Intelligence. (INT build, magic focused, male)

Dillon awakens with a start. That voice. Surely it wasn't a dream? It felt so real, like stepping into a portal to another world. Everything around him feels strange, like the world is vibrating with shimmering energy. The world looks sharper, the air just a bit fresher and more exciting. His mind feels so light, like every neuron is firing with positivity, he feels a supreme calm settle over his thoughts. He sits cross legged on his bed and closes his eyes. The world disappears, and all there is, is serenity, deep, soothing serenity. When he opens his eyes again, he sees a bright UI screen glittering in front of him. It gives off a soft light and displays information regarding him.

Dillon Kaster

Level 1

Exp: 0/10

Strength - 13

Dexterity-15

Intelligence - 30

Psychic - 0

Vitality - 4

Endurance - 8

Faith - 0

Magic - 0

Perks: Intense Focus, Quick Learner, Steps to Enlightenment

Intense Focus: The owner of this perk is able to maintain intense focus for long periods of time. Allowing for easier studying and learning while also enhancing focus in combat scenarios.

Quick Learner: The owner of this perk is able to learn new concepts very fast.

Steps to Enlightenment (Rare): The owner of this perk has an unusual connection to the soul of the universe, Enlightenment may be within reach.

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Incoming Quests: Reach Enlightenment

Rewards: Enlightened Perk, 30 status points, Random Intelligence based item, 1000XP, Enlightened One Title

Penalty for Failure: Mentally Deranged Curse Applied, Third Eye Blind Curse Applied

Accept? Y/N

Enlightenment? He's heard of the concept but never really delved into it. What does it mean to be Enlightened? He quickly presses the Y button and closes his eyes, only for a moment does the young man worry about the penalty for failure. Then all is gone.

Dillon sits in quiet meditation. Contemplating his internal senses. Psychic knowledge begins soaking into his mind. He sits, breathes, and meditates. The urge to eat does not take him nor the urge to drink, and by some magic he has no need to defecate or piss. Nay his body sustains itself off of the energy of the universe. Breath after breath, the young man drinks in the atmosphere of the cosmos, and he vibrates from each atom, moving in tandem with the quantum field itself. With each breath he falls deeper into this state of utter bliss and servitude. He loses all sense of himself.

He stays like this for thirty three days and thirty three nights, utterly oblivious to the outside world, Dillon dives into the deepest recesses of his mind, searching and seeking for some odd truth. Upon the thirty third night he reaches enlightenment, completing his first quest.

*Ding*

“Where did that noise come from?” Dillon looks about as he blearily opens his eyes, he yelps as the bright light of the UI burns his vision.

Quest: Reach Enlightenment

Completed!

Rewards: Enlightened One Title (Gives 30 points in Psychic and invulnerability to psychic attacks), + 30 status points, Staff of Equilibrium, 1000 XP, Enlightened Perk

You have reached Level 2.

+5 status points

Current EXP: 890/1000

Everything stands still for a moment, the air is quiet, there are no sounds, as if this second in time was held in place for far too long. Dillon's eyes light up with a strange light blue glow as waves of information are pumped into him.

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My name is Dillon. I am intelligent. I’ve always accepted that as a fact. I get good grades with ease. I’m witty and quick thinking. Most people comment on my intelligence after a period of knowing me. But now, more than ever, I feel dumb.

I reached Enlightenment yesterday, it was, well... an enlightening experience. There was a UI window telling me I had done so. So strange. That UI window, just like a video game. In fact, all of this just seems like a video game, ADVANCE, stat points, quests. But it works. I feel brighter, more focused, like a new man. This definitely warrants some thought. Can I really trust a random stat screen with something as important as enlightenment? What if I'm being lead on?

I shake my head. No, when I passed out last night, it felt as if the entire cosmos was being crammed into my head. Even now I struggle to put my finger on it, whatever that was, it wasn't fake. I feel, at ease with everything, a deep knowing resides within my soul, a knowing I can never explain. I pull up my stat screen again.

I have a lot of skill points it seems. Putting points into Psychic seems to be a wise decision, however Magic intrigues me, while Intelligence just seems fundamental.

I’ve received a massive boost to Psychic from the quest, and my INT stat is quite well off as it is.

I put a few points into magic, I can sense the difference instantly. It is a constant buzzing in the air, the very movement of atoms creates the phenomena of mana. At least… I think. Has the world always been like this?

I try reaching out and grabbing the mana, it doesn’t work. Instead I try using my mental focus to control the mana. It works a little, the mana seems to buzz around a little more but there’s nothing past that. I make a harrumphing sound and reach out for the nearest notebook. It occurs to me I may be telepathic. I strain my brain to try and pick up the zebra print notebook on my desk. I visualize a mental gif of the notebook flying into my hands.

Nothing happens. “Tch.” I click my tongue. Not yet at least. I scribble in the notebook, meditating for periods of time to nail down my observations. There are three key things I’ve learned so far.

1. Intelligence allows for the mental focus and capacity to control and take in mana.

2. Psychic allows for the control, perception, and manipulation of thoughts and emotions.

3. Magic allows the user to transform mana into different base elements and issue commands to the mana.

As it stands my INT and PSY are both at thirty, my magic is currently only at 10 points. It would be quite satisfying to have thirty in all of them.

I decide to pump 20 more points into magic, taking it to thirty, I'll keep the other five in my pocket for now. An instant rush overcomes me, the mana feels brighter, more powerful, it thrums against the nerves of my skin, begging to be let in. My knees buckle and sweat beads on my skin from the overwhelming amount of information entering my brain.

The atoms around me begin to crackle with energy, reacting to my body in strange ways. My INT and PSY begin to kick in, dissecting and absorbing my new sensation and experience of mana. I take a deep breath and let the mana flow into me. I have to become a catalyst for the energy. Cold blue light begins to shine from my body. I can feel the power from the mana, it feels clean and simple. It calms my mind to the point of no return. I feel I could slip away into this pale blue of intelligence.

I attempt to move my journal with my mind again. A string of blue energy shoots out from my main energy body and grabs the journal. The pencil goes flying but I’m able to focus my mana to stretch and retrieve it for me. It feels like a muscle, one that works based entirely on thought. The stronger the thought, the more powerful the reaction. I begin scribbling more and more notes.

1. Mana is always present in the atmosphere. Putting points into Magic allows one to access said mana.
2. The movement of atoms creates mana. Points in psychic allow you to perceive bundles of atoms better.
3. Mana can be absorbed and used. Intelligence is the main factor for this, the more intelligence, the easier mana is manipulated.
4. Mana can take physical form. (My mana feels quite stretchy when I try to harden it, but feels gaseous when relaxed)
5. Mana can be absorbed endlessly, providing a constant state of pure calm and source of energy. A distinct blue light shines from the intake of mana. Taking in mana is as easy as breathing, but expending it in the form of spells is taxing both on the body and mind.
6. Manipulating and hardening your mana takes immense focus and can cause one to pass out or suffer from headaches.
7. “Tendrils” Strings of mana I am able to use. The more strings, the more powerful the mage?

I pull up the UI again, I've been curious about this for a while. The screen has a multitude of different indicators, my vital signs, current health status and a list of things about me. There's also an inventory, how nifty, inside I can see the Staff of Equilibrium. I tap on the icon and a burst of white light pops from my left hand. A balanced staff is placed into my grip, the top of the staff is adorned with the icon of an angel with a pair of scales. I can feel the staff's influence, it's calming and soothes out the mana in my body. The mana feels more relaxed, more readily available now. The staff has a good heft to it, like it could knock someone out in a swift swing if need be. The material feels expensive, and ancient, two things I usually try to keep out of my hands. I stow the staff neatly away.

I look up from my notepad, I can hear screaming.