Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!
Jonas paced around his room, bullets of sweat forming on his forehead with every lap he made. His outfit, an Academy student uniform, was drenched from his own panic-induced bodily fluids.
That Lord Stein is probably after me! He thought to himself.
It's been a week since the Vechta incident, and Jonas has no idea what the Empire has found out. He feared the worst-case scenario: the arrest of his family and their execution.
What should I do now?
In the past few days, his family attended new citizenship orientation sessions, short courses on their new status in the Empire that teach them how to integrate into the free, privileged society.
If they figure out it was me, it's all over! They're going to kill me, punish everyone that I love! All that we have will be gone! Fifteen years… Fifteen years for nothing!?
Jonas bit the skin of his lips. He trembled in every made-up torture scenario that formed in his head.
Wait…
Jonas stopped at a corner, he faced the wall, and pondered deeply. His eyes bulged from the effort. He wasn't a smart man in his past life, and he didn't get to read much in this life either. But he knows that nobody in this world knew about what atomic bombs are.
That's right. What happened in Vechta is definitely a nuclear bomb. I cast that bomb into existence!
Suddenly, the image of the dead girl flashed before his eyes. Jonas stumbled and puked on his bed.
Damn, damn it! Damn it all!
Jonas clutched his chest, heaving heavily. His heart beat unreasonably fast.
I've been having these episodes since I… I killed that girl! Damn, damn, damn!
Jonas knelt on the floor. His body and mind suffer from what continuously torments him. He drooled as he attempted to regain a normal breathing pattern, veins throbbed on his head, and the pain made him lightheaded.
In his dreams, the charred figure visits him every night. He was not sure whether it was him or someone else, but it yearned to come out, begging Jonas to unleash the ghoul once more.
But Jonas and his resolve are strong. He inhaled air deep into his lungs and slowly released it as he closed his eyes. His hands shook, but soon, as he continued to repeat his breathing, he could feel the troubled waters within him start to calm.
Jonas sighed slowly one last time. Alright, let's think about this through…
"Status… Check?" Jonas said hesitantly, he recalled how Lord Steins did it. Immediately, though, the screen cascaded in front of him.
—
[ Mage: Jonas Geisler ]
[ Specialization: None ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Affinity: Atomic ]
[ Level: 4 ]
[ Souls: 343/400 ]
[ Attribute Points: 3 ]
[ Intelligence: 1 ]
[ Strength: 1 ]
[ Constitution: 1 ]
[ Dexterity: 1 ]
[ Spells: Davy Crockett ]
—
So, that's how you make this show up. It's that easy. If simply saying the spell out loud to cast the spell, then I should be careful with that Davy thing.
Jonas stood up, his fingers resting on his chin.
Souls. So, in the old life, it's like exp in video games. It's how I leveled up as well. I didn't know this world would be so game-like! But… I harvested souls from the people. Real, living, human souls.
When his eyes read the number of souls he has, he shook his head and moved on. Next, Jonas observed the attributes list and squinted thoroughly.
So, how should I spend my attribute points? I wish I could tell which one of these is useful. I vaguely remember how I used to do it in video games before… It's been fifteen years since that day…
As he continued to stare at his attribute list, they glowed, and a tooltip appeared that described each attribute.
Whoa!
—
[ Intelligence: 1 ]
Governs Mage's spell learning and understanding. Determines how Mages can learn new spells and understand their properties.
—
[ Strength: 1 ]
Governs Mage's spell usage and damage. Determines how many spells can be used and how much damage spells produce at a given time.
—
[ Constitution: 1 ]
Governs Mage's ability to handle spells. Determines the Mage's resistance to ingoing and outgoing spells.
—
[ Dexterity: 1 ]
Governs Mage's accuracy and spell casting. Determines how long the Mage can cast a single spell at a given time.
—
Strength affects how many and how strong my spells are. Intelligence affects how I learn spells. Constitution affects how I resist spells. Dexterity affects how long I cast them. So, it is like video games. Fifteen years, and I never imagined this is what being a Mage is in this world.
Instinctively, Jonas used his eyes and mentally clicked on the number of attribute points he had. A plus symbol appeared beside each attribute on the list.
So, which one should I spend my points on?
Jonas took a moment to consider. His eyes stared intently, and he began to shift his focus to the intelligence attribute, with the halfhearted decision to dump all his points into it. But, thankfully, a moment of clarity, he stopped before he did so.
Wait. If I put all my points into intelligence, would that let me control the damage of my Davy spell? I guess it's just going to be stronger than before. If I don't even know how to practice my spells, what's the point? I thought I could control and minimize the damage, but maybe I should save my points until the time is right.
Jonas naturally blinked and reset the list to remove its glow and the plus symbol.
I'll wait. I can learn more in the Academy anyway, but it's good to know about these beforehand. Now, let's see what I can learn about you, Davy.
Jonas stared at his one and only spell until it glowed and displayed a description, which appeared almost instantly.
—
[ Spell: Davy Crockett ]
A spell that casts a nuclear warhead that can yield up to 10 to 1,000 tons of TNT. Named after the device that shoots the warhead.
—
Jonas tried to fiddle around with the description. He hoped he could control how much damage it could produce, but the spell is as it is.
Then, Jonas accidentally closed the tooltip and scrolled downwards. It revealed a new set of stats that he was unaware of.
What is this?
The second page of the screen was greyed out, restricted, and provided little to no information to Jonas.
What is this? Jonas asked himself as he tried to prompt a tooltip from it.
—
[ Sub-Class: Locked ]
[ Unique Talent: Locked ]
[ Elite Specialization: Locked ]
[ Elite Affinity: Locked ]
[ Blessing: Locked ]
[ Godly Aspect: Locked ]
You need to achieve level 20 to unlock these features.
—
Jonas sighed and closed his eyes; the slick status screen disappeared immediately, and he threw himself on the bed. He felt exhausted; he still needed to get used to all the new powers he had gained, even when he was just staring at the screen.
Come to think about it… What's a specialization?
He shot himself up, and he sat stiff and straight on his bed. With a quick exclamation of the usual spell, the status screen reappeared once more.
There, Jonas focused his eyes on 'specialization' just under his name. When it glowed, a tooltip popped out, along with a dropdown list of selections of some sort with descriptions for him to read.
Whoa! What is this?
—
[ Specialization: None ]
A Mage specialization determines their unique archetype, allowing Mages to gain passive spells and skills. Specialization selection depends on the Mage's given affinity.
—
Passive spells? Weird. Maybe since I can only learn new active spells from spellbooks, which are hard to get, I guess it's only fair I get passive skills this easily.
Jonas scrolled through the selection with his eyes. He skimmed through the description of each one before he moved on to the next.
A specialization only has five passive skills that I can unlock at certain levels. This is harder than I thought. It's basically asking me to grind for souls. Souls that I have to get from other living, breathing beings.
Jonas dropped onto his bed once again and groaned in the agony of the responsibility presented to him. He lamented the fact that he must kill for him to unlock parts of his power.
What if I don't like the first specialization that I picked? Can I change it back? Why does everything need to be so permanent?
Frustrated, he covered his face with his pillow. His muffled scream could be heard as he kicked his legs in the air.
All I want is to hide my affinity's true power. Is that too much to ask?
Jonas turns to his side restlessly. His face frowned, and he clicked his tongue. He swiftly stood up and stretched before he popped his knuckles. He sucked air hard and deep into his mouth, then slowly blew it out to regain his composure.
Fine. Focus. Let's see if there's a specialization that allows me to control my spells.
When he cast the status screen back and opened the dropdown list of available specializations, he read them carefully this time. His eyes were laser-focused as he mentally made a shortlist of three possible specializations he would choose when he reached the proper level.
—
[ Specialization: Atomic Paladin ]
With Heavy Atomic specialization, the Atomic affinity will be able to calibrate deadly spells. You are warned.
—
[ Specialization: Hydrogen Warrior ]
Hydrogen or thermonuclear power is an entirely powerful concept, the second stage of the Atomic affinity. When unlocked, a new set of spells will be given to the Mage. You are warned.
—
[ Specialization: Radioactive Warlock ]
The deadly aftertaste of the Atomic affinity is often untameable. With this specialization, the effects of the Atomic affinity will be in the Mage's palms. You are warned.
—
Jonas and his eyes twitched as he read through the descriptions of the specializations he had shortlisted. A drop of sweat dripped down his forehead, then he released his tensed breath defeatedly.
"This is frustrating!" Jonas shouted as he shot himself up and paced around his room.
The specializations implied that I can control my affinity, but it kept warning me about it. What's that about? Bah! I'm done here!
Jonas blinked twice, and the whole panel shut down. He grabbed his satchel from a nearby chair that leaned against the window. His eyes caught a glimpse of the streets outside their new apartment.
The paved sidewalks are clean and marbled, the lamps are aligned straight as they stretch the entire length of the avenue, and the trees and bushes serve as a proper divider between the road and the nearby buildings.
The few people who walked by wore clothes and dresses that only the privileged citizens could afford. They are followed by their slaves, who wear tattered rags. The contrast sent a sharp pang through Jonas and his soul. It hurt him to witness such a sight.
Jonas realized how far they've come. He felt a heavy weight that filled his chest with responsibility, a burden he must carry with care.
That's right. I shouldn't whine. Enough of this petty whining. I need to lock in!
As Jonas continued to observe and become melancholic by the good neighborhood he and his family were blessed with, he thought about their benefactor and the man who might learn of his role in Vechta.
I don't know what that Lord Zach is up to, but no nobleman will give away their estate in the capital that easily. He's up to something, and I know I'm in his crosshairs. It's just a matter of time.
Jonas sighed. He glanced back and around his room. It is not well lived in yet, but it is furnished with all the expensive and grand items.
I won't let them take this life away from us!
His hand formed a fist, and it trembled when he gripped it harder by the second.
In this harsh, cruel, magical world, he possessed a powerful affinity, one that could bring destruction. He wondered if he could use it to bring change in this world, but the thought only made him chuckle.
Jonas shook his head and blew a heavy sigh.
"Oh shit!" he exclaimed suddenly, "I'm late for school!"
Jonas ran out of his room only to come back and fix his hair. He ran again but tripped on the way to the doorway.
"Yeowch!" he moaned.