Jaune opened his eyes with a quiet breath.

[You have died.]

[A day has passed since your passing.]

Droplets of water fell from the sky in a soothing drizzle, like a comforting touch of a lover. Strangely, he was at peace, as if there was a sense of tranquility in the air even when the sky remained ominously red and the moon shone with an unsettling gleam.

He lethargically reached out for his side, at where he had stupidly cut himself open. There was a giant hole that tore through his hoodie there, sliced open by the blade of the machete. Yet underneath the fabric, his flesh remained intact and blood hadn't drenched his tattered clothes.

Idly, he thought, 'Ah, this is just a nightmare.' He looked to the side, to the machete lying beside him. 'Ah, it really is a nightmare.'

Jaune quietly pushed himself off the ground as the drizzle began to pick its pace. It's still the same place as before, the same ruined town and destroyed walls, and the same corpses scattered all over the places and across the street.

This time, the sight failed to make him green. This is a dream after all they're not real.

Jaune then picked up the machete and began to take a walk. To where? He didn't really know, he's just in the mood to walk.

'This is not Ansel.' He concluded. The street is paved with cobblestone and the ruined houses were built close to each other. Ansel in comparison is relatively less advanced than this. Unsurprisingly, he failed to recall where in Sanus that would fit this place. Actually, except for a glimpse of Vale, does he really know how the world outside Ansel looked like?

The answer is sadly no, both of his parents were somehow helicopter enough to treat him like a glass princess to ever let him go beyond his nest.

Though, after experiencing firsthand how scary dying actually is, he… can't really blame them.

Wait, did he actually die?

No, that can't be right. If he died, then he won't live right now, right? The floating text beside him is nothing but his imagination, surely.

[You have died.]

"What exactly are you?" He couldn't help but to say it out loud.

[We are a System that has been dispatched to assist the Player.]

[[Jaune Arc] has been selected as the Player.]

[[Jaune Arc]'s current objective is to become stronger.]

"Why do I have to become stronger?"

[New Mission: Survive.]

The text disappeared, revealing a pair of baleful crimson eyes that stared blankly at him. The rain had turned into a storm. Strangely enough, Jaune failed to find the slightest sense of fear in his heart as he stared back at it quietly.

Then a flash of light blinded his vision.

Something roared, whether it's the thunder somewhere in the distance, the monster that's leaping at him or even his own throat, he can't quite decide where it came from. It all sounds muffled in his ears, like being submerged in the water as things slowed down yet too fast to catch with his eyes at the same time.

One thing he could feel as clear as day is the drumming in his heart, and the rage that surged from it.

It leapt impossibly fast, with jaws wide open ready to maul Jaune's face and shred it to pieces of meat. Instinctively, Jaune reacted. He may not fully be able to comprehend or perceive the attack, but it is inherently human nature to flinch.

"HNGHHH!"

His grip on the machete was tight and his swing was strong enough to trip him forward had it not hit the creature instead. Unfortunately, his poor edge alignment had caused his blade to just smack against it rather than cutting through its skin.

The creature flew, pushed by the force behind the swing while Jaune's own wrist ached in pain. He ignored it, opting to chase for the kill with a double-handed downward swing into its skull-masked head.

This time, the hit strikes true. The blade shattered the skull while the edge dug deep into its head. The pathetic scream of animal dying reached Jaune's ears, and it sounded just as sweet as the candies his mother used to make.

"HUGHHH! HAHH!"

He pulled the blade out and swung again with a grunt. Black blood burst out from the open wound and sprayed up onto his face. Jaune swung again, finally splitting its skull into deformed halves. The creature had gone limp under Jaune's onslaught. Yet he continued, again and again, and again.

"hah… hahhh…. hiihh-hahhh…"

Until fatigue caught up to him and his arms felt too heavy to lift. The world had felt like spinning beyond crazy and the pounding in his head was killing him, but it all felt like nothing compared to the dark satisfaction of the slaughter he had just committed. Like a thousand years grudge fulfilled, like a revenge that was carried through until the end, like the highest of height.

[You have slain a Creep!]

[Mission Accomplished.]

[You have gained Experience.]

A huge sigh of relief escaped through Jaune's lips. Adrenaline had begun to dissipate away from his system while the tension in his muscles unwind. With another heavy breath, he fell onto his back and closed his eyes, letting the rain wash the exhaustion and weariness away from him. Jaune had never had any particular liking to rainy days before, but as he listened to the music that the sky performed with raging thunder and howling wind, he needed to change his mind about it.

-oOo-

Half an hour or more has passed since Jaune killed that creature. The rain was still going, and the water poured just as hard as it was before as if there was no end to it. Jaune personally doesn't really mind about that, finding a strange sense of comfort in the cold chill that bites through his clothes and into his skin.

By now he had sobered up from the uncharacteristic anger that overtook him, though, right now, it has been replaced with some sense of wanderlust and cat-like curiosity.

He must say, he never thought his mind could get this creative about making things up, but then again, Jaune was never bothered to try something else other than consuming content like comics or something. The town, while in ruins, was much larger than Ansel just as he suspected. There's so many things to see here, like the ruined patisserie where he got the croissant he's munching right now, the retro cinema that looked kinda old compared to what he saw in Vale, and also the neoclassical building with marble walls and walled yards.

Oh, did he mention that the building was surrounded by those same black monsters back there? Or about the people fighting against those creatures with guns and poles?

Jaune watched from afar, jaw hanging in surprise while the bread that was about to enter his mouth fell from his hand.

[...we would like to remind you that you have been afflicted with Status Ailments, dear Player.]

[?: Maybe you should sit down and think for a second. Increase Willpower by 10%, reduce Wisdom and Intelligence by 10%.]

[?: Something insidious has found its way into your body. Depending on the causes, further effects may appear.]

To be perfectly honest, meeting other human beings in this weird and terrifying dream wasn't exactly planned in his bingo list. And as disconcerting it is for him to dream about monster and rotting corpses, something about people actually being alive felt sort of odd and even surreal in this unearthly world.

There were about three that he can actually see behind the iron gate, trying to fend off the bipedal hell-chickens from busting the gate open, and probably more of them deep inside judging from the light that shines from the gap in the windows while smoke and the flare of a dancing fire raises somewhere from within the yard.

[A sense of premonition hangs in the air.]

This time, despite the sight of people being surprisingly unbelievable to his eyes, Jaune failed to keep his gaze at it and ignore the floating massage before his eyes long enough for him to read its content.

Now, without any sort of explanation, the said 'premonition' was hanging above his head.

[It is advised that you spend your Special Skill Point and Stats Point.]

[Would you like to Strengthen yourself?]

[Y/N]

This is one hell of a dream, he thought. But whatever it is the floating text wants, Jaune just decided to follow along with it to see how things will go on. It's not like he got anything to do at the moment.

Uncertain to what he was supposed to do now, Jaune blinked before trying to touch the 'Y' on the floating screen. But before he could touch it, the text disappeared, leaving him hanging for a moment before something bigger popped out in front of him.

[Special Skill Point: 2]

[Low-Tier Special Skill]

[Focus: Open your eyes and listen closely, let yourself be lost into the symphony of combat.

Gain Strength increases equal to 10% Dexterity.

Add 1 stack of Focus on consecutive hit or evasion. Once the stack reaches 4, grant increased damage against the enemy and increase Strength and Dexterity by 10%.

Skill will be deactivated if once Player received a hit.

Cooldown duration is 60 seconds and decreases by 4 seconds for each Skill level.]

[Courage: Deep breath and gather your mind, there's no room for doubt to be found here.

Gain Health and Sanity equals to 10% of Fortitude and Willpower respectively.

Grants damage resistance equals to 3% of Fortitude or Willpower.

Add 1 stack of Courage and 1 stack of Wound on receiving hit. A stack of Courage grants 1 point of Strength and increased damage. A stack of Wound inflicts 0,5% damage upon self. Upon reaching 10 stacks of Wound grants [Endure] and [Bleeding] statuses.

Skill will be deactivated once Player hit a target.

Cooldown duration is 150 seconds and decreases by 10 seconds for each Skill level.

Player is immune to [Fear] status while the Skill is active.]

[Instinct: Unleash the Beast within.

Increase all Physique Stats by 10% and decrease all Mental Stats, except for Willpower, by 10% while active.

Add 1 stack of 'Predate' for each defeated enemy. A stack of 'Predate' increases Physique Stats by 2%. Upon reaching 10 stacks of 'Predate', heals Health by 10%

Grants Passive Skill [Danger Sense] and [Instinctual Combat].

Increase duration by 60 seconds for each Skill level.]

[Eyes: Something that digs deeper than any weapon could.

Reduce target's Stats by 5% while active.

Inflicts self and target with [Watched] status. Inflict Sanity damage if the Willpower threshold wasn't reached.

Add 1 stack of Shivers for each passing 60 seconds. A stack of Shivers reduces target's Stats by 2%. Upon reaching 8 stacks of Shiver, inflicts target with [Fear] status].

Grants Passive Skill [Watchful].

Increase duration by 30 seconds for each Skill level.

[Think: Pause, let the engine in your head work, then follow it along the lines of the universe.

Increase Mental Stats by 15%.

Add 1 stack of Conceptualization for each passing 30 seconds. A stack of Conceptualization grants 0,5 points of Intelligence and Wisdom.

If used in combat, increase the success rate of Performing One Action or Finding solution.

Skill will be deactivated once Player receives a hit.

Cooldown duration is 30 seconds and decreases by 2 seconds for each Skill level.

[Passion: The burning that craves and grows.

Increase Physical Stats by 5%.

Add 1 stack of Fire for each passing 60 seconds. A stack of Fire grants 1% increase to Physical Stats.

Increase the duration by 120 seconds for each Skill level. If the Player was not engaged in combat or passionate activities while the Skill is active, Player will receive Health and Sanity damage.]

"What the actual heck?"

[Are the Player overwhelmed?]

That's kinda an understatement.

[The System may assist the Player on choosing the ideal skill for the Player]

[Loading… Analyzing… Comparing…]

[According to System's calculation, it is advised that the Player chooses Instinct to help the Player overcome the upcoming ordeal.]

'I-Instinct was it?'

[Instinct: Unleash the Beast within.

Increase all Physique Stats by 10% and decrease all Mental Stats, except for Willpower, by 10% while active.

Add 1 stack of 'Predate' for each defeated enemy. A stack of 'Predate' increases Physique Stats by 2%. Upon reaching 10 stacks of 'Predate', heals Health by 10%

Grants Passive Skill [Danger Sense] and [Instinctual Combat].

Increase duration by 60 seconds for each Skill level.]

'Err… was it because the [Instinctual Combat]? That's… kinda makes sense, yeah.'

And without further thought, Jaune chooses the said skill.

[Congratulation! You have received [Instinct]!]

[You have received Passive: [Danger Sense] & [Instinctual Combat]]

[Danger Sense]

[The infamous sixth sense, whose ability is to perceive death.]

[Instinctual Combat]

[The art that has been perfected since Cain tainted his hands.]

[New Mission: Survive.]

Jaune blinked, wait, I don't think the last par-

He didn't have the time to finish his thought. The hair on his nape had raised up. A word was spoken to him in a language that's unknown to him and yet, also deeply familiar at the same time. But Jaune still listened.

A gust of wind whistled behind the back of his head as he stumbled forward, something had grazed his hair. The world felt almost submerged in the water as he looked back. A familiar pair of baleful red greeted him.

Problem is, the owner of said pair is not some overgrown chicken of hell.

With claws against the ground and body hunched predatorily, a big and will be bad wolf stood before him.

-oOo-

Unlike the usual game-fic, I have a plan to make the system more of a plot device rather than the focus of the story, so I had to apologize for the lack of exposition and attention to it up until now, except for the wall-of-a-text skill list right there that some part of me genuinely don't think to be absolutely necessary. It will get its own showtime, but I believe it will be long before that happens. And some of you, who knows, might also be aware by now that most concept about game here is loosely based of Project Moon's games, so I want you guys to expect a lot more thing about them.