Niko's mouth twitched. He never expected his System to have such a strange sense of humour.
[Karenspeak: Anything you say will be held against you. Your words shall make everyone angry at the cost of becoming a complete fool. Anytime you try to argue, there is a high chance of there being someone there to record you.
Prerequisite: One has to find a nonsensical reason to argue about.
Risk: Change in temperament and a change in hairstyle. Laughing out of hilarity out of every use.
Remark: High Chance of incurring Aggro. +10 Taunt Skill. +10 Eye-rolling. +15 Fame].
"What the hell is this?" He was dazed, a mixture of cringing and second hand embarrassment was plastered on his face.
He felt the urge to laugh, but could not do so as he also tried to suppress his tears, he absolutely hated it. [That ability is an upgraded version of the skill all Karens' have. Making people angry and laughing at their dismal state. Through my extensive research of our current society I discovered a way to utterly destroy a man's ego and make them lose their guard. In exchange for a bout of stupidity and indignation for an extra few minutes, it is great for stalling time and an easy way to become famous].
Vigorously rubbing his forehead, he began to doubt the veracity of his System and wondered if he had gotten a defective one.
But he had no time to lament his bad luck as he had two more choices to go, "Just- just show me the last two please."
[Chinese Whispers: Words can be twisted, exaggerated and falsified. What is a lie and what is true? When making rumours why rely on the unreliable, when you can spread it all by yourself?
Prerequisite: Say, 'Hey, have you heard?' To your target and the rumours shall fester and evolve exactly how you expect it to.
Remark: Liar, liar pants on fire. Hang them all on a telephone* wire]. 'Wow, this is just amazing.' Cruel as he was, Niko noticed the devastating potential this ability had.
And if he were to make a sound guess, the next choice would be even more brutal, which led him to be somewhat disappointed.
[Inverted Misconception: What is wrong? What is right? Should we all believe in what is verified?
Prerequisite: Those willing to listen.
Risks: Your targets will feel strange and believe in anything you say for a few hours.
Remarks: This ability allows one to change their opinion on something and completely reverse their outlook on the matter].
He was dumbfounded. It was an actual ability that seemed legit, no strange names or weird remarks, not to mention it was the first time he saw something that did not harm the targets emotionally or physically.
It seemed very fishy. But who cared? It was all a matter of potential and how useful it was to him as of now.
"Let's see, the first one has nothing to do with persuasion and will make me look like an idiot in public, the second and third are good ones though." Weighing the two out he figured the pros and cons of the two abilities.
For the former the pros were easy, no need to be worry about being bullied any longer, as long as he had enough evidence he could turn the tables easily.
The cons were that the rumours may make them even more angrier and they would place the blame on him.
The latter was harder as it was vague and hard to pick out, but he had a few ideas. The pros were that he no longer needed to hear about idiots actually believing the Earth was flat and change their minds completely showing them the truth.
Cons were that he had no idea if it was temporary or permanent so they may go back to being idiots.
And many more, but that's for another time. "Let's see, be a rumourmonger or a hypnotist?"
Ruminating on the two, he eventually came to a conclusion; he chose the first one. An esoteric ability to spread and create rumours was undoubtedly powerful, especially in school environments.
Confirming his choice, his brain was overflowing with information. A shock was sent through his entire body as minor changes were made to his physique.
Meditating on the particulars of his ability, he pondered on how to use it effectively. But that was for another time as it required an audience.
"Now then let's see what the Eye Of Somnolence is about." For the final reward, he obtained a special Mutation.
Mutations occurred when there is a change in DNA sequencing. But when magic transmutes those sequences, a stranger phenomenon occurs.
Talents and Innate Skills. They were abilities that laid deeply in oneself and could be pulled out by extracting their potential. Most of them were unique to oneself and could grow to such an extent that it became something more than what their initial purpose was.
Talents however were constantly active and could not be turned off, while Innate Skills were abilities that anyone could gain and while some may evolve differently depending on the user, their basic functions remained the same.
A race called the Ocularians discovered a way to specifically target the eyes and force a mutation with no severe backlash.
The Eye Of Somnolence were one of the results of their research. There were four types of eyes under the category Eye Of Somnolence.
The Eye Of Somnolence: Type- Drowsy, which causes anyone to feel lethargic after making eye contact with the user.
The Eye Of Somnolence: Type- Snooze, causes anyone within 20 meters to fall asleep and have their vitality stolen by the user the more they doze off.
The Eye Of Somnolence: Type- Fantasy, victims fall asleep and have their dreams eaten by the user, transforming them into illusions that materialises into reality.
And finally, The Eye Of Somnolence: Type- Nightmare, those who are touched by the user whilst asleep become Sleepwalking Thralls that listen to the users every words.
The type of Eye the mutate gained depended on luck and chance, but out of the four; Type- Snooze was the most dangerous as in its full potential, it had the power to rob others of their lifespan as long as they were asleep!
"System. Commence the mutation process." His excitement was ignited after hearing of the many benefits he could gain from having a Magical Eye.
Maybe now he could truly say that he had an Evil Eye and wear an eyepatch. Even if he was considered weird, at least he wouldn't be lying.
[Warning mutation is occurring. Modifying eyes. Please standby]. The next few minutes were the most painful five minutes in his entire life.
Agonising pain surged through his head, it was akin to excruciating torture for him. Cold sweat ran down his back, his clothes soaked and stuck to his skin.
Tears streamed down his face as searing pain kept his eyes wide open. He flailed around unblinkingly, wishing for death as he felt the pain numbing.
Moments later the operation was successful. A cooling sensation flooded his eyes, but the terrifying sensation was ingrained in his mind.
As of today he had underwent a traumatic experience, a miserable feeling pricked his heart, weighing heavily on his soul. This would become the basis of one of his experiments in the near future.
But no matter, despite his eyes watering he could still see with clarity the results of the mutation.
[Mutation has transpired. Hosts' eyes have been modified greatly, granting an increment in visual perception. Innate Skill obtained.
Eye Of Somnolence: Type- Drowsy. Those who make eye contact with user become sluggish and lethargic.
Talent gained. Aura Reading: User can see the life energy a living being radiates.
Increased affinity with Eye Magic].
'Huh, I guess that the saying no pain, no gain is correct in this situation.' Niko thought before eventually passing out.