Chương 66: First to 1

The first notification Scarlet saw was exactly what she'd hoped to find. [Congratulations. You are the first sapient of your world to reach Tier 1.] [You have received System Rewards] [View Contents] [Retrieve Contents] Definitive proof that she was the first. That's all she needed to know for now as she scrolled all the way back through her backlog, taking notes as she went. [Congratulations. You are the first sapient of your world to complete a Portal World Trial.] [Rewards: Potion of Tempering (Mana) (Claimed) 1, 000 SC (Claimed) First Among Us (Updated). Pendant of Shadow Speech (Claimed) (Soulbound)] This Trial had been what had given her the confidence to reach out to other factions, and what had ultimately allowed her to establish contact with the Umbral Spectre Faction. Her relief at seeing the potion had nearly blinded her to the pendant.

However, it was that gorgeous piece of jewelry that had given her the ability to speak through shadows and communicate outside of the Historian's surveillance. The pendant was a beautiful, black teardrop jewel that drank in the light. It was the size of a thumbnail, and attached to a delicate, lacelike band that fit snugly around her neck. When she'd soulbound it, the artifact had turned into a tattoo that matched the fine, smoke-like swirls and delicate curls of the band.

The best feature was that the artefact was invisible unless she was actively using it. She moved on to the first new notification [You assisted in defeating an adversary two or more Tiers above your own] [You have received System Rewards] [View Contents] [Retrieve Contents] Apparently, there was no 'first-in-the-world' notification for acting as an accomplice to somebody else's assassination. Fair enough. She was under no illusions that she'd been winning that battle of attrition.

Still, while most of the damage she and Maus had inflicted had been psychological, it was not insignificant. Tareth likely wouldn't have been so caught off guard by the ambush if they had not destabilised him first. [View Contents] [Rewards: sSC: 2 Nuria's Vest of Telepathy] It was fascinating to consider why Maus had received a reward for this specific achievement. Perhaps it was because of the significant contribution he'd played this time?

There had been nothing incidental or passive about the role he'd played in the battle. Something to consider, alongside who or what this 'Nuria' was. [Nuria's Vest of Telepathy – Tier 1: A finely tailored leather vest from *Nuria's Murine Bond Ensemble. Allows a bonded companion without capacity to vocalise System recognised speech to audibly project thoughts into the surrounding environment. Improves stability of Familiar communication. Subtly boosts development of INT Stat. *Part One of a Set.] [Retrieve Contents] A Maus sized, blue-black leather vest materialised.

"Look at that, Maus," Scarlet said, beckoning her Familiar closer.

"You'll have a voice all your own." Maus Blinked off his pillow and onto Scarlet's lap. Then he raised himself onto his hind legs. Scarlet carefully looped his arms through the holes and handed him the two front flaps.

"You can do it," she said, sending him a mental image of how to fasten the closure of the garment. His movements were careful, but the little guy had way more than enough STR and DEX to pull it off on his first try, earning him a gentle finger five. Then Scarlet had to turn away for a moment to regain her composure. She pressed her fingers against her tightly closed lips as she processed her Familiar's impossible adorableness.

"Boss?" He tried. Instead of his voice sounding directly inside her mind, it echoed softly through the room.

"Boss? Am I still the most handsome?" He asked, twisting this way and that in his new vest. Scarlet turned back, her face solemn.

"You look very dapper."

"Dapper?" he repeated.

"Yeah, buddy," she said.

"Very dapper." Then she looked back at the notification. Even without the added capital, the item alone is an acceptable consolation prize for surviving the assault of a Tier 2 at Tier 0. Scarlet looked at the sSC2 in the rewards list that she still didn't know the value of, then at the next notification in the list. [Congratulations. You are the first sapient of your world to achieve complete Tier Zero Stat Saturation.] [You have received System Rewards] [View Contents] [Rewards: Title Update: First Among Us. sSC: 3 Scion's Sceptre Upgrade Token] Interesting. That now made 5 sSC of indeterminate value added to her collection. Would've been nice if the Historian had offered a 'Faction Finance for Initiates' class, but alas… [Retrieve Contents] Instead of materialising a literal 'token', the System simply transformed her old cane. In front of her eyes, she watched as possibly her oldest piece of gear floated up and began to change. It became a rich, dark wood that shimmered beneath the bunker lights.

Its new handle was elegantly hooked, perfectly polished, incredibly sturdy, and made of a metal alloy Scarlet had yet to work with. The whole thing seemed to almost shimmer with restrained potential as the transformation completed. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Scarlet plucked the descending cane from the air. The artefact had excellent balance. Scarlet had an urge to learn some sort of staff combat just to compliment it.

On the side was a discreet button hidden within the grip. Curious, she pressed it. She felt a metaphysical tug as the artefact bound itself to her. Then the hooked handle immediately shifted and reshaped beneath her fingers. The cane transformed into the hilt of a dagger as sheathed blade slid impossibly free from within its slender shaft. It was long and wide enough that it had to use some form of spatial manipulation.

[Scion's Sceptre – Tier 1: An exceptionally durable walking cane that can act as either a concealed blade or a bludgeoning weapon. The blade causes a continual bleed effect that is exceptionally resistant to healing. The cane acts as a discreet amplifier for psionic energy. This artifact grows alongside its user Soulbound] Scarlet inspected the weapon carefully, allowing herself a satisfied nod. Perhaps the System sensed her reluctance to part with the weapon that she'd beyond outgrown.

It had become increasingly obsolete throughout the Trial, yet somewhere along the way it had stopped being merely a tool. It was her cane. Scarlet sighed and looked down at her familiar notebook. It contained meticulous accounting of everything that had happened since waking up to find Maus gone. It was bittersweet to realise this might be the final time she wrote in it It didn't take long to organise her remaining thoughts and note them down.

She wasn't yet capable of writing with the effortless elegance the Historian had displayed while drafting their contract, but she was approaching printer speed. Two pens floated beside her, writing in perfect synchronisation as page after page filled with observations, hypotheses, conjectures, theories, and carefully organised notes. Once the last page was filled, Scarlet pulled out her Inscriber and quietly worked the final enchantments into it.

Now, without the correct combination of mana signature, psionic signature, and DNA from both herself and Maus (who was somehow considered a biologically separate entity, despite being a part of her), anyone trying to open the notebook would find it had become a very temperamental explosive. Satisfied that the notebook was secure, she placed with the growing stack of journals that had quietly become the record of her life since the System descended. Scarlet lingered for a moment, her thoughts on the stack.

Together, they chronicled only a handful of days on Earth and several weeks within the Portal World, yet somewhere between the first page and the last, she'd transformed into a woman she wondered if Day One Scarlet would recognise. A life completely changed, or as the Historian might have said: 'A history created.' Scarlet leaned back against the chaise lounge and let out a slow breath. She took a single moment to come to terms with the past weeks. Then she stood and headed to her 'notebook' shelf.

She pulled a particularly lovely, leatherbound, embossed one she'd been saving for a special occasion. She grinned, the expression coming easily now that she was no longer under surveillance. She hadn't even realised she was doing it. She heard Maus just as she resettled on the chaise.

"I like your smile, Boss. Very dapper!" His voice was warm, and entirely sincere. Scarlet froze, then the smile slowly faded from her face. She swallowed and looked at her Familiar where he had resettled onto his little pillow.

"... Thank you, buddy," she said quietly before refocusing on her notifications. [Congratulations. You are the first sapient of your world to reach Tier 1] [You have received System Rewards] [View Contents] Rewards: Title Update: First Among Us updated. Trait Early Adopter updated. SC 1500 Tier 1 Consumables Package (×2).

Full Recovery Potion Full Mana Regeneration Elixir Full Stamina Regeneration Elixir] Not bad considering that despite being a homeworld 'First,' Scarlet knew the achievement of reaching Tier 1 was one of the most common in the greater Network. [Retrieve Contents] She sent the rewards from the Tier 1 achievement – consisting mostly of money and consumables – straight to her linked Storage Bag. Only, they never made it there. Instead, they were diverted. Opening her interface, Scarlet made several discoveries.

It looked like not just her body had changed, but her Interface as well. When she investigated it, she could see several new sections on her Interface. [Inventory: Access to 10 internal storage slots. Storage limits based on item size, Tier, and physical and conceptual weight relative to the individual All soulbound storage artefacts automagically linked to Inventory] [System Store: Access to internal System marketplace. Additional available functions*: Buy | Sell | Auction Additional functions locked.] [Map: Displays location. Tracks visited areas. Updates through System-Recognised Exploration Current available functions: Local Map | Portal Worlds | Terrain Notes | Waypoints *Additional functions locked.] [Locked Functions: Communications Factions Administration] Scarlet discovered several new 'tabs' on her Interface. The 'unlocked' sections of her Interface were self explanatory… Well, Guide explanatory. However, what was with the 'locked' functions? Scarlet opened her Stat Sheet to try and find the answer.

Name: Scarlet Bourne Level: 9→12 Tier: 1 Foundation: Perfect Stats Per Level (SPL): 15 Base 4 Titles 6 Traits 5 Free Stats (FS): 2→40 System Credits: Titles: A Cut Above (+1 SPL) First Among Us (+5 SPL): A consolidation of multiple World First achievements. As the recognised forerunner of your civilization, you have been granted provisional access to select Administrative System functions while you remain your world's foremost pioneer. This Title has growth potential.

Traits: Early Adopter: Granted for meaningful action taken prior to full System Integration and beyond. You stand at the forefront of change. +5 SPL After accumulating multiple 'First' Titles and System Achievements, Early Adopter has become a System Recognised Trait. Increased base FS and Stat gain. Increased adaptation speed when exposed to novel circumstances. Instinctive awareness of unusual opportunities and developmental pathways. Reduced penalties when integrating acquired skills.

Increased cohesion between compatible skills. Effects of this trait have moderately increased. Primordial Psion Psionic Shroud Soulsmith System Guide II: A Trait present in all sapient beings native to newly integrated worlds. Provides System information and responds to user queries. Increased scope and specificity of available information. Responses may now include System procedures, infrastructure, and limited administrative guidance. Output may vary based on individual permissions and development.

True Anomalous Soul Stats: Strength: 25 Dexterity: 25 Vitality: 25 Perception: 25 Intelligence: 25 Willpower: 25 Mana: 25 Skills: Empathy (T1) Close Quarters Combat (T1): Passive. Practical proficiency in unarmed combat, grappling, improvised weapons, and small (bladed) weapons. Investigate (T3): Active. A specialised advancement on the Observe Skill tree. Provides deeper analysis of a target's properties, condition, function, relationships and underlying mechanisms.

Results scale with user knowledge, target resistance, and relative power. Mana Manipulation (T2) Meditation (T2): Passive | Active. A skill that enhances mana awareness, absorption, and internal circulation through focused breathing and intent. Passively maintains a low-level state of mental clarity and increased mana regeneration. Effects increase substantially when active.

Efficiency and control scale with focus and familiarity Familiar: Maus Soul Anchor: Strengthened Familiar Status: Content It looked like the new 'locked' sections on her Interface had come from the upgrades to First Among Us. Scarlet sent her first query to her new and improved Guide. [Upgrades to Title: First Among Us grant limited priority access to certain System functions and services, and provisional administrative privileges otherwise unavailable without first satisfying specific conditions. These privileges persist only while the bearer remains the foremost recognised representative of their civilization.] Scarlet pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. A reward wrapped in a threat. Like she needed more pressure to stay ahead. Well, at least she might find out the value of her money.