Leaderboard
- Evan Carver - Level: 9
- Isabella Rossi - Level: 9
- Jared Nolan - Level: 9
- Chloe Morales - Level: 8
- Zane Mercer - Level: 8
- Jett Navarro - Level: 7
- Draven Calder - Level: 7
- Corin Vale - Level: 7
- Axel Koenig - Level: 6
- Phoenix Valez - Level: 6
…
- Jay Anderson - Level: 2
He furrowed his eyebrows as he saw how far down in the rankings he was.
“Three at Level 9 already. You’ve got some catching up to do.”
“How does leveling even work? Like, does a specific action make it go up faster?”
“Kinda. It’s based on the total level of your skills. The calculation is pretty simple. Just multiply the level you want to reach by itself plus one, and that will give you the total skill level you need to reach to make it to that level.”
“So those Level 9s already managed to get 90 skill levels?” he asked, his eyes going wide.
“Mhmm. However, they likely went for quantity over quality. It's not hard to gain hundreds of skills, as one exists for almost every activity you could think of. What is hard is leveling a single skill to that point. While both would be Level 12, the second person would be far stronger, as skills get harder to level but also get a qualitative boost at levels 5, 10, 15, 25, and every 25 levels after that. With a massive boost coming every 100 levels.”
“So what should I do?”
“You're in a unique position where a mix is best. The quicker and higher you climb in the leaderboard, the better rewards you will receive, but it also comes with a risk. Nothing is stopping a competitor from simply removing you from the game if they feel like it, so you also need to be strong enough to defend yourself.”
“Hmm,” Jay rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his metallic arm. “A mix it is. Any skills you recommend I focus on?”
“Not until you hit Level 5 and get your class. Those will be much more important to your growth, so you should focus on pushing all of them to Level 10 as quick as you can. For today, I recommend you get some sleep before gaining as many new skills as possible tomorrow. You will have a few hours in the morning before the first round of rewards is distributed to push yourself. Do everything you can to get those better rewards.”
“Are rewards given out daily?”
“No. The first reward will be given tomorrow. From there, more rewards will be granted every week after until the March is over. And do try to do well. I get rewarded for your performance, too, you know.”
“Sure thing, will do!” was the response that came out of his mouth despite his insistence that he should have told the women he didn’t give a shit about that and was going to do well for himself.
With a sigh, he rose to his feet and began climbing a tree, tying his belongings high in its branches. He wasn’t going to take a chance on a pack of coyotes or even a bear showing up in the middle of the night. With nothing else to do for the day, he found a slightly larger branch and tightly secured himself to it with a combination of a few belts he had brought along. Also, noting one of the sacks of food around his leg in case he got a bit peckish during the night.
**Skill level increased: Climbing 0 - 1**
**Skill level increased: Basic Knots 0 - 1**
**Experience threshold reached: Level 2 - 3**
He smiled as he slowly nodded off, too exhausted to stay awake despite the less-than-comfortable sleeping arrangement.
He awoke early in the morning when the first rays of sunlight hit his face. He groggily got up, undoing the restraints that had kept him in place during the night before climbing his way down the tree and opening his status menu. He frowned as he looked over the options to allocate his free point. His first point had been somewhat hastily dumped into the Physique, but he wasn’t sure if that was the correct choice.
“Hey,” he called out mentally. “What should I be putting my points into?”
“Good morning. I would say that depends more on the type of build you want to go with. Do you want to be a fighter, using your brawn to take down your opponents? Or would you rather use finesse to slaughter them with pinpoint attacks? Do you want your words to carry more weight, or would you call lightning down from the sky to smite your opponents?”
“Wait, lightning?”
“Yep, and it's not the only thing — fire, water, earth, and much more. If you can boil an idea down to its base components, then you can harness it and bring it into reality.”
“That’s… insane.”
“Mhmm. First things ?first, though. You should save your points until you hit Level 5 and decide which route you're going to go.”
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Jay nodded as he pulled out two eggs, a small, cheap stainless steel pan, and a lighter. He began digging a small hole to start a cooking fire as he asked his next question. “So, what class options can I expect at Level 5?”
“For your first selection, you will get your choice of twelve basic archetypes--two for each stat.”
“Can you give me a quick rundown of each?”
**Skill level increased: Basic Digging 0 - 1**
“Sure, here is a discription each.”
Twelve small screens appeared in the corner of his vision, coming into view only when he focused on them. One at a time, he looked through each option, thinking over which class would suit him best.
Physique:
Warrior:
A strength-based fighter normally focused on heavy armor and even heavier blows.
Berserker:
Throw caution to the wayside as you accept incoming blows only to return them twofold on anyone brave enough to challenge you.
Reflexes:
Light Warrior:
With a focus on light weapons and armor, this speed-based class will help you rip your foes to shreds with pinpoint strikes.
Monk:
A quick and nimble class mainly focusing on the purity of self and mind to enhance your capabilities. For how can they hope to stand against you when you have become a bastion of purity?
Intellect:
Mage:
Bend the world to your will with just a flick of your wrist. Call down thunder, scorch fields, and show all those beneath you that reality listens when you beckon.
Archivist:
Events foretold and recorded by your careful hand. See fate and history before they unfold, and bend the time stream to your will to change it.
Charisma:
Channeler:
A contract formed with an otherworldly being empowers you, giving you a great boost while forever tying you to their will. Is the price of power worth it?
Warning: Will bind you to an otherworldly being. The terms and price of your pact will be determined only after you reach an agreement.
Warning: While this class can grant a great boost, it can also become detrimental if you outgrow your patron.
Herald:
Fleet of foot and quick of wit. Your words carry weight, and your insight brings them power. Crush your foes before they even get close to you. As they say, the pen is mightier than the sword, and you have the power to write entire dissertations with a single word.
Willpower:
Archon:
A bastion of self, you are perfection. You are the pinnacle. Everyone and everything should bow before you. Exert your will on the world, and prove that you stand above them all.
Ordainer:
When you want something, it happens. You don’t need help from gods or mortals, for you have seen your future and you know you walk the right path. Your success has been manifested and ordained.
Warning: Goddess of fate and time, Galena, has labeled all those who take this class as heretical in the eyes of her church.
Tech:
Artificer:
Who needs magic? You sure don’t. As long as you have some spare parts and a workshop, you can craft inventions and contraptions that easily rival the strongest mage in power.
Runesmith:
Magic and steel merged and brought to life. What you lack in strength and raw arcane power. You make up for it with careful engineering, both arcane and mechanical, to bring new life and power to otherwise mundane objects.
Jay slowly looked over each option, carefully considering them all. He was interested in Warrior, Light Warrior, and Monk, but would definitely pass on Berserker. Even if he was stubborn, tanking hits for no reason didn’t sound like a good way to make it out alive. Next, he moved to Intellect and quickly ruled out both classes there as well. While being able to throw around fire and lightning with his own power did sound fun. He knew from the few games he had played during his life that what mages had in raw fire, they lacked in defense and survivability.
Yeah, no thanks. He thought about himself throwing around massive amounts of fire. Only to have a bullet pierce his skull and end his life.
He ruled out Herald for a similar reason, and while he guessed the power boost the Channeler class mentioned, there was no way he would bind himself to an otherworldly being. Hell, just a normal bank teller had been enough to get him to basically sign his life away for a small business loan. He was almost positive that whatever creature wanted to form a contract with him would be much more persuasive.
Yeah, fuck that.
Next, he moved to Willpower and instantly ruled out Archon. The class sounded way too pretentious for his taste. Even if he was stubborn and had a large amount of confidence in himself, there was always room for improvement. Still, the scars of his past failures didn’t go away. His arm, the chip in his head, and his liver were all proof of that. Ordainer, on the other hand, did pique his interest, but he couldn’t get over the warning it came with.
“‘Goddess of fate and time, Galena, has labeled all those who take this class as heretical in the eyes of her church.’ Are gods real? Hey, Lan–”
“Yes, gods are real. No, you should not take that class. While you would be safe for now, members of her flock are almost guaranteed to visit this planet when it opens to invasion and trade by those in the Level 1-24 range.”
“Invasion?” Jay asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Mhmm. While your planet is in its Death March phase, the world will open up for short bursts each month, allowing a select few to come to this world and try to obtain candidate status for themselves.”
Jay rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “And what would happen if someone from Gelena’s flock did end up finding out I took that class?”
“They would kill you or die trying. Even worse, once one has seen you, more will come looking. They won’t stop until you are well and truly dead.”
Why?
“She was once wounded by someone still considered a mortal with an advanced version of that class, or so the story goes. She's been wary and unwilling to let anyone take that class since. It's far too risky in her mind to let a mortal with too much willpower seize control over their own fate.”
And just like that, Ordainer was also ruled out. While it seemed like an amazing option for him, he was not going to make an enemy of someone who could claim to be a god just to get it. With that settled, he moved on to the two remaining classes and ruled them out simply because he couldn’t see himself crafting. Sure, it sounded fun to him, but if he wanted to not only survive but thrive in this new world, he thought it would be best to be competent both at range and in melee. With that in mind, he finally came to a decision. He would pick Light Warrior. The class seemed versatile enough to let him use both simple melee and ranged weapons.
A nice handgun and a large hunting knife would make quite a combination.