> The Egotistical Gamer > by Pachi > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > [Insert Creative Chapter Name Here] > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Jin Isagi - The Gamer: Lv 1 EXP: 0/1000 HP: 1000/1000 MP: {LOCKED}/1000 STR: 10 VIT: 10 DEX: 10 INT: 10 WIS: 10 LCK: 5 CHA: 10 EGO: 10 Bonus Points: 0] I stared at the strange screen It's been here for a few days, and I've convinced myself that I'm not hallucinating Why on Earth… Y'know what? I'm not gonna question it I give up trying to find a logical solution to this dilemma It just exists Well, I might as well try and make use of it… I swiped away the blue screen and sighed “I've got school tomorrow…” I say to myself as I rub my temples I need to go for a walk… Okay, this is much better! A good change of pace The cool breeze, the orange autumn trees in this backwater town, the ungodly stench of mud and dog The dog park! It's a bit weird to be here without a dog though… Eh, it's fine Totally normal… right? I mean, is it normal? Am I just looking like a creep? Maybe I should go, this isn't good for me either…. I swallowed a mouthful of saliva and got up from my bench with shaky legs Pull yourself together man! It's fine, everything is gonna be fine [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] Suddenly, I felt a wave of overwhelming calm rush over me Maybe it's best if I just stay sat down… Reading the pop-up, I decide to try some things out Skills, Skill Tree, Abilities, Ability List, Ability Tree, Perks… ’Skill List’? [Gamers Mind: Lv 2 - 23.46% Mastery Type: Passive MP: N/A Allows User to calmly and logically think things through -3% Decrease in Mental Damage Taken] Huh, I only have one Skill… Swiping away the screen in front of me, I look around at the park and study the levels and titles of the people around me Most people were around level 5 or 6 But one thing that struck me as odd, was a certain green skinned girl with orange hair [Tree Hugger - Dryadkin Genius: Lv 12] She had a yellow bandanna imprinted with daisy's on her head of messy braided hair. Lavender eyes that were half lidded, making her look sleepy, as well as a pendant of a tree, the leaves being red and shaped as a heart, that was nestled between her breasts [Through Special Action, Skill ‘Observe’ has been created!] Hmm… ’Observe’? [Tree Hugger - Dryadkin Genius: Lv 12 A woman born from a Dryad mother and Human father. She has no knowledge of her unique bloodline, nor the fact that she's a perfect mix of the two species she is formed of. Uses Marijuana Recreationally] Rather bare bones… Maybe it'll have more information when I level it up? More useful information… It's not like I care for her use of weed, it's legal here Which is a bit of whiplash for someone like me who used to live in Japan, but whatever Anyway, back to the main point. What interested me in her was her tits title I had never actually seen someone with a title before When I looked at my reflection, I had [The Gamer] next to my name, but I had initially thought that was me specific… Also, that description… Dryadkin? Does that mean species other than human existence? I mean, I doubt this system can lie to me… Well whatever, not my problem Getting up from my bench, I decide for my next job to be finding out the lay of the land I've only been in this town 3 days, but I haven't left the house once, because I've been unpacking I do some small stretches, cracking my back and making my way around… First thing first, I should probably find a route to my new school… Pulling out my phone, I turn on mobile data and search up a route to Crystal Prep High-school on Google Maps Here I am! It's a Sunday though, so I doubt there's gonna be anybody here- “Uhm, Excuse me…” I felt someone tapping on my shoulders, and I looked behind me to see a young girl, maybe a year older than me, with dark blueish hair with a purple and pinkish stripe, wearing the Crystal Prep academy uniform with a pair of nerdy glasses, books in hand All in all, she looked like a typical teenage nerd character Wait a second… if I remember correctly, the school is open on Saturdays and Sundays for extracurricular activities… though apparently barely anybody uses them “You're blocking the way…” She mumbled under her breath “Oh, it seems that I am…” I say, quickly getting out of her way Whilst she was walking away, I noticed her name and title… [Twilight Sparkle - Magic Nerd: Lv 8 A huge nerd that loves to try and explain the unexplained. Whether it be a bigfoot sighting or an influx of mysterious energy, she's always one step ahead of anyone else trying to figure it out] Huh, she's only slightly higher level than the average population but she has a title, interesting… So are titles and levels not directly correlated? I begin walking into the reception behind her, as she signs in and enters the school I see a desk worker on a call, before walking over to her “Uh, hello! I'm a new student at this school starting tomorrow, I would like to know where I could get the uniform?” I asked the receptionist when she got off the call I ended up getting myself a two uniforms and a PE Kit Welp, time to go back home and pass out I had decided to try and spam [Observe] on everything I saw, in order to level it up And by the time I had made it home, [Observe] had gotten to Lv 6 I was sitting alone on my PS4, a headset connected to phone, which was connected to a discord call “GOD FUCKING DAMN IT” I shouted at the top of my lungs as I threw the controller halfway across the room “PFFT” I heard Nyxish start to burst out in laughter over the mic “FUCK YOU”  “COME OVER HERE AND FUCK ME YOURSELF COWARD” “Ayo Pause” There was a small silence… before we both started bursting out in laughter “Ain't your ass like, 30?” “24!” “Yeah whatever, still illegal” “Age is but a number” “And jail is just a room” “Kill yourself” “Nuh Uh” “THE FUCK YOU MEAN ‘NUH UH’?” She shouted into her mic “LUNA IT’S ALMOST MIDNIGHT, SHUT THE FUCK UP” I heard in the backround of her voice chat More laughter ensued “God, I've missed this…” “Same here bucko” “Hey, where have you been these last few weeks?” “I was moving house” “Fr? Where did you move” “As if I'm gonna dox myself to you” “I wish for you to Cease to exist on this plane of being” she said in an incredibly monotone voice I kissed my teeth in an exaggerated fashion “Well, I gotta go to bed, I'm already up pretty late” I say, about to leave the call before she spouted the forbidden words “C'mon man, we can't end on a loss…” We continued to bicker back and forth as we lined up into more matches… > First Day? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I fucking hate you…” I say with half closed eyes into the mic I had been up all night gaming with Nyxish, otherwise known in the real world as Luna We first met when I was playing a duos battle royale game as kid with randoms, and she just so happened to be doing the same I was initially playing on American servers in order to get better at speaking English without an accent. I had already known how to speak English due to my dad being British,  But, things escalated from there and we're now friends Though we have no idea what the other looks like, nor where the other lives, other than “Somewhere in America” and “Somewhere in Japan” “Boohoo, now one more round” “Bitch, I've got school and you've got work, it seem we can indeed end on a loss” “Really… wait what time is it..?” “Of course you don't know you fucking game addict” “I don't wanna hear that from the guy who was up all night with me!” “...valid…anyway, it's… 5 AM…? 5 thirty ish” “Good, more than enough time for another round-” I hang up the call with a deadpanned expression plastered on my face There's a good chance that my mom is gonna be home in a few hours from the night shift at the hospital… if she doesn't have overtime I rub my temples and do a bit of stretching, before I get a notification [Through Special Action, Skill ‘Sleep Resistance’ has been Created!] Instantly, I felt my tiredness get relieved and my mind freshen up Nice… Opening the Skill List, I look at the description of the skill [Sleep Resistance: Lv 1 - 34.17% Mastery Type: Passive MP: N/A Due to your sleep deprivation, you have gained the ability to resist the temptations of Hypnos! -2% Chance ‘Sleep’ Status Effect is Negated -13 Hours of being awake before Sleepiness hinders your ability] Yay! It's the perfect skill for me! And probably a skill Luna already has. Seriously, I'm pretty sure that old hag has stayed awake for an entire week straight grinding an item drop during an Easter Event… Though to be fair she had like thirty Monster Energy Drinks with her As I continue to ponder the probability of Luna having the [Sleep Resistance] Skill, I take a shower and change into the Crystal Prep Academy Uniform Dress shirt and dress pants with a reddish-purple wool vest and blueish tie “Looking Dapper” I say to myself in the mirror, as I take my long dark greenish hair and tie it into a pony tail, not getting all of it, so a small bit dangles in front of my face Walking into my room and getting two dot earrings, as well as some black nail polish on my hands, and lip balm on my… Well, lips “Need to brush my teeth” I think out loud, and so I did, before finally putting the finishing touches on my look. A pair of black cosmetic glasses to complement my Green eyes and some grey woolen arm warmers to help my complexion look less pale and… Well, as if I never spend more than 10 seconds outside at a time Now I look good It's turned 7 AM, so it's best for me to make my way by now. Don't wanna be late Picking up my phone from charge, I take my wireless earphones and put them in, pumping phonk music straight into my cranium (more specifically ‘Laidback’ by Memphis Cult) I take my backpack and stuff it into my ‘Inventory’, before running outside, I unlock my bike and begin on my way to school [Through Special Action, Skill ‘Preparation’ is Created!] I check out the skill on my way to school [Preparation: Lv 1 - 00.00% Mastery Type: Passive MP: N/A Due to your incredible preperational abilities, you have gained this skill! -10% Time To Prepare Yourself] Nice! If I level this up, then I might be able to cut down my usual 2 hours of preparation time to mere minutes! How the hell would this work though… Maybe it makes me more efficient? But that doesn't account for the time it takes for the nail polish to dry… Ugh, whatever, it's game logic, don't question it After 30 Minutes of deliberating, I finally arrive at my new school It was a pretty normal school all things considered A big school, but a normal one nonetheless Like, Holy shit, it's three floors tall! If you count the Attic then probably 4…! There seemed to be a Crystal theme, but even so, everything seemed… dull As if someone sucked the colour out of something previously very lively Taking a deep breath, I calmed my nerves before [Gamers Mind] even had a chance to work [Skill ‘Sleep Resistance' has levelled up!] One thing I noticed, is that mastery for [Sleep Resistance] continuously goes up the more I stay awake Another thing I noticed, is that Leveling up isn't the only way to increase stats Because due to my physical exertion of biking uphill, I managed to get 1 extra point in STR! Well, time to stop waiting round the outside and actually get in this place… Walking in, I am instantly greeted by a bright pink skinned woman with multi-coloured hair consisting of a white chocolate like creme colour, bright pink and finally a light lavender She was wearing a buttoned up darkish blue blazer, an aquamarine shirt and greenish blue pencil skirt, with golden accessories As well as a Crystal Heart pin over the left side of her chest “I'm guessing you are Mr. Isagi?” “Oh, yes, I'm guessing you are Dean Cadence?” I say, Reading her name and title over her head [Mi Amore Cadenza - Dean of Crystal Prep: Lv 14] Definitely above average in level… “Yes I am, and this here is Twilight Sparkle-” She gestured to her side Huh? I didn't even see her… weird “-She will be your guide around this prestigious academy” “Nice to meet you, I'm Jin Isagi” I extend my hand for a handshake, which she accepts and leads me off into my homeroom… which just so happens to be on the other side of the school “As you may have heard, my name is Twilight Sparkle… wait, have we met before…?” “Oh yeah, we have. Yesterday, do you remember?” “We Have?! Sorry, I've just been preoccupied with a personal project of mine, so I'm quite scatterbrained at the moment…” She seemed kind of embarrassed by that fact, as we headed towards our destination… It's the end of the school day, and I've gotta say, this is just as boring as I remember I got a few skills from this though… [Mathematics: Lv 4 - 67.89% Mastery Type: Passive MP:N/A Math is very complicated, yet, it is essential to everything. Math is the basic understanding of numbers, amounts, distance, time and anything else -40% Mathematical Processing Speed] [English: Lv 2 - 54.68% Mastery Type: Passive MP:N/A The english language is dumb, but this skill makes it a little less dumb -20% English Processing Speed] [Zone Out: Lv 10 - 23.18% Mastery Type: Active MP:N/A Zoning out due to boredom, sleepiness, or just plain idiocy, this skill allows you to force a condition known as ‘Zoning Out’ onto your mind -Whilst ’Zoned Out’ Menial Task 100% Efficiency Bonus] All of them are pretty useful if I do so say myself I get a buzz from my phone, and I look down to see a discord message from Luna (Italics is messages) Nyxish: Guess What? Egoist: Fuck you Nyxish: Gladly ;) Egoist: Your ass should NOT be a teacher Nyxish: But I am XD Egoist: the second I find where you live I'm sending all my files of you being outta pocket Nyxish: You wouldn't dare! Egoist: LowTierLuna Clips go crazy Nyxish: If I was unemployed, then how would I buy you Nitro? Egoist: Fair point, you live another day… Nyxish: XD Putting my phone in my pocket, I bike my way home… As I was halfway there though, I had realised something… The entire world was quiet… Too quiet Not a single car on the road nor pedestrian on the pavement Everything was quiet Then, around the corner, I saw a horde of people with disgusting, rotting skin “HOLY MOTHER OF-” [Skill ‘Gamers Mind' has Levelled Up!] Another overwhelming sense of calm First off, let's try and see what I can do Maybe if I fought, I could level up? But I could also run… Looking at the titles and names of all the zombies, they all seemed to be Lv 7-9, but one zombie was a little different [Zombie Shaman: Lv 15] I could probably tell he was a mage from the dark purple robes on his body, or from the big stick he had, but Shaman wouldn’t be my first thought I heard the zombie smack his staff on the ground, as a green mist came rushing at me faster than I could do anything My thoughts were dishevelled, and all I could think of was fighting… I tried to restrain myself, but before I could even think, I got off the bike and dashed forwards… > Level Up × Lucky Meeting > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] It took 7 [Gamers Mind] Level ups before I came to my senses I stared at the zombies, and my sense of judgement has become better It was as if a fog had been lifted from his eyes “A… Mez Skill” I stared at a strange ghoulish creature at the centre of all the others with a giant staff in hand, raising it to the sky, I felt another pull, making me want to fight, but I had managed to ignore it “Thank God for [Gamers Mind]...” I mumble to myself as I get my bike and begin booking it in the opposite direction, before I hit an invisible wall [You Cannot Escape During a Boss Battle] Boss battle? I've literally just got here! Okay, cool, I can do this. Easy peasy lemon squeezy All I have to do is get somewhere they can't reach and hit them from afar… right? Getting into an alleyway will be advantageous for me, these zombies will be filtered to go one at a time I quickly make my way into an alleyway to enact my plan And as I thought, the horde of zombies thinned out to let me face them one at a time Putting my guard up, I calm my breathing and wait for the most opportune moment to strike… NOW!  A single devastating hit to the nose with a straight [Due to Special Action, Skill ‘Combat’ has been Created] [Due to Special Action, Skill ‘Strong Hit’ has been Created] I'll look at them later Just one hit wasn't enough to down the zombie, I had to combo… Let it attack first, play through reaction, let him come first and I'll go after A scratch attack by the zombo Side step, He’s Wide open! Straight into Elbow, then follow through with backhand! He's still alive… Looking at the red bar, I've seen it only went a fraction of the way down… C’mon! Keep Hitting! Straight, Jab, Jab, Elbow, Uppercut! I kept fighting as best as I could… until I was utterly exhausted [You Have Gained 1000 EXP] [Level Up!] The zombie disintegrated into black smoke, as I took a step back, the horde getting closer “Status!” Jin Isagi - The Gamer: Lv 2 EXP: 0/2000 HP: 1000/1000 MP: {LOCKED}/1000 STR: 11 VIT: 10 DEX: 10 INT: 10 WIS: 10 LCK: 5 CHA: 10 EGO: 10 Bonus Points: 5 Pump it all into strength! I quickly check out my two new skills [Unarmed Combat: Lv 1 - 00.00% Mastery Type: Passive MP: N/A Through your ability to fight unarmed, you have gained this skill! -10% Damage when Fighting Unarmed] [Strong Hit: Lv1 - 00.00% Mastery Type: Active MP: 10 A hit using all of your power, after waiting for the most opportune moment to strike -50% Damage Increase -15 Critical Hit Chance] Skimming through the descriptions, my eyes gleam in excitement This is good! Very good… I then remember the situation I am currently in, as a Zombie lunges at me Backing up, I kick the Zombie away ’Strong Hit’ Instantly, I saw a red bar above the Zombie's head go almost all the way down [Congratulations! For Using a Skill That Needs Mana, You Have Unlocked MP!] As the zombie gets back up, I keep stepping back, trying to maintain my distance before I felt a wall behind me [You Cannot Leave During a Boss Fight] “...Fuck” “Well…I'm dead” I muse to myself, before I see something strange… Up in the sky was a floating… person? She had light blue skin, and two toned hair, deep navy blue and light lilac, wearing some casual clothes. Loose black T-shirt with a crescent moon and dark blue sweatpants… Well, this is a bit of a gamble “HELP ME!” I shout at the top of my lungs for help, and it seems that I got the attention of the blue figure, as she rushed down and held out her hand, as a variety of blue magical arrows launched themselves out of the palm of her hand, killing all the Zombies almost instantly She floated down with a serene expression on her face “Are you alright?” …Wait a second… I'd recognise that voice from anywhere…checking out her name and title, my eyes widen [Luna - Otherworldly Moon Goddess: Lv ???] “Nyxish…?” I mumble under my breath, but she must have heard as her own eyes widen in surprise She reaches out and grabs me by the collar of my shirt, pulling me in as we were now face to face “Egoist…?!” “Holy shit it is you…” I say as she drops me to the ground “WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME YOU WERE A FUCKING WIZARD?!” “THAT'S WHAT YOUR FOCUSING ON?!” She screams back at me “YOU NEARLY TURNED INTO ZOMBIE FOOD!” Yep, definitely Nyx “OKAY OKAY! Jeez, I'm sorry, just… Uh… why the fuck were the zombies here anyway?” “You-... Wait what” “I don't think it's that weird of a question… why the fuck are there zombies in the middle of the street and where did everybody go?” “Wait, you're telling me you entered a Protected Space without even realising…?” “...Yes?” She released a sigh and held out her hand, as I grasped it and she helped me up. “Come with me… we've got a lot of explaining to do…” “O-okay…” she raised her arm up, as cracks formed into the sky, and the world seemed to fold in on itself I heard the chatter of people and the engines of cars yet again as both me and Luna exited the cramped alleyway I went over to my bike and put it into my inventory, and she just looked at me surprised “I'll save the questions for later…” she says to herself as she leads me off to her house > ~Exposition~ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So, you're telling me that a few days ago, you woke up and had video game powers? God fucking damn it, why the hell would she Choose you…” I heard Luna say. She somehow had so much authority in her voice, if it wasn't for all the times I've heard her cuss me out for winning 1v1s, I probably would've pissed myself… Okay, maybe I'm being over dramatic, but you get the point “Chosen?” I questioned her “Oh yeah, you're a noob at this” Hearing those words come out of her mouth made an imaginary tick mark appear on my forehead “Yeah yeah I know, now out with it dumbass” “No need to be so angry,” she said with a small chuckle “Noobie” She almost started bursting into a fit of laughter looking at my reaction. Luna is what most people would call a troll. Saying or doing shit all to annoy or get a reaction out of someone, at least when she plays games “Well, I guess it's time for the info dump… so, you know Gaia theory right?” “Oh yeah, it's that one theory that says that the world is alive or something, right?” "Yep, more specifically, that the Earth exerts its will on nature and ecosystems in order to create balance. It's often used in fantasy games and stuff” “What about it? You're not proposing that…” “Yep, listen to me. There are supernatural powers in this world. Some people call it ‘Origin’, some ‘Providence’-” “-Stop spouting nonsense” “At least let me finish-” “Thatswhatshesaid” I said under my breath “-So, there's a lot of words for it, but generally, people call it ‘Gaia’ or ‘God’” my eyes turned into saucepans with how much they widened “Some people have supernatural powers, it could be that they could teleport, or that they have telekinesis, or that they can control fires, it could literally be anything, and we call these people ‘Innate Fighters’, because they are Born with these powers” “Yeah, but you just said Born, I've never even had any inkling of a power like this” “Can we go back to Gaia theory for a bit? We believe ‘Gaia’ granted these powers to Innate Fighters, so it's like they're chosen by ‘God’” “So it's not that it's a thing that happens at Birth, it's just most people have them at birth… wait, if God gave me this ability… why the fuck is it so weird!?” “Well… for most Late Bloomers, they gain powers related to a strong memory, or what you care about most. For example, a person who almost drowned when they were young would gain the ability to control water” “So…” “Yep, you’re so much of a Game addict that God gave you the power to turn reality into a Game” She says with a snicker “O-okay, so then what's with those zombies before?” “That was a Protected Space, a space made for fighting…” “Your losing me” “Listen, it's complicated, Gaia not only gives people powers, but also Limitations… say you overuse your power and seriously impact the real world, Gaia will come and shut you down” “But… how?” “Hmmm… let's say you win the lottery using your power, that's a one in a million chance that's good for you. Gaia, will then strike you down with lightning, a one in a million chance bad thing” I felt a shudder down my spine “Well that's terrifying…” “But it's fine as long as you don't directly impact people it's fine, say you have a product, and you use your power to make your product more appealing” “And… that's fine?” “It's fine because you're not having a great effect on the person. As a general rule, you will be fine as long as the person your affecting, or anybody not involved with magic doesn't know or find it weird” “It's too vague…” “You'll be fine as long as you're not dum- on second thought…” “Shut up…” “Anyway, let's go back a bit, Protected spaces are perfect places for Supernatural People to well… Fight in, because all Protected Spaces are separate from reality, and only people with supernatural powers are allowed in, so essentially, Gaia doesn't interfere when in a Protected Space” “Isn't that… complicated? Making an entire space separate from reality, I mean” “Well not really, because Gaia helps us make them” “Whaddya mean…” “Look all you need to know is that you can make and break Protected Spaces” “Wait, I can!? Ugh… there are too many things to learn…” “You'll get used to it, you kind have to if you want to survive in the Abyss, and yeah, anyone can make a Protected Space” “How though!?” “Watch and Learn” she says with a smug grin, as she raises her hand into the air and a light blue glow emits from her palm, and the world becomes silent and still “You can make a Protected Space as long as you channel your energy and focus on doing so, getting out is the opposite” I hear her say “Really… that seems… way too easy” “Like I said, Gaia helps you actually make them, you just have to tell her where and what type to make, anyway, just try getting out” I nod my head and raise my hand myself… “...how do I channel my energy…?” “God, you really don't know anything do you!” Walking up to me, she grabs my hand and raises it into the air, before touching my stomach “Wh-what are you doing Luna Senpa-” I feel her punch me in the stomach and I reel slightly in pain [Due to Special Action, Skill ‘Physical Endurance’ Has been Created] “Look, I'm gonna pour some Mana into your stomach, where mana is created and stored, use that Mana to kick-start the flow of your own” she says as I recover, from the hit I felt a strange energy enter my body, like a liquid, and it also made me aware of an energy already in my body, as the two energies mingled with each other… I tried to move the energy around my body, up towards my hand as I thought about leaving the Protected Space [Due to Special Action, Skill ‘Mana Power Attack’ Has been Created!] Oh hey a new ski- “FOCUS DUMBASS!” I don't refute her words, as I move the energy up to the palm of my hand and the air around us cracks and breaks [Due to Special Action, Skill ‘Instant Dungeon Escape’ Has been Created] “Oh hey, I did it!” I say in joy as Luna moves away from me “Wow~ how cool~” she says, completely monotone and deadpan “Kill yourself” “LowTierJin” “Real” “Anyway, try making a Protected Space this time” “Should be easy enough…” I raise my hand again and try to do the same thing as before, this time with my focus being on creating the Protected Space And silence… [Due to Special Action, Skill ‘Instant Dungeon Create’ Has been Created] LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO “Instant Dungeon Escape” I say to myself, causing the sky to cracked and for me to come back to reality “Pffft… Instant Dungeon…?” “That's what the Skill name is…” “That's… nevermind” She says with a grin, before going to get a cup of coffee Currently, I was sitting in the living room of her house. If I remember correctly, she lives with her sister Celestia, so it's correct to assume that she's probably at home as well, since they both work at the same school Well, might as well level up my two newest skills… “Instant Dungeon…” ugh, it's takes too long to say it out loud… Maybe I can… ‘I.D Create’ ‘I.D Escape’ ‘I.D Create’ ‘I.D Escape’ ‘I.D Create’ ‘I.D Escape’ ‘I.D Create’ ‘I.D Escape’ ‘I.D Create’ ‘I.D Escape’ ‘I.D Create’ ‘I.D Escape’ ‘I.D Create’ ‘I.D Escape’ I kept making and breaking I.D's until Luna got back, managing to get the skill to level 10 [Due to using ‘Zone Out’ without Skill, +10% Mastery] I didn't even realise I Zoned Out… huh Well, since Luna is here, I should probably ask the main question… “So… Why are you a Goddess?” “Are you flirting with me?” “No, I mean why are you literally a Goddess” “Tch, Well my good sir, it’s because of Nunya” “I am going to Fuck You-” “How Vulgar” “-re Mother… Why do I even bother” “Because you're a Masochistic Pig” I deadpan at her as she continues to grin, before our staring contest was interrupted by a doorbell “Oohh, my Uber Eats is here!” “Fatass” “I know I have a Fat ass, no need to comment on it though” “There is no winning with you, is there?” “Nope~” "That reminds me, where is your sister?" "Why, you interested? "Not really, just want to put a name to the face..." "Huh, well, she's off on a diplomatic meeting, she'll be back soon... probably" Walking out of Luna's (and Celestia's) house, I reminisced over what the fuck just happened I kept creating and escaping I.D's whilst I walked. It was a little hard to do this and think about other things as well but if I can do this, I may get a multitasking/multi-processing skill And as well as that, every second of me being awake was me grinding [Sleep Resistance] Levels, so I actually have an excuse for my sleep deprivation now It took a few hours of walking before I actually got my desired skill [Due to Special Action, Skill ‘Multitasking’ Has been Created!] Instantly I felt my Job become easier, as my mind seemed to split in two Wait, maybe I could… ’Zone Out’ I felt the other half of my mind almost completely disappear, yet the constantly cracking sky and strange 0.2 second silences said that my experiment went well [For your Unique Application, Skills ‘Zone Out' and ‘Multitasking’ Gain +50% Mastery] [Skill ‘Zone Out’ has levelled up!] [Skill ‘Multitasking’ has levelled up!] [Skill ‘Sleep Resistance’ has levelled up!] Okay, that was a smashing success I continued to do this until I got home, and in less than a few hours since I got it, I had levelled up [Multitasking] to Lv 8, [Zone Out] to Lv 17, and I.D Escape and I.D Create to Lv 20 It seemed that my Mastery for all my skills were starting to slow down in growth, which is a bit alarming I checked out the descriptions of my new skills, and saw nothing out of the ordinary… except when I got to I.D Create… [I.D Create: Lv 20 - 17.08% Mastery Allows you to create Instant Dungeons I.D's Available: Warped Time I.D (2:1) Zombie I.D] So I can control Time To a certain degree… Wait… can't I make a Hyperbolic Time Chamber from DBZ if I level up I.D Create Enough? Okay, this may be a bit more op than I initially thought, though I should probably not do it whilst walking, or else people will see a guy just flickering in and out of existence… And I was now sat in bed, scrolling through my phone Greed: Yo I got a message from an online friend Egoist: What up? Greed: Check out this video I found (Greed has sent a Video Link) I check out the video to see… a guy in a chicken mask? And a Taekwondo uniform? What the hell… The chicken guy started speaking in… Korean Bitch, I can speak Kore- [Due to Special Action, Skill ‘Korean Language’ Has been Created!] I stand corrected Instantly, I heard the Chicken headed guy speak in broken Japanese Not English? Well, I guess it makes sense to translate it into my native language in order to make it easier for me to understand From what I could tell, this guy, who introduced himself as Samdak (Fighting Rooster in Korean), was trying to teach me how to fight… When will this ever help me in real… Well… If I think about it… it didn't let me escape manually by running away when I met that boss monster… So who's to say that it'll let me escape using [I.D Escape]? Egoist: First, I can't speak Korean, Second, why the hell did you need me to watch this? Greed: cuz I found it funny Egoist: real I watched the entire video, before pausing and sighing It seems to be a load of bullshit… This guy only has 2 views as well, and it was posted… 2012!? I'm guessing those two views are both me and Greed… Basically, he was yapping about how to beat an amateur fighter, by moving your head around and doing some shit… things that wouldn't work in real life… probably Whatever, I'll just bookmark the page and move on Greed was one of those friends that you would go days without speaking to, and know barely anything about, but simply just have such good chemistry with, that the time you spend together is irrelevant Well, might as well continue to level up my [I.D Create] and [I.D Escape] Skills… Pondering what things I should do next I get dressed into my pajamas Falling back onto my bed… I felt my eyes get incredibly heavy, as my world faded to black *TRIIING TRIIING* Hearing my alarm, I rise up, reaching for it and smashing it off “Ugh…” did I go to sleep? It's Monday right? No wait… Tuesday… I get up outta bed and groggily get changed into my school clothes. My nails were still good from yesterday, might need to get a manicure though… Maybe a pedi while I'm at it Brushing my teeth, I take a shower and finally freshen up, shaving what little hair grew on my body to be fully smooth “Okay!” It's now… 6 AM… huh, I didn't sleep that long, but I still feel so refreshed… Whatever, probably just a new effect of [Sleep Resistance] Getting my bike out of my inventory, I go on my merry way to school [Due to Special Action, Skill ‘Biking’ Has been Created!] [Biking: Lv 1 - 12.29% Mastery A skill for biking -10% Biking Speed Increase] Cool I guess I could feel myself get faster, but not by that much of a margin And I had finally reached school, how nice Today I was listening to Micheal Jackson's Billie Jean A classic Mathematics and English Levelled up to 6, and nothing else Levelled up And now it was the final two periods with P.E “Today we are playing football” Coach Rommel said in a monotone and tired voice He had creme-ish coloured skin, like spoiled milk, orange hair and emerald green eyes. His signature whistle and the Crystal Prep Maroon tracksuit and baseball cap By all accounts, he was average looking “Jin Isagi, you will be captain for non-bibs, Indigo Zap for bibs” Why the hell did he choose me!? Was it because of… Ughhh Just because my Uncle is Isagi Yoichi, doesn't mean that I'm some kind of football prodigy… Okay time to pick my team… I'll just choose whoever We ended up getting our 10 team members Yippee And… they placed me as a forward… of course they did I don't even like football… > Football Match > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [KICKOFF] I tried running forwards to the ball, but Indigo got to it first, nothing new I had played football before, me sharing the blood of someone so famous in that world it was kind of a given to not be an absolute noob I'm just gonna lose, to a hat trick, it's easy enough If you just act like your giving it your all and lose It's too boring… I chased after Indigo Zap, her hair a multi saturated rainbow of blues She was wearing the basic P.E uniform She rushed towards the goal and scored… Yeah, how cool… I release a sigh as I keep the ball with me, dribbling in an amateurish fashion Indigo Zap stole the ball from me with a tackle “Whoops…” I say in a monotone voice, as Zap scored another goal Around 50 minutes had passed, and Zap hadn't scored anymore goals I tried ignoring the plethora of notifications about how my level in [Zone Out] increased through Zoning out without using the skill I would much rather be at home, sitting around with my games… Maybe I could get some money by making a few bets with her, lol The entire first part of the match was up, and Coach Rommel blew on his whistle, signifying half-time I sat on my side of the field with a bottle of water I had barely sweated due to how little I ran If things go according to plan, I'll never be picked for captain on football, or any sport for that matter, ever again But, there was one thing that pecked at the back of my mind… I decide that there's no harm in asking, so I get up and walk over to the other team More specifically, towards Indigo “Hey…” I say kinda awkwardly “...Yeah…?” she stops her conversation with her friends and looks up at me “Why are you having fun?” It was a simple question, I couldn't find any reason for someone to enjoy this dumb game “Whaddya mean?” She seemed completely and utterly confused by the question, as If I was speaking another language “I mean, you look like you have so much fun when you're out on the field…” I had said in a kind of monotone voice “I'm just confused on how anyone could find kicking a ball around… fun” “Hmm… Well, I guess it's the fact I'm pushing myself…?” I heard a girl behind her snicker “You sound like the most cliché protagonist in the world” I heard her comment “Oh shut up!” Indigo yelled in an annoyed manner, but she had a smile on her face, showing that it was all in good fun “Pushing yourself…?” I looked as if I had been told something completely crazy “Worth a shot I guess… thanks” I walked off, as the whistle went again, signifying the start of the match yet again This time… I'm gonna try and push myself… The ball was right in front of me I had no idea how to dribble… I guess I'll just copy the style of someone else… Hmmm… who is someone really good at dribbling? Suddenly, a flash grenade of two memories appeared in my head Sitting next to my Uncle as a kid whilst watching the Blue Lock 11 vs U20 Japan Highlights… A true Protagonist… A white haired silent individual with grey coloured eyes and large irises… most well known for his trapping I guess I could use him… [Individuality Questline: Awakening of a Copy Genius Requirements: Score a goal through using your Copy Rewards: ‘Copy Genius’ Title, ‘Copy’ Skill Penalty: End of Individuality Questline] I looked at the quest, it was the first time I had ever gotten on- [KICKOFF] (BGM: L'Art Du Savoir) I kick up the ball and pass immediately Someone on my left got the ball, and passed to someone else, they had made their way a quarter up from the middle point Maybe it was due to how bad I had played before, but most didn't even look in my direction, let alone try marking me The rest of my team had managed to get almost all the way up, before the one with the ball was blocked by a line of defenders Due to the little people taking notice of me, I had managed to move into a favourable position to score without many people blocking the way of the pass I saw the sweat roll down the guy's face as I shot the ball towards me… I need to remember Remember exactly what that guy did Every movement he made for that shot Every single thing… As the ball arrives… I'll act like I'll shoot it! A person runs full sprint towards me in order to steal the ball in its course to the goal But in actuality, I'll bring it in… A tap lift… and a jumping turn…! A few more people try and tackle the ball off of me, but I had already lifted off the ground “Nice to Meet You Crystal Prep…” SHOOT! The ball rushes forwards, faster than the goalie can even recognise, as he dives, trying to reach it, but is just a bit too late “I'm Jin Isagi” 2 - 1 The whistle rings, signifying the end of the match [For performing an amazing feat of Dexterity, +5 DEX] Wow, pretty good Rewards… and if you add on the bonus from the quest, more than amazing Heh… it's pretty fun to push yourself… > Training x Dryadkin Meeting > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yay, time to go home now It's been a few hours since the match, and I honestly don't really care for the aftermath Some people were impressed, Indigo praised me and I thanked her for her advice, and all went well… kinda I had to try and let Coach Rommel know that I have absolutely NO interest in joining the Football team Which was annoying… Then the world went quiet “A Protected Space…?” I felt someone tapping on my shoulder, and I turned around to see… LUNA? “Whats up loser” she says, drinking out of a small carton of chocolate milk She was dressed less casually today, in a white blouse and pencil skirt, as well as stockings and flat heels Is this perhaps her work outfit? Speaking of which, I'm pretty surprised by how much time she has… does she ever even go to work? Hmmm… maybe she has a spell to make a clone of herself? I mean, she did seem to be a wizard with all that flying around she did “So… Why are you here again?” “No reason, felt like annoying you” “Go Fuck Yourself” “”Why don't you come over here and do it yourself”” both me and Luna said at the exact same time… there was an awkward smile before we just started laughing like hyenas. She eventually calmed herself down first “Well… I actually came over to give you this” She said, handing over a bracelet covered in wooden beads “And what exactly is this?” “A bracelet” “Really? I couldn't tell” I say in the most monotone voice I could muster “Har har, very funny… it's just a regular bracelet… consider it a ‘Welcome to Equestria’ gift” “Well then, I'll accept it with grace” I say, putting it on, as Luna… Disappears… She can teleport!? Ugh… I'll have to ask her to teach me magic next time we meet I also need to experiment with that new copy ability I got… Also, I might have to try practising some football moves… since it was quite fun to play… Well, saying it was fun to play would be… false, to say the least That strange rush of adrenaline when I pulled off a goal that would be utterly unaccomplishable by a normal guy or gal,  that feeling of… superiority? I guess There was also that rush of dopamine It hit like a fucking truck and God damn did I like it That's probably not very good… but who cares…  …I might turn into an adrenaline junkie at this rate Well whatever, I need to get home… “Jin? You home?” I hear my mother ask me in Japanese from the living room “Yep, just came back, your home early” “Mmhm, I was able to clock out early today by using some of my extra hours” she says as I take off my shoes and put them away, taking off my coat as well “You never do that, what's going on?” I walk into the living room, and look at my mother Haru Isagi, an older woman with navy blue hair and similar eyes. She was very pretty, but to be honest, she was kinda average “Well, your Uncle Yoichi is going to be staying with us for a bit-” “WHAT!?” I rush over to her and give her one of the biggest hugs I could ever give “I knew you would do this…” she says with a sigh “Tomorrow, we're going to pick him up from the airport, he's here for a charity match. Apparently the Blue Lock 11 are gonna split up and have some kids about your age join them before live streaming the game” “OH! I wonder if I could join…” I ask myself quietly as I pull away from my mother “Hmm? I never knew you had an interest in football?” “I didn't, but I feel like it might be fun to play with Uncle Yoichi, like back when I was a kid” “Ah, well, whatever makes you happy I guess” she says in a nonchalant manner before speaking up yet again “But… do you think you have enough stamina to keep up with a football game? You stay in your room for so long and for such long periods of time that…” She stopped speaking, but I knew what she was getting at Thankfully, those 5 extra points in strength seemed to dissolve any bit of flab that had built on my body Maybe I should try and level up more? Or, I could try getting stats without levelling up… I ran upstairs to my room and sent a message to Luna Egoist: Hey Luna Nyxish: Yes Bbg? I roll my eyes at her remark Egoist: Your a goddess right? Nyxish: Wow, thanks for that boost in confidence you just gave me (Also it's “You're”) Egoist: You know what i mean Nyxish: Fine, yes i am, what about it? Egoist: So that means you have a shit ton of money, right? Nyxish: What Egoist: Can you buy me some weights? Nyxish: Why tho Egoist: You don't need to know why, just but a shit ton of weights i can strap on to my body Nyxish: Fine, I’ll put in the order, should get to you in a few minutes Egoist: Amazon be wildin, a few minutes? Nyxish: Not Amazon, Abyss Auction, think of it like a magic Ebay Egoist: I did not expect something like that to exist Nyxish: Tis the modern era, after all And just as she said, a few minutes later, I got a shit ton of weights delivered to my… window? I looked outside to see an alien UFO looking thing that was carrying a parcel I opened the window, and low and behold, It was heavy Stupidly heavy Like I don't think there's a material on Earth dense enough to be that heavy… I'll just chalk it up to magic and be done with it Putting on the weights, I realised that… they had modes? It was literally just four bracelets… Thin ones too, but they seemed sturdy, and also there was a retro screen that had 5 modes It was currently on mode 1, and was heavy as shit I put them on my hands and ankles as I walked outside sluggishly for a run… Okay, that was a very smart idea It took me a few hours, but with a small amount of training, I ended up with 5 extra points in STR! And best of all… I NOW HAD ABS Yippee! It's every man's dream to be either shredded, or lean enough to have visible muscle Heck, not just man, every living breathing creature with sentience Because, whether you like it or not, abs are hot Abs are hot on girls And they most certainly are hot on guys Coming from a bisexual, abs are some of the most appealing characteristics a person can have But that doesn't mean people with no abs were bad Just as how abs are hot, having a bit of “fluff” is cute Very cute! Very very very VERY cute! Everyone and everything is hot and cute Whilst I was lost in thought about hot abs and cute “fluff”, I bumped into someone A certain Demi-Dryad Genius… Maybe it was the speed I was running or the extra weights on my hands and legs, or maybe a bit of both, but when I bumped into her, we both fell into a rather peculiar pose… Yep, it was the anime-protagonists-landing-with-a-hand-on-the-tit-special!™ Speaking of tits, did I mention how big hers were? Really big Okay, enough thinking about tits… I need to think about how to get outta this situation alive… I looked at her face, and saw that she was rather… Well, she had a cute expression on her face at the very least There was a thin layer of blush on her cheeks… And her eyes were wide open in suprise I quickly got off of her And she got up, dusting off herself off and coughing into her hand “Man, you better watch where you're going next time,” I heard her say. Her voice was slightly rough, yet it felt melodic and also… very calming to listen to “You're new around here, aren't you? I've never seen someone with your vibe before” “Huh? And what kinda vibe is that?” I say without really thinking, as she puts her hand on her chin and thinks “Angelic…? But also, like, totally low-key, if you catch my drift” “I am, Infact, not catching your drift” I sat with a deadpan expression “Heh, you're funny, I'm Treehugger” “Nice to meet you Treehugger, I'm Jin” I extend my hand for a handshake, and she takes my hand, Examining the Palm Lines “You're palm lines say that you're gonna have a great learning experience tomorrow” Rather odd thing to shift the conversation to, but whatever Wait, hold on a second… Uncle Yoichi is coming tomorrow… there's no doubt he's gonna teach me some tips and tricks once he realises that I'm getting into football “Wow… Uh, that's strangely accurate… How did you know?” “I read your palms, dude” “But what part of my palms told you that? And isn't palm reading supposed to be for long term stuff, like love life and when I'll die?” “Yep” “...So how did you know I…” “I guessed” It was a very unexpected answer… It wasn't long before I bursted out laughing at her luck “Wait, let me try reading your palms too…” I say, as she gives me her hand I trace my fingers against the grain of her hand as if I was looking at it, before… ’Observe’ [Tree Hugger - Dryadkin Genius: Lv 14 A woman born from a Dryad mother and Human father. She's a perfect mix of the two species she is formed of. Was informed by another Dryad about the Abyss and her origin a few days ago. Uses Marijuana Recreationally Has a strong sense of self due to her yoga lessons STR: 12 VIT: 20 DEX: 17 INT: 15 WIS: 20 LCK: 67 CHA: 42 EGO: 15] Oh? She levelled up? One thing I found out about when [Observe] Levelled up to level 15, is that it now displays statuses… Let's try something “Your palms are telling me… that you're a Dryadkin” I say with a smirk as she leans in with her eyes slightly wider “Whoa, how did you know?” She was dangerously close to my face, and I could feel her breath on my face “I-I… Lucky guess” “Heh, Righteous” > The Blue Lock 11... Except There's Only 3... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I tried to take a deep breath to remove the blush on my face, as I turned away from Tree Hugger’s face “You… Whatever” I say, the smirk completely wiped off my face I turned and sat on a nearby bench, my legs and arms feeling as if they were about to kill me She came over and sat next to me, and I looked over her She had beautiful lilac eyes, and an incredibly pretty face… Ugh, okay I admit it, she was exactly my type… I think I may have a crush… nah, I don't fall THAT easily… “You good? Looking a little lost there” FUCK! Did she notice I was staring? Okay, just play it cool “Yeah, I'm fine, just tired, and a bit stressed” fucking nailed it “Oh really? Why don't you come over to my yoga classes sometime? They're free, every weekend at my house” she says with her melodically rough voice “Oh, yeah, sure, I'll be there… where do you live exactly…?” I ask, and she holds out her hand “Give me your phone” I unlock my phone do what she says, as she begins typing something, before handing it back to me I looked to see a number on my contact list labelled… “Tree Hugger” “I'll call you about it if your still up for it” she says and walks away “Did that just happen?” I say to absolutely no one… Okay, let's just run home… So… today is a Wednesday And also the day my Uncle is coming over My mom was currently driving me over to the airport for us to pick him up And I'm grateful for this, because it let me outta school like 2 hours early And by the time we got there, we saw him standing out front with a ton of people crowding around him He had medium length dark navy blue hair, as well as navy blue eyes of the same shade. He also had a bit of visible stubble on his face, as well as sharp eyes and an arrogant grin on his face He seemed to immediately spot our car, and walked over to it, knocking on my window [Isagi Yoichi - Egoist: Lv ?? The Heart of the Blue Lock 11, winner of the U-20 World Cup 4 years in a row, and god amongst men when it comes to making plays Whilst not officially part of the abyss, as he has no knowledge of it, you would not be punished for harming him due to him being recognised by the world as having “beyond human” INT and EGO STR: 31 VIT: 26 DEX: 34 INT: 56 WIS: 43 LCK: 30 CHA: 27 EGO: 59] Wait, does that mean if you're just a giant narcissist, or very smart, you'll just… automatically become part of the Abyss? There's too little information here for me to make any conclusions though I rolled down the window, and he stuck his hand out and began aggressively patting my head “Having fun skipping school?” He said in Japanese. His voice smooth and deep, like a velvety chocolate “Yep” he returned my words with a grin, before getting in the front seat of the car (I was sat in the back left) I soon realised something else though… Behind him were 2 other people All just as crowded A black haired individual with white roots and a bored expression, clean shaven young looking handsome face. His grey eyes were locked onto his phone where he was playing a mobile game… About 190 cm tall, a little taller than Uncle Yoichi's 175 cm [Nagi Seishiro - The Black Hole: Lv?? The Lazy Genius, a guy with more talent than frankly anyone would ever need. A god of trapping, when the ball ever even gets close to him, he'll take it with a unholy level of flexibility. He may as well have his own gravitational pull with how well he attracts the ball Whilst not officially part of the abyss, as he has no knowledge of it, you would not be punished for harming him due to him being recognised by the world as having “beyond human” DEX and EGO STR: 32 VIT: 21 DEX: 57 INT: 23 WIS: 15 LCK: 27 CHA: 48 EGO: 51] Ain't this the guy I copied during that match? I'll have to thank him for the help later… Also, I think I know the requirements for becoming part of the abyss naturally. Two stats over 50 I'm also guessing that 50 would be world class or peak human level. Or something else to the same effect… Behind him was a guy with brown hair that faded into a bright yellow, with a joyful and happy go lucky smile. He was currently leaning his chin on Nagi's shoulder, backseat gaming…I didn't even need the system for this one, he was- [Meguru Bachira - The Monster: Lv?? A happy go lucky guy, and Yoichi's best friend. An ADHD riddled man with too much energy to ever contain in his body, and too much skill to ever be able to let that overflow of energy out without playing against world class players. With a level of dribbling that makes it impossible to ever steal from him. He could have his feet tied together and there wouldn't be much difference in how well he could slip past defenders with a ball Whilst not officially part of the abyss, as he has no knowledge of it, you would not be punished for harming him due to him being recognised by the world as having “beyond human” DEX and EGO STR: 34 VIT: 25 DEX: 50 INT: 22 WIS: 17 LCK: 29 CHA: 33 EGO: 53] They both entered the car soon after Uncle Yoichi got in With them both sitting next to me on my right “Nagi-Senpai, Bachira-Senpai, nice to meet you” I greeted them politely with a small bow of my head, before I saw Bachira reach out his hand “Don't be so formal~ we might as well be Yo-chan's brothers, so treat us like uncles!” He spoke in a happy tone, very much exactly how I would imagine he would do And also… “Yo-chan…?” I turned to look at Uncle Yoichi, whose face was now flush red in embarrassment. He turned around and yelled at Bachira “Don't call me that in front of him! I'm supposed to be the cool uncle, you don't help my image when you do things like that!” But in reply, Bachira just started repeating “Yo-chan” in a sing song voice Eventually, I joined in, and so did my mother… Even Nagi joined! Although his voice was rather monotone, but that only added to the humour of it all And we got home! Apparently, the rest of the Blue Lock 11 are staying at a hotel, with Uncle Yoichi, Bachira-san and Nagi-san staying at our house Uncle Yoichi unpacked everyone's things, and to be honest, it kinda looked like he was used to being the ‘mom' of the group. Speaking of mom, she was already passed out on her bed. She normally has very long nights at the hospital, so she's made it a habit to sleep whenever she can “Okay! That's all done I suppose” I hear Uncle Yoichi say with a smile, him finishing off unpacking everything “Thanks Yo-chan~” I hear Bachira-San say in a upbeat voice, Nagi-san doing the same (but in his classic monotone voice) Speaking of Nagi, didn't he have white hair? Whatever, he probably just dyed it I felt my phone buzz from a message by Luna, and took it our to see she sent me like, 50 tiktoks about something They must have been sent during my time outside I normally have my mobile data turned off because… Well, it's expensive to keep it on all the time “Yeah I'm not watching any of those” I say to myself, before I feel something hit me in the back of the head *THUNK* “Ow” I look behind me to see Uncle Yoichi, and a ball rolling towards him “Your mother said you were interested in the charity match, mind if we play a little practise game? To see what level your at” “Oh sure! That sounds like fun. It's only 4:30, so I have a lot of time…” And thus, I signed my own death sentence… > Siren Song > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jin Isagi - The Gamer: Lv 2 EXP: 0/2000 HP: 1000/1000 MP: 1000/1000 STR: 24 VIT: 11 DEX: 23 INT: 12 WIS: 11 LCK: 5 CHA: 10 EGO: 10 Bonus Points: 0 As I lay on the floor of a soccer pitch, my breaths forceful and heavy “Jesus Fucking Christ” I say to myself… My stats had fucking skyrocketed from how much I was pushing myself in this one match My STR increased by three from me running around a field for so long with weights on my wrists and ankles My DEX by three from copying some of the tricks that Bachira and Nagi did this match My INT and WIS got raised because of the tactics that Uncle Yoichi was drilling into me And my VIT had levelled up by one when I accidentally faceplanted after tripping on the ball “You good there?” I looked up at my Uncle's figure, to see not a single drop of sweat on his body, and that same goofy smile on his face “Yeah, I'm fine…” “It's getting late you know, we should probably head back, tomorrow is a school day” I say, looking down at my phone screen, seeing that it was now 7:00, and getting dark fast “Yeah, you're right, let's go” He says as he begins to walk to our house Nagi and Bachira follow him from behind. Nagi was now playing on his phone again, and Bachira was watching over his shoulder, again Is that the only thing they do? “Hey Jin?” I hear Uncle Yoichi in front of me “Yeah?” “When you play football… what do you think about?” “Hm? Not much really… I guess… maybe ‘I should score goals’?” I said, and he was silent “...Why do you score goals?” “...Because if I do… I don't really know… I just know it's something I have to do…” he stayed silent a little longer, before speaking “...You have no…Drive...” Huh? What does that mean? Well, I know what it means but… what does he mean by that? “Hey Luna?” It was currently a Thursday after school, and I was sat next to the Moon Goddess in a small café called Sugar Cube Corner “What?” She said, stuffing her face with a strawberry sundae (that I payed for) “I think it's about time you should tell me what you brought me here for…” I said as she slows down her massacre of the dessert “...You need to decide” She said, bringing a spoonful of ice cream to her mouth “Decide on what?” I ask her, stealing a bite from her sundae with my own spoon, as she gives me a stern stare I should get another one for myself “Whether or not you’re going to officially become part of the Abyss…” She takes another bite of her sweet treat “Most people are either born in the Abyss, or made by it. But you… you are a Late Blooming Innate Fighter, which means that you get to decide whether you want to continue on as a normal person… or become involved in this world” She spoke with an odd calmness, that gave me goosebumps “Well… to be honest, for now, I'm gonna continue being a normal person… but I would like to ask you for a favour since your here” “And that favour is?” “You mind teaching me some magic?” I ask with a twinkle in my eye, and my best pleading face “Oh yeah sure. Even if your not gonna be officially involved with the abyss, just being an Innate Fighter will make you a target for some guilds… especially with an ability like yours” She says, finishing up her sundae “But if you want to know magic, you should go to Celestia” Wait how the fuck did she finish that so fast “Huh? Why, I saw you doing that teleportation and flying and those magic blue arrows, aren't you a mage” “Hah, as much as I would like to be able to say I could teleport, or that I'm a mage, I can't. I'm a martial artist, it's just that Celestia, who actually is a Magician, taught me a few tricks that make my life easier. That ‘Teleportation’ was just a basic cloning spell that had been deactivated from some self-inficted damage, real Teleportation is an advanced and stupidly expensive magic” “Well even so, those basics are still very helpful… also I don't wanna deal with new people, my social battery was absolutely decimated by my Uncle and his… eccentric friends” I say slouching back on the seat, reminiscing about Bachira and Nagi’s peculiar behaviours before I hear the door of Sugar Cube Corner ring, signaling that someone had entered… I instinctively look back at the three figures who just walked in. They were dressed in hoodie that covered their heads and faces, as well as sweatpants that made them seem tired I could see that they were… not human, to say the least [Adagio Dazzle - The Sealed Siren: Lv17 [Aria Blaze - The Sealed Siren: Lv15 [Sonata Dusk - The Sealed Siren: Lv16 They were above average in level, but for the fact that they all had the same Title was a first… “You Know them?” I hear Luna ask as I stare “...No… Well, let's just get back to… what we're we talking about again?” I said, before I was interrupted by a voice A calming and melodic symphony of voices Three of them I looked towards it's origin, and… yes, it was the sirens… [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] [Skill ‘Gamers Mind’ has Levelled Up!] Wow, a mental attack? I looked over to Luna to see that… she disappeared? She said that her cloning spell deactivated before due to self-inflicted damage, so maybe the Luna before me was a clone that got damaged by… “The mental attack?” I say out loud, as I turn back to see rows and rows of people arguing…. Now you may be asking, “why were you talking about the Abyss out in public?” And to tell you honestly, Gaia restricts all information that enters regular people's minds, so what I'm talking about is automatically tuned out of normal people heads But enough about that Finishing off the Sundae that Luna bought before she went poof, I got out of my seat, and saw a strange green mist covering the floor, that was getting funnelled towards the red ruby necklaces the trio had on “Hey, you three!” I yell out, walking towards the Siren's The turned their heads to me in utterly surprise, probably from the fact that I recognise their existence and am not currently exuding the green mist like all the other people here “Uh… yes?” Adagio replied first, before she got a kick in the face > Falling in Lov- A Magical Mirror Portal > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ’I.D Create’ First thing I did was make a time warped Instant Dungeon, the second thing… was as you guessed, the kick to the face… Well, not really a kick to the face, I stopped just before I impacted against her fleshy form “What are you doing here?” I spoke immediately, my foot still inches away from her face Intimidation is the best when your dealing with people who you don't know it they are stronger than you Make them believe your stronger than you actually are, that's the best course of action Of course… this only applies to everyone but me Because, all I have to do is- ’Observe’ [Adagio Dazzle - The Sealed Siren: Lv17 A siren from another world. Was banished to this one where their Magic is less effective and more easily countered. Currently starving due to the lack of negative energy within her system Is not the slightest bit scared of you. Recognises your intimidation attempt, as well as how your speed and strength is abnormal, and greater than hers, but thinks she is able to escape by putting you under a mind control song at any time STR: 11 VIT: 10 DEX: 7 INT: 17 WIS: 13 LCK: 4 CHA: 34 EGO: 17] [Aria Blaze - The Sealed Siren: Lv15 A siren from another world. Was banished to this one where their Magic is less effective and more easily countered. Currently starving due to the lack of negative energy within her system Is surprised by your sudden attack but is interested in how you aren't affected by their magic. Finds you to be annoying and not that scary. Thinks she is stronger than you STR: 14 VIT: 12 DEX: 10 INT: 16 WIS: 11 LCK: 7 CHA: 32 EGO: 19] [Sonata Dusk - The Sealed Siren: Lv16 A siren from another world. Was banished to this one where their Magic is less effective and more easily countered. Currently serving due to the lack of negative energy within her system Is slightly scared by your seemingly aggressive nature, but finds your face to be handsome enough to let it be. Successfuly intimidated STR: 9 VIT: 7 DEX:6 INT: 7 WIS: 24 LCK: 23 CHA: 34 EGO: 13] Huh, these fuckers are… stupidly weak? I would expect them to be stronger considering that they are a much higher level than me A lot of their stats are focused on CHA, and judging by their singing, they could be bards? That tracks with the Siren motif and ‘Mind Control Song’ that was talked about in the status Also should mention, that now that [Observe] is at Level 20, it let's me see a glimpse into what a person is thinking… but the Mastery for it is now slowed to a crawl as well, no matter how many times I observe something, I can barely get it above 0.1% mastery a day Anyway, I put my foot down and stare at the three Sirens and begin to ask them questions They were silent for my first question, so I guess I'll reiterate “Don’t make me repeat myself, What are you doing in my turf?” this isn't my turf. Not at all… but they don't know that “You own… this area? Who decided that?” Adagio spoke first “Me, I rule this place because I'm the strongest one here, you understand? So what are you doing here, Sirens…” Decided to lie and name drop, try and intimidate them more I saw Adagio flinch at the mention of their race Honestly, the only reason I'm doing this is because they attacked me first [For your display of Pride, +2 EGO] Nice~ “I… We are simply feeding of the negative energy Created by arguments… and causing some arguments with magic… we don't intend any harm” She pulls down her hood to reveal her face Yep, that CHA stat isn't for nothing She was very pretty, and spoke with a strange confidence that made me want to believe what she was saying… her voice was as smooth as butter, and as pleasant to the ear as a ripe apple is to a horse “...I'll believe you, but next time, think before you attack a person with a vocal spell” I concede and was about to break the I.D Before… The sky shattered, and we appeared back to where we were, except, I felt an incredible surge of an unfamiliar magical power rush through my body I turn my head to the location, only to see… a strange burst of orange energy “What the fu…” Oh, I need to check that out “You guys continue to do your weird negative energy siphoning… I’ve got business to attend to…” I say to myself, completely disregarding the intimidating image I had tried to make before, and Adagio scoffed I walked out of the café and began to run, turning off the weight bracelets (that were currently at level 2) and began running It wasn't that far of a place away from where I was, so I got there much faster than expected A school? “Canterlot High…”I spoke out loud, Reading one of the signs on the front I look in and see… is that a fucking demon? [Sunset Shimmer - Magically Corrupted Demi-Demoness: Lv 43 Okay, weird… I stare at the scene and examine it a bit more to see… TWILIGHT? And she's standing next to 5 weird girls… [Twilight Sparkle - Otherworldly Princess of Friendship: Lv 45] [Applejack - World's Greatest Farmer Gal: Lv 23] [Rarity - Fashion Forward Fashionista: Lv 19] [Rainbow Dash - Invisible Football Prodigy: Lv 24] [Fluttershy - Mistress of the Forest: Lv 20] [Pinkamena Diane Pie - Chaos Gremlin: Lv ¿¿] Not sparing the time to [Observe] them, I run over to the horse statue mirror thing, hiding behind it I lay my back against the mirror as I try and hide myself from the demoness and look at whatever the hell was going on, before… falling? “WHAT THE FUU-” > New World, New Body, Old Story > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “WHAT THE FUU-” I began to yell out as I fell through the mirror and into god know where I felt my head smash against the floor with a loud thump, as I lay there unmoving for a bit, my head hurting like absolute hell [HP: 670/1100] 430 Damage in one hit? Damn I need to train VIT a bit more… Slowly, I got up from my fall, standing on my two legs I felt my centre of gravity be dramatically changed, as I fell forwards immediately “Fuck!” I yell, as the floor begins to get closer to me I put out my hands to help me from my inevitable falling fate, and I see some… hooves? I must have hit my head harder than I thought, because I looked around and I saw a bunch of… horses? Oh, and my vision was fading as well “I'm gonna fucking kill myself” I mumble under my breath before collapsing onto the floor [Rarity POV] We've been standing here at the mirror every night since Twilight left two days ago to get the element of magic back With tired eyes, I stamped myself awake, realising that the magic mirror was beginning to glow a shimmering silver “-UUUUCK” Crashing into the floor, the lay on the floor for a bit before trying to get up on both hind legs, before falling yet again “Fuck” Well this… Stallion? Mare? It looked like an odd combination of both to be perfectly honest, was wearing some incredibly strange clothes that hid their bodily features so much that it was almost impossible to tell anything about it. Other than its mane was a beautiful shade of dark oak green, and its coat peach-like in colour Everyone was awakened by the sight, and we cautiously looked at the pony who came through… only to see… they had passed out Whilst their mane looked short at first glance, it was actually rather long, just hidden within a complex braid Their tail was short, and quaint, and it was to our surprise that they were wearing Thigh High socks… “That's a rather bold thing Ta’ be wearin’ outside” Said Applejack from my side. Now socks like those are normally preserved for more… intimate and private moments in mind, so it was certainly a shock “Yeah, no kidding!” Rainbow Dash inputted her VERY important and thoughts on the situation “Send… Them?...to the infirmary until further notice” I Heard Luna say from behind. Well at least it's not only me whose having trouble with the gender of this pony… The royal guards came fast, and took the pony away just as fast It wasn't that long, only an hour or two, before Twilight had returned to us After doing so, we recounted the events that occurred on both sides, how Twilight had defeated Sunset Shimmer using the magic of Friendship, how she went to a party… and how she had to leave her new friends for an incredibly long time… We had then told her of the Pony that had went through the portal “WHAT! Where are they now!” Twilight yelled in a matter undignified for royalty “Uhm, Princess Luna had said to put them in the infirmary” I had heard Rainbow Dash say, as Twilight calmed herself [Jin POV] Waking up, I found myself in a white infirmary… filled with horses in golden armour Some had horns some had wings “...Where the fuck am I?” I ask no one in particular “Jesus fucking christ its hot…” I mumble to myself, taking off my coat and some of my clothes, as well as the white blanket covering my body… “It's still so fucking hot…” I mumble to myself… “I Should change my clothes…” “Hey, do you know where the bathroom is?” I say to a nearby armoured horse He calmly explained to me where I could find the nearest one, after entering the bathroom, I quickly took some clothes from my inventory and got changed I was now almost completely naked, if not for the purple wife beater and black shorts… (and my striped thigh highs lmao) Walking back into the infirmary, I yawned So, let's recap now that I'm no longer bothered by this overwhelming heat I fell through the mirror, it must've been an enchanted item, perhaps a portal to another world because of the horses? Looking around at the titles and names for most of these horses, I saw that they were all between 30-35, and all had the same titles of [Royal Guardspony], though I did see one named “Flash Sentry” who was level 38 with the title of [Guardspony School Ace] They all had a stone gaze, staring intently directly in front of them, much like the guards of royalty should Though I feel as if they were trying their absolute hardest to “not look at me” Rather than “look professional” How weird Okay, I then hit my head on the floor and passed out I said it before and I'll say it again, I really need to increase my VIT stat… Speaking of VIT “Status” I say out loud, looking at my currently displayed attributes Jin Isagi - The Gamer: Lv 2 EXP: 0/2000 HP: 1100/1100 MP: 1100/1100 STR: 24 VIT: 11 DEX: 23 INT: 12 WIS: 11 LCK: 5 CHA: 10 EGO: 12 Bonus Points: 0 My level is pitifully low… I know that I don't plan on entering the abyss for any reason at all, but it hurts my pride as a Game freak to not be power levelling At least I'm back to full health I also now realise why nobody wears any clothes around here… It gets hot. Stupidly fast Probably due to the fact that we also have a coat as well to aid in our heat regulation And having horse fur on our bodies that haven't evolved with clothes in mind really makes you overheat easy when wearing an extra layer I'm so fucking thirsty, I pulled some water from my inventory, to the suprise of some of the Royal Guardsponies around me “Hey, do any of you know the way back ho-” I was about to ask, before the door burst open, and in came Twilight. Or a horse-ified version of her at least I stared at her with blank eyes… “Twilight Sparkle? When did you get here? No, scratch that, when did you become so strong? And what's with that Princess of Friendship shit? Your telling me you got coronated, got introduced to the abyss, and became a half decent mage all in a few days?” I had asked her the initial questions that formed at my mind after staring at her title for a bit She was purple. No- lavender coloured, with dark blue and muted redish pink striped hair (mane?) and tail. She also seemed to be the only one with both a horn AND wings Her face, although horse-like in nature, displayed a look of confusion, before a look of understanding, and finally a look of relaxation “Oh I'm sorry, I'm not Twilight Sparkle- well, I am, but I'm not your Twilight?” She was about to trail off but I stopped her “Okay, so alternate reality- perhaps parallel universe?” a trope usually found in games and manga, easy enough to understand “Uh- yeah, no exactly that” Twilight looked a bit surprised at how well I was taking this “Look, I've been involved with weirder” that seemed to clear up nothing and only caused to further her surprise “Look, all I know  is that Prince- Vice-Principal Luna told me to retrieve you from this place within the hour of entering, and it's already been 55 minutes, so-” “Wait, Luna put you up to this? Y'know what, I'd rather stay here for the day. An extra 5 minutes won't hurt” I interrupted “WHAT?! NO!” Her expression instantly darkened. She must've seen some shit, because she did NOT want Luna to come here Now you may be asking me, “Djinn, why didn't you just go with the nice pony and head back home?” Now, the answer to that is… because it would be fun! I'm bored out of my goddamn mind right now, and this will probably be the most exciting thing to be a part of since I learned of the abyss! Oh and also because of the quest- [Instant Quest: Eclipse Stay for 5 minutes within this world, calling upon the wrath of The Goddess of The Moon, for fun 4:25 Rewards: Skill [Portal Force Open], Skill [Portal Force Close] Punishment: N/A] No idea what that skill is, but skills are always good, right? Her horn began to glow as she tried to use some form of magic to pull me out of the door “Nope” I say in a monotone voice as I hold onto the bed for dear life (how am I even gripping it?) Well, might as well try out some of my skills Pointing one of my hoofs at Twilight, i begin to speak “Forgive me for this! [Mana Power Attack]” A ball of blue energy formed at my hoof and launched itself towards Twilight. She easily swatted it away, and the guards nearby became on edge, realising that their beloved princess had been attacked by someone she had just saved. Such a precarious situation i've forced myself into But whatever The ball of energy smashed into shield she had formed instantly, doing little to no damage to the purple princess, but it HAD managed to make her lose focus long enough for an escape I had enough practise walking when going to the bathroom back, and I effectively learned how to run by watching and copying what Twilight was doing behind me “G-GET BACK HERE!” i hear her yell as i continued to run I heard the stomping run of a large group of ponies, most likely being royal guards who tried to catch me I felt a flood of dopamine and adrenaline rush in, and I let out one of the biggest shit eating grins i've ever produced [For your own sake, you've pushed aside both common sense and other people’s feelings. +3 EGO] Nice! But I can't help but wonder what EGO does… As i was lost in thought, running through the castle hordes, I could smell someone trying to hit me Almost instinctually, i ducked my head, and a beam of purple energy passed by I turned back to the Unicorn-Pegasus hybrid, only to see a panicked expression on her face Was that meant to kill me? Wow! She really ain’t pulling any punches! I continued to gallop away, and she continued to shoot spells at me, but every time, i had managed to dodge them after “Sniffing them out” How weird… OH! This reminds me of the story of when Uncle Yoichi first joined Blue Lock! And how he could “Smell the scent of the goal”! That turned out to be a type of spacial awareness… maybe i have a form of that? “Listen Mr. Isagi! Maybe we can talk about this?” I heard her yell from behind and i just ignored her [Due to continuous action, skill ‘Spacial Awareness’ created!] Wait, why did it only get made now? I've been using this [Spacial Awareness] to dodge past lazar beams for a minute now, so why now? Ill think about it later, dodgeing another strike, i find myself at a crossroads. The hallway forked into two paths, left and right “Okay, lets just guess!” i say out loud… My gut’s telling me left! Running toward seat full speed, i instantly turn for a left, closely edging around a corner, before… Bumping into someone… or rather, somepony [Jin Isagi - The Gamer: Lv 2 EXP: 0/2000 HP: 1100/1100 MP: 1050/1100 STR: 24 VIT: 11 DEX: 23 INT: 12 WIS: 11 CHA: 10 EGO: 15 . . . . . . LCK: 5] “Oh shit…” The words tumbled out of my mouth as i saw a rainbow maned mare that was face to face with me “CATCH HIM!” I heard Twilight yell behind me, as i visibly saw the gears in the sky-blue pony’s head click into place ‘Observe’ [Rainbow Dash - Rainboom Meister: Lv 52 A young prodigy in the field of flying, already being a reserve member of the wonderbolts at the ripe old age of 21. With an utterly exceptional amount of magic naturally stored within her body, she is able to funnel it into her wings with such instinctual precision, that she has been able to perform insane feats that have been considered impossiblt from a young age. Her main claim to fame comes from her demonstration of a Rainboom at the young young age of 7 Is currently trying to find out what to do in this situation. Considering pinning you to the ground STR: 65 VIT: 27 DEX: 57 INT: 78 WIS: 10 LCK: 34 CHA: 32 EGO: 35] We were about the same size but I could feel an immense pressure exude from her, making me take a small step back in fear [Achievement “Frog in a Well” Completed] [Inheritence Skill Unlocked ‘Imaginated Aura’] [Quest Time: 3 Minutes 10 Seconds] Thats a lot of words… But i had managed to somehow make use of my [Spatial Awareness] to read and absorb all that info at once Im guessing that its become a variation of speed reading? No time to dwell on that Looking back at Rainbow Dash I see a faint aura surrounding her body… The aura seemed to be attacking me, as a cold sweat ran down my body And yet, my smile grew even wider “Some times i worry for Jin…” Said a dark blue haired woman with beautiful eyes of a similar shade “How so?” spoke an older man with a similar face, hair and eyes “Well, they seem to have trouble connecting with kids their own age…” she sighed, taking a sip of the warm tea in her hand, trying to find the words “It’s like they live in their own little world… devoid of anyone else” “Really? He seemed fine to me…” the man replied “They are just really good at hiding it…” “Oh, Sorry, you know how i am with this pronoun stuff” the man responded with a light hearten chuckle, which seemed to get a good reaction out of the woman, before becoming serious yet again “… but to be fair, thats to be expected h-... they’re the only survivor after all…” The woman grimaced… “...The only survivor of the Ichimonji Basement Incident, yes i am… aware” The woman sighed, and her expression softened “If i ever die-” "Don't say that-” the man interrupted adamantly “-If I die… please lead him into a better life than the one we have now… I may not be his biological mother but-” “No, stop that. You're perfect. You're the best mother anyone could ever ask for, no matter what anyone says” They both seemed to come to a stop. And the world was as silent as the night after its conception. When it was completely devoid of life But the room was oddly filled with a weird feeling of light Of hope Both of them were sitting in the living room. So they both had a direct view of the street in front of them And they just so happened to be sitting on the couch that had its back to the window So they had absolutely no way to dodge the incoming out-of-control truck hurtling towards them