《Of Gods and boredom - Origin》4. Tutorial
Advertisement
It didn’t take long until I was forcefully awaken by a head-splitting migraine. I tried standing up and check my surroundings, only to fall back on my ass once the world started spinning with me at its center. I was forced to my knees, throwing up because of the horrible sensation.
[New player recognized! Scanning for biometric signs… Registered! Unique player number 53 on the new server 78103, welcome to the tutorial! Be advised that the first time after teleporting, you might experience a feeling of slight sickness!]
“Now it tells me… and how is this ‘slight’!?”
I couldn’t help but swear under my breath while looking around for the sound of the voice. I was not able to find anyone… however, there was something else that caught my eyes: green plains!
I was in my apartment on the balcony just a second ago and now, I am in the middle of some plains, filled with lush vegetation. If the strangely appealing voice is not messing with me, I really must have been teleported here.
Grinding my teeth and struggling to stay on my feet, I took in my surroundings. I couldn’t afford staying on the ground as there were already another 52 other people participating in the tutorial. I need to get a move on!
“What do I need to do? Hello!? Can you tell me what’s next?”
[Tutorial initialized! Phase 1: Status page! Please use vocal command ‘Character’ in order to bring up your status page as a new player! Reward: +10 to all base stats!]
I spaced out for a bit when I heard what the first phase requires of me to do, but then I just sighed and decided to go for it. After all, since it is a game, it makes sense to have game mechanics…
“Character!”
Power: 60.5 ATK Rating: 53 Survival Rating: 68 Base Stats Total ATK: 8 Total HP: 13 Total Pierce: 3 Total DEF: 6 Total Hit: 5 Total Dodge: 9 Total Crit: 7 Total Firm: 7 Superb Stats Damage Add: 0% Damage Dec: 0% Malice Rate: 0% Malice Resist: 0%
[Congratulations! You have completed Phase 1 and have been awarded +10 to all base stats.
Do keep in mind, that your general Power is only an indicator to show your prowess in comparison with other monsters or players, but it might be inaccurate in certain scenarios.
The formulae for calculating the Power is (ATK Rating + Survival Rating/2).
Additionally, the formulae for ATK Rating is (Total ATK*3 + Total Pierce*2 + Total Hit*2.5 + Total Crit*1.5), while the formulae for Survival Rating is (Total HP*2 + Total DEF*3 + Total Dodge*1.5 + Total Firm*1.5)… ]
Advertisement
[Initializing Phase 2: Mana! Use vocal command ‘Mana’ to access the sub-menu for Mana display in the Character interface. Reward: +25% skill experience!]
“Power is not an accurate indicator… I guess it makes sense as this is not an actual game, but real life with game mechanics. Even if your DEF stat is over 9000, all it takes it’s a blade to the heart and you’re done... Hmm? What sub-menu!?”
I did a double-take on the words sub-menu and started glancing above the stats page… There were indeed seven icons, but four of them were grayed out.
Starting from the left to the right there was ‘Echelon’, ‘Decoration’, ‘Shape’, ‘Title’, ‘Skill’, ‘Mana’ and ‘Badge’. Only the Title, Skill and Mana were available to me at this point. Ignoring all others, the fact that titles existed, meant that there would be achievements. That means I need to hurry up! Maybe if I complete it first…
“Mana!” – I mumbled softly
Unlike before, this time a new window opened that had few words thrown on it. It looked cryptic and it sounded… vague. Nevertheless, I took comfort in the fact that I was right about the mana being added to our world at least.
Mana
A primordial energy that exists everywhere and nowhere.
Its purpose is to enhance all forms of life.
To use mana you must feel it by meditating, followed by condensing it into a core.
Different mana colors represent different attributes and different core colors represent different ranks of mana purity.
Skill proficiency: LVL 0 (0%)
“…”
I stared dumbly at the brief and not very helpful message. Meditation was needed in order to ‘feel’ mana and then condense it into a core… For a person that has no experience with online novels, it might sound strange, but in my case, it made total sense. I have read countless such stories where the main character had to follow this process in order to feel the energy and then condense a core in order to use actual spells or skills. You can look at it as if there would be pieces of it inside your body and you need to bring them together in one point.
“At least that’s how it was in wuxia novels. But that also was ki or internal energy and not mana… I wonder if there are differences?”
Once formed, the core will have different ranks as well based on how you refine it further. They are usually separated by using a color system, starting from light-based colors when at the beginning, to dark based-colors while advancing, or the other way around.
“Given that the ‘quest’ is not completed just yet, it means that it will only be done once I actually either ‘sense’ mana or create my core. Better get started then…
Advertisement
Acting according to the knowledge gathered so far through reading, I sat on the grass with my legs crossed and focused on emptying my mind of useless thoughts. That was… difficult considering my circumstances. I mean, really! Not only did the world get transported into another universe where we need to compete with alien civilizations and freaking monsters, but I was also teleported into God-knows-where for a tutorial where I need to sense a mystical energy I encountered so far only in games and novels, while my head is still pounding and I’m about to throw up again. So yeah… just a bit difficult…
“Phew…”
I took deep breaths and exhaled heavily. I tried imagining only the form of my body and focus on feeling the flow of everything in it. I started with the air going through my nose, in my lungs and out of my mouth, followed by the sound of my heartbeat, imagined the flow of blood from my heart through arteries going all over and then returning in the same place through the veins… everything felt normal and I calmed down considerably.
I went over and over again through the same process, until something felt off. It was barely perceptible in the beginning, but after a couple more ‘rotations’, I could feel something else besides the air itself in my lungs. At the same time, I could hear a loud sound in the outside world, however I ignored it and focused on the colorless and near-invisible gas-like substance that was slowly integrating itself in my lungs.
Excited at the discovery of the substance that I deemed to be mana, I kept searching the remaining portions of my body, only to discover in utter defeat that there was nothing of sorts anywhere else but the lungs. But then, I had this idea: if the mana is everywhere and I absorb it similar to how we absorb oxygen, can’t I pass it through my body in a similar fashion?
“…and then, I could enhance my entire body with mana!”
Therefore, I focused even more on guiding the mana to link with the air I was breathing and tried to move it towards my heart accordingly. That’s how, after what it appeared to be an eternity…
“SUCCESS!!! Ugh…”
I yelled, followed by a sudden yelp of pain and a feeling similar to having a heart attack. No, that’s not correct! It actually felt that someone reached out into my body with their bare hands and was clawing intensely at everything it could. Not only that, but I found myself unable to breathe as well, as if… as if there was no oxygen to be had.
I fell face-first on the ground, one hand clutching at my chest and one grasping my neck, while wheezing and panicking. After five minutes of ongoing torture, I realized that it wasn’t that I didn’t have enough air to breathe, but I had just enough to keep me alive… lucky me!
“…wh..at the…f… AHCK!!!”
As soon as I thought I got used to the pain and tried focusing on the mana in my lungs again, I felt my heart beat so strongly, that I was certain it would burst. Why? Because I also coughed a stupid amount of blood as well, at the same time. Nevertheless, it didn’t. No… instead, the pain continued and the lungs that felt on fire initially, transferred some of that heat to the heart as well, as I kept coughing out blood.
This process went on and on, slowly subsiding as the feeling of relief took over. With the pain now bearable, I climbed back and brought my feet under me, while my body bobbed because of the lack of blood. Taking deep breaths and trembling like a leaf in the wind, I was able to feel mana entering my body besides the air itself, reinforcing and calming down my mind.
It was then that I noticed the message in front of my eyes.
[Congratulations! You have completed the Phase 2 and have been awarded 25% of your current level in mana skill proficiency!
Please use vocal command ‘Accept!’ in order to receive the reward.
Levels in mana proficiency are separated in tiers from beginner to godly level and will improve your control over mana accordingly. The more refined your core is, the better is mana distributed across your body!]
[Initializing Phase 3: Skills! Loading…]
I sighed and shook my head while pondering. Given how much pain I went through, it would be a waste to accept the reward right now, wouldn’t it? After all, I barely moved wisps of mana in my lungs and heart. What if…
“Ugh… I can’t believe I’m actually considering this! Did my preference deviate because of the pain!?”
… what if I could move mana all around my body? After all, just this small linkage between my heart and lungs increased the proficiency so much.
Mana
A primordial energy that exists everywhere and nowhere.
Its purpose is to enhance all forms of life.
To use mana you must feel it by meditating, followed by condensing it into a core.
Different mana colors represent different attributes and different core colors represent different ranks of mana purity.
Skill proficiency: LVL 0 (32%)
Advertisement
- In Serial177 Chapters
Ascension Of The Nephilim
Kyros Steele was the strongest warrior in the Omega Kingdom. But when the Great War of All began, this kingdom fell. Kyros was captured.
8 77 - In Serial223 Chapters
Don't label me!
In a world full of awe-inspiring superpowers, incredible marvels and horrifying brutality, Alexandria King wants to walk her own path. Just like many teenagers, she seeks independence, excitement and love. Not necessarily in that order. Sadly, her struggle is a little harder than most, as her father is one of the wealthiest men alive and feels that she is just right to cement an alliance to another, rich dynasty. Will she be able to escape the trappings of society and gain the freedom she seeks or will she remain trapped within? Spontanous [participant in the NaNoWriMo Royal Road challenge]. - Book1 was finished as part of NaNoWriMo with 52.316 words on 25.11.2018 -This fiction contains Romance between two females.
8 483 - In Serial51 Chapters
The Other Side of the Bed - Half-Stuck in a Fantasy World
Zach's friends like to tease him, just to watch his reactions. He always overreacts in entertaining ways. To surprises, to flirting, and to suddenly waking up in a fantasy version of Earth, butt naked and broke. He used to worry about test scores and required credits, but now he's got more important things on his mind. Things like finding clothes, understanding the economy of this new magical kingdom, and figuring out why he keeps flipping back and forth between fantasy and reality. His only clues are hidden in the strange dreams he's had since he was a child. Dreams of impossibly tall stone walls, monstrous beasts, a missing princess, and deadly Elven magic.
8 251 - In Serial62 Chapters
Embrace the Ether
To burn away the old, rebuilding it anew. Countless years ago, a terrible war came for the ancient Primordials, casting down their once believed immovable dominance and securing the rise of a new empire. The Ether was fractured, broken into numerous pieces as peace was hard-fought. Thrown into this new hectic land, Deus must come to wield an unexplained power, one that threatens both his sanity and life simply to use. If he wishes to survive, he must learn not only how to harness this strength but how to grow and expand it, altering the path of those around him. What he doesn't know is that he's found himself involved in a terrifying plot hosted by those demons of old, a game of sorts to decide the fate of Midnight. Does Deus have what it takes to survive, or has he found himself trapped in a plot he has no hope of escaping? Note: This story has a slow-build and takes awhile for the pace to get going. If that isn't your thing, this may not be for you. Heavy emphasis on world-building and character creation and progression. --------------------------------------------------------------- • Release Schedule • Chapters will be released weekly, with some occasional alterations throughout. This may not be a permanent adjustment, but I'll do everything I can to remain active. --------------------------------------------------------------- • Important FAQ • Q: What is the cover art from?A: The current cover art for ETE is called 'Run Boy, Run...' which is a work from Gustavo Arteaga's collection, which can be found here - https://gusart.artstation.com/https://www.instagram.com/sirgusart/ If you're the original artist of the work and would like me to remove your content from my cover art, please send me a private message telling me so. I'm not making any direct profit off this story or the cover, as everything here is a passion project. Also; This story and all its chapters are a work-in-progress, and may be altered at a later date. Don't expect perfection, but I am trying my best. Look at everything posted on this fiction as a first draft.
8 152 - In Serial7 Chapters
Chronicles of Xod (returning from hiatus)
After a long recovery over a chronic motion sickness issue, I feel I'm ready to return to writing this book. It might be slow at first, but I'm hoping to pick up where I left off. I apologize again for the long hiatus. The pages following are a true account. An account of how I, Josh--a teenage nerd from modern suburbia--ended up in a strange world filled with fantastic magic, bizarre creatures, and terrifying dungeons. Despite the troped-up fantasy feel of the world, this is hardly an ordinary tale. For one, don’t expect a happy ending. With the trials I’ve been through, the horrors I’ve seen and the atrocities I’ve committed, believe me when I tell you, this is not a happy tale filled with friendly rainbow bears or teenage flying unicorns. It’s more likely you’ll finish this book mentally scarred as I will not spare the details of my unfortunate adventures. With the help of my trusted companion Gui, I gain an insight that no one else in the world has. This knowledge allows me to exploit and, for lack of a better term, metagame the system which gave me a clear advantage over its residents. “With great power...,” someone might begin to quote to me. In my defense, I think maybe even you, reader, might have acted similarly with how this reality changed my view of good and evil. This story will be updated regularly on Wednesdays around 6 PM. There will only be about 1000 words per update. The focus is to finish the story before doing any major changes or editing. Please read as if this is a work in progress, not a finished product. Feel free to let me know if you see any error, whether glaring or minor. If you help me out, I'll be sure to add you to a thank you list at the front of the book when it is published. Chronicles of Xod is a first-person fantasy novel that follows the adventures of a young man from Earth. Through unknown circumstances, he finds himself in a fantasy world where life is not all wonders and happy endings. The story takes common fantasy concepts from my favorite video games, books and movies and gives them an adult edge. It also introduces some taboo concepts often glossed over by stories written for broad audiences. The style is meant to be immersive and heavily detailed. The short novel will be written in a way that attempts to bring a sense of realism to an unrealistic genre. Where there are realistic consequences and dangers in a world populated with violent monsters, cruel demons, bloodthirsty undead, and immoral bandits. In this fantasy world, the inhabitants are essentially gender blind as far as sexuality is concerned. There is also more variation amongst male and female physiology. This isn't meant to be any kind of promotion or demotion of social behavior in reality. Just a concept I thought would be an interesting idea to have in a fantasy setting. I highly discourage anyone from reading this material if you are personally concerned with being offended or traumatized. Both violent and sexual content will be graphically detailed. All characters involved in sexual scenes are mature and of the age of consent(18+).
8 234 - In Serial7 Chapters
What in the World?
A young man from the modern world that is desperate to escape the current society but, then was transported to another world suddenly and thus began his adventure on building his dreamed society.
8 64