3 Chapter 3

William walked through the gateway and looked around, quickly spotting her as she waited for him to the side. The Ancient One turned around and started walking towards a nearby room, feeling him follow after her. Entering inside, she sat down at the table and poured two cups of tea for them to drink.

"What's my schedule for the day?" He asked as he sat down, looking at her in anticipation. With his ability, William could go through their entire library and learn all of their magic in record time.

"We'll begin with some studying," she said, keeping her expression neutral.

"Awesome. What am I gonna learn? Fire Magic? Or maybe Lighting? Or something else just as cool?"

The Ancient One simply smiled as a portal formed above the table. A book dropped from it, and William's eyes were quickly on it. He then turned to her with a betrayed look.

"Noooo!"

William's Observe skill was really something else. It might be the best scrying magic she had ever seen. He didn't even give off any signs of using it. The Ancient One couldn't even feel it unless it was used directly on her.

"Yes," she said and pushed the book towards him.

"But this is not a Magic Book or even a Skill Book!" William complained as he looked at.

"True, but this is something that you have to learn, even more so than the other Sorcerers studying here," she said, taking a sip from her tea.

The book was about various monsters, myths, legends, even Gods, and all kinds of beings that he might encounter in the future.

There was a magical veil protecting Earth from most beings out there, but as powerful as it was, it wasn't impenetrable. There were sneaky beings that could enter without being noticed.

Most of the Sorcerers would have a hard time detecting them if those beings decided to hide themselves. William, however, would figure it out very quickly. Not only could he see the names of others, but he could also use Observe on them.

Most would figure it out, but William could at least have a chance of escaping. And if they don't notice, he would know not to get tricked by them. She couldn't even imagine what would happen if someone like Mephisto, for example, got his hands on William.

"Fine," he grumbled under his breath and opened it up.

"When you finish reading it, we will begin with your language studies," The Ancient One added, smiling at the betrayed look he shot her way.

"But what about magic?"

"That will be for later. You will spar with one of the Masters, so you can get fighting experience and get used to using your magic in battle," she explained.

The Ancient One could always hang him a bunch of Magic Book for him to consume, but she believed it would be better if he got more experience with what he currently knew first.

Depending on how fast William learns new languages, he might not even need Magic Books to learn more types of magic since most of the books in the library weren't written in English. Learning them on his own should help him increase his mental stats, but that was just a theory of hers.

"All of those… they are real?" The Ancient One heard him ask

"Indeed," she spared a glance, seeing William was looking at the section about werewolves and vampires.

"Even Dracula? I thought he was just a made-up story," he said in wonder.

"He is most definitely real. I would call him the strongest monster even."

Dracula might not be the first vampire, but he was definitely the strongest. Old, powerful, and versed in magic. Dracula could be a major threat, but he tended to hibernate for hundreds of years, only coming out once or twice a century. The old vampire only woke up to feed and to maybe take a new bride for himself.

"Hopefully, I won't find out if that's the truth," William said absentmindedly before he looked up with his mouth slightly open.

"Fuck!"

"Something wrong?"

"I just jinxed myself!" He exclaimed.

"You have to teach me stronger magic, so I don't get turned into a vampire by him!"

"Good try," she chucked.

"Keep on reading."

"Fine," grumbling, his gaze returned back to the book.

A peaceful silence followed in the room with only the sound of pages being flipped. That stopped for a moment, and she saw him stare intently at the book.

"Something the matter?"

William didn't respond. He trailed his finger over the text about the Greek Gods. Namely, Zeus and Hercules, the strongest of them all.

"They are really that powerful? The Gods, I mean," he said.

"Indeed, they are," she admitted.

"So then, why did they leave Earth? Why did they hide themselves in their pocket dimensions? Were they disgusted by mortals or what?" William asked since there was no information on why they left.

"No, they have their reasons, but you don't have to worry about them. They… are on our side," The Ancient One said.

And a good thing they were. If any of the pantheons decide that Earth was rightfully theirs, there was very little she could do to stop them. The Ancient One could fight their leaders to a stalemate even if she herself wasn't as powerful as them, but there was nothing she could do about all the other Gods.

Worst of all, the veil protecting Earth didn't stop the pantheons from coming to their planet. It wasn't there to stop the Gods since they were on their side. If worse comes to worst, they were their last line of defense.

----

Reading about their strength, abilities, and achievements is something else. Knowing they are actually real is a whole other story, however. Absolute monsters that's one way to describe some of the Gods.

Trailing my finger over the text about their achievements, I make up my mind. One day… one day, I will be as strong as them. One day, my name will be listed next to theirs. I will stand shoulder to shoulder with them as equals.

With my ability, that's should be possible. The Gamer has endless potential. As long as I don't stop growing, as long as I don't hit cap, I might even become stronger than them.

Do I need all this power and is there anything I want to do with it? I'm not sure, but I don't want to be controlled.

If others find out about my ability, they might want to enslave me or try to steal it for me. I don't know if the second is possible, but I'd rather not risk it.

That's why I want to become strong enough. I don't want to be anyone's slave.

Baldy has been nice to me so far, even teaching me magic and helping me become stronger. But what if someone else figured my ability? I don't think they will be as kind.

I move onto the last few pages, and my eyes feel as if they are about to pop out of my sockets. I thought Gods are at the top of the food chain, but it seems I was very mistaken about that. There are beings that are even above them!

Even Galactus, the one that attacked Earth a few years ago, was among them. Reading about how strong he is, surprises me greatly. Supposedly, he is even stronger than the Gods! He is known as the Devour of Worlds!

So, how did the Fantastic Four stop him? How did they drove him away? Are they also stronger than Gods?

I don't think so. They are cool, amazing even. I like them, but I don't think they could compare to someone like Hercules, for example.

According to the book, he is not a demigod like in the stories about him. Hercules was born as one, but he became a full-fledged God later on.

Like the Greek God of Strength, he is the physically strongest of all the Olympians. Hercules' strength is supposedly unlimited, which is why I don't think the Fantastic Four are strong as him.

Hmm, I wonder who is stronger, the Hulk or Hercules? Maybe Hercules? I'm not sure, but I think so since there is no mention of the Hulk in this book.

When I finish reading about all those powerful beings, baldy hands me another one, not saying anything as I'm just staring off to the side. This world… no, Universe is much scarier than I thought. I really have to get stronger if I don't want to be killed by some random overpowered being.

I want to learn some powerful magic to protect myself, but I guess baldy has a reason for making me study other languages.

Opening the Latin book, I begin reading. Flipping through the pages, I'm surprised I can remember almost everything I read. My increased mental stats actually do something for me!

[Due to a specific action, the skill, Language, has been generated.]

[Language(Passive) Lvl. 1/100: The ability to speak, write, and learn different languages.]

I'm not even halfway through the book when I get this skill. I'm not complaining, though. With this skill and my higher mental stats, it shouldn't take me long to learn a bunch of new languages.

My theory is correct. I start flipping through the pages faster, easily memorizing what's written and gaining skill levels. What's even better is that my mental stats increase the more I learn. Cha-ching!

[Language has increased to 2!]

[Language has increased…]

The new skill reached 5 by the time baldy stops me. I still haven't learned Latin, but I feel like I'm close. I need no more than a day, I'm sure of that.

"Come now, Mordo should be up by now," baldy says as she leaves the room.

It's nighttime here since Asia is on the opposite side of the world. There aren't that many people that are up at this point, so Mordo probably changed his schedule specifically for me. Ohhh, I feel special.

Baldy leads me over to a big courtyard outside, the training grounds of the temple. A few lampposts are lighting the place, giving me a good look off it. Even if they weren't there, I would still be able to see clearly if I adjust my graphic options.

My powers are so bullshit!

Mordo's already there, going through some practiced motions while waiting for us. He's a black-skinned man of average height. He is not as buffed as Daniel, but I know they are at about the same level.

[<Master of the Mystic Arts> Karl Mordo Lvl. ??]

Well, Daniel should still be stronger since he is the Master of the New York Sanctum. However, Mordo is still someone whose level I can't see.

He turns to us as I do my usual greeting when I see new people. I spam Observe on him and everything he has.

[Vaulting Boots of Valtorr(Epic): The boots increase the wearer's leaping ability, increase movement speed, and nullify the adverse effects of impacts from high landings. They also allow the wearer to briefly hop in the air.]

Double-jump is all I think when I see those. Hoping in the air sounds cool, but my eyes are drawn to his weapon, a long staff in his hands.

[???(Legendary): ???]

I don't know what that is, but I want it, but not as much as I want the amulet on baldy's neck.

[???(???):???]

Why do they have such cool and high-leveled equipment? When am I getting mine? All I have is everyday clothes that do nothing for me.

"Mordo, this is William," baldy points at me.

"I'm leaving him in your care. Have fun you two," she says and leaves.

"So, you are the apprentice I've heard about," Mordo looks me up and down.

"You've heard about me? Sadly, I haven't heard anything about you." Mordo walked right into that one. I can't be blamed for taking the chance of acting cool!

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy beating that arrogance out of you," never mind, he seems to blame me.

Mordo rushes at me with staff in hand. He's certainly fast, even quicker than me on his feet. Not that I'm something special, but I feel like I've changed a lot in the past few days. I'm no longer the nerdy gamer that plays games all day.

Well… that actually is still the same, but I don't have the time to think about that. Mordo is already in front of me.

A shield and ax form in my hands as I prepare myself. Swords are cool, but they are hard to use. Axes are much easier from what I figured out yesterday, so I'm going with this combo for now.

I raise my shield to block his attack, but his staff breaks my energy construct before slamming into me. The world then starts spinning before I drop on the ground. Never mind, I was the one spinning.

[Physical Endurance has increased to 10!]

I get up, thinking how wrong this is. Why are Sorcerers so strong? They are supposed to be standing in the back and firing spells, not beating up others with weapons!

This is so bullshit, but then again, here I am gulping down food I prepared in the morning and quickly healing up. Ah, I love my powers.

Mordo rushes at me again after seeing me get up. Since I already know what's going to happen if he reaches me, I make sure that doesn't happen.

"Energy blast!" I say out loud and point my hand forward, firing my spell at him. I can cast it silently by just thinking about it, but this is all part of my plan.

My spell hits Mordo and pushes him back. Not the effect I desired, but I kept him from reaching me. Since Energy Blast is over level 10, the range of it is 3 meters or about 10 feet. If I keep spamming it, I just might be able to keep Mordo off me.

"Interesting," he says before rushing at me again.

My hand is already pointing his direction and I cast it again, "Energy Blast!"

However, before Mordo gets hit by my cone-shaped attack, he jumps in the air, hopping above it as he flies straight towards me.

"Energy Blast!" But I just fire it again and blast him away. The best part about the spell is that it doesn't have a cooldown. I can spam it endlessly as long as I have mana to do it.

Mordo lands on his feet and grins at me. Okay… something is wrong here. Why is he looking happy?

I'm trying to figure out what he is thinking as he runs at me again. Doing something over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Is something wrong with him?

"Energy Blast!" I just fire my spell at him again.

"I call upon you, Shield of the Seraphim!" A circular, orange barrier forms in front of Mordo, absorbing my attack.

"Energy Blast!"

"Energy Blast!"

No matter how many spells I fire at the shield, it stops all of them, as he rushes next to me. And the world is spinning again. I start gulping down more food as Mordo gives me a moment to recover. I really need to get my hands on some potions. Maybe I can even make my own? That would be nice.

I think of a new strategy as Mordo sprints at me. The shield protects him only from the front, so I could use that to my advantage.

I can create energy constructs with Eldritch Magic, and I found out a thing or two about it yesterday. Sure, I can make weapons with it, but I'm not limited to that, and I also have control over the things I create.

I form a few large pillars around me. Two of them flew at Mordo to intercept his charge while I control two more and make them fly around him.

Mordo, however, is unfazed. He just quickly strikes them as his staff whips around like a snake, striking the constructs and destroying them.

I'm not too disappointed at that since I'm already making more energy constructs, sending them flying his way. Mordo's breaking them all, but I have two whips on the ground, sneakily making their way over him.

He notices them too late, and the whips wrap around him, entangling him in place. Only for Mordo to break through them with pure strength alone.

Okay, now I'm dejected. How is he so strong? With a defeated look I watch as he is about to hit me away.

However, this was my plan all along as he drops his guard for a moment. My hand points at him and fires a silent Energy Blast, blasting him away. Ha, take that! My sneak attack worked!

"Good one," Mordo even praises me as I smile proudly.

"I think that was a good warm-up."

My smile disappears in record time.

"Warm-up?" I ask.

The only response I receive is Mordo running at me, this time even faster. What follows is the biggest beat down… I mean the best spar of my life. Yeah, spar, and I performed admirably well!

[Lying has increased to 15!]

My clothes are sparkly clean, and I don't have a single sign of injury on my body. There seems to be something wrong with my ability!

At least my skills and stats leveled up. Quite a bit at that. I'm happy with my progress, though I wouldn't mind if they increased even faster. I also found out massaging myself works, and it even rejuvenates me.

Now, I just need to find out if I can abuse this skill to increase my daily training time. Tonight will be my first test of Massage's capabilities. But first, I need a shower.

Fresh and clean, I sit down on my computer continuing with my stat training. However, I'm adding even more things to my multi-tasking as I have a thread and needle in my hands.

After seeing all those crazy good items, I have the urge to make some for myself. With a high enough Crafting skill, I should be able to create some cool stuff. At the very least, I won't be making masks that barely cover my face.

When I start feeling tired and my eyelids start closing on my own, I test out Massage on myself. Lo and behold, it works, and I feel energized.

Hell, yeah! I no longer need to waste money on Red Bulls. I can just massage myself to stay awake all night and grind nonstop!

And that's exactly what I did. For the entire night, I kept working out, increasing my mental stats, and improving some of my skills.

However, I didn't grind in the Zombie Dungeon. Sure, I can increase my level even more, but since I'm not even using the free stat points at the moment, I'm better of just working on my skills and stats.

Morning comes soon, and I'm looking at my status in happiness. A whole night of training did me a lot of good.

After spending the morning with grandma, I leave for the New York Sanctum by simply opening a portal there. And now I'm sitting with baldy again, with my gaze focused on the Latin book. I flip through the pages, memorizing everything I read until I see a sweat notification.

[Languages has increased to 10!]

No, not that one.

[Due to learning a new language, Intelligence has increased by 5!]

That one!

"Give me more!" I slam my hand at the table, looking at baldy.

"You're done with Latin?"

"Yes, now give me the next one," I'm more than eager to learn different languages now that I know I can gain Intelligence from them.

"A little test first to confirm you have indeed learned Latin," she says.

"No time for tests, b-lady. Stat points are on the line!" Whoosh, I almost called her baldy there. That would've been bad.

"Were you about to call me a bad word?" She asks.

"No."

[Lying has increased to 16!]

Baldy hums as a book falls out of a portal on the table. I grab it and greedily start learning Greek. Stats, stats, stats, I keep repeating in my mind as I start devouring it page from page.

The rest of the day passes the same. I got to spar with Mordo, raising my fighting skills quite a bit.

It's so good to have a high-leveled opponent to practice against. My skills improve much faster when sparring with him than fighting against the zombies, for example.

Before I leave, baldy stops me, handing me a dozen books. I scan them all with Observe, and I'm slightly disappointed none of them are Magic Books. Though they are language books, so I'm not too sad about it.

"There is no need for you to come back during the week. Focus on your school work and return on the weekend," baldy says after.

"What? But why?" I want to come back tomorrow as well! This place is a goldmine for skill experience.

"Practice what you already know and continue improving yourself. Depending on how many languages you've learned, I might have a Magic Book or two waiting for you," she answers.

"Kay!" I quickly leave. There is no time to waste! I'm going to read through all the books she gave me and learn them all. There are Magic Books at stake here! Plus, more stat points as well.

I sit down in front of my computer at home, starting some roulette games while I continue with the Greek book. The rest of my night passes like that, simply farming Luck and studying.

I never imagined I would be so excited about something else other than games. Yet here I am, spending an entire night just reading.

By morning, my Language skill reaches 20, and I get another 5 more points to Intelligence due to learning Greek. It took me almost 12 hours to get the language down, but I did it.

My ability really is something else. Intelligence and Wisdom don't directly make me smarter, but studying is so much easier now. I can read something and remember it without problems.

My physical stats improve my physique, which is obvious, but I wonder how does Luck affect me? It doesn't increase my critical chances since I can get critical hits if I hit enemies in their weak spots. Like, smacking the zombies on their heads.

I will test that theory soon, but there's a small problem I'm currently facing. Just a bit before I left for school, a notification appeared in my face.

[You have been afflicted with the negative status effect, Fatigue.]

[Fatigue: Due to not sleeping for over 48 hours, all of your stats have been reduced by 50%. Sleep in a bed to cure this.]

That sucks big time, but at least I can still function normally. Even though my stats are reduced, I'm still much better than I was before I got my ability. And I can still abuse Massage to keep myself energized, so this isn't as bad.

Maybe I can even abuse this status effect. The higher my stats are, the harder it is to raise them. Won't this make it easier for me? I have to test it out.

Classes at school pass quickly as I meditate through them, and Kurt is acting normal again, no longer looking at me suspiciously. Me knowing about that love letter, and the fact that I wrote it seems to have convinced him.

Jean, however, is certain there is something wrong with me. I mean, she is not wrong, but that doesn't give her the right to act like this. Maybe she is just worried I would do something to Kurt? There's no chance of that happening since he is my best friend, only friend really, but she doesn't know that.

This is… frustrating. I don't want her snooping around and watching me closely. I mean, I don't mind the second if it's for a different reason. Though, I can't see that happening after I rejected the chance of going on a date with her.

I'm back at home before I know, cooking some food for grandma and me, with her watching over me and giving me tips. Having someone guide me really helps with my skill growth. I already realized this with Mordo and baldy.

After eating and giving her a massage, I spend the rest of the day just reading. Unfortunately, I can't abuse the status effect as I wished. In fact, I'm gaining stat points even slower, and I'm having a harder time studying. Dejected and disappointed, I'm forced to go to sleep.

In the morning, I'm feeling refreshed and no longer fatigued. I'm ready to spend school just meditating and working on my skill, but there's a slight problem with that today.

We have PE today. I was never a big fan of this class since I was never physically gifted. Now, I've gained some muscle, quite a bit at that, but I'm still not a fan of this. If anything, it might even expose me since I can't keep wearing my baggy clothes.

I can probably become one of the best athletes at school if I put my mind to it. However, I gain nothing from that. It will only delay my farming.

"Have you been vorking out?" Kurt asks while we are in the locker rooms and changing clothes. He looks me up and down, very surprised at my improved physique.

"Yeah…" I reply weakly, and I know it.

Kurt narrows his eyes, and I'm afraid he might start acting suspiciously again.

"Are you perhaps trying to impress someone?" He asks.

"Huh?" I didn't see that one coming.

"Learning to cook specifically for her. Vorking out so you look better," Kurt smirks as he wiggles his eyebrows at me.

"I…yeah," I can see how it might look like that from an outside perspective.

"I will zrow a good vord or tvo wiz her," Kurt winks at me as we enter the gym.

We start of class with some running and stretching, and I try my best not to stand out. I can outdo almost everyone if I go all out. Only the mutants are better than me. Discreetly, I use Observe on them, but I don't get any special information from the ones from my class.

However, we are sharing PE with another class, and I get something from them.

[<Avalanche of the Brotherhood of Mutants> Lance Alvers Lvl. 45]

{Lance Alvers, an orphan that spent most of his early life in foster care. He was recruited by Mystique to the Brotherhood of Mutants and quickly proved himself to her. Due to his maturity, he is the designated field leader of the Brotherhood. Lance is reluctant to be a villain, but he is angered by societal hatred and contempt for mutants, whether good or evil. He is looking forward to the basketball game.}

So Lance is the field leader? I can see that. He is taller than average with a muscular frame. Lance has messy, brown hair and brown eyes and has a few fans among the girls in school.

[<Quicksilver of the Brotherhood of Mutants> Pietro Maximoff Lvl. 49]

{Pietro Maximoff was born in Serbia and is the twin brother of Wanda Maximoff. He is the biological son of ??? and firmly believes in his father's idealism for the future of mutant-kind. Pietro aspires to become just like him. His bond with Wanda is strong, as the two have lived through many hardships together. Pietro, like his sister, was genetically modified by the ???. He wants to overwhelmingly win in the basketball game.}

Pietro is a higher level than Lance and is more liked in school than him. However, he is a brat, and even I can safely say that. I'm pretty sure he also spends more time than girls in front of a mirror, fixing up his hair in the morning.

Most of the girls in school like Pietro, even though, he is a known playboy. That's probably due to his good looks. He has blue eyes and silver hair, which apparently, is all-natural. I silently sulk comparing my looks to his. Mine are just plain ol' boring in comparison.

[<Scarlet Witch of the Brotherhood of Mutants> Wanda Maximoff Lvl. 54]

{Wanda Maximoff was born in Serbia and is the twin sister of Pietro Maximoff. She is the biological daughter of ???, but she doesn't believe in his idealism and works for him since she owns him a debt. Her bond with Pietro is strong, as the two have lived through many hardships together. Wanda, like her brother, was genetically modified by the ???. She just wants this class to end as fast as possible.}

Damn, Wanda is the highest level in school. She is beautiful, for sure, with a slender figure and a charming face, adorned with auburn hair and green eyes. She's acts aloof in school and is a loner from what I've seen and heard.

While I used Observe on her, I noticed a few of the girls near her glance at me a few times before whispering something to each other.

Am I being checked out?

I'm wearing a pair of shorts and a jersey, and my improved physical stats had made my body look way better than before. Honestly, being appreciated feels very good.

Should I flex to show off even more?

That thought quickly goes away when Wanda looks at me and raises her eyebrow. I turn around quickly, focusing on the basketball game between our two classes. As beautiful as she is, I don't want her attention. She is too high of a level for me.

The game is going as usual. Despite us having three mutants in our class, we are getting beaten. Lance and Pietro are very good, especially Pietro. He is quicker than everyone else and always seems to know how the others would move before them.

Still, the game is close since Kurt and Todd are pretty good as well. Though I'm still bored out of my mind, and I'm simply waiting for the class to end.

"Wilkins, you are out! Williamson, you are in!"

"I'm in?"

The teacher usually didn't sub me in since he knows I'm no good.

"Yes, you are in!"

Seriously? I get up dejectedly and join the game. It's not like I have to do anything important or even get the ball passed to me. Right?

Wrong, five seconds later the ball is in my hands as I'm left alone on the three-point line. What am I even supposed to do?!?

My defender is already rushing over towards me, so I just throw the ball at the hoop. Fuck it. They shouldn't have passed the ball to me if they…

The ball went in? Did I score a three-pointer? What the…

"Good one, Williamson. Now, back to defense."

Now I'm even being praised?

The game continues and Pietro and Lance look determined to win this. Unfortunately, my presence seems to have tipped the scale in our favor. My team passes me the ball quite regularly after my first basket, and I score a few more, just enough for us to win.

"Williamson, where have you been hiding all of that?" The teacher walks over to me after the game, and his eyes are shining brightly.

"You should join the basketball team, you will be a nice addition. We will definitely win the state championship with you."

[Quest has been generated.]

[Join your high school basketball team: Join the basketball team and win a state championship.]

[Rewards: 10 000XP; You will become more popular in your school.]

[Failure: You will be slightly more known as a member of your high school basketball team.]

There are really no negatives to accepting the quest. Even failing will make me more popular in school.

But, this will take so much of my time. I will be forced to go to practices and play more games. My grinding is far more important than this.

"I'm sorry, sir. Sports are not really my thing."

"Are you sure, Williamson? Many students wish to join the team, but are never given a chance."

"Yes, sir."

I walk away after, but I notice Pietro giving me the stink eye. Noo! I don't like this. I can even feel Wanda's gaze on my back. This isn't how I expected this to go!

Back in the locker room, all of my classmates keep praising me for how I played. Except for Todd and Fred. They just stare at me.

"Nice one, Will."

"Didn't know you had it in you."

"With you, we will surely win next game as well!"

It feels awesome to be praised and appreciated, but I'm definitely not playing next time. I'm calling in sick next PE. I don't want to piss off Pietro too much when I'm still a weakling. He is almost level 50, and I don't want to risk it.

I'm back at home before I know it, and I'm sitting on my computer. Arabic is the next language I'm studying. I need to raise my stats as quickly as possible, and this is my best method at the moment.

With the help of Massage, I easily last through the entire night. The pleasant notification of learning a new language greets me in the morning, but another one follows after it.

[Due to raising Intelligence over 50, you have been awarded the skill, Mana Affinity.]

[Mana Affinity(Passive): A skill that makes the user more sensitive to mana and helps with creating new magic skills. MP Regen increased by 10%. MP increased by 10%. Magic Attack and Defense increased by 5%. Magic related abilities increase 30% faster.]

I'm pretty sure I'm salivating, looking at this. This is a game-changer! Especially if I can get more skills like this for the rest of my stats. I can barely resist spending my stats just so I can find out if this is the case.

However, I have to be patient. Raising my stats will become harder the higher they are. Spending my points now is just inefficient. The only stat I'm considering raising is Wisdom as it's the hardest to increase on my own. I will hold off for now, however.

Though, this revelation of getting new skills if I pass certain stats thresholds is extremely important. A complete game-changer even.

Mana Affinity is an incredible skill. It greatly increases my magic capabilities, but the first part of the description makes it even better!

"Helps with creating new magic skills!"

Today, I will definitely get a new magic skill. I will also farm the Zombie Dungeon to stockpile on some stat points, in case I need them in the future. It also won't be a bad idea to gather some cash from the zombies.

With this in mind, I first enter an empty Dungeon after school. I have Eldritch Magic for utility and Energy Blast for close combat, but I lack a long-range skill, so that's what I will try to create now. Since I'm American, it's obvious what I will do.

[Due to a specific action, the skill, Mana Bullet, has been generated!]

[Mana Bullet(Active) Lvl. 1/100: A long-range Magic attack that forms mana into a bullet. Deals 20 + Intelligence damage. MP cost: 10. Range: 50m. Amount of bullets: 1]

This is pretty good, but it's missing something. The slow-motion scenes of bullets in movies come to mind, and the bullet is always spinning in them. I shape my mana into a bullet, and I focus hard on making it spin.

[Due to a specific action, the skill Mana Bullet, has evolved into Spinning Mana Bullet!]

[Spinning Mana Bullet(Active) Lvl. 1/100: A long-range Magic attack with increased piercing power by adding a spinning quality to Mana Bullet. It deals 50 + Intelligence damage. MP cost: 50. Range: 100m: Amount of bullets: 1]

This is much better, even though it costs so much more MP. Nevertheless, I have a good amount of mana at the moment, 913 to be exact. I can fire the skill 18 times before I run out of MP.

Now it's time to test it out in action. Switching over to the Zombie Dungeon, I start firing my new spell at the mobs around me. A hit to the head instantly ends their life, and I start smiling like a madman. Time to farm the fuck out of this place.

I can't keep spamming the skill endlessly, but every time I get low on MP, I just form a portal at the top of a building and quickly regenerate my mana with Meditate. Like this, I'm working on a few skills at the same time while farming the Dungeon.

I also finally got something else other than the common drops. Though… I'm not particularly happy with it.

[Zombie Necklace(Common): A necklace made off zombie teeth that increases damage against zombies by 10%. Grants the wearer +4 Vitality.]

I'm happy I got a drop, but I don't think I will wear this. At least, Luck is proving its worth.

I continue farming skill experience and levels while also getting rich at the same time. How can I ever give this away for some playing basketball and some fame?

I… I'm going to die alone if I continue like this, won't I?

God damn it! At least I will be rich, even if I gain money slowly. Zombies award me with only $0.10, but higher-leveled mobs will surely give out more.

After killing 100 zombies - I'm sure of the number since I'm $10 ahead – something happens. Two things actually.

[After killing over a hundred zombies, you have been awarded the title, Apprentice Undead Slayer. When equipped while fighting the undead, attack power is increased by 30%, defense is increased by 30%, and all stats are increased by 5.]

The title isn't that bad, but I'm going to stick with my current one since it levels my magic skills faster. I'm more interested in what the zombies are doing. They are all gathering together into a single spot, climbing onto each other, and…

Did they just turn into a Megazord? Holy crap, this is a boss encounter.

[Legion Zombie Lvl. 34. The amalgam of hundreds of zombies combined into one. It appears when a large number of zombies are slaughtered in a single area. It has no special abilities besides its incredible physical strength.]

Yeah, sign me out on this one. I might've leveled three times during my grinding, but this guy is above my paygrade. I have no intentions of fighting him yet, so I simply use Exit ID to leave.

[Cannot escape from Dungeon during a Boss Fight.]

Well, shit!

The Boss has zeroed down on me at this point and is already rushing towards me. It's a pretty scary sight, seeing a three-story big zombie running towards you in anger. So, I just teleport out of there and onto the tallest building near me.

I have no desire to come anywhere near this monster and decide to fire at it from a distance with Spinning Mana Bullet. The skill is already level 9 with a range of 110m and can fire off 9 bullets at the same time!

I can hit him for 900+ damage each time I cast the spell, but the Legion Zombie isn't a Boss mob for no reason since that's about 2% of its HP.

This… is going to be one very long fight, but at least my skills should level up quite nicely. As long I don't get myself crushed that is. Should be easy enough if I keep my distance.

Briefly, I consider switching to my new title, but with Apprentice Sorcerer, I gain more skill levels, so I stick with that.

The only problem is my mana isn't infinite. However, every time I'm getting low, I open a portal inside one of the buildings, avoiding the Boss' sight, and meditating to regenerate my mana. And so, our long fight continues on with my slowly chipping the Legion Zombie's HP.

When the Boss dropped below 50%, he seems to have had enough of this and changes his strategy. He started grabbing nearby objects and throwing them at me. Lampposts, pieces of concrete, either from the roads or buildings. Just anything he could get his undead hands on.

Why are you like this?

I'm forced to dodge out of the way of the large projectiles thrown at me and this slows down the fight. Especially, when I have to create portals to escape from him.

Then it hits me. No, not the Boss, but a thought.

I don't have to use Portal Creation to just escape, do I? I can open one portal in front of me to intercept the projectile and another in front of the Boss to return the package back to him. As long as I keep my distance, I can even keep the portal active and nullify his attack completely!

With that in mind, I open a portal as he throws a large piece of concrete at me. The projectile goes through it before slamming into him.

"Why are you hitting yourself?" I feel like a playground bully as Boss slowly kills himself with me just keeping the portal active.

From time to time, he will try to rush at the building I'm standing on and climb it up, but I just teleport to another one further away. Like this, my bullying, err, our fight continues until the Boss falls down after hitting itself too many times.

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[$500 added to Inventory!]

[2x Lowest Grade Mana Potions added to Inventory!]

[2x Lowest Grade Health Potions added to Inventory!]

$500 and four potions! Slowly getting rich? Hell, no! If I keep farming the Boss at least a couple of times a day, I will become a millionaire! Plus, I get potions from him as well!

[Lowest Grade Mana Potion(Common): Recovers 10% MP when drank.]

This is the life!

The HP potions recovers 10% as well. I need more of those. Much more.

I leave and recreate the Dungeon quickly after, firing Spinning Mana Bullet at all the zombies near me, killing them as quickly as possible. A hundred of them later, and I see them start gathering together. The Zombie Legion emerges shortly after, staring at me with its undead eyes.

"Hello, bud. I missed you," I really did. I couldn't wait to see him again.

The fight goes the same way as the previous one, but much faster since I took it down to 50% HP quicker this time. Then I just have to keep a portal active in front of me and redirect all projectiles the Boss throws at me back at him.

Easy game, easy life.

I get two more levels from the fight, and I'm about to create another Dungeon before I stop myself. Yeah, I'm getting levels and free stat points from this, but I'm missing out on my training. Yesterday, I didn't even train and focused on studying to increase my Intelligence.

Sighing, I open an empty Dungeon and begin running. I gain +1 to both Vitality and Dexterity before I return home and train with my dumbbells gaining a point to Strength as well.

I find myself at my computer again with a language book in front of me, but I don't continue through the entire night. I already know I will get a negative status effect from that, so I stop a bit after midnight and go to bed.

During classes, I keep thinking of how I should handle my free stat points. I plan on going shopping today to get some new equipment to train my physical stats with my newfound cash. Intelligence I can keep gaining by learning new languages, and I can increase Luck by playing the free roulettes online.

That only leaves Wisdom, and I've been having a hard time increasing it as of late. It's currently sitting at 30, and it's also the nearest stat to 50. I decide to put 20 points into, just to see if I can gain more skills by reaching the threshold.

Nothing happens. Fuck! Did I just waste 20 points like that? I put 1 more point just in case, and I see a notification.

[Due to raising Wisdom over 50, you have been awarded the skill, High-Speed Calculation.]

[High-Speed Calculation (Passive) Lvl. Max: Increases the speed at which the user's brain works. Increases Casting Speed by 50%. The user can now cast 2 skills at the same time.]

Sweet mother of all! My ability didn't disappoint me. With this, I can grind even more skills at the same time. I've also confirmed that I will indeed gain skills if my stats pass over 50.

That's my next goal. Get all of my stats above 50. Now I have to figure out if I will get more skills if I increase them even more. I might as well test it out with Wisdom since I already decided I will be focusing on raising my other stats manually.

[Due to raising Wisdom over 100, you have been awarded the skill, Sage's Protection.]

[Due to raising Wisdom over 100, you have been awarded the skill, Sage's Wisdom.]

I got two skills out of it! But… why are they named like that? Please, change the name game. Please! I want new ones! I don't want to be a sage! Nooo! I don't want to die alone! Please, at least change the names!

Why aren't you listening to me? Is this what I get for using my points? I'm sorry!

[Sage's Protection(Passive) Lvl. Max: The user is a Sage, protected by all kinds of mundane things. Increases Magic Resistance by 25%. Negative status effects last half as long.]

It's great, but I don't want to be protected by mundane things. I want a girlfriend! I don't want to die alone!

[Sage's Wisdom(Passive) Lvl. Max: The user is as wise as a Sage. MP regen increased by 25%. Increases Casting Speed by 100%. The user can now cast 3 skills at the same time.]

My grinding potential has increased tremendously with the ability to cast three skills at the same time but did they really have to be named this way. Anything else would've been better!

"You okay?" Kurt whispers from beside me.

"Yeah…"

[Lying has increased to 17!]

"I've never been better…"

I feel so good knowing you have my back game. I really do!

[Lying has increased to 18!]

"Do you vant to play a game or two tonight?" Kurt asks, still whispering.

I'm about to say no when I realize I haven't been the best of friends to him as of late. We haven't played a single game ever since I got my powers.

My ability is literally called the Gamer, and I see myself as just that, a Gamer. Obviously, since I'm the Gamer everyone else is an NPC, a non-playable character, that simply isn't important. However, that's not the case.

Despite my powers, this is still real life. Everyone else isn't just an NPC, but a living and breathing human. And again, I haven't been the best of friends to Kurt the past few days.

"Sure, I will carry your bronze ass," I grin at him, knowing he can't do much as we are still in class.

"Ve'll see vho is bronze," Kurt grumbles at me.

Obviously, he is bronze. He's been stuck at elo hell ever since the game was released. Me? I'm much better than that! I'm Masters!

[Lying has increased to 19!]

Okay… maybe I'm platinum. But at least I'm not bronze!

"I'll message you later when I'm free. I have to go shopping for a bit," I say after school and bid him goodbye.

My destination is the local mall, but I can't teleport there as much I wish to. The bus it is then. Should take me about 20 minutes to reach the mall with it.

I find an empty seat and do what I normally do, I spam Observe. However, since I can now use multiple skills at the same time, I also use Meditate as well.

Fuck! I notice Pietro, Wanda, Todd, and Lance riding on the bus as well. This shouldn't be too much of a problem, but I can see the silver-haired playboy whispering something to the others while glancing at me. Very subtle of you, Pietro, very subtle.

Even I didn't see that he plans to 'teach me who's boss' with Observe, I would've still figured out something is wrong with the situation.

Pietro wouldn't try doing something out in the open, would he? But what if he tries following me home? Fuck, that's not good.

Sure, I can escape if they attack me, but I will expose myself as a superpowered individual. They won't necessarily figure out I'm a mutant, but they will find out I'm not exactly normal.

I get off the bus at the mall, and I notice they are following after me. Quickly, I enter inside and make my way over to the clothing store first. I'm really hoping they won't be stupid enough to attack me here. They wouldn't risk exposing themselves right?

Thankfully, they don't do anything besides watching me from a distance. Okay, I can deal with this situation.

I purchase some new clothes. I'm not picky, so I just grab the cheapest and simplest ones. However, I also buy a few tight-fitting, dark clothes. Those, plus the new mask I made myself should keep my identity a secret if I ever find myself in a peculiar situation.

The fitness store is next on my list, and I get some new equipment from it. Just heavier dumbbells since the ones I have are pretty light at this point and some weights for running.

They are still following after me, but I should be able to escape. I just have to make sure I'm not seen by them. I find the free bathrooms in the mall and enter one of the stalls. After storing everything I bought in my Inventory, I use Create ID and enter the Mirror Dimension before teleporting out of there.

I'd much rather avoid a confrontation with them at my current level. Hopefully, they will think they've simply missed me leaving, but I know that's just wishful thinking, and I know it.

I need to get stronger and fast!

I teleport back into my room, thinking of ways to accomplish that and quickly at that. That's on my mind as I cook with grandma. Absentmindedly, I spare her a glance as she is lovingly looking at me. So far, she is the only person I hadn't used Observe on.

I just didn't want to see her as an NPC, but I made up my mind earlier. My powers might've turned my life into a game, but this is still real life, and NPCs don't exist in real life.

[<Loving Grandmother> Amelia Thompson Lvl. 3]

[Amelia Thompson, mother of Sophia Williamson, and grandmother of William Williamson. She got married to James Thompson in her mid-thirties and had only a single child with him.

She was happy to see her daughter marry but sad as James didn't get to witness it. Amelia was even happier when Sophia became pregnant, but the pain she felt when her daughter didn't make it past childbirth was unbearable.

Amelia knew it was her time to go after that. She knew it ever since James passed away. However, Trevor, someone who she believed was a fine man, turned into a drunk after Sophia's death. He named their son as a joke and neglected him.

Amelia has been taking care of William ever since Trevor put a bullet through his head. Her grandson is a nice kid, and she wished he made more friends, but she knew that was hard for him. After William was made fun of by the local kids for not having parents, he shut himself off to others and turned to video games.

Recently, William has been going out a lot. Amelia hoped he had finally opened up to more people because she knew her time has long passed.]

[Observe has increased to 50!]

It hurts to see this. If it isn't for Gamer's Mind, I would be crying already. Grandma has been pushing herself just for me.

I don't know if I will be able to make more friends, I can't promise something like that, but I will make sure she doesn't have to worry about me. And… I will make the rest of her life as easy as possible. No more cooking for her, I will massage her every day, and I will shower her with gifts, though I'm not sure she will want them.

After helping her get to bed and giving her a massage, I enter my room. I really want to start training right now, but I promised Kurt to play a game or two with him. I can do at least that much.

I send him a message, and we que up shortly. Since I don't feel like trying, I decide to play as his support while he picks Ashe, not like he knows how to play any other champion.

At the same time, I use Eldritch Magic to form various energy constructs above me. Focusing on the game and doing this is much easier now with my higher Wisdom and new skills. Though playing support isn't that hard, I just have to babysit Kurt's ass.

Supports basically do that, they support. They make sure the attack damage carry is safe and give buffs. Thinking about that, I lack a buff skill, don't I?

I have a long-range, a close-range, and a few utility skills, but not a buffing one. Well, it's time to change that. I even have something in mind.

The Sorcerers at the temple use different types of Dimensional Energy to strengthen their bodies. Some of those come from the nicer dimensional beings, something which baldy says I should avoid, and I completely agree with her. I don't want any dimensional being to even have a clue of my powers.

However, baldy told me some of the Sorcerers draw their powers from empty dimensions. I don't know how to connect to a dimension and draw power from it, but I don't really have to exactly that, do I? After all, not everyone has mana like me.

While still playing, I urge my mana to move through my body with the intent of strengthening it. This is a painful process, and I start losing HP, but I keep pushing it. When I drop too low, I just wait for my health the regenerate before trying again.

I repeat this a few times, and I finally get the result I'm after.

[Due to a specific action, the skill, Mana Strengthening, has been generated.]

[Mana Strengthening(Active) Lvl. 1/100: Fill your body with mana to increase its physical properties. Strength, Vitality, and Dexterity are increased by 3%. Costs 150MP per minute.]

Damn, that's costly! I can only keep it up for just about six minutes. However, this skill has so much potential. At max level, it will quadruple my base physical stats. I immediately start grinding this skill and activate it while playing.

We play a few more games with Kurt before deciding to call it for the day. I sit down after that and start planning my schedule. I have to become even more efficient with my training from now on. I can't risk Pietro deciding to do something stupid since he lost me today.

Since I can stay up for 48 hours before I get hit by the negative status effect, I can keep training every other night. Depending on if my theory that Vitality should further increase how much I can stay awake is correct, I might be able to increase my training time even more in the future.

Working on my stats and skills takes priority. I have to raise my stats manually as much as possible while it's still easy. Hopefully, I can get them up to 50 soon and get some more passive skills from them.

Meditation, Martial Arts, and Mana Strengthening are the skill I will focus the most on since they buff my stats. Though, I won't forget my other spells and make sure to spend time working on them as well.

And lastly, I will grind the Dungeon for a couple hours every day. I want to stockpile on some stat points to use them in emergencies.

Plus, the more potions I gather, the more I increase my survivability in case something unexpected happens.

After storing the list in my Inventory, I being my nightly grinding.

---

Pietro was acting like a dumbass. Again. Wanda couldn't understand why he was so butthurt from losing a basketball game. Then again, his pride was always fragile and easy to break. She still loved her idiot brother since they've lived through thick and thin together, she really couldn't understand him at times.

Like, why was he so bent on proving himself to their father? The man had abandoned them as kids, never even looking for them, but the moment he found out they had powers, he instantly took them under his wing.

Couldn't Pietro see this? They were nothing but pawns to their father. Pieces he could play around with until they were useful and simply dispose of them if they failed to prove themselves worthy.

Letting out an internal sigh, she kept walking after the three, making sure Pietro doesn't do something stupid. Like confronting William out in the open or even attacking him. Their father wouldn't be happy if they exposed themselves as mutants before it was time.

And this William… Wanda had to admit she was a bit interested in him. Maybe more than a bit, considering what she saw earlier. He was brimming with… some kind of energy, but she wasn't sure what it was. Though, she definitely felt it.

During PE, Wanda sensed something coming from William. He was just looking at her, not in the lecherous way most of the students did, but there was something off about it. William did something back then, she didn't know what, only that it wasn't harmful.

In a way, it reminded Wanda of her own powers. She still wasn't even sure what they were. Considering how much they varied from situation to situation, she wasn't even sure if she was a mutant or not. But if she wasn't a mutant, then what else could she be?

William… he might know. Or maybe he didn't, and he was just like her. Someone with powers, which origins he didn't know off.

'And he is gone,' Wanda thought, feeling William's unique energy signature simply disappear from her senses. That confirmed it for her, he definitely had powers.

She would have to find a way to speak with William when he was alone and none of the Brotherhood were with her.

'But for now, I get to enjoy those idiots stare at the toilets, waiting for him to come out. I wonder how long until they realize he isn't there anymore.'

---

[Name: William Williamson

Mutant Power: The Gamer

Level: 18 Next Level: 4%

Title: Apprentice Sorcerer]

[HP: 299

MP: 1059.52]

[Strength: 26 (+ 7.8 from Martial Arts)

Vitality: 23(+ 6.9 from Martial Arts)

Dexterity: 25 (+ 7.5 from Martial Arts)

Intelligence: 53 (+ 23.32 from Meditation)

Wisdom: 101 (+ 44.44 from Meditation)

Luck: 27]

[Stat Points: 5

Cash: $798.30]

[Skills: (Active): Observe 50/100; Create ID 9/100; Exit ID 9/100; Energy Blast 22/100; Crafting 8/100; Eldritch Magic 25/100; Portal Creation 19/100; Spinning Mana Bullet 15/100; Mana Strengthening 3/100

(Passive): Lying 18/100; Physical Endurance 17/100; Martial Arts 15/100; Programming 1/100; Massaging 19/100; Cooking 15/100; Meditation 22/100; Weapon Mastery 12/100; Language 30/100; Mana Affinity; High-Speed Calculation; Sage's Protection; Sage's Wisdom; Gamer's Body; Gamer's Mind;]