This was weird. I felt fatigued doing this one for some reason? I wasn't sure why while I was typing it. But here you go.
Not going to lie that I'm not going to respond to reviews this time. This chapter had left me feeling weird.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Solo Leveling.
"We are just taking a quick break from that universe," the Curator said. "Namely because there are a few scenes that will shake up the theatre and I need to reinforce it. Last time I viewed this world I remember some windows shattering."
"That Saiyan universe could do that?" Neo asked surprised.
"Some worlds can do that," the Curator sighed. "It's annoying honestly."
"So based on the preview, is this another evil Jaune?" Ruby asked in fear. They've seen too many of that already.
"No. Jaune is a nice person," he replied. "No evil bone in his body. Although he is a bit pragmatic."
"What does that mean?" Nora asked, not knowing the word.
"He does things realistically and practically," Ren told his girlfriend.
"So..."
"That means he's not going to be completely nice," Roman replied.
"So what's special about this world?" Kali asked.
"He's nearly died," the Curator replied. "Literally, at deaths door missing an arm and leg." That made Jaune's friends looked so terrified. "He got better though and awakened a crazy ability."
"Which is?" Ozpin wondered.
"He can level up like a video game character."
"SO COOL!" Penny, Ruby, Yang, and Nora shouted. Weiss was a little confused at that.
"How does that make him better?" Winter asked.
"In this world, those who awaken their powers and aura, they are stuck at the same level for the rest of their life," the Curator told them. "So if you were weak in aura, you will always be weak in aura."
"So training and whatnot doesn't even matter?" Tai asked surprised.
"That is correct. That is why Jaune is special. He can level and get stronger."
"This world does sound interesting then," Roman grinned as he leaned back. He was not allowed his cigar, but the drink he was given was fine.
Jaune Arc panted as he drank some water from a canteen. He was wearing his standard Pumpkin Pete's hoodie, track pants and sneakers. However, there was something just a little different about this one.
"I don't see any difference," Ruby stated.
His normally baggy the clothes were tight on him. The usually loose jacket was pressed against his chest almost showing off his muscles. His pants were snug on him and they can see a bulge. Heck, they barely fit him, with his forearms more than poking out. That and he was taller, and his hair more styled than normal.
"Oh..." Ruby said blushing. Those who preferred his hulking Saiyan form weren't as much as a fan. Ruby did really like this on though. It was more realistic. And then there were Winter and Weiss, who was nearly drooling.
"He looks...good," Winter said noticing his lean yet powerful build.
Weiss just nodded her head much to Neptune's shock. So he had to make a body like that?
He dropped the canteen and let out a breath. "I leveled up quite a bit and gathered a lot of items. I should start heading to the next stage," he said to himself. The camera panned out and showed off his body. Not only that but there were spectral pieces of armor over his body.
"Why is it like that?" Ironwood asked.
"Is he not really wearing the armor?" Glynda had also wondered what that was.
"The System, as Jaune came to call it, let him get the stats of the armor and put them on, but they are then absorbed into his body. Making it so he doesn't look stupid," the Curator replied.
That got the interest of some people. If they can somehow do that with armor it would be amazing!
"Even after all that, I still can't comprehend it." The tall blonde looked at an ornate door before he opened it. A chill went down his spine as he felt a chilling presence. His eyes widen as he saw that he was in a throne room.
"A boss room," Yang whispered.
"A what?" Ilia asked.
"A boss room the final part of a level in a video game," the brawler replied. "Haven't you ever played a video game?"
"I come from a poor family so..."
"Oh god! I'm sorry!" Yang turned to the others. "We are dragging her and Penny to play video games tonight!"
That's when he saw someone approaching. "This sensation, it feels like the double dungeon." His blue eyes see a blood-red knight appear from behind the throne and approach him. In his right hand was a great sword of gold and black. Jaune's eyes go to the name and frowns.
"So cool," Neo hummed.
"What does he mean by the double dungeon?" Raven wondered.
"It's the place where he nearly died and gained his abilities."
"So this being has enough power to scare him into fear?" Winter asked.
"Blood-red Commander, Igris," Jaune states. He was breathing heavily as he approached. "His name is dark red. Very different than all the bosses I've fought before."
That put the audience at unease. Especially those who know about video games. Dark red names are usually some bad things.
Jaune blinked and Igris was suddenly before him. It was only thanks to his high sense stat that he had managed to dodge. He squats down as the large sword swipe runs over him. The pillar was not as lucky, the entire thing being blown apart.
"SHIT!" Tai shouted.
"I couldn't even keep up with that," Penny replied. She was sure if she was still a robot, her optics wouldn't have been able to keep up as fast.
"He cut it with a single slice!" Taking this moment, Jaune tries to stab the knight with his knife that he had summoned. Sadly, it just bumped off the armor. "It's not penetrating."
"Oh that's not good," Coco mumbled.
"His weapon is not strong enough," Velvet groaned.
His sense went off again, just in time to see the great sword being lifted up. As it came crashing down, Jaune backed up, letting the dust fly up as the blade connected with the tiled floor. He only had a second as he had to bend over backward as the giant blade came shooting out of the dust, slicing off some of his hair.
Roman and Yang flinched as the attack almost hit Jaune and sliced off some hair. They cared about their looks and their hair, so seeing just that much come off is annoying.
Jaune jumped back to make some more room. "Armor only slows you down if your strength is 80. So that means he's definitely higher than that. As is his speed and the armor is blocking my attack. Defense is higher too." The young man gulped. "Is there no way I can beat this guy? He's stronger than in everything."
"That is really bad," Summer frowned.
"Outclassed in all things, this is going to be an uphill battle," Ghira nodded.
The knife vanished in his hand. "I don't think I can win without a weapon, but if I can't break through the armor I can't even do damage. So this is the only way." Jaune slammed his fist into his palm. "This is the only way."
Yang nodded her grin growing. "Alright! Good old fisticuffs." Tai was nodding his head, whooping. Summer rolled her eyes. Was this how her family would have been if they survived? It would have been nice, but if it was always like this it could get annoying.
The knight tilted his head as he watched Jaune before he did something surprising. He stabbed his greatsword into the ground. Then proceeded to take off his tattered cape and the daggers on his waist. It cracked its neck and stood there.
"Oh, this is going to be good!" Sun jumped in his chair. "I'm sure Jaune is going to get his ass kicked but this guy is so cool."
"Chivalry?" Jaune growled. "You're not taking me seriously."
Despite his words, Jaune was surprised as Igris struck at his neck, stunning him. The boy then felt his hood being grabbed, as he was thrown. The force used was so strong that when he collided with the wall, a giant dent was made. Blood came out of his mouth before Jaune had raised his arms in a cross. He barely managed to defend the punch.
"I don't think I can do anything like that," Tai gasped.
"Even at full strength, I think I can manage that," Yang whistled.
Sadly the second punch forced him into the wall even more. He then jumped out of the dust and panting.
"So he has high defense right?" Ruby asked. "How tanky is he in our world?"
"He can take more than a few hits from both Nora and Yang after they get powered up, at the same time. Still not the best, as you can see but he can compete with the best of you easily," the Curator said.
"I blocked that but it still took out 500 health. If I didn't have armor I would have lost an arm," Jaune said looking at his arm.
"I can't take direct hits anymore," Jaune frowned. Seeing the silhouette of the man before him he couldn't help but think. "He's strong even without his sword. How can I even put up a decent fight against this guy?"
"Good question," Ozpin sipped his coffee. "Shall we see how Mr. Arc does."
"Even if I don't have strength, I still have speed!" The blonde ran forward and activated his Sprint skill. This boosted his speed by 30%. It let him get a single attack in. But Igris wasn't fazed.
"He's as fast me there!" Ruby cheered.
Instead, the monster brought it's elbow down onto Jaune's head. The hunter to be had to use his left hand to block. Igris even countered that by smacking it out of the way.
"This guy is too much," Penny mumbled.
"I think he can beat most of us here," Qrow stated. "Even with Semblances."
"He's going so easy on him too," Winter frowned.
The two started to exchange a flurry of punches, only for Jaune to lose the exchange. The large punch smacked into his face forcing Jaune to spin. A System Alert came up, his Preservation skill activated, boosting damage reduction by 50%
"If my defense is increased, I may have a chance!" Jaune thought as he used his momentum to kick Igris. "I can't give up!"
"Yeah! Go do that fearless leader!" Nora cheered.
Sadly, Igris grabbed his leg to hold him in place and then proceeded to backhand him so hard that he flew into the wall above the throne, denting that one too, and fall onto the throne. His head falls forward, face shadowed.
"Oh no..." Pyrrha gasped. That seemed like it hurt.
Igris walks over and stares at the beaten Jaune. Holding his right hand out, the great sword flew into it. Raising it, he went to execute Jaune. Just as the attack was about to connect, Jaune's hand shot up and caught it. The armor on it appearing tangibly for a second.
"I HAVEN'T LOST YET!"
"Fuck him up!" Sun yelled happily.
As he shouted that, he summoned his knife and stabbed Igris in the eye.
Some flinched, but Raven grinned. "Yes, that's it. Win with any means necessary!" the bandit leader laughed.
As the monster reared its head back in pain, Jaune tackled it into a pillar, this time cracking the pillar. Igris pulled the knife out of his face. "Oh no, you don't!" Jaune summoned the knife back to his hand and stabbed upward.
The brutality was great! Raven's smile gets bigger. This version seemed like a good version too. Now how to kidnap them?
Activating his skill Vital Strike, doing critical damage, as he stabbed Igris in the neck. Not once, not twice, but five times. Using Vital Strike, each time, he did one final strike into Igris's neck, causing it to collapse against the wall.
Alert: You have beaten Blood-Red Commander Igris. You leveled! x2
"Yes!" Penny and Pyrrha hugged happily. Ruby raised her hands happily. Velvet even jumped out of her seat.
"Did I win?" Jaune asked himself as he rested his hands on his knees. "He beat me in all stats...I only managed to win with pure luck." He looked at the corpse of the monster. "One mistake and I could have died. This thing could have gone one on one against an A-Rank hunter."
"A-Rank?" Kali asked the Curator.
"Hunters are ranked by letters. E, D, C, B, A, S. E is barely stronger than human, like a new person starting out as a hunter-in-training in your world. D is substantially stronger. Most of your students are at least C class here or B. The adults are B and A. I don't think anyone of you are S."
"Interesting."
After taking a minute or two, he grinned. There were four items that appeared before him. One was a pouch he instantly opened, doubling the amount of his money. Next was a copy of Igris's helmet. He put on the helmet and it vanished around his head, his stats shooting up.
"So cool! If I could do that with my own helmet," Yang sighed. "Imagine me being able to ride out in the open road with my hair out."
"I would wear more armor over my own outfit," Weiss agreed.
"Ren wouldn't get knocked out in five hits," Nora teased her boyfriend.
"Nora..." Ren blushed.
Next was a red stone that contained the skill Dominator's Touch.
"What is that?" Penny asked.
"It is a rune stone. If Jaune breaks it, he gets a skill."
"So cheap! I wish I could do that," Roman complained.
Lastly was a green rock called a Hearthstone, something to send you back to the beginning of the gate. If he left the dungeon, it will vanish.
"If I got this...that means that the quest isn't over," Jaune said as he looked up.
As if to respond to his inquiry, several gates in reality.
The Job Change Quest has begun. The longer you last, the more points you will earn to get into a higher tier job.
GOOD LUCK.
"Very fucking ominous," Neo said. That got everyone nodding to their heads.
A timer started. From the magical gates, knights had started to filter into the room.
"I can handle this. None of them are on Igris's level." Jaune was making a plan in his head as he looked around him. His body started to vanish.
"It's like me!" Neo pointed.
"He actually is based around an assassin."
"That explains the daggers," Raven nodded. She also liked the fact that he could summon and send away his weapons.
"It takes 200 MP to use stealth, and with my 390, I would have 190 left. With it taking 1 MP per second, I can buy at most three minutes of stealth. I have enough health and MP. I can last as long as I need to!"
"Well, at least he knows his own limits," Glynda nodded. "That's very much appreciated."
The knights were all looking around for him and Jaune was hiding. However, his stealth was destroyed when he saw magician summons eyes there were staring at him.
"Why is that every world we watch has Jaune struggling?" Ruby asked the Curator.
"Because that is who he is. Always trying to catch up to you, his friends," the Curator replied. "That was his biggest hurdle in almost all worlds. It is part of what defines him."
"Shit!" He saw two knights rush him, and he proceeded to punch both of them. With his stat boost, they went careening into the pillars.
"Nice!" Nora laughed. "Maybe this version of him could fight with me. I want to see how strong Jaune-Jaune is!"
He jumped up and did a split kick, hurting two more.
Sadly, he was starting to get swarmed. Hits were coming far more frequently right now. Jaune grunts as he gets hit. "Should I use the Hearth Stone? So I can get out of here? I used too much Mana using stealth."
"Quantity sometimes outdoes quality," Ironwood says ashamed. After a fight that harsh, and he's going to get killed by a swarm of people. Even Raven understood how bad this was.
He ducked out of two swipes. "This is too high of a level for me! Wait Time! If I spent long enough maybe it won't matter." Jaune looked up and felt despair.
It had only been 5 mins.
"That's horrible," Roman gasped. He thought it was longer than that.
"He's going to die," Neo nodded.
"I have to leave!" The blonde gripped the Hearthstone and was about to use it, only for a large hammer to smash into his side. He crumpled onto the floor, the stone flying out of his hand.
"No,'" Velvet whimpered.
As the knights approached, he punched two more and he stood. His body ached and he was tired. "It can't end here, this is such a big chance!"
"He really wants that level up," Summer said.
"If you want power you should fight for it," Raven frowned. She understood where this version of Jaune came from, that's why it made her attracted to this one more.
Jaune jumped back into the fray, his thoughts frazzled. The thoughts of the past coming up to him.
He was the weakest hunter. Not in general, but in the world. Not only was he E-Rank, but he had no powers. People doubted him, spoke about him behind his back. Making fun of him, even if he was in spitting distance.
"What why?" Penny asked confused.
"It's because he was the lowest of the low," Ilia frowned. "People who are stronger tend to make fun of those who are weaker than them."
He hated it so much.
Raven nodded her head, far more understanding.
Two images of two Hunters who cared for him appeared before his tired body. One asking him to rest, the other to look out for himself.
"Those people look like they care for him," Ruby said. "He should listen."
"Seems like you don't understand little Rose," Raven glared. "That's not what he wants. He wants to grow stronger, to be better. A person who's never tasted the feeling of powerlessness, of uselessness. Until you felt that you have no right to tell other's what to do in that position."
"Defending the kid much?" Qrow frowned.
"You and I know better brother," Raven spat.
"Wasn't all that your fault?" a voice called out to him from the darkness. "Why do you always move away from the safe path and dance with death on every occasion?"
"Why is that voice garbled?" Weiss asked.
Jaune turned to the figure who kept speaking. "Isn't it great that an E-Rank hunter like you got to grow this much? Isn't that right? Jaune Arc." The one speaking was a skinnier looking Jaune Arc, the one the audience knew more.
"Uh...he looks like the one we know," Blake said.
"Why does he look...sickly?" Sun frowned.
The current Jaune was frozen in place. "Wow, I can't believe we're the same person!" The younger Jaune walked around him. "You're taller, have muscles and look sharper." He passed him. "You look quite strong as well."
"I don't like how he's talking to Jaune," Pyrrha said.
"What is he?" Summer wondered.
"There is an explanation but it is revealed, far, far later," the Curator replied.
"But the only thing that changed is your appearance. You are still a weakling."
"Oof, bad words to say to someone like that," Roman groaned.
The Jaune before him looked angrier, but he was so tired.
"What's the difference between you and me? You found yourself before death once more." A knight tried to attack Jaune and he countered with a punch. "E-Rank Hunter Jaune Arc. That's all you'll ever be."
Raven growled, as did a lot of people. No one, no one, likes to be told they didn't amount to anything.
"If you don't control yourself, your courage becomes recklessness."
"Shut up," the current Jaune replied. He tried to punch harder but he couldn't find the strength too.
So he was smacked aside by one knight and then into the floor by another. Jaune groaned as he was forced into the fetal position as he grabs his stomach.
"I'm surprised he's still alive," Neo muttered.
"You still have a long way to go. From now on you'll have to kill more people, and leave others behind. Including friends and family." His dark self spoke. "You will bring about your own destruction."
"What is he talking about?" Summer asked.
"Again it will appear later."
A screen appeared before the current Jaune, one that the other could barely see. "Wait...did not this happen before? But...what happened after that?"
The screen before him was a Daily Quest used for training.
"Daily Quest," Yang asked. "So he has to do a quest one every day?"
"Yes. It's super simple. 100 push-ups, sit-ups, curl-ups, squats and run 10km."
"That doesn't sound bad, hell that sounds downright laughable," Neptune said.
"The 10km run sounds to be the hardest part," Blake agreed.
"What? Is the daily quest ending?" A second timer appeared, counting down from ten.
The darker self of his made a disappointed noise. "It's also said that luck is a skill. It looks like leaving you to die here is too much of a waste for it." The darker self turned to leave.
As the timer hit three, a knight raised its blade to attack him.
"Whelp, that sucks," Roman said. "Next world?"
At zero, the sword came down and...
Met with nothing. Jaune wasn't there.
"Oh ye of little faith," Qrow laughed. "You don't watch enough movies."
"We're criminals when we would have time to watch movies?" Neo countered.
"You could always pirate it." The two looked at one another and nodded. They forgot about that.
Jaune opened his eyes and saw that he was not in that dark dungeon. In fact, he was in a bright desert. He sat up his aching body as he looked about. "This is...the penalty zone."
"Penalty Zone? What is that?" Penny asked.
"In some games, if you fail to do a quest you are teleported to a place where you're supposed to either fight your way out or survive the entire time," Ruby explained to her.
"So...it's like time out for a bad kid?" Ghira asked not sure what she meant.
"You don't play video games don't you?" Summer teased the other father in the room.
"He doesn't even play on his Scroll," Kali laughed.
The blonde gave a small laugh. "Looking back on it now, I didn't do the daily quest today. So I ran out of time."
He knelt down and took a deep breath. "What good timing... to think that I would survive from that situation.."
"He got lucky," Winter said.
"As the evil version of him said," Glynda told her, "Luck is a skill too."
Jaune's stats showed up for a moment.
[HP: 93/10278]
[MP: 202/850]
[Fatigue: 91/100]
"Fuck," Yang gasped. Ruby, Nora, and Ren looked relieved that he managed to escape after seeing the numbers themselves. Tai, Summer, Qrow, Roman and Neo frown. Velvet and Coco looked at the numbers and shook their heads. Those who don't play games looked confused.
"What do those numbers mean?" Weiss asked. Penny nodded too, unsure of what those meant.
"HP is Health," Ruby said.
"Oh no," Penny gasped. "That's less than one percent!"
"MP is magic. Or if you want to be specific, aura for us," Yang explained. "So at least he's good on that front."
"And he's literally almost dead tired," Glynda frowned.
"Did the quest wish me luck to survive or to get as much as points as I can?" He shook his head as he stood. "Luck, coincidence, whatever you want to call it. It came through for me."
He held his right hand out. "Store." A screen popped up with pages that looked like it belonged in a video game. He moved over to the potion tab and bought fatigue restoration potions. "I'm rich enough that I'm not afraid to do this."
"So lucky," Coco complained as she looked at what was on the screen. "He can shop where ever he wants! Wherever he wants!"
"But we can do that in our world already via Scroll," Velvet replied.
"But it's instant! Instant! If I can do that with clothes, I would be in heaven!"
"Amen sister!" Roman agreed, also jealous about having a store wherever he wants.
He drank different potions, collecting himself. "It seems like my fatigue can be restored but my health can't be when it's in critical." Jaune shook his head. "I have to wait for it to naturally regenerate."
"Makes sense as a drawback for a power," Ruby said. "If he has a lot of HP and has high regen, it only makes sense that if he's in the critical."
"You sure know a lot about video games," Summer responded.
"She plays too much," Weiss sighs. "She could take time to study more." That made Ruby blush.
The man littered the empty bottles. "I don't know about that job change dungeon, but maybe I can heal by leveling up here?" Jaune cracked his neck and smirked. "I know I can die in one hit, but I've never felt more alive."
"Yes, I understand," Raven said happily. "This guy is my type."
"More so than the alien version?" Tai asked.
"The alien, while buff and obviously powerful, is too naive. This one knows what it means to crave and want power. I can completely understand him, and that what makes him more desirable to me," Raven explained.
The sands began to move and large centipedes appeared. "All that matters now is to find out if these things will give me levels." As they attacked, Jaune jumped up and stabbed one of the large bugs.
"More bugs!" Ruby and Penny shouted.
"See you soon? Yeah. If we survive until the end. If the pain doesn't kill me, it will make me stronger!"
Penalty Quest: Survive for 4 hours.
Jaune stood over the corpses of several giant centipedes, drinking a potion. His stats had increased significantly since he had leveled up four times.
"Damn that leveled up four times? In four hours? If this is like an MMO, he must have level ground hard," Yang whistled. "It takes so much time to level up in those things."
"Thank goodness, I can level up here. I can even use the store to get more potions." He said to himself. The blonde looked at the giant floating screen, showing that he had three minutes left. "I guess it's time to prepare before I go back. I don't have the stuff necessary so I should do that as fast as I could."
Jaune went to the store and bought the Knife Killer, a dagger that did extra damage to armored enemies.
"Smart. Finally, something to fight those knights with, instead of his fist," Neo grinned.
That and he broke the red Rune Stone, he had received from Ignis. Power surged through him as he gained Dominator's Touch, which let him interact with objects at a distance. However, it would require a higher skill level to move heavier stuff it seemed. After all, he tried to move a centipede body but it was far too much.
"It's like my Semblance," Glynda pointed out. She had telekinesis after all, and that ability was akin to that.
"Okay, this is my last chance. We'll have to see how it goes."
As he was taken by the portal, he arrived back at the throne room. The number of knights had more than tripled. "You guys grew a lot while I was gone huh?" Jaune taunted. As some knights moved closer, he slashed at them with his new dagger, effectively destroying them.
"Woo!" Sun yelled. Ilia had to cover her ears.
"Can you not be so loud?" she glared at her friend's maybe-boyfriend.
"That's weird..." Jaune thought as he assessed his situation, moving away from some of the mobs. "I'm not getting experience. I should have leveled up at least once from all these guys." He dodged a few strikes as he kept thinking.
"That's odd indeed. If this is like a video game, shouldn't he be getting experience from killing those monsters?" Ironwood asked.
"The only thing I can think of are those magicians in the back row. I can hear them chanting. But what...A debuff? No, I don't feel anything off."
That's when it clicked.
"They're summoning the knights! Because they are summoned by something else I don't get experience." Jaune grinned. "It all makes sense now! Especially since the ones to come out of the portal last were the magicians!"
"Ah, there it is," Ozpin smiled.
"There what is?" Qrow asked.
"Mr. Arc's quick thinking. While not a complete strategist as most of the people here, Mr. Arc is an excellent tactician, able to think of things on the fly."
"Ah, that's so true!" Nora yelled. "He always knew how to adapt to the situation but his preplanning sucks balls!"
He jumped into the air and then threw his old dagger at the robbed monster, instantly destroying it. As it died, those it summoned died as well.
Skill: Dagger Throw has been learned!
"It seems like the knights can only come out of the gate if a magician is powering it." Jaune used his Stealth vanishing from view before he even landed.
"That..definitely makes things easier," Weiss sighed in relief. Neptune felt a little threatened at that.
Several floating eyes appeared and Jaune grinned. "It doesn't matter if you found my position." The blonde was hanging off a wall scone on a pillar, giving him a view of the whole room. "Because I've found all five of you."
"Thinking like a true hunter," Qrow commented.
From his position, Jaune threw one of his daggers that got stabbed into the magician and then leaped at it. Grabbing the thrown blade, he made several attacks with his two daggers killing a second one.
You have slain a magician.
"That's two," Pyrrha said, hoping he finishes well alive.
Jaune began fighting his way through the remaining knights that got in his way, slicing and dicing anything in his path. He even used Dominator's Touch to reach out and crush a helmet before snapping the neck of a monster.
"Brutal," Sun laughs. "He's about our level right now."
"Actually, he might be stronger," Blake answered. "Since he leveled up, he may have been as strong as us prior. But he's for sure on a higher power than ourselves right now."
Of course, this was a difficult fight, so he had taken some damage. "How long are you going to stay behind these bastards!" Jaune shouted at one magician. Using his new skill, he choked a magician and pulled himself to it before stabbing the monster.
You have slain a magician.
"Smart use of telekinesis, I may have to do that myself sometimes," Glynda noted. Instead of bringing something to you, you bring yourself to your target.
He suddenly felt the floor rumbling. Looking down, he saw the various dead bodies of the knight monsters fuse together to create one giant one. "A Golem!?" He shouted. Too bad he was on top of the thing. As it stood to its full height, wanting to crush Jaune against the roof, the Hunter saw what he needed. Exactly where the last three magicians were.
"A crisis can always turn into an opportunity," Roman said smiling. This kid was quick on his feet, and would also make a great partner. Now if he could only find him to persuade him to join his group.
He leaped down, dodging as the golems two arms slam into the ground, once again obscuring the area with dust and debris.
However, Jaune used sprint to maximize his speed and take the opportunity, slaying the last three magicians in succession.
"He won!" Penny clapped her hands.
Everything came to a halt at that. All the knights falling down, as did the golem. Reverting back to empty armors. "Thank goodness they were all grouped up together or this may have taken longer," Jaune said wiping off his brow.
He looked at the floating timer again and saw that it had been four hours and twenty-nine minutes. "Is it over or is something else going to pop out?" That was why he kept his dagger ready.
All the monsters have been defeated, the quest will now end. You will be able to choose a class based on the points you've earned.
"I hope he chooses something cool! Since he's an assassin maybe he becomes a ninja!" Nora replied.
"Excuse you," Blake gasped. "I'm the ninja here."
"I am also like a ninja Nora," Ren pouted.
"I know but we can have another one in our group!" Nora countered.
"Well seeing as I use a dagger, hopefully, I can choose something from the assassin class."
The game glitched for a second before the words changed on the screen.
A job will be granted after the player's actions have been analyzed.
"Uh...did anyone else notice that?" Ruby asked. Everyone voiced their agreement. "Okay, so it wasn't just me."
"Granted? What? I can't choose!" Jaune complained.
He ran a hand over his face trying to think calmly after this. "Okay, given all my physical stats are high, I'm either going to be a warrior, assassin, or tank for sure." A small smile crept on his face. "Either way, I'm going to be stronger."
A job has been chosen:
Where ever the player goes, the Reaper follows. The player's path is littered with corpses and smells of blood.
"Ominous!" Neo laughed. "Wow, this System really doesn't like to give straight answers huh."
"I know right? It's almost as bad as Ozpin sometimes," Glynda teased.
"What...what are you saying!?"
As the player possesses strength, he does not leave anything to his teammates and overcomes his own strength.
"It sounds like I'm going to be a warrior."
"Okay so that's good, our group could use a proper tank," Pyrrha said. "I mean he's already on the way there but if he can get something like that we can mold our Jaune to be that way too."
Your desire for strength burns strong enough to call those who wander the valley of death, and the army of the dead who follows your command shall create a path where your thread will be the law and you shall never need another's help again.
"That is definitely not something a warrior would be," Yang replied to Pyrrha's words. "Army of the dead is sooo a mage class."
Jaune's eyes widen. "Army of the dead?" he gasped.
"That can't be right. This is my job!?"
Your job is "Necromancer."
"So he can make zombies, neat," Coco said.
"NOOOO!" Jaune fell to his knees in comical despair. "I haven't even touched my intelligence stat! How can I even have this job?!"
Finally, in a moment of brevity, everyone got a laugh from that.
"Necromancers and the army that follows them." He groaned. "I don't know if any of the Hunters are necromancers, but in games and stories they usually leave the fighting to their minions."
"Capable followers would be a godsend though," Roman sighed. Despite him being a villain, Ironwood agreed. Sometimes his soldiers were incompetent so he had to fire them.
Jaune stood up. "I was always a physical type of Hunter. From the beginning, even in E-rank, I used swords and daggers. The skills I learned up to this point are that of an assassin. So why the hell is this class chosen!?"
"That is an interesting question," Summer commented. "Why would the System do that?"
Taking a deep breath, the player spoke to himself once more. "Okay, let's consider the pros. I can make my own army." He tilted his head back and can only groan again. "But 'slaves' don't level up. Does that mean my stats have just become useless!"
[Stats]
Strength: 132
Vitality: 92
Agility: 111
Intelligence: 70
Sense: 93
"Those stats would put his strength at Yang's with her Semblance on and just below Ruby's Semblance, not at your maximums though." The Curator told them. That made Yang and Ruby feel relieved, after all, if Jaune could match them so easily? That wasn't cool.
As he held his head, Jaune saw the screen shift.
Will you accept your job?
"Wait I can decline?" he said hopefully. "Maybe I can still earn a job...I refuse."
This class is a hidden class. Do you still wish to refuse?
"This System really wants him to take this ability," Blake pointed out, suspicious.
"Hidden class?" he asked aloud. "I remember Hunters of certain fields suddenly have crazy abilities not fitting to their given class. Does this mean I'll get a unique ability like they do?"
"So it's like having a Semblance then," Velvet surmised.
"Having that on top of video game powers? That's unfair," Neptune groaned. How could he catch up to any of these versions. Hell, the one he knew actually can speak to girls and can give dating advice. He had to step it up.
"There's no need for me to think so deeply if I'm able to experience having necromancer as a job first hand," Jaune said to himself. As he was thinking, his eyes landed on one of the discarded robes of the dead magicians.
"Wait, weren't they doing something akin to what a necromancer does?" Jaune stopped thinking and gave a laugh. "It's like someone wanted to give me a taste of what would happen. Whoever gave me this ability, sure knows how to make a fun plot."
"He's suspicious too," Weiss nodded, agreeing with Blake's assumption a few moments ago.
"At least he's not dumb enough not to question it," Ilia nodded.
Now that he was able to think clearly, Jaune was seeing more pros to this choice. "I have fighting abilities, these guys didn't. If a magician were to have close combat abilities and create his own army, he would be able to clear B or even higher ranked dungeons on his own." The thought of that as the case made Jaune shiver in excitement.
"Oh..." Raven blinked before resting her head on her hand. "He just got more interesting."
"Personal army? That's more than you can do," Ironwood told Winter. The Specialist frowned.
"In this game, your abilities are dependent on your skills, levels, and stats." Jaune grinned as he turned to face the screen. "That means my summons can become stronger. This isn't solo leveling any more."
"His summons get stronger too. That's crazy!" Neo said. "He's so broken in that world.
Jaune Arc, age 24, reached out and tapped yes.
Your job has been chosen.
Based on the number of points you've earned you are being promoted to a higher class.
The shadows from all around started to gather and merge onto his spot. The system awarding him points for accomplishments, both through luck and skill.
"That seems rather evil," Kali said.
The total amount of points surpass the feat limit.
The shadows being to swirl around Jaune, shocking him.
You have been promoted from Necromancer to Shadow Monarch.
"Fuck," Jaune grinned as he saw the shadows dancing off his body. "I got a promotion."
"Fuck you." Everyone looked at Neptune who covered his mouth. "Uh sorry. I'm just a little jealous that he's getting all this stuff."
"I hear you kid but god you don't need to be so angry," Qrow replied. "Pretty sure our version of the kid isn't that overpowered."
You have learned a job exclusive skill.
You have gained bonus stats.
You have gained the title "The One Who Overcame Adversity"
The shadows finally stopped moving as Jaune calmed down from his power high. "If I didn't obtain all those bonus points, I probably would have had to stay as a necromancer for a while."
That when he heard screaming, screams of pain.
"No one is there though," Velvet said. "Who could be screaming?"
His blue eyes narrow and he saw wisps of shadows over the dead knight armors. Above them were the words: Shadow Extraction can be used on this target.
"Of course," he said to himself. "It's the necromancer skill. Shadow extraction is definitely a skill that is used for turning corpses into summonable beings. Necromancer is a commander type job after all."
Please select your command phrase for shadow extraction.
The young man took a moment, pondering what his phrase should be. Maybe a bit longer than necessary.
"I bet you he's trying to think of something cool to say," Nora laughed, causing others to laugh too.
His eyes glow blue before he said a single word, "Arise."
From all over the throne room, shadows began to swirl and coalesce over their corpses. One by one, the shadows dragged themselves out of their bodies and stood, dark mimics of what they originally were.
"I want him," Raven said mesmerized. The fact that he has an army now, which he can make from the corpses of his foe, made her think he's the perfect choice for her bandits. Maybe as a new lover?
"Not gonna lie, this is damn cool."
"It is," Neo agreed. Everyone else nodded their heads as well. Who wouldn't want a personal army?
Looking over his new skills, it seems like he could summon 30 shadows, but only store up to 20...at the moment. As he was inspecting them, both the knights and the magicians, something caught his eye. A flash of blood red.
"Oh...I forgot about Igris," Ruby said.
"That is...going to be scary if he had that thing on his team," Kali agreed with her friend's daughter. That person was as strong as professional hunters. Now he's going to be part of an undead army, potentially.
You must dismiss a shadow to nothingness if you want to use the skill again.
Jaune sighed. "I cancel eleven of the knight infantry. Sorry guys, I even summoned you and all that." Eleven shadows vanish, leaving the world completely. That didn't matter though, he had bigger fish to fry.
"Blood-red commander Igris," he said to the corpse. The blonde felt excited. The thought of having this guy on his team. "Arise."
The shadow began to form before...
Magic stopped and was released, forcing Jaune back a moment.
"Ah!" Velvet and the other Faunus covered their ears, as it got too loud for a second.
You have failed to extract the shadow. You have two more chances.
"What?" The man was stupefied before summoning his skill ability for Shadow Extraction. "It's success rate is based on the stats and the time of death." He clucked his tongue. "Not only is this guy stronger than me, he's been dead for four hours. So, of course, it will be difficult."
"So there are limitations to that skill," Ozpin said. "It seems like he can't always get what he wants this way."
Jaune stood again. "Arise." The same magical feedback happened.
"That's a second failure," Weiss said. She knew the feeling. Her summons weren't good just yet so she can understand his frustrations.
You have failed to extract the shadow. You have one chance left.
Staring at the corpse and then around the room, Jaune narrowed his eyes.
Facing Igris once more. "Stop protecting the seat of a man who's already left you," Jaune said. This time he placed his hand directly above the corpse. "And try protecting me who is in front of you."
"Arise."
Nothing happened before...a shadowy hand reached up and grabbed his. The Hunter grinned as he pulled the shadow of Blood-Red Commander Igris out of his body. A tower of black energy engulfed the two of them as the knight, now a shadow stood before him, cape and all.
"So cool!" Ruby shouts. That scene was one of the best she's seen in almost all the world so far!
"Blood-Red Igris," Jaune greeted him only to gag. "No. Even I can tell that's too edgy..."
That had gotten another round of laughs.
The grin turned into a soft smile. "Just Igris."
The knight commander knelt down in fealty to Jaune as did the other knights, causing him to laugh. "Please take care of me."
The screen fades.
"That was fun," Raven smiled. "I think this is my favorite world for now."
"Of course you would. That boy is power-hungry like yourself," Qrow replied.
"I don't know, I found that downright wonderful," a feminine voice said from the back of the room. Everyone turned to see Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury sitting back there, with their theater food.
"AH!" Roman screamed as he and Neo made sure to stay away from his boss as much as possible.
"Don't worry, they are stuck in those seats," the Curator said and will be teleported into their separate rooms.
"When the hell did they get here?" Qrow glared at them for attacking Autumn.
"As much as I hate to admit it, they are key parts to your world too," he replied.
"Yes. That is why we were brought here as well," Cinder smirked. "We arrived as the video started and were dropped right into these seats."
"Not going to lie, that was fun to watch it," Mercury said as he threw popcorn into his mouth.
"Not my type," Emerald said.
"I liked him though. His powers, skills, would be perfect for our organization," Cinder purred.
"Stranger danger!" Penny shouted at them.
"I think I should restart the previous world, the theater is now prepared for what will happen."
The screen came to life and started to glitch for a moment. It wasn't a preview that came on instead of a gritty scene. On the picture screen was of Nora holding the dead body of an older Jaune, crying.
Before it cuts to the Saiyan universe in perfect clarity.
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