“Alright. Back to it.” Arcturus refocused on the task at hand deliberately, eyes once more locked on the primary attributes that defined the essence of his being with their deceptively simple mathematical values. If he focused on any of them hard enough, he would receive a list of hypothetical situations in which they were applicable, which essentially broke down how each correlated to his existence as an individual. That, however, was not strictly necessary. He’d played enough video games, dungeons and dragons, and read enough adventure fantasy to understand a pseudo-Isekai system when he saw one.

It seemed oddly appropriate that it was how his mind translated what he was doing.

He had focused on Agility, Vitality, and Charisma in his first level-up, and the idea of doing so again was not one he was ready to dismiss. Higher levels of Agility, thereby increasing his dexterity and reaction times, could save his life in situations where the finesse and haste of his movement could define whether he lived or died. His Vitality could and had saved his life already, and improving it would only serve to further compound his survivability in the long-term. In fact his Vitality was the most compelling point of consideration on the sheet, and out of impulse he pressed his finger to it three times.

Vitality increased by 3 Points!

The number shimmered and melted into a new one, marking his new Vitality as 18. “At least now I’ll be more durable,” he noted in relief, understanding intrinsically that it also meant his wound recovery outside of level-ups and his body’s ability to deal with wounds without shock or trauma would also increase. Aside from the added benefit of solidifying his body and increasing his muscle mass, toughening his bones, and creating new nerves, tendons, and bloodflow options; it also meant that, if he suffered another psychic backlash or over-exerted himself, the added capability and strength of his body would allow him to weather at least the physical side of the drawbacks far more easily.

“Strength, for sure.” He said under his breath, realising that his ability to hit harder and withstand greater blows would be invaluable, especially since he was probably going to have to learn to use some form of close combat weapon, if what he’d seen of the standard equipment on other Terrans was any indication. On top of that there seemed to be some implication he might have been able to wield an Aetherblade, though aside from ‘sword made of magic’ he wasn’t entirely sure what that would entail. Nonetheless, increasing his primary physical attribute seemed the strategically sound move. His finger tapped it twice with confidence a moment later.

Strength increased by 2 Points!

He grunted in satisfaction at seeing its value shift to 21 and moved on.

Agility would be next, given his prior ruminations on its advantages. His finger tapped it twice smoothly when he resolved himself to it, infusing more of the dwindling first bar’s shimmering energy.

Agility increased by 2 Points!

That brought the attribute to a more reasonable 15. The increase would likely have a carry-on effect to his unarmed combat as much as his Strength, he realised after a moment. Power and strike force were all well and good, but it meant next to nothing if you couldn’t actually land a blow. He’d seen and been part of enough sparring and martial arts competitions to understand that speed, dexterity, and accuracy – finesse, really – were as imperative to any combat as the ability to knock someone down. It caused him to momentarily consider another increase to his Agility, but he dismissed the thought a moment later. He could always come back to it, but he had a feeling that the ‘point expenditures’ were not easily reversed – or perhaps irreversible in their entirety.

“God, that’s depressing.” He said as he stared at his Intellect score, grimacing at the quickly suppressed self-esteem spike at seeing the number. He needed to increase it if only to allow himself the ability to better research and study the world around him. On top of that it was very likely, despite the lack of ‘prompts’ telling him so, that Intellect was a serious modifier for his psioncist abilities – and he had every reason to suspect that those abilities were going to end up being his go-to magical talents for the foreseeable future. He sighed when he realised he was dithering in making a decision, and forced aside the procrastination; increasing his intellect with three presses and fully draining the remnants of his first experience bar, as well as 10% of the second.

Intellect increased by 3 Points!

Obediently his Intellect shimmered and changed, resolving into a solid 17.

The next target of his scrutiny was his Perception, and that was an easier decision to make. Knowing what was around you, as well as having the ability to reliably assess your surroundings, was integral to basic survivability. He also knew that it was Perception that was often the largest contributing factor to a fatal blow being reduced to a wounding blow, or instead being deflected completely. Not because it necessarily increased reaction time, but because it allowed reaction time a chance to shine in the first place. No hesitation was present in his mind when he tapped the attribute’s number twice.

Perception increased by 2 Points!

The new value of 16 shimmered into place, and Arcturus shifted his attention.

“Hm… Four attributes, seven points. I know I can probably just ignore Luck, but the others…” He trailed off as he frowned at his Arcana, Willpower, and Charisma. The first of the three was the most immediately appealing, given it would proportionally increase his ability to wield his telekinesis to more lethal effect, and allow him the ability to harness more potent and more concentrated levels of the power in a way that was proportional to his progress with Telekinesis itself. His Willpower he wasn’t overly concerned about, given it was sitting at an already dominant level when compared to his other attributes, and would likely be able to suffer remaining the same for at least one more round of levelling.

It was his Charisma that drew his attention however, and the inherent benefits of increasing it. Higher Charisma meant easier interactions, greater accessibility, and a chance to more properly influence those around him to his benefit – and perhaps even to theirs. It sounded almost insidious the way his mind framed it, but he knew that a strong social capability could very well prove the difference between victory or defeat in a theatre of contest where force of arms meant nothing. “No point procrastinating.” He chided himself, before tapping both Arcana and Charisma twice apiece.

Arcana increased by 2 Points!

Charisma increased by 2 Points!

The actions brought the former to 20 and the latter to 16, and allowed Arcturus to finally move on. The final four points, after all, were far easier. He invested them, as he resolved he would every time he levelled up, into his Anima and Aether two apiece – ensuring that the compounding value of each would allow him to both sustain his magic and last longer in violent encounters. As much as the idea of continually being thrown into a fight mildly nauseated him, he also understood that it was a simple inevitability of his new existence. For reasons of culture as much as technology, Terra itself was a far more violent place than Earth.

Anima increased by 2 Points!

Health increased by 10%, compounding!

Aether increased by 2 Points!

Mana increased by 10%, compounding!

His Health and Mana shimmered from 110 apiece to 133 apiece, leaping considerably thanks to the compounding growth. Similarly, his regeneration numbers jumped from 2 per minute to 2.5 per minute, confirming his suspicion that each point increased his regeneration by 0.25%. With enough time and point investment, he realised, he could theoretically push himself to a point where his Anima and Aether would make him capable of withstanding even the most dangerous of enemies, though much like in the video games his means of changing the fundamental composition of his existence resembled, it was unlikely he would reach ‘elite’ status without several more levels under his proverbial belt – and given that murder seemed to be the best means through which to attain them, he very much hoped that a viable alternative would present itself quickly.

Level Up Complete!

You are now 32% of the way to Level 5!

Arcturus looked to the lbottom of the page and noted the experience bar, showing a small chunk of numerical progress towards his next level – once again a black bar outlined in white. The entire process of his essence distribution had been both similar and subtly different to his first time, not only because there had been a greater amount of available energy to assign, but because he had to contend also with the aftereffects of Geran’s death and how that directly influenced the process at large. He couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps that was the inevitable trial that would await him if ever again he took another life, and in a way it gave him some measure of comfort.

At least it would in as much capacity as comfort could be taken after murder. The very thought of growing accustomed to killing chilled him, not simply because of his ethical and moral reservations about taking life, but also because of his own lack of experience with the idea. In the military he might have been expected to kill at some point, or order killings done at the behest of the government he’d have served, but that was inherently different. He understood that war was not as simple as ‘good’ and ‘bad’, his father had taught him that – but Arcturus liked to believe that there was a pathway he could walk where he could avoid the darker and more soul-blackening side of military operations. It might have even been a cowardly notion, when considered to its full extent, but he was an idealist.

Yet you enjoyed taking Geran’s life, didn’t you?

He closed his eyes for a moment against his subconscious, though he could not argue with its assertion. Yes, he had enjoyed his power over Geran when he’d killed him. It had felt liberating to be able to control something, even more because it had been life and death itself: the very thing he’d struggled with a lack of control over previously. It had felt good to have that sort of incontestable power, and the sheer fact that he had enjoyed it so much… well, that in and of itself was enough to make him feel both slightly nauseous and mildly terrified. The idea that perhaps he enjoyed killing more than he’d ever want to admit was… disturbing, to say the very least.

A moment of morbid consideration passed, and then he forcefully shook his head – slapping his own cheeks without thinking, just to refocus himself away from the dark thoughts filling his mind. His eyes went back to his character sheet while seeking a distraction, and he pondered whether or not there was a way to stymie the flood of reports he constantly received in combat. Having his status screen available was one thing, but the constant flood of alerts every time something happened... well, it could prove distracting at a crucial moment in the future. In games there was usually a setting to suppress notifications or restrict them to a 'combat log'.

It was a detail he resolved to deal with when he returned to consciousness.

INFORMATION PANEL

BASIC INFORMATION

NAME Arcturus Valoura CLASS Ȁ̶̩͉̝̤͘͝r̴̥̥͕̐̌͒͝ć̸̫͓̿ͅä̸̧́̐̀n̷̲̏̌̀͜͝ẹ̷̜͙̈́̏ ̷̙̥͐̄W̴̮̘͂̓̊͝a̴̢͑͆͋ŗ̷̬̫̋r̵̪̯̋̓̅̕i̷̛͖̬͍ō̵͍͉͜r̸̡̻̗̜̿͒ RACE Human(?) AGE 21 GENDER Male LEVEL 4 TITLE(S) N/A

CONDITION

ANIMA 13 HP 133 / 133 2.5 Health Per Minute (HPM) AETHER 13 MP 133 / 133 2.5 Mana Per Minute (MPM)

ATTRIBUTES

Strength

Agility

Intellect

Vitality

Perception

Arcana

Willpower

Charisma

Luck

21

15

17

18

16

20

21

16

??

CORE SKILLS

SKILL NAME

DETAILS

Aether Manipulation

(Passive, Infinite Scaling)

You are now able to make use of the mystical abilities tied to Aether manipulation, allowing you to cast and understand magic, in all of its many fantastical and myriad forms.

Inspect

(Passive, Infinite Scaling)

You have succeeded in achieving a basic mastery of the System, and unlocked the ability to view the details of items and individuals. Due to the low level of the initial skill, however, this ability will not function on most higher forms of life! Unlock further progress in the [Inspect] skill to enable higher levels of information access.

COMBAT SKILLS

SKILL NAME DETAILS

Unarmed Combat

(Passive, Level 2)

Your life’s worth of extensive combat training has borne fruit! Several styles of martial arts and close quarters combat training have blended together into something uniquely your own, allowing you to be lethal even while buck-naked! Go get ‘em, Arcturus!

Stealth

(Active, Level 1)

With your enhanced Agility, you have just barely managed to move with something approaching respectable levels of stealth! Practice and dedication to Stealth will only serve to better enhance your ability to move undetected. There’s absolutely no way you’d think to abuse the ability to avoid detection by others, right? Happy Sneaking, you dastardly rogue!

MAGICAL SKILLS

SKILL NAME DETAILS

Psionicist

(Passive, Infinite Scaling)

Through a mix of your high Willpower and above average Arcana, you have unlocked the ability to manifest your will through the strength of your mind and aether. Your Psionicist level will scale with your highest Psionicist ability!

Telekinesis

(Active, Level 4)

Your ‘Competent’ skill in Telekinesis has eliminated the need for specific castings! Your Telekinesis can now be used solely in whatever capacity your mind imagines. Due to your reckless and self-destructive use of multiple psychic overdraws in order to brutally execute another person, your telekinetic skill is now more resistant to shattering!

+2 to all Willpower checks in combat!

TRADE SKILLS

SKILL NAME DETAILS

Cartography

(Active, Level 1)

Your father’s hand in your upbringing, combined with your impressive pursuit of political science and military history both modern and ancient granted you quite the skill at reading, and even drawing maps. In this strange new world you find yourself in, this skill could be critical, unless you enjoy wandering aimlessly in circles!

Arcane Linguistics

(Passive, Infinite Scaling)

Your unconventional birth and violent entry into the world have catalysed a foundational association to the reality of the realm. By Luck or subconscious design, your ability to discern the languages of those you speak to is far more than a talent – it’s a literal power! You need never fear communication problems, though it’s definitely going to raise questions if you start speaking to Golems! Try to avoid befriending sapient rocks, eh?

Enchanting

(Active, Level 1)

Your preternatural ability to send the aetheric composition of things has manifested into the ability to perform rudimentary enchantment! You’re very Lucky, in fact, that you managed to succeed in what should have been an impossible task for an amateur! Once again you changed Fate by your mere presence, but don’t let it go to your head.

Aethersmithing [Core]

(Active, Level 1)

Your strange and limitless potential for odd talents manifests once again, allowing you to activate a Runic Forge you really have no business being able to operate! What are the odds that you have a talent so rare it’s considered a prodigious gift? Whatever they may be, it appears that you once again defied all expectation to achieve something amazing. Great going, you over-achieving abomination!

Aethersmithing Infusion [Branch]

(Active, Level 1)

Your ability with Aethersmithing now allows you to infuse any items within two levels of your existing skill! Considering you have no idea what you’re doing beyond instinctive fumbling, you’d better start learning how to avoid disaster before you try creating a masterpiece!

Aethersmithing Diffusion [Branch]

(Active, Level 1)

Your ability with Aethersmithing now allows you to diffuse and break down into their base materials any items within two levels of your existing skill! Considering you have no idea what you’re doing beyond instinctive fumbling, you’d better start learning how to avoid disaster before you accidentally detonate a building! EXPERIENCE 156 / 500 32% Progress to Level 5

Arcturus leaned back once his perusal was finished, pushing himself up from the desk and stretching his arms over his head, only to remember that he was in a dreamscape – and that nothing physical he did had any actual bearing on his body. A moment’s embarrassed laughter followed, and he shook his head at his own absent-mindedness, turning towards his bed. Once he slept, he knew, he’d return to reality and all of the consequences awaiting him for his actions in Angela’s workshop. While part of him dreaded to see the look on her face, fearing he’d corrupted his image in her eyes irrevocably, another part of him stoically remembered he was just lucky to be alive.

Angela had been the first person on Terra to show Arcturus meaningful kindness, and to not react in fear when his emotions or confusion were evident. Even Lilian, for all her bubbly warmness, had not been able to restrain the terror she felt when she thought he’d been angry with her. It made him wonder if there was perhaps far more to his new friend than he’d initially suspected. He was sure she was human, but beyond that he had no idea what she might have been capable of – or of the secrets she might have possessed beneath the quick smiles and razor wit.

In lieu of anything else to delay him, Arcturus took a deep breath and centred himself, releasing it slowly to relax the subtle beginnings of anxiety in himself. There was no point in worrying about possibilities when he had no real idea of what had happened in his state of unconsciousness. The only way he would find answers, and the only way those answers would mean anything, was for him to go back and face whatever came next. It would be cowardly to try to hide from it, and Arcturus Valoura was no coward! At least, that’s what he reassured himself of as he padded back to his bed and slid himself down onto the supportive memory foam mattress.

As his head settled onto the pillow, and his eyes drifted lower, he took solace in the fact that his journey – whatever it might have entailed – was still being written. He could choose to take the experiences he’d had and use them to create his own future, his own fate, and become the better man that he wanted to be. If he wanted to avoid becoming just another bitter, murdering denizen of the alien realm he found himself in? Well, that was his choice to make. He could decide that. His father had told that to him since he was old enough to walk.

“You have the blood of Kings, my son. Never forget that.” His father had often said.

“What does that mean?” Arcturus would ask, looking up at the towering man.

“It means you make your own destiny.” His father would reply.

The memory brought him comfort as he finally succumbed to true sleep.