Biology 101

Wanting to get a handle on the events of the last class, Reader had a look at his character sheet:

His eyebrows raised – a few more encounters like that and he might actually get somewhere! Though it seemed apart from his ‘basic functionality’ quest he still hadn’t gained any XP, but the achievements were making up for that… Reader walked like into his biology class like a man in a dream. His best looking teacher knew he wrote erotic stories, had picked up on the hypersigils he had hidden in them, and wanted to give him some advanced lessons in sex magic. He wondered if he should question her motives, but he thought on the class he’d seen when he’d used Observe. He knew ‘Educator’ meant someone who draws forth hidden potential in the old Latin, so the surface explanation seemed the most fitting… He was probably just jumpy because a game would have thrown an encounter at him by now.

Don’t jinx it, this is probably just a function of the slower learning curve Reader thought to himself. He brought his attention to the biology teacher, Mr C, who had just finished exhorting the class to take good care of their new textbooks.

Reader opened the book and used Observe, levelling the skill up in the process. Rather than a description of the book a strange pop-up appeared.

Learn Biology 101?

Reader had seen this kind of thing before in games, so he immediately clicked yes. He shuddered briefly as three years of biology **** their way into his brain. When he looked down, the pages of the book were blank as he had expected.

New skill: Biomancy lvl 1, passive.
+20 hp
+10% hp regen
Increased chance to unlock Biomancy skills through Meditation.

New skill: Augment body lvl1, 35 mp
Augment body: reinforce permanently by 5% the part of the body targeted. Limit of 5% x (skill lvl+1)

Reader’s eyes widened at the possibilities. His mind went to something he definitely wanted to improve by 2:00 PM that Saturday, a shame it would be only by 10% unless he could lvl up the skill. He had no idea how many uses would make it go up but he would probably spend his free time at home using it on him as soon as Meditation gave him his mana back. But first he needed a cover.

"Mr C, I think there was a printing issue. All the pages of my book are blank," Reader said, showing the book to his teacher.

"Weird. Let me give you another one, Reader!" replied Mr C bringing him a new textbook. Reader wondered what other books could bring him. He smiled at the thought of visiting that local feminist bookstore with the awful poetry readings and destroying some of the books there while pretending to browsed. Then he sighed, realising that he was once again edgeing towards villainhood.

Renegade Reader decided in that moment. Not hero or villain. Renegade. He’d play by his own rules, and he wouldn’t hurt people who didn’t deserve it. But he wouldn’t be a boy scout either. Some people deserved it, eighteen years on earth had left him with no doubt about that.

Since he needed his mana at full to use the Enhance Body skill, Reader spent the hour using Meditation as much as he could to regain mana, focusing on the open questions he’d encountered in his speed-learning of biomancy. He only managed to cast it twice, but the meditation itself turned out to be quite valuable as well. There were some interesting questions that a level one skill didn’t let him answer, but he knew enough to ask the questions at least, and they gave him ideas of where to explore next. He was so tuned in to this narrow range of thought that he missed both the notification that his Meditation had leveled up and the bell.

“Reader?” came Mr C’s concerned voice, bringing him back to reality. Reader started as he brought his thoughts out of the deep well in which they’d been freediving. He noted absently that he had gained 5 max mp via a ‘Heavy Caster’ achievement. More pertinently, his professor was looking at him with a concerned expression.

“Um… Mr C!” Reader exclaimed, wanting to cover for the awkwardness. “I was just wondering about something I read as I was skimming ahead in the textbook. Do you know whether there are any biohacker spaces here in Fallowfield?