Hey guys. Striker777 here with the next chapter. Just a few messages before I get underway.
First and foremost, I would like to point out that for your harem or not picks, for choices of max 3 and max 9, I would like to stress the word MAX! So if, for example, you are like my friend NarutoNikeNinja21, a max of 9 can result in a grand total of 4 in the harem, or 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, same with the max of 3, there can be 2 girls in the harem, it's all up to you guys.
Secondly, a little information on how things will go from chapter 15 when the final decision is made. When the number is counted, and we have our total, there will be rules for what girls will eventually enter the harem, should the harem option win. Firstly, there will be another round of votes that will last 5 chapters worth of time. Next, for a girl to qualify for the harem, they must be requested a grand total of 10 times. After a girl has qualified, the top results in accordance to the results will decide it, so if 15 girls qualify for the max 3 option, the top 3 will be selected, or if 6 girls qualify for the max 9 option, those 6 will be the extent of the harem. There are, however, options that are not available, and that will be expressed if they are chosen, so please keep that in mind. You may vote for more than one girl, but you may only vote once, so keep that in mind.
Finally, a little thank you note to NATSUxERZA 123456. I can certainly understand your concerns, and you raise a good point (I myself have been a witness to this). However, unlike how many authors get caught up in the romantic subplot, to me, it's just that, a subplot. Arcane Craftsman Jaune Arc will first and foremost be plot and action based, with romance coming in at a steady third, with a margin between it and the other two. I don't think I'll actually start any romance stuff until Jaune's second year, or at least, not any actual relationships. There may be some flirting, or some situations, few and far between I will point out, but the actual romance probably won't happen until the second year. (Or until this blows up into such an epic proportion that I have no choice but to introduce it early on, but hey, I'm just gonna leave that scenario out until the end). I appreciate your concern for the story, and I thank you for the compliment about it being good, and I will freely admit that there is no way in hell this is the best you'll find out there. *cough* *cough* *Forged Destiny, go check it out* *cough*.
But anyway, I've rambled on long enough, so onto the story, after the current results that is.
No harem: 9
Max 3: 10
Max 9: 26
[Loading…]
32 seconds.
That's how long he had to kill this thing.
31 seconds.
The hobgoblin was hesitating. He knew he was about to die.
30.
Jaune rushed forward, with a speed over double what he previously had, and sent a punch directly into the hobgoblin. The beast shrieked, coughing up some blood, and was sent flying into the wall, a third crater joining the other two. The hobgoblin got up once more, screeching again.
[The enemy has used the skill Goblin Summon]
[Goblins X18 will enter in 00:23]
"That skill won't work again." said Jaune, rushing the monster with [Dark Dagger] drawn, ready to kill the boss. The hobgoblin put his arms in a cross block, but Jaune jumped over him, gripping the beast's shoulder.
"Game over."
He pushed his dagger into the top of the beast's head. It screeched in anguish for only a moment, before falling over and dying. Jaune sighed, deactivating his curse mark and looking over at his health.
[HP - 1956/6300]
"It's like I thought. Despite being a C Rank, he has no combat skills, since he didn't have the time to develop them. It was just his stats that were a higher level. I was able to overcome that obstacle due to the curse mark." said Jaune, looking down at the corpse. "But… what will happen when I get to an average strength of monsters and I can't use this skill to close the gap? Will that be my limit?" asked Jaune, looking down at his blade.
"No. There's always a stronger monster. It's just a matter of killing them." said the labour class member. "Now, I just have to go home."
Jaune began walking out of the boss room, where the portal appeared in front of him. "That's weird. Do I not have to return to the portal? It comes to me?" he asked, then looking down at the screens that appeared before him.
[Hobgoblin (C Rank) Killed - 3000 EXP]
[The quest (Goblin Slayer) has been completed]
[Say accept to accept all rewards]
Cool. He did it. With this, he would gain that new rune he was promised as well as gain a level. Stepping into the portal, he found himself once more in the comfort of his rune, 40 minutes after he left. It was strange, being teleported back into his own room like this, but it was as it was, so he couldn't complain. Jaune already knew what came next.
"Accept."
[Rewards confirmed]
[Reward 1: 2000EXP]
[Level Up]
[Reward 2: New Rune]
[Rune learnt - Storage]
[Reward 3: Random Box]
[Collected - Random Box]
…
SHIT!
That rune was useless to him! He had [Inventory] already, so he had no need for the 'Storage' rune, considering it used MP, while [Inventory] used none. Now, he went through all that trouble for nothing.
Jaune sighed and collapsed onto his bed.
"I need a vacation."
[Loading…]
"A vacation? Today?" asked Jaune.
"Yeah. The members of the labour class that work at Beacon go down to town and collect materials for work. It happens every month." said Velvet, a pair of other people in tow. One was a man with a small, kind of stupid mustache, a monacle, and a black suit, complete with white gloves. The other was a larger man, with tan skin, a warm smirk, and in a chef uniform.
[Prussian Violet (D Rank)]
[Level 22 - Jeweller]
[Olive Limen (C Rank)]
[Level 31 - Chef]
Ah, the jeweller and head chef of Beacon. Velvet was Beacon's tailor, and newer than the other two at the job if her level was anything to go off when compared to the other two.
"I have heard a great many things about you, Mr Arc. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." said Prussian. "I am Prussian Violet, the Beacon Jeweller."
"Nice to meet another member of the family kid! Name's Olive, the chef."
"Jaune Arc, a pleasure. So this happens every month?"
"Well, it happens every week for me, since food goes off and all that, but for you guys, it's the first Friday of every month." said Olive. "And it's gonna have to be a bigger load this time for the rest of us, considering what's coming up."
"Huh? Is there some sort of event coming up?" asked Jaune.
"Oh come on, it's February, first Friday, so it's the 6th, so what else could be happening but that?" asked Velvet.
"Think, Mr Arc. I'm sure you've celebrated this once or twice." said Prussian.
"Oh… wait… we do Valentine's day here?" asked Jaune.
"Of course we do. Valentine's day is celebrated worldwide, so why can't it be celebrated at Beacon too?" questioned Velvet.
"I'm backed up on ring orders, and not proper accessory rings, but promise rings, wedding rings and whatever in the name of the God of Light a mood ring is." said Prussian.
"And the Valentine's feast is coming up, as well as the chocolate orders. It's like they never end. The blacksmith isn't really all that popular during these times, considering you make murder tools, not matchmaking ones, but we get busy as hell during these times, me with the feast, Pru here with jewellery and Velvet with fancy dresses. The artisans in Vale are also busy with portraits, cards and other things for Valentine's day." said Olive.
"The only thing you can really do for Valentine's is make heart shaped arrows for Coco, and she only fires them off as a joke." said Velvet. "Usually at me…" she added with a mutter.
"Speaking of, if you need a scapegoat again this year, I have a friend down in Vale with a son your age. Might get Coco off your case." said Olive.
"Thanks. I'll find something." said Velvet. Jaune had no context, so Prussian decided to fill him in.
"You see, Miss Adel has a fascination with Velvet and her love life. She's been trying to set her up since they both arrived last year. It got so bad Velvet faked a boyfriend from Vale and spent 10 silver on a farmer boy to get him to fake being her boyfriend for a while, then had a breakup a month or so later. Coco got suspicious, so she probably can't do it again." said Prussian. "We've been trying to help her before Coco can get too crazy."
"Sounds like a pain. I've been in her shoes." said Jaune, remembering a time when his mother kicked him out of the house one day and told him not to come home until he brought a girl home with him. Fat lot of good his sisters did either, as they started handing out flyers. He could still remember them vividly, embasarring and not fair. 'Kicked out of home until I bring a girl back. Please help me.'
He was the laughing stock of his village for a good few months.
Luckily, one of the village fathers felt bad for the boy, and sent his daughter to act as a fake, and got him back into the house. She was actually a hero named Nebula Vilotte, a pirate class, who had moved to Vacuo a few months later. They were actually good friends after that, but had lost contact for a few years now.
"It's not a fun position to be in." said Jaune.
"No it isn't." replied Velvet. "She's already started as well, so there's no way that she'll let up until I come up with a solution. And she demanded to meet anyone I'm with this year or she'll bring someone for me."
"Damn. That's rough. But what can she do? Most heroes wouldn't even dream of dating a member of our class, so what's the worst she can do?" asked Jaune.
"Well… heroes may have a problem dating a labour class, but with… other things… they don't care as much…" said Velvet. "Coco wouldn't do that to me though, we've known each other for years. Ever since we were girls actually. We grew up in the same neighbourhood in Vale when dad wasn't spending the night at Beacon, or when he was too busy and Miss Goodwitch was taking care of me."
"Oh, yeah. Well, I'm sure you'll think of something. You're smart enough to." said Jaune. "You helped with my problems after all."
"Thanks Jaune. Enough about my problems though. We have shopping to do. We'll start with my stuff, move onto Prussians', then yours Jaune, and we'll finish with Olive's." said Velvet.
"One moment." said Jaune, fishing into his pockets and pulling out a bracelet, the same one he used yesterday on his quest, changing his class to a D Rank blacksmith.
"Alright then, let's go." said Jaune, and made his way down to Vale with the others.
[Loading…]
"Woah." said Jaune. "This is incredible."
He had always lived in a small village, and his work as a porter never took him into Vale itself, but he did go to some gates on the farms outside the city walls. But now, he was inside Vale. It was bustling with life, streets full of people and shops as far as the eye can see, selling things he didn't even know existed.
"Yeah… I think everyone is like that their first time in Vale." said Olive. "It won't last long."
At that moment, a carriage came by, splashing water from the road onto Jaune, drenching him in dirty water.
"I can understand that." said Jaune, shaking some of the water off him. "So, we're taking care of Velvet's stuff first, right?"
"Yeah. My stuff is the lightest, so we get mine first, then Purussians' metals, then yours and finally Olive's since his needs to be refrigerated for the longest." said Velvet. "Come on, it's just this way."
"The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get back to our jobs." said Prussian. "So many orders."
"Yeah… no kidding." said Olive, following behind Velvet with Prussian. Jaune, in all his wisdom, shrugged and followed along.
[Loading…]
50 silver?!
50 SILVER ON FABRIC?!
WHAT BULLSHIT IS THIS?!
"Thank you, come again." said the store clerk as Velvet came out, at least 8 giant bags of fabric and other materials behind her, throwing them into a cart and sending them off to Beacon.
"Hoo… that was a bit less than last year." said Velvet, whipping the sweat off her forehead from the very long trip.
"Less? THAT WAS LESS?!" asked Jaune.
"I know it's expensive, but we will be making quite the profit off it." said Velvet. "All those materials are a collection of orders from students for 85 silver, meaning we made 35 silver in profit."
"Yes. It seems more students are deciding to buy their dresses and suits elsewhere this year." said Prussian.
"Yeah, last year, Velvet paid 59 silver." said Olive.
59…
What was wrong with these people?!
"Okay, now that Velvet is finished, it's my turn. I'm actually a little busier than last year. I mean, 1.3 gold worth of material is kinda steep for a workload." muttered Prussian.
"Yeah, I imagine you'll be busy wi-" said Jaune before the number rolled over his brain once more.
…
"1.3 GOLD?! WHAT THE HELL?!"
"Oh the woes of being popular." sighed Prussian.
"I feel your pain buddy. Me and the chefs are gonna be pretty busy. We have 2 gold worth of food to buy." said Olive.
…
"By the gods."
[Loading…]
How the hell Jaune managed to stay sane during the trip was forever a mystery. Despite the ridiculous quantity of items, Jaune had managed to keep his sanity during the trip, mainly due to him eying the metals and materials from his metal shop for a good 30 minutes before coming to a decision on what to buy. He got 10 silver worth of C Rank metal, 4 silver in D Rank metals and 1 silver and 3 copper on E Rank materials, making his the least expensive trip during the whole day.
Unfortunately, at the mineral store, the clerk, who had been in the business for over 2 decades, had never heard of a metal that could conduct mana, which was essential for the project he was planning on making for Weiss. He wanted to have a sword that could conduct mana through the mana crystals he would embed on the sword, but it looked like it was back to the drawing board for him.
By the time the 4 had finished, it was past noon, probably around half past one.
"Okay, work is done and off to Beacon, how about we get something to eat?" asked Olive.
"Oh, this is the part of the day I look forward to the most." said Prussian. "Some time away from those annoying children. No offense." he added quickly to Jaune and Velvet.
"None taken." said Velvet. "Where are we going today? Tiff's?"
"Sure." said Olive. "Been a while since I've seen the guy. I'm sure he'd love to meet Jaune."
As they made their way, Velvet told Jaune that it was a tradition for them to go and grab a bite to eat and spend the day on the town shopping for themselves. It was like a ritual they did every month to keep their sanity.
Even though this trip was making Jaune lose more of it by the shop.
Like, WHO THE FUCK SPENDS 15 SILVER ON BEEF ALONE?
THAT WAS MORE THAN WHAT HE AND HIS FAMILY SPENT IN A YEAR! PROBABLY 2 OR 3!
Whatever, it was over now. Now all he had to do was spend the rest of his day relaxing with Velvet, Prussian and Olive, who were really nice people that he could definitely get along with.
The restaurant came into view. It wasn't overly busy, but busy enough, meaning they had good food here, and there wouldn't be much of a wait time. Seemed like a good place to eat. Olive opened the door and ushered the group inside, smiling to himself as he followed after them. The restaurant was filled with warm chatter among the patrons, smiling and laughing over their food. Jaune smiled as the warm scent of beef and pork filled his nose, delicacies that he hadn't had much of previously due to his family situation. Now he was able to thanks to his pay from Beacon, which left him a lot of leeway in terms of eating out. Not much though, since the startup payment of 15 silver had basically all been sent to his mother and sisters, leaving him with 2. He just ate in the cafeteria or the teacher's lounge depending on how he felt and what the menu was for either.
"OLIVE! YOU BASTARD!" shouted a man, catching Jaune's attention. A giant, just as big as Olive, or maybe even bigger, stood in the doorway to the kitchen, arms folded and a scorn on his face. Jaune looked up.
[Tiff Choca (D Rank)]
[Chef - Level 26]
"Hey Tiff, sorry but I've been hella busy lately." said Olive.
"For 5 months?" asked Tiff, definitely not believing him.
"Yeah… you know how it is…"
"Anyway, who's the new guy? You the new Beacon blacksmith?" asked Tiff.
"Yeah. Jaune Arc, Beacon Blacksmith." said Jaune, holding out his hand.
"No way in hell kid. I'm prepping food and my hands are filthy. Take a seat and I'll get Maya to bring your menus." said Tiff. "You better order enough to make up for the 5 months you haven't visited me, you bastard." he said at Olive.
"Alright, alright. Come on guys, let's grab a seat." said Olive, waving them over to a free table.
They sat down at one of the open tables, with a clear view of the kitchen and Tiff at work with the rest of the chefs, 3 in total. He was the only D Rank among them, the others being E Rank. There were also 3 waiters and waitresses walking around serving customers. Eventually, one of the two waitresses came up with their menus, handing them each one. Jaune and the others thanked her and took a look.
Jaune's mouth watered. Roast pork and vegetables was an option, and it sounded delicious. 1 silver and 3 copper. Not too expensive, but not underpriced to make him think it was bad.
Gods above, his mother was rubbing off on him.
Olive and Velvet put their menus down first, followed by Prussian, and Jaune last, deciding he would go for the pork and vegetables. With their orders decided, and the waitress relaying them to Tiff, the group engaged in conversation once more, drilling Jaune about his life at home before he came to Beacon. Jaune filled them in on the fun stuff, not wanting to somber the mood, including some embarrassing stories of his sisters, such as the time Saphron discovered her sexuality through a long series of unfortunate accidents which eventually led her to Terra. The group laughed, and the food arrived in a few minutes, they dug in, laughing and commenting on jobs and shitty students they dealt with. They also decided to spend the rest of the afternoon shopping.
Jaune even managed to convince Prussian to let him into his workshop next week in order to gain access to the Jeweller class skill tree. As they finished their plates, or more than one in Olive's case, seeing as he had to make up 5 months worth of his lost patronage. Jaune smiled as they excited the shop with full, or overloaded, stomachs and made their way down to the other side of the commercial district to go shopping, despite the fact he only had 7 copper.
Oh well. Window shopping was fine too.
[Loading…]
"Jeez… what a day." said Jaune, falling back into his bed. He didn't find anything he wanted for himself after all, like he knew he would, but it was nice to look around and see what was available in case he ended up needing it. It was a nice walk back as well, filled with talk about work and the absolutely gods awful time they were going to have over the next few weeks, as well as Jaune organising a day to work with Prussian on his skills.
Letting out a warm sigh as he marked this day as a good one, Jaune went off home to collect his thoughts and, hopefully, not disturb anyone if they were in his house. Walking up to the door, he placed his key inside, and went to unlock it, but found it already unlocked. Fearing the worst, Jaune burst inside the house, ready to pull out [Crocea Mors] from his [Inventory].
"Gee, sure know how to make an entrance, don't ya?"
…
"Coco? Why are you here?" asked Jaune, in genuine surprise. There, in his living room, was Coco Adel, the Merchant Guild guildmaster. She was sitting in one of his chairs and drinking coffee as if she owned the place, smiling warmly at him.
"Straight to the point then. Alright." said Coco, placing her mug on the coffee table and standing up, walking over to Jaune, slowly. "So… you know what time of year it is…"
Jaune nodded.
"And… you know what's coming up… right?" she asked.
Jaune nodded again, slower this time. 'Why would she be-'
'Oh no.'
"So… I need a favour… a big one. Worth 30 silver." said Coco, pulling out a bag of coins and putting it on his coffee table next to her mug. "I'm not an idiot, and I'm sure Velvet told you all about me on that little trip that happens every month, so you probably already know what I'm going to ask."
"Take Velvet out on a date, and show her a good time."
Jaune was at a loss for words. He stumbled on his words, trying to grasp the situation he found himself in. Before he could even respond, a screen appeared.
[You have received the quest: Bunny Heart]
[Objective - Ask Velvet out for Valentine's Day and show her a good time. Make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.]
[Rewards - 5,000EXP, 30 silver]
[Bonus Objective - Get a kiss by the end of the day.]
[Reward - 2000EXP, new Rune]
…
'Why me?'
[Loading…]
Hey there guys.I hope you enjoyed. With HSC approaching quickly, chapters will be slower to bring out, but that means you have more time to cast your votes on the harem thing. Now, a huge thank you again to Arsinis for pointing out the mistake I made with the names of Jaune's sisters not being colour related (insert me with a dunce cone on my head) and the typo of Adrian's name. Thanks mate, real cool of you.
Anyway, until next time, Striker777, over and out.
[Stats]
[Jaune Arc (S Rank)]
[Level 27 - Arcane Craftsman]
[EXP - 60/8400]
[HP - 6800/6800]
[MP - 2500/2500]
[Strength - 61 (A)]
[Intelligence - 53 (A)]
[Agility - 46 (B)]
[Vitality - 48 (B]
[Speed - 38 (C)]
[Charisma - 51 (B)]
[Resilience - 66 (A)]
[Equipment]
[Crocea Mors - Rank C]
[This sword is the family heirloom of the Arc Clan, wielded by an Arc who was a knight in the war. Reforged by Jaune Arc into a higher rank weapon.]
[Durability - 2956/3000]
[Attack - 263/275]
[Arc - Rank C]
[This dagger was forged by Jaune Arc, and it was reforged into a higher rank weapon.]
[Durability - 2212/2250]
[Attack - 186/200]
[Iron Chestplate - D Rank]
[This chestplate was forged by Jaune Arc.]
[Durability - 2356/2500]
[Defense - 112/130]
[Iron Gauntlets - D Rank]
[These gauntlets were forged by Jaune Arc.]
[Durability - 1656/1800]
[Defense - 62/80]
[Leather Boots - E Rank]
[These boots were tailored by Jaune Arc]
[Durability - 743/800]
[Defense - 21/30]
[Dark Dagger - C Rank]
[This dagger was used by a legendary bandit before it was cast aside for a better sword.]
[Durability - 2000/2000]
[Attack - 215/215]
[Special Effect - Armour Pierce (Pierces medium and heavy armour to decrease defense by 30%)]
[Skills]
[Blacksmithing (0MP) - Level 47 (0%) - Ability to produce C Rank weapons and metal armour with a 47% efficiency bonus]
[Sharpen (20 MP) - Level 1 (50%) - Sharpen a bladed weapon to repair it's attack power (50 attack repair)]
[Repair (20 MP) - Level 1 (19%) - Repairs a weapon or armour to restore durability (500 durability)]
[Inventory (0MP) - Level 1 (15%) - Store things in a dimensional space completely sealed off, only being opened by the person who has the skill (3 spaces)]
[Rune Smithing - Level 1 (0%) - Craft runes into items for added effects.
{Known runes: Teleportation (Teleport the wielder to the rune - 150MP), Storage (Able to store 1 item in this rune - 50MP)}]
[Tailoring (0MP) - Level 2 (15%) - Ability to tailor E Rank clothes and light armour with a 2% efficiency bonus]
[Stitch (20MP) - Level 1 (3%) - Stitch together two pieces of clothes automatically (basic quality)]
[Curse Mark (500MP) - Level 1 (5%) - The mark of Salem that allows the user to access power to help them at the cost of 100 HP per second
{Underdog - Level 1 (5%) - Increases speed, strength and agility by twice the difference between the levels of the user and the opponent.}[Mana Threads (100MP/Thread) - Level 1 (0%) - Create threads from the tips of the caster's fingers, which can be used in a variety of ways.]
[Hand Smelting (50MP) - Level 1 (0%) - Heat your hand in order to extract the metal within an ore.]
[Passive]
[Scholar - Any skill from any skill stone can be learnt]
[? - Reach level 60 to unlock]