Something new, and something not so new. This is my take on a Gamer fic, which, whilst it has been done to death, I felt like giving a shot. You never know, maybe it'll be great. Or it'll end up like all the others, scattered across the cutting room floor like as many fic ideas I go through in my mind.
As dreary as that sounds, I've already got two and a bit chapters written as of uploading this chapter, and despite that I'll be doing one chapter a week. This shouldn't detract from the admittedly long gaps between my other fics, however, so GONL will still be updated soonish. I'm kind of stuck on a part of the latest chapter, sorry about that.
This fic will be taking heavy inspiration from those that came before, but it has my own spin on a few things, including not actually calling it 'The Gamer', 'cause that actually annoys me for some reason, I can't really put my finger on it. (I don't mean the original, by the way.)
Anyways, enjoy the preliminary chapter, and I'm sorry about the info dumps. I'm still trying to get the hang of it.
EDIT: Aw fuck, FanFiction doesn't like my arrows. Oh well.
Waking up was a completely normal thing that people did everyday, without fail, and nothing weird ever happened when they did.
So why, why, why did something weird have to happen to Jaune Arc when he woke up.
"Ah!" Jaune cried out as he opened his eyes, rolling sideways in surprise and thumping noisily to the wooden floor.
"Ah!" Jaune cried out again as he touched the planks, the wood being much colder than the lovely warmth that was his bed.
"Ah!" Jaune cried out a third time when he remembered that the weird thing that made him roll out of bed, which was still there.
Small, light-blue and hovering, the two-dimensional rectangle floated in front of Jaune's face as menacingly as a small, light-blue, hovering two-dimensional rectangle could possibly be, when considering the fact that it had rather friendly looking font on the front.
[Welcome to the System, brought to you by the spontaneous awakening of your semblance, despite your obvious lack of Aura!]
"Ah!" Jaune cried out a fourth time once he had finished reading what the hovering mildly-menacing two-dimensional rectangle had written on it, its light-blue glow glowing light-blue-y.
At this point, there is only so much one can do to describe the rather odd experience Jaune was, well, experiencing.
Jaune stared at what was undoubtedly some kind of hallucination for a good couple minutes, willing it away with his mind.
What he was actually doing was staring blankly at the floating rectangle without a single thought passing through his mind, the teen completely stunned.
"Ah?" Jaune said, practically creating his own language at this point. Luckily, Jaune was fluent in confusion, as was evident when the door to his bedroom opened.
"Jaune? What are you doing?" His mother, Juniper Arc, asked, a concerned look on her face.
"Ah…" Jaune began, adding to his rather enormous lexicon thus far.
To the un-addled mind, one would notice that the floating rectangle was, in fact, either invisible to everyone else, or a simple hallucination.
To Jaune's addled mind, however, the only thing he could really formulate was the fact that it was morning, and he was rather peckish.
Thankfully, his mother simply sighed and shook her head, before preparing herself to walk away. "Jaune, breakfast is ready and waiting, so whenever you are done staring into space come down, okay?"
"Yeah…" Jaune replied, adding an entirely new syllable to his impromptu language, therefore dictating him the most intelligent person alive who could speak that language. Of which he already was, so it wasn't really a big benefit to social rank.
Or any rank.
Or anything.
What was he doing?
The door to his room closed with a quiet ker-chunk, and Jaune snapped his gaze right back at the offending rectangle.
"What are you?" Jaune asked, using actual coherent words to form a proper sentence for the first time this morning.
Of course, Jaune was talking to a floating rectangle, so the response was about what would be expected.
For those of you at home who can't imagine what that would be, write something on a piece of paper, hold it in front of you, and ask the same question as above.
Jaune stared at the rectangle some more, before noticing a detail he'd somehow missed the first couple minutes of dead-eyed staring he'd done.
A little cross in the top right stared back at him, figuratively of course, a real cross staring would've made the sole Arc male freak out even more and that wouldn't be very good for the teen's mental health, which was already deteriorating at a rather rapid rate.
Jaune contemplated sticking a finger out and poking the proffered solution to what was starting to seem like a serious problem.
One second passed, a second second passed. A third, a fourth.
On the fifth, Jaune bit the barrel and stuck his index finger out and quickly poked the cross.
The rectangle disappeared.
"Ah!" Jaune cried out once again, regressing back to the lesser language as he recoiled.
A new floating rectangle appeared, and once Jaune got over the shock of seeing it appear, he began to read.
[Would you like to run the Tutorial for the System?]
"Yes?" Jaune said aloud, doubting his sanity with each syllable.
[Running System Tutorial.]
Jaune watched in shock as the rectangle changed, and slowly reformed around him, boxes of information presenting themselves.
[Your Aura, for unknown reasons, triggered itself whilst you slept, and with it your semblance awakened. Due to the nature of your semblance, your Aura has been re-locked temporarily, but will be unlocked after certain criteria are met.]
[Your semblance, the System, is a mechanism that interacts with the known universe in ways unheard of prior to its awakening. Due to the complexity of your semblance, the System has designed its own Tutorial for you to progress through in order to understand the basics, and to form a comprehensive starter understanding in order for you to be capable of developing your semblance correctly.]
[-][-]
Jaune quickly read through the rather complicated text that floated in front of him, before poking the next button.
[The System is much like a video game, primarily RPGs. The System grants you Stats, Skills and Abilities, Quests, and various other tropes from video games. Firstly, say or think 'Stats' to bring up your Stats menu.]
[-][Say or Think 'Stats']
Jaune blinked. "Stats?" He said aloud, taking an involuntary step back as a much larger blue rectangle spawned itself into existence in front of him.
[STATS]
[Name: Jaune Arc]
[Title: N/A]
[Level: 1]
[XP: 0/1000]
[HP: 100/100]
[SP: 100/100]
[MP: 100/100]
[AP: 0/0]
[STR: 10]
[END: 10]
[AGI: 10]
[INT: 10]
[WIS: 10]
[CHA: 10]
[LCK: 10]
[Skill Points: 0]
[Lien: 0]
"Woah," Jaune muttered.
[Your Stats affect your physical and mental capabilities, including but not limited to strength, intelligence and charisma, amongst others. Your Stats also measures your health, stamina, mana and Aura, along with Experience Points. Would you like the System to go into more detail about these?]
[-][Skip Details][-]
Jaune poked the right arrow with his index finger, still a little flummoxed.
[Health, measured in Stats as HP, or Hit Points, is a numerical indicator of your physical health. It is affected by the Endurance stat. Stamina, measured in Stats as SP, is a numerical indicator of your physical exhaustion. It is also affected by the Endurance stat. Mana, measured in Stats as MP, is a numerical indicator of the magical energy that you have at your disposal. It is affected by the Intelligence stat, for its total capacity, and the Wisdom stat, for its regeneration. Aura, measured in stats as AP, is a numerical indicator of your Aura, which is the physical manifestation of the soul. Unlike all other semblances, the System does not require Aura to function. AP is affected by the Endurance stat. Experience Points, measured in Stats as XP, is a numerical indicator of how much experience you have gained, and how close you are to achieving a new level. Experience Points will be delved into at a later point in the Tutorial.]
[-][-]
Jaune dead-stared at the block of text, slowly but surely absorbing the information presented. He poked the right arrow once he was finished, internally hoping for less information, and yet paradoxically hoping for more.
[Each Stat corresponds to a physical or mental attribute that affects both your numerical indicators, and your actual existence. STR, or Strength, affects muscle mass, and allows you to carry more, hit harder and throw further, for example. END, or Endurance, affects overall fitness, and allows you to sprint longer, fight longer and take more hits, for example. AGI, or Agility, affects dexterity and reactions, and allows you to dodge easier, aim better and be more nimble, for example. INT, or Intelligence, affects Intelligence Quotient, or how smart you can be, and allows you to think smarter, plan better and have access to more mana, for example. WIS, or Wisdom, affects how you use intelligence, and allows you to plan for foolishness, amongst other things, and allows your access to mana to regenerate faster, for example. CHA, or Charisma, affects how charming you are, and allows you to woo people, convince them of things, and otherwise hold a more social position easier, for example. LCK, or Luck, affects how lucky you are, and allows you to be more likely to succeed in random chance, for example.]
[-][-]
Jaune scanned through the information, perking up as he read it. His semblance allowed him to directly increase his stats, which directly correlated to his own physical and mental presence? That was incredible, if it wasn't all just one big fever dream. He pressed the next arrow.
[The System gives you access to Skills and Abilities, both active and passive. Some skills will be almost negligible in effect, but some could be considered semblances on their own. Say or think 'Skills' to open the Skills and Abilities menu.]
[-][Say or Think 'Skills']
Jaune did as he was bid. "Skills."
[Skills:]
[System Mind (Passive): Thanks to the System, you now possess a mind immune to all negative effects, and you can now nullify potentially negative emotions. Level MAX.]
[System Body (Passive): Thanks to the System, you now possess a body that heals rapidly from injuries, even from any loss of limb, decapitation, or other debilitating injury, unless you bypass your HP total. Level MAX.]
[You will notice that you currently possess two skills; System Mind and System Body. Both of these skills are passive, meaning they are active at all times, and are both at Level MAX, meaning that they cannot increase in level, as they have already reached the maximum level they can. Skills and Abilities can be acquired multiple ways. Certain items count as Skill Books, and consuming a Skill Book can provide a skill. If you already know the skill the Skill Book provides, you gain an experience boost towards that skill. Another way to acquire skills is to create them yourself, by performing a certain action. Try jumping.]
[-][Try Jumping]
Jaune coiled his legs, and pushed off the ground, leaping a solid foot off the ground, before thudding against the wooden planks of his bedroom floor.
A dinging noise made Jaune yelp.
[Skill Created!]
[Jump (Active): Thanks to the System, you can now improve on your jumping! A Jump costs 1SP, and you can Jump 0.1ft x STR high per Jump. Aura may be consumed to increase Jump height at 1AP per 5ft. Level 1; XP 1/100.]
It took Jaune a moment to calculate how high he could jump at the moment. Coincidentally, it was one foot, so so far so good.
[You may notice that you have 1/1000 XP towards leveling Jump. This is not XP gained towards total level, however.]
[-][-]
Jaune pressed the next arrow, intent of figuring it all out.
[As you complete Quests, kill enemies and accomplish goals, you will gain Experience Points. Every point of XP accrued does multiple things, depending on how it is acquired. Killing a monster that awards 100XP would provide 100XP to the XP Meter, which gets you 100XP closer to leveling up, which rewards you with skill points and upping the level limit as to which skills can reach. It would also reward 50XP to whatever skills or abilities was used whilst killing the monster, and give 50XP to the XP Meter that is assigned to a title, if one is equipped and requires XP.]
[-][-]
Another poke of the arrow, and he was expecting more information. Jaune was already starting to get tired.
[Quest Created!]
[Learning The System.]
[Complete the Tutorial!]
[Reward: 1000 XP, 20 Lien]
"Huh," Jaune said once again, starting to repeat himself.
[This is a Quest. Completing Quests is a surefire way to profit in multiple ways, from Lien to XP. All Quests will have rewards, but some will also have penalties for failure, and some will even have penalties for completion.]
[-][-]
Jaune sat down on his bed, index finger poking the next arrow.
[The Tutorial is almost complete, but the Hint Mechanic is still toggled on, and will periodically provide hints about certain mechanics of the System.]
[Quest Completed!]
[Learning The System.]
[Complete the Tutorial]
[Reward: 1000 XP, 20 Lien]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 2!]
[+5 Skill Points!]
Jaune almost fell out of his bed a second time that morning as the influx of notifications popped up, startling him.
"Stats," Jaune said far more confidently than he felt.
[STATS]
[Name: Jaune Arc]
[Title: N/A]
[Level: 2]
[XP: 0/2000]
[HP: 100/100]
[SP: 100/100]
[MP: 100/100]
[AP: 0/0]
[STR: 10]
[END: 10]
[AGI: 10]
[INT: 10]
[WIS: 10]
[CHA: 10]
[LCK: 10]
[Skill Points: 5]
[Lien: 20]
Well, for one, his level had gone up by one, and he apparently had five skill points now. He also had 20 Lien, although where that was was beyond him at this point.
"Jaune! Are you coming down or what!?" His mother called out from downstairs, prompting Jaune to completely panic in his rush to make it downstairs.
"Well, too late son. You know the rules, and you lost."
Jaune stumbled to a halt inside the kitchen to see the entire Arc family sitting and eating, Jaune's portion waiting for him. His father, Chrys Arc, who had spoken, sitting at the head of the massive table with a cheery smile on his face.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Last one down does the dishes," Jaune moaned, sitting in his seat as his sisters all smirked at him in varying levels of mirth.
Breakfast in the Arc household was always a loud affair, with ten people without guests. On holidays it was a nightmare, but it wasn't always that bad. The four oldest sisters, Violet, Indigo, Lapis and Olive respectively, all worked as Huntresses, as did both Juniper and Chrys, and so most days the house was in the care of Jaune's twin Daisy, or Jaune himself, with the two working shifts whenever the elders weren't around to care for the younger two, Marigold and Azalea.
That was soon to change, however, with Jaune shipping off to Vale soon.
"So, Jaune, everything all set for that trip down to Vale?" Chrys asked, as he stabbed the chunk of pancake on his plate like it owed him an exorbitant amount of money.
"Yeah, I've just got to pack my stuff," Jaune replied, completely avoiding the topic of why he was going to Vale.
"Well, you're old enough to make your own decisions, so I won't get in the way," Chrys said, dumping another stack of pancakes on his plate and performing a mafia-esq torture re-enactment as he drenched them in maple syrup.
"And if it doesn't work out, you can always come back home. We don't want you to think that we'd think you a failure," Juniper said as she peacefully cut away a bite-size piece of her pancake, lightly spreading some syrup on top of it.
"Thanks Mum," Jaune half-muttered.
Breakfast continued on without much pause, and sooner or later everyone had left the dining room, leaving Jaune to clean up the mess.
[Quest Created!]
[Housework: Dishes.]
[Help out the family and wash all the dishes!]
[Reward: 100 XP]
Jaune sighed as he began his work, scrubbing away at the plates, cups and cutlery that were stacked high in the sink.
[Skill Created!]
[Dishwashing (Passive): Thanks to the System, you can now improve on your dishwashing! Dishwashing speed increased by 5%. Level 1; XP 0/100.]
[Hint! Repeatedly using skills will both level them up, and contribute progress towards stats.]
An hour, yes, an hour later, Jaune was done, the cacophonous dings that preceded an update of his dishwashing progress as staccato as ever.
[A skill has leveled up!]
[x8]
[Skill: Dishwashing has reached level 9!]
[Quest Completed!]
[Housework: Dishes.]
[Help out the family and wash all the dishes!]
[Reward: 100 XP]
[Hint! Say or Think 'Meters' to bring up a smaller stats window.]
Jaune dried his hands on a hand-towel hanging over the oven handle, before taking a quick stretch. "Meters."
[Jaune Arc|Lv2]
[XP: 100/2000]
[HP: 100/100]
[SP: 100/100]
[MP: 100/100]
[AP: 0/0]
Honestly, Jaune was pretty happy with himself, all things considered. System Mind didn't seem to attempt to nullify his elation at a job well done, and a job well done it was, as he brought up his skills menu, looking at his Dishwashing skill.
[Dishwashing (Passive): Thanks to the System, you can now improve on your dishwashing! Dishwashing speed increased by 50%. Level 9; XP 43/100.]
So, he was a better dishwasher at least. Maybe if his plans in Vale fell through he could get a job at a cafe somewhere.
He'd need a part-time job to cover the rent for the week or two before anyways.
Jaune quickly checked the clock on the wall, before blinking as another box appeared at its own whim.
[Hint! The top left of your peripheral has a clock!]
It wasn't wrong, and the fact that both times were nearly eleven in the morning was quickly the more important thought that threatened to take over his mind.
He was supposed to be taking a flight from the shuttle bay at seven in the evening, which meant he had to pack and be ready by six at the latest, but that was seven hours away.
The most important thing he could do was train, and so training was something he decided to do.
There was no sense in applying for Beacon Academy without being willing to spend some spare time training, especially with the morning's revelations.
Jaune walked through the living room, which was thankfully empty, and took the blade off the mantlepiece, quickly walking to the side door of the admittedly large house and calling out. "I'm just going out for a walk, I'll be back later!"
There wasn't a response, but that was fine, it wasn't as if Jaune was actually looking for one as he stepped outside into the brisk air, pacing towards the nearby forest.
It took roughly twenty minutes before Jaune made it to his usual training spot, a babbling brook providing a pleasant ambiance alongside the chirping of birds, and occasional cicadas.
Jaune placed his hand on the grip of Crocea Mors, the ancient family blade, and drew it, giving it a halfhearted test swing.
[Skill Created!]
[Weapon Proficiency: One-Handed Melee (Passive): Thanks to the System, you are now capable of wielding all one-handed melee weapons without difficulty! The higher the level of this skill, the more skilled you are with all one-handed melee weapons, and the more damage you are capable of dealing. Level 1; XP 0/100.]
[One-Handed Melee Proficiency Weapon added to list.]
[Longsword.]
Jaune felt the sword enter his mind as if it were a part of his own body, an additional limb made of steel and sharpness.
"Woah…" The teen said in awe, as he gave the sword a twirl, the blade glistening in the almost-midday sunlight.
He hooked his other arm around the sheath, bringing it up and deploying its shield form.
[Skill Created!]
[Weapon Proficiency: Shield (Passive): Thanks to the System, you are now capable of wielding all shields without difficulty! The higher level of this skill, the more skilled you are with all shields, and the more damage you are capable of dealing and blocking. Level 1; XP 0/100.]
[Shield Proficiency Weapon added to list.]
[Heater Shield.]
Jaune felt like new, as if his eyes had been opened to something he'd never quite felt before, only heard tale told from others.
This was what it felt like to be capable of using his weapons, of being able to fight.
Jaune felt at the top of the world at that moment. Nothing could tear him down from the pinnacle he'd achieved, there was absolutely nothing that would break his resolve, nothing that could-
Jaune felt the Beowolf's claw impact against his side before he even knew it was there, and as the teen was sent rolling backwards from the impact, it growled its deep growl, wary on its approach.
"Urgh!" Jaune cried out as he impacted against the base of a tree, the bark rough against his bare neck. Opening his eyes, Jaune watched the Beowulf slowly pace towards him, eyes glowing the menacing red that the Grimm were known for.
Unlike what the Grimm were known for, however, was the floating box that hovered above the Beowolf's head.
[Beowolf]
[Grimm, Level 2]
[Health: Uninjured]
It was undoubtedly a health indicator, and Jaune quickly righted himself, grabbing his sword from where it lay in the dirt next to him.
[Quest Created!]
[Huntsman: First Steps (Part 1)]
[Slay your first Grimm!]
[Reward: 400 XP, 100 Lien, ?]
That was the first time Jaune had seen question marks for a reward, but it wasn't as if he was overly familiar with Quests. He quickly snapped his attention back to his foe, the Beowolf growling menacingly at him.
Jaune shouted at the Grimm in response, charging in with his sword raised high above his head, his shield held in front of him.
The Beowolf responded by sprinting towards the charging teen, its eyes leaving red trails in the air as it snarled.
Jaune struck first, using his shield to smack into the Beowolf, before bringing his blade down to meet its outstretched arm.
The Beowolf took the hit from the shield, stunned for a moment mid swing as its arm was lopped off by a sharp slice from what was supposed to be easy prey.
Jaune, stepped back, eyeing the Grimm's health bar, noticing that it only had thirty HP left, and quickly stepped close again, slashing at the Grimm.
The Grimm was suicidal, that much was obvious, it couldn't possibly be any older than a month or so as it simply snarled and tried to bite the sword.
Naturally, biting a sword is a great way to get your jaw removed, so as the bottom half of the Beowolf's head hit the ground to join the rest of the body in fading away, Jaune slumped to the ground panting.
He'd killed his first Grimm! He'd actually done something worthwhile!
[Encounter Complete!]
[You gained 50XP!]
[Quest Completed!]
[Huntsman: First Steps (Part 1)]
[Slay your first Grimm!]
[Reward: 400 XP, 100 Lien, "Huntsman Initiate" Title]
[Skill Created!]
[Shield Bash (Active): Thanks to the System, you can bash an opponent with your shield, stunning the opponent and dealing a small amount of damage. Certain opponents may be immune to stun. Costs 20 SP. Level 1; XP 25/100.]
[Ding!]
[Through constant exertion, you've gained 1 point of STR, and 1 point of END!]
Jaune leaned back. "Stats."
[STATS]
[Name: Jaune Arc]
[Title: Huntsman Initiate]
[Level: 2]
[XP: 550/2000]
[HP: 47/110]
[SP: 110/110]
[MP: 100/100]
[AP: 0/0]
[STR: 11]
[END: 11]
[AGI: 10]
[INT: 10]
[WIS: 10]
[CHA: 10]
[LCK: 10]
[Skill Points: 5]
[Lien: 120]
Honestly, he wasn't doing to bad, he thought. It wasn't like he had much experience with the 'System', as it kept calling itself, but he liked to think that he was doing pretty well so far.
The teen slumped back, lying down and staring at the sky in his peripheral vision, his stat box taking up the primary part of his vision.
He'd been injured, or he should've been. He'd been hit pretty hard, and he'd felt the claw enter his side. The adrenaline had pretty much wiped that feeling from his mind, and he couldn't feel it now, but even as he checked his side he found nothing but torn clothing and perfectly fine skin.
The claw should've disemboweled him, to be perfectly honest, but he supposed that the System Body skill was doing what it said it did. His HP was down and his clothes were torn, so it definitely hit him.
"This is so weird it isn't even funny," Jaune said to himself, the sunlight filtering down between the leaves of the swaying trees that surrounded him.
Jaune watched the small stats box in his peripheral as his HP slowly regenerated, counting how many seconds it took.
It took roughly two seconds to regenerate 1 HP, or so his little periphery clock told him, so it wasn't too difficult to figure out the maths on how the regeneration worked, with 11 Endurance.
"It has to be Endurance divided by twenty, right?" Jaune asked himself as he stood up and grabbed Crocea Mors.
[Ding!]
[For figuring out how regeneration works, you've gained 1 point of Intelligence!]
[Unlocked: Detailed Stats Readout.]
Jaune blinked, and quickly opened his stat menu.
[STATS]
[Name: Jaune Arc]
[Title: Huntsman Initiate]
[Level: 2]
[XP: 550/2000]
[HP: 56/110 (0.55/s)]
[SP: 110/110 (2.2/s)]
[MP: 110/110 (1/s)]
[AP: 0/0]
[STR: 11]
[END: 11]
[AGI: 10]
[INT: 11]
[WIS: 10]
[CHA: 10]
[LCK: 10]
[Skill Points: 5]
[Lien: 120]
Jaune took in the new details, before noticing something he'd been yet to notice. He pressed his finger against the title option, noting how it brought up a new window.
[Title]
[Huntsman Initiate: As a Huntsman Initiate, you gain +10% XP from all Grimm kills. Next Rank: Huntsman Novice (0/5000 XP)]
That was a pretty good title, whatever title meant, so Jaune was pretty happy.
The short amount of time he'd spent training was already proving to be the most beneficial training he'd done thus far, to this day, and he'd really only left the house half an hour ago.
Now, to get better at this whole 'System' thing.
[Tutorial Mode: Off]
[Good luck. You're going to need it.]
[STATS]
[Name: Jaune Arc]
[Title: Huntsman Initiate]
[Level: 2]
[XP: 550/2000]
[HP: 56/110 (0.55/s)]
[SP: 110/110 (2.2/s)]
[MP: 110/110 (1/s)]
[AP: 0/0]
[STR: 11]
[END: 11]
[AGI: 10]
[INT: 11]
[WIS: 10]
[CHA: 10]
[LCK: 10]
[Skill Points: 5]
[Lien: 120]
Well, that was fun, I hope. I actually really enjoyed writing this, and despite the fact that I wrote it a few days ago and only just edited it I like where it's at.
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, expect the second chapter in a week, roughly.
Please, do review, I'd love to hear what you have to say, and any ideas you may have I'll do my best to incorporate.
And, as always, see you next chapter
~AFatFlyingWhale