Sam goes to check out a bookstore.

Everything that was going on was a lot for Sam to take in, but he was excited to keep exploring all of the new possibilities. Of everything about these new status menus, one thing stood out to him the most: he now possessed the ability to use skills. Thinking hard, he focused on his skills for more information.

Active Skills:
Scan [lv.1]: Allows user to identify objects in a short radius. (Cost: 0 Mana)

Passive Skills:
[N/A]

He only had one skills so far, but Scan already seemed like it was incredibly useful. The best part was that it didn’t cost any mana to activate, especially considering he didn’t have any mana yet. Furthermore, it seemed like his skills could be leveled up for stronger effects. The only question now was, how could he get more? Sam racked his mind for clues, and his years of video game experience pointed to one answer. In some RPGs, players acquired skills by reading spell books, so maybe he could attempt the same here.

With his mind made up, Sam made his way towards the nearest bookstore. Once inside, he gazed up and down the shelves stacked with books. There were so many options that he almost didn’t know where to start. The gamer in him decided to go for some combat skills, so he found a manual on martial arts in the fitness section. Picking up the book, Sam realized that it was actually pretty thick. He activated [Scan] in his mind and a small menu appeared.

[Book: Art of the Open Palm: A Guide to Self Defense]
[Price: $20.00]
[Effects: Teaches the user the active skill Parry.]

Well, it didn’t seem to give an offensive skills, but it could still be useful nonetheless so Sam decided to give it a shot. He opened up the first page, but the letters were all scrambled.

“I’m terribly sorry, but you must purchase before reading, miss,” a voice came from around the corner as a man appeared. He wore a blue apron over his clothes and had a cashier’s band around his neck just like the perfume vendor from before. “Excuse me, sir,” he corrected himself as he approached Sam. Sam realized that the effect of the perfume must have activated from afar, allowing him to be more noticeable. “Is there anything I can assist you with today?” the cashier asked.

The world seemed to pause again as another [Yes/No] menu appeared before Sam. He quickly shook his head and replied, “No, thank you,” and his surroundings began to move once more. The cashier smiled and walked away, leaving Sam to continue looking through the books. It was a little annoying that he would have to buy everything before testing the effects, but he figured it was worth the investment. Interestingly enough, not every book that he scanned granted skills. Some possessed the potential to increase his Intelligence stat while others possessed no effects at all. As he made his way through the Computer Programming section, another book caught his eye. He picked up a thin manual and gave it a scan.

[Book: Introductory Computing: How to Manage Your RAM and Optimize Your Performance]
[Price: $15.00]
[Effects: Teaches the user the passive skill Download Efficiency. Increases Intelligence by 2.]

Not only did this book give an intriguing passive skill, but it also increased stats. It wasn’t too expensive either, so Sam decided to get it. He continued looking through the rows of books, but he didn’t want to spend too much more money right at this moment. As he made his way towards the checkout counter, he passed a row of magazines and one in particular caught his eye.

[Book: Fashion Weekly: Prepare Yourself for this Fall’s Styles!]
[Price: $2.00]
[Effects: Teaches the user the passive skill Equipment Matcher.]

Despite it being a fashion magazine and something he didn’t have remotely any interest it, the magazine was cheap and possessed a skill that he might be able to make use of in a video game setting so he added it to the pile. He quickly made his purchases and left the store so he could try and reap the benefits of his acquisitions.

Settling himself on a quiet wooden bench, Sam began by opening up the book on martial arts. There were about 400 pages in the book and it would probably take a while to get through. He skimmed through the first chapter which was about 20 pages and then checked his status. No dice. He’d need to read the whole thing from cover to cover, which he just didn’t have time for right now. A little frustrated, he set the book down and went for the fashion magazine next. It was the shortest of the three books and could quickly get it out of the way, he figured.

Sam flipped through pages of models sporting various autumn outfits and quickly read through the accommodating captions and articles about which fabrics and color tones matched best and various accessories that could be worn to complete one’s look. He wasn’t interested in it in the slightest, but the information seemed to stick in his brain. Once he finally finished the magazine, a notification popped up in his mind, telling him that a new skill was acquired. He eagerly scanned his new skill for more details.

[Passive Skill: Equipment Matcher]
[Pre-Requisite: Scan (lv.1)]
[Effect: Upgraded function of Scan. Allows the user to identify equipment latent potential and grants the user bonus effects by wearing equipment from a matching set.]

A smile formed on Sam’s face. It seemed like reading that magazine wasn’t all for nothing; this skill could definitely have its uses once he found the right equipment. Maybe he would go clothes shopping next. However, he had one book left and it wasn’t too much longer than the magazine was. Picking up the computing manual, he wasted no time in reading through it. It took him about half an hour to get through, but when he finally finished, another skill popped up in his notifications as well as his increased stats. He quickly focused on it to see what else he learned.

[Passive Skill: Download Efficiency]
[Pre-Requisite: N/A]
[Effect: Allows the user to passively process data and acquire skills without interrupting their active functions.]

This was exactly what Sam was hoping for! Now he wouldn’t have to sit there and read the 400 page book on martial arts. As he placed all of his books into his inventory, he could already feel his new skill kicking in.

[Download Queue:]
[Active Skill Parry: 5% Complete – Time Until Completion: 2 Hours]

Deciding to let his skill do its thing, he took a quick survey of his updated stats.

User Status:
Name: Sam Williams
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Status: Perfumed (Dur. 2:04 Remaining)
Skills: Scan (lv.1), Equipment Matcher (lv.1), Download Efficiency (lv.1)
Jobs:
Level: 1
Health: 500/500
Mana: 0/0
Strength: 4
Dexterity: 2
Intelligence: 6
Stamina: 2
Agility: 3
Charisma: 2 (+1)

It wasn’t a whole lot different, but Sam felt like he was making progress. He could keep looking around the shopping district for more stuff to scan and interact with, but he also realized that his restriction from the Crimson Realm server was just a couple of minutes away from being over. Maybe he could try logging on once again instead…