Hi! TMPrime here. Nothing much to say here, just that I apologize for those that don't approve of the way I time-skipped it.
Edit: Oct.25, 2014 - Level 4 > Level 1. There was no reason for the level to increase. Sorry about the mistype.
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[2 months later]
"Open Status Window." Zeno muttered lowly as he stood near the gate of the Citadel facing the wide field filled with users chasing after the most basic of enemies: foxes, rabbits, raccoons, wolves, and other such animals.
NameZaxProfessionNoneLevel1Health3180Mana125Fame10Strength98Agility106Vitality110Endurance118Fortitude20Fighting Spirit1Intelligence11Wisdom17Charisma15Luck15
This was the third time he'd ever accessed his Status Window. First time was when he'd just arrived, and the second time was when he was halfway through the month during his time in the Training Center. Needless to say he was very pleased by the result.
Zeno Prax, or Zax (He also had his character name altered. His real name was famous, and would attract attention after all.), had arrived with but a few items (all identified) in his inventory, and the basic starting clothes - white T-shirt & pants - on him. Though, what items he did arrive with made a large difference: Timed Weighted Wrist & Leg Bands + Weighted Gi, the Endless Bread Pouch, the Endless Canteen, and 3 skill books.
The Weighted items were self-explanatory, other than the fact that each of them could have the weight adjusted depending on how much he wanted to be held down by. However, they could be called more as Resistance items, since not only do they weigh one down, but every movement feels like wading through water or being held back by chains. A benefit of these items however, was making training stats easier, even more so with his racial bonus, and allowing him to gain stats not just during training, but by doing menial labor, or even just moving and walking!
However, they were also 'Timed' - the first ones to be called that too - meaning they only lasted for as long they were set for. It was a type of item that was rare to find, yet also not one would also like to find. Better to have an item of lesser quality you could use indefinitely, rather than a greater one that you could only use for a time before vanishing to thin air. His lasted for 2 months, which as you guessed now, was the reason it took him such a long time to start hunting.
He'd done nothing but train in all those time, other than a week of using several methods to raise his Intelligence & Wisdom to acceptable levels (by reading, more reading, talking, debating, and playing board games with scholars and philosophers, the whole nine yards). Similar to Weed's own training regime, he spent some time just hitting the scarecrow. However, he did so bare-handed. Zax planned on becoming a unarmed fighter, like a monk or martial artist, except without a class, for now anyway.
He gained a few other stats while training. Namely, Endurance, Fighting Spirit, and Fortitude. He tweaked the Endurance, and Fortitude a bit. They are also very similar, yet still different in their own way.
Endurance increases the user’s life by a small amount. Though, its other purpose and greater focus is to decrease stamina usage and increase the recovery rate of health and mana. This usually raises when being inflicted damage and his health drastically lowers, even more so when it stays that way. But like Health and Vitality it also increases by exhausting one's self.
Fighting Spirit allows one to call on superhuman strength temporarily, or bring weaker monsters to their knees with sheer force of will. It also refers to one's spirit and willpower, and the ability to go on.
Fortitude affects the physical and magical durability/resistance of the character, reducing the damaging inflicted on him. It also affects the resistance against various powers/abilities (like mind-control and soul/vitality drain from vampires), and even resistance against harmful status effects. This normally raises when being inflicted damage and being attacked like Endurance, though being exposed to a harmful environment also raises it.
Though Zeno never really needed sleep, or any physical needs really, only doing so at a whim, he logged out of Royal Road for two hours in real time just to keep face. Even then he only did so after 4 days in the game, or a whole day in the real world, what with the 1:4 ratio of reality and virtual 'speed'. The capsule boosts and accelerates the functions of the brain to match that of the virtual reality of Royal Road, with no side-effects whatsoever. He made sure of that.
The Endless Bread Pouch and Canteen are just as they're called. It basically gives him a pouch he could pull an unlimited amount of rye bread from, and a canteen with an infinite supply of water. Of course, he could have one rye bread out at a time, needing to completely consume it to fish out another one, but it was of little consequence. These two items helped immensely for his survival and non-stop training once his personal supply of food ran out.
But The Primer didn't just train to bring up his stats, and do so like monotonously. No, he practiced and refined his combat skill, or martial arts in Royal Road. Not just punching and kicking, more like shadow boxing or sparring with an immobile, non-living partner. He weaved, bobbed, swung his limbs and his body, hitting his target from every direction and with every attack possible. He'd jab, roundhouse, headbutt, knife-hand, clothesline, axe kick..... well, you get the point. After getting as much as he could out of the scarecrow, he moved on the training wherever and with whatever he could. The Weighted items allowed him to gain stats even just from walking, jogging, and running. He continued to make use of this while trying to lift blocks of wood and small boulders, doing Olympic-level acrobatics, professional parkour on the rooftops, and the like.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Now concerning his skills.....
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Hand-to-hand Mastery(Beginner Lv: 9 | 12%)Increases Attack when fighting unarmed by 45%
Increases Attack Speed when fighting unarmed by +45%
Increases Movement & Evasion Speed by 22.5%
Formless Martial Divinity(Beginner Lv: 9 | 10%)Increases overall efficiency of Combat-based Physical Performance by 27%
Increases overall efficiency of Non-Combat-based Physical Performance by 13.5%
Supreme Discipline(Intermediate Lv: 1 | 3%)Decreases Stamina & Mana Consumption on physical skills by 20%
Increases overall efficiency of Physical Performance by 25%
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The Hand-to-hand Mastery is the most forward and easy to explain. This would be the foundation of unarmed fighting, like brawling - sheer fighting skill and ability. The two others however, are more complicated, and one-of-a-kind.
The Formless Martial Divinity is the Primer's own nameless styles of fighting, gathered from the combination of literally every aspect, principle & strength of every martial arts known in existence. It is balances every aspect of fighting, whether it be kicking, punching, throwing, flexibility, dancing (like Capoeria) or the like, and as such has no flaws or weaknesses, adapting and evolving without end and does not even need a stance or form. As such, it can be utilized and applied for every purpose and for any situation, even outside combat.
The Supreme Discipline, is the ability to lessen, if not completely remove, one's wasted movements and completely control over your body, especially your muscles. Now, every martial artists apply this, either consciously and subconsciously, as well as its method, varies depending on the person and style. This is the conscious application, even turning it into a major principle and skill. It may seem simple and unimportant, but being able to do so can increase one's capabilities and concentration while doing something, as well as granting more energy but from preventing useless movements and energy usage.
Physical Performance refers to one’s ability to do physically do something. In Royal Road, Physical Performance refers to literally everything, unless specified otherwise, one does physically, even physical skills. This includes, but is not limited to, one’s ability to move, jump, block, attack, dance, paint, balance, bend (flexibility). This even refers to one’s reflexes, breathing, walking, standing still, and more. So when one refers the effectivity of Physical Performance, it means every aspect one can name while doing something: Ex: Punching – Speed, Power, Energy Cost, and Precision are just some of the factors. While not mentioned, depending on the activity, this can include lessening the energy (stamina cost), and increasing the efficiency (Power, speed, duration, chance, etc.) of skills (passive and/or active), and more.
So while it doesn't show on the Status Window, just those three skills are doing a lot for him. Now, as mentioned before, he had 3 skill books with him, two of which were Formless Martial Divinity and Supreme Discipline. The third one is the Impervious Body. Though this one should be called Hyperion Constitution, he just preferred the former because it relies not just on the skill's improvement, but also to one's stats.
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Impervious Body(Beginner Lv: 3 | 10%)Physical & Magical Resistance increases based on Endurance, Fortitude, and the level of this skill.
Impervious Body is a passive skill that allows one's body and durability to match that of their physical prowess. Itrefers to the body's natural defense taken to the extremes, where weaker opponents and/or attacks would have lesser, if not none, effect. His body equally as tough and effective as armor, it lessens the damage and effects he take, both physical and magical. So unless one has a strength that overtake that of his defense, it would do no damage at all. Almost all users rely on high health, armor for defense, as well as buffs/skills and blessings (like healing) when it comes to taking damage. It allows him to survive long and wide-spread skirmishes without these, and can even surpass others who would be overwhelmed by great numbers despite their superior strength, and those who would be taken down because of a hit they couldn't block or didn't see coming. Oh, it also includes defense against several status effects caused by the environment, like Cold and Extreme Heat.
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Zax's three first skills quickly increased with his training, especially when hitting the scarecrow. His Supreme Discipline even more since utilizing a passive skill concerning removing wasted movements and energy essentially makes up for every movement. Walking, jumping, and whatever else he did raised the skill's experience so it was only natural for it to reach Intermediate easily. His Impervious Body only came into play with his Fortitude, when he was hurting himself while hitting objects. Though this gradually took a slower pace when he became tougher and no longer got injured while training.
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But enough musing. It was time to hunt.
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Ok, the next chapter would probably be, in a way, the first real chapter. This chapter serves as an explanation for the skills and stats he gained (as the start of his OP journey), so it wouldn't have to be explained or brought up again later unless necessary. Also, I replaced Perseverance with Fortitude.