Congratulations on completing your first assignment! Your reward: 90% XP to next level; 25Z. Zan is a common currency in the worlds of the Cradle. You can spend it on individual improvements, and buying in-game items. Also, zan can be exchanged for the experience. Added application: [Personal Zan account 1]. Level up! Human Arthur Kim (The Fool) - Level 2 Power Peak: Undefined. Different organisms process Atma at different speeds. For each player, there is a certain power limit at which the rate of Atma absorption is significantly reduced. Some players get stuck at the first level for life, others can reach the max value of ninety-nine. Sleeper agents rarely rise to level 100 or higher. Archetype: not identified. The archetype is the player's basic predisposition towards a certain development style. It is determined by personal qualities and the chosen methods of solving emerging problems. Archetype directly affects specialization. T here are five main archetypes: fighter, mystic, vagabond, deacon, master. Archetypes can overlap. Specialization: not identified. Specialization - a narrow focus inside of the chosen archetype. Strength: 1 / Endurance: 1 / Speed: 1 / Energy: 1 / Will: 1 Points for Improvement: 1 Seal: None. Seals are marks of the Atma flavors that permeate all the worlds of the Amaravathi Network. Seals affect the changes in the player's body, perks, and resistances/vulnerabilities. They partially affect the player's abilities, archetype, and specialization. Seals are divided into elemental (Flame, Air, etc.), natural (Beast, Hive, etc.), heroic (Adept, Holiness, etc.), magical (Magic, Undead, etc.) and great (Dragon; Old One, etc.). There are twenty-five of them in total, but one player can only own two (three after the hundredth level). Totem: None Totem is a seal with a wild spirit inside (any mortal or mythical creature. Does not include Atma creatures). Acts like an additional seal. A player can own one totem (two after level 100). Wyrd: 0 Points: 1 Wyrd is a measure of a player's humanity. What is he willing to do to achieve his goal? What is he willing to become to gain strength? At each level, the player gains one Wyrd point, which acts the same as one upgrade point. As soon as the player spends ten points, the overall score is increased by one. With each increase, the player loses their humanity, changing externally and internally. Perks: none. Perks are passive properties of the player's body/soul. Mostly determined by seals/totems, less often by skills, ability, and archetype. The player can spend Atma on improving perks. Each passive has ten stages of improvement. Upon reaching the eleventh, the perk transforms into an enhanced version. Skills: none. Skills are indicators of a player's skill in various areas related to his activity as an agent. Abilities: Abilities are active play skills. The set of abilities depends on a variety of factors. [TIES THAT BIND 1] Allows the player to establish useful contacts with mortals/other players. Those turn into bonuses in the appropriate areas of activity. depending on the level of spiritual connection (expressed in the form of Tarot Deck). … Why am I a fool? Although, yes. That’s true. Hard to argue. Even though I knew it was actually about a card, a smart person wouldn’t get himself into such a mess. I needed to deal with it, sleep on it. Digest this experience. I felt extremely strange. On the one hand, it was scary. On the other hand, some inexplicable euphoria floundered inside. I felt like a six-year-old boy again, who was still given a sword and sent to the dungeon. Nice metaphor. Even too nice. I am the boy who was given a sword and then taught me how to use it ten years later. As a result, this boy cut himself on the blade two hundred times and accidentally injured other people. He didn’t know you were supposed to grab the handle, not the blade. Well, sometimes it is the blade, but that’s not that kind of sword. On the way home, I decided not to waste time and put my only stat point into Speed. Didn’t turn into a Sonic, but the body became a bit lighter. I wanted to test how everything works. The immediate effect wasn’t impressive, but that was just a point. Apparently, you need to invest a lot more if you want to start running at wind speeds. The development is expected to be gradual. I tried to sneak back into the bed, but that ship long sailed. There was light in the kitchen and loud rattle of the ceramic cups. As soon as I got into the hallway, Alice instantly materialized in front of me. She looked like an angry wife with a frying pan in her hands. “Where have you been, step-bro?” She asked with a completely indifferent voice. Her eyes sparkled in the dim light, like an owl preparing to grab the prey. “Couldn’t sleep. So, I went out walking. Why aren’t you in bed?” Just pretend everything completely normal and ordinary. What could go wrong? Alice chucked. “With a hammer?” I completely forgot about the sledgehammer and brought it back home with me. It was still covered in sticky green goo and smelled of fish. How the hell did I not notice?! It felt so natural… I had seconds to invent a plausible version. “You won’t believe…” “I hoped you’d be normal at least for a week or so. Not even a single day, Arthur…” “It's not what you think.” “Don’t underestimate my imagination. Go on, let’s compare notes.” I told her a wholesome story about how I met a girl who was returning from a party. She was attacked by, um ... let's say, dogs. And I heroically fought them off, grabbing the first thing that came to hand. And then, being shocked by what had happened, I brought the hammer home. What? Why does the hammer smell like fish? How do I know? Those stray dogs eat all kinds of trash. Maybe they were gorging themselves on fish or whatever. Or, the real owner of this hammer used it to make tuna paste. The dogs are okay though. I didn’t hurt them. Alice heard me out and sat on the sofa in the living room. “What a story. Sounds like complete bullshit, which means it must be true. You would cook up a better lie.” I stood in front of her like a fifth-grader who got an F in something like fine arts and managed to hide in until the end of the semester. Why should I explain myself? Are you my mom? “Those dogs were weird as long as I remember. We were always scared of them, me and Liam.” “Let's forget about the dogs for a sec. Although, if you really saved someone, congrats. You nailed it.” Her gaze went to the sledgehammer left in the hallway. Something died inside of me. Alice snorted and invited me to sit next to her. “Dad called when you were in the shower. They know you are here.” “I see. You told them after all” My trust in Alice jumped at some wild amplitudes, as wild as an imaginary dog. “No, they already knew. Where else would you go? Besides, that’s not the point.” “There were options. I’m not a small child, and managed to travel around the country.” Even after so many years of separation, my mother knows me too well. She knew exactly what I would do. “That's it! Arthur, you're a grown-up man. You don't seem to need a nanny. But as soon as I looked away for a second, you wander off to play whack-a-mole with some strays.” She was silent for a moment. “They wanted me to kick you out.” “But you didn’t.” “This is my decision, not theirs. I don’t care what your mom is up to. Just... don’t give them weapons against us, ok? I won’t say anything, but the rest is up to you.” While she was talking, a glowing shape appeared before my eyes. A card, right where a shiny dot used to be. I tried my best not to look at it, focusing on my sister's face instead. The drawing became clearer - a young woman in a pope hat. Behind her, an eerie shadow with long, bony fingers stretched from the darkness. Of course, Alice did not see any of this. A Card Unlocked: The High Priestess “Don't look for explanations or excuses for your decisions. Rely on your intuition. Do not waste this strength on everyday trifles. Appreciate every minute alone with yourself, appeal to your inner voice. Keep your feelings and thoughts clear, be kind to others." Bond level: 1 Creatures and players whose level does not exceed the level of the agent (+20) cannot detect a dwelling/invade using Atma abilities. It seems we became a little closer. Turns out, it’s very easy to impress your bis sis. All you have to do is to show up in the middle of the night with the right tool. I let out a relaxed sign. “I don't deserve this kindness.” “Of course, you don't. But you’ll have plenty of time to be useful to your family. And when I say family, I mean me. Find a job and take me out to a fancy dinner. And until then, all the chores are on you” Well, I can deal with that.