Now all that was left to do was figure out what to do with my TP. I didn't have the slightest clue what they were for and it wasn't like there was something to give me hints on what to do with them.

So while I warmed myself up, doing my stretches and jogging in place, I focused really hard on those two letters on my status. I willed the menu to show me something, anything that I could do to use those points.

A quiet ding went off in my head and I immediately put my guard up, snapping my status closed as I readied my spear. But nothing else happened. No tell-tale ringing of an approaching invader. Just a flashing exclamation point in the corner of my vision, telling me I had a new notification.

Flushing with embarrassment, I focused on the motif and it opened up in front of me.

Congratulations! You have unlocked the skill tree!

So all that thinking hard stuff actually worked? Epic!

I nearly opened my mouth to say its name but remembered the blizzard going on and instead said it mentally.

Skill Tree

Available Skills:

[Parry] - 1 TP

[Sweep] - 3 TP

[Toughen] - 5 TP (Requires Defense Attribute)

Upgradeable Skills:

[Measure Bribe] - 2 TP

[Lesser Radar] - 3 TP

[Thrust] - 2 TP

[Burst] - 2 TP

[Charge] - 2 TP

Well, then. I had quite a dilemma on my hands. I could either buy [Parry] or upgrade one of my current skills. I could eventually learn [Parry] myself by fighting more and who knows how long it would take to naturally upgrade a skill...So I'd forego getting a new skill and focus on upgrading my current ones.

But which skill to upgrade? [Measure Bribe] was immediately out; that skill sounded shady to me. [Charge] I'll also hold off on; while a Strength boost was nice, but not what I thought I would need to survive a fight. That left [Thrust] and [Burst]. I would be doing a lot of both in the oncoming fights but I felt having a higher [Burst] level - higher AGI boosts and longer-lasting effects - would be more useful.

I purchased the upgrade for [Burst] with just a thought.

You have upgraded the skill [Burst] to level 2. [Burst] now doubles AGI for 2 seconds. The double trigger lasts for 1 second.

When a familiar ringing went off in my head, I closed the notifications and readied myself for battle.