Big Game Sniper

Jared stared at the words uncomprehendingly. As he watched, more words started typing themselves out.

Analyzing background…

Welcome, New User, to the Global Enhancement and Ascension System. All other-worlders are offered a brief tutorial to help them adjust to the GEAS. Would you like to experience the tutorial now?

He read the words, then read them again. Global Enhancement… Tutorial… So it's like a videogame? Jared was no stranger to videogames. On the contrary, he quite enjoyed playing several different ones whenever he had the chance. A wave of vertigo crashed over him, and the world spun. When it kept spinning, he started to worry. He examined his side where he had gotten slashed. The scratches were fairly shallow, only just breaking through the skin. They were fairly long, however, and so would need to be dressed.

As he stumbled over to where he had dropped his pack, more words scrawled across his vision, but he barely noticed them, his head swimming. Venom. Claws. He shook his head, trying to clear it, but that just made it spin faster. He threw up, his mind growing foggier by the second. Black started creeping in at the edges of his vision, slowly overtaking it. Just before the last of his sight was erased, he felt like he was falling, and his vision and mind cleared.

Looking around, he found himself in an all-white void. He could vaguely make out the shape of a box around him, each side about ten meters long. What is going on? Wasn’t I just dying on the forest floor?

The User was about to perish due to the venom laced claws of the [Monocular Devourer]. The tutorial was initiated to preserve the User’s life. Whenever the User is ready, just say or think, “Begin Tutorial.”

I really must be going crazy. Well, nothing to do except follow instructions and see where it leads.

“Begin Tutorial.”

Welcome, New User, to the Global Enhancement and Ascension System. This tutorial will help you become familiar with the GEAS, enabling you to begin Ascending. To begin, think or say “Profile.”

He did, and a character sheet, like from a video game, appeared before him, made from the same blue light.

Name: Jared Moore

Primary Class: N/A

Auxiliary Class: N/A

Ascension: None

Stats:

Physique: 8

Physical: 6

Magical: 2

Alacrity: 8

Physical: 4

Mental: 4

Projection: 6

Evocation: 3

Manipulation: 3

Skills:

Primary Class(0/10)

Auxiliary Class(0/5)

General(0/10)

This is your Profile, displaying your stat points, classes, and skills. It is recommended that you view your Profile often. Further information is available on:

Classes

Stats

Skills

Would you like to view this information, or end the Tutorial?

Jared knew information was power, having done reconnaissance for years.

“I want the extra information.”

Accessing…

Classes

As noted on the Profile, there are two(2) different types of classes: Primary, and Auxiliary. Primary classes are your main method of Enhancement and Ascension. They always give skills related to combat. Some examples of Basic Primary classes are Marksman, Fighter, and Mage. Levels are gained through various actions related to the class, especially combat

Auxiliary Classes are unlocked with the first Ascension at Primary Class level ten(10), and assist the Primary Class in a variety of ways. For example, someone with a Swordmaster Primary Class might have a Swordsmith Auxiliary Class. Levels are gained through various actions related to the class.

This is all the available information on Classes

Stats

There are three(3) main stats: Physique(PHY), Alacrity(ALA), and Projection(PRO). Physique governs your physical and magical strength and power. Alacrity governs your physical and mental speed. Projection governs your ability to interact with the world around you, either through creating something new(Evocation) or changing what already exists(Manipulation.) Levels will give points to specific stats, which you may assign to the sub-stats as you will.

This is all the available information on Stats.

Skills

There are two(2) types of Skills: Class Skills and General Skills. Class Skills are awarded by demonstrating competence in various areas relating to the Class. General Skills are either awarded by the GEAS, or obtained through personal achievement in areas not related to a Class.

There are five(5) Skill ranks: Unskilled, Proficient, Skilled, Exceptional, and Masterful. Each rank has ten(10) levels. Upon reaching the tenth(10) level of the Masterful rank, a Mastery Bonus is applied, either increasing the strength of the Skill or adding a new function.

This is all the available information on Skills.

This concludes the Tutorial. To return, please choose one of the following Basic classes to begin your Ascension.

Fighter

Mage

Marksman

Focusing on each of the options brought up a bit more information.

Fighter

You have been trained in all manner of close quarters battle, and can wreak havoc upon your foes with or without weapons. Provides Skills related to fighting in close quarters, also called melee.

Provides 1 point in Physique or Alacrity per level

Mage

You have trained your mind and senses extensively, opening yourself up to the greater world of magic. Provides Skills related to the fundamentals of magic.

Provides 1 point to any Stat per level

Marksman

You have been trained in all manner of ranged combat, and can rain destruction upon your foes. Provides Skills related to fighting from a distance.

Provides 1 point in Alacrity or Projection per level

There were pros and cons to all three options. He dismissed Fighter with little thought. After his battle with the [Monocular Devourer], there was no way he was getting up close to fight if he could help it. Choosing between the other two was harder for him.

The Marksman class seemed to double down on his strengths and training as a sniper, and would provide the safest, most concrete path to progression. It would allow him to capitalize on the things he had spent most of his adult life learning, and continue developing them.

Mage, however, offered magic. It was an entirely new field of study for him, so he would be winging it, trying to teach himself. It surely had immense potential, but would require him to devote time to learning more about it and how it worked, time he was not sure he had. Not to mention, he wasn’t sure if he was even capable of using magic.

The reality of his situation suddenly washed over him, and he chuckled, shaking his head. Look at me, debating on whether or not to learn magic, like it’s some kind of normal thing. But, I guess it is now.

Along with the written information that the tutorial had given him, he had felt a soothing presence wash over his mind, which it seemed gave him information that should be instinctive in this world, and eased his transition, making everything easy for him to accept.

Tossing that thought aside for further investigation later, he once again examined the options before him, before sighing and making his decision. He could probably pick up magic later or along the way, but he needed to trust his survival to the skills he had honed over a lifetime and had full confidence in.

Primary Class Unlocked! Marksman Class selected.

Skill Gained! Marksmanship(Unskilled I)

Marksmanship(Unskilled I) - You have trained with several different ranged projectile weapons, giving you greater mastery over any you wield. Gives a 1% bonus to accuracy and damage while using projectile weapons. Bonus increases by 0.5% per level in the Skill.

Name: Jared Moore

Primary Class: Marksman Lv. 1

Auxiliary Class: N/A

Ascension: Basic

Stats:

Free points: 1(ALA or PRO)

Physique: 8

Physical: 6

Magical: 2

Alacrity: 8

Physical: 4

Mental: 4

Projection: 6

Evocation: 3

Manipulation: 3

Skills:

Primary Class(1/10)

Marksmanship(Unskilled I)

Auxiliary Class(0/5)

General(0/10)

Congratulations! You have completed your first Ascension! With each Ascension, your body will be remade, slightly improving in ways that cannot be measured by stats.

Go forth, and Ascend to the stars!

With that, the white room vanished, and his consciousness returned to his body laying in a pool of his own blood on the forest floor. Before he could come to terms with his situation, his whole body tensed. It felt like tiny insects were crawling all over his body, just beneath his skin. He tried to lift his hands to scratch at his skin, but control over his body had been wrested from him. The sensation wasn’t painful, but it was immensely irritating, and only increased as time went on. He tried to roll back and forth, move his arms or legs, even just cry out or clench his teeth. But his body refused to follow his commands, leaving him with no choice but to experience the maddening sensation.

Then, as quickly as it began, the itching feeling ceased, leaving him breathless. Taking stock of his faculties, he noticed that he felt good. Like, really good. He stood up, examining his body. Where he had been injured while fighting the monster, now there was only pure, unblemished skin. A blinking light in the corner of his vision caught his attention, and when he focused on it, more words formed.

You have free points to distribute. If you fail to distribute your free points within twenty-four(24) hours, they will be automatically assigned to your lowest applicable sub-stat(s).

Thinking it over for a few minutes, he decided to put his point into the physical sub-stat of Alacrity, bringing it up to 5. He reasoned that increasing his physical speed would help him avoid getting injured as easily in the future. If ascending hadn’t healed him, he would have died right then and there, magical system or no.

Walking the step to his pack, he shouldered it, keeping his rifle out. If there were any more of those monsters around, he wanted to have the firepower to deal with them close at hand. As he was about to set off in the direction he had been going before his encounter with the one-eyed monster, he realized that he felt ravenous, like he hadn’t eaten in a week. Pulling an MRE from his pack, he downed it quickly, not even minding the cardboard-like taste.

Hunger temporarily sated, he set off, keeping his profile low and moving slower than he had been. The monster had seen him way too easily, so either he was growing rusty, or it had a Skill to help it find him. The tutorial had said that he would gain Skills by demonstrating competence in something, so he recalled everything he had learned about forest stalking, both in Sniper School and in the field, and put it into practice. His efforts were rewarded a few moments later.

Skill Unlocked! Stalking(Unskilled I)

Greater than Average competence shown… Assessing true skill level… Skill Stalking upgraded from (Unskilled I) to (Skilled IV)

Stalking(Skilled IV) - Stealth is a powerful tool for any Marksman, and you have trained in the arts of self-camouflage and unseen movement. Your attempts to camouflage yourself are now 12% harder to see through and you are 24% better at moving unseen. Bonuses increases by 0.5% and 1% per level in the Skill.

Skills:

Primary Class(2/10)

Marksmanship(Unskilled I)

Stalking(Skilled IV)