===Status===
Name: James Jackson
Rank: E-
Strength: F
Agility: E
Stamina: E-
Intelligence: E+
Mana Capacity: D-
--> Main Manual:
[Trickster - Ungraded] - Minor Understanding
An ungraded manual for those who don't want to be understood. A trickster is only a trickster until people understand your tricks.
-Core Skill: [Double Trouble]
-1st skill: [Swap]
--> Side Manual:
[Empty]
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'So this is how it works...'
Unlike the game, there was no mention of levels, health points, or mana points. Instead, it seemed to have been converted into an alphabetical grading system. From the looks of my status, I had no idea what was average or what was supposed to be good or bad. All I could comprehend was the fact that my choice to use most of my stat points in intelligence and mana, as well as some in agility, had led my status panel to look like it did.
In my head, it was perfect for what I wanted to do and how my Trickster manual worked.
"Are you guys done?"
We both got dragged out of our fantasies of making history by the god at our side. Shutting down our panels, we turned our gazes to the man who held our future in his hands. "Good. Now listen, I will try my best to explain the situation with as much clarity as I can."
Waving his arms, he made a table and three chairs emerge from nothing, with him sitting down in one of them and gesturing for us to follow suit. Looking up at the pink-haired woman, we both made the god company at the white metal table, which looked to be more suited to be placed in a garden.
Clasping his hands and putting them down on the table, the god started to enlighten us about the situation that we were a part of, "So, you already know that the game you two played wasn't actually a game but another world."
"And we are supposed to help the hero save it from the demons, I guess?"
Surprisingly, he shook his head at my question, "No, not really. The biggest reason why we are sending you two there is because I am supposed to receive a gift from the goddess of that world, and this is the only practical way for us to open a portal between the worlds."
...
"So... We don't have to sacrifice ourselves for the better of the world then?", the lady asked with a confused face. It appeared that she had already cemented the same misconceptions as I had before the god had dismissed our thoughts.
"No, you don't have to. Though it has to be said that the threat of the demons is very much real and if Arthur somehow dies, then you are all in big trouble. Anyway, let me continue to explain before our time is up."
Although we both had a lot of questions to ask, we kept mum to make sure we got to know everything we needed to know.
It turns out that the world we were going to was and at the same time wasn't the world of the game we played. As stated before, the world we were going to didn't have the concept of levels or experience points that you gained from slaying monsters. Instead, it was focused on gathering strength through training, both mana cultivation and physical practices.
The world was also divided into three different 'countries'. The human country in the center; Mensch. The multicultural country that contained elves, beastmen, and dwarves in the south; Aldon. Lastly, the wilderness in the north is called Kurat where pretty much only monsters lived. It could barely be called a country but as it did have some inhabitants that regarded the lands as a sovereign state, it was officially regarded as such.
"Now, you two are going to get transmigrated into Mensch and attend the academy of Ainu, the same academy where the hero will be attending, just like in the game you played."
For some reason, the god looked like he felt that his explanation was enough for us to understand the situation completely. Unfortunately, we both had a lot of questions left unanswered. I lifted my hand to signal that I had something to ask, "Yes?"
"Umm, what about family and all that? Are we going to be reborn again or are we just going to force our way into the academy without caring about what they will think of us?" It wasn't only I who had this question as the tall woman also injected herself into the conversation.
"Yea, how is that going to work? I really don't want to be reborn as a baby again... That would be so embarrassing..."
Scratching his neck, the god realized that he might have left a bit too much unsaid, "Well, no. You won't be reborn. Instead, I and the goddess of that world have decided to implant you into the threads of fate of the world. In simple terms, we are giving your characters premade backstories so they fit in. You will both be orphans who have gotten invited to attend the academy by the principal without having to go through the entrance exam."
*Fuuuuueee*
The woman breathed out hard, relieved that she wouldn't have to go through with having to be a baby and suck another woman's breasts again. And with that, the god stood up and snapped his fingers, *Snap!*, making the chairs we were sitting on disappear and our bums fall to the ground.
"Ouch!", "Ow!"
"Now, I don't have any more time to talk with you two. You will get 24 hours in this space to understand your abilities before your transmigration begins. If you check your statuses you will get to see the remaining time. Good luck."
The god dematerialized right in front of us, leaving us alone, staring at each other. Getting to my feet, I brushed the dirt off my ass and lent a hand to the girl who was still on the ground while simultaneously introducing myself.
"I'm James, pleasure to make your acquaintance miss."
As she took my hand, I tried to help her up, but to no avail. She was just too heavy.
...
Her lovely face started to mimic a tomato as she let go of my hand and made her way to her feet on her own, "I'm Sophie..."
It was so incredibly awkward for both of us, for me because I was too weak to help her up and for her because she was too heavy for me to lift her. With her now standing right in front of me, I could finally fully appreciate the size of her. From my new perspective, she could very well be in the book of world records for her height.
Noticing my scanning gaze, she glared at me with fire in her eyes, "Stop staring! I know already, you squirt!"
"Ugh!"
It was a fatal strike to my heart. I hadn't looked at her at all to make fun of her height or judge her but I had received a critical strike back.
'Women are scary...'
"So anyway, we are supposed to practice our manuals here?", she said as she looked around the huge stadium. It was a pretty good place for practicing as it had a lot of space to move around. Sadly, I truly didn't want to practice in the same vicinity as her because of my skill.
"I guess so. We should probably split up so we don't see each other's skills."
Crossing her arms, she looked down at me with a confused face, "Why? Shouldn't we practice together so we can help each other?"
Her words carried a bit of weight to them. If we practiced together we could surely see strengths and weaknesses in each other and help the other one notice them. However, as stated before, I didn't want her to see my skills, thus I used my strongest technique in order to persuade her; I used a white lie as to why I thought it would be better to not know about each other's skills.
"We don't know how our lives will play out in the future, nor do we know if we will be rivals at the academy. Thus we should practice by ourselves. You wouldn't want me to know about the weaknesses of your manual if we were to have to duel each other later on, right?"
Putting a finger on her chin, she started to think about it, "I guess you are right. Then, I will go this way, but shouldn't we meet up before we get transported to talk a bit about our plans? If we are going to do different things, wouldn't it be better if both of us knew about it to make sure we don't get in each other's way?"
Sophie was one sharp woman. She efficiently recognized that if we were going to have to share the same world with our knowledge of the game it would be a great boon for us to not step on each other's feet. I couldn't do anything but recognize her thoughts, "Sure. Let's meet up here two hours before we get transmigrated then."
Concluding our conversation we walked in opposite directions of each other, far enough for Sophie to just appear as a blur in my eyes.
"Now, let's see what this baby can do!"