Hey everyone. Sorry for such a late post, between work picking up, trying to NOT kill my opera singing neighbor with three barking dogs, and catching up on the latest ID light novel, I've been pretty busy.

If anyone already noticed, the translated jobs and skills I used in a couple of chapters were off, so…you guessed it, I went back and corrected them because I'm just like that.

You don't need to re-read them or anything. I literally did stuff like changing King of Debauchery to King of Revelry. Nothing to get worked up about.

Today I'm trying something a little different. I thought, why not write this chapter like a blog post?

So I did.

Please enjoy.

"Talking"

Thoughts

'Mental Communication or using a magic item'

[Debuffs]

Skills/Systems

Chapter 17 – Journey of the Turtle Hermit, Pt. 1

March 22, 2044

Remnant Blogpost, Journey of the Turtle Hermit

First Posting

There's no telling if anyone will actually read this blog, but I guess I'm primarily doing this just to do…something.

And it wouldn't be like I was the only one trying. I've heard there are a few people who have blogs devoted to Infinite Dendrogram such as Bananarama's Adventuring Guide to Infinite Dendrogram or Foxy Artsy's ID Art Gallery.

So, I'm giving it a shot.

I'm not sure where to begin this exactly, so I guess from the start.

I had been recently discharged from the Atlesian Military due to an on-the-job injury.

I won't stand around blaming people, things like this happen and the fact I'm still alive today to say so is good enough for me.

The fact I got an honorable discharge with a Silver Star, Purple Heart, and a rather nice severance didn't hurt either.

However, after losing the use of my legs I became somewhat depressed.

Altas isn't exactly known for its entertainment industry…or its mental health support.

By chance, my girlfriend happened upon a VRMMORPG known as Infinite Dendrogram.

I can still remember the tagline, "A World of Infinite Possibilities."

At the time I wrote it off as simply a desperate marketing scheme. But I tried it anyway.

The cable being out in one of Atlas' famous winter snowstorms tended to make people more than a little desperate for some form of entertainment.

I almost jumped out of my skin when I first logged in.

Imagine logging in, expecting some kind of fantasy setting, and seeing what I swear looked like a demonic blonde Bram Thornmane with glasses.

Apparently, while most people got a cute adorable talking cat, I got the demonic version of the cause of so many paperwork-related nightmares.

Not the best start, I will admit. But compared to coming face to face with Winter Schnee, the demon, apparently named Jabberwock, was fairly amicable if a tad clueless.

I wasn't sure who programed the A.I. but I'm pretty sure they were Atlesian. Our programmers tended to not be the best at social situations.

I spent the next twenty minutes or so building my avatar – mainly putting a rad mosaic on my turtle shell (hence my blog's name).

For my avatar's name, I remember something one of my former co-workers said about life happening in cycles…I'll be honest, he's the monotone type of guy that you tend to lose interest in when he talks.

But I remembered a phrase he used once or twice, Wu Xing.

I don't know what it means, but I decided to make it my player name.

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I honestly didn't put much stock in the claim ID could allow you to experience all five senses.

Never before I have been so glad to be wrong.

There is no way I can properly express this, but I will never not be amazed at the ability to wiggle my toes and to walk.

After I lost the ability to use my legs…I never thought I would know that sensation again.

I actually danced a jig -an actual fucking JIG- I was that excited.

Jabberwock just gave me a deadpan expression and told me to pick a starting country.

At that point 'pretty sure' became definitely Atlesian programmed.

My girlfriend had been playing for a few weeks before I decided to try it and she told me she was in a Mistralian country.

I should have probably asked which one before deciding to play, but what can you do?

As it turned out, she was in Huang He whereas I ended up in Tenchi.

Yeah, I definitely should have asked her to specify Inner or Outer Mistral.

Tenchi was honestly breathtaking. Ancient Inner, even Central, Mistrallian wooden buildings and castles were backdropped by beautiful Sakura trees that seemed eternally in bloom.

I always wanted to visit Inner Mistral. If it is even half as beautiful as Tenchi, then it will be worth it…despite not being wheelchair accessible.

What can I say about the people of Tenchi…its full of people who would make the best and worst soldiers.

I remember when I was in either middle or high school I learned about how before the founding of the Mistral Kingdom countless tribes, such as the Branwen Tribe, vied for control with many swallowing others or larger ones disbanding due to infighting over unclear successions creating a near endless cycle of conflict.

That about sums up Tenchi's NPCs, or tians as they call themselves. As for the players, or Masters,…the only way I can describe them is 'battle junkies'.

I know a lot of people play games for fighting and PVP, but these guys… take it to a crazy degree.

I've seen people who joined the military for the sole purpose of fighting who were less battle-crazed than half of these guys.

You could go to see a duel, pass ten fights in the streets, watch what was supposed to be a one-on-one in the arena turn into a one-on-ten in the stands, and then see twenty or thirty fights – mostly about who won- on your way from the duel.

As you can probably guess, people in Tenchi, tian, and Masters alike, REALLY like to fight.

On my first day, not even a low-rank job to my name, three people tried to PK me.

I've seen my fair share of combat, but when you ignore things like sword slashes that shoot lasers – I served a guy with a similar Semblance – it was so real I couldn't help but fall back on my training to fight. These guys were very new themselves, the strongest was level 100, I think.

Now I know what you're probably thinking, a level 0 versus a level 100 and two others not far behind him.

Well, that is where Infinite Dendrogram separates itself from other games. It isn't like those old school games where stats meant everything or an arcade fighting game, in Infinite Dendrogram HOW you fight, your actual skill and reflexes, can make or break a fight.

All three, though a bit faster and stronger than I was, only relied on their enhanced physical abilities but fought like amateurs. Needless to say, I walked away with some nice drops.

My only regret in the whole situation was that I didn't have a low-rank job. As it turns out, if you don't have a job, you don't get any EXP.

I understand the reasoning, but damn if it didn't sting that I just PK'd three people all higher level than me, but didn't get so much as a single EXP.

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One of the biggest draws to Infinite Dendrogram is the Embryo system.

For a brief overview, depending on your personality, you could get a customized special item or ability, called an Embryo, that takes the form of a weapon, building, vehicle, monster, or an AOE ability (known as Type: Arms, Castle, Chariot, Guardian, or Territory) based on some type of fairy tale or mythology.

My girlfriend got a pair of boots that increased her AGI stat.

She's able to move at such speeds she can take a "walking tour" of a continent nearly five times the size of Solitas.

Yeah, that's another thing about Embryos. They have seven known forms and the higher the evolution, the more brokenly OP they become.

My girlfriend is only a fifth form by the way.

It would be a few hours of just roaming around before my Embryo would hatch from its zero form.

At that time, I watched a battle between two Masters. The first was a bear-humanoid (ID has a crazy degree of customization for character creation) with what looked like a chainsaw fighting a guy who summoned what I would later know as spirits.

He was an Elementalist. A job that focused on manipulating spirits to attack, defend, and use them like summoned or tamed monsters.

I would be lying if I said I didn't fall in love with the job at first sight.

Before I joined the military, and probably since I was a kid, I've always had a soft spot for games with magic.

I asked the Master about where to find the job after he gave the chainsaw guy the death penalty.

Twenty minutes later, I was an Elementalist and started grinding in one of the low-level hunting grounds.

It went pretty well and I managed to grind until I was level 10 and had planned to continue…until I ran into a roaming Treasurebeast appeared.

Infinite Dendrogram has these things known as Treasurebeast or Unique Boss Monsters as those on the western part of the continent call them. They're one-of-a-kind monsters that drop customized equipment for the player who kills them and they can't be used by anyone else.

Of course, that depends if you can kill it.

Treasurebeasts are notoriously powerful. Even when compared to monsters of higher levels.

Basically, they're boss monsters.

Now some of you would have imagined in would jump at the chance to get a custom, one of a kind, type of equipment.

And to that, I say, NOPE.

I am fine taking on some low-level punks who probably never even held a weapon before, but it is a VERY different story when facing a moving carnivorous plant nearly four times the size of an Atlesian Paladin.

Geminating Anguish, Higanbana

Naturally, I ran for my life.

Unfortunately, Higanbana decided to chase me.

Now, I know you are probably thinking, why not summon a spirit to attack with fire or something like that?

And to which I say, FUCK YOU.

Spirits aren't just something you can summon…well you can, but it's not that simple.

Spirits are natural magic that has developed a personality. For an Elementalist to use them, they need to meet a spirit that is willing to work with them (this can be a little tricky depending on the Spirit's personality), make an offering of their MP, and then invoke the corresponding Skill that matches that Spirit.

Also, none of that can happen unless you are near an area with Spirits in it.

Sadly, despite Tenchi having one of the highest concentrations of Spirits in ID, there are dead zones…which I ran right into.

Yeah, not my smartest moment.

Just when I thought I was going to get the death penalty.

My Embryo hatched.

It wouldn't be until much later that I found out that Embryos are more likely to hatch if you are in danger.

I'm not surprised the players in Tenchi were the first to find this out.

Of all the possible Embryos I could have gotten or thought of getting; a small glowing skeletal whale was not one of them.

Gathering of Strange Spirits, Bake-Kujira.

Looking back at it now, I couldn't help but laugh.

Not only because Bake-Kujira could float and help me escape that damn weed, but also allowed me to lure it into going off a cliff into a ravine.

More good news was that despite its vines being able to curse anything they touched, they weren't long enough or strong enough to get it out of the ravine.

Now like most gamers, when I find a boss monster trapped and unable to hurt me, I healed myself with a Health Potion and then proceeded to spam as many skills as it would take to kill the damn thing.

This is where my Embryo really shines.

Bake-Kujira has the ability to not only draw in Spirits but amplify their power.

Only by 10%, but it was his first form. I wasn't going to complain.

Nearly six hours later, I was walking into town with a new clawed gauntlet on my right arm.

This thing was insane.

It reduced the MP cost for using Spirits by 50% AND allowed contracted Spirits the chance to inflict an [Instant Death] debuff.

I am just going to say that I was hyped beyond belief. How many people with only a low-rank job and a first-form Embryo could possibly take down a Treasurebeast?

This was the kind of gear you'd expect only hardcore veteran gamers to get.

If I had any regret was that I bragged about it…in the middle of Tenchi.

Those people, tian and Master alike, didn't really need much of a reason to pick a fight.

I by nothing short of a miracle managed to kill an Ancient- Legendary UBM…only to be PK'd afterwards.

Apparently [Instant Death] can be resisted and even negated by a single use of a Lifesaving Brooch.

Live and learn.

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You would think that a game that has a 24-hour login ban for a single death would have people rage-quitting, and I have seen some reviews complaining about it, but if I'm being honest, ID was just too good to be hung up over something like that.

I might be a little biased as it allows me to use my legs again.

But even then, ID is just too awesome of a game.

It simulates all five senses perfectly. Throughout the whole first playthrough, I could hear the wind, smell the flowers (and blood, but that might just be Tenchi), feel the weapons in my hand, taste the impossibly good food, and so much more.

The unpredictability of what will happen next, the ever-changing world, and the sheer magnitude of the job and Embryo systems are enough to make any gamer go absolutely NUTS.

I think I might be just a little bit hooked on this game.

So I hope you join me through my journey as Wu Xing through the crazy world of Infinite Dendrogram.

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April 2, 2044

Remnant Blogpost, Journey of the Turtle Hermit

Twenty-Sixth Posting

Good news guys, Bake-Kujira is finally in his third form.

Now he can not only gather spirits and buff them by 30%, but he can also store a few of them inside of his body.

That means I can be as mobile as I want.

Bad news, it seems the White Fang really is invading Infinite Dendrogram.

Tenchi has the highest pure faunus population. I say "pure" because the second highest is Huang He, but it has a lot of dragon-related races and Legendaria…well Legendaria has so many different races living in it that it is near impossible to cause a racial divide big enough to cause much damage…unless you're a vampire or werewolf, but I hope those are just rumors.

It started out with just a few people at a time. Some wearing player-made White Fang masks, but little by little they started appearing more and more.

When they had enough, they formed a large clan that almost overnight shot up into the number one spot in the Clan Rankings through the sheer weight of numbers.

If it was just that, then we might have been able to do something about it.

However, they also started making their avatars more like actual anthropomorphic animals and even Grimm.

Now people have started calling Tenchi the Land of Strife…and Furries.

They claimed it was to show humans that they should fear them while empowering other faunus.

As a faunus myself, I can say for certain that I don't feel "empowered", I feel embarrassed and disgusted about seeing a six-foot Beowulf and ten-foot-tall polar bear walking around naked with some too big to-be real gentiles swaying about preaching how humans are immoral degenerate monsters and the only way to achieve equality is through theft, murder, and/or enslavement of all humans.

Yeah, the reason I think it was so slow to grow was that so many of their members were put on the wanted list and PK'd for indecent exposure.

That and just being plain annoying.

However, their rhetoric eventually reached the ear of the head of the largest faunus clan; the Nanzhumen.

As one of the four feudal lords, only exceeded by the Conquest General himself, they held massive sway over many smaller and vassal clans.

Especially many smaller faunus clans and even some Masters started flocking to them.

Naturally, everyone with any common sense resisted them. Even by Tenchi's standards, the number of battles escalated dramatically.

And then, completely unplanned, a massive war broke out between the four feudal clans, countless vassal clans, and just about every Master in Tenchi.

Even now, two real-world weeks later, we still don't fully know who started it or why.

There are several theories; the White Fang killed the Conquest General (he's still alive so that's not a thing), a human Master attacked a faunus tian (possible, but in Tenchi everyone attacks everyone else), a faunus Master attacked a human tian (again equally probable), all the way to some of the more outlandish rumors such as a Master went into a forbidden cave and awoke an ancient demon.

In Infinite Dendrogram there exists a function where a war can be declared, and time is accelerated within it ten times outside it known as a War Boundary.

Tenchi, however, either doesn't have or doesn't use this function.

Even so, the conflict lasted for nearly ten straight Dendro days.

While the Nanzhumen Clan was unsuccessful in expanding its territory much beyond its initial borders, it was ultimately a win for the White Fang.

Dao Ducheng was the starting city in Tenchi and was considered something of a safe zone from the constant wars.

However, it was the White Fang who took hold of the city and proceeded to use Contracts, items that forced Masters to obey the written Contract unless they wanted to suffer the consequences, to force faunus Masters to join them while PK'ing any human Masters that respawn over and over again until they quit.

Naturally, those opposed to this led to a second assault to take back the capital.

However, this proved pointless. Despite having almost equal forces, the White Fang had two Superiors on their side; the Murder Princess and Lord Ira.

The opposing side lacked Superiors and was decimated. Despite being both Superiors being individual battle types they were so powerful that even taking on armies one at a time, they whittled them down so quickly they might as well have been widescale annihilation types.

Of the two, I would say Lord Ira was the more terrifying. Despite being less than level 400, she was ripping max level tians and Masters alike apart. And each time her Embryo changed forms, it was some new kind of destruction; punches that caused earthquakes, entire parties beheaded before they even realized it, not to mention that giant three rings of fire that obliterated a literal mountain.

The main theory is that she has an Embryo with a monumental stat boost, but it can only give one stat a boost at a time. That might explain the different forms and how she's able to fight so many different types of opponents.

I came face to face with the Murder Princess. I can still see her and her twisted Maiden Embryo laughing hysterically as they seemed to 'dance' around the battlefield blowing entire chunks of flesh away goring any and everyone they got near in the blink of an eye.

I'd like to say we were stronger than that, but many faunus players eventually joined their clan under fear of being continually PK'd.

Those that didn't quit playing.

By pure chance, I, and a few other faunus, were helped by Clay Pot, the Formula Princess.

While she wasn't on par with a Superior her Maiden Embryo Giga Codex (or Giggy as she preferred to be called) could summon Shikigami enough to allow her to keep the Murder Princess distracted while her Embryo overrode our Contracts.

She along with several other Masters led an assault on the White Fang's clan house, raiding it, and managed to free a third of the players bound under their contract before the Leather Brothers used their Embryo to transport everyone to Huang He.

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April 20, 2044

Remnant Blogpost, Journey of the Turtle Hermit

Twenty-Ninth Posting

It would be a couple of weeks before I understood the full scale of what had happened in Tenchi.

In short order, the White Fang gathered a mass of supporters from not only the Masters in Tenchi but also began to get supporting Masters from other countries coming to them.

I might be a bit biased here, but I get the feeling most of those supporters are the type who support the White Fang from a computer and only do something when they think they have a large enough crowd to support them.

Regardless, the number of Masters aligned with the Nanzhumen ballooned exponentially. I think I heard it increased nearly fivefold.

Naturally, Masters opposed to their actions started moving to Tenchi bolstering the three other feudal lords. Clay Pot, the Leather Brothers, myself, and several others fought to end the White Fang's practices of forced conscription.

Supposedly we got a Superior out of it, though I don't know much about them other than they have the Superior Job, The Cage.

This ultimately culminated in Tenchi becoming a blood-soaked internet flame war.

Due to the feudal lords putting the Masters of opposing factions on that region's wanted list, it ended with dozens, if not hundreds, of Masters from both sides being sent to Gaol.

This went on for almost a full week of real-world time before the Anti-White Fang factions fully took back the capital ending in a tenuous ceasefire for the time being.

However, during that time, countless Masters fled to Huang He or further. Some even simply quit.

As someone who has seen combat, I can say with certainty that not everyone was meant for the kind of fucked up harassment that went on.

Most of them, myself included, just wanted a way to relax and have fun. Not turn our free time into a cross between political 'debates', hurling racial insults, and a combination of siege warfare and suicide bombings mixed with Survivor (1). Where you get voted off if you die in your enemy's territory due to being posted on that region's wanted list after you are given the death penalty.

I only participated in retaking the capital to end the practice there.

With that done, I've decided to permanently move from Tenchi.

Truth be told, I had always wanted to visit my girlfriend (I still won't use her real name for privacy reasons or her avatar's name for fear she'll be mad at me) in Huang He…only to find out she moved to Caldina.

Upon hearing that, and having a laugh at how similar this was to how we got together in the first place, I decided to take this blog in a new direction.

I want to travel all around Infinite Dendrogram and write about my travels, exploits, and whatever crazy things happen to me next.

With that, I'll let you go and you can look forward to the next entry in Journey of the Turtle Hermit.

(1) An American TV series. Survivor places a group of strangers in an isolated location, where they must provide food, fire, and shelter for themselves. The contestants compete in challenges including testing the contestants' physical abilities like running and swimming or their mental abilities like puzzles and endurance challenges for rewards and immunity from elimination. The contestants are progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted out by their fellow contestants until only one remains and is given the title of "Sole Survivor" and is awarded the grand prize.

With this story, I wanted to show how the White Fang came to power in Tenchi…and how that resulted in so many fleeing to Huang He and never picking Tenchi as their starting country.

Wu Xing = Tortuga. In this AU he didn't die…just lost the ability to use his legs. Thumbs up if you can guess his girlfriend.

Clay Pot = Terra Cotta-Arc. I wanted either her or her wife to have a Type: Maiden, so I flipped a coin.

Leather Brothers (Leather Brother1 & Leather Brother2) = Nubuck Guards. Transfer Embryos do exist but are typically restricted in one way or form, so I figured since they may or may not be literal clones let them have connecting Embryos.

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