Several more weeks passed without incident. We continued our training and surviving, improving our skills, levels, and physical capabilities. I don’t claim that we made the most progress–we didn’t–but at least we’re stronger than we were before.
As for the skill I created on the day of my first kill, “Finger Bang,” I didn’t increase its level at all. Firstly, because it would cost a lot of EP to use. Secondly, because it served its purpose for now. If another human ever threatened us again, it was a comfort to know I could just point my finger at their head and kill them.
Angel warned me on numerous occasions that it won’t always work and will quickly get outscaled if I don’t level it up more, but I really don’t plan on it. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to get us out of a sticky situation. I don’t regret what I did, but I know it may very well come back to bite me in the near future.
Which brings us to now: I’m chowing down on some squirrel stew Sako whipped up in a stone pot she crafted from one of her bushcraft abilities.
I’m perusing my own stats and skills, assessing them closely, knowing that we cannot stay here in this forest forever.
First, I review my stats.
Lily Lv.4
[Strength: 6]
[Speed: 7]
[Agility: 7]
[Perception: 8]
[EL: 106]
[AP: 8]
[EP until next level: 800]
[Current EP: 2350]
I’ve only leveled up twice since the incident. Technically, I have enough EP to level up two more times, but I’m saving it. I guess I’ve always been sort of a hoarder. Plus, if something like that ever happens again, I’d like to have a surplus of EP to work with.
As for the stat increases, I guess I can kind of notice them as they level up. Then again, maybe not. The angels have us exercising all day, barring the time put aside for survival features like hunting and washing our clothes. That means I’d be able to lift a little more or run a little faster regardless of whether the stats increase or not, right?
I guess it makes sense. Gains are marginal at first and scale the higher level you get. Angel told me the scaling formula for stat increases. I think it went something like this:
Stat increase = Base Stat x (2^Level/7)/100 + GrowthBonus of 1
I won’t pretend to understand the logic behind this quadratic formula. I’ll just take it as it is: leveling up = bigger numbers. Bigger numbers = me stronger.
Yes, I know. I’m dumb to all hell.
I’ve also noticed that EP gain from just training is painfully small. We’ve been at it for weeks, and I only have enough EP for two more levels or a semi-decent ability. Given that the HET are solely responsible for the collapse of all governments and their militaries, I think I’m going to need a little more firepower than my little finger pistol.
It’s only a matter of time before the angels force us out into the world and make us start killing HET.
When I come face to face with one, will I be able to kill it as easily as I did those men? Will a finger bang shot to their foreheads be enough? I’m doubtful.
I pull up my skills.
Skills
[Finger Bang lv. 5]
[Power: 53]
[Cost: 27 EL]
[EP to next level: 1250]
[Fireball lv. 3]
[Power: 13]
[Cost: 5 EL]
[EP to next level: 450]
I’ve only got the two, and I fear that neither will be very useful. I mean, the finger bang ability is kind of potent when I think about it, but since I created it on a whim, it’s extremely inefficient. I made it 9 times the power of the level one fireball ability, which, as a result, cost 9 times as much.
It may have a power of 53 (45 plus my AP stat of 8), but since I didn’t scale it in proportion with my level, I can only use it 3, maybe 4 times with my current EL of 106.
Really, I don’t know what to do. I already asked Sako what she’s spending her points on now that she doesn’t have to waste them on bushcraft, but she keeps saying it’s a “surprise”. I reckon we’re going to be in peril and she’s going to pull out some ultimate ability at the very last second. She’s just that type of person.
Even now she’s off training while I’m sitting at the camp, twiddling my thumbs. I thought I’d use this downtime to mess with my stats, but in the end I just can’t decide what I want to spend my EP on.
I let out an enormous groan, and Angel appears before my eyes. Apparently, my disgruntled breaths and misery are a catalyst for his untimely activation. What even is the point of the ‘A.N.G.E.L.’ option on the main menu if he just shows up whenever he feels like it?
“What’s got you down, doc?” he asks.
“Why ask a question you already know the answer to?” I ask.
“It’s called being courteous,” Angel says. “God, you’re such a misanthrope. No wonder you didn’t have any friends before.”
“I’ve got one now,” I say.
“And all it took was the end of the world,” Angel says.
“Alright, you’ve made your point,” I say. “Now go away. I’m thinking.”
“Really? It looks to me like you’re moping,” Angel says.
“Fine, I’m moping,” I say. “Now begone with you.”
“The nerve! And after I came here to help you,” Angel says.
“Help me?” I ask.
“You’re in a dilemma about your skill path, are you not?” Angel asks. “You’re unsure of what ability will help you fight a versatile threat like the HET and are stressing out about creating the perfect skill.”
“Who wouldn’t stress over that?” I ask. “It doesn’t help that you won’t tell me anything about them.”
“That’s because telling you won’t help,” Angel says. “There are way too many strains of HET, and we still don’t understand them in the slightest. With a foe like that, I think it’s best not to teach you how to beat them individually, but how to come to your own conclusions based on circumstances.”
“Look, I understand that, but you’ve gotta throw me a bone of some kind here,” I say. “How am I supposed to create an ability to fight against the unknown?”
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“You feel unsure because you’re still thinking about this in black and white terms,” Angel says. “In your eyes, a skill must kill its enemy to be useful. That kind of thinking is the reason that the militaries of the world failed. When crafting a skill, don’t think of what you will gain, but what you already have.”
“Alright, Oogway,” I grumble. “Did that scientist have the Kung Fu Panda quadrilogy on his computer, too?”
“Perhaps he did,” Angel says. “Listen, Lily. Do you know how much EP Sako has left unspent?”
“I don’t know. Probably not much,” I say.
“Exactly,” Angel says. “And do you know why she doesn’t hesitate to make new skills and level up? Because she’s having fun with it.”
“That’s just like her,” I say. “The world’s on fire, yet she can’t help but find a silver lining.”
“Which is exactly why she is strong,” Angel says. “In short, don’t create an ability because you think it’s effective, but create one you want to. As long as it’s something you can take pride in, you’ll always find a way to use it.”
“So you’re saying that my gun ability can be used for more than just murdering people?” I ask.
“Depends if it’s a skill that suits you,” Angel says. “Personally, I think a curt, to-the-point ability like a gunshot matches your blunt personality perfectly.”
“And I guess it is kind of cool,” I say.
“It’s badass as hell!” Angel says.
“Do you think I can show off in front of Sako with a skill like this?” I ask.
“Definitely,” Angel says. “You could be like Black Rock Shooter!”
“More like Black Lagoon,” I say. “Maybe like Revy.”
I point my finger gun ahead, imagining what I could do.
There I am, surrounded by bloodthirsty aliens, Sako right by my side, all hope lost. I nonchalantly pull my hands out from my pockets shaped like guns, and start blasting away, unleashing a flurry of hellfire upon those monstrous scum. I’m jumping all around, effortlessly dodging their attacks as I blow them away by the hundreds, no, thousands.
Then, standing atop a mountain of their corpses, I point my finger to the sky and aim it right at one of the caterpillar ships flying overhead. With a single shot, I blast an enormous beam from my index finger that pierces the sky and goes right through the alien ship, causing it to explode into a billion little pieces.
It’s then that I become the hero of the-
“You’re imagining something stupid, aren’t you?” Angel asks, shattering my delusions.
“No, of course not,” I say.
“You say that, but you forget I’m tied to your mind,” Angel says. “That said, you do have the right idea.”
That’s right. That one ability doesn’t have to define my entire arsenal, nor does it have to be a mistake.
If I think about Finger Bang’s strengths and weaknesses, it goes a little something like this: it’s a fast-moving, powerful shot that I can only use a few times on a single target. It’s just like a sniper.
To make up for its shortcomings, I’ll have to create another ability that can work at close range and preferably hits a large number of foes at once. I can complement this with agility and perception skills while neglecting my strength stat.
“Seems like you’re figuring things out,” Angel says.
“Yeah, I think I know what I want my next ability to be,” I say. “Think you can help me out?”
“Sure, I’ll just take your internalized thoughts and compile them into the desired outcome,” Angel says. “Just give me a moment… and done. You can now pull up your skills menu and view the changes.”
I open up the screens and go to my skills.
Skills
[Finger Bang lv. 1]
[Power: 10]
[Cost: 0.5 EL]
[EP to next level: 50]
[Sniper Shot lv. 5]
[Power: 53]
[Cost: 27 EL]
[EP to next level: 1250]
[Fire Shot lv. 3]
[Power: 13]
[Cost: 5 EL]
[EP to next level: 450]
“Is this to your liking?” Angel asks.
“Yeah, it is, but wait, you can change abilities like that?” I ask. “Like, I see you moved Finger Bang’s stats to a new ability and removed Fireball in place of Fire Shot.”
“Ah, allow me to clarify what I did exactly,” Angel says. “Firstly, the only way you can remove abilities is if you spend the same amount of EP you used to create them to deactivate them. The AE virus would have to remove it from your DNA, after all.”
“That makes sense,” I say. “So getting rid of abilities is almost never worth it.”
“Precisely. Furthermore,” Angel continues. “I didn’t switch the stats from Finger Bang to Sniper Shot; rather, I merely renamed it to a more fitting title. I then assigned the Finger Bang name to the close-range rapidfire skill you had in mind. Finally, I renamed your fireball skill to Fire Shot. Instead of a fireball coming out of your palm, it will be a slightly smaller projectile that comes out of your finger gun. While major ability changes would require copious amounts of EP, small changes like this are inconsequential. Frankly, all I really did was compress the size and change where the fire came from. It’s still a fireball at the end of the day.”
“Ah, so as I level them up, their names might change the stronger they get?” I ask.
“If you want,” Angel says.
“Alright. Then I guess I should level up the Finger Bang ability now too, right?” I ask.
“That’s also up to you,” Angel says. “With its current power, you MIGHT be able to kill some ants or-”
“Yeah, I think I’ll upgrade it,” I say. “I have 2350 points, right?”
“2300. It costs 50 EP to make the skill,” Angel says.
“How strong would it be if I upgraded it to level 4 and how much EP would I have left?” I ask.
“It would be as strong as throwing a baseball into someone’s face, and you’d have 1600 EP left over,” Angel says.
“Okay, then what about if I level it up to level 5?” I ask.
“It would be as strong as throwing a baseball into someone’s face REALLY hard,” Angel says. “And you’d have 800 points left over.”
“That kind of sucks,” I say.
“Well, yeah,” Angel says. “I mean, it only costs 0.5 EL to use at level 1 and increases by 0.5 each time, meaning at level 5 it’ll cost 2.5 EL each time to fire.”
“Ugh, so it’s gonna be useless for a while,” I mutter.
“That’s not true,” Angel says. “Let’s level it up to level 5 and give it a try. I promise it’s better than you think.”
“Fine, fine, go ahead and do that,” I say.
“Got it. Processing… and done!” Angel says. “Why don’t you try it out on that tree right there?”
“Sure,” I say, raising my finger gun to the tree and aiming at its center. I get a little bit closer and steady my aim, making sure I won’t embarrassingly miss. Then, I start to unleash my new finger bang ability, hitting the tree with a flurry of little energy pellets faster than I can see.
I’m not keeping count exactly how many times I spam it, but I estimate about 20, 22 shots in the exact same spot.
When I’m finally finished, and the dust around that tree’s chest clears, I walk up to it and am surprised to find a sizable dent in its wood. The bark has been stripped off in the area where I was shooting and it's hot to the touch.
“See that?” Angel asks. “While it’s not the strongest ability, it’s not pathetically weak either. A few more levels, and it’ll be a pretty damn dangerous weapon.”
“I see,” I say, pulling up the ability’s new stats.
[Finger Bang lv. 5]
[Power: 16]
[Cost: 2.5 EL]
[EP to next level: 1250]
“As you can see, its power is further amplified by your AP stat,” Angel says. “Since lv. 5 Finger Bang has a base stat of 8, it comes out to 16 power with your 8 AP.”
“Alright, I think I’m starting to understand,” I say.
“Would you like to spend your remaining points?” Angel asks. “You have exactly enough for an overall level up.”
“No, I think I’ll keep some in reserve,” I say. “For a rainy day.”
“A wise move,” Angel says.
CURRENT STATS AND ABILITIES:
Lily Lv.4
[Strength: 6]
[Speed: 7]
[Agility: 7]
[Perception: 8]
[EL: 106]
[AP: 8]
[EP until next level: 800]
[Current EP: 800]
Skills
[Finger Bang lv. 5]
[Power: 16]
[Cost: 2.5 EL]
[EP to next level: 1250]
[Sniper Shot lv. 5]
[Power: 53]
[Cost: 27 EL]
[EP to next level: 1250]
[Fire Shot lv. 3]
[Power: 13]
[Cost: 5 EL]
[EP to next level: 450]
Passive Skills
[Innate ability: Pessimistic Perspective]
With Pessimistic Perspective, the user’s jaded view of the world converts to composure during otherwise perilous circumstances, allowing for clear thought and unclouded judgment.