Chapter 11: Choices amid Chaos

After selecting the 'system store' icon, the screen changed and now presented Jason with just two options: 'skills' or 'items'.

Without hesitation, Jason selected the Skills menu first.

In response, a new screen materialised before him, featuring a series of toggle options down the left-hand side that allowed Jason to refine his search by rarity, price, and types.

He could also further filter the types by elemental effects, such as fire or water, or by skill types, like debuffs and buffs, among many other options.

Everything in the system, including classes, skills, and items, was ranked by different rarity levels, categorised from common to uncommon, rare, epic, legendary, and mythic.

As he quickly scanned through the toggle menu, Jason noted that the highest rarity for skills available in the system store was the epic rank, with corresponding price ranges next to each toggle option.

Common items ranged from 10 to 99 SP, uncommon from 100 to 999 SP, rare from 1,000 to 9,999 SP, and epic from 10,000 to 99,999 SP.

Unfortunately, with his current meagre wealth, Jason could not afford any decent epic skills, especially for what he needed, so instead, he selected the toggle option for 'rare' skills.

The screen promptly updated, filtering out all items of different rarities and displaying only skills denoted by a deep blue colour.

Jason's eyes skimmed over the newly displayed list of skills, encountering enticing options like 'Giant Fireball' and 'Lightning Arc'.

However, after scrolling momentarily, he narrowed his search further by toggling through the 'type' menu.

As the list refined itself, revealing a new selection of rare skills marked by their blue hue, a distant thumping sound echoed through the clearing.

The noise gradually grew louder, drawing the attention of the surrounding crowd and prompting everyone to go silent.

"I need to be faster," Jason thought as he quickened his pace.

While any offensive skill would be invaluable in his current situation, Jason knew that every skill he learned and every accolade gained would impact his class choice once he reached the required level.

The skill that he selected now could either serve as a restriction or a boon when the time came to choose a class. He had a clear vision of the path he wanted to follow, at least for the next two selections, making this choice critically important.

However, because of the class he needed to achieve his future goals, further restrictions applied to his choices, and he needed a skill that reflected this.

As the thumping intensified and the crowd turned toward the east, where the sound originated, Jason finally found his choice.

He selected the skill, which cost 5,000 SP, which was a reasonable price considering the skill's lack of offensive output.

Like all skills, this skill also had a stat point requirement, which, for this rare rank skill, was at least 3 stat points in Mind and 6 in Intelligence.

Jason was informed about this restriction through a system notification screen. Without the required stat points, no matter how hard a user tried, they would be unable to use the skills purchased through the store despite binding them to the free skill slot.

After purchasing the skill, another notification appeared before him.

System notification:

Would you like to bind the skill to your free skill slot

Y/N

Warning! Stat point requirement not met. The skill will not work without the required status points.

Jason quickly selected the 'Yes' option. After binding his new skill, he reviewed his remaining balance of 5,000 SP.

He then quickly backed out of the skill window and back into the system store's main page. Jason then selected the icon for Items.

This time, a much more extensive list appeared before him, complete with similar toggle options on the left-hand side. Unlike the previous window, this one also included legendary rarity items, which glowed with a golden hue.

Pressed for time, Jason swiftly narrowed his search to consumables, focusing mainly on potions. Various potions filled the screen, with the most expensive options in each rarity rank being the 'skill removal potions'.

Without hesitation, Jason purchased six uncommon rank 'mana potions' and three 'stamina potions', each costing 400 SP, totalling another 3,600 SP.

With only 1,400 SP remaining, Jason bought a decent-sized, side-worn leather satchel of uncommon rank for 200 SP and decided to save the rest of his SP for later.

With his purchases concluded, Jason finally exited all of the 'system store windows'.

Next, Jason opened his status screen and prepared to spend his 10 free status points.

As Jason looked over the options, his decision was already clear. To use his new skill, he needed to meet the stat point requirement, and hence, he spread his stats accordingly.

Whilst quickly allocating his points, a loud roar tore through the surroundings, and the sounds of trees falling echoed from ahead.

Something monstrous had torn through the clearing, and its presence had caused the humans surrounding Jason to scream in fear as they fled in the opposite direction.

Jason, having already expected such developments, had taken the time at the start of the tutorial when he first appeared in the clearing to retreat further within the group of humans. Now, they would serve as a barrier, giving him the few moments he needed as he prepared himself.

Jason drowned out the chaos around him as he focused on the screens before him. The lack of his usual sub-minds was already proving problematic, as he could no longer monitor his surroundings while simultaneously interacting with the system screen.

Without hesitation, Jason quickly allocated six of his ten stat points to Intelligence and two points into Mind and Will each. After confirming his decisions, Jason felt a rush of energy coursing through him, which was unfortunately just as quickly followed by a dull headache as the sudden spike in his mental stats, particularly Intelligence, strained his mind.

Jason took a few moments to massage his forehead an audible sigh escaped his lips as the lingering ache throbbed behind his temples. Jason closed the series of notifications that had cluttered his vision, blinking away the last remnants of strain before slowly raising his gaze.

The sight before Jason was that of sheer carnage.

In the distance stood a towering figure, a giant among men, wreathed in an aura of malevolence. Its colossal form loomed over the landscape, standing three metres tall with shoulders almost as wide. Dark veins pulsed beneath its brown, leathery skin while its hulking mass of sinew and muscle rippled with strength with each movement.

The Giant's eyes, twin embers of a deep and ominous glow, burned with unnatural intensity, while its every breath was heavy and laboured, like the calm before the storm.

Around the giant lay the aftermath of its wrath.

Despite having only recently made an appearance, 12 battered and broken bodies lay scattered like discarded toys in its wake, a testament to the sheer ferocity and strength of the malevolent creature. Each step it took seemed to reverberate with an eerie power, sending tremors through the ground.

In response to the Giant's malevolence, Jason's consciousness pulsed faintly.

His sense of danger, forged through countless years of survival, warned him of imminent danger, especially as he no longer wielded the power he once did.

Jason, however, pushed the warnings aside and instead moved closer to the beast, aware that most of the humans had chosen to flee into the forest, though some braver souls remained in the clearing.

As Jason approached the Giant to get within casting range whilst still making sure to keep a healthy distance, he channelled his mana. Despite being in a new and unfamiliar body and using mana without demonic aspects, Jason still channelled the energy with ease.

Since he had a skill, Jason did not need to push mana into the skill for it to work. Instead, he just needed to select the skill, and it would automatically consume the mana needed.

However, Jason habitually channelled mana into the skill, because the system he used in his old world never had these features. In the demon world or any of the ascended realms, there was no assistance when using skills.

Jason raised his right hand as a soft blue glow enveloped his outstretched palm. Feeling the mana within his palm, which was of far lower density than he was used to, no doubt due to his lower intelligence stat, Jason wryly mused,

"It's weak, but it will do,"