After waking up, I go through the usual routine, making sure to eat a portion befitting a day of activity. While eating I also look over my status. I’m power level twelve now, huh. All ability-slots are used, though I can still get a tertiary class.

While I eat I absently look through the news on the [System] on my tablet, making sure to bookmark important info. After eating I clean up and sit down at my computer to get working properly on today’s objectives.

The goal for today is to get a good baseline of skills and some gear. If there’s time, I will go to the forest and try hunting. It should be safe enough if I can have the pack cover me. Besides, while there are reports of casualties, it seems most monsters are pretty weak.

A lot of skills have been shared, some with learning conditions, some without. There’s also a dedicated social-media type site for sharing one’s skillset. I register at the site, (currently unofficial) Monster Hunter’s Association, which has the address ‘hunt.ing’. I write down my city and skillset.

There’s a notice pointing out that you share info on your own responsibility, it seems sharing specific power and skill levels is a no-no. In the ‘Other information’ I write myself down as ‘LFG - Open to groups in my area’ and link to a Google Doc with skills I know and other basic info.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited by the world’s changes, but if it is anything like the various stories around, it’d be wise to grow to at least a good mid-level strength. I also decide to put off looking for a job, since I might be able to capitalize on this event to earn money.

In fact, I could probably already earn money by selling my knowledge, but for now I think it’s better if everyone shares information freely. There’s also crafting skills, and monsters that can be hunted for fun and profit. And that’s what I have decided to do. Or try to do.

First off though, I should prepare. From reports, most people have been able to defeat monsters with crude weapons, or even sticks and stones, like the group from yesterday. It’d be naive to think that would last forever, and most of those were injured anyway.

In this country it’d be hard to (legally, at least) acquire guns, or even bows, but to begin with that would be unreliable, compared to melee, if safer. Therefore I decide to get a melee weapon. A sledgehammer or woodcutting axe from the nearby hardware store should suffice.

People have also managed to craft magic wands and staves, and they seem to greatly aid in what one can do with magic. They are both classed as [Magic Focus]. Actually, I might be able to go for a magic staff for combined melee and magic ability, hmm…

In addition I should start gathering defensive gear. For fancy wildlife, like the buck from yesterday, mundane protection should suffice.

I have a skiing helmet I can use, and for my torso I should get a thick/padded jacket like a gambeson. Maybe I should look into adding a hard material to the outside for extra protection, too. I could sew hard plates into a hoodie…

That should be good enough gear for the first day or two, until humanity collectively learn more about our new reality. Aside from gear, I should probably train my abilities, maybe get some new ones.

I would need to decide on which to equip, though. There seems to be a cooldown of about ten minutes between each time you can change, though you can force it. You’d be unable to change for a longer while, however, several hours at the least, maybe as much as twelve.

Let’s see… I bet I could earn money on crafting, especially if I start early. Of the known crafting abilities, [Rune Carving] and [Enchanting] seems like things I can acquire in a short time while also being useful.

[Rune Carving] seems to be a derived ability from a (carving) ability like wood- and bone-carving and [Imbuement]. Maybe I can also get [Bone Carving] if I carve the antlers I got… No, I should get skills before I do anything with them, they might be surprisingly valuable.

The known way to get [Enchanting] is by combining [Imbuement] and [Elemental Spirit Magic]. That type of magic is almost exactly what is sounds like, the kind where you chant ‘Oh spirits of , heed my call! , ’

Yeah. it’s quite different from how I use magic. There’s also [Plant Magic], but it was discovered by someone tripping balls, so we have no idea how to get it. That person also got the class [Seer], and I don’t even know what to say about that.

Back to [Enchanting], I suspect I can replace that magic for my [Aspectian] ability. Continuing on with magic, I should soon gain [Body Enhancement] from using mana to buff myself.

There’s also [Force Magic] which is an applied form of [Mana Manipulation] where you use the mana to directly attack the enemy with force. The discoverer said it was great for crowd control, which is something I want.

I should also get the skill for whatever weapon I decide on, but that should be unproblematic. I also really want to have a way to escape a hairy situation, should I encounter one.

The [Aspect of Mist] stealth ability can work, but I need to learn more about it. In fact, I should learn more about [Aspectian] in general, and try to maybe get some more aspects.

Here in the city, I have identified two strong aspects. I suspect one is ‘Life’ and the other is ‘Human’ or something. In addition, I should be able to get ‘Water’ for obvious reasons. Maybe ‘Air’, if that’s a thing. In fact let’s go for the four classical elements if possible.

That still leaves me without proper escape abilities, something which I really want. Even with preparation this is likely to be dangerous, after all. I’m still gonna do it; I finally have something in life, about which I can truly say: This, this is what I want to do!

I might end up changing my mind, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. For too long have I sorta just floated through life, being good enough at things I deem interesting enough, vaguely hoping to end up in a job I find acceptable. In short, near-apathy.

A little later I return home with my newly acquired Adventuring Gear™. I ended up with a pickaxe with a replaceable steel head and composite handle. They advertised less vibrations and durability, something I hadn’t even thought about, but would be great for a starter item.

I also found a ‘gift set’ with a folding knife, small saw that can be collapsed into the handle, and a small axe, all of which can be attached to a belt. Since it was quite light and would be useful for dismantling monsters, I bought that as well.

As it turns out, I can [Inspect] mundane items, though as usual it’s rarely useful. The pickaxe, however:

Steelhead Composite Pickaxe Attack ability: [Mining]

Piercing attack: Strong

Cutting attack: Mediocre

Blunt force: Mediocre

Durability: High A modern pickaxe with a steel head and composite handle.

As before, it refuses to give numeric values other than power level. The other tools also have stats, but they are rather crappy. To begin with, they’re not for fighting, so it’s fine.

Another possible boon with the pickaxe is that I can wield it in one hand, though not very efficiently. That might change from getting abilities, though. Point is, I could do other things with my offhand, like holding a shield or a wand.

The purchases were not overly expensive, though I would rather not regularly spend that amount of money. I also bought some short planks, as well as a short, thin pole.

I leave the pickaxe, but attach the unpackaged giftset and my old carving knife to a belt. I bring the wood outside and sit down on one of the benches outside my apartment building.

The sun is playing hide-and-seek beyond the clouds, but it’s still too warm for my liking. When I go hunting, I’ll wear my hiking boots and some solid pants. That plus backpack plus physical activity… I might get a way to cool down soon, though.

To begin with I thin the pole to a thickness fitting a wand, and cut it into two wand-length pieces. I then turn my hand to one of the short planks, no longer than my wands-to-be. From my pocket, I retrieve a pencil and piece of paper.

On the paper I printed a couple runes from other people and the norse ‘Futhark’ rune-alphabet with the sounds each symbol makes underneath. It is mostly empty, the space saved for my own runes and/or notes.

First I draw the runes onto the wood with my pencil. I then start carving, imbuing mana into the grooves as I work. The first rune is a stylized sun in a circle, a heating rune. The second is similar, a snowflake/cooling rune.

To be honest, the work on those were kinda sloppy, but I increased both the skill and power level of [Wood Carving], and afterwards I became visibly better. What followed was a circle with an equilateral triangle and the word STRONG.

That was enough to net me [Rune Carving], so I equip it in the place of [Healing Touch]. As soon as I do that, I get chills across my entire body. I can see how there’s a cooldown on doing that, whatever just happened.

The runes work though, barely. With my new ability equipped, I can immediately see ways to improve it, and after doing, so their effect increases ever so slightly.

The temperature runes do exactly what they claim to do, and the STRONG rune should increase the plank’s durability. [Inspect] even agrees, and levels up in the process.

I then set to work designing my own runes on paper. As with the others, I start with a circle, drawn with help of a bit of string. Along the inside of the circle, I write ‘With magic, protect’ several times separated by thick dots.

I then make another circle within it, and a equilateral triangle in the middle. The end result looks like it could be used in some anime or something. I then cut off a bit of one plank, about the size of my hand, and draw the new rune on there.

The carving itself goes smoothly, and I must say I am quite satisfied with the end result.

Weak Protective Charm This charm can negate some damage to the holder as long as it has mana.

By now a couple kids have come over. I had them keep their distance while I worked, answering their earnest questions when my concentration wasn’t held up too much.

I pocket the charm and grab another bit of wood. Let’s see, to enchant I imbue it with an element, or in my case, aspect. However, I feel like my aspects are kinda useless for enchanting a plank and don’t want to risk the things I just bought.

I decide to delay that, and instead sit cross-legged, meditating on the [Aspectian] ability.