Some chapters might be really short, depending on what the subject is for that chapter. It helps so that I don't have to feel like I should cram more into the chapter with sudden jumps.

EDIT: Readjusted some sentences

EDIT: Fixed sentencing regarding aura gain.


Chapter 3: Insightful Day

Dusk turns to dawn and the residents of Hasiera were already up and about, ready to start the day with vigor despite suffering from a massive Grimm attack yesterday. I had the opportunity to tag along with the miners, engineers, medical staff, and armed escorts to the mines and quarries.

You have metal wagons being pulled by multiple draft or draught horses; vehicles heavily armored and large, functioning as transport for people and haulers for Dust crystals, ores, and other materials. And I can't forget about the many guard dogs prancing around their owners and packmates. To sum it up, it was like a military convoy. I've counted over 70 people that are a part of this mining operation, which is a considerable amount since there are only 435 people left in Hasiera.

[You have gained insight on the {Kingdom of Hasiera} Military Strategy]

[Insight on Military Strategy has increased by +7]

I also forgot, but the system seems to have 'readjusted' the insight feature last night. The more I know, the more bonuses I'll get. It's difficult to keep track of the insight mechanics, so I often don't bother with it unless the insight bonuses is something I really want. Like the old saying: The more you know, the less you'll know. Maybe.

We past by many hills and elevated landmarks before nearing our destination. You can see several old structures of some kind not far from the small mountains where the Dust mines are located. If you were to turn west, you'll go down a valley to the quarries that are a good amount of travelling from here.

[Decommissioned Mantle Military Refinery #1]

[Increase the refining process rate of Dust crystal, iron ore, and gravel by 0%]

The entire convoy stop and the armed escorts went in to assess the situation within the worksite. When they give an all clear, the convoy went in and begin setting up their base of operations for the day. Then they split into smaller groups, driving machinery to their respective destination to begin mining resources. I can't help but notice that the mining machinery was mostly diverted to the quarries instead of the Dust mines.

When I asked one of them, they told me that the machinery is better suited for mining iron and gravel, not Dust crystals.

Dust crystal is volatile and requires a different approach to mine; a backbreaking effort. Once the crystal has been mined, it needs to be carefully handled and packaged for transport. Iron ore and gravel can be gathered in bulk and is easier to handle unlike Dust, which can explode if you're not careful. All three of these resources are then shipped back to Hasiera for processing.

And the refining process is a whole thing of its own.

[You have gained insight on the {Kingdom of Hasiera} Resource Acquirement]

[Insight on Dust Crystal Mining has increased by +4]

[Insight on Iron Ore Mining has increased by +3]

[Insight on Gravel Mining has increased by +4]

I wasn't allowed or interested in following them into the mining sites, but I was allowed to help guard the base of operations and the mine sites from Grimm and wildlife, getting to know the people and pet guard dogs in the meantime.

Speaking of the guard dogs or war dogs, they're a wide variety of breeds of them. From German Shepard to Molossus, the majority of them are large dogs with powerful jaws. Combined with the fact that they have their aura unlocked and you have powerful hounds with amplified physical strength rushing down anything unfortunate enough to get in their way.

The canine units date back to the Great War era. The practice of training canines for combat still persists to this day. They've proven themselves extremely useful in scouting, lookouts, and attacking. I've watched three large hounds drag down a Nevermore four times their size trying to flee before crunching its neck.

Name: Moxie
Level: 36
Age: 6
Affiliation: Kingdom of Hasiera
AP: 2100/2100
HP: 105/105
Perks
Stats
Details
Equipment

One of the war dogs I got to know is a pack leader named Moxie, a dark brown Molossus. She seems to enjoy my presence, wagging her tail, and resting by my foot with her packmates. Each of the militia's war dogs has its own 'squad' of sorts, often grouped together in five or more.

[Moxie likes you for reasons unknown. You gained 7,000 Reputation with Moxie]

REPUTATION

Hasiera – 175,000 – Honored

Altan Esplanade – 85,000 – Exalted
Farran Colvin – 83,945 – Honored
Lloyd Williams – 10,506 – Well-Liked
Moxie – 7,000 – Friendly

'Huh. I didn't know I can gain reputations with animals.'

I kneel down and give her head a rub.

[You gained 150 Reputation with Moxie]

'That's one way to farm reputation.' I amusingly thought to myself. 'I wonder if I'll get more reputation points if I sneak treats to her.'

The rest of her packmates didn't have much of an opinion on me, but seem to enjoy my presence around them, or are at the very least comfortable enough to lay down and close their eyes. They're not slacking; guard duty is boring. There's not a lot of Grimm roaming around here and when one or more Grimm shows up, they're quickly and easily killed by the militia.

[Insight on Military Strategy has increased by +6]

[Insight on Combat Units: War Dogs has increased by +11]

[Your insight for Combat Units: War Dogs has leveled up] [Level 2]

[Training time for War Dogs in Barracks has been reduced by 7% and all War Dogs now have a small chance to gain additional perks]

To kill time, I chatted with the people, gathering all the little information I can along with some gossips.

I learned a few things about Hasiera, mainly their culture and economics. Well, they don't really have much of an economy since they're isolated from the rest of the world.

There's no outsiders to trade with or any common currency to exchange. For the most part, they use something like a bartering and commodity system for their markets. The most common form of 'currency' they use is pieces of Dust shards. Then you have resources like metallic ores and bars, jewels, livestock, and anything of value to them. There's still some printed paper currency from the Great War era, but those are now historical collections and have absolutely no value.

[Insight on Culture has increased by +7]

[Insight on Economics has increased by +18]

Soon it was afternoon and the first shipment of Dust crystal has returned to the base of operation along with the miners. Lunch break for them. For everyone else, it's time to get to work packaging and ensuring that the Dust crystal is stable enough to be transported.

[Dust Acquired]
953 {Fire}
186 {Rock}
482 {Plant}
386 {Water}
669 {Electricity}

Refining Dust crystal increases its potency, and you can combine them during refinement to create new types of Dust properties. Using Dust in its raw form isn't efficient. It's absolutely important to have them refined when there's limited access to such important resources.

[Insight on Dust Crystal Mining has increased by +3]

Now comes the 'hardest' part: Transporting the unrefined Dust crystals back to Hasiera.

There's a rumor among the militia that there's an intelligent Grimm prowling around the roads to Hasiera, coordinating attacks on the transport. Notice the 'coordinating' part; a jarring difference between Grimm rushing at you from all sides in a disorganized manner, and Grimm 'focusing' on lead and rear-blocking their target.

From what I gathered; the Grimm are prone to be more active when they start transporting things back, displaying some basic ambush tactics. When the transport passes by nearby areas with elevated positions, aerial Grimm will rush out and attack the front of the transport, stopping and driving them back. Then another swarm of Grimm will quickly attack from behind and try to get them to drive off sideways, splitting up the defenses for easy pickings.

At least, that's what I'm told from those who experienced it firsthand.

NEW EVENT QUEST ALERT!
Rumors of an intelligent Grimm lurking in the roads has caught your attention. Escort the transport back to Hasiera and see if the rumors are true.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
Escort the transport back to Hasiera

REWARD
Primary Objective +105,295 EXP and possible progression to the next event quest

'That's interesting… I think.'

There might actually be some merit in the rumors with all these firsthand accounts. Seeing the odd part of the reward in this new event quest, I might be getting into some extensive side quest.

"You'll get the feeling that you're being watched," Said one of the militiamen, "then the Grimm will start attacking from the front, then back. They think it's a single intelligent Grimm planning out the attacks on the transport."

A militiawoman punches her partner on the shoulder, "Don't go spreading nonsense. You're really going to attract the Grimm."

"Ow! Hey! I know that! But even Farran thinks something is up. Besides, you can't deny what…"

"You don't have to remind me. Something is up. I know, but what do we really know? Mr. Colvin did his best to make things easier for us. Until someone can find a more effective solution, spreading rumors like this won't help us."

"What? I can't warn people?"

"No. It's better to tell everyone that there's possibly a strong or intelligent Grimm out there and that they should remain calm and be vigilant."

I figured now is a good time to catch a ride back to Hasiera and raise my hand to catch their attention.

"I'll help escort the transport."

/-/

No Grimm attacked the transport throughout the entire trip back, which is kinda disappointing since I was bored at this point of the day.

Hasiera is just a few hundred meters away; the skies and fields are devoid of Grimm. The chances of any Grimm attacking the transport is extremely low. On the other hand, I got to know some of the brave men and women that are part of Hasiera's militia. The militiawoman from early is Cerin and her partner is actually named Ceri, just one letter short and the two are not related in any sort of way.

Name: Cerin Hamill
Level: 41
Age: 24
Affiliation: Kingdom of Hasiera
AP: 3150/3150
HP: 145/145
Perks
Stats
Details
Equipment

Name: Ceri Vanderbilt
Level: 41
Age: 25
Affiliation: Kingdom of Hasiera
AP: 2382/2382
HP: 150/150
Perks
Stats
Details
Equipment

It's important to note that everyone's stats are lower and lacking compared to your average player of the same level. I notice that Cerin's aura is higher than Loran's who is level 64 unless she 'invested' her points into aura, and Farran who doesn't have that much aura for his level. The inconsistency led me to believe that outside of the eight stats, their aura gain is very low and random per individual.

As for their HP, that's kinda normal. You'll have lower leveled people with higher HP than others for some reason even if they don't look like they can take a hit. It's been like that since the beginning, so I'm not raising much of an eyebrow.

Anyway, they seem fairly curious about me, having heard from Loran and Harvey about my contribution to repelling the Grimm incursion. That and the sudden appearance of a small castle-like structure on the far hillsides north of Hasiera isn't something they won't notice.

I answered some of their questions like where did I come from. It's a bit awkward since I can't exactly tell them I'm from another world trapped within a world that's similar in many ways to a VR game without making me look crazy.

Naturally, I decided to stick with the technical truth I told Farran: I'm from a far-off land that's known as Avalon-Estria. It's 'isolated' like Hasiera, which gives me an excuse for lacking common knowledge. In return for telling them about myself and where I'm from, I get to know a bit more about this world that's also called Remnant. Although, their knowledge is very limited as they've never left Hasiera before.

"You should ask Farran about that, but there are four kingdoms: Atlas, Mistral, Vale, and Vacuo," Ceri explains to me, counting with his fingers. "I believe Atlas used to be called Mantle or something. Nearly everyone here is a descendant of the settlers from Mantle. Again, Farran knows better than anyone here."

[You have gained insight on the {World of Remnant} Kingdoms]

[Insight on the kingdoms has increased by +4]

"Got it. Thanks."

"So, what's the place you're from again? Avalon-Estria?"

"Yup."

"Is it two places in one or just the name of the place?"

"Basically, two places in one. We used to be two separate governing bodies. Well, we still have two different governing bodies." Again, technically true since an alliance can claim territories and control them, making us a governing body of sorts. "I guess you think could think of us as two kingdoms merged into one."

The game developers of Remnant: Online added the alliance merger feature years ago, allowing friendly alliances to band together without having all the hassle of getting everyone to move or disband; a coalition. Avalon and Estria being one of those. I was just a recruit within Estria back then, so I don't really know much besides a few names of the people who helped make it happen.

In a nutshell, we have two different leaderships. Avalon is still under the control of their council or senate, and Estria with their Aristocrats in the imperial court. When we need both leaderships, we call for a central assembly. Almost like Austria-Hungary.

"That sounds… Unique."

"It's something we pride ourselves on." I turned my back a bit, letting them see our emblem. "We even redrew our emblem. It's on the back of my coat."

Cerin committed the emblem to her memory. "Does the creatures and symbols mean anything?"

"The winged dragon on the left is Avalon, the phoenix on the right is Estria. The shield is, I guess a symbol for a firmer strength in our unity. This one represents light and that one dark." I paused for a moment, "I suppose it means that there's a bit of light and darkness in everyone."

It sounds stupid geeking over a game and the history of established community circles, but it's fun and adds life to the game Remnant: Online. Thankfully, I'm not that kind of person. The alliance's history is very useful in crafting a technically true backstory for myself. It helps that our alliance doesn't have some cringe names like 'The Boyz' or '!KrayZee AyAy Town!' and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Anyway, my technically true background might lead to some more questions, but it's better than saying I'm from another world called Earth and I have all my abilities from a virtual reality game. It's difficult and a mouthful that's not even covering half of the scenario I've found myself in.

"Which one are you?" Ceri asks me. "Are you from Avalon or Estria, I mean?"

"I'm from Estria. You can refer to me as an Estrian." And a high-ranking one too.

The carrier we were riding came to a slow stop and the co-driver bangs on the vehicle side, telling us that everything clear and we should get out.

Ceri raps back a response. "Time to check in with Loran and get our lunch break."

"Yeees. I could kill for some salmi right now. Want to join us, Enzo?"

"Sorry. Maybe next time. I have to meet with Farran."

"Alright. See you later then."

"You too. Nice talking to you guys."

We got off the carrier and went our separate ways.

I had to carefully weave through the bustling area, mindful of the people handling volatile explosives and heavy equipment. It wasn't crowded, but there's a lot of movement going about and I shouldn't disrupt the flow.

[Primary Objective completed: You gained +105,295 EXP]

[You gained 5,000 Reputation with Ceri and Cerin]

REPUTATION

Hasiera – 175,000 – Honored

Altan Esplanade – 85,000 – Exalted
Farran Colvin – 83,945 – Honored
Lloyd Williams – 10,506 – Friendly
Moxie – 7,150 – Friendly
Cerin Hamill – 5,000 – Friendly
Ceri Vanderbilt – 5,000 – Friendly

'Well, that was an uneventful trip back.'

I did enjoy my conversation with the two, so that balances out the dullness I'm feeling right now. It may seem strange, but I would like to see how you would be when you stayed up hours all night unable to sleep and with limited entertainment. I probably shouldn't be hanging around at my outpost at night anymore, lest I die of boredom.

'Time to check up on Farran.'

/-/

"Appreciate it, lad." Farran slaps me on the back, "The trail from the mines and back has been an… Interesting one. Most people think of Grimm as mindless monsters. That's not always the case. It's hard to say how intelligent they can be, but it's notable."

"Maybe it's already been dealt with when the town was under attacked."

"I hope so. One less thorn in our sides. Ah, hang on." He turns his attention back to the training grounds where trainees were running on the dirt track, "Keep up the pace! Six more laps! So, lad. Ya looked a bit bored there, maybe homesick."

[Insight on Combat Training has increased by +3]

"Yeah. There's not a lot of things for me to do here without getting in the way, and the things I can do have a limit. That or hunting down monsters and exploring."

I'm not sure if I can go into the mines and start shoveling anything valuable into my inventory. With the system sometimes going on a the fritz whenever I interact with certain environment, I can never be too sure.

"Is that so? Let's kill that for a wee while. For someone around your age, ya got an air of a veteran huntsman. Tell me, where did ya learn how to fight? Were ya self-taught or been to a huntsman academy?"

The term huntsman isn't familiar to me outside of a few alliances and groups that use that term. Come to think of it, Altan said something about Farran being the only huntsman in Hasiera. It seems to be a revered occupation of sorts.

"I have a lot of experiences in fighting." Mostly in-game, but I did some boxing and mixed martial arts in real life years ago. Two years at most before I moved on. "Mostly from watching others fight and a little bit of traditional training. The rest is through trials and errors."

"Hands-on and practical approach gives faster results, aye?"

"Yup. Mind if I ask a question?."

"Go for it."

"I'm still lacking some common knowledge about the world. Tell me more about these huntsman academies."

There's still a lot of things I know and don't know. Remnant and the Creatures of Grimm, I'm familiar with. Aura and semblances too. But I'd never heard of any of the four kingdoms or huntsman academies. I'm not even sure if the landmasses are the same. No world map for reference.

"There's four Huntsman Academies throughout Remnant. They were built after the Great War to help train protectors and warriors to combat the Creatures of Grimm." Farran explains, counting with his fingers. "One for each kingdom: Vale, Vacuo, Atlas, and Mistral. Beacon Academy is in Vale; Haven Academy in Mistral; Shade Academy in Vacuo; and obviously Atlas Academy for Atlas."

[You have gained insight on the {World of Remnant} Huntsman Academies]

[Insight on Huntsman Academies has increased by +16]

'Interesting. So, there are really only four big nations here. Similar combat institutions, I guess. Not the same as the game though.'

Farran continues, "Most people start off from a Primary Combat School. Once they graduate from there, they can transfer to any of the four huntsman academies. Of course, it's not really a requirement. If you can pass their entrance exams, then you can get into the huntsman academies. Like me."

[Insight on Huntsman Academies has increased by +4]

"And where did you go to?"

"I went to Beacon. Nice place and city. Teammates, too."

"Teammates?"

"Yeah. All three of them. You get stuck up with three other people until graduation. Four people per team for four years."

[Insight on Huntsman Academies has increased by +5]

[Your insight for Huntsman Academies has leveled up] [Level 2]

[All combat units has a slight increase in quality]
[Important: Existing combat units must be upgraded to have the bonuses applied]

'How the hell am I suppose to upgrade a person?'

[IA System: Reevaluating notice... Correction: Existing combat units must be submitted for retraining to have the bonuses applied]

"I see."

"So, what do ya do back in your homelands? Maybe I can have something for ya so it doesn't get boring around here."

"Kinda like what you're doing right now." I gesture at the trainees still running their second to last laps. While I don't make make our competitive players run laps because that isn't helpful in a VR game, it's close to what Farran is generally doing. "I should be more specific… My job was to provide oversight of our combat training. Almost like a headmaster looking for instructors to hire and sometimes I do the teaching myself."

"You? Teach combat?"

I suddenly felt awkward. It probably sounds like a armchair military general telling an actual military general his achievements.

"Yeah… Hard to believe, huh?"

NEW CRITICAL QUEST ALERT!
This quest will be unlocked at an undetermined time.

'Say what now?'

"If I didn't witness your skills firsthand, I would be doubtful." The old huntsman hums, musing at the revelation. "I could use a helping hand in training the town guards and the residents."

"I'm not sure if I can apply the same standard to anyone here."

There's a huge difference between training a person to fight in real life, and a person in-game. For one, we always kill each other during training since we'll just respawn. It's just a game after all. Obviously, I can't do that in real life, or here wherever this place is. I highly doubt these guys can respawn.

"Hah! Don't worry. The people here always had a decent martial tradition. It's been fading out with the recent generation, but I have hopes to revive it. Besides, me and the crew will be watching and helping ya. That is if ya want to help train the next generations of protectors."

NEW CRITCAL QUEST ALERT!
The Kingdom of Hasiera's martial tradition is fading among the newer generation. Help reinvigorate the fading tradition that has kept the settlement standing for decades.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
Assist Farran in reviving [Martial Tradition]

REWARD
Primary Objective: +100,000 Reputation with Farran, upgrades the quality of combat units, and unlocks new defense modules

I contemplate this opportunity. This will probably be the closest thing I can get to what I am used to doing back at my alliance and kill my boredom. I should probably take up on his offer without being concern about anything if they're also keeping watch.

"I suppose it's better than moping around. What do you have in mind?"

Farran grins and rubs his chin thoughtfully, "I'll think of something by tomorrow."


Pardon my grammar.


Setting up a time skip to get to the major and interesting stuff later down the line... Not the next chapter.