《The Tests in Life》 Prologue: "Reward" Vin hated his job. It wasn¡¯t strenuous, nor was it difficult. His job was a simple one, but it just ate away at his soul. His sole responsibility was to watch people take a test they were guaranteed to fail. There were certainly people who passed the test before, but no one he tested managed to pass. He doubted the boy in front of him would be an exception to that rule. The boy looked around the room and saw nothing but Vin sitting at an empty table with his fingers interlaced. The boy stared at Vin¡¯s light blue hands and the red tunic he was wearing. He swallowed before coming forward and sitting in the chair opposite the blue man. He nervously looked at Vin, not saying a word. Vin couldn¡¯t fault the boy for being nervous and simply said, ¡°You¡¯re wondering why you are in a room with something that¡¯s clearly inhuman. Well, simply put, you¡¯re dead.¡± Vin paused, giving the boy time to speak. ¡°I-¡±, the boy began to speak and was immediately cut off by Vin. ¡°Now, normally you would be sent directly into another life, but your soul has accrued enough karma. Thus, you¡¯ll receive the designated reward for good souls. You¡¯ll be sent to your own temporary world to live to your heart¡¯s content. This world is not real, and made solely for your pleasure. Think of it like a game,¡± Vin emphasized that the world was fake before giving the boy a chance to speak once more. The boy asked the same question that everyone who sat in the seat before him asked,¡°What did I do though?¡± ¡°You? Nothing. A previous incarnation of you cured cancer in his Universe. He fell just shy of the goal. The meager amount you made in your life was just enough to get the reward. I believe the specific action was throwing bread to pigeons when you were 8.¡± Vin lied once more. The boy was troubled by this, and didn¡¯t say anything. Vin too chose not to say anything, creating an awkward pause that made the boy¡¯s state of mind worse. After a short period of silence, the boy simply asked, ¡°Is there anything else I should know?¡± Vin replied, ¡°Yes, this won¡¯t be like your world, Saturn. This world is less advanced and magic and heroes are more prevalent in this world than yours. You¡¯ll also be given an interface that will make your rise in the world quicker. It will assign you quests based on your state of mind and the type of person the AI thinks you are. Doing them will give you immense rewards, not doing so won¡¯t harm you. This world is your reward, we wouldn¡¯t want to punish you for living a certain way. Of course, given how the missions are based on who you are, you probably won¡¯t refuse many.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Nothin-¡± the boy tried speaking once more, and was immediately cut off again. ¡°No. Nothing else. You¡¯re ready. Enjoy your stay, Degen.¡± Vin waved his hand afterward and the boy immediately disappeared from the room. Vin sighed and assumed the boy would fail. He didn¡¯t display any signs of mental fortitude and was easily bothered by Vin¡¯s words. Most who fell in either category fell into degeneracy and immediately failed. Some managed for long periods of time and died without having any particular impact, thus failing as well. Vin looked at the sheet on his desk, categorizing Degen Vasir¡¯s life. His soul had a very good track record for the last few lives. The version of him going through the trial was 15 when he died. He interned at a psychiatrist¡¯s clinic and then later volunteered at a homeless shelter. Both of those events greatly contributed to his karma. Vin supposed that the internship could help Degan see through Vin¡¯s words. However, that wouldn¡¯t make him the first to do so, given that his words weren¡¯t particularly subtle. Vin flipped the sheet, and looked at where the boy would be reborn. Gotham City. His mother would leave him with a struggling father.There was more information on the father, but Vin had already read it once before meeting with the boy. He skipped ahead to the boy¡¯s information which was the same as all others who had taken the test. He had seen this too, but he looked at it again, it was a habit he developed after spending an eternity doing nothing. The boy wouldn¡¯t be a normal human. Instead, he would be a Homo Magus, from his father¡¯s side. The ability to wield magic was dormant in his father, and he would have no tutor in magic. Given the boy¡¯s circumstances, he could not become a true mage without a lucky encounter, but most others who were tested obtained the ability to use magic. He probably wouldn¡¯t be an exception. Vin read onwards out of habit but most of the information was monotonous. After spending a large span of time simply reading, he heard a small buzz. He looked to his right and a TV appeared. ¡°Born already,¡± Vin mumbled to himself as he turned the TV on. He didn¡¯t hold any high hopes, but there¡¯s always a chance that this time would be the one. It was the same thing he told himself every test. There¡¯s always a chance. Chapter 1: Rebirth Degen couldn¡¯t recall the first few moments of his new life; they were a blur of flashing colors and loud noises. Eventually, his near-blindness subsided. When he opened his eyes, he could see more than multicolored lights. The same didn¡¯t apply to his hearing; while he could hear what was being said around him, everything was too loud. He also had trouble staying awake for more than short periods at a time, constantly falling in and out of consciousness. After a while, his hearing improved as well. He noticed one voice that was with him almost all the time. The voice was from a man that had black hair and light brown eyes. His skin was a light shade of brown, and he held Degen in his large calloused hands. Degen assumed that the man was his father. Most of his time awake was spent being fed out of a drinking bottle. He would nap shortly afterward, and the process would repeat. Gradually, he felt his body become stronger and at some point, he could drink out of the bottle himself. He felt somewhat accomplished, before immediately laughing at himself. He never thought that one day he''d be proud of being able to feed himself. He hated being a baby. There was nothing to do except eat and sleep. All-day. Every day. Occasionally, he would get his diapers changed, sometimes his father brought him outside, and once, he woke up to a warm fire in his crib. It didn''t spread and touching it didn''t hurt him. Strangely enough, his father was only somewhat surprised by it, but it still broke up the monotony that was Degen''s life. He tried setting himself on fire again, but believing hard enough clearly wasn''t the right way to do it. Life went on, days passed like minutes and he did nothing but eat and sleep. One day, a hologram popped up in front of his eyes.
Quest!
Think "Status"
Reward: None
Seeing something to take him away from his boredom, he did. Status: Degen Vasir Age: 2 Months Health: Healthy Mental: Bored Mana Reserve: [Locked][Leaking] UNALLOCATED STATS: 2 STR: 0 VIT: 1 DEX: 0 WIS: 22 INT: 15 [60] PER: 3 Extra Stats \/ Traits \/ Abilities \/ A table appeared in front of Degen''s face showing a list of attributes describing him. He frowned seeing such low numbers for his intelligence and wisdom. He believed he deserved a lot more than a 22 for Wisdom and a 15 for Intelligence. He reached his stubby hand out and tried touching the bracketed 60, but the hologram changed before he could. Status \/ Extra Stats \/ Traits: Baby Brain: Your brain has just begun developing, your memory will be worse and you''ll think slower until your brain has sufficiently developed. Intelligence limited to 25%. Duration: 4 Months Upon Removal: You will receive traitQuick Learner Genius: You''re extraordinarily gifted when it comes to learning, you learn and think faster than most people. You learn 100% faster. Overflowing: Your mana reserves are incredibly large and your body can''t contain it. Your reserves will constantly burst magic until your reserves are unlocked. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Upon Removal: You will receive trait Mana Touched Abilities \/ Degen finally understood the reasoning behind the number 15. His brain was underdeveloped, and that limited his ability to think. He also finally understood the reason he woke up in a flaming crib. It was his reserves bursting and nothing he did himself. The discovery of the screen initially made Degen very excited, but nothing special happened afterward. His life was the same as before the screen, now he just had numbers to look at. His life continued, the monotony of it was unchanging.
Weeks rolled by until, one day, Degen''s father stumbled into the studio apartment looking haggard. His face was downcast and he walked directly to Degen''s baby blue crib without taking his shoes off. There were tears in his eyes as he held Degen and cried. "You''re all I have left," he mumbled to Degen. "All I have left." Usually, Degen''s father would leave the house in the morning after feeding Degen and putting him to sleep. He would come back every 2 hours to wake Degen up and feed him. At night he''d come back, check on Degen, and then collapse on the mattress lying on the floor. Leaving a child alone for long periods was a bad idea, and terrible parenting, but based on the condition of the small apartment, his father couldn''t afford to do much else. The next few days were completely different. Degen''s father was gone almost the entire day after the incident. When he came back he simply took Degen and entered a black van. When they got out, Degen''s father carried him into a new apartment and put him down inside a new crib. Afterward, his father talked with one of the men that came into the new apartment with him in a low voice and walked into one of the other rooms after the man left. The day after the move, Degen was brought to daycare and surrounded by children older than him.He spent most of his time inside his crib, so being surrounded by others felt strange. It shouldn''t have felt that way because he was a very social person in his last life, but the two months of near isolation and constant boredom made him uncomfortable around others. Despite being close to others, he couldn''t interact with them because of how much younger he was. His arms and legs were stubs compared to the other children so he couldn''t play with any of the toys either. He was still isolated despite being surrounded by others. It didn''t take long for him to get bored. It was just like being in the crib with more noise.
Weeks turned to months, and soon he became a year old.He didn''t think his father or anyone else noticed. He sang the song to himself when his father brought him home from daycare. Sometimes his father would try talking to him. Almost all conversations would end in awkward silence as his father ran out of things to talk about. After picking him up from daycare their conversations would always start the same way. His father would ask how his day was. Degen would always tell him that he had fun. His father would make an awkward pause, and attempt to disguise it by being busy driving, before eventually settling on an idea; most of the time that idea was asking what Degen did in Daycare or asking if he made any new friends. The conversations would usually end after that, but sometimes Degen asked his father about what he did. His father never gave a clear response, usually saying he was tired from working. The conversations never made it past that. When Degen became 2, his father hired an old tutor for English and math. His father had noticed how intelligent his son was, and chose to have him taught earlier than most by a tutor that would stay for 2 hours a day. The teacher was astounded by Degen''s ability to learn and, with permission, he began teaching Degen science and history. The teacher was clearly close to Degen''s father and after a while, he became close with Degen as well. The man''s name was Gabriel Lee, and he became a fixture in the toddler''s life.
Mr. Lee spoke in a very thick Chinese accent. He sounded very funny to Degen who had never heard of different accents on Saturn. With the Net, everyone spoke the same language and consumed the same entertainment. They all learned to talk the same way and accents died out in almost all places where the Net was present The Asian man left a small whiteboard in all the apartments he taught at. Whenever he came over to Degen''s he''d pull out the small whiteboard and sit on the leather couch with the young boy. He would pull out an erasable marker and start talking. The first time the old tutor came over, he taught Degen the letters of the alphabet for 2 entire hours. He didn''t believe that a 2-year-old could learn the lettersof the alphabet in 2 hours so he taught them again on the next visit. Halfway through the second lesson, Degen asked, "Why awe we lunning da shame ting?" "Well do you remember?" Gabriel asked the boy while pointing at a letter, "What is this?" "Z", Degen replied. "Thisthisandthis," the tutor asked while pointing at 3 different letters. "A, F, and H" "From now one, tell me if you already know something, I don''t want to waste our time," Gabriel said after a small pause. Before leaving that day, Gabriel met with Degen''s father and said, "I didn''t believe you, but he really issmart. Probably got it from his mother! I''m kidding of course, but you''re blessed with a good child, Daniel." The younger man laughed and said, "You''re not wrong, his mother was the smart one in the marriage." By the time Degen became 3, Gabriel had given him a solid grasp on American History and taught him how to read difficult passages. His teacher also inadvertently taught him how to make bad puns and how to act around others; both were things he had lost in his years of near isolation.
On a winter day, Gabriel sat on the brown leather couch with a silver cigarette case in his hand. He looked on as Degen solved the problems he laid out for him. Normally he would point out errors in the student''s math, but Degen was a special case. He rarely made mistakes. Out of boredom, he told Degen "Normally at this point if someone made a mistake, I''d tell them to turn off the heat and sit in the corner." Degen was confused, he asked, "Why would you do that?" Gabriel burst out laughing and told the boy, "They won''t need it where they''re going. Because the corner is 90 degrees." "That was so baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad," Degen moaned. "No, it was brilliant! Don''t lie, I know you want to laugh too." By the time Degen turned 4, the old man had taught him how to solve problems, how to lie and how to laugh. Their lessons largely consisted of terrible puns being thrown at one another.
On Degen''s 5th birthday, the old Asian man came earlier than usual. He gave the boy a small black box and told Degen to take care of it for him. Degen opened the box immediately after the old teacher left, and found a small silver ring several sizes too big for him with a note: I told you to take care of it, not to open it immediately! The next lessons went on as normal with Degen pretending not to have opened the black box. Neither of the two made any mention of it.
A few daysbefore Degen turned 6, Gabriel Lee taught him one last thing. On the day of the funeral, Degen learned how to mourn, and how to cry. Chapter 2: School Degen didn''t know anyone at the funeral. Many of the people attending knew his father and brought children along with them. Degen assumed that the old man taught their children as well. At the funeral, Degen didn''t see many people cry, including his father. Many were laughing with each other, and the quite a few of the children that were older than Degen openly talked about how they hated the old tutor. It confused the boy. The old man was an amazing person, why wouldn''t they shed a single tear? The question bothered him throughout the funeral, and eventually, he asked his father. "No one really knew Mr. Lee," his father replied. "He was just a man that was willing to teach young children. All of my... coworkers only knew him through a recommendation. The group I was a part of saw that I had you and they recommended I get Mr. Lee to teach you. He had low rates, so most people who were told about him said yes, like me. That''s how most of us got to know him... but aside from that, none of us really knew him." When Degen arrived home he found the black box that held the unadorned silver ring that the old teacher gave him on his 5th birthday. He slid it onto his thumb, his largest finger, but it was still too big for him. Sliding it off, he ran to the kitchen. After looking around, he found a large piece of white string and looped it through the ring. He put it on his neck and ran to the standing mirror in the bedroom. He thought the makeshift necklace looked dumb, but there was a simple solution. He put the necklace under his shirt. There was a small bulge, but he doubted anyone would notice. When he went to school in 3 days he''d be surrounded by dumb kids. He doubted any of them would care or think too hard about it if they noticed.
The next few days passed in an instant, and soon, Degen found himself surrounded by noisy kids. He hated it. Gotham had a law preventing children from skipping grades. Degen thought it was a dumb policy and it held back good students. The only consolation for children who were overachievers was a chance to be moved up in individual classes if they were smart enough and had a teacher''s recommendation. Another asinine policy, but it was better than being stuck with all the children. "Okay, class! Settle down! I''m going to call out your names! If you hear yours, stand up, introduce yourselves, and give one fact about yourselves," Ms. Torres shouted. She was a young woman in her mid-20s "Okay, Albert Aston! Stand!" All the children started laughing. Degen cringed inwardly as the children all laughed about how the name sounded dumb. A small blonde boy stood up and said in a shaky voice, "I-I''m A-Albert. And I-I uh I like Ice Cream." Degen felt as if he was verbally abused by the time the kid finished. "Yay! Everyone clap for Albert!" Ms. Torres shouted with fake enthusiasm. "Micheal Belin!" "Catherine Carrey!" "Chanis Corin!" The teacher shouted name after name, and each time, without fail the children would laugh at the name and the kid in question would give a cringy introduction. Degen was no exception. "Hi, my name is Degen! I love learning!" He hated school. He completely and utterly hated it!
One of the strange things about Gotham''s education system was that there was a time specifically for napping. It was only for younger students, and Degen didn''t understand why until he got drowsy during class and almost fell asleep. 6-year-olds were not meant to be in school for 7 hours a day.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. School was very uneventful, and in most classes, he did nothing but stare at his status screen. Status: Degen Vasir Age: 6 years Health: Healthy Mental: Bored [Extreme] Mana Reserve: [Locked][Leaking-Heavily] UNALLOCATED STATS: 8 STR: 2 VIT: 2 DEX: 4 WIS: 25 INT: 62 PER: 15 Extra Stats \/ Traits \/ Abilities \/ Most of his stats went up with age so he didn''t use any of the unallocated stat points yet. He got 1 every year and he had 2 in the beginning for some reason, and he refused to touch them. If his stats rose by themselves, why use them now when he still had potential for growth? His Intelligence improved at a snail''s pace and that made him assume the higher one''s stat, the harder it was to improve. His stats were completely skewed to the mental side, and that was due to his body being 6-years-old. He hated being so weak and short but he couldn''t do anything but wait. Degen hated waiting, yet it was all he could do. When coming home from school that day, Degen''s stomach hurt. By the time he entered his apartment, his entire body hurt and then caught fire. His father watched on, but didn''t bat an eye. He hadn''t unlocked his reserves yet, but the mana bursts were coming more often. It was only a matter of time.
Degen didn''t pay much attention in school and he managed to get his teachers to approve his transfer to higher-level classes. The only exceptions were physical education and nap time. By the time he entered the fourth grade however, nap time was no longer a class, so he had to spend one less class with all the children his age. Several weeks before he entered the fourth grade his Mana Reserves finally unlocked. It wasn''t a large explosion of energy, it wasn''t eye-catching, and it wasn''t special. He simply felt a sense of release and then received a notification. Trait Overflowing Removed Mana Reserves UNLOCKED Trait Mana Touched Added Mana Touched: You are connected to Magic. You gain the ability to absorb magic from external sources. +500% to Mana Regeneration. It looked and sounded like a very powerful trait. The only problem was that he didn''t know how to use mana, so regenerating it wouldn''t do anything. Regardless, he decided to test out his new ability and ask his dad for help. When he first brought the issue up with his dad, his dad hesitated and didn''t explain much. The second time, his dad told him how his parents were able to use magic, but he never was. He only knew the signs because his younger brother went through the same thing in front of his eyes. He told Degen that he couldn''t help him, and was hoping Degen wouldn''t have asked until he was in college. It was around that time, that Degen began to suspect that his dad had a very low INT.
Degen found some success in his experiments with magic, but they were slow. He could move objects with mana and make lights. Aside from that, he had little success. Until he entered high school, he had few achievements to speak of when it came to mana. High school was different from the rest of the Gotham Education system. He got a choice in his classes. When he saw his choices, he applied for quantum physics, weight lifting, calculus, and physics C. He got into none of them. If there was a test for courses he''d have aced it, but none of the courses he applied for were available to Freshmen, and seniors were prioritized, so he most likely wouldn''t have gotten in unless the class had seats. Instead of learning calculus, he found himself sitting in an algebra class, being taught things he already knew. The period after that, he was in criminology. A class he didn''t apply for and somehow managed to get into. The old woman teaching the class made sure to split the class into groups of 2, and he was paired with a girl named Barbara Gordon. The next class he had was World History, and she was in that class as well. The teacher allowed students to choose their seats and seeing as he already had 1 class with her, he decided to sit next to her. The period after that was his lunch period and he went outside to get food. When he came back, he had Boxing for physical education. After that class, he had 3 more, which were English, Latin, and Biology. He found the girl in his English and Biology classes as well. When Degen saw her in Biology, he laughed. He shared so many classes with one person, but he didn''t share more than 2 with anyone else. In his past life, he had managed to get 4 classes in a row with his best friend through switching classes, but by random chance, he managed to get in so many classes with this girl. Perhaps, this year, wouldn''t be so bored anymore. Chapter 3: Fun Chapter 3 Degen had experience with most of the subjects he was learning, and Saturn taught a far more rigorous version of those classes. The only exceptions were Criminology and World History. Those two had no comparison only because the histories and laws of both worlds were completely different. Criminology was mostly spent discussing supervillains and the place of vigilantes in the world. It was a fun class, but not particularly interesting. World History was spent talking about ancient civilizations and Degen just doodled on his textbook until someone punched him lightly on his left arm. "Come on! It''s the second day of school, at least wait a few weeks before slacking!" Barbara whispered. Degen noticed her paying close attention in Criminology as well. "I know all this," Degen lied. "Besides, I didn''t even apply for this." "No one applies for this! All freshmen get World History! And it doesn''t even matter whether or not you applied for the class, you''re in it now," the redhead hissed. Degen had no response and simply rolled his eyes before turning to look at the lecturer. The old man was talking about a calendar that one of the older civilizations founded. Degen couldn''t understand why people were required to learn this. It was completely useless. After the bell rang, Degen slowly packed his bag and walked outside the room. Lunch periods meant he could go anywhere in the school or even outside. He just had to return before the period ended. As he scanned out with his ID, he was tapped on his shoulder. He turned around and saw the same redhead he had so many classes with. He groaned internally. Originally, he had delusions of making friends with the girl but they shattered in World History. "Lemme guess," Degen said, "we have the same lunch period as well." "Yeah," the redhead replied. "I guess so. Degen, right?" "Yeah." They both walked out silently. At some point, the silence became unbearable for Degen and so he decided to try and talk to her. "How''d you know that World History was given to all Freshmen?" Degen asked. "Didn''t they tell you when you applied for courses?" was the redhead''s response. "No?" Degen replied in confusion. "The person who was with me while I did it, didn''t say anything." "That''s a shame. What classes were you applying for?" "Quantum Physics, Multivariable Calculus, Physics C because I need a science class-" Degen began talking about the classes he applied for before being cut off. "You applied for Quantum Physics and Calculus? What the heck! Of course you weren''t going to get in! Those are Junior and above classes, unless you ask one of the Deans to get in. Then they''d test you, and if there are seats open, you''d get in. Also! Why are you thinking of taking Quantum Physics already! That''s - It''s such an advanced course!" The girl was both flustered and confused by Degen''s words. Fully aware of the girl''s shock, Degen decided to brag, "Yeah, I know! I''m great! The best actually!" Barbara rolled her eyes at this and asked, "No but seriously how are you already thinking of taking that? You need both physics C and calculus to get in, and there''s no way you know both. The only people in that class are seniors, and juniors that are trying way too hard for their own good." "Well you see, I''m actually from another world and I know everything about everything because the world I''m from is so advanced. Yeah, you can worship me now- okay fine. I got taught Algebra when I was 6 and I was smarter than everyone else my age so I decided to spend all my time reading high-level textbooks because talking to children physically hurt me." Degen wasn''t planning to tell her he was genuinely from another planet, but it was funny to see people dismiss the truth, no matter how unbelievable it was. His sarcastic tone definitely made it seem less believable but didn''t make it any less funny. "As much as you''re hurting me right now?" Barbara quipped. "Ouch! Also, where are you going?"Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "To the park. I eat way later in the day, so I have nothing to do now," the redhead responded. "You?" "Going to eat," Degen responded and waved before crossing to the other side of the street. He found a random deli to enter and looked around. He might have misjudged her, school might actually be more than a chore. She didn¡¯t seem all that bad of a person, heck, by the end of the year he might even have a friend. While thinking of Barbara, and looking around the small deli, something caught his eye. It was a small yellow sign that read: "Any 3 for 1$" in red text. It was placed above a box of candy bars and there was another sign placed above a blue crate filled with water bottles He grabbed 2 of the larger candy bars, Lux Chocolate bars, and 1 bottle of Chester Spring Water. He took them to the cashier and handed them to the imposing man standing behind the register along with a dollar. The muscular man took the dollar in his calloused hands and raised an eyebrow at Degen. ¡°You¡¯re gonna need a little bit more than that,¡± the middle-aged man said in a Russian accent. Along with his deep voice and tight-fitting white shirt, the accent made the man seem like one of the villains from the movies Degen snuck into from time to time. ¡°Well, you see,¡± Degan began, ¡°They both say 3 for a dollar, so I took 2 of the bars and a bottle. 3 for 1.¡± The Russian man stared at Degen for a few seconds before rolling his eyes and pushing back the products. He put the dollar in the register and muttered under his breath in what was probably Russian. Degen later learned that the man¡¯s name was Alexei.
After coming back to Gotham High, he went to his Boxing class. The teacher did nothing but talk about safety, and how it was very important. He also mentioned that he took his class very seriously, and he didn''t like anyone messing around. The bell that signaled the end of the period range halfway through his impassioned speech. Next was English, once again, nothing important happened. He did manage to doodle in peace despite sitting next to Barbara, in fact, he suspected that she began doodling herself, though he couldn''t confirm it. After English was Latin and the period began and ended in the same speech. Afterward, he rushed to Biology, where he didn''t do Biology. The teacher talked about lab safety and nothing else. The period was probably the worst, and he kept looking to his right only to see Barbara talking with another girl. The class was boring, he had nothing to do, and the teacher was so loud he couldn''t even doodle in peace.
He didn''t see Barbara again on the way out, she was busy talking with her new friend and packed up slowly. He found himself rushing out of school to get back home. As he traversed through a neighborhood he''d passed through several times before, he heard a scream across the street. He looked to his left and he saw several men accosting 2 younger boys, who were around his age.
Quest: A Crime
Stop the mugging that''s happening in front of your eyes
Reward: Quests Occur more often, 1 Stat point Bonus Rewards may appear based on the approach Penalties may appear based on the approach
He immediately hid behind an SUV and looked through the windows to the other side. The 2 kids were handing over their wallets and one was handing over his phone. Degen reached out with mana and grabbed the 2 wallets and the phone and flew them under a nearby car where he gently dropped them. He looked back only to see the muggers running away as fast as they could. They were obviously afraid of him. They were normal people, he had powers. He''d be afraid too if he were in their shoes. He looked back at the two people who were being mugged seconds prior. One of the two boys was looking around in excitement while the other was walking to the car where Degen put the 2 wallets. Smiling, Degen looked at the screen that just popped up.
Success!
Quests now occur more often! +1 stat point
Bonus: Solved Problem With Magic +1 Int (Hint: As your Int increases, so does your Mana Pool) Trait: Self-Taughtreceived Self-Taught: You have learned magic through pure experimentation, and you''re all the stronger for it. +50% to Control [NEW Extra Stat Control Unlocked]
Bonus: Unseen +4 to Deception[NEWExtra StatDeception Unlocked] Ability: Stealth received Stealth: You are harder to spot. Scales with Deception. +10% Deception
Penalty: Slightly Cracked Phone Trait: Clutz[Removable]received Clutz : You''re clumsy and tend to break things. -2 to Dexterity
Degen was shocked by the number of rewards he got. He also finally found a way to get more stat points, he was in an incredibly good mood. The blow to his Dexterity hurt, but there was a tag next to the trait that said it was removable. Overall, he''d say it was a net gain. As he got up he looked around and saw no one but the boys who were almost out of sight. There was a reason the muggers chose this spot, but it was still best to look around just in case. As he got up, he took a deep breath. He had faith that this year would be good to him. He reached into his shirt and brought out the silver ring. The cord that looped around it frayed and broke often, so he had to replace it very often as well. When he was younger, he told himself that one day, he''d have something better for it, but he wouldn''t get a better string, or a chain, for it now. Now, he simply slipped it onto his finger. He could''ve done it years ago, but he didn''t because it didn''t feel right. He didn''t understand why, but he felt as if he had to put it on. The necklace was something for a younger him, but he''d grown out of it. He wasn''t a boy anymore. The ring was a reminder of Mr. Lee, and he''d wear it pride. Chapter 4: Unsatisfied Degen headed home after stopping the mugging. He spent a few minutes doing his homework, but he kept cracking the tip, and his handwriting had become awful. The loss of 2 Dexterity was awful for Degen whose Dexterity had only just become 10. At some point, he grew frustrated and reached out with his mana, and started to move his pencil. It looked just as bad as his regular handwriting, but it was faster. He guessed that mana control wasn''t affected by Dexterity. He assumed the extra stat he received, Control, was in charge of that. While doing homework, he reached out with mana and began contorting it into shapes. He''d already practiced this several times before, it was an exercise he made for his ability to manipulate mana. He made a lot of progress since he first started, and was confident in multitasking. His confidence was misplaced. His handwriting became even sloppier, and he performed his routine extremely slowly. Concentrating on two things at the same thing was incredibly difficult. Degen continued regardless. He didn''t lose anything from this, though his teachers may get somewhat disappointed in his handwriting. The cracked phone penalty was rather harsh given how common something like that could be. He needed greater control if he wanted to complete quests without avoiding penalties. After finishing the meagre homework he received, he put it in his schoolbag. After he did that, he grabbed a bunch of things that were lying around, pencils, pens, a rubber ball, and some string. He began revolving them around his head while he did his normal mana control exercise. He got comfortable with it for after a few minutes, then he began switching things up. He made the random assortment of materials act independently. He had some spin in place and had 2 rings of trash that revolved around him. He would sometimes move a pen from the inner ring to the outer ring, or have a pencil spin in one of the two rings spin in place. He did this for a long time. It was only when his dad opened the door that his concentration broke and he stopped the exercise. His dad only looked around for a bit before telling him that he wouldn''t be home for most of tomorrow and to make sure to bring his keys.
He spent most of Criminology the next day trying to get Barbara''s attention. The attempts were met with failure. She was far too engrossed in the class to pay attention to him, so he did the next best thing: participate in class. The old teacher, Ms. Satcher, pointed at him and asked, "You. Suppose a man steals a loaf of bread to feed his family, how would you deal with the situation?" Degen wasn''t expecting that type of question, but he tried his best to respond, "Well, the main problem is what drove the man to that point. While he is morally in the right by preventing people from starving, his method is unsustainable. After the first loaf runs out, he''ll have to get a second. The only real solution is to get to the root cause and try to fix it. Stealing bread isn''t a cure, it''s a particularly weak medicine." "Yes, you''re right. The real world isn''t black and white, but in this class, we have to make decisions. Judges have to, officers have to, and juries as well. What I''m asking is this. A yes or no question. If you were the one voice deciding whether or not to sentence this man to prison for stealing, larceny. What would you say?" Degen paused for a bit before saying, "No. I would say no to prison." If the man stealing was the one thing keeping his family from starving, removing him would be sentencing his family to starvation. The old woman nodded before calling on another student and asking the same question. Degen thought for a little bit before deciding to stick with his decision. Stealing that bread did more good than bad. The question was for more nuanced than that, he was sure people just as smart as him had tried to solve the problem differently.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The next person the teacher pointed at was Barbara. "Ah, yes, Barbara. So, the same question. How would you solve this dilemma?" "I''d choose to convict him. He committed the crime, and while it was to solve a problem, that does not excuse the crime being committed. He should be put in jail to prevent the issue from being chronic, as Degen said, when the loaf runs out, he''d need a second one. The underlying problems should be fixed to prevent the scenario from happening again, but the crime should be considered separately." "Excellent Barbara!"
The next class, Degen didn''t bother paying attention and simply dozed off. The redhead didn''t punch him this time. Degen went through the rest of the day without doing anything noteworthy. After School ended, he went into a store and bought a simple face mask. He then wore that face-mask into another store and bought another mask; a simple pitch-black mask covering most of his face but leaving his hair exposed. His dad wouldn''t be home when he returned, and he didn''t need to do anything at home either. He went home to drop his bag and then immediately left. He put his second mask on in an alleyway he entered and levitated himself upwards onto the roof of a nearby building. He planned to do at least one quest. Status: Degen Vasir Age: 14 years Health: Healthy Mental:Anxious Mana Reserve: 99.7% (1% every 2 minutes) UNALLOCATED STATS:17 STR: 9 VIT: 12 DEX: 8 [10] WIS: 27 INT: 64 PER:23 Extra Stats \/ Traits \/ Abilities \/ After looking at his massive reservoir of stat points, he decided to spend them. He wasn''t going to get much stronger physically any time soon, and he had a way to get more points, there was no reason not to spend them. What he was going to do could get dangerous real quick, and he wasn''t like Batman; he wasn''t skilled or even somewhat proficient at fighting, and if he messed up, he had nosafety net like the Batmobile or partnersto rely on. He needed every advantage he could get. He added 4 points to STR, 5 to VIT, 1 to PER, 3 in WIS and then dumped the rest in DEX. His new stats were 13 STR, 17 VIT, 12 DEX, 30 WIS, 64 INT, and 24 PER. After putting the stats in, he felt no immediate change. He just had to have faith that he would be much stronger. He began running towards a nearby roof, and it felt completely natural. He could tell he was faster, but he didn''t have to adjust the way he ran or get used to his new strength. It was as if he was always that way. He jumped from 1 rooftop to the other and kept running. He felt free! As he ran he got a notification that almost made him fall.
Quest:Violence!
There''s an ongoing assault happening right beneath you. Stop it!
Reward: 2 Stat points Bonus Rewards may appear based on the approach Penalties may appear based on the approach
Degen looked down at the alley he almost fell into and sawa group of teenagers beating down an older man. He looked like he was in his late thirties, and was utterly terrified of the mob in front of him. His clothes were dirty, and they looked like they''d just been stepped on. Degen decided to not be seen again as he peered over the side of the building. He reached out, and pulled garbage bags out of a nearby dumpster with his mana. He flung them at the mob, and they began to run away. He saw a few people look up and see him standing at the edge of the building. Some of them pointed, others shouted, but they all ran away from the man bathed in moonlight. They saw his shining black mask and were instantly terrified.
Success!
+2 Stat points
Bonus: Nonviolent +1 Stat point
Bonus:Nightmare +6 to Deception You will be remembered
The quest felt so simple. It was over in a few seconds. There was no sense of satisfaction, he didn''t feel accomplished, he just did it. He wasn''t satisfied, he needed more. Chapter 5: Restraint Degen wanted more, the meager rewards didn''t satisfy him. He ignored the man who was shouting how grateful he was, and he looked at his status screen. The entire "fight" took .4% of his mana. Given his regeneration, he might as well have been full. He dismissed the window, then he turned around and began running. He jumped from one roof to another and eventually he stopped. He wasn''t fast enough. Levitating himself took far too much mana, and wasn''t particularly fast. He thought back to the assault and made a thin platform of mana. It was both invisible and solid. He dismissed that platform before creating another one at knee-height. He jumped on it, and it felt just like jumping on a rock, or from roof to roof. He ran off the roof he was standing on, and he created a platform every time he needed to take a step. He wasn''t afraid of failure, he could always levitate himself to safety. He moved with ease, and he could even cross between places with massive gaps. He didn''t have to switch from roof to roof, he could simply head in a straight line. He moved for a while without finding a single quest. He wasn''t deterred and kept looking, he knew that he''d find one eventually. After a few minutes of searching, he found his next quest: an armed robbery.
Quest:Armed Robbery!
There''s an ongoingrobbery and the perpetrators are heavily armed. Stop it
Reward: 8 Stat points Bonus Rewards may appear based on the approach Penalties may appear based on the approach
It was by far the largest number of stats he''d seen as a reward. It was also the most dangerous of the three quests he found. He wouldn''t be completing it. He wanted something big, but he wasn''t stupid. If he chose to do this mission, there was a large chance of him dying or encountering some of the other vigilantes that safeguarded Gotham. He ran away as fast as possible and found himself in a deserted neighborhood. "Do I need to do this?" Degen murmured to himself. He didn''t need to rush his development, and he was fine as he was now. He didn''t need to actively seek quests, he could just do the ones he encountered. If he were to get involved in a serious situation, he could cause casualties. "No, no, I''m fine. I''ll just do the small ones. I''ll leave the bigger problems for the bigger fish." Degen decided after a little hesitation. What he was doing now was helping people, he wouldn''t get involved in hostile situations, but he''d do what he could to get more stats by helping out with small incidents. As he stood on the rooftop with the black mask on his face, he realized he was wearing the clothes he wore to school. He forgot to change out of his black buttoned-down shirt and black jeans. It wasn''t a big problem, but someone who knew what he wore could easily tie him to his night-time activities. He sighed before getting ready to run again. Just as he started moving, he heard a gunshot. It was loud; the shot was fired nearby.
Quest: Homicide!
A middle-aged man was just killed and the killer is on the run. Catch him!
Reward: 2 Stat points Bonus Rewards may appear based on the approach and outcome Penalties may appear based on theoutcomeThis story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Degen immediately headed in the direction of the gunshot. He sprinted across his small platforms and found the body lying in an alley, sprawled on the ground. As the screen showed, it was a middle-aged man. The paunchy corpse had a hole in the middle of its forehead and wore a terrified expression. Degen looked around and saw no one. He immediately ran out of the alley and looked around. He saw a man ina black trenchcoat limping away slowly. There were a few drops of blood on the ground that led in his direction and Degen decided to run after the man. Once he got near the man, he shouted, "You there! Stop!" The man turned around and Degen could see his face. The man was old, he looked like he was in his late fifties or early sixties. He looked at Degen with a resigned expression and lifted his gun to his chin, pointing it upwards at his head. As he was about to pull the trigger, Degen grabbed the gun with a hand made of mana and wrenched it out of the older man''s grasp. He pulled the gun back to himself and stared at the man. He didn''t point it at the man because the murderer had just tried to kill himself. Instead, he dropped it on the ground behind him. "Why''d you kill him?" Degen asked. "Why''d you try to kill yourself?" "Sonuvabitch- That son of a bitch raped my daughter. He got off free. She killed herself," the old man started passionately, but by the end, his voice was a barely audible whisper. "I gave him much better than he shoulda got. Shoulda been sent to prison. The people there woulda made his life hell, if you know anything about prison, you know that pedophiles and rapists are at the bottom of the food chain. Fucker was both." Degen didn''t have anything to say, but he tried anyway, "Was it what your daughter would''ve wanted?" "No. She wanted him to suffer. She wanted him to die slowly. I couldn''t do that for her. It''s my only regret. She wasn''t even 16, and she wanted that fucker to die. That''s how my daughter felt! Now, what are you gonna do meta?" Degen was silent as he turned around and picked up the gun with his bare hands. He faced the older man once more and launched a fist of mana towards the leg he was limping on. He heard an audible crack and the old man cry out in pain. He launched a second fist, which hit the man''s other leg but with less force than the first. There was no crack, only a grunt of pain from the man who collapsed to the ground. Degen walked back to the alley with the corpse and searched the body with his bare hands. He found a wallet in the chubby man''s back pocket, a watch on his wrist, and a phone in his front pocket. He took the first 2 and levitated to the roof. On the roof, he heard sirens wailing and walked towards the place where he left the old man. He looked down as the old man talked to the officers and watched them handcuff him. One of the officers went towards the alley with the body and he saw one of them look upwards. The man''s eyes met his, and he shouted at the other officers. Degen turned away before anything more could happen, and then he ran home.
When Degen got home he put the gold watch on top of his drawer and sat in his baby blue bed. He held the gun in his hand and looked at it closely. It was a revolver of some sort, the grip was made of leather and the gun was partly rusted. It was old, and Degen assumed it hadn''t seen much use until recently. He hid the weapon in his bottom drawer under a folded pair of jeans. He rested on his bed, and he found himself looking up at his bedroom ceiling. There was tightness in his chest, and his heart was pounding. He didn''t know why he felt that way. He couldn''t understand! The old man''s story roused unfamiliar emotions within him, and they shouldn''t have. He didn''t know the man, he didn''t know the daughter. He didn''t know anything about what they went through! Trying his best to move on from the incident, Degen summoned the notifications he had previously ignored.
Success!
+2 Stat points
Bonus: Investigate the Homicide Ability:Motive recieved Motive: Spend mana to investigate the motive behind a criminal''s actions.
Bonus:Save the Killer +5 to Control +2 Stat points
Bonus: They Turn and You''re Gone +3 to Deception
Penalty: Fingerprints You left your fingerprints on the crime scene. There is a chance of them being discovered.
Degen looked at the screen with dull eyes and took off the black face-mask he was still wearing. He chose to put that in the bottom drawer as well. He was planning on taking a break. Chapter 6: Ordinary 2 days of attempted heroism had taken a toll on Degen, he couldn''t go on the way he was; it didn''t feel right. Any of the other vigilantes could do what he did. He wouldn''t make the streets of Gotham much safer by running around and taking out petty criminals, people already did that. There were problems that caused people to act as they did. Without solving those problems, more people will turn to crime. That was all for the future though, now he was taking a break from all of that. Despite only doing 3 quests and being around for two days, heroism, or rather, the old man''s story, had exhausted him. He needed to rethink his approach to problems, and he''d be on break until he figured out what he should do. For now, Degen''s life would return to normal. No worrying about stats, no seeking out crime, and no fighting. He still messed around with mana, that had been a part of his life for a long time and he didn''t want to stop using it. In fact, he put most of his focus on learning how to use mana better. He couldn''t do much with it now, but with a bit of effort, he knew he could work wonders. School was also looking like it would return to being the same boring slog it used to be. Boxing was impractical for him and World History was essentially going over irrelevant information. Algebra and Biology were both things he''d learned about back in Saturn, a little bit of effort was all that was needed to bring back memories from learning at Saturn, after all, his memory had greatly improved with his increased intelligence. English was teaching him a language he already knew, while Latin taught him a language he''d never need. All things considered, he was once again learning almost nothing from his classes. His classmates didn''t make the experience much better, he barely talked with any of them, including Barbara, and really only had contact with them through being forced into groups with them. The first weeks at school taught him that he wasn''t good at talking with people or making friends. At some point, he just stopped trying. He occasionally told himself that he didn''t need friends, after all, he was smarter than everyone in Gotham High. He knew he was lying to himself though, every time he walked home alone, he would glance at the people who went home together. They were cheerful, and he wasn''t. The closest he had to a friend was the Russian storeowner, Alexei, with whom he often spent most of his lunch period. Barbara wasn''t among those he''d consider himself close to, and he had a feeling she didn''t like him. Maybe it was the way she talked to him, how she constantly ignored him or rolled her eyes every time he tried to say something clever. He didn''t know why she didn''t like him, but it showed in her behavior. Of course, that wouldn''t stop her from using him. She was his partner for almost every single major project he had, and every time, she would say she was busy with stuff at home and didn''t bother to help him. Every time, she got full points for the project. By the third month of school, he had helped her with 8 projects. He didn''t know when he began feeling angry at her, it might have started with projects, it might have been earlier, it might not have. Regardless, it allled to him writing "Degen Vasir Only" on his next project with her. He felt some satisfaction from the horrified look on her face, and the look of betrayal with which she looked at him. The way she acted made it seem like they were close and he''d stabbed her in the back. They weren''t, and he made sure to tell her to go fuck herself. He rarely cursed, but he made an exception for her.
The next few months passed by in a flash, every day felt the same. He stuck around to talk to Alexei less often, and his relationship with Barbara had almost soured to the point of no return. His dad was home less often than ever, every day was another problem at work. Degen found it harder and harder to care about these things, he just brushed them to the back of his mind.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Most of his time was spent changing his mana. He figured out he could condense large amounts of mana to create something almost solid. It took a large amount of mana, but it was almost solid. It shined a brilliant white and he knew that it was much stronger than his regular mana. It wouldn''t disperse after a while, it was permanent, and he could absorb it all back. He could also create razor-thin strings of hard mana, and they would cut through almost anything they touched. Despite this being very powerful, his greatest invention came from the ability called "Motive". It took his mana and distorted it into strange patterns and complicated formations before returning a few statements about the person''s motive. He tried taking specific patterns and formations and twisting his mana into just those parts of the ability. He often got nothing, but through choosing and combining specific patterns, Degen created something entirely new. He called it mana sight, it allowed him to know the location of anything that touched his mana. He could feel their position, and he knew when they moved. He obtained mana sight by combining a pattern that seemed to disperse his mana and a few that returned information when combined. After messing with the patterns for a bit he learned that he was still a complete novice in terms of magic. He couldn''t do anything other than use mana, he was basically apsychic or some variant thereof. With the breakthrough in magic, he decided to go outside for a walk. He wasn''t in a particularly good mood, but he wasn''t in a bad mood either. He just wanted something to happen. After standing in a bad part of his neighborhood with a gold watch on his wrist and a silver ring on his finger, he got what he wanted. It was a mugging. He got a notification before it happened but he ignored it immediately. He turned around and looked his would-be robber in the face. He wore shabby clothes, a worn-out green sweater and ripped jeans. He had a gun in his hand and was pointing it at Degen''s head. "Motive" he whispered. He didn''t expect much, the motive was usually money for shoes, money for clothes, money for drugs and rarely anything else.
MOTIVE
Frank Davidson used to be a construction worker but he lost his job 8 days ago. He couldn''t find a job for days and his daughter''s medical bills came appeared in his mailbox. With no way to pay or a place that would give him a low-interest loan, he turned to crime. He''s never fired a gun in his life and he''s $600 away from his goal.
Degen raised an eyebrow and talked before the man did, "Say, Frank. How''d you lose your job?" The man sputtered "Wh- How- How do you know my name." "I know everything," Degen replied dryly. "Now answer the question." "The- The company I worked for, they recently fired most of the workers right before they were supposed to receive their paycheck," the man said truthfully. "Look man, if you know my name, you should know why I''m doing this. Please, I-" "Yes, your daughter, I know," Degen coldly cut him off, "What was the name of the company?" "GoldStandard. And her name is Angela. She has-" the man tried bringing his daughter back up again before being cut off. "Was it the same person who fired all of you?" "Y-Yes. The message came from the COO every time." "Okay, now, one more thing. When the money runs out, what are you going to do?" "She''ll be transferred to a hospital in Central City, the rates there are far lower. I just need the money to pay for the transfer which happens in two days. I was planning this for the last 3 months. I just need a little more. When the money runs out, I find a new job." Degen was silent for a bit before taking off the gold watch. He tossed it to the man who almost failed to catch. Afterward, he raised his hand and threw a coin-sized piece of solid mana at the mana. "Solid Energy. It should be worth a lot, no?" Degen finally found his purpose. He couldn''t solve everyone''s problems, but withMotive he could find the cause behind their problems. He wouldn''t offer everyone a loaf of bread to feed their problem with, he''d simply get rid of the problem causing the poverty. Everyone that chooses to stay a criminal afterward wouldn''t get his sympathy, but the man stealing to feed his family would.