Embedded Files
Author's Note: There's a reason as to why I'm posting this chapter right after the other and not focusing on the Grim
Two of them actually
The first is that so many of you no doubt complain about the lack of actions and plot in last chapter. That's perfectly fine, since it serves as a transition rather than an actual chapter. I intend to compensate with this continuation
The second is kind of selfish on my part. I'm aiming for that 50k reads, and since last chapter was affected by a bug that doesn't register view count it kind of pissed me off a little bit
Fuck you, Wattpad
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Say what you want about Japanese cuisine, they are fucking delicious. Certainly not as greasy as the usual American big Mac, which just makes it all the more better. I don't have to be afraid of being turned into a fat fuck every time I take a bite from it
What's more, their pork are delicious, supernaturally so. Such tender texture and natural aroma only seen before in high rated restaurants. If I didn't know better I would say the owner of this restaurant traded his soul for such high-quality meat
The taste of Ramen brings you a quiet sense of resolution
Determination flood through your vein, shattering any obstacle it's path
[Vitalized] effect gained
For the next hour, you will remain in a state of sharp focus. +1 to Fuuinjutsu
I breathed out, feeling the sense of my perception to my surrounding become enhanced. Everything seems less blurry, enabling me to see the smaller details that I seemingly missed before
The pungent smell of sweats. Most likely belonging to farmers who had finished tending to their rice fields in the morning. Poor bastards, having to be born in one of the worse period in history
The hidden exchanged, hushed whispers of the land's political situation, about the rising conqueror in the East. About Oda Nobunaga's rise to power, about Kondo's retirement from the Shinsengumi after the infamous feud has ended and the disappearance of Okita Souji from the corp subsequently after
Had it been about 5 minutes ago, I would have freaked the fuck out at such a development. But now I've learned to accept that perhaps famous figures suddenly appearing in this universe is not something unusual
I sighed
After all, it is my own fault for imposing such prejudice on here. I had mistakenly assumed that just because this is an Alternate Universe of RWBY doesn't mean there would be elements of different worlds appearing. This, clearly, has been a grave misunderstanding on my part
What's next? An Overlord character getting transported to the world of Danmachi and befriend Goblin Slayer?
I sighed again, wondering why I'm even thinking about this. So what if Musashi, Oda Nobunaga and the Shinsengumi is here? It does not matter in the long run, as I don't care about the changes they made to the world. All I care is to get stronger and live a healthy life
In that context, their existence does not matter to me
All this perception gained from Fuuinjutsu...it's really driving me nuts, huh?
Still, what does Fuuinjutsu really do as a statistics?
Fuuinjutsu is a stat that indicates your Insight. The more points you spend into this particular stat, the more you can comprehend the true meaning behind everything. When reaching enough level of Insight, you are granted new abilities related to the art of Reading, Speaking, Writing, Listening and combined together to wield the Dark Arts
[Reading]: Enable you to learn from skill books. High level of Insight will allow you to read and comprehend ancient artifacts with high rarity, attaining and enhancing intelligence in the process
[Speaking]: Dabbling in the art of language, you have learned to revoke ancient magic through incantations of languages long forgotten. Sacrificing Insights allows you to permanently acquire an incantation
[Writing]: Channel your inner wisdom at the tip of your brush and display the true depth of knowledge that lies in your mind. Allow you to create and uses different level of scrolls and seals to great effect
[Listening]: Permits you to perceive the supernatural with clarity. High level of insight allows you to hear the echoes of residual memories from time long past, thus enhancing some of your chosen techniques
It seems like you can strengthen your skills by upgrading this stat. While Taijutsu and Kenjutsu focused on my physical abilities, Fuuinjutsu seems to be one designed to temper my mental will. Not offense nor defense, just extra utility to my playstyle
A nice substitute for Gamer's Mind
Following that logic, I should gain as much Insight as possible for future uses
Combined together, these four aspects will increase your efficiency with the Dark Arts
[Dark Arts]: Also referred to as Mortal Arts, is the supernatural techniques exclusive to those of the Faunus race. This art allows them to perform almost mythical feat rivaling the Youkai's Demonic Arts by imbuing Insights into their body. Some of said abilities include:
- Quickening/Teleportation
- Empowered Sword Strikes
- Uses of the the Mortal Blade techniques
- Limit Break/Limit Removal
Extra skills may depend on the user's individual
....
Deep breath, (Y/n). Deep breath
Try not to scream. Let's reign in all that anger and calmly assess this
Let's see. Almost all other races have overpowered magical bullshit powers that they can fling around aimlessly, bar for the Grimm whose abilities I have not known yet, but probably will be something involved with evolution judging from the description the system gave me at the start of the game
And us humans have the ability to breathe...how wonderful
I groaned, taking another mouthful of ramen from the bowl in frustration
Did I just unknowingly choose the race with the highest difficulty on my first playthrough?
Shit
Okay, let's just look at the bright side here. Being human means all my skills grows 30% faster and I can freely travel around without fear of bias or getting killed by sunlight. Combine that with the Gamer ability and Tracing techniques, I can hopefully close the gap between us before I encountered someone too much for me to handle....
Nora choked on her pancake. Ren frantically pat her on the back while i slid a cup of water to her
...And then there's the problem of me unlocking my own Kekkei Genkei. I don't want to experience trauma by any mean, which is why unlocking it is out of the table
Well, knowing my luck. The bloodline limit is probably going to be some shitty power anyway...
I watched as Nora vomit her meal on the table, only to freeze as a thought hit me
...Hm, I think I have an idea. If training my sword can level up Kenjutsu and beating my meat everyday can do Taijutsu, what to say I can't train the other two aspects? I'm in no way a bibliophile, but you have to say that's a good idea
"Oi, waitress. Is there a library or a bookstore of sort in this town?" The woman turned to me with a smile
"Why yes there is, customer-san. My memory about that place is a bit confused though...."
I threw a pouch of coin at the woman. Damn greedy old hag took it like the bitch she is
"Down this street, turn right at the quarter an' left at Akayami's prostitute store. The shop itself should be near the edge of the commercial district, just next to the village's rice field"
Wow, people sure are easy to talk to once you've got to know them
"Okay, now give me back the money"
"What? Why would I-"
I placed a hand on the sheathe of my sword
"Here's your cash, sir"
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After eating. I dragged the two kids around the town, looking for said mentioned store. We arrived at a medium-sized building and entered it. A few people sitting at the tables turned to us, but turned back to reading just seconds after
"(Y/n), what are we doing here?"
"Buying books obviously" I rolled my eyes
After wandering here for several minutes, I've figured the place we're in is a hybrid between a library and a store of sort. Customers can buy different kind of books here, but they can also choose to read said books at the resting area if they had already purchased it
"Now, I'm going off to browse this store. You take this money and buy whatever strikes your fancy, whether it be food or publications that catch your eyes. Just remember to be good and don't disturb the other guests here, okay?" I said, giving them a pouch of coins
"Okay, Mommy"
"Yes Mommy"
My eyebrows twitched
The wind spirit nodded, seemingly reluctant at the prospect of leaving her benefactor alone before trailing after them at my insistence
Now you may be asking, why am I going to a damn bookstore of all places when I already have the bundle of tomes the girls had given me. But there's a reason for that. Mostly because the ones inside are all moderate or high-leveled Kenjutsu-related skill books, but the rest is due to me wanting to try something out
While I could absorb the knowledge contained in some of them either through the system or manually, I believed a basic foundation of swordsmanship would help me in learning about the important details of said techniques, such as their historical origins, the details of their owner and in what situation could they be used effectively
Why, you would ask? Why bother learning extra information about something when you could have just read the description it gives and use it in combat?
Just a test. Let's just say I am a man who likes to dabble in the act of what you would call "Cheating the System". There are things you can do outside of what you're given, if only you are creative enough to find it
I'm looking at you, Kakashi
Tracing the pages of one such book, I sighed in relief at the realization that I can read them normally. Thank god, they are still using the English alphabet
I had thought to use [Decipher Script] if the book's written in a language I don't understand, but it seems like it's unnecessary after all
I skid across the store, looking for the more useful section. Soon enough, I came across the aforementioned shelves and started taking out books, eyes shifting across different titles, comparing their content and choosing one that fits my interest the best
"Management for Young Aspiring Leaders. 101 Swindling Techniques. How To Manipulate Other People..." I took each and every of them, stacking up into the pile of books in my hand
Books that help me increase my charisma is not that necessary at the starting level, but I still feel compelled to buy it for later uses. If used right, I could scam people and convince hostile enemies not to kill me. Increased survivability is my first priority after all
"History of the Four Kingdoms. Remnants of Untold Legends. How It Comes To Be: Mankind..."
The common thing to do if you're an Isekai protagonist. Not being a dumbass, collect information about the world you're sent to, and not making people suspicious of your lack of common knowledge
Right, now to the fun stuff
"Human's Anatomy. A Guide to Women's Weak Spots. Icha Icha Paradise BDSM version..."
By learning about the body, I could theoretically increase my chance of scoring a critical hit by repeatedly aiming for their vitals. It's only a theory, but the chance at applying this in a practical manner is worth it
There's something wrong with the titles, but for the life of me I couldn't find out what it is
I checked my remaining money. 2,000 Lien, I could probably afford to buy a maximum of 5 books before I started running low on cash
Wait
I blinked, before once again looking at the money in my hand
"Trace On"
A glow flashed before my eyes, and there lay another pile of coins on my other hand, looking exactly like it's original copy up to the smallest details
"My god" I groaned "And to think I used to worry over my finances"
My stupidity aside, this also means I can choose whatever books that struck my interest without having any concern about our expenses
"A Short Introduction to Breathing techniques and Beginner Martial Art Styles". I hummed "I'll take it"
These will help Ren and Nora to become the formidable Hunters I've seen in Canon. Maybe they're just children with some experience in killing as of now, but better off start early than late
I hesitated, before picking up another two children books from the shelf
This is necessary in the long run. For young children, one should give them some form of entertainment and respite once in a while, as forcing them to train will cause detriments to their mentality, damage your relationship with them and possibly ruining their training, thus making your effort counterproductive
And I hate it when my efforts go to waste
Satisfied, I turned my head around. While the other books are all useful in their own rights, my time here was limited. I still have to complete my quest for Summer, and I don't intend to stall around here for too long just because of some measly books
As such, I've decided to save only the ones that will benefit me. And it just so happens that the one I'm looking forward the most to buying is several shelves behind me
"101 to Weapon Smithing. Blacksmith's Beginner Guide. How to Correctly Create a Weapon. Metallurgy for Dummies" I smiled
Fuck. Yes. Finally
Words couldn't describe how much I need this. A part of my arsenal to which I've repeatedly uses for a long time, but never giving much thought to improving it. Now with this, I could hope to bring the process of [Mechanical Tracing] to a new level
If you want to perfectly Trace something, you must have the basic knowledge of how they are created (As according to the 4th step of the process: Imitate the process of it's making), and just unlucky for me I lack the exact information as to how I could do it
Furthermore, if only I can get myself the skill [Purify] combined with [Metallurgy], I can greatly enhance my skills in the third step of tracing: Duplicating the composite material. This will probably not increase the potency of the weapon's skill, but a higher quality blade means better DPS and durability, two incredible useful stats in combat
While this is, like the rest of my theory, theoretical in nature, the practice of it in battle is a worthy compensation, as I'm sure it is possible to completely replicate the object. After all, even the Fate wiki support it
"The better the image in the caster's imagination, the more stable and longer lasting the object will be, and it can be further improved by having technical knowledge of its construction, such as a blueprint, or having materials to overlay the desired shape upon."
Increased perception, or in this case the Insight gained upon Reading, will allow me to trace weapons better than I did previously, since I can grasp more about it's construct than before
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Using the Tracing skill, I duplicated the money in my hand, because why the fuck not
My eyes darted around the lounge as I paid the aforementioned number of Lien. Carrying a high stack of books in my hand, I discreetly put most of them in my inventory before walking to an empty table and sat down
Looks like Ren and Nora isn't done playing yet. Maybe they're busy choosing what to buy right now. I'll wait for them
Shaking my head, I opened one of the book and started reading
Do you want to learn [Management for Young and Aspiring Leaders]?
No, not yet. I want to read through it first hand
All was quiet as I flipped to the first page of the book. Then the second. And the third. After the forth, I blinked in confusion
'This is easier than I expected'
Somehow, despite the complex language being used, I feel like I'm reading a children's book, turning pages to pages repeatedly without missing out a single sentence. My reading speed also seems to have increased noticeably for some reason
The recent boost I got from eating Ramen had expired several minutes ago, so this couldn't have been it
I hummed, before deciding to test this a little bit more and began flipping over as fast as possible. My eyes rapidly traced over the sentences as I tried speedreading with my newfound power
And I perfectly capture every single word, only stopping once I felt the need to blink
Is this a passive gained from Tracing weapons? It makes sense, considering the skill require me to take in every detail of a single item in a short amount of time and reassemble their structure in my head to successfully duplicate them, not to mention completely going over their history of production and excelling them in a span of a few seconds
When one think about it, analyzing some few paragraphs become ridiculously simple, it's only obvious that my perception had grown sharper as a side-effect of my skill. Yet I didn't even think my stat can be used in this way
Soon enough, I finished reading the first book. Putting the item down, I let out a sigh
20 minutes, to read through over 100 pages. This is one damn useful ability.
As if on cue, the notification appeared again
Do you want to learn [Management for Young and Aspiring Leaders]?
I nodded in confirmation, and the item in my hand burst into particles of dust. Another new window appeared
+10 Charisma
Smiling in satisfaction, I picked up another one and repeat again
Do you want to learn [Icha Icha Paradise BDSM]?
I split the page and swept over the content. The book started off in quite an unusual manner, a captive Kunoichi was locked in a dungeon deep inside her clan's enemy territory. The point of view made it look like this is a story rather than a book
My eyebrow raised as I continued reading
"Is this a book on torture and interrogation?"
Page flip. My interest grew
"Interesting. Instead of straight up beating her, they are ripping her clothes off to break her spirit...."
The people surrounding (Y/n) shifted uncomfortably in their seat at his muttering
"Oh...and now they're taking their own clothes off...and what is this? The men started using their bodies while one began gagging her?"
A mother covered her children's ears
"Wait"
I blinked
"This is porn"
'No Shit!' The nearby people screamed in their mind 'What the hell do you think it is?!'
Do you want to learn [Icha Icha Paradise BDSM], you pervert?
Hey, no need to be hostile! I am a victim of unawared circumstances!
...But yes please
The book shattered, once again the notification window pinged into existence beside me
You have learned skill [Sadistic Tendencies]
[Sadistic Tendencies]: Your damage is increased by 10% to wounded enemies, it can be further increased to 30% if they are in critical conditions/immobilized
Either this can be used for burst damage or finishing strikes. I absentmindedly remarked the skill's potential uses before filing them in my mind for later uses
Next
You have learned [101 Swindling Techniques]
+5 Charisma. [Bluffing] leveled up
You have learned [How to Manipulate Other People]
+10 Charisma
You have learned [A Guide To Women's Weak Spots]
+ 5 Charisma
+10 Charisma (against women)
You have learned [Human's Anatomy]
+1 to Kenjutsu
+1 to Taijusu
"Next" I muttered, reaching for the next book when my hand stopped mid-way
You know what? I just have an idea. Reading each of these things individually is tiring. Let's test the limit to which I can analyze things
Instead of just one, I picked up two books, snapping the opened and began to read them simultaneously. I blinked, surprise as my vision began shifting in an unnatural way. My line of sight slowly expanded, allowing me to focus on a bigger picture than normal
"Okay, this is cool" Despite their separate content, I found myself following along both of books with clear clarity, even though my reading speed being decreased by a slight margin to make room for comprehending separate entries of each book
Now that I know I can read two books at one, how about three of them?
Scratch that, let's read four of them at the same time
The next hour have me immersed in multiple tomes with the occasional flipping of papers. I've decided to learn about the four books regarding blacksmithing to further my knowledge on the subject, thus hopefully expanding my skill set in the future
Sweats trickled down my neck as I wiped my brows, which is now slightly squinted in exhaustion. I blinked as a flash of blur overtook my vision
'This is a bad idea' I rubbed my eyes 'My head hurts, and I feel like my eyes sockets are being burned by fire'
While I was right in deducing that I could analyze multiple subjects at the same time if I tried hard enough, doing it is not simple in the slightest. I felt physically worn down, as if my brain has went into overdrive from working too much (Which is probably the case here). Should have figured these kind of things have their own limit
It took me three hours to finish the four of them. 792 pages in total, not mentioning the prologue and author's note because nobody would bother reading them
I waited for the notification to appear. Sure enough, it did
Do you want to learn [101 to Weapon Smithing]?
Do you want to learn [Blacksmith's Beginner Guide]?
Do you want to learn [How to Correctly Create a Weapon]?
Do you want to learn [Metallurgy for Dummies]?
I nodded
The usual breaking animation appeared. I felt a rush of knowledge entering my mind, tempering my will and enforcing my skills
[Mechanical Tracing] has leveled up
[Mechanical Tracing] has leveled up
[Mechanical Tracing] has reached level 10
Congratulation, one of your skills have reached the threshold
Ho, a threshold? Had I reached the max level?
Not exactly. When a skill reached level 10, you can choose to add a special perk to it, whether it be a passive or active one, in order to aid you in combat. After that you are free to level up and choose another one whenever you level that particular skill 10 times
I rubbed my chin in thought
Soooo...does it function the same as a Specialist skill?
In essence yes. But there are differences when it comes to the choices. Specialist provide choices that defines your playstyle regarding a specific stat, which then branch out upon higher level. While with Skill Perks you can freely choose between any choices at the cost of being unable to reach higher levels of a specific path
I see, that's some valuable information. What are the available choices?
Mechanical Tracing Upgrades:
[Reinforcement I]: Passively increase the ranks of your Traced Item by one (F -> D). All abilities and stats are significantly enhanced at this rank as each of your weapon gain a passive of their own
[Alteration I]: Allow you to freely alter certain properties of any object you touched
[Mystic Eyes of Projection I]: Any items you lay your eyes on are automatically added to your list of Traced weapon, enabling you to summon them at any time you desired
This is...it's a hard choice for me. Any of those three are absolutely broken in their own right. And that's just the base level judging from the numerical "I" in their title. I can't fathom how much stronger they would be once they've entered higher levels of Tracing
Which should I choose? Eenie, Meeny, Minie, Moe....
My finger hesitated as it hovered beneath my preferred choice. But before I could press it, a loud explosion in the distance startled me
'Master (Y/n)'
Arashi's excited voice reached my ears
'We may have some slight problem!'
God. Fucking. Damn. It
'Can you deal with them on your own?'
'Not really' She seems nervous 'I can fight them off, but if I were to use my full power even the children would be hurt'
I risked my life battling with some wannabe demon to save these kids, and what did they do in return for that favor? Running off on their own and leaving their guardians to take care of the mess like the ungrateful little runts they are
*sigh*
I rushed out the bookstore amidst the startled customers who heard the explosion at the other side of the town. Judging from the echoed effect of said noise, it may took me some time to get there
If by travelling by foot that is
With a kick off the ground, I jumped up and landed myself on the top of a horse, just behind it's driver
"Oi. Give me your horse"
"What? Who are yo-"
I pulled out my gun and pointed it at the back of the shivering merchant's head
"This is an emergency" My voice was even, trying not to pull the trigger by instinct "Now please get off your horse before I blow your brains out, you lowly NPC"
This is not Red Dead Redemption, player (Y/n)
It might as well be, System-chan
Ignoring the System's disapproval, I kicked the man off his horse along with his baggage
"Everyone out of the way!" I shot into the air, making nearby pedestrians screamed in fear as they scattered, leaving the road wide open for me and my horse
With a kick at the shin, said animal neighed and kicked off in a cloud of dust, leaving the man watching as the mysterious stranger rode off in the distance before him with dread and fear
'Sorry Merchant-san. I promise I'll return your companion later' I said as I reloaded another shot into my Tanegashima
Now, whoever touched my children...
I'll make sure they regret it
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Author's Note: Which upgrades should (Y/n) add to his [Mechanical Tracing] skill?
1. Reinforcement
2. Alteration
3. Mystic Eyes of Projection
Comment and let me know!
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