Chapter 1 (Patreon)

*

"The absence of a familiar ceiling depresses me," These were the first words of Stepan, who first woke up, and only a minute later opened his eyes, eagerly wishing to see the hospital ceiling and to hear from the doctors that he had just hit his head getting out of the elevator. "At least the weather is normal and it's not raining."

The surroundings were soothingly lovely, to the point of nausea: a small lawn, green grass tickling his neck and hands, birds singing in the crowns of the deciduous trees surrounding the clearing, a stream running a few meters away, and other classics. Ticks, snakes, and other shit, which can be found in the wilderness and eat a warm-blooded moron lying in the middle of nowhere. And that's not counting those kinds of similar creatures and entities, which could replace or supplement the previous categories, opening new facets of the same new world. In general, Stepan was on his feet very quickly.

A quick inspection showed that his old clothes were gone, replaced by a new set of clothes, which looked good quality and comfortable, though a little stiff. His phone was gone, as well as his headphones, which made him want to kill sincerely and purely, from the bottom of his heart, and Stepan vowed to take revenge on the creatures who had thrown him out here most terribly and cynically. Next to the place, where he had been lying a second ago, there was a massive and medieval-looking backpack made of leather and hides, covering his face from the rays of the morning sun. Big, just right for camping, with a wooden bottom, lots of pockets, pouches, and clasps, ajar and full. On top was his phone and headphones, which didn't reconcile with reality, but the guy had promised to retaliate one-thousandth of a percent weaker.

But the phone was completely dead and without a charger.

Which made him desire terrible revenge with renewed vigor.

Further examination of the knapsack showed the presence of a knife, an axe, a small, elbow-length, not counting the handle, cleaver, a kettle, rope, food supplies for a week (breadcrumbs, dried meat, cereals, even a small wax-sealed jug, with a cluster of grapes on the seal), a change of clothes of the same kind, spare boots, a rolled-up good coat of dark gray, and a purse with one gold, half a hundred silver, and a couple of handfuls of copper coins. It wasn't clear how valuable gold was here, but at least he wasn't poorly outfitted, so he could survive the first couple of weeks.

Maybe even longer, he thought, as he looked around at the small and sturdily built, but even in appearance old, one-story log cabin, a kind of forest gatehouse, covered with ivy and moss, but still very presentable. The door was invitingly open, so that even from here it was obvious that the cabin was empty, but well-maintained inside, too. Closer inspection revealed a bed, a small stone fireplace, a table, a chair, and a chest in the corner. The chest, also open, contained some more tools of all sorts, clothes, and even a larger axe. Next to the chest stood a lonely spear leaning against the wall, more like a spear for bears - Stepan had seen such spears in historical textbooks.

Somehow there was no doubt that this was not someone else's living space, but only his private and personal starting location. Once inside, the guy immediately wrinkled his nose at the somewhat dusty and dry air blowing in his face, but there was no smell of mold or decay. There was a lone window overlooking the opposite side, where the forest should have been close to the window, but instead of glass there was some not very transparent stuff, so there was no way to see. There were shutters, too, as well as a massive oak deadbolt that just creaked a little.

He threw his backpack on the floor, and sat down on the hard bunk, harder than the beds in the dormitory where he had lived for the first six months before his part-time job had allowed him to rent an apartment, - however, his parents, despite their complicated relationship, added half of it, otherwise their son, who had run away from them like the devil from an incense, would have nothing to eat, - and having closed the door behind him, locking it, Stepan sat for a while, looking at one point on the wall as if he were not here at all, and then he laughed like a horse. The laugh quickly turned into a strangled wheeze and squeal, and then into a short and tearful hysterics, for which he was a little ashamed, even if only to himself. Always phlegmatic, even now he did not lose his self-control, he calmed down very quickly, wiped away the snot, and, exhaling as if before diving under a cold shower, slowly and aloud said the famous:

"Status."

Of course, it worked exactly as it should have in the hundreds of novels, fanfics, novels, novels, and even manga that he had read, both personally found among the mountains of shit and on the recommendation of his namesake. In front of his eyes, or rather, in front of his inner eye, as his brain perceived the written words as something visible, when in fact they were more like pure knowledge, there appeared inscriptions in an unfamiliar but very clear language, forming into words, and those words had a clear meaning.

Name: Stepan

Level: 0

Class: unselected

Characteristics: (free: 9)

Talents (free): none

Constitution: 1

Sensitivity: 1

Power: 1

Control: 1

Source: 1

Spirit: 1

Resistance: 1

Knowledge acquired: Speaking and writing: Free Cities, academic Neurath, Island Kingdom

Acquired properties: none

System modifiers: none

Special: The Blessing of Liarat si Merrinal, Lady of Gifts and Giver of Gifts, faithful servant of Innelas Innelay: hidden effects

What he saw made Stepan wipe his face with his hands, especially the last line, which made him grit his teeth, especially remembering the fact the Great Answering Machine had said something about the side effects of her blessing, which Stepan would certainly have guessed. And the involuntary isekai not at all! Alas, but the summoned System Help did not help to understand that there is such a valuable gift that it is even cooler than the Magick Sword. But the same help successfully explained to the guy what the other characteristics of the System Status meant and what they were responsible for, which were not so similar to the classic Korean manhwa.

Purely physical characteristics, as well as famous intelligence and wisdom, were not on the list of available to pump and increase. All seven attributes were magical in one way or another. The Help stated that the gifted had such aspects growing along with the magical gift, allowing them to surpass the ungifted: even a dull-witted and untrained wizard from the peasants would have a high level of memory, imagination, and abstract thinking, a priori, passively so to speak. And if you actively develop your gift, then these non-described characteristics of yours will grow only in a way - without memory and the ability to maintain in your head and directly correct a huge number of operations, no magic will make you a magician.

However, the first of the characteristics, the Constitution, was responsible for that very physical power. Right now, he has only one in the Constitution. It is the average human value for a non-gifted person. And if he invested at least two points, bringing it up to three, he would not become exactly three times stronger, but the increase would be very noticeable. The skin will become stronger and even a knife will be harder to cut through it, vitality will increase, bleeding will become less dangerous, and the value of blood for vampires or for burning it in magical practices will also increase, by the way. In general, corporeality accommodates all the classic physical parameters at once, and having pumped it you will become such a mago-warrior, able to break walls with your fists, and enemy weapons with your bare ass.

Sensitivity was responsible for the perception of the surrounding world and one was also a standard for the human race. Not only sight, smell, and other senses, but also sensitivity to magical flows, the ability to read auras, look through disguises, and distinguish the subtle shades of magical specifications of various amulets, artifacts, or simply valuable reagents. At high values, you can truly look through walls even without active magic, just in passive mode. In a way, this characteristic will increase some mental parameters, because without a strong brain, one will not be able to perceive and understand the sensed, so a high attribute will automatically pull up the weak brain.

Power meant magical, well, power, which was obvious, but nevertheless. In general, Stepan thought that the reference explained everything as if it had been created originally for someone very stupid. Considering the personality of the one whose place he had not so freely taken, such an approach was not even surprising at all, it seemed very sensible. And he was not going to be offended if they talked to him, very precisely choosing the wording, because not in such matters were allowed to skip introductory instructions. So, the Power was responsible for how strong your spells were when you invested the same amount of power. To put it crudely, how much of your energy, magical power, is dense, valuable, and piercing. There are many other secondary aspects to what power affects, but they are not described in the help, suggesting that you either reach it yourself or level yourself up and get more detailed help. From what Stepan had already been told, he had the feeling this characteristic would benefit some kind of battle mage more than others so his blows would be more powerful and his shields stronger. By the way, the standard for an ordinary person in this attribute is exactly zero, even one makes you weak but gifted.

Control is similar to power in many ways, it also increases the quality and efficiency of magic, but in the ratio of how much energy you spend on a certain action. Without high control you can also perform subtle and complex charms, worked them up by training, but the time of their cast will be unrealistically long, the more complex up to the fact that only to master the highest healing or cursing charms will have to long decades. Yes, such an attribute is best suited for those who care about the subtlety and correctness of the execution of charms, not their power: the same healers, as the most vivid example. The standard for the ungifted is zero, as well as for the gifted too, by the way, because control in normal conditions must always be gained, even if some people find it easier, up to mastering their power in childhood - heirs of mages with bloodlines, all sorts of elves and fairies, as well as simply talented "mudbloods".

The main characteristic that distinguishes a truly gifted person from someone who can become a village witch at most, with unrealistic luck, to an adept apprentice is the Source. The characteristic responsible for the amount of magic you can hold within your aura, and the speed at which it can be replenished. These two aspects are interconnected, and without them, you can't cast magic even if you really want to, although certain practices allow you to rise to very high levels even without possessing the Source, it's just that over time such adepts either reach their limit or find a way to form and awaken the source for themselves, often illegal and bloody (quote from the reference, if anything). Usually, if there is already Power and Control, the Source is also present in the gifted person, as these three characteristics form the magical gift, although there are very different variants.

In a way, the Spirit can be considered the antipode of the Source, because it is responsible for both the ability to draw power from the environment and for, Stepan decided to call it.... communication with the universe. An attribute of all shamans, priests, druids, and other similar types, in theory allowing to do without a gift at all, but in fact fully revealing only in synergy with the Source. Communication with spirits, subjugation of beasts and sentient beings, sincere prayers, or opposition to demonic foulness (the earthling preferred to shove the unpleasant associations with WH40k deeper) is also based on Spirit power. The standard for a mortal man is also a unit, but it is a characteristic that even an ungifted, but very persistent and persevering individual can develop.

It would have been possible not to read about Resistance at all, obviously, but Stepan still read it. Yes, it was exactly what was written on the package - the ability of the body and aura to resist hostile or simply foreign magic, at high values allowing one to level it at all, when the charms below a certain limit of power on you have no effect, and those that did get through, weakened greatly. It is not possible to disable the magic of others, not at the expense of pure characteristic, no matter how high it is ... unless there are special classes, which the system emphasizes separately. But the classes themselves, of course, the interested young man was not named or even hinted at.

Thus Stepan summarized that the nine free attributes given to him by the system could turn anyone into a very talented Gifted, even if untrained, but still a bit superhuman. The young man was sure: bring the same Constitution to ten, he would become Superman, or rather, his budding and rapidly developing pirate copy. He will definitely be able to scatter a crowd of thugs with kicks, and not to pay any attention to an accidental knife wound if it does not hurt anything important. And it will heal, and very quickly!

Reading the certificate not only helped to raise the hidden characteristic of erudition - he laughed at his simple joke - but also calmed down a little. The former student, who had lost all chances to get a diploma, even tried to encourage himself, saying that he would lose nothing in that world. He lived alone, had recently broken up with his girlfriend (fortunately peacefully, she was going abroad and honestly decided not to torture them both, in which Stepan supported her), and did not get along with his parents. He had lost nothing, except for a good job, the Internet, the usual society, the comparative safety of the environment, household amenities, and a very long list of all the good things ... Stepan couldn't cheer up. Well, but now he had magic.

Stepan reached the choice of class in the late afternoon, having had time to look around the house and its surroundings, to walk along the edge of the forest, to look in the cellar, which was empty, alas, and to have lunch and dinner of breadcrumbs and dried meat, suppressing the desire to open the jug of wine. Sitting down on the bed, already fed up and a little more complacent, as well as slipping into his usual fatalism, he mentally clicked on the blinking icon, starting to read the text that opened before his eyes and silently, and then loudly stunned, because there was something to it. Anyone would have freaked out, even Yanin, who would have raised his monobrow in sincere surprise!

He was offered six classes in total and they were: Warrior, Sorcerer, Spellcaster, Shaman, Healer, and Supreme Master of Depraved Fetishization. The first five classes had steel-tinted edging around their inscriptions, while the last one sparkled with a bright golden-purple pattern. It seemed to Stepan that as he focused his attention on this class, he could hear a marvelous melody in which music mingled with the passionate moans of women. Well, it seems that the type of blessing that Stepan received from this Big Milf, became finally clear, but Stepan still broke through to laughing and anger. No, well, deep down he even understood, a little bit even approved of such an aspiration to his dream. Stepan believed all people had the right to store their inner demons on the HDD, feeding them with gigabytes of different videos. If the situation were less serious, and the world less real, he would probably choose this class, too, but the world, alas, is too real, and it is too real. It is not clear where it is, but there is a not illusory probability of dying of hunger, cold, or dysentery even sooner than from the fangs of predators or the knives of robbers.

Each class not only gave access to the ability to take the first level and spend five talent points but also directly influenced the characteristics, increasing them (at the same time automatically unlocking some knowledge). Thus, the mighty Warrior, when choosing a class, immediately increased his Constitution by three, Resistance by two, and Sensitivity with Spirit by one. And then, every ten levels, the person who chose this class increased his Constitution by one, every twenty levels increased his Resistance by one, and every thirty levels increased his Spirit by one. Basic reference immediately suggested that, with the exception of the first level, and some other unnamed milestones, each level yielded only one talent point, and free characterization points came every ten. Considering how powerful these units really are, it's understandable why they don't come at five stats per level - at that rate, you could become Superman in six months and not give a shit. Stepan wouldn't mind, but who would ask his opinion?

In addition to the above, each of the classes gave many small bonuses, and opened access to separate branches of talents, at the same time the class carried certain disadvantages, like the difficulty of developing the Source in Warriors, where each increase required two points of characteristics. The only ones that didn't have such weak archetypes were the Sorcerer, Shaman, and Supreme Master of Depraved Fetishization. In the case of the latter, it is even more: some characteristics for one invested point at once by two increased, and increases went every level. The original choice of Supreme Master of Depraved Fetishization class gave five points to all attributes at once. Then each level plus one to two characteristics, and then in a circle.

Against this background the Shaman and Healer who for not receiving disadvantages paid for the fact they have one less characteristic point when choosing a class, seemed like a used Ford-T vs. a brand new Ferrari.

After reading through all the class descriptions, Stepan lusted for the available options, spun the special class option this way, and chose Shaman. Why? Well, at least because of all the proposed options, only this one offered the most universal list of skills that could help to survive in complete solitude and the wilderness. Exactly what all the listed options, including this one, lacked. Stepan was not an idiot, but no matter how it turned out, the most badass of the classes was very specialized, and he reasonably doubted that he would be able to turn a bear that attacked him into a cute bear girl. The highly versatile Spellcaster would have been ideal, yes, but that one had problems with domestic support and food production if fireballed bears and partridges didn't count.

Three units to Spirit, two to Sensitivity, and one to Power. Plus one to Spirit, once every ten levels, plus to Sensitivity once every twenty, and Power once every thirty isn't too bad.

In general, Stepan became a shaman, only his palms did not become golden, and no one drew eyes on them.

Closing his eyes, the young man immersed himself in the world of free talents, the list of which was impressive and, as his mind suspected, he would not be offered such a wide range of options at the next level, having significantly reduced the number of offered ones. Most of these talents were, by the standards of the magical world, not higher magic, but still allowed to save years or even decades of magical training and brutal cramming.

The talents themselves were divided, or rather, Stepan divided them, into three main groups: broad knowledge, narrow knowledge, passive properties, and meta-skills. Broad knowledge gave a whole slice of a certain orientation, like "basics of working with totems", "basics of spiritual bargaining and contractual agreements with otherworldly entities", "basic training in controlling internal energies", or something similar. Such knowledge seemed to replace several months or even years of intensive courses at the best magical academy in the world, leaving the user with the necessary knowledge, and reflexes, only without a diploma. Narrow knowledge was shorter, but much more deeply imprinted into the essence of the chosen one. For example, the "curse of the hungry heart", allowed, figuratively speaking, to point a finger in the direction of the enemy, to call at the same moment directly into his thin body of a small spirit, which will devour part of the aura, which is responsible for the heart muscle and that's it, goodbye asshole. Yeah, you can defend against it and all that, and not everyone can be penetrated by it, and it's easiest to kill ungifted people like that.

But such a trick, if Stepan decides to learn it through the System, will be hammered in at the level of the multiplication table or the ability to tie shoelaces, so that even being a weak shaman in his base, he will have a very serious weapon in his stash, especially at low levels. Yes, at high levels, the trick will not be so useful, although it can be improved and modified with Stepan's growth and level. Anyway, it will allow him to rise from low levels much more effectively.

The Properties were, well, properties, passive effects, which Stepan also lusted after, but less than others. For example, there was a "blessing of fertility", which increased libido, and fertility and guaranteed the conception of offspring in the days of the full moon, if you try to conceive, even through some contraceptives. But in addition to this, the effectiveness of all harvest rituals increased, the invocation of appropriate spirits was facilitated, and affinity with the spirits of life and nature grew. Stronger examples, such as "Kiss the spirits of the flame" increased the characteristic of Power by one unit, but at the same time completely blocked access to the branches of work with the spirits of ice, which simply will not work with Stepan who took such a property, even with the threat of force (and for attempts to try fire spirits will grumble), water and nature spirits will also turn up their noses, less willing to make contact. The young man thought about it and decided not to increase his characteristics in such a radical way.

Meta-skills were the simplest, because magic and magic gifts did not concern magic at all: how about the ability to gain a certain, small, amount of experience every day? Or an increase in the amount of experience gained in combat or, on the contrary, in peaceful situations? And what about the ability to receive system quests, at first simple, with a small reward, but the branch of skills is not called a branch for nothing, right? Stepan even liked these options, he, being a man of extreme thoroughness, preferred to start any business as prepared as possible and without unnecessary risks of failure. The option to sit in the forest for a few years and come out to people, - and not people, - only already established gifted one frightened him because, for so many years in the forest, one could go crazy but still, he considered it in all seriousness.

After much deliberation, he still made a choice, spending his precious five talents, choosing not what would allow him to be OP, no matter now or after the leveling, but what would not let him die in the near or not-so-near future. In total, he chose, as already mentioned, five options and two more the system promised him to set automatically, as mandatory for the class. These compulsory options were: "basic practice of calling" and "basics of spiritual dialog", where the first, in fact, allowed to contact the spirits, to call them and see them in general, and the second, respectively, to ask, buy or demand something from them. In the package was also an understanding of the basics of what spirit is responsible for what, what offerings are better to make to certain types of spirits, and what not to do, about the same as sticking your fingers in a socket. In fact, according to the same System, these two skills made him a full-fledged novice shaman of some wild tribe.

Stepan supplemented the gift of two talents that had been promised, but not yet learned, with five of his choosing. It must be admitted that the young man felt like that indecisive donkey from the parable before he made up his mind. The chosen ones were " the hermit of the Wilderness", "the basics of Working with healing spirits", "Blessings of Health and Long life", "Toughness of the Spirit" and "Peaceful Development I". As his unfortunate namesake would say: "Not OP' - because of the special coolness or magical power, capable of defeating at least five brigands such scattering did not give. But if he could do without brigands or at least decisively run away from them when he met them instead of a pathos battle, at least now he was not in danger of death for some ridiculous reason.

The hermit endowed the young man with a whole list of shamanic skills and tricks designed for survival in the forest, steppe, desert, or any other place where there are no people except the skill owner. The experience of a lifetime as a magically gifted woodsman, Bedouin, or steppe rider, put into a single head that has been riddled with it. Searching for water and food, disinfecting water and food, curing diseases and creating tools for oneself, seasonal rituals and blessings, skills to foresee the weather and ward off predators - nothing really serious, just a thousand little things, but all useful in their way.

The basics of healing, or rather summoning and communicating with those spirits that specialize in it, were meant to solve those problems the previous point would not solve. If Stepan broke his leg, got his foot cut by a sharp twig, or was badly bruised in a fall, this talent would allow him to heal himself. Again, in all years and all ages, healers have always been in great demand - as well as responsible, especially if the healer is buried in the same grave as the poorly cured - it is to them that it is easiest to offer their services and find lodging and sustenance.

The first of the two properties, the one that carried the blessing, only did what it did to increase survivability and resistance to all sorts of diseases and illnesses so even the plague would pass like a cold. Damage that would knock the owner of the property off his feet, a normal person will kill. The body's recovery from injuries was improved. The effectiveness of any healing attempts, including hand-made ones, was increased, as well as the length of life was increased. Not some kind of elven eternity, but to live a hundred years in full health and mind, even if you do not help yourself to live longer, this property will give easily.

The Toughness Stepan took consciously, remembering his hysterics, anger, and panic from the events that had happened, expecting this property would allow the already phlegmatic and calm guy not to lose his head in a stressful situation, whether it was a fight, flight, a complex ritual or something else. Significantly increased resistance to induced terror and other negative emotions wasn't a bad bonus either. And the not-so-substantial increase in resistance to curses was considered a smaller bonus. The earthling decided not to take into account the tiny reduction in damage and the passing effect of the clerics' battle prayers.

The last talent he took was the meta-skill, which allowed him to develop himself quietly and peacefully through all sorts of non-combat labor, simple work within his class. He was able to get this skill anyway, but now he would have more experience, and his experience in combat situations was not reduced either. Taking into account, that he would have to somehow survive in such conditions, he would have to work, call spirits, and bang the tambourine a lot, enough for a couple of levels for sure. Probably, although here it's still how to know. By the way, Stepan didn't notice any numerical display of EXP and magic or life energy in his Status: all three scales were just strips, without divisions, approximately showing the state of this or that scale, but not giving accuracy. Apparently, in this game, you can't connect Excel. That upset him a little, as an EVE player with half a year's experience.

He had already pushed the confirmation, ready to accept the knowledge pouring into his head and become a real wizard, well, or shaman, as at the last moment the world seemed to stop, froze for a moment, and a strikingly familiar voice from a very recent visit to the great throne room seemed to thunder and whisper at the same time, which caused a wild boner and an equally wild terror (what if he was about to get a ban on his face? ), but, it seemed to be a recording too, carrying only words and something else.

Words...

my gift to you

...stated.

Retrieved: "basics of casting shamanic love spells", "advanced basics of casting shamanic love spells".

Talents gained are added to the overall Player status.

Many thoughts flashed through Stepan's mind. Some of them are multifaceted and even clever. He realized that he had seen what this hidden blessing did. There was also a slight irritation that his only "advanced" skill was some perverted bullshit that was of little use in normal life, combat, or survival. There's also just the classic joy of any student at getting free stuff, even if it's unnecessary, but it's free! A second later, Stepan's mind flashed not with thoughts, but with the ringing of the Tsar Bell, next to which the Tsar Bomb exploded. At the last moment, before he was completely covered, Stepan realized that the amount of distilled experience and knowledge he was about to absorb might be a little uncomfortable to absorb at once.

And then there was the light.

And there was Stepan's mental swearing.

And there was darkness.

He woke up without a headache and a hangover, but he still felt as if he had been beaten long and hard, and for several days in a row, without a break for sleep, food, beer, and a game of cards. The state of consciousness had changed and remained the same, at the same time, only expanded in all respects. Thinking became easier, and noticeably simpler, but at the same time, the thinking seemed to be filled with new shades, meanings, and understanding, which seemed natural. At the same time, he remembered that he had not seen, noticed, or understood it all before.

The world of spirits and matter, the world of magic and physics is in fact the one, but they are still different, intersecting like a multitude of circles, where in the very center, touching all at once, is a shaman. Yes, some spheres are closer to him, and some are more alien, but it is shamans can adapt everywhere, anywhere, and to anything, there is no task that a shaman could not cope with, sometimes succeeding where even the most powerful of mages fail. Heh, well, that's if one's ego is very strong. Now Stepan, who had received a lot of knowledge and skills, realized much more and much more vividly how little he still knew.

It was as if he was going through his memory like going through the pages of a book, quickly finding the ones that had been filed recently but didn't seem foreign. A very funny feeling, yes. And he was also sinning in vain that his new powers of love spell were useless shit in general. Yes, shit, he agreed with his past self here, but not useless, no. All skills overlap with each other in one way or another, enhancing parts of themselves with new aspects. So the love spell shamanism turned out to be useful not only for his main specialty but also brought some useful dividends for him.

The skills of healing calling added to the understanding of the work of partial and superficial anesthesia, work with the aura, even there were some advances in the removal of curses, because some of the spirits summoned for a spell could well perform other functions if he were able to call them and choose the right offerings. The spirit's resistance to influences on the mind was slightly strengthened by the fact that Stepan himself had gained some understanding of how this influence on the mind worked (well, in a limited way, but still). Even the most basic skills of calling and dialog with spirits also improved, their degree of depth increased.

"I know kung fu." He said to himself, just not to be silent, although he obviously didn't know any kung fu. "And I'm hungry. And thirsty. And want to poop."

There was a latrine near the house, but it was old and a little crumbled. It was a working one, tested by an isekai. The firewood in the small outhouse was also in the assortment, though some of it must have become rotten. A wok, water, and grits - any student not rich enough to buy instant noodles regularly could learn to cook porridge, but it would be nice to have some more fire. Of course, in the duffel bag, was a torch, a flint, and a small box with a pipe, but it was not sporty and not magical enough. Who the hell would one have to be to miss such an opportunity to do magic for the first time? Stepan didn't know who he was, but he wasn't going to be.

With a crunch of his wrists, he sat down next to the stacked firewood and began to adjust himself. Actually, he had not yet distributed very important and necessary units of characteristics, but, according to his calculations, he could cope with making a fire even with the current attributes, especially after the increase from the acceptance of the class. The world blinked, changed, became transparent and a little unreal. That very famous shamanic call, immersion into the sphere of another plan, even if only a little. In a really deep trance, the world does not become just a little ghostly. It does not acquire unnecessary details in the usual picture, there the whole image changes and the shaman finds himself in places completely different from reality. Good or bad, but the earthling is still far away from such a level.

He inhales and exhales, but with the exhalation, it is as if a haze, visible to the other vision, comes out of him - although can it be called a vision if he gradually shifts to a third-person view of reality? - The force leaves the body, and with it, the message given to that force. The desire for fire, warmth, for the spark from which fires and rains of fire are born. Only very small and young. Interested spirits fly by, small and unthreatening, so far, but also useless. They are just spirits, with no distinct element or usefulness, small astral parasites attracted by the power released by the shaman. Some young shamans could try to accumulate a bigger retinue in this way. However, the experience embedded in his head, from which Stepan knows about these young shamans, asserts the uselessness and even harmfulness of such an approach. Yes, the retinue will be large, but devoid of teeth, running away at the first danger, and even if such contracts want to help their breadwinner, they are of little use, it is easier to swing fists.

A volitional effort drove away the first pair, the second three, the next group until the one whom Stepan had been looking for all this time came. Yes, he was looking for him, even if he did not get up from his seat, because his call was going through the world of spirits instead of him. Until the shaman learns to leave his body, this call will be his only way to sift through the netherworld. Or, alternatively, he could learn to call on the move, which isn't easy either. The spirit is really like a spark, it has no shape, but still reminds a novice shaman of a small Bengal light, behind which a tail of sparks stretches like a ribbon.

Offering power, justifying the benefit, and explaining the task.

It's not easy, but there's no pressure as if you were jogging in the morning, not the first act of sorcery. Everything turns out as if he had already done it all, not once, not twice, not three times, not even a hundred times, and, in a way, it was true. The memory injected into him is not alien, but entirely his, albeit embedded by the system, and therefore there are no problems with the fact that he can transmit his wish of strength to the small spirit. In the last exhalation, Stepan poured in more power, so that the spirit had enough and realized that he had overdone it - in a couple of seconds there were only hot coals left from the wood, and he almost burned his eyebrows. Satisfied with his earnings, the spirit goes back. Now, he is sure that calling the acquaintance will be much easier - not yet a contract and not part of the shaman's entourage and his hosts, but already familiar and tasted a very favorable deal for him (after all, the first time Stepan consciously decided to overpay, to be sure it worked).

"Well, I don't know kung fu, but this is even cooler." That's all he said, wiping the soot off his face. "Almost as cool as being able to move your ears."

The reserve is almost empty, with barely a tenth of a strip left, and it brings a sucking sensation of emptiness inside, demanding that he suspend his experiments. Shrugging, he starts putting a new batch of wood on the coals and hanging a pot of porridge, noting in passing that from the first level (received at the moment of class selection) to the second level there is now some less experience. It was hard to say exactly how much he had gained, but it was hardly more than two percent and not less than one. Yes, not much, but after all, and the risk only to set his eyebrows on fire, the call itself is performed frankly weak, without prior preparation, and with a willingness to initially pay more than necessary. The spirits can get used to it, and it will be harder to bring down the requests to acceptable values.

Having yawned, Stepan stirred the porridge in the pot and began to think about what and how to increase it. Well, immediately dropped out of Constitution (although this characteristic will make blood and life force very nutritious, which will have a good effect on the part of contracts, and will allow him to feed his retinue properly), as well as Resistance (although it is also not useless to the Shaman, especially at high risk of working with extremely toxic in all respects entities). The important undoubtedly Spirit and Sensitivity, they are for the Shaman must have. Also Power. It denotes the value of a unit of energy, including when you pay for it to the spirits. You can also question the Control because there are those practices of shamanism, like walking on the spiritual plane, immateriality, or anything like that, in which the control is so important, but in the classical call it is not primary and not even secondary.

He thought for a long time. But these thoughts did not bother him with porridge, with pieces of corned beef thrown into it, with a breadcrumb, and on a stomach hungry from magical exhaustion, they only added spices missing in the porridge. In Stepan's opinion, the most idiotic decision would be to distribute all the points equally, putting a little bit of each into everything. No, it was not his choice. So, with great difficulty coming to the right decision, the young man, who suddenly changed his profession, place of residence, and way of thinking, made his choice.

He began to put points in one by one, waiting for pauses and not hesitating to eat the cold porridge, because he was accustomed not to get on the same rake a second time. Yes, even a single increase of a characteristic gave off strange sensations in the whole body and above it, in the bodies of subtle ones. And each attribute felt different when boosted, each giving a different spectrum of experience when it was affected by something as deep as the player's fucking system. The last point he put in was when the sun had set and the porridge had been eaten, if not completely, then close to it. Good thing he hadn't cooked much to begin with.

Three out of nine to Spirit, and of the remaining six, two more to Sensitivity, two to Power, and two to Source. He wanted to increase his Constitution, but Stepan stopped himself with an iron will and a clear understanding that he couldn't readjust his messed-up build and had chosen a Shaman, not a Warrior. Having shivered and sweated - also, by the way, a mistake, then the clothes will need to be washed - he rose to his feet and, already entering his house, cast a triumphant glance at his status, which was no longer quite the bottom of the bottom, suitable for a weak, even inexperienced, but still a shaman:

Name: Stepan

Level: 1

Class: Shaman

Characteristics: (free: 0)

Talents (free): 0

Constitution: 1

Sensitivity: 5

Power: 4

Control: 1

Source:3

Spirit:1

Resistance: 1

Knowledge acquired: speaking and writing: Free Cities, academic Neurath, Island Kingdom; basic shamanic practice; fundamentals of spiritual dialog; wilderness hermit; basics of working with healing spirits; advanced basics of casting shamanic charms (GIFT)

Obtained properties: blessings of health and long life; fortress of spirit

System modifiers: peaceful development I

Special: Blessing of Liarat si Merrinal, Lady of Gifts and Giver of Gifts, loyal servant of Innelas Innelay: likely to grant additional talents as you level up; hidden effects

Yes, it was not so dull as it had been recently but not a mage of the eightieth level, and the hidden effects of the answering machine's blessing had not disappeared either, causing some underlying suspicion. Somewhere far away remained home, homeworld, acquaintances and friends, and Rodislav Gastoldovich Yanin, but about the latter Stepan could not be sure, because this bastard can get and literally from the other side of the world. Whether it was a property of fortitude or a general change of consciousness from the knowledge and worldview of the shaman, the thought that he was here for a long time and would hardly see his home (like the third Haflaif and the end of Game of Thrones), no longer caused neither panic, nor horror, nor even particular longing.

Work moment.

No more.

*

T.N.

So, the tambourine. First of all, it's a signature shaman's tool. In this way the meaning of the title becomes clear. But... There's an idiom in Russian "hit in the [someone's] tambourine" which means punch in the face. And then there's "the tambourine dance". It describes a situation when you have some task, but you don't know exactly what to do and try different approaches. For example to patch KDE for FreeBSD.