2 Decision
"Isn't this completely broken?" muttered Adam, reading the description of Jack-of-All multiple times to ensure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.
While Jack-of-All would undoubtedly be weaker than the other Legendary Classes early on, being able to combine the Abilities of other Classes was insane. Even if he just took the stat-boosting Passives of other Legendary Classes, his basic stats would be far superior to others at the same Level. If he combined Class-specific Abilities, like the [Heavenly Divine Body] of a Great Sage and the [Draconic Assimilation] of Dragon Soul...
Feeling a shiver run up his spine, causing goosebumps to spread across his arms, Adam immediately chose Jack-of-All as his Class. He had spent the past five years capped as a Level 20 Miner, so he didn't mind being a little weaker than others if it meant he could basically become a God late game. And thanks to Jack-of-All exempting him from the Experience loss suffered upon death; it was only a matter of time before he reached Level 100.
Seeing Adam's decision, Gaia nodded in approval, asserting, "That is the best Class you could have chosen, given your circumstances. My second recommendation would have been Overlord, but rearing strong and loyal Familiars takes significant luck, time, and patience."
"Too bad luck isn't a stat," murmured Adam, staring at his status window with a scrunched, contemplative glower. With a starting Growth Rate of 10%, he would need to reach at least Level 20 before he caught up and began to overtake even Basic Classes. To surpass the base Talent Growth of other Legendary Classes, he would literally need to reach Level 100. As such, his starting stats were incredibly important.
"Would you like my assistance?" asked Gaia, moving around to stare at Adam's status window from over his shoulder.
"As long as I can redistribute them if I don't like what you choose," replied Adam, seeing no harm in trusting the System's judgment. If left to choose on his own, he would invest ten points into Strength and the rest in Agility, Dexterity, and Charisma. Dodging was better than tanking hits, and due to his [Never Say Die] Passive, he didn't have to concern himself with losing Experience if he made a mistake. As for why he would invest in Charisma, it was indispensable if you wanted to gather information and improve your standing with the NPCs native to the virtual worlds.
-----------------------------
Name: Adam Masterson
IWN(In-World Name): [Undecided]
Title: [None]
Class: [Jack-of-All]
[Attributes]
Level: 1
HP: 100->320
MP: 100->210
Str: 1->6
Agi: 1->20
Vit: 1->10
Int: 1->10
Dex: 1->20
Cha: 1->40
Talents: [Slow Start, Endless Potential(1/100)], [Never Say Die(MAX)], [I Can Do It Too(-/10)]
Skills: [Insight(MAX): 1MP], [Sophistry(1/10): 50MP], [Penny-Pinch(1/10): 50MP], [Gamble(1/10): 10MP]
-----------------------------
Seeing the stats Gaia had chosen for him, Adam took a moment to mull them over before asking, "Is Intelligence really necessary for my Class? I wasn't exactly planning to pull out a die or flip a coin every time I attack."
"The world I'm sending you to exists outside the standard bounds of the Gaia System," replied Gaia, further explaining, "There are numerous ways in which Mana can be used outside the Skills you're familiar with, so you will only benefit by having more."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say..." replied Adam, reaching up to press the button that would confirm his stats. He still believed everything he was experiencing was the setup for some immersive event, so Gaia's words went in one ear and out the other.
"Now I just need to customize my appearance and choose an IWN..." muttered Adam, his eyes briefly focusing on the gender selection slider. ENGRAM Inc had made it impossible for players to modify/change their gender without going through an arduous vetting process, so he was a little surprised to see it among the parameters listed. However, as it was known that changing your gender in the virtual world could lead to body dysmorphia and other serious issues, he decided not to fool and instead spent nearly three full hours customizing his Avatar to look as badass as possible.
Once Adam had finished finalizing his appearance, Gaia offered a curt nod and said, "Now you just need to choose a name, and we can proceed with the world selection process. Just keep in mind this is the name you will be known by for the remainder of your life, so it is recommended you abstain from any memes or pop culture references."
"Yeah, yeah..." repeated Adam, pressing the slot for his IWN and simply typing in [Cairn]. He had never been good at choosing names, so using his previous IWN seemed like a fairly safe bet. Choosing anything more 'meta' was a good way to become a laughingstock in the community.
Pressing the [OK] button located at the bottom of his status window, Adam was surprised when a trio of doors appeared in front of him, one white, one red, and one blue. At the same time, the panel in front of his face changed, asking: [Would you prefer a peaceful realm, survival of the fittest, or a world focused on scientific advancements?]
Though peaceful usually meant boring, Adam, now Cairn, didn't dismiss it outright. He once had aspirations of rising to the top and standing beside famous Rankers, but with the virtual market linked to the real world, those with money and power outside quickly rose through the Rankings, leaving no place for those of lesser means. Possessing a Legendary Class didn't guarantee him fame, fortune, or status. Odds were, no matter how much effort he made, he would forever be in the shadow of corporate-backed 'pioneers.'
Losing a bit of his motivation, Cairn exhaled a sigh before asking, "Can I choose all three?"
"Of course," replied Gaia, clapping her hands and causing three doors to merge into one, becoming a pale shade of purple. At the same time, the panel in front of Cairn updated: [If you could choose between being the world's strongest or having powerful allies willing to fight alongside you, which would you choose?]
"Being strong is good, but there's only so much a single person can do alone," replied Cairn. After all, even major Clans/Guilds needed to form Raid Parties of more than ten, sometimes as many as a hundred people, to take on World Bosses and end-game Dungeons. If individual Players could clear such content alone, it would completely destroy the integrity of the virtual world's economy.
In response to Cairn's words, the display updated once again, asking: [Would you rather fight as part of an army or as a member of an elite, highly specialized group?]
"An elite group, obviously..." replied Cairn, rolling his eyes at the question. He had spent three years in the military as part of mandatory service and hated every moment. It didn't help that the experience completely ruined the cartilage in his knees, entrenching him in a life-long battle with the VA just to receive basic medical care and benefits.
"Then I wish you the best of luck in your new world," said Gaia, her words causing the now magenta-colored door to open. Blinding, rainbow-hued light emerged from the interior, but after a few seconds, Cairn could see grassy meadows, lush trees, freshly plowed lands, and what looked like a small farming village in the distance.
After staring at the sight for several seconds, Cairn looked up at where Gaia had been moments prior but found her missing. Before he could even think to look for her, however, a powerful suction force emanated from the door in front of him, giving him whiplash and causing him to grunt in pain as he was thrown out onto the grassy field.
"Fucking reverted pain settings..." groaned Cairn, forcing himself to a seated position before calling out, "Open Settings Menu."
Though a transparent blue panel appeared in front of Cairn's face, what came into view wasn't the Settings Menu. Instead, it was the words: [As this is not a world governed by the Gaia System, the Settings Menu is no longer available.]
"Seriously...?" asked Cairn, not believing his eyes. Individual Sensory and Privacy Settings were mandated by law. Preventing Players from turning off, or at the very least, toning down the sensations they experienced in a virtual world, was viewed as a human rights violation. Even more so if you took away their ability to log out whenever they wanted...
"Force Log Out!" shouted Cairn, causing the panel in front of him to state: [As this is not a world governed by the Gaia System, the Log Out Function is no longer available.]
"Bullshit...!" spat Cairn. "Let me log out right now, or I'm going to sue your sorry asses into the ground!"
[As this is not a world governed by the Gaia System, the Log Out Function is no longer available.]
"Contact the Administrator...!" countered Cairn, causing the display to state: [As this is not a world governed by the Gaia System, the Contact Administrator Function is no longer available.]
Though he half-expected it, Cairn couldn't help blinking in surprise when he read the system message saying he couldn't contact the Administrator. The Gaia System monitored everything Players did from the moment they logged in and was required by law to address any questions, concerns, or complaints they might have. Even if you were in the middle of a Dungeon or partaking in a scripted event, the Contact Administrator Function was 'always' available.
Realizing for the first time that something might be very, very wrong, Cairn looked between his legs before doing the only thing he could think of. One of the innumerable mandates imposed upon virtual worlds was a basic standard of morality, preventing public displays of affection, sexual harassment, and deviant acts such as indecent exposure. In other words, unless you were in a private dwelling and all Players present had their Privacy Settings modified to permit nudity, it was impossible to be naked.
Swallowing hard, Cairn pulled at the straw rope keeping his incredibly worn and tattered pants in place. When it came loose without any issues, a feeling of nervousness crept up inside him, exacerbating when the cord loosened enough that he could peer at the contents of his pants directly.
"No fucking way..." muttered Cairn, all the color draining from his face. He didn't believe he had truly been sent to another world, but this was easily the most 'immersive' experience he had ever been a part of.
Quickly retying the cord, Cairn bounced to his feet and looked around like his head was on a swivel. As cutting-edge as the FDVR technology was, it wasn't perfect. Most companies cut corners using cel-shaded graphics and specially-made tactile texture packs to simulate dirt, gravel, and tree bark. It was a waste of resources to simulate such minor details in a world closer to an anime than reality, so if you actively searched for them, it was easy to discover flaws.
Pulling up a clump of grass from the ground, Cairn's expression morphed into a deadpan as he observed its roots, the clumps of dirt attached to it, and the springtails crawling between the gaps. There was no way in hell a company would waste resources to simulate such things, so unless there had been some 'massive,' unpublicized advancements in FDVR, there was a chance Gaia had been speaking the truth. He was no longer in his world, and if that were true, odds were he had truly died...
Interrupting Cairn's dazed state, a ping sounded in his ears as the system panel appeared before him.
-----------------------------
[Tutorial Quest Initialized]
Quest Name: Rampaging Tyrant
Quest Rank: SSS
Description: This isn't a game. Though you will revive, death is a painful experience.
Objective(s): Avoid being trampled and report what you witness to the Crimson Knight Brigade.
Optional Objective(s): Inflict at least 100 points of damage on the Ancient Dragon, Rahagora.
Rewards: Variable
Failure Condition(s): Death
-----------------------------
...
..
.
(A/N: Well, that escalated quickly...)
