The Arcane Craftsman

by The White Wulf

The class system was rigid. Everyone has a role. A hero fights, a noble leads, and the laborers work. But there existed a class above all others. Since the dawn of history the prestige class was filled with heroes, warriors of unparalleled might and exceptional growth. Until a laborer got stuck in a dungeon. Behold the Arcane Craftsman, the first prestige labor class.

5. Chapter 5

V.3 (Updated February 2021)

Hey guys welcome to the this chapter! I hope you enjoy!

Arcane Craftsman Chapter 5: This looks like a Job for the Winchesters

"I'll slit his throat Arturia. Sign or he dies."

"You're not strong enough to bind me forever Uther, know that your life is limited."

"I brand you boy and remove your name!"

"ARTORIAS!"

PINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPING.

"Ah!"

Jaune woke up to the constant pinging of the system once again, as a familiar blue box shone directly into his vision at the crack of dawn. However, rather than be annoyed, he only felt relief.

"Damn" muttered Jaune "haven't had a dream like that in…years."

Jaune rubbed his eyes and looked outside. Dawn had yet to arrive and Jaune was far too awake now to simply return to sleep. Jaune closed his eyes as he rolled his shoulders and got out of bed. The dream…the image of Uther holding a knife to his throat. His mother signing…being branded by that odd stone…

He had stopped vividly remembering those events in his dream's years ago …when he had given up on trying to save his mother. The System had reinvigorated his desire to free her. He had all the confidence in his mother. Truly he did. But Jaune was not interested in waiting any longer.

"She shouldn't have to suffer for my weakness."

Jaune clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"None of that" chuckled Jaune "remember what they always said, move forward not back."

Jaune smiled as he walked to his window, enjoying the beautiful night sky, tinged in the glowing of dawn's eventual arrival. His mother would kill him if he simply lamented and brooded all day. He had a life to live and damnit he was going to live it to the fullest!

Just so happens his goal was to free his mother. But at the moment he lacked the resources to get to Atlas in the first place not to mention that he had no idea HOW to even break the Gies that binds her.

"I got a long way to go" muttered Jaune "but I'll get there…I won't give up again Mom, I promise."

Jaune closed his eyes and shook his head, moving away from the window.

"Jeez, look at me" he smiled "talking to thin air."

He clenched his fists. He had given up before…and much like his promise to not give in to fear…he would not give in ever again.

ALARM!

Daily Quest:

Pushups (0/50)

Sit ups (0/50)

Crunches (0/50)

Squats (0/50)

Light Jog!

Reward Drops: Stat points (3) and ?

Time Limit: 6 Hours

Failure: PUNISHMENT ZONE CLEARED.

"You really do not read a mood do you?" asked Jaune "Well regardless it's about time I remedied my lack of knowledge. So system, are there any more punishment zones?"

ALARM!

Yes.

"Seems this thing has taken my words to heart. Good. It was getting creepy anyway."

"System, when will the next level of daily training commence?"

ALARM!

Currently the Player has cleared the punishment zone! This is the last daily quest before ascending to the next tier, as such upon completing 4/5 objectives a unique reward is bestowed while clearing all objectives gives a chance of permanently increasing daily rewards! There are no negative punishments for this quest.

Jaune had noticed that direct and quick questions were the way to go. He had many more but considering he had all day Jaune decided to focus on the daily training. He made the mistake of not completing it all.

Never again.

And so Jaune worked out. It barely felt like a workout and he never sweated once. In fact, he had blazed through the workout so completely that he actually broke the max limits on them. Something Jaune wasn't even aware was possible.

ALARM!

Daily Training

Push Ups (64/50)

Crunches (56/50)

Squats (65/50)

Light Jog!

ALARM!
4/5 objectives completed. The Player has earned a unique reward!

Passive: Muscularity (Lv 1/3)

Jaune blinked.

"….What?"

ALARM!

Passive Muscularity (EX):

A representation of the Player's physical might and will to grow stronger! After clearing the weakest punishment zone and completing portions of the daily training, the player has earned this passive. Muscularity represents the player's overall physique and muscular potential. However, this passive also prevents atrophy from accumulating. The player will always be at the peak of their strength even if they take time away from combat! This passive level can only be levelled up by harsh physical training or reaching certain points in the strength and constitution stat. Also enhances muscle development!

"….Huh. Well that's handy."

Jaune doubted atrophy was a huge deal amongst hunters. But the thought he didn't have to worry about it at all was nice. Jaune patted his lean stomach and smiled. He was not a prideful person. But the thought that he was getting fitter, stronger, and more prepared for the trials the dungeons were going to throw at him?
That would always bring a smile to his face.

Jaune stared at his right hand and clenched it into a fist. Yet another reminder that he was now living the impossible.
"Now is not the time to think about that" he muttered "you have a class to get to…."

Jaune's eyes drifted to the window…the window with a sun shining brightly in the sky. A sun well passed dawn.

"…oh no."

Jaune quickly ran out of the shower (something he would definitely be getting for himself one day) and through the use of inventory, equipped a white shirt with an odd pair of pants called jeans he found in his temporary room. It was tough and durable, not to mention comfortable. Compared to his previous ensemble of a white tunic and crappy pants thanks to his…financial situation, it was a far cry from before.

Jaune ignored breakfast as he booked it out of the tour. He ran down the stairs, through the hallway, and booked it as fast as his legs could carry him. Jaune felt elation admist his nervousness.

He was so fast!

"I noticed it during the punishment zone with those gorillas, but I'm so light!"

It was worlds away from before the trick dungeon. It was exhilarating to the boy and something he needed after the heavy thoughts that pervaded his morning. The calm forests, the serene air.

"…To think just a few days ago I wanted nothing to do with this academy" he thought "now I'm actually excited for class!"

Jaune quickly reached the foot of Beacon's doorway. The modern bricking and massive structure really gave Jaune the feeling of an ethereal castle…if it was the shape of a cylinder.

It was the epitome of function over design.

The sea of people that were piling into the building was staggering, reminding Jaune just how many heroes entered Beacon's halls each year. However, as he neared the door he could have sworn he heard something. He tilted his head, noticing a few birds flying away from the forests of Beacon. It was at least a few dozen feet away.

"hmmm…"

He turned to still go back to class, only for the barest hint of a squeak to enter his hears. Jaune rose an eyebrow and decided to investigate. It wasn't long before he began to hear muttering.

"Who has a conversation in the wo-"

He never finished his sentence as his worry took over. Before he could consider pushing through some of the shrubbery, a woman followed by three men just burst out. Her scowl was obvious as she rolled her eyes.

Above her head was her name and class.

Velvet, The Architect.

The three men were laughing. But there was no jeer in their tone. They were not making fun of her…

Actually they were actively hitting on her.

Horribly.

"Come on baby lets have a good time!" said one.

"That was so cringe it hurt" thought Jaune "I mean it physically hurt."

Idiot number one, as Jaune decided to call him, was a warrior with the name Sky. The other two were of the same class. One was named Russell, who had a mohawk of all things. The other was a man named Dove. The three were seemingly unaware of the woman's uncomfortable expression.

Or sadly didn't care.

"I just took a walk through the woods to get away from you" muttered the woman "please, just leave me be."

She was beautiful in some aspects. Her brown bunny ears made it obvious that she was a beastkin in some fashion. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of green, while her chestnut hair that reached the small of her back was well cared for. Her clothing while thick, did little to hide her fit figure. Jaune could certainly see why someone would got o lengths to perhaps talk with her, perhaps even court her. But the extent these three were going was disrespectful to the extreme. Something Jaune wouldn't allow, not in his sight.

His mother was a Knight. A knight of the highest class. She raised her son to follow the same laws of Chivalry, class be damned. A set of laws Jaune wholeheartedly believe in.

"I believe the lady simply wishes to be left alone. Please, do as she requests."

Never give in to anger. Be courteous always. Jaune tried to live to these conditions. Buuut…well as you all know he's a bit of a battle junkie.

Even if he was only slowly learning of it bit by bit.

"What? Fuck off dude can't you see we're busy?"

Jaune stared at him incredulously. He looked at Velvet, her own dull expression revealing her own annoyance at the trio. The grey sheen of her class made it obvious that physically overpowering the three meatheads was not in her deck of cards.

"I'm simply stating a fact. The lady has requested you to leave her presence. Please, abide by her wishes."

He hadn't talked like this in…forever. He sounded like his mother. A fact that Jaune found himself liking more and more as time went on.

"….Look NPC, we're trying to have a fun time" the one called Dove said "so how about you fuck off, and go your merry way!"

"Yea man have you seen these!"

The warrior called Sky attempted to brush his hands against Velvet's breasts. The bunny girl's eyes expended in an unholy rage, her left hand already rearing to hit the man as hard as she could, consequences be damned.

The only reason she stopped was due to the sudden pressure the group felt. It must have been worse for Sky, for the poor man was sweating and hyperventilating.

"Enough. You idiots have had your fun."

He was the same height as Jaune, but his muscular build made Jaune feel smaller in comparison. His name, shining a bright azure blue, was Cardin. His class.

KNIGHT.

"What! No man we're all just have a fun time. W…was just going to give her some encouragement."

The pressure around Cardin seemed to double. His eyes glowing a cold steel blue as he locked eyes with Dove.

"You are literally all retarded. If it wasn't for the fact my grandfather owes a debt to your parents mercenary company; I wouldn't bother with filth like you."

Cardin seemed to eye Velvet with a degree of hate. A hate that was quickly hidden and buried. Jaune was probably the only one to notice it, having been subjected to many discourteous eyes in his time. But hate? Hate was definitely not one of them.

"Hmmm."

"How could you just let them go like that?" demanded Jaune "you know exactly what they were doing. You could have reigned them in that much sooner rather than let their deplorable behavior continue."

Cardin just locked eyes with Jaune. He seemed surprised at something, a something that wasn't Jaune's class. For his attitude seemed to drip down as he noticed his class, color or otherwise.

"I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you. I simply see no reason whatsoever to defend an NPC."

With that he began to walk away. But not before calling his...well friends would have been too kind a term. More like his VIPs for body guarding as it seemed.

"Come you idiots, let's go. I refuse to be late thanks to your theatrics."

Cardin walked, his back straight and his stride meaningful. If Jaune hadn't witnessed Cardin's lack of care…he would have thought him the ideal Knight. Jaune quickly turned his attention to Velvet.

"….my apologies for intruding. Did you need an escort?" asked Jaune.

Velvet rolled her eyes.

"I'm more than capable of walking thank you."

Jaune didn't say anything. He simply nodded and bowed his head. He had done his duty, nothing more. Thanks and compensation, were unnecessary to a Knight beholden to the Chivalric code. A fact Velvet seemed to pick up on. Whatever her thoughts were seemed to alter as she gave Jaune a small smile.

"I'll be fine, thank you for the concern. My name is Velvet."

"Jaune. I hope we have the pleasure of meeting under different circumstances."

Velvet gave a tired smile.

"You're a first year?"

Jaune nodded.

"You seem like a good kid. If you need any help regarding your guild, find CFVY Incorporated, were an independent company…albiet an unpopular one if I'm being honest."

She muttered the last part and began walking away. Her jeans were worn and covered in wood dust. Her jacket was thick and would protect her from the elements. But even so her clothes did nothing to hide her attractive figure. Her hands were heavily calloused, much like Jaune's own. It was apparent that she was a woman of hard work.

"I hope the rest of the day goes better" said Jaune.

Velvet turned her head and gave a tired grin.

"The first week is usually the hardest, don't worry about me."

Her accent was unusual, leading Jaune to believe that she was from another kingdom entirely. She left him with a card with her company name written out on it. Jaune narrowed his eyes as he realized just how complex life at Beacon may become. Velvet was a prime example of that complexity. Beacon was so famous that heroes and unusual classes like himself came from all over the world to attend it. It became so famous that Vale had no choice but to make Beacon natural territory. There was no way that Vale could handle so many people from various Kingdoms, big or small, without incredible planning, luck, and some miraculous bullshit that ensure no Noble, Hero, or even some unusually powerful Labor caste members wouldn't throw a shit storm at the slightest provocation. While it was a school, Beacon had a body count for students that couldn't take the curriculum. It was obvious to anyone that the people in charge would try to use the scenario of their lost hero prospects to pressure Vale, even if said Kingdom made every student aware and sign whatever waiver they can conceive of. As such, the creation of Beacon was a symbol of Vale's incredible Noble caste members. For they had one incredible ingenious idea.

To shove the matter entirely onto Headmaster's shoulders and be done with it. All the issues were regulated to one man or woman, they never had to worry about the fallout of a student dying on their land, and they got any prestigious awards thanks to Beacon being housed within their lands. Politically it was brilliant.

In reality, Ozpin had a hell of a bone to pick with Vale's nobles.

As a prestige labor caste Jaune was quick to notice what was basically an autonomous economy separate from Vale. All three castes were also noticeable. Noble class that ran the entire school, heroes that taught and directed themselves, and laborers who came to hone their skills further and offer said skills to any heroes who required them even if they were in limited number. While Nobles and Heroes came from all over, the average Labor caste was usually directly from Vale's capital City, Vale.

….The Kingdom was not known for their unique naming sense.

While Jaune accepted the complexity of this place he had to admit to one thing…

This place was a god send. On one hand, Jaune had an ample costumer base should he need it. He had a basically untapped market for raw materials that almost no one else would touch. He had yet to see any Blacksmith or Tailor classes, so what metal and leather that was on hand was Jaune's to pick…presumably for a cheap price.

He hoped.

On the other, Jaune was now a part of a guild that knew and respected his strength. A strength he could hone and drive further thanks to future dungeon runs. He needed to increase his power and unlike the heroes, Jaune had multiple avenues to do so.

Jaune had to admit he was starting to warm up to the idea of Beacon. The scythe he had made just revealed to Jaune that the impossible was truly just a word. That if he grew strong enough…that there was no limit to what he could achieve. Thankfully…he was no longer alone in this endeavor. Jaune smiled after arriving to class. The room was simple in design. A chalkboard and desk on one side of the room, with the other being covered in rows and rows of long desks built to sit numerous people at once.

His new guild was seated at one such a desk. Pyrrha gave a small smile and nod to Jaune as he approached.

"Good morning!" she chuckled "I was wondering if you would show up."

"I lost track of time" he admitted "but I wouldn't miss this."

"Apparently today is orientation" explained Ren "I doubt it would have been a good idea to miss it in the first place. Supposedly a lot of concepts and questions regarding our education will be explained in this class. Apparently, it's the only class for the day."

Weiss rose an eyebrow at Ren.

"Where on Remnant do you get this information?" she asked.

Ren held up a book.

"They were handing these out at the front gate? None of you grabbed them?"

"Face it Ren, you're the only person who reads the manual!"

Nora gave a chuckle as she rubbed her hand through Ren's hair. Ren simply sighed and chuckled.

"Supposedly I am it would seem. Beacon's academics are stringent in theory and concepts. Apparently to transition through each year, certain criteria must be met. Each year will be more and more difficult. After completing four years we graduate in a sense."

"Seems…simple" admitted Jaune.

"I feel like there's a lot more to it than "do this and you graduate". Seems a little too easy" muttered Yang.

"I prefer easy over extremely difficult if you don't mind not jinxing it" sighed Blake.

"GAH!"

Jaune near jumped out of his seat. Blake's face, which was covered by her hood, merely gave Jaune a mirthful smirk. Yang was dressed in her usual jacket and jeans, her face trying to contain her laughter.

"Oh man Blake was right, this IS hilarious!"

Ruby pouted.

"It's not that funny! She just pops up out of nowhere!"

Blake shrugged.

"I just walk in and sit down. If you don't notice me that seems more your problem than mine."

"True" chuckled Jaune "say…why are you wearing a cloak to class?"

Blake shrugged.

"I'm just comfortable wearing it."

Jaune nodded.

"Fair enough. Didn't mean to pry."

Blake seemed to smile, however slightly. Ruby chuckled as she adjusted her thick red shirt. It had a hood attached to it, but was not anything like the form fitting cloak Blake was wearing. Jaune was pretty sure it was something called a hoodie, although it seemed a size too large for Ruby.

Ren was wearing a green vest with a black undershirt, leaving his arms bare, and some baggy pants of some kind. Nora had a shirt with some heart designs and jeans, while Pyrrha seemed comfortable in just simple shirt and jeans as well.

Weiss seemed ready to chill at the mall or enter a social gathering full of elites with her own outfit. Her choice of apparel a clash between a classic socialist look and a modern relaxed feel.

"….why do I know these terms?" thought Jaune.

ALARM!

Due to the activation of the tailor skill, basic knowledge and terms have been "gifted" to the player. However, it is up to the player to further hone your skills and skill trees.

"Right!" thought Jaune "I almost forgot I activated that skill tree. Considering I already knew how to sew and make basic clothing, I didn't notice the information."

Circumstances in Jaune's life had made it a pain in the ass to acquire clothing. Hilariously enough he always had enough money to get by, his neighbors doing more than enough to assist him in that regard, even if the rest of his little town were the opposite of helpful. The issue was getting clothes that would survive in a dungeon for more than a few days. After a while Jaune had given up on getting anything strong enough to endure the rough environments of the dungeons and Jaune's few scraps with death.

Suffice to say there was little that could that were not products "solely" for heroes.

The door suddenly opened, revealing an older man with green hairs and spectacles. His name was Bartholomew. His class was ALCHEMIST and was shaded in blue. Jaune let allow whistle escape his mouth. He had heard of this class before. An extremely rare breed of hero class that centered on manufacturing. It was this class that was responsible for the creation of potions and elixirs. If the individual was strong enough, Jaune heard they could even make bombs, weapons that were highly explosive.

It was their potions that alleviated the dangers of a dungeon and Grimm, if only a little bit. Jaune knew that one of his skill trees, the only one that was locked, was this very class of skills.

"Good morning class! My name is Bartholomew Oobleck and I will be your morning instructor on all thing's history and social in nature! While in the classroom I please ask that you refer to me as DOCTOR Oobleck. Outside of class feel free to call me Bartholomew if that makes you feel more comfortable. Now! Some of you may be wondering why a school dedicated to Heroes needs a historian such as myself!"

He smiled as some students murmured in agreement with his announcement.

"I'm happy to see some of you have been thinking on this! The answer to that question lies in another question! Is Beacon Academy a Hero school? Please give your honest answers."

"Duh. Aren't we all here to train and get ready to join the real guilds?" said a random student.

Jaune couldn't help but agree. That seemed to be Beacon's primary function.

"That is a goal, yes" admitted Oobleck "however Beacon Academy offers opportunity for all castes! Heroes come to learn new skills and tactics in a safe environment while Nobles and the Laborers work to increase their skills. Most of classes within these halls will teach you history, politics, and numerous other subjects that are vital for heroes to understand, especially the Grand Laws."

Jaune swallowed. The Grand Laws were a set of ancient rulings that ALL Kingdoms abided by. There were no exception and no ruling monarch had ever tried to "remove" these laws. Jaune had heard they were subjected to odd circumstances for those that tried. Odd enough that all attempts ceased forever more since that day. But considering it happened so damn long ago, Jaune wasn't sure as to the validity of such a rumor.

"These Grand Laws keep the peace between the kingdoms" explained Oobleck "and are responsible for preventing war on numerous accounts. They've been ingrained so long that many historians, myself included, believe that the Kingdoms have entered a type of social symbiosis….I'm rambling again" muttered the poor teacher.

"My apologies! You all are not here for a history or social lesson just yet. Today is about your victory and what has become of it!"

The smile on Oobleck's face was infectious and numerous students chuckled.

"Today will be general information. While most of you come from a background rich with hero culture, there are a number of you that don't. Perhaps you were born in a Labor Caste family, perhaps a noble one! Any circumstances may explain a gap in information, hence why we offer this two classes for the first day only. An entry lecture and a single combat class to help ease the transition."

Jaune and the others looked at Ren, who just shrugged. Seems the boy didn't know everything.

"We only have a bit of time before this class ends so rather than let myself ramble on again, I'll get right to it. First on our list is guilds. As you are all aware of guilds are central to a hero's career. One cannot be a hero without either joining or creating a guild by Kingdom law. As such Beacon requires that all students within its halls are part of school guilds. This is to prepare you for the world outside and as well teach you the nuances of being a part of one! Am I correct in assuming that most of you are already in guilds, or plan to join one?"

The numerous replies made Oobleck nod.

"Good, good! For those of you who have yet to join a guild, please wait after class and I can assist you. You all have a few days left until rent is expected for staying in your current dorms. Most students find it cheaper overall to simply own a guild house. Whether that is something that is preferable for you is something to discover for yourself. So long as you are registered as a guild, getting a guild house or entering an appropriate rank dungeon is simple."

The man went further into detail, explaining the system that Beacon used. Guilds were used both to house groups of students together, preparing them for the outside world, while also creating a hub that allowed for quick access to appropriate dungeons. So long as a guild and its members were of a certain size or rank, entering a C, B, or even A rank dungeon was possible. As such there was no need for extensive searching when one was looking for quest and dungeons, simply go to the quest and dungeon boards that your guild was assigned. However, the likes of A rank dungeons have never been done by a Beacon student…

And would totally not be done by Jaune and crew…eventually….

Not at all.

On to new information!
"Now, for those of you who may have forgotten or never learned about our ranking system, I will briefly go over it."

Suddenly the board behind Oobleck created six letters. A, B, C, D, E and a crimson S. There was also a gold EX that was placed even further away from the main group of letters.

"Rank refers to the power of an individual, item, dungeon, or monster. It can also be used to rank rarity for skills and such. For humans and monsters rankings are a bit more difficult to assign."

Oobleck gestured to himself.

"Consider my class for a moment! All teacher's in Beacon must at least be A rank to be eligible to teach. Now obviously I am not geared towards frontal combat and I assure you I am not an A rank individual" chuckled the man "so why would my Rank be A?"

Weiss lifted her hand. Oobleck nodded.

"You took the ranking test and passed."

"Correct!" chuckled Oobleck "Ranks from E to A follow a strict guideline. Not only must a certain base level be achieved there are also numerous other factors to consider. Be aware of this for the future. It is possible that you may become A rank in power. However, if you're mentally unsound, completely reckless in combat, or even perhaps are terrible at working with others, you will not be registered as A rank. The opposite applies as well. Perhaps you are lacking in power, but make up for it through contributions, unique or powerful skills, or simply have incredible mental prowess! These factors and more go into judging ones rank. Remember, when it comes to the rankings for people and monsters, they are never a true representation of an individual's ability. They are merely a guide or a threat level in some cases."
Oobleck walked around the room keeping an eye on everyone.

"The dungeons are dangerous my students, the guilds will not abide by…as much as I detest the word, STUPID behavior. Remember that as you improve yourselves. Now for those wondering about S rank and EX rank…well S rank as we all know is the league above A. So vast is this distance that there is less than 20 S rank heroes in this day and age. The other is simply a demotion for an unpredictable power."

Oobleck gestured to himself and than one of the C rank students.

"Each rank is separated by larger and larger gaps of power. The difference between E to D is small, almost barely noticeable. The difference between C and B is of such a difference that a common B rank is capable of handling numerous top tier C ranks at once, not to mention the abilities of a peak B rank. So, with that in mind, the difference between A rank and S rank can be compared as the distance from you and the sun. Hence why an individual's mental state or prowess has nothing to do with S rank. You are either so powerful you can shake the world or you simply are not S rank. EX rank works differently than any other stat measurement we use. For it describes something that cannot be measured."

The class began to talk amongst themselves, leading Oobleck to quite everyone down.

"Now now" he chuckled "no need to wonder about it. The EX rank is not a symbol of power, but rather that of mystery. There is no other means to obtain it, just to let you all know. To this day there has not been a single individual to ever have an EX stat growth."

Jaune blinked.

"wait what but I?"

"Believe it or not" continued Oobleck "Items work much the same."

Oobleck smiled as he gestured towards a new image appearing on the blackboard, a simple long sword.

"However, that similarity is basic at best. Unlike people, the power of an item or dungeon is more easily measured. The ranking of an item or dungeon is the measurement of magical power found within it. Now before you all get excited about getting high ranking drops from your future conquests remember two vitally important things. The first, is that rankings are only a subject of the mana within an item. The effects are what is important. Consider getting an A rank weapon that farts every time you swing it."

Everyone laughed at the ludicrous notion. Until Oobleck took a weapon out of his inventory. It made Jaune's head hurt just looking at it, its pressure near overwhelming him. Then the man swung the sword, causing a wet fart sound to leak from it.

"Inspect" thought Jaune.

The Blade of Forlorn Flatulence (A)

The sword of forlorn flatulence is a sad one. This is a sword with a single twisted beautiful purpose. To fart.

Oh what yonder wind breaks…through ones arse and blade!

-98% attack

+132% gas

Oobleck chuckled as he put the sword away but not before Jaune's eyes read the runes that ran along the spine of the sword.

ALARM!

You have learned two new rune words and one enchantment!

Runes: Reduction. Poison.

"Well that explains the smell" thought Jaune "I wasn't able to get the specific runic sequence but at least I got a couple of words."

WARNING!

Enchantment: Damage Reduction.

Damage Reduction is a high tier enchantment. Player is too weak to fully utilize the enchantment. Effects will change as player grows in strength or certain catalysts are used:

Reduce damage or incoming damage by 0%. Success rate: -320%

Jaune took a sharp breath. The enchantment on a weapon was utterly useless. However, on armor?

It was damn near priceless.

"No wonder the requirements to use it are so huge" thought Jaune "if I could reduce damage by a quarter or even half, that would be amazing!"

"As you can see" explained Oobleck "a powerful sword may not necessarily have the greatest effect. Simply because it is A rank does not mean it is all powerful. Sometimes it is better to use a "weaker" rank weapon simply because of its utility or better effects. The second reason is something you all just witnessed. If you attempt to use or equip an item that is too powerful for you than the item will have negative effects on the body. Headaches, body pains, organ damage…and even instant death if the power gap is simply too large. This A rank weapon would have done worse if I wasn't here to partially restrain it."

Oobleck gestured to his nose, revealing the blood trailing down.

"Even I cannot hold the mana effortlessly. It is for that reason that high ranking hunters are never allowed to have their weapons and armor in public and must contain them within their inventories or within a Vault. Only in certain areas or situations are they allowed to wield them. Now if you ever come across an S rank item AVOID IT."

Oobleck actually scowled as he stared at everyone.

"I cannot stress this enough. Looking is fine, S ranks are an oddity in that they don't excude outwards mana. But if you try to wield an S rank item without being S rank yourself? You will die. There is no exception. Unlike the weaker variation of weapons S rank weapons will outright kill you if you are not strong enough. EX rank weapons are even more dangerous in that regard. You can never tell if you're too weak to wield it due to the unpredictable energy within it. Even if the weapon or item only has that rank due to its unique existence, the fact you cannot tell the two apart makes gaining an EX weapon a very dangerous gamble."

Jaune shook his head. Suddenly his headache disappeared. Probably due to the Spellcaster's Blessing.

"Now we only have a few more minutes for general information. So I would like to end things on an important discussion. One I feel is not discussed often enough with young ones such as yourselves. This topic is about stats and parameters."

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"Parameters?"

ALARM!
Parameters are status that are unique to each individual human. They are the natural abilities each person has within them. Unique passives, bloodline traits, and even blessings given at birth by Gods are part of parameters. It is even possible for children to inherit a portion of their parents' skills! Parameters can affect an individuals growth. This can be seen through unusual stat growth, unexpected skills, or just impossible abilities.

Current Parameter's decoded for player: 48%

Player cannot yet see parameters at this analysis percentage.

Jaune didn't know what decoding meant but it was probably just the system trying to gain…access to his parameters? The boy was only guessing but he decided to indulge Oobleck in his final speech rather than listen to a system that didn't know what it was talking about.

"Everyone knows about stats so will be brief for those whose current knowledge is lacking" smiled Oobleck "Stats are a representation of our physical, mystical, and mental strength and flexibility. Four belong solely for our physical capabilities. Strength and Constitution are commonly high for melee class warriors. Strength should be obvious. It dictates the amount of damage one can inflict, the weight they can lift and so on and so forth. Constitution refers to the durability of the body. It has an active influence on our Health, how resistant to disease and sickness we are, and finally how much damage we can withstand. Agility and Dexterity are more complicated in a sense. Agility refers to the speed and flexibility of our body. The higher the stat the greater the speeds we can achieve. Dexterity refers to how quick some is to respond, having a direct effect on one's own reflexes. It is a stat essential for dodging. As such the two stats are normally high in rouge classes."

He chuckled at some confused remarks.

"As I said, we unfortunately don't have a lot of time left for general information today, so please bear with the essentials for now. Intelligence and Wisdom are straight forward. Intelligence refers to the potency of our magic. While this applies more directly to magical skills, the stat does impart some effect to even melee skills. Wisdom governs how efficiently we use our magic. The higher the stat the lower spell skills may cost in terms of mana. Both of these stats combined affect our pool of mana. Finally, we land on Charisma and Resilience. Charisma can be described as the mental attack stat. Certain schools of mages depend solely on Charisma for illusions and trickery. Some thief classes also make use of this stat. While Resilience is more focused on."

Oobleck stopped as he heard a student chuckle a joke.

"Mr. Dove, while I appreciate enthusiastic participation in this class, laughing at a private joke is not considered as such."

Oobleck sweat dropped as Cardin's massive hand gripped Dove's head. He seemed to whisper something in the boy's ear, causing the young man to shiver and sweat.

"My apologies Doctor, they will not interrupt again."

Oobleck gave a small awkward smile.

"um…thank you Mr. Winchester. Now, for many heroes the Resilience stat can be considered quite rudely as a dump stat. Something that only Labor castes specialize in. To be truthful that is fair to some extent. But let me dispel you of this illusion. The stat has no physical bearing on the body, as its name may imply. Instead it refers to the resilience of the mind. It is the defense stat against mental attacks and actually is a core stat for consecutive skill casting."

Oobleck smiled.

"Most heroes, myself included, can experience some migraines if we use too many skills consecutively in a short time. Even as an A rank I can only use about three skills in a single instance without any feedback."

Oobleck chuckled at the awed expressions.

"I'm happy you find that impressive young ones. For an average Noble class at level 15 can weave five together in a single instance. Repeatedly."

The shut the room up.

"As you are all aware, the Labor caste has C rank growth across the board. However, while their stats may not reach the heights a Hero's may, they certainly do not reach our lows either. What the Labor caste have that Heroes do not, is a vast store of skills and the resilience to use them frequently. Not to mention they as a caste are resistant to mental fatigue, capable of working incredibly long hours without rest even when compared to high level players."

Jaune blinked. He turned to Pyrrha.

"You get headaches if you use too many at once?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"….that sucks" chuckled Jaune.

"Now of course there are certain conditions in play here" laughed Oobleck "for there are some heroes who have A rank growth in resilience as well but they cannot do as the Labor caste does. This phenomenon and numerous others factors is what lead to the discovery of Parameters and class benefits. Parameters, in simple terms, is the unique factors of one's individual body, class, caste, and in some cases lineage. Everyone is unique, even if they carry the same class. Parameters are unique to each individual, with some similarities, and are still to this day not fully studied. As such there are only certain things we know for sure with regards to each caste within our society. The Labor caste have limitless skill casting and far more skills, the heroes have incredible fighting capabilities, while Nobles have excellent leadership skills and architectural abilities…even if they're a little greedy. Classes can also carry unseen bonuses to their users. This is still ongoing so reliable information is still difficult to come by."

"He's not wrong" thought Jaune "My Arcane Craftsman class has been giving some of my skills a potency boost to my items. Guess you need a system to see it."

Everyone laughed at Oobleck's little joke.

"What I am trying to impart amongst all of you is to remember that the society you live in is filled with wonders and amazing people across all castes. It is not perfect. It never will be. But try to find a reason to FIGHT. However benign or self centered the reason may be, it will be what drives you forward in your endeavors. This is the end of our general class today. I hope to see most of you here tomorrow at 9 AM for your first true lesson in Kingdom politics and history. Now I believe you're all looking forward to the fun class no?"

Jaune smiled at Oobleck, enjoying the way the man was able to laugh at himself. He talked incredibly fast, but as fast as he was his speech was endearing and caught your attention. Thus far he was Jaune's favorite teacher, even if he was the only one Jaune had met.

"Well that was an earful" muttered Nora "but at least we get to duke it out with the others now!"

Weiss got up, her face filled with some concern.

"You all go on ahead. I…have something we need to look into."

"Woah woah woah" muttered Yang "we gotta head to class don't we?"

Weiss nodded.

"Indeed, YOU do. I'll be talking with Oobleck. I will catch up as soon as I can."

"What's the problem?" asked Ren.

"So far…I'm hoping nothing. We have yet to be bothered as a guild and I hope it remains that way but…on the way here I overheard the mage classes talking about Ruby's weapon…I don't know how but they know Jaune forged it."

Jaune blinked.

"But how I…"

Jaune then realized he left a smoldering crater where an old forge used to be. Weiss straightened her clothes and smiled.

"I'm worried about getting a guild house, that's all. Considering there are eight of us, owning a guild house is cheaper than each of us renting individually. But if the Merchant guild or even the Mercenary guild want Jaune or anyone of us, than I want to be prepared for any tactic they may use. I'm going to ask Oobleck some questions and then check what's available."

"Seems a little overboard not to mention paranoid" supplied Pyrrha "but if you're sure I won't stop you. Would you like company at least?"

"No, I'll be fine Pyrrha. I have some experience with things like this. Thank you for the offer though."

"So…you're skipping class."

"….Yang."

Yang rose an eyebrow.

"The classes are voluntary."

Yang's jaw dropped.

"What!?"

Weiss shrugged.

"Like Ren said, so long as the criteria for each year is met we don't necessarily have to attend class. There are no tests to be had, no grades to be given. Beacon's teaching model is for the students to improve yourself. If you graduate you are ready, if you fail then they kick you out if you're not dead. At least, that's as far as I understand it. Now go, you can tell me all about it after class."

Yang smirked as Weiss walked away.

"Is it me or does she seem more confident?"

"Probably not worried about being judged as an Atlesian mage."

Yang near jumped out of her skin at Blake's voice. Jaune simply snarked at her.

"Wow Yang you ARE right. It is hilarious."

Yang mouthed at her fellow blonde and then rolled her eyes. Ruby just started giggling while Blake seemed a tad hurt.

"I'm I really that unnoticeable?"

Jaune smiled.

"You seem to just…disappear. Is that your passive?"

Blake blinked…than blinked again…than proceeded to hit her head off the desk. Suddenly her cloak, that was once pitch black, was now a bright white with black tribal designs.

It was a cloak belonging to the White Fang guild, one of the biggest and strongest guilds across the four kingdoms.

"Wait you had a passive activated?!"

Yang's eyes near bugged out at the sight. Blake sighed as she shook her head.

"Sorry. My passive lets me blend in with my surroundings to a degree. It doesn't cost any mana to activate so I just…forget about it really. It can also make clones from my shadows and switch places with them, although the mana cost is hefty."

Nora gave Blake the stink eye.

"See this, this right here? This is what I call bullshit. Me? I have to get hit by lightning. Jaune here's a walking Volcano, and apparently Blake is the lady of shadows. What's next Yang can make explosions?"

Yang grinned.

"I hate you. I hate all of you" chuckled Nora.

"Alright lets go!" chimed Ruby "we got places to be and fights to be had! I'm so excited! EEEHHHHH!"

Ruby shot forth in a blaze of red Jaune blinked.

"Uh…where was that yesterday?"

Yang shrugged as the group moved out and began to make their way to the center of the tower, at least on this floor.

"Her semblance lets her get a massive boost in her movement speed for a bit."

"That seems more like a drastic boost than a massive one" murmured Pyrrha "I've seen A rank heroes in action…her speed almost matches theirs."

Nora glared at everyone.

"I swear to the Gods Ren I SWEAR!"

Jaune chortled while Ren began to sweat. Jaune smiled as he basked in the aura of friendship. He never really hung out with friends. It was nice. It felt all too quick when they reached the center of the tower. It was really just an intersection of all the hallways. The number 3 followed by a letter stood above each hallway opening. But was truly eye catching was the center. The rest of the building had its obvious materials. Wood, stone, metal, and numerous mystical appliances of some sort, the center of the tower seemed like it was lifted and planted right inside. The entire section of the tower was simply grass and some flowers. Nothing more. As damage was accumulated through some of the sparring sessions Jaune saw, the ground would simply regenerate. The wounds on the warriors before him would also seemingly just disappear.

"Interesting" said Jaune "I wonder how it works?"

He never got his answer, as the teacher in the center of all the fighting called for everyone to cease.

"Thank you for volunteering" grumbled Glynda "although the next time you choose to spar…please leave the flirting outside of it."

The two mean gave a sheepish chuckle as they blushed and walked away. Glynda looked to the ceiling begging for patience and restraint. Children.

She was dealing with children.

She looked at the group Jaune was a part of and nodded.

"Carry on students, the next row is here. While classes are voluntary, I do suggest you not skip this one. At least if just to get practice in. While the focus in society is of course with dungeons, do not forget that quests also exist. You will find that the enemies you face within them can range from the grimm to even your fellow man."

Glynda's stern words were laced with annoyance.

"I swear Peter, never again" she sighed.

Not only did she have to cover for the usual sparring teacher, she was also working with Ozpin in trying to ease the spread of Jaune's success. Nobles from around the kingdom were sending letters to Beacon with requests and confirmation. Glynda used to be a fan of the teleportation mail system they learned from Atlas. Truly she was!

But the fact that nobles were somehow able to learn something like this within the span of a day, and spread it across the kingdom? Well the saying was true. Gossip is alive and well no matter the time and place. She loved Ozpin…but her job lately has been nothing but covering for others, easing the tension off nobles, and dealing with children. She just wanted simple paper work for the love of Gods.

"I hate my job" thought Glynda.

"Welcome children. Before we begin I would like to say that you are the last group for the day."

Jaune blinked in surprise.

"Really?" he couldn't help but state.

Glynda nodded. Seems she was too annoyed to bother reprimanding Jaune for his interruption.

"Over 78% of applicants failed. 5% were unfortunately causalities."

Jaune swallowed.

"Yes" whispered Glynda, a forlorn tone echoing in her words "even within Beacon the threat of death is ever present. Our system tries to mitigate the risks as much as we can…but we are not perfect. The classes and sparring sessions are purely supplementary. But they are designed to help in and out of battle. To ensure that you improve and are guided to a path that fits best for you. So…please treat this seriously" she begged.

Jaune bowed his head and closed his eyes, offering a moment of silence for the fallen. He placed his right hand over his left and stood feet apart. A custom his Father taught him and his mother. In death everyone was equal, regardless of their sins or positions. In death everyone was worth the same. As such death was the only time in which respect was to be given, not earned.

Cardin was doing the same. Although his hands remained clasped behind his back, his eyes staring at the ceiling. He ignored the looks he got from his band of merry idiots (Cardin's term not mine). As his gaze lowered and his stance softened, he noticed a few of his fellow Knight classes doing the same as himself, earning similar looks. But it was the Arcane Craftsman that caught his eye. His stance was different. It seemed a mix of Atlesian and Vacian (Vase-ian) stances. Cardin narrowed his eyes.

"Thank you" smiled Glynda "now. I'll be honest. I have spent hours, and I do mean hours, making each and every student have a turn at sparring. However, as you may have noticed the last group…was a little to rambunctious shall we say."

True enough the ground around them seemed upheaved and torn apart. Only a medium circle seemed repaired and ready.

"As such today I will allow the student with the highest personal score to select a partner and call it a day."

Jaune smiled at Pyrrha, causing the girl to blush at the unexpected compliment. Jaune also gave a confused look as he realized what Glynda said.

"We were marked?" thought Jaune.

"Cardin Winchester, pick your opponent."

Jaune's eyes damn near bugged out of his head.

WHAT!?

Cardin grunted. He didn't seem to care at all who he fought. Before he could voice such a thing Russell spoke up. His eyes locked on Jaune as he smirked.

"How about Cardin fights that Arcane Craftsman over there" he said in a sickingly sweet tone "I'm curious what HE can do."

Cardin grunted, already moving to the center.

"If the NPC wants to than fine" he muttered "I don't really care."

Jaune rose an eyebrow as Cardin placed a hand over his fist and held it in front of him. He bowed his head slightly, before standing back up and moving to Glynda. It was a gesture Jaune didn't recognize at first but if it was anything like the conduct of Knights that his mother taught him…

Jaune placed his right arm over his stomach and bowed slightly to Cardin when he moved to stand before him.

Cardin's eyes widened. Glynda narrowed her eyes at the two of them, seemingly shocked at Jaune's response.

"You?"

Rather than comment Glynda let the two do their thing. She was curious as to where this would go and was actually shocked that Jaune seemed verse in Atlesian practices of Knighthood. Pyrrha seemed confused as to what was happening, along with almost everyone else. Only the Knight classes spread around the room remained serious. This was not the first time such a thing had happened.

There were bastards in the world after all.

"…What are you?" asked Cardin "earlier you spoke with proper language. You pay proper respects to the dead…and you know the code of chivalry."

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"I thought I was just an NPC?"

Cardin's eyes narrowed as the two moved across each other. They turned their backs against each other, walked eight steps away, than abruptly turned. From behind Cardin a ripple appeared and from it a basic C rank weapon. It was a standard Vale designed long sword. It was the same weapon as Jaune's own longsword, although it's guard was colored red.

"You ARE an NPC."

Cardin assumed a stance. He adjusted himself sideways, his sword pointing at Jaune and his other hand behind his back. A basic stance, meant to teach the importance of protecting one's vitals in combat. However, for the Knights of Vale, it was their stance of ready. A stance to show that they are prepared and waiting.

Jaune took his own sword out without thinking. He started to just relax, ready to use the sword as blindly as he always did…until a thought hit him.

Ever since he had separated from his mother at the age of 11, he stopped applying her teachings. He was an NPC, a labor caste. He wasn't supposed to know how to use the sword. He wasn't supposed to fight. He wasn't even supposed to know magic. Jaune took a breath, making Cardin raise an eyebrow. Was he wrong? Was Jaune just a simple NPC?
Cardin's answer came as Jaune's arms moved on their own. He placed the tip of the sword on the ground before him. On top of the hilt Jaune placed both hands. His spine straight. His shoulder's squared. His feet were firmly planted.

It was almost if Jaune could feel his mother's shadow behind him, judging him as he attempted to remember that which he was taught so long ago. As he firmly stood in his stance, Cardin went wide eyed. The System too, was not idle.

ALARM!

Parameter interference detected! Inherited skill detected.

Minimum stat requirements confirmed.

Mental state confirmed.

All parameters checked. Inheriting skill.

Unlocking skill "Sword Arts (KNIGHT) (LV 2)

Parameter decoded 50%.

Player can now read a portion of Parameters.

Jaune locked eyes with Cardin, the rush of knowledge was unlike his other skills. Before it was knowledge he never had. This? This was knowledge that he was trained in. Knowledge his mother taught him regardless of class. Her smile as he got the basics correct, as he laughed with her and his father. As he learned from them.

It felt like a piece of him had returned. A piece that he had discarded. Believed that he was unworthy to use as an "NPC". Only now was he realizing how asinine that line of thinking was. He was not constrained by the caste system any longer. He was simply…

Jaune sighed as he began to slowly edge to the left, Cardin mimicking him by going right. Artorias or Jaune. Both were his names but who was he? Jaune rolled his shoulders as he decided to figure that out himself. To keep getting stronger. Better. Faster. He would level limitlessly until there was nowhere left to go.

This was his new beginning. Jaune twisted the tip of his blade towards Cardin, eyeing his shoulders. He had rushed in before, high on the fact that he could fight a monster solo. Now?

Now was an entirely different story.

"You're from Atlas" stated Cardin "…that's a surprise. You must have been born from a Knight of the Round Table to assume that stance."

"What makes you think that?" questioned Jaune "perhaps I just copied it."

"Too perfect" stated Cardin "I've seen the Knights of the Round Table spar before. There's more to it than simple posturing. It's the angle, the way the sword is held, and the expectation that comes with it. No NPC would see that stance and no other class would dare try to emulate it. Ever. It is reserved only for those residing in Atlas headquarters and part of the round table bloodline. You were trained, barely. At least you kept the manners. My apologies. I stand before you as a Knight of Whinchester. Even if you are an NPC, I will grant you the right your bloodline deserves, bastard as you may be."

Jaune kept his face stoic, the lessons of his mother hammering away in his head, like the fondest of memories. Her face, her stern voice, her constant but gentle adjustments to his form. It was slowly but surely coming back to him.

"I would thank you" said Jaune "and I should. But the behavior I saw earlier…I do not face a true Knight."

Cardin shrugged.

"That is your right to claim. But regardless…do you accept my challenge?"

Jaune simply nodded.

Cardin remained silent as well. His stance widened as his sword now pointed his left side, his right arm facing Jaune. Glynda however watched this with an intrigued expression.

"If what Cardin muttered to himself was true, then Jaune has some connection with the Round Table. This…this just got more complicated" thought Glynda "They're the only guild in Atlas and are the center of its military. What on Remnant has Godfrey stepped us into now?"

Glynda remained silent as she watched. Her Magic glowed purple as it infused itself into the two men.

"A curse has afflicted you both. The second your aura depletes both of you will be paralyzed for a moment. Now I speak for the rest of the students here. BEGIN."

Cardin wasted no time, he dashed in. It was two steps but each were enahcned with a skill of some sort. He closed the distance and thrust the sword at Jaune's face. To Cardin's surprise Jaune simply adjusted his stance and flowed with the assault, dodging a bit to the left. He counter attacked with a basic thrust, aiming for Cardin's center. He landed the blow but Cardin quickly back stepped and as he moved slammed his sword against Jaune's as he performed a quick spin in place. The poor craftsman was not expected the sheer strength Cardin put behind his strike, making Jaune's arms fly up as they maintained their grip. Cardin smirked as faced Jaune once more, getting into Jaune's personal space. However, to his immense surprise once more, Jaune dodged.

It was to be expected after all, the worse place an opponent can be for a swordsman was inside their guard.

If your guard was penetrated than your sword was restricted and your vitals open. The best course of action was to put distance. An amateur would simply make distance without thinking, while one that was experienced would position themselves quickly to counter attack or in the case of the most skilled, strike at their opponent when they least expected it.

Cardin knew that Jaune was an amateur or at the very least never fought seriously with a blade. He should have freaked out, rushing back or in another direction in fear. That was the textbook argument at least. But Jaune went differently, he dodged towards Cardin, reversing the flow combat and slammed his shoulder into Cardin's collar bone. Much like before Cardin's body moved with the blow going back, which is what Jaune anticipated. He had flowed with the shoulder charged, using the motion to launch the thrust he had already prepared. It should have landed, dealing a great deal of damage to Cardin's aura. Instead, the Knight reversed his grip with a practiced one-handed motion. He placed the flat of his blade against his forearm and let Jaune's strike flow alongside his sword. Sparks flew as Cardin used his sword to take the brunt of Jaune's thrust, displacing the force and causing the sword to be redirected away from his body. Without pause Cardin slammed his knee into Jaune's stomach and twisted his torso, using the motion to quickly cut at Jaune with a reverse grip style.

Cardin's eyes widened again as Jaune surprised him. The man jumped back with force, rocketing away from Cardin a few feet, enough to be a distance away from his reverse grip style. Cardin resumed his beginning stance and bit his lip.

"This doesn't make any sense" thought Cardin "He's…just an NPC. He shouldn't be able to adapt this quickly. He's barely a novice, his moves are rusty, and his tactics are lacking…but his instincts are insane. He's adapting to my movements, eyeing for openings. It's like he has no fear whatsoever, what kind of beginner rushes towards the sword? His style and skills are without a doubt lacking…but this NPC…it's like he was built for combat."

Cardin sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"What a waste" he thought "I-"

Cardin's though was interrupted as Jaune's fist rammed into his face. Cardin's brain shook as his vision swam.

"how did you!?"

Jaune scowled.

"It is considered rude to belittle your opponent in the middle of a duel. If you wish to close your eyes, do so on your own time."

Cardin blinked. The way the guy talked before was similar yes, but this just confirmed that the man had SOME training in proper language…even if he would have been thought of as crude anyways as he spoke. Not to mention that the speed and strength of Jaune's blow was greater than any NPC Cardin had encounter…and the man had experience in that department. A fact he never liked to be reminded of.

"You…".

Jaune narrowed his eyes. There it was again. That HATE…the ANGER. It wasn't anything like he felt from the lesser heroes and nobles. To the idiot upper class who were…well idiots, the Labor caste was simply demeaned for being below them. Yet…what Jaune was feeling seemed…personal. Cardin breathed. The anger and hate that Jaune sensed disappearing as well. Jaune blinked and bowed slightly in response.

"I take back my words" said Jaune "only a Knight trained as you would be able to reign themselves in so well."

Cardin scowled.

"This is my loss" he muttered "I've spent the entire fight treating this like a game. I should have taken you seriously from the start."

Jaune rose an eyebrow as Cardin sheathed his sword.

"What?"

Cardin nodded towards Jaune.

"This is your victory."

"No" said Jaune "this isn't over…I've…I've felt that POWER" said Jaune "the one you used before. You're barely fighting at full strength…if you respect me as you insinuate…I wish to see your full strength."

Cardin rose his own eyebrow in annoyance.

"I find it surprising someone as versed as you in Knightly duels would be so hypocritical. Are you not as well holding back? I doubt an NPC such as yourself has anything noteworthy but the fact remains."

Jaune grimaced.

"…a fair point" he admitted.

Cardin grunted as he ignored the jeering from his band of idiots.

"Tell me this" muttered Cardin "…were you thrown away? Like…"

Jaune's eyes shot open fully as he looked at Cardin's back.

"No" he admitted "circumstances caused our separation…but I was never casted aside…were you?"

Cardin grunted.

"Lucky you" he muttered.

Their entire conversation went unheard by the masses, aside from Glynda. Everyone else was too far away to hear anything but little murmuring. Some were impressed an NPC was capable of holding his own. Granted no skills were used in the first place, but the fact remained.

Jaune stared at Cardin as the man retreated. His hate…it wasn't unusual for the hero caste to…indulge in the labor caste for fun so to speak. It was a common story. A dashing beautiful hero, a rescued and awed labor caste. Sparks would fly…but the romance would never stick.

In theory.

Jaune's parents went against the grind. They had raised him with love and kindness…and his mother decked anyone who tried to remove his status as her heir. She trained him to be a knight…but what Jaune loved most about her was the fact she went out of her way to ensure he had proper tools and resources to practice his forging. His training to be a knight was never to remove the "stain" of his labor caste…but to give him protection and the means to fight back.

As Jaune watched Cardin join his group again…he couldn't help but appreciate just how lucky he was…

For the usual fate of bastard children was not normally so kind. Jaune knew that from his perspective, it was the hero caste and noble caste that seemed to harbor the most…ill reputed people.

But he had seen with his own eyes and suffered a small bit at the hands of his fellow labor caste…it made him shudder at the thought of what Cardin might have went through. Still…that was something for another time. Jaune had noticed Cardin seemed…lazy with his blade. The entire time he was never putting his full effort, just going through the motions. It was a skillful display of swordsmanship that Jaune had ever seen thus far. He wanted to learn…

And he may have just found the perfect sparring partner to further hone his Knightly skills.

"DUUUUDE! When the hell were you going to tell us you can fight with a sword?" chuckled Yang.

"Well…it was something I never really thought I should do".

"…what, that's dumb" chuckled Nora.

"I've just realized that yes" said Jaune "…is Weiss still not back yet?" he asked.

Ruby frowned a tad.

"No. I'm starting to get a little worried. I mean not about Weiss! I think she's fine but…what she said is kind of bugging me."

Blake, her cloak once again black with her passive, nodded.

"I'm back."

Ruby jumped this time. She pouted at Blake as the poor girl turned off her passive.

"Sorry" she chuckled "I've been…snooping around, listening to people talk for the last few minutes. I don't think the Merchant guild is our only problem."

"Oh great the mercenary guild wants Jaune too" muttered Yang.
Blake grimaced.

"No. They want all of us, except Jaune. Apparently, their greatest generation just graduated and now they're hungry for new recruits."

"Explains why they were going after me and Ren so much" explained Nora "but all of us?"

Blake nodded and looked at Ren curiously. The man's eyes were closed as he stood silent, seemingly taking it all in. The poor man.

"They want Yang for being a Branwen."

Yang shrugged. Apparently, this wasn't the first time that people wanted her solely for her last name.

"Ruby is desired for that reason as well…but also because of someone named Summer?"

Ruby flinched as she paled. Yang grit her teeth and just sighed.

"They don't seem overly interested in myself or Weiss, but apparently they are also trying to recruit us. We cleared our dungeon rather quickly while carrying an NPC, so they want to keep the team dynamic."

"It seems their information is outdated" stated Pyrrha "Jaune was not carried nor useless in the conflict. However".

Blake smiled in agreement. Pyrrha seemed oddly oozing with authority at the moment. Not at all like the shy apologetic girl from before.

"You have experience with the sword?" she asked Jaune.

"Um…well yes" supplied Jaune "my father also taught me how to shoot with a bow…I'm not that good with it but I plan to pick it up."

"Anything else?"

Jaune swallowed. Was it him was it getting hot? Damn it she was staring at him intently.

"Um…there was also some spear work my mom tried to teach me. I didn't get very far with it but-"

"Excellent we start tomorrow" smiled Pyrrha.

"We start the what?" asked Jaune.

"Our training. I'm excited to see if we can combine your passive with some martial combat. I see plenty of uses for it."

Pyrrha beamed at the young man, causing Jaune to smile crookedly. A small blush on his face.

"Oh uh…that's great" he chuckled "but...shouldn't we start looking into a guild house first?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"True."

It was like a switch was flipped. Pyrrha's face suddenly went beet red as she began apologizing.

"Sorry!" she stated "I'm just excited to spar with everyone and seeing you fight made me relieved you wouldn't be left out! I mean not that you were weak or anything but I didn't thinkyoucouldweildaswordand-"

Pyrrha shut her mouth.

"Sorry."

Jaune actually busted out laughing as the group moved away from Glynda's class. Glynda would have reprimanded them for it, but considering the topic of their conversation regarding guild houses…well she let them off without an issue. They were not leaving because they were bored, but rather to ensure they had suitable housing.

"It's not a problem" smiled Jaune "I'm excited too. I've put aside my training after I separated with my mother, it would be good to take it all back…speaking of which, when we get that guild house I'll…tell you all about my mother."

"Uh, seems a little forced bud, its alright you can take your time" said Yang "we got all four years here at Beacon at least."

Jaune smiled.

"I appreciate that. But there is a goal I must reach, one that I plan to reach as soon as I possibly can. I don't want to disappear on you guys when I go back to Atlas."

"So you are from Atlas huh?"

Pyrrha seemed to stare at Jaune in awe. She had figured out his mother was Arturia Pendragon, but his admission that he was originally from Atlas cemented it.

"Yes. I moved to Vale about…eight years ago now. I'm twenty right now…so it's been a while since I've last been back home."

Jaune notice that the tower he was in had doors littering the hallways. Each of these doors using magic to teleport the student to the various floors within the tower. One of these just so happened to be the medical ward, floor 21B.

"Before we go see Weiss, do you mind if I visit my dad?"

"Wait your dad is here?" asked Blake "why? Wouldn't he be better off in Vale's facilities?"

"Perhaps" said Jaune "but his treatment only progresses so long as I'm a student of Beacon. I'd like to check up on him for a bit if that's alright."
"Dude you never have to ask, just go!" chucked Yang.

"I can come with you if you'd like" muttered Pyrrha.

She was surprised herself at the offer she just made. Pyrrha fought her blush, reminding herself that this wasn't Minstral.

"Sure" smiled Jaune "I'd appreciate that."

The two walked through the portal, Ruby's scythe dimmed in energy as the boy left its vicinity.

Ruby pouted at it as Yang blinked in surprise.

"Damn you weren't kidding. It really does dull without him around. Does it miss its dadd-OUCH!"

Yang had begun twitching her finger over the scythe, much like it was a cat being rubbed under the chin. The puff of fire that bit at her made Yang shake her hand to cool it down.

"That things mean!" she yelped "what the hell did Jaune make?"

"Apparently a semi-conscious weapon" said Blake "they're not that uncommon for dungeon drops."

Ren finally woke up in surprise.

"What happened?"

"….Was he?"

Ren grumbled as he went back into a relaxed meditive state.

"Is he sleeping!?" asked Yang.

Nora chuckled.
"Nah, he's just meditating. Although I can never tell from time to time. He just walks in tune with me when he does that. You guys didn't notice?"

Yang just started laughing as she rubbed her hot finger.

"Gods I love this place" she smiled.

Her smile waned a bit though. Summer…she looked at Ruby and while the girl seemed alright…Summer was always a sore topic for her. Yang sighed as she grabbed her sister and pulled her in close.

"Come on sis cheer up! We got a lot to do if we're gonna get that guild house! Now…ooh a notice board! We can get some quick information, there right?"

"We should" agreed Blake "Beacon employs a mystical interface for all their notice boards so we can look into what's available for the guild houses."

As the group moved over to the relatively uncrowded board, Jaune and Pyrrha were making their way to the front desk.

After being teleported to the medical ward, Jaune notice that the entire building was now pure white. It was a thick hallway leading a desk. No doors, no openings. Just a desk.

"Ok" muttered Jaune "this is creepy."

Pyrrha couldn't help but agree and follow him.

The two made it to the desk where a young Noble was currently using magic to type something. She looked up at Jaune and Pyrrha and smiled.

"Can I help you two?" she asked.

"Uh yes…I'm here for Shirou?"

The noble blinked, her class was ADMINISTRATOR and glowed emerald.

"Hmm…Ah yes the sleep patient. We have him in room 304."

With a tap, the woman pushed a button and a portal appeared.

"For sanitary and patient safety we have the rooms only accessible with portals. When you're done please press the button on the side of the room and you will be transported here."

Jaune wondered why something like this was even implemented but agreed. He jumped through the swirling blue gate, with Pyrrha simply walking through it. As Jaune landed he eyed his father for the first time since he arrived at Beacon. Unlike his son, his hair was prematurely grey. However, he was tall and even after being asleep for years, his muscles were still lean and chiseled. Years of medicine and medical messages kept his body from atrophying completely. His skin was a light shade, a natural complexion for people from Atlas.

Pyrrha stayed in the corner, not wanting to interrupt.

"Hey dad…finally got you the better bed I kept telling you about."

Jaune chuckled weakly as he took his father's hand. As usual it was warm to the touch, far warmer than any other persons. Even after all these years his father still carried an imposing figure. But to Jaune, it was a comfort for him.

"We'll get you awake soon…and I promise that I'll try my best to get mom here as soon as I can. It's good to see you're being taken care of here. I miss Doctor Peach back home, she took good care of you, but here we can actually treat you…you fought so hard to keep this at bay…now its my turn to fight."

His father to Jaune's knowledge was the only person ever capable of FIGHTING the curse of sleep. Normally once one was deemed cursed by sleep, they would never wake up. But Shirou…it was like he was an inhuman machine. He forced his way through the curse multiple times. Each time he woke up he would take longer to regain consciousness, but he fought it. He finally fell to the curse when Jaune was fifteen. He watched his father fight with everything he had.

Jaune would do the same.

Jaune took his father's right hand and gripped it. Pyrrha seemed concern as she looked at his father.

"Your father is missing?"

"Yea" said Jaune "he lost his left arm years before I was born. They didn't like talking about it so I don't know much about it. Apparently some dungeon run gone wrong?"

Jaune shrugged.

"Didn't stop him from teaching me about the forge."

Jaune stood up. Patting his father's shoulder one last time before leaving.

"it was good to see you dad."

Jaune turned to Pyrrha.

"Thank you for being here with me. It means a lot."

Pyrrha smiled.

"It seemed like you didn't want to be alone is all. I'm sure the others would have offered."

Jaune smiled. That was true. They all seemed like good people, his friends.

"Alright" said Jaune "lets figure out what Weiss has for us."

The two left the through the portals, thanking the receptionist on the way out. But when Jaune made it back to the hallway, he noticed Weiss talking to everyone…and she seemed far from happy.

"…What happened?" asked Jaune.

"Well for starters the Merchant guild just bought every free guild house."

Jaune blinked.

"What?"

Weiss grimaced.

"Yes. It would seem they wish for Jaune to spearhead a new campaign that would make them millions of lien. As such they are trying to strong arm you into joining their guild."

"They havn't even offered me anything yet?".

Weiss frowned.

"Supposedly your cooperation is unnecessary. They are aware of your father's…condition and the deal you have with Ozpin."

"What the actual fuck" said Nora "that's just…that's screwed up!"

Weiss nodded.
"Ordinarily we can just do quest and dungeons to make lien and just rent out at Beacon till this blows over. The merchant guild is not all powerful. They cannot buy these guild houses and do nothing with them. I managed to get in contact with Bartholomew after class and he informed me that Ozpin has already started cracking down on this tactic…however it is not illegal and it will take weeks for the guilds to start opening up again. But that isn't the only problem. The Mercenary guild, along with many smaller guilds, are holding and accepting all current and incoming quests for the next month."

"Are they trying to kick us out?" asked Yang.

"No. If anything they probably plan to wait us out till the last week and than offer to bring us in…when we don't have a choice."

"Oh come on" muttered Nora "this…this is bullshit they can't do that! I want this to work man!"

Ren clasped his friend on the shoulder.

"I do as well…so" stated Ren "on the one hand we have the Merchant guild have a deposit down on all available plots of land for guild houses correct?"

Weiss nodded.

"Thankfully they didn't outright buy them, or we wouldn't be having this issue. It's illegal for them do so in the first place within Beacon. Still, so long as that deposit is in, we cannot buy the land nor gain access to Beacon's funds to build our guild house. And before you ask, the deposit lasts a month before full payment is needed. Even if they freed up before months end we'd need to do quests and dungeons to gather funds to buy the land in the first place."

Ren nodded.

"So the Mercenary guild wants us and the Merchant guilds want Jaune…is there anything we can do?"

Weiss looked around, making sure no one was here.

"Blake can you do a physical check for me?"

Blake walked into a shadow and merged with it. Weiss closed her eyes and opened them. They now glowed an Azure blue.

"Mana detection."

A ripple of blue energy echoed out sweeping across in a circular manner.

Weiss shook her head as she blinked the blue away.

"Don't use that skill much" she muttered "always gives me a headache with all that information. Thankfully no one is around. Blake?"

Blake appeared once more and shook her head.

"Hallway is empty, for now."

Weiss breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. I heard that there is a free guild house. In fact, it once belonged to one of Beacon's best guilds."

"And its free to buy?" asked Ruby "well that's continent!"

Weiss shook her head.

"No you can't buy the guild house or the land its on. I overheard a few mages complaining about the lack of mana crystals in their guild house. This is when I learned about the Mercenary guild taking all the quests and dungeons for the next month. Anyway, after talking with them I learned about the old guild house. Apparently, many mage classes use this place as a farming location for mana crystals. They're low in quality but that's not what we need. No instead what we need to do is clear the house out and take the deed. If we present the deed to Ozpin, we own the house free of charge. Beacon has restricted the area to students and faculty only, which means the Merchant guild won't be able to stop us since all their hero classes are graduated students that protect them."

"So what we got to clear a house full of Grimm?" asked Yang "Doesn't seem so bad."

Weiss shoom her head.

"If Grimm took residence the house would have been destroyed already. No the house is haunted and home to an unnaturally large amount of undead and spirits."

"….Oh fuck no" muttered Yang.

"The issue about the guild house isn't the undead" continued Weiss "they are apparently quite weak. The issue that no one can get around is why they keep coming back and so quickly. If we can solve that mystery not only do we get a large amount of land and a guild house for free, but the Mercenary guild and the Merchant guild will not be able to touch us for the month, since we can use the building funds from Beacon to pay off our first month payments…I've been trying to figure out anything else we could do but I've come across nothing. No one has figured out why this house remains haunted for the last fifty years. The churches couldn't do, the school couldn't do it, and even the exorcist guild couldn't figure it out, and they SPECILIZE in dealing with spirits and undead."

Weiss took a breath and shook her head.

"If we want to stick together, than we need to do this. There is honestly no other way."

"I mean…we could just see each other in the Mercenary guild and visit Jaune" muttered Yang.

"No, you can't" sighed Jaune "they'll lock me in a forge and try to hammer out my class to its full potential. I'll never be able to go free my mother if they keep me locked in there. They'll just promise to help me as a means to get me to work harder or something. The carrot and the stick approach as it were. If they don't care about my cooperation, then they won't care about what I need to do."

The whole free his mother thing was a bit concerning to everyone, but they nodded.

"The Mercenary guild may let us stay as a team for a time" said Ren "but they will cast aside anyone of us that isn't up to par. One mistake and they cast you out. They do not care about us in anyway shape or form…at least the Mercenary guild in Vacuo didn't. I don't expect their sister guild to be any different."

Yang grimaced.

"…You don't ike zombies do you?" asked Jaune.

Yang turned green as she shook her head.

"I'll fight dragons, demons, angels, hell throw me at a gnome for all I care but zombies? Ghosts? I'm out."

"Bitch I'm in!" yelled Nora "lets do it!"

Yang groaned as she shivered.

"Alright alright! You convinced me!" she said.

"No one said anything" muttered Ren.

He received a hit on the shoulder from both Nora and Yang for his trouble.

"Best to get started right, away right?"

Everyone turned to Pyrrha.

"If we dally any longer, the guilds may get on to us. I have some lien I can use to get supplies if we need them. Best to get started now before anyone can find out about what we're doing."

"Alright" said Jaune "how about we meet up at the place where we did our initiation. Then Weiss can lead us to the haunted house."

Everyone agreed and began to make their preparations. Jaune however was stopped by a very familiar sound.

ALARM!

You have completed Daily Training!

You have earned three stat points to distribute to your stats.

Daily Training (II) has been unlocked!

You have started the quest "Haunted Guild!"

You have unlocked the requirements for Grand Quest "From the Shadows it Watches".

Jaune blinked in surprise. A grand quest?

ALARM!

Quest - Haunted Guild (Rank?)

You have begun the mystery of the haunted guild. It has stood undisturbed for fifty years after numerous people have tried and failed to solve the mystery. All who tried, save for a select few, have died in the attempt. Can you figure out how to close the gate of shadows and reclaim this lost guild as your own?

Rewards: Guild house. Medium XP. ?.

Failure: Kicked out of Beacon.

Oh, and death.

"Why am I not surprised" grumbled Jaune.

ALARM!

Congratulations you have begun your first Grand Quest! Grand quests are multi step quests that give massive exp and huge rewards. They are extremely unpredictable and dangerous. But the rewards are worth the risks! Due to the nature of Grand Quests, there is no failure punishment, but rather to continue the quest the player must discover for themselves the next step.

GRAND QUEST- From The Shadows it Watches (A). Step 1

From the shadows it watches. It craves the flesh and life it once had. It craves the power and prestige it never gained. It is coming. But is it coming for you? Hunt the creature that stalks the shadows and figure out what it wants. Is there perhaps more to this than meets the eye? Or is this an enemy that you have yet to discover?

Rewards for completing step one: Massive XP, Medium XP for all skill trees, Good fortune box, Ill-fortune box, Store coupon.

Reward for completing Grand Quest: Massive XP, five levels, 15 stat points, 1 A rank weapon.

Jaune blinked. Than he blinked again.

"What the hell have I gotten into?"

It was at this moment that Jaune knew for a fact that Salem was laughing her ass off.
"Well at least one of is having fun with this" he muttered "The rewards are insane for this quest…it must mean that its far too dangerous for me to tackle right now."

Suddenly the feeling of a hand going up his spine filtered through, and a soft throaty chuckle echoed in his ears. Jaune sighed as he rubbed his head.

"So she can talk to me outside of my dreams. I really hope I'm not going crazy" muttered Jaune.

"…who am I kidding I'm going to free a haunted house just so I can live it in…well at least life isn't boring."

END.

Jaune (Artorias) Level 21:

STR: 208-218 (A)

CON: 225-235 (A)

DEX: 100-105 (C)

AGI: 100-105 (C)

INT: 130-140(A)

WIS: 130-140 (A)

CHA: 108-115(B)

RES: 139 (EX)

Health: 4,863

Mana: 4,480

Aura: 2,239