Zavier's chains flew around him in wide arcs, both arms stretched backwards as he whipped them out to their maximum lengths.

Goblins! Actual damned goblins! He couldn't believe what he had seen when the door opened. The first thing that caught his attention was the sunlight, its warm golden glow making him realize how long it'd been since he'd felt the sun. After his eyes adjusted the landscape caught his attention next - it may as well have been the Midwest United States before the Industrial Revolution - all plains, prairies, distant woods, and even more distant mountains. The first breaths of air from that place were the purest he'd ever experienced, the difference of drinking purified water for the first time after drinking from dirty puddles your entire life.

Then he saw them. At first glance they looked like moss-covered boulders scattered loosely in a clump - until the first of the boulders turned its head towards him. It was childlike in size, no more than four feet tall, but that was the only childlike thing about it. Zavier got a good look as it made a snarling, throaty sound, and the rest of the boulders turned with it.

Green faces mottled with browns and blacks turned to face him. Pointed ears taller than their heads twitched all around, listening for other threats. Bloody, jaundice eyes traced him up and down hungrily. Mismatched arms of differing lengths, even on the same bodies, reached for rusted swords and battered cudgels. Feet too large for their bodies slapped heavily on the grass and dirt as they charged Zavier, weapons held high.

He swung the Razorlink Chain low, scything through the grass and the legs of the charge's vanguard. Leaping over the legless, screaming front line he activated Fara's Gift, increasing the density of his chain by 300%, slamming it down as he landed in the center of the pack, sending small bodies flying into the air all around him. The Razorlink Chain danced again, cutting the closest before they could even land.

He only partially paid attention to the fight around him, immersing part of his mind in The System like a man sliding into a hot tub after a long, stressful day. I think my perception is sped up. It must be the increased intelligence stats and I'm only realizing it since my access all came rushing back at one time. He concentrated and realized he was right - the bodies in the air weren't floating, per se, but they were definitely falling slow enough for him to react. Or maybe his reactions were just faster - either way, the result was the same.

Threshed bodies and severed limbs rained onto the plains, most screaming, but some silent beyond the thud of their remains hitting the ground. Zavier was watching The Code, exploring the improved understanding and abilities that came with a substantially raised Intelligence stat. Impressions of data flashed through his mental space as he used Identify and he concentrated on resolving it. Building blocks of words, tables of data, and even threads connecting each data table to others began to firm in his vision.

There was a silent snap in his mind and suddenly he was staring at a glowing interface that overlaid his vision like an augmented reality screen.

Goblin, level 10.

Goblin Warrior, level 12.

He focused in on the Goblin Warrior, the part of his mind that was dedicated to The System seeing information flowing from other data tables to pull into his vision.

Goblin Warrior, level 12. STR: 15 AGI: 13 END: 15 INT: 6 LUC: 4 CHA: 2

Ruthless Strikes (Passive)

Effect:

The goblin warrior strikes with an increased chance to deal critical damage when attacking an enemy's weak point (e.g., head, limbs, etc.). This makes them more dangerous when attacking exposed or vulnerable targets.

Pack Tactics (Passive)

Effect:

The goblin warrior gains a small bonus to attack power and defense when fighting alongside other goblins. This ability makes the goblin more effective in group combat, relying on numbers to overwhelm foes.

Frenzied Rage (Active)

Effect:

The goblin warrior can enter a frenzied state for a limited time (10 seconds) that boosts their attack speed and damage output. However, they become more reckless, lowering their defense and making them easier to hit.

Okay, this is new. Good information though. Suddenly Zavier saw the text for Frenzied Rage turn red in his display and the goblin charged. Zavier dodged rather than striking out. He wanted to see how much information he could glean and he didn't truly feel at risk. He concentrated, his chains and body on autopilot as he tried to interpret what he was seeing from the activated skill. He pushed, then pushed, but got no more information. He realized that there was more information there for the taking, he just needed to figure out what it took to gain access. The System wasn't hiding the information, he just didn't understand the code enough to break past the firewall between this and the next level of understanding.

With a sigh of frustration he broke off, focusing on the fight again. A clumsy swing was sending a cudgel at his head. Zavier ducked under it then decided to try one of his new toys. He whipped the Razorlink Chain out again, but not to cut this time. The end thunked into the cudgel and Zavier sacrificed a point of Charisma to lock it in place. He pulled and sent two more points of Charisma into the link as he felt it starting to tear when the Goblin Warrior pulled back himself. They were frozen in place, a contest of strengths looking like a ridiculous tug-of-war, Zavier's almost six-foot frame being matched by a stocky, four-foot creature that looked sloppily constructed.

Zavier released the hold, his Charisma flowing back into him as the chain parted, sending the Goblin Warrior tumbling backwards in a roll.

It was cleaved in two before it even got to his feet.

Zavier stared around, panting. He hadn't realized how much physical exertion it had taken to kill the… How many was it? He played it back in his mind and realized he'd killed 12 regular goblins and one Goblin Warrior. He scanned the area looking for more but came up empty. Doesn't mean they aren't there, just that I can't see them. Need to not get too cocky with this.

He sat in the grass and reviewed the System messages for the fight. Okay, gained experience, so that's good. Was worried that I wouldn't advance in whatever this trial is. Something occurred to him and he searched the area, kicking through the knee-high grass wherever a body had fallen. The bodies are gone but no equipment, so no freebies. Looks like none of the energy went into the Sonic Screwdriver either, so will have to remember that. Looks like it's just straight experience points granted by The System, not these creatures. Wait, does that mean they aren't even real? That would make sense if they're just projections, although there's no way of proving that out. Doesn't matter, I suppose - the end result is the same.

He straightened and looked around, remembering the note from earlier. "Where are you, you dungeon-guarding bastard?" The world expanded outward from him in all directions, including beyond the door that was no longer there. He contemplated his options - prairie all the way to the horizon behind him, woods about an hour's walk to his left, and distant mountains on the horizon to his right and in front of him.

"This really feels like a video game setup." He lifted his head, addressing the sky. "Hello? Anyone here? Fara, are you here? I need some guidance." He cocked his head, listening for a response that never came.

"Hello? I'm serious, I could use some guidance on what to do next. Hello? Operator? Customer Service? I need to speak with a representative. Operator. OP. ER. ATOR. REP. RE. SENT. A. TIVE. Anyone??" He couldn't be sure, but the silence felt less empty than before. He continually identified everything around him, looking for the slightest blip in the data that might tell him what he needed to do. He cast System Block on himself, turning slowly in place to see if there was any unseen energy flowing at him from any direction. A call that sounded almost owlish came from the woods and Zavier jerked his head in that direction.

"Was that a sign? Hello? Am I supposed to go that way?" The silence was as pervasive as ever. Zavier shook his head in frustration. "Fuck it. I suppose I need to do a little catching up anyway."

He sat cross-legged in the grass, keeping a wary eye on the surrounding areas. He split his focus, dedicating a small amount of mental energy to continually scanning the area while he dove into his System interface.

The world around him faded away as The System flooded into his consciousness. It wasn't vision, but neither was it simply understanding. He just needed to think of what he wanted to see and that part of The System appeared in the forefront of his mind. He could then visualize it if he wanted to see the concept he was trying to explore.

In short, he had Iron Man vision.

I have Iron Man vision! Zavier grinned as different menus appeared around him. He concentrated on The System as a whole, trying to feel out exactly how much access he currently had. Almost immediately he felt like he hit an impassable barrier. He explored the edges, looking for anything that would give him information beyond what he was seeing around him, but he got nothing.

It's air-gapped. I can only access whatever parts of The System that are available in this trial. So this either confirms that I'm in some sort of private dungeon or that The System has blocked me out until I've completed my quest. But how far does that go? Do I…?

He switched from exploring the boundaries of his access to analyzing his skills. He whistled when he saw what lay before him.

I think The System cached every possible ability path available to me. Makes sense, I guess. If I'm going to advance I would need to be able to improve my skills. Speaking of… He pulled Tactical Synergy into the forefront and saw that it was practically bursting with unspent points. Oh my, I've been abandoning you, haven't I? I'm sorry, I wasn't able to do anything. Let's see what we can do now that I'm back though.

Zavier had more than doubled his levels since the last time he'd been able to access The System, and since his skills didn't advance automatically they'd remained stagnant, not growing no matter how much he used them. Tactical Synergy had been running almost non-stop since he'd gotten it and had been stressed quite a bit in the power plant, so the options for it were plentiful. He dove into the paths and saw the different directions it could take.

Tactical Synergy: Team Coordination

Level 2: Coordinated Maneuvering. Allows the user to add preset commands and instructions that can be represented by icons or symbols. These commands can be activated by anyone with mental commands and do not require conversation. Options for the types and quantities of the commands depends on the usage of the user prior to the skill becoming available. Available party slots increases by one. Party communication distance increased by 50%.

Level 3: Improved Coordination. Allows the party to share limited emotional or mental concepts as internalized impressions, thus allowing all members of the party to feel what the others are feeling. This will allow the members of the party to share emotional concepts beyond what can be conveyed with words. The party can make tactical decisions based on those impressions or use the skill to boost morale and confidence, allowing the party leader to direct the mood of the party. Available party slots increases by one. Party communication distance increased by 100%.

Level 4: Synergistic Communication. Allows the party to share visual and auditory information across their link. Users can see what other members of the party are seeing. The user, or party leader if the user designates one, can see and hear through the eyes of any member of their party as if they were there. Party members will not be aware this is happening.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Available party slots increases by one. Party communication distance increased by 100%.

Level 5: Total Harmonization. All members of the party can combat harmonization, effectively acting as a single unit. Tactical Synergy's effect is amplified as the user can synchronize their team's every move to flow seamlessly together. The harmonization is automatic and instinctual, each member automatically acting in accordance with the user's intent. No direct commands need to be issued. The team becomes far more resilient as 25% of each member's stat pool is added to every other member. In addition, each activation will allow any member of the party to use one skill or ability of any other member one time at the level of the person who holds the skill or ability. If the members of the party have enough experience working together to fully harmonize this skill has the potential to increase communication and perception by up to 200%, thus effectively slowing down the battle around them. Note that this feature does not increase the speed at which the party members act, only that they are able to respond, react, and communicate at incredibly increased speeds. Available party slots increases by one. Party communication distance increased by 100%.

Tactical Synergy: Tactical Advantage

Level 2: Improved Battle Sense. The user gains a heightened sense of the battlefield around them, their own personal awareness increasing the more members of the party that are added. The skill will tap into all available senses of the members of the party and give situational awareness based on their combined understanding of the area. This is an automatic feature and the user will not be able to tap directly into the party members' senses, but will instead just have a better innate understanding of the surrounding area. Available party slots increases by one. Party communication distance increased by 50%. All user stats pertaining to perception are increased by 25% regardless of how many members are in the party.

Level 3: Battlefield Mastery. The user's battle senses become so heightened that the effects of Improved Battle Sense become permanent and enduring. This aspect of the skill will remain active even when outside of battle, allowing the user to retain the 25% increase in all perception-related stats even when not in a party. When activated, all members of the party have their perception-related stats increased by 25% and the user gains heightened knowledge based on that. In addition, when activated the user's perception-related stats are increased by 50% and all stats related to reflex and response are increased by 50%. Available party slots increases by one. Party communication distance increased by 50%.

Level 4: Intrinsic Identification. This skill uses the knowledge of all party members, including what they are currently seeing and experiencing, and formulates it into an overall impression of their opponents strengths, weaknesses, and battle tactics. Once all of the information has been synthesized into a single impression System databases will choose up to three key information packets and communicate them to the party as information discovered (number dependent on the user's Intelligence stat). For instance, the party may learn the magical or martial skills their opponent uses, their preferred combat tactics, or their weaknesses. Data packets are chosen at random and cannot be influenced by the user. A mitigating calculation will occur each attempt and users will interpret it as the skill working or not working. Available party slots increases by one. Party communication distance increased by 50%.

Level 5: Total Advantage. When activated the skill will allow the user to fully understand all skills, abilities, tactics, and weaknesses of any opponent who is their level or lower. Reduced information can be gained on opponents that are up to five levels higher than the user, with reduced efficacy the greater the disparity. The level disparity restriction is reduced by 2 levels per member of the party. Available party slots increases by one. Party communication distance increased by 50%.

Zavier whistled internally. This is… a LOT. Like, a LOT, a lot. He could see the potential paths this skill could take and realized that he was able to push the skill to level 3 in either direction. He was at a crossroads and the decision left him stymied. If he went the Team Coordination route his family would become an incredibly elite fighting force when he returned. Being able to share skills would be phenomenal, but even just increased synchronization would be a massive help when fighting both groups of monsters and high-level bosses.

Then again, the Tactical Advantage path would help him here and now. True, he wouldn't be able to get most of the benefits without a party, but even so - the passive benefits alone would help him survive whatever was coming next. He knew that this trial would be far more dangerous than these initial goblin mooks and he would need every advantage he could get. The benefits would be less for his family and more for him, although there would still be some advantages.

He reread the descriptions, noting the odd way they were phrased. "These read more generic than the ones we get with the skills. Or more dry, at least," he didn't even register that he was talking to himself - it was a habit he'd gotten into when working through puzzles and problems long ago. "I wonder wh - oh! I'm betting it's because I'm reading the user manual - back end information. These aren't the flowery, descriptive summaries of the skills, they're programmer info. I'm betting that they'd be adjusted and reworded for the people that gained the skills!" He didn't know why but that just felt right to him.

He considered it for a long while, indecision plaguing him. Making his family stronger was always his goal, but an equally important goal was getting stronger for himself. Team Coordination would only be beneficial if they were fighting as a group, while Tactical Advantage provided benefits even if they weren't. Zavier couldn't imagine any scenario in which his family wasn't fighting side-by-side, so Team Coordination seemed the obvious winner, but he had to be realistic about the future. With his family getting stronger they might not see the need to team up. If each of them was fighting individually, or were off on their own quests, it would be a completely useless skill. Taking the Tactical Advantage path was overall weaker but it provided him immediate benefits.

He growled with frustration and closed the screens, bringing his full attention back to the world around him. He looked around, expecting to see something sneaking up on him - some part of him hoping for it so he could burn off some of his frustration. When nothing appeared he returned to The System, determined to get an answer for something that had been bothering him for a while.

Jack of All Blades was his most under-used skill and should have made him pretty much inept at using his chains. He looked at the description again.

Skill Name: Jack of all Blades

Type: Melee Combat

Level: 1

Description: This skill allows someone to use any item as a weapon with great proficiency. This skill works in reverse from most skills, though, as it allows the person to use a weapon at the highest level their current level and skills allow the first time using a new item but has diminishing returns the longer they use it. The more often that item is used the less proficient the person becomes in it until they reach the base level of an untrained person.

It made no sense that his skills with the chain were as high as they were. He should be tripping over them every time he swung them around at this point. He dove into the skill's data, looking for any discrepancies he could find.

There! He thought, spying a data link branching off of the skill in a way that looked patched-in. He followed the trail and saw… Movies? He stopped to consider what he was seeing and realized it was the last thing he'd been practicing with Tess, all the way back when she'd left him alone with that damned nest of wasps or hornets or whatever the evil bastards were called. His advanced intelligence had allowed him to recall every movie, comic book, and mental fantasy he'd had with perfection. That same intelligence had allowed him to be fully and instantly aware of every movement of his body, the feel of the chain as it moved and shifted in his hand, the sounds and feelings of it just being right as he swung it, always able to instantly correct its movement in imperceptible ways. The skill tried to push his abilities to their lowest skill level, but it was unable to overcome the massive resource pool of knowledge he had on the subject combined with his autonomic control over his body.

Intelligence trumps System limitations. Fuck yeah! He had never been more happy that he'd thrown so many points into that skill. He still recognized the importance Agility and Strength had played, but in the end it was Intelligence that had made the difference. If he'd poured every point he had into Agility he'd still be swinging the chain around like a child holding a jump rope for the first time. With that in mind Zavier looked at the path for Jack of All Blades, surprised that there was only one path.

Level 1: Jack of All Blades. This skill allows the user to wield any weapon at a high level of proficiency, even if they are untrained in it. The first time an item is used as a weapon, the user can wield it at a proficient level, but the proficiency diminishes over time as the item is used longer. The user's skill with a weapon is the highest their current level allows for the first time they use it. Effect: The user can wield any weapon with high proficiency, as long as it's the first time they are using it Effect: Proficiency level diminishes as the weapon is used more over time, returning to base proficiency after extensive use. Chosen Weapon Skill: User can wield any weapon at a proficient level for the first time, including those they have never trained with before.

Level 2: Weapon Mastery. The user's proficiency with weapons increases, allowing them to perform feats of strength, precision, and agility beyond what their untrained counterparts could do. They are now able to wield weapons as if they had trained with them for years. Effect: The user can now wield any weapon with greater proficiency, performing advanced techniques, though their mastery still declines over extended use. Effect: Increased efficiency in combat, enabling quicker strikes and better control. Chosen Weapon Skill: User's proficiency with a chosen weapon type becomes even greater, allowing them to execute complex maneuvers and techniques beyond their earlier abilities.

Level 3: Precision Strikes. The user's ability to accurately strike weak points in any weapon grows, allowing them to deal critical hits with any weapon they wield. With even greater control, they can now focus on targeting an enemy's weak spots, resulting in more lethal attacks. Effect: The user can target weak points more effectively, delivering deadly strikes that deal critical damage Effect: The precision of each strike increases, particularly when dealing with enemies with armor or defensive abilities. Chosen Weapon Skill: The user's weapon of choice becomes an extension of themselves, and their attacks are now significantly more lethal, even against well-armored foes.

Level 4: Weapon Flexibility. At this level, the user can wield multiple weapons at once, performing swift combinations of attacks using different weapons. They can seamlessly switch between weapons in combat, adapting to various situations with minimal effort. Effect: User can now wield two or more weapons simultaneously, combining attacks into a fluid, continuous stream. Effect: Their switching between weapons is seamless, allowing them to counter various combat styles and threats. Chosen Weapon Skill: User's weapon of choice becomes versatile enough for them to handle multiple weapons at once, blending their style with that of others in creative and efficient ways.

Level 5: Weapon Expertise. The user achieves the peak of weapon proficiency, allowing them to make their weapon of choice almost an extension of their body. They are now able to perform impossible feats with their weapon, outmaneuvering opponents effortlessly. Effect: The user has reached expert level proficiency with their weapon of choice, allowing for near-superhuman feats with it. Effect: They can fight with minimal effort, using their weapon with such skill that opponents rarely have a chance to react. Chosen Weapon Skill: User is a master of their weapon, capable of performing devastating strikes, evasions, and combinations that make them nearly untouchable in combat.

"That is… interesting…" Zavier mumbled. Those options shored up a lot of the weaknesses of the skill and allowed him to become far more proficient than he had any right to be with items he'd never used. The 'weapon of choice' sections intrigued him, especially the parts where he could use the skill he had gained with his chains to push his proficiency with all other items beyond their limits. He was relieved to see it. The chain had become so integral to his fighting style that he couldn't imagine having to abandon them, or watch them grow weaker as he continually sought out weapons he'd never chosen before.

Instinctively he knew he could choose the paths he wanted for both his skills and immediately gain the results, but a part of him was hesitant. He just didn't know enough yet and didn't want to lock himself into a decision he'd regret later. He hated that his skills were still the generic and not personalized for him, other than Tactical Synergy, but he was fairly confident he'd have time to decide later. There was no reason to rush now. If his trial reached a point where it was too hard or where he was in danger he could choose something, but as it stood none of the options provided a marked advantage to the situation he was in right now. What he needed to do was get out there and start leveling up until he reached the dungeon guardian and killed it.

There's plenty of time to decide later, he thought, unaware of how right he was or how often he'd be thinking back on those words.

Zavier slapped his knees and stood up. "Welp, nothing left to do but to do the damned thing," he said as he set off towards the woods.

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