Inside the store, the tension was thick, but Viktor seemed completely unfazed.
We all gathered in Viktor's office area, which was nothing like you'd expect from a typical store owner. The space was filled with cluttered shelves of anime merch, swords, and replica axes, alongside some hidden compartments. Viktor had no shame about it—he loved what he did, even during the apocalypse. He was a gamer, a former soldier, and a man who'd always found joy in life despite its curveballs.
With a loud laugh and a flourish, Viktor spun around in his chair and gestured to a cluttered desk, filled with maps, notebooks, and a flickering screen showing the System interface. "Well, Medusa," he started, calling me by my old moniker, "I've been tinkering with this since it started, and I think I've got a pretty solid grasp on it."
I stood there, arms crossed, watching Viktor with a mix of skepticism and curiosity. "Alright, big guy, spill it. How do you think this works?"
He leaned back in his chair, making a show of stroking his beard before tapping his fingers on the table as he spoke. "It's like a game. An RPG, da? You know, like those RPGMMO games I play all the time—level-ups, quests, loot... but now it's real. Speaking of which I need to finish Final Fantasy XXX. Anyway, I started experimenting with the system after the system's announcement kicked in, and it didn't take long to figure out that this was no hallucination. First things first, how to open your status window? You can either say status window verbally or mentally. Everyone, try it out!" Viktor said with excitement. We all looked at each other and back at him, confused by his excitement.
"Status Window," I mentally commanded with a sigh and a blue-white screen appeared before me.
Status | Inventory | Skills | Quests | Party (Locked) | Factions (Locked)
Status:
Name: Jasmine West
Level: 2 (75/200)
Alignment: Neutral
Class: None
Title(s): Medusa
Health: 150/150
Stamina: 150/150
Mana: 0/0
MP Regen: N/A
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 18
Luck: 6
Charisma: 7
Willpower: 10
Instinct: 8
Free Attribute Points: 5
Skill Points: 1
Equipment: Fire Axe
Title: N/A
Skills:
Active Skills
Tracking: Apprentice (Level 5)
Marksmanship: Apprentice (Level 5)
Combat Mastery: Journeyman (Level 10)
Critical Strike: Novice (Level 2)
Deadly Precision: Novice (Level 2)
Stealth: Expert (Level 15)
Appraisal: Novice (Level 2)
Passive Skills
Assassin's Reflexes: Journeyman (Level 10)
Survivalist: Apprentice (Level 5)
Danger Sense: Apprentice (Level 5
)Vigilant: Novice (Level 2)
Dual Wielding: Novice (Level 2)
Hand-to-Hand Mastery: Apprentice (Level 5)
Hunter's Focus: Novice (Level 2)
Silent Assassin: Novice (Level 2)
Poison Resistance: Journeyman (Level 10)
Reputation:
Medusa: Former assassin known for her brutal, efficient kills. Her reputation precedes her, making both allies and enemies wary.
Current Faction: Independent
Achievements
First Blood: First to kill a monster in the Goblin's Maw.
Quest: N/A
Inventory
Weapons:Fire Axe (Common)
The status window was very simple and easy to understand which I was thankful for. Everything is laid out like a clean, military HUD which I was familiar with using. I could kind of figure out what my attributes like strength and dexterity but I wish I was able to see what the system defines them. As soon as I had that thought, the screen changed.
*Health (HP): Health is a measure of a character's vitality and the amount of physical damage they can take before becoming incapacitated or dying. It is influenced by Constitution but can be modified by equipment, abilities, or external factors.
Influences:
Overall durabilityHealing speed10 X CON = HP
Stamina (STA): Stamina reflects a character's energy reserves for physical actions like running, fighting, or enduring harsh environments. It depletes with physical activity and replenishes with rest or specific items.
Influences:
Movement speedDuration of sustained physical activity (e.g., combat, running)Stamina regeneration rate10 X CON = STA
Strength (STR): Strength determines a character's raw physical power. It affects their ability to deal damage with melee weapons, carry heavy items, and perform physical feats such as breaking down doors, lifting heavy objects, or overpowering enemies in hand-to-hand combat.
Influences:
Melee attack damageCarry weightPhysical skill proficiency (e.g., climbing, lifting)Resistance to physical debuffs
Dexterity (DEX): Dexterity reflects a character's agility, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination. It influences accuracy with ranged weapons, dodging attacks, and the ability to perform tasks that require finesse, such as picking locks or disarming traps.
Influences:
Melee attack speedStealth and critical hit chancesEvasion and dodgingAgility-based skill proficiency (e.g., lockpicking, acrobatics)
Constitution (CON): Constitution represents a character's endurance, stamina, and resistance to injuries or environmental hazards. It determines how much damage a character can take before falling unconscious or dying and how much stamina they have for prolonged physical activity.
Influences:
Health points (HP)Resistance to poisons, diseases, and environmental hazardsStamina recovery rate
Resistance to physical debuffs (e.g., exhaustion)
Intelligence (INT): Intelligence is the mental attribute that affects a character's capacity for learning, problem-solving, and understanding the world around them. It governs how well a character can understand complex concepts, learn new skills, and use mana.
Influences:
Mana points (MP)Ability to learn new skillsCrafting and alchemy proficiencyKnowledge-based skill proficiency (e.g., tactics, medicine)
Hidden Attributes
Perception (PER): Perception is a hidden attribute that determines a character's awareness of their surroundings. It enhances the ability to detect hidden objects, track targets, or identify subtle environmental changes, such as traps or hidden enemies.
Influences:
Detection of hidden objects or trapsTracking abilitySpotting weak points on enemies or environmental hazardsAbility to sense danger
Luck (LCK): Luck governs a character's fortune, influencing events and outcomes beyond their control. It can affect loot drops, critical hits, and the outcome of random events.
Influences:
Loot drop rates and item qualityChance of critical hits in combatRandom encounters or events (e.g., finding hidden items, meeting helpful NPCs)Avoiding danger or negative outcomes
Charisma (CHA): Charisma represents a character's ability to influence others, be it through persuasion, intimidation, or charm. It affects how others perceive them and their ability to lead or interact with System Agents.
Influences:
System Agents relationshipsNegotiation and trade successLeadership and group coordinationInfluence over factions or communitiesReputation and fame effects
Instinct (INST): Instinct refers to a character's innate ability to react quickly to danger or situations without needing to consciously think about it. It's about gut feelings, reflexes, and the ability to sense things that may not be immediately obvious. Instinct helps characters make snap decisions, react in combat, and sense threats before they become fully visible. It's more about the immediate reaction and gut-level responses in critical moments.
Influences:
Quick decision-making in combatReflexive dodges, attacks, and defensive actionsAbility to sense threats or ambushes before they fully reveal themselvesImmediate gut feelings about a person or situationFast, split-second reactions in high-pressure moments
Willpower (WIL): Willpower represents a character's mental fortitude, determination, and strength to resist temptation, fear, or despair. It plays a key role in resisting psychological stress, remaining focused under pressure, and pushing through obstacles, both physical and mental. A high Willpower stat means a character can endure hardships, push through pain, and maintain control over their emotions and thoughts in difficult situations.
Influences:
Resistance to fear and panicAbility to maintain focus under stressEndurance in long or painful battlesMental resilience against mind-affecting conditions (e.g., fear, confusion)Ability to fight through adversity and fatigue*
Well, that's helpful, most of the descriptions are exactly what I thought but what is mana? I focused on the word mana and the screen changed again.
*Mana(MP): Mana is a measure of a character's magical energy, vital for performing spells, abilities, or any supernatural feats that draw on the world's mana source. Unlike other stats like Strength or Dexterity, Mana is not tied to physical strength but to a character's connection to the new magical system that emerged post-apocalypse. Mana represents a character's inner wellspring of power, and its usage is often a delicate balance between strategic management and raw power. It replenishes slowly over time or can be restored via specific items or abilities, depending on the character's Wisdom and class.*
I don't see Wisdom and I don't have a class. I feel like this is important. I wait for my screen to change but it doesn't. Disappointed, I turned to Viktor.
"What is Wisdom?" I asked attracting everyone's attention.
"I can only assume it's a hidden stat. I asked the others what their stats were and some people have more attributes than others. I believe the basic stats are strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, health, and stamina. I have the perception, luck, and willpower stat. I don't know if there are any others though." Viktor said shrugging.
Compared to him, I have perception, luck, willpower, instinct, and charisma. I don't know how the system decides who has certain stats. Maybe, life experiences?
"Sol, what does your status window say?" I said looking towards him. He was about to say something but paused, I see him focusing on something. I am just realizing that I can't see his status window or anyone else, at least this means that you have your own privacy.
"What is it?" I asked him to get his attention.
"It's asking if I wanted to show my status window to you." He said and then another screen appeared next to mine.
Status | Inventory | Skills | Quests | Party (Locked) | Factions (Locked)
Status:
Name: Sol West
Level: 1 (50/100)
Alignment: Neutral
Class: None
Title(s): N/A
Health: 100/100
Stamina: 100/100
Mana: 0/0
MP Regen: N/A
Strength: 7
Dexterity: 8
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 6
Perception: 10
Luck: 4
Willpower: 5
Instinct: 5
Free Attribute Points: 0
Skill Points: 0
Title:
N/A
Skills:
Active Skills
Combat Proficiency: Novice (Level 3)
Tracking: Novice (Level 1)
Stealth: Novice (Level 3)
Appraisal: Novice (Level 1)
Herbalism: Novice (Level 1)
Passive Skills
• Survivalist: Novice (Level 1)
• Hand-to-Hand Mastery: Novice (Level 3)
• Hunter's Focus: Novice (Level 1)
Reputation:
• Current Faction: Independent
Quest:
N/A
Inventory:
• Weapons:
Goblin's Knife (Common)
Sol has all of my hidden stats except Charisma which I understand why since he doesn't talk to people much.
"I think we should see who has what hidden stat to understand the difference between everyone,"Giselle said and there was an awkward silence that spread across the room.
"That's a great idea, random woman," Viktor said with a huge smile on his face.
"The name is Giselle," Giselle said crossing her arms.
"Sorry, but I don't remember the names of irrelevant people, especially in these trying times. You could die in a couple of hours then your name wouldn't matter. Da?" Viktor said.
"Viktor," I said giving him a sharp look and he just shrugged his shoulders. I could tell that Nicole's group was offended but we all must work together to survive.
"I have perception, luck, charisma, willpower, and instinct. Sol has everything, but charisma." I said, trying to move the conversation along.
"I have instinct, charisma, willpower, perception, morale, and luck," Nicole said.
"Does anyone else have a hidden stat that was not already mentioned?" Viktor asked looking around.
No one had anything else to add so we started sharing the description for the hidden stats we didn't have.
*Morale (MOR): Morale represents a character's overall mental and emotional state, as well as their sense of optimism or hopelessness. It's especially important for team dynamics—when morale is high, a group is more likely to stay positive, work together, and push through adversity. High morale can be contagious and help a group keep their spirits up during tough times.
Influences:
Group cohesion and teamworkCharacter's ability to inspire or boost others' spiritsEffectiveness in stressful or overwhelming situationsResistance to giving up or abandoning a missionImpact of environmental conditions or group setbacks on performance*
I don't have the morale stat probably because I never had to work in a group and even when I did, I honestly didn't really care about their morale. Now what is class and how to get it? My screen changed and Sol's status window went away.
*Classes represent a character's primary role, specialty, and potential within the new world. As you progress, your Class defines your abilities, skills, and growth path. Once unlocked, Classes grant unique benefits and unlock abilities that help you survive, fight, and interact in this transformed world. To unlock a Class, you must first fulfill specific requirements tied to your experience, actions, and achievements. Classes are unlocked when you've demonstrated a clear role or specialization in the world. The System evaluates your progress based on your choices, skills, and the way you adapt to challenges. For the initial class, the character must reach level 10.*
The system is forcing us to fight to level up. You can probably level up by doing something other than killing since the system uses your experiences, but it's probably slower. I wonder if killing humans gives you exp or just monsters. The system didn't give me a response. This will make it more dangerous for all of us because everyone is practically an enemy.