(POV change)
A man and a woman could be heard shouting in another room. A small boy with black hair and blue eyes could be seen grasping his head in an attempt to block out all the noise going on around him, though to no avail.
After an hour of this, his ears began to bleed. "E-every day for the past week... W-what have I done t-to make my parents so mad? W-was it that incident at school? W-why won't they just tell me? H-how come they have to fight with each other?" The boy muttered.
His voice was filled with pain. He struggled to keep his sanity as this same thing happened day after day. "I-I'm the cause of all of it... e-everything that's happening is all my fault. I-I'm sorry... so sorry" the boy muttered once more, gripping his head even harder.
A red rope with frayed edges could be seen in an all-black room. The rope began to snap once more, several strands that once held the rope together fell to the floor. The boy began to slowly release his hands from his head, his eyes losing all life. "I-I don't feel bad anymore" he muttered.
A soft smile planted itself on his face. "The pain's all gone. I won't have to worry anymore... it'll all be okay..." he muttered to himself. He repeated these lines over and over again until finally, he got up and left the room. His parents still fought in the other room.
(POV change)
[Notifications: 1]
Your results have been sent to your messages
...
[Messages: 1]
Magical aptitude: 5/30
Strength: 50/80
Intelligence: 70/90
Empathy: 90/100
More information will be revealed as you need them. Tap this message agian if you wish to see any additional information added within the next 24 hours.
[End of message]
...
"So, I'm guessing I'm not all that great with magic. What's with the empathy stat being so high?" I asked the small white cat sitting on the bed next to me. "I'm pretty sure that's more than accurate" the cat said with a small smile. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
The cat made no effort to respond. With that, I was off to the begginer dungeon to keep my promise to Izuka. 'If there's a begginer dungeon, are there other dungeons too? Maybe one I can learn how to obtain some magical aptitude at?' I thought as I turned the key that led to the dungeon.
[Notifications]
Link to medium-level dungeon: blocked. Complete begginer dungeon in order to unlock.
[End of Notifications]
...
"Well, that settles that" I said, a smile forming on my face. "Time to train!" I said to myself. I pulled out the daggers Izuka had given me and began to climb the ranks of the begginer dungeon. Before, I had mostly used this dungeon as a place to escape my boredom, but now I have a goal.
"I'll learn some magic even if it kills me! I wanna be able to shoot fire outta my hands!!!" I muttered as I dug my blades into the Fanriuck standing in front of me. 'As long as I don't hurt the kiddos, my promise won't be broken' I thought as I cleared the first floor in a matter of minutes.
Since I had already defeated Izuka, technically I'd already defeated the first floor. "Onto the next!" I said as a staircase appeared before me. Opening the door, I found myself in a small hut with a bulletin board on the very back wall. I strode to the back, looking it over.
[Quests]:
Defeat 100 Fanriucks (Complete)
Defeat a Goblin (incomplete)
Gain 100 coins (incomplete)
Complete above Quests (incomplete)
...
"Huh! I didn't know this world has things like Quests. Let's see... defeating a Goblin sounds easy enough. Are they harder to defeat than Fanriucks? If that's the case, I'm set!" I said as I ripped part of the sheet of paper off the bulletin board, then walked out of the small hut.
[Notifications: 1]
By exiting a [Quest hut: level 1] with a quest in hand, you have accepted a Quest. Tap on [Quests] for more information.
[End of Notifications]
...
"I'll have to check that out after I finish defeating a goblin. I hope Izuka isn't too mad at me for skipping out on my duties..." I muttered as the hut seemed to disappear into thin air. A wooden sign was left in its place. [You can only accept one Quest at a time] it read.
'I wonder if I get any sort of reward for completing a quest. Probably not, since I've already completed one and didn't get anything. Maybe there's some sort of exchange I have to make? Good thing I kept all those Fanriuck pelts...' I thought as I set off deeper into the 2nd floor.
[Messages: 1]
Spirits are lifeforms of extraordinary powers. By completing
[End of messages]
...
[Status window]
Name: Rein
Race: Human
Class: SpellBlade
Rank: 0 (60.4%)
Active skills: None
Active potions/fruits: None
Notifications: 0
Quests: 1
Blessing: None
Tap on any window for more information
[End of status window]
...
"Looks like even I can use magic in this world. It'll just take a bit longer than I was hoping for. I'm any case, it's not like I have no magical aptitude whatsoever, so I can always lean in that if I find myself in trouble" I muttered to myself after looking over my status window.
'My only question is why I only gained a spirit after accepting a quest' I thought. Though I don't know how to properly summon a spirit, I assume it has something to do with the mana flowing within my body. Even if I'm right first try, it's always better to check the manual.
[Class information]
As a SpellBlade, you can summon your spirits by activating your mana. In order to level up this class, gain more powerful spirits by completing special Quests, leveling dungeons, or improving both your swordsmanship and magical aptitude.
[End of class information]
...
'That sounds easy enough. Does this mean I've gained the swordsmanship stat? Nice! Now I can work on sword skills with the help of a system! I'll have to double check if im right in the morning' I thought. With that, I decided I'd try testing out my SpellBlade on a Goblin or two.
Concentrating on the mana within my body, a blue aura seemed to envelope me. Along with it, a few white lights that resembled the light of fireflies danced around me. These small particles condensed into 2 small daggers, which dropped into my hands.
"Nice! I guess the weapons are modified to fit their master's style. Even with these, I'll keep the daggers Izuka gave me in case of an emergency. I could also sell them off if I'm desperate, though I'd rather not try that without knowing the market' I thought as I gripped my daggers.
[Notifications: 1]
New item: Spirit daggers level 1 has been added to your inventory. Tap on [Inventory] for more information.
[End of Notifications]
...
(The next day)
"...did you hear? Apparently, a high-ranking noble's been seen talking to a commoner. I hear they're good friends too" Muttered a student, who was talking to a friend who stood beside her. "I heard he's been dirtying himself with a lot of commoners lately" her friend muttered.
A smile crept spread across my face. "Great! The plan's working! I can't wait to see how this will all turn out!" I told the cat who sat on my shoulder. "Neither can I. You seem to be up to something, but I can't quite tell what you're thinking" said the cat, who had a very worried expression.
"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine, and I'll make sure no one around me gets hurt... at least for the most part" I said. The cat nodded in agreement, though a hint of hesitation still lingered. "... So, what do you think about this academy so far?" Asked the cat
"It's all so fake. I know one of the routes the hero can take is to bring equality to the academy, but still, commoners are being treated worse and worse each day, and the teachers are simply ignoring it. So much for God granting favor to each of us equally" I said.
"...Hmm, I guess that's true. Still, if it hadn't worked out that way, I get the feeling this plan of yours never would've worked out" said the cat. I let out a small chuckle. "I guess you're right. Still, it's a bit sad to think about, even if I am using it to my advantage" I said.
"I take it you aren't actually talking to commoners?" Asked the cat. "I wouldn't want to put any of them in that kind of position. After all, they have enough to deal with. Being labeled as a commoner trying to gain favor in some corrupt noble's eyes wouldn't be doing them any favors" I said.
"Y'know, you care about people more than you lead on" said the cat. "Hey, I don't come off as comepletely coldhearted, do I?" I asked. "I mean... yeah. You declined every invitation given to you until eventually people stopped trying to get to know you" said the cat.
"I'm just busy. With noble education, my time at the library, helping out that Fanriuck, and advancing my magic and swordsplay, I've just been too busy to socialize" I said. "I think you planned it that way. Now you have credible excuses so you won't hurt anyone" the cat said.
"I'm not some bleeding heart that takes every person around me's feelings to heart" I said. "Mhmm" said the cat. I got the feeling he didn't believe me. "Well... anyway-" Before I could finish my sentence, I felt a tap on my shoulder. 'Huh? I didn't know people in this world made a habit of hanging around in dark allyways'
I turned around to find a girl with silver hair and a pair of elf ears glaring at me. "...Meliana?" I asked, unable to believe a princess would talk to me. "Who were you talking to? I've been calling your name since you passed those two girls on your way here!" She said.
'Oops. Sometimes I get a little too wrapped up in my conversations with the cat...' I thought. The princess began to tap her foot as she impatiently waited for a response that never came. "Tell me who you were talking too" she said again, this time more forcefully.
"Myself" I said. "I can tell when someone's lying" said Meliana. 'I mean, technically I'm not...' I thought. "Even so, you aren't getting anything else out of me. So, what did you want with me?" I asked. "Y-you were reincarnated into this world too... right?" She asked quietly.
"Of course. Why mention that now?" I asked. "W-well... you see... I just wanted to ask... are the rumors true?" Asked Meliana. "Of course they are" I said, with no signs of hesitation in my voice. "Look, I know you might want to strive for the same equality we had back in Earth..." she begun to say.
"No" I said, a smile forming on my face. "W-what do you mean?!" She asked. "It's the hero's job to strive for equality. I'm the villain. If the game producers thought I was stepping out of my role, wouldn't they shut me down? Or is that what you're trying to do?" I asked.
"So what if I am?" Asked Meliana. "So, there's students working for the people who've trapped us all inside this game? That figures. Can't trust a phycodic God who likes to cut corners with something like basic morals. Seriously, is betrayal just something that follows me everywhere?" I asked.
"I'm not... we're not... betraying anyone! I've lived a full life on Earth the same as you. Though I may be in contact with the God of this world, I mean no harm whatsoever. What's so wrong with granting the wishes of those who've already passed on?" She asked.
"If you seriously believe that, I pity you"
[A/N: More on the dungeon stuff next chapter. Thanks for reading this far!]