*Ding*
<System Initializing>
*Smack*
<Initializing…. 45%>
*Smack*
<System Online>
‘What?’ Damion tried to say, but all that came out of his mouth was a cry as he felt a slight pain in his backside.
“Shkar di khdai di jwandi lari,” Damion heard words, or at least he thought they were words, but he did not understand what was said.
“Da da khdayano barkat di,” another voice answered the first.
Damion tried to look around to see who was speaking, but he could hardly open his eyes and all he could see was a bit of light and plain ceiling.
*Ding*
<System available for use>
The chime in his ears brought Damion back from trying to look around to think about the words that he could actually understand. Something about a system and it being ready for use. The first of a series of things that came to Damion’s mind were computer games. Damion loved RPGs and this sounded right up that alley. With that thought in mind, Damion began to try and interact with whatever this system was.
‘Open.’ Damion thought, but nothing happened. ‘There has to be a way to interact with what ever this thing in my head is.’
Thinking back to all the games he had played as a kid Damion tried another approach.
‘Menu,’ Damion tried, again with no luck.
‘Status,’ this time, Damion was rewarded with a monotone voice speaking before a screen appeared in his mind’s eye.
<System activated>
[Welcome user. You have been reborn after death and been granted access to the Magic System]
[Magic System]
[Full System unlock in 17:364:23:57:38]
[System Level: 1]
[User: Damion Wells]
[Age: 0]
[Magic Talent: Locked]
[Magic Affinity: Locked]
[Mana: 0/5]
[Magic Power: Locked]
[Mana Recovery: Locked]
[Strength: 0]
[Dexterity: 0]
[Vitality: 100]
[Intelligence: 112]
[Experience: 0/1,000]
[Store Credits: 0]
Damion read through the description on his status menu and could not help but be a little shocked as his new reality began to dawn on him. Until the chime in his head, he had been driving in his car on the highway at night, when suddenly a pair of headlights had blinded him then he felt a great deal of pain for an instant and then nothing.
Stolen story; please report.
‘I died,’ Damion thought as he recalled the brief moment and read over the text from the system. ’I didn’t even make it to 30. What am I supposed to do now.’
Damion’s eyes drifted back to the system menu as he gave it a closer look.
‘It’s called the Magic System, so that must mean there is magic here. Since I died, I guess this means I’ve reincarnated, but not on Earth. That language was not one that sounded familiar at all and there is no magic on Earth.’
Damion was not entirely sure what the system was or how to interact with it, but at the bottom of the window in his mind he saw a few options and decided to focus on them to see what would happen.
The options were [Quests], [Shop] and [Skills]. The first he focused on was [Shop], he hoped that it would perhaps have a how-to manual for sale.
<Shop is Locked>
The same monotone voice rang in his head. Since the [Shop] was locked Damion changed his focus to the [Skills] icon.
<Skills>
*Ding*
<New user, no skills available. One free skill draw available. Would you like use your free draw for a random skill?>
[Yes/No]
‘Yes,’ Damion thought. Even though he was now an infant and he had no real clue what this world was like, skills were necessary in games and he was sure they would be essential in this new world.
<Skill drawn. Mana Absorption>
[Mana Absorption: Passively absorb mana. When mana is full excess mana will be bled off at a rate of 1 mana per second. Warning, absorbing more than twice your mana capacity can result in damage to magic core and mana pathways.]
Damion was not sure what a magic core or mana pathways were, but he took the warning to heart. It meant he should not over absorb mana. He only had a capacity for 5 mana at the moment and Damion was not sure if that was considered good or bad, but he figured having mana would be better than not having it.
[Activate Mana Absorption – Passive Skill] [Yes/No]
‘Yes.’
The next moment Damion felt his body begin to feel good. It was almost as if he had just walked outside on a warm sunny day from a cold damp room. His entire being felt great.
“Valagha mena juzboy. Da da baor war naa daa,” one of the female voices he heard before exclaimed.
Damion did not understand the woman, but he guessed her excitement was because his body was suddenly absorbing mana.
<Warning>
<Body mana pathways are not fully developed. Unable to properly channel excess mana. Mana pathways have been damaged.>
‘Turn off the skill. Turn off the skill,’ Damion shouted in his mind and from his mouth he began wailing as the warm feeling over his body had changed to a searing pain.
<Mana Absorption deactivated>
‘How long until my mana pathways heal?’ Damion asked the system, hoping that it could tell him more than expecting an answer.
<Mana pathways heavily damaged. 5% chance to heal on full system activation>
‘Full system activation?’ Damion thought and then remembered the countdown. ‘I have to wait 18 years! Wait, system you answered me, why didn’t you warn me?’
<The Magic System reacts fully to audio and visual input, but does not possess cognitive functions until fully unlocked.>
‘Great. So, this system can answer me, but doesn’t think to give me more information then I ask for, even if that information would save me from myself.’
“Saa wakro, da meny lary yay kharabi dee,” the woman spoke, this time Damion thought she sounded quite worried.
This time a man’s voice answered her and Damion could not help but feel that this voice belonged to his father, “Mog valagha warta porta koo. Valagha baa da khpal zvak laa lary qawi wee ya naa, naa yawazy jado.”
*Ding*
<New Quest Available>
[Quest: Learn a new language]
[Description: You have heard this strange tongue a number of times now. It is time to learn the Otash language so you don’t go through life unable to communicate.]
[Reward: 100 Experience, 1 Store Credits]
Damion was not sure what to think about the system giving him a quest, but he figured it would be a step forward. The system was right, if he wanted to make his way in this new world, he would have to learn the language.
The problem was, Damion had never been good with learning languages, he was not even that good with English. In high school he managed to fail both his English class and his Spanish class. All he could hope for now was some extra help from this Magic System.
This new world, whatever it was called, was a new chance for Damion and he was determined that this time around he would not be a college dropout computer nerd that couldn’t hold down a steady job. He was given a second chance at life and Damion was not going to let it pass him by. Even if he had just crippled himself.