Mugen no Tenma, in.
Damnit… I have schedules… yet I keep procrastinating over and over and over again… that's really not healthy for my future. I'm sorry guys. I'm not making excuses, I'm being lazy for the last few weeks and can't even bring myself to update.
I still have fun making this story, though. I just… don't have the willpower required to complete this chapter. To add even more bad points, this chapter isn't the 'fun fighting chapter, Jaune bullshiting the ever-loving crap of everyone' that I promised to the few of you. No, this is merely the boring opening. So, please bear with me, readers. Really sorry.
Before I go ranting too much… Here's the review reply.
Kyuzo3567 & jbrew23: I'm really sorry for the similarities. I think I'm still head over heels for TGWP, I am soo Ryuugi's fan. I changed it a bit though.
TheNiemand: More bad luck for Jaune. More…
JdkLeBleau728: I know it's for the ch.3, but I'll reply here. Glad to be able to entertain you, sir/madam.
Zen-aku the spirit of the wolf: Welp, I didn't realize the reference until you mentioned it.
Xerzo LotCN: I would make it more and more impossible. Just you wait… T.T
ItsMarwie: Thanks. Sorry to keep you waiting.
Gamelover4592: Thank you. I'm sorry I just keep procrastinating.
Desdelor97: Thank you very much. I'll try.
Danzidogeek: Thank you… I won't. I'll just keep slacking over and over again… my baaaad.
MasterE.N.D: Thank you.
M. : I'm including some shoutout to you in this chapter. Hope you don't mind.
Lazymanjones96: Uh, I guess? Take a look, if you would…
MysticSpider: More HUG for you.
Guest: Thanks man.
SolaceKnight: I guess so. I'll make the next interlude longer then.
Thatguy: Sadly, you won't see Jaune guarding Weiss this chapter… whoops, spoiler.
Gonefisher: I was a BIG fan of TGWP. Sorry for the similarities though.
Pedro52: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And yeah, more is coming.
BiQly: He would take the slow path, but surely, he will be OP. Bullshit, yeah I know. And I decided not to add annoying music to this fic.
That's the end of the review reply. Now…
Disclaimer: RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth, and The Gamer is the property of Sangyoung Seong.
Have a good read, guys.
EDIT: This chapter has been beta-ed by odflou. Hats off to you.
Chapter 9
Unexpected Turn of Events
-White Castle-
Okay, Jaune, it's your time to shine. It's the Heiress of the most famous company of the world. Give her a good impression…
"Hi there."
I greeted the white haired girl with a smile. Hell, normally, I would've gotten all flustered and nervous in front of a pretty girl, but I was me. Gamer's mind helped me through all that without bumbling like an idiot.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
But what I get is an intimidating glare from her blue eyes. She—no,Weiss—I don't know, she's kinda… irritated? Why? What did I do? I just met her… I've done absolutely nothing wrong to her, hell I never would.
Why is there so much hostility? She's more like… a beauty queen with a scary temperament… So, I'll refrain on using 'Snow Angel' until I know more about her. That should be wise, I suppose.
"My name is Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue—" I begin, only to be cut off shortly.
"Well, Mr. Arc, this is off-limits! For staff and security only." She pointed to the white floor. "Audience are not allowed here. Please leave immediately!"
That sounded more like an order than a request. And why is she so… condescending? Granted, in my outfit now I just looked like a clueless goofy loser coming out from nowhere, but please. I'm not that bad, right?
…Right?
Oh well.
"Um, I'm actually—"
"…Or should I call the security to escort you out?" she narrowed her icy blue eyes. "I'll just ask you one more time. Leave. Now."
Wow, this escalated quickly.
What on Remnant is wrong with her? I'm here to be a security, not an audience nor I want to be kicked out from the very room I should guard. A bit ironic, isn't it?
I was thinking to use [Observe] at her, but I have to defuse the situation first.
"No, no, no, listen, I—" I scrambled, searching for words.
"I think he's the security, Weiss." A voice chimed in.
A young man entered my sight, the lean boy that ran off earlier.
The Exiled Scion of Akira Family
LV 70
Kokuto Akira
He has black left eye and crimson red right eye (which Observe told me that it's a cybernetic eye), long spiky and bushy black hair striped with a shade of blood red. He has a faint scar around his right eye and another one on his left ear (also cybernetic) and a scar on his right ear, which is covered by his hair.
Wearing a black T-shirt, black camo shorts that reach his knees, and a pair of pink hiking boots. He has a staff holder on his hips around the back and he is wearing a pink cowboy hat. A bit of an unusual get-up, if you ask me… but who am I to talk? I literally have worn a more ridiculous outfit than him.
Yep. You guessed it… it was my Hei Lang outfit! It's kinda cool, dark, and all, but it's still weird. What? My onesie? Hell no, that outfit is perfectly suits me! I look fabulous with that onesie on!
…
Um... Moving on…
His prosthetics are uncovered by artificial skin, which is impossible to see through without my [Observe].
Thank god I was me. Yay me.
And he's from… the Akira family? Never heard of them before. I knew of the Schnee, Pendragon, Valkyrie, Nikos, Xiao Long, Yuki, Jin… but I never heard of the Akira. My mother never mentioned them in her lessons.
"What do you mean, Kokuto?" Weiss asked. "This tall, blonde, and scraggly ruffian is the security? Ugh. Unbelieveable."
What a nice, young lady.
I winced at her description of me. It's… it's not a good one, isn't it? Why I can never give a good first impression to, like, any girls? 'Vomit Boy' is bad enough for me. Please don't add 'Tall, Blond and Scraggly Ruffian' to the list, it's so lame.
The black-haired boy, Kokuto, only chuckled at her response.
"He's from the Arc family, don't you know?" He said. "Yeah, he looks a bit underwhelming… but apparently, he came here as a replacement of Saffron Arc. Is that right?" he turns to me.
"Yeah, that's my father." I nodded. "He got an important mission, so he gave this job for me. Is that alright?"
"It's cool." Kokuto nodded back. "That's settled… so cool off, Weiss. He's not one of your fanatic admirer. He just wants to help us."
"Why I haven't heard of this yet?" Weiss shook her head. "Why are you just telling me this now? You're the event organizer! Klein assigned you to take care of this kind of matter, you're supposed to keep me informed!"
"Because, you're gonna bitch on me about that if I told you." Kokuto rolled his eyes. "I don't think I want that. Have mercy on my ears, Weiss."
"You insufferable brat. How dare you!" Weiss scowled at the boy. "Wait until Father hears of this. I'll report you!"
"Go ahead. He's not giving any shit about you, Weiss. He won't do anything to me either, with the General on my side, he won't do squat. That old weasel cares more about his public image than your safety, really."
"Don't talk about Father like that!"
I ignored their banter and used this opportunity wisely instead of listening. I took a glance to the black haired boy, and muttered internally.
Observe.
Background: The Akira's were a prominent Hunter family known for their versatile invention of weapons which is known throughout the continent in the past century. However, an action deemed traitorous by the Four Kingdoms caused the Akira family to be exiled out to the Badlands, and their achievements wiped off records. This results in the Akira-clan vowing revenge on the Four Kingdoms.
Kokuto, a black sheep of the clan due to an incident which occurred few years ago, resulted in the death of branch of his family at the age of 12, leaving him the sole survivor. The General of Atlas, James Ironwood, took a pity on him and created a false identity for him, and put him in his academy. Currently a Huntsman-in-Training and member of team BLCK.
Emotions: Silent, Playful, Protective, Cynical
Under the status effect of:
[The Kaiser of Iron Will]
Semblance of Kokuto Akira: Metal Propagation, the ability to convert any non-organic surface into metal, and shaping it as he pleased.
Status: He doesn't have any opinion on you yet.
That is so informative. I wonder if this is the effect of Observe leveling up or his background is indeed that much… will that become important in the future? Like, it will become an important quest later on? His background seems like bad news… like real, real bad news. I should use Observe on people more often, I need more information.
So, the Akira family is one of the exiled families… my mother told me that Remnant does have its fair share of dark secrets, like families and communities hidden from the eyes of its people, which is more of a danger than a benefit if you ask me. A few that are truly dangerous have been brought down for good, but most are currently hiding in plain sight, as if waiting for a chance to exact their revenge to the Four Kingdoms.
As if the danger from The Creatures of Grimm teeming around everywhere isn't enough of a problem for everyone in Remnant. Truly a crapsack world we are in, isn't it?
Anyway… what about the Heiress?
Observe.
Background: Huntress-in-Training specially trained under The Schnee Dust Company. Daughter of Jacques and Willow Schnee, and the heiress in line for The Schnee Dust Company, after her sister Winter Schnee refused the position and went to Atlas instead. She is also the older sister of Whitley Schnee. Wants to became Huntress because she wants to live up to her family's legacy.
Everything has been decided for her in her life, and because of it, she is a bit of a rebel. It even managed to manifest itself in her physical appearance as she wears her ponytail to the side of her head, disrupting the symmetry of the rest of her outfit. She hates the White Fang, and in extension, Faunus, because their activities causing a large part of her childhood. She can be nice, although a bit difficult at times because of her sheltered life.
Emotions: Stressful, Afraid, Anxious and Confused.
Under the status effect of:
[Summoner of The Wandering Phantoms] (Dormant)
Information unknown. Currently inactive.
[Schneeglyph]
Summoning glyph, the hereditary Semblance of The Schnee. creates a slippery platform to skate on at high speed, generate midair platforms to manipulate her trajectory in the air and perform limited time dilation that can speed up actions of her own and the others.
Status: Not really impressed of you.
Such important information. I'll make sure to remember all that in my head… for future uses. Who knows, maybe I'll meet her again at Beacon, or the Vytal Festival, or wherever I meet her in my line of work as a Huntsman in the future, one can never have too much information.
Plus, I learned many things about her and by that information, I can act properly, not to make some silly mistake that worsens her impression of me. I shall not make myself a fool in front of her, that's for sure.
"So… you're our guard, Mr. Arc?"
Weiss turned to me again, and spoke to me with a much softer tone than before, yet it's still so full of pride. I don't blame her, really, judging from the family she comes from, it doesn't sound too bad either, it just served as an addition for her elegance. That and I knew already that she's actually nice person inside. She just happens to have an icy exterior.
Let's just try to slowly break the ice of her bossy attitude, and it all will be good. Leave it to The Arc's charm, and the rest is history. My father has always said that.
"Yes, yes I am." I smiled again. "It is a honor to me. And I'm a natural blonde, by the way. Just in case you're asking."
She looks totally nonplussed at my desperate attempt to be suave—damn it, she just rolled her eyes—but at least her tense expression softened a bit. At least my words have an effect to her… is it? Is it? Please say it is.
"Well, I apologize for my hostility earlier." She said, with a tiny bit of regret in her voice. "The previous visitor to this place was a bit… excited to see me. Needless to say, I am not ready for another—"
"A really, really big fan of hers, I think." Kokuto quipped, interrupting her mid-sentence. "He was screaming her name like a rabid dog. Like, really really happy to see her… I guess everybody was hot for our resident Ice Queen here."
"Hey!"
Kokuto completely ignores Weiss's protest.
That's not wrong. She's really beautiful, although her arrogant attitude towards everyone is her negative trait. Everybody has their good and flaws… no one's perfect, I guess.
"That said, I am truly sorry. I shouldn't have judged you from your appearance alone." Weiss said to me again. "No offense, but for a guard… you don't look the part, Mr. Arc."
"None taken." I shrugged. "That's understandable."
Yeah… I'm perfectly aware of that fact that I look like a wet noodle. I'm just an average guy with a totally average face and average abilities. Nothing impressive about myself, except for my bullshit Semblance, The Gamer, of course.
I'm just a nobody for now… but it will change eventually. Soon. I hope. Probably.
"Alright, then." Weiss nodded, I noticed, stiffly. "I need to prepare myself now, so I'll leave the rest to you, Kokuto. If you would…"
She then walked away while I watching her go, watching every single elegant step she takes. Her posture was prim, proper, full of pride and self-conservation… her pristine white hair which braided in a ponytail was so captivating… it's fit her perfectly just like a princess—
"Okay, let us get to work. Jaune Arc, is it?" Kokuto cupped his hands, averting my attention to him. "I don't know if your father told you this, but your job will be the scout outside the stage. You will be assigned to the… ah yes, the Watchman's Tower."
"You mean the black, freaking big-ass tower outside?!" I said, taken aback. "Isn't my job is to guard from the backstage?"
"Yup. We've had a change of plans, as I would be the one to guard the backstage."
Outside of the White Castle, there is an enormously towering… well, tower. Its shape was one resembling a rook, black in color and almost equaling a skyscraper in height. It was an old, overwhelming building which purpose was unknown, yet it still allowed to stood in all these years.
Now I know why. They use it on occasional events like this.
"Don't tell me you're scared..." Kokuto smirked. "Dude, what kind of man are you, getting scared of heights?"
"Of course not. I'm just surprised." I waved my hands. "I just thought that tower is prohibited… hell, I thought it was abandoned."
I'm not afraid of anything.
…
Okay, except for one thing.
Well, I was just scared of taking a ride on any aircraft… thanks to my motion sickness. I don't want to puke on my feet every time I take a ride on that blasted, infernal vehicle of hell… though I can prevent that by taking some medicine, but still…
"Not today. The General rented it for today only." Kokuto shrugged. "Anyways, your job is to watch the surrounding areas from above. Once you spot suspicious movement, give us a signal so that we can evacuate the audience and Weiss safely. I'll stand guard in the backstage, that way I can grab Weiss on a moment's notice. It all depends on how fast you relay the signal to me, really."
"…That sounds easier than I thought." I mused.
"Of course. Once we got an alert, you don't even have to fight. We'll take care of them. We got two Spider Droids and fifty AK-130, and myself of course… there's possibly nothing that can go wrong, even if those bastards of White Fang showed up." Kokuto said, growling a bit in the end. "I won't let any of them touch Weiss with their dirty hands. Never."
He's very… determined, isn't he? I got a feeling that this is a very personal matter that I shouldn't touch, but there's no stopping me once I gets curious. Nothing can. Nothing will.
"You're her personal bodyguard?" I asked.
He stared at me, both his organic and cybernetic eye narrowed slightly. I thought I might've crossed the line and I should've backed off, however…
"No, even though I want to be." Kokuto shook his head. "She never wants one. She's strong and I'm sure she can take care of herself… her douchebag of a father never supports her own decision and pushes her every time… except for her sister, there's no one supporting her. Oh, there's one more, but he's not even her family. Can you imagine that?"
"Yes, I can. Must be very hard for her." I nodded, sympathizing with the Heiress almost instantly.
Anything I want to do, anything I want to become, anything I decide on my life, my parents would support me without hesitation. Of course, they would ask me first whether that is really what I want and my own choice, but in the end, they will support me with a smile on their faces.
I can't really imagine my life without my parent's support. I wonder how hard Weiss's life is… following every decision that isn't hers, forced by her family to become whatever her family wanted without minding her own wish and decision…
I want to help her.
A quest has been created!
Heh, about damn time you show up, Damned Blue Screen.
QUEST ALERT!
KNIGHT OF THE SNOW WHITE—THE PROTECTOR
Keep Weiss safe from any harm attempted on during her charity concert. Protect her with any means necessary.
Limit time : None
Reward :
-Exp +200,000
-Increased closeness with Weiss
-Increase closeness with The Schnee Dust Company
-Weiss Schnee +50 Affection, Crush on You
-20 Red, Blue, Cyan, Violet, Yellow, White Dust Crystal
-30000 Lien
-20 Skill Points
Failure Penalty :
-Weiss Schnee's Death
-Your Death
Accept? Yes/No
…
I didn't see anything! I didn't see a freaking 'Crush On You' in the rewards! Totally not seeing it! That's impossible to even imagine that it could happen! Nope! Nope! A totally beautiful girl would fall for me just because a damn quest, you say? That's ridiculous, The Gamer. I—I won't buy that! Nah! It's just my wishful thinking.
Ignore it.
Ignore it…
IGNORE IT, YOU FOOL! OUT WITH THAT THOUGHT!
…
…Thank you, Gamer's Mind.
After taking notes of the tempting rewards and the equally dangerous risks, I pushed the 'yes' button without any hesitation. I don't have second thought about this. I'm ready for anything, I told myself a few times.
And truth be told, I just don't do this because of the rewards. No. Really, as tempting as it was, I wanted to do this because I want to help her. No ulterior motives or anything like that, I assure you. Even if there isn't any rewards for it, I would take it anyway. The fact that Weiss is so beautiful is just an added bonus, it doesn't really matter in the end.
I've already made my mind when my father offered this job to me. I knew how dangerous the situation is, hell, just one glance to the quest reward, which is totally tempting, I know something will just go wrong in this quest. Look at two 'Deaths' in the failure? Those words told me something.
No pain, no gain. Tempting rewards comes with equally dangerous risks.
I came here prepared, of course. I mentally opened my inventory and saw the new weapon I just made today in the Firebeard's Forgemaster, ready for use. Just in case I need something extra to survive this would-be… more than eventful night. Although I hope I don't have to use that.
I won't say 'there's nothing could possibly go wrong here' or 'this can't get any worse' to jinx us. No, I was sure that we are pretty much jinxed, I can't shake this dread feeling inside my heart. Call it hunch…or a tingle of Jaune-sense, if you would.
Even with the tiny fraction of The Atlas Military properties on our side and a strong Huntsman-in-Training (not me, of course, it's Kokuto), I knew exactly that something horribly wrong would happen tonight.
Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Especially with my bad luck on play. I'm ready for it… both as Jaune Arc or Hei Lang.
"Let's do our best, Jaune." Kokuto said. "We'll protect Weiss."
"Yeah." I nodded.
"Hooookay…."
So, here I am, placed in a tall, dark, and possibly haunted old tower, on my own. The staff had done their best to clean the surveillance room in the tower to keep me comfortable, but an old, dirty tower is still an old, dirty tower.
I sat on a bench before a wide, broad window which faces the White Castle. A similar window was spotted on the opposing side of the room, probably to monitor the surrounding area. With this, I can go back and forth to oversee the situation, both in the White Castle and the outside area surrounding it.
The White Castle was located in the new heart of Vale, that built six years ago, to replace the old heart that completely devastated by the White Fang. Yes. No one saw that coming, The Great Leader of The White Fang had decided to literally show the humans the very reason why they must be feared. As ferocious as a tiger, Sienna Khan reduced the old heart of Vale to mere ruins, burning every building and killing almost everybody that was unlucky to be there.
It was terrifying. The Leader was truly a monster, ripping and shredding every opposing force that dared to defy her. She spared no one, hell bent on delivering her so-called 'Justice' to the humankind. Only the timely intervention from the Headmaster of Beacon that managed to stop her in her tracks. Their battle was legendary, their figures moving so fast around the battlefield that no one could follow their motion. Not that there's many survivor left to watch anyway.
She eventually fled against the sheer power of her foe, but not without leaving total destruction on her path. The old heart of Vale was completely ruined, almost everyone there died, not to the mention panic and hysteria that spread in the entirety of Vale… The Creatures of Grimm attacked the city. The Headmaster, previously pursuing Sienna Khan, pull back to help defend the city. Vale survived in the end, but barely. It suffered severe losses that should be fatal, such dark times.
The horrendous event was called the [White Heart Assault].
I was there that time. That was when I still a weakling, when I was still a child that didn't have any way of protecting myself. I barely survived that. That's why I train harder than ever, trying to hone my skill to perfection where I wouldn't have to worry should something like that happen again.
I admit, I was so far from perfection, even after all my training. I was determined to stand victorious over any obstacle, but it wasn't enough. I'm still not good enough for anything. Even though I was diligent and hard-working, I'm still an average guy at best. Nothing stood out from me…
But now I have my Semblance, The Gamer. Surely that will change something.
I'm now inside The Surveillance Room, located around the middle floor of the tower. Just a simple room with two windows in the opposing sides, a fragile-looking desk with a binocular and an emergency siren placed on it, along with the simple bench I was now currently sat on. Not really encouraging my job as a scout, but whatever. It doesn't really matter.
Perfect place to keep watching. I'd say they had done pretty good job on maintaining this tower intact. This place was really suited for any surveillance jobs, hence, 'The Surveillance Room'. Yeah, what a creative name, you don't say.
Oh, to make it more relevant to my past story before, this tower was one of the few remaining building spared from Sienna Khan's rampage. Yep, historical value and all that. Also, the angst generated from this building was unbearable, so I'm looking for a way to pass time to ignore that angst.
I sighed deeply.
Now, it's just a few minutes before the event started. I opened my Status Screen and examined it carefully, taking notes of everything stated inside it. Actually, I could have picked a better time to study my own Semblance, like, in my room or somewhere private... but I didn't. I was too lazy to study things in details, I guess… one of few things that The Gamer can't fix.
First, [Party].
It turns out I could make a party—you know, not the real 'party', but 'party' as in the video game terms, where you can invite people to join yours. I can name my own party, it's obvious—which I named Team Jaune. Great, isn't it? And I'm the only one who can name it, cool.
Not that I would invite someone into my party anytime soon—If I want to invite anyone, that went without saying that I'd have to told him, or her, about my Semblance first. I'm currently trying to hide the true facts about my Semblance and avoid to tell anyone if it's not necessary…
And one thing, if inviting people to my party means granting them the same powers as mine, then I'd rather not invite anyone. Maybe there's some limitations, but still. I can't just tell everyone about my Semblance and share it freely, it's the manifestation of my soul. It's a personal thing.
I'd save it for urgent and death-or-alive situation only. Qrow already knows about my Semblance, and I hope it remains only him alone.
I've said it too many times, but information is the greatest weapon. I won't risk telling it only for my enemies to use it against me. I won't act like moron… well, most of the time I won't. I'm still not smart enough.
And next… we have the [Options] Menu. I just randomly mumbled 'options!' and as usual, the Damned Blue Screen showed up. There's [Gameplay], [Video] and the [Sound] submenu listed on it. I was secretly hoping for difficulty adjustment in the [Gameplay]… I want to play this game of life with easy difficulty, but it turns out it didn't exist at all.
There goes my hopeful expectation on an easy life. Yay me.
Other than that, I got [Subtitles], and it can be toggled [ON/OFF]… which is now off. It may be useful for future uses, when I went for my mission on an ancient ruins and found some unknown language… I can decipher it easily. Or when I met some hidden civilization with foreign languages. It was useful in its own right, but unnecessary for now.
Next… what is this? [Inventory Effect]? Here's mentioned… 'a mere visual effect when you took out the item from your inventory, completely decorative'. The list were as follows: [No Effect], which is currently on, to [Tracing], [Magic], [Particle]. Just let me try one… hmm… which is…
[Tracing] it is. I was curious.
Let's try it out.
I took my X-Ray and Vav comic from my inventory, and it materializes on my hand with a simple blue light, and pieces by pieces, as if it was created from scratch. I try to put it back into my storage, and it promptly broken in pieces like shattered glass, while it actually was perfectly fine inside my Inventory. It seem like I was creating and destroying things with my thoughts… but it's not.
I'll try the same with my Crocea Mors.
"Trace, on." I said slowly, just for dramatic effect. Not that anyone can see my greatness though.
It ended with similar results, and it brought a smile to my face.
Great, if I use this in a battle… the enemy would surely think that my Semblance is Materializing objects from nothingness. Neat… with this, no one would think that my Semblance is a power that allow me to live my life like a game character. Thank you, The Gamer. I love you, really.
The system of The Gamer was tricky, but I don't see why not, I can manage. I'll use anything that helps in my battle. I kept the [Tracing] setting on, and then, suddenly…
By learning and figuring out the mechanics of your Semblance, your Intelligence has increased by one!
By adapting yourself with your Semblance, your Wisdom has increased by one!
Sweet! I'm getting smarter! One step closer to be a genius, baby! … but why I felt somewhat insulted?
Okay, moving on, to the next order of business…
It's [Music]! My favorite thing of all time! I can play any music listed there, and it seems like the list can be expanded, as I met with different people and situations. Just like a background music and theme song in the games I played before. For example, these…
Red Like Roses, Ruby Rose's Theme Song.
I Burn, Yang Xiao Long's Theme Song.
Cool. Those musics fits them perfectly… I wonder why?
Nevertheless… the one that would be useful for fighting is [Party], the rest is just an added bonus for fun. I should study them again after this. Now, I want to check my progress so far.
Status Screen.
Name : Jaune Arc
Title : The Gamer
Level : LV25
HP: 3090/3090 (+30%)=3927
MP: 2800/2800 (+5%)=2940.
STR: 51 (+30%)=66.3
VIT: 54 (+30%)=70.2
DEX: 51 (+30%)=66.3
INT: 52 (+30%)=67.6
WIS: 52 (+30%)=67.6
LUK: 7
POINTS: 5
MONEY: 12070 Lien
My growth potential with The Gamer is actually limitless, if I think about it again. I can train myself and killing Grimm to near-death, meditate to restore my HP and MP or just sleep it off, and train again.
If someone knows about this and wonder why I haven't become the strongest Huntsman in Remnant yet, it's because I still have a few things to do, and these things took my time to train. When this event finishes, I'll train right away, and in no time, I'll leave everybody in 'Dust' (heh).
I still got five points to invest… but I won't do anything about that. Yet, at least. I won't spend points freely like a moron. I've played a game, and its system was terrifyingly similar to The Gamer Semblance, so let's just say that I already got a grasp in the system…
I've been thinking about this. I can train hardly and save the points I obtained from level ups for emergencies… this is just like in a horror movies where the characters split up… or they don't make sure the bad guys are dead. Bad things tend to happen anytime and anywhere, without warning.
Based on that reason, I was previously thought to just train the hard way and just use points for a horrible turn of events. But, I rethink that again and now I have changed my mind. I need to invest those points and make me stronger before something bad happens, badly.
Just in case you forgot, Yang almost killed me just by 'simply' hitting me over and over and over again. Granted, her Strength stat was monstrous even in her level and I just used a skill that allows her attack to connect directly to my body (and in extension, my HP), plowing through my Aura rather effortlessly. What if she attack me once more that time? Putting aside all the humor you'd all probably found at my reaction, I almost died. Literally.
Training is important. I can't deny that, but I should increase my stats while I could, before something kills me by accident. Call me a cheater, but I prefer instant growth, not gradual growth. It would be too slow to just count on training alone to survive in this death world. I would need more than that…
Talent. Comrades and allies. Wits. Even dirty ways of surviving counts.
I will spend points to reach whatever limits necessary to the extend, at least, capable of keeping myself alive from all monstrosity that Remnant offered. Hell, I almost died by an Alpha Beowolf and later, a blonde bombshell… I still have a long way to go.
Sure, I won't waste points recklessly, I'll save some of them… but I won't be a stingy gamer that never spend a single point and insist that I would be fine without spending points. That's pretty much suicidal, thank you very much. I do indeed, have brains.
By showing rational caution and reasonable judgement, your Wisdom has increased by one!
By making a good decision, your Wisdom has increased by one!
See? I'm being super wise here. I just wondering why something like that doesn't appear before. I mean, I've been making wise decision here and there… no, wait.
Oh, crap. That's just mean that any decision I made before isn't wise!
Exposing myself to Raven and Tukson as Hei Lang isn't wise. Telling my Semblance to Qrow isn't wise. Making the twin blades of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye with Ruby isn't wise. Showing my weapon to my parent's friends isn't wise. Hell, even the whole scheme I've designed to make myself couldn't be linked to my Hei Lang persona isn't wise.
Oh, god. I don't even realize it. I was being so dum—
By realizing your past mistake, your Wisdom has increased by one!
Stop it! You're just starting to sound very condescending! Am I really that dumb normally? I've made a common decision, and then my Semblance just decided to threw mind stat points at me like gifts in my birthday. I—uh…
…
Was I really that stupid?
By realizing your actual mental capacity, your Wisdom—
SHUT UP! I don't wanna hear it! I'M NOT STUPID! I swear to Oum, if this Semblance give me one more condescending notification, I'll—
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome... Weiss Schnee."
…
Oh. Is it starting already? I didn't notice it at all. I was too busy being angry at my own Semblance to notice. Thanks to Gamer's Mind and that sudden announcement, I decided to ignore any mocking notification for now.
I'll get back on you. Real soon.
Sighing, I grabbed the binocular on the desk and placed it before my eyes to see the particular spectacle that takes place at The White Castle. I see through the almost-transparent window, and that's when I saw her…
Weiss.
The young girl in white with a barely visible scar over her left eye walks out on stage into the spotlight as a melodic tunes of a piano plays before a crowd of people, they were occasionally taking pictures from their stands around the white castle they were in, with their flashlight camera.
I listened to the soft tunes of piano, and immediately reminded of all the music that my father and mother used to listen when I was little. Such good childhood memories, if I must say. Too bad they never played it again, one of my sister felt the music was so sad and started to cry everytime it plays.
I smiled in a brief moment of nostalgia before Weiss closed her eyes, took a few calming breaths and began to sing. Her hands were clasped together in front of her, giving herself an impression of sincere prayer.
"Mirror, tell me something. Tell me who's the loneliest of all..."
I was struck in awe, speechless as her soft voice reeling me in to stay and listen to the rest of her song, fully focusing on her slender figure on the stage. Even though I should've scanned the surrounding area, I can't look away from the Heiress for some reason…
I noticed that some string instruments sped the music up, but Weiss remained standing in her spot, ready to continue the song.
"Mirror, tell me something… tell me who's the loneliest of all?"
The wistful look on her face told me that she's reminiscing about something while she sang the song, but that doesn't disrupt her perfect stance. Must be something that passed long ago, a problem in her past, maybe? Speaking of which, what kind of problem did made the scar on her left eye? I wonder…
I shrugged. No point in putting too much thought on this matter. This would make me distracted for my duty, and it can cost many lives. The audience, Weiss, her bodyguard Kokuto, and myself. That was a HUGE responsibility right there. I can't afford to be distracted at any moment now.
I can ask her later, now I should focus on the task at hand—
"Well, tonight is a beautiful night, don't you think?"
I froze.
Not just because of the voice that echoed out from nowhere, but also of the blue screen that appeared before me.
[A malicious intent has been detected!]
I spontaneously lowered my binocular, and I spontaneously turned around to see the mysterious voice owner. A tall figure—completely clad in white, white hair, white longcoat and wearing a black Grimm mask that I've never seen before—pounced towards me.
And he's clearly a Faunus. A snake Faunus in fact. Instantly, I realize who he is. Who else would wear a Grimm mask, and being a Faunus—barring Hei Lang, my disguise, of course—nowadays? There's just one answer to that.
The White Fang.
Damn it.
The masked figure flicks his serpentine tail with extreme speed before I can react, hitting me right in my face and send me flying.
CRACK!
I collided with the bulletproof window and bounced back to the floor, while the song continued in the distance.
"Mirror, what's inside of me? Tell me, can a heart turned to stone?"
I got back on my feet in haste, preparing Crocea Mors in my hands, sword and shield ready to fight. This doesn't elicit any response from the masked figure except for a single, curt snort. I knew what that meant.
He doesn't even consider me a threat.
"I mean, with this beautiful moonlight which shines upon you all humans… this beautiful free concert you surely get from here and down there must have made you all forget of how awful this world has become." He talks again, now that I listened more carefully, his voice was sounding very strangely distorted. Like a whisper delivered by the wind. "What do you think about this?"
"Who… who are you?" I asked.
"I'm the one asking questions. You haven't answered my question yet." the masked figure replied curtly.
This was surprising, isn't it? I have The Gamer Semblance, which is one of its function was identifying any individual's name, with their power levels and so-called 'title'. Just with this alone, the question 'who are you' wasn't ever needed anymore in my life, ever.
Even for those who I can't even touch yet, like Raven, Qrow, my parents, the professional Huntsman and Huntresses… at least I can see their name. Their identities were never been obscure to me. However, now...
He is, so far, the sole exception of all that.
?
LV?
?
Damn it. What the hell is he?
Observe.
Background: ?
HP: ?/?
MP: ?/?
Why I can't see anything about him?
I briefly scanned his appearance. Pristine white hair, almost like The Schnee's hair, but with some black strands among it. The long coat he wears was more like a trench coat, with high collar and scale-like patterns on its entire fabric. Black, long pants slightly visible behind his coat, along with white, lithe serpentine tail. He's a Faunus... undoubtedly he is, but why I can't Observe him?
...And what's that black Grimm mask he wore? There's no Grimm with a black mask, so it's probably just for style's sake... but I'm not really sure. I don't want to jump to conclusions, especially when The White Fang was involved.
In the distance, I heard that the piano was making dramatic music, before suddenly stopping, quickly followed by the high-pitched sound of Weiss's voice.
"Heh. Not much of a talker, eh?" the figure asked, giving me a half-smile that looks more like a grin. "That's a shame. I would like to talk more with you, Jaune Arc."
"You know me?" I asked, feeling strangely ironic. Usually, the people I talked with would be the one who ask that kind of question, not me. I was the one who usually would say their name before they can even tell me.
It was, of course, thanks to The Gamer.
"Well, of course. Who doesn't? Jaune Arc, the sole survivor of The White Heart Assault… surely everyone would know about you."
I felt my eyes widen in shock. He even knows that? How does he know? How... I don't freely give my past stories to anyone, you know. So, how the hell he knows that...
"…Not everyone." I mumbled.
"Yes. The official note that was published by The Council is that there was no survivors in that particular event. I just happened to steal the 'real' note and many more of their misdeeds for myself. How delightful, how would they reacted to someone who knows all of their dark secrets?"
Sounds like a bullshit. But it doesn't matter right now. He's… dangerous. I can't exactly put my fingers on that matter, just my feeling that something is really wrong with him.
"Would you want to know one of their secrets?" He extends one hand from inside his white long coat towards me, a hand that covered in azure green steel to his elbow—a gauntlet. "A little bit of knowledge won't hurt, isn't it?"
Silence commenced for a moment, the piano in the distance slowly started playing again, then Weiss started to sing again, along with another voice accompanying her.
"Mirror, mirror, what's behind you? Save me from the things I see."
Heh, I wonder why I still listened to her singing voice, even though the situation here was a bit… bad for my taste. I should be paying more attention to protect myself, but I can't help it. Her voice is so beautiful.
That said, I shouldn't get distracted now.
"…No, thank you." I prepare my stance, held my sword up horizontally above my shoulder, its edge pointing forward. I transformed my shield into its sheath form, ready to convert it again to shield form if necessary. "I'd rather not negotiate with a terrorist, thank you very much."
"…Oh? You really think I am a terrorist?"
I just gave him a terse nod before I charged forward, sword poised to slash the masked figure. I can feel the floor cracking beneath my step, if the faint noise of crumbling concrete is any indication.
I need to test the waters, I need to see how far is the power gap between us. Can he withstand my physical attack?
I silently use [Heavy Slash] on him… before I coated my blade with [Aura Channeling] to make the slash even more potent. I gripped the blade with both hands, in attempt to double the force behind my attack—
…Only to be promptly stopped. He lifted one finger and stopped the swing of Crocea Mors with only that, and folded that finger to hold my blade. Which doesn't budge an inch, even when I give it my all to pull away from him.
"…Crocea Mors…" The masked figure spoke. "It is a beautiful blade, and your slash could do well against any enemy… except me, that is. You, regretfully, lack something that I have…"
Slowly, his other hand crept out from his longcoat—the one that's not covered by gauntlet, instead it's covered by numerous red markings, like tribal tattoos—and made a simple gesture, as if gripping a sword. Except, he doesn't have any sword with him. What the hell is he doing—
"I Call Upon Your Soul…"
That one sentence send chills down my spine. Something familiar about the whole phrase touched my memory—but I was too distracted to even think right now.
His voice was serene, peaceful and harmless—yet I can feel something unnatural, unworldly… something incomprehensible to my human mind. Yes, even it managed to freeze Gamer's Mind for a moment—before his aura emerging outside.
It was strange. People can't normally see other people's aura without any outside help or device—I, normally, uses the Aura Vision from my Matchitehew mask—but I can see his glowing aura clearly now. Half-black and half-white, it enveloped his body and some of it was moving towards his free hand, forming something like…
…A sword?
"Jaune Arc. You lacks killing intent." The masked figure said calmly, as his newly-generated sword slowly forming to perfection. "You attacked me with your full power, yet… you don't have any intention to kill me. Are you treating this battle as a joke? Oh, you surely have thought of testing my capability… if that's the case, then… I shall enlighten you."
I looked up to the tall, masked figure, and saw a pair of golden eyes behind the mask stared coldly. Then everything… stopped. Frozen. Halted.
Those eyes gave a terror I never felt before. I felt like crying, my feet felt like jelly, my whole body trembling just like when I fought my first Grimm—except worse. It's cold, crippling… and made me feel powerless.
And it just become even worse when he brought up his aura sword, and swung down towards my head. I can feel its cold blade, impending death brought down to my face—
I was cut into two pieces—bloods and organs and everything else inside me was spilled open, I'm losing my feeling in my entire body and also the life I've been desperately kept around in seventeen years…
It's over—
…
Yet, it wasn't,
—What?
I blinked. My body's still intact. Nothing's wrong—I'm still here. Alive. The masked figure hasn't even moved his sword—he's still staring at me with the cold, golden eyes of his.
What am I seeing? What the hell is that bizarre vision where I was cut down effortlessly? His Semblance? Ability to cast illusion? Or to send a possible future vision to me? No. I was certain that his ability is to create weapons from his aura… except, he has two Semblances at the same time… or a bullshit Semblance just like mine.
I shook my head vigorously, and Gamer's Mind casted away all the ominous feeling from my head.
"Hm, impressive. You can resist me." The masked figure said, smirking a bit.
No… it wasn't any Semblance… it's just him. He just stared to me and then I felt fear—he was simply exerted his killing intent towards me. He projected his intent about how he wants to kill me through eye contact, and it works.
How strong is he, really? I've heard something like that in my father's stories—how the veteran Huntsmen and Huntresses paralyzes their foe just by staring at them, or stunning them long enough to make them lower their guard. Chances are, this guy before me is out of my league—I'm completely outmatched and don't have a single chance to win, should he fights seriously.
There's no point in fighting him—it was pointless and would only lead me to my death—I am certain. I should run the hell outta here—after I alerted Kokuto and the other security about him, of course. There's no way I let this dangerous guy loose—he could hurt, or worse, kill Weiss.
I can't let him. If only I can reach the emergency siren on the desk—
"What are you looking at?"
Then, at my horror, the masked figure transformed his aura sword into a ball and threw it at the desk—which is promptly exploded and reduced to unrecognizable pieces—along with the binocular and the emergency siren.
Fuck.
I kicked him in the guts, and although I don't really know if it hurt him or not… he released me, allowing me to step back to safety. He just stood there, half-smiling smugly as I expanded my shield, don't want to take any chances.
He's even spreading out his arms to each side, as if saying 'come at me, bro', that bastard.
"Give me your best shot, Jaune Arc." He said, voice distorted as before.
I don't have any choice, am I? I just wondering why he's even wasting his time with me? Doesn't he have a more important mission at hand? Look, Weiss almost finished her song—your time is up, buddy. Don't you have something to do?
I knew it's suicidal, but I thought I can buy some more time… or maybe I should stall for Weiss. Let's try it… let's see if he can handle Jaune Arc.
Frontal assault is useless—he's stronger than me, and he can block my attacks easily—ranged attacks, then. I could put my new skill to use.
I poured my aura into my sword, just like when I'm using the [Aura Channeling], but with a different result. Rather than using the light of my soul to augment my slashing power, I use it to attack him directly. I brought my sword up, and slash down.
[Blade Beam].
A wide arc (heh) of yellow energy, its form was akin to a crescent moon, was launched towards the masked figure—in satisfaction, I saw his surprise rather easily—but he batted it away with a backhanded swipe of his hand, the energy beam was shattered like pieces of glass.
I launched another attack from the distance. He blocks it again. I stepped forward, pouring more aura into my attack… only to be met with same result. I tried and tried again, but none of those attack connects with my target. He's still calm as ever, deflecting my relentless attacks like it was nothing. Strangely, I didn't felt like I was threatened in any way.
If anything, I felt pissed off for some reason.
"So you have mastered this technique. I'm actually impressed." The masked figure chuckled. "Unexpected. I heard the last scion of Arc family was… mediocre, at best. I didn't expect this kind of capability…"
"Shut up!"
A brief surge of anger—which was calmed immediately by Gamer's Mind, regretfully—was enough to make me muster enough power to launch an attack that managed to push him back, several meters.
"Well, that was a thing." He chuckled again. "This is so interesting. I thought that little wolf was just the surprise I'd get tonight. Adam, you were so wrong with that! I can't have enough surprise in this world!" He then… laughs.
It was creepy. A laugh that is so maniacal in tone, added by the distorted effect which I can't even figure where it comes from, sending the chill down my spine once again. This guy was dangerous, and crazy. I'd thought about sending an attack while he's distracted, but my instinct told me not to. And what was that 'little wolf'? Anyway, I better not make any sudden movement while he's laughing...
Otherwise, he'd just lash out at me, and hit me harder than before.
As I thought about it, he suddenly stopped laughing, and stares at me, as cold as before. Not a single glint of maniacal happiness in his eyes, what a scary moodswinger. He's totally unstable.
"Well, well, well… Mr. Arc, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening. And as much as I'd love to stick around, I'm afraid this is where we part ways... I got some business with The Schnee Dust Company…"
"Hey, you think I'm just gonna let you do that?!" I shouted.
"Your concern doesn't matter to me. I shall deliver the rightful justice to the Schnee Dust Company, whether you want it or not." The masked figure said nonchalantly. "For all their bigotry… for all their prejudice… for all their oppression… they will pay… with their blood. I will see to it that they received the retribution firsthand."
This is the part I really hate. The White Fang is just the same as The Schnee Dust Company, full of hatred-driven bigotry and always wants the other's blood. We all know that the humans are the ones who started this cycle of hatred, but the Faunus themselves aren't much different.
Unwittingly and maybe unknowingly, they just created the cycle of hatred.
Human killed Faunus. Faunus killed humans. The hatred would never end, it surely would go on forever and ever if nobody's willing to stop it. And what would be the results? The Second War of Faunus Rights. The Second White Heart Assault. Maybe, even it will start The Second Great War of Remnant.
Blood would be spilled, human and Faunus alike. Negative emotions would spread over Remnant in the following war, and The Creature of Grimm would feel more than invited to join the fray. Nothing good would came from a war, in the end.
I want to stop it before it's too late. But how?
"This won't change anything! Just… stop this already."
"Make me." He replied curtly. "Stop me however you can. I shall not be stopped. Anyone, or anything can't. Feel free to try, but it's hopeless…"
He starts glowing again with his black and white aura.
"I Call Upon Your Soul…"
And that creepy sentence again. Where did I hear it before? Or did I read something along those lines in a book before? Damn it, I can't remember. What is he gonna do? … I'm afraid that's not a good thing for me nonetheless.
"Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let red be the color I pay tribute to.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.
Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.
Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling."
Now he's chanting even creepier lines? What the hell is he going to do against me? Against this poor Jaune Arc? This hopeless Huntsman-In-Training can't even do shit against you. Please, be considerate.
That said, now there's four energy balls surrounding him. No, not exactly energy… one was a fireball, crimson red and fiery in nature… the second one was an orb of water, azure blue and liquid in nature… the next was a ball of wind, green and white, swirling softly. The last one was a chunk of soil, yellowish brown with some smaller rocks around it.
"I Call Upon You… The Four Great Overlords."
The golden orbs visible from his eye socket was glowing with four colors, red, blue, green, and yellow. I can't even think anything to stop anything. If I do something… I'm afraid I'd just make everything worse.
"Rubicante, Valvalicia, Cagnazzo, Scarmiglione. Heed my call, and become my Servant."
The fire burns. The water splashes. The wind blows. The earth grows and hardens. What I trying to say is, there is nature disaster stirring in this very little space of room, with nothing between me and them. If, let's just say, something wrong happened here… there's nowhere for me to run. I'd like to break the windows, but it was tailored to withstand even the latest explosives of Atlas. So, even if I try to break it now… it would be too late.
Oh god. What the hell? This is really not good. What is even happening here? I don't get it. No way. Get me out of here, The Gamer. This is crazy. I signed for this level of craziness, but… somehow, I didn't feel like ready for this. I'm… I'm still… too weak. I can't do anything.
I would get burned, then drowned, then shredded by the wind, before finally buried in the fresh soil. I'm pretty sure that the masked man would have some ways to get away from the disaster he summoned.
Oh, yeah, look at that, he's teleporting with a flash of red light. Oh, how nice. So that's how he gets behind me without me noticing at all. Great. So, now what—
NO, DO SOMETHING, JAUNE! FIND A WAY TO GET AWAY FROM THIS SHIT! MOVE YOUR ASS BEFORE—
BOOM!
Too late.
Yeah, it's too late. Sorry.
As I say before… I'm sorry for the late update, and I'm not making excuses. I'm being lazy bastard is all. You can say it to my face and I wouldn't mind at all. That's reality of myself that I really regret having it.
College problems? I can still write stories. Nothing can and will make me stop making fic. Honestly, problems like that won't hinder me from making stories. My laziness will. So, you free to insult me and all… because maybe I really deserve that. Maybe.
I procrastinated myself too much. I distracted myself too much. I pulled myself into another problem too much. I played too much. Meh. I can't even keep up with my own schedule. And I'm not even sure that this chapter is presentable at best… just… I didn't really feel making this chapter very well.
How do you think? Better? Worse? Worst?
Even though I was thinking myself as bad, I do value my reader's opinion highly. So, if you would… please tell me how I'd do.
That said… I'm just gonna end the lame self-deprecation and say the usual thing to end the chapter.
Scold me, praise me, insult me, flame me or anything… I will accept them gladly.
Thanks a million for reading, guys!
Mugen no Tenma, out.