The contingent of active video gamers among the Awakeners thus explained to those who had yet to understand how distributing stats were the key to maximize one’s competence in his or her class, and should be done carefully, lest one fail to live up to their class’ potential due to carelessness.

“Sir Johann, my name is Lady Aera, and I am a Knight. Which stats should I raise?” the former psychologist asked as she stepped forward, first unto the breach.

Once her questions were answered, everyone else followed suit.

“Good morning, Raudonas –”

“It’s Miss Raudonas,” the purple-robed magic user said, pulling down the hood to reveal the face of a young woman with flowing red hair.

“Miss Raudonas, I am a wizard, and my status screen says I’m a ‘fire class’ wizard. What do I do from here?”

It took several minutes before people gathered around these and asked questions about their classes, and everyone who had their questions answered regrouped and began talking to their respective group leaders.

A lot of similar dialogue happened throughout the hour, as the Awakeners did not know very much about Nohas, and the three more experienced Awakeners appearing and sharing their knowledge seemed like an oasis in a barren desert.

Nearly everyone was drawn to the three characters assisting them… except one, who had already found his oasis early on, just before he had started figuring out how to pound goblin heads with nearby rocks.

“Even the packaging is an art form,” Jay said, clutching the box in his hand and giving it an appraising stare before he opened it.

Some things never changed.

When Jay bought his first item online, this was the exact same thing he did.

So, what if there were characters helping them out? Let them get help. I have all the help I need at the touch of my fingertips – and I can have any kind of help I want, for the right price… but enough about that.

Jay cut his soon-to-be rant short and made his move, scratching a corner off the tape on the package, and very carefully easing the tape off.

“Now this is what the feeling of a job well done is like,” he said as soon as the last line of tape on the package box was eased off, as if it hadn’t been there. The package was opened with a deft touch of one who had opened many packages like it before.

Right now, he was near the outskirts of Brino, close to the city wall, holding onto the package he was about to open like a newborn baby, feeling a bit secretive, self-conscious, and paranoid about his purchase.

He was just about to open it when he noticed that the presentation of the package he was holding resembled that of the online shopping center he frequented the most.

Jay’s moment of suspicion passed quickly, as there was a package to open and stuff to use!

He could almost hear the angelic chorus when he parted the cardboard panels… and finally, he opened the package to see a tome within.

It looked rather imposing, what with its sheer size taking up most of the box (after the bubble wrap, of course), its deep purple leather cover and symbols embossed on the front in a shiny bronze.

By his estimate, this tome was about as thick as three college textbooks combined – but it didn’t weigh as much.

“This book would look really nice on my coffee table,” Jay said aloud, turning the book around to see if it was fit for display.

Well of course, Jay, having what is known as a shopping addiction, didn’t purchase books because he wanted to read them – he bought them because they were discounted.

For anyone else who buys something because they need it, this might seem strange, but shopping addicts are like hunters. They do it because the very act of buying gives them a thrill. Even money is not a primary concern. The things they could buy with money, though – is a different matter altogether.

“Now, let's open this baby up and see what’s inside,” Jay said, and opened up the book… only for a screen to come up in front of his eyes as soon as he did.

[Would you like to read the Tome of Hidden Knowledge? When you read this book, your strength, agility, and intelligence will increase by three.]

“Of course,” Jay said. “I bought it, so I’ll read it.”

It came naturally to him to make a decision like that on impulse, and as soon as he decided to read the book, he didn’t just read words – he saw ideas, concepts, ways to move, to speak, to think, all flashing before his eyes with breakneck speed, like watching a film sped up ten, no, twenty times – while he was feeling the very essence of the book passing through him.

The increase in stats from the book caused a tangible change in him – he FELT himself becoming stronger.

Alas, unlike most Awakeners, who tended to optimize their stat points to play to their strengths, reading the book made all of Jay’s stats rise up evenly.

Jay didn’t realize it at first, but that was when he started towards becoming a “badly-built character”, or so whatever those video game players who micromanaged everything and took everything too seriously tended to say.