The door wasn’t anything fancy like that of Jupiter’s entrance. If I didn't know the Testing was going to happen on the other side, I wouldn’t have been concerned.

“Where do you think you are going? No one told you to go in there yet,” a familiar, yet cold voice stopped my raised hand from grabbing the door. I turned to my right to see Wren coming out of the system shop entrance.

“I thought this is where the Testing is? Polo said I had to go in there.”

I hated seeing how much she distrusted me. I missed the laughing girl from earlier.

She shook her head as she came to a stop in the open doorway. She was adorned in a magnificent purple robe that flowed out behind her. It had intricate patterns that swirled around in a never-ending fashion. Underneath the robe, she wore tan leggings and a cloth t-shirt that fit her form magnificently. Her eyes shown like two magnificent stars; both purple and brown eyes were alive and twinkled in the glow of the lights.

Leaning against the entrance, she crossed her arms and glared at me, her hair billowing around her as if caught in a light breeze. I didn’t feel any wind flowing down the passage, so I wasn’t sure how she was doing that.

“You aren’t ready for that. Hell, with what you say, you can’t even use magic yet. No, first, we have to get you up to speed before we can see what you are capable of. Follow me, Squints.”

She turned without another word and entered the shop.

“Wait, what? Why did you call me Squints? And what’s up with the robe? Do I get one?”

Her voice carried back to me barely audible over the intense jazz music coming out of the shop. “Figure it out, Squints. As for the robe, it’s customary for the administrator to wear one during the Testing. You do not get one. Now, shut up and follow me.”

She didn’t wait on me, so I had to rush to keep up.

The outside of the shop was just plain stone with the occasional spurt of color from different types of rock. The interior was something completely different.

For starters, it had windows running all around the walls with an actual view of outside. I could see sunlight filter through them and trees swaying in the wind. It was as if we had been transported to a new place. I had to step back out just to confirm we were still underground and yup we were.

Magic. Had to be. I was more than a little giddy with excitement. I went back inside but the windows weren’t going to be the only thing to impress me.

The room was huge. I couldn’t see the other side from where I stood. Covering every surface imaginable and even some not, were racks and shelfs of merchandise. Anything anyone could want was there for our viewing pleasure. There was no limit to what one could find. I saw household items, clothes, food, weapons, science equipment, sports items, and so much more.

If I stretched my neck to peer over the racks, I could make out what looked to be a tank in the distance.

But that wasn’t the weirdest part. That would have to be the shopkeeper.

Behind the counter floated a catlike creature smoking a cigar while leafing through a magazine. It was small, with white fur and bright red wings. It had a large red ball on its head attached by a long hair. It let out a large puff of smoke in the shape of on O as it gave a small nod to acknowledge us. If not for the cigar and the scowl it wore you could almost say it was cute.

“Hey Marv, busy day?” Wren greeted as she leaned against the counter. I stopped beside her and looked down at the magazine Marv was looking through. It showed similar catlike creatures all in exotic poses that would make a good man blush.

“Huh, oh uh… yeah, pretty busy. Running myself ragged. So busy in fact, I ain’t got time to be fooling with you so hurry up and get what you need and get out.” That was what I heard in my head but what it had actually said was, “Kapo.” His mental voice was deep, gruff, and surly like that of an ancient old sage who chained smoked his whole life.

“I ought to ring your…” Wren stopped mid-sentence, her mouthing hanging agape as a glowing green circle of goo appeared next to us. It rippled with energy and made the hairs on my arms stand up.

“Kapo!”

Damn, that Marv had a nasty mouth.

“What is…” I started to say but was cut off as two figures emerged from the circle. The left one was an older gentleman with white hair and a matching white lab coat. He had drool running down his chin and let out a belch as he stepped out.

He slid a small futuristic looking gun that glowed green into his lab coat. The person next to him was a teenage boy with a bright yellow shirt and a nervous expression.

The circle vanished as quickly as it appeared.

The old man looked around, not even acknowledging Wren or I, then looked to the ceiling. He shook his head in contempt.

“Where...” The boy started nervously. “Where are we Grandpa Ri…”

“No. Stop. Don’t say my name! Whatever you do don’t say our real names… Worty.” Belch.

“Wh… Why? Will like the world explode or something?” Worty looked around in confusion and stepped closer to the man.

“Explode? No, Worty. Worse. We might be subject to… copyright infringement.”

The boy, Worty, visibly shuddered. “We need to get out of here. Like now... Dick.” Worty cracked a smile at some unknown joke.

Belch. “Nice one, Worty. Yeah, we need to leave. We’ve already been here too long. This joke is already getting old.” Dick looked up at the sky. “Nice one, fatty. Keep eating those Cheetos and typing away. You walked a thin line today.” He pulled out the same gun as before, turned and pulled the trigger. Another glowing green circle appeared before them.

“Quickly Worty, let’s go, we have better things to do. I need to see a man about a spacerat.”

As they stepped through, Worty’s voice carried back to us. “Is that a euphemism like choke the chicken?”

“Dammit Worty…” It sounded like Dick was about to go into a long lecture, but their voices vanished as the circle closed behind them.

Wren and I stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds.

“What the hell was that?” I exclaimed.

Wren was able to regain her composure before I could. She shook her head and turned back to me. “Not a clue. Weirdo’s come and go. Hell, you being here is just as strange.”

“But…”

“No buts, we’ve got a lot to cover. Marv, I need to use the room.”

“Kapo.”

“10 credits? Dude, that’s highway robbery.”

“Kapo.”

“’I’m about to make it your damn problem,” Wren grumbled as she passed him something I couldn’t see. Marv smiled as the object in his paw lit up golden yellow. He passed it back to Wren who quickly tucked it away.

“Kapo?”

“We will need the usual room stuff, I guess. Table, chairs, lights, and something to write with. Oh, and some food. Skipped breakfast this morning so I could go for something hot.”

“Kapo.”

“Extra? Forget it then. Just the room.” Wren looked at Marv with fire in her eyes. She wanted to beat the creature. As long as her attention wasn’t on me, I was okay with it.

‘C’mon, Squints. Let’s get this over with.” We entered into a basic room with grey walls, a small table with two chairs, and notepad with a few pencils beside it.

“So, before I go into my long monologue of the system, tell me what you know.” Wren took a seat, gesturing for me to take the other.

“Oh okay, yeah, no problem. What do I know about the system?” I pulled the notepad and pencil over to me. I started writing with great flare and elegance. “Let’s see. Yes, this. Oh, and we can’t forget that. Wait, there’s that one thing too. Annnnd done. This is what I know about the system.”

I turned the paper around and presented it to her ceremoniously with a bow of my head.

“Really? You proud of this one?” Wren snorted in derision, and I found my attempt at lightening the mood had failed miserably. I turned the paper back around to examine my handiwork. For some reason, my brain had told me to elegantly write the word nothing as a joke and that it would definitely make her laugh.

Note to self, don’t listen to brain.

Just be zombie.

I crumbled up the paper and tossed it over my shoulder. If I had aimed, I couldn’t have done it but the paper wad sailed through the open doorway directly at Marv, knocking the sandwich he had magically pulled out of nowhere out of his hand.

He looked at me like he wanted to end me.

I cleared my throat. “Umm, sorry about that.” I chuckled weakly. He turned away with disgust and picked up the sandwich. Instead of tossing it, he blew on it and mumbled, “Kap… rule.” Then proceeded to wolf it down.

I started toning out the Kapo and just hearing the words he projected into my mind.

“Wow, you are as dumb as you look aren’t you?” Wren chuckled dryly. “Marv, can you get him a status card?’

“Does he have credits?”

“This one is on me.”

“Okay, that will be 100 credits then.” Marv pulled out an object from behind the counter and floated into the room with us. “Alright. Here.”

“100? I thought they were only 20!” Wren demanded incredulously.

“20? That was years ago. Haven’t you ever heard of inflation. It’s 100 or get the hell out of my shop!” Marv had relit his cigar and proceeded to blow a jet of smoke into Wren’s face.

Wren grumbled but did as requested. She pulled out a small white card and handed it to Marv. He greedily accepted the card then floated back to the counter where he tapped at a device next to his nudey-magazine. I saw another faint glow of golden light before Marv returned to the room.

“Alright. Here.” He thrust the items at Wren in irritation. “Now, am I finished? I’m in the middle of an interesting article.”

“Yeah, yeah, article. Right. Thanks, Marv.” Wren focused on me as Marv floated out of the room and out of sight. “Give me your hand.” She had put her card away but had the second identical one out on the table.

“What?” I was a bit dumbfounded by the whole exchange.

She didn’t repeat herself.

Wren grabbed my hand, yanking it over. Quick as lightning, she jabbed my finger with a knife she materialized from thin air.

“Ow!” I exclaimed but she ignored me. A small drop of blood welled up. She then placed my bleeding finger against the card.

“Now repeat after me, Tomus Lyra Gerstik.”

I did as commanded. “Tomus Lyra Gerstik.”

The previous white card lit up golden yellow before fading and leaving elegant black script across it that quickly vanished as well. “What happened? What did that mean?”

“Well at least we know you are somewhat normal. So, basically, we just activated your status plate and linked you to the system. That was the phrase to activate that card and your blood was the catalyst. Don’t worry, everyone must do that. Even non-magical people. Now, here.” She thrust the card at me. “This is your status plate. It is bound to you by blood and will only display your information. Do not lose it you will have to buy another, and I will not be paying for that one.’

I looked at the little card in awe. Then realized I had no idea what she was talking about. “What’s a status plate?”

She grunted as she slung her legs up on the table and edged her chair onto two legs to lean. “You know the appraisal tool we used on you earlier? Well it’s similar to that only a billion percent better. It’s used to display certain information like your level, attributes, and so on. It also acts as a communication and navigational device. Not to mention that it gives you to access the system shop, granted, you won’t have access to everything you would in a regular shop.” The word smartphone came to mind before quickly vanishing. “Are you paying attention? I’m only going to say this stuff once.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Basically, it’s a one stop does it all device. Gotcha. Quick Question. How do I use it?” I spun it around in my hand examining it. It was currently blank and looked like a fancy paperweight. I tossed it in the air to get a feel for its weight. Couldn’t weigh more than a business card. I bent it to see how flexible it was which wasn’t a bright idea.

“Squints, are you trying to piss me off?” Wren snatched it from me. “I just paid for that. At least wait a few days before you destroy it.” She examined the card for any damage.

Satisfied she tossed it back to me.

“The card is pretty intuitive and will learn as you use it. Meaning, that one day you can access the information without even taking it out. That said, you are as bright as a jar of mud so that will probably never happen.”

“Hey!” I started to protest but didn’t get the chance.

“You will have to take the card out of wherever you store it and focus on it. Look at it and really think about what you want, and it might pick up a brain cell or two and activate.”

I glared at her but didn’t comment. She was in a bad mood today that was obvious.

I focused on the card as she said and few seconds later it glowed yellow again and a light blue, slightly opaque message box appeared before me hovering just over the card.

{Name} – Grey ̵̻̘̿̈́̋͌̿̃̓͛͂̋̚ụ̷̠̘͎̯̺̥̻̘̠̖̙͖̬́̇̑̍̓̒̂̀̈́͆̀͘̕͝V̴̛̯̖̹͕̳̿̑̍̓̀̆̏̾̕͠͝w̶̖̮͎̩͈̮̿̿́̆͒̈́͐̌̑͘̕6̸̡̡̧̱̟̬̙̳̲͕̼͙͛́͌́l̸̠̦̯̓̓̆͗̈́̆̄̒͆͗̈̚͝n̴̨̛͓̣̤̗̖̪͚͙̫̒̂̑̆P̵̡̧̪̪̗͎̭̻̼͎͈̟̗̮̈ͅ4̸̡̡̧̧̱̝̮̼͙̬̿͋͑̈̂́̀̓̏͛́̏̽̚͘

{Level} - 1

{Total XP} - 0

{Credits} - 0

“How does XP work?” The concept felt familiar, I had a vague understanding of what it meant but I didn’t want to pass up on some needed information.

“You can gain experience in a number of ways but the most common is completing system issued quests or killing monsters. Honestly, you should probably just take a history class or something because there is a lot that you need to know, and we just really don’t have the time. But the most important thing is to make sure you always have that card with you. Not only does it allow others to contact you once you share information, but it’s how you level up. You’ll gain experience no matter what, but you won’t be able to apply that experience without either the card or visiting a system shop. It doesn’t just automatically happen. Theoretically, you could be level one for ever if you don’t use your experience.”

“Why wouldn’t someone use their experience.” Shouldn’t everyone want to level up and get stronger?

“A number of reasons, maybe they want to hide their abilities and make people think they are weaker than they appear. Speaking of weak, you’ll actually get to earn some experience and credits today. Since this is your first time using the holo-field, I’m assuming it’s your first anyway, the system will reward you with some but enjoy what you get because it won’t do it forever. That said, the main reason is because of the system itself. It allows you to trade experience points for credits and vice versa. The exchange rate is different depending on your level and other factors, but for a level one, the last I heard it was 50 experience points for 1 credit.”

I thought about it for a few seconds, but it didn’t make sense. “That seems like a major trade off.”

Wren snorted before replying. “Yeah maybe, maybe not. But frankly, it’s needed for the really high levels where you need so much experience just to go up one level. I can see that you don’t understand. Let me try this a different way. Say you were to kill a Lich, well maybe not you. I don’t think you could ever do that. But somebody does. Well, that would probably net that somebody close to 10,000 experience depending on the level of the Lich. If they were level one that would be 200 credits. The average spell or skill in the shop is 1000 credits. Do that a few times and you can seriously level up your abilities. It’s not for everyone and it’s mainly used if you are shy a few credits to make a purchase. It can also be used to level quickly. Trade in credits for experience and you could go from level 1 to 20 no problem. But the catch is that the higher your level the more experience you need to advance it. So going from 20 to 21 is like going from 1 to 20.”

“Seems kind of like cheating. Just a way for the rich to skip ahead.”

“Nah. You can’t use other currency to purchase credits or experience, so you have to grind for them. You can give credits to someone, but most people aren’t that stupid and even though everyone has access to the system shop, most don’t really use it. Never enough credits to make it worthwhile. The highest jump I’ve ever heard of using this method was a Paladin going from 23 to 31 and it cost him more credits than you could probably earn in a lifetime.”

“Paladin? First mages and now Paladins. How many jobs are there?”

“Honestly not sure. The system is vast, and I’ve never had the inclination to look into that.” Wren eyed the door as if she were about ready to leave but I still had questions I wanted answers to.

“What does leveling up actually mean?” From what little I understood, it sounded like experience allowed you to get stronger and survive this crazy messed up world full of monsters and magic. I don’t think I would ever trade my experience for credits.

“Well, besides your level actually going up you get random boosts in some of your attributes as well as unlocking new abilities and skills. All if this is done by the system and is random to the person. So even though we are both mages, I might unlock a skill at level 30 that you might not get until 40.”

“How does the system judge who gets what?”

“No idea.” She took out her blade and started cleaning her fingernails nonchalantly.

“Who controls the system?”

“No one.” She flicked some fingernail gunk into the floor and stashed the knife away. She then plunked her chair back down and moved to stand.

I still needed more information. “Where did the system come from?”

She rolled her eyes at me but stopped trying to get up. Leaning against the table she looked me square in the eye. “Not sure what you mean. It’s always been here as far as I know.”

It all sounded crazy and strange, wild, yet exciting. “This makes no sense.”

A flutter coming from outside of the room drew Wren’s attention for a second. She chuckled as she shook her head. Looking back at me she said, “Yeah most of us try to not question it. There is a sect at the Viation devoted to studying the system and trying to solve the quest and unlock it’s secrets. If they’ve found anything then they haven’t shared.”

A system messaged appeared before me unprompted.

{NEW QUEST}

{Unlock the secrets of the system}

{Reward: ?}

“There’s a quest to unlock the secret? Also, I thought I had to use the status plate to view system messages?”

“Nope. System can do whatever the hell it wants. And yeah everyone gets that quest when they activate their status plate for the first time. If you use yours and look for quests, you can see a new message displaying all the quests you’ve accepted. Not sure what it’s all about though. I’ve tried to find answers, but I’ve got more important things to worry about like the war.”

“War?” I still had questions about the system, but this piqued my interest.

“Yeah. War. But we aren’t about to get into that. That’s a topic for another day. You probably have a million other questions, but I’m done with the history lessons. Ask Polo or someone else to fill you in. Right now, we have to see what you can do. I’m assuming you don’t know any spells?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Check your book.”

“My book?”

She visibly sighed in irritation. “Yeah, your book. Your grimoire. You are a mage, our books are soul-bound items. Doesn’t matter if you threw it away or burned it. It will come back. Do like you did with the status plate and think hard, and it should appear.”

I did as requested. Nothing happened for a bit. Then, with a loud pop, a book appeared before me in midair then fell to the ground. It was a little bigger than my hand and almost as think. The cover was in tatters with bits peeling off. It was an amalgamation of black and blue with words on the front I couldn’t read.

“Dear god!” Wren exclaimed. “It’s nearly destroyed! What the hell is wrong with you? Our books are a reflection of our souls and can’t be destroyed permanently. Even if you chopped it up with a knife, set it on fire, then buried it, the next time you tried to summon it, it comes back practically brand new. I don’t know what it could mean for you that yours is like that.”

I bent and gingerly picked it up. Carefully, I cracked it open but found nothing but blank yellowed pages. It felt like the whole book would fall apart in my hand.

“Dismiss it before it crumbles to dust!” Wren demanded.

I shook my head indicating I didn’t know how.

“Do the same thing you did before but instead of summoning it think about it disappearing.”

I did and the book vanished.

“Okay, so that’s a no then. Well, until you can figure it out, you won’t be able to use your book, meaning that you can’t have more spells than you can remember. There are thousands of spells both system and natural so that’s a bit of a problem.”

“System and natural? What’s the difference?” With every explanation she gave, I found more and more to question. There was so much to learn.

“Squints, that’s actually a valid question for once. Kudos to you!” She rolled her eyes, but I detected a hint of a smile. “So, system spells are preset and defined. Usually having quicker activation requirements and a lower MP cost. Take for instance the water ball spell. There are both system and natural spell variations. The system one can only form a water ball at a certain size, and it can only do the one thing; shoot at a target. Natural spells have longer activation requirements but allow for greater freedom of use. You can control how big, fast, and even what happens. Both have advantages and disadvantages. In a fight between magic users or just in a fight in general it is best to use a system spell with a shorter activation. Doesn’t matter how strong your opponent is if you hit them with a spell first it will at least interrupt them and give you the advantage. It’s best to have a variety of spells and abilities.”

I felt the hairs on my arms stand up as excitement ran through me. This is what I was looking forward to.

“I’m going to give you enough credits to buy both a spellbook and a spell. Spellbooks cost a lot more, but they are the same as a natural spell. We actually learned to make natural spells from spellbooks and recreate them. You cannot learn a spell without either a spellbook or a system spell, but you can learn abilities based on your job and class.”

My mind was reeling with possibilities. “Which spells should I purchase?”

“Not sure, normally, people select a spell that aligns with their affinity.”

Another new concept. I really hated asking but I had to know. “Affinity?”

“Let me start off by asking, do you know your class of magic?” She gave me a second to think.

“Umm, no? I remember seeing the word class when you used the appraisal tool, but it had weird symbols next to it.”

“Not surprising. As far as I know, you are the only one of your kind. I don’t even know what class you are. But I know you are a mage and that is because of your eyes. Every mage is born with an affinity for one class of magic and then a type of that class. It is this that determines their eye color. Take me for example. My class is elemental magic with my primary type being Lightning. Elemental mages all have bright, vibrant eye colors, while the other classes have different shades and hues but that is the one thing that connects us all. We are each born with one regular eye color and one magical eye color. However, no class has a black magical eye like yours. So, while I know you are a mage, I do not know your class. Does that make sense? I’m not the best at explaining things, you really should’ve learned all this earlier.”

I got the gist of what she was saying. “Yeah, makes sense so far.”

“Good. Now, there are five classifications of magic for a mage as well as multiple types under those classes. Spirit, Elemental, Conjuring, Rune, and Alchemy make up the five classes. Elementals like me, are further divided into seven types. There are legends of another class, but I thought that was a myth. Clearly not. I’ve never seen any spells, skills, or abilities listed in the system that have the job of Mage except those of the five classes, so even the system things you are a freak.”

She pulled out her card and made a motion for me to do the same. She took it from me and then tapped them together resulting in another golden light. “There, I have added us as contacts and sent you enough credits for your spell and spellbook. Go ahead and buy them.”

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do but I knew I needed my status plate, so I took it back from her and held it in front of me. Wren nodded for me to go ahead and gave me a small smile, the first genuine one in a long time.

I thought about the shop and what I wanted to do. Within a few seconds a window appeared before me with a ton of information. There were categories and subcategories for items, weapons, magic, and so much more. It was all a bit overwhelming, so I just focused on what I wanted.

I spent a few minutes sifting through information and hunting for two spells I thought I would like.

“Wait some of these list specific jobs and classes. Can I use a spell from another job and class?”

“Yeah, I was worried about that. So, anyone can buy any spell for any class or job but that doesn’t mean they can use it. You can typically only use spells for your specific class. I’m an elemental mage, so while I can buy a spell for a Rune class, it more than likely won’t work. Since we don’t know your class, I’m not really sure what to do. I’m hoping that the system will identify your class or tailor the spells so you can use them. Either way, it’s a gamble, hence why I’m only giving you enough to buy two. For now, focus on spells that are specifically for mages and go from there.”

It was all too much to take in. I didn’t want to be a freak. I wanted to fit in, figure out who I was, and get my life back in order. But I had to accept the things I couldn’t change.

I did as she said which helped cut down the numerous spells but there were just too many to accurately go through, so I grabbed two that caught my eye and made a purchase. The first was a spell called wind scythe and the second was a spellbook called haste.

WIND SCYTHE

Activation: Incantation “Kalitum”

Range: 15 feet

Cost: Mana – 5

Damage: Varies

Type: System

Duration: Instant

Job: Mage

Classes: Elemental

Alongside of the incantation you must perform a slash or other indication of intended direction. Your swift gesture creates a solid lash of howling wind. Damage is based on target, can cause staggering effect.

HASTE

Activation: Depends on Class and type.

Range: 30 feet

Cost: Based on Class and type.

Type: Natural (can unlock additional benefits over time)

Duration: Up to 3 minutes

Job: Mage

Classes: Spirit, Elemental, Rune

Choose a target within range. Can target caster. Until the spell ends, the target’s speed is increased by 20%. Target also gains increased dodge and jumping abilities as well as agility is increased by 3 points. When the spell ends, the target has reduced movement speed for 30 seconds.

I didn’t fully understand the descriptions or activations, but I figured I would learn as I went. Before I could finish my purchase of the spellbook I had to select which class I was purchasing it for. I had no clue if I could use spirit magic and while runic magic sounded cool I didn’t know enough about it so I just selected elemental. The next message gave me the incantation and between the two spells I was already having trouble remembering both. I was beginning to see the importance of a grimoire.

“Finished.” I looked to Wren who had her head down the table and seemed to be asleep.

She yawned as she sat up. “Gooood. Last two things we have to go over before we get to the fun stuff is staffs and clothing. Basically, there are stones found in nature that naturally enhance a mages capabilities by amplifying their mana efficiency. Certain types of wood also have this characteristic, so staffs were made out of this combination. But that is old school, the same principles can be applied to other materials than wood. You see, this?” She indicated to the necklace she wore. “The choker material enhances the power of the stone and acts like a staff. Easier for travel and can be hidden a lot easier than a staff.”

“Do I get…” I started to ask but was cut off as Wren continued with her explanation.

“Lastly, clothing. You can cast magic while wearing any type of clothing, but we have found natural materials work best for mana flow. For example, the clothes I have on, except for the robe, are all made from pure cotton. It is the best at not interfering with the flow of mana. As for my robe, while it is not pure cotton, it has other properties that justify it. It was sewn with strands of yarn that were imbued with magical properties. Enchanted clothing is pretty rare and expensive so you won’t find many people with them but if you can get a piece it is worth it. Mine increases my defense against magical attacks. While it cannot stop a spell completely, it will help to lessen the effects. There are numerous enchantments that can be added. Okay, that’s enough. I’m tired of talking." Wren stated as she stood and moved toward the door. “Let’s go Squints. Time to test your skills.”