"I'm not going to the Frontier City."
Constantine quickly made his decision based on his instincts as a gamer, as well as his overall understanding of the situation.
He didn't understand why the System would recommend taking such an extreme risk.
Perhaps there was indeed a bonus waiting for him if he took it.
But it was too dangerous!
'Starting bonuses are important, but they aren't the end-all and be-all. There will be multiple avenues to earn rewards later on. I should just avoid this one since the cost of completion is simply too high. I could actually die for real.'
If he died, he would lose out on the billions of dollars waiting for him, as well as the gigantic corporation that he would inherit.
How could he pass that up just for a measly bonus?
As an astute gamer, Constantine thought of different ways to compensate for this loss.
It wasn't the end of the world if he missed this single chance.
'I think this System expects too much from me. I can't complete such a dangerous Quest in my current state.'
Instead, Constantine had a different plan.
"Right now, I'm a Level 1 Ghoul. If I can reach Level 100, there's a chance to change my Race and return to being a Human. Although I'll have to start from Level 1 again, and I will still be a Commoner, I'll still be able to fulfill the requirements and hopefully get the bonus by then."
There was also another path he could take.
Instead of changing his Race, he could advance his Class to a higher one. This would promote him from a Ghoul to a higher kind of Undead.
But Constantine could not consider that at the moment.
The difficulty of being an Undead, especially in the early stages of the game, was simply too great.
'I'm trying to reach a Completion Rate of 100 Percent. Starting out as a Human Adventurer is the best way to go about it.'
Even though he would end up wasting a lot of time grinding and rising to Level 100, Constantine still felt it was a worthwhile investment when looking at the overall picture.
Besides...
'Leveling Up in Eccles is pretty easy. If this is anything like the game, I'll be able to reach Level 100 in a month, or even less. The problem is the other mechanics of the game that will be working against me...'
Eccles Accel was different from many games in the genre.
In this game, there was no such thing as an HP or MP gauge that determined the precise condition of the Player. There were also no stat numbers that reflected the strength, agility, and so on of the different characters in the world.
Instead, it utilized a unique mechanism to achieve this effect.
—Levels!
'Gaining Levels is easy, but so is losing them. The more damage I take, the lower my Level becomes. Once it reaches Level 0, I automatically die, even if my weak spot is not targeted. Thus, for every Player, raising Levels is not just a way to guarantee strength, but also a way to ensure survival.'
As for how Levels affected strength, speed, and even energy levels, one had to consider the effect every Level Up had on the Player.
Normally, a Level Up meant a ten percent increase in someone's overall abilities.
This meant that Constantine, upon reaching Level 2, would become ten percent stronger than he was at Level 1. Once he reached Level 10, he would become twice as strong. At Level 100, he would be ten times as strong.
This was the limit for any particular Class.
Once you reached Level 100, you could either switch to a neighboring Race or advance your Class and start from Level 1 again.
Naturally, base stats and abilities differed depending on one's Race and Class.
Thus, a ten percent increase for the current Constantine was not the same as it would be for a regular Human or a higher-class Undead.
'Undead are around mid- to low-tier among the races in Eccles. A ten percent boost doesn't really do much, but it is better than nothing. I'll have to reach Level 100 as soon as possible and switch back to becoming Human. This means sustaining as little damage as possible while eliminating as many enemies as I can.'
To achieve this, Constantine knew he couldn't compromise on two things.
—Titles and Skills!
His two Titles were quite useful, although the use of his first one had already expired. As for the second one, it helped him regain lost flesh and limbs over time, which was something Ghouls normally wouldn't possess.
The Miasma Emission Skill was a big disadvantage to his original goal of heading to the Frontier City, but it was still very useful against living enemies.
If he could gain more Skills and Titles, he would be able to defeat enemies and advance much more easily.
'I currently have 10 System Points. Should I try spending them on something useful? There aren't many things I can get with that amount, though. If I consider what I already have in my Inventory, I can make do without using them for now...'
Actually, Constantine would have gained more System Points if he had followed the normal route.
Completing the Tutorial gave him rewards, after all.
But he wasn't able to kill the Goblins and leave the starting area, which greatly impeded his growth at the moment.
'I only have a rusty blade, a few loaves of bread, a flask of water, two healing potions, a change of clothes, and a flaming torch. These are all the items in my Inventory at the moment.'
Constantine quickly realized he was actually naked now.
Thanks to the Goblins eating through his initial clothes, even though his body regenerated, it couldn't restore them.
"I'll change into these..." he sighed as he summoned his new outfit.
Suddenly, a casual gray shirt and black trousers appeared on his body. Dark gloves, seemingly made from bandages, covered his arms, and his feet were protected by sturdy brown boots.
Despite the realism, this was still a game-like world, after all.
'Normally, the change of clothes should be used after leaving the starting area. You may meet humans on your way to the Frontier City, and if you are still dressed shabbily and covered in the Goblins' blood, they may not interact with you. But if you change your clothes, you become more approachable to the NPCs, and they will show you more favorability. By interacting with them, you can gain side quests and extra rewards...'
It was too bad all of that had gone out the window for him.
In fact, everything provided in his Inventory existed for a reason.
The rusty blade and healing potions were meant to help him fight the Goblins. The loaves of bread and flask of water could be used to restore the Player's energy after the fight, but if they were saved and given to a passerby on the way to the Frontier City, one could receive a good reward.
As for the flaming torch, it was useful for revealing a hidden section near the exit that contained a treasure chest.
Naturally, this chest contained special rewards.
The more Constantine thought about everything he had missed out on because he had listened to the System, the more regret he felt.
Even with his suppressed emotions, he couldn't completely get rid of the pain.
It was at that moment that the System finally decided to speak.
[Dear Host.]
{It appears you have decided to forgo the bonus. As a high-end System, I have worked with the best Players, so I assumed you were exceptional as well. But it seems I overestimated you. I apologize for my mistake in this regard. If you wish to make things right, there's a way to return to the starting point of the game and redo this entire scenario from the beginning.}
"Really...?!"
Even though Constantine felt insulted by the System's harsh words, he ignored those feelings the moment he saw a way out of his predicament.
If it was indeed possible, he would prefer to start again and do things right this time.
"Tell me how!"
[Yes, Host.]
{You just have to kill yourself.}
"W-what...?"
[Kill yourself. Do it now.]