Jaune finally managed to get through the week with little to no dilemmas. Class was alright, Goodwitch began team battles and army formations with Professor Port. Jaune narrowly defeated another student by the name of Russel Thrush in combat class. And there were no other attacks from the Inquisition.

In Jaune's spare time, he continued to read. He was halfway through another grimoire, this time Professor Goodwitch's personal textbook. There were a few others he had made a note of, some relating to botany and herbology, another about farming and growing plants. Finally, he earmarked a bestiary written by Professor Port. The old man's newest copy, not the old one Jaune found in his house.

Of course, Jaune wasn't going to be able to read these tomes and have full comprehension in just one day. When there was a lull in classwork, Jaune would sit down and immerse himself in his studies. He was already using all of his time that was not spent training his body or practising his sword techniques to read. But given a few weeks of taking notes and learning to understand everything that was written would allow him to grasp the knowledge. Or have a rudimentary comprehension of the subject matters.

Ren, Sun, and Jaune were also talking to the others about setting up a meeting with their friends. Yang and Ruby didn't need any convincing to join the plan. They were easily swayed with the prospect of being able to adventure with a group of people. The sisters promised to try getting Pyrrha to go along with the plan. Sun went to find Blake. And Jaune... he had Weiss.

Jaune felt excited to go talk to Weiss once again. The two had spoken once more over coffee about the origins of the monsters of Remnant since the attack. It was also nice to find out that Weiss had the same Monster Studies class that he had. All of their friends were pleasantly surprised to see Weiss sitting along the front row when they arrived.

The reason why Jaune felt so nervous to talk to her again was obvious. Whenever he looked at her, the boy felt his heart ache. He couldn't stop thinking about her. About how pretty Weiss was, what she would say on their next meeting, and just wondering when he could see her again. This rush of hormones to his system, leaving him feeling elated after every encounter.

Jaune felt kind of stupid for starting to crush on the Mage, having only known her for less than two weeks now. But his heart knew what it wanted. This revelation only made him more careful to choose his words around her.

Now Jaune was hoping to find Weiss in the library once again. He brought along two mugs of coffee with him in the event the Mage was still working on translating her scroll. To be short, Jaune was bribing Weiss. Not that he enjoyed spending time with her or anything. But the brew was a means to sweeten the deal for the Mage - to get her in the right mood. Not that mood but a semi-amiable open to conversation mood.

Jaune stepped back into the library. Given that it was the weekend, there were no students in the building. Of course, you wouldn't find a single teenager studying at this hour when they could be sleeping in. Weiss and Jaune were the exceptions, but that's because they are weird. Being a farmer and smith always meant you had to up bright and early for work. He didn't know about Weiss' backstory, however.

Weiss sat in the same booth as she did three days ago. Jaune could see part of her mage robes hanging out from behind a wall. It was precisely what Jaune had predicted. She was reading or studying magic or other related topics.

Jaune came around the wall and looked down at Weiss. She was sleeping among a pile of books and papers. Her light snoring soft enough you couldn't hear if not standing next to her. The Mage's hair was splayed out, mingling with the items on the table. She looked peaceful hunched over and drooling onto the table.

The Knight sat in front of her, lightly setting the coffee in front of the sleeping beauty. The faint scent of the brew wafted up into the woman's nostrils. She sniffed once-twice and then slowly opened her eyes. There was a moment where she tried to regain her consciousness. Weiss wiped her eyes and settled them onto the mug.

"Hey, Weiss," Jaune quietly said. They were in a library and needed to keep it down. "Still working on the rubbing? Made any progress?"

Time to butter up the Snow Angel. Well... not exactly buttering her up, but using enough flattery and conversation to persuade her.

"Hey, Arc," she quietly replied. "And yes, I'm still working on it. I've translated a stanza of the script so far."

Damn, she works fast. Must be nice having a high intelligence stat. However, Dr Oobleck might have already finished the entire thing before Weiss got anywhere close to deciphering half of it.

"What have you figured out," Jaune asked out of curiosity.

He wanted to see where this was going. Maybe it was an enchantment list after all. Then Jaune would have something to spend the rest of his Lien on.

Now that Jaune was thinking about it. He was running dry on Lien. He spent five-thousand on his armour and another hundred or so on miscellaneous items over the past week. What was left wasn't going to last Jaune long. He also needed to send some back home - halving the total time he could go without needing more money. Then there were living expenses which used up the rest of his hard-earned Lien. Maybe another two months if he was a miser and only purchased the bare necessities.

So, enchanting was going to have to wait until there was a reliable stream of income. Jaune wasn't expecting to have so many expenses this early during his stay at Beacon. If anything, it would have been best to leave buying a new set of armour for later, but the opportunity arose, and Jaune managed to snag a set of high-level gear while he was a greenhorn. Raiding a dungeon also allowed for Jaune to be liberal with his spending... too liberal.

If Jaune kept up with this pattern of spending. Then he would need to go dungeon diving on the regular to keep himself in food and wool. Trying to quickly rise to the level of the other students forced Jaune to have to spend his hard-earned Lien early on in the semester.

There was also the matter of levels. If Jaune was able to find a reliable way to increase his levels and stats, then he could go after bigger hunts with fewer people to split the rewards. The vampire Jaune killed on his first day only gave him a level and a half. But Jaune spent much more trying effort trying to kill it than he gained in Exp. So he was dealing with a net loss.

He also was not able to loot the creature. Jaune presumed Professor Port carted the corpse off for a dissection. So there went that potential source of income. And any sort of knowledge he could gain from the headless body.

Jaune's final goal for this year or hopefully this semester was to purchase a home either in or outside of Beacon Academy. Since there was the issue of the inquisitors coming back. Living outside of the academy was the preferable option.

But buying a house in Vale was not an inexpensive endeavour. Jaune did some research and found that the most significant ingredient in purchasing a home was coin. Lots and lots of golden coins. Depending on the area in the city you chose to live determined the amount of gold that was needed to be spent. Living in the merchant quarter was costly. Taxes and having to purchase the home; made it not worth living in the city itself.

Weiss rapped her fingernails on the wooden table. "So far, with what I've deciphered." She pulled a notebook out from under a pile of letters. "It is a religious sermon and ballad. You can see the rhyme scheme." The heiress directed Jaune to the first stanza. "It's written in a hexametre rhyme scheme. As you can see with the spondee at the end and the dactyl before the last foot."

Jaune was not a poetry connoisseur, so he was lost. But chose to listen regardless.

...

"I can show you the rest when I'm done deciphering it," she finished her lecture on ancient poetry. "But what about you? You don't have any study materials with you, so I'm assuming you're here to talk?"

Damn, she read me like a book. It's actually kind of scary now that I think about it.

"Ummm, how do I put this," Jaune began. He needed a moment to put everything together. "Ever since the attack from the Inquisition. Ren, Sun, and I have been thinking..."

"I'm already worried," Weiss teased.

Ouch. That burned.

Knights were not known for their Intelligence. That was the department for scholars, philosophers, and magic users — the classes that were distinguished for the abilities when it came to the mind. But Jaune was not your stereotypical knight who had Charisma flowing out of him. Sun and Ren seemed smart enough as well. Although Sun may have been a bit dumb at times.

"My fragile male ego has been wounded," Jaune jested, placing his hand over his heart. "But, we think we should get out of Beacon. Out of the dorms."

Somewhere at least. Anywhere is better than an academy that is being targeted by half of the factions in the city. The mages wanted more influence, the rogues didn't really care, the warriors wanted to get rid of the mages, and the other factions wanted control of the entire academy.

"You're concerned about the inquisitors coming back?" Weiss took a sip from her coffee. She said exactly what was on Jaune's mind.

"Yeah, and we're not prepared to fight against an army," Jaune explained taking another sip of his coffee. "I'm afraid they will come back with a battalion or a regiment. An army that Professor Goodwitch or Ozpin can't stop."

Mages only had so much magicka before they exhausted their supply. It's why most adventurers refrain from using their magic and prefer swords. And if the Church brought along eight hundred or more than two thousand soldiers who were all willing to die. Then there was not much that could stop them.

Weiss sighed, "You have a point! So what is the plan and what do I get out of it?" A confident look on her face, placing herself at the head of negotiations.

She was looking out for herself. Well, everybody looks out for number one. Mages have been known to be more concerned about their own interests when discussing cooperating on projects. Rogues are the same, but they usually are loners who prefer to work by themselves rather than in groups.

"You will have a say in the plan we come up with," Jaune cheerfully responded. "And if everything goes according to plan. You might be able to adventure with a group regularly. That would mean someone could watch your back and you could take on more difficult quests to earn more Lien."

Hopefully, Jaune could pass this charisma check with flying colours. He could talk a merchant down to a lower price on his goods. Convincing a mage to come to a meeting shouldn't be too hard, right?

Weiss took a minute to think over Jaune's proposal. Jaune held his tongue in anticipation. If she didn't agree, then the meeting would have Ruby and Yang as a guaranteed backup. Maybe Blake, if she was willing. Jaune hoped Weiss would accept and they could work together a few more times.

She took a sip of her coffee. "Because you brought me coffee," she began with a smile. "I will play along for now." That was encouraging! Hopefully, the prospect of gold would continue to ensure her cooperation.

"Good-good," Jaune exclaimed. "We'll meet in Professor Port's lecture hall after dinner!"

...

As the cafeteria had closed for the day. Jaune made his way to Professor Port's hall to meet with everyone. Yang and Ruby would definitely be there. Blake and Sun should be there if they upheld their end. Everybody else was a mystery. Nora and Pyrrha were Ren and Yang's friends, and Jaune didn't know where their relationship stood. So they would be the wildcards. Weiss, if she kept her promise, would show.

Jaune pushed the door to the lecture hall open. Most of the lights had been turned off. He could see Blake and Sun standing down by the middle of the room. Both were leaning against the Professor's desk. Jaune waved to the Rogue and in turn gave Jaune a salute. Blake nodded to Jaune as he walked past the empty rows of desks.

"Hey," Jaune called out, leaning against the first row of desks. "You guys ready for this?" Jaune was ready to go hunt some monsters or people, depending on which paid more. He wasn't too picky at the moment but would prefer monsters.

"I am," Sun confidently replied. "I don't know about her." He pointed over to Blake, who rolled her eyes. She was, at least from what Jaune could see, in a much better mood.

The door to the lecture hall opened again. It was Ruby and Yang. "Sorry guys," Ruby apologised from the top of the stairs. "Yang got us lost on the way over here. She was checking out a boy!"

And now the sibling banter starts.

"Heyy," Yang whined. "Ruby! You weren't supposed to tell them!" Jaune knew what it was like. If he even looked at a girl in Bar, his sisters were all over it. He shuddered at the thought.

"Speaking of boys," Jaune interrupted. "Do you know where Ren is? He was supposed to get Nora."

"Yep," Ruby chirped as she came down the flight of stairs. "We ran into him a few minutes ago!"

If all eight of his friends showed up. There would be nine people in total that could go out and take on quests. Three groups of three would be best for fighting and travelling. They would also need to accommodate for everyone's weaknesses or strengths.

"I sweet-talked Pyrrha into joining us as well!" Yang jumped up onto the front row of desks. "She was pretty eager! A little too eager, in my opinion!" Ruby was also too eager to do certain things, but she might not have been the only one.

"What about Weiss," Ruby asked with a curious look on her face.

"I saw her this morning," Jaune answered, gesturing with his hand. "Weiss said she would come."

"Hi, guys," someone shouted from the door. "See Ren, I told you they would be in here!" Jaune turned to see Nora running down the stair with Ren in pursuit. "Just as I had predicted!"

"Nora, Ruby said they would be here," Ren monotonously corrected his friend. The pair sat down in the front row to the right of Jaune. The bubbly girl was pestering the calmer male about something, but Jaune didn't pay attention.

The door opened again. This time it was Pyrrha and Weiss.

"Hello~," Pyrrha greeted the group with her sing-song voice. Weiss didn't make any sort of main entrance. The two heroes made their way to the bottom of the stairs.

All right, time to sell this idea.

"Ok," Jaune began, standing up from the wall. "So the reason we asked you guys to come here tonight is about those inquisitors that attacked us a few days ago. I think we need a plan to get out of Beacon's dorms before something like that can happen again."

Nobody said anything immediately. Everyone was in thought, coming up with something to contribute or finding a reason to reject the idea.

"I agree," Blake spoke up, taking over the stage. "The group that attacked the academy was sent here by, 'The Church of the One,' or, 'The Church.' They are one of the largest religious groups on the planet, second to the Pantheon worshipped on Anima. Recently the Church has been trying to expand its influence across Sanus from the holy city of Grosche. I don't know much about their leadership, but the Archbishop of Vale, who probably sent those guys here, has kidnapped mages and faunus alike, either burning them at the stake or outright killing them because they were thought to be heretics or necromancers. So far, Beacon Academy is one of the few factions other than His Majesty who have been trying to limit their influence in Vale."

Some of the others seemed genuinely concerned about the prospect of another attack. The information dump providing a lot of stuff to go off of. They knew the likelihood of it as well with how ballsy the Church was on their first attempt. Only one of their number, Weiss, however, was indifferent, but she looked to be fuming about something else.

"Ok," Weiss blurted out before anyone else could. "That's good to know. But why does that even matter to you?! You're just going to run off like a coward again at the first sign of danger!" Her voice grew from an average volume to a loud yell. Weiss' tone sounding very antagonistic to the faunus. Blake's eyes narrowed, and her arms dropped to their sides. "Furthermore-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP," Blake loudly interrupted, taking a step towards Weiss.

Blake's expression shifted from neutral to angry, her lips pulling back and showing her teeth. Everyone else stood up and moved back. Weiss balled her fists and marched towards Blake.

"Guys, STOP," Jaune raised his voice to drown the others out. He jammed himself in between Weiss and Blake, not allowing the chance to get at each other's throats. "I don't want to have to be the adult here and put you two in a corner until you calm down!" He looked at Blake first then Weiss. "That wasn't the point of asking you guys to come here! If you two can't behave while we come up with a plan, then I don't see any reason why you should be here!" Jaune glared at Weiss and Blake. The Rogue retreated over to where Sun was standing, giving Weiss a hard glare. Weiss back up over to where Pyrrha stood. His poor Charisma must have had enough of an effect to convince the two women to stop. "Do we have an understanding?!"

"Fine," Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. If Jaune weren't pissed right now, he would have found it to be adorable.

"Ok," Blake said with a tinge of anger in the back of her throat.

Once everyone was calm and back in their spots, Jaune retook the floor. "Now, we need a plan. I say we start taking on quests immediately. Professor Goodwitch said the Questing House will open for first-year students beginning this week. In two days, I want to put together three groups to go out and take contracts." If the group wasn't torn apart by whatever was going on between Blake and Weiss, then it should be easy enough.

The Questing House was where missions from all over Sanus went to. Someone half a continent away could post a notice in the building, and if the amount of coin was right, a hero would take the job. Most contracts are regional and would often be posted in a nearby city and not halfway across the continent, but if the quest was important enough, then the capital was the right place to go. Or somebody like Ozpin would seek out heroes for special missions that were of the highest threat.

Nora raised her hand. "What kind of contracts should we take," she asked.

It wasn't a bad question. Jaune had visited the questing house and gotten a breakdown of the types of contracts. Most were pretty standard quests that consisted of tasks that Jaune and the others could complete.

"There are multiple types of contracts," Jaune began. "Hunting, gathering, extermination, bounty hunting, and just about everything that you can think of." He listed them with his fingers." If it is offered by Beacon, then we can take the quest. There is no limit to how many contracts we can work, but we need to complete ten each semester." Nora nodded and took some notes. The others were silently listening in. "Hunting missions are simple. There is a beast, like a werewolf or a vampire terrorising a village. We go out there, track it, kill it, and bring the head back to show we completed the contract terms." Jaune hoped his explanation was thorough enough.

Yang raised her hand. "What if they don't pay up, and we finished our end?"

"The contract poster has to pay upfront," Jaune answered. "Once the quest is completed, and we show the proof. The contractor will give us a letter to bring back to the questing house so we can receive payment." It wasn't a foolproof system. The poster could still refuse to give recognition for the mission. But people would rarely do that because they would be dealing with a very pissed off hero who could beat the shit out of them. The Beacon would refuse to take any quests from that village or town.

The Questing House was also the only place where you could legally post quests. You were not allowed to post something on a notice board in a village and handle it that way. That lead to fights breaking out between heroes over who took the contract and is supposed to get the award.

"Gathering missions entail the quest taker to go out and find ingredients from plants or animals. Foraging for mushrooms, or scales from a particular monster. Sometimes the task will force you to have to go into a cave to kill a basilisk for one of its eyes." This type of quest was not the most profitable for the amount of work you had to do. Having to hunt a powerful monster for one ingredient and then to only be paid a paltry sum for the job deterred most from this line of work.

"Extermination and hunting missions are pretty much the same. If there is an infestation of wolves or monsters. You go and clear them out. They pay by the head or as a lump sum." By far, the easiest form of work. Go in, kill everything and then go collect your pay. As long as there was someone to point you in the right direction, then you won't have to spend your time tracking.

"Bounty hunting is the most dangerous line of work. Most bounties request you to go hunt bandits or specific people. These are given out by the kingdom itself, and the soldiers usually handle the contract. Bounty hunting is not like monster hunting. People are much more dangerous." Jaune left out the part about what bandits usually do to people. He would try to keep his friends from going on these contracts unless everyone came with.

Bandit camps are generally sparsely distributed across Sanus. In the Kingdom of Vale, there is usually at least one group of bandits per fiefdom or province. Some of these brigand camps can be around five or six people to a few dozens or maybe even a hundred men.

"And finally, we have the miscellaneous quests. These consist of odd jobs such as patrolling a town or helping a village cut down a forest. They're pretty easy and surprisingly pay a lot for how much time they take. You can be given an escort mission, or you might have to act as a courier." Side quests are by far the safest, but most tedious. But there is never an end to the work. Labourers are often short in many villages so they will pay for a helping hand. The sum is usually quite generous if you are building a church or working on a lord's manor.

"Then what do we do after we start questing," Weiss asked. She seemed sceptical about the whole thing still. Her anger also just as present. "You have some sort of grand scheme?"

"What I'm going to do, is go looking for a house in Vale," Jaune replied as he leaned against the front row of desks. "The purpose of the communal dorms is for us to get out of them, right? You don't want to spend all four years in those dorms. I was planning on moving out and into a private room when I started questing, but the attack changed my plans."

"And before anybody decides to move off-campus, we should see how much it is to live at the academy," Ren suggested as he stood up and took over from Jaune. "It may be cheaper to live here, and if we start questing and earning Lien, we will begin levelling up at the same time. Then there might not be a need to move out because we'll be able to adequately defend ourselves." Ren made an excellent point. While Jaune may not have been the strongest, farming quests that were within his comfort zone would level the playing field.

"We also need to put groups together," Jaune announced walking back into the centre. "Three groups of three would be a good idea. I don't want anybody going off by themselves just yet. And having three-person parties would allow us to take on tougher quests."

"I can see sense in this plan," Ren monotonously admitted.

"So you and Nora are in," Jaune asked.

"Yep!" Nora answered for Ren and herself. Ren nodded, showing his agreement.

"Well, Jaune, you do make an excellent case," Pyrrha added in. "While I could adventure by myself. It would be more enjoyable in a group."

That's three; hopefully, the rest would fall into place.

"I'm down," Sun spoke up. That was pretty much a given.

"Sure, why not," Blake asked rhetorically.

"Rubes and I are in," Yang commented. "We talked about it before we got here. And decided to adventure with a group if Ren and Nora wanted to."

Weiss was the final one. Everyone looked at her waiting for an answer. "Fine," she groaned while rolling her eyes. "Don't you think this is kind of cliche?"

"Jaune's the epitome of cliche," Sun quipped. That one burned too.

What is it today? Stomp on Jaune's ego day?!

"Ok," Jaune continued, ignoring the painful burn. "We should decide who works in what groups tonight. Then you can debate on the quests you want."

"We should group people by their strengths and weaknesses," Pyrrha suggested, stepping into the centre of the group. "So who wants to begin with their level and stats?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Jaune concurred. "I'll go first then." Jaune stood up. "I'm a level-fourteen Knight, with my stats teetering towards Intelligence, constitution, and perception. I specialise in monster hunting due to my abilities." Everybody already saw what Jaune could do to monsters. Since he was primarily a monster hunter, those three stats were the most essential for the job and rose the fastest along with his strength.

Pyrrha was up next. "I'm a level-twenty-nine Spartan. My stats are similar, with strength and agility being my best. My worst stats are willpower and Charisma. My class is a hybrid between a spearman and a knight with a focus on combat specific stats. So being paired with a knight or warrior class would be a good idea for me." Jaune had never heard of a Spartan before.

Ruby jumped up onto her desk, sitting next to Jaune. "I'm a level nineteen, reaper," she cheerfully said. "My stats aren't that good by themselves..." She sounded kind of depressed "...but my passive allows me to have amazing agility, perception, and strength when using a scythe." Jaune had read of passives that limit the use of weapons, and Ruby's was limited to using a farming tool. Jaune would have to watch out for her. If her scythe broke, Ruby would be reduced to being a sack of meat that couldn't defend itself.

"Yang stepped next to where Jaune was standing. "I'm a level twenty-four brawler," she confidently announced. "My best stats are strength, constitution, and charisma!" Basically, a knight that doesn't use a sword or a mace. Jaune wondered how she would upgrade her weapons.

Maybe she just needed to buy a better pair of gauntlets?

"Well, I'm a level twenty-six rogue," Sun announced, popping his knuckles. "My class has all-around great stats, but my Intelligence is lacking. I can't use magic, but I have ranged abilities. So, Pyrrha and I would be good in a group."

That's one group down.

"I would be good with Sun and Pyrrha," Blake suggested. "My stats don't really matter right now." Jaune shivered at the apathy in her voice. That and her anti-social nature made her the perfect assassin.

Ren was about to say something but was cut off.

"Ren's a level twenty-seven monk, and I'm a level twenty-eight berserker," Nora energetically butted in. The Monk gave up and let Nora take over. "Monk's are a rogue-warrior class, and berserkers are pure warriors! We both have good Strength, Charisma, and Endurance stats. Neither of us has ranged weapons, so we need to go with a magic-user or Blake." There was group two. Jaune wanted to partner with Weiss, but those two needed her more.

"I'll go with Ren and Nora," Weiss plainly stated. "As long as the two of you can keep any enemies off my back, then I can work with you." Ren nodded and shook Weiss' hand. Nora gave Weiss a bearhug.

Well, that left Jaune with Ruby and... Yang. The teasing shouldn't be too terrible, right? Jaune enjoyed spending time with Ruby, and Yang was always a blast.

"Alright, Muscles," Yang teased as she pulled his left arm in between her breasts. "You're with us!"

Jaune felt like he was about to have a heart attack. Her chest was so soft and squishy! Like two warm pillows wrapped around his arm!

...

Once Jaune got out of Yang's fleshy death grip, he stepped out to get some air. The cool breeze hit Jaune's skin, chilling his body. Sounds of chirping crickets filled the quiet courtyard. The smell of the dew mingling with the short freshly cut grass made Jaune feel invigorated.

It felt good to finally get something started. Putting together a party was the first step in Jaune's ultimate plan. With a little bit of luck, Jaune and his friends could actually build a life here. Only two more days before he could become an actual adventurer.

Jaune heard an almost inaudible shuffle from behind him. He turned to see Blake standing there. Her hood pulled up, and most of her face hidden in shadow. But Jaune noticed the two amber eyes glancing back to him and then the ground.

"Thanks," she muttered.

Now Jaune was confused. He didn't know what he did to deserve probably the first genuinely kind words he ever heard from Blake. It clearly took a lot for her to say them. That's why she had her hood pulled up and wasn't meeting Jaune's eyes.

"For what," Jaune sincerely asked. "I didn't really do anything worth thanking me."

Maybe inviting her to join the adventurer's group, but not much else.

"You stepped in during that argument with Weiss," she explained. "Not many people would have stopped a mage and rogue from fighting." She started pacing back and forth. "Almost every warrior-class I've met would watch with complete and utter joy." Blake paused and looked up at him.

Jaune wouldn't have let it happen. He wasn't a shitty person who liked watching people beat each other up for fun. If it was play fighting, then sure. But this was serious. Whatever was going on with Weiss nearly took it too far.

Jaune wanted to probe into the reasons why Weiss went off like that. She was obviously prejudiced towards to Rogue classes, but he didn't know where it was coming from. Again, Jaune didn't know her background, so he needed more information before coming to a conclusion. He didn't want to risk their fledgling relationship by becoming too intrusive.

"Don't worry, we've known each other for a few weeks," Jaune said. "I consider you and Weiss to be my friends. And I don't like seeing my friends fighting for stupid reasons."

"Isn't it a bit early to call us your friends," Blake asked with a perplexed look. "I don't know many people who would just give that much trust out to anybody." Now Jaune's social awkwardness was showing. This is mildly embarrassing.

"Up to this point, I've never really had any friends other than my sisters," Jaune nervously chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Then I met you guys, and we got along. So, I consider you my friends even if I don't know you that well."

"You're serious?" Blake crossed her arms and leaned onto one of the columns.

"Yep," Jaune said, popping the, 'P.'

Level Fourteen

Strength 28 (+2)

Agility 14 (+1)

Defence 20 ()

Perception 24 ()

Constitution 30 (+1)

Intelligence 35 (+2)

Charisma 18 (+1)

Willpower 12 ()

...

Abilities

Arclight

A high-intensity explosion of light, equivalent to that of the sun. Burns the flesh of undead and magical entities. Momentarily blinds living and non-magical entities. Sudden magical intensity can cause affected to flee regardless of status.

...

Miscellaneous Knowledge/Buffs/etc.

Monster Slayer

Spent years studying the various monsters of Remnant. Knows the different species and taxonomy of each known creature. Understands the weaknesses of most known monsters.

Armour and Weapons Smith

Worked a forge for his entire life. Jaune is able to judge the composition of metals, and know the condition of his weapons and armour.

I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter. I will slow down the speed of the fic where one chapter might be the lead-up to a fight and the fight itself. I can't let this story move too fast. I want a solid fifty or so chapters before Jaune encounters Salem for the first time