"Stupid mountain with its stupid heights and its stupid stupidness." I grumbled as I took another aching step.
The mountain that I was climbing had turned out to be a much bigger challenge than I originally thought. While it didn't look too large compared to some other mountains, I forgot to take into account that my legs were far shorter.
It didn't help that the trails I managed to find were consistently uphill.
Sure, my SP regenerated exceptionally fast but I noticed after the first three hours that it had started to slow down slightly. It was only then when I checked my status that I realized I was suddenly hit with an exhaustion debuff.
It wasn't too debilitating all things considered and I could still move fine but my SP was regenerating at half its normal pace and only went down a little more for each fifteen minutes I pushed myself. My only saving grace was the fact that I earned two points in my VIT for my efforts but that wasn't enough to keep me going.
I had to sit down on a rock for at least twenty minutes as the debuff ran its course. My iron club rested with its head on the ground as my knee restlessly jumped up and down with the rhythm of Imagine Dragons blaring through my headphones. I turned the page on the One Piece manga in my hand, appreciating the masterpiece of literature for what it was.
During my hike up the mountain I had actually discovered a few things.
First was the obvious debuff and that I didn't have a body with unlimited stamina. I couldn't just walk everywhere nonstop as my body would eventually get tired and fatigued after some time. My hope is that the length of time until I get the exhaustion debuff would increase as I both got older and my physical stats increase.
The second thing that I learned is that my Scroll and headphones apparently both have an unlimited battery. I had the music playing for probably thirty minutes straight and some how there wasn't a single drop in power, even after I decided to leave it on for an hour longer.
Not having to find an outlet out here is a huge weight off my shoulders.
Third was that randomly swinging my club was not an adequate way to level for masteries. I still got experience for it but what I gained was, while steady, very slow for such a low level. It was when I actually stopped and swung the club like a it was meant to be that the experience actually started rolling in and I didn't stop until the mastery rose to level six. I tried it again with punches and kicks and raised hand to hand combat to level three.
Apparently, the body is also considered a weapon.
Anyways there was only one more thing I managed to find out as I—
Warning!
My grip on the handle of my club tightened as the tingling feeling returned. It happened when the creep attacked, warning me of an impending ambush. It didn't give me a precise location but—.
The sound of something cutting through the wind got louder as the danger feeling began to rise. It wasn't a specific direction but it was—"
Incoming!
My senses picked up on every single input around me and mixed with the feeling pinpointed the danger. In one single motion I had already closed my manga and swung my club with one hand as I turned out of the way. Whatever was attacking me let out a loud squawk as I backhand swung at it, creating two sickening cracks, the first from the club and second from the tree I hit it into.
Observe
Young Nevermore
0/100
+15 EXP
1x Nevermore talon
The final thing that I apparently learned was that I had something akin to a downgraded spider sense, making it hard to sneak up on me but with the downside of not being all that precise.
Though I'm not complaining as it made things a bit easier with not having to constantly look over my shoulder for enemies at least.
I rested my club on my shoulder and started walking up the mountain once more, dropping the manga into a golden portal that went back to my inventory.
X
"Welcome to my first—no this is way too dry."
"This is my first of many! Welcome one and—this is terrible! What am I a circus performer!?"
"TOP OF THE MORNIN' TO—No, no, no that's just bad! I'd be a rip off!"
"Hi my name is Kane Brandt, I like reading, games, movies, and working with my hands. I enjoy eating Asi-I mean Mistrali food and what the fuck am I doing? This sounds like the dating profile of a depressed single parent!"
"Stardate 11234-567. I have been inserted in this planet most fascinating and this isn't as much fun as I thought. 'Sigh' How do people do this."
"If anyone finds my dead corpse, I want you to know your world is on a crash course for doom! An evil albino woman has waged a secret shadow war with her ex-husband for the last who knows how many centuries. Four women with magic wander the continent but its only a matter of time before shit hits the fan. Beacon will fall first and the entire world rests on the shoulders of a fifteen-year-old school girl with anti-magic sharingans and her rag tag group of friends! Protect the world! Protect it from the end times!"
I stare at the list of videos that I had taken with my scroll and immediately pressed the delete button, erasing them from existence. I let out a sigh as I laid on a large rock that I found at the top of the mountain. I wanted to leave a log in case something happened but I just didn't know what to say that wouldn't sound crazy.
My little excursion here to the top only seemed to get harder as I went up. Sometimes I had to backtrack and find another way since the trail led to a dead end and other times, I had to push through thick brush to get to somewhere more maneuverable.
The thing that stalled me most though would have to be the ever-increasing amount of Grimm that seemed to, no pun intended, come out of the wood works. After that initial Nevermore, more and more Grimm began to show up with the first being another Nevermore but slightly larger. From there one became two and two became three. Then three became one young Beowulf and then that became a pair of boarbatusks.
What I'm trying to say is that I leveled up five times, increased my club mastery, and am now a bit sweaty and covered in leaves and dirt.
Name: Kane Brandt
Age: 13
Race - ?/?
Level – 7 (85%)
Class – Weapons Master – LVL 3/?
HP: 2000/2000 [Regens 20 per second]
MP: 425/425 [Regens 8 per second] (Locked)
SP: 2000/2000 [Regens 20 per second]
AP: 1750/1750 [Regens 175 per minute] (Locked)
STR – 32 (16)
VIT – 40
AGI – 17 (8)
INT – 17
WIS – 17
CHA – 26 (13)
LUK – 16
Points: 30
HP/SP = VITx50 (Racial Bonus)
HP/SP regen = VITx.5 per second (Racial Bonus)
MP = INTx25 (Racial Bonus)
MP regen = WISx.5 per second (Racial Bonus)
AP = 250 AP per level
AP regen = 10% of AP
*Due to Racial Bonus upon leveling gain 2 stat points in STR, 3 stat points in VIT, and 1 point in remaining stats with 5 distributable stat points*
*Due to Racial Bonus start out with 20 STR, VIT, and CHA*
Debuff: Child Start
You have been de-aged and thrown years before canon.
STR, DEX, and CHA are reduced by 50% until you come of age.
Exp is reduced by 20%.
[Club Mastery] (LVL 10/25) (Novice)
Increases club damage by 20%
[Hand to Hand Combat Mastery] (LVL 5/25) (Novice)
Increases hand to hand combat damage by 10%
I also brought my level up to three in my weapons master class which earned me basically nothing so that was a new layer of annoying to add. The masteries increased but nothing came from the class itself. Would I get something when it hit a certain level or is there some kind of hidden linear ability that's being applied without my knowledge and I just have to find it?
It was definitely something to think about.
I also created a [Dash] skill that increased my movement speed by 50% with an increase of 5% per level at the cost of 15 SP every two seconds, a cost that I don't need to worry about because I regen faster and in greater amounts in one second. The only issue is the exhaustion debuff that could hit from overuse.
When I reached the top of the mountain and found that I actually couldn't see any buildings from here I was very disappointed and decided not to return to the bottom at the moment. I was too tired and it was starting to get dark.
But I mean come on! It was a good plan. Go somewhere high up and find people!
The plan should have worked! It's a forest with an abundance of trees! What settlers wouldn't want to make use of all the raw materials!?
Whatever. Their loss.
Anyways reaching the top at least helped me actually find a signal in this system forsaken stretch of wilderness and thus letting me connect to one of mankind's greatest creations!
The internet.
Or I guess it's the Dustnet now.
…I swear if I search online and find an ad for Dust-Cola or SDCola I am going to be so disappointed in reality for their lack of creativity.
The loading bar on my Scroll finally decided to cooperate and loaded those last two percent after what felt like forever, a fault of me being out in the middle of nowhere and Remnant's inability to create and sustain satellites in orbit and relying on ground-based dishes to communicate. It was a serious problem that I'm eventually going to fix.
Quest Alert!
[Ground Control to Major Tom]
Due to a reliance on Dust the people of Remnant are planet locked. Fix this and pioneer Remnants first steps into the space age!
Objective: Jump start the age of exploration.
Bonus Objective: ?
Rewards: 500 for all stats, 3M EXP, [Touched the Heavens] perk and title, 1 perk of your choice, 10M Lien, 1M Credits, I Legendary item of your choice, 10 Gatcha Tokens.
Bonus Reward: ?
Failure: Difficulty increase for future events, possible death.
Time Limit: 6 years from now
I stared at the notification in a bit of disbelief.
"Really reaching for the stars with the quest right off the bat ain't you TARI?" I was totally willing to go through with the quest but it was the failures that drew my attention. Was the end game that fucking difficult that you need me to basically invent the space age myself?
It is possible User.
That answer is annoyingly vague and I do not appreciate it TARI.
…TARI?
'Sigh'
At least its six years from now. That should be a good enough amount of time, though I'm going to have to really grind my crafting in order to build SOMETHING that can survive in space.
Thank the system for my job class giving me some understanding on how I can make this work even if it's just level one knowledge I have no idea on how I'm gonna get started.
I could probably cut down the process if I can retrofit an Atlesian carrier…no that's way too big. The manpower needed to properly keep it functioning alone is enough to scrap the idea, but reusing anything smaller would most likely not have the engine power or structural stability to reach or survive the upper atmosphere and that's not even taking into account reentry and let's not forget that I need to find or create an entirely stable power source! Dust doesn't work in space so I'd have to remove the entire engine and replace it! This is just a whole list of problems that I'd probably be better off just building the damn thing from scratch!
Plus, the cost…I refuse to skimp on safety just for a few grand off of materials, but just imagining the cost hurts my soul.
No…you have six years. Focus on the now and don't worry on potentials.
I look back at the apps on my Scroll after calming down. Despite the lack of authenticity that they have, social media and content sites are a good way of gathering information on certain areas. Which places were the most popular, who did what, and any special events that are going on?
A quick search on Pyrrha Nikos revealed that she hasn't participated in the Mistral Regional Tournament yet, proving that I am years before the start of the story and according to the date, sometime towards the end of spring and just before summer break. A quick search into the Schnee family showed that I should be close if not the same age as Weiss, who is quite adorable as a child.
All hail the power of modern convenience.
Anyways it's not all good news as the global map only gives me a general location of where I am rather than anything accurate since I'm not close to any relay towers.
And when I say 'general location' I mean GENERAL as in I'm somewhere in the middle of Mistral kind of general.
With a sigh I watched as the sun lowered halfway below the horizon and it only then just hit me how much time I had spent on the mountain. Half of it was walking up the damned thing and getting lost in the process while the other half was mostly fighting off the damn Grimm that made the place their home.
With a smidgen of self-deprecation when I couldn't find anything once I reached the top. With my only saving grace being that there should be a settlement north of where I am, though I have no idea how far, just that it's there.
'Groowwl~'
And I now remembered that I hadn't eaten at all during this entire experience.
Looking into my inventory I bring up my tent and sleeping bag on a flat space that I found. The tent was luckily preset up so I didn't have to waste time trying to figure out how to build the thing because it didn't come with instructions.
I didn't bother with a fire because it was actually warm enough to not need one and my scroll was bright enough to provide the light I needed to eat my dinner.
"Hey TARI?" I ask a I look at the two pulsing boxes in my inventory. I remember getting the two golden tickets earlier when I got my starter kit but I completely forgot I had them until just now. "What's the difference between a normal Gatcha token and a premium one?"
The Premium Gatcha gives a reward of a rare or above.
Items can range in rarity with sub tiers of E through A+++.
EX sub tier only applies to Phantasmal rank.
Rarity ranges as…
JunkCommonUncommonRareEpicMythicalLegendaryPhantasmal
"And these will give me an item of at least a value of Rare?" The idea that something like this had been sitting in my inventory made me want to hit myself for my forgetfulness. At least I saw them now as opposed to a month from now.
An item, a skill book, a perk, materials…
The only exception being money or credits.
"All right." I pray to the gods of luck to bless me as I tapped on the two glowing boxes and select the 'yes' when the confirmation comes up.
There was a small flash of light and the items appeared before me without much fanfare. I was honestly a little disappointed at how lack luster it was. The starter kit floated down from the sky in a gift basket attached to a parachute. I wasn't expecting a meteorite to land before me with the packages inside but at least put a little effort into it.
-1 reputation with TARI [4/100]
Sorry! Sorry! This is totally fine. I just needed something to complain about! The delivery is fine the way it is.
+1 reputation with TARI [5/100]
Note to self; Appreciate TARI more.
I look at the two items that were in front of me with observe.
Observe
Skill book: Singing
"Because even the worst things sound better in song."
Gain Singing skill (LVL1/25) (Novice)
Boosts morale by 1% in certain situations.
Accessory: Bandit King's Bracelet (Rare)
"Is that really all? You better not be skimping."
Increases the chance for more drops by 20%
"At least its not a total loss." I huff as I picked up the items. I looked at the bracelet first as it was the more beneficial of the two. It was made of worn leather and wasn't all that appealing aesthetic wise but I equipped it anyways. Luckily for me accessories just need to be inserted into a slot rather than actually be worn like clothes and armor.
The skill book on the other hand looked a book with a minimalist design on it of a person singing. I opened the pages to actually see if I could read what was inside but it turns out that is only filled with gibberish and not any actual language.
Do you wish to learn skill [Singing]?
Y/N
I didn't see any reason not to and pressed the yes button.
Skill Gained!
[Singing] (LVL 1/25) (Novice)
I didn't get any knowledge from it but I did feel like I knew what to do.
Tonight, I'm gonna have myself a real good time~
I feel alii-iii-iii-iii-ive…
And the wooorld~
I'll turn it inside out, yeah.
[Singing] leveled up!
[Singing] (LVL 2/25) (Novice)
I never realized it until now but I am not a good singer. I'm not entirely bad but I have a very limited range in what I can do. I don't really change my pitch all that much when I sing, instead singing louder rather than better.
At least I'll have something to practice until I find a settlement.
Turning to the setting sun I can only admire the natural beauty as it sets below the horizon. The sky still held onto the faintest scraps of light, tinging the edges of the horizon a deep gold that seemed to be swallowed by the dark sky above. Countless stars dotted the heavens with a massive cluster of them practically cutting the very heavens on half, providing enough light to turn the inky blackness into a pleasant blue.
And there off to the side sitting in the sky, broken in half sat one of my greatest goals. The moon of Remnant was far more breath taking than the show and artwork portrayed it as. In a way I actually thought that the shattered half made it look better.
More…unique.
'Click'
My scroll captures the brief moment for the rest of time. Even on such a small screen I can appreciate just how good it looks. The moon providing a glorious center for the entire thing.
Though it still doesn't excuse the two assholes for what lead to it. Destroying an entire world just to teach someone a lesson is fucked up and inexcusable.
Quest Alert!
[Of Gods and Legends]
Objective: Prove yourself a better than the gods themselves.
Reward: 1k in all stats, 15M EXP, 10 Gatcha Tokens, 1 Phantasmal Gatcha token, 1M credits, +75 or -75 reputation with all factions depending on method, ? title.
Bonus objective: Kill the brother gods and claim what is theirs.
Bonus Reward: 2k to all stats, 15 Gatcha token, 3 Legendary items, 5 skill orbs, ? Perk, ? title, Ownership of Remnant, [?], [?], 100 reputation with Salem and Ozpin.
I don't even need to think as I accept the quest. What happened then was a tragedy and something I wish to correct. It may have been far, far to late to help those people in any capacity but there's one thing I can do for them with great amounts of joy.
Screw over the assholes responsible.
With a smile on my face, I slip into my sleeping bag and zip my tent close.
I have an early morning after all.
X
It was early in the morning, probably around five-thirty or so that I woke up and began to disassemble my camp. Nothing had tried to kill me, thank the system, but I had more than once been woken up to the sounds of either nature or Grimm prowling the edges of my little territory.
Strangely enough I didn't feel the least bit tired despite the interruptions in my sleep cycle.
Once everything was put away, I cracked my neck and gripped my club tightly. Even in the early light of morning I knew that the Grimm were prowling in the forest.
2%
I let a smile slip onto my face as I put my headphones on and let the music begin to play.
I don't want to diee or fade awayyy~
I just want to be someone...
I just want to be someone~
The coolness of the morning does nothing to me as I descend the mountain. The feeling of being watched by the hellish predators around me does nothing to diminish my mood as I sing along.
Die and disappear without a trace~
I just want to be someone!
Well doesn't everyone~
It wasn't long before the first made their attempt and I smirked as I swung, caving their skull in with my club.
It would be a while before I managed to find the village to the north so I might as well make the best of the travel time.
+40 EXP
X
[Four Days Later]
Four days for this.
15%
Four days of walking and camping for this.
17%
Four days of fighting the Grimm and eating the same bland as all hell rations for this!
19%
I honestly felt like I needed to break something. After four grueling days out in the wilderness with the bare essentials I was pushed to my limit.
The rations that I were provided were, while nutritious, quite bland and not palatable when eaten repeatedly the weather took a shit turn after day two and started to rain for most of the day which forced me run through woods like a madman, hitting trees with my club to knock enough branches down to make a junk level umbrella out of the branches. The system worked miracles and through my job class made a fully functional umbrella for me to use, but without the proper tools it was still just a bunch of leaves tied together. Luckily, I had some claws from some beowulves I killed to at least carve off some of the unneeded parts.
What I wouldn't give to come across a large animal that I can skin for materials.
Anyways speaking of Grimm, they wouldn't leave me alone. Ever since I came down from the mountain, they've been attacking me at all odd hours and its starting to fray my nerves. I've had to sleep in trees since the third day because they kept trying to attack me in my sleep.
Luckily, I don't really need all that much sleep to begin with, just an hour or two, but I still like to sleep while I can dammit!
All of that in the course of four days and what do I get!
An abandoned village!
The place is partially over grown with plants and some of the buildings look like they are about to collapse from damage or disuse!
"Calm down." I said with a deep breath.
4%
"Is this what having E rank luck feels like? Because it feels like the universe just wants to get a laugh at my expense." I ask rhetorically before checking my stats.
"Status."
Name: Kane Brandt
Age: 13
Race - ?/?
Level – 19 (85%)
Class – Weapons Master – LVL 7/?
HP: 4000/4000 [Regens 40 per second]
MP: 725/725 [Regens 14 per second] (Locked)
SP: 4000/4000 [Regens 40 per second]
AP: 4250/4250 [Regens 425 per minute] (Locked)
STR – 60 (30)
VIT – 80
AGI – 32 (16)
INT – 29
WIS – 29
CHA – 38 (19)
LUK – 28
Points: 90
HP/SP = VITx50 (Racial Bonus)
HP/SP regen = VITx.5 per second (Racial Bonus)
MP = INTx25 (Racial Bonus)
MP Regen = WISx.5 per second (Racial Bonus)
AP = 250 AP per level
AP Regen = 10% of AP
*Due to Racial Bonus upon leveling gain 2 stat points in STR, 3 stat points in VIT, and 1 point in remaining stats with 5 distributable stat points*
*Due to Racial Bonus start out with 20 STR, VIT, and CHA*
Debuff: Child Start
You have been de-aged and thrown years before canon.
STR, AGI, and CHA are reduced by 50% until you come of age.
Exp is reduced by 20%.
The frequent Grimm attacks helped me to level up a lot while I was traveling making my stats jump drastically. Along with my normal stat points I had gained a few in STR and AGI during my fights and some in CON for walking long distances for extended periods of time.
My class also rose to level seven due to me leveling up [Club Mastery] to level 23 and my [Hand to Hand Mastery] to level 11. The most interesting thing however had to be when [Power Swing] was maxed out after liberal use over those four days and somehow reset along with the different skills that I created.
[Power Swing] (LVL 10/10) {ready to evolve}
Deals 150% of current weapon damage
Cost 20 SP
[Parry] (LVL 2/10)
Increase effectiveness of deflecting and redirecting physical attacks by 10%
Cost 10 SP
[Block] (LVL 1/100)
Increases blocking effectiveness by 1% per level
Cost 15 SP
*Warning uses weapon durability to reduce damage*
[Heavy Strike] (LVL 3/10)
Increase knock back chance by 30%
Cost 25 SP
[Dash] (LVL 6/30)
Increases movement speed by 50% with 5% increase per level
(Current 80% increase)
10 SP per second of use
[Singing] (LVL 19/25) (Adept)
No idea what the evolve is supposed to mean. Does it become a better skill or does it just increase in damage when it evolves?
It doesn't matter it'll evolve when it evolves.
Sing is actually really easy to level up when you're doing it constantly for four days straight. It went from Novice to Adept.
I closed the screen as I marched into the village where somehow it looks even more empty and depressing. A small tingle traveled down my spine just being here but I quickly push it away. The place felt bad. I don't mean in the sense that it's wrong but more like there's a void of tranquility. A heaviness settled over the settlement itself.
I look around, avoiding what few blood stains were left on the ground and walls and only just noticing how small the place actually is. It must have been a starter settlement, the beginnings of a colony meant to hold maybe over a thousand people. Whoever lived here tried to colonize the area but failed.
I inspected the houses as I walked by each one. I know that there was nothing for me here but I was naturally curious and wanted to know why the place had fallen. It was like I was a detective like Sherlock Holmes and Batman.
The prospect of uncovering the mystery like a detective actually lifted my mood a little bit.
There were no corpses as far as I could see but obvious signs of a struggle. Broken farm equipment scattered about, remnants of dried blood staining the street and walls. Plenty of impact points from something ramming with a great amount of force and what looked like large, jagged claw marks on some of the buildings which would likely point to a Grimm attack.
The only problem was the lack of bodies.
Did the residents run? There were clearly injured among them going by the dried blood in places but the entire scene just doesn't add up.
From what I remember Grimm don't need to eat, drink or even breath to survive. They are constructs made from the God of Darkness, not living creatures.
Maybe they consume people as a sort of psychological attack but that's a huge maybe. The vast majority of Grimm are dumb as bricks with only the ones that have survived for decades if not centuries being smart enough to understand the concept of psychological warfare.
Even if they did there would still be bones around because I doubt the Grimm are thorough enough to fully remove all the bodies.
Curious, I walk up to one of the old houses and the door practically breaks apart as I force it open. Immediately my senses are hit with the smell of mildew, rot and iron.
The house was small with only a single story. The kitchen, dining area and living room all made up the entire space with a small door that probably led to the bedrooms and bathrooms. The table was set for four with bowls laying there with nothing more but a thick film of dust covering it. Some of the personal items and furniture were knocked over in either a struggle or an attempt to escape.
I didn't bother going over to the kitchen because I could see the the remains of what would have been food burned and rotted over. The bedrooms and bathroom were left untouched by whatever happened. I did manage to find two nice pieces of jewelry out of a bunch of cheap knock off pieces in a chest I found in the main bedroom.
It was better to take what I can than to let it sit their gathering dust.
Other than the jewelry there was only a survival knife in the dresser. Before I left, I turned a photo of what must have been the family face down against the dresser. They seemed like your standard happy family, with a mother and father with two sons with the only difference being the mother and sons all sporting what looked like raccoon ears. It felt far to out of place seeing the smiles in such a depressing atmosphere.
I didn't take anything from the children's room.
I searched through the rest of the intact houses and found a map that I immediately used to update my internal map. There was nothing else of value other than the occasional knick knacks that I doubt I could sell for more than spare change. I did take what ever spare wood hadn't rotted and what scrap metal there was, shoving it all into my inventory.
There might be something that I can make from all of it.
I made my way to the eastern side of the settlement as its where I was going to exit the settlement and head to the next populated area.
My frown deepened though as I headed further east. What was once obvious signs of a Grimm attack became less so as I saw more signs of unnatural damage and still no bodies. There were multiple cases of singular cuts into the wood of doors and structures that didn't look like they came from any claws but more aligned with damage caused by an axe or some sword types meant for chopping. Fire damage seemed to become more and more common and I couldn't stop my hand from opening and closing in tight squeezes as more pieces to the puzzle began to show up.
There was no point in searching any of these houses because a quick look showed that the insides were all burned out, which was concerning since the outsides of the houses actually seemed to have less damage.
The unsettling feeling strengthened as I walked further into the damage. The oppressive feeling was now like a physical weight on my shoulders that tried to drag me down.
I let out an unsettled breath as I stopped in front of a building. A cold feeling passed over me as I looked at it. It was constantly giving of the oppressive feeling far more than any other building in the settlement.
Rather than the one-story wrecked homes that surrounded it this building had to be twos stories tall and far wider. There were no windows anywhere on the sides and the front entrance was a large pair of doors that seemed to be locked shut. The walls were scorched black from the heat of fire and obviously metal based on some of the warping yet it still managed to stay standing. It was most likely a warehouse or something that the settlers used for storage.
I looked at the lock which had somehow managed to stay in one piece despite being made of cheap metals and with out a second thought I pulled out my club and swung down on the lock, breaking it in one clean go.
The chains slackened and fell to the stone ground with a dull jingle.
I reached out and pulled the handle of the door and—
Nothing. There was nothing inside except piles of ash and charcoal. I don't really know what I expected but the emptiness was not it. The entire place was still the epicenter for all the oppressive and dark feelings that I had been experiencing but the lack of anything made no sense.
No think. Think. Something must have been responsible for this.
Grimm were obviously present by they aren't the only ones. There was damage was also done by people and unless all those houses spontaneously caught fire without the people inside noticing it, it must have been a mass attack and break in.
From what I remember Mistral is practically ruled by criminal organizations with the level of power and wealth separated by what level you lived on. But there should be no reason for any of them to burn down a village, especially not one as small and out of the way as this one. It'd be a waste of money since the place actually sits towards the edge of frontier. Way to far out and unimportant to actually wish to destroy.
Unless it was a secret drug manufacturing plant. But it wouldn't make sense because it's so far away from any developed roads and there wasn't any kind of equipment inside any building large enough to make it possible.
It wasn't the White Fang; this place had a decently sizable Faunus population from what I had seen so such a thing wouldn't fit anything they did in the future. Currently they are only in the shallow end of their path of violence if whats on the Dustnet is true.
The Cookies and Cream Witch wouldn't attack a place with no significance like this but her Grimm would.
But Grimm don't light things on fire unless they are a special kind of Grimm. Even then the fire is controlled to just a section of town rather than spread out.
This wasn't done by Grimm but by people.
From what pictures remained this settlement must have had a large or at least decent Faunus population and was targeted by an outside party. They tried to defend but were overrun. I don't know when but the negative emotions caused the Grimm to show up and attack as well.
The only thing I can think of that would do this are terrorists, slave traffickers, or human supremacists.
…or all of the above.
+ 1 to WIS for deduction.
…well fuck me.
Warning!
You've entered a Malice Zone (LVL 20)!
Would you like to proceed?
Y/N
"TARI?" The screen in front of me drawing my attention from the revelation. "What am I looking at?"
A Malice Zone
Due to the absence of instant dungeons a substitute was offered.
Natural dungeons and Malice zones work like the instant dungeons.
Defeat the entities inside and earn a reward.
"And what makes a Malice Zone different from a natural dungeon?"
Areas that are heavily saturated in negative emotions create Malice Zones.
Malice Zones in turn attract Grimm to increase the negativity in the area.
I frown at the explanation. "You say it like it's sentient."
Negative.
While not sentient the Malice Zone does have an instinctual end goal.
Once a Malice Zone reaches a critical point it will then transform into a Grimm pool.
"Which in turn makes more Grimm." I scowl at the thought as I back out of the warehouse and shut the door and study the screen. "Though with how depressing this place is you'd think it'd be a higher level… and with more Grimm around." Which was odd since TARI just explained that places like this are beacons for Grimm activity, but so far, I haven't seen bone nor maw of the dark beasts inside the settlement.
Due to this being User's first-time exceptions were made.
Grimm are kept at bay and difficulty has been lowered.
"By how much?"
Original level was set at 60.
"Fucking hell." I mutter. If a place as small as this is level 60, I can only imagine the hellscape that something like Mt. Glenn could be. "Thanks TARI… for helping me.
Of course, User.
"So, I guess the question of the day is how do we get rid of it?" I didn't want to leave this place like this. A cesspool of negativity that's only gonna grow into a much bigger problem.
Conquer the Zone.
Purge the negativity.
I let out a quiet snort. "You make it sound so easy." It would be anything but and I knew it. I had no idea what these zones would be like or how difficult. Would it just be normal or would there be special conditions? Did the monsters escalate in difficulty or was their one strong one with a horde of mobs?
No, don't think of such things. You'll never know until you actually do it.
I look at the screen and pause as I was about to hit the button.
I immediately go to my status page and dump twenty points into my VIT and STR stats, eleven points into my DEX. Bringing my STR to 80 (40), my DEX to 40(20), and my VIT to 100.
Better to go in with some advantages rather than try to pull them out of my ass at the last minute. I mean those points are there so I might as well use them, no reason to make my life more difficult by skimping on them.
What kind of idiot does that?
"Status. Health and Stamina."
Kane Brandt
Level – 19 (85%)
HP: 5000/5000 [Regen 50 per second]
SP: 5000/5000 [Regen 50 per second]
With a nod I press the yes button on the screen and before my eyes the world begins to dissolve.
X
An almost uncomfortable wave of heat hit me as soon as I entered the Malice Zone and I almost covered my face on reflex. The flames were coming from further in the settlement but even from here I could still feel the uncomfortable heat even from here.
Somehow, I had been inserted back to the entrance that I came from.
I clicked my tongue at that and looked around. The forest behind me was distorted with shadows, almost like a haze had covered it, blocking any path or entrance while the sky itself was an unsavory black, almost like ink had been used to paint over the very stars themselves. The moon sat in the middle of the sky as the lone source of color in the blackness, however rather than the glowing white it normally had it was dyed crimson.
You have entered a Malice Zone!
Objective: Purge the negativity up to 80%
Bonus Objective: Purge the Negativity to 100%
Reward: 1000 EXP, 1000 Lien, 1 Gatcha Token
Bonus Reward: 1500 EXP, 2000 Lien, 1 Gatcha Token, ?
*Warning! Failure to purge objective amount of negativity will result in an increase in activity! *
So, I either commit to the purge or I leave and it gets worse. No pressure there.
I walk in to the settlement with my club in my hand. The heat stays at the same uncomfortable level no matter where I go it seems. The buildings were blacked to the point that they were basically charcoal, but somehow the insides were still burning intensely without threatening to collapse the structure.
"RRoough." The low moan drags my attention as a walking husk walks out from between the houses. Its body was practically skeletal with black shadowy skin stretched over its frame. It didn't have any distinguishing features, appearing just as a faceless shade, except for the simmering orange eyes.
Observe
Husk
LVL – 12
HP: 700/700
It was…a lot weaker than I imagined for a level 20 recommended dungeon monster. I mean sure it was stronger than the creep and more durable but the way it shambled it looked pretty slow.
I raised my club and slowly walked up to it, taking short steps while in my stance so as to maintain a stability. The damn thing hadn't even noticed me as I approached it from behind. Getting into a batter's stance as the husk shambles away I activate [Power Swing] and swing directly at its head. The little ding in the back of my mind notified me of crit damage
There was a loud crack as my club hits it in the head, sending it flying forward and into a few boxes.
"Observe." I mutter as I look at the corpse sitting in the rubble.
Husk
LVL – 12
HP: 287/700
I clicked my tongue when it showed that the damn thing wasn't dead even after a full powered swing to the back of the head and crashing into debris.
I prepared another [Power Swing] and walked over, ready to end the things existence when out of nowhere it leapt from is bed of broken boxes. Its arms held out and its once featureless face split in half to reveal a screeching jagged maw
My instincts kicked in, saving me from the surprise attack by keeping me just a single step out of reach even as the loud screech made me wince from surprise. My club swung up, the empowered swing striking the husk in the chin with enough force that its head actually left its body and flew for a brief few seconds before falling back to earth.
+38 EXP
I almost let out a breath of relief at the death when a loud shriek echoed through the flaming buildings, followed by one more shriek, and another, and another, and another. Countless inhuman wails all roared in sync like a chorus out of hell itself.
"Fuck me." I cursed, only imagining what it could mean. Probably a horde of the things all coming to rush me or something. It didn't help that while probably terrifying those shrieks sounded really cool. Definitely something that could have been in a movie.
"Dammit I should have recorded it."
…'CLICK'…'CLICK','CLICK','CLICK'.
"At least I got pictures of the place."
The ground began to tremble slightly as the sound of shuffling got louder.
"Totally a horde." I said as the first of the husks began to shuffle towards me. They were moving faster than the first but not by much. No, the real problem was the sheer quantity of them all. There were dozens here already and I could bet that there were far more infesting the town.
I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.
7%
I could practically feel my heart beating faster in my chest as my body got ready to fight. The first husk lunged at me as I readied my club. I moved out of the way, letting it go past me and unleashed a [Heavy Strike], my weapon catching it in the chest and sending it into the group behind it.
The [Heavy Strike] worked like a charm, and quite a few of them were knocked to the ground. Not hesitating I [Dash] into the fray with another [Power Swing] to the head of a husk. I swung my weapon, striking husk after husk and trying to kill them all.
-88
One of them managed to clip me in the side as I crushed a husks skull under foot, taking a small chunk of my health away that was quickly replace when my regen kicked in. I smirked as I began to focus more on offense and letting my regen pick up the slack.
I dash forward and charge right on through them, tripping a few up along the way as I try to find an emptier street. One managed to grab me by the forearm but a simple twist of the wrist put me in control and I tripped it into another husk.
I repeated a pattern of engaging a group to deal as much damage as I could only to disengage so I wouldn't be overwhelmed. This happened over and over again and I could honestly admit that I was having fun beating the hordes around me. The sound of my heartbeat in my ears and the feeling of my club hitting something drowned out the thoughts from earlier.
I had no idea how long I was going until I destroyed the head of another husk, turning to face the next only to realize that I was once more alone, and somehow made it all the way back to the warehouse. I had lost a little less than a fifth of my HP and a fourth of my SP, but it was already being replenished by my regen. The bodies of the husks were dissolving much like the Grimm and I was standing in their remains. They didn't really drop anything of importance, just junk items like hands and other body parts that were unusable for me like charred limbs.
"Objective."
Negativity purged: 63%
How lost was I in the heat of the fight that I didn't even notice that I had killed everything? Hell, I had actually leveled up twice during that entire thing and maxed out my club mastery and I didn't even notice!
"Hm?" I looked at the club mastery with a raised brow as it glowed.
[Club Mastery] (LVL 3/25) (Adept)
Club abilities have a 25% chance of staggering weaker or equal opponents.
*warning! -5% chance for every 10% their STR stat is greater than your own. *
Well, that's useful. With the way my stats increase I would generally fit into the role of juggernaut or an off tank. Someone one who can dish out the damage as well as take it. I'm not squishy enough to be one shot so that means there are simply more opportunities to stagger and punish opponents.
I was a little disappointed when I didn't get anything for reaching 100 in VIT but it wasn't too bad. I got my perk for club mastery and TARI did say it was possible to earn perks.
I wonder how that would happen? I would obviously need to fulfill certain conditions but what those conditions are is another thing. It'd probably have to be something spectacular or worth notice. Maybe fight something really far above me in terms of levels and—"
Danger!
I trust in my instincts and dive to the side as a trio of fireballs impact where I just was. The flaming spheres burst, spreading the flames as if they were some kind of infernal water balloons.
I looked at my surroundings frantically as I tried to find where the flaming projectiles came from when four creatures crawled across the ground. They heavily resembled the husks from earlier but only if you elongated the limbs, twisted their heads 180 degrees, and forced them to do a crab walk.
Observe
Skitter Husk
LVL – 17
HP: 700/700
The damn things chittered at me as they opened their mouths, letting a harsh glow form inside the holes before spitting at me. The damn things were easy enough to dodge, only the speed of a casual throw but the sheer number made it more troublesome. It took them maybe two seconds to fire another one.
The crawled at the same pace as their bipedal variants so I thought that I could just rush them only to be proven wrong as it leapt out of my reach rather quickly and stuck to a wall.
"Well, that's annoying." I glared at the damn things as I weaved through the projectiles.
+1 AGI
I raised my club, trying to think of a way to kill these things when my instincts flared again and I leapt away from the wall that I was near as something large burst from the charcoal wood of the building I was next to and rammed into the adjacent one like a locomotive.
"God damn you are one ugly mother fucker." I commented as the thing pulled itself from the rubble of the house it just demolished. Compared to me it was a giant in size, being two and a half me's tall. I didn't know my own height so it was all speculation really. Its body was a thick mass of burnt fat, looking like some one brought a lump of clay to life and turned it to molten rock. It had four misshapen arms and two thick stumps for legs. It had a head but there was an obvious lack of a neck on its body. "You look like someone set fire to the Stay Puft marshmallow man and let him burn."
Skill Created!
[Taunt] (1/50)
Draw the ire of your target through piercing verbal quips.
Increases taunt success and crit chance by 2% per level. (2%)
*warning: crit chance increase only effective against successful targets*
"Wait what?" Despite not meaning too the taunt worked and the lumpy husk roared in fury. It reared back on of its massive arms and swung it overhead like it was trying to hammer something. My eyes widened and I scrambled out of the way as the limb actually stretched! The pavement cracked under the heavy limb and kicked up ash and soot, some of which unfortunately got into my mouth.
"Ob-pfft-Observe!"
Despair Husk (Zone Boss)
LVL – 26
HP: 3000/3000
STR – 93
VIT – 92
AGI – 10
INT – 2
WIS – 0
CHA – 0
LUK – 0
Shit that thing was twice as strong as I was! A hit from that thing was definitely going to hurt and while its DEX stat was laughable those Skitters weren't straying to far, probably acting like a turret defense of some kind. It didn't need to be fast since it had a dedicated guard.
The Skitters seemed to do exactly as I thought and began to spit globs of fire at me, forcing me further back.
"Now this is completely unfair." I complain halfheartedly. "I can't vomit fire like you. Please go away so i can kill you later." They rudely continued to vomit fire balls at me despite my polite request.
The boss reared another arm back and tried once again to crush me under its elongated bulk but its form was far to obvious to be surprising. I moved out of the way as it attacked the spot I was standing on and not wanting to give away a chance I swung down onto the limb with a [Power Swing].
The boss roared in pain as it detracted its limb and I bit out a curse. One, because that attack didn't do nearly as much as I had hoped, meaning I would have to chip away at the damned thing, and second that it was at least smart enough to vary up its attacks.
The next limb came down at an angle from my other side and I had to move out of the way, still managing to get a counter in but it was weaker due to my poor position from my dodge.
The third limb, the bottom left one came at me like a missile and I held up my club to block since the little turrets blocked of both sides with fire. I could hear the sound of metal groaning, or maybe that was just my bones trying to hold up, as I was knocked off my feet and into a random burning home.
-354 HP
The wall cratered but managed to hold up despite me ramming it. The embers and flames inside however managed to escape through the small openings and burn me, dealing damage to my back by the second.
Not wanting to deal with the pain I moved out of the way just as three fire balls hit where I was. My regen kicked in and I could feel the sharp pain in my arms ease up almost instantly as my health went up, although just a little but slower for a few seconds before the burns were healed as well.
I looked down at my bat and saw that it had a nice new dent in it. It still had enough durability to be used but there was no way I was going to directly block another attack like that again. A few more and I was going to be out of a weapon.
I could repair the thing but I would need time to actually do it, something I couldn't really do when under live fire.
"RRAAGH!" The zone boss roared as it slammed into the ground in a stance sort of like a sumo wrestler or a defensive lineman. It then moved, charging like a runaway train right at me and forcing me to jump out of the way as it went through the house it hit me against.
How in the hell does that thing have only ten AGI?! I can't even move that fast when I'm going full tilt and I have four times the stat points in AGI!
The tingling in the back of my mind increases and I move out of the way just in time to avoid a few fireballs from hitting me directly, though some splashes did get on me and I was once again applied burn damage before putting it out and healing over it.
"Right…they are still a thing." I turn to the Skitters and run towards them as fast as my [Dash] would let me. I tried to swing and break their annoying skulls but they would either leap out of the way or just blast their own teammate with fire to keep me away, and as it turns out they are annoyingly fireproof to each other.
10%
"Get over here you little shit!" I growled as I hit a piece of debris to where the little bastard was and it jumped away reflexively. I chased after and swung, though instead of jumping it actually tried to crawl away at its slow, shambling pace. My club came down with the full force of a [Power Swing] and smashed into it, breaking a few legs.
"The fuck?" I questioned before that constant warning spiked and I tried to move out of the way. Un-fucking-fortunately it was the wrong direction and I ended up being clipped in the side by an elongated limb from the boss who had finished digging itself out of the rubble.
-739 HP
Oh god dammit that hurt! My ribs felt like they were in splinters at the moment, like someone had taken a hot knife and decided to leave it in the left part of my chest. The pain was quickly leaving me, but not fast enough in my opinion, as I picked myself off the ground.
I bit back a scream as one of the fire balls splashed on my hand and I moved out of the way as the boss tried once again to crush me.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" I couldn't stop cursing as I pressed my injured hand against my stomach as I ran away, trying to give it enough time to heal as well.
Ok, ok. Get your head in straight. Ignore the pain and think about something else. Why did the Skitter not jump away? It has before but after that it just tried to crawl. Did it stumble from the debris? No that wouldn't have been it. Maybe their leap has a cooldown time or something, or their bodies aren't able to leap all that much.
That must be it.
The sound of heavy thumps warned me that they were getting close and I flexed my now healed hand, letting out a breath when it was back to full functionality.
I stepped out of my hiding spot as a fire ball hit the wall and prepared myself once more. I really wished that I had some sort of ranged attack right now.
Well, I'm going to have to kill them somehow.
"Have you ever considered getting some work down? It might help people tell your fifth chin from your seventh." I taunted and if the enraged roar was anything to go by it worked. Two stretched arms came at me and I leaned my head out of the way as I [Dash] forward, nearly getting hit in the face.
I swung my club up into one of the arms and down into the other, damaging the limbs. One of the Skitters tried to fire at me but I used one of the limbs as a wall and let it take the hit.
The boss let out a cry of agony as the fire coated its arm.
Huh. So, he's not fire proof but they are. Good to know.
I ducked directly to the ground as the boss began to wildly swing it arms, forcing the Skitter Husks to leap away or get hit. One of them luckily was too slow and was knocked to the ground. I didn't waste any time and got over to it as fast as I could and hit it like a hockey puck into a wall. It wasn't dead but another quick hit fixed that.
Another one, the one whose legs I broke was trying to crawl away but couldn't due to its injuries.
I quickly put that one down as well.
With only two more to go, I backed away and turned to the boss with another taunt. "So, I have to ask, are you a boy or a girl? I mean you really just look like some fat guy decided to take food porn to the next level."
[Taunt] Level up!
The taunt worked and the boss charged at me in a blind rage. Apparently, it could only go straight so that left me with the two remaining Skitters. A number that went down to zero with some liberal use of rubble and [Power Swing].
The Boss unburied itself from the rubble and lumbered in my direction. It was just the two of us now and I no longer had to worry about being surrounded. It launched two fists at me and I struck one while parrying the other as I moved closer with [Dash].
Two more came at me and I did my best to avoid them but I still got clipped in the shoulder and stumbled. That brief window was terrible as it started to unload its fists as fast as it could. In all truth they were rather slow compared to someone with actual experience but they were large and there were four of them so they over came the actual lack of skill.
I tried to dodge and deflect as much as I could but I could feel my health slowly being worn down and I knew pretty soon my club would break.
14%
Throwing caution to the wind I charge forward, using [Power Swing] and [Heavy Strike] as much as I could. I hit the limbs that came at me, forgoing parrying and the like to simply brute forcing them out of my way. I hit and hit as fast as I could with as much force as I could, giving as much damage as I could, but I was just too slow.
No, I couldn't be too slow. I had to be faster, swing faster!
16%
Faster!
18%
FASTER!
20%
FASTER!
[Power Swing] Evolved [Combo Rush] Unlocked!
[Combo Rush] (LVL 1/20)
Unleash multiple blows in quick succession dealing 150% weapon damage per swing
Cost 65 SP + 25 SP per additional attack
I pushed forward and swung faster and faster, burning into my SP more and more. I don't know how much of my HP had been taken away but I just kept pushing until I was up close. I sent one strike to its knee, then to its lower arm followed by its upper arm and then its head. I don't know how many close calls I had but I just kept swinging until its arms started to crumble away. My club wasn't doing much better but that didn't deter me as I practically climbed up it. I pulled the knife I found earlier and jammed it into its eye, earning a crit. Then with as much strength as I could muster, I dragged it down to my level.
I raised my club over my head and tried to put as much force into it as I could. I don't know what but something seemed to click as I brought the club down with a scream. The weapon glowed faintly, leaving a small light trail behind it as it practically cracked the boss's skull in half.
The light faded from the husks eyes as it fell over and I was left breathing hard as I stepped out of the way.
Malice Zone Cleared!
100% Clear!
Now Exiting!
The world around me began to collapse as the bodies faded away. I probably should have been more alert but between trusting TARI and being to tired to care I just stood there and watched it happen.
X
When I opened my eyes I was once more standing in front of the warehouse except everything was different. It wasn't the overall look of the village as it still looked like it was destroyed but it no longer felt like a destroyed village.
Less of an oppressive weight and more of a spot that nature decided to reclaim. It felt like you could move back in and try again with a little effort.
You've completed a Malic Zone!
Objective: Purge the negativity up to 80% (Complete)
Bonus Objective: Purge the Negativity to 100% (Complete)
Reward: 1000 EXP, 1000 Lien, 1 Gatcha Token
Bonus Reward: 1500 EXP, 2000 Lien, 1 Gatcha Token, Mystery Weapon
Level up x 3
"Haha! Fuck yea—owowowo! Oh, it hurts to laugh." Despite the pain I was still feeling all over I couldn't stop from smiling. I completed the entire zone to one hundred percent and earned three level ups to my level, got up to level six in [Club Mastery], got to level twelve in [Hand to Hand Mastery] all from killing everything and completing the zone.
I pull out the mystery item that was apart of the bonus objective and looked at it. It was rusted over and completely covered in burn marks to the point it looked like it would fall apart. Honestly if I didn't know what I was looking at I would have written it off as junk.
Observe
Old Hunter's Weapon (Rare) [Rank C+]
Used by the Huntsman of the village you purified until he died in the flames. It can't be used as anything more than scrap or a blunt instrument, but maybe you can turn it into something better?
Durability 10/?
It was the basis for something better than my current weapon, but I needed a forge to remake it. For the first time I cursed myself for choosing the profession that needed a lot of set up. I pulled that away and pulled out the two Gatcha tokens and broke them.
Acquired!
Off Road Bicycle
"Pedal to glory on two wheels!"
Rosewood Spear (Uncommon) [Rank – C]
150 + STRx1.4 as physical damage
+10 AGI
Durability 450/450
A spear made from quality materials. It's very well balanced.
The spear was a pleasant surprise and I already pulled it out, trading my damaged club for it. The increase in AGI was also a welcome surprise.
Now all I had to do was make it to a village and I could finally relax.
Just wanting today to be over and wanting to get to that other village as quickly as possible I then summoned my bike and hopped on. I had just completed my first Malice Zone and defeated the boss and its followers by myself without the easy spamming of magic. There was no cheap victory, only hard-earned success.
As I put my headphones on and started to play the music, I couldn't help but feel ecstatic about the future. I really felt like I could do it, like I could beat the gods and fix the world and not even the fact I was riding off on a child's bike after victory was enough to sour my mood.
+1 VIT for pedaling off to your next adventure
"Fuck off!"
Ok maybe it soured the mood a little.