(T3 Reward II) My First Webnovel, Part I (Patreon)

Below is the first half of my first attempt at writing a web novel. I was fresh off of Legendary Moonlight Sculpter, so you can see its influence there.

You might also note that I do have certain themes I like in an MC: but since I haven't finished these stories, I don't feel bad for stealing some things for later protagonists.

The next 26 chapters will be coming next week ^_^.

 

Book 1: Wanderer 

Chapter 1

A group of seven men and women sat in a line, watching us. We were positioned on a raised concrete platform. Tian kneeled opposite me, a perfect reflection of my posture, hands flat on the floor and head down. She might have been a shade on the other side of my mirror, aside from her long black hair. The seven elders were watching us closely, one elder for each of the seven paths. My consciousness was gathered to a point, waiting. My hands were sweaty and trembling.

"Begin."

Pah, pah, pah, 

The sound of Tian's bare feet on the mat drew increasingly nearer, but I simply took a deep breath. She opened with the Gust Path, as expected. I pressed my hand to the floor, releasing enough spiritual energy to launch my body up, and settled into a low Mountain Path stance.

Pah, tah. Pah, tah.

She feinted a dash directly at me, twice, and continued to circle me, gliding like the breeze. You could see her tension in every muscle. Sure, being the first to select a path would give you the initiative, but, as in this case, you might be forced into a disadvantageous matchup. I simply kept my arms close to my sides, with my knees bent and center of gravity low.

Tah. 

Seemingly tired of waiting, Tian rushed at me. Not slowly, but in no haste, I shifted my body, my hands rising before me, my stance perfect and prepared. Our eyes met, and a glimmer of understanding passed between us. In her amber eyes lurked a threat, and for the first time in my life, I admitted to myself a truth long avoided: I hated this woman.

Four feet away from me, still out of the reach of my hands, Tian landed, abruptly twisting, aiming a kick at my right shoulder. But I was prepared. I pivoted my body, bringing my left foot forward, closer to Tian, and leaned back. She wasn’t of a level to have achieved the Dominating Wind Step, so avoiding this was a breeze.

At that thought, I almost chuckled. With the momentum of my pivot, my left hand shot out and rushed toward Tian's side. She continued twisting, trying to avoid the blow, but she had chosen a poor opener, especially if she wanted to make this farce have any appearance of legitimacy.

My hand slammed against her, knocking away her balance.

"Change."

At that word, all the hate inside me welled up, and I switched stances. My fingers curled into claws. My spiritual energy exploded. Since it had come to this, I could at least choose the way I was forced to lose this match. I would be the hacking wind of death.

Destruction Path. Considered by experts to be the most difficult and dangerous path, due to the high strain it puts on the body and the difficulty in learning the cadences of it. Although I had simply grasped the basics of the first cadence, and recently too, it's rhythm filled me like nothing else.

The first cadence was two sharp beats. The first beat had instantly eaten the distance between us. The second beat signaled the descent of my right hand, aiming directly for her head. Tian had assumed a Flow Path Stance, desperately swirling her spiritual energy around my arm, guiding my force down and away, but I didn't even struggle, and with a crash, my claw crushed the stone floor, shrapnel and dust flying up.

"Change."

I had expected it, and ignored it. Two more sharp beats. The first found my hand on Tian's throat, and with the beat second, I would crush it. However...

In that small instant between beats, a master appeared next to me, and a small finger hit my chest. Spirit Path, Fourth cadence. 

My body shook and Tian, who I had lifted slightly off the ground due to my height, fell to the ground, gasping.

The Spirit Path master looked at me tranquilly. As if what she had just seen was either not important enough to merit notice or as if she witnessed similar things every day. I shivered, and wondered which was the scarier alternative. A few seconds behind the Spirit Path Master, the other masters surrounded us.

Chapter 2

"Disciple," The Fury Path master frowned at me. He was the presiding judge for this competition. "I am forced to reward you two strikes. One for failing to hear the Path Change order. The second for attempting to injure your fellow disciple. Return to your corner, and meditate for the interim as we repair the floor. And know that the Destruction Path cannot be used for the remainder of the duel."

I turned away, disappointed and still shaking. That Spirit Master... her speed was unbelievable.

"Wait."

The Gust Path Master, Tian's mentor, was peering down his nose at me. "...Brothers and sisters, I think we may have a much more sinister crime on our hands. He did not fail to hear the order; he ignored it."

The masters turned to me, and I nodded. 

I would not lie.

The Fury Path master, sorrowfully, shook his head. "Then I have no choice. You are awarded a third strike and immediately forfeit. Tian is the winner. And considering your actions..." He looked me straight in the eyes. "This Fury Path is closed to you." He turned away.

"This Flow Path is closed to you."

"This Mountain Path is closed to you."

"This Gust Path is closed to you."

"This Blade Path is closed to you."

After a hesitation, "This Destruction Path is closed to you."

The six masters turned, leading away Tian, whose glare bore holes into my soul, but I ignored it. Finally, I was alone with the Spirit Path Master. The hand with which I had crushed the floor throbbed painfully, but it wasn't a serious injury.

The Spirit Path was my weakest path. I didn’t understand even the names of the divisions. But if that was my only way to continue here...

But as if she could read my mind, the Spirit Path Master shook her head once. "No, this path, too, is closed to you. I was just considering..."

The Spirit Path Elder had her silver hair pulled up into a bun, and as she stared at me, head tilted to the side, I was struck by how lovely she was.

"I know not why, but I understand the why was not as egregious as Brother Gust would have us think. However, you must show more discipline in the future, and ask for assistance when you need it. Well, perhaps this is pointless advice, as you will find no open paths here. Still..."

She turned away from me. "Your talent is monstrous, child. So monstrous that you needed to be forced out of this school. But feel no regret. The paths open to you are as numerous as the stars, and these are but 7 no longer available. As long as you have feet and walk, you will find a path."

The Spirit Path Elder turned back to me, and proffered a small piece of paper. "Call this number. Tell them that I, Cassandra, am calling in a favor. They will understand. Good luck." And then she was gone.

------

Later that night, I was in a dark alley far away from the school, behind and old steelyard. The pre arranged meeting time had long since passed; I had been waiting for at least a half an hour. Suddenly, a man walked out of the darkness, dragging a small child. My niece 11-year old niece, Calla, and she was shivering from the cold.

The man stopped around 10 feet away from me. I frowned. That was about the distance I could travel in the first beat of my Destruction Cadence. And then the memory of my loss flooded back into the fore of my thoughts, and I struggled to not succumb to bitterness, turning my attention instead to Calla.

The man smiled at me, and lifted his hand, which still held Calla's, and flexed powerfully, crushing her fingers.

She screamed, and fell limp. The man dropped her like a ragdog. "Next time, consider who your methods may hurt, trash." He walked back into the darkness, but I was already rushing to Calla's side.

She was sobbing, but looked up at me with such tears in her eyes. "Nat, I'm so sorry!"

Chapter 3

Her response shocked me. Her fault? "No, Calla, no no no no. This... you couldn't stop this. I'm sorry. Because of me, your hand..."

But she was simply shaking her head, not listening. "You always said don't leave the room after dark, and I just wanted to play with a friend, and he..." And then she was sobbing again.

For the second time that day, I carved the name Tian into the soft parts of my heart, leaving deep, bloody gouges. I would get even. I would break her.

But for now... I looked helplessly at Calla's small, twisted hand. There was no way we could afford to have it fixed. Even the medical costs for the smallest procedure were astronomical in this city. But was this really an injury I should attempt to treat on my own…?

Suddenly, I remembered the phone number given to me by the Spirit Path Master. I pulled out my phone, and dialed it. I checked it quickly, and hung up the call, cursing. My fingers were trembling so badly I had misdialed.

I focused my consciousness into a point, and I heard the vicious thrill of the destruction path. Beat Beat, Beat Beat. Like that, I entered the number quickly and without mistakes.

"Hello?" A woman's voice, slightly groggy and annoyed, answered the phone.

"Cassandra is calling in a favor. I need your help. I need a doctor for my niece." I opened my mouth to give the location, but the woman snorted and hung up.

I looked at the phone, blankly. This was supposed to be a gift from the greatest master the School on the Mountain had. How could it simply fail?

And then, I leaned my head back and shed a single tear, containing the entirety of my childish naivety turned into bitterness. I had just wanted to learn to be strong, to fight and be fought against. I just wanted to feel alive through these fists. All these years spent sweating and reconstructing a body that could withstand martial arts and spiritual power... Was it a waste? What could I do now, get a job?

I shook my head helplessly. Very few employers were interested in a person's strength. They would rather read endlessly dissembling resumes, or hear about your ability to read, write, follow instructions, and work in teams. I had consciously stepped off that path a long time ago. At that time, I was so confident that my body could carry me to greatness on this strange and winding path of battles.

I closed my eyes and took a slow breath. Now was not the time for this. Now I needed to...

Above me, I heard the sound of a helicopter descending. A spotlight flitted past, and then flitted back, fixing on me. The Helicopter landed, and a woman hopped out, with a long, cascading mane of fiery hair. She looked me up and down.

"Alright, what did you need again?"

­­­­­-----

I explained as best I could over the noise of the helicopter blade, and then in the helicopter ride to the hospital, I kept explaining, how I was no longer welcome at the school, and I needed to find a job, someplace to live. The woman had simply said to call her Kim, and let me talk. She didn't ask whether I had other family. She didn't ask if there was someone else to help Calla. She simply listened.

I watched as Calla, whimpering, was lowered onto a stretcher and was hurried away by frantic nurses.

Behind me, I heard Kim's voice. "Well, I might have a job, if you are willing. It's a bit weird though."

I turned to her, my mouth in a firm line. "I can guess how expensive the bill for Calla's hand is going to be. I'll do the work, whatever it takes. It probably doesn't need to be said, but I have a lot of confidence in my dedication and physical endurance."

Kim's mouth quirked, and then she snorted, and then she started laughing uproariously. She laughed so hard she bent over, holding the bar along the hospital wall for support. Eventually, like a wave withdrawing from shore, her laughter settled into a wide smile. "Well... I don't know how much use your body is going to be."

She leaned towards me, and I realized her eyes were bright, bright green. "I kinda need you to play video games with my kid brother.

Chapter 4

We got back in the helicopter, Kim leading, and we lifted off and flew towards a nearby mountain, landing next to what I could only label a castle. The rotor was still spinning, but Kim hopped down without fear and strode away. I hurried after, adding a little of the Gust Path to my step to keep abreast with her.

"This is great timing. Our mother has been a bit concerned about my brother for a while now. Yanno, he's one of those nerdy types that never really leaves his room, doesn't have any friends, only plays video games..."

Kim shook her head. "Well anyway, in exchange for uh, certain favors from my mother..." Kim looked back possessively at the helicopter. "I agreed to try and play a couple games with him, yanno, some human interaction, even if through game? And a new game came out, just tonight, it was midnight release, one of those new neural uplink things..."

We went through the door, and Kim shrugged off her coat, which was immediately caught by a waiting... butler? Where was I?

The butler looked questioningly at me, but I hurried past, following Kim up a swirling staircase made of polished mahogany.  Kim grinned at me. "Sorry if I seemed a bit grumpy when you called, I had just dozed off after waiting in line for fucking 4 hours with the brat to get us the head-thingys. Anyway, I tried it, couldn't stand it, decided to sleep and give it my Schweiss best the next morning... and you fell right into my lap! Perfect!"

Kim seemed immensely pleased, but I was less confident. "Video games? I haven't played in years...and also, this doesn't really seem like something you would pay someone for. My niece..."

Kim waved her hand."Oh, the bill? We own the hospital, so its fine. And this is just something for a few days until I can get you something more your style, I promise. Just play with him for a few days, okay? How old are you anyway? Maybe you guys can be friends."

"22, but I don't think..." Before I could finish, Kim shoved her way into a large room dominated by two large reclining chairs and mini fridges. One of the chairs was occupied.

Kim spread her arms. "Your 'jobsite'."

I simply frowned at her. She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the second chair. "Here, sit down, put this helmet on. Have you done anything with neural uplinks before? It feels about weird, but I'm sure you will manage. It even lets you feel like your own body is inside the game, so I’m sure you will adapt just fine."

She handed me a surprisingly light plastic helmet. A thick black cord ran out the back, and plugged into a computer. Blinking on the computer was:

The Winding Path. Log In?

"Put on the helmet, and get ready for a little bit of vertigo. Hey, Zephyr? HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME."

Kim was yelling at the laying figure, his face hidden by the helmet. Kim turned back to me disgusted. "Well, whatever. I'll give you his ID when you log in. You can talk to him in game. He's only been in there for a little under an hour, he shouldn't be too far away."

I just shook my head. "But what do I even...?"

She just rolled her eyes, took helmet, and put it over my head.

Chapter 5

Once the helmet was completely on my head, the screen switched on, and suddenly I was falling and spinning. Although she had told me to be ready for vertigo this was...

And suddenly it was over, and I was standing, really standing, with my body, in front of a smiling man with a beard. "Hello traveler, what is your name?"

I just looked at him. I knew, logically, that I couldn't have just been teleported, that this was just a game, but he looked...well, real. Confused, I extended my spiritual energy outward, attempting to figure out what was going on. The air around the energy felt thick, and it could barely circulate through my body. But as I did it, a strange, blue box appeared before me:

Congratulations! You have discovered the stat, "Spiritual Energy"

And below that, in smaller letters:

Spiritual Energy techniques, like magic, use mana. Your "Spiritual Energy" growth rate is now 1.

"Hey! Are you in? See that weird man?" The voice felt like it was speaking directly into my head. "Tell him your online name or whatever, and then open up your friends tab and add my brother. His name should be Zephyr Nightshade in game."

"Friends tab...?"

The old man with the beard smiled at me. "Before that, adventurer, your name. What will you be called?"

"Oh, umm...." And suddenly I was a kid again, borrowing a friend's Gameboy, clicking through to start the game. What did I call myself...?

"Silver. Silver MiChar"

"Well Silver, I grant you the class of -Beginner-." The old man spread his arms wide, and the world became to fragment, and whirl away like cherry blossoms. "Welcome to The Winding Path!"

"Alright, good." Kim's voice spoke into my head. "Silver MiChar? That can't be your real name, can it? Well whatever. Oh, I know you can't talk back. We set this one up with the screen so Zephyr could help me get started, but he..."

Silence.

"Well, it didn't work out like that. There is a mic out here so I can communication with you though. Okay, so now..."

That sense of vertigo again, and I appeared in a meadow. Standing before me, about the size of a dog, was a boar. It stomped its feet.

"Oh well, now you fight that. Punch it a few times I guess? This is about as far as I got."

The boar charged at me, and without thinking, I settled into the First Cadence of Destruction.

Tah, Smack. 

I stepped to the right of the charging boar, and brought my hand down on its back in a brutal motion. A large red 5 floated up from where I struck it. But it simply turned around and glared at me. Floating above the boar was a bar, a fourth of which had turned red. The rest remained a bright green.

"Okay so, that's a health bar, and it looks like it has around 20 health. So like I said, punch it a few..." Suddenly, I was struck from behind, hard. I fell forward, and I noticed that stuck in the corner of my vision, were two bars, a green and a blue one. The green bar emptied quickly, going from 10 to 4. I scrambled forward and turned around. Beside the boar I had just punched, there were two others. One that looked very similar to the first, but with a completely green bar, and another, a larger boar.

Above the larger boar floated Lvl. 3, Boar Pack Leader. The boar snorted disdainfully at me.

"Ooo, I think that's what they call a boss?" Kim seemed more excited than anything else. "Haha, you really are bad at this. Immediately dying after logging in, I wonder if this is going to be a record or something?"

Chapter 6

I stood up, twisting my mouth. Holy shit, but that really hurt! Like a real boar just rammed me from behind. One of the tinnier boars, the one I hadn't hurt, gleefully snorted, and charged towards me.

But now, I was ready. As it approached I hopped backwards and to the left. Then I stepped quickly towards it, brining my arm back in preparation for a punch. A sudden rumble, and the Boss rumbled toward me, determined to protect its smaller friend. But I grinned, and again hopped to the left. The I powered forward, to the already weakened and now alone boar, which watched me approach with wide eyes.

Smack smack smack. With three quick hits, I finished off the wounded boar. The larger boar looked at me aghast. A green +20 floated up from the dead body. "Did that heal you? No that can't be right....EEEEEK!"

Kim screamed into my ear and I winced, but I had no time to recover, because the boar Boss bellowed. I heard the rustling of grass around me. Several more small boars walked over out of the treeline and into the grassland.

A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. This was... "You are in deep shit." This was a new voice, male and young, speaking into my ear.

Kim’s voice, suddenly. "Zephyr, you asshole, you didn't need to scare me!"

"Next time, don't yell at me! You know I couldn't answer unless I logged out and I was finishing a quest. Anyway, who is this? No, whatever, I haven't even seen that Boar spawn before. he just logged in right? What luck. Oh man, I bet it gives sweet experience..."

I grew increasingly annoyed as that new male voice, Zephyr?, grew increasingly excited. But I kept my eyes on the large boar, which began to glow as he charged forward. Wind swirled around his body. I narrowed my eyes. If I didn't know better... but no, it couldn't be.

When the boar neared, I hopped to the left, careful to not let any of the small boars draw too near. But as I did so, the large boar launched itself towards my new position!

I gritted my teeth. That was a spiritual energy technique. But I could do it too. As I landed, I pirouetted on the spot, spinning away from the force of the boar's blow. It still hit me, and I stumbled to the side, safe for now. My 4 turned into a 3.

"Kinda girly, but it did the job. Remember, the sensors in this game are your own body, so if your body wouldn't be hit by something, it won't hit you. Get it? Well, it's more complicated than that obviously. If that were true, if you truly believed that a sword stabbing you wouldn't hit, could you ignore the damage? I mean sure, maybe, but the mental fortitude needed..."

I tuned Zephyr's babble out. I glanced around 6 small boars, and the king boar. Best to eliminate the small fries first. One small boar, directly on the other side of the large boar, was far from any of the others. 

A target. I grinned, and dashed directly towards the large boar.

That energy swirled around it, and it charged directly at me. It felt like some weird, video game version of chicken. As I neared it, I strongly planted a foot, preparing to jump to the right. The large boar had tiny, beady eyes, but the saw the movement, and leapt to intercept me.

But my foot stayed planted. I laughed out loud; the creatures here respond to feints too. As the boar rushed past, I twisted and kicked it in the side. A red 7 floated up, and when it hit the ground, it stumbled and fell. A very tiny percent of its bar turned red.

"A little less than 10% I would say? Probably 100 life. It's going to be a grind if you don't..." But I was already rushing towards that isolated little boar. It squealed, and began to run towards me, panicked. But I did not fear the tiny boars in a 1v1. I sidestepped its charge, and hipchecked it, breaking its balance. As it fell, I brought both of my hands down on its skull, eliciting a loud crack! 17! I punched its stomach swiftly and it expired, granting me 20 more experience.

"You level up at 100 experience. And at Lvl 2 you get a free skill. The only free skill in the entire game, as far as I can tell..." I did my best to ignore him, as I had no idea what he was talking about. But I couldn't help but smile.

This... this was really fun!

Chapter 7

I cautiously began eliminating the remaining small boars, avoiding the large boar. I didn't really fear it, now that I understood that all it did was charge and leap. Such a moveset wouldn't even phase someone who had once attempted to walk the 7 paths of the School on the Mountain...

Wham!

For a second, I lost myself in pity, and a small boar struck me from behind, talking my health down to 1. I twisted around and struck it several times, killing it quickly. It was the fifth boar I killed, and as a did so, golden words appeared at the top of my screen.

Level Up! You've learned the skill "<Crushing Hand>".

"It's hard to explain how to use skills... just think the name, and it should activate."

I tried it, and a soft red fire covered my hands. I dodged the charging large boar and approached a small boar, and struck with my Crushing hand. A 21 floated up, and the boar died instantly. I gained 10 exp. "Yea, the game is pretty unforgiving about experience. When your level is higher than the monsters, you only get a fraction of the experience. But it always only takes 100 to lvl, so I guess there's that...Also, watch your mana! It's half gone after that. So you have one more."

Confused, I frowned, but then I saw the blue bar had turned half red. Also, apparently from when I leveled, my green bar was entirely green.

The large boar was charging towards me, but I didn't move. As it approached, my left hand engulfed in the red flame twisted into a claw. I mean, fuck it, right?

The second the boar was less than 10 feet away, Beat Beat, I crossed the distance and struck, smashing its head into the ground. However, its momentum carried it forward, somersaulting towards me. I shifted immediately into Flow Path stance, twisting the force, throwing the large body over my shoulder.

The body still hit me hard enough to hurt, and I winced. My green bar went from 12 to 2. But from the small hits I landed earlier, the crushing hand, and the force as the body hit the ground from my throw, the Lvl 3 Boar Packleader expired with a sigh. a green 100 flew out, and I saw the level up message again, this time in black.

"Gold means you gained something special, otherwise your stats just go up by your growth rate. But you are lvl 3 already! Wow, shit. I'm only 6, I need to get back and start leveling! For now, come to the nearby town, I'll be waiting there."

Slowly, as if regretful of every word, Kim spoke. "Compelling, right? Always the life of the party, my brother."

Silence from the outside world, and I spent that time eliminating the final two Boars for 5 exp. I then walked over to the large boars body, where there was a light. It was a shirt emitting the light. I picked up the shirt, nonplused.

"Okay, I can help you with this part. The menus follow voice commands, and from what I heard they are pretty perfect. So if you would say "friends list" it brings up friends list. But for now you want "Inventory". It will bring up a screen that will let you put that shirt on."

I did as she instructed, and a green box appeared midair. Inside of it was the silhouette of body, and a bunch of smaller brown boxes. In one of the brown boxes was the shirt. I pressed it with a finger. A pop-up appeared.

Red Shirt: Phys Def +1. Equip?

I selected yes, and just like that, I had a red shirt.

"Alright you have it from here right? Just look for a town and find Zephyr. *yawn*... I'm too old for this.”

There was an audible click, and for the first time in a while, I was alone inside my head. I glanced around. I saw small hill and trees, but no towns. At the other end of the grassland was what looked like the largest hill around. It was dotted with small boars with beady eyes.

I walked in that direction, thinking to myself how strange it is that people made such elaborate games, when fighting in real life was just as fun. But I could feel my excitement rising, even in this virtual world.

Chapter 8

After some wandering, I located the town. I was not lvl 5 yet, but close. It started to seem tedious chasing around the tiny boars for 5 exp.

As I passed by several small mud huts, I noticed a large group of players between the levels of 2 and 4. There seemed to be some shouting towards the center of the crowd, but I ignored it, and said, "Menu."

Nothing happened. I frowned. No, that was wrong. What was the command again...?

As I stood still, thinking to myself, a wooden staff softly tapped the top of my head, surprising me. "It's friend's list, you super noob. And open it up and accept my friend request so we can form a party."

Turning to my right, I saw a tall robbed man, grinning at me. He wore glasses, and had short reddish-brown hair. Ah, this must be Zephyr.

I said Friend's List, and a menu popped up. There was a small green notification of his friend request, and I clicked yes. I looked in him in askance. He grinned and said "Okay now, when I invite you to a party, click..."

Before he could finish, a scream sounded out from the large group of people. We turned to look, and saw as dozens of members of the crowd were backing away, revealing three arrogant individuals standing over several bleeding and kneeling bodies. The man in the center had long blond hair and a handsome face. But that handsome face was currently leering at the prostrate figures before him.

He leveled his sword at the crowd and said. "Look, it's really simple. Pay my group money, or we won't let you talk to the NPCs to get the 1st tier classes. It's not complicated. 5 copper per person. A really good deal, right?" Him and his companions began chuckling. The woman to his left had a wooden staff like Zephyr. The slight man to his right had a small dagger.

"What a dick. This game has only been up for two hours, and what, he's already extorting those weaker than him? Well, whatever. I have 5 copper I can give you so you can get a new class, oh that reminds me, classes in this game are super cool! They..."

"No need," And I was grinning and burning. It had been forever since I felt this good. Gust Path, First step, and I was bounding towards them. I would use my <Crushing Hand>  to get rid of these tools.

The blonde man saw me coming and simply smirked. He lazily cut down with his sword in my direction. But there was a whooshing sound, and a blade of wind rushed out towards me!

Gust path, Second Step, and I was around the blade and right in front of him. His eyes went wide. The red fire covered my hands. 

Beat. I viciously swung down, aiming for his near leg. As expected, he jumped up and away, and my attack missed. But with my second beat, I surged forward and struck him hard in the stomach. He stumbled back and tripped, falling on his ass. An 18 floated up, and most of his health bar turned red.

But then a green +15 appeared above his head, and he was healed. His glare was vicious. I sensed something to my right and dodged to the side. The slight man came at me swiftly, twirling his dagger. I turned, preparing to deal with him, but...

Swoosh. 32 damage hit me from the side, and I fell over, dead.

Chapter 9

"Silver!" Zephyr came rushing over, aghast. The blonde man stood up and sneered down at me.

"Silver was it? Haha, you had a piece of equipment? Well, I'll be taking that." The red shirt disappeared from my body. The blonde haired-man's eyes unfocused, and then he laughed.

"Just +1 P. Def? What a worthless equip. But let it not be said that I, Xavier Raft, am not generous. I could likely sell this for a single copper. So... Silver-chan."

He turned and spat at my dead body. "It's going to be 4 more coppers until you can pass."

Zephyr clenched his hands into fists. "You...!"

Xavier Raft glanced over. "Oh, mage, are you a friend of this dirt? To be fair, his innate skill was an interesting speed ability. What about you? Do you want to test your ability against the skill obtained after fully leveling the secret class, -Wind Swordsman-?"

Zephyr's face just reddened, and looked at the ground. "My innate skill is <Frost Zone>.

The Female Healer doubled over laughing. <Frost Zone>? Does it even do damage? What a boring ability. You know what? I'm a generous gal myself. Feel free to get yourself a new class. The fact that you are this weak is sorta pitiable."

Zephyr continued to look the ground. "I already have the class -Apprentice Sorcerer-" The three bullies laughed uproariously. But I wasn't listening. I was looking at the sky. And remembering the last time I felt so helpless...

­­­­----

I had just finished beating a group of college students. I was still in high school at that point, but my knuckles were bloody and I was victorious. I was in a dirty alley next to a dumpster, walking away from their moaning forms, when I heard a soft tap behind me. I grinned and turned around, expecting to find one of them standing up, struggling for more. But what I found was an older woman with long silver hair.

She looked at the bodies briefly, but then looked at me.

Swish, tat.

The woman disappeared, and I was struck in the back with an incredibly powerful force. I spun around, arms grasping for the kick, but it had already been retracted.

Still, I regained my balance in a split second and launched myself towards her. I lowered my shoulders and prepared to tackle her.

But as I approached, she hopped forward and knocked me up with a knee effortlessly. As I floated a few inches off the ground, her foot brutally whipped into my side, sending me crashing into the dumpster. My head smashed against the metal lip, and I dizzily swayed, barely staying on my feet.

"Reactions... Helpless."

The woman tilted her head at me.

"Speed...Insufficient."

I was starting to recover and I took two deep breaths.

"Strength...Misguided."

I narrowed my eyes. Well, that's just an opinion. I'll teach you a truth with my body.

Swish, tat. 

This time, it was I who made the first move, attempting to imitate the way she twisted her leg to launch herself quickly forward. It was nowhere near as quick, but I still quickly closed the distance.

She dodged my punches and hopped back. Once more, I twisted my leg and launched myself after her. If I reached her before her feet touched the ground...

But no, she settled quickly, and once more leg came up in a swift kick. But I was ready.

With a small hop, I brought my legs up. I would land on her kick and step forward, to smash her silver-haired head.

But when I landed, she continued to bring her leg up, stronger and swifter than I would have believed was possible. I was flying, she had launched me with her leg, midway through a kick, 20 feet into the air! I was almost high enough to reach the roof.

With a crash, I landed on the dumpster, cracking my head against the plastic cover.

Wow, I remember thinking. I want to kick like that. And then I passed out.

Unbeknownst to me, the woman with silver hair quirked her lip up into a small smile. "But... you pass. Welcome to the path."

Chapter 10

In the game, a box was blinking above my dead form:

Respawn?? Y/N

I clicked yes, and the world dissolved. Suddenly, I was back in the grassland. Several small boars frolicked around me, seemingly gleeful at my death. I killed several to work off some steam.

As I was killing them, a small window appeared, asking if I wanted to accept a chat invitation.

"Silver, where are you now?"

"Back at the grassland." I grunted as my <Crushing Hand> split open the skull of a small boar.

"Oh, okay. I wondered about the spawn point before you talked to the village elder in that beginner town and got your next class. Just come back to the town and I'll pay Xavier. You need another class before you finish that one."

"No, I won't pay him in anything but knucklesandwiches."

There was silence for a moment, but then Zephyr giggled. "Wow, that was really lame. But what are we going to do? Even though I have a class, I haven't leveled it completely yet. All my <Frost Zone> does is slow down the speed of all enemies in a certain area..."

"No that's perfect." I said, rushing towards a distant tiny boar. "With us together, we will crush the three of them." I imagined that the small boar had long blonde hair and smelled funny. It already had the perfect facial expression. As I smashed its spine, a golden Lvl Up! Appeared above my head.

Congratulations! You fully leveled the class "Beginner" As a reward, spend 5 Stat points. A screen with various labels and numbers appeared before me. I frowned. "Zephyr, what do these stats mean?"

"Oh! Stats are the numerical base for your strength in game. Sure, being a skillful warrior is important, but stats are an insurmountable wall! Actually, it's surprising that you did so much damage to Xavier, considering the difference in stats. I wonder if you crit..."

"Zephyr, you aren't answering the question."

"Oh. Oh OH. Sorry. Um, there are base stats and advanced stats, but you probably haven't unlocked any advanced ones. Health is health, mana is mana. Honestly they are all pretty self-explanatory. Str is how hard you hit, Agi how fast you react and move. Then you have a defense stat for physical things and magical things. Then Magic, which is the strength of your magical attacks. Why do you ask?"

I ignored him, considering the status screen before me:

Silver MiChar

Lvl. 5

??????

HP: 18 (2)

MP: 12 (2)

Str: 13 (3)

Agi: 9 (2)

PDef: 9 (2)

MDef: 1 (0)

Magic: 3 (0)

Spirit: 5 (1)

Ignoring the question marks for now, I probably unlocked Spirit earlier when I tried to use spiritual energy in game. I also remembered that My <Crushing Hand> adds spirit damage to an attack. With my 5 points, I put 2 in str, 2 in agi, and 1 in spirit, so it looked like this:

Silver MiChar

Lvl. 5

??????

HP: 18 (2)

MP: 12 (2)

Str: 15 (3)

Agi: 11 (2)

PDef: 9 (2)

MDef: 1 (0)

Magic: 3 (0)

Spirit: 6 (1)

Then I clicked okay. Another screen appeared: Choose your next Class!

There was only one option: Eternal Student. I shrugged and clicked it. What did it really matter?

"Zephyr, come back to the grasslands for a bit. Let's practice killing some boars together, and then we will be ready to crush those idiots."

"But Silver, what will you do without a class, you are going to hit lvl 5 soon. I don't know what happens when you level up without another class available..."

"Oh, I had one available, its fine. Hurry back! They won't stay there forever, we need to beat them before they get bored with bullying noobs."

Chapter 11

We approached the village again, 10 minutes later. There were much fewer people gathered around; apparently after watching me die, the rest of the players had acquiesced.

The three were still standing there. They seemed bored, but they were still hanging around.

"Alright Silver, remember, the only real worry on death is dropping equipment and spawning farther away. You have nothing, and I don't have anything that it would matter to lose. So let's give it our best shot."

I sighed. "You still don't think we can do it? Just follow the plan, and everything will be fine."

I strode forward. The three hadn't noticed us. All of the sudden, I used the Second Step of the Gust Path. I crossed the distance towards them in a heartbeat. <Crushing Hand>!

The red fire engulfed my right hand, and with a vicious blow, I stabbed right through the heart of the female adventurer. A red 15 appeared above her head. Her jaw went slack. I pulled my right hand out, and slammed the other hand against her stomach, dealing 9 damage. Unfortunately, all of this damage had only depleted about half of her life.

"You...!!!" I heard a roar from behind me, and knew that Xavier and the slight man were heading my way. But just as we agreed before...

"<Frost Zone>!" The two other adventurers were caught in Zephyr's skill, and hopefully that would buy me enough time to finish this one. Destruction Path, First Cadence!

A green +10 appeared above her head as she healed herself, but my mouth just settled into a grim line. I had expected that.

Beat!

I swung my arm in a powerful chopping blow, but the healer adroitly blocked it. A 4 floated up from her head. But...

Beat.

"Ah?" She gasped in shock as I grabbed her staff and pulled her towards me, causing her to stumble. But after a second of resisting the force, she rolled forward, and immediately sprung back up into a fighting stance. I frowned.

Swoosh! Hearing the noise, I ducked and glanced around. But I wasn't the target. With a cry, Zephyr fell to the ground, dead. A sharp blow hit me from behind, and I fell over, also dead. The slight man was standing above me, smiling.

Xavier chuckled. "This is so weird. It feels like this just happened. Dyny, could I be dreaming?"

The female healer, Dyny, leaned on her staff and frowned at Xavier. "Get over yourself cousin. Seriously, a fucking unpromoted piece of shit got my own blood all over this Lvl 10 Robe of Insight? Staying here and bullying this kids was dumb. They aren't worth our time." With a flourish, she turned, and flounced off.

Xavier's smiled widened, and he walked over to my dead body and sat down on his haunches. "Well there you have it, Silver-chan. Not worth our time. But if you ever want to die again, I'll always oblige."

The group turned and walked away. The surrounding players just ignored us. Frustrated, I clicked the respawn button. Zephyr was already there waiting.

"Well," He began tentatively. "At least now they are gone and you can get your tier one class."

I shook my head violently. "No. I don't even want it. We should just..." I looked around.

"The town is that way, right? So why don't we just walk... that way?" I pointed in the opposite direction, towards the treeline. Zephyr just frowned.

"What's that way?"

I shrugged and grinned at him. "Adventure and Pride."

His smile stretched ear to ear. "Okay you convinced me. I already have my class anyway, we can level. Oh I hope we encounter a rare boss mob..."

Chapter 12

We did not encounter any rare boss mobs as we heading into the forest. What we did encounter were more boars.

Bigger, higher level, meaner boars.

A Lvl 8 Flinthoof boar surveyed us calmly. It was about the size of a motorcycle, with yellowing, sharp tusks. It’s beady eyes seemed bored as it laid in a small patch of sunlight.

“So.. you’re 5 and I’m 7, so why are we encountering monsters that are higher levels than both of us…? I wonder if it’s because…”

But I ignored Zephyr, and sprang forward, red fire covering both my hands. Double <Crushing Hand>!

I interlaced my fingers, and brought my arms around like an axe blow. It slammed into the Boar’s side, and its flesh quivered. 35!

A small section of its health bar turned red. The boar snorted, and rolled towards me. The movement caught me by surprise, and I stumbled back. The boar snorted again as it was rolling, and this time the snort sounded an awful lot like laughter. But I quickly recovered, and hopped up in the air, once more using “Crushing Fist” on both my hands at once!

82!

“Aha!” Zephyr squealed. “A crit.”

A much larger chunk, almost a third, turned red on the monster’s health bar. With a grunt it abruptly stopped rolling and righted itself. It swung its head back and forth, slamming me aside with a glancing blow with its tusks. 15!

Staring at the sky, weakened and not dead, I clenched my fists. This game...no, this whole world… the sky is so huge!

“Silver! Get up. <Frost Zone>.”

I looked up and saw the boar lower its tusks and charge at me. Luckily, Zephyr had already cast the spell, and a thin layer of frost settled on the boar’s body, slowing its speed.

That slight difference was enough for me to jump over the boar, landing a few blows on my way past.

7!

8!

6!

Zephyr sighed. “You are out of mana aren’t you? This is going to be quite the grind…”

-----

After 30 minutes of me dodging around the boar between small punches, and Zephyr staying back and casting spells, the boar faltered and fell.

A black Lvl Up! Appeared above both my head and Zephyrs. Additionally, after I clicked okay, another box appeared:

Congratulations! Ignoring the Danger, you have found your favorite animal in every area you have gone! -Boar Enthusiast- has been added to the list of available classes!

I just stared at the text prompt, speechless.

“Hmm? Silver? What’s up? What’s that sysmsg?” He looked over my shoulder. “...Boar Enthusiast…?”

There was silence between us for several moments. Finally he put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me seriously. “Silver, if what you really want is to be friends with the boars, we can just-!”

I knocked his hand away and walked towards the dead boar, which was glowing with the light of a dropped item. Briefly, over my shoulder, I simply said. “Never speak of this.”

Zephyr began cackling behind me, and I resolved myself to do whatever it takes to never use that class. On the ground by the boar, I found 3 copper and a brown, slightly furry shirt.

Boarskin Jerkin

+10 HP

+15 P.Def

+10 M.Def

R: Lvl 5

“Wow, thats a pretty good drop for us! I can’t save you from charging boars all the time, you are going to need to be able to take a few hits. Survivability is critical for us, so far from a town and with no healer. Go on, equip it, the level requirement is only 5.

I openned up the inventory and put on the jerkin, and looked at my status screen.

Silver MiChar

Lvl. 6

Eternal Student

HP: 20 (2) +10= 30

MP: 14 (2)

Str: 18 (3)

Agi: 13 (2)

PDef: 11 (2) +15=26

MDef: 1 (0) +10=11

Magic: 3 (0)

Spirit: 7 (1)

Well, I thought to myself, it was better than nothing. 

Chapter 13

We continued through the forest, occasionally encountering Lvl 7 Boars in small clearings. Only once did we encounter two at a time. We likely would have lost and been sent all the way back to the original meadow, but luckily when you Level, your health and mana are replenished, so we were able to focus one boar down without me dying, and then turn our attention to the surviving boar.

By that point, even though it had only been about an hour, we were working quite well as a team. Zephyr had even started hitting the boars with his staff for about 3 or 4 damage.

I sighed. He was level 9 now, about to finish the -Apprentice Sorcerer- class. Hopefully he obtained a useful offensive spell.

We hadn’t found any more gear, but we had both level well, and my status screen now read:

Silver MiChar

Lvl. 8

Eternal Student

HP: 24 (2) +10= 34

MP: 18 (2)

Str: 24 (3)

Agi: 17 (2)

PDef: 15 (2) +15=30

MDef: 1 (0) +10=11

Magic: 3 (0)

Spirit: 9 (1)

My <Crushing Hand> now did around 28 on the normal blows, and 70 on the powerful double handed blows. And should I crit…

I frowned and looked at back at Zephyr as I pushed my way through the foliage. “Hey, why do I do more than double damage when I use <Crushing Hand> on both hands at once?” 

As I had feared, Zephyr looked at me with sparking eyes. “Oh! Isn’t that interesting? I noticed that too and I had been thinking… I think it has to do with the skill system itself. You know the mastery stat when you look at your skill?”

My face continued to be a frown. He hastily continued. “For example, my mastery of <Frost Zone> is at 34%. I’ve noticed that I can control the shape and size of it a bit better, and if I really focus, slow a specific target down quite a bit more than everything else in the area. Oh, but the other things slowed are obviously less affected. I would guess that it’s just you mastering <Crushing Hand> and figuring out how to properly utilize its power.”

Properly utilize its power? I thought to myself. This isn’t real life. This was just a game, wasn’t it? But I brought up the status screen, and clicked on Crushing Hand.

Crushing Hand: Costs 3 mana. Add Spirit damage to attack. 5% Crit rate.

Mastery: 57%

Well, it was slightly reassuring that I had such a higher degree of mastery than Zephyr.

“What happens when you hit 100%?” I asked him. Zephyr shrugged helplessly.

“No one knows. The game was just released, after all. Around tomorrow there is going to be a flood of information on the forums as people finish playing and want to share their stories. I’ll check then.”

We continued on for some time without encountering any monsters. The forest grew darker and more sinister around us, and it seemed that, beyond the overhanging trees, the sun had sunken lower. Soon, it was twilight, and glowing pearlescent butterfly lingered around bushes. 

The air turned humid and cold. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand on end, and I began noticing furtive movements in the darkness with the corners of my eyes.

“You see that?” I whispered.

Zephyr slumped on the ground and dropped his staff, the sound echoing. “Gah! Where the fuck are the monsters! This is so boring I think I’m going to just-”

A silver blur flashed out of the treeline, diving for Zephyr’s defenseless form. 

First Cadence! Beat Beat.

I leaped six feet forward to interpose myself between Zephyr and the blur, and brought my foot up in a vicious curving kick into his head of the blurr. A 16 floated up from its head. It was a wolf!

Stumbling, it couldn’t seem to recover its balance after my kick. I stepped forward and delivered three swift punches, finishing it off. It was a Lvl 8 Silver Pup, and it crumpled without a sound.

“Oh!” Zephyr looked at me, his eyes jubilant.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, there are monsters everywhere. Did you really not see them?”

“Not that.” He shook his head. “I leveled up. I have a new skill called-”

As he was speaking, 4 more silver blurs rushed toward us.

Chapter 14

I gritted my teeth and did my best to follow the movements of the blurrs. Zephyr’s skill would have to wait. Instead of rushing forward like the previous one, these circle around, flitting to and fro. Even if they would quickly die under my hits, their speed truly was something to be feared.

Without warning. One of the blurrs rushed towards me, so fast even I couldn’t react in time. Is claws gouged my boarhide jerkin as it rush past.

5!

But when two more blurrs rushed towards my back to follow-up, I was ready. Both my hands were wreathed in spiritual fire and swept towards them. The first rushed under my blow and ripped at my knee for 4 damage, but the second was smashed down into the ground.

31!

I stepped forward and quickly finished it off. I took a deep breath and focused my consciousness into a point. I had only 25 health remaining, but there were only 3…

As I had this thought, 4 more blurrs rushed out of the darkness.

My face turned grim. At this rate…

“<Thunder Protector>”

Blue energy surrounded my body, and a small blue bird made of electricity cawed a warning above my head. I stood still, confused. I understood that this was Zephyr’s ability, but what did it do…?

As if to answer my question, a bolt of lightning struck out from the bird, hitting a blurr for 17 damage. The pup slowed, and in that instant I crossed the distance to it, and smashed its body into the ground with a kick. As the pup expired, a black Lvl Up! indicator appeared above my head, but I had no time to reaction, because the other blurrs rushed towards me from behind!

The 7 blurrs streaked towards me, and I used the Second Step of the wind path to dodge to the side. 3 flitted past harmlessly, but 4 were able to land blows.

3!

2!

2!

3!

The last crumpled to the ground under a critical blow from my <Crushing Hand>, but 6 still remained.

A slow smile spread across my face. The ability also granted me increased defense? Perhaps we could pull this off after all.

“Silver!” Suddenly I remembered that Zephyr was exposed too. Several of the blurrs were rushing towards him, and more blurrs came flooding out of the darkness. I quickly rushed towards Zephyr, desparate to protect him, but Zephyr started giggling. “<Frost Zone>”

The blurrs were suddenly discernable as Silver Pups, and as I watched, the bird above my head spat out a bolt of lighting, which struck one, and chained to four others. The shock only did between 13-18 damage, but it left the pups momentarily stunned, and I descended like a god of war upon them.

Beat Beat.

Beat Beat.

The fifth pup, seeing the fate of its allies, changed its course, and, along with its remaining brothers, streamed off into the forest.

A golden Lvl Up! Appeared above my head, and I clicked the notification.

Congratulations! You have acknowledge no master, but know that the earth is vast and sky is wide! Continue on your journey, and continue to grow!

Two notifications appeared in front of me.

You have unlocked -Wandering Monster Slayer-

You have unlocked -Masterless Pupil-

Closing out of those, I returned to the Level up screen. 

You gain 5 to all stats, and 5 growth points, additionally you unlock *Growth 1*. 

I frowned at the status screen. The growth stats were different than my regular stats? I suppose they determined how much they grow per level. After some thought, I put 1 into Hp, 1 into Str, 1 into Agi, and 2 into Spirit. The more powerful my <Crushing Hand> grew, the better. 

After that, the select a class screen came up. I ignored the class at the bottom, and pondered -Wandering Monster Slayer- and -Pupil-. 

Honestly… I didn’t really want to be called a pupil, and selected the wanderer class. Even if I wasn’t exactly sure what *Growth 1* was, my status screen now looked like this.

Silver MiChar

Lvl. 10

Wandering Monster Slayer

HP: 33 (3) +10= 43

MP: 27 (2)

Str: 35 (4)

Agi: 21 (3)

PDef: 19 (2) +15=34

MDef: 6 (0) +16=2

Magic: 8 (0)

Spirit: 16 (3)

Chapter 15

Satisfied, I turned to Zephyr. “What was that skill? Without that, considering how many of them there were, and their speed, we would have been in trouble”

Zephyr just stood there, grinning and nodding. “I know right! It’s <Thunder Protector> and it grants an ally armor and a bird that can shoot chain lightning. Its a little hard to time, and the control takes a lot of focus, but..”

Suddenly, Zephyr’s mouth went into an O. “Oh. Oh oh oh oh oh. My mastery of this… is already at 83%!” I looked at him, shocked. Quickly, I brought up my skill. The master had improved, but only to 63%. It was unbelievable that his mastery jumped up so quickly.

He was trembling with excitement. “At this rate we can quickly be the first to reach 100% mastery on a skill! Let’s find some more.”

We pressed forward, enthusiastic and excited. We did not see any silver pups, but we heard them, running quickly away from us. We gave chase, hoping to come close enough for Zephyr to cast <Frost Zone> and slow them down. Surprisingly, we suddenly exited the forest, arriving at a lake. A crescent moon filled the sky. By the lake, dozens of silver’ pups were sitting around two figures. The figure on the left was a Silver Matron, Lvl 14. And the figure on the right…

Shaggy and grey, it was a beast much bulkier than the ones we had seen thus far: Grey Hunter Lvl 20. It had yellow eyes, and as we entered the clear area around the lake, the sharp eyes focused unflinchingly on us.

Zephyr’s jaw dropped. “But… I’m only Lvl 11. How can we encounter…”

I winced slightly and spoke in a low voice. “When I leveled up… the class I chose was a wanderer type, and that class has a special characteristic, that there is an increased likelihood that you encounter monsters over 5 lvls above you in non-dungeon zones. This is probably a non-dungeon, so… let’s just run and…”

But Zephyr just shook his head wildly. “Are you kidding?!? This is exactly what I had been hoping for! A rare boss, I bet they drop all sorts of sweet loot… SILVER.” He turned and looked at me with wide eyes.

“We need to get this. I bet no one in the game has encountered an enemy this level! This is our chance to advance into the realm of legends~~ Oh I’m so excited.”

Well, I thought to myself, the worst that would happen is that we were forced to respawn all the way in that boar grassland, which wasn’t too bad. I had rethought my initial rejection of classes, and would be slightly interested and seeing what the original town had to offer.

Zephyr looked at me wildly. “Alright, I’m casting <Thunder Protector> on myself and charging in. When the Lvl 20 mob makes his move, I’ll cast <Frost Zone> and you move in to finish it off, alright?” I nodded.                                                                            

Zephyr cast the spell on himself and charged in wildly. With an exasperated breath, I followed him into the throng. Periodically, lightning lashed out from the bird about Zephyr’s head. And in the instant that they were stunned by the blast, I struck out at a few of the weakened pups, finishing that off. In that manner, we cut a path towards the two central figures. They remained poised, watching us approach.

Eventually, the matron stood, and howled towards the moon, the thus far relatively passive crowd of silver pups were whipped into a frenzy, and they began diving wildly at us. Due to my higher physical defense, and Zephyr’s shield we took about the same about of damage from each of the strikes: 3-4.

This… Was not a sustainable strategy.

“Zephyr!” I yelled, using <Crushing Hand> to smite two pups. “We need to slow our advance and finish off these pests! Otherwise they will bleed us to death.”

He simply turned to me and gave  me wry smile, before clapping his hands together and saying, “Frost Zone!” A large area, larger than I had believed was possible, large enough to encompass the entirety of the wolf mobs was covered by the slowing frost. I, as a member of the party, was unaffect. But the rest...I instantly switched to the Destruction Path and began to slaughter the small fries. After about a dozen had fallen beneath my strikes, a Lvl Up! indicator appeared above my head, but I ignored it, pressing on deeper into the throng of pups.

After I had finished a significant number, but before I had killed them all, the matron stood and howled. Three yellow foxfires formed around her, and then they begin to swirl faster and faster. Suddenly, the three foxfires rushed forward towards me.

Chapter 16

The foxfires moved in a deceptive swirl, so they seemed to move slowly as the eyes were drawn towards the nearest fire, but the entirety of the technique was moving at a very high rate of speed. I bent my knees and prepared to try something drastic. Something that reminded me of an old, old memory…

-----

After the Spirit Path Elder’s test, I had become of a student at the School on the Mountain. A simple name, but one I would find to be relatively well known within the martial arts world. When I arrived, fresh off my humiliating defeat, I had antagonized the more senior students. I had taunted them, started fights, played pranks, and refused to acknowledge their superiority. This had made me the subject of scorn and constant abuse from everyone. Everyone except one person…

A girl, with long, dark hair and beautiful amber eyes. The only other student who showed me any kindness at all. The only person who saw my feeble attempts to lash out as what they really were: anxiety and loneliness. 

Tian slapped me on the back and grinned impishly. “Don’t sweat it,” She said, helping me clean cow dung out of my shoes without a complaint. “People without talent are always jealous of those with it. Just ignore it for now, and when the masters acknowledge you, the rest will fall in line.”

I was currently being introduced to the basics of the Seven Paths. Each day, I would go train with a different master, before being shuffled off to a different one the next day. This was already the 6th day of this process. I had been given rudimentary, exhausting lessons in all of the styles; I had been praised by the Destruction and Flow path masters, while dismissed by the Fury and Blade Path masters. Today, Tian was leading me towards the domicile of the Gust Path Master.

Tian had already been selected as an inner disciple, studying directly under the Gust Path Master. I, as an outer disciple, was forced to play this training carousel. Part of it was to test our strengths at the different styles, but I was positive that the other part of it was to drive the weaker willed disciples out.

Tian was trying her best to explain the Gust Path. "Gust Path is divided into steps. The first three steps are the most difficult, because they are a matter of talent. If you have enough talent to master the first 3 steps over your lifetime, the rest come much easier. It's a matter of feel, I think."

Tian laughed. "Even I, who has been studying under the Gust Path Master for almost a year, is having quite a bit of difficulty in executing a third step of passable quality. In addition to the innate feel and spiritual energy requirements, your body needs to be in remarkably good shape to execute the movement..."

We arrived, and Tian left me with a small wave to join the rest of the inner disciples.  I was left with the outer disciples, who were put through a vicious series of leg and core exercises by a tall man with a hawk nose, the Gust Path Master.

Afterwards, as the group was laying on the ground struggling to breathe, the Gust Path Master clapped his hands. Several inner disciples, including Tian rushed over, setting up 20 thin blocks of wood, one for each of us trainees. Then, about 10 feet away, they dragged a brush along the ground, leaving a long line with red paint.

The Gust Path Master stared haughtily down at us all. "Listen! This is your first test here at the School on the Mountain. But if you fail..." The Master gave a satisfied smile. "Do not bother ever coming to train under me ever again. Consider this Gust Path closed to you, and this to be a "free day"." The disciples around me murmured in nervous excitement. I ignored them and looked closely at the Master.

He continued, "The task before you is simple. Stand on the block. Jump and land behind the line. But that would be too easy wouldn't it? So..." The Gust Path Master swept out his leg low, and in a line. A rush of air flew from the tip of his kick, and hit the blocks. With soft klinks, they fell over. "Your block must also remain standing after you jump."

Chapter 17

The trainees all walked over towards their own block, nervous. I picked mine up. Simply a tall and thin block of pulp wood. It barely weighed anything at all. I set it down. It was only big enough for one foot to fit, so it would require almost all of my strength to launch me the 10 feet. Still, the force would likely kick the block back several yards, much farther than the 10 feet I needed to jump.

Then how? Control my strength? No, I shook my head. That was trap, just leading to failure in both areas; the block and the length. What did Tian say? It was all about the feel. The feeling of a step so light that even water wouldn't ripple when you land. The First Step of the Gust Path...

And suddenly I was flying. 10 feet, 15 feet, 20 feet! I landed with that same soft step, and turned around to look. My block wobbled, but stayed straight up.

The rest of the disciples looked at me in awe. The Master gave me a short nod. Another disciple jumped, following my lead, but I clearly saw his block would fall. However, the Master suddenly bellowed.

"Trainee! Make it back to your block before that disciple lands!"

My eyes went wide, but immediately I settled. This I already understood. Just like the previous First Step was soft, this step was "hard". This is what the Spirit Path Master used.

Swish, Tat.

And like a thunderbolt, I was back at my block. My passage knocked over some of the other blocks. The master nodded, satisfied, and sent the rest of trainees away. And gave me instructions on the Third Step. Poised on one leg, ready to explode at any moment in any direction. A stillness that belied its power. The Third Gust Step, Lulling Breeze.

I walked back with Tian, frustrated. "If I only hadn't been killed by those exercises first! I just need a good night's sleep, that's all, and that third step is more than literally a breeze!"

Tian giggled. "That's what I thought too, for a while." She patted my cheek in a lofty manner. "Experience shall season even the toughest meat. Wouldn't you agree?"

But I was resolved. The next morning, the other disciples just slept in, because everyone knew that even if you went to the Spirit Path Master's training, she would just meditate, and give you no instruction. Now, due to the Gust Path Master's test, they had two free days in a row! But I went to the training anyway.

As I had been warned, the Spirit Path Master ignored me. But that didn't matter. I wasn't here for instruction. I was here for space and isolation.

Unbeknownst to me, Tian snuck away from her training to watch. "We shall see how 'simple' the Third Step is," she giggled to herself, and she settled into the shadows to see my progress.

I stretched briefly, warming my body up, and then I was ready. Dashing forward, I built up speed, when suddenly...

"Hold."

I froze. The Spirit Path Elder gazed at me. Minutes past in silence, as I held my body suspended on my right leg. This was the third step. Now I just needed...!

"Left." And I launched myself powerfully to the left with the second step.

"Hold." The second hold was quick, but I knew the feel. I settled onto my left leg, and diffused the momentum of my rush, which spread out in halo of force around me with a whoosh.

Tian sat back on her heels, shocked. The Spirit Path master just nodded and closed her eyes. I grinned and stood up, ready to go boast to Tian, but abruptly the physical cost of the move caught up with me and I tumbled to the ground in a heap. My knees were trembling, and I couldn't really feel my legs. In the shadows, Tian slunk away, a seed having just been planted in her heart: the seed of jealousy.

-----

I opened my eyes and banished the memory. The 3 foxfires swirling wildly. But I waited and watched carefully. The loomed large in front of me, but...

The Third Step, Lulling Wind! I rushed straight forward, slipping between the swirling fires. The Grey Hunter remained laying, and there were no Silver Pups between me and the Matron. With a roar, I launched myself forward, and using <Crushing Hand>. I struck the Matron directly in the chest, and she stumbled back, a large 49 appearing above her head. Only a small amount of her health bar turned red.

She glared at me and stretched her head forward, biting towards me. But instantly I used the First Cadence of Destruction, knocking her head aside with my left hand and bringing my right down in a chop towards her neck. As I did so, I concentrated on the bottom of my hand, willing it to be stronger, faster, sharper!

I felt the power swell, but in that brief moment of pause as I focused my spiritual energy, the Matron spun away, and my blow simply glanced off her flank.

72!

Even a glancing blow did that amount of damage? I thought to myself. If I can figure out a way to stun her long enough to land a direct hit...

The matron suddenly landed, and turned to me a dozen feet away, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. 7 foxfires appeared in the air around her.

Chapter 18

The foxfires appeared smaller this time, so perhaps they would deal less damage, but with that number I was a little bit unsure of whether I would be able to dodge them.

This time, when the Matron launched them, they went one at a time, in arcing lines towards me.

<Thunder Protector> settled around me, and I heard Zephyr's voice call out to me. "Most of the Pup's back here are finished. Now just the big ones. I wonder if I can..."

I used the Second Step to jump back out of the line of the first fox fire. It smashes into the ground with a crash, throwing up smoke and debris. I let out a breath. "Thanks Zephyr, but I didn't' even need..."

Through the smoke, 3 more foxfires rush towards me. I grit my teeth and prepare to jump, but suddenly, the bird above my head caw's loudly, and a lightning bolt strike out, hitting one of the foxfires. An explosion knocks me back, dealing a some damage to me and lowering my life  to 19. I hastily hoisted myself back up onto my feet, and looked around.

I landed next to the lake. I didn't see any more foxfires for now, but I stayed crouched, waiting. On the lake next to me, small ripples spread out from the shore, probably due to the force of the explosion.

The still air was interrupted by the remaining 5 foxfires rushing out and towards me. I glance nervously at the lake. Would it be enough to dive under water? But what if they just waited outside? Would the water even weaken them? And if they turned and targeted Zephyr...

I shook my head and once more settled down into a crouch, preparing. My legs had just stopped trembling from the previous step.

The foxfires came arcing towards me, almost slowly, cautiously, but speeding up as they drew near. They didn't spin or really have any organization at all, they just were individually homing in on my position. The smoke was still thick around me, and I could hear Zephyr coughing. Or cackling with glee. It was really hard to tell with that kid.

Suddenly, the lead foxfire shot forward. I let out the breath I was holding and used the first step to lightly hop to the right, the foxfire hurtling harmlessly past and behind me. Another step, forward and left, and I cut through the space between the two of them.

As if they were small comets in orbit around the gravity of my body, the two foxfires rushed to follow me, and blindly collided with each other.

Boom.

Using the Second Step, I dashed away, out of the radius of the blast. But the remaining three fox fires were hot on my trail, quickly shortening the distance to practically nothing. With a wince, I settled on my left leg, the Third Step. They were a fraction of a second away, and I launched myself directly up and away. But the release was a bit delayed. The fatigue from my first attempt at the Third Step was catching up with me.

I was hit directly by the first  foxfire. Even through the <Thunder Protector> a red 18 appeared. The force of the blast threw me off my jump, and I ended flying backwards. I landed hard on my back, and I sat up with a scowl. Once more down to 1 life. I really needed to put some more points into HP if this is how this game was going to go. 

The last two foxfires were speeding towards me, and I stumbled to my feet. I focused my spiritual energy into my legs. I needed one more sharp Third Step. I settled down into position, steeling my resolve.

Suddenly, two bolts of lightning shot out above my head, hitting both of the foxfires. I turned around surprised. Zephyr was positively bouncing on the balls of his feet, grinning at me. “My mastery level reached 100% on <Thunder Protector>! I gained a level, got a bunch in my magic stat, and learned the skill <Chain Lightning>!”

I just looked at him.

He giggled. “I’m pretty good at this game aren’t I?”

Chapter 19

It was hard to admit to myself how disappointed I was that he mastered his skill before he mastered mine. But I think that if I had had time to focus and land that previous chop… 

But, I hadn’t managed it. I turned back towards where the Matron was. There was still enough of dust and smoke to obscure the area, and I wasn’t able to locate her.

But then, wreathed in foxfire, the Matron charged out, blowing all the remaining smoke away with the force of the magical energy. I knew that I couldn’t take another hit from any of the Matron’s attacks so the best I could do is hit once, simultaneous, hard enough for it to matter. Once more, I focused all of the energy into my left fist. A brighter flame seared my hand, enough for me to feel the heat.

But before I was forced to sacrifice myself, a lightning bolt lashed out from Zephyr’s fingers and struck the Matron, dispelling the firefox aura, causing the Matron to stumble. 

Beat Beat.

I pounced forward, and with a huge left hook, smashed my fist against the temple of the matron. 82!

But… it still wasn’t enough, and the problem wasn’t the <Crushing Hand>, it was the force of my body behind the blow. Just like what put Zephyr’s mastery over the top was his aim of the thunder, not the damage of the skill. The first cadence of destruction was swift, but wasn’t powerful enough. I needed.. I needed…

Shaking my head, I refocused my energy into my assault. 

Wham, Wham, Wham.

I landed a few more blows before the matron regained her balance, reducing her health to less than half. She hissed at me and bent her legs to leap away.

There!

BEAT.

Launching myself forward, I unleashed all the force in my body, smashing through the Matron’s center of gravity and launching her into the air. The Second Cadence of Destruction!

She whimpered, and my right hand was covered in fire. I twisted my arm around and back, and then launched it up, curving around, and finally descending in a crushing blow to the Matron’s skull. I pressed down, burying the Matron’s head into the rock.

156!

The matron died without a sound. A lvl up appeared above my head, and I let out a sigh of relief. Always having the hanging threat of a single hit finishing you off was stressful. And the prospect of walking all the way back from the grassland…

But then the air around me stilled, and I felt the powerful, penetrating gaze of the Grey Hunter. The whole area went silent. Zephyr and I glanced at each other, and then looked back towards the Grey Hunter. It was padding softly towards us. 

I narrowed my eyes. Really silently. Too silently. Like he was using the First Step of the Gust Path…

And without a single intervening moment, the Grey Hunter’s body was in front of me, it’s powerful claw descending towards me!

Chapter 20

The energy instantly focused towards my hands, but I wasn’t going to get my guard up in time.

“<Thunder Protector>!” Zephyr yelled, and a crackling electric shield covered my body. It definitely seemed brighter and stronger, but against the Lvl 20 Grey Hunter… I just hoped my 49 Health would be sufficient.

But before the Grey Hunter could finish the stroke, two bolts of lightning shot out, one from the bird hovering over my head and the other from Zephyr’s fingers. The first bolt went high, and the Hunter easily ducked it. The second zipped towards the Grey Hunter’s hind legs, and it was forced to awkwardly hop to the side to avoid the strike.

As it’s body was hanging in the air…

BEAT. Second Cadence of Destruction!

I rushed forward and slammed my shoulder against the large body, breaking its balance. Then, I focused my energy. Even more powerful. Even stronger, A smaller area; just my knuckles. I slammed my hand against the creature’s pelt. 159 floated up from the strike, and almost a third of the creatures life turned red. The Grey Hunter growled, regained its balance, and flew backwards, faster than I could pursue. I had only managed to land the one blow for damage, but it was a significant blow. I grinned; we could do this.

Zephyr seemed to share my enthusiasm. “Honestly, I was a bit worried at first… and that speed is crazy… but this won’t be so bad afterall. “ He gave me the thumbs up. “And speaking of speed… let’s even the odds!”

<Frost Zone>.

I turned towards the Grey Hunter, mentally preparing to rush again towards the boss mob. Not a smaller area, I thought to myself, a hotter flame. A denser wall of spiritual energy. Built up slowly. And with it I’ll…

“Ah?” I was so surprised that I made an inadvertent noise. When I looked into the area afflicted by <Frost Zone>, the Grey Hunter was nowhere to be seen.

“Silver!” Zephyr’s voice was tinged with desperation, and I quickly spun around, but the Grey Hunter had already crossed the distance between up. Contemptuously, it kicked Zephyr with a back leg. A 48 floated upward as his body was sent sprawling. Blood drained out of my face; Zephyr was definitely dead. That quick blow would have finished me off immediately. 

But before I could do anything but watch in horror, the Grey Hunter was again viciously swinging its claw. The claws smashed up against the electric shield with a terrible noise and I stumbled backward 

29! The blow, through the shield was more than enough to get rid of half of my life. I gritted my teeth and sank into the cadences of destruction. I needed something stronger, something bigger…

But the Hunter was just too fast. The second claw came slicing towards me.

Zapp Zapp!

Once again, two bolts shot towards the Grey Hunter. However, this time, both of them struck the body. The bolt from <Thunder Protector> didn’t even seem to phase him and a small 23 floated up. But the <Chain Lightning> Skill… 198! And as the Grey Hunter was hit, he was frozen for a full half a second. I struggled to swiftly regain my balance, but by the time I had begun to step towards the Wolf, it recovered, springing away.

It’s yellow eyes narrowed, and began to glow ominously. Zephyr wheezed as he walked next to me. “Just need one more good hit. But he’s so fast that he dodges the whole frost zone… got any ideas…?”

Chapter 21

I looked at him with a frown. “How are you even alive?”

Zephyr just shrugged. "I mean, it's not that impressive. I got +30 health from finishing my -Apprentice Sorcerer- class. You probably got something even higher as a melee class, right?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but the Grey Hunter disappeared with a small tap, and already hit us and was past.

15!

19!

Just like that, in a quick movement, the boss mob struck and was past, knocking both of us off of our feet. It settled by the body of the Matron, lowering its Grey head and nudging her softly. There was no response. The Hunter raised its head and the glowing yellow eyes seemed to fill the entirety of my vision.

An impending doom.

But I closed my eyes and shook my head. "I don't care what you have to do, Zephyr. Give me a few seconds. I think I can pull off a miracle."

He giggled. "Sometimes you say the lamest things. But alright. Max Area <Frost Zone>!"

Even I, eyes closed and focused within, could feel the settling chill around me. Had I had my eyes open, I would see the Grey Hunter leaping back, outside of the area of effect with narrowed eyes. It was about 100 yards from our position. It paced back and forth, and then finally settled on its haunches, content on letting this strange phenomenon pass.

Zephyr grimaced. "I'll hold as long as I can... but it's not long. Around 5 more seconds at this size. And honestly, I don't even know how much that thing would even really feel it..."

But I had tuned him out. My soul was a furnace, and I felt my left hand floating in the center of that heat. I tightened every fiber of my being, raising the temperature. Increasing the spiritual force exerted. My handed burned red.

But then it began to burn yellow.

Then white.

Then blue.

Then finally, Purple-Black.

I opened my eyes, and my whole body was covered in the purple black flames. I could see the small movements in the wolves tendons as it was poised to pounce towards us. I smiled.

Congratulations! Due to your master of <Crushing Hand>, you have gained a level! Additionally, you have learned the skill <Spiritual Overclock>.

<Spiritual Overclock>

Str, Agi, P.Def, and M.Def stats are increased by the Spirit stat for the duration. Costs the value of the Spirit in mana per second. After activating the skill, my stats looked like this:

Silver MiChar

Lvl. 13

Wanderer

HP: 42 (3)  +10   = 52

MP: 33 (2)

Str: 47 (4) +25 =72

Agi: 35 (3) +25 =60

PDef: 30 (2)  +40 =73

MDef: 6 (0)   +35 =41

Magic: 8 (0)

Spirit: 25 (3)

The only drawback is that  due to my high spiritual power, I would only be able to use it for a second and some change. I frowned. I would need to increase the growth of my mana to keep up with my spirit if I ever wanted to use it. Still, for now, it was probably sufficient.

The ground cracked as I launched myself forward. The Grey Hunter saw me coming, and adjusted his jump to be to the side. However, I was now on a similar level of speed, and with a slight touch, I adjusted my course to intercept.

Chapter 22

With a crash, I sped up, intending to beat the Grey Hunter to the landing. However, even though I had vastly improved my power, he was still a Lvl 20 boss mob.

We arrived at the same time, and I effortlessly threw 7 punches into the area around him. But he was like a shadow, ducking and weaving around them. He slipped past me, his teeth grazing my arm.

6!

I grinned. This was more like it. I sent several more cutting blows at him, which were mostly dodged, but several landed.

62!

99!

87!

The Grey Hunter's health dropped swiftly, but I knew that I was running out of time. Over half of my mana was already depleted.

I switched to the Second Cadence of Destruction!

BEAT

The powerful attack shook the very air. But that same power that made it effective made it very predictable, and the Grey Hunter jumped back and away, dodging instantly.

I narrowed my eyes. I wouldn't be able to cross the distance and strike a blow in time before this power ran out.

As I settled down into my stance after the attack, my one foot landed too far forward, and I stumbled a bit as I attempted to reset myself.

The Grey Hunter's eyes gleamed; it would not let this sign of weakness pass. I grinned secretly to myself. Perfect. Nothing is as predictable as a hunter's instincts.

Streaking towards me, the Grey Hunter opened its jaws and aimed directly for my throat. I switched stances. The first Current of the Flow Path! Feel the force of your opponent and know their power. My hands traced the air around me in a smooth circle. I narrowed my eyes, next, the Second Current...

I aimed a low kick at the approaching Grey Hunter. It hopped over the blow, disdainful. But the kick did not continue in a circle, it began to curve and flow directly up, catching the surprised wolf and using the force of his own jump to throw him far into the air!

The Second Current of Flow, redirecting an opponent's flow!

The purple black fire around me dissipated, and I was left trembling and panting. The Grey Hunter was still alive, but helpless and flailing mid air, unable to dodge.

"Zephyr, use your lightning to finish it off!"

Zephyr let loose a nervous giggle. "Um... I'm... Oh! Oh oh. I have a mana potion! Just a second..." He lifted a small bottle filled with blue liquid from one of the pockets of his robe and drank it. Then he grinned. "Okay, now..."

But it was too late, the Grey Hunter had crashed into the ground. A 61 floated up, but that wasn't enough to finish it off. It had barely a sliver of green left in her life bar.

However, when it stood, there was no more arrogance or caution in its stance; there was only fury.

<Chain Lightning>!

The attack flew towards the Grey Hunter, but it dismissively swayed to the side, and the powerful attack flashed past harmlessly.

"The cooldown is 8 seconds, so for that time, distract it! I have a plan."

I had all but given up hope, and Zephyr's words did little to alleviate my fears. If anything, he made my stomach fall further. Distract it...? How? By dying?

<Thunder Protector>

The electricity shield settled around me, and I performed the Second Step to dash towards the Grey Hunter at high speeds. But it was entirely dismissive, and used its speed to land a relatively safe attack as it danced past me.

17!

It turned around immediately, hurtling back towards me. I half-stepped to the left in a feint, and then immediately threw myself back to the right. I heard an annoyed growl, and the Grey Hunter ripped past to my left.

It landed lightly and glared at me, its panting breath steaming into the night, its red tongue looking too much like my own fresh blood. Abruptly, the bird above my head released a caw and shot a bolt of lightning towards the Grey Hunter. But the bolt was high, so the monster ducked under it and rushed towards me.

"Silver, catch!"

<Chain Lightning>

Catch...?

The three of us were currently in a line. I was at one end, Zephyr was at the other. The Grey Hunter was between the two of us, uncomfortably close to me. Upon hearing Zephyr's scream, the Grey Hunter twisted and saw the <Chain Lightning> shooting towards him. Ducking quickly, he instantly avoided the danger, and left me directly in the line of fire.

I wasn't able to dodge in type, and I was really started to get pissed at Zephyr. First he missed his chance to kill the thing, and now he is going to be the one to kill me...?

The bolt struck my chest. My whole body vibrated, but it didn't quite hurt...

After a brief moment of impact, the electricity left my body, chaining towards the Grey Hunter. At this distance, with his gaze turned towards the distant Zephyr, he had no time to dodge.

Zapp.

His body was struck, and a red 180 floated up. He howled then, long and slow, a howl that curdled my blood. But then his body fell to the side, his strength having expired.

Two Lvl Ups appeared above my head, one black and one gold, but I ignored them and turned towards Zephyr. "I didn't know your skill could bounce off allies!"

He simply smiled uncertainly back at me.

"....You didn't know either. Christ. You literally shot a bolt of lightning at me to see whether I would fry or not."

Waving his hand, Zephyr said. "Now now. This is just a game. No need to get so serious about it. And besides, I had my theories." He started giggling to himself, but then shook his head.

"And speaking of this being a game... I really need to be getting to bed. Mother will kill me if I'm not up for breakfast. So let's collect the loot and head to bed!"

Chapter 23

Before getting the loot, I clicked on the Sysmsg however before me. The first was a regular Lvl Up! But the second was a class completion Lvl Up!

Congratulations! You have successfully completed -Wandering Monster Hunter- gain +100 Hp and Mp, as well as 10 to all other stats. In addition, you gain the passive, Monster Slayer, which gives bonus experience on monster kills, and also Growth Points whenever a boss with a higher level is killed.

Monster Slayer Growth Points received: 2

So I get bonuses now for monsters I defeated before...? Maybe the Grey Hunter made sense, but that old boar hours ago? Honestly, it seemed a bit contrived...

But I clicked through that menu, and another appeared. Choose your next Class: Masterless Pupil, Pathfinder, Fist Brawler, Spiritual Initiate, and Boar Ethusiast. After a bit of thought, I selected Brawler. It seemed like the most fitting class, considering how I had been fighting up to this point. Finally, I had 3 growth points, two from the Monster Slayer, one from Growth 1 to assign. I put 1 in MP, Str, and Spirit respectively.

Silver MiChar

Lvl. 15

Fist Brawler

HP: 148 (3)   +10= 158

MP: 137 (3)

Str: 65 (5)

Agi: 51 (3)

PDef: 44 (2)  +15=59

MDef: 16 (0) +10=26

Magic: 18 (0)

Spirit: 41 (4)

Satisfied, I joined Zephyr in picking things up. After gathering all the drops, we had quite a bit. First, there was around 30 copper. In addition, there were 10 wolf fang items and 2 great wolf fangs, which Zephyr explained were probably craftable drops.

In terms of equipment, we found a wand, a necklace, and 4 pairs of boots. We both had nothing on our feet, so we equipped the Silver Pup Moccasins.

Silver Pup Moccasins

Hp: +10

Agi: +10

P.Def: +5

M.Def: +10

R: 10

Honestly, considering the relative size between the bonuses added by the equipment and my normal amount, I was a bit shocked. But then I remembered Zephyr's comment earlier. "How much did you say your HP increased when you finished a class?"

Zephyr just shrugged at me. "I'm not sure, it was around 20? The amount of magic I got was a bit higher though. But still, look at this!" He linked me the stats to the wand he picked from the matron's body.

Bone Wand of the Wolf Mother

MP: +25

Agi: +10

Magic: +30

M. Def: +15

R: 10

I just looked at the stats in awe. 30 Magic? What sort of broken bonuses were those? That level of magic would rip through my pathetic excuse for magic defense in a second. Although thus far we had only encountered physical monsters, maybe soon I should begin putting growth into magic defense...

"So? What was that necklace you got from the big daddy boss? I bet it was pretty sweet too."

I looked at the necklace, and then excited explained the stats to him.

Hunter's ToothChain

HP +50

Agi +30

Str +40

R: 15

Life Syphon: Whenever you deal physical damage to an enemy, gain back 2 life.

Zephyr laughed and waved at me. "You know if you click that icon in the bottom it will just share the stats with the party right? Well anyway, it's an excellent drop. We will be so much more powerful when we play tomorrow. But for now..." And Zephyr yawned so widely that his jaw cracked.

It really was an upgrade for me...almost too much so. Was I weak? How much of a stat gain did Zephyr get from his class path anyway? "Before you go, link me your stats."

He yawned again. "Sure," with a wave of the hand I got the information. "Just say log out, and you will get out of the gain. Now don't go grind without me, alright?" And with that, he logged off. His stats caused me to frown.

Zephyr NightShade

Lvl. 15

Ice Apprentice

HP: 220 (2)

MP: 350 (3)

Str: 17 (1)

Agi: 29(1)

P.Def: 31 (0)

M. Def: 61 (2)

Magic: 102 (3)

Although definitely had some advantages in terms of growth rates now, and in my forte, str and agi, he had vastly superior HP and MP, as well as his main source of damage, Magic, was an oppressive 102!

I sighed. I wonder for how long the fact that I didn't obtain a class in the first town would haunt me. I took one last look at my stats, with all of my new equipment on, and then logged off.

Silver MiChar

Lvl. 15

Fist Brawler

HP: 148 (3)          +70= 218

MP: 137 (3)

Str: 65 (5)           +40=105

Agi: 51 (3)           +40=91

PDef: 44 (2)         +20=64

MDef: 16 (0)        +25=41

Magic: 18 (0)

Spirit: 41 (4)

Book 2: The Smiling Tinker

Chapter 24

When I logged off, I looked around; the other reclining area was already vacant. Next to my machine was a pillow, bottle of water, and a futon. Thankfully, Kim had saved me from the awkward decision to wander around the house or not...

I stood up, but as I did so, I staggered. My spiritual energy... it was completely depleted? Not just as if I was tired, but as if I had been locked in a life and death struggle for the past several hours instead of playing a game. Then I snorted. Yea, it was only a dozen or so hours ago that Tian forced me out of the school. Then Calla had her hand broken. Then I just drifted here, and wasted my time playing a game.

The enormity of what I had lost hit me then, and I sobbed into the pillow until I fell asleep.

-----

The first dream I had that night was Calla, curled up in a ball in that dark alley, clutching her hand to her chest. Except in the dream it was raining, and the Purple-Black fire covered me from head toe. I felt powerful. More powerful than I had felt since the Spirit Path Elder showed me how wide the sky could be.

I reached out towards Calla, trying to comfort her, but she flinched away, eyes wide as she saw me. "Brother...what are you becoming?"

-----

The second dream was a memory. The last Path on rotation was Spirit path, and the first path on the next rotation was flow. I had already begun receiving specialized training for my talent in the Gust Path and Destruction Path, and the Flow path master had told me that my potential was very promising, and he would begin training me the following rotation.

But on that day, as I arrived, the Spirit Path master stood and walked towards me. "Today, we train your spirit."

I stood there watching her approach. When she was directly in front of me, she raised a palm and touched it lightly against my chest. I couldn't feel anything, so I opened my mouth, when suddenly...

Not against my physical body, but against my spirit, an unbelievably powerful strike landed. Instantly, my eyes went vacant, my spirit bloody, and I passed out.

In the dream I grew angry at the memory. I had been so close to learning the Flow Path too. If only she hadn't chosen that very day...

But in that dream, the scene continued. For the first time, I saw a small, sad smile on the Spirit Path Master's face. She was...beautiful. Even more surprisingly, she raised her hand from my chest and touched my cheek in a soft gesture.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way. But no weapon may cut with sharp and jagged edges."

And then once more her face went blank, and she lowered her palm and placed it against my diaphragm. I was rocked by her spirit shattering assault.

I winced as I watched my vacant face. Waking up the next day was the worst morning of my life. I could barely move. I wasn't able to attend Flow Path training, and the master, an old man with a wispy beard, was not pleased.

-------

With a jolt, I sat straight up on the futon, and put a hand on my Spiritual Center. It was... burning hot. At most, I had only slept a few hours, but my body was ready to move. I frowned but straightened and looked around. This room was more than large enough for a little bit of training.

There were bottles of water in a nearby minifridge and after a bit of poking, I found a small bathroom in which I splashed water on my face. Then I began to train. Breathing. Spiritual Control. Flow Path: First and Second Current. Destruction Path: First and Second Cadences. Gust Path: First, Second, and Third Steps.

As I was executing the Third Step, I frowned. I felt... energized. So I did it again. And Again. And again and again. One my sixth attempt, I failed, my knees spasming. I collapsed on the carpeted floor, frowning down at my legs. 5 successful in a row? In such a short time? I was feeling great...

But then I remembered Calla, and the blood drained out of my face. Calla! I immediately jumped up and headed for the door. I needed to find Kim.

I found her rather quickly, at a large dining table in a room just to the right of the entrance to this mansion. As I approached, a manservant turned and announced me

"Mr. MiChar will be joining us."

But the group of people inside the room ignored the introduction, continuing their animated conversation. Kim sat to the left of the head of the table, and raised a finger to her lips as I walked into the room. Aside from her, there were two female servants standing off to the side, a woman dressed in a kimono, a fiery haired man, and a short teen immersed in his phone. The woman in the kimono, who was sitting at the head of the table, was speaking to the fiery haired man, who was standing in the center of the table striking a pose.

"Papa... You. Will. Sit. Down."

Chapter 25

The fiery haired man, Papa...?, gave an exaggerated expression and staggered. "To think... your mastery of the gravity techniques has already reached this level..."

He fell to one knee, in the middle of the table, the knee of his suit landing directly on a plate of waffles in front of the teen. The teen didn't look up from his phone.

"Still..." Papa raised his head with a smile. "I am a male descendant of the Schweiss clan... don't take the secret techniques of established clans lightly!" He raised his phone and then spoke in a very low and mundane tone. "Oh no, a work call, well I guess there's no helping it, I have to leave..."

In a blink, the Kimono wearing woman had thrown a sharp knife, which had pierced through the phone in his hand. The knife quivered, and the whole room was silent.

Papa was suddenly crying and pointing at the teen. "He uses his phone all the time! I'm the man of the household, and I demand fair treatment!"

The kimono wearing woman looked at Papa as if he were a bug that was too distasteful to squash. "Forbidden Technique: Weeklong chastity Belt."

With a grunt, Papa collapsed onto the waffles, defeated. I opened my mouth, and then closed it. Kim smiled at me, and patted the chair next to her. I walked over and sat down next to Kim. The teen stood as I passed, and took the seat opposite me by the Kimono wearing woman.

The teen spoke without looking up from his phone. "It looks like level 15 is a higher level than most everyone posting on the forums, but you have to remember they stopped playing to post, so it might be just around average. But no one talks about mastering skills, so maybe we..."

"Zephyr-kun." The air around us stilled. So this was the true form of <Frost Zone>...! "We are currently enjoying a wonderful meal with a guest. Surely there is no need to talk about games or work here...?"

Papa groaned for effect. The Kimono-wearing woman smiled like the Artic Sun: bright and high in the sky, but with barely any warmth. Zephyr looked down at the table, blushing, and put his phone on his lap, where he continued to read.

But what was most surprising...In game, Zephyr was a few inches taller than me. In reality, he was around a foot shorter, but with the same glasses and reddish brown hair. Before I could speak to him, the kimono-wearing woman turned to me.

"It is nice to finally meet you MiChar-san. My name is Kimiko Schweiss. Please rest assured that our best doctors are working around the clock to help your sister. She will definitely be able to use that hand again. I hope you can relax in the meantime, and enjoy your stay with us."

I hesitated, but then said. “I’m sorry, she’s not my sister, only my niece. But thank you so much for your assistance. If there is anything I can do…”

Kimiko laughed like chiming bells. “Oh, I’m so sorry, that’s my mistake.”

Liar, I thought, without letting my facial expression change. You run this family, and I bet Kim relayed every word I spoke… so was it a test to see if I would contradict myself…?

She continued, “And don’t think anything of it. I’m just glad that Zephyr-kun has a friend. Feel free to play around as much as you like…”

Suddenly, a heavy hand landed on my shoulder. I turned, and found Papa standing behind me, with a bright and charming smile on his face. In his eyes, the star of adventure twinkled. He was holding two beers. “Ah, yes, Silver! So good to meet you. I apologize profusely for failing to give you a tour, this house is so large, and it is quite easy to get lost in twisting hallways…”

Kim spoke for the first time, pushing eggs around her plate with a fork. “Daddy… are you coming on to Silver?”

Kimiko’s face was overcome with horror. “I had been long suspecting this was becoming a passionless marriage, but to think you’ve also been dreaming of %&##&???!?!”

Papa’s hand on my shoulder became brittle. “Haha this is just how men talk when they bond! Right, Silver…?”

I turned around and clasped Papa’s hand. “Yes! Let’s sail together on the seas of adventure and passion.”

Silence, finally broken by Zephyr laughing. “...so lame…”

Kimiko just sighed and put a hand against her head. Suddenly a bell rung, and everyone sprang up, and began walking away, leaving me alone at the table. Zephyr turned and said, “Come on.”

Over her shoulder, Kim yelled. “I’ll go check on your niece for you then, Silver. She’s still in the ICU, so you probably can’t visit, but I’ll come back around lunch and let you know. Since breakfast is over, you might as well play some more of that game, right?”

EDITED ONCE ^^^^

Chapter 26

I followed Zephyr back up to the game room. As soon as we entered, he rushed over and hopped onto the lounging chair, putting on the helmet. I hesitated a bit longer, wondering about Calla. Could I really just play games while she was in pain…? But then I sighed. I wasn’t a doctor, I could do nothing for her; I would simply be in the way. I sat down and put on my helmet, logging into the game.

I materialized beside the lake, looking as smooth as a polished mirror as the sun rose above it. I glanced around, wincing at the scratches and craters that we created in this scenic location. But we had been facing a ridiculous monster. And we had won. My hands tingled and could barely keep the smile off my face. Although I had grown up fighting people trying to take advantage of me or Calla, and I would always prefer a duel between martial artists, the sensation of fighting wild beasts and monsters was quite interesting.

“Hey, Silver. Your real name isn’t Silver, right?” Zephyr’s voice came from behind him, back towards the treeline, and I turned around. I found him standing, looking back at me. It appeared as though he was using a staff like a conductor, leading a queer looking thicket of vines in a swaying dance.

I just smiled at him. “It might be. What are those?”

I could tell for a second he wanted to press the issue further, but the more demanding desire was his incessant desire to play this game. “My new skill, <Leaching Tendrils> I think it also steals health from enemies, and gives it me. Now we have some healing techniques between the two of us and can grind for days!”

“Well…” I said with a laugh raising my hand to my eyes and peering over the lake. “I might get a little hungry around Day 3, but I’m sure we can survive for a while. So what do we do next?”

Zephyr dispelled the vines with a wave and simply shrugged. “Since we have walked all this way, we might as well keep going. Were members of the Western Nation, Soyul, so if we keep heading east...We eventually hit the Central Plains. That might be interesting, because it’s an entirely NPC area. We might be the first human players to set foot there…!”

As Zephyr continued to talk excitedly about the geography of the Central Plains, I tuned him out and just followed him around the edge of the lake. Instead, I turned my focus inward, forcing my spiritual energy forward and around through my body. 

But in game… the substance of reality was thicker perhaps. It was almost impossible, even with my trained spiritual energy, to achieve a full circulation. I could manage about a quarter before I lost my momentum, and the energy dispersed. I sighed, and returned to simply walking. Perhaps the real problem was that what I thought, in game, to be my body, was very far away from the actual source of spiritual energy…? But that seemed silly too. Maybe…

“Wake up, sleepyhead. We are here.”

I blinked and looked around. After passing the lake, we were now standing at the edge of a plateau. As far as the eye could see to the east was a vast plains, interspersed with small hills, rocky terrains, wizened trees, and grass. Below us and a short distance away, about a dozen or so individuals leading a wagon were running away from a group of what looked like NPC tribesman. Lvl 17 was floating above their heads. The tribesman would soon catch the group. 

Zephyr looked at me, disappointed. “Those are players. I guess we missed our chance on being the first players to the plains... Damnit, if only mother didn’t insist on breakfast and dinner.” With a sigh, he turned to be,  grasping his staff tightly. “Well, I suppose we should go down and lend a hand. At the very least we will get some experience…”

We had to backtrack a bit, going back and down a goat path to reach the plains and by the time we got down, the tribesman had caught up to the group, and several of the members were busy trying to hold off the tribesman. However, they were outnumbered about 3 to 1, and they didn’t appear to be very strong.

Standing closest to us, about 50 yards away, was a young man with shoulder length black hair was doing his best to calm down the horse pulling the cart. “Woah there, boy. Don’t be scared. See? All those muscleheads are taking care of the bad guys. Let’s just take it slow and…” However, he then noticed us, and his whole demeanor brightened.

“Ah, Travelers! Please, help us. I am a humble merchant, beset by savages! My guards cannot handle them. Should you assist me, I promise you will be well rewarded.” I sped past the man, intent on the battle. Behind me, I heard Zephyr address the young man with black hair.

“If you aren’t an NPC, why are you trying to talk like one?”

The young man answered with a laugh. “Saw right through me did you? Very few have your keen eyes, sire. Promise I will reward you for your help though~~”

<Thunder Protector> was cast on me, and with new equipment, I shot forward, impressively fast even without using the Gust Path Steps. A huge man in armor was being poked and proded by 5 tribesman with spears. Small 19s and 20s floated up from the blows. He had a large axe, and he was chopping at the spear shafts, but he appeared to be pretty inept with an axe. His motion was wide and sloppy. I snorted.

Using the First Step, I came upon the first of the tribesmen, using the momentum from my dash to throw a whistling right hook that shattered the tribesman’s skull. My face probably was just as surprised as the rest of them as his head exploded into gore, spraying a little bit towards me, but mostly back towards his companions.