A Pyromaniac's Ascent

"Keep in mind, it's a good idea to allocate points to the other elemental affinities as well, not just fire," Halgon said. "You can prioritize fire, but focusing solely on one element might cause problems in the long run."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's useful to have the power of other elements in your arsenal," Halgon explained. "For instance, when facing a corrupted being that's weak to a certain element, having proficiency in that element can give you a significant advantage. Additionally, some skills require points from multiple elements to unlock. And as a mage, you'll likely want to combine fire with other elements to create stronger attacks."

"So there's a weakness-based system too? And elemental combinations?" Finn's eyes lit up. "That sounds pretty cool."

But it's not really that appealing to me.

He opened his status screen again and glanced at his affinities. The 15 points in fire immediately caught his attention, though he also noted the 5 points in stone, water, and wind.

"Fifteen points in fire, huh. Is that because I've used it multiple times before?" Finn asked.

"Exactly," Halgon replied with a nod. "But more importantly, you're what we call a natural. You can summon fire out of thin air, right? Naturals always have higher affinities in the element they can summon."

Finn frowned slightly. "Then why do I have points in the other elements too? I don't recall ever being able to control them before. I mean, I definitely tried when I first discovered I could use fire."

"Everyone has some affinity in every element when they first receive the system," Halgon explained. "All creatures are connected to the elements in some way. They're not locked to just one. It's just that most are naturally more proficient in one element over the others. Some rare individuals even excel in multiple elements."

"How much affinity do most people start with?" Finn asked.

"Usually, a challenger begins with at least 30 points in their weaker elements and 50 or more in their strongest affinity," Halgon said, studying Finn's status. "Your starting points are much lower than average."

"Is it because I haven't used anything besides fire before? Or maybe because I've been on Earth all this time?" Finn speculated.

"That's probably it," Halgon agreed. "Being cut off from elemental energy on Earth would have stunted your growth. Honestly, I'm surprised you retained your fire abilities after 21 years. Most humans lose them much earlier."

Before Finn could respond, Halgon suddenly raised his hand, looking upward as if focusing on something Finn couldn't see. He remained silent for a few moments, his expression serious, before speaking again.

"You're in luck, Finn," Halgon said, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Why's that?" Finn asked.

"The Gods," Halgon began, his voice tinged with awe. "They've decided to help you. They'll increase your elemental affinities."

"Seriously?" Finn's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's amazing! But… why would they do that?"

"They pity you," Halgon said bluntly. "And honestly, I do too. Being summoned here with almost no preparation, starting from scratch… it's a massive disadvantage. You wouldn't survive a single day in the Tower at this rate."

Finn chuckled dryly. "I guess I should be glad I'm still alive after everything. I mean, I almost burned to death in that house back on Earth."

"Still," he continued, "it's not all bad. Having the system is already a huge advantage. It might actually help me survive. And the chance to rule a planet… even if I don't particularly desire it, that's got to be an incredible privilege."

Halgon smiled warmly. "You've got the right mindset, Finn. That attitude will help you go far. Maybe even farther than you think."

With a snap of his fingers, Halgon triggered a sudden glow around Finn's body. The light enveloped him for a brief second before fading, leaving Finn feeling a subtle surge of energy.

He opened his status screen again, and sure enough, the changes were there:

Elemental Affinities:

Stone - 30

Water - 30

Fire - 55

Wind - 30

"They really did increase," Finn said, staring at his updated stats in amazement.

"You have contact with them, right? Can you thank them for me? This is definitely something," he added, glancing at Halgon.

"That I will do," Halgon replied with a nod.

Finn turned his attention to his attributes next, noting that each one was equally at 5 points. Curious about their functions, he mentally selected the first stat, Constitution, and a small description appeared:

Constitution - Refers to how much damage one can take before dying. Also contributes to the speed and effectiveness of one's regeneration rate.

This looks like something someone with a tank-related class would focus on… but not for me.

He moved to the next one.

Strength - Refers to how much raw strength one is capable of.

Short, but understandable. Again, not for me.

The third stat, Perception, piqued his interest more:

Perception - Refers to one's awareness of their surroundings and improving their senses.

This sounds like something assassin or archer classes could use… but I wonder if it could improve my control of the elements too? Might be worth taking note of.

"Is the stat Perception a good stat to focus on as a Mage?" Finn asked, looking to Halgon for insight.

"Not as important as Wisdom, but it's still quite useful," Halgon replied. "It could improve your accuracy if you want to fight at long range. It could also help with overall control. For example, if you want to focus on fire, Perception could help since fire is just as flexible as water, and arguably more versatile than the other elements."

"Then it's definitely a secondary stat I could focus on," Finn noted, filing the information away.

Finally, he clicked the last stat, Wisdom, and felt a small thrill as its description popped up:

Wisdom: Refers to how much mana one is capable of.

Now this is definitely the one I'll put my primary focus on. Halgon said mana is the most important thing for using the elements, right? Choosing the Mage class really was the right call.

Looking below his stats, he noticed a section labeled Free Points and saw he had 10 available.

"Where did these free points come from?" Finn asked.

"Those are provided whenever the system is granted to someone," Halgon explained. "You can add them to whichever stat you like."

Finn considered this carefully before allocating 7 points to Wisdom and 3 points to Perception, reasoning that mana was his priority but control could still prove useful.

Attributes:

Constitution - 5

Strength - 5

Perception - 8

Wisdom - 12

Free Points - 0

"Sorry for asking, but I'm terrible at math," Finn said sheepishly. "How many free points do I get each time I level up?"

"You'll receive 2 free attribute points, 2 free elemental affinity points, and an additional 2 points to Wisdom because you picked the Mage class," Halgon explained. "That's a total of 6 per level. And if you stick with the Fire Mage subclass after level 25, you'll gain an additional 2 points to Fire every time you level up."

"That's good to know," Finn said, nodding.

"Anyway," Halgon added, "you'll get the hang of it soon enough. Just focus on where to allocate those points based on your priorities."

Finn's eyes drifted down to the next section of his stats: Skills. He eagerly clicked it, only to be disappointed when the screen revealed an empty list.

"How do I get skills?" he asked, frowning.

"Look at the top-right corner of your screen," Halgon instructed. "You'll see a small rectangle labeled Shop. That's where you'll find skills."

"And if you check the bottom of your interface, you'll see your Valor Points listed there. That's the currency you use in the Shop. You can earn more by killing corrupted elementals in the Tower. The stronger the enemy, the more Valor Points they give."

Finn's gaze shifted to where Halgon directed, spotting the box labeled Shop. Below it, another box labeled Inventory caught his eye, but he decided to focus on the Shop for now.

Excitedly, he mentally clicked on it, and a new interface appeared, displaying rows and columns of items. At the top were categories to filter items by type, and on the right, a search bar.

Good job, devs—or should I say, demigods?

Without hesitation, he typed in the name of the skill he wanted most: Fireball. A classic choice, the old reliable.

Finn leaned back slightly, thinking back to the first time he heard the word skills during Halgon's presentation. At first, he thought it seemed redundant—after all, he could summon fire out of thin air on his own. But now, he saw the appeal. Having a quantifiable, stable skill like Fireball could prove invaluable, especially given the current limits of his pyrokinesis.

He didn't have much control yet. He had no idea how strong his fire was, how much he could summon, or the degree of precision he could achieve. A skill like Fireball, with its built-in consistency and precision, would eliminate much of the guesswork and serve as a reliable tool for combat.

He began typing "Fire" into the search bar in his mind, but before he could finish the word, results had already started populating beneath it.

Several recognizable skills appeared: Fire Pillar, Fire Slash, Fire Blast, and a host of other options with "Fire" in the name.

So they've implemented autocomplete in the search bar too? How convenient. That Earth guy really knows his stuff if he had a hand in this.

He ignored the other options, his attention drawn to the first item that appeared: Fireball. Beside it was a small icon showing an image of a flaming sphere, which brought a smile to his face.

When he mentally clicked on it, more details popped up:

Fireball

Description: Summons a ball of fire that can be infused with mana. Intensity and size increase with additional mana, limited by its current level. Speed and control depend on the user's Perception.

Mana Cost: 10

Mana Cost per second: 1

Cost to buy: 20 VP

Manacost per second? So it consumes 10 mana to summon initially, and then 1 mana for every second it's maintained? Makes sense. That means I'll have to be quick about how I use it.

He glanced at the price—just 20 Valor Points—and was surprised at how cheap it was. Then again, it was a basic skill, likely grouped with others like Waterball, Wind Slash, and Stone Bullet. It made sense for beginners.

Without hesitation, he purchased it. He then returned to the main stats screen and saw it immediately added to his skills:

[Fireball] Level 1