{The more one believes and lives their new identity, the more likely others are to believe and accept the new identity.}

Freya mulled over the words from the skill book. She wondered if she could have made Nightscythe stay longer. Once she obtained the skill, he would not be a good practice partner because of his high perception level. However, as a rogue, maybe he had some insight on learning the skill. She glanced at the text at the top of her vision.

[Misidentify Skill Book Boost Time Remaining: 23 hours 45 minutes 43 seconds]

Her heart thumped in panic, despite not much time passing. There was still plenty of time, but knowing there was a time limit made every second more precious. She flipped back to the last half of the book. She had already skimmed the whole book once in a panic, so she knew the layout. The first section contained more philosophical ideas about how the skill worked. It emphasized acting skills and the art of deception. The later part of the book described the game mechanics of the skill.

{To change a player’s game ID perception, the player can click on their ID with the intention to change that information. After changing any information, the new perception must then be activated. If activation is successful, the player’s ID and/or appearance will change.

Precautions:

Changing the player’s perceived class will not acquire any of that class’s benefits.

The amount of information that can be changed and the degree of change depends on the player’s Misidentify skill level.

The amount of time Misidentify is active depends on the player’s Misidentify skill level.

The perception needed to break Misidentify depends on the player’s Misidentify skill level.}

Will I know if someone sees through my act? Freya wondered. She flipped through more pages, but they only described other caveats and technicalities. 

After another hour of studying, Freya’s eyes were glazing over the information. Acting tips and precautions about getting caught in lies mixed in her mind. It wasn’t necessary to read all the information, but it might help manifest the skill. Still, there was nothing better than real-life practice.

She set down the book and stared at her ID textbox.

[Freya Evenkey]

[Lvl 16 Martial Artist]

[390/390 HP] [135/135 MP]

Reaching out to touch the textbox, she followed the skill book’s instructions.

I want to change this information.

After a long pause, a new textbox appeared in her vision. It looked similar to her normal extended stats list, but there was some extra information.

[Freya Evenkey]

[Lvl 16 Martial Artist]

[390/390 HP] [135/135 MP]

[Vitality: 7] [Mental Power: 2]

[Strength: 9] [Stamina: 8]

[Dexterity: 2] [Perception: 12]

[Charisma: 4] [Luck: 2]

[Appearance:]

[Sex: Female] [Ethnicity: Solangi]

[Hair color: Brown] [Eye color: Brown]

[Height: 161 cm] [Weight: 53 kg]

[Skills:]

[Meridian Manipulation (Lvl 6)]

[Potion Brewing (Lvl 3)]

[Necrosummoning (Lvl 2)]

[Object Enchantment (Lvl 2)]

[Light Jab Heavy Straight (Innate) (Lvl 8)]

[Sweeping Kick (Innate) (Lvl 10)]

[Self Healing (Innate) (Lvl 6)]

[Shockwave (Lvl 11)]

[Hit Redirect (Lvl 8)]

[Impolsion (Lvl 8)]

Most of it was familiar except for the appearance section. According to the skill book and accounts from Nightscythe, it was possible to change people’s perception of a player’s appearance. However, since it was a more significant change than just some words in a textbox, it required a higher level.

Let’s try to change something easy, Freya thought to herself. 

Touching her name, a keyboard appeared. Freya carefully typed out a new name.

[Una Bluewater]

“Una” was a popular girl name where Freya grew up, and “Bluewater” was a common last name. It was a bland and boring name that shouldn’t draw much attention. If she picked a ridiculous-sounding name, the more likely people would question it. 

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the [Change] button at the bottom of the list.

BEEP! BEEP!

[Error: Unknown]

The screen shifted and blurred. Her real name reappeared on the screen.

Damn, Freya cursed. She chewed her cheek. What did the book say? I need to picture myself as Una Bluewater… How do I do that?

Freya paced around her inn room. She repeated the name in her head. The countdown timer in the corner of her vision seemed to be dropping quicker. She opened the skill book again and scanned its pages. Almost half of the book focused on acting and maintaining a seamless facade. This had to be important. In order to activate the skill, she truly needed to believe in her new identity.

I am Una Bluewater. I am Una Bluewater. I am just a regular girl. I lead a boring normal life.

She touched her name again and changed it. However, before she hit the [Change] button, her finger hovered over her class. Logically, changing only her name should be easier than changing both her name and class, but if she wanted to embody regular, boring, Una Bluewater…

Typing in the new class, she pictured fields, oxen, plows, and the sweat of a hard day’s work.

She clicked [Change]

[New Skill Realized!]

 [Misidentify]

 [ →  Lvl 1 ]