Chapter 1: World tutorial
“So you’re telling me you have no idea how to use magic other than your personal magic. Not even the general magic that kids can do?” Zelkova’s laughing voice rang out on the empty dirt road.
“Shut up, I never had a chance to learn. Unlike you, I had to make sure to not fall behind my father every few steps.” Hyakuren retorted the laughing adult. “Besides, at least I can use my magic to create my equipment rather than buying them.”
“You seriously are a cheat, you know that?”
“I am not a cheater, I am a beater”
“What does that even mean?”
“It is for me to know and for you to forever try to find an answer to.”
They kept chattering the whole journey to Eclana.
—an hour later—
“Welcome to Eclana my dear friend!” Zelkova spread his arms and crossed in front of his chest as he grinned proudly with large, castle walls behind him as a background.
“I know you said it a rather large town… but isn’t that a city?!” Hyakuren pointed at the walls that spread out from left to right without any sight of ending. If he were to compare it: it was as if New York had a large wall encircling it and its oceans.
“What are you talking about? Sofia city is way larger than this, and it floats!” Zelkova explained nonchalantly as he turned around and began to walk down the now gravel path that lead to the large city gates with an awestruck Hyakuren following him a few steps behind.
The gates were packed with people entering and leaving the city, walking over the wooden drawbridge.
‘Look at all these people…’ Hyakuren thought in awe at the different people with different characteristics. Some were tall and had tanned skin, some were short and buff. There were even people with animal ears. ‘What kind of anime like world am I in?!’
“H-hey, Zelkova…” Hyakuren, who was suddenly unnerved by the sudden information flux, called to the blonde man weakly. “Am I really seeing people with cat ears? Real cat ears…?”
Zelkova looked at the young man incredulously “You really don’t know them? They are the [Beastmen]; human like people with animal characteristics.” Zelkova began explaining to the world traveller. “The ones with cat ears are called [Catkin] but just like you; they cannot use any magic but they can use specialized magic. It all depends on their race.”
“I see… then I am guessing they are [dwarves]?” Hyakuren mentioned to the small buff and bearded man.
“Yes, they are arguably the best blacksmith’s that are rivaled only by [Elves] and [Machinas]. They mainly gather and make colonies in and on mountains. They have a city of blacksmiths under the [Dagora Mountains] in the west.” Zelkova explained as the two passed through the gates.
“The elves… well, they have great compatibility with magic and not only that; they have some of the best archers in the world. The current court wizard is a [Moon Elf] called, Lunaria. She specializes in magic that uses light as a base and she’s as beautiful as the moon~” Zelkova let out a perverted giggle causing some people to stare at the duo.
“Please refrain from making me into a pervert you super pervert--”“Then we have the [Machinas]!” “Don’t cut me needlessly!”
“In your point of view, what do you think [Machinas] specialize in?” Zelkova inquired to the blue haired 19 year old teen.
“Well… I guess they seem like people with great accuracy and proficiency but… can they use magic?”
“Ding-ding~ Correct!” Zelkova acted like the MC of a famous quiz show that airs in japan. “As you said, they are very accurate and are very proficient in their line of work. They cannot use magic, or not that would be very bad and we won’t be given any opportunities in the world. Just like any other race, they have their specialization. They are the best when it comes to runic magic.”
“There’s a difference?” Hyakuren questioned the elder male who nodded at his questions.
“There are a lot more but I will let the adventurer guild tell you anything you need to know. For now, I will show you the [Moonlight] guild.” Zelkova stopped in front of a large building that was part of a rather large tree.
“As much as I would like to, I’ll refrain from doing so for now.” Hyakuren immediately rejected.
“Why?” “I still have business to attend to at the adventurer’s guild. A monster destroyed my last identity as an adventurer.” Hyakuren made an excuse and judging from the look of apprehension on Zelkova’s face, he believed it.
“Ah, right~ I totally forgot that you weren’t from this side. Well, I guess I’ll see you after you do your business.” Zelkova began to walk towards the giant tree building. “Go straight down the road, turn to the first left and it’s the largest building in the plaza”
Hyakuren bowed to his travelling companion and followed his instructions.
“I don’t want to depend too much on him. I need to learn the basics myself…” Hyakuren mumbled to himself as he navigated through the crowd. Multiple times, he would be called over by a merchant who was displaying his wares on the street and every time; he would sell some of the goods he had earned through slaughtering the white bunnies that attacked him, keeping only their meat.
‘This world still uses the coin system… let’s see. 1, 2… 1560 coins from the looks of it…’ Hyakuren placed the bag of coins securely in a hidden pocket inside his pack.
“It looks like that’s the place…” Hyakuren stared at a large, large building. Like the [Moonlight] guild, it was also part of a tree but significantly larger.
Entering the large building, Hyakuren felt somewhat giddy. He always wanted to adventure around in a world like this and by being an adventurer; he would be one step closer to his dream. Stopping in front of the counter, he was greeted by a female clerk.
“Hello, may I help you sir?”
Hyakuren smiled politely. “Ah, yes. Can I apply to become an adventurer? I am new to these lands and it appears that I need to have something to prove that I am an adventurer.” Hyakuren explained professionally.
“Ah, I guess you were a freelancer before this?” at the question, Hyakuren nodded. “Then please fill out this form and by paying a fee, you may get your [Adventurer Recognizer].” Accepting the papers submitted to him, Hyakuren nodded before remembering: he had no idea where the ‘East’ was supposed to be.
“Excuse me, prior to this; I have no recollection of my home country. I was picked up by an adventurer who died before he could tell me where I originated from.”
“Ah, I see… do you know the direction of your country?”
“It is in the east if what father said was true.” Hyakuren waited with baited breath. He was not experienced in verbal deception so he felt somewhat guilty.
“Then you may be part of the [Eastland].”
“Japan was an island nation I guess…” Hyakuren mumbled quietly. Hyakuren bowed and proceeded to the nearest empty table to fill up his form. “The world seemed to be using English as a writing medium, though it looks more runic than anything…”
After filling in the papers and relinquishing 300 coins, Hyakuren was given a small piece of copper colored metal plate in the form of a dog tag.
“There are adventuring ranks in this system. From the lowest to the highest, it goes: copper, silver, gold, platinum, orichalcum, adamantium and Mithril. By completing requests and/or defeating disaster targets like demons, you will be upgraded a rank. You can see it in the status window.”
“Status window…?” Hyakuren didn’t thought it would seriously be like a game. “How do I access it?”
“You mean you haven’t realized the small square button in the upper left corner of your vision?” upon the clerk’s question, Hyakuren finally noticed the small faded grey button. “Have you found it?”
“Ah, yes… I really need to pay attention to these things more…” Hyakuren embarrassedly lowered his head.
“It is normal. People tend to forget about the status window magic.”
After thanking and bidding the clerk farewell, Hyakuren left the building wearing his new adventurer dog tag.
“Now… I guess I should map out the town…” with an objective in mind, Hyakuren pretended to reach into his pack and created a notebook and pencil and started his first adventure: mapping the city.
Walking around; he found different types of shops and restaurants. There were numerous inns and there were buildings in which he could not recognize.
He tried walking through an alley but was surrounded by thugs who were after his money but he merely knocked them unconscious and looted their money so he now had a whopping 13,120 coins in his wallet.
He entered what seemed to be the commoner wing and was surprised with their friendly smiles and greetings. He played with some children and managed to pick up some information along the way. Apparently, there was a rumor of a slave market near the plaza he was in before. ‘I will keep that in mind…’
He entered the noble wing and was met with different reactions. Some were the mainstream stuck up nobles, some greeted him with respect, some greeted him warmly and others just ignored him. He didn’t play with the noble children though, too much of a hassle even if he knew there were some good ones. He even heard a rumor of a rampaging beast in the forest near the town. ‘Will subdue it tomorrow, mapping first.’
He found the market place that sold many food items and different types of wares; from armors and swords to sweets and grilled food. It was like a high school festival he read from a book in his old world. As usual, busy places meant busy mouths and busy mouths mean information.
“I heard that the kobolds up north are stirring trouble.”
“There’s a goblin camp near the southern path.”
“Bandits have been terrorizing the northern route lately.”
“I heard of some treasure in the dungeon up north.”
“There’s a store that is wants to buy [Al-Miraj] meat.”
Hyakuren sold all the meat in his pack and gained another 5000 coins. Apparently, it was hard to find [Al-Miraj] during this time of year so it was pretty high in demand.
“There are some adventurers who were labeled as criminals, though they are only copper adventurers.”
Truly, it was a treasure trove of information. Hyakuren felt a sense of accomplishment. Not only did he map the entire town within a few hours, he also gained a lot of coins and a lot of information.
“What a satisfying day…” Hyakuren took a bite of the grilled meat he bought from a stand a few minutes from the plaza where he was resting in. “Oh, there was also a park right? But it was being reconstructed so I guess it won’t be opened in while.”
Finishing the grilled meat and disposing the sticks, ‘I can just create the currency here but that would be too boring… I will earn my keep in this world!’ Hyakuren crossed his arms and nodded with a resolute face.
“Where should I go next?” Hyakuren mumbled quietly and wandered throughout town and stopped at the eastern gate. ‘Maybe I should go and see if I can find any new monsters.’ With that as his objective, Hyakuren jogged out of the town walls. What greeted him was a plain filled with various trees and flowers, as well as multi-colored balloons floating about.
“I feel… as if I have seen something like this before…” the balloons were not normal balloons sold by the merchants and entertainers but were real, live monsters. “Well, I guess they are better than fighting slimes. At least these monsters are solid.” Hyakuren recalled a game he played when he was younger.
“Ah~ that’s right! I haven’t even tried the window magic yet!” Hyakuren made a face that screamed: “Now I remember!” so focusing on the small and barely noticeable status button, Hyakuren did not realize that other people entering and leaving the gate was staring at his suddenly serious face.
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‘It popped up…’
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INFORMATION
Ichiharu Hyakuren
LVL 6
Title: [Blacksmith]
Male, 19
Human, Esper
Rank (s): Copper adventurer
Captain of [Mikatagahara] Vanguard unit
STATUS
STR 280
AGI 332
INT 498
PHY.RES 3021
VIT 309
DEX 431
LCK 890
MEN.RES 10020
COMBAT PROFICIENCY
SWORDS: LVL48, 69%
FIRE ARMS: LVL90, 1%
ARCHERY: LVL44, 35%
MAGIC: LVL0, 1%
DUAL WIELDING: LVL90, 19%
STAVES: LVL78,93%
PORJECTILES: LVL13, 9%
CURVED BLADES: LVL3, 3%
TWO-HANDED SWORDS: LVL2, 10%
SHIELDS: LVL12, 39%
HAND TO HAND: LVL52, 9%
SUPPORT: LVL0, 0%
SCYTHE:LVL52, 11%
HEALING: LVL9, 30%
SPEARS: LVL20, 73%
DAGGERS: LVL61, 11%
MACE: LVL11, 0%
HAMMER: LVL30, 30%
CLUBS: LVL5, 10%
EXPLOSIVES: LVL 39, 30%
CONDITION
Healthy
No debuff
No status condition
Sleeveless Black shirt, +2def
Dog tags, no bonus
Camo pants, +2def
Combat boots, +3def
Fingerless gloves, +1def
Abilities:
[transmutation: creation]
[transmutation: reconstruction]
[Transmutation: deconstruction]
[Transmutation: Material analysis]
Miscellaneous:
Coins on hand: 19380
Coins in bank: 0
Not part of a guild
Not part of a party
No bounty
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Hyakuren simply stared at the information provided by the window magic. He felt a sense of pride from his stats and combat proficiency but to think he still had his old name, it gave him some comfort.
“Okay! Hunt, loot and sell!” Hyakuren declared loudly attracting attention from several people. Coughing to hide his embarrassment, Hyakuren quickly went closer to the floating balloons.
5 meters away from the monster, a name appeared on top of the balloon: [Red Balloon]. Slowly, the balloon drifted closer to Hyakuren and when it was 2 meters away, a face appeared on the balloon with rows of sharp teeth and beady black eyes.
Hyakuren pretended to reach into his bag and transmuted some air into Platinum and in turn, turned the platinum into a short sword with a blade that was 1 meter long and three inches wide. ‘I wonder if i can trust that physical resistance stat…’
The [Red Balloon] set its sight onto the unmoving Hyakuren, and the two had a stare off.
The balloon floated to the left, trying to circle the young male while said male was mirroring its move, preventing from getting behind him. The two stopped, tension filled the air around the balloon while Hyakuren slowly took out the platinum short sword.
Without any notice, the balloon opened its maw and bit hard onto the hand that Hyakuren was using to protect himself. Hyakuren felt nothing at all. It was funnier given the cute form of the balloon trying to bite his arm off causing him to laugh.
“Though I do feel a bit disappointed that low leveled monsters can’t harm me, that don’t mean I can just ignore their attacks though.” Hyakuren voiced out his thoughts and flicked the [Red balloon]’s head, causing it to pop and drop its skin.
“I guess this is their loot?” Hyakuren picked up the skin read the information obtained by his [Transmutation: Material analysis].
“[Red balloon skin] skin dropped by [Red Balloons], it can be used for a multitude of things from entertainment to combat. Flammable.”
Hyakuren was actually surprised that such a thing was used in combat equipment. “If it’s for entertainment… then…” Hyakuren blew into the [Balloon skin] causing it to expand and turned into a red ball. “I guess kids can use them as to play ball?” Hyakuren remembered the balls that the kids played with in the commoner wing.
Hyakuren heard growls around him and was surprised that he was surrounded by roughly 90 balloons. He saw red, blue, purple, orange, yellow and green. “What the fuck?”
Hyakuren strained his ears and heard the town’s gate being pulled up, sealing the town from the balloon’s invasion.
Only then did Hyakuren saw that the guards had been trying to call to him.
Hyakuren immediately felt some danger and elongated his short sword into a 3 meter claymore. He raised the blade above his head and lowered his posture to increase his balance. ‘Whatever happens, never underestimate your enemy or you will be killed.’ Hyakuren recited the quote his ‘father’ gave him when he was younger.
“I’m not afraid of you balloons! Come at me bro!”
Hyakuren challenged the balloons (irrelevant: no matter how funny that sounded) who charged him from all angles.
Lowering the blade to his waist; Hyakuren swung to the right, using the inertia of a heavy blade to let him continue spinning enabling him to cut down 6 balloons and dispersing the rest by the intimidation of the sharp blade.
Growling at him, the balloons began to circle him trying to find an opening to strike at him. ‘To think they were this coordinated when in a group… are they really low intelligence monsters?’ Hyakuren stayed vigilant, even though he knew some could not damage him; he still had to maintain a bit of paranoia in order to survive in the world.
“They multiplied!?” Hyakuren looked at the growing number of balloons. Currently, there were 190 balloons ‘I guess I will have to use transmutation…’ with serious expression,
Hyakuren glared at the grinning opponents. ‘To use numbers to dwindle your opponent’s stamina… these things are smarter than they look.’ Hyakuren complimented his enemies.
“But I won’t be taken down so easily!” Hyakuren roared and stabbed the ground with his claymore and used his ability: [Transmutation: Reconstruction]. “Earth Spike” Hyakuren added a name to the skill to cover his ability to transmute.
As the name implied, the area within a 50 meter radius began to protrude up. Hyakuren pulled back the claymore and the earth returned back to normal with a lot of [Balloon skins] lying here in there.
More than half of the balloons were destroyed. Hyakuren never realized that one of the sentries was watching him from the top of the wall.
“Amazing…”
—End of chapter—
I forgot to mention before but this story was written 3 years ago so please, if there is anything odd or if the plot line is advancing too quickly: comments and critiques are welcomed. If you find the fiction i am re-writing to be not enjoyable please don't just type: [YOUR FICTION SUCKS] or {You cant write at all]. Please give a reason as to why it 'sucks' . for example: [Your fiction sucks because the main plot line has too many skips in it]. <----- this is acceptable.
I don't really care for comments but reading them does motivate me~ constructive criticism is also welcomed