《Regressor who?》 Chapter 1. Here we go again. As Jack walked out of the bathroom, the fresh feeling of a recently taken bath still enveloping his entire being, a sudden bout of immeasurable headache assaulted his senses. He swayed for a moment, yet due to his unnatural constitution, he quickly regained his bearings And yet, despite his clear mind, he was momentarily lost at what he saw. How would he not be? The sight before his eyes was one he would never forget, in this life or in the next, or so it felt, for he could clearly see the great number of people, faces he had never seen before this moment in his life, words of confusion and fear from countless different tongues resounding all around him. This was where it all started and for whatever reason, he had the chance to go through it all again, A grin slowly spread across his face as people all around him grew more and more worried, calling out for someone they knew or at least spoke their language. Jack alone could already pick out numerous languages he recognized, even of he himself was not fluent in them. That alone already told plenty to those calm enough or psychotic enough to stay balanced. "Sumimasen? Daredemo? Taskete onegai!" "Shto za huj? Dge mi?" "Was ist das? Wo sind wir?" More and more voices joined in on the growing panic and to avoid unnecessary attention to himself, Jack too tried to appear a at least a bit distraught, though still observing not only his immediate surroundings but also the room itself, something he had no chance the first time around, for much like everyone else, he too was half panicking back then. Oh sure, it was one thing to read fantasy stories about similar settings, it was a whole another thing to find oneself in such a situation. This time though, he was much more prepared and thus used said experience to evaluate his surroundings and any possible threat to him within this group of people. He knew damn well just what kind of hidden and repressed monsters could be unleased at any moment, doubly so when they all were informed of just what was truly happening. ''And here they are.'' he noted a few long minutes later, as suddenly one side of the of the room lit up with a bright light, near blindingly so, yet also warm and with an added effect of calming ones nerves. "Welcome, oh travelers of distant stars. We are thankful to you for answering our call and also apologetic at the same time, for no doubt many of you believe you had not done anything of the sort. It is your soul that longed adventure, or something else entirely that drew you here." as the blinding aspect of the light receded, or to be precise- as people''s eyes adjusted, a breathtakingly beautiful, approximately two and a half meter tall, blonde woman with fair skin, golden eyes and three pairs of angelic wings sprouting from her back spoke as she floated a few meters above the ground, her snow white dress lightly fluttering in the wind that was created as she flapped her wings to stay afloat. For anyone else, guys especially, she looked like divine beauty descending to earth, something that even dust should not be allowed to smear and delife with it''s presence. Jack though? He knew that was the effect of their bloodline. Not just perceived divine beauty, but an actual drop of divine blood that coursed through their blood. "You have been called here to save this world, for it has been invaded by the forces of darkness and is in dire need of help. And yet, as much as we would like for you to be able to go out in the world and do what you must, there are, unfortunately, rules that even we have to abide by, and as such, there is no choice for us but to have you go through this ''tutorial'' stage before you can do so. But worry not, o brave and adventurous souls, for it is as much a starting point as it is a preparation for things to come. This world is much more savage and unforgiving than the one you are used to." she continued to speak, warmth radiating off of her, as if lulling the people present into a trans like state as they listened. ''Damn, still as unpleasant as ever, that aura of pacification they have.'' Jack thought, keeping it all to himself as he was looking around for the exit from this room. There was nothing of importance he could sense so far. It seemed that the room was just that- a simple large room for the explicit purpose of summoning them here. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "In a brief moment another angel will explain all the things you will need to know to start this next step of your lives with a better understanding of the world around that will hopefully ensure your success and longevity in this place. Once again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the bravery you have shown and the sacrifices you are willing to make." she finished, bowed her head ever so slightly, a gentle smile on her lips remaining as it had the entire time, and then disappeared as if she had never been there in the first place. Then, the time and everyone else around seemed to crawl to a stop as everything dimmed and jack was now entirely alone in a rather small, gray and boring room, another, smaller and not nearly as divinely beautiful angel with a single pair of wings stood before him. "I am Assil and will explain things to you." the brunette angel spoke as she inclined her head ever so slightly. ''Still looking down on us even now huh?'' Jack smirked in his head, well aware of the arrogant and prideful nature of the creature before him. Still, he needed this to go on, thus, in a similar manner, he too barely inclined his head in acknowledgement, something he noticed ticked off the angel something fierce as the corner of her left eye twitched notably. "From what we have learned of your world, I have to ask you, o traveler of the stars. Are you familiar with something called computer games?" she asked and after another, barely noticeable nod she continued "The world you have arrived in has similar rules applied to it. Status screens, abilities and many other aspects you should then be familiar with. Each of the summoned heroes is also gifted a temporary spatial storage for the duration of the tutorial that shrinks as time goes on, disappearing entirely once one leaves this zone entirely. try calling it up with a thought." Well aware of the way it all works, though not because he remembered it per say but because he had a permanent one in the time he came back with, he willed his storage to appear, visualizing a relatively small space in his mind''s eye, though it was entirely empty for the time being. "I see it, though it is empty for now." "Wonderful, now try the same with status. It should tell you how fit and wise you are right now when compared to average being of your kind. Ten in an attribute is the peak of a normal human body, just so you know. As you kill monsters or perform other tasks, you will earn experience and level up once you earn enough. With each level, an increase in stats will make you stronger, smarted and overall more powerful, so strive to grow so you can stave off the approaching darkness of the evil forces invading this realm." Assil explained with a kind smile on her face. "Anything else I should be aware off?" Jack asked calmly, not opening his own status. "Y-your status?" "I know how strong I am, so there is no need to check right now, so? Anything else?" "Tsk." the angel clicked her tongue in annoyance, though normally it would go unnoticed, their beaty being quite the distraction for young men like Jack, so she proceeded to explain what she still had to. "Once you reach certain level thresholds, you will get a chance to pick a class that will strengthen certain aspects of your existence. Choose with care for it is nigh impossible to change it, mostly it can only be upgraded to a higher tier." "Understood. Anything else?" "Here, a small gift from the angels to ensure your journey starts off a little easier." Assil waved her hand and a screen appeared before jack''s eyes. a list of weapons displayed on said list. "Pick one." she added. "The slicing spear." Jack decided quickly, and with that, the angel waved him goodbye, saying that the spear will be deposited in his temporary spatial storage, then wished him good luck and vanished as if she was never there. Just moments later, Jack was back in the room he was before the conversation with the angel, time seemingly having returned to normal. Quite a few people were pulling out their chosen weapons, swinging them to get a feel, though still remaining where they were. It was then that jack noticed multiple exits now visible to ones eyes in all the corners of the room. Luckily, or as expected, he was near one, just like he had been the first time around and as such, he quickly slipped out, following a few other brave guys who had decided to move on. Was it to get a headstart or to prepare for something else, he did not know, nor cared for, his own path already laid out before him, or so he believed at the time. Little did he know that things would go way differently than before though as he learned soon enough a few important pieces of information about this regression of his. Chapter 2. Just as beautiful and twisted as I remember. Just a few moments later and Jack was out of the room, a cold morning air greeting his face and lungs as he stepped out. It felt like a chilly, though otherwise pleasant spring day, still carrying a slight reminiscence of the recently passed winter and snow that covered the land, or at least that was how Jack felt at this moment. ''Snow huh? haven''t seen that in a long, long time.'' he smirked to himself as moved out of the way should anyone else decide to leave through the same exit he had just moments before. He looked up and off into the distance, his eyes searching for that familiar sight he had chased all the way back the first time around after a particularly unlucky hunt. He had run into a group of hobs as he had hunted on his lonesome- not what he could have dealt with at the time, resulting in quite a few bruises regardless of the hasty retreat he had performed. Due to said party having a tracker of their own, he was also forced to pick some sort of a landmark to follow, lest he walks in circles and gets caught up to by said group. "There you are." jack smiled as he noticed what he was looking for, just barely recognizing the old, half dead tree top, it''s branches like some sort of monster claws spread out as if awaiting it''s pray to just stumble upon it, signing their own death warrant. Wasting no more time, he started to move in the very same direction, pulling out his slicing spear he had chosen as his weapon. It looked like most normal spears if one were to look at it from afar, the obviously elongated shaft providing plenty of reach and a sharp, point tip for proper and deadly stabbing. What seperated the slicing spear from a normal one was its elongated metal tip and the sharp, sword like edges to the sides, allowing the spear to be used for slicing as well, though one had to have some understanding and skill to use the duality of the weapon to its fullest potential, and Jack, he had plenty of skill this go around. As he moved forward, he also did what he knew he had to do, though was unwilling do in the presence of the angel, thus, as he moved forward towards his goal, he willed his status screen to appear. Jack Raja(?) Age- 27 Species- human(?) Class- none Level- 0 Stats unassigned: 0 Attributes: Strength- 7 Vitality- 7 Dexterity- 5 Intelligence-7 Spirit- 20 Skills- none Spells- temporary spatial storage (shrinking) ''As expected for the most part, though my spirit is way above what humans can hope to achieve and totally off when compared to the last time. Then again, how could it not be? Who I was then and who I was right before the regression, the two cant even be considered the same species, let alone the same person. Also would explain why system is not sure I am even human now, or sure about the family name. It''s been a few decades since I last used it, to the point I don''t even believe it to be a part of my identity.'' he mused as he moved forward still, in the very corner of his eye noticing movement. "Already here? Ain''t that a bit too close to the starting area?" he wondered out loud as he dashed towards the movement, moments later coming into the view of the cause of said movement. A relatively small, around a meter or so tall, child like, green skinned and ugly looking creature with a club in hand was there, staring at him for a short moment as it charged forward, a shrill shriek leaving it''s mouth, sharp teeth revealed as it did so. Goblins- not the smartest, or strongest, or most agile of the creatures, but what they lacked in attributes they more than made up for in viciousness and straight up vile nature. Not a single sapient race would ever advocate for sparing a single of these creatures, not that jack would anyhow, he had heard plenty of horror stories about large goblin parties razing smaller villages to the ground, leaving not a single body behind, dragged along with them to either devour or worse if one happened to be captured alive. See, the goblins were extremely cruel and sadistic beings in nature, preferring to elongate someone''s suffering as much as possible if at all able. Did not matter if you were a bloke unlucky enough to survive the encounter, kept alive for some time longer as an emergency food source that would not spoil so fast, or a woman whose fate was guaranteed to be worse than just death and torture. With precise movement, jack closed the distance and utilised the reach advantage he had due to his spear, impaling the creatures throat as it was charging towards him as well, ending the fight in mere moments. "Too feral. Something''s off." he quickly concluded as he sensed and ignored the notification about earning experience. He went even further as he willed for all other experience notifications to be muted and kept in the background as it would be slightly irritating over a long periods of time to hear a metaphorical ping in your mind after every kill achieved. ''Those little shits behave like this in two cases only. A horde has recently formed or there was more than one group with overabundant supply of food, prey and breeding stock and had grown too large, followed by said supply rapidly dwindling, as a result the weakest are pushed out of their ''groups'' and grow feral and desperate. Whichever the case, neither is good for the people entering this zone. Was it the same the last time around? Or has something drastically changed?'' he thought to himself as he kept on moving ahead. As he passed through the forest, he encountered a few more stray and just as feral goblins that he dispatched just as easily as the first one, until he ran into something he actually recognized. A fairly familiar group of hobs he would never forget, especially the one with a crude, yet still functioning bow and another one with a spiked helmet that had one broken horn. Hobs, or as they were otherwise called- hobgoblins, were an evolved form of goblins, reaching the size of humans, though much stockier than your average person. "Hello there little shits." he grinned, remembering how he had to run away last time. "Let''s have ourselves another go then, shall we?" he twirled his spear as he calmly approached them, deflecting a couple of arrows shot in his direction by the single archer of the hob group. "Nu-ah. That is not how we play the game this time around. This time, it''s me who is doing the killing, and you- the running!" the grin on Jack''s face turned downright predatorial as the first of the hobbs came into his reach and immediately regretted it. A quick stab and a howl of pain escaped the hobbs mouth, one of it''s legs pierced, the muscle on one side of the bone entirely cut as well with just the slightest pull of the sear to the side, leaving the hob on the ground and squealing in pain. "Just wait there patiently while I deal with the rest here. It won''t take too long after all." Jack laughed as he moved slightly to the side, avoiding another arrow shot at him as he was using the bodies of the remaining Hobbs that came in melee as a makeshift fence that hid most of his body from the last of their group. Then, using the experience he had engraved in his being, he utilized the slicing spear to its utmost potential, piercing and slicing the attacking Hobs with every opening that he was given and since he was dealing with just hobgoblins, there were plenty of such openings for him to exploit. A sidestep, followed by a quick stab, followed by a quick backstep while pulling the spear further back as well, followed by another sidestep and yet another thrust, wounding yet another of the hobs. In such a manner Jack quite quickly only had the archer left to deal with. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. As it turned out, being the last one standing was what finally caused the cowardly shit to turn and try to run away, only to be greeted by by a sickly sound and yet anther shriek as it was pierced through it''s back, the tip of Jack''s spear that he had thrown just now poking through the hobs chest, causing it to drop to it''s knees as it wheezed for air. " It''s game over for you." Jack spoke emotionlessly as he pulled back the spear, the hob falling on the ground dead. Next, Jack moved towards the remaining hobs and quickly finished them off too, then grabbing the bow and the remaining arrows that were still in the archers quiver and leaving the spot of massacre behind. The fight did not last too long, a few minutes tops, but he was sure that soon enough more goblins would be swarming the area, those screams of pain no doubt having reached more than just a single other party in the vicinity and Jack, he would prefer to be at his destination at the very least by the time they reach here. ------------------- An hour or so later, Jack was sitting on a rather large boulder, his spear pressed against his shoulder as he seemed to be deep in thought. The sound of water falling and crashing against the relatively small pond at the waterfalls feet overwhelming any and all other sounds in the vicinity. Jack though was not bothered by it one bit, a slight smile on his face as he both took in the example of nature''s might and unyielding form, as well as checking out the notifications he had received. Jack Raja(?) Age- 27 Species- human(?) Class- none Level- 2 Stats unassigned: +2 Attributes: Strength- 7+4 Vitality- 7+4 Dexterity- 5+4 Intelligence-7 Spirit- 20 Skills- none Spells- temporary spatial storage (shrinking) Titles(unlocked): The real Monster, Big Game Hunter. He knew that titles are awarded if one fulfilled special conditions and that there were certain titles that granted permanent boost to ones stats, thus being no doubt quite the lucrative thing to pursue, assuming the conditions to achieve them were known. It was important to note that only for the first ten levels were there any guaranteed stat points awarded, with the same happening relatively rare after that point, forcing people to depend on either elixirs that were insanely rare and astronomically expensive, or the good old training to grow stronger. One might then ask -what''s the point of leveling past level ten then? The answer was also quite simple in turn- to raise ones upper limits ever higher, for without doing so no matter how much you trained, you would plateau quite quickly in whatever training one had chosen to do, be it lifting weights or reading books. Was it any wonder then that attribute increasing titles and the condition to acquire them would also cost insane amounts, assuming the person in the know was willing to sell said knowledge. Why would they would want for a possible enemy to grow stronger on their dime as well? No, most of such titles and the conditions to unlock them if known were kept close to ones chest, only rarely shared with the closest friends and confidantes. "Let''s see what we have here." he spoke in a rather quiet voice, focusing on the titles one after another. The real Monster- Who is the real monster here? Taking down a group of another species second advancement while having none of your own? Keep this up and everyone around you will realise the same. Strength + 3, Vitality +3, Dexterity +3. Big Game Hunter- Only real hunters start off big straight away. Awarded for killing a creature with more than five level gap at level zero. Strength +1, Vitality +1. Dexterity +1. "Nice indeed." he hummed as he inspected his gains for a moment. The plus four to his three physical attributes was a massive gain, pushing him above peak human capabilities. He could now even afford to keep his two free attributes in reserve for the moment as his gaze returned to the small lake in front of him, it''s surface chaotic from the waves created by the never ending water falling down the waterfall. As he looked at the chaotic surface, a slightly blurry, yet still vivid memory in it''s own right resurfaced in his mind, not by the fault of his lacking mental capacity mind you. No, the memory was from a time far in the past, one could actually argue that it was a memory from the future as well, since jack would not have arrived at this for a few more hours at the very least in his previous go around. In the memory, wounded and exhausted Jack stumbled upon the lake, still in a panicked escape from the same group of hobs he had already slaughtered. As he approached the lake his leg slipped and he tumbled forward, falling into the water, only for something unexpected to happen- instead of getting soaked, he found himself in a dimly lit cave, the only source of light were crystals embedded into the cave walls. "Hello old friend." He smiled lightly as he rose to his feet, the spear held in his hand as he walked up to the lake, confidently stepping into it, only for the same thing to happen again, with him standing in the same, dimly lit cave. Luminous cave dungeon event found. Clear it fro mall monsters and slay the creature protecting the core. Rewards calculated upon completion based on contribution. System message unformed him as the slight smile on his face was replaced by a ferocious and battle hungry grin, a habit he had picked up in his previous go around. He inhaled deeply, the slightly stale underground air that was filled with just the faintest smell of blood filled his lungs "Just as beautiful and twisted as I remember. Let''s create some new, magnificent memories together, shall we old friend?" he laughed almost demonically, heading deeper inside. A few minutes later he encountered the first monster group, consisting of five entities. Frogmops. A rather weird creature growing up to one and a half meter height that resembled green tree frogs that walked on two legs just like humans, though the frog like back leg structure made their gait seem incredibly awkward. The creatures were also notoriously short sighted and had lost the most signature thing of frogs- they had no tongue that could be used like frogs used theirs. Armed with simple, meter long corral spears they nonetheless reacted to jack''s approach, quickly turning his way and sauntering over, their movement as awkward as one would expect, their real advantage lay in water combat after all, their webbed feet and slimy body serving as quite the tool to maneuver inside water. Unfortunately, the battle would take place on land, making them quite the easy picking for Jack. Unlike the hobs he had fought before, he could simply stat check these creatures and so, deftly parrying the stabs coming his way he used the opening he created with said parries to deliver deadly stabs in vital areas of the frogmops, quickly dispatching them with relative ease. When the group was dealt with, he did stop this time, cutting off the legs of this quarry. He needed some rations since this cave system was a job of days, for the previous him of course, but why waste a perfectly good chicken legs, for the frogmops tasted like one when you did not have to. And he would surely grow hungry soon enough. "Now then, what path should we walk this time around?" he mused as he advanced, encountering another group of frogmops every ten or so minutes, earning enough time in between packs to catch some breath and recover what little energy he spent. He could do little but shake his head in disappointment at his own lack of experience the first time around as every encounter kept him on edge and was quite exhausting back then. Not anymore, the abundance of experience and skill with his chosen weapon, as well as the weapon itself served him greatly to trivialize every encounter. Add to it the superior stats he already possessed thanks to the two titles he received and his new path was promising to be smooth sailing. "I already did the warrior/berserker style previously, so that is a no go." he talked to himself, dispatching yet another group of frogmops. "Wait, I have the experience and skill with me regardless, so could I just not pick some crafting profession and go with that? There will be a liter metric tons of stuff to use as crafting materials in the endless abyss after all. Fucking hell, that sounds like some scarily good shit. I was always in need of some new stuff. Those traders at the safe zones charged an arm and a leg after all." The next few hours were spent in a similar manner as Jack advanced further and further along the tunnel, his weapons amassing more and more blood as some had even stained his clothes as well. "I knew it was not supposed to be done for days." he grinned as he stood before an expansion of the cave, before him a rather large area with very shallow, ankle deep water pond of sorts. In the very center of the pond, a naga lay, as though resting and waiting for something. Nagas were a creatures with snakes lover half and reptilian like, humanoid upper bodies, covered in scales and a few fins on their backs. They were much stronger than frogmops, often enslaving the latter to perform menial tasks for them or serve as an emergency food if necessary. A rather beautifully crafted coral halberd lied at its side, indicating both the skill of it''s wielder and the might it had to wield such large weapon. "Hm?" jack furrowed his brow at the sight. "I don''t remember you being here. And where is the entrance to the abyss?" Chapter 3. Dungeon cleared and path forward. The moment Jack stepped into the ankle deep water pool, the naga instantly stirred, like a spider sensing a prey touching it''s web. It rose up to its full height, towering over Jack even from the distance between them, estimated at about two and a half, to three meters give or take, plus the same length of tail stretching behind it to balance it out. Large, bulging muscles flexed as it gripped its halberd, whirling it a couple of times, creating a barely perceptible breeze of wind in Jack''s direction. ''Similar in strength, though the additional mass will give him advantage on overhead swings. The tail is long and seems agile enough as well, have to care for when he will use it to deliver a well timed strike to either try and take me out entirely or do disrupt my balance to deliver the decisive strike with that halberd. Note to self, do not damage the weapon too much, that one looks at least of a rare grade.'' Jack analyzed the situation as the naga slowly approached him, its movement slow and deliberate, doing its very best to appear even stronger than it already was, indicating that the monster had lived long enough and developed quite a few wise tactics to tip the favour even more in its favour than things normally would be. The stand off, or rather the Jack''s standoff and nagas slow approach ended when the monster was on a few meters away, the naga immediately lunging forward, swinging the halberd in a horizontal slash, employing both its strength and inertia to deliver a much more potent blow to the opponent, though unfortunately for the creature, Jack had already expected a similar outcome, with the speed and reaction of a cat he avoided the strike entirely, crouching his body under the strike, at the same time performing a stabbing motion with his own spear, creating a small wound as he delivered a precise strike to nagas armored abdomen. "Roarrrr!" naga roared at him a moment later, less so in pain and more from the sheer rage it felt at its prey for even having the audacity to attempt to harm it, let alone actually succeeding. it then lunged once again, though this time with added caution as though expecting a similar attack coming. Much to its surprise, Jack took this strike head on, or so it seemed initially, sparks flying as the blades touched for the briefest of moments, only to be guided by Jack away as he redirected the entire thing, utilizing the new, improved momentum of naga to deliver yet another powerful strike to its abdomen, once again striking the previously created wound, earning a growl of pain from the naga, clearly his precision was not appreciated by the monster. As expected, the next attack seemed overly brash and seemingly rage induced, the naga apparently discarding all caution and reason to deliver a truly savage and debilitating strike, though at the same time quite telegraphed and just a bit slow, creating a rather obvious path to avoid it and place oneself in the perfect place for just as devastating of a counter. An opening far too good to be true, though Jack did not ignore it entirely. He dodged as the incoming attacks opening ''suggested'' he should, though instead of stabbing towards the main body of the naga once in the position, he started his swing already as he slipped past the strike, just barely avoiding the incoming tail bash precisely where he was supposed to appear, leaving the obvious feint and the quick response right after a dud. More than just a dud either, as his own, already in motion strike landed precisely, creating a deep gash in nagas tail, this time earning a shriek of pain from the monster that would have called upon any other monsters around. Unluckily for the naga, the cave system was empty by now, courtesy of Jack, allowing the cry to resound far and wide, though the only ones to hear it were both already at the very center of the commotion. Jack did not waste the opportunity his retaliation provided, following up his previous strike with a few more, wounding nagas arms in the process, causing blood to seep out not only from the large wound on its tail but also in the arms and while the blood loss would take quite some time still to start showing effect, the wounded arms meant that the attacks were weaker and slower as well and combined with the heavily damaged tail, Jack could also mostly disregard that aspect of nagas skill set. To further drive the final nail in the coffin, he willed two of his unassigned attribute points into strength, bringing his total to thirteen, allowing him to fully block the incoming strikes, redirecting them right afterwards and then utilizing the momentary opening to deliver his own slashing attack, adding yet another gushing wound that increased the amount of blood naga lost each second. Eventually, another six minutes of similar, ever slowing down exchanges, the naga slumped down, its vitality having finally run out as it drew the last of its breaths. "Huuuh." Jack exhaled, exhausted as well "Fuck nagas and their insane vitality. Good riddance!" he spat as he drove his spear in the head of naga, ensuring its demise and falling on his ass a few steps away from the corpse, just moments later with arms wide to the sides he fell on his back as well, eyes seemingly locked on the caves ceiling, though in actuality paying attention to the new notifications from the system. Dungeon boss slain. Instance locked until the core is destroyed and rewards claimed. Achievement earned: The brilliant rookie- being talented is only brings one half the way, the rest must be achieved with hard work and determination. Took on the dungeon of the trial zone. Strength +1, Vitality +1. Achievement earned: The insane Solo- Some people are adrenaline junkies, some are unlucky and some are just batshit crazy. Congratulations, you have been acknowledged as the latter, though it is not all bad. To do and live to tell the tale is a feat in and of itself. Achieved for soloing the trial dungeon as a classless initiate. Strength +2, Vitality +2, Dexterity +2. Level earned. Current level- 6. Class selection available. "A good harvest." Jack chuckled, thoroughly exhausted, but the freshly acquired additional vitality points already doing their job, alleviating the exhaustion on his body. "Still, there was no naga the last time around and where the hell is my sweet sweet portal to the abyss?" He was confused, quite a large part of his second ''playthrough'' depended on the availability of the abyss where he would grind both levels and materials for whatever crafting class he picked. And he was also counting on the rewards for the first major stage completion. As his thought process reached that point though, he went dead still, his memory bringing up two relevant snippets of knowledge regarding his current problem. "Of fucking course!" he exclaimed as he laughed, working over the first realization. ''One abyss per plane, period. And since I already cleared this planes abyss, even if in different timeline there of course would not be another entrance. That also explains why the naga was here. It''s place was not taken over by the portal to the abyss. Shit, talk about scatterbrained. Change of plans then.'' he though rapidly, still laying on the ground, recovering from the long fight he had just had, mulling over the second revelation as he did. ''Some fucking legend actually did it.'' he laughed in his head, remembering his last wish upon completing the abyss. ''If anyone from the summoned heroes reaches that games end and decides to roll back time to fix everything that went wrong, I want to be brought back as well, aware and everything to get a second go with whatever knowledge I had gained until the time of reversal.'' That was his wish at the end of the abyss while he was on his high for reaching the end. It had seemed like an absolute waste of a wish once he had calmed down, but now? Now he was fucking ecstatic about it twice over, patting himself on the shoulder and praising both himself and the dude who made it all possible. There was simply no way a woman would be as batshit crazy to be like- I can fix all this shit the second time around. Hold my beer. Nope, that had to be a dude. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Hmm, should I adjust my plans?" he mused a short while later as he slowly rose to his feet, shuffling back over to nagas corpse, taking the nice looking coral halberd and using it as an extra balance walked over to a small and quite beautiful altar that the naga had obscured with its body, a slightly glowing, fist sized object floating just above it. He raised his new weapon and swung it, cleanly cutting the glowing object in half, a system notification informing him of his success and a chest spawning on the altar. Dungeon complete. Free stat point awarded. Calculating contribution.... Contribution- 100%. three free attributes awarded. As far as he knew, each participating member earned one free attribute for clearing a dungeon, so long it was not low leveled, meaning ten or more levels below the participants own. Additionally, three highest contributors also received an attribute each, ensuring no high levels would chase after low level dungeons, and those that assisted low level noobs earning their attributes for participating would earn a single attribute for being among the top three contributors. However, since Jack was the sole participant, as well as within the level range, he naturally earned the reward for it all, the participation, as well as three attributes for attaining 100% contribution score. It was important to note that there would be no attribute rewards for contribution if there were no participants who were eligible for participation attribute rewards, meaning yet another reason high levels would not solo low level dungeons. The drops and monster bodies would also be far too weak of a rewards for such guys. The question then arises, would the high level guys not bring in a single guy eligible for the clear reward and solo it then, but that too does not work. The moment there are more than one person inside, the contribution gets distributed with one point per person, meaning the third point gets wasted, and no clan or group would be willing to just let free attributes to go to waste, only real fools would waste a chance to help one of their own grow stronger since stronger group meant higher tier dungeons could be cleared, meaning higher chance for the ever elusive elixir and other valuable drops. "Right, forgot." he shook his head and looked at the halberd in his hand, a small system description appearing. He could see a similar one when he focused on his own splitting spear as well, though without special analyze skills one could not do so with items not belonging to them. Splitting spear(common)- simple yet sturdy spear provided by the angelic race to the initiates passing the tutorial. It will hold its own against anything the tutorial will throw at you. Elite coral halberd (rare)- crafted by naga artisans and handed to promising warriors who have a chance to reach royal guard ranks. Strength +1 while equipped. A person could equip up to two weapons and a bow, provided the two weapons were one handed, or a two handed weapon and another, smaller one handed one. In the case of choosing a two handed melee weapon, one sacrificed their range by a lot, though there were some one handed options available at higher ranks that resembled guns, though those weapons had a single shot and they recharged relatively slowly. For pure ranged combat enthusiasts the choice was between bow or a crossbow of a few different kinds with some small melee weapon for emergencies when the enemy gets too close. "Nice." Jack smiled and equipped the haberd, the weapon appearing on his back in its sheathed state, though seemingly smaller than it actually was. With but a thought Jack could draw it, the weapon extending to its original size. "Lets see what else we have earned here." he chuckled as he moved over to the chest that had appeared after he destroyed the dungeon core, opening its lid slowly. "Tsk." he clicked his tongue as he noticed a small pouch, clearly filled with gold and gems, two dozen potions sparking with red or blue colour, a dozen of each, clearly health and mana recovery, and a single tome. he collected the potions, stashing them away in his spatial storage and took the book in his hand, system notification popping up the moment he did. Class tome- hydromage acquired. Would you like to use it? He rejected the prompt, stashing the book away in his space storage as well. "Well, time to get to the juicy part." he mused as a small circle of runes formed close by that would take him out of the dungeon once he stepped on it, he was informed by the system since it was supposedly his first time inside a dungeon. Jack ignored the exit for the time being, more focused on the one thing that would shape quite a bit of the things he could do going forward. Obviously, he was about to choose a class he would go with. Important to note that it was quite the expensive process to change classes once one was chosen, the choice being either a class book of a higher rarity or an extremely expensive ritual to remove the currently held class, or, in insanely rare cases and lucky cases, a grimoire giving one the skill of dual class, allowing for another class to be earned. What Jack knew however was another way, though it had even harsher requirements than the previous three, unless of course you had all the relevant information at hand. Class fusions. Some classes could be fused with others, creating a new, superior variant of a higher grade and with boons from both that were used in the fusion. Still, he had to first figure out what he would pick as the base, no doubt his choices would differ from what he had available the first time around. Not only were his physical stats leagues above what he had the first time around, his Spirit was through the roof as well. One had to note that spirit was a rather ethereals stat was was nigh impossible to strengthen, his own only changing when he stepped in the realm of half divines in the future that would never come to pass now. "Alrighty then, show daddy what we are working with here." he chuckled and prompted the the class selection and, true to his suspicions, a wall of text, a list more like, expanded before his eyes, countless different class names listed one after another. Indeed, unlike the first time around where he only had the choice from the base four classes- warrior, archer, mage, priest, and their advanced, abyss variants, now he had a list so long before him, he could probably spend days going through it all and still being stuck. Luckily, the system was a friend in this regard, and so, he mentally commanded the system. ''Filter out all common, uncommon, and rare classes, as well as non crafting classes.'' With the command issued, the list shrunk considerably, though. it was still quite large. Only the classes of epic, heroic and legendary rarity remained and all of them were related to crafting in some manner or another. ''Filter out non fusion variants as well.'' he issued another command, the list shrinking even more, now remaining at about two pages. "Wait a second!" he exclaimed, remembering something he had talked about with one of the other ascendants once he was bored in the higher plane in the future that would never be. ''Clear the filters and search for class Aspect of polarity.'' he commanded once again, and indeed, a single class appeared on the screen. Aspect of polarity(??)- a class that embodies a chosen ''value'' and the polar opposite of it, forming skills around said value and its opposite. A shit eating grin formed on his face, for no other reason than his unique suitability for it given what he had become in his previous go around. ''Choose Aspect of polarity.'' Confirming choice. Confirmed. Select the value. A screen with empty box appeared before his eyes, and with the same shit eating grin, he chose his path. ''Destruction.'' Value confirmed. ''Destruction'' chosen. Aspect of polarity taking shape......... A minute or so later, Jack could feel the fundamental changes taking shape in his existence as the class settled in, shortly followed by a number of system prompts, each and every one eliciting unrestrained laughter of a true and tested madman, having achieved one his his many, many insane masterplans. Aspect shaping complete. Class defined -Twin aspect of Creation and Destruction(EX). Formulating class specific skills........ Completed... ''Growth from creation'' acquired ''Lesson in destruction acquired'' Growth from creation and Lesson in destruction merged. ''Wisdom of Creation and destruction(EX)'' acquired. ''Choice of the creator(EX)'' acquired ''Eyes of procurer(EX)'' acquired. ''Matter storage(EX)'' acquired. "Boy, oh boy, oh boy." Jack smacked his lips in unrestrained glee once his laughing fit had finally stopped. He knew his ascension as the ''Aspect of destruction'' would bring quite the numerous benefits were he to choose aspect of polarity as his class the moment he remembered talking with that old madman about it, but for it to reach Ex class? That he did not anticipate, and good thing he did not, otherwise he might have gotten just too damn excited about the possibilities and gotten himself killed somewhere along the way while he was off in the La-la land daydreaming about said possibilities. This was going to be fun even without the abyss, Jack came to a quick realization. Chapter 4. Preparations. There was a lot to unpack as he looked at the large line of notifications that had come in, signifying just how insane of a result he had achieved with this single choice of his. EX meant that the class tier was above what the system of this world could classify, though because all the relevant data was hidden deep within its metaphysical code, it could still access it once prompted. Had jack not known of the existence of the class, or chosen as high tiered value as destruction he would most likely never have reached said rank. Nor had he reached it were he not The aspect of Destruction before he returned along with the actual regressor. "Lets see what good stuff we have earned here, shall we?" he giggled like overly excited kid in the morning of Christmas, going over each of the new acquisitions. Twin aspect of Creation and Destruction(EX)- The alpha and omega. The beginning and the end. In your hands is the power to create, or to destroy, all made that much easier now. Unlike other craftmasters, the only limit of creation is one''s own imagination. As a class of metaphysical nature, provides extra power in ways above mortal means and understanding. Spirit +5. "Wow. That is insane!" Jack whistled at the class description alone. Spirit was a rather tricky stat to explain. Soul power? Mental fortitude? There were many metrics to explain what the increase in said stat did, but the more apt explanation was that the larger ones spirit stat was, the closer to true divinity state the owner of said spirit stat was and once considered a true divinity, bot in body and spirit, the larger spirit stat was, the more powerful one was. It was important to note that the first time around Jack had stepped into the realm of divines with just 15 spirit. Now, with the attainment of this class and the rest of his efforts from before, he was almost twice that amount already, a shiver of excitement running through his form at the more thought of the commotion once he would ascend to divinity once more. Wisdom of Creation and destruction(EX)- Combat classes fight and kill to gain experience and grow stronger, crafters ply their trade, either by repetition of what has already been achieved or by charting a new path. You are both and neither. As you stand in a league of your own, your choices are greater still. Crafting and killing both earn experience, yet at the same time kills achieved with items created by you, even if wielded by someone else also provide you with experience. Choice of the creator(EX)- As the aspect of creation and destruction, the sheer knowledge of your existence might overwhelm the minds of lesser beings. In the boundless mercy of the aspect of life, the holders of this skill can disguise their status page as they see fit. Cannot be seen through by anything of lower or equal grade, though the latter will know that the stats are disguised, even if not how. Eyes of procurer(EX)- A true craftsman will have the eyes to recognize good materials and inherent value in ones he had yet to work with. Aspect of creation however is above such crude means. With but a glance at any object or being, they can immediately perceive the nature and potential of said object and being. Matter storage(EX)- Even the aspect of creation cannot make something out of nothing and is always in need of raw materials to work with. Thankfully, Twin aspect of creation and destruction has even less of a problem in this regard, solving the need to have countless different materials at the ready for their purposes of crafting since everything can be reduced to its most basic structure and then made into something much, much greater than just the sum of its parts. With a single touch and thought, all manner of slain creatures and resources can be disintegrated and stored in a near limitless storage dimension of their own to be drawn upon when the inspiration or need to craft something arises. "Nice!" jack exclaimed after reading the description of the last of his new skills, though he also noticed a small issue that he recognized. "Will need some space storage artefacts regardless. Need to store food and gear that I will keep as a reserve. That reminds me, time to loot everything then." he urged himself to get up, his body having slowly recovered, though his mind was still busy with absorbing a boatload of information regarding all manner of items he could create already, none of which was below epic quality. That too was both a blessing and a curse, since he himself had not seen a single epic quality item in the tutorial zone, though a rare crafting class like for example Virtuoso should be able to cook something like that. "Yea, let''s go with that as my cover." he decided as he touched the corpse of the fallen naga, willing it to be collected and lo and behold, with a swirl like effect, as if the large body was sucked into insanely powerful whirlpool, it disappeared in just moments, a generic understanding dawning on Jack''s face as he realized how much value not only the entire body had, but individual parts as well. Clearly, breaking it all down and collecting was the most efficient way, but should he get people that hunted for him, they could not just collect entire mountains of bodies. There was no way in hell anyone could not only carry, but even acquire that much space storage devices. In such cases knowing what gave the most return for the least space taken up would serve Jack well. "Damn, dinner will have to wait. Can waste all that loot I left in my wake." he complained as his stomach growled, clearly demanding some payment as well. Still, priorities laid elsewhere as he was already instinctually aware that the longer his kills just laid on the ground, the less value they would have and that was quite unacceptable as frogmops were extremely weak creatures as is and as such were worth quite little to begin with even for his needs. Yes, he already was aware that the greater his desire for the item to create, the more matter he would need, growing exponentially the further he advanced, requiring more and more valuable sacrifices for his matter storage to fill up. Jack had pushed himself quite hard for quite a few hours already but still, he ignored the hunger clawing at his stomach to get this task done as fast as possible. He had to do some experiments and test crafts first before he headed back out in the tutorial zone, only a fool rushes into the unknown without plenty preparations. ---------------------- It had been a couple of days since he had acquired his new class already and he had done plenty of testing in the meantime. First, he realized he would need to hold off on creating his own spatial storage equipment, already having a blueprint for said things due to his current access to temporary spatial storage provided to all the summoned people. Said equipment was just too damn expensive if he wanted at least a few cubic meters of storage space. Sounds like a lot, doesn''t it, and while Jack would have to admit that for just barely starting adventurers it would be far too much, he also had to admit that he was not your average starting adventurer. This was where the pride came into play a bit. So yes, he would have to forgo any custom made spatial equipment for now. He had opted for different priorities for now as he looked at the rather plain looking raincoat looking piece of apparel. It served one, and one purpose only- subterfuge. It allowed him to move around stealthily and without being noticed, only failing if someone of at least ten levels higher were to use some scanning or inspection abilities and that, that was nigh impossible in the tutorial zone. And once outside, he would no longer need it since he would have already found his party to ''sponsor'', so to speak. Right now he needed to scout for any promising ones and decide on which he would accidentally run into. He was well aware of just how fast humans turn to shit in situations where laws of the jungle applied. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. He had also created his stat disguise that would make him appear to anyone with appraisal skill like this. Jack Raja Species- human Level-5 Class- Virtuoso(R) - A unique personality with heavy inclination in arts. Some would call you genius, other, quirky, but most would just write you off as insane. Still, no one can deny the value of your creations, though that too comes with a price. You shall never use the recipe of path of someone else and as such can only learn new designs through your own inspiration and experiments. A class with obvious strengths but also powerful drawbacks. For those that could also see the stats, as insanely rare as they were, his stats would show up as this: Strength- 11 Vitality-8 Dexterity-8 Intelligence- 7 Spirit- 4 With his preparations mostly done, he donned his cape and finally stepped on the runic circle that signified the closing of the dungeon he had single handedly cleared. Moments later, he was brought outside, followed by Jack''s immediate crouch as he quickly examined his surroundings. Thankfully, there was no one around to notice the brief flash of light as he appeared and he could relax a bit as he started to move away from the lake in search of any traces of other people roaming around and hunting for goblins, thankfully, due to the river that flowed away from the waterfall, it did not take him all that much time to find precisely what he was looking for. He did not move much closer to the people he eventually found, only spending a short amount of time to get the general gist of the group and their dynamics before he headed away once again. If there was one group, chances were there was more, and lo and behold, in the next couple hours more he found another two groups that frequented the general area around the lake waterfall. First group he had encountered and observed he dubbed ''Ural bastards'' based on the fact that he could recognize the russian language they used to communicate as they went on their way to do whatever it was that their cruel and sadistic urges called for. One might be asking, why the negative, perhaps downright hateful name that he dubbed the group with, though they would surely rescind the question had they heard the glee and pride the group talked with about the things they had done to a couple of foreigner women they had had the luck to run into. More than once during the few days he ran into said group Jack had considered purging this certain ailment from the tutorial zone, only to be stopped by a nagging sixth sense that it would interfere with his current task and have some unwanted consequences. And if there was one thing he had learned to never discount was his gut feeling. It if felt like shit, it was probably a bad idea. And with his spirit stat now at twenty five, he had even more reason to trust his hunches. Thus, the bastards got to live a while longer still. Second group he ran into was not all that much better, at least in his honest non partisan opinion. This one he dubbed ''The feminazzis''. Lead by a rather stocky, damn near repulsive looking and heavily overweight, he was still gobsmacked how such a land whale was still alive, woman that was followed by another dozen or so of the fairer sex though he could argue said definition did not actually apply to most of said followers either. There were also a couple of dudes, though by the looks of it, neither of them was there of their own, free will, treated like some sort of servants or even slaves, forced to tank the monsters that were killed by the ladies once weakened enough. "That''s some solidarity people. Sheesh. Looking from the side I don''t like the odds of humanity if a world like this ever descends on earth." he sighed once again encountering this group. His hopes to get his plan going would have been crushed mercilessly if it was not for the last group that seemed almost like a dream when compared to the previous two. The third group, and the one he had the highest hopes for, he dubbed ''Asian harem story.'' The group consisted of seven teenagers, two boys, one of whom looked like your regular bookworm while the other reminded a classical bully with a couple of piercings, bleached hair and all that other stuff stereotypically portrayed to be synonymous to school delinquent. The remaining five were girls. One gray mouse type, with glasses, somewhat seemingly unkempt hair and shy as all hell who stuck close to the booksmart dude. Then there was the outgoing and clearly in charge ''class representative'' type. Cheery and confident, swinging around a sword and exuding all around strong vibes. The remaining trio seemed like the classical gals who cared more about makeup and stuff and fooling around, though they could still pull their own weight in the fights Jack saw them deal with. "The delinquant would no doubt grow arrogant if he could get his hand on my gear as the part of the deal, no doubt eventually assuming he was hot shit and leave whatever group was established because he should obviously receive better treatment. The two bookworms seem the grateful type so I should not worry too much about them if I could earn their trust and gratitude. The class rep. should also be a reliable ally once I establish a working relationship with their group. And the gals would likely side with class rep. of theirs, preferring known entities to the danger of the unknown. All and all, a solid choice. Would have liked an extra guy or two in the group but it is how it is. So long as they don''t start looking at me like a piece of meat I don''t care really. Guess that settles it. Let''s go with the Asian harem story and see where it leads from there on out." Jack decided and started planning his own scheme to set up his encounter with the group chosen, nothing nefarious mind you, just some simple coincidences during a rather bad weather is all. While he could, no doubt, cook up something downright diabolical, he would leave that kind of scheming for another playthrough should he get the chance. Once he was sure his choice was set, he proceeded to do a few things over the next couple of days. First, he made himself at home in a rather nice cave he had found behind the waterfall, creating a temporary home if you will. Once that was done, he proceeded to create small, yet perceivable hints for his chosen party to discover, eventually leading them to encountering him in his cave. Judging by Asian harem story''s progress, he assumed they would believe themselves capable of tackling whatever was hunting around the lake in a weeks or so time. Thus, he used his free time to hunt for goblins and hobs in the vicinity of the lake whenever any overeager group would draw too near, increasing the stores of craftable material he had at hand. And when he was back at his temporary home, he would mess around more with crafting. Unfortunately, a couple days after he had started dropping those subtle hints for the Asian harem story, a rather heavy downpour started, causing whatever else he had planted to no doubt be washed away once it was done. Jack sighed at the misfortune, having just finished his finest piece to date. Naga heart necklace(Epic).- a finely crafted jewelry that heightens ones vitality and regeneration. Vitality +2. Minor healing factor added. He was quite proud of his creation and equipped it immediately. He then headed out to the entrance of the cave, ensuring no foolish monster had decided to try and approach his doman. Once assured that there were no undesired pests in the vicinity, he returned to the deeper parts of the cave and busied himself with preparing himself some dinner. The cave had a few air vents in the deeper parts of it, thus no carbon monoxide stuck around, allowing for safe cooking even where Jack''s camp was located. He had gathered a few different edible fruits during his expeditions and hunts and now he was cooking some of the frogmop legs he had stashed in his temporary spatial storage. Soon enough, a pleasant aroma filled the cave as the meat was starting to reach its final stages of cooking. "Damn, I am getting better and better at this!" Jack grinned as he eyed his work, walking over every now and then and carefully pouring small amounts a sauce of sorts he had made from the fruits he had gathered. Thanks to his Eyes of the procurer, he knew exactly what and how to mix to draw out the best from his ingredients while at the same time not creating something toxic or otherwise unpleasant for human consumption. He had already realised that he could use this particular aspect of his newfound abilities to possibly make obscene amounts of money once they are done with the tutorial. All he himself had to do was to observe the already existing highly sought after and exotic spices and recreate the same thing with different but local ingredients and then just swim in money. The possibilities were indeed endless, he smirked as he tended to his dinner. Chapter 5. The eccentric Virtuoso. "I don''t think this is a good idea. There''s a reason why the monsters are avoiding this place. We all saw the blood puddles with no bodies in sight and it was clear there should have been some based on the amount spilled!" Izumi Nakamura, or as the group would often address her- class rep, called out, the heavy rain dampening her voice quite considerably though the group still heard her all the same. It had been a group decision admittedly with the final result coming in four vs three in favour of, much like most of the major decisions made, even if she was the one calling shots in battles and most other cases, once again, a decision with all but her being for such an arrangement. She could not blame the rest of her group though, sor she had been groomed to become a leader in her own right all her life, so of course, it was only natural for her to be handling that burden even in this illogical situation. "We don''t like this any more than you do Class rep, but given the choices we have, this one is clearly the least risky one! Imagine us slogging through this blasted rain for hours only to be ambushed by a large group of those damn green skinned shits when we are at our weakest. At least the cave guarantees a place to rest and recoup while it''s like this outside." replied the delinquant Hanzo Kimura as their group continued onwards, their destination the lake and the cave that was mostly hidden behind the waterfall, though not well enough for their scout -Chiyo Takahashi- not to notice it during their already routine tracks past said lake. "I know and understand that. Just thinking out loud to maybee come up with a better idea in the meantime!" she shot back, though there was no negative intonation in her voice as she did so. "Do tell us if you come up with something! I don''t mind a change of plans if we find a better alternative. Fighting like this will suck!" chimed in Takahashi''s friend Emi Inoue. The girl was quite the fence sitter in most cases, though she did often lean in the same direction as Chiyo when it mattered. Even her class was weird, though they already knew it had value, especially when dealing with other people. Contractor did exactly as the name suggested, she created contracts to be signed and enforced by the system should one party broke the agreed upon deals. "We are with you Nakamura sama!" quietly, though still loud enough to be heard in unison chimed in Kenji Hayashi and Kaede kato, the two official bookworms of their group, no, the whole class to be precise. Still, the duo had come in handy more than once during their fights, especially Kaede with her shrine maiden class and the healing provided. And Kenji served his role as Protector trainee to a T, ensuring Kaede was never harmed herself, though the dup were still quite timid and unsure of themselves. "What else is new?" giggled Fumiko Watanabe, the last girl from the gal faction back in their original world. "As if you two can have a thought of your own!" she added, the words becoming sharper as she did so. "That''s enough Watanabe san!" Izumi interrupted, earning a shrug from the girl in question. "Fine, fine!" she gave up, asking something else entirely "So, are we close? I so want to get out of these drenched clothes." then she quickly added as though suddenly angry about something "And don''t you even imagine me doing so you perverts!" "Heh! My mind is my fortress! Thou shall not know what happens within! Not like you don''t dream of precisely that!" Hanzo laughed, though still clearly annoyed by both the rain and the words spoken by Fumiko. Before anyone could grumble about anything else, Chiyo interrupted them "We are almost there." causing a silence to take over the group. They were preparing for a serious fight as soon as they stepped inside the cave. The light curtain of water that separated the group and the relatively dry start of the cave was damn near ignored as they got out of the downpour and into the relatively chilly and slightly damp cave entrance, though what they did not expect was to be assaulted by an incredibly fragrant and mouth watering smell of roasted meat. "Oye? Is that roasted meat I smell?" almost salivating asked Fumiko, taking deep breaths as she did and even after that, clearly dreaming of some nicely spiced and cooked meat from back home. "No way is that a monster. Another off worlder like us?" Kaede whispered, just barely audible once again, hiding slightly behind Kenji, still too shy to speak openly. "You never know here. Who is to say it is not some intelligent human eating monster?" Hanzo refuted "Let''s get going. The longer we remain in these drenched clothes the higher chance we get sick. Can''t have someone dragging me down." "Watch your language Hanzo." Izumi warned, glaring at the guy "but he is right that we should get on with it since we are already here." The group then moved ahead carefully, placing Kenji in vanguard since he was the only true tanker, at least as far as their classes implied, even if his stats were still lacking. Why was he even given the class in the first place confused not only Izumi but Hanzo and gals as well, though Kaede seemed to blush with a dreamful expression once his class description was read. ''Only those with strong desire to protect their loved ones and the character to put it all on the line could ever hope to be accepted among the guardians, though everyone starts as an apprentice.'' the description stated. The further in the cave they moved, the stronger the scent of the food became, causing everyone to feel their hunger and to remember just how bland food had they been eating so far in this foreign place. They had reached yet another turn in the cave tunnel, a weak flicker of a flame shadow dancing just behind the turn when they heard a voice, speaking in clear english. "I know you are there. Come out slowly and don''t rush ahead or any other funny business. I am strong and armed and not afraid to fight." "We mean no harm sir!" Izumi replied just moments later, her english fairly decent, thought the accent was telling. Still, she slowly came around the bend in the cave, one hand on the sheathed weapon while the other raised into air, followed by the rest of her group. "We would not have intruded were it not for the heavy rain or had we known another human was taking residence here. Would it be alright if we waited here while the downpour stops?" "So long as you keep the distance. I have seen some sick people from distance roaming around." It was only when Jack responded that the entire group had walked around the cave bend and their eyes adapting to the light coming from the fireplace that they could take in the man who had spoken. He was almost two meter tall, with dark brown, short hair and physique of a toned athlete. Light stubble covered his face, indicating the fully grown up status of the man. The group could also clearly see just how good physical condition he was, as he only had trousers on, his naked upper body quite chiseled. The most eye catching thing though was the medallion around his neck, the coral red amulet slightly reflected the light that fell on it from the fireplace. "He''s strong. Overwhelmingly stronger than me for sure." Fumiko spoke in japanese as her eyes were locked on Jack, making sure the man would not understand, warning her group of the level of danger she was feeling. Her class- Duelist(uncommon) had an ability that allowed her to sense who was stronger than her and provided additional experience if she managed to defeat them. There were three levels of feeling she could experience from the skill- weaker, slightly stronger and overwhelming. From Jack she sensed the latter. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "That weapon looks dangerous as well." added Emi, the Contractor(Rare) "It is rare and provides additional point of strength when equipped. The medallion is even higher rarity, but I can''t appraise it. Feels like a defensive artifact though." Her skill, Appraisal(Rare) allowed her to read limited information on the things she could observe if she put her mind to it, though she could not decipher things of higher rarity than the skill without actually touching them, but she could get some sort of a ''hunch'' regarding the nature of items she could not identify though. Of course, compared to Jack''s identification skill, hers was also extremely barebones and did not show finer and hidden details of whatever she appraised. "So, what''s the plan? We take him or what?" Hanzo then asked, his eyes on his own group though shifting to Jack from time to time. "Are you stupid? He is another human being, nor has he attacked us. What is wrong with you?" Izumi hissed at the delinquant, proceeding to scold him regarding what he had just uttered. "Sir?" their short semi comical scolding session was interrupted by Kenji''s voice as he addressed the stranger in a rather good english, better even than Izumi''s "Then we will move to that corner then if that is okay with you?" he continued as he pointed towards the furthest corner of the cave away from Jack''s current position. "Sure thing kid." Then, he guided Kaede to the place he had just pointed towards, leaving the rest of his group slack jawed. Once there, Kenji fished out a blanket from his spatial storage and a few small logs of wood, setting them up and proceeding to try and light up their own campfire, though he was having little success, the ignition tools of his were quite rough and primitive, nor was the boy a survival expert or anything. "Good head on his shoulders." the group heard the stranger say in a relatively quiet voice, though only Kenji, Kaede and Izumi properly understood him, the rest failing their english pretty badly. "Key kid!" Jack then exclaimed as he looked towards Keji "Come here and grab a few burning coals from me. Can''t have you catching cold and die when a few coals could have saved you. Bad for conscience." then with a slight pause he added "No sudden moves though. Never can be too careful. I have seen some shit." "Thank you sir." Kenji bowed his head in gratitude as he slowly approached, holding the larger piece of wood he had that could serve as a shovel of sorts to help him carry the coals. Just moments later, Kenji was working on his own small campfire that came to life easily enough, the generous amount of coals doing wonders. Once their own campfire got going, the rest of Kenji''s group had also moved over and set up a screen of sorts with a couple of blankets, behind which all the girls were hidden. The two guys remained on the side jack could see as they quickly undressed to just their underwear and fished out another couple of blankets wrap themselves with. "You should change entirely, as drenched as you seem to be kid." Jack added from the side. "W-we will as soon as the girls are done. Thank you for your concern and help." he took a short moment before asking "Is that a figurine of Tomiko the Mage I noticed in the corner there?" "Hoh? And you recognized it? Must be close enough to the original art then." Jack grinned, seemingly more at ease now that he recognized a fellow collector. "Yes. I find her character and art to be quite appealing. Better than those hot heads she was paired up with. What''s your favourite character?" "Alko the Giant. Strong and dependable, always protecting his group." Kenji replied. "Alko?" Jack hummed for a second. "Ahh, that guy. Just barely reached the volume where he was introduced, so I don''t know much about him, but seemed like a chill dude from the first few snippets. Any complaints about the story up to that point? Actually screw that, any complaints regarding the story in general? I doubt we will have the chance to get back, so spoil away." "They focus too much on the dumb groups too much." Kenji spoke, apparently of a similar opinion as Jack himself. "And in later volumes they almost entirely change the focus of the story on Akimoto and his group." "But that is the most bland and boring one of them all. A general goody two shoes main guy with a group of girls pining after him while he is too dumb and thick to realise it. At least focus on Nemuro. That guy was ascum but with some depth. Sheesh, thanks for heads up. That sounds like a waste of time then. I am still keeping that though. Good model. I am Jack by the way." he grinned as he gestured with his thumb towards the figurine he had fooled around with making in his free time. "Kenji, sir. I have been wondering, have you been to the village in the tutorial zone?" Kenji then asked a rather obvious question since he had noticed how Jack was still talking in english, not Arukian. "Huh? Just how many people were brought over that they already made a village of sorts? Sheesh." "That''s not it sir. There is a village of people from this land a days walk from here. That''s where most other gifted- the people like us who were brought her- have made their base of operations, heading out and hunting monsters to earn our keep and food." "Huh, interesting. Nope, have not gone that far. Was too busy getting my bearings and with Ural Bastards and Feminazzis moving around did not seem like a good idea to try my luck. And I told you kid, the name''s Jack. I ain''t no sir. How old are you, sixteen or seventeen, jea? I am twenty seven, so you see I am just slightly older than you. Drop the honorifics, we don''t do that." "All right Jack. Would you mind if we spoke in Arukian though? Besides Kaede san and Izumi san our group is kind bad with english." "The fucks that? Arukian? Did you guys got a skill for local language or something?" Jack raised his brow, though he was wondering why Arukian. The language he had earned when delving abyss and reaching the safe zones was called Alpharian. Not that it mattered all that much, he could speak Alpharian easily even now and even without the skill corresponding to it. Years of practice and all that shizz. "The first local language you encounter in this world is given as a skill to the gifted. No doubt you understood what I just said, right?" Kenji spoke in the local tongue, quite confident by now as he had classified Jack as a decent fellow with similar hobbies. Their kind could not be bad, otherwise he would have to look at himself with a different skeptical evaluation. "Huh, indeed. Right you were Kenji. Here is the notification and skill." he replied in the same language as if he was a native speaker. "So this is how most communicate?" "Yes, though we still use our own languages in groups. Habit and love for home I suppose." "That and the ability to conceal things you don''t want others to understand." Jack said, his gaze suddenly turning sharp as if he remembered something. "But sure, Arukian is fine. Wouldn''t want your friends think we are scheming against them or something." Jack just shrugged as he walked over to the wall on the other side of his campfire away from japanese kids where a few pieces of clothing were hung up, clearly drying as well. He clicked his tongue after checking his T-shirt as it was obviously still wet. he then sat back down at his own campfire and added some finishing touches to his cooked meal as he fished out a few, well burned, seemingly coal like objects. "Hot, hot, hot." he huffed in english as he handled them, giving up a moment later and quickly throwing them into a primitive wooden bowl filled with water. moments later he pulled them out one by one and split them, then used a rather sizeable wooden spoon that all people had in their spatial storages to begin with and used it to scratched out the filling of the thing he had cooked alongside the meat. had to be mentioned that Jack had been still tending to his meal all the while he conversed with Kenji as was seemingly done with his preparations. It was at this moment that the girls came out from behind the blanket curtain, each wearing simple clothing, so much so that the clothes they wore seemed too crude for the level of beauty and fair skins that it covered, making it quite odd to behold. Clearly, the clothes they had now on were acquired in this village Kenji mentioned. "Jack was it?" Izumi spoke in Arukian now, ensuring her entire group understood her words as the guys disappeared behind the curtain to finish their own change "Thank you once again for your understanding. We will be out of your hair as soon as the downpour stops. My name is Izumi Nakamura. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." "Likewise." he replied, spending the briefest moment to make eye contact as he answered, though not keeping his eyes on them, showing his lack of interest in them, or so he maybe wanted them to think. Izumi was not entirely sure. Men rarely ignored such gathering of fine looking women, spending some time to eye them at the very least to find out which ones are the most to their liking. Then again, maybe he would be stealing glances their way during the rest of their temporary stay. The stuff he was having smelled divine though, Izumi had to admit, a sour expression marring her face as she thought of the food they had with them. Some dried, plain tasting meat and simple and bland bread. The village was not exactly loaded with advanced class food they were used to. Still, beggars couldn''t be choosers and so they ate what they could. Hunger was one hell of a motivation after all. Chapter 6. A working relationship. Now that Jack had had the chance to interact with the ''Asian harem story'' up close, his initial assumptions were mostly confirmed, making this current group indeed the best possible choice so far, though at the same time he was also considering whether or not he would have even better choice waiting for him in that village that Kenji mentioned. He had to admit, he liked the guy. Sure, he seemed timid for the most part, going along with whatever class rep. of theirs decided on, as well as taking her side whenever any vote their team made, but at the same time the kid was observant and always prioritized his crush''s wellbeing, as indicated a short while ago when he made quick decisions to start setting up their camp while the rest of the group was arguing among themselves over something, clearly well aware that they should get out of their drenched closes ASAP. And, judging from Kaede''s actions and reactions, the nerdy girl also held quite the candle for the boy. It was a wonder as to why the duo did not seem to be in any sort of actual relationship. ''Stop. Don''t forget that you only know Izumi and Kenji by name right now! Can''t let them know I have appraisal type skill.'' He was sure that the other party had similar thoughts, if the muted japanese conversation among the other group was to be believed. And while he believed that Kenji would at least try to warn him if one of his companions decided on something nefarious, why take the chance? He quickly sorted the information he had acquired about the group in his mind that his appraisal had revealed to him, updating each persons mini profile in his mind. Izumi Nakamura Class- Apprentice samurai(Rare) Potential- Good Personality- Straight forward, fair. Can be swayed by the majority though. Special skills- Charisma. The class rep. was just that, as much as he had guessed from his observations, though the fact she could be swayed by the majority did worry him a bit. Still,Jack reasoned that if he developed their mutual trust and helped the girl mature, she could become a reliable ally. The facts she had special skill Charisma just meant she could get along with people much easier, though would not work on him due to his awareness of the skills existence. Emi Inoue Class- Contractor(Rare) Potential- above average Personality- Spoiled, lazy. Fence sitter. Special skills- Appraisal (Rare) And there she was. The specialist of the group, equipped with the skills and class to ensure their group could deal with others on equal, if not much better footing purely due to the additional information their group would have access to thanks to her skills. The class was particularly interesting as she could form binding contracts with quite nasty side effects against the offending party. her skills could ignore distance and power gap, though at the same time both parties had to be willing and accept the terms laid out beforehand, being well aware of everything said contract and the breach of it entailed. Fumiko Watanabe Class- Duelist(Uncommon) Potential- average Personality- Bratty, tomboyish Special skills- Might comparison. Nothing special that Jack saw in Fumiko, though there he did not need to find anything. So long as the girl was reliable he would not look at her like an inferior being. In theory, all of the group was, so why single her out alone? He had reached the rank of divine the last go around. Still, he did not have a stick up his ass a few kilometers long from the ascension alone so he did not treat people like lessers just because he was superior. Her special skill was interesting though, as it warned her of opponents that are stronger than her and that skill alone made her valuable. Imagine the number of insanely dangerous encounters they could avoid thanks to this skill alone. Chiyo Takahashi Class- Scout(Uncommon) Potential- average Personality- Calm and collected. Cautious. Likes skill and confidence. Special skills- none. The last of the gals was also fairly average, though once again the class choice mattered a great deal. She was the groups eyes and ears, making sure they knew where to go and how to avoid getting encircled by numerous enemy parties. No doubt one of the main reasons why they had yet to lose any of their numbers. She lacked any special skills but her personality played in her favour. Jack could see her live a long life. Hanzo Kimura Class- Brawler(uncommon) Potential- below average Personality- Petty, arrogant. Delusions of grandeur. Short tempered. Special skills- none The last of the less interesting of the group was the delinquant- Hanzo. As expected, he either had rich parents of older siblings, causing him to act out with almost no regard for consequences. And while he had little potential, he was not all stupid, as evident by his current behaviour. Understanding the danger he would be alone in this world without any backing, he had toned down his outbursts quite a bit, though Jack could see it all boiling in the young man, just waiting for the moment he could explode once again. There was only one word he could describe the delinquent as- liability. And while he would like nothing more than to get rid of the guy, it was not his choice to make. Hell, there was no guarantee he could not find better group for his purposes in the village. The bookworms though, they were quite the interesting couple to be, something Jack believed he could facilitate in happening as the two were earning for each other. ''Could that be why they both were as they were?'' he mused as he listed their appraisal status. Kaede Kato Class- Shrine maiden( uncommon) Potential- very high Personality- Kind, shy. Likes to read. Loves Kenji Hayashi. Special skills- Worlds gamble(Hidden) Worlds gamble- someone with high potential. The world has given them a special skill that is both a blessing and a curse. It makes their early stages much harder, limiting what classes and skills they have access in comparison to what they should have, though in return their growth would explode once past level twenty, should they survive that long that is. ''That is some protagonist aura right there.'' Jack chuckled in his mind as he filed away the relevant data about the girl. Normally, this is where the evil protagonist would weave an elaborate plan to steal the girl from her crush and tie her to himself. Jack had no desire for such actions for two reasons. Firstly, the girl was not his type. She was petite and fragile looking, not to mention only sixteen while he could be considered to be in his late forties, both lives combined. This life plus the time past this moment in his first life that would round out at some twenty years. Secondly, he liked this Kenji kid and it would just feel right seeing the kind, nerdy guy have a happy ending, or the entire run, truth be told. The fact that kenji was also quite the potential ally once appraised only elevated Jack''s initial feeling. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Kenji Hayashi Class- Protector trainee( Uncommon) Potential-very high Personality- Kind, assertive. Likes to read. In love with Kaede Kato Special skills- Worlds gamble(Hidden) ''Damn, the kids are made for one another. A tank and a healer. Dps can be easily acquired as they need. Yup, let''s play the matchmaker if I get the chance. The two clearly want that as well. Yes, let''s do that.'' He reaffirmed his earlier decision in helping the duo realise at least that particular longing of theirs as he dug into his personal version of this world equivalent to roasted chicken legs with coal baked potatoes. Add on the couple of custom made spices he had already used when cooking the meat and you are presented with a high class gourmet food, clearly a luxury barely anyone could enjoy in this tutorial zone. -------------------------- "So? What can you tell us about the guy?" Hanzo asked Emi, his voice irritated beyond reason. The spoiled rich kid was clearly pissed off that some random old man could feast on such mouth watering meal while they were stuck with dried meat and bland bread. "The name is Jack as he introduced himself, so no falsities there. His class is Virtuoso, a rare class of crafting inclination. Apparently he needs to come up with recipes himself, though whatever he does come up with is indeed of high value, though it seems that it is so only of his current level. I would bet that what he can make would help us immensely at the very least in the tutorial zone, perhaps even a bit once we are outside. Also the class description implies he is either eccentric or a bit lacking in the sanity department." "That''s the same shit, just worded differently." Hanzo scoffed. "What about the stuff around him? Those small bowls of liquid and stuff? If he has poison we have to be twice as careful." "Nothing I noticed so far. All those things around him in the small bowls are spice mixes. The dudes been doing culinary experiments, creating his own seasonings. Damn, it smells so nice. The descriptions I have to read of the stuff does not make it any easier." Complained Inoue, droll almost leaking from her mouth. "It can''t be that bad, can it?" Izumi asked with slightly furrowed brow. "You tell me?" Inoue grumbled and used their party connection to ''link'' a description of the dish she had seen displayed when she appraised Jack''s plate with the finished meal, the added seasonings and everything. Frogmop roasted leg with mashed sweet Rezo root- high quality meat dish with toppings and spices that even nobility would pay large amounts of money for. The sweet, honeyed chicken like taste and texture of the meat is perfectly accentuated with the sweet and sour mixed taste of the Rezo root and the exotic sauces added, creating a contrasting, yet perfectly intertwining and mutually empowering taste. "Damn!" uncharacteristically loudly spoke Kaede as she too almost drolled, blushing up a storm the moment she realized she had spoken her thoughts out loudly. Neither she nor Kenji were coming from rich families, so the mere thought of tasting something so deliciously described, worthy of even nobility fired off her imagination at full throttle. "I did hear one of the other parties at the inn say frogmops legs did taste like chicken, though they were also quite the rare encounter near the river." added Chiyo as she remembered a conversation she had overheard. "So? The dude is a crafter, is strong and knows how to cook? I think I am in the wrong group. Ha ha ha ha." helplessly laughed Fumiko, clearly joking to lighten the relatively sour faces of the party, yet not succeeding all that much. "Tough crow huh?" she added and shrugged, joining in on the sulking along with the rest of her group. While the most of them were not so much envious of Jack as of their own situation, it was clear that Hanzo was in the former camp, his spoiled rich kid background rearing its head, though as quickly as it surfaced, it was suppressed by the young man in question, causing Fumiko to think the dude might actually be growing out of his spoiled phase. The next few hours until it got entirely dark outside the group of youngsters sat around, mostly doing nothing but chatting or just relaxing their eyes. Only Chiyo left occasionally to check if the rain had stopped, only to return each time with a shake of her head. It was slightly before dusk that Kenji finally gathered his courage to engage Jack in some conversation as the youngster moved just a bit away from his group, though still clearly in their part of the cave, or so one could assume by the looks of it. "Ehm, sir? I meant Jack?" Kenji started since he saw Jack messing around with another unshaped item, possibly thinking what to make out of it. "What is it kid?" he calmly responded, his eyes still on the unprocessed item in his hands. "My apologies if this sound rude, but i was wondering, were you summoned all on your own? I think our entire class was dragged here, though we have yet to see a hint of the rest of them." "Nope, just the little old me. Got some friends you worried about?" "Acquaintances at most. All I care for is luckily within my reach." Kenji awkwardly laughed, his gaze darting back to camp. "A friendly advice from someone a decade or so older kid. Don''t waste your chances, especially in a place like this where you don''t know when you will breathe your last, so just ask out the girl you like and if not, do give the nerdy girl that hides behind you a chance. It''s clear even to me that she has the hots for you." His words clearly caught Kenji off guard, the younger kid went red with embarrassment and hope. "Are you s-sure? What could anyone see in someone l-like me?" "Beats me." Jack shrugged "I ain''t no fair maiden to know what happens in their heads. All I can do is observe and comment on what I have seen. On an unrelated note however, why do you walk so oddly?" "Excuse me?" "Your posture. It''s weird. Like you are not used to the frame you are sporting." "Oh, that. Yea, I am growing thanks to my class, not by much but it is fast and I feel weird as it happens, hence the result." "Hmm. does sound like it makes sense." Jack nodded, well aware of the possibility a class could have on one''s physical form, though almost always in a positive manner, though there could sometimes be exceptions. "That all you wanted to talk about?" "Do you think we will make it through this tutorial zone as the angels dubbed it?" Kenji asked, slightly worried but clearly having some trust in the fellow hobbyists opinion. "Well..." Jack drew the word as he considered how to better reply "I suppose that depends on what the condition for clear is. If it''s to survive for a given duration, dealing with roaming groups of goblins and hobs, I would say the likelihood is high. If there is some sort of a warband however, with even stronger monster leading them? Now that is a whole another issue with tons of attached questions. If yes, how large is the main force? How many scout groups do they have? How far away are they and so on and so forth. There should always be a probability though, no matter how small. I would say make sure you have your party well rounded- front liners to hold the enemy at bay, a scout or two of sorts to always be on top of your surroundings, a healer who would patch up your group if necessary and a few damage oriented people as well to deal with the incoming enemies, though I believe you should know all that. But most of all make sure that you can trust the rest of your group. Fear and distrust makes people do some crazy shit. And this right here is just the right setup to make it come true, so watch your back kiddo, and the backs of those you hold dear." "Are you not worried for yourself? You are all alone after all." Kenji pointed out the obvious. "Ha. You are a decade too soon to worry about me. I am a Virtuoso kid. It''s a rare crafter class. If anyone can coast here, as well as find a group easily, thats me. Think about it, what would you be willing to pay if you and your whole group could be guaranteed your weapon sets with plus one to an attribute of your choice? That plus two attributes kiddo. That and a slight boost to another, more esoteric stat like for example reaction speed. I just have to visit that village you mentioned and present my case. I am sure I could even entice an entire war about who gets to employ my services, for a fair price of course. Not that I will go around it in such a manner of course, so can I count on your discretion on the matter as a fellow hobbyist?" Jack explained as he leaned back against the cave wall, having finally donned his own T- shirt that was finally dry. "Of course Jack. Kaede seems to be looking for me. I will head back. Thank you for the conversation." Kenji bowed his head and quickly returned to the rest of his group, the five or so meters might have as well seemed like a chasm of separation for the younger kid. "No worries, do make sure nobody approaches during the night. I am a light sleeper and might react incredibly violently in case of a boundary breach. You and the shy girl seem nice enough, but I don''t trust the other guy. He gives me bad vibes. Like a bully from school or something. Bad news." Jack waved the kid off with a parting sentence. Not like there was a large separation between the two camps in the cave. Jack remained in his own position, his back pressed against the wall of the cave, covered by a blanket of sorts he had created during one of his personal experiments with his crafting skills. He had to say that it had turned out better than expected, the soft yet water resistant blanket maintaining his body heat with surprising efficiency. That, combined with the campfire ensured he had incredibly pleasant rest for the nigh and thanks to his reason defyingly high spirit, he would wake up should anyone approach him during the night. He had not lied to Kenji in a sense for he could indeed be considered a light sleeper now. Chapter 7. A working relationship. Part 2. "He is gone? When did that happen?" with confusion once again asked Izumi. "What do you mean with that?" she looked exasperated as she damn near stared at Kenji who was left as the last watch for the night shift. "Said he would do some early exercise and left." Kenji replied a bit timidly. "And you did not think it wise to wake us up and warn us?" Fumiko asked with a raised brow. "Why would I?" Kenji replied, not quite aware of the issue at hand. "So, what did he promise you, huh? First pick or something? Spill it!" Hanzo hissed, almost ready to start beating the other guy up, his hand, covered in metallic combat gauntlet already being pulled back for a hit that would inflict a considerable amount of pain. "STOP IT! DON''T HURT HIM!" yelled Kaede as this was unfolding, a bright light pushing back the rest of the group, leaving only her, Kenji and Chiyo, who had stood aside and not taken part in this shakedown of an interrogation, in a safety bubble of sorts. Kaedes sanctuary spell. It pushed back all the caster perceived as danger at the moment of cast and created a shielded zone for her allies, dissipating a moment later. "Ahhh. the pet has decided to bite the hand that feeds it. How fitting." Hanzo sneered in his moment distraction, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes as he eyed Kaede. And that look, that unnerved all the girls in their group. "Did you even bother to ask for his full reasoning?" In the short lull Chiyo asked, judgement clear in her voice. "Emi I could understand, she grew up around boys and might fail to see what''s wrong with the way Hanzo acted just now, though even that is a tall ask. And Emi is too lazy to take part. But Izumi, you are supposed to be the leader, you should handle such things. What is wrong with you to be so off your game?" she straight up went for the jugular so to speak, puting Izumi on the spot. "You will have time to think on it, as well as you Hanzo. Don''t think you are some big shot around here like you used to be back in our world where your parents could just sweep things away with their money. I thought you have wisened up, but it seems I was wrong." she continued "I will stick around for the time being, but I am out as soon as I find someone more reliable." she then dropped a bomb on the remaining party, then glanced at Kaede and Kenji "You are welcome to come along, your personalities are good enough to fit in anywhere. So, what''s up with this Jack fellow?" By the time Chiyo asked the question, the sanctuary''s effect ended, though no one moved to action once again, only Kaede having moved behind Kenji. Thanks to Jack''s words of encouragement, the timid guy had gathered all of his courage to ask Kaede out, who, as expected, readily agreed and clung to him for the rest of the night, except when they were on the watch, like a koala baby to its mother, though with slightly different emotion in heart. Nothing dirty mind you, at least not for the time being as they had a lot bigger problems to solve. "He told me his class yesterday when I asked if he was summoned alone or with someone and since Emi had already informed us of the appraisal she had done on him I knew he was saying the truth. When he said he was going out to exercise I also believed him because his camp is still there. If he wanted to leave already he would have collected everything of use. And he also asked if I could show him the direction to town once he comes back." "What if he does not come back?" Izumi asked as she massaged her temples, a bit exasperated by the naivety of the boy. "So what? Not like we have a deal with him or anything. He is free to do as he wishes. Or was I supposed to tell him he can''t leave when it was our group that stormed in his place seeking shelter?" Kenji replied with anger, clearly unhappy with the unfair treatment both him and Jack was receiving at the moment. Good thing that things played out as they had, he reasoned, or he might just have told the rest of them what Jack said about his crafting capabilities. No longer. He would aske Kaede if she would go along with him and beg Jack to take them along. Maybee Chiyo too. She was a solid scout as far as they had seen so far, with a good head on her shoulders and most importantly calm demeanor. Plus the fact that she had never been among those that laughed about him or kaede also helped. He had initially thought that with izumi at the helm and in this strange new world the previous problems would come to an end, but it seemed that his misfortune was hell bent on following along with him. There was a silver lining at least- Kaede agreed to be his girlfriend. He already felt incredibly thankful to Jack for that alone. "Right. Already forgot I was not alone here." a sudden voice caused the entire party to whip their heads in the direction of the sound, seeing once again topless Jack walking inside the cave, the halberd in his hand. The guy had clearly just taken a swim as indicated by his wet hair. "Carry on with whatever you were doing. I will leave the cave in your hands in just a few hours. Right, Kenji!" he exclaimed as he looked at the guy and just how close Kaede was to him. "Hoh? Already took my advice huh? Good on you. I am going to need that direction after I am done with my breakfast." he grinned and added, walking over to his campfire and starting to reignite the still hot coals, humming in half whispered tones "Ahhh, to be young. How refreshing." and giggling to himself like a madman. A single thought ran through the heads of all teenagers at this moment ''Eccentric indeed!'' Kenji''s mind was racing a thousand miles an hour, the two contrasting treatments he had received in just a few moments were overwhelming him. Where he was supposed to receive help and understanding from his own group, he had been glared at as a traitor, a scum, Kaede and Chiyo excluding, and where he was supposed to receive cold indifference at best, he was treated with friendly attitude. And sure, Jack might just be a sociopathic murderer for all he knew, but was his suffering while in the group he was right now any better than short lived, but happy life somewhere where he was not loathed and despised? It was at this moment that he made a monumental decision, one that just make his and Kaede''s life. were she to agree, much harder. It could also open a new path before them. "Are you with me Kaede?" he asked in a whisper, quiet enough for only Kaede to hear. "Always." the girl nodded her head without even a second of hesitation, taking his hand in hers and squeezing reassuringly. "Come with me." he pulled Kaede along with him, heading over to Jack so quick that the rest of the group just stood there gobsmacked until Kenji and Kaede were way over on the other side of the cave- Jack side. "Uhm, Jack?" Kenji spoke a bit awkwardly, though quickly regained his courage. "This is Kaede, the girl I talked about yesterday. It''s thanks to you that I got the courage to ask her to be my girlfriend and she agreed. Thank you, trully." Jack slowly turned his head towards the duo standing quite close to his campfire that was slowly coming back to life, the small flame greedily licking the freshly placed wood on top of it. "Ho ho?" a friendly and overall chuckle escaped his lips. "Let the big bro have a look at this new girlfriend of yours." he spoke and looked at Kaede almost like a parent would after their child brings their significant other over for the first time. She could not help but straighten her back just a little bit, Jack exuded air of an authority around him that was hard to explain, especially so felt when this close to him. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "A fine girl indeed, if a little bit skinny. Did your parents not feed you enough?" he joked, though quickly changed his tone "Sorry. That was a bad joke. I know how hard life can get sometimes and how unfair circumstances can people be born in." he then clapped his hands together, like resetting the board. "Let''s start with fixing that, shall we?" he spoke, a light smile on his face appearing once again. "Ready to help out you two?" "O-of course. Anything that you need big brother!" Kenji exclaimed, a smile blooming on his face. Even kaede could feel a slight warmth at the unexpected kindness they received, but she could not help but ask. "Why?" "Because I felt like it?" Jack just shrugged. "And I feel that you two are people who know to repay kindness with kindness. And it costs me literally nothing do to this. Call it convenient kindness if you will, or me investing in good people. Is that not good enough?" A playful smirk then appeared on his face as he added, trying to sound outright sinister, with plenty of sarcasm in his voice "Or maybe I am gathering my fellow weebs to take over the world? Kenji is one us us, you seem like another of my kind, or was I wrong? Might have to silence you then." he squinted his eyes downright comically, as if trying to figure out the truth. It did have the desired effect though as both bookworms cracked a smile, with Kenji speaking up. "Indeed brother, she is one us us. She might even have more to talk to you about than even I. She is into a bit older stuff than fresh releases." "Hoh? Lone samurai? The space wanderer? Sound familiar?" Jack asked with anticipation. "God yes! They are incredible. Both are in my top ten ever!" Kaede exclaimed with unrestrained joy "The kids these days just don''t understand what good writing and stories are. So what if the art is a bit dated?" she huffed in righteous indignation. "Exactly! Preach the truth girl!" Jack laughed, looking at Kenji "I approve. This one''s a keeper. Good job kid!" he gave Kenji two thumbs up, at the same time fishing out a small pile of odd looking plants. "Looks weird, I know, but they are perfectly edible. I need you guys to cut them in small pieces after the skin is peeled. Will go great with the main dish." he spoke as he prepared a wooden board that was soon covered with a few choice slices of red meat. "Ran into a boar while training this morning. Poor fella had a lack of steel in his system. I, being the kind man you have seen me be, helped the porker out and he, in his eternal gratitude, game me some of this. God bless its soul." Jack laughed as he sliced the meat in smaller pieces, taking a few more fruits from his spatial storage and squeezing them of their juices in one of the empty bowls he had prepared beforehand. Then mixed a couple of the freshly squeezed juices together and dropped the sliced meat inside, soaking it in the mix. "I have to warn you two, the stuff I make could be addictive." he joked with a grin. "Okay, that was a joke, but it should be finger licking good. My class allows me to have a good read of ingredients and their uses." he cackled like a maniac. "I feel like Frankenstein in the kitchen. Muahahahaha." "Uhm, Jack?" Kenji asked when most of the preparations were done and Jack was roasting the meat, a few bowls of already mixed salad lay in wait, waiting for the main piece of their meal. "What''s up kiddo?" "Could we join you? Me and Kaede I mean?" "That bad huh? Seemed like a bad fight from where I was. Guess I was right. The other dude is that much of an ass yea? What about the rest of your group? Be honest." "Chiyo san is a decent person. Calm and reliable. Emi san is a bit of an air head and can be lazy sometimes. Fumiko san is quite crude and bratty. And Izumi san, well she is the best of us, though that comes with it''s own demons as she often overlooks the smaller things. And Hanzo, well, he is a bully, covered for by his rich parents." "Anything to add Kaede?" Jack asked with a calm voice. "N-no." "MM- kay. I will take care of you two in the tutorial, providing with better weapons as well. In return, you help me out once we are on the other side, yea? My class ain''t exactly easy to advance, though you two will get plenty of benefits in the beginning. And I have a glaring suspicion that''s precisely what you two need. Sounds good?" "Yes!" the duo exclaimed in unison. "Alright then. Let''s take care of the garing issue then, shall we?" Jack added, rising his voice a bit so it was clear he was addressing the still gobsmacked remaining members of the Asian harem story. "You heard that, right? These two kids will be going ahead with me, though since I assume it would be a problem for you right now, we will accompany you till the village." "How are we to know you will not harm them? They are my classmates after all." Izumi asked. "Seriously? From where I stand, I should ask the same to you. Clearly you stood by and was fine with that bully smacking Kenji around. Good thing he had Kaede on his side. What would happen the next time when she is not there, for there would surely be the next time. He seems much safer here thank you very much. I do have a warning for you girls though. Watch out that one of you don''t become his focus next. There is no way he would just stop at a few slaps. Not in a world like this." His words sent involuntary chill down the girls spines, well aware of what he was implying. "And you would be any better?" Fumiko asked, scoffing. "You sound like I am extending an invitation. I am NOT, in case you misunderstood. Just an observation and a fair warning. Keep him at an arm''s distance. I can almost smell the rot of character from here." "SHUT UP OLD MAN!" screamed Hanzo, clearly pissed off not only about Kaede and Kenji doing as they wished, but also about the words spoken by Jack. CRASH! A small sized rock shattered near Hanzo, indicating just how powerful the throw was, scaring the bully shitless. "There is a big difference once your strength goes past ten. I doubt you have gotten there yet. No one is going to save your ass here brat. Learn it quickly or be prepared to die a miserable death." Jack warned as he turned the meat skewers one last time. "Should be about ready." he said, taking three bowls and placing the meat from a skewer on each, a solid amount of the sallad already pre-laid below. "Dig in." he said to his new party members as he started to enjoy his own, humming in satisfaction."Mhm, This is a good mix." The clear display of power had once again left the rest of the group frozen in place. Only now did they realize just how strong this eccentric was. Clearly, he was in a league of his own at this moment, though they just had no idea how correct that assumption was. Some, like Izumi, were watching him with ever increasing vigilance, scared of just what he might be planning and could do if he so desired. Fumiko just looked at him with dislike, though nowhere near the level of hatred and fear Hanzo was feeling. He was supposed to be the epitome, the man who made the shots here. It was his birthright after all, and yet, not only was Izumi in his way, now even more unreasonable entity had appeared, a gaijin at that. That just could not stand. It was fine though. He could lay in wait and strike when the opportunity arose, even if he had to wait till the end of tutorial. There was no way the heavens would hold out on him for too long, Hanzo reasoned. A test. Yes, it was a test for him to prove his mettle and will. Emi lazily looked at Jack, then focused her attention on what would Chiyo do. The latter was quite reliable person to follow if she wanted to coast along, and so she would just continue to do so. Chiyo was both intrigued and vary at the same time. This Jack guy was competent, dangerously so, and while on the surface that was a great thing, there was nothing to equalize his current status, keeping her on the fence whether it was a good idea or not to try and join his forming group. In the end, she decided to remain as an observer for the time being, It was never too late to ask at a later time, or so she assumed. She had a couple of votes of confidence by his side already after all. "Mhmmmm." both Kaede and Kenji nearly melted as they enjoyed the food Jack had prepared "Were you famous chef back on earth?" gushed Kaede as she floated in the clouds. "Not at all. It''s the spices i made. Once we get proper containers, I could make them so anyone of us who cooks can prepare it at this level. Actually, I would dare to say that someone who is actually a competent cook could make this even better." "NO WAY!" the duo exclaimed in unison. "You get me a good cook and we can test it out later. My creation next to theirs with the same spice mixes available. My mixes." "Deal!" the duo agreed instantly. Once they were done eating and their camp cleaned up, both groups departed. Jack was right after all, without Kenji holding the front line and Kaedes healing in case someone gets hurt, it would have been a tough task for the remaining group of japanese students to get back to the village in one piece. Chapter 8. A walk in the park. With everyone packed and ready, though only three of them had more than content expressions on their faces, that being Jack and his new party members, the group of eight departed the cave, leaving behind few traces of anyone ever having camped there for any period of time. And, as though welcoming their emergence after a prolonged and merciless downpour, a few groups of frogmops crawled out of the lake itself. "Their legs taste like chicken, if you did not know. Since I still have quite the backup stored in my own storage, feel free to go after them with priority. My group will focus on cover and take care of goblins and hobs, should any appear. Do ask for assistance if needed though, would hate to see heavy wounds so early in our path to that village I have been told about." Jack spoke calmly, turning more to the side, already noticing a group of goblins rushing over, clearly aware of a possible emergence of frogmops from the lake after such heavy rain and aiming for a chance at a feast, only to find other, soft looking creatures, nay- humans, already present and fighting, rousing their desires a level higher still. Kenji and Kaede assisted their former group, and while everyone was doing their best to score kills on the frogmops, the backline were also paying attention to Jack, wanting to evaluate his actual combat prowess as well. They knew he had stats, provided by the gear he wore, but if he was a simple brute with muscles for brain it was only a question of time until he endangers both Kaede and Kenji, and Izumi had claimed that it was not something she would allow. She might have made mistakes not stopping Hanzo when she should have, but she would be damned if she willingly allowed Kenji and Kaede to be misled by an act of seemingly kindness. And while Izumi herself was focused on the frogmops, Emi and Chiyo could track Jack. "Holy shit!" Emi exclaimed when she saw the first contact between Jack and the approaching pack of goblins. He twirled his halberd above his head as if he had trained with the weapon for years, then slashed out in a half moon arc, splitting the incoming goblins in pieces, blood and viscera slashing in all directions. To make matters even more impressive, he followed the weapons inertia, spinning it around himself and adding more to the acceleration of his swing, becoming a living meat grinder. It mattered not, be it flesh, bone or the crude shield or armor that the green shits wore, it all split apart in the wake of his brutal slashes. "Is that what strength over 10 is capable off in the tutorial?" Emi shuddered at the thought of facing against him the first time they entered that cave during that downpour. ''Lucky he was no triggerhappy murder hobo.'' she sighed in relief, eyeing Chiyo for her reaction, though the other girl seemed to share her thoughts as well, much to the formers surprise. She tended to be the airhead, who rushed to dumb conclusions, only to be saved by the level headed Chiyo. What did it say about their situation when they both had the same thought? Kenji and Kaede also seemed different, but none of them had any new equipment. If anything, it seemed that being in Jack''s party alone had raised their level of confidence, allowing the duo to react faster and make better decisions overall, though both still acted in a measured manner, not overreaching or becoming arrogant. Just what would two extra attribute points, especially if they allowed for limit breaks, meaning getting them past ten? A scary and exciting thought at the same time she had to admit. By the time youngsters dealt with frogmops, three smaller groups of five or so creatures in each, Jack had dispatched a few dozen goblins and a couple of hobs, the rest running away in sheer terror. There was only so much stupidity one could expect from the green shits. Even for them, there had to be a moment when self preservation trumped whatever frenzy they sunk into. Much of the credit for his results though were attributed to his gear, not skill, since it looked like it was all brute force overwhelming the incoming monsters. Were the creatures smarter, Jack would have struggled much more than he did, or so Hanzo believed. ''If only I had the same level of gear, I could do better.'' he told himself, grinding his teeth in anger. Unfortunately for the delinquant, Jack was more than aware of all the glares he received and was simply waiting for the fool to overstep, signing his own death warrant. The tutorial was the only place he felt like he could fully let go and go wild as all of his accomplishments would be attributed to the stat difference from the gear he could make as a Virtuoso. "I am going to show this just once, so pay attention people!" Jack called out as he walked back towards the group, stopping at the nearest corpse of a frogmop and drawing a knife from his spatial storage. "This is the most efficient way to collect the legs, the rest is not good for consumption." he spoke as he grabbed one leg by the ankle and lifted it, pointing the knife at the joint near the creatures trunk. With precise motion he cut off the leg at there, pointing out a few things of note as he did so. Then, he did the same at the knee, taking only the upper leg part as a consumable. "That''s about it. Get to harvesting if you want some nice and tasty chicken, though I suppose in this case they would be called frog legs. Should be much better than whatever you were eating." he shuddered a bit at the recollection of their food. "Perish the thought." he shook his head walking over to the goblins he had slain. "Any rewards for slaying goblins handed out by the village?" he asked, only to receive negative answer from Kenji. "Well, I doubt whatever currency they use here would have mattered on the other side anyways." he shrugged, but still walked by each of his kills, as if checking if they were really dead. What the rest of the group did not see because Jack''s body was in the way between them and the corpses was how he stuck his finger in a wound on each corpse to use his matter collection to hollow up the bodies from inside, collecting quite a bit of material, though leaving a few centimeter large outer crust for appearances. Can''t let just anybody learn that he had skills that were not quite so recognizable, doubly so when there was a ticking time bomb following you around in the form of a vindictive little delinquant shit. Still, as it turned out he was faster in his task than the rest of the group dealing with the thirty or so legs that needed harvesting. It seemed none of them were willing to let go of the chance to procure tasty meat, avoiding the need to sustain themselves on the bland food that the village could provide in exchange for services. So, being the good party member that he was, he corrected both Kenji and Kaede in any mistakes they were making with their own procurement. "Hmm, much better, but we will still need you to do this a few more times to get a proper feel for it. Remember, there are many creatures that have certain parts of their bodies that are good for consumption, and there are always joints or muscle fiber differences that will make the process much easier and faster. With enough experience you will eventually learn to recognize that as well, reducing the time and effort spent in dismembering your prey." he nodded in in approval. "How do you know so much big brother?" Kenji asked, an additional level of respect growing for the older man. "My parents were hunters. You pick up quite a few things growing up in such home. Skinning and butchering is just one of them. Was a bit afraid the knowledge I had would not apply, but it does and to a frightening high level as well. It''s as though all these monsters were born to be prey for something. Gotta say, the thought of the predator that existed to hunt them all does send a shiver down one''s spine." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Jack then waited along with Kenji and Kaede for the rest to finish, each person had their own legs to gather. While they waited, he pointed out a few things he had noticed that the other two members of his party could do to improve themselves in combat scenario. Nothing too huge for the moment, a slight change in the way they move around, a few hints on wasted movement and so on. There was little of that though for now, the fight had not lasted for long, nor were they fighting together with their future party members. It was a joint understanding among Jack''s party that he would help out with combat during the tutorial since his stats could carry him a great deal, but once on the other side Kenji and Kaede would help him grow as well, since as a crafter he earned a majority of his experience through crafting and for that, materials were necessary. The good thing though was that they would not be hurting too much for money, his stuff promised to sell for a fair amount, likely recuperating not only the cost of the materials used but also possibly earning profit. If successful enough, he might even reach the point where his crafting would bring in a boatload of money, making his process entirely self sufficient. In that case, he would still make gear for the duo when they needed a new piece and they would in turn be his backing and protection. of course, there was a need for more people, but that was a problem to solve later. A step forward at a time. "All done?" he asked when it seemed that Izumi and her group was also done with their task and had stored the tasty meat away and receiving a nod of confirmation he glanced at the group as a whole for a split second "You seem to be in good enough condition. let''s head back then, shall we?" his voice was calm and collected and he himself seemed like he just had a light workout, barely enough to break a sweat and was ready for more. It was at this moment that Izumi remembered what Emi had said about that necklace of his and how it felt like a defensive one. ''probably increasing his vitality, making his endurance and stamina stronger still. He is one lucky guy.'' she thought as she glanced around at the number of monster corpses, a slight twitch in her nose at the smell of blood and death. "Let''s head out!" she calmly called out, having Chiyo take lead as usual, her scouting shoving it''s immense value at this point, allowing the group to avoid as many of monster groups as possible. Jack had stated that it would be best to fight as little as could be don, the two parties were not on the best terms right now and would work quite flawed in case there was the need to. Of course, it was not entirely possible to avoid all the monster groups till they reached the village, so a few fights still happened. Jack did solve that particular issue in a unique way as well, asking them to fight separately, with each group engaging the monsters on a rotating scheme. First it would be his group, second time- Izumi''s, then Jack''s again and so on and so forth until they reach the village. Of course, if the group in question was too strong the resting group would lend a hand if asked. "A perfect plan, no? Both parties earn experience, while also getting used to their new set up." he had argued and as much as it was unpleasant to admit it, Izumi had to agree. There were still changes in the groups that went out to hunt for monsters all the time. Some group chewed off more than they could chew and lost a few members? Once the surviving ones are back, the group disbands, but they are all aware they need to grow stronger, so looking they go for another group to join. Or there might be disputes about the rare few items they acquire, creating a rift and tearing the group apart. Same thing happens with this group as well. And so it went, changing and adjusting. Izumi was sure at the end of the tutorial, no matter how it would look, there would be a few dominant forces already established before they left this place. ''If they are smart, whoever is waiting for us on the other side, they will try to figure out who the leaders of those groups are and go through them to get their hands on the most promising emerging talents.'' she already calculated how it all should unfold and came to a rather obvious truth. ''Jack is creating his own force while he still has the power to do so, likely planning to then coats on their hard work on the other side.'' A fair conclusion if Jack was mere Virtuoso, but even if that was the case, how was that bad? It was an exchange of services. Jack would provide the much needed leg up during their early stages of development and would reap the benefits when they reach their full potential. How was what he doing any different than an investor funding a startup company that eventually turns into a global megacorporation, returning his investment hundred or thousand times over, doing so in perpetuity. And Jack had the capital to do so too. Add to that his calm and seemingly friendly persona, if a little quirky, he was poised to get his claws on most talent in this tutorial zone, assuming he could recognize them. ''I could play that angle.'' Izumi immediately realized, an immaculate plan forming in her head as the group walked through the forest, led by Chiyo back to the village. They still had almost half a day''s walk ahead of them, so Izumi had plenty of time to finish off her plan. ''You have your ways and I have mine.'' she thought, the final few pieces of her plan settling in as the group left the forest, walking out on a rather large sized plain, a wooden wall like structure, surrounded by numerous plots of some sort of grain plant in various states of development. "I am guessing there are at least a few groups that do nothing but patrol surrounding area, killing whatever monsters they encounter, earning a fee from the village for doing so?" Jack asked as they walked the field, getting closer and closer to the village. "Yes. There are two groups who are responsible for that. They have to do fairly little too, since the rest of the groups are also killing whatever monsters they encounter to or from the village." "It is also a skill to recognize an opportunity when it presents itself. The leaders of those groups simply seized it first. I need to have a talk with them sooner rather than later, so point them out if you notice them." he smiled and explained when he noticed the confusion on Kenji''s face. "What''s with that weird look kiddo. We need information. The ''town guards'' so to call them," Jack air quoted "would have the more than most. What I need is the direction most monster parties come from as well as the frequency that they appear with. We need to figure out how to proceed once I have the full picture. Trust me on this kid, life experience is one hell of an advantage in a situation like this." "Understand this Kenji" Jack patted the younger man''s shoulder with a smile on his face "Everything I do is either is a part of some greater design, with me trying to figure it out, or just my insanity manifesting. Either way, you want to see it play out." he grinned, barely suppressing his own mad laughter forming at this own joke. It was a well placed one, or so he himself believed. "That was not funny." Kaede complained, though a small smile did adorn her face. Clearly she had found the action humorous. "Gotta have moments like these where we can. The road ahead will be harsh no doubt." Jack sighed and pointed out the obvious. "Smile and laugh where you can, and grab onto the opportunities presented to you." "We will!" exclaimed Kenji, his hand intertwined with Kaede''s who walked on the other side. "Thought do be careful for the time being." Jack whispered as he leaned in closer so only Kaede and Kenji could hear him. "I will see what I can do with the herbs available around here so you two can enjoy yourselves without worrying about dire consequences. Give me a few days yea?" The two youths immediately went beet red as they understood what he was talking about, their eyes locked on the ground, though drifting in their partners direction often, only to quickly shy away back to the moving patches of dirt beneath their feet. Still, there was the slightest of head nods from Kenji to make sure the duo understood and would ''behave'' for the time being. "That''s all I ask. Just a bit of time. It''s just a matter of mixing the right things together. Big brother got this!" Jack exclaimed with a grin on his face as they finally reached the villages gate that was still open with a couple of guards flanking them. Chapter 9. The village of slaves. The village wall itself was shoddy at best, as though someone had slapped it together at the last moment without any actual knowledge needed to ensure it would hold off any proper siege. At best, it would serve to only slightly delay the advancement of the attacking force, though nowhere near long enough for said delay to be utilized in a meaningful manner. Jack should know, his class- Twin Aspect of creation and destruction provided him not only with perfect understanding of the structure of any object he observed, but also the ability to afterwards recreate said object perfectly and even ideas on how to make said object better in many aspects. And the wall before him? It had way too many paths of improvement available, it was funny. The two guards standing watch by the gate, if it could even be called that, were also nothing to watch out for. Their frames seemed quite thin, the lack of nutrition rather noticeable, their ''armor'' and gear seemingly not much better. Shoddy leather armor where Jack could see imperfections and major flaws and weapons with clearly inefficient maintenance- rusted blades and heavily worn out grip handles. The weapons were about ready to give out on the next swing or so told his instincts. Worse still was a single bracelet on each of their hands. That item, and that alone was magical on the entirety of their bodies and with a simple glance it seemed as nothing more than just some symbolic things the people around here did to recognize their own. Jack though, he could see much deeper, and he was not quite as happy to realize the truth, though in hindsight that was the only logical explanation why there were humans here to begin with. Ceremonial bracelet- made by the people of an unnamed small village in the tutorial zone as a way to ensure they always recognize their own. Enchantment of obscurement(Hidden)- obscures the true nature of the bracelet, ensuring that no one with appraisal skill under heroic( between epic and legendary) could recognize its function as a tool for enslavement. The owner of the bracelet and in extension the being wearing it- Angelic race. ''It''s not paranoia if it''s true? Was that not how it went?'' Jack mused at they passed the guards standing by the gate, the duo either not caring or too scared to even try and act, or perhaps those were the orders they had been given on the matter of how to interact with the gifted. Though there was another, rather interesting question that popped up in Jack''s mind as he discreetly observed every other villager they walked past once inside. ''Just how much of quality matter would those bracelets provide?'' It was clear that they were of quality make, otherwise they would not have the enchantment to hide their true purpose, especially from appraisal skills of up to heroic rank. The fact alone that the angels had not used anything with the top ceiling of epic rank already explained a lot, particularly so the fear they apparently had about being exposed as a race, or organization, Jack was not sure on that part, that was fine with enslaving people. They had acted so benevolent and holier than thou at the start during the introduction. Not that Jack had fallen for the trick, his knowledge ensuring he was well aware that all intelligent races were the same- greedy and power hungry, or believed humans to be nothing more than a source of entertainment. Much like the wooden palisade, the homes here were also quite shoddily built, though at least a lit better than the wall, though just like before, Jack could see countless ways to improve everything within his sight, humans excluding, he did not fancy himself a bio-engineer or something. Another thing of note were the other gifted he noticed as they walked towards the largest building within the walls, the only one that seemed at least somewhat decent and with two stories at that, unlike anything else within. Those that stayed within the walls also seemed in pretty shabby state. "The elder of this village is tasked with registering the names of all those that pass through the village- a task they consider almost sacred and passed down for generations, or so they say." explained Kenji as they grew ever closer to the larger building. "That does make me not interested in passing through here then." Jack replied with slightly squinted eyes. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Don''t worry big bro. It''s not like you have to sign or draw blood. They just ask a name under which to register you is all." "We will see." Jack replied, continuing his observation, finally bringing up the matter other gifted. "How do they deal with the dead weight in the form of those summoned that don''t leave the walls to go and fight the monsters? I see plenty such people around." "Those that don''t work, shall not eat." They either collapse and die and are promptly removed from the village or work in the fields outside. There are just as much other fields like the ones we saw on the other three sides of the village. "Still, how much people were originally here? A hundred, maybee two? back in the summoning hall it felt as if there were thousand, maybee more us us." "We don''t know. Did you perhaps quickly left once it was possible and don''t know what happened there?" Asked Izumi, much to Jack''s surprise. The class rep. had been avoiding interacting with Jack so far. "I was lucky enough to find myself almost right next to one of the exits. I had a glaring suspicion that some of the people summoned might lose their shit and start killing people." "Yes. That''s precisely what happened and then pure chaos ensued. We had barely got together when it started too. It''s fairly easy to recognize japanese among western languages. We also ran then, much like many others, trying to escape those madmen as we did so. Things happened and quite a large number of us stumbled upon this place. The rest is history." Izumi finished, the group finally stopping before the chief''s home. "Go ahead, those that have been registered don''t enter again unless it is an emergency and the elder is needed." ''People seem to care a bit too much about this elder and their rules.'' Jack mused, but still walked inside and observed the classroom like hall, with many seats, as if prepared for students and the teachers table in front of them, a rather advanced age man sitting behind said teachers table and reading some kind of a book, his eyes slowly coming up from his reading material. "Ho ho? A new face has come to our little village? How has the journey been for you young one?" Elder Harubo (Lesser angel Fargus) Class- Village elder(uncommon) (Hidden-Observer(Epic)) Level- 10 (40) "Nothing that could not be handled." "I see, I see. That''s good then. So? How should I address you young man and register you in our records." the elder asked in a kind voice. "Whatever you want to. It matters not what I was called before, now does it? Not with the world we have found ourselves in. It is a new beginning for us all in a matter of speaking." "True, true. How should I call you then, since the choice should be yours, no?" "Tell me elder, why does your bracer seem different from the others in this village? I can''t quite put it in words, but my crafters senses scream that it is different somehow." Slave overseer''s bracelet(Epic) Jack observed the bracelet on the elders own hand. "Ho, ho, ho. A rare crafter class. That is not something one sees often in the trial zone. Allow this old man to take a glance." he chuckled lightly. "Ahh, a Virtuoso. truly a great thing to acquire for this place, though it is a hard path to walk once outside. It is both a blessing and a curse. I wish you luck Jack Raja." he added as he scribbled something down in his book, no doubt his name that was read through his own appraisal. Village records(common) (Hidden- Book of appraisal(Heroic)- By writing down the name of someone who identifies themselves in this artifacts presence, a page is created that tracks the potential and talents of said person. Only legendary and above concealment skills and abilities can obscure the information). Jack had noticed the book the second he walked in, thus his rather uncouth, possibly even slightly antagonistic attitude, bordering between eccentric and down right arrogant, though he believed, rightfully so, that due to his class, that would be no doubt read by the angel in disguise he could act in such a manner. As for why do it the way he did? It was obviously he could not allow the book to try and peak at him in the off chance that his potential would be read with his actual class instead of the disguise. As he exited the building he was met by Kenji and Kaede, who were still waiting for him. "Izumi san and the rest leff early. She said they had a lot to discuss among their group so she excused themselves." Kaede spoke, trying to be more involved in the conversations, no doubt on the request of Kenji. "It''s all right. We have our own things to discuss as well. So, how do we go about acquiring some sort of lodging for ourselves? Preferably one with at least two rooms?" Jack smiled as he asked, not the least concerned with the departure of Izumi and her remaining group. On the contrary- he had expected for that to happen as soon as they entered the village walls, so he was slightly surprised, even if he did not show it outward, that his party was accompanied all the way to the elders home. Chapter 10. Castle in the slums. It turned out to be a rather simple, though also somewhat expensive process to acquire their own permanent lodgings- namely one had to request the villagers to build a house for them, a process that did not take long, just a day or two, from what Jack was told by both the villagers in question as well as Kenji and Kaede. When asked about the end result, he was pointed to the rest of the shoddy building all around as recently built, causing Jack''s brow to furrow rather obviously. "Ehhhh" Jack drew a guttural exhale as he contemplated his response, coming up with a rather odd request, if the faces of the villagers were any indication" What about a pot where I could do my own thing? Perhaps a helper or two who could follow orders precisely?" "There is plenty of space closer to the wall so you are free to pick a spot. Not like you would come back to this place ever again so there is no need to worry about anything else. There are no land owners in the village anyhows." replied the rather thin man in charge of this whole operation, then quickly added an answer to the remaining question "As for the helpers" part? That is also easy to solve, depending on the tasks needed to be done. Plenty of the locals would be more than willing to assist for a hearty meal or two." he chuckled as he explained, then added "No doubt some of your fellow gifted would also be willing to help for a similar reward. Food is always in short supply, now more than ever with so many new people moving around." "Understood. Thank you for the information. I will make sure that some sort of reward will be delivered to you soon to express my gratitude." Jack responded as he slightly bowed his head. "Uhm. Jack san? Are you really planning to make the building yourself?" Kaede asked, still shy as usual, though there was also quite a bit of curiosity in her voice. "I might have a bit of an understanding when it comes to architecture and engineering. At the very least more than whoever is building those shoddy constructions." Jack explained as the trio walked over to the empty plots of land closer to the wall. "We will also need to reinforce the wall closer to our house as well as add another fence that would separate it from the rest of the village. No doubt there will soon be plenty of fools trying to either beg us to help them or outright threaten to be bribed, lest they accidentally set fire to whatever we will have made. Well, I say we, but I am the one that suited for the task, what with my class and stats." Jack explained as he found a place that suited his needs perfectly. "Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Kenji as he and Kaede watched Jack pull out his old slicing spear, stab it in the ground and start walking, the weapon drawing a line in the ground. Once he reached a certain distance, Jack stopped, made a sharp ninety degree turn and walk once again, repeating the same process of stopping, turning and restarting his walk once again. Only once he was back at the point he had started the whole process did he looked up at Kenji, responding. "Yes actually. The two of you could go around and ask the people loitering around if they are interested in working in construction for a day or two. Three meals a day guaranteed for the duration they are employed as well as a few extra meals after the work is done. Do warn them that it will be physical labor and no slacking will be tolerated. Honest pay for honest work. Also, while you two do that, please figure out what kind of weapons you two would prefer me to make. I would guess sword and shield for Kenji since he if a tank, but I don''t quite know that it is that Kaede would prefer. If you want a focus chime like the one you are already using I will need to borrow it for a while to understand it better. Do give it some thought beforehand though and only then give me the answer. Ineed what feels right for you two. There is a limited amount of materials I have gathered so far after all." "Understood Jack. We will give it a though while looking for workers." Kenji enthusiastically nodded and dragged Kaede away, leaving Jack alone for the moment. "Time to get to work then." Jack hummed to himself, withdrawing a spade he had made some while ago during his practice from his storage space. He knew a spade would have come in handy, though to break it in so soon had not been in his plans. ''Might even test out the rest of them as well, helpers be willing.'' he mused as he stabbed the ground, moving with speed that quite honestly boggled the mind, though it was a result two, distinct causes. First, Jack''s own, tremendous attributes, though he had to admit that the space itself was also a work of art. Virtuoso''s Spade (Epic)- Every man needs some tools to work and for Virtuoso, who needs access to all manner of resources, there are few tools more useful and versatile as a spade. You can dig, or not or use it as a crutch, or even bonk someone on the head if need be. And of course, a spectacle it must be, whatever the user performs. Versatility at its finest. Strength +1, increased speed and precision when digging, allowing for more seamless and precise actions performed. Creates an illusion, making things seems more entertaining. That last part of the description, and the effect as a result, was not something Jack had thought of when he was creating the item, though a stray thought that it would be funny if someone digging at supernatural speeds and precision looked wackier than they actually did had sneaked in his mind when he was making it. And, as the aspect of creation, if he could imagine it, he could make it, though it did eat a lot more of his stocked up materia. Still, the end result was funny, though he did also make normal showels without the additional illusion effect. "Dude, what was that thing we drank yesterday?" asked a rough looking guy who laid with his back against the village wall, another, similarly shaped man right next to him staring at Jack as well, both their jaws agape at the sight of his inhuman digging speeds. "Nothing strong enough to cause that kind of hallucination. Do you see the same shit I do?" the other answered as well, rubbing his eyes and asking back. "Whaddya seeing?" the first one asked, rubbing his eyes as well, clearly not believing his own eyesight. "Magical dwarf shitting earth in a stream as he eats it in god forsaken speed?" "I think those mushrooms should not be added to the next batch you brew brother." the first one replied "I''m seeing five little green men pulling a cart thats regurgitating earth in a similar fashion to your dwarf." "Hic. I think you are right brother." the second replied, the two staring at the bizarre sight before their eyes. Another hour or so later Kenji and Kaede returned, a couple guys following them, clearly interested in the offer they had extended, though the newly arrived group stopped and stared just like the two dudes next to the village wall. "Fun show?" Jack asked, stopping a few minutes later, mostly done with his excavation. The plot he had marked previously was now replaced with a meter deep ditch, precisely and cleanly dug. "So, you guys up for an honest job?" "If the foods better than the scraps we can receive for tending the fields, whatever it is you need, we will deliver." responded one of the guys that stood up front. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "Friends of yours, or just brothers in misfortune? The name''s Jack, by the way." "Alonso, and a bit of both." "The scraps you mentioned? Bland, brick like bread and sketchy looking jerky?" Jack asked and upon confirmation, answered the previous question as well. "Yea, I can guarantee stuff better than that for sure." He then quickly examined the people before him with a scrutinizing eye, as if judging their character, though that was not truly necessary. From the way they appeared, clothes slightly ragged, though mostly clean, with dust caught on their pant legs and arms, it was obvious these guys had been working the fields. That and Jack could see the personalities of the group with a similar set of words- hard working, honourable. "Tell you what." he continued "You lot seem like the right sort. How about I make the first meal now since you are first ones to agree and then we go from there. I can tell that I am already above level five and we will need to do a bit of gathering in the forest, though do not worry, we will ensure the protection part and it will be relatively close to the village. Sounds acceptable?" The men quickly turned to one another, exchanging a few words, then turned back to Jack. "Deal. Though if any monster gets closer to us than hundred meters, we run back to village. You good with that?" Alonso spoke for the group. "Not a problem. Got your bowls and spoons with you? This will take an hour or so." "Always." With the confirmation, Jack got to work, using the place he dug as his temporary kitchen. He quickly set up a small campfire with the stuff he had at hand, then fished out a kettle he had made just like the spades, well aware beforehand that he would be making soups and stews quite often. Then he got to making a simple, yet filling soup, adding vegetables and a fair bit of frogmop meat. Then, as the broth steamed and boiled, using his Eyes of the procurer added his home made spices to elevate the taste to a whole another level. Right now, cooking to him was like solving math equations, adding, subtracting and using all the other mathematical procedures to create the results he wanted. To be fair, while he did ensure he made the soup tasty, he also ensured it was nowhere near the level of bliss Kenji and Kaede had experienced when he cooked for his party. It was one thing to show his own group the magic he could do, a whole another to workers hired temporary. he could, of course, possibly make a way for these guys to work for him on a regular basis, though such a choice would require more elaborate and careful planning. "Damn boss." Alonso spoke after the group of five had damn near licked clean their bowls, each receiving two servings "That was heavenly." he patted his belly with a pleased expression, putting away his kitchenware. "A deal''s a deal. Lead the way and tell us what to do." "Pleasure working with you." Jack grinned and extended his hand, shaking the hand of each of the five workers. With that done, he took point as the group left the village, still having a bit of time before sundown. "We should probably try and make it back before dusk. More creepies moving around during night." Alonso added, his gaze locked on the sky for just a moment. "Well aware, but the advice is noted. Need to collect some logs today though. Got some spare space in your storages I assume?" "Should be plenty." Alonso replied once again. "Your friends are quite shy it seems, got a reason for it?" "Yes, but would rather not speak about it." Alonso grunted, clearly not willing to share. "Noted as well. Apologies." What followed was a rather impressive sight once again. Jack used his halberd as saw of sorts, the weapon sturdy and sharp enough for him to use his monstrous strength to cut down large sized trees that he and Kenshi then debranched and split into certain length. Once the storage spaces of everyone were filled, he also sheathed his halberd and grabbed a log in each arm and ordered the group to return, unloading the logs at his ''construction site''. He then spent the remaining time until dusk by establishing the foundation, strengthening the beams and the base construction with his unique set of skills, ensuring that neither rot nor fire could take them easily, ensuring the building would serve for as long as he would have to stay here. By the time the night fell, the outline of the building was clear and the floor was already in place as Jack had used quite the precision to level it, or so it seemed. He had effectively used his spades illusion, guiding it this time to appear as if he had used some weird cutting techniques to make planks for the floor while in reality he used his aspect of creation skill. He also made sure that the angel, or as other knew him- village elder, was nowhere near him when it happened. One less problem to deal with. The trio had to spend the night under clear sky, taking shifts still since they did not trust anyone around but with first morning lights they were all up and decently rested. At the same time, their five workers also arrived nice and early, just an hour or so after the sunrise they were already present, and happily eating breakfast- a simple stew with local variant of potatoes he still had in stock. And, much like the previous evening, once they were done, the group left the village, once again felling trees and collecting logs that jack would then either make into timber to finalize the interior or used said logs to fill out the walls of his building. What had to be noted was the wide eyes the villagers looked at Jack with, their faces filled with sheer disbelief and even awe in some cases regarding the quality of his quickly finalized home. It was one story building, with a few window slots, covered with wooden panels from inside since Jack was not willing to to spend his matter on creating glass windows. They had light during day and during night they would sleep, so there was not much need for light then, Once again, jack was not willing to spend matter on creating candles or oil lamps. If needed, they could acquire some from other people. There had been quite a few people who had observed Jack''s group and their actions and by the end of the second day his group had arrived in the village, the first evening and the whole second day, their simple, but clearly professionally build temporary home was done, it''s quality standing head and shoulders above anything else present. The five guys had worked hard, though they had also eaten better than past week and were even quite sad that the work seemed to be done, only to be overjoyed when Jack mentioned that he would need their assistance the next day as well. The third day was spent on reinforcing the village wall near their home as well as making an additional fence around it, making it the most defensible position in the entire village, even earning the attention of the elder, who personally came to visit the owners of the home. "My, ow my. What craftsmanship and precision. Is this the direction your Virtuoso skill took? Carpentry?" the elder asked one he sat at a freshly made table, across from Jack, Kaede and Kenji. "No, that is something I worked with before. Skills from my past life if you will." Jack replied, his face still and calm. "Impressive, impressive indeed. Would you be interested in making some other building then?" he asked, as if slowly preparing the conversation for more important topics. "You jest." Jack just laughed off the village chiefs words. "There are monsters roaming around and this place is not going to be a location we remain in for long. Experience, gear and other things are the pressing priority now that there is roof over our heads. I sincerely doubt that this is all the danger that awaits us in this trial zone, otherwise we would have already be done. That is if the task was to establish a camp or some sort of or to get on our feet in hostile environment. Nor would there be a village of people waiting for us." Jack''s gave grew sharp "No, I suspect a much more dangerous trial awaits us. No, most likely it''s getting closer and closer even as we speak." "That does sounds ominous indeed." Replied the village elder, slightly nodding his head at the words. "I do hope that you are wrong and that in the case you are not, we will be spared whatever danger it is that you expect. I will take my leave then and allow you to get back to what you were doing." the village elder then excused himself and left the building, accompanied by Jack and his ever vigilant eyes. "Well then kids, let''s get to fixing up your stuff." Jack turned to the couple still sitting at the table once he returned, the duo holding hands in the light of a candle the village chief had brought over as a gift, light smiles on their faces as their slowly inhaled the fresh smell of the wooden, though strengthened and slightly enchanted, feeling quite cozy and safe for the first time since arriving in this world. "Yes, big brother!" the duop exclaimed in unison, viewing Jack in even better light than before. Not only had his advice pushed Kenji to dare and confess to Kaede, but he had also stepped in and accepted the pair under his wing when their own group had turned out to not be all that good, though that mostly lay on the head of one by the name Hanzo. It had to be noted that during the two days the group had worked on finishing their current home, Chiyo had visited them a few times, just like Izumi, wanting to talk for a moment, only to be asked to come back once their home was done. Chapter 11. Evil ploys and upgrades. Part 1. While Jack and his party were busy with their own plans and tasks, the people they had interacted did not sit idly by- neither the remaining part of ''Asian harem story'' as Jack had initially called them, nor the disguised angel just sat, twiddling their thumbs. To both, Jack? emergence signified a change, a variable of some sort that was to be brainstormed around and utilized to their own benefit. The first to work on their brainstorming session was, of course, Izumi and the remaining girls, who had retired to their own room, leaving Hanzo alone on his own for the time being- not something the girls had not done previously, though the difference being that now there was no longer a Kenji around to share in the other boys annoyance, even if the booksmart guy had not shown any displeasure about the fact. Chiyo, Emi and Fumiko sat on their own primitive beds, looking at Izumi and waiting for the girl to start talking, as she was the one who had called them for this conversation. A few minutes of silence later, time that seemed Izumi had spent listening for the slightest sound that would indicate that Hanzo was anywhere their room, perhaps eavesdropping, later, she glanced towards Emi for a moment, earning a nod from the girl and relaxing a bit while Emi did her thing. Then, a small flash of light later, Izumi spoke up. "We have two things to talk about and come to a decision. If there is anything any of you girls want to discuss as well, please feel free to share your concerns afterwards." with a few glances at her compatriots and receiving nods to continue, she proceed along with the explanation of her concerns. "First things first. I have to admit that I was off the last few days, resulting in less than optimal decisions, being passive when I had to act and for that, I apologise. It is because of my inactivity that we lost two members of our party, even if their contribution to battles was somewhat lacking. Still, with the group as it was, it was only a matter of time before that happened. And the main cause of it all is the first topic we have to discuss." "Hanzo." bluntly stated Chiyo, slightly annoyed that Izumi was beating around the bush so much, though she could understand why. Still, Izumi did not seem bothered by the way Chiyo had disrupted her. "Indeed- Hanzo." Izumi nodded in agreement. "He had always been problematic, lashing out at everything and everyone, then using the money and influence of his family to make it all go away. And it seems that our arrival here had not fixed his character at all, despite what it seemed. I would say it made him worse still, so much so that I find it hard to argue with the warning Jack gave us regarding Hanzo. Thus, I would like to propose a vote to remove him from our party. As for why I bring it up before the second issue is even mentioned is because with him among our ranks our path is predetermined in that regard, no matter our choice. "And what is the second issue to address then?" asked Fumiko "Sounds like it''s more important than the issue with Hanzo, as impossible as it sounds." "Because it is. We have to figure out if we still have a chance of establishing a working relationship with Jack and what would we be willing to sacrifice to make it happen, or if we want to begin with. I will note that is is my belief that he just might be our best bet to get safely through this trial zone." "Because of his class, correct?" Chiyo asked. "Precisely. If either of the items Emi appraised was made by him, the power we would gain would be substantial. A power that I believe is a must for our safety. No doubt you girls have also felt those endless lust filled gazes as we walk through the village. It is only because there is still some level of order around here that utter chaos and lawlessness has not descended upon the place and if some whispers we have heard are true, the food is growing scarce." "Let''s get to solving it then. I am pretty sure we are all in agreement that Hanzo is hopeless and a threat to our safety in the long run anyhows, so, who here is against removing him?" Spoke Fumiko, always straight to the point. With not a single one of the girls raising and objections, they then nodded in unison, having come to a decision. "We will inform him and reimburse for the part he paid for the buildings construction later then. How does our supplies look?" izumi declared and spent a few minutes to tally up the stuff they had still on hand, their food supplies having been pleasantly increased with the meat from frogmops. "More than enough to reimburse and still leave us with a solid reserve. Now, onto the second issue." she continued "Who here believes that joining with Jack would not be a wise choice?" "We know too little about him besides his class. The fact that he is alone and still alive and fine does raise some other questions. Maybee an ex military? He did give off that veteran vibe my old man''s buddies had around them." Fumiko started "Though so far he seemed reliable enough. The fact he stood up for Kenji and even gave him advice for nothing in return does give off good vibes, but one never know. I am not categorically against it at the very least." she came to a conclusion. "He''s confident and decisive." Chiyo added "I did not see the slightest bit of hesitation when he slaughtered those goblins. I would also bet he''s ex military, but he can''t be a veteran. Too young. What was it he said, ten years older? That would still make him under thirty. Special forces of some sort? Don''t have any issues with joining up, if we can still manage that is. We do need the extra numbers for hunting after all and we know what Kaede and Kenji can do, and Jack is a beast in battle as we have already seen." "So long as we have a contract in place." Emi just shrugged. "Yes, I was thinking the same. Contract from emi''s class is a must. The next issue however is whether Jack would even be willing to entertain the idea now. The previous incident no doubt will hinder our attempts. The question about what we can even offer him that he could not find elsewhere also remains. I doubt we have much of what he needs." "Honepot?" Fumiko asked, her eyes locked on Izumi since she was the prettiest of them all. "Doubt it would work. Did you miss how he addressed Kenji and Kaede? Kids he called them. Nor did I sense the slightest lust from his gaze whenever landing on us. That felt like cold and calculating evaluation, couples with a slight amount of pity." "Pity? Why?" with a furrowed brow asked Fumiko. She did not like the implication one bit. "Don''t know. Because we were dragged here maybe? You would have to ask him for clarification. Let''s see what other options we have." The girls discussed various possibilities, eventually coming to a conclusion that they would have to just go and see how it develops on the spot and act accordingly. Not quite something Izumi liked, but they had little choice in the matter as it stood now. With their discussion over, they moved over to where Hanzo was to break the news and decision they had come up with. That conversation would no doubt be a fiery one and all the girls were prepared for it, both mentally and physically. "THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN?!" Hanzo damn near roared once the girls informed him of their decision, seething with rage and disbelief. "It is as we just stated. You are not fit for our group and as such we have come to the decision that you should leave." Izumi spoke, pointing to a pile of rations "This is the part you paid for our lodging, plus a bit extra. Take it and leave." This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Bitch!" he growled, clearly fuming and ready to take it a step forward, only to be forced to a stop as he noticed that all four girls also had their weapons ready just like him, waiting for him to take it too far to strike back. As much as Hanzo hated to admit it, he was no match for the group of four. Truthfuly, he was not even sure he could take Izumi alone on, only the relatively narrow place they were at giving him a bit of extra confidence. Izumi''s sword would have a hard time to maneuver here and all. Still, the odds were heavily in the opposing parties favour and he would never let such disrespect stand. And now that he knew how the girls in front were, he was unwilling to have them as anything more than pets to be toyed with as and when he pleased. Can''t do that if they are dead now can he? "This is not over." he grinded his teeth as he took the rations and stomped out, clearly seething from the way he kicked the shoddy doors open. "Yea, we are going to need all the power we can secure." Sighed Fumiko. "And as soon as possible as well." chimed in Chiyo. The girls would spend the next couple of days, the ones Jack spent procuring logs and stuff, building his parties home, trying to make contact with him, every time being sent away with the excuse that his group was busy- a task that was given to Kenji who performed as expected, though he did apologise to Izumi and the girls every time he sent them away, having been informed that Hanzo was not part of the group any more. He was both relieved and worried at the same time. Relieved that the four girls would no longer be in constant danger of Hanzo snapping and deciding to just take what''s his, or try at the very least, and worried that everyone else was now in danger of the spoiled second generation rich kid. There was barely any policing within the village after all. ------------------------ After his visit to Jack in the man''s new, cozy looking home, the village elder returned to his own lodging, walking to a closet next to one of the walls in his home that also served as his office. There, once the door was opened, he touched a secret switch on the wall and slid through a new opening in the back of the closet. Moments later, he found himself in a small room with just barely glowing runes all around him. "Report." the same beautiful voice Jack would recognize as belonging to the beautiful angel that spoke to all arrivals back in the first chamber resounded in the small room. "The last of survivors from this zone has been registered." he relied, kneeling almost reverently towards a small, glowing orb from which the voice came. "The results so far?" the female angel asked. "As expected. The average turnaround. From the two hundred and fifty people assigned to my area, around two hundred reached the village. Some thirty had already died from inactivity and hunger. The food give outs should end in a week or so, as per schedule. No particularly special talents had appeared, though there is an unknown variable." "Elaborate." the angelic woman''s voice commanded. "A Virtuoso male a bit below the age of thirty. Refused to give a name, thus his potential is unknown. Seemed to have knowledge of construction from their original world. Likely the most powerful among the people present in my area." "That''s nothing new. They are a paranoid sort. Crazy, one and all, though worry not. Their kind always shine in the tutorial and quickly wither and die in the world afterwards. Their advancement is far too expensive and time consuming and the usual advancement choices- ''Crazy scientist'' or ''Artist Savant'', are not desired by many. Just observe and allow the poor soul it''s moment to shine." "Understood. Anything else I should know?" the angel disguised as the village elder asked in subservient tone. "No, that''s all for now. Keep up the good work and inform me if anything out of the norm happens." "As you wish, my lady." With that, the connection ended and the elder returned to his shoddy home, seemingly doing whatever tasks an elder of such a small village would do. ---------------------------- "So, have you made your decisions?" Jack asked Kenji and Kaede on the morning of the third day once the group had finished their breakfast, courtesy of Kaede once Jack had provided his own blend of spices and precisely what each of them did. The girl had proven to be a careful listener and even better cook, earning a humm of approval and a comment that he had said that someone who was a better cook than him could make better tasting meals. "Yes brother." the duo agreed instantly, explaining their thought process and the weapons they wanted, as well as the stats that would help them the most. Kenji had decided on a shield and mace. Swords needed more precision and could more easily get stuck in bone or another tougher material, slowing him down on the retrieval of his weapon,. creating gaps in his defenses. Mace though would not have the same issue, though he would be a bit slower on the strikes as a result, but since he would mostly attack when he had either blocked or parried, the opponent would be off balance and easier to land a strike on. Strength or Vitality were the desired stats for Kenji to elevate his tanker''s abilities, though the boy said he would be happy with whatever he got. Kaede wanted a chime similar to what she already had. A focus to help absorbing mana and increase the speed with which she did so. Humans were creatures with near no mana themselves, forced to utilize the mana in their surroundings, or so it was explained in her spell tab, though Jack knew that was not entirely true. The truth was that humans were too lacking in spirit, as well as unaware of the existence of mana, thus unable to channel it. It had to be mentioned that spirit stat could not be increased with the free attribute points even though the stat was clearly showed along with the rest and intelligence was the go to stat for casters since it increased one''s ability to multitask and improved their ability to use mana focuses better. Spirit was obviously better, but due to it''s restrictions near impossible to raise. Normal humans reached four or five in their life times at best, not like the ten that the rest of their stats were hard capped at, though that was before being summoned here. Elves for example would hard cap at eight in spirit and as such were very much attuned to mana in the world around them, allowing them to be much better mages than humans. Spirits cap was every five points, unlike the physical attributes where every next ten attributes provided with qualitative increase. it was why Jack, who had seventeen strength in total could exert power far above double the human limit, even if he had been hiding his full potential so far. And so Kaede had asked if Jack could make the chime to either increase her Intelligence or mana gathering speed, since she had plenty of buf spells she could empower the party with. Her healing also depended on the speed she could collect mana, so she wanted as much improvement there as she could. Thus, Jack spen the third day on examining Kaedes chime and coming up with the designs for their equipment. That and once he was sure what to make, he disappeared in his room warning not to be disturbed, his muse calling him to work. He emerged just a few hours later, holding a shield in one hand and a chime in the other, a mace showed behind his belt hanging by his side. The shield was a simple kite shield, gray in colour and with no actual engravings or anything, though it did give off a light sheen, making the item feel magical, if ever so slightly. Every blacksmith looking at the item would hold thumbs up and call it a fine work. Virtuoso''s beginner''s kite shield(Epic)- a dead Virtuoso, or their material collector for that matter, is a bad one, thus calling for a proper shield to hold off those pesky arrows and bonks coming their way. Virtuoso never does anything half assed, thus the quality of the item, even if beginners, is exceptional. Strength +1. Vitality +1. Slight auto assist on blocks and parries. The mace, much like the shield was simple grey in colour, it''s design also not screaming fancy or valuable at all, though once again it seemed solid work that any blacksmith would appreciate the craftsmanship of. Virtuoso''s beginners mace(Epic)- Virtuoso can work with anything, sometimes even living beings. There is no better tool than a proper ''Bonk'' to secure said materials. Virtuoso never does anything half assed, thus the quality of the item, even if beginners, is exceptional. Strength +1. Vitality +1. Slight auto assist on weapon strikes. Only the chime seemed somewhat special, though because it was an item meant to assist in channeling mana there was no helping it. The materials used on such things were more expensive and rarer, though Jack could cheat in this regard by just showing in much greater amounts of matter to achieve the desired result, and achieve he did. Virtuoso''s beginners focus chime(Epic)- Any self respecting Virtuoso knows that they deserve to be worshiped, What better choice than a shrine with it''s own personal maiden to tend to it. That means a chime worthy of respect for when the maiden performs rituals in said virtuoso''s name. Praised be ME! Virtuoso never does anything half assed, thus the quality of the item, even if beginners, is exceptional. Intelligence +3. Medium increase in mana gathering speed and slight auto assist when casting, easing the process. "Holy hell! These are insane!" The couple exclaimed when they received their items and equipped them, feeling the boost their new gear provided them with. "Muahahahahaha." Jack laughed, his hands pressed together as he tapped the fingers together. "I promised good gear. Here it is. Do take care of me after the tutorial kidos, will you." Chapter 12. Evil ploys and upgrades. Part 2. Kenji and Kaede were ecstatic, both enjoying the elevated feeling they got from the raw increase in stats. Only a moment later the duo came back to earth, taking deep breaths to calm themselves down, finally capable to speak with some semblance of peace, though excitement was still clear in their voices as they did. "So this is how it feels above the first threshold." happily hummed Kaede, her intelligence having gone past it. "It feels as though I could cast two spells at the same time, especially with the speed my mana is gathered thanks to the chime." "What''s the current intelligence stats you have if you don''t mind me asking?" Jack questioned. "Twelve." Kaede answered immediately, not the least bit worried. "Hold off of it for now. Once you reach thirteen should be fine to start practising that dual casting, but no sooner, and even then only the most basic spells you have. Nothing more advanced. I have this feeling it might have more negative side effects than positive should you try otherwise." Jack warned and advised, playing his knowledge off as an intuition of the Virtuoso, something Kaede was more than willing to listen to. Jack had zero reason or motives to see her harmed or stifled in growth after all. He did rely on them after the tutorial. "I got new skill thanks to the stats I gained." Kenji joined in and beamed as well. "Go on, what is it, done keep us in suspense?" Jack urged the boy, allowing him to get his own moment to shine as well. "It''s called ''Forced combat''. It forces enemies in a certain radius to attack me instead of whoever they want. The smarter the opponent the less effect, though it grow stronger with my vitality stat." "A protector indeed." Jack smile as he patted the boys shoulder. "I don''t have to tell you when and how to use the skill. As a gamer you know what to do I trust." "Indeed brother. Tanking like a boss." "And you even have your own pocket healer as well. Someone is set up for success." Jack grinned at the duo. "More protective gear will have to wait though. My reserves of materials are kinda dry after these, though with the three of us we should have enough to start solving that problem as well. What say you guys? Ready for some hunting?" "Just say the word!" the duo exclaimed, more than ready to test out their new stuff on some green shits or whatever else roamed the forest and beyond. "That''s the spirit. Let''s eat something and then head out. I can''t deny you two much longer than that, not when there is so ,uch enthusiasm in your voices." Jack smiled and ruffled their heads, walking towards the table and sitting down, glancing in Kaedes and Kenji''s direction. "Sorry, coming right up." Kenji apologised and dashed towards the kitchen area that was specially reinforced and outfitted with a simple metal stove. There he grabbed a pot of still steaming food, the result of his and Kaede''s joint effort while Jack was crafting. "Time to dig in!" Jack smiled thanked the duo as they all enjoyed their meal, once again earning a thumbs of from Jack and the same comment about a proper cook making the most of his spices. With their meal done though, the trio headed out for a few hour hunting session, running into Chiyo on their way out who seemed to have been waiting for them. The girl glanced at the clearly brand new items on Kenji and Kaede, recognizable because they had been together from nearly the very start, but her gaze did not linger there for long. She locked her eyes on Jack who was at the front of his group and spoke. "We would like to talk, but Kenji told you were busy last few days. When would it be convenient for you?" Jack looked at the couple and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think? Should we give them the time?" "We don''t mind if that is o-okay with you." Kaede stamered just a bit, her timidness rearing it? head with a familiar person in sight. "Evening at our place then. Make sure the other guy is not there." Jack shrugged but said nonchalantly, though added the second sentence with more stern voice, his stance clear. "Don''t worry about that brother. Hanzo is no longer in their group." "Oh? You listened to my advice. Smart choice. So? Did you off him?" "What? No!" Chiyo was flustered and exclaimed quickly, clearly bewildered by the question, her calm demeanor momentarily broken,quickly replaced by a flush of embarrassment when she noticed the smirk on Jack''s face. "He." he smirked "Evening. We are leaving." he finished and gestured for the duo to follow, leaving Chiyo behind on her own. She did hear a couple of giggles that belonged to Kaede though, accompanied with a few words. "Meanie!" Kaede giggled. "And proud!" Jack shot back, their group disappearing from her senses soon enough, clearly having left the village boundary. She too turned around and left to inform her group of the information she received and to start preparing for the talks in the evening. As Jack and his party left the village, its shabby gate becoming smaller and smaller as distance grew, he was asked a rather important question by Kenji. "Why postpone that conversation to evening though? We could have headed out for some hunting tomorrow as well, no?" "We could have, yes, but our eagerness would put us in a spot where they could, and likely would assume we need them, which is factually incorrect." Jack calmly replied. "You have a guess as to what Chiyo and the girls wants?" Kaede asked. "No doubt to acquire my services, one way or another. The description on my class alone should tell just enough about my value within the tutorial. If they are smart, they would definitely try and gain as much advantages as they can. I doubt anyone who had paid attention to the things happening would believe that just surviving for some time in the conditions that we are dealing with now is all there is to it." "The big bad must be coming, si what you are saying?" Kenji confirmed. "Yep. Izumi san should have come to a similar conclusion. That is also additional reason why they got rid of that Hanzo fellow. I assume they would propose some sort of a contract, facilitated by that Emi girl in their group." "How did you know?" asked Kaede, well aware that particular information was not shared. "I am a crafter and a rare class at that. If I did not have an appraisal of sorts, how could I even function and learn about materials and other stuff?" Jack laughed as he explained. "Right, that does make sense." "I know right? The question though is different now though." Jack added, his tone becoming serious once again "It? clearly a calculated move. So, why should I help them out? There is nothing they can offer me that would interest me and I don''t like being used to boot. Cost benefit ratio is skewed in the wrong direction a tad, no scratch it, a lot in the wrong direction and I don''t make losing deals." This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "What about us then? Are we not a losing deal as well?" Kaede asked calmly, though there was a hint of worry in her voice, barely perceptible. "Different cases. You two give me a different feeling. People bound by honor and ethics. Favour once received would be remembered always and returned with overabundance. Helping such people is never wrong, or a bad investment. Call it your positive karma coming back to you. And I think I told you too, I saw potential in you. And to round thing up, I have to say, you too are just too cute together." Jack laughed as he said the last sentence again, causing the duo to blush a bit, though their large smiles showed just how happy they were as well. "Oh? I sense party incoming team! Get ready!" he spoke suddenly, the group taking combat stances with their weapons drawn, preparing for their first encounter of the day. -------------------------- Hanzo was ticked off, annoyed, seething really. His mood had been growing sourer and sourer with each passing hour. Who did those bitches thought they were? Throwing him out like that. ''Just you wait!'' he exclaimed in his mind ''Once I am through with you, even cheap brothels won''t take you! And even that will not be an end that you recieve. Heh.'' he grinned wickedly as a sadistic and inhumane thought passed through his mind as he searched for a fate worse still. ''Yes, once I am done with you all, its goblins for you bitches.'' ''''He he he he" he snickered under his breath about the wonderful ending he had come up with as he thought- ''Or is it you for goblins?'' Still, as fun as it was fantasizing about the things coming for Izumi and her group, he was well aware that he alone could not do shit. Not now, nor later, unless he found a group of similarly thinking individuals he could prove his worth and earn their assistance in resolving his issue. That would also require quite the payment, though he was sure he could manage something with time. There was no way Izumi would just roll over and drop dead after all, thus he had plenty of time. Hanzo had spent a bit of his own stashed food to rent a room for the night and had been moving around the village for a while, finding himself in front of two guys calmly lounging behind their own stall, a single, simple, two word sentence written on it in Arukian - Selling booze. As Hanzo was contemplating something, he heard a familiar language spoken in the distance, coming closer and closer. "And, what you did then?" one of the foreign guys asked, clearly interested in whatever story the other was telling. "What do you think? She was out cold by then. Did not last long though, that one. Quite lacking in the looks department so the rest of the guys at the camp went a bit too hard. Eh, happens. All good though, there is plenty more of toys around waiting to be picked up." "Hey fellas!" one of the two speakers exclaimed in Arukian, having stopped right next to the booze stall. "Gonna need a cask of your stuff, the boys at the camp, me included love this stuff. Here''s the old barrel. had it washed and all." he continued and placed empty barrel next to the stall. "The same price as last time." spoke one of the brothers behind the stall, moments later a few, good looking pieces of meat appeared on the counter, placed there by the russian speaking fellows. "Just like last time." grinned the previous speaker. "Good doing business with you." nodded one of the shopkeepers and withdrew a cask from his storage, placing it next to the empty one. "Come back again." he grinned as his brother stashed the food away. Before the russian speaking guys could leave though, Hanzo spoke up, his russian a bit rusty, but still good enough to be understood, all thanks to his old man who had plenty of shady deals with the other nations underground. "Brothers, might I tag along? It seems that there are like minded people in this forsaken place after all." "Hoh? You speak russian? A bit off, but close enough. What was it you said?" asked the guy doing all the talking. "Overheard your conversation, and I have to say, I am positively intrigued in taking part in similar exercises. I might also have some useful information regarding some dangerous individuals that will no doubt become obstacles for our fun." "Like?" "Rare classes." Hanzo replied, his gaze shifty as if looking for spies who could understand him. "Follow along. Let''s see what value you have." "Your group will not be disappointed." Hanzo grinned as he followed along. ''The first step achieved- find a group that could help me grow and maybe even achieve my goals sooner than expected.'' Things were all of a sudden looking up for Hanzo. ------------------------ "A power move, clearly." Huffed Fumiko once Chiyo had explained where she had run into Jack, Kenji and Kaede, and what their response had been to their request for a conversation. "And there is nothing we can do about it." Izumi sighed, realizing that the other sides eldest member was smart enough and at east somewhat capable of making their own powermoves "We are at a disadvantage here, that is clear as day. Alos, what was it you said about the change in Kaedes and Kenji''s gear?" "Kaede has a new chime and Kenji''s got a new shield and mace. Though the fighter weapons did not look all that impressive, boringly gray in their design, they felt strong. Kaedes new chime though, now that looked really valuable." "We can assume that they are rooted in Jack''s group. The simple mindedness and their character would not let them do otherwise. While we are still stuck on the offer we can make. Urgh, I hate the lack of potions we have right now. If only there was anything but barter with food that sustained this places economy. Alas..." she sighed. "It''s okay, I will figure something out." she shook her head as if clearing it from stray and unnecessary thoughts, the group walking around town and assessing the ever deteriorating situation. It was then that they heard distinctly female voice, though quite low in tone. "My, my. Having a girls outing are we?" the voice spoke, a clear image of a fat woman in her forties with blue, short hair and a few piercings in in each ear and nose surfacing in Izumi''s group''s minds along with a name- Velka. "Velka." Izumi replied, turning around to face the lard like person, her tone neutral, though her eye did twitch at the sight of a couple of guys with sunken faces and barely any flesh on their bones crawling next to her, a leash connecting their necks and Velka''s gripping hand. "Oh? One of you lovelies seems to be missing. Did you ran into a trouble too big and lost her? Tsk, tsk, tsk. I warned it would happen. Should have listened to me and joined. I would have even allowed her to keep that nerd as her own, personal pet. Ho ho ho. Am I not magnificent? So, how about it? Finally want to join?" Velka smiled in what was supposed to likely be a friendly and sweet smile, waiting for the response. "Kaede is alive and well, thank you for the concern. And no, we are fine as is and have to unfortunately reject your offer. We will keep it in mind though." "My door is always open my lovelies. See you around." she laughed lightly and wobbled away, keeping the corner of her eyes on the girls pretty forms as he did so. Only when she was a fair distance away, ensured by Chiyo''s scouting, did the girls shivered slightly. The way they were looked at by the land whale that had just left was unsettling to say the least. "I need some sort of a distraction now. A small patrol around the village?" asked Emi, proving just how disturbing the situation truly was. Something was wrong with that woman Velka. The way she so easily treated other people, males specifically in her case, like lesser beings ticked the girls off the wrong way in more ways than one. "Jea, I need to vent my head as well." Agreed Fumiko and the rest of the girls, spending the rest of the day until their meeting with Jack by patrolling around the village. ------------------------ "Holy crap, this rocks!" exclaimed Kenji as he shield bashed another goblin, the loud ''crunch'' of the sad creatures face caving in from the force of the strike resounding across the small clearing they were currently in. Then, once the goblin landed on the ground with a thud Kenji roared "Forced Combat!", emanating an invisible wave of magic, instantly causing every other monster in the clearing to shoot their gazes in his direction, giving enough time for Kaede to once again increase the distance between herself and whatever creatures had moved closer to her. She did have especially large taunt marker on her as the only female within the group. For goblins, that was quite the incentive to rushe her, each and every one of the green shits feeling an extra calling to get their extremities, and other body parts on, or in that particular form. "I got you Kaede!" Kenji called out as he blocked and parried a couple goblins that were already upon him and trying their damn best to create new holes in him. "I am good. Jack will be there soon, hold out a second!" Kaede called out as well once she was a safe distance away from the closest monster that was also rushing Kenji, though before anything else could happen that would endanger any of the party members further, the telltale sound of a halberd slicing through the air sounded near Kenji''s back, followed by helpless few last gurgles. "Sorry, those hobs almost swarmed me! I am here now though!" Jack laughed as his weapon dismembered the goblins, all the while keeping track of his surroundings, paying special attention to Kaede and her surroundings. "Damn, might just have to give some serious thought to that offer we will receive in the evening. Already I can feel the loss I will incur on that." he complained as they finished off the last remaining goblins. "Kaede, are the boar bodies all good still? no goblin shit on them?" "All good Jack. That''s quite some haul we have here." Kaede responded after ensuring that neither of them had any serious wounds on them. "Yea, that was quite the pack. It seems you were right, they are growing larger. Something big is coming." somberly agreed Kenji, the group moving around and collecting everything of value from the body filled clearing. Now that Jack was sure of the duo''s affiliations, he had shared that he had a material storage of sorts, so all the metallic weapons and other non usable loot went to him, both as a payment for the gear he had already made and to allow him to outfit the trio with armour as well. And for all that he needed shitload of mats. Chapter 13. Negotiation. Jack''s group decided to return home after dealing with the particularly large monster group and cleaning up the site of their fight, leaving nothing but pools of splashed blood behind them, with the Virtuoso grinning happily at the amount of matter he had acquired. Sure, it was just a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of things, or even compared with the amount he acquired from collecting everything in the tutorial dungeon he had solo cleared, it was still a decent amount and would allow him to create a weapon of some quality for himself as well. He could run around his supposed playground of a tutorial with a rare weapon only for so long while having equipped his two party members with epic quality stuff. The group had spent plenty of effort on the combat, dealing with the monsters while ensuring their just moments before felled boars would remain untouched. There was no way the group was willing to let any of the stench, or foul blood for that matter, to stain the precious meat of said boars. Kaede had already mentioned a few ways she would like to try and cook it, conjuring the ideas of said feast in the minds of the gluttonous men in her party. Was it any wonder that the two men became more dangerous than fanatic zealots on a mission to protect the holy relics of their faith? Thus the carnage ensued as monsters had emerged from the forest. "I even leveled up." Kenji smiled as the group slowly walked back towards the village, the position of the sun serving as a general guide. Thankfully, the sun was not the only guiding tool for the party to find their bearings, teh group lacking either a scout or a hunter, or any other class that would serve as the guiding hand. Jack was well aware of said issue beforehand, thus he had created a compass of sorts, with it pointing towards it''s other piece, left in their home in the village, ensuring a timely return. "Me too!" Kaede beamed as well, the duo explaining their plans on how to allocate their newly gained stat point each. Kenji would up his strength, the next few levels going into vitality, while Kaede would up her intelligence so she could start practising her dual casting now that she was at the threshold Jack had mentioned, earning a nod of agreement from the older man in the party. ''Would you be as surprised if you knew the full extent of the value your gear has?'' Jack mused in the safety of his mind, the hidden attribute coming to mind when he thought of the items in the hands of Kenji and Kaede. Hidden(EX)- Blessing of the creation and destruction. Something cannot be created from nothing. Creation begets destruction to create anew. Beings killed while equipped with this item provide additional experience. Quite the ingenious little enchantment Jack had tacked on all three items. The shield and mace, both one handed items provided fifteen percent increase, totalling a whopping thirty percent, a massive amount for the stuff he had spent on creating them. The chime as a two handed item provided thirty percent increase. Were Jack to have more matter on his hands and better experience with the class and crafting in general, he might go for a higher quality item as well, upping the increase even further, but it was what it was. Still, if said hidden effect would be known to the rest of the gifted in the tutorial zone, internal war could appear on the horizon. Not that it ever would get out though, he had made sure of that. And as they kept on walking, not encountering any other monster packs, Jack once again asked the question that was always lingering in the corner of his mind. ''Where is the regressor though?'' he would bring up the question every now and then, having seen not a trace of the guys in question, Of course, due to the number, estimated at the very least, of gifted that had arrived in the village, Jack had come to the conclusion that there were more than one such tutorial zone, splitting the initial thousand plus people in several groups, a guess that was indeed correct, though he was sorely underselling the actual amounts of fresh blood summoned forth. The trio returned back behind the ''safety'' of the village wall just barely before dusk, welcomed by their home by a rather nervous, perhaps even worried group of four women, clearly having been there for quite some time, waiting for their return so their scheduled conversation could take place. It was obvious that the girls had not expected Jack''s parties small evening hunt to last quite so long. "We were growing worried about your safety beyond the wall." Izumi spoke once the trio was close enough for her not to raise voice in greeting "We were even about to head out to search for you." she added as Jack walked past her, a slight nod of acknowledgement of their presence, combined with a single ''follow'' as he unlocked the door with a relatively primitive key and entered. Sure, it would not be easy for someone to break down the doors, assuming they had leveled a bit and invested in their strength, but the whole reason of the lock was to show if someone had tried to force their way in using less obvious means than pure and brute strength. For that, the lock and key served purpose enough. Once inside, Jack fished out a lantern that he then placed on the table, lighting it up and creating a rather cozy, if a little middle aged feeling in the freshly made wooden house. The fresh smell of the wood, combined with the slightest smell of some sort of a pleasant aroma, as if someone was burning some sort of incense within the building, all while Kenji and Kaede moved towards the kitchen area, lighting fire in the stove, the smaller wooden logs being just barely, as though unsuredly, licked by the slowly growing flame, gaining more and more ground as it devoured the prey in it''s paws, already looking for the next victim to claim and devour. "The group of four were noticeably nervous, some more than others, the coming battle of words and wit would no doubt be their greatest battle yet, deciding the further course of their fates like nothing before. And yet, the challenge to overcome was no easy feat to achieve either, each misstep possibly leading into a deal with the devil himself. Theirs, was a tight rope to walk, but despite the cold sweat forming on their palms, their will was steeled and gazes determined." taking the opportunity of silence that had settled over them, Jack took it and spoke in a calm tone, as if narrating a documentary about nature, catching the group of four of guard. They stared at him as he finished the small paragraph that had bloomed in his mind, allowing a momentary silence to to settle over the room once again, replaced only by a faint sound of fire crackling and the light humming of Kaede as she prepared the first of many dishes she had talked about with the wild boar meat as the main ingredient. This pleasant silence did not last long though, Izumi, not inclined to receive another rather accurate narration of their situation, cleared her throat before starting to speak. It was her group who had approached Jack''s with the desire to discuss something so it was also their obligation to not only start the conversation but also lead it along it''s natural path to some sort of a conclusion, hopefully resulting in something that would benefit them greatly while paying a price not all that disagreeable with them either. It was indeed a hard task to pull off, yet Izumi had been trained and conditioned to pull of precisely such things by her father. Jack did throw her off a bit though, the man''s gaze or mannerisms made him a tough nut to crack. What was it he wanted to achieve, survival notwithstanding? What did he need? What could they offer? All questions rushed through Izumi''s mind as she spoke, her face betraying nothing as her expression was calm, friendly even, a faint, yet amiable face adorning her admittedly pretty face. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "I believe we might have started our acquaintance on a slightly negative note, our own inner disputes creating a sight no doubt unpleasant to witness. It was our own fault as we had failed to realize the danger we had invited in our midst, resulting in that unpleasant scene and you taking in Kaede and Kenji. While it hurts me to lose them, they are cherished classmates after all, it fills me with warmth to see them happy and smiling in this dark and dangerous new world we have found ourselves in. And for that, as the class representative, I thank you from the bottom of my heart." "Please," Jack spoke, his tone slightly exasperated "there is no need to try and butter me up. That tactic will not work, so get to the part where you suggest a working relationship and what you believe you can offer for my services. I highly doubt there is any other reason why all of you would be here. That contractor of yours don''t seem like a politically charged person." Jack''s words froze the girls momentarily, his words indicating one of two things- either Kenji and Kaede had told him a lot about their classes, something that, while possible, was quite unlikely, unless he had his hooks deeper in the duo than expected, or the man himself had appraisal as one of his skills. The latter part did make decent amount of sense though. The man was a rare crafting class, so it was to be expected for him to have some sort of way to understand new materials brought to him. He did not make them guess though, adding just moments later "Yes, I do have Appraisal of my own, so get to the point, will you?" "Very well." Izumi nodded, proceeding to go into detail regarding what they could offer in exchange for Jack''s services, which was admittedly quite weak offer, all things considered. Their group right now was rather weak, consisting of two melee classes- samurai apprentice and duelist, assisted by a scout and non combat class- contractor. Thus, Jack estimated their actual combat capabilities as rather weak, easily taken out with just the slightest mistake on their part, with injuries during heavy combat being their greatest flaw right now, though he could also admit that it was his fault the other group was in the condition they were in. He had poached their healer and a tanker. Hanzo being thrown out was not his fault, or so he reasoned, for it was only a matter of time before the latter guy went overboard, receiving the same decision. "Not much of a profitable deal on my end this offer of yours appear as, or am I missing something?" Jack asked at the end, his face betraying nothing as he looked at the four girls on the other side of the table. His head turned towards Kaede and Kenji who were still cooking the party''s supper, a pleasant aroma sneaking over to the table. "What do you guys think? Should I even consider their request? I will think of some devilish contract to ensure we don''t come out the other end at a loss then." "Izumi san is not a bad person per say, even if she sometimes has her sight on too far a future and I would hate to see Chiyo san suffer. She has never done anything wrong to me. And Fumiko san and Emi are not that bad either." mentioned Kaede, her back still turned to the discussion table as she continued with the preparation of the meal. "I second Kaede." Kenji chimed in, his opinion apparently aligning with Kaede''s. "Not that bad either eh?" Jack hummed as he tilted his head back, resting it on the chair as he did so. "What to do? What to do?" he continued as his fingers slowly danced on the table, the sound creating rhythmic taps as his mind was occupied with options he could explore. Izumi and her companions just waited in silence, well aware that they were at the mercy of his mood right now. "While it could be said that it is partly my fault your group is in the sorry state it is now, lacking two, crucial members you had previously, it''s also not at the same time. Still, whatever my part was in the whole situation, I refuse to shoulder your mistakes on my dime. I ain''t no charity works here, so If I am to agree, there will be plenty of rules in place to ensure I get my money''s worth back for the job I am going to put in." he sighed as he finished speaking, his gaze moving towards Emi. "Make notes, miss contractor, for there will be plenty. First and foremost, you will be joining our hunts from now on and will work to earn the materials for your own gear. I don''t have no piles of extra stuff lying around to just gift them out for free. I will keep track of how much your contribution is in the fights and when there is enough stuff to make a new piece of gear for you at which point you decide which member gets theirs first. There must be a point in the contract that in the case we go our separate ways, the items I have crafted will be returned." "Would that mean you can end our cooperation at any point?" Izumi asked, her tone even, careful not to displease Jack right now. "Not the intention. That particular point in the contract would be in case your group decides to go off on their own. Might have explained it somewhat blandly, my mistake." Jack explained, elaborating on the whole reasoning behind it. "And I would like to ensure that we have access to your contractor services with a discount once we are outside the tutorial no matter how we end up in the end." Jack then went over more points he wanted the contract to contain, though none were aimed at binding the other group in a scheme or anything. From what Izumi and the girls could make out, he was forming ironclad contract that would ensure his side was not only not fucked over in one way or another, but also came out ahead, though not at the expense of their own lives. In the end, the contract could be summarised with one sentence- You earn a decent amount, while we earn more and no funny business. A deal far too good to be normally true, but they also understood that said contract was as it was for one reason only, though technically speaking there were two reasons, both of whom were still working on their supper at the moment. "Will that be all, or is there anything else you want added?" Emi asked once she had summarised all the points Jack had made. "Hmm, no, I think that is about it. How long till it''s made? I doubt you yourselves would like to stretch out the time it takes to upgrade your gear and whatnot." "I think I should be done by morning." Emi bit on her finger, her eyes directed upwards, a sign of her doing some actual calculations and answered a few moments later. "Then come back in once it''s ready. We will head out to hunt as soon as that is done." Jack confirmed, then added a rather important piece of knowledge that placed the four visitors on edge "The monster groups are growing larger and stronger by the way. It seems whatever is our target is either getting closer or growing stronger. Figured you should know. See you tomorrow then." he then waved them off, signaling that their little conversation and deal was concluded for the day. Once the four girls were gone, Kenji asked a rather obvious question "Why not ask them to stay for dinner? It would surely help to bring them over if they could enjoy the same food we do. It''s obvious that we have it much better than the rest of the people around." "You are correct there, but that is a short sighted way to look at it. While true that it would smooth things over a bit, it does not guarantee they would align themselves with us once outside. While I am sure I could eventually make spices that would make whatever is available out there feel like bland trash, it''s also true it would take a lot of time and effort focused on that single aspect of crafting. Time that would be better spent on elevating my ability to provide you with much better equipment, for while I am going to depend on you to help me progress once out there, I detest the idea that I would not in turn provide you with gear of equal or even better value. What kind of a big brother would I be if I were to just coast on your effort alone all because I helped you get ahead in the tutorial?" Jack explained, his thought process and decision warming the hearts of the duo with his reasoning. Left unsaid was the fact he could, if he so wanted to, do everything on his own, his class being just that busted, but where would be the fun in that? Acting from behind the scenes, using his ''Virtuoso'' cover to explain his dominance here while playing the puppetmaster afterwards and solving the problems cropping up from the shadows if need be. And it''s not like he did not fint it fun to be around the two lovebirds, their general actions bringing a small smile to his face more often than not. Chapter 14. The new setup. The next morning Jack''s group got up nice and early, something they had decided to do on the regular, as they already prepared for their full day of monster hunting. They had just finished eating when there was a knock on their door, announcing the arrival of guests. As Jack opened the door, however, he noticed a group he was not expecting to see here, at least not now. He had been rather clear when he mentioned that he had no need for more labor when his home was completed. Before him stood the same group of five guys who he had employed when building his current residence with Alonso once again leading the group, doing all the talking for them. The other man still seemed every bit as respected by his group as before, though that was to be expected with just a few days gone by since they last met. "Morning sir. I know you said there is no need for further labor force them few days ago, but could we perhaps find a way to make ourselves useful? We don''t ask for much, just to be able to feed ourselves. We don''t fear hard work either, as you already know." Alonso spoke up, a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "Hmm." Jack hummed as he considered how to go about things, having some understanding of the path he was planning to take and what might be needed on said path down the line. The five men, for all intent and purposes were still green, their levels still not raised and thus classless as well. ''I could, in theory, form them into the workers I might be in need down the line, ensuring I could acquire high quality matter with specialized workers for precisely said task. All I have to do now is take them in and keep them fed and alive while providing plenty of chances for them to grow. Solid plan, solid indeed. Wait, could I perhaps make class initiating special items ensuring they acquire said class?'' a very intriguing idea popped up in Jack''s mind as he hummed there, a slight smile creeping up on his face. "I think we could come up with something, though tell me gentlemen, are you looking for long term employment in non combat roles? Farming basically, but nothing like the shit you have had to deal with in the fields around this place. Still, there would be plenty of work, for a fair price of course. I would even go so far as to say that once we are done with the tutorial I will more than happily employ you. No, I would say that the employment by me would be a contractual obligation, without exploiting you of course." Alonso once again talked over with his four friends, eventually turning to Jack "And how do we form a contract like that?" "Worry not. I have access to a person who can make system binding contracts, so we will draft up a fair deal for both sides and since we don''t know shit about the actual value or proper compensation, we will leave that part open to be negotiated at a later date, while also making points that would prevent either side from abusing said contract." "Sounds fair." nodded Alonso, his group agreeing with the suggestion. "Now, there is a slight caveat here though, but worry bot, for we will have it dealt with soon enough. Simply put, we will need to have you level up so we can gain access to choosing classes, making you more capable of performing the tasks necessary for what I have in mind for you." "More capable?" "Yes, imagine being a farmer in your current state, or a farmer who has access to fertilizers and could solve some issues of farming with a simple wave of a hand, all while being twice or three times as healthy and strong. Would save a shit ton of effort and work needed, don''t you agree?" Nodding heads agreed with the words spoken and with those nods of agreement, Jack added "As such, once the people I am waiting for arrives, we will draft up that contract and then get to solving the issue at hand." With that out of the way, Jack lead the five men inside, finding them places to sit and relax while waiting for Izumi and her group. Thankfully, they did not have to wait for long, in less than an hour the people in question had arrived, Emi walking in with noticeable circles under her eyes. The poor girl have had barely any sleep whatsoever as she worked on the contract, it consisting of plenty different clauses and covered breaches and so on and so forth, working hard to ensure there were no loopholes that could be used against them at a later time. Seeing how exhausted the girl was, Jack felt a slight pity towards her, thus requesting Kaede to serve the girl little something something since they still had plenty from their breakfast let over and she deserved it for all her efforts. That and the fact he would need her to do some extra work a bit later as well. It was apparent based on the horror on Emi''s face she was not very much in favour of the very idea itself, but said horror quickly dissipated once she placed the first bite of offered food in her mouth, subsequently melting from the magnificent taste explosion in her mouth. Once back from that first, explosive experience, she instantly enveloped her bowl with her free arm, as if afraid someone might try and steal it away from her, then proceeded to slink in the bliss of magnificently tasting food, doubly so after she had eaten bland and forgettable meals for the last few days. It was quite the sight to behold when one looked at Emi''s facial expressions once she was done with her bowl, not a drop remaining there. She looked at the empty bowl, unshed tears forming in the corners of her eyes, both from the happiness she had just felt and the sadness of the realization it was over. Jack was wondering, if at this very moment, a puppy was placed right next to the Contractor, who would win a popular vote? The usually air headed girl would have made the puppy to pull out all stops if it wanted to maintain it''s first place in the contest. What others also noticed looking at Emi was the elevated energy the girl had, not at all how she was just moments before. Jack confirmed that it was a small beneficial effect one of the spice mixes they used in their cooking provided. It relaxed and recovered the consumers bodily condition, though it was also nowhere near strong enough to be used in large quantities to entirely solve the need for sleep. Still, it should keep Emi operating in decent enough levels for the day. He also noted that she better get some sleep this night around, before calling her over to adjust, or just downright remove some of the more complex or word garbage-y parts. Another thirty or so minutes later, Izumi and her group signed a contract of cooperation with Jack and his group. With that done, Jack once again called Emi to his side to employ her services, simply promising the girl a few more servings for her work. A cheap move to pull on the half desperate girl, though one Jack had no issue with doing and the girl herself was more than willing to accommodate. Thus, another hour later, the sun in the sky implying it was around ten or eleven in the morning, the second contract was signed in Jack''s temporary home, prompting the group, now consisting of twelve people total to leave the village, their weapons in hands and a serious and determined look on their faces. Minus Jack''s pf course, his face seemed more like one belonging to the evil mastermind when a set of their machinations had successfully taken place, not only just setting back their main arch enemy but either half crippling him or taking out something they cared for. Sure, the regressor was nowhere in his sight just yet, leaving that part of his supposed plans still hanging in the air, but it did not mean said regressor was a major part of his plans to begin with. It would be nice to see that dude and understanding the shit he would be up to, but not in any way was it mandatory. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. This time Jack picked a different direction to head out to, trying to understand the side where more of the larger monster groups now roamed. By doing so he could also plan accordingly, not only in how to move around but where to most likely expect the larger attacks in the coming days. There was also a possibility they might have to abandon the village entirely if the majority of the hostile force would appear before they had a general understanding of it''s size and estimated power. Still, for the decision to be made they lacked information, something Jack was working on to figure out before it was too late. "Alonso, you will work with your group as a phalanx of sorts, as small as it is. Once any monster group emerges, hold those shields and spears up and whatever you do, don''t run from the group. It is the safest place you can hope to be at. If too many monster will be charging your way, Kenji will use his taunt to acquire their attention. Use those moments when said monsters turn away from you to pepper their backs with spear stabs. Nothing fancy, but good enough for now. Might need some time to adjust to the overall bloody sights, but it seems the system we have does some of that work for us, damnening that first experience a bit to help us cope and get used to the brutality we will have to, well most of us anyways, deal with on a constant basis. As I said, not you fellas. We have to reach that level five threshold for you first though. Nothing we can do about that part." He then turned to Izumi and the other three japanese girls as he continued "As you you girls, nothing unexpected no doubt, but you will be integrating in our group, at least during combat. Kenji is the main front line, assisted by Izumi and Fumiko. I will also be there right up front, but expect me to be the dynamic unit that serves to alleviate pressure from whichever party member will be swarmed the most. Unless the monster we are fighting will have some mega boners for me. In those cases I will drag them a bit to the side, allowing you to flank my would be courtiers. Well, those that will not be cleaved by my halberd." Soon enough Chiyo informed the party of a monster group nearby, resulting in their first, proper full group combat. The enemy group consisted of twelve monsters, nine goblins and three hobs. The moment Jack''s party was noticed, they were rushed. It was as if a starving man had noticed food, subsequently rushing towards it with no sense of self preservation or any other thought. The first few poor bastard found their faces bashed in as Kenji moved to intercept them, the more nimble goblins going down with a sickening crunch, their faces caving in at the impact. A bit to the side, Jack twirled his halberd, delivering precise cuts to the first few goblins that had rushed at him as another one closer to the monsters. With a quick motion and a splash of red, the poor and unlucky individuals kept moving on, inertia delivering them another meter or so past Jack, though they would not do much running again, their legs separated from the rest of their bodies just slightly above knees. "Finish them spear line!" Jack commanded, stepping forward and engaging two of the hobs by himself, his larger weapon allowing to do so, as he danced around the two monsters and delivering quick, but painful strikes to them. Could he have killed them in mere moments and went on ahead to hob most of the pack? Yes he could have, but would he? No he would not. The pack was much smaller than the one his group had taken on previous day, serving as a perfect grindstone for his current party, his would be farmers included. Kaede and Kenji knew well their tasks, one using his taunt to command attention of the monster while the other used several spells to increase the speed and clarity of party''s thoughts. allowing for better and more precise actions taken. There was also a slight buff to courage mixed in it all as well, allowing the newcomers to display themselves decently. It also showed that Izumi and her girls had gone through plenty of combat themselves, their resolve and levels proving to have been earned with grit, hard work and plenty of monster blood. They had moved soon enough, finding their own place in the group, with Izumi and Fumiko assisting Kenji, while Chiyo covered Kaede, sticking close to her and using her bow to pin down any goblin trying to reach their healer that was then quickly taken out by whoever was closer, be it anyone of the usual combatants or one of the would be farmers. Due to the small number of monsters, a classification that would make quite a few parties doing the hunting to roll their eyes at the elitism of the ones classifying such a group of nine monsters as just a small group, they were done relatively soon, and after a few minutes of looting their quarry they moved on, in search of their next prey. It seemed that they were favoured by whatever gods were responsible for hunt, because they managed to encounter yet another, similarly sized group of monsters merely fifteen minutes later, once again taking the previous stance, only for Jack to exclaim with a roar "Archers further behind. Will take them out quick!" as he dashed forward, startling not only his group with his speed but also the monsters in question, only for the latter to quickly recover and restart their charge, though some of the monsters tried to dart after Jack, their small and awkward frames failed to do so, resulting in a split up monster group that was left without ranged support. As expected, the rest of Jack''s team moved in after him, with Kenji leading the charge, though he was quickly passed by, both Fumiko and Izumi having the dexterity for it, their classes requiring more finesse than the protector Kenji would eventually become. izumi swung her katane with speed and precision, slicing a few goblin heads off as she darted past them, her blade cleanly separating their bodies in two. Fumiko, using a buckler and a shield, not quite leveled far enough for a proper dual wield and still stuck with her starter weapon set, moved in a similar manner, though also quite distinct from Izumi''s style. Where Izumi used sheer speed and precision to outpace her targets, catching them off guard, Fumiko used her weapons as a leverage of sorts, depending on parrying and deflecting the incoming attacks that then were turned into savage counterattacks. One of Fumiko''s skills absorbed a part of the redirected attacks and allowed her to harness said energy in her retaliations. Kenji did not slack off either, once again using his taunt to draw the monsters attention after both Fumiko and izumi were in, having already dispatched a few monsters on their way. Then, like the meat shield that he was gearing up to be, he used the durable shield in his left hand and both the strength and stamina his build had an abundance off to tank the attacks. Their support, both in the form of Chiyo with her arrows, Kaede with her buffs, or even the mini spear phalanx of five guys did not remain far behind, already their assistance coming in hot. Clumsy, but dedicated spears heads struck forward, extending on both sides of Kenji as they punctured the incoming monsters as wave of strengthening magic washed over them, giving them an extra edge to push through. Arrows whistled through the air and either pinned down or outright killed some of the goblins. Just a few more moments later, a couple of still struggling hobs remained, assaulted from all sides by the party, eventually bringing them down too. The fight had been short lived, though each and every person was at the very least winded after it, their stamina, while still there, having taken quite a bit of a hit. Kenji, being the front liner that he was, equipped with two, tank enhancing items, his vitality having gone past ten, was the only one who could say he was warmed up now, ready and vigilant to take on whatever else would come crawling from the surrounding forest. There was but a single question in his mind at this point, one that slowly crept up in the minds of others as well. "Ehm, where is Jack? Should he not be done with those archers already?" asked Kaede, well aware of just how capable he was. He was stronger and faster than anyone else here, or so Kaede would swear if asked. But then why was he still missing? There was no way a few archers would have kept him busy so long. "Kenji, just what could keep him busy so long out here?" Kaede asked worriedly, her gaze darting in the direction Jack had dashed off into, a slight hint of worry in her voice. There was not a single ounce of doubt in her mind that he had abandoned them, not after he had already provided them with such valuable gear. That and he seemed to genuinely enjoy their company, as corny as Kaede knew it sounded in her head. "STAY BACK THERE!" a loud roar, a command resounded from quite some ways further ahead in precisely the direction Jack had rushed off into, the command loud and clear, soon followed by loud, metallic clanking, though from the sheer volume it felt as if two trucks were colliding head to head. Chapter 15. Duel of monsters. ''A few archers in the bushes? Jea, that sounds like a proper explanation.'' Jack scoffed as he was darting past the group of hobs and goblins, his senses having picked up something far, far more dangerous than a few archers. Goblin archers were not much of a threat to begin with, especially not without extreme numbers and against a party with plenty of shield users among them. No, if he had sensed just a few archers ahead, he would likely have just remained with his party and assisted as per usual. This sort of a presence though? Yea, that was not something he could take on while also keeping his eye on his party, especially so Kenji and Kaede. He had high hopes for the couple, their potential promising a fun show to watch and live alongside, so he would be damned if he allowed that possible story arc to come to a premature end. She shot out of the light bushes like an arrow, his halberd coming down with the full force of his seventeen strength, whistling through the air as it did so. Dingggg!!! A loud, metallic clash resounded, the monster opposite him buckling under the sheer force of his blow, but both the monster, as well as it''s shield survived, withstanding the massive blow coming their direction. "Graaa!" a half groan and half growl escaped the lips of the two and a half meter tall mass of green muscle, small, beady black eyes glowing with ferocity and hunger glared at Jack from behind the shield. Another growl followed, the green monster pushing back to straighten its body, throwing jack back as a result. Chaos Ork Anomaly Level- 20 Strength -21 Vitality- 18 Dexterity-10 Intelligence-3 Title- One that should not be there. Jack used his appraisal and called for it''s full stats, instantly following with a simple command, adding five attributes to strength and five to Vitality, bringing his own to above twenty, equalizing them in raw might. ''The fuck is second tier doing in a tutorial level?'' he exclaimed in his mind as he swung his own halberd and much like the orc before, his knees bent as he blocked and redirected the overhead swing of the monster, coming in hot for his flesh and blood. "No fucking way anyone here could survive this." he grumbled as he finished the deflection and delivered a crushing smack with the handle of the halberd to the orcs exposed side, a clear creak resounding as said handle bent from the exerted force, only to straighten out as the orc was flung away a few meters, the force behind Jack''s blow strong enough to shatter bones of any human and most hobs if they were to take said strike in a similar manner. "Damn, this is going to take a while." he grumbled as he shot towards the large monster, well aware of just how dangerous of an encounter he was in right now, slightly chiding himself for the fact he had not upgraded his own weapon. ''Those extra two or three attributes would do wonders right now.'' he complained in his mind as he momentarily upon the orc, his halberd coming down with yet another screech as it sliced through the air, once again blocked by the shield of the orc, though this time it was also obvious that the extra five strength he now had was putting some solid strain on the monster. For a few minutes Jack was coming down with savage swings, pushing the chaos orc back with each one, only to then groan as he had to block and redirect yet another counter from the monster. With each exchange, both fighters could feel the unyielding spirit of their opponent, neither willing to give in, for giving in would mean their eventual downfall. It was then that Jack realised that the other side had done their fighting and redirecting yet another strike he made a small separation between them and howled in full voice, well aware that the sound of their battle would no longer be masked by theirs. "STAY BACK THERE!" he roared and charged back in, not giving the monster any chance to even try and comprehend his action. Once again, they clashed, their weapons singing wit heach exchange, sparks flying as the razor sharp edges bit into each other, clearly neither weapon was meant to be wielded by creatures with strength over twenty. The chaos orc was crude, its entire fighting style was nothing but pure instinct, it''s bloodline guiding it to try and emerge victorious. "Just go down already, you bastard!" Jack hissed as they exchanged blow after blow, sweat pouring down their bodies as they exerted their might, their surroundings now looked like a place a massive tornado had gone through- broken and uprooted trees all around, large cracks in earth where their strikes had landed, the amassed energy in those strikes cracking earth like in fantasy movies and novels, leaving a wide crack behind. A few cuts and bruises adorned both fighters bodies, though the orc had it just slightly worse for wear. "Ruach Hoof!! Mahaaa!" the chaos orc growled back, the sentiment clearly similar, if not the same as Jack''s, ordering the damn bastard to roll over nice and dead. "For fucks sake, why don''t anyone listen!" Jack cursed as his mind turned a thousand thoughts a second, his spirit doing the work of intelligence stat ten times over, reaching a solution that would not be all that much fun to implement. "Fuckign spanking incoming!" he cursed as he moved to implement it. ---------------- "Let''s hurry! We have to help!" Izumi exclaimed as they heard Jack''s roar, followed by the loud sounds of metal clashing. "But he told us to stay away!" Kenji quickly retorted, believing that Jack would not order them to stay away if it was not important. "But the might need us. He is a Virtuoso, remember, it might be his pride talking. We can''t have him die on us. You might have been blessed with his gear, but there is so much more to him than just that. Those spices alone are worth more than most could comprehend. We have to go!" Izumi exclaimed, having already changed the value she had assigned to Jack. His class description pegged him as a one hit wonder, the king of tutorial if you will, but those spices? She saw the expression Emi made when eating and while she was just slightly jealous of her teammate, she was not short sighted at all, realising it would be only a matter of time before she too could indulge. That did demand that Jack be alive and well to keep those spices coming. In the end, izumi won and just a few minutes of loud weapon clashes later, the group moved towards the origin of those sounds. As they reached the end of the bushes, they came upon a sight of natural disaster, the entire place ahead was akin to a disaster movie, two, monstrous forces clashing further up ahead, the sheer force with which they struck each other, creating shockwaves as their weapons clashed or exploding new cracks in the ground, caused deathly chill to go down their spines, a whisper, cold as ice and brooking no argument reached all their ears, the speaker clear in their hearts and minds. "Stay away and don''t interfere. You will get in the way and die!" Jack''s words were not just a warning, those were words that guaranteed a certain result, freezing the group in place. It was at that moment that the chaos orc growled, a grin spreading on it''s face as if it finally caught its opponent off guard, his weapon biting in Jack''s shoulder, digging in deep, stopping as it struck the bone, only for said grin to instantly disappear, a powerful cough spilling large amount of dark, blackish blood over Jack''s hair and face. The monsters eyes darted downward, noticing a spear embedded deep in its torso, instantly yanked back out, causing yet another powerful cough escaping the chaos orc''s mouth. Jack had delivered a fatal strike, penetrating both it''s lungs and heart. The price- leaving himself exposed to a dangerous attack, though nowhere near as lethal as the strike he himself had delivered. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. A powerful kick to the chaos orc''s wound knocked it back, the large body collapsing a couple meters away from Jack. And, to be sure there were no accidents or any other surprises, Jack lifted his left hand, his right side still sporting a large cleaver embedded in it, thus limiting his ability to move, and he the ncleaved downwards, lopping off the monsters head. This was one notification of kill he did not mind seeing in the center of his ''mind screen''. Chaos Orc Anomaly slain. Experience awarded. Level ten reached. Title earned- Monster debugger. Monster debugger- Sometimes even the system malfunctions, creating things and events that never should be. Most of the times, it''s fixed before any sentient being takes notice. In the rare occasions it does not, it is only natural to reward the person who solved the issue. Those individuals receive the gratitude of the system itself, earning the title of ''Debugger''. What then to call someone who solves a bug that should not have been solvable by anyone of their level? A Monster debugger they are, trully. Spirit +5. Error. Spirit cannot be granted to beings with the stat above 15. Modifying the rewards..... (Modified)Monster debugger- Sometimes even the system malfunctions, creating things and events that never should be. Most of the times, it''s fixed before any sentient being takes notice. In the rare occasions it does not, it is only natural to reward the person who solved the issue. Those individuals receive the gratitude of the system itself, earning the title of ''Debugger''. What then to call someone who solves a bug that should not have been solvable by anyone of their level? A Monster debugger they are, trully. Unassigned attributes +10. "Damn that was hard." Jack sighed, plopping down on his ass, pulling out a few of the healing potions he had from the dungeon and downing a couple. Then, he gritted his teeth and pulled the axe out of his shoulder, grunting and then pouring another two potions over the wound that had already stopped bleeding. Twenty vitality was no joke after all. "So? Who is in for a spanking? I did say to stay away, did I not?" Jack asked as he gazed at his party. "Emi, a contract for you all to sign stating that no one outside the people present will ever be told about what you just witnessed. Kaede, slap a couple of heals on my ass as well." he grumbled as he grimaced a bit. "Right away!" both girls exclaimed and got to work even as Jack glanced at the weapons of his quarry. ''Rare metal is all, common quality. Should give me plenty of matter though.'' he grinned as he reached out and stored the entirety of the chaos orc''s body, even slightly smiling as he saw just how much stuff he got. A minute or so later, Kaede had gone through several heals that she layered on Jack. "Thanks kiddo." Jack patted her head as he stood up once again, stretching his freshly healed shoulder. "Good as new." he smiled at Kaede. "That''s it for today. I am beat and i believe we all deserve a proper meal and some rest. tomorrow we will work to expand the house. Gotta have the entire party in the same place. Any objections?" With not a single person disagreeing, all those who would be moving in already salivating over the high probability of the tasty meals incoming just nodded happily. "Good, let''s head back then, though first things first. Gotta loot that pack you dealt with. Good job by the way on that." Jack nodded with approval, already heading in the direction of the goblin and hobgoblin corpses. It did not take him long to clean that place up too, prompting the group to head back home where he asked Kaede and Kenji, and anyone they saw fit to help, to cook a supper for their party while he retreated to his room to replace his weapon that was badly banged up and on the verge of breaking. "While not for long, you served me well." Jack spoke lightly, his hand gliding over the weapon. He then took it apart and created something knew that would fit his current needs, coming out as a nice and menacing gundao. Virtuoso''s spectacular executioner(Epic)- On the rare occasion when the Virtuoso has to take matters in his own hand, the kill must never be mundane, nor the weapon wielded by the Virtuoso for that matter. No, each kill is more than just that. It is a spectacle, an execution, and the Virtuoso- the executioner. Strength +3. The attacks are more precise and savage, causing the enemies to feel fear and awe, stacking in their hearts with each kill. "Not bad at all." Jack hummed as he observed the dark, metallic sheen of his new weapon, a demonic face adorning both sides of gundao''s blade, each face sporting a blood thirsty and manic look, as though laughing every time the weapon is used to spill blood and allow the faces on the blade to drink their fill. With that done, he checked up on his matter storage, the chaos orc and its weapons used for the creation of his own. "I still have quite a bit, though I will need more still to start equipping the rest of the party. Right, and I still need to work on those class tokens." he hummed with thought, first trying to realize the approximate cost of such tokens, something he spent surprisingly little time on. Turned out that due to relatively low rarity of his desired class, the tokens would eat up very small amount of matter, giving Jack another reason to be happy about. With that out of the way, he left his room and joined his party in the kitchen, a friendly conversation having formed among the people here. At the very moment Jack saw something he thought near impossible- one of Alonso''s four guys was actually talking, telling a story from back on earth, making people laugh as they shared funny moments. ''Nothing like good character and a bit of deadly danger to bring people together.'' Jack hummed in his mind, staying further back and observing it all from where he was at, not disturbing the atmosphere that had formed, Kenji and Kaede still shivering around the stove, though it was clear that the rest of the group had helped around as well, chopped vegetables and fruits in front of them, placed in several bowls. Only when the current conversation was dying down did Jack walked further in, catching the attention of everyone present. Emi had shared what she saw when she appraised the chaos ork, thus the gazes on Jack were more respectful, a bit of awe reflecting in each pair of eyes. Even Izumi had to once again reevaluate Jack and his capabilities, changing his designated title in her mind from ''Tutorial Diva.'' to ''Actual monster in human skin'', though neither were as derogatory as one might assume, they both simply stated his status in her mind, heavily changing her outlook on the future to come. What put the last nail in the metaphorical coffin of her decisions however was the items Jack had made for Kenji and Kaede, who had shared the stats of their own weapons. Now, Izumi was quite sure Jack''s value was much greater than just a simple Virtuoso as the system stated. In her mind, Jack was a walking treasure trove and his character made him quite the pleasant companion. He was serious and no nonsense when lives were at risk, and light hearted and relaxed otherwise, already looking at Kaede and Kenji like his younger siblings. A thought ran through her mind, wondering if he would act towards others in a similar manner, or would he treat them more like friends or employees? Regardless of which result would come to pass, she was of the opinion that Jack was no backstabbing schemer, or worse, a sociopath grooming his personal cattle farm. "Now then. A single question still remains unanswered from back in the forest today." Jack smiled a devious smile as he spoke during the lull of conversation. "The meal will soon be ready brother, don''t worry!" exclaimed Kenji from the stove. "That is not what I am interested in right now. I remember asking, whose idea it was do act against my order to stay away back there? I do believe that I also asked who it was that deserved some solid spanking, did I not? So, who was it? Don''t worry, I will go relatively easy on you." "I think we should take this as a learning experience, a way for us to grow closer." Izumi spoke, picking the high road as if trying to cover for one of her friends who was the guilty figure. "We could, but it would also be a great lesson to follow orders given, especially when they are coming from big brother to ensure our safety." Chimed in Kaede, happily humming as she put some last touches on the cooked meat. "Well said Kaede." Jack nodded his head in agreement. "Don''t worry Izumi, I have no plan on delivering the spanking myself. Sure, you are kids, but also you are young ladies, thus, such punishment coming from me would be inappropriate, especially so when we don''t know each other all that good. I will just relegate the task to another girl in your group. I know it was neither Kaede, nor Kenji, nor Alonso and his guys. So, who was it?" "Me." Izumi relented, more embarrassed by the punishment chosen than anything else. What was she, under ten to deserve spanking? "Let''s make sure nothing like this ever happens yea?" Jack walked over to her, and made a symbolic, chop with right hand that lightly touched her head. "I am the adult here, well me and Alonso''s group, but I believe we have established that my calls are to be trusted. So in the future, when my orders rang loud and with authority, please follow them. Had I been just a bit slower or the enemy not focused on strength and vitality, some of you might have died there, all because you did not follow the orders."