《Valkyria: The One Who Chooses》 Chapter One: From One Forest to Another "Eh?" That was the first sound that came out of the girl''s lips as she sat up, confused. Her jet black hair sways gently as she looks around at her surroundings. Her gentle and captivating features were marked with slight concern and confusion, but nonetheless she was still a beauty. She was wearing fairly simple clothes, atunic and a shirt that goes below her knee. The girl was surprised as she doesn''t remember ever wearing these clothes, as far as she remembers she was only wearing a shirt and a pair of jeans. As she looked around, she noticed that she was in the middle of a clearing within a forest, the canopy of trees formed a circle above the clearing, and hence it was bright while the rest of the forest beyond the clearing is quite dark. And once again, the girl is quite concerned; she doesn''t recognize the place either. While recollecting her own thoughts, she then remembered the events that she experienced before waking up in her current location. She remembers that she was on a trip, where she ended up being stranded in a forest, with no contact whatsoever to the outside world. She spenttwoweeks alone in the wilderness barely surviving due to her own knowledge and also due to the fact that she was fast at adapting to her environment. As if the world is mocking her struggle, explosions started happening around that forest, as she saw planes speeding over the sky above her, before she got trapped within the forest, there have been news of an imminent war, she speculated that the war had already started. The whole forest has been carpet bombed, it was total annihilation, then it came to the point that the ground beside her exploded and her surroundings were turned into a flaming hell, she saw that her limbs have almost been blown off, she was losing a lot of blood, she was in a gruesome state, she experienced great pain, and soon after that she lost herconsciousness. Despite the clear fact that shedied,she is currently here, alive and breathing, the only difference is, she is in another forest, not the war ravaged wastelands where she got exploded to bits, and she is wearing what she assumed clothes that were medieval. Was it the afterlife? Clearly, she had another image of the afterlife in mind. After all, anything beyond the clearing was creepy to her, it was dark, and she can hear noises she can recognize. It wasn''t a nightmare nor a pleasant dream as well, everything seems real, the feeling of the grass, the smell of nature, the cold air of the forest, and the fact that there are small insects as well. She was not perturbed either way, since before she was here, she lived in a forest for two weeks, alone at that, despite living in modern society for most of her life, she doesn''t mid the trivial matters. She decided that just sitting there will not do her any good; she will try to find a place with people in it, hoping that she will not find something dangerous. -But where in the world am I? - She thought, at that moment lettersappeared before her, and it states. [Location: The Forest of Beginnings] She took a step back in surprise; after all, words do not just appear out of thin air. To her, it was something that would normally happen in games or in fictional stories. Jokingly, she thought, -If I think about a [Help] section, will that appear?- To her surprise, more letters appeared and shifted in front of her, as she imagined a [Help] section that is common in games. As expected of a [Help] section, it contained various information, explaining the main features of the game, but for the girl, she is not assuming that it is a game, it is now safe to assume that yet, but there is no proof that everything is real though, shrugging, she looked at the words in front of her intently. [Help] The help section ends there, for a game, this kind of instruction given is way to insufficient, if this is actually a game.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The girl was completely confused, was she mixing up reality and fiction or it was just that reality is the one that mixed up. Deciding that it¡¯s no use thinking too much about it, she tried to test things out. ¡°[Personal Profile]¡±, as those words left her lips, the words shifted and more letters and numbers appeared, shuffling in front of her, and forming her profile data. [Personal Profile] Name: Alexandria Leonhart Race: Human Level: 1 Title: N/A Profession: N/A [Stats] Strength: 50 Agility: 50 Intelligence: 50 Dexterity: 50 Luck: 50 Magic: 50 Health Points: 200/200 Mana Points: ¡Þ Stamina Points: ¡Þ - What¡¯s with the infinity signs? Is this broken or something? - Alex thought, for her, this is way too illogical even if this is a game, if this is reality then it is something way more absurd. Leonhart? Her name is indeed Alexandria, but for her surname, it¡¯s different, but then again, it is the least of her concerns. She then proceeded with the two other sections. [Skills/Abilities] <> (passive) - Mana and Stamina will not be exhausted, Health Points will not be infinite, but will grow exponentially as the individual grows stronger. Durability of items will not lower. The amount of skills/abilities and Professions of the individual will have no limits. <> (passive) - Skills/Abilities will evolve when certain conditions are met, multiple skills/abilities that are of the same attribute or type will merge through certain conditions. Titles gained by the individual will also change when conditions are met. <> (passive) - Skills/Abilities can be learned faster, Professions can be obtained through certain conditions, and gaining mastery of skills/abilities will be faster. By acquiring a certain books, skills/abilities can be instantly learned. [Inventory] <> (Weapon) ¨C a blade that can shift according to the wielder¡¯s preference and the weapon¡¯s strength will also grow along with the owner of the weapon. The current owner of is |Alexandria Leonhart|. Only the owner can wield the weapon. The ownership of the weapon cannot be changed. Alex grew more and more suspicious; everything looks way too good. It¡¯s almost similar to a cheat, though now these passive abilities and her current weapon might not stand out at the moment, but later on, she will become really powerful if she does it right. ¡°Such horrible balance¡­¡± The girl felt slight guilt, it was truly absurd, but then again she was grateful. After all, even if it¡¯s unfair, it will help her survival in this strange place, if her assumptions are correct, then things or somebody that are way more overpowered than her will appear, Alex doubts that she will be treated nicely by strangers so easily. Alex chose to equip <> by using her thoughts, it was a strange feeling, for as soon as her thoughts shifted to the weapon, words appeared saying: Would you like to equip <>? [Yes] or [No]. She chose yes in order to have a look at it. A black dagger with a blade of about 12 inches materialized in her right hand, surrounded by light particles that soon dispersed. It was relatively simple, like a starter equipment that newly made characters will have in games, and also very realistic, since weapons that have way too many ornaments are relatively weak in terms of durability. Alex tried swinging it around, its weight is just right; it was like it was truly made for her, and of course, it grows along with her so it makes sense. As she was pondering on what to do next, she heard faint human voices from within the forest beyond the clearing where she currently is. Thinking whether she would go there or just simple hide, she chose the former, she must keep moving or else she won¡¯t progress. She doesn¡¯t care if there are chances that only enemies will appear, but the risk is worth it; at the very least she can run. She walked toward the noises in the dark forest, bracing herself as she heard roars from the same direction. Alex felt fear, but it was not enough for her to turn back and cower, she already experienced death once, at the moment the thought of dying while doing nothing at all scares her most. Chapter Two: The First Encounter Alex walked out of the clearing, and headed straight into the dark forest, towards the direction of the noises that might be her salvation, or probably, her demise. Despite the nagging feeling in her head to turn back and curl up back at the clearing, her own experiences and her stubborn nature has already kicked in, she does not intend to cower. Due to the said experiences, she knew that she can¡¯t just stroll brazenly in a forest. In the modern society she spent almost her whole life in, environmental concerns were being raised, conserving the nature, nature is truly beautiful and all that. But is nature truly beautiful? Alex thinks otherwise, the only thing that they see as beautiful might be their artificial or controlled nature, the real nature is far from being beautiful. A forest that suffered no human influence is really brutal place; one cannot think of it as a place to relax, food might not be even abundant in some cases, just as the poor girl experienced before she got blown away by the bombs that rained from the sky. There it was the so called survival of the fittest, the strong eats the weak, from insects, snakes, and even to larger predators, they all had to follow the circle of life and the stranded girl now had entered that cycle, well, until the blazing inferno wrecked havoc. While walking on a steady pace, she kept a low profile, whatever those roars came from, they were not ordinary. She had her own share of experience in almost becoming dinner for the creatures of the forest; she can¡¯t blame them either, for she was just a silly trespasser. She watched her surroundings carefully, she can¡¯t afford to trip because of the tree roots sticking out from the ground. After all life has absurd timings, if she trips there might be something hidden waiting for a chance, a text book movie clich¨¦, still it was one of the more realistic ones. As she moves on, she can still hear the occasional roars from the distance, only getting louder and louder as she gets closer. Alex felt a chill run down her spine after hearing an earth-shaking roar, completely different from the ones she heard earlier. The girl wanted to turn back, but along with the clearly terrifying roars she can also hear the frantic voices of people in the same direction, if she wants to survive, then continuing will be her best bet. A risky gamble, her life depends on it, but way better than sitting in the middle of nowhere. She hastened her pace towards that direction; she was getting impatient as the forest seems to be endless, bushes, trees, overgrown grass, she thought she¡¯s going to go insane. But as she made her way, she can help but realize how far the noises came from, how in the world did she hear that from back there? After a while she finally made it, she broke through a bush and found herself in another clearing. The only difference was it was bigger, but it was littered with corpses. There were dozens of dead bodies of what she assumed were wolves, their furs were black, stained with their own blood. Among these, there were two human corpses, wearing leather armor, they had bite marks, and scratches, and it seems that they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of wolves. -Then, who killed all these wolves?- Alex shivered, normally her stomach would turn and she might vomit at this sight, but after seeing her own body mutilated by bombs before, she grew some resistance to it, but being used to it was not really a good sign. Then the bushes opposite from her moved, four figures emerged wearing the same outfit as the two dead humans, one pointing their bow at her, and the others stood in a stance with their daggers and swords. Alex tried to gather her voice, but then she heard a low growl from behind her, to her; it sounds the same as that thundering roar she heard before she arrived, only a lot softer, but closer. ¡°Bloody hell, get out of there kid!¡± One of the figures warned, three of them dashed towards her and the beast behind her, showing no hesitation. Alex turned around and saw a huge boar with the height of two meters, menacingly glaring at her with its red bloodshot eyes. On its back were spiky hairs, as sharp as needles, its hide giving a somewhat metallic sheen, and it has sharp tusks that are about twelve inches long, clearly a strong adversary. The girl immediately positioned herself to retreat, wielding the black dagger in front of her, she might be an amateur, but at the very least she knows how to defend herself. One of the figures that dashed towards her were impressed at her reaction, but even then it was not enough, even they cannot defeat this giant boar, they can¡¯t even scratch it. The beast itself was not really strong when it comes to attacking but its vitality and bronze-like skin is overwhelming, it can whittle down the strength of its enemies while sustaining no injuries. Still, their pride won¡¯t allow a young girl die because of it; at the very least they can distract it and escape altogether. The one holding the bow released an arrow, knowing that it will not even make the boar itch, but it will surely annoy it. However the four figures were ignored by the beast, its eyes were locked onto Alex, and then it charged, planning to impale her with its tusks that are as sharp as spears. -Not good¡­- This was the thought of everyone in the clearing, including Alex, but instead of trying to dodge, she raised her dagger, trying to deflect the boar¡¯s onslaught. Futile as it may seem, but she knew what she was doing, the dagger and one of the tusks collided producing a loud screech and a lot of sparks, at this moment Alex twisted her body, using the impact that numbed her arms in order to be blown away from the gigantic boar, she rolled on the ground to the side. She gained some distance but she was not unharmed, but it was not fatal. Then she heard a voice in her mind a gender-neutral voice that was definitely not from a living being. [New Skill Obtained] <> instead of directly blocking an attack, with a weapon the user can use this to gain momentum to dodge a physical attack, giving the user a chance to gain distance from the opponent in order to avoid direct impacts. Effects can be improved through mastery. Alex was not surprised of course one of the conditions was directly doing the maneuver , and of course being in actual combat might be one of the conditions as well. In rage the boar once again charged at her, ignoring the attacks of the three figures that slashed at it with their weapons paying them no mind. -I hope this goes well- Stolen story; please report. Once again she readied herself, trying to guess how to activate it, she concentrated. When the boar was near her she raised her dagger in front of her while remembering the feeling of the <>. This time the black dagger was surrounded by faint light, moving in a precise manner according to her will, as if she had practiced it for so long, she stepped lightly to the side, the blade colliding with the left tusk of the boar, but this time she felt only a small impact, the dagger was angled so that it will not affect her too much. Using the rebound, her body moved accordingly, she kicked off the ground jumping away to the side, gaining a distance of five meters away from the boar. She landed unsteadily, but this time, she didn¡¯t receive any damage, then the light around the dagger was gone. The four figures were gobsmacked, the first movements of the girl were amateurish, but when she used the skill <>, it was done in a refined way, no wasted movements, aside from her landing. They were hunters, they have been in this job for quite a while, and they prided themselves that at the very least they have enough experience, but Alex was truly a mystery. The four hunters retreated away from the boar, moving near Alex. ¡°Nice moves back there kid, why are you in this creepy place?¡± Said one of them, the very same one that warned her to run away, up close, Alex saw the hunter¡¯s features, he was middle-aged man with a short stubble on his face, his looks were above average, even though he had scar that goes through his left eye, he gave a comforting feeling, like a dandy uncle. The one with the bow was a beautiful blond woman with her hair tied up in a ponytail, to Alex¡¯s assumption she barely hit late 20¡¯s. The other two hunters were young men about the same age as the bow lady. The three men were probably six feet tall, while the woman was only a head shorter. They all looked at Alex with interest, while she gave curious looks in return as well. ¡°Enough chit-chat, that Bronze Mountain Boar is really angry,¡± the eldest hunter said, whistling in amazement at the angry aura that the boar released. Alex was quite confused when she heard ¡°mountain¡±, as if reading her mind, the man explained. ¡°Those things live in the mountain at the other edge of the forest, they sometimes wander in here, they are really troublesome, those dead wolves over there, they usually run away as soon as they see one of those huge bloody things. We are extremely unlucky to encounter one in here.¡± The Bronze Mountain Boar was truly enraged, it charged once again towards the group, this time with more speed and more power, though it might not even be fatal to them, it will still do some damage, if they will receive this attack over and over again they¡¯re dead meat. The old hunter stepped forward brandishing his shortsword that was twice as long as Alex¡¯s <>. It was surrounded by the same faint light that she saw when she used <>, this confirms that everyone in this place can use it apparently. Including Alex, everyone else besides the old hunter prepared to dodge. She was a little anxious about the hunter¡¯s actions but the bow lady gave her a reassuring nod, as if saying? don¡¯t worry he can handle that. Alex just nodded in return focusing on the approaching boar that seems to get bigger and bigger as it comes closer. When it grew near enough, they all jumped aside as far away as possible, with only the old hunter in front of it, but instead of directly receiving the attack, he quickly stepped to the side, the boar going past him, the shortsword quickly thrusted into the gigantic boar¡¯s left eye. It hit the mark, the boar let out a painful roar, before he could even pull out the sword, and he was blown away by the raging beast. [New Skill Obtained] < > an attack that ignores a percentage of the defence of the target, it can be used with bladed weapons. When aimed at weak points, the attack completely ignores all defence of the target. Effects can be improved through mastery. Alex was once again dumbfounded, the old hunter definitely used a skill, but by only watching him do it also let her learn the skill, very unfair, but also immensely useful. But her amazement was soon replaced by concern towards the old man, but it appears he was fine. Now in a rampage the Bronze Mountain Boar now attacked indiscriminately, charging at whatever goes into its line of sight. The group completely scattered, the boar attacked completely different people each time, but they dodged successfully, but then its eyes found Alex. The boar once again charged forward with great speed and vigor, Alex will not be able to use <> in time as she was inexperienced and still way too slow, her reaction speed may be fast but her body is different. She only had to gamble, quickly she braced herself, activating the skill < >, and prepared for the boar¡¯s almost unstoppable force. Seeing this, the four hunters quickly tried to help her, but it seems they will not make it in time. ¡°Bloody hell, save the girl, quickly!¡± the old man shouted his orders, to him the girl¡¯s decision was spot-on, she won¡¯t be able to dodge, or even use that odd skill of hers that lets her move away from an attack. He knew that she¡¯s going to try to attack, it¡¯s her only option. But then again, what can she do to that sturdy monster, the situation was very dire. Alex stepped aside like what the old hunter did; she used < > at the same left eye that he had injured. It met its mark, the boar raged, but before it can shake her off, she used all her strength to push it deeper, driving towards the boar¡¯s brain. The boar was suddenly on its death throes, but as a last ditch attempt, it managed to blow Alex away, sending her flying towards a nearby tree, her back hit the trunk and all air within her lungs were forced out. She fell down to the ground coughing up blood. The Bronze Mountain Boar was finally dead, the four hunters quickly came to Alex¡¯s aid, with concerned looks and amazed faces, a young girl managed to take down the monster, though she was greatly injured. [Bronze Mountain Boar] has been slain, experience gained is 100. [Alexandria Leonhart] is now level 2 [Passive Ability Obtained] < > - increases defence of the individual. As the individual levels up the defence gained will also increase. [Passive Ability Obtained] <> - allows the individual to see the weak points of an enemy, but the father the gap in strength from the individual the more difficult it is to find the weakpoint. Agaisnt weaker or enemies of equal power weakpoints are immediately revealed. The voice in Alex¡¯s mind announced, but to her it doesn¡¯t matter at the moment, the excruciating pain has most of her attention, she also has difficulty in breathing, she tried to stand up but she collapsed and finally her consciousness didn¡¯t hold out, and her world went dark. The bow woman managed to catch her body before she hit the ground again, supporting her, she checked her pulse and her breathing, confirming that Alex is safe; she breathed a sigh of relief. The old man ordered the other two hunters to collect the materials they can gather, and also to bury the bodies of their two dead comrades. After confirming the young girl¡¯s situation, he then proceeded to the dead Bronze Mountain Boar, he was surprised that he would see a young clearly inexperienced kid take down that beast, even if he managed to injure it¡¯s eye, he cannot drive it any further at all, but she did it, she pushed it all the way to its brain, killing it. The black dagger was still stuck in its eye socket, with the hilt also half buried in its flesh. He pulled it out and was shocked by the weight of the dagger, it was two times heavier than his sword, and he wondered how the kid managed to wield it easily. He tried to skin the boar with the heavy dagger, but to his own surprise it can¡¯t pierce it at all. ¡°It¡¯s dull?¡± Chapter Three: The Village of Novus Approximately three kilometers from the [Forest of Beginnings], a frontier village named Novus is located. It has a population of about five hundred people, with just enough homes and establishments to support this community. It was founded a hundred years ago, but it never made any extensive progress, due to the constant danger around it and including its distance from any other town. Even though it is rather small it was still a much-sustained village with no shortage of able-bodied men and other hardworking people, to travelers that occasionally stays or passes through Novus, it held the reputation of having many strong warriors that defend the village. The people here work together in order to support each other, others manage the fields, raise livestock, gather materials, and work in craftsmanship. Those who can fight train themselves, they guard the village, others just help around in other tasks if they can, and some hunt in the nearby forests. Each and every one of the villagers have their own roles, like cogs in a machine, without one to do a role, they will not function efficiently. They lived with cooperatively, the common sense that was ingrained in each one of them, honed through the passage of time ever since the first settlers made the place as their home. As each one of them does their work, as usual, a ripple has appeared within their calm daily atmosphere. The hunters have returned from the[Forest of Beginnings], they have returned like usual, but they are in an unexpected state, out of the original six hunters that set out, only four returned, not only that, they had another person with them. They were carrying various materials with them fur pelts, meat, but what catches the attention of the villagers who saw them, was an unconscious young girl with jet black hair, with beautiful features that make her seem out of place within a group, she was being carried by the middle-aged hunter on his back. This aroused the curiosity of the residents, and also they grew worried, the group only hunted small fry, for them to lose two individuals was strange, and now they have a stranger with them, knocked out for the count. Ignoring the stares of the other villagers the group of hunter hurried toward one of the buildings in the village, it was a simple stone house with a wooden roof like any other building within the village, only that it was larger. It has two floors and covers about 70-80 square meters. The group stopped in front of the doorway, the middle-aged hunter instructed the other three to take the materials somewhere and rest. The others complied but still gave worried glances at the unconscious girl on his back. He proceeded inside and was greeted by an elderly woman; he gave a polite greeting towards her and then walked in with the girl he was carrying. The old woman did not say anything; she was looking at the young girl with keen interest as if she was something that she has never seen before. ¡°Where did she come from?¡± the old woman asked as she helped the hunter lay down the girl in a bed in one of the rooms in the first floor, once inside one can notice that the building¡¯s purpose is actually to heal the injured. ¡°In the forest,¡± the man replied. ¡°She bumped into us when we were hiding from that Bronze Mountain Boar.¡± ¡°Oh enough with your jokes Rye,¡± the elderly woman said, clearly not believing what he had said, of course, how can she believe that? A young girl, probably fifteen years old, in that dreadful forest, even the stubborn hunter named Rye is cautious towards that place, how can she survive in there? ¡°I¡¯m serious Aunt Verna,¡± Rye said patiently, heck, even he doesn¡¯t get it, but what he saw in that forest was crystal clear. ¡°She may look like a sheltered young lady, but she killed that boar herself, she got knocked unconscious though, tough kid, she¡¯s got more guts than those boys her age.¡± ¡°Barehanded?¡± Aunt Verna inquired once more; she doesn¡¯t see any sort of armor on her, even a weapon scabbard. ¡°She used this,¡± The hunter showed the black dagger, the heavy and dull dagger, but the very thing that she used to kill one of the most tenacious things in that forest.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask anymore,¡± the old woman sighed, the more she knew, the more ridiculous the whole story seemed. ¡°You must be tired, go and rest, leave whatever this little gal has here.¡± ¡°She only had this,¡± said Rye as he put down the dagger on the bed beside the unconscious girl. ¡°Tell me if anything happens, I¡¯ll send Maria to help here later.¡± The old hunter left the building, leaving Aunt Verna alone with the girl who was lying on the bed. Only then the elderly woman managed to calm down a bit, the very moment she saw the girl, she was incredibly shocked. Rye didn¡¯t notice it, but she did, she doesn¡¯t truly believe the girl had killed the Bronze Mountain Boar, but she does know that this girl was extraordinary. Keeping her thoughts to herself, she inspected the unconscious young lady¡¯s situation, she found out that she passed out due to hitting her head, which is why she passed out, there were a few bruises on her back as well, but overall she is fine, no wonder even the seasoned hunter like Rye actually called a fragile looking girl as tough. Verna concluded that she might wake up soon enough, she then treated the bruises and scratches of the girl. As she did her own thing, she was focused, but cannot help but get distracted; she can see what most of the villagers cannot notice. She stopped after doing basic treatment, and then stared at the unmoving girl, eyes focused. Rye might not see it, but Aunt Verna can clearly see, in her eyes, a large number of small wisps of light with different colors were swarming around Alex, and more and more were coming. The old woman has never seen anything like this before, and she can guess that this is unprecedented. Verna Greyleaf is one of the people that are called Spirit Priests or Spirit Priestesses; they can sense and interact with spirits and can use spirit magic with the help of the spirits themselves. As to what these spirits look like, no one really knew, they can only be seen as wisps of light by the Spirit Priests and Priestesses, but it is known that this is not how they truly look like. It is said that if spirits are attracted to a person, especially if it is a certain color then they must have a high affinity for that kind of spirit and spirit magic, the affinity of a spirit priest and priestess depends on what color and amount of spirits that they can attract. To Aunt Verna''s surprise, not only that Alex managed to attract spirits, they have all different colors, they are nearly dozens of each color, and currently, the numbers are increasing, as if the young girl was attracting every single spirit even from the various forests around Novus. Across the whole continent, even people with high affinities for two kinds of spirits and spirit magic do not even exceed a few hundred, if more than two, they are almost like legends, and yet, the young unconscious girl managed to attract a whole variety and a huge amount of spirits. Clearly that Alex has a limitless future. Even the normally calm Aunt Verna was excited, still with disbelief, it was obvious how phenomenal the young girl''s existence was, but since she is currently unconscious, there is no way of knowing who she was, where she came from and why she was here. The old woman can only sigh and continue treating the wound of the girl. "If she is some sort of a Spirit Priestess, why does she even have a dagger?" She thought to herself, as she tried to pick up the dagger that was placed beside the girl, she was thinking of putting it away so it will not be a hindrance. The old woman''s expression changed when she tried to lift it up, it did not even move an inch as if it was ridiculously heavy. She was amazed at how strong old Rye was, but she was more surprised at how this frail looking girl can even wield it to kill a huge beast. While Alex was unconscious, being treated by the extremely curious Aunt Verna, the whole village of Novus was stirred, there was never an incident where their hunters got killed, not in the previous two hundred years, the hunting groups that the village sends out are extremely experienced and strong, and also the group that lost two men are with Old Man Rye, a very strong hunter, he''s not showy, but every single villager have inklings of how unfathomable the man''s strength was. They did not know the whole story, and the Forest of Beginnings is really mysterious to even begin with, there will be inevitable events, and the deaths of the two hunters are among them. The villagers were all curious but all information came from the hunters own statements. From what everyone knows that those two got separated and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of beasts where the rest of their group came too late, they managed to kill the beasts but the two were already lifeless, and then Alex came and the Bronze Mountain Boar showed up, which she killed before passing out, which now lead to the current situation. It was only after a few days that Alex awakened, wearing different clothes, in a different place, and somehow she leveled up, she was now level two. Chapter Four: A New Start -Where am I? -Alex wondered as she looked blankly at the sight before her, instead of a forest canopy, before her is a ceiling. -What happened? Right, it was that huge boar back then, so I¡¯m not dead yet? I just passed out, seems like I¡¯m fated to pass out all the time.- Alex sat up, she was expecting to feel very bad, but she feels more invigorated than before. As she was using her hands to prop herself up, she felt a hard metallic sensation, a familiar one at that. It was her dagger, the Gladius. She stared at the dagger for a while before picking it up, clutching it tightly like it was everything to her. She looked around her, only finding a few empty beds in a row next to the one she was on, and a window opposite her. She saw nobody outside, but instead she saw a flashing light in the corner of her vision, she tried to focused on it, and a window suddenly appeared before her. <> [Alexandria Leonhart has now reached level 2] |6 are currently unspent,| |Would you like to allocate them now?| <>or <> -What¡¯s this?- Alex thought, she was surprised, this was something that she saw in videogames, she assumed that killing the Bronze Mountain Boar was the reason she leveled up. ¨CAttribute points? Are those supposed to be used for my stats?- She is very quick-witted, even though she had some doubts that her situation is what she thinks it is, she might as well try it, ''the only way to go is forward¡¯ as she used to hear from others back then. She decided to allocate the points and the Stats Window appeared in her vision. [Stats] Strength: 50 Agility: 50 Intelligence: 50 Dexterity: 50 Luck: 50 Magic: 50 The stats are the same as she saw back when she was in the forest, what was different is that there are now arrows pointing upwards before each attribute. Alex concluded that those were to allocate points in an attribute. She didn¡¯t know what to do, she cannot recklessly use all her Attribute Points either, considering what she has experienced previously, and there are many dangers, these attributes points are connected to her survival. -I¡¯ll never know what to do with all these unless I try, but what should be a practical choice? [Intelligence] maybe?- As she was pondering about what decision to make, she somehow summoned another window when she thought about the Intelligence attribute. [Intelligence] ¨C Enhances the thought process, perception and memory of the individual. Also increases chances of learning new abilities and information. Some items need a minimum level of intelligence in order to be used. -Then what about the others then?- [Strength] ¨C Enhances physical strength, physical damage, endurance, health, and resistances of the individual. Some weapons, armor and other items require a minimum level of strength in order to be used. (Due to the individual having inexhaustible stamina points, there will be larger enhancements in other physical aspects.) [Agility] ¨C Enhances the movement capabilities of the individual, increases speed, and flexibility. [Dexterity] ¨C Enhances the coordination, helps with performing meticulous tasks. [Luck] ¨C Increases the chances of finding materials, or items that will drop from monsters. Also increases the chance of learning new abilities and skills. [Magic] ¨C Enhances the magic power of the individual, increases mana, mana regeneration, and magic damage. Also reduces mana costs at certain levels. (Since the individual has an indefinite amount of mana, there will be large increases in magic damage and enhanced magical effects instead.) -This is complex, - she sighed.She had no idea what would be really good, increasing [Strength] and [Magic] looks good, but what is [Magic] for? Spells? She doesn¡¯t know any. [Strength] however looks plausible, but she doesn¡¯t know how to fight. She then decided to put two points into [Intelligence] instead and then saved the remaining points for later. [Stats] Strength: 50 Agility: 50 Intelligence: 52 Dexterity: 50 Luck: 50 Magic: 50 |4 available.| The Stats Window once again appeared before her with the increased data, she dismissed it and tried to grasp for any changes in her body. She felt that everything around her is clearer but the change is almost unnoticeable. After thinking for a while, Alex decided to leave the room, if she wants information, the only one she can ask is another person. She carefully got of the bed and stood up, making sure that nothing feels wrong she then looked for the door. -I hope they¡¯re friendly, if not I¡¯m dead meat.- Alex opened the door, revealing a cleared dirt path connecting to a main one outside. There are a few trees along the path, a few plants, and a few more buildings not for from her location. She did not see anyone else though. Thinking that it would look unfriendly for her to hold a weapon she decided to put the [Gladius] away, the dagger disappeared into her inventory. The young girl walked towards the houses, but strangely enough, there is no human presence near her. Basing from what she read in books and from other stuff, there has to be a gathering point for them people living here, like a town square. There might be people there, and they might be able to help her understand her current predicament. As she wandered around the residences, she begins to hear people talking from a distance, her face is filled with joy but it was dampened by the fact that they are talking about her, and it seems they are not very amiable towards strangers. <> (passive) has been acquired -Did I just get an ability by eavesdropping on people?- Alex thought while thinking that it was absurd. ¡°That girl that Old Man Rye brought back, something''s suspicious.¡± ¡°Don''t be like that, the poor lass came from that forest you know? That place is dangerous, she must have been through a lot.¡± ¡°The fact that she managed to survive to be brought back here from that place makes her suspicious.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re thinking way to much, she''s just a kid, and also, there is nothing other people will be interested in in this place.¡± The seemingly paranoid person is a man, while the other who speaks in a carefree tone is a woman. It seems that the one that brought her here is named Rye, judging from the way they call him, it''s the middle-aged hunter, but why do they call him ¡°Old Man¡±? Alex wonders. She didn''t think about it too much, what''s important is meeting him first before the other villagers since they seem to have bad opinions about outsiders. ¡°Oh, you''re awake, but why are you here, kid? You ought to be resting first right?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Alex turns around quickly looking cautiously at the person who called her, it was the middle-aged hunter, Rye. He was looking at her with a worried look, coupled with a tinge of surprise at her recovery speed, Aunt Verna said that it will take a week before she wakes up, but she''s already fine after three days. Alex, on the other hand, is oblivious at what the veteran hunter was thinking, but she takes his expression as a non-hostile one.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Anyways kid, let''s go get back at Aunt Verna''s clinic alright?¡± Old Man Rye stated. ¡°She¡¯s going to go crazy if she finds out I let the patient wander around.¡± Alex just nodded firmly without saying anything and followed the hunter back to the building. So it seems the one who nursed her was called Aunt Verna, she should probably thank the two for taking care of her later. Old Rye led her to the room where inside was an old woman, older than the hunter. She gave a profound feeling and a sense of security to those around her. Alex thinks that her demeanor matches her role of treating people. She only gave a smile when she notices the two entering. ¡°Alright, lass,¡± Old Rye started introducing himself and the old woman. ¡°My names Rye, you can call me Old Man Rye or Uncle Rye, and this is Aunt Verna one of our village elders, she''s the one in charge of treating the sick and injured in the village.¡± ¡°Hi, my name is Alexandria,¡± Alex said in return, she has a good expression of these two people. She then followed up with thanking them for helping her when she was passed out with a slight bow of her head. ¡°Well hello there young one,¡± Aunt Verna said smilingly, observing Alex from top to bottom. ¡°I wasn''t able to get a good look at you back then, you are actually a charming young lady, and well-mannered too.¡± Since Alex is an outsider, and she was found in the forest of all places, in a dangerous one in fact, normally Aunt Verna would be extremely cautious like the rest of villagers excluding Old Rye who is eccentric. But because of the number of spirits that are attracted to the girl, she let her heart at ease, after all, people liked by spirits are generally good people, and from Alex¡¯s attitude proves that. ¡°So, kid, what were you doing in that forest, that place is dangerous you know?¡± The middle-aged hunter asked, explaining how dangerous that place with those wolf packs and the occasional mountain boars that almost killed them. For certain, that place is not someone like Alex to be in, without any armor at all, in a dress even with only a dagger to fend for herself with. But how can she answer that if even she doesn''t know the place? She is not even sure that everything is real, but everything that happened so far and all the things she felt ever since waking up from that place is nagging at her that ¡®it''s all real, deal with it''. Alex only answered with a shake of her head, saying that she can''t remember anything aside from her name and age and the dagger was only something she found when she woke up in the forest.They seemed to believe her, with only the thoughtful looks on their faces, yet it seems they have different thoughts. Could she actually be--- The two of them thought, but apparently they are thinking in separate directions, but meanwhile Alex is completely oblivious to what they are thinking she''s only worried that this excuse will not work, and lying to people who helped her leaves a bad taste in her mouth. But then again, who will believe that she''s not from this world? ¡°Hmmm, that is not entirely impossible, after all, the Forest of Beginnings is mysterious after all.¡± ¡°True, after all, there have been people who lost their memories, although rare, you must have been through a lot young one.¡± Old Rye and Aunt Verna said respectively, they didn''t think too much of it, Alex looks like a frail young lady after all. Since Alex ¡®lost her memories'' they explained a lot of the basic matters to her, which to the young girl is a lifesaver. It''s hard to live somewhere she doesn''t know about, and if she really has to live in this world she needs knowledge, a lot of it. Ignorance is a double-edged sword, ignorance can be both bliss and a disadvantage. The lack of knowledge may be fine in a peaceful place but since when there is peace, in the world where she came from, wasn''t she blown to pieces because of war? The village where she is currently is called Novus, a pioneer village located at the very edge of the kingdom of Etherina, almost isolated from every other place, the reasons are the abundance of danger in the vicinity, and the fact that the vegetation is thick, the flora near the Forest of Beginnings are full of vitality, the plants grow ridiculously quick, the trees are hard to cut down. But the advantages it brings that there is no shortage of food and the wood they gain is extremely sturdy, some merchants even travel far for them. The danger and somewhat harsh conditions were weathered by the very first settlers and in every generation, they kept adapting, they became more skilled, and stronger, every warrior in the village is as strong as the kingdom''s elite soldiers. Even though they are like this they prefer their current lifestyle, they are very attached to nature and they don''t really care about money that much, their goods are exchanged for things they can''t get here and the gold they have are stocked for situations needed only. It''s a very prosperous place in a certain perspective, and with prosperity comes danger from ill-willed people, bandit groups sometimes came here before but were crushed before they even got in, this made their reputation stronger and hence they gained respect from the kingdom to the point that the kingdom gave them this land officially in exchange for preventing monsters from the forests from flooding out and attacking the nearby towns and cities. The village was fine with it, the kingdom literally gave it to them for free, if the monsters would attack, Novus would be the first casualty, whether there''s a decree or not they would¡¯ve kept the monsters in check anyways. Aside from that, they told her about many other things, the culture, races, laws and many other things she will need to know, apparently this is literally a fantasy world, there are elves, dwarves, giants etc. Compared to her old world, it seems strength held a lot of sway here, it is not absolute but you will still earn some respect if you are powerful enough. The government seems to be of a feudal system, there are nobles, and royalty, the nobles, and royalty pretty much hold a lot of influence, some of them use it for very ill reasons and there are some who are decent in morals. For classifying strength, it seems there is a level system, like a game, they didn''t talk about EXP, but it seems when you fight, kill monsters, or do certain tasks you can raise your level, giving more power, the fastest way is killing monsters. There are also Skills, Titles, Jobs, etc. Similar to Alex''s situation, but it seems they cannot see their stats, they can only look at theirs through the Pedestal of Power, when one puts their hand on top of the pedestal a projection will show the person''s statistics, every city has one, Novus has one too, given by the Kingdom ten years ago. They also do not have Inventory like Alex does, and regarding her status, those with level 50 attributes are mostly level 20, and normal people cannot choose what attribute will increase, it will only increase naturally depending on what you focus on. This got Alex thinking, she is certainly overpowered, especially the unlimited SP and MP, if they see her stats she''s not sure whether it will be bad or good for her. Whether she becomes strong or not, unlimited SP and MP is not fair, unless everyone is in the same situation as her. Thinking that she asked if how big is the mana pool of most people. "Everyone has mana, but not anyone can use it," Aunt Verna explained. "It still depends if one can control it or not. They are not rare, but not that common either, in the village there are only a few who can use magic. Most of the people here are muscle-brains anyway." "What do you mean by muscle-brains?" Rye retorted, seemingly offended, but he cannot refute that, they are mostly physical combat oriented. It was because of the fact that not anyone can learn how to manipulate mana without anyone guiding them, learning on your own is very difficult. "As if magic is omnipotent, spell-casters won''t survive if there are no physical combat personnel, they''re just sitting ducks without them." "Magicians are glass cannons, they need to be in a group, only those absurdly powerful or idiot mages will fight alone. Aside from that being a mage is profitable." Without minding Rye''s remark, the old woman continued explaining. They still kept talking but never answered Alex''s question, seeing her expression Rye gave a light cough and gave her the answer. "Aside from being unnaturally fragile, mages will become useless after running out of mana. Compared to a non-magician, mages have about five to ten times more mana." Doesn''t that mean I''m like those cheaty novel characters? Alex remarked in her mind. Still even with this amount of mana, if she is not skilled enough, she will still die. If she''s planning to lead her life here, will she learn to be a warrior or a mage? She''s not going to consider any job outside of combat if she wants to protect her little life she will need to learn how to fight. "So kid, what are you planning to do then? Without your memories you''re a blank slate, you can live your life here in the village, and even if those old fogeys won''t agree I''ll make them." "The ''old fogeys'' he''s referring to are the village elders, I''m one of them but I do not care about whatever they do, but if they try to pressure you I can put a word in for you." After Rye made a dangerous statement, it seems the gentle looking Aunt Verna said something more ominous in the young girl''s point of view. It seems they genuinely look out for her, was it because of the fact that she lost her memories, or because they are just like this. Alex felt guilty for claiming she''s an amnesiac, but not telling anyone would guarantee not only her safety but others as well. "Thank you," Alex said from the bottom of her heart. "Then can I be a hunter? I want to be able to fight." The two people looked at each other, wearing surprised expressions, but then looked at Alex with warm understanding. But unbeknownst to Alex, they had different understandings to what she said. I knew it, this kid''s a fighter.Thought the hunter. Anyone loved by the spirits are definitely special after all.The old woman thought while smiling at Alex. Starting from that, the life of the seventeen-year-old girl had a new start. Chapter Five: Recognition The center of the Novus is the village square, having the surface area of a hundred square meters and in the middle of it stands the Pedestal of Power, a purely white pedestal standing at ten meters, engraved with a symbols that cannot be understood by many, and it gives a sacred feeling to those who look at it. In the square, a six elderly people were in front of the pedestal, a middle-aged man was in in front of them, including a black haired young girl. Around them were the onlookers, the villagers who were watching the questioning unfold. "Like I said, we cannot trust outsiders, how can you trust someone you picked up at a dangerous place like the forest?" "You cannot risk the safety of the village like this. Rye, you may be the one who trains most of the warriors here, but that does not mean you can make rash decisions." "You are all paranoid, what the hell can a young lass do to this village, so much for being a settlement of strong warriors, how unbecoming, being scared of a little girl." "Haaa~ whatever, I''m not going to participate in this, how troublesome~." "Since when did this village become a place where we abandon people who need shelter, remember what we have agreed on years ago, as long as it is a good person we will help them." "Ve, Verna? We thought you won''t interfere with these things, you were not interested in things like this, why now?" The village elders over the top cautiousness towards Alex, Rye''s exasperated replies, an elder''s remark as if it was not his problem, and Aunt Verna''s firm statement rang in Alex''s ears. As the spectacle unfolded in front of her, she was thinking whether if she will be able to stay here or not, from what she learned yesterday, the nearest village is miles away, no way she will be able to make it on her own. Living in the forest is in fact, very impossible. "How can you be sure she is deserving of our trust then? What''s your justification?" asked one of the elders in opposition to Alex staying in the village. "The spirits." "Ha?" Alex accidentally lets out her voice, earning gazes from the people around her. She lowered her head embarrassed. "Spirits are attached to her, I saw it," Aunt Verna explained while thinking that it was strange Alex was unaware of the spirits since there were a lot of them gathering around her, they were increasing too. "Do you actually believe that spirits will be gathering around this girl if she was bearing ill intentions?" The villagers and the elder council were silent, Aunt Verna was right, even if this village is more isolated than the others they are knowledgeable about spirits, Spirit Seers were born in the village every so often, and Verna was one of them, she will never be mistaken about his, and there is no point for her to lie. "Umm, what do you mean by spirits?" Alex asked timidly, once again they directed strange looks at her, she felt as if daggers were piercing her, but she endured the feeling. "I don''t see any?" "The fact that you can''t see them is strange, normally anyone with the aptitude towards the spirits will be able to see them if they try you know~" "Then if it is true she doesn''t remember anything else aside from her name huh, I guess we''ll find out with the pedestal then." The lazy elder explained to Alex, while an elder who has been silent all along finally spoke his piece. The expression Aunt Verna''s face was simply saying, You are the only one who thinks straight here, why did you only speak now?Noticing that the elder just shrugged and replied with a gaze saying,I thought it would be interesting that way.Alex noticed their conversation through theirgazes, thinking that they really have a weird assortment of people, almost like a delicate balance Alex asked if there is any way she can see them, and Aunt Verna told her to concentrate and if she notices something different then she must focus on it. She did as she was told but it took her a while to actually notice the spirits, strangely enough, the elders were silently looking at her and waited for her patiently. I can''t see a thing.Alex thought in her mind, no it was not because she cannot see the spirits, but rather, her whole vision was filled with them blocking everything else. They seemed like transparent, ethereal beings, but the sheer number of them blocked her vision. There were so many of them that she was troubled. Not only that, she knows what they''re saying, they were not letting out voices but only transmitting thoughts to her, saying that they only crowded here because they know she can''t see them and they thought that it would help her perceive them if they were many. They also considered the fact that a spirit seer will help her if the seer notices that an abnormally large number of spirits would congregate around Alex. I see, thank you very much, everyone. But, is it really necessary with this number?Alex transmitted her thanks to the spirits. Then the spirits admitted that they went overboard, it was due to the fact that the spirits have tight communication and they love gathering at places that interest them. The nearest spirits gathered here because they were curious. To them it was worth coming, they seem to like Alex very much. "Can you see them?" One of the elders asked when they all saw the change in Alex''s expression. "Yes, but they are everywhere and now I can see nothing but the spirits." As she said that as if on cue the spirits dispersed, but they didn''t go far they just scattered so that Alex can see, she once again transmitted her gratitude and the spirits said not to mind it. "Oh they scattered, they seem to like you a lot, actually making way for you," Aunt Verna said with a laugh, she was also troubled by the amount of the spirits, not once in her life she would witness someone surrounded by spirits to the point they can''t see anything else. [Passive Ability Obtained] <> allows one to perceive spirits. [Passive Ability Obtained] <> allows one to communicate with spirits. [Passive Ability Obtained] <> allows one to use spirt-assisted magic. "Now that we got that out of the way, can we just go to the pedestal just for one final confirmation?" "Yes, it would be better to go straight into it, right?~" "You''ll be justfine kid, don''t worry." "You''re the one who''s more worried than the person herself, Rye." Alex is completely silent while watching the elder council plus Rye making a decision, the elders who doubted Alex also nodded in agreement to the arrangement. They then signaled Alex to approach the Pedestal of Power as they made way for her. Meanwhile, the girl was nervous, what if they saw her abnormality? She was anxious about it, so while the meeting was going on she fiddled with the[Menu]which she had discovered, apparently, there was actually an options page, and there were things that answered her questions, as to why she understands their language, and how they understand her,there was a setting that says [Auto-Translate], it was convenient, it helps her read too, but she still can''t write their language. Then she also saw one of the options, which she badly needed,it was something that will change what others will see if they look at her status. She hid most of her abilities, excluding the< >,<>,her newly gained eavesdropping--- no, enhanced hearing ability, and her spirit related abilities. She halved her attribute points because an average of 50 points will be way too much. "Place your hand on the pedestal." Alex did as instructed, and as she placed her hand on the pedestal she felt something strange course through her, she wanted to resist but since she felt that it was fine she just let it be while hoping that it will not show her true status. Then a screen suddenly appeared above the pedestal [Personal Profile] Name: Alexandria Leonhart Race: Human Level: 2 Title: N/A Profession: N/A [Stats] Strength:25 Agility:25 Intelligence:26 Dexterity:25 Luck:25 Magic:25 Health Points:100/100 Mana Points:500 Stamina Points: 500 [Crimes] None Her statuswindow showed her stats being halved, it seems that it doesn''t show her skills and abilities, which is convenient for her. It also appears that crimes made will be displayed, it seems doing evil things will not go unnoticed unless you can avoid the pedestal. Contrary to her own relief, the rest of the people who saw the numbers that were shown were surprised, a level 2 with an average of 25 points, normally it would for people who are above level 10, but even those people do not have uniform stats, some have fewer points on everything else other than their strong points. All of them are surprised, all except Rye and the other hunters that came back with him. They all so for themselves how strong Alex was if it was lower then it would not make sense for her to kill the Bronze Mountain Boar. Rye also thinks that it still way too low considering what he saw back then.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. While everyone else was having their own thoughts, Alex was still troubled by how the course of energy that came from the pedestal still did not stop, she can''t even let go. After a few moments, the stream of energy stopped then and a notice suddenly came to Alex''s mind. [Skill obtained] <> allows one to see the basic information on other individuals, also including other living beings. Proficiency will also increase the information that can be seen. She tested it out Rye while looking at him, and for some reason, it only showed her his name and race, everything else contains a question marks. Probably her proficiency is too low, so she left it at that, at the very least she can know the names and the race, and that''s good enough for her. After she removed her hand the screen disappeared, and at that point, there were suddenly murmurs among the villagers, and the Elder Council seemed to have a discussion. While it was all happening Rye approached her and said, "So Leonhart is your surname huh? Hmmm. Were you a noble or something?" While Alex was thinking about how she didn''t see a surname for Rye with <>, she concluded that surnames were normally possessed by nobles, just like how it was in the books she read. While she was lost in her thoughts, a shout resounded in the square. "Impossible, you are only level two, there is no way you are stronger than me!" "This idiot..." Rye sighed. It was a young man who wore leather armor, he was wearing a dissatisfied expression as if finding Alex''s existence unpleasant. For his age he was known to be talented, reaching level 15 at his age. Alex understood his feelings, in a world where strength was respected, it was expected that a person like him will find her absurd stats acceptable. She decided to appraise him. Name: Tom Age: 18 Level: 15 Race: Human Title: N/A Profession: Apprentice Swordsman [Stats] Strength:23 Agility:15 Intelligence:10 Dexterity:17 Luck:7 Magic: 5 There Alex understood that her existence is indeed, absurd. In fact, Tom''s statswere not bad at all, it was quite good in for his age. But Alex, on the other hand, surpassed him in every aspect, and she was still level 2 with no profession. "The pedestal must be broken, yes, that''s probably it, there''s no way," Tom said with bloodshot eyes. He had worked hard to get this far, and in exchange for his hard work, he reached this point, he was given praise, but unfortunately, it all went to his head. When he saw Alex''s stats he became restless and doesn''t want to be outdone. "Impudence, the pedestal will not be mistaken and it will never be broken, and you know that." One of the elders said sternly, giving Tom a sharp glare. The elder thought that Tom is getting more and more arrogant to the point that he will actually question the results given by the Pedestal of Power which was said to not give a mistake, and it is also indestructible, even if the village was erased off the map the pedestal will remain unscathed. "Th, then she must prove it," Tom said while flustered, he was keen on dragging Alex down, his pride won''t let it be. His statement earned him disappointed gazes while those who didn''t like his attitude sneered. Tom ignored them and glared at Alex saying, "Fight me." Alex gave a troubled look towards Rye, having an expression ofDo I really have to?While the council also looked at him with gazes telling,You can do whatever you want with this idiot.Rye sighed and gave his decision. "Alright, Alex, spar with him, whoever wins doesn''t matter anyway. Tom, don''t you dare do something stupid, otherwise, I''ll lynch you, no, not just me, but everyone in the village will." Tom shuddered at the warning, he knows how scary his fellow villagers are, of course, he did not want to totally harm Alex, he only wants to assert his dominance, at the very least, he wants to humiliate her. The young man faced towards Alex while glaring, while she returned a look as if it was troublesome, further infuriating the arrogant Tom. The people around them gave them space, while Rye was acting the referee. They were going to fight barehanded. "You cheeky little..." Tom growled, then he suddenly charged at Alex, intending to grab her. He was very serious even his peers would be struggling at this because he was quite fast and competing against him in a contest of strength is a bad idea. While staring straight at Tom''s eyes, Alex watch him approach, she held no fear whatsoever, she gave an air of confidence and integrity as if she will not flinch in the eyes of death. Tom was surprised but still charged at the unmoving Alex, he grabbed at her intending to pin her down, and when his hands neared her he grinned, but then his expression went to shock when instead of grabbing her he only grasped air. Then he suddenly felt that he was in the air and felt an impact when he realized it, he was staring at the sky. He felt pain on his back and on the back of his head. Tom did not understand what happened, and to the onlookers, they thought that Alex was done for, but then Alex lightly moved and grabbed Tom and flipped him over. Meanwhile, Alex was thinking that she messed up because she didn''t adjust the strength, she planned to throw him but not hard enough for him to feel pain, her current strength was still new to her. While she was thinking that another announcement rang in her head. [Skill Obtained] <> includes two forms, one is for suppressing enemies, while the other is for giving counter-attacks. [Skill Obtained] <> makes the movement of the individual untrackable, will make avoiding attacks easier and more efficient. Agility and Dexterity will provide more ease in movement. The effectiveness will be raised with the improvement of technique and proficiency. The reason why Alex was able to defeat him was due to her slightly activating <> on her own, rather than something grand, it was a simple side-step, it''s a no-brainer to dodge something intending to bulldoze you. Alex only timed her actions right. Why does she know how to do this? It was all because of curiosity, she was interested in martial arts before, hence she attended many dojos and schools. In all of them, she managed to learn a lot of things and used all that she had learned in how she will defend herself. The things training she went through, all her hard work, and her ability to learn led to this, still she had no real fighting experience, but if it is a mock battle though, she will not go down without a fight. Even though she knows what she was doing, Alex still thinks that that <> also helped, some sort of correction thing. It made movement easier for Alex, which was fine for her, the safer she was the better, it might attract the wrong kind of attention though. Tom on the other hand still cannot accept the truth, that he was beaten, fair and square though Alex is quite an abnormality. Given that pride has gone into his head, he was glaring at Alex with more ferocity, rather than intending to beat her, he was emitting killing intent, and his opponent noticed it. The elders noticed that and intended to stop the battle, but Rye gave them a look saying that girl will be able to handle it. Aunt Verna, on the other hand, was a little concerned, but still, thinks that it might be fine. Isn''t he getting a little bit edgy? Alex thought that his attitude his way too abnormal, and the other villagers too, they think that he is way out of control now. He is losing his reason, his vision is getting clouded by hatred, and his mind is being corroded by his blind pride. The elders can see that detail all too clearly, they would have taken action about this already, but seeing that Alex is still as calm as ever they thought that it might be a chance to further evaluate her, if anything gets out of hand they will be able to prevent any deaths. But never did they expect what was going to happen next. "Y, you damned bitch, DIE!" Tom suddenly charged towards her, a very reckless charge, his posture was a wreck and the attack that he is attempting is full of openings, but somehow a strange pressure came from him which would have immobilized anyone else even if they know how to avoid. But Alex is not just anyone, at the very least she has resistance to these kinds of things and for her, the bombs that she saw over the horizon back then was far more concerning that Tom''s frenzied tackle. Alex dodged to the side with light movements, which further provoked her opponent''s berserk state, she thought that it will be done soon, but when she saw a glint from Tom''s hand her tension was raised again. He was hiding a dagger in his clothes and it looks like he is really intending to kill. She will be able to unarm him, but she cannot be overconfident regarding this since she will surely die if she makes a blunder. "Attacking an unarmed fragile girl with a weapon, how tasteless," Alex muttered, but it seems that everyone else heard that, and Tom heard it crystal clear, hence he was further enraged. Tom unleashed a frenzied cry and began slashing at Alex with the dagger, his attacks show the signs that he trained, but since he was not thinking clearly, he is attacking quite clumsily. Alex was dodging by a hair''s breadth, it seems like she was barely dodging, but to the more experienced warriors, she gave them a surprise, being able to dodge those calmly very difficult even for a youngster, Level 2 at that. <> proficiency has been raised. Oh, it so that''s how it is. Alex still has leeway to think about the announcement, if Tom knew this he would definitely vomit blood. She was focused, but not her entirety, she can easily read his movements after all, and if it is a battle of attrition, with her infinite stamina she will win eventually. But rather that tiring him out, she decided to end it quickly. Since he had taken out a weapon, she also took out her dagger that she also hid in her clothes. She then proceeded to parry his next attack and using the hilt to hit the back of his neck to make him go unconscious when he lost his balance. All of it happened in a second, and left everyone else amazed, everyone excluding Rye who somehow found it natural for her to do that. Tom was collapsed on the ground and his the whites of his eyes showing and he was also foaming at the mouth. He was not dead alright, one of the elders sighed in relief, it was not because of Alex winning but at Tom actually not dying in the process. Alex also thought that she probably put in too much strength, she was not used to her own body, mostly due to the status correction, and it was also the reason why she became so beat up when fighting the Bronze Mountain Boar. "So, any objections to her living with us?" Rye asked the council, it was also directed to the onlookers as well. "Haa~ Let''s just get on with it," the carefree elder sighed, throwing a slight glance at the still fainted Tom. "The young man over there will surely die if left alone you know?" "Alright, from this day forth, Alexandria, you shall be one of us now, just don''t cause trouble, okay? " "Hoo~ looks like we have increased our fighting force, someone who is specialized in anti-personal combat as well." "Agreed, and also, please pardon the cold welcome, we have a bad experience with outsiders recently, but then again you''re no longer an outsider anyways. Welcome!" Voices of affirmation came from the elders and the other villagers were also nodding in agreement. Alex found it strange for this village to have an almostunanimous decision, but the fact that they manage to survive out here was a testament to their unity as well. Was it her strength? No, it was due to the fact that she still did not kill Tom even though he was the first one to attack with intent to kill. Adding on the matter of the spirits approval, she also shows that she had the strength and rational thinking to back it up, unlike a certain someone who clearly lost his wits. "Haha, welcome to Novus, kid," Rye said with a wide grin. "You want to become a hunter right? I''ll work you like a horse, even if you are a girl, I''m going to make sure you will be a professional." "Welcome Alex," Aunt Verna gave her a gentle smile. "I''m going to teach you about being a spirit seer, don''t worry it''s safer than what that muscle-head plans." "Who are you calling a muscle-head huh?!" Congratulatory words and wishes for good luck were heard after another. Alex was truly thankful, she was thankful for ending up here, and meeting these people, especially the two people who supported her to the end. She vowed that she will do her best here, her new home. "Thank you very much for everything." On that day they saw a beautiful girl''s heartfelt smile and gratitude. Chapter Six: Development In the training grounds of the warriors from the village of Novus, sounds of authoritative yells and wooden swords clashing resounded clearly. In the brink of daylight, two figures can be seen fighting, one is the middle-aged hunter Rye, and the other was the young girl, Alex. One can see that the girl is in disadvantage in the spar, she is not fatigued and the veteran hunter also didn''t break a sweat, but she cannot even get much of a scratch on him while she was many scratches and bruises due to getting knocked down repeatedly. The mock battle has proceeded in Alex trying to take down Rye, but she was failing to do so, clearly showing that she has far more to go. It has been a month since she was accepted into the village, her time was spent by helping in the village, she mostly helped with Aunt Verna with her work as her assistant. She was also thought by the other villagers in other tasks, some which she can do easily, while others that she finds difficult, nevertheless she still did her best in learning in order to be able to earn her keep. She was taught dismantling animals and monsters, fighting, treating injuries and a lot of other things. So far her new life in the village was going smoothly. Before and during daybreak, she has trained with Rye in fighting, every day she went through harsh training which yielded great results which even surprised Rye, but it was mostly due to the fact that she has the passive abilities<>and<>which further accelerated her growth, coupled with her overwhelming tenacity that keeps Aunt Verna worried for her health sometimes. In that training with regards to fighting, in a whole month, her growth was nothing to laugh at. A lot of her skills and abilities rose in proficiency levels. Even her status attributes even rose, even though she was still level 2, it appears that stats will also rise when training, albeit slowly, but that clearly did not apply to Alex. [Personal Profile] Name: Alexandria Leonhart Level: 2 Race: Human Title: Profession: Apprentice Hunter Apprentice Swordsman Apprentice Spirit Mage Health: 400 Stamina: Infinite Mana: Infinite Stats: Strength: 60 Agility: 55 Intelligence: 54 Dexterity: 56 Luck: 50 Magic: 50 |4 available.| Her strength rose by a huge margin, and her health points even doubled than the first time. She deduced that her health will double every 10 strength points, and she shuddered at what will probably happen if she keeps training and when she levels up in the near future. Her agility and dexterity also rose because of training and when she does various works in the village. Her intelligence grew because she studied as well, she is still currently learning the language choosing not to rely heavily on theAuto-translate Function. Next are the skills and abilities that she obtained and the ones that grew in proficiency. [Active Skill] <> instead of directly blocking an attack, with a weapon the user can use this to gain momentum to dodge a physical attack, giving the user a chance to gain distance from the opponent in order toavoid direct impacts. Effects can be improved through mastery. < > (Passive) - Increases defense of the individual. As the individual levels up the defense gained will also increase. <> (Passive) - allows the individual to see the weak points of an enemy, but the father the gap in strength from the individual the more difficult it is to find the weak point. Against weaker or enemies of equal power, weak points are immediately revealed. <> (Passive)- Allows the user to hear more effectively. Anything within a certain radius will be heard by the individual clearly. Hearing radius will rise according to proficiency level. The user can consciously activate or deactivate this passive ability. <> (Passive)- raises vision quality, allows the individual to see clearlyinfarther distances, kinetic vision will be enhanced, and vision in dark situations will be enhanced. Effects will riseaccordingto proficiency level. <> (Passive) - allows one to perceive spirits. <> (Passive) - allows one to communicate with spirits. <> (Passive) - allows one to use spirt-assisted magic. <>- includes two forms, one is for suppressing enemies, while the other is for giving counter-attacks.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. <> - makes the movement of the individual untrackable, will make avoiding attacks easier and more efficient. Agility and Dexterity will provide more ease of movement. The effectiveness will be raised with the improvement of technique and proficiency. <> (One-handed and Two-handed Sword Style)- focuses on techniques that imitate water, flowing movements that do not allow anything through¡ªthe defensive stance, and attacks similar to the destructive power of water in nature¡ªthe offensive stance. <> (Passive)- allows the individual to ignore pain, fatigue, mental attacks, etc. Effects get stronger as proficiency level rises. Since the individual has infinite stamina, other effects of the ability will be enhanced. The Roman numerals beside each skill name represent the level of proficiency, she began to see them after the fight with Tom. According to Rye, getting level two proficiency at such a young age is hard to even for the usual geniuses, but Alex is clearly not normal at all. She even has some which are level three which is already considered expert level. Her spirit related skills and abilities were all level five in proficiency which is the Legend Realm. Alex, of course, hid this fact. According to the middle-aged hunter, there are ten levels of proficiency, which were classified by realms, even weapon ranking have similar ranks. Level I - Novice Realm Level II - Amateur Realm Level III - Expert Realm Level IV - Genius Realm Level V - Legend Realm Level VI - Mythical Realm Level VII - Ancient Realm Level VIII - Forbidden Realm Level IX - Demi-god Realm Level X - God Realm Apparently, humans were only able to achieve the Legend Realm at most, and even other rarely reach the Mythical Realm, ones that reach the other higher realms of proficiency are hard to find, and the probability of them not existing currently is very, very high. It seems that knowledge of the existence of realms higher than Ancient Realm is not very known, and when Rye said this Alex grew intrigued by how did he even know this. She dismissed that thought thinking that this village is only very special and the veteran hunter is one of the most unfathomable ones. Aside from those fighting oriented skills and abilities, she was able to learn a few more skills:<>,<>,and<>which she had obtained when she was helping out in the village. Aside from body and battle training from Rye, in the afternoon she is also learning from Aunt Verna, the only Spirit Seer in Novus, she is being trained in controlling her magic power and also transmitting her will to the spirits so that she will be able to use <>. <> is different from the magic that is commonly used, normal <>is invoked using an aria, or a chant, and it uses the casters own mana, while<>can be invoked with by transmitting the desired spell to the spirits, the clearer the image the stronger the spell, and it will use the mana from the surrounding mana flow and from the caster''s mana. The spirits will convert the mana and shape the very form of the spell and the caster''s mana will be used to boost its power. In other words,<>is magic that is more cost-efficient than normal <>, though only a few can communicate with spirits and it is very hard to wield the magic itself. As those things were being taught to her by Aunt Verna, the spirits which were wandering around her also supplemented by saying that in Alex''s case, the spirits won''t need to convert mana from nature, and will use her mana instead since she will never run out after all. Not only that it will make casting faster, it will also reinforce the spell, making it more stable, powerful, and easier for Alex to manipulate. They described Alex''s mana as ridiculously pure and said that any magic that she casts will be stronger than normal, and since anything she casts will also be stable, she can make it more powerful by overcharging it with more mana. It sounds overpowered to Alex but she chose to ignore it and hopes that she will never have to use it like that. The image of her casting a gigantic fireball by pouring in a massive amount of magical power is something she cannot come to terms with yet. She can now cast every single elementary level spirit magic which was taught to her by Verna with the help of the spirits. It can be said that if she was to fight with the Bronze Mountain Boar once again, she will not end up in a tattered state like last time. It is even possible that she will be able to kill it easily as well. If I just use the right amount of mana, maybe I can obliterate it?Alex thought, but soon discarded it, since doing that would only put more stress on her mental health and also attract more problems towards her. It''s been only a month but she has already experienced a lot compared to her life back then. Her life before coming to this world was dull in her opinion, it was as if she was only going along with a script and what she can and should do is already predetermined, that was how her life was, it was all planned out already. Even though it feels strange for her to think that she only gained true freedom after getting stranded in the forest, it was true, there she was on her own, no one to tell her what to do, no one restricting her movements, it was like her own little world, but then even that was destroyed by the war. If here in this world she can choose her path, she will choose the path that she will be able to keep her freedom, she is never going to let go of it. While she was drowning in her thoughts in the middle of the spar, Rye told Alex to take a break first, then said: "Tomorrow, you''ll be coming with us to the forest, time for your hunter debut, kid." "Yes!" The young girl''s expression lit up, revealing a pure smile that seems not to come from someone who has the iron will that gave even the warriors of the village a scare. The veteran hunter smiled wryly at that. I hope this lass is not going to annihilate all of them.He wished in his heart since he himself knew that she might probably do just that.