This story is rated M. That means there is controversial material and mature content. There is nothing explicit or graphic, but fair warning is being given now. If anyone has issues with this, they are free to read something else. Don't bother complaining to me and next time make sure your rating filter is set to T or lower.
I have never made a Gamer fanfic before, and the terminology is giving me huge problems. If somebody could help me out with terms and skill descriptions, I would really appreciate it. In fact, the first person to give me some quality assistance gets their own NPC in one of the next chapters.
Gender pronouns are annoying and I don't want anybody getting mad at me over stupid reasons, so I will say this: Whatever body Ranma is in at the time is what gender pronoun will be used. End of topic.
Disclaimer: I don't own this story. I am only writing this for fun and my own enjoyment. If anybody wants to sue me, they've got a long line of other fanfiction writers in front of me they will be dealing with too. Lawyers be gone.
*UPDATE* This is version 2 of this chapter. After a lot of careful thought and a long talk with my brother, (who is the most epic brother ever!) I have found the direction I want this to go. I was rather disappointed with the first version, but couldn't figure out how to fix it. When my brother pointed out that the Gamer story takes place in a HIGH SCHOOL setting, I set about putting a dent in my desk with my forehead. I mean, seriously. WHAT WAS I THINKING?! This new chapter make SO much more sense and feels a lot smoother.
I've been getting several comments about Ranma being too low level. I can understand that, but here is my reasoning. Level 1 has to start somewhere, right? This story has Ranma's Level 1 starting at Volume 1 - Episode 1, the day he came to Nerima. The current date in this story is roughly one week after episode 1. Does that make sense to everybody?
The loot did NOT make sense for a Lv35 creature, so I fixed that.
[UPDATE 8/22/15: This is version 3. I have incorporated changes and new ideas from discussions with my brother, as well as re-working how Ranma is introduced to the world of The Gamer. The start date has been shifted to the day before school starts. I like this version the best and I hope you all enjoy it too.]
Chapter 2 should be out relatively soon. :)
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
Game Text
"Chat Speak"
Day 1: Let the game begin...
Ranma was mad.
Why?
Was it because his moronic father had brought them to a place called "the valley of sorrow" for training and got him cursed? Or was it because he had then tripped and fallen into second spring right after that? How about almost knocking that guy off the cliff while chasing Pops? Was it the stupid engagement to one of the Tendo girls? Or maybe it was that he was now lost somewhere in an unfamiliar area of Nerima and it was getting dark?
No. All of that was good reasons to get mad. But the main reason right now was the flat, blue glowing box floating two feet in front of her face.
Sunset is coming fast and a storm is on the horizon. You will need to find shelter soon.
"Go away!" She swiped angrily at the box and it disappeared. The blasted things had been popping up on her for weeks now. Ever since she fell into that spring, now that she thought of it. Scowling, she tried to regain his bearings. "Stupid Pops. Where did he come up with this stupid engagement idea, anyway?"
"The Tendo house should be in this direction. If I'm lucky, I'll make it back in time for dinner."She grumbled as she attempted to find her way back to the house. Unfortunately, fate seemed to be against her as the daylight continued to wane and storm clouds rolled in. The first crash of thunder was soon accompanied by pouring rain, soaking her worn clothes and sending chills through her body. Stumbling blindly through the storm, she managed to find an old abandoned shrine. Ignoring the violent shivers racking her slim female frame, she entered the building, brushing past the rotting braided ropes strung across the doorway.
!WARNING!
-x-
You have entered a "Bounded Illusion Barrier".
You will be unable to leave until the exit conditions have been met.
-x-
!Quest Alert!
You have gained a Mandatory Quest. This quest must be completed in order to move on.
-x-
Continue?
Yes/XXX
Ranma stared blankly at the new box. Looking behind her, she saw that the previously empty space of the doorway had somehow become a solid wall. "Okaaay...that's new..." Cautiously, she poked at the glowing box, sending it away, and a new one popped up in it's place a moment later.
New Quest: The Dark and Mysterious Lair!
Upon entering the Abandoned Shrine, you have discovered the presence of a secret Monster Lair. Who knows what kind of creeping horrors could be lurking in it's dark depths? Left alone, others could stumble into it and be killed or worse! It's up to you to investigate the source of this mystery and uncover the dark secrets of the lair!
Quest Rewards:
Completion Success: 20,000 EXP, Collected Monster Loot
Completion Failure: Possible death and/or dismemberment, Status change to [Demon Brood-mother]
Ranma managed to crank her jaw back into place after a few moments. "What the hell? What is this, some kind of sick game?"
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as a sense of wrongness sent a chill down her spine. A low growl alerted her to something behind her and she slowly turned to look.
The creature standing in the shadows wasn't very big, but it looked like something right out of a horror movie. Roughly dog-sized, the creature resembled a mutated rat covered in scales with spines sprouting out of it. Inch-long fangs could be seen in it's drooling mouth and five serrated claws hung from it's bony hand-like paws. Above it's head, Ranma could see a group of glowing letters.
*Lv 5 Demon Minion*
"This is not looking good." She mumbled under her breath. The demon let out a high-pitched screech and charged with blinding speed. Dodging out of the way, Ranma aimed a lightning punch at it's head as it passed by, aiming to crush it's skull in a single hit. The creature stumbled from the blow, but shook it off and screeched at her.
The [Demon Minion] has resisted your attack.
You dealt minimal damage.
"...bugger." Ranma absently flicked her hand. It apparently had a thin layer of slime covering it's body, making it harder to land a clean blow. Glancing around for something to help, she spotted a broken pipe jutting out from the ceiling. Only problem? It was behind the demon. The one charging her again and not giving her time to think.
"Son-of-a-" She flipped over the demon's back and in mid-air hammered her feet into it's back, simultaneously dealing it a double kick and spring-boarding higher. Grabbing the pipe, she snapped it off with a hard tug and landed behind the demon, brandishing her makeshift weapon with a flourish. "Let's try this again."
You have obtained the [Broken Pipe].
"A little redundant, don't ya think?" Taking a stance, she locked her gaze onto the demon and focused her energy. As it charged her again, she deftly side-stepped it's flailing claws and struck. In a blur of motion, she hammered the demon, aiming blows to its head, joints, and legs. The demon tripped and skidded to a stop, wailing in pain. Leaping high in the air, Ranma aimed at it's head. Just as her foot made a feather-light contact with it's neck just behind the head, she followed her momentum though, crouching into the drop. Then, in a single movement, focused all of her weight and energy into her foot, firing a kick aimed at the floor beneath the demon's neck.
A wet crunch echoed in the room and the demon twitched for a moment, then collapsed with a gurgle. Ranma stepped off the body with a sigh and wiped away the sweat on her forehead. "Wow, that was harder than I thought it would be."
The [Demon Minion] has been slain.
A new skill has been created by a specific action!
You have discovered [2] new skills.
Would you like to name them?
"Huh?" Ranma blinked at the message. "This is new..." She read through the boxes and after moment made her decisions. "Maybe this isn't so bad after all."
-Speed Strike (Active) Lv 1, EXP 0.0%:
A melee attack that lands multiple lightning strikes faster than the average eye can see. When aimed at weak-points, adds a 50% chance of stunning and/or crippling your target.
-Crashing Kick (Active) Lv 1, EXP 0.0%:
A powerful falling kick that uses your weight and gravity to enhance your attack. When target is prone, this takes any falling damage and transfers it to your target, crushing bones and internal organs with ease. If falling from less than 10 feet, take no fall damage.
Ranma's brief celebration was cut short by the sound of at least a dozen more screeches in the distance. "...this is not my day."
-The Amazing Adventures of Ranma Saotome!-
You have found a decent hiding spot.
Demons will not attack you while you are in this room.
Ranma slumped onto the floor, struggling to catch her breath. Spending the last half-hour wandering though the shadowy halls of the old shrine, fighting those rat-like minions and even some larger dog-types, was not fun. Some of them showed up in groups and when she killed the first ones, the rest of the pack would start getting smart and become harder to kill. The worst ones were the...cat-like ones. Fighting those was terrifying to say the least. "Man, I hope it doesn't get any worse than this."
"H-hello? I-is somebody t-there?"
Ranma blinked and sat up. "Who's there?"
"Y-you're not a d-demon? You w-wont attack me?"
"Do I sound like a demon?"
"...I g-guess not. A-are there any m-more out t-there?"
Ranma glanced out of the shelter. "I don't think so. I killed all the ones nearby, so we should be okay for a while."
"A-alright. I'm coming o-out."
Hidden in the shadows at the back of the room, a gaunt boy dressed in a dirty priest outfit with two un-lit candles strapped to his head crept out from behind a pile of broken paper screens. A fancy-looking book with a black cover was clenched in his shaking hands. "Y-you're sure they're g-gone?"
"Yea, for now. It wasn't easy though. Broke my pipe over a big dog-type a few minutes ago. Had to kill the thing with a rock. I'm Ranma, Saotome Ranma. Who are you?"
"I'm G-Gosunkugi Hikaru."
"So how'd you end up in this mess?"
Even in the faint moon-light, Ranma could see his face turn red. "I-I...Well...T-that is.." He hung his head in shame.
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "You know what going on here, don't you?"
"I'm s-sorry! It's all m-my fault. T-the demons are showing up b-because...well..."
"Well what?"
Hikaru winced. "I-I was trying a s-spell from this book. B-but something went w-wrong and now t-those demons are trying t-to kill me." He showed Ranma the book in his hands. Somehow, the title of "Warlock Rituals for Dummies" seemed rather appropriate. "I k-know what you're t-thinking and I'm not a c-complete moron. I set up a I-Illusion Barrier first before I t-tried the ritual. That's what's k-keeping them from escaping and h-hurting everyone else."
"An Illusion Barrier? What's that?"
He gave her a wry grin. "It's t-the one spell I'm g-good at. By channeling my magic into my hand, I can f-focus on what kind of Barrier I want to create and call out t-the incantation. I'd show you how to do it, b-but I'd have to take down the one that's up r-right now..."
"...And that would unleash the demons onto the town, got it." Ranma nodded, "So how are we gonna take care of the demons? I lost my last weapon and these things are resistant to any physical attacks."
Hikaru's eyes lit up. "I-I have a couple weapons w-we could use." He scampered back into his hiding spot and dragged out a small backpack. Ranma's eyes widened comically when he pulled a full-size katana out of the pack and handed it to her. "I'm n-not a good fighter, so maybe you c-could use this."
You have obtained the [Demon-Slaying Blade].
This weapon has been blessed by holy priests to be highly effective when used against Demons and other Evil creatures. Attacks with the [Demon-Slaying Blade] will deal 3x damage to targets with the [Evil] sub-type.
"Where the heck do you come up with this stuff?" Ranma struggled to contain her shock as Hikaru pulled out what looked like a three-foot mage's staff from the pack. The thing was taller than the pack! "And how do they even fit in there?"
"It's a b-basic model Bag of H-Holding. I bought a-all this stuff f-from a website called the 'Abyss Auction'. I-I found it while I was looking for occult w-websites. This is just some b-basic stuff you can get. S-some of the things I've seen on t-there..." He shuddered. "It c-can get pretty scary. I've even seen p-people for sale. L-like for slaves."
"That's...freaky." Ranma examined the blade in her hands. It looked like a good sword, high-quality steel and well balanced. "Does this stuff even work?"
A flare of warm light startled her. Turning, she saw her companion holding the staff with tiny orbs of flame spiraling around the tip, while the candles strapped to his head were lit up as well. He grinned sheepishly at her. "E-Everything I bought f-from them works. I g-guess I just messed up with t-the book."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You always stutter like that?"
"Only w-when I'm nervous."
*PING*
Ranma's attention was drawn away by another one of those glowing boxes popping up, this one with a small chime to alert her.
!Quest Update!
Bonus Quest: Invasion of the Demons!
Hikaru Gosunkugi is an amateur Warlock who dreams of becoming known world-wide for his prowess in magic. Unfortunately, what should have been a simple demonic summoning ritual has gone wrong and threatens the safety of the entire town! Hikaru is willing to own up to his mistakes, but lacks the power to defeat the demons alone. As the [Bounded Illusion Barrier] is controlled by Hikaru, you must help him defeat the demons before he can take it down. However, if he dies before the demons are killed, then they will escape to terrorize the town!
Bonus Quest Rewards:
Completion Success: Increased Status with [Hikaru Gounkugi], Access to the [Abyss Auction website]
Completion Failure: Death of [Hikaru Gounkugi], Loss of access to the [Abyss Auction website]
"Right." Ranma ran through a quick sword-kata at blinding speed and sheathed the blade with a flourish. She looked over at him and smirked. "You any good with that staff?" At his faint nod, her smirk became a shark-like grin. "Good. Let's go kill us some demons!"
-The Amazing Adventures of Ranma Saotome!-
Heading back out into the shadowy halls of the old shrine, the two of them fell into a easy pattern after a few false starts. Ranma would use her superior speed and strength to blitz through the demons, the sword in her hands flashing in the moonlight as it carved through their hardened scales like they were wet paper bags. As the demons milled around in panic and confusion, Hikaru would launch exploding fireballs into their midst or aim streams of white-hot flames at them like a flamethrower. Whenever the duo were in danger of being overrun, he could surround them with walls of fire while Ranma would take down any demon foolish enough to brave the flames. It wasn't too bad. Ranma had apparently leveled up her new skills and created a new skill called 'Power Strike' and a variant of her 'Crashing Kick' where she used her speed and the walls instead of the ground. But still...
"How many more of these bastards are there?" Ranma yelled over the screeches and howls of the rat and dog-type demons she was fighting.
Hikaru had shaped his flamethower attack into a whip and was keeping the creatures at bay, albeit a little clumsily. "I don't k-know! They seem to b-be thinning out, though." He spun the staff around and fired a pin-point fireball in her direction. The blast caught a cat-type demon attempting to catch her off guard. Sneaky bastards.
Soon enough, the last of the demons fell to fire and steel, and the duo caught their breath. Ranma looked over at Hikaru. "You holding up okay?"
He nodded, "Y-Yea. I don't know h-how much more I can take though. I'm r-running out of energy." The staff in his hands and the little candles reflected his words as the flames sputtered and burned dimly.
She patted his back. "Just keep yourself alive, kay?" Looking around, Ranma took in their bearings. "Where are we now, anyway?"
"I t-think we're almost at the c-center of the shrine. That's where I s-started the ritual originally."
"...there's no way this shrine is this big normally."
"It's not. I-It changed and grew when the r-ritual failed on me. Everything should g-go back to normal when we beat the m-main demon."
"Good." Ranma flicked the blade clean and inspected it. The sword was looking a little battered from use and several nicks in the edge could be seen. "Time to finish this."
Hikaru nodded and tightened his grip on his staff. Resolutely, the two of them continued through the dim hallways until they reached the main chambers. Glancing at each other, they cautiously opened the doors and entered the room.
Walking into large cavernous chamber, moonlight filtering through cracks in the ceiling revealed a writhing mass of snake-like tentacles in a pit surrounded by braided ropes strung between wooden pillars, most of the ropes having rotted and fallen to the ground. Ranma stared at the sight in horror.
"...You summoned a damn tentacle monster?!"
Hikaru flinched. "It w-wasn't like that when I d-did the ritual the f-first time!"
Suddenly, several of the tentacles shot out of the pit and grabbed at them. Slashing viciously at them, Ranma desperately kept them at bay. "Help me out here!"
"I'm t-trying!" He called back, his flames sputtering around him, "I-I'm running o-out of e-energy!"
With Ranma distracted, one of the tentacles shot in low and grabbed her ankle, yanking her off balance with a yelp. The one holding her ankle lifted her off the ground and more of them shot out of the pit and grabbed her other limbs, pinning her in place despite her struggles to free her self, while smaller more delicate limbs tore at her clothes exposing her nubile body to the cold air. Shudders of revulsion and a small spike of fear ran through her as some of the smaller tentacles started rubbing against her body. Suddenly, the mass in the pit heaved upwards and a monstrous head covered in glowing eyes focused on her and a fanged, gaping mouth revealed itself. It let out a deep gravelly roar that echoed through the cave.
Lv 35 Ancient Demon Tentacle Beast
..."Shit."
A flash of light caught her gaze and she turned her head. Her eyes nearly popped of of her skull when she saw that the beat-up demon slayer blade she had was now a very shiny, and very sharp looking, brand new sword. Just visible in the moonlight were words inscribed on the blade.
[Throw Me]
Twisting her wrist, Ranma swung the deadly looking blade at the tentacle holding her arm. It sliced through the slimy limb like a hot knife through butter and it let go of her arm, falling to the floor and quickly rotting away into dust.
The creature bellowed in pain and she smirked at it. "Thought you could beat me, huh? Well, guess what? Ranma Saotome doesn't lose!"
With a harsh shout, she threw the sword at the monster as hard as she could. It's gleaming blade spun end over end - and stabbed deep into it's head. The demon froze in place, then started thrashing around, roaring in agony. Trapped in it's limbs, Ranma was hammered into the ground several times before it stilled. looking up, she saw the demon's skin bubbling and her eyes widened.
"Oh sh-"
The demon exploded in a blast of dark energy, sending slime and ichor everywhere. The force of the blast caught both Hikaru and the defenseless Ranma, still being held by the tentacles, and smashed her into the wall of the cave, nearly causing her to black-out.
Ranma lay on the cold stone floor, staring numbly at the remains of the vile creature in the pit, its demonic flesh slowly evaporating in the soft light of the moon. Her sore body, and the rest of the entire cavern, coated in sticky fluid. Carefully rolling onto her side she gingerly worked herself up to a sitting position, avoiding the more tender parts of her body.
*PING*
Looking up, Ranma saw a series of glowing boxes gathered in front of her.
You used the [One-use-only Holy Evil-slaying Anti-Demon Keen Blade of Epic Divine Wrathful GM Haxx]!
The [Lv 35 Ancient Demon Tentacle Beast] has taken a super-effective critical hit and has been killed!
You have defeated the [Lv 35 Ancient Demon Tentacle Beast]!
You have gained a new Status Effect!
-Demon Touched (Permanent, Passive)
By killing more than 10 demons, you have gained the Title: "Junior Demon Slayer"
By killing more than 100 demons, you have gained the Title: "Demon Slayer"
"I-Is it over? Did we b-beat it?" Hikaru's fearful voice brought her out of her daze. She looked over at him as he limped over to her and grinned weakly. "Yea. We won."
He grinned back at her, then his gaze drifted down and he turned bright red. "Uh..." He stripped off the stained Jōe from his priest outfit handed it to her, his face turned away. "H-Here. You might w-want to cover up."
"Huh?" She looked down and saw that her clothes had been completely ripped apart, exposing herself and accidentally giving him a free show. Her face heated up and she took the offered clothes, hastily putting them on. "Thanks. So now what?"
"I g-guess I can show you h-how I used the Illusion Barrier. Watch c-closely."
Hikaru raised a hand above his head and closed his eyes. After a moment, a tiny flickering ball of light gathered in his hand. Opening his mouth he spoke calmly.
"As a manipulator of magic I command, rules be bent and accomplish my will! Illusion Barrier...Release!"
With an audible breaking sound, the air around them cracked and shattered like glass. Ranma stared in awe as their surroundings shifted to a less impressive room with a smudged magic circle in the center. "That...is impressive."
Hikaru grinned, still hesitant to look her in the eye. "It's the only s-spell I can do really well, t-though." He scuffed his feet at the ground. "Um...w-will I see you a-again?"
"I guess so." she nodded, "I'm starting at Furinkan High tomorrow. You go there?"
"Yea! So..I g-guess I'll see you t-there. I need to get h-home. Bye!" With that, he turned and ran off out of the building. Ranma stared after him and shrugged. "Well, that was a thing.
*PING*
!Quest Update!
Quest Complete: The Heroes Victorious!
You have successfully protected Hikaru and slain the demon! Not only has Hikaru gained some real world experience, but he also has learned his limits and improved his self-confidence. Ultimately, this will help him to become a better person and a stronger mage. Good for you! While definitely a close call, you managed to stay alive to enjoy the rewards of hard work. With your well earned loot and a new friend with...connections...there's nearly no limit to how far you can go!
Quest Rewards:
Completion Success: 20,000 EXP, Collected Monster Loot, Increased Status with [Hikaru Gosunkugi], Access to the [Abyss Auction website]
Congratulations! You have reached 51,000 EXP and leveled up!
"You know, a real explanation for all of this would be nice!" She yelled at the sky with a scowl on her face.
*PING*
The GM has opened a chat box. Please select or say "Enter Chat" to join the chat.
"Um...enter chat?"
"Holy shit, kid. That was a close one. A few more moments and it would have been game over for you. You're lucky I managed to slip in that blade-mod. Why the hell didn't you take the tutorial?"
Ranma blinked. "Tutorial? What are you talking about and what is happening to me?"
"...You have no idea what's going on? At all? Didn't you read the intro message?"
"What intro message?! What is that supposed to mean?!"
"...Kid, have you ever even played any video games?"
Ranma glared at the box. "What does some stupid arcade game have to do with me?"
"...Crap. From the ground up, huh? Okay, this is going to take a while. Do you remember those glowing screens that have been popping up for weeks?"
"...yea, I guess. What about it?"
"That's it, kid. It probably doesn't make much sense to you right now, but your entire life has basically been turned into one big video game. Whenever you see one of these glowing boxes, it's an important message about what is happening around you."
"...Oh..."
"Oh is right, kid."
"That...demon thing. What was it going to do to me? I saw that bit earlier about a 'brood-mother'..."
"Damn, you really don't know anything, do you? Poor kid, you must have been really sheltered, or had your mental growth stunted. Okay, do you know anything about sex?"
"...What?"
"...I swear to the cosmos, if that lard-ass tries his so-called teaching methods on you ever again, I will fry him."
"Huh?"
"Never mind, kid. So, from the absolute bottom it is..."
CONTROVERSIAL CONTENT AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
"...Sex is a very complicated topic so I'm going to cut through all the bullshit and bring it down to the bare bones. Sex is the physical act of mating between two or more beings. The mechanics of it involve kissing, groping, rubbing against each other, and one or more partners taking a part of their body and sticking it into their partners body, details being not important. There are four kinds of sex, and one of them ties in with all the other ones. The first kind is 'Emotional Sex', which is using sex to display or express love or affection to each other. The second is 'Casual Sex', which is using sex for money, pleasure, or fun. The third is 'Forced Sex', which is using sex to dominate or cause pain. Usually by one forcing the other to have sex if they want to or not. The forth kind of sex, which can be part of any of the others, is 'Reproductive Sex', which is having sex for the purpose of breeding and reproducing. Are you with me so far?"
"...yes." Ranma could barely hear her own voice.
"Good. Now, the main things you need to worry about are sexual taboos. Depending on where you are in the world, there are a wide range of taboos that pop up. But you only really need to remember are the main three. The first taboo is sex with under-age persons. Pretty much everywhere in the world, having sex with a legal minor is a very bad thing. As long as you keep in mind the legal age of adulthood wherever you are at, and don't cross it, this shouldn't be a problem. The second taboo is sex with animals. This one is kinda tricky as almost everyone considers this to be a bad thing while others find it attractive. Monsters fall into a grey area on this. It's one of those fetish things so be cautious about it, or just avoid it. The third taboo is sex with a dead body. Again, highly repulsive to most, yet attractive to some. Normal dead bodies is wrong and un-dead like zombies and liches are gross, but somehow vampires are okay. Another one of those fetishes, so exercise caution. Another taboo would be 'Forced Sex', but only if the other person doesn't want it. You humans have way too many fetishes. Other than that, that's all you need to know."
Ranma blinked. "Really? That's it?"
"Yep. Everything else ends up spiraling into a never ending argument about morals and ethics. It's all really pointless considering that Humans are the most hypocritical species around and, on average, the biggest offenders of hypocrisy are politicians, religious leaders, and educators. Especially about sex."
END OF CONTROVERSIAL CONTENT. YOU MAY CONTINUE.
"So that demon was trying to..."
"Yes, what that demon did was it was trying to use you to reproduce. Normally it would have succeeded and you would be dealing with a very different problem right now. Thankfully, I was able to keep the worst from happening. I tweaked it's stats so that it was super-vulnerable to damage and changed that admittedly fairly decent sword into that one-use one. So, congratulations. No demon-spawn babies for you and you even get the loot for free."
Ranma stared at the nearly gone remains of the creature for a few moments. A shiver ran down her spine as she felt a faint sense of disgust, fear, and...disappointment? What the hell? Where did that one come from?
"Why don't I feel...well...shouldn't I be feeling...more?"
"Well, yes. Normally you probably would be feeling a whole lot of conflicting emotions right now, maybe even having a panic attack. But you have a new ability that is working very hard right now to keep your mind calm and is erasing nearly all of your emotions."
"What do you mean?"
"Focus on yourself and say 'Status' out loud. It only works if you're focusing on yourself, so don't worry about it popping up when you're talking normally."
"Okay..." Ranma centered herself in a familiar meditation trance. "Status." Right in front of her, a large glowing box she had never seen before appeared. Surprised, she gazed blankly at it. "Um..."
"This screen is going to be the center of your world from now on. Everything about you and what you do in the future is tied to this screen. That doesn't mean you have to keep it open forever, just make sure to check it every now and then. Go ahead and read it."
She looked over the screen and read the contents.
-Status Window-
Ranma Saotome *Expand*
Title: None equipped
Level: 8
EXP: 54,800/75,000 (-1% EXP gain)
-x-
Health: 32/800 - Health Regen: 1% [8] per 1 minute
Stamina: 400/400 - Stamina Regen: 2% [8] per 1 minute
Mana: 50/50 - Mana Regen: 2% [1] per 1 minute
Ki: 50/50 - Ki Regen: 2% [1] per 1 minute
Energy: 50/50 - Energy Regen: 2% [1] per 1 minute
-x-
STR: 14 (+3)
DEX: 13 (+2)
CON: 11(+0)
INT: 8 (-1) [-1% EXP gain]
WIS: 11 (+0)
CHA: 12 (+2)
LCK: 8 (-1)
APP: 14 (+3)
-x-
Stat Points: 70 (+10 per level)
-x-
Strength Capacity: 175 lbs. lift/350 lbs. carry/875 lbs. move
Speed: 20 (x200%, Pro Athlete)
Physical Resistance: 10 [0.1%]
Mana Resistance: 10 [0.1%]
-x-
Permanent Status Effects: *Expand*
Temporary Status Effects: None
"What is all of this?"
"This is you. Everything about you, calculated and put into a list. Well, this one and two others. It's a little complicated, but basically you are no longer fully human. What you are now is a being known as 'The Gamer'. That pretty much means that your entire life has been turned into a video game, kind of like one of those arcade games you played, but for real. You life is a game and you are the gamer."
"That's...big. Why am I not freaking out?"
"Because you're a Gamer. Do the same thing you did before, but say 'Skill List' instead."
She did as instructed and pulled up a second screen beside the first.
-Skill List Window-
Class/Race Abilities:
Class:
-A Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv MAX
-A Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv MAX
Race:
-Youngling Builder Power Set (Passive & Active) Lv 1 *Expand*
-Half-Elf Abilities: *Expand*
Skills:
-Anything Goes Martial Arts Mastery (Passive) Lv 42, EXP: 28%
-Neko Ken Mastery (Passive & Active) Lv 1, EXP: 9%
-Survival (Passive) Lv 22, EXP: 30%
-Physical Endurance (Passive) Lv 26, EXP: 89%
-Basic Sword Mastery (Passive) Lv 11, EXP: 26%
-Sense Danger (Passive) Lv 36, EXP: 7%
-Detect Bloodthirst (Passive) Lv 24, EXP: 73%
-Power Strike (Active) Lv 14, EXP: 0.00%
-Speed Strike (Active) Lv 16, EXP: 98%
-Crashing Kick (Active) Lv 15, EXP: 81%
-Hammer Strike (Active) Lv 11, EXP: 27%
Feats:
-Skill Focus [Undetermined]
-Bonus Feat [Undetermined]
Perks: None
"See that one that says 'Gamer's Mind'? Go ahead and tap on it. You can actually touch the screens if you want to. Makes it easier then having to say everything sometimes."
Ranma was surprised at how the glowing box felt under her fingers, like fuzzy glass or something. Tapping on the words, a smaller box opened up floating just in front of the larger one.
A Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv MAX:
-Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.
-Allows the user to stay in a peaceful state of mind.
-Grants the user immunity to psychological status effects.
"Huh. So that's why I'm not freaking out."
"Yep. Good old Gamer's Mind. If you didn't have that ability, you would go insane pretty damn quick. On each of the boxes, there's a little black X at the top-right of the box. Tap on that to make the screen disappear."
Ranma closed the description box and looked over the rest of the information. "What's this thing about a Half-Elf? I don't get it."
"Felt your ears lately? Look at the Status Window and tap on the word 'Expand' right next to Permanent Status Effects."
Bringing a hand up to her ears, Ranma was surprised to find that they were an inch longer and pointed at the tips. Quickly finding the line, she tapped on the screen.
Permanent Status Effects:
-"May you live in interesting times." Blessing/Curse (Passive) Lv MAX:
Random Event Chance increased by 100%
-Jusenkyo Blessed/Cursed (Passive) Lv MAX: [Spring of drowned Young Girl]
Female shape-shift, Cold water trigger.
-Jusenkyo Twice-Blessed/Cursed (Passive) Lv MAX: [Spring of drowned Half-elf]
Half-elf shape-shift, Cold water trigger, Second effect stacks with first, Gain +50% resistance against hot water
-Demon Touched (Passive) Lv MAX: Gained by being exposed to large, concentrated amounts of demonic energy in a short time.
+10% resistance to damage from demonic energy, +10% damage from effects with [Holy] sub-type, Minor (Aura Sense) to Demonic energy withing 25ft radius, +2 Appearance against beings with the [Evil] sub-type, +50% Increased physical attraction to and from others, +10% Stamina.
"That second spring you tripped and fell into? That's where you got the Half-Elf from."
"...son of a...How have I not noticed this before?"
"Don't ask me. Fun, isn't it? Your lucky you didn't fall into a third spring. That would have increased the hot-water resistance to 100% and locked you in that form permanently."
"You suck."
"Nah, I'm too awesome to suck. And the fun is just starting. When you get some time later, look at the Status Window, hit the 'expand' after your EXP, then hit what it says for your class. Trust me, you'll get a real kick out of that one."
"Why should I trust you?"
"I'm the GM. It's my job to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't screw over reality too badly."
"What does that even mean? What is a GM?"
"GM means Game-master. Otherwise known as Creator of the Universe or God."
"..."
"Told ya I was awesome."
*AN: This line-break is a time-skip containing bulk exposition of gaming info and help tips from the GM.
Do you honestly want me to write this out?*
"So, every time I level up from doing stuff, I get points to increase my stats and it's permanent?"
"Yep. You have 70 right now, as you were level 7 and the level you got from the demon bumped you up to level 8. So you should look over your stats and choose which ones to increase. You can save the points for later if you want, but spending them now will help you more in the long run. If it's done wisely of course."
Ranma sighed, looking at her Status screen. "This feels like cheating."
"It's only cheating if you use cheat codes. Which you could, if you unlocked any."
"...You're serious?"
"Yep. After you spend those points, pull up 'Main Menu'. Cheat codes are listed under 'Settings'. That may answer some of your questions."
Ranma nodded absently as she looked through her stats, reading description boxes as she went.
Strength: A measure of how physically strong a character is. Strength controls the maximum weight the character can manipulate, melee attack and/or damage.
Dexterity: A measure of how agile a character is. Dexterity controls attack and movement speed and accuracy, as well as evading an opponent's attack.
Constitution: A measure of how sturdy a character is. Constitution influences hit points, resistances for special types of damage (poisons, illness, heat etc.) and fatigue.
Intelligence: A measure of a character's problem-solving ability. Intelligence controls a character's ability to comprehend foreign languages and their skill in magic. Intelligence also controls the rate at which experience points are earned.
Wisdom: A measure of a character's common sense and/or spirituality. Wisdom controls a character's ability to cast certain spells, communicate to mystical entities, or discern other characters' motives or feelings. Wisdom also controls Magic Resistance and Mana Regeneration.
Charisma: A measure of a character's social skills and force of personality. Charisma generally influences prices while shopping or trading, and NPC reactions.
Luck: A measure of a character's luck. Luck can influence anything, but mostly random items, encounters and outstanding successes/failures (such as critical hits).
Appearance*: A measure of a character's physical looks. Appearance influences how attractive or un-attractive a character appears based on a scale of 1 to 20, with the Human average being 10. Unlike the other stats, it is possible to have a negative Appearance stat.
-[NOTICE*: This stat cannot be trained or leveled up. It can only be modified using game effects like Skills, Feats, or Perks, or mundane things like disguises, beauty products, items and so on, or temporarily using unspent stat points. Points spent in this way cannot be regained and the effects will wear off in 24 hours.]
Still not really understanding how all of this worked, Ranma decided to split the points evenly and put 10 into each of the seven up-gradable stats. Confirming her choice, she pulled up the menu. "Main Menu"
-Main Menu-
-New Game +
-Save Game
-Load Game - ERROR: No saved game files detected
-Settings -
Tutorial: Off
Help Tips: Off
Difficulty Level: 1.0 [Normal]
Loot Auto-pick up: On
Expansion Packs: [None active]
Game Modes: [Locked]
Heads-Up-Display -
- Transparency: 0%
- Visibility: 0%
-Extras -
Collectibles: None
Codex Entries: None
Profiles: None
Bonus Characters: None
Cheat Codes: None
-Quit - ERROR 1337 :)
"I don't understand any of this."
"Understandable. The only kind of video games you've played are arcade ones. If you had played any RPG type games, this would be easier to understand. You still can, by the way. Playing any kind of RPG video game will help you learn how to control your own ability, but you won't gain anything from doing it unless you try to recreate it yourself. Well, maybe a new game playing skill or something. Nothing useful to your own ability. For now, just worry about saving your game. If you had died before saving the game, it would have been a permanent death."
Ranma shivered at the thought as she quickly went through the save screen. Saving her game, she stood up, catching a whiff of her own scent.
"Ugh, gross. I smell like rotten squid. Which I am never eating again. Ever."
"There is a public bathhouse nearby you can clean up at."
"Okay...where is this bathhouse?"
"About a half-mile east of here. I'll set up a way-point for you and keep the locals away. You're really burning through the freebies, aren't you?"
A glowing pillar of light appeared in the distance. Rolling her eyes, she made her way through the streets until she found the building. With nobody at the front desk, Ranma simply walked in and entered the bath, tossing the remains of her ruined outfit into the trash, hesitating with the Jōe she got from Hikaru. Shrugging, she finally threw it out as well. "I'll get him a new one." Happily splashing some cool water on herself, she used the soap to help clean the fluids off of her body.
"So, now what?"
"Well, since your old clothes got ruined by that demon, I threw in a new outfit with the loot."
"Loot? What do you mean?"
"Loot basically means treasure. It stuff that monsters and enemies leave behind when they die or are defeated. NEVER pass up an opportunity to collect loot. You never know when it might be useful later on. Once you're done cleaning, you can open your Inventory and equip the new outfit. I did explain how to do that, right?"
"Open the Inventory screen, select the item I want, and hit or say equip. Did I miss anything?"
"Nope. You got it. You can also pull it out of the inventory and handle it yourself if you want. Take your time and learn the ropes. All this may be kind of confusing, but you'll get the hang of it. I won't be available all the time, but if you need to ask me something, just open a chat box. Okay?"
"Sure. Thanks for the help, um...Kami?"
"Heh. GM is fine. Take care, Ranma. Try not to get in over your head, again."
The GM has closed the chat box.
Finally getting the last of the dried fluids out of her hair, she moved to the tubs to relax. As usual, it took around 10 seconds for her body to change back to a male, but she figured it was that 'resistance to hot water' from the second curse. Stupid pops. Lazily soaking in the hot water, he decided to look through the items he picked up.
"Inventory."
*PING*
You have gained new items!
-1x Unique Outfit [Enchanted Martial Arts Gi]
-1x Unique Outfit [Enchanted Underwear]
-1x Adamantine dagger
-12x Medium-grade Demon Stones
-79x Low-grade Demon Stones
-42x Demon Fangs
-58x Demon Claws
-10x Lowest-grade Healing Potion
-240,000,000 Yen [~24,000 Gold Coins]
-20x Gems: ~4,720G worth
[3x tiger eye turquoise 10G each, 4x moonstone 50G each, 2x violet garnet 500G each, 3x amethyst 100G each, 1x black pearl 500G each, 1x golden yellow topaz 500G each, 2x pink pearl 500G each, 2x star rose quartz 50G each, 1x blue saphire 1,000G each, 1x lapis lazuli 10G each]
3 Major Magic Items:
-1x Magical cloak [Unidentified]
-1x Magical amulet [Unidentified]
-1x Magical bracers [Unidentified]
-x-
-Inventory Window-
Head:
None
Ears:
None
Neck:
None
Shoulders:
None
Body:
None
Arms:
None
Hands:
None
Rings:
None
Belt:
None
Legs:
None
Feet:
None
-x-
Storage:
-1x Unique Outfit [Enchanted Martial Arts Gi]
-1x Unique Outfit [Enchanted Underwear]
-1x Adamantine dagger
-12x Medium-grade Demon Stones
-79x Low-grade Demon Stones
-42x Demon Fangs
-58x Demon Claws
-10x Lowest-grade Healing Potion
-1x Magical cloak [Unidentified]
-1x Magical amulet [Unidentified]
-1x Magical bracers [Unidentified]
Money: 240,000,000 Yen [~24,000 Gold Coins], 20x Gems [4,720 Gold Coins worth],
-[NOTE: 1 Gold = 100 USD = 10,000 Yen]
Trying very hard not to freak out over suddenly having over two hundred million yen to play with, Ranma decided to take a closer look at the outfit. Tapping on the little icon next to the words, the screen seemed to ripple and the clothes fell out of the screen and into his hands. It was a simple white female training gi, shirt and pants, with a black belt to hold it closed. Examining it carefully, it felt like the material it was made of was very sturdy, yet smooth as silk. The underwear looked like a white pair of girl's panties made from the same material. He sighed in annoyance over it being a female outfit.
*PING*
"Huh?"
A new skill has been created by a specific action!
Due to the continuous use of observation, the skill of [Observe] has been created.
Observe (Active) Lv 1: A skill to find a target's basic information.
"Umm...okay?" Shrugging at the new skill, he went back to studying the outfit, then blinked. "What the heck. Why not? Observe."
Enchanted Martial Arts Gi [Bind on Equip]
Armor: 0
This basic training outfit has been modified with several non-boosting enchantments.
-Self Cleaning: Any dirt, grease, or stains accumulated on this outfit over the course of a day will be automatically cleaned overnight.
-Self Repairing: Any rips, tears, or wear accumulated on this outfit over the course of a day will be automatically repaired overnight.
Gender-fitting: This outfit will instantly and automatically adjust to fit the gender of the wearer.
-x-
Enchanted Underwear [Bind on Equip]
Armor: 0
This basic underwear has been modified with several non-boosting enchantments.
-Self Cleaning: Any dirt, grease, or stains accumulated on this outfit over the course of a day will be automatically cleaned overnight.
-Self Repairing: Any rips, tears, or wear accumulated on this outfit over the course of a day will be automatically repaired overnight.
Gender-fitting: This outfit will instantly and automatically adjust to fit the gender of the wearer.
-x-
[NOTE: Gender-fitting clothes must first be worn by the gender they are found in. After the 'first-fitting', the enchantment will activate and automatically adjust to the wearer.]
"...This...is...AWESOME! Thank you, GM!" Leaving the bath and drying off, he quickly changed back to a girl. Dressing quickly, she shivered a bit over the feel of the silky fabric over her sensitive parts, before changing again with some hot more water. He smiled, examining his new outfit, complete with surprisingly comfortable boxers. "I could definitely get used to this. Maybe this gamer thing won't be so bad."
Leaving the bathhouse, Ranma hopped up onto the roof to get his bearings. Spotting an area he recognized, he quickly made his way across the rooftops. After a while, his destination finally came into sight and Ranma quietly snuck inside, headed to the guest room he and Genma shared.
Absentmindedly stripping off his new gi and tossing it into his inventory, he settled down for the night, sparing a baleful glance at the snoring mound of fur beside him. No way in hell was he telling his lazy-ass pops about his new money stash! Geez, only a week since they had come to Nerima and already his life was promising to spiral into total chaos. Slowly Ranma drifted off to sleep with one final thought on his mind.
'Man, fighting demons, meeting gods, making a new friend, and my whole life turning into a video game...and all just before the first day of school. I wonder what tomorrow will be like?'
End of Day 1
Hope you like the update. This chapter probably didn't rate being rated M, but I will keep it that way just in case. While I want lots of reviews on this, I DO NOT want flames. Let me know what you think and don't be a jerk about it.
After some further discussion with my brother of awesome epicness, This entire chapter has been re-written. The ideas I was getting from him are just too good to pass up on. Sorry for being so flaky, everyone. I WILL be writing out the rest of this as soon as I can. Please be patient with me.
[This is the latest and hopefully final version of this chapter. Now I can focus on the next one. I hope you guys like it. The people who get OC-NPCs will be sent PMs soon. Thanks for all your help!]