Plenty of TRPGs allow players to continue to stack up experience points endlessly, but there always exists a certain final form to be reached. This could be the moment you hit Lv15 or a build that spikes after 200 XP, but regardless, I think there is beauty in arriving at a clear end point.
It’s a magnificent moment when your damage is so utterly broken that you enter combat and instantly deal hundreds of points that can’t be defended against, mitigated, or blocked, or when your defense can soak tens of damage points from any attack that comes your way. The beauty of these completed characters paired with a GM one step from screaming “Can’t you guys hold back a little?!” is nothing short of the pinnacle of art.
That was exactly why I thought now was the time to focus on fundamentals. I wanted to dedicate my growth to whatever final form I pursued in the future—both with regards to my stats and my social standing.
The capacity of each of my physical stats was encapsulated by levels which were computed against the average for my race. And, according to the notes on my stats page, once my ability reached the lower bound of a new level, the evaluation on my screen would change.
Generally, the physical entries ranged from I: Feeble, II: Shaky, III: Weak, and only at Scale IV did someone become Average. After that came V: Good, VI: Superb, VII: Excellent, and finally VIII: Ideal, but above that there lay the upper limit, Scale IX, Divine Favor. The wording of the last level implied that it was a level reserved only for those who were literally loved by the gods.
Attaining that would take an ungodly number of experience points. My first objective was instead going to be raising all of my attributes to V: Good. The road to my tentative goal was long, and the numbers were dizzying. But I was used to being derided as a data munchkin: I was an oddball who would slay a god if I had data to support my efforts. Sniffing out interesting skills to abuse was but a part of my routine.
As I stared holes into the cylindrical skill tree, I found a characteristic in the basics category called Child Prodigy. Its effect was simple: so long as I was a child, it was easier for me to gain experience. This limited-time skill was fated to run its course eventually, but I could sense that this would significantly increase the total experience I earned throughout the course of my lifetime, and poured my savings into it immediately.
It goes without saying that it was a rare trait, and it took several weeks of wood carving and daily chores to save up enough to get my hands on it. But the results were exactly as I had hoped.
After half a year, my Wood Whittling skill had gone from I: Fledgling, past II: Novice, all the way to III: Apprentice, with IV: Craftsman mere steps away. Above that were V: Adept, VI: Expert, VII: Virtuoso, and VIII: Master. The only thing beyond those was IX: Divine, so I was probably close to the average skill level of an artisan in the field.
Child Prodigy was the key factor behind my explosive growth rate. Looking back at my previous experience rates, I likely would have barely made it to III: Apprentice without the skill.
Seeing how the required proficiency level to reach the next rank rose exponentially (the actual numbers were downright disgusting) alongside the ranks of my stats and skills, I understood why a trait like <Child Prodigy> would need to be found in talented children and even some average people.
Regardless, as I mentioned previously, one of my goals was to use Child Prodigy to earn points efficiently and use them to boost all of my stats to be above average. On top of that, I wanted to build up a clearly defined strength. I would love to get at least one Scale IX, like IX: Divine Favor or IX: Divine, but...well, that could be a stretch goal for now.
It was just that, you see, the digits looked funny. The jump from VIII: Ideal and VIII: Master to IX: Divine Favor and IX: Divine was two digits of experience points. If I were to save up enough points to jump from I: Feeble to V: Good in one go, it still wouldn’t be anywhere close to the amount needed for a Scale IX ability. The whole thing reminded me of the masochistic grind of mobile games—especially their endgame content.
For now, I chose to think it over while keeping an eye on my experience inflow rate. I still didn’t know enough about the world to be able to decide on what kind of strategy I wanted to go for. It would be no laughing matter if I went all in on a path that was this world’s equivalent of industrial garbage.
Securing an efficient source of experience was a given. My next priority was to earn the trust of the people around me. There wasn’t any complex scheme behind it: when I eventually found something I wanted to do, the best-case scenario would be for everyone to believe in my ability and help me along. That was true of my parents, the bishop at church, and...
“Erich, what are you doing?”
...Even my siblings. “Oh, Heinz,” I said in greeting. I had been sitting on a stack of firewood beside the barn when my eldest brother called out to me.
He was a large boy who had the same chestnut hair and rugged features as our father. Recently, people had been comparing him to me no matter where he went, so he was in quite the foul mood. I was the youngest child in my past life and the youngest of my brothers in my current one, so I couldn’t fully understand his feelings, but I did still sympathize with him.
Parents make up the better part of every child’s world. Seeing those same parents praise your little brother over you when he wasn’t even a toddler who needed constant attention would be unamusing, to say the least. These children often become disobedient in search of attention and lapse into a downward spiral as their mischief only further worsens their parents’ opinion of them.
It was plain for me to see the painful future he had in store. But I loved my (mentally younger) brother, so with the withered thoughts of a man in his thirties, I aimed to create harmony between us. “I was making this,” I said.
“Whoa!”
I offered my brother a kid-sized wooden sword fashioned out of firewood and wood chips. Using my pocket knife and our horse’s hoof file, I had created a longsword that a green-clad hero might swing around on his adventures, sure to tickle the heart of a young boy. The point of the sword was almost cartoonishly long, but the five-year-old deep in my heart was screaming about how cool it was, so I figured it would be fine.
“You can have it, Heinz!”
“What?!”
I could tell from his expression the moment he laid eyes on the wooden sword that my brother had begun scheming something terrible, but I smiled as I handed it to him all the same. I hadn’t carved it for myself to begin with; the other day, I had seen Heinz staring enviously as another child swung around a toy sword they received from their parents.
“R-Really?” he asked.
“Yup, I wanted to pay you back!” I explained.
When he tilted his head in confusion, I began listing out everything I could think of that he’d done for me. For example, I wasn’t a fan of the tomatoes (strangely, they were already widespread as a food product in this world) that he’d eaten for me. Another time, I’d neglected to raise my strength levels and he’d helped me when I was struggling to draw water from the well (though I think he only wanted to show off). It was easy to find things to be thankful for when we lived together.
“So thanks, Heinz!”
Faced with a smile and my gratitude, my brother was at a loss for words but eventually gave me a sheepish smile in return. I was sure his heart was a great swirl of emotion. He probably felt a good deal of regret for his childish jealousy and the fact that he’d considered acting violently. As for me, all I could hope was that the seeds of friendship were being sown.
“How is it?! Do I look cool?!” he asked, striking a vaguely swordsman-like pose.
“Yeah, super cool!” I replied. Seeing him so happy with what I had made for him was the sweetest bliss I could ask for. Past life aside, Heinz was my family. How could I feel anything but happiness when seeing him enjoy himself?
After all, the only ones who could judge him were those who had never been a child at all.
[Tips] <Child Prodigy> is one of many time-limited skills. There exists a lower-tier counterpart called <Accelerated Learning>. <Early Talent> and <Young Genius> offer effects during childhood and early adulthood, respectively. Another is <Bursting Youth>, which helps preserve adolescent beauty.
Direction is indispensable when trying to think about anything.