Chapter 2: The Price of Power (Edited)
Chapter 2: The Price of Power
Felix lay there for a while, thinking back on the events that had happened.
Now, that he remembered the events pertaining to when he created his Character and about Lime (except the metaknowledge), he could better understand his current situation and state. Right now, his mind had an invisible barrier dividing his four-year-old mind and that of his previous life.
Lime, during his Character Creation, had mentioned that this barrier was to prevent Mind-Readers, Omniscient Beings, and other unsavory mind Invaders from figuring out their identities. This barrier allowed Players to act as normal four-year-olds when not looking across the barrier, as it locked their memories from their past life. Of course, there was a limit to this, as it could still arouse suspicion if you just brazenly switched between mindsets and how you acted. It was more of a preventative measure for Players to protect their minds when they were still young.
'It's a good thing that there is at least some kind of failsafe...' thought Felix. 'Though there is no telling what it might do to the development of the psychology of the Players. We are after all, still human, and 4 years old at that. I should be especially careful in my early years. Maybe I should just give my "younger" self a general push or motivation to improve himself. Keep influence to a minimum other than for important things.'
Then, Felix noticed in the corner of his vision, an icon for the Menu. Or maybe it was a Home icon? It was a simplistic image of a house inside of a circle. He concentrated on having the icon "pushed" and a window then appeared.
[Felix Stoll
Age: 4
Rolls: 18-16-11
Primary Class: Hunter
Secondary Class: Pirate (Locked)
Tertiary Class: Jedi (Locked)]
[Chat Rooms]
[Item Inventory]
[Class Talents and Masteries]
[Point Store (Locked)]
[Tavern Travel (Locked/Daily Pass Used)]
He decided to go through the "Item Inventory" and the "Class Talents and Masteries" options before opening the "Chat Rooms".
[-Inventory-
- GI Card #021 X-Ray Goggles
- GI Card #024 Risky Dice
- GI Card #084 Paladin's Necklace
- Devil Fruit Trial Pass (Locked/One attempt per three Months)]
[-Class Talents and Masteries-
Talents:
- Hunter Talent: 1 in 1 Billion Nen Talent
- Icarus' Ambition (Your Ambition knows no bounds, even in the face of danger)
- Pirate Haki Talent: Prodigy (Locked)
- Jedi Talent: Midichlorian Count of ~14,000 (Locked)
- Jedi Talent: Can use Light Side and Dark Side without personality changing (Locked)
Easy Mastery:
- Aura Awakening and Ten (Locked/Pending)
- En (Locked)
- Manipulation Proficiency (Locked)
- Enhancer Proficiency (Locked)
- Observation Haki (Locked)
- Jedi Sense (Locked)]
The boy's eyes glittered like diamonds. So many options... and all of them were his!!! It was like a new world of fun had opened for the little boy, with endless possibilities for joy and explosions. He decided to click on some of the items to check out his new "toys". When clicked, new windows containing descriptions appeared.
[GI Card #021 X-Ray Goggles: When wearing these goggles, you can see through objects. The adjustment dials on its sides allow you to set the X-ray depth. No harmful rays or energy is emitted, so you don't have to worry about accidentally giving someone cancer.]
[GI Card #025 Risky Dice: A twenty-sided die with one skull face and 19 star faces. Great things happen when you roll a star, but rolling the skull will be bad enough to cancel out all the previous great events. As of this time, this dice has never been rolled before, but this may change should you choose to roll the Dice. Or, lend it to a friend.]
[GI Card #084 Paladin's Necklace: A Player wearing this will reflect curses cast upon him, and be able to undo curses placed on anything he touches.]
[Devil Fruit Trial Pass: Once every three months, allows the Player to undergo a Fruit's Trial. It's first come first serve, and will disappear once a Fruit is gained. Different levels of strength are required for different fruits, so the harder the better. Currently locked until Pirate Class is unlocked.]
[Aura Awakening and Ten: The Core Principles for the Hunter Power System. The process of opening one's nodes and allowing the aura to flow through and around the body.]
[En: Advanced application of Ten and Ren. The ability to extend one's Aura using Ren, then molding and containing that Aura to give shape using Ten.]
[Manipulation: Proficiency in using Manipulation type Nen.]
[Enhancer: Proficiency in using Enhancer type Nen.]
Felix wasn't too sure what to make of his new "toys", as there were some terms that were unfamiliar to him. But from what he could tell about the Hunter Class, it seemed like it utilized some kind of energy similar to Qi/Chi? Maybe he even had some kind of Meridian like those cultivators did. But it did puzzle him, why did he choose this class?
He had no qualms with being able to throw hands better. Heck, he might even enjoy it. But to the point of choosing the Hunter Class as his Primary Class and getting the 20 Talent Bundle for it? It didn't seem to add up. If he really wanted to go for the "punch hard" Class, he would've picked the Warrior Class, right?
One thing he was happy with though, was that it seemed that this Hunter Class didn't have a direct relation to Bloodborne, or at least, there wasn't much semblance yet. He wasn't entirely ready to go out and fight some Eldritch Horror, not while he was still just 4 years old. Though considering the name, it implied that there was some kind of dichotomy of hunter and prey in this world. But as to who or what those roles entailed, it wasn't clear.
But moving on, Felix excitedly turned to the items that he could use right now. A pair of goggles, a necklace, and one dangerous dice. Not really something he would pick as a gift for a boy of his age, but hey. It was free. And he loved free stuff.
Considering that all three had the same "GI Card #" part on their front, it seemed like they had some kind of connection to one another. Maybe they came from the same box of cards?
He decided to bring out the necklace first. It seemed to be the safest option to start with. And, if for some reason, he was cursed right now and just didn't know it, it could possibly cure him and get rid of the predicament immediately.
As he willed the necklace to come out of his inventory, it appeared right in front of him, resting against the floor.
Instead of a necklace, it resembled more of a pendant. It consisted of a short, golden chain and it had a convex centerpiece, almost like a shield, hanging from the chain. On the so-called shield, there was a hilt of a sword sticking out of its top, going through the shield. Its tip was slightly visible and the bottom of the shield. Four thinner symmetrical sword tips embellished the outer edges of the shield, making a sort of invisible X.
Felix could definitely see why it was called the [Paladin's Necklace]. Its centerpiece showcased the classic sword-and-shield combination associated with paladins. Though those sword tips did worry him a little. But as he tested their sharpness by lightly pressing his finger against them, he was relieved to feel that they weren't sharp at all. It seemed to serve a more decorative purpose, rather than being able to pull out a miniature sword from the pendant. The option did seem mildly fascinating though.
As he held the not-pendant, Felix didn't feel much different. He then decided to wear it around his neck. And as he did.... nothing happened. He looked over his body, to see if there was any difference, but there wasn't.
'Either I'm not cursed, I have a curse so powerful that the necklace can't negate it, or the necklace is a sham'... thought Felix. He thought that the possibility of the latter two was minimal. Why would he be cursed immediately after spawning? Speaking of curses...
Felix turned to his "System" and opened his [Class Talents and Easy Masteries]. Under its options, the [Icarus' Ambition] text message remained the same.
'So it doesn't seem to be a curse. Maybe it's an emotional or psychological aspect? Lime did mention that it was just an aspect of my personality...' he pondered.
'I don't think I was originally that ambitious? Or maybe it was just dormant, waiting for its time to truly shine.....Heh. It never got that chance in my past life.' Felix thought self-deprecatingly. 'But enough of that. Next.'
Felix dismissed the necklace, but not before getting a prompt telling him that he could decide the general location where an [Item] could appear.
It was a handy feature. One that Felix noted was important to keep in mind. In the future, he could just directly materialize the necklace to be on his neck so that he didn't have to go through the trouble of having to put it on mid-combat.
Next, Felix decide to bring out the [X-Ray Goggles] onto his outstretched hand.
The glasses seemed to resemble those thick glasses you wear during an Eye Exam. They had adjustment dials for both lenses, which meant that you could configure it so that each eye saw a different depth of X-ray. By default, any changes made to one of the dials would also be reflected on the other.
As Felix put them on, his first immediate thought was that these seemed too impractical.
The glasses had a frame front that was too thick for his licking. Plus, its generally weird shape and the need of having to bring up his hands to turn the dials made him stand out way too much to use in a public setting. As for its effectiveness...
Felix turned his head to the side, looking in the general direction of his Father's study. Like magic, Felix could see through the wall. There, a middle-aged man with brown hair and a sharp jawline sat in his office chair, typing away at his PC.
The man was Alex Stoll, Felix's biological father. Felix had been born from him and some other woman, though they had a falling out before Felix's memory was able to develop much, leaving him and his father behind.
He was a stoic, and mostly silent man. But he wasn't cruel. According to Felix's memory, he had provided him with anything he had ever asked for, though those demands mostly just consisted of toys. As long as Felix did what was expected of him, he had no problems with giving back.
The only real question Felix had about him was about his job. His job was still a mystery to Felix...
But that question could wait.
Now, Felix turned to his last item, already having dismissed the pair of Glasses and having summoned the dice. The [Risky Dice].
It was an icosahedron, a dice similar to those used in DnD with twenty sides. On nineteen of its sides, there were the characters representing a star. On only one side, there was a red character for a skull.
This... was dangerous. There was no denying that in Felix's mind. But...
'...'
Felix hesitated, his palms sweating a bit. He could infer that it posed a danger to him. He knew he shouldn't, as it was basically just gambling with his life. But he knew there was no reward without risk....
"Let's just do it!!!" Felix hyped himself up. He then rolled the dice on the floor...
...It showed a star.
'Phew...' Felix audibly sighed. He then smiled. 'What was I expecting? It's only a one in twenty chance for it to land on the skull, after all,' he mentally chided himself for being too cautious. He looked around, expecting something magical to happen.
'Huh? Shouldn't something be happening?' But as he looked around nothing seemed to be much out of the ordinary. It was then, that Felix spotted something.
Right under his bed, was a smooth pebble. As Felix grabbed it and brought it up to his eye, he recognized it.
It was just one of those bits and bobs he collected while wandering around. As a child, Felix was especially grabby with anything that attracted his attention, which included the general sticks and shiny pebbles. This pebble was no different.
'I was wondering where that pebble had gone. But can this truly be considered lucky?' thought Felix, stashing away the pebble into his toy chest.
It was an especially smooth pebble after all.
'Maybe the luck is situational?' Felix started rummaging through his toy chests. A random screw, a button... 'Aha! A coin!'
Felix turned over the coin. It was just an ordinary coin, but he wasn't interested in the coin itself. He was interested in what he could do with it. 'Let's see...'
Felix rolled the dice again on the floor. It showed a star. Then, he spoke out loud, "It's going to be tails!" as he flipped the coin high into the air. The coin soared through the air, before falling back down and emitting a faint ringing noise as it clattered against the ground. It showed tails.
The young boy stared in amazement at his new discovery. "Sweet!" he exclaimed. "This is fun!" repeating the process again.
Roll the dice. Get the star. Say tails. Flip the coin. Get tails. And Repeat! Roll the dice. Get the star. Say tails. Flip the coin. Get tails. And Repeat! Roll the dice. Get the skull. Say tails...
'...Huh?'
POP!
Chills ran down Felix's spine. Something wasn't right. Never before had he felt this sense of impending doom. He could feel it down to his soul. Then, as he slowly turned around to the source of the noise... He saw it.
There... on his bed... the once imposing figure that was the lion doll was gone. In its place, where its head should be, was a cloud of feathers, cotton, and fabric. The head had been blown up, leaving a gaping wound at its neck. The eyes, the nose, the mouth, just GONE. Felix stood there, shell-shocked. ".....Mr. Lion?"
But no matter how much he waited, hoping it was a dream, the scene in front of him didn't change. Instead, the feathers fell slowly, dancing, as if they were mocking him.
"No....." Felix muttered in disbelief....
"....no...no..nonoNoNoNO!!!" cried Felix, holding himself back from screaming at full blast. He couldn't believe it. NO. He COULND'T. Ragged breaths and sobs threatened to spill out of his mouth. Tears welled up in the young boy's eyes.
It seemed as if the world around the boy was crumbling to its seams before....he switched to his adult mindset.
"...Ah, that was close," muttered Felix as he surveyed the scene in front of him. His younger self had just gone through a horrifying event. Well, horrifying to a child.
His childhood toy, one that had followed him through his whole life (about 2 years if we take his memory into account) had just been mutilated.
For a child who was still in his developmental age and had never gone through such severe loss, it may hinder his mental growth if handled poorly.
"Damn it. I knew that there was a high cost, but to destroy the toy of a child that horribly just for finding a pebble and flipping a few coins? It seems pretty extreme no matter how I look at it," Felix muttered as he fell into deep thought.
"But at the very least I was able to test both the star and the scull system of the Dice... Hmmmm.....I wonder... If I said out loud that I want to find a million bucks after rolling a star...would it grant me that?"
Felix reached for the dice...
...Before immediately recoiling as he held his arm back.
'NoNoNo. THINK Felix. Don't fall into temptation. There's no telling what price I might need to pay even if I do get that much money. The price might be enough to regret ever rolling that dice.' Felix vehemently rebuked himself. 'I should just dispel the dice... Yes... I should do that....'.
'...'
'...But what if....?'
Felix stood there. His gaze locked onto the dice. He stood there for so long, that the feathers had already settled onto the bed and floor. Then, with great difficulty, Felix opened the System to dispel the dice, though not before hesitating a few more times.
'Sigh... What am I doing? I should start cleaning up and give myself some time to get over the death of Mr. Tiger' Felix thought as he busied himself picking up all the feathers.
One by one, he picked them up at his own pace, dumping them into a corner of the toy basket when his hands were full. At the end of it, he gently picked up what remained of Mr. Tiger, setting down its torso into the box as if he were lowering it into a casket. He then closed the lid.
Felix then looked over his room. "Much better," he stated, mostly to himself. There was still a feeling of emptiness where the tiger doll used to be, but he felt much better now after giving the doll a proper burial.
"Now where was I? Ah, right. The Player's Chat Rooms." Felix opened his System and clicked on [Chat Rooms].
[Username: Esper]
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A.N.
Bonjour!
How was it? Did I properly capture the emotions? Was it too cringey? I welcome any constructive criticisms.
Also, leave any suggestions and ideas for the novel!
Thanks!
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