Chương 3: Chapter 3
[Location: Patch Island, Cliffside Forest]
- [Rowan] -
Standing outside the snowy forest, Rowan's fingers traced the handle of the sword strapped at his hip.
'To think I'd forgotten about this.' He thought as he made his way into the forest.
Throughout his training, he had realized two important things. The first thing being that he had no experience fighting Grimm seeing as how he'd never even met one.
The second one was the fact that despite it being over a month since he got these powers, he was still at level one. He wasn't like all those protagonists that had a personal dungeon to grind in.
The only places that he could think of in Vale that had a more than fair amount of Grimm were mountain Glenn and the emerald forest. The both of them were inaccessible to him for obvious reasons.
Just when he had almost given up, he remembered one of trailers of the show that featured a Grimm infested forest in patch, Cliffside forest.
Though it had taken him some time to convince Julius to let him go, it was going to be worth it. Julius was the kind of person that believed that experience was the best way to learn after all so he was somewhat happy that he had taken the initiative.
*Crack!*
His attention snapped to the side at the sound of a nearby branch cracking. Some distance away, he saw a large pitch black creature whose shape resembled a werewolf. It stood on its hind legs with a slouch, its face a bone-like mask with red markings.
It had bone-like spikes protruding from its arms, back, and knees. He heard its low growls as it made it's way towards him.
He didn't need to use [The Author] to tell him that it was a Beowolf. It rushed at him with intent to claw it him.
It didn't get far as Rowan immediately unsheathed his blade, swiftly cleaving its arm off. It growled in retaliation only for the blade to stave through its unarmored chest, falling silent as it quickly dissipated.
[You have leveled up]
'Is that it? I thought it'd be much harder than that but it's almost no different than fighting a human. The only difference is that I have to use more lethal options.' He thought as he sheathed his sword.
*Growl!*
Just then, he heard more growls around him. He turned to the side to see two more Beowolves emerging from the forest.
'Ah yes. Beowolves moved in packs which means that there should be a lot more around here.' He thought as he took out the blade once more.
This time he didn't wait for them to attack, going on the offensive as he dashed forward. He quickly reached the two creatures, beheading them both before they could react.
'They're kind of…weak. Though I guess they weren't much of a threat in the series.' He thought as more Beowolves emerged from the forest around him.
'I may not have a personal dungeon but this isn't bad either.' He thought as he activated [Aura Reinforcement], the sword gaining a golden glow to it as he dashed towards the emerging Grimm.
He dodged a claw that cut through the air, swiftly cutting off the offending limb before slashing through the Beowolf's neck. He immediately moved on to the next one, not letting it attack as he quickly decapitated it as well.
Soon he was a blur of movement as with each Beowolf he cut down, three more took its place. His blade cut through the air, easily cutting down the Grimm from all sides.
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[Sword Mastery has leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[Sword Mastery has leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
He ignored the notifications for the moment as he felt his blade cut down another Beowolf. He didn't realize how much he needed this until now.
He had been thrust into this dangerous world with no choice in the matter and was forced to survive. To top it all off, he was dropped off with so little time to get stronger.
Adding all of that together, it was normal, even expect for him to get frustrated. He vented that frustration out of his system as he cut down each creature of Grimm that came his way.
- [Ruby] -
She had come to visit her mother's grave like she usually did. She spoke about a lot of things, like how Yang got in trouble in a club in Vale and how things at Signal were going.
She didn't know how long she spent there until she heard the howling of Beowolves…a lot of them. Patch was relatively safe but that didn't mean it was free from Grimm.
Beowolves only howled when they were attacking something and this many of them so close wasn't a good thing for whoever it was attacking.
Fortunately, she was with her weapon, Crescent Rose. Without wasting time, she rushed in the direction of the howls.
*BOOM!*
The ground shook a bit as a powerful force ripples in the distance…from the same direction of the horde of Beowolves.
'What was that? Dust? A semblance?' She thought as she made her way there.
She also noticed something important. While hurrying there, she saw a few Grimm also moving towards that direction and shockingly enough, they all ignored her, opting to meet up with the rest of the horde.
She took out a few but she couldn't waste time when someone could possibly be in trouble. What could someone possibly do to attract this much Grimm.
It didn't take her long to find the source of the commotion. Shock couldn't describe how she felt as she saw a blond haired boy surrounded by an enormous amount of Grimm.
It was more than she had ever seen in one place but that wasn't what shocked her. What shocked her was the manner and rate at which he dealt with them.
Despite being ridiculously outnumbered, it didn't take more than two strikes from the boy's to take down each Grimm. The boy barely slowed down as he skillfully moved from side to side, dodging hits and whittled them down.
Just when she wanted to rush in and help, she saw him raise his fist in the air. She watched as a golden energy engulfed his hand before he smashed it into ground.
It was then she understood what the shaking from earlier was as the ground tore up violently, releasing a shockwave that too out some of the Beowolves while pushing the others back. She wasn't spared either as the abruptness of it all sent her to the floor.
"Woah…"
- [Rowan] -
He didn't know how long he spent killing the Grimm but he felt much better. He had no doubt that he was the cause of the horde of Grimm seeing as how Grimm were attracted to negative emotions.
By the time he stopped to look around, all that was left were the dissipating corpses of the Grimm.
He looked at the new skills that he was able to acquire in this short outing.
[Danger Sense(Passive)][Level 5]
The user can sense nearing danger, acute danger, potential immediate danger, or impending danger and sense unwanted or hectic threats to their well-being and the possibility to evade it.
[Big Bang Impact(Active)][Level 3]
This is a skill that allows the user to condense a large amount of aura into their first before releasing it in a single blow.
[Aura Slash(Active)][Level 13]
This is a skill that allows the user to send forth arcs of aura with the slash of a sword.
The real treasure here was [Danger Sense]. It was like having a spidersense but much better. He switched his attention to his status sheet, a smile emerging on his face.
••••••••••
Name: Rowan Arc
Title: None
Level:19
HP: 3450/3450 [138 per minute]
AP: 4750/4750 [180 per 30 seconds]
STR: 72
DEX: 79
VIT: 69
INT: 95
WIS: 90
Points:95
•••••••••••
'I knew coming here was the right choice. 95 points means 5 points per level up. Do I use them now?' He wondered.
He had reached the point where it took days just to get a single point in his physical stats despite the weights he forced himself to carry.
The only reason why INT and WIS were even that high were because of the number of advanced books that he had read and consumed during most of his free time.
The fact still stood that he still had no idea how his stats compared to those who were applying to be huntsmen. He knew he was obviously faster and stronger than Jaune but he wasn't sure about the others.
He couldn't use Julius as an accurate comparison seeing as how the man always seemed to be holding back no matter how hard he tried to push him.
Looking at INT and WIS that were so close to a hundred, he made his choice, allocations 5 to INT and 10 to WIS.
[Perk gained]
[Gifted with Aura] - 100 INT
[Permanently increases Aura capacity.]
[Perk Gained]
[Aura Attuned] - 100 WIS
[Permanently increases Aura regeneration.]
He blinked at that. He had only taken them to a hundred because it irritated him to see the numbers well rounded. After not getting a perk his stats hit 50, he assumed he was never going to get any.
•••••••••
Name: Rowan Arc
Title: None
Level:19
HP: 3450/3450 [138 per minute]
AP: 7000/7000 [500 per 30 seconds]
STR: 72
DEX: 79
VIT: 69
INT: 100
WIS: 100
Points:80
Ap Regen = WIS X 5
AP = INT X 70
Health = VIT X 50
HP Regen = VIT X 2
•••••••••
The change in calculation scheme was immediate and explosive as his Aura and Aura Regeneration had shot up.
With the perks now being given, he was more motivated to spend the points. As tempting as it was to toss a bunch of them into STR, it would be a poor choice on his part.
His preferred fighting style relied on speed rather than strength. After all, what was the point of strength when your opponent is too fast for you to hit?
What good would strength do when you needed to dodge an attack? These were all questions that he asked himself as he considered what to do. In the end, the deciding factor was [Danger Sense].
Despite how little it leveled up, he had gleamed that with each level up, it's level of accuracy also increased. He needed to be fast enough to utilize it properly in a fight.
With that, he allocated the remaining points, putting 41 in DEX, 16 in VIT and 23 in STR, leaving him with no stat points left.
[Perk Gained]
[Feather Foot] - 100 DEX
[Movement and attacking speed is increased by 100%.]
••••••••
Name: Rowan Arc
Title: None
Level:19
HP: 4250/4250 [170 per minute]
AP: 7000/7000 [500 per 30 seconds]
STR: 95
DEX: 120
VIT: 85
INT: 100
WIS: 100
Points:0
•••••••••
He froze as he read the gains from the DEX perk. 'Doesn't that technically put me at 240 DEX?' He wondered as a grin threatened to split his face before he calmed down.
*Crack!*
He immediately turned to the side only to see…rose petals(?)…falling to the ground. He quickly moved to it only to recognize where it came from.
'I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Patch isn't that big of a place.' He thought not bothering to chase after Ruby as he continued his exploration of the forest.
In the end he was only able to level up one more time due to the ever increasing level up requirement. He immediately allocated the 5 stat points to STR, taking it to 100 and gaining him a new perk.
[Troll's Strength] - 100 STR
[All physical damage is increased by 25%]
- [Julius] -
A slightly sweaty Julius leaned against the tree in the spacious compound with a curious look on his face.
He was wary about allowing Rowan go and fight Grimm on his own. The boy hadn't even faced one before and now he wanted to enter a forest filled with it.
He would be lying if he said he wasn't proud of his bravery. It would be a good testing ground for him. He had easily noticed that despite his strength and skill, Rowan considered himself weak. It was subtle but he noticed it.
He would have followed him to the forest but that would have been counterproductive. There was a possibility that he would see it as him doubting his strength. His already little faith in his own ability could go even lower.
Imagine his surprise when Rowan came back stronger than when he left. They had still sparred everyday and his growth was very clear as they clashed swords.
His new confidence in his ability was also noticed, leading him to theorize that he was always capable of being strong. It was only his mindset that limited him.
With this sudden growth, he would easily be able of keeping up with beacon students. Of course he didn't tell him that just yet.
- [Ozpin] -
Sitting in his office with two large piles of paper work in front of him, Ozpin could only sigh in exasperation.
Despite the many decades that had tested his patience, nothing could frustrate him more than paper work. Even with Glynda taking off some of the workload, it was still a lot of work.
He picked a sheet of paper that laid separately from the rest of the piles of documents. It was a transcript with the name 'Jaune Arc' as its designated owner.
According to said transcript, he was at the top of his class and excelled at combat training. An amused look appeared on his face as he put down the fake transcript.
He knew it was fake.
What most people aren't aware is that the huntsman academies have access to the files of combat school in their own kingdoms. Background checks are done before admissions are accepted to avoid some unsavory visitors who try to sneak their way into the academies.
If there was actually someone as skilled as Jaune's transcript made him out to be, he would have heard of him by now. After all, the combat schools are required to inform the academies of top talents in order for them to be nurtured and recruited.
A quick search of Signal's database showed no record of Jaune but still he was allowing the boy take part in the entrance exam, why?
It was simple.
He was an Arc. For centuries the Arc family has produced powerful warriors, Jaune's father, Julius Arc was no exception to that.
If this was all, he wouldn't be bothered but there was more. Julius had contacted him a few days earlier about his decision to send his other son to Beacon, Jaune's younger brother.
If he informed him about Rowan, why was he not informed about Jaune. Was there a family feud going on or was he missing something? Knowing Julius, he was most likely something else.
'I guess we'll find out when they arrive. Two Arcs…Though Rowan is a year younger than the rest, exceptions can be made.' He thought before looking back to the pile of paperwork, causing him to let out a sigh.
It was at times like this that he regretted being the headmaster of beacon.
- [Rowan] -
Getting an airship to Vale wasn't too hard. He knew he should still be in patch training but he couldn't help himself. He'd been in patch for so long and wanted to explore Vale a bit.
He at least deserved a break for all his hard work.
He was currently walking along the streets of Vale and frankly, he wasn't impressed. It was far less appealing than he thought. He could sight one or two homeless faunus here and there every few blocks.
'This is terrible. The show didn't make it look this bad.' He thought as he strolled.
As he walked, he sighted a familiar store around the corner. The sign above the door read 'Tukson's Book Trade'.
He sighted as he made his way into the store. 'Not really much to see in Vale I guess. Might as well get something out of this trip.' He thought as he pushed the door open.
Upon entering, his eyes zeroed in on the man behind the counter. He was plainly dressed and had cleanly cut hair with noticeable sideburns along with hairy, muscular arms.
"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun. How may I help you?" Tukson greeted as Rowan looked around.
"Do you have anything on Aura?" He asked as his eyes roamed the store. He noticed a severe lack of cameras in the shop.
"Yes we do." The man answered simply.
"Great. Get me a copy of all of them."
"All of them?" Tukson asked unsurely, no doubt confused.
"Yeah. All of them." Rowan repeated as Tukson nodded.
"Give me a minute to grab a few copies." Tukson said as he went into the back room.
With the man gone, he decided to take a look at the books he had placed around. So far, none of them looked interesting. Most of them didn't even trigger the system to allow him learn anything.
As he walked passed a shelf, his hand gently traced along the binders of the books. When he got to the middle, he froze as a screen popped up.
[Do you want to learn 'Disguise Mastery' skill?]
[Yes] [No]
He froze on the spot. On one hand, it was a very useful skill but on the other hand, he was simply here to browse. He only had enough money for one or two books on him.
His indecision disappeared a moment later as he remembered the lack of camera. He immediately accepted as the book disappeared in a dull flash of light.
[You have learnt 'Disguise Mastery' skill]
He didn't read the description as he continued moving. 'I've already started, why stop now…' he thought as his hand found other books.
[Do you want to learn 'Stealth' skill?]
[Yes] [No]
[Do you want to learn 'Thievery' skill?]
[Yes] [No]
Doing the same thing, the books were devoured as well. Just a few seconds after the flash died down, Tukson walked back into the shop, a small pile of books in his hands.
"Here you go. Just about everything I got about Aura." He said, dropping it on the counter.
"Thanks."
Looking through the books, they were just the basic stuff that he already knew. Using aura for shield, semblances, the history of aura…
He almost dropped the book when he touched the second to the last book in the pile.
[Do you want to learn 'Aura Healing' skill?]
[Yes] [No]
The title of the book was 'The healing properties of Aura'. He pushed down the urge to simply accept as he remembered where he was.
Thinking to what little money he had on him, he let out a sigh.
- [Later] -
Walking out of the book shop, he felt a bit depressed. He was able to pay for the book but he had also found another skill book. The purchase of both of them emptied his wallet.
He wanted to simply read it there to gain the skill and save money but gaining skills with that method would take more time than he was allowed to glance through the book.
•••••••••••
[Disguise Mastery(Active)][Level 1]
The user possesses remarkable prowess in disguise and acting that makes them able to easily blend into society.
[Stealth(Active)][Level 1]
The user is a master of stealth, the act of moving cautiously and surreptitiously. The user can move around without leaving any trace.
[Thievery(Active)][Level 1]
The user is specialized at snatching, grabbing and taking things including being capable of breaking into homes or other places to steal. They're skilled with crossing around others sneaking their jewellery, wallets, or items, along with placing them back to its original owners in plane sites with ease.
[Aura Healing(Active)][Level 1]
The user is able to give their Aura healing properties and use it to heal others. You heal (INT x skill level)HP per minute.
[Aura Sensor(Active)][Level 1]
The user is able to sense the aura of others around them. Range = 1 meter.
••••••••••••
All in all, he was satisfied for the time being. Though he felt bad about stealing the books, he couldn't let the opportunity go to waste.
He was even less proud as he spent the next hour leveling up [Thievery] as he strolled through Vale. He had made back more than the amount of money that he spent of the books, with the skill now at level 12.
'Seriously, the amount of people there are to pickpocket around here is ridiculous.' He thought as he bumped into a man, taking his lien with him as he continued walking.
The rest of his time in Vale was maddeningly uneventful. Others may find themselves happy with the feeling of the city, he wasn't sure how to feel about it.
It was just a city to him. A city filled with corrupt officials and racist civilians. Nothing too special.
The rest of the month went by quickly with Julius not slacking off in their spars. He couldn't even call it a spar anymore, Rowan had already surpassed him at using a sword.
The only thing that allowed him to keep his advantage was his years of experience and his stronger and faster physique.
They had gone past spars and began going all out, at least mostly. They were careful not to go too far at least.
"I can't believe this is really happening." Julius said with a smile on his face as he and Rowan took a stroll to the docks.
The month had passed and it was time for beacon to come and pick up its potential students.
"Can't believe what?" Rowan asked as they neared the docks that was absolutely crowded with teens a bit older than him.
"Two months ago you were this scrawny kid who could barely run in a straight line. Now look at you." Julius answered, giving Rowan a look.
While still lean, he had lost the scrawny build, his body now filled with lean and compressed muscles.
"I couldn't have done this without you and you know it. You're just fishing for a compliment." The boy threw back to the man who smirked.
"And what if I am?" He asked smugly.
"Seriously." Rowan said in exasperation as Julius smiled.
"But jokes aside, you're good. Better than most of these kids here that's for sure but don't let it get to your head. There's always someone better, someone stronger. Pick your fights wisely, that's what I'm trying to say." Julius advised as he ruffled Rowan's blond hair, drawing a laugh from the boy.
"And if you need anything, just call. I got your back." He added as his hand left the boy's head.
"Thanks dad." Rowan said genuinely. He was actually more than thankful to the man.
Had it not been for him, it would have taken him much longer to reach this level of strength and he most likely wouldn't have been able to attend beacon just yet.
From the corner of his eye, he saw that they were being ushered into the airships. Exchanging their final greetings, he quickly boarded the ship.
Looking around, he didn't see any familiar faces. He wasn't too surprised. There were many people who going to beacon so they had to take multiple ships.
One thing he noticed as that most of them wore different kinds of armor, their mechashift weapons brandished for everyone to see.
Rowan on the other hand was dressed much simpler in a light brown shirt, blue jeans and a pair of sneakers. He had a single black strap on each of his wrists along with a bullet pendant around his neck. His sword was strapped at his hip, almost behind him.
He took a moment to appreciate the view as they flew to beacon. 'I guess it really starts now.' He thought as his finger drummed on the hilt of the sword.
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