A/N. Welcome to the first chapter of Remnant – A World Where Dreams Come True! As I've said, this story is an OC-SI and is in no way the character is me or affiliated with me. The Gamer ability in the fic is progressing naturally, but not to the point of character becoming a walking death machine – this isn't fun, after all. WARNING – the main character has his own morality and his own views on the plot. I cannot tell at this point if the character will become a good or a bad guy. Keep that in mind, please. Also the Gamer abilities in the fic are slightly altered so to not give MC a feel of an all-powerful god.
DISCLAIMER: The RWBY series is a property of Rooster Teeth and its affiliates. In no way am I receiving any profits from writing this fanfiction. After all, the playground is theirs. All music mentioned in the chapter is property of their respective owners.
Chapter 1: An Unassuming Student
I groaned, stumbling through the door in my small apartment and closing it behind me. Today was an especially tiring day. Having to endure droning professors, beastly end-of-semester tests and a lot of horrendous jokes and puns from my fellow students I absently wondered what did I do to deserve such punishments. Perhaps, I killed a sacred animal in my past life. Oh well, who knows.
Shrugging at my own oddness, I flipped a switch on the wall, lighting my cozy room up. Not very eye-catching room, actually – some t-shirts here and there, lots of books on anatomy, histology and chemistry lying in piles on my worktable, waiting to be opened and closed again some seconds after. An electric stove, some eating utensils and dishes from my morning rush lying in the sink, still not cleaned. Ah well, they can wait. Flipping open my laptop, I waited for it to boot up while pondering, what should I do with my life. I've been attracted to medicine ever since my days in middle school. My parents also supported me in every way they could, even after my grandmother passed away not even a month ago. Mom was still a wreck over her death, but I guess, she already made peace with the situation and moved on. I, on the other hand, am still having occasional nightmares over my mother calling me and telling the news, sobbing all the time.
Life was never all sunshine and rainbows for me, as far as I remember. I was hailed a prodigy from my first year in school. From day one, my classmates had a deeply rooted dislike for me. I was heavily bullied – my slim and wiry physique not helping matters. I've never stayed in one martial arts club for long – karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, you name it. But there were two fields I excelled at – natural sciences and hitting things with long, sharp, pointy metal objects (read: swords). The first one was a reason why I enrolled in a medical university. The second… well, I've always dreamed of becoming a fencing master, but alas, our small town did not have a fencing club, so I had to fend (pun intended) for myself. Buying a metal dulled sword from Amazon was not a problem. Training was. Turns out, even a rather large flat isn't a good place for training, so I had to move to an abandoned building site. At night, the place usually was an incarnation of tranquility – no sounds of cars passing by, no sounds of drunken delinquents eager to part an unlucky pedestrian with his possessions, no signs of a single person entering the place in whole six years the building was standing. Originally it was meant to become some kind of a hybrid between a zoo and a research facility, but due to financial problems it was simply abandoned. After some time, the building became an impromptu shelter to all kinds of social outcasts – homeless, drunks, drug dealers – the list goes on and on. They already knew me from my regular trips at night, so nobody disturbed me – when they tried, I retaliated with force. And besides, I provided them with some cover from the police, even though flimsy at best – any unusual activity from the building was simply chalked on my account. Occasional body hitting the wall, shouts and brawls were simply explained by me "training rigorously". I really doubt anyone believed in it, but in the whole time I've been there, not a single officer showed up on the proverbial doorstep. Sure, I was in constant danger – after all, drunks aren't the safest category of people to hang around. But it paid out in spades – my hearing and sigh became more sharp and pronounced, and the whole danger thing honed my reflexes quite well.
The training continued through my middle and half of my high school. After that, I became too busy to train as frequently as I used to. My interests shifted to preparing myself for university and watching anime. And God, did I watch a lot of it. By the time I graduated from school, I already began to lose interest in real life in general. And after three months in university, it was lost completely. Thoughts about suicide and getting reborn somewhere else did enter my mind many times a day. But every time I simply imagined my parents, stricken with grief over losing not one, but two family members in only a month, and a rational portion of my shambled mind just banished the persistent thought again and again.
Any psychologist you meet will tell you that the kind of internal struggle I was having is not healthy at all. In fact, this kind of instability, if not properly treated, usually tends to resolve itself in favor of the dark side – suicide, that is. And I was no exception. But I always thought myself to be lucky, and, well, I quite was.
After turning off the laptop deep in the night – a glance at a clock told me it was near midnight – I stretched, yawned a little and began preparing myself to sleep. But even after killing the lights, I couldn't help but hear a phantom song. You know it, after listening to a song one too many times, you begin to hear it in your subconscious. And the song I was hearing was the one that served as an opening for an animation show I watched not five minutes ago. RWBY. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it.
Even after an hour passed by, I still couldn't neither get a sliver of sleep, nor get rid of the song stuck in my ears. So, I decided to daydream. During the night. Daydream. You get it? Aww. I'm not as bad as Yang, am I? Anyway, I began to compose my plan of influencing the plot without getting into the scopes of the really bad guys. Namely, Cinder and her merry band of misfits.
As I was dreaming, I began to notice a subtle pressure against my forehead, which kept increasing over time, getting me a really severe migraine. The pressure did not subside, and in short order I found myself screaming bloody murder and writhing on the bed in pain. Finally, after what felt like ages, I blacked out, taking the pain away.
Groggily awakening from my not-so-peaceful slumber, I opened my eyelids, which felt like I was trying to pry crocodile jaws open. And promptly stilled.
The room around me was nothing like my apartment. It was really like a warehouse, long since abandoned. Not a single speck of dust was disturbed in here. Outside I could hear sounds – screeching of car tires, blaring of car horns, energized talks of pedestrians, and so on, so on. But what really freaked me out of my mind was a single message in a light blue hexagon.
Do you wish to create a new save file?
Underneath it were two answers – Yes and No. It didn't seem like the hexagon was actually going anywhere, and so couldn't I. In fact, the only things I could move were my hands and my head. So…
I was essentially stuck here, until I answer the question?
Right. It seems so.
No.
Do you wish to continue from your old save file?
That… Is a very good question. And it gave me three options, the new one being Edit. Here goes nothing, I suppose, if I am to have a chance to escape from… Where am I, exactly? Oh well, doesn't matter right now.
Edit.
Analyzing save file…
Corrupted data – 31%. Estimated areas of corruption: Name, Age, Skills. Do you wish to proceed?
Yes.
Save File 1:
Name: PENDING ENTRY
Age: PENDING ENTRY
Semblance: The Gamer v.1.0
HP: 145
MP: 224
Level: 12
STR: 20
VIT: 21
DEX: 14
INT: 26
WIS: 19
LUK: 3
Available SP: 0
EXP: 0/1650
Sigil: NOT AVAILABLE
Lien: 0
I dumbly stared at the screen, unable to comprehend the entire thing. Oh alright, I've read enough fan fiction stories for it not being too… unexpected, but being a real life game protagonist all of a sudden… Well, that's really weird. And besides, I still do not know where the hell I am. I need to rectify that ASAP. Not knowing anything about your surroundings might cost you. Especially in my current predicament…
…
Wait. What. No kidding.
I gave the screen another glance and found the word (or, more correctly, two words) that captured my attention. Semblance and Lien. The former is a dead giveaway, while the latter only confirms it.
I'm in a god be damned Remnant.
Well, if that is not a deity's interference, I don't know what is. No name, no definite age. Nothing, but my body and mind in an ultra-hostile world, where every corner houses a horde of bloodthirsty monsters. I might as well pack my suitcases on my way to underworld. Oh wait, I don't even have them. Ehehe.
Turning my attention back to the screen, I find another flashing hexagon.
Please, enter your name.
That's hard to decide. After all, my old name wouldn't blend well here on Remnant, what with the nine letters of the first name, and nine of the last one. No, I need something like…
Fulvus Saffron
Please, enter your age.
13
Compiling…
ALERT: Character creation incomplete – avatar not created!
Do you wish to proceed to avatar creation screen?
Yes.
That is unexpected too. Avatar creation in real life? Or might it be because I entered my new age significantly lower than my old one?
Due to correctly guessing the inner workings of the system, you gained +1 INT, +1 WIS!
*Facepalm* Alri-i-i-ght. Onward.
…
…
Character creation complete! Welcome to the world of Remnant, player!
And with those parting words I promptly blacked out. AGAIN.
Waking up in the same abandoned warehouse, only now a good deal shorter, I shook my head, placing my brain back into its place. From what I know, I am in Remnant now. No idea, what year it is, how old the characters are. But I sure do know the main series did not yet begin. First of all, I recognize the warehouse. That's the one that Torchwick, Cinder and their goons occupied during the infamous Dust robberies. Second, the layer of grime and dust here is so high I can barely breathe without sneezing. And third…
What's the fun in sending me RIGHT INTO the series? Sure, I can change some things, but not really much. And going with the flow – before waking up here, I was in the making of a plan. This did include me being around Yang Xiao Long's age right now. Sure, I could choose Ruby's age, but she was damn lucky and freaking proficient with her "Sweetheart" (read: weapon of doom) to get accepted into Beacon early, so… The hard way means enrolling into Signal, forging my own weapon of doom and being a hard worker. Eeeh.
I stood up, dusting myself off in the process. First on our agenda is getting ourselves a nifty passport, or whatever counts as one here. Scrolls? Maybe. After all, Hunters didn't carry any IDs around, save for their scrolls. Getting one will be daunting – I can't just go around asking for where to buy a scroll. Or can I? Ah, no hurt in trying.
I exited the dusty old warehouse and ever so carefully crept out onto the main streets of Vale. My eyes did a double-take at the sight. The show didn't really do the whole thing justice. All around me were majestic looking holographic streetlights, which did not obstruct the path at all, despite emanating a soft, warm light. The cars were sleek and speedy in design, racing past me to and fro. In the air I could see the infamous Remnant transports with their wings slowly beating against the air, creating the image of a majestic and regal bird. Vale was bursting with life, bathed in light – but there are cracks in that utopic image. Thugs beating a small Faunus girl in a back alley, seemingly unconcerned with her fate; an obese man, a boss of some small trading company, raping his secretary, who is barely out of her teens; the list of transgressions and crimes rivaling the list of all goods committed in this city.
Nothing out of ordinary. Humans are humans, wherever you look.
While I pondered the very nature of humanity, I was bumped into by a tall, muscular man.
"Hey! Watch where ya goin', shrimp!" He shouted at me, trying to push me out of his way. But to no avail. Seems like I am stronger. He pushed me once more, trying to get past me, achieving the same results – none. He tried three more times.
I decided to play with him a bit. "Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? Insanity is doing the exact... same f***ing thing... over and over again expecting... s*** to change... That."
By successfully enraging your opponent, you have unlocked a skill! +1 INT!
Taunt. Lv.1. EXP: 0/300. Active, mana free.
By telling your unlucky opponent to stick his head where the sun doesn't shine, you can put a "Blind Rage" status effect on him, which decreases his INT, WIS and LUK stats dramatically at the cost of increasing his STR, VIT and DEX. Success depends on the level difference and your skill level.
Well, judging by the swiftly reddening face of the man and his bloodshot eyes, he is quite enraged. I tried to see his status.
"Observe"
By emulating your fellow gamers, you have unlocked a skill! +1 INT!
Observe. Lv.1. EXP: 0/100. Active, mana free.
Observing is a life-and-death skill of any gamer. By using the skill, you now can find out names, levels, stats and titles of the people directly within your eyesight. The higher the skill level and the less the level difference, the more accurate the information is.
Oh, nifty. Might as well use it on the man.
Name: UNKNOWN
Race: Faunus
Age: 38
Type: Gorilla 1-Trait
Aura: LOCKED
HP: 430
MP: 190
Level: 14
STR: 70 (62+8)
VIT: 82 (70+12)
DEX: 63 (58+5)
INT: 16 (23-7)
WIS: 13 (21-8)
LUK: 0 (0-0)
An affiliate of the terrorist pro-faunus group White Fang. Dumb muscle, scary when enraged due to his gorilla nature. Is currently in "Blind Rage".
Wait, what? What kind of broken stats are these? Is he really level 14? His physical stats are thrice as big as mine! Is it because he is a Gorilla Faunus? And he is an affiliate of the White Fang! I think I'm done for. Time for a strategic… RETREAT!
I turned tail and ran, trying to lose the man in the maze of houses. My inhuman agility, compared to other kids my age, allowed me to run rather fast. Even the Faunus with his overwhelming DEX, not expecting me to suddenly run away, did not catch me. After what seemed like an hour of non-stop running, I finally stopped at the shore of Vale, panting heavily. I was pretty sure, had I not run away, my skull could have become a reddish gray paste on a nearest wall. That was adrenaline-inducing, but I had not felt even a sliver of that mind-numbing fear that usually accompanies deadly situations. In fact, I was the very epitome of calm and calculating. And I strongly suspect my newest semblance.
Skills.
Gamer's Mind. Lv. MAX. Passive.
By becoming a game character and not having a brain in a literal sense of word, you have gained immunity to most Psionic-type attacks, negative mind status effects and influences. As a side effect, strongly suppresses user's own emotions.
Gamer's Body. Lv. MAX. Passive.
By becoming a game character, you no longer sustain any injuries at the cost of your own Health Points (HP). Negative status effects, like tiredness, can still affect you.
Taunt. Lv.1. EXP: 25/300. Active, mana free.
Observe. Lv.1. EXP: 10/100 Active, mana free.
I just effing knew it! Of course, the two infamous Gamer skills!
So, the encounter told me two very important things. First: I still do not have my Aura, although the Gamer shows up as my Semblance. How that happened is beyond my understanding. Maybe the system recognized itself as a Semblance due to not having any other options? Quite probable.
Due to correctly guessing the inner workings of the system, you gained +1 INT, +1 WIS!
Oh shut up. Second: I have no useful skills. Sure, I could taunt my enemies to death, but that can swiftly lead to my own untimely demise. Thus, we go to the sacred place of knowledge.
The Library.
Finding one was not very hard. Opening my map of Vale, I opened the list of waypoints and typed in "library". Not a second after the map highlighted a building not too far away.
But getting there was completely another story. In fact, the library was merely a kilometer away from me. A whole kilometer of open water. On the island of Patch, in the Signal Academy. And curse my luck, but that was the best option I had. I severely doubt that books on unlocking Aura and building your own weapons were just lying in public libraries. Or else what would have been the point in creating elite academies and stuff?
Oh well, time to put my old life skills to the test. Let's go swim!
-Three hours later-
I was still swimming. Or, to put it bluntly, flailing my hands trying not to drown. My swimming teachers in my old school are most likely laughing their heads off right now. I didn't reach the shore, no. I have like 400 meters more to swim, in fact. It's extremely cold and even though my legs cannot have cramps by definition (thanks to Gamer's Body), they still do not function at their best. Same can be told about my torso and arms – they felt like lead weights trying to pull me to the seabed.
I didn't panic. In fact, I was calmly accepting the fact I am going to meet my end in those damned waters. But accepting did not mean I wasn't trying my best to prevent it from happening.
ALERT: Previously corrupted save file elements have been repaired. Do you wish to apply them?
Yes.
New skills acquired: Sword Mastery Lv. 36, Basic Education Lv. MAX, Intermediate Education Lv. MAX, Advanced Natural Sciences Lv. 12, Swimming Lv. 20, Acrobatics Lv. 23, Danger Sense Lv. 23, Perception Lv. 11.
Previously heard music added to BGM List. See Settings for more info.
That… was to be expected, but still. Did I really have so many skills in my previous life? Seems so, since all of them are in fact passives.
I turned my attention from my musings about the system back to reality. I felt somewhat reinvigorated, probably by my Swimming skill, so I again assumed my preferred position and continued my trek to the island.
-Ten minutes later-
Panting and gasping for air, I finally pushed myself from the water on the shore of Patch. That sure was a hard exercise for me. I wonder if I got any stat points from that one…
Hidden quest complete!
==Reaching the Limits==
Push yourself further than physically possible and breach the limits of the system!
Reward: 5000 EXP, +5 STR, +15 VIT, +20 DEX.
Your level has increased by 2!
Current Level: 14, EXP: 1350/3000
Current STR: 25
Current VIT: 36
Current DEX: 34
Current HP: 202
You have acquired +10 SP!
I am not even surprised. Of course something like that was bound to happen sooner or later. At least I'm now nicely rounded up with all my important stats higher than 20. And I have 10 more to spend, which is really sweet. But it would be wiser to save them until I sneak into the library and see what kinds of prerequisites do all those skills have.
By making a wise decision, you have gained +1 WIS!
Oh really? Thanks, Captain Obvious.
In the distance I could hear some energized shouts of children and some scolding ones of the teachers. Seems like the school year isn't over yet. I'm around their age and I really doubt the teachers remember all their students face-to-face. This gives me a golden opportunity to sneak in, steal a uniform and become an unassuming "Signal Student". From there getting to the library is of no concern. Plan concocted, evil grin in place… We're ready to roll!