There were forty-three people in my class, which meant all the best skills were undoubtedly taken. It was the worst-case scenario. He still hasn’t even shown me the list of leftover skills…
“Just choose your skill already.” He sighed. “I never thought the day would come when some brat would tire out a god.”
Finally! A large blackboard covered in words was floating in front of me. It took him long enough to get to the point. What a selfish god. Ugh, why couldn’t he just hand me a tablet or something? Could he not figure out how to turn one on? Maybe the old man was so out of touch he didn’t know tablets existed. I vaguely heard him muttering something. “Stop making fun of me… Stop making fun of me…” He was probably reciting some obscure Chinese poetry.
I decided to ignore the senile old geezer and take a look at the list of skills. I read them all in one fell swoop. There were tons, but almost all of them were taken. Did I have to go without a skill?
I saw the following text at the top of the skill list: “You can allocate 1 point to each stat. Alternately, you can set your stats by rolling dice (10 points for two dice).” I had 50 points to allocate. Obviously, it would be better to have a higher number, but all of my base stats were 10. Even if I allocated all my points to a single stat, that would only get me to 60. I couldn’t do that, obviously. I didn’t know what the maximum would be after leveling up, either. “1 point each” was grayed out. As for rolling the dice…screw that. If each roll of the dice cost 10 points, and the best I could roll was a 12, the odds of doing better than just spending all 50 points normally were abysmal.
Next I read, “Weapons/Armor/Items: 5 to 50P each.”
Disposable items like potions and antidotes were about 5 points each. Weapons and armor were between 5 and 30 points. And a set used up all 50 points. I wanted medicine, but it was an inefficient way to spend my points. I should try to learn healing magic. It would be pretty scary to start the game without a weapon, but those jerks had snatched up all the basic weapons and armor anyhow. Picking last is completely unfair!
Out of more than a hundred items, the only one left was the “Generic Villager A Set.” I saw “Holy Knight Set,” “Archsage Set,” and “Armor Tank Set,” all for the same price of 50 points—the right price for a powerful set. But I had to settle for Generic Villager A, also 50 points. What a total rip off!
“Contact Lenses (Better eyesight): 30P.”
I definitely wanted those contacts. Bad eyesight would be a huge handicap. I would buy them in a heartbeat if they only cost 5 points, and maybe I wouldn’t look like I was glaring all the time, but 30 points was just ridiculous! I supposed if your eyesight was really bad then they’d be worth the price. There was a good chance that this world didn’t have any glasses. But 30 points!
Next, I read “Combat Skills: 10P.”
That sounded fair and reliable. And the price would leave me with points to invest elsewhere, too. I saw Fencing, Sword Fighting, Polearm Mastery, Archery, Whip Mastery, and every other type of martial arts that I could imagine. All sold out.
The only one left was “Cane Mastery (The ability to wield a cane or staff): 10P.” I’d need a cane, but 10 points wasn’t so bad. But how could I survive a fantasy world armed with what was basically a stick? I wasn’t a kid trying to harass a bunch of turtles at the beach! And even then, a stick wouldn’t be enough. Not that I would ever bully turtles, I’m not a weirdo!
The last category read “Abilities: 10P ~ 30P.” Not cheap, but this is where secondary world fantasies really stood out. They were practically cheat codes! There was the crowd favorite, “Experience Boost.” There was “Black Magic.” “Bandit’s Plunder”—what the hell? There were even psychic abilities like Clairvoyance. I saw so many awesome abilities—damn it, they were all taken! And the ones left, my god, they were abysmal!
The first one in the list was “General Health: 30P.” I could see that being really useful. There definitely wouldn’t be any hospitals over there. But I couldn’t ignore the price. Sure, I could try to lead a peaceful, healthy life in a fantasy world, but what good is health if I can’t even win a fight against the first monsters I meet? 30 points was just too rich for my blood.
Next up: “Walking (The ability to walk exceptionally well): 30P.” Again, it seemed practical but not worth 30 points. In a world with “Experience Boost,” how could being able to walk exceptionally well even compare? Was everyone else just stumbling around like a bunch of drunk toddlers? Was some accursed demon king just playing a prank on this world? Could this next skill be any better?
“Calisthenics (Skilled at exercises): 30P.” Calisthenics?! Please don’t tell me that guy who does the exercises on TV is in this world? I couldn’t handle it. What a total joke.
Last and perhaps most terrifying: “Sensitivity (Your body becomes more sensitive): 30P.” They had to be kidding me. How could they possibly make teenage boys more sensitive? What was this, a boys’ love universe? I didn’t need sensitivity! Although half the students were girls, anyway; was this some weird sex world? To be totally blunt, I don’t think any girl would want to practice this kind of skill with me, but should the impossible happen, I’m ready and willing.
Until I saw the fourth category, they may as well have been sending us to the dark ages.