《Mundane Background》


 Skipping the boring stuff

    June 21st, 1995


    ''God this feels weird.'' and ''Where the fuck am I?'' were the first thoughts I had, followed up by ''God this feels weird''... again.


    Thinking was hard at the start. I didn''t realize where I was and what was happening for a large span of time. The diapers, constantly being on my back, and boobs to the face clued me in after a while, but it took much longer to realise that I''d been reincarnated than it should have.


    Eh, chalk it up to the baby brain.


    Anyways, time was a strange thing to keep track of as a newborn. While I was aware of what was happening, it was more like I was in a complete haze, moving through the motions. The glaze my mind was in didn''t help, and the repetive nature of my new life just made reality kind of flash by me.


    The first noticeably strange thing to happen in... well, ever, happened as I woke up one night (day? so hard to keep track of everything...).


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve filled the EXP bar. +1 CP.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Okay, so, some clarification. Baby eyes are utter crap. Have you ever borrowed someone''s glasses and think ''whoa, I can''t see a thing through these!''? Yeah, it was like that, but cranked to 11. I couldn''t make out words, and other than shapes, outlines and colours, nothing really registered to my vision. The same could be said about my other senses.


    So, when the pop-up appeared in my vision, crisp and clear and pixeled in that 90''s style RPG font, I yelped (cutely, probably, stupid baby vocal cords), flailed at the strange thing in my face, and pissed myself.


    A diaper change fixed one of my problems. The notice didn''t go away until a very slow and precise hand came up and poked the close button, which took a lot longer than I''d like.


    The pop-up wasn''t a hallucination, or at least I didn''t think so. The ramifications weren''t something I could really parse, but the thought was in the back of my mind at the time whenever I tried to think or do anything.


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''vefilled the EXP bar. +1 CP.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''vefilled the EXP bar. +1 CP.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    By the third pop-up, I''d been coherent enough to realize that, while I was growing taller and heavier, my physical prowress wasn''t changing much, the application of it thought, that was slowly increasing. I could lift fourty pounds without a problem, other than a precarious grip, the small toys I had went flying across the room with accuracy that a normal infant couldn''t have a grasp on. While I couldn''t stand up, I crawled stupidly fast, something along the lines of a meter a second.


    It wasan obvious oddity to my parents. More than once, I''d been taken to a clinic or hospital to understand my strength, but all signs pointed to me being a normal human.


    Around this time, I''d tried to use my vocal cords more often, mostly humming to myself and sounding out words I picked up from my parents. It got me a different pop-up, a few weeks after what i found out was my sixth month on this planet.


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve gained through osmosis the Language (Japanese) trait. Spoken has reached Broken.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It was a huge jump in my vocabulary, especially since I could understand my parents'' language now. I had a few hundred core words that I could actually pronounce, simple things like ''mine!'' or ''food!''. It freaked my parents out once again, and another round of tests were done. This time, an MRI was included.


    While the doctors explained to my worried parents that my cognitive centers were extremely developped, and yes, that it was weird and extremely unccomon, it wasn''t anything bad. In fact, other than that abnormality, I was a healthy baby. I barely understood this at the time, but with the few words I understood, I could piece this together quite well.


    What I took from this thought, was that while my ability to learn new things was variable, once I reached a certain level of ability in a skill or ability, I didn''t deteriorate in that subject anymore. This was why, even if I''d just been hearing snatches of phrases and conversation between my parents here and there, I had picked up on the words and kept them once I''d heard them.


    I hadn''t realized it, but I was missing the knowledge I had in my past life, a good grasp of written English being the only thing I''d kept. Oh, I had a grasp on the ins-and-outs of my past life, and everything up to the last time I''d fallen asleep were remembered, but how to use and apply that properly? No, I''d lost all my skills and talents, as well as some learned traits.


    It was kind of disorienting, but not something terrible, all things considered.


    <hr>


    I came to the conclusion that I''d have to re-learn english to access whatever RPG system monitored my progress. This was easier than you might think, mostly due to finding out more about my situation.


    I slowly became aware of my location over the course of my first year of life. The canadian flag flying on the flagpost outside the house was the first clue, and the visible ocean view that could be seen on a third of the horizon made it clear I was somewhere on the coasts of Canada. I wasn''t aware of where exactly I was in the chilly country, but it was in a city named Menagwes.


    There wasn''t a desktop computer or anything similar in the house, and the cubic television that I''d sometimes watch was an LCD but was ridiculously big, easily 50 inches wide. What really clinched the timeline was the VHS player and the Sega Genesis in the cabinet under the TV.


    So. Menagwes, somewhere on a coastline in Canada, during the 90''s. Cool.


    Now, why did me and my parentslook asian, and why did they speak japanese exclusively to me?


    Simple. They immigrated late in the 80''s to the foggy city, and both got jobs at a local phone company. Dad was some sort of IT service worker, and mom had a management position. They''d decided to teach me their native language first, before getting me started on local tongues.


    Learning English again was a simple but tiring afair, mostly done whenever I overheard someone talking the language and matching it up to words I thought they were. It still took me another six months before I could even say a lick of english.


    <hr>


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice(s) x4</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''vefilled the EXP bar. +1 CP.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve gained experience in the Language (Japanese) through Osmosis. Spoken has reached Accented.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve gained experience in the Language (English) through Osmosis. Spoken has reached Broken.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve gained through osmosis the Cultural Familiarity (Canadian)trait.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "Stat Window, Status Window, Status, Stats Window, Stat Screen, Stats Screen, Stat, Stats..."


    "Character Sheet."


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>CP TOTAL</td>


    <td>36</td>


    <td>Remaining CP</td>


    <td>7 </a></td>


    <td>


    EXP


    </td>


    <td>35%</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Name</td>


    <td>Jonouchi ???</td>


    <td>Age</td>


    <td>1 (June 21st)</td>


    <td>Gender</td>


    <td>Male</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Strength (STR)</td>


    <td>7 (Weakly - 11)</td>


    <td>Hit Points (HP)</td>


    <td>7/7</td>


    <td>Fatigue Points (FP)</td>


    <td>11/11</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Dexterity (DEX)</td>


    <td>6 (Crippling - 10)</td>


    <td>Speed (SPD)</td>


    <td>3.75</td>


    <td>Move (MOV)</td>


    <td>3</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Intelligence (INT)</td>


    <td>6 (Cognizant - 12)</td>


    <td>Perception (PER)</td>


    <td>6</td>


    <td>Will (WIL)</td>


    <td>6</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Health (HLT)</td>


    <td>11 (Above Average)</td>


    <td>Knockout (SUB)</td>


    <td>11</td>


    <td>Death (DTH)</td>


    <td>11</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Trait List<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table width="526">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Inflant Meta-Trait [0]: You''re a child. Gain the Child Attribute Modifier, Wealth (Dead Broke), Social Stigma (Minor) and Patron (CR 15, 150%).


    Infant [0]: You''re a child. -30% STR, -40% DEX, -50% INT.


    Wealth (Dead Broke) [-25]: You have no income of any kind.


    Social Stigma (Minor) [-5]: In the eyes of society, you are a minor. You have a -2 on reaction rolls when dealing with others as an adult.


    Patron (CR 15, 150%) [30]: You have someone who funds/takes care of/aids you. It''s your parents.


    Language (Japanese, Native) [-4]: Your native tongue is Japanese. You have a Accented grasp on spoken Japanese, and cannot understand written Japanese.


    Language (English) [3]: You have a Accented grasp on writtenEnglish, and a Broken grasp on spoken English.


    Appearance (Androgynous, Average) [0]: You''re not overly unattractive or attractive.


    Mundane Background [-10]: You cannot know or aknowledge the supernatural or exotic until the start of a major campaign dealing with such subjects. You cannot gain Supernatural or Exotic Traits, Skills or Items.


    Realistic Background [-10]: You cannot know, aknowledge or gain Cinematic Traits or Skills until the start of a major campaign dealing with such subjects.


    Attentive [-1]: You''re unusually attentive to your current tasks. You get a +1 while working on lengthy tasks, but a -3 to notice any important interruptions.


    Cultural Familiarity (Japanese, Native) [0]: You are familliar with Japanese culture.


    Cultural Familiarity (Canadian) [1]: You are familliar with Candian culture.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The character window was nearly entirely locked. The only interactive part, other than the tabbed lists, was the accumulated Character Points I had. Poking on the tab brought up on a small window.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Unspent CP</td>


    <td>7</td>


    <td style="text-align: center">ADVANTAGES</a></td>


    <td style="text-align: center">SKILLS</a></td>


    <td style="text-align: center">ATTRIBUTES</a></td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    From there, I had the option of learning any skill instantaneously, picking an advantage, or increasing one of my main attributes.


    Attributes were the easiest to understand, but also quite costly. Both Strength, my ability to apply physical force along with my hit points and lifting strength, and my Health, which tied into how much I could endure along with my Speed and Fatigue points, cost ten CP for each point. Intelligence and Dexterity both cost 20 CP for each point, Intelligence manipulated my Will and Perception, as well as the pool of mental skills I could access, Dexterity dealt with my Speed (which altered my Move and my ability to dodge), and attributed to the power of my physical skills.


    Attributes<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength [10/lv]


    </td>


    <td>Hit Point [2/lv]</td>


    <td>Lifting ST [3/lv]</td>


    <td>Striking ST [5/lv]</td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Dexterity [20/lv]


    </td>


    <td>Speed 0.25 [5/lv]</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence [20/lv]


    </td>


    <td>Will [5/lv]</td>


    <td>Perception [5/lv]</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Health [10/lv]


    </td>


    <td>Health [2/lv]</td>


    <td>Speed 0.25 [5/lv]</td>


    <td></td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Skills were a list of generalized skills, fromAccounting to Zen Archery. There was also a sub-set of Techniques as well, but those needed the necesary skills to use them. Skills fell into five pools of type (Dexterity, Health and Intelligence, Perception and Will), and then divided into difficulty. I avoided this section for now. I was an infant still, there was no point in buying any of these until I''d actually need them.


    Spoiler:Skills<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table width="524">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    DEXTERITY - EASY


    Bicycling


    Brawling


    Combat Art (@Easy Skill@)


    Combat Sport (@Easy Skill@)


    Crossbow


    Fast-Draw (Arrow/Knife/Long Arm/Pistol/Sword/Two-Handed Sword)


    Fast-Draw/TL (Ammo)


    Forced Entry


    Garrote


    Gunner/TL (Cannon/Catapult/Machine Gun/Rockets)


    Guns/TL (@Gun Class@/Grenade Launcher/Gyroc/Light Anti-Armor Weapon/LMG/Musket/Pistol/Rifle/Shotgun/Submachine Gun)


    Hobby Skill (@Physical Hobby@)


    Jumping


    KnifeThe tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Knot-Tying


    Leatherworking


    Liquid Projector/TL (@Weapon Class@/Flamethrower/Sprayer/Squirt Gun/Water Cannon)


    Parachuting/TL


    Sewing/TL


    Shield (Buckler/Shield)


    Thrown Weapon (@Speciality@/Axe-Mace/Dart/Harpoon/Knife/Shuriken/Spear/Stick)


    Typing


    DEXTERITY - AVERAGE


    Axe/Mace


    Boating/TL (@Boat Class@/Large Powerboat/Motorboat/Sailboat/Unpowered)


    Bolas


    Bow


    Boxing


    Broadsword


    Climbing


    Cloak


    Combat Art (@Average Skill@)


    Combat Sport (@Average Skills@)


    Dancing


    Diving Suit/TL


    Driving/TL (@Vehicle Class@/Automobile/Construction Equipment/Halftrack/Heavy Wheeled/Locomotive/Motorcycle/Tracker)


    Erotic Art


    Farming/TL


    Filch


    Fire Eating


    Free Fall


    Jitte/Sai


    Lance


    Lasso


    Main-Gauche


    Mount


    NBC Suit/TL


    Piloting/TL (@Flying Vehicle Class@/Glider/Heavy Airplane/Helicopter/High-Performance Airplane/Light Airplane/Lighter-than-Air/Ultralight/Vertol)


    Polearm


    Professional Skill (@Physical Skill@)


    Rapier


    Riding (@Speciality@/Camel/Dolphin/Equine)


    Saber


    Shortsword


    Smallsword


    Spear


    Spear Thrower


    Sports (@Speciality@)


    Staff


    Stage Combat


    Stealth


    Submarine/TL (Free-Flooding Sub/Large Sub/Mini-Sub)


    Sumo Wrestling


    Throwing


    Tonfa


    Two-Handed Axe/Mace


    Two-handed Sword


    Vacc Suit/TL


    Whip


    Wrestling


    DEXTERITY - HARD


    Acrobatics


    Aerobatics


    Aquabatics


    Blow Pipe


    Body Sense


    Combat Art (@Hard Skill@)


    Combat Sport (@Hard Skill@)


    Escape


    Flail


    Judo


    Karate


    Kusari


    Net


    Parry Missile-Weapons


    Pickpocket


    Sleight of Hand


    Sling


    Two-Handed Flail


    Health - Easy


    Carousing


    Singing


    Swimming


    Health - Average


    Hiking


    Lifting


    Running


    Sex Appeal


    Health - Hard


    Breath Control


    Skating


    Skiing


    Intelligence - Easy


    Airmanship/TL


    Area Knowledge


    Camouflage


    Carpentry


    Computer Operation/TL


    Cooking (@Speciality@/Baking/Bevrage Making)


    Current Affairs/TL (@Subject@/Business, Headline News, High Culture, People, Politiccs, Popular Culture, Regional, Science and Tech, Sports, Travel)


    First Aid/TL


    Games (@Speciality)


    Gardening


    Gesture


    Hobby Skill (@Mental Hobby@)


    Housekeeping


    Makeup/TL


    Masonry


    Panhandling


    Savoire-Faire (@Social Group@/Dojo/High Society/Mafia/Military/Police/Servant)


    Seamanship/TL


    Intelligence - Average


    Submariner/TL


    Acting


    Administration


    Animal Handling (@Speciality@/Big Cats/Dogs/Equines)


    Architecture/TL


    Armoury/TL (@Armor Type@/Body Armor/Heavy Weapons/Melee Weapons/Missile Weapons/Small Arms/Vehicular Armor)


    Artillery (@Weapon Type@/Bombs/Cannons/Catapult/Guided Missile/Torpedoes)


    Bartender


    Cartography/TL


    Connoisseur (@Subject@/Dance/Literature/Music/Visual Arts/Wine)


    Cooking


    Criminology/TL


    Cryptography/TL (Code Design/Cryptanalysis)


    Disguise/TL


    Electrician/TL


    Electronics Operation/TL (@Electronics Type@)


    Electronics Repair/TL (@Electronics Type@)


    Explosives/TL (@Speciality@)


    Falconry


    Fast-Talk


    Fortune-Telling (@Type@)


    Forward Observer/TL


    Freight Handling/TL


    Gambling


    Group Performance (@Art@)


    Hazardous Material (@Type@)


    Heraldry


    Hidden Lore (@Type@)


    Holdout


    Interrogation


    Leadership


    Lockpicking/TL


    Machinist/TL


    Mathematics/TL (Pure)


    Mechanic/TL (@Machine Class@)


    Merchant


    Meterology/TL (@Planet Type@)


    Navigation/TL (@Environment@)


    Packing


    Performance


    Photography/TL


    Poetry


    Politics


    Professional Skill (@Mental Skill@)


    Propaganda/TL


    Prospecting/TL


    Public Speaking


    Research/TL


    Scuba/TL


    Shadowing


    Smith/TL (@Type@)


    Smuggling


    Soldier/TL


    Speed-Reading


    Streetwise


    Teaching


    Teamster (@Speciality@)


    raps


    Weather Sense/TL


    Writing


    Intelligence - Hard


    Accounting


    Anthropology (@Species@)


    Archaeology


    Artist (@Art@)


    Astronomy/TL


    Chemistry/TL


    Computer Programming/TL


    Counterfeiting/TL


    Cryptography/TL


    Diagnosis/TL


    Diplomacy


    Economics


    Engineer/TL (@Field of Expertise@)


    Expert Skill (@Skill@)


    Finance


    Forensics/TL


    Forgery/TL


    Geography/TL (Physical, @Planet Class@)


    Geography/TL (Political)


    Grography/TL (Regional)


    Geology/TL (@Planet Class@)


    History (@Speciality@)


    Intelligence Analysis/TL


    Jewler/TL


    Law (@Speciality@)


    Linguistics


    Literature


    Market Analysis


    Mathematics/TL (Applied/Computer Science/Cryptology/Pure/Statistics/Surveying)


    Metallurgy/TL


    Mimcrcy (@Sound Type@)


    Naturalist (@Planet Type@)


    Palentology/TL (Micro-/Paleoan-/Bota-/Zoo-)


    Pharmacy/TL (Herbal/Synthetic)


    Philosphy (@Speciality@)


    Physician/TL


    Physics/TL (@Optional Speciality@)


    Physiology/TL (@Speciality@)


    Poisons/TL


    Psychology


    Shiphandling (@Ship Class@)


    Sociology


    Strategy (@Environment@)


    Tactics


    Theology (@Speciality@)


    Ventrioloquism


    Veterinary/TL


    Intelligence - Very Hard


    Biology/TL (@Speciality@)


    Herb Lore/TL


    Physics/TL


    Surgery/TL


    Will - Average


    Intimidation


    Mind Block


    Will - Hard


    Autohypnosis


    Dreaming


    Meditation


    Sway Emotions


    Perception - Easy


    Fishing


    Scrounging


    Perception - Average


    Body Language


    Lip Reading


    Observation


    Search


    Survival (@Enviroment@)


    Tracking


    Urban Survival


    Perception - Hard


    Detect Lies


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The next section, and what I thought was the most important, were Advantages. This list of abilities were things I could learn through training or by having lucky genetics.Social, Mental or Physical traits were available to me, but the Mundane Background disadvantage clearly stated I couldn''t access to more esoteric abilities available to me.


    Advantages List<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Acute Sense(s) [2/lv]: You have superior senses. Must specialize between Hearing, Taste and Smell, Vision or Touch. For each level in one sense, you get a +1 to perception rolls with that sense. Due to Realistic Background, you cannot purchase more than two (2) levels per sense.


    Alcohol Tolerance [1]: You have a higher tolerance to booze. You get +2 on HLT rolls related to drinking.


    Ambidexterity [5]: Your off-hand isn''t weaker than your dominant hand. You have no penalties to using your off-hand in combat.


    Appearance [?]: You''re more appealing and attractive to others. Variable cost depending on the strength of the effect of this trait.


    Combat Reflexes [15]: Your reaction time is amazing, and you''re hardly ever suprised for more than a moment. You get +1 to all active defense rolls, +1 to all Fast-draw skills, and +2 to all Fright Checks. You never "freeze" in a suprise situation, and you get a +6 on IQ rolls to wake up or recover from suprise or mental "stun". In combat, your "side" gets a +1 on intiative rolls to avoid a suprise attack, double that if you''re the leader.


    Cultural Familiarity [1]: You know the ins and outs of a culture outside of your native one. You don''t have a -3 penalty for being unfamilliar with that culture.


    Danger Sense [15]: You have a sixth sense that warns you about danger. The Writer will roll against your Perception, secretly, in any situation involving an ambush, impending disaster, or similar hazards. On a success, you get a warning, and enough time to take action.


    Deep Sleeper [1]: You can fall asleep in all but the worst conditions, and can sleep through most disturbances. You never suffer any penalties from the quality of your sleep. You get an IQ roll to notice disturbances and awaken, just like anyone else; if you have Combat Reflexes, this is an automatic sucess.


    Eidetic Memory [5]: You have extremely good memory recall. You automatically succeed memory rolls, and you often recall precise details.


    Extra Attack I [25]: You can attack more than once per "turn".


    Fashion Sense [5]: You have an innate ability to know fashion currently popular in society. You get a +1 to reaction rolls if you have a chance to plan your attire in advance. You can also give someone else +1 to their rolls, by putting together an outfit for them.


    Fearlessness [2/lv]: You''re harder to intimidate and frighten. You get +1 per purchase of this trait to your Fright checks, when you must resist Intimidation rolls, or to resist supernatural powers that induce fear.


    Fit [5]: You''re physically fit. You get +1 to all HLT rolls, and you also recover FP at twice the normal rate.


    Fit, Very [15]: You''re at the peak physical prowress a human can get to. You get +2 to all HLT rolls, recover FP at twice the normal rate andlose FP at half the normal rate.


    Flexibility [5]: Your body is unsually flexible. You get +3 on Climbing, Escape, Erotic Art, and all attempts to break free in close combat. You can ignore up to -33 in penalties for working in close quarters.


    Hard To Kill [2/lv]: You''re harder to kill. You get +1 on Death rolls per purchase of this trait. Can be bought up to twice.


    Hard to Subdue [2/lv]: You''re harder to knock out. You get +1 on Subdue rolls per purchase of this trait. Can be bought up to twice.


    High Manual Dexterity [5/lv]: You have extremely fine motor skills. Each level (to a maximum of four) gives +1 to DEX for tasks that require a delicate touch.


    High Pain Threshold [10]: You have a high tolerance for pain. You never suffer shock penalties when injured, and you get a +3 bonus to HLT to avoid knockdown and stunning. You also receive a bonus +3 to will to ignore pain, and to resist toture.


    Honest Face [1]: You look honest. You get a +1 bonus to Acting for the sole purpose of "acting innocent".


    Indomitable [15]: You''re impossible to influence through mundane words or actions. You''re no longer affected by Influence skills used on you unless they''re supernatural.


    Language Talent [10]: You''ve got a talent for learning languages. Languages cost 2 points less (for the combined Spoken/Written) per language.


    Less Sleep [2/lv]: Your body requires less sleep to function properly. You require one less hour with each purchase of this trait. Can be bought up to four times.


    Lightning Caculator [2]: You brain has been enhanced to completing mathematical problems out more quickly. You also have a mental "calculator" that you can use to solve simple calculations quickly.


    Longevity [2]: Your lifespan is naturally very long. You will only fail Aging rolls on a Critical Failure.


    Night Vision [1/lv]: You can see slightly better in the dark. For each purchase, you can negate a -1 penalty to vision rolls due to poor lighting. You can buy this up to twice.


    No Hangover [1]: Your body is incapable of having hangovers.


    Pitiable [5]: Your appearance is cute and homely instead of sexy and ugly. You get +3 to reaction rolls when you''re in a position of weakness, pity or so on.


    Rapid Healing [5]: You wounds heal slightly faster than normal. Whenever you roll to recover lost HP or to see if you can get over a crippling injury, you get a +5 to your effective HLT.


    Rapid Healing, Very [15]: As above, but a sucessfull HLT roll means you recover two HP.


    Reduced Consumption [2]: Your body requires less resources to function properly. You require 2/3rds of your needed dietary requirements to be fed fully.


    Resistant [?]: You''re naturally resistant to noxious items or substances that are not direct, physical attacks. This gives you a bonus to all HLT rolls to resist incapitation or injury from such things. Cost increases in regard to the scope of this resistance, and how resistant you are to that type. Cannot buy more than 10 points worth of Resistant.


    Single-Minded [5]: You can concrentrate! You get +3 to success rolls for any lengthy mental tasks you concentrate on to the exculsion of other activities.


    Talent [5 to 15/lv]: You''re very good at a pool of skills that are all related to one-another. Can be purchased up to 4 times in a specific talent, the cost depending on the scope of the interconnected skills.


    Temperature Tolerance [1/lv]: You''re slightly more resistant to heat and cold. Per purchase, your margin of comfort regarding temperature is increased by HLT degrees (F), distributed evenly on both ends. Can be purchased twice.


    Unfazeable [15]: You''re incapable of being suprised. You are exempt from fright rolls, and Reaction modifiers can no longer affect you. You''re no longer capable of being Intimidated. Warning: May cause personality shift.


    Versatile [5]: You''re extremely imaginative. You get a +1 bonus on any task that requires creativity or inventions.


    Voice [10]: You have a naturally clear, resonant and attractive voice. You get a +2 to any skill that hinge mainly on speaking, and you get a +2 bonus to your Reaction roll whenever someone hears your voice.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Done with all that, I started planning. With seven points available to me to buy stuff, I started browsing, but didn''t find anything that really popped out at me. I''d finally decided to save up my points to store up my Attributes.


    <hr>


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice(s) x13</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''vefilled the EXP bar. +1 CP.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    At two years and two months of simplistic living as a baby, I''d finally accumulated enough points to boost my Intelligence by another point.


    I''d also fully understood spoken English and Japanese, but hadn''t grasped or increased my base knowledge in the written form in either language.


    <hr>


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice(s) x20</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''vefilled the EXP bar. +1 CP.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    My fifth birthday marked another full 20 CP. I placed it into Intelligence again. It was a good birthday present to myself.


    The day after, I got another new message.


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Infant Meta-Trait has upgraded into Child Meta-Trait.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I''d woken up with a much more dextrous body, and a very huge boost to my intelligence.


    My Dexterity had risen a full point, and my intelligence had gone from the 7 I''d reached yesterday to 10. I could finally think clearly, without the slowed down thought process I''d had before.


    It also showed me how utterly stupid I''d been. The difference between the me of yesterday and now was equal to a normal person and a genius. It was such a huge jump, I could do nothing but stare in stupefaction for an hour.


    <hr>


    The summer after my fifth birthday saw me constantly browsing through my father''s and mother''s small library on hot july and august days.The bookcase was a small thing, holding a hundred or so books in three different languages: English, French, and Japanese.


    I''d been trying to decipher how I gained EXP and Osmosis abilities, when I came to the conclusion that they were literal representations. I slowly grew more experienced over time at an unknown rate whenever I did anything. Osmosis on the other hand was picking up on cues and information that happened around me. It was why I gained Japanese Spoken so quickly, my parents constantly talked in their native tongue whenever I was around. English happened the same way, as my ability to comprehend it increased with the more I was exposed to it.


    Constantly trying to pick up Written Japanese for two hours or so a day for two months and some change saw me get a new pop-up...


    <table width="443">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve focused on a specific Trait. You''ve upgraded Language (Japanese), changing Written None to Written Broken.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    And suddenly, the few hundred words I memorized cleared up, and I could understand them without having to recall the specifics of the words. Simple phrases became easy to understand as well.


    I''d noticed during this time that my EXP counter was filling slightly slower, but had still filled a full CP, and had reached 97% around the time I''d gotten the pop-up.


    <hr>


    September rolled around, and something I''d been dreading finally started.


    While I''d been a very antisocial child, barely leaving the house unless my parents dragged me around, I still acknowledged that I''d have to interact with kids "my" age eventually...


    I was officially enrolled in a public school.


    Character Sheet<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>CP TOTAL</td>


    <td>


    74


    </td>


    <td>Remaining CP</td>


    <td>1</td>


    <td>


    EXP


    </td>


    <td>97%</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Name</td>


    <td>Jonouchi ???</td>


    <td>Age</td>


    <td>5 (June 21st)</td>


    <td>Gender</td>


    <td>Male</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Strength (STR)</td>


    <td>7 (Weakly - 11)</td>


    <td>Hit Points (HP)</td>


    <td>7/7</td>


    <td>Fatigue Points (FP)</td>


    <td>11/11</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Dexterity (DEX)</td>


    <td>7 (Weakly - 10)</td>


    <td>Speed (SPD)</td>


    <td>4</td>


    <td>Move (MOV)</td>


    <td>4</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Intelligence (INT)</td>


    <td>10 (Average - 14)</td>


    <td>Perception (PER)</td>


    <td>10</td>


    <td>Will (WIL)</td>


    <td>10</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Health (HLT)</td>


    <td>11 (Above Average)</td>


    <td>Knockout (SUB)</td>


    <td>11</td>


    <td>Death (DTH)</td>


    <td>11</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Trait List<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    Child Meta-Trait


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Child [0]: You''re a 5-year old child. -30% STR, -30% DEX, -30% INT.


    Wealth (Dead Broke) [-25]: You have no income of any kind.


    Social Stigma (Minor) [-5]: In the eyes of society, you are a minor. You have a -2 on reaction rolls when dealing with others as an adult.


    Patron (CR 15, 150%) [30]: You have someone who funds/takes care of/aids you. It''s your parents.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Social


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Reaction Modifiers: None


    Appearance (Androgynous, Average) [0]: You''re not overly unattractive or attractive.


    Cultural Familiarity (Japanese, Native) [0]: You are familliar with Japanese culture.


    Cultural Familiarity (Canadian) [1]: You are familliar with Candian culture.


    Language (Japanese, Native) [-2]: Your native tongue is Japanese. You have a native grasp on spoken Japanese, and have a broken understanding of written Japanese.


    Language (English) [5]: You have a Accented grasp on writtenEnglish, and a Native grasp on spoken English.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Mental<input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Attentive [-1]: You''re unusually attentive to your current tasks. You get a +1 while working on lengthy tasks, but a -3 to notice any important interruptions.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Mundane Background [-10]: You cannot know or acknowledge the supernatural or exotic until the start of a major campaign dealing with such subjects. You cannot gain Supernatural or Exotic Traits, Skills or Items.


    Realistic Background [-10]: You cannot know, acknowledge or gain Cinematic Traits or Skills until the start of a major campaign dealing with such subjects.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 School(yard) of hard knocks

    My father is a smart man.


    I didn''t realize it at first, but he was trilingual (Japanese, English, and French), had a bachelor''s degree of science in forestry and had completed several courses at the local college regarding IT work and accounting. Over the course of the nine years he''d worked at the local phone company, he''d been promoted several times over, now holding a senior position in the trouble-shooting subdivision.


    Where my father was smart, my mother kept up with him with sheer stubborness and deterimination.


    She''d apparently dropped out of high school, but got a GED when she''d immigrated. From there, she learned to speak english fluently, got a bachelor''s in business specialized in accounting, and followed my father up the career food-chain, now a manager for the local branch in the company.


    Where was I going with this? Well, while nowhere near what could be called "upper class", my parents were becoming somewhat important people locally. We''d moved into a larger house after my mother''s promotion, moving to the most modern and elite neighborhood of the city, Millidgeville.


    Millidgeville was an extremely popular part of the city, one of the few areas that wasn''t constantly bathed in fog year-round, it had been slowly been building important institutions for the city since the early 50''s, from the Regional Hospital, to the University of New Brunswick. What really set it apart was the excessive patriotism of all things francophone.


    The french community was stark-raving mad about promoting their culture, and had invested heavily, both through the public and government sponsoring, to make the neighborhood one of the greatest parts of Menagwes. Truthfully, the modern and sleek look of the newer buildings clashed quite a bit with the suburbs of Millidgeville, but it had a homey feel to the area, a happy and carefree place.


    Anyways, what''s most important is the school I was registered for.


    Centre Scolare Samuel-De-Champlain. It was a mix between a community center and a K-12 school, a decade-old "public" school that had a budget twice that of it''s rival, Menagwes High. It was truly a school for the elite francophones, the mandatory "Parent must speak fluent french" restriction had turned away many prosperous students, and the puny school population made the institution more of a private school than a public one.


    And I was attending there.


    The school bus was a shiny yellow, and picked me up at 8:30 in the morning, my mother waving me off to the school that I could quite literally walk to in fifteen minutes. I''d been one of the last stops the bus had, which would have you believe that I''d be greeted by a filled bus, but the two-dozen bus seats barely had twenty kids in it, ranging from five to seventeen years olds. I sat in the empty seat behind the driver.


    We arrived at the school ten minutes later, a total of thirty kids in the bus. The school''s exterior was made mostly of thick, heavy bricks, the glass wall serving as an entrance letting anyone see into the front of the community center. The bus had dropped us off past that, to a extended portion of the building that served as the main entrance to the school.


    The sheer size of the place reminded me that it wasn''t just a school, but a community center. There was a huge track field and baseball field besides the school, a tennis court and a playground was behind the school proper, and a church across from the school. Inside the building, there was a full-fledge medical clinic, a cafe/restaurant, a library, a daycare center, an art exhibiton room, a theater, a radio station, and an olympic-sized pool.


    Frankly, it was simply excessive.


    We''d been escorted to the theater, where we had a school assembly, introducing the new students and welcoming the old ones. There were a few events that had been already planned out for the year, things like visiting bands and performances. Halfway through the event, the school''s staff had explained the schedule for the youngest students, and we were escorted by our new teachers to class.


    <hr>


    A typical day for me went like this:


    7:30 AM - get up, prep for school.


    8:25 AM - catch the bus to school, or (if my parents had already left) walk to the school.


    8:50 AM - The school''s open to the students, where 200 or so kids rush to get to their classes.


    9:00 AM - Homeroom and role call. Afterwards, we review any "homework" we''d been assigned.


    9:15 AM - By this point, the teacher had lost the attention of the less controlled students, and a "play-break" was given.


    9:45 AM - French class begins, both written and spoken.


    10:45 AM - Recess for 15 minutes outside, enough for the more rowdy students to run around like maniacs, and the calmer ones to have a snack.


    11:00 AM - Rotating class between Arithematics and P.E..


    12:00 PM - ten-minute Lunch, as well as a half-hour recess.


    12:40 PM - "Nap" time.


    1:10 PM - "Play" time, in which I hogged one of the computers that was installed in the classroom.


    2:10 PM - Clean up, and prep to leave for the bus.


    2:25 PM - Class officially ends for the K-4 grades. Kids run to the bus, or head to the after-school program.


    I''d been "lucky", and had been signed up for the after school program. It was two and a half hours of screaming and yelling kids, either stuck inside in one of the playrooms, or outside in a fenced in playground.


    <hr>


    Okay, I admit I was socially awkward. It was hard, connecting with what I saw as kids a fifth my age. Sure, I participated with the other kindergarteners, but they were all...


    Well, dumb as bricks, with the common sense of them too.


    Seriously. One of the more quiet kids, Alex, had fallen off the indoors slide and bashed his head against a table, knocking himself out. None of his friends, who had egged him on to climb up the slide by a stablizing pole, helped him, and the little idiot kept the incident to himself, potential brain damage be damned.


    What, you''re asking why I didn''t do anything about it? I did. I got a teacher. I told her what I saw. It did nothing good for me, or for Alex.


    The fallen boy''s friends hadstraight up lied when the worried teacher started asking questions, said I was lying. When Alex, still somewhat out of it, confirmed their story, I''d gotten the ire of the teacher for lying, as well as the new title of "Tattletale"...


    Simply put, I left the group I was now calling the idiot brigade alone after that.


    <hr>


    Except, they didn''t leave me alone.


    The Idiot Brigade would pester me, taunt me and insult me poorly from that day forwards. While they were obviously looking to start a fight, I kept my cool, and didn''t rise to the bait.


    It worked for a month, before they decided to straight up attack me. By this time, I''d had more than enough of them trying to rile me up. It''d have been a confrontation either way.


    I used a point for something special, in this case. It was late in november, and I had two points.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve purchased the Brawling Skill, placing 2 points in it''s Point Value.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Five kids against one. It would a tough fight for any six year old.


    Except, now I knew how to fight, and it marginally increased my combat capabilities. Against untrained combatants that have equal prowress to me, it''d be a slugging match.


    Just as one of the larger bullies went to shove me, time seemed to stop, and what could only be described as a combat screen popped up. Suddenly, I could see the status of the five other kids.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>ALEX</td>


    <td>DANIEL</td>


    <td>LUKE</td>


    <td>MAXIM</td>


    <td>JACOB</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>7/7</td>


    <td>6/6</td>


    <td>6/6</td>


    <td>6/7</td>


    <td>7/7</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Oh. So, it''s a combat system. Huh. Maxim, the guy about to push me, follows through. It''s a simple thing that doesn''t do anything but push me back a few inches.


    Somehow, I know I can take a step, just one, and try tograb him. I go to grapple, and get ahold of his chest. Maxim flails, but doesn''t escape my hold. The other boys seem suprised, but do nothing yet. Maxim is the biggest one of them, and seeing him being overpowered is somewhat suprising.


    Things stop again, and I get to choose my actions. I try to takedown the other boy, a struggle between us happens, but I end up tipping him over to the side, where he falls to the pavement, on his back. Maxim tries to use his feet to trip me up, but just ends up scraping his foot along the pavement. The other kids are still staying back, but the students in the playground have realised a fight''s broken out.


    I pull back a foot, and take a determined swing at the downed boy. It hits him in the torso, my booted foot slamming into him.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>MAXIM</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>4/7</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He lets out a yell that gets interrupted by the combat turn, as his arm tries to come up and catch my foot, but fails.


    I got for another all-out kick, determined to take out one of these asshats. My foot sails into his torso again, and I can hear his ribs crack, and break, under the crushing sole of my foot.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>MAXIM</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>-5/7 (Fainted)</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Maxim lets out a loud cough, blood spilling between his lips. He''s knocked out. I look up, and pick out the nearest bully.


    Luke is the smallest of the four remaining guys in the Idiot brigade, but he''s fast. Stupidly fast. Speed doesn''t help a lot thought, when someone slams into you. The shove barely grazes him, but he goes flying to the ground.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>LUKE</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>5/6</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Luke''s been stunned by this, and seems to be out of it. By this time, Alex, who was closes, goes for a swing at me, but misses. Daniel and Jacob reluctantly move closer. Time does it''s little flicker while I line up another shot at Luke with my foot. My foot barely hits, catching on his side as it goes up, but it seems I hit something sensitive.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>LUKE</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>1/6</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    By this point, the entire playground has noticed the fight, and most of the kids have formed a loose ring around us. The teachers still haven''t noticed anything.


    Alex goes for another swipe, but misses. Luke doesn''t lose his stunned look, and neither Daniel or Jacob approach. My foot goes into the downed boy''s ribs again, and Luke''s eyes go white as he passes out.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>LUKE</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>-2/6 (Fainted)</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Alex finally gets a punch flying towards me, and it hits, but I don''t even feel it. Taking the opportunity, I grab hold of his extended arm, catching it. He tries to break free, but doesn''t succeed. I bring a raised fist down on his arm, aiming for his elbow with a determined look in my eye. It hits, but compared to my early blows, it''ll only leave a nasty bruise.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>ALEX</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>6/7</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The boy in my grapple breaks free, but by this time, my foot is swinging into his leg. A one-in-a-million hit, the kick sails right into a crack that had formed on Alex''s leg bone from an accident a few days ago. A sickening snap rings out, as Alex'' leg''s bone breaks in two.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>ALEX</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>3/7 (Crippled)</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Alex lets out a wail as he drops like a sack of potatoes. He''s still not out, but he''s in so much pain that there''s no way he''s joining this fight again.


    By this point, I''ve put the fear of god in the other kids around me. In tenseconds, I''ve taken down three of the more rowdy kindergarteners, two of them with very obvious injuries. I''ve been hit once- once, and it did nothing to slow me down.


    Daniel and Jacob bolt when I turn my eyes to them.


    At this point, an older boy has reached the crowd. He takes in the scene before yelling in shock "<Maxim>!"


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>DUNCAN</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>9/9</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Oh, of course, the brother comes at the last moment. The teenager, twelve or thirteen, comes barreling towards me. I barely move out of the way as the older boy rushes past me in a tackling move, stepping on Alex as he passes, who finally passes out from the new source of pain.


    Wildly swinging, My arm comes up at the newcomers'' back. It''s more akin to a slap thought, but the sound of my connecting fist echoes, enough to hear the blow has done some damage.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>DUNCAN</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>7/9</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Enraged, The teen my combat system tells me is Duncan takes a all-out punch at me, looking to land a devistating hit, but the wild swing misses me entirely. It does give me an opportunity to do the same thing I did to Alex though, but the older boy overpowers me, and actually pulls me towards him.


    Using the momentum, he tries to get a punch in with the same savageness, but it fails just as badly. Giving up the fancier moves, I just go for a spot I know''ll do a lot of damage. His groin. The fist goes flying into his junk, and I swear I can hear something pop when my fist connects, and Duncan lets out an unmanly screech.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>DUNCAN</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>5/9 (Shocked)</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Obviously concerned with his family jewels, Duncan cups his junk, while I try something. I evalute where I want to put my next kick. By this time, Duncan had recovered ever so slightly, enough to bring an arm up, relaxing his stance slightly. My foot flies for his leg. My boot deals a satifying blow once more, that creak I heard from Maxim''s ribs early coming to my ears as the kick connects.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>ENEMY</td>


    <td>DUNCAN</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>HP</td>


    <td>1/9</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Duncan, beat up and more or less teetering on his feet, throws out a hand to grapple me. Instead, he stumbles, and falls to the ground, smacking into concrete.


    He groans, but doesn''t get up.


    Satisfied, especially in the fact that I''d taken down a kid nearly half again larger than me, I walk off towards the school to wash off my bloodied boots.


    I do get a very interesting pop-up.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice(s)x4</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve knocked out an enemy without taking damage. +25% to Brawling.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve beaten your enemies into submission, and gained 1 Point Value for Brawling.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Cool.


    <hr>


    Parents get involved in the fight when the school calls them. Maxim had to get checked out at the clinic, having broken off a rib with my last kick to his torso. Alexhas a cast on his leg, and gets around on crutches. Duncan has been speaking with a high pitch voice for the last week.


    I got a slap on the wrists, mostly due to the fact that the other witnesses saw that I hadn''t started the fight.


    Dad treats me to ice cream at a Dairy Queen. It''s goddamn amazing.


    <hr>


    The Idiot Brigade never mock me again while in my company.


    Scott Theriault learns his best minion got the snot kicked out of him by a kindergartener, then snorts at even the possibility of it happening, even if Duncan Martell walks bow-legged for a few days after the suppossed fight.


    <hr>


    I''d figured some more of my EXP system out.


    See, when I''m learning a specific skill, I get twice the rate of growth in that specific skill, at the cost of the EXP of that time I used. It meant I lost some assignable growth, but doubled the gains in a specific skill or ability.


    I''d spent ninemonths on the same schedule, learning french an hour a day. I''d donebasic mathematics for half that, the same for Gym class. I''d also been glued to the computer for nearly an hour most days during "play" time.


    On my birthday, I reviewed the pop-ups I''d gained during the year.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice(s) x11</td>


    <td>EXP COUNTER</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''vefilled the EXP bar. +1 CP.</td>


    <td>3.5%</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    <td>COUNTER</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve gained through osmosis and training the Language (French) trait. Spoken and Written has reached Accented.</td>


    <td>11%</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    <td>COUNTER</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve gained through training theMathematics/TL 8 (Applied) skill. Assigned Point Value has reached 1.</td>


    <td>37%</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    <td>COUNTER</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You''ve gained through training a Health skill or Ability. Assigned Point Value has reached 1.


    Choose a Skill:


    [X] Running  [] Swimming  []Lifting  []Save for Later


    </td>


    <td>37%</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    <td>COUNTER</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve gained through training the Computer Operation/TL 8 skill. Assigned Point Value has reached 2.</td>


    <td>75%</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It was an increase of eight points, compared to the 11 CP I''d gained throughout my fourth year in this life. It was, technically, a huge increase of +70%, but it relied on me locking down on certain skills I didn''t actually think were going to be truly useful in the long-run.


    I also noticed that the amount of EXP I gained per day had ticked up slightly, from 3% to 3.5%. I had a theory why.


    Okay, so for the first five years of my life, I was awake for roughly twelve hours a day. I''d been trained to take a nap during the day to tied me over, usually two hours long. I hadn''t take that nap during the last year or so, and, other than me starting school, nothing else had truly changed in my daily schedule.


    Did that mean that the hours I was awake played directly into how much EXP I gained?


    Well, to prove it, I bought anAdvantage: Four levels in Less Sleep, maxing it out.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Less Sleep IV [8]</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You need less sleep than most people. A normal person requires 8 hours of sleep per night. Each level of this advantage lets you get by with one hour less than this, giving you a few extra hours each day to study or work on other projects. Cannot be taken more than four times.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yeah, it was going to play hell with my schedule, But, If I could squeeze out more EXP at a faster rate, It''ll be worth it.


    <hr>


    My test bed for the sleep theory had been the summer period. I''d spent most of it screwing around, not really following one thing or another. There was those trips to the zoo and the meuseum, but it was overall a boring time for me.


    My theory had been proven correct, thought. My EXP counter had jumped up to 4.5% per day, and sometimes, it got to 5% for an unknown reason.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice(s) x4</td>


    <td>EXP COUNTER</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''vefilled the EXP bar. +1 CP.</td>


    <td>26%</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    While I couldn''t really pin down where the half percent bonus was coming from, I''d guessed it was the few times I experienced "more", like that visit I''d mentioned above.


    While I had fivepoints ready for use at the start of September, I decided to keep them to increase my Intelligence again. It would take the rest of the year to gain enough CP to buy it, but it''d be worth it...


    <hr>


    Nine days into the year, a day before school would start, I passed out in front of the television. It was as if someone clocked me in the head, as I woke with a fogged-up sight and a killer headache. No that wasn''t right, It was more like I was still dreaming, As I wasn''t seeing my living room.


    The room I was looking into seemed as if it was a cave that had been dug by hand, and deteriorated over centuries of use. Runic carvings dotted the walls and roof. In the center of the cave, sat a "man" dressed in a heavy dress and a turban, grinning maliciously. I put emphasis on the "man" part, because the guy looked deformed as heck, as if he''d been riddled with tumors and had agonizing injuries, but seemed healthy notheless.


    He spoke some lines in an language I didn''t know, and began to chant. The song-like whispers slowly grew, as the carvings around the room began to light up. The chant became deafening, the light slowly blinding me. Finally, the man stopped chanting, and the carvings stopped glowing. The man closed his eyes, and kept still, as if he were praying or meditating.


    He didn''t stir for quite some time, but when he did, all he did was laugh like a maniac, a deep and horrifying thing.


    Holy crap, it was downright terrifying.


    The vision started to fade around here, and I awoke in my living room, with a pop-up that filled me with dread.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Notice</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>You''ve pierced the veil of the supernatural, exposing your eyes to the truth of reality. Mundane Background can now be bought off. Cinematic Background can now be bought off.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Aw, crap.