A/N: Hello! I'm finally back. Let me tell you how utterly frustrating and rewarding writing this thing is. I'm a beginner in writing gamer fic, so I'm trying to find the write consistencies and fine tuning the stuff I'm incorporating in this thing -It's far from easy. More than a month was the time needed just to make the rough draft into something passable as a reading material -discounting the fact that my grammar is almost shit- and almost every other thing I've to think about when making a gamer!fic.

But yeah, the past is the past. Right now though, I wanted to thank you guys for the fav, follow and reviews. Especially the reviews, 8 is not such a bad number for a pilot chapter.

Kirohype88: Thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

All about party and crazy: Thank you. I try my best.

Matrience: That 'for now' part sounds very foreboding to me. Just saying.

MysticSpider: Thank you for the corrections. Did you do Beta? My horrendous grammar will seriously end the world. Well, my world, in any case. By the way, good idea. Seriously agreeing with you.

OSR Fanatic: Thank you! Here it is!

Guest: Thanks a bunch! Here it is, the second chapter!

Selias: That is obviously a typo. My bad. But maybe someone will make a human-beating trash can or two in the future, I don't know. It's an anime after all, everything is possible.

Sorry No-names: Thanks! Here it is, enjoy!

There. Now that that's done, I can go ahead and work with the rest of my fics again! Yay me! Anyway, don't hesitate to click the like and follow button down below and please leave a comment in the review box, constructive critics welcomed, flames totally not needed. So, without further ado...


Chapter 2:

Baby Steps Pt.1

Year 0, Day 1.

*PING

[You've slept in your comfortable bed. HP, MP and AP fully restored! All status ailments removed!]

...

...

What.

I stared at the notification blankly, slightly stunned at the floating blue interface practically shoving itself onto my face before my mind finally finished rebooting itself up and reminded me of the series of unfortunate events that lead to my current situation. With a sigh, I raised my hand, albeit with a lot of difficulty, and dismissed the notifications away with a flippant swipe.

There was a moment of peaceful silence as I took in the sight of my surroundings. Judging by the periodic click-clacking of spinning gears, I must be placed in one of the chambers inside the Headmaster's Office, at the top of the Beacon Tower. I wasn't as surprised as I thought I would when I found out that the Headmaster's Office resembles a high class apartment more than it did a professional work place, complete with a fully functioning kitchen, a private bathroom and several empty rooms. Ozpin's study, or his official work space as I liked to call it, was the metaphorical living room of this apartment-like office.

This is my new home now.

I repressed a longing sigh at the thought, suddenly thankful for [The Gamer's Mind] skill which is undoubtedly working it's magic overtime to keep my mental and emotional state stable. I missed my home. I missed my annoying, happy-go-lucky little brother. I missed my mom and dad. Without [The Gamer's Mind], I've no doubt that I would be a sobbing, depressed mess by now. Wait, can a baby even get depressed?

Depressing home-sickness aside, there really isn't much else I could do in my current self, being a less than a year old baby and all. At this stage, physical training is definitely out of the equation, my bones and muscle being nothing more than liquified jello meant any attempt at increasing strength and mobility outside of the natural growth rate of a baby is as effective as teaching a dog how to dance ballet. While it does limit my options, this situation literally gave me the chance to focus the heck out of myself on training my magic. If I have magic.

...I seriously hope that I have it or else I'm going to end up commiting suicide by hanging myself outside of my crib using the blanket out of boredom.

With an attempted, and utterly failed, shrug of my shoulders, I opened up my status screen with a mental command and almost immediately cringed in shame from the bitter truth laid bare before my eyes.

Name: Ryner Fern

Lv. 1 The Gamer (0/20)

...

HP: 20/20

AP: - (Locked)

MP: 20/20

...

STR: 1 [+]

VIT: 2 [+]

DEX: 1 [+]

INT: 2 [+]

WIS: 2 [+]

CHA: 3 [+]

LUK: 2 [+]

...

Point(s): 0

By The Operator's flat boobs, those numbers are depressing!

The word 'pathetic' pretty much summarized everything written in that panel. Not only was my physical abilities, which were admittedly pretty bad even in my past life, just a step away from zero, my INT and WIS, which I was pretty sure was my strongest points in my past life, got nerved into a single digit! If I didn't feel like crying before, I sure did now.

[The Gamer's Mind] once more blazed to life, working its calming magic to soothe my catatonic state of mind and help it reorganize itself by presenting facts and truths to help it accept the harsh reality. Babies are weak, squishy things with as much intellectual capacity as the number of seeds you'd find in a single apple. The fact that I have more than three on both INT and WIS is a blessing in and of itself. Nevermind STR, that is secondary priority.

I took deep, steady breaths and calmly dismissed the panel out of my sight, feeling strangely pained every second I take a look at it, and hurriedly moved on with my thoughts.

Alright, that confirms it. I've got both magic and aura, even if the latter is still locked and the former is pathetically lacking in amount. First order of business, raise my magic to at least above 50 and then make some useful Skills while I'm at it. Those are going to help a lot in the future, especially if I'm going to shove a three-foot long spear down Cinder's throat and out her anus.

...

...

Actually, fuck that, I'm not that cruel. Sorry, Cannibal Holocaust fans everywhere, there will not be any impalement in this mission.

[Through careful consideration of your steps and plans, your WIS has increased by +1!]

[Through careful planning, your INT has increased by +1!]

Yeaaaah..! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

...

...

Dammit! Even through time and space, you keep on trying to influence me to your ways, little brother! It's as if he was reaching out from our original universe, through the multiverse, just to make me that little bit more outspoken. Get outta my head! Out! Out! OUT!

With a tired sigh, I sank deeper into my plush, new matress, grumbling away about a possibly omnipotent little brother and interdimensional demonic possessions. Ugh, I think I'm going crazy. I need to go take my cat nap soon or I might snap.

*PING!

Ngg..? What now?

[Quest Alert!]

MAGIC FOR NOOBS Pt. 1

You don't need a wand for this.

Requirements:

*Increase your MP to 100.

Hidden Objective:

*?

*?

Rewards:

*+20 Exp.

*+1 Extra Point per hidden objective.

Accept? Y/N

Alright, let's get this over and done with. My pillow's calling for me and frankly, I don't want to keep it waiting for any longer to reunite with the back of my head. The screen shattered into motes of light as I mentally gave my acceptace to the offered quest.

Now then, back to sleep.


Year 0, Day 2,

Alright, I'm all fired up and ready for my magic training. Although, I haven't gotten a clue on where I'm supposed to start but -Eh, let's just go with the flow and make use of the common plot convenience. That said, grab your imaginary light sabers, young padawan, because it's time to meditate and, hopefully, find the force within.

Star Wars reference. I'm so awesome.

Exhaling a low, relaxed sigh, I closed my eyes and tried to block all noise around me, sinking deeper into myself without actually losing grip on consciousness. As a first timer on this whole spiritual enlightenment mumbo-jumbo, I'll honestly tell you that meditation isn't as easy as it sounds on paper. Not just because you must keep your mind empty of all random thoughts and focus on your inner-self, you must also fight off the persistent, combined force of boredom and drowsiness on your blank mind.

To put it simply, the entire ordeal felt like fending off an army of ravenous, mutant mosquitoes of unusual size on mid-summer night with only a rolling pin. I might have exaggerated a bit on the mutant mosquitoes, but yeah.. that's basically how hard the entire thing is. If this is what those people dealt with on a daily basist, it's no wonder most sages and hermits are bald.

I'm not ashamed to say I failed to keep myself up the first few times.

...

...

Okay, it's actually most of the time, but hey, I'm getting better at it, so that's definitely a plus! Out of the six attempts I did since this morning, two was a sort-of success and the rest are complete failures which ended with me taking a one hour nap at the end of each attempt. Can't say I dislike it, but damn my brain felt hazy with all these short naps.

Ugh.. This might take a while.

Also, where in the world is Ozpin!? I need my food and a fresh change of clothes!


Year 0, Day 3.

No, no. Ozpin that's a friggin' coffee you're putting in that bottle. You're not going to feed me, a baby, with your caffeine-packed, unsweetened, boiling hot coffee, are you? Surely, you're smarter than that. Surely, you're not going to feed your adopted, adorable infant son with something with next to no nutrional value right!? No, adding a lot of cream won't turn that concoction into a magical baby formula! Why the hell are you shacking that bottle like a possessed man!?

...

Did that thing just turn pitch black!? What did you put in there!? Is it just me or are those muted cries of the damned I hear coming from within that bottle you're holding? No, I'm serious, there were even tortured faces floating off in there and, I-it's smoking! Ozpin, you demon, what's happening inside that bott -That's a skull shaped smoke just now! Dear God! 'O-observe!'

[Ozpin's Special Formula (Rare)

P.S Contains high concentration of love. And toxin. Not for those under 30 yrs old.

+Status Effect: Mad Rush.

+Buff: Full Clarity.

+Status Effect: Poison.]

Oh, shit!

W-wait, don't come any closer! Stop, Time out! Oh my God, somebody call the police and save me! This madman is serious! He's seriously going to force-feed me that bottled, liquified nighmare! I'm going to die by food poisoning!

...No! Get lost! Don't touch me, you psycho! Hey, I'm serious! Get that black liquid the hell outta my face! I'm warning you, I have liquified jello as arms and I am not scared to use it offensively! Hey, he-!

"GUHRH-!"

*Ping!

[Poison Resistance] (Passive/ Lv.1)

Your body has started developing it's own immune system to combat poison and other unmentionables!

*5% less damage taken from poison.

*5% less time on Poison Status Effect.

'F-Fuck my life..'


Year 0, Day 10.

I don't know if I must thank Ozpin for that hell-on-earth he forcefully fed me with or curse him to hell for the trauma he gave me because, believe it or not, that chemical waste, because I refuse to acknowledge that concoction as something any sane man should put in their mouth much less down their throat, actually helped me in my meditation. Somewhat.

See, [Mad Rush] pretty much made me immune to the sheer boredom and subsequent drowsiness which came from keeping myself still for hours and gave me lots of boosts in stamina, keeping me up no matter how much I wanted to just lose myself in my pillow's plushy comfort. That was pretty much the only good thing about it though, because then, with all the extra energy pumped into my body, it became nigh impossible for me to stay still more than five seconds without having the need to at least twitch all my fingers.

[Full Clarity], however, was the complete opposite. I imagine the buff would be much more useful in other situations, but not in this instance. Heightening of the senses made everything so much harder to ignore, and the fact that I'm much more aware made it difficult to sink into my subconscious and ignore the many random thoughts inhabiting my mind. Worse, I'm also forced to endure the ensuing stomach cramps from digesting that chemical waste Ozpin calls a beverage.

Ugh.. I'm pretty sure that my stomach was trying to kill itself just to end it's suffering back then.

For a while, meditation became something akin to an unreachable dream, but through sheer perseverance and complete stubborness, I somehow managed to perform a perfect, ten minute meditation. The sense of accomplishment when I opened my eyes and felt the magic flowing just beneath my skin was nearly uncontainable, so much so that I can't resist the laugh bubbling inside me from bursting at the sight of a blue, holographic panels floating in front of me.

*Ping!

[Meditate] (Active/ Lv.1)

Calm your mind, reach into the depth of the power within.

*Mana Regen: 5MP/min. Faster regen comes with higher level.

*Ping!

[Mana Affinity] (Passive/ Lv.1)

Congrats, you're a low-class mage! It's the start to your journey into the incomprehensible depth of the Arcane and the Supernatural! So grab your voodoo doll and your grimoire! The only limit is your imagination so, boys, be adventurous!

*5% decrease in MP cost when casting; higher level will increase the reduction.

*5% increase in MP/Lvl.

*Regen: 3MP/min. Faster regen comes with higher level.

*Ping!

[Magic Resistance] (Passive/ Lv.1)

Lesser magic barely scratch you! That being said, do be careful with mid to higher magic. Wouldn't want you turning into a bloodstain on the ground now, would we?

*5% decrease to magic damage; higher level will increase the reduction.

Well, with these Skills in hand, it should be easier to experiment with my Magic. Now, the only thing I needed to think about is how to increase my MP. I know magic in general is tied to INT and WIS and that doing things that increased both, like studying and playing chess, is supposed to increase them but obviously I can't do both.

Tsk. Being a baby sucks. Hurry and grow up, body.


Year 0, Day 25.

"... And so, I'm counting on you to keep an eye on Ryner for me." Ozpin drawled in his usual, professional monotone. Easily, as though a baby and a bag-full of babysitting supplies was worth nothing to him, Ozpin handed me and the bag towards Pro- Ehem, Dr. Oobleck's outstretched arm, while taking a sip of his demonic coffee from the mug held in his other, unused, hand. "Everything you need is in the bag. Ryner's a well-behaved kid, so I doubt you'll have any difficulties taking care of him."

I'm pretty sure I've said this before but Ozpin's a legitimate VIP in Vale with a crap-ton of business and documents to go through each and every day. In laymen's term, he's freakin' busy. In all honesty, I've been expecting this from the day I was brought here and I'm genuinely surprised that he wasn't called anywhere at all for the past twenty four days.

Glynda had joked that the brainless apes making up the High Council finally showed some actual competence. Ozpin called it an omen of imminent disaster.

However, today, the long expected call finally arrived and Ozpin got no choice but to leave me to the next available, significantly more infant-friendly, hand: Dr. Oobleck, Beacon's History Professor. His ADHD tendecies aside, Oobleck is a much preferable option when compared to the likes of Port who will most likely either put me to sleep with his bizzare tales or accidentally kill me by teaching me how to kill a Grimm with a judo throw.

So here I am, left alone to Oobleck's care for the rest of the day. Luckily for everyone involved, it's a weekend so no one's going to bother visiting the classrooms unless they had an appointment with Oobleck -something which he repeatedly reassures Ozpin he doesn't have. That means I'm going to spent the rest of today with Oobleck.

Joy...

"I see." Oobleck nodded calmly, examining me with an appraising look. "He does seem like he is well-trained."

"He is not a dog." Ozpin dutifully corrected, drawling as he reluctantly pulled away from his beloved mug of chemical waste he calls coffee. "I trust you to keep an eye on him. Oh, and don't let the students see him either. Glynda and I will be back at 8 p.m, if you need any help feel free to call me." With that, Ozpin turned around and disappeared down the corridor, not even bothering to close the door.

"Well then, Mr. Fern, looks like it's just you and me." He said, bringing me to his eye level with a small grin before adjusting his grip on me and brought me to a secluded corner of the room, well within his field of sight, where he then left me to my own devices.

This man needs to be taught how to properly babysit. I mean, he's luckily that it's me he's babysitting. What if it was some other baby? I grumbled mentally to myself. He doesn't even babyproof the room! And seriously, whoever maintains this place, he needs to dust!

So I just sat there in my corner by myself for at least fifteen minutes, randomly observing the objects filling the room as I wondered how my sensitive, delicate baby skin has yet to produce some sort of allergic reaction to the dust covering the floor when I caught sight of one very interesting book. It sat innocently on the top row of a bookcase, gathering dust on its brown, age-worn leather cover.

'Fairy Tales of Remnants Past' was proudly emblazoned in golden, classical font.

Hmm...

"Baaa!" I inwardly cringed at my own high-pitched, squeaky voice. Eh? Was that the sound of my pride shattering to hundreds of tiny little pieces? "Daaaaa!" I repeated once more, this time waving my hand towards the book up in the bookcase in order to catch the History professor's attention.

I heard the man sigh in silence before reluctantly pulling his eyes away from the old books and tomes he was researching to look at me with an inquiring gaze. Seeing my raised hand and my expectant look, Dr. Oobleck sadly pulled himself off of his comfortable chair and walked to the bookcase to see what got me so riled up.

"This?" He pointed towards the fairy tale book, gingerly picking it up with one hand and wiping off the accumulated dust from its worn cover with another. "You want me to read this book for you?"

Figuring that nodding would make him suspicious of me, I decided to, once again, shatter whatever remains of my pride and acted like a dumb toddler. Grinning with the most genuinely childish smile I can ever make, I clapped excitedly at him crying out incomprehensible 'Daa's and 'Oooh's all the while. The act seems to be working since the green-haired huntsman turned professor walked over to me and sat down with the book halfway open.

"Alright then."

*Ping!

[Through making a thought out plan, your INT has increased by +1!]

[Through making a wise decision, your WIS has increased by +1!]

*Ping!

[Acting] (Passive/ Lv.1)

You have the markings of a great actor and an even better liar. With your charisma and dashing good looks, people are more inclined to trust and help you!

*+5% chance of success when convincing others/ CHA.

*Higher level grants you a boost in relationship with others.

This.. is really going to take a long while.

To Be Continued..


Aaand.. CUT!

There you have it. What do you think? Good? Bad? Leave your comments on the review box and don't forget to click on the fav and follow button!

Ciaosu!