Stats:

Brawn: 0

Control: 1

Wit: 0

The base information made no sense to me at first. Fortunately, the screen responded to my query and expanded.

Brawn: 0

—Strength 0| Vitality 0

Control: 1

—Dexterity 0| Arcana 2

Wit: 0

—Intellect 0| Charisma 0

“Brawn, Control, and Wit are the three aspects of your being,” the branch manager said. “Each of them has two variables too. The display system is rather intuitive. You can abbreviate or change the display however you want.”

“What’s the point of the aspects?” I asked. “Isn’t it simpler just to have six separate stats and do away with the categories?”

“The aspects will make more sense when you get to race selection. How about you check out Coward’s Brand first?”

The lower half of the screen contained two categories: Traits and Masteries.

Traits:

Coward’s Brand

Masteries:

None

“How is that a bad thing? Combat isn’t the answer to everything, right? You said champions defeat each other in societal and financial battlefields as well.” I chuckled. “If anything, Tracy gave me a gift.”

“You’d think so, but most conflicts between champions end in combat,” the manager said. “When things get desperate, people resort to violence.”

“Does setting traps and commanding spirits like the goblin shaman count as combat?”

“You saw that?”

I nodded. “He summoned those things, and they fought for him. What he did, does it actually count as combat?”

The branch manager shook his head. “You’re right, but Coward’s Brand has other effects too. It limits your choice of races too. The trait cuts you off from species that specialise in Brawn, leaving you especially fragile. It’s not ideal. You can’t just decide you want to be a magician either. All residents of Arena Disk must find a source or entity willing to bestow them with magic. Getting there without combat might as well be impossible.”

I read through the description again, refusing to accept that my situation was hopeless. It felt like a gift that required a touch of intelligence to maximise. Using it to take down Tracy would, of course, be a challenge, but I refused to believe it was impossible. If the goblin shaman could do it, I could too.

“What do you suggest then?” I asked.

“I send you to a reasonably peaceful disk where skills and magic don’t exist. You can live your life in reasonable peace—”

"Can Tracy actively stop me from taking part in this game and the gods? Can I join this game without a deity?"

The manager hesitated. "Now that you're in Diskverse, Tracy can't interfere in your existence further unless you're directly tied to her. As for the second question, that's a more complicated answer. Nothing is impossible on Arena Disk. Deities give their champions advantages, but the system gives everyone the opportunity to get on equal ground. The shaman you just mentioned, his tribe's chief isn't a champion. However, he and his bloodline has slain multiple champions."

“In that case, I refuse. You might’ve shifted the blame to Miss Boots and Tracy, but you need to accept some responsibility too.” The kitten hopped off the desk and onto my shoulder, meowing. She rubbed her forehead against my cheek. “I know sending me home is not within your budget—that’s a bullshit excuse, by the way—but the least you can do is help me get to Arena Disk and flourish.”

The cat looked at the branch manager and meowed again. He glared at her for a moment before sighing. “Fine. You’re determined to get in Arena World and do this then?”

"Can I petition this council you mentioned? I'm sure they'd want to hear about Tracy's interference—"

"Unless you're a deity or champion, they won't give you the time of the day. Getting them to give me time is nearly impossible. Last time I approached them, the council made me wait for nine-hundred-and-twenty-three years. Are you willing to wait for that long."

"No." I sighed.

"That brings me back to my question. Are you sure about going into Arena World with this brand?"

“Look at it this way,” I replied, grinning. “Every time I screw over a champion, that’s a potential new client for you. So you and your staff get more work and therefore more earnings.”

“How would you even go about finding a champion—”

“I know where to start. There’s the shaman in Grog’s Table. You put me there or as close as I can get, and I’ll figure out how to do the rest.”

The branch manager appeared unsure. “Let’s look at your race options before we make a decision.”

When he waved his hand, dozens of different versions of me appeared in the office. All the bipedal specimens carried my guitar case. My eyes jumped to the bestial forms, though. There were four and six-legged beasts, blobs of goo and anthropomorphic trees on display as well. But, fascinating as they were, I discounted them immediately. I don’t want anyone to think less of me, but my first thought was how I’d deal with my carnal instincts. Sure, doggy-style was fun and all, but I certainly didn’t want to try it out as a canine.

The closest figure stood close to six feet tall and had pointed ears. Even though we shared the same features, he was much better looking than me. A screen appeared when I approached the handsome figure.

High Elf:

Elves like to consider themselves the most beautiful race on Arena Disk. They’re tall, dainty and masters of manipulation. Their keen senses and magical prowess have made them one of the most powerful and influential races.

Unfortunately, political power and riches come with enemies as well. So most elves spend their young lives training to repel attackers.

Elves that specialise in Control rule the battlefield with their dexterous mastery of weapons or bring their enemies to their knees with the arcane.

Those who specialise in Wit rule politics and the arts using their intellect and charisma.

High elves abhor heavy weapons and armour, suffering penalties to all masteries connected to either.

With every achievement, boon, or blessing earned, elves gain two points for their primary aspect, one for their secondary and two more to distribute however they please.

“Achievements grant stats?” I asked, trying to figure out the system.

“Of course” The branch manager swiped his hand, enlarging the final line. “Why else would anyone give a crap about them? Just so you know, for more targeted stat growths, you will need to spend time researching the different masteries. Every time you rank one up to a new milestone, you’ll get a few points to distribute between the relevant stats.”

“What about levelling?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You know, grind some monsters, get experience, level up,” I answered.

“This might be a game for the Cosmics, but for you, it's reality. There are no stupid levels or damned respawns like the games on your backwater planets.” The branch manager laughed. “Be thankful there is a system at all, or poor saps like you would be screwed straight out of the gate.”

The elf looked like a brilliant fit. There were likely better options, but I didn’t want to waste time studying them all and fall behind. My primary concern was getting started and making the most of Coward’s Brand. The elves’ proficiency in the arts and politics made them a prime candidate. Perhaps it was my rage, but I decided to go with the race straight away and reached towards it. On contact, an electric shock coursed through my ephemeral body, knocking me back several feet.

“Huh. She’s not making it easy for you at all, is she?” Holes appeared under the elf and several other powerful-looking versions of myself. Instead of sinking into the openings, their faces twisted into panicked expressions before the void below took them. “Your race selection is more limited than I initially thought.”

“Yeah. Tracy wants me to lay low and stay out of her way.” Only a handful of humanoids remained with different manners of herbivore-looking beasts and plump insectoids in between. “I don’t fancy being a slug or rabbit. Can you make anything not close to my form disappear?”

“Certainly,” the branch manager said. Everything not standing on two legs was the next to go.

A half dozen candidates remained. A lot less than the scores, if not hundreds of options I had seen before. “Can I see their stats, qualities, traits or any information that might help me decide?”

“All you need to do is touch them.”

The first in line was a goblin much like the shaman from the television. He was short, only coming up to my waist, with green-grey skin. The creature looked like a starving version of myself with severe skin problems ranging from eczema to warts. His head was shaped like a pineapple laid on its side that tapered at the ends. Its ears jutted out of the sides of its head, pointing in opposite directions like bicycle handlebars. I was hesitant to touch him but wanted a basis of comparison.

Goblin:

These cave-dwelling critters are the most misunderstood intelligent race of Arena Disk. Sure, they might be small, ugly, and frail, but they are not to be underestimated. Naturally naughty and tribe oriented, goblins can grow into a real threat if left to their devious and inventive ways unchecked.

A goblin’s true power lies in its Control.

Their Dexterity helps them wield a variety of weapons and tinker with ease.

Meanwhile, Arcana lets them harness ancient and ritualistic magic involving spirits of nature and the dead.

Goblins struggle with masteries that heavily rely on Brawn or Wit.

With every achievement, boon, or blessing earned, goblins gain three points in Control and two more to distribute as they please.

“How do these aspects work?” I asked. “The elf’s descriptions talk of primary and secondary aspects. On the other hand, I don’t see anything similar for the goblins.”

“Most races are naturally inclined towards two attributes. Often these are spread across multiple aspects. When that happens, they have the potential for the other attribute in their aspect too. For example, an elf’s power originally lies in Arcana and Intellect. However, Arcana is so prevalent in their bodies that it affects their natural Dexterity, too, and certain elves choose to focus on it over magic. Meanwhile, Intellect can make people smart and calculating. This can affect how they deal with others and appear to them as well, resulting in improved Charisma. Does that make sense?”

“You’re throwing a lot of jargon at me, but I think I get it. What about goblins? Their specialisation appears to be solely Control.”

“They don’t benefit as much when branching into other aspects but get exceptional returns from their Control,” the branch manager answered. “Day to day effects rely on the base attribute. However, skills and spells work off two values: the highest attribute and the aspect’s strength. Your aspect’s strength is the average of both its attributes—”

“I think I understand!” I said as things started making sense. “You can’t really have high Charisma without naturally gaining some intellect and that's what the aspect represents. So, if you have ten Charisma and no Intellect, your Wit is five. When using skills that would rely on Intellect, the skill would work of five as a value instead of ten.”

“Precisely!” The branch manager nodded. “A goblin could pour everything into Dexterity and end up with twenty in the attribute and have no Arcana. Since Control is their specialised attribute, their aspect strength will be fifteen instead of ten. Which is why they excel at tinkering without any investment in Wit.”

“They get twenty-five per cent extra. That’s a neat bonus. What about this whole primary and secondary nonsense?”

“The system lets pick you which aspect to set as your primary. Masteries connected to the attributes within grow quicker, and it also dictates the distribution from achievements.”

"I think the most quantifiable example would be Control and Arcana," the branch manager said. "Arcana determines how much mana you have in your core. When you cast spells it also has an effect on their power. Now, if you have five Dexterity and one arcana, your mana is whatever you get from that one unit. However, your aspect's strength, three, is a good measure of your maximum spell strength. Your Dexterity is essential for casting and controlling the mana as it exits you, after all."

I discounted the goblin straight away. It was likely I wouldn’t survive long with the Coward’s Brand crippling me. I refused to live out the rest of my existence with patchy hair, scaly skin, and the rest of the package.

The hair covered entity next to him went ignored as well. As groomed and pretty as he was, I couldn’t see any skin under the thick curtain of curling locks. There was no way I was going to put up with the grease and body odour that came with such a body.

The next candidate stood by the branch manager’s desk and came across as a much better-looking option.

Wood Elf:

Distant relatives to the elves, they’re humble folk. Preferring nature to civilisation, they travel the fields and forests of Arena Disk, repairing damaged ecosystems and driving away disease. Being peaceful, they abhor violence and prefer solving their problems with song and dance. As a direct result, the more powerful races have taken to capturing them to be used as songbirds. Inversely, other races adore their delightful nature and seek to protect them.

Wood elves are loved by all deities of nature, song, and dance. They either focus on Arcana or Charisma, gaining proficiency in all healing and plant-based magic, as well as performance-related masteries.

On the other hand, all masteries related to combat, crafts—besides woodwork—and destructive magic are a challenge for them.

With every achievement, boon or blessing earned, wood elves gain two attribute points to Arcana and Charisma and one additional statistic point to spend as they please.

Looking at the grinning shoulder-height doppelganger, I wondered whether he was my best bet. He was as handsome as the elf, while his skin had a warm earthy glow. As I circled him, his skin took on a light green hue. It wasn’t a sickly green, but one that reminded me of grass after a fresh rain.

The only thing that concerned me about picking a wood elf was the chance of ending up as someone’s personal slave-jester. As much as I loved singing and playing the guitar, I didn’t want to do either for table scraps. Still, it was better than the hairball and goblin.

I wasn’t sure whether the system considered cooking a craft, but the thought of living my new existence cut off from it felt like a nightmare. Tracy had made fun of me for being a cook, but chefs on earth could mint money if they got big enough. I could turn years of experience into my primary source of earning and combat other champions with industry and finance.

As I moved on, The wood elf version of me grinned cheerfully and waved goodbye. His friendliness put a smile on my face.