[NR] More Active Breaker Bonus - Chapter 500 (Patreon)

Jason sighed and turned to the next section.

{Bottleneck Breaker Bonus

For breaking through a bottleneck beyond the first we grant you a choice of three special abilities determined by your play style.

Because of your continued farm work while on the move [Mobile Gardening Alerts - The System will send alerts if any portable planters you currently have on you has a problem your skill would allow you to notice after a thorough check.]

Since you've depended almost entirely on quest rewards for your weapons [Modal Questing - When offered a System Quest, barring bottleneck quests, you will be able to customize parts to better fit your needs.]

As you have focused on keeping your companion safe [Life For A Life - Once a month at any religious site that freely allows you entrance, you may trade your own life to revive any player companion that hasn't died of natural causes within the last month or your own companion if they haven't died of natural causes within the last year.]

While reading the second choice, Jason figured this might be a tough decision to make. Modal quests? Why yes, he would like it if every System quest offered weapons. Though the first one, while it gave a look at what these bonuses actually were, wasn't at all tempting.

Then he read the third one. No competition. Easy choice. Jason chose the third option without a single regret.

His first bonus was odd. Improving the quality of his planter's soil? Sure, he could probably sus out the differences, but at the moment it seemed to mostly keep up with how much his plants took out of the soil while growing.

A very handy effect when the plants only have so much dirt to take from. Even Jason had to admit that the three powers didn't seem to be a complete substitute for normal nutrition. That or maybe they just weren't to the point where that was an option.

This second bonus? Literal life saver and he could likely make a bit of money off it in the right circumstance. Though you had to be careful when claiming the ability to raise the dead. People don't tend to take no for an answer or failure as an option. If anything goes wrong, you're to blame.

However, almost more important was what was revealed by the options given. It might seem a bit trite to say, but they were all external. From the first set it was better traction on sand, friendship with rabbits, and of course the improvement to his planter’s soil. This time? Literal alerts like it was some sort of mobile game, the ability to adjust quests, and the ability to basically trade time and experience for the life of a local.

None of that involved actual self improvement. Sure, he already knew the bonuses couldn't give out super powers. However, it didn't even touch the self. The closest being the sand thing and that was more or a System tweak to the sand he walked on.

Compared to the fact that level 100 got you a core, there was a very clear difference between actual bottlenecks that matter and the smoke and mirror rewards. Not that Jason was going to complain. Though it did bring up the question of why the ability to revive locals was so rare.

Jason wasn't so big headed to think he would be the only one getting an option like that. Sure, it might be rare and only a small number of players actually hit 25. However, the law of large numbers can make even the highly improbable just another Tuesday afternoon.

With a sigh, Jason realized what the real reason was. Large guilds, businesses, and families have likely snaffled them all up. Anyone showing such a talent would end up on their payroll to make sure the local assets were alive and kicking.

As any local would tell you, the traveller's ability to blithely cheat death meant those with talent could rise to the top so much faster. Give that assurance to a local? Well, you prove the point and likely explain why the System was stingy with such abilities.

As it was, the players had a hard time matching up to the locals despite being immortal. If the locals had the same advantage? Then the players would really become second class citizens.

The why of players raising locals was at least an easy thing to answer. While as far as Jason knew, all methods included the clause against raising those who died a natural death, you can raise them from even a stupid accidental death. The same couldn't be said for any player who died irl to something stupid.

It was an odd twist of fate where large organizations ended up seeing the locals as more immortal than players. Of course you send in the players anytime you have a new oddity to explore. Even if there was a trap to prevent revival or some other high end defense, a player can still pass the information on while dead.

Though with these thoughts in mind, Jason realized the ability wasn't going to be available for a get rich quick scheme. Even one use of it for someone else would likely draw unwanted attention. Not that he couldn't turn them down, but better to not have a relationship at all over even a slightly negative one.

Who knows which groups would show up first. Jason pauses at that thought. No, he knows exactly which family would show up first. Rosha's dad would be sending someone within moments.

No pressure of course. Except for all the doublespeak, euphemism, and comments about how nice it is to not have broken knee caps. But no pressure.

Worse? While most of that didn’t happen anymore, Jason was certain that Rosha’s father would be more of the old timey sort, looking to keep traditions and all that. Not that it would change Jason’s answer. It would only make life tougher for a little.