His eyes opened slowly, apprehensive at what he might see. When he did look around, he found himself in the middle of a town square. In front of him was a large fountain, gushing with drinkable water. There wasn't any asphalt or concrete under his feet, but just dirt. At the edges of the square were a few stalls selling various items and food. Past them were rustic, medieval-style buildings made of stone, timber and clay bricks.

He took in the sights, then took in a deep breath, getting a lungful, of fresh clean air. He laughed, some would say he giggled, giddily, looking at his hands and clenching them. He jumped up and down, not to get used to moving around since his avatar was almost identical to his real body but because he couldn't wrap his head around how real everything was.

Several people were looking and laughing at the noob that was giggling and looking at his own body, but Wraith didn't care, he was still taken in by the wonders of this world. When he got a handle on himself he went looking for a training centre. He knew it was supposed t be gruelling, but given that he needed to get as strong as he could as quickly as possible, it was the best way he currently had to gain stats.

He spied a guard standing by the side of a road and walked up to him. “Pardon me sir, would you be so kind as to point me in the direction of the training centre?”

The guard laughed, “you seem fairly small to be looking for a training centre.”

His temper flared at that. It was true that compared to the guard standing at six feet four inches his own height of five feet nine inches would be considered small. In fact it was a bit of a sore spot for him, even though it was considered to be an average height and that he wasn't thin but was packing a fair bit of muscle. For a second he regretted not changing the height of his avatar.

While he did want to tell off the guard, he held in his temper and put on a pleasant smile, it would do no good to antagonize the guard. “Well sir, that's precisely why I wish to train. My fondest desire would be to build up the sort of strength you have.”

“Well, that is a noble goal to have” the guard said basking in his own self-worth. The guard then pointed him in the direction of the centre.

While he was making his way towards the building he overheard several conversations regarding other players training as well. There were supposedly hundreds of men that were training, all who have only picked the sword up recently. When he stepped inside he saw what they were talking about. There were three hundred such men, standing in front of a scarecrow and monotonously swinging a wooden sword. Their sword barely cut through the wind and held no strength.

At first Wraith was held in awe at the sheer number of players. Then he saw one of the men throw down the sword and walk away angrily. Within another minute several other players had abandoned the training. Eventually all the players that were once swinging a sword had trickled away looking for quests that they felt would be more useful. It was a disappointing lack of commitment, but he couldn't fault them for running. Ignoring the new group of people that came in to swing a sword a couple of times and then leave, he made his way to the instructor. “Young one, I assume you are here to learn the art of combat,” the instructor said.

“Yes, sir” replied Wraith, eager to start his training.

“Good man. The way of the sword is a difficult yet it is truly noble and rewarding.”

“To dedicate oneself to the way of the sword is truly noble, but without giving offence honourable master, i have another path that I must follow.”

At this the instructor creased his brow in confusion. “So you wish to learn how to use a bow. We do not offer such a course here. If you wish to learn how to fight an enemy while protected by the swords and shields of other honourable warriors, you should look elsewhere,” the instructor said angrily, disappointment evident in his tone.

Wraith knew he had to remedy the situation and explain himself to the instructor before their relationship worsened. “Sir, I believe you are misunderstanding me. I hold no desire to pick up the bow. In fact my fondest wish is to throw myself into the heart of battle.”

“Then speak of what you wish to learn.” The instructor was still puzzled, but was also curious of this stranger.

Wraith took a deep breath. “I wish to fight using my hands and feet by forging my body itself into a weapon that will shatter the bones and tear the flesh of my enemies.” Before he even started playing Royal Road, for almost a year and a half in anticipation Wraith went and learned Muay Thai, a form of unarmed combat with fierce and powerful strikes to crush and destroy the enemy.

The instructor went bug-eyed with shock an amazement to hear such words being uttered from the young man's lips. “In all my years of teaching I've never heard such a request. Most warriors use bladed weapons to deal great damage. Even monks can fight with a staff and use spiritual powers. To fight solely with your body is a harsh and perilous path. You will always be no more than a step away from death. Knowing this, are you still willing to learn?”

“Yes. I know the dangers but it's the path I have chosen.”

The eyes of the instructor were now filled with respect. “Come with me.” He led Wraith to a backroom. “This room has been unused for years, but all the equipment is in good condition. There is a bed over there for when you get tired.” The instructor then taught him several fighting techniques to practice and train with.

There were several mats on the floor and training apparatuses all around the room, but he started with the large sandbag in the middle of the room. While it is the most basic training equipment, it is also one of the most effective ones. He took his stance and punched the heavy sandbag. Though he put his all into the strike, it didn't even move. It was considerably heavier than typical sandbags. He judged it to be about five hundred pounds. He continued punching and kicking, alternating between either arm and leg. After several hours of repeating this process until a puddle of sweat formed on the ground, a system message finally showed up.

Strength increased by 1 point. (+1 STR)

With the first stat increase he wanted to check out his new stats. He should have done this before when he first logged in, but he was too engrossed with the new world. "Status window."

Status WindowNameWraithAlignmentNeutralLevel1ClassNoneTitleNoneReputation0Health100Mana100Strength11Agility10Stamina10Wisdom10Intellect10Luck0Leadership0Attack3Defence0Magic ResistanceFire0%Water0%Earth0%Black Magic0%

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“All that effort and only one point in strength,” Wraith said wearily. Since his satiety level was going down he opened his pack to see what he was given. He took out a loaf of rye bread and ate part of it to raise his satiety, then put it back with the other nine pieces of bread. He then put water from a barrel in the room into his canteen and drank some.

After he finished he went back to training. After another five hours he saw further stat increases.

Vitality increased by 1 point. (+1 VIT)Strength increased by 1 point. (+1 STR)

By the end of the day he was physically and mentally exhausted. While he was in-game for about sixteen hours it was only about four hours in real life. He logged off from the game and went to the cafeteria to get a meal to eat. When he got there there were a few other applicants eating and chatting.

Though they were talking to each other, it wasn't exactly a friendly conversation. There was a definite tension in the air, and each person tried to outdo the other, boasting of their equipment or fame. Soon they noticed Warren there as well. One of them, a college student, called over to him.

“So what's your class?”

“I'm undecided.”

“Wait, what level are you at then?” another person asked him in confusion.

“Level one,” he told them tersely, already knowing their reaction.

The group of people broke out in laughter. “Even the lowest player here is at least level one hundred fifty.”

“What were you thinking applying at your level?”

“Do you honestly think a noob like you can do anything?”

Though he was prepared for such statements, actually hearing those opinions did piss him off. He finished eating and went back to his room, the laughter and snorts of derision following him out. It was still pretty early so he logged back in and went back to training. He continued alternating between training, eating and getting some exercise. To maximize his training time he slept in-game. After two weeks in-game his stats has risen considerably. He had moved past the sand bag and could use many of the other training apparatus as well. He had also gained some new stats while training to exhaustion.

New stat: Fighting SpiritNew stat: Sustenance

These stats were unexpected but immensely welcome. These stats were still fairly low, so they wouldn't be mush use to him early on, but he knew that later on they would be useful in combat.

Fighting Spirit

You can call on superhuman strength temporarily, or bring weaker monsters to their knees with a force in your eyes alone. You are prohibited from distributing stat bonus points to this stat, and it rises spontaneously, depending on the avatar’s action, especially if you fight monsters for a long time, or often confront monsters stronger than your current level.

Sustenance

You are likely to use less stamina in action. You are prohibited from distributing stat bonus points to this stat.

Additionally, he gained skill levels as well. After two days of only using his arms and legs the Unarmed Combat Mastery Skill was generated. It was almost identical to Sword Mastery and Archery, except it also mitigated a small amount of damage. By two weeks it had leveled up to two and was close to leveling up again.

Level Up: Unarmed Combat Mastery [2]

Increases Attack Power when fighting unarmed (+20% ATK)

Increases Attack Speed from unarmed attacks (+6% ATK SPD)

Decreases damage taken while fighting unarmed (-1% DMG)

By this point he gained a total of twenty-points in strength, twenty in agility and fifteen in vitality. At this point the instructor walked in. After two weeks, he formed a friendship with the instructor, who brought him food and advice. “Well done Wraith, you've done admirably.”

“The training is finished already?” Wraith asked in disbelief. Unable to believe that it was done.

The instructor chuckled “no, no you're only about halfway done. This stage was mainly to gain some physical conditioning. Now that you have accomplished that, you have to learn how to fight properly.”

“That's odd, I thought the training program was just hitting things repeatedly”

“Normally that would be the case, but you are a special case. Learning hand-to-hand combat is more involved than swordsmanship, and since you were the first person to ask this of me, I wanted give you more of a chance than others. Take this ring and this letter of recommendation to Ayrsted of the Empty Fist and he will teach you what you need to know.”

Wraith couldn't believe his ears. From what the instructor said, there was a good chance there was a hidden-class available for him. It also seemed to be a one-time opportunity only for the first person to fulfill the conditions. “What is this ring, and what kind of person is he?”

The instructor looked troubled, “I don't know what the ring is exactly, but it was given to me by this man. I helped him several years ago and he gave it to me, promising a favour that I can call upon at any time. I don't know the man all that well, but I believe him to be a man of his word.”

“Can you vouch for his ability?”

“I'll say this, when I first saw him I was a celebrated warrior. I thought that I was the strongest, but in his presence I felt such a bone-chilling fear that it took my all just to stand up. In my opinion it's not his ability you have to worry about, but rather whether or not you can handle his training.”

Wraith's mouth went dry at the instructor's description. A large part of him was anxious as to whether he would be able to complete the task, but he couldn't help but feel excited at the challenge.

“So what will it be Wraith? Will you do it?”

A Mysterious Solitary Fighter

A reclusive warrior of great skill lives a solitary life in the forest. Find him and get him to teach you his skills and impart his strength.

Difficulty level: E

Quest requirements

Close friendship with instructor reserved only for the first to request training in unarmed combat.

Acknowledged as steadfast and reliable by the instructor and to demonstrate passion for combat.

Quest rewards

???

“I'll do it. I'll show you that I can become the strongest.”

You accepted the quest.

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