Chapter 6: Grinding

"Ah, Mr. Walter. How nice of you to arrive. Now please, go to your seat."

Flushed to my ears, I bowed my head as I entered Professor Brunnings' class, very much late. I really hated the fact I was so clumsy nowadays - I got into so many incidents that my mother was even looking at me worriedly now.

I really had to go out and exercise sometime like Professor said I should.

"Alright, with Mr. Walter here, we now only have only one absent. Now, please open up your e-books at page 238..."

What should I do then? After all, unlike in Fate Online, this was the real world. Simply carrying heavy things or running randomly won't work - the human body was a complicated machine after all. I had to choose a specific way, maybe a sport, in order to be fit...

"Now, as the AWCS had initially started, the VRT system activates by artificially sending the wearer into a catatonic rest before redirecting all of his or her senses into the appropriate VR worlds. This is so no one moves frantically real-life while in VR - in fact, there was once a case that..."

Martial arts, maybe? No... As much as it pained me to admit, I had no natural talent for any kind of fighting. I was more of an analyst than a fighter when I was inside Fate Online - in fact, that was what made the heightened reaction rate so much better for me, as then I had enough time to think up strategies on my feet... And dodge when I needed to...

"Now, would anyone care to tell me what natural state the AWCS had taken advantage of when they thought of this?" Professor Brunnings then asked out loud, only for no one to answer. He then turned to my direction. "Mr. Walter? If you could please tell us the answer?"

"Sleep Paralysis." I easily recited, much to the annoyed murmurs of my classmates. "It is the state of sleep while awake - where the mind is active and capable of conscious thought while the body cannot make any conscious movements. Prior to the research that was done upon it, it was once thought as visitations from demons as sleep paralysis was often followed by hallucinations. It has been linked to several diseases like narcolepsy as well."

"Thank you for the answer, Mr. Walter."

Back to my thoughts... Presumably, I would need to keep up a series of exercises like curl-ups, bench presses, and running... wait, running? The memory of a skill rang again in my mind. Running. Free Running.

"Now, that would mean that while the VRT is active, the user's body is in a state of rest. It is a lucky benefit, as the AWCS had found out. It helps minimize the muscle degradation, especially when they found out that by sending  minor electrical stimulus to the entire body, one can effectively reduce the degradation to just a small fraction of what it used to be."

Parkour.

That could work. Parkour was known for increasing reflexes and general body upkeep. It was a bit more dangerous to do it in the city, but it was a simple matter to find a route I could go all day without trouble. Running, pull-ups, jumping, foot work - it all made sense!

"That is why VRT users slightly vibrate their muscles while the machine is active. Now would anyone tell me what the AWCS had taken advantage of this time? Anyone?"

That meant I needed the protective wear though. Now, how can I convince my mother to let me buy equipment for a dangerous sport now that I trip at my own feet nowadays?

Professor Brunnings turned to me again, his half-crescent glasses reflecting light. "How about you, Mr. Walter?"

"The way a cat purrs." I answered, even as my mind ran off tangents on how to convince my mother of my slightly foolish plans. "Researchers from NASA had found out earlier this century that purring actually helps in the upkeep of muscles and bone mass, which was significantly important to astronauts as their bodies weakened from the lack of gravity..."

And thus, my class continued, with my head in the clouds as my mouth rattled off answers for the entire class.

User detected. Rain, welcome back to Fate Online!

I slowly opened my eyes, letting them filter in light from the dark cave I was in. Brushing myself of dirt, I stood and stretched out my entire body.

In Fate Online, sleeping wasn't a way to log out, but one could set it as an option to do so. Otherwise, sleeping in Fate Online only fully recovered your HP and MP, as well as giving your mind a well-deserved rest after a day in the game. In fact, it was common sense to do so - at night, players would often sleep at inns and taverns just like how they would sleep in their beds in real life. Thus, three days could be spent over the course of one evening in the real world without much problem...

Never before that I had done so though... especially because of what happened during my first night in this world.

Rivulets of blood, streaming down his face. His eyes, begging for mercy, mercy I didn't give, his mouth screaming stop it- stop it- stop it as I stabbed him repeatedly in the eyes-

At least nightmares never happened in this world.

"Alright! Time to grind!"

Humming a tune beneath my breath, I called out my Status Window, manipulating it for a bit.

Status WindowName:RainLevel:41Class:The Fool (0)Race:HumanGender:MaleTitles:The Fool (0) (Aids growth.)-Wolf Hunter (Gain 15% EXP boost to all Beast kills)Health:960/960Mana:800/800Strength:10Dexterity:8Intelligence:15Endurance:14Wisdom:14Luck:5Vitality8Charisma:6Equipment Effects:None.Stat Points Available: 195

"My stats are really not what my level implies, but that's because I haven't spent these points yet." I tapped my hefty 195 Stat Points with a smile. "Though, I really don't get what my new title lets me do, but if it 'aids growth' then I have no problem with it for now. But the 'Fool'... is the game insulting me, or what?"

Walking over to the stream close to the cave I slept in, I drank in some water before looking at my reflection. Thankfully, my new title seemed to be a hidden one - it was a huge relief when I found out, as I had no wish of having a title that permanently placed a sign over my head, screaming 'This guy left his starter town without equipment!', even if it was true.

But so far, nothing came out of my new class, except for the practically useless title to me so far that told 'Aids growth'. At this point, all that came to my mind was that it was the standard Jack-of-All-Trades job - good at everything, but would never be amazing at anything.

I didn't mind if it was though. All I just wanted was to find myself some friends after all.

Title: The Fool (0)"The Fool enters a journey in a world where all men and women are actors on a stage..."

Effect: Aids growth.

I sighed at the description that was still frustratingly cryptic for me. "Oh well, I suppose I can't argue. It was my fault that I received this class in the first place, so nobody could be blamed other than myself."

I then slapped my hands over my cheeks, waking myself up entirely. "But time for grinding, grinding!"

Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, and Endurance. These were the stats that were currently the most important factors in my fighting style, as I had no magic or spells to speak of. Ironic, given that my mental stats were the highest of what I had. Well, outside of Endurance that tied with my Wisdom for second place.

"I remember this being one of the lowest though..." I tapped at my Endurance before a figurative lightbulb lit on my head. "Ah! That's right, those boosts I received after punching those walls... I may not want to break my hand again, but at least that seems to be a possible exercise for Endurance."

I picked up a stick, writing down what I knew.

"Strength can be trained by carrying heavy objects... Dexterity is for, what, dodging and jumping? Maybe running as well... And Vitality is related to my stamina, so maybe just by doing exercise until exhaustion it would gain points. Lastly, Endurance is trained by letting myself be damaged."

Finished, I looked at my work. If anyone was watching me then, they would've shook at the frightening smirk that entered my face.

You have thought of an efficient exercise to train yourself. Your WIS has raised by 5 points!

"Glad the game agrees. Now, it's time for me to get to work."

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I was wrong! This wasn't wise at all - this was just plain stupid!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed as I ran, my voice somehow reaching pitches I never knew it could make. "NOOOOOO!"

In the world of Fate Online, all monsters laid eggs. Yes - whatever creature it was, may it be a zombie or a ghost or an alien, for some reason the creators of the game decided that they should lay eggs. In time, I would find out that these eggs can be used in monster taming, but for now I settled for just picking them up.

Yes. I just walked into a forest, found the nests of all the cute, passive little monsters, and picked up all of the eggs in front of the parents. I've never felt so guilty in my life, imagining mental conversations between all the cute parents, them crying for their children as the big, bad player stole their eggs...

Still, that didn't mean I didn't run with my arms filled with eggs when all the low-leveled monsters chased me with red eyes.

"AH, I CAN FEEL THEIR CUTE LITTLE BEAKS AND CLAWS PECKING THE BACK OF MY SKULL!"

Melodramatic antics aside, I found out soon enough that the exercise was actually a very difficult thing to do. For one, while the eggs were by default small, they were a little heavy for their size, so with the dozens of dozens of eggs in my arms I carried what felt like a sack of rice.

Next, running in a forest was difficult! Contrary to popular media, forest ground was far from flat. It was squishy, it was bumpy, it was mostly inclined and rocky. Roots popped up all over the place and I had to watch out for trees as well, even at the speed I was going. Many were the times I almost tripped and let go of the precious eggs, which I didn't want to do, no matter what.

Then, by running in random directions inside the forest, being followed by forest animals in a fairytale-princess-esque manner (if you somehow ignore the snapping beaks and the angered cries), I managed to exhaust myself pretty quickly. At that point, when I was at the verge of collapse, I returned the eggs.

Thankfully, after doing so the monsters lost their aggro and left without a fight. I didn't know what to do if I had to - not that I was going to have any trouble fighting them, just that the thought of killing them after kidnapping their children left a bad taste in my mouth.

Still, the exercise proved its worth as just in the matter of hours, my physical stats all went up to the higher part of 20s, leaving my mental stats in the dust.

Too bad that afterwards I got totally lost in the forest I was in...

"It seems I've been picking up quite a list of skills here." I muttered as I chewed through a piece of roasted rabbit. "Though... to think that my real life experience in Cooking is just level 28..."

In the world of Fate Online, or rather in VRMMORPGs in general, it was a natural fact that real life capabilities were translated into the game world. Thus, if one was had a history of martial arts, it was to be expected that by the moment he entered a VRMMORPG he would already have a high-level skill for the fighting style the moment he used it.

This was also beneficial for the game, as the compiled information all the players carry through their real life skills would be then translated into actual Skills for other players, which all used a player-support program for ease of use.

I, being the Fool that I was to forget to buy camping equipment, could only be thankful for it and the camping experience I had over RL. That meant that I could start a fire, make myself a knife out of rock, and kill a rabbit to cook it with skewers.

"Ah, I should check the entire list now!" I slapped myself over the forehead for forgetting. "Skill List!!"

Skill List

Knife Mastery: Level 11

Critical Eye: Level 5

Acrobatics: Level 6

Disable: Level 15

Identify: Level 8

Sturdy: Level 10Empathy: Level 3

Discern: Level MAX

Parkour: Level 4

Camping Basics: Level 11

Carving: Level 2

Cooking: Level 28

"Exactly twelve of them..." I murmured, but a bright grin was on my face. Then it turned into confusion. "But wait, since when did some of these level up? I don't exactly know Acrobatics or Parkour in real life, but they gained levels. Hmmm, I think there was supposed to be a message log here..."

Checking my log and looking for the appropriate popups was a slow process, but after a few minutes I managed to find when the levels were gained.

"It was when I was running in the forest. And during all of my fights." I tapped thoughtfully over the system messages. "Did all of my dodges, jumps, and rolls cause this? After all, one could say that they were simple acts of Acrobatics."

You have realized part of the game mechanics by yourself. Your WIS has raised by 1 point!

"I suppose that's the best possible proof. Then starting today, I should increase my dodging. Or practice them as well whenever I have time. The same for the rest like Sturdy I guess..."

Analysis over my skill list finished, I stood up and stretched beside my campfire. Night had come again, but while monsters in general were aggressive at night, they didn't come close because of the fire. Thus, I was free and safe to relax and possibly sleep.

Though, sleep wasn't what I was planning to do.

Leaving another rabbit to roast for a while over my campfire, I manipulated my inventory to call out an item I was very excited to open the moment I saw it.

Conquering The World Tree by Bathshilda Emmyrs.

No matter how this world was amazing in itself, no matter how much I was learning on how to fight, no matter how much I was starting to enjoy a hunt inside Fate Online, it didn't change the fact that I, from my very childhood, was first and foremost a reader of books.

Stories. Tales. I loved them all, and the thought of reading a book written inside a fantasy world utterly charmed me.

The moment I opened the book, two things happened. First, a variety of windows appeared. But I had no time to look through them as just as immediately, the second thing happened in a flash of light.

The world around me was wiped away and replaced by another.

Al'Gadrin was a proud elf of a young age of sixty-two years.

Like all proud elves in the land of La'Cordia however, he was still not considered an adult in the eyes of many until his age reached seventy-seven - the number of luck in their religion.

But Al'Gadrin didn't like that. You may even call him a bit childish for it; after all, who else other than a child would be in such a hurry to grow up? So, in just six measly months after his 62th year, against his father's wishes he took on armor and weapons and went on a quest.

"I'll show them." Al'Gadrin promised to himself as he flew from home to his journey. "The Al of the Gadrin is an adult, my age less than seventy-seven or no!"

His sword, made of blessed elven steel, gleamed at his side under the moonlight as he flew over the land of La'Cordia. In his hurry, in his determination, he failed to notice the sword absorb part of the energy that protected the land of La'Cordia, leaving a small hole in the protection.

It was the fatal consequence of his actions, for when the Draven race attacked, La'Cordia was left vulnerable to invaders.

When he came back home with a monster head trophy in his hands, his lands, his family, his friends were gone and dead, all of them in a pile of ashes.

I gasped as the world suddenly came back to normality and I was no longer Al'Gadrin and I was Rain and-

I took a few more minutes to calm down.

After that, I stared at the closed book in my hands with wonder, thinking of what just happened and what the hell caused it to happen. As far as I knew, books weren't supposed to do that. Even in a world such as Fate Online. After all, one would think the shopkeeper would at least tell someone about it, right?

Wait, wasn't there a group of windows that opened?

You have gained the skill Reading.

Previous experience and synchronicity with your class has raised the skill level to MAX! You can now memorize entire texts with just a single reading!

A new skill has been created! You now have Story Immersion!

For being the first player to learn the 'Story Immersion' passive skill, you now have the title 'Story Teller'!

Title: Story TellerYou can now immerse anyone into your stories. Telling about a memory now lets them see it.

"T-This..." I couldn't help but stare at the windows that were practically any bookworm's wish come true. "This!"

I was interrupted from my moment when a loud noise came from my side.

It was my cooking rabbit. As I was too focused on my book to notice, several shadows had converged near the flames, called in by the smell of food. Panicked, I jumped to prevent my food from being stolen.

The shadows yelped as I caught them by the arms.

"Wait..." I pulled one the 'shadows' upwards. "How can this be?"

"Let go of me, mister!"

Since when did kids exist in the world of Fate Online?