It's been 3 days since I acquired Colverbound, and since then I've come across a few staggering conclusions.
I may be dumb, but I'm also a genius.
Why you ask?
S-tier problem-solving.
I can't study. That's just a hard fact that I have to deal with for now, whether I can improve myself later on remains to be seen but for now, it's probably a fruitless endeavour to focus on academia.
Just because I can't read up on good habits concerning nutrition and physiology doesn't mean that I can't employ them in my everyday life, how does that work you ask?
I Steal.
Copy.
Rip off the nerds.
I've noticed that the students that seem the most physically fit tend to eat the same type of foods, some sort of meat, bread, and vegetables in a specific ratio. All I had to do was copy what these guys ate, follow them to the gym, and spy on their workouts!
So far, I've had great progress. Eating everything they eat is difficult as I keep getting tempted to take an extra plate stacked to the brim with cinnamon rolls but it turns out that the apocalypse is a great motivator, since I've started this routine I've already started to feel more comfortable in my body.
Changes aren't apparent now but this is a good start.
Another groundbreaking discovery is that Cloverbound doesn't activate on self-inflicted injuries. In the game, you were unable to damage yourself with just your body, unfortunately, my left pinky had to brave another smack to a corner to test this theory. I swear it still kinda hurts.
I could've tested it some other way you say?
I said I was dumb a second ago, keep up guys.
Garth had tried to initiate a few conversations with me beyond the one we had at the banquet hall but I pretty much snubbed him, not on purpose though... I still can't deal with people very well. This habit needs to be fixed if I want to change the storyline in a major way.
'But things are going well... for now.'
I've been stuck in my room for most of this day, only two more days remain before the rest of the cohort and I are essentially kidnapped from our beds and tested until we're on the verge of breaking.
The game started at the beginning of the school year and never delved into the trials very much, it's mentioned in passing as supposedly this year had the largest amount of students that passed since the academy's inception; other than that, it's a mystery.
'Most of them are likely physical trials but I can't disregard the mental ones as well... maybe there'll be one to test the quantity or quality of the Ki I possess? The status bar shows nothing for that value however...'
Ki is unlocked alongside the blessing that the student receives, of course, the process can happen naturally but the academy tradition states that it must be done this way. Ki is only naturally unlocked to those who both have an affinity for it, which is extremely rare in the general populace, and those who are old enough.
Typically, most students that enter the academy are around 18 years of age, unlocking Ki early can lead to developmental issues and in some extreme cases, death. Young adults don't suffer from these issues nearly as much and can safely unlock the Ki pathways which have been lying dormant in their bodies since birth.
'Some NPC's unlocked it early though... most of them are fucken' OP 'cause of that...'
Those who take the risk of unlocking Ki when they're children almost always suffer huge consequences that damage their lives somehow, however, there are a rare few that managed to unlock Ki at a young age and have been brutally trained from childhood to be fearsome warriors.
'I can only think of two that I know, three if I include the main character in the first game but he was broken in lots of other ways...'
Most of my planning was done using the knowledge of Vishwas's Last Stand, the prequel game where the apocalypse hasn't happened yet, AKA, the current time. Vishwas' Rise, the original game set in the distant future unsurprisingly describes lots of avenues to gain strength that haven't yet been developed in this era, I intend to use all that I can to the best of my ability.
'Sucks that basically none of that can be done by me right now, Cloverbound's great and all but it's not exactly the most versatile.'
In particular, there's an artifact that doubles as a weapon that I have my eyes on, it's not particularly strong and I didn't use it in my playthrough but it has a characteristic that would help me out immensely, I need it ASAP.
For now, there's only one thing I can do to improve my chances of doing well in this Academy, one thing that I both dread and fear. One thing that even 10 years down the line, I'd wake up after having night terrors about...
I mustered up my courage, heaving in a dry breath as I reached for a cup of water that I had knicked from the banquet hall, taking a sip of lukewarm water that evaporated into my dry mouth.
Using all the willpower I had, with a trembling hand I reached forward and touched the tome that filled me with despair.
"Guide to Quick Maffs by Gordo Feoson" it read in freakishly boring writing, the heavy book weighing on my hands as if I were Atlas shouldering the weight of the world.
I tried to read the more interesting books but the terminology they used were alien to me, if I want to improve my chances of living in this world even by a small fraction, I must endure the hardship that is mathematics.
With a grimace, I opened the book.
I was in for a long day.
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AN: First introduction arc completed! Let me know what you guys think in the comments, I already have major plot points planned out but if you guys have anything you'd like to see in a novel that hasn't been done, or if it's something you want to see in general, let me know and I'll see if it can mesh with the story I have planned! Otherwise, just leaving a comment, review or a stone would help!
Sidenote, not all arcs will be this short, but this first one had to be for the story I planned to tell. Thanks for reading and I hope ya'll enjoy it in the future too!
If you have any gripes/constructive criticism, let me know as well, otherwise, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!
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