Chapter 03: Let the Games Begin!

(A/N I decided to take flameclawsxx's advice to heart and pace myself to write good, long chapters. At just the right pace t̷̹́o̴̢̖͒̐ ̸̤̽d̷̢̉̎ṟ̵͚̌͘ĭ̵̤̀ͅṽ̵̧e̴̦̽ ̷̡̰̋̍y̴̨̠̏̇o̶̖͂u̸̙̪͑͂ ̵̧̱́̓r̴̯͇̽ẻ̴̞̌a̶̬̹̋̿d̶̜̹͛e̸̘̞͛̾r̸̛̻̉s̸͕̤͆ ̷͈́̐i̵̼̔̀n̷̗͚̋s̸̪̺̒ã̵̙̮͝ṇ̴̑ḛ̸̳̾ ̶͙͔̍̚w̵̟͉̆̍ỏ̵͎̳̈n̴̞̐̋ͅd̶͙͝e̴̟̫͑r̴̬͋̚i̵͖̺̇ṇ̷̄g̴̲͋ ̸̨̰͆ẁ̷̙͠h̷̜̩͌ä̵͍͎t̶̰̼͘ ̶̞̌c̴͚̗̎ǫ̵̎̅m̴͚͂͜e̴̥̐s̶͈̈ ̶̟̠̓n̵̦̈̓e̴̯̺̍̔x̵̜́̀t̸̟͂!̵̯̓̍ ̴̻̖́͝*̵͎̏̔D̶̺́͝ĕ̵̙m̷͆͜ơ̶̘n̸̻͌̀i̴̞̍c̶̠̀̒ ̵̧̭̃L̴̘̽a̷̦̺̍u̶͖͔̇̾g̷̢̕h̵̝̉ṫ̵̩̳̋ē̶͙r̶͍̋̀*̴̨͔̌... I should probably get some sleep before I make this story pay the price for my error. I will look over you guys reviews in the meantime.

Mola King: Well, at least he should eventually be able to remodel himself into a living flesh golem. What is the point of living if you can't enjoy it?

From: The Mola King

A: He'll get a body of flesh eventually, but he needs to level up Golem Body enough, first. (Fun Fact/Spoiler, due to the nature of aura, and the existence of Faunus, Poaling could probably make a human/Faunus body with some trial and error… and days without sleep for Iris…

"If you do not throw in an easier method of getting him a body that can feel, taste, smell, hear, see, speak, walk, and love, I will hack your computer and make it display pop-up memes! Do you hear me?! I! WILL! HACK! YOUR! COMPUTER!"

OKAY OKAY! Yeesh, you are scary, for a girl who didn't get out much-

*ultimate slap*

Ow… let's just move on with the reviews.

Mola King: Can he make a body made of Flesh and Vibranium like Visions?

How about VibraniumProto-Adamantium alloy weapons and armor?

From: The Mola King

A: See above for body. Also, I have plans for something potentially better than VibraniumProto-Adamantium (because THAT would just be too OP! Until it becomes obsolete by the entrance of-HAWHOOPS!).

The weapons and armor, well, lets just say that they will have to do with Void Heart and Silver Soul eventually, (Anyone who can tell me where Void Heart is from gets a cookie! ...a̸̗̤̗͈͆ṋ̴͗d̵̛͖̿̈́͒ ̸̜̻̼̦̅̾á̵͓̤̦̈́͠͝ ̶͚̉̃̾h̵̛̠̦͗͐͆i̵͖̫̿́̚͝ṉ̴̖͓͐t̷͇̆̐ ̷͎͇̑̐̍͠ȍ̶͔͎̳͒n̷͈̞̝̾ ̶̗̦̍͝͝ō̷̢̹̖̠̉͂n̴̠̝̙̅͝ë̸̹́͠ ̸̮͙̪͗o̶͈̻̝̿͛͗̔r̸͉̹͗́ ̸̙͓̩̈̓m̷͎͔͖̜͆̅̈́ŏ̴̮̼̙͚r̸̡̬̬͍͆̓ẹ̴̡̨̨͗̈́͊͠ ̷̞̐̐f̵̩̫̿ų̸͕̣͎̉̈̚t̴̺͔̐u̴̧̩̖̔̀r̸̫͗̿ĕ̶̳͓ ̷͖̮̘̼͛̏͛s̸̠̜͋̋͝k̸̳̹̮̩̓̄ī̵̻̗̍l̴͇̖̓l̸͎̙͊̄̈́ͅš̵͙̩̫̃̌.̸̩̪̮̪̓̕.̶͕͈̗̔́͜.̶̦̀͠)

Also, Vibranium and Adamantium aren't native to Remnant, so Poaling might not be able to gather enough to make a full body.

Flameclawsxx: pretty good, just a bit short though…

A: Thanks! I am making the chapters longer, of course. I just needed to get something posted before I could get cold feet and change my mind about the story.

Merendinoemiliano: Could be very interesting, depending on whath It happens. Just don't make him too op. Hoping for arkos, good work. And if i can give some advice, on Grimm's Ap or mp put ? or unknown instead of 0.

A: Noted, literally! :D Also, if Arkos doesn't happen on its own soon enough, Poaling might give a little push. Otherwise, Iris will probably go full on shipper mode and do things like force their heads together in a kiss or pray to a shipping shrine in the- IRISPLEASEDON'THURTMEPUTTHERAILGUNDOWN!

The3rdOverlord: I seriously hope your chapters are longer in the future

A: I promise, the future chapters will be much longer! Your hopes are not unfounded! … Assuming I don't get sent to the ER by the intern giving me a VERY SCARY look right now.

Doctor Doofenshmirtz: Technically all Gamers can be considered Golems, or Homunculus, given that their body in many cases is actually a mana construct, which is what allows for Gamers Body to work the way it does without breaking reality and stuff.

A: Yes, but they're set to be at least some variation of human. Poaling ended up as a core for a Golem, the kind that's usually made BY the Gamer, not made INTO the Gamer. In other words, his pre-game luck made him lucky (or unlucky, depending on your view) enough to be able to alter his form at will.

Little Bonus Answer to a question some of you were probably wondering: How did Poaling's file get corrupted in the first place? Well, let's just say that there is A LOT of stuff in the Void that are thrown away by universes, including deleted files from- (̶̡̛̰̥̫̘̝̪̻̤̥͍͔̱̭̔̏͆̄̿̈́̅͗̄̅́̒͐̌̿͐̈́̕͜͝R̶̨̨͇̙̮̱͓̣̖͖̪͍̞̱͉̪͕̗̹̞̖̅̂̿͛̉͆̿̂̅͌͘̕͝͝ͅE̴͔̯̻̱̖̬͉͔͋̄̉̈̂̈̑̏͊͋͊͝D̸̻͔̣̗͔̹̺͕͍̬͍͎̼̜̺͓̞͔̒̂̑̕͜͜͜͜Á̸̫̟̲̰̮̅̓͛̀̅͂̌̓́̐̈͒͐͑̏̄͗̚̚͝C̴̬͎̺̙̯͚̺̦̝̤̪̳̈́̔̏͊̿́͌̆̏̿̈́̍̀͆Ţ̵̝̭̦̼̭̗̮͔̭͂͋͐͑̈͗̎͂̏̀̐̽̍͋̃̏̕̚E̵̡̡̧̛͙̭̞̮̱̭̙̯̰̤̦̖̬̩͎̅͘͜͝D̵̳̝̰̳͈͙̭̮̭̀̃̓̊͂̋͒̎̚͝)̷̧̦̼͚͍̘̥͉̗͇̻̜͉̘̅̏̇̀͋͑͂͆

Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Monty Oum of Rooster Teeth… Rest in peace, you majestic warrior of the media, you!

On with the show!)


"Stats"

Name: Poaling Mono

Race: Soul/Void Hybrid-Type Golem Core

Title(s): The Gamer

Level: 3: 0.0%

HP: 375/375 (VIT * 15)

AP: Locked ((VIT * 15) * 0)

MP: 150/150 (INT * 15)

SP: 1

HPR: +3 every 30 seconds ((VIT * 0.1) + 0.5)

APR: Locked (((VIT * 0.1) + 0.5) * 0)

MPR: +1.6 every 30 seconds ((INT * 0.1) + 0.5)

STRength: 10

DEXterity: 5

VITality: 25

INTelligence: 10

WISdom: 8

LUCk: 7

Stat Points Available: 0

At this point, I think I can confirm that this is not a dream. I highly doubt that my subconscious could perform all that math correctly.

Granted, I can't really smell the fresh air of the forest around me, feel the grass tickling me, nor taste those berries on the bush over there… Wow, I am either really lucky or really unlucky to have ended up as something lacking the senses of comfort.

Halting that train of thought before it could send me into a spiral of depression, I instead went over to a nearby pond and checked what I looked like as a golem core.

I saw an orb reflected back at me, about the size of the fist of a human teenager. It was not quite clear, tinted slightly red. I could see a small white spark drifting around inside, in a fluttery orbit of sorts around a black, grape-sized core at the center.

"Not sure what I was expecting, really."

"How about you put my skill to use to make a body so you can use my Scanner Shot already, newb!"

I sighed, mentally. Iris seemed to be a bit over excited to see her creations put to use.

"Fine, Golem Body."

You have access to the materials for Earth Golem.

Earth Golem (Golem Body):

The most common material around, it isn't really anything special, but it is the easiest to repair, as it's almost EVERYWHERE.

(No Bonuses)

Confirm? Y/N

"Yes."

With that, the earth tore itself up around me, and into the form of a humanoid figure around my core.

I had no distinguishing features, aside from a few glittering flecks around where my eyes would be; I was just a round, 3-foot humanoid of dirt…

"What did you expect? The skill is at level 1!"

I was about to retort when I heard a shriek.

New Quest: Big Bad Grimm

Time for Gamer Combat 101!

Objectives:

Survive []

Bonus Objectives:

Use Scanner Shot to Record your first Data Entry []

Rewards:

Skill Book, 300 EXP, 100 Lien

Bonus Rewards:

Skill Book, Blueprint, 400 EXP, 200 Lien

"Not even one hour here, and I'm already fighting for my life- er, existence." I thought as I heard the growling. "Guess it's time to see whether I'll sink or swim!"

I equipped Scanner Shot in my right 'hand' just as a trio of scraggly looking Grimm come crashing through the foliage. I'm calm right now due to Gamer's Mind, thankfully, or I would be panicking and scrambling like a maniac for the nearest, climbable tree high enough to keep me out of reach.

"Observe."

Stray Beowolf (x3)

Level: 4

HP: 150/150

AP: ?

MP: 150/150

I aim the Scanner Shot at the one closest to me, shooting out a bolt of 1's and 0's that somehow hit it right in the eye, causing it to recoil, shaking its head about.

Vital Shot (*1.5)

Stray Beowolf

Level: 4

HP: 128/150

AP: ?

MP: 150/150

The one of the two uninjured Beowolves leaped at me and went for my left arm, practically trying to swallow it whole, while the other seemed a bit more cautious.

And when it bit down, I felt some sharp pain where the teeth made contact with my core in my chest, yet I didn't feel any in the arm itself. I could still feel the teeth digging into my arm, it just didn't hurt.

Name: Poaling Mono

Title(s): The Gamer

Level: 3: 0.0%

HP: 312/375 (VIT * 15)

AP: Locked ((VIT * 15) * 0)

MP: 150/150 (INT * 15)

SP: 1

I summoned my Steel Broadsword to my left hand, planning to swing wildly and keep the others at bay with the Scanner Shot. But in my moment of pain-induced panic, I forgot that my left arm was stuck in the jaws of the Beowolf, so-

SHHKKK!

Fatal Strike (Death)

-it went right out the back, between the ears, before the Beowolf slumped, unmoving. If I had a stomach right now, I'd probably be feeling sick.

The good news: I now had one less Beowolf to worry about.

The bad news: My arm is still stuck inside said Beowolf, which seemed to be vaporizing at a snail's pace, and one of the other Beowolves looked like it was about to attack.

I returned the Scanner Shot to my inventory, replacing it with the Steel Broadsword in my right hand, and frantically began trying to break open the skull to release my arm.

The uninjured Beowolf had other plans, however, and rammed into me-

CRACK!

And my left arm broke off altogether, the sword was knocked out of my grip, and the rest of me went flying across the clearing.

Name: Poaling Mono

Title(s): The Gamer

Level: 3: 5.4%

HP: 234/375 (VIT * 15)

AP: Locked ((VIT * 15) * 0)

MP: 150/150 (INT * 15)

SP: 1

"Crud!"

Meanwhile, the same Beowolf was getting ready to charge me again from across the clearing.

At this point, I did the only thing I thought would work.

I equipped the Scanner Shot in my remaining hand, pointed it in the general direction of my possible cause of death, and fired as rapidly as I could, getting in eight shots just before it could reach.

Vital Shot (*1.5)

Vital Shot (*1.5)

Vital Shot (*1.5)

Vital Shot (*1.5)

Vital Shot (*1.5)

Vital Shot (*1.5)

Vital Shot (*1.5)

Vital Shot (*1.5)

Data Category Unlocked: Beowolf

Data Entry Unlocked: Stray Beowolf

If I still had eyelids, I would have blinked right then.

I just killed a Stray Beowolf, in eight shots from the Scanner Shot, when it was at full health. And EVERY. SINGLE. SHOT. WAS. VITAL!

I looked at the device in my hand. "This gun is broken!"

"HEY! It's an offensive works just fine!" I heard Iris shout, indignantly.

"No, I meant broken as in overpowered!"

"Still wrong. Those were just weaklings! They were just level 4, remember?"

"Explain how it landed all those vital shots without missing, then! Without even needing to reload!"

"It uses an Auto-Aiming system to gather data as accurately as possible! You expect me to work with data-shots of shoulders?! And it uses a transdimensional connection to its own generator, so as to not lose the data from power loss!"

"I don't have time to argue about this, I still have one mo- where the heck did it go?"

The Beowolf I'd shot at the start of the fight was nowhere to be seen.

New Quest: Big Bad Grimm

Time for Gamer Combat 101!

Objectives:

Survive [✔️]

Bonus Objectives:

Use Scanner Shot to Record your first Data Entry [✔️]

Rewards:

"A Hunter's Guide to Archery" Skill Book, 300 EXP, 100 Lien

Bonus Rewards:

"Crafting 101" Skill Book, "Base Crossbow" Blueprint, 400 EXP, 200 Lien

Level Up! (*2)

"Huh. It must have known it was outgunned now that it's buddies were gone and turned tail. GRAB THE LOOT AND CHECK THE NEW STUFF BEFORE SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENS!"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh…"

I was about to begin the doubtlessly tedious process of picking up all the loot from the battle when I saw what I can only describe as a "Chibi Iris" holding a new tab right in my face.

Auto-Loot: OFF

"Just use this, it's the Modern Era, for crying out loud!"

I quickly turned on Auto-Loot for efficiency's sake, and because Iris was starting to scare me.

You have gained 100 EXP, 100 Lien, 6 Beowolf Fur Scraps, 4 Beowolf Claws, 2 Beowolf Skull Fragments, and 2 Beowolf Core Fragments.

"I'll look at all this loot closely.. After I distribute my new Stat Points. Stats"

Name: Poaling Mono

Race: Soul/Void Hybrid-Type Golem Core

Title(s): The Gamer

Level: 5: 15.4%

HP: 375/375 (VIT * 15)

AP: Locked ((VIT * 15) * 0)

MP: 180/180 (INT * 15)

SP: 1

HPR: +3 every 30 seconds ((VIT * 0.1) + 0.5)

APR: Locked (((VIT * 0.1) + 0.5) * 0)

MPR: +1.6 every 30 seconds ((INT * 0.1) + 0.5)

STRength: 10

DEXterity: 5

VITality: 25

INTelligence: 10

WISdom: 8

LUCk: 7

Stat Points Available: 20

"Okay, so I guess I should put some points into Dex right now because one: I am SLOW-"

"Like a tank."

"And two: my other stats are already pretty high, so my Dex needs to play catch up."

"Actually, if you put seven points in Wis, then five in Int and Str, you can put the remaining three in Luc, while requiring less effort and time on your part to build up Dex naturally!"

I was silent for a moment.

"That is… actually pretty smart at this level! Thanks Iris!"

I heard the Intern stutter incoherently for a few seconds before going silent, save for the occasional mumble.

"... Iris, you alright?"

"... J-just move on with your stat management…"

I sighed. "Okay."

Name: Poaling Mono

Race: Soul/Void Hybrid-Type Golem Core

Title(s): The Gamer

Level: 5: 15.4%

HP: 375/375 (VIT * 15)

AP: Locked ((VIT * 15) * 0)

MP:225/225 (INT * 15)

SP: 1

HPR: +3 every 30 seconds ((VIT * 0.1) + 0.5)

APR: Locked (((VIT * 0.1) + 0.5) * 0)

MPR: +2 every 30 seconds ((WIS * 0.1) + 0.5)

STRength: 15

DEXterity: 5

VITality: 25

INTelligence: 15

WISdom: 15

LUCk: 10

Stat Points Available: 0

"Alright, now for the inventory."

Beowolf Fur Scrap (Common Material)

A small scrap of fur from a Beowolf, DUH!

Beowolf Claw (Uncommon Material)

These are still sharp, despite everything their former owner used them for.

Beowolf Skull Fragment (Material Fragment)

A fragment of the skull of a Beowolf. Collect enough pieces to assemble something useful. (2/16)

Beowolf Core Fragment (Boss Summon Fragment)

A piece of an incomplete core to summon Fenrir, the Bound Wolf. Beware, for Fenrir is not kind to those who dare challenge him. (2/20)

"Cool! Now for the Skill Books!"

"A Hunter's Guide to Archery" (Skill Book)

Grants the skill "Bow Mastery"

"Crafting 101" (Skill Book)

Grants the skill "Crafting"

Would you like to learn these skills?

(Y/N)

I barely finish reading the descriptions before Chibi Iris comes out of nowhere and bashes the big "Y."

Bow Mastery (Passive):

(Level: 1: 0.0%) (Cost: None) Attacks with bows and crossbows deal an additional 5% damage. Your odds of landing a hit on a moving target, or while firing from the hip, is increased by 5%

Crafting (Active):

(Level: 1: 0.0%) (Cost: None) Passively makes Crafting 10% easier, your crafts are 5% better.

I went to pick up the Steel Broadsword when I noticed the broken remains of my left arm on the ground.

"Oh, right… I'm unarmed."

I heard a snort.

"Good Game, that was just terrible."

"Hey! Don't undervalue the power of puns! They're quite handy in cheering people up when they're down!"

A snicker.

"S-seriously, Poaling! Those puns are just terrible, you airhead!"

"I'm not an airhead, I don't even trust balloons!"

"... Why is that?"

"Because they're always up to something!"

Finally, I heard Iris explode with laughter. If I had a mouth, I would probably be grinning ear to ear.

With her for company, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.


(A/N Welp, I just got this chapter finished about… three days later than I had originally planned, if I remember correctly.

I've decided to take more time between chapters to make them longer and better, and so that I don't get sick of this too soon and quit before I can get a good ways in. But, to make up for it, I will be including a Q&A in the next chapter, so put your entry in the comments. (I'll also accept image submissions for the cover, maybe even make a contest out of it, for you wonderful folks, you!)

I'll also be working to get up to Canon years at least before I sputter out on this story, if ever. *cough*I'mgonnaseeSalemfallifit'sthelastthingIdo*cough*

Then again, the System is bound to have mixed data ( ;D ) as a result of the corruption and patch, so he is definitely going to have to deal with those headaches as they come.

N-not too much though! I do not need Iris coming in after I pass out at the writing computer to beat me over the head with my own keyboard!

Now I am going to end the chapter here before I end up digging my grave any deeper…)

Seeyouinthegamekaybye!

-poaling12