Day 2


    I awoke to Jinwoo, Gor, and a bowl of leftover broth from the night before. Gor was eating a bowl of something completely different and noticed my look.


    “It’s mushroom stew. Some of the foragers brought in a big bunch of them yesterday, but you can’t have any,” he said with a grin.


    Jinwoo added, “Goblins can eat any mushroom without worrying about being poisoned. They didn’t know that with the hero before me. She’s buried out near the creek. Today, you’re coming with me to hunt. We rotate between hunting duties and supply gathering. They call it foraging. Every seventh day, everyone gets a day off to do whatever, but most still go out. Everything found gets shared as much as possible, with the hunters getting a reward share.


    Today, you’re going to come out with me to learn the ropes, but first, Gor wants to teach you how to look at your statistics and find out what, if any, skills you have.”


    Gor finished his bowl of mushrooms and then sat across from me. He began to chant, eyes closed, softly swaying side to side. When he stopped, he looked at me...but through me. In front of my eyes, small pop-up windows appeared, startling me. They looked like the old action choice windows from early video games. One showed my basic statistics—health, strength, etc. The other listed skills. Only two skills showed. One was a strange symbol, the other simply said Lucky.


    I looked over at Gor with a bewildered face. He also seemed to be intently reading the windows.


    “Well, what does he have?” asked Jinwoo impatiently.


    “Not much, but there’s a lot of possibility,” said Gor with a little sigh. “He’s a basic humanoid with the title of Outsider. He looks human, but I guess he isn''t. His strength is a little below average, agility surprisingly slightly above. He has magical aptitude but no element or any way to use it, and he’s a little slow for speed. Probably because he’s old like me!”


    “No, he’s older than me actually. Older by about ten years. You’d be dead if you were a goblin,” he said with a grin.


    “What kind of world is this where I have game stats?” I asked.


    He shrugged. “What kind of world was yours that you didn’t? It’s just the way it’s always been. If you have the sight, you can see them. If you don’t, you can’t.


    There are three types of beings in this world. You look human, but humans have to learn their skills. Demihumans are born with skills or earn them as they become stronger, so you fit in that category. They can also learn skills, but it’s slower than humans. Monsters are also born with skills, but they usually can’t learn any new ones. They can evolve into stronger forms with enough experience.”


    “You can gather Chi as you battle or do great deeds. It’s a celestial reward system, so to speak. As you gather Chi, you can become more powerful, maybe learn new skills. These skills are not things like swimming or a new language. No. These skills are true powers.”


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    Gor pointed at Jinwoo. “Jinwoo can cause plants to grow faster and give a better harvest than what would be done by just a regular farmer, but he can only affect a small area. If he becomes stronger, so will his skill. Maybe it will affect a larger area, make things grow even faster, or give twice the harvest. Now, if we had more than just berries and my herbs for him to grow, that would be helpful. If he simply practices that skill, it will slowly build, but actual combat will increase it faster. Unfortunately, that is his only ability, but he does have another empty slot. Humans can have a few of these abilities, but having more than three is rare.”


    Gor pointed to himself. “Demihumans start with skills and abilities for their race and then can develop more. I was once a simple goblin, but I had extra slots for new skills from a class and a minor aptitude for magic. I could become something more with time and practice. I was apprenticed to the old shaman back in the old village. In time, I developed skills and became a goblin spirit caller. I also have the goblin racial traits of [stealth] and [dodge], but I also have [spirit talk] and [herbalism]. How many you are given at birth depends upon the gods, your race, civilization, and luck. A human has anywhere from none to eight. Demihumans are born with up to four from their race and may have up to another four. Monsters spawn with up to eight. There are legendary beings that have more, but they are few and far between.”


    He turned his attention back to me, his small dark eyes squinting as if trying to figure out a puzzle. “You have eight slots—lots of potential if we could get skills for you to learn. But you also have two. Luck, and a strange one that seems to be a placeholder. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Relaxing a little, he continued, “Luck I understand, though. It’s a small bonus, but applies to everything. You’ll hit a little better with a weapon, dodge a little better, find hidden things a little easier. It affects everything you do, but only to a small amount. Let’s hope you’re lucky enough to survive.”


    “It was not a skill that the humans who summoned you found useful. The second one they probably had no clue about either, and you’re old, so they dumped you out with the trash. Most of the summoned don’t survive because you are summoned at the moment of your death—and most people are old when they die. Your spirit reforms your body as it remembers it. You might be a little stronger, faster, healthier because that is how you saw yourself, but if you were old and weak…” He shrugged. “If you cannot be used to fight another human or demihuman kingdom, you are of no use.”


    Gor stared at the thatched roof, remembering as he talked. “We were not always like this—barely living in a primal state. We had a real town, food, skills, jobs... but a beast came. Most of the warriors were killed. The rest of us fled with what we had on our backs. I asked the spirits for help, and they found this safe haven for us, but we are too few in number and every year we lose more. I fear we will not recover. So again I asked the spirits—they suggested saving the discarded heroes from the humans. A secondhand hero was better than nothing. You are our last hope. Please stay with us and help us rebuild.”


    The next half hour was spent learning to activate the little boxes. After I could prove to Gor that I could summon the little box, he stood up and headed for the door.


    With that, Gor addressed me one last time. “Jinwoo will show you around the village and then take you on a hunt. Maybe your luck will give us enough food to fill our bellies for once.” With a fading smile, he walked out of the goblin-sized door.


    “Um, what should I call you?” Jinwoo said sheepishly.


    I thought for a moment. “New world, new name. Call me Grum for now.”


    “Ok, Grum. C’mon, there isn’t that much to show you.”