Chapter 2
Taking my phone out of my new inventory, I couldn't keep in my giggle as I watch it pop back into existence, and check the time. Around 8:30. I know that I passed out around 2-ish. That means I only slept about 6 hours...I hope this isn't gonna be a trend, I like sleep.
Y'know what, doesn't matter! I'm willing to let go of a couple of hours in exchange.
My mom should be asleep for a little while, and my dad is on a business trip, I won't see him for a few weeks. The pain of being an attorney or something. I don't actually know what his job was, I usually tune him out when he talks about his job...rude, I know. But what kid likes talking about politics?! But for once im actually glad he's away!
Jumping to my feet, I get dressed in some blue jeans and a black T-shirt. I'll take a shower later, I got shit to do and powers to exploit!
Now sitting cross legged I whisper "Perks".
PERKS:
Intuitive Aptitude: The ability to instantly learn and understand how objects/organisms/things work and function with no prior education or training.
Passive +200% Wisdom
+5 Wisdom per level
Toggled On/ Off
With boggled eyes I quickly open my status.
Name: Jason Malroy
Species: Human
LVL: 2
XP: 0/400
HP: 130/130
MP: 150/150
STR: 6
DEX: 8
VIT: 6
INT: 10
WIS: 13 [39]
LUK: 23
SP: 10
Currency: $58
WAIT! Does that mean if I had picked the strength one that it would have perma-tripled it too?! Would I be on the way to super genius if I picked the INT one?! DAMN! Wisdom probably does something good to though, right? It can't be completely useless...
Ok let me mentally sort this out:
STR = Strength
DEX = Dexterity
VIT = Vitality
INT = Intelligence
WIS = Wisdom
LUK = Do I even need to say?
SP = Most likely stat points
So what would heightened wisdom get me? Hm…
In other video games, INT usually determines how much mana your character has. WIS almost ALWAYS means how fast your mana recharges.
Oh.
If my wisdom keeps growing infinitely simply by leveling up, that means that I'm on the way to never running out of magic! I didn't mean to set on this branch, but It's starting to look good!
+1 INT
HA! Looks like the system thinks so too. Before I do anything else, I'm going to test out my new main power. And I think I know how to start.
I pop up and head to my dresser. Its mainly filled with clothes n shit. But the top shelf is what im after. It has all my old games and some 'Nik-Naks'. Just a bunch of old shit I've collected from when I was younger. After some shuffling around, i find it! My old Rubik's Cube. I could only solve one side at a time and after months of being stubborn and trying to solve it without help, I rage quit and threw it in here.
"You're my bitch now you dumb cube."
Sitting on my bed, I breathe in and out. I make sure to focus on the toy, and after a moment I toggle I.A.
I wasn't prepared for the ticking. I could hear actual ticking. A clock. I always thought that was a special effect to show the viewers that he was using his power. I don't know how, yet, but i hear actual ticking. Ignoring it the best I can, I refocus on the cube and settle into a light trance.
I Understand
In a daze, my hands begin to make short work of this puzzle toy. Sliding the sides in a pattern that just makes sense.
'How could i have been so dumb. So stupid... The answers are all right here, almost screaming them. How could I have ignored them for so long.'
With a final a final twist the cube, for the first time since I got it and scrambled it, was complete and solved. Im snapped out of my daze by a notification.
+5 INT
I give a greedy grin before frowning. And with a quick thought, i toggle OFF I.A.. This is without a doubt an amazing ability...but that ticking was getting annoying if I'm being honest. Makes me wonder if that's why he went insane, the ticking of a clock in your ear that you just can't quite tune out. Who am I kidding, he was a psychopath regardless.
I will say though, everything seems a little more...dull? I don't know if that's the right way to describe it, but after seeing everything in such clarity, only to revert back. A good example would be to go to an eye doctor and realize just how much your eyes suck after they correct it.
Absentmindedly I re-shuffle my cube. Even after I do, the path remains visible to me. Looks like once I understand something, I will always understand.
I've Shuffled and solved this cube about nine times now, with results that are steadily declining.
+6 INT
That's for all nine times. Looks like the higher the stat, the harder it'll take to train it. But that isn't hard to work out. And the system also doesn't seem to care that I basically cheated to get these gains. But hey, if it doesn't complain, then why the hell should I?
Wait. I've got an idea.
With a rush I quickly put on my shoes ,black converse, and shove the cube in my inventory. Along with my keys, phone, wallet, and baseball bat...just in case!
Currently, my family is staying in Miami, FL. But because of my dad's job, which I still don't know, we move around a lot. We've been to California, Ohio, New York, Metropolis, and at one point even Gotham. I never got to see anything cool ANYWHERE though. I THINK I saw superman flying while we were living in a metropolis, but it was so far away and so many things take to the air nowadays.
Before I head out I make sure to brush my teeth, I'm not a complete animal, and check myself out in the mirror...we've all done it, don't judge me.
If I were to describe myself, I'd say above average. That's about it. Around 5'11, short black hair combed back, small nose that doesn't grab too much attention, not a particularly strong jaw. The only thing about me thats actually nice are my eyes. I've always gotten compliments on them. They're a shade of blue that i've never seen on anyone else before. People have told me 'Aquamarine' and it's pretty damn close.
I admire my straight pearly whites one last time, and I'm off. As I head out of my house I send my mom a text.
"Wok up erly, bak hom ltr"
She'll see it when she wakes up.
With a pep in my step, I head to the city. I need to immediately become stronger. The original guy with I.A. killed a telekinetic and copied his power. With just those two, he became a force of nature that few could compare to. Even his name alone was enough to cow people to submission. I want that strength. Not to become a supervillain, or because I can't control myself, but because in this world there are two types of people. The supers and the collateral. I refuse to be a collateral statistic! I'll surpass SUPERMAN if i have to!
That thought process did damper my mood a little bit, but my excitement is too high to be shot down right now.
I need a place to train. Somewhere secret that I can be left alone and grow. There are plenty of abandoned buildings here. There are also plenty of gangs that would just love to find a lone teen like me wandering around.
I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I managed to find an actual abandoned building after gaining another AMAZING skill.
Observe: Active
Grants Knowledge of the target object to The Gamer
Abandoned Building
Description: A building once used to store disaster relief supplies to victims. The Foundation was damaged in a previous hurricane. Rival gangs fought over the territory, only damaging the structure more, enough to make it unappealing even as a gang hideout.
Such a simple skill, yet so deliciously broken! I wonder what secret I could uncover with this skill alone! Thought for later.
With purpose, I waltz into the slightly off balance building. This place isn't gonna be my hideout or anything, I just need somewhere to be alone for a bit.
The reason I got the skill Observe was because...well, I observed funny enough. As I walked around I looked at every building I could to try and figure out if shady shit was going down in them. I'm pretty sure I know where some gangbangers are even before getting this skill. They'll be my first practice dummies!
THIS PLACE IS PERFECT! It's even got those supports on the base floor like in the movies!
If I'm correct, and I know I am, then the secret to creating skills is in repeated action. The question is, what should I test first?
After a moment of thought, I smirk and readied a fist. My target is one of the more broken pillars, no reason to bring the building down on top of me if something magical happens.
Knees bent, feet seperate, I let out a quick jab.
I am by no means a fighter. While I have been in a couple fights, new guys always get shit, and have never technically lost, I have walked away with bruises. These instances are where I learned that I have a pretty high pain tolerance.
Smack!
-1HP
Other than a light shiver , I show no reaction. I didn't feel the need to put my full force into the punch, and I think because of that I only took minor damage. I continue regardless of the light stinging
Smack!
-1HP
SMACK!
-1HP
SMACK!
-1HP
SMACK!
-1HP
CRUNCH
SKILL GAINED!
The new sound startles me. As well as the fact that my fist is slightly indented into the gonna lie, I zoned out and mindlessly continued beating on the poor pillar for a while.
I pull back and admire the new fist shaped indent in the pillar. A quick check of my notifications show
+6 VIT
+5 STR
SKILL GAINED
Power Strike: Charge your MP into your strike for a devastating physical attack.
+125% Blunt Damage
Cost = 5MP
FINALLY. That took forever for fuck's sake. But now that I have it, I can begin my plan to hack myself.
Now that I'm ready for it and know what to expect, the ticking almost sounds pleasant as I toggle I.A.. Moving back into position, I raise my arm back and activate with a yell, "Power Strike!".
I'm rewarded by a loud 'CRACK!' as my fist buries itself all the way to between my knuckles and wrist.
But that's not the goal here.
From beginning to end I intently watched and felt what was being used to power up my fist with I.A., trying to understand just what my MP/mana was doing and how to do it again. As my fist connected to the pillar it finally clicked.
Pulling out my fist a little more roughly than necessary-
-5HP
But the pain was gone in moments regardless, the perks of Gamer's Body, and I began to look into myself for that same feeling of my mana. With I.A. still running, it took no time at all.
SKILL GAINED!
Mana Manipulation: Allows the full use and manipulation of the energy all living beings possess, mana.
Passive +100% INT
+5INT
+5WIS
Looks like the game approves.
With a grin, and the help of my favorite power, I flow my mana through my arm in a more condensed and compact version of the POWER STRIKE. I wind up one final time, and am rewarded with the most satisfying results.
BOOOOOOOM!
The middle of the pillar is gone, the only thing to ever show it was there is the bottom stump, and a small piece of the ceiling support...and all the rubble of course.
SKILL GAINED!
Beastly Mana Strength: A technique created by the gamer based off of the intensely weaker 'Power Strike'. Supercharging the muscles with mana, the users strength dwarfs most others.
+200 STR
Active = 500MP must be available
...Oh yeeeeeeeeeees~
Before I could cream my pants, I hear a distinct 'Click' and something cold touch the back of my head.
"Well isn't this a surprise? We got ourselves a little meta runnin' around~" A few chuckles could be heard a little farther behind us. "A nice little strong~ one too, you mind puttin' ya' hands up? It'd be a real shame for ya' to go to waste~" He 'asks' teasingly.
It's a good thing that he can't see my face, cause if he saw the grin on my face, he'd probably have shot me there and then.
Name: Jason Malroy
Species: Human
LVL: 2
XP: 0/400
HP: 190/190
MP: 590/590
STR: 11
DEX: 8
VIT: 14
INT: 27 [54]
WIS: 18 [54]
LUK: 23
SP: 10
Currency: $58
SKILLS:
Gamer's Mind: Allows The Gamer to rationally think when in the face of danger. Renders all Mental attacks and Negative Mental Status Effects useless. Impenetrable mental shields.
Gamer's Body: Allows The Gamer to live life as if it were a video game. Allowing all damage taken from HP. Restores HP and MP upon sleep.
Observe: Grants knowledge of the target object to The Gamer.
Power Strike: Charge your MP into your strike for a devastating physical attack.
+125% Blunt Damage
Cost = 5MP
Mana Manipulation: Allows the full use and manipulation of the energy all living beings possess, mana.
Passive +100% INT
Beastly Mana Strength: A technique created by the gamer based off of the intensely weaker 'Power Strike'. Supercharging the muscles with mana, the users strength dwarfs most others.
+200 STR
Active = 500MP must be available
PERKS:
Intuitive Aptitude: The ability to instantly learn and understand how objects/organisms/things work and function with no prior education or training.
Passive +200% Wisdom
+5 Wisdom per level
Toggled On /Off