Ding

Ding

Ding

The familiar noise wakes me up.

I am drenched in sweat, phantom pain along the healing knife wounds flair up. Dried tears on my face.

The screen silent hovers over me.

Quest Completed

Listen to My Story - Listen to Linden’s Story

Description: Please listen to my story. Experience my world and not let it be forgotten. The afterlife is a lie and I just want someone to remember, and care, about my wife and daughter’s lives.

Rewarded:

Full Synchronization with Linden’s Soul (Collected) 100 EXP (Collected) Linden’s Secret Weapon (Collected)

Secret Reward:

God Slayer attunement increase by 0.02% (Collected)

“I won’t let you down Linden.” I put the back of my hand to my head and cover my eyes, “I was selfish Linden. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was selfish and focused on how my life was shitty, and how the god of my world screwed me.”

I let out a heavy sigh.

“I forgot that I consist of all the souls that have been wronged one way or another. I am not just one soul seeking revenge against the gods, but hundreds of wronged souls. I might not be able to take revenge of the gods for now, but I can take revenge for the souls in me for this world on the shitty little people who play god.”

[Linden Liked that]

Shortly after that message, another blips up.

It seems that the soul you killed bares great resentment towards you, Borris, the man I poisoned and you killed, though weak, is angry and fighting against all those in here. I don’t know what would happen if more resentful souls join you, but I beg you to not become a monster like Jinten. Don’t become a killer. My final request has been fulfilled, so I wont ask anything more, but I cannot imagine a fate worse than being with Jinten for eternity, or becoming something worse than him.

Moving my hand away from my face, I look at the other blue pop-up windows.

Congratulations, you leveled up to Level 2.

Congratulations, you gained enough EXP to Level Up. Status Window updated with Levels.

[Empathy] with [Speak/Talk to the Dead] created a new skill: [Soul Scrying]

[Soul Scrying] Grants the ability to experience a friendly soul’s life experiences.

Gained 3 Skill points on level up.

Skill Board Unlocked. Place points into skills to improve performance or increase functionality. Skills are based upon class.

Score! A skill board! Finally something I can do to shape my future!

Skill Board Page 1 of 21297

BackStab

Mute

Charge

Earthbound

Flurry

Force Blast

Hypersonic Speed

Leap/Climb

Mind Control

Phasing/Teleport

Plasticity

Running Shot

Sidestep

Stealth

Shadow Step

Blades/Claws/Fangs

Energy Explosion

Incapacitate

Penetrating/Psychic Blast

Poison

Pulse Wave

Perplex

Quake

Smoke Cloud

Steal Energy

Super Strength

Telekinesis

Precision Strike

Baking

Magic Affintiy

Fast Learner

Defense

Barrier

Combat Reflexes

Energy Shield/Deflection

Impervious

Leather Armour

Heavy Armour

Mastermind

Regeneration

Super Senses

Toughness

Willpower

Leap

Fishing

Battle Fury

Close Combat Expert

Empower

Enhancement

Exploit Weakness

Leadership

Outwit

Perplex

Probability Control

Ranged Combat Expert

Shape Change

Archery

Eagle Vision

What... the... fuck...

This has got to be every imaginable skill in the world. Nothing is described in any detail... I can't investigate these skills. I already have some 'skills' like 'Empathy', these types of skills I can always get on my own... Dammit... Why can't this be easy!

$#~`--en B#*@!~~`'

Class: Merchant

Level: 3

Title: Cheapskate

HP: 19/22 [43]

MP: 257/?????? (Mana Sickness)

Status: Rested

Strength: 4

Agility: 6

Intelligence: 5

Wisdom: 7

Endurance: 13

Skills: Merchant’s Gaze, Bluff (Intermediate), Gambling (Beginner), Persuasion(Beginner), Concealment(Beginner), Deception (Beginner), Counterfeiting(Beginner), Betrayal(Beginner), Instant Mathematics (Beginner), Trader (Intermediate), Bank of the Void, First Aid, Pain Endurance (Advanced), Endurance (Intermediate), Fear Endurance (Advanced), Mind over Matter (Advanced), Truevision (Gift of Terra), Iron Mind (Gift of Terra), Compartmentalization, Focused (Beginner), Empathy(Advanced), Soul Magic (Intermediate), Soul Fuzing, Speak to the Dead, Listen to the Dead, Other Worldly Knowledge (???), Detect Hostility (Beginner), Grappling (Beginner), Skull Bash (Beginner), Soul Scrying

Titles: Cheapskate(Active), Tormentor of Souls, Consumer of Souls, Seeker of Death, Murderer

Looking over what I have and trying to get an understanding of what I have versus what I could learn, I comb through my original Status window. Trying to ignore the name at the top now looking corrupted, causing the feeling of a stone in my stomach, I try to narrow down some usefull skills. Photosynthesis would be pretty awesome, but would I just have the skill, or would my skin turn green and plant like?

I guess though, before selecting anything, I need to plan out what my next goal or objective I have...

I hover my hand over on the first page. That's gotta help me here. I select it.

The blue skillboard turns from blue to a bright white light radiating outwards. It feels like my eyes are on fire from just witnessing the light. Closing my eyes doesn't help. The light feels like it is flowing from my eyes and going into my brain.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUCK" I yell out.

Rolling onto the floor, I move to the bucket of used water with a layer of hair and oil floating on top. My head feels like it's on fire.

I submerge my head straight into the bucket without a second thought.

"AHHHHHHHHHH" but I only hear 'murlug-Ah-gulag' from underwater.

Coming back up from air, the fire in my brain seems to have surpassed. Everything has an odd clarity. It's nothing tactile, there is no new text on the merchant's gaze, my status window hasn't changed except for the skill being there now, but I can somehow see that everything has a purpose...

I look at my bucket with the disturbed layer of oil and hair floating in it. I am immediately aware that the Innkeeper will be in probably around 1pm-3pm, collect the bucket, see the mess and think poorly of me. He will then take it down to be cleaned, and will probably make a comment to the other staff, causing the rest of the staff to be just a little less friendly. There is a good chance of the Innkeeper seeing my drastically altered visage, he will check to see if I match any wanted posters.

These thoughts flow through me by just looking at the bucket. Is this what it's like to be Sherlock Holmes?

That said though, it's time to work on a plan for the next action.

That plan has got to use Linden's Secret Weapon. Linden, using his connections while he was alive, was able to piece together Jinten's Contact with the Church. Grandale Lipshok. A priest that's been rocketing up in rank quickly, with performing miracles and reducing crime within his jurisdiction. He's been using local criminal organizations to keep his jurisdictions clean, while pushing the shady dealings to other parishes.

It was Grandale that hired Jinten to smuggle in those drugs.

I pull up Linden's past in my mind and review it again, much like how I did with Borris. This time though, the information seems to fall into place and easily lays out a clear path to Linden's... no, our revenge. Hopefully too, with a bit more knowledge, I can get some well deserved vengeance on Jinten.

"Daaaaaah ~DAAAA, Boop"

A new sound and window pops up. This one is golden this time.

God Slayer Pathway Opened

Quest: Get closer to a Church and seek out the corruption inside.

Reward:

Chance of reputation increase to Church Chance of reputation loss to Church God Slayer Attunment increase God Slayer Pathway, Step 1 Completed 2 Skill Points God Slaying Skill Tree Unlocked 1 God Slaying Skill Point

Failure: All Gods will be made aware of your existence. Immediate termination will likely occur

Cannot be declined

Wait… God Slayer? I rember the prompt but don’t remember selecting this… Craaaap. It’s not like this doesn’t match up to my goals, but this really brings into question what these status windows are originating from. It’s spurring me to kill gods. I am still unsure if my ultimate objective is to kill, but I will have to see how these windows align to my goals. Not that I can seem to stop it anyways. At least the skill tree it’s offering me should be more than useful.

I close the window, gather my gear and prepare to slip out before the Innkeeper can see me. I know this city and world just like anyone born here now. The part of me from Earth can truly recognize what this world is now. It is what I always asked myself after completing one of those RPG’s as a kid, "What would it be like to live in a fantasy world?"

I will have to register myself at the Adventurers Guild right away and begin my training!

I slip out the back, try and forget about the life experiences I just went through in a single night, and beeline it to the Guild.