Ding!
[Host synchronization in process.... 5% ...10% ....60% ... 90%]
Ding!
[Analyzing pre-system skills.... Analysis complete. Skill system successfully compiled.]
Ding!
[Connecting Otherworlder's Gacha skill system to host... connection successful]
[Gacha skill system tutorial available. Initiate? Y/N]
This was the greeting that awaited Cass when he opened his eyes. He expected his system to awaken. Even though he had been awake for more than 20 minutes, he couldn't bring himself to move at all. He was utterly entranced by the floating message bar.
'Can't start the tutorial yet, huh, kid?'
Cass turned in the direction of the voice and saw his father sitting on a chair in the corner of the room. He had been there since before Cass had woken up, but because he hadn't moved or made a noise, Cass did not notice him.
'Overwhelming, right? Well, it's like that for most people at the start. Take the day for yourself, start the tutorial, and learn how it all works. Come downstairs when you are finished.'
Cass nodded at his father and watched him leave the room. Still lying in bed, he willed the system to accept the tutorial.
[Tutorial initiated.... Lesson 1: Status. The host can check their status anytime by thinking 'status up'. Try it now.]
When Cass did as instructed, a small screen appeared showing some information he tried taking in.
[Name: Cass Wycliffe ]
[Age: 18 ]
[Mana rank: Early Neophyte.]
[Body Rank: Early Neophyte. ]
[Race: Human ]
[Physique: ???]
[Bloodline: ???]
[Affinity: Thunder(1), Spacetime(1)]
[STR: 6]
[AGL: 8]
[VIT: 10]
[INT: 9]
[Mana: 1/1 ]
[Free Points: 10]
[System Points: 0]
[Gacha tickets: 1]
Cass looked at his system screen and realized that it looked almost identical to the status screen of an RPG back on Earth. The interface was easy to understand. He didn't know what Physique or Bloodline were, but he knew he could ask someone about those.
[Excellent. Lesson 2: Skills. The host can check their skills anytime by thinking 'skill screen'. Try it now.]
Again, Cass followed the instructions and a similar screen appeared
[Composite Skills: Twin short spear proficiency (1)]
[Passive skills: Bowman (1), Basic Smith (1), Fisherman (1), Hunter(1), Basic domain management(1), Negotiation (1)]
[Active skills: Power throw (1), Thunderball (1), Box (1)]
The skill screen was very small in comparison to the Status screen, and Cass was surprised he could not see skills like swordsmanship or dual wielding, considering his training with Marcus. 'Humm, what is this composite skill? Why is it written in purple instead of white like the rest'
Unexpectedly, the system answered the question he had in his head.
Ding!
[Host. Composite skills are the result of combining multiple prerequisite skills into one to form one new skill. The skill is a different colour because it is a different rarity from the other skills.]
As he continued to explore the skill page, he noticed that if he focused on a skill, he could receive a description giving him more details.
[Twin short spear proficiency (1): The host can wield twin short spears in combat. The spears can be used as striking weapons or as throwing weapons. If the weapons are connected by a rope or chain, the host can also use this as part of the weapon. Prerequisite skills: Swordsmanship (1), Spearfighting (1), Dual wielding (1), Javelin (1), Spear fishing (1), Keen eye (1)]
[Power throw: Thrown weapon skill. The host can increase the speed and power of a thrown weapon with mana. Mana cost: 1+]
[Thunderball (Thunder): A ball of electrical power summoned with mana. Can be thrown. Power, speed, and distance can be altered with additional mana. Mana cost: 1+]
[Box (Spacetime): Storage spell. Allows the host to store any item in a one-meter cube. Items can be stored and retrieved at any time by the host. Living beings cannot be stored. Time inside the box passes 1000 times slower. Mana cost: 0]
Thunderball seemed pretty typical to Cass; it was a white skill, but his 'Box' spell was written in green, so he guessed it must be far stronger. He also understood how activating the skills worked, it was purely instinctual. He simply had to will the activation, and if he had enough mana, it would. After looking a little more, he was ready to move on.
[Good job, Host. Lesson 3: Gacha system. The host can activate the gacha system anytime by thinking 'Gacha rolls'. Try it now.]
A new screen appeared, this time looking like something from a mobile game from back on Earth. There were a number of options that were simply displayed as '????', meaning they were not available yet. The only available option was simply 'skills'.
[Currently, only tier 1 rolls are available to the host. Tier 1 rolls cost 1 gacha ticket. The host will receive 1 ticket per week. To roll, select the option you would like, and select the number of tickets to use. If you have multiple tickets, you can roll all of them at the same time.]
Cass mentally selected the one ticket option in the skill section, and unlike the mobile games from Earth he was familiar with, the display window immediately displayed the skill for him.
[Claw strike (1)]
The skill was greyed out and had a line running through it
[Well done, host. The skill you have pulled cannot be used by you. It is grey and crossed out because it is incompatible. For now, the host can sell the skill back to the system for system points. Sell Skill Y/N]
Cass mentally agreed to sell the skill and was awarded 10 system points.
[Host can upgrade skills with system points. Price depends on rarity and current skill level. To upgrade a level 1 white skill requires 100 points. To upgrade a Level 1 purple skill costs 500 points]
The system made sense to Cass. Every week, he would receive a ticket, which he could use to roll for a new skill. If the skill was compatible with him, he could learn it; if it was not, he could sell it for system points and upgrade skills he already had. To advance his skills, he needed to obtain system points. System points were the premium currency here.
The problem lies in the gacha element of the system and the system's name itself. Firstly, 'otherworlder's gacha skill system' was a complete giveaway. Anyone who heard this could easily conclude that he came from another world, so that needed to be hidden.
Secondly, gacha rolls were something from his previous world, and he had never heard of it existing before, even with all his talks with his family about types of systems. He decided that this aspect also needed to be hidden from the world.
Satisfied that he had gained a basic understanding of his system, he got out of bed, changed, and went downstairs.