A/N: End of the semester stuff. Ugh. I'll be free next week.
Something I want to share: I use paint to simulate the fight scenes.
The Price of Altruism I
-Thirteen days later-
'Honey, don't listen to them; you are who you choose to be.'
Jaune felt his mother's voice linger in his ear; he felt warmth as the words passed by his ears, and his mother hugged his tiny body as if trying to protect him from the outside world. He could only melt in her embrace.
Jaune shook his head as he walked into the street wearing a blue shirt, jeans, and a large leather bag was held in his right hand.
He didn't want any more looks by carrying his sword out in public; he already got too many just by walking on the dormitory's halls.
Ever since his 'confrontation' with the manager, Michael Noir, his life became routine, more or less. It took Mr. Noir five days to get permission for him to use the Pharos combat school grounds.
But he didn't waste those five days; he used his semblance, [One with yourself: Skin] as much as he could. Jaune would even activate it during work, but he wouldn't keep it for long, five to ten minutes.
He got into trouble even then, as being in pain and attending tables was a bad combination. It was a good thing he didn't have much of a temper.
That didn't mean he didn't get called out on it. Azure had asked if he was injured or something. Jaune brushed it off and had managed to keep a smile with the customers, if a stiff one, even when he was in pain. He had managed to hide his pain well by the end of the five days.
It was worth it; thanks to all his blood, sweat, and even some tears, he had managed to progress fast with his aura. His aura 'core' wasn't shaped like a ball anymore.
Now it resembled a human but without any features. It also took much more space but wasn't as densely packed. Jaune was progressing fast as this 'human-shaped aura core' was expanding every day.
This also brought some issues; mainly, aura had a vague sense of touch and could feel different organs moving in different rhythms.
It didn't bring pain or anything, it was just annoying, but he was getting used to it.
Jaune also found out something about the Stage I Aura Physique, as it didn't provide invulnerability as he thought it would. He had thought he would be safe from any attacks if he still had aura, but it didn't work like that.
Aura could be broken if he took too much damage in a short amount of time, leading to a period where his aura would be unstable and struggling to reform.
So people could still be killed, even if they still had aura, provided they were killed when their aura was broken.
That piece of information put a bit of uncertainty in his mind, but still, he didn't move his goal of going to hunt Grimm tomorrow.
Anyway, after those initial five days, he again managed to train with [Shadow Fighting V.2], but this time in the combat school.
He would go once in the morning before work and after, so he could reach the requirement of thirty hours as fast as possible. Thanks to that, he had managed to reach the halfway point of the hours required.
Jaune might be closer if he had chosen to do that every day, but his body couldn't handle it, and he wanted to use another semblance. Every other day, he would switch between [Shadow Fighting] and [One with yourself: Skin].
Jaune then chided himself; he was distracting himself. He focused on his aura, and it crept towards his skin; it took only a few seconds to reach it and once again focused on his memory.
Jaune had finally reached a point where moving his aura to his skin and maintaining it was becoming more natural. Still, he knew he was only halfway done.
Jaune needed his aura core to develop even more.
To become one with his skin and have the 'intent' to protect him all the time. But even then, he was progressing fast. Jaune had done something that took some people months to accomplish.
The result of all his hard work wasn't only due to pain; he didn't need his semblance to feel other emotions; his memory could do the same. So he searched within himself for memories that brought intense feelings.
After days of meditating while using his semblance, he finally searched for one that brought him a sea worth of emotions.
It was a memory of him running home after a bad day at school.
When he was younger, this memory only brought him bitterness and hope at the same time because he believed that he controlled his destiny.
But that was only a fragile illusion.
Jaune remembered when he was arguing with his father and parroting his mother's words back to her, hoping she would side with him.
'Mom didn't you say I chose who I wanted to become!?'
She had already turned her head away, and Jaune could only see her mother's long blond hair and slumped shoulders.
That action destroyed any hope of receiving help from her. Even then, he wasn't going to give up.
Jaune could feel his aura moving in response to his emotions; it surged and waved in his skin as if trying to provide comfort.
Once, this memory brought the feeling of hope. That no matter what happened, he could still be someone he would be proud to be.
Now, this was a reminder that time waited for no one, and nothing was gained without a price to pay.
He felt that memory gave birth to who he was, and it manifested in his semblance.
The power to choose what he would become, but at a price—unlimited potential with unlimited restraints. In a way, it represented who he was, no one if he didn't have a goal in mind and anyone if he did.
That still brought skepticism; maybe he was seeing was he wanted to see.
Jaune walked in a daze the rest of the way to the Pharos Combat School; he only focused on maintaining his aura around his skin.
After walking, he reached the school; it wasn't like he thought it would be. Instead of being a compound with huge buildings, it was almost barren.
There was a three-story building in the middle of it that didn't take much space and wasn't impressive.
It looked like it was an ordinary building for salarymen. The only reason it stood out was that it was alone in a massive stretch of space that held markings on the floor.
But Jaune knew it was because no one was using the combat fields. Mr. Noire explained that specialized areas would come from those markings with unique training equipment in each room.
Jaune then approached the entrance that was blocked off by a lengthy moving metal barrier.
At the side was a booth where a security guard was at him. Jaune nodded at the man, and the security guard did the same and opened the barrier.
The school grounds weren't wholly barren; there were walkways where trees were at both sides, and there were also some tables spread out across the school, but all of them outside the markings in the ground.
Jaune went towards a table, took out his Crocea Mors from his bag. There was also some bottled water, snacks, notebooks, a towel, and a change of clothes.
Although they didn't let him activate the training grounds, he was glad that they gave him permission to use the showers.
Otherwise, he would have to backtrack towards his dorm and shower because there was no way Azure would have let him work covered in sweat.
Jaune started a timer in his scroll before walking towards a training ground, clipped Crocea Mors to his belt, and walked towards the center of a training ground.
He started his ritual of grasping his sword's hilt and could feel the change on his body as he did. His muscles tensed, and his heartfelt right next to his ears as he imagined fighting Beowolfs. He felt a phantom of touch in his arms as he swung his sword in his imagination.
After some time, the timer went off. Jaune took a couple of deep breaths as he took hold of Crocea Mors hilt and slowly drew it out; he could feel the slight vibration on his hand as metal scraping metal, and he held the sword in his right hand. There was a sense of comfort as it didn't feel as awkward as when he started training.
He focused the aura on his brain and activated his semblance [Shadow Fighting V.2]. A cloud of darkness formed at the end of the marked field, slowly a figure appeared, its glare was more intense than other beowolfs, its claws were sharper, but what most worried him was the white mask in its skull.
He immediately expanded his aura towards his skin as the masked beowolf rushed towards him. This wouldn't prevent any damage as it was an illusion. Still, it would lessen the pain as it would disappear a few moments after the attack and wouldn't linger until he deactivated his semblance.
The masked beowolf rushed recklessly, desperate to tear him apart, but Jaune stood tall with his sword in his right hand, his knees buckled and meeting its fiery gaze head-on.
Jaune's eyes didn't change even when the Masked Beowolf was upon him faster than he had expected.
The Beowolf made a wide slash at his throat, Jaune leaned back, moved his left foot backward, and the Beowolf missed as it passed by his side.
A single second stretched.
Jaune felt his heartbeat thumping against his chest as he examined the masked that went past him. Its stark whiteness contrasted with two crimson lines from the top to the bottom of the mask, only melting into its crimson eyes.
They slowly disintegrated as he thrust his sword into its stomach before the Beowolf could launch a second attack.
It was oddly unsatisfying for Jaune.
It wasn't that he wanted to feel the tearing of muscle, its black ooze dripping on his sword, and the strain of his muscles as he won over the beast.
It was the nagging in the back of his mind, 'This is nothing more than a fake. You've accomplished nothing.'
Each time he felt like that, he knew rationally that this was practice; he needed to prepare. If not, he would be rushing to his death. But each time he defeated more Beowolfs, that voice grew louder, and he grew restless.
Jaune needed to get better. Fast.
With that thought, he activated his semblance once again, making four Beowolfs, three newborn Beowolfs, and one masked behind them.
They rushed with snarls and growls, but he met them head-on as he ran towards the right side of their formation.
The beowolf at the right of the formation reached him first, but Jaune had an advantage on range as he planted his right foot and thrust his sword, piercing the Beowolf chest, killing it instantly.
The Masked Beowolf and the other beowolf closest took their chance to rush at him simultaneously. The Masked one did a short swing, while the newborn did a wide swing, each of them from opposing angles.
But Jaune was ready. He took a short jump backward and managed to swing Crocea Mors to cut off the Masked beowolf's elbow. It roared in pain and stopped for a second, but the newborn didn't; it drew its claws backward for another swing.
Jaune also noticed one at the edge of his vision, flanking him reeling its claws backward in a wide swing. He dodged the first swing by ducking under it and managed to step forward and thrust his sword in its head before the second one completed its swing.
Seering pain appeared in his ribs, but Jaune pushed through and managed to turn towards the two enemies left. One newborn Beowolf and a one-handed Masked Beowolf.
The newborn was already attacking again, recklessly. He managed to step, backward dodging its claws, took a few quick steps as the newborn righted its self, and swung for the head.
Jaune didn't have time to watch the head fly over the morning sky, as the Masked Beowolf was already trying to claw his shoulder. He didn't have any way out, so he only braced his aura and muscles as he felt claws dig into his shoulder.
But he didn't cry out in pain, as if there was one thing he progressed over these two weeks, it was his pain tolerance. He turned around and swung for the beast's chest, and he could only heave a sigh of relief as it was cut in two.
Jaune watched blankly as the Masked Beowolf disappeared.
He could feel his sweaty hair clinging to his face, his beating heart rapidly pumping blood into his veins, and the fire in his lungs as he tried to calm his breathing.
Jaune could feel the adrenaline and a sense of triumph in his chest as he managed to defeat this small pack of Beowolfs. But his aura wasn't comforting him; it was the opposite. It felt as if flowing ice in his veins, and the voice in the back of his head said harshly, 'This wouldn't have gone so well if they were real.'
Jaune let out a heavy breath and let his emotions calm down, and his body cools down. It was at that moment he chose to summon one Masked Beowolf and five newborns.
They rushed at him as if they wanted nothing more than to prey on his insecurities.
But Jaune moved forward once again.
Jaune had settled into working as a waiter, and it showed how he moved across the restaurant with a tray filled with drinks, not spilling one drop.
He made sure to drop each drink with a smile, and in no time, he only had to wait for certain drinks to arrive or a customer to call out to him. It was then he heard a conversation at a table near him.
Jaune took the chance to observe the people, as Azure said, 'People say more with their bodies than their mouths.' It was in these two weeks that he learned how true this was.
Jaune stood still and watched at the edge of his vision, as he was already chewed out by Azure by staring directly at the customers.
In a table by the window was a man with light blue hair, in his twenties but had a bit of fat on his cheeks; the woman was skinny, almost too thin, and had ginger hair, both of them looked in their mid-twenties.
The light blue-haired man was a bit awkward as he fumbled with his arms and said after a bit of hesitation, "So what do you do in your free time?"
The woman seemed relaxed as she answered, "You know, the usual, watch movies, series, and podcasts."
The man continued in his nervousness as he asked, "Are you a big fan of any of those?"
The woman replied a bit guardedly, "I like those political ones; the conflict between the people really calls to me."
The man sat in silence for a moment before saying, "I like more action and adventure stuff and some war documentaries. Like an escape from day to day life."
Jaune flinched; he was basically showing, 'I don't care about politics. In fact, I avoid them.' They seemed to have different routes, as politics was more subtle and war and adventure were straightforward- well, at least in comparison to politics.
After that, the conversation seemed to dull at the table. The woman's feet were already facing away from the table and towards the bathroom. She would leave anytime.
Eventually, she said a bit dully, "Excuse me, I have to go to the lady's room."
After a few minutes of delivering orders, he noticed one going to the couple's table. The woman hadn't come back yet.
Jaune approached the table and said with a smile, "Sir, your hamburger and fries, and a salad for the lady."
The man nodded and said absentmindedly, "Thanks."
Just as Jaune was about to leave, the man spoke, "Hey, can I ask you for some advice?"
Jaune turned around, saw Azure taking a glance at him, and said after a moment, "Sure, I don't know if I'll be any help, though."
The man shrugged and said, "That's fine. Anything will do." The man continued, "Anyway, my date doesn't seem to go so well. I can't really get her to open up."
Jaune was a bit unsure of saying anything as he could make things worse, but ultimately decided on, "Well, try to have some common ground."
The man gave him a dry look, and Jaune had to look away, as it was just common sense, and the man said a bit desperately, "Come on, don't give me something as obvious as that."
Jaune thought for a bit about his past experience in the restaurant and finally said, "Try to challenge her ideas. When people have a discussion of their ideas and values is when they really get to know each other."
The man seemed in thought and said, "Isn't that a risky thing to do a date?"
Jaune shrugged a bit and said, "Well, you are already putting yourself out there by dating. What's a little more?"
The man nodded with a bit more resolve than before, and he turned to leave to attend other tables.
A few minutes later, Azure caught him as he prepared more refreshments, and she said a bit teasingly, "Dating Master Arc, huh?"
Jaune rolled his eyes as he with frustration on his voice, "Not really, just saying what I've seen."
Azure nodded and said, poking fun at him, "Those are the types of customers you have more trouble with."
He snorted and replied, "Also, the ones that take more time to eat and leave."
Azure shrugged and said, "If they have a good time, they are more likely to come back."
Jaune was about to reply, but Azure gave a pointed look towards the window and said, "Well, good advice, though."
The man and woman were in a heated discussion, and they could hear their conversation clearly from there.
The man said heatedly, "Come on, it was the councilmembers that decided on the budget for Mountain Glenn. If the military had more leeway, it wouldn't have been the biggest failure on Vale's history."
The woman said sarcastically, "Let's just forget the military structure of Vale during the whole debacle. All of its structural problems would've been solved by more money, right?"
The man replied defensively, "No, but they could've given more time so they could reorganize themselves. After all, it was the biggest expansion in all of Vale's history. You can't expect the military to take account of all the new variables on a limited budget."
Jaune turned to Azure and said in confusion, "Is their date going well or not? I just can't tell."
Azure gave him an amused smile and said with a shrug, "If they start throwing each other food, I'd say it definitely didn't go well. Other than that, I dunno."
Jaune gave her an exasperated look, but before he could say anything, a customer called out to him.
Apparently, it went well, as he received a pretty generous tip.
Thanks to that tip, he managed to buy a carving knife and more wire for the traps he will put on tomorrow.
With his purchases in a bag, Jaune made his way home, as he wouldn't train in the afternoon, as he wanted to be as rested as possible before he went outside the walls of Vale.
It was a good thing they taught him how to survive in the wilderness in school. Which was a deep contrast to what he had learned about schools in Vale, as they focused on more theoretical aspects, except for combat schools.
As his village had an outlook of 'Every day can be the last,' they made sure people would manage if the walls surrounding it were ever destroyed. That meant everyone knew how to make shelters, traps and learned how to skin animals.
Jaune's father took an interest in making sure he learned as much about wood-carving as possible. As it was his hobby and something he prided himself with, going so far as making every piece of furniture in his house.
Because of that, he wasn't terrified of the woods. In fact, his school made sure to make frequent trips there but accompanied by a squad of guards, and even more in their surroundings, so he never saw Grimm approaching their field trip.
Jaune put those thoughts aside as he entered the Pharos Dormitory, and he remembered that he wanted to ask Mr. Noir some questions.
More specifically, towards the Hunting Grounds. Spaces where Grimm was hunted by civilians, students, and generally, the inexperienced. Though it was heavily monitored by the Vale military, he was skeptical about it, just through its sheer area that they covered.
Jaune had scoured through forums, but opinions weren't really consistent. So Mr. Noir, a teacher of a combat school, might know more.
It didn't take long for him to reach Mr. Noir's office. Jaune knocked and soon heard a reply muffled by the door, "Come in."
Jaune opened the door and said with a smile towards the black-haired teacher, "Good afternoon, . How are you doing?"
Michael Noir was watching something as he laid his feet on the desk, before shutting it off and replying to Jaune, "Good, how was your day?"
Jaune sat on the chair across from the desk, laid the bag right next to the chair's leg, and said, "A bit of awkward, to be honest."
Mr. Noir raised an eyebrow and said in curiosity, "How so?"
Jaune said after a moment of silence, "W-Well, I had to give some dating advice to a customer. I told him that he needed to challenge her date's ideas. "
Mr. Noir asked in curiosity, "Did it work?"
Jaune replied, "If the big tip was any indication, it did." He paused for a second a remembered why he came here, and asked, "Anyway, I wanted to ask you some questions about the Hunting Grounds."
Mr. Noir dropped his legs from the desk and leaned forward to meet Jaune's eyes with his own onyx ones, "You think you are ready to hunt Grimm by yourself?"
Jaune hardened his face and said earnestly, "There's only so much I can learn by practicing."
Mr. Noir seemed thoughtful and said after a moment of silence, "You aren't satisfied with the practice your semblance has given you?"
Jaune was shocked for a second until he realized he wasn't talking about his true semblance, but [Shadow Fighting V.2], and he quickly calmed down.
But Mr. Noir kept talking, "I know it's rude to discuss someone's semblance, but you aren't hiding it, and if you are, you are doing a bad job at it."
Jaune's thoughts stopped for a moment; he tilted his head and asked in confusion, "It's rude to discuss someone's semblance?"
There was an unspoken rule about semblances in his village, where they were not supposed to talk about them. They generally kept the idea that they were 'dangerous' and 'unpredictable.' So children and teenagers didn't become guards for the sole purpose of unlocking theirs.
Jaune's question made the black-haired man stop for a second and asked him incredulously, "You didn't know?"
Jaune shrugged and said, "In my village, people don't really discuss semblances. Guards only use them at the wall. If not, it could create a divide between them and civilians." Jaune paused for a moment before adding, "At least that's what my father told me."
Mr. Noir nodded and answered his previous question, "Well, it's cause they are three schools of thought regarding semblances and their users."
Mr. Noir raised a finger and said patiently, "First, that they represent one another, like an ability given your personality, values, and ideals."
Mr. Noir raised a second finger in the same hand and continued, "Second, your semblance changes who you are. As if you are a puppet to your semblance."
Jaune frowned at that one, which seemed pretty pessimistic, but in a way, it reminded him of the achievements he needed to unlock his next semblance.
Mr. Noir continued as he raised a third finger, "Third, they aren't related, and we see what we want to see, trying to connect where they aren't any. Kind of like saying you are born to do great things because you were born on a full moon."
There was a moment of silence as Jaune processed this information before asking Mr. Noir, "Which one do you believe in?"
Mr. Noir pondered as he rubbed his chin and, after a few moments, said, "To be honest, I believe in the third one." The man was going to continue talking but closed his mouth, "To put it simply, I think people are too eager for meaning, and that leads to people believing in the first case."
The man then paused for a bit, and his eyes grew a bit dark, "As for the second case." His eyes and voice grew somber, and he said, "Power corrupts, and people will grow entranced to the power that only they can do, for better or worse."
Jaune could see that Mr. Noir, as a combat school teacher, had seen this firsthand. He felt a bit guilty by ruining the mood and said, "Want to know about my semblance?"
Mr. Noir's eyes glittered, and he said excitedly, "Yes! You know I've never talked about someone's semblance in depth."
Jaune's eyes drifted to the side as he said, "Well, it's nothing complex." He thought for a bit, so he could best explain it and settled for, "I can make Illusions of Grimm only I can see."
Mr. Noir asked with curiosity, "Like those combat holograms?"
Jaune nodded and added, "But they affect all of my senses."
Mr. Noir seemed to get to a conclusion as he said somberly, "So that's why you feel pain."
He nodded, and after a moment of awkwardness, asked, "So you can make any Grimm?"
Jaune blanched a bit, as he felt like facepalming, as he had only been using it for Beowolfs. He could've been fighting Ursa's, Creeps, and Boarbatusk's. He should've explored the concept of 'simple enemies.'
After a momentary daze, he nodded once again and said, "I can make up to twenty so far."
There was another moment of awkwardness as he brooded over his simple-mindedness; maybe he could make himself in [Shadow Fighting V.2]?
Jaune doubted it, but he decided to test it later. Mr. Noir looked uncomfortable, and finally, he said, "Anyway, you shouldn't explain your semblance to anyone; people can judge you for it."
Jaune was confused as he asked, "They would?"
Mr. Noir and said grimly, "It's fairly common. Some students at Pharol get bullied because of their 'dark' semblances. Or simply because it says something unfavorable about them."
Jaune was a bit horrified, "That's horrible. Doesn't the school do anything about it?"
Mr. Noir said a bit tiredly, "We try, but we can't have eyes everywhere." Before Jaune could say anything, Mr. Noir said, "Anyway, you want to know which Hunting Grounds are the best, right?"
Jaune decided to let the issue drop and said, "Yeah, from what I've read, it seems that Hunting Grounds #1 is the safest, but they are cleaned too often, so they are barely any Grimm."
Mr. Noir nodded and explained, "Yeah, that's for people who want to make their first kill- and wait when you want to go?"
Jaune replied, "Tomorrow."
Mr. Noir then questioned him, "...Tomorrow it's Sunday, right?" Jaune nodded, and the teacher continued, "It will be packed with people; you might not find a single one."
Jaune then asked, "So where should I go? Opinions are mixed on the rest of the Hunting Grounds."
Mr. Noir nodded as he explained, "Yeah, well, the thing about the Hunting Grounds is that it's also the place for many underground deals, and it isn't uncommon to be robbed. But that usually happens on some of the deserted ones."
Mr. Noir continued, "Anyway, where you want to go depends and what you want to hunt and how much you can handle at the same time."
Jaune responded, already thinking about this earlier, "Well, I'd like to hunt for Beowolfs and at most four or five at a time, hopefully, newborn ones."
Mr. Noir raised an eyebrow and said, "Is that how many you can handle with your illusions?"
Jaune was a bit offended as he replied, "Of course not. I can handle a small pack of newborn Beowolfs led by a Masked one."
Mr. Noir then rubbed his chin as he thought for a second, "Then you should go to Hunting Grounds #36. Beowolfs don't really form a pack there; they are mostly alone, but it's decently populated, so you might run into three or more at the same time."
Jaune nodded and said gratefully, "Thank you, I was having a lot of problems finding the right one."
Mr. Noir threw him a smile, "No problem at all. I'm just glad you came to me before you rushed over."
Jaune scratched his head and looked at the side, as he had been reluctant about talking this with Mr. Noir and only did so the day before he left for the Hunting Grounds.
Jaune then pushed the conversation away, "So what were you watching before I entered?"
Mr. Noir replied, "Just some documentary about some scientist."
Jaune raised an eyebrow, "Is it any good?"
Mr. Noir shrugged and said, "It's alright." After a moment, he asked, "Want to watch it with me?"
Jaune had decided to rest for the day, so he wasn't going to do anything, so he said with a shrug, "Sure." He stood up, grabbed his chair, and plopped it next to Mr. Noir as the man gave him a small smile.
Jaune laid on his bed, just as he did eighteen days ago, his face plastered on the pillow as he thought of tomorrow. More specifically, what semblance to use.
Jaune had been thinking about this choice for weeks. What did he need to kill real Grimm?
Jaune had narrowed it down to something that had a passive effect, as he didn't have the concentration or the aura control to start using a new semblance out of nothing.
That lead to two options, something to make himself stronger or to make Grimm weaker.
With the option of making Grimm weaker, he only had one choice that made any difference.
[Minor Aura of Thorns]
[Reflect a portion of your pain on your attacker. The attack must hit the User's aura for this effect to activate. The more distance between the attacker and the User, the weaker the effect.]
[Price: For 24 hours, temporarily lose 20% of the User's aura reserves.]
[User has another semblance in use]
Jaune didn't think it would be so useful as it only reflected a portion of the pain, and Grimm had a high tolerance of pain. It would be a different story if it reflected damage like its later progressions.
The most it would do would stop them from continuously attacking him; it would be a good thing if he would face a pack of Grimm, but not a game changer if he only encountered a few at a time.
So that left him with the option of making himself stronger. But what aspect should he enhance?
Speed? Dexterity? Strength? Reflexes?
Jaune was sure he should enhance his speed as it would mess up his strikes and coordination. Because the enhancement would be permanent for the 24 hours of the semblance duration, it would be like his speed at 10% would suddenly be at 30%.
It would harm him more than benefit him.
As for Dexterity and Reflexes, he was unsure of their effects. They would change how he moved his body and how he reacted, and he wasn't going to waste a day practicing this. Besides, he wouldn't have what to practice with if he didn't have [Shadow Fighting V.2].
Jaune was also sure he had good enough reflexes to deal with two or three newborn Beowolfs. He wasn't entirely sure, but his practice with his semblance eased his worries.
As for Strength. It was the most significant variable in his hunting, as [Shadow Fighting V.2] didn't factor in his strength, and a boost in power would ease his worries. With that thought, he looked at the passive strength semblance.
[Minor Cloak of Strength]
[The User's aura clings to his muscles, increasing his strength in his every movement. User's muscles receive an inevitable backlash after the duration of the semblance, depending on the level of strain.]
[Price: For 24 hours, temporarily lose 20% of the User's aura reserves.]
[User has another semblance in use]
In a way, it was the perfect semblance for the job. As he would draw as much strength as possible and receive the backlash only once he was on the Pharos Dormitory. And the backlash would only be as intense as he pushed himself.
With that thought, he saved the semblance in another tab named [Saved Semblances]. There he held the semblances he thought were exciting, or he could possibly use in the future.
With that thought, he rolled over and hugged his pillow as he tried to fall asleep.
But he couldn't, as one of the things he did was look at the requirements to enter Beacon for people of the outside kingdoms. They were extensive.
Last time he didn't get a good look at it, and he only remembered the number of combat situations the test required.
For the practical exam, one needed to fight against hard-light dust holograms of Beacon's previous first-year students. Not once or twice, but ten times.
That was only the start, as they next needed to fight Grimm in the emerald forest. Where each examinee would need to fight a specific amount and types of Grimm before they would be allowed to return.
Finally, they would be made temporary teams and spar against other examinees in a tournament style.
But even if you won the tournament and excelled in each practice exam, you might not enter. This wasn't Beacon said but proved every few years, where the last team standing in the tournament would not be accepted, as they didn't have the right attitude.
Because if they didn't, they might as well be Mercenaries.
In a way, it brought him comfort. It proved that he didn't have to be the best at the exam to pass. But still, he needed a minimum of combat ability and experience before he entered Beacon.
That was why he was so nervous about tomorrow; he needed to do good. To show himself that all this effort was worth it.
Jaune didn't know what he would do if-
No, he did. He would stand up and do it all over again until he was good enough.
With that thought, he relaxed his breathing and slowly descended into unconsciousness.
A/N: 6k words. My longest chapter yet.
Next chapter we get with a lot more action/plot.
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