The Gifted trait. It grants +1 to every stat of a starting character at the cost of -10% to all starting skills and -5 skill points per level. The description had an icon of a tiny mascot lifting a heavy weight in one hand and holding a book in another while wearing nothing but a loincloth.
Primulus chose it without hesitation.
The numbers emerged on his right. Every stat had a 1 assigned to it, which instantly jumped to 2.
Satisfied, Primulus looked to his left and spotted a trait he had previously dismissed without thinking. His eyes went wide.
"Robert, you said that I cannot have perks, right?" Primulus asked.
"Yeah, and I do feel apologetic-"
"It's okay. Then, I will pick this trait," Primulus said without hesitation.
Robert raised an eyebrow.
[Skilled: Since you spend more time improving your skills than a normal person, you start with better skills levels. The tradeoff is that you do not gain as many extra abilities. +5 to every starting skill. You will gain a perk every four levels.]
"The penalty on perks won't apply, correct?" Primulus asked with growing excitement.
"That's correct." Robert nodded.
"Then, how about you do me a favour?" Primulus asked with a smug smile.
Robert smiled. "Sure, what is it?"
"Remove the penalty of the Gifted trait. Think of it as a compensation gift for me, since I won't be having perks. Moreover, you know, how can someone gifted and skilled have such a penalty?" Primulus laughed.
"Done. I should have figured you would do something like this. I am getting swept up in your rhythm." Robert shook his head with a smile.
Primulus grinned and looked back at the traits screen. The newly selected traits looked like this:
[Traits]
[Gifted: You have more innate abilities than most. +1 to all stats.]
[Skilled: Since you spend more time improving your skills than a normal person, you start with better skills levels. +5 to every starting skill.]
Primulus laughed. He felt good having scammed a god.
"It's alright. I'm supposed to help you anyway. I just got too swept up with the game-like excitement for a minute." Robert consoled himself with humor while smiling upon seeing Primulus happy.
"Alright, let's move on to stat allocation. That will help determine your appearance too. You can fine-tune the latter afterwards," Robert said, steering the direction.
The traits screen moved to the left of Primulus while the stats screen took the center.
[S.P.E.C.I.A.L]
[Strength (S): Determines physical power, carry weight, melee damage, and the ability to wield heavy weapons without accuracy penalties.]
[Perception (P): Governs focus, ranged accuracy, and the ability to notice traps or hidden details.]
[Endurance (E): Dictates vitality, stamina, healing rate, poison resistance, and radiation resistance.]
[Charisma (C): Affects charm, interactions, barter prices, and negotiations.]
[Intelligence (I): Dictates memory, thought processing power, mental aptitude, and the number of Skill Points gained per level.]
[Agility (A): Determines speed, dexterity, and reflexes.]
[Luck (L): Influences fate and fortune to decide random encounters, events, and survival in hopeless situations.]
"A word of advice, Primulus: Choose wisely," Robert said, his serious tone highlighting the important of stat allocation.
Primulus nodded.
'Strength, perception, endurance, and agility can all be trained. Charisma and Intelligence can be improved to an extent, albeit with more difficulty. Luck is impossible to improve without stat points.' Primulus thought.
Robert smiled. "Correct. You will also gain 1 stat point per level. However, keep in mind that levels get notoriously difficult to raise from Level 30 onwards."
"Okay. I will do this." Primulus said and tapped a few numbers.
[S.P.E.C.I.A.L]
[S: 2]
[P: 4]
[E: 4]
[C: 5 (+3)]
[I: 8 (+6)]
[A: 2]
[L: 10 (+8)]
"Hmm, this is good." Primulus said with a smile.
"What...did you just do? You poured the highest number of stat points in Luck? That's crazy!" Robert laughed.
"Hey, that's the only stat that cannot be raised naturally. Moreover, a max Luck of 10 is nearly reality-bending in its effects. If I'm going to survive a nuclear war, I need Luck." Primulus shrugged.
Robert roared in laughter. The space shook a little.
"That looks good! I cannot coddle you, so I am glad to see you are making good choices, Prime!" Robert nodded, feeling pleased.
"Thanks, Robert." Primulus smiled.
"But beware: a strength and agility of two makes you a glass cannon. Your body will be frail, and you'll barely be able to lift a few kilograms of weight and jog for less than a minute. You will need to actively push your body and train it quickly to bring those stats to a baseline." Robert warned.
"I'm aware. No worries." Primulus said, his smile not wavering. "Alright. What's next?"
"Fine, then. It's time to determine your appearance," Robert said with dramatic flair.
Primulus rolled his eyes.
The stats screen moved to the right and a living diagram of a physical body emerged in the center. It had no features.
"Since you only have 5 Charisma, your appearance options will be limited, but still average. A stat of 5 is the baseline average for wastelanders in the Fallout universe, if you remember. This means your endurance and perception will be below average, while your strength and agility will be abysmal. Your charisma is nothing special. But your intelligence borders on genius and your luck will be the highest possible in the world." Robert explained emphatically.
Primulus nodded. He was aware of the risks, but this was his best bet. If Primulus were to awaken as the bombs dropped, he would need to escape to a vault right away. He would need luck from the get-go.
A bunch of scrolling bars appeared with arrows pointing them to each part of the body. Primulus scrolled them. He tried to go for a look resembling himself from his past life. He was most comfortable with his own face. But he couldn't find an equivalent to it.
"Hey, Robert. I can't seem to go for a look resembling myself from my last life. Why is that?" Primulus asked.
"That's because your Charisma stat is too low." Robert said with a deadpan look.
Primulus raised an eyebrow. Out of curiosity, he asked, "So, what did my Charisma stat look like if we put it in Fallout numbers?"
"Personal statistics are more dynamic than you think. Only the system I am granting you is able to rigidly and powerfully quantify and enhance them. However, your Charisma stat would have been somewhere between 6 and 7 in your last life. For the record, your Intelligence was around 8 or 9. Your cognition will remain intact. But the problem lies in your physical stats. You worked out and performed daring stunts before in your last life. That led your strength, agility, and perception to be around 7, while your endurance was closer to 8. Now, you will feel pathetically weak in your new body. I strongly recommend you start training as soon as you can once you are safe in the vault. Especially since you'll be weaker than others," Robert advised gently.
"I see. Well, it cannot be helped. As long as my intelligence remains intact, and my luck remains the highest, I'll manage." Primulus sighed.
Continuing to scroll the available options, Primulus settled for the best look he could get. Straight black hair, piercing grey eyes, and a clean, but plain face.
"Alright, I am ready," Primulus said. He felt his heart thump for a second, even though it no longer existed. For now.
"Good. Now, for the item I can gift you. Is there something you would like?" Robert asked.
Primulus blinked. 'What can I get that can help me straight away in the Fallout universe? T-60 Power Armor? Access controls to an orbital satellite like the ARCHIMEDES II? No, wait. Think big! Should I just ask for the cold fusion diode or the Zetan mothership?'
"If I gave you any of that, you will be found out in a second," Robert said dryly.
"Ahaha..." Primulus chuckled awkwardly.
Inspiration struck him right afterward.
"Can you guarantee one G.E.C.K in my vault?" Primulus asked suddenly.
Robert's brows furrowed in thought. "That may be possible. It would just require me to nudge the shipping logistics of Vault-Tec to do their job correctly. After all, Vault-Tec is supposed to give one or two Garden of Eden Creation kits to every vault. There is a risk of exposure, though. But it should be worth it. I'll mask it through one of my decoys."
Primulus smiled brightly. "Great!"
But knowing where he would be going, Primulus calmed down quickly.
"I am all set." He said with a grim tone.
This was it. He had selected his traits, stats, and appearance. There was no going back.
"Alright. I will send you there now." Robert said with a wide wave of his hand.
A small spark of white emerged out of nowhere. It quickly widened to form a small white portal around 2 meters in height. It swirled beautifully, promising a life of adventure and maddening danger.
"Before you go, remember one thing. The world you are about to enter and the people you are about to meet are all real. Treat them like humans. Do not forget yourself, Primulus. That is the value of your karmic nature. Your kind soul is a golden beacon of hope for the world." Robert said, sounding the most serious he had ever been. He sounded even more serious than when he spoke about the threats Primulus was going to face.
Primulus gave a serious nod.
"I will remember that, Robert." Primulus vowed.
Robert smiled. With a tilt of his head, the golden spheres of the decoys flew into the portal first. Their lives had begun.
"A new life demands a new name. Shed thy past as thou gazeth upon the future. I bestow upon thee a new name to signify thine rebirth. Thou shalt be known as Animus Spero, the Soul of Hope." The omnipotent god spoke as his hand beckoned the mortal soul to enter the portal.
"I accept. Goodbye, Robert. Until we meet again." Primulus smiled and walked forward.
Perhaps, a new name was also an inevitability to be accepted.
"Venture forth, my friend. Life awaits." Robert smiled brightly.
And thus, as Primulus took his first step inside the portal, he disappeared to live a new life on the request of a god who wished to make things right for a universe that was doomed to die. All for a world that didn't truly matter to either of them except for their morality that demanded they take action for its sake.
**
Robert stared at the portal as it vanished. A sad look emerged on his face.
"I can't believe it. Friendship, and sadness, even? Have I grown soft with this newfound goal of saving universes and defeating the blackness born of Chaos?" He shook his head with a laugh.
Then, something went deeply wrong.
In that instant, Robert suddenly stiffened in shock. The divine plane where he stood trembled. Stars dimmed in fear and galaxies grew dark as the realm of gods cowered in fear.
He could feel it. He, a god who ruled over a hyperverse within the Omniverse could sense it. It was right behind him.
He turned around.
A massive, flaming cosmic eye that saw everything stared at him. Its black pupil bore into the god's soul.
Robert exhaled for the first time in eons. He trembled just a little.
"Have you come to ask me questions, O Eye?"