Ephemeral Dream

Summary: Jaune Arc isn't strong, smart, or skilled. Even so, he dreams of a future in which he is a Huntsman. He dreams of friendship, combat, and love. But every dreamer must wake. "Not yet…" He whispered, tears of blood streaking down his cheeks. "I can't let this dream end… Until I've turned it to reality." Gamer Jaune!

Warnings: Crossovers, strong and smart Jaune, later quite OP. Possible Harem.

IX: Hei Long

As I followed Summer down the stairs, my eyes moved to my MP that I'd exhausted right before going to sleep. It was back at full. Casting a glance at the time, I saw it was 6 P.M.

That meant 8 hours of sleep was definitely enough to restore my MP from zero to one-hundred percent. Doing some quick math in my mind, I concluded sleep really did explosively increase my recovery time. If I'd been awake for eight hours without using mana, my MP would be sitting at around five-thousand, not the almost eight-thousand it was at now.

An unintentional experiment, but an important one for the future.

"What's for dinner?" I asked Summer.

"Fish and chips," she said. "I wanted to make something simple tonight…" She pouted. "I was really excited when Raven said you'd have to face me in cooking contests every Friday, but I understand why you'd ask for tonight off."

I laughed sheepishly. "Thank you."

"… Are you really planning on living on your own?" She asked me softly, stopping at the bottom of the stairs and looking back at me.

"Yes," I nodded. "I understand you're concern, but I know how to do household chores. I can cook and stuff… Neo is the one I'm worried about."

She didn't say anything.

"She's lived her life in an orphanage, or even on the streets," I told her. "She probably doesn't know much about doing chores or things like that, which is why I want you to teach her. Not just school stuff, but also how to do things like chores, how to cook, all those sorts of things. So that, even if I'm not around, she'll be able to live on her own."

"Can I ask something?" She asked after listening.

"Huh? Sure."

"Why do you care so much?" She said. "I understand you saved her, and you sympathise with her due to her being kidnapped like you were… But why are you doing this much? Is it something to do with the Guardian Bond?"

"… I don't know," I told her truthfully. "I've… Thought about the Guardian Bond. I truthfully feel like it's a forced bond, created from being exposed to my Sky Flames too much… But something inside of me is telling me otherwise. Something tells me that this bond isn't unnatural, that this was meant to happen…" I shook my head. "Eh, don't worry about it."

She gave me a look I couldn't identify, before nodding. "Alright, Jaune… I won't push you any further on this, but don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it, alright?"

"I won't be," I promised. "Afraid I mean, I'll ask for help if I really think I need it."

She smiled and nodded, before leading me through to the dining room. "Girls! Look who's here!"

I saw Ruby and Yang turn their eyes to me, before their eyes widened in surprise. "Jaune!" Ruby cheered as she jumped off her chair, running over to me and giving me a tight hug.

I smiled and returned the hug, rubbing her back. "Hey Ruby."

"You're out of the Hospital now?" Yang asked, looking relieved. "I mean, we were told you got released, but it's damn good to see you looking okay."

"Yeah, never felt better," I smiled at her, continuing to rub Ruby's back. "So, I guess I'll be in your care for a short while."

"Huh?" Yang tilted her head, and Ruby looked up at me. "What do you mean?"

"It means Jaune is going to be living here for a couple of days," Raven said from her place at the table.

"What!?" Yang and Ruby exclaimed as they whipped their heads around to Raven.

"You heard her," Tai looked amused at their reaction, resting a hand on his cheek.

Ruby looked back to me. "Why?"

I felt my smile become slightly strained. "Well… I got into a big argument with my mother and father. A huge one. I decided that I'm moving out, and I'm going to stay here for a couple of days before moving into my new place."

"You have a house?" Yang asked in surprise.

I cast my gaze over to Raven, who gave the slightest of nods, before I shifted it back to Yang. She didn't notice our exchange. "Yep. I'm the proud owner of the house next door to this one, so it looks like we're going to be neighbours from now on. It's under Raven's name for predominantly legal reasons, but otherwise it's pretty much mine."

"Awesome!" Ruby cheered. "This is gonna be so awesome! But…" She paused and stepped back from me. "… You're going to live alone?"

"Ah… No," I shook my head. "I grew close to one of the victims, an orphan called Neo. I don't want to see her go back to the streets, so she's going to live with me. I've asked Summer and Raven to help teach her while we're out at school, I'm hoping once she catches up enough, she'll be able to transfer in for our third year."

"Oh!" Ruby blinked. "She's a new friend you made?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll head to the Hospital to check in on her on Sunday. If she's allowed to leave, I'll bring her to my new house and we'll get settled in. If not, then I'll stop by after school on Monday."

"So, we'll be seeing your new friend around a lot then?" Yang asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much… Ah, fair warning though, she doesn't speak."

"… As in, she can't speak?" Yang asked for clarification.

"No, she doesn't want to," I told her. "I don't really know why, but I know that she can speak, she just doesn't want to for whatever reason. She has some kind of illusion semblance which lets her make words in the air though…"

She also had Mist Flames. I couldn't help but wonder exactly what it was Mist Flames could do? Since I only had Sky Flames, I only knew what they would do… I guessed I'd have to wait until Neo herself began experimenting with them and I saw what they could do with my own two eyes.

"Anyway," I shook my head. "That's that. I'm staying here for a few days, and then I'll be moving next door. I've already got my stuff in a safe place, ready to move in, just wanna give the house a once over before I move in on Sunday."

They both stared at me suspiciously, but I guess they found only honesty in my expression because they both nodded.

"Enough talk," Summer said, gesturing to the table. "All of you sit, it's time for us to enjoy dinner!"

I nodded and took a seat at the table, Ruby slipping into the seat beside me as Summer served our meal. It smelt delicious and, after a small prayer, we began to eat.

"So," Yang spoke up. "What are your immediate plans for the future, Jaune?"

"For the long-term, I'm going to train my ass off," I told her. "Gonna train until I've mastered my fighting style, and then make some gauntlets and boots to augment it… Might do that later one sooner though."

"Ah, yes…" Tai frowned. "I've been meaning to ask you about that. Where did you learn that fighting style?"

I paused, noticing a concerned look on Ruby's face… No, Ruby didn't tell her father. It told me that Ruby's worried look back then hadn't been a trick of my imagination.

"Two years ago," I spoke up. "In the depths of my despair, a man approached me. A faunus with reptilian eyes. Seeing I was upset, he asked me what was wrong. I, a sad kid, dropped my emotions onto him. After hearing my story, we made a deal. In exchange for not telling anybody he was in town; he would teach me his personal fighting style to help me along and left town recently saying 'My work is now done.'"

"… Did he give you a name?"

"Hei Long."

Tai's eyes widened and he stood up, his chair falling back. "Are you sure?"

I cast a look at him, seeing Raven and Summer's surprise, as well as Yang's. "Who is Hei Long to your family, Tai? And…" I looked at Ruby. "Why don't you looked so concerned, Ruby?"

Tai's gaze snapped to Ruby, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I… I read the family scrolls…" She muttered quietly.

"You did what!?" Tai exclaimed, horrified. "Ruby, you weren't supposed to read those until you were 18! Even Yang hasn't read those yet!"

"I was a kid, and I was curious!" Ruby shot right back. "You should have hidden them better!"

Tai took a deep breath, and began pacing back and forth.

"Who is Hei Long to your family, Tai?"

Tai stared at me… And then he sighed in defeat, picking up the chair and sitting down. "… Two-thousand years ago," he said softly. "Back in the old days before the Kingdoms existed, there were groups of clans, people all part of one big family, who lived in villages together. The Xiao Long family, back then, were only known as the 'Long' family, Long being a word that meant 'Dragon.' A powerful family in their time.

"There were two men set to inherit the seat of family head: Yang Long, whom I named Yang after, and… Hei Long…"

All of us leaned forwards, listening to his story carefully.

Tai took a sip of water before continuing, "To prove which one of them was to inherit the family, the current clan head gave both of them a task to create a fighting style. Each brother chose to focus on a different part of the brother to create their style. Yang Long created the style that we've used for two-thousand years, even I use it to this day, and I've been teaching it to Yang without letting her know of its origins."

Yang looked surprised by that. "Two-thousand years!? We've been using it that long!? And you taught it to me without telling me?"

"Yes," Tai nodded. "I tried to tell you, but you said, 'Dad, I don't care about that boring history stuff! Let's get to training!' So, instead, I just kept it to myself until you were more mature."

Yang blushed in embarrassment, looking down at her plate.

"So, Yang Long created a style with fists," I tried to steer things back on track. "So, Hei Long…?"

"Created a style with his legs," Tai nodded. "He called it the Black Dragon Stance. The Clan Head watched the two show off their styles in a spar… And the Black Dragon Style was vastly superior compared to Yang Long's. Despite that, however, the Clan Head chose Yang Long to lead the family. When asked why by Hei Long, he said his style was too vicious and filled with too much anger and aggression, and that such a thing would lead the family to ruin.

"Hei Long was not pleased," Tai sighed. "He left the family, and travelled… He became a monster on the battlefield, killing anyone and everyone in his path, no matter who they were. Yang Long tried to stop him, but he failed. Hei Long never killed his brother as he didn't hate him, but their father. The last words Yang Long wrote was a warning: 'Beware those who use the style of the Black Dragon, the inheritors of Hei Long's Will.'"

We all slowly sat back in our seats, and I felt all of them looking at me. "… Don't look at me like that," I rolled my eyes. "I haven't inherited anybody's will. The only will I follow is my own. This style is useful, so I'll use it to fight. End of story."

"Just be careful with it," Tai said, just a bit concerned.

"Sure, sure," I waved off his concerns.

Many years later, Tai confessed to me about how stupid he felt about those superstitions of his.

"So…" Ruby said, trying to diffuse the tension. "Do you wanna hang out tomorrow, Jaune?"

"I can't," I told her. "I have plans for tomorrow."

"Oh?" Yang raised an eye. "What are you doing?"

"I'm hanging out with Blake."

They both stared at me. "… Blake? Blake who?"

"The faunus girl who was in the bed next to mine when you visited," I told them. "Blake Belladonna, she's a friend of mine now. She's leaving next week, so the two of us are gonna hang out on Saturday before she has to leave. We're meeting up by the fountain in the middle of town tomorrow."

Yang stared at me. "You're going on a date with the princess of faunus!?"

"It's not a date," I grunted. "She's just a friend. She even said it wasn't a date to me firmly when we discussed it over the phone. We're just two friends that are hanging out before she has to go back home with her parents."

"… I'm going to tell everyone about this."

"You tell people about it, and I'll tell them about the Mario Party incident."

Yang froze, and everyone else looked confused. "… You wouldn't dare…"

"Hey guys, did you know when Yang and I were playing-!"

"Okay, okay!" She waved her hands frantically. "My lips are sealed!"

I only nodded as I kept eating.

"… What the heck is the Mario Party incident, and why is Yang's face now bright red?" Ruby asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"That, Ruby, is a secret," I smirked as I enjoyed the confusion in their eyes… And the red face of Yang as she stared down at her plate.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

The next morning, I woke up bright and early and immediate used Projection 771 times to make a bunch of D-Rank weapons, which I then promptly sold to the store for five thousand gold apiece, along with the other 1,542 that I hadn't sold yet.

After dinner last night, I'd projected once again and the skill had hit Level 86. After a quick check in the morning, I now saw I was sitting at Level 94.

"Just six more levels…" I muttered, before dismissing the screen and opening up the store, looking at just how much money I was sitting at now.

[Gold: 13,255,000]

… Exploits, I truly loved you.

That in mind, I scrolled though the store for useful items… And stumbled across potions. With the money I had, I didn't hesitate in buying the ones of the highest grade: Mythic Potions.

[Mythic Potion of Healing]

[Item Class: A+]

[Item Type: Potion]

[A Mythic Level Healing Potion. Drinking it heals all abnormal effects, and restores the player's HP by 50%. Health cannot be restored if HP is below 10%.]

Cost: 80,000 Gold

[Mythic Potion of Mana Recovery]

[Item Class: A+]

[Item Type: Potion}

[A Mythic Level Mana Recovery Potion. Drinking it restores the Player's MP by 40%.]

Cost: 80,000 gold

I didn't hesitate in buying fifty of each, spending a total of 8 million gold in a matter of moments…

I just spent eighty-million Lien in a few seconds. Holy hell, that was crazy! Were rich people like this? Spending such an insane amount of money in just a few seconds? Jeez, I really hoped I didn't end up like those kinds of people…

I cast a glance at my MP… And shook my head.

No! I was not going to turn this game into one of those 'Pay to Play' things where I maxed out my skills by just constantly drinking mana potions and using the skills! I would save these potions for combat scenarios only, or for when I needed a quick boost for something.

'Master, I've returned!' I heard Maria's voice in my mind, turning my gaze to see her appearing in front of me as she de-astralised.

"Welcome back," I told her. "Were you out all night?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Vale was very fascinating, and I didn't even see all of it. Technology has progressed a long, long way since my time. It's nice to see people living in such peace… For now, anyway."

I only gave a nod of agreement at her words, bringing up my inventory and equipping a pair of jeans, a shirt, and some sneakers. My clothing rippled with blue light before changing to what I'd equipped, my pyjamas now back in my inventory.

That was something I'd discovered when messing around last night: I was able to equip clothing straight to my inventory. Apparently, all clothing was considered cosmetic on some level, I wasn't sure about armour though. Considering I had multiple slots on my equipment screen, that told me I could probably equip multiple layers at once.

"… Did you just change your clothes in an instant," she asked, her jaw dropping slightly.

"You can turn invisible, you know I can unleash flames from my hands, and you've seen me create weapons out of thin air… And changing my clothes in an instant is what has your jaw dropping?"

She had the decency to look somewhat sheepish at that. "Well… When you put it like that, it sounds kind of silly."

I only smiled lightly… I found Lancer's personality, from what I'd seen, a bit interesting. She looked to be in her early twenties, maybe twenty-one, but she was acting like she was a fair bit younger. It was… Refreshing, in a way.

"So, you've got a date if I recall right," Lancer grinned at me.

"It's not a date," I protested. "We're just two friends hanging out. She even told me it wasn't a date."

"Denial is only the first stage!"

" Oh, shut up," I grumbled, only earning a laugh from her in turn.

"It's still pretty early though," she noted. "So, what are you going to do to pass the time?"

I put a hand on my chin…

She made a fair point. It was only 6 AM, and I knew I wasn't going to be getting any more sleep. Six hours until I had to meet up with Blake, what to do…

Training was out of the question at the moment. For one, I was now lacking the MP to use any of my skills, and I refused to drink mana potions…

Wait, could I use the skills without MP?

Usually, I used the skills with verbal or mental commands… But was that needed? When I summoned out my Dying Will Flames, I hadn't thought about using my Sky Flames, at least not in the way I usually used my skills. They just came out due to my resolve.

Was it possible for me to use my Martial Arts skills without using any of my MP? Martial Artists, to my knowledge, didn't need to use their aura to use any of their techniques, so why should I be any different?

"I want to test something out," I told her, changing my clothes to a tracksuit as I made my way out back. I sensed Lancer astralise and follow behind me, no doubt curious to see just what exactly it was I had in mind.

Once I was out, I glanced at my MP. Because five minutes had passed, it was now sitting at fifty-five, which was perfect. My plan was to use one of my Martial Arts skills only once, but this time to really concentrate on the stance, and how the kick was done.

'Round Kick!'

I felt my body moving on its own as it performed the Roundhouse Kick, a small gust of wind following from the force behind the blow.

As my body moved, I focused carefully on it. How it moved, the stance I took, how it felt to do that kick. I lowered myself one the kick was done, concentrating on that feeling.

"So, like this…" I took a breath as I let my body move, performing the round kick without calling out for the skill.

[You have performed [Black Dragon's Round Kick] without the aid of the System. Double Proficiency will be rewarded.]

[Black Dragon's Round Kick has levelled up by one.]

[Hidden Quest: Black Dragon's Legacy has been discovered.]

I resisted the urge to yell with joy as I knew Lancer was watching me, and I opened up the quest.

[Hidden Quest: Black Dragon's Legacy]

Two-Thousand Years Ago, the Black Dragon- Hei Long- ran rampant as the most powerful and feared warrior to ever exist. Now Hei Long is dead, and you are the only one who can remind the world what the Black Dragon can do. Master the Stance of the Black Dragon, and embrace the legacy.

Objective: Get all Black Dragon Skills to Level Max.

Reward: Title 'Black Sun in the Morning Sky,' +50 Strength, +50 Dexterity, +30 Vitality, +100,000 EXP

Failure: Nothing

Time Limit: None

Progress: 0/14

Hidden Quests cannot be rejected, Quest has been added to Quest Menu.

… This was…

This shit was so fucking broken!

A quest I couldn't fail, with rewards so good it wasn't even funny! And I was on the fast track thanks to the double proficiency I got for not using the System's aid to use the skills!

Who the hell made the system with exploits like this!? And unlimited money exploit, a quick martial arts mastery exploit, the hell was going to be next!?

Well, it didn't matter to me! If whoever made this System, be it the planet, a god, or whatever, made it with such amazing exploits then I was going to abuse the ever-living fuck out of it!

'Um… Master, why are you cackling?'

I didn't respond.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

[Black Dragon's Round Kick has levelled up by one.]

[Black Dragon's Round Kick has levelled up by one.]

[Black Dragon's Round Kick is now Level MAX.]

[Due to reaching Level MAX, Black Dragon's Round Kick has become Rank A.]

[Hei Long's 2000 Years has levelled up by one.]

Fifty minutes.

That was how long it took for me to max out just one of my Black Dragon Skills. And, thanks to that, I was able to do some math.

I did an average of twenty-five kicks every thirty seconds. That meant fifty kicks in a minute. So, in fifty minutes, I'd done two-thousand-five-hundred kicks.

Since my kicks had double proficiency, that meant I'd done it in half the time needed. What this meant was that I needed to use a skill around five-thousand times in order to get it to the highest possible level.

I wasn't entirely certain, but I wiped the sweat from my forehead. Despite the sweat, I wasn't actually feeling very tired. My body didn't ache at all, in fact I felt just fine. 'Lancer!'

'Yes, Master?'

'I need a favour.'

'Oh?'

'I need you to keep track of how many times I perform a specific Martial Arts technique. When I ask you, I need you to tell me how many times I did it. Can you do that for me?'

'I mean… Not like I have anything better to do, but I want something in return.'

'What do you want?'

'Video Games. I never got to play any in my first life, I'd like to indulge this time around.'

'Deal!'

'I'll start counting once you start.'

I nodded, and opened my skill list to find a skill that was Level One, finding it in [Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick.]

I cast a glance at the time, seeing it was 6:50 AM. With that in mind, I used Rising Back Kick once with the aid of the System, to see how to do it myself, and then I began training it without the System's aid.

[Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick has levelled up by one.]

[Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick has levelled up by one.]

[Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick is now Level MAX.]

[Due to reaching Level MAX, Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick has become Rank A.]

[Hei Long's 2000 years has levelled up by one.]

I immediately stopped upon getting the notifications, wiping my forehead. 'How many?'

'Twenty-Five-Hundred exactly.'

I couldn't help but grin, shifting my gaze to the time. 7:45 AM. Just like I'd thought, around fifty minutes to an hour was all I needed to max level my Black Dragon Skills with the double proficiency exploit!

Two skills were now mastered. That meant, if I rounded up, I would only need a total of twelve more hours to master the rest of my skills!

Due to the System, I didn't get tired in the same way normal people did. That meant I could train non-stop. That meant, after breakfast- which would take about an hour to prepare, eat, and wash up- I could master three more skills before I had to go meet up with Blake!

I grinned, making my way back to the house. "Right, I think I'll cook breakfast before Summer gets the chance to. I wanna thank them for letting me stay, this seems like a nice way to do it…" I slid off my jacket, wrapping it around my waist and unveiling the muscle shirt I was wearing off of it.

'Oh my!' I heard Lancer's voice in my mind.

'What is it, Lancer?'

'I didn't notice before because of how baggy your clothes are… But you're quite muscled, aren't you master?'

I blinked when she said that, seeing my own reflection in one of the mirrors in the living room… And my jaw promptly dropped.

I was… Holy crap, I was fit! My arms were nice and muscled! My face was more angular than I remembered it being, more mature and sharper…

I hesitantly lifted my shirt up a bit, and my eyes widened. I had a fucking six-pack! My body was way more toned and defined than before! I was… I was…

'Holy crap, I'm hot!'

'… Did you not notice?' Lancer asked, a bit bewildered by my surprise.

'No! I usually wear baggy clothes since they're more comfortable, and I sure as hell didn't look like this even a week ago! And I'm not really vain, so I don't look in the mirror at all except for when I'm brushing my teeth.'

'… Are you telling me you got THAT body in a week?'

'Um… I think so, yeah.'

'… I know people who have killed to try and get a body like that.'

I blushed in embarrassment, quickly making my way into the kitchen. Summer wasn't there, so I rolled my arms and focused on the task at hand. I was going to cook breakfast for the Xiao Long's, and promptly blow their minds!

'Do you want something to eat too, Lancer?'

'Huh? Servants don't need to eat, Master,' she told me.

'Okay, enough of this master stuff first off!' I told her. I dealt with it the day before, but it was just so weird to be called that, uncomfortable. 'I don't care if that's what our contract is, just call me Jaune!'

'Uh… Okay, Ma- Jaune.'

'Second, I don't care if you don't need to eat. Do you want to eat?'

She was silent for a while. 'I'd like that, thank you.'

I smiled, and opened the fridge. I was beginning to take out the ingredients, before I looked at the eggs… And, suddenly, I felt a strange urge. It wasn't one I could quite explain, but I suddenly had the urge to put five of them in the freezer.

'Okay, why the hell are my instincts telling me to do this?' I thought to myself in confusion, mentally bringing up my Skill List… And then my eyes landed on the answer.

[Hyper Intuition (Passive) – Rank A – Lv. MAX]

A power that can see through all. An insane level of precognition, to instantly know or have a feeling that something is wrong or if something must be done, as well as the ability to see attacks almost before they happen.

'… Right, I have a crazy level of intuition now… So, why the hell is it telling me to put eggs in the damned freezer!?'

I stared at the eggs a moment longer, before I sighed, grabbing an empty Tupperware bowl from the fridge and placing the eggs in it, before closing it and putting them in the freezer, and then taking the rest of the ingredients out of the fridge to cook breakfast for everyone.

Pushing that weird moment out of my mind, I focused on making breakfast. Much like I'd made for my family around a week ago, I decided on a Vale Style Breakfast. But this time, I focused on the descriptions of the food I cooked.

[Heavenly Pork Sausages – Rank EX]

[Pork Sausages cooked by a chef beyond the level of master, and one that has stepped into the realm of the heavens themselves. So delicious, that no mortal dish can compare to its splendour.]

… On second thought, I didn't want to know.

I heard a little gasp behind me, and looked back to see Summer standing there with a slightly wide-eyed look on her face.

"Morning, Summer!" I chirped as I kept cooking.

"Good Morning… Jaune," she said slowly. "What, er, what are you doing?"

"I'm making breakfast," I told her. "I'm not gonna be here long, but I wanted to thank you and the others for what you've done for me. So, I thought I'd whip something up for you. Give you a sample of what'll come in our cooking contests."

She stared at me, nodding slowly. "Mind if I have one of the sausages? I'd like a taste of the food before the others."

I offered a shrug, moving one of the sausages onto a plate, before I handed it over to her.

She stabbed it with a fork, blowing on it to cool it… Before she opened her mouth and bit into it.

I watched her eyes widen as she chewed, an expression coming over her face that I could only describe as euphoria.

She quickly ate the rest of it and looked at me… I felt a chill run down my spine.

"I very much look forwards to our cooking contests, Jaune," she said with a radiant smile on her face.

"… Y- Yeah, me too…"

I wanted to move into my new home now, rather than tomorrow…

Publish Date: 30th September 2020

Word Count: 5,056

And that brings this chapter to a close.

This chapter was made to disclose the background of Jaune's fighting style, as well as have Jaune focus on it a bit. In doing so, he discovered another Exploit that will let him master it by Sunday Night at the latest, and learned more on exactly how levelling works.

Now, I just want to say something that I've seen people talking about in the reviews.

Shut. The Fuck Up. About Not Wanting. A Harem.

Clearly some people cannot fucking read, and this is the last fucking time I'm saying this, so shut up and read this, or fuck off!

I have NO plans for pairings for this Fic. I am ONLY writing it as naturally as I can, letting relationships form NATURALLY! I have established that this is a world where multiple marriages are fine, so IF Jaune ends up going down the harem route- I am not saying if he is or is not- then it is fine in the eyes of society for him to do so. A harem may or may not form, fucking get over it!

If I see one more fucking review saying 'Please don't make this a harem,' then I am going to intentionally steer this story towards a harem route JUST to spite them! This is the only warning you're getting!

Now, onto responding to reviews (as best I can, reviews for chapter 8 aren't showing up when I check the reviews section of the story, so I have to use my email where longer reviews are cut off.)

Guest: Because, if Jaune did that, his family would try to use it as an excuse to get him to stay with them. His family aren't subjected to the Covenant like his mother is, so they could try and stop him from leaving. He left mostly to get away from his mother, and his father, and the overbearing nature of his family so he could grow on his own.

Adislt: I mentioned it, I believe, that summoning the Servant is considered a 'Perk.' He can summon more servants, but he has to use more perk points to do so. As it stands, I have no intention for him to summon any other Servants besides Maria. I believe doing something like that would be way too much for me to handle.

Glmo11: Meditating for MP recovery is too overdone and overused, so not doing that.

Hecseferblade: Alchemy is a branch of magecraft so, technically speaking, Alchemy is available to him, but he would need to find the time to start testing it out. For the foreseeable future, he has a lot on his plate so he has no real time to experiment with Magecraft more thoroughly.

The Storm Master 457: That is only Jaune being cautious. There is no loophole in the Covenant, Jaune is just using it as a valid excuse to leave since, while he is apocalyptic with fury towards his mother and angry at his father, he still loves his sisters and just wants a valid excuse to leave without hurting them.

And that's it for me guys. Until next time this is Ezras Hargrave, signing off!