*High five*

Top of the morning to you guys, this is Mugen no Tenma, and welcome to Jaune Arc Story: Game of The Wizard!

... *clears throat*

So yeah, this is a rework for chapter 1, as you all can see, and I can guarantee this is going to be so much better than the previous versions! I have a new beta, Mordred's Stories! So if you like this chapter, say your thanks to him! He's an awesome guy.

I'm not going to waste your time with my usual ramblings, so here you go!

This is chapter 1 reworked version, Happy Reading!

Chapter 1

Game Start!

-Six years ago-

In the heart of an utterly destroyed city.

A tall man limped through burning wreckages of buildings, he moved past the charred and lifeless bodies of unknown men, women, and children alike.

He had tried to protect them but had failed miserably in the end. Saving people, that was what he only ever wanted. This all seemed ridiculous now, seeing what the results were: destruction and desolation as far as he could see.

It was time to stop this delusion he had. He couldn't save anyone. Trying his hardest brought him nothing but misery. He knew it but couldn't help but search for any possible survivor. Even as hopeless as it seemed, he had to continue. A faint hope still churning inside his weary soul.

Thinking back, that had been his greatest mistake (in his admittedly long life). Everyone made mistakes, of course. Yet, this one… this one was the worst one he'd ever made. His promise was long dead alongside them.

"All-Father."

Footsteps resonated nearby. From seemingly nowhere, a figure appeared and dashed to him.

"All-Father! Th-there's no survivors. She didn't spare any!"

Seeing how afflicted the man was by the news, the distressed figure softened his expression.

"All-Father…You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. This was not your fault."

However, the reassuring words failed to reach him. Instead, he found his eyes drawn to a nearby body: he could swear he saw it twitch just a second ago. Not knowing if it was his imagination or something else, he carefully approached and kneeled before it.

It was a young boy who nearly suffocated because of the smoke, his small chest slowly rising along his labored breathing.

"This one's alive…"

A single tear rolled on the man's cheek, he felt great relief.

"He's alive!"

A green light flashed, illuminating the ruins of the city and the darkness of the night itself.

- "What do you want to be when you grow up, Jaune?"

- "I want to be…"

-Present Time-

"Ack!"

A gasp escaped my lips as one of my enemies crashed right into my torso, sending me rolling to the ground.

This is what I got for spacing out in the middle of a fight… not gonna happen again.

I shook my head, rose sharply and readied myself as the creature from before growled and lunged at me once again.

Since I hadn't focused on offense, I simply sidestepped the attack as it came. I then took a deep breath, closed my eyes for a split second, gathered my resolve before opening them back.

What is my goal, exactly?

I reflected on that as I lifted my trusted sword with one hand and my shield with the other. I positioned myself in my usual battle stance: holding my weapon horizontally above my shoulder, its sharp edge pointing forward while my shield was ready to intercept anything coming my way.

"Bring it on, you ugly mutt!"

The Beowulf understood the intent behind the word and responded by snarling threateningly. Its body was pure black and a white mask adorned with red markings covered its head. Feral yellow eyes glared at me before the beast dashed in my direction. Fortunately, I didn't get distracted this time.

Reckless.

It was to be expected from such a young Grimm. When it came within distance, I swiftly ducked underneath it and slashed it from side to side, halving the shadowy creature in a single strike. The action elicited angry roars from its peers in the back, I grinned in response.

I… I want to be a Hero.

Expanding my shield in its deployed form, I bashed one of the more daring monsters in the face, making it stumble groggily backwards. Another one took advantage of my lapse of attention to sneak up on me and tried to rip my head off with an angry swipe, only for me to remove the offending limb as it came into my reach. The Grimm didn't have the time to do more than whine in pain before I ended its life with a chop to the skull. Another one down.

Too easy.

I then faced the dazed Beowulf which had nearly finished to recover. Before it could, I dashed and pierced its heart in one powerful thrust using my momentum. I pulled the blade out in a geyser of dark blood and enjoyed a brief respite as the enemies restrained from attacking.

Normally, I would stop my training session right about now, but there was an unusual number of Grimm gathered still. Even by my standards, they were way too many of them. Suddenly, I heard a strange whistling in the distance and felt the ground shake slightly, I immediately turned towards that direction: a small figure was rolling at great speeds towards me. I could only gape in response.

Fuck! Boarbatusk! And it's not alone!

Seeing two breeds of Grimm hunting together was uncommon, it generally only happened during massive attacks.

I'm lucky to witness such an event (not!)

Their deadly tusks were very dangerous, capable of impaling anyone on their path. And that was not even mentioning their insanely fast roll-and-charge attacks that could bring down entire concrete walls. Thank Oum my father had taught me to defend myself against those.

It should be easy for meee-oh no! It's coming! Get a move on, Jaune! Remember your lessons!

Since their back and sides were protected by thick bone-white armor plates, it was near impossible to inflict damage while they were standing. Their underside, on the other hand, was unprotected. The actual technique was to let them roll at you while staying immobile, then swiftly dodge to the side and let it continue past you until it met an obstacle. As predicted, the creature went crashing down into a nearby tree, unable to correct its course in time.

Ha! Take that, stupid boar!

I dashed and proceeded to kick it on its side while it was incapacitated. Pressing my foot down in order to prevent It from resisting, I stabbed it in the belly while keeping visual contact with the others. More of them were coming my way, and they needed my undivided attention.

I used the same method as before to deal with the remaining Boarbatusk one at a time. Just likes the Beowulves, they were young and therefore more prone to mistakes. That was a miracle in itself.

Finishing the last of them, I felt a presence in my peripherical vision and ducked under a large paw, missing my head by a few inches. As I looked up, I found myself staring at a massive bear-like creature with a white mask standing on its rear legs, ready to strike. How did something so massive managed to sneak up on me? There seemed to be an entire pack of them.

"That's one big Ursa!" I reacted out loud, startling the beast as I did. This bought me enough time to get out its immediate reach.

An Ursa's advantage is its physical strength. If one of them decided to bash you over the head using their tree-trunk arms and you were unlucky enough not to have your aura unlocked, then you were a pretty much a goner.

Thank Oum mine is!

The Grimm had finished deciding whether to attack or not and I had to dodge backwards as a result in order to avoid a violent swipe: tanking that one would have been nasty, aura or not. My attack range was apparently the same as my opponent, so I had to get even closer. If only I had a way to attack from a distance without risks … I've actually seen people with that kind of ability, a semblance if you will. It is said to be the manifestation of your soul, the extension of your Aura. Most people usually discover theirs within in a year or so. This was sadly not my case.

I snapped into focus just in time, my opponent was charging me with a roar. I reacted with great haste: deflecting the oncoming arm to the side with the help of my shield, planting my backfoot deep into the ground then gathering enough momentum to behead the creature in one powerful swing.

The corpse started dissolving into black smoke the moment it touched the ground. I was starting to pant heavily due to the continuous fighting I had done but couldn't let go for obvious reasons- namely, the horde of shadowy creatures still ready to tear me apart. They were getting impatient and had decided to surround me in the hope of cutting any possible retreat from my part. They seemed to be using overwhelming number to wear me down.

Hey! This is ganking guys! I'm reporting you to the GM, just you see!

Training to handle a Grimm or two was nice and all, but now there were just way too many. I gulped in apprehension. Why? Because it seemed the Ursas decided to team up with remaining Beowulves.

Those kinds of Grimm were normally child-play for someone like the heir of the Arc family but when facing both kind of Grimm at once, it was another affair entirely. Nobody moved to attack, they just kept staring and growling menacingly. The tension was getting pretty un-bear-able.

Terrible pun aside, they also seemed stronger and smarter than usual. I couldn't find a reason for that since they seemed young and inexperienced. Physically, they also lacked a lot in terms of armor and spikiness.

There was something wrong about this situation though. Creatures of Grimm didn't hunt together, at least not until they got really experienced. To use such tactics, there must have been an Alpha somewhere.

Distracted as I was, I failed to spot a Beowulf that had stalked carefully through my blind spot until the last moment. I managed to raise a meagre defense as it ferociously pounded with its clawed paws. My shield held it off, so it changed tactics and tried to use his greater height to go over the obstacle and bit my head off. I leant backwards and jerkily thrusted the point of my blade in its collarbone to push it back. The blow hit true and the beast howled in pain, however before I could even pull out my weapon from its body a large object slammed into me.

"Gah!"

I cried in equal pain and surprise as I was catapulted to the ground once more. I managed to get to my feet and was about ready to strike back until I realized that the previous attack had completely disarmed me. I stared dejectedly as my assailant, a creepy lizard-like Grimm, jumped, backflipped in the air and used the momentum to slam its spiky tail right in my face.

Its speed to great to dodge in time, I was sent flying again. Once I got my bearings, I tried to get to my weapons so I could at least fight back, but the creature jumped atop of me and pinned me to the ground. I wriggled in its grip and managed to position the soles of my boots on its torso and push it away before it could attempt anything.

Shit. This is bad.

Exhausted, I wobbly stood up and used the moment of breath to localize my equipment. Unfortunately, they were too far for me to run to. Such a desperate move would only end up in me getting torn apart from behind, especially since the lizard thing was faster than me. My Aura level was low, and the numbers of Grimm were still steadily increasing. I didn't know what to do!

Is my journey about to end here? Is there any point in fighting a hopeless battle? Maybe I should just give up and prevent myself from suffering… No. I just can't give up now! A true hero wouldn't give up, no matter what!

My resolution was set. I was ready to give my all, until either of us died.

A great explosion suddenly wracked the earth. Something had slammed on the ground in the mass of Grimm with enough impact to instantly destroy them. I began to see strange distortions in the air emanating from the unknown object.

Standing in the middle of the decaying Grimm emerged a man, he seemed strangely familiar but I couldn't remember from where I could have seen him. His back was bended forward, as if holding a great burden on its shoulder.

Gleaming emerald aura surged from his body in a blaze. That was strange, normally aura wasn't supposed to be visible to the naked eye unless semblances got involved.

He held a white cane in one hand and … a coffee mug in the other? I deadpanned.

Seriously, how and why bring that thing into battle?

He then turned to my exhausted, battered form, took a sip of coffee, looked at me in the eyes and spoke. I would never forget these words.

"What is your favorite fairy tale?"

He simply asked. No classic hero line like 'are you hurt?' or cliché like the ones you would read in comic books ('you have to get stronger'). Such an absurd question to ask. I was speechless for a few seconds but recovered easily enough. I was about to run my mouth to him until I saw the deadly serious expression on his face.

"I don't know much about fairy tales. But I want to be a hero like those characters in video games. The hero of the story, someone who fights for true justice!"

Although I didn't show it, my feet felt like jelly, but I still held on my feet and kept my stance ready. I had to make sure that no visible sign of weakness could be seen, it was my duty to protect the Arc's name, even against that man's overwhelming presence.

The cold and calculating gaze of the man's brown eyes bore down onto me. I couldn't resist the urge to shiver, possibly because I knew that facing him was a no-go, he would probably destroy me.

"Just like in video games?", he repeated as if testing the words in his mouth.

Calmly sipping his coffee, I saw his expression change: his frown gave way to a small and genuine smile. I relaxed a little, sensing the tension wear off.

"I can grant you that.", he offered.

…What the hell is he on about?

"Listen to me now. I will give you some advice. You may think of this as words of wisdom from an old man who knows more than others about the true nature of this world."

I don't get what he's on about, but he saved my life, so I'll at least listen to whatever bullshit he's about to sprout. I mean, that can't be worse than fighting a horde of Grimm, right?

He took a single step in my direction and teleported right in front of me. In a deliberately slow movement, his hand let go of his cane and went up, the palm barely centimeters from my face. A blinding light emerged from it and he spoke:

"When the darkness returns, you must focus. Do not let your heart be misguided in those troubled times. Your beliefs shall not be stranded, and your will shall protect the innocents from chaos and destruction. Use and expend your knowledge of this world, so that you may help it grow under your tender care."

I felt his voice echo in my head. A vision imposed itself in my mind: an enormous castle, green as emeralds. The view then zoomed forward inside, rooms full of gears and strangely green tinted stones. Then I saw him, a man cladded in green tinted clothes and sporting a weird pointy hat, the kind you would imagine a wizard wearing in fairy tales. He was sitting on a throne, standing around him were four young maidens in distinct colors: light green, flame orange, crimson red, and white snow.

The man then his head in my direction, his voice booming inside my head once more.

"By my very own power, I, The Great and Wonderful Wizard now unlock your true potential. Your soul now unbound and unlimited, you are a true master of your fate. I release you, Jaune Arc!"

Wait, he knows my name? Who in the hell is he? For that matter, what in Remnant was that—

A flash, and then complete darkness.

As I came to my senses, I felt an unfamiliar, yet comfortable heat churning inside my chest before slowly fading. That man's face was the last thing I saw before I passed out. The question was, who was he?

After that fateful meeting, everything in my life changed. Not changed like: I became a super-powered blonde with the power to blow up planets with a mere flick of my finger. No, more like… the way the world works changed completely. Get it? No? Well, me neither. I suspected that all this happened because of that strange man/wizard. Wizard… It was certainly more fitting for a name than "that mysterious guy in black and green clothing". I still didn't remember from where we could have met. My memory was all scrambled up.

What am I, senile?

Anyway, let me just ask you this: are you the type of person that thinks the world would be better if it turned out to be like that of video games? Maybe you think that it would be more fun? You know, to see levels above people's heads, use skills and gain experience points. That sort of things? Well; If you think like that… I can give you the answer right now:

It isn't, it really isn't. At all.

When I woke up this morning, something strange came up:

'You are rested. Your HP and MP have been completely restored.'

In front of my face, a blue transparent screen.

Normally, I would've freaked out by now if something like that happened out of the blue (heh), but I instead felt pretty relaxed about it. I started observing the mysterious screen before it could vanish into thin air. I must have jinxed it, because as I blinked, the screen did vanish, leaving behind no signs whatsoever.

Something struck me: I saw that thing so many times in… video games! As an avid gamer, obviously I knew about it. It was called 'Notification Screen'. But… they didn't really exist in real life! And here it was, in front of my face, no less!

Damn it, is this a dream? Shaking my head, I lifted my hand and pinched my cheek… ok, that hurts. So, It's not a dream.

Another screen appeared a second after:

'A passive skill has been created through a specific action! By inflicting pain to yourself, a new skill [Physical Resistance] has been created. It increases your ability to resist physical pain and decrease damage received by physical attacks.'

Look, another one.

[Physical Resistance] (Passive) LVL 1 EXP : 0.00%

The ability to endure physical pain and attacks. The durability of the body increases as you level up, damage received from physical attacks decreases by 3%.

What?

I pinched myself and those notifications just came out of nowhere? Passive skill? Why am I getting the 'my life just became a video game' vibe? More concerningly, am I the only that this happened to? Can people see what I see right now?

Only one way to find out.

"Mornin', Vomit Boy."

Someone patted my shoulder. I was in class, sitting in my seat while brooding as usual. When I turned, the first thing I saw was her wide, shit-eating grin that was way too familiar.

Also, there was something above her head.

A Flame that burns Hotter than the Sun

LV28

Yang Xiao Long

She was wearing a standard uniform for Signal Academy: a red blazer with a white 'S' sewed on the breast pocket and a black skirt which length was showing too much skin. And do not let me start about how her voluptuous figure wrapped so tightly in the outfit, making her ample mountains look so—

No, no! Bad Jaune! Bad!

I chastised myself and found that I could strangely calm my raging hormones much quicker than usual. Maybe it was related to those 'gaming' powers?

"Morning, Yang." I greeted back, offering a small smile.

Yang Xiao Long kept grinning.

"How's it 'yanging', Jaune?"

I nearly groaned when I heard that terrible pun but knew better than to offend the strongest fighter of my class. Speaking of which, her finge-claws were clamping on my shoulder right now. 'Better safe than sorry', was it? I wanted my body to stay in one piece.

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"Well, thanks for asking, I feel better than ever!" As if to prove it, she slammed her fists together. "This morning, I found some gross guys trying to hit on Rubes, so I gave 'em a lesson! That really lightened up my day, you know?"

Remind me never to mess with this girl.

"Oh. Good for you, I guess." I hesitated "… are they alright, by the way?"

"Eh. I think someone was taking 'em to the hospital." Yang shrugged. "Who cares about those guys anyway? They shouldn't have tried to flirt with my baby sister. Rubes isn't ready yet for these kind of relationship".

"Isn't she like, just two years younger than you?" I deadpanned.

"Yep, but she's the socially awkward kind, I don't want someone to take advantage of her because of it" Yang argued, her hands back on her waist. "I have to protect her. It's my role as a sibling and big sister, I'm sure you understand."

I guess she was right… I have seven older sister, and all of them were always doting on me. As I grew up, they were always here to protect me, play with me and even read me some stories like mom did. Just like seven additional parents. Honestly, I love them to death.

Well, except when they forced me to wear girly clothes and makeover, that is. They surely would never let me live it down, especially Noire. Getting back to the conversation, I felt like I had to make my point known.

"But don't you think that being that overbearing with her only make her that much isolated from her peers." I reasoned. "You know, you should try to give her some space, or she will never be able to take care of herself without your help."

"What's wrong with that?" Yang rebuffed, eyebrows furrowing.

"You can't protect her forever from the world." I tried to defuse "The time will come when something happens, and you will be separated. How will she handle herself in that situation, inexperienced as she is?"

"Who said that time will ever come?" Yang challenged, her defiant eyes boring into me.

"When we go to Beacon. Did you forget that our graduation is just a few weeks ahead?" Keeping my cool, I answered. "Unless you want to stay rotting in this class for two more years, and I'm not even talking about your combat grades… I don't think your uncle, Professor Branwen, would allow that."

My logical reasoning seemed to take her aback for a moment. I was secretly impressed by how well I had handled the situation.

"Ruby could convince him with her puppy eyes..." Yang mumbled then paused, hesitation clear in her tone. "...What's your suggestion, then?"

"Let her try talking to boys like me more often." I advised. "That will boost her confidence in the long run."

"… Are you trying to make a pass on my baby sister, Jaune?", she went blank-faced.

Her lilac violet eyes then narrowed and she growled threateningly. Her absurdly strong hands once again grinding in the tender flesh of my shoulders. A chilling sensation went up my spine but I tried to ignore it as best as I could. Turning to face her, I prepared to see Yang's probably menacing expression of death but found myself facing a familiar blue screen.

A passive skill has been created through a specific action! By enduring killing intent directed at you, a new skill [Sense Danger] has been created. It enables you to sense malicious intention from your enemies and thus time to prepare yourself for sudden attacks.'

What.

[Sense Danger] (Passive) LVL 1 EXP : 0.00%

A natural survival instinct which every living organism possesses, even moreso for those with Aura. It allows the user to predict when something bad is about to happen to them. The higher the skill level, the faster it can detect the danger.

Whoa, thank you very little!

"Well, Jaune? Answer the question."

I ignored the screens until they vanished by themselves and forced myself to stare at the angry demon that was currently Yang Xiao Long. I thought about what I should say in order to save my pitiful life.

"Of course not, Yang." I calmed her. "I'm just saying, if you don't want complete strangers to talk to your little sister, then you can count on me. We're best friends, right? You can ask me whenever you want." I added lamely, her grip on my shoulder grew even stronger.

"Ouch! Or not!"

To my surprise, the demon took mercy upon me and released me from her grip. She still threw me one last glare. At least, I did not get my face remodeled by her fists. I sighed in utter relief. Thank Oum!

"I'll think about it, Jaune." Yang tersely agreed. "But… by the way, you never pegged me for the wise type, so why the tirade, Vomit Boy?" she pocked me in the shoulder, the hostility evaporating as quickly as it came.

"You can blame my mother for that." I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head. "She always harped me on about philosophy, ethics and morality as I grew up. I just never showed you or anyone else that side of me until now. But maybe we can talk about it more if you want…?", I drawled.

Smooth, Jaune, smooth.

"Nah, sounds boring." Yang shook her head negatively. "I'd rather have a sparring match right now. How about it Jaune, wanna give it a shot?"

So much for my relief of not getting my ass kicked…

"No thanks. I know you're just gonna beat me to the ground." I chuckled nervously. "I'm not at your level yet, Yang."

"Aww, that sucks. Okay, if you say so… I'll just pick on someone else, maybe Hetero if I see him on my way. See ya later, Vomit Boy~", she chirped, hopping away cheerily.

Being alone once more, I went back to my usual brooding session. People call it brooding, but I was, in reality, carefully 'observing' every individual in the class. Their levels, to be precise.

Just like for Yang, I could see their title, full name and level. Compared to her, there was nothing too flashy about their titles and their levels were mostly lower than hers (and mines for that matter, with a few exceptions). I looked at the window leading outside and caught my own reflection:

The Gamer

LV18

Jaune Arc

As you can see, I was not lying to Yang when I said I was not at her level yet. A ten-level difference, that's a pretty huge gap if you ask me. She's a real prodigy, as expected from the niece of Qrow Branwen.

Thanks to her outstanding abilities in combat, she probably didn't have to worry about getting to Beacon. I also heard that her uncle had connections with the Headmaster there. Such a lucky girl…

Coming back to my case, what would happen to me now? No one seemed to have the same weird power that I possess, and neither can they see what I see. Which meant that what happened yesterday only influenced me.

But why? For what reason did I get this ability?

No matter, this is a big opportunity for me! I'm just an average guy who wants to be a huntsman, and eventually, a hero. I knew I was still lacking a lot for my dream to realize itself. Even with the genetics of an Arc, my skill was still mediocre at best. My sisters were far ahead than me, four of them had succeeded in becoming huntresses, and the other three were catching up. With this power, I wouldn't be the weakest link of this family anymore, I would be able to stand by their side as an equal.

The Gamer, my special ability, my semblance! Or was it…?

I sat on the sofa in my living room. School was over for today and I was thinking back about the skill I had gotten earlier.
[Sense Danger]…

If I can get skills like that, imagine the number I could lean over time. Is there even a limit to this ability? I must try it out as soon as possible! Why? Because I will stride the path of greatness, people will remember my name as 'The Legendary Jaune A-

"Jaune, could you go get some vegetables at the supermarket?" My Mom called.

...

The hero shall get the groceries done before he began his training…

"Okay, Mom."

"Be quick, okay? I need them to prepare dinner in half an hour."

"Yes, Mom."

That damnable blue screen made itself known as soon as the words left my mouth.

It was somewhat different in shape compared to the others I've seen. It was apparently a Quest Alert screen.

Task from [Mom]:

Buy some vegetables before dinner. Your Mother wants vegetables for dinner tonight. She wants to prepare soup. Be hasty: go to the grocery store, collect the vegetables and come back before the time is up.

Time limit : 30 minutes

Reward :

- 400 EXP

- Increases closeness with [Mom]

Penalty for failure :

- Decreases closeness with [Mom]

- No dinner for you tonight

Accept? Yes/No

I clicked the 'yes' in the quest screen, and I watched it as it faded into obscurity. I let out what felt like the longest sigh in my whole life. I think I will need some time before I can get used to this. Seriously, every aspect in my life is been treated as a game feature ever since I got this weird power. For example, back in school I tried to memorize the information we reviewed during the lessons and gave it my all to understand it. This was the result.

Studying intently caused your INT to increase by 1!

I didn't see that coming. I've played too much video games to know where this was going. Could I get smarter just like that, get Intelligence points by studying? Oh...it already works like this in real life, so I shouldn't fuss too much about it.

Also, if my status can be determined by numbers, could I see the description? Like parameters or status screen? I imagined stats like Strength, Vitality, or Dexterity in my status. I was not deluding myself that I would see high numbers, but there might have been some surprises.

I'll see to that later.

On the way to the door, I spared a look in my mother's direction, the cursor about her head was saying something weird.

?

LV?

Viridia Arc

Well, that was certainly new. I knew my mother was a professional huntress and only a handle of fellow huntresses could dare match her skills, but I couldn't even see her title. Even most professors in Signal didn't have their info covered by that damned [?]. Ergo, my mother was currently too strong for me to read her level.

So much for a Hero…

As I walked in the streets of Vale on the way to the market, I looked down at the list my Mom gave me. My mind, however, was completely focused about my newly found powers. I was eager to know what it could do, but also hesitant to see what could possibly be the consequences of using them.

Was this my semblance? A bit too abnormal for one. I knew Yang had a fire-manipulating semblance and her sister had something similar. I also heard rumors about Beacon's Headmaster and his "totally bullshit" power (that was what Mom said). I never saw him in action, so I couldn't confirm it.

You acquired the quest item [Vegetables]!

I walked back into the streets after finishing my shopping. I trailed my way back home, sighing again at the screen. I was still not used to it popping everywhere and when it wanted, for every insignificant action. If this continued much longer like this and I would have started doubting the realness of the world I was now living in.

I saw how the game kept throwing pointless quests to give me more experience points (EXP). I could also become stronger by studying, little by little, slowly but steadily.

In RPG games, you could get EXP by defeating monsters and bosses. I wondered if it might have worked here too? I mean, killing Grimm seemed to be a valid way to gain EXP, if my life really did become a game. Maybe it will be easier and faster to level up that way, faster than everyone else! …that's not cheating, right?

…Right?

Speaking of getting stronger, could I see my status? Was there a unused points which I could use to increase my stats I need to get that damn screen back so it could help me.

"Open status screen, please." I randomly mumbled.

And it worked! Whoo-hoo!

Name : Jaune Arc

Title : The Gamer

Level : LVL 18

HP: 2050/2050

MP: 1775/1775

STR: 37 (+30%)

VIT: 46 (+30%)

DEX: 37 (+30%)

INT: 37 (+30%)

WIS: 37 (+30%)

LUK: 7

POINTS: 0

MONEY: 70 Liens

Holy crap, was this really my status? My stats were balanced in everything except Vitality, which was my highest stat, and Luck, which was my lowest one. And here I used to think that I was a mediocre fighter. Well yes, aggressiveness was never my strong point, I left that particular trait to Yang. I was more the survivalist type, the type that seeked more self-protection than the enemies' demise. I defended and counter-attacked only when I really needed to.

What was with my poor luck though? I mean, it seemed pretty legit given my past. I got this far only because of my hard-working effort and the help of many people.
And those thirty percent bonus?! They looked so broken, why did I get some bonus points out from nowhere? Did that originate from some skill too?
I didn't have any stored points to use, that would require some leveling I reckoned. Like... one point for each level?

Money… ugh, I don't have to tell you anything about that, okay? My wallet has told you to shut up.

After walking for a while, I finally arrived at the entrance of our home.

"I'm back!", I called once inside.

"Good boy, do you have them?" My mother Viridia greeted me.

My mother was a beautiful woman: golden blond hair tied up in an ornate bun with emerald green eyes and a very curvaceous body—I was absolutely not checking my own mother out! It was just a simple fact, surely any man would be attracted to her just by being in her vicinity. She had a certain regal presence, as if she was royalty.

"Of course, Mom." I smiled, showing the bag of vegetables to her.

"Good. Now Jaune, please be a dear and prepare the table, would you?"

"Got it."

"So… let's see…" I muttered. "Open status screen."

Now that I was alone in my room, it was the perfect place to further study and test my power. I learned a few interesting things such as this:

Aura (Passive & Active) LVL 30 EXP: 0.00%

The Manifestation of Soul of All Living Beings. Mankind/Faunuskind developed this ability to protect themselves with the light of their souls to repel the endless hordes of Grimm. It bears their burdens and shields both their bodies and hearts. Attributes increase depending on the amount of Aura (MP).

Passively increases STR by 30%.

Passively increases DEX by 30%.

Passively increases VIT by 30%.

Passively increases INT by 30%.

Passively increases WIS by 30%.

Additional 30% increase to STR when the skill is active.

Additional 30% increase to DEX when the skill is active.

Additional 30% increase to VIT when the skill is active.

HP regeneration speed is increased by 100% when the skill is active.

Wow. And to think that every huntsmen and huntresses had this kind of OP advantage too… I tried activating it: the usual brightness of my aura came into being, a pure white color enveloping my skin. I immediately felt more powerful and capable in every aspect described.

Other than Aura, I also got this skill:

[Sword Mastery] (Passive) LVL 25 EXP : 0.00%

When it comes to melee combat, swords are your weapons of choice. This skill enhances your skill with swords. While this ability doesn't grant you any specific special abilities, it will still give you a greater proficiency when fighting enemies using this type of weapon.

Along with:

[Shield Mastery] (Passive) LVL 20 EXP : 0.00%

When it comes to surviving a fierce battle, the shield is your most trusted protector. This skill enhances your skill with shields. While this ability doesn't grant you any special abilities, it will still grant you greater proficiency when deflecting and blocking enemies' attacks.

Those were actually very self-explanatory. I always had Crocea Mors with me whenever I went into fights, whether against Grimm or fellow huntsmen/huntresses in training. So, I guess it was normal to obtain such skills, right?

Last, but not least, I realized I had two skills I didn't pick up before.

Gamer's Mind (Passive) LVL MAX

Allows for peaceful and logical thought processes no matter the situation, while also granting a complete immunity to psychological status effects.

Gamer's Body (Passive) LVL MAX

Grants a body that allows for the user to experience the real world just like a game's. Physical damage inflicted on the user will never scar, pain can only be felt as a sting for a few seconds maximum. After sleeping, the user restores HP and MP to their max level while removing any negative status effects.

Oumdamnit! This shit is broken as fuck!

I took back my words about The Gamer. This was actually super useful. To possess an indomitable mind and an unbreakable body like this, wasn't this what every huntsman and huntress dreamed of? I was immensely thankful for that semblance/weird power thingy! I If I met that wizard once more, I swore I would kiss him as thanks for this!

...

Actually, I wouldn't do that. Giving my gratitude and maybe buy him some coffee should be enough.

Going back to the discoveries I made today, I learned that the Game came with an inventory too. I decided to test it for a bit. Could I put things in there? Let's see… how about My X-Ray and Vav comic book? I pushed the book through the [Inventory Screen] that I had called upon, it simply disappeared with a ripple onto the surface of the screen and was appropriately stored in its left slot. Neat.

I could do this for everything! I wouldn't ever have the need to carry heavy luggages anymore, nor would I ever have to hide embarrassing things I bought in my hoodie's pocket. I could just take something, put it in my inventory and voila! No one could ever notice it, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to prov-

-Wait. That sounded suspiciously like crime. While a fun and useful thing to do, I should try to resist the temptation lest I became a criminal myself. I'm gonna be a hero, okay? I will fight for both my ideals and my family's honor! I am—

I raised one hand...

The (would-be)—

Then I balled it into a fist...

Legendary—

Finally, I pumped my fist triumphantly.

Jaune Arc!

...

Yep, that sounds just about right.

I considered laughing like a madman, but decided against it in the end. Rather than wasting my time like that... yeah, that's right, I'm going to train and get used to my new power right away. I want to see how [The Gamer] affects me in regards of fighting the creatures of Grimm... that being said, this is already late in the night. I have to sneak my way outside stealthily... after the dinner, of course. Don't want Mom to kill me because I skip dinner, yeah?

Well, there's nothing could go wrong with my plans, right?

... right?

If you like this rework, punch that review button in the face, LIKE A BOSS!

And, high-five all around!

So thank you guys, and I will see you guys around... in the next chapter!

Mugen no Tenma, out.