Chapter 14 (Patreon)

“Oh yeah, baby. Look at them.” I smirked as I posed in front of the mirror, my biceps bulging as I flexed. Sliding my finger across the bulging meat, I tap on it, my finger being rebuffed by the hard piece of flesh. “Look at ‘em guns. Yeah.”

Finally, after two months of exercising and extreme bodybuilding. I finally got a body the dudes back at home would stare jealously at. Without my Hax and System perks, this wouldn’t have been possible. In fact, without them, I could probably be just right near the beginning.

There was a reason why Yang was jealous of my speedy gains. Hell, even Taiyang was worried for me because, in his words, I’ve been overdoing it. Not giving my muscles and body a rest.

Jokes on them, my System is broken when it comes to healing. Every night during my training exercise, I go to bed, haggard and exhausted, and yet, the moment I wake up in the morning, I’m as fit as a fiddle.

Gotta love me some Hax and bullshit perks. There’s also something that I’ve been pondering on ever since the last quest I got just two months back.

[Brawl of the Century (Maybe)]

[Objective: Beat Yang Xiao Long in a spar]

[Bonus Objective: Dominate her in the spar]

[Rewards: 2 perk points, 2 item rolls, 20 stat points]

[Bonus Rewards: 1 epic perk roll, 1 epic item roll, (Redacted)]

The bonus rewards section. Since when did I get epic rolls? Did ROB actually take pity on me because of my shitty luck? If so, then I take back every little thing I said about them. I LOVE YOU ROB!

But wait, there’s a caveat… It’s that I should dominate her in the spar… I’m pretty sure that I can’t do that with just good ol’ fisticuffs. She’d hand me my own ass on a silver platter, for real, for real.

So, what the fuck am I going to do about it? Should I reveal my… other abilities? Or Should I hold back? But those perk rolls are very… tempting, along with the (Redacted) reward. Last time I got that, it was a System version perk. Basically, it was very much a game like perk or ability. I mean, seriously… Sleeping for just 8 hours is enough to heal you back to full. I can’t say for losing limbs, but if I’m correct, just sleeping will let me regrow my decapitated limbs, so long as I’m alive.

I HATE YOU ROB! For putting me in this mess of a situation.

I sighed and palmed my face. I’ll need to review some of my perks and abilities… So, where should I start…?

[Retractable Claws] - Gained from the Faunus Race. Can extend or retract claws at will. Affected by STR, END, and DEX. (Gained from Race: Faunus)

[Night Vision] - Have increased vision in the dark. (Gained from Race: Faunus)

[Iron Belly - You won’t get sick from eating raw food. Still tastes like shit though.] (Common)

[Good Lookin’ - You look good. That’s it. People will find you more attractive.] (Uncommon)

[Rapid Regeneration (System Version) - Increases your body’s regeneration capabilities by a factor of 10. System Version - increases it by another factor of 10, gain a very high resistance to harmful toxins, and sleeping will cleanse your body removing all form of debuffs from your body.]

[Metallic Sense - You gain the ability to sense metal and its properties. You find rare metals a bit easier and gather them with practiced ease. It ain’t mastery, but hey, at least you can grab and bag metals like a shopper on Black Friday.] (Rare)

[Earthen Channeling - You can control rocks, metal and dirt. Good for you. It may not be as strong as those with mediocre training, but hey, magic is magic. Go make some dirt golems, or something.] (Uncommon)

[Efficient Digestion - Your body hungers for food, yet your stomach says otherwise. You now gain more nutrients from food you eat and liquid you drink. No need to eat a full course meal to bloat your damn gut. Really, you need to slim down, fatass.] (Uncommon)

[Sleep is for the Weak - Sleep? What’s that? Is it tasty? Your body no longer needs sleep to function at full capacity. Instead, sleeping grants various bonuses to stats and health depending on how long you slept for. You can also immediately sleep without waiting to tire in the blink of an eye, as well as instantly wake up if your body instinctively feels a threat nearby.] (Rare)

[Pure Water Dispenser - You thirsty? Have some wotah. You can dispense pure water from your fingers. Max output is that of a running faucet.] (Common)

[Fortune’s Favor - Lady Luck is on your side, or not. Randomness ensues, creating more and more situations to find yourself in, whether it be good, or bad, RNGesus is your man. Don’t worry, though, overcoming the odds grants boons you might not have thought you needed.] (Uncommon)

[Basic Reinforcement - You’re a discount Shirou Emiya! Except you can only go as far as well-trained athletes. May induce muscle pains.] (Common)

[Indomitable Endurance - OK. Become discount-Rammus. You are now tanky as all fuck. Also gain stamina equal to tankiness. At least you won’t be leaving your girl unsatisfied in bed.] (Epic)

Okay… PWD (heh) is out. Of course it is, it’s just a damn squirt gun… Wait, I can actually surprise her with this. Just like the dirty move most people do in fights, throwing dust in the face of the opponent, except it is water.

Earthen Channeling… Maybe shift the earth underneath Yang’s feet to break her posture? That could work. After all, most fight rely on good footwork. Can’t get damaged if you can’t get hit. You stumble? The enemy has a chance to hit you.

Basic Reinforcement and Indomitable Endurance is a no brainer. It’ll give me muscle pains, but who the fuck cares? I’ll just walk it off when I sleep.

That said… I kind of forgot my retractable claws. I tried flexing my fingers to get my claws out and my nails kind of shifted outwards, lengthening itself for about an extra three to four inches.

Not gonna lie, that looks kind of deadly. Instead of a normal looking fingernail, it literally looks like a fucking claw from a tiger.

I glanced at a nearby wooden plank that I got a month prior. When asked about it by the members of the family, I shrugged and said boy stuff. Yang and Ruby were confused, while Taiyang nodded his head.

Poking my claw at one spot, I drag it down while applying force. My eyes widened when I saw my claw literally dig into the wooden plank and carve out a piece of it out. That is… kind of freaky. I didn’t even feel that much resistance with my claws.

And then I had a thought. Why not try using Basic Reinforcement?

Willing the perk to manifest, I felt something hot coursing through my arm and gathering underneath my fingertips. Once again poking my claw against the wood, my jaw dropped when I claw went through the wooden plank like tofu.

Retracting my hand, I stared at the wooden plank, flabbergasted. I then cocked my hand back and punched the plank with nothing but my force.

The plank didn’t break and cluttered to the floor. I didn’t put that much force in my punch. And that was the same with my claw… Meaning… My tiger claws are actually fucking strong…

If I get more perks related to unarmed shit, I might just drop weapons all together.

Oh shit, I forgot to have some basic combat training, otherwise, Yang will literally grapple me to the ground in no seconds flat.

But it’s still early, and I think Taiyang is sleeping in, since it’s a weekday and last week was a fucking nightmare for him because there was a school festival or some shit.

The chicken was amazing, by the way. That, and hot female students grappling each other to the ground… Why do all the young girls here look like fucking mature super models? Like, seriously, there’s this one 15-year-old girl that looks like she’s 20.

Damn anime shenanigans. I swear I’m no pedo, I really ain’t, but holy shit are the girls here in this universe making it hard not to be one. It’s the same situation as interpreting Ariana Grande as a minor. A mature looking beauty, and turns out she’s 15? Yeah, you’re going to jail. No, I don’t care if she looks older than she really is, you’re still going to jail.

That’s the same vibe I’m getting here, so I am washing my hands off from the girls here in Signal, at least until I’m at Beacon. At least there, everybody’s legal… Save Ruby ‘cuz she got admitted at 15 during the start of the timeline.

Anyway, moral dilemma aside, I think it’s time I approach Taiyang to train me in the art of kicking ass. Yang’s an ass-kicker in her own right, so to even stand a chance against her, I’ll have to learn how to fight.

All I did these past months were just physical conditioning, now I have to learn how to use what I gained in real-life combat scenarios.

This is gonna be fucking tiring. Side note, my belly’s still here, but it’s a healthy one. I’m kind of built like a strongman, in a sense. No triangle upper body superhero bullshit. Just pure muscle and pure gains.

Not to shit on those with said physique, however. But really, when it comes a full-on fight, the one who is bigger, stronger, and more durable would win nine times out of ten. Then you add aura, a physical enhancement, then you have a speedy strongman, something very terrifying when in the field of battle.

And in this case, with my System giving me randomized perks, getting a perk about increasing speed will make me GODLIKE! Well, not really godlike, but you get the point.

So, internal monologue done, it’s time to find Taiyang. Maybe I can tell him in private that Ozpin asked him to train me because of my… broken abilities. And keep it secret from Yang.

Oh, I can’t wait to see her face when we fight.

[][][]

“You mean to tell me… Headmaster Ozpin wanted me to train you because you have… more than one semblance?” Taiyang raised an eyebrow at me as we sat opposite of each other in his office.

Yang and Ruby were in the courtyard doing their morning exercises, so this gives me enough time to talk shop with Taiyang.

“That’s the gist of it.” I shrugged and took a sip from the coffee he brewed for both of us. “Basically, I get more semblances the more things I do… My main semblance is I get more of them and the extra semblances are a part of my main one.”

“… That is extremely confusing, and quite concerning.” Taiyang took a sip from his own cup and leveled his gaze with mine. “Are there any side effects you’re experiencing? Lethargy? Weakness? Or even feeling full?”

“Nope. Not a single one.” For once, what I said to Taiyang about my powers was truthful. Of course, there’s no side-effects - yet - they’re not even semblances. I’m also sure I haven’t unlocked my semblance yet. “So… Yeah… That’s why Ozpin wanted you to train me, but now that my body is ready… I need to learn how to fight. Will you help me?”

“Well, Ozpin did ask me to help you learn, and I haven’t been training you for the past three months because you wanted to get in shape first.” Taiyang downed his cup of coffee in one go and placed it back on the table. “And judging by how much effort you put in this last three months, there’s no way I can say no.”

I smiled and downed my own cup of coffee.

“But first, can I ask you a question.” Taiyang narrowed his eyes at me. “Are those muscle gains healthy? Because there’s no way three months is enough for a person to get your physique without sapping you of your energy.”

“As far as I’m concerned, yes.” I nodded and Taiyang continued staring at me for a few more seconds. I’ll be honest, the stare was kind of terrifying me.

Fidgeting in my seat, I waited for Taiyang to relent on his stare, and some seconds or so later, he finally stopped and got up from his seat.

“Alright, I’ll train you. Come on.” Taiyang didn’t wait for me as he headed for the door. I followed suit, briefly scrambling out of my chair because my physique was somewhat too much for the poor chair. “But you better be ready. Also, your other semblances? Keep them on a lid for now. What I want for you to learn are the basics.”

“Got it.” I accepted. I’m a total noob in martial arts, or just fighting in general. If I’m going to learn how to fight, it’ll be on the very basics. That, I was not looking forward to, but it was essential.

Only a month left. Maybe by the last week, I can ask Taiyang to fight with my abilities and perks.