Expanded Summary:
Jaune always considered himself a normal guy, if a little weak. Which was unfortunate since no one bothered to tell him that Beacon was full of off-kilter superheroes that were liable to kill him at any moment. Combine that with the fact that by the time he got to Beacon, he no longer needed to eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom, Jaune had many questions. However, one stood out above the rest. What the hell went wrong last time around?
(Gamer!Jaune, Under-powered!Jaune, No Harem, Pairing to be decided)
He blinked. Then he rubbed his eyes. Then he blinked again. He looked around to see if anyone else was seeing what he saw, and he blinked a third time.
Jaune Arc was a smart boy. Well, that wasn't exactly true, but he told himself so every morning regardless. His blond hair was messy, mostly due to the fact that the only two things he did in a mirror were to brush his teeth and give himself pep talks. He had a scrawny build to him, tall, but lacking the muscle to back it up. That wasn't to say that he wasn't handsome though. Yet another thing he told himself in the mornings.
To get back on track, the reason he felt the need to point out his own intelligence was because he knew this was not normal. He had been sitting in the airship, clutching his own stomach and trying not to vomit, when it suddenly happened. He was no longer nauseous, but he might have gone insane instead.
Floating in front of him, and wherever else he tried to look, directly in arms reach was a… Menu. Yes, a menu, as in one of those things you deal with in an RPG game. To be more specific, there were actually two menus. They read,
Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:
Motion Sickness
[OK]
And,
Welcome back to:
The Game
[OK]
Jaune felt the urge to reach out and touch the menus that had appeared out of nowhere, but thought against it. He wouldn't want to seem weird in front of all the other people in the airship, though seeming weird was the least of his problems at the moment. Instead, he just remained where he was sitting, trying to stare through the menus and pretend they weren't there. A hard task, considering they were in front of him wherever he faced.
One minute passed.
Then two.
Then three.
Then-
He couldn't take it anymore. Trying to look around the menus to see if anyone was looking at him, he hesitantly touched the 'OK' on both of the screens. They winked out of existence one after the other with a satisfying pop.
Jaune slumped back down into his chair and sighed in relief.
"I'm glad that's over and done with." His break was cut short, however, when he heard yet another satisfying pop. His eyes were closed, and he prayed to every god he could think of that when his eyes opened, no menu would be in front of him. Clearly, the gods did not like him.
The Tutorial has been turned off for New Game Plus, but would you like to have a run down of the differences between New Game Plus and your first play-through?
[YES] [NO]
After staring at the screen for a while, Jaune resigned himself to his fate, hitting 'YES' on the menu. Once again, the floating text box disappeared with that popping noise, and after a few seconds a new one appeared.
New challenges include:
1. All potential enemies are twice as strong
2. All bonds are twice as hard to fulfill
3. All stat and level gains are twice as hard to achieve
4. You start at LV: 1 (Previous Stats have been converted to SP per one hundred points)
5. Enemies drop 20% less loot
Kept from last play-through:
1. Weapon: Scythe of Destiny
2. LV: Max MP Skill Book: Absorb
3. LV: Max AP Skill Book: Jump
4. Bond: UNKNOWN
5. Title: The True Reaper
Additional features:
1. MP unlocked with AP unlock
2. Recording of thoughts or silent cut-scene from previous play-through shown every time something of note is achieved
3. Inventory removed
4. Player and Skill LV up items removed
5. All other Skill Books, aside from the ones gifted, removed
[OK]
So yeah. Apparently this was a thing happening to him. He tapped 'OK' once more and vaguely wondered if he had a main menu, as most games did. On command, yet other floating box appeared before him, this time with five options.
[STATUS]
[SKILLS]
[INVENTORY]
[EXIT MENU]
[QUIT GAME]
Obviously, Jaune avoided the 'QUIT GAME' option. The 'INVENTORY' option was grayed out, and unable to be accessed, so Jaune touched 'status' first.
Name: Jaune Arc
LV: 1 EXP: 0
Title: [EQUIP]
HP: 100/100
AP: [LOCKED]
MP: [LOCKED]
STR: 5
DEX: 5
INT: 5
WIS: 5
END: 5
CHA: 5
LCK: 10
Current Modifiers: [NONE]
SP: 34
[Go to Second Page]
[Go back to Main Menu]
Jaune didn't look any further than that, as the first page already held enough to process. First thing, the 'Title.' Hitting the option pulled up a new screen, this one much smaller than the previous.
Available Titles:
[The New Kid: Title rewarded for coming to Beacon for the first time this game. Grants +2 Charisma and +3 Luck as you stumble around like an idiot. Warning: Title may be lost or upgraded
[Newbie Deceptionist: Title rewarded for conning your way into Beacon. Grants +10% success rate on all deceptions for being so good at lying. Warning: Title may be lost or upgraded
[The True Reaper] Title rewarded for [UNKNOWN]. Grants +50% MP, +50% MP damage, +100% on intimidations, and -50 Bond with all surrounding humans while equipped.
Jaune was unsure what '-50 Bond' translated in the real world, but he knew he didn't want to find out. Out of curiosity, however, he did select the 'UNKNOWN' option.
The criteria for this title cannot be revealed until criteria is met or Observe Skill LV: MAX.
[OK]
Deciding to leave that mystery alone for now, Jaune backed out and selected 'The New Kid' title. Then he backed out of that screen to go back to the first page of his stats. They had changed according to his new title.
Name: Jaune Arc
LV: 1 EXP: 0/200
Title: [The New Kid]
HP: 100/100
AP: [LOCKED]
MP: [LOCKED]
STR: 5
DEX: 5
INT: 5
WIS: 5
END: 5
CHA: 7 (5+2)
LCK: 13 (10+3)
Current Modifiers: Title
SP: 34
[Go to Second Page]
[Go back to Main Menu]
Looking more closely at his new stats, Jaune finally realized something. The 'changes' screen had said that he'd get one SP point per one hundred stat points, which meant that he used to have at least 3400 stat points divided into each category! Divided equally, he would have had a little under 500 points in each! If a normal person like him had 5 points to begin with, he must have been a god!
"Then why did I start over…?" Jaune mumbled to himself. He also wondered why he wasn't getting overwhelmed by this information or freaked out by what was happening to him. Perhaps it was that 'Gamer's Mind' thing?
"Who are you talking to?" Jaune jumped from his seat with a totally not woman-like scream and everything he was looking at closed automatically.
Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:
Panic
[OK]
Jaune ignored this to instead look at who spooked him. A beautiful, blond haired girl stood leaning over the chair he had previously been sitting in, clad in yellow combat attire. He could only guess how long she had been watching him as he fiddled around on the menus.
"Umm… No one…" Jaune answered truthfully. The blond straightened herself out, showing off her large- Channeling all of his willpower, Jaune forced his eyes to look only at the girl's face, where a laid back grin was waiting for him. He ignored Gamer's Mind nullifying lust.
"So you talk to yourself?" The accusation caused the newly minted gamer to sputter before once again, Gamer's Mind came to the rescue. He'd have to find it what that was later, because it was certainly coming in handy now.
"No." He refuted. She raised an eyebrow. He conceded. "Well, not all the time." She chuckled and pulled out a metal flask from between her- No!
"Don't worry about it. Ruby says I talk to myself when I get wasted enough." She clarified her statement before he could even ask a question. "Ruby's my sister. I'm Yang Xiao-Long."
"The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, ladies love it." He elicited yet another chuckle, and she took a swig of her flask.
"Do they now?" An amused glint was in Yang's eyes.
"That has yet to be determined. But if we're going by past experience… Then no." At this small laugh, a screen popped up.
You've gained a Bond with:
Yang Xiao-Long
Bond LV: 1/200
[OK]
He eyed it quickly before turning his attention back to Yang.
"You know, you're pretty funny." She complimented. He smiled.
"Thank you."
"For a guy that talks to himself and makes gestures for no reason, of course." His smile died quickly. That must have been how he looked, clicking on the various stats and such. He'd have to make sure to do that in private the next time he looked. Trying to take her attention away from that, he looked for something else to talk about.
"Are you allowed to have that?" He gestured to the flask. "I thought the drinking age was twenty one." The girl gained an amused smirk with a certain edge to it.
"What are you, a cop? You judging me?"
"No no no." Jaune tried to clear the air as soon as possible. Something about this 'Yang' person put him on edge. As if she was one stupid reason away from killing him at all times.
New Skill acquired:
Sense Danger
[OK]
That wasn't good.
"I'm not judging you or anything, I'm just wondering where you got it, if you couldn't buy it." Yang nodded, accepting this answer.
"I pickpocketed it off of my uncle when we said goodbye to each other. So sorry, there's not some secret 'selling to underage kids' liquor store, if you were hoping." He laughed at this.
"Damn. You really got my hopes up." He joked. She held it out to him.
"You want some? I say you stumbling around earlier, you didn't look to good." He was about to refuse, since he no longer had motion sickness, but stopped himself. One, Yang didn't seem like the type of person you could just say 'no' to. And two, it wouldn't make sense that he suddenly lost his motion sickness, especially when it was a bad as his used to be. For his safety, it'd probably be best if he accepted.
"Yeah, sure. Fuck it." He got the flask from her hands and took a swig. Immediately, he fell into a coughing fit, before Gamer's Mind stopped the burn in his throat. "Holy crap. What is this stuff?" She grinned wickedly.
"Homemade. Way stronger than that stuff you'd find on the store shelves. Have you drank before?" He held the flask out to her and she tucked it back in between her- Stop it!
"A little. My dad shared a few bears with me, but that's about it."
"Huh. Well, you took it like a champ. Most people don't recover as quickly as you did." He grinned.
"Maybe I just have a knack for it."
"Maybe." She agreed. "We'll have to test that theory some time."
"Sounds good to me."
+1 Bond with:
Yang Xiao-Long
Bond LV: 2/200
[OK]
"Alright, well, if I don't go check up on my sister, my dad will kill me. Can't leave her on her own the entire time. See you around."
"Nice meeting you." She went to go find her sister, but before she left him completely, she turned one more time.
"Oh, and Jaune?"
"Yes?" She grinned like a madwoman.
"Don't think I didn't catch you sneaking a peek." She strutted away with a little more sway to her step and he collapsed back into his seat, mentally exhausted by the exchange.
Secret Quest Complete:
Survive encounter with Yang Xiao-Long
Optional Quest Complete:
Form Bond with Yang Xiao-Long
Failure Avoided: Death
Reward: +50 Lien, +40 EXP
Optional Reward: +10 EXP, +1 CHA
[OK]
Jaune shook his head in disbelief. Why was the failure death?! That seemed a bit excessive to him. Making extra sure that no one was looking at him this time, he closed the screen and collected the rewards. Instantly, he felt slightly more experienced and confident. Along with that, his pocket gained a slight bulge as it filled with a bundle of fifty lien. The game really wasn't kidding when it said there was no inventory. He even had to carry around his own money!
Ignoring that annoyance, he got up to go find a bathroom. Not because he had to go or anything, but because he needed somewhere private to continue to investigate these menus without people seeing him.
The bathroom was… Well, it was normal. No real need to describe it beyond saying it was a average public restroom. Jaune hoped into one of the empty stall and brought the main menu to life. Going past that to 'status,' he considered his stats for the third time within an hour, completely sure that he'd be looking even more than that by the end of the day.
Name: Jaune Arc
LV: 1 EXP: 50/200
Title: [The New Kid]
HP: 100/100
AP: [LOCKED]
MP: [LOCKED]
STR: 5
DEX: 5
INT: 5
WIS: 5
END: 5
CHA: 8 (6+2)
LCK: 13 (10+3)
Current Modifiers: Title
SP: 34
[Go to Second Page]
[Go back to Main Menu]
He could spend some SP, but he decided to wait, instead moving on to the second page.
Equipment:
Right Hand Weapon: [Crocea Mors]
Left Hand Weapon: [Arc Shield]
Armour: [Basic Combat Gear]
Accessories: [None]
Lien: 60
Other Currency: 0
Bonds:
[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 2/200- Thinks you're (slightly) interesting
[UNKNOWN] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you
[Go to First Page]
[Go back to Main Menu]
The additive for his second bond creeped him out a bit. 'Completely obsessed?' How come it wasn't 'Madly in Love' or something like that? 'Completely obsessed' just sounded wrong, like the relationship was one sided. Well, he supposed it was, considering he didn't know this person and therefore didn't love them back. He hit the 'UNKNOWN,' but already knew what it would say.
The name of this bondholder cannot be revealed until bondholder is met or Observe LV: MAX
[OK]
Yet another oddity amongst his stats. Clicking on Yang's name just gave a brief description of her and what he knew about her, so he moved back up to his equipment. He had no accessories or any other armour, making weapons the only thing he could change out.
Available Weapons:
[Crocea Mors: One handed, Longsword. The Arc family sword handed down from generation to generation.
Basic Requirement: STR: 5
Basic Effects: Inflicts 5+STR physical damage with 50% chance to inflict bleed.
Full Potential Requirement: STR: 70, Longsword Proficiency LV: 15
Full Potential Effects: Inflicts 25+STR physical damage and 15+INT light damage with 90% chance to inflict bleed.
[Arc Shield: One handed, Light Shield. The Arc family shield that can double as a sheath for Crocea Mors.
Basic Requirement: END: 5
Basic Effects: Absorbs enemy attack by 20+END damage with 10% chance to absorb all damage.
Full Potential Requirement: END: 70, Light Shield Proficiency LV: 15
Full Potential Effects: Absorbs enemy attack by 50+END damage with 50% chance to absorb all damage. 10% chance that 5+INT damage is inflicted on enemy that hits.
[Scythe of Destiny: Two handed, Scythe. History [UNKNOWN].
Basic Requirement: STR: 15
Basic Effects: Inflicts 20+STR physical damage and 5+INT dark damage with 50% chance to inflict bleed.
Full Potential Requirement: STR: 75, INT: 75, Scythe Proficiency LV: 50, [UNKNOWN]
Full Potential Effects: Inflicts 100+STR physical damage and 50+INT dark damage with 90% chance to inflict bleed and [UNKNOWN]
[UNKNOWN] Mode Requirement: [UNKNOWN]
[UNKNOWN] Mode Effects: [UNKNOWN]
Not even bothering to look over the unknowns, Jaune considered his weaponry. The Scythe of Destiny seemed like an amazing weapon, being over five times better than Crocea Mors at base level and only being ten strength points away from use. With the amount of SP, he could use the weapon right now! But should he use ten SP right away? Considering the new game plus menu stated that all enemies were now twice as tough, having fifteen strength at level one didn't seem like a waste to Jaune. But what if he ended up needing something else bumped up?
Eh, fuck it, Jaune finally decided, going back to the first status page and dumping ten points into strength. He then went back to the weapons page, intent on equipping the scythe, but before he could, a message popped up.
The [Scythe of Destiny] is currently in the [INVENTORY]. Once it is removed, it cannot be placed back in. Would you like to take the [Scythe of Destiny] from the [INVENTORY]
[YES] [NO]
He tapped 'yes' and instantly flattened himself to the bathroom wall. With a pop, the scythe came into existence. This wouldn't have been so bad if he was in an open space, but in an enclosed area like a bathroom stall, the large scythe took up a decent portion of space, with the tip of the blade only few inches from his neck. Had he not moved, he would probably be dead, or at least bleeding profusely.
Ignoring the pop up for the Gamer's Mind nullifying terror, Jaune studied the weapon, mainly to see if it had a collapsible mode. The scythe was, as you'd guess, large. It stood taller than he was, the shaft a polished and sleek black, with a single button in the middle of it being the only blemish. He couldn't get a good look at the blade part, as it curved under his chin, so he reached out and pressed the button, hoping that it didn't end up killing him.
The gods may not have liked him, but they certainly wanted him alive, as the blade contracted back into the shaft and the top and bottom parts collapsed into the middle, leaving an about arms length pole to clatter to the ground. He picked up the pole to put it on his belt for later, when he found that his sword and shield hadn't vanished as he thought they would. Still no inventory. Right. Feeling extremely awkward while doing it, Jaune was able to get the pole through a belt loop and secure it there.
He went to go back into the menus and look at his skills, but a ship-wide announcement interrupted him.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." The message ended and Jaune could safely assume that they would be arriving shortly.
Double checking that his weapons were secure, he walked out of the bathroom to enjoy the view. This was the first time he'd been in an airship and not gotten motion sickness, and you could be damn sure he was gonna make the most of it.
The first thing Jaune thought when he saw Beacon was, 'Wow. This place looks amazing.' The second thing was, 'These pop ups are gonna get annoying fast.' Indeed, he had gained another message from the game, and this time, it was completely unhelpful.
You have arrived at Beacon. In your previous game, your first thought was:
'Wow. This place looks amazing.'
[OK]
So not everything about this new power he had benefited him, that was fine. He had been going through the first seventeen years of his life without it, so it could only really help him. Of course, the first seventeen years of his life weren't on hard mode, or he didn't think so, but that was fine. He had to get used to this power regardless, as he had a sneaking suspicious that hitting 'QUIT GAME' would end up with him dead instead of without the power.
Anyway, his attention was caught by the sound of an explosion coming from ahead of him. While missing the initial blast, he did catch a bit of the argument that took place afterwards between a small girl and someone with white hair.
"Do you even know what dust is?" The white haired girl sneered. Coming closer, Jaune could make out her pristine white clothing and the Schnee Dust Company label on her luggage. She seemed thin, almost breakable, though the rapier at her said screamed otherwise.
"Of course I know what dust is. You don't make weapons without knowing about dust." The shorter girl defended herself. If the white haired one didn't look like a fighter, then the black haired one certainly didn't. Not to mention, she didn't even seem to have a weapon.
"Well it didn't seem like it when you almost blew us off of Beacon!" Her face was flawless aside from a single scar across her left eye, even when she yelled, there were no imperfections. Jaune wondered how someone so bitchy could possibly be so attractive.
Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:
Lust
[OK]
Yeah, he needed that. The shorter girl wasn't too bad herself. Though she seemed more 'cute' than 'attractive.' He also noticed that the shorter girl's hair turned slightly red at the tips, an interesting effect for sure.
"It wasn't my fault that you started waving the dust around after I tripped into it! I was just trying to be your friend!" The white haired girl scoffed at the shorter one's response.
"Like I'd want to be friends with the 'Hi, I build weapons' person. Just leave me alone." At that, the girl dressed in white grabbed her stuff and stored off. The 'Hi, I build weapons' person in question sunk to the ground in despair.
"Why is this so hard? Why can't someone just approach me for once?" Jaune laughed to himself. It seemed as though he was being called upon. He walked up to her and held out a hand.
"Need some help there?"
You've gained a Bond with:
Ruby Rose
Bond LV: 1/200
[OK]
Well that was easy. She took his hand and he pulled her up.
"Hi! I'm Ruby Rose! I build weapons!" He was caught off guard by her intensity, and she frowned before he could respond. "Sorry. Was that too much? My sister always said that I'm no good at talking to strangers. If you don't want to be friends with me, I understand…" His eyes widened.
"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it. I'm not that good at making friends either. I'm Jaune Arc."
+1 Bond with:
Ruby Rose
Bond LV: 2/200
[OK]
Wow. This girl really needed a friend. Not that he was complaining, he was perfectly happy to oblige.
"Nice to meet you, Jaune. I'm Ruby. Wait. I already said that. Sorry!" He laughed a little. Seeing someone even more social inept than he was certainly improved his confidence. All and all, he was happy to find her.
-1 Bond with:
Ruby Rose
Bond LV: 1/200
[OK]
"Don't worry about messing up. Like I said, I'm bad at this too. Look, how about this? Nice to meet you, Ruby. I'm Jaune. There. Now we're even." He hurried to clarify his laugh.
+1 Bond with:
Ruby Rose
Bond LV: 2/200
[OK]
Easy to gain, easy to lose, it seemed. He wondered whether this was a product of the game, or if she was always like this. Maybe the more their bond increased, the harder it'd be to bring it down. That was just a theory, though.
"Does your sister happen to be named Yang Xiao-Long?" Ruby's eyes widened.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"I met her on the airship and she mentioned something about her sister and mentioned the name 'Ruby.' She also said that she was going to be watching you, but I don't see her anywhere…" He looked around for any blonds hiding in the brushes while Ruby laughed.
"Watching me? Yang can't watch anything aside from a good fight for more than two seconds unless she's had five drinks down her." There was something to her voice that he couldn't make out.
"Huh." Jaune decided to change the subject, feeling as if he'd stumbled upon something personal. "So you said you built weapons?" Her eyes lit up once again and she pulled a red case from behind her back. Jaune blinked, not quite sure how she had managed to hide the large metal case back there, much less hold it and walk properly. Maybe she was stronger than she looked.
She pushed a button on the case and it transformed into a giant scythe, slightly smaller but bulkier than his own. Scratch what he said before. She was definitely stronger than she looked.
"This is Crescent Rose Version 4.7, the latest model I've designed."
"Woah." He stated simply. If it wasn't for Gamer's Mind, he would have probably fainted from the ferocity of the weapon's design. "It's very… Mechanical." Springs and wires popped out from the upper shaft, and sharp metal seemed to stick out a random along the side of the blade.
"Yeah, it's always sleeked up in the '.0' models. I'm still having trouble with the split mechanic, though."
"Split mechanic?" Jaune asked, wondering if the beast of a weapon could get any more intimidating.
"Yup. This baby right here can become a sniper rifle, longsword, or split into two short swords." Apparently it could. Jaune couldn't even imagine being able to build something like that, especially trying to fit it into that big carrying case that suddenly felt way too small for what it was containing. "But enough about my stuff. What about you? I always love seeing new weapons." She turned Crescent Rose back into a case and made it vanish behind her back. Jaune looked to his belt and first took off Crocea Mors.
"This is my sword, Crocea Mors, that comes along with a shield. They're family heirlooms." She reached out, but stopped herself before she touched the blade. "You can touch it." He handed Ruby the sword and shield and she went crazy, checking everything she possibly could about the weapons.
"What do they do?" At this, Jaune blushed slightly, thinking back to the variety in Ruby's scythe.
"Nothing, really… The shield can be turned into a sheath for easier traveling though." Ruby clicked the button on the shield and it did just that. Sliding Crocea Mors back into the sheath, she handed it back to him.
"It's a classic, and a well forged one at that. I like it." Jaune clipped it back onto his belt, they smiled at each other.
+1 Bond with:
Ruby Rose
Bond LV: 3/200
[OK]
"I also have this." Pulling the staff from his belt loop awkwardly, he pressed the button and watched Ruby's face as it transformed into a scythe.
She went from intrigued to stunned in an instant. When he looked back at the weapon, he could tell why. The blade was made from a black metal that looked seamlessly forged when put together. Carved onto the blade was a beautiful design of roses, so breathtaking that Gamer's Mind had to kick in. He looked back to Ruby Rose and chuckled lamely.
"The roses are coincidental, I promise." Without a word, she reached out for it and he gave it to her. She felt up the entire weapon, not leaving a single area untouched. When she got to the middle, near the button that changed it back and forth, she stopped. She looked at him, considering something, before shaking her head and handing it back to him.
"It's… Amazing. Did you build it?" He put the staff back in his belt loop and considered that question. This was the weapon he had gained from his 'previous playthrough' whatever that meant. So for all intents and purposes, it was probably Ruby herself that built the weapon, if the design was anything to go off of. Except, he couldn't exactly say 'no, you build it in the future,' so he just went with what she said.
"Yeah. Me and a few others." He didn't want to take full credit, lest she think him a godly crafter and make assumptions that were simply not true.
+2 Bond with:
Ruby Rose
Bond LV: 5/200
[OK]
If it wasn't already obvious that she was impressed, he sure as hell knew it now. He had to wonder why, though. Especially when her weapon could achieve so much more than his.
"Still, it's an awesome scythe. Good job on it."
"Thanks." They descended into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Ruby looked around.
"Hey, where are we going?" He blinked in confusion.
"I was following you…"
It was Jaune's high luck that allowed the two of them to make it to the amphitheater before everything got started. At the entrance, Yang was waiting for them.
"What took you guys so long?" Yang asked, a threat to her question.
You Sense Danger
[OK]
So far, that skill wasn't very helpful. Thankfully, Ruby was looking out for him.
"Calm down, Yang. Nothing bad happened. We just got lost." The older sister raised a speculative eyebrow, then leaned over to fake whisper to Ruby.
"Are you sure he didn't give you any… Strange looks?" Jaune blushed before Gamer's Mind took away his embarrassment. Not that he wasn't still embarrassed, but he lacked the flustered-ness that came along with it. Ruby shoved Yang away.
"No Yang. Jaune was a perfect gentleman the entire time." At this, the blond grinned.
"So he's only got eyes for me then, ey?" Her grin grew wider when his blush returned. "Come on, Ruby. I've got a spot for us up front. See you later Jaune." She left him with a wink and Ruby gave him a wave. When they had both walked away, two screens popped up.
+1 Bond with:
Yang Xiao-Long
Bond LV: 3/200
[OK]
And,
Secret Quest Complete:
Form Bond with Ruby Rose
Optional Quest Complete:
Make it to Amphitheater before beginning ceremony
Failure Avoided: Death
Reward: +30 Lien, +30 EXP
Optional Reward: +10 EXP, +1 DEX
[OK]
What was it with these quests and the failure being death? No doubt by Yang once again. In other news, it seemed the optional quests always rewarded with a stat point. Maybe if he stopped getting secret quests and started getting regular ones, he could go for the optional objective. He didn't get as much EXP or Lien this time, probably because making a friend out of Ruby was significantly easier than surviving an encounter with Yang. Did everyone here have to be so deadly, or related to someone so deadly? Well, it was a combat school, so the answer was probably yes.
Finding himself a spot near the front, a little ways away from Ruby and Yang, Jaune considered what was happening to him. After cheating his way into Beacon in hopes to become the world's greatest hunter, he had gone crazy on the airship in. That, or the much more improbable thought that his life had actually turned into a video game. Even saying that, he now had a weapon on his side that he had summoned from thin air and others had seen and touched, so while he still might be crazy, his life was most definitely a game. Had his life always been a game and he had just never known? Was he real or just some video game character that had unfortunately gained sentience? For that matter, was anyone else real, or were they just parts of the game? Did-
Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:
Existential Crisis
[OK]
Just in time to hear the gray haired man on stage clear his throat.
"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." After that… Inspiring speech, a blond haired teacher spoke next.
"You will gather at the ballroom tonight, tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." The teacher, who he assumed to be Glynda Goodwitch based on the similar voice from the airship, walked off after the gray haired man who hadn't introduced himself, leaving the students to be alone. This unfortunately left him with one question.
"Where even is the ballroom?"
While everyone else slept, Jaune laid awake in his onesie, staring at the invisible light of his menus. Finally, he was going to check on some skills. This 'Gamer's Mind' was too helpful to ignore any longer. While everyone was awake it helped him to not stare at all of the apparent supermodels that went to this school. If a teenage boy was anything, it was lusty. But not Jaune, not anymore. No longer beating around the bush, he clicked on the 'skills' option from the main menu.
Gamer's Mind LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to have a clear head in all situations, no matter how stressful or intense.
Gamer's Body LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to ignore all pain, as well as restoring their stats to some degree depending on where they slept. Also allows the gamer to never need to eat or go to the bathroom.
Observe LV: 1- Allows the gamer to see information about other people and creatures.
At LV: 1- Name can be seen for people and creatures within 100 levels. LV can be seen for people and creatures within 50 levels. Title can be seen for people and creatures within 40 levels.
Sense Danger LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to be warned of impending physical danger. Said danger can be avoided if the gamer acts fast enough.
[Learn New Skills]
[Go back to Main Menu]
He had already assumed as much from Gamer's Mind, but Gamer's Body was something else entirely. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't gone to the bathroom in a few hours, and it had been even longer since he ate something. It was weird to think that he never had to eat or relieve himself, but it was convenient nonetheless. Sense Danger was as self explanatory as Gamer's Mind, but Jaune wanted to experiment with Observe before he hit 'Learn New Skills.'
From what it sounded like, this skill could become extremely useful if he managed to level it up. Sitting up in his spot, Jaune looked to Ruby and consciously tried to 'observe' her. Immediately, something popped up.
Name: Ruby Rose
LV: 36 EXP: NULL
Title: The Fire of the Forge
Damn. Level thirty six. That meant that she used to be level eighteen last game. If she was the average student, that meant there was a thirty five level difference between him and the rest of the students. That… Was worrying. He needed to check someone else, someone like Yang.
Name: Yang Xaio-Long
LV: 42 EXP: NULL
He couldn't even see Yang's title! This time, however, he noticed the 'null' under experience. Jaune thought about this while checking the stats of the people around him and came to two reasonable conclusions. One, if the other people weren't gamers, it would make sense that they lacked experience and instead had to rely on actually training to get stronger. And two, the average Beacon Student was level thirty eight with one girl being at least over fifty one since he couldn't see her level. Meaning, he was most definitely fucked.
Forgetting to check the 'Learn New Skills' option because of his new overwhelming lack of confidence, Jaune decided to get some sleep, though he wasn't tired because of Gamer's Mind. Maybe when he woke up in the morning, this would have all been a dream, and he wouldn't be so outclassed by his peers.
Maybe.
This idea has been floating in my head for a while now, and I wanted to just get it out there.
Like all my one-shots, this can potentially become a story if you really want it. Just leave a review if you want me to continue. If you're coming from my previous RWBY story, know that this won't take priority, should it become a full fledged story.
If it does become a story, you guys can vote on the pairing as we get into each character.
I don't have much else to say as it's 12:30 PM where I am and I am very tired.
Whether or not you want the story to continue, helpful criticism welcome, and until next time,
-RMV
Edit Note: I've gone through and made a bunch of changes to try and streamline the aesthetic of the menu, as well as fixing some typos. This site really changes what the story looks like on the Google Doc. I've been trying to use all of your help and feedback, so if you want the story to be better, keep the reviews coming.