Keane stood in the forest clearing, the chill air biting his skin through his rough tunic. The system's glow pulsed in his vision, a digital lifeline in this impossible world. "Infinite points," he whispered, the words tasting like power on his tongue, his green eyes gleaming with ambition. 'No more playing it safe.' He'd been cautious too long, fearing traps in the system he'd coded himself. Now, with the forest's shadows whispering danger, he was ready to claim his edge.
He focused, summoning the interface.
…
[SYSTEM]
Name: Keane
Level: 1
Class: None
EXP: [██████████]
[STATS]
Strength (STR): 12
Dexterity (DEX): 18
Constitution (CON): 10
Intelligence (INT): 10
Wisdom (WIS): 10
Charisma (CHA): 10
HP: [100 / 100]
MP: [100 / 100]
Resistances: []
[Skills]
None
[Sub Skills]
None
[Distributable Points]
Stat Points: 10
Skill Points: 10
Mastery Points: 10
```
'Strength first,' he thought, grinning. 'Let's see how far this goes.' Without hesitation, he focused on Strength, willing points into it, watching the number climb, 20, 30, 50, 70. His muscles tingling, feeling power coiling like a spring, but at 99, it stopped, the system locking the stat without warning. "What the hell?" he muttered, brow furrowing. 'That's not right,' he thought. 'No way 99's the max.' He'd coded Eternal Realms with no hard cap, stats could scale almost endlessly with enough points, aimed at creating a long life span for the game as players never really reached the limits until years into the game where they would the limits in the thousands, so the stats stopping at 99 was unexpected.
'A glitch?' he wondered, 'or a temporary limit?' Pondering on it, he leaned toward the latter. 'Maybe it's tied to my level. Level 1, so 99's the ceiling for now? That could be it.' It kind of made sense, after all, the initial glitch was already out of the system's performance, so such development shouldn't be too shocking. It was as if the system itself was working to create balanced power to prevent breaking the game too early. 'Fine. I'll work with it, its already good, 99 for a level 1 is no joke at all.' His ambition didn't waver.
The strength coursing through his body was intoxicating. He could feel it in every fiber, raw power begging to be unleashed. 'But Strength alone's a death trap,' he thought, recalling his own code. High Strength without Constitution risked torn muscles or worse. 'I'm not snapping my own bones.'
He focused again, pouring points into Constitution. The number soared like before, 20, 50, 80, stopping at 99. He glanced at the points, as if still expecting a change, but it remained true, staying unchanged.
With the increase, he could feel it, his body felt denser, tougher, his body immediately feeling more solid, more resilient, like he could shrug off a blade. The cold that had been biting at him lessened dramatically, his breathing steadying with the flow. He repeated the process for Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, each hitting 99.
The system updated, words flashing: [Points Allocated. Stats Updated]
…
[SYSTEM]
Name: Keane
Level: 1
Class: None
EXP: [██████████]
[STATS]
Strength (STR): 99
Dexterity (DEX): 99
Constitution (CON): 99
Intelligence (INT): 99
Wisdom (WIS): 99
Charisma (CHA): 99
HP: [9900 / 9900]
MP: [9900 / 9900]
Resistances: []
[Skills]
None
[Sub Skills]
None
[Distributable Points]
Stat Points: 10
Skill Points: 10
Mastery Points: 10
…
He flexed, expecting his body to bulge like a bodybuilder's, but it didn't. His lean frame stayed the same, no grotesque muscles or glowing aura. 'Weird,' he thought, glancing at his hands. His body felt incredible, stronger, faster, sharper, but still looked as though nothing had changed. "Player body logic, I guess. No cosmetic changes, just raw stats..." Going off how Eternal Realms was designed without visual stat morphing, players kept their look to avoid uncanny transformations. "Guess that carried over... Good… I'd rather not look like a freak."
Almost immediately, he eyed the boulder nearby, half his height and as thick as a car. 'Perfect test,' he thought, cracking his knuckles. 'Let's see what 99 Strength looks like.' He drew back, cautious of his still-human frame, and then swung with full force. The impact roared, the boulder shattering into chunks, pebbles scattering like shrapnel flying in every direction, some embedding themselves in nearby trees with wet thuds... Pain flared in his knuckles, barely scratched, just a faint redness that was already fading.
"Damn," he whispered, grinning. 'That's some power.' He'd demolished stone like it was cardboard, and his hand barely stung.
'Constitution's holding up,' he thought, flexing his fingers. 'But I'm not pushing it yet.' He was still cautious of the risks. 99 Strength with low Constitution would've shredded his arm. With all stats at 99, he was balanced, a juggernaut in a human shell. Even then, it needed some getting used to.
Eyeing the forest's dense trees with little hesitation, Keane picked a direction, and after a few light jumps to prep himself, he took off. The world blurred in an instant, trees whipping past, branches snapping as his enhanced reflexes allowed him to weave between them effortlessly. His speed was unreal, faster than any car he'd seen back on earth. His vision had also become sharpened, even at his current pace he could make out individual leaves, the texture of tree bark, small creatures scurrying away from his sonic passage, and even moss growing on some surfaces. It wasn't night vision, but it was almost as though it was, perhaps the moon played a good role with its brightness.
Minutes passed in a rush of motion and wind, and when he finally came to a stop, barely winded, he couldn't help but smile as it seemed so surreal. 'Stamina's insane,' he thought, chest rising steadily. Constitution and Dexterity made him tireless, a machine of flesh. He grinned, imagining all he could achieve with this new found strength… 'This is my world now.'
As he explored the system, the empty skill section was glaring, 'no spells yet,' he thought, sitting cross-legged on the forest floor. He'd read enough manga, seen enough fantasy anime and movies, so what he was about to try next was only logical now that he was in a magical world. 'Find your center, feel the energy within, all that mystical bullshit.' Mana was internal, a flow to tap. He closed his eyes, focusing inward, trying to still his racing mind, but it prove more difficult than it sounded. Minutes passed, his thoughts a jumble of excitement and doubt. Just at the brink of giving up, a spark appeared, warmth around his abdomen, like a current pulsing from it and through his veins. 'That's it,' he thought, eyes snapping open. Just as he was about to probe deeper, a scream shattered whatever little concentration he had garnered.
Immediately, his enhanced senses immediately locking onto the direction the voice came from, measuring it to be about 3 km away. 'Someone's in trouble,' he thought, standing. The scream meant one thing for sure to him at that moment, human contact. He didn't know this world's rules, but a human meant information and a direct way out of the forest and into civilization.
Deciding immediately to check out the scene, he sprinted towards the direction of the scream, covering the 3 km in around 6 seconds. He stopped short, climbing a tree for cover, his Dexterity making the ascent effortless. From a high branch, he watched a chaotic scene unfold.
Five humans in rough leather and mail were backed against several wooden carts and wagons, weapons drawn. What Keane saw before them was even more surprising and fascinating than the medieval clothes soldiers. Before them was a massive brown-furred beast the size of a tree trunk, easily the size of all five men combined, perhaps with Keane also thrown into the mix. It looked like a saber-toothed tiger crossed with a bear, with massive fangs that gleamed in the moonlight. 'Yeah, certainly not an animal I've heard of before,' Keane thought, frowning. 'Some fantasy monster, huh?'
He held his position for a while, watching the confrontation, and without needing much expo, it was clear that the humans were losing, their strikes glancing off its hide, one already bleeding on the ground.
Keane's pulse quickened, not from fear but thrill. 'They're outmatched,' he thought, gripping a branch. 'Time to play hero?'