ALL NOVEL Chapter 13: Appraisal
{2 days later}
If I had to describe what the woman did to me with one word, it would be "Torture." The lady was a brute like the Soviet and German soldiers. Nora reminded me an awful lot of the kid who killed me in the first place. The rage in their eyes was the same. The satisfaction of inflicting pain was similar.
I wished for death while I was going through it, but it all eventually stopped. Hours felt like entire days as Nora took her time. Yet one feeling kept me somewhat sane. All my anger is redirected at the ugly woman. I've never experienced such anger before, so much so I almost lost my mind.
Nora's reasoning didn't make much sense. Sure, I tried to escape, and I'm not technically a slave, but did that justify being extremely cruel and barbaric against me? No, I didn't even try a violent uprise. She went too far with her punishment, and I swear she will pay if I ever get out.
Nora better pray to god for forgiveness because I'm never doing it. I know god says to love your enemies, but I can't. This woman isn't my enemy. She is pure evil, a spawn of satan himself. Nora has denied her humanity, so I'm allowed to decategorize her as human. I will feel no remorse once I snap her neck and cut her head off clean.
I'm still willing to forgive Eris and Edwina, but this one. NORA, I will never forgive. She's crossed the line of rationality, almost making me irrational. I went so far back that I began to curse her in my native language. Their intentions were to break my spirit, and while they have partially achieved just that, another side of me is rising.
A side I didn't know I had. The side of evil I thought I was immune to. I thought I would never have thoughts of killing or intent to ever hurt anyone, but Nora has awakened that within me. One more reason to hate her, as if there were not enough already. {Sigh}
Enough of that; I had better get into what I learned from that experience. It wasn't all in vain, so I at least have the comfort of reporting about several skills I unlocked, thanks to Nora. Thanks to her, I have learned about skills and levels, so it wasn't all bad.
According to the divine voice {Temporary name}, I've gained the skill called "Pain mitigation." which later turned into "Pain nullification." I've learned that once you reach level 10, your skill caps and will eventually mature into something else.
Based on the fact that I earned a skill without school or training but merely by being submitted to insufferable pain, I can assume that you can gain these skills by repeating things. I wonder if I could get a dancing or drawing skill if I give it enough time to mature.
Another thing I learned from my encounter is crucial information about the screens that pop up during different intervals. I know how to make one appear on command now, and I don't know what to make of them yet. I can show you, but I don't know what any of the information they present me with means.
"Appraisal!"
[Generating self-appraisal]
Witch Child {Unranked}
[Classless Witch]
Name: Yoimiya
Age: 6
Level: 1
HP: 4,000/6,000
MP: 6,000/6,000
SP: 3,000/6,000
Stamina: 1,000/2,000
Strength: 1,000
Damage Output: 100
Defense: 0 {Equipment blocked}
Speed: {Enhanced} 1,000 Base: {750}
Skills: Appraisal {Level 5}, LMSH {Level 1}, Pain mitigation {Level 10}, Pain nullification {Level 1}. E=E {E=E}.
Information: The child of Ariel and an unknown suspect that is native to the witch's forest. The system still knows little information, and insufficient data exists to continue.
This is all the information I've got access to, but what does any of it mean? I have no clue what any of the numbers mean or if they affect me in any way. I can only understand skills since the pain did reduce when I got that power called "Pain Mitigation."
Based on that skill alone, I can comprehend what skills might do: accomplish specific effects. Appraisal lets me see this data screen, which means the effect that it performs is to reveal data sets? But how do I read them? What do these numbers mean? Uhmm, I could ask Vera.
"Vera, do you know what HP, MP, and SP mean?" I didn't know if she could tell me anything new about those weird letters, but she got excited when I asked.
"Those are your stats. HP means "Health Points." If your health points ever reach zero, you die. MP is the measuring unit for "Magic Power." The higher this number is, the stronger your magic will be. I've never heard of SP, though maybe it's something unique to your type of user." {COUGH}
Health points? Magic Power? Could I think of these numbers as meters and centimeters? Like units of measure that are linked to the outside world? If my health points are tied to my life, did that mean I was immortal? If I grow older and never let my HP bar reach zero, will I be able to escape death? Or does age kill you anyway?
Health points: how can I think of these numbers. Why does it seem like this world is obsessed with them, and why would it be set up like this? Does that mean whoever carries the larger number in any scenario is always destined to win? There's no skill, luck, or training you can do?
If everything in this new world is based on who has the bigger number, then does that mean I'll be strongest if I raise mine? That's the implication of a numerical system. A system, uh? I need to think outside the box for this to make sense. I'm not on Earth.
This new world has magical phenomena unexplainable by science and a mysterious divine voice that occasionally speaks to me. How can I make sense of it? I better ask Vera for help.
"How does this numeric system work?" I ask Vera, who simply scoffs at my question.
"Why would you wanna know? We don't have access to that information here. Only a magical appraisal stone or the Queen can show us that." Vera was wrong, but should I tell her? Yeah, I think she would be less depressed if she knew I could see my numbers.
"I can see my numbers. I'm seeing them right now." Vera stays quiet for a while, but I can still hear some rustling as if she were rushing to the wall closest to me. Moments later, her hand pops outside her cell as she speaks.
"Appraise my arm! Please! Tell me how much HP I have left! I wanna know when I'll die!" Vera begged me to "Appraise" her, but I didn't know how until she gave me instructions on how to do it. The catch was simple: I had to point my hand toward her arm and say, "Appraisal."
"Appraisal!"
[Generating Appraisal Level 5]
Witch Child {Prodigy}
[Fighter Witch]
Name: Veronica
Level: 20
HP: 100/4,000
MP: 100/6,000
Stamina: 20/500
{Level 5 cap}
Skills: Pain mitigation, Pain nullification, Shield Prison, Fly, Blessing of magic caster, Impenetrable wall, Infinity Wall, Life essence, Greater resistance, Matle of chaos, Indomitability, Sensor boost, Greater Luck, Magic boost, Dragonic boost, Greater Hardening, Absorption, Magicule Essence, Airstrike Beam, Airstrike Spear, Spatial maneuvering.
Information: {Appraisal level 5 limited}