Chapter 8: The High Human and the Glitched Luck
The blue holographic screen hovered in the cool night air, casting a ghostly glow onto Kael's face. It was sharp, high-definition, and filled with data.
Kael leaned forward in his camping chair, squinting slightly. "Okay, let's see what we're working with."
He started from the top.
[STATUS WINDOW]
* Name: Kael
* Age: 18
* Race: High Human
* Class: The Creator (???)
* Level: 3
* Experience: 450 / 1200
Kael paused immediately.
"Eighteen?" He touched his own face. It felt smooth. No stubble. "I thought I just looked refreshed because of the forest air. But the System actually de-aged me? I got seven years back."
He moved to the next line.
"High Human? Not just... Human?"
He tapped on the text [High Human]. A small description box expanded.
> [Race: High Human]
> An ancient, primordial lineage of humanity that existed before the Age of Decline. High Humans possess perfect genetic potential, high affinity with all forms of energy (Mana, Qi, Ether), and a body capable of adapting to extreme environments.
> Base Stat Multiplier: 2.0x
>
"So I'm a vintage model," Kael mused. "That explains why I didn't die from eating that Spirit Meat. A normal human probably would have exploded."
He scrolled down to the numbers. He remembered from his gaming days that the average human adult usually had stats around 5.
[ATTRIBUTES]
* Strength: 24 (+2 from Spirit Meat)
* Agility: 18
* Vitality: 28 (+5 from Spirit Meat)
* Intelligence: 45 (Enhanced by Creator Class)
* Mana: 140 / 140
* Luck: [ERROR] (Value exceeds display limit / Variable)
Kael stared.
"Twenty-four Strength?"
He looked at his hand. He clenched his fist. The muscles in his forearm rippled—defined, corded, but not bulky.
"If the average is 5... I'm nearly five times stronger than an average man. And I'm only Level 3."
He glanced at Noir, who was snoozing by the fire. "No wonder I could almost hold the saw against you. I'm not weak. You're just ridiculous."
He looked at the Luck stat. The text was flickering between "???" and random glitched symbols.
"Well, that's ominous," he muttered. "Is it good luck or bad luck? I got hit by a truck (bad), but I got a cheat system (good), but I landed in a death forest (bad). I guess it's just... chaotic."
He scrolled down to the Abilities & Skills section. This was the most important part.
[UNIQUE ABILITY]
* [Absolute Creation]
* Rank: EX
* Description: The authority to weave Mana into matter. The user can create any non-living object they can visualize and understand.
* Constraint 1: Requires Mana.
* Constraint 2: User must understand the function or structure of the object.
* Constraint 3: Once created, the object follows the laws of physics/magic defined at creation.
[CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE]
* [Celestial Dragon's Breath (Incomplete)]
* Grade: Unknown (Self-Created)
* Proficiency: Level 1 (Beginner)
* Effect: Absorbs ambient Qi to refine the body and expand the Mana Pool. Currently passively active during sleep.
"Self-created technique," Kael smiled proudly. "All those years reading Wuxia novels paid off. Even if it is 'Incomplete', it's working."
[SKILLS]
* [Lumberjack: Lv. 2] (Increases damage to plant-type enemies/objects by 10%)
* [Butchery: Lv. 3] (Increases yield of materials from beasts)
* [Cooking: Lv. 5] (Food prepared grants small temporary stat buffs)
* [Mana Manipulation: Lv. 1] (Basic control of energy flow)
And finally, at the very bottom, were his Titles.
[TITLES]
* [Otherworlder]: Bonus to language acquisition. +10% Growth Rate.
* [Novice Architect]: Structures built by you are 10% more durable.
* [Natural Enemy of Forests]: You have felled over 50 ancient trees in 3 days. Dryads dislike you. Woodcutting speed +20%.
Kael choked on his spit.
"Natural Enemy of Forests?! I love the forest! I'm trying to live in harmony with nature!"
He looked around the clearing nervously. "Dryads dislike me? Great. Now I have to worry about angry tree spirits."
He dismissed the window with a wave of his hand. The blue light vanished, leaving him in the darkness of the campfire again.
He sat there for a long time, processing it.
He was eighteen again. He was a "High Human." He was stronger than an Olympic athlete and smarter than he had ever been in his past life.
"I have all this power," Kael whispered, looking at his palms. "I could probably go to the nearest capital city and become a high-ranking adventurer. I could be rich."
He looked at the half-finished floor frame of his house. He looked at the pile of mangled cedar wood. He looked at the quiet, starlit field where he planned to plant potatoes.
"Nah," he said, leaning back and closing his eyes. "Building a porch sounds way better than fighting a Demon Lord."
He stood up and stretched. The fatigue of the day was heavy in his bones, but it was a good tired.
"Come on, Noir. Bedtime."
The panther's ear twitched, and he lazily got up to follow Kael into the tent.
As Kael zipped up the sleeping bag, he made a mental note.
'I have the stats. I have the materials. Tomorrow, I'm not just going to try to saw wood. I'm going to Create a solution for the sawing problem. I have 45 Intelligence now. I should use it.'
He closed his eyes, and the [Celestial Dragon's Breath] naturally began to cycle, pulling the starlight energy into his sleeping form.
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