Magicus Adeptus

Jake was late for school, at least for the mandatory gathering before class.He tried his best to skip the improvised celebration back home but his cousins were adamant.The President already started her speech, her voice familiar from his dream. The interface also included her title from that vision and reminded him of her name.[Kei Sonokawa. (Human Shieldmage, Age: 18) Student Council President.]It only showed what he already knew though.It surprised him how many texts remained empty in the high school he had attended for three years by now.[??? ??? (Human Elementalist, Age: ??) Your classmate.]This was all he could find about the tiny redhead standing in line a few yards away. She was fidgeting in boredom during the speech, but it's not like Jake could pay any attention to it."Why do I get this stupid interface if it won't tell me anything new?" He mumbled, trying his hardest to remember. He must have heard her name at least once before.Concentrating on the text, he triggered another popup.[You are now eligible to unlock the skill: Appraisal. Would you like to spend a skill point on the first level?]That sounded like something to benefit him, and he had twenty-eight points anyway, so he blinked at the 'Yes'. His character sheet appeared with a new entry at the bottom.[Appraisal: The ability to recall and predict information about things.Level 1 (Beginner). It helps you remember more information you already know. Cost to upgrade: 2 SP. Upgrade?]"Well, that's useless." He complained and hit yes again.[Level 2 (Basic). While remembering everything, now you get basic insights into things you're familiar with. Cost to upgrade: 4 SP. Upgrade?]The cost kept doubling and it still wasn't that useful, but he saw the potential.[Level 3 (Regular). You are confident about your craft. You get decent insights into things you're familiar with and can guess about things you aren't. Cost to upgrade: 10 SP. Upgrade?]"Hold on, what do you mean, my craft?" He asked the rhetorical question.He had no craft, so did that mean he could still only guess the names of people?Would he become an expert on everything at the next level? It was getting expensive but he had to try. He blinked at the upgrade again with only eleven skill points remaining.[Level 4 (Master). You know everything about your craft. Nothing can surprise you anymore, and your insights are the most reliable. You are also more confident with things you don't know much about. Cost to upgrade: 20 SP. You don't have enough SP to upgrade.]Did he make a huge mistake? It was time to test his new skill. He looked at the little redhead again and like magic, he remembered her name now.[Rebecca O'Neil (Human Elementalist, Age: ??) Your classmate.]Right. Rebecca. She did look Irish with that long copper hair, but her age remained blank. He noticed some small prints too.[More information will be available once your Appraisal skill reaches the next level. Time remaining to learn the Regular (3rd) level: 6 days 23 hours 59 minutes and 15 seconds.]"What? I already spent the points. What a scam." Jake complained, a bit louder than intended, earning some disapproving glances. "This doesn't make sense.""Nothing ever does, bruh." Claimed a muted voice from behind, paired with a heavy slam on his back. He almost jumped before recognizing the sound. "Happy birthday, JJ.""Fuck, DeeDee, you scared me," Jake whispered back, trying to keep his voice down.[Dave Daniels (Human, Age: 17) Your best friend.]The interface was right about that. His one and only friend appeared from nowhere, his dark skin glistening with sweat. He must have been late too, but that was nothing new."Did you run all the way here?" He asked as Dave cut in line next to him.Acnes dotted his handsome face, his hair short, and thick lips open to show a wide gap between his front teeth."You bet, bruh. I forgot about this shit" He grinned, ignoring the glances. "And saved you a doughnut to celebrate." He shook his backpack. "Anything interesting going on?""No idea. I didn't pay attention," Jake confessed. His friend had long limbs and a lithe build, making him an excellent sprinter. "You should join the track team, as much as you keep running everywhere," he giggled."Hell nah, I hate those jocks, better to hang out with my nerd bros." He shook his head with a one-sided smirk, then winked at someone out of Jake's sight."We're the only two nerds here." He rolled his eyes but was grateful for his company."Oh, and check this out, bruh." Dave leaned in closer, still looking in the same direction. "You see that ebony cutie there? She's a freshman. I got her to promise me a date.""Traitor," Jake noted with a gasp, following his gaze, but if anything, the sea of text above the heads made it harder to see."Don't worry, bruh. I'll still be here to nerd out with you anytime." They bumped shoulders, as the President wrapped up her speech. "So what had you so deep in thought?"Jake wasn't sure how much he should share with him.It's not like he didn't trust him, but risking his friend's life with the apocalypse in sight was a bad idea.He did tell him about his dreams but downplayed their accuracy as novel coincidences.He could still ask for help if he was smart, Dave was an even bigger nerd than him."I picked up a game that looked like Dungeons and Monsters. But the character had ten attributes and a few more stuff that didn't make sense to me." They entered the classroom.Apart from the void, it looked the same as in his dream. He walked to his desk and opened the character sheet, copying its contents to a paper scrap."Hmm, it looks like Magicus Adeptus." Dave offered his insight even before he finished. "It's a more grounded version of D&M, and uses a percentile die rather than D20."He didn't know what was more surprising. If Dave fired the solution from the hip, or that there was an actual game that matched this weird system he had. He filled in his stats too."That looks like a mix between an Int and Dex-based character. I would have min-maxed it more, bruh. Either to get a decent archer or a dope wizard." He commented, leaning in closer."So it's no good?" Jake looked up, already losing hope, triggering a laugh."It would be for any other game where you decide these with random rolls. Or it can work if you're not into min-maxing. But the best thing about MA is that the stats aren't random.""Go ahead." Jake leaned back on the chair, letting the man explain.The classroom filled up with people, and the bell interrupted them. But Dave didn't care about such things."In the latest edition, you get 135 points to distribute how you want. The human average is twelve, but anything above ten costs double. And it gets more expensive."Jake ran the math on his attributes. It was exactly 135 points. That couldn't be a coincidence.