Omega Point

Jeff walked over to the still spinning chainsaw and switched it off. Suddenly feeling extremely tired, he slumped to the ground beside the shattered corpse of the masked non-player character.

Shrugging out of his ruined jacket, Jeff examined the bite wound in his shoulder, from which blood continued to flow freely. Unsure what to do, he undid the crude bandage, then pulled a paper napkin from a side pocket in his pants and attempted to clean the wound.

Congratulations!

You have learnt the Skill First Aid (Level 1)

Allocating the ten free attribute points to Vitality helped to reduce the flow of blood from the wound, but did not heal it completely.

“Misty, I need medical treatment for this, do you have any suggestions?” Jeff’s detached, analytical side noted the slight quaver in his own voice as post-battle shock started to set in.

Now would be a good time to move on to the next stage of the tutorial. Did you notice how you were rewarded with coins when you dispatched the targets? If you look at your ring storage interface you will see how many coins you have been awarded and you can then access the Tournament Store to make purchases.

Calling up his stats, Jeff saw that they had been updated since his battle with the goblins.

NAME: Jeff Nostro

RACE: Human

HIT POINTS (HP): 15/80

MANA POINTS (MP): 11/70

Path: Spellsword [Hidden]

Path Rewrite: Awarded if 7 tribulations are completed.

Tribulations passed: 1/7

GRADE: J, Level 18

CLASS: Arcane Duelist 1

SKILLS:

Physical Fitness (Level 1)

Identify (Level 1)

High Pain Threshold (Level 1)

Combat Proficiency (Level 2)

Sub-Skill: [Unarmed Blade] Level 1

First Aid (Level 1)

CLASS SKILLS:

Infinite Sword (Level 1)

Cutting Edge (Level 1)

ATTRIBUTES:

Strength: 8

Speed: 4

Vitality: 14

Endurance: 5

Cognition: 4

Offense: 8

Defense: 5

Total Attribute Points: 48

Unallocated Attribute Points: 0

Jeff ran his mind's eye over the stats, noting a slight increase in each one of his Attribute Points. He couldn’t pin it down to any one indicator, but he did in fact feel more potent, pumped up, both physically and mentally, confident and alert with all his senses, even in spite of the pain caused by his shoulder wound.

“So Omega Energy is awarded when you kill?” Jeff asked, trying to get the mechanics of the System clear in his head.

Sort of, Misty replied.

but that’s a simplistic way of putting it. In fact, Omega Energy isn’t just awarded for the consequences of actions—it’s given by the System for performing those actions well.

Misty continued.

Some say there is only a finite amount of this ‘evolutionary juice’ in the System, and that when you’re awarded Omega Energy, it’s being taken from another species or person—like a zero sum game. But others disagree. They point to the fact that Omega Energy doesn’t only come from the act of killing. It can also be earned through achievement, building or creating in non-violent ways. Those people believe in an infinite supply, streaming from a theoretical ‘Omega Point’ at the very center of the System-universe.

Jeff mulled this over slowly, realizing that the comparison to ‘XP’ in a game wasn’t quite right. Omega Energy seemed a lot more complex and nuanced.

“And Mana points?” Jeff asked, glancing at the next line of his character sheet.

Mana is used to power spells, certain items and various other magical processes. As you proceed through the Tournament and practice your Skills, you will find that the larger your MP reservoir becomes, the more devastating the effects will be. The replenishment of your mana reserve and its capacity can be improved through meditation and cycling techniques. You can view all of your available Skills in your display console.

As expected, his MP had plummeted to near empty as a consequence of the use of his Skills during the battle. He remembered being rewarded with Points by the System each time he took out a goblin, prompting Jeff to question Misty on how much Omega Energy was needed to advance a Grade.

Practice makes perfect Jeff explained Misty in a didactic tone.

The grading system ranges from J to A, encompassing a total of 10,000 levels—each Grade has 1000 levels. To ascend from Grade J to I you’ll need to accumulate sufficient Omega Energy. As you rank up through the Grades, the Omega Energy required to move on to the next level increases significantly. For instance, to advance a Level in the I Grade, you will need to earn around 10 times more Omega Energy than you did in the J Grade. You will find that as you reach the cusp of a particular Grade Evolution, the amount of Omega Energy you earn will dwindle, causing potential bottlenecks in your development. Remember, seeking out and defeating similar or higher-graded opponents earns you more Omega Energy. There is little point in battling entities of a significantly lower Grade, in fact it can often be detrimental to your development.

As you grind your way through the challenges of the Tournament, you will witness your stats grow exponentially. Each Grade evolution grants you the opportunity to change or modify your Class. Also, it’s vital to advance each of your Attributes at roughly the same pace, for optimal development.

Jeff nodded, the concept of needing exponentially more ‘XP’ for each successive Grade was familiar to him from gaming. It also, worryingly, highlighted the increasing strength and ferocity of the opponents he would face as he leveled up. He needed to grow stronger, and fast. Even the low-leveled goblins had nearly finished him off—facing a higher Grade, hostile Contestant could be disastrous.

“What are the consequences if my Attributes don’t all grow at the same speed?” Jeff questioned, dabbing at his wound. He noted distractedly that his Strength attribute was significantly higher than his Endurance.

You will still be capable of advancing to higher Grades, but an imbalance in your attributes over time can cause problems. You will have increasing difficulty progressing as you won’t be able to utilize certain skills effectively. Balance is crucial for successful progression.

“What was going on with that music during the fight?” Jeff suddenly interjected, throwing the bloodied napkin on the floor and glaring up at the irritating soap bubble.

We…I decided to enhance the viewer experience with some cultural material from your milieu.

“Well don’t do it again, you almost got me killed!” Jeff declared angrily.

Misty did not acknowledge his order, instead continuing her tutorial.

Jeff, turn your attention to the coins in your ring storage. You may have noticed during the fight with the goblins that you were rewarded for successfully terminating a target.

These rewards are dual sourced; you are automatically allocated coins by the system as you grind through challenges. You will also earn rewards and patronage from viewers on the Metaweb. Try to make your gameplay, erm, I mean your fighting style, as exciting as possible to entice more coins from your fanbase. That’s why I added the music…for the likes.

Now, here’s how to use the coins in your ring storage inventory.

207 coins. Jeff recalled that the goblins’ stats had listed their reward value as ten coins per head. That meant he had been awarded a further twenty-seven coins from online viewers of the battle. Reminded once again that he was an unwilling contestant on a perverse alien reality show, Jeff felt another wave of performance anxiety sweep over him.

…The Tournament Store occupies a pocket universe operated by VogelCorp, accessible via your user interface. If the Store icon is lit up in your System interface you will be able to summon a portal to access the Store.

Please be aware that the Tournament Store is only accessible when a stage has been completed or you are in a designated safe zone. For your safety, make sure your access point is secure before entering or leaving the Store. Now, select the Store icon in your console.

Warily, Jeff checked his six, making sure there were no more goblins creeping up on him, but the fairground was empty. He triggered the now glowing Store icon in his display with a mental click.

A section of clapboard nearby shimmered, to be replaced by a dull grey metal door.

Jeff, wincing, stumbled to his feet. As he stepped up to the door it soundlessly slid open. Jeff cautiously peered inside, discovering a room around 30 foot by 50 foot, the walls clad with the same grey metal as the main chamber, the same diffuse lighting, but rectangular in shape, with a long counter dividing the top portion of the room, and two doors on either side.

Jeff stepped into the store and the door closed silently behind him. The wound inflicted by the goblin Leetus still bled freely, scarlet drops of his blood pattering across the jewel adorned floor.

You have entered the Tournament Store

Approaching the counter, Jeff was startled by the sudden appearance of a strange, metallic, obviously artificial being, which seemed to extrude itself from underneath the counter. The gaunt, angular figure was silver-skinned, seemingly composed of the same grey material as the walls. The creature’s body was roughy tubular in shape, with a collection of pincers and grabbing claws jutting from the front of its body. A single round blue eye shone forth, dominating the center of its otherwise featureless, conical head.

It annunciated in a grating, metallic tone, “Welcome to The Tournament Store. This unit’s denomination is Boz-!X!-effes. Are you selling or buying?”

The storekeeper’s words were simultaneously presented to Jeff in a system dialog popup as well.

Tournament Store Interface: Buy or Sell?

Jeff’s curiosity was piqued by the choice. A real-life Cash Shop! He was tempted to investigate in detail, but he decided not to waste any time exploring the ‘Sell’ option at the moment. He was after all, bleeding to death.

On selecting the ‘Buy’ option, A new dialog blossomed in Jeff’s mind, something like a virtual catalog appearing in his inner vision. Similar in some ways to an Earthly online shopping site, the front page was a list of product types, divided into two main subheadings; Magical Items & Equipment.

As he drilled down through the different categories, he noticed that most of the catalog was inaccessible due to his low Grade. Despite this, he was still left bewildered by the huge variety of items on offer. Hoping for a different way to browse the list, he played around with the functionality, quickly getting an idea how to browse more efficiently. He mentally called up a search dialog and input the concepts of health, healing and medicine.

Instantly, the list shimmered and adjusted, reducing down from millions to hundreds of items and Skills fitting his search criteria.

The list was still too long to wade through, and the topmost item, a [Supreme Elixir of Health], was way outside of his price range at a whopping fifty thousand Coins. Jeff adjusted the display to rank the items from lowest price first.

Congratulations! Your High Pain Threshold Skill has now reached Level 2

Now he was presented with a few potential choices. The first one, a Herbalism Kit at only five coins he deemed unsuitable, as he hadn’t seen a single plant, let alone a herb since leaving Earth.

Moving on, Jeff inspected the next item on the list, a Potion of Healing for fifty coins.

ITEM: [Potion of Healing - Value Range]

ITEM TYPE: Potion

ITEM CLASS: Common, Grade J +50 HP

REQUIREMENTS: Mouth

EXPANDABLE: (Not Expandable)

DESCRIPTION: A single use magical potion, transferrable. Grants the user 50 HP.

“For eons, our Potions of Healing have provided succor to wounded tourney Contestants. The most cost effective off the shelf solution to regain HP bar none, VogelCorp’s patented blend of healing magical herbs and distillates of mana infused…”

Still suffering from his shoulder wound, despite his [High Pain Threshold] Skill leveling, Jeff couldn’t wait any longer, and skipped through the rest of the marketing copy. Mentally he selected the potion. Instantly the coins were deducted from his balance and, sure enough, a Potion of Healing appeared on the countertop in front of him.

You have purchased a Potion of Healing - Value Range. Cost Fifty coins

Well done Jeff. You have made your first purchase from the Tournament Store.

You can either use the potion now or save it to your ring inventory.

Jeff, picked it up, examining it suspiciously. He held in his hand a small glass vial containing a bright red liquid, fizzing and effervescing constantly.

Jeff removed the stopper, which appeared to be made of some substance resembling rubber, and raised the vial to his lips.

Throwing caution to the wind, Jeff poured the fizzing liquid down his throat and into his stomach. Immediately, a wave of warmth and wellbeing spread out from his abdomen to every corner of his body, erasing all of his aches and pains. Jeff stared down at his shoulder, gaping in wonderment as the bright arterial blood ceased to flow out of the wound, and the ragged gash caused by the goblin’s fangs began sealing up, healing visibly before his eyes.

“Whoo-hoo! that’s got some kick to it!” He exclaimed to the featureless storekeeper in front of him, who gazed back at him impassively with its gigantic eye.

A system notification appeared in the center of his vision.

You have consumed a Potion of Healing - Value Range. +50HP

Calmer now that his wounds had been healed, Jeff took a moment to truly survey his surroundings. Behind the immobile store keeper robot, dynamic holographic panels floated, displaying a wide array of items such as weapons, armor and potions, each with their description, price, and use. Much like an Earthly marketplace, certain products were highlighted, indicating they were on special offer or recommended.

His vision no longer clouded with pain, Jeff examined the two doors set in the walls on either side. Luminescent signs labelled ‘Forge’ and ‘Library’ glowed brightly. Swiveling around, he noticed another door next to the exit, directly behind him, labelled ‘Auction’. The sign was dimmed, indicating it wasn’t currently accessible.

Jeff stepped away from the storekeeper, Boz—who remained standing rigidly motionless behind his counter—and cautiously approached the entrance to the library. The grey metal door soundlessly slid open on his approach. Stepping through, he was greeted with a much more inviting sight.

The room was reminiscent of a grandiose study, like those found in old English manor houses. High ceilings crowned with ornate plaster moldings gave way to richly varnished wooden panels. Golden light from an oversized fireplace danced across the walls, highlighting intricate artwork in gilded frames alongside sculpted busts perched on elaborate sconces. Deviating from the Earthly, stately-home theme, Jeff noted that the paintings and sculptures, while Earthly in style, all depicted alien Vogels, adding a surreal note to the decor.

Around twenty yards further into the room, the art work lining the walls was replaced by book shelves from floor to ceiling. A breathtaking vista of shelves continued into the distance, each laden with hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of leather-bound tomes. The room stretched on to an almost imperceptible horizon, reminding Jeff of that vast warehouse at the end of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.

Goggling at the bizarre sight, Jeff at first failed to notice a small alcove tucked away to the side, complete with a polished mahogany desk and a high-backed reading chair.

Adjacent to this, two sumptuous leather armchairs faced the roaring fireplace. However, it wasn't the setting, but the figure rising out of one of the armchairs that snapped Jeff’s attention away from the infinite rows of bookshelves.

The stunningly attractive young woman before him had the facial beauty of a model or a movie starlet. She wore a form fitting, futuristic looking outfit made from a blue material with a satin-like sheen which accentuated her ample curves. Though mostly human in appearance, her bright orange hair styled in a pixie cut, pointed elfin ears and long tail betrayed her alien origins.

In fact, her over defined bust—huge breasts practically popping out of the front of her partially zipped up top—coupled with her elven appearance, reminded Jeff of some erotic, hentai-esque character from a Japanese adult comic. A mischievous twinkle flashed in her luminous green eyes as she rose to greet him.