Let's Play a Game – Chapter 4

For continuous research, your intelligence has increased by 1.

I smile as I close out the box. I turn my attention back to the computer and stare at the clock in the corner of the screen.

Roughly half past two in the morning…

Four hours of research have gone by. Concepts such as grinding, min-maxing, and more filled my head, as I bumped from page to page.

Not only do I have a much more in-depth idea on what my powers are about, and what I could possibly do with them, I had even gained a new skill and a new point in intelligence.

I stared at the skill box to see the current level.

[Speed Reading (passive) Lv6 EXP: 45.58%]
A skill using rapid reading to acquire information.
With more mastery, the faster words can be read.
Current reading speed: 6000 WPM.

I close out the box with a big fat grin on my face.

Oh, I am going to have so much fun grinding you…

Oookay, that sounded…yeaaaah.

I am going to have so much fun power-leveling you?

Yeah, that's better.

I shake my head.

I can easily level that skill by reading over Mom's collection again.

Hell, even reading my boxes with just a glance now is so convenient and it even levels my skill. From what testing I did during my research, it's kind of like observe. New sources of information give more exp than old sources, but in this case it's about specifically comprehension.

Not only can I speed read to an insane degree, I can fully comprehend it as if I took my time with it. I gain more experience if the information is new, and only gain limited experience with the skill if I already comprehend the idea behind what I read. It's even less experience if I've already read it relatively recently.

No idea on how it will work on books I've read dozens of times in the past, but even if it doesn't net me much, it'll still be fun to read a classic novel in less than thirty minutes…

I'll even be able to catch up on all the books on my "to read" list.

Another one of my skills is practically a thinker power all on its own, and it's obviously the best thinker power. Any super power that makes you super human at reading is automatically the best super power by default. No argument.

Hell, my cooking skill, if it gets as ridiculous as this, might count as a tinker power with a food specialization.

The best thing is that with observe, I'll be leveling speed reading all the time. The more I level observe also means the more information I'll be reading as well, and with how fast I read, I'll have even more time to observe things to level both skills.

The ridiculousness of that loop solely benefiting myself is so hilarious; I can't help but smile while thinking about it.

And that's just two skills!

The biggest difference between my power and normal games is the fact that I can seemingly pull skills out of thin air. I'm sure there's some limit that prevents me from just clapping my hands and getting one of the Triumvirate's powers, but even so, what little skills I have gotten from just doing normal things tells me I'm only seeing the tip of the iceberg here.

What also makes my power a bit unique in terms of game rules is that it is seemingly mixing two different ideologies. Well, it's possibly three depending upon how you view leveling skills.

RPGs generally have experience geared towards just levels. The player has stats or attributes that can only change after they level up with points or they don't even have stats at all. All they mainly do is pump experience into their personal level, and when it goes up, they get stronger. They can't level their attributes directly and have to go through an intermediary to do so.

The other, not so popular mechanic, is leveling attributes directly. If the player wants more strength, they level it with actions geared towards using that attribute, and the same goes for other stats. Dexterity, perception, endurance, intelligence, and even luck can all be leveled individually by repeatedly doing actions that use those attributes.

I seemingly have the best of both worlds. I have attributes going by the messages earlier…well technically yesterday…and can level them by using those attributes. I also must have a personal level as well beyond my skills given what I saw over Dad's head and the quest I completed.

The biggest question here is…well, how do I view my attributes and my current level?

Most games have a menu to look at whatever you needed to, but they also have a menu button to press, and I haven't had a box with the words menu on it yet…

If I have a menu, it's clearly not thought activated. Just thinking the word menu very hard is doing squat. Even when I think specifically about my skills, I get bupkus.

There's got to be something I'm missing here…

Well, I finished the research I wanted to do, and I didn't really plan on that. I even got a skill and an attribute point I wasn't planning for. So, time well spent I think.

I was originally going to stop when I got tired…but the need to sleep just…never came.

I might not even need to…

I'm not sure if that's necessarily a common aspect of some powers, but I'll need to look into it, probably at the library to be safe.

If that's the case, given how my powers need time to grow, that's just excellent synergy.

It fits the research too. Most RPGs have characters with no need to sleep, eat, or drink. Those that do only come up in games that are not part of the norm, or have an extra survival mode that specifically feature those requirements.

I am jumping ahead of myself though. I don't know for sure if I don't need to sleep. I'll need to stay up and see if I get tired some time tomorrow. If the game logic holds out, I can even skip breakfast and lunch, then see if my stomach acts up…

I have no idea how my body actually sustains itself if that's the case. If my theory's confirmed tomorrow, it's fodder to think about at least.

Well, if I'm not going to sleep, and I'm done with the computer, I have a few options on what I can do to work out with my power.

One, I could try and see if I can create a more combat oriented skill. If I want to eventually go out and patrol the city as a hero, I'll need something to actually fight with. I guess a skill based on a martial art would work, but my skills need something to start with before I can just level them.

I stare back at the computer. I could look up a few introductions or basics in different martial arts and try to practice it. The only issue there is its late and I don't want to wake Dad up.

Some martial skills in games only generate experience when you actively hit something. Then again, unlike games, my life offers much more freedoms in terms of how I can move and act.

It would, while useful, probably be a better idea to wait until tomorrow morning after Dad left for work.

Two, I could test what books we have in the house to see if I have a skill book, blueprint, or recipe system. Heck, maybe it'll count an atlas as a map. After confirmation, I just could go through all the books in the house.

Again, the main issue is not waking up Dad.

Three, I could go back to my room and try focusing on training an attribute. As long as I'm careful, I should be able to keep noise down to a minimum.

Four, I could write down in my notes about what I've learned. It will give me time to go over everything again, and see if anything new clicks about opening my menu. Who knows, maybe by going over it, I'll see something that I missed earlier.

Rather than just have the focus on attribute training in general, this option likely would increase one of my mental attributes just by consequence, and would net me further understanding of my power in general.

…Yeah, option four sounds the best right now.

For a thought-out plan of action, your wisdom has increased by 1.

As I walk up the stairs and quietly head towards my room, I can't stop smiling.


I leaf through my recently written notes. It took about forty minutes, but I believe I have everything important written down.

I've tried my best to make everything in terms of game mechanics, so hopefully if anyone sees it, they'll just think I'm a big gaming nerd of the paper and pen variety.

I think Dad was a huge D&D nerd in the past…so, like father like daughter?

I smile slightly. I may not want to worry Dad just yet, but he's probably going to geek out about my powers isn't he?

I snort out a small chuckle and focus back on my work.

Within my notebook, I have it divided between sections.

In one, I've written down roughly everything I know about my power, and will likely fill that section up very quickly as time goes by. In another section, I've written down mechanics from games that might possibly exist for me in some form.

The other minor sections are just filled with basic gaming terminology, basic concepts, and possible future methods in leveling the skills and attributes I have efficiently and quickly.

While I was researching, I was mainly looking at how RPG games generally function and comparing them to what I know about my own power to feel out what I could possibly do.

Now I'm doing the opposite, seeing specifically where my powers differ. By doing that, I can hopefully nail down how I open my menu.

The biggest difference is I have no UI outside of the boxes that appear from time to time. Which makes sense, even with my power's gaming logic; I'm still a real person in a very real non-gaming world.

There's no controller or keyboard since my body is the controller for my gaming power. I don't come with a start or menu button.

I only have one active skill, and I know it's vocalized. Since I have no controller, again, this makes sense. Since I can't press a button for the skill or the menu, then they might have the same trigger.

For sound logic, your intelligence has increased by 1.

…Does that mean I'm right?

"Menu."

A blue box pops up.

I guess it does!

Quickly, I skim over the contents.

Game Menu

-Status-
-Inventory-
-Skills-
-Perks & Titles-
-Party-
-Journal-
-Options-
-Extras-

I let out a content sigh. I feel a little stupid for not figuring it out sooner, but hey; apparently I don't get a tutorial. That's fine by me though. Just exploring how my powers work has been more fun than I have had in a very long time.

Okay, first things first. I grab my pencil and turn over in the notebook back to the section mainly about my power. I write out exactly what I see on my menu box, before continuing. The plan is to go down the list, see what each option is, and write notes about each one.

"Status."

Immediately a tan box appears in the place of the menu.

Name: Taylor Hebert
Class: The Gamer
Title: N/A
Level: 1 EXP: 87.75%

HP: 100/100
MP: 190/190

Strength: 4
Vitality: 5
Dexterity: 8
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 7
Luck: 2

Attribute Points: 5
Money: $0

I skim through it quickly, and then focus on the more interesting parts, going down the list.

So, I'll eventually get titles. I'm not sure how useful that is since all the games I've come across in my research just use them cosmetically. If it gives me any boost to my stats though, that'll be great. If not, well, it's something I can play around with.

Why is experience displayed in percentages when I get experience points? Just to see if anything happens, I poke the EXP counter.

A small box pops up over it.

1755/2000

Oh, well, I guess if I want to know the gritty details in terms of points I can just poke it. The percentages honestly are a bit more convenient, but knowing the value of exp and how much I need exactly is going to be important for knowing when quests will guarantee I level up when they are completed.

Moving on, I have more mana than health, which given how my stats probably work makes sense. Intelligence is my highest stat right now, and health should be determined by vitality.

Well, if one gave me extra information, maybe the rest will. I poke my HP bar.

HP regenerates 1.5 points per minute based on Vitality and max Health.

Oh! I regenerate health. It's not exactly impressive as other regenerating brutes, but still, I regenerate!

I do some quick math on the side margins of my notes.

…Okay, it would take me roughly sixty-six and a half minutes for my health to fully regenerate. Still while not really combat viable, I have a decidedly superhuman regeneration factor…

…and since it's tied into vitality, it'll get even better.

I'll need to see what is normal health-wise for other people before I start planning on which attributes I need to train though, but vitality looks a lot more enticing to me now.

I tap on my MP.

MP regenerates 3.2 points per minute based on Wisdom and max Mana.

While great, the only problem here is I need to find something that actually uses my mana…

I continue on down to my attributes. Next to each is a counter where I can add points. I currently have five. I'm not sure if I just start with five or if five is the amount I get per level. Before I use any of my points though, I want to explore all my options. A few taps tells me just about what I expect with each stat, and I start writing down what each states.

Strength makes me stronger and consequently boosts my physical attack power.

Vitality makes me healthier and boosts my HP regeneration.

Dexterity makes me faster, more flexible, and more graceful.

Intelligence makes me smarter, boosts my MP total, and boosts my magical attack power.

Wisdom makes me wiser, boosts my MP regeneration, and makes me resistant to magical attacks.

The odd man out though is the last one.

Luck will skew probabilities in the Gamer's favor. A higher luck will boost the drop rate of items, the likelihood of a critical hit, and the Gamer's success in games of chance.

First of all, drop rates? That means my gamer power actually has a loot system, but if I want to be a hero, I can't just take money from criminals I arrest…

That's clearly a PRT no-no for heroes. I may not know a lot about the specifics but I sure as hell know that "loot everything" is not acceptable no matter who you're looting.

I don't even know how a drop rate would work in real life…

Is it going to be like with my glasses and do something that makes no sense? Is it just going to magically empty their pockets?

Ugh, I guess I'll just figure out how this system works later.

Beyond that, essentially with luck, I might get better items…however that works, I might hit harder some of the time…which again is something that only makes sense with game logic, and I might do better at gambling…somehow.

It's definitely the odd duck compared to the other stats that directly improve me. Then again, it's luck. Compared to attributes that purely affect me physically, it's going to be odd simply due to it being a nebulous subject.

It's also my lowest attribute, so I feel like I should give it some attention, at least until it's not so worrying.

Because that low score does make me feel uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in a way that any other stat being low wouldn't.

Is my luck so terrible because of my crappy life? Or is my crappy life so terrible because of my low luck?

I'd rather not think that luck is that powerful, even if my power has a number for it and that it can possibly grow to be stronger. Before I got my powers, I firmly believed that my life for the most part was not at the whims of probability. Things happened due to cause and effect.

There's a reason for things on why my life is the way it is. I'd rather not believe the idea that if my theoretical luck score was higher, that if I'd only been luckier, Emma would have never stabbed me in the back and Mom would still be alive.

Honestly, it's probably just another oddity of my power making reality succumb to game mechanics. It doesn't mention anything about a low score inducing bad luck after all, and it doesn't talk about altering events in general in my favor.

Even if I know that intellectually, it still bothers me a bit for bringing up the concept.

As I stare at the current amount of attribute points I have, I'm almost tempted into dumping the lot straight into my luck.

However, I know that I should save my points. If it's like my skill training or the attribute training in other games, my attributes will take longer to level the higher they are, the earlier I use my points, the less efficient I am being with my training.

I'm sure depending upon the situation that getting stronger faster will be more important than getting stronger efficiently, but right now, that's not the time.

For thinking ahead, your wisdom has increased by 1.

I smile, my wide lips almost reaching across the entirety of my face. Even when my power makes me feel uncomfortable, it does something right afterwards that instantly cheers me up.

It's just…nice to have that little pat on the back in my life, even if it is just a floating blue box.

…Again, something else the bitches three took away from me, any contact with positive reinforcement.

Well, fuck them, I have super powers. There's no way they can sour this for me.

So, the question now is, if I want to train my luck, how do I do that without losing any money in a casino…or hopefully any form of gambling?

The term "games of chance" doesn't necessarily mean it has to be a game over money…

…I did want to get closer to Dad. If we start having game night again like we used to, that could handle both issues.

I nod to myself. Yeah, that's definitely going down into the training ideas section.

The only other part of the Status menu is the money counter. Something that, while not necessarily impressive, is definitely convenient. It probably ties into the next menu, and the one I'm the most excited for.

"Inventory."

A large tan box opens this time. On the right, I see tons of tiny empty squares. On the left, I see cartoonish icons of what I'm currently wearing in several boxes overlaying a female silhouette.

The boxes that are not filled with an article of clothing or my glasses have a silhouette of a medieval equivalent of what I could wear there: gauntlets, bracers, a shield, a sword, rings with ridiculously large gems, and even greaves.

I look over the icons of what is currently equipped. There's just one thing that's missing right now…

I poke the box containing my sweat pants.

Two boxes pop-up, one with my pants, the other with my…

I pause.

An eyebrow slowly makes its ascent on my forehead.

Okay, not missing. I wonder…

I poke the second box and the article of clothing is highlighted. Like with my boxes before, I drag it over to one of the empty squares on the right side.

I pull my finger away.

As soon as I do, I feel a slight breeze as something on my person instantly disappeared.

My eyes widen as I suddenly undo what I just did, sliding the clothing item back into its appropriate slot as fast as I can.

I feel it suddenly reappear on my body.

I start laughing. I can't help it due to the sheer absurdity that is my super power.

…I can take off and put on underwear without even removing my pants.

Clearly, I am the ultimate life form.

I slam a hand over my mouth before I get too loud, my laughter increasing.

As soon as I get myself under control, I look over the inventory again.

Above the "equipped items" page on the left, there are tabs with numbers on them, ranging from one to seven. One is currently highlighted. I poke number two.

Would you like to equip outfit set #2?

I slowly tap on the "Yes" button.

Suddenly, I'm completely naked.

I barely manage not to shriek at the feeling of a sudden breeze as every bit of clothing I was wearing just vanished into thin air.

I go back to number one, hit yes immediately as the box appears, and suddenly, I'm clothed again.

I sit there for a few moments. It's really odd to instantly go from fully clothed to fully naked and vice versa like that…

Well, at least I know what it is. It's some sort of saved outfit feature. That's pretty neat. It's not generally a feature of RPGs though. More of a feature commonly seen in a life simulation game, but it'll make going between costume and normal clothes a snap.

I just hope I don't accidentally equip an empty one outside. That would be really embarrassing.

I click the second one again, and this time hit "No." I'm still on the tab of empty boxes but number one is still highlighted. There's also an equip button below all the empty boxes.

So, the question when you poke initially at one of the tabs is just some sort of convenient fast equip thing. Nice to know I can sort which outfits I want in each without having to be naked.

As I go back to writing notes, I pause.

I stare at my pencil, and look back up at the floating inventory box.

I pick up and push my pencil against the right hand side.

Unlike my test earlier this…I pause and look over at the clock…well yesterday; the pencil does not go through like the box is not there. Instead there's a small flash of light when it makes contact, and the pencil slowly disappears into the light as I push it.

When I push it all the way, the light disappears and now there's a cartoon icon of a pencil in the very first box, going left to right.

Even if I know logically that's what was going to happen, just seeing it makes me so excited.

I have a pocket dimension that acts like a literal pocket.

It's the first aspect of my power that's really flashy, and has me gushing 'I have fucking super powers!' in my head over and over.

I can't help myself. I grabbed a few more pencils from the cup on my desk and shoved them into the box.

Holy fuck they stack... Oh my god...

My eyes glazed over while I grinned.


Before I knew it, it was an hour later.

An hour of me stuffing everything I could think of into my inventory.

Everything in my desk, all my books school and otherwise, the clothes in my closet, my pillows, all the loose change I found, a random pack of batteries, a half-used Kleenex box…

And more. Much more.

None of it was safe from me.

The first time the screen was full of items, I was worried I'd reach my max limit, and my fun would be put to an end.

But no!

Every time I filled up a screen, it would just pan over to a new one for me to fill.

I had filled roughly six whole pages before I finally stopped myself.

Not at all because I couldn't fit the desk chair into my inventory and it gave me a moment to stop and think, no sir.

I shook my head while I looked around the room, slightly exasperated with myself for getting carried away.

Slowly, I started pulling things out of my inventory and putting them back. I'd keep a few things, like all the money I found and some basics like an empty notepad and some pencils. I would definitely need to write down a list of items to always carry around in My Powers notebook.

I still wasn't tired at all, and I knew by the time I finished putting everything back, it would be almost time for Dad to wake up.

It would be nice if he woke up to some hot breakfast.

Another quest box about making more food for dad popped up.

I stared at it with a smile. A smile I had worn for the past hour.

My power is awesome. I don't care if it's weird. I don't care if it's not an Alexandria package. It's fucking awesome, and it's mine.