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0.57% The Author's POV / Chapter 3: I've reincarnated inside of my novel [2]

Chapter 3: I've reincarnated inside of my novel [2]

What made air trains so special was the fact that they levitated in the air, and produced almost no sound throughout the whole journey making them a convenient means of transportation.

Thanks to its smooth aerodynamic design, air trains produced low drag, which in turn allowed them to conserve energy and reach speeds of up to 600km/h.

As I looked at the interior of the train, I couldn't help but be impressed.

Maybe it was because I got special treatment, but the area I was designated to had a private desk and a snack bar for me to freely use.

Lazily stretching my back, I comfortably sat down in my designated seat and looked outside the window.

Perhaps it was because it was still summer but, even though it was almost 9.p.m the sunlight still brightly lit the surroundings.

The station which was moderately packed was a scene that you would've only been able to see if you were inside of a movie.

Rows of platforms stood next to each other, and every couple of minutes you could see air trains departing, and new ones taking over the empty spaces left by them. The air trains, which were levitating from the ground were connected to long metal wires that stretched all the way to the horizon and with their constantly producing magnetic field, allowed air trains to swiftly move unobstructed.

-We will be departing soon, please be seated

-Clank!

A beautiful voice entered my ears, and the doors automatically shut. Suddenly underneath me, I felt a strange pushing sensation, similar to when a plane was taking off, and gradually the air train floated in the air.

A couple of seconds after levitating in the air, the train gradually picked up its speed and left the station.

- Next stop, Station 15 Colington park

Staring at the constantly changing scenery before me, I sank into deep thought.

Right now I was on my way towards the Clayton ridge to collect the [Seed of limit], but if I want to remotely come close to the protagonist's level, then I must also get my hands on a sword art.

A sword art, or more specifically a martial manual, were manuals that were developed since the beginning of the second cataclysm and consisted of martial techniques that had existed since ancient times. With the addition of mana, ancient martial techniques which were long forgotten were restructured and remodeled to take into account the mana that lingered in the atmosphere, and shockingly enough the techniques that were once deemed as useless transformed into some of the most powerful moves that could be performed by a human.

Since the discovery of the adaptability that martial techniques had regarding the control and use of mana, martial manuals suddenly became extremely coveted and as a result, they slowly started disappearing from the public view due to government and powerful individuals intervention.

The government primarily did it to prevent the manuals from landing in the wrong hands, but with regards to the powerful individuals, it was more of a power move to monopolize the manuals to themselves.

Martial manuals were separated into five grades, 1 star, 2 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars, and finally 5 stars, with 1 star being the lowest grade and 5 stars being the highest grade possible.

Each grade was determined by how powerful the art became upon mastery, and the difference between each grade was fairly substantial, just like the difference between a person's rank.

When choosing a manual, the most important thing was not the grade but whether the manual was compatible with you.

If you had a talent for swordsmanship but practiced a spear-related manual, chances were that regardless of how high the grade of the manual was, you would never be able to fully unleash the full potential of the manual.

Looking at my status, I couldn't help but turn my attention towards my profession section [Swordsmanship lvl.1]

===Status===

Name : Ren Dover

Rank : G

Strength : G

Agility : G

Stamina : G-

Intelligence : G

Mana Capacity : G

Luck : E

Charm : G-

--> Profession : [Swordsmanship lvl.1]

==========

I don't know whether this was a coincidence or not, but the protagonist also has a talent for swordsmanship. Which in hindsight was advantageous for me as I know every cheat skill he gets for his swordsmanship profession.

In particular, a certain sword art catches my interest.

The [Keiki style] swords art.

When I was coming up with different sword arts to give to the protagonist, I came up with three different styles. The [Keiki style], the [Levisha style], and the [Gravar style], which were all 5-star manuals.

The [Keiki style], the one that interests me the most, was a sword's art that required an inhuman level of speed when drawing a sword.

In the setting I created, it was a sword art that Grandmaster Toshimoto Keiki created. He was a Japanese sword practitioner who later became famous for his unrivaled strength. He was also one of the first humans to awaken mana during the second phase of the cataclysm.

As Grandmaster Keiki was already a respected swordsman even before the second cataclysm, when mana made its way into the world, once he awakened, his human restraint was severed, resulting in the creation of the [Keiki style]. An incredibly powerful sword art where the user would draw the sword from the scabbard so quick that by the time the opponent feels danger he/she was already dead. It was a one-draw one kill type of style.

Because it was a one-draw one kill type of style, its flaw was fairly obvious. That was...you no longer hold the advantage over the opponent once they successfully defended the first attack.

The second style was the [Levisha style]. Grandmaster Levisha who also awakened at the same time as Grandmaster Keiki created his own unique sword art.

Unlike the [Keiki style], the [Levisha style] operated differently. That was...it was a much more beautiful sword art. When writing the novel I remembered describing it as a sword's art that would mesmerize anyone who caught sight of the art. Though it was an extremely beautiful sword art, you should by no means underestimate it, as it was just as deadly as it was beautiful.

Probably the most balanced swords art out of the three, but in terms of offense it was not as good as both the [Keiki style] and the [Gravar style] who specialized in offense

Lastly the [Gravar style]. The most infamous swords art of the two. To call it a sword art was, by all means, a compliment. No fancy swing, no fancy move, It relied just purely on raw physical strength that overwhelmed every opponent that came across it. It was a series of random swings with no foundation behind them, but at the same time because of the user's enormous strength, it allowed them to easily overwhelm the opponent.

Why was it infamous? simple, because anyone who practiced the swords art would find themselves suffering unbearable pain. In order for one to train the [Gravar style], the requirement was to reforge the human body by restructuring the flesh and bones within the human body to better suit the art style. It was a gruesome and painful procedure that could mentally break down anyone who tried practicing it.

Although there was a high chance of a mental breakdown, if you managed to practice the [Gravar style] successfully, you were basically guaranteed inhuman strength that would make anyone fear you.

Going back as to why I was interested in the [Keiki style] with respect to the other two arts. There were actually two main reasons.

One was that personally, my favorite art out of the three was the [Keiki style]. I mean why wouldn't it be? Imagine facing hundreds of opponents, when suddenly all their heads fall off with you looking like you hadn't done anything. Wasn't that totally badass?

Secondly, I couldn't possibly take the [Levisha style] as it belonged to the protagonist. I couldn't be changing the scenario too much, or else my dream of a peaceful life would go to waste. Also, the [Gravar style] was far too brutal for me to even bother learning it. I am by no means a masochist.

At first, when writing the novel I wanted the protagonist to practice the [Keiki style], but the more I wrote the more I figured it did not match his character, and thus I discarded the [Keiki style]

Fortunately, by some sort of twist of fate, I am now inside my own novel and could now wash away my regrets and practice the [Keiki style]. Moreover, I don't have to worry about the repercussions of learning the sword's art, as me learning it won't affect the plotline of the novel.

I decided to learn the [Keiki style] right after I collecting the [Seed of limit]. Thankfully, the location of where the sword art was located was not that far off from the Clayton ridge, and so by the end of the week, I should be able to have both the [seed of limit] and the [Keiki style].

- Next stop, Station 24 Clayton ridge

Waking me up from my deep thoughts, was a beautiful voice coming from the train speaker.

Taking a glimpse outside the window, I could see huge mountains in the distance.

As the tectonic plates shifted, it caused continents to clash against each other resulting in huge mountains and ridges suddenly appear across the world.

The current Clayton ridge was the result and aftermath of Japan hitting the east side of china causing the ground to be elevated and creating a chain of mountains.

Standing below the huge majestic mountains and admiring the sight, I couldn't help but sigh

"This really isn't a novel anymore....."

It all still feels unreal to me. As the creator of the novel, I always have this feeling of incredulity. It all feels fake. The buildings, the people, the map, everything was just as I had written in the novel. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Sometimes I wonder if this was all fruit of my imagination, and I was in a coma somewhere dreaming of this. But.....

Breathing the fresh air, and smelling the sharp, sweet, and refreshing smell coming from the pine trees before me, I could almost be certain that everything before me was real.

With renewed vigor, I start my climb up the mountain.

...

"Huff...Huff..."

The terrain was rougher than I expected, making it hard for me to collect my breath as I move up the mountain. I have to stop a couple of times to check my bearing, as there was no path for me to directly follow.

Three hours had already passed since my journey up the mountains, and although my breathing was a bit rough, I wasn't that tired. Well...considering the fact that I had ready condensed mana inside of my body, It really shouldn't come as a surprise that I managed to last this long.

Keep in mind that if a normal human with no mana concentration in their body were to climb this mountain, they would by no means reach the same point as me. Then again, I really shouldn't compare myself with normal humans, since anyone in the academy would last much longer than me.

Right now I was making my way towards the third highest peak, where a small cave containing the [Seed of limit] resided.

Because I only spent a couple of sentences describing where to find the [seed of limit], I don't know the exact location of the cave. I only know that it's on the third highest peak of the Clayton ridge.

Knowing that looking for the cave was almost like looking for a needle in a haystack, I've already mentally prepared myself for a long arduous search. Hopefully, I won't waste too much time, else I might be spending days here, which I simply couldn't afford to do.

Just as I had arrived below the third highest peak I squinted my eyes. I could already see the sun trying to hide itself behind the mountains reducing my visibility considerably.

Clenching my fist I decided to do one last struggle and climb my way towards the third peak.

This was a really reckless decision on my part as I would be directly climbing the mountain, unlike before where I just hiked.

Moreover, because the sun was setting and my range of visibility was decreasing by the minute it made it even harder for me to climb up the mountain as a slight slip could cost me my life.

Climbing the mountain at this time was totally reckless, but it's not like the protagonist was waiting for me to catch up to him, and thus I steeled my mind and slowly climbed up the mountain.

Feeling the cold rock in between my hand, I increased the grip of my hands and carefully moved up the mountain. If I don't manage to find the cave soon, I would probably be forced to camp somewhere on top of the mountain, which wasn't exactly ideal.

Halfway up the mountain, and 2 hours into my climb, I could already feel my hands becoming numb from the constant climbing. The sun, which had set long ago only left endless darkness making it impossible for me to see more than a couple of meters ahead of me.

As the nights progressed the cold kicked in, further adding to the difficulty of the climb. It was already hard to climb before, but now things got even harder. Not to mention that my whole body started aching like crazy.

Gritting my teeth I endured the stinging pain coming from my arms and continued my way up.

Inserting my feet into a narrow gap, I pause and looked up.

Although it was dark I could still see a couple of meters ahead of me. Squinting my eyes, I saw a small protruding rock coming from the top left of my view. Remembering a similar description from my novel, my eyes lit up and I forced my body to climb up near the rock.

Placing my hand on top of the rock and applying some pressure, I was able to confirm that this was the right place as a small gap appeared behind the rock.

Applying a little bit more pressure, I move the rock further to the side allowing me to see what's right behind the rock.

"Bingo!"

Smiling widely, I used all my strength and pushed the rock outwards causing it to fall down, opening a small gap for which a single person could enter.

-Bang!

After 10 seconds of free fall, a large sound could be heard from below the mountain sending shivers down my spine.

"Had that been me, I would've likely turned into an omelet if anything else..."

Turning my attention back to the cave, I slowly pushed my body inside the small gap. As I entered the small hole, I crawled my way forward for a couple of meters until a wide opening appeared before me.

Increasing my pace, I enter the cave.

As soon as I entered the cave I felt all the energy drain out of my body, causing me to weakly slump on the ground. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally. From the moment I entered the Clayton ridge to the moment I reached the cave, all I did was non-stop physical work.

I hiked non-stop for 3-4 hours and then climbed three quarters up the third peak. If it wasn't for the fact that I had already awakened by the time I reincarnated into the novel, I would've already been exhausted halfway through the hike.

Let me be clear. I was also extremely lucky throughout the journey. That was, I did not encounter a single animal. Since most animals who were exposed to mana turned berserk, I expected some kind of encounter against one of such animals in the mountain, but fortunately for me, I had come prepared as I brought a low-grade beast repellant that warded away any beast below G-rank.

Thus thanks to the repellant I encountered zero beasts which in turn helped me preserve some of my energy, allowing me to find this place faster.

Leaning against the wall of the cave, I slowly regained some of my energy. Glancing around, all I could see was a huge cave that I couldn't see the end of.

Smiling to myself I got up and moved towards the depth of the cave

"It's about time I upgrade myself....."


Chapter 4: I've reincarnated inside of my novel [3]

"Haaah...."

Letting out a long breath I dazedly stared at the scenery presented before me.

"I expected something out of the norm, but this...."

'Overwhelmed' would be the perfect word to describe the sensation I was feeling at the moment.

A huge towering tree stood in front of me. Its large roots deeply penetrated the hard rock, almost as if it was made of clay, and its lush green leaves made one wonder if there really was no sunlight here.

Right on the top of the tree was a pale red fruit that looked extremely succulent. It resembled a peach, but contrarily to a regular peach, it had a yellow glow enveloping it making it clear that it wasn't just your regular peach that you could get from the supermarket.

Taking a deep breath I looked directly at the fruit that contained the [Seed of limit] with burning desire.

'This is it...once I get my hands on the fruit, my future will change entirely.'

I thought as my eyes couldn't detach themselves from the pale red fruit that sat on top of the tree.

I will no longer be some good-for-nothing author who lazes around his house, raging at his own readers.

No

Instead of writing other's stories, I will be writing my own, and.....

Glancing at the fruit above me, I raise my hand and slowly clench it

"It all starts from that fruit"

...

Getting the fruit wasn't actually that hard.

In the first place, it was supposed to be an accidental find by the protagonist for when he explored the Clayton ridge during his elective. Moreover, if I don't remember incorrectly, I don't think the protagonist even got his hands on the fruit, as by the time he came the only thing he found was the [Seed of limit].

I kind of feel guilty for saying this, but.....

When I was writing this part of the novel, I totally forgot to add a trial.

You know...like the obstacle the protagonist needed to overcome in order to boost his own power.

If this was a typical novel, there should've been a guardian protecting the fruit, or at least some sort of defensive mechanism that made it hard for the protagonist to easily claim the fruit, but...I just couldn't bring myself to write one, as this would've been considered in a certain sense a small upgrade for the protagonist.

The main purpose was to speed up the protagonist's training by removing his limiter, thus I didn't really add any trial. This lazy me did it so that I could finish the novel faster, as at that point I was already bored of the novel.

But now that I am holding the fruit in my hands, I realized how complacent and stupid I was.

I mean, this was a total cheat item!

No wonder the readers started getting mad at me.....

I was totally over-gearing the protagonist. Moreover, the [Seed of limit] was essentially a guaranteed ticket to stardom, as it severed the restraint a human would have on their capabilities.

Actually...that may not necessarily be true.

Although the [Seed of limit] could be considered a cheat item, it wasn't necessarily that overpowered.

Although it removed one's limit, it did not mean that it improved one's talent.

In actuality, a person's talent remains the same, and apart from the fact that one would have no limit and their training speed increased, the [Seed of limit] did not help in regards to actual talent.

For example, if a person who has no talent in regards to fighting suddenly takes the seed of limit, they will not suddenly turn into some sort of god of war. No, if such an item were to actually exist, I might as well just drop the novel and be done with my day.

I mean, who would bother reading a novel where the protagonist doesn't overcome any hurdles and just bulldozes his way to the top?

Fortunately, I wasn't dumb enough to create such an item.

With the [Seed of limit] one could only remove their rank cap, but other than just faster-training speed the [Seed of limit] didn't do much. Moreover, even if a talentless person took the [Seed of limit] they could at most train their stats to be absurdly strong, but if they were to face someone just as strong as they were then they would instantly be defeated.

Still, imagine if the seed landed in the hands of a talented individual that wasn't the main protagonist...Just the thought sends me shivers.

Forcefully pushing down my feelings of guilt, I carefully observed the fruit.

Its pale red color added with its holy-like glow that was enveloping it, made it seem like I was holding a fruit straight out from heaven.

Swallowing the saliva that was stuck inside of my throat, I gently open my mouth and took a small bite out of the fruit.

Instantly an overwhelming sweetness enveloped my taste buds, making them dance with joy. The juices coming from the fruit overflowed inside of my mouth, and the succulent taste coming from the fruit made me momentarily forget everything around me.

Shortly after gulping the first bite of the fruit, I could feel my body changing. My eyes became sharper, my head became clearer and my muscles became more explosive.

I could feel myself slowly becoming stronger

Glancing at my status, I noticed my stats changing with every passing second and as I felt and saw myself change, a wave of euphoria washed over me, prompting me to greedily eat the fruit before me.

The more I ate the more I felt every fiber of my body becoming sturdier and stronger.

===Status===

Name : Ren Dover

Rank : G +

Strength : G +

Agility : G +

Stamina : G +

Intelligence : G +

Mana capacity : G +

Luck : E

Charm : G-

--> Profession : [Swordsmanship lvl.1]

==========

"Haa...."

Using my shirt to wipe away the juices that lingered around my mouth, I took a good look at my status window.

As I looked at my status window I couldn't help but look at my charm stats...

Why wasn't my charm increasing?

I know that I wasn't particularly handsome but, I mean all stats except for Luck which was already quite high increased a notch or two. Why couldn't you just spare a couple of points on my charm?

Was I destined to be a virgin?

-Slap!

Slapping my cheeks to forcefully clear my dark thoughts away, I stared at my hands

A small brown seed nestled in between my hands.

"Is this the [Seed of limit]?"

Now that I paid close attention to it, I really couldn't determine the difference between this seed and any other seed that could've been both from a supermarket.

It was neither too big nor too small, just about the size of a coin and if it weren't for the fact that it came from the holy like fruit, I would've in no way have been able to tell this was the [Seed of limit].

I mean it looked so normal that I wouldn't be surprised if someone would just laugh at me if I were to tell them this was a cheat item.

But of course, since I am the author, I know that this normal-looking seed is in fact the key to my future.

I did mention this before, but the protagonist never actually ate the fruit. Why? Because he never had a chance in the first place...

In the original plot, the protagonist and his classmates would go on an elective in the Clayton ridge.

During the excursion, the first to find this place wasn't the protagonist, but the protagonist's rival. Once the rival found the tree containing the fruit, he immediately ate the fruit and discarded the normal-looking seed, which was later found by the protagonist who by sheer luck managed to discover its effect and ate it.

Yes, I know. I was currently fully reflecting on myself. The more time I spend in this world the more I realize how depressing my writing was...

Now that I think about it, since I ate the fruit I kind of prevented the rival from upgrading himself.

...this wasn't good.

The rival was vital to the plot. He was one of the reasons why the protagonist managed to become so strong. Me indirectly affecting his growth is also indirectly affecting the protagonist's growth

Mhmm...I guess I'll make it up to them later

Since I've already done the deed, I couldn't really turn back time and undo what I did. Instead of worrying about it now, I'll just do what I was best at...and that was leaving problems for later.

I mean I'll just owe them one later.

Taking a deep breath, I carefully scrutinized the seed in my hand and slowly placed the seed at the top of my tongue.

-Gulp!

Swallowing the seed, I sat down on the ground and waited for the [Seed of limit] to kick in. Then.....

1 minute passed

2 minute passed

5 minutes passed

10 minutes passed, and still, nothing happened.

Just when I was about to think that something was wrong, an overflowing amount of energy came crashing down my body.

It felt as if a dam had burst, making my veins and body withstand the grunt of the water coming escaping out of the dam.

'Excruciating' would have been the best word to describe how I was feeling, as I felt an indescribable pain wash over my body. The pain was so intense that no words nor screams escaped from my mouth. It felt as if all my bones and veins shattered at once.

The last thing I saw before I passed out was the humongous tree inside of the cave slowly withering away.

"Haa...I really am reckless"

...

I don't know how much time had passed since I passed out, but that didn't really matter at the moment.

My body ached all over making it hard for me to stand. Collecting myself, I slowly reached out for my bag's front pocket from which I took out a small rectangular tablet.

Tapping on the screen a 3D holographic image of myself popped up.

I was still not used to the holographic thing and all, hence whenever the holographic data pops up in front of me, I flinch every time.

Swiping right, I unlocked the tablet and checked the date.

========================

Time : 06 : 47 Date : 07/09/2055

Mail(5) Calls (0) Messages(0) Browser

========================

Closing the tablet I sighed in relief. Only three hours had passed since I passed out. Fortunately for me I did not pass out for days.

If on the unfortunate occasion that I did not manage to wake up prior to the opening of the academy, I would've been in big trouble.

Normally I wouldn't have cared about skipping classes as I don't want to repeat what I've been through back in high school, but since I designed the lock I already know how strict the instructors were. Especially to those who were not highly ranked, like me. They were merely treated us like dispensable people who will later die on the frontlines. Hence if you get on the bad side of some professors, it'd be best if you pack up, as you will probably never be able to graduate from there.

This was the last thing I wanted, as there were so many things I needed to accomplish in the 'Lock' before I could safely go outside of the human territory.

Firstly I needed to participate in a couple of events that will happen inside of the lock.

But wouldn't participation affect the plotline? Of course, it would, but because I don't know whether my reincarnation has had any effect on the plot of the story, I will need to personally check myself and see if the storyline was still the same as what I wrote.

So far everything seemed to be the same, but if by chance my reincarnation has had a butterfly effect on the story it could create disastrous consequences. So... taking this into consideration I decided to step in and help in the case that something deviates from the plotline.

Secondly, as the lock was the foremost academy in developing heroes in the entire humanity, it would be a total loss for me to miss it. I mean If I want to become strong enough to survive the third cataclysm, I should definitely not miss the chance that was presented to me. With their state-of-the-art facilities, it would take no time for me to become strong enough to live comfortably on my own.

But before I do that, I must first get my hands on the sword art so that I don't get kicked out on my first year due to my lack of talent.

Just like any regular academy if you don't pass the year you get held back a year. Thus if I don't get my hands on the [Keiki style], even with my limits broken thanks to the [Seed of limit], I would by no means be guaranteed to pass the first year. It's not like I could become super strong immediately. Without effort and time, I couldn't catch up to the protagonist and his companions.

Checking my status I noticed that after having consumed the [Seed of limit] my stats did not increase. Well, I'd be surprised if it did, as the [Seed of limit] was an item primarily focused on breaking the level cap of a user, unlike the fruit that focused on increasing the stats.

But the fact that I am no longer bound by the laws of this world, I could freely train as much as I want to without worrying about reaching a bottleneck.

...

It actually took me longer than expected to get out of the cave. Precisely 2 hours after I woke up I managed to safely get out of the cave. It wasn't because I couldn't find the exit, no that part was actually easy, but it was the fact that my body refused to listen to me. I could somehow move my arms but it was extremely stiff.

For a solid hour, I had to slowly tense my muscles starting from my fingers down to my toes. This was because all my muscles refused to listen to me. It felt as if the body which I had just gotten used to became foreign again, almost like when I just reincarnated in this body.

"Haa...finally some fresh air"

Taking a deep breath outside I felt my body slowly relax, helping me regain some of my energy.

The air outside was incomparably different compared to the air inside of the cave, which was extremely stuffy.

Staring towards the east with my improved vision, I could catch a glimpse of the huge megacity on the horizon. The tall skyscrapers and the ever-moving sky trains that operated non-stop made the city look extremely lively.

"Beautiful..."

Was the only word that I could mutter as I stared at Ashton city.

It's truly fascinating how despite humanity's situation they managed to unite and build such a beautiful city. And now this beautiful city that I was staring at was my new home.

"Alright!"

With renowned vigor, I immediately head down the mountains.

It's about time I collected the [Keiki style]


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