An Irregular at Yokai Academy (OC, Gamer, Rosario+Vampire)

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 1


Death comes to all. There was nothing anyone could do about it but just accept the inevitable. For one specific girl she wasn't quite sure what happened. One moment everything was fine and the next? Bright headlights, blaring horns, and the tortured squeal of rubber on pavement. There was a sensation of weightlessness as she left the ground. The expected pain never manifested as she struck the ground head first at the perfect angle to snap her neck. Her last vision was of the cake she plowed through. What was a cake even doing there? Of all the things to stick with her it had to be a cake. Raspberry chocolate. How humiliating to have that replay in her mind. Hopefully her afterlife wasn't an America's Funniest Videos: Celeste Edition. She felt around as it seemed she was lying on the ground. There was no pain which was a blessing. Her eyes opened to try and make out more of her situation. The ground was solid black and stretched off into infinity in all directions. How did she know it was infinity? She didn't. It just sounded more dramatic than 'stretches off in a vague distance thataway.' Celeste did a mental check of her body. Fingers and toes worked. Arms and legs worked. Now for the real test and that was her spine. Head swiveled fine and so did her torso. Altogether she was just fine physically. Thankfully she seemed to be intact, but that brought up the question of where she was. Vast black expanses didn't fit with anywhere she knew of on Earth. She looked up at the sky and almost fell backwards in shock. High above was an eye surrounded by a gold corona. Streamers of light spread out across the sky. The eye focused on her for a moment before going back to randomly rolling around. Maybe she wasn't dead and just drugged out of her mind?

[Welcome Player]

The blue box that appeared before her was just further proof of drugs. She knew about The Gamer, but to actually be given a chance? No, drugs or the afterlife were involved. Either that or it was an amazing hallucination.

[This is not a hallucination. You have been chosen for reincarnation into a new world.]

"Are we mixing Konosuba into this too?" Celeste snarked.

[If that helps you process all this. However, you are not going there. The choice is entirely yours on where you are reborn. You could go to a familiar world or simply pick a couple genres and go somewhere based on that.]

This sounded like a recipe for disaster. Letting her pick was a mistake. She knew how her taste in anime and videogames ran. Celeste was a fan of the horror genre and of darker fare. That didn't mean she stuck only with those genres, but her reincarnated life shouldn't be based on stuff like Hell Girl. The interface before her was simple really. It had options for [Choose Exact World] and [Build by Genre]. Celeste ignored the option to choose an exact world and instead tapped [Build by Genre]. The list of genres was absolutely huge. There were even more options than she expected. It was tempting to dip into the QQ tags, but that would get boring too. Better to grab an assortment of normal-ish ones for a more well-rounded experience. In this place where time was meaningless she set to work crafting the perfect reincarnation experience. She wanted to be young and to give herself a better life growing up. A nice, quiet, uneventful life. Something that her overtroped, hyperstimulated, and snarky ass had too little of before.

[Highschool]
[Slice of Life]
[Romance]
[Comedy]
[Is this what you desire? Y/N]

"Yes," Celeste tapped the Y. To her surprise another Tag popped up.

[Based on your previous life's interests a new Tag has been added!]

[Monsters]

"Oh Hell," Celeste blanched.

[Enjoy your time in this new world. Live a long and happy life]

"Wait wait wait…!" The dark haired girl waved her hands frantically. Too late. The floor beneath her turned from a solid into a liquid like hot tar only cooler. She fell down into the morass so swiftly there wasn't even time to cry out. It was unclear how long she spent spinning in the black liquid before getting spat out on the side of a cliff.

The cliff was interesting in that she couldn't remember ever seeing a red ocean before. Red water stretched off into the distance. The blue sky overhead was disturbingly cheerful for all that it was missing a sun. That ball of fire which made the sky look blue during the day. Nope. No sun at all. Celeste grumbled something unflattering about her travel agent as she stood up. Judging by the clothes she was wearing, the highschool part was being honored. That was when a second shock swept through her. Celeste wasn't a bad looking girl before. Maybe a bit too thin but overall pleasant to look at. The boobs straining against her blouse said that something serious had changed.

"Holy Expansion Pack, Batman!" Celeste yelped.

[There are a few things that we must go over. Time to finish Character Creation!]

"So the boxes aren't finished with me yet. Fine," she huffed softly. Then again if this was The Gamer powers then customization would be appreciated.

[World Perk Acquired: Attractive - Gain +1 Char per level. Your looks cannot be spoiled unless it would somehow add to your hotness. Starting Char is twice the normal]

"Uh...thanks?" Celeste asked hesitantly.

[Choose 2 Starting Perks]

Since this crazy thing dropped her in a world with monsters, she needed something to improve her survivability. To that end she picked Tough. It was a Perk for increasing her health and stamina. Celeste had one more Perk point to spend. Would she be better with Combat Skills or Sneaky? Except didn't Intelligence govern MP and learning speed? Could she even learn Magic?

[Magic is locked until (?)]

"Genius is still a better Perk. I intend to stay out of combat as much as possible," Celeste muttered. The Perk slotted in easily.

[Do you wish to continue the Tutorial? Y/N]

"Yeah, sure…" She said distractedly. Apparently that was enough to accept. Good to know.

[Stat increasing Perks can only be selected at Level 1 otherwise it would be too easy.]

"Hey! That's the kind of thing you say before I make my Perk choices!" Celeste protested. The system continued on as if she hadn't spoken.

[Bring up your Character Sheet by saying/thinking Stats]

"Stats," she muttered mutinously.

Name: Celeste Hollister
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Hair: Black
Eyes: Amethyst
Race: Human - Humans are a common sight on Earth. They are as diverse as they are plentiful. Grants a +50% bonus to Skill Growth.
Level: 1
Class: None
Title: The Gamer
HP: 100/100
MP: -/-
Stamina: 150/150
Stats
Strength 10
Agility 10
Vitality 10
Intelligence 20
Wisdom 10
Charisma 20
Luck 10
CP

Skills
Gamers Mind lvl Max - This skill prevents the user from experiencing debilitating emotions. It doesn't mute the feelings, but allows for clear thought regardless of the situation. Certain conditions can negate this. The Gamer OS takes no responsibility for situations the user brings on themself.
Gamers Body lvl Max - Allows the user to live life as a game. Able to grow without limit. The user can continue functioning at full strength until they reach zero HP. Certain conditions can negate this. The Gamer OS takes no responsibility for situations the user brings on themself.

Perks
Attractive - Gain +1 Char per level. Your looks cannot be spoiled unless it would somehow add to your hotness. Starting Char is twice the normal.
Tough - HP per point of Vitality is increased to +10. Stamina per point of Vitality is raised to +15. You can just naturally tough it out better than most.
Genius - Gain + 1 Int per level. You have an instinctive grasp of more complex subjects. Starting Int is twice the normal.

"So without Tough I would have fifty health and a hundred stamina. Ew. My Intelligence and Charisma are higher than anything else. That must be the effect of my Perks. Though I'm pretty sure I wasn't a ten straight down…" Celeste grumbled. Ten must be average. In her former life she wasn't Wonder Woman, but she wasn't totally average!

[You have been reincarnated into a body that is completely free of any and all defects. If you wish to use your old stats then you will have to accept everything. Do you wish to default to original settings? Y/N]

Celeste quickly declined. Her original stats came with a ton of baggage. ADHD, depression, and mania were just some of the things she didn't want back. Better to start off fresh than having to deal with that again. She slammed the door shut on all that with a sigh of relief. At least she didn't have that to deal with in this life. The next pop up told her it was time to move on.

"Fine…" She started reading again.

[Skills come in two broad categories: Combat and Non Combat.
Combat Skills are those skills mainly used to fight or even to avoid a fight. Training these Skills is as easy as sparring or engaging in battle. You can practice them, of course, but the rate would be merely 25% as effective.
Non Combat Skills are mostly used in your everyday life. There are some Skills that can be used in conjunction with combat, but not many. The added benefit of NonCom Skills is that they always level up at the same rate.
There is a third classification that covers both groups: Powered Skills. These are Skills that have both a Passive and Active effect. The Passive Effect obviously is always active. The Active Effect takes some form of energy to sustain. You are currently restricted to Stamina. These Skills only gain experience when fully active.]

"Makes sense so far," Celeste breathed a sigh of relief. So far the rules made sense. Games should have a rational internal consistency. At least it wasn't dumping a ton of terms on her head. The explanation for Perks was just what she expected. Perks were like Skills only more potent and didn't level up.

[Options Menu…
There is no Options menu. What do you think this is?]

"Somehow I'm not surprised," she grumbled under her breath.

[Inventory
If you can lift it, you can stick it in your inventory. Anything put in the Inventory is unaffected by the passage of time. With living things the rules are slightly different. There is no air in the Inventory. Anything alive put in the Inventory will suffocate after ten minutes. Try to avoid stacking dead bodies in a single Inventory slot. It's unsanitary.]

"Gross! Unless I went with a Necromancer build...Except that would take Magic. Too bad. A great idea ruined by logic," Celeste sighed and shook her head. Necromancer almost made sense really. Being able to stack skeletons in a single Inventory slot would mean always having an army on hand. Well she could probably do the same with dolls. Except that needed Magic too. This whole lack of Magic thing meant she better start getting creative.

[Dungeons and You
Dungeons come in three categories. Field, Instant, and Single. Field Dungeons can be found anywhere at any time. These are repeatable and cost nothing to enter. The loot drops and quality of enemies is generally lower, but safer. Instant Dungeons are repeatable as well, but cost Stamina to enter. The Stamina cost is subtracted from your total for the rest of the day. Loots drops and enemy quality are higher. Single Dungeons are one offs that cannot be repeated. The quality of all loot is much higher, but so is the danger.
Treasure Chests also come in a variety of types. The ones you will encounter most often are Common, Uncommon, and Rare. Common Chests are replenished daily in Field Dungeons. The quality of treasure isn't high. Uncommon Chests take longer to recover, but sometimes disappear when taken. Rare Chests never replenish and always disappear once collected.]

"How does this whole Stamina thing work? I get that it probably fuels martial arts stuff, but it also affects Dungeons too?" Celeste pondered out loud. The pop up window helpfully told her what she wanted.

[Stamina
Stamina is, as you already guessed, the fuel of the body. Doing an Instant Dungeon is a strenuous exercise and therefore it isn't so easy to recover. The amount of Stamina used for a Single Dungeon is variable, but always estimate high. Food and drink can replenish Stamina, but at a declining rate. Take care of your body because things that have an impact on Stamina, can have an effect on your general health. Sleep well, eat well, and don't overdo it.]

"Now you're being nice to me? I have the most Tsundere Gamer OS…" She muttered in disbelief.

[For a list of Stamina related Buffs and Debuffs you will have to experiment.]

Should have kept her mouth shut.

[You have completed the Tutorial! +100 Exp +2 CP]

[Level increased by 1!]

"Great. Now what do I do?" Celeste looked around the desolate cliffs. The only thing she could see was a pathway leading into a dark forest. She didn't need a Quest notification to know that someone expected her to go that way. The dark haired girl used to have trouble making decisions. In the process many good things were missed all because she lacked courage. Some caution was expected, her reincarnated life included monsters after all, but the rest were important too. She did specify Slice of Life and Romance. Maybe it wouldn't be as fluffy as she wanted, but it would still count.
Right?

"Let's do this," Celeste squared her shoulders and experienced the odd sensation of her new meatsacks Gainaxing. She chose to ignore it in favor of striding off into the ominous dark forest.

[Perk Gained: Gainaxing - You got that wiggle and jiggle. Even turning around can trigger a bounce or three. Chance to inflict Berserk on threatened females and Charm on those who are interested.]

...She hated her new power's sense of humor.

"Though what would happen if they felt both threatened and interested…?" Celeste wondered as she headed towards the totally not threatening at all forest.

The eerie blue sky looked stranger through the bare limbs above. No matter where she looked there were no living trees in sight. How was this possible? Even in dead forests there were some signs of life. Like mushrooms, or moss, or something. If she started digging would it be devoid of insects too? Probably. If the lack of life was above ground then it might as well be below too. The sky was devoid of birds entirely. For someone who loved the horror genre this was sending up big red flags. Just because she loved horror didn't mean she wanted to live in such a world. This was the perfect set up for a monster attack. She strained her senses to try and get a heads up. Celeste was hoping that whatever was out here gave her some warning.

[Due to a certain action you have created the Skill Perception]

[Perception lvl 1 - Since the very beginning humans have relied on their senses for safety. This skill allows the user to notice small details through their senses.
Passively increases Wisdom 1% per level
Increases the chance of noticing details through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch by 1% per level]

She was trying for Observe. The staple of all Gamer Skills. Great, so she truly was running a variant system. Her first clue should have been starting without MP. Maybe the way it changed how Instant Dungeons worked? Celeste didn't let it get to her. After all Perception was a passive skill that gave a Wisdom boost. Wisdom affected decision making. Could that be why she decided to blindly head off into a dark and scary forest…?

[For thinking things through reasonably Wis + 1]

Crap.

"It's not too late to fix this...Just have to turn around and…" Celeste started to turn only to suddenly come face to face with a leering skull. The skull chattered at her as it raised bony arms in the air above her head. She let out an ear splitting scream. Incredibly it looked like the skeleton actually rocked back a step, but the dark haired girl was already running in the opposite direction.

This proved to be an even worse idea. Charging off blindly into a dead forest full of skeletons was the opposite of safe. If she stopped to think about it, Celeste would have been glad it wasn't possible to get negative stats. Her frantic flight was repeatedly checked by the shambling dead jumping out from behind trees. Some of them crept out from behind the disproportionate number of tombstones. Perception leveled up rapidly as the skeletons just narrowly avoided grasping at her. Gamer's Mind was a great tool for avoiding giving into blind panic, but there were just some things that could overwhelm it. After all the Gamers who played Five Nights at Freddy's didn't calmly and rationally think through every jump scare. If she wasn't responding to threats on some level her pursuers would have caught up already. The totally cliche root in her path was the fleeing girl's undoing. Her foot caught for only a moment but it was enough to send her tumbling forward. She stubbed her toe on a chest just behind the tree and went tumbling over. The chest popped open from the collision, spilling it's contents over her.

Celeste lay panting on the ground as aching pain radiated up her legs. The sensation of pain passed quickly as Gamer's Body went to work. At the same time she felt an enforced calm settle over her mind. Both were quite welcome at this point. Perception leveled up four times in her mad flight. Her pursuers weren't quite as close now. Then again undead enemies, unless they were modern zombies, were universally slow. She took a few moments to quickly look over her system messages. All of them were helpfully shrunk down to small diamonds out of her immediate view. How very convenient.

[A Skill has been created through a certain action
Run lvl 1 - Sometimes you just gotta beat feet and retreat. There's no shame in admitting you're outmatched.
Passively increases Agility + 1% per level
Actively increases Speed 30% + 5% per level
Cost 10 Stamina to activate/2 Stamina per second]

[Run + 1]

[Run + 1]

[Run + 1]

[For strenuous activity Vitality + 1]

[For strenuous activity Vitality + 1]

[Fort strenuous activity Vitality + 1]

The good news was that her Stamina kept replenishing as her Vitality increased. Three levels of Vitality wasn't too bad really. Celeste grunted a bit as, despite her HP and Stamina being full, her legs still felt a bit rubbery from the abuse. The sensation was passing with each minute, but it did highlight some limitations. Gamer's Mind could apparently be overwhelmed if something was shocking enough. Even expecting monsters didn't prepare her for actually running into a skeleton. Gamer's Body prevented her from breaking anything when she fell, but it didn't stop some of the after effects. Run too hard and your legs suffer. Pain lingered to serve as a lesson. It was a more realistic take on the Gamer system, but thankfully not to Fallout levels. No bruising or broken bones. Except that she shouldn't rely on that either.

"Damn…" Celeste muttered. Her chest heaving as she regained her breath. Breathing was a Skill she needed to learn. Something about breathing properly helped with stamina, right? The ground felt hard beneath her, but it was still safe for the moment. As she levered herself to a sitting position, the contents of the chest hit the ground. It took her a couple moments to realize just what she was seeing. On the ground were a pair of strange boots and a dagger. The dagger was sheathed or she might have noticed it sooner. At least one part of her Gamer power was on point. She was able to see what the objects were by lifting them up.

Kung Fu Shoes - Strike 8 - A pair of shoes designed to be used in martial arts for those favoring a kicking style. Stylish black leather with hardened toes and a reinforced sole mean you will give out before they do.

Dagger - Slash/Thrust 4 - A simple but serviceable blade good for close quarters fighting. Durable enough for normal combat, but easily replaced anywhere in the world.

Daggers wouldn't be very useful against skeletons. That much was obvious. However, the Kung Fu Shoes might be what she needed. She knew some sport kickboxing even if it didn't appear on her Skills page. Which said that she either needed to use the Skills before they appeared or something was missing from her training. Celeste knew that sport martial arts weren't as good for combat as those designed for battle. Still a kick was a kick and a punch was a punch. Whether it was sport or not didn't actually matter. She knew how to fight well enough to avoid hurting herself. Would it be enough? The Living Calcium were tireless, relentless, and couldn't be defeated without shattering them. Celeste looked around, but couldn't find the direction she ran from.

"Okay, that's not going to work. Are there any buildings around here? Anything that looks like a goal…?" Celeste fretted.

[Quest Gained: Escape the Calcium Crusaders
You've decided to stop running away blindly. Now you're running away WITH PURPOSE! Find someplace to take shelter quickly.
Rewards: +100 XP, Random Skill Book
Bonus Objective: Defeat Skeletons x 10
Bonus Rewards: +100 XP
Mandatory Quest]

"No Accept or Decline? Beautiful," Celeste sighed. "Let's get out of here…" She looked around the clearing for any clue of where to go. Nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. Looks like she was going to have to wander around blindly some more. Joy.

[Perception + 1]

Celeste almost missed it but there was a faint stirring beneath her feet. A bony hand thrust up out of the ground, missing her ankle by mere centimeters. The dark haired girl skipped back by pure reflex. Another hand rose up beside the first. The two hands scrabbled at the dried grass for purchase before sinking bony tips into the dead earth. To her shock the skeleton was quickly pulling itself out of the ground. However she wasn't terrified anymore. The moment its head cleared the churned over ground she struck with repeated stomps. Her skeletal attacker's jaws clattered together with each forceful stomp. The first drove it back down, the second cracked the cranium, while the third caused cranial havoc. It didn't rise again.

[A skill has been created through a repeated action.
Stomp lvl 1 - The classic beatdown tactic for when your opponent is down and helpless.
Actively increases physical damage by 20% + 5% per level.
Special Action: If target is Helpless the damage increases by 100%
Inflict: Disable
Cost 20 Stamina to Activate]

"Right...so...that happened…" Celeste laughed uneasily. Now they were literally coming up out of the ground at her. Finding the high ground wouldn't help against enemies that could strike from the earth itself.

Clatter clatter

Rattle rattle

"Oh shit!" The dark haired girl yelped as skeletons fell from the trees. These skull heads had nooses around their necks. Their limbs flapped around in the nonexistent breeze as they tried to grab her. Celeste blinked for a moment. The skeletons wriggled in the air futilely. This enemy type looked to be a dud actually. She simply walked away with a shake of her head.

She was creeping along at a snail's pace. The walking Skeletons were slow and easily kickable, but the other types weren't so easy. Digging Skeletons were a pain. If not for Perception she wouldn't have known where they were. There were a couple near misses as their bony hands gripped her ankle, but Stomp sorted them out. Her Stamina was depleting with each battle meaning she had to fight smarter, not harder. Avoiding fights was better than getting bogged down and exhausting herself. There was just no way of knowing if she was going the right way or not. She checked her watch but it was no help. The stupid thing was telling her no time had passed.

"That can't be right...Do I have a satellite watch or something…?" Celeste wondered. It was a digital watch. Did they even have digital watches like that here? The unchanging scenery didn't really give her any clues. Which way was she supposed to go? It was just so frustrating! The stupid quest could have put up a marker or something, but no. Leave it all to the girl just reincarnated today and thrust into a living nightmare. Maybe if…

Maybe if she wasn't internally bitching a Hanging Skeleton wouldn't have gotten the drop on her.

"Ahhh…!" She screamed as the skeleton latched onto her back. Both of it's bony hands gripped her torso painfully. It's legs pinned hers. Celeste let out a cry of terror as the noose jerked them up into the trees. The dark haired girl thrashed in her captor's grasp. Her arms were still free, but she didn't have the leverage. It was only her desperate head thrashing that kept the skeleton's teeth from finding her neck. That didn't matter as it was still capable of biting her shoulder. The claws dug in hard. She felt her health dropping fast at the moment her Stamina bottomed out. Her arms fell as a pop up announced she was afflicted by the exhausted status. A sort of weary resignation settled over her. So this was it. This was how her second chance at life ended. Killed by a friggin' skeleton. Her HP ticked down steadily. It was almost at a quarter.

"Troublesome…"

The unknown voice was heard a moment before the skeleton's arms and legs suddenly vanished. Celeste started to tumble towards the ground, but a strange red portal appeared before her. The dizzying sensation of teleportation ended even more abruptly as she landed in someone's arms. Her rescuer looked bored with it all. Long blonde hair and golden eyes set in a beautiful face. She wore the uniform of Yokai Academy. The dark haired girl noticed that her savior was also taller. Before Celeste could thank her, the other girl dropped her on her butt.

"Ouch! Uhhh...Thanks for saving me…" Celeste rubbed her posterior wearily.

"It would be too troublesome if a new student died on their first day," she replied without inflection.

"I suppose it would…?" Celeste asked hesitantly.

"Get up. You're late for orientation," the girl replied dismissively.

"Uhhh...sure?" The dark haired girl slowly looked around. The forest was gone. They were actually in the middle of a school concourse. Students milled around outside of the building. She happened to spot a pink haired girl with a brunette boy running for the school.

"Get out of here. I'm going back to sleep…" Her savior waved dismissively before turning to walk away.

"Wait! My name is Celeste Hollister. What's yours?" Celeste asked quickly. The golden eyed girl didn't even look back before disappearing through another red portal. What a weird day so far and it wasn't even mid morning yet. She glanced down at her clothes and held back a wince. According to her rescuer she was late for orientation. A little later wouldn't be a problem. She needed a new uniform as this one was already destroyed. The sight of lacy unmentionables peeking through rents in her clothing was definitely against school rules.

Hopefully this wasn't an omen for her time here at Yokai Academy…

AN: Big chapter I know. I couldn't find a good stopping point. There was always something else to write. Next chapter covers her first couple days and the usual grinding stuff that Gamers get up to. I promise to keep it interestin

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 2

Spoiler: Celeste Hollister

Name: Celeste Hollister
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Hair: Black
Eyes: Amethyst
Race: Human - Humans are a common sight on Earth. They are as diverse as they are plentiful. Grants a +50% bonus to Skill Growth.
Level: 2
Class: None
Title: The Gamer
HP: 260/260
MP: -/-
Stamina: 390/390
Stats
Strength 12 (14.4)
Agility 13 (15.6)
Vitality 13
Intelligence 21
Wisdom 11
Charisma 21
Luck 10
CP 7
Skills
Gamers Mind lvl Max - This skill prevents the user from experiencing debilitating emotions. It doesn't mute the feelings, but allows for clear thought regardless of the situation. Certain conditions can negate this. The Gamer OS takes no responsibility for situations the user brings on themself.
Gamers Body lvl Max - Allows the user to live life as a game. Able to grow without limit. The user can continue functioning at full strength until they reach zero HP. Certain conditions can negate this. The Gamer OS takes no responsibility for situations the user brings on themself.
Perception lvl 5 - Since the very beginning humans have relied on their senses for safety. This skill allows the user to notice small details through their senses.
Passively increases Wisdom 1% per level (Current + 5%)
Increases the chance of noticing details through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch by 1% per level (Current + 5%)
Run lvl 4 - Sometimes you just gotta beat feet and retreat. There's no shame in admitting you're outmatched.
Passively increases Agility + 1% per level (Current + 4%)
Actively increases Speed + 30% + 5% per level (Current + 50%)
Cost 10 Stamina to activate/2 Stamina per second]
Stomp lvl 1 - The classic beatdown tactic for when your opponent is down and helpless.
Actively increases physical damage by 20% + 5% per level.
Special Action: If target is Helpless the damage increases by 100%
Inflict: Disable
Cost 20 Stamina to Activate
Damage Resistance lvl 3 - For those times when dodging just doesn't work sometimes you just gotta take it.
Passively reduces Damage by 0.5% per level. (Current + 1.5%)
Kickboxing (Sport) lvl 20 (Max) - This is the sport version of the martial art. That doesn't mean it's useless. Far from it. From here you could choose to train in the full version or even branch off into your own style.
Passively increases Strength/Agility + 20%
Passively increases Physical Damage and Attack Speed + 40%
Passively increases Dodge + 40%
Perks
Attractive - Gain +1 Char per level. Your looks cannot be spoiled unless it would somehow add to your hotness. Starting Char is twice the normal.
Tough - HP per point of Vitality is increased to +10. Stamina per point of Vitality is raised to +15. You can just naturally tough it out better than most.
Genius - Gain + 1 Int per level. You have an instinctive grasp of more complex subjects. Starting Int is twice the normal.
Gainaxing - You got that wiggle and jiggle. Even turning around can trigger a bounce or three. Chance to inflict Berserk on Threatened females and Charm on those who are interested.

[A Skill has been rediscovered through your efforts
Kickboxing (Sport) lvl 20 (Max) - This is the sport version of the martial art. That doesn't mean it's useless. Far from it. From here you could choose to train in the full version or even branch off into your own style.
Passively increases Strength/Agility + 20%
Passively increases Physical Damage and Attack Speed + 40%
Passively increases Dodge + 40%]

[A new Skill has been created through a specific action
Damage Resistance lvl 3 - For those times when dodging just doesn't work sometimes you just gotta take it.
Passively reduces Damage by 0.5% per level. (Current + 1.5%)]

[Strength + 2]

[Agility + 3]

[Quest Gained: Escape the Calcium Crusaders
You've decided to stop running away blindly. Now you're running away WITH PURPOSE! Find someplace to take shelter quickly.
Rewards: +100 XP, Random Skill Book
Bonus Objective: Defeat Skeletons x 10
Bonus Rewards: +100 XP
Mandatory Quest: Complete
Bonus Objective: Failed]]

[+100 XP, Skill Book "Ki Reinforcement" acquired and sent to Inventory]

Celeste closed the pop ups mentally. Maybe she should have waited until after school to open them up? It didn't matter now. Besides, the orientation ceremony was boring. She needed something to keep her mind occupied. Even telling her that the school was full of monsters wasn't enough to stop it from being dull. It must be some kind of talent of stuffy bureaucratic educators to leech even the slightest bit of excitement from school functions. Occasionally she looked around to try and find her savior, but the golden eyed girl was nowhere to be found. Her Perception Skill was increasing with surprising regularity. It hadn't leveled up again, yet, but that would change. A Passive Skill that used all five senses would take a lot of experience to grow. Otherwise it would probably reach max level in mere days in a place like this. She was right about how old Skills from her former life worked. Finding out that her years of Sport Kickboxing hadn't gone to waste was a nice surprise. The fact that it was already maxed out was a shock though. Apparently it wasn't the kind of Skill that mutated at max level. All it said was to find a better style or create her own. Damage Resistance was another nice find. She never wanted to go through the feeling of a skeleton trying to carve out her heart again, but at least it was worth something.

The Skill Book for Ki Reinforcement was a nice treasure. Suspiciously generous all things considered. Then again she did nearly die. Ooh and Gamer's Mind kicked in again. The wash of calm was so very welcome. It might not be as effective as the original, but it did keep her from getting PTSD from the near death experience. Were all her Quests going to have something like that? Random implied that it wasn't consistent though. She wouldn't rely on it to give her such appropriate Skill Books in the future. Unfortunately using the Skill Book would have to wait until later. Using it in the middle of Freshman Orientation was bound to get some strange looks. At least it didn't last much longer. The students sitting on either side of her were giving the girl strange looks. Was that boy actually sniffing at her? She bared her teeth at him until he quickly looked away.

[A Skill has been rediscovered through your efforts
Intimidation lvl 6 - Something that everyone has some experience in using or resisting. You have a familiarity with the tips and tricks of imposing your will on others.
Passively increases Charisma + 1% + 1% per level (Current + 6%)
Inflicts: Fear + 1% per level (+ 6%)
Resists: Fear + 1% per level (+ 6%)

The girl on her other side decided not to make an issue of it. Smart girl.

Celeste was assigned to Class 1-B and given a seat by the window. It wasn't the Protagonist Seat, but it was close. In fact she couldn't even tell who had a Protagonist Aura. Mainly because all of her classmates were similarly strange and unique. Were they supposed to show off their claws, fangs, tails, and whatever the hell that thing was? Probably not. After all, if this was some kind of school for blending in with humans, then letting it all hang out was a No No. Their teacher looked like a male supermodel. Windswept blond hair and blue eyes set in a handsome face. He had a strong jaw and the body of an Adonis. Her female classmates were immediately enamored with him. She was surprised that Gamer's Mind didn't kick in to calm her down. That level of hotness should be illegal.

"Please settle down class," he said with a wide smile. His pearly whites were startling. Who did his dental work? Did he have some kind of glamour up that made him look so handsome? Either way she was as smitten as the rest of the girls. He turned back to the board and wrote his name.
"My name is Otaru Kagewaru. Welcome to your fist day at Yokai Academy. Now I am certain you already know the rules. You are not allowed to show your true form to anyone. There are certain exceptions, but those involve emergencies. If you would be in danger otherwise. Do try to follow these rules as violations carry a stiff penalty in my class," Kagewaru-sensei's grin turned threatening.

Suddenly she wasn't so attracted to him anymore. Funny thing that.

It was downright surreal. Celeste felt like she was stuck on a trip through nostalgia land as the day continued. Despite the fact it was a school for monsters the whole situation was just too familiar. The usual mess of cliques involving populars, unpopulars, jocks, punks, delinquents, and those that didn't belong to any one social group. In school she was one of the jocks actually. Mainly field hockey and swimming, but one year she was on the softball team. Which meant that she knew what to look for when others took notice of her. She didn't even get a Skill out of it because, to her, it was just so basic. Celeste took a few extra minutes in the locker room when she changed into a clean uniform this morning. The dark haired girl had an idea of what to expect, but she wasn't prepared for the whole truth. She was truly Gainaxed. Breasts that were a size too large, hips a size too wide, and a booty that could stop traffic in four directions.

[A Skill has been gained through a specific action
Detect Killing Intent lvl 1 - You are adept at sensing the ill-will of others. There is a lot of ill-will surrounding you. Do try to be careful!
Passively increases Wisdom by 1% + 1% per level
Passively detects range within 5 meters + 5 meters per level.]

Oh and her Gainaxing Perk was triggering the girls in class. That was something else to watch out for too. She gained six whole levels before the end of the day. Celeste could have done without that level of scrutiny, but it would come in handy in the future. At least for dealing with those who actually meant her harm. All it told her was that the girls around her were almost homicidally jealous. The keyword being 'almost.' There was a blue haired girl with a huge bust from Class 1-A who wanted to hurt her, but that was all. Wait.
Someone really did want to hurt her!?

Celeste wanted to wait a couple days and get settled in before training. Except that this 'Perk' was actively drawing aggro! There was even a teacher who was eyeing her in an uncomfortable manner. She wore a headband to cover her dreadlocks and had tanned skin. The woman was very popular with the girls who all wanted to be her art subject. Great. The art teacher was a psycho. Classmates might be closer in level to her, but teachers would undoubtedly be higher. Waiting too long could literally mean her life. As soon as classes let out for the day, she used her school map to find the dormitory. She was going to consume the Ki Reinforcement book and go back to the Skeletons. Training was vitally important now. Choosing the Genius Perk really was a stroke of genius. With the Perk passively increasing her Intelligence she wouldn't need to focus as much on schoolwork. More time for training.

[Wisdom + 1]

Even her power agreed that this was a great idea!

Her dorm room looked like a mini apartment. How did they fit it all? Probably some kind of spatial manipulation. The school was literally in a pocket dimension. Using more dimensional magic wasn't out of the realm of possibility. It wasn't too extravagant, but she had a living room/bedroom area with a small kitchenette and a bathroom. The part that spooked her was the large collection of Clive Barker figurines on the shelves. Her entire collection of horror novels was placed in a bookshelf. She even had a computer. How much did she want to bet that her gaming library was on it? Not that much. It was a sucker's bet. None of it gave her a mechanical benefit, but it did make her feel more at ease. Like someone was going out of their way to make it more homey.

"Burnt Alive Lion!" Celeste gasped. There on her bed was one of the most beloved of her prizes. She lost it years ago in a fire and never found another. It was a replica of the Entrails Animal from Kampfer. There was a certain irony to Burnt Alive Lion being burnt to a cinder. The dark haired girl almost teleported across the room and tackled the stuffed animal on her bed. She let out a high pitched squee while rolling around with her hideous plushie. It took her an embarrassingly long time to calm down, but she still didn't relinquish her hold on the toy. The Inventory chimed to remind her that she had something important to do. She got the Skill Book out and held it aloft dramatically.

[Do you wish to learn Ki Reinforcement? Y/N]

Of course she wanted to learn it! Celeste mentally hit yes and watched as the book did...nothing unusual. The information floated into her mind, but the book didn't disappear. However, when she opened it up, the pages were all wrong. It was still legible but it looked like the book binder screwed it up. The pages were all either chopped off at the bottom or had printer marks. That wasn't as important as the Skill she got and it was a beauty.

[Ki Reinforcement lvl 1 - Martial artists understand that within all living things exists an energy. This energy goes by many names, but is all the same. With this you can manipulate your inner energy to accomplish great feats. At higher levels you could even perform at a truly supernatural level.
Unlocked Ki Pool (Vitality x 5)
All Stamina costs for Skills are now Ki costs.
When Ki is exhausted then Stamina will be used.
Passively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality + 5% + 2.5% per level
Actively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality + 20% by 10% per level
Cost 20 Ki per minute]

"At twenty Ki per minute that would be six and a half minutes. Respectable. How does Regen work? I know that in The Gamer HP and MP regenerated with time…" Celeste wondered aloud.

[HP/MP/KP/Stamina regen
The formula is a simple one. Regeneration happens every 3 minutes based on the value of the associated Stat. Stamina replenishes at double the Vitality.]

"Thank you weird Pop Up," she gave it a salute. Celeste activated Ki Reinforcement to see what changes it made. It was like a bolt of lightning shot up her spine as electricity trailed through her nerves. Her muscles twitched as pure power flowed through them. She noticed her biceps visibly tightening through her sleeves. Thigh muscles flexed rapidly as she rode out the initial sensation. Soon she was laid out on the bed once more drawing in a shaky breath. Hopefully it didn't do this all the time. She let the technique drop, and waited until her body relaxed, before activating it again. The second time was just as stimulating as the first.

"D-damn it…" Celeste grit her teeth and tried to concentrate. She focused on her breathing while trying to stem the flow of ki. It would be easier if reinforcement only hurt. The problem was that it also felt really good too. Like she could do anything, move any mountain, but it was distracting as well. Each time she tried to grasp the flow it twisted away. If she was going to control it the technique had to be instantly ready for use. A distant ping told her that something happened. Her breathing evened out as she grew more accustomed to the power. The odd sensations leveled out along with her breathing. She let the technique drop again before reengaging. This time it didn't cause her to spasm as much, but it still took too long to acclimate.

Celeste refused to let this thing beat her. She gripped the flow with both hands and forced it to settle down. It took all she had to keep it flowing smoothly. Her muscles slackened as the out of control torrent calmed. Her Ki finally ran out as did her Stamina. The dark haired girl sagged on the bed in a puddle of her own sweat. How had she kept the technique up for so long without running out before now? That was when the pop up notices she ignored appeared.

[A skill has been created through a specific action
Breathe Control lvl 6 - Martial artists and athletes the world over agree: If you can't breathe, you can't work. By simply breathing you can improve Stamina and Ki use.
Passively increases Stamina/Ki Recovery + 10% + 5% per level in combat (Current + 35%)
Passively increases Stamina/Ki Recovery + 50% + 25% per level out of combat (Current + 175%)]
That explained a lot. The amount of recovery was impressive. It made sense that her breathing would be less effective in combat given the exertion. In fact it kind of reminded her of the Gamer's 'Meditation' Skill. Getting to level six in such a short time was very nice.
[Ki Reinforcement + 3]

That was nice too. Except the lowered amount of Exp was already evident. Ki Reinforcement was definitely not a non combat Skill. It could be used that way, but clearly it was meant for fighting. The bonuses were nice, but it was still taking time to set up the technique. Was she going to have to activate before getting into a fight? Having it up instantly would be fantastic, but that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon. Maybe she wasn't actually strong enough to handle the influx of power?

[Wisdom + 1]

"Thanks," Celeste muttered sourly. The next pop up finally nudged it's way to the forefront.

[A skill has been created through a specific action]
[Ki Manipulation (Basic) lvl 5 - An ad hoc skill created through channeling your Ki in a different way.
Eases the use of all Ki abilities by 1% per level (Current 5%)]
"Eases their use, how? By making it easier for me to adapt? I have no idea what this even means!" Celeste gripped her hair in frustration. Was it that her Vitality needed to be higher? Since it was her body that was having trouble channeling Ki. She had seven CP to spend. If she uses all of them it would bring her Vitality to twenty. It would make training her Stat harder, but she needed to survive now.

[Vitality 13 > 20]

The boost in health, Stamina, and Ki would be welcome. Now it was time to see how twenty Vitality affected Ki Reinforcement. She activated the Skill again and immediately felt the difference. The muscle spasms were completely gone but the odd sensation wasn't. Something else was involved here. Then again having actual power did feel very good. It was a feeling she could get used to with no trouble. Maybe she was still a human among monsters, but with this Skill the gap was narrower. A deep sigh of contentment escaped her lips. She meant to go out and fight skeletons, but this was much more important.

"Except...I still have time don't I?" Celeste checked the time. It was just after seven p.m. The stopwatch on her watch still worked in the forest. If she set it to go off in three hours that should work well enough. She didn't want to run out of Stamina and risk being vulnerable. Exhaustion would probably mess with her Stamina too. A good night's sleep after training would help. Balancing her training with homework was future Celeste's problem. For now she wanted to test a few things out.

Maybe she should have been more cautious? Night had fallen quickly with the sky darkened ominously. The trees were even more threatening in the darkness. She chose to stay close to the path to avoid getting ambushed. Perception continued to increase as she tried to peer through the gloom. Could she use Ki Reinforcement on her eyes? It did say that it only worked on her main physical stats. Was there something else she could do? Celeste stopped moving to avoid provoking an attack while gathering her Ki. She remembered the sensation of Ki moving through her muscles. Instead of moving it through her muscles she shifted the flow to her eyes. The dark haired girl clamped down on the flow to avoid overloading her optic nerves. Making her eyes explode would probably be counterproductive. Like a switch flipped the dark forest suddenly became brighter. Either that or she was gathering more light to her eyes. Either way it was a wonderful discovery as she was surrounded by Skeletons.

[A skill has been created through a specific action]
[Low-light Vision lvl 1 - Your skill with reinforcement has led to the creation of a very useful Skill. Improves the eyes to allow them to draw in more ambient light. Increases their sensitivity to changes in light level. Activates immediately in darkness.
Actively improves vision in dark conditions
Cost 2 Ki per minute]

Cheap AND useful. She wouldn't need to worry about losing her vision unless the Skeletons started carrying flashlights. Celeste didn't miss how it mentioned that her eyes were more sensitive. Her opponents didn't seem to care about the girl's breakthrough and continued to advance. The Skeletons during the day were normal boneheads, but these were different. They were nearly a foot taller for one thing and had grayish bones. Bony protrusions dotted their craniums. The enlarged canines reminded her of an animal. Celeste wasted no time in activating Ki Reinforcement and taking the fight to the Greater Skeleton behind her. She wanted to clear her path of retreat quickly. The first kick struck her foe's ribcage hard causing it to stagger back with a spider web of cracks along the ribs. Another reverse spin kick drove her heel straight through the weakened ribs. She ignored the pop up that appeared as her opponent went down.

The time she took to bring down her opponent let the others advance. Their greater height let them cross more distance quicker. Good thing she was tiny compared to them. She executed a forward leap with a sweeping front kick. Three of the Greater Skeletons stumbled back, but it wasn't as effective. Celeste dropped into a low sweep that managed to send her victims to the ground. The dark haired girl rose back to her feet before executing a double front heel drop. Her target's skull shattered into powder completely. She tried to rise, but a skeletal hand burst from the ground and grabbed her ankle. One of the Greater Skeletons lashed out at her with both bony hands. Celeste let out a cry of pain as the sharpened fingerbones cut into her upper torso. She used Stomp on the hand restraining her before vaulting back.

"My escape route is still open...I can experiment a bit," Celeste decided as she checked the path back. The entrance to the forest was still clear. That's all she needed to see. In The Gamer one of the first attack Skills was Mana Bolt. She didn't have Mana, but Ki was very similar. The energy swirled up her arm as she brought both hands towards her waist. A glowing sphere of dark purple ki appeared between her palms. The Greater Skeletons did her a favor as they neatly lined themselves up. She held the sphere until it fully solidified. With a loud kiah the ball of power flew from her hands and into the leading Skeleton. It exploded in a shower of bone fragments. The Skeleton behind that one lost its torso entirely. Her attack finally stopped on impact with the last. It fell backwards with a shattered ribcage.
Well that was certainly explosive.

[A skill has been created through a specific action]
[Ki Sphere lvl 1 - You've watched a lot of anime, haven't you? Regardless it is a highly useful technique. It takes a bit of set up, but the payoff is worth it.
Charge Time: 3 seconds
Damage: 300% Strength
Short Charge: 1 second/100% Strength
Cost: 30 Ki/Short Charge 10 Ki]

Expensive, but the sheer damage was definitely worth it. Celeste tried the Short Charge Ki Sphere which was a simple softball sized sphere. It smacked into her next target like a hard punch. The front of the skeleton's face shattered as the rest of the form collapsed. Much cheaper and easier to use. Tossing two of them cost as much as two and a half with poorer accuracy. It just wasn't as good as either a single full charge or single short charge. Tonight's experiment was a resounding success. Celeste did the smart thing and ran back to her dorm room. Now to find a place to train her Stats. She might not have got as far in the forest, but this was a far superior result.

Though tomorrow she was definitely going in during daylight.

AN: Yeah I thought this was a good stopping place. I'm trying not to make her too OP too fast, but my standards might be different than other people. Hope you enjoyed it! I also hope I'm not cluttering this up with too much Gamer stuff.

Level 2 > 5

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 3

Spoiler: Celeste Hollister

Name: Celeste Hollister
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Hair: Black
Eyes: Amethyst
Race: Human - Humans are a common sight on Earth. They are as diverse as they are plentiful. Grants a +50% bonus to Skill Growth.
Level: 5
Class: None
Title: The Gamer
HP: 1000/1000
MP: -/-
KP: 500/500
Stamina: 1500/1500
Stats
Strength 12
Agility 13
Vitality 20
Intelligence 21
Wisdom 13
Charisma 21
Luck 10
CP 15
Skills
Gamers Mind lvl Max - This skill prevents the user from experiencing debilitating emotions. It doesn't mute the feelings, but allows for clear thought regardless of the situation. Certain conditions can negate this. The Gamer OS takes no responsibility for situations the user brings on themself.
Gamers Body lvl Max - Allows the user to live life as a game. Able to grow without limit. The user can continue functioning at full strength until they reach zero HP. Certain conditions can negate this. The Gamer OS takes no responsibility for situations the user brings on themself.
Perception lvl 9 - Since the very beginning humans have relied on their senses for safety. This skill allows the user to notice small details through their senses.
Passively increases Wisdom 1% per level (Current + 9%)
Increases the chance of noticing details through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch by 1% per level (Current + 9%)
Run lvl 4 - Sometimes you just gotta beat feet and retreat. There's no shame in admitting you're outmatched.
Passively increases Agility + 1% per level (Current + 4%)
Actively increases Speed + 30% + 5% per level (Current + 50%)
Cost 5 Ki to activate/1 Ki per second]
Stomp lvl 3 - The classic beatdown tactic for when your opponent is down and helpless.
Actively increases physical damage by 20% + 5% per level. (Current + 30%)
Special Action: If target is Helpless the damage increases by 100%
Inflict: Disable
Cost 10 Ki to Activate
Damage Resistance lvl 3 - For those times when dodging just doesn't work sometimes you just gotta take it.
Passively reduces Damage by 0.5% per level. (Current + 1.5%)
Kickboxing (Sport) lvl 20 (Max) - This is the sport version of the martial art. That doesn't mean it's useless. Far from it. From here you could choose to train in the full version or even branch off into your own style.
Passively increases Strength/Agility + 20%
Passively increases Physical Damage and Attack Speed + 40%
Passively increases Dodge + 40%
Intimidation lvl 6 - Something that everyone has some experience in using or resisting. You have a familiarity with the tips and tricks of imposing your will on others.
Passively increases Charisma + 1% + 1% per level (Current + 6%)
Inflicts: Fear + 1% per level (+ 6%)
Resists: Fear + 1% per level (+ 6%)
Detect Killing Intent lvl 7 - You are adept at sensing the ill-will of others. There is a lot of ill-will surrounding you. Do try to be careful!
Passively increases Wisdom by 1% + 1% per level (Current + 7%)
Passively detects range within 5 meters + 5 meters per level.] (Current 35 meters)
Ki Reinforcement lvl 10 - Martial artists understand that within all living things exists an energy. This energy goes by many names, but is all the same. With this you can manipulate your inner energy to accomplish great feats. At higher levels you could even perform at a truly supernatural level.
Unlocked Ki Pool (Vitality x 5)
All Stamina costs for Skills are now Ki costs.
When Ki is exhausted then Stamina will be used.
Passively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality + 5% + 2.5% per level (Current + 27.5%)
Actively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality + 20% by 10% per level (Current + 110%)
Cost 20 Ki per minute
Breathe Control lvl 10 - Martial artists and athletes the world over agree: If you can't breathe, you can't work. By simply breathing you can improve Stamina and Ki use.
Passively increases Stamina/Ki Recovery + 10% + 5% per level in combat (Current + 55%)
Passively increases Stamina/Ki Recovery + 50% + 25% per level out of combat (Current + 275%)
Ki Manipulation (Basic) lvl 9 - An ad hoc skill created through channeling your Ki in a different way.
Eases the use of all Ki abilities by 1% per level (Current 9%)
Ki Sphere lvl 4 - You've watched a lot of anime, haven't you? Regardless it is a highly useful technique. It takes a bit of set up, but the payoff is worth it.
Charge Time: 3 seconds
Damage: 300% Strength
Short Charge: 1 second/100% Strength
Cost: 30 Ki/Short Charge 10 Ki
Perks
Attractive - Gain +1 Char per level. Your looks cannot be spoiled unless it would somehow add to your hotness. Starting Char is twice the normal.
Tough - HP per point of Vitality is increased to +10. Stamina per point of Vitality is raised to +15. You can just naturally tough it out better than most.
Genius - Gain + 1 Int per level. You have an instinctive grasp of more complex subjects. Starting Int is twice the normal.
Gainaxing - You got that wiggle and jiggle. Even turning around can trigger a bounce or three. Chance to inflict Berserk on Threatened females and Charm on those who are interested.

School was boring. If Celeste had remembered just what a drag highschool was she would have given it a pass. Unfortunately her nostalgia goggles were on a little too tight at the time. Her Skill in Perception let her listen with one ear while she concentrated on something else. What sort of build was she going for? So far she was treading the martial path. Ki Reinforcement was a versatile tool for a warrior. Except was that what she wanted? She could work on a rogue build. Keep her head down until graduation and survive that way. However, a certain quote by Heinlein came to mind. Specialization was for insects. The Gamer power meant that she didn't have to stick with a single build. She looked over her stat sheet from behind an upturned science book. It was time to go over her Stats and start making plans. Celeste deliberately avoided thinking about how she could have done this already last night. Her name, age, hair and eye color were already filled in. She also had The Gamer for her title. Class was empty.

[Class]
[Essentially a guideline for your growth. CP is allocated automatically. The upside is that Classes also improve the growth of certain Skills. New Skills that fit the Class are gained automatically. Your ability to determine training and Skill creation isn't lost, but Skills in opposition to your Class do increase slower. Classes can be equipped and unequipped at any time outside of combat.]

Classes took away her choice in how to spend CP and locked in her Skills. The advantage was in how they gave Skill growth bonuses. She didn't like the sound of decreasing the growth of other Skills. At least Classes could be unequipped. It wasn't really a terrible idea actually. Free Skills unique to the Class were quite an incentive. The thing is that she had fifteen CP to spend. Did she want the Class to choose or decide for herself? Celeste looked over her Stats again. Strength and Agility weren't the best, but she could train those up. Intelligence and Charisma increased on their own due to the Perks she chose. That left Vitality and Luck. Vitality could be trained as well but it did govern her health, Stamina, and Ki Points. To train Luck would mean taking risks. Anything that was left entirely to chance. She just had to win on her bets, but frankly that was too risky. Luck also determined her critical hit chance, chance for loot, and also increased her chance of unique situations. Both good and bad. Celeste had Skills that bumped up her physical, mental, and charisma. So she dumped her points into Luck.

[Wisdom + 1]

Well that was nice.

Celeste mentally 'tapped' the Class selection. Her eyes crossed at the number of choices. Some of them caught her eye, but most were in the No Way in Hell category. Sadist? No thanks! Serial Killer was another one she wanted to stay away from. The introductory Skill of "Mind of a Killer" came with the downside of mental contamination. Some of them looked interesting, but she didn't have MP so the Mage Classes were useless. That left the physical and esoteric ones. Her eyebrow arched as she saw Dark Knight as a choice. Sacrifice her health for greater power. Knight granted a Skill for covering those weaker than herself while boosting her defense. Archer was the classic ranged option. Rogue was just what it said on the tin. Boasting high Evasion and a boost to Non Combat Skills. Her eyes were getting tired from all the scrolling down. Just as she felt the boredom creep up her finger landed on an interesting option. Monk. A physical fighter who used their Ki to improve their combat ability. Wasn't that what she was doing anyway?

[Monk]
[A martial class utilizing the mystical force of Ki. Through their mastery of the body they are able to work miracles.
Skill Gained: Unarmed Combat lvl 1 - An unnamed physical style that utilizes hands and feet equally. Serves as a bridge into higher level martial arts. It's so basic that it can be combined with other styles seamlessly.
Passively increases Strength/Agility + 10% + 2.5% per level
Passively increases Physical Damage, Attack Speed, Dodge + 20% + 5% per level
Passively increases Ki Effects by 10% + 2.5% per level
Skill Growth: Martial Arts + 50%, Ki Skills + 50%, Ki Skill Creation + 50%, Physical Skill + 50%
Opposition Skill: Magic Skills - 90%]
Stats: Strength, Agility, Vitality + 2 per level, Physical Stat Training + 50%
Warning: Cannot change until at least level 10]

Didn't that go against what the pop up said? Except that it looked just too good to refuse. Magic Skills probably included Skills for identifying types of spells and the like. It could be a detriment in a school for monsters, but it was still better than not having a Class. Maybe there was even a better Class once she leveled up Monk? Celeste toggled her Class to Monk and waited to see if anything unusual happened. Nothing seemed different. She activated Ki Reinforcement and noticed there was a visible jump in effectiveness. Not only that but the XP bar was increasing quicker than before. The dark haired girl sat back with a contented smile and let her book rest on the desk once more.

"Hollister-san! So good of you to join us. What is the answer for the problem on the board?" The math teacher called out sweetly. Celeste stared at the problem that filled the board. This wasn't a highschool equation! She didn't even see something like that in college! Even her twenty-five Intelligence screamed in fear.

Celeste sank down the chair amid the laughter of her classmates.

Maybe she should study more…

[Wisdom + 1]

"Oh shut up…" Celeste covered her head with both hands.

That was fun. Not. Her teacher assigned the whole class extra problems because they laughed. Detect Killing Intent leveled up three times in under a minute. Note to self: don't tune out the class again. The repercussions were dire. At least she wouldn't have to worry about dealing with Kagome-sensei again today. Now she had to deal with gym class. Celeste blanched as she held aloft a pair of bloomers. Oh this was going to suck. Japanese gym uniforms were pure fetish fuel even if they were fitted right. Especially if they were fitted right. Bloomers were basically a more concealing bathing suit bottom. The white t-shirt was also troublesome as it did little to minimize her breasts. Minimizer bras weren't included in her free wardrobe. The only type of underwear she had was lacy stuff. Not even a decent sports bra in the lot. She would have to find out where people bought new clothes around here. The school gave her a small stipend for necessities. Celeste was going to have to find a way to earn more money. Thankfully Detect Killing Intent didn't increase any more. Her classmates were too busy getting changed to notice. However, there was something out of the corner of her eye. She discreetly glanced in that direction in time to see a handsome young man. His dark hair was held back by a red hairband. In his hands was a camera with which he was taking pictures from just outside the window. The sight caused her to freeze in alarm.

"Pervert!" Celeste shrieked while pointing at the window. The other girls quickly turned to look, but the freak was gone. She didn't even see him move!

"Are you sure you saw something?" One of her classmates, a pretty girl with chestnut hair tied back with a blue bow, asked.

"Absolutely positive. He had a camera and everything. But by the time I said anything he was gone…" Celeste trailed off weakly. No way they were going to buy that!

"Probably some kind of super fast monster. Great. How are we supposed to deal with that?" Another girl, this one a redhead, complained.

Never mind. Of course they would believe her since there were super fast monsters. She had to stop being so negative.

"My senses are highly acute. I smelled a canine nearby," one of the girls informed them. She adjusted her spectacles contemplatively.

"How sharp are your senses?" Celeste asked curiously. The bespectacled girl eyed her for a long moment.

"Felines can always smell the stench of dogs," she replied. So she was some kind of cat monster, huh?

[Quest Alert!]
[Find that dirty dog!
What kind of deviant peeks on girls without their knowledge? This calls for an investigation! Try to avoid causing any misunderstandings. Perverts are quite good at leaving innocent people holding the bag.
Reward: 10,000 XP, Random Skill Book, Random Piece of Equipment, Increased Reputation with the girls of Class 1-B
Failure: Decreased Reputation with the girls of Class 1-B, Decreased Reputation with Yokai Academy
Accept? Y/N]

Ten thousand XP!? The Skill Book and Equipment would be very nice. Even better was the reputation gain. It was the Failure that bothered her. If it simply lowered her reputation with the class it would be fine. The fact that it also affected how the school as a whole saw her was troublesome. Celeste mentally hit 'Y.' If she happened to complete the Quest, and hadn't taken it, it would have made her angry. Besides, the rewards were definitely tempting enough. The fact that the son of a bitch was snapping pictures of them made her very angry. Now she had a goal for her training. She wanted to be fast enough, both physically and mentally, to surpass him. He would rue the day that he made an enemy of Celeste Hollister!

She might have gotten a little too wrapped up in her sense of feminine outrage…

Okuto Kotsubo was the physical education teacher. He was handsome and cool with the girls while being a buddy to the guys. As long as his appreciation didn't stray toward extracurricular matters, Celeste was content to let it slide. She was already focusing on how to catch the Whirlwind Pervert. Was he some kind of wind elemental? Wind could be fast, but so could lightning. No, don't lock herself into thinking he's an elemental. Keep her expectations loose so that she wouldn't be caught off guard.

"Now class. This is your first day so we're going to start easy. Now then why don't we start with some stretches?" Kotsubo-sensei suggested. He flashed the class a grin before gesturing for them to take the field.

[Strength + 2]

[Agility + 3]

[A skill has been created through a specific action]
[Acrobatics lvl 6 - This measures your aptitude for leaping, tumbling, and flexibility.
Passively increases Agility by 5% per level (Current + 30%)
Passively increases Speed by 1% per level (Current + 6%)
Actively increases Agility by 50% per level (Current + 300%)
Actively increases Speed by 10% per level (Current + 60%)
Cost 15 Ki per second]

[Athletics lvl 4 - This measures your aptitude in climbing, running, jumping, and swimming.
Passively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality by 1% per level. (Current + 4%)
Actively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality by 10% per level (Current + 40%)
Cost 10 Ki per second]

The showers after class were like a gift from Heaven. Maybe if she wasn't so exhausted the new Skills would be more thrilling. She let the hot streams of water work into her muscles to ease the tension. Part of her was curious about why Athletics and Acrobatics overlapped regarding jumping. Leaping was the same as jumping, right? Wait a minute. She also had a Skill for running! Another pop up appeared in front of her.

[Do you wish to amalgamate Skills?]
[Y/N]

She mentally hit 'Y', but thankfully nothing weird happened. Celeste blushed as she realized this was all being done in the showers surrounded by her classmates. No harm no foul, but she really needed to be more careful. It looked like Amalgamating Skills simply folded them together. She lost some of the XP, but it made her Skill list much less cluttered. Athletics went up by 2 levels. It didn't do anything about Acrobatics, but that was fine. She didn't want to lose anything from that one.

"What do you think of Kotsubo-sensei? Think he's dreamier than our homeroom teacher or just as dreamy?" One of the girls asked.

"That's tough to decide. Both of them are really hot, but our homeroom teacher scares me too," another girl piped up. The rest of the Class shuddered in agreement. No matter how hot he was, his thinly veiled threat about 'troublemakers' stayed with them.

"Right. Kotsubo-sensei it is," the first girl said.

"Aye!" Came the resounding agreement.

Celeste giggled to herself. Her classmates were no different than other girls after all. Just because they were monsters didn't stop them from being people. It was something she knew intellectually, but plotting for worst case scenarios since she arrived jaded her. Maybe it was understandable. She would have died if not for her golden eyed savior, but that was no excuse for distancing herself from her classmates. Once she started talking to them the last barrier fell. They weren't angry or jealous of her anymore. Celeste was creating her own problems it seemed. By keeping to herself it left the other girls thinking she was stuck up. That was something she would have to change. The Quest to track down the pervert would help bring them closer together. Running really fast would help, but she had to perceive things faster too. So that would be training Athletics and Perception to higher levels. Would it be possible to increase Perception further with Ki? Something to look into.

It was still only the second day of class. The only homework was what their math teacher gave. Celeste stayed after class to chat with her classmates, but left after an hour. She still wanted to get back to the forest and hunt more Skeletons. The dark haired girl smiled faintly to herself. Ki Reinforcement not only didn't have a sign it was in use, but her classmates didn't seem to notice it was active either. She managed to get Ki Reinforcement and Ki Manipulation to level thirteen. Celeste said her goodbyes before leaving the school building. Her backpack was simply dropped in the Inventory as she equipped the Kung Fu Shoes. Time to get some training in before night fell. Meeting more of the Giant Skeletons wasn't on her agenda.

Meeting Skeletons with katanas wasn't on her agenda either!

"Crap! I was too close to the Kendo Club room…!" Celeste realized. She activated Athletics to increase her Speed further. Her dance partner was quite persistent. It was a Skeleton dressed in full Kendo armor bearing live steel. To her consternation the Calcium Ronin was actually good with its weapon. The armor was pretty decent too. It took a couple short charge Ki Spheres and kept coming. She let out a yelp as one of the unarmored Skeleton kendoka took a swing at her. This one was armed with an oak bokken, but was no less dangerous. Celeste charged Ki into her leg in an ad hoc maneuver, channeling the energy in a similar manner to Ki Sphere, before releasing it in a blistering trio of roundhouse kicks. Purplish Ki lashed out around her and hammered the unarmored Skeleton flat. The armored one hunkered down in its armor. She stared in disbelief as it weathered the attacks with only a few wisps of smoke rising from it's form.

The new pop up immediately shrunk to avoid clouding her vision. She focused her Ki again into her legs. With a mighty kiah the dark haired Gamer lunged forward with her left foot leading. A sheathe of purple flames trailed up her leg. The armored Skeleton was unprepared for the mighty blow to hammer into its torso. By that same token, Celeste wasn't ready for the red armored menace to continue standing. The katana spiraled out of it's hand, but that was all. Her senses screamed at her to dodge as it drew a wakizashi with the speed of Iaido. She was forced to bring up her knee to block the strike using Ki to blunt the damage. Unfortunately it just wasn't enough. The wakizashi shattered the purple light without stopping. A line of heat blossomed from her knee to her upper thigh as the blade did its grim work. It threw her off balance, but she managed to recover herself after a backward roll.

[Status Debuff: Bleed afflicted!]

Because of course that would happen.

"Damn it…" Celeste bit her lip. The armored Skeleton sheathed its wakizashi again, but did not go for the katana. She felt the pain in her leg disappear, but the debuff was still active. Of all the Skills she thought to create a healing Skill wasn't one of them. If she made it out of here that was changing tonight. Maybe it was time to work on that Perception boost now? She wasn't going to last if it kept using Iaido.

"...!!!" The Skeleton let out a wordless roar as it blitzed forward. Its wakizashi cleared the sheath with a crisp snap. Celeste only had one chance at this. She felt a heat build up in her eyes and electricity jolt through her brain. All at once she could See the attack. It was almost comical how it seemed to suddenly slow down. Her body wasn't fast enough to dodge out of the way, but she had other options. As the enemy approached she released a Ki Sphere right into the edge of the wakizashi. The Skeleton lost its grip on the sword as it also spun off into the underbrush. Celeste took a weary step back. The bleed debuff was still steadily draining her health. She noticed her Stamina was also falling from the constant attacks. Her opponent reached over its shoulder to a long cloth wrapped bundle.

"Oh HELL no…!" Celeste held her hands in the pose to initiate Ki Sphere but then started pumping even more Ki into the glowing ball. It started to spark with pale lavender flames and blue streaks. The Skeleton finished drawing out its third weapon. A friggin' big ass nodachi. This thing didn't have a simple daisho, but a full one. She started to see red as more power swirled around in the unstable Ki construct. With a howl of rage she thrust her hands forward. A furious torrent of Ki crashed into her enemy with enough force that it picked the Skeleton off the ground and tossed it up into a tree. The nodachi hit the ground moments before the Skeleton did.

"...!!!" The Skeleton roared as it fought to stand. Celeste limped past her flailing opponent and picked up the nodachi. She ignored the pop up that said it was too heavy. It didn't matter if she would take accuracy penalties. The weary and battered girl hefted it over her shoulder.

"I don't need accuracy for this," Celeste brought the blade down like an Executioner's Sword right across her foe's neck. The Skeleton's head rolled away as the body stopped flailing.

[Field Boss Defeated! Koga the Triple Fang!]

[Gained + 500 XP]

[Select your loot]

[Wakizashi "Chisana Kiba" Att Slash 13 - Requirements Agility 15]

[Katana "Akai Kiba" Att Slash 18 - Requirements Strength 15/Agility 10]

[Nodachi "Daiga" Att Slash 27 - Requirements Strength 25]

[Armor of Koga Def 14 - Resist Slash/Strike, Requirements Strength 20, Agility - 5]

"Tough call…" Celeste muttered. She picked up another level from this adding to the two already gained during her training. The Bleed Debuff disappeared without a trace in the process. The problem was that part of her defense was in evasion. The Armor of Koga looked great with its resistances, but the decrease in Agility would hurt. Now the weapons were tempting. She could only choose one of them. The Nodachi was right out as the Strength requirement was too high. Now the wakizashi was tempting even if the name looked like it was spat out by Google Translate. However, she was starting to get tired of not having anything to block with. A katana was the right balance with its length and attack power. She chose Akai Kiba. The sheath and blade manifested at her waist.

[Skill Book Gained: Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu - This is the legendary sword style of Hiko Seijuro allowing one man to stand up to armies. Rooted in the concept of ichi no tachi, to strike in a single blow, this art is meant to end life swiftly. Practitioners of this style use a combination of immense speed and agility, with a form of observation based pseudo-clairvoyance, to anticipate an enemy's movements.
Passively increases Physical Damage by 40% + 5% per level
Passively increases Attack Speed by 40% + 10% per level
Passively predict an enemy's movements by 1% per level
When wielding a sword: Passively increases the chance of Critical HIt by 5% per level]
Celeste curiously tried to learn it only to see a new pop up.
[Requirements not met: Agility 30, Wisdom 30]

"Bummer…" Celeste sighed. Looks like she had another goal. Thirty Agility and Wisdom would help with the pervert Quest too. Except now she was going to have to train her Wisdom without just dumping CP into it. Though her physical Stats were looking fantastic. She maximized the combat pop ups to see what they had to say. Her Damage Resistance went up three levels. That wasn't too surprising with how knocked around she got. Unarmed Combat increased by eight levels. The Monk bonus was seriously coming through on that. Breath Control and Ki Manipulation also increased in level. Unarmed Combat took off like a rocket. Looks like Monk was already paying dividends. There were a couple new faces though.

[A skill has been created through a specific action]
[Triple Kick lvl 1 - Unleash a trio of Ki infused kicks in all directions.
Actively increases Damage by 20% + 5% per level
Actively increases Attack Speed by 30% + 5% per level
Actively increases the range of kicks by .5 meters per level
Cost: 30 Ki]

[Ki Wave lvl Special - By allowing Ki Sphere to explode the charged energy is released in a wave of power. Uses the same damage calculation as Ki Sphere with some differences.
Inflict: Bull Rush
Cost: 30 Ki to activate/15 ki per second]

There was still some light left. Celeste grinned as Detect Killing Intent and Perception told her there was nothing around. This was the perfect time to work on getting more movement Skills and to train up the ones she already had. She made sure to keep an eye on the remaining light, it wouldn't do to get caught out after dark, before setting off to train. The only sounds remaining were her whoops of delight as she shot through the trees.

AN: If it seems like she's growing too powerful too quickly just remember the kind of series Celeste is in. I promise that once she gets over this training kick there will be more character interactions. The hardest decision was in keeping her away from the main cast. She sees them in the background, but for the most part that's Tsukune's story. They will meet eventually, but for now this is solely Celeste's story. Are the Gamer pop ups annoying? I was considering gathering them all up at the end of the chapter, but it just wouldn't have the same feel.

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 4

Spoiler: Celeste Hollister

Name: Celeste Hollister
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Hair: Black
Eyes: Amethyst
Race: Human - Humans are a common sight on Earth. They are as diverse as they are plentiful. Grants a +50% bonus to Skill Growth.
Level: 8
Class: Monk lvl 3
Skill Growth: Martial Arts + 50%, Ki Skills + 50%, Ki Skill Creation + 50%, Physical Skill + 50%
Opposition Skill: Magic Skills - 90%]
Stats: Strength, Agility, Vitality + 2 per level, Physical Stat Training + 50%
Title: The Gamer
HP: 2080/2080
MP: -/-
KP: 1040/1040
Stamina: 3120/3120
Stats
Strength 21
Agility 22
Vitality 26
Intelligence 28
Wisdom 15
Charisma 28
Luck 25
CP 0
Skills
Gamers Mind lvl Max - This skill prevents the user from experiencing debilitating emotions. It doesn't mute the feelings, but allows for clear thought regardless of the situation. Certain conditions can negate this. The Gamer OS takes no responsibility for situations the user brings on themself.
Gamers Body lvl Max - Allows the user to live life as a game. Able to grow without limit. The user can continue functioning at full strength until they reach zero HP. Certain conditions can negate this. The Gamer OS takes no responsibility for situations the user brings on themself.
Perception lvl 14 - Since the very beginning humans have relied on their senses for safety. This skill allows the user to notice small details through their senses.
Passively increases Wisdom 1% per level (Current + 14%)
Increases the chance of noticing details through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch by 1% per level (Current + 14%)
Actively increases the chance of noticing details by 20% per level
Cost 10 Ki per second]
Stomp lvl 3 - The classic beatdown tactic for when your opponent is down and helpless.
Actively increases physical damage by 20% + 5% per level. (Current + 30%)
Special Action: If target is Helpless the damage increases by 100%
Inflict: Disable
Cost 10 Ki to Activate
Damage Resistance lvl 6 - For those times when dodging just doesn't work sometimes you just gotta take it.
Passively reduces Damage by 0.5% per level. (Current + 3%)
Kickboxing (Sport) lvl 20 (Max) - This is the sport version of the martial art. That doesn't mean it's useless. Far from it. From here you could choose to train in the full version or even branch off into your own style.
Passively increases Strength/Agility + 20%
Passively increases Physical Damage and Attack Speed + 40%
Passively increases Dodge + 40%
Unarmed Combat lvl 8 - An unnamed physical style that utilizes hands and feet equally. Serves as a bridge into higher level martial arts. It's so basic that it can be combined with other styles seamlessly.
Passively increases Strength/Agility + 10% + 2.5% per level (Current + 27.5%)
Passively increases Physical Damage, Attack Speed, Dodge + 20% + 5% per level (Current + 50%)
Passively increases Ki Effects by 10% + 2.5% per level (Current + 27.5%)
Intimidation lvl 6 - Something that everyone has some experience in using or resisting. You have a familiarity with the tips and tricks of imposing your will on others.
Passively increases Charisma + 1% + 1% per level (Current + 6%)
Inflicts: Fear + 1% per level (+ 6%)
Resists: Fear + 1% per level (+ 6%)
Detect Killing Intent lvl 10 - You are adept at sensing the ill-will of others. There is a lot of ill-will surrounding you. Do try to be careful!
Passively increases Wisdom by 1% + 1% per level (Current + 10%)
Passively detects range within 5 meters + 5 meters per level.] (Current 50 meters)
Ki Reinforcement lvl 13 - Martial artists understand that within all living things exists an energy. This energy goes by many names, but is all the same. With this you can manipulate your inner energy to accomplish great feats. At higher levels you could even perform at a truly supernatural level.
Unlocked Ki Pool (Vitality x 5)
All Stamina costs for Skills are now Ki costs.
When Ki is exhausted then Stamina will be used.
Passively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality + 5% + 2.5% per level (Current + 35%)
Actively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality + 20% by 10% per level (Current + 140%)
Cost 20 Ki per minute
Breathe Control lvl 18 - Martial artists and athletes the world over agree: If you can't breathe, you can't work. By simply breathing you can improve Stamina and Ki use.
Passively increases Stamina/Ki Recovery + 10% + 5% per level in combat (Current + 80%)
Passively increases Stamina/Ki Recovery + 50% + 25% per level out of combat (Current + 400%)
Ki Manipulation (Basic) lvl 15 - An ad hoc skill created through channeling your Ki in a different way.
Eases the use of all Ki abilities by 1% per level (Current 13%)
Ki Sphere lvl 4 - You've watched a lot of anime, haven't you? Regardless it is a highly useful technique. It takes a bit of set up, but the payoff is worth it.
Charge Time: 3 seconds
Damage: 300% Strength
Short Charge: 1 second/100% Strength
Cost: 30 Ki/Short Charge 10 Ki
Ki Wave lvl Special - By allowing Ki Sphere to explode the charged energy is released in a wave of power. Uses the same damage calculation as Ki Sphere with some differences.
Inflict: Bull Rush
Cost: 30 Ki to activate/15 ki per second
Acrobatics lvl 6 - This measures your aptitude for leaping, tumbling, and flexibility.
Passively increases Agility by 5% per level (Current + 30%)
Passively increases Speed by 1% per level (Current + 6%)
Actively increases Agility by 50% per level (Current + 300%)
Actively increases Speed by 10% per level (Current + 60%)
Cost 15 Ki per second
Athletics lvl 6 - This measures your aptitude in climbing, running, jumping, and swimming.
Passively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality by 1% per level. (Current + 6%)
Actively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality by 10% per level (Current + 60%)
Actively increases Speed by 30% + 5% per level (Current + 55%)
Cost 10 Ki per second
Triple Kick lvl 1 - Unleash a trio of Ki infused kicks in all directions.
Actively increases Damage by 20% + 5% per level
Actively increases Attack Speed by 30% + 5% per level
Actively increases the range of kicks by .5 meters per level
Cost: 30 Ki
Perks
Attractive - Gain +1 Char per level. Your looks cannot be spoiled unless it would somehow add to your hotness. Starting Char is twice the normal.
Tough - HP per point of Vitality is increased to +10. Stamina per point of Vitality is raised to +15. You can just naturally tough it out better than most.
Genius - Gain + 1 Int per level. You have an instinctive grasp of more complex subjects. Starting Int is twice the normal.
Gainaxing - You got that wiggle and jiggle. Even turning around can trigger a bounce or three. Chance to inflict Berserk on Threatened females and Charm on those who are interested.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

A new skill has been created through a specific action.
Blazing Aura lvl 6 - Ignite your Ki to new heights for both attack and defense. Sheathes your limbs in your inner radiance.
Actively increases Damage by 5% per level (Current + 30%)
Actively increases Defense by 5% per level (Current + 30%)
Cost 20 Ki per minute
Level Up 8 > 10
Monk Level 3 > 5
Monk has reached Level 5: Choose 3 Skills
Purification lvl 1 - By stimulating the Ki various abnormal ailments can be cleared from the afflicted. Chance of success is equal to (Strength/10)% + 1% per level.
Cost 35 Ki
Fists of Fury lvl 1 - By channeling Ki into your limbs you can execute a string of high speed blows. Able to used with fists or feets.
Actively increases attack speed by 100% per level
Cost 40 Ki per second
Chakra lvl 1 - By stimulating the Ki the practitioner is able to heal the body. Unable to reattach lost limbs or restore traumatic injury. Heals HP equal to Strength x Level.
Cost 15 Ki

Celeste closed out the last pop up with a contented sigh. Level ten might not seem like much, but she was also trying to balance school too. The Monk Skills were tied directly to her Monk Level. On the one hand that made leveling them up easier. She didn't even need to concentrate on them. On the other hand it meant that switching Classes would stall their progress. Given that she now had two healing talents, one for ailments and the other for the body, she didn't want to switch Classes now. Blazing Aura took several tries to turn into a proper Skill. That one was extremely visible as it covered her forearms and lower legs in flaming Ki. The defense boost was from how the Ki helped her to dodge. She was trying to create a separate dodge Skill, but that seemed to be inherent in her martial arts styles. Using the katana didn't give her a new Skill, but instead evolved Unarmed Combat into Martial Combat. It really was a malleable style. The loot she found was nice too.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

+105,839 Yen
Potion x 3 - Restore 250 HP
Rusted Ring Defense 1 - Vitality + 1
Tunic Defense 2
Hairband Defense 2 - Intelligence + 1
Safe Ring - Damage - 40%, Defense + 40%

The Potions were nice. More healing was always welcomed. She wasn't exactly a fan of the Tunic. It looked like a very simple white tunic. Nothing special about it at all. Then again it had no more weight than ordinary clothing and had a Defense rating. She equipped it and no longer had to worry about tearing her uniforms. The Hairband was a welcome surprise as was the Rusted Ring. Anything that boosted Stats were welcome. The Rusted Ring might be ugly, but a plus to Vitality was nothing to sneeze at. However, the Hairband was nearly as good as a helmet. Celeste was worried about cranial attacks and it was pretty too. It was a soft velvet blue color that held her hair back fetchingly. What? She was allowed to be vain. Last, but certainly not least, was the money. She marked off on her minimap where the various chests were located. Much to her chagrin the chests that held armor were Unique Chests while the money was in a Rare. All of them disappeared as soon as she turned around. The Potions were in a common chest so there was that. She pocketed the Safe Ring just in case there was another tough as nails Field Boss. The decrease in damage hurt, but it raised her defense by the same amount. No way was that a useless item!

She was careful while mapping out the forest. The moment she found something stronger than a Skeleton caused her to retreat. Celeste wasn't ready to venture too deep just yet. Besides the forest around the school had enough threats to deal with so far. The Kendo Club area had Kendoka Skeletons armed with bokken. Their leader getting vanquished only caused them to disappear for the day. The Martial Arts Club area was littered with Way of the Stone Fist Martial Artist Skeletons. Their bodies were incredibly tough as if the bone had turned to actual stone. They were slow, but their martial skill was surprisingly high. She decided to retreat rather than challenge the Field Boss. This was only reconnaissance after all. The Archery Club was given a hard pass for now. Not until she could catch arrows with reasonable accuracy. She wanted to be able to dodge arrows, catch the ones she misses, and close the distance rapidly. Perhaps some form of Flash Step? Zanzoken was the ability to move so fast it resembled teleportation and it left an afterimage behind. Oh yes and with her Monk training bonuses she might just create it eventually. Her Agility needed to be a bit higher though. She did have a few questions about the Field Enemies.

How DID Skeleton Mermaids actually swim…?

Each of the sports Clubs had their own Field Enemies which meant a Field Boss. From what she could gather the different Clubs had a gimmick. The Track Club Enemies just wanted to run. When she beat one in a race it was vanquished and gave her full XP. Losing to one had it attack her like she called its Mama fat. She left before the Field Boss could challenge her to a race. Then again it was an excellent place to train her speed. Maybe she could try and communicate with them? She had some time before dark. Celeste decided to go back to the Track Club and give it a try.

"Hnnn...So you came back, huh…?" A hollow sounding voice said. Celeste stiffened as she felt a presence suddenly appear behind her.

"Ah...y-yes!?" Celeste yelped. A bony hand clapped her on the shoulder causing her to jump.

"Cool it, babe. If I wanted you dead well…you wouldn't have even felt a thing," the thing whispered in her ear. It felt like the chill wind blowing over an open grave.

"Then what is this about?" Celeste asked as her heart rate returned to normal. It looked like violence wasn't on the menu tonight.

"I'll level with ya. I'm not the only one that's aware. We're all aware to some degree, but the Club heads are even moreso," the Track Skeleton stepped out in front of her. It (He) was wearing a worn out tracksuit. Around his head was a red sweatband. He wore a pair of red trainers on his feet.

"No offense, but the Kendo guy didn't exactly seem all that sentient," Celeste said doubtfully. He nodded once to concede the point.

"Probably not to you, but his skills weren't dulled at all. All of us are trapped here. Hoping for some kind of release. A lot of people have died here and that energy keeps swirling around. The skeletons you've defeated just keep coming back. The source of our torment is still here," he gestured with a bony hand as he explained.

"How can you be freed?" Celeste asked. His jaw dropped all the way to ground at her question. Considering it wasn't even attached that was quite a jaw drop. He scrambled to affix his jaw again.

"Well, huh. I wasn't expecting that. As you are now? The source of our torment would easily kill you. You need to master yourself. Hone your martial skills, get faster, train your stamina, and sharpen your mind. It won't be easy, but if you're really willing to try I'll help. Defeat me in a race and I'll even tell the others to train you," he offered.

"But I can't even keep up with you now...Oh. You're offering to train me in speed," Celeste facepalmed at her derp moment.

"Bingo, babe. Train with my club members and then we'll race. I'm sure you won't disappoint me," he whispered on the wind. Celeste blinked as he vanished before her eyes in a display of pure speed.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Quest Alert!
Reap the Whirlwind - Your first task is to defeat Ryosei the Whirlwind in a race. He's never been defeated before except by the one who killed him. Get ready to work hard because this is only the beginning.
Reward: 5,000 XP, Skill Book "Whirling Ripper"
Failure: Death
Accept? Y/N

She could refuse, but it just wasn't in her to leave someone in trouble. The Field Bosses, if Ryosei was right, were victims here. Trapped by something, or someone, that refused to let them move on. Celeste mentally tapped the 'Y'. The failure result was worrying, but it didn't give her a time limit. She could take her time and get it right. This wasn't the time to start training though. Until she had a deal with the Skeletons it was probably for the best to not be out after dark. The Giant Skeletons didn't seem to listen to anyone but themselves. Celeste politely excused herself only to get a surprise. A line of Giant Skeletons were blocking the exit.

"Uh guys…? I kinda have to go home…" She tried to say, but the Track Skeletons hustled her over to the track. The manager told her that she had to do the four minute mile ten times then she could leave.

Even with all her Skills, both Passive and Active, the four minute mile was still tough. She learned just how the system decided to use Stamina. The formula was simple. Her Vitality determined how many minutes of constant activity it took before using Stamina. The Stamina cost after that was a flat thirty points. Each minute after that increased the cost by five. Thanks to her Breath Control Skill she was able to replenish her expended energy, but it gave diminishing returns. By the time they let her leave it was four o'clock. She collapsed on her bed and knew no more. The next morning came far too soon. She discovered a new Status Debuff: Fatigued. All Stamina recovery was cut in half and her mental State were down by twenty percent. Weary eyes were drawn to the pop ups she ignored last night.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Agility + 3
Vitality + 4
Ki Reinforcement 17 > 20
Breath Control 18 > 23
Athletics 6 > 14

Was it worth it? Ask her when she was awake. Tiredness clung to her throughout the entire day. She very nearly forgot to do the math homework. It probably wasn't the best, but at least it was finished. Celeste had to sneak it in between classes. Now the other teachers were giving homework too and she was going to have to keep up with that as well. Maybe if she went straight back to the dormitory after class she could make up the sleep. Okay, that was a fallacy. Lost sleep could never be regained. Her sleep dulled mind didn't remember why, but it was one of those random facts that stuck out. Some of her classmates asked if she wanted to stay after class like yesterday. They wanted to do their homework together. That did sound like a good idea. This way if she accidentally overslept at her homework would be done. Problem solved!
Except that a squad of Track Skeletons were waiting for her on the path back to the dorm.

"So this is your insidious plot. Kill me through exhaustion," Celeste said sourly. The Skeletons almost seemed to be confused by what she said. She was escorted to the track within the Field Dungeon. It was set up different from yesterday. The day before it was a straight course but today there were hurdles.

"This is a little easier today. You have to clear the course once under four minutes," the manager said. The bony track agent held that damned stopwatch in his hand. Celeste eyed the object with profound dislike.

"And if I say no?" Celeste asked.

"Then that means you're giving up," he said chillingly.

"Uh...right! Not refusing...no...I'll get right on that!" The sudden surge of adrenaline cleared her fatigue addled mind.

Hurdles added an entirely new complication. Celeste could accelerate up to max speed on a straight course. This forced her to slow down and leap over the individual hurdles. A missed hurdle, either through tripping or leaping over more than one, meant the run was a failure. While he claimed it was easier the manager was blatantly lying. There was nothing easy about this at all. The dark haired girl was dearly regretting the fact she agreed so quickly. She wouldn't earn any Wisdom points for this decision. Each new run was a trial by itself. Fatigue clawed at her every step of the way. Maybe she might have got it faster if they hadn't worked her over so thoroughly. She considered herself lucky when it only took until 2 o'clock to make it back to the dormitory. Falling asleep was instantaneous.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Agility + 4
Vitality + 2
Perception 20 > 24
Ki Reinforcement 20 > 22
Breath Control 23 > 25
Athletics 14 > 17
Acrobatics 6 > 12
You are afflicted with a Debuff
Fatigued has advanced to Exhausted
Exhausted - All Stamina recovery reduced to a quarter. Ki recovery reduced by half. Health recovery reduced by half. Mental Stats - 40%.

Bugger.

The temptation was strong to just stay home, but the school wouldn't accept her excuse.
"Sorry I couldn't be in today, but the Skeleton Track Team wouldn't take no for an answer," Celeste said snidely. Right. No one would believe that. She really needed to talk to Ryosei and get him to understand. This was not going to help him or the others. The annoyingly practical part of her said that the training was ridiculously effective. Her voice of caution pointed out that it was only because of the Gamer power. Without it she would have probably died of overwork by now. As it stood her powers were starting to fail. If the Debuff continued to advance she would be nothing but an empty husk.

During third period it all came to a head. Celeste couldn't hold out any longer and fell asleep at her desk. The teacher woke her up enough that a classmate was able to escort the tired girl to the infirmary. If she was going to sleep in school then it would be out of sight. Perfectly fine by her. Her escort promised to get their assignments and turn in Celeste's work. She really should have just stayed back at the dorm and taken the absence. The bed was surprisingly comfortable or maybe she was just that tired? It didn't take long for her to fall into a deep relaxing sleep…

"Wahoo!" An exuberant voice cried and shattered her restful sleep.

"Mrgle?" Celeste mumbled unintelligently into the pillow. Bleary eyes took in the scene at a glance. Still the infirmary but there was a nice privacy curtain blocking out the rest. That same exuberant voice cheered again.

"Oooh did you see the look on her face? Priceless! That look of despair…" The bitch kept prattling on about breaking someone's heart by stealing their boyfriend. Celeste felt the vein in her temple start to throb.

"Hnnnn…" A snarl of displeasure started up in her throat. People need to learn to exercise their indoor voices. The volume leveled off as the annoying girl quieted down. Probably whispering sweet nothings to the cheating slime bucket she tempted away. Then the noises started up again. This time there was a high pitched squeak that tore straight through her brain.

"So forward…! But I guess we can just cuddle~." Like nails on a chalkboard. Celeste's eyes flew open again, pupils narrowed to irate pinpricks. Her Ki swirled furiously as she stood up. She gripped the curtain and ripped it to one side. The blue haired girl from the other day stared at her owlishly while the boytoy sat with dead eyes. Did he feel guilty about hanging around with this tramp and breaking his girlfriend's heart? Whatever. It didn't matter. Her fury built up to a truly impressive height as the annoying girl shrank back in fear.

"Indoor voices!" Celeste thundered before nailing her target in the face with a point blank Ki Sphere. The busty girl yelped in shocked pain as she was literally embedded in the wall upside down. She lay in her own personal crater with swirling eyes as her wannabe paramour suddenly snapped out of his dead gaze. He leaped to his feat in fright. The idiot couldn't decide whether he should tend to her or not turn his back to Celeste. She jerked the curtain back into place and threw herself back on the bed.

She was going to get some fuckin' sleep dammit!

The pop ups were similarly ignored.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Through a specific action Intimidate has evolved!
Killing Intent lvl 13 - You were that pissed off, huh? Well you unleashed enough Killing Intent to kill a field of small animals. Might as well have a Skill to go with it, huh? This is an advanced version of Intimidate.
Passively increases Charisma + 1% + 1% per level (Current + 13%)
Passively inflicts Fear + 1% per level (Current + 13%)
Actively inflicts Fear/Stun + 5% per level (Current + 65%)
Passively resists Fear + 1% per level (Current + 13%)
Actively resists Fear/Stun + 5% per level (Current + 65%)
You defeated the Succubus Kurumu Kurono!
Gained + 1500 XP, Skill Book "Charm" (Needs MP to use)
Level Up 10 > 11
Monk Level Up 5 > 9

The silence. Blessed silence. Celeste started to smile as her worries drifted away…

"Tsukune-san…!" A new voice shattered the peace.

Bloodshot eyes opened with murderous intent.

Tsukune did the wise thing and dragged the girls out of the infirmary. Fast.

AN: Well this is weird. I was enjoying the size of my posts and then I started using Spoiler Boxes. Suddenly the size of the chapter shrunk! The chapter sizes are still the same just that SB doesn't count what's in spoilers. Hope this looks neater.

AN: I had some very good suggestions. If there is a lack of side characters that's mainly because of Celeste's focus on survival. She's not giving herself the time to get to know other people. She's only on a first name basis with an enemy just to illustrate her skewed priorities.
I fixed the wording of Purification. It now restores afflictions by percentage and not success rate. With the added mention that she needs a specific skill to remove curses. Also increased the cost of Fists of Fury. As it was pointed out the Skill costs too little. Thanks for your help!

I had these posted over on SpaceBattles but they claimed questionable content and took it down. I'm just doing some editing and transferring them to QQ! Enjoy some piping hot (slightly stale) content! Fresh for your eyes at least!

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 5

More homework and more forced training. That was the takeaway Celeste got from today. She was vaguely aware of being extremely angry, but couldn't remember the details. The broken wall in the infirmary drew a long incredulous stare, but the nurse didn't mind. According to her there was no way that Celeste could have done something like that. She was just too exhausted to have caused such damage. Her pop up directly contradicted the nurse's kind words, but she wasn't able to see what Celeste did. The dark haired girl exited the school with a weary sigh. All the nap did was remind her of what she was missing. It was back to the Skeletons for her. Just as she walked out a voice stopped her.

"I can't decide if you're tenacious, brave, or just stupid," a familiar bored girl said. Celeste's head whipped around in surprise. Standing just to the left of the door was her golden eyed savior. She was posed leaning against the wall with both arms folded. Her eyes held boredom, but also a hint of curiousity.

"Wait, stupid?" Celeste gawked. However, the older girl continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"Most people would stop going into the forest if it was so dangerous. After all, it's simple nature to avoid things that can kill us. Except you keep going back," she bit her lip contemplatively. The gesture so startlingly vulnerable that Celeste nearly squee'd.

"Well I…" Celeste started to say, but the other girl started talking again. She snapped her mouth shut so hard her teeth clicked.

"But yet there you were. Training, growing stronger, and conquering your fears. It was interesting actually. Maybe inspiring. Then you made that deal and now it's just dumb," her one-sided conversationalist eyed Celeste blandly.

"Can I speak now?" Celeste asked with a twitch in her eyebrow.

"Of course you can," she allowed magnanimously.

"What would you have done in my place? Keep in mind I want to get stronger so avoiding trouble altogether isn't an option," Celeste said. The other girl nodded slowly.

"This would be a terrible place to be helpless. At least you were smart enough to realize that…" Celeste's eyebrow twitched harder, "...that aside I never would have agreed to the Skeletal Track Team's terms so quickly. I would have made sure they understood that I had physical limitations compared to them. You didn't and now it's biting you in the ass," the golden eyed girl summarized.

"Negotiating...I didn't even think of that…" Celeste buried her face in her hands. Of course! Ryosei wanted her to do this for them. She had the power in the negotiation, but now it was gone. Renegotiating a contract from a position of weakness just wouldn't work now.

"I figured you hadn't so I closed off the sub dimension," she said as if it was nothing. Celeste's head came up so fast she almost got whiplash.

"Ehhh…!?" Celeste gawked in disbelief.

"It wasn't all that hard since students aren't supposed to even be in there in the first place. Yet somehow you kept finding a weak point between this dimension and the space between. I just closed it off," the taller girl gestured vaguely.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this…" Celeste admitted. On one hand it meant the Skeletons couldn't kidnap her anymore. On the other hand it meant she couldn't train in the Field Dungeon anymore and her Quest automatically failed. She checked it only to see the Quest was greyed out, but still listed as active.

"Once you balance your mind, body, and spirit better I'll let you back in. Right now you're too lopsided towards the body with some spirit training. Your mind is being completely neglected," she said appraisingly.

"You can tell that?" Celeste asked in amazement.

"It is fairly obvious. You have great speed and physical ability, but your ability to function is poor. Honestly, breaking the four minute mile while leaping hurdles should have been embarrassingly simple. Those boneheads are focusing entirely on your body and ignoring your mental abilities," the older girl stated plainly.

"Could you teach me?" Celeste asked hopefully only for it to be shot down in flames.

"No. Figure it out yourself. You were doing fine on your own until now," she said dismissively.

"But you just got finished saying I'm doing it wrong…" Celeste protested.

"What? I never said that. I just said you weren't doing it right. That doesn't automatically mean it's wrong. I thought I said you were doing adequate…" She looked mystified. It took Celeste an embarrassingly long time to realize that her savior had crappy people skills.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Celeste tried again.

"Go to the library I guess. They have all kinds of books there. Just ask around. We're supposed to be learning how to blend into human society, but we can't forget our roots either," she shrugged absently.

"Thanks," Celeste smiled gratefully. The older girl looked a bit surprised at the smile. She glanced off to one side.

"...Sumire Yakumo," the girl muttered.

"What?" Celeste asked.

"My name. Sumire Yakumo," Sumire said.

"Thank you Yakumo-san…" Celeste started to say only for the girl to disappear in a red portal, "...nevermind."

The library would be there tomorrow. Tonight she had homework and classwork to make up. Then she was going to bed early. Just the thought of getting a full night's sleep was nearly enough to make her cry. Her body recovered from the ordeal, but it still left her tired. She still kept the memory of the muscle aches, the pain, and the sheer overwhelming exhaustion. Sumire saved her big time. Celeste wouldn't waste this opportunity. It wasn't like Ryosei's Quest had a time limit after all. Though what could she do to tie her mind, body, and spirit together? There was something she was forgetting. Was it something from the Gamer or just common sense? Her mental stats were still compromised. The dark haired girl felt positively giddy at the prospect of a full night's sleep all over again.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

You have slept in your own bed
Your HP/Ki/Stamina is restored by 100%
All Status Debuffs are cured

Just like that she was wide awake. Never before had her power bothered with the morning pop up. Then again how often did it have persistent Status Debuffs to remove? Still it was nice to see. The only part that wasn't nice was how wide awake she was. Like she was never this awake before. Usually she could close her eyes and get a few extra winks, but nope. Not today. Oh well. It was a new day and she wanted to hit up the library for anything that might help. Sumire sounded so certain that there would be something for her there. She just had to make it through the day. Celeste took a quick shower and got dressed before preparing her breakfast. That was something she didn't understand. She was the one making all the meals, but yet the Gamer Power didn't give a Cooking Skill. Frankly it was a relief. This way she was still normal. Her cooking wouldn't win awards, but it was tasty and she was okay with that. Then froze as she waited to see if The Gamer would prove her wrong somehow. When it didn't, Celeste relaxed. She finished tossing a bento together, kissed Burnt Alive Lion, and headed off to class.

The Skill Book for the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu said she had enough Agility, but not enough Wisdom. Wisdom was gained through making common sense decisions, but also through strategy. Her usual strategy was attack or train. Neither one required much thought. At least the kind of training she was doing didn't. The problem was that Celeste needed to stop training harder and start training smarter. Bringing up her Wisdom was now vitally important. The rest of her Stats were leaving it in the dust. Her nose twitched as a strange scent drew closer. She glanced up from her planning in time to see a group of girls approach. The scents were confusing. Some were pleasant like a good bar of soap. Others were a bit too fruity like a bad perfume. The underlying scents below those were kind of sweaty? Not sweaty, but kind of nasty smelling. Except that the girls were all clean and well kempt so it couldn't be that they forgot to bathe. They did look nervous though. Wait. Was she smelling their nervousness? How the Hell did that happen?
A pop up showing that her Perception increased explained everything.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Perception has reached 25! Pick a Perk!
Bloodhound - Your sense of smell is so acute you can track even through the worst terrain. Increases Perception by 100% for tracking through scent.
Eagle Eye - Your amazing sense of sight is so amazing it rivals that of eagles. This allows you to zoom in quickly and track even the smallest prey. Perception is increased by 100% for using your eyes.
Ears of the Ba-

Celeste quickly chose Eagle Eye. Part of her problem was with visual tracking. The rest of the Perks would probably be offered at other milestones. She turned her attention back to the girls surrounding her desk with an arched eyebrow.

"U-um...Hollister-san?" A mousy looking girl with her hair in braids asked. She fidgeted with her uniform cutely. The others were leaving her to ask as spokeswoman it seemed.

"What's up?" Celeste asked pleasantly, making sure that her smile didn't show too many teeth.

"We just wanted to thank you," the mousy girl said.

"For what?" Celeste tilted her head in confusion. What did she do that was so great?

"You made that Kurumu Kurono from Class 1-A leave our boyfriends alone!" The girl blurted out. Her fellow classmates quickly chimed in with "Yeah!" "About time!" "That tramp!"

Celeste's eyes widened at the outpouring of approval. When did she even meet Kurumu Kurono? A new pop up, apparently dated yesterday, showed an after action report. She did meet the Succubus, but apparently beat her so fast it didn't even register. How exhausted was she yesterday!? The purple eyed girl listened and nodded in bemusement as the girls worked themselves into a frenzy of approval. Was that even possible? She didn't do anything that amazing, right? Apparently she became the most popular girl in class entirely by accident. The boys weren't happy though. Having a sexy girl showering them with attention was nice. This is why Celeste was staying out of the dating business. Too much hassle. Then again wasn't one of the genres she picked romance? She covered her head with both hands as her face hit the desk in despair. Truly she was her own worst enemy.

She did make some friends out of it so that was cool.

"Stuff for training your mind, body, and spirit together?" The mousy girl, Aika Nezumi, asked curiously. Her underlying scent reminded Celeste of a mouse. Fitting with her name.

"Right. I was just told my training is really lopsided…" Celeste admitted with a weak smile.

"You might want to try out for one of the Sports Clubs. Club Day is in a couple days," the pretty girl with chestnut hair from the other day said. She was Himeko Haruno. Her underlying scent was like a forest.

"But she's a power type monster. It would make sense that her spiritual or mental energies were out of balance," Kurone Sawara remarked. She was the one who smelled the dog scent from the pervert. By her own words she was some sort of feline monster. Apparently Celeste's training was paying off to where even her classmates thought she was a monster.

"Why are we even worrying about this? I hate working harder than I have to…" Mitsuki Nakamura was a redhead and a serious fashionista. She was the only one in class who could rival Celeste in looks, but somehow even she lost out to Kurumu. Clearly the Succubus was a threat in the looks department. Then again they did have an innate talent for Charming others. Too bad she couldn't learn magic abilities.

"Because she's the strongest person in our class and the one we can rely on the most. From what I've heard the Student Safety Commission looks the other way when there's trouble. The teachers even leave it to them to handle everything. So if we need protection it only makes sense to prop up our champion," Kurone adjusted her spectacles.

Student Safety Commission…?

"What do you mean? What's the Student Safety Commission?" Celeste asked.

"You haven't read the handbook yet it seems. It doesn't really matter. Some of the upperclassmen warned me to stay away from them. If they tell me not to do something then I should stop immediately. No matter how unfair it might be. We can't rely on the teachers to reign them in either. They're so used to leaving school safety matters to them it's become the default response," Kurone said quietly to avoid drawing attention.

"Sounds more like a Student Oppression Commission," Himeko said with a sniff of derision.

"That has actual power. I for one am going to follow Kurone-san's advice and keep my head down," Aika remarked with a shudder.

"Probably for the best...I just want to get through high school," Mitsuki agreed.

The mood plummeted as the other girls lost themselves in thought of the Student Safety Commission. Celeste hated to see this. She wanted a nice, peaceful, and fun high school life. Something to make up for the absolute crap her own life became before she died. The monsters were an unpleasant surprise, but quickly faded in the background. They were people and in fact were quite nice. At least most of the ones she met were kind. Now she was forced to watch her new friends labor under fears of a great injustice. There was a time when she wanted to grow stronger for her own safety. That didn't change, but now there was something more. She wanted to make others feel safe. Her life before this was wracked with uncertainty, not helped by her depression. In this life, however, she could do something worthwhile. Not because she felt it was her duty, but because she wanted to help. The true measure of a person was to give them power and see what they would do. Celeste wouldn't let an injustice stand. It wouldn't be easy, but she would do her damndest.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Quest Alert
Please Stop Oppressing Me! - The Student Safety Commission has fallen far from their lofty ideals. Their only concern seems to be in oppressing others for their 'Justice.' You know this isn't right. It's time to start a revolution, but it won't be easy. This is one fight that won't be won quickly.
Bonus Goal: ?
Bonus Goal: ?
Rewards: + 50,000 XP, 2 Random Skill Books, 2 Random Pieces of Equipment, + 1,000,000 Yen, Reputation Greatly Increased with the students/school.
Bonus Rewards: ???
Failure: Death
Accept? Y/N

"I can't promise that I'll be able to protect you from everything, but I will do my best," Celeste promised. She didn't offer them platitudes or mindless declarations of protection. All she could do was her best. The Quest accepted that as a Yes. Again there was no time limit. As long as she didn't let the Student Oppression Committee know about her efforts, they wouldn't come after her. Unless she did something they didn't approve of and that could be anything. Her words had an immediate effect on the mood. While it didn't get up to the level it was before, her new friends were no longer quite as afraid.

Kurone did have an idea for something Celeste could learn. It would take a trip to the Occult Club though. Celeste couldn't help the sense of unreality that a school for monsters had an Occult Club. Her studious friend explained it as researching how humans looked on the Occult arts. It was also home to those magic using monsters. They had a witch, but she graduated last year. How did she know so much about the school as a Freshman?

"I read the handbook," Kurone said plainly.

That didn't explain everything!

"How do you know who graduated?" Celeste asked in bewilderment.

Kurone adjusted her glasses complete with a glint of light, "I did my research."

"Could you maybe write out a guide for Freshman? I would be your first customer," Celeste was only half kidding. Kurone glanced away with a faintly embarrassed look. She started fiddling with her glasses.

"Oh well I wouldn't charge friends for such things…" Kurone protested. She fussily patted her hair back in place.

"So cute…" Celeste cooed. That didn't help her friend's composure at all. Providence smiled on the embarrassed girl as they reached the club room.

"We're here!" She exclaimed unnecessarily. To Celeste it sounded like she was equal parts relieved and disappointed. Her high Charisma was definitely at fault for at least part of this.

The Occult Club clearly pandered to the stereotype. Dark curtains blocked out the light with the only source of radiance coming from weeping candles. Old musty tomes were packed into hardwood bookcases. There were black leather armchairs in the four corners of the room. The black carpet caused both of Celeste's eyebrows to shoot up. Woven into the fabric was a white pentagram. A dark altar with a purple velvet cushion trimmed in gold. Resting on the altar was an ancient seeming skull with an athame sticking out of the forehead. This is what they thought a human Occult Club looked like!? Though the mystical diagrams on the walls were a nice touch. The students were just as strange. Wearing an interesting mix of black eyeliner, collars, and other counterculture accessories. Someone apparently watched too much TV and decided to dress as a stereotype.

"You are here to learn the secrets of the mystical world," a dark voice spoke ominously. He was tall and thin with stringy black hair. The uniform was worn casually with a silver pentagram necklace worn halfway down his chest. His eyes held an intensity that quite frankly alarmed Celeste. Kurone went from stoic to unnerved in seconds. The way he eyed them both it was like they were being measured as sacrifices.

"I was hoping to learn how to bring my mind, body, and spirit into alignment," Celeste said. Her instincts were screaming run, but her common sense reminded her that she had Ki Reinforcement up. The door was at their back. No one blocked it off or tried to lock them in so it was safe. Safe-ish. Sixty-forty.

"Yes, you are a seeker. However, your ability to touch the mystical world is pathetically weak. You must hone your mystical energies to truly grow," he spoke hypnotically. Gamer's Mind kicked in instantly to dispel the effect. Kurone started to walk towards him, but Celeste pulled her back and stepped in front of the hypnotized girl. His eyebrow rose at that.

"Don't play with my friends or I will get very angry," Celeste warned in a low voice. Her eyes flared with Ki as Low-Light Vision chased away the shadows. She exerted Killing Intent directly on the older student. A choking sound almost caused her to stop, but it turned out to be the upperclassman laughing. Sweat was pouring down his face, but he was laughing.

"Ahhh...so this one is a protector...a Knight of the Coven who guards those from harm...Put it away. I will not toy with you any longer. No. My test revealed far more about you than it did about me. You have lost while I have gained. Your mind truly is your weak point," he observed without losing his smile.

"I-I'm sorry, Celeste-san. I didn't know it would be like this…" Kurone whispered at her back. Celeste reached back to hold the girl's hand comfortingly.

"Psychological warfare, huh? You were deliberately trying to see my weaknesses and I fell for it…" Celeste shook her head in disgust.

"No threats now? Smart. You don't know just who, or what, you might be threatening. I am a frail monster, so a single strike from you would be my undoing, but…" He trailed off leadingly.

"But you already proved you can twist my mind around in circles and take hostages," Celeste noted sourly.

[Wisdom + 1]

At least she got a point of Wisdom out of this.

"Your path is not here. You may come and borrow books, but do try to leave them in the same condition. I doubt that you will join our Club. If you wish to test yourself against me again then feel free. My purpose is to guide others on the path of wisdom and to act as a light," his smile widened to impossible levels. He faded away from view in pieces. All that was left was his eerie smile before that too disappeared.

"Cheshire Cat, classic," Celeste had to give him that. He was quite the showman.

"Let's just get the books and go…" Kurone pressed against Celeste's arm. There was nothing tantalizing about it. The poor girl was still shaken over the experience.

The Occult Club members didn't mind the two outsiders plundering their bookshelves. A sign declared that knowledge is meant to be free, but a curse upon those who don't return books. Celeste left them forty thousand yen and suddenly they were even friendlier. In fact they were so friendly that Celeste and Kurone left the room with a box of books each. All of the books were damaged ones. Copies of what was on the shelf. No one usually wanted damaged books, but with how Celeste's power worked it didn't matter. Kurone kept a couple of the ones on magic and mystical phenomena. The purple eyed girl wanted to see if they were worthwhile to learn, but with Kurone's ordeal? She decided to just let it go. Maybe she could borrow the books later? Though for loaned books she would have to read them the long way. The girls parted ways at the dorm. As it turned out, Kurone was two doors down from her own. Celeste ducked into her room and quickly locked the door.

"Well Burnt Alive Lion it's time to get to work," Celeste rubbed her hands together gleefully. The books in her box were some of the more interesting. She didn't get a single pop up telling her they couldn't be learned. Everything here didn't require Magic to use. The ninety percent decrease to learning Magic Skills was painful, but she would endure. Whatever it took to fix her imbalance.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Secrets of the Inner Self - A book detailing how to reach your spiritual center. You know this as the Skill Meditation.
The Way of the Effulgent Light - An esoteric tome detailing the specifics of spiritual combat. Teaches the practitioner to turn their inner energy into sanctifying light.
The Layman's Guide to Spooky Stuff - Largely regarded as a joke by the serious occultists, but it really isn't. The instructions in this book are useful for the layman in dealing with the supernatural.
Tobin's Spirit Guide 2001 Edition - An outdated version of an extremely popular book. Humans know it from the movie Ghostbusters. The Monster World very nearly had a fit when they realized it actually existed and that it was accurate. More reliable than the Bite-Sized Monster Dictionary, but not nearly as portable.

The rest of the books were on research or for mystic arts she didn't have. Just because she couldn't use the associated Skill didn't mean they were useless. The Tobin's Spirit Guide was kept to one side. She didn't want to consume it until she had a chance to read the book. The crack about it not being portable was accurate. By now Tobin's Spirit Guide was so big it looked like a Tokyo phonebook. She had to tear her eyes away as the book gained a bludgeoning rating of four. Celeste happily took in the Meditation and Effulgent Light Skill Books.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Meditation lvl 1 - This is the practice of increasing mindfulness to train attention and awareness. Useful for achieving an emotionally stable and clear mind.
One time bonus Wisdom + 5
Passively increases Wisdom + 1% per level
Actively increases Ki Regeneration + 5% per level
Warning: Cannot be used while performing strenuous actions.
The Way of Effulgent Light can either be taken as a separate Skill or merged with existing martial arts styles. Do you wish to merge your martial arts styles? Y/N

She could actually do that? Celeste hit Yes and watched as The Way of Effulgent Light added something new to Martial Combat.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Martial Combat lvl 15 - A basic physical style that utilizes hands, feet, and martial weapons equally. Serves as a bridge into higher level martial arts. It's so basic that it can be combined with other styles seamlessly.
Passively increases Strength/Agility + 10% + 2.5% per level (Current + 45%)
Passively increases Physical Damage, Attack Speed, Dodge + 20% + 5% per level (Current + 85%)
Passively increases Ki Effects by 10% + 2.5% per level (Current + 45%)
Can be used to cleanse impure or wicked energies through Ki.

Time to get back to work. She was going to have so much fun figuring out just how many Ki abilities she could have active with Meditation. As long as she didn't tap into her Stamina it should be fine. Out of combat her Ki Regeneration was higher than what was used. Celeste turned off the lights, activated her Ki Skills, and sat down to start her homework. If anyone looked towards her window they would see a pale purple glow dancing from within.
A pair of golden eyes watched for several minutes before vanishing without a trace.

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 6

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Low-Light Vision lvl 1 > Max
Ki Reinforcement lvl 22 > 25
Breath Control lvl lvl 25 > 26
Ki Manipulation (Basic) lvl 15 > Max
Ki Manipulation (Basic) evolved to Ki Manipulation (Intermediate)
Ki Manipulation (Intermediate) lvl 1 - A more advanced skill for channeling your Ki in a different way.
Eases the use of all Ki abilities by 2% per level (Current 20%)
Lowers the cost of Ki Abilities by 0.5% per level (Current 0.5%)
Blazing Aura lvl 6 > 10
Meditation lvl 1 > 6
Wisdom + 3

Not bad at all for a night of meditation. Except now she was feeling a bit tired. She didn't get a pop up for Fatigue, but a night in meditation wasn't a proper substitute for sleep. Live and learn. The increase to Wisdom was fantastic. It was exactly what she needed. Meditation let her know what was going on without losing focus. The real test would be if she could use it in class. Celeste didn't need the pyrotechnics from her other active Skills. Now she had a conundrum. She had a couple things to choose.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Due to the Skill Low-Light Vision reaching Max level you can choose an evolution:
Infrared Vision lvl 1 - This is the ability to see warmth and changes in temperature.
Cost 2 Ki per minute
Streamline Vision lvl 1 - This is the ability to see air currents.
Cost 2 Ki per minute
Detective Vision lvl 1 - This is an even more advanced form of vision. Allows the user to see people through walls and detect useful objects in the environment. Highlights whether a person is armed and wearing body armor in yellow. Those with active energy are highlighted in purple.
Distance increases by 1 meter per level.
Cost 40 Ki per second

When did this become Batman Arkham Asylum? Infrared Vision and Streamline Vision were both much cheaper. Detective Vision cost forty Ki per second for a Skill was crazy, but it was a powerful sensory tool. Could she keep it active without revealing herself? Celeste outwardly groaned. She already knew the Skill she wanted. A quick look in the mirror with Detective Vision showed her pupils glowing purple. Maybe if she wore sunglasses the glow wouldn't be as noticeable, but there would be a new problem. Sunglasses were not permitted by the dress code. At least she could work on it at home or when no one was watching her. Now all she needed was a Skill for Investigation. Soon that pervert would be found and dealt with. She hugged her plushie tight with resolve. So what if she looked silly? No one would know except her.
Unless someone was spying on her.

"Where did that thought come from?" Celeste wondered aloud. She glanced over her shoulder and checked the windows. There didn't seem to be anything unusual or out of place. Detective Vision didn't show anything unusual either except to tag every action figure in her room. She deadpanned as her limited edition Medieval Spawn triggered three alerts.

Everybody's a critic.

The other thing she had to deal with was how activated Perception worked. By channeling Ki into Perception it gave her senses a huge boost. Coupled with Meditation she was able to identify each and every unique sensation. The smells of the other people in the dormitory were almost enough to give her a headache. She now knew more about her neighbors than anyone rightfully should. Celeste politely slammed the door shut on just what she discovered. Good girls didn't think about traumatizing things. The taste of the air in her room was something she had to deal with too. There was a bitter tang of sweat from improperly airing out her bedding. The delightful flavor of someone's perfume wafting under the door. Can't forget the taste of dust from where she forgot to dust the shelves. Touch was the sense with the most complicated feelings attached to it though. Imagine suddenly having hypersensitive skin. Even silk felt as rough as sandpaper. Heaven forbid she actually try to feel sandpaper itself with her senses super active. The nearly stagnant breeze drifting through her room was actually cold to the touch. She decided that there was such a thing as too much stimulation. However that wasn't even remotely as disturbing as cranking up her hearing. Without Meditation she might have gone mad at the strange noises. It took her an embarrassingly long time to realize that the drum solo was her own heart beat. She could actually hear her heart and bodily processes. How weird was that? Celeste locked up her thoughts on her neighbors nighttime activities with the smells. Never to be heard from again.

How would good chocolate taste with her senses cranked up?

This bore looking into quite thoroughly. For science of course.

Meditation really was a big help. It helped her to slow down and actually focus. She was missing so many little nuances from the Skills she developed. Like how Blazing Aura also acted as a shield using her attack power to blunt incoming damage. The normal Defense Boost was to her evasion. It didn't show up in the Skill description, but it was there as she found out by dropping a book on her foot. She didn't even feel it at all. Celeste tested it further by trying to cut herself with the Dagger, but it didn't even breach the aura. Even a stab felt like a hard punch. She stopped before really trying to impale herself, but it was nice to know. Ki Manipulation did make Ki use easier just like it said. While studying she held aloft a ball of Ki and spent time shaping it into different forms. Nothing quite so concrete as swords or the like, but turning a sphere into a wedge or square was possible. Trying to use it during a kata caused Meditation to fail. Either the level wasn't high enough or katas were too strenuous to hold Meditation.

Her ruminations were disturbed by a tap tap tapping on her chamber door.

"Who's there?" Celeste asked.

"Aika! We're going to class together!" Aika called through the door.

"Just a minute!" Celeste called back. Walking buddies, huh? That was something she could live with.

This was a welcome change from her old life. Before she was an introvert. Friends and family had to bodily drag her out into the sunlight. Celeste never did get to thank them for caring so much. Being reincarnated in a new world was full of new possibilities, but those new possibilities highlighted what she couldn't get back. It wasn't enough to totally spoil the mood, but she was more thoughtful on the walk to school. She was just trying to slot her new friends into neat little files. Not because she wanted to pigeonhole them, but because she cared. It was something she used to do to keep her friends fresh in her mind. For when the depression tried to sap the last bit of joy from her life. When those times hit she could hold up the mental files and banish it back to whence it came. It didn't always work, but she never stopped believing that someday it would be banished for good. Celeste smiled softly. The depression that so often plagued her really was defeated. Someday she would find a way to tell everyone back home that she was doing fine. That thought alone brought her spirits up again.

"Still with us?" Aika asked cheerfully.

"Yeah I am. Just thinking that's all," Celeste smiled back.

"I swear you think more than Kurone-chan," Himeko teased.

"Possibly not that much, but she does have deep thoughts," Kurone noted before glancing away with a little blush. Yep. Celeste had no idea what she did to become a chick magnet. In her old life she was best described as demisexual. To most she came of as asexual.

"Frankly I think those boots of hers are to die for. Too bad you can't wear them all day," Mitsuki eyed the Kung Fu Shoes covetously. Celeste almost squeaked. She forgot to put on her walking shoes, not her butt kicking shoes!

"Ah ha ha...Yeah...I was training earlier and forgot to put on my normal shoes…" Celeste laughed sheepishly. Now all her friends were eyeing the boots curiously.

"Wow you are seriously dedicated to training," Himeko finally said.

"She is the Guardian of 1-B," Aika nodded sagely.

"She really is," Kurone smiled faintly.

"At least she's fashionable," Mitsuki winked.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Title Gained!
Guardian of Class 1-B - So what if it's just four girls saying it? The unspoken agreement is that you are the strongest student in class. This Title comes with a few benefits. +50% Defense when defending a classmate. +40 Speed to reach a beleaguered classmate's side. +1 Heroic Second Wind when standing in defense of another.
Heroic Second Wind (Uses 1) - Survive with 1 HP when an attack would reduce you to zero HP or lower. Fully restore Ki/Stamina.

She probably should have analyzed the title some more, but the outpouring of support undid her. Celeste wiped her eyes unabashedly. The girls didn't know what it was they said, but it obviously meant a lot to her. She couldn't tell them just how good it felt to hear that they trusted her. Her friends closed ranks so that no one would see her crying. The rest of the walk to school passed in comfortable silence. Then that silence turned to profound shock as they beheld the courtyard. It looked as if some demented planning committee decided to host a festival. Stalls lined the makeshift avenue with an even more eclectic group of students trying to garner attention. On that score they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Whoever heard of a Mummy Club? The Acupuncture Club was especially worrisome. Who used two foot needles in acupuncture!? No matter where they looked there was something else to boggle the mind. She was pretty sure that normal human schools didn't have a Flying Club with real winged people. The weirdest part were all the pop ups telling her what the different Clubs granted for bonuses.

"I'm signing up for the Library Club. It's probably the only normal Club on campus," Kurone deadpanned.

"Ooh there's a Photography Club! I wonder if they need a model?" Mitsuki visibly preened at the idea.

"There's a Karate Club! Want to join with me?" Himeko gripped Celeste's hands. Celeste took a half step back in surprise at how she invaded her space.

"Ooh! Want to join the Track Team with me?" Aika beamed as she latched onto Celeste's arm. The thought of joining the Track Team sent a shudder down her spine.

"I-I'm really not into joining the Track Team…" Celeste smiled nervously. Aika looked disappointed, but not too upset. The Karate Club did sound like a good idea. "I'll check out the Karate Club with you, Himeko-chan."

The Karate Club Stall looked more like the main attraction at a carnival. There was a stage set up with dozens of students in the audience. On the stage were two stacks of stone slabs. One stack had a bear of a student seated behind it with his gi opened to expose his muscular chest. There was another karate student, thinner than him, with a slimy look. He was rubbing his hands greedily while calling out to the audience.

"Come on up and try your best! 5,000 yen for a shot at the pool! The current value is 60,000 yen! Any takers? All winners get a favored student bonus and personal training by the Vice Captain!" Mr. Slimy exclaimed. He was grinning evilly as no one was taking the challenge.

"Can we just sign up to join?" Himiko called back.

"You? We only train the strongest! Little girls need not apply," he mockingly turned her down. Himiko bristled angrily, but didn't say anything. The laughs of derision were getting on Celeste's nerves.

"If I win then we get into the club. Simple as that right?" Celeste called out. The laughs faded as the audience waited to see what Mr. Slimy was going to do now. He looked around uneasily before regaining his confidence.

"Yeah, sure. If you somehow beat Goki then we'll take both of you. Come on up! Give a round of applause for our challenger!" The slimebucket waved her up.

"Be careful, Celeste-chan. I think they might be cheating…" Himiko whispered.

"Of course they are, but I plan on winning anyway," Celeste smirked.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Quest Alert!
Are you hard enough!? - Can you match strength with a brute three times your size? Show these musclebound jerks what a 'little girl' can do!
Bonus: Shatter all the stone slabs in one blow!
Reward: 3,000 XP, 60,000 Yen, 2 places in the Karate Club, Private Lessons with the Vice Captain, Lost Reputation with Slimy and Biggie, Gain Great Reputation with Himiko.
Bonus Reward: Skill Book "Stone Fist Martial Arts"
Failure: Lost Reputation with the Karate Club, Audience.
Mandatory Quest

Celeste mounted the stage to the whispers of the audience. Some called out encouragement while others derided her. She didn't let it bother her. Her opponent leered through sharpened teeth. Was he even trying to look human? His craggy face and chiseled body didn't look natural. The dark haired girl turned back to her stack of stones. She let her hair fall across her eyes and activated Detective Vision. The stones turned blue to her sight as little circles appeared on stress points in the structure. Celeste let a smirk of confidence cross her face.

"Can I get these stones arranged?" Celeste asked.

"Tch! You're gonna ask for fewer stones? Guess you don't wanna break your delicate fingernails," her opponent scoffed.

"Not fewer, just moved around. Well?" Celeste demanded.

"Fine. How do you want it?" Slimy asked mockingly. Four gi clad students came on stage and started rearranging the stones at Celeste's direction. The audience murmured in confusion at the strange activity, but seemed interested in how this would turn out. Himiko was biting her lip in worry. If this worked out she would be a legend.

The stones were rearranged in a staggered pattern. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the order, but Celeste was satisfied. Her opponent scoffed, but didn't say anything. He simply brought up one slab sized hand and brought it down in a karate chop. The stones were chopped through in a stunning display of power. There were three at the bottom left undamaged, but he looked satisfied. Three remaining out of twelve was quite the accomplishment. The bar was rather high, but Celeste felt up to the challenge. He eyed her challengingly. Confident that there was no way she could beat his record.

Celeste was about to ruin this man's whole career.

With her bangs down she triggered Detective Vision again. There it was. The path of least resistance lined up beautifully from top to bottom. She started to use Meditation to clear her mind. Slowly breathing while syncing her spirit with her body. Her mind expanded as she molded Ki within the palm of her hand. Just below the surface. Ki Reinforcement strengthened her limbs beyond their natural limits. The path lit up to her enhanced vision as she focused a line of ki through the stack. All systems are green. Locked on target. She stood over the stack while bringing up her hand to deliver a downward heel blow. Just a moment before impact, she used Blazing Aura, but quickly turned it off before the flames grew visible. She just wanted that extra bit of power. The Ki filling the weak points was then struck with her palm. Celeste, as well as the audience, stared in amazement as the entire stack of stone shattered completely. She knew what to expect, sure, but the results were more explosive. There were pieces of stone littering the stage a good five feet away from her. Her opponent was looking particularly shell shocked and pock marked with granite pebbles.

There were some people in the front row who got it too.

Audience participation, right?

"Uh..well..I...uh…" The slimy promoter stammered for an answer.

"So I win, right?" Celeste asked rhetorically.

"Uhhh...yes…?" He agreed dazedly.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Quest Alert!
Are you hard enough!? - Can you match strength with a brute three times your size? Show these musclebound jerks what a 'little girl' can do!
Bonus: Shatter all the stone slabs in one blow!
Reward: 3,000 XP, 60,000 Yen, 2 places in the Karate Club, Private Lessons with the Vice Captain, Lost Reputation with Slimy and Biggie, Gain Great Reputation with Himiko.
Bonus Reward: Skill Book "Stone Fist Martial Arts"
Failure: Lost Reputation with the Karate Club, Audience.
Mandatory Quest: Complete
Bonus Goal: Complete
Received Skill Book "Stone Fist Martial Arts"
Level Up 11 > 13
Monk Level Up 9 > 10 [Temporary Level Freeze - You can choose now whether to continue in Monk or change Class. The remaining points will then be distributed.]
-Choose a Monk Trait-
Elemental Attribute I - Choose from one of the classic elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning. You can now learn and create techniques based on this element. Techniques of the same element are easier to learn, but opposite elements are three times as hard.
Ki Potency I - Your Ki is especially potent and thus harder to resist. All Ki Techniques gain a further + 25% boost to effectiveness.
Martial Evolution I - Instantly increases the tier of one Martial Technique. Can only be used once and then lost.

Before Celeste could make a decision, however, there came an explosion from the Swimming Club. A fountain of water erupted into the air accompanied by flying fishy bodies. The audience started running towards the scene. Of course they would. A disaster was much more attractive than a contest. She pushed her way through the excited throng to reach Himiko's side. The girl was only too happy to let her friend guide them out of the crush of people. Maybe they did get into the Karate Club, but frankly Celeste wouldn't learn anything from them. Their condescending attitudes drove her wild and not in a good way.

"If you want to learn martial arts then come to me. I'll teach you. Those guys are too elitist to really do a good job," Celeste jerked a thumb back over her shoulder.

"O-okay...I would definitely like to learn how to defend myself…" Himiko beamed happily. She kept sneaking glances towards the Swimming Club. None of their friends were there and Celeste wasn't altruistic enough to go investigate. Besides there would be plenty of others more qualified to handle things.

The annoying thing was that, aside from the Karate Club, there wasn't much that interested her. Himiko broke off to join the Kendo Club. She still wanted to learn from Celeste, but the head of the Kendo Club was hot. That was just fine by her. Whatever motivated her friend to defend herself. The Captain saw her performance for the Karate Club and politely asked her not to join. Apparently she was too destructive for them. That left her with precious few choices. She could join the Library Club. The benefit was access to books and maybe find more Skill Books. There was the Fashion Club. Maybe she could earn a Crafting Skill from that? The Track Team was completely out as she was still gunshy from her nightly training.

"Might as well make my choices now…" Celeste decided as she wandered aimlessly around the stalls. She chose Martial Evolution I for her Perk and used it on Ki Reinforcement. The sudden shift caused her to stumble.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Martial Evolution I has evolved Ki Reinforcement!
Ki Reinforcement (Intermediate) lvl 25 - Martial artists understand that within all living things exists an energy. This energy goes by many names, but is all the same. With this you can manipulate your inner energy to accomplish great feats. At higher levels you could even perform at a truly supernatural level.
Advanced Ki Pool (Vitality x 10)
All Stamina costs for Skills are now Ki costs.
When Ki is exhausted then Stamina will be used.
Passively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality + 10% + 5% per level (Current + 130%)
Passively increases Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma + 5% + 2.5% per level (Current + 65%)
Actively increases Strength/Agility/Vitality + 40% by 20% per level (Current + 520%)
Actively increases Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma + 20% + 10% per level (Current + 260%)
Cost 40 Ki per second

Forty Ki per second!? Celeste shoved the shock of the cost to one side and looked at the evolved Skill objectively. All of the values were doubled. She even had more Ki than before. The bonus to her mental and spirit Stats was fantastic. It didn't increase her Luck, but that was understandable. Ki couldn't actually increase Luck. Maybe if she had some form of Magic Reinforcement, but it was unnecessary. It was just that the cost stuck with her. Celeste mentally pushed the matter aside. She used the Skill Book for Stone Fist Martial Arts. It didn't become a separate Skill, but instead added to Martial Combat.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Martial Combat lvl 15 - A basic physical style that utilizes hands, feet, and martial weapons equally. Serves as a bridge into higher level martial arts. It's so basic that it can be combined with other styles seamlessly.
Passively increases Strength/Agility + 10% + 2.5% per level (Current + 45%)
Passively increases Physical Damage, Attack Speed, Dodge + 20% + 5% per level (Current + 85%)
Passively increases Defense by (Vitality/10)% + 1% per level.
Passively lowers the chance of broken bones by (Vitality/10)% + 1% per level.
Passively increases Ki Effects by 10% + 2.5% per level (Current + 45%)
Can be used to cleanse impure or wicked energies through Ki.

Now her skin had a higher defense rating than the tunic. She still needed the tunic, as it was more durable than her school clothes, but at least it wasn't for protection now. The reduced chance of breaking bones was nice too. Celeste came to a stop in front of the last stall. It was partially hidden at the end of the concourse. There wasn't anyone manning the stall, but she saw a sign up sheet. Newspaper Club, huh? The pop up showed her the benefits of joining the Club.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Newspaper Club - A newspaper club is more than just a means to disseminate information. It is the voice of the student body. It is a place they can voice their opinions, their ideas, and their ideals. The main reason or giving students a voice is that those who feel they can enter the dialogue become participants, rather than spectators. Spectators only complain and harbor grudges. Participants are more apt to listen to both sides, to be positive contributors, and to care.
A newspaper club is apt to be this voice even more so than the student council. Every student can have an opportunity to have their voice heard in the newspaper, but they may not have that opportunity with the student council.
Benefit: Intelligence and Wisdom Growth + 20%, Gain Skill "Investigation", All Investigative Skills + 50%

Holy Wall of Text Batman!
Her Quest to find the pervert needed more than punching. She needed to be able to investigate leads. The Newspaper Club could also get away with asking questions that others couldn't. Celeste couldn't help the grin that crossed her face as she quickly signed herself up. Just because the stall was empty didn't mean the Club would be too, right?

Spoiler: System Pop Up

You have joined the Newspaper Club!
Skill Gained: Investigation
Investigation lvl 1 - This is the talent for noticing small details and drawing the appropriate conclusions. This Skill can be used to track in urban and wilderness environments, but not as effectively as other Skills.
Passively increases Intelligence/Wisdom + 1% per level

"Perfect…" Celeste purred.

The Newspaper Club room was listed on the sheet. Why was it in a classroom? Everyone else had their own room, but not the Newspaper Club? That seemed weird. There was also the lack of applicants. Something was fishy here and she was curious to find out what. When a Quest for it didn't immediately pop up it was almost disappointing, but not everything could be a Quest. Celeste found the classroom with little difficulty, but it seemed that she was the last one to arrive. In fact vaguely recognized the students who were already there. The big breasted blue haired girl was the one from the infirmary. She was glomping onto the arm of a nervous looking brunette boy. Also from the infirmary. The pink haired girl was the only one she didn't remember from the infirmary. Wait. Wasn't she the one dragging the brunette towards the school on the first day? They seemed to remember her more vividly if the way the two closed ranks on the blue haired girl.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt anyone. The other day was bad for me. I was too exhausted and not really thinking clearly. Please excuse me," Celeste bowed.

"Just don't do it again," the blue haired girl blustered.

"Ha ha ha...Kurumu-san…" The brunette laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"I didn't arrive until after everything was done...but...apology accepted," the pink haired girl said politely.

"Pleased to meet you all. My name is Celeste Hollister," Celeste introduced herself. The others introduced themselves as well.

Tsukune Aono was a normal looking guy with no unusual qualities. In fact it was his lack of unusual qualities that was even stranger. She briefly used Detective Vision on him and tried not to gawk. He had no Ki or exotic energy! Well, there was a tiny trickle of Ki, but that was all. By comparison Kurumu Kurono was a bonfire. She could see the hazy outline of wings and a spade-shaped tail. Her figure was enough to incite rage in other women. Moka Akashiya was another very pretty girl with an extremely unusual aura. It was like someone throttled her power and kept it bottled up. She was forced to stop as her gaze rested on the rosary around the girl's neck. Something within that rosary glared out at her with enough force that it made Celeste shiver.

"Oh? We have someone else joining?" A delighted, but confused, voice inquired. The speaker was Nekonome-sensei. A pleasant cat woman who was chronically unable to keep up her human disguise. Just don't call her out on it or risk catching a case of Cat Scratch Fever.

"Yes, Nekonome-sensei," Celeste replied with a cheerful smile.

"Wonderful! Now that we're all here I would like to introduce the head of the Newspaper Club," Nekonome-sensei gestured to someone they couldn't see. A very handsome, but also very familiar, person entered the classroom. The red hairband and slicked back dark hair was engraved in Celeste's memory.

"Hello everyone! My name is Ginei Morioka and I'm…" He started to say, but Celeste interrupted him.

"It's the Pervert!" She exclaimed. One slender finger pointing at him in condemnation.

Well joining the Newspaper Club did help her find the pervert.

Silver linings...right?

This was going to take some explaining…

AN: I planned to end the chapter here. It just seemed appropriate. She'll decide whether to change her Class or stick with Monk later. That's something I didn't want her to just jump into. The character sheet hasn't been completely updated with the new Stat values. Until it is, I'm removing the bracketed Stats.

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 7

pan·de·mo·ni·um - noun - wild and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar.

Also the state immediately after Celeste called an upperclassman a pervert. She was only going to get one chance at this. The group was unsettled and looking for answers, but no one had the presence of mind to take charge. Perfect. The girl allowed herself to enter a light meditative state, not enough to trigger the Skill, but enough to achieve calm. Her senses expanded under the effects of Perception. Now it was time to see who else was complicit in their upperclassman's crimes.

"You just met the guy!" Kurumu exclaimed in an aggrieved tone. Her heartbeat was shaky, but it only happened when she looked at Celeste. She was going to have to mend some fences with the other girl. Blasting someone in the face with a ki bolt wasn't exactly a "Hi, how do you do."

Not unless this was Dragon Ball.

"Are you sure…?" Moka asked hesitantly. Her heartbeat was perfectly steady. This was the heartbeat of an innocent soul or at least one with nothing to hide. She didn't seem like such a bad person.

"Oh man…" Tsukune moaned in distress. The way his heartbeat was hammering he was guilty of any number of crimes. Either that or he was just a really nervous guy. If he was cheating on his girlfriend in the infirmary there was no sign. The girlfriend in question seemed to forgive him. Celeste would hold off on judgment until she knew him better.

"Gin-kun is a pervert, nya…?" Nekonome-sensei wriggled in confusion. Her tail waved from side to side in counterpoint to the wiggling. It was plain that she had zero idea of what was going on. Celeste was confident in letting their advisor off the hook.

"Whoa wait a minute! I might be guilty of loving the ladies, but that hardly makes me a pervert…" Ginei laughed nervously. His heartbeat was going triphammer. The stench of nervousness radiated off of him in waves. She felt especially dirty at the amount of arousal he had being in the same room as so many girls. There was nothing wrong with that. In fact it was healthy. It was just the fact she could sense it at all.

"No it doesn't…" Celeste agreed as she approached him slowly. Time seemed to slow down as her Perception sped up. She triggered Detective Vision. His heart rate jumped as he took in her glowing eyes and knowing smile. Ginei really shouldn't carry around incriminating evidence. Her fingers darted for the inside pocket of his jacket. He tried to stop her. To her surprise his hand was moving nearly as fast as hers. Their brief contest ended with a handful of photographs in Celeste's hand and Ginei slapping himself in the chest. Both looked at one another in shock, but she recovered first and handed the pictures to Nekonome-sensei.

"Nya!?" Nekonome-sensei squawked in alarm. The look she turned on Ginei would have shredded a lesser being. "Gin-kun~ I need to see you in the teacher's lounge. Right. Now." The dog boy gulped at being caught out so blatantly.

As Ginei was led out of the room he flashed a glare at Celeste. It lacked oomph since his gaze was squarely on her breasts. Should her breasts start developing a Danger Sense skill? If she had pailingual that would be a valid tactic. Technically her breasts would count as being in the party and why was she thinking about High School DxD at a time like this!? Her fellow Newspaper Club members looked confused about what to do. She left them to their confusion to take care of a new pop up.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

[Quest Complete!]
[Find that dirty dog!
What kind of deviant peeks on girls without their knowledge? This calls for an investigation! Try to avoid causing any misunderstandings. Perverts are quite good at leaving innocent people holding the bag.
Reward: 10,000 XP, Random Skill Book, Random Piece of Equipment, Increased Reputation with the girls of Class 1-B
Failure: Decreased Reputation with the girls of Class 1-B, Decreased Reputation with Yokai Academy
Hidden Objective Complete: Expose the pervert publicly enough that he can't retaliate.
Hidden Objective Reward: 20,000 XP, Random Piece of Equipment, Increased Reputation with Newspaper Club.
You would have greatly lost reputation with Ginei Morioka if not for a great rack and a dynamite ass.
Level Up 13 > 14
Monk Level Up [Frozen - You still need to make a decision]

That's good…?

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Equipment Gained:
Solomon Ring - Def 1 Strength, Intelligence, Luck + 6 - Increases the drop rate of Rare Items. A truly unique one-of-a-kind Ring crafted through ancient alchemy.
Steam Boots - Strike 21 - A strange mechanical creation that somehow uses steam to increase leaping and striking power. However it was made is a mystery.
Skill Book Gained:
Dark Arts and Crafts - A cheeky title for a useful book. It details the various methods of crafting. Methods range from cloth, wood, bone, and even metal. Not all of the crafts require Magic either!

A Crafting Skill Book! The Ring and Boots were appreciated, but being able to craft her own stuff would be awesome. She really needed to pick a new Class or stick with Monk. All of those stored XP were taunting her. Moka, Tsukune, and Kurumu were still standing around awkwardly. No one remembered to dismiss them did they? Celeste really wanted to just go back to her dorm room and make her choice now.

"I don't think Nekonome-sensei is coming back, guys," Celeste remarked.

"But no one told us to leave yet!" Moka exclaimed.

"No told us not to leave either," Kurumu pointed out mischievously.

"What should we do?" Tsukune asked curiously. Great. One wanted to stay, one wanted to go, and one undecided. That left it up to Celeste. She really didn't want to make a decision, but staying in an empty club room was stupid too.

"Let's just go. If anyone says anything then just blame me," Celeste shrugged. Some of Kurumu's nervousness regarding her vanished.

"Thanks a lot! C'mon Tsukune, Moka, let's blow this popsicle stand!" Kurumu cheered. Before the other two could even formulate a response, she was dragging them out of the room. The door slammed shut behind them. Celeste let out a sigh of relief. Now she could leave and not feel guilty.

"I never expected Gin-kun to get caught red handed like that. He's usually more discreet," Sumire said from right behind her. Celeste squeaked as she whirled around, clutching her chest in alarm.

"Don't do that!" Celeste admonished her.

"What? I wanted to see how you would handle things. Gin-kun isn't a bad guy, but his perversions get the better of him. If San knew I let him get this bad she would have my head…" Sumire looked strangely worried about that. Who was San that she could inspire such a response?

"You knew what he was doing and didn't stop him?" Celeste wasn't sure whether to be outraged or disappointed. Sumire looked irked.

"Between the Student Council, monitoring the barrier for the Headmaster, and classes I barely have any time to myself. If you weren't a constant weak point in the dimensional fabric I wouldn't even have time to spend with you. Consider yourself lucky," Sumire huffed.

"Sorry...I didn't know it was so stressful for you…" Celeste backed down quickly. She knew what stress could do to a person. A monster with Sumire's power stressed out? What a terrible thing to think about! Wait. Did she say "spending time with" and not just "check in on?" One implied something more intimate…

Now it was Celeste's turn to blush.

Sumire didn't notice her kohai's reaction at all. "Don't worry about it. You're entertaining for me. I received permission from the Headmaster to restore your ability. You're able to return to the sub dimensions again. I made sure that your trainer understands that you will go to them. Try not to let them push you around so much," Sumire admonished strictly.

"I'm going to make some plans before I go back," Celeste promised.

"Good. Because the Headmaster's on my case for spending so much time on this," Sumire half turned away, but Celeste suddenly grabbed her hand. The golden eyed girl stared in numb disbelief at just how fast she was caught.

"Don't be a stranger, Sumire-senpai. Please," Celeste insisted.

"Uh...sure…" Sumire's cheeks picked up a dusting of red. She completed the turn and vanished. This time without even stepping into a portal. Celeste flexed her fingers as in shock.

She caught Sumire.

Her hands were so delicate and warm…

The look in her eyes was so lonely…

Celeste swallowed heavily. That look of stunned disbelief was just so cute it set fire to her imagination. She fled the room before her flaming face ignited the school.

The problem with the Class system was in deciding what to do now. She could unequip all Classes and go back to Base. Then she could choose where to spend her CP again. Except the abilities gained from Monk were simply fantastic. If she stuck with Monk who knew what Skills and Perks could be gained? Purification, Fists of Fury, and Chakra would keep leveling up as well. Fists of Fury had an absolutely insane one thousand percent bonus to attack speed now. Yes, she had to keep her stance firm and not move around, but get someone in a corner? Nothing but a greasy smear. Except there were other Classes. The thought of looking through the list again filled her with dread, but it had to be done. After finding a Serial Killer Class she was worried about what might actually be there. Celeste sat down on the bed with Burnt Alive Lion.
Two hours later and she finally narrowed down her choices. The decision was still difficult, but manageable. She could stick with Monk. Undoubtedly the higher levels would let her go from Punch Good to Punch Better. If it followed Final Fantasy Tactics, like it seemed to, there were other techniques the Monk could learn. Except now she had two other choices. One came about from getting Monk to level ten. The other one quite frankly came out of nowhere.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Class Gained at Monk Level 10
Ninja lvl 1 - This class belongs to the elite of covert infiltration agents. Unlike in popular literature this Class is closer to the original in intent. Espionage, stealth, and silent killing are part and parcel of the Ninja. Get in, get out, and never be seen.
Skill Growth: Stealth + 50%, Espionage + 50%, Sneak Attack Skill + 50%
Opposition Skill: Bright and flashy stuff - 90%
Stats: Agility, Intelligence, Wisdom + 2, Physical Training + 50%
Kampfer lvl 1 - Apparently the power of God and Anime is on your side. Except it seems this God has a weird sense of humor. This Class is an odd duck in that it's a 3 in 1. You have a 1 in 3 chance of activating Schwert, Gewehr, or Zauber when using the unique Skill: Form Shift.
Skill Growth: Schwert (Sword) + 70%, Gewehr (Gun) + 70%, Zauber (Magic) + 70%
Opposition Skill: Schwert > Gewehr > Zauber - Varies according to currently active Form.
Stats: All Stats + 1, No Training Bonus

Kampfer didn't give her a message saying she couldn't take it because of a lack of magic. In fact she might just be able to branch off into Magic Classes from Kampfer. Except did she want to play roulette every time Form Shift was active? The lack of consistency was more than a little worrying. The Skill Growth bonuses were very nice, but the Opposition was just weird. It implied that whatever her last Shift was determined the Opposition. That could get annoying real fast. Ninja, by comparison, was a safer option actually. It had all the Skills she was currently looking for and had a stable growth. The part that worried her was what it said about 'bright and flashy stuff.' Ninety percent decrease to Bright and Flashy Stuff Skills? Most of her big damage Skills were Bright and Flashy! Combat training would be a slog if she went with Ninja. Except that she didn't know of any way to get the Ninja's Skills. Could she go ten levels with Ninja? Both Classes were so tempting because of what they represented. She wished Burnt Alive Lion was real if only to get a second opinion. For now she would stick with Monk. What level did a Class actually go to anyway? She touched the Level Up icon next to Monk. Celeste arched an eyebrow. It looked like Classes level up faster than Character Levels.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Monk Level Up 10 > 15
New Skills Learned
Shockwave - Releases spiritual energy mighty enough to rend the earth.
Damage is equal to Physical Damage + 10% per level
Length of the Shockwave is equal to 1 meter per level.
Width and Depth of the Shockwave is equal to 0.25 meters per level.
Cost: 60 Ki
Doom Fist - A secret art using pressure points that foretells the inevitable doom of the victim.
Success Rate is equal to (Strength/10) + 1% per level
Cost: 200 Ki
Revive - Calls back the recently deceased with a loud cry.
Success Rate is equal to (Strength/20) + 1% per level
Amount of HP restored is equal to 1% per level
Cost: 500 Ki

"Now does my Wisdom have to be thirty naturally or does the modified value count?" Celeste brought out the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Skill Book. The last time she tried it her Agility and Wisdom weren't high enough. Her natural Agility was high enough, but would her Wisdom be?

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu lvl 1 - This is the legendary sword style of Hiko Seijuro allowing one man to stand up to armies. Rooted in the concept of ichi no tachi, to strike in a single blow, this art is meant to end life swiftly. Practitioners of this style use a combination of immense speed and agility, with a form of observation based pseudo-clairvoyance, to anticipate an enemy's movements.
Passively increases Physical Damage by 40% + 5% per level
Passively increases Attack Speed by 40% + 10% per level
Passively predict an enemy's movements by 1% per level
When wielding a sword: Passively increases the chance of Critical HIt by 5% per level
Caution: Should your bonuses be neutralized you won't be able to use this Skill.

Celeste squealed happily. The Skill was welcome, but this also proved something. She could learn Skills even if her base Stats aren't high enough. All she needed was to have the right bonuses. A look at her Skill List made her blanch. There were a lot of Skills to keep track of now. Even worse was how many of them were just too useful to let lag behind. Most of her Active Buffs now cost per second and not per minute. Looks like she was going to have another long Meditation session before bed. For now she wanted to go back out to the Field Dungeon and hunt down some generic skeletons. She wasn't trying to earn levels at this point, just train her Skills.

The Steam Boots were indeed strange. The closest approximation was a pair of pneumatic leg braces. Pipes and metal struts crossed over the leather 'boot' portion with thick metal knee guards. The shin guards were also thick while housing the steam units. How the steam units worked was that they drew moisture from the air, superheated it, and pumped it through the pipes. A pressure valve occasionally let out a jet of steam from near the ankle as she walked. It was a loud contraption, but it did live up to the hype. When she bent her legs for a jump the steam would build up, closing the pressure valve, and accumulating power. The next jump was an enhanced leap aided by a sudden explosion of steam that sent her soaring over the dead trees. Good thing her reflexes were high enough to land safely. The remaining steam acted as a cushion to protect her joints from the impact. That same mechanism could be used to unleash a truly devastating kick. She just had to draw her leg back, compress the steam, and then thrust her foot forward with the boots' support.

"I so want to find out how this thing works," Celeste grinned as another Skeleton shattered. She knew that training the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu was important, but the boots were so much fun. It was almost dark and the Giant Skeletons were starting to emerge. Akai Kiba appeared at her waist. Time to stop screwing around and get some serious training in, right? With all of her bonuses she should mow through them like a scythe through wheat.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Level 14 > 15
Monk Level 15 > 17
Perception lvl 25 > 26
Detective Vision lvl 1 > 6
Investigation lvl 1 > 3
Stomp lvl 3 > 5
Martial Combat lvl 15 > 18
Detect Killing Intent lvl 10 > 14
Ki Reinforcement lvl 25 > 26
Breath Control lvl 26 > 30
Acrobatics lvl 12 > 16
Athletics lvl 17 > 19
Blazing Aura lvl 10 > 15
Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu lvl 1 > 7

Celeste closed the pop up with a weary sigh. What does she do the first night back in the Field Dungeon? Overworks herself. The dark haired girl knew she should have gone home hours ago, but it was just so addictive. Every new level just spurred her on further. She needed a twelve step program for power levelers. Except now there was a new pop up floating before her. Her Vitality reached fifty and with it came something interesting.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Life Font I - The health regeneration interval drops from 3 minutes to 1. Excess HP recovery spills over into Stamina and then Ki.

[Detect Killing Intent lvl 14 > 15]

"What now?" Celeste asked in an aggrieved tone. She turned in the direction the sensation came from. It was at the very limit of her range and closing fast. Eagle Eyes coupled with Detective Vision gave her a clear view of the problem. It looked like a twelve foot high Skeleton wearing fullplate and bearing a spinning greatsword as long as it was tall. Why did the Skeleton have a friggin' drill sword? Why not? The tired girl gave a mental shrug and prepared to make the first move…

...She tore out of there like her ass was on fire.

The armored Skeleton stumbled in shock as Celeste leaped away over the trees. There was no way he was going to keep up with that. Celeste mentally tagged this spot on her mini map. She would come back later. Preferably when she was better rested. Because challenging an enemy when she doesn't know their level was just crazy.

She definitely needed Observe.

Changing Classes to Kampfer was starting to look better.

AN: Righto. Introduced two new Classes that have Celeste's interest. Ship tease with the golden eyed Yokai.

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 8

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Acrobatics lvl 16 > 20 (Max)
Athletics lvl 19 > 20 (Max)

School was boring once again. Maybe she should be happy about that, but after all the excitement it felt stale. Celeste went back to her lessons with the Track Team, but hit a wall. She wasn't improving at all once Athletics and Acrobatics reached twenty. Max level at twenty. It made a certain amount of sense though. The bonuses from both Skills were growing too large to believe. None of her other enhancement Skills were increasing either. Her Speed was the highest it could go without developing another technique. Did she even need another Skill related to her speed? She wanted to create Zanzoken or Shunpo before challenging Ryosei to a race. When they first met he had her at his mercy. He could have killed her and she wouldn't have been able to defend herself. Maybe he didn't mean it as intimidation, but that's how she saw things. It might have been a statement of fact. Still his point could have been made another way. Now she was still worried about being good enough. She needed to finish this with him or it would continue to eat at her.

Shunpo was a method of getting from point A to point B in the fewest steps. Unskilled or lapsed practitioners could take longer and grow more fatigued. Zanzoken was a form of movement so fast it appeared to be teleportation that leaves an afterimage behind. The very fastest were so quick that not even an afterimage remained. Shunpo seemed like the most reasonable one to aim for with Zanzoken perhaps for later. She was already close to Shunpo with her natural speed. It was one of the first things she learned about high speed running. Trying to move her legs fast enough to make each individual step broke her concentration too much. Tripping at high speeds was extremely uncomfortable. Celeste found it easier to take longer steps and push off with slightly more force. At first it was hard to transition from the 'natural' way of running to this modified way. Adding a bigger thrust with Ki was just the next logical step.

Now to get the visualization down. She wasn't aiming for Goddess of Flash levels. Just the basics. Celeste picked a spot in the woods where the only witnesses were a couple mindless boneheads. Maybe it would be easier if she was already running? That was how Celeste ended up charging through the forest at full speed. Senses expanded to the limit to pick up on every little root, stone, and concealed dip in the ground. She had to be able to adapt to the trees without crashing into them. Once she got the rhythm down it was time to up the flow of Ki. Shunpo was a line of sight technique that needed excellent spatial awareness. Celeste allowed the ki to swirl around in her legs to boost each little leap. The sudden jump in momentum almost caused her to trip, but her high Agility compensated admirably. She looked like someone lurching forward in sharp spurts, but it was starting to even out. After another ten minutes it was a smooth flowing movement. By the time she looped around back to the dormitory a new Skill was born.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Shunpo lvl 1 - This is a high speed technique used by the Shinigami of Bleach. Essentially it's getting from point A to point B in the fewest steps. Experienced practitioners can do it more easily and more quickly.
Distance traveled in meters: + 10 meters per level per step
Accuracy is equal to (Agility/10) + 1% per level
Cost: 600 Ki per second - 5 Ki per level

Six hundred Ki per second!? She could run ten meters for cheaper! Was there something she was missing? Celeste triggered Shunpo to see what the difference was and was instantly transported ten meters away. She stumbled slightly on the landing, but it wasn't terrible. The 'accuracy' apparently meant how well she stayed near the ground. She tested the difference in times and came to the conclusion that Shunpo really was faster than her normal run speed. For one thing it was instantaneous or nearly so. There was no wind up or charge time. She was even able to suddenly change directions in mid step for cheaper than a full Shunpo. So it was a useful technique and one that would help against Ryosei. She even gained a level from her experiments.

The Quest to defeat Ryosei wasn't greyed out anymore. She decided it was time to put her issues with the Undead Track Team to bed.

"So you came back. I knew you would," Ryosei whispered in her ear before appearing out of thin air. With her sharpened senses she was able to see how he did that. He wasn't actually behind her, but in front the whole time. His power must have been to manipulate the air currents and used them to hide. She felt absolutely giddy at finally seeing through his trick. Casting his voice on the wind was a nice touch though.

"It's time to race, Ryosei-senpai. I'm ready to leave you in the dust," Celeste stated confidently. For this she was back to the Kung Fu Shoes. The Steam Shoes were nice, but not as comfortable for distance running. He folded his arms while checking her out. Something he saw met with his approval.

"Yeah I think you can. Let's go to the track," Ryosei jerked a bony thumb over his shoulder.
The Track was set up differently than she remembered. It looked like some madman mated a Marine Obstacle Course with Ninja Warrior. That was when she saw the spikes in the pit under the rolling log and the swinging blades. There were probably other obstacles that weren't immediately visible, but she couldn't see them. She was going to need everything active just to avoid the traps.

"Why do I feel like my greatest opponent here is the course?" Celeste deadpanned.

"I didn't tell them to make it this rough…" Ryosei would have sweatdropped if he could.

"Do you care if I destroy the track?" Celeste asked.

"You won't be the only one," Ryosei promised.

The Skeletal Track Team stared at their work of art in horror.

The starting pistol fired and they were off. Ryosei burst forth from his position with a mighty uncoiling of skeletal legs. A fierce windstorm emerged from his body as he took off running. Greenish tinged blades of wind streamed back giving him the profile of a missile. The force of his charge tore up the track and kicked up a wide trail of dust. Celeste wasn't far behind but quickly overtook him. She couldn't afford to use Shunpo the entire time, but for brief bursts it was ideal. Her method for getting through the obstacles was no less destructive. Shockwave didn't specify that it only required a fist. Celeste grinned as she unsheathed her katana so fast it blurred, releasing a rippling distortion through the air itself, and into the first wall. The wall exploded outward from the force and continued on to tear up the track. She noticed something even weirder. No matter how fast she moved the Shockwave was faster.

This has potential.

A pair of barely seen blurs moved about the track like a wave of devastation. Everywhere they went sturdily built structures burst into kindling. Whatever didn't explode was powdered, smashed into pieces, or thrown high in the sky. At some point the racers forgot they were supposed to be strictly running to the finish line and turned it into a big damage competition. Celeste was winning on both counts. Ryosei's wind aura was great for damaging anything he came in contact with, but she had range. Boy did she have range. The cries of dismay from the Track Team were drowned out by their two person demolition derby. What took days to build was torn asunder in under a minute. Ryosei came to a stop at the finish line in a clatter of bones. Celeste was still a hundred yards ahead of him. The Track Team Captain slowly got back to his feet. He looked unsteady as if barely holding himself together.

"I guess this is it," Ryosei said with a contented sigh. A sigh? The Skeletal form slowly faded as a new shape took its place. He wasn't the most handsome. His face was narrow with a lean runner's body, but the look in his eyes made him the most beautiful person she ever saw. The sheer delight they held was like a man reborn.

"Ryosei-senpai…?" Celeste took a hesitant step towards him, but he waved her back. Already his body was breaking apart in glimmering fairy lights.

"I already told the others to expect you. Your training has been an inspiration to us. We had given into despair, but just watching you strive so hard has renewed us. The source of our torment is the Student Safety Committee. We will truly be free only once their tyranny ends. Except it seems I'm going on ahead...Huh…" Ryosei smiled faintly. His sweatband flew over to her hands. With that he disappeared completely.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Quest Complete!
Reap the Whirlwind - Your first task is to defeat Ryosei the Whirlwind in a race. He's never been defeated before except by the one who killed him. Get ready to work hard because this is only the beginning.
Reward: 5,000 XP, Skill Book "Whirling Ripper"
Received: Skill Book "Whirling Ripper"
Whirling Ripper lvl 1 - The signature move of Ryosei the Whirlwind. It's a bit unusual in how it works. The user runs extremely fast to generate a brutal wind capable of shearing through trees at higher levels.
Actively grants + 10% to High Speed Perception per level.
Damage is equal to Speed + 1% per level. Wind Attribute
Width of Aura: 0.25 Meters per two levels.
Cost: 60 Ki per second
Item Received:
Ryosei's Sweatband - This sweatband possesses the hopes and dreams of a once promising young athlete. When facing the Source of Torment Whirling Ripper is free.
Monk lvl 17 > 20 (Max)
Choose a Perk
Elemental Attribute I - Choose from one of the classic elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning. You can now learn and create techniques based on this element. Techniques of the same element are easier to learn, but opposite elements are three times as hard.
Ki Potency I - Your Ki is especially potent and thus harder to resist. All Ki Techniques gain a further + 25% boost to effectiveness.
Martial Evolution II - Instantly increases the tier of one Martial Technique. Can only be used once and then lost.
Class Mastery Bonus: Class Skills are now trainable.

She closed the pop up for later. This wasn't the time. Celeste looked around the ghostly field. The other skeletons were already gone. With Ryosei at peace they were free to rest. Slowly the field restored itself to pristine condition. She could still train her speed here, but tonight just didn't feel like the right time. A faint smile crossed her face before she vanished in a burst of Shunpo. It only seemed fitting to leave the same way Ryosei always arrived. Just as well that she didn't try walking back to the dorm. She was dead tired after all the exertion. When she had all of her boosts active there was nothing she couldn't accomplish. Coming back down, on the other hand, felt like crashing back to earth. The limits of her Gamer's Body were never more evident than now. It kept her from tearing her body apart, and growing swiftly, but it operated on a harder system than she expected. There was a certain rebound to her enhanced stats.

"More crap to remember…" Celeste mumbled into her pillow. She had a max time of over a hundred minutes. A ludicrous amount of time given the power she could channel. However using that full time might have consequences. Probably something stupid like heart strain or pulling an Izuku and shattering her limbs. So she decided that ten minutes at full power would be her limit. A tenth of the time, but a more reasonable one.

[Wisdom + 4]

Even her power was agreeing.

She dragged herself up from the depths of slumber. It was another glorious day of school or was it? Celeste found herself staring at the empty school in disbelief. What was going on here? The dark haired girl checked her watch and tried not to curse. Today was Saturday and apparently Yokai Academy was one of those schools that didn't have classes on the weekends. So the question was more training or go home and sleep? She could even check out the Dark Arts and Crafts book. Going home and doing nothing, or close to nothing, was a much better idea. This would be a good chance to check out what games were on her computer. Celeste nodded once before starting to turn away, but something stopped her. Something was out of place. Her senses were much sharper now even without activation. Celeste activated her Perception and used Detective Vision. Since it wasn't a school day she slipped on a pair of black shades. No stat bonuses or anything. She started carrying them to try and disguise the glow in her eyes.

"Uh, Kotsubo-sensei...I'm not sure about this…" A young girl's voice reached her.

"Now now Mizore-chan. I thought you loved me…" Kotsubo-sensei said with a leering tone.

"I think I'm going back to the dorm…" 'Mizore' said hesitantly.

The sounds were coming from the back of the gym. Celeste used Shunpo to reach the roof of the school and headed towards the noises. She didn't need a Quest pop up to tell her that something was wrong. The slime was trying to convince Mizore not to leave and asking all the leading questions predators are born with. Stuff like "Don't you love me?" and "You know how I feel about you." Yeah, Celeste wasn't going to let him get away whatever he was planning. The issue was whether she would have to fight or not. Fighting a teacher came with its own problems. Not the least of which was convincing the school she was right. Ironically the second biggest problem was with not killing the fucker. All of her combat Skills were lethal. Future Celeste would worry about creating some nonlethal takedown Skills. Current Celeste just wanted to Rip and Tear. Gamers Mind thankfully kicked in to calm her down before she arrived.
The scene down below was like something out of an afterschool special. It was so blatantly over the top that it was hard to believe Mizore let herself get into this mess. The area was secluded. Without her hyper senses she wouldn't have even heard anything. In fact, without Shunpo, she never would have got here so quickly. She took in the players. Mizore was a very pretty girl with long messy purple hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a large white sweater with purple sleeves over a skirt. The striped thigh high stockings were cute. Poor girl looked so innocent it made Celeste's temper start to boil over. Kotsubo-sensei had a hand against the wall. He was penning her in with his greater size.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Quest Alert!
Student/Teacher Relations
Clearly this guy never heard of 'look but don't touch'. He doesn't seem to get that no means no. His victim is too nervous to defend herself. Time for someone to take a stand. What will you do?
Paragon: Get Mizore away from him safely without harming the teacher.
Paragon Reward: Greatly increased relationship with Mizore, School. Lowered relationship with Kotsubo-sensei. Unlock Class: Paladin
Renegade: Kotsubo-sensei really needs to keep his hands to himself. Teach him a lesson.
Renegade Reward: Increased relationship with Mizore. Lowered relationship with School. Greatly lowered relationship with Kotsubo-sensei. Unlock Class: Unholy Knight
Reward: 10,000 XP
Failure: Decreased relationship with everyone. Expulsion.
Accept: Y/N

Paragon or Renegade? Was she Shepard now? It implied that both paths were equally valid and neither one was seen as 'Evil.' The Renegade Path would be more satisfying to her, but it might scare the victim more. The rest of the rewards were inconsequential. She had to think of Mizore first. Though now she wouldn't get to use Dynamic Entry. Oh well. There would be other times. A quick Shunpo took her back to the ground just around the corner. Then she just "happened" to come around the corner and exclaim. "Mizore-chan! There you are!"

Both student and teacher froze at the sudden interruption. Time to capitalize on their confusion.

"I was looking all over for you! You said I could borrow your notes for Literature Class," Celeste continued to pull it out of her ass as she approached.

"Oh, well, I was...here…" Mizore-chan managed to stammer out. She didn't know Celeste at all. The whole thing could fall apart because of that. Should have used a different approach…

"Ahem, Celeste-chan? I was in the middle of mentoring Mizore-chan. Could you perhaps come back later?" Kotsubo-sensei asked with a sickly smile. Celeste-"chan?" Ugh. The affectionate diminutive sent shivers down her spine.

"Oh no I couldn't...C-Celeste-chan really has been waiting…" Mizore quickly wised up and latched onto the name. Mentally Celeste thanked Kotsubo for being an idiot.

"This is important to her grade…" Kotsubo tried again.

"After a week of classes she's already falling behind?" Celeste asked cooly with an arched eyebrow. She folded her arms beneath her bust. Kotsubo had to either let it go or double down again. He knew he was busted judging by the barely concealed look of loathing in his eyes.
"I think I'll just take the lower grade," Mizore quickly said. She ducked under his arm while he was distracted and rushed to Celeste's side. The dark haired girl gave her an extra push to put herself between Kotsubo and the victim.

"Tch. Good luck with that. I'll make sure to grade you both exactly as you deserve," Kotsubo spat angrily.

"That's all a student could ask for isn't it?" A cool voice said from behind him. Kagewaru-sensei, her homeroom teacher, strode out into the open. He had a stack of papers in his hand and a look of pure menace on his face. Kotsubo blanched in terror as he staggered back involuntarily. What kind of monster was this guy!? "This isn't a school day. Go back to your dorm. Kotsubo-san? Come with me to the teacher's lounge. I need your assistance with something."

The gym teacher had no choice but to follow. It was like his spirit was broken just from looking into Kagewaru-sensei's eyes.

Celeste and Mizore shivered involuntarily as they left.

"I-I don't think we're going to see Kotsubo-sensei again…" Mizore said unnecessarily.

"No kidding," Celeste muttered. So that was how she got her reputation bonus from the school. It also explained why she would have lost reputation if she went Renegade. He must have been walking near the gym room and followed the commotion. Would he have been here in time to help Mizore? Probably not. She was too quiet and Kotsubo was careful.

"Thank you for helping me. You didn't have to," Mizore twirled a hair around her finger.

"I would hope that if I needed help, someone had the courage to do the same for me," Celeste smiled kindly.

She didn't let Mizore out of her sight until they reached the other girl's room. Mizore smiled softly as they parted. Celeste let out a faint sigh of relief. Doing the Paragon thing was surprisingly more nerve wracking than just busting the guy up. She knew that such choices wouldn't be so cut and dry in the future. Except that the Renegade option really did speak to her. It spoke to the dark part of her that wanted to make Kotsubo hurt. If not for worrying about Mizore, she might have gone for it anyway. She wasn't perfect. At least this time it worked out for the best. The 'right' thing wasn't always right. All one had to do was look at the Student Safety Committee. They were sanctioned by the school. The right thing to do would be to leave them alone and go about her life. However, the truly right thing was to deal with them in a permanent manner.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Quest Complete!
Student/Teacher Relations
Clearly this guy never heard of 'look but don't touch'. He doesn't seem to get that no means no. His victim is too nervous to defend herself. Time for someone to take a stand. What will you do?
Paragon: Get Mizore away from him safely without harming the teacher.
Paragon Reward: Greatly increased relationship with Mizore, School. Lowered relationship with Kotsubo-sensei. Unlock Class: Paladin
Reward: 10,000 XP
Class Gained: Paladin - This is a defensive class based around protecting those weaker than themselves. Gains access to powerful warding Skills and White Magic. Awarded only to those who put the needs of the others over their own.
Skill Growth: Defensive Skills + 50%, Recovery Magic + 25%, Defensive Spells + 25%
Opposition Skills: Anything that would violate the Knight's Code. Any Skill that takes advantage of someone's weakness.
Stat: Strength/Vitality/Wisdom + 2, Vitality/Wisdom Training + 70%

Time to brainstorm.

AN: Right so now Celeste derailed canon a bit more in this chapter. She has some decisions to make about her next Class.

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 9

Now there was no mistaking Sunday for anything but a day off. Celeste was almost itching to check the games on her computer. She threw back the covers and hopped out of bed. Stopping only long enough to toss on a long shirt, she took to the kitchen. Breakfast first, gaming later. Not much later though. Celeste smiled gleefully as she sat down with a simple breakfast of cereal and orange juice. However, there was already something occupying her small table. It was Tobin's Spirit Guide. The dark haired girl glanced mournfully at her computer, but the book was right here. Shouldn't she learn about the different types of monsters? After all it was a banned book among the monster community because of its accuracy. Which reminded her, she really needed to stop leaving it out.

"Might as well read it...Maybe I can get a speed reading Skill out of it?" Celeste tried to find a silver lining. As it stood her day off was turning into more work. It was something vitally important to her survival.

Turns out speed reading wasn't a Skill. Bummer.

What wasn't a bummer was her decision to read Tobin's Spirit Guide. It turned out to be fascinating reading. She was even happier for deciding not to make it a Skill. The single Skill it was offering wasn't the only one in the book. In fact Celeste kept tripping over new Skills. Occultism, Rituals, Alchemy, and others. All Skills that required her to have access to magic. Which left her with a new conundrum. Of all the Classes she had access to there were just two offering her magic. Kampfer and Paladin. One was a 3-in-1 Class with a random numbers gimmick. The other was a defensive Class with White Magic. Celeste reluctantly brought up the Class list and prepared to slog through it once more.

"Wait a minute…" Celeste paused. Was there an easier way? She mentally willed the list to show only the Classes in consideration and any new ones gained from mastering Monk. Maybe she wasn't looking to continue with Monk now, but it would help to have it available.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Classes Collated:
Ninja lvl 1 - This class belongs to the elite of covert infiltration agents. Unlike in popular literature this Class is closer to the original in intent. Espionage, stealth, and silent killing are part and parcel of the Ninja. Get in, get out, and never be seen.
Skill Growth: Stealth + 50%, Espionage + 50%, Sneak Attack Skill + 50%
Opposition Skill: Bright and flashy stuff - 90%
Stats: Agility, Intelligence, Wisdom + 2, Physical Training + 50%
Kampfer lvl 1 - Apparently the power of God and Anime is on your side. Except it seems this God has a weird sense of humor. This Class is an odd duck in that it's a 3 in 1. You have a 1 in 3 chance of activating Schwert, Gewehr, or Zauber when using the unique Skill: Form Shift.
Skill Growth: Schwert (Sword) + 70%, Gewehr (Gun) + 70%, Zauber (Magic) + 70%
Opposition Skill: Schwert > Gewehr > Zauber - Varies according to currently active Form.
Stats: All Stats + 1, Luck Training Bonus + 50%
Paladin lvl 1 - This is a defensive class based around protecting those weaker than themselves. Gains access to powerful warding Skills and White Magic. Awarded only to those who put the needs of the others over their own.
Skill Growth: Defensive Skills + 50%, Recovery Magic + 25%, Defensive Spells + 25%
Opposition Skills: Anything that would violate the Knight's Code. Any Skill that takes advantage of someone's weakness.
Stat: Strength/Vitality/Wisdom + 2, Vitality/Wisdom Training + 70%
Monk (Intermediate) lvl 1 - From beginner to intermediate. This a more advanced form of Monk.
Skill Growth: Martial Arts + 75%, Ki Skills + 75%, Ki Skill Creation + 75%, Physical Skill + 75%
Opposition Skill: Magic Skills - 90%
Stats: Strength, Agility, Vitality + 3 per level, Physical Stat Training + 75%
Ronin lvl 1 - A masterless Samurai. Unlike the proper Samurai the Ronin is more deceitful. They still cling to the vestiges of their honor, but have grown harder due to adversity.
Skill Growth: Sword Skills + 50%, Assassination Skills + 50%, Deceptive Skills + 50%. Etiquette Skills + 20%
Opposition Skills: Teamwork Skills - 50%, Defender Skills -50%
Stats: Strength/Agility/Wisdom + 2, Strength/Agility/Wisdom Training + 50%

She was left with the same problem. The only Classes she was interested in were Kampfer and Paladin. Both had access to Magic and could open up new avenues of development. The issue she had was the unpredictability of Kampfer. Having access to a Class that could potentially make its own weapons sounded great. Having no control over what she got wasn't so great. Paladin left her with far less confusion. It could be great with a Defense focus that she was sorely lacking. She had defenses, but those were more incidental than deliberate. Except for the Vitality Perk that made her Skin effectively like armor. She wanted to be able to protect more people. Though if the threat was already neutralized one could argue that the people were protected. A knock at the door interrupted her before she could go around in another spiral. Her friends were at the door and wanted to spend some time hanging out.
Maybe she did need a second opinion after all…

"So you're into pencil and paper RPGs and can't decide on your next class?" Aika asked. The mousy girl was seated cross legged on the floor in an oversized hoodie and shorts.
"That's about the size of it. The character I'm playing now is a heavy melee with a speed focus. She uses Ki to boost her natural abilities. However she's barred from taking Magic Classes because of a lack of Magic. Except for two Classes she gained as Quest rewards," Celeste explained.

"So what's the problem? It's just a game," Mitsuki said in a bored fashion. Even dressed casually she couldn't help drawing attention to herself. The thin tank top and short shorts showed off far more than they concealed.

"That's like saying an original Versace is just clothes, Mitsuki-chan. We're all equally serious about our hobbies," Himeko explained. Her idea of casual clothing was a white button down blouse and a nice black skirt. The attractive redhead made an 'O' of understanding.

"Why not weigh the pros and cons then? You can switch Classes at any time, correct?" Kurone asked. She had commandeered the notes Celeste made on both Kampfer and Paladin Classes.

"Monk only let me switch at level ten. I assume the others would be the same," Celeste replied.

"Right and Class Levels are gained more quickly than Character Levels," Kurone noted.

"Hey yeah! Even if you messed up it's not a total loss. You can just switch out after ten levels!" Aika exclaimed.

"Frankly I fail to see an issue. Take the one that lets you train your Luck. You did say that Luck was the only...Stat...that still needed a boost," Mitsuki might not understand games too well, but she did understand symmetry.

"Maybe, but I'm not sure I want to pick based solely on that. The randomly shifting Forms would take some getting used to," Celeste said, but even then she was intrigued. Mitsuki was right. She didn't have anything that could train Luck. Kampfer also gave a plus one to all Stats on level up. It did make the Class more tempting.

"Is the Paladin like what is seen in popular culture? The one most often seen is a zealot, a crusader, and a bigot," Himeko said with some distaste.

"That's a failure of the person. Paladins are just people. Some are good, some are jerks, but all try to do what they think is right. Could you picture me being a jerk Paladin?" Celeste smiled faintly. The smile widened as her friends agreed that she wouldn't be a bad Paladin.

"Both Classes have access to Magic. Paladin has a defensive focus. Kampfer lacks a specific focus, but their magic is elemental in nature. In fact the Paladin's defensive focus could be seen as a detriment. How does it determine what is 'dishonorable?' Would it consider your Shunpo dishonest? Honestly the Opposition Skills just feel so arbitrary…!" Kurone ended on a yowl of complaint. She flushed to the roots of her hair while clapping both hands over her mouth. A pair of velvety black ears popped up out of her hair in mortification. So she was a cat woman! Like Nekonome-sensei only with more self control.

"I thought those were hair intakes!" Mitsuki exclaimed in surprise.

"I didn't," Aika said cheekily. Mouse ears popped up from her hair as a slender tail uncoiled from beneath her skirt. If Kurone was going to let it all hang out then she would too.

"Oh bother…" Himeko sighed as her skin paled and a pair of small horns emerged from her forehead. She didn't grow to great size, but it was clear she was an oni. Japanese Oni did come in all shapes and sizes.

"Oh fine. I suppose I can't be the only one…" Mitsuki sighed. Gorgeous white wings emerged from her back. Unfortunately Celeste hadn't gotten far enough in Tobin's Spirit Guide. She guessed her friend was either a Siren or an Angel. Probably a Siren.

Uh oh. Her friends were showing off their monster forms. She didn't have a monster form!

"Oh, uh, you didn't have to do that. I can't exactly show you what I am…" Celeste hedged.

"Vampire," Aika said.

"Vampire," Mitsujki said.

"Definitely a Vampire," Himeko agreed.

"There is only one conclusion," Kurone adjusted her glasses.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Celeste asked in bewilderment.

"Supernaturally beautiful beyond that of a Succubus, able to convert raw energy into power, and loves a good fight," Kurone ticked it off with her fingers.

When put like that it made a certain perverse sense. She just had to be careful around water now. All it would take is for her to treat normal water like it's nothing to give up the charade. Except she couldn't lie to her friends like that.

"Okay guys...I have a confession to make. I'm not a monster. I'm human," Celeste said all at once. Like tearing off a band-aid. She held up a hand to stop them from denying her claim. "I have a power called The Gamer that lets me live life like a video game. What we were doing just now is deciding what Class I choose next. If you need proof well…" The sudden appearance of a pair of steampunk boots on her feet did the trick.

An awkward silence stretched on between them. It was one thing to make an extraordinary claim, but she just confirmed it for her friends. Now she was stuck in limbo waiting for them to make a decision. Mitsuki's wings extended and half closed several times even if her expression was inscrutable. She looked to Himeko, but the more proper girl didn't even have a tell. Aika was visibly vibrating in place, but from what was unclear. However, it was Kurone who broke the silence first.

"I still remember that day at the Occult Club. You stood in front of me thinking that the Club head meant us harm. No hesitation at all. So if you're a human then you're the kind I want to be friends with," Kurone finished with a smile.

"Can she really be considered a human though? With a power like hers she is simply more than that. I doubt any of us are qualified to even classify her. That being said she has never lied to us before. She could have let us believe she was a Vampire, but didn't," Himeko smiled reassuringly.

"So cool!" Aika exploded. Everyone jumped as the mousy girl leaped into Celeste's lap with a squeal of glee. What her action lacked in eloquence it made up for in exuberance.

"To have my beauty outdone by a human? I should feel insulted…" Mitsuki turned away with a sniff, but turned back with a smirk. "If I was that shallow anyway."

"You guys…" Celeste's voice broke. Tears streamed down her face at their outpouring of affection and support. Before long she was in the middle of a cuddle pile with everyone adding their arms. Talk of her superpowers was put on hold. Over the course of the day they watched movies, ate snacks, and in some cases tutored one another for class.

It was the best time Celeste had in years.

She promised to walk to school with them on Monday. They exchanged hugs and kisses on the cheek. Something changed for them. It was a change for the better. Celeste felt even better about her decision. Friends shouldn't keep one another at arm's length. However, she really did have to let them go home or risk cuddling them for longer.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

For accomplishing an important Social and Emotional Milestone you gained an addition to Gamers Mind.
Gamers Mind lvl Max - This skill prevents the user from experiencing debilitating emotions. It doesn't mute the feelings, but allows for clear thought regardless of the situation. Certain conditions can negate this. The Gamer OS takes no responsibility for situations the user brings on themself. In your darkest hours you will always remember the kindness and warmth shown to you.

"I can make a new choice in ten levels, but I think for now…" Celeste switched Class to Paladin. To protect those that mean the most to her.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Class Change: Monk > Paladin
Source of Powers: This is where your Magic comes from. Different sources have different benefits and varying ideologies for what constitutes dishonor.

She didn't even have to think about this one.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Source of Power: Good - Good just feels Good y'know? You're not a follower of some deity, but that of an ethos. A moral code that goes beyond simple morals. You will stand up for what's right and protect the innocent not for some reward, but because it's the right thing to do.
Added Skill Growth: Defensive Skills + 75%, Healing Magic + 40%, Defensive Magic + 40%
Opposition Skills have changed: Any Evil -100%, Allowing an Evil Act drops all Skill Growth by 90% until an atonement is made to the wronged party.

That was better than she expected.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Paladin lvl 7 - This is a defensive class based around protecting those weaker than themselves. Gains access to powerful warding Skills and White Magic. Awarded only to those who put the needs of the others over their own.
Magic can now be used: Wisdom x 5
Skill Growth: Defensive Skills + 75%, Healing Magic + 40%, Defensive Magic + 40%
Opposition Skills: Anything that would violate the Knight's Code. Any Evil -100%, Allowing an Evil Act drops all Skill Growth by 90% until an atonement is made to the wronged party.
Stat: Strength/Vitality/Wisdom + 2, Vitality/Wisdom Training + 70%
Starting Abilities Gained:
Mercy lvl 7 - All attacks can be made merciful. This wreaths the Paladin's weapons in a protective force that can be used to subdue instead of harm. Subdual Chance (Strength/10) + 1% per level
Defensive Stance lvl 7 - Treats the space around you as threatened. Enemies find it harder to reach those you protect as your vigilance acts to unnerve them.
Area of Protection: 0.5 Meters per two levels.
Slow Action: 1% per level (Current +7%)
The Wall - This Perk is for those who use their bodies to protect others. Defense increases the closer to death you come. You will not falter in your chosen duty!
HP < 50% = x2 Defense
HP < 25% = x 3 Defense
HP < 10% = x4 Defense
Skills Gained at Level 5:
Libra lvl 7 - You've been waiting for this. This spell is useful for telling you the status and level of those around you. Scanning friends doesn't come with a failure chance.
Level Range that can be scanned: 1 - 22 (Character Level + Skill Level)
Cure lvl 7 - A simple healing spell with limited regenerative qualities.
Power: (Wisdom/20) + 1 per level
Range: Single
Cost: 4 MP
Protect lvl 7 - A simple defensive spell against physical attacks.
Defense: (Wisdom/10) + 1 per level
Range: Multiple (Amount of protection is divided among the recipients)
Cost: 9 MP

Paladin was apparently taking cues from how she saw the Classes. It wasn't a bad thing as she could better predict what was coming next. Except she didn't have to follow the Final Fantasy paradigm for creating new spells. The thought made her giddy. She really wanted to research the difference between Magic and Ki. Both were a source of inner energy, but how were they different? Why could one feat be performed with Ki, but not another? In fact she could take inspiration from other media. Right now the only armor she had was a tunic and her own skin. Celeste grinned as she got a devious little idea.

She even gained two Skills in the process.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Mana Shaping (Basic) lvl 1 - This is a skill for shaping mana in unique ways.
Eases the use of Mana Abilities by 2% per level.
Barrier Jacket lvl 1 - You like force fields? You like to wear your force fields? This is basically just shaping magical force fields into clothing that functions like armor.
Actively increases Defense by (Wisdom/10) + 1 per level
Cost: 50 MP per minute

"Nanoha had some very good ideas," Celeste nodded approvingly. Fifty MP per minute was mildly annoying, but she did get a new heading under Meditation. Now it replenished MP as well. She went to bed that night satisfied with the work she did. The last thing she did was choose Martial Evolution II and held onto it for later.
She could afford to take her time now.

AN: It only *looks* like a short chapter. It's actually pretty long if you take the spoiler boxes into account. We're getting back into the plot next and who is the next spirit Celeste has to deal with?

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 10

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Wisdom + 9

A new skill has been created through a specific action
Chess Mastery lvl 15 - According to some the study of chess is the study of tactics. This skill is merely a measure of that mastery

It was close to midnight and the school was closed. Not a creature was stirring except for one person of dubious human background. No one would possibly believe that she was human. Except for the spectres who taught her after hours. She was only allowed to train with one at a time until they were defeated. Celeste made the mistake of tracking down the head of the Chess Club. Atsuko was truly a brilliant mind cut down before her time. Unlike the Skeletons it was Atsuko's spirit that wandered the halls. In life she was a wight. Wights were undead where Celeste came from, but here they were slightly different. A Wight was someone born to a dead mother. The mother had to have died on spiritually saturated ground. However the child lived a half life. Half in the realm of the living and half in the realm of death. It gave Atsuko a grave and serious demeanor especially now.

"I am actually stronger now than when I lived," Atsuko remarked as she almost casually took another of Celeste's pieces. Libra pegged her level as question marks and her mental stats in the triple digits. Her physical stats were completely missing. Unsurprising since she was dead. The spectral girl was of medium height with a slender figure that only made her breasts seem to stand out more. Her hair was either blonde or white.

"Well I wasn't planning on fighting you. I want you to pass on peacefully," Celeste replied. The board looked the same as it did during every one of their games. Celeste was losing and Atsuko hadn't even lost a piece yet. However she was able to hold her own better each night. This was a familiar conversation they had. Atsuko always lamented that it took dying to become stronger. Now she was trapped in this halfway place between life and death.

"If it wasn't for this place I would have tormented Kuyou until he begged for me to stop. Then I would make him kill himself just to escape me," her hair swirled around her shoulders in a nonexistent breeze. This was normal too.

"And then you would torment him more once the both of you were dead together," Celeste finished the usual rant. Atsuko looked away in embarrassment. Her hair fell down and the wind died off. Despite her embarrassment she was still able to maneuver her Queen.

"Checkmate," Atsuko said absently.

"Not even a chance in Hell…" Celeste grimaced.

"You still have a Bishop and three Pawns. That is progress," Atsuko pointed out kindly.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Celeste asked.

"Stop letting me lead the game. I have only had my fellow prisoners to play against. My skills are more polished than when I was alive, but I haven't been able to adapt. Think of it like a battle. The old warrior has had years to hone his skills and knowledge. However, what does he fear?" Atsuko asked.

"He doesn't fear the second best. He fears the worst because he has no idea what the idiot will do," Celeste replied after some thought. Atsuko nodded.

"And you aren't an idiot. What you are is someone with a new perspective. A fresh view. Don't let yourself be drawn into my game. Bring me into yours," Atsuko said.

"Am I really playing everyone else's game?" Celeste asked half rhetorically.

"Games of strategy do tend to show a person's instinctive mindset. In a straight fight most would lose to you. They would make the mistake of playing their usual game and coming at you head on. Most monsters are like that and turning it back on them is an area you have trained for. However, Kuyou is just as straightforward with his power and sadism. Except that he can take your best and then some. So you need to be able to adapt. You have to learn to stop simply countering moves and seize the initiative on your terms," Atsuko said.

"So my strategy isn't a bad one, just limited. I have been training my other Skills such as binding and sealing magics," Celeste said. Atsuko nodded contemplatively.

"That is a good start," Atsuko allowed. She smiled faintly, "Care to play again?"

"I can't. I have to be up tomorrow to get my midterm grades," Celeste shrugged apologetically.
"Of course. Keep your grades up and your head down. At least until you're ready," Atsuko said softly. The spirit girl was always worrying about her like that. Celeste counted her among her friends, but she never appeared on the Relationship Sheet. The dark haired girl brought up her Ki and lightly touched Atsuko's hand. She figured out how to touch spirits with her life force. It never failed to make the other girl smile.

"It won't be much longer. I promise," Celeste said.

"Compared to how long I've waited this is nothing. Go now and get some sleep," Atsuko bid her farewell before vanishing. Celeste put the chess set away and straightened up the room. Just because there was no one alive here didn't mean she would be disrespectful.
Celeste checked on the Skill she created almost a month ago.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Midchildan Magic Style lvl 18 - A style of magic recreated from an anime by the tender care of a weaboo. Very math heavy. Who knew numbers could be so dangerous?
Intelligence/Wisdom + 5
Barrier Power: (Wisdom/10) + 2 per level
Bind Strength: (Wisdom/10) + 2 per level
Seal Strength: (Wisdom/10) + 2 per level
Attack Power: (Wisdom/10) + 1 per level
Cost: 50 MP + 10 MP per extra level

She wanted something more cohesive. Not a bunch of separate Skills, but one single Skill. Just like with Nanoha it was possible to increase the power of spells by pushing more magic into them. She also increased the level of Barrier Jacket and Mana Shaping.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Mana Shaping (Basic) lvl 22 - This is a skill for shaping mana in unique ways.
Eases the use of Mana Abilities by 2% per level.
Barrier Jacket lvl 18 - You like force fields? You like to wear your force fields? This is basically just shaping magical force fields into clothing that functions like armor.
Actively increases Defense by (Wisdom/10) + 1 per level
Cost: 50 MP per minute

Maybe she let her combat skills start to lag behind, but her magic skills needed to be trained up too. The driving voice to become more powerful wasn't as loud now. She still wanted to help the spirits trapped here by the Student Safety Committee's cruelty, but much of her fear was gone. Being able to use Libra to see the levels of those around her was quite relaxing. The only one in her grade that she couldn't read was whatever entity was within Moka's rosary. Ironically Kurumu was actually a higher level than she was at level twenty-two. Tsukune was level five. Moka was a lackluster level twelve. Okay so her own level was still fifteen after a month, but her enhanced stats were higher. The whole point of all this was that Celeste wasn't in as much danger as when she arrived. That didn't mean she would stop training, but she could afford to slow down a little now. The fact that she could prioritize her grades spoke volumes of her current mental state. She could enjoy time with her friends and hang out at the Newspaper Club. Morioka-senpai was on thin ice with Nekonome-sensei so he was behaving himself. The only fly in the ointment was that she hadn't seen Sumire in nearly a month. It was maddening. She flexed her Investigation Skill and found which classroom the mysterious girl was in, but her classmates never saw her outside of class. The fact she could open portals and teleport at will meant that tracking her was nearly impossible. Maybe she needed to work on a spell for Warding dimensional space. Binding her to this plane.

Her binding spells looked like purple chains.

No, she wasn't having off color thoughts. Who would think that?

She was going to hold onto the Martial Evolution Perk until it was needed. Evolved Skills took longer to level up. It could even be used on the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu but that already took a ton of XP to level up now. Even with her fifty percent Skill bonus from being human. Was it possible to change races? Weird thoughts like that plagued her. According to Tobin's Spirit Guide it was possible, but extremely unlikely, for a human to transcend into a monster. So she gave up on the idea. Something else she wondered about was if her blood counted as holy. Considering she was now a conduit for White Magic, and her Ki was considered 'sacred' by The Way of Effulgent Light, it wasn't such a strange thought. Her aura was one of pure goodness which had little effect on her classmates. Well, beyond making her seem more trustworthy to them, but they already trusted her. It was hard to measure these things and Celeste stayed away from people who didn't like her. She wasn't that curious over her aura's effect on people.

Celeste did have a large sample for a test, if that's what she wanted. The whole school was out the next morning to get their midterm grades. She stood with her friends. The days leading up to the exams were full of studying, revising notes, and general panic. Her friends weren't stupid and their grades were good for the most part. The only one who was really worried was Mitsuki. The resident fashionista always had her classwork done, but tested badly. Her scores were usually passing, barely, but the midterm accounted for a greater percentage of her grade.

"Oh please please please...I can't find my name! Is it possible to do so badly they don't even put up your name!?" Mitsuki wailed.

"Mitsuki-chan, breathe. Breathe honey," Celeste held her friend's hands until the girl calmed down. The redhead took slow breaths even if her eyes were a little wild. The dark haired girl used Eagle Eyes to scan the board. "See? You placed nineteenth. That's really good!"

"I-I did…?" Mitsuki stared at the board in shock. She let out a whoop of delight and threw her arms around Celeste's neck. Good thing Celeste was so strong or she would have gone over. As it was she still had to twirl a couple times to bleed off the force.

"I made it to tenth! Yes!" Aika cheered and pumped her fist in the air.

"Hmmm...Seventh. Adequate," Himeko smiled approvingly.

"Celeste scored third and I reached second…" Kurone adjusted her glasses with an irked expression. She took her grades very seriously. To lose out on first place was a blow to her pride. Celeste blinked. Third? That was extremely good compared to her old life.

"I can live with third," Celeste smiled happily.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Quest Complete!
Midterms are here! - Grades in a Japanese school are extremely important. This stuff is serious business. Score the highest and get a valuable prize!
Objective: Score within the top 10
Reward: 5000 XP per Rank (3rd Place 40,000 XP)
Bonus Objective: Score 1st place (Failed)
Bonus Reward: 3 Random Skill Books, 1 Rare Skill Book
Level 15 > 18
Paladin Level 7 > 11
You have reached level 10 in Paladin
Choose a Perk
Cover I - Automatically move at your highest speed to defend a downed ally. Shunpo Cost - 50% while in use. Defense + 20%
Mental Fortress I - Reduces all harmful mind effects by 20%.
Second Wind I - Restore 20% max HP/Stamina/Ki once per day after a proper rest.

She picked Mental Fortress I. Mind effects were particularly nasty.

"Ha ha ha! First place!" An obnoxiously cheerful voice gloated. The person sounded way too young to be in high school. Celeste slipped on her shades to use Detective Vision and Eagle Eye. It took her only a few moments to find the source. She was a cute little thing with short cut hair and a witch's costume. The look of smug satisfaction on her face wasn't so cute.

"Tch stop being so annoying." A boy with slicked back spiky hair scoffed. He and his posse slunk over to where she stood and loomed over her threateningly. His two sycophants were chuckling to themselves.

"You're just jealous that I'm smarter than you!" The girl fired back fearlessly. At least she was fearless before the guy snarled in her face. Celeste spotted Mizore in the crowd moving towards the altercation. Except there was someone else even closer.

"Leave her alone!" Moka burst out of the crowd and interposed herself between the thugs and their victim. The three recoiled in surprise at her appearance. Tsukune stumbled out of the throng with less grace.

"Indeed. Your actions are unseemly," Himeko said with a hand hovering over the handle of her bokken meaningfully. The bullies noticed that it was starting to look like a fair fight.

"Why do you even care about a Witch?" He spat. "Never mind. Let's go guys. We can deal with this later…" The boy let out a startled squeak as Mizore seemingly appeared out of nowhere in his blind spot.

"...I think that would be a bad idea…" Mizore said quietly.

Confused, embarrassed, and broken the wannabe bullies fled for safer pastures. The mocking cries of the crowd followed them until they were out of sight.

"Are you okay?" Moka asked the younger girl.

"Uh huh…" The girl had a look of blatant hero worship in her eyes. "You're so awesome! You scared those guys away like they were nothing! So kind and beautiful…!" Just like that she wandered off into a daydream. Somehow forgetting that it wasn't just Moka who helped her out. Her rescuers looked a bit irked at being ignored.

"My name is Moka Akashiya. This is my dear friend Tsukune and…" Moka looked to Mizore and Himeko expectantly.

"Mizore Shirayuki," Mizore replied laconically.

"Himeko Haruno, pleased to meet you," Himeko said politely.

"I'm the genius Witch Yukari Sendou! Thank you so much Moka-sama!" Yukai beamed.

"That's the one who took first place?" Kurone recoiled in shock.

"Hmmm? Who's the flatty with glasses?" Yukari asked with innocent insensitivity. A loud yowl was all the warning Celeste had before Kurone tried to pounce. She managed to snatch her friend out of the air and hold her tightly. The dark haired girl scritched her behind the ears as the studious cat girl's tail lashed furiously.

"Yukari-chan that wasn't nice…" Moka scolded her gently.

"Besides you're flatter," Mitsuki muttered peevishly.

"No kidding," Kurumu scoffed. The Succubus crept up on them without warning. Was she taking lessons in stealth from Mizore?

"I don't need to hear that from Cow Tits!" Yukari yelled peevishly. Both redhead and bluette jerked back as if slapped before starting to growl in annoyance.

"Now wait girls...Yukari-chan is just a little girl…" Tsukune tried to mediate. Thankfully his saving throw paid off.

Celeste's eyebrow twitched fractionally. She liked to think of herself as a fair and tolerant person. This child was hitting every single one of her hot buttons. An entitled little know-it-all brat with no respect for anyone including herself. Those bullies shouldn't have been picking on her, but it seemed that much of it was because of her own attitude. After all it didn't take long for people to come to her aid. Now she was doing her damndest to alienate them all!

"Did you stop to think that it might be your own fault?" Celeste asked. That brought the little Witch up short.

"Now wait a minute. Those bullies were picking on her! How can you say that was her fault?" Moka asked in disbelief.

"I'm not saying that the bullies are right. I agree that they needed to be stopped. The problem is that Sendou-san is deliberately going out of her way to antagonize people. That isn't something we can excuse or she'll start thinking it's right to bully others," Celeste said firmly.

"I'm not bullying anyone! Heh...What would you know…? All you have to do is flash your tits and they'll obey…" Sendou scoffed sourly. Celeste pointed at her sharply.

"That right there is what I'm talking about. You're rude, arrogant, and condescending. Your bullies can get away with their actions only because your classmates probably can't stand the attitude. Look around you, Sendou-san! All these people stepped up to defend you from them. Now you're insulting them and ignoring their contributions," Celeste gestured at Mizore, Himeko, and Tsukune. "It wasn't just Moka-san."

"She doesn't want to listen. Her ears are closed," Aika shook her head sadly. The mousy girl knew what it was like to be the smallest in class. However she never let it give her a complex.

"Come on. We don't need to stand around and take this abuse," Mitsuki sniffed before turning on her heels and striding away.

Celeste took one last look at Yukari with Moka, Tsukune, and Kurumu before shaking her head. She wasn't getting involved with this dumpster fire. If those bullies came back the kid had enough protectors. She started to walk away as well.

"Are you going to continue carrying me?" Kurone asked dryly. Celeste barely hesitated before continuing on like nothing was wrong.

"Can't a girl carry a cat around?" Celeste stuck her nose in the air.

Totally what she meant to do.

Good grief. This day just wouldn't die. Celeste's Luck Stat apparently decided today needed to be 'interesting.' Thankfully it was lascivious rumors about her carrying Kurone around school. Most people thought it was funny, Kurone included. No, the problems started when she started hearing weird tales of the Witch who was stalking the Freshman Class Idol Moka, the lovely Kurumu, and that other guy. Poor Tsukune. None of the boys liked to acknowledge him. How Celeste knew her day was cursed was easy. She came around the corner in time to see a most bizarre and inappropriate sight. There was Tsukune and Kurumu walking with Moka. That wasn't strange. The weird part was how Yukari was latched onto Moka. The little freak had her hands on Moka's breasts from behind and was letting herself be dragged behind the taller girl. Poor Moka's face was flaming red. Kurumu and Tsukune were cajoling and pleading with Yukari to stop. Okay, Tsukune was cajoling and pleading. Kurumu was talking about surgical removal and absently flashing her claws.

Celeste lifted Yukari off of Moka by the back of her cape. The little Witch looked confused as her hands continued to grasp at...nothing.

"Listen you little shit that's called abuse too. You are molesting her against her will. How would you feel if someone did the same thing to you?" Celeste demanded.

"Wait…" Moka tried to say, but couldn't think of anything. She trailed off awkwardly in mortified silence. Tsukune rubbed her back soothingly.

"See? That's not right!" Kurumu burst out angrily.

"You don't understand my pure feelings for Moka-sama!" Yukari yelled as she waved around a cute heart shaped wand. A wash basin crashed down on Celeste's head.

It wasn't very effective…

"Unless you have Summon Anvil in your bag of tricks that's not going to work on me," Celeste said dryly.

"Uhhh...I'm...sorry…?" Yukari squeaked in fear. Great. Now she was making Celeste feel like the bad guy. She just rolled her eyes and set the brat down. The discombobulated little Witch was so flustered she ducked behind Kurumu for protection.

"I'm out of here. Himeko-chan asked me to train with her during our free period," Celeste washed her hands of the whole mess. If they wanted to try and help the girl then more power to them. Undoubtedly she needed friends to teach her right from wrong. Her parents obviously did a shit job of it.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Martial Combat lvl 18 > 20
Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu lvl 7 > 10
Mercy lvl 7 > 10

Celeste mentally closed the pop ups. Himeko was panting heavily, her hair plastered to her scalp. The top of her practice gi was soaked with sweat. Thankfully it was still intact. Celeste brushed back a lock of sweat soaked hair. Her chest heaved from the exertion. Both of them went at their sparring kind of hard today. Training with Himeko didn't give such great XP before. Not until Celeste thought of a trick. They were too afraid of seriously hurting the other at their speeds. Himeko's native strength was still higher than Celeste's due to her oni heritage. She could make her own weapons nonlethal with Mercy. Except that it didn't wear off if the weapon left her hand. All that mattered was if she still considered it 'her' weapon. So she experimented with a bokken and designated it as hers. Mercy appeared around the wooden blade and remained when she handed it off to Himeko. She picked up another one for herself and designated that a Mercy weapon. The first and second weapon still had the field.

They commenced beating on one another with glee.

However now it was time to wash up and get ready for next period. Celeste successfully managed to put the whole thing behind her. That is until she showed up for a Newspaper Club meeting the next day. Sitting there between Tsukune and Moka was Yukari. The little Witch looked inordinately pleased with herself. Both teens looked like a couple long tailed cats in a room full of rocking chairs. Kurumu was giving the girl a stink eye, but also appeared amused. It was a complicated expression.

"What's going on?" Celeste asked.

"Yukari-chan decided to join the Newspaper Club," Kurumu explained.

"We reached an understanding…" Moka laughed nervously.

"Y-yeah…" Tsukune laughed nervously too.

"I can't wait to be the meat in a Tsukune and Moka sandwich!" Yukari chirped happily.
Celeste screamed and used Shunpo to escape through the window.

The window wasn't open.

It was after she got done.

AN: Whew. I promise to tone down on Yukari being Yukari. Early manga Yukari was a shit who eventually grew out of it.

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 11


Celeste was jolted awake from a sound sleep by someone shaking her. Her eyes snapped open in shock. Who was in her dorm room? When did they get a key? How did they get in? What did they want from her? The only question missing was 'where?' but that wasn't important. The intruder's breathing was harsh and ragged with a combination of fear and desperation. Low-light Vision finally kicked in to reveal her assailant. A messy head of blonde hair greeted her dazed mind. Golden eyes stared into hers with a manic intensity. Something was seriously wrong if Sumire was visiting her in the middle of the night!

"I messed up!" Sumire wailed.

Celeste OS has stopped responding. Please reboot. Bring nachos.

"Haaa…?" Celeste looked on in confusion.

"You know my job, right? I keep an eye on the borders for the Headmaster. Well the Headmaster left for an educational conference, why I have no idea since we fail at being a normal high school, but anyway…" Sumire heaved in a deep breath to continue rambling. "...I found a distortion in the barrier like what you carry around, but a lot more powerful. I went in and it sealed off my abilities. It. Sealed. My. Gaps." She gave Celeste a shake for emphasis.

"Hey if you're gonna bang my head off the headboard at least give me the fun stuff too," Celeste snarked by pure reflex. Sumire blinked as she finally seemed to take in their position. She was straddling the younger girl's waist with both hands gripping her tank top. The golden eyed girl let go of her shirt, but didn't get off of her.

"This is serious. I messed up. I'm supposed to seal off anything I can't handle on my own. However I didn't expect anyone else to be dumb enough to take a tour of a 'haunted' prison. Unfortunately stupidity springs eternal, mine included, and a group of students walked in through the weak point I left," Sumire explained now that the initial surge of panic had passed.

"How long ago?" Sleep vanished as a spike of adrenaline shot through her. She was already making plans to help Sumire. Not just because it was Sumire, who did save her life, but because people needed help. Hey she was being honest. The hot upperclassman was asking! ...And...still straddling her waist…

Awkward…

"Less than an hour ago. I came to find you immediately once the Headmaster's guys said they couldn't reach him," Sumire explained. Thankfully she climbed off, but didn't turn around or anything. If Celeste was going to get changed it was going to have to be through the Inventory. She blinked in surprise as Celeste was suddenly dressed in a white tunic, jeans, and steampunk boots.

"Do you know who they are?" Celeste asked. The katana appeared at her waist. She made sure to check the positioning. Sometimes her Inventory didn't put it on right for her draw technique. Sumire eyed her silently for a moment as she tied up her hair in a battle braid.

"A Ratfolk, a Siren, an Oni, and a Cat Woman," Sumire replied. Celeste froze in the middle of her preparations. She breathed a distressed, "What?" The older girl grimaced. "I know they are your friends. If it wasn't for my error they would be sleeping in their beds tonight..."

"They were going to explore a deserted prison without me? Gah! Not important right now! I'll chew them out for putting themselves in danger later," her eyes glowed a baleful purple. Sumire slowly blinked in astonishment before catching herself.

"Right...I'm glad that it didn't take you much time to get ready. Let's go. I can take us there," Sumire held out a hand. Time froze before Celeste could act.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Emergency Alert!
Desperate Rescue - What the Hell were your friends doing going into an abandoned ruin without you? You know they're not stupid. Something is seriously wrong here. Now they're in trouble and it's up to you and Sumire to save them, but you might be the one who needs saving...
Goal: Rescue your friends unharmed.
Bonus Goal: Destroy the source of the malignance.
Rewards: 100,000 XP, 3 Rare Skill Books, 3 Rare Pieces of Equipment, Exalted Status with your friends, Respected Status with Sumire.
Bonus Reward: 50,000 XP, +10 CP, 1 Legendary Piece of Equipment
Failure: Death, loss of your friends
Accept? Y/N

There was an option to refuse? She wouldn't refuse, but the Rewards were actually scary. This wasn't going to be a simple Quest at all. The risks would be great. If she was playing a game this would be the point where she would say "let's try it and if I lose just reset." Except this wasn't a game and the system was reminding her of that in big letters. She could refuse, the wise thing would be to do just that, after all this was an "all deaths final" game. Celeste let the unworthy thought pass through her. It was natural to feel fear and anxiety. However, these were her friends. The 'Y' was chosen. The die was cast. She took Sumire's hand and vanished.

The rotting prison was like something out of one of her horror anime. Honestly that wasn't very reassuring. It was four stories high and built from thick stone, but time had taken its toll. Ivy crawled up the stone and into the cracks. There were places where old stone had fallen away from the roof and even now littered the grounds. The lack of a moon cast everything in pitch dark shadows that even Low-light Vision had trouble seeing through. She looked askance at Sumire. The blonde yokai was still in her school uniform. Not exactly practical, but not everyone had her advantages. No words needed to be spoken as Sumire led her into the prison. Another pop up appeared before her.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

The Prison of Sinner's Lament
Level 60
Minimum Level: 40 <Not Met>
Enter Anyway?
Y/N

It was waiving the minimum level requirement because she was with Sumire, huh? Minimum level wasn't the one to worry about. The actual level was and it was sixty. She knew that it meant level sixty for a full party. The red and black border around the pop up was a concern. Only way this would be worse is if there were skulls next to the levels. The pop up disappeared as Sumire dragged her into the prison. There was a dizzying sensation as reality shifted strangely. On the other side was still a prison, but it looked more intact. Her companion took a shaky step and practically fell against Celeste's side.

"Sumire!?" Celeste exclaimed in alarm.

"S-sorry...It's hard to breathe for me...Something about this place restricts my powers," Sumire admitted. After a few moments she stood up on her own, but still looked a bit weary.

"Maybe you should let me take care of this," Celeste suggested. Lowering her party by one was a bad idea, but having Sumire here while weakened was worse.

"No, I can hold my own weight. I promise to stay out of your way. Just let me make my contribution..." Sumire frowned in concentration.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

You are under the effect of a Status Buff:
Boundary Manipulation: Unlucky to Lucky - +500 Luck

"Phew. I did it!" Sumire smiled with relief. "Now you should be a lot luckier. It's the best I can do at this point..." She shrugged self deprecatingly.

"Oh no. This has potential," Celeste purred. Luck was one of those mechanics she didn't like to rely on. High luck was neither good nor bad. It just meant an increase in Criticals and more interesting situations. She wasn't worried about those since interesting situations could be very bad. This was a status buff based purely on good luck. Only good luck and a bonus of plus five hundred. Luck after a certain point also influenced experience.

"Raaaagh...!" Just in time apparently. From the stone floor a tarry substance bubbled up from the cracks. It smelled like old iron. The shape was vaguely humanoid with orange lights coming from the 'eyes' and 'mouth.' The groan was joined by several others. As many as twelve emerged from the ground to meet them.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Morte lvl 18 HP 7500/7500 MP -/-

"We're surrounded..." Sumire stated unnecessarily.

"Too bad for them," Celeste declared as she blurred forward. She activated Ki Reinforcement moments before commencing the slaughter. Her katana cleared the sheath in a blinding flash before slashing through four Mortes. The tarry creatures didn't slice, but instead splattered. Without pausing she cried "Ryukansen!" and uncoiled in a lightning fast spin that sent more of the creatures flying. She sprinted at the last two and leaped high in the air with her katana held above her head. The Ryutsuisen was a single enemy attack, but with a slight angle the powerful two handed blow struck through both Mortes.

Sumire needed help getting her jaw off the floor.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Morte x 12 defeated
Level 18 > 20
You have reached Level 20! Choose a Perk!
[1] Perk Point Remaining
Paladin Level 11 > 16
Cura lvl 16 - This is a more potent form of the Cure spell. Extends the effects of Cure to multiple allies.
Area of Effect: 5 meters + 1 per level
Cost: 9 MP
Esuna lvl 16 - A spell capable of removing multiple status ailments.
Chance of Success: (Wisdom/10)% + 1% per level
Cost: 24 MP
Shell lvl 16 - A simple defensive spell against magical attacks.
Defense: (Wisdom/10) + 1 per level
Range: Multiple (Amount of protection is divided among the recipients)
Cost: 9 MP
Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu lvl 10 > 11
Wisdom has reached 50! A new Perk has been added.
Energy Manipulation I - It seems silly to give you a Perk for either Ki or Magic. You've evolved beyond one or the other. With this Perk your ability to use multiple forms of Energy has been increased.
Increases the chance of creating new Energy Skills by 50%
Decreases the cost of all Energy Skills by 20%
20% chance of restoring the lowest Energy with a Critical Hit. Energy restored is equal to 10% of the damage.

"What are you doing?" Sumire asked.

"Planning. It helps if I take what I know now and add it to what was already known." Which was the truth if she squinted. In reality she was trying to pick a Perk that would help with their current situation.

"The creatures weren't difficult for you. I'm not sure what you hope to learn from that. We're probably going to be in more trouble the deeper we go," Sumire cautioned. "Just look at your katana."

"What...?" Celeste held up the katana and fought back a wince. It was corroded. The next time she used it would be the last. This could be a problem. Was there a Perk to help with broken weapons? The Wisdom Perk might let her create a spell for restoration. Maybe a general spellcasting Perk?

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Concentration - All Spells effects are 50% more effective under the effects of Meditation. Extends Meditative State to a number of minutes equal to Wisdom after the trance ends.

It was the closest thing she had to a spell booster. That was by no means a complaint. She used Meditation to relax her mind and brought forth her magic. Restoration was a White Magic discipline too. Celeste concentrated on the concept of wholeness and projected it into her katana. She didn't get a 'ping' or a pop up for a new Skill, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was a pale purple glow slowly trailed up the blade. Wherever the glow touched restored metal was left in its wake. The effect apparently slotted under Midchildan Magic.

"Phew. I'll have to remember to use Blazing Aura in the future to protect my sword..." Celeste muttered as she sheathed the renewed katana. She missed the utterly dazed look on her companion's face.

"She can create spells just like that...? What kind of Witch is she...?" Sumire mumbled to herself. "Or is she a Vampire? Can Vampires use Magic? I can't remember..."

Ah the joys of misunderstandings.

The first floor was dominated by a single central room with two wide hallways on either side. Each hallway was lined with doors. There were surprisingly no prison cells on the first floor. Celeste and Sumire concluded that it was the administration floor. The only monsters were Mortes. By using Blazing Aura to coat her katana in spectral flame it preserved the blade. It was such a waste of time. The enemies kept rising from the floor in a near endless spawn. They would stop for a few minutes, but then start appearing again. Running past them didn't work either because they had to search each room individually. The stairs weren't in the main hall. Even more frustrating were the locked doors that needed keys from other rooms.

"Ugh! Another door that I can't just break down!" Celeste complained. She was shaking her fingers ruefully. The frustration got to her and she punched the latest door with everything she had. All that happened was she picked up a condition for crushed fingers and a temporary disability. Chakra put her to rights, but it was still annoying. She ignored the pop up telling her she increased Damage Resistance again. This wasn't the first door she struck obviously.

"Let's see which key it is...We might already have it..." Sumire said absently as she checked through a handful of keys. She insisted on being useful and keeping track of their 'Key' Items. No, Celeste wasn't going to use that joke out loud. She had some self respect. None of the keys in her hand worked.

"Dammit I hate having to constantly use Detective Vision. I thought we already found everything," Celeste sighed as she activated Detective Vision to look through the door. This wasn't what she was complaining about. It was having to go back and scope out the rooms individually. They were wasting time and it was driving her crazy. She bit back a particularly savage curse as the stairwell was behind the locked door.

"You found the stairwell, didn't you?" Sumire realized. If the look of utter loathing on the younger girl's face was any clue. The way she clenched her fists spoke volumes.

"I thought we searched everywhere already," Celeste ran fingers through her hair.

"How long can you hold your 'Detective Vision?' Because we might have to start searching the walls," Sumire said.

"Long enough...Come on..." Celeste set off back down the hall. Already new Mortes were rising to confront them. At least she had some stress relief.

Thankfully it didn't come to searching each wall and floor stone by stone. Unfortunately they found a new key in a place already searched. It was the bathroom and the key was stuck in the plumbing. If Celeste picked up a Plumbing Skill she might just cry. At least it didn't come to that. She used Midchildan Magic to form a hooked chain to act as a pipe snake. The key came loose, along with the funk of decades, leaving them with a highly fragrant key. Celeste and Sumire stumbled out of the bathroom desperately gasping for clean air. Sumire immediately cleaned the key somehow, but seemed reluctant to touch it. Celeste stuck it in her Inventory. Problem solved.

"Up or down?" Sumire asked.

"We'll try to go down first. I have a feeling that's where we want to be," Celeste said.

"Right and no splitting up," Sumire said.

"Damn straight! This isn't the time to split the party," Celeste insisted. Especially since only one of them was able to fight. That was something they were going to correct after this. Sumire was joining her training sessions with Himeko.

If they even found Himeko…

No, she couldn't think that. They would find her friends and rescue them. None of them were stupid and two of them were strong monsters. Even though Mitsuki didn't train often physically she did work on her voice. A Siren's greatest weapon was their song. Celeste forced down a sudden attack of nerves before starting down the stairs. The stairs were wide enough to go two abreast, but she insisted that Sumire stand behind her. She kept her Perception up and Detective Vision. It was thanks to that she spotted the bats before they could tear out their throats.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Bat lvl 10 HP 500/500 MP -/-
Bat x 6 Defeated

A couple Mana Bullets were all it took to sort them out. The advantage of the Midchildan Magic style was in their shooting spells. It was trivial to add a homing property. Celeste was starting to wonder if she should add a gun or bow for range. Magic and ki was fine for now. Though now they faced a far more formidable foe than mere bats. Another damned door. This one was much thicker and bound with heavy iron. The lock looked complicated. Celeste tried picking the other doors, but it was no use. She had less than a snowball's chance in Hell of cracking this lock. Sumire tried altering them from Locked to Unlocked and nearly gave herself a migraine. Whoever set up this dungeon made it cheese proof.

"Damn it! We're going to have to go to the second floor," Sumire bit her lip worriedly. Bit by bit the cool upperclassman was chipped away. The part that surprised Celeste was just how much she was coming to rely on her.

"Give me a minute to think," Celeste said. Sumire huffed impatiently, but subsided. It was an understandable reaction. Both girls wanted to keep going, but the number of minimized pop ups in Celeste's vision were starting to block her sight. Ironic really.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Level 20 > 21
Paladin Level 16 > 20 [Class Freeze: Cannot Switch in a Dungeon]
Choose a Perk:
Cover I - Automatically move at your highest speed to defend a downed ally. Shunpo Cost - 50% while in use. Defense + 20%
Mental Fortress II - Reduces all harmful mind effects by 40%.
Second Wind I - Restore 20% max HP/Stamina/Ki once per day after a proper rest.
Strength has reached 50! A new Perk has been added!
Explosive Critical - Critical hits are already deadly. With this Perk they're just so much worse. Every Critical Hit deals 100% more damage and kills enemies under 20% their max Health.
Detective Vision lvl 10 > 12
Investigation lvl 13 > 15
Martial Combat lvl 20 > 22
Blazing Aura lvl 10 > 14
Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu lvl 11 > 13

Celeste picked Cover I. With Sumire needing protection she couldn't afford to take chances. When they found her friends the job would get tougher, but she would persevere. She couldn't afford a lapse. Being able to instantly reach their side would go a long way towards making her job easier.

"Let's go. Time waits for no one," Celeste said with a faint smile.

"Right," Sumire exhaled slowly. Of the two of them Celeste was fresher. After all the golden eyed girl just woke her up before coming right here.

Good thing Celeste kept the key from the first floor. The second floor door was also locked. Slowly, carefully, she inched the door open bit by bit. It turned out to be a good idea as something heavy and powerful struck the door with thunderous force. Celeste braced herself against the door and allowed the force to dissipate through her legs. Sumire quickly moved down the stairs to give the other girl more room to work. The purple eyed girl cast a Bind through the door while using Detective Vision. She saw a tall armored figure with a two handed greataxe. Her Bind snapped into place and dragged the enemy back from the door. However it was already starting to crack. Celeste yanked the door open before vaulting out in a ki assisted leap.

"Triple...KICK!" Celeste repeatedly struck the seven foot tall figure in the head. Blazing kicks rocked the head back and forth, but it wasn't enough to stop him. She leaped back to reassess the situation. The enemy's armor was surprisingly intact after that pummeling. It was grey like iron with spiked protrusions from the shoulders, gauntlets, and knees. The helm was thick with prominent brow, cheek, and nose ridges. Baleful red eyes shown from within.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Axe Defender lvl 28 HP 26200/38260 MP -/-

"Raaagh...!" The Axe Defender seized his weapon in both hands and brought it around in a brutally swift arc. Strength accounted for much in how fast an axe could go. Celeste dropped into a split just in time to avoid having her head removed. She twisted her legs around in a sweep. The Steam Boots kicked out a jet of steam, that when combined with her Ki assisted strength, hammered the monster's leg. She very nearly started to sweat as it didn't fall. In fact her leg rebounded off the unyielding metal surface painfully.

"Damn it!" Celeste acrobatically twisted herself in the opposite direction and vaulted away from the enemy. The axe slammed into the stone floor with enough force to leave the blade buried to the pole. He ripped it up from the ground and laid it across his shoulder to prepare for another swing. She used Detective Vision again while reaching out with her Ki senses. The armor was tough, but it wasn't invincible. There had to be a weakness. All she had to do was find it and hammer it with everything she had. She dodged another violent swing that left the axe blade embedded in the wall. Celeste used Blazing Aura at full and did a double front kick across the weapon's shaft. The axe shaft shattered causing the armored enemy to stumble forward.
There!

"Fists of Fury!" Celeste cried as she planted her feet and let her fists do the talking. A blazing series of ki reinforced punches hammered home right below the enemy's sternum. The armor started to crumble inward as his weight worked against him. Instead of being driven back his armored form was held suspended by the repeating strikes. The dazed Axe Defender staggered upright and wobbled on his feet. She brought her hands together before finishing the assault with a Ki Sphere right into the shattered torso armor. He was picked up off his feet in a shower of cracked metal fragments. The dark haired girl ripped the axe head out of the wall, gripped it in both hands, and brought it down on his exposed chest. Blood erupted in a spray of gore as the blade hacked through his collarbone and into the neck.

"Brutal, but effective," Sumire remarked. The golden eyed girl emerged from the stairwell with an appreciative look. She started to open her mouth to speak again, but Celeste suddenly appeared in front of her with a circular barrier of purple magic. The reason was immediately made clear as a black spear struck the shield, but it wasn't completely stopped. It punched through the shield before catching Celeste through the shoulder.

"Ahhh...!" Celeste let out a cry of pain. Reflexively she used Detective Vision on the new assailant and bit back a curse. There wasn't just one new enemy, but three. Two more Axe Defenders and a new one.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Spear Thrower lvl 30 HP 31500/31500

They weren't as well armored as the Defenders, but their high health offset that. Celeste used Cure to heal the wound. In the process the spear was forced out of the healing injury. She took a chance and snatched up the weapon. Good. It wasn't cursed or something stupid.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Blood Lance - Att 45 - Piercing/Slashing - Absorbs Damage as HP. Dark Attribute

Part of her Martial Combat Style included the Yari or Japanese Spear. The head of the spear was a different shape with the traditional straight blade and two 'hooks' curved down. This wasn't a spear for simple combat, but for also inflicting great harm. On the opposite end of the black shaft was a smaller version of the main blade. She gave it a practice twirl before using Shunpo, with her shoulder behind the spear, to blitz between the Axe Defenders. The Spear Thrower recoiled in surprise as he had his own weapon returned to him point first. Celeste felt more of her aches and pains dissipate as the spear drained his vitality. She activated her Barrier Jacket properly while twisting the weapon inside of him. The Axe Defenders both struck down at her back, but she used Shunpo to vanish again. Her victim stumbled forward as bright red blood sprayed out of his chest. He was then thrown to the ground as his friends buried their axes in his torso. The Axe Defenders froze as if they couldn't believe what happened. The Spear Thrower just gurgled in his death throes.

"Friendly fire is never friendly," Celeste noted with an infuriating smirk. She used her Binds on both of them while casting Protect on herself. Her Barrier Jacket was as covering as she could make it. It looked like a dark purple greatcoat that came down past her legs. The design was intentional to disguise her foot placement. She wore a black kimono top and purple hakama pants. The Steam Boots looked a bit strange, but she wasn't concerned about appearances.
The Axe Defenders turned to her with murderous intent, but the binds held them in place. She added more MP to make them tougher to break. Now that she knew how to take them down it was simpler. The Blood Lance was a much better weapon than using her fists. A Shunpo enhanced charge was enough to punch clear through the sternum of one Axe Defender. She tried just stabbing the other one in the chest, but the spear glanced off the armor. It left a deep gouge, but it wasn't as final. Celeste ended him like his companion. Detective Vision and Eagle Eye were used together to check for more enemies, but the closest were much further down the hall. From what she could see the floor was lousy with Axe Defenders, Spear Throwers, and a sword wielding type called Blade Master.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Blade Master lvl 40 HP 42500/42500 MP 750/750

"Shit," Celeste muttered. The Blade Masters seemed to be a rare enemy, but that didn't mean much. She didn't know if they had a respawn rate like the Mortes.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Level 21 > 25
Detective Vision lvl 12 > 14
Damage Resistance lvl 8 > 12
Martial Combat lvl 22 > 25
Killing Intent lvl 13 > 18
Ki Sphere lvl 4 > 10
Triple Kick lvl 6 > 10
Blazing Aura lvl 14 > 18
Shunpo lvl 10 > 16
Barrier Jacket lvl 18 > 20
Midchildan Magic lvl 18 > 20
A new Skill was created through a specific action
Charge lvl 1 - This is the most basic attack of the spearman. It's just a simple run and thrust with nothing held back.
Actively increases Damage + 100% + 20% per level
Defense decreases by 50% - 2% per level
Cost: 30 Ki

Somehow she knew that Charge was going to level up a lot here.
Three Axe Defenders turned the corner.
Call it a hunch.

AN: Who wanted to see Celeste finally have a challenge? I know I did! Originally the 'innocent missing students' were going to be random kids, but you had a point. Celeste's friends are important for her, but it's hard to relate to them in the plot. Now she has more skin in the game. I also didn't want to complete the Quest in a single chapter. Something this dangerous shouldn't be a one and done. Instead this will be spread out over a few chapters. Hope you enjoy!

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 12

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Spoiler: Vanquished Enemies

Axe Defender x 15 Defeated
Spear Thrower x 10 Defeated
Blade Master x 4 Defeated

Spoiler: Level Up

Level 25 > 32
Perception lvl 26 > 30 (Max)
Detective Vision lvl 14 > 18
Investigation lvl 15 > 20
Charge lvl 1 > 12
Damage Resistance lvl 12 > 15
Martial Combat lvl 25 > 28
Ki Reinforcement lvl 26 > 30
Blazing Aura lvl 18 > 22
Meditation lvl 10 > 13
Shunpo lvl 16 > 20
Barrier Jacket lvl 20 > 25
Midchildan Magic Style lvl 20 > 26

Spoiler: Spoils

Equipment Found:
Axe Defender Full Plate (Broken Torso) x 15
Spear Thrower Half Plate (Broken Torso) x 10
Blade Master Armored Coat (Broken Back Plate) x 4
Dual Haken Greataxe - Att 60 - Slash/Bludgeon - An extraordinarily heavy axe that boasts incredible attack power. Only the strongest needs apply x 14
Blood Lance - Att 45 - Piercing/Slashing - Absorbs Damage as HP. Dark Attribute x 9
Defender - Att 32 - Slashing - An unadorned Knight Sword renowned for its defensive ability. Defense + 60% (Paladin gains 2x the effect under Cover) x 4
Skill Books Found:
Axe Combat Mastery x 3
Spear Combat Mastery x 4
Sword Combat Mastery x 1

Searching the second floor took nearly two hours. They had to be careful and pick their battles. Sumire was already reduced to giving Celeste the Status Buff for battles alone. She didn't have the mystical stamina to support it indefinitely. The Luck Boost was desperately needed as it kept them from being ambushed twice. Once turning a corner and the other time was checking a prison cell. Both ambushes were made up of Axe Defenders and Spear Throwers. They weren't stupid either. The bastards were learning. Spear Throwers targeted Sumire almost exclusively leaving Celeste in the unenviable position of meat shield/pincushion. While she recovered from that the Axe Defenders would storm in to try and hem in Celeste. They stopped relying on large windups and instead chose to use short haft strikes. It was infuriatingly effective. The new strategy worked until she simply started using overpowered Binds and making like Vlad the Impaler with telekinetically wielded Blood Lances. Oddly enough she didn't get a specific Skill for that, but her Midchildan Magic Style went up a lot.

The Blade Masters were an entirely new breed of dangerous. So far she only fought four, but each time was a struggle. The Defender Knight Sword was a fine weapon. A two-handed sword with a wide blade designed for deflecting attacks more than simply attacking. The worst part was their skill was so great that they could deflect anything from the front or sides. The Defender's reach was so impressive that it even partially extended to the back. So that left a very small spot to attack. Their helmets were as sturdy as the others so that was out. To make matters even worse was just how quickly they could turn around. The feeling when her Shunpo was blocked would live on forever. She had to completely bind them and even then they were adept at escaping. It took stealing their swords, a feat worthy of the Gods themselves, before she could actually kill them. Celeste was sure it wouldn't have looked so bad if she hadn't walked into two them coming out of the head. Even her Good Luck was fucked up!

Sumire dragged her into an empty office to take a break.

"Do you see anything else?" Sumire asked.

"Yeah. One more enemy, but something is keeping me from scanning it. It's standing in a larger room the same size as the one below," Celeste explained. The room in question was just over the first floor entranceway.

"How are you feeling?" Sumire asked in concern.

"Fine. I can keep going," Celeste assured her. Leveling up was such a cheat. Each time her Vitality went up her fatigue was removed. So far there didn't seem to be a limit on that. Luckily.

"How is that possible? I've never seen a monster like you," Sumire remarked in amazement. She looked terrible. Tiredness clung to her like a mantle, but she was forcing herself to keep going. By comparison Celeste looked fresh as a daisy. The only sign that she wasn't was her torn and tattered clothing. She needed new gear soon. The Tunic was finally destroyed.

"I absorb bits of my enemy's energy on their death," Celeste said. It was even true after a fashion. Sumire nodded as if that made perfect sense. She would have tried explaining her Human nature, but no one really believed her. Even her friends were humoring her. Oh well.

"We have to keep moving," Sumire said after a few minutes.

"Stay here and get some more rest. I can handle this," Celeste assured her.

"I thought you said we shouldn't split the party," Sumire argued, but didn't move from her seat. She could barely stand.

"If I could see other enemies it would be a bad idea. I can sense only one other presence on this floor," Celeste extended her awareness, but could only locate the final enemy.

"You don't get to decide what rules you follow," Sumire stated firmly. She inhaled fully before exhaling sharply. The tiredness in her posture vanished. Celeste used Libra to see what she did. Just like that her exhaustion was gone. Her powers weren't at a hundred percent, but she was fighting back against the suppression.

"How long can you hold it?" Celeste didn't even try to talk her out of this.

"Find out where your friends are and I should be able to get them out of here. I was saving this for later, but I can't afford to slack off. Not when you're giving it your all," Sumire said.
Was she giving it her all? Celeste really didn't think so. She was holding back 'just in case', but it was making the battles more difficult. This wasn't the time to keep secrets. Sumire was risking a great deal to rescue people she didn't even know. Celeste nodded firmly. It was time to stop sandbagging.

The dark haired girl manifested her Barrier Jacket as she activated all of her enhancement Ki Skills. She layered Protect and Shell Spells before entering the second floor main hall. The Blood Lance rested in her hand with a Defender held telekinetically across her back. Defender's Defense Buff didn't need her to be holding the weapon. Just that it be 'equipped.' Sumire hung back around the corner. Not for her safety, but so that she wouldn't be distracted when it was time to act.

"My my~! Are you the one who has been killing my men?" A seductive voice purred. Celeste felt the urge to facepalm rising. Standing precisely in the center of the chamber was a woman. She was dressed in a highly impractical suit of armor. It looked like a black bodysuit under a black breastplate, gauntlets, and thigh high boots. There were belts across the upper thighs and waist like a harness. If the boots had heels she might have started screaming. The woman was a redhead with deep blue eyes and a Devil May Care smirk. In her hand was an Estoc with a two-handed cruciform grip. It was a weapon designed for punching through armor. Celeste deadpanned when she saw it as such a weapon would be a threat to her armor.

"I wouldn't kill them if they didn't try to kill me first," Celeste replied easily. She gave the spear a lazy seeming twirl before getting into a ready stance. Her opponent briefly saluted the girl with the Estoc to acknowledge the point.

"You aren't the only visitor we've had tonight. A quartet of very cute and curious girls arrived. However, they are lost somewhere on the third floor. Too bad. I would have loved to play with them," she tutted softly. Celeste's heart turned to ice when she heard that.

"Where are they?" Celeste asked quietly. She briefly used Meditation to calm herself before she tried to tear the bitch a new one.

"Oh~? I suppose it won't matter if I tell you. You won't be alive long enough to act on it. They're in the room directly above us. The gargoyles won't let them escape. Gargoyles do love tender fresh meat," she smirked, revealing a pair of fangs. Her pupils started to glow with a hellish red light. The obscuring field fell. Celeste quickly used Detective Vision and nearly threw up.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Evalice lvl 50
The Black Sword Saint of Hell
HP ?????/?????
MP ????/????
KP ????/????

"Fuck…" Celeste let slip unconsciously. She tightened her grip on the spear. Evalice didn't even have a chance to act first as she used Shunpo to instantly close in and stab her throat. The black clad figure did an odd twisting motion with her Estoc. Her weapon deflected the charging spear to the side before coming back around in a tight spiral straight for Celeste's underarm. The dark haired girl pulsed Whirling Ripper while she still had the momentum. Her assailant held onto the Estoc, but was still sent spinning to the side. In an amazing display of acrobatics she turned her uncontrolled spin into a midair twirl.

"Black Goddess Fist!" She punched out in mid twirl. A ball of crackling black/red energy rocketed for Celeste's unprotected back. It struck off the Defender, but the momentum was still enough to send Celeste hurtling forward. She turned the uncontrolled tumble into a shoulder roll and spun around to face her assailant. Just in time as the redhead thrust her Estoc forward and shot across the floor with the lethal tip blurring so quickly it looked like a single thrust. The dark haired Paladin created a field of purple circles on the ground which swiftly erupted into a field of forward pointing stakes. Evalice flared her aura and shattered the stakes undeterred. Celeste threw herself backward just a moment before the rapid thrust struck. She was unprepared for the buffeting force from just the speed of the attack.

"Not bad. I was expecting to find a challenge, but you're better than I thought," Celeste admitted. The spear was put back in the Inventory. It wasn't going to help here. Her Skill was still greater with the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. She didn't get a chance to reach for her katana as Evalice jumped on her again. The Estoc had incredible range, but it was limited in how it could attack. It was designed specifically for punching through armor and didn't have a slashing edge. Which helped a lot as she couldn't just cut across, but the black armored girl had other tricks. As Celeste dodged the redhead executed a backfist with three foot long claws of ki coming from her knuckles. The dark haired girl parried the claw swipe with a handheld sphere of rapidly swirling ki. The claws emitted an eerie howl as they clashed with the tightly held sphere in her hand.

"Ngh…! What is this…?" Evalice growled as she tried to force the claws to penetrate. The Estoc blurred forward but scraped off a hastily upraised shield. The shield was small and rounded forcing the tip to veer off wildly. She tried to step back, but a pair of thick purple manacles snapped shut on her ankles. Chains locked into place all along her thighs and waist. The redhead forced her aura higher causing deep cracks to form in the binds, but Celeste just kept piling on more mana. Red claws warred with purple sphere kicking up sparks of ki in all directions. The Estoc came back around, but was instead stabbed into the ground. A blast of crimson light blew them both back across the room. Evalice dragged her ki claws along the ground to retain her balance. Celeste responded with a hastily formed Ki Wave Shockwave. The combination attack accelerated Celeste's flight until she crashed into the far wall. Evalice however was left to take the full brunt in the face. The dark armored woman backflipped across the room before landing on the ground with a resounding belly flop.

Celeste absently dismissed the pop up showing that something happened. She couldn't afford to take her attention off of Evalice. The redhead was already back on her feet, but the Estoc was gone. Her sword was lying in pieces around the room. Evalice held up her left hand and her right. Her right hand looked like it was grasping something. Celeste instantly drew Akai Kiba and used Shunpo combined with Whirling Ripper to cross the distance. She was prepared to end it in a single stroke. Unfortunately her plans were for naught as the sadistic woman somehow caught her katana on a curved blade of her own. At least that's how it would be if she wasn't trying to stop a head on charge at 200 meters per second. The result was never in any doubt. Oh she blocked the attack, but dearly wished she hadn't. Her arm vibrated violently from the force of the blow. She tried to dig in her feet, but Celeste rode the charge right into the wall. Evalice quickly reinforced her grip with her other hand.

"Nnn…! What freakish strength is this!? I thought...I smelled a human...but this power! It isn't human!" Evalice screamed desperately. Her maddened eyes were starting to show the first vestiges of panic. The redhead wasn't completely terrified out of her wits. She grit her teeth as foul mana roiled around her. Suddenly Celeste felt a sharp pain in her throat. A wide gash formed spraying red blood. Celeste watched in horror as the now revealed Vampire drank down her blood. The brief sensation of weakness was enough for Evalice to reclaim the initiative. She was thrown back with extraordinary force, her Barrier Jacket shattered instantly, as a deep slash forced across her torso. Celeste hit the ground with a grunt of pain and more than half of her health depleted.

"D-Damn…" Celeste's arms shook as she tried to hold herself up. She used Chakra and Cure simultaneously to at least get back on her feet. Evalice should have capitalized on her advantage, but she seemed distracted by something.

"Mmm...This blood is so much better than anything I've tasted in ages...The last time was when I faced a Shaolin Monk from the far East. Oh he was delicious and so skilled...Too bad he turned into a Ghoul. I tried so hard to make him a Vampire, but the process is something of a hit or miss," Evalice giggled girlishly. She laid a hand on her flushed cheek.

Oh fuck. She was getting off on this.

"What does that mean for me?" Celeste asked raggedly, but more to keep the crazy lady talking. She was still waiting for the magic and ki to fix her body more. Evalice didn't seem to notice or care.

"Hmmm? Oh I was just thinking that someone strong like you would make a fine Vampire. Under my control of course. You already resisted my domination several times…" Evalice said. She already tried to dominate her? Shit. "...I think you would have the willpower to survive."

"I thank you for your consideration, but I'm not really interested in becoming a Vampire," Celeste said politely. Ah her throat wasn't torn up anymore. Good. She was ready for the moment hostilities resumed, but it gave her time to replenish her defensive spells.

"Who said you had a choice? But I do appreciate your manners. Unfortunately…" Evalice's smirk vanished as she whipped her head around towards the corner where Sumire was hiding. Sumire gave her an infuriating little finger wave before vanishing through a red portal. The Vampire's eyes widened as she suddenly looked up and screamed. "No! How the Hell did she get them out of here!?"

Celeste wasted no time. She quickly used Martial Evolution II on Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. Evolving the Skill meant bringing to 100. The pop up for mastery was ignored. There were no second chances.

"Hiten Mugen ZAN!" Celeste blurred forward with her katana drawn. The technique was one of the penultimate techniques of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. A series of perfectly executed slashes so fast they were invisible to the naked eye. All that bystanders would see was the devastation wrought in its wake. Evalice's skill was considerably higher than Celeste expected as she could perceive the individual strokes. Unfortunately the Vampire wasn't swift enough to counter. Her eyes flared with red light as a raging torrent of aura surrounded her. She was trying to blunt the force of the attack, but all that happened was tattered wisps of aura flew off of her with each blocked strike. Minute cuts formed along Evalice's skin as she desperately sought a way to fend off the inevitable. Evalice staggered back from the confrontation weakly. Blood running freely from the numerous cuts she failed to deflect.

"Is that all you've got…?" Evalice taunted before gritting her teeth…

"Soryusen Ikazuchi!" Celeste brought the sheathed katana down on Evalice's face with both hands at Godlike speed. The Vampire's teeth shattered and her nose burst in a spray of blood. She completed the motion by drawing the katana after trapping the sheath in her armor. The katana flashed once straight across her exposed throat. Her last expression was frozen in one of horrified disbelief. She picked up the sheath from where it fell and carefully cleaned it off.
Sumire escaped with her friends. The creepy Vampire was defeated. Now she just needed to escape. No pressure, right? If she was right it wouldn't be as simple as jumping out a window. She tried anyway just to be sure, but the window bounced her off. How utterly annoying. Now it was time to deal with the annoying pop ups.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Spoiler: Level Up

Level 32 > 36
Damage Resistance lvl 15 > 20
Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu lvl 13 > 100 (Max)
Ki Manipulation lvl 1 > 10

Spoiler: Skills Gained

Rasengan (Incomplete) lvl 1 - You managed to half create an already incomplete technique, but needs must when the Devil drives. Creates a spiraling sphere of Ki that causes great damage, but requires strong focus.
Damage: Strength + Wisdom 300%
Cost: 100 Ki/50 per second

Spoiler: Spoils

Equipment:
Dark Minerva - Defense 34 - Boasts impressive defenses. Reduces damage from all elements by 50%. Absorb Darkness. Durability Up and Break Resistance.
Valhalla - Attack 40 - Add Instant Death - A tainted blade that is said to bring about the end of the world. Yields its power only to one who has killed under bloodlust. Restrict: Dark Knight, Swordmaster, Sword Saint
Skill Books:
Sword Saint Class Manual - Requires 3 Martial Classes Mastered (Intermediate)
Skill "Blood Drinker" - Used by Vampires and Dark Knights to steal blood from their foes. It causes horrific tearing to the throat that can kill the victim. Restrict: Vampire, Dark Knight, Evil
Racial Token:
Vampire - Become a vampire! Or don't. It's up to you. Vampires gain: -50% cost and +50% effectiveness to all reinforcement techniques. +50 to all Stats. Vulnerabilities: Water - All water, any water, much water. Unless it's treated with special herbs. Hope you weren't looking forward to showing off a beach body.

A racial token? Ugh. Skip it. Celeste put the token in her Inventory, but she definitely put the new armor on now. It was just like Evalice's and hugged her figure like a second skin. She wanted to complain about the black leather, but it really did feel sinfully good. Her Steam Boots didn't even look strange with the new getup. Valhalla was a sword she planned on turning over to Sumire. Let the golden eyed girl bury it somewhere. Anything that says it's to bring about the end of the world was bad news.

The only downside to leaving the long way was all the Mortes on the first floor. Right up until they met Whirling Ripper and it became a moot point. She reached the door only to get the Quest pop up again.

Spoiler: Quest Pop Up

Emergency Alert!
Desperate Rescue - What the Hell were your friends doing going into an abandoned ruin without you? You know they're not stupid. Something is seriously wrong here. Now they're in trouble and it's up to you and Sumire to save them, but you might be the one who needs saving...
Goal: Rescue your friends unharmed.
Bonus Goal: Destroy the source of the malignance. (Incomplete)
Rewards: 100,000 XP, 3 Rare Skill Books, 3 Rare Pieces of Equipment, Exalted Status with your friends, Respected Status with Sumire.
Bonus Reward: 50,000 XP, +10 CP, 1 Legendary Piece of Equipment (Incomplete)
Will you still leave? Y/N

"Can I come back?" Celeste asked.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

This is a Single Dungeon. It cannot be reentered once left, but there would be consequences for leaving without completing all goals.

The Paladin Class reminded her that she could not ignore Evil if it was in her power to face it down. If there were other people capable of dealing with it then she could go. Unfortunately she was the only one that could handle this now. If she left the dimension would collapse, but leave the malignancy. Something that would continue to grow and fester. She bit her lip worriedly. Leaving was the smart decision, but it would break her oaths. She was seriously regretting the choice to take Paladin now! It wasn't like she could just change out her class either. Class Change was frozen in the Dungeon. Celeste punched the wall next to the entrance angrily.
"I took Paladin to protect my friends and now it's screwing me. I don't give a fuck about people I don't even know!" Celeste snarled even as a tiny part of her denied that vehemently. Maybe she could live with it, and even forgive herself eventually, but the guilt would still be there.
She was going to catch hell for this.

Celeste turned around and went back to the dungeon.

It was time to finish this damn Quest already.

AN: I was already writing this when the talk about Sumire not being badass started. I hope the fight scene was awesome enough!

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 13

The Mortes crowding the first floor were annoying mostly because they stopped giving XP. She really shouldn't complain since a Shunpo/Whirling Ripper took her clear to the stairwell. At least the enemies were gone from the second floor. The only thing that remained were the corpses. Another reason to stay human was to avoid the Vampire's bloodthirst. She did not want to become a race with so many drawbacks. Besides, the Human's bonus to Skills was still too useful to give up. Skills were already hard to level up when they reached higher levels. Celeste absently cast another restoration spell on her katana. Akai Kiba was starting to wear down. She had one, maybe two, uses of it at high speed before it failed. Magic could do a lot, but it couldn't completely repair the katana. She really needed to use the Dark Arts and Crafts book before the next crisis.

"The bonus goals were listed as incomplete, but the main goals didn't say complete…" Celeste fretted. She had a chance to calm down from her rage against Paladin, but now she had a new worry. Did Sumire actually succeed? Evalice thought they vanished, but how could she be so sure?

She tried to use Detective Vision through the floor, but it refused to penetrate. Stupid video game Dungeon logic. The Quest would be so much easier if she could use her enhanced vision through the floors. She gave the second floor another pass and pocketed some of the little things that were left behind. A couple keys, some old time calligraphy pens, and a pocket watch. Nothing that said 'Key Item' but keys were always collected just in case. Celeste did a quick check of the basement door, but none of the keys worked. With that she continued on to the third floor.

"Good heavens…" Celeste breathed in shock. The third floor was like the second. RIght down to the fresh corpses strewn about. The only difference was the type.

She was cautious as some of the dead looked like they were strong. One of the bodies looked like it was made of stone, but the black blood spilling from the wounds said otherwise. The flow had slowed to a mere trickle indicating that it happened some time ago. Judging by the way it sprawled on the ground the creature, gargoyle, was about six feet high with a wide wingspan. The jaw reminded her of a mastiff. Further down the hall was a much larger body with dark purple skin and a more demonic appearance. She tried to imagine what might have killed them and came up blank. The collection of wounds gave her pause. Most of the injuries were made by a blunt instrument, but wielded with precision. However the 'demon' had no visible injuries but there were blood coming from its eyes, ears, and nostrils. She used Detective Vision on the monster's head. The brain was completely ruptured, but left the skull intact. Even the heart had exploded.

Further down the hall was another gargoyle lying amidst melting ice. There were large chunks of ice that remained intact. The creature's hamstrings were cut. She found another demon with its brain and heart burst. There was definitely a pattern. The gargoyles were either bludgeoned or crippled and ice bludgeoned. Whoever came through here was quite thorough. The Gamer in her grumbled at all the lost XP, but Celeste was more curious about what could have caused this. Did her friends do this? Was Mizore here too? Judging by the ice it wasn't an unreasonable suspicion. Well this was awkward. She only assumed it was just her core group of friends who were here. Except that Sumire didn't mention a Yuki Onna. Great. This was going to bug her. Which of her friends was using ice? Oops. One of the demons was killed with a chunk of stone. Aside from that the damage types remained consistent.

The doors were all locked, but one of the keys from the second floor helped. The doors along the outer edge were empty for the most part. It wasn't until she reached the armory that she struck paydirt. In most games finding an armory didn't mean much. One might find a chest or two, but that was all. Some games had racks of weapons and armor, but as part of the background. In D&D it was entirely possible to loot everything. If the DM said it was a well stocked armory then it was a well stocked armory. The Gamer seemed to be working off of D&D rules. Racks of weapons lined the walls. Various suits of armor dotted the center of the floor. Pieces of armor sat on the shelves erected in the back and just inside the door. Celeste cast a rejuvenation spell to make everything shiny and clean again. Much better.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Auto-Loot? Y/N

"Make it so!" Celeste declared and clicked the Y.

Spoiler: Equipment Found

Main Gauche - Attack 29 - Slash/Thrust x 10
Carnwennan - Attack 30 - Slash/Thrust/Light - Remains unseen when worn on the hip. Stealth + 30% x 1
Estoc - Attack 25 - Pierce - Damages Defense by 30% x 10
Stinger - Attack 19 - Pierce/Poison - Inflicts with a virulent poison x 1
Longsword - Attack 18 - Slash x 10
Murgleis - Attack 25 - Slash/Stone - A sword made through Alchemy capable of turning those it cuts to stone.
Berdiche - Attack 35 - Slash x 10
Lohengrin - Attack 43 - Slash/Fire - A greatsword said to be born in the heart of a volcano.
Tsurumaru - Attack 22 - Slash x 10
Dojigiri - Attack 40 - Slash - A katana said to be forged only for experts in the art of Iaido.
Partisan - Attack 22 - Pierce x 10
Golden Spear - Attack 40 - Pierce - A gaudy spear adorned in gold and jewels.
Circlet - Defense 2 Intelligence 2 Wisdom 2 x 10
Kitsune Mask - Defense 13 Intelligence 5 Wisdom 3 - Resists Curse - A beautiful white mask made to look like a mischievous kitsune.
Lamellar Armor - Defense 15 - Resist Slash/Strike x 20
Locked Gauntlet - Defense 5 - Immune Disarm - Attack Speed - 20% x 5
Shield Gauntlet - Defense 8 Con 2 - Attack Speed - 20% x 5
Swift Bracers - Defense 2 Agility 5 - Attack Speed + 40%

Naturally she took this opportunity to update her gear. The Status Page even gave her a number of presets. She didn't really care for the Lamellar and most of the Gauntlets lowered her Attack Speed. So she chose to stick with Dark Minerva, but added the Kitsune Mask and Swift Bracers. Carnwennan would be a great weapon to add, but she just didn't use daggers. Adding a weapon to her loadout that she didn't use, just because it was cool, was silly.

Spoiler: Equipment Page

Weapon Slot 1: Defender - Att 32 - Slashing - An unadorned Knight Sword renowned for its defensive ability.
Weapon Slot 2: Dojigiri - Attack 40 - Slash - A katana said to be forged only for experts in the art of Iaido.
Weapon Slot 3: Blood Lance - Att 45 - Piercing/Slashing - Absorbs Damage as HP. Dark Attribute
Head:Kitsune Mask - Defense 13 Intelligence 5 Wisdom 3 - Resists Curse - A beautiful white mask made to look like a mischievous kitsune.
Body: Dark Minerva - Defense 34 - Boasts impressive defenses. Reduces damage from all elements by 50%. Absorb Darkness. Durability Up and Break Resistance.
Arms: Swift Bracers - Defense 2 Agility 5 - Attack Speed + 40%
Accessory: Solomon Ring - Def 1 Strength, Intelligence, Luck + 6 - Increases the drop rate of Rare Items. A truly unique one-of-a-kind Ring crafted through ancient alchemy.
Feet: Steam Boots - Strike 21 - A strange mechanical creation that somehow uses steam to increase leaping and striking power. However it was made is a mystery.

The mask was surprisingly comfortable. She was expecting to have her vision impaired, but Detective Vision took care of that. At her current rate of Ki Regeneration she had no excuse to not keep it active constantly. For that matter Perception was entirely too useful to not keep active. Celeste noticed there was a definite synergy between the two Skills and Investigation. More scents and sensations reached her through the expanded senses. Her friends had definitely been here and recently. The scent was surprisingly strong considering Sumire took them away. In fact she could smell Sumire too. What the devil was going on? Celeste felt a lump in her throat. Did they even escape? Were they hurt too badly? Their scent could be here if they were hurt and left some blood behind. Except the only blood she was smelling was from the monsters. She stopped to focus on her breathing and entered a light state of Meditation.

"Calm down, Celeste. You can't help anyone if you lose yourself," Celeste muttered firmly. She had to fight against the rising swell of nausea. The Quest didn't say her main goals were complete, but did mention the bonus goals weren't. Exact words. The dark haired girl felt serenity clash with a sense of mounting horror and forced it back down. Have an existential crisis later once she was certain, one way or another, if her friends were somehow still here.

The closer she got to the third floor's main room the more agitated she became. A deep rhythmic booming echoed down the hallway. The combination of Detective Vision and Eagle Eye let her see what it was. There was a very big armored figure, nearly fifteen feet tall, pounding at the wall with a mace. At least it looked like a wall, but the closer she got the more it resembled a door. She strained her senses to see inside and very nearly threw up. Her friends were trapped inside the room with Sumire. Physically they appeared fine, but Libra showed that they were exhausted and emotionally wrung out. Himeko was using a heavy table to hold the door shut, but the heavy blows were battering the defenses. Celeste could assess them better after they were safe.

Now it was Stab o'Clock. What fun!

Celeste let her crazy out to play. All of her fear, anger, and resentment bubbled up. She didn't want it anymore, but it had to go somewhere. The Blood Lance was raised as she allowed her power to climb. Ki and Magic swirled around her in a torrent. Her muscles swelled from the excess of Ki as she channeled her Mana into the spear tip. A blood red blade formed at the tip and extended out to six feet. Aura 'wings' burst from her back as she poured more Mana into her legs to reinforce Shunpo. The mountain of armored muscle slowly turned towards her. He completely turned his attention on Celeste and left the door alone. All according to plan. Celeste let a slasher smile cross her face as she prepared to get some stress relief. Two things happened near simultaneously. She vanished and the lance was thrust through his helm. The force of her passage ripped him off his feet and carried them both across the room. An unholy clatter combined with a horrific shriek of metal was nearly overwhelmed by a great boom. The sound barrier finally realized Celeste broke it and was quick to catch up.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

You have created an incredible technique. A fusion of Magic and Ki all bound together by your incredible resolve. Name this technique.

"Triple Accel Thrust," Celeste declared with satisfaction.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Triple Accel Thrust lvl 1 - By using Magic to alloy Ki Reinforcement and Shunpo with the speed of Hiten Mitsurgui-ryu a devastating attack was born. A seamless fusion of Magic and Ki that encapsulates the concept of Piercing at Godlike Speed. It allows the target no opportunity to dodge by mimicking the effect of Gae Bolg but at a lower level.
Damage: ((Attack Damage + Wisdom) + Level) x Speed
Critical Chance: Same as Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu
Range: Same as Shunpo
Speed of Technique: Shunpo x 1.5 + 0.5 per five levels
Accuracy: (Agility/5)%
Cost: 1000 KP/1000 MP - 1% per level

She leaped back from her landing pad. Her dead foe was quite clearly not getting up again. Few things could survive having their head, upper torso, and a large portion of abdomen removed. There was debris strewn about with pieces of flesh stubbornly clinging to them. Celeste made sure that it wouldn't get up again before turning to the cracked door. A cautious eye peered out through the cracks. Celeste turned the kitsune mask to the side. Better for them to know they were safe than see a strange person looking all foxy with a red tipped spear.

"Celeste!?" Himeko exclaimed. The ruined door burst as the oni girl didn't even bother opening it first. Celeste braced herself as she was flying tackled by an emotionally distraught oni. Even with all of her buffs it still felt like taking a hit from a linebacker!

"Oof! Easy girl...My ribs…" Okay so that was a lie. Her ribs were the next best thing to unbreakable. However other parts of her could still feel compression. That and she didn't want to have to fix her new armor so soon. She returned the hug just as tight.

"You came! Sumire-senpair said you were here, but she thought you were leaving since she was supposed to get us out…!" Aika somehow managed to worm her way into the hug. Celeste just held her arms open for the rest. She needed a hug as much as they did.

"Thank God you're here! Kurone-chan kept us together and came up with our strategies, but it was still terrifying!" Mitsuki wailed, but quickly toned it down. Her wail was very nearly as bad as a banshee's. Sirens were devastating with their voices.

"I-I didn't do much! Anyone could have done it! I was just lucky to have such competent friends…" Kurone tried to simultaneously deflect praise from herself and heap it on their friends. She was still trembling from suppressed nerves.

"They had a good strategy when I arrived. Mitsuki-kohai used her voice to disable their inner ear, Kurone-kohai then used magic to pummel them. Himeko-kohai used her bokken and fists to protect them. Aika-kohai was clawing and nipping at their heels," Sumire smiled faintly. The girls blushed with pleasure at being complimented.

"I almost left. I thought you were already safe outside…" Celeste whispered. She didn't miss Sumire's wince.

"She almost knocked herself out trying to get out. We had to stop her!" Aika piped up.

"I still failed, but thank you for understanding," Sumire smiled.

"You didn't fail, Sumire. I did. I've kept more secrets from all of you. It all comes back to the reason I've been training to grow stronger leading up to why I came with you. How I knew I needed to be here. Didn't you wonder why you found it so easy to convince me? It wasn't just that you mentioned my friends were in danger," Celeste said seriously.

"Is this the best time?" Kurone gestured at their surroundings.

"If I don't tell you some of it then you won't understand why I can't leave yet. I can get you to the entrance, but I can't just walk away," Celeste said tiredly.

"You want to stay? Listen, Celeste-chan, I know we called you our Class Protector, but you don't have to do more to prove yourself. We already know you're strong…!" Mitsuki clutched at her shoulder desperately.

"That's not it! That's not it guys…" Celeste sighed softly. "I get these...Quests. They give me the option to act on things I know. I can choose to accept or decline. Most of the Quests I've had carried very dire consequences for refusal. Tonight's consequence was so horrible that I had to act."

"How bad could it be…?" Himeko started to ask, but then seemed to remember where they were. Her eyes widened in horror at what almost happened. The sentiments were shared by all.

"Your deaths would have been on my head if I didn't come. An even worse threat has a chance of growing stronger if it isn't dealt with now. I've satisfied my heart, now it's time to satisfy my duty. I just couldn't live with myself if I didn't make things safer for everyone," Celeste smiled.

"Don't be so selfish!" Kurone suddenly yelled. Everyone looked stunned, herself included, at her outburst. However, before anyone could reply, she was already pressing forward. "Do you have any idea how we would feel if something happened to you? Did we really give you such an overinflated view of your 'duty?' Your only duty is to be a student and be our friend!"

"Wha…?" Celeste started to speak, but the floodgates opened.

"We're not just extras in this story. We're your friends and we want to be more involved. Stop trying to take the entire burden on yourself…" Aika pleaded. The normally cheerful girl was near tears.

"You are always there for us. Now it is our turn to be there for you. Let us help you. As you can see we are not helpless," Himeko reminded her dryly. Celeste nodded speculatively. She really couldn't deny that and wouldn't want to try. That would be dismissing their accomplishments.

"I really do think we should run to the exit and let someone else handle things. Just because we have the power doesn't mean that we have to do anything. In case you missed that Celeste I'm saying 'we' not 'you.' For God's sake girl let someone else handle this mess," Mitsuki's eyes held nothing but concern and worry for them. She wasn't saying this out of fear for herself, but for their friends too.

"As much as I hate to say this we really can't wait. If the malignance isn't dealt with it could spread to the rest of the grounds. There are a lot of restless spirits who will be allowed to run wild. You don't have to remain. Your ordeal was horrific and if I had done my job properly, never would have happened. Except that I need Celeste to finish this. I've used up practically all of my strength," Sumire plainly loathed herself for having to rely on Celeste for this. Mitsuki shot her a look of pure venom.

"If it hadn't been for Sumire-senpai then Celeste-chan wouldn't have known we were gone. I wish to remain and offer my assistance. My honor won't allow for less," Himeko said quietly. She didn't look in Mistuki's direction, but the redhead wasn't looking at her with condemnation. Honor was a big thing to oni. They hated falsehoods and always repaid their debts.

"But Sumire-sempai is on her last legs! She can't continue like this! All of us are tired except for Celeste Miss I-Have-Stamina-For-Days," Mitsuki tried to argue, but she knew it wouldn't work. Sumire's jaw firmed mulishly and Himeko would remain out of a sense of honor. Celeste wouldn't leave because they were remaining.

"Face it Mitsuki. We're going to stay and see this through. You will too," Aika hugged her side.

"Hey she doesn't have to continue…" Celeste started to say, but quickly shut up. Now Mitsuki was glaring at her.

"Just because I'm not as loud about it as you guys I do repay my debts. If you're not going to leave then I better stay to make sure you survive," Mitsuki said hotly.

"What aren't you telling us?" Kurone asked mildly.

"Great. She's keeping more things a secret," Sumire sighed.

"Fine. This is the only chance to deal with the malignance. If we leave the dimensional space will collapse and it will just be buried until later. Probably when it would be least convenient for all of us," Celeste admitted exasperatedly. Why did Kurone have to be so damned perceptive?

She wasn't getting rid of them now.

They were all so stupidly noble that no one wanted to let Celeste do this alone.

"If you're going to stay then everyone is going to be properly armed," Celeste told them.

"Armed? You're carrying more stuff the same way you carried your boots?" Aika asked excitedly.

Celeste spent the next twenty minutes combing through her Inventory for protective gear. She handed Himeko a Tsurumaru, Circlet, and Lamellar Armor. The Locked Gauntlet or Shield Gauntlet would slow her down too much. The oni kendoka favored quick precise movements. Her strength meant that she wasn't slowed by the armor at all. Aika was given Carnwennan, a Circlet, and a repaired Blade Master Armored Coat. It was the lightest armor she had with the best defense. Celeste knew not to overburden the rogue. Mitsuki had some staff training so a Blood Lance was the next best fit. She was also given a Circlet and another repaired Blade Master Armored Coat. Sirens relied more on their voice, but giving her a polearm was just good sense. Kurone took the Stinger, Circlet, and Blade Master Armored Coat. Both of their 'mages' took Shield Gauntlets just in case. However Sumire showed that she had some sword training. The dark haired girl gave her sempai Murgleis. A longsword capable of turning foes to stone would make her life easier. She also laid claim to a suit of Lamellar Armor and a Circlet. Due to her exhaustion Celeste gave her the Safety Ring and Shield Gauntlet.

"One more thing…" Celeste murmured. She concentrated hard on The Gamer. It already told her once she couldn't form a party. However now she was asking it to make a compromise. She didn't want them to have the exact same powers of the Gamer. Just something to link them together and maybe let them use Skill Books or learn Skills quicker.

Spoiler: !System Pop Up!

If you truly desire this then I will fulfill your wish. However all things come at a price. Do you wish to accept this price? Y/N

Celeste hit 'Y.' Anything to make her friends more survivable.

Spoiler: !System Pop Up!

Party System Enabled
Cost extracted for service: Stop trying to do all of this alone!

The sudden blossoming of visible levels, names, and titles brought a smile to Celeste's face. She could appreciate what the System was trying to say now. No one was an island. Worry still gnawed at her, but they were together now. Celeste's smile morphed into a teasing grin.

"Now I think it's time to explain a few things. Huddle up ladies because this will blow your mind…"
And it was glorious.

AN: Okay so I have heeded the voices of wisdom. Just because they have a Gamer Lite won't instantly kill the story. The Gamer is THE Gamer. Her friends get the faster Skill learning and can use Skill Books, but not the leveling. Any levels they get will occur naturally from growing as people or training their powers. It also lets Celeste see their health and status. A major source of concern for her.

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 14

Spoiler: Current Party Lineup

Sumire Yakumo - Junior Gap Hag - lvl 32
Aika Nezumi - Exuberant Bitey One - lvl 16
Himeko Haruno - The Samurai Oni - lvl 23
Kurone Sawara - All Purpose Magical Cat Girl - lvl 20
Mitsuki Nakamura - Aspiring Idol - lvl 18

Now she knew why that name was so familiar! This wasn't the time to ask if Sumire was related to Yukari, but it was definitely on her mind now. The thought that Touhou Project might be real in this universe was just moderately worrisome. A little. Just a little. The other titles were spot on. She knew roughly what roles they would play in this Dungeon crawl. It wasn't easy for Celeste to tamp down her worry so she didn't bother. What she would do was trust in their ability to do the job.

"Right. We need to decide the combat roles before continuing. Otherwise we run the very real risk of getting in each other's way," Kurone cautioned.

"What do you suggest? I can fill just about any role. I also have healing spells and techniques if we're injured. With my speed I can provide emergency treatment if needed," Celeste offered.

"She's super fast, super strong, and can heal?" Aika gawked.

"Don't forget her skill in binding magics and defensive spells," Sumire added.

"That does make me feel better about this," Mitsuki admitted. She still wasn't entirely sure about this, but much of her worries were eased.

"How does this affect your plans?" Himeko asked Kurone. The Cat Woman adjusted her glasses with a smirk.

"This is perfect. We have enough for a front line, middle line, and a back line. Celeste and Himeko will be our front liners. They can hit harder and quicker than we can. Sumire and Mitsuki can make up the middle line. Mitsuki's voice is always available and can be used swiftly. Sumire can turn an attacker to stone if they get by the front. The back line will be me and Aika. Aika can scout ahead in places that Celeste's Detective Vision fails to reach. If there's a fight she can run back and hide behind us. I need time to cast my spells and I can't do that if I have to evade claws and fangs," Kurone explained dryly.

There was a sense of relief that came from having a plan. A good plan that didn't rest everything on her shoulders. Celeste wasn't being expected to shoulder the whole burden on her own. It was such a novel concept that she regretted not bringing them in more completely earlier. She still had a job to do, but it was a more manageable one. The dark haired girl started checking to see if she could set a Macro to streamline things.

Spoiler: Stat Up

Wisdom + 1

Now that was just insulting.

The 'Macros' functioned like the Gambit System from Final Fantasy XII. She tried not to go cross eyed at the number of options.

"Hey Kurone? Mind helping me with something?" Celeste asked with a nervous laugh.

"What…?" Kurone asked warily.

"I have a Macro system for performing actions automatically apparently," Celeste explained.

"What does that mean?" Mitsuki asked.

"It means she's even more pure bullshit than before," Aika stated bluntly.

"Crude but apt. It does mean that she won't be distracted in mid battle by having to renew a spell or something," Himeko noted.

"But what if she runs out of magic or ki?" Sumire asked.

"Then it feeds on my Stamina. I could go at full power for well over an hour. Using Macros for auto-casting would still use my Ki/Magic slower than it replenishes," Celeste explained.

"That does make things easier. Can you set up a Macro for this?" Kurone held up a sheet of paper. No, Celeste wasn't going to ask where she got it. If she could do weird things than her friends could too.

Spoiler: Party Macro

<Any> <Cast Protect: All>
<Any> <Cast Shell: All>
<Any> <Cast Round Shield: All>
<Any HP less than 75%> <Cure>
<Any HP less than 50%> <Cura>
<Any Status Change> <Purification>
<Any Curse> <Esuna>
<Enemy target Weakest> <Use Killing Intent>
<Enemy target Weakest> <Cast Bind>
<Strongest Enemy> <Cast Bind>

"I wanted to have control over what attacks I use. Suddenly getting jerked across the room if I set the wrong Macro would suck," Celeste shuddered.

"That sounds dangerous!" Aika exclaimed.

"Yeah, that too," Celeste nodded.

Trying to explain that she could turn herself into an absolute fortress of defense with enough magic was hard. If she didn't like taking out enemies quickly it was possible to armor herself to the point of nigh invulnerability. As such her friends were staring at Celeste like she was an absolute madwoman.

Chasing down the last key was an absolute pain in the ass. The person who hid the key did so in pieces. Six. Friggin'. Pieces. Celeste knew that finding secret areas could be difficult, but this was a level of aggravation she was unhappy to have the misfortune of dealing with. The Bonus Goal was to be conducted in a secret area beyond the basement door. It made sense that the key would be difficult. She just hated that it was this difficult. Celeste didn't want to look too deeply into it, but the challenges were tailored for each member of the party. For Kurone it was a puzzle to line up books in the library. An actual library on the third floor. Himeko had to perform a feat of strength to move a statue. Celeste tried to move it herself and it barely moved. Scary thought. Mitsuki had to sing in the right pitch to shatter a diamond hard plate of crystal. Aika was needed to duck into a small passageway that no one else could fit into. Sumire's challenge required reversing the flow of time on an hourglass. Breaking the glass would have caused the tiny piece to be lost amidst the sands. By contrast her own challenge was simple. She had the key from the first floor. Placing the remaining five pieces onto it completed the key.

The final door.

No one knew what lay beyond.

They made their preparations.

They were armed.

They were united.

They were really not ready for this…

Celeste readied her personal defenses and unlocked the door. The teens were cautiously optimistic when a fetid miasma didn't immediately assail them. In fact they were able to enter without even a hint of disembodied voice or ominous Latin chanting. Somehow the lack of anything overtly threatening made the tension even worse. She stretched her senses to the limit, but still nothing. Celeste shook her head to indicate that it seemed safe. Her friends tightened their grips. Good girls. They entered the room slowly. It was a vast chamber beneath the prison. The ceiling was completely obscured in shadows as were the far walls. As Kurone stepped through the door it slammed shut behind her. The girls deadpanned over the highly cliche occurrence. Electric blue runes flared to life along the walls, ceiling, and floor. There wasn't a single inch that wasn't covered in runes. It was a dim light, but there was enough to see a shackled and chained figure in the center of the floor. He was almost nine feet tall and covered in thick dark fur with a lupine muzzle.

"That is a big Werewolf…" Mitsuki murmured in the stillness.

"A Werewolf chained down here? Something is very wrong with this picture…" Aika laughed nervously.

"Some of the fastest monsters alive. Werewolves are Rank S, just a step below Vampires, meaning that if we do have to fight we need to lock down his speed," Kurone observed.

"Or we just stab him with a poisoned weapon repeatedly," Sumire said blandly.

"He's surrounded in containment runes. If you try to stab into it he would be released immediately," Kurone cautioned. Sumire flushed.

"So what do we do?" Himeko asked.

"Sumire-senpai IS right. We don't have to actually fight him. The runes are weakening. If we strengthen the runes again that should secure the victory," Kurone adjusted her shiny glasses.

"How can you tell that?" Mitsuki asked.

"I was doing some light reading with the books from the Occult Club," Kurone explained.

"That's light reading!?" Celeste gawked. Judging by the others' reactions they were thinking the same thing. Kurone's ears and tail popped out in embarrassment. A blatantly illegal move, but too cute to argue with.

"How do we do this?" Himeko asked.

"It will take some time, but recharging the runes should be relatively simple. We just have to go to each of the seven stones around the chamber…" Kurone started to say only to be interrupted.

"I did not wait all these years to lose out to a bunch of children! Wolves of the Bloody Fangs tear them apart!" A dark voice interrupted their strategizing.

"That sounds ominous…" Aika trailed off as her nose twitched and froze. Her hair puffed out threateningly. "Something's coming!"

From the shadows black furred figures emerged. The whites of their eyes stood in stark contrast. Gleaming fangs salivated at the prospect of tearing into their flesh. They looked like humanoid wolves. Each one standing at just over six feet. Celeste used Libra and had to bite back a curse. She scanned deeper to check their race, but it wasn't Werewolf.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Wolf of the Bloody Fangs lvl 42 - Race: Wolfkin

"What's a Wolfkin?" Celeste asked without taking her eyes off the enemy. More of them were stepping from the shadows. Almost forty of the monsters appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Wolfkin!?" Kurone yelped in alarm. "A Wolfkin is an ancient Werewolf. More feral and dangerous than the modern ones. They were eradicated millenia ago. In the process taking the original Shinso Vampires with them. What you see now is a pale shadow of their predecessors…" She rattled off by reflex even as her panic climbed higher.

"Hu hu hu...So you know about that, huh? Clever little cat. Too bad that won't help you. Born to darkness my wolves are invincible in the shadows!"

The Wolfkin took that as their cue to attack. Their sudden forward rush was checked sharply by a shimmering plane of force. Celeste grit her teeth as her mana took a visible dip from stopping them. "Ladies! I know what the plan was, but we're gonna have to change it up! I can hold them, but you're going to have to fix the runes by yourselves. Go! I've got this!"

"Move ladies!" Himeko barked with uncharacteristic harshness. The others immediately took off towards the closest ward stone.

"How long can you hold out little Magi? I admit it is impressive, but this will surely drain you before long…"

"You made a mistake of telling me how they were born, demon!" Celeste shouted back defiantly. She held up the barrier while entering a meditative trance. Ironically, despite the danger, she didn't feel remotely threatened. No, but she did feel a sense of duty well up inside her. Purpose filled her as she extended two roomwide purple magic circles. One on the floor and one far above their heads. She let her purifying Ki combined with her Holy magic to fill the circles. The purple light turned to a pale lavender illuminating the room. Her friends seemed to draw strength from it, but the effect on the Wolfkin was far more obvious.

"What!?" The dark voice roared as his minions slowed to a crawl. Their immense speed reduced to barely human level.

Adding the effects of Defensive Stance to the protective field was a smart idea. Between the Holy, Purification, and Defensive Stance they weren't going anywhere fast. Celeste added a Mana/Stamina drain to the field. It increased the cost substantially, but the amount it stole back from the enemy made it negligible. The Wolfkin charged across the sacred field to attack her directly, but she was still inside of a personal forcefield. She made the field a cylinder extending from the floor to the ceiling. Through her heightened senses she continued to monitor her friends' progress.

"Grrrr...Leave her! Kill the others! HURRY!" Some desperation leaked into his voice. The sacred field continued to sap their strength, but they were still quick to obey.

Celeste had no choice but to trust in her friends. She couldn't move from her position or the field would stop. Meditation was already hard enough without adding more distractions. However, she really shouldn't have been worried. Kurone's plan was still good even without one of their forwards. Aika was quick to follow the Cat Woman's instructions as some of the Runes needed to be retraced. The Wolfkin had worn some of them down with their claws over time. With that done Kurone could direct some of the excess mana in the chamber to recharge the Stone. Some of Celeste's sanctified mana ended up being used as well, but that wasn't a problem. If anything Kurone was counting on that. That left Himeko and Sumire to hold off the Wolfkin that tried to pass them. The enemy was in even more trouble as their heightened sense of hearing left them even more vulnerable to Mitsuki. Her voice cascaded over them in silvery notes that nevertheless struck their ears like hammers.

"Just a little longer!" Kurone called.

"Oh take your time! This is easy!" Sumire called back dryly. The Wolfkin were slowed substantially, but they were still a real threat. Their strength and endurance was high. However the sword she wielded still left them stoned. Literally. It wasn't always perfectly effective, but enough of their assailants were sporting hardened limbs.

"They will not pass!" Himeko didn't need an enchanted blade. Each strike was executed cleanly and with precision. Heads and body parts flew in a shower of gore. The might of an Oni was not to be underestimated.

"Remind me to bring throat spray next time…" Mitsuki muttered before unleashing a shrieking blast at a Wolfkin that tried to sneak up on her. The hapless beast let out a pained cry before getting thrown back from the force. She raked the other side with her voice as well. More of the beasts collapsed with their ears bleeding.

"Finished!" Aika called down from the top. The little monster hopped to the floor.

"Let's go to the next!" Kurone was already hustling towards the next Stone.

"I feel like this is almost anticlimactic to you," The sealed wolf noted wryly.

"Anticlimactic? I'm sweating buckets, they're exhausted, and you just keep summoning more of these damn things. What part of this is anticlimactic to you?" Celeste demanded incredulously. The Stamina draining effect of the field wasn't restoring her Stamina as fast. Most of the stolen Stamina was being funneled into her friends. She could convert Mana or Ki into Stamina, but that had limits too. The number of Wolfkin pounding on her barrier increased. More of her mana was being sapped. Meditation was holding on by a thread as she fought to maintain calm.

It all came down to a war of attrition. If the barrier fell the enemy could use their full power. However each Stone they restored weakened the Wolfkin's strength more. The Boss alternated between cajoling and outright threatening them. His words fell on dead ears. Celeste just kept promising herself a nice hot bath and a long sleep. Oh yes. They were going to earn this victory and reap the rewards. She redoubled her efforts to maintain the barrier.

"This isn't possible! I was so close! Damn you! Damn you aaaaaaaaall!" His voice trailed off in a desperate scream as the last Stone was restored.

"Oh shut up you goddamn drama queen…" Sumire snarled balefully. The blonde yokai's eyes were dull with exhaustion. Hair plastered to her scalp with sweat. She dropped to her knees with relief.

"Try to lose with some grace…" Himeko groaned. The Oni fell down beside her comrade in arms. She was almost breathing steam from the effort.

"..." Mitsuki merely grunted. She was disheveled and weary. The spear in her hand saw a lot of use after her voice gave out.

"Permission to die now?" Aika flopped face down on the ground. Even her inexhaustible store of energy was depleted.

"Permission denied. You can die only when I tell you. Right now we still need to get out of here," Kurone was forcing herself to continue. Libra told Celeste the truth. The Cat Woman was one foot in the grave from exhaustion, but still standing.

She truly had amazing friends.

Spoiler: Quest Alert

Emergency Alert!
Desperate Rescue - What the Hell were your friends doing going into an abandoned ruin without you? You know they're not stupid. Something is seriously wrong here. Now they're in trouble and it's up to you and Sumire to save them, but you might be the one who needs saving...

Goal: Rescue your friends unharmed. (complete)

Bonus Goal: Destroy the source of the malignance. (complete)

Rewards: 100,000 XP, 3 Rare Skill Books, 3 Rare Pieces of Equipment, Exalted Status with your friends, Respected Status with Sumire. (complete)

Bonus Reward: 50,000 XP, +10 CP, 1 Legendary Piece of Equipment (complete)

Exit Dungeon? Y/N

"Thank God...I can get us out of here without having to go back to the exit…" Celeste said with a sigh of relief. Her weary friends collapsed with joy or they were even more tired than she thought. Probably exhaustion. She hit 'Y' and watched as the dungeon disappeared only to be replaced by…

Her bed!?

Everyone was on the bed despite the lack of room. No one wanted to move. No one could move. Celeste queued up the Inventory and tried to remove their equipment. She was considerate enough to requip them with spare pajamas. A couple grunts and sleepy mumbles spoke of their deep appreciation. She used the last of her Ki to use Purification and Chakra to remove their aches and pains. It did nothing for their Stamina. Celeste needed to sacrifice her own Stamina to replenish someone else's and she was tapped out. Sleep would fix that. The dark haired girl snuggled up to the closest warm body as someone hugged her from behind. There was some lazy squirming to get comfortable, but even that stopped soon. By scent she could tell who was where. Kurone was apparently in her arms with Sumire at her back. Aika was laying across their legs. Mitsuki had her arms around Kurone's legs and was snuggled up to her stomach. They were all laying on Himeko.

Plans were already being drafted for a bigger bed. The Gamer power would probably do this to them again and Celeste couldn't wait. Ahem. She would be prepared.

The pop ups demanding her attention were soundly ignored. The cuddlepile demanded that she cuddle and she would obey.


AN: Right so the next chapter is the aftermath. Sumire comes up with a suggestion for keeping the party going. Celeste picks her next Class and finally uses the Crafting Skill Book. Also the rewards are discussed. Phew. This chapter didn't want to come out, but I was more stubborn! Huzzah!

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 15


Celeste's little table wasn't up to handling six people. They were spread out on the floor using cushions and blankets for seating. Empty dishes sat before them. No one was quite sure what to say making breakfast slightly uncomfortable. Waking up together was nice, but it was also strange. Last night was one strange event after another. A night full of terror, despair, but also one of abiding faith and fellowship. They knew their relationship had changed. Friends helped each other study, but true companions fought and bled together. In the light of day it was harder to speak of what happened. Celeste knew she should start looking for her next Class, but the sense of belonging was nice. She didn't want it to end. Except now no one was talking. Part of that was still some residual mental and emotional exhaustion. The rest was teenage awkwardness. They did sleep together. It was innocent, but it only made them more aware of their changing relationship. The things that had to be done to survive left her feeling confused. Like Evalice. If the Vampiress Warrior hadn't been so axe crazy maybe they could have talked things out. Did she really try to talk it over with her? All she heard was Evalice talk about capturing and hurting her friends…

Never mind. She would probably feel worse later about what happened, but she wouldn't doubt her actions again. Too much contemplation was just as bad as not enough.

"Are you doing something with your 'Gamer' power?" Kurone asked. The sudden question caused all of them to jump. Following that came a sense of relief. The silence was oppressive, but now it was broken.

"No, nothing like that. I probably should, but really I was thinking about the Vampire from last night…" Celeste said regretfully. Despite what she told herself it still felt like a failure of some kind.

"To a Vampire dying in battle is welcomed. They want to live of course, but their pride demands that their deaths be important. Just don't forget her and that will satisfy honor," Himeko said gently.

"Before coming here, before getting my power, I never would have thought killing was an answer," Celeste admitted.

"To most monsters it's a kill or be killed world. We don't see it the same way as humans do. That doesn't mean we're all bloodthirsty though. What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't let it get to you," Sumire smiled awkwardly. Celeste giggled a little.

"Fair enough. I don't regret saving you guys. It's just not easy to wrap my head around," Celeste shrugged.

"Then don't try," Mitsuki said. Celeste looked at her strangely. The Siren shook her head before clarifying, "It's not something that can be dealt with immediately. Just let yourself feel, but don't let it overwhelm you."

Aika carried the dishes to the sink, "So why not explain how your powers work? I know you said it was like 'living life as a video game', but what does that mean?" The ratfolk girl deftly moved the conversation away from the touchy subject.

"Does that make us like NPCs?" Mitsuki looked disturbed by the implications. Celeste shook her head.

"That's not how it works. What it means is that I get Quests, Experience points, and loot drops. Oddly enough I haven't been getting money. That IS something my power gives…" Celeste realized that she didn't have a single cash loot drop.

"We get a small stipend to spend on luxuries and store credit for necessities. Money would be a strange thing to earn around here. Especially if you were fighting student skeletons," Sumire pointed out.

"And we get the benefit of the faster 'Skill' learning. It sounds fantastic, but for the physical things we would need the conditioning. Having the Skill is fine, but we could really hurt ourselves," Himeko noted.

"I better pick my next Class. The Vampire dropped a Class Book for Swordsaint. It needs three Martial Classes at Intermediate level. With the amount of XP I got it would be stupid not to use it to master another basic Class," Celeste said.

"What are the 'Tiers' for Classes?" Kurone asked.

"All Classes have Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Master, and Grandmaster Tiers. Basic Classes level up extremely fast. If I chose the Basic Tier of another Class it would probably go straight to twenty. That would leave Monk and Paladin for my other Intermediates. I'm also trying to keep my Stats more or less even," Celeste shrugged.

There wasn't even an issue. This time Celeste knew what she wanted. She wanted a Class that increased Luck but didn't leave her other Stats behind. The only Class she had for that was Kampfer. It's unique Skill 'Form Change' didn't actually need to be used. Besides it wouldn't be forever. There were other Classes that could increase Luck, but they weren't listed as Martial like Kampfer. She would be lying if she claimed not to be curious. Now that she wasn't alone it was actually safe to experiment!

Spoiler: Class Change

Paladin > Kampfer
Kampfer lvl 1 - Apparently the power of God and Anime is on your side. Except it seems this God has a weird sense of humor. This Class is an odd duck in that it's a 3 in 1. You have a 1 in 3 chance of activating Schwert, Gewehr, or Zauber when using the unique Skill: Form Shift.
Skill Growth: Schwert (Sword) + 70%, Gewehr (Gun) + 70%, Zauber (Magic) + 70%
Opposition Skill: Schwert > Gewehr > Zauber - Varies according to currently active Form.
Stats: All Stats + 1, Luck Training Bonus + 50%

The transition to Kampfer was weirder than any Class change before. Unlike the others this one had a visible sign of change. On her wrist a purple bracelet appeared like the other Kampfer. She held up her left wrist curiously. The others eyed the new piece of jewelry in confusion. It radiated with potential power. Celeste arched an eyebrow as it turned out the new trinket had actual stats. It came with the drawback Soulbound, but the effects actually were pretty nice.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Kampfer Bracelet - Def 10 - Increases all recovery effects by 50% when Form Change is active. Instantly heals 30% Max HP/Stamina/Ki/MP when Form Change is activated. Drawback: Soulbound - Cannot be removed. Takes up a Wrist Slot.

"Oh crap," Celeste muttered when she finally looked at the Unique Skill.

"That's ominous…" Aika remarked.

"So this is what Form Change does…"

Spoiler: Skill Gained

Unique Skill Gained: Form Change lvl 1 - Kampfer, loosely translated as Fighter, are each capable of transforming into one Form based on Sword, Gun, and Magic. However you don't have that limitation. Lucky you!(?) You have a chance of becoming one of the three different types. The chance of getting what you want isn't the greatest to start, but it can happen. Each 'Form' has a different base weapon. Find a better one and fast. These aren't the greatest.
Chance of Chosen Form: (Luck/20)% + 1% per level
Schwert - A Kampfer who is a master of blades. Capable of wielding any bladed weapon like a master. Blade Damage = (Wisdom/5) x (Type)
1-Hand Damage x 1
2-Hand Damage x 2
Dagger Damage x 0.5
Gewehr - A Kampfer well-versed in the use of firearms and ranged weapons. Commonly uses guns. All of a Gewehr's weapons benefit from limitless ammo, no jamming, triple durability, and zero recoil. Ranged Damage = (Wisdom/5) x (Type)
Handgun x 1 (Range equal to Wisdom)
Rifle x 1.5 (Range equal to Wisdom x 5)
Shotgun x 3 (Max Damage Range equal to Wisdom/10)
Assault Rifle x 1 (Range equal to Wisdom/5) (Attack Speed 300%)
Zauber - A Zauber versed in the mystic arts, but primarily their innate element. Your innate element has become Holy from all the channeling you've done.
Mana Effectiveness: +100%
Mana Range: +100%
Mana Manipulation: +100%
Mana Cost: 50%
Spell Attack Speed: +200%

"Give me a second. Just need to turn in the Quest from last night and end the leveling freeze," Celeste said.

"Your leveling was frozen until the Quest was turned in…?" Himeko asked in confusion.

"And you're unfreezing it now to take advantage of all the level gains. Sneaky," Sumire said admiringly.

Spoiler: Quest Complete

Emergency Alert!
Desperate Rescue - What the Hell were your friends doing going into an abandoned ruin without you? You know they're not stupid. Something is seriously wrong here. Now they're in trouble and it's up to you and Sumire to save them, but you might be the one who needs saving...
Goal: Rescue your friends unharmed. (complete)
Bonus Goal: Destroy the source of the malignance. (complete)
Rewards: 100,000 XP, 3 Rare Skill Books, 3 Rare Pieces of Equipment, Exalted Status with your friends, Respected Status with Sumire. (complete)
Bonus Reward: 50,000 XP, +10 CP, 1 Legendary Piece of Equipment (complete)

Spoiler: Level Up

Level: 36 > 52
Kampfer lvl 1 > 20 (Max)
Kampfer (Intermediate) lvl 1 > 12
All Stats + 10
Form Change lvl 1 > 32
Midchildan Magic Style Style lvl 26 > 30
Mana Shaping (Basic) lvl 22 > 25 (Max)
Evolved: Mana Shaping (Intermediate) lvl 1 > 4

Spoiler: Perks Gained

Vitality has reached 100! A new Perk was gained!
Regeneration I - This is the classic form of Regeneration. Your body is capable of restoring itself to pristine condition regardless of the damage. The only caveat is that your brain must be mostly intact. Recovery times may vary depending on severity.

Wisdom has reached 100! A new Perk was gained!
Mana Font I - The mana replenishment interval drops from 3 minutes to 1. Excess MP recovery spills over into Stamina and Ki.
Charisma has reached 50! A new Perk was gained!
Winning Smile - You've just got a way about you that puts others at ease. All Charisma based Skills for influencing others get a +50% increase. Reduces all fear effects in those who see you by 75%.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Humans have defined limits on their stats. Stats can only reach 100. You must either change Race or make use of Stat increasing gear.

"I might have made a slight error in judgement," Celeste said diplomatically. The number of shocking revelations left her reeling.

"What happened?" Kurone asked in concern.

She told them what the pop ups said. Sixteen levels from all that XP felt a bit on the low side, but there were a lot of nice bonuses. What convinced her she made a mistake was in continuing with Kampfer into Intermediate. Celeste thought it would max out Intermediate too, but it stalled. The amount of XP made her internally wince. Hopefully Swordsaint was worth the trouble. Finding out that her Stats topped out at 100 was annoying. It made sense for humans to have a Stat Cap, but she was still unhappy with the knowledge.

"You do have a Vampire token," Sumire reminded her.

"Yeah but turning into a Vampire just for Stat buffs isn't me. Maybe if it's an emergency, sure, but this isn't a hardship. I can still boost my Stats with Skills," Celeste reminded her.

"Did you get anything cool from the Quest rewards?" Aika asked curiously.

"Might as well check the last pop up," Celeste said.

Spoiler: Loot Gained

Skill Books:
Secrets of the Sacred Forge - This rare book allows the user to imbue crafts with sacred flames and makes the user more resistant to fire.
Principles of Creation - Teaches the reader how to confer magical effects to their crafts.
The Secrets of Metallurgy - This ancient tome is used in the creation and shaping of exotic metals.
Equipment:
Craftsmaster's Goggles - The very best in eye protection when handling hazardous materials. Also useful for spotting little imperfections before they become big problems. Reduce Waste - 20%, Quality + 10%
Craftsmaster's Gloves - The very best in hand protection around the forge. You don't wanna smash your fingers, right? Oh yeah and it also helps to improve the finished product. Quality + 10%, Protection from Hazards + 20%
Craftmaster's Vest - A crafting apron and toolkit all in one. Always have the right tools for the job. Unless it's magic then you're on your own. Still this is a real time saver. Quality + 10%, Crafting Time - 30%
Craftmaster's Hammer of the Great Smith - The ultimate in crafting hammers. Perfect for nearly any craft that requires a good sturdy whack. This is insanely good. Quality + 100%, Reduce Waste - 50%, Crafting Time - 50%

"...I think the system is trying to tell me to start Crafting…" Celeste stared at her new acquisitions in awe. She held aloft the Craftmaster's Hammer of the Great Smith. It was an impressive hammer made of black metal wrapped in runic bands with a pure adamantine shaft. Her inner Munchkin started to squeal in delight.

"Uh oh. The last time I saw a look that manic Mitsuki locked herself in the Home Ec room for the weekend…" Himeko said worriedly.

"She looks as excited as the Headmaster with a new scheme…" Sumire looked frightened.

"I think this is where we part ways. I have no desire to witness a friend's descent into madness," Kurone deadpanned.

"Right/Good idea/I'm outta here!"

Celeste let them go as she had a new project to work on. One that would make them all safer. She just had to figure out how to exploit this (im)properly. The first thing she did was use all of the Skill Books. It was no surprise that they all merged into one Skill as they were all based around crafting.

Spoiler: Skill Gained

Crafting lvl 1 - This is a general catch all Skill for the various forms of Crafting. You like to have a clean Skill List, right?
Fire Resistance: 1% per level
Quality: 1% per level
Waste: -1% per 3 levels
Time: -1% per 3 levels
Chance of Failure: 59% (53%) - 1% per 3 levels

Nothing she had lowered Failure Chance, but that was okay. She could work around that. Did Cooking count as Crafting?

Spoiler: System Pop Up

You can use Crafting for Cooking, but that would mean reducing your Cooking ability to level 1.

"But I can grind it up with the rest of my Crafting Skill," Celeste reasoned. She still remembered the recipes so it wasn't a horrible change. Now it was time to do some experimenting. Her friends might have left, but she could make them dinner. Dinner could be flank steak, mashed potatoes, mashed carrots, mashed peas, and mashed greens. The Hammer almost seemed to radiate a sense of worry, but all she did was stroke it soothingly until the legendary artifact calmed.

The Hammer was right to be worried.

However the dinner she made was absolutely divine.

Her friends looked so confused when she dropped off the covered dishes, but appreciated the gesture. Celeste took the Hammer to everything in her dorm room. Aligning doors, frames, bases, and unsticking the window. Okay so she shattered the window, but she was able to rebuild it even better. She was the only person in the dorm with hurricane windows. Breaking something and rebuilding it actually gave more XP than just creating. Celeste went on a veritable orgy of destruction through her entire room. The Hammer sang through the air as it smashed everything into little pieces. She spared Burnt Alive Lion out of sentimentality, but also some fear. Would the quality improve so much that he came alive? Scary thought.

Fixing collectible figures with a Hammer took a great deal of skill so even more XP was gained. Yay!

Celeste finally came to her senses well after dark. The dark haired girl blinked as she finally took in the state of her room. Whereas before it looked like a normal if uniquely decorated room. Now it looked practically palatial. She sweatdropped as a pop up happily informed her that she was at level twenty five with Crafting. Twenty. Five. The bed was even different. How did she turn it into a King Size bed? Where did the extra material come from? She stroked the headboard in wonder. Not a single nail. Everything was carefully joined without nails or glue. The massive increase to Quality from her gear was obvious. If she could figure out how to make clothes using the Hammer Mitsuki might combust. A pattern for armored clothing appeared in her mind. It wouldn't be that hard to make either. Decorative, looks like the school uniform, and with strategic armor plating. A bit of embellishment would certainly make it look stylish…

She carefully put down the Hammer.

It was filling her head with strange thoughts.

That was her excuse and she was sticking to it.

"I wanted to make some armor or accessories. Not start a This Old House Revival in my dorm room!" Celeste groaned as she fell back on the sinfully comfortable bed. She blinked in astonishment at the absolutely gorgeous wooden mural on her ceiling. Comprised on different types and grains of wood. It was fitted together so neatly that it appeared seamless. The gentle sloping shapes were pleasing to the eye and relaxing to the mind. Why count tiles when you can meditate on this beautiful sight? She could see countless little things all woven together tightly. The bed was naturally a perfect temperature from being imbued with sacred flames. All of this combined robbed her of consciousness.

This was fine too.

AN: Next chapter is Celeste's new addiction and a return to the Newspaper Club. She has a decision to make about sticking with the club or not. Phew. Also! For the happy people who keep my character sheet up to date I implore you to save me. I've gone a while without updating anything properly.Most of the chapter is in Spoiler Boxes. It's a lot bigger without those.

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 16


There were many questions in life. To Celeste the most important one was the question she forgot to ask. When she woke up with her friends the morning after it was hard to know what to say. She didn't want to alienate them by suddenly asking hard questions. Then she started thinking about killing Evalice. Can't forget getting distracted by all the leveling up and Gamer related stuff. The truth was that she completely forgot to ask about why they were in the dungeon. Now it was Monday and she didn't have the luxury of avoiding the subject. She had to find out the truth. Just in case her friends were harboring any ideas of exploring more dangerous places. The annoying thing was that Sumire disappeared again. Celeste checked her dorm room, but no one was home. The covered dish she left for her was mysteriously in her drain board, but that was the only sign Sumire was still around. Maybe they should find a place to make their own. A hiding place of sorts. Someplace that Celeste could turn into a crafting workshop. The former prison would make a good spot…

She was doing it again!

Lunch was the earliest that they could get away. The other students had lunch in the classroom, but Celeste dragged her friends into the forest. She felt the tingle as they crossed into the Field Dungeon. This would normally be the point that Skeletons would start to stalk them, but Celeste was using the Sacred Field from the other night. Anything evil or undead was instantly destroyed. Her friends looked a little confused about why they were in a pocket dimension. Sumire invited herself and took a seat on the picnic blanket Celeste packed.

"Another heavenly meal? You're getting very good at this," Sumire smiled approvingly as she picked up the bento marked for her.

"Indeed. I still have no idea how you managed to cook so much with a hammer," Kurone marveled.

"I don't think I'll get tired of mashed food anytime soon," Aika piped up, already halfway through her meal.

"The fact you can make a bento with a hammer is a strange mystery…" Himeko remarked. It was delicious, she couldn't deny that, but a mashed bento deeply unsettled her. That didn't stop her from eating the tasty offering.

"That isn't the only reason she brought us here," Mitsuki noted wryly.

"What I'm curious about is just why you didn't come get me for your exploration," Celeste said with a kind smile. Nonetheless the girls shivered as a hint of her displeasure leaked through the pleasantness.

"Why am I shivering? I didn't make the mistake," Sumire muttered incredulously.

"She's using her aura to influence our feelings by drawing out the guilt we're feeling. You still feel guilty over leaving the dimensional rift open," Kurone observed absently. It would have sounded better if her ears weren't flat.

"We were trying to start up an explorer's club. See it's like this: Yokai Academy lets you join multiple clubs. This way we get to keep our clubs and have a school sanctioned excuse to hang out and wander around," Aika explained excitedly.

"Your talk about RPGs and choosing Classes fired her up. She started saying that each of us represented a different 'Class' to form a party. Aika was the Rogue, Mitsuki the Bard, Kurone the Mage, and I was the Tank. A balanced party in case we did run into trouble," Himeko added.

"And it worked. You were doing fantastically before I arrived. It was only the armored giant that made you retreat," Sumire reminded her.

"It was scary, but between Aika's enthusiasm and Kurone's planning we managed. The reason we didn't ask you was, well, you were always training. That and your club commitments with the Newspaper Club. You were getting frustrated with the little Witch who joined," Mitsuki shrugged apologetically.

"You didn't want to add to my workload. Good grief…" Celeste rubbed her forehead. Mentioning Yukari reminded The Gamer that she had to see her in the club. She wasn't sure if going back was a good idea. "I'm seriously considering just dropping the Newspaper Club…"

"Don't," Sumire quickly said. Celeste halted in mid sentence with a questioning look. "The Newspaper Club is already making waves. I need you to be there. If the Public Safety Committee gives them a rough time I can count on you to bring it to me. Ginei wants to keep his head down and not draw their ire, but if I had proof they were overstepping their boundaries I could go to the Headmaster."

"What does she get out of it? She's sticking her neck out for this," Mitsuki said. Celeste opened her mouth to speak, but Kurone held up a hand. The dark haired girl looked disgruntled, but subsided. Sumire smirked faintly.

"If she does this I guarantee she would get the Headmaster's gratitude. He might even be willing to help with supplies and facilities," Sumire said.

Spoiler: Quest Alert

Public Unsafety Commission - The PSC has vastly overstayed its welcome and made a nuisance of itself. You're the only one on good terms with Sumire. The upperclassman always keeps an ear on you it seems. If you can bring her proof of their actions she can get the Headmaster to shut them down.

Rewards: 5000 XP, Increased closeness with Sumire, Exalted Status with the Newspaper Club, Random Skill Book, Perk Point, The Headmaster knows your name

Failure: Decreased closeness with everyone.
Accept: Y/N

"Devious little Siren…" Celeste smiled approvingly. She mentally tapped the 'Y'.

"What happened?" Aika asked curiously.

"Mitsuki took advantage of the Quest system to have Celeste rewarded," Kurone nodded admiringly at Mitsuki.

"I'm not just another pretty face," Mitsuki preened.

"Very well done," Himeko inclined her head.

"That's why I didn't take offense. She just wanted to make sure you got something out of it," Sumire explained.

"Tonight I want to go back to the prison and turn it into a workshop. I'll probably need an actual anvil to make armor and weapons though…" Celeste trailed off.

"Let me handle that. We had a blacksmithing club that didn't really go anywhere. There's lots of stuff that no one is using," Sumire waved her off.

Celeste wasn't sure what was more surprising. That there was a blacksmithing club or that it didn't go anywhere. There was just too much to comment on so she let it slide.

"So we can be an Explorer's Club and still be in our other clubs. Sounds good to me," Celeste said instead. She half expected a pop up to appear to show the benefits of an Explorer's Club.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

You already have a Party System and faster Skill Learning. Don't get greedy.

Cheeky, but fair.

That still left her to deal with the Newspaper Club. Ginei returned from his talk with Nekonome-sensei a humbled Werewolf. He wasn't a bad guy, just perverted. Celeste was fine with perversion as long as there was a proper time and place. Tsukune still seemed to be confused about his relationship issues. He had a problem most heterosexual guys his age would kill for and yet didn't know what to do about it. Celeste hoped he figured it out before someone explained about a Succubus' Destined One. The pressure from dealing with that on top of teenage crap would crush normal people. When a Succubus found their Destined One they could not be with anyone else. If their love was unrequited the Succubus could die. That was not something Celeste would wish on a nice girl like Kurumu. Moka was supposedly a Vampire. The Seal she was under prevented her from using most of her phenomenal power. That left her woefully weak and the fact she didn't even train worked against her too. How was her unsealed state supposed to fight at her fullest if the base wasn't built up? Yukari was the one that gave Celeste the most trouble. The Witch was eleven years old. Eleven. Yet somehow she was even worse than Ginei. How did she get forgiven so easily for basically molesting Moka without consent? She needed more information. If it wasn't for Sumire asking her to stay she would have walked away without looking back.

Except there seemed to be a new face.

"Shirayuki-san?" Celeste yelped. There was no mistaking the purple haired Yuki Onna for anyone else. Mizore Shirayuki had gone unseen since they dealt with the Physical Education teacher together. Now here she was in the Newspaper Club.

"I was looking for you. Aono-san said you were in the Newspaper Club," Mizore said softly.

"Celeste-kohai is so good to her Senpai for bringing such a cute girl to the Club!" Ginei cheered in the background. No one paid it any mind. Apparently they were already used to his behavior by now. This was troubling as it implied that Yukari's behavior might become normalized.

Disturbing.

"Oh great the Screamer came back," Yukari said snidely.

"That isn't nice, Yukari-chan," Moka chided her lightly. Tsukune let it pass by him as usual.

"When I hear an eleven year old talk about sex it sets my teeth on edge. Please don't talk about it with me around," Celeste requested politely.

"It won't work," Mizore muttered balefully.

"She's an incorrigible brat!" Kurumu agreed firmly.

"Cow tits!" Yukari fired back while giving her wand a wave. A wash basin descended for Kurumu's head only to be sliced in half. It landed in two pieces on either side of the Succubus.

"My what a strong breeze," Celeste commented mildly. No one saw her put the katana in the Inventory.

"If you weren't here I would have left already," Mizore said.

"I don't plan on dropping the Newspaper Club anytime soon," Celeste assured her.

"So we have to deal with your tyrannical views?" Moka asked. "I really have to be somewhere else…" The Vampire didn't even wait for a response before leaving. Celeste blinked a few times. Were her views so tyrannical? She could have been nicer…

"Don't let it get to you. She's been ditching us to model for Ishigami-sensei," Kurumu explained. Tsukune looked crestfallen at the reminder.

"Of course she would want Moka-sama! She's so kind, beautiful, and perfect…" Yukari lost herself in a daydream. Thankfully it stayed in her mind and not spoken aloud.

"And she's missed three deadlines already," Ginei remarked.

"What about her?" Yukari pointed at Celeste.

"I only had one story and that was investigating the Cafeteria. My poor nose...Food should not be abused like that…" Celeste complained. Yukari sat back down at her desk with a pout.

"I was asked to talk to other freshmen to see who missed their homes. I also got some nice stories about things they like," Tsukune said happily.

"My cooking and romance column will be a huge hit! After all there isn't much I don't know about love and food," Kurumu winked cheerfully.

"I did an interview with the head of the Occult Club...what's-his-name...anyway he's okay. Not like Tsukune-sama or Moka-sama though," Yukari said dreamily.

"Taru Ogaki. Geez at least try to remember the names of the Club heads," Kurumu complained.

"I've just been helping out with arrangement and organizing the stories," Mizore shrugged.

"Except now we have another story to cover. Since the beginning of the school year six girls have gone missing," Ginei said as he put their pictures up on the blackboard.

"You only care because they're hot," Yukari said snidely.

"Yukari? If you can't say something productive then shut up," Celeste snapped. The little Witch looked stunned. "I don't care about his perversions. He's talking about real people in real trouble. Focus on that." Okay so her resolve to be nicer would start tomorrow. She was not putting up with a little brat. Yukari looked downtrodden, but also thoughtful. Celeste fervently prayed to God, Anime, and maybe ROB that she finally got the hint. Time and place.

"Has anyone tried going to the school?" Kurumu asked.

"The teachers say they don't have any leads, but the girls were all popular. Their friends all say this isn't like them," Ginei explained.

"Common hobbies?" Mizore asked curiously.

"That IS a good question," Kurumu nodded.

"Their friends said that they were always hanging out around the Art Room," Ginei glanced at his notes. The Werewolf facepalmed, "That's too much of a coincidence…"

"Dark skinned woman in a white artist's smock? She reminded me of a sexual predator on the first day," Celeste remarked.

"Ishigami-sensei did have a lot of girls showing up during their free period. There were even girls who should have been in class," Tsukune noted.

"So she's really popular with girls and Celeste-senpai said she looks like a predator," Yukari tapped her chin thoughtfully. Maybe she really did understand time and place. Celeste decided to take it easier on her.

"Didn't Moka-san just go to the Art Room?" Mizore asked. The students froze as they realized that Moka did, in fact, just storm off towards one of the suspects in their investigation. There was a mad scramble for the door as Tsukune, somehow, reached it first and bolted down the hall. Kurumu and Yukari weren't far behind. Ginei took off towards the Teacher's Lounge. Smart guy. Mizore just shrugged her shoulders and leaped from the window. She made an icy ramp to skate along.

Celeste beat them with Shunpo.

Shunpo was awesome and no one would tell her different.

The Art Room was on the first floor. In fact it was exactly two floors down from the Newspaper Club. Moka didn't have far to go to reach her destination. Celeste arrived through the open door with a faint rush of air. She used Detective Vision and upped her Perception to avoid an ambush. The pink head of hair that briefly obscured her sight thankfully didn't come out of nowhere. The Vampire practically tackled Celeste with a cry of fear. It took her a moment to realize that Moka just whacked her with a stool.

"Moka? It's me. It's Celeste," Celeste didn't try to grab her. The other girl was clearly distraught and running on panicked adrenaline.

"C-Celeste…?" Moka asked, teary eyed. She glanced at the stool only to sweat at the way it was bent at a ninety-degree angle.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Damage Resistance lvl 20 > 25

Ow.

Did Moka, dear sweet Moka, just nuke 25% of her health in one hit? Yes, yes she did. Even sealed a Vampire was a scary thing.

"Honey, you're safe. What did you see?" Celeste rubbed her shoulder now that the danger of unwanted head trauma was past.

"G-Girls...turned to stone...They're still crying!" Moka wailed. Her fragile heart was breaking, but the sight was also terrifying her.

"Let me see. I might be able to help them," Celeste guided Moka back into the Art Room. She scanned the area to make sure that Ishigami-sensei didn't get the drop on them. In the process she spotted the victims. Petrified. Their condition read 'Cursed' and 'Petrified.' That was ominous. It meant she would have to overwhelm the Curse before they could be healed.

The prognosis was grim. Celeste didn't have the magical might to remove a Curse of this magnitude. It would take getting Ishigami-sensei to remove it or something drastic. According to Moka the Art Teacher was coming back in a few minutes. By then the rest of the Newspaper Club should be there. Except there was a way to get the power required quickly. It would just require getting lucky on the roll. Celeste wasn't one to back down when someone needed help. Especially innocent victims. She activated Form Change while focusing hard on Zauber. The change began only for a weird twist to tell her she missed. Her hair grew wilder, more aggressive, and turned electric blue. A large handgun appeared in her hand as the transformation completed. Celeste growled under her breath.

"Fuck! This wasn't what I was fuckin' lookin' for. Goddamn it!" Celeste railed. Moka was so startled she merely stared in disbelief.

"Celeste…? Are you okay…?" Moka asked hesitantly.

"Oh doin' just fine babycakes. I just rolled badly on the Luck table. We're gonna have to get this Curse broken the fun way," Celeste grinned while flashing the girl a wink. Moka deadpanned.
"Somehow I feel violated," Moka said.

"Haaa…? I haven't grabbed your funbags or anything like that kid did! Sorry, sorry, I'll take my wandering eyes elsewhere," Celeste managed to reign herself in. She was not in the right here. If someone felt violated it wasn't her place to declare otherwise.

"...Good point...I just can't stand seeing her ostracised. It reminds me too much of being shunned in middle school…" Moka murmured softly. "Tsukune was my first friend when I came here. Then Kurumu. I can handle Yukari because I know what it's like to be alone…"

Celeste huffed softly. Of course it would be something like that. How could she keep spazzing when Moka made such a good point? "At least try to get her to realize that what she's doing is making you uncomfortable. You can be a Real Friend or a Good Friend. A real friend tries to help the other improve. A good friend just wants to make them feel good. You're a good person. I think you can do the right thing."

There. That satisfied her morals without sounding like a preachy fuckin' idiot.

"How sweet. Such sentimentality. If only I could immortalize that on canvas…" Ishigami-sensei said as she stepped into the room. Because of course the Boss would pick now to reveal herself. Celeste clucked her tongue in annoyance.

"How the fuck did you avoid my senses?" Celeste demanded coldly. Moka slowly stepped behind a long table covered in art supplies. Smart girl. The nickel plated handgun came up pointed between the teacher's eyes. She had the gall to look amused.

"I am a Gorgon, dear. Cold blooded and all that. Snakes have avoided being seen for countless years. You're not that special," Ishigami-sensei smirked.

"What have you done to them?" Moka demanded. It might have had more impact if her voice didn't waver. The Art Teacher looked amused and more than a little excited.

"Do you like it? Beauty is just so transient. With my powers I can truly immortalize their beauty," the self confident woman spread her arms grandly.

"Do they get any say in it Scaly Ass?" Celeste asked. Her finger gently caressed the safety. The click echoed loudly in the still room. Ishigami-sensei looked a little less sure of herself, but rallied admirably.

"They all want to be my model, but I admit some of them needed...convincing," the Art Teacher had the temerity to laugh.

"Meaning 'no.' Fuckin' say it ya stupid cunt! They didn't want it!" Celeste yelled in sudden anger. Moka's grip tightened on the table. Ishigami-sensei looked startled at the change in tone.

"Fine! They didn't want to, but I knew better! They would be beautiful forever! Who cares if they didn't want to become my artwork!?" Ishigami-sensei yelled back.

"Thanks dipshit! Got enough, guys?" Celeste grinned at the doorway.

"What…?" The Art Teacher turned around in confusion. Her expression morphed into one of steadily growing horror as she saw the Newspaper Club. Tsukune held up a voice recorder for her to see. He rewound the clip and played back her confession.

"Yeah I think we got enough," Kurumue smirked.

"First page right here," Yukari grinned and posed cutely with her wand.

"You really love to hear yourself talk," Mizore said with amusement.

"You won't get away with this…!" Ishigami-sensei screamed. However, before she could take a step a surprising thing happened.

"Shut up…!" Moka yelled as she gave the entire table a huge swing. Celeste yelped and dropped to the floor just in time to avoid the wind up. The Art Teacher screamed, this time in fear, moments before getting clobbered by the long metal table. Ishigami-sensei went head first through the wall. All that was left was her butt sticking out.

Celeste gawked before laughing uproariously, "Damn girl! Why aren't you on the baseball team!?"

Moka, upon realizing what she did, just blushed in embarrassment.

"Home run," Mizore giggled.

Moka blushed harder.

Celeste decided that sticking around the Newspaper Club wouldn't be so bad.

AN: I wanted this to be a fun chapter. Some questions were answered and the Newspaper Club got a chance to shine. Hope you all enjoy!
Okay I fixed the mistake from earlier. Posted the correct Chapter 14 and reuploaded 15 and 16. Phew!

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 17

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Do you wish to claim this space? Y/N

Celeste blinked at the pop up. She could claim the prison? Experimentally she tapped the 'Y.' The pop up disappeared. At first she thought nothing happened, but then a deed dropped into her hand. According to the deed she had full rights to make changes to the structure. Sumire left the smithing tools in the basement. A sensible precaution to keep any other 'explorers' from finding her stuff. She took the Hammer to the door and reinforced the dungeon entrance. The rest of the prison could remain looking dilapidated to make it look unattractive. Maybe later she would work on reinforcing the whole structure, but for now this was good enough. The dungeon looked different than the other dimensional space that held the Wolf. It was still a wide open space, but where the Wolf was held stood eight prison cells. Each one angled to face at least three others. It was meant as a form of torture for those held within and made it easier for a single guard. She used her full strength, and the Hammer, to break down the bars. The cells could be converted into rooms for guests. Celeste was going to use the larger main area for the smithy. The window near the ceiling could be used to vent the fumes.

Perfection.

"Glad you like it, but what are you going to use for material? The Headmaster didn't leave anything behind," Sumire said from right behind her. Celeste didn't jump. Much.

"I have plenty of materials. The large number of weapons and armors should do nicely. I just want to find a way to learn the enchantments they have," Celeste said.

"I could just change 'Failure' to 'Success' for you," Sumire said coyly. Celeste's head whipped around so fast she had to actually take a step or snap her own neck.

"What do you want for a favor like that?" Celeste asked.

"Good question. What do I want?" Sumire tapped her chin lightly. "How about I bank the favor for later? Does that work for you?"

"Yes!" Celeste blurted out. If she could grant a five hundred point bonus to Luck when tired, what could she do well rested?

"Oh ho ho! Glad to see I'm appreciated! I bet you want to make all sorts of shiny things for our friends," Sumire purred.

"Oh yes. This is gonna be awesome," Celeste clenched her fists.

Enchanting was a magical art that went with Crafting. That much was obvious. Celeste requested the Luck Bonus again from Sumire before using Form Change. This time when she went for Zauber she got Zauber. The change in appearance was almost the same as Gewehr, but the hair color was a very pale lavender. She felt the unbridled magical power well up inside. Sparks of eldritch power arced from her fingers. With this power there was nothing she couldn't do! It took her a moment to realize that someone was laughing. The unhinged laughter sounded so joyful that she tried to join in only to realize something. The laughing person was her. Now that was funny!

"Okay you can stop reveling in your power or I'm switching you from Form Changed to Not," Sumire deadpanned.

"Eh!? Sorry, sorry, but don't you see? I'm so much more powerful now! I can do this Enchanting stuff in my sleep!" Celeste gloated.

"So you don't need my help now?" Sumire asked archly.

"Whoa now I didn't say that!," Celeste quickly backpedaled. No matter how great the power trip she was still herself. Even if a part of her railed at needing help. Ugh. No, don't listen to the voice of insanity.

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Do you wish to begin Enchanting? Y/N

"Damn straight!" Celeste declared excitedly. Enchanting consisted of two arts: Enchanting and Disenchanting. Disenchanting was breaking down enchantments to learn how they were applied. She could make her own Enchantments, but some of the nicer ones were on the stuff she found. Even with Sumire's help the Hammer couldn't be analyzed. Disenchanting would destroy it so that was out. The first thing she did was break down one of the Blood Lances. She had a bunch of them so it wasn't a loss.

Spoiler: Skill Gained

Enchanting lvl 1 - A Skill in two parts. Enchanting and Disenchanting. Enchanting is used to add effects to crafts. Disenchanting breaks down Enchantments for future use.
Chance of Enchanting: Luck% + 1% per level
Mutation Chance: (Luck/20)% + 1% per 5 levels
Chance of Disenchanting: Luck% + 1% per level
Destruction Chance: 100% - (Luck% + 1% per level)

Sumire watched in bemusement as Celeste continued to toss things in the air. Some of them fell back down, others vanished in a shower of shrapnel. Each success made the girl laugh while the failures caused her to cackle with delight. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason behind her joy. Just pure unbridled chaos.

Spoiler: Items Lost

Hairband
Rusted Ring
Safe Ring
Blood Lance
Stinger
Murgleis
Lohengrin
Swift Bracers

Spoiler: Level Up"

Enchanting 1 > 23

"Ouch. You lost some good things there...and my sword…" Sumire pouted. She liked the petrifying blade. Celeste patted her on the shoulder.

"I can make you another one. I just need to process the materials…" Celeste promised. She did get a number of useful Enchantments out of this. Stat enhancers, Debuffs, Defense/Attack Modifiers, and Health draining enchants. She was looking forward to extrapolating more from there.

Celeste also cheated when it came to processing the sheer amount of weapons and armor. Midchildan Magic let her effectively create a spell to turn the metal into ingots. All the metal. It wouldn't work for creating anything, but breaking it down? Perfect. She stared at the stacks of materials that appeared in the casting circle. Most of what she found was good quality steel it seemed. Sixty ingots of it. The Defenders were made of Mithral. That was another twenty ingots. The Blood Lances were made of an alchemical metal called Blood Steel. Thirty whole bars. The steel was nearly as good as Mithral with strong necromantic properties. It wasn't evil. Not after getting purified to high Heaven by her processing spell.

"Do you think you could bless it further? Really make it Holy?" Sumire asked curiously.

"You want something really Holy?" Celeste blinked.

"Protection from Holy would be nice. Yours feels nice and safe. Other purification magics don't really feel good to me," Sumire wrinkled her nose.

"Do you think it has to do with the personality of the user?" Celeste asked.

"Magic is about intent. You just don't have ill intent. So naturally your magic reflects that," Sumire explained.

"I wonder why Kurone never mentioned it…" Celeste mused.

"Because that's one of the most basic lessons in magic. Somehow you skipped the basics and went straight to advanced," Sumire giggled.

"I really need to fix that. Hopefully Kurone still has one of the basic magic primers," Celeste said with a shrug. If she had it, great. If not then it wasn't that important. Kurone could give her the highlights anyway.

"How long before I get my new sword?" Sumire asked.

"About two hours. I have a minus eighty-eight percent to crafting time. The Crafting tooltip says that times are based on real world crafting. So one sword would be twenty four hours normally," Celeste explained.

"Weird time for your power to worry about realism," Sumire remarked.

"It is what it is," Celeste shrugged. "Now let's get to crafting!"

Sumire wanted a lighter blade than Murgleis. Something between the weight of a rapier and longsword, but not an Estoc. So it had to be a thinner blade than a longsword. Celeste gave it the grip of a hand-and-a-half sword. Just long enough if Sumire wanted to use two hands. She gave it a flared crosspiece to catch other blades and a basket to protect her hand. The pommel stone was a moonstone that Celeste planned to enchant with Holy, Defense + 40%, and all Stats plus 10. Since this was an experiment she reversed Esuna to enchant the blade itself. She made sure to keep the formula at the front of her mind the entire time. With each blow of the Hammer she could feel more of her mana flow into the craft. Suddenly there came a shift as probably twisted. The change in mystic pressure altered several of the enchantments substantially. Hours later Celeste finished dousing the blade in the oil barrel. When she held the sword aloft Sumire squealed with delight. Honest to goodness squealed. She would deny it of course, but who could blame her? The sword was beautiful.

"Magnificent…" Sumire breathed as Celeste handed her the finished blade. The blade itself was a deep blue/black color. The Mithral used gave it a faint silvery sheen. Celeste ornamented the hilt with gold.

"What will you name it?" Celeste asked.

"Me? I get to name it?" Sumire asked in astonishment. She turned back to the sword with a reverent look, "Vanus. A blade to make others disappear."

Spoiler: Crafting Complete

Vanus - Thrusting/Slashing 47 - A sword for making others disappear according to the wielder. It has numerous powers due to the way it was made. Add/Strengthen: Holy, Defense + 80% Inflicts: All Status AIlments/Debuffs. All Stats + 20

"Oooh that is a very scary sword…" Celeste cooed appreciatively. At Sumire's curious look she explained what the sword did exactly.

"Amazing...You better make something at least this nice for the others. They might be jealous otherwise," Sumire teased.

Spoiler: Recipe Added

Vanus - Thrusting/Slashing 47 - A sword for making others disappear according to the wielder. It has numerous powers due to the way it was made. Add/Strengthen: Holy, Defense + 80% Inflicts: All Status AIlments/Debuffs. All Stats + 20

Celeste scrunched up her face at the new pop up, "My power just added Vanus as a crafting recipe. I'm not sure how I feel about that…"

"You could make more of these?" Sumire asked.

"It's meant to be a one-off. Yours alone," Celeste explained her distaste. Sumire blushed a little.

"If that's what you want then who am I to argue?" Sumire said half to herself as her eyes were drawn back to the beautiful sword.

"I have enough time tonight to make one more blade. Something for Himeko I think. With how hard she worked acting as the Tank it's the least I can do," Celeste said with a fond smile. The Oni girl wouldn't be expecting something like this.

For a frontline fighter who valued honor it made more sense to craft a Bloodsword. That way she could constantly replenish her vitality and stamina during combat. She was also planning on increasing lethality and attack speed. An enchantment for Defense and increasing her Stats made perfect sense. Celeste used the Blood Steel to forge the blade. The mana started to twist inside of the craft as she altered part of the enchantment to drain off energy too. After all Himeko also used her energy when she fought. The resulting craft had a blood red blade with a black grip edged in gold. It wasn't overly ornate as Himeko wasn't that kind of person. Like its future wielder the sword was all business in combat with no frills.

Spoiler: Crafting Complete

Nameless - Slashing 49 - An unnamed katana made in a manner similar to a Bloodsword. Add/Strengthen Holy. Converts Damage inflicted to HP/Stamina/MP. Attack Speed/Defense + 40%. All Stats + 20.

"I bet Himeko will appreciate this," Sumire eyed the sword with interest. She nodded once approvingly.

"Odd. It didn't wait for me to ask Himeko what she wanted to name it," Celeste looked surprised. "Just said 'Nameless' and gave it's abilities."

Sumire sent Celeste back to her dorm room before she could try to craft something else. The dark haired girl looked stunned at being sent away. She wasn't that bad about overwork. Not now anyway. There was still so much to do! Except that Sumire was probably waiting for her to try and leave. Regretfully, Celeste let the transformation drop and almost hit the floor. Without the power coursing through her she felt strangely weak. Her Stamina was practically empty! How hard was Crafting anyway? Celeste put it out of her mind. Crafting apparently took more than just physical effort. She owed Sumire a thank you for sending her back. Besides, the sooner she got to bed, the sooner she could see how Himeko liked her new sword.

Celeste nearly lost her ribs. A tragic casualty of surprising an Oni with a thoughtful gift. The normally reserved Himeko was so happy with her gift that she forgot where they were. Celeste endured the chiropractic hug and nuzzling with good humor. Okay, so the nuzzling shocked her at first, but it was harmless. She would have tried returning the hug, but her arms were trapped. The dark haired girl contented herself with rubbing her cheek in Himeko's hair.

"I wanted you to have this when we were alone," Celeste said. Himeko came out of her bliss induced daze reluctantly.

"A-alone?" Himeko squeaked. She didn't let go, but it was clear the remark startled her.

"Can you imagine how jealous the others would be otherwise? I want to have enough for everyone," Celeste explained. She wasn't stupid. She knew where her friend's mind went and was quick to explain.

"But I was the first," Himeko said.

"Second. Sumire wanted a new sword and used her power to guarantee a success," Celeste said apologetically.

"So you wanted to make sure that it would be a perfect success. Yes that is acceptable," Himeko seemed to be talking to herself towards the end.

Celeste knew where this was going and just didn't have the heart to talk her out of this. Besides she did want romance in her new life. Judging by how Kurone and Sumire were acting she managed to pull them too. Eventually she was going to have to sit everyone down and talk it out. That was the sensible thing to do. She refused to be like those clueless harem protagonists. It was better to get out in front of things than wait for them to blindside her. Except she wasn't expecting to attract Himeko. With how proper she was it was sometimes hard to remember the other girl was an Oni.

"Oni are shapeshifters," Himeko purred. Apparently she was still talking to herself, lost in a daydream. Then the full impact of what Himeko said hit.

Celeste decided to take a spontaneous nap.

Naps are good.

She could avoid thinking about that a while longer…

AN: Some crafting, some humor. The next chapter will be more crafting and Celeste outfitting her friends (Newspaper Club included). I promise it won't be a character bloat. You'll see how I manage that.

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 18

Spoiler: System Pop Up

Well this is embarrassing. Kampfer should get a +2 to all stats at Intermediate level. Terribly sorry. Gains have been fixed retroactively.
All Classes gain a +1 to their main Stat at Intermediate. The bonus increases +1 for each Tier of the Class.
Charisma has reached 100! You have gained a Perk!
Divine Grace - This is a Perk granted to those who follow the Divine. Adds Charisma to all Stats and base Defense.
Agility reached 50! You have gained a Perk! (Finally)
Double Action - There is a 25% chance of an action to be repeated. Can't be modified.

Stats went up with the different Tiers? That sounded nice on paper, but she was already approaching her max. In fact Agility and Luck were the only ones that still trailed behind. Agility needed fifteen more points and Luck needed forty seven. That wasn't much. Still the two Perks were incredible. Divine Grace was overpowered, but definitely welcome. Anything that mitigated damage and increased her durability was welcome. Double Action looked like something she should get at the Agility 100 milestone. A twenty five percent chance of repeating an action was powerful. Except she didn't know how it would work exactly. Did it let her perform the action again and maybe change the target? Was it the same target?

Would it work on all actions?

Could it be used to repeat Crafting?

Celeste had to use Meditation before she started hyperventilating. The Perk tried to activate on Meditation, but she was able to suppress it. Phew. If it couldn't be suppressed then it would be a pain in the ass rather than a help. Duplicate Crafting could be useful. So could duplicate casting of healing and defensive spells. The only issue was that she would have to keep manually telling it to stop. Wait. Would it instantly duplicate crafts without having to go through all that time? Something to investigate. It would probably use the same amount of materials. She could examine the Perk while working on the Student Uniform Armor for her friends. Celeste sweated as she remembered some of the things the Newspaper Club got into almost daily.

Better get them in for a fitting too.

The idea she had was for brigandine armor. Heavy cloth enchanted with defense boosts over thin mithril strips. Silk on the inside to make it more comfortable. Give it a high fire resistance so that it wouldn't be burned off and resistance to slash, pierce, and bludgeoning. Celeste spent the entirety of Math Class working out how to make the armor work. Perhaps tie in a Barrier Jacket effect to extend the enchantments over the whole body? None of them could wear fullplate in school so this would have to be the next best thing. Belts, rings, and bracelets could be used to tie other enchantments. Protection from all status ailments, stat boosts, and maybe something to strengthen their natural talents. Now to create the right enchantment would take some research. Celeste knew most of the rest, but boosting inherent abilities was something different. In some games it was possible to find gear that gave Class bonuses. Inherent abilities weren't that different from Classes, right?

"Hollister-san? What is the answer to the problem on the board?" Kagome-sensei asked sweetly. Celeste took in the board at a glance. The equation was huge.

"3," she said dismissively before going back to her planning.

"Is that so? Well just so you know…" Kagome-sensei worked out the problem on the board. When she reached the end the look on her face said it all. "...The answer...is...3?" She flushed red in embarrassment, but Celeste wasn't paying attention anymore.

Compared to Midchildan equations this was nothing.

She drifted through the rest of the school day. With her high mental stats it was easy. This was just the first time Celeste decided to stop paying attention. Her heightened Perception ensured that she missed nothing so trying to catch her with trick questions wouldn't work. It was actually fun to be able to breeze through her classes. High school was a relentless slog her first time through. She had to study more than her classmates just to break even. This was such a joy. She loved to learn new things but now it was just so much easier. It was also time to start expanding out from her current knowledge of Midchildan magic. She really wanted to get into stuff like dimensional travel and other higher level feats. Her Midchildan Magic Style was currently stalled out at thirty. Without a fresh new breakthrough the Skill wouldn't increase. It wasn't that she didn't practice her other Skills, but they weren't leveling up as fast. Crafting was the only Skill that wasn't stalled so far. Then again it was hard to stall out on something that was constantly evolving.

The Newspaper Club was working on their first edition. They planned on putting them more regularly after this, but the first had to be the best. At least that was Ginei's reasoning. He did have a point. Most of the students were still settling in during the first couple months. Celeste really wanted to work on her projects. She already had her stories written and ready for print. Except this was supposed to be a Club project. There was just one thing to do. Invite everyone back to the Workshop. It was the perfect plan. That way she could have fun with her friends, work on the paper, and have time for her projects. Besides, she had a solution for Tsukune's little 'human' problem. No one in their right mind would suspect Celeste was human with the powers she employed. Tsukune on the other hand was definitely human. Her sense of smell compared the two of them and realized the truth. He wasn't a minimally exceptional monster, but a human. No one could find out. No one. Not until she had her solution ready. Just because the school handbook said to report humans to the faculty, no one would. There was just too much prejudice.

But if he didn't register as a human…

Celeste's smile turned positively evil.

Ginei did complain about moving their operation to the middle of nowhere, but she was quite persuasive. She told him that all of her friends were going to be there. All her female friends. The Werewolf's attitude changed so quickly it gave the Club collective whiplash. Celeste just forgot to mention that one of her friends was Sumire. He was still doing his best to give her the slip. Too bad, Ginei-senpai. He had a good run, but his luck ran out. She told the Club to wait an hour after school let out. Kurone would take them to the prison. That would give her and Sumire plenty of time to work on the surprise for Tsukune.

Changing someone's race was a permanent solution to a temporary problem. There were probably other tokens out there, and most likely required the monster to be defeated, but a Human Token? Unlikely. Celeste was tempted to try and make more Tokens, but the moment the Crafting window opened a pop up said no. So creating more Tokens was out of the question. Except it didn't say she couldn't craft with the Token. Celeste had Sumire bump up her Luck and not guarantee Success. She wanted the ring to mutate into an artifact. Artifacts being several orders of magnitude higher than normal crafts.

"What are you going to use to make it?" Sumire asked.

"Blood Steel, Vampire Token, and a blood stone. I also want to put protection from purification on the ring. It wouldn't be immune, Vampires aren't, but it should increase resistance," Celeste explained as she set up her tools.

"Why not load on the enchantments like you did with the swords?" Sumire suggested.

"That is a good idea!" Celeste beamed happily. She was once more in her Zauber Form so thinking this through rationally wasn't going to happen. No. There was a hunger within her to break all the rules and surpass the limitations. Mere mortals weren't going to tell her what she couldn't do! This would be a masterpiece!

Sumire just wanted to watch the fireworks.

Crafting the Ring didn't actually take long at all. With all her bonuses to Crafting speed it only took ten minutes. Celeste did feel her mana take a huge dip though. She ended up channeling far more magic into the Ring than intended. However, the results spoke for themselves. It was so good she was half tempted to keep it for herself. Not even half. Her good side overpowered the voice of selfishness.

Spoiler: Crafting Success

Ring of the Legendary Vampire - A ring that shall go down in history as the mightiest artifact a Vampire could possess. When used by any other Race it adds the powers of a Vampire to their own. However, when worn by a Vampire, their might could transcend to that of the legendary Shinso. Spoken only in secret.
Protection from Purification 90%
Attack Speed +80%
Defense +80%
Add: Protect, Shell, Regen
Guts - Survive a single deathblow. Resets after 24 hours.
All Stats + 50
Unlock Supernatural Energy/Strengthen Supernatural Energy

Spoiler: Level Up

Crafting lvl 26 > 40
Enchanting lvl 26 > 40

"I half expected to get a warning about cheesing the system," Celeste looked pleasantly surprised that nothing came up.

"You've only done it twice. Do you want to keep doing it this way?" Sumire asked. Greed warred with common sense. So far the system hadn't cracked down on her blatant cheating. One voice said if you ain't cheating then you ain't trying. Another voice reminded her of the folly of abusing the system. She might provoke it into somehow punishing her or turning her gains into losses.

"If it's an emergency, sure. Though I suspect I created a bigger headache than a solution. I'll still give it to Tsukune, but I'll let him know what the flavor text said. Vampires will hunt him down for this thing if anyone talks about it," Celeste eyed the beautiful ring with wonder and apprehension. It really was something to behold. Pure crimson red with faint traceries around the band. The traceries appeared to be filled with shadows. A stylized bat held the bloodstone in its mouth.

"Great…" Sumire muttered. Nothing was ever simple or boring around Celeste.

The Explorer's Club and Newspaper Club arrived soon after. Both groups appeared wary of the other, but that was natural. They didn't exactly move in the same circles and only had Celeste in common. Ginei almost fled when he saw Sumire, but she merely held aloft the box of newspaper supplies. He grasped at nothing before looking down. The Werewolf was well and truly outmaneuvered. Reluctantly the Wolf decided to stay. It was enough to get the others to laugh so mission accomplished.

"Okay guys! There's a reason I invited you all here besides getting the newspaper done," Celeste said.

"What did you have in mind?" Kurone asked.

"We tend to get into some pretty scary situations. To that end I want us all to have better protection. I designed a school uniform jacket based on the brigandine. It would be enchanted with just about every protection I can think of. I needed all of you here because the jackets do need to be fitted. Not closely, the garments will have a limited ability to resize to the wearer, but not everyone's the same height. I also plan to include special items to enhance your natural abilities," Celeste explained. There was a collection of 'oohs' and 'ahhs.' Tsukune and Moka both looked apprehensive. The excuse of enhancement artifacts would let her get each of them alone. She wouldn't give the Ring to Tsukune in front of everyone. It wasn't her secret to tell.

Tsukune was the first person she brought back into the fitting room. She cast a privacy barrier. He looked even more nervous about being alone with her.

"Relax. I can use a spell to get your measurements. This is more to do with your little 'problem,'" Celeste explained.

"P-problem? W-what problem?" Tsukune's voice went up in pitch. Impressive really.

"We're both human, Tsukune-san. I know it seems impossible to believe, but I am human. Thanks to a gift I was able to transcend strictly human limits. It wouldn't work for you so I came up with another solution," Celeste held up the Ring of the Legendary Vampire.

"What does it do?" Tsukune asked apprehensively.

"Effectively, while wearing this Ring, you would be a Vampire. You could take it off at any time. The protective enchantments alone would make this worthwhile for you. There is just one catch," Celeste's expression turned grave.

"What would that be?" Tsukune already seemed interested, but the talk of a catch made him hesitate.

"If anyone finds out about this Ring the power hungry Vampires would seek it for themselves. It's capable of transforming a Vampire into a Shinso. In essence a super Vampire," Celeste explained. At least that's what she assumed. Shinso Vampire didn't come up in her research.

"But you made it and I don't plan on talking about it...Except with Moka…" Tsukune fidgeted. He was already going to take the Ring. She suspected that he would.

"You can tell whoever you trust. I won't even talk about it with my friends. Not unless you give me permission," Celeste promised.

"Thanks…" Tsukune slipped on the Ring. His appearance changed substantially. He put on what looked like nearly fifty pounds of pure muscle and bishonen handsomeness. There were no changes to his hair, but his eyes picked up a brighter sheen. Almost jewel-like. Celeste took a sniff and nodded approvingly. His scent changed to that of a Vampire.

"Now this bracelet will set up a disguise field. It's keyed to your original appearance. When you want to 'unseal' yourself have someone take the fake seal off," Celeste snapped a chain bracelet on his wrist with a fake rosary. The rosary was the anchor for the illusion. It could be clipped on again like a charm bracelet.

"I need a disguise?" Tsukune asked curiously.

"You're too damn handsome without it. Anyone would be able to tell there was something odd if you didn't look like yourself," Celeste explained.

He didn't know what to say to that.

Taking his and Ginei's measurements went by quickly. She gave Ginei a pair of sneakers that would let him tap his full Werewolf speed even without a full moon. They also provided anti-slick, hyper traction, and had the Perk Accelerator. Celeste was especially proud of herself for conferring a Perk to someone else. He was so well behaved she almost didn't believe it was him, but apparently Sumire had him on a short leash. Aside from the sneakers, she used a standard ring setup to give everyone their enhancements. A little bit of their blood for a catalyst and she had a tailor made accessory for each of her friends. She almost gave Kurumu the Gainaxing Perk, but then realized it was a bad idea. The Succubus was already Gainaxing enough thank you very much. Accelerator kept trying to activate on the individual crafts, but she refused. What would she do with a Ring of the Flighty Witch? It wasn't even keyed to her! However it did make crafting the uniforms easier. She needed enough for two guys and nine girls. With Accelerator it took her less than four hours to make everything.

Spoiler: Crafting Success

Special School Uniform Jacket - Defense 40 - A very unique type of uniform jacket. It boasts amazing protection. Casts a constant Barrier Jacket effect to protect the wearer.
Add: Protect, Shell, Regen
Half: Ice, Water, Wind, Earth, Dark
Resist: Fire 90%
Immune: Holy
Status Resist: All Status Resist +90%
All Stats: + 10

"Now can we get back to the newspaper? I'm glad that you want to protect us, but we do have to get something done tonight," Ginei said exasperatedly.

"Do you mind if we help?" Himeko asked politely.

"More hands make the work go faster," Mizore said.

"Right! For now you're temporary Newspaper Club members. Let's get crackin'!" Ginei declared.
"Aye!" Came the enthusiastic response.

They worked well into the night. It wasn't finished yet, but it would be soon. Everyone went back to their dorm rooms that night satisfied. For Tsukune and Moka tonight gave them newfound peace of mind. Tomorrow was a new day and she couldn't wait to see how it turned out.

-Elsewhere-

"Where is she…? She was supposed to be here!" An angry voice growled. "It doesn't matter...I can still leave the pictures here...Heh heh heh...No model gets away from me..."
The person walked away from the rows of shoe lockers with a barely heard squelching sound…

AN: Now this was a fun chapter to write. Am I going to keep bringing the Explorers and Newspaper Club together often? Nope. Too many people to keep track of. Except that it would be out of character for Celeste to only strive to protect one group of friends over another.

 

[Rob Conway]

Chapter 19

Spoiler: Crafting Success

Magician's Spear - Pierce 36 - A spear crafted of Mithral and etched with runes that look vaguely like circuitry. The diamond set in the spearhead is covered in golden circuitry like the shaft. Similar to a Storage Device if more simple. Capable of reinforcing and storing spells for later. Requires the user to restore its reserves.
Casting Time: -50%
Casting Power: +50%
Casting Range: +50%
Reserve MP: 100000

Celeste came bearing more gifts for her friends. This time Kurone and Mitsuki. The Magician's Spears were casting foci. She knew that Kurone's casting was suffering from not using a proper focus. Mitsuki might not be a traditional Mage, but Siren's used magic in their songs. Basically she was a Bard. Both girls liked having a way to defend themselves. The initial reserve MP came from Celeste herself, but her friends would have to top them up in the future. It was highly unlikely that they would go through the whole amount, but it could happen. As long as they didn't drain it completely the Spear would regenerate its reserves slowly. It was such a nice weapon she made one for herself. The Magician's Spear was weaker than the Blood Lance, but it was more useful for her combat style.

Spoiler: Crafting Success

Skill Book "Midchildan Magic Style" - Details the basics of the Midchildan style of shooting magic x 2
Skill Book "Belkan Magic Style" - Details the basics of the Belkan style of melee magic x 3
Class Book "Midchildan Magus" - A mage capable of fighting adeptly from afar and at midrange. Utilizes Binds and Seals to lock down their targets x 3
Class Book "Belkan Knight" - A sturdy mage that brings the fight to the enemy. Utilizes powerful barriers and melee spells to demolish foes x 3

She had a few critical successes while crafting Skill Books. Once she made a Skill Book for the Belkan Style it was easy to make more. However the Class Books were the biggest surprise. Celeste wasn't expecting something this good, but here it was. The one that she really wanted was the Belkan Knight, but she had to finish Kampfer.

"Note to self: Find a new place to level up," Celeste muttered. The forest Field Dungeon just wasn't giving out XP anymore. She was just too overleveled. It was about time to start entering some Instant Dungeons. Any Field Dungeon could be made a Instant by using the requisite amount of Stamina.

Spoiler: Level Up

Crafting lvl 40 > 50
Enchanting lvl 40 > 50

Spoiler: Perks Gained

For reaching Crafting lvl 50 you get to choose a Perk!
Hyper Craft - Instantly finish any Craft. No waiting! Success Chance - 50%
Economizer - Chance of using no materials during crafting. 25% Chance
Sublime Quality - Doubles the Quality of all Crafts. Materials + 100%
For reaching Enchanting lvl 50 you get to choose a Perk!
Warp Evolution - Mutation increases the Tier by 3 instead of just 1. Destruction Chance 20%
Analyzer - Increases Disenchanting Chance by 50% and chance of Rare Enchantment by 50%. Destruction Chance 50%
Stability - Nothing is worse than an unstable Enchantment. Destruction Chance 0% Mutation Chance -50%

For Crafting it was a no brainer. She chose Economizer. A one-in-four chance of using no materials was fantastic. There were no drawbacks. The others might be useful later when she had more materials, but her crafting supplies were at a premium. As for Enchanting that was another no brainer. She chose Stability. No chance of destruction and she still had a mutation chance for crafts. Minus fifty percent didn't matter. Just level up a bit and she was back in business. Besides she wanted reliability. Good thing she was making these decisions as her normal self. Zauber would have gone for the flashiest stuff. That reminded her to use the Belkan Magic Style Skill Book. Instead of creating a separate Skill it folded into the Midchildan Style to create MidBelkan Style. Celeste winced at the horrible name, but she couldn't change it now. At least she didn't lose any levels from the original Skill. That was far more important than a horrid name.

She had to wait until after school to give out her gifts. Ginei was determined that the paper would get done today, but in the school room. Celeste wanted to argue, but how could she? Nekonome-sensei didn't know where they went and gave him Hell over it. Ginei-senpai was behaving himself. He didn't deserve getting grief for something she did. It would have been the perfect opportunity to place the blame on her, but he simply told the teacher he understood. Her respect for him increased greatly. The rest of the Newspaper Club was even dressed in proper uniforms. Mainly because of the protective jackets. Yukari looked slightly odd with her witch's hat, but it wasn't a battle anyone could win. It was probably the most comfortable article of clothing she ever owned. There appeared to be a crisis going on when she arrived at the Club room.

"I'm sorry! I-I have to go...It's an emergency…" Kurumu was rambling. The Succubus was distractedly getting her things together. She stank of fear and shame.

"But Kurumu-san! The paper is almost finished!" Tsukune exclaimed. The scent of shame grew worse.

"Let her go. We don't need her," Yukari bit off spitefully. Kurumu flinched as if struck.

"I thought we were friends…" Moka said with bitter regret. The reek of shame and sadness was overwhelming.

"I'm so sorry…" Kurumu whispered as she left the room with her head bowed.

"Hnnn…" Mizore made a sound of disgust before hopping out of the open window. From the third floor. The Yuki Onna was capable of performing feats Solid Snake would think were too risky. She was probably going to follow Kurumu. That's what Celeste would do. If she didn't have some attitudes to adjust.

"What the Hell is your problem? Your friend is almost in tears and you tore into her?" Celeste's voice came out hard.

"She's leaving when we need everyone…" Yukari tried to say, but she couldn't meet her gaze.

"We've had a rough day and I-I guess it boiled over…" Now it was Moka's turn to smell like shame.

"Let's go get her," Tsukune suggested. Celeste held up a hand.

"Hold it. Let Mizore-san handle Kurumu-san for now. What boiled over and why would it make you treat Kurumu-san like a pariah?" Celeste asked. The significant look exchanged between Tsukune and Moka spoke volumes.

"She tried to claim Tsukune as her Destined One and told us she could die if her love went unrequited," Yukari didn't have a problem explaining.

"It just sounded like another excuse to get with Tsukune-san…" Moka shrugged.

Celeste facepalmed. Hard.

"When a Succubus finds their Destined One it's considered a joyous event. They've found the one person in all the world they can truly give their heart to. However, if their Destined One refuses to accept her love, a Succubus can die of a broken heart. Literally die. This is not hyperbole. They. Will. Die. Kurumu-san was probably hoping her friends would want to talk things out," Celeste bit off her words with irritation. Yes, they were teenagers. It was understandable that misunderstandings would abound. Teens lacked the wisdom that comes with experience in most cases. The Newspaper Club weren't bad people, but they were definitely impulsive.

"That isn't just an excuse?" Moka half-pleaded.

"Kurumu-san…" Tsukune looked stricken.

"I suppose a fourth person is okay…" Yukari murmured to herself. Moka and Tsukune stared at her in total disbelief. That's okay. Celeste was similarly bemused by the little Witch's single-mindedness.

"This all hinges on how hurt she's feeling. I know that I would be hurting if my friends didn't trust me," Celeste decided one more twist of the knife would prevent this from happening again.

"Now can we go after her?" Tsukune demanded impatiently.

"Go ahead. I'll keep working on the paper," Celeste said. She could make good use of Accelerator and her Crafting Skill.

"I'll stay behind and help out," Yukari said. She tugged on her hat in embarrassment. Celeste nodded appreciatively.

There was something almost soothing about using her powers for a mundane utility. Ginei finally came back with more paper. He asked where the others were only to be told 'miscommunication' and left it alone. Their senpai was much sharper than he let on. Yukari wanted to be with her friends, but gamely stayed and helped. The first paper was coming along beautifully. All they had left to do was get it printed up. The sun was setting by the time they were finished. Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu, and Mizore still hadn't returned. Poor Yukari was about ready to declare a search party for them, but the Yuki Onna arrived just as Ginei started locking up.

"Slug guy was trying to blackmail Kurumu. He paralyzed Moka and Tsukune before she turned him into sashimi," Mizore said.

"I thought our armor protected from 'status ailments!'" Yukari exclaimed.

"There's still a ten percent chance. Admittedly it's a low chance, but it can happen," Celeste explained before turning back to Mizore. "How is Kurumu-san? It can't be easy killing someone…"

"Slug monsters are really hard to kill. Unless she dumped a lot of salt on him, he'll probably regenerate. I really doubt that he'll be back though," Ginei was quick to assure them.

"Kurumu didn't really care. He was threatening to take disgusting pictures of her and Moka. Tsukune wanted to rip his head off too," Mizore said.

"Where were you?" Yukari asked.

"Making sure no one was around to interrupt his punishment," Mizore stated coldly. Yukari nodded once in approval.

It wasn't the first time that Celeste had to remind herself monsters had a different standard. The dark haired girl also found that it was easy to let it slide. Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu went back to the Succubus' dorm room to hash things out between them. Hopefully it all worked out for the best. They lost Ginei when he heard that the three of them were off discussing relationship matters. Fantasizing was different than actually violating someone's privacy so it wasn't important. He would just have to do all the printing by himself. Fair's fair after all. Besides it gave Celeste an excuse to knock off early and spend some time with her friends. Kurone was redecorating the prison with bookshelves and the books they had so far. Mitsuki took one of the former cells for herself as a sewing room. The rest were trying to figure out what to do with their spaces. Mizore fell in step with her on the way out.

"Mind if I come with you?" Mizore asked.

"Not at all. The more the merrier," Celeste said.

"I joined the Newspaper Club to be near you," Mizore said.

"And I haven't been hanging out with you. Sorry, Mizore-san," Celeste apologized sheepishly. The Yuki Onna shook her head.

"I was around," Mizore assured her.

"But is it better to be a stalker than to just hang out with us?" Celeste asked.

"You knew I was there," Mizore realized. The dark haired girl tapped her nose playfully.

"I have a powerful sense of smell," Celeste said with a smile. The purple haired girl smiled lightly.

"I didn't know there was room for one more," Mizore shrugged.

"Of course there is!" Celeste threw an arm around Mizore's shoulders playfully. Her friend looked especially pleased at the contact. She was glad for her sense of smell now. It was telling her that Mizore wasn't interested. Phew.

"Are we moving out of the dorm?" Mizore asked curiously.

"What makes you say that?" Celeste inquired.

"The rooms at the prison. You did tell everyone to pick one," Mizore reminded her.

"I mainly meant for their own projects, but if that's how they took it...Yeah I guess they move into the prison. The door to the Workshop is just about the most secure place on campus. If Sumire didn't make it better," Celeste grinned.

"What kind of monster is she?" Mizore asked curiously.

"We're not supposed to talk about our monster forms," Celeste said teasingly.

"You don't know," Mizore realized with a smirk.

"Not really...no," Celeste admitted. She knew her friend's Title was Junior Gap Hag, but that didn't help. No one knew what Yukari was either just that she was ancient and stupidly powerful. Even her Familiar was powerful enough to have a Familiar. Sumire wasn't quite in that bracket, but she was quite strong.

Celeste was more tempted than ever to try and claim the whole prison. If she could get Dimensional Magic down it would be something to look into. Perhaps find a way to create a dimensional space that was strictly for her and the others, but would look like the same dilapidated ruin. She didn't want to keep going to Sumire for everything. Lyrical Nanoha had some amazing magic and she wanted to harness some of that. What other series used magic math? Nosurge/Ar Tonelico did. She used to love the music and it was a programming language. How much of it did she remember? Maybe she could just write out some of the songs she knows using Crafting and hope for a Crit? It wasn't such an insane idea actually. That was less of a need and more of a want. Though maybe Mitsuki might like to learn Hymnos. A project for another night. She really wanted to give Kurone and Mitsuki their spears before heading out to the Field to make an Instant Dungeon. Mizore's appearance didn't even raise an eyebrow. Some obscure tension left the Yuki Onna's shoulders.

"Here you are ladies," Celeste laid the spears out on the table. Kurone picked up the first with a look of interest.

"Oh! That feels kind of strange...like it's connecting to my magic…" Kurone marveled.

"It is connecting to your magic. In fact, now that you've touched it, no one else can use your Magician's Spear. As the creator I can touch it, but it won't work for me either," Celeste explained.

"I can feel the same thing. My youki is flowing easier," Mitsuki gave the spear an experimental twirl. She looked quite pleased with her new acquisition.

"If you're trying to buy our affection it's working," Kurone teased. Mitsuki looked startled at her daring before bursting out in laughter.

"Indeed, Celeste. You're too much," Mitsuki said warmly.

"Whatever keeps you safe," Celeste said seriously.

"Going to do some more crafting tonight?" Aika asked excitedly. "You can't stop now. Me and Mizore need something now." Her playful tone made it clear that she was only kidding.

"Whatever you want," Mizore said with a shrug.

"Why don't you decide on a personal weapon and I'll make one for you?" Celeste turned to Mizore. To the others she said, "I have Skill Books for two different magic styles and Class Books. I don't know if you can even use Class Books, but nothing is keeping you from reading them."

In the end Kurone took both the Midchildan and Belkan styles. Mitsuki picked up the Midchildan Style. Himeko surprised her by taking the Belkan Magic Style Skill Book alongside Mizore. Aika, not to be left out, picked up the Midchildan Magic Style. Sumire did the same as Aika. The exact thing happened with them as with Celeste. The Skill Books looked as if they had gone through a bad photocopier, but they did learn the Skills. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for the Class Books. They could read the books and practice the lessons, but it wasn't instantaneous. In the end Mizore chose a kunai. Aika wanted a shortsword to go with her dagger.

Spoiler: Crafting Success

Replicating Kunai - Slashing/Piercing 36 - A specially enchanted kunai capable of duplicating itself when placed in a holster. Never runs out. With enough practice it can be used to throw a single kunai and turn it into many.
Strengthen: Holy, Ice, Water
Attack Speed + 80%
Critical Chance + 80%
All Stats + 10
Sword of Shadows - Slashing 40 - An unusual sword with a dull gray blade and a mottled gray hilt. There seems to be nothing special about it as the enchantments are mysteriously hard to read. The holder is as hard to discern as their sword.
Add: Transparency, Anti-Scrying, Trackless
Attack Speed + 80%
Killing Blow - Turns Sneak Attacks into Death attacks with half the success of a Crit.
All Stats + 10

Well Killing Blow was a new Enchantment. When Celeste made herself a new katana that was definitely going on there. It wasn't even a Mutation. She used a drop of Aika's blood in the forging and it gave the sword an extremely lethal ability. Mizore's blood added Ice and Water affinities. Celeste was kicking herself for not personalizing Kurone and Mitsuki's gifts more, but they weren't complaining. Though Mitsuki's comment of making her a dress wasn't brushed off as a joke. She wanted to branch off more into other types of crafts. The modified school jackets were just jackets with mithril strips and added silk. It wasn't much of an alteration. Celeste shook her head sharply. She had to stop belittling her accomplishments. It was the same thing she used to do in her old life. Good things happen and Celeste immediately thinks she could have done better. Sapped the fun out things. Apparently just because she got a fresh start, bad habits still cropped up. At least she didn't have depression to reinforce her darker thoughts. Ryosei's headband warmed in her pocket.

"Can't even sulk in peace," Celeste murmured with a wry smile.

"What was that?" Sumire asked.

"Nothing. Just thinking about trying out an Instant Dungeon tonight. We still have some time," Celeste evaded the question. Thankfully no one called her out on the dodge.

"So we have two Mages, two Rogues, two Tanks, and Celeste," Kurone noted while indicating each of her friends in turn. The Mages were her and Mitsuki. The Rogues were Aika and Mizore. Himeko naturally was a Tank. Sumire looked bemused at her inclusion as a Tank.

"I'm a Tank?" Sumire looked puzzled.

"You are good with the sword and crowd control. Add in your ability to alter Boundaries and you could even change your strengths/weaknesses at will," Kurone explained. Sumire looked surprised at the suggestion and then chagrined.

"She is pretty OP," Aika agreed.

"Almost as bad as Celeste," Mitsuki needled them both.

"Is anyone else amused that Celeste counts as her own category?" Himeko giggled. Mizore giggled along with her.

"Funny girls. So who wants to run a Dungeon?" Celeste asked. Unsurprisingly the Explorer's Club wanted to join immediately. Mizore let herself get swept up in their enthusiasm.

This was Celeste's first time using the Instant Dungeon function. She didn't know what to expect, but it wouldn't be too horrible. Usually Instant Dungeons in MMOs and the like had some form of level select. Something to keep the Dungeon manageable for everyone. Her friends were all solidly in the twenties. Mizore was the biggest surprise at level twenty-six. Sumire was the highest at thirty-seven though. So if the Dungeon had a level requirement they could probably meet it easily enough. They went out to a clearing near the prison. Celeste had the girls remain close to avoid getting separated. Some Dungeons split up the party as an extra 'challenge.' She had no desire to put anyone through that kind of fun. The dark haired girl reached out with her power and immediately felt something respond.

Spoiler: Instant Dungeons

Congratulations on deciding to give Instant Dungeons a try! Thanks to your friend Sumire you have access to more than just the normal types. However it will still cost your Stamina and not hers. Be careful as dungeons, despite the level indicator, could have dangers beyond the obvious.
Different Types of Dungeons provide different treasures and challenges. Be careful about your choices!
Stamina Costs
Basic: Level x 100
Intermediate: Level x 500
Expert: Level x 2500
Master: Level x 12500
Grandmaster: Level x 62500
Now what will you choose? Your choices are:
Night of the Living Dead - Tired of fighting Skeletons? Why not give Zombies a try? Zombies are more dangerous as they possess more of the powers of those they're based on. At higher levels some can even think and plan.
Goblin Slayer! - Scared ya for a minute, didn't I? This isn't the LN. The woods are full of goblins. Stupid, cruel, but nothing too offensive. Except they do come in swarms. Each swarm continues to grow in size and strength with each wave. This is the only one that costs as much as Basic, but can grow in severity until it reaches Grandmaster. Death is a slap on the wrist, but all loot gained is lost. All Stamina is drained on defeat preventing you from retrying.
The Vortex - This is an unstable realm of wildly different foes and challenges. Who knows what can be found here? Due to the shifting of reality treasures, and sometimes foes, can be of a different Tier than specified. For the added danger loot drops occur more frequently.
Specify World - You have a Reality Warper on hand. It is entirely possible to step into other realities for a visit, but be warned: This is not a game. You will be an active participant. Anything you do here will have consequences. Chance of sparking Quest Chains increases.

"There's a lot more to this than I thought. Night of the Living Dead basically just upgrades the Skeletons to Zombies. Goblin Slayer is waves of goblins that we have to kill. If we die it just kicks us out, but we lose all the loot we gained. It also keeps getting stronger the longer we last. The Vortex is an unstable place with monsters and treasures from across the level spectrum. Specify World is basically jumping into another world. If we get caught up in the story there can be Quest Chains that we must complete," Celeste explained. Hey this would be good for either a Race Change or getting knowledge she didn't have yet. That definitely perked up Celeste.

"Let's just go with Goblin Slayer. You said it's just waves of enemies, right? We can back out at any time and it doesn't permakill us," Aika suggested. Kurone raised a finger before slowly lowering it thoughtfully.

"Aika-chan's right actually. It's the most straightforward of the challenges. This is supposed to be a test and not a full run, right?" Kurone asked Celeste.

"We will take it as seriously as if it were permanent death," Himeko's tone brooked no contradiction.

"Definitely," Mizore agreed wholeheartedly.

"Relax! I agree with Aika and Kurone that Goblin Slayer looks like the best choice for now. I also agree with Himeko that we should take this seriously," Celeste was quick to assure them.

"With wave tactics we can set up fortifications too. Depending on where we end up…" Mitsuki suggested.

"I won't use my Gaps unless it's life or death. I was letting my Boundary Manipulation power go. Mother would be so disappointed that her daughter was so lazy," Sumire smiled faintly.

"Right then. Let's do this thing…" Celeste selected Goblin Slayer! A thick fog rolled through and obscured the clearing. It was so thick the girls couldn't see more than a foot away. As it passed, however, they were treated to the sight of a large old growth forest. Trees so big that three grown men could stand hand to hand stretched up to the dark sky. The forest floor was dense with mossy vegetation. Out in the darkness they could hear the stirrings of many creatures. Eyes gleaming with malice peered out from the gloom. There were so many surrounding them it was hard to see them all. The girls quickly stood back to back to prevent anyone from separating them.

"Mitsuki! Look for a place to make a stand!" Celeste called out. Her standard combat Buffs were cast over the party.

"Right!" Mitsuki vaulted into the sky, Siren wings spreading beautifully in the night air. Luckily she had barriers as several arrows shattered off her protections. She did a lazy circle around the clearing. "Follow me!" The Siren flew quickly to the right. Her friends were just as quick to follow.

The goblins really weren't a threat. Celeste used Libra to check their levels and felt a moment of pity. None of them were over level two. She knew that would change with each wave, but for now it made their goal of fortification easier. Mitsuki's eyesight was impressive as she spotted a nearly perfect place to hold up. It would take some work to make it perfect, but they had time. What she found was a broken down stand of trees. The huge logs could be moved around to create a funnel to drive the goblins into their Tanks. Kurone, Aika, and Mizore got to work trapping the logs to prevent the goblins from simply climbing over them. Yuki Onna could control ice and keep it frozen almost indefinitely. Aika added sharp stones sticking up from the ice. It was the Cat Woman's contribution that made it a nightmare. She cast a spell to create glue and another spell to keep it from hardening. Sumire's contribution was to alter the air itself outside of their fort from Normal to Thin. As in the air was now as thin as the top of the highest mountains. Celeste watched with pride as her friends worked together to make a truly devastating trap. When she wasn't keeping the goblins from getting too close. It took nearly two hours, and two waves, before they were finished. Just in time as the forest shook. The latest wave arrived and they brought bigger goblins. Hobgoblins in piecemeal armor with heavier weapons. Two-handed blades, axes, and crossbows.

"Let's dance," Celeste grinned.

The night was soon alive with their mad battlecries…

AN: Right so the aftermath of their goblin slaughter will be revealed next chapter. More talking and stuff. Feel free to amuse yourselves (and me) with your guesses/suggestions.