RWBY: The D'arc Game of Life Chapter 1: Start New Game, a rwby fanfic

Guess who's alive? ME!

If you haven't read my second story, "RWBY Jaune Arc: Role Player and Risk Taker", or the latest chapter of "Lunar Legends", then you probably don't know that college has been killing me slowly inside, but I powered through and it's time to get back to writing things that will rejuvenate my soul and make me happy and strong.

Welcome to a story whose idea has been nagging my mind for a long time now. It's a Gamer story. If you're not familiar with the original "The Gamer", it's a webcomic where the main character suddenly comes into the power to live their life as a video game character, an adventure RPG, mostly.

We're just going to jump right in here, then! No time to explain, it'll become clearer in the readings.

I do not own RWBY or the The Gamer, nor do I own any other copyrighted thingies referenced in this story.

Beware, later chapters will have some explicit content.

Chapter 1: Start New Game.

Jaune Arc, that's my name, short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it... or at least I hope they do.

I've been trying, for years now, to enter Signal Academy, but I just can't make the cut no matter how hard I try. It has, so far, seemed like no matter how much training I try to perform, I never seem to improve in the slightest.

It's... disappointing, to say the least.

Combined with the fact that my parents split up when I was ten, and all my sisters are still with my mom, leaving me alone with my dad, and it's depressing. Not to say that my dad wasn't a good dad, I just missed my sisters is all.

I don't fit in at the civilian high school I go to either. The jocks, the nerds, the preps, the goths, the dramas, they're all there, and they all don't like me. I don't like them either, to be honest, they don't fit my style.

My style is video games and trying to be a Huntsman, emphasis on 'try'.

I wish I could do more, branch out, take up a clique, but I can't. It's just not who I am.

And I can't change who I am, can I?

"Oh COME the FUCK on!" I shout angrily at the screen, "I almost had it!" I glare at the smug skeleton's face, wanting to slice him to pieces.

I was playing a game that kinda blew up big a few months ago, called Undervale. It had an interesting story and a decent amount of replay value. As it was, I was currently attempting a Genocide Run of it, but I was stuck at the final boss.

I slammed my hand on the desk, then flinched and swore as a splinter struck my skin. 'I needed a new desk.' I thought as I gingerly removed the splinter, wiping the bit of blood away and rubbing some hand sanitizer on it. After wiping it clean and feeling satisfied with the results, I returned to the game.

I stared intensely at the screen, analyzing the patterns and moving away from the attacks. I grit my teeth and moved out of the way of a Gaster Blaster, grunting and tensing when I was hit. My dad got me the game for my birthday last year, and with our super-fast WiFi connection, I was able to play most games I wanted rather easily. I moved the heart on the screen away from more bones and Gaster Blasters, watching carefully for Sans' motions and dodging the attacks as quickly as I could. Suddenly, however, I screamed in a way that most definitely was very masculine when a quartet of blue windows popped up in my field of vision

Fine motion control has increased your Dexterity by 1!

Careful studying of patterns has increased your Intelligence by 1!

Learning to watch things precisely and take in details has unlocked the skill "Gamer's Sight"!

By watching a master at work, you have learned a skill! You have learned "Gaster Blaster"!

I heard footsteps charge down the hall like a two-legged freight train, my door slamming open.

"Jaune are you murdering a girl in here or-" he stopped, looking at me and blinking.

I must have looked ridiculous, just sitting there at my desk, looking like I'd seen a ghost, but being completely alone in my room. I couldn't bear to respond, which reinforced the growing awkwardness of the silence.

"-what... what happened?" he finished his statement with a curious tone, obviously trying not to seem too awkward.

"O-oh, uh... spider fell on my face, I freaked out, but I killed it before I got bitten." I stuttered out with my face reddening by the second.

My father, John Arc, gave me an inquisitive look, one I fearfully returned with a disgraceful attempt at a serious face. Better to look like a fool than a nutcase.

By thinking over the consequences of possible choices, your Wisdom has increased by 1!

After a few more seconds, his face relaxed, "Right, well, be more careful from now on, son, don't want to get poisoned from a surprise bite." he gave me a boisterous grin and chuckled.

I stared at him for a moment or two more, before suddenly I saw something new appear.

Johnathan Arc

Title: ?

Lvl ?

I stared at the strange information above my father's head, then looked at his face. I liked to think I looked like him. He was tall and broadly muscled, wearing a simple blue button-up shirt with blue jeans and black sneakers with navy blue laces. I stood several inches shorter than him, and far thinner in build, in fact I'd estimate the difference between our arms is the same as the difference between a small twig and a thick cord of wood. Not in volume but in strength.

"So, hey, I'm going to the store in a minute, alright? Anything special you want me to pick up, son?" he asked, trying to extract himself from the awkwardness

"N-no, I'm good, dad." I lied, glancing at my computer screen to avoid his gaze.

"Well, alright then. I'll let you get back to your game, my boy." he made to leave, then stopped and came back to the doorway, "Oh hey, I need you to take out the trash and do the dishes and stuff. Y'know, your chores. Do them before I get back, alright? Also, I'll give you your lunch money when I get back, alright?"

Quest Received!

Name: A Busy Boy

Description: Your father is leaving to do the weekly shopping. Finish all your chores before he gets back. This is a Recurring Quest.

Reward for Success: 100 exp, Slightly Increased respect from John Arc, 1000 lien.

Penalized Reward for Failure: 10 exp, Slightly Decreased respect from John Arc, 100 lien.

Accepted? Y/N

I nodded dumbly and the window apparently took that as a yes, being replaced with a smaller window that said Quest Accepted!

My dad grinned, "Alright, I'll be back in an hour, maybe 2, depends. See ya then." he left my doorway and went downstairs. I could hear the door to the garage closing after a few jingles of him grabbing his keys and wallet. I hummed a bit, finding my hearing oddly sharpened a bit.

I looked at the four windows before me once again.

Fine motion control has increased your Dexterity by 1!

Careful studying of patterns has increased your Intelligence by 1!

Learning to watch things precisely and take in details has created the skill "Gamer's Sight"!

By watching a master at work, you have learned a skill! You have learned "Gaster Blaster"!

"Has... has my life become a video game? These look like game notifications." I mused hesitantly, oddly calm despite my want to panic.

By broadening your understanding of the world, your Wisdom has increased by 1!

I hummed, that all but confirmed it. I didn't know exactly how, but I had confirmed it. It stated I had increased my understanding of the world, and if that was responding to what I had said, then I definitely was in a video game now.

By using logical thinking and reasoning, your Wisdom has increased by 1!

I just had to wait this out and hope it's a bad hallucination caused by an actual spider bite that I didn't notice.

I stood up from my chair, pacing back and forth across my room for a minute or two, thinking over what this all could mean. While I did that, I saw two more notifications pop up for increased Intelligence and one more for Wisdom. I went to the bathroom and threw some cold water in my face, hoping to shock away the poison-induced trip. It didn't help that the windows followed me.

I looked at myself in the mirror, then stared at what innocently floated above my own head.

Jaune Arc

Title: The Gamer

Lvl: 1

"Yep, my life is now a video game." I said, feeling massive quantities of 'done with this shit' filling my mood.

I groaned and turned to look at all the windows littering my field of vision, which thankfully didn't move to block what I was looking at, rather they seemed more dragged along by a soft, but firm leash, firmly staying less than about three feet from my body, but able to get closer.

By calculating and figuring the mechanics of things, your Intelligence has increased by 1!

I took a moment of calmness to actually feel what just happened. All of a sudden, my mind felt a little sharper. The change was... oddly welcomed, I figured that if this was making me smarter and wiser and more dexterous, then it couldn't have been a bad thing, right? Unless...

Unless there were unseen side-effects that I had to look into? If this was also dangerous, perhaps poisoning or killing me slowly, then I had to get rid of it. Death was not worth an increase to these... 'stats'.

By showing reasonable caution and good judgment, your Wisdom has increased by 1!

I felt like this thing was mocking me by giving me increases to mental stats for basic fucking things, so I closed out all four Wisdom updates and the four Intelligence updates, then stared at the Dexterity update again. "Fine motion control... so moving quickly and carefully increased it? What if I~..." I walked back to my room and pulled a coin out of the pouch in my wallet, flipping it and carefully moving it between my fingers, tossing it back and forth between hands.

By practicing precise movements, your Dexterity has increased by 1!

Huh... that was useful. Taking in the changes it brought, I felt a little quicker, a little more sprightly and lighter on my feet. I could feel more control over my body, and I bet if I ran in a race, I wouldn't do abysmally.

By observing the physical changes to your body carefully, your Intelligence has increased by 1!

Fuck you, notification, it's not that hard to feel how my body feels!

I dismissed the fifth Intelligence notification I've gotten in the past five minutes and the closed the two Dexterity notifications as well. All that left me to look at were these two skills.

Observe and Gaster Blaster.

I stared hard at the two windows, taking a moment to familiarize myself with them.

They had a soft, cool blue color to them, rounded corners and a lighter blue border. The words were in white and the font was rather plain. At the bottom were two options, View, and Dismiss.

By choosing to familiarize yourself with The Game, your Wisdom has increased by 1!

I made a piss-poor attempt at a growl and closed the notification, then hit View on Observe.

-I-

Gamer's Sight (Active) Level: 1, EXP: 0.00%, Cost: Free

An ability unique to The Gamer to gaze through the veil of knowledge and learn more about the world. It can be used on just about anything! However, one must be looking at the thing they want to observe, or at least sense it in some way. This skill can give information that is not normally available or would be impossible to otherwise know without being told. Higher levels give additional, more accurate and detailed information.

Gives additional information on the observed thing.

-I-

I hummed in approval. THIS was more like it! Still, even if this skill was useful, possibly letting me observe a textbook and find the useful information, I still needed to know the risks of this strange new pow-

By showing reasonable caution, your Wisd-

I closed the notification on Wisdom again, grumbling as I did so. Was I really so dumb that this thing was throwing mental stat points at me like candy on Halloween? I breathed and took a moment to think, realizing that my mind felt a little clearer now.

I looked at the other skill window after closing Observe. I grinned with glee. I could be like that skeleton assho-!

-I-

Gaster Blaster (Active) Level: 1, EXP: 0.00%, Cost: 10000 MP

A spell used by an ancient wizard who had transcended the shackles of death, binding his soul to his dead body even after it withered away into a skeleton. This power was one of his greatest spells, a mighty beam of incinerating power projected from the mouth of a terrifying floating skull. It was regarded as one of the most dangerous and powerful magical abilities of its time.

Base Damage: 5000%
Range: 20 m (65 ft)
Radius of Beam: Up to 1 ft
Number of Gaster Blasters: 1

-I-

Wow... that was... impressive.

Wait... an ancient wizard? Does... does that mean that the game was based on a true story?

By broadening your understanding of-

I slammed my fist into the close button on the seventh Wisdom notification I've gotten thus far, mildly angered at what felt like a mockery to my mental capacity.

I took in a deep breath and blew it out forcefully, calming myself down and closing the skill window for Gaster Blaster.

Suddenly, a new window popped up into my view.

Congratulations on making it far enough in life that you have unlocked your mighty semblance, 'The Gamer'

With this power, you will be given the tools to become one of the greatest warriors in history!

Would you like to view the tutorial?

I stared at this window, my hands shaking lightly. I swallowed a knot that suddenly formed in my throat. My semblance? I didn't really understand, dad's lessons were rarely helpful, but maybe with this power, they would be? It would be hard, I mean, history is a pretty big thing, but if I could use this power, 'The Gamer', which had a very unoriginal name, I couldn't help but thing, then maybe I could make my father proud, make my mother proud, hell, I might even be able to get them back together!

It was worth a shot. If I was supposed to be The Gamer, then...

WHAT IN THE SAM HELL AM I THINKING? I must be going crazy if I'm actually really accepting all of this so easily! I must look crazy with what I've been doing! I had gotten up, went to the bathroom, splashed water on my face, then went back to my room, pulled a coin out of my wallet, and started tossing it around in my hands! If that didn't look crazy, I don't know what the standards for 'crazy' were.

Or maybe I'm being too hard on myself? A sudden rush of calmness eases my mind, letting me think more clearly.

I looked at the window, then turned away, "I need to do my chores, I can't disappoint my dad. Plus I need some time to think this over."

By showing good judgment and decision mak-

That makes eight, right?

Goddammit am I really that dumb normally?

I gather the trash from around my room, putting it in a bag, then taking that bag downstairs and putting it in with the other trash in the can. I mentally brought up the list of things I had to do, and groaned, but got to work.

I groaned uselessly as I was informed that I received the skills, "Trash Disposal", "Polishing", "Laundry", "Sweeping", and "Dishwashing", thoroughly convincing me that everything could be a skill.

To test the theory, I went into the small training room my father had set up and reared back my fist, punching the punching bag as hard as I could.

By beginning to develop an affinity for the usage of unarmed attacks, you have gained the skill "Unarmed Skill"!

By expressing great effort in your attacks, you have gained the skill "Power Attack"!

I smirked. I was starting to figure this out!

By thinking through the-

I used Power Attack to smash the close button, then panted heavily from the effort. Why was I so tired? I found myself falling to the floor, struggling to catch my breath.

"Where's... (pant)... my... (pant pant) profile?" I managed through heaving breaths, "Shouldn't... (pant pant) I have... (pant) a character profile? If... (pant pant) I'm a game character?" I looked for another window, "Nothing? (pant pant) What is this, then, a status effect?"

Upon saying the word 'status', a new window popped up.

-W-

Name: Jaune Arc
Title: The Gamer
Level: 1

HP: 100/100
MP: 0/0
SP: 0/100

Strength: 10
Dexterity: 12
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 19
Luck: 10

Stat Points: 0

-W-

I stared at it. After a little while of staring, my SP suddenly went up by one, and I felt the exhaustion fade quickly, being replaced by a calm comfort. I sat up, getting to my feet and walking back up to my room and sitting down on the edge of my bed.

I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to figure out what the fuck was happening to me. I was seeing windows, and titles, and levels, and names, and stats, and I was just so confused~!

If the way I was keeping count was anything to go by, then if I took away the increases to my Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom, that would mean that I started with all of my stats being 10. Keeping that in mind, I figured that it was meant to state that I was unremarkable in every way, completely average at everything. That being said, I was apparently now almost twice as intelligent and wise as the average person. Either that, or I was still behind, and the average was higher. Seeing as how I was in a large high school, it was likely that many people far outclassed me in their areas of expertise.

However, this didn't mean that I was going to be overwhelmed, no sirree, as these people probably didn't have their lowest stat score as a ten, where as I did.

I checked the descriptions for my two new skills in the meantime, humming in curiosity.

-W-

Power Strike (Active) Level: 1, Exp: 0.00%, Cost: 30 AP or 50 SP

An ability to focus one's aura or willpower to add more strength into an attack, dealing more damage

Applied to a physical attack, attack deals 130% damage

-W-

Unarmed Skill (Passive) Level: 1, Exp: 0.00%

A skill denoting... well... a skill for using Unarmed Attacks.

Damage Increase: 2%
Stamina Discount: 1%
Backlash Resistance: 1%

-W-

I stared at the lackluster description of my second skill. I severely hoped it was just the first in a series of increased skills that went up in power, as those boosts were paltry, or alternatively, it gained significant increases as it leveled up. Still, it was a passive, so I didn't have to worry about it burdening me too much. The description for Power Strike explained why it took all of my SP, which I assumed was Stamina Points, and that meant that I was rather poorly for both stats, as well as lacking MP, which was... concerning.

I looked at the Tutorial window and pressed the button to start it. Immediately I heard a slow, simple, easy-going tune. I assumed it was some sort of special tutorial music.

"My god I'm going more insane in front of my very own eyes, and I for some reason can't bring myself to care." I muttered as I took in a breath to steel myself, then began to read the tutorial window.

Welcome to the Tutorial!

For choosing to view the tutorial, you have shown acknowledgement of your lack of knowledge and choose to amend it. For this, your Wisdom has increased by 1!

Now then, let's tutor you, shall we?

I grumbled a little under my breath, but muttered, "Alright... am I just going to talk to this thing?"

You've figured out the usage of voice commands! By experimenting with your previous knowledge, your Intelligence has increased by 1!

Now then, let's view the menu, shall we?

I contemplated exiting, but decided against it. If I was going to be stuck with this, I ought to figure out as much about how it works as I can.

MENU

Profile

Inventory

Settings

Party

Controls

Skills

[Exit]

From here, you can access each of these options by pressing the button, or saying/thinking the word. Don't worry, it's triggered by intent, so you won't be accidentally opening windows without meaning to.

You may view your skills freely after the tutorial has ended.

Let's look at profile, shall we?

"Sure." I muttered, "I already accessed it, but sure."

Oh you've already accessed it, have you? Well, congratulations! By having already experienced parts of the game, you have gained 1 Stat Point for being an experienced gamer!

I felt like my power was being a condescending asshole, but if it's my power, then what does that make me?

Contemplating your position in the grand scheme of-

Whoa whoa whoa hey now! Stop focusing on increasing your stats and start focusing on the tutorial, okay? Here, have Stat Point, to take the edge off the wait to start grinding!

I stayed silent, "Is this thing reading my mind?"

Technically "The Game" is now a part of your mind, so you're technically reading your own mind. Spooky, isn't it? Now then, let's get back on track.

Name: Jaune Arc
Title: The Gamer
Level: 1

HP: 100/100
MP: 0/0
SP: 3/100

Strength: 10
Dexterity: 12
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 21
Luck: 10

Stat Points: 2

WOW, look at all those points you've gone up in! SOMEONE was a busy bee before they decided to check the tutorial, weren't they?

I rolled my eyes and just hit Next.

Okay, okay, I see how it is, straight-laced, all-business attitude. You can apply your points and check your status effects here, okay?

Now then, let's see your inventory. Here, here's your conditional complementary item for being a wise and straight-laced person.

You have gained the item "Copper Amulet"

I stared at it the item in my inventory as it popped up, then noticed the group of small boxes I could put things in. It looked to be a grid of about four rows of six columns, equaling twenty-four slots.

I held my hand over the amulet like a cursor over an item, and to my gratitude, a small window appeared.

Copper Amulet

Description: A simple necklace with the Double Crescents symbol of the Arc family engraved on a copper disk, hung on a necklace of wooden beads. It gleams with a small amount of magical power.

Effects: +5% magic damage, +10% ease of casting.

Tier: Conditional complementary starter item (INT and WIS)

I scoffed, but grabbed the amulet and lifted it to the equipment window. It was something, at least.

I stared at the complex equipment window, which seemed to favor realism over ease of use. I saw bars of blank space on my arms, my hoodie layered over my shirt, my jeans layered over my boxers, my shoes layered over my socks, ten ring slots (which I laughed at with a smile), and even earring slots (I might eventually find some use... maybe)

I put the copper amulet on my neck and felt a sudden slight weight appear around there. Looking down I saw that it had instantly appeared on my body. Experimentally, I removed my hoodie from the slot and suddenly found it in my hand rather than on my body, "This... could be useful." I hummed slightly, laying back on my bed as I continued the tutorial from a horizontal position.

By familiarizing yourself with the system of The Game, your Intelligence has increased by 1!

I saw the number on my profile, which hadn't been closed, shine as the seven turned into an eight, "Alright, continue, my dad will be home soon."

Alright, I see, more business, less fun. Geez, maybe we should change the core system from an Adventure RPG to a Business Simulator?

I went wide-eyed, instantly feeling a bit of panic, "No no no, I'm just in a hurry." I said quickly. I could handle an adventure RPG, I couldn't STAND business simulators.

Good call, that'd make for a boring life. Now then, here are your Settings. Sadly, there's no Difficulty setting. I know, buddy, it sucks, but we can't change the world like that.

I saw a standard option screen. Sound, video, subtitles, and other stuff that I usually never messed with, as the first three were all I cared about.

I played with the options, turned on subtitles to find the line (Muffled car noises outside) on the bottom of my field of vision. Turned on Minimized Notifications, then turned it off, seeing as I wanted to be able to see what I might be randomly acquiring, in case anything might help me.

By planning for the future, your Wis-

Right, let's continue. PARTY!

I bet you wouldn't like to have a party, would you? Mr. Straight-laced Serious Guy

I groaned at my power mocking me, "Yes I would, actually. Some help would be nice."

Oh, well what a nice sentiment. Well, there are a variety of options for you to choose from when making a party.

If you had some friends to add, you could potentially add them, opening their eyes to The Game, allowing them to level up like you do, and monitor their progress and status more easily.

I saw, as promised, a variety of options. I could set the party to disband automatically after I slept, or stay together until disbanded manually. I could set authority in my party if I had members. I could set different levels of accuracy in tracking my party members (which I found quite useful), and lastly, I had a log of all previous parties I'd made, with the option to remake them.

For viewing the tutorial thus far and not exiting like a know-it-all, your Wisdom has increased by 1!

For learning so much about The Game, your Intelligence has increased by 1!

I smiled a little bit this time. The free points were nice, I had to admit. I didn't have to spend my stat points to get them, and it made me smarter anyways, and being smarter was always good.

By realizing the importance of mental stats, you have proven good judgment and mindset, increasing your Wisdom by 1!

I looked at my profile again, humming and taking the time to 'mouse over' the stats.

-/\/\/\/\-

Name: Jaune Arc
Title: The Gamer
Level: 1

HP: 100/100
MP: 0/0
SP: 6/100

Strength: 10
Dexterity: 12
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 19
Wisdom: 24
Luck: 10

Stat Points: 2

-/\/\/\/\-

"Just half an hour of using this thing, and I've doubled one stat and almost doubled another. I'm... pretty sure it'll get a LOT harder later on..." I sighed, oh woe is me, I've accomplished more progress in half an hour than the last half a decade, but it'll get harder. It might even take a FULL hour to increase my stats the grind-y way, rather than the points way.

I laughed at myself and how stupid I was, Intelligence stat be damned. I still had hardly learned anything, but at least my mind was much sharper than it was before, and significantly clearer too.

Anyways, I learned that my title can affect certain aspects of my power levels. My MP was actually 'Aura', but it called it MP. SP confirmed for Stamina Points.

The stats were fairly clear and straightforward in their definition.

Strength affected strength and physical damage, as well as carrying capacity and physical muscle definition. I could increase it by working out and lifting weights and stuff.

Dexterity affected speed and some types of physical damage, as well as reaction time, agility, and other factors. I could increase it by pushing myself to be quicker and, well, more dexterous.

Vitality made me tougher, and granted more HP and SP, as well as increasing both their regen rates. I could increase it by surviving great damage and stress.

Intelligence increased magic damage and my MP total, as well as making me functionally smarter and more able to retain information. Already I felt my mind had grown by leaps and bounds. I could increase it by increasing my knowledge, whether studying, learning, or theorizing.

Wisdom affected MP regeneration, 1% per minute for every 10 points. I frowned at that. GREAT, I could recover 2% of my total of ZERO every minute, "Fan-fucking-tastic." I grumbled, greatly displeased. I could increase it by showing good judgment and decision-making skills, or increasing my 'understanding of things', whatever THAT meant. I had Wisdom as my highest stat, yet I only halfway 'understood' how to increase it.

Luck largely increased the chance of positive outcomes, and slightly increased the likelihood of negative outcomes. I weighed the pros and cons, and figured that, well, in my field of work, being a Hunter, I'd be making my own luck... but a safety net would be VERY much appreciated.

"Well, continue the tutorial... er... tutorial." I looked at the window as though it would answer me. I knew it was crazy to think, but I also knew that it would.

Oh dear, looking back, it seems that your Aura has not sprung forth yet. That is most concerning.

QUEST RECEIVED!

Quest: The Manifestation of the Soul

Description: Despite unlocking your semblance, your Aura Bar has not unlocked. Find a way to break the chains that are keeping the light of your soul down!

Reward for Success: +100 max MP, skill "Aura" unlocked.

Penalty for Failure: None

Accept? Y/N

I would have used Power Strike to hit the Y, but I was far too tired to do so.

I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face, thinking about how strange this whole situation was, and how quickly I had come to bear with it, despite REALLY feeling overwhelmed by everything happening. My semblance? Okay, so I was a video game character, in an adventure RPG game. I had a level, a title, HP, AP, SP, stats, skills, quests, and a tutorial.

Speaking of...

Controls! Every game has them. You can say any of the names of the windows and menus you want in order to bring them up directly. For example, saying 'profile' directly opens the Profile. This works for just about all menus and lists.

Since The Game is based on real physics, your movements are your own body movements, and attacks can be used simply by willing them to be used. Special actions can create new skills, so always try experimenting with what you have!

I let out a contemplative hum, noting that for the future.

I waited for the window to close and move on with the tutorial, and sure enough it did.

Now then, let's look at your skills and finish up here, hm?

I nodded.

-Skills-

Attacks:

-(Magic Attacks)-

((Beams))

Gaster Blaster (Active) Level: 1, EXP: 0.00%, Cost: 10000 MP

Base Damage: 5000%
Range: 20 m (65 ft)
Radius of Beam: Up to 1 ft
Number of Gaster Blasters: 1

-/\/\-

-(Physical Attacks)-

((Melee Attacks))

Power Strike (Active) Level: 1, Exp: 20.00%, Cost: 30 AP or 50 SP

An ability to focus one's aura or willpower to add more strength into an attack, dealing more damage

Applied to a physical attack, attack deals 130% damage

-/\/\-

-(Weapon Skills)-

Unarmed Skill (Passive) Level: 1, Exp: 5.00%

A skill denoting... well... a skill for using Unarmed Attacks.

Damage Increase: 2%
Stamina Discount: 1%
Backlash Resistance: 1%

-/\/\/\-

Housework:

-(Cleaning)-

Dishwashing (Active) Level: 1, EXP: 20.00%

Dishes need to be cleaned, this skill helps you clean them!

+10% dish cleaning speed
+10% silverware cleaning speed
+10% cup and glass cleaning speed
Requires soap and water.

-/\-

Trash Disposal (Active) Level: 1, EXP: 80.00%

The world is full of trash, this skill helps you clean it up!

+10% trash gathering speed
+10% trash bagging speed
+10% trash disposing speed
Requires trash-safe bags and receptacles.

-/\-

Sweeping (Active) Level: 2, EXP: 15.00%

The floors of the world are dirty too, this skill helps you clean them!

+15% sweeping speed
+15% sweeping efficiency
+15% sweeping area
Requires a broom and dustpan

-/\/\-

-(Freshening)-

Laundry (Passive) Level: 2, EXP: 20.00%

Clothes can get messy, and with this skill, you can clean them with greater ease!

+6% laundry cleaning speed
-4% soap needed to clean
+8% thoroughness of cleaning
Requires a washing machine, water, and soap.

-/\-

Polishing (Active) Level: 1, EXP: 60.00%

Stone, metal, marble, tile, all these things need to be cleaned in ways that can't be accomplished by water and soap. For this purpose, there's polish.

+10% polishing speed
+10% polishing efficiency
Polish lasts 20% longer
Requires a cloth and polish

-/\/\/\-

The Gamer:

Gamer's Sight (Active) Level: 1, EXP: 0.00%, Cost: Free

Gives additional information on the observed thing.

-/\-

Gamer's Mind (Passive) Level: MAX

One born with this power is The Gamer. As The Gamer, they have this most efficient and deadly of minds. Though a fledgling it is now, it shall grow brighter than the eternal light of the sun.

Negates all mental debuffs.
Keeps emotions from taking over.

-/\-

Gamer's Body (Passive) Level: MAX

One born with this power is The Gamer, as The Gamer, they have this most efficient and deadly of bodies. Though a fledgling it is now, it shall grow stronger than the foundations of the earth.

All physical damage converted into HP and MP damage.
No dismemberment or disemboweling possible.
No lasting visible signs of damage.
Not even normally fatal wounds will kill you so long as you have a functional amount of HP to spare.
Sleep in a bed to recover all HP, MP, and SP.

-/\/\/\/\-

This is your skills list. From here, you can look through your skills and observe your growth and changes. As your skills level up, they will grow stronger and more efficient, sometimes defying the laws of physics.

I stared at the last two skills on the list, sitting alongside Gamer's Sight in the folder of skills simply called The Gamer. I had no idea what to really say about it.

"I'm a lucky bastard, I guess?" I said to nobody, "I mean... that's pretty much preventing me from getting injured in pretty much every single way except for being caught on fire, electrocuted, poisoned, and maybe scarred." I ran through the list in my head, pretty much thinking out loud at this point because I frankly didn't care, since I was home alone.

By calculating and figuring the mechanics of things, your Intelligence has increased by 1!

By increasing your understanding of yourself, your Wisdom has increased by 1!

I hummed a bit, "Well, that makes... 20 INT and 25 WIS. Yay, multiples of five." I raised a hand and drew a few little circles in the air in minor celebration, feeling apathy swelling in my mind.

By raising Intelligence and Wisdom to new heights while under the watch of the Tutorial, your Conditional Complementary Starter Item has been upgraded!

You gained the item "Silver Amulet"!

Silver Amulet

Description: A fine necklace with the Double Crescents symbol of the Arc family engraved on a silver pendant, hung on a necklace of dark wooden beads. It gleams with magical power.

Effects: +10% magic damage, +20% ease of casting.

Tier: Conditional complementary starter item v2 (INT and WIS)

I felt the weight on my neck shift, and indeed the amulet was now a silver pendant, thicker and more shiny than the copper one, it bore the Double Crescents like its predecessor, and just plain looked cooler.

"Hehe, maybe if I raise them some more, then I'll get a gold amulet."

By showing recognition and prediction of patterns, your Wisdom has increased by 1!

"You're just giving those out like free candy, aren't you?" I asked the window, not expecting a response while I checked my mental stats.

Intelligence: 20

Wisdom: 26

I hummed, sitting up, "Well... maybe I should... okay never mind, telling dad isn't exactly going to help very much. He'll probably just laugh at me... I need to prove myself to him." I rubbed my chin while thinking of how to do this.

I should start by unlocking my aura, then raising my physical stats to... at least thirty. I should work on leveling up, and conveniently there's a planet full of monsters just outside the kingdom walls. I should do what I can in a controlled environment before I go outside the kingdom and work in a place where I could die.

So... stay safe and train.

Wow, that's exactly what I've been doing for the past six fucking years!

But... it led to me unlocking my semblance, at least. It was worth it now that I could track my progress with some degree of accuracy.

Alright then, I need to start training!

First off, I should get more used to fighting, then tomorrow after school, I'll head to the gym.

I checked the calendar, only to realize it was Friday, "Sweet! So I can just do that tomorrow. Now then, to the training room!"

The clearing of a throat made me freeze in place. I looked over at my dad, who was standing in the doorway, "Uh... h-hey dad." I gave a small wave.

"You weren't planning on robbing a bank or something illegal, were you?" he asked with a bemused expression.

"What? No! I'm not some criminal, I was just trying to plan out my training is all." the truth usually helped.

The bemused expression shattered when he started laughing, "I know that, son, the training room has 'training' in the name, after all. Come on downstairs, help me put up the groceries." he left the doorway to make way for me to join him in the kitchen.

I sighed and stood up, "Coming, dad." I was unhappy with my private time being cut short... wait that sounded wrong, especially with what I just said out loud... Gamer's Mind thankfully helped me not think about it.

In only a few minutes, we were done with the groceries and I was surprised to see a new window pop up.

QUEST COMPLETE

You completed the quest "A Busy Boy"

You have gained 100 EXP.

Gained a slight increase in Respect from John Arc.

I was surprised when suddenly a 1000 lien note was waved in front of my face. I took it and looked at my dad.

"That should cover anything you gotta pay for in the next week, my boy." he said with a smile, and I smiled back.

"Thanks dad." I put it in my pocket, secretly sliding it into my inventory.

You gained 1000 Lien.

Well there's THAT missing quest reward found. I started walking back upstairs when I saw something else get added to the window, noticing it because the window grew larger.

Bonus Objective "Take Away and Add Back" was succeeded!

-Description: Put away groceries with your dad

-Reward: +1 STR, +1 DEX, +25 EXP

Bonus Objective "... and the kitchen sink too!" failed!

-Description: Did not cook dinner in addition to normal tasks.

I hummed, "Well, I'm going to the training room, then." I began to walk out of the kitchen, watching my dad's movements.

He waved me off while starting to make dinner. I hummed again, then dropped the notion I had, walking off.

It probably wasn't worth it to just ask. Figuring out on my own would give me boosts!

(Hours Later)

"Let's see... his information is hidden... because it's above my paygrade." I threw another punch, sweating like a pig, but I had something to show for all this, or at least I'd check to make sure I did when morning came.

I didn't feel mentally tired, like I wanted to sleep, but I felt physically tired, like I wanted to drop to the floor and rest. I didn't let myself do that.

Gamer's Mind has allowed you to stay determined to train.

Gamer's Body has diminished your aches and pains.

"My paygrade is level one, and his is so far above mine that I can't see it... he's too high level to be seen." I kicked the heavy bag, keeping light on my feet. I swear I'd broken my fingers at least a dozen times now, but the bones had instantly mended.

"I'd say maybe... well given he's a powerful Huntsman, I'd say he's probably at least fifty levels higher than me, given that I'm level..." I stopped, staring at my status window, as well as the windows I'd missed.

Your level has increased by one!

SYSTEM UPDATE! Added Feature: Classes, Nicknames, Party.

By raising all of your stats to new heights, you have proven yourself ready to begin training to be a legendary hero! You have unlocked the class "Novice Hero"!

By having high INT, you have unlocked the class "Mage v1"!

By having high WIS, you have unlocked the class "Monk v1"!

By having high INT and WIS, you have unlocked the class "Wizard v1"!

Unarmed Skill's level increased by 15!

Power Strike's level increased by 1!

A special action has created the skill "Double Strike"!

Double Strike's level increased by 4!

A special action has created the skill log "Boxing"!

Practicing with Boxing has created the skills "Left Hook", "Right Hook", "Left Jab", "Right Jab", "Left Uppercut", "Right Uppercut", "Left Low Guard", "Right Low Guard", "Left High Guard", and "Right High Guard"!

-/\/\/\/\-

Name: Jaune Arc
Title: The Gamer
Level: 2
Class: Novice Hero
Nickname: (none)

HP: 25/180
MP: 0/0
SP: 10/180

Strength: 20
Dexterity: 23
Vitality: 18
Intelligence: 23
Wisdom: 29
Luck: 15

Stat Points: 7

-/\/\/\/\-

I stared and hummed, "Well shit. I don't know what increased what!"

Taking a break, I hummed and contemplated my choices.

I checked my skills again, focusing more on the new ones.

-/\/\/\/\-

Attacks:

-(Fighting Styles)-

Boxing (Log)
A fighting style used by heavy hitters and catering to the tall and broad. It focuses purely on punches and guarding. Normally used non-lethally, it can easily injure and kill when used the correct way. This skill logs the mastery levels and effects of all Boxing techniques. The power of the techniques increases with STR, DEX, and VIT.

Left Hook Damage: 105% (Level 3, Cost: 5 SP)
Left Jab Damage: 105% (Level 4, Cost: 3 SP)
Left Uppercut Damage: 105% (Level 2, Cost: 7 SP)
Left Low Guard Defense: +6% (Level 5, Cost: 4 SP)
Left High Guard Defense: +6% (Level 5, Cost: 4 SP)

Right Hook Damage: 109% (Level 8, Cost: 5 SP)
Right Jab Damage: 110% (Level 9, Cost: 3 SP)
Right Uppercut Damage: 108% (Level 7, Cost: 7 SP)
Right Low Guard Defense: +2% (Level 1, Cost: 4 SP)
Right High Guard Defense: +2% (Level 1, Cost: 4 SP)

-/\/\/\-

-(Physical Attacks)-

((Melee Attacks))

Power Strike (Active) Level: 2, Exp: 10.00%, Cost: 30 AP or 50 SP
An ability to focus one's aura or willpower to add more strength into an attack, dealing more damage

Applied to a physical attack, attack deals 133% damage

-/\-

Double Strike (Active) Level: 5, Exp: 10.00%, Cost: 10 SP
An ability to push oneself to strike something not just once, but twice.

Hits target twice at 90% damage

-/\/\-

-(Weapon Skills)-

Unarmed Skill (Passive) Level: 16, Exp: 5.00%
A skill denoting... well... a skill for using Unarmed Attacks.

Damage Increase: 17%
Stamina Discount: 9%
Backlash Resistance: 9%

-/\/\/\/\-

I smiled, happy to have shown progress. I stretched and felt like my hoodie was much tighter around my chest than normal. I unequipped it and was happy to see that Gamer's Body had been kind enough to grow some extra muscle mass and definition due to my increased Strength.

Feeling proud of myself, I decided to take a break and checked the time, only to see that it was about nine in the evening. No matter, now that I'm a game character, I should have 24/7 access to shops, right?

Except... that made no sense, now that I thought about it. In an actual video game, that was the case, because who wants to waste a night of sleep just to buy armor and potions? But I was still in real life, and in real life there were limits to store hours and when I could access them. So I had to leave quickly and find a place to buy what I needed before they closed.

Writing up a short list, I briefly mused how extreme of a switch I'd made from my previous life to now. Maybe it was just the new clarity of my mind, but I felt like, if I could do this...

If I could keep this up...

Train and work hard...

Then maybe...

Just maybe...

I could be a Huntsman.

I could be a hero.

I could even be... a legend.

WOW, this prologue just didn't want to end! But... I'm happy where it is and how it's going, and I'm glad that I managed to finish it.

Shameless self-plug, check out my other two stories: "Lunar Legends", in which Jaune unlocks secrets of the past and grows into a powerful fighter well before his destined time, thanks to a little help from the heroes who came before him, and "RWBY Jaune Arc: Role Player and Risk Taker", in which Jaune's semblance grants him the abilities of various RPG classes, namely Paladin, Barbarian, Rogue, and Wizard, but it doesn't have the UI or flexibility of The Gamer.

Stay tuned for chapter 2: Storage, Forage, and Wh-nevermind.