The first thing he did was to go through the Essential item tab, looking for things he wanted to buy and stock up on. Thinking ahead, he planned to buy a few extras, even for after the tutorial.
He quickly ran through a list of items he wanted and checked the prices.
Basic Tent - 50 SP
Basic Blanket - 5 SP
Basic Cooking Set - 75 SP
Basic Skinning Tools - 10 SP
Basic Mining Tools - 10 SP
Basic Blacksmithing Tools - 100 SP
Basic Leatherworking Tools - 75
Basic …
Basic …
…
…
He added ten tents to his cart, many more blankets, 10 different profession guides he wanted to save, and a set of tools for every profession he saw.
It blows my mind that this “System Store” has a checkout cart… I feel like I’m on a website, purchasing stuff for delivery. So weird.
After checking out, his total purchases came to over 8000 SP. He didn’t mind, though, since he still had 65,000 left.
Items began to rain down around him. They appeared in the air and simply fell to the ground, or on his bed, or on top of him. Tents, blankets, metal tools, cooking pots, and an anvil. He was quickly buried.
“Shit, shit, shit,” He yelled aloud, panicking from all the items raining down on him. He began to quickly throw items into his Dimensional Storage, not caring for organization or where, so long as he didn’t get crushed by all the things on top of him.
“Damn, I survived an event from a universal wide system, fighting monsters with magic powers, and almost got killed by my shopping list,” he mumbled to himself in bewilderment and relief.
Let me see if I can organize all this, while it's still inside my storage, because right now… It's a mess. Items are slung everywhere, piled on each other, and stacked haphazardly.
He lay back down on his bed, closed his eyes, and focused on his skill.
In his mind, the storage space appeared. The size of it hadn’t really changed since he first visited, about ten by ten feet, in all directions. A perfect cube. With all his new purchases and a few items he was still carrying, it sat half full.
This is a lot of shit. Did I buy too much?
After some practice, he learned that he could physically interact with items in his mind, like a mental version of himself walking inside the storage space, or he could just mentally move an item with his willpower.
The items were slowly shifted into nice piles and separated into different sections according to what they were—tents in one area, crafting supplies in another. He could also see a mental list of all the items inside, which proved helpful with all the new supplies. There were so many things stacked on top of one another that he couldn’t see each item, so having the list allowed him to know what all he had.
I’d like to stockpile food in here, too. You never know when you need stuff.
Wait.
Am I going to be a hoarder?
What do I do now…hmmm...OH WAIT, I forgot rewards, he thought cheerfully with a big grin. He always loved loot.
Alex quickly pulled up the System Store screen again and went to the rewards area, and was instantly let down…
One item..? I literally killed two and a half generals! That's half the event by myself! What kind of shit is this!
He mentally pressed the one item, opening it, and the anger drained from him instantly.
REWARDS
1 item
Sponsor note - From Archy, the kindly grandpa
A kindly grandpa…! Archy! Wait… how did he know I thought he looked like a kindly grandpa? Did he read my mind?!
Alex opened the message attached to the single reward.
—
Progenitor, I’m sure you are surprised to receive a single reward from your first event exploits. I’ve monitored your progress, and you have done well, deserving many reward offers.
But given that you are a Progenitor, I’ve blocked you from the outside universe. No sponsor or power in the universe, save myself and the Universal System, knows of your existence. I will not always be able to shield you from the sight of others, but for now, I can, though it will most likely not last after the tutorial. It’s best to keep your presence hidden for as long as possible. If some people found out a Progenitor was around, they may try to interfere with your life, making things difficult for you.
Since you cannot receive offers, I will make sure you are adequately rewarded after each event. I can only bend the rules a little, so the rewards cannot be extraordinary or far above what a normal reward would be, but I will ensure they are tailored to your needs.
For your first event reward, I have included a profession kit. A kit you cannot yet purchase from the System Store until after the tutorial, but by that point, most will have chosen a profession from the starting ones.
This will give you a head start on a more rare profession and one specifically useful to Progenitors, given their talents with mana. There are more specialized versions of this profession, but I recommend that you do not specialize.
Being a progenitor, you have access to mana abilities and more system versatility than a normal person, so you will not need to. You can do everything, while only using a non-specialized profession. But if you did pick one, you would be locked in and restricting yourself, with zero benefit.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
An example of this would be a blacksmith who chooses either Weapon or Armor crafting. But you, as a progenitor, could do both just as equally well if you kept the original non-specialized Blacksmithing profession. If you did pick weapon or armor specialization, you wouldn’t be able to do the other nearly as well.
The point of specializing in a profession is to advance your craft, giving you greater knowledge and techniques on the path you’ve chosen. But with your unique talents, you can achieve the same knowledge and techniques without specializing. This gives you much more versatility, with no penalty, except taking more time to learn.
As I’m sure you have realized, things work differently for you. You can learn an infinite number of skills, given enough time, including professions. You are not restricted to one. Be mindful of the time constraints of mastering a profession, though. Spending too much time spreading yourself among different professions will weaken you in the short term. You must use your limited time with focus.
I will not tell you any more about your new profession than I already have. You will need to discover its capabilities for yourself. I always did enjoy a good show!
Friends are also important, especially for you. They will support you and help you grow, while also offering protection and companionship. I wish I had more advice for them to assist you, but I cannot offer much. At this point in the tutorial, your groups available resources are simply too limited. So, I'll offer advice for the two easiest.
Sam - He seems to be talented with mana manipulation, much more than your average newly integrated. I recommend that he take the alchemy profession or a special type of botany that might let him combine his interest. Alchemy and plant cultivation both require a great deal of precise mana control, and his skills will go a long way in those fields.
Rykos - Given Rykos’ beastkin race and his personality, he would not make a good crafter, nor would he want to be. He is a hunter through and through. I recommend he pursue a profession related to skinning, hunting, survival, or exploration.
For your other friends, their choices are a bit more flexible. None of them have a particular interest or hobby that would translate well to a profession, what from I have seen. But options that could prove useful would be professions that could allow them to perform field repairs on equipment like smithing/tailoring/leatherworking, cartography, leadership or tactics, or even merchantilsm. There are many choices that could be beneficial.
The current list of available professions you all have access too is not all encompassing. If they do not see a profession in the System Store they simply must have, I would recommend they wait until after the tutorial’s completion. New profession kits will become available over the coming weeks, and after you’ve returned to your planet.
Use the profession well, Progenitor. I look forward to seeing you complete the following events, and I’ll be sure to reward you appropriately.
Grow, gain power, and stay on your Path.
—
Alex sat in silence for a few minutes after reading the letter, then reread it. He was surprised by the sheer amount of information Archy had just given him. He had given Alex a profession kit, advice on how to use it and on professions in general, and even on some of his friends' professions.
That ending line of the letter… It reminds me of the system announcements.
And how the hell does he know all this? Is he literally watching every moment of my tutorial? He knows all my friends too, even about their personalities.
“Are you watching me now?” Alex asked, looking around the air, expecting to see an old man's face looking down on him. No reply came.
“That’s a little creepy, man. Just don’t watch me when I go to the bathroom, alright?”
Next, he opened the item awaiting claim. He was curious about which profession Archy wanted him to pursue.
A small scroll materialized in front of him when he opened the reward. It looked like a simple paper scroll, bound with a ribbon, though it was old. Very old looking.
Basic Profession Guide - Enchanting
“Enchanting, huh?” he wondered aloud, working through his thoughts. “I kinda know what that is from games, books, or anime. I could see how that would be useful with my abilities since it has a lot to do with mana.
It’s interesting how all these guides look different, too. This one is an old scroll, but some of the others were different: blacksmithing was a metal-lined book, and leatherworking was a leather-wrapped mass of pages.
I never gave it much thought, but it makes sense that I could pursue many different professions, given my class and race. Enchanting sounds great, though.
When he touched the ribbon, intending to open it, a notification appeared.
Use Basic Profession Guide - Enchanting?
Yes/No
When he thought the answer, Yes, the scroll snapped open, ribbon vanishing in a puff of light. The open guide floated eye level in front of him. Text, letters, and symbols filled the scroll, though he was unable to read any of it, even with his translation skill.
The symbols on the page all started to glow brightly, almost blinding Alex. He began to fear the letters would burn through the page and set everything around him on fire. His fear almost became real.
Glowing glyphs began to rip themselves off the scroll and float around him. When the final one tore itself away, the rest of the guide burst into flames and disappeared. The symbols floating in the air continued to do so, spinning around him. It was as if there was a tornado made of symbols, and he was in the center.
Suddenly, the floating, glowing glyphs shot at him quicker than he could react. When they touched him, there was a slight burning sensation, but nothing else as they sank into his flesh. He tried not to panic, but it was difficult when he was covered in strange, glowing symbols that slightly burned.
Each one that sank into him and was absorbed filled his mind with knowledge. Information on infusing things with mana, runes, etchings, and enchantments. So much knowledge, Alex thought his mind might explode.
Next thing he knew, the last symbol had disappeared into him, and he found himself on the floor. He had fallen to his knees, with his hands wrapped around his head from the agony. Sweat coated his body as he sat there, exhausted from the pain and mental strain.
“Son of a bitch, that hurt! Little warning next time?!” he yelled into the air, expecting Archy to see. “Kindly grandpa my ass. More like a sadistic old fuck!”
He didn’t care if Archy was some super-powerful being that was probably far older than Alex could comprehend. Pain made him lash out without concern for consequences, but luckily for Alex, there wouldn’t be any for his anger.
“That was rough...” he mumbled, still sitting on the floor.
He shifted his body and lay down on the cold stone. The coolness felt good on his body after that. The guide made him feel like he had been overloaded, temperature high, body on fire. It wasn’t pleasant.
He checked the notifications waiting for him after using the guide.
Congratulations, you have learned the profession Enchanting!
Error… denizen already has a profession…
…requesting assistance…
Override given, denizen is a Progenitor.
Changing new profession into a profession skill instead...
Congratulations, Progenitor, you have learned the profession skill Enchanting!
“Well, that’s unexpected. I hadn’t really thought of that, but my profession does already say something in it. And why the hell is the System doing extra stuff for me? It even talked to me before, which seems extra weird.”
He pulled up his skills and abilities screen to see the change.
Profession Skills: Enchanting
Hidden Skills: Basic Elemental Mastery
Essential Skills: Basic Skinning, Language of the Universal System
Skills: Stealth, Earth Magic, Power Strike, Fire Magic, Wind Magic, Dimensional Storage, Water Magic
Racial Abilities: Eyes of the Cosmos, Celestial Control, Will of the Universe, Space Magic
Achievements: Fighting up I, Ahead of the Pack, Planetary Powerhouse I, First of the Hidden
There it was, right above his Hidden Skills. He now had a Profession Skills area, where Enchanting was listed.
After a few minutes, he started to return to normal and mentally reviewed the information that had been downloaded into him. Sifting through the mountain of information was slow going, but he quickly realized there was much more to enchanting than he had ever heard before.
There are so many different paths you could take in enchanting, it's mind boggling. It encompasses a lot more, too. Obviously, I won’t specialize, as Archy said, but there is a wide range of possible specializations…. From weapon or armor enchanting, simple item creation like an enchanted blanket, enchanted runes drawn onto things showing the difference between internal enchanting and external with runes, ambient enchantments powered by raw mana in the air, natural enchantments placed on nature for wide area or local enchantments, and the list goes on and on. It's overwhelming to consider all this.
He stood up and paced around the small room a bit, just considering the new profession, its paths, and the variety of things he could do with it.
Patreon! Currently you can read 15 chapters ahead, but... who knows... this might increase soon ;)
discord. You can ask questions about Progenitor's Path, tell me how amazing it is, or discord your favorite foods. Whatever works!
Favorite book or series?! (Pick 4) Sorry I can't have 100 options, haha. Tell me if I miss yours in the comments!
