Ephemeral Dream
Summary: Jaune Arc isn't strong, smart, or skilled. Even so, he dreams of a future in which he is a Huntsman. He dreams of friendship, combat, and love. But every dreamer must wake. "Not yet…" He whispered, tears of blood streaking down his cheeks. "I can't let this dream end… Until I've turned it to reality." Gamer Jaune!
Warnings: Crossovers, strong and smart Jaune, later quite OP. Possible Harem.
XII: Time to Grind
[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Advance is now Level MAX.]
[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Retreat is now Level MAX.]
[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Evade is now Level MAX.]
[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Attack is now Level MAX.]
[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Clone is now Level MAX.]
[Black Dragon's Sickle Kick is now Level MAX.]
[Black Dragon's Pulse Breath is now Level MAX.]
[Due to reaching Level MAX, Hei Long's 2000 years is now Rank A++.]
[Due to reaching Level MAX with Hei Long's 2000 Years, you have unlocked Black Dragon's Enlightenment.]
[Due to mastery of other Black Dragon Skills, Black Dragon's Enlightenment is now Level MAX and Rank A++.]
I stared in satisfaction at the string of notifications in front of me as I finally sat down. As soon as it hit 10PM and everyone else was asleep, I snuck out and immediately began training.
Over six and a half hours of non-stop training… But it was worth it as I mastered all of my Black Dragon Skills… And sure enough…
[Hidden Quest: Black Dragon's Legacy has been cleared.]
[Rewards]
+50 Strength
+50 Dexterity
+30 Vitality
100,000 EXP
Title 'The Black Sun in the Morning Sky'
[You have levelled up twelve times.]
+12,500 HP
+8,700 MP
+84 Stat Points
+1 Perk Point
[You have fulfilled the conditions to clear Objective 1 of Quest: Prove Them Wrong.]
I only grinned widely as my level shot up twelve times thanks to the experience boost from the hidden quest. "Status!"
[Status]
Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 27
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 18,990
MP: 16,510
Strength: 80 + 30% = 104
Vitality: 75 + 30% = 98
Dexterity: 80 + 30% = 104
Intelligence: 55
Luck: 25
Sense: 30
Remaining Points: 84
Perk Points: 2
I only nodded, pleased with what I was looking at, before I allocated my points without waiting a beat. 45 to Intelligence, 20 to sense, and the remaining 19 to luck. My reasoning behind that was I was trying to balance the rest of my stats to my now huge Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality.
[Status]
Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 27
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 18,990
MP: 16,510
Strength: 80 + 30% = 104
Vitality: 75 + 30% = 98
Dexterity: 80 + 30% = 104
Intelligence: 100
Luck: 44
Sense: 50
Remaining Points: 0
Perk Points: 2
With my MP sitting at a monstrous amount, and the quest cleared, I began projecting weapons. And, after a little over 5,000 MP spent…
[Projection is now Level MAX.]
[Due to reaching Level Max, Projection is now Rank A+.]
[Quest: Projection's bonus objective has been cleared.]
[Rewards]
+50,000 EXP
Reality Marble (LOCKED) has been added to Skill List
Blessed Random Box
[You have levelled up three times.]
+3,700 HP
+4,350 MP
+24 Stat Points
+1 Perk Point
My eyes widened as I levelled up three times, though I was curious about my new skill, quickly bringing up my Skill Menu to look at it.
[Reality Marble (Nameless) – Rank Unknown – Lv. MAX] (LOCKED)
The inner world born of one's soul, given form. The pinnacle of the soul's power, denying the reality of the world and projecting the user's own world onto reality, thereby overwriting the world with their own. Currently, the player's Reality Marble is empty and without name, and thus cannot be used.
…
Oh my god.
I didn't know the benefit for clearing the bonus objective would be so huge!
A world of my own. My soul given form…
I couldn't help but wonder what form the world would take.
It was likely a day far in the future, so I decided to put it out of my mind for the moment.
I also decided not to buy any more perks for the moment. I wanted to save those for either when I'd mastered ALL of my current skills, or for when I most needed them. Having three perk points was pretty nice though, I wasn't going to deny that.
With that decided, I opened my Inventory to check out the last item I'd received.
[Blessed Random Box]
[Item Class: EX]
[Item Type: Loot Box]
[A box said to be blessed by the gods. Opening it will provide the player with an item they desire.]
That was… Good, very good. It could give me a powerful weapon, possibly a skill book, or anything like that!
But what I wanted wasn't any of those things… What I wanted was an item that would help me level up quickly. Sure, I was Level 30, but I wanted to be an even higher level. I wanted to be as strong as possible, as fast as possible.
"Open [Blessed Random Box.]"
There was a glow of light from the box as the ribbon came undone and it opened…
And in my hands was a key.
[Palace of Heaven Key]
[Item Class: EX]
[Type: Key]
[A Key that allows you to enter Dungeon: Palace of Heaven. It can be used at Signal Academy.]
My eyes widened in shock as I stared down at the golden key in my hands.
And EX-Ranked Item. More than that, it was my first ever Dungeon Key. I hadn't known of dungeons existed within the System, though now I knew they did. That was interesting to know, very interesting.
Still, that was a pretty high rank… EX was a rank that couldn't be properly quantified… That meant the Dungeon was above A, and possibly beyond crazy in strength. Did I really want to risk going into a Dungeon like that when I was only Level 30?
The immediate answer was no, of course not. But the box provided me with an item I desired. A dungeon key, a sure-fire way to level up faster. Would the System really give me something that was useless to me unless I levelled up more?
I frowned, but stored the key into my Inventory for the time being.
I wiped my forehead and checked the time. It was around ten to five in the morning, meaning I had plenty of time before I had to go to the Hospital and check on Neo.
I opened my inventory, selling all the D-Rank weapons I'd created for around two and a half million gold this time, before opening up my status. With another twenty-four points available to me, it was time for a bit more investment in other stats.
I slapped five to vitality, ten to sense, five to intelligence, and the remaining four to my luck.
With that done, I decided to finally check out the title the Hidden Quest had given me.
[The Black Sun in the Morning Sky]
One who has mastered the Black Dragon Style. Feared by man, beast, and god alike; let all who see you tremble before the might of the undefeated Black Dragon.
Effect: Changes Player's race to Faunus (Dragon) while equipped.
My eyes bugged out of my skull, and I swallowed.
I suspected that certain titles would provide effects but… Turning me into a faunus?
And yes, that was surprising to me! It's one thing to give me bullshit magical powers, it's a completely different thing to literally change my race!
I shook my head, getting over my amazement as I dismissed the screen. I couldn't find any other immediate use for the title other than to change my species to faunus, I guess having it hide my identity could be useful? I'd have to think on it.
I took a seat on the ground, and began to think, my focus shifting back to the Dungeon Key.
A Dungeon Key. A Dungeon Key to the god damned Palace of Heaven! It was a chance to level up like crazy! Did I really want to pass this up?
I clenched my fist, looking down at it… before I opened up the Store.
[Are you sure you want to buy Scaled Gloves & Obsidian Treads for 5,000,000 Gold?]
[You have purchased Scaled Gloves & Obsidian Treads.]
[Scaled Gloves]
[Item Class: B]
[Type: Weapon/Armour]
[+75 Attack]
[Sturdy Gloves made from Alligator Hide. Protects the user's hands from taking damage. Armour will slow down the player if their Strength is below 80.]
[Obsidian Treads]
[Item Class: B]
[Type: Weapon/Armour]
[+75 Attack]
[Strong boots made from fine leather and obsidian. Protects the user's feet from taking damage. Armour will slow down the player if their Strength is below 80.]
I equipped my two new weapons, clenched my fists as I stood up… And made my way towards Signal.
~~Ephemeral Dream~~
I stood outside the gates of Signal, lifting up the Dungeon Key and staring at it.
It was my last chance to back out. Nobody would blame me for doing so, it was a ranked EX Dungeon. If I turned away and decided to wait until I was stronger, nobody would blame or hold it against me.
Despite that, I didn't turn. If I didn't take this chance now, when would I? Probably when the Dungeon itself was obsolete to me, no longer needed to be used… I couldn't allow a chance like this to pass me by. I wouldn't allow it to pass me by.
I lifted the key and pushed it forwards, causing a golden portal to crackle in the air in front of me. I twisted the key, and a huge golden gateway appeared before me.
I took a deep breath… And stepped through the gate, the world being covered by light.
[First time entering a Dungeon! A Hearthstone has been placed into the Player's Inventory to escape if needed.]
The light faded, revealing to me that I was standing on what seemed like a cloud. I looked around, gasping in awe. Below the clouds, far below them, was the planet. It was truly as if I were thousands of miles up, standing over Remnant and making my way to the Palace of Heaven.
I shifted my gaze, a set of huge golden gates catching my eye, bold and proud as if waiting to be opened and welcome the worthy behind them.
Standing in front of the gates was a literal angel.
He wore fine white robes, a book in one hand, and a halo above his head. He had a toned form, with blonde hair and a finely trimmed beard on his face. He reminded me of Taiyang, but only a little.
The man took one look at me… And snapped his book closed. It shimmered before my eyes, turning into a two-foot-long sword before my eyes, pure silver in colour.
I looked at the name hovering over his head.
[Heaven's Gatekeeper – Saint Peter]
His name was red in colour, it was the first time I'd seen something like it. Then again, this was my first time seeing something that could be classified as a 'mob' since I obtained the System. Perhaps if I'd gone into the forest to fight Grimm, I'd have something else to compare it too.
"So, you must be the Guardian," I said to him as I tightened my gloves.
He didn't respond.
I didn't know what I was expecting, dropping into my stance.
There was silence…
And then he was suddenly in front of me, sword swinging at my neck.
I dodged the swing by ducking down in the blink of an eye, his sword passing harmlessly over my head.
I glared up at him and shot up, my foot connecting with his jaw as I performed the upper thrust kick. He was sent into the air, but spread his wings and recovered, shooting right back down to hit me with a downward swing.
I brought my hands up, catching his sword against my glove. I winced a little from the pain, but my gloves prevented my hands from taking any damage.
My other hand snaked forwards, pressing against his stomach.
Pulse Breath!
Peter's stomach rippled before he was sent flying away from me, his back slamming against the gates, coughing hard from the impact.
I didn't let up for even a second, moving upon him with advance and hitting him hard in the jaw with Round Kick.
He was sent flying to the side, before flipping in mid-air as he spread his wings and glared at me.
Suddenly, his body was cloaked in a holy glow.
[Saint Peter is using God's Blessing.]
[Saint Peter's Stats will be doubled for three minutes.]
"Excuse you, and your entire race!?" I exclaimed as I got that notification.
He soared right back towards me, now twice as fast as he went for an overhead swing.
"Accelerate!" I exclaimed, blue motes of light burning in my hands, bring it overhead as I projected a nameless D – Rank sword.
Against Peter's weapon, it broke instantly, but I was able to use the force of my block to redirect his attack just enough to the side that it missed me.
Shockwave Fist!
I punched him hard in the stomach, making him double over as the attack hit him… And then the shockwave rippled through his body, making him throw his head back and yell in agony.
Attack!
I vanished from his sight, appearing behind him, before I placed my foot on his back, grabbing either of his wings. He turned his head back to me looking at me with… Was that fear?
Somehow, I relished in that look.
"You're quite attacked to these wings of yours, aren't you?" I growled. "It would be a shame if they were ripped out!"
[Aura Channelling has been activated.]
I let out a roar as I tugged on his wings…
Riiip- Fssssh!
Saint Peter screamed in pain as I tore out his wings, blood spraying from where they used to be and coating me in it as he was permanently grounded.
I felt a spark of sadism shoot through me as I lifted my arm.
Fang.
I brought my elbow down hard on the large wound where one of his wings used to be, causing the angel to scream in even greater pain as he writhed around on the ground.
"So, this is what an angel is reduced to when their wings are clipped…?" I asked as I stared down at him. "You're pathetic…" A nameless sword formed to my left.
Shink- Squelch!
A sickening sound was heard as the sword shot through Saint Peter's skull, causing him to slump over in place, dead.
[You have defeated Heaven's Gatekeeper – Saint Peter]
You have obtained [Gatekeeper's Sword.]
You have obtained [Gatekeeper's Bracelets.]
You have obtained [Palace Gate Key.]
[You have levelled up by two.]
+1,800 HP
+2,150 MP
+12 Stat Points
I stared down at his corpse… Before my eyes widened as I truly registered what I'd done.
I killed him.
I held my stomach as I began to feel queasy.
I killed him.
I doubled over, throwing up all over the angel's corpse.
I killed him.
Even if he was a mob, even if I had no choice… The fact remained he looked human, he looked like a man.
I had seen the fear in his eyes. I had heard him screaming in agony… And all I had done was add onto the pain instead of ending his suffering quickly.
I slapped myself across the cheek.
'Stop thinking like that!' A part of me told me. 'He was an enemy. It was his life or ours. Besides, he's not real. The System created him, nothing more and nothing less.'
'He was still alive, wasn't he?' Another part countered. 'Was he not living, breathing? Didn't he experience pain like I do, didn't he feel fear like I do? What right did I have to cause such pain to him instead of killing him painlessly…?'
I took a deep breath, wiping my looks as I looked down at his corpse…
A little part of me died at this time. While I'd killed before, it had never truly registered with me… This though… This was all me… And I had to live with the consequences of taking a life…
I took a breath, sitting down as I observed the drops that I'd obtained from killing him.
[Gatekeeper's Sword]
[Item Class: A]
[Type: Weapon]
[+100 Attack]
[A Weapon used by Heaven's Guardian – Saint Peter. Blessed by the One God, it deals extra damage to those aligned to evil.]
[Effect 'Slayer of Evil': Deals an additional 25% damage when facing one aligned with evil.]
[Gatekeeper's Bracelets]
[Item Class: A]
[Type: Bracelets]
[Bracelets worn by Heaven's Guardian – Saint Peter. Blessed by the lord, they grant a boost in speed and enhance the senses, as well as giving extra protection.]
[Dexterity +20, Sense +20]
[Effect 'Holy Barrier': Reduced Damage Taken by 50% when HP is 30% or below.]
[Palace Gate Key]
[Item Class: A]
[Type: Key]
[A Key that can open the Heaven's Palace Gates. Obtained by killing the Gatekeeper.]
I didn't hesitate in equipping the Bracelets, watching a pale gold glow cover my wrists, but they didn't actually appear. I raised an eye and checked, but they were definitely equipped. It was then I noticed an unticked box next to the Bracelets with the words 'Appears on person.'
"Oh…" I blinked. "So… When I equip non-weapons, they don't appear on me physically, but provide protection… That's kind of cool."
I brought up my status. I had above twenty-thousand HP and MP, and I was fully healed thanks to the Level Up. I looked at the time, seeing it was now 5:20AM…
I had time.
I stood up, pulling the Key out of my Inventory, also taking the time to look at the Hearthstone.
[Hearthstone]
[Used to escape a Dungeon. Randomly drops inside Dungeons.]
I nodded. So, if things got too tough for me, I could use the Hearthstone to escape the Dungeon…
"I have at best two hours," I muttered. "Then, I need to get back home before Summer starts cooking breakfast, or someone notices I'm not home…" I clenched the key in my hand…
And then I walked to the gates, pushing it into the key slot and twisting it, the gates opening in front of me.
I stepped through the golden gates, a bright light covering my vision. When it faded, I found my eyes widening.
I was standing at the entrance of what seemed to be a perfect copy of Vale, with mountain and forests, and the buildings bright white and gold in colour.
"A field-type dungeon," I said in shock. "I wasn't expecting something like this…"
[Quest: Collect Heavenly Souls! (Part 1)]
The Kingdom above is filled with Angels and Holy Beings. Hunt them down and collect their souls for a special reward.
Objective: Obtain 10,000 Heavenly Souls
Rewards: 1 Item of your choosing, +20 Stat Points, 3. Hidden Reward
Failure: None
Will you accept this quest?
Yes/No
"Obviously I'll accept," I muttered, the quest screen disappearing. "Still, ten-thousand…? That's kind of crazy…"
My eyes narrowed as angels began to appear in front of me. I tightened my gloves. "I don't have any intentions of collecting ten-thousand… But I'm sure as hell going to use this chance to level up as much as I can in the next two hours!"
I let out a battle cry as I charged forwards into battle, ready to tear the angels in front of me apart.
~~Ephemeral Dream~~
I'd freely admit it…
I was having fun killing all of those angels.
No matter how many came at me, I would viciously tear into them, killing them, destroying them without so much as a second thought as their blood splattered and covered me.
My face, my chest, my arms, my legs, no part of my body was clean of blood by the end of just the first floor.
It was clear to me that the Dungeon got progressively harder the higher I went up. On the first floor, the enemies were easy, almost pathetically so. I only got a single level by the time I obtained the permit to head to the next floor.
I had to be stronger. I had to be better. I needed to be as powerful as I possibly cloud.
And so, I killed.
I killed, and killed, and killed, and killed.
With so much death left behind me, it wasn't long until I was numb to the killing all together… And was starting to enjoy it.
I came to a halt on the fifth floor almost two hours later, breathing heavily as I sat on top of a white and gold version of my family's house.
[You have levelled up a total of eight times.]
+9,600 HP
+11,300 MP
+60 Stat Points
+1 Perk Point
I gave a pleased grin, ultimately deciding that coming into the palace had been the right choice. The mobs had been weak, but they gave out a decent chunk of EXP. By the time I reached floor five, I was actually getting some decent levels.
I wanted to continue, desperately, but I had to stop. If I was gone, they'd start to worry that I'd been kidnapped and I didn't want to put that pressure on them again.
I was caught by surprise as another screen appeared in front of my face.
[The Player has reached the required Level.]
[A Job Change Quest has been issued.]
Will you accept?
"Job change…?" I raised an eye… Before my eyes widened and I quickly opened my status.
Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 40
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 34,090
MP: 34,110
Strength: 80 + 30% = 104
Vitality: 80 + 30% = 104
Dexterity: 80 + 30% + 20 = 124
Intelligence: 105
Luck: 48
Sense: 60 + 20 = 80
Remaining Points: 72
Perk Points: 4
That was right… I didn't have a job. A job was a special class from the sounds of things, that granted me special bonuses and abilities.
Still…
"Help Menu," I called out, causing the screen to appear in front of me. "Is it possible for the player to obtain job specific skills by using perks?"
[It is impossible for the player to obtain Job Specific Skills if they are not part of that class.]
I put a hand on my chin…
In other words, my job was actually very important as I couldn't obtain job specific skills without the required job. And I didn't know if I'd be able to change classes later on, so this was a very important decision.
"Based on my current stats, something like a Warrior could be good…" I muttered. "But with my high intelligence stat, I could be a mage instead… My dexterity is pretty good too, so Assassin might be in my future… A Monk could also have huge benefits…"
I stood up. "Whatever, I won't do the job quest immediately. I don't want to worry them, and I plan to stop by to see if I can get Neo out of the hospital. I have no idea how long the quest takes anyway. I'll start it at around ten tonight instead…" I nodded with my reasoning, opening my Inventory and pulling out a Hearthstone.
I took one last look around the area, and the angels approaching me, before I closed my eyes and crushed it in my hands.
[Hearthstone has been used. Escaping from Dungeon.]
As soon as I was out of the Dungeon, I immediately began to spam using Advance to get back to the Xiao Long household. I was covered in blood, I didn't want to have people freaking out if they saw me, or being taken in by the police and having them ask where all the blood came from!
I didn't know why the blood didn't disappear, but I was going to need some hydrogen peroxide if I ever wanted to use the workout clothes ever again.
It didn't take too long to get back to the Xiao Long house. I headed inside, wiping my shoes on the dark mat so I didn't trek blood through the house, and quietly made my way upstairs.
As soon as I got into my room, I unequipped the bloody clothing I was wearing and headed into the shower to get the rest of it off my skin and out of my hair.
I opened up my status, and began to allocate my points yet again.
Twelve points in luck, ten in every other stat save intelligence, where I dropped in twenty points.
Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 40
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 34,090
MP: 34,110
Strength: 90 + 30% = 117
Vitality: 90 + 30% = 117
Dexterity: 90 + 30% + 20 = 137
Intelligence: 125
Luck: 60
Sense: 70 + 20 = 90
Remaining Points: 0
Perk Points: 4
I nodded in satisfaction at the sight of my new stats, continuing to wash the blood out of my hair, and mentally reviewed things I had to do.
I had to pick up Neo from the Hospital, beat Hikage in a spar, protect Miyuki from Bounty Hunters/Kidnappers, and do the job change quest, and conquer the Palace of Heaven. Not necessarily in that order.
With that in mind, I began to plan out what I'd do that day.
I'd have breakfast with everyone, then I'd start training structural analysis like I'd planned. Then I would pick up Neo from the Hospital if she was allowed out, if not then I'd just spend some time with her so she didn't feel neglected.
If she was allowed out, I would take her shopping for some proper clothing, as well as pick her up a scroll. I had so much Lien that it wasn't an issue for me to buy a wardrobe or twelve for her to wear, though I hoped she wasn't the kind of girl who wanted so many clothes that she'd probably never wear.
After that, I'd fully move into my new home with her and thank the Xiao Long family for letting me stay with them, making sure Neo was settling in.
Then, after dinner once Neo was asleep… I would go out into the forest, and begin the job change quest.
I turned off the shower, stepping out and drying myself up with a towel.
Today was going to be a long day… But it would be worth it.
I would come out even stronger than I'd already become after today, there was going to be no doubt about that.
Publish Date: 3rd October 2020
Word Count: 4,408
Another chapter done and dusted.
This chapter focused on Jaune actually starting to get into the grinding aspect of gaming, which I think a few people have been waiting for. He spent all night training to max out his skills. If people are still wondering why he won't buy perks with 4 points Available, it's because he's trying to master what he has before he ends up with a bunch of other skills. He'd rather master ten skills than just have a hundred.
As many of you can already tell, the Heaven's Palace is inspired from Solo Levelling's Dungeon 'Demon Castle.' If you're wondering why he didn't have much trouble against Saint Peter, it's obvious. In the Webcomic, Sung Jin-Woo was only level 18 upon fighting the Cerberus, or around that level, hence why he struggled. Jaune has many more skills, all of which are mastered, he has aura as a shield, and his stats are overall much higher than Jin-Woo's were by that point. Hence why Saint Peter's name was only red instead of Dark Red. It was a tough enemy, but Jaune held the overwhelming advantage thanks to his various MASTERED skills that let him overwhelm Saint Peter.
For those thinking the sadism and brutality Jaune showed as well as starting to enjoying the killing is messed up and a bit out of character, keep in mind that this Jaune was powerless for the longest time. And now, he's suddenly starting to level up as a quick rate. Power corrupts. This is to show that even someone as pure-hearted as Jaune can be corrupted by power. He's justifying killing the angels by 'They aren't real. The System created them. It's just like in a game, it's normal to have fun playing.'
I'd like to do two things before responding to reviews. First, I wanna shout out someone who proved me right. Someone decided to verbally attack me by saying 'Those aren't flamers, you're just a child with no emotional strength who can't take criticism.' Bold words coming from a pussy who hid behind a guest review. Every time someone flames me behind a guest review, all you're doing is proving me right that you're nothing but a pussy who is too afraid to use an account.
Also, I'd like to address a comment made by Epicweaver, who said 'Jaune is kind of a Gary Stu at this point.'
This, quite frankly, is just not true.
A Gary Stu is a character that is flawless. They never make mistakes, they always do everything perfectly, they never mess up with girls, they don't even need to train because they are already flawless, and training implies they have a weakness to rectify.
I have shown that Jaune is not a Gary Stu. He trains damn hard to get stronger. He makes mistakes, as evident during the kidnapping incident where his mistakes led to a young boy dying, and accidentally forming a Guardian Bond with both Blake and Neo. While he does seem to not make mistakes as far as girls are concerned, he is shown to be very careful when speaking to them, thinking things through so that he doesn't make a mistake. His Charisma helps him out there, which is why he's yet to have problems when dealing with girls.
I understand where you are coming from, but my Jaune is not a Gary Stu and I have proven that throughout the course of this story.
I'd also like to address that some people are going to be a bit concerned with Jaune's growth. Keep in mind, Jaune's growth is aided by the System which is making him stronger at a faster rate. The reason his levelling has been so slow until now is because he hasn't actually fought anything that can be classified as a 'Mob' because he's been distracted by various things and thus never went into the forest to fight Grimm, instead levelling up mostly via quests. Now that he's obtained a Dungeon Key, he can fight mobs and start levelling up at a much faster rate.
RedDemonEye: Maybe? I'm honestly undecided on if he'll be able to make artefacts like in Skyrim. He is definitely going to be creating his own Weapon someday, I'm certain that I want him to do that, and I do plan for there to be a crafting system like in Solo Levelling, though I'm not sure if I'll let him be able to enchant weapons.
MrNeedsToRemoveAllFavs: Thank you for pointing out those mistakes I made. I've gone through the chapter and corrected them.
Jowasut: Thank you for pointing out that mistake, that was a sentence I'd started writing and I suppose I just forgot to continue. I've added onto it now, so it shouldn't cause any issues for anyone else.
Guest: ... Just look on the RWBY Wiki for Nature's wrath, I'm not going to explain it to you.
MrBougainvillea: Because A) Yang doesn't HAVE Sun flames in this story. B) Jaune himself isn't consciously able to sense flames within people or what types they have. The only reason he knows Blake and Neo's flames are because they show up in his Bond Menu. And he himself doesn't consciously know about Miyuki's Rain flames, his soul knows though and his sky flames are attempting to coax Miyuki into his sky without him knowing. Much like how Tsuna was unable to sense flames and the like, but his presence allowed him to coax many different people into his Sky.
Alvelvnor: I've got no plans for Jaune to have a pet at the moment, in regards to things like Box Animals. If I had to pick a pet for Jaune to have? I'd probably go with a Wolf because of the 'Lone wolf' concept behind Jaune's levelling, or I'd go with a Lion for the 'King' vibe.
And that's all from me right now guys. This is Ezras Hargrave, signing off!