The Foolish Grappler chapter 2
(A/N: Sorry about the long time between chapters I have been really busy with uni so don't expect a high rate of chapters plus I am a slow as hell writer. Furthermore since I forgot to do this before I would like to thank the rest of the guys in the group for their support in this as I wouldn't be doing this without it. Lastly I want to apologize about my writing quality as my skill in writing leaves much to be desired so for those who favorite and follow my story thank you so much.
Now on to the story
Thanks,
Lolzman)
"Hmmm, this hot cocoa is great old man, thank you", I said contently, sipping on this cup of cocoa, and I wasn't lying. This was one of the best cups of coco I ever had, nearly on par with mothers.
Looking around from where I was on a chair inside the old man's hovel with a blanket around me, trying to keep me warm after being wet for who knows how long. Though now that I am inside of it, the word hovel does it a disservice. It's more a cabin, really one with an open floor plan. It had a nice bed with side drawers in one corner. While the other corner, on the same side, had the kitchen/dining area with a wood stove and cabinets with what kind of looks like a picnic table.
Then along the wall with the kitchen but opposite to the bed was where I currently sat in a small sitting area with two chairs and some bookshelves lining the two sides of this corner of the cabin stuffed with books clearly, he does a lot of reading can you really blame him with no tv or internet.
It was at that movement my attention was brought to the old man in front of me. He was of the peculiar sort as he seemed to be like an ordinary frail old man who is relatively thin, which is only boosted by the baggy clothes he was wearing. They reminded me of those old Chinese martial arts masters, yet more ragged showing great use with them. He wore a small cap on his head and a set of glasses that seemed heavily tinted as I couldn't see his eyes. He sat with a comfortable slouched persona, seemingly feeling the weight of time; however, what was peculiar was this feeling coming from the depths of me saying I wasn't safe here, that I was locked in with a tiger that was watching me, however, that feeling quickly left as he smiled and replied.
"I appreciate your thanks when you're by yourself as long as I have you pick up such things as a way to pass the time, but enough about me, Why were you on the middle of the beach? Did your ship sink? Running from home? hiding from those who wish you harm?" He questioned in an unmatched elegant way that I hadn't ever experienced before, yet caused me to feel at home and safe. I replied after a quick movement of looking down at my cup, quickly trying to make up a reason.
"I don't remember much of anything. I ahhhh, I can only remember my name and that I was seeking to become stronger than I am now, I am guessing you may know more about me as I just woke up before the ship crashed, leaving me alone here Where am I? What island am I on?" I tried to tell the most convincing story that would explain my complete lack of knowledge of this world. All I replied to it was a raised eyebrow and "hmm" as he raised his cup for a sip.
"Interesting, I assume you have no idea where to go from here then, if you can't remember how you got here, I see that could be a very daunting prospect for you," He said from behind the cup of cocoa.
"Well, you're on wolf island, for starters, named after its shape that resembles a wolf's head and the great number of Mutts you saw earlier that are native to this island. It's not the biggest or the smallest in the north blue but is relatively peaceful by north blue standards." He said as he put down his cup and moved to stroke his chin in thought. Seeing where this was heading, I made myself comfortable.
"There's a couple of small villages around the edge of the island they are relativity small to the two main cities. Here there's the trade port called Wolf's jaw that's full of anyone wanting to make a berry. Then there's the capital where everyone with a log up their ass is, which is located on lake eyre, which acts as a moat to the bloated flea-ridden city." He spoke the last part with barely hidden contentment, but I didn't want to bother him in the middle of exposition time. After some more gurping about the negatives of the island and a lot of helpful tips like any stereotypical old man can ramble on, he finally changed the topic to something more pressing, in my opinion.
"Anyway, enough of my old rambles, it's not often you see a drifter that somehow made it to shore alive with any memories from before. I suppose we should talk about what you should do", Stated the old man, who I don't even know his name all of this has been a fustercluck from walking up on a beach learning your living as a gamer in a new world then be faced with a pathetic death only to be saved by an old man with a gun, and that was where my mind got to before a roll of newspaper slapped me on top of my head.
"Ahhh, Why the hell did you do that, old man" I exclaimed, agitated at being hit.
"YOU WERENT LISTENING SLUG when i am trying to inform you about the island, Oh and stop with the old man stick i ain't that old you can call me Qiao Hui or just Hui i understand my name can be hard for those not use to it," He said as he put down the deadly newspaper and picked up to metal balls which he kept circling in his hand.
"Then why do you call me slug, huh, why just because I am fat" I angrily rebooked him; however his reply defied my assumptions of his thought when he said.
"What? Nah, it's not because your fat it's because you are a man without a purpose or a home hence you're like a snail without a shell hence a slug", He replied with a straight face showing his honesty about what he thought. I realised I jumped the gun though I would say that was understandable. This would have been a touching moment if it hadn't been for the interruption that was about to happen.
"Well, I guess I really didn't tell you my name it: KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK: "As I was going to give my name, there was a knock on the door.
"Don't worry, I will get it: KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK: I AM CUMMING KEEP YOUR PANTS ON People these days have no respect for their elders" He grumbled the last part before he opened the door to a slightly smaller than average shout man, with a full beard and very slight greying on the top he wore some pants with suspenders along with a plain white shirt he seemed like your stereotypical middle management. However, when he spoke, he did so with what seemed to be a great concern yet was trying to put up a facade of strength that was commendable.
"Hui, a chief's meeting has been called by the king in regards to the heavenly tribute and the troubles we've been having. I was wondering if I could have a word with you" He then glanced in my direction, finally realising I was listening to all of it and then spoke to us both, "could it be alone, not to be rude? It's just these matters are quite important and cant be heard by others less more trouble comes."
"I see Boy i am going to be out of a few minutes don't burn my home down ok?" After a moment of thought, he said to me as he moved to grab his coat and head outside.
"Sure, Hui", I simply replied underneath my cosy blanket. Now is the perfect time to deal with this deem blinking screen. In the corner of my sight, it was pitch black like those special paints that stopped reflecting light with pure white words and a basic border.
*ATTENTION* *ATTENTION*
Do you wish to begin the Short Start Guide of the SYSTEM V 1 made by (weird words)
YES / NO
Is there even an option … I guess not, so I tapped yes, but when I did, I realised everything around me has become grayscale, but myself and the screens and it has got really quiet looking at the fireplace shows that somehow the fire is stopped in a place like times frozen.
This start guide is to run you through the basics of navigating the system and its features, along with getting you ready to go out into the big world.
Firstly let's start with your profile.
Name: Adorno Landor
Occupation: None(NEET)
Bloodline: (BLANK) Tap here to pick one
Level 1
EXP 0/64
Hp 70/70
MP 200/200
Brawn 2
Vitality 2
Dexterity 2
Intelligence 14
Wisdom 6
Charm 1
First are the stats, which are Brawn, Vitality, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma they determine how strong you are, how fast you can react either physically or mentally, How well you can multitask and much more. How you increase them can vary widely from rewards to quests, level-ups, and achievements as with a lot with the system, nothing should be taken as absolute because this is just the system scanning your abilities. Here is a more explained list of your stats
Brawn: This is pretty self-explanatory it feeds into metrics such as muscle mass, muscle efficacity and factors into speed as it represents your raw speed from your leg muscles. This is a must for those who wish to fight in melee with others.
Vitality: Again, this is pretty self-explanatory it leads into things such as your HP, which should be important as when that hits 0, you are dead. The body's ability to fight poison, disease and other such things is it also represents your body's ability to take damage. This is Vital to everyone who wishes to live …. Get it vital.
Dexterity: This one is much more nuanced compared to the first two as while in most also improved RPGs, this would determine outride how fast you were this is different while it does play a big role in your speed, it's not the one-stop shop it is in other games. It also affects your flexibility which is more important than one would think. Finally, it affects the accuracy of range weapons if they require any form of fine motor function and not be dumb fired. Do I even need to tell you who this would be useful for?
Now time for the harder-to-quantify stats first is
Intelligence: If your mind was a pc, this is the speed of a CPU with more speed, more tasks can be handled It's the raw processing power that handles your ability to think and react quickly. As stated before, this stat isn't linked to your real 'intelligence', just the ability of your brain to process information. This stat is of great importance to most magic casters as it determines your Mana regen rate and the speed at which you can control it.
Wisdom: If your intelligence is how fast you process information, then wisdom is everything else. It's your ability to store information and be able to more clearly recall that memory, it boosts your ability to absorb the information you learn. Its most important role is that it determines your total Mana capacity, which is critical to all magic users, also, it doesn't only boost how much you can hold but how much you can use and control at any time; hence this is the most important stat to magic users.
Charisma: Last but by no means least is charisma, the stat which influences your social skills, how you look to others, your ability to communicate efficiently, and influence and understand others from a social point. It's greatly important to those who wish to lead and those who wish not to be virgins funny that people who have high charisma never have to worry, I am sure with a high score of …. Oh ah, it's not That important…
These numbers likely mean not much to you without a reference; the average human has ten while 20 is considered the peak that the vast majority could ever be able to achieve with a civilian Occupation However, most people you will face even grunts of grunts likely will be higher than this.
As was brought up before OCCUPATION, you may notice yours is classed as None(NEET); this is a subjective objectification by the system to classify individuals for greater ease to the user this isn't fully reliable, so the user shouldn't put too much faith in the process if they did it would be detrimental to the user.
The Level and exp system will be skipped due to your high knowledge of this game mechanics simply, you can gain more exp to level up, and with each Level come bonuses and gifts that I am sure you will like.
Now the last thing to do in the Short Start Guide is for you to pick your bloodline. A bloodline is a system of abilities that can be either created by the system or taken from another universe. For example, the Sharingan is one such bloodline. You will pick your bloodline by spending SYSTEM BITS, or SB for short, which may appear on occasion pop up as a reward. Anyway, in this case, you gained SB based on how you performed in your past life, decided by {REDACTED}. Now pick one from the list before the timer ends time left 19:54.
"That's a lot to take in, like a lot alot …. Did you really have to do me dirty with the one charm System i get it ain't winning any awards given the lack of girlfriends and I am by no means a talker but really one not even just two as I would be happy with two. I guess I ain't going to be a suave swashbuckler picking up women left and right being able to make even Hancock feel weak at the knees then make her his waifu … then again that's not really my style that's more for the annoying harem protag style."
I ranted to myself from my cozy spot under the blankets and finished by putting my empty mug on the table to free up my hands.
"Though I do have another complaint, it's about the puns you could do without the puns because that was just sad you would think an interdimensional system would have access to higher quality puns", I continued to rant and rave.
"Oh, so this system has magic which brings up a lot of questions about how it can bring magic into a world that is seeming without it then again not completely true if you count Devil frits as magic then I guess that makes sense I don't really know how magic works its all magic to me…. See that's how you do a good pun." I smugly smirked at the system panel, hoping for a response, yet I got none back.
"Also, who the hell is this {Readacted} are they the ones who sent me to this world if so i got to thank them as I now can finally live out my dream of being a badass anime character who gets all the women and have all the men fear him MUWAH AH AH AH" (evil laughs).
/A note in the margin of the page
This is a note from me writing this journal luckily, due to time being frozen, no one could ever witness that, as sadly, back then, I was every part of the chunni that believed himself to be unbeatable and was annoying to be around. It's good or sad, depending on how you look at it, that nativity won't last for much longer. It's also sad how long it took me to realise I was wasting time picking my bloodline.
/
"Wait wasn't there a timer to the selection process … 15:19 ….. SHIT I better hurry and pick one or with my luck, I will be stuck with the worst one".I stated in a frantic rush to go over the list provided it was a simple panel black and white like before seemly going from most costly to cheapest that just didn't end with some filtering settings next to it on the left with the time remaining on the right and under that a total of my SB which was 232.
"WHAT THE WHY DID I ONLY GET 232? I DIED SAVING PEOPLE," I loudly exclaimed; however, I was shocked when a screen popped up.
While you indeed saved two innocents, which is why you have been rewarded 200 points for that heroic act.
…. The less said about that, the better I should focus on picking a bloodline that was best suited to me and had potential, as I didn't want to back myself into a corner with a hank-jerked choice now, which could lead to my death.
In the list, there were many there, a few of which were available to me and many more that weren't, if I needed to know more about one, I could click on it, and a description of it would pop up. Here are some of them which were lists for more ones inside them.
…
192,210,022 SB SUNSHINE
190,102,240 SB FATE MUIPLATION
180,000,000 SB ALL FICTION
163,992,004 SB INFINITY
150,000,245 SB BOOSTED GEAR
145,000,000 SB TIME MULIPLATION
….
1,568,696 SB HEIR TO ALUCARD
1,367,592 SB ALL FOR ONE
1,367,591SB ONE FOR ALL
…
123,000 SB 8 GATES
112,000 SB STAND
102,000 SB TITANIFCATION
….
As you can see, there is a lot of way overpower picks available sadly, they were way above my budget, so I quickly filtered for the max cost of 232 and still, there was seemingly an endless amount of options; however, one stood out from the others probably due to me finally finishing its manga yesterday.
230 SB: HANMA BLOODLINE
Effects
Disables MP
Allows the increasing of stats with training with hard work and strain where otherwise these would have no effect on stats.
Perks and skills Can be gained through training.
Provides all of which is inherent to an Hanma
Along with some minor adjustments to the user and system
"Well if I picked this I guess there goes my ability to use magic which sucks however it's not like there really any worthwhile magic bloodlines this far down," I said as I had a quick flick through the closets magic bloodline which
Honesty, I am surprised by this option for how good value it provides at the low cost relative to the ones around i. Plus, while I have never been a fan of training, I am sure that will allow me to snowball, and all I have to do is train easy. So I click accept then my whole world goes black.