Chapter 2: Feat Selection

Bai Ming was furious. Anyone who was woken up after only three and a half hours of sleep would be absolutely livid.

That persistent, cursed thing!

He had clearly decided not to participate in this trash game, yet it still had the nerve to run a settlement phase!

That being said, after a trip to the bathroom, a calmer Bai Ming decided to take a look at this so-called player interface.

After all, he had gotten a skill point and a feat point for free; he might as well find out what they were good for.

The player interface was divided into [Player Status], [Inventory], [Shop], [Auction House], and [Player Forum]—a standard gaming layout.

Bai Ming opened the [Player Status] first.

***

[Username: Bai Ming]

[User ID: DE5672****1723]

[Player ID: ___]

[Age: 23]

[Race: Human]

[Level: LV1]

[Experience Points: 0/100]

[Strength: 14 (Strength represents the player's muscle density and physical power)]

[Dexterity: 13 (Dexterity represents the player's hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance)]

[Constitution: 14 (Constitution represents the player's health and endurance)]

[Intelligence: 14 (Intelligence represents the player's capacity for learning and reasoning)]

[Perception: 12 (Perception represents the player's sensitivity and intuition)]

[Charisma: 12 (Charisma represents the player's personality, persuasiveness, leadership abilities, and physical attractiveness)]

[Will: 1 (Will represents the player's mental fortitude and their ability to warp reality)]

[Willpower: 100]

[Skills: None]

[Background Feat: Rebel]

[Rebel (C+): You despise authority, defy the law, and were born to be a rift in order. You receive a +4 morale bonus to Will saving throws against "Charm", "Coercion", or "Domination" effects.]

[Note: 1 point of Will Save is equivalent to the Will Save effect provided by 2 points of the Will attribute.]

[Game Coins: 0]

[Skill Points: 1]

[Feat Points: 1]

***

Through the [Player Forum], Bai Ming learned that the average adult male had a Strength attribute of 10, whereas sedentary office workers usually only had a Strength of 8.

As for the other five attributes—Constitution, Dexterity, Perception, Intelligence, and Charisma—the human limit was 18 points.

Strength was the exception; with enough body mass, it was possible to break past 20 or even reach 22.

The most unique attribute was Will: 1 point of Will equated to 100 points of Willpower.

Expending Willpower could temporarily boost other attributes, with the increase equal to one's Will stat.

For instance, since Bai Ming's Will was 1, expending Willpower would grant a +1 to all other attributes, raising his Strength from 14 to 15.

More importantly, Will was the foundation of all supernatural power. Learning skills required meeting a minimum Will threshold, and casting skills also consumed Willpower.

"Wait, it looks like I don't even have any skills to use..."

Because Bai Ming had failed the main quest of the previous Twilight Game, he hadn't obtained any skill cards.

Since skill points could only be used to learn or upgrade existing skills, they were completely useless to him right now.

Feats, however, were a different story.

Players did not need to acquire feat cards; the system would directly provide a list of options.

In particular, the first feat would be tailored to the player's performance in the tutorial quest.

However, its rank would not exceed B+ at best.

[Feat settlement in progress...]

[You have miraculously escaped that fated doom! However, to be frank, the method you used to escape can hardly be described as dignified.]

[Gutless Coward (C+): Escaping is easy, but every time you flee... you risk losing your courage to fight. When you are about to be attacked, you can choose to dodge immediately up to a distance of thirty centimeters. Each trigger inflicts a -2 penalty to your Will saves (stackable), which recovers after resting.]

[Strong Outside, Hollow Inside (B): My body is perfect... just don't look into my eyes. Strength, Dexterity, Constitution +2, Will -2.]

[Paper Tiger (B+): You look fierce on the outside, but you are fragile in reality. All your attributes are increased by 2 when out of combat, and decreased by 1 during combat.]

Bai Ming stared at the three feats, completely speechless. Was there not a single one without a drawback?

Did the creators of this Twilight Game have a death wish?

According to the [Player Forum], players only received one free attribute point every four levels, and these points could not be allocated to the Will attribute.

However, the Will attribute would automatically increase by 1 point with each level.

At first glance, [Strong Outside, Hollow Inside] seemed like the best choice.

After all, it sacrificed Will—which grew naturally with every level—in exchange for six whole attribute points, which would otherwise take twenty-four levels to accumulate.

But Bai Ming just couldn't stomach it. When playing games, he always built all-rounder "hexagon warriors" and never chose options that deducted attributes.

Besides, what use were six measly attribute points?

Would they allow him to defeat all the monsters and ghosts out there?

If not, he might as well choose [Paper Tiger]. At least it gave a larger overall bonus, and his Will attribute wouldn't be weakened in daily life.

Bai Ming suddenly recalled a crucial piece of information he had read on the forum: some dungeon quests would directly force-teleport players.

Although his unique ability allowed him to bypass the obliteration penalty for failing a quest, the dangers within the dungeon itself were still very real.

At this thought, Bai Ming used his [Lawless] ability to sense the Will save penalty of [Gutless Coward], confirming that the negative effect could indeed be targeted.

In that case, there was nothing to hesitate about!

Starting today, I am a [Gutless Coward]!

...

*Swoosh!*

The moment Bai Ming swung the kitchen knife through the air, his tightly bound hand suddenly withdrew in a bizarre fashion. The rope had loosened at some unknown point, and the blade grazed his fingertips before slamming into the cutting board with a dull thud.

"Excellent! [Gutless Coward] indeed."

Bai Ming inspected the loosened rope and found it was a quality defect; it had snapped from being pulled too tight.

That was the physical explanation, but considering the nature of [Gutless Coward], Bai Ming had every reason to suspect this was the result of the feat warping reality.

Bai Ming wrapped the rope around his hand several more times, binding it securely. Yet, under the influence of [Gutless Coward], his hand remained completely unharmed. Every single rope conveniently suffered from a "quality issue."

"So it's not teleportation? Is it because the conditions weren't met, or is teleportation simply impossible to achieve under these circumstances?"

Bai Ming continued his testing. However, by the fourth attempt, his breathing grew ragged. A tide of fear crept up his spine, and it took every ounce of his willpower just to swing the knife.

By the fifth time, even though he knew he wouldn't get hurt, his hand felt as heavy as lead. He couldn't force himself to swing the knife down.

Paranoia began to set in. It felt as though he had just watched a horror movie; he kept sensing people lurking in the corners of the room, grew terrified of the Twilight Game, dreaded dying in future quests, and even began to fear his own [Lawless] ability, suspecting some grand conspiracy behind it all.

This persecutory delusion lasted for half an hour before gradually fading, but he was still left with a lingering -8 penalty to his Will saves.

It took a full ten hours for the penalty to completely disappear.

"Leaving the side effects aside, this is an incredibly powerful survival ability. If triggered during a fatal attack, it basically grants at least three extra lives."

"But for me, it means infinite lives with zero side effects!"

[Gutless Coward (A-): Escaping is easy, but every time you flee... it is a strategic relocation. When you are about to be attacked, you can choose to dodge immediately up to a distance of thirty centimeters.]

...

"Threatened by anomalies and caged by rules, this Twilight Game is built on a foundation of pure horror."

"It's like a rule-based creepypasta. For someone like me who possesses the [Lawless] ability, this is the perfect, custom-made stage."

Sitting in his room, Bai Ming browsed through the information on the [Player Forum], a faint smile playing on his lips.

[Player Eligibility Confirmed]

[Player is about to enter the "Twilight Game"]

[Please enter your Player ID]

"It's been a week. The time has finally come again."

"Since my ability is [Lawless], then I shall be called..."

Without hesitation, Bai Ming typed in: [Heavenless].

The next second, crimson text erupted across his vision like drying blood.

[Welcome to the "Twilight Game"]

[The difficulty level of the game you are about to enter is: E-]

[May you witness the burial of daylight amidst the twilight.]

[Quest Name: School Life]

[Main Quest: Escape from Changteng Haunted School]

[Time Limit: 72 Hours]

[Failure Penalty: ~~Obliteration~~ / None]

[Quest Reward 1: 400 Base EXP]

[Quest Reward 2: 400 Base Game Coins]

[Note: EXP and Game Coin rewards will fluctuate based on the player's performance.]

[Note: Any injuries sustained by the player will be fully healed upon return.]

[Note: The player has 4 hours of preparation time, after which they will be forcibly transported into the dungeon.]

[Note: This dungeon is in Roleplay Mode and will alter the player's appearance.]