(Ozpin)
"There you are." The headmaster of Beacon academy stated, smiling at the arrival of both of his former students. "I'm glad you two arrived safely."
Getting a good look at their faces, he frowned. Qrow looked serious, more so than his usual self. Amber looked worried and crestfallen, looking away and not meeting his eyes.
"What is wrong?" Glynda asked.
Qrow stepped closer and slammed a piece of paper on Ozpin's desk. "Mind telling me who 'Ozma' is?"
Ozpin's blood ran cold.
"Ozma?" Glynda parroted. "I've never heard of-"
"Who told you such a thing?" Ozpin cut her off louder than intended.
Qrow gestured to the letter with a nod. "Take a look."
The wizard stared silently at Qrow, dread slowly filling his being before he turned his gaze to the letter. Slowly, he took the letter and noticed that it was already opened.
As he began to read it, his heart started to beat faster as his eyes widened.
I'm... gonna keep this short by saying yes, I know who and what you are, Ozma, but right now, this is not important.
In this letter, there's a description for every one of Salem's... council? Agents? Minions? I'm gonna call them minions.
Make sure to not let any of them inside the kingdom, or any kingdom really. Though, don't bother telling Lionheart about it. The guy is a traitor.
Ironic how he was the first one to backstab you out of fear of his own life when he's named Lionheart, but whatever.
Oh yeah, by the way, Raven is the Spring Maiden. You should probably leave her alone for now and come up with a way to get rid of Lionheart, but you're the boss. I think that Lionheart knows, but I'm not very sure.
And tell Ironwood to change the security codes of his kingdom. Don't want the one who made said code to completely fuck him over, do we?
You can ignore this letter of course. I don't really care, but I thought that a little warning won't hurt.
The letter then goes on to describe Salem's agents. How they look like, their semblances, their weapons, and so on.
Ozpin sat down on his chair, putting the letter on the desk while sighing wearily. Only a few people knew his first name. Salem, the brother gods, and a few others he knew hundreds of years back. He could only come to two conclusions on how someone found out about it.
Either a descendent of one of his old friends, or Salem had something to with it.
Glynda took the letter and began reading it, frowning deeply. "Leonardo is a traitor? And you believe this garbage?"
"I don't believe all of it, but the guy who wrote it saved Amber. I think that's enough to at least give him the benefit of the doubt." Qrow replied coolly. "And besides, Raven being the Spring Maiden? I can see it. Raven will never waste the chance to gather more 'strength' for her little tribe."
"And bring Salem to her doorstep in return?" Glynda rebutted. "We know how your sister operates. She won't take the risk."
"Glynda, Qrow, that's enough." Ozpin stopped them. Standing up, he looked at them with steeled eyes. "Glynda, copy the message and send it to Ironwood. Qrow, look for the stranger who wrote the letter. If what he said is true, then we need to act quickly."
"Ozpin, you can't seriously believe this farce!"
Ozpin sighed. "We don't have any other options, Glynda. Ignoring what could be true will bring tragedy on our heads."
"That's not the only thing we should be worried about," Qrow interjected. He looked at Amber and nodded.
The Fall Maiden stepped closer. "That man, he... he somehow used magic."
"What?"
"That's impossible." Glynda narrowed her eyes. "We all know that magic disappeared from the world thousands of years ago."
"Well, it's true." Qrow brought up his flask and gulped from it. "I felt it too."
"Then the more reason to find him. Fast." Ozpin said. "If Salem gets to him first, then you can be assured that everything we worked for will disappear."
He looked at Qrow and the Huntsman shrugged. "Not leaving till you tell me who Ozma is."
Ozpin sighed. "Qrow, please. I... promise, I'll you what you want once we contact the mage."
Qrow narrowed his eyes at him then scoffed. "Fine. You better keep that promise, Oz."
As Ozpin was about to respond, Qrow walked towards the elevator and left.
"If... what you say is best, then I won't object." Glynda sighed as she read the letter for the fourth time. "But I don't believe that Leo is a traitor. Not one bit."
With that, she left as well.
"...What are we going to do, Headmaster?" Amber questioned. "If Headmaster Leonardo is a traitor, then..."
"We'll get to that soon." Ozpin sat back down and gazed at Amber. "For now, I want you to tell me everything that happened."
Amber nodded and began to speak.
(A few days later...) (Reid)
"Hey, Game." I start, slicing off a young Boarbatusk's head with a lazy swing. "Can I ask you something?"
The Game doesn't answer and I sigh. Walking through the Forever Fall would've been quite nice if the past five days weren't so unproductive. Am I worried about Ozpin finding out about me? Not really. Thinking about it a little more, I realized that even if he does know, he can't do anything to force into his group. Ironwood might, but Ozpin will stop him.
I searched most of Vale's forests yet I didn't even found one dungeon. True, they're kinda rare, but I've searched for a long time. Consider that I don't need rest and see how much time that gives me.
I know that I can sleep since I did take a nap on the boat to the city a week ago, but I didn't get a wink the entire time searching.
And fun fact, my interference with Cinder's plan had consequences! Surprise!
Now that Amber is saved, Ozpin and his circle will know who the culprits of the ambush. The reason why Qrow didn't know in the show, even though he saw them, was because of Emerald's Semblance. How do I know this? Because she tried to do the same to me, but Gamer's Mind blocked it.
But we're getting off-topic. The biggest consequence would be Ruby. Since Cinder isn't there to pay Roman, he wouldn't rob the dust place, which in turn wouldn't get Ruby to Beacon early.
And I... surprisingly don't care that much, to be honest. I mean, I prefer if she does go to Beacon for easy connections.
I might pose as a temporary criminal, and pay Roman/Junior to rob the place, but I really don't know. That's gonna take me a lot of time, time I could be spending to level up or make more potions.
Technically speaking, whether Ruby goes to Beacon or not doesn't really matter since I already fucked up all of canon. Ruby will most likely tell Yang about meeting me and through a series of convenient events, I'm probably meeting Weiss... If they happen to be on the same team anyway.
So, do I risk it and try to get her in or not?
Decisions, decisions...
"Game? I know you can hear me." I state. "Say, did you lie to me?"
There are dungeons.
"Then where are they?!" I groan. "The longer I take looking for them, the harder it is for me to get everything done."
I believe you should stop wasting your breath and keep searching.
"I... don't think I even need to breathe... right?" I hold my breath for a couple of seconds, then take a sharp breath as my lungs beg for air. "Hahh... Nevermind."
After a silent minute, I sigh. "Seriously though, can you tell me where the closest one is? I know that it sounds like I'm whining-
You are.
"-But It's not fair. I barely leveled up to 25 the past week and a Gamer is supposed to be god-level after his first month or some shit. Is my system defective or something?"
-1 Reputation with The Game [-1/100]
1 Reputation with ? [3/100]
Keep going straight and you should be able to find one after a few miles.
"Ah, thank you." I smile. "See Game? Why don't you be as helpful as-"
I freeze.
... ... ...
"Who said that?"
The voice doesn't answer.
I run a hand through my hair and frown. "Am I hallucinating?" I check on my stats and see that nothing is out of the ordinary. "Game, who was that?"
It stays quiet.
"You just love being mysterious, don't you?" I roll my eyes. "Whatever. I'll trust the random voice in my head and go where I'm told. Not like I have anything else to do..."
My super-hearing picks up a low growl from the bushes, making me stop instantly. Slowly turning my head, I gaze back at two red glowing dots promising pain.
Alpha Beowulf
Level 13
HP - 1250
"Well," I grin, fire forming in my left hand as I unsheathe my sword with my right. "Are you just gonna stay there?"
It comes out of its hiding place, seeing as it's spotted, and a few other Beowolves follow its lead, growling and snarling at me.
"Aw, you even got your friends with you!" I crouch and my grin widens. "How nice."
The leader howls and charges, its pack following it. I chuckle lowly and meet them head-on, sliding under the leader's lunge and incinerating some of the other weaker ones with a burst. One Beowulf leaps at me and I narrowly evade it, using Power Strike to cut off its head. My senses warn me of an attack from behind, making me meet the attacker with a smirk and blasting it with fire.
The alpha howls and backs away as two other Beowolves rush me. I parry a swipe with my sword and grab one of them by its face while charging a fire bomb, then kicking it in the belly, sending it to its other friends.
I look back to the leader with a smug smirk as the explosion of the bomb kills the last remaining Grimm.
It steps back with a threatening growl, one that I ignore as I walk towards it.
"Scared?" I taunt. "I thought you guys were supposed to be fearless."
It roars as if it was mocked and jumps at me. Mocking it under my breath, I use Fire Burst on it, completely reducing it to ashes.
"Well, that was fun." I stretch my arms. "Too bad it didn't last long."
Seeing that nothing's left to beat up, I sprint to my destination.
(30 Minutes later...)
"Is that... the dungeon?" I mumble, slightly unsettled.
What does it look like? Well, you know those purple wormholes in the lobby of DBX2 that lead you to raid bosses? It basically looks the same, but light-gray instead of purple. It's honestly morbidly fascinating to see in real life.
Also, they feel weird. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel uneasy near them.
"So I just need to kill things in-"
I was cut off when a Beowulf leaped from behind me. I simply side-step and kill it in one blow.
20 EXP
Common Dungeon Key
"Wh- Seriously?!" I laugh. "The first enemy dropped it? I was getting ready for grinding."
The key took on the shape of a small orb with the same color as the dungeon. It was smooth and shiny to the point of me almost mistaking it for a gem.
Too bad I gotta throw this away... But how do I use it anyway?
Let the dungeon consume it.
So I throw it... Literally?
Yes.
Alright.
I toss the thing and the wormhole consumes it. Soon, the dungeon starts to transform, electricity starts to go off near it as the heavy wind it creates pushes me away. Suddenly, a bright light consumes everything near the raging phenomenon, blinding me completely.
This goes one for a few seconds then it slowly dissipates, making me open my eyes and see a door adorning a silver color replacing the wormhole.
"Woah..." I whisper in awe, slowly walking towards it and holding the handle. "So I just... go in?"
Yes. Once you're in, you won't be able to leave until you finish the dungeon. Be wise and you won't die.
"Got it..." I slowly open the door, getting inside as another blinding light comes out.
The door closes behind me and I open my eyes, seeing a huge grass field stretching as far as my eyes can see... And I see very fucking far.
Common Dungeon Quest added
[Common Wolf Dungeon]
Objective: Defeat The Great Wolf
Bonus Objective A: Defeat 100 wolves
Bonus Objective B: Complete the former objectives without taking a single hit
Rewards: 750 EXP, 500 Credits, 5 Stat points
Bonus Rewards A: 1000 EXP, 750 Credits, Wolfsbane, 1 Gacha Token
Bonus Rewards B: 1250 EXP. 1000 Credits, Quicksliver boots, 1 Gacha Token
"Woah..." I take a few steps forward and the door suddenly fades away behind me.
No turning back now...
So, where are the enemies? Do I have to go further?
I start walking around the place, feeling a slight breeze hitting me as I go further. A few minutes of walking and I see something in the distance.
That's probably the wolves I'm supposed to kill... Looks like they're gonna take a while. If that's the case...
I sit down and pull out my alchemy tools and ingredients, making a few more potions.
Health Potion - Tier 1 5x
Heals 5% of your max health
Mana Potion - Tier 1 3x
Restores 5% of your max mana
I think this should be enough.
I slowly get back on my feet, checking on my stats. Hmm... Maybe I should've used more points on DEX. It's 55 now, and I can increase it to 80, but if I had increased it beforehand, I might've gotten it to 100. That would've been really good for the second bonus objective.
Oh well. This will make it a bit more challenging...
I get in an offensive stance as fire comes to life in my left hand.
Wolf
Level - 7
HP - 500
And there are a lot of them.
The first one leaps at me with a snarl, which I evade easily, cleaving through its body with one hit. Blood splattered on my attire and my eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
50 EXP
Right, not Grimm, which means they bleed.
I take a step back and sheath my sword, opting to use magic instead.
It's probably for the best. It's safer staying on the defensive and I definitely don't want my clothes getting all bloody.
I use a small burst of conquerors, freezing the remaining wolves temporarily. I smirk and throw two bombs at them, the explosion engulfing them and killing some of them in seconds.
The others who survived were spooked out of their trance as they started running away to the hill, afraid of the fire most likely. I grin widely and follow them, two fire spears forming in my hand as I stab one in the back. I throw my other spear and I hit the furthest one, ending its life.
As I see what's behind the hill, I stop. Hundreds of wolves were there, and a huge one was on the front of the army... And I mean huge.
It's as big as a truck maybe, with beautiful silver fur adorning its body. Is that the boss?
Great Wolf
Level - 35
HP - 5000
My grin widens. That's the boss alright...
...Say, I just remembered something. In One Piece, there was something about Conqueror's Haki being able to tame animals. Am I at that level yet?
Taming wild animals requires level 3, or 150 CHA points.
Damn...
Hm... What if I... Maybe it could work.
I have 105 points in CHA, and 25 to spare... It's possible with that amount of enemies.
Ah, I wished I could've leveled up a bit more before coming here.
The Alpha howls, making its pack charge at me with their own. I smirk and rush towards them, unsheathing my sword as I laugh joyously.
Four wolves pounce at me and dodge the attack, ducking under another from behind. I blast the four with fire then kill another with a stab. Taking my sword quickly, I narrowly evade an attack by rolling out of the way and retaliate with cutting the attacker's head.
I didn't notice that I was laughing maniacally throughout the fight until most of the Wolves were killed, either by burning to death or a lethal sword slash. I genuinely felt a bit worried, stopping my laughter, and taking a step back to contemplate.
That felt... way too fun. My heart was pumping, my blood was boiling, and the feeling of... whatever the hell that was overpowered my thought process completely. As if I wanted to fight forever.
I felt like I was born to fight.
Can it do that? Shouldn't Gamer's Mind help me?
I look behind me and see corpses upon corpses of wolves laying on the ground, blood painting the beautiful field crimson. Since when did I kill them all? I could've sworn that there were a lot more.
Is this why it's considered a flaw? I lost my sense of self for a second... or ten minutes.
That's... kinda scary to be honest.
My senses warn me about an attack, and I was too late to dodge a swipe from the wolf. I was sent away flying away, but I managed to land on my feet with a flip.
Bonus Objective B failed...
Damn it! Fuck, I was spooked by what Battle Maniac did to me and paused.
Shit, that was stupid of me.
I back away and bring up my stats. That's fine, as much as I dislike losing a Gacha like this, I still did one of the bonus objectives.
Alright, four levels, that means it's enough, albeit barely.
109 + 41 = 150 CHA
68 + 4 = 72 STR
Name: Reid Astera
Age: 16
Race: Human/? Hybrid
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Level: 29 (3%)
HP: 3900 [Regens 390 per minute]
MP: 3450 (5170) [Regens 295 per minute]
AP: 7250 [Regens 725 per minute]
STR: 72
VIT: 78
DEX: 59
INT: 69
WIS: 59
CHA: 150
LUK: 64
Points: 0
I frown slightly and back away, gaining a distance over the wolf. My frown turns to a cold glare as I use Haki to try and subdue the beast. It freezes for a minute, then it starts howling, letting out its own presence. I tilt my head slightly forward as I smile darkly, slowly getting closer to it while brandishing my sword.
It's resisting...
Guess I'll have to teach it a lesson.
It growls and lunges with a snarl, saliva flying all over the field. I squint my eyes and sharpen my senses, ducking under its pounce and slashing against its stomach. My eyebrows shoot up as my blade doesn't cut it open, only slightly scratching its skin instead. I immediately back away from its stomp, getting away from it as I glance at my weapon.
My sword is not doing it. Around 150 damage per hit isn't good. I should probably stick magic for now since it does much more damage. Besides, using ranged attacks whilst maintaining a distance against something with no way of countering me is obviously the better strategy.
Even if the back of my mind refuses that idea wholeheartedly.
Fucking flaw...
I put my sword in the inventory as both of my hands burst into flames. The wolf slowly backed away, still growling as it circles around me. It barks and rushes me and I crouch, charging fire in my hands. Once it jumps, I bring both hands at its face, huge gouts of fire is sprayed on its face. It whimpers as it's flown back, and I use the chance to run forward, throwing fire spells after fire spells, chipping at its health quickly.
It flips back and howls to the sky once its HP reaches 1000, gaining a red aura as I feel a change occurring. I don't stop for it to finish its doing and bombard it with bombs, and I notice how its health drops slower, concluding that it got a defense boost after whatever that was.
It runs at me significantly faster than before, headbutting me and sending me flying back. It rushes after me, and as I plant my feet into the ground, it bites my arm, and with that action, half of my Aura is gone in an instant.
I grit my teeth, refusing to let a scream of pain, then grab it by the face and heat up my palm. It growls and whimpers in pain, but its bite gets stronger, piercing my Aura and digging into my flesh. Quickly thinking, I raise my leg and kick it in the underside, then pump my magic, shooting Fire Burst through my feet.
It was sent flying, and before it could recover, I throw a couple of fire spears. One spear plunged itself in the boss' leg, causing it to fall and writhe in pain I check on with observe, sighing in relief once I see its health at 81
I slowly walk towards it, holding my bloody arm in pain. I stand in front of it as it snarls and growls threateningly,
"Really hope it works..." I mutter quietly. "For both of our sakes."
I take a deep breath and use conquerors once again solely focused on the huge wolf. It tries to fight back the oppressive aura but is reduced to a whimpering mess when I glare coldly at it.
Beast Tamed: Great Wolf
I let out a sigh and dismiss my Haki, smiling sadly at the wolf's afraid look.
Crouching slowly to its level, I take out all the potions I made earlier, opening one of them and bringing it closer to its mouth.
"I'm sorry about all of that," I say as I pet its fur gently. "Drink. You'll feel better, I promise."
It looked a bit apprehensive much to my surprise but complies nonetheless. I open up the rest of my potions and give it to drink as well, seeing the scorched marks slowly healing.
Five potions only healed 25% of its max HP, which is 1250, but it was enough for it to stand up. As it does, it slowly... bows? I think that's what it's doing. Its head was lowered and its eyes were closed. Was that a sign of submission? I thought to show its belly was... no, that was a sign of trust.
"Okay..." I keep on petting it, not really knowing what to do now.
5 Reputation with Great Wolf [5/100]
...Probably should name it.
"I know," I remark, using both hands to pet it. "We should give you a name..."
I'm not really good at naming things... So the first thing that comes to mind is...
"Gwyn." I proclaim, grinning as it barks happily. "Your name is Gwyn from now on. You like it?"
5 Reputation with Gwyn [10/100]
I chuckle. "I guess you do."
Quest Complete
[Common Wolf Dungeon]
Objective: Defeat The Great Wolf
Bonus Objective A: Defeat 100 wolves
Bonus Objective B: Complete the former objectives without taking a single hit [Failed]
Rewards: 750 EXP, 500 Credits, 5 Stat points
Bonus Rewards A: 1000 EXP, 750 Credits, Wolfsbane, 1 Gacha Token
Hidden Quest: Tame The Great Wolf
Hidden Rewards: 2000 EXP, 2000 Credits, 1 Bag of Doggy Treats, 10 Stat points, Soulstone
Level up 3x
Game Store unlocked
I laugh at the hidden rewards. A bag of doggy treats? I won't say no to that.
I pull the bag out, taking one treat then handing it to Gwyn.
He sniffs it a few times then gulps it in one go, obviously enjoying the taste as he starts to pant again.
5 Reputation with Gwyn [15/100]
I give him a few more treats then put the bag back in, getting the Gacha token out in its place.
Bag of Senzu Beans
A bag holding five Senzu Beans
Wow, okay. five Senzu Beans instead of one? I'll take it.
And... what is this Soulstone I got? I take it out of the inventory, and it looks like a small deep blue orb. It pulses with energy, magical from what I'm sensing-
Hold on, since when can I sense magic?
Mix your mana with the Soulstone then let the Great Wolf touch it.
Yeah, ignore me. That's cool.
I look at the Soulstone and sigh. Might as well do as I'm told.
I do as I'm instructed to, and the stone glows brighter. I stare at Gwyn for a minute before nodding, extending my hand with the stone on it.
"Paw." I simply say.
Gwyn understands and puts his paw on the stone, and blue aura starts to engulfs the wolf. He pants still, thankfully not showing any sign of distress at the process. The blue aura transfers to me and turns gold, and after a while, the stone turns to dust as the glow dissipates.
Familiar Gained
Name: Gwyn
Species: Great Wolf
Age: 15
Sex: Male
Level: 30
HP: 5000
MP: 210
AP: Locked
STR: 78
VIT: 100
DEX: 75
INT: 21
WIS: 19
CHA: 53
LUK: 11
Thoughts about you - Worthy Master
A familiar? This early? Hell yes!
I frown slightly after a second, not meeting his piercing golden eyes.
"Are you not angry that I killed your pack?" I wonder out loud. "Sorry I had to do that by the way..."
He whines slightly.
I was a little taken aback when he understood what I said, then I ask again. "...Do you forgive me?"
He barks and licks my face happily.
I smile softly. "I guess you do..."
...I wonder, is there a gardening skill? It's an important skill for an alchemist, but now that I have Senzu beans... Can I farm them? If I can, then I might be able to mix them with potions. From what I remember, if you eat more than two Senzu Beans in a short amount of time, you apparently explode? It's something to do with being too full to eat anything.
I'm not sure, but if I farm them, then selling them to the world will undoubtedly make me extremely rich.
Right! Money crisis. I forgot about that.
So credits are Gamer money, right? I can buy things from the shop I just unlocked I mean.
Indeed.
Hmm...
"Can I buy money?" I immediately smack myself when I said that out loud. "Lien, I mean. Can I buy Lien with Credits?"
You can.
Oooh ooh... Then I buy 1000 worth of Credits.
-1000 Credits
1M Lien Added
"Woah, Jesus!" I shout, utterly shocked at the amount.
A million?! I mean, technically speaking, it's not as much as you'd think since Lien is around the same value as Yen from what I've observed. Which means one mil is 10K dollars. But still, getting a million means that I can easily take care of myself for a few days, or even weeks if I play it smart.
I lay on the ground, sighing as I remember how many things I need to do. Get to Vale, get an ID, find and rent a place, then start working on potions. How the hell am I gonna auto-make potions anyway? I'm the only one that can make them excluding the Maidens, but I doubt five people are gonna cut it.
I sigh again. Maybe I can grant magic to people? It's an idea, but I'm not sure that I like it. Power corrupts, after all... and I don't to somehow fuck up and let Salem get mages because of me.
Still, a million is a huge first step towards my goal. I need to get to my ID and medical permit.
I then see Gwyn laying beside me, closing his eyes as he cuddles me.
...You know, this place is kinda nice. Not too hot, not too cold... And I haven't slept in ages.
Is it dangerous if I stay too long, Game?
No. You may stay as long as you wish. But once you get out, you'll never be able to get in again.
That so? Thanks for the information.
You are quite welcome.
Eh, a nap won't hurt anybody. Just a few hours and I'll get back to work.
I close my eyes and sleep takes me in a few minutes.
(?)
You're pampering him.
No, I'm not.
Yes, you are.
I groan. I just think he has potential. Why is that hard to understand.
You sent him a legendary artifact. You know that Soulstones are incredibly rare. Remember how frustrating it was getting your first one?
I roll my eyes. How many of them do I have now that I gave one away?
...Infinite.
Then it's not a problem now is it drama queen?
My point is that his 'story' will grow stale and boring if you start giving him everything.
Ugh. He used the Soulstone on a Great Wolf, Game. A Great Wolf of all things. I, mean, sure they have the potential to be one of the strongest familiars, but you know how hard it is to do that.
It took me thirty thousand years to get my Glacial Hound.
Damned Mr. Fluff...
...I liked you more when you were a Sociopath.
Sociopathy is overrated.
Besides, you know how I lowered the chance for him getting good Gacha loot, right?
By less than 2%
...Alright, fine. I'm not gonna help him out any more than that...yet.
That... is good enough for me. Please, with how many Gamers you killed already, it's getting quite difficult getting a source of entertainment.
Yeah, yeah.
...Also, remember how you said that 'Goody two-shoes' or whatever are annoying? Why the interest in him now?
I am not interested, but there is barely anything left to do in this gods' forsaken-
Devoured.
-Omniverse. The only thing that can even give a modicum of entertainment is him.
That's... Okay, fair.
I still have great hopes for him. He's reckless and stupid, but I think he might be able to "complete" the game with time.
Let us hope that you're right...
Join the Discord server: (Discord . gg / wd3tUYWVCd) No spaces.
If you want to support me, here's my pat reon link: (Pat reon dot com / Mirlnir)