Chapter 142: Came a long way

The blue panel was flat, large, and long, floating right in front of my eyes. When I turned to look to my right, it followed me and stayed glued to my field of vision.

When I asked the System to read, the System read.

❮ Name: Skill ❯

Well? Was I Aoi or Skill? Today was the first time I learned about the "name" I had been bestowed with. The name whose history I knew nothing about. The name whose evil would forever follow me everywhere, till the very end. The name "she" gave me. Well, as I didn't know anything about that for now, I didn't mind ignoring that detail.

❮ Race: Demonic Unclassified(?) ❯

I already knew it, but was the demonic part necessary? I think I might have remembered that day when I underwent my first "Evolution Process" from the System, I was a unique monster-type, so much so that no label could be given to me. I was Unclassified, or Unknown. Well, you already know that, but for reasons you know, I preferred to call myself "Life."

❮ Title: Unique Monster, Fratricide, Evolver, Humanoid, Friend of the Orcs, Ultimate Scarecrow ❯

And the System continued on and on. So far, no information I received was particularly life-changing or even useful. But I continued to read that blue AR display called "Skill Tab."

❮ Level: 45 ❯

❮ Status ❯

❮ HP: 3150/3150 ❯

❮ MP: 431/600 ❯

❮ Vit. 83 ❯

❮ Strength 83 ❯

❮ Agility 83 ❯

❮ Intelligence 83 ❯

❮ Sense 83 ❯

❮ Fatigue: 35 ❯

My MPs, eh? 431/600, and it keeps regenerating by itself. Was it because I rested? Testing that, I moved around, launching one <Quick Pace>, and my MPs stopped regenerating so fast for a few seconds before I was in a state of "rest" again.

Today, I learned about my Mana Supplies, too, and remembered all the times I overdid it and overused my skills only to find myself so out of breath and in dire need of rest. Tilting my head, I understood it made sense. Using up too many MPs was no good, obviously. That was common sense, but oh well.

My HPs, too, weren't to their fullest. I might have been beaten around too much by Kambe Streman's wooden sword. Dang. My fatigue read "35," and that was a thing I noticed too. 35 must have been an okay number since I wasn't so worn out at all. Anyway.

I didn't really know about all the other stats about Vitality, Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Sense... but I think they were kind of self-explanatory like this. Strength, for example, I could understand just fine. If someone asked me how strong I was, I could always say "Eighty-three!" and sound like a weirdo as usual.

...After I stumbled onto those "Status" numbers, the System sent a notification my way. Useful information, this time.

...Ring! ❮ The Player has unused "Stats Point(s)" stockpiled — It is recommended to make full use of your "Stats Point(s)" — The Statistics about the Player's STR, VIT, AGI, INT, and SEN must be enhanced with "Stats Point(s)" to allow a better playing experience whilst progressing through the Game. ❯

Okay. Sure. The System added some details about how all my statistics or whatever were naturally increased as I leveled up—like how all my stats were reading "83" since I leveled up quite a lot since the beginning—but that I shouldn't waste my stats points.

At first, I really wasn't sure about that, but if the System said so, I guess I might as well listen to it.

And so... after gaining 45 levels, I had stockpiled 135 Stats Points. Was that a lot? I really didn't know. And so, now, I was receiving more notifications and AR displays to guide me through the process. A very easy and intuitive process. There were little arrow icons next to each of my statistics, and I just had to allocate my points however I pleased.

And you know me. At the time, I was young, and even though I knew to act stern, mature, and adult-like when it mattered, at times, I could also be very childish. I could be a thickhead. From 83 strength points, I went to 218.

No, I didn't think it would be wise to put a few points into every statistic to be perfectly balanced and versatile. Rather, I was grinning like mad, silently and maliciously laughing by myself, eyeing the swordsman who would lose our next round of battle. "Hah, hah, hah...!"

I felt the change. Quickly, all around me, white-transparent—if not totally invisible to the naked eye—clouds of pure mana appeared around me, floating around. It wasn't the first time the System pulled a spectacle so majestic as this one, but it was probably the first time that it affected me so heavily. The divine mana wrapped itself around my skin... and I absorbed it ceremoniously.

It made me shudder, my skin tingled intensely... It was really intense. And very good.

❮ Status ❯

❮ HP: 3150/3150 ❯

❮ MP: 431/600 ❯

❮ Vit. 83 ❯

❮ Strength 218 ❯

❮ Agility 83 ❯

❮ Intelligence 83 ❯

❮ Sense 83 ❯

❮ Fatigue: 25 ❯

The System was happy to notify me that I had no stats points left when I thought I wanted more of this.

Strength overflowed through my whole body. If yesterday I could punch a hole into a wall with my fist, today I could shatter the entire wall down. This made me genuinely happy.

My HPs had increased by a lot and my fatigue dropped a little. Also, I didn't realize it yet, but I had grown maybe half a foot in one go. Well well well. How would I go about explaining that to people?

❮ Unique Skills: [Mana's Benediction ] [Dwelling] [Grand Devourer] [Skill Copy] [Advanced Evolving] ❯

❮ Passive Skills: [Jelly-like Shapelessness] [Resistant Body] [Consciousness] [Mana Perception] [Reinred School — Sword Style +7] [Resistance to Poison +3] [Resistance to Pain +1] [Resistance to Cold] [Enhanced Flair] [Night Vision] [Resistance to Ailment] [Sharp Ear] [Skill School — Sword Style +3] ❯

❮ Active Skills: <Quick Pace> <Intimidation> <Chain Attack> <Steel Claw> <Knit Cobweb> <Blade Shield> ❯

And then there was this mess. Full of details I didn't fully grasp. These skills were mine. I had obtained some long ago, and some just recently. Take <Blade Protection>, for example.

❮ Active Skill: "Blade Shield" — Upon using the skill, there was a 100% chance of causing some positive status effect — Positive Effect: "Drain Attack Power." ❯

And then,

❮ Positive Effect "Drain Affect" — The buff had a duration of 2 seconds, and it was doing just what the freaky swordsman taught me it did, that is to say making the enemy's power attack become my own.

And there were many other details: a casting time of 0 seconds, an attack range: itself, and an MP consumption of 40.

You could guess that there was a lot to know about all the other abilities I had written there. Skimming through the Skill Tab, I checked out some skills, but only very briefly. My Unique Skills interested me the most, and I was interested to know that "Skill Copy" didn't just allow the user to copy or steal some ability from a Receptacle, as I used to do in the past, but also to more or less have copying abilities just by observing someone performing a skill closely enough.

Also, "Advanced Evolving" allowed the user to be in a constant state of evolution. "Constant State of Evolution" Positive Effect made so that I was endlessly evolving with the new skills and abilities I got. <Steel Claw> and <Knit Cobweb> were skills I most likely couldn't use if it weren't for the fact that I had the skill Advanced Evolving. My skin pores and fingertips could knit spider webs like it was no biggie, and my nails were sturdy, thick, and claw-like.

The skill was great: Someday in the future, I'd have the chance to battle against certain foes and obtain the Passive Skill "Draconic Wings: Dragonrace," and boy, Advanced Evolving would come in handy again. But anyway.

I already knew about Unique Skill: "Dwelling." About "Mana's Benediction" and "Grand Devourer," probably my most important and characteristic unique skills, I decided to skim through their descriptions quickly enough, too, but when I saw the awful lot of words making up for these two uniquely unique skills' descriptions, I decided to dive into them later on if need be.

While I was at it, I mentally selected one skill I technically owed everything to. Passive Skill: [Consciousness].

❮ Passive Skill: "Consciousness" — Grants the user Positive Status Effect "Conscious Mind." —

❮ Positive Status Effect (level MAX): "Conscious Mind" — Grants the user individual awareness of the user's unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, and environments. Essentially differs from the animal experience. Exclusive characteristic to mankind or unique beings. The user's sense stats are increased by +50. Cannot be canceled once obtained. Is one of the requirements to be granted "Nobility." Is one of the requirements to become a Player. Lasting effect: Permanent. ❯

Well... I sure came a long way.

Without this skill, I wonder who would be telling the story.