The blue screen cleared, and then looked cleaner, more organized. It almost looked professional, as if a screen in the middle of an endless void could ever look that way.
[To support your development you will be given the initial resources.]
New text showed up, bigger than before.
[15,000 Ascension Points (AP) Awarded]
Darius looked at the number. fifteen thousand. That is a lot. Is this a lot? Darius has no idea. How would he know? Would it be generous or would it barely be enough?
[Ascension Points (AP) are the currency for advancement.]
[AP can be used to buy abilities and upgrades.]
[AP can be used right away or set aside for future strategic uses.]
[More AP can be acquired by reaching training milestones, competing in competitions, and completing achievements.]
[Invest wisely. ]
So I can earn more, Darius thought. So there is more than that. It is just the amount you receive initially.
This changes things. If Darius can acquire more AP through achievements, then he does not have to spend everything at once. He can be strategic. Save some for later when he knows how many of the things he needs.
[Abilities are broken down into six levels of mastery.]
[Highest levels of mastery allow for significantly greater abilities.]
[Pricing reflects both the level of mastery and the degree of ability improvement.]
Six levels. Levels, like those in a video game. Makes sense. You start at the beginning and work your way up.
What are the levels?
It seemed like the system responded to Darius' thoughts.
[Opening System Shop... ]
The screen grew. Became larger. Became more detailed. No longer was it a simple display, but rather a complete interface. Clean lines. Easy to follow. Simple to navigate, even though Darius had no hands to navigate with.
The interface settled into its final state. There were four sections at the top of the page. They looked like tabs that Darius could select from.
[PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES] - The raw physical capabilities of the body.
[TECHNICAL SKILLS] - The mechanical ability to perform techniques.
[MENTAL ATTRIBUTES] - The psychological/cognitive aspects of a person.
[X-FACTOR ABILITIES] - The extraordinary abilities that make a legend.
On top of the tabs, a system listing the different levels of development was shown.
[TIER SYSTEM]
[Ordinary → Good → Excellent → Genius → Ultimate → Limit Break]
Darius read the progression from lowest to highest. Six levels of development.
Descriptive text followed each level.
Ordinary - Basic functional capability at the youth/High School level.
Good - Basic capability at the collegiate/Competitive level.
Excellent - Basic capability at the national/Professional level.
Genius - World class. Olympic finals. Legendary performances.
Ultimate - One of the greatest of all time. Defines eras.
Limit Break - Beyond human limitations. Defines the greatest of all time.
So where do I start?
Another system message came on.
[Track and Field encompasses several disciplines.]
[Discipline Selection will optimize recommended ability choices. ]
A list of disciplines was listed below the message.
- Sprints (55m-400m events)
- Middle Distance (800m-1500m events)
- Long Distance (3000m-Marathon events)
- Hurdles (100mH-400mH events)
- Jumps (Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump, Pole Vault)
- Throws (Shot Put, Discus, Javelin, Hammer)
- Combined Events (Decathlon, Heptathlon)
Darius didn't hesitate.
Sprints.
He never really considered the others. He'd watched all of the Track and Field events over the years and admired the tactics involved in the 800m, the endurance of the 5000m, the technical skill required for the High Jump.
But he loved the pure speed of Sprinting. The 55m and 60m Indoor sprints were fast. The 100m was the world's fastest human. The 200m was a combination of speed and speed endurance. The 300m was a high school classic. And the 400m was a test of brute, beautiful speed.
All of it.
His mind stretched out to select the discipline.
[Sprint Discipline Selected]
[Sprint events include all 55m through 400m distances. ]
[System Shop optimized for performance in all sprint events. ]
[Loading Ability Database... ]
[Opening System Shop... ]
The interface changed again. The four major categories were still at the top of the page, but they now flashed with color, indicating they were ready to be clicked.
Darius reached for the first one.
[PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES]
The tab expanded. A list of abilities related to Physical Attributes appeared.
Speed Based Abilities:
Top Speed - Raw Max Velocity Capability
[O:300 | G:750 | E:1800 | GN:4500 | U:10000 | LB:20000]
Explosive Power - Starting Blocks and Initial Acceleration
[O:300 | G:750 | E:1800 | GN:4500 | U:10000 | LB:20000]
Acceleration - Rate of Increase of Velocity
[O:200 | G:500 | E:1200 | GN:3000 | U:7000 | LB:15000]
Darius stared at the prices.
Top Speed at Ordinary tier cost 300 AP. At Good tier, 750. At Excellent tier, 1,800.
At Limit Break tier, 20,000 AP.
He had 15,000 AP total.
I wouldn't be able to afford one Limit Break ability in a core category.
The realization hit him hard. He had 15,000 AP and thought that sounded like a lot. But seeing these prices, especially at the higher tiers...
Ultimate tier cost 10,000 AP. Half of his total budget for a single ability.
Genius tier was 4,500 AP. Almost one-third.
Even Excellent tier was 1,800 AP. Over 11% of his total budget.
He continued to read.
Endurance Based Abilities:
Speed Endurance - Maintaining Velocity over Distance
[O:300 | G:750 | E:1800 | GN:4500 | U:10000 | LB:20000]
Lactate Tolerance - Resistance to Lactic Acid Buildup
[O:250 | G:600 | E:1500 | GN:3500 | U:8000 | LB:18000]
Recovery Rate - Speed of Recuperation between Efforts
[O:200 | G:500 | E:1200 | GN:3000 | U:7000 | LB:15000]
Power Based Abilities:
Lower Body Power - Leg Strength and Force Production
[O:250 | G:600 | E:1500 | GN:3500 | U:8000 | LB:18000]
Core Strength - Torso Stability and Power Transfer
[O:150 | G:400 | E:1000 | GN:2500 | U:6000 | LB:12000]
Darius did quick math calculations in his head.
If he bought Top Speed at Excellent tier, that would cost 1,800 AP. With that money, he could possibly buy 8 abilities at Excellent tier if he spent it all. Or 20 abilities at Good tier. Or 50 abilities at Ordinary.
15,000 AP doesn't feel as big as it did.
There is a reason why these are so expensive for a reason.
Top Speed, Explosive Power, Speed Endurance. These aren't just cool things to have. These ARE sprinting. You cannot be elite at sprinting without these three.
But he cannot afford to max them all.
I have to be smart. Extremely smart.
He went to the next category.
[Technical Skills]
More abilities appeared.
Starting Techniques:
Block Start Technique - Explosive Launch from Starting Blocks
[O:200 | G:500 | E:1200 | GN:3000 | U:7000 | LB:15000]
Reaction Time - Response to Starter Gun
[O:150 | G:400 | E:1000 | GN:2500 | U:6000 | LB:12000]
Drive Phase Technique - First 30-40m Technique
[O:200 | G:500 | E:1200 | GN:3000 | U:7000 | LB:15000]
Techniques for Running:
Max Velocity Technique - Technique at Top Speed
[O:250 | G:600 | E:1500 | GN:3500 | U:8000 | LB:18000]
Striding Efficiency - Biomechanical Efficiency for Energy Conservation
[O:200 | G:500 | E:1200 | GN:3000 | U:7000 | LB:15000]
Curving - Technique for Curved Sections of Track
[O:150 | G:400 | E:1000 | GN:2500 | U:6000 | LB:12000]
Strategies for Racing:
Distribution of Energy - Pacing/Energy Management Strategy
[O:200 | G:500 | E:1200 | GN:3000 | U:7000 | LB:15000]
Energy Management - Efficient Use of Energy Systems
[O:200 | G:500 | E:1200 | GN:3000 | U:7000 | LB:15000]
Darius found that the Technical Skills were slightly less expensive than the Core Physical Attributes. That makes sense. Technique is something that can be taught, learned, and improved upon over time.
However, perfect technique? That is the difference between being great and being super great.
Maximum Velocity Technique at Limit Break cost 18,000 AP. More than his total budget. Why? Because using perfect technique while running at top speed when your body wants to give up, when fatigue is setting in, that is what separates a 9.8 in the 100m from a 9.6.
Still can't afford to max everything.
He went to the next category.
[Mental Attributes]