RWBY: The D'arc Game of Life

by ThePlayer1Company

Jaune Arc has lived a quite normal life, sans his parents splitting up when he was 10. Regardless, he wants to be a Huntsman, a hero like his father! One day, he messes up in the best way possible, and a tiny splinter grows into a grand adventure, in which the blonde must play a dark game of life. Only time will tell the truth. RWBY/Gamer crossover

6. A Night to Remember

Here I am once again, ready to tell more of this tale.

So let's start with the reviewer responses, shall we?

garoorar: astute observation, good sir/madam, and an excellent suggestion as well!

QuantumZero: keep note, Jaune =/= good at nicknames, he's never had one, nor has he had any to call anybody.

Infinity'sbeat: I added a note to the end of the last chapter after seeing this review, and I'll add another note here: Xiburichu = Xībù rì chū = Western Sunrise.

picnic990: it's inside his soul along with his metal elemental? They aren't exactly physical beings (unless he manifests them) so they aren't going to "appear" very often. Also I have a document loaded with all of his skills, all with descriptions and effects (it's currently 16.8 pages long)

Zyxis Ouroboros ReArchtypist: It's all cool bruh/sistah. I'm glad the Omakes are entertaining for my readers, it makes writing them a lot easier. Jaune is most-likely NOT going to have a harem, but it's possible. I write these chapters as I go, with quite loose planning from beforehand (I've got up to the next 3 weeks in-story semi-plotted). I've been inspired by TGWP, as well as several RWBY/The Gamer fanfics on this site, but probably the most significant is my personal attempt at running a RWBY/The Gamer ttg with a friend of mine on Roll20 (that's where I get my plans from, since his character is a lot like Jaune in some big ways. I've adapted things from the course of the story to fit for here). As for the characters' home life, yeah I'm kinda big on backstory (I have a mostly-coherent backstory for all of the peoples of the RWBYJNPR group), and I think that yeah, sometimes small things can have BIG results.

Drow79: and by getting them pregnant, no less! THE FIEND!

AngelFusion: keep in mind this is in March before the August that I refuse to believe is not when the show starts, Ruby would naturally grow more as she does more of her studies and does things over the summer too. Regardless, she'd have grown to a decent WIS, but one thing to note is that even the smartest people in Remnant rarely have more than 100 WIS, so on that scale, she'd have grown a very great amount.

Delicious Cookie: I only copied those things because I couldn't really be bothered to come up with my own version of a meditation and a healing skill (that shit is HARD TO DO ^m^), also I liked how those ones worked, and I certainly feel like I could play around with them in ways that TGWP didn't, so just trust me that I'll make it good and won't be taking too many skills from there (some might appear but it'd be vague, since they'd be pretty generic skills).

Smithrooks: Yeah, I've always had a very specific view of Yang. What we first see of her is that she's confident and brash, but I believe that that's just a front she puts up to hide the cuddly kitten she is inside (plus she's a kitten while Ruby is a puppy, they're the epitome of peace in the animal kingdom! ^w^ ) her soul is a gentle warm sun with a fiery hot core, rather than a fiery hot sun with a gentle warm core, like many other writers portray her as (or as a fiery hot sun with a fiery hot core and few if any redeeming qualities, which irks me intensely) she'd read to her little sister EVERY NIGHT to make sure she slept easy, and more often than not probably shared a bed with her so Ruby didn't feel alone, because that's just what she DOES. More on her will be observed by Jaune in this chapter.

4/10/16: I've been feeling fairly sick the past couple of days, sore throat, painful coughing, hacking up phlegm, I'm an even less pretty sight than normal.

4/12/16: Good news, I made some cough syrup (just dissolved some cough drops in a bottle of water) and drank it and felt a fuckton better... bad news, my grandfather passed away. I wasn't always the closest to him, but I still loved him, he was still family, and now... well... sadly now I have to be there for them to bury him. I won't let this affect me TOO much, but I'm sure you all understand enough to give me some time to mourn.

4/14/16: I'm feeling a lot better, at least, both physically and emotionally, and have finished the chapter.

To counter the feels I've been feeling, I've probably subconsciously made this chapter really fluffy. I hope you all enjoy this probably fluff-filled interlude between the action and story.

Also, there's a few parts in this chapter in which I attempt to make a POV change... tell me if you thought it was okay or if you think I shouldn't include those little bits for whatever reason.

And now back to your regularly scheduled fanfic.

Chapter 6: A Night to Remember

---

I walked downstairs to find Yang and Ruby arranging things on a coffee table. I saw sodas, bags of chips, and a bowl of strawberries.

"You two work fast." I chuckled softly, smiling at them both as I walked over to the table and plucked a strawberry from the bowl, taking a bite and smiling at the sweet, fruity taste, "Dis is good." I said with the whole strawberry in my mouth, smiling at them both.

Ruby went red in the face, "Jaaaaauuuuuune~!" she whined loudly, "Those were miiiiiiine~!" a pout crossed her face and immediately I knew that these two girls were forces to be reckoned with.

They both had the adorableness to break down a significant chunk of Gamer's Mind's defenses. Then again, I was a human being, not a robot.

I was going to feel emotions regardless of my ability to ignore them easily, that was something I could never forget.

If someone, say, killed my father... I think I would rage so hard that Gamer's Mind would cower in fear.

He may have caused me more grief that most men were worth, but he was still my father and I still loved him as such, same with my mother even though I have little reason to do so.

No, no I have the perfect reason... she was my mother, and I loved her, even if she was a screechy bitch a lot of the times, I know that under that nails-on-chalkboard exterior was a truly kind and loving woman that had been good enough for my father to fall in love with her and have eight kids.

They had loved each other, and...

I sat down on the couch as a wave of guilt consumed me, tears rising to my eyes.

My god, it was literally my fault. They had split up because of a disagreement over ME!

I... I didn't know what to say... my vision went blurry as tears welled up in my eyes.

I felt a pair of heavy blankets lay over me, and I blinked, looking at the two girls to my sides, "H-hey... what are you doing?"

"It's called a hug, we're hugging you you sad wizard." Yang spoke softly, rubbing my back.

"You looked like you were about to cry, so we wanted to help you feel better. Friends shouldn't cry when they're with good friends having fun." Ruby's tone was low and full of emotion, "So please don't cry." it wasn't a plea, but it sure felt like one.

A single tear escaped each eye, "God I love you two, you're both amazing friends, you know that?" I smiled, giving them both a soft kiss on the tops of their heads and hugging them a little closer to my form.

Ruby let out a sound of protest at suddenly getting smushed into my side, "Too close, too close!"

Yang was much quieter, instead letting out a soft hum, "Hehe, you're a good hugger, Jaune." she sighed softly, then let go of me, "Alright, if you're feeling better, then we gotta decide on what movie to watch!" she grinned cheerfully.

Ruby squirmed out of my hold, practically chirping with cheer, "Robin Hood~!"

"No way, sis, we watched that last time. This time we're going to watch Iron Man!" she lifted the case into view and I grinned.

"I agree with Iron Man, but afterwards we can totally watch Robin Hood too. Nobody said anything about us not being allowed to watch two movies." I kept the peace, and saw a sudden +5 Closeness to Ruby appear, smiling as I had avoided making either of them mad.

Ruby perked up greatly, "Yeah! Of course! Now come on, we got stuffs to watch and snacks to nom." she picked up a strawberry soda and drank what I could only assume to be half of it in one go, which impressed me a little bit.

I wonder if Yang is that good at swallo-NO! NO NO NO! I REALLY need to stop thinking about her like that, even if she's wearing that very enticing outfit.

She somehow made 'modest' look... no.

No.

No.

NO.

NO!

NOOOOO!

Okay... cleared that up.

Now I just have to avoid thinking about her like that throughout the movie.

---

By letting go of your lust and abstaining, you have sharpened your mind! +4 INT!

Gamer's Mind has been reinforced against the calls of lust!

It was difficult as hell, but I had managed to not react to the fact that these soft, lovely legs were being laid over my lap.

Ruby, as Yang had told me, liked to lounge when she was on the couch, and had her legs laying over my lap.

Yang, just being comfortable with me, had started to lay her legs over my lap as well. I didn't dare question it, but it had been that way for the past half hour.

Finally, Yang noticed the oddness and spoke up, "Ruby quit hogging the couch, Jaune is sitting between us now."

The younger sister pouted, "He wasn't minding it, were you Jaune?" she looked at me and I kept my mouth shut, watching this for a while longer.

Yang grit her teeth, "Of COURSE he's minding it! You kinda have your legs over his lap!" she wasn't wrong there, but she had her legs on my lap too.

"I put my legs over YOUR lap all the time when we're watching movies." came a protest.

It was met with hard logic, "Yeah, but Jaune isn't me."

And then it all came crashing down with a reminder of Ruby's childish innocent naivete, "But he's your boyfriend!"

I blushed, but Yang blushed even harder, which made me feel a little put-down. Did she really oppose that so much? "He's not my boyfriend! He's just a friend, who is a boy! I have other dude-friends, like Coalson, and Doug! You've never called THEM my boyfriend, so why does Jaune suddenly HAVE to be my boyfriend?"

This stumbled the little rose for all of five seconds, "Uh... because you've known him for what I THINK is two days and you've already invited him to a sleepover?"

The lovely Sunny pouted, which I found adorable. She was so precious, I felt like I wanted to just... I dunno.

I had the urge to just hug her for a while, but I wouldn't, because that wouldn't help her in this situation in the slightest. Luckily, she handled it well, "Well by THAT logic, that means Cherry is your girlfriend, because you knew her for, like, three days, and SHE invited YOU to a sleepover." she smirked victoriously.

Ruby blushed furiously, the shade of red not too unlike either of her namesakes, "I don't like Cherry like that! She's-... she's not-... that's not-... that's not how it-..." she stuttered over her words, before finally catching her sentence properly, "Girls like guys! That's how people are made to be!" her face turned as red as BOTH of her namesakes combined.

Yang giggled teasingly, "Well good, I don't wanna find out that you've been secretly kissing Cherry and stuffs."

I sighed loudly enough to catch the attention of both sisters, "So uh, y'know the movie thing? That there on the TV? Giant moving images?" I left the statement open, looking back and forth between the two of them.

My fellow blonde nodded, "Yes! Thank you for getting us back on track, Jaune." she sat up and leaned into me, "Here, I'll keep you steady, Ruby stay off of him." she wordlessly just leaned a bit more into me while letting her legs rest over the couch leg, looking almost casual if not for the slight, hard-to-see pink tinge on her cheeks, which my sharp eyes had caught.

Thankfully, Ruby didn't retaliate and we got back into the movie. I took a sip from the cold bottle of water Yang had provided me, which soothed my hot throat with every sip. I watched the movie with a smile, letting Yang lean on me as I sat up straight, supporting her much more than she had claimed to be supporting me as she rested her back on my side.

I enjoyed her smile just as much as I enjoyed the movie, but I noticed that she'd leaned in further, turning a bit and lightly snuggling into me as she got more comfortable.

I blushed a bit, but smiled even wider, 'I'm glad I defused that situation. I just hope Yang doesn't think of me too differently now.'

---

I smiled softly, turning a little more and snuggling my head into Jaune's broad, surprisingly comfortable shoulder. I couldn't help but let out a tiny giggle at the ridiculousness my sister had just tried to pull, 'Yeah, this might be really comfortable, but I mean, come ON Rubes!'

'What she said was ridiculous! Silly Ruby, Jaune and I are not boyfriend and girlfriend! We haven't even gone on any dates yet!' I might be hugging him around the side, but that's because he's really comfy to hug. I just can't help but smile, blushing heavily as he does the same to me and adjusts his position so the slight soreness that had been building up in my neck and arm were dispelled.

It's a stupid idea anyways, I mean come ON!

'I am a girl with a lot of high standards!' I felt him shift a little, rubbing my side with a calming, caring touch, his tall, broad frame relaxing as he acts gently with me, a calm, confident, and happy smile on his slightly pinkened face. Oh...

Oh god...

'DEAR GOD HE'S MEETING MY STANDARDS!'

---

+1 Closeness to Yang!

Huh?

+1 Closeness to Yang!

Wait... what is Yang thinking that would make this-

+1 Closeness to Yang!

I don't get it! I'm just keeping her comfortable, is... of course, both of them are very sensitive.

+1 Closeness to Yang!

Flirtation's level increased by 6!

Dammit, Game, why do you have to do these things? I feel like my face is on fire, but Xiburichu's ability to sense flames clearly tell me that the only fire here is the one in the fireplace.

+5 Closeness to Yang!

What even? I...

Fuck it, I'll do a dating sim, even if those are stupid to me.

How do you like THAT, Game, huh? How d'you like THEM apples?

SYSTEM UPDATE: Extensive bonding with a person of the opposite gender in a non-platonic way has added the Game Mode "Dating Simulator"!

...

Fuck my life.

---

"WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO~!" Yang cheered, "I still LOVE the ending, it's so great!" she grinned and hugged me fully, "Wasn't that awesome, Jaune?"

I'd calmed down completely during the rest of the movie, and I clapped with a respectful smile on my face, "YEAH that was pretty awesome." who doesn't love explosions and robots?

Grimm, because that's what kills them.

Hehehe, I'm pretty clever.

Yang split the hug and looked at her drink, "Aw shit, soda's out. Hey Rubes, did y-" she looked over to the other side of the couch, where there was a conspicuous empty space where an adorable little sister should have been filling, "Odd... wait a second..." we both noticed that there were four empty cans of strawberry soda on Ruby's side of the coffee table, "THAT explains it." she deadpanned, "Silly Rubes, she'll end up peeing in her pants one of these days at the rate she drinks strawberry soda." she giggled, then turned to me, "So! Let's pop in the other DVD, shall we?" she got up and walked over to grab the case for Robin Hood, but it slipped from her hand after a few seconds because of either a faulty grip or something wrong with the case, "Stupid thingy." she bent over to pick it up... dat ass~

I couldn't help but blush, feeling like a creep, especially when she dropped it a second time, complaining "Ruby's greasy hands probably made the case all slippy." she bent down a little further, and I spotted a bit of yellow fabric creeping up from the waistband of her shorts... I crossed my legs to hide the effects of that accidental show while my completely platonic friend stood up fully, hiding the completely uninteresting fabric from view, "Alright, got it. I swear this case is oiled or something." she absentmindedly wiped her hand on the back of her lovely, far-too-short shorts, then put the movie in.

'Goddammit Yang! Stop doing that shit! Gamer's Mind can't take it!' I nodded, "Right well that's good. Now we just wait for Rubes to get back."

She nodded, turning to me and smiling, "Yeah! Oh hey, wait, be right back." she walked into the kitchen with a slight sway of her lovely hips.

I burned myself with Xiburichu's flames to provide a different sensation than the one I was being provided from the absolutely incredible views I'd received, and thankfully it worked, and I was able to uncross my legs without something showing when it didn't need to be. It would be considerably worse if Yang saw anything even remotely similar to what she'd shown me, mostly because of the fact that she didn't know she was giving those views.

Was this Luck's doing? If so, then fuck you, Luck! Piece of shit! Give me something useful like, I dunno, a million lien!

A million lien would be pretty fucking awesome.

So there I was, waiting for one of the two sisters to return. I sipped at my glass of ice water, using Xiburichu to maintain the fire in the fireplace, a subtle tinge of azure to the crackling orange flames. It was fairly cold in the house, so I figured the fireplace was pretty necessary.

By the time I'd drained my glass down to just ice, Yang returned with a new set of sodas, two orange and one strawberry, as well as another bag of spicy potato chips.

I did a small double-take when I saw that she was holding the sodas to her magnificent, soft, voluptuous chest, my teenage hormones adding the unnecessary adjectives as she set down the chips and Ruby's new soda, shortly followed by her plucking out one of the cans while rolling the other across her arm and chest to her hand, "Orange soda?" she offered with a smile.

"S-sure, thanks." I didn't blush, thankfully, but I did when I saw two little hard bumps poking through the front of her shirt.

She didn't cause that on purpose, did she? Shit... she doesn't like me like that, does she? I can't handle a relationship! I can hardly handle having this goddamn Gamer power! I've just been riding the current, letting The Game and others around me pave my path.

No more. I would stand up for myself and be a man!

Now if a certain man part of me would just sit down, first! I shifted a bit and, thankfully without my fellow blonde noticing, I shifted 'myself' to not be obvious, and tried to calm down.

I meditated briefly, letting the sensations of the Soul of the World drag me to a state of peace.

Ah, yes~.

This was muuuuuch better.

I blinked and my focus was broken when Ruby came running back in, plopping down on the other side of me, "ROBIN HOOOOOD~!" she whooped, grabbing the remote and pressing play.

Yang giggled, "Just in time, too, sis, we were about to start it without you~." she teased, grinning playfully.

I noticed Ruby was now snuggled up into a red... blanket? It seemed weird, so I threw a Gamer's Sight onto it.

Ruby's Rose-Cloak

A seemingly simple red cloak worn by Ruby Rose. It was sewn together by her late mother Summer Rose, and has a material known to some as "Soul Silk" woven into it, giving it a boost to its warm, soft texture that feels like one is wearing hugs. In addition, this garment can be summoned by only Ruby, by channeling her aura through her body and spinning around quickly. This cloak is Ruby's most precious worldly possession.

That was... odd, sweet, interest piquing, and slightly depressing all at once.

"Nice cloak." I said with a soft smile, "Looks really cool."

Ruby was about to respond, when a bark pierced the air. Suddenly a ball of gray and white fluff jumped onto Ruby's lap, wiggling around until it settled down.

Zwei
Title: Ruff, Tough, and Righteous
Level: 15

It was a dog... with that high of a level? What kind of shit has this thing seen? What has it done?

I reached over and scratched behind his furry ears, "Hey there, Zwei, I was wondering when you'd show up. Sunflower has told me so much about such a cute little pup." I smiled as he sniffed my hand, smelling Ruby and Yang on me, and thus apparently deciding that I was a friend. I pet him a little, "He's really cute, but of course not as cute as you two." I smiled at them both, then sat up straight, deadpanning when I saw Flirtation level up a couple of times.

Dammit, I REALLY hoped these skills didn't make things awkward.

Yang stretched, yawning as we tucked in for the movie proper.

---

It got worse. It didn't help that splintering my soul had induced a slight reduction in the effects of Gamer's Mind for a few hours, but it was only as the credits started rolling that I managed to stop blushing, even as Yang's delectably soft breasts became squished into my side, effectively cutting off any and all attempts by me to speak, for fear of putting some chest-related word into my sentences without meaning to.

Damn she was beautiful, and adorable, adorabeautiful? I don't really know...

Luckily, Gamer's Mind focused back in as the girls started cheering... well, mostly Ruby.

"Yay for Robin Hood and Maiden Marine!" she whooped, one fist raised skywards. I chuckled at the gesture.

"Yay for awesome friends and really cool soul powers that happen to cost a lot of energy to initiate~!" I said lightheartedly.

"Really cool soul powers, eh? How about you show us some wizard spells?" Yang giggled softly, smirking with a playful expression, "Hey Ruby, wanna have Jaune show us some cool wizard spells?"

"Do I? That sounds SO FREAKING COOL!" Ruby grabbed me and lifted me to my feet, "Come on, Sir Knight, let's go!"

"Yeah, heehee, come on, Jantastic." Yang giggled, obviously making a pun with my chosen set of skills.

I chuckled, "Fine, fine, I'll show you some spells, you two... uh... hmmm... Sunflower, and Rosie." I threw together the two nicknames on the spot.

+2 Closeness to Yang!

+4 Closeness to Ruby!

Growing closer to other people and sharing bonds of friendship and camaraderie has increased your Charisma by 3!

By raising your Charisma above 50, you have achieved new heights, earning the skill "Social Impression"!

-/\-

Social Impression (Active) Level: 1, Exp: 0.00%, Cost: 100 AP (achieved for raising Charisma above 50)
The skill of making impressions on people upon meeting them. By channeling Aura around your body and along your physical features, through your voice, and into the air, you can have a more powerful presence and thus be more prominent in a person's memories.

Increases Closeness changes by 50%
Increases Respect changes by 25%
Unlocks Remembrance feature.

-/\-

Remembrance, as I quickly read through the description, basically was almost like a Luck-based thing, really, but yet it made so much more sense with Charisma. It essentially loosened some of the hold of 'the wall' of The Game, allowing people to remember me more easily, which could be good or bad, it would depend more closely on my ability to bullshit things into my favor, rather than my numbers.

I smiled at them both.

Yang grinned, "Alright! Come on let's go~, slowpoke~." she started pushing me towards another part of the house, the far left of the room as opposed to the far right, where the staircases were. I walked along with her, chuckling as we passed through the dining room and then into the kitchen, and finally to a door leading to the outside.

Ruby went first, shortly followed by me, and then Yang, but suddenly...

Well, I didn't see it, but I understood what happened almost immediately, Yang had tripped over the bottom lip of the door's frame, letting out a sound of surprise as she started falling and clinging to me to keep off the ground, except she hadn't gotten a solid grip, and ended up slipping down to the ground anyways.

I didn't notice at first, instead immediately helping her to her feet, "Sunflower are you okay?" I asked worriedly, her safety being my number one concern.

She didn't respond, instead blushing to epic proportions while looking downwards.

I waved my hand in front of her face, "Sunflower did you hit your head?"

She still didn't respond, but suddenly I heard a damning statement from Ruby, "Awfully windy out here, i-isn't it?" I turned to her in confusion, then a sudden draft informed me of what happened.

Yang had accidentally pulling my pants down to my knees, revealing my underwear.

I had the decency to blush as I pulled my pants up, letting out an awkward chuckle, "Ahehehe~, yeah, it is." I tried to joke, feeling violated that my boxers had been shown to these two girls.

If I had been with two guys, brothers who were cool and my friends, then this would be just a joke that we could all laugh off.

But I wasn't, I was in the presence of two very adorable and considerably beautiful young women, both in my age range, and if my powers allowed it, I'd probably not have too much trouble making either of them my girlfriend.

Of course if I went after Ruby, I'd have to do several prerequisite acts to ensure that Yang didn't beat me into a self-regenerating pulp, but if I went after Yang, I'd probably have to convince Ruby that I wasn't stealing her sister away from her.

In either scenario, I'd have to put in time and effort.

But personally? I didn't know the first thing about love, despite what Charisma said, and I'd actually rather use my time to develop my combat skills, growing in levels and stats, so I could go for my long-term goal.

Become a Huntsman. I couldn't very well do that if I was putting all this time into learning how to love and how to be a good boyfriend and going on dates and stuff. I needed to boost my Sword Skill, my Shield Skill, I needed to complete my whitesteel armor, to develop my weapons more, to fight Grimm and level up and grow into the Huntsman that I know I can be if I just try hard enough.

Because if I have the determination, I can do just about anything, right?

Right.

...

After clearing the air about my choice of color (blue, by the by) and managing to crack a joke about 'primary underwear' to the girls without getting the shit kicked out of me, I was ready to cast a few spells.

It was... pretty simple, actually.

By channeling the magical element Fire into a normal spell, you have gained the skill "Fireball"!

By channeling the magical element Water into a normal spell, you have gained the skill "Water Gun"!

By channeling the magical element Lightning into a normal spell, you have gained the skill "Volt Orb"!

By channeling the magical element Air into a normal spell, you have gained the skill "Wind Burst"!

By channeling the magical element Earth into a normal spell, you have gained the skill "Stone Shot"!

By channeling aura into a specific shape, you have gained the skill "Energy Shot"!

By channeling the magical element Metal into a normal spell, you have gained the skill "Mana Bullet"!

By channeling the magical element Fire into a normal spell, you have gained the skill "Ash Sparks"!

I noticed a trend. My two Metal spells both had a defense penetration, and my two Fire spells both did more damage or were easier to use than the other spells, except for Wind Burst, which was easier due to the fact that I just had to draw in air, instead of create a ball of flames.

I grinned at both girls, wiping a light sheen of sweat off my forehead from the avid demonstration of those and my other spells, so I felt fairly accomplished.

I was about to unequip Mage when I saw a few windows appear.

Raising your INT and using many spells has unlocked the class "Mage v2"!

Raising your WIS and harnessing multiple elements has unlocked the class "Monk v2"!

Aligning yourself more towards ranged magic attacks has created the skill "Mana Barrage"!

Huh...

I looked into the two classes, finding that they simply raised the two parameters they had before, but by greater numbers, +60% APR and +40% Magic Damage for Mage v2, and +25% efficiency to Meditation and +10 to ALL elemental affinities (I still didn't understand the difference between Wizard's EA boost and Monk's)

And then there was Mana Barrage...

-/\-

Mana Barrage (Active) Level: 1, Exp: 0.00%, Cost: 15 AP
A power used by ancient Mages to will their attacks into existence with greater ease. By focusing Aura more wholly into the hands to be launched, some magic attacks can be fired repeatedly at a fast pace.

Requires both hands to unleash.
Fire Rate: up to 60 attacks per minute (1 per second)
Additional 15 AP per minute.

-/\-

That would be VERY useful when I was training.

"And THAT is how a Wizard does it!" I said dramatically, grinning broadly at both of them.

Yang's Respect for you rose massively!

Ruby's Respect for you rose massively!

"Now then, any questions?" Ruby raised her hand immediately and I chuckled, pointing at her, "Yes Rosie?"

She grinned, "THAT WAS FREAKING AWESOME~!"

I smiled and shook my head, "That was also not a question." I chuckled and both of them joined me.

Y'know, being deprived of it was probably just making the fruits sweeter... but I liked friendship.

It was fun.

By surpassing calls of despair, your mind has been sharpened! +6 INT!

Gamer's Mind has been reinforced against all forms of temptation!

I smiled even wider at that, feeling lighter and more free from my stresses. I was feeling good.

And then a roar pierced the air.

"What was that?" Yang asked, the mood shattered by the distinctly Grimm-made sound.

I groaned, "Grimm. Get your weapons." I quickly instructed, drawing Crocea Mors from my inventory while the girls quickly ran back inside the house. I prepared Mana Barrage in my hand while contemplating using Ki Body, but deciding against it. I'd need to train it in safer conditions before trying to use it against a threatening foe.

I saw it as it broke through the tree line, Yang and Ruby returning soon after.

Ursa Gigantus
Title: Drinker of the Blood Lake
Level: 45

Hit Points: 5000/5000
Stamina Points: 12000/12000

Strength: 80
Dexterity: 27
Vitality: 65
Intelligence: 6
Wisdom: 7
Luck: 12

Dammit, this was going to be tough. This thing had a thick hide and lots of armor plates and huge spikes, as well as high mental stats for a Grimm.

Well, time to see if what I've learned will be good enough.

My left hand was thrust forward and I cast a Fireball at it, immediately following that with a Cannonball, then a barrage of Energy Arrows, running around it while Ruby, who was frighteningly good at ignoring the fire raging on its fur, charged in with her scythe, swinging at it with a mighty uppercut.

...only to fail to even cut through its dense fur and thick hide, dealing a single digit of damage that the damn thing healed in just a few seconds.

Fortunately for Ruby, and unfortunately for the Ursa, she still had the 'sniper' half of her Sniper Scythe, and she quickly fired it with no remorse, carving a deep and heavily bleeding furrow in its red flesh, firing again when then blade got stuck on the exit, and ending up with her scythe swinging around overhead and, due to it weighing over half as much as she did, ending up getting stuck about four feet deep into the dirt.

Unfortunately, for all her DEX, she didn't have too good of a reaction time when the Ursa moved again, its mostly mindless method of attacking causing it to bat her away as hard as it could. I winced when I saw her HP drop by nearly three hundred, and her AP fall to under a quarter of its capacity.

I heard a cry of anger and saw Yang, even MORE uncaring of the fire, charge in while firing a few shots from Ember Celica. I whistled as I saw her Ignited Strength status return and this time twice as powerful. I went wide-eyed, however, when she punched the beast that was thrice her height and probably at least hundred times her weight so hard that it was sent flying.

One of my eyes went blind as a spike punctured it. I didn't have the time, nor the power to heal, so I tore my body apart wrenching myself through its spikes, lifting its lower body with a Cannonball that I punched into it.

Physical Resistance's level increased by 1!

I ignored that and a couple of STR and VIT updates, as I had to focus or I'd die here, bleeding out under a big Grimm bear bitch.

The pain was quick, but it felt like cleaving through my ribs with a blunt ax blade. I felt like my eye socket had become a leverage point to have my skull torn open like a calcium-solidified banana.

I managed to wrench myself out from under the damn thing with a double digit value for my HP remaining. My wounds had instantly began to clear up in less than a couple of seconds, but the damage was obvious in my raggedly torn clothes.

Several hundred pounds of disgusting flesh and bone gave way to my blade as I punctured its spine, disabling its hind legs before it could flail its way upright.

Yang looked at me in horror, and I looked down at myself to realize I was soaked to the bone in my own blood, while shards of my broken and shattered bones and torn, frayed pieces of my own skin dissipating into white mist like they always did. I groaned, realizing what was going to have to happen now, and to delay it, I performed a back-flip with a Power Jump boosting it, using Crocea the metal elemental to rotate myself in midair by manipulating my shoulderguards, and I landed on the Ursa Gigantus' stomach with a growl, having Xiburichu move the flames away from me as I punctured it with more and more Energy Arrows, walking up to its face and glaring deep into its soulless, hateful eyes.

It glared back in kind, those empty red irises showing nothing but pure hatred and rage against me, the one who would end its life.

And indeed I ended it, with an overhead swing Power Strike that sent my sword cleaving through its thick, fat neck, decapitating it with some difficulty, but not too much. It started to dissolve into smoke and I groaned, wanting to go to sleep and leave this night behind me.

Tonight had began with high spirits and even higher potential, and it had grown and grown, until this disgusting beast came in and acted as the rollercoaster dropping point.

Just. Fucking. Great.

But I could salvage this, I very well could.

I smiled at my friends, "So... uh... can I take a shower, then?" I joked with a chuckle.

They looked at each other and lightly, awkwardly laughed with me.

Well, shit on a shingle.

---

I walked out of the bathroom with a sigh, having gotten my clothes washed and cleaned and wearing an orange t-shirt and dark blue jeans. I felt a lot better, even if Ruby and Yang couldn't stop worrying about it.

I was fine, it was just some fleshwounds.

Sure I'd gotten out of the fray with only a double digit number left in my HP bar, but I was fine.

And of course, for the high risk, came the high reward.

Your level has increased by two!

By exercising your muscles intensely, your Strength has increased by 2!

By enduring great physical damage, your Vitality has increased by 4!

Physical Resistance's level increased by 3!

By convincing others of your point of view despite incredible opposition, your Charisma has increased by 6!

You gained 43,000 Lien!

You gained the item "Majorsaetranas"

You gained the Grimm Mask "Uring"

+4 Closeness to Ruby!

Your relationship with Ruby has upgraded from "Friend" to "Close Friend"

+2 Closeness to Yang!

The stat increases were very nice, especially considering the fact that I hadn't done any good exercises lately, and extra Physical Resistance was always welcome.

Of course, convincing the girls I wasn't some evil human-looking creature that could regenerate like water filling a hole in itself was a HUGE challenge. I managed to just barely convince them that it was a very powerful spell I cast on myself to make me regenerate with extreme power and efficiency.

Personally, I don't know how long I can keep up this 'I'm just a wizard' justification, and I feared what would happen if I told anyone about this.

Was it like a birthday wish? Did it go away if I told someone else about it? I know that didn't make sense, but I'd awoken my aura, summoned two Elementals, gained a class that could increase the size of my dick instantly, another class that increased the effectiveness of armor, and ANOTHER class that let me cast Invisibility and a Smokescreen spells! ALL in just a few days of having this power.

So clearly, this thing was obviously not very well based in the realm of reality!

I sighed, walking back downstairs where Yang and Ruby were watching some cartoon. I saw bright colors and I think a lot of creatures that resembled... cartoon horses?

What? "What?" I spoke up, and before I could blink Ruby had changed the channel.

"What?" she asked nervously, part of it coming from having been caught, but most of it having come from the fact that I'd survived getting impaled eight times in the chest and head.

Yang looked back at me, worry clear in her eyes, "How're you feeling?" she asked softly.

I smiled reassuringly, walking over and giving them both a soft, reassuring kiss on the top of their heads, "I'm just fine, girls. You don't have to worry, okay? I already recast the spell in the shower, and I'm feeling even better than I was between the time I healed and the time I started taking my shower. Just trust me, okay? Would I lie to you?" I wouldn't, but I wouldn't tell a whole truth, which TO BE FAIR, was WAY different than lying.

Plus, I WAS feeling a lot better.

You gained the status effect "Refreshing Cleanliness (High)"
Description: A refreshed feeling derived from being squeaky clean.
Effect: +30% effective VIT for 8 hours, +20% SP for 2 hours, +100% SPR for 4 hours, +60% Disease Resistance for 12 hours.

I was thankful for that, and thankful for the fact that my usage of Soulforge Restoration on both girls had (somehow) increased Yang's Max HP and SP by 10 each, and Ruby's Max HP and SP by 20 each.

I had cleared away, if only a tiny part, whatever status effect or something that they had. I didn't know what it was, but I hoped it was curable with what I had.

I didn't want my friends to be hurt, not at all.

"So... do you two just sit around being couch potatoes in your free time, or do you have anything else that you do for entertainment?" I asked with a small, joking smile and an identical chuckle.

Yang pouted, "We have some video games, or there are some books if you like reading, but only dad likes reading all that lame history stuffs." she waved it off.

I shrugged, "Sounds fine to me. History is important, after all." I straightened my back, "Well, if one of you could show me to this stash of books?"

Ruby made a 'blegh' expression while Yang stood up, "I'll do it." she took me by the hand and led me away, her cheeks stained the color pink.

Was she feeling hot? No, no her semblance made her more capable of withstanding temperatures than a 5'7 young woman had any right to.

We walked down the first-floor hallway, stopping at the second door on the left, "Here it is. Don't hurt any of dad's books, or he'll get SUPER mad and won't let you come back here again." she said with a sigh, "So... be careful, please?"

I chuckled, "Don't worry, Sunflower, 'careful' is my middle name."

"You said it was Excalibur..." she said slowly, at first not picking up on it, mostly due to being a bit out of it, as her status effect Tired (Low) told me.

"My full name is Jaune Excalibur Prometheus Hope Fleur-de-lis Gilgamesh Arc." I said with a smile that showed both a tinge of smugness and an honest truth.

"... Xiao Long were your parents going to go if the doctors didn't stop them?" she asked with an awestruck, but slightly laughing expression.

I chuckled at both her pun and the ridiculousness of the conversation, "I think the best prop to use here would be a rolled up piece of paper that, when unfurled, would be so long that it would hit the floor." I gave her a joking grin.

"Alright, alright, mister 'I have 5 middle names', I'm gonna get back to watching cartoons with Ruby, okay?" she turned to leave the room, "See you in a bit." she said with a friendly smile and a little wave before closing the door.

I smiled, "See you in a bit." I turned around, taking note of the ungodly amount of skill books here, and took one, opening it to read it the normal way, not the 'dissolve the book into soul knowledge' way.

I'm pretty sure that wouldn't just hurt, but it would outright kill the book.

---

I yawned softly, sitting in the large recliner in the middle of the private library, a few pages into my third book of the night. I'd abandoned my shirt since the room was pleasantly warm how it was, and was idly working on some of my skills while words flowed from the pages to my eyes.

I yawned again. I wasn't necessarily tired, but my soul was a bit exhausted from all the stretching and tearing it must have undergone today, what with the new spells, new Elemental, and new levels, but... it was okay.

I'd be okay, I was confident of that. I could recover very easily.

I checked my profile, lowering the book slightly.

-/\-

Jaune Arc
Title: Novice Scholar
Level: 24
Class: Stud
Nickname: Jantastic

HP: 3600/3600
AP: 6900/6900
SP: 4000/4000

Strength: 42 (+40%) = 61.6
Dexterity: 36 (+40%) = 50.4
Vitality: 48 (+40%) = 67.2
Intelligence: 62 (+3) (+40%) = 91
Wisdom: 53 (+3) (+40%) = 78.4
Luck: 110
Charisma: 59

Stat Points: 15

-/\-

I hummed... let's see... three points there, four there, two there, three there, two there, and one there... that's all of them...

But I didn't want to just even out my stats, I wanted to gain my physical stats through work, while using my points for my mental stats.

Which was more important? Intelligence or Wisdom?

Intelligence sharpened my mind, while Wisdom cleared it. Functionally, Intelligence was better.

However, Wisdom was clearly better than that! It gave me a higher APR, and a higher APR meant more AP per minute, and that meant more AP per second, and just a few seconds, as I'd seen with Rosie during the Ursa fight, could mean EVERYTHING.

A higher INT would give me more AP per regenerating percentage, while a higher WIS would give me more regenerating percentage for my AP.

I looked through my skills. Increasing INT had given me Mana Affinity, while increasing WIS had given me Nature Affinity.

Nature Affinity gave a 25% boost to my APR, while Mana Affinity only gave 10%. Additionally, Nature Affinity had given me considerably higher increases to the other numbers. However, my Intelligence would give me many more options to choose from... buuut~ Wisdom would let me see the best choice... really I should just be splitting it between the two, but I'm not going to ride the fence, especially when I had enough to deal with as it is.

I didn't regret my decision at all.

Contemplating the values, consequences, pros and cons, and options in your stat point distribution has shown good judgement and critical thinking skills, and thus increased your Intelligence and Wisdom by 1!

Well, that made this a bit easier. I quickly applied my points.

-/\-

Jaune Arc
Title: Novice Scholar
Level: 24
Class: Stud
Nickname: Jantastic

HP: 3600/3600
AP: 6920/6920
SP: 4000/4000

Strength: 42 (+40%) = 61.6
Dexterity: 36 (+40%) = 50.4
Vitality: 48 (+40%) = 67.2
Intelligence: 63 (+3) (+40%) = 92,4
Wisdom: 60 (+3) (+40%) = 84
Luck: 110
Charisma: 59

Stat Points: 9

-/\-

I wasn't going to spend ALL of them! That was just crazy talk! These were points that would, for free, instantly raise my stats by a point, a point I could spend hours, days, weeks, or even MONTHS training to gain! I wasn't going to let them go to waste! I had to give myself SOME leeway.

If the situation called for it, I could quickly apply some new points where they were needed and get the advantage. I'd be better off this way.

Plus, I just needed enough to raise my APR by another Base 1%, so now my APR would be a considerable bit higher.

Like I said, I didn't regret my decision at all.

I could stab myself a few hundred times and get the Vitality needed to get the 51 point free skill, do a few hundred lifts for my Strength, and Dexterity...

Actually, Dexterity was perpetuating the absence of my Wizard Class, so fuck Dexterity.

I currently had an INT+WIS total of 123, while my DEX+LUK total was 146, so I needed 24 more points distributed between INT and WIS to make Wizard available again.

I idly noted that that would be three more levels' worth of points. Given that I could grind STR, DEX, and VIT by just doing physical training, I didn't have to waste any points boosting them up, while I had to... what?

I had to meditate and study things with my sight, my Sight, my mind, and my Mind.

"God if I was saying any of this out loud I would sound like a weirdo..." I sighed heavily.

"Said any of what?" a voice said from my right, and I twitched, my head whipping around to see who it was.

Yang, who had snuggled up to me with a blanket around her and carefully draped over me as well. I felt from the way she was pressed against me that she probably didn't have a lot of clothing on, and I had the decency to blush a bit, "Just some weird thoughts is all." I said with a soft sigh, smiling slightly. It was good to have a friend by my side.

She giggled softly, "Well alright then. So... what'cha reading?" she moved to get a little closer to the book, as if reading the page would help her discern the title.

Unfortunately for me, I happened to discern two soft things pressed into my side, 'Goddamn are they soft, yet so perky too... wow~.' I shook my head a little, feeling my cheeks burning softly with a more intense blush, "Uh, it's called Thrashmarr and the Mountain's Fist." I said while shifting slightly away, and as Luck would have it, her 'assets' didn't get pressed any further against me.

She looked a bit closer at the page, her contacts obviously back in, "He punched the ground and the earth shook, great plumes of dust flying high into the sky and mixing with the clouds. The weight of the earth mixed among the water triggered the sky to release a deluge of dirtied droplets. It was among the rain that he fought his enemy, each punch holding the heft of a titan's charge... WOW that's some fancy words." she grinned softly, "That guy sounds like a badass."

"Hehe, he certainly sounds like he was... so um, if you don't mind me asking, why did you come in here anyways?" I gave her a curious glance before reading the next page.

My fellow blonde giggled softly, hugging me from the side, "Well you really seemed like you wanted to read these books, but you might get sleepy, so I figured you could use a little sunshine to help you stay awake." she gave me a gentle, sweet smile as she rested her chin on my shoulder.

I smiled, slowly putting an arm around her under the blanket, reading with the other hand, "Well I'm glad the sun decided to come out, I really am glad you did... even if I didn't expect the sun to rise in the middle of the night~." I teased lightly, giving a joking chuckle.

She giggled at me, relaxing slightly in my hold, "Well first I pumped some iron and cranked out some crunches, then I took a shower to get all squeaky clean. Then I put on these freshly cleaned clothes and got this freshly cleaned blanket, so right now, like, I'm so clean you could eat off my belly." she giggled playfully.

"Hehehe, well while it would certainly be well-cooked, but I won't be doing that, since I don't want to ruin your cleanliness." I smiled softly, relaxing a bit more myself.

"Teeheehee, well that's good, because I also think that'd be pretty unhealthy too. Plus you might nick me with the knife, if you're eating pancakes or something." she grinned playfully at me, sticking her tongue out, "Anyways, so after that I decided to see how you were doing and stuffs, so I took my clean-ass self in here, and now here we are, talking over a book." she shifted a bit, "Also, I managed to write up something resembling a plan for training." she pulled out a folded up piece of paper and handed it to me. I took it and read it.

-Yang and Jaune's Super Awesome Plan-

1) Do more magic bolts

2) Teach Yang how to throw a fireball

3) STRENGTH TRAINING!

4) Running, for boosted speed

5) Sparring to gauge our abilities

6) Take a break, have some fun around town

7) Try to figure out more magic spells in the meantime.

8) Do things with Aura for a while.

9) Fix up weapons if they get damaged

10) Rest up some more.

11) Attempt another sparring match

12) Head home.

I hummed in curiosity, "You expect to do 12 things in 6 hours? And how long will these breaks take?"

"To be fair, the strength training-"

"You mean STRENGTH TRAINING!?" I corrected with a few chuckles.

"Yes... that should only take about thirty minutes, six and seven are combined mostly, and seven bleeds into eight, so that shouldn't be an issue. We'll do it a couple of times to figure out how much time needs to go where, and it'll be all good, dude." she smiled, and I quickly checked her profile for something

-/\-

Yang Xiao Long
Title: Hotter than the Summer Sun
Level: 36

Hit Points: 910/910
Aura Points: 1520/1520
Stamina Points: 1110/1110

Strength: 67 (+85%) = 123.95
Dexterity: 39 (+30%) = 50.7
Vitality: 52 (+65%) = 85.8
Intelligence: 19 (+30%) = 24.7
Wisdom: 23 (+30%) = 29.9
Luck: 18
Charisma: 69

-/\-

I was right, her INT and WIS had both gone up a bit from her time spent planning. Interesting... "Well, I certainly look forward to spending my training time being assisted by the little dragon. I'm actually currently doing number eight right now, but really subtly." and that was true. I was currently balancing usage of Hardened Chest, Stampede, Power Jump (which I'd leveled enough that I could maintain it), Heavy Hauler, and Magic Hands, totaling 540 AP per minute, and I used the other 20 of my APR to slowly work on Crocea Mors the sword with my Metal Elemental.

It was slow work, but a thousand bricks in a thousand days can eventually build a brick house.

I smiled softly, "But it'll be more fun to do with someone to Yang out with." I chuckled at my little pun and savored the sweet sound of her adorable giggling.

+1 Closeness to Yang!

"Heehee, yeah, you wouldn't believe Xiao Long I've been pumping up the Fun factor, and the Pun factor." she shook with mirth as her giggling doubled in intensity. We both laughed together softly for a few minutes, just enjoying the relaxed warmth of friendship between us, "Bu-huhuhuhu-t, I do have to say that you should work on improving your Wizard skills whenever you can, since that's your main power. Just remember, even if you're a super tough muscly dude and have a cool sword, you're a magical guy." she blushed a healthy pink after saying that, grinning at me softly and playfully.

I smirked, "Oh am I now~?" I said jokingly, feeling particularly playful. I put the book into my inventory and moved my arms into position, "Well for my first magical act, I shall make the sun disappear~." I put the blanket over her head, laughing a little bit.

Yang giggled and gripped the blanket as well, "Well, surprise, because I'm a magical girl, and I cast Daylight~." she popped her head out from under the blanket, giving me an adorable grin of innocent joy and cheer.

+1 Closeness to Yang!

I snickered, then made an expression of mock horror, "Oh nooo~, my magic has been defeated~!" I couldn't keep from cracking a grin, "I shall have to make myself disappear~." I put the blanket over myself, chuckling, "And now the sun can't see me, so I can do what I want~." I chuckled, and then gave Yang a soft hug, feeling something else plush in the midst of this embrace, something and not those two somethings.

Yang's laughter turned softer and more playful, and she got under the blanket, returning my hug, "Guess what? Now the sun can see you again~." she giggled a little more, then reached behind herself, "But what the wizard didn't realize was that the sun had sent a star fleet captain, and he was a mighty and vicious tiger-man~." she brought forth a soft, adorable little tiger plushy, a sea-captain's hat on its head. It looked a little familiar, actually, which was weird to me. Suddenly, she moved its little paw to 'claw' me in the face, "Rawr~, Captain Clawsy reporting for duty."

I let out a mock cry of shock, "Oh no not a cat! Oh wait, I know the one weakness of cats! I don't have a shirt for you to take." damn Sebastian and his thieving cat ways. I shoved that thought away and stuck my tongue out at both this little toy and the adorable girl holding it.

Yang stuck her tongue out back at me, "That's because I already took it~." she countered, and I briefly looked to find it had been kicked across the room, much too far to reach for, "And now you're defenseless~."

"Well damn, I have been forced to do my ultimate attack!" I replied dramatically, hamming it up just a little to get a little more laughter in her response. Then I struck, moving her plushy to the side and hugging her close, but not TOO close.

She snuggled into me, relaxing in my embrace and hugging me back, "Dammit, my one weakness, comfy hugs~." her giggles grew a little quieter, her smile widening, and she booped my nose, then let out a soft, cute little yawn.

I smiled gently, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear and cupping her cheek tenderly, "You sound pretty tired, sunflower, you should head on up to bed." my 'doting brother' attitude came back out, and I gave her a small kiss on the forehead, smiling at her.

She smiled sleepily at me, "Too tired to walk... carry me." she giggled, resting a bit more against me.

Well... alright then. Though her stamina was high enough that she shouldn't have had to worry about falling asleep while walking up to her room, I carefully got up with her in my arms.

---

I giggled, waiting for Jaune's response. He was... well to be frank, he was an incredibly great guy. I liked him a lot, I could see us being friends for a long time.

I'd only meant my statement as a joke, knowing he'd probably not care to carry me up to my room, especially since I could walk there just fine, but to my surprise, "W-whoa~!" he picked me up bridal style, holding my carefully and supporting my head as well as he could.

This shouldn't be this comfortable, even with this sudden feeling like I've been stabbed in the heart, ESPECIALLY with this feeling... what was this feeling?

I felt like... I don't know... like something poked at my heart and now it's burning... but it doesn't really hurt.

"Which room is yours?" he asked, and I held onto him with one arm, the other keeping my blanket and Captain Clawsy close, just like Jaune was keeping me close.

"Ssssecond door on the right." I said sleepily, feeling more comfortable in his arms as something seemed to melt within me.

I didn't really understand, but hopefully I'd be able to sort out my feelings.

---

+1 Closeness to Yang!

Your relationship with Yang has upgraded from "Best Friends" to "Oddly Comfortable Friends (?)"

What? Did my power not even know what that was?

And it certainly was odd, very odd.

My closeness with her was +90, so maybe it's just trying to make a connection and come up with something better than 'best friend', "Alright then." I smiled gently, carrying my dear friend upstairs and...

Wait, did I just call her 'dear' friend? I did.

Well, she was very dear to me. She's the best friend I've had in years and years no! And I could tell that I held her in high regard.

She had (at least internally) said that she was my best friend, and I agreed in kind that she was mine.

I walked into the room, noting the pleasant air it held. It had a nice scent, some books about art on a shelf, along with some movie cases. I saw some Avengers action figures, a notably higher percentage of them being Iron Man, along with some motorcycle magazines on her desk, next to a brown leather shoulder bag. My finer-than-normal eyes couldn't help but notice a couple of teddy bears and other stuffed animals tucked into the corners of her desk, headboard shelf, and the bookcase, which softened the feel of the otherwise tomboyish room.

I smiled. The room was perfectly Yang, it had enough toughness to make you think she was pretty hardcore, but enough of a soft, gentle feeling that you knew the owner of the room was a kind soul.

If I had to describe the image it painted of my best friend, I'd have to say that if she were the earth, then the surface would be beautiful, acts of nature flowing together in a gentle, carefree way that shone with feelings of love and fun. Under that, there was a hot mantle, coming out and protecting the surface, even if it marred the imagery. It would keep itself and its friends safe, no matter what, which I respected deeply. Finally, the core was bright and precious, hidden away underneath the brash mantle and kept safe, only to be shown to those closest to her.

I swore, if only to keep her from marring her surface, I'd keep her safe.

I set her down in the bed, my internal musings having only taken a few seconds. I smiled and pulled the covers up to her neck, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead, "Would you like me to sing you to sleep?" I offered out of old reflex. Damn, I guess old habits DO die hard.

At some point in my training, I had to visit my sisters, I missed them all too much.

She nodded softly, a curious gleam in her slightly opened eyes.

I smiled gently, then sat on the edge of the bed, smiling and gently wrapping my arms around her, letting my body relax, and the old song came to mind easily enough.

You can lift your head up to the sky,

Take a deeper breath and give it time,

You can walk the path among the lines,

With your scattered Frame of Mind

...

Or instead you could always stay,

We can wait right here and play,

Until somehow you can find,

A slightly better Frame of Mind

...

And when daylight comes through,

When the day is anew,

Then it will be time,

For a new Frame of Mind

...

When all eyes are on you,

You will know what to do,

Since you would have found,

Your new Frame of Mind

...

When you lift your head up to the sky,

Take a deeper breath and give it time,

You can walk the path among the lines,

...

But always know that you'll be safe,

I'll be here throughout your days,

Come find me and we will play.

...

I smiled as Gamer's Sight told me she was asleep. I'd sung as gently as I could, the same song I had when my sisters were scared of the yelling that didn't always extend late into the night, but did often enough that it wasn't a surprise.

I sighed softly, shaking off the feelings as I gently stroked Yang's hair, then set her down carefully and stood up, leaving the room with a soft, somewhat solemn smile.

I checked on Ruby, finding that she'd already put herself to bed, and nodded to her, adjusting her blanket a little.

I walked downstairs and back into the library, only one thought on my mind.

'I shouldn't have.'

I shouldn't have cared enough to do that.

I shouldn't have cared enough to sing Yang to sleep.

I shouldn't have even performed that damn ritual and end up burdening them like this.

But I did.

And I DID care enough to help them rest easier.

And why DID I care?

What was the reason for caring? I had nothing to gain but a few numbers and possible interpersonal options.

I shouldn't care about Yang's small bars, or Ruby's even smaller bars. I shouldn't care about how well they're sleeping tonight. I shouldn't care.

But I do.

I shouldn't find it odd how Yang's bars had gone up by a couple of hundred points at some point during the past ten minutes of play and song.

I shouldn't try to help them recover from whatever this is.

I shouldn't adjust my work based on helping them get better.

I shouldn't sacrifice physical training time for boosting Soulforge Restoration's level.

I shouldn't tell them about my power, try to use it to cure them of this affliction.

But I will.

I can and I will.

---

The air is flavored with the lovely scent of perfume, flowers, a slight hint of gasoline and sweat, and the smell of fresh food cooking in the next hall over.

I'd raised this place with my bare hands and a lot of soul power, but I'd done it, every ounce of sweat, every nail and screw, every bucket of paint and varnish, everything.

I did it all.

And I did it for her.

Yang Xiao Long
Title: The Most Beautiful Sun of the Summer.
Level: 86

We did it.

We were hunters, we were heroes, and now...

We were married.

The reception hall was packed to the brim with people, my parents and all my sisters, Yang's family, a few cousins and aunts and uncles and other distant relatives. There were friends from Beacon there, though hard to see.

It was perfect.

She looked so beautiful, her dress pure white with a few gold and lilac accents that served only to enhance her raw flaming beauty.

She walked down the aisle, her father Taiyang walking with her. He handed her off to me with a respectful smile. I returned it and stood with her.

The priest said his words, and we shared our first kiss as husband and wife.

Like usual, she was the life of the party, dancing with me, her father, her sister, my father, my mother, I danced with my sisters and... well... there was just a lot of dancing going on, everyone loved it, they loved the food that had been cooked with the utmost care and love, and before we knew it, we were both slightly winded from hours of dancing and merriment.

We traveled to our new home, a mountain resort with privacy inside the rooms and cold air outside, which made the warmth and comfort of the inside all the better.

We drank heartily, taking care to not consume TOO much, but in Yang's case she does anyways, but a simple usage of Soulforge Restoration brings her back to acceptable sobriety.

Finally, as the night grew dark, we began to glow. We undressed each other slowly and sensually, making our way to the comfortable bed to spend the rest of the night together, making-

---

I awoke suddenly, blushing like crazy and feeling a throbbing tightness in my pants. I looked around and realized that at some point, I'd fallen asleep in the night.

That... that was...

You slept in a bed and had a peaceful rest! HP, AP, and SP maxed out!

You had a dream full of hope! This hope has filled you with determination and granted the status effect "Great Morning"!

Status Effect: Great Morning
Description: You had an excellent dream and are now much more ready to take on the day.
Effect: -50% Stamina Discount to all actions for 1 hour. -25% Stamina Discount to all actions for 2 hours. +200% SPR for 4 hours. +50% Temporary Max Stamina for 30 minutes. +50% effective STR, DEX, and VIT for 2hr 30min.

I smiled at that. It hadn't been a BAD dream, just... a little embarrassing.

At least I hadn't... 'wet my pants'... THAT would have been humiliating.

Checking the time on my scroll, I found it was almost 7 o'clock. I got out of the comfortable chair and left the library, heading to the living room.

Ruby was watching morning cartoons and eating a bowl of cereal, fully dressed and ready to go. I smiled, "Good morning, Rosie."

She gave a sound of curiosity, turning towards me, "Hm? Oh, good morning Jaune." she grinned at me, bits of brightly colored cereal stuck in her teeth. I chuckled at that sight.

"Enjoying some cereal there?" I asked politely, "Mind if I have some? I'd cook something, but I don't think I could do that AND there be time for you two to get to Signal and me to get to Cherrywood before the morning bells ring."

"Sure, go ahead friend." she said with a smile, and I went into the kitchen.

Let's see... Captain Crunch, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Wheaty Crunch.

A lot of crunchy cereal here... dammit.

They didn't have Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes!

I really liked those! Plus, the girl they'd put on the front of the box was so pretty.

And she was a redhead too, so... bonus points.

I poured a bowl of the not-awesome cereal and sat down next to Ruby, watching the cartoon with her.

I finished my bowl sooner than expected and got up, washing it out and returning to the living room to find that Yang wasn't even awake yet.

...

I entered the room to see my sleeping friend in the same state I'd left her in last night.

Peacefully asleep.

I didn't want to wake her up because she just looked so huggable and adorable and sweet, like a pretty little angel.

But I had to, she had to go to Signal today.

I shook her awake, "Yaaaang~, wakey wakey sleepy heeeaaad~." I drawled, smiling down at her.

Slowly, she began to stir, and I shook her a little more, "You gotta go to the big concert in town, they have a secret meeting this morning and you'll miss it if you don't get up." that was a trick I'd often used to get Jacaranda and Juicia out of bed.

Looks like I was three for three, because Yang was forcing herself awake. I smiled at her after she'd gotten out of bed, "Come on, get ready."

She nodded and... almost immediately took off her shirt.

I was stunned for a second before I covered my eyes, quickly turning around, "I'm still in here!" I said a bit louder, hoping to penetrate (bad choice of words) her haze of thought.

She blinked and went wide-eyed, "Eek!" she covered herself, "Jaune what are you doing?"

"Looking away that's what I'm doing!" I said with my forearm still covering my eyes, "I don't want to violate your privacy, okay?" I slowly made my way to the door.

I suddenly felt two arms wrap around me, a blanket-like embrace accompanied by a soft squishing sensation on my back.

+1 Closeness to Yang!

"D'oooohhhh~, you're such a gentleman, and so Jantastically nice." she cooed, and I could tell she was smiling.

I blushed harder, trying to harness the power of Gamer's Mind against the assault of that lovely softness.

Fortunately, she let go of me soon enough, "Alright, you go on and get outta here, I gotta get dressed." she giggled as I blindly made my way to the door.

I pushed the wooden portal open, stepping out and closing it behind me. I let my arm fall and a breath I didn't realize I was holding exploded from my mouth.

Goddammit Yang.

---

Cherrywood High School is what Gamer's Sight told me the building was called. It was odd that I could use it on a building, but I suppose it made enough sense, given the other bullshit this power's allowed me to do.

Back for another boring day, however I knew what to do to spice things up.

It was simple math, really.

Run + Stampede + Elemental Aura set to Metal = A spectacle to behold.

I shimmered silver as I sped through the halls, stopping in front of my locker, which had been restored overnight. I quickly took out what I'd need for my first class and started off to the class.

I passed by Terrence and Johnny and flipped them off openly, getting a faint growl from Terrence and an angry scowl from Johnny.

I grinned cheekily at them both, then walked around the corner.

...

I stayed awake for History class, listening to the stories of Hunters, of course edited and trimmed down to leave out the gorier bits, but I knew better.

And I knew how to avoid detection, since I'd done it before.

I somehow managed to avoid getting seen polishing Crocea Mors during class. I went over it seven times, but didn't go for an eighth because there wasn't enough time in the video left.

It was surprising, and I'd gotten a few levels in Polishing for it, which in turn gave me some EXP towards my latest actual character level. Not a significant amount, but it'd add up eventually.

I smiled, having thoroughly ignored everything shown to me to get to this point.

It was worth it. I'd make sure it was worth it.

...

Nobody noticed due to my Stealth, but I was literally cleaning everything I could with every skill I had, just to be working on some EXP for these basic skills while maintaining my previous setup of Heavy Hauler, Magic Hands, Hardened Chest, Stampede, and Power Jump. I had made it to lunch with the glow of my aura being nearly unnoticeable.

Of course, given my desire for completionism, I'd be working on leveling up my boring Housework skills to 99 just like I had for Teasing, just to say I'd managed to do it.

The glow became deeper seated under my skin as I'd leveled the skills up, the flow becoming smoother and easier to maintain as the levels climbed. More importantly, the flows became more efficient, giving a stronger effect for the same amount of Aura.

Given an infinite amount of time, I could make my Aura strong enough to provide me with a 500% boost in Strength for only 10 AP per minute, but the amount of time needed to ascend to a theoretical level like that was ridiculous.

With my Housework skills... I'd already gathered ten pounds of raw, filthy, boring gray dust from this school, and I've barely gone through a quarter of it, hell I've barely even WORKED!

I closed my locker with a *clang*, seeing a familiar face standing behind where the door had covered.

Terrence Frexon
Title: With Ivory-tinted Glasses
Level: 6

Hit Points: 300/300
Aura Points: 0/0 (locked)
Stamina Points: 400/400

Strength: 22
Dexterity: 14
Vitality: 16
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 10
Luck: 8
Charisma: 4

I wasn't surprised at his low Charisma, he was an asshole with no tact. I wasn't surprised that he was a dog faunus. I'd sensed it a bit from him, just as an aside to having a faunus for a sister. He had street smarts enough, and had endured some damage, apparently his right ear had a small piece bitten out of it during a fight. I laughed.

"The fuck are you laughing at?" he said menacingly, or at least attempting to be menacing. He squared up his stance while I remained relaxed. He was a fair few months older than me, three inches taller than me at six-foot-two, and almost ten pounds heavier than me.

However, he had no aura, and really, I could kill him in a few seconds if I wanted to, "You. You're a funny guy, like a clown, why are you clowning around Terrence?" I asked with a chuckle, subtly preparing to cast another defensive spell.

He growled, "Look Arc, I guess you think your hot shit because you can dodge a punch now, but you're not. You're a worm, and worms pay the big boys their lunch money, so hand it over."

"'Big boy'? You're only three inches taller than me. Given how fast I'm growing, I'll be towering over you before May." I chuckled, dodging his punch, "Ooh~, too slow~." I chided with a snarky grin, chuckling darkly.

He attempted to punch me again, and I dodged again, my hands behind my back and my expression smug. I grinned at him and he snarled, "Hold still!"

"Y'know, you and your gay friend seem to not understand that I don't want to hold still. I'm tired of your shit." I delivered a swift punch to his face, sliding past his hastily formed defense to deliver a tap to his cheek, "So stay away from me, and I'll show you a sixty instead of a six." I threatened, smirking when he grumbled and left. I put my hands in my pockets and went to lunch with a confident stride.

Things were finally looking up... too bad I'd be leaving this shithole soon.

...

I blinked when I saw someone sit down in front of me, "Hm?" I used Gamer's Sight.

Marbel Mayston
Title: The Flowering Rook
Level: 7

She looked a little familiar... might as well be polite, she was 15, same age as Ruby, though a few months older, "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon senpai." she greeted cheerfully, sipping at her milk before taking a bite of what the school claimed was a chicken sandwich.

I blinked. I think she some sort a foreign parentage, because that certainly wasn't a word used in Vale, "So... what brings you to my table?"

"Just wanted to spend time with someone who isn't a jerkface." she said with a small sigh, and I reached over and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"Trust me, Marbel, it'll get better. Those jerkfaces could never stand up to a real challenge." I said with a small smirk.

"W-wow~... you remembered my name." she looked almost... starstruck?

"Remembered your name? Why wouldn't I remember your name?" how did I even know her name anyways? I just now realized how weird this setup is.

I glance around quickly, finding nobody who seems to be watching us with special interest, and listen to her, "Well I mean you're usually pretty nice to me and stuff, but we don't really talk, and you've never remembered my name correctly on the first try." she tapped her fingers together.

I chuckled, "Well don't worry, friend, I know it now, at least, and I'm nowhere NEAR as scatterbrained as I was last week. Here, in case you're missing something." I reached into my 'pocket' and pulled out a chocolate&nuts nutrition bar. They were pretty good tasting, and healthy enough that I wouldn't regret giving her two or three if she asked.

+8 Closeness to Marbel!

Whoa whoa whoa! Hold up, what? I checked my Friends page.

Friends:

Juniper Arc: +57, Beloved Son
Jonathan Arc: +75, Beloved Son
Robert Jenkins: +37, Personal Friend
Annabelle Sytrus: +12, A Nice Young Man
Yang Xiao Long: +91, Oddly Comfortable Friends (?)
Ruby Rose: +68, Good Friend
Marbel Mayston: +82 Idol and Fan

I blinked.

Did Marbel SERIOUSLY think us THAT close of friends before? That... wasn't particularly healthy...

Granted, I had increased Yang from zero to ninety-one in just a few days, A year and a half to get to seventy-four with Marbel, despite my apparent ignorance of her previous attempts at friendship...

Man, was I REALLY that socially blind before? I must have been SUCH a fucking idiot... good thing I've improved now, right?

I was once so stupid, but now I will grow wise as The Gamer. I have used and will continue to use this power to better myself in every way I can.

By understanding your place in life as The Fool, and acknowledging your need to grow stronger in mind as The Magician, you have massively increased your metaphysical understanding of life and your purpose in the grand scheme of things!

Oh damn, it looked like I'd started some kind of story thing?

Wow. I must be about to go on a big adventure of self discovery, and at the end I'll know who I'm supposed to be, and what I'm supposed to do, and-

Scrolling down on the window's block of words, I found my dreams shattered.

This increase in understanding has granted you 21 WIS!

I... I'm speechless.

I used Power Attack to close the window with a fist.

GodDAMMIT game I'm not that much of an idiot that you have to keep fucking throwing bonuses at me for thinking about base concepts of my life and its purpose! I swear I've never felt so... so...

So condescended!

Marbel stared at me, and I stared back.

I realized my hand was still in the air, then I slowly moved it forward and gave her a small pat on the head, "Don't worry, okay?" I smiled softly at her, putting away my anger for a cute little girl like this.

She gasped, going sparkly-eyed, "You mean it? You'll help me?" shit, I should have been paying more attention to what she'd been saying!

"Of course, anything for a friend." I said softly, smiling more honestly.

"Yaaaaay~! Bullies beware, because Marbel has a new friend and he's gonna kick your butts~!" she pretended to announce, thankfully not ACTUALLY announcing it, or else I'd have a target painted on my back right now.

"Uh, Marbs, sorry but I'm not going to be able to do that after Wednesday. I'm dropping out to train for when I go to Beacon." I said with a small frown, "But~. But but buuuttt~, I WILL be able to make sure that nobody messes with you for a long, long time, okay?" I smiled reassuringly at her.

"How can you do that?" she asked, wide-eyed and in awe that I was doing such a thing.

"Haven't you seen any of the videos about Hunters this week? We can do anything." I smiled, ruffling her hair a little.

"No you can't." she said sadly, pouting at me, "Those videos are edited, my aunt was a Huntress and she told me all about the things they do. She wanted me to try to become a Huntress, but I didn't know how. I was looking at how you do things, and I've been practicing stuff with my big brother's knife collection, I can flip a butterfly knife around without cutting myself for at least thirty seconds."

I chuckled, nodding to her proud (if small) set of skill, "Nice. So how many Grimm have you killed?"

"Uh... n-none... I don't have a good weapon." she admitted with a small blush, "How many have you killed?"

I hadn't kept track, but I knew a rough estimate, "A couple'a hundred at least, like two or three hundred." I chuckled a bit, "Lost count, to be honest."

"Wow~, you're so cool, Jaune." she'd gone sparkly-eyed, grinning like... well... like a schoolgirl.

"I know I'm cool." I smiled at her, and even wider at the window that slid into my field of view.

Accessing the memories of the earth through a conjunction of Meditation, Gamer's Mind, Gamer's Sight, and "Qing Long's Azure Dragon Technique" has unlocked the skill "Azure Dragon's Chilly Breath"!

"In fact, I'm ice cold." I chuckled and used the skill for a second, blowing a burst of nearly frosty breath at her.

She giggled in response to my little joke.

I just kept smiling.

I was a wizard, I would earn that class back.

I would be... Magical Boy Jaune Arc!

---

Aaaaaaaand here we are, at the end of the chapter!

Ending with a little joke.

Uh-oh, looks like Jaune's blindly swinging his blade his starting to reap some fruit. Let's hope some form of luck (or could we hope for Luck?) will prevent him from getting swept away by a deluge of peaches (if you have to ask why specifically peaches, you're either too young to know, or I'm not as clever as I think).

He's built up quite an armory of skills (18.2 pages total, which included all skills mentioned (even those just in name), plus two more that haven't been mentioned by name or by proxy.

Why did he unlock the martial arts skill through meditation? Well, it's a bit weird.

Using "Soul of the World" connects him with the grand power of the elements of the world. There are imprints of soul energy on everything, caused by everything in history and staying there for practically forever. While he can't see the future, he can see the past. Using the Log skill's guiding hand to seek out the imprints of the skills, Meditation to get the view of those imprints, and he basically sees the skill as it occurred, witnessed by the earth itself.

Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Sight just makes it easier, they aren't fully necessary. In theory Yang could meditate and learn the other skills of her martial arts style (which is based on a vastly different dragon).

Alright, I think that's everything before the omake, so let's do this!

---

Omake: Positive to Positive, Jaune to Ground.

---

I hummed softly, seeing another level for it pop up. That was good.

Even better was the notification that accompanied it.

Your level has increased by one!

Awesome, and just in time, Beacon was coming into view.

I'd spent the entire trip focusing on meditating to increase my Max AP, and it was worth it.

I applied the five points with a smile, then took in my profile.

-/\-

Jaune Arc
Title: Master Scholar
Level: 200
Class: Master Ninja
Nickname: Jantastic

HP: 196,100/196,100
AP: 354,600/354,600
SP: 287,000/287,000

Strength: 300 (+300%) = 1200
Dexterity: 250 (+300%) = 1000
Vitality: 250 (+300%) = 1000
Intelligence: 300 (+10) (+300%) = 1240
Wisdom: 335 (+15) (+100%) = 1400
Luck: 110
Charisma: 250

Stat Points: 0

Age: 17
Birthday: November 20th
Race: Human
Height: 6'6
Weight: 450
Build: Superhuman Olympian
Hair/Eyes/Skin: Golden Blonde / Starry Azure / Sexy Tan

-/\-

I'd done everything I could, ground out every piece of EXP I could, thrown myself into avalanches and storms of hail. I'd set fire to myself and benched stacks of redwood trees, I'd increased the density of Crocea Mors and Candidus Murus until they both weighed a literal ton.

Of course, Crocea Mors was closer to a Buster Sword than anything else, a destructive eight feet of hyper-dense metal. It could telescope, too, as eight feet was its longest reach, with two feet being the shortest. Candidus Murus was a bit over four feet tall, covering over half of my body easily.

Now then... time to check on the others, see how I compare to the prime star candidates that had the privilege of going to the illustrious Beacon Academy.

I turned around, looking for the two best girls I knew.

Ruby Rose
Title: The Swift Red Rider
Level: 44

Yang Xiao Long
Title: Hotter than the July Sun
Level: 40

... what? They were only four levels higher in about five months?

That made no sense! Was I...?

Looking around, I saw that I was easily the highest leveled person on the ship, with Ruby being second-highest.

I... I had ground out a ridiculously high amount of levels.

I sighed, nearly stomping, but I remembered the LAST time I'd accidentally stomped my foot on an airship in distaste.

That airship had to make the rest of the trip with a massive hole in the hull, and things were crowded.

At least I got out of having to fly the rest of the way on the stupid thing, instead riding on my Azure Dragon's Wings.

Still, I could have fun with this.

...

The airship landed and I continued to use the Invisibility spell I'd cast the second I saw Yang and Ruby on this ship.

How did I not do these things sooner?

Well, regardless, looks like I'm already fully strong enough to qualify as a Huntsman, probably in the legend-tier too. I was going to have a ridiculously easy time doing everything.

Great... I've had all the fun of Beacon before I even got to the damn place!

Oh well, I can at least fuck with people with my Trolling skill, hehehehehehe~.

...

Weiss Schnee
Title: The Icy Princess
Level: 36

I chuckled, quickly giving the cart her luggage was on lowered state of gravity, so when Ruby fell onto it, the cases went flying, many of them unsecured.

I saw underwear pour over the ground like a waterfall of... lingerie?

Wow... kinky.

I chuckled and began picking it up and putting it back in the case, "Excuse me, ma'am, it seems you dropped your underwear... all of it." I spun a pair of black lace panties on my finger, "Might wanna learn how to lock your luggage cases next time.

"W-wha?!" she looked indignant and outraged, "P-P-P-PERVERT!" she screeched, slapping my cheek.

There was a cringe, and then a pause.

"Ooooowwwwww~." she whined as the force behind her slap had nearly broken her wrist.

I put her black lace panties on her head, "Next time lock your luggage and think about who you slap." I chuckled, then walked over to Ruby, "Hey Rosie, how've you been?"

She was blushing like crazy, and I reached up, plucking the pitifully small bra off my head, "Wow... these are so small you might as well not wear anything." I felt a slight pressure of air at my back, and then Weiss complaining about her sore foot and me being 'made of steel or some bullshit'.

"Some bullshit is more accurate." I chuckled.

Ruby laughed with me, "Hey Jaune, I see you've gotten a lot better with defense and stuffs. You're also super duper tall too!" she looked ALL the way up at me, which was a little hard to do since she was five-foot-four and I was six-foot-six.

"You could say that my defensive spells are extremely powerful now." that and the prestige of Ki Body was RIDICULOUSLY powerful.

She seemed to agree with that, "So are you ready for the school year?"

I sighed softly, "Yeah, I think I'm more than ready, actually." I walked with, sensing a lot of people were going towards the massive building in the distance. I turned to Ruby and smirked, "I'll race you to that big building over there." I knelt down.

"You're on!" she sped off, and then I poured on the speed, a dozen different skills stacking together as the ground behind me exploded into dust, the air catching fire with the sheer friction of my movement.

...

I stopped inside the building about a second or two later, sending a massive wave of air and fire at the stage with the suddenness of my stop. I grinned, "Aaahhh~, I love Beacon." I saw several students eyeing me up, and I shot back smug grins at the males and flirty winks at the females, making everyone turn red either from anger or embarrassment.

Ruby caught up with me a few seconds later, "Took you long enough." I teased, grinning.

She blushed and spluttered, "Wow you're a lot faster now." she said while panting lightly.

I ruffled her hair affectionately, then looked up on the stage. I saw a new face.

Glynda Goodwitch
Title: The Noble Witch of Beacon
Level: 189

I was even higher leveled than the fucking deputy headmistress! Of course I'd quickly skimmed through her backstory to learn this fact, but hey, to each their own.

I hummed lightly, thinking to myself while also listening to Yang and Ruby's chatter. I saw another new face come up to the stage.

David Ozpin
Title: Who Mans all the Gears of the Clocks
Level: 250

Damn... what was-

Oh... that's bullshit. He could manipulate time to his free will, stopping or starting or rewinding or slowing, it was all within his grasp.

No matter, I exceeded him in everything else.

I had a right to be confident and smug, I was literally far better than everyone else here.

...

The next morning couldn't come slowly enough. I looked through the locker room, eyeing the other people around me.

Another new face of note.

Pyrrha Nikos
Title: The Crimson Champion of Mistral
Level: 46

Oh come ON, I figured someone with HER background would have a much higher level, but of course she had several mental issues that prevented her from accessing her full power.

I walked up to her, casually interrupting Weiss' monologue, "Hey there, ladies." Pyrrha gave me a quick hello, "I've heard some things about teams, so how'd you like to be on the best team in Beacon?" I asked with a grin, ignoring the indignant squawk Weiss released, "MY team, Team Jaune." I chuckled, brushing my knuckles on my shirt.

Weiss spoke up before Pyrrha could, "Excuse me, Jaune, right? Do you even know who you're talking to?"

"I'm talking to the both of you, that's who." I replied with a smirk.

"This is Pyrrha." the heiress explained slowly. I almost felt offended, but I was too smug to care.

"Hello again~." the taller girl smiled at me.

I grabbed Pyrrha and gently tugged her to stand in front of Weiss, "Yes, I'd say Weiss, you better get a four-foot vertical at least, or else I'd never be able to see you over Pyrrha's shoulders." I stood dangerously close to her, grinning.

Pyrrha took a step back and cleared her throat, "Yes, well, Weiss' small stature aside." I swore I saw the white-haired butt-monkey start foaming at the mouth, "I think it's a random process."

I smiled, "Random schmandom. I'm more than skilled enough to find you in the forest."

Weiss stepped between us, "I sincerely doubt that. I'll have you know that Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum."

I shrugged, "Not my circus, not my monkeys. I don't give a shit about Sanctum, I give a shit about Beacon."

Weiss scoffed, "She's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four times in a row, a new record!"

I chuckled, "I fought a Grimm that was literally a mountain last week. Also tournaments are stupid and their only upside is their entertainment value." I was surprised when my Closeness to Pyrrha shot up about 60 points and my relationship with her upgrade from Strangers to Respected Companion.

Weiss was red in the face, flailing her arms as she practically screeched her next words, "She's on the cover of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

"Huh." I hummed, "I really liked that picture they put on there." I took out my scroll, "Care for a nude shoot?" I grinned jokingly.

+20 Closeness to Pyrrha!

Your relationship with Pyrrha has upgraded from "Respected Companion" to "Admired Deeply"

... what the fuck was wrong with her?

Weiss blushed like crazy, "P-PERVERT!" she slapped me in the face and I swore I heard her wrist break.

"You know you should work on that. Right now you could probably kill a Beowolf with that. Of course I'm like, damn near impossible to kill at this point in my training, I'll gladly let you make an attempt." I chuckled, "But don't worry, I'll go easy on you when it's my turn." I flexed my arm, my biceps practically like watermelons.

I heard Pyrrha let out a shuddered moan.

+20 Closeness to Pyrrha!

Your relationship with Pyrrha has upgraded from "Admired Deeply" to "Desperately in Love"

Oh boy, that probably wasn't too good for her mental health.

I chuckled, "Anyways, we can do that nude shoot later, right now we have to do initiation."

Weiss was already gone, and Pyrrha followed me with slightly stumbling steps.

...

I hummed a tune while waiting.

I'd partnered up with Weiss just for the entertainment value, and as it turned out, Pyrrha had gotten with a guy named Ren, who I'd been saddened to find out was only level 38.

If my understanding of team names were to be correct, we'd probably get named Team JSPR or something, since the team names were typically formed to be or be related to a color.

"Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren." Ozpin announced, "You four claimed the white rook pieces and will, from this day forward, be known as, Team Jasper!" I wasn't surprised, I'd literally predicted it. Four headshot photos appeared on screen and arranged themselves in the order of Jaune, Schnee, Pyrrha, and Ren, "Led by... Jaune Arc!" I was REALLY surprised by that one.

"What? But he's a nuisance!" Weiss squawked, and I swear she was sounding more like an annoying bird than a human being.

"I'm a Wizard." I rebutted with a smirk, grabbing her arm and leading her off stage. She tried to kick me in the balls, but even those were able to take a heavy tank shell with only a lot double-digit number for damage, Weiss' foot was barely a nine millimeter bullet compared to that.

Pyrrha laughed softly as we walked from the stage.

"Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, and Nora Valkyrie." Ozpin announced the new names, "You four famed the white knight pieces and will, from this day forward, be known as... Team Reuben!" I saw the four headshots arrange themselves in order of Ruby, Blake, Yang, and Nora.

Wait...

Really Ozpin, really?

You named their team after a sandwich...

Fucking hell, this man.

I chuckled.

Well... let's see... tonight, destroy Pyrrha's ass in the sexual way, and tomorrow destroy her ass in the combat way.

I have to assert my dominance on all fronts, y'know?

...

I looked around the combat hall. My fight with Pyrrha had lasted just about a minute, with her on the ground, beaten and bruised, and me with, of course, barely a scratch.

I hummed, "Well... if that was the best fighter in the class, then that means that the only step up is..." I turned my gaze to Goodwitch, "You, professor." I smiled at her respectfully.

She cleared her throat, "Mister Arc, I'll have you know that I cannot allow that."

"What~? What's the matter? You can't HONESTLY let me go on with this inflated ego of mine, can you?" I teased, "I mean, right now I'm so smug I could probably drown a Foliath in it." I laughed playfully, "You've gotta beat me down, right? Make me know my place as a student?" I smirked at her, "Unless, of course, you're afraid of me winning."

That last line set her off. Her uptight ass was so firmly clenched onto the gilded saddle of her high horse that honestly I could have just said the last line and she'd have been pissed off enough to fight me. I got into position and smirked at her.

She stepped over to the other line, "Students. Please take Mister Arc's battle as a reminder, even-"

I chuckled and cut her off, "Even the best hunters can still lose." I shot forward the nanosecond the buzzer went off, my far more powerful aura consuming her wave of telekinetic force, and my fist met her face with enough power that the shockwave shattered stone and she was sent crashing into the hardlight barriers.

Even though she had a Strength of a little over 200, her weight was only a couple hundred pounds heavier than most people.

After that initial shock making her take me more seriously than she already would (and getting her head back into the fight and not on pure revenge) I casually dodged everything she threw at me, my own body throwing around enough force to shatter highways with every dodge, my hands in my pockets.

I slowly got closer, dodging and dodging and dodging some more. I chuckled, "Hey Miss Goodwitch. Hey Miss Goodwitch! Hey!" I called out to her, grinning widely, "Hey Glynda, Hey!" she ignored me with a firm expression, so I continued, raising the pitch of my voice, "Hey! Hey listen! Listen! Hey! Look! Hey look listen hey!"

Finally, it go to be too much for her, "WHAT?!" she practically roared, another wave of telekinesis denied.

I chuckled and grinned at her, "Your perfume smells lovely." I took pride in watching her splutter and I let her knock me back. However, the fight wasn't over and I just dodged my way back up to her, taunting her repeatedly.

"WHAT NOW?!" she demanded.

"Your makeup looks so well-done, how much did you pay for it?"

"I'm... not wearing makeup, aside lipgloss and eye shadow." she was more confused than anything, but a massive fist of telekinetic force met an immovable counter wall of willpower.

"Oh, damn, well you're certainly pretty enough to fool anyone." I gazed out into the crowd, letting bits of wind billow my hair as I took in their reactions with my eyes.

Ruby and Yang were both snickering, though Ruby was also blushing beyond belief.

Weiss looked indignant, no surprise there.

Blake was blushing furiously as well, reading some smut book I could sense even from this distance.

Nora and Ren were both wide-eyed at my audacity.

Pyrrha was pouting, and so I winked at her and flashed a grin at her, and she grinned back, understanding.

I turned back to Goodwitch, resuming the taunt train.

Glynda finally snapped, her face red with rage as all composure had dissolved, "WHAT IS IT THIS TIME?!"

"You said you wear lipgloss, right?" I asked with a teasing tone.

She nodded, and I let her blow me a few feet back before resisting. The battlefield was a mess of broken stone, "Me too! What flavor is yours?"

"Apple." she replied, unable to get any ground now as I casually walked towards her.

"What a coinky-dink, so is mine!" I smiled widely at her.

"You're not wearing any lipgloss." she pointed out, noticing my rather un-glossy mouth.

I struck, "Well then, let me fix that." I grabbed her face and pulled her in for a deep kiss, holding her there with far more strength than she had, letting out a playful growl as I felt her tongue try to enter the fray, her emotions and hormones raging out of control. I heard dozens of gasps, but didn't care.

Damn she was a good kisser. I felt her aura activate, shining purple around her.

I broke the surprise kiss with a slick, now quite glossy smile, "There we go, all glossed up." I heard the buzzer ring shortly before I said that, "And I win."

She shuddered, a small spout of attempted speech coming from her mouth before her eyes closed, and she passed out.

I kept her from falling, "Well... I guess since Goodwitch can't teach until she wakes up, we're dismissed, right?" I chuckled and everyone nodded, most of them still shocked, and there was a mass exodus of students from the building. I saw that Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ren had stayed back, "Well team, let's get this pretty lil' lady to the infirmary, don't wanna have her get hurt." I quickly cast several hundred Soulforge Restorations on her just to make sure she didn't actually get hurt, and did as promised.

Hehe, what a fun day.

Sure I'd ground out most of the fun of training alongside my friends...

But fuck it, if I could do THIS kind of awesome and hilarious shit, I'd have fun no matter what!

---

And there we go, another slightly rushed omake, but I am confident that it is really good.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, be sure to favorite, follow, and review, and make sure to tell your fanfic-liking friends to do the same!

(/shameless_self-promotion)

And have a nice day, all!

I won't be, sadly, with all the things that have been happening in the past couple of days, but I hope you will!

Remember, I love you all, in all the platnonic/hetero/homo ways

Also I'm gonna rename the story to something more exciting. Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the new title and if it should stay

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Jaune Arc
Title: Novice Scholar
Level: 24
Class: Stud
Nickname: Jantastic

HP: 3600/3600
AP: 7100/7100
SP: 4000/4000

Strength: 42 (+40%) = 58.8
Dexterity: 36 (+40%) = 50.4
Vitality: 48 (+40%) = 67.2
Intelligence: 63 (+3) (+40%) = 92,4
Wisdom: 81 (+3) (+40%) = 117.6
Luck: 110
Charisma: 59

Stat Points: 9

Age: 17
Birthday: November 20th
Race: Human
Height: 5'11
Weight: 183
Build: Medium Athletic
Hair/Eyes/Skin: Bright Blonde / Bright Azure / Fair

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