Lucas awakened with a mind splitting headache. He found himself laying on a dusty floor grasping a hammer. The sight of the hammer triggered a surge of memories, flooding back to him. Opening the sealed room, discovering the hammer, encountering the enigmatic messages, and enduring excruciating waves of pain. As Lucas attempted to focus his thoughts on the last memory, a red-tinged window appeared before his eyes.
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Stunned, Lucas realized that the memories following the pain were not mere illusions. He had indeed unlocked something within himself. He became aware of the current screen, which displayed instructions. The moment he directed his thoughts towards the 'Status' option, the screen closed, only to be replaced by a new one. This screen presented a detailed profile, providing information in the form of statistics about Lucas.
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Lucas examined the window displaying his stats, or statistics. While he could comprehend some of the information presented, certain aspects puzzled him. Why were there question marks after his name? Did it signify the absence of a surname? Everyone spoke of having a path, so why did his path appear as a string of question marks? Once he had taken in all the stats, the window closed, giving way to new messages.
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Taking a deep breath, Lucas focused his attention on the word "effects." Instantly, a fresh screen materialized before him. The screen bore the title 'Effects' and displayed two distinct entries. The first listing caught his eye: 'Curse of ?????.' According to the description, the user would be cursed, unable to level up while under the curse, and prohibited from learning offense skills. Lucas wracked his brain, but he couldn't recall anything about a curse, and the description itself was filled with question marks, mirroring his status window.
The second effect, labeled 'Blessing of Guardian,' intrigued him. It indicated that he had been blessed by a mysterious guardian named 'Guardian ??????' and would experience an increase in skill experience gain. Additionally, his 'Path' wouldn't restrict his skill development. Confusion washed over Lucas. Who was this guardian? When had he received the blessing? And why were there no memories associated with either of these 'Effects'? The system, frustratingly, provided no explanations and swiftly transitioned to another message.
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Lucas made a mental note to revisit the effects later and shifted his attention to skills. He anticipated the appearance of a new window, yet its contents caught him off guard. True to the pattern of previous windows, the title corresponded to the focus word. In this case, the window was titled 'Skills", but it presented only a solitary entry. The skill listed was called 'Insight' with a note saying its level was 'MAX'. As for the description, it stated that the user gains increased insight of his path. Before Lucas could fully grasp the implications of this newfound skill, all the previous windows abruptly closed, leaving only one remaining.
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The window stayed frozen in the air for a few seconds longer before vanishing. Lucas held his breath, waiting for something else to happen, but the air remained devoid of any windows. Slowly, he realized he was still sprawled out on the dusty floor, clutching a hammer in his hand. With a chuckle, he released the hammer and rose to his feet, brushing off the dust that covered his clothes. Now that he had solved his system problem, a huge burden was suddenly no longer weighing him down.
Lucas gave up trying to clean his clothes of dust in a losing battle and cast a quick glance at the closet. The matching sets lining the shelves were much closer to his size compared to his master leftover clothes. He couldn't help but notice that he hadn't changed his clothes or taken a bath since arriving in this world. Feeling the need for a refresh, Lucas grabbed a complete work outfit and eagerly made his way to the bathroom for a long, deep cleaning.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Lucas paused to examine his reflection in the mirror. The new clothes hung loosely on his frame, but they were acceptable without the need for a belt. His hair, neatly combed and tied back, cascaded down his back in a sleek, straight waterfall. As he scrutinized his face and arms, he noticed a faint pink tint from the vigorous scrubbing, an essential step in removing years of accumulated grime. Overall, Lucas still resembled himself, but there was a noticeable improvement from the disheveled appearance of a "gutter orphan" he had previously worn.
Checking the time, Lucas was unsurprised to find that it was supper time, which, for him, meant a visit to the Drunken Squirrel. Attaching his purse to his new attire, he took off for the tavern. He could tell that dinner would be special tonight since he could begin smelling the most incredible scent a block away. Eager to indulge in tonight's special dinner, Lucas quickened his pace, hardly pausing as he entered the bustling establishment.
For the first time that Lucas could remember, the Drunken Squirrel was nearly packed. The customers were everywhere and there were only a few seats left. Luckily, his bar seat was one of them. As he settled onto his barstool, Lucas noticed John glancing down the bar, catching sight of him. Concluding a conversation with a grin and a friendly pat on the shoulder, John made his way over to Lucas.
"Good evening, Lucas!" John called out as he approached his section of the bar. "Are you here for the Sunday Night Special?"
"Like I could order anything else after catching a whiff of your special from blocks away," Lucas replied with a grin and a playful eye roll.
"Ah, glad to know leaving the door open still does the trick!" John joked, making his way toward the kitchen window.
With the tavern brimming with customers, Lucas settled comfortably onto his stool, eavesdropping on the various conversations happening around him. However, his tranquility was short-lived as the topics of discussion seemed to revolve around the mystery heretic from the previous day and the escalating monster attacks. Having already heard all the current news during lunch, Lucas saw no reason to listen further, especially since his system's status screen had already appeared earlier.
Lost in his thoughts about his earlier encounter with the status screen, Lucas was startled when a transparent window, tinged with a reddish hue, suddenly materialized in front of him. His initial reaction was one of surprise, prompting him to glance around, but it seemed as if he was the only one who noticed anything out of the ordinary. Turning his attention back to the window, he realized that his status screen remained unchanged. Based on his recollection, William and John had hinted that one needed to visit the temple to check their status, yet here it was, effortlessly popping up before him. Could he control it without the need to visit the temple? Perhaps there was a way to make it disappear as well.
As the thought crossed his mind, the window vanished, causing Lucas to startle once again. Quickly scanning his surroundings and observing the lack of reaction from others, he relaxed. Lucas attempted to conjure the status window through his thoughts alone. To his astonishment, the window reappeared at his bidding. Taking a deep breath, he focused his intent on making the window vanish, and just like that, it disappeared.
Eager to explore further, Lucas experimented with his effects and skill windows, discovering that they obeyed his command in the same manner. He had gained full control over the appearance and disappearance of his windows.
Since Lucas was still waiting for his meal, he decided to delve deeper into his stats and opened the system window. His name still had question marks after it, but that was probably because he didn't have a surname. The fact that his race was listed as human and his level as one seemed like basic knowledge.
However, Lucas wondered why he didn't have a path when everyone spoke of the system's main function being to provide one. He pondered this question for a while, but eventually gave up and decided to focus on his current status.
Drawing upon his previous game developer experience, Lucas attempted to decipher his current status. He speculated that strength would represent the amount of power in his punches, while vitality would indicate his ability to withstand attacks. Agility should reflect his maximum speed or flexibility. As for endurance, Lucas surmised that it measured his stamina's maximum capacity. In his understanding, wisdom typically represented a person's mana capacity, while intelligence denoted the strength of their mana usage.
Lucas moved onto his effects window. He didn't know anything about the source of this curse, but the inability to level and lack of combat skills would likely hinder his growth significantly. In most games, leveling up granted bonus stats, and if this world followed similar rules, his inability to level would leave him weaker compared to everyone else. Moreover, combat often served as a means to gain experience and level up or improve skills. Without the ability to learn combat skills or level up, Lucas would essentially be vulnerable to anyone if he ventured into the wild.
When it came to the blessing of the guardian effect, Lucas wished for more details. The increased experience for his skills was nice and understandable, but the lack of path restrictions on skill development raised a few questions. Lucas wondered if others saw their path as a future job since they could only learn skills within their path, or if the restriction referred to something else entirely. His thoughts were interrupted by a small thud as Amber began unloading his dinner from her tray.
"Good evening, Lucas," Amber said with a smile as she handed over a few different plates. Compared to the usual special, this meal consisted of multiple dishes. There was a meat steak, a flavorful beef broth, a variety of vegetables, a dinner roll, and a piece of bread covered in sugar. The enticing aroma that had caught Lucas's attention outside was even more delightful up close.
"Here is your ordered special," Amber said, still smiling. She quickly glanced around to ensure no one was paying attention before leaning forward. "Nice work on the new clothes," she whispered with a wink, before making her way back to the kitchen.
Lucas paused just before starting his dinner, a pleased smile on his face. While he didn't require compliments to feel confident in his choice of attire, the appreciation from a lovely young lady certainly didn't hurt. With his appetite piqued, Lucas began his meal, attempting to stay tuned in to the conversations around him. However, the delicious flavors and aromas repeatedly stole his attention, compelling him to surrender with a smile and simply savor his delectable meal.
Just as Lucas was enjoying his sugared bread roll, the conversation in the tavern fell silent. Startled by the sudden and unnerving hush, Lucas glanced towards the door to determine the cause of the alarm. Standing in the doorway were two guards clad in full plate armor, their helmets closed, leaving everyone curious about their purpose for visiting the tavern. Both questions were answered by the young lady who stood before them.
Dressed in a white robe adorned with purple edging, the young lady's role as a priestess became evident through the symbol of the White Lady sewn onto the front of her robe. In her hands, the young priestess held a bright green gem, partially enclosed by a series of golden rings. With the room's attention focused on her, she began to speak.
"Greetings, patrons," she began. "I am Lady Eve, the Oracle of the White Lady. By her order, I have been tasked with uncovering the heretic concealed within our city. In her name, I request that each of you touch the gem I carry as I approach you, to assist me in this endeavor. I express gratitude to the city lord for his support in ensuring the completion of this task."
On finishing her speech, the priestess approached the first table. The customers took turns touching the gem, which illuminated with a small green light upon each touch. Once everyone at the table had finished, the priestess expressed her gratitude for their assistance and proceeded to the next table.
As Lucas observed the second table taking their turns, a sudden realization struck him. The small gem must be an artifact akin to the god's eye in the temple. Whenever someone with a system touched it, it emitted a faint green glow. The panic displayed by the temple priest the day before was likely due to the light being red instead of green.
By this point, the lady priestess had completed her rounds at the tables and began approaching the men seated at the bar. Naturally, she would approach Lucas first. With only a few seconds remaining until her arrival, Lucas pondered whether he should participate in the test or not. Refusing would raise suspicions, but he was uncertain if he could pass the test without having a system path like everyone else.
Up until this moment, Master John had been scowling behind the bar. However, upon realizing that the young priestess was not going to stop with just the table patrons but was heading towards Lucas, he set down the glass he had been cleaning with a firm cluck.
"You know," John scolded as he made his way down the bar towards Lucas, "it's common courtesy to speak with the host before inconveniencing his guest..."
Before John could finish his reprimand, the priestess arrived within Lucas's reach. Without hesitation, Lucas reached out and grasped the gem.