Chapter 2
Spinning The Web
— — — — —
Being bathed, fed, and having my diapers changed, as well as being controlled in quite literally every aspect of my life, was a truly life changing experience.
One I would never go through again. Ever. In any re-incarnation. Jade –The orphanage owner– took me to a doctor, and discerned my age. Not my actual age, that's something I'm going to try and hide until I die. I'm nine months old now, almost everybody at the orphanage knows.
Speaking of Sundown Orphanage, I've become the next big thing. The last baby here didn't 'last so long' as I've overheard.
I learned to walk as well as run and sprint, which were separated into three different skills, leaving me at seven of the ten skills, add on two more skills, 'talking' and 'muscle'.
Talking - level 4
Your ability to understand, vocalise, and speak for large periods of time. Also improves your ability to effectively change your tone and accent.
Muscle (passive) - level 1
Your overall growth of physical stats and body. Cannot be properly increased until age 5 has been reached. For every level of Muscle, +5% STR, DEX, END, AGI and CON per level. +5 CHR per level.
Both of these were pretty useful, and not something I would've thought existed until I got them. How many are there? Maybe I'll get something if I can unlock them all.
My first words, of course, were carefully chosen. And by that, I mean it was 'Aura', something that everybody was confused about. Well, everybody except the old man, his name was Kon by the way. Kon was a retired huntsman who fought grimm in 'the war', which I can't really remember. His daughter is the current owner of Sundown Orphanage, Jade Alachofa.
There were also fifteen kids at the orphanage, I was on… good terms with most of them, and Millie had really taken a liking to me after I watched ParaJena with her. Most of her friends grew bored, and I had a quest to do.
Though it's not really relevant anymore, ParaJena was an action series about a bunch of troubled teenagers fighting against massive whordes of grimm, which were brainless and weak. From what I remember to the show, that's… Pretty wrong.
"You doin' alright, little guy?" Cherven snapped me out of my thoughts and menu. I had been staring into a wall for about half an hour trying to get another skill, something like meditating.
"Yuh." I responded. I would've said more, but I'm just incapable of doing so as of now.
He chuckled. Cherven was a pretty good guy, though his level was higher than Jade's and he had aura.
He was also pretty intimidating, maybe it was the bull horns and the red hair, but he did a good part of scaring off any unwanted kids when Kon wasn't around to chase them off with a frankly terrifying stare he's given me once, when I was training my walking yesterday.
"Kids don't usually walk and talk at nine months old, y'know? You've also grown a good bit too." I had? Well I was walking now, and could almost open doors on my own. Walking around at first had some big bonuses, I got almost thirty agility from waddling around all day. I also had the Para-Sword in my one inventory slot, and luckily for me, it only weighed around half my total carry weight, or two and a half kilos. I also only had two episodes left until II finished the entire show. It wasn't especially good, but I could see how it would be a good way to pass the time.
He took out two cards from a stack of many, similarly easily drawn cards. Two different images on both of them. He had done this since I said my first word.
Cherven showed the two cards. One was a red flower, a poppy if I had to guess, and the other was a miniature red crystal with fire-like particles floating around it.
"Which one is 'Fire Dust'?" He asked. Although I had never seen the crystal in my life, and that I have seen flowers, I chose what I assumed to be dust.
"Yeah, that's the right one. Great job!" From his tone he was obviously not the most enthusiastic person, but the others couldn't go for any more than ten minutes with this. Well, except Millie that one time when she was very intrigued by the way I spoke.
"Alright, it's pretty late. I'm gonna go…do something else now." He stood up. He always did this after half an hour or so, it was usually just daily at this time. Though it didn't take a genius to figure out what he was doing. He was training, He came back sweaty, sometimes out of breath, and always with a grin. He usually rushed to clean himself though.
I was the only— actually no, Jade and Kon know about it as well. He's basically the third worker here, and honestly I like him a good bit more than anybody else. But maybe that's just because I know we're friends. Well, as friendly as kids with a thirteen year time gap can be.
Cherven Taurus
Faunus
Full Health/Full Health
Level 50+
Highest Stat: STR
STR: 500+
160/1000 Friendship
That was my level five observe skill. Lengths and bounds better than the last five levels. However, it still leaves some questions unanswered.
Why is he above level fifty?
And he has more than five-hundred strength?
That's legions ahead of mine. I assume. It's been a month or two since I last checked myself.
Now alone, I opened the menu with practised ease of the past three months of looking at my skills progress.
Name: N/A
Age: 0.75
Level: 1
XP: 5/15
HP: 7/7
SP: 15/15
MP: 19.5/19.5
AP: N/A
HNG: 30/30
THR: 25/25
STR: 3 + 0.15 = 3.15
END: 2 + 0.1 = 2.1
CON: 2 + 0.1 = 2.1
CHR: 13 + 5 = 18
AGI: 11 + 0.55 = 11.55
DEX: 14 + 0.7 = 14.7
INT: 195
WIS: 70
LCK: 20
A significant improvement from the starting stats, though I suppose that's not saying much considering most of them were at one.
Does everybody progress this fast though? Maybe the reason behind Cherven having five-hundred or so strength is because he grew up with aura? Or maybe it was just age. Or maybe he's a bull in more than just horns?
You have received a quest. Would you like to start?
Ooh! Wonder what it is.
Part 1
Untold Past Time
Discover the secret to Cherven Taurus' Strength.
Requirements for completion
Follow Cherven until you find the source of his STR.
Completion award
Permanent double STR increase
Obtain Beast Fighting Style trainer
Obtain Charge-Strike trainer
Requirements for failure
You or Cherven Taurus die or become incapacitated
Cherven Taurus stops gaining STR
Awards for failure
None
Once again, it seems pretty useful. If I could actually follow him that is. My fastest walk is as fast as his slowest! Though maybe if I got Sprint and Jump…
I'll have to do it soon, if I don't he might stop training—
A loud thud erupted from outside. In that moment, though not similar at all, I remembered. Just how easily my life was taken last time. My last life…
"-little thing?" Snapped me out of my thoughts. It didn't sound like a child. It sounded like a grown man. Of course— one of the kids must be getting adopted! I better go look. I hope if they are, they're at least close by. Everybody here is becoming a second family almost.
That's why I was so jaw-dropped when I saw two men, no. Punks, gangsters, hooligans, whatever they were, holding Jade at the throat against a nearby wall. Everybody was in stunned silence.
Cherven wasn't here, Kon was out grocery shopping, and the rest of us were probably too young to lay a hand on them. I used observe. I couldn't do anything to them, but maybe if… maybe something. I'm sure it might be useful.
Rojo Dobutsu
Faunus
90-99% / Full Health
Level 47
Highest Stat: STR
STR: 115
Roja Dobutsu
Faunus
Full health / Full Health
Level 32
Highest Stat: CHR
CHR: 75
"Oi! Lookey here. A baby." Roja said. Rojo was the one holding Jade against the wall, a small pang of guilt in an eye that somberly looked at me, though it was clear he held no intention of turning on his brother.
Roja came up to me, picking me up with two clawed hands. "What a kid. No faunus, but I wouldn't mind surprise-adopting this one." He looked back to Rojo, who responded with a low grunt. "C'mon bro, I know he's no faunus, but— Euagh!" He dropped me with a growl,
-2 HP
Through a combative action, a new combat skill has been obtained!
Through a specific combative action, a path to a new fighting style has been unlocked!
"Daugh! Fucking brat!"
His foot reared back, ready to strike, and quite possibly kill me.
Wait? Kill me?
So soon? But I only just…
Nonononono!
I'm going to die!
Again!
I can't!
His leg was narrowing in, almost in slow motion. Each painstaking, helpless second his foot was narrowly getting closer and closer.
Nonono!
Bastard! Fucker!
His foot, or rather shoe, steel tipped and leather made a bone crunching thud, though it went unheard from the screaming of the other children.
-83 HP
Through Combative action, a new skill has been obtained!
I'm alive?
Wait, no. Everything is black. But it's not the same as before. Not the same as when I died. There was a hand over my eyes. A small hand, but still far larger than mine could be.
You are at critical HP
You have one health point remaining.
You have no mana remaining.
I opened up my skill menu. On the bright side, I can start that quest. Haha. Good one, right? Ha… ha…
It's starting to set in. This new skill. It's a 'life saver'. Haha! Ha..!
I almost died. Again. What happens next time? What if I'm reincarnated as some prick who destroys the world? Or as some unfortunate tortured soul? Do I keep my memories? What the hell is this system anyway?! God didn't tell me about this bullshit!
I cried. It was shameful to admit, but why should it? I almost died. My outburst lasted for five seconds. I had to get a grip, not piss off the assholes that very well would have killed me.
It's alright, I echoed in my head. Who said it, though?
+70 friendship with Millie Malachite.
90/1000
+30 friendship with SunDown Orphanage kids
40/1000
+2 XP for assist takedown!
"- And stay down, bastard!" Cherven roared. It snapped me out of my crisis. I heard a loud crash and the breaking of wood, then a horrific crunch. The kids were eating it up on my behalf.
"That's enough, Boy." Kon said. I recognized his voice, it must have been Cherven he was talking to, unless Roja had a strength of forty-seven and decided to wail on a kid .
The person covering my eyes was quick to agree. It was Millie, a quick use of observe told me.
"Brothers... The Spiders." Kon cursed. I pried Millie's hands off me, surprisingly harder than I'd thought it'd be. Kon had ripped off Toja's sleeve. There was a spider, a tattoo, on his shoulder.
The kids at the orphanage didn't really know what it meant, some said it was weird that he'd have a spider tattoo. I would have said that too, had I not on my second legs.
That was a gang tattoo if I ever saw one. It was black ink, observe told me. It was also the staplemark of the Spider family, Kon had said along with the thoughts that the system had shoved into my brain.
"Taurus, get to the call station on Aly street. Call the, ah, 'police'. I'll take care of these two." Kon cracked another bone, before throwing them into the corner. Cherven hurried out the door in a brisk walk, looking left and right before taking off.
Later that day, Jade had explained to me what had happened. Of course I already knew most of it, but they had come in before, though they had never caused anything more than a ruckus. I was brought to the doctor again while the police sorted the situation out. It turns out, my health recovers about five percent a day, meaning I currently regenerate 0.35 health. A day. Oh– and the doctor said I should get as much reset as possible, which is something I will not comply to,
Luckily, SP regenerates much faster at a solid fifty percent every ten minutes which would be seven and a half every ten minutes, and my MP recharging at twenty five percent per hour, coming to around five and a half per hour. Luckily for me, MP recharges faster with more wisdom, and SP with more dexterity.
I started 'Life Skills', it would be a good distraction, and a good way to forget my near death experience.
You have received a quest. Would you like to start?
Without a thought I opened it. It opened a few feet above my cot –which I would hopefully be leaving soon– and the bright blue was dim and darker, which must have been due to the moonlight coming through the window. Was this related to Life Skills?
Part 1
Spiders of the city
The cities 'Spider' gang seems to have a hold on the orphanage or the nearby area. Might you find out more about these gangs?
Completion requirements
Find out who runs the Spider gang.
Completion awards
10 STR
10 CON
5 DEX
Failure requirements
Die or be incapacitated
Fail to find the leader in 5 months upon acceptance
Spider gang is wiped out
Failure rewards
5 STR
-10 Friendship with Millie Malachite
Accept?
Oh wow– what a fantastic quest to give to a child not even a year old. Taking the pros and cons of this quest right now, I think my decision will be…
NO
Maybe I'd accept it later, maybe I won't if it seems too dangerous. Taking that now would undoubtedly lead to my–
Quest 'Spiders of the city' has been updated!
Part 0
Spiders of the streets
Your will has reshaped and updated the system for a small advantage. This will rarely happen again.
Ask the others in the orphanage who the spider gang was, and what they wanted with the orphanage.
Completion requirements
Find information on the Spider gang.
Completion awards
5 CHR
Failure requirements
Die or be incapacitated
Fail to find any information on the Spider gang within two months
Failure rewards
-5 Friendship with Kon Lobelia
Accept?
Sounds like a much more tempting offer from this devil of an inner voice.
Quickly accepting it in the dead of night, the illuminating blue screen shrunk out of a second. I wonder where it goes. Perhaps it's only visible to my eyes or something? Can other people see it in the reflection of my eyes?
Should I ever tell anybody about this? I mean, what would I even gain from it? Trust? I'll make the decision if the time ever comes. Really depends on the context of the moment.
It was dark. Quiet, too. As always, there was still a window nearby, though it had been closed and locked to keep in the heat for winter. I wonder if there's a type of Christmas here? Even if there is, I doubt there's much in the orphanage.
Well then I… I guess I have to change that, right? Make the most of this second chance. Scratch that– I'll make a bucket list! Everything I wanted to do— I'll do it this time! Maybe I'll even find my parents! Or at least this world's version, if they even exist that is.