconcerting twist. Trying to get up she felt like the first time she had imbibed large quantities of alcohol. The world spun around her Eve barely managed to collapse on the bed. Wrapping herself in the large fluffy comforter she pulled up her status with a thought.

Name: Eve Smith

Race: Human

Class: Scholar

Level: 0

Health: 260/260 (2.6 hps regen)

Mana: 340/340 (5 mps regen)

Stats: Str 27, Dex 28, Con 26, Wis 32, Int 34

Skills:

Scholar’s Sight I (21%)

Spells:

Levitate Paper II (4%)

Inkless Words I (36%)

Summon Book I (26%)

Mental Talents:

Eidetic Memory

Polyglot

Mental Math

Encrypted Thoughts

Detect Lie

Sense Danger

Physical Talents:

Eternal Youth

Body of Mana

Diamond Skin

Diamond Bones

Diamond Organs

Chromatic Resistance

Mana Organ

Mana Core

Lightning Reflexes

Lightning Thoughts

Heh. Eve thought before sleep claimed her.