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Chapter 1

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 19:40

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Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 19:41

"The absence of a familiar ceiling depresses me," These were the first words of Stepan, who first woke up, and only a minute later opened his eyes, eagerly wishing to see the hospital ceiling and to hear from the doctors that he had just hit his head getting out of the elevator. "At least the weather is normal and it's not raining."

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:03

The surroundings were soothingly lovely, to the point of nausea: a small lawn, green grass tickling his neck and hands, birds singing in the crowns of the deciduous trees surrounding the clearing, a stream running a few meters away, and other classics. Ticks, snakes, and other shit, which can be found in the wilderness and eat a warm-blooded moron lying in the middle of nowhere. And that's not counting those kinds of similar creatures and entities, which could replace or supplement the previous categories, opening new facets of the same new world. In general, Stepan was on his feet very quickly.

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:04

A quick inspection showed that his old clothes were gone, replaced by a new set of clothes, which looked good quality and comfortable, though a little stiff. His phone was gone, as well as his headphones, which made him want to kill sincerely and purely, from the bottom of his heart, and Stepan vowed to take revenge on the creatures who had thrown him out here most terribly and cynically. Next to the place, where he had been lying a second ago, there was a massive and medieval-looking backpack made of leather and hides, covering his face from the rays of the morning sun. Big, just right for camping, with a wooden bottom, lots of pockets, pouches, and clasps, ajar and full. On top was his phone and headphones, which didn't reconcile with reality, but the guy had promised to retaliate one-thousandth of a percent weaker.

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:06

But the phone was completely dead and without a charger.

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:06

Which made him desire terrible revenge with renewed vigor.

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:06

Further examination of the knapsack showed the presence of a knife, an axe, a small, elbow-length, not counting the handle, cleaver, a kettle, rope, food supplies for a week (breadcrumbs, dried meat, cereals, even a small wax-sealed jug, with a cluster of grapes on the seal), a change of clothes of the same kind, spare boots, a rolled-up good coat of dark gray, and a purse with one gold, half a hundred silver, and a couple of handfuls of copper coins. It wasn't clear how valuable gold was here, but at least he wasn't poorly outfitted, so he could survive the first couple of weeks.

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:09

Maybe even longer, he thought, as he looked around at the small and sturdily built, but even in appearance old, one-story log cabin, a kind of forest gatehouse, covered with ivy and moss, but still very presentable. The door was invitingly open, so that even from here it was obvious that the cabin was empty, but well-maintained inside, too. Closer inspection revealed a lonely bed, a small stone fireplace, a table, a chair, and a chest in the corner. The chest, also open, contained some more tools of all sorts, clothes, and even a larger axe. Next to the chest stood a lonely spear leaning against the wall, more like a spear for bears - Stepan had seen such spears in historical textbooks.

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:11

Somehow there was no doubt that this was not someone else's living space, but only his own, private and personal starting location. Once inside, the guy immediately wrinkled his nose at the somewhat dusty and dry air blowing in his face, but there was no smell of mold or decay. There was a lone window overlooking the opposite side, where the forest should have been close to the window, but instead of glass there was some not very transparent stuff, so there was no way to see. There were shutters, too, as well as a massive oak deadbolt that just creaked a little.

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:13

He threw his backpack on the floor, and sat down on the hard bunk, harder than the beds in the dormitory where he had lived for the first six months before his part-time job had allowed him to rent an apartment, - however, his parents, despite their complicated relationship, added half of it, otherwise their son, who had run away from them like the devil from an incense, would have nothing to eat, - and having closed the door behind him, locking it, Stepan sat for a while, looking at one point on the wall as if he were not here at all, and then he laughed like a horse. The laugh quickly turned into a strangled wheeze and squeal, and then into a short and tearful hysterics, for which he was a little ashamed, even if only to himself. Always phlegmatic, even now he did not lose his self-control, he calmed down very quickly, wiped away the snot, and, exhaling as if before diving under a cold shower, slowly and aloud said the famous:

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:15

"Status."

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:16

Of course, it worked exactly as it should have in the hundreds of novels, fanfics, novels, novels, and even manga that he had read, both personally found among the mountains of shit and on the recommendation of his namesake. In front of his eyes, or rather, in front of his inner eye, as his brain perceived the written words as something visible, when in fact they were more like pure knowledge, there appeared inscriptions in an unfamiliar but very clear language, forming into words, and those words had a clear meaning.

Camrad_RIP 05.03.24 в 21:28

Name: Stepan

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:19

Level: 0

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:19

Class: unselected

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:20

Characteristics: (free: 9)

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:20

Talents (free): none

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:20

Constitution: 1

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:21

Sensitivity: 1

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:21

Power: 1

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:21

Control: 1

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:21

Source: 1

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:21

Spirit: 1

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:22

Resistance: 1

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:22

Knowledge acquired: Speaking and writing: Free Cities, academic Neurath, Island Kingdom

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:22

Acquired properties: none

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:22

System modifiers: none

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:23

Special: The Blessing of Liarat si Merrinal, Lady of Gifts and Giver of Gifts, faithful servant of Innelas Innelay: hidden effects

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:23

What he saw made Stepan wipe his face with his hands, especially the last line, which made him grit his teeth, especially remembering the fact the Great Answering Machine had said something about the side effects of her blessing, which Stepan would certainly have guessed. And the involuntary isekai not at all! Alas, but the summoned System Help did not help to understand that there is such a valuable gift that it is even cooler than the Magick Sword. But the same help successfully explained to the guy what the other characteristics of the System Status meant and what they were responsible for, which were not so similar to the classic Korean manhwa.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:30

Purely physical characteristics, as well as famous intelligence and wisdom, were not on the list of available to pump and increase. All seven attributes were magical in one way or another. The Help stated that the gifted had such aspects growing along with the magical gift, allowing them to surpass the ungifted: even a dull-witted and untrained wizard from the peasants would have a high level of memory, imagination, and abstract thinking, a priori, passively so to speak. And if you actively develop your gift, then these non-described characteristics of yours will grow only in a way - without memory and the ability to maintain in your head and directly correct a huge number of operations, no magic will make you a magician.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 13:31

However, the first of the characteristics, the Constitution, was responsible for that very physical power. Right now, he has only one in the Constitution. It is the average human value for a non-gifted person. And if he invested at least two points, bringing it up to three, he would not become exactly three times stronger, but the increase would be very noticeable. The skin will become stronger and even a knife will be harder to cut through it, vitality will increase, bleeding will become less dangerous, and the value of blood for vampires or for burning it in magical practices will also increase, by the way. In general, corporeality accommodates all the classic physical parameters at once, and having pumped it you will become such a mago-warrior, able to break walls with your fists, and enemy weapons with your bare ass.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 19:29

Sensitivity was responsible for the perception of the surrounding world and one was also a standard for the human race. Not only sight, smell, and other senses, but also sensitivity to magical flows, the ability to read auras, look through disguises, and distinguish the subtle shades of magical specifications of various amulets, artifacts, or simply valuable reagents. At high values, you can truly look through walls even without active magic, just in passive mode. In a way, this characteristic will increase some mental parameters, because without a strong brain, one will not be able to perceive and understand the sensed, so a high attribute will automatically pull up the weak brain.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 19:32

Power meant magical, well, power, which was obvious, but nevertheless. In general, Stepan thought that the reference explained everything as if it had been created originally for someone very stupid. Considering the personality of the one whose place he had not so freely taken, such an approach was not even surprising at all, it seemed very sensible. And he was not going to be offended if they talked to him, very precisely choosing the wording, because not in such matters were allowed to skip introductory instructions. So, the Power was responsible for how strong your spells were when you invested the same amount of power. To put it crudely, how much of your energy, magical power, is dense, valuable, and piercing. There are many other secondary aspects to what power affects, but they are not described in the help, suggesting that you either reach it yourself or level yourself up and get more detailed help. From what Stepan had already been told, he had the feeling that this characteristic would benefit some kind of battle mage more than others so his blows would be more powerful and his shields stronger. By the way, the standard for an ordinary person in this attribute is exactly zero, even one makes you weak but gifted.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 19:36

Control is similar to power in many ways, it also increases the quality and efficiency of magic, but in the ratio of how much energy you spend on a certain action. Without high control you can also perform subtle and complex charms, worked them up by training, but the time of their cast will be unrealistically long, the more complex up to the fact that only to master the highest healing or cursing charms will have to long decades. Yes, such an attribute is best suited for those who care about the subtlety and correctness of the execution of charms, not their power: the same healers, as the most vivid example. The standard for the ungifted is zero, as well as for the gifted too, by the way, because control in normal conditions must always be gained, even if some people find it easier, up to mastering their power in childhood - heirs of mages with bloodlines, all sorts of elves and fairies, as well as simply talented "mudbloods".

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 20:29

The main characteristic that distinguishes a truly gifted person from someone who can become a village witch at most, with unrealistic luck, to an adept apprentice is the Source. The characteristic responsible for the amount of magic you can hold within your aura, and the speed at which it can be replenished. These two aspects are interconnected, and without them, you can't cast magic even if you really want to, although certain practices allow you to rise to very high levels even without possessing the Source, it's just that over time such adepts either reach their limit or find a way to form and awaken the source for themselves, often illegal and bloody (quote from the reference, if anything). Usually, if there is already Power and Control, the Source is also present in the gifted person, as these three characteristics form the magical gift, although there are very different variants.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 20:33

In a way, the Spirit can be considered the antipode of the Source, because it is responsible for both the ability to draw power from the environment and for, Stepan decided to call it.... communication with the universe. An attribute of all shamans, priests, druids, and other similar types, in theory allowing to do without a gift at all, but in fact fully revealing only in synergy with the Source. Communication with spirits, subjugation of beasts and sentient beings, sincere prayers, or opposition to demonic foulness (the earthling preferred to shove the unpleasant associations with WH40k deeper) is also based on Spirit power. The standard for a mortal man is also a unit, but it is a characteristic that even an ungifted, but very persistent and persevering individual can develop.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 20:35

It would have been possible not to read about Resistance at all, obviously, but Stepan still read it. Yes, it was exactly what was written on the package - the ability of the body and aura to resist hostile or simply foreign magic, at high values allowing one to level it at all, when the charms below a certain limit of power on you have no effect, and those that did get through, weakened greatly. It is not possible to disable the magic of others, not at the expense of pure characteristic, no matter how high it is ... unless there are special classes, which the system emphasizes separately. But the classes themselves, of course, the interested young man was not named or even hinted at.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 19:43

Thus Stepan summarized that the nine free attributes given to him by the system could turn anyone into a very talented Gifted, even if untrained, but still a bit superhuman. The young man was sure: bring the same Constitution to ten, he would become Superman, or rather, his budding and rapidly developing pirate copy. He will definitely be able to scatter a crowd of thugs with kicks, and not to pay any attention to an accidental knife wound if it does not hurt anything important. And it will heal, and very quickly!

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 20:41

Reading the certificate not only helped to raise the hidden characteristic of erudition - he laughed at his simple joke - but also calmed down a little. The former student, who had lost all chances to get a diploma, even tried to encourage himself, saying that he would lose nothing in that world. He lived alone, had recently broken up with his girlfriend (fortunately peacefully, she was going abroad and honestly decided not to torture them both, in which Stepan supported her), and did not get along with his parents. He had lost nothing, except for a good job, the Internet, the usual society, the comparative safety of the environment, household amenities, and a very long list of all the good things ... Stepan couldn't cheer up. Well, but now he had magic.

Camrad_RIP 07.03.24 в 09:16

Stepan reached the choice of class in the late afternoon, having had time to look around the house and its surroundings, to walk along the edge of the forest, to look in the cellar, which was empty, alas, and to have lunch and dinner of breadcrumbs and dried meat, suppressing the desire to open the jug of wine. Sitting down on the bed, already fed up and a little more complacent, as well as slipping into his usual fatalism, he mentally clicked on the blinking icon, starting to read the text that opened before his eyes and silently, and then loudly stunned, because there was something to it. Anyone would have freaked out, even Yanin, who would have raised his monobrow in sincere surprise!

Camrad_RIP 07.03.24 в 09:18

He was offered six classes in total and they were: Warrior, Sorcerer, Spellcaster, Shaman, Healer, and Supreme Master of Depraved Fetishization. The first five classes had steel-tinted edging around their inscriptions, while the last one sparkled with a bright golden-purple pattern. It seemed to Stepan that as he focused his attention on this class, he could hear a marvelous melody in which music mingled with the passionate moans of women. Well, it seems that the type of blessing that Stepan received from this Big Milf, became finally clear, but Stepan still broke through to laughing and anger. No, well, deep down he even understood, a little bit even approved of such an aspiration to his dream. Stepan believed all people had the right to store their inner demons on the HDD, feeding them with gigabytes of different videos. If the situation were less serious, and the world less real, he would probably choose this class, too, but the world, alas, is too real, and it is too real, and it is not clear where it is, but in such a fierce fart that there are no beautiful and tsundere loli wizards here, but there is a not illusory probability to die of hunger, cold or dysentery even sooner than from the fangs of predators or the knives of robbers.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 19:39

Each class not only gave access to the ability to take the first level and spend five talent points but also directly influenced the characteristics, increasing them (at the same time automatically unlocking some knowledge). Thus, the mighty Warrior, when choosing a class, immediately increased his Constitution by three, Resistance by two, and Sensitivity with Spirit by one. And then, every ten levels, the person who chose this class increased his Constitution by one, every twenty levels increased his Resistance by one, and every thirty levels increased his Spirit by one. Basic reference immediately suggested that, with the exception of the first level, and some other unnamed milestones, each level yielded only one talent point, and free characterization points came every ten. Considering how powerful these units really are, it's understandable why they don't come at five stats per level - at that rate, you could become Superman in six months and not give a shit. Stepan wouldn't mind, but who would ask his opinion?

Camrad_RIP 07.03.24 в 09:09

In addition to the above, each of the classes gave many small bonuses, and opened access to separate branches of talents, at the same time the class carried certain disadvantages, like the difficulty of developing the Source in Warriors, where each increase required two points of characteristics. The only ones that didn't have such weak archetypes were the Sorcerer, Shaman, and Supreme Master of Depraved Fetishization. In the case of the latter, it is even more: some characteristics for one invested point at once by two increased, and increases went every level. The original choice of Supreme Master of Depraved Fetishization class gave five points to all attributes at once. Then each level plus one to two characteristics, and then in a circle.

Camrad_RIP 07.03.24 в 09:06

Against this background the Shaman and Healer who for not receiving disadvantages paid for the fact they have one less characteristic point when choosing a class, seemed like a used Ford-T vs. a brand new Ferrari.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 19:46

After reading through all the class descriptions, Stepan lusted for the available options, spun the special class option this way, and chose Shaman. Why? Well, at least because of all the proposed options, only this one offered the most universal list of skills that could help to survive in complete solitude and the wilderness. Exactly what all the listed options, including this one, lacked. Stepan was not an idiot, but no matter how it turned out, the most badass of the classes was very specialized, and he reasonably doubted that he would be able to turn a bear that attacked him into a cavalier bear-girl. The highly versatile Enchanter would have been ideal, yes, but that one had problems with domestic support and food production if fireballed bears and partridges didn't count.

Camrad_RIP 07.03.24 в 09:01

Three units to Spirit, two to Sensitivity, and one to Power. Plus one to Spirit, once every ten levels, plus to Sensitivity once every twenty, and Power once every thirty isn't too bad.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 18:33

In general, Stepan became a shaman, only his palms did not become golden, and no one drew eyes on them.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 18:34

Closing his eyes, the young man immersed himself in the world of free talents, the list of which was impressive and, as his mind suspected, he would not be offered such a wide range of options at the next level, having significantly reduced the number of offered ones. Most of these talents were, by the standards of the magical world, not higher magic, but still allowed to save years or even decades of magical training and brutal cramming.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 15:47

The talents themselves were divided, or rather, Stepan divided them, into three main groups: broad knowledge, narrow knowledge, passive properties, and meta-skills. Broad knowledge gave a whole slice of a certain orientation, like "basics of working with totems", "basics of spiritual bargaining and contractual agreements with otherworldly entities", "basic training in controlling internal energies", or something similar. Such knowledge seemed to replace several months or even years of intensive courses at the best magical academy in the world, leaving the user with the necessary knowledge, and reflexes, only without a diploma. Narrow knowledge was shorter, but much more deeply imprinted into the essence of the chosen one. For example, the "curse of the hungry heart", allowed, figuratively speaking, to point a finger in the direction of the enemy, to call at the same moment directly into his thin body of a small spirit, which will devour part of the aura, which is responsible for the heart muscle and that's it, goodbye asshole. Yeah, you can defend against it and all that, and not everyone can be penetrated by it, and it's easiest to kill ungifted people like that.

Camrad_RIP 06.03.24 в 15:49