Chapter 20

Crimson lay on the ground panting. He’d taken to running back and forth from the barracks to the training grounds to level his running skill; it had been easier to run longer every time he leveled up his [Running] skill.

It had taken until after he stopped for lunch for him to realize that he could check the description for skills. Immediately after that ‘little’ realization he looked up his running skill.

[Running]: The ability to efficiently traverse the earth at a higher rate of speed than walking.

Lore: Running is a huge part of bipedal movement and is essentially a requirement for all two legged folk to survive. Yes, for you too.

Level Bonus: Reduce the amount of Stamina needed for running by 10% per level.

The Lore part of it was a combination of funny and snarky.

The bonus, although amazing, was heavily limited. Through a combination of experimentation and his [System Insight X] skill, which didn’t appear in his skills screen for some reason, he had discovered that Stamina was only consumed when ‘placing a strain’ on the body. Something like walking usually wouldn’t be considered ‘straining’ so it wouldn’t consume Stamina, under most circumstances, but it was still possible for walking to consume Stamina; it just took hours of walking without taking a break.

The [System Insight X] really assisted him with reaching this next conclusion: being awake wouldn’t drain or consume Stamina but, if he were to stay awake long past what is healthy it would start to drain his Stamina.

There were two reasons why he didn’t ask Lena: the first was because he wanted to figure it out on his own. There were somethings he was curious about enough to ask her about it the moment, or things important enough to not leave them waiting, but for the most part he wanted to find out on his own.

If there was one thing Crimson learned from all those fantasy books was that once everything was easy for the protagonist it became boring. Could he ask Lena about every little detail? Yes, but it would take a lot of the fun out of experiencing it for the first time. One of the things he’d found out from Lena was that she had complete knowledge of all the dungeons, the drops, hidden chests, and all the monsters within. If he wanted he could ask her to break it down for him, but that would take all the fun out of everything.

The second reason he didn’t ask her was because she was taking a nap on the ground. He had decided not to question whether or not a non-corporeal manifestation of a skill actually needed or could sleep; he just appreciated how cute she was while napping.

Crimson checked his stamina; there was currently a [Slowed] tag on his Stamina from all the running so he decided to check the descriptions of his other skills while he waited for it to recover.

[Lena]: A skill that manifests a guide to assist the skill owner. Original name of this skill was: [World and System Guide].

Lore: {Hidden}

Bonus: Distance that [Lena] can get away from the skill owner doubles every level. Initial distance is 10 feet.

[Balance]: The ability to maintain balance and sense of balance in various situations.

Lore: Balance is necessary for your very health. Cultivate it or face plant, your choice.

Bonuses: Increases sense of balance and ability to balance by 10% per level. Reduces stamina cost of Balancing activities by 5% per level.

[Fall Damage Reduction]: A skill that allows the user to survive falls from greater heights than usual.

Lore: Falling is extremely dangerous for the enlightened races; try not to do it too much.

Bonus: Reduces damage taken from falls by 5% per level.

[Runic Language]: A skill that indicates the knowledge and mastery of an ancient writing system.

Lore: A language of symbols and intricate designs; their meanings almost forgotten. Can be used in Runesmithing.

Bonus: Success rate of writing runes increases by 10% per level. Increased ability to memorized new runes.

[Flexibility]: A skill that allows the user to move through their full range of motion in a superior manner.

Lore: Flexibility is important for your health. Plus, the other gender may find it attractive, or creepy.

Bonus: Decreases the chance of muscular damage from strenuous activities by 10% per level.

After reading what all his skills had to offer as part of their descriptions he began to consider how he would work on grinding them and what classes they would be a benefit for. After thinking for a few minutes he decided to swallow his pride about ‘discovery;’ it was time to ask Lena how he should grind, even if he didn’t like it.

Crimson stood up and walked over to Lena; he had, by then, regained his breath and his Stamina was almost recovered. He plopped down next to her and pulled the ‘sleepy’ cub into his lap: she was just pretending do be asleep and, while it was darn cute, he couldn’t afford to waste time on watching her adorable face.

“Lena?”

A huge yawn was the first response to his prodding.

“Yes master?:

“Can you help me decide which class I want to work toward?”

“Yes master…but could you get something to eat first? I don’t want you to be hungry later on.”

Crimson felt his heart warming as he saw Lena’s concern for him, and it was true: he was very hungry and just hadn’t noticed till then.

“Yeah, I’m a little hungry. Let’s head to the library after I eat.”

“Yes master!”