《The System 5032》 The Signboard In the center of a townsquare a large signboard stood casting a foreboding shadow over the cobblestone bricks along the ground. In the shadow a man stood gazing up at the glowing letters displayed upon the surface of the board.
Welcome
You have been taken from your original world and placed here the world of System 5032.
To survive you must battle monsters and defeat your enemies.
You have the freedom to do make your own decisions but be wary of those who want to take it from you.
You have been given a starting kit to help you survive.
The system can be accessed with your mind, more options will become available when your strength increases.
The first goal of all new arrivals is to get to level 10.
Enjoy your new life in System 5032.
Basic knowledge of the System has been learned.
The notification faded away into the darkness of his mind, but with the disappearance of the notification, large quantities of foreign information invaded his mind causing a sharp pain behind his eyes. The information was filled with instructions about the system on how to access certain screens. The pain lasted for what seemed like hours but in reality, only couple minutes passed by. With his new knowledge, he opened the menu.
Menu
Status
Inventory
Close
¡®Only 2 options besides the closing option,¡¯ the man thought looking at the menu, ¡®Open Status.¡¯
Status
Name Brand King
Level 1
Attack 7
Defense 5
Strength 15
Vitality 12
Dexterity 7
Intelligence 13
Close
¡°My name is Brand King, but who am I?¡± thought as he closed the status window. He realized his name was Brand King but, he had no memory of anything before viewing the signboard. He opened the inventory screen next.
Inventory
Head None
Neck None
Chest Grey Shirt
Legs Black Pants
Feet Soft Boots
Left Hand None
Right Hand None
Rings None
Bread 5
Wooden Sword 1
Close
A 3D projection of his body appeared below which showed his other goods. He appeared to be 5 foot 10 inches tall, brown hair, a slight roundness could be seen to his figure. ¡°I don¡¯t look too bad I guess,¡± He examined the Wooden Sword. ¡°Wooden Sword: A sword made of wood. Attack 1-3¡± ¡°Equip Wooden Sword¡±
Wooden Sword Equipped
Inventory
Head None
Neck None
Chest Grey Shirt
Legs Black Pants
Feet Soft Boots
Left Hand None
Right Hand Wooden Sword
Rings None
Bread 5
Close
¡®OK I¡¯m starting to get the hang of this, I just don¡¯t know if I¡¯m weaker than normal. I need to find out where I am first,¡¯ He closed the Status window and looked around. Besides the welcome board, he appeared to be in the center of a small town. Beyond the many buildings and people filling his sight, in the distance, he saw many giant trees and a few mountains. A few passersby glanced at him as he stood there, but no one came up to him until a large man in a brown leather tank top with a large double sided axe approached him.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Hello Newbie, My name is Ray Tial and I invite you to Turtle Shield Faction.¡± ¡°Hello Ray, My name is Brand how do you know I¡¯m new?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been stationed here by the Faction to scout for new people, I saw you appear here.¡± ¡°Oh really? Makes sense could you tell me a little about your faction?¡± ¡°Sure, We help the new arrivals adapt while giving them basic skills to survive. If they decide to stay in the faction after the training period we will give them more benefits.¡± ¡°So what you saying is that we can leave later if we want? What else should I know?¡± ¡°Yes, later when you complete our training you can leave freely. We do require members of the faction to pay a tribute, trainees are only required to pay half of the loot they get while full members have a better treatment. Do you want to join?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem so bad, they will help me learn the basics while keeping me alive worse case I¡¯ll figure it out later,¡± Brand pondered. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll join what do I have to do?¡± ¡°Great! Here I¡¯ll send you an invite, you should get a notification from the system just accept it.¡±
The faction Turtle Sheild has sent you an invitation do you accept?
Yes No
¡°Yes¡±
Brand King has joined Turtle Sheild faction
¡°Good, wait here while another member comes and gets you. A notification has been sent to all the officers upon you joining, it should take about 10 minutes for them to arrive.¡± Ray said while guiding Brand to the side of townsquare. Standing beside Ray he looked around the town square noticing how much activity there was. The layout wasn¡¯t in that of a square but a circle the signboard dominating the middle. He saw different shops lining the edge, all facing the board. Some of the shops brand saw had emblems hanging from their entrance with pictures of swords, shields, hammers, needles, and even potions. A sound of footsteps on cobblestone filled the square along with the smells of freshly baked bread with a hint of roasted meat. Brand¡¯s mouth started to water thinking about the food, looking over at Ray he noticed that he just stared at the signboard waiting for more people to appear. Ray didn¡¯t say anything else as they waited, Brand a little bit hungry and a little bored decided to see if his menu options changed because he joined a faction.
Menu
Status
Inventory
Faction
Close
¡®It appears something really did change,¡¯ He opened the Faction screen.
Faction
Name Turtle Sheild
Leader Yugi Black
Officers Ray Plite, Cinder Raul, Tim Steel
Members ..., Brand King
Buildings Hall x1, Store x1
Land Feild x5, Mine x1
Close
¡®Pretty stable foundation,¡¯ Brand thought closing the window after noticing a man getting closer. ¡°What¡¯s up Ray, this must be the new guy huh?¡± The man said while giving Ray a fist bump. ¡°Same shit different day Don. Yeah his name''s Brand, seems better than the other ones that have should up recently.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± ¡°Hello Brand, my name is Don and I¡¯m here to take you to the Hall,¡± Don said while reaching out for a handshake. Shaking his hand ¡°Hello, I guess I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± Turtle Shield Faction Walking with Don to the Faction Hall didn¡¯t take to much time as the town was rather small. The Hall was a small building stationed at the edge of town with a great view of some Fields and the mountains in the distance. ¡°Here we are, doesn¡¯t look like much does it?¡± Don asked while standing in front of the doors to the hall. ¡°It¡¯s is smaller than I thought it would be, yeah.¡± Brand replied while examining the building. ¡°That¡¯s what all the new ones say.¡± he sighed ¡° We have spent a lot of time and effort in building this Hall a long time¡­and a lot of people.¡± ¡°Wow¡­world maybe a more difficultthanI thought.¡± ¡°Well,let''sgo in then.¡±Don pushed open the doors to the hall. Inside thehall, Brand heard the chattering of many people. They continued walking through the entryway into a large room filled with many tables full of people, as Don and Brand appeared in the doorway the room slowly went silent as people noticed a new face at the door.Brandstarted to sweat as he received the attention of so many people at once. ¡°Alright, ladies and gentlemen hereisour new recruit Brand give him a welcome why don¡¯t ya¡± Don yelled into the hall while padding Brand on the back causing him to stumble forward. ¡°Hello everybody, my name is Brand King and I will be in your care.¡± Brand told the crowd in a timid voice. ¡°Welcome Brand!¡± the crowd responded, going back to their food and conversations. A few young people in the crowd gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Phew¡± a relieved sigh came from Brand as wiping away the sweat on his forehead, he nodded his head in thanks towards the few that gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Lots of people here¡± he turned and whispered to Don. ¡°Yeah, most of the people in the faction usually stay here when they are not doing quests or jobs. Follow me I¡¯ll take you to your trainer¡± He followed Don as they walked down the middle of the hall towards the counter along the far wall. A few people watched them as they walked,sensingno bad will Brand gradually relaxed. They reached the counter where Don walked up to a hooded man seated at the corner of the counter. ¡°Hey Rex, it¡¯s your lucky daydon¡¯tmess this one up Ray likeshim.¡± Don told the man while signaling the bartender for a drink. ¡°Fuck off Don, you know the others weren¡¯t my fault, it¡¯s cause they were too stupid¡± Rex responded while taking a sip of the drink in front of him. ¡°Sure Rex, OK Brand this will be your trainer RexKlingshinehe will help you get the hang of the world and teach you survival tips. Good luck I¡¯ll be seeing you around ¡° Don walked off towards a table drink in hand, where presumably his friends were at. ¡°Sit downkid.¡± Rex said while giving him a once over. Brandchose a spot 2 stools down. ¡°What do you know so far about our world?¡± Rex asked sipping on his drink. ¡°Not much the first thing I realized was the signboard, I only know my name from the status screen, everything else is a blank.¡± Brand replied leaning against the counter while watching the man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry that is what happens to everybody. First thing and most important thing you need to know is that power is everything. With power you can protect yourself and your friends without it you become someone else slave or be killed. Got it?¡± Rex asked making sure he understood the most important rule of this world. ¡°Yeah power is everything, but what is power and how do I get it?¡± Brand asked wanting to know more. ¡°The main power you need to focus on is your level, the higher level you are the more points you can put into your main stats. The main way to increase your level is to kill monsters or people, killing them will grant energy orbs known as experience. Experience will increase your knowledge and efficiency in what you do, with enough experience your body will level up. Easy as that.¡± ¡°So, you are saying that when I kill things energy orbs will drop out and my body can absorb them granting me power?¡± Brand asked surprised. ¡°Seems you got the gist of it. Besides killing monsters there are also potions that can grant you power along with spells, but these are more advanced ways that you won''t be able to touch unless you''re lucky or skilled.¡± ¡°Everything that happens here pertains to Skills. Skills are methods used to interact with the world. There is an unknown amount of skills in the world, millions upon millions of them but we know that they can be leveled with repetition granting their own type of power. This power can¡¯t be used with your main level but they can used to make the Skills themselves more powerful. Do you understand?¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Skills are actions with their own leveling system?¡± ¡°Yes, but not only actions it also represents the knowledge you have over that topic. A person with a high level skill knows that skill inside and out. For example, a person can have the Skill: Farming which is the main skill farmers use, they will have a much easier and produce more than a person without the Skill: Farming or farming is at a lower level. There are Overall Skills with many Sub Skills, Some skills turn into other skills when they are practiced to a certain level. Understand now?¡± ¡°Yeah, I understand.¡± ¡°Alright, you know how to level and what skills are, the next thing I¡¯ll tell you is about your Health. When your health is gone your dead. There are some special circumstances like potions, healers, and necromancers but other than that when you die you die for good as far we know. Just don¡¯t die and you won''t have to worry about it, got it?¡± ¡°Yeah don¡¯t die and there won¡¯t be any problems.¡± ¡°Anyway food and potions increase health, mana is used for magic, something you won¡¯t have to worry about till after level 10, but mana can only be increased with potions or mediation¡± Rex paused as he took a drink from the mug in front of him. ¡°That¡¯s the basics besides that you can figure the rest out on your own, here are a few skill books the factiongives to all new members¡± 3 books appeared in his hands as he pushed them down the counter toward Brand. ¡°Basic Swordplay¡±,¡±Basic Examination¡±,¡±Basic Mapping¡± Brand read the titles are he stored them into his inventory. ¡°These books with help a great deal, now follow me.¡± Rex took the last drink of his cup before standing up and crossing the hall towards the doors on the left side of the hall. Brand had to speed-walk as Rex was a large man taking long steps. Once through the doors of the courtyard, Brand saw that there were rows of wooden dummies in the center of the yard with rows of tables lining the wall near the doors they came out. A few trees were planted, they cast a shadow on the tables keeping away the sun. Rex chose a table towards the left wall and guided Brand to it. ¡°Sit down here are read the skill books when you have learned the skills, start to practice on one of the dummies¡± Rex instructed while he stood pointing at the table. Brand took a seat, as he sat down Rex walked to another table. He laid his head down for a nap. Taking the books from his inventory, he laid them on the table in front of him wondering what book to read first.He finally decided to read Basic Swordplay first since it sounded the most interesting, picking up the book he opened it and began reading. The book took 2 hours to read and gave a basic explanation of what swordplay was and some basic moves, closing the book he got a notification from the system.
Basic Swordplay learned
¡°Cool, it worked¡± He opened the menu checking to see what changed.
Menu
Status
Skills
Inventory
Close
Seeing the new option he opened the Skills screen.
Skills
Name Level Progress
Basic Swordplay 1 0/100
Close
He read the description of the skill excited that it showed up.
Basic Swordplay
You have the knowledge of what a sword is and how to use it to attack or defend.
¡°Yup, that summarizes what the book said.¡± Closing the screen he continued reading the next two books, both of which also took 2 hours.
Skills
Name Level Progress
Basic Swordplay 1 0/100
Basic Examination 1 0/100
Basic Mapping 1 0/100
Close
Basic Examination
Allows for the basic identification of people and objects. Using this skill will display basic knowledge of the target.
Basic Mapping
Allows the use of the map. The user¡¯s basic surround will appear as a map in the corner of their vision when thinking of the map
¡°All these skills are reallyuseful¡± he thought while stretching. He was hungry after having read for 6 hours without a break, he decided to get some food after noticing Rex had disappeared. He went into the hall up to counter and ordered some food. ¡°What can I get to eat?¡± He asked the bartender. ¡°Trainees get water and soup for free if you want the better stuff you are gonna to have to pay.¡± The bartender told him while cleaning an empty mug. ¡°OK, I¡¯ll take the free stuff please.¡± Brand said gratefully. Brand silently ate his food after which he returned to the courtyard. In the courtyard he chose a random dummy, using he new found knowledge he raised his sword as he got in position in front of the dummy, before starting he examined the dummy with his new examination skill.
Name Wooden Dummy
Level 1
Health 100
Description A wooden dummy used to practice skills.
¡°Cool¡± Brand thought as he saw the information appear in his mind. Brand struck out with his sword hitting the dummy on the chest area. ¡°Thunk¡± -0 ¡°That must be a damage indicator.¡± He thought as a number appeared above the dummies head. ¡°Thunk¡­Thunk¡­Thunk¡± -0 -0 -0 ¡°These dummies are pretty solid, I wonder if my skill is improving?¡± he thought as he continued attacking the dummy.
Skills
Name Level Progress
Basic Swordplay 1 .4/100
Basic Examination 1 .1/100
Basic Mapping 1 0/100
Close
¡°Good it¡¯s working, but it is so slow ill need to attack 1000 times to get to level 2 at thisrate¡± he noticed after checking his progress. ¡°Thunk¡­Thunk¡­Thunk¡± The sound of wood on wood could be heard for the next few hours as Brand trained on the dummy.
Basic Swordplay has progressed to Level 2
¡°Finally¡± Brand exhaled as he rested his exhausted body against the wall of the courtyard.
Skills
Name Level Progress
Basic Swordplay 2 0/100
Basic Examination 1 .1/100
Basic Mapping 1 0/100
Close
Basic Swordplay Level 2
You have the knowledge of what a sword is and how to use it to attack or defend.
Level 2: +2 attack with swords. Movement of the sword becomes more flexible with practice.
¡°Cool, it gave me a bonus to my attack power when I use swords.¡± ¡°You seem to be getting the hang of it. Go to sleep tomorrow I will take you out to get some real experience.¡± Rex said while walking by, startling Brand. Brand slowly got up and dragged himself into the hall looking for the bartender to find an open room. The bartender showed him an empty room down a side hall, following Brand slowly made his way down the hall. Arriving at the empty room the bartender gave him a key and walked back to the counter to serve other people. Opening the door he noticed that there was a well-made bed with a side room. Walking in he noticed that there was a tub of water in the side room and another bucket, realizing it must be the bathroom he took a quick bath in the water before falling onto the bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. The Fur Collector Brand awoke to cold water being thrown in his face, soaking his clothes and bed. ¡°What the fuck!¡± he jumped out of bed wondering what just happened, searching the room his gaze finally landing on Rex. ¡°Rise and shine sunshine, we have a busy day ahead of us. Take these and put it on, you¡¯re going to need it for where you¡¯re going.¡± Rex shoved some leather clothes into his arms while leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. ¡°What an asshole¡± Brand cursed while shivering, he equipped the leather cloths he received trying to get warm.
Padded Leather shirt equipped.
Padded Leather leggings equipped.
Padded Leather helmet equipped
Leather Boots equipped
¡°I look a little goofy but they do add a little defense and they are quite comfortable.¡± He thought as he examined himself by checking the inventory screen.
Inventory
Head Padded Leather Helmet
Neck None
Chest Padded Leather Shirt
Legs Padded Leather Leggings
Feet Leather Boots
Left Hand None
Right Hand Wooden Sword
Rings None
Bread 5
Close
He also checked how much the leather increased his stats.
Status
Name Brand King
Level 1
Attack 10-12
Defense 13
Strength 15
Vitality 12
Dexterity 7
Intelligence 13
Close
¡°Better than nothing.¡± He rubbed his arms still cold from the water while also being a little sore from the training the day before, he left the room into the main hall wide awake for the new day. In the Hall he found Rex waiting for him along with another person, they were seated at the place Rex was yesterday. ¡°Brand this is Fastin, Fastin this is Brand the newcomer I¡¯ve been tasked with training.¡± Brand reached out and shook hands with Fastin while sitting down next to the duo. ¡°Nice to see another fresh face around here, we haven¡¯t been getting many new ones lately,¡± Fastin said while eating his breakfast. ¡°Fastin is a friend and one of the factions best fur collectors, he will be taking you out to show you the best hunting spots and to give you a little bit of combat experience,¡± Rex said while sipping on a mug of alcohol. ¡°Better eat something we will be out all day,¡± Fastin said finished the last of his food. Brand ordered his free meal from the bartender while asking Rex ¡°So today I¡¯m going to follow him around? Are you coming with us?¡± ¡°No, I have other things to take care of, I trust Fastin to take care you¡± Rex replied while still sipping on his mug. ¡°Great, no wonder Don seemed a little angry. This guy is a lazy asshole.¡± Brand concentrated on eating his food while listening to the backing chatter of the Hall. There were quite a few people awake eating even though it was still dark outside. Most of the people in the faction were guys with a few women, the age of everybody seems relatively young as well maybe one person looked over the age of 50, the rest seem only a little older than Brand. Brand finished his breakfast and thanked the bartender when he came by to pick up the dishes, Fastin got up and headed toward the door seeing that Brand was finished. Outside, the sky was filled with stars, a large moon dominated above the horizon. A slight brightening of the horizon could be seen indicating dawn was soon to arrive as Brand and Fastin hurried through town, ¡°We are headed to the forest first¡± Fastin said while starting off towards the other edge of town.¡± Following along closely they made their way down the empty streets. At the edge of town, they increased their pace heading into the fields at the edge of town. The fields looked to be filled with wheat and potatoes. ¡°Hey Fastin what do we use our fields for?¡± ¡°3 of our fields are made up of wheat, 1 is made up of potatoes, and the last is made up of grapes. We are lucky to have a climate that supports these things, it has relieved a lot of burden of food on our people¡± The rest of the trip was made is silence except when Brand saw something that peaked is interest. They traveled an hour and a half before reaching the edge of the forest, taking a break before they entered. ¡°OK Brand, You need to be careful from now on there are some higher level creatures in the forest include monsters like goblins and spiders, we shouldn¡¯t have to worry about those since they are deeper inside the inner forest. We will be skimming the outskirts where I have some traps set up. After we check the traps I¡¯ll show you a training spot to gain some experience, but from now on it¡¯s important you make a little noise as possible and watch what I do if you are smart enough you can gain a new skill¡±. They slowly sneaked into the forest. The first trap they came to was occupied by a small rabbit, it was already dead. Fastin quickly cuts it out of the trap while resetting it, after resetting the trap he quickly and efficiently skin the rabbit, everything disappeared into his inventory only leaving a few blood spots scattered on the ground. Having finished with this trap he motioned Brand to follow him as they continued to the next trap. Slowly they went from trap to trap until they were finished and came back out of the forest near where they went in, they checked 14 traps in total all of which 2 didn¡¯t have anything caught in them. When Brand was watching Fastin at the 10th trap a few of notifications appeared, Brand was happy.¡±
Basic Trapping has been learned.
Basic Skinning has been learned.
Basic Gutting has been learned.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.Taking a break outside the forest Brand checked his skills.
Skills
Name Level Progress
Basic Swordplay 2 0/100
Basic Examination 1 .1/100
Basic Mapping 1 40/100
Basic Trapping 1 0/100
Basic Gutting 1 0/100
Basic Skinning 1 0/100
Close
BasicTrapping
Allows the user to make basic traps. Success is based on the skill level of the user.
Basic Gutting
Allows the user to collect parts of the animal. Quality of the parts is based on the skill of the user.
BasicSkinning
Allows the user to skin animals. Success is based on the skill level of the user.
¡°Seems like these skills take practice to use be use properly, also seems like my mapping skill is going up automatically, neat.¡± ¡°Good job, did you learn any skills?¡± Fastin asked while leaning against a tree. ¡°Yeah, I learned 3 skills Trapping, Skinning, and Gutting all basic.¡± ¡°Wow, you learn 3?! What is your Intelligence rating?¡± ¡°13 I thought it was normal.¡± ¡°13 is pretty good the average level one only has a rating of 5, no wonder you learned 3 skills.¡± Brand smiled impressed with himself. ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky your only level 1 not many people around here make it to above level 10. Let¡¯s get going, I¡¯ll show you an easy spot to train with that sword of yours.¡± Fastin began walking the edge of the forest, between the forest and farmland. They walked for another hour skimming the forest before turning onto an open patch of grassland. ¡°Here we are, this field should be filled with mice roaming all over. They are very fast, but they should only take one hit from you. This is where you will be training until you reach level 2. Don¡¯t worry about killing them all, they spawn very fast but, you will have to worry about the special ones that are born naturally they sometimes mutate. Well good luck, I¡¯ll be back later to take you back to town.¡± Fastin started walking away. ¡°That¡¯s it, just start killing the mice? What if something more dangerous appears?¡± Brand yelled out as Fastin retreated. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, if something really does show up, run to the forest and climb a tree until I come back. Ha Ha Ha¡± Fastin laughed as he kept walking out of sight. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just run up a tree¡± Brand mocked under his breath while wieldingthe sword and entering the grass. He searched for 10 minutes before finding his first rat. It was sniffing about the dead grass when Brand happened upon it. ¡°Finally found one¡± Creeping forward he readied his sword preparing to swing. ¡°Swish¡± he jumped forward striking down on the rat¡± ¡°Thump¡± the sound of the sword hitting dirt resounded. Miss The rat with quick reflexes noticed the sword coming down on it and jumped into the grass screeching away. ¡°Little sucker is fast¡± Brand raised his sword and gave chase. He didn¡¯t find it again, he searched for 5 minutes but it was obvious that the rat had disappeared. Realizing that it was going to be harder then he thought Brand quietly went deeper into the grass in search of more rats. A while later he finally heard the faint sounds of dry grass being shuffled, slowly he approached the noise. Moving apart some tall grass he saw the rat. It was slightly bigger then the previous one, concentrating he readied his sword. Brand struck out at the rat landing a blow squarely on its head. -10 The rat instantly stopped moving and lay there motionless. Excited Brand rushed over to the rat and examined it.
Name Rat
Level 1
Health 0/10
Description A weak but fast-movingrodent.
As he examined the rat, small glowing orbs of light floated out of its body. The orbs floated gently into the air before being absorbed by Brand hand, as the orbs made contact with his hand Brand felt a warm sensation tingle up his hand slowly consuming his whole body. ¡°This feels good, how much did I get?¡± he opened his status window.
Status
Name Brand King
Level 1
Experience .5/100
Attack 10-12
Defense 13
Strength 15
Vitality 12
Dexterity 7
Intelligence 13
Close
¡°Only half a point, so if I kill 200 rats I should reach level 2.¡± Brand wanted to try his new skills skinning and gutting on the rat, but he realized that he didn''t have a knife, so he decided to leave the dead rat their and continue on in search of more experience. Brand continued hunting rats until he noticed the sun was starting to get low in the sky, deciding to call it quits he returned to the place Fastin left him. He has only killed 10 rats altogether, a lot had got away. He was slowly getting the hang of it, increasing his chances of a successful hit. As he got closer to the meeting spot he saw Fastin waiting for him, he quickly jogged to meet up. ¡°How did you do?¡± ¡°I only killed 10.¡± ¡°Not bad, those rats are smart.¡± ¡°Yeah and fast too, I wanted to try skinning them but I don¡¯t have a knife you think I could borrow one from you?¡± ¡°Sure I have a spare but I want a few skins if you are successful as repayment.¡± ¡°No problem, I appreciate your help¡± They talked as they head back to town. ¡°Before I forget one thing that you need to know is that when you kill monsters and gain knowledge of them you will unlock the monsterology tab in your menu. monsterology allows for you to know the the ins and out of monsters allow for bonuses when attacking certain monsters. For example if you kill enough rats you will unlock a page about rats in the book of monsterology making it easier to kill them by knowing their patterns and weak points.¡± ¡°Interesting, that sounds really helpful.¡± ¡°Yeah it is especially when you are fighting groups of monsters or even a boss monster, it can save your life.¡± ¡°Well¡­Well¡­well look what we have here some people are trespassing on our land.¡± A voice interrupted their conversation as they were walking through a feild of corn. Three men appeared from the sides in front of them from behind the corn. ¡°We are just passing through Scott, you know this is the fastest way to town,¡± Fastin told the man directly in front of them, he motioned Brand to get closer to him. ¡°You know this is the land of the Fire Wolf Faction, Fastin you shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± Scott replied. Brand tightened his grip on his sword while staying close to Fastin, watching their group slowly get closer. They were dressed in leather armor, 2 were weilding swords while Scott their leader presumably had a giant axe. ¡°5 Silvers and we will let you go.¡± Scott said while leaning against his axe. ¡°What do we do?¡± Brand whispered to Fastin while eyeing the trio. Fastin ingnored Brand while he stared at Scott. ¡°This is bullshit, you are only targeting us becuase of our faction.¡± Fastin replied ¡°That may be so but that doesn¡¯t matter, you are on our land now pay up or else.¡± Scott said while brandishing his axe. 5 silver appeared in the hand of Fastin which he held out to Scott. ¡°Here, now let us go, we are in a hurry.¡± Taking the silver Scott motioned the other two men to move aside. ¡°You can go just remember not to tresspass on our land, if we catch you here again it won¡¯t just be 5 silver.¡± Scott threatened motioning them to move along. Brand and Fastin both quickly passed through the opening the men made, being watched the whole time. Once past the blockade they increased their speed back to town worried they might be hassled again. Level 2 Arriving at the edge of town, they slowly came to a halt. Running the whole distance Brand could hardly breathe, he wasn''t accustomed to running long distances for long periods of time. His whole body was soaked in sweat, laying spread eagle on the ground he struggled for every breath of air he could get. Fastin was in much better shape, being a higher level he had minor problems running long distances, breathing a little heavier with some sweat forming on his forehead. ¡®Sorry, you had to go through that so early Brand, problems with Scott''s faction has been occurring more and more frequent lately. I need to let an officer know about this, get up I¡¯m sure you ready to get something to eat and some rest.¡¯ Reaching down Fastin motioned for Brand to give him a hand. Lifting his hand up Brand was pulled up by Fastin, slowly they made their way towards the guild hall through town. Streetlights filled with magic light orbs were lining the sides of the street they walked down. Brand noticed that there was still a lot of people walking streets even though it was getting so dark, there was wet grass smell to the air mixed in with the salty smell of meat and soup. Brand began anticipating his free bowl of soup when he got back, his mouth watering with a slight smile pasted on his face as he followed behind. After walking for what seemed like hours they finally made it to the hall where Fastin separated with him at the door heading inside by himself. Moving by himself he searched the hall for Rex, he found him in the same spot he saw him yesterday. He sat down signaling the bartender for some food. ¡®Well, how did it go you learn anything?¡¯ Rex asked when he noticed Brand sit down. ¡®Yeah I learned a few things, Fastin is a good teacher.¡¯ Brand replied while waiting for his soup. He looked around noticing a little fewer people than there was yesterday. ¡®What did you do, I thought you were the one supposed to train me?¡± he asked looking at Rex. ¡®None of your business where I was, and you aren''t ready for me to train you yet, you¡¯ll stay with Fastin until he says you''re ready to move on.¡¯ Rex replied sipping on his mug. ¡®Fine, but you I don¡¯t know if Fastin could protect me if we encounter to much danger. Today on the way back to town we encounter a guy named Scott with 2 of his friends. They threatened us and demanded 5 silver to let us pass, saying it was their land and don¡¯t trespass.¡¯ Brand replied while fidgeting with his hands on the counter. ¡®What!?! Scott from the Fire Wolf Faction Threatened you and extorted money from Fastin?¡¯ Rex asked while slamming his mug down on the counter. The hall went silent at the loud outburst from Rex. ¡®Yeah, Fastin said had to tell an officer about it, and that is was happening more frequently too¡¯ Brand replied nervously from all the attention he was receiving. ¡®Wait here, I need to go talk with some people.¡¯ Rex stood up and drained his mug, walking away toward the stairs that lead to the upper floor of the hall. The hall remained quite as Rex climbed the stairs, finally resuming as he went through the door at the top. Brand looked at some of the pictures hanging on the wall as he waited for his food. One of the bigger pictures showed a man in armor wielding a sword and shield as he fought against a giant bear, stabbing the bear in the neck while defending with his shield from a swipe of the bear''s massive paw. One picture Brand found fascinating was a picture of a woman holding a large staff. She was seated in rocking chair, surrounding here was a group of people staring at her with eyes filled with worship and praise. Brand wondered what would make people look at somebody like that and if one-day people might look at him like that. Looking away he saw that the bartender had brought his soup and water, his hunger retaking control of his thoughts. He finished eating but Rex and Fastin hadn¡¯t returned yet so he decided to go to his room, thinking that they would let him know if anything important in the morning. He entered his room and took a bath, somebody had come in and changed the wet sheets and dirty water from the night before. Clean and dry he got into bed and fell asleep. The next morning he wasn¡¯t woken to water but, Rex did shake him to get up. ¡®Get up boy, Fastin is waiting.¡¯ Brand got up and dressed while heading out to the counter. They were seated at the usual spot, so he went over and sat down motioning to the bartender for food. ¡®We will avoid those fields today, but ill take you straight to the ratlands today.¡¯ Fastin told Brand as they were eating. Looking around Brand notice a few more people in the hall with leather armor on and 1 or 2 with what looked like iron armor. Finished eating Fastin and Brand left the hall heading towards the ratlands. ¡®Hey Fastin, why did I see people in iron gear today and not the other 2 days?¡¯ Brand asked as they left the town limits. ¡®Those are some of our higher level faction members with important jobs. The action yesterday worried the officers, that combined with other recent activity the guild leader issued a command for more support around the town and fields. You shouldn¡¯t have to worry too much, it isn¡¯t much that you can do when you are low level anyway most of the important duties in the Faction are for the those who are over level 10.¡¯ They spent the rest of their journey in silence as Brand pondered the meaning of what Fastin said. ¡®I guess power is really everything like Rex said¡¯. ¡®Take care Brand, I will be back at the end of the day I got to check the traps and stuff.¡¯ Fastin went off into the forest as Brand readied himself to enter the grass. ¡°Oh yeah, the skinning knife I wonder how good it is?¡¯ Brand remembered the knife he asked for yesterday. Taking it out of the inventory he examined it.
Name Iron Knife
Attack 3/4
Description A solid multipurpose knife has a sharp edge.
¡®Not bad, it has a 3-4 attack but my swordplay gives me a higher attack though.¡¯ Brand put the knife away after reading the description. Brand began his rat hunting pausing occasionally to eat some of the bread given to him by the system, he also practiced his gutting and skinning skills on the rat he killed. His success rat at gutting was a little higher then skinning but, unfortunately out of the 15 rats he killed throughout the day he only collected 3 skins and 5 rat meats. The system deemed the rest of rats waste due to his lack of skill and precision cutting the meat and skin. He headed back to the meeting spot noticing the sun was getting low in the sky. ¡®How did you do this time?¡¯ Fastin asked when he saw Brand arrive out of the grass. ¡®Better than yesterday I got 15 today, and I got some meat and skins.¡¯ Brand said proudly with a grin on his face. ¡®Nice! I get 1 of the skins and I¡¯ll give you a few copper for the rest of the stuff, it will be less hassle for you and I know somebody who will give me a good price.¡¯ Fastin told Brand with his hand out waiting for the goods.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡®OK, that sounds good to me.¡¯ He handed the meat and skins while receiving 4 copper.
4 Copper received.
¡®Let¡¯s head back to town.¡¯Fast said pocketing the goods in his inventory. They went back to town the same way they did this morning avoiding the fields from yesterday. Over the next 6 days, Brand followed the same routine. He got up ate, went to the ratlands to kill rats and practicing his skills in the process, traded with Fastin and came back to town to start over again the next day. The 7th morning Brand got up by himself having gotten accustomed to getting up so early. The first thing he did was check his status and skills before leaving his room.
Status
Name Brand King
Level 1
Experience 92.5/100
Attack 10-12
Defense 13
Strength 15
Vitality 12
Dexterity 7
Intelligence 13
Close
Skills
Name Level Progress
Basic Swordplay 2 10/100
Basic Examination 1 5/100
Basic Mapping 1 70/100
Basic Trapping 1 0/100
Basic Gutting 1 90/100
Basic Skinning 1 65/100
Close
¡®So close¡¯ Brand smiled to himself as he pushed the door open and walked out into the hall. Fastin noticing Brand walk out of his room and over to the table with a smile on his face asked. ¡®Why you so happy?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m going to level up today, and some of my skills are getting close too.¡¯ Brand replied motioning for food. ¡®Congratulations, you can move on from rats when your level 2.¡¯ Fastin grinned while eating. They finished eat and hurried out of town to the ratlands, Brand couldn¡¯t wait to get started. ¡¯Whack¡­Whack¡­Whack¡¯ the sound of meat getting hit resounded throughout the grass on a regular basis as Brand knew most of the rats habits after killing over a hundred of them, and letting hundreds more escape. ¡®Whack¡¯ He just killed a rat when a warm feeling surged up his body filling it with a warm tingly filling.
You have leveled up to level 2. Your body has adjusted automatically and the system as given you 5 points to invest manually, choose wisely
Monsterology Unlocked.
Grassland Rat has been added to the Monsterology Book.
¡®Sweet!¡¯ Brand yelled as he pumped his fist into the air. He did a little victory dance before almost forgetting to gut and skin the rat, quickly he pulled out the knife got to work. Finished he put away the knife and meat when he heard a rustling in the grass ahead of him. Wondering what it was he pulled out his sword and slowly stood up look towards where the rusting game from. ¡°Swish¡± The grass parted revealing a blur as a form pounced towards him. Flinching he raised his sword in front of himself while stepping backward. ¡°Pah¡± The blur hit the sword, slightly moving to the left while knocking Brand away. Stumbling back a few steps, he quickly realized what attacked him. Standing a few feet away a big yellow cat was glaring at him with fang bared. ¡°Yowl¡± A fierce hiss resounded as the cats mouth opened wide showing its sharp fangs, a putrid odor emerged from its mouth as drool slowly fell from its mouth. Gagging, Brand quickly raised his sword but, he realized it wouldn¡¯t do much against something this big. The cat attacked, raising it¡¯s left paw with claws extended at Brand¡¯s face. Seeing the paw coming he blocked it with the sword, forcing the paw away from his face. Furious that it¡¯s paw was blocked the cat lunged forward striking at Brands neck. ¡°Shit!¡± Brand quickly raised his sword blocking the cats mouth while being knocked over in the process. Struggling he forced the cats head away from his face while, the cat gnawed on the sword causing it to splinter. He realized that the sword wouldn¡¯t hold back the cat much longer, he remembered his gutting knife. Using as much strength he could muster he pushed the cat away to the side, letting go of the sword he equipped the iron knife into his right hand, as the cat swung its head back around spitting out the wooden sword, Brand stabbed the knife into the eye of the cat. -25 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 Damage indicators immediately displayed above the cat as if recoiled swiping at the knife stuck in its eye. Unfortunately for the cat, the knife was wedge deep into the eye socket, the cats attempts became weaker and weaker before collapsing on the ground. Brand laid on the ground trying to comprehend what just happened, breathing hard looking over at the dead cat. Calming down, Brand stood up and walked over to the cat, crouching down he examined it.
Name Mountain Cat
Level 3
Health 0/50
Description A large feline that roams forests and grasslands feeding on small to medium size animals.
He pulled the knife out of the cat while looking around for his wooden sword. Searching the grass he found it a few yards away bent in half, since the sword was now useless he tossed a way and went back to cat. He decided to try skinning an gutting the cat. Surprisingly, both skills were successfull he even collected the claws and teeth. Leaving the carcus he slowly left and went to his usual meeting spot with Fastin. He was a little before the scheduled time, waiting he checked his status.
Status
Name Brand King
Level 2
Experience 2/100
Health 50/150
Attack 9
Defense 13
Strength 17
Vitality 15
Dexterity 10
Intelligence 16
5 Points Unassigned
Close
¡®I¡¯ll wait on distributing the extra stat points, I should ask Rex what he recommends.¡¯ Enjoying the slight breeze, he sat down and continued waiting for Fastin. He waited about half an hour before seeing Fastin emerge out of the forest, Brand stood up and waved. Fastin wave back beginning to jog, seeing Brand covered in blood. ¡®What happened?¡¯ he asked as he got closer. ¡®A cat attacked me as I finished hunting the last rat.¡¯ ¡®What!?! Cats are level 3 around here how did you survive?¡¯ ¡®I got lucky, the knife you gave me really helped out, I stabbed it in the eye and it bled to death. Not before breaking my wooden sword though.¡¯ ¡®Who cares about the wooden sword, you alive and that''s what matters did you manage to skin it? The skin of cats are better priced then rat skin. Plus the bones can be used for more purposes.¡¯ ¡® Yeah, I managed to be successful skinning and gutting it but, I didn¡¯t think the bones were important so I left them.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s ok, there is a spot for hunting cats in the inner forest, I¡¯m surprised there is one this far out though I¡¯ve never seen them this far out of the forest. Let''s go back to town I''m sure you exhausted. Oh, by the way, did you level up?¡¯ ¡®Yeah, after I killed the rat I level up to level 2, that¡¯s when the cat attacked me.¡¯ ¡®Good, you need to talk to Rex when we get back, you can start doing more things with you strength increasing.¡¯ They talked as they headed back to town. Meeting Brand¡¯s eyes opened to the soft glow of radiant lamps, casting their magic light across the room. He rose from the bed stretching his stiff muscles. Looking around he noticed his clean leather clothes laying atop the desk beside the bathroom door. The night before he had spent hours cleaning the dried blood off before exhaustion took its toll on his body, forcing him to stop. Dressed, he walked to Rex¡¯s corner of the main hall. He called it Rex¡¯s since he only ever saw Rex sitting there. Once seated, he ordered his soup even though it was the only thing he has eaten since arriving in this world. He didn¡¯t want to spend copper on meals here, when he worked hard for the copper skinning rats, besides he would get better meals when his status improved until then he would have to tough it out with the bland soup and tasteless water. Rex sat next to him, sipping on his ever constant mug of mead. Curious, he asked. ¡°Do you ever stop drinking?¡± ¡®No.¡¯ Rex replied while taking a bigger gulp. ¡®Congratulations on leveling to level 2, and surviving the mountain cat. Those cats usually don¡¯t stray far from the forest around here, much bigger food in the forest. Anyway, I¡¯m not able to train you like I should until you reach level 10. You need to level up which will take some time, I¡¯m busy dealing with the Fire Wolf Faction, they have been aggressive lately and it is worrying the higher ups in the faction. I told Fastin to show you the good training spots, the rest is up to you to explore but, it can be dangerous as you have experienced with the cat and Scott. Here is some silver, I heard you broke your wooden sword, it is only meant to help you train you will need something more sharp to survive in the forest.¡¯
3 Silver has been collected
Rex passed silver over the counter towards Brand. ''Thanks, but shouldn¡¯t you be helping me out. They said you were my trainer and all, the only thing you¡¯ve done is tell me about the world on the first day, that isn¡¯t much of a training, Fastin has trained me more than you.¡¯ ¡®They always give the newbies to older members of the faction to train, I¡¯ve told you the most important facts of the world, I can only train you for real after level 10. Membership in the faction begins at level 10, right now you are only trainee status, filling the ranks.¡¯ ¡®Fine, but I think this is bullshit.¡¯ Brand stood up ,finishing his soup he noticed Fastin standing by the front doors to the hall, motioning to hurry up. They left the hall , stepping into the brisk morning air of the village. The sun was seen on the horizon, signaling the start of a new day. ¡®Tim is currently the only blacksmith in town, he helps all the factions and inhabitants of the town, we are working on getting our own personal guild blacksmith but it cost a lot to build and forge and that isn''t including the training for the blacksmith skill¡¯ Fastin explained while walking down empty streets. They arrived at the shop noticing, a sign hanging down above the entrance with a picture of dual hammers floating above an anvil, below the picture it read:
Tim¡¯s Blacksmith Shop
The shop had one floor with multiple windows displaying shining suits of iron armor and swords of varying length. The door creaked as they stepped into the shop, a faint metallic smell with a hint of leather escaping into the fresh morning air. A small bell, previously unnoticed, rang sharply from its place above the door, no doubt informing the blacksmith of their arrival. Inside a crowded room filled with armor and weapon stands greeted them, lining the walls glass cases displayed various trinkets. Waiting for someone to meet them they browsed the various items on display. ¡®Greetings, how may I help you fine gentlemen?¡¯ ¡®Hello, Tim this is Brand we are looking to get him a good sword. Do you have anything in stock to fit his size?¡¯ ¡®A sword? I have quite a few swords here, let me take a few measurements to see if I have anything for you in stock.¡¯ Tim said while walking around the counter and motioning for Brand to come closer. Brand following Tim¡¯s instructions stood quietly as Tim took measurements of his height and arm length. ¡®Looks like I have a few swords that will fit you size, wait just a moment while I get them from the back.¡¯ Finishing up Tim walked into the backroom in search of the swords. Tim returned quickly, his arms full of swords. Laying them across the counter Brand examined them.
Name Iron Sword
Attack 2-6
Description A sword made of iron.
Name Iron Sword
Attack 1-8
Description A sword made of iron.
Name Iron Sword
Attack 3-5
Description A sword made of iron.
This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Finished examining the swords Brand decided upon the sword with 3-5 attack. ¡®How much for the sword with 3-5 attack?¡¯ ¡®2 silver 50 copper.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll take it.¡¯ Reaching out he handed 2 silver and 50 copper to Tim from his inventory. Equipping the sword he and Fastin left the shop. His new sword in hand Brand and Fastin began their journey, showing all the new training locations nearby the town. Fastin showed spots for all the monsters before level 10, being extremely careful not to draw any attention, a single hit could cause death for both of them.¡¯There you go Brand, you are on your own now.¡¯ Fastin said as they were walking back into town that night. ¡®Thanks for your help Fastin, I will pay you back in the future.¡¯ Brand replied while opening the door to the Faction Hall. Silence met them when entering the dining hall, people were standing around a man listening to what he was saying. ¡®Today, we are officially at war with the Fire Wolf Faction.¡¯ The man spoke solemnly as excited murmurings erupted from the crowd. ¡®They have been steadily harassing us for months, leading up to increased violence this past week. First they demanded a toll for crossing a Field demanding an outrageous amount of 5 silvers while just his morning they launched a raid on one of our Fields severely injuring members and occupying the land. We won¡¯t stand for this at all. I have issued an order for all members above the Level 10 to meet and discus plans on raiding their headquarters, they shall pay for what they have done.¡¯ Passing through the crowd followed by members he entered the door upstairs. The room exploded with activity as the door shut. People yelling at each other and running in and out of their rooms preparing for what could happen. ¡®What now?¡¯ Sitting down at the counter watching the people move about Brand asked Fastin. ¡®Now we wait, you need to focus on leveling. The high levels will be doing all the work.¡¯ Motioning for a drink Fastin replied. Tired and realizing he couldn¡¯t do anything Brand decided head to his room. Laying on his bed after taking a bath, he remembered he had 5 points to invest.
Status
Name Brand King
Level 2
Experience 2/100
Health 150/150
Attack 9
Defense 13
Strength 17
Vitality 15
Dexterity 10
Intelligence 16
5 Points Unassigned
Close
He forgot to ask what he should invest in but, the system gave him information on what the various stats meant. Strength helped with physical attack and how much he could lift. Vitality increased his health and recovery rate. Dexterity determined how fast and flexible he was. Intelligence signified his comprehension speed and wisdom. Thinking over his choices for a while he decided to put 2 points in strength, 2 points in Intelligence and the last point in Vitality.
Status
Name Brand King
Level 2
Experience 2/100
Health 160/160
Attack 10
Defense 13
Strength 19
Vitality 11
Dexterity 10
Intelligence 12
Close
He closed the screen feeling himself becoming stronger and his mind becoming sharper, focusing his thoughts he felt energy infusing his muscles and bones. Brand was ready begin his training, laying down on the bed he fell asleep.
Faction has been disbanded.
Brand awoke to the notification ping, noticing the screen displayed before his eyes. ¡®What?!?¡¯ Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he jumped out of bed, equipping his gear the frantic noise of other people panicking filled the hall. He raced into the the main hall, wondering what could''ve happened to make this faction disband. In the hall people he saw people gather around Rex who was standing atop the counter motioning people to quiet down. ¡®Late last night the guild leader along with our officers gathered a group of high level faction members to raid a field of the Fire Wolf Faction. It was a trap, somehow they knew what field we were going to raid. The guild leader was killed along with most of the group and 2 officers.The leadership of the faction was transfered to Don the last officer. He made the decision to disband the faction, Fire Wolf Faction is too powerful. Everybody needs to leave tonight all land and buildings will be taken over by the Fire Wolf Faction. The Fire Wolf Faction may let some of you join but, don¡¯t count on it. Good luck.¡¯ Stepping down Rex left the guild hall while the seriousness of what he said settled into the crowd. Brand escaped into the night leaving the faction hall behind.