[Mission in progress.
Let the game begin.
Objective: Get two hundred points on the first day. [00:20:34:32]
Reward: A shadow skill.
Failure: All stats set to negative.]
It seemed I just couldn't catch a break.
Haah.
[You should probably get on with it if you don't want to lose whatever little chance of survival you have in this world.]
"Haah," I sighed, then looked around at where I'd ended up. I was inside a dilapidated building that looked like something had torn straight through it. The couch had been reduced to bare wood, the TV was smashed beyond recognition with mercury splattered across the floor, and the ceiling was one bad moment away from coming down entirely. The carpets were burned to nothing. Whatever this place had once been, it wasn't that anymore.
Still, I'd managed to put together a makeshift table from the usable wood I found lying around, and on it I laid out everything I'd managed to scavenge on the way here. No weapon yet, and since I didn't have any affinity skills to work with, I had to improvise. I found a wooden plank and a sharp piece of metal, stapled the two together, and called it a spear. It was probably useless, but it was better than nothing.
The rest of my haul wasn't particularly impressive either. A torn bag with holes in most of the pockets, though the main compartment was still intact. A hammer, which would have been more useful as a weapon if I were a bit taller. A lighter, which I couldn't think of an immediate use for but figured would come in handy eventually. A small amount of tape that looked like it had already been mostly used up. Some gum, because why not. Worm-infested canned food and a pack of noodles that somehow still looked edible. A few smashed phones. Some nylon bags that probably wouldn't be useful for anything.
And then there was this.
"A gun."
A pistol, to be specific, though it was completely empty when I pulled it out of the dumpster beside the building. No bullets anywhere nearby. Just the gun, sitting there.
Anyway, things were supposed to stay quiet for at least the first few days, but then this had to show up.
[Mission in progress.
Let the game begin.
Objective: Get two hundred points on the first day. [00:19:58:42]
Reward: A shadow skill.
Failure: All stats set to negative.]
So much for taking it easy. With negative stats, I might as well not bother existing in this world. I started packing everything into the bag.
Actually, wait. The mission mentioned stats.
[...Yes?]
"So where are my stats?" I asked, still packing.
[Ding!]
[Say "status."]
"Status?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
Fwoosh.
An interface appeared in front of me.
[User Stats
Name: Leo.
Age: 18.
Class: Lunar, Year 8.
Affinity: Shadow.
Skills: Nil.
Proficiency: 0%.
Strength: 7.
Endurance: 5.
Agility: 10.
Intelligence: 23.
Mana: 200/200.
Charm (AFP): 13.
Available Points:
SP: 0.
AFP: -5400 (negative) / +0 (positive).]
Not bad for a side character, I thought, noting the mana reserve in particular. But those points at the bottom were new to me.
[The SP stands for stat points, which can be used to upgrade your stats directly. The AFP is used for shop purchases and charm increases.]
"And I could do all this without knowing?" I muttered.
[That's because you didn't ask.]
"So AFP can't be used to level up other stats?" I asked.
[No.]
"What about the shop?"
[Get to level two first.]
"And how do I earn these points?"
[SP comes from missions. AFP comes from the emotions of main characters you interact with.]
"And the negative sign?"
[Exactly what you're thinking. Negative emotions generate negative AFP, and yes, positive emotions are worth more than negative ones.]
I stared at the screen for a moment.
[...]
"You know what," I said after a long pause, "put whatever AFP I have left into charm. Let's see if good looks actually bring their own kind of luck."
A grin spread across my face as the idea started taking shape in my head.
I really shouldn't have found out about this.