As I walked across the different streets in the neighborhood again, I decided it was time to have the system answer some questions for me.

“Hey system, how do you get skills?”

[Answer: Skills are separated into 3 categories

Mastery Active Hidden

Which one is the player inquiring about?]

“All three”

[Answer: Mastery skills are earned when using weapons or techniques, they can be levelled up with a percentage, and start at beginner while going all the way to advanced. Past that is the realm of the unknown]

[Active Skills are earned when doing a certain action that satisfies the criteria, an example would be how hiding unlocks the stealth skill. Active skills can be levelled up through repeated usage and will grow in strength]

[Hidden skills are skills that are part of the system, they are unlocked when the player levels up or certain usage conditions are satisfied such as with analysis. Hidden skills can level up just like Active skills but they can also include a percentage mastery skill.]

“That’s a lot of information...”

So, to get this straight, I can learn skills through executing techniques or doing certain actions. There’s also the option of levelling up and unlocking more [hidden skills] that way. My first goal should be to learn what my skills do.

I wonder if I can use [Analysis].

I look at the information on my status page and try to Analyse it.

[Analysis Activated. Retrieving Information]

{Stealth Lv1: The user becomes slightly more difficult to spot, grows stronger with level up.}

{Navigation Lv2: A mental map with slight detail is drawn in the user’s mind, when inactive the player can get information on the ideal route to travel.}

{Analysis Lv2: User gains information on analysed objects and living beings, more information provided with level up.}

{Beginner Blunt Weapon Mastery: Basic understanding of the usage of blunt weapons, damage increased plusthe higher the percentage.}

I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this till now, but you know what they say, “better late than never.” I think I will start by levelling up these skills and gaining ones to help me become stronger. I don’t want to die to a random monster.

*rumble*

“Wha-”

“GRAAAAAAAAAAGHR”

I turned around, and before I noticed, there was a group of zombies behind me. I didn’t even realise I was transferred here again. Now I was certain, this world was much more different than the normal world, it looked like I had to get used to being transferred here at night. There was a zombie that was different from them, slightly taller with sharper claws on its finger. I thought it was about time to use [Analysis]...

[Analysis Activated. Retrieving Information]

Ding

{ Ghoul Lv 5:

Strength: 8

Stamina: 13

Agility: 10

Endurance: 7

The evolved form of zombies found commonly in areas/subspaces with high amounts of miasma and zombies.

Weakness: Fire, Head, Holy Element Attacks.}

Crap, this isn’t good at all. I was confident I could take a zombie or two, but not a group of them with that “Ghoul”, it’s level was much higher than me too. Looks like my analysis does provide more information with level up, I now know its weakness. I think it’s time to invest in more of these status points.

“ Allocate Status, 1, Agility. 2, Strength. ”

[Allocated 1 status point to Agility and 2 to Strength, total Agility = 8, Total Strength = 8]

All of a sudden, I felt a lot of power surging through me, but I needed to keep a cool head. I couldn’t get carried away here. Anyway, I was now more prepared to deal with this situation, there were 4 zombies and 1 ghoul. After running away from them to hide in an alley, I decided to create a plan of action. Taking the zombies out first to be able to focus on fighting the ghoul seemed like the best idea.

“Activate Navigation and Stealth.”

Ding!

[Activated Navigation, mental map projected.]

[Activated Stealth, Player is now hidden.]

Ding!

[Stealth Level Up to Stealth Lv2, Player is now more concealed.]

This was an unexpected boon, but now it was time to put the plan into action.

I used the metal map to locate the nearest alleyway, the zombies were now confused about my whereabouts, so I thought it was time to lead them where I wanted.

I waited until they split up and deactivated stealth. Then I grabbed a bat from my inventory and gripped it much better than the metal pipe. All of a sudden the ideal way to strike with the bat was projected into my mind and I executed my plan of attack. I sped through to the left of the two zombies and used all my power to strike across both of their heads.

SPLAT!

…

…

…

...That might’ve been a bit too much power. Instead of just smashing in the zombies’ skulls, I blew them right off of their bodies, I could now confirm that upgrading the strength status does indeed work.

[2 Zombies Eliminated.]

[Experience Gained.]

[LEVEL UP]

“Open Status”

[Status Open.]

{ James,

Health 140 Mana 50

Job: Player Lv 3 Exp 10%

Base Status

Strength: 9

Stamina: 7

Agility: 9

Endurance: 7

Allocatable Stat Points: 4

Active Skills: Stealth Lv2, Navigation Lv2, Analysis Lv2

Passive Skills: Beginner Blunt Weapon Mastery 25% }

I levelled up again, and it looked like my health was directly related to my stamina status, each point in stamina is 20 health if my maths was right. I didn’t want to know what would happen if my health reached zero…

Time to destroy the remaining two zombies before fighting that ghoul…, Iit was still a higher level than me, thereby having higher stats. This was going to be tough, better not start slacking.