Chapter 005: White Room and Skill Design
TLN: Hey guys, Reigokai here!
And here we have it, 5 chapters! From here on, the schedule of this story will normalize a bit. I am still not sure about the schedule for this story, but I will probably be posting about it once I catch up with Weakest Mage.
Anyways, hope to enjoy this story together with you guys!
How long have I been asleep?
I awakened my hazy consciousness and opened my eyes.
A pure white room with no doors and not a single stain.
I was wearing white hospital patient-looking clothes, and was lying on the floor.
âAm I aliveâŠ? HospitalâŠ?â (Hikaru)
Thereâs not even one bed if this really is a hospital room.
Thereâs a desk and a chair, and on top of the desk thereâs something that looks like a computer.
âThe woundâŠâ (Hikaru)
I reflexively touched my back, but I couldnât feel anything resembling a wound. Or maybe I was hit by a blunt object and there was no stab wound in the first place?
Whatever the caseâŠI am alive.
ââŠNo, am I in the world of the dead?â (Hikaru)
That would sound more plausible.
ââŠI diedâŠno, I was killed. Just like Nanami⊠NanamiâŠâ (Hikaru)
I had flashbacks of what happened before.
The fact that Nanami was killed weighed heavier than my own death.
With me being in this mysterious room, the death of my childhood friend was more saddening and painful than my own health.
âEverything was a dreamâŠ? Thereâs no way that would be the case, huhâŠâ (Hikaru)
Even when I am in a mysterious place like this, I could say for certain that what happened there was without doubt reality.
The stench of blood that overwrote the scent of Nanamiâs room.
The sight of that expressive Nanami turning into a motionless body that had its life cut off clean.
âGuuhâŠughâŠ!â (Hikaru)
I donât know if it is because I am sad about Nanami being killed, or because I am sad about being killed, or maybe both.
Being overwhelmed by a feeling that I canât even describe in words, I couldnât get up for a while.
Why was there a need to kill her?
Nanami was the kind of girl that couldnât even kill a bug.
Memories of Nanami crying saying she didnât want to go to the parallel world.
Memories of the culprit thatâs a student of the same year who I donât even know the name of.
Why am I even in a place like this?
The inside of my head was a mess.
Sadness, questions, and resentment were buzzing around inside my head, and I curled up for a while without moving.
I donât know for how long I was like that, since there was no way to tell the time here.
There were no signs of someone coming to the room.
After crying myself dry, I stand up unsteadily and look at the screen of the computer placed in this room.
What was written there was plenty enough to cool down my head.
ââŠYou gotta be kidding, rightâŠ?â (Hikaru)
This is what was written.
[You have been chosen to be transferred to a parallel world. Finish allotting your Bonus Points and letâs depart to the parallel world.]
âŠLooks like my life still continues.
âWhyâŠ? Why was I chosenâŠ?â (Hikaru)
Are you telling me her right passed to me since I was the closest to Nanami?
NoâŠthat theory should have been refuted already.
When a Chosen from a country somewhere was killed, a person from a different country with absolutely no connections with that person would be chosen. In other words, if a Chosen dies, they simply do the lottery again.
Of course, it is not like thereâs zero chance that I coincidentally was chosen in that lottery after Nanami died, butâŠthatâs a chance of 1 in 7 billion. It is a number I even considered as being zero, and in the first place, I should have died before that.
There was still 1 hour before the arranged time for the transfer when I was stabbed and had lost consciousness. I find it hard to believe that I survived for 1 hour after that.
Thereâs also the chance that I was caught in the re-lottery of someone other than NanamiâŠ
ââŠCould it be that Nanami is also in a different room from me?â (Hikaru)
I, who supposedly died, am now here, so thereâs the possibility.
The one doing the parallel world transfers is God after all. A literal God.
It could be that the dead Nanami was actually her empty shell, and the real one had already been healthily transferred to the parallel world a long time agoâŠ
Or maybe Nanami was still alive.
It is not like I checked for her pulse. She might have just looked dead.
I remember reading somewhere that humans unexpectedly donât die that easily.
Also, right before dying, I prayed to God.
Maybe God heard my prayer and saved both me and Nanami from the unreasonable death.
Even when I know thatâs just naive hope, I still wanted to cling to that possibility.
Nanami and I havenât been killed and the two of us will explore this parallel worldâŠ
Just how fun would that beâŠ
I smack both of my cheeks, and grab the mouse.
Now that I have decided that, I must survive at all cost and reunite with Nanami.
The moment I look at the screen with renewed resolveâŠ
A *pon* sound resonated, and a message was displayed on the screen.
[3 minutes before transfer.]
Now that I look closely, thereâs a timer on the top right of the screen, and those numbers were slowly going down.
Most likelyâŠno, most certainly, that timer had begun counting down the moment I appeared in this place.
âWith just 3 minutes, I canâtâŠâ (Hikaru)
Anyways, I canât take my time choosing.
I should choose instinctively, and if I have the time, I will adjust it⊠Thatâs the most I can do.
I must avoid at all cost the scenario of getting troubled over a choice and ending up choosing almost nothing.
[Please allot your Skill Points. Your total Bonus Points are: 73.]
â73 Points, huh.â (Hikaru)
I canât really tell, but I feel like thatâs a lot -unexpectedly.
There wasnât that much preliminary information about these points.
What I know is that your initial points are decided by a V shaped graph with 24 years old as the lowest.
In other words, you could say God prioritized your current âexperienceâ and âbody maturityâ over the âpotential of youthâ.
According to God, the higher effectiveness an ability has, the more points it will requireâŠ
Anyways, thereâs no time. I must allocate my points quickly.
Disadvantageous Factors âŒ
Remaining Bonus Points: 73p
It was unexpectedly simple.
With this, I might be able to choose properly even with only 3 minutes.
I hovered the cursor over the places and explanations showed up.
For example; in the Special Ability one, it showed [Special Powers that surpass human intellect].
It is straight to the point, but that must be the intention of God as well.
I skim through each one of them.
First, the age. To my surprise, it can be changed.
When I click the ⌠mark, a window opens. By plussing my age, I get points; and by using points I can lower my age (in other words, I can be younger!).
I am currently 15 years old.
Depending on the situation, it might be a good idea to raise my age a bit to increase my points.
Next, I open the Special Ability window.
âUghâŠ! Thereâs such high point requirements?!â (Hikaru)
Gain the ability to face fears and difficulties, and advance forward.
ă»Super Concentration 30p
You can concentrate and forget about sleeping and eating.
Gain the ability to detect the presence of living things.
You can see even in places where thereâs practically no light.
You can somewhat choose the option that will lead to advantageous situations for you.
You can act at full potential without breathing for 2 minutes.
With training, you can stay underwater for around 15 minutes.
Have a wide vision impossible for a human to have.
You can communicate with animals.
ă»Affection of Spirits 30p
All Spirits will love you.
You will have a constitution that makes the person you are interested in like you.
ă»Parallel World Language 0p âŒ
You will be able to speak and write the common language of the area you are teleported to.
It is true that they all sound important, but the descriptions are, how to say itâŠvague.
For example; for Courage and Detect Presence, thereâs differences depending on how good they are. If what you thought was Courage ended up being just foolhardiness, it wouldnât even be funny, and if Detect Presence doesnât actually detect anything until they are super close, then it would be pointless.
By the way, when I opened the ⌠of Parallel World Language, it showed [If not chosen, you get +20p]. Not being able to communicate is a complete landmine. This alone is definitely a no.
I glance at the time and 1 minute has passed.
I think for a bit and choose [Night Vision] and [Affection of Spirits].
It is 45 points for the two, and I am now all the way down to 28 points, but these two are clearly things I canât achieve with effort.
And most of all, my instincts were telling me they were important.
It is also because I remembered my youngest little sister said: âIn these kinds of games, taking the things with the highest cost is the safe choice. Also, there should be a number of abilities that have a low cost, but are pretty important abilities, so you should choose those tooâ.
I donât know if she has a basis for that or not, but my little sisters are actual geniuses.
It should be okay to trust them.
I open the next one, the Physical Ability tab.
Increases physical ability regarding Spirit Energy.
ă»Physical Strength Up. Level 1~5. 5/7/10/15/20.
ă»Vitality Up. Level 1~5. 5/7/10/15/20.
ă»Spirit Energy Up. Level 1~5. 5/7/10/15/20.
ă»Eyesight Up. Level 1~3. 3/7/10.
ă»Hearing Up. Level 1~3. 3/7/10.
ă»Smell Up. Level 1~3. 1/3/5.
ă»Taste Up. Level 1~3. 1/3/5.
The numbers at the right seem to be the cost as the level goes up.
In other words, if I were to choose level 3 of Physical Strength Up, I would be using 10 points.
I read the notes of Physical Strength Up.
[Level 1 is 2 times, Level 3 is 5 times, Level 5 is 10 times the power. Recommended in close combat. Even in other scenarios, it is one of the basic human strengths, so it is recommended to take at least Level 1 of both this and Vitality].
The explanation for Vitality wasâŠ
[Vitality is hard to show in numbers. You are harder to kill and have more endurance, you will also be more tenacious mentally. In gaming terms, it would be the equivalent of HP. For the ones that donât want to die].
It says it includes your mental fortitude, so I feel like this will be quite advantageous when acting in an unknown world.
And so, the unknown power for us that is Spirit Energy says thisâŠ
[Spirit Energy is the power that is expended when using Spirit Abilities. Increases the aggregate amount of Spirit Energy that you can have in your body. The Spirit Energy a person can have in their body differs by individual, so it canât provide a fixed amount, but if you are going to be using Spirit Abilities, it would be best to take Spirit Energy Up].
It is hard to understand, but if they mention Spirit Energy differs by individual, it most likely means thatâŠif a person with low innate MP increases it, it would be badâŠ
Spirit Energy has that fantasy element to it, but it looks safer to put points in Physical Strength and Vitality.
It takes an unexpectedly long time to read the explanations.
1 minute and a half remaining.
Whatever the case, thereâs a high chance that I can âincrease it laterâ. The Level Ups that isekais are so famous for. In that case, I should consider whether to take it first or not.
Before putting any points, I decide to check Resistance.
Thereâs times when you canât get resistances naturally or they are incredibly difficult to get.
ă»Poison Resistance. Level 1~3. At Level 3, Poison Immunity. 3/7/10.
ă»Disease Resistance. Level 1~3. At Level 3, Disease Immunity. 1/3/5.
ă»Aging Resistance. Level 1~5.
At Level 5, Eternal Youth. Level 3, aging speed reduces by half. 3/5/7/10/15.
ă»Natural Recovery Up (Wounds). Level 1~5. 3/5/7/10/15.
ă»Natural Recovery Up (Spirit Energy) Level 1~5. 3/5/7/10/15.
âThe cost for eternal youth is cheap!â (Hikaru)
This might be what my little sister Karen said about âthe required points are low but it is an important abilityâ.
Anyways, the required points are low compared to the other areas.
I can easily reach Level 5 even with my remaining points.
The Disease Resistance being strangely cheap must be because it wouldnât be fun if the Chosen were to die from a disease. Or maybe because it is a world without that many diseases.
I feel like the Natural Recovery Up is especially important, but this also falls into the category of âit depends on how good it isâ. For example; if taking Level 5 can recover you from even fatal wounds after a while, thereâs point in taking it, but if it is just recovering faster from small wounds, it would be questionable.
âThereâs no need to doubt here.â (Hikaru)
I take Aging Resistance Level 3 (7 Points), Disease Resistance Level 2 (3 Points). And then, I immediately opened the age tab and raised my age from 15 to 17.
I got 6 more points from increasing my age by 2.
My lifespan increases by twice with Level 3, so it is a pretty fair exchange.
By the way, I donât have the resolve to take Eternal Youth. I have a bad feeling about it.
With this, I have 24 points remaining.
I am pretty low on time already, but I should also check the Spirit Ability tab.
[You can obtain 1 of any Spirit Ability. Any of them are useful in their own ways. The only one that doesnât have attack methods is Healing Magic. You can only make a contract with 1 Spirit Ability and it wonât be at peak performance].
ă»Fire Spirit Ability: 10 Points.
ă»Water Spirit Ability: 10 Points.
ă»Earth Spirit Ability: 10 Points.
ă»Light Spirit Ability: 10 Points.
ă»Dark Spirit Ability: 10 Points.
ă»Healing Magic: 50 Points.
â50 points?â (Hikaru)
Only Healing Magic is âMagicâ. I donât know whatâs the difference, but there might be a difference in rarity. 10 points is quite the normal cost until now.
For example; Spirit Ability can be obtained even when you are over there, but healing magic is pretty difficult to get? Or maybe plain impossible.
âŠAnyways, 50 points is too out of reach.
âHow about Items?â (Hikaru)
ă»Basic Items Assortment for the Chosen: 10 Points.
ăMoney (Medium)ă»Assorted Recovery Potionsă»Beginnerâs âAbilityâ Scroll PackïŒ[Fire Spear] Ă1 [Wind Blade] Ă1 [Earth Wall] Ă1 [Water Healing] Ă1 [Phantom Light] Ă1 [Dark Fog] Ă1 [Small Healing] Ă3 [Medium Healing] Ă2 [Large Healing] Ă1 [Dispel] Ă1 [Fear] Ă1 [Short Teleportation] Ă1ïŒă»First Aid Kită»Map of Surroundingsă»World Mapă»Compassă»Adventurerâs equipment setïŒShirtă»Cloakă»Pantsă»Beltă»Underwear x3ă»Socks x3ă»Bootsă»Hată»Leather Glovesă»Leather Chest Guardă»Short Swordă»Short SpearïŒă»Noteă»Writing Setă»3 days worth of food (boxed lunches/water bottle)ă»Long term food storage setă»Tableware Setă»Towel x5ă»Handkerchief x5 Pocket Tissue x10ă»Knifeă»Blanketă»Lanternă»Oilă»Matchă»Hand Mirroră»Portable Shovelă»Rucksackă»Belt Pouchă»Nylon Ropeă»Wireă»Cloth Tapeă»Sewing Kită»Hemp Bag x2ă»Every type of Spirit Stone x1ă
Thereâs items you canât obtain anywhere but in the Basic Pack, so be careful when not choosing it.
âI see, canât just go naked after all. Or more like, if you donât choose the Basic Pack, I would be going there with these hospital clothes?â (Hikaru)
That would be Super Hard Mode.
But 10 points is too heavy. I only have 24 points left.
If we start in a city, clothes and money are more important than the Adventurer Pack.
It is most likely cheaper than buying one of each of those items, but 10 points is still too much.
Thereâs a variety of items below the Basic Pack, and it seems like you can exchange for anything you want.
I skim through them. Thereâs weapons, armor, tools, magic scrolls, potions, maps, bags, and even money can be exchanged.
There isnât that much variety in the weapons and armors, but it seems like you can exchange for items that match the size of the Chosen.
There were magic swords and armors, but they were all 10 points, and I donât think I will be able to get them.
Whichever the case, if it is the items with low cost, I can just get them later.
âWith my remaining points, I will get clothes and money. Then, I will put all the rest of my points in Physical Strength and Vitality to finish it.â (Hikaru)
Thereâs only 40 seconds remaining in the timer, but it looks like I will somehow make it in time.
Just in case, I open the Transfer Point tab.
ă»Transfer to a relatively safe place: 27 Points.
A place with low danger and has been worked by humans to a certain extent. There will be a human village closeby.
ă»Transfer to a safe place: 30 Points.
A place where most dangerous wild animals have been exterminated. There will be a city in front of you.
ă»Random Transfer: 0 Points. (It is the default choice)
Thereâs no knowing where you will be transferred, but you wonât be transferred to instant death places like the sea, lava, or the very center of giant forests. However, if you are really unlucky, it is pretty dangerous.
The lucky ones have the chance of being transferred close to a human settlement.
For the early laughs. Not Recommended.
I couldnât understand what was written there for a second.
Thereâs two pretty costly choices? Is what I ended up thinking carefreely.
And then, I understood after my second reading.
The default is Random Transfer.
To think there would be a trap like this set.
âHow many points do I have left?!â (Hikaru)
It is only enough for the âTransfer to a relatively safe placeâ.
I have to redistribute my points or I will be transferred randomly to the parallel world at this rate.
Now that I think about it, the people in the whole world will be watching in real time.
I should have thought about the possibility of God setting something like this playfully.
âThis is bad this is bad this is bad! It doesnât matter what, I have to redistribute the points!â (Hikaru)
At this moment, I was in a complete panicked state.
If I had calmly operated it, I should have been able to make it in time.
And yet, I didnât remember what I put points in and ended up opening the Physical Ability tab.
âAh?! Eh? Which one did I put points in? If I remember correctly, it was Physical Strength Up and Vitalityââ (Hikaru)
My mistake was only for an instant.
I soon noticed I still havenât put points in Physical Ability.
The lost time was most likely around 5 seconds.
âBut those 5 seconds were fatal.
I immediately closed the Physical Ability and opened Special Ability again.
I was about to erase Night Vision and open Transfer PointâŠ
But at the corner of my vision, I see the remaining time at a single digit.
Erasing an ability to increase something else.
If I donât make it in time, I would have simply lost one Special Ability pointlessly.
The moment that possibility flashed in my mind, I stopped moving the mouse.
The number of the timer had coldly reached 0.
[It is now time for the transfer. If thereâs remaining points, you can resume your build after the transfer. Some of the abilities canât be selected after the transfer.]
The screen grew darker, and that message was displayed mercilessly.
And then, just like that, the PC didnât respond at all as if it froze, and only the words [Remaining time for transfer: 30 seconds] were showing there.
ââŠI should have placed more importance in my feeling of 73 points being a lot.â (Hikaru)
My whole body was chilling at the reality that I will be teleported randomly.
âIf I remember correctly, I stopped in the middle of my point redistribution, so I have 24 points remaining, rightâŠ?â (Hikaru)
You could say it is the fortune within the misfortune that I can still exchange my points even after the transfer.
There was also the possibility that all remaining points would be lost after all.
âAnyways, the dice has already been rolled.
[Now then, have a wonderful life. May fortune be with you.]
And then, I was covered in a blinding light.
Added Years â 2 years + 6p
ă»Affection of Spirits: 30p
ă»Disease Resistance: 2 -3p
ă»Aging Resistance: 3 -7p
ă»Disadvantageous Factors âŒ
Remaining Bonus Points: 24p