Day 2 of waking up in this Strange World.
"We'll leave him with you, Rain."
Arlo and the others were gonna go out to get more EXP, and Rain was left behind with me to "Teach me the Basics".
"Alright. Stay safe, Arlo. Blake. Etta." She waved to them as they left.
…And now, it was just the two of us.
"Alright. Now, I will be teaching you 3 Things. Which would you like to learn first? Your Status? Magic? Or Combat?" Rain said.
"Umm… S-Status…" I said nervously.
"Alright! Please, sit down first!"
To my surprise, Rain was very energetic about the whole thing.
"Now, please open your Status, and I will start explaining.
Doing just that, she starts her explanation.
"The Very First thing you must learn is "Identification". It is not a Skill, but an Ability we can use along with our Status." She said.
"Identification?"
"Look at your newly acquired Skill, {Fang}, and focus on wanting to "Understand" the Skill."
'Understand the Skill…'
Just like she said, a Window pops up over the Skill.
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{Fang} {F-Rank} {Active}
(Creates a Sharp Curved Edge at the end of a Blade)
[Usage Requirements :]
(Sharp Weapon)
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"It worked!" I felt strangely happy.
"Great! Now, I believe you've noticed the 5 Key Areas of your Status; Level, Unique Skill, Stats, Skills, and Elements." She said.
"Y-Yes."
"The most Important Ones will be Level, Stats, and Skills. The other Two are Good, but it is best to not solely rely on them." She said.
'Don't solely rely on Magic and Unique Skills… I can see some meaning behind it.'
"Alright. I'll begin explaining about Stats."
'Ohh, the "Main Topic" has started.'
"When you get enough EXP, your Level will Increase. When it does, you will gain 1 Random Stat Increase, and 2 Free Stat Points to use as you'd like." She explained.
'…Free Stat Points?'
Checking my Status again…
There was nothing like "Stat Points" anywhere on it.
'…Let's listen to the rest of it.'
"Strength will increase your Physique and overall Muscle Strength. Endurance increases Stamina, Bone Strength, and Density of your Skin and Muscles."
'So, my Body will get harder with more Endurance? …Weird.'
"Agility will increase Reflex and overall Mobility, while also increasing Flexibility as a Bonus."
'That's an Odd one.'
"Dexterity increases Reaction Speed, and lets you Comprehend things that are faster than the Human Eye. This is a good trait for Blacksmiths to have, since it also increases their Focus."
'…And all of my Stats are 1...'
"As for Intelligence and Magic, Intelligence increases your Ability to Learn, increasing your Memory and Comprehension Abilities. Magic increases the Mana Pool Size within your Body, as well as increases Magic Attack Power and Mana Regeneration."
'So… It's literally like an RPG? …This world gets more Fantasy-Like by the Second.'
"Alright! You already learned how to Acquire and Use Skills yesterday thanks to your Luck, so I'll get straight to Magic. Use "Identification" on your Magic Element."
'My Element… Space?'
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{Space} {Tier-1} {Element/Non-Physical}
[Spells]
{Pocket}
(A Separate Space to store Items)
(Does not store Living Beings)
(Storage Space increases along with Tiers)
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"...So I only have 1 Spell? And what's Tier-1 mean?" I asked.
"With Constant Use of your Magic, it'll eventually increase in Tier. Once the Tier increases, you'll unlock a New Spell. But, be warned. Spells use up Mana, which is not shown in your Status." Rain warned.
"What happens if I run out of Mana?"
"Well, the more common cases are Extreme Nausea leading to Passing Out, but… the Worst Case could be "Mana Crash", which is a more Painful way to Die from Mana Depletion."
I saw a look on her face that was similar to Etta's when she explained how Arlo knew more than she did.
"...I-I… I need to ask…" I started.
"...I can tell what you want to ask just from looking at you… But, I don't know if I should tell you or not-"
"You guys have done this before, haven't you?" I blurted.
She stared at me, stunned…
But after a while, she simply nodded.
"We… are Regressors." She said.
"...I knew something was off about you guys. You all seemed too… "Used to it". Like this world was Natural to you despite also coming from Earth…"
"...It's no use hiding it. You would've found out sooner or later, so there's no point in keeping you in the dark."
"If it weren't for this "Calming" Effect, I might've freaked out, but… Right now, I don't see too much of a problem with it."
"R-Really? Even though we have the Advantage over you?" She looked shocked.
"Advantage? Ha! If anything, YOU guys are MY Advantage. I'm a "First-Timer", so the Information you guys have is worth more than Diamonds to me."
"Hehehe. I really did misjudge you…"
"What!?"
"ANYWAYS, onwards with the Lesson!" She ignored me.
"...So, how do I use Magic?" I ignored myself as well.
"First thing's first, you must learn how to "Feel Mana". It is very Vital if you want to be able to efficiently use Mana. Sit down and turn your Back towards me."
"Yes Ma'am."
Sitting on the Ground, I was now facing the Wall.
'Hmm… If it's what I think it is, is she gonna pour Mana into me?'
My suspicions were correct as I felt a warm Energy begin to flow into my Back.
"It's… Warm…" I said unconsciously.
"Just focus on the Feeling. It'll all be over soon…"
'…The way she said that was weird-'
*Pop*
"Ugh!? GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
A Sharp Pain shot through my Body before I realized. It was like a Bolt of Lightning hitting me in a Sea of Scalding Water.
Suddenly, all at once, the Pain subsided…
And my Body fell backwards, where I could take a look at Rain's Face…
A Keen, Sinister Smile spread from Ear to Ear.
I tried to speak, but my Mouth, let alone my Body wouldn't move.
"..."Mana Corruption". A Simple and Easy way to Overflow someone with Less Mana than you. A Forbidden Technique, but DEFINITELY one of the more Fun ones to learn in the Mage Tower." She smiled again.
'Guh. Can't… Move…'
"You can't move, right? Well, that's because ALL~ of your Muscles have been Destroyed by your Exploding Mana Veins. But, let's cut to the chase."
Without warning, she placed her hand on my face, and another, different type of Pain shot through my Body.
At this point, I couldn't even Scream…
…And another Window popped up.
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{-1 Magic Stat}
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W-Wha-...-t…
"...Hmph. Only 1 Point? Even the Kobolds gave 2 at Least. But, can't be too picky. Afterall, you're about to Die soon."
'…Eh?'
"When your Mana gets overloaded, so do your Muscles. Although it takes a while, at least you'll die a painless death."
'…Y-You…'
"Hm? Sounds like the others are back. We~ll, tata, my sweet little Office Man. It was nice knowing you~."
'…You Bit**.'
As I layed there…
It became dead quiet.
'…I'm gonna die soon, huh? …I can't even feel any Pain anymore, and I can finally think again… Damn it. Is this how I die? To some DAMN Regressors?'
. . .
. . .
. . .
No.
There is something I haven't checked yet.
Something I haven't checked, but have had a hunch about for a while...
'My Unique Skill… Maybe I can use "Identification" on {Exchange}.'
Just as I wanted… a Window popped up.
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{Exchange} {Unique-Rank} {Active/Passive}
{Active}
(Use 100 EXP Points to increase a Stat by 1)
(Use a certain amount of EXP to Copy a Target's Skills/Magic)
(Must be in Contact with that Target to Copy their Skills/Magic)
{Passive}
(Enemies you Kill have a high chance to drop their Best Items)
(If they can, Enemies will guaranteed drop an Item)
[Restrictions :]
(Cannot Level Up)
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'…So, THIS is why I can't Level Up!?'
'No. This might be a good chance. …{Exchange}.'
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{Exchange}
[Choose a Stat to Increase]
{Strength} {Endurance} {Agility}
{Dexterity} {Intelligence} {Magic}
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'…Strength.'
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{Exchange}
[Chosen to increase {Strength}]
{-100 EXP}
{+1 Strength}
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Suddenly, a separate Window appeared.
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{Muscles Severely Damaged}
[Recovering Muscles Slightly to apply +1 {Strength}]
[Muscles will be Strengthened]
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'…Hahaha…'
All at once…
My Body regained its movement, and I was able to slowly lift myself up to a sitting position. I flinched at the intense Pain my Muscles were in.
'Ack. …If I had another Strength Point, I might've been able to move, but… This seems to be my Limit… God I'm hungry.'
Laying back down, fatigue begins to consume me.
'…I'll make them pay…'
'I'LL MAKE THEM ALL PAY.'
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
Morning the next day.
'…Uuugh.'
Slowly picking myself up, I feel my muscles scream in pain at their recent Destruction.
'…I should be able to move now, albeit painfully.'
Just as I feared, so much as standing makes my Body cry in pain.
'…Cry about it later. Status.'
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[Level : 1] [EXP : 4/(NULL)] [Unique Skill : Exchange]
[Stats]
{Strength : 2} {Endurance : 1} {Agility : 1}
{Dexterity : 1} {Intelligence : 1} {Magic : 0}
[Skills]
{Soul Weapon : Gun} {F - Fang)
[Elements]
{Space}
[Status]
{Extreme Muscle Destruction}
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'Hmm…'
Looking at {Soul Weapon : Gun}, I use "Identification".
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{Soul Weapon : Gun} {SSS-Rank} {Active/Passive}
{Active}
(Can Summon/Unsummon a Weapon at Will)
(When the Owner is Unaware of the Weapon, it will Unsummon itself)
{Passive}
(When Active, shoots Magic Bullets)
(Damage scales with Magic Stat)
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'It doesn't have a Restriction… But, if it scales with my Magic Stat, then doesn't that make my Gun useless then? …Then how am I supposed to get EXP?'
Thinking long and hard…
A Conclusion comes to mind.
'…If I can find where that Blue Kobold was, I could take their Blade. Although it's Broken, {Fang} should still make an Edge.'
With a Plan in mind…
I head out into the Forest once more.
. . .
. . .
. . .
'…Not here…'
'…Or here…'
'Damn. Where is it? It could've been because I was running at the time, but I could'a sworn it was around here.'
"…Did I run farther than I thought? I was lucky enough to not encounter any Kobolds or Wolves on the way here, but if I don't hurry, then I might be minced– Found it!"
Rushing over to the small Open Area, I find the Broken Blade sprawled along the Floor…
And Fresh Blood near it as well.
'…Whose Blood is this? Did more Kobolds fight or something? …No. I saw it at first, but there is definitely a difference in Color between Kobold and Human Blood…'
'This is Human Blood. 100%.'
Shaking my head, I go back to the Main Point.
Grabbing the Handle with the Broken Blade…
…{Fang}.
…Nothing happened.
"Tch."
Grabbing the Blade that broke off, I try again…
And a Transparent Curved Edge appears at the end of the Blade, like a Hook attached at the Tip of the Blade.
'So it only works on the Edge of a Blade… This makes things a little more complicated.'
Looking around, I find a Rock, and begin hitting the Bottom of the Blade where it was Cut from the Handle.
Hitting it over and over again…
I finally begin to see some progress as it begins to crack in the exact spots I wanted it to.
'Good. Let's-'
Suddenly, a Rustle sounded behind me.
I whirled around, and quickly took out my Gun.
'…I definitely heard something. Were they attracted by the Noise?'
Taking the Rock, I quickly begin hitting the Blade again, faster this time.
'I don't care if it breaks, I just need a Usable Weapon!'
Finally, the Blade breaks, and I somehow succeeded in making a fairly decent Handle-Shape on the back of the blade.
Quickly tearing a Strip from my Office Suit, I wrap the Handle with it, and quickly turn around again.
'Alright! I have a Weapon! Now, come at me!'
And as I waited…
A Familiar Face appears from behind a Tree.
…It was Etta.
And she was missing her entire Left Arm.