《I'm a Man!》 Chapter 1: Prologue Hello Everyone! Thank you for giving my story a try, I know this prologue is kinda slow, but please bear with me and give me criticism on what I need to work on, again Thank you very much! Staring out of the plane as it slowly descended onto the concrete strip, Yuki agonized over the meeting with his new family in the U.S. ¡°You¡¯re gonna love them Yu-kun¡± His father reassured him. ¡°How do we know they will treat us right Father?¡± ¡°First of all, Anna is a kind person and second of all, it¡¯s not ¡®she¡¯ but ¡®they¡¯.¡± ¡°What?! You didn¡¯t tell me Anna had kids!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Yu-kun, she¡¯s just like us; her husband passed away from cancer about a decade ago, leaving herself and her little girl behind.¡± ¡°Wait moment¡­did you say girl? How old is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a year younger than you, 16, why did you want to know?¡± ¡°No reason¡­it¡¯s time to get off now Father.¡± ---------- Yuki, born in the peaceful country of the rising sun, was a troubled individual. His mother passed away during childbirth, leaving him and his father behind. His father, Ken Kimura, in his grief named Yuki after his late wife. Yuki had a really troublesome upbringing; his father works as a section manager in a marketing company, so his father would often not be home to take care of him. During this time, his father would have Yuki stay with his distant uncle¡¯s family just a station away. Yuki grew up surrounded by a loving family, not his, but a loving family nonetheless. His uncle, Kousuke Hasegawa, was a family man; he raised his daughter and Yuki with love and care, while never spoiling them. It was through Aoi, Kousuke¡¯s wife that Yuki is able to know what the love of a mother feels like. Even though busy, whenever his father had free time he would spend it with Yuki and bond with him. Since Yuki reminds him of his wife, Ken would always feel at peace when he is with his son. Yuki¡¯s life wasn¡¯t all happy-go-lucky though, he was often bullied. Yuki was bullied because of his name. During grade school, other kids would often call him ¡®Hime¡¯ (princess), because the name Yuki, can often be translated as ¡®snow princess¡¯. Yuki would often cry because of this, because he could never really understand why other people will disrespect his mother¡¯s name. The bullying never really stopped, in fact it escalated during his junior high days. Girls would often make fun of him, still calling him ¡®Hime¡¯. Mainly only girls would bully him though, for some reason they would do such things as write ¡®Girly man¡¯ on his desk to filling his slippers with water. This treatment later escalated to openly criticizing him in class, or forcing him to run errands for the girls. It was because of these actions that Yuki, never really felt comfortable around girls his age, he would always flinch and try to move away if a girl were to speak to him. The only reason why Yuki doesn¡¯t hate all women was because of Aoi and her daughter Akari. Akari was half a year older than Yuki, and a kind-hearted and calm older sister type. When Yuki was bullied in grade school, Akari would often stop the name calling. In junior high, it was Akari, who would tell the other girls to stop. Because of her kindness, Akari was liked by many; many girls admired Akari, and many boys wanted to go out with her. Akari however would only focus her attention on Yuki though, she never really thought of starting a relationship with anybody. It was towards the end of highschool that Akari found out that Yuki was moving to the U.S. she was devastated. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ---------- ¡°Yuki¡­please¡­don¡¯t go¡­¡­¡± Akari was saying, while tears were forming at the corner of her light brown eyes. ¡°Aka-nee...I have to go, my father needs me, you know that¡­¡± ¡°But I also need you¡­ Yuki¡­what are you going to do if other girls start bullying you again?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡­I¡¯ll handle it once it happens Aka-nee.¡± Trying not to look back, Yuki got on the van his father rented and disappeared from Akari¡¯s house. A couple days later, after packing all his stuff, Yuki and his father left for America. Akari, feeling the loneliness cries herself to sleep for week after Yuki left. ---------- After getting off the gate of their flight, Yuki and his father, Ken, looked around for their ride. Their eyes were scanning back and forth through the multitudes of sign, both their eyes landed on the image of a pair women. Holding up the sign was an impatient looking girl of about 16 years old. She had head full of smooth light blonde hair, small thin lips, a perfectly shaped nose accompanied with two ocean blue eyes that emit irritation. The girl was about 5¡¯4¡± with a fit and athletic looking figure which was noticeable through her tight jeans and blouse. This girl was just screaming with the look of irritation. Next to the girl, stood a woman, who looks almost exactly like her albeit older and about 5''10". Unlike the girl, this woman kept a smile and was constantly scanning the crowd of people exiting the gate with nervousness and excitement. When her eyes met ours, she started tearing up. ¡°Ken!¡± She rushed over to give him a hug. ¡°Anna!¡± Reciprocating her hug, Ken also ran towards Anna. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since we separated but I¡¯ve already missed you so much!¡± ¡°Same here, it¡¯s only been a couple months, but here I am feeling so happy that I get to see again¡± Ken and Anna met each other through their work; Anna transferred over from the U.S. branch to get some experience working at the main branch in Japan. It was there that they met. They became close by connecting with each other through the loss of their spouses. Over 3 years, they grew to love each other as if they have known each other for decades. It was during the time that Anna had to leave and go back to America that they both got married. It took Ken a couple months in order to actually get permission to transfer to the U.S. branch, by then it was already June. During this whole time, Yuki was clueless as to what was happening. He was more worried about how he¡¯s going to spend the next day avoiding the girls that are bullying him and the pretty girl that was staring daggers at him. Thus his new life in the U.S. begins.
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Chapter 2: New Life, New Start Yuki¡¯s POV ¡°So you¡¯re the new¡­boy right?¡± The girl beckoned at Yuki while giving off a menacing glare. ¡®This is bad, she¡¯s mad, she¡¯s so mad!¡¯ ¡°Yes, m-m-my n-name is Yuki, n-nice to m-meet you!¡± ¡°What are you stuttering for?! I can¡¯t believe my new brother is so wimpy, with a name like ¡®Yuki¡¯ no less!¡± ¡°Ano¡­m-may I ask what your name is?¡± *Sigh* ¡°My name is Rika, I was named after my dad Riku.¡± ¡°Rika¡­is it¡­um, please don¡¯t make fun of my name!¡± ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I? It fits really well along with your looks¡± ¡®What does she mean my looks?¡¯ ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t I look like any normal guy?!¡± ¡°¡®Normal guy¡¯? *pfft* Hahaha¡­I mean you look anything but like a ¡®normal guy¡¯. When was the last time you looked in the mirror? I might even say you look cuter than me, which kinda pisses me off!¡± ¡®What!!!? Wait wait wait¡­the reason why she was so mad was because of how I looked?¡¯ ¡°What do you mean?! I know I¡¯m kind of short at 5¡¯4¡± and with no visible muscles but it¡¯s too farfetched to say I¡¯m cuter than you!¡± ¡°Oh please, even when you give me that mad look you¡¯re still cute. Look around you, haven¡¯t you ever notice the stares of the people around you?¡± Being skeptical of what she said I took a peek at the people around us¡­¡¯WHAT THE FUCK!!! They really were looking at me!¡¯ I saw a couple of them blush and turned around, while a couple girls gave me the same glare that Rika has, ¡®did that girl just wink at me?¡¯. ¡®Wait a second, how did I not notice this?! Have guys been like this all this time?¡¯ I started thinking back during highschool, ¡®None of the guys during highschool had the same look as these guys though¡­is it because these guys were Americans?¡¯ ¡°How come I¡¯ve never seen this happen back in Japan? Is it because they are Americans?¡± ¡°Baka, of course not!¡± I flinched from her sudden shout ¡°These guys don¡¯t know you are a ¡®boy¡¯ heck, I don¡¯t even fully believe it myself. I¡¯m sure back in Japan they knew you were a boy, because you changed and had P.E. class together with them right?¡± ¡°Oh yea that¡¯s right¡­.ha ha¡­.ha¡­sorry for being an idiot.¡± ¡®Am I really that stupid? Of course they knew I¡¯m a guy¡­ah, wait, so that¡¯s why when I had my first P.E. class during freshmen year so many of the guys were blushing. When I started changing with them, they got the teacher involved, who tried to explain to me I shouldn¡¯t play pranks at my age. That took me a lot of convincing to make them understand I wasn¡¯t playing a prank¡¯ ¡°Anyways stop feeling dejected, Mama¡¯s calling for us.¡± In the distance, while holding Father¡¯s hand, Anna beckoned for us to go to her. I don¡¯t know how they got so far away from us, probably they had some stuff they wanted to talk about alone. Rika tried to grab my hand and lead me towards them, naturally I pulled back my hand. Giving me a cold look she headed towards my Father and Anna. Making sure I have some space between Rika and myself I followed. As I timidly drew near the group Anne gestured towards me. ¡°Hello Yuki dear, my name is Anna, I will be your Mama from now on.¡± ¡®She seems nice, kinda reminds me of Aka-nee, ah¡­Akari, I miss her already.¡¯ ¡°Nice to meet you dear Mother, I hope you treat my Father and myself well.¡± I politely said as I gave her a bow. ¡°Kyaaaa!¡± Suddenly screaming, which caused me to jump, she rushed at me and gave me a crushing hug burying me in her chest and preventing me to breathe, it was pretty soft. ¡°He¡¯s so cute just like in the picture you shows me Ken! I just wanna bite him!¡± ¡®I take it back, she¡¯s not like Aka-nee, nope. Not like her at all!¡¯ Trying to break out of her hug, I start wriggling about, it was getting harder to breathe. ¡®Why¡¯s she so strong?!¡¯ I struggled for a little longer until I submit to being choked to death. She finally lets me go after what seemed like an eternity of bliss, err I mean torture. ¡°Puhaaa..haa¡­haa, Please dear Mother, don¡¯t do that again.¡± ¡°Awwww, even Yu-kun¡¯s pouty look is also cute!¡± ¡®This is gonna be a tiring family¡­Well at least Rika isn¡¯t like Mother.¡¯ After this rather embarrassing exchange we headed to Mother¡¯s car. While driving to the Anna¡¯s house, I saw signs and posters plastered everywhere. ¡®That¡¯s right! Today was the day that Maverick Tech released the new game called ¡®Second Start Online¡¯!¡¯ Excited about the newly released game I started looking around, at all the new scenery, but mainly at the posters and billboards for the rest of the ride. Once we pulled into the driveway of the quiet neighborhood I saw that it was a two story house, just like Aka-nee¡¯s¡­¡¯I really gotta stop thinking about Akari-nee¡­¡¯ Anna opened the door and walked inside, Father followed her, then Rika, then me. As soon as I stepped through that door, I knew, right then and there I was going to love this place. Laying right in front of us were two large boxes with large labelling. ¡°Second Start Online Dive Pod¡± ¡®What is this thing doing here?! Two of them no less!¡¯ Wondering about that, I turned to Anna who was beaming with excitement. ¡°SURPRISE!!! Did I get you? I bet you didn¡¯t expect for me to have two pods on the day the game was released did you?¡± Confused about how Anna was able to acquire not one but two pods, I was about to ask her when¡­ ¡°Baka, do you even know what your father¡¯s job is?¡± ¡°I do, he works as a manager for a marketing company¡­.right Father?¡± ¡°Yu-kun you are right, but also wrong. I work for the marketing department of Maverick Tech. Everyone working for Maverick Tech received a pod and a lifetime subscription to the game ahead of time. That¡¯s why you see two pods here, one was given to me and the other to your Mother.¡± ¡°Anyways bring your stuff inside, I¡¯ll show you to your room Yu-kun¡± ---------- I found out that only the Dive Pods were shipped out, the game wasn¡¯t unlocked yet. After learning that, I looked up Second Start Online¡¯s (SSO) website to find out more about it. It turned out SSO was a world that is bigger than Earth, set in a giant continent called Milan, inhabited by many monsters and sentient beings. There were currently five race available to start with: Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Beastmen, and Halflings. Elves are also known as the ¡®Fair Folk¡¯ those blessed by nature, they are strong in the arcane arts and their agility is high, due to living amongst the trees. However, due to their focus on agility and unity with nature, they have lower amounts of strength at the start. They worship Gaia, the mother of all life. Their Capital Illandra resides in their country to the east. The Dwarves are beings who are blessed with high affinity to earth and stone. They are dexterious, strong, and tough. However it is because they are strong and tough that they are slow. Dwarves are relatively short in stature, when compared to the rest of the races, except Halflings, which vary. Dwarves make expert crafters and the best tanks but, due to their short height and stoutness, they move slower. However, do you confuse slow movement with attack movement, those are two different things. The Dwarves worship Saxum Faber, the First Dwarf and father of metal working. The Dwarves reside in the north, within their mountain fortress Saxul. Beastmen are nomads, they never stay in one place for long. They are the perfect warrior. They possess speed, strength, dexterity. However, they are limited in their ability to harness mana, the source that creates magic. Beastmen rely more on passive abilities than skills, which have to be activated and costs mana. Beastmen don¡¯t have a Deity they uniformly worship, only those who are predators worship Luna, Goddess of the Hunt and Moon. Since Beatmen are nomadic, they don¡¯t have a specific starting location. Humans are the most balanced of all the races. They don¡¯t have any advantages or disadvantages. Because of this they are also the most versatile, they are able to grow in any direction. Humans have many Deities, but the main Deity that is worshipped is Luxa, the Goddess of Light and Tranquility. The human Capital called Lucierna resides in the west. Halflings are exactly as they are named, they are half something and half other. They are the result of love that prospered between the races of the continent. Because they are Halflings, they are able to harness the some of the strengths of both of their parents¡¯ race. This is a good thing and a bad thing, while they have both advantages, they also have both of the disadvantages, which pretty much evens out. For example if the parents were Beastmen and Elf, the Halfling will start out with high agility and moderate strength, but they would only have mediocre to moderate amounts of mana. The option of Halflings are mainly for cosmetics rather than stats. Just like Beastmen, Halflings don¡¯t have a specific starting point. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Also, although capitals are mentioned, they are not necessarily required locations to start. Elves can start in the human kingdom, and vice versa. However, there are benefits to starting in one¡¯s respective kingdom. You will gain intimacy faster within your respective kingdom, rewards will be higher and easier for you to get quests. This doesn¡¯t apply to Beastmen and Halflings, but they are able to gain the same advantages for NPC¡¯s of their race. Some other information that I found was that unlike most RPGs, SSO puts emphasis on the ¡®Second Start¡¯ part. You get decide who you want to be and what you want to do. The only thing you cannot change is your gender and your looks. Although, you can kind of change how you look through the use of Halflings, which I found out later. This whole time that I was gathering this information from the website, Rika was also doing the same thing. It turned out, both of our parents will be busy marketing the product that they won¡¯t be able to play, so they gave both of us full reign of the Dive Pods. --------------------- June 10th, 2075. The launch of the first virtual reality game ¡®Second Start Online¡¯
Scanning¡­..
New User Detected. Sending you to Character Creation.
The box faded away and I appeared in a white room devoid of objects.
Welcome to Second Start Online. I am the AI in charge of Character Creation.
(Yuki) ¡°Do you have a name?¡±
I am named AI_025. There are many others like me, each responsible for different things.
(Yuki) ¡°Heehhh¡­is that so?¡± ¡®That¡¯s pretty amazing for Maverick Tech (MT) to create different AI¡¯s.¡¯
Please select from one of the following races
As soon as that was said, 5 figures that have similar features to myself popped out in front of me. The first one was a Human, he looked exactly like me. The second was an elf, this one was taller than the human, aside from the pointy ears and the slimmer features, nothing else was noticeable. The third one was a dwarf, ¡®Ew! It looks kinda ugly¡­I¡¯m already short enough in reality, I don¡¯t want to be shorter.¡¯ So I passed on the Dwarf. The next two figures were kind of different, aside from the last one, the fourth one that I was currently staring at had fur covering its¡¯ body, with claws and an elongated face. This figure constantly changed every few seconds to a different kind of beast, sometimes it would have scales instead of fur and so on. It turned out, that the Beastmen race is more ¡®Beast¡¯ than ¡®Men¡¯. ¡®There goes my prior idea of picking a Beastman, I didn¡¯t expect them to be like that.¡¯ When I approached the last figure, AI_025 talked to me again.
You must choose the race of both parents in order to create your Halfling race.
¡°Interesting, hmm. Let¡¯s see, what if I go with Elf and Dwarf?¡± Interestingly enough, the Halfling transformed into a barbarian looking elf, with a beard.
You can further customize the physical appearance that you want from the parents.
¡®Wait, you are telling me I can change the look of the barbarian? Didn¡¯t the website say something along the lines of not changing looks?¡¯ ¡°Ok, can you make the Halfling have the shortness of the Dwarf, no beard like Elves, and slimmer, between a Dwarf and Elf?¡± As soon as I said that, something that looks like a Hobb** from Lord of the ***** popped out in front of me. ¡°Haha! No way! So pretty much all the other races are obsolete then right?¡±
Incorrect. Facial features and gender cannot be changed, aside from picking a genderless race or picking a beast race.
¡®Interesting, I guess the Halfling class is basically the character creator. However depending on the two parent races that the Halfling is based on will decide its¡¯ advantages and disadvantages.¡¯ ¡°Can I see a combination of a Wolf Beastman and a Human?¡± I would¡¯ve chosen Elf instead, but for some reason I feel like I¡¯ll be made more fun of by Rika if I chose an Elf instead of Human. Call it a sixth sense for what girls will do to me, after being bullied so much by them, I can kinda understand how they will act towards me. An image of a Kemonomimi popped up in front of me. ¡°Kawaii~*cough* I mean, how manly! Yes! That¡¯s it! Manly!¡± What stood in front of me was a figure of my height, a silvery white pair of ears and a fluffy tail emerging from behind the figure. It had a darker shade of silver for hair, unlike Beastmen, the figure did not have fur covering its¡¯ body. Looked at the face, I could see a pair of deep amber colored eye¡¯s staring back at me, as if it¡¯s trying to capture my mind. The face of the figure can be described in one word: ¡°BISHOUJO!!!¡± In my excitement I forgot that this figure was based off my looks and fell in love with it. The figure was short, and really feminine looking, coupled with its¡¯ slim figure and captivating eyes even made me forgot that I was staring at my Halfling counterpart. ¡°I want it¡­¡± because I had forgotten that I was still in character creation, I mumbled my thoughts on how much I want this pretty ¡®Bishoujo¡¯.
Character Creation Complete. Please Choose starting location. Lucierna the Human Capital, Illandra the Elven Capital, or Saxul the Dwarven Capital. There are also minor cities you can choose from if you so desire, just say ¡®More¡¯
(Yuki) ¡°Huh? Lucierna? Illan-¡°
Lucierna the Human Capital was chosen. Please wait while your character is fused to you and transported.
(Yuki) ¡°FFFFUUUU-¡°
Fusion Complete. We hope you enjoy your Second Start, because there won¡¯t be another one.
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Chapter 3: A Goddess Descends?! ¡°Welcome Traveler! To the great city of Lucierna! May I ask you what your name is?¡± An odd looking old man came over as soon as I appeared in the city square. ¡°Hello Ojii-san, my name is Yuki. I just arrived ¡®I think¡¯ here. Nice to meet you.¡±
Name accepted. You are now named Yuki
¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°FFFUUUU-*beep*¡±
Profanity Currently Toggled Off. Would You Like To Toggle On?
YesNo
¡°Yes¡±
Profanity Is Now On
*Breathes in* ¡°FFFFUUUUUCCCCKKKK!¡± ¡°*slurp*Yuki, would you like me to show you around Lucierna? You look tired, even though you just got here. I can show you to a good inn where you can rest.¡± While he was saying that, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the stares of everyone around me. ¡®Must be my scream just now.¡¯ ¡°Ojii-san, I just got here and I¡¯m poor, so I will have to decline your offer.¡± ¡°Oh, that won¡¯t be a problem. There¡¯s other ways you can pa*cough* I mean, it¡¯s free. You are new, and you interest me.¡± ¡°Oi! Stop right there Old Man! We all know you have ulterior motives. Miss if you go with that Old Man over there, who knows what he¡¯ll do to you. If you want, I can show you the ropes; I just got here, but I already have a plan figured out.¡± Surprised by the sudden shout, I looked around for the source of the voice. Once I saw the speaker I couldn¡¯t help but shudder. ¡®Riajuu¡­ew ew ew, why¡¯s he giving me the same look as Ojii-san?¡¯ While making eye contact with the man, he started blushing, then drooling, and finally shifting around. ¡°No thanks, I have to uh¡­go meet with someone, Jaa! I will take my leave.¡± I turned around swiftly and tried walking away, only to have the gathering group of people follow me. ¡®This is starting to get weird, is this how a game starts? Am I supposed to be a savior?! Or are they going to start bullying me too?!¡¯ I turned around giving off my angriest glare at the mass of people behind me. *boom**crash**thump**crash* most of the people, now a large mass of what I think are dead(?) bodies lay on the ground. ¡®Ah! They¡¯re still moving, did I do that with my amazing power?! Cheat character detected!¡¯ I thought to myself while smiling. With that, the rest of the group crashes to the ground and I walked off, satisfied about becoming a cheat character.
Because of your recent actions, a new stat has been unlocked.
Charm +50
Points cannot be allocated to the stat ¡®Charm¡¯
¡®Ehhh?! How did I get charm from knocking down like fifty people? Shouldn¡¯t I get something like fighting spirit or like death glare from that? Whatever, I¡¯ll look it up once I get out.¡¯ ¡°Cheap pelts! Come get your pelts for tailoring!¡± ¡°Looking for people to party with!¡± ¡°Anybody found a quest yet?!¡± ¡°Selling stuff for cheap, come look at my wares!¡± ¡®Haaaa~¡­I thought I was going to be one of the first ones to start play this game. I guess I took too long during the Character Creation. I¡¯ll look around a bit more before deciding what I wanna do.¡¯ ---------- Trey¡¯s POV
Scanning¡­..
New User Detected. Sending You to Character Creation.
Welcome to Se-
¡°Skip!¡±
Please select fr-
¡°Human, Lucierna the Human Capital!¡±
Lucierna the Human Capital was chosen. Please wait while your character is fused to you and transported.
Fusion Complete. We hope you enjoy your Second Start, because there won¡¯t be another one.
¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± ----------
Being the first to enter the continent of Milan, You have been granted the title: ¡°The First¡±
Fame +100
A brilliant white flash occurred, once I opened my eyes I was greeted by an Old Man. ¡°Welcome Traveler! You are the first Traveler to enter the great city of Lucierna! May I ask you what your name is?¡± ¡®The game never asked me for my game name, I guess this is where I get to decide my character¡¯s name? Let¡¯s find out.¡¯ ¡°My name is Trey, a noble from the far off lands!¡±
Name accepted. You are now named Trey
¡°Bahaha! Noble! Sure you are boy! I can assume ¡®Nobles¡¯ from your land dress like peasants from ours then? Hahaha!¡± ¡®Tch! He¡¯s not as stupid as he looks, whatever, I need a weapon.¡¯ Ignoring the rest of the Old Man¡¯s babbling, I headed off in a random direction. Leaving the empty city square, I see saw a city guard on duty. ¡®Shiny armor, clean-shaven appearance, probably in his mid 30s, vigilant, and fit. City guards stand out a lot, I can probably do the same¡­hmm¡­¡¯ If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Excuse me, Sir!¡± Making eye contact with me, the guard tensed up and focused his attention on me. ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing your face around here. Are you a new resident or just a traveler?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m new here, Can I ask you a question sir?¡± ¡°Ask away, if it¡¯s within my ability to answer it I shall.¡± ¡°Seeing how professional and awesome you look, I can¡¯t help but become someone like you. Would you please tell me how I can become like you?¡± Hearing this, the Guard sighed. ¡°Look here son, you look like what, around 19? You have your whole life ahead of you. Don¡¯t do what I did and become a guard. I may look like this, but the life of a city guard is a poor one, our wage is low, not much happens around in main capital; only the occasional thievery. If you want a fun and exciting life, I suggest the royal army. I hear they are currently recruiting forces to combat the rising appearances of monsters.¡± ¡°Really? Sir, why are you telling me all this? Am I not just a random stranger you happen to meet today?¡± ¡°You remind me of myself son back in my youth. I was so ambitious, I felt like I can become the greatest, I felt that the world was created to become my possession. However, I was wrong, even after trying out for the army, I got assigned as a lowly city guard. Unlike me, you look like you can achieve that goal! Which is why I¡¯m telling you this, do not become what I have become.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you sir, can you tell me where a recruiter is?¡± ¡°Sure, right now you are in the commercial district, go back the way you came and head up north until you see the walled off district for nobles, then make a sharp left. You can tell that you are in the right place if you can hear the sounds of metal striking at each other.¡± Following the man¡¯s guidance I started heading back the way I came. ¡®Did I really spend that much time looking around?¡¯ Surrounding me were people dressed like me walking around. Some even have crude rusty daggers strapped around their waists. Feeling a bit depressed, I walked back towards the city square. I reached the square and was about to start going up north when¡­ ¡°FFFFUUU-!¡± Hearing this, I turned my attention towards the source of the scream. For some reason there was a large crowd gathering near the fountain, most of them wearing the same clothes I¡¯m wearing. Thinking it was an event, I made my way towards the large group. Soon after another- ¡°FFFFUUUUUCCCCKKKK!¡± came out from inside the large gathering. I forced my way to the center and found a sight that melted my heart. Talking to the Old Man from earlier was a petite, dog/wolf(?) eared girl. She had soft looking white hair, coupled with an even whiter pair of ears and a fluffy looking tail. Although she was dressed in the same garb as everyone else that is watching her, her cuteness draws my eyes. Her eyes, were amber, it was as if the more I look into her eyes, the more I can¡¯t pull away. She had a small nose, which just seems too perfect, making her look almost like a doll. Her mouth is small, which matched her face, and made me want to protect her. Judging from her fair skin, which looked as smooth and soft as silk, I assumed she was a princess, ¡®She¡¯s either a princess, or a rich man¡¯s daughter, since SSO doesn¡¯t allow us to change our appearance.¡¯ Upon her cheeks were a slight blush, which made all the guys around me swoon. It was also cute how she was overreacting to something the Old Man said. ¡°*slurp*Yuki, would you like me to show you around Lucierna? You look tired, even though you just got here. I can show you to a good inn where you can rest.¡± ¡®Oi¡­This Old Man isn¡¯t attempting what I think he¡¯s trying to do¡­¡¯ ¡°Ojii-san, I just got here and I¡¯m poor, so I will have to decline your offer.¡± She said while bowing. ¡°Oh, that won¡¯t be a problem. There¡¯s other ways you can pa*cough* I mean, it¡¯s free. You are new, and you interest me.¡± The Old Man starts moving to grab the girls¡¯ hand. ¡®Seriously, no one¡¯s going to say anything? Ah damnit, I guess I¡¯ll have to say something.¡¯ ¡°Oi! Stop right there Old Man! We all know you have ulterior motives. Miss if you go with that Old Man over there, who knows what he¡¯ll do to you. If you want, I can show you the ropes; I just got here, but I already have a plan figured out.¡± I tried helping her, although I¡¯m embarrassed to admit that towards the end of what I¡¯m saying I kind of stated my desire. Upon hearing my voice, she started looking around. *Doki! Doki!* ¡®Areh? Why did my heart just skip?¡¯ My mind was racing as soon as we both made eye contact. The deep amber eyes were staring straight into my plain blue eyes, for some reason I can¡¯t seem to look again. Time stood still as I continued to peer into her eyes. ¡®She really must be a sheltered princess¡­No hint of fear in those eyes. She is pretty na?ve to believe the Old Man¡­Huh? Did she just give me a scornful look? Why did she- it was very cute though¡­hehehe, if I can see her face every day, I would be a satisfied man.¡¯ ¡®!!!...What am I thinking?! Wait, what was I doing just now? I was trying to save her, but here I am doing god knows what.¡¯ ¡°No thanks, I have to uh¡­go meet with someone, Jaa! I will take my leave.¡± With a quick turn, she started to leave, wanting to see her more, I subconsciously followed her. I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one, everyone, even the Old Man was doing the same. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t he be greeting the newcomers?¡¯ While following the girl, she suddenly turned around and started glaring at us, ¡®That¡­Pouty¡­Look¡­Must¡­Endure!...¡¯ Looking straight at us, her cheeks started to redden and she put her hands on her hips. *boom**crash**thump**crash* ¡®Areh? Did she use a skill or something?! Why is everybody dead?!¡¯ Looking back up at her, she seemed to be deep in thought, ¡®Even her thinking face makes me want to cuddle with her haaa~¡­.¡¯ It seems she came to a revelation or something, her face started brightening up and she did something totally unexpected. She let out the most beautiful smile ever, it was like the ray of sunshine during a rainstorm. This coursed through my mind as I also succumbed to her smile. ---------- Hi everyone! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. I just have one request from you if you may. Please comment and tell me what I''m doing well, and what I need to work on. Right now I''m in the process of solidifying my writing style, so your criticisms will contribute to how I will write.
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Chapter 4: Events Loophole?! ¡°Hey man, isn¡¯t that girl pretty cute?¡± ¡°I would totally try to meet her in real life.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try and get her to join our party.¡± ¡°This bitch, who does she think she is?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s acting like she owns this place. I think it¡¯s time to put her in her place.¡± All around Yuki, quiet murmurs from the masses could be heard. Of course Yuki paid no mind to these silent conversations. He¡¯s more excited about how real everything felt. The air freely flowing, gently caressing his shoulder length hair. Carrying a variety of different smells such as: freshly baked pastries, open roasted meat, even the scent of sweat that came from merchants can sometimes be picked up once he got close enough to someone. That wasn¡¯t all, Yuki could also feel the hard ground under his worn down leather sandals. Everything felt more real, almost as if, he wasn¡¯t in a game but- ¡°A whole new world¡­¡± without noticing, he muttered out those words and continued roaming the commercial district. *growl~* ¡°I even get hungry in here, just like in reality¡­¡± while patting his stomach. Around him, a few more people that were looking fell down.
Charm +1
Because Yuki wasn¡¯t paying attention, he never really noticed how many eyes were occasionally stealing glances at him. This continued on for a while until, Yuki sat down to rest for a bit. ¡°Etoo¡­are you hungry?¡± a fragile hand suddenly shoved a small loaf of bread at Yuki. Surprised by this, Yuki looked up at the person before flinching a bit and move a bit down the bench. ¡°Ano, can you please not get so close to me Miss.¡± While avoiding eye contact, Yuki barely managed to squeak out this line. Sitting next to Yuki the girl tries once more. ¡°Aww¡­Don¡¯t be like that, it¡¯ll ruin your good looks. Here, just take it, hehe. My name is Laura, what¡¯s yours?¡± Flushing red, ¡°Um thank you, I¡¯m Yuki, can I ask why you are so nice to me?¡± he managed to get out while the bread lays idly in his hands. Yuki takes another look at the pretty girl that sat next to him. She had jet black hair that falls all the way down to the center of her back. Her height seemed about 5¡¯8¡± a bit taller than Yuki. She had a nice face that emits a feeling of maturity and sexuality, this along with her curvaceous body makes her draw the attention of both men and women. She also has a sword, not one of those rusty looking ones, but an actual iron sword hanging from her belt, she must be skilled. ¡°You remind me of someone I used to know, and seeing how hungry you are I couldn¡¯t help but give you this bread I just bought.¡± She explained all the while giving her brightest smile. ¡®This is the first time a girl outside Aka-nee and her mother was nice to me¡¯ he thought, as he bit into the soft bread. ¡°So Yuki, did you hear about the launch event?¡± She asked with a questioning glance. ¡°Eh? Launch event? I don¡¯t think I have. You see, I was kinda sleeping before the launch, so I can play for as long as I can before I become sleepy again¡­¡± he answered. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t mind it, MT only announced it an hour before the actual launch. I¡¯m not surprised that you don¡¯t know about it. Let me tell you about it. About one hour before the game was actually launched, I was still searching the website for as much information as I can. After going back to the homepage, I saw a new entry. Well¡­it was to thank everyone that bought the game, and because MT achieved their goal in sales, they decided to hold an event. The event was, for 24 hours there will be an ¡®unlimited town revival¡¯ event going on. So no matter how many times you died, you will not have to wait 24 hours outside of the Dive Pod to get back in!¡± ¡°Really?! That¡¯s amazing! But I don¡¯t see any point in this event though¡­I mean we can die as many times as we want, but we¡¯ll always revive in a town right? That¡¯s all right, we can¡¯t really go far from the city anyways, since the monsters get stronger near the forests¡¯ edge.¡± ¡°Exactly, that¡¯s why I¡¯m thinking this event has a deeper meaning. I mean do you think the developers will hold an event as pointless like this for no reason?¡± ¡°Well, they did make this game. I¡¯m sure they aren¡¯t as stupid as to make something pointless¡­so¡­y-y-you don¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Ding Ding! You guessed it, there¡¯s a hidden event, probably something to do with dying.¡± Laura animatedly interjected. ¡°I¡¯m positive that if we die enough times, we¡¯ll receive a special title or skill or something like that. Aren¡¯t you interested?¡± ¡®That got me interested, I mean, I¡¯m already a broken character. I can knock out people with just a look, if I was to also get this special power¡­hahaha! I will rule this game!!! An ability given through death, sounds pretty broken to me!¡¯ ¡°Ok Laura, how do you think we should um, go about this event?¡± Yuki questioned excitedly. ¡°I have an idea, but we can¡¯t talk about this here. Follow me, we¡¯ll talk in a better location.¡± With that, Laura started heading down a street, while with an excited Yuki close behind. ---------- ¡°Ok here¡¯s the idea I though up. You see, after thinking about this event for a while, now I¡¯ve come to only two possible theories one could take. Theory A: you die a specific amount of time before earning it. Theory B: you kill a player a certain amount of time to earn the secret skill, because of the unlimited revival, isn¡¯t this the perfect opportunity to test out both of these theories?¡± *Gulp* ¡°So you want me to be the one that will get killed, and you are the one doing the killing?¡± Yuki asked, while moving a bit away from her. ¡°No Yuki, I¡¯m not doing the killing, I¡¯m doing the experimenting, and you are also doing the experimenting. You see, we will be doing both, first I will be the one doing the ¡®killing¡¯ but after that and we get our respective title/skill, then we switch.¡± ¡°How do I trust you? How do I know that you won¡¯t kill me and take my¡­Oh wait I don¡¯t much compared to you...¡± Yuki concluded. ¡°Exactly, I have everything to lose here. You can just take me stuff and leave once I die and try to make it back here. It would only take about five minutes to run from the city square to here, but you¡¯ll be long gone by then. While if I kill you then there isn¡¯t much to lose. Of course, our current relationship is built on trust. Once we both get our titles and switch, I think I¡¯ll be able to trust you more, and the same for you trusting me right?¡± ¡®What she said makes sense, she still doesn¡¯t know me that well, and the same for me not knowing her. However, she¡¯s kind, she even gave me something to eat when I was hungry¡­¡¯ ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start then Laura and..Please go easy on me!¡± ¡°I plan to. Yuki, don¡¯t worry.¡± ---------- ¡®What am I doing here again? Oh yea that¡¯s right, I¡¯m here in an abandoned shed waiting to get killed by a very pretty Onee-san named Laura. *Sigh* The things I¡¯ll do in order to obtain power.¡¯ Staring at the sword gleaming with the light from the windows I started shaking uncontrollably. This situation felt so real, it¡¯s as if my real body is here, getting ready to be killed. ¡®Ah yea¡­I forgot to ask her how she¡¯s going to kill me¡­¡¯ ¡°Etoo¡­Laura how are you going to ki-¡° Darkness When I opened my eyes again I was back in the city square the eyes are back to staring at me, but I ignore them. Right now I have better things to do. I spent about five minutes to run back to where Laura was, the run was uneventful aside from the occasional stares. ¡°Ready for round two?¡± Laura questioned while giving a slight smirk. ¡°*haa*haa* Hold on¡­*haa* let me catch my breath first.¡± I managed to reply while struggling for a breath. ¡°You know, the longer we wait, the more likely the event will end before we get the titles¡­¡± ¡®I don¡¯t want to die tired¡­but I can¡¯t risk the event ending before this.¡¯ ¡°Alright alright, just get it over with already.¡± I said as I faced the other way. While waiting for her to kill me again, I began to wonder why I felt no pain at all earlier. ¡®Well at least it¡¯s painless.¡¯ *Shwipp*¡¯Areh?!¡¯ looking at my chest, I saw a scarlet sword protruding me my chest. As if a dam breaking open, a huge torrent of pain explodes from my chest enveloping all my senses in both pain the pleasure. In my mouth I could taste something blood, my nose was assaulted by the metallic smell of the thick red liquid. All I could hear was the constant thumping of my heart as it tries to pump blood to the injured parts of my body, ironically bringing me closer to death. Behind my closed eyelids, my eyes were seeing huge amounts of exploding fireworks. All of this was happening at the same time for what seemed like an eternity, before I blacked out. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡®¡­¡¯ I once again am back in the city square. Knowing that the same thing is going to happen to me, I¡¯m filled with dread. I still head back towards Laura though, because I know she will be waiting for me. It took me about six minutes to get back ¡®why did it take longer for me to get back? Am I still tired from the run from earlier?¡¯ ¡°Ready?¡± There stood Laura this time with a bloody red blade in her hand. ¡°Y-y-yes, please, do whatever you did to kill me the first time.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible, you see that an item skill I used to put you to sleep before killing you. After thinking about it, I don¡¯t think it will be cost efficient to use that every time. So please, just bear with me ok?¡± She answered while flashing a smile and a look of pity. ¡°¡­ok¡­¡± I once again turn around. *Swish* ¡°Arghh!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but give a small scream. It didn¡¯t hurt as much as the one from earlier, but it was more gruesome. I couldn¡¯t feel my right arm anymore, noticing that weird feeling, I opened my eyes to look at my right shoulder. Where my right shoulder is there was a sword, the same sword that killed me earlier, the sword was fixed into my arm, right where my bicep is. The most painful part was that it didn¡¯t perfect chopped through, my arm was still hanging by a bit of flesh. Honestly speaking, it looked worse than it felt. Compared to my second death, this just looked worse. Before I can protest, the same thing happens to my left arm. Now in a state of pain and vomiting acid from my empty stomach, I looked up at Laura from my kneeling position. For some reason, she ended up in front of me after I turned around. On her face she wore a mask, a mask that showed that she felt no remorse for killing me. I blacked out. ¡®¡­¡¯ I once again opened my eyes in the now familiar city square, the sun was starting to go down. What felt like an eternity in actuality was just a couple hours. Visibly shivering now, I start heading back to Laura. ¡®I wanna ask her why she had that face¡­¡¯ The run to Laura took about seven minutes. ¡®Why is it harder to get back here?¡¯ ¡°Yuki! Are you alright? I¡¯m sorry about earlier. I was trying to see if I can cut through bone. It seems I¡¯m not strong enough yet. Again I¡¯m really sorry!¡± she screamed out while bowing and tears forming at the corners of her eyes. *Sigh* ¡®How could I blame someone who felt so bad for what she did? I¡¯ll let it go.¡¯ ¡°Alright alright, please don¡¯t cry.¡± After that, the same hell happened over and over again. Each time, leaving me more and more visibly shaken. By the 20th death, I was so tired already, I felt as if the road to where Laura was, was a pilgrimage. It¡¯s currently taking me 15 minutes to traverse the same distance. I¡¯ve noticed that Laura also started showing signs of a more scornful face, she would sometimes sneer at me before killing me. Of course she doesn¡¯t notice me peeking at her. *Ding*
Because of your recent actions, a new stat has been unlocked.
Willpower +20
Points cannot be allocated to the stat ¡®Willpower¡¯.
After receiving that pop-up, I couldn¡¯t help but smile to myself. I just unlocked another stat and it¡¯s only been a day. Around this time, I was about to quit trying to get a special title, but earning this stat brought back my desire for more power. Gritting my teeth, I started, once again, towards Laura. After around my 70th or so death, my journey back to Laura is taking 20 minutes. On the plus side though, it stayed at 20 minutes and for some reason started lowering again. By this time Laura has already lost her mature and seductive looking face, ¡®she looks¡­like¡­the devil¡­¡¯ She was starting to really scare me, right now I¡¯m tired, I just want to quit, I don¡¯t want to play anymore. Seeing her bloodthirsty face smiling while she¡¯s killing me isn¡¯t the most enjoyable thing either. By this time, I should already have over 100 points in Willpower, I mean it was like hell on earth or in this case¡­what planet is SSO located on again? Whatever, I just want to get that title. *Ding*
Because of your recent actions, a new stat has been unlocked.
Endurance +10
Points cannot be allocated to the stat ¡®Endurance¡¯.
*Ding*
Repeated actions have created the skill ¡®Physical Resistance¡¯.
Seeing these two windows pop up, I couldn¡¯t help to feel re-energized albeit not showing it visibly. ¡®I wonder how I can check my stats? I¡¯ll ask Laura after we¡¯re done.¡¯ ---------- ¡°This is it! Yuki-chan~! After this, it¡¯ll be the 100th death! Aren¡¯t you excited?¡± She cackled out loud while I was struggling not to fall down from exhaustion. ¡°So after this it¡¯s my turn to start killing you right?¡± I weakly replied. ¡°You really are a gullible idiot aren¡¯t you? Did you really believe all that stuff I told you about special skills and titles? It was all a lie, you fool! Hahaha! Baka! I''ve planned this from the start, seeing your carefree face and attitude drawing in all the men''s gaze! Blame yourself for how you look fool!¡± ¡®No¡­way¡­you mean all this was for nothing?!¡¯ Feeling true despair at being fooled and betrayed I couldn¡¯t hold back the tears, the frustration, and the pain that had built up over all 99 deaths. I cried like a little girl. ¡°Say hello to the people at the city square for me! Hahahahaha!¡± She cackled. *Shwipp* She once again plunged the now blood coated sword into me. Unlike what happened during the second death, the blade was duller. Making it harder for the sword to pierce my soft flesh, ¡®was it the physical resistance skill I got that¡¯s coming into play here?¡¯. Although there was exponentially more pain, I felt none of it. All that I longed for was to see that Bitches¡¯ face in pain just like mine. ¡®Killing me was fun was it?! Fooling me was fun was it?! I¡¯m an idiot am I?! Let it be known, that on this day, you didn¡¯t destroy a fool, but gave birth to a god, a God of Vengeance!¡¯ ¡°I¡­WILL¡­GET¡­MY¡­REVENGE!¡± was all I could scream out before it all turned back.
New Title Unlocked
God of Vengeance
¡®¡­¡¯ Once again I¡¯m back at the city square, I slowly walked to the fountain and took a seat. My eyes were empty, I was still thinking about the betrayal. Five minutes later, a man came and sat next to me. It was that Riajuu from earlier¡­ ¡°I saw everything¡­¡± He managed to make out before I started crying into his shoulder. ---------- (A/N : Please tell me how this chapter went, I''m trying to create a reason for the MC to get stronger, and thought that I could incorporate his past with his present.)
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Chapter 5: New Friend(s)?! After Yuki calmed down and looked around, it was already 8 AM game time, so there still weren¡¯t many players in the city square. Looking up at the Riajuu¡­ ¡°Neh~, what¡¯s your name¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Huh? Oh sorry, please don¡¯t give me that look, it¡¯s very distracting. Anyways, they call me Trey. We met earlier, don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡®That look?¡¯ ¡°I know, but I never got to ask your name¡­What did you mean by giving you ¡®that¡¯ look?¡± questioned Yuki. ¡°That gaze that can melt a frozen heart and fix a broken one. You know¡­uh¡­you are very cute¡­¡± he openly stated while giving a slight blush. ¡®!!!¡¯ ¡°EWWW! I don¡¯t swing that way! Please, I don¡¯t like guys!¡± ¡°Eh?! So you mean I had no chance?!¡± shocked by this Trey jumped up. ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m straight! I love women!...although I¡¯m scared of¡­most¡­all of ¡­them¡­¡± trailing off towards the end of his outburst, Yuki started looking away. After hearing no reply, Yuki looked up at Trey. Trey¡¯s face was frozen solid, a perfect image of a victim that fell for Medusa¡¯s petrification stare. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you are gay, but I¡¯m a straight man. Please, can we just be friends Trey?¡± Yuki pleaded, while giving a slight bow. Coming back to reality, Trey incredulously asked, ¡°Hold on¡­You are a¡­Man?!¡± ¡°Of course! What did you expect?!¡± Yuki also stood up now, glaring up at Trey who stood a head taller than him. ¡°I may be short, but I¡¯m a man. Didn¡¯t you notice the way I act, it¡¯s just oozing with manliness, right?!¡± ¡°Err¡­I wouldn¡¯t say manliness¡­Look, just show me your status. That will answer all my questions.¡± ¡°Hm? How do I do that?¡± ¡°*Sigh* Say ¡®Show status¡¯ out loud to view your status. To show it to someone else, just indicate who you want to show your status to.¡± Trey sat down looking worn out after Yuki asked him that question. ¡°Show status.¡± *Ding!*
Status Window
Name: YukiLevel: 1 ¨C 0.00%
Class: NoneAlignment: Neutral
Title(s): God of Vengeance
Health: 50Stamina: 25
Mana: 30Gender: Male
Strength1Vitality1
Agility1Dexterity1
Intelligence1Wisdom1
Luck5Fame0
Willpower109Endurance10
Charm51
Skills
Passives Physical Resistance [Beginner 2 - 53.50%]
¡®Why are all my stats 1?!¡¯ Yuki suddenly started tearing up again. ¡®Must be that Bitch Laura again! Why did I believe her in the first place¡­¡¯ ¡°Show status to Trey.¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°I knew it¡­The event that MT created was to remove the revival timer only. However MT is smart; they already thought of possible loopholes that players will try to use in order to benefit from this event. Although there¡¯s no revival timer, there¡¯s still the stat and skill penalty. Wow!¡­Interesting, you have the Charm, Willpower, and Endurance stat¡­that¡¯s pretty amazing, to get three special stat from the start. I think it¡¯s because you can¡¯t allocate points to special stats, that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t lose any of it. Your title thou-Gah!¡± Trey suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and tears formed at the corner of his eyes. Surprised by the sudden movement Yuki panicked and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?! Are we being attacked?!¡± Looking around wildly while ducking his head, Yuki was thinking it was Laura again. ¡°No¡­*sniff*¡­it¡¯s just¡­YOU WERE A MAN?!¡± With a couple tears streaming down Trey¡¯s handsome face he screamed out his frustration and confusion. ¡°Of Course I¡¯m a man! I¡¯ve been trying to tell you that earlier!¡± Getting angry Yuki takes a swing at Trey¡¯s face, which was starting to irritate him. Why wouldn¡¯t it irritate him? Even when Trey was frustrated and tearing up he looked handsome. ¡°Owwie!~¡­¡± rubbing his hand, Yuki backed away in case Trey tried to retaliate. ¡°Uh¡­Ow?¡± ¡®It didn¡¯t hurt at all¡­Gah! Why does HE keep acting like that?! My Manhood is so confused¡­¡¯ Apparently, the ¡®tap¡¯ from Yuki brought Trey back from his frustration. ¡°Are you done crying now you big baby?!¡± still angry from hurting his hand, but embarrassed that Trey was the bigger man and didn¡¯t retaliate, Yuki tried to provoke Trey once more. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one crying on another man¡¯s shoulder for 10 minutes¡­¡± Trey replied. *Giku!* ¡®He got me there¡­¡¯ *Cough* ¡°That was then, this is now! Ok, can you tell me how I can look at my title I just got?¡± Trying to change the subject Yuki quickly interjected. ¡°Simple, just say the name of the title and it¡¯ll give you details about it. The same thing can be done with your skills and proficiencies.¡± ¡®So I can just say ¡°God of Vengeance¡± out lou-¡® *Ding*
God of Vengeance ??? ¡®God of Vengeance¡¯ cannot be equipped until conditions are met. Conditions ???
¡®What?! I can''t even use this title?! *haaa~* wait...interesting.... I don¡¯t have to say this out loud¡­hm...Hide status¡¯ As soon as Yuki thought of the phrase ¡®Hide status¡¯, the Status Window disappeared. ¡®Just like I thought, I can assume the same thing can be used for skills too. I mean it¡¯s pretty dumb to be screaming out the name of your ability that you will use to the enemy. It¡¯s the same thing as telling the enemy where you are going to attack before you do.¡¯ If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Thanks Trey, for telling me all this and um¡­for lending me your shoulder¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I mean you were just betrayed by your friend right?¡± Trey proceeded to look embarrassed. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure he forgot that I¡¯m a guy and she''s not my friend...¡¯ ¡°How much of Laura and my conversation did you hear?¡± Curious about his answer, Yuki took a few steps back towards Trey. ¡°Just the part about you being a fool. I just got back on after a break and saw that you kept reappearing next to the fountain. At first I didn¡¯t care, and went to kill some rabbits to level up. I was heading back from grinding for levels when I saw you were once again going off in the same direction, so I kind of followed.¡± Once Trey finished recounting how he saw Yuki and Laura he took a step back; remembering that Yuki was a guy and not a petite girl. Seeing an opportunity to pursue his killer and exact revenge he asked, ¡°Did you see where she went?!¡± While saying that Yuki rushed at Trey and grabs onto his shoulders and stares at Trey¡¯s viridian eyes. Blushing majorly, Trey freed himself from Yuki¡¯s weak grip, ¡°Uh please, don¡¯t do that. After killing you, she started running for the gates with guards chasing her after heading out of the city. She has to be pretty strong in order to outrun the guards like that.¡± Dejectedly Yuki¡¯s cuddly ears started drooping down, along with his soft looking tail, ¡°Is that so¡­thanks for telling me this¡­¡± Feeling pity for the adorable kemonomimi, ¡°Err, if you want I can give you a few tips and information. Why don¡¯t we add each other ok?¡± ¡®I¡¯m only adding him[her] because I felt bad for him, not because he¡¯s[she¡¯s] cute! Yes that¡¯s it.¡¯ ¡°Thank you very much Trey *sniff* I take back what I thought about you; you are a great guy.¡± *Ding*
Trey requests to be your friend.
YesNo
¡®Yes¡¯ ¡°Look, Trey I have to get off, I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been on, but I know I need a break. See you later.¡± ¡°Yea, see ya.¡± After giving a bow, Yuki logged out. ---------- Opening his teared up eyes to a brightly lit room and drenched in cold sweat, Yuki got out of his Dive Pod/Bed. In order to accommodate long durations of gaming, Dive Pods reduce the speed of muscle atrophy and are very comfortable; in short, they make the perfect beds. Looking at the clock, it was 1 PM in the afternoon. He had started playing at 12:00 AM. *Grrrr~* Stomach growling, Yuki headed downstairs to the kitchen. ¡°Good afternoon, Baka.¡± Sitting at the table was Rika. ¡°You haven¡¯t been out of your pod all day, was the game really that fun?! Didn¡¯t I say to start in Illandra, the Elven capital?!¡± Being a person who loves the graceful nature that Elves are portrayed as, Rika chose to become an Elf. Hoping that she can get Yuki to become a warrior to protect her while she uses a bow and magic, Rika one-sidedly forced Yuki to start in Illandra with her. Flinching, ¡°Sorry Rika, I kinda accidently went to Lucierna instead¡­I hope you can forg-¡° ¡°Baka! Ugh! You know, I was going to make you work for me! There goes all my plans. You were supposed to start in Illandra, do you know how mu-¡° ¡°Shut up!¡± being irritated about how Rika was just talking about what she wanted and not asking why he looks like he cried all night, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but become angry. ¡°Do you want to know what I went through?! Did you know, while you were planning on what you would have me do, I was actually being killed over and over?! Did you feel the pain of having your chest pierced through? Did you embrace the cold touch of death enough times to remember how many times you have already died?! Did¡­You?! I..Was¡­Suffering¡­¡­so much!¡± By this time, Yuki had already broken down and was crying at the table. Stunned by Yuki¡¯s outburst, Rika had forgotten about why she was angry at Yuki. ¡°Neh~Yuki, what happened...why are you crying?¡± Worried about Yuki, she pulled him down to sit next to her, while holding his hands, which were just a bit smaller than her own. ¡°Tell me Yuki, what happened while you were playing?¡± After a few moments, Yuki proceeded to recount what had happen in SSO. While telling her what he experienced, Rika had a furious look on her face. Yuki perfectly described what happened along with the pain that he felt. By the end of it, Rika was squeezing Yuki¡¯s hand so hard that it would¡¯ve bruised, but Yuki couldn¡¯t feel it; it wasn¡¯t as painful as what Laura had done. ¡®If I see that Bitch, I¡¯ll kill her¡¯ Promising to herself, Rika made attempts to calm down. Since it was not the right time to be mad. She stopped herself from shouting and asks, ¡°Yuki¡­do you want me to make you something?¡± Surprised by the sudden question, Yuki looked up at Rika. ¡°I would love it. *whispering* Thank you¡­¡± ¡°Baka! I¡¯m doing this because I feel sorry for you! Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll always do this ok?!¡± Rika briskly walked into the kitchen, out of sight. Soon after, Yuki ate a warm and delicious meal (Living alone with a mother who works full-time will teach you a few things). Yuki went to take a shower and tried to forget about what had transpired in the game. ¡®I gotta become stronger¡­¡¯ was the last thing going through his mind as he fell asleep in the pod. ---------- (A/N: This chapter took longer to write because I had to look up how to make tables. I hope you enjoyed it, please rate and leave a comment down below on what I did good and what I need to work on.)
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Questions/Criticisms/Suggestions Hey everyone! Nkight here. So I managed to crank out 5 chapters in about 3 days. So far I''m greatly encouraged by all your positive comments. There''s only one problem, I''ve not received any answers to my requests. Seeing as I have 5 chapters out, I would like to create a thread to answer some confusions that have turned up so far. If anything I''ve wrote so far has confused you, please reply and post your questions down below. I''m still looking for any criticisms that you may have. I would like to improve on my writing more. Please please please, don''t be afraid to say tell me what I''m doing badly, and what I need to improve on. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. What do you think I need to write more about: Yuki''s relationships, more about Yuki''s reality, more about the world of SSO, etc. Right now I''m gonna start on Yuki''s Training arc, the first 5 chapters were more of a prologue than actual content. So feel free to post what you think on this thread. Thank you very much for reading my story. Chapter 6: I started a fight at the Training Hall?! ¡°Yu-kun¡­Don¡¯t give up, I¡¯ll be right by your side¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Waking up from his short nap, Yuki had already forgotten what he dreamed of. Although he had forgotten, he felt oddly refreshed and ready to tackle the issue of getting back his lost stats. Getting up from the pod, Yuki looked around the house for Rika. Wanting to thank Rika for consoling him earlier, he arrived at Rika¡¯s bedroom door. *Knock knock* ¡®No answer, she must be in the Dive Pod. I¡¯ll thank her when I see her again.¡¯ Making a mental note to thank her, Yuki went back to his pod and logged in. ---------- Appearing once again in the city square, Yuki was surprised to see how dark it had gotten. ¡®Show clock¡¯ *Ding*
Second Start Online: 2:00 AM Earth: 3:00 PM
¡®It seems time flows faster ingame than in reality. Let¡¯s see¡­I logged out around 8 AM game time and 11 PM real time. Went to sleep at about 12 PM. I slept for about 3 hours and got back on. Now it was 2 AM, so approximately 1 hour in real equals 4 ingame. I¡¯m a genius aren¡¯t I?¡¯ ¡®Show status¡¯
Status Window
Name: YukiLevel: 1 ¨C 0.00%
Class: NoneAlignment: Neutral
Title(s): God of Vengeance
Health: 50Stamina: 25
Mana: 30Gender: Male
Strength1Vitality1
Agility1Dexterity1
Intelligence1Wisdom1
Luck5Fame0
Willpower109Endurance10
Charm51
Skills
Passives Physical Resistance [Beginner 2 - 53.50%]
Seeing if he could interact with the Status Window, Yuki pressed on the special stats one by one.
Charm
The Charm stat determines the attractiveness of the individual. The higher the higher the Charm stat, the more attractive the individual looks. Charm makes it easier to gain intimacy with NPCs. While at the same time lowering the damage, speed, movements of an enemy. High levels of Charm can cause a stun-like affect called ¡®Charmed¡¯ upon the enemy.
Willpower
The Willpower stat affects the individual¡¯s mental resistance. For example, if a debuff spell like ¡®fear¡¯ was casted upon the individual, it would have a shorter effect duration or it won¡¯t work all together. Willpower also affects the rate at which stamina and satiety decreases
Endurance
The Endurance stat affects the individual¡¯s physical resistance. The individual will receive less damage and less likely to flinch from taking damage. Decreases the rate at which stamina decreases when performing an action. Stacks with Willpower.
¡®Wow¡­I gained three stats that reduces the damage that I will receive. Amazing!¡¯ Yuki proceeded to look at the rest of the normal stats. Strength determines Yuki¡¯s damage and how much he can lift. Agility determines his movement speed. Dexterity determines his how much his critical¡¯s damage and will auto correct his attack to make it strike where he tries to target. Vitality affects his stamina and health; for every point in Vitality, you will gain 10 HP and 5 STAM. Intelligence and Wisdom affects his spell power/increases his MP by 10 and MP Regen. Being uninterested in becoming a caster, Yuki hardly paid much attention to it.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:
Physical ResistanceBeginner253.50%
Reduces damage of incoming physical attacks after subtracting how much damage the armor had already blocked. Currently reduces 5% of normal damage and 1% of piercing damage.
Satisfied at what he had gained, Yuki¡¯s mood brightened a little. By the time Yuki was done looking over all his stats, the city started waking up. Player¡¯s started opening stalls in the city square, shopkeepers were opening up their stores, the smell of food wafting through the air. ¡®I need to find a way to get back all the stats I¡¯ve lost, it seems because I kept dying at level 1 I lost stats instead of levels.¡¯ ¡°Ano¡­Can you show me where I can get stronger?¡± Yuki, had seen a passing guard and had decided to ask him for help. Expecting that NPCs have secret knowledge, Yuki thought that if he asked around a bit, he would eventually stumble upon something interesting. The tired guard without even glancing in Yuki¡¯s direction replied, ¡°Try the Training Hall, if strength is what you look for. It¡¯s just down the street, you won¡¯t miss it.¡± Without another word, the guard walked away, heading back to the guardhouse and getting some sleep. Excited, Yuki walked towards the direction the guard was pointing at. Before he knew it, Yuki was standing outside a large building, above the entryway was a banner that had a set of crossed swords over a golden shield. ¡®I assume this is the training hall.¡¯ Yuki entered the large building and looks around for someone he can ask for help. Inside the training hall were players hitting dummies all around. There was a myriad of different weapons being used to strike at the targets. Swords were the main weapons though, ranging from giant bastard swords to the refined rapier. Yuki could occasionally see some polearms, clubs, and the occasional brawlers who chose to go weaponless. Next to a doorway at the far end of the building, there was a sign that even said ¡®Archery Range¡¯. ¡®I guess this place has everything.¡¯ While Yuki was examining was examining the players, he didn¡¯t notice how everyone secretly started working harder and harder. ¡°Welcome to the Lucierna¡¯s Basic Training Hall, I¡¯m Master Jiero, How may I help you little girl?¡± Approaching Yuki was an overbearing thick man, there were many scars on his huge arms, showing how many battles he¡¯s been through. The man was two heads taller than Yuki, so about 6¡¯7¡±. His face was covered by a week-old beard along with nose that looked like it may be been broken and fixed multiple times. Lastly though were his eyes, they were intense, as if they were able to gaze into a persons mind. ¡°I¡¯m a man! Oji-san I would like to train here, I want to become strong, stronger than anyone else that has ever existed.¡± Once again, being mistaken for a girl, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but retort before answering Master Jiero. ¡°Hoho! You¡¯re the first one that¡¯s ever raised their voice at me.¡± Master Jiero led Yuki before a door behind a counter. ¡°Through this door are the training weapons, if you have an idea of what you want just tell me and I¡¯ll go get it. Or if you want to look for something yourself just go right ahead.¡± Not knowing what he wanted, Yuki accepted Master Jiero¡¯s second offer and proceeded through the door. Inside the closet, which looked bigger than how it looked from the outside, had weapons lying on shelves and along the walls (Think of the Matrix). On the walls and shelves were all kinds of weapons possible, Yuki could see a weird sickle that was fixed to the end of a pole and adjacent to it was a war axe. On one of the shelves was that giant sword from earlier, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but try and pick it up.
Training Great Sword
Type:SwordDurability:N/A
Quality:CommonDamage:1 ¨C 1
A weapon obtained from the Training Hall.
Feeling that the sword wasn¡¯t meant for him, Yuki put it back. The problem wasn¡¯t because the sword was too big, because as soon as Yuki picked it up, it shrunk to fit Yuki¡¯s size, although still large enough to be considered a great sword for someone of Yuki¡¯s size. The actual problem was that the sword felt awkward in his hands, he couldn¡¯t pinpoint the reason but, he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to master that weapon. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. For the next 20 or so minutes, Yuki repeated the same thing with some more weapons. Occasionally Master Jiero would come in, grab a sword or an axe and walk back out. By this time Yuki was losing hope, none of the weapons he tried felt comfortable. Thinking back on how Trey and even Master Jiero thought he was a girl at first lit a flame in his ego. He would pick the manliest weapon! ¡®I gotta choose a manly weapon, so that means ranged weapons are out of the question¡¯ Yuki considered ranged weapons as cowardly, he views it as not manly enough for him, so he never gave it a second thought. ¡®The perfect image of a man¡­hm¡­just like the hero in every fantasy story, it has to be a sword! Now what kinda sword¡­¡¯ While thinking of swords an image of Akari slowly emerged in Yuki¡¯s mind. ---------- While taking off her B¨­gu, Akari looked at Yuki, ¡°You know, you should try it sometimes, it is a really good way to relieve some stress. Plus I¡¯m pretty sure girls won¡¯t pick on you if you do this.¡± ¡°Nah, Aka-nee smelling sweaty is enough, I don¡¯t think Okaa-san will enjoy it if both of us come home sweaty everyday haha.¡± With this reply, Akari starts profusely blushed. ¡°B-b-b-baka! I don¡¯t smell!¡± Akari suddenly ran to the changing room leaving behind a stunned Yuki with the rest of the envious boys. ---------- ¡®The katana, a symbol of my past, a symbol of Japan, a symbol of Aka-nee¡­¡¯ With that single thought in mind, Yuki started looking around for the katana, and its¡¯ sh¨­. Ironically enough, the Japanese blades were hidden away, under a pile of junk weapons at the far end of the closet. ¡®I can¡¯t believe MT, a company stationed in Japan, doesn¡¯t have its¡¯ symbolic weapon near the front.¡¯ Picking up the Katana, Wakizashi, and Kodachi, Yuki exited the closet. ¡°Finally! Took you long enough! Let me see what you chose.¡± Yuki showed Master Jiero the daish¨­ and the Kodachi. A grin spreading from one side of his face to the other, ¡°Oh so you found them, those blades were usually never chosen, so I threw them in the back. It suits you nicely. I can¡¯t deny that the deadly beauty of the weapons from the east matches you, if I have to say something I would say that you were born to wield those blades! What was your name again ¡®boy¡¯?!¡± Excited about what Master Jiero just told him, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but smile at his words, ¡°My name is Yuki.¡± ¡°Well then Yuki, feel free to keep them, you can go practice on that dummy over there.¡± With that, the burly man walked off to talk to another player who just walked in. Yuki enthusiastically skipped towards the dummy that was located near the center of the training hall, all the while drawing the attention of every person in the room. The happy attitude combined with his Charm stat indirectly captivated all the people in the room. Even some of the girls were staring at Yuki with blank gazes. Putting the Training Wakizashi and Training Kodachi away, and equipping the Training Katana, Yuki was intently focused on the dummy in front of him. Sliding the sword out of its¡¯ sheath and holding it at an angle from his perpendicular body, Yuki assumed the position that he had seen Akari been in so many times before. Time stood still, as if the before the storm. Everyone waited with bated breathes. All eyes were on him, interests were peaked left and right as they watch the short boy[girl?] move his[her?] arms up to go for an overhead strike. In a single fluid motion, as a blade of grass waving in the wind, the blade slashed down. ¡°HUP!" *Thwack!* ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Owwwieee~!¡± Everyone fell on the ground at the sudden anti-climactic ending. Dropping the sword and hugging both his arms to his chest, Yuki was tearing up. What had happen just now was, the vibration that was generated from when the sword made contact with the dummy actually hurt Yuki instead. Trying not to cry, Yuki was silently trying to stop the shaking that his arms were doing. ¡°Hey¡­did you see that?! It was kinda cute don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°HAHAHAHA! That was too funny, hey little girl why don¡¯t you just let this guy protect you instead hahahaha!¡± ¡°Sure, with you protecting her, she¡¯s more likely to wait for you to revive; after you trip and kill yourself with your own sword than to be protected!¡± ¡°What did you say bastard?! Wanna go?! Huh?!¡± ¡°Alright then buddy! Bring it!¡± ¡°Hey fatso, watch where you¡¯re swinging that thing!¡± ¡°Ouch! Hey idiot, don¡¯t hit me, I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Pretty soon a huge fight involving everybody in the training hall started, even the players outside in the archery range came in and joined the fray. ¡°Winner gets to protect the pretty Bishoujo!!!¡± With that last scream, the fighting got more intense and confusing than before. Master Jiero just stood there shaking his head, since he knew that they were only using Training weapons, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about them killing each other. They would lose all their stamina before their Health. The only one that didn¡¯t join the fray was Yuki, who was trying to crawl away and remain inconspicuous. Yuki finally arrived back at the entrance and bid a farewell to Master Jiero before leaving the Basic Training Hall. ¡®I gotta stop crying¡­*sigh*¡¯ ---------- Trying to find somewhere quiet to train, Yuki walked out of Lucierna, where he saw a bunch of newbies just like him, running around trying to kill defenseless looking bunnies. Yuki approached one and got back into the stance from earlier. He kept eye contact with the dangerous looking bunny for a full 5 minutes, without moving a muscle. Time seemed to stand still once more as the staring got more intense. ¡°Squeak!¡± With a loud squeak, the bunny went back to chewing on a dandelion that he found. ¡®¡­¡¯ Letting the katana fall back at his sides, Yuki had already lost interest in fighting the deadly bunny. ¡®A true man does not take a life without reason.¡¯ With that thought, Yuki proceeded to walk towards the edge of the forest. Along the way to the forest, Yuki met some foxes, but just like the bunnies, they didn¡¯t make any moves to attack Yuki. ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s happening? So far, nothing is attacking me¡­¡¯ *Ding*
Because of your high amount of Charm, weaker creatures are passive towards you.
¡®Really?¡­.I came here to train damnit!¡¯ Yuki reached the edge of the forest and kept walking, into the forest. Looking for something to fight, Yuki had forgotten to remember where he was going. When he remembered, it was too late. He was lost. Starting to panic, Yuki looked around wildly, in hopes that he sees something familiar. The hopeful expression soon turned into dread, because approaching Yuki were about a dozen growling wolves. Trying to put up a fight, Yuki held up his katana. ¡°Stay back!¡± he cried out. At the shout, some of the wolves had flinched and drew back, leaving 3 wolves that were standing side by side. The wolves at the front were not openly hostile towards Yuki, just watching his actions, how Yuki was glaring at their alpha wolf in the center, how his breath was quickening, and last of all, how his tail is tucked in near his legs, a sign of fear. While watching the wolves, Yuki looked up above their heads, all he could see was ¡®???¡¯. So it seemed he was too weak to see the wolves¡¯ levels. These wolves looked strong, they were twice the size of normal wolves in reality, plus these wolves look well fed. They were successful predators. His hopes were dashed after seeing the how the three wolves at the front did not react to his shout. Yuki was trying to bluff his way out of his predicament. Suddenly, without warning the wolf in the center dashed. Yuki didn¡¯t have time to react, all he saw was the image of the wolf flickering and before he knew it he was on the ground. ¡°Kyahhh!!!!¡± Covering himself from being chewed to death, Yuki screamed as hard as he could. However, the painful sensation of something ripping his flesh apart didn¡¯t happen. Instead a cold, wet nose was sniffing around Yuki¡¯s face. The warm, wet tongue was moving back and forth across his face. Hearing the constant sniffing, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but open his eyes and look at the friendly animal that was on top of him. ¡°Hahaha, stop it! It tickles!¡± Trying in vain to stifle his giggling and laughter, Yuki smiled and tried to get up. After getting up and dusting himself off, Yuki looked at the pack of wolves that were calmly waiting behind the alpha wolf in front of him. ¡°So¡­Um I¡¯m not going to get killed?¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Can you understand me?¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®I guess they can¡¯t, wait! I¡¯m part wolf right?! That means I can partially communicate with them right? Let¡¯s find out!¡¯ Giving off the most courageous pose to show he meant no harm, which involved laying on his back, Yuki opened his mouth and¡­ ¡°Wan Wan~!¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Ookami-sama, we can understand you just fine you know¡­¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Eh~?¡±
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Chapter 7: Im a Unique Monster?! In the middle of the forest, surrounded by lush green foliage, was an idiot. Yuki was stifling his cry of embarrassment while hiding his face behind his delicate hands. Surrounding him were a group of apex hunters, top of the food chain, the guardians of the forest, wolves. ¡®Iyaaa~! That was wayyyyy to embarrassing!¡¯ Yuki was still thinking back on what had just transpired between him and the wolves. ¡®No! It¡¯s their fault for not replying right away! Huff!¡¯ trying to play off his embarrassment, Yuki tried to blame the wolves instead. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say something then, you made me do something so embarrassing!¡± Yuki stood back up and looked straight into the wolves piercing yellow eyes. Nodding slightly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ookami-sama, you have a strange scent so I was trying to discern who you were earlier. By the time I figured you were Ookami-sama, you were already admitting defeat.¡± ¡°Eh~? Why do you keep calling me Ookami-sama? My name is Yuki. I¡¯m just a Halfling, not a deity, just call me Yuki.¡± ¡°As you wish Yuki-sama.¡± ¡°Please umm, drop the ¨Csama part¡­¡± ¡°I am sorry Yuki-sama, that is something I cannot do.¡± ¡°Eh~? Why not?¡± ¡°Someone of my stature cannot compare to your existence, Yuki-sama. I am but a lowly dire wolf, it is an honor to meet you today, Yuki-sama.¡± The wolf suddenly gave a bow, followed by the rest of the pack. ¡°Ano¡­please get up!¡± Touching the wolf¡¯s soft and fluffy fur, Yuki tried to pull up the wolf. ¡°What do you mean my ¡®existence¡¯? I¡¯m just a Traveler from far aw-¡° *Ding*
Due to you high charm and wolf-attributes from your Halfling race, the pack of Dire Wolves are convinced you are a descendent of the first wolf, Luna who had ascended to godhood. It is recommended you don¡¯t tell them to truth or they will turn hostile.
¡°Are you not our Great Mother¡¯s child?!¡± Growling now, the wolves move in closer to Yuki. ¡°Hiyaa~! Ah-I mean, how dare you! To bare your fangs at someone like me?! I should smite you where you are, for what you are doing!¡± Clearly scared now, all the wolves edged quickly away from Yuki. ¡°We are greatly sorry, Yuki-sama. We thought you were an imposter, someone as graceful and noble as you can¡¯t possibly be anyone other than a child of our Great Mother, Luna.¡± Yuki closely examined the change in attitude in the pack after he raised his voice a little. Seeing an opportunity, ¡°It is the will of our Great Mother that you divulge all the secrets of this forest!¡± ''I''m so smart, hehe.'' At those words, the Alpha Wolf hesitated. They were the guardians of the forest, they knew all its¡¯ secrets. However, if they were to willingly give away these secrets, they will be cursed by Luna; Even if the one they were telling the secrets to was another descendant of Luna. Descendants of Luna differed greatly from regular wolves. They were wolves that have directly been borne from Luna. Unlike other wolves, the children of Luna contain trace amounts of divine blood within their veins. In order to keep the divine blood strong, they do not allow other¡¯s to join their pack. Those that did though, eventually lost their divinity over time and degraded into regular wolves. ¡°I am sorry Yuki-sama. But I cannot tell you our closely guarded secrets. However, if you were to help our pack, I will be willing to tell you of a way to uncover these secrets yourself.¡± Trying not to anger Yuki, the Alpha Wolf gave Yuki another choice of action. ¡°Eto¡­What do you mean by ¡®help¡¯?¡± Rembering how weak he is, Yuki was not confident in his fighting skills, since he was the weakest of the weak. ¡°Follow us Yuki-sama, I will tell you on the way there.¡± Without waiting for Yuki¡¯s answer, all the wolves started moving away. With no other choice, since he was lost, Yuki hesitantly followed. Yuki followed the pack through the dense foliage, trudging along animal trails, through thickets, and along streams. ¡°*Haa*Haa* Please¡­don¡¯t go so fast¡­¡± Seeing how weak Yuki was the Alpha Wolf asked, ¡°I have been thinking for a while now. Yuki-sama, you smell like one of us, but I can¡¯t sense an ounce of divinity within you, why is that? You are already a Stage 4 wolf are you not? or are you still Stage 3?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean Stage 4?¡± Confused by what the Alpha Wolf just said, Yuki quizzically asked, ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve forgotten, can you please refresh my memories about stages?¡± ¡°As you wish Yuki-sama. Unique creatures like us, for example: Dragons, divine beasts, chaotic beasts, and similar creatures can evolve. To meet these requirements, they have to train and become strong first. Once the requirements are met, they will be visited by a god or goddess respective of their kind. They will be given the option to choose between ascending to the next stage or staying within the same state. If they decide not to ascend, they will be given the option again in one years time. I am sure you are thinking, ¡®why would anyone choose not to ascend¡¯ correct? The answer is simple, by ascending you unlock more potential, however you will start back at your weakest moment. That is why many choose not to ascend, they do not want to lose the power they have already acquired.¡± ¡°Wow¡­so how many stages are there?¡± ¡°It depends on the creature, we Wolves of Luna have 4 stages, while Dragons have 6. Interestingly enough, we become more human, the later the stage we are in.¡± ¡°So¡­I¡¯m a last stage wolf?! Wait that can¡¯t be!¡± Shocked by the sudden realization Yuki screamed his thoughts out loud. ¡°What do you mean? Are you telling me you are not one of us?¡± Studying Yuki very closely, the Alpha Wolf tenses up. ¡°Uh, no no, I¡¯m one of your kind, didn¡¯t you say I smell the same as you?¡± recovering from the shock, Yuki tried to convince the wolf. ¡°Anyways, what did you need me to help with?¡± ¡°It is almost time for our pups¡¯ growth spurt. During this time they will require large amounts of food in order to grow to their fullest potential. However, due to some circumstances, we¡¯ve lost about half our numbers; we need all the help we can get to acquire food. That¡¯s where you come in.¡± ¡°Eh~?! You want me to help you hunt?! B-b-but I just evolved¡­and um¡­I¡¯m too weak to do anything. I¡¯ll be more of a burden to the pack¡­¡± ¡°Who said anything about hunting?¡± ¡°Areh~?¡± ¡®If he doesn¡¯t mean hunting, then what?¡¯ ¡°You will watch the pups, while the rest of us hunt.¡± *Ding*
Watch The Wolf Pups!
DescriptionDifficulty
Help watch the wolf pups while the pack is away.F
Requirements
  • Be part wolf.
  • Charm over 50.
Rewards
???
¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°EHHHH~?!¡± ---------- ¡°Wan Wan~!¡± ¡°Yip!¡± ¡°Grr!¡± *Sigh* ¡®I came out here to train¡­how did I end up having to look after five wolf pups?¡¯ Climbing all over Yuki were five bundles of cuteness. Their fur were a darker shade of white, darker than their parents. Feeling resigned, Yuki sat there why making sure none of the pups wander off. It seemed like the pups were more interested in playing with the new stranger, and running around. Yuki was currently in the middle of the clearing, right outside of a wolf den. A ways off was a small river that formed from a waterfall. Even from here, Yuki could hear the constant drone of the water as it crashes down on the rocks below. It seemed rather peaceful around the den, birds were singing, and bugs were buzzing. It was peaceful. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡®This really isn¡¯t the time to be sitting here doing nothing, if I want others to see me as a man I need to do something. I need to train!¡¯ Getting up and knocking off the pups that were on him, Yuki unsheathed his katana. Yuki walked a few paces away and started swinging, practicing his overhead chop. Yuki pictured how a perfect swing should look like, using his memories of Akari during her practice. He swung each swing with one conviction, to become strong! ¡°Hup!¡± *Woosh* ¡°Hup!¡± *Woosh* Curiously, the wolf pups started watching him. All ten pairs of eyes are attentively staring at the two-legged wolf. Soon, thinking that what Yuki was doing was a game, they started running at him and trying to get his attention. ¡°Yip Yip!¡± ¡°Woah!¡± Almost hitting one of the pups that tried jumping at him, Yuki had to change the direction of his swing. ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± Yuki sternly warned the pup, who did not seem to understand what happened, then walked away a bit again before he started practicing his swings once more. ¡°Wan Wan~!¡± Once more the same pup decided to jump in front of his swing. ¡°Stahp~¡­.I can¡¯t practice if you keep doing that!¡± Becoming frustrated, Yuki cried out to the pup. ¡°Look here, if I play with you guys for a bit, will you then let me to practice by myself?¡± Seeming as if it understood, the wolf pup went back to the rest of the pups and barked for Yuki to follow. ¡°Wan!¡± As soon as Yuki got close the wolf pups all ran away. The same thing happened again. ¡®Oh¡­you wanna play like that huh?¡¯ Feeling like he was challenged, Yuki started chasing after the pups. When Yuki got close enough to one to dive and grab one, the pup would always dash away with a burst of speed. This kept going on for a few minutes. *Ding*
Agility +3 Endurance +1
¡°Haa¡­Haa¡­you guys are too fast¡­¡± Laying on the ground, Yuki was dead tired; they had only been playing tag for about 15 minutes and Yuki was already out of breath. ¡®I hate it, even the wolf pups are faster and stronger than me. At this rate, even my dreams of getting revenge are impossible¡¯ feeling renewed vigor, Yuki got back up and chased the wolf pups once more. By the time he noticed the wolf pack coming back, the sun was already setting and he had gained a couple more points in Agility and Endurance. ¡°Yuki-sama, you have my deepest gratitude.¡± Giving a deep bow, the Alpha wolf had brought back what looked like three boar-like monster that were about twice the size of himself. After seeing this, Yuki¡¯s stomach couldn¡¯t help but growl; Yuki¡¯s high Willpower reduced the rate at which his satiety dropped by a lot. By the time it was sunset, it had finally hit 0% satiety. Yuki was slowly losing health. ¡®Oh crap! Why didn¡¯t I buy some bread before I left!¡¯ Panicking around, Yuki was trying to look for something edible. ¡°Yuki-sama, do not worry. We will share our rewards of the hunt with you, without you here we wouldn¡¯t have enough power to drag these giant boars back to the den. ¡°Thank you¡­Ah! I never asked your name! Can you please tell me?¡± ¡°We wolves do not have names in the human tongue, but if you want you can call me Fido.¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°*Pfft* Ahahaha~! What kinda name is that?! Fido?!¡­hahahaha!¡± ¡°Yuki-sama, I would advise you not to laugh at the one that is going to feed you¡­¡± Fido growled, with a tinge of embarrassment. ¡°Right! Sorry Fi-*cough* Sir! Etoo~¡­.Sorry to bother you but I can¡¯t eat raw meat¡­¡± ¡°Do not worry Yuki-sama, we have seen humans create a fire to cook their game. We shall do the same for you.¡± With that, the pack scattered around the clearing and gathered up twigs and wood for a fireplace. Without hands to arrange the wood though, they had to rely on Yuki to do that job. Once finished, Fido mumbled something while up next to the fireplace, suddenly a fire sprang up from the center of the firepace. ¡°You can use magic?!¡± Surprised by what he just witnessed, Yuki cried out. ¡°Yes, we can. Shouldn¡¯t you know this too, Yuki-sama?¡± ¡°Uh, yea¡­hehe¡­¡± Using the Training Kodachi, Yuki somehow managed to cut off a chunk of meat from the boar. He made sure that the boars¡¯ hide wasn¡¯t on the chunks of meat he cut off. Yuki then ran toward the end of the clearing and broke off a branch to use as a spit to hold the meat. Pretty soon, the smell of roasted meat could be smelt around the clearing. However, no one but a really hungry looking Yuki paid attention to it. The wolves, were already laying around with full bellies. Surrounding the lazing wolves were the picked clean bones of their unfortunate preys¡¯. ¡®Sugoii~The juice is slowly dripping off the chunks of meat. I wonder when it¡¯ll be cooked¡­¡¯ Yuki was already down to 20 HP, because he wasn¡¯t actively moving, the rate at which his hp dropped was reduced. *Growl~* ¡®I can¡¯t wait anymore!¡¯ ¡°Itadakimasu~!¡± *Chomp* ¡°Oiiishiiii~!¡± As soon as Yuki bit into the steaming hot meat, a large amount of juice squirted out. Yuki didn¡¯t use any season, but the juice of the meat was a placebo for it. It contained just the right amount of saltiness to exponentially improve the taste. Before Yuki noticed it, the meat was already finished. Looking around for more, Yuki was disappointed and looked back at the wolves. The pups went back into the den, while four of the wolves slept. ¡°Come with me, Yuki-sama.¡± Approaching Yuki, was Fido. He did not look happy, his tail was angled down, his eyes were watching Yuki. ¡®He looks mad, did I do something wrong?¡¯ ¡°Yes..uh¡­Sir!¡± trying not to make Fido more angry than he already was, Yuki followed. They approached the waterfall that was a ways away from the den, Fido beckoned for Yuki to follow him through the wall of water. Not too excited to be covered in freezing water, but scared of Fido, Yuki followed. Behind the cascade of water, was an opening, it was like a gaping mouth, a mouth that led into the abyss. ¡°Eh~? We¡¯re gonna go down there?¡± ¡°Yes, do not run, or I will be forced to drag you down there.¡± Clearly hostile now, Fido didn¡¯t even address Yuki using his name anymore. ¡°Hiiii~! Yes Sir!¡± Being unable to see in the darkness, Yuki was forced to hold on to Fido¡¯s fur. Although Yuki did not want to, there was no choice. They both walked along the darkness for what seems an eternity before seeing a blue light around the corner. ¡°Erina-sama, I have brought the imposter.¡± Showing no sign of remorse, Fido spat out the last word. ¡°Good, you may leave.¡± ¡°As you wish, Erina-sama.¡± Bowing, Fido quickly left the room and disappeared around the corner, leaving behind a stunned Yuki. Standing before Yuki was another kemonomimi just like him except she on a white cloak that covered her whole body. She was tall, about a full head taller than Yuki. Like Yuki, she had platinum white hair and an even whiter pair of ears. She had pale smooth skin which looked deathly and cold in the pale blue light that seems to emit from the walls of the room. Looking into her intense golden eyes, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but feel hopeless. She was strong. Flashing a seductive smile at Yuki¡­ ¡°So why were you pretending to be one of us, you imposter?¡± ---------- (A/N: Sorry this chapter was so slow paced, but I swear the interaction was needed for later in the story. Also, thank you everyone for sticking with the story until now, I appreciate all the support you guys have been giving me.)
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Chapter 8: I Became a Toy?! ¡°I¡¯m sorry~!!!I¡¯m very very very sorry~!!!¡± Performing a dogeza while tears streaming down his face, Yuki was terrified of the dangerous beauty. ¡°Answer my question trash! Why did you pretend to be one of us?!¡± the pale kemonomimi was unrelenting in her pursuit for an answer, ¡°Depending on your answer, I¡¯ll either give you a quick death or a slow one.¡± ¡®I¡¯m so dead¡­¡¯ With tears rolling down his cheeks, Yuki looked up at the terrifying figure. ¡°Please! Don¡¯t kill me! I¡¯ll answer anything you want, just¡­please just don¡¯t kill me!¡± Pleading for his life, Yuki kept bowing over and over. ¡°Tch! You¡¯re trying my patience you trash.¡± Her eyes started glowing with a threatening light. ¡°Hii~! The reason why I lied was because I got lost, and found a pack of dangerous wolves that looked like they wanted to kill me! Please don¡¯t kill me!¡± After spitting out that line, Yuki clenched his eyes shut while waiting for her reaction. ¡°That doesn¡¯t tell me anything Baka!¡± ¡®Areh~? Did she just change the way she spoke?¡¯ Confused by the sudden change in pressure, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but look back up at the figure. ¡°Who said you could look up Baka!¡± Standing there was the same person, but instead of the death glare, she was pouting. ¡°Etoo~...did something happen?¡± ¡°Uuuuu~This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen¡­¡± The atmosphere in the dark room suddenly brightened up, Yuki could sense that the figure didn¡¯t have any intention to kill him. ¡°So¡­can I¡­uh, go?¡± ¡°No! I have to punish you, you are a big bad liar!¡± ¡®Did she just act like a kid?¡¯ ¡°Ano¡­why did you suddenly change the way that you talk¡­Ms¡­.¡± ¡°Luna, I¡¯m the goddess of the wolves you tricked.¡± There was suddenly a flash of bright light. Standing where the figure used to be was a child, she looked about 9 or 10, a full head shorter than Yuki and had on a pleasant pouting face. Yuki couldn¡¯t believe what he saw, he had to blink a couple times before accepting it. ¡°Didn¡¯t Fi-*Pfft* the wolf earlier call you Erina-sama? How can you be Erina-sama and Luna-sama?¡± ¡°¡­Are you an idiot?! What kinda god will present themselves in front of their followers? I won¡¯t have any privacy if my children were to find out who I was.¡± ¡°Is that so? I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t think of that¡­¡± ¡°Because you are an idiot, that¡¯s ok though. Now, Tell me, why were you so deep in this forest; the guardians of the forest only reside near the center of the forest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s kinda embarrassing¡­I¡­Uh¡­kinda got lost¡­hehe¡­¡± Yuki looked away and tried to ignore Luna¡¯s questioning glance. ¡°Wow¡­a genuine idiot, not many of those survive that long¡­¡± ¡®Well if this was real, I would¡¯ve already died 100 times over by now¡­¡¯ he mentally retorted. ¡°I was trying to find something to train on, since I am too weak.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go to the training hall that was in the city?¡± ¡°I did, but for some reason they started fighting over me. I got out of there as soon as I could; I don¡¯t want to go back.¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, you¡¯re pretty cute! What¡¯s your name trash?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not cute! Anyways, my name is Yuki, and no I¡¯m not a girl.¡± ¡°Of course you aren¡¯t why would you think that I thought you were a girl?¡± ¡°Really?! Was it because you saw how manly I was?!¡± hearing what the goddess just said, Yuki beamed with pride. ¡°Eh~? No, it¡¯s because a cute girl couldn¡¯t be that oblivious and stupid.¡± *Gak!* Yuki froze from the harsh words. ¡°Ok¡­*sniff*¡± ¡°If you want I can give you a solution to your problem.¡± Yuki perked up, ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Yes, just hide your face. Also, do something about your hair, it is making you look more girly.¡± ¡®Why didn¡¯t I think of that? *sigh* I guess I¡¯ll tie up my hair until I can change it in town, but what will I use to hide my face?¡¯ ¡°Here, I think you¡¯ll need this more than I do.¡± Luna took off her cloak, which was oversized for her now and gave it to Yuki. As soon as it touched his hands, the cloak transformed and changed into a pure white scarf and a thin ribbon; they seemed to emit a soft white glow. *Ding*
Luna¡¯s Divine Scarf
Type:ArmorDurability:N/A
Quality:UniqueDefense:10,000
A part of Luna¡¯s Divine Cloak. Strength +500 Vitality +1000 Agility +500 Wisdom +2000
Requirements
None
Luna¡¯s Divine Ribbon
Type:ArmorDurability:N/A
Quality:UniqueDefense:1,000
A part of Luna¡¯s Divine Cloak. Strength +500 Vitality +1000 Agility +500 Wisdom +2000
Requirements
None
¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®WHAT THE FUUUUCK?!?! Did she really just gave away a God class item?!?!¡¯ ¡°Oh wait, I forgot to take away some stuff.¡± Luna held out her palm and a white mist started to flow from the cloak and ribbon to her palm before dissipating, ¡±there we go.¡±
Luna¡¯s Scarf
Type:ArmorDurability:N/A
Quality:UniqueDefense:20
A part of Luna¡¯s Cloak. Strength +5 Vitality +10 Agility +5 Wisdom +20
Requirements
None
Luna¡¯s Ribbon
Type:ArmorDurability:N/A
Quality:UniqueDefense:5
A part of Luna¡¯s Cloak. Strength +5 Vitality +10 Agility +5 Wisdom +20
Requirements
None
¡°You don¡¯t deserve the full power of my cloak, so I took away most of its¡¯ powers.¡± Disappointed, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but shed another tear. ¡®Well, at least I still have a unique item.¡¯ Yuki stopped briefly to put on the scarf and tie up his hair into a ponytail, ¡®there we go, now they won¡¯t see my face.¡¯ ¡°Standing near the entrance to the room, stood a feminine girl, who had a scarf covering half her face, leaving only her charming eyes and forehead showing. She had silky smooth hair flowing from her head, only to end up tied by a ribbon. With only one glance, you could tell how much of a beauty she was, even though she was attempting to hide her face behind a piece of fabric. She was also emitting an angr-¡° ¡°Oi!...Can you stop narrating, and saying I¡¯m a girl?¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Rolling on the floor was the childish goddess, clutching her stomach from the hilarity of Yuki¡¯s reaction, ¡°alright alright, I¡¯ll stop.¡± ¡°*Sigh* Thank you! So¡­Kami-sama, why are you helping me, even though I lied to your children?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Hm¡­good question¡­¡± Thinking hard, the goddess suddenly plopped down on the ground and sat there, ¡°hmm¡­¡­¡± The thinking went on for another few minutes before¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± *Crash* ¡°Eh~?¡± ¡°You are funny, and stupid. I guess I wanna watching you hehe.¡± Standing back up the little girl walked straight up to Yuki, who was lying on the ground. Bending over him, ¡°you know¡­I¡¯m pretty sure you are more manly than what you show *wink*.¡± Feeling a sudden shiver, Yuki backed away against the wall of the entrance. ¡°Gahaha! You¡¯re so fun to tease! Yuki-chan, you are interesting, I¡¯ll keep an eye on you from now on gehehe.¡± Standing up, Luna, gave Yuki a mischievous smile. *Ding*
Entertain Luna!
DescriptionDifficulty
The bored goddess Luna has chosen you to entertain her.B
Requirements
  • Find her.
  • Made her laugh.
Rewards
Rewards will vary depending on the outcome of the quest.
*Gulp* ¡°It¡¯s not even been a week since the game came out and I already have a rank B quest¡­.¡¯ Yuki nodded.
[/b]Quest Accepted[/b]
You have gained a new title.
Luna¡¯s Toy
Description
Luna has deemed you something worthy of her attention. Intimacy with Luna +100
¡°Oh yea! For watching over the pups earlier, Fido wanted me to grant you a request¡­What did you want again? Something like¡­Etoo~¡­wanting to know the secrets of this forest?¡± ¡®!!! Now¡¯s my chance!¡¯ ¡°No my goddess, I want to become strong.¡± Bowing down once again, Yuki lied through his teeth. ¡°Eh~? Was it really that? You know, I see and hear everything my children¡¯s do.¡± Flashing a mischievous smile once more, ¡°well that¡¯s fine too, I¡¯ll give you a surprise.¡± *Ding*
You have unlocked an original class. Would you like to change into it?
YesNo
¡®Yes¡¯
You have gained an original class: Ranker (Beginner)
Confused by his class, Yuki looked up at the goddess for an answer. ¡°It¡¯s special. Remember how you were interested in my children and their ability to evolve into stages?¡± Yuki thought back to earlier in the day, when Fido was telling Yuki about unique monsters. ¡°Is this like stages? Will I be able to evolve and become stronger?¡± ¡°Wow! You¡¯re getting smarter already Yuki-chan! Yes it¡¯s similar to that, however unlike unique monsters, you won¡¯t become more humanoid, since you are already part human. Also, I still do not know the full capabilities of this class, since I kinda made it on a whim¡­hehe.¡± ¡°Eh~?! You¡¯re telling me you gave me a class that you have very little idea about?!¡± feeling the heat rising to his face, Yuki had forgotten he was talking to a goddess. ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is!¡± Tilting her head to the side, winking and sticking out her tongue, Luna gave Yuki a pitiful look, ¡°I¡¯ll be going now, remember I¡¯ll be watching you Yuki-chan~!¡± Before Yuki could react, the room was filled with bright light and Luna disappeared. ---------- ¡®How did I end up in this mess¡­First I got lost, then I got abducted by wolves, and finally I met a crazy loli-goddess that wants to see me suffer. *Sigh* Well, I might as well go back out of this cave, hopefully the big old ¡®Fido¡¯ out there won¡¯t kill me.¡¯ I trudged along the dark tunnel, towards the light at the end of the tunnel. ¡°I see you are not dead, you imposter. What did Erina-sama say?¡± In front of me was Fido again, wow, what big teeth he has. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not dead. ¡®Erina-sama¡¯,¡± I tried to emphasize her name, ¡°deemed me worthy of being a friend to your kind. Please accept my humblest apologies, I¡¯m very sorry for deceiving you earlier.¡± I gave him my deepest bow. Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t expect him to accept my apologies, why would you forgive a liar? ¡°If it is her wish, then so be it. Just remember this, we do not take kindly to liars.¡± He gave one snort before turning around. I kept staring at him walking away, ¡°What are you standing there for, hurry up!¡± ¡®Ah! He wants me to follow¡¯ We both got back to the wolf den, now all the rest of the pack was awake. It was easy to see, because it was a waxing full moon out tonight. ¡®Even the pups are up? Oh yea, wolves are nocturnal aren¡¯t they?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but notice the hungry stares that the rest of the pack was giving me. ¡°Do not harm him, Erina-sama has deemed him worthy of our respect!¡± It seemed that while I was talking with ¡®Erina-sama¡¯, Fido had gone back and told the rest of the pack about how I tricked them. ¡°Even though Yuki-sama had lied, he meant us no harm. We shall forgive him for what he has done.¡± ¡®Great, I¡¯m safe, for now.¡¯ After hearing what Fido had to say, I noticed the rest of the pack calm down, the pups were going back to playing with each other. I saw that one of the pups started running towards me. ¡°Wan Wan~!¡± ¡°Aww~hahahaha!¡± The pup had knocked me over and was trying to lick my face, too bad my scarf was in the way. Such a shame. It was the same pup that was running at me when I was swinging my sword earlier. ¡°*Sigh* I¡¯d love to stay and play with you, but I have to go, I need to sleep.¡± I reluctantly set down the pup after standing up. I¡¯ve been on for a while now, it¡¯s already around 9 PM in reality, I have to get some food and sleep. Telling the rest of the wolves¡¯ goodbye I checked my stats one more time before logging out.
Status Window
Name: YukiLevel: 1 ¨C 0.00%
Class: Ranker (Beginner)Alignment: Neutral
Title(s): God of Vengeance Luna¡¯s Toy
Health: 250Stamina: 85
Mana: 30Gender: Male
Strength1(+10)Vitality1(+20)
Agility15(+10)Dexterity12
Intelligence1Wisdom1(+40)
Luck5Fame0
Willpower109Endurance22
Charm51
Skills
Passives Physical Resistance [Beginner 2 - 53.50%]
---------- (A/N: I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. If you like it, don''t forget to comment and rate my story. If you noticed any problems, feel free to PM me, or leave a reply on the thread.)
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Chapter 9: Regrets and the Past (A/N: I''m sorry this chapter took so long to write, I was occupied with Midterms and final papers so I didn''t have any time to write this chapter until tonight. I''m like running on fumes right now, so I''m not sure if I caught all my mistakes when I went back over this, so please tell me if you see any.) ---------- Getting up from the pod, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but break into a smile. ¡®I¡¯m one step closer to becoming stronger, pretty soon I won¡¯t be mistaken for a woman and I¡¯ll even have my revenge.¡¯ After reassuring himself, Yuki went down to the dining room, hoping to get something to eat. ¡°Honey¡­.surprise¡­..Kousuke¡­.Dive Pod¡­.Happy.¡± Yuki had stopped at the other side of the door when he had heard the conversation that was going on in the dining room. Feeling that it was an awkward situation, Yuki waited for the murmurs to die down before entering. ¡°Mama!.....Yuki¡­.dive pod¡­.protect¡­.childhood friend¡­..don¡¯t¡­.like her¡­.¡± Although Yuki was just on the other side of the door, he couldn¡¯t make out what Rika was saying, other than knowing she wasn¡¯t happy. After the talking had died down, Yuki finally resolved himself to enter the room. ¡°Eh~?¡± Upon entering the room, Yuki could feel the somber atmosphere that was permeating throughout the dining room. Being unprepared for the situation, Yuki couldn¡¯t help but be dumbfounded at the awkwardness that was present. All eyes were on him, one pair was worried, one was joyful, and the last one was burning with jealousy. ¡®I think it was a bad time, to enter¡­.I hope that Rika doesn¡¯t kill me for whatever the reason why she is glaring at me.¡¯ ¡°Etoo~¡­.did I do something wrong?¡± Yuki questioned with reluctance. Yuki had determined that no one was going to speak first, so he took the initiative. ¡°No you didn¡¯t Yu-kun.¡± His father was the first to answer him, ¡°It¡¯s just, a problem had occurred back in Japan. When we left, it wasn¡¯t that much of a big deal, but now, that problem had escalated quite a bit over the last week.¡± ¡°What seems to be the problem father?¡± ¡°Yu-kun¡­what do feel about Kousuke¡¯s and Aoi¡¯s little girl?¡± This time it was Anna who had answered him. ¡°Aka-nee? What do you mean mother? Aka-nee is the best older sister a person could have. She has always protected me, she was always there for me when I needed someone, and I promised her we will always¡­be¡­together¡­¡± Yuki had trailed off towards the end of his statement, just realizing the promise after so long. ¡®Oh my god¡­I should¡¯ve stayed back in Japan¡­¡¯ Regretting his decision to come live with his new family, Yuki was having doubts about whether his decision was the correct one. ¡®No! A man never regrets his decisions. However, I¡¯m also disappointed in myself, I¡¯ve left behind Aka-nee. I¡¯ve promised her and everything, to leave just like that¡­how shameful¡­¡¯ *Bang!* Disturbed by the sudden loud noise and breaking his trail of thought, Yuki looked up at the table. By this time Yuki had already taken a seat and started pondering the decision he made a couple weeks ago. Rika who was sitting quietly earlier had stood up and left the dining room. Before she exited though, she had given a steely glance over at Yuki. ¡°Just ignore Rika, Yu-kun. What I want to know is, what happened between you and Kousuke¡¯s girl, Akari was it? He just called earlier today, telling me about her situation.¡± Alarmed about his father¡¯s terrible news, Yuki hastily replied, ¡°What! Did something happen to Aka-nee?! Please, please, please! I hope nothing bad happened to her!¡± Desperately looking into his father¡¯s worried eyes, Yuki was looking for confirmation of the news. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Yu-kun, she¡¯s not in danger or anything.¡± Ken waited for Yuki to calm down before continuing, ¡°Kousuke was telling me that, after you left, Akari went to her room and never came back out. Apparently she was devastated by you leaving¡­Yuki are you sure you are nothing more than brother and sister?¡± Yuki was too occupied when he heard that Akari had shut herself in her room, that he didn¡¯t pay attention to his father¡¯s last line. ¡®Aka-nee had shut herself in her room?¡¯ ¡°Father, is it alright if I give Kousuke and Aoi a call? I want to ask them about Aka-nee.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s alright. I was going to tell you to do that anyways. Now just make sure she¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t want to cause any suffering for Kousuke¡¯s family, he¡¯s like a brother to me and I would rather cut off my own right arm, than to see him suffer for taking care of you Yu-kun.¡± ---------- Yuki¡¯s POV I was genuinely worried about Aka-nee; I had caused her so much grief. Thinking about it, Aka-nee and I had grown so close together. At times I even had delusions on what it would be like if I was going to start a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with her. It may seem sick and gross, considering both of us practically grew up together, but I honestly had some feelings back then. However, I never really found the time to confess and reveal these feelings to her. Whenever I was able to summon the courage to go up to her, I would always be jeered at by the boys, and leered at by the girls that were surround the ever popular Aka-nee. Overtime, these feelings died down. I had given up on it, she was miss popular and I would be forever known as ¡®the man that can¡¯t stand up to women¡¯. I guess it¡¯s because the only girl that cared for me was Aka-nee, that¡¯s why I was drawn to her. I never really felt interested in anyone else, I was always picked on by girls, the ones who don¡¯t pick on me, ignored me. I guess they didn¡¯t want to involve themselves in my affairs. Because of these circumstances, by the time I had to leave Aka-nee, I had already decided that we were never going to be more than brother and sister. At that time, I had decided it was best if I leave then, if I stayed any longer, I don¡¯t know what to do with myself. I wanted to leave behind all my troubles, all the bullying, all the stress, and most of all part of me wanted to leave behind Aka-nee. I know¡­I¡¯m a coward, all I ever did was run. I was never a man, I never did stand up for myself. Ha ha ha¡­Aka-nee was more of a man than I was¡­what was the point of being born a man if I wasn¡¯t going to act like one¡­I am such a fool. Yea¡­that¡¯s right¡­I deserved to be called an idiot by Rika¡­I deserved to be killed that many times in SSO¡­I guess I just needed a wake up call. Aka-nee was always protecting me¡­now that she needs help, am I just gonna run away again?! Is this how I wanna for the rest of my life?! Would a real man ignore the person who saved his life countless times?! Not even counting that I am a man, as a human being, is it alright to ignore the person that was there for you and cared for you your whole life?! NO! After steeling my resolve, I slowly dialed the number that my father had given me. ---------- Akari¡¯s POV *Hic* Yuki had left me. It hurts so much¡­*Hic* He left about two weeks ago, I didn¡¯t want him to. It just hurts too much, it looked like he was hesitating at first *Hic*. I thought that, if I were to pushed just a little bit harder for him to stay he would¡­He would stay with me forever¡­I¡­Love¡­Yuki¡­¡­*Hic* As he was leaving, I thought back to all the times we were together. I did not forget the first time he was bullied. It was the first time we went to school. Yuki and I were *Hic* in the same class. He would always cling to me, it was funny¡­seeing a boy smaller than you¡­*Sniff* clinging to you and calling you ¡®Nee-chan¡¯ while you were the same age as him. The first bullying happened as soon as Yuki introduced himself during play-time. The rest of the kids thought it was funny that Yuki was a boy but was clinging on to me, a girl. *Hic* I beat up the other kid and tried to stop Yuki from crying. Soon after I was nicknamed ¡®Knight in shining armor¡¯ and Yuki was named ¡®Princess¡¯. I remembered how many times Yuki would cry when the rest of the kids would call him that¡­ *Hic* Before I knew it¡­my cute Yuki had already grown up and we were going to start Junior high¡­I was hoping that we would be in the same class again like we were in grade school¡­We weren¡¯t. We soon grew apart, seeing Yuki becoming independent from me made me feel warm inside, yet part of me wants the old clingy Yuki back¡­ Junior high was quiet, for the first few months¡­Then the problems started¡­*Sniff*. I joined the kendo club, because I wanted to become strong enough to protect Yuki. I still remember my nickname, ¡°Knight in shining armor¡±¡­One day while I was coming back from practice, I noticed that Yuki was also walking back, so I decided to join him. I can still see his face, his eyes were red, his usual beautiful face was not so beautiful, but what was most surprising of all was *Hic* the dead look in his eyes. It turned out, that a bunch of girls had played a joke on Yuki. They had someone pretend to ask Yuki out. That was all I got out of him, he refused to explain why his face was bruised and why we stayed behind at school for so long¡­*Hic* Oh god¡­I should¡¯ve been more helpful, why did I think that Yuki could handle it himself? The part of me that wanted Yuki to become independent made me ignore Yuki¡¯s problems at first¡­ Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Soon after that event, I would often see girls pick on Yuki and tease him while everyone else just ignores them. I always tried to interfere, I would try to stop them as soon as I could. I *Hic* didn¡¯t want to see Yuki look like how he did at that time after my kendo practice. I also remembered the times when other guys would ask me out, but that would only remind me of what happened to Yuki that day¡­I just can¡¯t stop thinking about preventing that from happening again¡­ It was strange, whenever I told the girls to stop messing with Yuki, they would listen and go away, for a short while¡­I¡¯ve went to the staff and school faculty about the bullying Yuki was having, but it seems Yuki wasn¡¯t being physically harmed and the girls were never caught so I can¡¯t do anything about it¡­That¡¯s why I trained myself like crazy, I wanted to become strong, I wanted to protect Yuki, I wanted to become strong enough for both of us. *Sniff* Then highschool started¡­Oh my god¡­I should¡¯ve paid more attention to Yuki¡­If I had known that Yuki was going to leave¡­I should¡¯ve been closer to Yuki, I¡¯ve greatly regretted my decision to train more. In highschool, the bullying only got worse, a new group of girls were picking on Yuki now. They would openly treat Yuki as a gopher, openly threaten him when a teacher was near and made his life miserable. I tried as hard as I could during that time. As soon as the school day ended, I would rush to Yuki¡¯s classroom, grab him and force him to come to the Kendo club. At first I tried making him join it with me, *Hic* I thought we could go back to our grade school days, where he would cling onto me, we would always be together¡­Before I knew it¡­Yuki was outside my house, getting ready¡­to¡­leave¡­*Hic**Hic* *Knock**Knock**Knock* ¡°Akari-chan¡­Please come out¡­There¡¯s something I want to show you.¡± ¡°Go away Okaa-san! I want to be left alone¡­*Hic*¡± I don¡¯t want to talk to her right now. So far, for the past week, both Okaa-san and Otou-san tried lots of things to get me to leave my room. They tried bribing me, they tried reasoning with me, they even threatened to disown me¡­I know they loved me too much to do that though. ¡°If you don¡¯t come out, you will regret it for the rest of your life¡­¡± ¡°I said go away! Nothing can make me regret more than Yuki leaving me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why you should come out¡­Yu-chan just called and he¡¯s o-¡° ¡®Yuki?! He called? Oh my god¡­*Hic* he actually called? Is he going to come back to me? Is he also regretting his decision to leave?¡¯ I desperately ran to the door and unlocked it. I didn¡¯t care if I looked like a mess, I stayed up all night crying. I snatched the phone away from my mother who looked like she was just crying earlier. Without any hesitation I answered the phone. ¡°Hello?! Yuki?! Are you there?! *Hic* Please answer me!¡± ¡°Aka-nee is that you?!¡± *Hic**Hic* It¡¯s really him¡­After so long¡­He finally called me. Just hearing his pained voice, brought back all the emotions that I have built up over the last two weeks. I started crying again. Unleashing a torrent of water from the sides of my puffed up eyes. I thought that these dry eyes couldn¡¯t possibly hold anymore tears in them, I was wrong. ¡°Yu*Hic*ki¡­Uuuuuu~¡­.I missed*Hic* you so*Sniff* Much¡­Why did you¡­*Hic* have to leave me¡­¡± I tried as hard as I could to control my crying, but I just couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Neh~¡­Aka-nee please¡­Don¡¯t cry anymore, I¡¯m here now aren¡¯t I?¡± No you¡¯re not! You are still in the U.S¡­.If you were here, I would hold on to you and never let go¡­ ¡°Yuki*Sniff*¡± I was slowly calming down now, it took me about a minute to be able to hold back the tears. ¡°Why did you choose now to call? Why didn¡¯t you call earlier?¡± ¡°Aka-nee¡­I¡¯m¡­very sorry¡­I will not try to make an excuse¡­I was scared¡­¡± What was he scared of? Doesn¡¯t he know I love him so much? Even right now if I had a chance, I would go and live with him in America¡­ ¡°Why were you scared Yuki? *Sniff* did you know how much I missed you? I couldn¡¯t even think straight¡­Yuki¡­All I thought about was you¡­I mean, how are you? Is your new family treating you right? Are you ok?¡± All these questions flowed out from my tongue, I didn¡¯t care about what I was saying, all I wanted was to hear Yuki¡¯s voice again, it calmed me. ¡°Aka-nee slow down, I¡¯ll answer your questions, just¡­let me explain myself¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You see Aka-nee, I was scared. I was scared that if I were to call you, something weird will happen to me. I didn¡¯t want to cause you anymore trouble, I didn¡¯t want to make you watch after me again. That¡¯s why, I tried as hard as I could to stay away¡­I didn¡¯t know¡­that it would hurt you so much¡­Aka-nee, I¡¯m truly sorry¡­¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ He¡¯s so stupid. ¡°Yuki no baka¡­*Sniff* you never did understood me! All those times, I wasn¡¯t tired of you causing me trouble. I watched you because¡­you are my little Yuki, you are someone¡­I cared for¡­deeply¡­*Sniff*. Baka¡­Didn¡¯t you notice how much I watched after you and wanted you to look at me? I brought you into the Kendo club to watch me, I wanted you to see how strong I¡¯ve become. Every time you praised me, didn¡¯t you noticed how happy I was? I wanted you to watch me¡­and only me¡­So¡­*Sniff* please, Yuki, come back¡­¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t¡­I have a new family now¡­¡± ¡®Why would you call me just to tell me this Yuki? *Hic* I thought you were calling because you missed me, isn¡¯t that why you called? I can¡¯t put it into words about how much I missed you¡­It hurts more than ever¡­just like when you were outside of my house ready to leave again.¡¯ ¡°*Hic* Yuki¡­why? Why? Why?! WHY?! Why?! Why did you call me just to tell me this!!!¡­*Hic* Uuuuuu¡± The tears were raining down from my blurry eyes once more. ¡°Aka-nee, calm down. I won¡¯t go back to Japan, but we will still see each other, I promise!¡± ¡°*Hic* What *Hic*do you mean?¡± ¡°Remember that revolutionary game that was gonna come out around the time that I left?¡± ¡°*Hic* Huh?¡± ¡®Now that I think about it¡­there was supposed to be something that was being released¡­I didn¡¯t really pay attention though¡­Since Yuki was going to leave, all I cared about was trying to spend as much time as I could with him¡­¡¯ ¡°We can meet each other again in the game!¡± ¡°¡­But it won¡¯t be the same thing as in real life¡­I won¡¯t be able to see you and touch you¡­Yuki¡­it¡¯s just not the same¡­¡± ¡°¡­Aka-nee¡­it¡¯s different from what you think. It¡¯s not like those countless other games you see me play. Like I said, it¡¯s a revolutionary game, it¡¯s a virtual reality!¡± ¡°Eh?...Virtual Reality? As in a different world in cyberspace?¡± ¡°Exactly, it feels exactly the same as in real life, except, you can¡¯t die. It is amazing Aka-nee! Please, come join me. We can see each other that way!¡± ¡®I can see Yuki again? You mean¡­If I play the game Yuki is playing, I get to see Yuki?!¡¯ ¡°Yes! Yes! How do I start playing Yuki?¡± ¡°First of all, the game is called Second Start Online. Isn¡¯t it a good name?¡± ¡®Yes, I like it. The name¡­does this mean, in this game Yuki and I could be more than..¡¯ I started blushing while I was thinking of starting over, the possibilities that were possible if Yuki didn¡¯t see me as an older sister¡­ ¡°Second, you¡¯ll need a Dive Pod. It¡¯s expensive, but don¡¯t worry. Father said that he is sending you one. He managed to get a discount on it and as thanks for always watching me, he wanted to give you it. So¡­Aka-nee¡­won¡¯t you join me?¡± ¡°*Sniff* Un! I will Yuki, please¡­wait for me!¡± ¡°Hehe, I will Aka-nee.¡± After that, we both talked about what I should do during character creation, where I should start, and similar stuff that like. It was fun, so fun that it seemed like I went back to the days when Yuki was still here. We also talked about many things, like how did he like his new mom, how is he doing so far in America, and stuff like that. However, there was one thing that worried me¡­the new girl¡­Rika¡­ I mean, the way Yuki described her, she¡¯s cold and violent. The only thing that had sirens going off in my head was when Yuki told me of the time when he was killed a lot in SSO. He hadn¡¯t really gone into detail, all he told me was that he was depressed after being tricked. That¡¯s not what I was concerned about, it was what happened afterward with Yuki and that Rika girl¡­She made him some food and comforted him¡­That was supposed to be my job damnit!...I hope that pod arrives soon, I can¡¯t have her get ahead of me¡­ Chapter 10: Back to Lucierna (A/N: Another slow chapter, the next one will be the training part. Hopefully you like it.) ---------- Standing here with the wind brushing my cheeks, my tail swaying in the air, smelling the earthen scent, this is paradise. I was back in the clearing, it was the early morning once again. Hopefully I¡¯ve patched things up with Aka-nee last night. I don¡¯t want her to suffer, just hearing her shaking voice¡­I couldn¡¯t bear it, I almost decided to beg Father to let me return. I know I can¡¯t do that though, I mean Father only has me, I¡¯m the only remaining memory of him and Mother¡­He doesn¡¯t admit it, but every time he sees me, I can tell he calms down. Well, if Aka-nee is still upset, I¡¯ll just talk about it once again after she gets her Dive Pod. I turned around, looking for the guardians. It¡¯s a mystery how I wasn¡¯t noticed yet, I¡¯ve been standing here for about ten minutes ever since I logged back in. It was awfully quiet here, the sun¡¯s rays were just peeking up from the horizon. I moved over to the small cave that was the wolves den. Empty. ¡®Did they move their den?¡¯ I walked back into the clearing, I pondered to myself, ¡®What should be my next step? I really don¡¯t want to go back to the training hall, although I have this to cover my face, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll work¡­ ¡°Yuuuuuuuuuukiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!¡± *Bam!* I was suddenly knocked over from behind, a soft white animal was on top of me. I can¡¯t say I hate it, the creature was so happy to see me. Its¡¯ tail was going crazy, I thought it was gonna fly off at one point. It seems like a wolf¡­where¡¯s the rest of the pack? And I haven¡¯t seen this one before¡­ ¡°Etoo~¡­.where¡¯s the rest of the pack? Also¡­do I know you?...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? It¡¯s me!! It¡¯s me!!¡± ¡°Pochi?¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Geh! Don¡¯t use some clich¨¦ trick like that! Seriously who are you? Were you with the guardian wolves that used to live here?¡± I can¡¯t believe I just¡­no¡­.I don¡¯t want to think about it¡­ ¡°Papa and my brothers and sisters moved deeper into the forest. They said that the humans were moving deeper and deeper into the forest, so they went to find somewhere else to live.¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ I was gonna exploit these wolves¡­I mean wouldn¡¯t it be amazing if they showed me all the secrets of this forest? Just imagine all the power and fame I would gain¡­well¡­It¡¯s not surprising how things turned out like this. I have the worst luck in this game, one bad thing after another keeps happening to me, I¡¯m not so surprised anymore. ¡°So¡­Why are you here and not with the rest of the pack?¡± It was strange, if the rest of the packed moved on, why was this strange wolf I¡¯ve never seen, here with me? ¡°Papa told one of us to stay here and show you the way back¡­you are lost in the middle of the forest right?¡± ¡°Geh¡­you¡¯re right. So who are you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me!! It¡¯s me!!¡± ¡°Poch-No that won¡¯t work on me again!¡± ¡°Awww¡­hehe, I guess you don¡¯t remember, since I¡¯ve changed a lot. Remember that little pup that was playing with that metal stick you were waving around a couple days ago?¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were that pup¡­It¡¯s just not possible to grow that much in a couple days¡­¡± ¡°Wan Wan~! You¡¯re right hehe. I just got my growth spurt¡­Neh~¡­.Yuki¡­I wanna be with you¡­¡± The wolf started fidgeting around, clearly troubled by something. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you have the pack to return to?¡± By this time, I¡¯ve already managed to push off the overly excited wolf and was staring at the wolf while sitting on the cold dew covered grass. ¡°Papa was asking for a volunteer to show you the way back¡­No one wanted to, so I did. Hehe¡­I wanted to stay with you¡­¡± *Ding*
Due to your Charm stat, you¡¯ve captivated a young she-wolf. Would you like to accept her as a companion?
YesNo
¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®Really?!¡­This charm stat is so broken¡­I mean first I get mistaken for a descendant of Luna, now I get a pet? I bet this is a new discovery, aside from a possible monster tamer class, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m the first one to get a pet¡­¡¯ *Ding*
Because you were taking too long to decide, Fenrir has decided for you.
¡®Eh~?!!!¡¯ ¡°Mooohhh~¡­You were taking too long to answer master, so I decided for you hehe.¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Your name is Fenrir?¡± ¡°Wan Wan~! That¡¯s correct! Did you like it? I just made it on the spot, it sounds kinda strong and cool right? Right?¡± ¡°You know¡­Fenrir is a boy¡¯s name¡­wait, if I¡¯m the master then why did you get to decide for me?!¡± ¡°No way~!...Fenrir was a boy¡¯s name? Uuuuuu¡­.¡± Have you ever seen a wolf pout? Neither have I, but it seemed similar to a dog. Fenrir had her head on the ground and was trying to use her paws to cover her face. ¡°How about this, how about I call you Fena instead? It¡¯s similar to Fenrir right? It also sounds like a strong name don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Really?! Really?!¡± She looks so happy¡­ ¡°Thank you master!!!!¡± *Ding*
¡¯Fenrir¡¯ has been renamed to ¡®Fena¡¯.
Suddenly changing her mood again, she jumped on top of me and started licking me again. I don¡¯t wanna say I like this, but her energy is contagious. Haha. ¡°Ok Ok, get off me for a moment Fena. First, I¡¯m the master, so don¡¯t decide on things by yourself ok?¡± I tried pushing her off me with my measly strength. It wasn¡¯t working. ¡°As you wish master, I¡¯ve decided to let you decide things from now on. I¡¯ve also decided to get off you.¡± ¡°Eh~? Something tells me this isn¡¯t right¡­Well, whatever. Can you show me the way out of this forest Fena?¡± ¡°Sure thing! Follow me! It¡¯s this way master!¡± ¡®*Sigh* This might get tiring¡­¡¯ ---------- I¡¯ve been trudging through this forest for about an hour now¡­Ugh, it was much easier than when I was being led by Fido¡­hehe¡­anyways Fena seems nicer, although she looked like she¡¯s bursting with energy, she was always waiting for me when I needed to rest. Since I¡¯m gonna get out of this forest soon, my only problem is where I¡¯m gonna train now. *Ding*
Incoming call from Trey. Would you like to answer it?
YesNo
Trey? Sure why not. I hope he can help me with my dilemma. ¡°Hey¡­Y-yuki¡­Uh¡­H-ow have you been¡­¡± ¡°Trey¡­I¡¯m a guy remember?¡± ¡°*Cough* I know that, I was just out of breathe ok?! Anyways¡­How have you been?¡± I shouldn¡¯t tell him about the guardians of the forest¡­I know it¡¯s bad but¡­a man is bound to keep some secrets right? ¡°I could be better. I kinda got lost in the forest for a few days¡­hehe¡­¡± ¡°¡­Are you an idiot?! What level are you now?¡± ¡°Kinda¡­still level¡­one¡­¡± ¡°*Sigh* I think the game felt pity for you, it¡¯s amazing how you haven¡¯t died yet. So where are you now?¡± ¡°Still kinda¡­in the forest¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But! But!! I¡¯m on my way out, I found a little friend that is showing me the way out!¡± ¡°So did you find your little ¡®Fairy friend¡¯ from the forest too?¡± When Trey said ¡®Fairy¡¯ I stumbled and tripped over a tree root I was walking by. ¡°No! I made friends with a wolf! Right now she is leading me out of the forest!¡± ¡°Riiight¡­So you are almost back in Lucierna?¡± ¡°Yea, did you need me for anything?¡± ¡°Err¡­Kind of. I felt, that ummm¡­since you, uh you know, lost all of those stats. I felt like you needed help¡­so I asked my sword instructor in the army barracks for a favor¡­¡± ¡®!!!¡¯ ¡°Really?! You found someone that is willing to train me?! Trey! You are the bestest friend a man could have!¡± ¡°Yea¡­ ¡®bestest friend a man could have¡¯¡­Anyways, Once you get into Lucierna, head back to the city square. I¡¯ll meet you there alright?¡± ¡°Un! I¡¯ll be right there!¡± ---------- It took a while longer for Fena and myself to exit the forest. It¡¯s weird though, I mean, Fena was only a pup until a while ago. How does she know her way around the forest? What¡¯s even more amazing was that we didn¡¯t encounter any monsters on our way out. I guess ¡®Guardians of the Forest¡¯ isn¡¯t just a title they have, but a title they earned. When I came out of the forest, the same familiar scene was in front of me. In the open space that was right outside of Lucierna was a large gathering of noobs just like me. Haha¡­it was funny seeing them run from foxes and bunnies. There¡¯s even a girl crying while stabbing the little bunny. I of course, paid them no mind. I mean, come on! I¡¯m walking with a wolf that was as high as my chest! It felt great, all the stares of envy and jealousy as I cruised through the crowd of players. ¡°Kawaii~!¡± ¡°Oi! Jou-chan, wanna party with us?¡± ¡°What a beautiful wolf¡­where did she find it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean him? I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s a trap.¡± *Slap* ¡°Don¡¯t you dare call that bishoujo a trap!¡± ¡®Eh~? Is the same thing happening again?!!¡¯ All around me there were people gathering. Like what had happened in the training hall, they were arguing, but this time it wasn¡¯t about protecting me, but about whether I¡¯m a guy or a girl. I swear¡­well, at least the scarf is kinda working? ¡°You wanna go pal?!¡± ¡°Bring it moron!¡± Aannnnd there¡¯s the signal. I ran as hard as I could, with Fena close behind. I guess we both could sense the atmosphere, because as soon as we ran a fight started out. It was really funny, I was looking back while I ran. What I saw was that, everyone gathered there was fighting, chaos was everywhere, which drew in people from around the field. Some people would watch and laugh at the display of carnage that was the battlefield, only to be drawn in by a stray arrow or magic missile. ¡®*Sigh* I really gotta get rid of my long hair. Maybe then some people won¡¯t think I¡¯m a girl.¡¯ ¡°Master!¡± Scampering beside me, Fena was also looking back at the warzone, ¡°You are amazing! To be able to start a battle just from walking through a crowd!¡± *Ding*
Charm +15
¡°Ugh! Don¡¯t you start Fena, anyways let¡¯s go get the city guards, I¡¯m pretty sure they are already panicking from the impromptu warzone.¡± We both arrived at the gate, to see about 20 or so guards getting ready to rush out. ¡°Halt Miss!¡± He stopped me as I walked towards him, I was tired of correcting their mistakes so I ignored it, ¡°Do you know what happened out there? Also tell your ¡®little¡¯ pet over there to calm down.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Fena was baring her fangs, she didn¡¯t like how the men were glaring at us. ¡°Oji-san, I¡¯m not sure.¡± I lied, ¡°I was on my way back from the forest and all of a sudden people started fighting, so I ran as fast as I could!¡± I really didn¡¯t wanna get in trouble so I lied straight through my teeth. Hopefully it worked. ¡°Is that so? Alright men, let¡¯s go stop the little kids from fighting, march!¡± They all walked out with their pikes and shields. They didn¡¯t draw their weapons but held it at the ready. ¡®Well, whatever. Now which way was it again?¡¯ I ignored what had just happened and made my way through the winding streets to the commercial district and thus the city square. What confused me was, Fena was ignored. None of the guards attacked her, nor are the merchants and shopkeepers around us paid much attention to her. MT must¡¯ve made it so that once a monster became your pet, it would be registered as a pet to NPCs. Well we arrived at the square with only a few stares, I dropped by a shop that looked like a beauty salon, it costs one whole silver coin! Just to lop off my hair! So I left. The way the cosmetic system worked was, in order for you to change the way you look, you need to pay for it. If you just randomly cut your hair yourself, it would grow back within a couple minutes of you doing that. So you much either have a profession as a hair stylist or visit one in order to make the change permanent. Sitting by the fountain was the familiar Riajuu. Tch! Look at all the girls that are staring at him with lust. I wish they were doing that to me too¡­instead of wanting to hurt and kill me. It seemed like he got stronger, instead of the beginner gear which composed of a brown worn out shirt and pants and some leather sandals, he was wearing armor! It wasn¡¯t special armor or anything, just a chainmail shirt with dark leather gloves and boots. On his waste was a shining new sword. ¡°Hey Trey.¡± He looked up at me, Gah! That smile is a killer. ¡°What did you do to get all that?¡± ¡°This?¡± He gestured towards his chainmail shirt, ¡°Oh nothing much, haha. I kind of got scouted by a Knight, while I was training in the barracks. I unlocked a different class, now I¡¯m a squire.¡± ¡°Eh~? You can change class?¡± I went to take a seat beside him. ¡®I thought only my class would change¡­¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s right, I think it has to belong to a specific class tree, mine for example started out as Infantryman. I was just a regular disposable person in the army, but thanks to Sir Elric I¡¯m now his squire.¡± He looked so proud of what he did. ¡°Oh? Is that the wolf that you made friends with?¡± Trey inspected Fena, I¡¯m not surprised, this was probably the first time he saw someone with a pet. Trey stood up and started moving to pet Fena. ¡°Grrrrr.¡± Fena got up and moved away all the while glaring at Trey. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about human. Surprised by Fena talking Trey jumped back and moved his hand toward his sword, fumbling about like an idiot. ¡®Haha, I guess even Mr. Riajuu over here can still be easily flustered.¡¯ ¡°Surprised? Fena isn¡¯t your average wolf, she can talk haha.¡± ¡°No way?! An intelligent wolf?¡± He looked at Fena and bowed in an apology, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for being rude towards you Miss Fena.¡± ¡®Gah! The usual chivalric attitude, this guy fits his role so much as a knight.¡¯ ¡°Trey, come on! Show me where I can train and get stronger!¡± I tried to give him an angry look. I think it worked, because he got flustered again and looked away. I¡¯m becoming more manly now, I can just feel it. ¡°R-right, follow me.¡± ---------- Yuki, Trey, and Fena had arrived at the walled off district which was known as the Military district just west of the Noble district. Only military personnel and those with proper permission were allowed past that point. At the gates were heavily armed men standing guard. ¡°Wow¡­why don¡¯t they let regular people through?¡± Yuki was curious, he thought that the military was hiding something. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I asked them once before they said ¡®quit talking, more swinging¡¯. I guess I won¡¯t know until I get up in the hierarchy.¡± Trey was just as clueless as Yuki was. By the time they got to the gate, they could feel the armored guards staring at them through their visors. ¡°Halt! State your name and your business here!¡± They both were about a full head taller than Yuki, so he was pretty intimidated by them. ¡°It is I, Trey, Squire of Sir Elric Royal Sword Instructor to the Kings Court!¡± Standing firm Trey¡¯s carefree attitude from earlier changed and became stoic, ¡°Next to me is Yuki, a person that Sir Elric ordered me to escort.¡± As soon as the guards heard the name Sir Elric, they flinched and backed off from Trey. ¡®Just who is this Sir Elric? To be able to scare off these guys so easily¡­¡¯ They both entered through the gates, apparently Fena was also allowed through without question. Trey led Yuki through the clanging of swords and the twanging of bows, through drilling soldiers and stables full of cavalry horses until they entered the yard of a cozy looking building. Just one look at the building and anyone could tell that it was well cared for, there was no grime or dirt on any of the walls, it doesn¡¯t look worn down nor were the grass around it dying like the rest of the practice fields. The building wasn¡¯t all too big, it looked like a perfect house for a small family. The odd thing was, this house was located far off from the rest of the training area, at the far end of the housing area in the Military district. ¡°Is this where Sir Elric lives? Why is it so¡­small¡­¡± Yuki questioned Trey, ¡°I mean, judging from how those guardsmen were acting when you mentioned him, you would think Sir Elric was someone with lots of influence and power.¡± Trey paused at the door of the building and turned around, ¡°He is someone with power and influence, it¡¯s because of who he is, that¡¯s why people fear him.¡± Turning around once more, Trey rapped three times against the door. *Knock Knock Knock* After a few moments, the door slowly creaked open, revealing a fit figure. The man that opened the door looked to be about 60 or so. Even though he looked 60, inside of his clothes, he was bulging with lean muscles. The man was clean shaven, with graying hair. He had deep hazel brown eyes that give off a feeling of calmness and serenity. In those eyes, one can see knowledge and understanding, this man has seen much in his life. He didn¡¯t have any scars that were visible, which showed how skilled he must have been throughout his life. ¡°Ah! Trey, nice of you to drop by and see this old man. It has been a while since anyone came to visit me.¡± Sir Elric smiled calmly as he gestured for everyone to come inside. ¡°Sit! Sit! Make yourselves at home.¡± Inside his home, there was a small table big enough for only four people to sit at. The kitchen and pantry were also in the same room. There was a door that led to another room off to the left. After Sir Elric, Trey, Yuki, and Fena who was sitting at Yuki¡¯s side settled down, Sir Elric initiated the conversation. ¡°So this is the Yuki I¡¯ve heard Trey go on so much about. Nice to meet you Miss Yuki, my name is Elric Cunningham, but people like to call me Sir Elric.¡± Leaning over the table to shake Yuki¡¯s hand, Sir Elric wasn¡¯t at all perturbed by the she-wolf by Yuki¡¯s side. Taking his hand, Yuki replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know what Trey has been telling you Sir Elric, but I¡¯m not a girl, I¡¯m a man. Also, nice to meet you. I heard that you wanted to see me for a reason?¡± ¡°What?!¡± He gave Trey a questioning glance, ¡°really? Trey never mentioned you were a girl. I thought you were his lover or something judging by the way he was drooling when he was-¡° ¡°Hey! Let¡¯s get back on topic teacher. Please, I would like you to help in instructing Yuki. HE¡¯S been through a lot. As a friend I want to do everything I can in order to help him.¡± Trey nonchalantly interrupted Sir Elric before he could finish. ¡®*Sigh* Even though he knows I¡¯m a man¡­is Trey gay?¡¯ That thought was going around behind Yuki¡¯s embarrassed smile while Trey was interrupting Sir Elric. ¡°Ah yes. Yuki I heard you were bullied and teased because you were weak. Is that right?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Elric. I was betrayed by someone that I trusted, in the end she left me broken and disheartened.¡± ¡°Gehehe! I see you have women problems hehe.¡± Amused by Yuki¡¯s problem, Sir Elric couldn¡¯t help but give a chuckle at the irony of the situation. Yuki blushed slightly when Sir Elric commented, ¡°Anyways, I want to become stronger. You see how girl I looked right? I want to become strong enough so that no one will mistake me as a girl ever again!¡± ¡°Hm¡­and what will you do once you¡¯ve obtained strength? Will you use it to force your will over those of lesser strength? Will you use to it to protect those who do not have the strength to protect themselves?¡± The old man¡¯s attitude did a 180 degree turn, now he was deadly serious. ¡°Power isn¡¯t something you should wield lightly, those with power hold within their palms not only their lives, but the lives of many. If wielded irresponsibly many will die by your hands. If power isn¡¯t being controlled, it will corrupt you. Even those with power still fear, they fear that they will not be able to control their power. That¡¯s why, little Yuki. I want to know, what will you do once you¡¯ve obtained strength?¡± Overwhelmed by Sir Elric¡¯s little speech, Yuki¡¯s mind went blank. ¡®He¡¯s right¡­what will I do once I¡¯ve obtained strength? What will I do once people recognize that I¡¯m a man? I have no ambition. All I want is my revenge¡­even that¡¯s slowly dying out. So¡­Why do I seek power?¡¯ Yuki was seriously pondering the reason for his desire for power. ¡°Sir Elric, I will not lie. First of all, I desire power to be acknowledged by those around me. Second, I seek power for revenge. I¡¯ve suffered a pain worse than death by the hands of a heartless she-devil, what I seek is to return the favor. Other than these two goals right now, I am still clueless. So to answer your question truthfully, I do not know. I guess I¡¯ll think about it once I get to that road¡­¡± Yuki calmly waited with dread while Sir Elric pondered Yuki¡¯s response. Soon¡­ ¡°Hehehe¡­Hahaha!! Good answer! You are right, too many times have I seen people lie and say they would use it for good. What is the point of obtaining power if you won¡¯t use it for yourself, but for others? Did other people obtain that power? NO! You did, so why are you obligated to help them? There¡¯s only one thing I hate worse than liars, that is fools. Yuki, that was a test, a test to judge your character. You¡¯ve passed my boy. My only hope is that you don¡¯t become corrupted by these powers, that is all I ask of you.¡± ¡®No way¡­I guess telling the truth was a good idea.¡¯ Yuki had his eyes wide open in amazement. Not only did he pass a unknown test, but he¡¯s going to be taught be a man who talks about power as if he has the abilities to confer powers to people. Standing up, Sir Elric looked around the room, ¡°Just wait right there little Yuki, let me get my whip.¡± ¡°Eh~?¡± Cancellation IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT PLEASE READ I''m sorry for the long wait, after writing the last chapter I ran into some trouble with my grades at school so I had to take some time off to focus on those. After coming back to this series I''ve tried multiple times to write and re-write the next chapters, but I''ve finally convinced myself that I''ve lost interest in this series. The more I think about the more sure that I am, I''ve noticed that my character is too naive and stupid for his age. I''ve also lost the idea that I was going for when I first started this series. Although this is my first story that I''ve tried writing, I know that I won''t see it through to the end. I''m sure that if even the Author finds his story boring, then the readers will feel the same. I''ve posted the last thing that I wrote before I stopped writing, you are welcome to read the unfinished rough draft if you want. Once again I apologize for what I have done, and I hope you guys support me in my future endeavors. ---------- ¡°Just wait right there little Yuki, let me get my whip.¡± ¡°Eh~?¡± ¡®What did I do wrong?! Don¡¯t tell me this is how he¡¯s gonna train me!¡¯ I took a quick glance at Trey, I mean Trey was in the same situation right?! He should know Sir Elric¡¯s teaching methods right?! Eh~? He doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s reacting¡­does that mean that it¡¯s ok?! ¡°Found it! Haha, I forgot where I last put it, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gone anywhere!¡± Trey screams from the other room, ¡°Yuki! Why don¡¯t we head out to start your training?!¡± Sir Elric walked back into the room holding what seemed like a long thick rope. ¡°Eh~? Where¡¯s the whip?¡± ¡°What whip?¡± ¡°¡­The whip you said you were looking for¡­¡± ¡®Is this guy daft?¡¯ Confused by this, I once more looked at Trey. His face was all flustered, he was trying to avoid my gaze. ¡®Is he hiding something?¡¯ ¡°Hehehehe¡­hahaha!!! Gotcha! Did I scare you?¡± Honestly, I wasn¡¯t that scared, just a bit surprised. I mean, I¡¯ve already experienced 100 or so painful deaths, how much would a whip hurt? Actually¡­I think it¡¯ll be nice to be whipped¡­ok that sounded dangerous¡­ ¡°Etoo~¡­I wasn¡¯t really scared, just surprised¡­¡± Sir Elric, amused by this, ¡°Really now? Interesting, very interesting¡­¡± he seemed to be pondering something, ¡°You should¡¯ve seen Trey, he looked like he wetted his pants at the mentioning of the whip gahahaha!¡± ¡°Tch! I was hoping Yuki would at least cry¡­¡± ¡®Hehe, nice to know that even Trey can be tripped up.¡¯ ¡°So¡­what is the rope for Elric-sensei?¡± I was curious, why would he look for such a thick rope? He said that he was looking for it, which means that he didn¡¯t use it during Trey¡¯s training. ¡°This? Oh, it¡¯s because you looked pretty weak, so I¡¯ll need to start you from the beginning. Here, show me your stats so I can confirm.¡± ¡®Eh?¡¯ ¡°Wait¡­you know what stats are?¡± I was confused, are the NPCs in this game able to understand gamer talk? I thought this game was modeled to be a second life¡­ ¡°Sure I do, you don¡¯t? Didn¡¯t you know? It¡¯s the blessing of Gaia that allows us to see our strengths and weaknesses. Gaia felt that by granting us the ability to view our strengths we can improve our lives.¡± ¡®Hm, pretty interesting. So I guess NPCs recognize the status menu as an everyday thing. Ok I guess I¡¯ll show him my stats, although I want to hide my titles and class.¡¯ One amazing feature that I found out was, just by thinking about what you don¡¯t want to show to someone will block out the information. ¡®Show Sir Elric my status menu.¡¯
Status Window
Name: YukiLevel: 1 ¨C 0.00%
Class:Alignment: Neutral
Title(s):
Health: 250Stamina: 85
Mana: 30Gender: Male
Strength1(+10)Vitality1(+20)
Agility15(+10)Dexterity12
Intelligence1Wisdom1(+40)
Luck5Fame0
Willpower109Endurance22
Charm66
Skills
Passives Physical Resistance [Beginner 2 - 53.50%]
All Sir Elric was doing was just standing there looking at my stats with a look of intrigue. ¡°Interesting¡­very interesting¡­¡± He looked up at me, ¡°Yuki, how why are your stats all over the place? I knew that you had very little strength, but I didn¡¯t know you also gained these three special stats.¡± ¡®So he even knows about the special stats¡­this man isn¡¯t normal.¡¯ ¡°Etoo~ is that a good thing or a bad thing sensei?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing and a bad thing. It¡¯s a good thing because it means, that you will get to skip most of the training that I had set up, Trey is doing the training to receive the ¡®Endurance¡¯ stat right now. ¡®Willpower¡¯, on the other hand is even harder to gain, and to get it so high¡­I think¡­¡± He seemed to have gone off into his own world. Sir Elric had his hand propped up against his chin, by this time, he had already taken a seat again. He looked just like ¡®The Thinker¡¯. I¡¯m not sure what he¡¯s thinking about though, I mean I did suffered a ton just to get the ¡®Willpower¡¯ stat and ¡®Endurance¡¯ stat. I¡¯m pretty sure I would rather get them the way Trey is doing, than to suffer through the countless deaths once more. Coming back to reality, ¡°If it¡¯s you¡­I¡¯m pretty sure you will be able to learn it.¡± ¡°Eh~? Learn what?¡± ¡°Even your weapon matches the requirements¡­¡± Becoming serious, Sir Elric narrows his eyes and asked, ¡°Yuki, why do you choose to wield the katana?¡± ¡°You know what kinda sword this is?¡± It was amazing, I thought that since, this is a western themed fantasy and Sir Elric being a knight, wouldn¡¯t know what an eastern sword is. ¡°Yes, that sword was forged using methods from a country far east of the Milan continent. My greatest rival and best friend was from there¡­I wonder¡­how is he doing, it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve been in touch. Last I heard, he wanted to test his might against the dragons to the north of the Dwarven capital Saxul.¡± Wow¡­that¡¯s just amazing, so he¡¯s saying there¡¯s a real Japanese samurai that exists in this game?! I gotta find him, ok mental note: Samurai near Saxul, got it. ¡°Anyways, Yuki I know a few tricks. My old friend and I sparred on many occasions, I¡¯ve won a few times, but I¡¯m embarrassed to say this, he won the majority of the fights. What¡¯s more, he was young, he looked like he was only in his 20s, whereas I was already 48. I swear, if I was just a decade younger, I would¡¯ve been able to keep up to him¡­Argh! I¡¯m thinking about the past. Yuki, there¡¯s an ability that he taught me, I think it will be perfect for you my boy!¡± So¡­if Sir Elric lost a majority of the sparring contests then, doesn¡¯t it mean that the samurai guy was better? Now I REALLY can¡¯t wait to find him. Now, Sir Elric said that he was able to learn one move from the samurai guy, I wonder what it is¡­ ¡°What¡¯s the ability sensei?¡± ¡°Hold on teacher! I also want to learn the ability Yuki is learning too!¡± Trey, seeing an opportunity to get a possible broken ability, chimed in. ¡°I mean, aren¡¯t I your first student?!¡± Trey¡¯s right¡­who wouldn¡¯t think it¡¯s fair if someone gets the better prize, even though they came in second place. I feel sorry for Trey, but on the other hand, I can¡¯t let this chance get away. Trey did help me by introducing me to his teacher though¡­ ¡°Is there a way for us both to learn sensei?¡± Sir Elric abruptly replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Trey and you travel two different paths. This ability focuses on the path of speed, and will only work with the katana. Trey walks the path of power, which is the same path I once walked down.¡± ¡°If you say so teacher.¡± Trey looked at Sir Elric with understanding. I guess Sir Elric will teach Trey his skills, since I walk a different road, does that mean I won¡¯t be able to learn Sir Elric¡¯s skills? ¡°So does this mean I won¡¯t be able to learn much from you sensei?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so Yuki, while I can teach you some things, you won¡¯t be able to fully benefit from my teachings. It would be better to learn by yourself. That¡¯s why the only I can do is help you raise your stats.¡± That was a shame, I was hoping I would be able to learn how to fight from him. Well, it does make sense, the fighting styles of a katana and a longsword are different from one another. ¡°I understand, then can we please proceed to training, sensei?¡± ¡°Gahaha! Sure thing my boy! Just don¡¯t come crying to me to stop, since you asked for it first!¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ I hope it¡¯s not as bad as I think, I mean, what could be worse than getting killed 100 times? ---------- ¡°I¡¯m sorry!!! I¡¯m sorry!!! I was wrong!!! There were worse things than death!!!¡± ¡°Gahahaha! Keep running boy! Unless you want to taste the end of this whip!¡± ¡°I thought you said there won¡¯t be a whip?! I mean, Trey didn¡¯t get whipped during his training right?!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say yours was going to be different?! Gahahaha!¡± Wah~¡­I made a mistake. I didn¡¯t expect the old man to be this crazy! Attached to my torso, which had clothes on due to the insistence of Trey for some reason, was the rope that Sir Elric went to get earlier. I was fine with the rope being there, the only thing I wasn¡¯t fine with was on the other end of the rope was a 120 pound hay bale. Yep, I am being forced to run around the whole ENTIRE area of the military district which was about twenty miles. I would be fine with the run, if it wasn¡¯t for the old man on horseback whipping me as soon as I slowed down even a little bit. It also didn¡¯t help that Trey left me and went to do his own physical training somewhere else. All around me, I could see faces of surprise and pity. I guess these soldiers knew how eccentric Sir Elric was. He said he never had a disciple right? I guess not only his training is weird, but he himself is too. While running desperately, I was amazed at how large just the military district was. I mean, just the military district itself could be a town already¡­I saw a few shops here and there that were selling commodities, there was even a few bars open. Of course, I would ignore the whistles from the bars as I passed by, they must think it¡¯s funny to be running with a giant hay bale and a crazed madman with a whip behind you. The whip wasn¡¯t just there for show, I would occasionally get whipped too. It hurt, it felt like an out of place itch at first, which then progresses to a slow burning sensation. It was weird¡­I could get used to this¡­I mean ARGH! It hurts so bad¡­on the plus side, I gained 5 stats in ¡®Endurance¡¯ and my ¡®Physical Resistance¡¯ went up to [Beginner 2 ¨C 99%]. I guess it levels up faster if I also endure the residual effects of the pain. This Spartan sprinting marathon when on for the rest of the day. The only times I get to have a break was when the crazy old man had to force dried tasteless bread down my parched throat or when I ran out of stamina and blacked out, even then the crazy old man would wake me up with a whip to my back or douse me with water from his bottomless canteen. I¡¯ve tried many times to have him stop the crazy run of death, but he never relented. I thought Sir Elric was gonna be a secret NPC trainer that will be able to make me over powered¡­In a sense he was a secret NPC trainer that COULD make me over powered¡­that was if I am able to keep up with his deadly training regime. I mean, if I was gonna do this insane run every day for who knows how long, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll be able to gain lots of stats¡­ When we got back to the crazy old man¡¯s hut, I wasn¡¯t feeling so great. I mean, I just went through something worse than death, Laura was practically a saint compared to this man. At least Laura made my death quick¡­this guy¡­I felt like death would¡¯ve been better than staying in that crazy marathon. *Sigh* The only thing that kept me going was¡­the hugely insane amounts of stats I got throughout that mad sprint. Over the course of the run, I had gained 10 Strength, 25 Agility, 21 Willpower, and another 30 Endurance on top of the 5 from the whippings. I was really satisfied, I mean when you level up you only gained 5 stat points. So just one session of this crazy old man¡¯s training regime already gave me enough points to rival 13 levels. ¡°Hey, Ol- I mean sensei, is it possible for you to change the way you train me¡­¡± ¡°Nope! I¡¯ve considered the best method to train you, since you seem interested in learning the skill my friend taught me, this is the best way.¡± ¡°No way~¡­I won¡¯t be able to survive another day like this¡­I¡¯m surprised I¡¯m even alive at this point!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Yuki, you don¡¯t die. I won¡¯t allow it, for a disciple of mine, someone who I deemed worthy to train, to die so easily will be a disgrace to my name!¡± He got off the horse and proceeded to undo rope from the now worn out hay bale. ¡°Hmm¡­it seems having you drag something heavy around isn¡¯t a good idea. I guess I¡¯ll use ¡®that¡¯ method.¡± *Gulp* It seems this crazy old man didn¡¯t use his harshest training method yet¡­I have to get away from here¡­special skill or not¡­my sanity is at stake here. ¡°Elric-sensei, if today¡¯s training concludes here, then I would like to return home and wash up for the day.¡± Ha! That¡¯s a perfect excuse if I see one! ¡°What are you talking about Yuki? Aren¡¯t you a traveler just like Trey? I thought you don¡¯t live here in Lucierna right?¡± Crap!...Trey!...Why did you have to tell him so much about me¡­ ¡°Err..I meant to an inn, I found this inn that looked pretty well furnished, so I thought I might go and stay there.¡± ¡°Inn? Nonsense! Just stay here at my place! Since it¡¯s dark and you don¡¯t know your way around the military district, it¡¯s best if you stay here! Gahahaha!¡± Tch! There goes my chance¡­well, if I¡¯m going down, I might as well bring Trey along with me. ¡°Fena!¡± the she-wolf that had silently ran alongside Sir Elric while he was on the horse came up to me. I guess she understood that I needed that training in order to become stronger, she didn¡¯t have any protest during the crazy marathon. ¡°Yes master?¡± ¡°Go find Trey and tell him that training is over, it¡¯s time to rest. I¡¯m pretty sure Elric-sensei wants Trey to come back too, right?¡± I gestured towards the crazy old man for confirmation. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± ¡°See? Now go and ge-¡­What?!¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.What does he mean? Isn¡¯t Trey just like me?! He¡¯s also a player, so that means he doesn¡¯t have anywhere to stay for the night right?! ¡°Trey has his quarters, since he¡¯s also a squire to Lucierna¡¯s military, he¡¯s given quarters in the military district instead.¡± ¡®¡­Fuck¡­¡¯ ¡°*Sigh*Never mind Fena.¡± I guess I¡¯m fated to suffer, least Fena is here, if it weren¡¯t for her encouraging look of pride in her master I don¡¯t know if I could¡¯ve finished that run. Of course the stats were also a good thing, but having to keep up an image in front of someone helps by a large margin. ¡°Gahahaha! Let¡¯s go on inside then Yuki my boy!¡± The old man led me inside his little cottage after he brought the tireless horse outback to the shed. Once we were inside, I was really reluctant and so was Fena. Where were we gonna sleep? Even though I don¡¯t really need sleep, but still I was curious. ¡°Etoo~ Sensei, where are we gonna sleep? It doesn¡¯t seem like there will be much room for us.¡± ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s where you are wrong my boy! Follow me!¡± With that, the old man opened the door and walked into the other room. Once I walked through the doorway, I saw that the room was full of random junk. There were tools, ropes, old kitchen utensils, and what seems to be a closet for clothes off to the side. In the corner of the room, with no junk around it, was an opened hatch. ¡°Down the hatch my boy!¡± without a moments¡¯ pause, the old man walked down the stairs of the open hatch. As soon as he stepped on the stairs, the dark stairway lit up. ¡°Wait! Elric-sensei, how does the stair light up like that?¡± my interest was piqued, I thought it would be more medieval looking, where we had to carry torches. Instead, there seems to be a strange crystal embedded within the walls of the stairway. ¡°This?¡± He points to a crystal, ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever seen it before? This is Brightstone, it can be found in caves. Miners love this thing, since it is always shining, thus lighting up the area. The reason why mine only lights up when I¡¯m nearby is because I¡¯ve had mine casted to only activate when the stone detects mana.¡± Amazing, so that explains why I¡¯ve seen those light posts in this fantasy game. ¡°Where are we going sensei?¡± ¡°Just keep following and you¡¯ll find out.¡± We kept going down the spiral staircase, it was wide enough to fit Fena and myself side by side with room to spare. We kept going down at a moderate pace for about 30 seconds before the staircase stops and we approached a hallway with two doors on either side and a single door at the far end. ¡°Yuki, I want you to keep this a secret, will you promise me never to tell anyone what I¡¯m going to tell you?¡± The old man¡¯s jovial personality from earlier changed drastically, he was now dead serious. I will even go as far as to say he had a murderous look in his eyes. ¡°Yes Sir! I will not tell anyone about this secret which you will reveal to me!¡± I was greatly intimidated by his murderous look, since I felt it was too late to reject it, I had to say yes. ¡°Good, beyond that door¡± he points to the door at the far end of the hall, ¡°lies a tunnel that connects straight to the Kings¡¯ private chamber. Don¡¯t you find it strange that I¡¯m the Royal Sword Instructor, but I¡¯ve never gotten a disciple? I¡¯ll tell you this, ¡®Royal Sword Instructor¡¯ was only a title, I¡¯m actually the Senior Captain of the Kings¡¯ Royal Guard. I¡¯m tasked with guarding the escape route if there¡¯s ever any danger threatening the palace.¡± *Gulp* I¡¯ve stumbled upon something dangerous, I¡¯m pretty sure I will be hunted to the ends of Milan if I ever reveal this secret to anybody. I mean, I just learned about a possible way to enter and assassinate a king! Of course I would never reveal this secret, I don¡¯t want to make an enemy of the whole human kingdom. ¡°Why are you telling me all this?¡± ¡°Why? Because I trust you little Yuki, your eyes tell me you are an honest person. That¡¯s the reason why I¡¯ve decided to train you in the first place. All that talk about controlling power was so you won¡¯t become corrupted by the power you will gain, I don¡¯t want you to change and lose that part of you.¡± Wow¡­I¡¯ve never had someone think this highly of me¡­I mean Aka-nee, the person I trust the most has never placed upon me the responsibilities of keeping the secret of a kingdom before¡­It felt so real¡­ ¡°Yuki, I trust that you will tell no one. Now, follow me into this room on the right.¡± Sir Elric opened the door, it opened smoothly without so much as a creak. As soon as I stepped through the door, a scene that I¡¯ve seen before was in front of me. It looked almost like the basic training hall that I was at previously. There were some dummies propped up around the vast room. ¡°This is where I keep in shape, did you really think someone as old as me would look this fit without doing some exercising?¡± ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m just amazed that such a big room is hidden under here. I mean, only you use this place right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong, this place can be garrisoned. In times of war, this place can have at least 50 royal guards stationed here. Right now there isn¡¯t much going on so I¡¯m the only one in charge of this place.¡± Sir Elric led me back out into the hall and into the other room. This room had many books, apparently this place was used as some sort of study. There were books neatly placed on shelves, some desks where around the room. It felt almost like a miniature library. Alongside the opposite wall was another door, which Sir Elric led me through. ¡°Here is where you¡¯ll sleep. I apologize if it doesn¡¯t seem as comfortable as the inn, but at least it¡¯s free right? Gahahha!¡± ¡®This crazy old man¡­well, I don¡¯t need to sleep. That was all a lie anyways.¡¯ In front of me were beds lined along the wall, they looked orderly and organized. I think this was where the stationed guards would sleep. Most of the mattresses were covered by a sheet to prevent dust from settling on them. I looked at Fena, I wonder if she is tired. ¡°Hey Fena, if you are tired you can rest. I¡¯m gonna train a bit more, since I¡¯m feeling refreshed.¡± ¡°As you wish master, I could have a bit of a rest.¡± Without any hesitation, Fena tore of the sheet and laid on the bed closest to the door. ¡°Gehehe, I knew there was something wrong. Too excited for my training right? Earlier wasn¡¯t enough for you huh?¡± The old man seemed impressed at my determination to train¡­I find it hard to lie to this man. He¡¯s too kind-hearted¡­in his own way. ¡°Yea¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t really tired, mentally I was. I will take a break for a bit and come back. ¡°Sensei, I¡¯ve changed my mind. I¡¯ll take a few moments to wash up and I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Oh? Sure, you deserved it. Hahaha, after that run I¡¯m surprised you are still standing.¡± With that, the old man went back up to the cottage. It seemed he¡¯s gonna sleep too I think. ---------- I logged out, it¡¯s amazing how much time passed in game. I spent a whole day training and out here only a couple hours passed. I spent about 12 hours in SSO, and it¡¯s only midday out here. I sat up from the Dive Pod, stretching and yawning. It felt good and it felt so weird, I was tired mentally from all that crazy sprinting I did and out here I was perfectly well rested. This could take some getting used to. Still yawning I got up from my pod, ¡°let¡¯s see what¡¯s there to eat.¡± ¡°Baka-nii¡­¡± ¡®!!!¡¯ The sudden troubled voice that came from my right side scared me. I reflexively flinched and finally opened my eyes for the first time. ¡°EH?! Rika?! What are you doing here in my room? ¡­Actually how long were you watching me?!¡± She seemed disturbed by something, ¡°Not that long¡­Ano¡­About Akari¡­¡± ¡®What about Akari? Now that I think about I never got the chance to thank her for helping me that one day. I lost the chance yesterday night since she ran to her room when I entered the dining room.¡¯ ¡°Rika, I know it¡¯s late to say this but¡­Thank you very much for helping me. When I was down over being tricked so bad, you were there listened to my worries.¡± ¡®Areh? Why is her face getting red? It can¡¯t be?!¡¯ ¡°Rika?! Are you sick?! Did you catch a cold just now? Is that why you want me to look after you?!¡± I grabbed hold of her shoulders and put my forehead up against hers. ¡®Odd¡­she doesn¡¯t seem to have a fever, but she¡¯s getting redder¡­¡¯ ¡°B-b-baka! Get away from me, who gave you permission to approach me? Know your place Idiot!¡± Rika pushed me away and stood up. ¡®Well if she has the power to push me away, I guess she¡¯s not sick.¡¯ ¡°Baka-nii¡­Akari¡­are you happy she is going to join you soon on SSO?¡± ¡°Eh? Of course! Aka-nee is so cool, I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯ll be better than me when it comes to fighting! She¡¯s so strong and reliable, I¡¯m sure anyone would fall head over heels for her when she protects them!¡± ¡®Aka-nee is sure going to turn some heads when she walks down the street. She¡¯s a real beauty¡­Why didn¡¯t she go out with anybody? I heard lots of guys asked her out, but she turned them all down¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­Baka¡­¡± Rika said that as she walked out of my room, ¡®Why did she call me that? I¡¯m pretty sure Aka-nee and Rika would make great friends¡­oh well. Gotta find something to eat.¡¯ I spent about three hours relaxing and taking care of my daily necessities before logging back in. The whole time, Rika was nowhere to be found. I assumed she was back in SSO. Knowing her, she was probably already raiding a dungeon somewhere in the Elven Kingdom. I bet she probably started a guild or something, she seemed like the type that wants to tell others what to do¡­ ---------- I once again reappeared on the bed where I logged out from. Fena¡¯s not here, I guess she is with the old man¡­I hope she¡¯s alright. I walked to the door, I thought of just going straight up, since how was Fena going to train by hitting dummies? As soon as I closed the door and turned towards the spiraling staircase, I heard the sound of dummies being hit through the door. *Thwack* ¡°Wrong! That¡¯s not how you are supposed to hit it!¡± I could hear the crazy old man through the door. ¡®Who is he talking to? Is it Trey?¡¯ Curious, I opened the door and walked in. What I saw was a strange sight. The old man was instructing someone, however he¡­or was it she? Anyways, the old man was teaching the beastman hand to hand combat. It was strange, the beastman was a pure white wolfman. The wolfman was slim, and looked like a wolf that was standing on its¡¯ hind legs. ¡°Master!¡± The wolfman ran up to me and hugged me before I could react, ¡°Hehe, master is so soft. I can finally do this to you now, hehe¡­¡± The strange wolfman kept hugging me, I wouldn¡¯t say I hate it, the fur was comfortable and soft, I could also feel two strange soft lumps¡­crap! ¡°Woah! Hold on! Who are you?! Why are you so familiar with me?!¡± She was so strong, I couldn¡¯t push her away. ¡°No way~? You forgot about Fena already, master?! Master is so mean!¡± ¡®Eh?! That¡¯s Fena?! ¡­.Now that I think about it, the fur matches, but why is she a beastman?¡¯ By this time, I was already beyond embarrassment, I didn¡¯t know where to touch. Fena felt more soft and human under her soft coat of fur, so I felt awkward trying to push her away. ¡°Hold on, Fena?! Get off me!¡± She let me out of her hug, ¡°Ok, first of all don¡¯t do that again.¡± ¡°Eh~?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, second why are you a beastman now?¡± I was curious, she was only a pup just the other day, she can¡¯t possibly be have evolved already. ¡°I evolved! Hehe, aren¡¯t you proud of me master?!¡± ¡°How?!¡± ¡°Well, do you remember how nothing attacked us when we left the forest?¡± She seemed calm, as if reasoning with a child, kinda pisses me off, I¡¯m the master! ¡°Yea, it was awfully quiet. I assumed the monsters avoided us because you were a guardian of the forest right?¡± ¡°You are close, I stopped being a guardian when I became your servant, master. The actual truth was, I exterminated all the monsters in the old region of my den. As soon as the pack moved deeper, they drove out all the monsters from the deeper regions out. I thought it might be dangerous so I killed them all hehe.¡± ¡®¡­So that was the real reason why nothing happened¡­¡¯ ¡°Fena¡­What level were you when you evolved to stage 2?¡± ¡°Level 53, why did you want to know master?¡± ¡°I want to know what the requirements are for you to evolve.¡± This is pretty interesting, since my class is based off the evolution ability of unique monsters, maybe Fena can provide me some insights on my class attributes. ¡°The requirements are different for different types, for us, we could evolve early on. Most choose not to evolve since it resets all our stats and skills to one. The only bad thing if we don¡¯t evolve is it takes longer to gain points in a stat we are training. When we evolve, everything resets, but we get stronger faster.¡± ¡®So that¡¯s how it works, if I rank up will the same thing happen to me?¡¯ ¡°Thanks Fena, I just wanna know something Fena. Why did you choose now to evolve to stage 2?¡± Fidgeting, Fena hesitated before she answered, ¡°Because I wanted to become stronger along with master.¡± ¡°Eh~?¡± ¡°Enough you two, back to training!¡± The old man, approached us and gestured towards Fena to resume practicing on the dummies. ¡°Now, Yuki. Your Training schedule will be sparring training, followed by physical training and finally ending with technique training. I hope you are prepared my boy, this is going to hurt, hehehehe.¡± The crazy old man gave off a slight hint of cruelty when he finished what he wanted to tell me. ¡®He must enjoy torturing me..¡¯ ---------- ¡®I can¡¯t go on anymore *haa* since it was later in the day, we skipped the sparring and went straight to the same crazy run. *haa* Really¡­*haa* I hope this isn¡¯t gonna be a regular thing, this time some of the guards cheered me on while I ran around the military district.¡¯ We spent less time running today though, I¡¯m happy for that. Fena doesn¡¯t look one bit tired from the run. Didn¡¯t all her stats just reset? She should be even weaker than me right? After the ¡®short¡¯ run, we came back to the underground training room. Since I seemed out of breath, I was allowed to take a few minutes to rest, thank god for that. While I was resting, I paid attention to how the old man was teaching Fena how to fight in her humanoid form. It must be awkward, having to change the way you fight because of how drastic the evolution was. After a few more minutes of watching Fena trying different ways of kicking and the old man correcting her, I soon got bored and my mind wandered off. ¡®Why was Rika depressed when I told her about Akari? I¡¯m pretty sure they will make good friends if they got to know each other. Akari is an easygoing person who is very caring. While Rika¡­She¡¯s kind when she wants to¡­and um¡­very demanding¡­Well I¡¯m sure things will work out.¡¯ ¡°Yuki!!¡± I snapped back to the current situation, *Bonk* ¡°Pay attention when I¡¯m talking to you!¡± ¡®Owie~¡­.that hurts¡­.¡¯ ¡°Now, come on. I¡¯ll show you the move that I was telling you earlier."