I’d laughed at my mum for not understanding something basic about stats in the world, but the truth was there was far more about the world we lived in than anyone could know. If you knew exactly who you wanted to be and how to get there, good for you. You have now beaten out 90% of the world – and that’s only because you wanted something basic anyway. The most common way to plot your growth was to talk with someone who’d done what you wanted and convince them to tell you what they’d gotten, how they’d done it, and what they’d regretted. I’d talked with plenty of sailors and had a good idea of what it would take to become someone like Fink – he’d thrown his lot in with captain Coe and sunk all his XP into either his duties as a first mate or as a harpooner. Now some of his advancements were only eking out a fraction of a percentage each upgrade, but he was committed. I admired that. I didn’t want to be him.

If you didn’t know anyone who was where you wanted to be or if you couldn’t get them to share, there were libraries. At least, here in Antarus there were libraries. It was the best system I’d come across in my journeys. Libraries had stored information on level progression, professions, and more. They didn’t claim to be comprehensive, but even a basic town library could give a kid a good start.

I paid my two-gold admission fee with all the silvers from my pouch. I had mostly coppers left, so my advance was pretty much gone. It’s what I’d budgeted for. If I hadn’t had the money, I wouldn’t have bought the health potion.

“What would you like to look over?” the clerk asked.

“Nautical” I responded.

She handed me a sheet of paper with a long list of titles and numbers. It was rigid, hard and smooth to the touch. Some sort of protection spell so they didn’t waste paper, I guessed.

“Here’s a list of common applications and their locations in the library. Please use our sanitation station prior to handling and leave the books on a desk when you’re through.”

I nodded and scrubbed my hands at the ordinary wash station. Their towels were sure nice. Then I started picking books off shelves.

I’d paid the two-gold entrance fee because this was one of the nicer libraries, owned by the monarch. I could get basic “how to become a farmer” at any 5-copper library. Here they had specialty paths outlined down multiple progressions with various iterations. Yet I ignored most of these. I knew I didn’t want to be a harpooner, so I wasn’t interested in what super-rare ability a level 50 spearman with a hundred strength could do. When I was satisfied I’d picked out the books that would help me, I found a vacant table to stack them on. It was a motley assortment. I had the basic primer on “sailor” and a seemingly random collection of professions and specialties below that. I was organizing them by priority when a man approached me.

“May I help you, sir?” he asked in a deep, refined, and cultured voice.

“Are you an administrator, sir?” I replied with as much respect as I could imbue my voice with.

“Indeed I am.”

I was lucky. Administrators were a wealth of knowledge but weren’t obligated to help anyone. The wealthy could pay for their time, but no one joined a state-sponsored library out of a desire for profit. The library was mostly empty now, but I was still fortunate in catching this man’s attention.

“I advanced levels unexpectedly, and now I’m putting careful consideration into my future progression.”

“Very wise, sir. May I examine your stats?”

“Please,” I said. Without a doubt he had an analyze skill that would see right through my hidden page, but it was polite of him to ask and I immediately opened myself.

Name

Domenic

Age

Race

Human

Level

XP

,280

Health

Mana

Stamina

Strength

Agility

Dexterity

Constitution

Endurance

Intelligence

Wisdom

Charisma

Luck

Skills

Swimming 14

Seamanship 18

Sea Legs 13

Rowing 8

Unarmed combat 7

Fishing 8

Small blades 5

Dirty fighting 3

Archery 3

Artillery 1

Observation 9

Analyze 7

Carpentry 3

First Aid 2

Lock Picking 2

Cooking 2

Traps 7

Stealth 5

Singing 2

Climbing 11

Spears 1

Acheivements

Lifesaving III

Perks

Adaptable

Heart at Sea