Strength

Strength is the attribute governing the physical power of the body. Baseline strength can be raised by using your muscles to their full extent.

Strength includes:

Endurance: the application of strength over time.

Power: creating brief bursts of energy beyond your normal capacity.

Flexibility: the ability to apply force without damaging the body.

Put simply, strength determines how hard you can hit, how much you can carry, and how long you can run.

As he read, Nick saw that his physical attributes worked a bit differently than he had expected. Most notably, he was surprised to learn that strength directly affected his endurance, and that it improved his flexibility, which he had thought was governed by dexterity. It seemed that strength was not only a measure of Nick’s raw power, but also the ability to use that power effectively without damaging his body in the process. After deciding that it might be worth investing a few points into strength at a later date, he moved on to the next attribute on the list.

Dexterity

Dexterity is the attribute governing control over the body. Baseline dexterity can be improved by performing complex actions that require a high degree of coordination.

Dexterity includes:

Reflexes: instinctual and nearly instantaneous movements in response to stimuli, such as dodging or rolling with a blow.

Coordination: the ability to move smoothly and efficiently when performing complex actions.

Agility: the ability to move quickly and easily without losing balance or control.

Put simply, dexterity determines the coordination of your movements, the speed of your reflexes, and the ability to maintain your balance.

Now that Nick had acquired a sword, he decided that improving his dexterity was more important than increasing his strength, although he would try to raise that attribute through physical conditioning. While strength would let him do more damage with every slash, even a light touch of the razored blade was dangerous. But the sword was useless if he couldn’t land the blow to begin with.

Dexterity would harmonize with toughness to keep him alive. While toughness would help Nick survive the hits he took, dexterity could help him avoid taking damage outright. Or let him turn what would have been a critical strike into a glancing blow. Dexterity would also assist Nick in combat by helping him control his weapon, as well as parry the blows of his opponent.

Additionally, keeping his balance while running for his life or navigating dangerous terrain would likely save his life sooner rather than later. Thus, he decided that he would invest at least one of his free points into dexterity. Finally, Nick spent his last kp and read the description of what was currently his favorite attribute.

Toughness

Toughness is the attribute governing the resiliency of the body and the mind. Baseline toughness can be improved by surviving significant damage, as well as by experiencing intensely stressful situations.

Toughness includes:

Fortitude: the ability to tolerate pressure and pain without being overwhelmed.

Resistance: the ability to shrug off damage from and endure exposure to physical attacks, poison, acid, fire, ice, and disease.

Recovery: the natural rate of health and stamina regeneration.

Put simply, toughness determines how much stress you can endure, how much punishment you can withstand, and how fast you recover from injury and exhaustion.

Nick was surprised to learn that toughness affected his mind as well as his body, although he supposed that it made sense based on his own experiences. His early gains to his toughness explained why he had been unusually resistant to mental trauma, although he suspected that the System had a hand in that as well. Otherwise, anyone who chose to specialize in other attributes would inevitably suffer lethal breakdowns before the end of the tutorial, let alone whatever awaited them on the other side.

In addition to keeping Nick’s sanity intact, toughness regulated how fast he recovered his energy and the rate at which he healed wounds. Not to mention the ability to shrug off various types of damage. This explained why his injuries had not incapacitated him to the same extent they would have back on Earth, although the gains to his raw health with each level likely played a role as well.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

After mulling his options over for the better part of an hour, Nick was ready to spend his points.

Nick loved toughness. It was his favorite attribute by a fair margin, especially after reading the full extent of its benefits. While investing heavily in toughness was a fantastic idea if he wanted to survive the hardships ahead, it had also been the easiest attribute to raise naturally. It would likely tick up again sooner or later, whenever Nick got the shit kicked out of him without dying in the process. It wasn’t what he was aiming for, but by now it seemed more or less inevitable, at least at his current level of martial proficiency.

Strength was generally useful, but not critically important to fighting with a sword, and Nick intended to fight bare handed as little as possible going forward. On the other hand, dexterity would help him to land more hits while wielding a weapon and take less damage in return. Thus, he decided to split his points and invest one point each into dexterity and toughness.

Satisfied that he had made the right choice, Nick walked over to the display, verbalizing his train of thought as he made his confirmation. He almost spent both free points at once, but then Nick remembered how intense the experience had been last time. He changed his mind just before he pulled the trigger.

“I’ll start with another point of toughness please.” As the display flashed a confirmation message, a ball of heat formed near Nick’s navel. A writhing wave of fire built up in his gut and went coursing throughout his body, surging across his torso before spreading through his extremities. This time, Nick was ready for the intense sensation, and he paid close attention to the changes occurring within his body. He could feel the flowing energy reinforcing his tissue. Systematically reforging his muscles and tendons, his organs and bones, into a new, more resilient configuration.

The energetic worms crawling through his veins were not quite as freaky this time around, now that Nick knew what to expect, but it was still quite a rush. Since he had remembered to sit down, he spared himself an uncontrolled faceplant as well, which was always nice. When the tremors in his body stilled twenty minutes later, he walked back up to the display and said, “Alright, now a point of dexterity to top it off.” He quickly plopped back down with his back against the stone.

This time there was no heat. Instead, a wave of vertigo passed through Nick from head to toe, stripping him of his bearings. Although he was braced and seated, he still managed to fall over. No longer able to tell which way was up and which was down as the world spun madly around him, like a sock tossed into a washing machine. It played merry hell upon Nick’s inner ear, and it was all that he could do to keep himself from vomiting in his own lap.

The experience was by no means fun, but eventually, the sensation subsided, and Nick regained his sense of body and space. Spitting out a mouthful of bile, he dragged himself back onto his feet.

As soon as his legs were supporting the weight of his body, he realized that his stance felt wrong. His center of gravity was too high and several inches in front of his spine. Nick adjusted his posture instinctually, placing his weight between the balls of his feet where he could shift his center with less effort. He straightened his lower back and pulled his hips over his heels, where gravity naturally held him in a stable configuration. He stepped back and forth, then from side to side, feeling his weight transfer with a clarity he had never known before. Laughing, Nick hopped from one foot to the other, managing to keep his balance despite his antics.

After confirming that his balance had been improved as advertised, he was ready to test out his new coordination. He slid his dagger out of its sheath and took a few experimental slashes, recreating a few choice moments from his fights with the rats. Nick found that it was easier to control the weapon without having to actively concentrate on the motion. To sense where the blade was and how it was moving in relation to his body.

Nick tried changing his grip and found that the motion was smoother and more natural than before. He could feel the balance of the blade faster and more reliably. Although he couldn’t think of a way to test out his involuntary reflexes, he was more than satisfied with his investment. While he dearly loved toughness, he decided that dexterity was pretty great too. With his points spent, Nick took a look at his full profile for the second time since arriving on the Searing Isle, contemplating how far he had come in such a short span of time.

Contestant Profile: Nicholas ‘Nick’ Henry.

Level: 3.

Tier: 1.

Species: Human of Earth (E).

Class: Survivor (basic).

Base attribute points per level: 0. Free attribute points per level: 1.

Attributes

Strength: 4

Dexterity: 7

Toughness: 9

Mind: 7

Creativity: 6

Charisma: 5

Magic: 2

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