My body is assaulted by a heavy pressure and my world fades as everything turns dismal.

Struggling to remain upright my mind is hazily registering the person in front of me yelling something. Bents…hence…gence…intel…. A connection somewhere deep in my mind sparks and I shakily touch the screen. With each tap I can feel my understanding increase and I am now able to process the situation.

“I’m okay.” Weakly I respond as the figure is tightly grasping my shoulders.

“Hold on.” With clouded understanding, I begin the process of slowly raising the stats back up to a reasonable 5. I can feel power and life seeping back into me as each is increased. My once murky and confusing world is brought back into focus. Working in Wisdom I finally regain clarity to my predicament and stop the distribution for a moment.

“Dude, you had me worried.” Matt’s worried eyes stare at me as he hesitates to sit back down. I understand now that it was him who had been hurting my shoulders and yelling at me.

“Sorry, I guess that wasn’t such a great idea after all.” I cheekily say as I reach up to rub my sore shoulders. “Why did you have to grab me so hard?”

“Huh? I didn’t grab you that hard just enough to shake and get your attention.” He looks confused at my accusation.

“Hmm, I guess the lower stats made me so weak that your grip caused me pain.” Thinking for a moment I glance over to my current stats.

StatusNameJackRaceHumanLevel1(+)ClassN/ATitles----Health(100/100)Stamina(100/100)Mana(100/100)-Strength5Endurance5Perception5Agility5Intelligence14Wisdom5Charisma2Luck2Unallocated Points39

“Right now I have Strength, Endurance, Perception, Agility, and Wisdom at 5. Intelligence at 14 and the last two are still at 2.” Looking at the values, I am starting to make some associations with each attributes effects. “Matt, what was my starting values again?”

“Sure they were…wait, you can’t remember what they were?”

“Not really, I remember them being higher but as for the actual numerical values I don’t.” I calmly compare values as Matt reads them off.

Listening to all the values I make a connection between my Wisdom stat and move to raise it by another 3. Today’s events return to mind as the gaps in my memory leave. “Huh, it looks like Wisdom plays into our memory and how quickly we are able to recall details.”

“I guess that makes sense, but then what effects does Intelligence have?”

“Well, seeing how I was able to process the situation quickly with little memory then the obvious answer would be that it affects our mental acuity. If Wisdom is the search engine then Intelligence would be the operating system to refine and focus the information.” I grow quiet as I think my next steps out. I can already see a boost in my deductive reasoning from just three points higher in Intelligence…so what would be the results of an even greater boon to my Intelligence?

The temptation is too great and I am soon adding the points.

For being the first to reach the peak of human Intelligence

Reward + 1 Intelligence

Surprised by this notification I stare at it while my mind effectively processes the information. After a few seconds the screen slowly fades away and I am left with my still open Status Screen.

“Matt…I just received a reward.” Chuckling as I see Matt’s surprised face I decide to begin sharing my hypothesis.

“The notification stated… For being the first to reach the peak of human Intelligence – Reward +1 Intelligence. I checked my screen and I did receive an additional point without any deductions from my unallocated points.” Closing my eyes I begin to read deeper into these words.

“This peak was reached when my Intelligence reached 20…If we are told 20 is peak for one, then this must also be true for all Attributes. Also, comparing the performance between the higher and lower scored Attributes…then I think the average human’s attributes are around a base of 10. This will be useful when trying to determine what class to build for people.”

“Classes?” Matt’s question is valid, but I quickly wave it off.

“I will discuss this more in a little bit, let me finish my train of thought... That was one benefit, but an even more important implication is what is BEYOND this so called peak human standard.” I pause to watch his reaction as my next words sink in. “Does this mean we will become something more than human?”

Matt’s eyes open in shock as he glaringly stares at me. “This…this is…epic.”

“Yes…it is epic. However, with these detail I fear we now have all the evidence we need to state that the entire world has changed. And if we saw monsters appearing here, then they likely have appeared else were. This means that our family…”

“Stop.”

Matt throws his hand up as he bites his lip and looks down with clenched eyes. “I get it… I do, but please try to keep hopeful, if not for me but the others. They are about to snap and this news could be the last straw.”

Shocked by this comment, I am slightly offended. “Matt that is not what I was trying to say. I may state the obvious, but I have not given up on my family. If we were able to fight then so have others.” I stare worryingly at my friend hoping to not have caused a rift.

He looks up and I can see the uncertainty in his eyes. He weakly shakes his head before responding. “No, I should apologize. It’s just the stress that has me on edge.”

“Ha, no I have always been pretty blunt even with best of intentions.” Relief fills me as he nods his head with exaggeration. “Now let me finish my explanations so we can get started on being over powered characters and go save everyone.” Matt chuckles at my comment.

“So Strength seems to do as it says, I just raised mine up to 8 and I can tell my body feels easier to move. Endurance is tricky…but I think it has to do with our bodies’ ability to handle over taxation such as damage from exercise. It probably also is tied in somehow with our health and stamina, but I will have to experiment some more on that. Perception is actually how we perceive our surroundings. It improves all of our senses. When mine was at set at 2 it felt like I was isolated from everything. My vision was hazy, and the other senses were also dampened. Agility is going to be finesse and speed, probably alters our fast twitch muscles allowing us to react quicker. I already explained Intelligence and Wisdom so all that is left is Charisma and Luck.”

Sitting back I cross my arms as I think deeply on these two. “Honestly, I am still a little confused about these two. I suppose Luck is avoiding danger or ill fortune, but it’s still kind of vague…”

Looking to Matt, “What are yours’ at? Maybe a comparison will help…wait, just tell me all your stats. It will be useful in the future regardless.”

StatusNameMattRaceHumanLevel2ClassN/ATitles----Health(110/110)Stamina(110/110)Mana(110/110)-Strength14Endurance10Perception10Agility9Intelligence10Wisdom11Charisma15Luck10Unallocated Points3

Well, can’t say I am surprised about his higher Strength, but what is really shocking is his Charisma of 15. That is the highest I have seen naturally out of both our screens. But what is so greatly affecting his Charisma?

Hmm, well examples of people who are very charismatic are politicians, leaders, celebrities and et cetera. Matt is pretty popular, everywhere we go he is always met by people he knows.

“Hey Matt, I am thinking about Charisma and I think I have its affect figured out.” Mentioning his name, his eyes focus on me. “Of the two of us you have always been more social. You also have a talent in talking and swaying people… I think Charisma is a measure of our social influence. How others perceive us and how easily we can persuade them.”

“That might not be too far off, that explanation would fit perfectly with my past experiences….” Matt reclines back as the idea seeps deeper into his mind. “But if that theory is true, then why am I not treating you any differently. With a Charisma of 2 you should be… well, irritating me.”

“Not so, think back hasn’t there always been someone who you have liked but others thought were annoying? I think Charisma boosts influence, but since I was already in a good standing from your perspective then when my stat dropped you weren’t affected greatly.”

“Ahh, I get it. It’s like seeing a hot chick without her makeup. Since we are used to seeing her all fixed up, we don’t think less of her when she is at her worst.” Matt smiles while nodding his head with his example. He is obviously humored by it, but I can only shake my head at my friend.

“Okay, I accept this theory, but so far Charisma seems to be the most useless stat so far, how can it help us survive in a fight?”

“You’re right that it does not improve our fighting potential…that is if we were alone.” Turning my head I look at the crowd of depressed people. “But what all groups need is an influential leader to take charge and be the key stone for their support.”

Turning back I stare at my friend and pause before I make my request. “Matt, I think you should become the leader for this group.”

Stopping him from speaking his protest, I explain. “First. If my theory is correct then the majority of the people will not trust me to lead unless I dump several points into Charisma. That is not something I can do right now, after the points moved into Intelligence… if I was to do this I would be extremely weakened in every other stat. Second. You’re a people person. You naturally reach out to others and easily get to know them. I mean you learned the staff’s names where I just shrugged and pushed them along. And lastly…” I pause as I smile looking at my best friend. “This douche bag here wouldn’t let you go at it alone. We’re a team.”

Matt thinks it over before replying sarcastically. “Yeah…I can’t just let you sit back as I do all the work. Someone has to make sure you pull your weight.”

“Glad to hear you’re on board. Now let’s work to get you some rewards.” At the mention of rewards Matt’s head tilts in confusion.

“We’re going to move some points around and get your Charisma up to 20 and hopefully get a bonus point. Before you ask… yes we should. I can tell you with 21 Intelligence it feels like I am constantly in the zone, always focused. If I have benefits that noticeable, then you should have something similar with Charisma, besides…the groups’ morale is low and with just 15 you might have a hard time rallying them.”

“Okay, I will. But I’m not doing the same stunt as you. I will only take away points from my non-combat attributes to fill the gap.”

Moving his hand quickly, he soon informs me of the changes. “Just as you expected, as soon as I hit 20 Charisma I got a notification same as you and was rewarded +1 Charisma.” Swiping his hand to remove the screen, he pauses as his eyes widen and frantically dart back and forth obviously reading something. “Dude…I just got a new notification…for a quest.”

“A quest?” My mouth drops in surprise as he continues to read the details out.

Survive the First Day

This Quest is open to all party members. To receive rewards recipients must live till the end of the day.

Rewards: 1 Gold Game Token which can be used at any Vendor

“Wait, it says party members?” With a nod from Matt he confirms my question. “Check your status if there were any changes.”

“There is a new tab feature titled Quests. Clicking it switches over to a screen that details my active Quests as well as their details.”

“Interesting… was there not a tab for party?”

“Hmm… yeah right beside it labeled ‘Party’. Whoa… It is asking if I want to invite someone to my party.”

You have been invited to Matt’s Party, would you like to join?

Yes / No

Clicking yes the prompt disappears and I open my Status screen to see the changes. But before I can do so, Matt’s laughter interrupts my focus. “What is so funny?”

“Dude, I just got another reward for being the first Party Leader… +1 Charisma.” Matt finishes his explanation to look at me before we both start laughing at this news. “This is ridiculous, why couldn’t I have chosen where the point would go?” The laughter resides and Matt shakes his head in mild disappointment.

“Okay leader, hurry up and share the Quest with me.”

After getting the quest, I do a quick reread and focus on two important details. One is the mention of a new form of currency called ‘Game Tokens’ which will be the reward. But until I understand the new currency rate I will ignore this. Second, is the mention of a ‘Vendor’. This has huge potential benefits. This vendor is likely to be a shop or merchant where we could purchase items.

“I think we should take a small trip outside before it gets dark.” I close my screen as I inform Matt. “The mention of Vendor is likely to be where we can purchase supplies or even better magic items. The only problem is that we are not told the location of them… However, I think the name is the hint. I think there are now magical vending machines that can take these game tokens.”

“Okay, I can kind of see how you would suspect that. But why do we need to leave this afternoon, shouldn’t we wait till tomorrow morning after completely resting?”

"No, we need to confirm if this theory is correct, because if I am right then it will affect our actions for the others.” Ignoring Matt’s questioning gaze I continue speaking. “It is nothing dangerous, so no need to worry about them. Anyways, our destination will be the gas station. I remember there being some drink machines outside. Besides that I want us to get some supplies from there that can help us better fortify this place.”

“Hmm…well the gas station is not too far away so I guess it is possible.”

“True, the only really tricky part of the plan is convincing the others to not only let us leave, but to not lock us out when we return….” Smiling coyly I feign ignorance to my next question. “Do you know of anyone Charismatic enough to convince them?”

“Okay smart ass… I’ll go be the leader. But we should also discuss what they should do if attacked by monsters.”

“Well, for outside monsters they should stay quiet and barricade in. As far as if more slimes crawl in, then I say grind and try to level up.” Matt thinks it over and with a few adjustments and some other plans discussed we come to an agreement.

He stands up to go discuss the system revelations to the group. A brief explanation is given and a heavy warning about the dangers of the redistribution. I don’t think most of the people will even be tempted by this since they are too terrified right now.

Ignoring the group I focus back on using my available stat points. I talked with Matt and we both decided on our future class builds.

Matt was going to stick with Strength as he is planning on being a front line fighter and I was going to go for a speed build to cover hit and run tactics.

Struggling with my desire for speed or a nagging instinct in the back of my mind for Intelligence, I decide to risk a few more points into Intelligence. My reasoning is if I could accurately predict my enemies’ movements beforehand, then this would allow more uses than an immediate agility up.

Continent with my changes I decide to finally level up and then put the points into Agility and Perception. As soon as I progressed to level 2, I was met by a startling change.

StatusNameJackRaceHumanLevel2(+)ClassN/ATitles---PartyQuests-Health(110/110)Stamina(110/110)Mana(110/110)-Strength8Endurance8Perception9Agility10Intelligence30Wisdom8Charisma2Luck8Unallocated Points6

How did I get 6 unassigned attribute points?

Matt clearly told me he had gotten 3… Could this be due to my peak human intelligence?

Well, the party and quest system was unlocked when Matt reached 20 Charisma… is it possible that each attribute has a hidden system feature that is only unlocked once we reach a base of 20?

That would make sense, I had been wondering why we were missing features such as Inventory, Quests, and et cetera when I first perused the Status screen… Ha, I get it.

Survival is not just based on our attribute points, but also on what secrets we unlock from the system. Each base 20 attribute will greatly increase our survival rate by widening our scope of abilities.

Chuckling to myself, I realize I now have another reason to quickly raise my attributes to 20 besides the potential +1 reward. I move to add my 6 free points but hesitate as I think over this number. Why 6?

Well it could be that the Intelligence hidden effect is to double the attribute allowance. But then why only start with 3 as a base, and if the achievement was reached at 20, then what purpose would we have in going beyond 20….

No, I don’t think that 20 doubled my attribute allowance. Instead, I think it unlocked the growth potential and that I have 6 points because my Intelligence is actually 30.

To confirm my hypothesis, I place 5 more points into Intelligence and quickly advance a level.

StatusNameJackRaceHumanLevel3ClassN/ATitles---PartyQuests-Health(120/120)Stamina(120/120)Mana(120/120)-Strength8Endurance8Perception9Agility10Intelligence35Wisdom8Charisma2Luck8Unallocated Points8

Ignoring the 1 point I had not spent, I gained an additional 7 points.

I was right.

Not only was I right, but I have found the greatest tool to our survival. With a fiendish grin I slowly shake with excitement while thinking over the possibilities. How over powered can I become…. Then an unsettling thought enters my mind.

Turning to look over the others I can see the potential danger this information can pose. If everyone finds out about this, then we could risk having a group of weak but intelligent people trying to fight. Or worse, what if a rapist or serial killer exploits this… A tense atmosphere surrounds me as I decide that I need to be very selective with sharing this information.

StatusNameJackRaceHumanLevel3ClassN/ATitles---PartyQuests-Health(120/120)Stamina(120/120)Mana(120/120)-Strength8Endurance8Perception11Agility11Intelligence40Wisdom8Charisma2Luck8Unallocated Points0

Finished with my adjustments I proudly smile to myself. I see from the corner of my eye Matt approaching and I move to join him.

“Are you done assigning everything?”

“Yes, I just finished. Is everyone okay with the plan?”

“Yep, there was a little hesitance, but they ultimately fell into agreement with me. It seems your theory on Charisma was correct. They were looking at me with, respect? Awe?”

Nodding I move to fill my pockets with necessary supplies and grab a couple of weapons. “Okay, I am ready when you are.”

Matt grips his spear tightly and turns to lead. We pass through the kitchen and head towards the heavy duty fire escape door. The manager gives us a cold look as we pass him. Well he gave me a cold look. It seems my drop in Charisma has not helped our relationship.

Ignoring him I move beside Matt.

Reaching out Matt grabs the push handle and we share a tense moment of hesitation. Swallowing our fears away, we quickly exit the building and what may be our only safety to head towards the unknown. Advertisement Previous

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