Chapter 38 - New System Perks

Later that night, I sat on the table of my room in my potato form, staring at the status windows.

Once Cle’de had returned me back home, I quickly ended the skill and left my human body. It decomposed in a matter of seconds. I told her to make up some excuse to her parents to explain why I hadn’t come to dinner. Thankfully, after that close-death encounter, she seemed pretty obedient. It wasn’t like I was hungry, anyways. I was angry.

Angry at her.

But a part of me was curious.

Had they shown me that greatsword on purpose? And who was this person of royal heritage that apparently caused them to hate me?

Those were only a few of the questions inside my head. In my potato form, I felt refreshed, except for a slight headache, and didn’t want to waste my time sleeping.

‘Status.’ I said.

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Winston June

Major Attributes

Level: 0 {32%}

Race: Potato

Path: Path to Potato Godhood (Guided) {0/10}

Xera: ∞

Class Attributes

Class: Warrior-Mage

Rank: 1

Level: 0 {0%}

Other Attributes

Accumulated Faith: 161

Skills

Path Skills:

[Divine Being] (Passive) [Xera Transfer] (Active) [Potato God’s Eye] (Passive) [Potato God’s Hand] (Active)

L’Der Skills:

[Set Quest] (Active) [O.C.C] (Active)

Race Skills:

[Germinate] (Active) [Potato Battery] (Passive) [Potato Body] (Active) [Hull] (Active)

Misc. Skills:

[Mind Speech] (Active) [Perceive Domain] (Passive) [Mutation] (Active)

Class Skills:

[Element Infusion] (Active)

Statistics

Xera Purity: 10%

Xera Capacity: ∞

Xera Regeneration: ∞

Physical Strength Boost: 26.1% {0}

Mental Strength Boost: 26.1% {0}

Physical Endurance Boost: 26.1% {0}

Mental Endurance Boost: 26.1% {0}

Followers

Accumulated Followers: 2

Item Buffs

Xera Purity 10% Xera Capacity * Xera Regeneration Rate

Combat Power

Base Combat Power: 1

Current Combat Power: 1

___________________________________________

[Sword swings: 1/1000]

Just as expected, my XP was now thirty two percent more than it had been before. A few more death notifications had appeared while Cle’de carried me home. They all had the word [assist] next to them.

Also, I had made a little- and when I say little, I mean one- progress on my class quest. I’d only managed to swing my sword once in a full on battle. When I put it that way, it sounded a little bit embarrassing.

I scanned my skill list until I found ‘Potato God’s Eye’.

___________________________________________

Potato God’s Eye

Tier: Godly

Category: Path

Type: Passive

Buffs: Increased Area Of Awareness

The first path skill, which is unlocked at the beginning. A path specific skill that utilizes the system to reveal a portion of a Gifted’s profile. Profile information will be shown in comparison to the user’s own statistics. Can be used as a power gauge. This skill also works on your Gifted. This skill also works on monsters after your path has been altered. The skill ‘Perceive Domain’ is a sub skill of this skill.

___________________________________________

So that was why I’d seen the monsters’ information. I wondered whether the system update or the path change caused it to change. It probably didn’t matter. Oh, yeah. Which reminded me. Wasn’t ‘Potato God’s Hand’ locked? Why had all my god skills changed?

Since I had no other way of getting this information, I decided to approach Eve.

‘Hey, Eve…’ I said curiously, wondering if she would respond like A.S.S.

[Hello Winston! What do you need my services for today?]

She sounded like one of those service girls in a bar. Which was kind of nice, since it actually felt like I was talking to a person.

‘What happened to my potato god skills? Why is ‘Potato God’s Hand’ locked?’

[Well, due to your path change, they have been slightly altered to become more powerful, but also harder to get. Also, your skills are now divided into ‘tiers’. There are ten godly potato god skills in total, which will be unlocked in order when you complete each step of your path. ]

‘Could you… tell me what they are?’ I asked hesitantly.

[Of course. There is: {Potato God’s Eye}, {Potato God’s Hand}, {Potato God’s Will}, {Potato God’s Authority}, {Potato God’s Aura}, {Potato God’s Domain}, {Potato God’s Faith}, {Potato God’s Demise}, {Potato God’s Heart} and {Potato God’s Sacrifice}.]

I only knew what Potato God’s Eye and Hand did. And they were already pretty overpowered. ‘What do they do?’

[Sorry, but that information is classified until you unlock the skill.]

Well, that was a bummer. I wasn’t too let down, though. I’d just find out in due time. Especially since some of them, like ‘Potato God’s Sacrifice’ didn’t sound too good…

[You will re-unlock the skill: {Potato God’s Hand} once you complete your path quest.}

Right. Once I earned ten thousand faith. Easy enough.

Not.

For now, I opened up my skills list once more. After completing the quest to save the Haven guild, I’d managed to rank up and gain an additional skill. However, I never had time to test or even check what it was.

‘Show skill information for ‘O.C.C’

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O.C.C (Open Communications Channel)

Tier: Common

Category: L’Der

Type: Active

Xera Cost: 80 Faith to open, 1/s to sustain

An L’Der must have a method of communicating with their Gifted. This skill creates a channel through space to a designated target, allowing their surroundings to be heard by the user.

___________________________________________

‘Open communications channel?’ I read out loud in surprise.

As I read through the skill information, I realised one thing.

That this… this would change everything.

The faith cost was hefty, yes, but the unlimited range made up for it.

Normally, the fastest way to send a message was via a bird or in person. Since this ‘communication channel’ allowed me to talk to my Gifted at any time, I could update them with the latest news even if they were halfway across Erobeus. I wondered if what Red had done the other day was similar. To think that I’d be able to have a skill like a Great Beast’s magic.

Excited, I immediately activated the skill.

‘O.C.C.’

A line of text appeared before me.

[Please select the name of your Gifted: (Mox Lepora), (Cherry).]

I froze.

And read the message once.

Twice.

I took three times and a bonk to the head to make sure I really wasn’t dreaming.

My eyes were not tricking me. It wasn’t like I had any, anyways.

‘Ch-cherry?’ I thought softly.

[Processing request to open communication channel with designated Gifted.]

I stared at the words intently.

If this was true…

If it were true…

A thousand new questions filled my head.

She was alive? How? Was she ok? Where was she?

All the while I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

[Request has timed out. Faith has not been deducted.]

As soon as the notification appeared, I immediately jumped up, only to drop back into the soft covers of my bed moments later.

It looked like I couldn’t contact her now. No matter. The skill hadn’t used the xera, meaning I could try again some other time. At least I knew she was alive.

Satisfied, I faced back to the selection screen. There was only one more name there.

Mox.

I remembered how he’d offered a… blood contract to me? Just before I was taken.

Did he do that knowing I’d be able to communicate with him like this? If yes, then I applauded him for his quick thinking.

‘Mox Lepora.’

[Processing request to open communication channel with requested Gifted.]

Would it work this time? Or would it just time out like before?

[Request has been approved.]

[Opening communication channel.]

[Channel has been opened.]

The space around me distorted; the air shimmered like I was in a heatwave.

[Don’t panic. This is just a necessity to ensure that no one else can hear your conversation. Direct your thoughts to your Gifted and he’ll be able to hear it through the communication channel.]

‘You know how this works?’ I asked Eve.

[Of course. I know everything about the system. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be a very good assistant, right?]

Before I could reply, a loud crackling noise filled the room for a moment. It stopped a moment after and a distant explosion rocked the room. The sound of panting and rhythmic thudding came soon after.

‘Mox?’ I asked, doing as Eve had instructed.

“Now’s really not a good time, June.” Mox’s voice came crackling into existence, broken up by the huffing and puffing.

‘Mox? It’s really you? What’s going on?’ I couldn’t believe it actually worked.

He sighed. “Yes. It’s me. Why did you contact me? Is there a problem?”

Another explosion sounded, this time seemingly much closer than before.

‘No? I’m just testing out this new skill…’ Why did he sound so annoyed?

I heard him curse under his breath. A scuffling noise, like someone was scraping their shoe against the floor filled the awkward silence.

He sighed once more and the noise stopped. “Listen, June. Somehow, every L’Der apart from us has gotten a mega powerup. Especially the damn baron. We’re having a hard time dealing with them-”

A loud crackling filled the room and a warning flashed before my eyes.

[Warning: 50 xera remaining. Would you like to cancel the skill?]

Shit. Time was running out.

“Kearan! Kill him!”

‘Kill who?’

“Sorry June. Tell you next time. Gotta go.”

[Your Gifted has ended the communications channel.]

With a final crackle, the shimmering air returned to normal and my bedroom was silent once more. I layed there on my bed, thinking about the conversation that’d just happened. Who had Mox been fighting? And how did they already get back to Agridia? Did Kearan open another gate?

At least I knew the skill worked now.

Sadly, though; I glanced at my status window.

I only had forty nine faith remaining. That sucked.

With nothing left to do, I decided to produce a few e-potatoes, just to make my mind off things. It was something I hadn't done in a while. And who knew, maybe they’d come in useful if I ever came across those maldakive snakes again.

Which reminded me.

I shot out of the bed.

What the hell was that entire interaction with Cle’de and Kai’ra?

Surely that was not how a seventeen and ten year old were supposed to behave.

But… I couldn’t even question them about it now. I still had three more hours left until ‘Potato Body’ finished its cooldown.

‘Germinate.’ I thought, trying to suppress the now millions of questions pouring into my head.

‘Let’s just count e-potatoes and go to sleep.’

One e-potato…

Two e-potatoes…

Three e-potatoes…

Before I knew it, three baby e-potato seeds lay scattered across the covers and I, tucked underneath them, had fallen asleep.