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The forest was darker than I remembered it, though a dim orange glow filtered through the trees.

Probably the city.

Had time passed while the game was off? That would be weird, but I guessed they could sync the game with the system clock on my computer.

The aches and pains I'd left behind when I logged out were still there, though they weren't quite as bad as before.

I looked around, but the girl from the Adventurer's Guild was nowhere to be seen. I briefly considered calling out to her, but I had no idea what might be lurking out here in the darkness.

Instead, I sat down and pulled up my character sheet.

I'd healed two Health and regained half my Mana, so that was nice. Another hint that maybe the game was using the system clock instead of actual play time.

I'd gained two levels during the tutorial, which seemed like a lot. Maybe I wasn't supposed to fight the Fleshwood monsters? They'd certainly been worth a lot of experience. I got 165 XP from killing one, while the two quests I'd completed had only given me 100 XP each.

Whatever the case, I now had six Attribute Points and two Talent Points.

I put a point into both Endurance and Resilience, hoping that would make me a little less squishy. Then I dropped another two points into Will and Reasoning.

There were an enormous number of Talents, and I didn't qualify for most of them. It seemed like nearly everything required an attribute of at least a certain level, a skill at a particular rank, or another Talent as a prerequisite.

Luckily, there was an option to filter the tree down to only the Talents I could actually take.

The list wasn't exactly short, but it wasn’t long either.

Deep Focus

Prerequisite: Reasoning 5

Your mind can shut out the world when something demands your attention.

Mental Fortitude

Prerequisite: Will 5

Your thoughts remain your own when the world pushes back.

Rapid Comprehension

Prerequisite: Reasoning 5, Quick Learner

Complex ideas seem to fall into place before you know how you understand them.

Iron Resolve

Prerequisite: Will 5, Unyielding

Once you have chosen a course, little can force you to abandon it.

Arcane Intuition

Prerequisite: Reasoning 5, Magic Theory 1, Arcane Resonance

Sometimes you understand magic before you understand why.

Emotional Insight

Prerequisite: Empathy 1, Influence 1, Captivating Presence

The smallest changes in expression can tell you more than words.

Intimate Attunement

Prerequisite: Empathy 1, Influence 1, Intimate Resonance

You are unusually sensitive to the subtle language of attraction and intimacy.

None of them had actual mechanics attached to them, so I had no idea what the in-game effects of any of them actually were.

Rapid Comprehension seemed great for speeding up my rate of advancement. Arcane Intuition seemed crazy good, but I had no idea what it would actually do.

I hadn't really done any talking yet, so I wasn't sure how useful Emotional Insight would be. Intimate Attunement seemed… weird. Then again, so was Intimate Resonance, and I'd gotten that one for free.

And while Deep Focus, Mental Fortitude, and Iron Resolve were probably useful, I hadn't run into any real mind-control or fear effects yet.

With two clear winners, I picked Arcane Intuition and Rapid Comprehension.

With the increases to Resilience and Endurance, my Health was up to nine, though I wasn't fully healed. And I only had twenty-three Mana.

I still wasn't going back to Greyhaven. At least not in this state.

I closed the character sheet, pushed myself to my feet, and started walking away from the burning city.