When humanity, and indeed most species, first encountered the system, the vast majority had one of three responses. Treating it like a game, believing they were simply dreaming, or shutting down. Those that treated it like a game were able to handle the initial reaction, but quickly lost their composure when forced into their first real fight. Those that believed they were dreaming were quick to run and hide when they experienced pain. Those that shut down never even made it that far. Those that thrived generally fell into one of three categories: Those who had experienced true fights for survival, those that had expected their death before being integrated into the New Reality, and those that stepped up. The third was by far the rarest. – History of a New Age, pg 10.

“So...I’m seed 206 huh?”

“That is correct.”

“Any suggestions on how to spend these points?”

“Select options that optimize your chances of survival.”

“Thanks. You’re a real help.”

“You’re welcome.”

The sheer mockery of the response caught Liam by surprise. Huh, guess whatever the voice is, it gets sarcasm. Who’d have thunk? He was distracting himself. He knew it. The voice probably knew it. But what else was he supposed to do? This wasn’t what happened in reality. This was what happened in some bad fantasy book you picked up off a library shelf, or for super cheap at a garage sale. What was he supposed to do with this?

None of it was what he expected. If he had to express what he had expected, it would have been nothing. Probably. But even that was a lie. What to expect afterward was never something that really came up. Not unless you were having a theological debate. Still though, anything would be an improvement on nothing. At least that’s how he usually felt about it. It’s easy to adjust to something unexpected when you have no expectations, I guess.

“Well, better go with the obviously interesting one. Show me ability options.”

Abilities

Evolution Points: 250 (100 point base, +100 Bonus for Beta Tester, +50 Handicap Bonus)

Enhanced Mind (Basic) – cost 50 EP

Enhanced Physique (Basic) – cost 50 EP

Extended Senses (Basic) – cost 50 EP

Meditate (Basic) – cost 100 EP

Armor Spell (Common) – cost 50 EP

Aura Spell (Common) – cost 100 EP

Bolt Spell (Common) – cost 100 EP

Enhancement Spell (Common) – cost 50 EP

“What’s the difference between Basic and Common? And isn’t there anything else? Shouldn’t this be a giant list or something?”

“Basic is an ability any race can learn. Common is something any individual of your race can learn. You do not have the required Evolution Points or have not met the pre-requisites to qualify for other skills.”

“I suppose that makes sense. Too much to wish for a cheat power right off the bat I suppose. Hmmm… Show me Racial Traits.”

Racial Traits

Evolution Points: 250 (100 point base, +100 Bonus for Beta Tester, +50 Handicap Bonus)

Scarification: Humans, and mammals in general, are known for their ability to survive grievous wound. If with unsightly side effects. Just because you put one down, don’t expect it to stay down. Tier 1 (Tier 2 cost: 20 EP)

Self-Regulation: Humans, and indeed most of their evolutionary tree, have proven very capable of surviving a vast range of environments. Don’t expect one to die off just because you’ve raised or dropped the temperature 30 degrees. Tier 1 (Tier 2 cost: 20 EP)

Endurance Hunter: Humans may be slow and lacking many classic defenses, but when all else fails they’ll just…keep…coming. You may have outrun one so far, but keep an eye out. They’ll be there soon enough. Tier 1 (Tier 2 cost: 20 EP)

Hysterical Strength: Ever hear how you shouldn’t back a rat into a corner? Oh, you haven’t because your world never developed mammals? Well, suffice to say that humans are worse. Be wary of massive physical stat boosts in humans when they encounter extreme danger. Tier 1 (Tier 2 cost: 20 EP)

Enhanced Charisma: Humans are, above all, a social species. Where you find one you are very likely to find more. Even the more solitary members of the species tend to prefer the company of at least one or two others. This can result in extreme danger when they are given a chance to interact, communicate, and develop together. Tier 1 (Tier 2 cost: 20 EP)

Jack of All Trades: Humans may not often be the best at any one thing, but they’ll often prove their ability to manage a bit of everything and make use of every tool they have. This race is composed of Warriors, Mages, Rogues, Scientists, and everything in between. The only thing to expect when facing a human is the unexpected. Tier 1 (Tier 2 cost: 20 EP)

“That’s...a different way of seeing things. And honestly, seems like a lot of hype for things that aren’t that impressive. Tell me System (I can call you System right?), what are Racial Traits?”

“System is a perfectly acceptable nom de plume,” The voice replied, “Racial Traits are what give your race an edge. They are the attributing factors to your superiority over competing species from your Version 6 environment. Racial Traits can be enhanced to further your natural advantages.”

It was strange. Sometimes the voice for the system seemed more individual. Other times it seemed more mechanical in its responses. It could go from nothing more than a programmed response to an expected question at times to a far less impersonal reflection when encountering something apparently unexpected. The difference was glaringly obvious, like comparing a chatbot and talking to an actual person. At first the voice had seemed almost…proud as it agreed to the name of System. Answering his question about what the Racial Trait portion of the menu, on the other hand, was certainly one of the times where the response was more mechanical in nature. Almost as if whoever was in charge had grown bored and left the computer to answer for them.

“Show me Items”

Very quickly a massive list of possible items showed up. Anything from meals (the actual phrasing was “Meal, Unspecified - Variable Cost” and seemed to allow for options from caviar to a ham sandwich) to enchanted swords with various effects. He had tried opening and option titled “Sword Enchantments” and the resulting submenu had too many options to process, in addition to each description being far too vague to rely on.

Hm, if I rely on the items menu I’m as likely to find an enchanted weapon as a cursed one. I can’t rely on this to get me through. At best it will be a nice bonus for the guy that loots my body after I die. Better to improve something simple than to buy an item I’m not entirely sure how to use. With such thoughts, the Item Menu was promptly dismissed. He would have to come back to it at a later date when he could be more confident of what he was purchasing. If he had a larger stockpile of points he might be more willing to take the risk, but it seemed foolish to spend many on what was essentially a lottery at this point without an excess of points to burn. Or if he was desperate.

“What about Statistic Boosters?”

Statistic Boosters

Evolution Points: 250 (100 point base, +100 Bonus for Beta Tester, +50 Handicap Bonus)

Constitution +1 – cost 11 EP

Resistance +1 – Cost 10 EP

Resilience +1 – Cost 10 EP

Strength (L) +1 – Cost 9 EP

Endurance +1 – Cost 10 EP

Dexterity +1 – Cost 12 EP

Intelligence +1 – Cost 11 EP

Wisdom +1 – Cost 12 EP

Acuity (G) +1 – Cost 13 EP

Perception +1 – Cost 11 EP

Charisma +1 – Cost 8 EP

Luck +1 – Cost 9 EP

“Ok, so as expected. This menu is how you increase stats. Not very helpful until I actually know what my current stats are. And how useful an increase of one actually is… Still, far and away the cheapest option for actually empowering myself so far. Hey system, can you show me my current stats?”

Status

Name: William (Li) Aiden Licht

Class: NA, Level 0

Race: Human, Level 1

Constitution: 103

Resistance: 97

Resilience: 97

Strength (L): 84

Endurance: 96

Dexterity: 115

Intelligence: 108

Wisdom: 111

Acuity (G): 122

Perception: 109

Charisma: 77

Luck: 85

Evolution Points: 250

Class Experience: NA

Racial Experience: 0/100

Skills

Scarification Tier 1

Self Regulation Tier 1

Endurance Hunter Tier 1

Hysterical Strength Tier 1

Enhanced Charisma Tier 1

Jack of All Trades Tier 1

“Oh, wow. Uh, that’s a lot higher than I expected. Shouldn’t human average be, like, 10?”

“100 is the average for a level 1 individual of your race. Individual stat values change to reflect the associated race. For example, a giant with 100 Strength will be vastly stronger than a mouse with 100 Strength.”

“Huh, ok. So more useful as a reflection of yourself and how you chose to improve than as a comparison against others? That’s different. What about the little L and G in my stats? And what do all these stats do anyway? Some are pretty self-explanatory but others… How does Resistance compare to Resilience for example?”

“Stats can, on rare occasions, be modified from racial norms. These result in the Lesser and Greater version of the stat. Each is worth slightly less or slightly more respectively than the same stat in other members of your race.”

Before Li could respond, another blue box had filled his vision.

Statistics

Constitution: How much damage you can take before you die.

Resistance: How well you can protect against and recover from attacks against your body.

Resilience: How well you can protect against and recover from attacks against your mind, magic, and soul.

Strength: Determines what your maximum Ki and physical ability are.

Endurance: How quickly you regenerate Ki. Protects against the effects of exhaustion.

Dexterity: How quickly you use Ki. Dictates the movement complexity limits of your body.

Intelligence: Determines what your maximum Mana is. Helps retain information.

Wisdom: How quickly you regenerate Mana. Helps prioritize information.

Acuity: How quickly you use Mana. Dictates maximum complexity of thoughts you can visualize and keep track of at a given moment.

Perception: Helps one to recognize their physical, magical, and spiritual surroundings.

Charisma: Can be heavily influenced without the use of evolution points based on circumstances, history, and other modifiers. Affects an individual’s ability to get what they want.

Luck: Each point has an infinitesimally small chance to affect the outcome of any action.

“Well… I guess it’s time to make a decision huh?”