Mike woke up spread on the floor in the chamber, completely disoriented. "What happened?" he croaked.
"We do apologize, Mike. It seems like your fragile human constitution was not ready to the changes your body had to endure, going from level 0 to 100 in an instant. But fear not, we have been able to restore everything."
"Changes? What changes? What did you restore?"
"Take a look for yourself."
Suddenly, another screen appeared in front of him, as if it was a mirror that showed his reflection. He could hardly recognize himself. He looked like someone had photoshopped his head onto a fitness model's body. His formerly soft midsection had transformed into a washboard of defined muscle. Shoulders that once slouched over a keyboard now stretched broad and powerful. His arms showed definition he'd only seen on gym Instagram accounts. Biceps, triceps, and muscles he didn't even know the names of, all perfectly sculpted. His chest had expanded, his posture straightened, and even his jawline seemed more chiseled. The grey pajamas, which had hung loose before, now stretched tight across his new frame. He looked like he'd spent the last decade training for the Olympics decathlon rather than the last decade sitting in meetings and eating takeout. Mike pulled the waist of his pants. He took a good look down there. "Well, hello there friend, nice to meet you."
"Who are you talking to?"
"No oneâ Mike said hurriedly,â don't worry about it. What's next?"
"You can divide your points among your stats, choose abilities or skills. What would you like to start with?"
Mike considered this carefully. Stats would be fundamental, but how the hell should he know what stats would benefit him? What is this class all about even? Maybe he should start with skills and abilities.
"Abilities, I guess?"
"Very well, you can choose 10 abilities from this list:"
A glowing interface materialized before him, displaying fifteen abilities in neat rows. Mike discovered he could focus on each one mentally, like moving a cursor with his mind.
1. Pattern Analysis (Active - 10 mana per second per target level) Spend X seconds studying a target to reveal its patterns. Shows weak points, ability cooldowns, and behavioral tendencies. Can be used on objects, enemies, or allies. Analysis speed increased by Perception, detail level increased by Reason.
2. Recursive Strike (Active - 20 Mana per second per target level) Channel for X seconds to unleash a series of strikes that exploit known weaknesses. Each successful hit increases damage of the next by 15%. Maximum 5 strikes. Strike accuracy scales with Precision, damage scales with Might.
3. Thread Manipulation (Active - 15 Mana per radius per second per number of threads) Create and control invisible threads within an X-foot radius. Can trip enemies, create temporary barriers, or form basic shapes. Threads last Y seconds. Maximum Z threads at once. Thread strength scales with Will, control precision with Precision.
4. Mirror Weave (Active - 35 Mana per level) After observing an ability or technique 5 times, create a temporary copy that can be used once within the next minute. Copy operates at up to 50% effectiveness. Cannot copy ultimate abilities. Copy accuracy scales with Reason + Perception.
5. Material Synthesis (Active - 15 Mana) Analyze and combine up to three materials by manipulating their molecular patterns. Success rate depends on material compatibility and user's understanding. Can create basic equipment and consumables. Quality scales with Reason, speed scales with Precision.
6. Biorhythm Restoration (Active - 30 Mana per target level, divided by time in seconds) Channel healing energy that realigns target's biological patterns. Heals 5 + (2x Reason) health over X seconds. More effective on targets you've previously analyzed. Healing efficiency increased by Will.
7. Pattern Shield (Active - 25 Mana per target level) Weave a defensive pattern barrier that absorbs 10 + (2x Will) damage. Shield visible as geometric light patterns. Lasts 20 seconds or until depleted. 30 second cooldown.
8. Disruption Pattern (Active - 25 Mana per radius per second) Create an X-foot radius field that scrambles hostile patterns for Y seconds. Enemies have 10% miss chance and 10% ability failure rate while in the field. Disruption intensity scales with Will + Reason.
9. Reality Stitch (Active - 40 Mana) Temporarily mend tears in space within 30 feet. Can close portals, repair dimensional rifts, or seal spatial attacks. Can also create small tears for 5 seconds that deal damage. Stitching speed scales with Reason, tear damage scales with Will.
10. Space-Folding Patterns (Active - 40 Mana per cubic foot) Create a temporary dimensional pocket (X³ feet) that lasts for 1 hour. Can store items or hide allies. Limited to 3 simultaneous pockets. Stability scales with Focus, size limit scales with Will.
11. Pattern Bomb (Active - 30 Mana) Inscribe an explosive pattern on a surface that detonates when triggered by proximity or timer. Deals damage based on Reason + Might. Can set up to 5 bombs. 10-foot blast radius. Damage scales with Reason + Might.
12. Synchronization Field (Active - 45 Mana per ally per radius per second) Create an X-foot aura that harmonizes allied patterns for Y seconds. Allies gain up to 15% increased speed, and up to 10% cooldown reduction. Affects up to 5 allies. Effect strength scales with Will + Perception.
13. Temporal Patterns (Active - 50 Mana + 5 mana per second delay) Place a pattern effect that triggers after a 5-60 second delay. Can store any other Pattern Weaver ability you know. Visible to allies, invisible to enemies unless they have high Perception. Storage fidelity scales with Reason + Focus.
14. Unweaving (Active - 35 Mana) Target a magical effect, construct, or summoned entity and begin unraveling its pattern. Channel for up to 5 seconds. Each second weakens target by 20%. Works on buffs, debuffs, and magical barriers. Unweaving speed scales with Reason, resistance penetration scales with Will.
15. Adaptive Patterns (Active - 30 Mana) Inscribe defensive patterns on armor that automatically adjust to incoming damage types. Provides 20% resistance to the last damage type received for 30 seconds. Stacks up to 3 different types. Adaptation speed scales with Perception, resistance strength scales with Vitality.
Mike was a bit overwhelmed at first. So many options, some seem more familiar while others really strange. Pattern Analysis seemed straightforward enough, like having X-ray vision for weaknesses, and it seemed to synergize with Recursive Strike. Recursive Strike sounded like it could turn him into a combo fighter, each hit setting up the next. Thread Manipulation... was that literal threads? Or metaphorical? The description made it sound like invisible tripwires, which could be either incredibly useful or completely useless depending on the situation. Mirror Weave made him pause. Copying other abilities? Seemed like high risk, high reward- useless if he never saw good abilities, overpowered if he did. Though he did need to see it 5 times. That may improve with leveling the abilities if that was even a thing. Material Synthesis screamed "crafting ability," which in most games meant either you became the team's sugar daddy or you wasted skill slots on something NPCs could do better. The healing ability, Biorhythm Restoration, caught his eye. Every party needed a healer, but did he want to be the healer? Pattern Shield and Disruption Pattern were defensive options, boring but probably necessary. Reality Stitch sounded insane. Closing portals? Making tears in space? What kind of competition was expecting dimensional rifts? Space-Folding Patterns was basically a bag of holding with extra steps. Useful for inventory management, maybe for hiding, but taking up a precious ability slot? And it was temporary, so he would have to recast it once an hour? No thanks. Pattern Bomb turned him into a trap specialist, Synchronization Field looked like a proper support ability, and Temporal Patterns... time-delayed abilities? The possibilities were endless but the complexity was daunting. Unweaving seemed like a dispel, always useful in any game. And Adaptive Patterns was basically reactive armor. The more he read, the more he realized this wasn't purely a damage-dealing class at all. The abilities seemed to suggest a generalist class.
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"What happens with the ones I don't choose? Would they be available later?"
"I cannot provide you with that information."
Hmm, Mike thought. In that case I can't rely on being able to get some later. Let's assume the ones I don't choose become unavailable. That's the best approach here, I think.
"Okay, think strategically," Mike muttered to himself. "First, let's categorize these."
He mentally sorted the abilities:
* Direct combat: Recursive Strike, Pattern Bomb
* Defense: Pattern Shield, Disruption Pattern, Adaptive Patterns
* Utility: Thread Manipulation, Space-Folding, Reality Stitch, Temporal Patterns
* Support: Biorhythm Restoration, Synchronization Field
* Information: Pattern Analysis
* Crafting: Material Synthesis
* Specialized: Unweaving, Mirror Weave
"I need Pattern Analysis," he decided immediately. "Information is power, and if I can see weaknesses, that's essential. No point having combat abilities if I don't know where to aim them."
Combat capability came next. "Recursive Strike synergizes with Pattern Analysis. See the weakness, exploit it repeatedly. And Pattern Bomb gives me area control and trap options."
Next priority: survival. "Pattern Shield is a must. Can't help humanity if I'm dead. Adaptive Patterns tooâmultiple damage types means I need flexible defense. And I will probably want self healing ability, I have no way of knowing how other types of healing may work, if there are any"
So, we have six so far, more than halfway through and there are so many things I still need. Letâs see...
"Mirror Weave is too good to pass up. It's literally the ability to have more abilities. Even at 50% effectiveness, copying a powerful skill could be game-changing."
Seven down, three to go.
He considered the support options. "I have to take Biorhythm Restoration for myself and it would also be very good in a team. But first and foremost I need self-sufficiency. Can't always count on having a healer nearby. How about team synergies? Those can make you really valuable in any team, like Synchronization Field which looks very much like a group buff. And even though Disruption Pattern seems interesting and unique, it can also be considered a support ability, in a group vs group scenario. Some of these abilities are hard to categorize as just one type of ability"
Mike paused, a realization hitting him like a truck. "Wait. I'm level 100. The others are starting at level 1."
The implications were staggering. How long would it take them to catch up? Weeks? Months? If he waited around for other humans to reach a level where they could meaningfully contribute, he'd be wasting his massive advantage. The smart play wasn't to be a support character waiting for a team, it was to leverage his level advantage and push as far ahead as possible while he could.
"Synchronization Field is useless if I'm solo," he decided. "Scrap that. I need abilities that make me self-sufficient and versatile."
Thread Manipulation offered battlefield control and creative combat optionsâperfect for solo play. Reality Stitch could handle dimensional threats and create offensive tears. And it sounded pretty theme specific. If there were no such things as portals and such, it would be close to useless, but if there were, it could be amazing. But what about the last slot?
He tried to look at the remaining options with fresh eyes. Temporal Patterns- the ability to set delayed effects. That was massive for solo play. He could set traps, create delayed heals for himself, or even store offensive abilities to trigger during combat while he focused on dodging. It turned him into a one-man ambush party.
"Forget team synergy," Mike said firmly. "My advantage is being level 100 while everyone else is starting from scratch. I need to be a self-contained unit. Material Synthesis could be huge. Creating my own equipment and consumables without relying on drops or other players. But then again, I imagine there would have to be other ways of getting gear. If itâs just for one person, that might be an overkill"
Space-Folding was tempting for inventory management, but Material Synthesis offered actual power progression. Unweaving was specialized but could be crucial against magical enemies or barriers.
"Final choices," Mike announced. "Pattern Analysis, Recursive Strike, Thread Manipulation, Mirror Weave, Pattern Shield, Biorhythm Restoration, Reality Stitch, Pattern Bomb, Adaptive Patterns, and..."
He hesitated between Temporal Patterns and Unweaving. Both offered unique advantages for solo play. Temporal Patterns meant tactical superiority. Unweaving meant he could handle magical threats alone.
"Temporal Patterns," he decided. "I can work around not having dispels, but being able to set up delayed abilities gives me action economy advantage. I can essentially take multiple actions per at once and set up reactive mechanisms that donât need my attention. I think"
He'd built himself as a solo well rounded character - able to analyze, adapt, defend, heal himself, and control the battlefield through traps, threads, and temporal tricks. When the other humans eventually caught up, he could always adjust his strategy. But for now, he was going to ride this level 100 advantage as hard as he could.
âIâm ready to make my choicesâ, Mike said.
âVery wellâ
He went back to the screen and mentally marked the ones he chose.
âThere they are, can you see my choices?â
âIndeed. You have chosen:
Pattern Analysis, Recursive Strike, Thread Manipulation, Mirror Weave, Pattern Shield, Biorhythm Restoration, Reality Stitch, Pattern Bomb, Adaptive Patterns, Temporal Patterns. Would you like to confirm your choicesâ
He took a minute to make sure he got that right. âYes, I confirmâ
âVery well, Your abilities will be assigned in 5, 4, 3...â
"Sorry, humanity," Mike muttered. "But the best way I can help you is by getting so far ahead that I can carry this whole thing myself if needed."