Chương 9: Stat Distribution

I stared at the shimmering blue rectangle floating in front of my nose, feeling a bit like I'd just been handed the most complicated remote control in the universe without the manual. It was clean, sleek, and glowed with the kind of soft neon light that suggested it was definitely more expensive than my actual life. I skimmed through the numbers, my eyes eventually snagging on the "Available Stat Points: 5" line. Five points.

In the grand scheme of things, that felt like trying to fix a leaky dam with a handful of chewing gum, but it was all I had to keep me from becoming a medieval speed bump. Before I could start playing a guessing game with my future survival, the monotone voice in my head chimed in, sounding like a high-tech refrigerator trying to be helpful. [Would you like a comprehensive breakdown of the functional utility for each attribute?] I shrugged at the empty air, earning a suspicious look from a nearby merchant.

"Yeah, lay it on me. Give me the SparkNotes version before I accidentally put everything into being pretty." [VITALITY serves as the fundamental pillar of your biological endurance. For every point you invest, your total health capacity will expand by ten units. Furthermore, it modulates the rate of natural tissue repair, improves the mitigation of incoming physical trauma, and bolsters your resilience against status ailments or recovery from debilitating conditions.]"So, basically the 'Don't Die Immediately' button," I muttered.

"Got it. More blood in the tank, less time spent leaking on the pavement." [INTELLIGENCE acts as the definitive measure of one's cognitive reach and arcane command. Every point allocated functions to increase magic damage output and expand mana reserves by ten units, while facilitating a more rapid replenishment of mana. On a higher level, it elevates sensory acuity and reinforces the psyche's resistance to mental intrusions.] I nodded, pretending I understood half of that.

"Right, so it makes me a smarty-pants wizard type. Keeps the brain-scramblers out and let's me shoot more magic pew-pews. Moving on." [STRENGTH serves as the primary gauge of kinetic force. Each attribute point allocated specifically enhances both Physical Attack damage and the potency of basic attacks. Furthermore, it expands stamina reserves and acceleration of recovery, while concurrently refining the subject's physical stature and muscular symmetry.]"Wait, aesthetic symmetry?"

I blinked, looking down at my decidedly average arms.

"Are you telling me I can literally button-press my way into looking like a fitness influencer? That feels like cheating, but I'll take it. What else?" Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. [DEXTERITY quantifies the refinement of mechanical execution. Allocation into this category improves your proficiency with intricate armaments, sharpens your ballistic precision, and increases the mathematical probability of delivering critical impacts. It also streamlines somatic control and minimizes the delay in cognitive reaction.] Now we were talking. As a guy currently holding a "Training Prototype" revolver that looked like it might explode if I sneezed, accuracy sounded like a solid investment. Being able to actually hit the giant monsters before they ate my face seemed like a top-tier priority. [AGILITY functions as the primary metric for operational velocity. Increasing this attribute accelerates both your locomotive speed and the frequency of your attacks while heightening the success rate of evasive maneuvers. For practitioners of long-range engagement, it significantly augments the travel velocity of projectiles, thereby increasing their terminal kinetic impact upon the target.] I rubbed my chin, weighing the options. Speed was great for running away, which was currently my plan A, B, and C.

Plus, making my bullets fly faster sounded like a nice way to add a bit of extra punch to my prototype pea-shooter. There I stood, five little points of potential greatness, and a world full of leveled-up knights and scary staff-wielding ladies just waiting to see if the new guy was going to be a hero or a very funny-smelling corpse. I hovered my finger over the shimmering blue interface, feeling like a high-stakes gambler with exactly five chips and a very low tolerance for losing. This was it.

The moment I transitioned from "guy in a hoodie who just fell from the sky" to "guy in a hoodie who might actually survive a stiff breeze." My eyes kept darting back to my Intelligence stat. Since I was rocking a Gunner class with a fancy magic-scaling skill, it seemed only fair to give my brain a little love. Besides, mana was basically the lifeblood of my entire survival strategy, and I wasn't keen on running out of "magic juice" while some local monster was busy measuring me for a coffin.

I tapped the screen twice, watching as two points slid into the Intelligence slot. [Attribute modification successful. Neural pathways and mana conduits are currently recalibrating.] Next up, Agility. I figured if I couldn't outsmart something, I should at least be able to outrun it. Plus, making my bullets fly fast enough to break the sound barrier sounded like a great way to ensure my "terminal kinetic damage" was actually terminal for the other guy. One point went to Agility.

Then, I tossed a point into Dexterity. Weapon proficiency and better body control? Yes, please. I'd rather not accidentally shoot my own foot off because my cognitive reaction time was lagging behind a dial-up modem. Finally, I stared at the last remaining point. My inner coward—who was currently screaming quite loudly—insisted on Vitality. You just can't go wrong with a little extra padding in the health bar.

I wasn't planning on being a human punching bag, but knowing I had a few extra drops of blood in the tank was a comforting thought. I tapped the last point home. [Point allocation finalized. Initiating systemic biological synchronization.] The moment the last command registered, a strange, electric tingle shot through my limbs. It wasn't painful, but it felt like my entire nervous system had just been upgraded from a tangled mess of yarn to high-speed fiber optics.

My head felt lighter, the world around me seemed a fraction sharper, and I could swear my hoodie felt a tiny bit less heavy on my shoulders. I wasn't a god yet, not by a long shot, but I certainly didn't feel like a Level 1 scrub anymore. I felt like a Level 1 scrub who had just found a very small, very glowing advantage. ••••• HP: 20 MP: 30 Gold: 0 •••••• [STATS] VITALITY: 2 INTELLIGENCE: 3 STRENGTH: 1 DEXTERITY: 2 AGILITY: 2 •••••