On the Matter of Attributes

Graywood Forest.

The layered canopy formed an impenetrable cover, shutting out the moonlight. Whether it was the wind or the insects, every sound in the forest seemed especially grating.

My head hurts...

Consciousness gradually returned to his mind, and his unfocused vision began to sharpen.

Where am I...?

Wang Dong looked around in confusion as the scene before him came clearly into view.

A brightly burning campfire, a somewhat tattered tent, and three people resting around the fire.

A textbook adventurers' wilderness camp.

But the question was... why had he appeared in this godforsaken place in the middle of the night?!

Wang Dong's heart jolted.

As his consciousness fully awakened, a flood of memories surged into his mind as well.

It took him quite a while before he fully understood his current situation.

In short, he had transmigrated.

He was no longer some ordinary passerby from Blue Star. In the blink of an eye, he had become a novice adventurer in another world—Zeliel.

"Uh... I..."

Zeliel subconsciously raised a hand to touch his face. His smooth, elastic skin was vastly different from that of his previous life.

That was only natural. After all, this body was only sixteen years old—a genuine teenager.

"What are you spacing out for again, Zeliel?"

The man by the campfire plopped down beside Zeliel and casually threw an arm around his shoulders.

Zeliel searched through his memories as hard as he could.

The other man was named Gray, a swordsman in this adventuring party.

However, compared to swordsmanship, Gray was clearly more accomplished when it came to women.

He had dazzling golden hair hanging to his shoulders and always wore an uninhibited, carefree smile. He was the sort of guy who knew exactly how to charm women.

There was also a ranger in the party named Vales, who was said to be a half-elf.

However, Zeliel had stared at him for quite a while before spotting any clue in his slightly pointed ears. Who knew how many generations of mixed blood there had been.

Then there was the party leader, Marcus.

A tall, muscular man with a close-cropped haircut, dressed in a hardened leather vest. His thick arms were bare, with a small round shield in his left hand and a saber in his right. He gave off a reassuring sense of security.

And finally, there was himself.

Zeliel, a sixteen-year-old novice adventurer, young and inexperienced. His class was...

Zeliel's spirits lifted when he caught two words that interested him greatly—mage!

That was right. He was actually a mage.

Seeing that Zeliel had remained silent for so long, Gray assumed he had yet to adjust to the surroundings and tightened his arm slightly.

"Relax, no need to be so nervous. Once this mission is over, I'll take you to the tavern in town to unwind properly. Maybe I can even help you become a man instead of a boy."

"Tch... all you ever think about is that stuff."

A disdainful snort came from across the campfire.

Ranger Vales looked at him with clear contempt. "Instead of wasting time and money on that, you'd be better off improving your strength."

Perhaps because of the thin elven blood in his veins, Vales always wore an expression that warned strangers to stay away.

Zeliel looked toward him, and an authentic Wu dialect phrase involuntarily popped into his head.

Damn short-lived race. You think a little brat like you can compare yourself to us elves?

"Vales, are all elves uninterested in reproducing?"

Gray wore a frivolous smile. "But I heard your father was quite the ladies' man. I'm guessing you already have plenty of half-half-half-half-half-elf siblings from the same father, huh?"

Vales's face turned livid.

He hated people who spread their affection everywhere, just as he hated his own father.

"Alright, save your energy."

A deep voice interrupted their bickering as Captain Marcus came over to mediate.

"We've been wandering around the outskirts of Graywood Forest for five days. Our supplies are running low, so it's time to head back. Zeliel, you take the first watch. Gray takes the second. We leave at dawn tomorrow."

The night gradually quieted, and countless stars climbed into the sky.

After sorting through and exploring the original owner's memories, Zeliel had gained a preliminary understanding of this world's magic system.

Every mage possessed a Source Seed within the sea of consciousness, and magic power was born from that Source Seed.

To cast a spell, one had to guide magic power through a complete cycle along the spell structure.

A spell structure was something akin to a circuit diagram.

Every spell had its own unique structure. Magic power had to trace its predetermined path with absolute precision for the spell to succeed.

And the only spell Zeliel currently knew was Fireball.

He slowly exhaled, closed his eyes, and focused.

Magic power flowed out from his sea of consciousness like water, then completed its circuit within his mind.

A moment later, a tiny flame sprang from his fingertip.

"So magic... is real."

Zeliel stared blankly at the flame and murmured to himself.

For someone native to Blue Star, the sight was quite shocking.

This was not some street magician's cheap trick. This was genuine magic—creating fire from nothing with his bare hand.

Of course, this was all Zeliel was capable of at his current level.

You could not expect a sixteen-year-old boy born into poverty, whose magical knowledge came entirely from self-study, to know much more.

The original owner had neither exceptional magical talent that would make great mages compete to take him as a disciple, nor a fortune vast enough to hire a professional magic tutor.

With both parents dead, after much deliberation, he had no choice but to join the Adventurers' Association, take on commissions to earn some money, and figure out his future afterward.

This mission was not particularly complicated. Their objective was to hunt the wild wolves in Graywood Forest and eliminate the beast threat.

It sounded rather dangerous, but wild wolves did not even count as magical beasts. Besides, everyone except Zeliel had fairly extensive experience, so nothing unexpected had happened so far.

Then Zeliel focused slightly, and an illusory interface visible only to him slowly formed.

Zeliel: lv 1 (99/100)

Leveling up grants 4 attribute points.

Basic Attributes: Each increase costs 1 point.

Strength: 65

The preferred attribute for physical warriors. It most directly increases bodily power.

Want to punch through an iron plate with your bare hands? Then choose Strength!

Strongly related to Constitution. Every 6 points of Strength increase Constitution by 1.

Agility: 60

Closely tied to coordination and speed, allowing maximum control over one's body.

Want to be an assassin? You cannot move like a clumsy oaf. No one would hire an assassin who cannot even climb a wall, and you can run faster when a mission fails.

Related to Strength. Every 4 points of Agility increase Strength by 1.

Constitution: 68

The vanguard's best friend, representing the body's endurance.

Generally speaking, the higher your Constitution, the harder you can take a beating.

Related to Strength. Every 4 points of Constitution increase Strength by 1.

Spirit: 67

A mage's lifeline. It increases the magic power storage limit of the sea of consciousness, allowing mages to throw more fireballs.

It also improves the quality of magic power produced by the Source Seed, making every unit of magic power more effective.

Intelligence: 66

Don't misunderstand—Intelligence is not IQ. An idiot is still an idiot.

However, increasing Intelligence enhances your comprehension. For example, warriors can quickly grasp combat skills, while mages can understand more complex spell structures.

As for vanguards... vanguards only need to go up front and take hits. They do not need Intelligence.

Strongly related to Charisma. Every 4 points of Intelligence increase Charisma by 1. (Smart people are always more likable.)

Advanced Attributes: Each increase costs 2 points.

Perception: 30

Increases scouting range. Once Perception reaches a certain level, you can even discern an enemy's weaknesses in battle. An essential skill for assassins who kill and loot.

Of course, that is the ideal scenario.

At the very least, putting points into it slightly increases your chances of surviving if someone ambushes you while you sleep.

Charisma: 45

Oh ho ho, this is a true jack-of-all-trades attribute.

Though it cannot benefit you in battle, it comes with countless advantages in daily life.

For example, the little girl downstairs might send you gifts from time to time, or some wealthy older woman from the imperial capital might take a fancy to you during an adventure, letting you live a carefree life as a kept man. (An essential attribute for casual players.)

Ultimate Attributes: Each increase costs 4 points.

Luck: 41

If you don't put points into me, I'll make you choke to death on water next time.

Just kidding. Luck is actually a rather mystical thing, connected to all probability-based events.

In a sense, if you are lucky enough, there is no difference between 99 points of Luck and 1 point of Luck.

If you think you are the chosen one, then you should probably spend your points elsewhere.