Notes/stats at the end.
Chapter 4: Beginning trial
Quest Timer: 00:00:10
Bolting through the Cherry blossom path, I narrowly avoid tripping over semi-loose stones and inhaling the Flower petals as I attempt to make it back to the Japanese-styled house.
'I had to sprint pretty much the whole way here! I nearly pissed myself when I had to stop and recover my SP!'
Your AGI has increased!
[Sprint] Has leveled up!
'I'd be psyched if I wasn't about to fail the Quest!'
:05
I climb to the top of the hill, and see the house just over the small courtyard.
:04
Looking ahead, I notice that the front door is closed, and wince. 'Typically those doors are made of paper and balsa wood. But I don't know if that's the same on Remnant. I'm diving through it. Risky, yes, but It'll help me be on time.' About three feet from the door, I take out the Leek from my inventory as well as leaping forward.
Crashing through the paper and wood door, I yell out:
"I got the Leek!" I smash straight onto my face, holding the Leek in the air. Looking up, Albus just looks at me, and at the leek, and at the door, alternating between the three. He raises an eyebrow and shrugs, grabbing the leek from my hand, and concealing it within his robes.
"Thank you, Bryzan. You came back just in time. Go ahead and rest for a little while, I'll talk to you when Dinner is ready." He gives a slight bow and walks off through another door.
Quest Complete!
Rewards will be collected once Tutorial is completed
Time Remaining: 00:00:04
'... Huh? I thought I had like, one second left.'
If you bothered to read into Quest anymore, the clock stopped as soon as you reached the Courtyard.
'So I jumped through the door for no reason?'
Your END has increased.
'Oh, fuck off.' I push myself off the ground, standing straight up. Walking through the Dojo and into my room, I lay down on the mat that's supposed to be my bed, and sigh.
"Since I have some downtime, I guess I can look at my stats and gear as of now. Open inventory."
Ocarina: Common, Rare
Blade of an old Warrior: Rare, Broken
Leather Glove: Common, Common
Dark essence: x47
Dark Remnant: x5
Beowulf Claw: x27
Death Stalker Claw: x1
Pursing my lips, I say: "The hell is a Dark Remnant? Observe."
Dark Remnant: Greater essence of Hate and Malice. Typically Forms in Elder Grimm
If used: Temporary 4X XP gain, 1% chance to unlock the [Dark Series]. 50% chance of Acquiring the effect: [Absolute Hatred]. 50% chance of Acquiring [Corrupted Soul].
"More tempting, but that's going to be a no from me, Dawg." Taking the Dark Remnant out, I hold it in my hands. It looks like a Black fireball, about the size of a grapefruit. Looking at the surrounding area, it looks like its sucking in the surrounding light. Quickly putting it back in my inventory, I take out the Death Stalker claw, which was at least three feet long, and two wide. Its the black part of the claw, the piece that I cut off.
'Interesting. So when I cut off the Beowulf's arm earlier, why didn't that drop anything apart from the essence and usual claw?'
Items Drops are based on several determining factors, one of which being if you actually bothered to pick it up. The others include the method that you killed the enemy. For example, if you blow up an enemy, the chance that something salvageable is dropped, is reduced to nearly zero. Of course, there is always a random number generator, deciding if you even get to see the drop.
I growl under my breath and say: "Of course, Fucking RNG. So why do I have to wait until the tutorial finishes to get my rewards for the tutorial?"
Just deal with it. You'll be able to distribute your stats later today. Go and talk to Albus when you're done questioning me.
I take a deep breath and sit up, looking at the message.
"Can you tell me what's up with the leveling system? Its a little Erratic, to say the least."
No!
"... What?" I look at the blue screen in front of me, with the one word, three characters, and seemingly excited manner.
Divulging information about the leveling system may result in you exploiting it to the best of your ability, So no information will be given about this at this time.
I frown and scratch my head, moving my whole arm to do so.
'That's really odd. The system is withholding its information about itself to me. That hasn't happened before. Granted, Its only been six, maybe seven hours since I've had this ability, but still, it would regularly give me information.'
If you were to break the Game, that could very well threaten my very existence. Some aspects of the game mechanics will not be revealed to you.
I let my face go blank, and get a smirk.
'Since it won't tell me exactly what's wrong with it, that's a clue on its own. If there's something that can be abused within the XP or leveling system itself, then I can probably find some sort of Trial and error to abuse that.' My eyes widen, finding a screen now in front of me.
I can tell you had a thought, but I couldn't read it. What are you plotting?
I shake my head and sit up, realizing something.
'Interesting. So you can't read certain thoughts I have. This'll come in handy.'
I don't like this.
"I know. I think I'll talk to Albus now." I say, getting up. Shuffling across the house, I stumble across a Kitchen Area, finding Albus pouring some sort of Soup or stew into Two bowls.
"Dinner is ready. Take these to the table, will you?" I nod, and accept the bowls, walking out of the Kitchen and into the living/Dining room area from before, with the swords out and about. Placing one on each end of the table, I return to the Kitchen to find Albus just looking out at the window, watching a deer prancing in the flowers.
I watch for a second before saying:
"Sir, The table is set." Albus nods and says:
"Yes. Come, I must tell you something."
-A-
Imagine sitting alone in a room with your girlfriend's dad, but instead of him just staring at you, he's sipping on some sort of soup in a bowl while swords are strapped to his back. That's the amount of tension that I felt having dinner with this man who is pretty much a stranger to me. I guess he felt how uncomfortable I was, so he spoke up first.
"I do believe that there is nothing left that I can teach you. I've trained you for ten years in the art of Yugai, and you have progressed at an astounding rate. Now, you do wish to leave this place, and to follow your own path, correct?" I blink and nod once, slowly and calmly.
Albus' eyes get slightly darker as he says:
"Very well. Then I shall give you one last task, and You may be on your way." He rises to his feet as he walks over to an intricate stand, with several swords on it. He takes the top one off, a solid three foot blade with a purple stripe leading from the Cross guard to the tip of the sword. The Crossguard has two little circular knobs on the end, each one with a Sakura flower on it, and a Hilt with a green grip, and a silver Pommel. The grip has embroidered gold spirals, going from top to bottom, as well as another stitched in Sakura flower on the flatter side of the grip. The blade itself, is beautiful, with Damascened steel lining the outside of the purple streak, forming ripple-like patterns from the tip of the sword to the hilt. It also has a serrated edge towards the base that leads out about six inches before stopping for the straight edge. He picks it up with both hands and presents it to me, bowing slightly while doing so. I pick it up by the hilt and hold it in my hands. If feels amazingly good, balanced, heavy enough that it feels like it has some bite, but light enough that it doesn't feel like a burden.
You have gained [Unnamed weapon]
"The Sword is rightfully yours now. Come, Let us complete your final task." He walks into the dojo, leaving me to ponder for a moment, before nodding, and resting the blade on my shoulder, following Albus out. I find him on his knees in the center of the Dojo, facing opposite of me. Curiously, I walk around to the outside, getting on my knees as well.
"Reach out your hand to me." Putting the blade in front of me, I do so, and Albus grabs it somewhat firmly.
"For it is in Serenity that we achieve Immortality. Through this, you become your paragon of hope and trust, to rise above all. Infinite in distance, and unbound by limits, I unchain your soul, and by my blade, protect thee." I feel a light warmth around me, as I look at my hand, finding a pink and white aura around me. I blink twice, and a blue window appears in front of me.
AP has unlocked!
"I have unlocked your aura, as you no doubt have figured out by now. Bryzan, your final task will be to spar with me, one last time." My eyes widen as I observe Albus again.
Albus Sensei
Title: Memory of the Sorrowful Blade
LVL: ?
Backstory: ?
Semblance: ?
'Oh fuck. I raised my level enough to see his name and title. That's it. I'm kinda screwed.'
"Of course, neither of us expect that you will win. The way you pass this final test, is that you strike me three times. You will lose once you have run out of Aura. Ready?"
This is the final test before you finish the Tutorial, are you ready to begin?
Taking a deep breath, I take a moment to think.
'Okay, so This was meant to be a fight that I win as a tutorial, right? I mean, I'm overleveled, seeing as I managed to kill the Deathstalker. I should be able to do this.' The moment I finish my thought, Albus' blade sliced through the blue screen, narrowly missing my nose, and finding its place in between my legs, somehow not cutting me or my clothes in the process.
New objective: Perform three strikes on your teacher in order to complete the tutorial!
Ignoring the Message, I think: 'I'm fucked. I couldn't even properly process the speed of that swing!' Jumping back from my position, I grab my sword, and take a defensive stance, showing the flat of my blade to him.
AP: 34,000/34,000 'That's a large number, but I doubt it really means anything. I'll have to see someone else's Aura in order to gauge the number. But I think Its just my current INT.'
"I won't be using all of my skill and strength for this fight, but this does not mean I will be going easy on you. Not in the slightest." Albus rises, holding one of his two swords in his right hand, dragging it slightly on the ground. His left hand has a glove, similar to my own, but in higher quality. Gritting my teeth, I set my feet apart and prepare for the fight.
Albus is the first to attack, with near blinding speed, I barely raise my own blade in a clumsy block, feeling the shock of the swords colliding, my body reverberates along with it. Instantly, the overhead strike is switched to a side strike, aimed for my neck.
I'm not able to get my sword there in time, and he hits my neck. I nearly crumple on the ground at the feeling, a heavy slash to the neck is enough to kill you. But with aura, it didn't kill me, but I felt the slicing feeling where he struck. Without hesitation, Albus pulls back and crosses his arms, preparing for a heavier strike.
AP: 33,000/34,000
'I can't keep up with this shit! That alone did a thousand damage! Okay, calm down Bryzan. Its the first real boss so far, so it should be plenty possible. Its just the tutorial boss. Find an opening, endure until then.'
Grabbing my blade with the leather glove, I hold onto the tip of the sword and brace myself. Albus finally releases his strike, and swings. The blade hits my own, and pushes me back, making me lose grip on my sword and smacking me in the face with it.
Block Broken!
Taking a moment to center himself, Albus backs off, giving me enough time to barely get out of my dazed state. Grabbing his sword with both hands, Albus raises it above his head, pointed at me. Blinking the stars out of my eyes, I switch hands, and hold it above me, angling my sword in a slight diagonal direction.
Albus strikes, his heavy swing bouncing almost harmlessly off my sword, throwing him slightly off balance. Gritting my teeth, I heave with my left arm, swinging as aggressively as I can.
Your DEX is too low to properly pull this off!
My blade makes a sudden stop, as Albus Grabs it with his gloved hand, and pulls me in. I fall forward, and am met with a hard knee straight to the solar Plexus.
AP: 32,674/34,000
For a brief moment, I struggle to breathe while I bend over as Albus Raises his sword, and strikes me in the head.
AP: 30,428/34,000
'So it would appear that the numbers are high, but to compensate, the damage dealt is high as well. Good to know.' Switching sword hands again, I watch Albus closely in a defensive manner, as he takes a quick step back, and lunges forward, except of thrusting his sword, he performs a semi-diagonal strike. I regain my stature and move to deflect. Putting every ounce of my strength and body weight into the blow to his sword, we connect as Albus' blade is thrown off course.
Parry!
Time slows down slightly, as I flip my blade horizontally, and swing, aiming for Albus' midsection. I follow through with my swing, but I miss entirely, swinging in empty space.
A small gust of wind hits me a second later, as Albus stands ready about three feet away from my blade.
'Oh, no he just straight-up dodged my parry strike. He's just that fast. Fuck.' I bring my blade up to my defensive stance, but feel a strike bounce off my sword. Raising my eyebrow, I look to my feet, and find a ninja star laying on the ground.
'And a fucking ranged attack. I thought he was a swordsman, not a fucking ninja!' Ignoring the accidentally blocked attack, I activate sprint and run towards Albus, holding the back edge of my sword with my gloved hand, as I jump and perform a flying strike, heaving down on Albus.
SP: 620/650
I can see his eyes widen a little as he brings his sword up to block. We connect, and I slide off his sword, attempting to thrust forward and strike him while I'm mid-air.
Out of sheer luck and stupidity, I barely nick his chest, hitting him slightly as I fall.
'That counts as a hit, right?'
Blows landed: 1/3
'Hell yeah!' Hitting the floor, I roll to the left, and get on one knee, only to find the flat of Albus' blade coming straight for my face. I lean back and sit straight up, missing the thick of the blade, but feeling a tearing slice from the bottom of my stomach all the way up to my throat. The blade flings my head back from my chin as I carry the momentum, flipping onto my hands, and then to my feet, aiming my blade at Albus.
AP: 20,039/34,000
'Figures. That must have been several critical areas, and would have disemboweled me had I not had aura. Not to mention his STR is probably insane compared to mine. But that was the efforts of getting ONE hit in. Plausible, plausible.' Taking a deep breath, I lunge forward, intentionally leaving myself wide open. Albus grabs my blade, and pulls me in, thrusting his sword towards my chest. Its then that I take my free hand and slide it along the flat of his blade, and firmly grip it, twisting it in his hand as I jump a little from the floor, and kick him full strength with both my feet, sliding both of our hands out of the blades and sending me a few feet away.
SP: 600/650
'SP is much Kinder to you if you aren't demoralized, huh?' Sheathing my blade, I hold it in my right hand and take a deep breath.
[Focused Strike] Activated -10 MP/s
'This'll be risky if I can't pull it off, and I'll probably lose if I'm not lucky with my timing, but it's worth a shot if it means that I can probably win, cause I won't at this rate. I can tell that much.'
Taking a step forward, I unsheathe my sword and hold To my opposite hip. Albus narrows his eyes and rushes me. In less than a second, he clears the gap between us and swings to my right. Releasing Focused Strike, I swing my blade at Albus', clashing the two together. Albus, similarly to last time, was thrown off balance, but was more noticeable this time. 'So it can also parry! Awesome!'
-30 MP
Parry!
Wasting no time or energy with aiming for a vital area, I aim for his arm, bringing the blade down upon it. He moves his arm, but not without barely getting nicked by my sword.
Blows landed: 2/3
Faster than I could process, Albus brings his blade back up and strikes my neck, sweeps my feet, and slices upwards, which would have decapitated and Bisected me had I not had Aura. My back hits the floor and I find Albus raising his blade over his head, directly over my chest. My eyes widen as I roll out of the way, activating Focused Strike again. I don't get to pull it off, however, as the pommel of Albus' sword connects with my face, as well as a swift kick to the gut and one last palm strike connecting to my face. I stagger for a bit and check my AP.
AP: 7,000/34,000
SP: 540/650
'I understand the AP loss before, but this is just a new level of Bullshit. That combo alone would have killed me before. Guess Its now or never.'
[Focused Strike] Activated -10 MP/s
Albus took my staggering as a chance to dash back, now on the opposite side of the Dojo from me. I stared at him and took a single step forward, and then around. He does the same, leaving us circling each other for a few seconds. Before I can do anything, Albus draws his other sword, and makes an X, dragging each of them across each other. I see his eyes shine blue for a second, before I blink, and darkness surrounds me.
'The Fuck?!' Looking around, I can see that I'm illuminated in light, but everything else is pitch black. I can't see Albus, the dojo, or even the ground beneath me. I focus my breathing and listen intently, shuffling in a circle, looking all around, until I see a single Forget-me-not floating in the air. At the same time, I hear a loud grinding sound behind me, as I Turn around to the sound and move my sword arm, I find nothing, and feel two sword strikes to my back.
"GAH! SHIT!" I cry out, falling to one knee. Looking to my left, I find another flower, falling to my feet. Hearing the same grinding behind me, I turn again, only to yield the same result, this time, feeling twice as sharp and hard.
AP: 1,000/34,000
I grit my teeth and tense my muscles. 'I understand now. The sound is just out of reactions. The flower is meant to psych you out, make you think its the distraction, when its actually the direction its coming from! So…' Behind me, the flower falls again, and the grinding sound, twice as loud as before, occurs quicker than before. Spinning my sword in my hand, I release Focused Strike, Just as two blades start coming towards my head.
-200 MP
As the blades connect, The black space around me seemingly cracks, and color returns to the world. My strike follows through, while Albus, eyes slightly wide, is knocked completely off balance, his swords over his head. Spinning my sword in my hand, I thrust towards Albus, hitting him square in the chest with the tip of my blade.
Blows landed: 3/3
SP: 500/650
Albus rolls back, and stands on his feet, sheathing both of his swords. He gives a soft smile, and bows slightly.
"Well done, Bryzan. I can see that under my tutelage you've grown exceptionally strong in your years. Your skill with the sword is unparalleled to that of the average hunter's. Your strength itself needs some… Work, but otherwise, I find you fit to leave the Monastery." With this, Albus gives me a bow, which I return.
Congratulations! You have completed the tutorial! You will gain your physical rewards in the morning!
I get a glance at the screen and nod, not reading the rest yet, since Albus is still talking. He closes his eyes, making his smile more apparent. "I must say, Over the past decade, you have become so much of a stronger person than I ever was during my career as a Huntsman. Not physically, but mentally. Determined to walk this path and get this far. I applaud you. And here, I can pronounce you as a Master of the art of Yugai."
New Title: Master of Yugai
I nod and say: "T-Thank you, I couldn't have made it here without you." Honestly, I barely know this man. I got here this morning. But I do feel like I owe him some thanks.
"Right. Now, go to bed, I'll send you off in the morning. I have to prepare some things." Giving one more bow, he turns around and starts heading out. Doing the same, I'm about to head out when I hear Albus say: "Good Night, Bryzan." Before I hear a sliding door close. I blink a few times, before I walk back into my room.
I nearly collapse on the ground, laying flat on my back.
'It's still early. Like, eight at the latest, but I'm exhausted.' Now looking at the System Message, it reads:
Congratulations! You have completed the tutorial! You will gain your physical rewards in the morning!
Objective completed!: Go into town and collect a leek.
Objective completed!: Stop the Bandits!
Hidden Objective: Kill the DeathStalker COMPLETE
Hidden Objective: Take no damage from the quest (barring the spar with your teacher.)
Rewards: 6,000 XP (Bonus granted from Hidden objectives) Your weapon, AP series.
Tutorial rewards:
2,000 XP, [Swordsman] Hunter outfit, 15 Stat points, Skill: [Meditate]. Undead Dungeon Key.
You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up!
+50 Stat points.
+5 to all stats.
[Stat point Allocation] is available!
Available stat points: 205
Extending out my arms, I almost audibly yell 'Finally!' as I lower my arms and open up my stat page.
'Alright, first off, this luck of mine is awful. Its only at 5 and everything else is soaring. Put like, twenty points into Luck for now.'
You cannot allot Stat points into LCK!
I stare at the screen for a few seconds, reading it three times for good measure.
"Okay, what the fuck?"
Due to you acquiring the [Gamer] Ability, your luck has nearly run out! You cannot allot points into LCK until the [Crossroads] event!
Staring at the message, I nod my head and say: "Sooo what's the crossroads event."
That is classified.
Tossing my arms in the air, I lay down, staring intently at the message. 'Fine then, keep your secrets. So moving on from luck, I need to find out how exactly I want to fight with the sword. I know that Brute strength won't get me anywhere as of now, but I don't want to be super balanced either, since some stats are going to do me more good than others. I don't think that END is really going to be much of a bother unless I'm super demoralized. Since SP actually drains rather slowly. I'll have to keep an eye on it, though. DEX… I do like myself a dex build. Either way, though, I got that message in the middle of the fight that told me that my dex is too low to do that thing. I'll put quite a bit of points into that. AGI. That's a definite yes. I know that Ruby's semblance is all about speed, but even then, people move extremely quickly. I'll have to keep up in that department. VIT is lagging a little bit, but I do have aura, so that's the largest lifeline that I have. I'll put some points into that. INT is a definite yes. That Fight with albus might have actually killed me if I hadn't had that much Aura. If he got one more hit on me, he probably would have cut me in half. I'll put points into that. Now for WIS. Its already my highest Stat and its what gives me more MP. I don't have all that much MP using moves yet, but I doubt I'll be empty on those for long.'
Your WIS also increases the effectiveness of your Skills!
'Well, that's helpful, albeit a little intrusive. It sounds pretty good to me. I'll be careful with WIS. CHA… I think my looks alone should make that maxed, but I'll put a fair amount of points into that. Now, for actual distribution…
Bryzan Jade: LVL 18
Title: Master of Yugai: +50% ATK when using the Yugai sword Style.
Sub-title: None
Class: Swordsman
Career: N/A
XP: 150/3,000
HP: 3,900/3,900
AP: 40,000/40,000
MP: 20,000/20,000
SP: 900/900
STR: 55
AGI: 80
DEX: 85
VIT: 35
END: 30
INT: 40
WIS: 80
CHA: 61
LCK: 5
Available Stat points: 0
Are you sure you want to allot your stats like this?
Taking a deep breath, I confirm my stats and can feel myself change. Slightly stronger, lighter, and I feel my fingers become more loose, nimble, even.
Your stats allow for new skills to be learned, but you have to discover them first!
I get a huge grin on my face, and lay my arms under my head. 'This is great so far. These numbers are high enough for me to be satisfied with where I'm at. And this is just the tutorial! I can barely imagine what it'll be later on! Not to mention that Title I have. Its pretty good, Do extra 50% damage just from using my sword? That's perfect! There is absolutely no downside to that. Then again, if I do happen to learn a new sword style this title will become useless. Eh, I'll think about that later.' I close my eyes, willingly sleeping for the first time since entering remnant.
-A-
I had a pleasant dream, to say the least. I was back on Earth, sitting in my room with my little sister. I think you could probably guess what we were watching on my computer, huh? I look around my dream, and look down to my sister. Seven, she looks somewhat like me, just with green eyes, instead of purple. Looking at the computer screen, I see it change, and display:
For completing the first day, you have gained the privilege to send ONE message to Earth! Please say your message, and end it with "End Transmission"
In my sleep, I look at the message, think, and say:
"Hold on, is this real? Like, is this a thing that I can do?"
Yes! Choose one person, and only one person that will see your message.
Giving a soft Smile, I say: "I'll send it to my sister."
Starting Transmission: 00:01
"Oh. Well, this is a little awkward, huh. So, sis… I know you're either bawling your eyes out or in denial. Or both. That's an option. But I should let you know that yes, I died. And no, I'm not coming back." I lick my lips and look at the little figure in my lap, watching the screen intently. I smile a little bit, remembering her infatuation with the show, and Ruby in particular.
"But, don't worry, because I'm in a… Different place now. Its not better, per say, but I think you'd be stoked to be here. I'm not sure if I should tell you, but I have the chance to change some fate. Fuck destiny! Am I right? I did cuss in front of you, right? God I should stop cussing so fucking much. Ahh, right. Well, Anyways, I gotta go, probably, I don't know how long I can talk here, but just know I love you very much and I'll miss you with every waking hour! Don't do drugs! Well, Sayonara! End Transmission."
00:58.50. Transmission Sent!
Well, this took longer than it should have. I've been a little busy this week, but this is probably going to be the regular schedule. One chapter a week. Probably.
Either way, bit of backstory for Bryzan, but that's about as much as we'll get. Its not like his life before was interesting.
Before I forget, The numbers for this are going to be high. A piece of information that I should give, that Bryzan doesn't know yet, is Yang's current STR stat is 279. Just so you know that Bryzan isn't OP quite yet.
I was going to have some more things to say but I forgot and I'm sleep deprived. Yeah, I'll sleep now if that's fine with you.