The common room of The Incredulous was silent after The Captain and the Navigator had left it. That silence did not last for more than a few seconds, as Tlokbur Truefang plopped down on the floor opposite of me and began badgering me. "Sit, please sit. Now, ya have gotten the basic rundown of your NVR by Mara, right?" Is the question I am asked after she insistently flailed her tentacles in the direction of the floor to make me sit. I merely nod affirmatively to make her continue the instruction. "Well, ya see that there is far more you can do with it than looking at your stats and send messages. The NVR has many hidden skills that you can learn to use." She bops her gigantic flytrap mouth up and down in what must be an imitation of a nod.

"I am not going to try to make you master these skills in one day, but we are going to have to teach you the basics of skulking...Errr to give context! Skulking is the term used to describe various skills involving hiding yourself using your NVR." She stops for a few seconds and hmms very audibly, or at least that is what my NVR translates the sound as before she continues. "You see your NVR works because of your nanites. Wait you are from a pre-industrial culture, errrrrrr think of them as super tiny automata, your culture has automata or stories about em right?" She flails a bit more and I am not exactly sure what kind of emotion she is trying to convey with that. I on my end once again just nod to indicate that yes, I know what Automata are.

"GREAT, that makes this easier. Anyway, think of them as super tiny automata who permeate your entire body from your toes to your brain. The reason you can see how strong you are, or how healthy your body is. It is because the tiny automata all communicate, using a...language of energy if you will. The thing about us with the Outlaw edition of the NVR, we are vulnerable to people spying on those conversations." Tlokbur stops once more and I get the impression she is watching me intently before two of her tentacle smack her front with a loud thud.

"Silly me, You probably don't know about all the various editions and stuffz huh. Well, I am gonna make it quick so we can talk about the cool stuffz." Her three not smacking tentacles are rubbed together dramatically in front of me. "We got the Outlaw edition, which means that the system views us as having a societal role outside of the accepted common norms. This means that we range from criminals to social activists who have been rejected by the mainstream and everything in between. The authorities don't really care much about the difference if you have the Outlaw edition that is as good as being convicted in a court of law." I scoff internally at this system declaring me to be akin to a common hoodlum when I am much more than that.

"Now, you might be surprised by this but others can read your interface. As your nanites communicate, that communication can be observed by outsiders. Liiiiike, think of it as listening at a closed-door or trying to read someone's lips. Doing it can be tricky and only the experts can get a perfect read out of it, but if you are caught unawares you can be read almost like an open book. To stop that I am going to teach you the first Skulking skill, it is usually called cloaking. Think of it as covering your lips with your hand, it is the crudest but most total way to shut someone out from your NVR." She flaps her arms about excitedly as she rambles on, but her annoying cheerfulness aside. I will not disparage the information she is conveying. Tlokbur might be an overly familiar fool but she is a useful fool, a resource that I will exploit to increase my power.

My musings are interrupted as I feel something touch my nose. "BOOP, Pay attention young grasshopper. This is where it gets triiicky!" I almost growl in outrage as Tlokbur withdraws her tentacle and continues to speak. I do not let myself engage in such an uncouth display, however, as she was right I did not pay attention properly. "What some people do when practicing cloaking is doing it through meditation. Which is what I thought would fit you the most." She wraps her tentacles around her body and goes completely silent.

Dawning irritation hits me as I realize that this being is going to lecture ME about focus and meditation. It takes all my concentration to not grumble in outrage. I close my eyes just before she says, "Now close your...HEY! I was just going to say that. You mindreader you!". She then ahems before she presumably closes her own eyes, if she has any eyes that is. "Focus on my voice to the exclusion of everything else. Breathe, and with each breath imagine millions of little automata all glowing within you. Feel the glow and sense how it radiates from every cell...err part of you."

My annoyance with being lectured almost causes me to fail immediately. I am quite the master of meditation as it serves as one of the underlying principles of Energy-Working. A practical application of magic which deals not with spells and rituals, but with the manipulation of mana itself. So, being taught as if I am some kind of novice irks beyond words. Yet, the worst part of all of this is that despite my centuries of experience with meditation: I practically feel nothing as I sit there. My technique is all but flawless yet I barley feel a trickle of energy inside of me. "If you feel the glow Glyphie, I want you to reach out and try to dim it. Make the glow stop from going outside of your form".

Frustration seizes me but I do not let it best me. I have been meditating for longer than the entire lifespans of this crew combined, I do not need help. I will force my mind into tranquillity even if it goes there kicking and screaming. It feels almost like making a worm see, impossible for lesser creatures but only extremely hard for me. I force my mind into the right state and I can sense the mana flowing through millions of strange intermediaries, I feel the mana and the energy produced of these nanites intermingle and flow through my body. My mind conjures up the image of a shroud of shadows, I force the shadows down over the light while relishing in my victory over these machines.

My satisfaction doesn't last long, however, as the shroud goes down I feel blood fall out of my nose. My body spasms and I fall over on my side as pain wracks both my mind and body. I can hear Tlokbur exclaim in surprise somewhere in the distance as system messages start filling my vision.

WARNING! Due to massive overextension of your current INSIGHT capabilities, you take 10 Physical Damage and 5 Mental damage.

NOTE! You are trying to develop the Interface skill: Cloaking, but with underdeveloped Interface attributes properly utilizing this skill is too difficult for you. New system assignment added to your list of assignments

CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the Interface skill: Cloaking at level 1. Cloaking is the skill that governs your ability to completely suppress your external NVR signals. Among possible specializations are: Broad Cloaking, Specific signals, Long Term Cloaking

I dismiss the system messages with a contemptuous growl, and I smash my fist into the metallic floor. Knowing that my little episode has a witness makes this all even more aggravating. I can feel my cheeks flushing with humiliation as a concerned voice says. "Glyphie? Are you...feeling better? Maybe you should lay down on the couch and rest a little bit." The concern...no THE PITY in Tlokburs voice makes me want to destroy her. For but a moment I can feel hatred course through me, but I suppress it and turn to her with a weary smile. "It seems like my...Insight is not developed enough to truly utilize your lesson."

I feel three tentacles gently lift me up into a seated position with my back leaning against the side of one of the couches. Tlokbur chitters in a concerned tone before I feel a gentle poke under my nose. "So, what level are your interface attributes? I am asking because it would be rude of me to check your stats without permission." A million different lies and misdirections flow through my mind but I reject them all in favor of the more humiliating option: The Truth. As much as it pains me to admit it, I will need guidance to master this system. "One" I mutter hesitantly and I see Tlokbur flinch in response. "You're sure right?" She asks and I audibly GROAN in response to make it clear that; YES I AM SURE.

I can see Tlokbur lift all her tentacles in what I assume is a defensive gesture. "Sorries! I just had to know...1s are hard maaaan." I grumble in annoyance and she stops and peers at me. "What is it Glyphie?" I show her my sharp teeth in a fierce-looking expression. "I am no man, such binary notions as man and woman have been discarded by me. I am far too great to be constrained by those binary choices." Tlokbur does not seem the least bit shocked by my revelation and merely dips her flytrap mouth in an apologetic nod. "My bad I should have asked first. Anyway..." I am surprised that this simpleton did not express shock at my grand revelation. After all most creatures who live with humans have only accepted the limited binary their kind love so much, I had long since realized that gender and sex as a binary was a foolish interpretation. I could not let something as simple as gender tie me down when seeking ascension, to become a greater being one must transcend such things...and I have done just that.

"1s are hard, because well...Mara explained the point system I hope. How in general one to five is the general limit for most sapient beings and all that?" I am dropped out of my reflections when I realize that Tlokbur had merely talked on without giving any thought to my greatness. It was refreshing to not get idiotic questions or ignorant sneering at me, but some surprise would at least have been appreciated. I catch myself again and nod to the patiently waiting Tlokbur. Tlokbur seems to just be calmly observing me before she decides to continue her teaching.

"You see Glyphie, 1s are hard not only because they are the lowest stat you can have as an attribute. They reflect such a low level that doing anything but the most basic things with your attributes becomes incredibly difficult. Let's use Might as an example, Might 1 would mean that you are barley capable of lifting a chair. Like you can move utensils around, walk, and similar basic things but you can barley exert yourself at all. Your interface attributes being so low means that you can barely use its basic functions, let alone use any of the more complicated skills. Even if you had cloaking at level 5 your control and instincts are not good enough for you to use that skill." She stops her long explanation and seems to flail to underscore her point.

"I can't teach you any of the advanced Interface skills, frankly it is a miracle that you managed to brute force your way into learning Cloaking." She stops and hmmms very loudly before I am patted on the head. "Do not worry Glyphie, mama Tlokbur always knows the way!" She giggles and leans down so her massive form doesn't tower over me. "I hadn't planned to show you this, but it is the best way to get your attributes up rapidly." A tentacle sneaks up to my grasp my forehead with its strange finger-like growths. "Initiate VR projection" Is that last I hear as everything becomes WHITE.

I suddenly find myself standing in a completely white space, there is nothing but whiteness for a few seconds. Until I hear...no feel the sentence "Initiating VR Training Space. Medieval courtyard template." After a few seconds, I suddenly find myself standing in an understated courtyard outside of a small castle. In the middle of the courtyard, a trampled down circle of dirt forms what I expect would be some tourney grounds or a circle for practicing swordplay. I can hear the quiet background murmur that is a staple of castle towns and villages, it is less overwhelming than the clamor of an actual city and not as tranquil as the sounds of the open countryside. Bleak sunlight comfortably lights up the entire area and I can see or more accurately feel people wandering inside of the castle and behind the walls surrounding the courtyard.

I scoff in contempt at this obvious illusion. I, Glyphnax has encountered such total facsimiles before and this one is frankly insulting compared to what any half-decent fae could conjure. The castle is too symmetrical to the point that it almost looks like a painting rather than a real building, the courtyard is too neat and clean for a human settlement. There are no people in what is often the busiest part of a castle's area, no guards stationed at any of the strategic points and there are far too few everyday items placed here to fool anyone but an idiot into thinking this "place" is real.

A series of insults and taunts at the illusionists in question are about to be unleashed, but I stop myself from such foolishness. Tlokbur materializes in the courtyard opposite me and she excitedly wanders about looking at everything. "Maaaaan I never tried the Medieval Courtyard setting before, Human history sure is interesting. it is almost like we are in a Star Zenia novel or playing one of the human VR games..." She does what I presume is meant to be an ehem and nods to me. "We are in a VR space, think of it as a... pocket world inside of your mind. Or rather inside of the Interface system. Here we can privately practice skills of all sorts and work on your Interface attributes."

In non-nonsense terms, she means that we are in some kind of private illusion where practicing skills are possible. "I presume my body is kept stationary in some way since I am standing here as opposed to sitting on the floor?" I ask courtly after having glanced about once more and she nods excitedly. "Mhmm, now you can practice any of your skills. The NVR will construct training programs for you, the best part is that even for let's say physical skills you use your interface attributes." She gestures about the area and continues, "Just say the name of the skill or skills you want to practice. The NVR constructs training programs based on those skills and presents them as challenges. Why not start with something easy like running or," I stop her rambling by simply stating "Archery."

The courtyard is filled with a queer kind of mist before I suddenly have a quiver on my back and a simple bow in my hand. I scoff at this and angrily exclaim "What kind of imbecilic archer would wear their quiver on the back as opposed to their hip. In combat, such a decision could very well cost you your life." Suddenly the quiver appears on my hip rather than my back. Tlokbur on her end ooooohs very audibly and pokes the quiver by my side. "So, you have bows and arrows on your planet. My how fun, it seems to be a common design for humanoid species."

I ignore her frankly rather insulting comment and look over to an archery target made out of a cloth sack strapped to a wooden pole. It has a series of target spirals painted onto it and I arch an eyebrow at this rather odd design for a target. A hobgoblin style archery target in what seems to be a human settlement is not something I would have expected. Is the illusion conforming to my own mind's eye? If it did then I must have an insultingly bad imagination when it comes to human settlements, yet I should have been fooled by it if that were the case. I preliminarily conclude that the NVR only partially makes these illusions conform to my imagination.

"Aaaaaaanyway, Glyphie you practice skills here and it will not only help you develop them, but it will be the easiest manner for you to train your Interface attributes." I glover at her for a moment as I do not appreciate having the obvious repeated to me. However, I am no fool so I transform the glover into a smile. "Thank you Tlokbur," I say as I turn my attention back to the target. Once again I feel rather than hear a sentence coming from seemingly everywhere around me at once. "Hit the target three times successfully to complete the first challenge." A line in the dirt appears before me, which I presume is meant to indicate that I have to shoot from there.

I walk over to the shooting line with what I think is the appropriate amount of confidence and dignity for a being of my providence. The giggling I hear from Tlokbur is graciously ignored as I focus on the target. When I am properly in position, I pull an arrow and lay it on the bowstring. Drawing the bowstring back is surprisingly hard and I can just barely pull it back fully. My arms are shaking with the strain of drawing and aiming the bow at the target before I loose the arrow at it. It sails elegantly through the wind and hits the dirt one meter in front of the target.

"What?" I ask in astonishment at the pathetic attempt I had just made. Tlokbur nervously speaks up from behind me "Having 1s ain't easy Glyphie, you don't use your actual body for the archery here. You use your control over the interface for conscious actions, insight to perceive things and your instinct for...well your instinctual stuff!" She finishes off the last portion with a bit of a huff to her tone. I process this information and once again attempt to shoot at the target and find the arrow misses the target by almost literally a mile. I shoot over two dozen more shots and fail to hit the target each time.

Tlokbur seems to be silent out of concern for once while watching the pathetic performance I put on. I can barely hide my smile as I continue to fail. With my weak system attributes and my neophyte level training in archery, it is obvious that I would keep missing like this. I feel no humiliation for this failure because I do not place any of my self-worth on my skills as an archer, I don't want to show my more...valued talents yet. This gambit is to practice with a skill where a noticeable improvement will be easily noticed and to make Tlokbur grow bored with the exercise.

As I muse on this I actually manage to hit the target which surprises both me and Tlokbur. She beams at me "See there you got one out of three! I will pop out of here for a while, the great thing about sim spaces like these is that you have complete privacy from everyone. If you want to it to end you just say initiate," She stops for a few seconds and then adds "exit procedure. Just without the waiting time in-between. Anyway, I will see you later: Initiate Exit Procedure," and with that, she disappears like she was never there.

I remain unphased by her leaving me and I turn my attention to finishing the challenge at hand. It takes me seven more attempts but I manage to eventually hit the target two more times, the core problem is that in this fake body I can barley draw the bow let alone actually shoot anything with it. When I hit the target for the third and final time I feel satisfaction deep into my bones. I am about to lower the bow when a system message appears before me, at the same time as I can feel it reverberate through the illusory world.

WARLOCK! You have discovered a new system assignment: Through Challenge Transcendence 1. It is noted you have 4 uninspected system assignments out of 4, Your NVR will forcibly open the Assignment function. Please inspect your assignments immediately.

I suddenly feel a powerful tug in my mind and it is almost like someone forcibly holds my eyes open as yet another system message appears before me.

ASSIGNMENTS

Feed Your Patron(S)®© Become a Crew Member(S) Achieve Basic Mastery Through Challenge Transcendence 1(S)©

I stare at the notification in front of me and my first instinct is to be annoyed by the intrusion. After all, it looks at first glance like a glorified town square billboard, but with more pretentious request titles. I am, however, wiser than that as I remember how assignments play a critical role in increasing one's power. Mara told me how one could gain so-called "Accomplishment Points" and how they could be used to gain more power. Therefore, I suppress my annoyance and focus my mind on inspecting each assignment in detail. Thankfully, each assignment has a separate system message giving them a more thorough description.

Feed Your Patron, TAGS(System Assignment, Repeatable Assignment, Chain Assignment)

Your warlock powers have been restored through the pact with your new patron: M.A.R.A. A new form of eldritch life unlike anything ever seen before has been born through your actions, and your creation needs guidance and purpose. Your pact with M.A.R.A is based on the premise that you remain a loyal and productive member of the Incredulous and her crew. The second clause is that you feed her items of power like your old staff.

Task: Feed M.A.R.A two items of power that fit within one or more of the three listed criteria. Do this before one standard earth month has expired.

Criteria: 1. Ancient(at least 500 years old or more), 2. Of spiritual value(worshipped, regularly used for rites, storied, valued by a large family line, organization or nation). 3. Enchanted/Containing innate mana(cannot have been enchanted by you)

Reward: 10 AP, 1 Patron Spell, 1 Ritual, 1 Basic Principle

Remaining Time: 30 Days

Become a Crew Member(System Assignment)

To secure your pact with M.A.R.A you must become a permanent member of the crew that resides on the starship known as The Incredulous. Prove yourself useful and ingratiate yourself to the various members of the crew, so that they can make you a full member of the crew.

Reward: Keep your Warlock status intact, 3 Ap

Remaining Time: The Duration of your Probationary Membership

Achieve Basic Mastery(System Assignment)

Your magic is now channeled through the NVR rather than through your natural form. It has been detected that your Interface Attributes are insufficient to properly channel your magic. Increase your Interface Attributes to 2 or more.

Reward: +1 point to two system skills of your choice, 1 Ap

Through Challenge Transcendence 1(System Assignment, Chain Assignment)

You have completed your first VR training room challenge using a Path Column Skill. Complete challenges for 5 more Path Column Skills.

Reward: +1 to a given Interface attribute.

Remaining time: 1 hour and 12 minutes

I sat down on the fake dirt to digest all of this information. Many questions raced through my head but they all lead to the same conclusion. All of these other assignments were either obvious or too grand in scope for me to consider them at the moment. My first priority would have to be Through Challenge Transcendence, with it completed I would get one immediate benefit as well as a good help to finishing Achieve Basic Mastery. Therefore, I rose up and as an experiment stated " Melee Combat and Unarmed Fighting." The rationale being that my assignment never specified that I had to complete all of these challenges separately. It would probably take me much less time if I could complete three challenges with two skills used in each as opposed to six individual challenges.

Once more the strange mist covers the area and when it passes I have a quarterstaff in my hand and an elven shortsword in my belt. The one edged blade is a thin and gentle-looking sword, but I know just how dangerous these blades could be in the hands of an adept. The quarterstaff is made out of white and polished wood, the light weapon is not hard for me to move even in this weakened body. It took me several seconds before I noticed that I wore a hobgoblin Quarxia glove. Quarxia being the favored Hobgoblin sport of wrestling and unarmed combat, which my mother had tutored me in oh so many centuries ago. I couldn't help but feel nostalgic as I looked down at these weapons, all of which represented an aspect of my past. Maybe the NVR chose them specifically to remind me of it?

Across me in the dirt circle which I now noticed had a wooden wall encircling it...and me by extension, there stood a massive brutish looking creature. It looked almost like a child's doodle of a person given life and form, it's completely featureless and white head stood on top of an almost stick-like figure. Said stick-like figure had a massive Warhammer in its hands and two hatchets dangling from where I presume it's waist is. Once again I feel the instructions of the challenge reverberate through the world. "Defeat this opponent using both weapons and unarmed attacks. Begin!"

The creature rushed at me across the dirt lifting its hammer for a powerful and obviously exaggerated attack. I prepared myself to easily deflect its strike and then move behind it to attack it with my staff. What actually happened was that the impressive speed of the stick-creature caught me off guard and I was only barely able to step aside and deflect the massive hammer blow away from me. The hammer struck the ground which caused dust and dirt to be sent flying around in an impressive spray. Before I could attack or prepare for another deflection the creature rapidly struck out with its hand to grab around my quarterstaff. It ripped the staff out of my weak grip and used the staff to easily sweep me of my feet.

I was left dazed for but a moment after having hit the dirt. The next thing I was able to process was the stick figure lifting it's massive hammer up to strike down on my prone form. I kicked it in the leg out of sheer instinct, which sent it stumbling back two steps and bought me the time I needed to roll away. I ponderously rose up while drawing my short-sword, I hate swords and detest using them. This sword especially did not give me any warm feelings, but I needed to defeat this creature to ensure my path to power.

This moment of thinking time almost cost me dearly, as the creature rushed towards me with its hammer ready. This time I took the offensive, however, with what I had hoped would be a series of quick slashes. Sadly, these slashes were weak and rather slow instead of the impressive sequence of moves I had expected. The creature had no difficulty at all with blocking my attacks using the long handle of the hammer, before it stepped neatly within my reach and struck me under the chin using the pommel of its weapon.

The pommel strike sent me back to the dirt once more, leaving me with an aching jaw and a sour conclusion. With these weak Interface attributes, it would be impossible for me to win this fight. In this form my body was far too weak, my reflexes slow, and my constitution all but void. I could also feel that my natural instincts for battle were being fought against by this fake body. I had no intention to lose, of course, I merely recognized that I could not win this fight in a conventional manner. The creature came for me and I began to desperately roll around on the ground to avoid its attacks with the hammer. Eventually, after four attempts I had managed to roll sufficiently, so I had time to get back up on my feet.

This time when it came for me, I lifted my sword to do an obvious and rather exaggerated downward slash that would have hit the creature in the shoulder. The strike never reaches home as before I can hit it, the head of the hammer is used to intercept my slash and at the same time knock the sword out of my hand. It then strikes me in the gut with the pommel of the long Warhammer. The strike knocks the breath out of me and sends me crumpling forward onto the Stick-Creature.

Just as I had hoped it would, you see these Quarxia gloves have two interesting features to what is otherwise a normal leather glove. One they have two round stones embedded into the leather intended to make punching more... interesting, and secondly they have a tiny bronze hook in the palm of the glove. The purpose of said hook is to be used as a skinning and cutting tool while grappling. The creature had knocked the sword out of my glove hand and let said hand fall over its neck and shoulder area. Despite the massive pain coursing through me, I could not let such a gracious gesture go unanswered, and I, therefore, pressed the hook into the back of the stick-humanoid and began dragging my hand along its back.

Long gouges were cut into the "flesh" of my enemy and I then kneed up into what I hoped was the genital area of the stick-person. It was its turn to fall and it fell back onto the ground with me on top of it. I barely managed to get my arm free from underneath it, before it hit the ground. Despite my pain and exhaustion, I did not leave anything to chance and I began raining down punches upon the head of the stunned Creature. These punches would have been as weak as a flyswatter, but the rocks in my glove made the difference. After several such punches, I grabbed a hatchet from its side and brought it down onto the head of the Stick-Automaton.

After the battle was over I rolled off my enemy's carcass and laid on the ground with flushed cheeks in humiliation after having had to use such brutish tactics. It was just so embarrassing having had to struggle in the dirt like a peasant, but it was necessary to help me regain my powers. "Challenge successful, 2 out of 6 skills tested. Four more remains." I smiled as I felt the declaration reverberate through the courtyard. I laid back some more, before rising up. This time I resolved myself to not pick such brutish skills.

It took me some deliberation to decide which skills I should use next, but I eventually decided to use Fortification and Minion Management. After the mist subsided this time, twelve of the stick-creatures stood in the courtyard next to a pile of construction material. I stared at this display for a few moments before the challenge notification rang out through the area. "Use your minions to construct inner palisades in the courtyard within 30 minutes." This time after the challenge rang out and insultingly loud bell noise filled the air as a starting signal.

This task was far less painful in the physical sense, but it was significantly more aggravating than the savage battle against the automaton. Despite my extensive experience in managing minions to become instruments of my will, it seemed that my voice and body language did not carry with it the necessary authority to do so properly. After giving the minions their tasks and making sure the construction went underway properly. I noticed that some of the minions would start milling about rather than doing their assigned tasks, and others started working more slowly or less competently if my attention slipped away from them.

The end result of all of this became that I had to rush from minion to minion in a desperate surge, to ensure that they all remained productive and focused at the tasks at hand. This ranged from yelling at the minions to demonstrating how to do some of the more complex fortification construction. Eventually, I delegated the overseeing of the two largest groups to two of the minions, which meant that my workload was reduced significantly. As I had to only reprimand the overseer minions rather than correcting each individual.

This task felt more like herding chickens than managing obedient minions to do something productive. In spite of the challenges at hand, we did manage to complete the inner courtyard palisades within the time limit. The fortifications were not exactly impressive, but they were serviceable. And considering the difficulties I had faced, serviceable would be as good as I could have hoped for.

"Challenge Successful, 4 out of 6 skills tested." Was the oh so satisfying response I got after having concluded that I had finished the palisades. I noted that I had 45 minutes left to finish the assignment, so I took my time considering the possible skill combinations I could call upon. On a whim, I decided on Death Device Construction and Throwing. As the mist cleared I saw a large pile of blades, metallic wires, pieces of wood and construction tools. There was also a target in the distance. "Construct a deadly throwing weapon and hit the target once with it after it has been finished".

This time there was no signal for me to begin, so I awkwardly ran over to the pile to start working. I had not been informed on a time or attempt limit, but I decided to be as quick as I could be, while still being careful in the process. Eventually, I decided to make a contraption where I took a long piece of rope and wrapped it around a ball of interwoven metallic wires. At the end of each wire, I bound sharp pieces of wood and metal to it. The rope would give a lot more room for error when trying to throw and hit the target, as it was never specified that I needed to hit the target well or in a deadly manner.

After having constructed this simple throwing weapon I walked over to an assigned throwing line and started swinging the rope like a lasso. I stared at the target and let my enmity towards all of these uncouth tasks flow into the rope as I swung it around in a circle. Then when I felt my arms tiring I sent the rope flying towards the target and it just barely managed to hit it. However, a hit is a hit and I felt the warm tingle of satisfaction flow through me as the NVR announced, "Challenge Succeeded, 6 out of 6 skills have been tested." After the announcement, another blue system message appeared before me, and I grinned savagely as I read it.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have finished the System Assignment: Transcendence through Challenge 1. You have been given 1 attribute point to spend on an Interface Attribute of your choice. You have completed your first System Assignment, when you have completed 3 more you will be promoted to Standing Level 2.