Ch 7. Path of Stats

It was almost dark by the time I returned to the inn. 

Belle was alone in the room waiting for me. Always seeming so sad when I left and so happy to see me back, I smiled to myself somewhat while deciding in what ways I could make it up to her tonight. 

Looking into the mirror I smiled even wider while expectations grew for what power would soon be mine. 

It looked like the status points were able to be distributed into the attributes of my choosing. I fumbled around in the mirror, waving my hand around like an idiot due to the reversed image. Belle looked on passively, but she was already used to my habits around mirrors, even though she didn't understand the reasoning behind it. To others this must look really strange.

Whenever I hovered over an individual stat I received a prompt asking me whether I wanted to invest in it, which I held off for now while further exploring the changes. I had twenty points to spend, which seemed astronomically high if I correctly understood what each point represented. From what I could tell my status' attributes represented my overall current capabilities, physical and otherwise. From my intuition and the partial familiarity originating from my other's memory I seemed to be able to deduce vaguely what each attribute represented. 

The other things that caught my eye were class, and skills. The skills section didn't respond no matter how I tried to interact with it, but class part seemed to have something there to it. Steadying my fingers over to the class, each empty section popped up with a new display that seemed to require my input.

Adventurer, Fighter, Spearman, Commoner

I had four options to choose from, strangely enough I was given the option of spearman despite only having borrowed the weapon today and being trained almost exclusively with swords. It seems that the effects of what I did in combat were a great influence. Perhaps the manner in which I killed monsters was what determined my class... but then the last two confused me a great deal. It seemed like social status and my actual occupation had some effect on things, seeing as how I had a commoner and adventurer option. It made me wonder, if I killed monsters while being a noble would I get a noble class? 

It looked like I had the ability to choose two classes which seemed odd enough, and the prompt to confirm a class for each slot made it seem like the classes could be changed at any time. To be on the safe side I wanted to confirm my theory with the safest choice, and one that I would regret the least, adventurer. 

Once I confirmed my class, a skill appeared in my status for the first time. 

Physical boost. There was no description but I could tell roughly what it did. I tested removing my class and adding it back before moving on to the next classes. Fighter gave the skill fighting sense, spearman granted spear mastery, and commoner gave me the lesser stamina skill. All passive skills. Fighter and spearman had passive skills specialized towards fighting so I couldn't immediately test their effects, I played around with the settings before settling on adventurer and Commoner. With these set, my attention turned back to the status points and attributes. 

After battling the slimes I could roughly grasp where I most needed to approve. I had struggled with killing what were largely considered the weakest of monster types, even though I did about as well as the others. Intellect, charm, wisdom, these were attractive options but to me they were luxuries. From now on I would be going outside the wall regularly to hunt monsters, the key to my survival would be maximizing my physical attributes for now and synergizing with my classes for maximum effect. 

First, I shored up the most glaring weaknesses by investing five points into strength and constitution each. Pressing down on the illusory confirmation window, instantly I felt my body flow with the power of life. It felt as if the air itself had lightened, my spine filled with strength while I watched my posture improving visibly. I now stood tall with ease, my body light and the dull aches and soreness from today's hardships now gone and replaced with newfound vitality. Experimenting a little with the passive skills, I switched over to fighter/spearman and back again so that I could test the effects. It was only the slightest change, but I could still notice the smallest fluctuation of energy leaving and returning in that moment. My feelings now solidified that I had made the right choice, as I poured the remaining ten points evenly into dexterity and constitution both.  Lighter and quicker, I stretched out to confirm my increased nimbleness and agility. Constitution was perhaps the most pleasurable, and addicting of the attributes tested so far, it felt as if I grew younger and more alive with each point invested. Almost as if the very power of life itself was being added to myself. A dull euphoric feeling, originating in my chest and spreading out as rich life-ladden blood pumped through my veins, circulating and spreading thinner each time as the effects were absorbed into flesh. 

Looking into the mirror I saw that I was much like before, still somewhat skinny, but looking closer I could see there was definition added where previously there was none. The soft lines of muscle sculpted in idyllic fashion added substance to my form. I was really no bigger than before, but I did somehow seem healthier. My skin looked smooth with the previous blemishes and marks common for young men of my age having been healed entirely.

Belle who had been watching from the side quietly had a somewhat frightened expression as the effects of my transformation became apparent. Her tail no straight and no longer swishing relaxedly. I turned to her, whispering. 

"This will be our little secret."

Bending down to take her off guard I swept her off her feet and into my arms, she tumbled into my grasp with a squeak. 

"Master, Belle loves master. Belle won't betray, won't tell anyone." She promises, somewhat desperate while thinking I had doubts of her loyalty. Having grown up with her and knowing her character well, I of course had none. 

"Mmm. I don't believe you." I teased, while holding her in a carry position. My arms supporting her legs and back.

Almost at tears, she started in a panic. "I swear master, please don't abandon Belle. Belle only has master. "

I grinned at how fun she was tease. 

"There are ways to test your loyalty." I said while glancing towards the bed. "Let's have you prove that you're mine."

I said while carrying her to the bed, preparing for the fun ahead of me.