Chapter 3: Unique Skill (1/2)
Candy's vision returned back to her and she found herself in a space that resembled the vastness of the cosmos. The surroundings shimmered with hints of celestial beauty, as if she were floating amidst a sea of stars. Before her, a blue interface materialized.
[8:59AM]
[JellyCandy : (E-Wallet: $UGD 243.93)]
--
[Knowledge & Fear - $UGD 119.99
Sunrise Entertainment]
[Play]
Candy pressed Play, and her vision instantly turned dark.
Candy appeared in a vast, black expanse. The emptiness seemed to stretch on endlessly, devoid of any landmarks or features.
As her eyes adjusted from the galaxy to the sudden darkness, the blue interface reappeared before her, illuminating the space with its soft glow.
[Please enter a desired name. (This cannot be altered.)]
[Please enter a detailed character appearance. (This can be altered!)]
Candy stared at the two windows, flabbergasted.
In SkillfulLeveler's video he revealed that a beta tester leaked that the only two aspects of character customization was name and appearance, but she didn't think it was true.
Still, having to type out your character appearance felt weird, but it would allow for the most customization.
A virtual keyboard manifested in front of her as she contemplated her character's appearance. With a few taps of her fingers, Candy began to describe her ideal avatar.
["Girl" is what you entered for your appearance and "Jelly" as your name, is that correct?]
[Yes] [No]
Candy thought for a moment, pondering the simplicity of her appearance choice. It was straightforward, but if her appearance was able to be altered like it said then it wouldn't cause her any harm. She brushed off her hesitation and confirmed her choice.
She tapped on the 'Yes' button to confirm.
[Goodluck, JellyCandy.]
She blinked and when her eyes opened Candy was sitting on the edge of a towering skyscraper, her legs swinging back and forth in the open air. The wind tugged gently at her hair, ruffling it as she took in the breathtaking view of the city below.
The sky above her was a crimson red, obscured by nothing, not even clouds.
Candy's eyes sparkled with excitement as she gazed out at the ruined cityscape. This was it. She was finally in the game she had been eagerly anticipating for years.
Recalling the information she had gathered about the game, Candy unfocused her eyes, summoning the game menu before her.
[Name: Jelly]
[Ironford Ranking: None]
[HP: 10/10]
[Quotes: 0]
[Titles: None]
[Innate Talents: Money Hungry - Sharp Weapon Combat - Awakening]
[Skills: None]
[STR: 2] - Strength
[CON: 2] - Constitution
[INT: 3] - Intelligence
[DEX: 6] - Dexterity
[CHA: 11] - Charisma
[WIS: 4] - Wisdom
Candy was disappointed.
Her HP was at a solid ten points, scaling to her dead-bottom constitution stat of two. At this point she was worried that even a gust of wind would spell her death.
Even more disappointing was her strength, could she even hurt an ant? Other than those her other stats except charisma and dexterity were mediocre at best, her charisma was shockingly high her dexterity following suite.
"Whatever, whatever, I need to meet up with the others at the Central Hub, I'll pray they get shitty stats too."
Having three innate talents was definitely a good aspect and she was about to guess what benefits they granted her before the interface displayed it for her.
[Money Hungry
An innately charming person at heart, but when it comes to bartering, trading, being a cheapskate or scamming you are a master above all.
+100% Charisma increase in situations that involve currency or things of value.]
[Sharp Weapon Combat
The pure skill in wielding sharp weapons with deadly precision and finesse.
+50% Progression in sharp weapon skill progress - +25% Increase in damage when using a sharp weapon.]
[Awakening
The innate ability to tap into the hidden potential within oneself, unlocking hidden talents and abilities.
+50% Permanent Wisdom increase and to all Wisdom boosting buffs, items, etc. - 20% Higher chance of achieving a "breakthrough."]
Candy nodded in excitement and awe as she took in the details of her innate telents. She may not have been the strongest or most durable, but she could bullshit her way out of confrontation with charisma or book it out of danger.
Candy stretched her arms outwards in excitement, her body falling back onto the metal roof of the skyscraper with a soft thud.
"Fuck, yeah!" She let scream from her heart.
As Candy lay on the metal roof, basking in the exhilaration of being immersed in the game, she couldn't help but admire the attention to detail everything felt so, real. The skyscraper beneath her, its surface rough against her palms as she pushed herself up to sit.
Her eyes scanned the horizon, taking in the sights of the ruined cityscape. The buildings around her stood tall but weathered, their supposedly once-gleaming surfaces now marred by the passage of time. Broken windows gaped like empty eye sockets, and rusted metal frames leaned precariously against each other.
The wind whispered through the desolate streets, carrying with it the faint scent of decay and rust. Candy shivered, the chill seeping through her skin.
"I almost forgot!" Candy realized.
She tore her gaze away from the city below and focused on the task at hand. She needed a weapon if she wanted to survive in this unforgiving world, and the skyscraper rooftop offered little in terms of resources.
"Spawned in any random location, whether safe or not." She recited to herself information from SkillfulLeveler's video.
She pushed herself up from the ledge and took a tentative step forward, her eyes scanning the rooftop for any signs of potential weapons. The surface was littered with debris – broken glass, discarded metal scraps, and chunks of concrete – but nothing that could be wielded as a weapon, well at least without also being a harm to her.
Candy's gaze landed on a metal doorway at the far end of the rooftop, its surface battered and scorched. It seemed to lead to a stairwell that descended into the depths of the building below. With a sense of caution, Candy approached the doorway, the creaking of the metal echoing loudly in the empty air.
As she pushed open the door and descended the stairs, Candy couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at the edges of her mind. The darkness seemed to press in around her, suffocating her with its weight. Every step she took echoed loudly in the empty stairwell, sending shivers down her spine.
When she reached the first landing, Candy found herself in a large office room, its walls lined with rows of cubicles and desks. The air was thick with dust, and the faint scent of decay lingered in the stale air. Candy's eyes scanned the room, searching for any signs of potential weapons.
One of the upper corners of the room was completely blown off, letting in the air.
Her gaze landed on a pointed chunk of metal, one end rusted and dull, the other sharp, good enough to be a blade. It seemed to have once been part of a larger structure, but now it jutted out of one of the abandoned cubicles. Candy picked up the metal shard, testing its weight in her hand.
[+1 Sharp Discarded Scrap]
It wasn't much, but it would have to do. Gripping the makeshift weapon tightly, Candy instantly felt a surge of power course through her veins. She wanted to stab something, really bad.
And as she turned to leave the office, she caught glimpse of her reflection in the only intact but still marred and cracked window in the room.
Her avatar stared back at her. Her very long purple hair at which the ends came together and formed into one long braid that swayed gently with her movements. Her eyes, a bright banana yellow, sparkled with emotion, framed by a smattering of freckles that dotted her cheeks. Her body appeared frail, petite and malnourished.
She finally understood why her Constitution and Strength were so low.
She sported a casual fluffy gray button up sweater that had a mix of dark gray and light dray, black parachute pants that also covered most of her worn out woman's purple sneakers. She had no shirt but in return she had a flat tube top bra that covered her chest, in-terms of her chest size? As flat as a cutting board.
"Disappointing but advantageous, I guess."
As she turned back to re-enter the staircase, loud, audible thumps resonated from the stairwell Candy had entered the room from, every passing moment they got louder and louder.
A sense of dread washed over her, filling her with a primal urge to run or hide. Instinctively, she ducked under the closest metal office desk, her heart pounding in her chest as she covered her mouth and stopped her breathing in a desperate bid to conceal her presence.
After a minute that stretched on into an eternity, the heavy footsteps finally reached the landing outside the office. Candy held her breath, her heart hammering in her chest as she listened to the sound of someone – or something – moving through the room.
She strained her ears, trying to pick up any clues as to the identity of the intruder. The footsteps were slow and deliberate, echoing ominously in the empty space. Candy's mind raced as she tried to come up with a plan of action. Should she stay hidden and hope that the intruder would pass by without noticing her? Or should she try to confront them head-on, using her makeshift weapon to defend herself if necessary?
Before she could make a decision, the footsteps came to a stop just a few feet away from where Candy was hiding. She held her breath, her body tensing as she prepared for the worst. But instead of the sound of someone searching the room, there was only silence.
Seconds stretched into minutes as Candy remained hidden beneath the desk, her heart pounding in her chest. She strained her ears, trying to pick up any sounds that might indicate the intruder's next move. But all she heard was the sound of her own heartbeat, loud in her ears.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Candy heard the sound of footsteps retreating back towards the stairwell. She let out a silent sigh of relief, her muscles relaxing as the tension drained from her body. Slowly, cautiously, she emerged from her hiding spot, poking her head out to peer around the room.
White eyes that seemed to lack irises stared back.
The figure standing mere inches from Candy's face was tall and imposing causing Candy's breath to be caught in her throat as she stared at the mysterious entity.
It was a tall woman, a tall woman with a jaw that was unhinged. Hanging disturbingly far from her upper skull, as her tongue which looked as if it were bitten off rested on its jaw. Her teeth were a sickly yellow and it's breath smelled like dead fish left in the sun. Her hair, viciously long and moved in strands like long black tentacles.
It's skin a pale greenish tint matched uncomfortably well with her bony figure.
Candy couldn't even speak as her body jumped backwards as if she didn't have any control over her own body.
Above it's head appeared bolded text that was an unsettling red.
[Danger Rating: ???]
[Futachi-Onna]
Along with the text came three different notifications from the main VR capsule system reading:
[Achievement unlocked: Not Your Day]
[Achievement unlocked: Really Unlucky]
[Achievement unlocked: A Walking Bad Omen]
The woman didn't have to move her jaw for her voice to spill out. When she spoke, it was a low, guttural growl that sent shivers down Candy's spine.
"It's hungry..." the woman whaled, her eyes gleaming with malice.
Candy's heart pounded in her chest, her mind racing as she tried to process the situation. The strange woman – if she could even be called that – stood before her.
[A primal sense of fear courses through your body as it produces adrenaline.]
Without a word, Candy scrambled to her feet, her makeshift weapon clutched tightly in her hand. She knew she had to get out of there, to find safety before whatever this thing was decided to attack her.
A fist-sized discarded piece of concrete lay next to Candy's foot as she got up. Quickly taking note, she grabbed the chunk and hurled it at the woman, quickly tossing her sharp scrap of metal slightly behind the concrete to hide it.
Without a second thought she dashed to the side of the woman and quickly behind her as the concrete chunk was mere inches away from the woman's face.
The woman's hair, moving like a hivemind of tentacles slapping the concrete rock away with ease. Behind the cover of the now discarded concrete came Candy's scrap of metal cutting through the air.
The metal shard flew through the air, aimed directly at the woman's forehead.
[You acquired the skill Beginner Tactical Throwing (Common)]
But just as it was about to make contact, the woman moved with an unnatural speed, dodging the attack effortlessly. Candy's heart sank as she watched her makeshift weapon clatter to the ground, her only means of defense now lying useless at her feet.
The woman turned to face Candy, her eyes narrowed with a predatory gleam. "You can't escape," she hissed, her voice echoing through the empty office. "It can smell your fear."
Candy's mind raced as she frantically searched for a way out of the room. She glanced around, her eyes landing on the shattered window at the far end of the office. It was her only chance.
With out a second thought, she bolted towards the window, her shoes pounding against the metal floor.
But before she could reach it, a dark tendril shot out from the woman's hair, wrapping around Candy's ankle and yanking her off her feet. She crashed to the ground with a gasp, the wind knocked out of her lungs as she struggled against the woman's grip.
[-5 HP]
The pain felt, real? How did they manage to program that?
The tendril tightened its grip, cutting off Candy's air supply as she fought to break free. She clawed at the ground, desperately trying to gain purchase as she felt herself being dragged towards the woman.
[-2 HP]
"It wants you alive." She stated coldly. "So it can feel you squirming in between it's teeth as it bites down."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
nectarifle
nectarifle Read the Game Information chapter if you're confused about the stats and stuff.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone