章 2: X Means Divine
Cedric had always been fond of fantasy. That's why, when he told his parents that he wouldn't become a business major and take over their business empire, but become a writer instead, they kicked him out without a second thought. He remembered his father calling him a deadbeat loser who inherited nothing but his grandfather's fantasies.
The old man himself had been a business tycoon back in the day. However, after he retired, he seemed to be absorbed into the world of fantasy and books, which he made sure to pass down to Cedric. Records of Elaris was the only book that his grandfather left him when he died.
"It seems that the novel itself has paved the way for my transmigration to this world," said Cedric with a smile that made his lips bleed a little. "Does that mean I'm the extra that the system is referring to? A character on the sidelines that does barely anything to the story?"
His words bounced off the walls of his cell, which was barely enough for him to lie down. As he rose to study his surroundings, he realized that he was indeed inside a dark prison without even a window to let air circulate. It was inhuman.
"Nothing to be found here, too," said Cedric as he peeked through the hallways of the prison. "Let's get back to the system itself. Open Status Menu!"
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[Status Menu]
[Name: Cedric Everhart.]
[Age: 18]
[Level: 13]
[Health: 30/160]
[Mana: 30/31]
[Reputation: -402]
[Class: Summoner]
[Affinity: None]
[Physique: None]
[Titles: Vain Prince, Deadbeat Son]
[Physical Stats]
[Class Stats]
[Skills]
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Cedric studied the menu for a while to make some correlation with his own knowledge. If he remembered correctly, classes were common in this world. Most humans would receive their classes at the age of fifteen. Levels were things that only the church could see, and investing points could be done through them.
"A summoner? In Elaris?" muttered Cedric with dread. He knew better than anyone that summoners were considered vile in this world. There was even something called a summoner hunt to kill them. "I can handle that later."
Affinities and physiques were not common knowledge. Cedric knew that they existed because he read the novel, but most people did not—only a handful. Affinities were common among mages, while physiques were common among warriors. A fire mage would have an affinity to fire, and a tank warrior would have a durable physique.
As for reputation, there was no such thing inside the novel. The system must have implanted this feature for Cedric to gauge his likeability among the people, which was pretty bad. As he read the titles and reviewed the memories of the prince, he realized they were not without cause.
Although not a bad person, the Ninth Prince was not good either. He used a lot of underhanded means to win items and trophies, while also bullying a few here and there. His most glaring flaw was his vanity, as he spent the kingdom's resources on women and alcohol enough to make his father break his arms.
The things mentioned above would have been fine if Cedric had some merits, like his strength or wits. But in truth, he had neither. He awakened the weakest class and was stuck at the E-rank for his entire life. Compared to his brothers and sisters, Cedric was nothing but a vase, if they spent money and spouted profanities.
No one understood the world of Elaris better than the person who read its records countless times. This was a cruel world, where noble families bullied the commoners and did everything in their power to obtain resources.
The two titles made Cedric fall to the ground as he lost his strength. Even in this world, his poor reputation of being a deadbeat was following him. However, he vowed to change that now that he got a new chance to live.
"Open… Physical Stats…"
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[Physical Stats]
[Vitality: 16]
[Strength: 18]
[Agility: 20]
[Endurance: 21]
[Dexterity: 18]
[Willpower: 11]
[Intelligence: 31]
[Charisma: 13]
[Tutorial note: every level offers an increase in stats by one and an extra free allocation point according to the user's wishes.]
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After reading through the stats, Cedric was initially relieved. After reading the last note, he realized that these stats were dogshit compared to the level. The prince was level 13, and that meant that most of his stats came from level-ups. That means that the initial stats were pitifully low!
"Wait… Charisma is thirteen… does that mean he had no charisma before awakening?! How much of an ugly baby was he? No, I?!" Cedric was defeated, never to recover. As he collapsed on the ground while touching his face, a fire ignited in his heart: to make Charisma his highest stat!
…
Of course, that was a joke. A pretty face would not save him from bandits or magical beasts in this world. Heck, it wouldn't even let the judge spare him in the upcoming trial. He needed a way to show them the truth of what happened, but how?
"I have some time to think about this. Judging from the eerie quietness, it's still night in this place," said Cedric as he rose again. "If I can somehow communicate with the king of Aeloria before my trial, that would be best… Anyway, let's find out more about the system. Class Stats!"
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[Class Stats]
[Attraction: 8]
[Duration: 2]
[Projection: 2]
[Link: 2]
[Harmony: 3]
[Tutorial note: each level up gives one allocation point for the class stats.]
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Cedric stood speechless. Is it normal for the class stats to be this pathetic? Most of them are twos, and as he remembered from the novel, the starting stats for any class were 1s. That means that the prince has used most of his points on Attraction, which would allow him to summon stronger monsters. But this backfired as his Link was low, making the monsters run rampant.
"What… a stupid prince," muttered Cedric, but he could not really say he didn't understand. As a summoner, his class was the weakest among his siblings and peers. This made him wish to prove them wrong and invest his stats into attracting stronger monsters. It was sad but idiotic. In the end, Cedric couldn't even kill monsters on his own and had to hire a group to make him earn levels. This put a bigger dent in the treasury.
"Please don't disappoint me with the skills, man," Cedric prayed as he opened the system, only to collapse on the ground. The list was so short that he wanted to die this instant.
[Lesser Summon (E)]
This was the sole skill in his arsenal. A rank E-skill that made Cedric want to vomit blood, as it wouldn't help him. However, he tried to become more positive. If he could summon a monster here, he might be able to free himself.
"Lesser Summon," muttered Cedric on the ground as he felt a formless energy leak out from his body, trying to gather. However, the handcuffs glowed green as his mana disappeared and his skill failed. His last hope was crushed as he lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
"Oh, mother and father, how I was wrong," said Cedric. "I hate this novel now. You were right. Please summon your son back home to his comfy bed and luxurious house."
[Extra Skills are available to be claimed.]
[Claim?]
Cedric was startled when a screen appeared in front of him, wondering if he was indeed being summoned home. However, once he read the contents, his eyes bulged as he nodded strong enough to bump his head into the ground.
[You have claimed three skills as an Extra.]
[Forgotten (X): lets the user use his worthlessness to make others forget about him for a period of time. Can be activated once a day. Cannot be stacked on the same target.]
[Observe (X): lets you as a reader be aware of the surroundings, the feelings, and intentions of those at your level, granting you an omniscient point of view of a reader. Usage depends on mana.]
[Mimic (X): allows the user to mimic one skill from encountered characters. Cannot be stacked on the same target. Duration depends on mana and the level of the copied skill.]
Cedric had to jump from the ground, even though the handcuffs behind his back making it hard. His eyes widened as he read the skills, which had been labeled X. If he didn't suspect that letter to mean (Extra), then he would have guessed it meant divine.
These skills were too overpowered!
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