Chapter 4

Taking off his training helmet, Maso, sitting at the head of the bed, gazed out the window. It was 23:50 on January 24, 2297, and the New Year's Eve midnight bell was drawing near. Without needing to see it with his own eyes, Maso knew that there should be joyful crowds celebrating on the distant streets. When he was young, his mother had taken him to the New Year's Eve celebrations, where the young him was always drawn to the smell of grilled fish, and he would beg his mother to buy him a skewer.

That was a very beautiful memory, filled with the carefree days of childhood and the sweet aroma of dried fish, without the current anxiety about the future and the unease stemming from his own condition. As a patient with a genetic defect, Maso, who couldn't walk from a young age, could only watch from the window.

The night sky outside was filled with fireworks, turning the lunar crater where humans lived into a scene as bright as daylight.

It's exactly the same as last time, Maso sighed softly, looking at the beautiful scene. What can be done? It's said that one should make the best of a situation. The disciplines involved in traveling back in time from the future are numerous, and when the future becomes the past, even a kitten like him doesn't want to waste too many brain cells thinking about why.

Of course, as for why an innocent kitten like him would encounter an unknown explosive device on the street, Maso was crystal clear in his heart—five years later, half a month ago, two young girls drank a few bottles of soda wine at their birthday banquet and then confessed to the kitten, boldly kissing him. Enraged, many of their admirers... they might not be able to place bombs in all the automatic taxis in Lunar Crater One, but they certainly could and would place an unknown explosive device on Maso's route to the airport.

In Maso's eyes, if they got rid of the kitten, the girls would be theirs.

Thinking of this, Maso idly flicked his tail—indeed, Maso had a fluffy tail and a pair of cat ears, because his mother was a human woman from Earth, and his father... Maso didn't know who his father was, but he knew that the father who gave him a pair of black cat ears and a long tail must have been a Tiefling kitten.

Tiefling kittens are beings from the Lornshiri extraterrestrial civilization of another galaxy. They look human but have cat ears and long tails. Adult kittens, regardless of gender, are often beautiful and cute, and male kittens are usually only about 1.4 meters tall. Maso is now twenty years old, and as a half-breed, he is still a minor in the Federation. Maso doesn't know his father's age, but he once heard his drunk mother mention something about eating young grass.

At that time, he was young and only resented his father for abandoning him and his mother. As he grew older, he came to understand the core meaning of "young grass" and felt somewhat embarrassed about his past resentment, because his father, whom he once resented, was also a victim.

Since that's the case, he has no reason to resent his father for abandoning him, nor can he blame his mother for raising him. Feeling helpless, the young man with a cat tail went through a period of depression, but that was in the past. The current Maso is no longer the ignorant teenager who howled at the moon in the middle of the night, waking up countless innocent neighbors... After all, although his mother had her flaws, Maso feels that she fulfilled her duties as a mother very well.

The current kitten lives in the Martian Emerald Manor, a large traditional hotel run by his grandmother.

Since he was a child, his grandmother has taught him the archery skills passed down from her family, so much so that at the age of thirteen, he unexpectedly won first place in the Federation Olympics U14 disabled group—something he never thought he could achieve.

Just then, the screen showed 23:59, and January 2297 passed, with the first day of February and the Lunar New Year arriving together. Maso, who remembered the two girls' instructions from five years ago and last night's dinner, picked up the game helmet from the bedside and put it on his head.

Someone once said that if you could have a new life, you should naturally take a new path, erase all the unsatisfactory things, and make up for all the regrets. The kitten smirked at this—such people, who don't have a limp, wouldn't understand the pain of a limping cat, let alone the hardships and suffering a limping kitten has to endure to climb up.

Naive.

...

When the white light of logging into the game gradually faded, Maso found himself standing in a huge library, as expected. In front of him was an old man dressed in a white mage's robe and a pointed hat, and between them was a long table and two wooden chairs facing each other.

"Welcome to the Library of the Tower of Wisdom, child. This is the reception station for outsiders like you. Please sit and talk to me," the old mage pointed to the chair facing him.

So Maso sat down obediently, as the old man with a white beard and blue eyes was wise and kind, and the kitten had already recognized him—Herman Cain, an elder of the Arcane Brotherhood and one of the Seven Key Guardians of the Mage Alliance. In the next five years, he and the other six legendary mages of the Seven Key Guardians—Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, and Nguyen Pao (a long Chinese person)—were known as the Seven Legends of the Brotherhood.

Facing such a powerful figure, at least level 120, who could cast ninth-level spells effortlessly and was the author of at least eight legendary spells in the Arcane Spellbook, Maso didn't think there was anything wrong with being cautious. After all, he was dealing with a monster that even a deranged killer would envy. Tucking his tail, he prioritized safety.

"Little one, I am Herman Cain. Can you talk to an old man like me about your worldview..." The old mage in the white robe and pointed hat raised his head, glanced at Maso's cat ears, and continued, "Of course, I mean—what kind of person do you want to be in this world? After all, things are busy, and if you choose a faction I don't like, I can send you to another reception station early. Even goblin orcs have a saying that time is money."

This was a faction choice, and Maso knew exactly what to choose. In this vast game world, there are four continents, and although only two are currently open, there are nearly a dozen nations and races to choose from. However, the most important thing is the faction division. The opposition between gods extends to this main plane, where good opposes evil, and order opposes chaos. Those who break the rules embrace chaos, while those who follow the rules uphold order. A player's every word and action can affect their faction, and no one wants to cause trouble for themselves, so choosing a profession and faction that suits their personality is very important.

Except for role-players, of course. Such top-notch actors were not uncommon in his previous life. Of course, the greatest charm of this game is that players can freely role-play, fighting for their beliefs and desires, becoming saviors of the world, remaining neutral in conflicts, or even playing the role of the world's gravedigger.

"I want to be a person who lives and lets others live," Maso smiled, making a neutral but sympathetic choice. This was very suitable for a profession that worships a neutral good deity, such as a shaman. In five years, in the Weeping Plains, Maso was a level 130 shaman. Any profession that reaches level 100 begins to strive for the legendary realm, but becoming legendary is not easy, requiring luck, piety, and effort.

In this world, shamans once worshiped spirits, but when a neutral good shaman became a deity, good and neutral shamans began to worship this deity, while some neutral and evil shamans continued to worship the spirits they loved.

Shamans who worship this shaman deity receive divine spells like priests, while those who worship spirits receive divine spells from spirits and nature, much like druids.

"Very good, child, you haven't told me your surname or your lineage," the old man said.

"My name is Maso, and I have a lineage to inherit," Maso replied. He had heard that his mother played this game when she was young—of course, that was during the fourth opening. The current online game account system is much stricter than before. He had his mother's blood and should inherit her surname in the game, "My mother's name is Tidrella, and she said she was once a pirate."

In his previous life, the kitten did not choose to inherit a lineage because he was still resenting his father for "abandoning his wife and child"... but the current kitten has long since given up his resentment of his lineage.

"Let me see... ah, according to the records, my child, you have an extraordinary mother. Her full name is Tidrella Sue Dain, the Grand Duke of the Storm Sea..." The old man adjusted his small glasses, raised his eyebrows at Maso, "Maso, I'm curious, with your lineage, why did you choose the Eastern Continent?"

The kitten was initially puzzled but immediately understood the reason. Although he didn't have much contact with his grandfather, it wasn't because he was naturally gossipy, but because his grandfather's account was legendary—Pandarin Sue, a legendary mage from the first opening era, the founding emperor of the New Eden Empire, and now a powerful deity with the portfolio of Death. In the eyes of NPCs on the Eastern Continent, his grandfather's name as a mortal was a cure for children's night crying... This alone perfectly described how terrible his grandfather's image was in the eyes of NPCs on the Eastern Continent.

Just as Maso was at a loss for how to explain, a branch suddenly grew out of the table, and a scroll appeared on its tip. Herman Cain took the scroll, read it, and the elder of the Brotherhood frowned, "This is truly unbelievable, child. Forget my previous question. Next, it's time to choose your attributes. Look at your lineage."

"Oh..." Maso was somewhat embarrassed by his poor performance, and the kitten opened his attribute panel. In reality, Maso had the blood of a kitten, so in this game, his race was a kitten. Although he had half-human blood, he still had the appearance of a kitten in the game—after all, in reality, he had cat ears, a long tail, and a small stature, which could not and should not be changed.

However, when the kitten saw his new base attribute panel, he still gasped in shock. In his previous life, his base attributes were Strength 6/Agility 10 (10 for half-human, 12 for pure kitten)/Constitution 6 (6 for half-human, 4 for pure kitten)/Intelligence 8/Perception 12/Charisma 8 (8 for half-human, 6 for pure kitten) (remember, only pure humans have a base attribute of 8 in the game, while other races and hybrids have modified base attributes).

But this time, the attributes were Strength 4/Agility 10/Constitution 6/Intelligence 6/Perception 14/Charisma 14.

Fortunately, when players inherit a lineage, all base attributes are given system information, so Maso had to confirm each one—first, Strength 4 (Respected player, the divine and mystical forces in your lineage are in significant conflict, your strength is only 4, do not try to stop a car with your arm.) Well, the kitten accepted it. His grandfather had tormented many people, and perhaps a powerful being had cursed him. As a lich at the time, his grandfather was fine, but when he reshaped his body, the curse was passed down... A curse that even divine blood couldn't break, the kitten couldn't solve this problem even with cheats, so he gave up.

Next, Agility 10 (Respected player, the divine and mystical forces in your lineage interact in your agility, making it 10) and the same as before, the kitten had nothing to say.

Then, Constitution 6 (Respected player, the divine and mystical forces in your lineage are in strong conflict in your constitution, causing significant damage, your constitution is only 6, be careful with your back during intimate moments.)... The kitten's heart was bleeding. Constitution 6, the system said to be careful with his back, what a pain! His grandfather had divine blood, and even without Constitution 12, this sudden strong conflict cut it in half!

Putting aside the resentment over constitution, the kitten looked at Intelligence 6 (Respected player, the mystical forces in your lineage completely suppress the divine forces in your intelligence... this is truly unfortunate.) Well, a kitten's 6 intelligence is equivalent to a human's 8 intelligence. In player terms, 6 or 8 intelligence isn't a big deal, just a bit naive, whether it's naive or dark depends on the person.

Next, Perception 14 (Respected player, the mystical forces in your lineage completely suppress the divine forces in your perception, but because of this, your perception is 14... can I say congratulations?)... Well, the kitten, who was making a fortune quietly, put aside the ten thousand whys and looked at the final charisma.

Charisma 14 (Respected player, in charisma, the divine and mystical forces in your lineage are both suppressed, and the lineage from your mother and grandmother—the Lady of Death of New Eden, Sulent—gives you excellent charisma and appearance.)... After some thought, the kitten decided to take this as a compliment to his appearance, at least he had been used to being called cute since he was young.

Putting everything aside, the kitten started to allocate points. The game uses a 32-point buy system, where adding 1-6 points to a base attribute costs 1 point per point, 7-8 points cost 2 points per point, 9-10 points cost 3 points per point, and 11-12 points cost 4 points per point—For example, Maso's strength is 4, and to increase it to 10 points, it would cost 6 points (because it's exactly 6 points added), to 12 points it would cost 6+4 (2x2) points, to 14 points it would cost 6+4+6 (3x2) points, and to 16 points it would cost 6+4+6+8 (4x2) points.

When creating a character, players can add up to 12 points to a base attribute, but this requires an astronomical number of points. Therefore, Maso ultimately decided on the following attributes—Strength 8 (4 points spent)/Agility 12 (2 points spent)/Constitution 12 (6 points spent)/Intelligence 6 (not spent)/Perception 24 (16 points spent)/Charisma 18 (4 points spent).

In the game, a shaman who wants to cast a lot of spells needs high perception and charisma; at the same time, a shaman who wants to have melee capabilities also needs some strength, constitution, and agility, otherwise, they can't survive in close combat—shamans are a combination of spellcasters and melee classes. The shaman's divine spell system is similar to that of druids, and shamans who worship Pain Beside the Sea are proficient in long spears, two-handed hammers, one-handed hammers, crossbows, bows, flails, and shields.

Strength to 8, a Bull's Strength would add 4, enough for the kitten to use his favorite compound bow and the engineering-specific pulley bow in the later stages. If he also gets other blessings (like Enlarge), he might even be able to use a longbow in specific situations.

Agility 12, no problem, 12 agility is enough for the kitten to run fast, at least in the early stages, most of the unlucky ones in half the professions can't keep up with the kitten.

Increasing constitution to 12, the kitten sighed in satisfaction—hmm, with Bear's Endurance adding 4 to constitution, and then casting Barkskin, Thornskin, Enlarge, and so on, once a night is no problem! Meow hahaha!

Alright, after the rant, after adding and subtracting, Maso's final base attributes were—Strength 8/Agility 12/Constitution 12/Intelligence 6/Perception 24/Charisma 18. For a kitten shaman, 24 perception is a base statistic that many other races' priests and paladins can't reach before level 100—remember, this isn't a data stream game from the fourth-generation virtual reality era where attributes are sold like salmon, in this game world, every attribute point is precious.

In a good mood, the kitten allocated the remaining points, clicked confirm, and nodded at Herman Cain, "Elder, I have made my choice."

"Very good, child, you can tell me about your skill points and equipment choices," Herman said with a kind look.

"I haven't chosen my feats yet."

"My child, the lineage in your veins has already chosen your feats for you."

Maso was taken aback, then looked at his feat panel, and his expression immediately became colorful.

'Mystic Blood': All your divine spells have a 25% increased effect.

'Arcane Bloodline': Born into a spellcaster family, for every 25 levels you gain, your MP increases by 50 points, and you gain an additional free epic spell slot (you can choose a spell from any class's divine or arcane spells, and this spell can be enhanced with two of the following epic feats: Empower, Maximize, Quicken, Silent, Still, Extend, Reach, and Delay. This spell will not consume additional spell slots or MP, but it can only be used once per day.)

'Divine Born': Due to your lineage, the experience required to level up increases by 30%.

... Well, this was clearly the good and bad brought by his grandfather's lineage. No matter how helpless Maso felt, he had to accept it.

So, Maso chose his equipment—shield claws and a light mace. The base armor for a kitten shaman is a leather robe, which Maso did not change. For skills, shamans use perception instead of intelligence, and with a +7 modifier, Maso chose to allocate his 28 skill points into Survival (perception), Concentration (constitution), Spellcraft (intelligence), Tumble (agility), Climb (agility), Stealth (agility), and Spot (perception), 4 points each.

Every five levels, Maso would gain 7 more skill points, which he could use automatically.

After completing all his choices, Maso selected his birthplace on the virtual screen—Ashby and Paronst region, Paronst City.

"Very good, Maso Sue, welcome to this magical land for outsiders. It is early March of ST1845, and in the world of blooming flowers, caution is always wise," Old Herman said, and Maso's vision was once again enveloped by a white, non-blinding light.

...

When the white light faded again, Maso walked out of the teleportation array, the kitten shaman in a gray leather robe stretched his arms. The shield claws he equipped served as a shield, and a light mace hung from his