Dinner that night was uneventful and I didn't have much else to do. After I bathed and changed into some nightwear the castle staff provided us, I thought I'd look into my skills in further detail. Once I had glossed over them enough, I practiced leveling [Heal], [Restore], [Taint], and [Poison Resistance]. From what I read in the description, the [Heal] spell restores a target's LP while reducing fatigue a little and closing any open wounds on the body without leaving scars. This doesn't recover the blood that was lost, however, and that was for LV 1 at 15 MP for each use, the same as [Restore]. Casting [Taint] at LV 1, by the way, cost a little more at 17 MP.
Just like it happened with [Restore], I quickly became efficient enough to raise [Heal], [Taint], and [Poison Resistance] to LV 2. [Heal] at LV 2 allowed me to restore more LP and fatigue, and close more severe wounds on a single target for the same cost as LV 1. I could also cast it in a 90 centimeters radius {about 3 feet} circle around me, but then it won't be as effective as a LV 1 [Heal], unless I pump an extra 5 MP into the spell. Of course, I couldn't test everything out since I wasn't severely injured. However, when using [Restore], I could tell how much more refreshed my body was when I compared the two levels.
After leveling [Taint] to LV 2, I was able to adjust its toxicity to a greater degree. Like [Heal], if I spend 17-25 MP, I can either increase the toxic ball's size or poison concentration, but not both. As I experimented with this poison spell, mainly by spiking my water and then bearing with the pain from drinking it, I came to understand how poison spells like [Taint] and [Poison Resistance] interact. I first noticed that I wasn't as affected by [Taint]'s effects while it was still LV 1 once I acquired the [Poison Resistance] skill. It wasn't until [Taint] became LV 2 and increased its toxicity that I was able to experience about the same degree of pain and agony from the poisoned water as I had the first time.
That makes it sound like I have some strange acute pain scale, as if I have lots of 'experience' in getting hurt. But I assure you that I don't have some secret masochistic pastime. I'm not into that. This was just an experiment for the sake of my stat and skill growth in this new game-like world. Anyway, it wasn't long after I suffered from the [Taint] LV 2 spell's increased toxicity that my [Poison Resistance] skill went up to LV 2, thankfully.
It was also around that time that I learned what happens when I deplete most of my MP. Doing so leaves me feeling totally drained of mental and emotional strength as well as very physically tired. I had anticipated something like this occurring if I spent too much MP, and I was in bed at the time. And so, before I realized I had decided to call it a night, I fell asleep right there.
The next morning I felt energized and a little stronger mentally than before when I went to sleep. When I checked my status, I saw that my MP, Magic, Shell, Vitality, and Intelligence stats had increased while I had earned 440 SP, probably thanks to my last-minute magic practice last night. I had even leveled up to 2, somehow, which meant there were more ways to level up in this world than just by defeating enemies and getting experience points (EXP) RPG style. Also, thanks to [Counterfeit], my altered status didn't change at all. Though this saves me work, I'll have to change it a little to show my improvements over the course of our class' training, so I'd need to alter it every night before bed for a while.
On another note, though I couldn't access the internet, I could still use my smartphone's apps and I apparently didn't need to worry about charging it ever again. Which was very nice, as the alarm on it helped me get up without a hitch. After I checked my status, I purified the pitcher of water with [Restore] before drinking some of it. I also used it while brushing my teeth with a toothbrush the castle staff provided us. It looked and felt far different from the ones I was used to back home. Once I had changed into a clean set of clothes they also gave us, I headed to the banquet hall for breakfast.
After that, we were directed to the castle's courtyard for our first day of training. It started off with some morning drills led by the captain of the kingdom's knights, Morgan Trissand. I used [Appraisal] to check his status and found all of his stats were in the three-digit range, like Max's, but way higher. He wasn't that strongest knight that Omar mentioned yesterday, however, as his Strength was only 300, while his current level was 52.
Morgan's training drills turned out much as one might expect on a typical morning at boot camp. He wasn't making our exercises easy, pushing us to our limits more than our high school gym teacher ever did, and I thought I was going to vomit the breakfast I ate.
After our drills, we then went to combat practice. Though some of us had skills that made us somewhat proficient with a particular weapon, offensive magic, or fighting style, we weren't masters. So this training was meant to help make us more capable in our fighting specialty. As for those of us who didn't get a weapon or fighting skill or offensive magic, we still had to learn to wield something to protect ourselves, at the very least.
I specialized in magic, but I didn't want to give away my Destruction spells, so I settled for a one-handed practice short sword made of blunted steel. The people who had chosen swords, daggers, spears, staves, or axes were partnered with knights experienced with those weapons for sparring. Max, being the most talented in our class since he had the Hero Job, picked up a two-handed longsword and was given the honor of sparring with Morgan.
Those who chose bows or could use magic were sent to the target range to practice shooting arrows and casting spells. Surprisingly, from what I had heard, Tamy was one of the few students that had the starter job of Wizard, and her stats were impressive for her level. I didn't get a chance to talk to her after I left and she seemed to be somewhere else when I looked for her. She was one that tended to follow her own rhythm, and I figured we'd talk again later, so I didn't worry about her much.
As for Rachel, I knew she had a hobby of doing archery back home and, surprise-surprise, when that bastard Omar had all of us reveal our statuses, she had the [Bow Mastery] and [Bow Arts] skills at decent proficiency levels which paired naturally with her Sniper Job, a likely promotion from the starting Ranger Job. You could even tell how experienced Rachel was from the sheer calm concentration she had while aiming at her target. With her hair tied in a ponytail, well, I got distracted by her beauty enough to get hit pretty good in the middle of my spar. I received a derogatory laugh from our class' bully, Victor Strauss, and my other classmates at that. As much as I wanted to use [Heal] on my injury, I couldn't expose myself, so I had to bear with that pain, and more. Compared to what I went through drinking poisoned water, however, it wasn't as bad.
Finally, the instructors for those of us with more specialized Jobs arrived, and we dispersed for our personal training sessions. As for me, my instructor for the Tamer Job was a rugged forester with a battle axe on his back. He was not happy to see me when I approached him and his tamed monster, a bluish-gray wolf-like creature that was bigger than a grizzly bear from Earth.
The Tamer gave a sigh and scratched his head of shaggy ginger-red locks with a large matching beard to boot. You could barely see the remaining rough skin and eyes not covered by hair. His figure, covered in leather armor, was large and barrel-shaped.
"So, ye th' brat I babysittin' t' be a Tamer?" he asked with a gruff, heavy accent.
"Yes, sir. I'm Chris Monty. I look forward to working with you," I greeted while reaching out for a handshake.
Despite the intimidation factor he and his wolf were exhibiting with their sizes alone, I was honestly rather excited. I wanted to learn as much as I could from a professional Tamer before I bolted out of this damn castle.
"… Right," he replied coldly before taking my hand with a firm grip, "Th' name's Augustus Klein. I work as an adventurer with my Tamer Job. This here's one of my partners, Siggins. He is what we call a King Mutt."
"Could I pet Siggins?" I asked practically on reflex.
Seeing Siggins reminded me of my pet dog, Betsy, and I loved dogs and cats enough to want to pet any new pets I come across at least once.
Augustus' eyes widened with genuine shock before he turned his gaze to his partner.
"Erm … pet him, boy?" he asked while looking back at me.
"Yeah. Could I pet Siggins?" I asked again while staring at the King Mutt.
Augustus looked over to Siggins briefly before turning back to me, "Sure, he don' mind."
I squatted down to Siggins' eye level with a big smile on my face, "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Siggins! Ohh, you're a big, handsome young King Mutt, aren't 'cha?! You like getting petted here?! Or what about here?!"
"W-What is this technique?! This is amazing!" Siggins exclaimed.
Despite making canine-like noises, thanks to my [World Language Comprehension] skill, I was able to understand that much from this large beast. With the skill, his voice in my head came across as deep, fierce, and masculine, like a great warrior who had seen many battles of survival.
Siggins was immediately in love with the attention I was giving his ears and neck, and he lolled his tongue out with a smile as he collapsed onto his side. With his white underbelly exposed, I could see a medal hanging around his neck. I guessed it was some sort of collared tag for tamed Monsters in this world.
Being all too familiar with a dog's belly-up pose, I lost all control when I saw Siggins'non-verbal plea and dove right into maximum overdrive with my petting.
"Ohh, you like that, don't ya?!" I exclaimed as I petted him, "How about some belly rubs on that big, fluffy tummy of yours?! Ohh, you like that?! You like that?! Yeees you dooo! Ohh, you're such a good boy! Who's a good boy?! You are! Yes! Yes. You. Are!"
"Ooooooh, how can this feel so goooooood?!" Siggins hummed in dog-like, guilty pleasure.
{Aaaah, this is wonderful,} I thought in bliss, {It's only been a day and I already miss playing with Betsy and Leslie.} While petting Siggins, I took a moment to speak to my own pets in my heart, hoping that they'd somehow sense my feelings, {I hope you're both doing okay and Mom and Dad are taking care of you. You two will always live on in my heart.}
"… What level did ye say ye were?" Augustus asked in shock.
"Level 1 … ah! I'm sorry, I got carried away, didn't I?!" I exclaimed before standing back up and brushed Siggins' hairs out of my hands.
Augustus' 'scary' beast stood up and leaned his head against my side, eyes closed, and with a low whine begged, "D-Don't stop now! Pet me more!"
"Aww, now how can I ignore you when you say that? But, you have to say 'please' when you're asking for something, you know," I lightly scolded, regressing back to pet-owner mode.
Siggins begged, sounding desperate, "P-Please! Pet me some more, please!"
"Way to go! That's a good boy!" I exclaimed before petting around his head and neck in reward.
"Ohh, that's the stuuuff … wait, you understood me?!" Siggins yelped, only just now realizing that I could speak with him fluently.
{Crap, now that I think about it, should I not be able to understand him? I didn't have [Monster Interpretation] when my fake status was showcased,} I thought.
[Monster Interpretation] was a Job-type skill a Tamer could learn that allowed them to communicate with Monsters. When I looked through the possible skills I could learn last night, I found that skill was grayed out with a message that said, "Effects of this skill are already included in [World Language Comprehension]."
"Um … yes. I was able to learn [Monster Interpretation] last night with the SP I had on me," I lied.
{I'm glad [Counterfeit] can help me put in fake skills, too,} I thought, {I'll have to make that adjustment to my fake status ASAP.}
"Chris … was it?" Augustus asked, "Yer one of th' very few who not only didn' get scared o' Siggins, but havin' him take a likin' t' ya, too. If yer able t' pull that off without a [Tame] spell, then ye may come t' be a better Tamer than me in less than no time."
"Really?!" I exclaimed with excitement while I continued petting Siggins.
Augustus nodded, "Aye. Openin' yer heart t' yer partner is one o' th' basics t' become a successful Tamer, and ye already got that down easy wit' one that ain't even yers. Now, let's go get ye yer first partner!"
"Right now?!"
"Yes, now! Ye can't be a real Tamer without a tamed Monster! Come on, Siggins!" Augustus called out to his partner before leading the way immediately.
"Y-Yes! Certainly!" Siggins answered in a fluster.
"H-Hey! Wait for me! Oh, I know I'm going to be so tired after this …" I trailed off while trying to catch up to my mentor and his tamed partner.
With only my practice sword in hand, Augustus hurriedly led me off the castle grounds and outside the capital city before we headed into a dense forest. Along the way, I almost forgot to see what the stats of my tutor and his tamed monster were like, so I used [Appraisal] on them.
I'm not sure how scared I really was of Rosalina when I checked her status, but now? It wasn't Siggins' status, but 'Augustus'' that made me lose a few years in my life from the fright of what I saw, giving me all the more reason to stay on my toes in this world.
~~
Name: Bargamus Keal
Age: 67
Race: Demon, Male
Job: Monster Warrior
Level: 83
SP: Unable to View
LP: 1530 / 1530
MP: 960 / 960
Strength: 580
Magic: 320
Vitality: 570
Shell: 155
Speed: 145
Dexterity: 250
Charm: 130
Intelligence: 116
Skills
Physical: Axe Mastery LV 4, Axe Arts LV 3, Strength Boost (Medium)*, Disassemble LV 4
Mental: Danger Sense LV 4, Foe Sense LV 4, Intimidation (Med)*, Penlish Language Comprehension LV 3, Acting LV 3
Job: Monster Interpretation LV 4, Companion Training LV 3, Companion Bond LV 4, Companion Growth Boost (Low)*, Monster Charm Boost (Medium)*, Monster Appraisal LV 4, Passing of Ownership*
Spells
Job: Tame LV 4
Destruction: Frost LV 3
~~
{{Rachel}}
From the moment Chris's Monster Tamer Trainer and his big beast arrived to when he left with Chris, everyone in the castle courtyard couldn't help but watch the entire spectacle with awe. Chris' classmates in particular were especially dumbstruck at the sight. Even some of the knights stared in disbelief.
"Dude … did he seriously treat that beast like a pet dog?"
"How did the guy even do that without looking the slightest bit scared?!"
"He's weird, man! Don't care how smart he is, that was just unnatural!"
"I didn't even know he had that side of him! It's kind of creepy that he can do that to a Monster like that!"
Most of Chris' classmates gossiped about the spectacle they had just witnessed. It was something they not only hadn't seen from the quiet nerd while at school, but was well beyond what they expected. This was especially so knowing how low his stats and skills were compared to the rest of them.
"Ah, now that I think about it, he did mention having a pet dog and cat back home," Rachel commented while looking up in thought, "I guess it makes sense that he got the Tamer Job in that case, but …"
"Somehow, he just never ceases to surprise us, huh?" Max, the student body president, asked as he watched Chris leave with a smirk.
"Yeah … but that's what makes him kind of interesting, isn't it?" Rachel asked as she stared in the same direction.
Meanwhile, one student watched Rachel unhappily as she gazed at where Chris had left. The handle of the practice axe in his hand snapped and broke in two from his grip. He didn't notice his weapon breaking in the slightest.
Another certain student with the voluptuous body and flair of a runway model watched on with curiosity and interest as she held her chin.
**
Author's Post Edit Note: I added a few skills in Bargamus' Status to better show how he got around in Landrew Kingdom.