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|Name: Gerhard
|Class: The Gamer
|Level: LV1
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|HP: 200/200
|MP: 100/100
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STR: 15
VIT: 9
DEX: 11
INT: 10
WIS: 11
LUK: 2
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|Points: 0
|Money: 0
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Gerhard gained two points in WIS after making rather smart choices. In a way, that was also a great way to cheat using the Gamer system. Make plans, and if they yield WIS, then they're good. If not, then they're most likely bad or not good enough. Nevertheless, Gerhard had to pick up the pace in his training. There was still so much to do before he could leave the Instant Dungeon.
Now that the Lasgun and the Power Pack were no longer usable, it was time to move on. Gerhard took out the pieces of the Flak Armour he picked up on the way.
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[Flak Armour (Partial Set) – Grade: Common]
Standard-issue protective armour used by Imperial Guard infantry. Constructed from layered ablative fabrics, thermoplastic strips, and impact-absorbing materials mounted on a lightweight metal frame.
Designed primarily to disperse explosions, shrapnel, and glancing ballistic impacts rather than direct armour-piercing hits.
Durability: 93/250
Set Composition:
- Flak Vest
- Flak Helmet
- Arm Bracers
(Missing: Leg Guards, Shoulder Plates, Groin Guard)
Effect: Physical Damage: +20% resistance
Effect: Explosive / Fragmentation Damage: +35% resistance
Effect: Energy / Heat Damage: +10% resistance
Effect: Impact Dispersion — reduces damage from low-velocity impacts and shrapnel.
Effect: Thermal Absorption — reduces thermal signature slightly.
Weight: Light
Technology Level Requirement: Low
Faction Standard: Imperium of Man
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Well, that was something at least. The problem was that Gerhard couldn't create new Flak Armour yet. He would need more resources and the right materials to create that. Carbon-fibre, plasfibre and thermoplas strips... well, that could be created in the future, but the [Creation] skill had to level up some more for that. For now, it would serve as basic armour.
Gerhard thought about it and then grabbed the Lasgun again. He started taking it apart, piece by piece, without dismantling it in its entirety. He reckoned that this should also trigger the skills. And he was right: after taking it apart into its parts, the blueprint for a M36 Kantrael Pattern Lasgun appeared in his [Creation] skill.
He did the same thing for the Power Pack, since that would be most important in the future. Naturally, he wouldn't be able to create a power pack just yet, but after a few tries, he might be able to create the most basic version of it. Not because he understands exactly how it was made, but because the Gamer system is a cheat in that regard. And as soon as he unlocked the Power Pack blueprint, he even understood the finer details of it.
Now, what to do from here?
The answer was simple: Mana.
Mana was incredibly versatile and lacked the corrupting properties of the Warp, making it the most useful aspect and the core strength of Gerhard.
|Energy Bolt (Active) Lv. 1
| EXP: 0.0%
| A skill that attacks by emitting Mana.
| Attack power increases with INT.
| Current range: 10m
This was the first skill that used Mana to function. And it was quite a strong skill. The interesting part was that there was no damage parameter. Since the attack power depended on the INT stat. So the higher his intelligence, the more power he could emit using his Mana-dependent skills.
"What's important is to first make a defensive skill."
Gerhard closed his eyes and focused on the energy inside him. He had no experience with this sort of stuff, but that didn't matter. He had to do this now, as all of his next steps relied on it. He focused on his palm and tried to will the energy inside him, his Mana, to gather there.
It was tedious because he couldn't see much progress, and, for once, the system wasn't really helping. He had, after all, not done anything yet. So no skill could be created. But he didn't stop and continued with it.
...
After a few hours, Gerhard finally succeeded. A white sheen could be seen from his hand, and he felt the warmth that came from gathered Mana.
"NICE! Oh, that was tedious... Alright, next."
Gerhard then willed for the energy to expand. Not in volume, but the shape of it. He tried to 'will' it to flatten above his hand. It looked like dozens of small, thin, white tendrils floated up from his palm and coalesced, forming a thin shape.
Then, he willed for the energy to come together and flatten further, creating something tangible. Before long, he looked at a somewhat flat, white rectangle that was floating above his hand.
[A skill has been created through a special action.]
[Through continuous testing of condensing mana, a skill to block attacks, 'Mana Shield', has been created.]
|Mana Shield (Active) Lv. 1
| EXP: 0.00%
| MP: 30
| One of the most basic defence skills using Mana. Handling the energy called Mana has existed for a long time, and Mana Shield is one among many.
| Effect: Blocks a portion of the impact
| 50 additional MP used per minute
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"YES! I knew it would work. Let's try it out right away!"
"Mana Shield!"
In his excitement, Gerhard shouted the name of the skill. A thin, transparent, blue bubble appeared around him, with him at the centre. It was amazing for him to have created this after hours of hard work, without any of the advantages Han Jihan had in the Manhwa. His INT stat was very low, so manipulating Mana like that took a long time.
The skill was very useful, especially for a non-named character like Gerhard in the Warhammer 40k universe. A stray shot could kill him, and... well, everything else could kill him as well. With this, he at least had some protection against things that wanted to kill him.
It was by no means enough, of course not, but it was a start.
Right now, it took 30 MP to create the [Mana Shield] and then 50 MP per minute to keep it active. This was atrocious. Per 1 stat point in WIS, you gained 1% MP regeneration per minute. And Gerhard also gained 1 MP regeneration per 100 total MP.
This meant that right now, with an INT at 10 and a WIS at 11, he basically had another minute before his Mana ran out.
...
The [Mana Shield] dissipated as Gerhard was out of Mana.
This was a problem. The total Mana he possessed right now was so little that using the most basic skills would tire him out in minutes. He had to grow stronger and increase his stats fast. But to do that, he had to train or level up.
But he was not in Warhammer, and as someone who was aware of the dangers, he had grown paranoid. Since he wasn't stupid, he naturally wouldn't just start hunting mutants. Those were monsters and would surely kill him. No, he needed easier and more predictable targets first and a lot of training.
Gerhard chose another method. He sat down in a meditative position. Then he began focusing his energy again, breathing deeply through his nose and out of his mouth.
Once, twice...
Again and again, he tried to take in the ambient energy and replenish his own, and the system rewarded him with the necessary skill.
[A skill has been created through a special action.]
[Through continuous meditation, a skill to replenish Mana, 'Mana Meditation', has been created.]
|Mana Meditation (Active) Lv. 1
| EXP: 0.00%
| Basic external energy control, developed by Gerhard, the Gamer.
| Effect: Stamina restoration ability increased by 10%.
| Effect: Restoration of fatigue increased by 10%
[Additional 30 MP will be gained per minute.]
This was it. This was the way to be a gamer. Use Mana skills until your Mana runs out, then use meditation to regain that Mana. Through this, the levels of the skills will increase, costing less mana to use, and as the meditation skill increases, it will give more mana per minute, allowing him to get back to work faster.
[WIS was raised by 1]
.
And after a bit over three minutes, Gerhard's Mana was full again, allowing him to go back at it.
'Mana Shield'
'Mana Shield'
Gerhard created an additional Mana shield on top of the first one, and as he guessed...
[Mana Shield level has gone up by 1]
|Mana Shield (Active) Lv. 2
| EXP: 8.04%
| MP: 30
| One of the most basic defence skills using Mana. Handling the energy called Mana has existed for a long time, and Mana Shield is one among many.
| Effect: Blocks a portion of the impact
| 48 additional MP used per minute
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"Ah, so the additional MP needed per minute has gone down by 2. So, if it is possible, according to that math, when I reach level 25, it shouldn't cost any additional mana to use. But since that shouldn't be possible, it will most likely stop at some point and only grow more powerful in its defensive capabilities."
A moment later, the Mana shields dissipated, leaving Gerhard without mana again. Naturally, he sat down and entered meditation to regain his mana once more.
"Time to grind!!"
And grinding he did.
[Mana Meditation level has gone up by 1]
.
.
[Mana Shield level has gone up by 1]
.
[Mana Meditation level has gone up by 1]
[Mana Shield level has gone up by 1]
[Mana Meditation level has gone up by 1]
.
.
[Mana Shield level has gone up by 1]
[Mana Shield level has gone up by 1]
.
[Mana Meditation level has gone up by 1]
[Mana Shield level has gone up by 1]
.
.
Time passed, and after hours of training the same thing over and over again, Gerhard called for a break. He took out some of the Corpse Starch he had gathered and started eating. It wasn't tasty, it wasn't healthy, it was just sustenance. The bare minimum to survive.
[Mana Shield] now cost 38 MP per minute to use, and he could create several layers of them on top of each other.
[Mana Meditation] now restored his stamina and fatigue by 18 % compared to the 10% from level one.
So, all in all, it was progress, and that was all that mattered. But after regaining all of his mana this time, Gerhard was interested in creating another skill using mana. The shield was good, but he still wanted an offensive type.
[Energy Bolt] wasn't bad, but it took 10 MP to use each time and wasn't really fast or all that powerful. What Gerhard wanted wasn't explosive damage, but piercing damage. Something he could guide and that was long range. Because he was still as durable as a regular human, who died in the millions every day... no, every hour...
"Alright."
He held out his hand again and followed the same principle he did when he created [Mana Shield]. He tightly condensed the energy into one form, slowly shaping it, then elongating it, and finally giving it a special head.
After another hour, which was way faster than when he created the Mana shield, he held an arrow made of Mana above his palm.
[A skill has been created through a special action.]
[Continuous manipulation of mana has created a skill with piercing power, 'Mana Arrow'.]
|Mana Arrow (active) Lv. 1
| EXP: 0.00%
| MP: 5
| An attack skill that hardened mana into an elongated shape. Only possible for those talented in manipulating mana.
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[A skill has been created through a special action.]
[Continuous manipulation of mana has created a skill, 'Mana Control'.]
|Mana Control (passive) Lv. 1
| EXP: 0.00%
| A skill used by those skilled in magic control.
| Effect: 10% MP consumed for skills.
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This was a very nice added bonus. Now, Gerhard could start going nuts on creating new attacks or shaping Mana to his wishes.