Vol 1 “The Beginning and the End (Incomplete)

 

Prologue

 

Part 1

World is unfair

One can’t pick on what reality your life will be born into

You can’t pick your parents

You can’t pick your gender

You can’t pick your body and facial features

You can’t pick your talent

But people strive even if they aren’t gifted. They worked hard to compensate for the lack of talent or skills.

People worked hard to train their bodies, if they are weak. People develop make up to make them look better, and people even change their body if they aren’t contented with it.

People even tried to change their gender. Their naturally born gender because that is what they believe.

And people ultimately deny their parents if they don’t like them, even if they are the ones who brought them up the world of the living.

Human can’t just be contended to what they have and move on.

They defy what “fate” lies for them and try to alter their “destinies”

But is it right to do so?

When will human be satisfied?

When is it right to stop and when is it wrong to move on.

Was the goal worth sacrificing who you are? What you are? And whoever tries to deny you of your path? Is it worth it to sacrifice others for your own goals?

What is right or wrong?

Many questions and hoping for an answer, answer’s that can’t be found even if uses all of his life searching for it

It’s an endless struggle to find “it” but is it worth it?

Isn’t it fine to just be contended to what you have?

Isn’t it fine to just spend your life with your love ones?

But what if you don’t have love ones?

But that is impossible because everyone sure has someone will love them unconditionally.

Like their parents?

Parents love unconditionally to their offspring. Surely there are no parents that forsake their children.

How about your wife and husband?

Surely they will love you truly?

They are your partners for life

The other half of your heart that brings out the whole of your life

Surely you pick someone that is right?

And it’s not just because his handsome or she’s beautiful.

Rich, charming, caring, understanding, patient and kind.

In other words, he/she is perfect in your eyes that you fall in love with him or her

Surely you will take your life time partner seriously?

It’s not something that you just pick just because of a fickle feeling that he/she is the man of your dreams.

Lifetime partners are serious matters.

They will be with you till the day you will die

And hopefully, you pick right

Many paradoxes are being brought up even before the story starts but is this really the beginning of the story? Or is it just another continuation of ones another adventure?

Adventure or life?

Part 2

Its dark, there is no light around and I’m scared

I can’t feel my body and I can’t feel anything

But I know I’m alive.

I can think which is why I believe I’m alive

I want to live

I don’t want to die

I still want to experience lots of things

I want to know lots of things

I don’t want to die

I will survive

Even if it’s humiliating

Even if it’s embarrassing

I will survive

By any means

But I don’t want to hurt others

I don’t want to hurt others just by me living

If it’s just me just living is resulting in hurting others

Then what should I do?

I want to live

 

Part 3

In fairy tale stories, the dragon is often called evil and the hero is meant to kill the dragon to rescue the princess or the town.

But what if the hero decides to save and protect the dragon instead of slaying it?

But saving the dragon will result in being evil and also being the villain towards the people

Is it fine to become a villain just to save the dragon?

Is the dragon the villain just be capturing the princess?

Or is the dragon the villain just is protecting its home?

Is the hero worthy of becoming a hero if he ended up protecting the villain?

Is he even a hero or villain?

Part 4

I’m a failure.

I didn’t manage to save “her”

I lost “her”

I’m a failure

I become the villain just to protect “her”

But the “heroes” of the world prevail and I lost

I lost “her”

Is there a meaning to living if I lost the one who understand me?

Is there a meaning to living if the other half of your heart already torn away?

Is there a meaning to living if just be living, you’re feeling that your already burning in hell?

Is there a meaning to living if you’re alone?

Part 5

Different world

Different reality

Different life

Different struggles

Different end and different beginning

I’m still searching

I want to believe that there is a reality that won’t reject “her”

I want to believe that the world isn’t unfair enough to reject “her” being alive

I want to believe that there is still a miracle left in my life

I want to believe that we will still meet

I want to believe which is why I struggle and didn’t gave up

Searching eternally

Life and death

Cycle of never ending struggle

I will find her

One way or another I will find her

But while I’m searching for her

I will also try to change

I lost her because I’m useless and weak enough to not protect her

If miracle is impossible then I will make the miracle to happen

So I struggle infinitely, eternally, alone

Moving from one places to another

Searching

Searching

Searching

I will found you one day

I promise

And by the time we met again

I won’t let you go

Even if the whole world, NO, the whole galaxy, NO, the whole universe, NO, the whole reality rejects you

Then I will just destroy that miserable and unfair reality that won’t even allow you to feel happy.

Volume 1 “The Beginning and the End”

 

Part 1

Phase [N^n] “What a messed up world” Repeat 1

Year January 1 2000

Location: Delivery Room in to a certain hospital in Kyoto

A new life had just been born into the world.

It should usually accompanied by a cry made by the new born baby to signal that he or she is healthy but the baby itself isn’t making any sound. It cost the doctor and nurse panic, thinking there might be something wrong on the baby or a complication or at worst, the baby is dying.

They tried to examine it but they can’t find any complication so far. Further check-up is needed to ascertain if the baby is healthy but so far, from the heart beat to the pulse, everything seems fine but the baby is still not making any sound.

The only concerning thing is the baby that should still have its eyes close and shouldn’t be accustomed to light yet, had its eyes slightly open and scanning its’ surrounding. Aside from being silent, it’s far too observant for being just a new born.

It’s normal for babies to be curious to its surrounding but the baby in front of them isn’t just being curious but being observant, bordering judgmental. The doctor holding the baby become somewhat scared of it, and decides to pass it to the nurse to take care of it.

The doctor checked the exhausted wife to see if she’s safe. After checking her, she deemed she’s fine and just too exhausted to stay awake. But the doctor thinks it’s odd. Usually the wife at least tried to check if her baby is fine and tried to at least see her new born child before succumbing to exhaustion.

Maybe she’s just too tired, thought by the doctor.

Deeming everything is fine. The doctor decides to take relax and take a rest too but…

It’s just starting.

The light inside the hospital suddenly disappear and blacken out. Some people start panicking but the emergency lights starts appearing. Generator start operating and the light are back again.

In a hospital where electricity is important for some equipment to run and for taking care of patients, emergency energy is always prepared for back up.

But just a couple of minutes after it starting, problems are already arising. Like machine starts overheating and electric lines start short circuiting. Fire started in some places inside the hospital but it’s been put out immediately.

Small problem arise one by one and the whole hospital is in panic. Assistance from nearby hospital is asked and some patients are being transferred already.

All and all, the problems aren’t really that big and dangerous but if it compiled. Everything is in mess.

Some patients starts complaining on how it happens but the hospital administration and some officials can’t explain and just said that it’s already under investigation.

Nothing major that cost major problem arises but some people got hurt.

Among the various problems that arise, a certain family is getting worried and fidgeting. Especially the husband of the wife that just delivers her first born, he is sweating tremendously and keeps on cursing again and again.

“It’s really happening, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn,”

He is repeating this mantra over and over while looking a bit hysterical. The elders beside him are worried for him and his wife. They probably had a clue on why it’s happening and they are cursing the gods for it to fall into their family.

“Cursed that cursed child” the husband of the woman that gave birth, silently cursed the new born baby.

Part 2

Kusanagi Clan.

It’s not a powerful or rich clan but it’s an old clan. Dating from the time of ancient japan, where the land isn’t pacified yet and supernatural being roams the lands.

The Kusanagi clan serves the ruling family. From being the soldier of the empire to the advisers of the emperor, they are well known as clan that serves and protects the country. They aren’t famous because they lack the material treasure that precedes the other ruling clans. They are just satisfied in serving the land and protecting it from harm.

As the country age and different era passed, the Kusanagi clan serves from one ruler to another. From a usurper to the tyrants, they stay and guard. As the age change, their position also changes. From trusted vassals that protect the people from harm to warriors of the shadows that strikes the enemy before they are even aware. They adapt and serve for the ruling family. Adjusting from what is needed of them.

As time change, and the ruling party changes. The use for them dwindles as time erodes their used, so as their duty and loyalty to the country. They will still serve the country if an invader arrives but usually. They just stay out of the ruling party.

In modern times, they are just ordinarily wealthy and old family. They aren’t extremely rich or powerful but they had friends and connections in different places.

Such as when the clan as big as them have a clan reunion. Unexpected events that happens spreads like wildfire inside the clan and before you know it. The whole clan already knew the news.

Part 3

The clan has its reunion at the near end of the year that last until the opening of the year. It’s a yearly gathering for the family. The purpose is for having a gathering to reacquaint with each other, since the clan spreads widely around japan. It’s rare for each other family to meet again.

Aside from family meeting, it also gives chance for gathering of data and reports on each family business; it also gave chance for reestablishing communications with each family and loyalties to the clan.

Even if Kusanagi clan is a clan that serves the country for generation, they just protect the country to protect the clan itself.

A warring country doesn’t promote safety for the family so they did their best to maintain peace in their lands.

So having connection from various parts of Japan and even outside of the country, gave heads up for the clan to prepare themselves. It’s a surviving clan that survives the dark age of humanity.

Even if it sounded like a hypocrite from them but they are just protecting others to protect themselves. That is just the way they view the world.

The location for the reunion varies from year to year. With lots of ancestral home of the family that spreads around japan. Each ancient house can house the clan gathering but this time around. The gathering is happening in Kyoto where the main house of the clan resides.

And it’s this late December, during the reunion, when it all happens.

The wife is already due for the month and the whole family is celebrating for the additional member of their family. But one of the family members that dabble in the other side of the world has a “vision”

It happens when she comes and greets her. Her intention was to give her blessing to the wife by touching her belly.

“The first child will bring calamity and fall to the world. The child will change the world be it for better or for worse is depends on how people view it but it will bring unimaginable misfortune to all. The era of the old will be bring down and give way to a new era.

The second child will gather all the treasure and luck of the world. It will be hailed as a king and a benevolent tyrant that rules everyone. It will be a hero with unimaginable power and prestige. The world will love the king as the one who put an end to the one who brings the end.

The third child might be ordinary but it will be the treasure of the clan. The child will have untapped potentials that will either bring the downfall of its siblings or will be the light that guide them. Treasure the child for the changes the third child would bring, will determine the course of the world”

Silence reign in the hall of the main house.

They are having dinner in the dining hall where the children eat and the family chats. It should be an ordinary dining event but one of the members have gone trance when she is congratulating the pregnant wife for her first born.

The children are just confused while the adults are worried. The elders are in silent and contemplating about the vision.

The clan might not be as prestigious as before but just like what had been said. They have few connections that are spread out around japan. They had connections in also secret part of the world, where the supernatural side of the world resides.

Especially if one remembers the origin of the clan starts with dealing with supernatural enemies of the land.

Some modern members of the family might think of it as occult and will ignore it but the others who still dabble with the supernatural side of the world knew what it meant.

Especially if one consider the person who speaks.

She is not just an ordinary member of the family. She has the blood of a hime miko or princess priestess. It comes from one of the treasured bloodline of Japan. Originating from a divine ancestor, it gave gifts that has been passed through blood and resurface to certain female members of the line.

One of the gifts is spirit vision.

It allows the person to be connected to the void of knowledge or netherworld. It shows knowledge from the past that will help in predicting the future.

The chances of having a spirit vision are small and even the most prestigious family treasures anyone who has it. The supernatural community in japan tried to locate them and train them from young age.

But the Kusanagi Clan already cut ties with them. They still help and had connection with them but they stay away from it as much as possible to be not pulled when political problem arise.

So having a hime miko as a family member is one of the clan’s greatest secret. They don’t let it out of the family. Family members who betrays, the family will be punished severely and it’s rare for it to happen because the family are loyal to each other. Though it still happens but it’s mostly members who aren’t originally members of the family. A family member who marries into the family be it for personal interest or family playing politics, or just plain couples having feelings for each other.

This hime miko of the family is a trusted member of the family and the people, who dabbles in supernatural side of the world, knows to not take this vision easily.

But the vision itself felt ominous for the first born.

The wife is already having minor misfortune all throughout her pregnancy.

It’s not dangerous but it’s mostly discomforting and a nuisance.

For example of sudden rainfall when going outside, despite the sun is just out a minute before she goes out.

Getting dirt splash onto her by passing cars, having birds waste falls onto her pristine hair, getting robbed, having to walk home for a mile because of lack of transportation or an accidents happen to delay her to work. Lost documents in work and getting scold for failure during work.

Small and discomforting misfortune falls onto her in daily occurrence that continues to pile over and over to the pregnant wife. It puts her in stress most of the time but her parents comfort her and her husband supports her during the trial.

She is already due and in stress. The vision didn’t help her or her family at all.

And it cost further problem when she starts feeling her belly aching and signs of her starts laboring.

The family is in panic at first but they reorganize and call for hospital for an ambulance.

Its December 31, 1999 7:14 pm when she starts her laboring but it ended in January 1, 2000 12:31 am.

Part 4

It’s been almost a year since my birth and my mother is pregnant again.

Who is narrating?

It’s just me. “Kusanagi” Touma and if you’re wondering why I’m narrating even if I’m barely a year old?

It’s not “reincarnation” story for sure since I don’t remember anything of being alive, then got killed and be reborn again. I’m barely able to think for months when I’m being taken care of my mother.

I’m just been able to think clearly after I’ve been under my grandpa’s care.

Apparently last summer, we are having a trip to the beach with my grandparents and then we had an accident. My grandmother Chiyo (bless her soul) died on that accident. She had been brought to hospital but she died after a couple of hours in confinement.

My mother had also been hospitalized and my father is in enraged because she is pregnant. He blamed me for the family’s misfortune.

My mother doesn’t blame me and just smile but she doesn’t stop her husband for taking her frustration on a baby that doesn’t understand him at all (I can’t think straight yet back then)

My grandpa arrived then and stops him from shouting on a barely year old infant. My father doesn’t want me anywhere near my mother anymore and my mother doesn’t object but just smiles at me sadly.

She is pregnant and it’s dangerous for me to be around her. She might not blame me for it but she also knows about the “vision” and my disposition to bring harm and misfortune to others.

She knows it because she’s the one taking care of me and taking the blunt of my misfortune. From falling scissors that cuts her to sudden falling flower pot from upper floor from buildings that almost hit her.

It’s dangerous but she takes care of me.

My father?

He is scared of me.

He doesn’t even touch me as far as I can remember.

As for how I can think clearly even though I’m barely a year old and is not a reincarnated person that has old memories in my brain.

It’s all because of I eat books.

You don’t believe me?

Well I also don’t believe it and the same for my grandpa but well…. He saw it happen.

I’m crawling as always (I can’t walk yet) to the one of the books lying in the floor.

Since I’m living with grandpa now and they don’t really need a crib here with only him and grandma living here. He just set me on a makeshift bed or on floor with lots of soft fabric laid on my back to act as mattress, and lots of pillows around. But me, being me, likes to explore a bit and will only sleep if I’m tired.

And currently I’m not, so I’m crawling towards the book that is lying in the floor.

Grandpa has lots of book inside his house. Being a former college professor and an archeologist has its perks, with him having collected lots of old books and artifacts that he had discovered during his career.

The book is one of the children’s picture books (I think) It has pictures of depicting the great flood that happen in the past.

When I touched it, a blue screen appeared. I didn’t know what it meant yet but I’m just waving my right hand through it and it smashed to pieces…. Literally. Like a broken mirror, it shatters and disappears.

I try touching the book again but the same thing appears again.

I’m getting annoyed on the blue thing that appears again and wave my left hand this time around.

I didn’t yet understand what I did but maybe I press the button “yes” because that is when it all started.

Everything changes from this moment on

 

Part 5

I faint afterwards and my grandpa saw me and thought that I’m just sleeping.

But while I’m asleep, images floods into my brain, images that I shouldn’t know begun to flood my brains and start consuming my very being.

From a man that had been tasked by “God” to gather all the animals in the land, in pairs and build an arc that will be the served as temporary abode as the “God” cleanse the mortal realm.

The man follows and gathers all animals in both land and air.

In pairs he gathers them and put them in various cages and dwellings inside a massive ship. A ship that he builds together with his family by the guidance of said god.

As the arc been finished and the man, together with his family rides it.

And after that, the never ending rain starts to ravage the lands.

Cities built by man, crumbled before the gods might. Thousands to millions died on that night and the storm never stops. Bodies are seen floating in the flooded land.

The man tried to cover the sight of his children but I can’t avert my eyes.

I see corpse.

Lots of them are being swept by the floods that swallow everything.

Lying face down or facing me.

Death and decay in the terrifying might of the water that surges from the sea in height of hundreds of meters. It swept the land. The dark sky continues its downpour with occasional sparks in sky, lightning arcs and burns the great buildings, built by the height of man’s culture. Living it too cinders and ablaze but the heavy downpour stops the flame immediately but it didn’t save the destruction brought down by heaven’s might.

It’s the end of the civilization.

I saw everything from above.

Images of human despair, asking for forgiveness from the deity from above, and others are desperately running away from the incoming waves of water.

It’s useless, I thought.

It continues until the only thing can be seen is the arc that sails above water.

It takes days till weeks and the family living in the ship also despairs that the god might abandon them but the god delivers and they are safe.

I saw the through it all and it imprinted onto me the might of a “God”

That is just the start of it.

As I woke up a blue screen appeared in front of me.

For performing certain task a new skill had been developed.

Absorption Level 1: Exp 10% Active: Cost 10 energy

The skill allows one to absorb the knowledge of the books or document. One can learn the knowledge imprinted into it without reading it. Though it takes time for the knowledge to be understood and incorporated.

Effect:

Takes a full 99 minutes to fully absorb and understand the knowledge inside the item being absorbed.

The time extends depending on the thickness and the difficulty of the item being absorbed.

INT helps shortens the time to understand the item

Note:

Further level will decrease the time needed to fully understand the item being absorbed.

Huh?

I tilt my baby head when I see that note. I also take note that I understand a bit of what’s happening. Though I didn’t fully understand yet, but I felt that I understand it, but I can’t read yet. It’s a confusing feeling.

Through studying of old documents + 1 into intelligence was awarded

Now that’s just plain weird.

Isn’t that book just a plain picture book for kids?

I still can’t understand the book fully yet with all the gibberish characters and the people talking in the visions. I would need to learn how to understand them or read to fully comprehend it.

Looking around me, I try to look for a way to read or understand more what’s around me, and I spotted another book lying around. It’s the book that grandpa brought to me to read and see. It’s also a picture book and probably a genuine one. The book that I first absorbed had disappeared and I’m beginning to think that it’s not an ordinary picture book.

Crawling towards my makeshift bed, I tried to reach out for the character picture book but before I read it.

Another blue screen appeared.

Through repeated actions a new skill is created

Crawling (Like a Baby) Level 1 Exp: 5% Active: Cost 5 Stamina

This skill allows one to crawl on the ground swiftly.

Effect:

Increase in movement speed by 5% that last a minute.

Additional 5 stamina would be use per minute.

Note:

Increase in level will increase movement speed by 5% per level

I look at the screen and decidedly ignored it. I continue to crawl to the book but I notice the change in EXP as I crawl.

I finally reach the book with my right hand and nothing happen….

I tilt my head sideways to the right and then to the left. I tried to tap it again and again but nothing…

I decide to ignore the blue screen because I can’t really understand it and just decided to open the book with my left hand.

But then the blue screen appeared again.

Want to absorb the basic Japanese Language book title [Japanese language for Kinds]? YES / NO

I used my left hand now because apparently, using my right hand doesn’t show the necessary effect and press YES.

The book starts to dissolve and me starts to faint again.

Visions and images are shown with a female adult is teaching kids about the basic Japanese language. It’s a nursery school by the looks of the kids and the school. Understanding of basic information on language is being imprinted in my brain and I began to understand the world more.

After 99 minutes of hibernation. I woke up but I noticed that I have been tucked in my makeshift bed with the bed covers over me. It looks like Grandpa saw me lying on the floor and decided to place me on my bed.

A blue screen appeared in front of me again to notify me

Through absorbing and understanding the book an ability to understand basic Japanese language is created.

Japanese Language (For Dummies)

The ability to read, speak and understand the basic Japanese language.

Note:

To further level the ability. One must acquire further items to increase one understanding on the language.

Required:

Basic Japanese Language [Elementary Level]

Through studying of the book + 1 to INT has been rewarded.

With the additional INT and ability to at least read a bit, I began to understand a bit more of the world around me. If I want to learn more then I need to absorbed more books.

So through that whole day, I absorbed all the picture books lying around. Though I didn’t get rewarded for my actions with INT, at least I was rewarded by a level up on my crawl and my absorbed. But I ended up absorbing all the picture books around me.

My crawl now is level 3 and absorbed level 2.

When my grandpa arrived to feed me for dinner, he was surprised that the books around me are all gone. I can see in his face that he is confused but I really can’t care for now. I need to learn more so I speak my first word.

“Book”

It’s not Mama, Papa or even grandpa but Book.

My grandpa is at first confused but he recovered quickly become overjoyed for my first word, he carried me on his arms and start swinging dancing and swing me. He is happy and it’s plain to see. His gushing about me but I really need my book now.

“Book, book!”

I tried to shout the next word to get his attention and that stopped Grandpa but he is still full on smiles.

“Oh! You want me to read you a book?” I readily nodded and shakes my head up and down, fast.

“Book! Want book!” I tried to say I want a book but I can’t speak properly yet.

The dinner is all but forgotten and he brings me to his library. It has lots of book inside. From old documents that grandpa manages to acquire all throughout ages from different place around the world to his other research works that he compile and written.

He had shown me to one of the book that has picture.

If I can deadpan my eyes with my few months’ old self, I would give a deadpan look to grandpa.

It’s not Japanese. I can’t understand the book but it shows about a king and knights just from the picture shown as the cover.

I ignore grandpa’s continuous rumbling and tried to touch the book with my left hand.

The blue screen appeared, it shown.

Would you liked to absorb the beginning of King Arthur’s legend? Yes / No

I pressed yes and the book begun to dissolved. My grandpa was startled and starts to panic, and I fainted. My grandpa had forgotten about the book that suddenly dissolve and start trying to wake me by shaking me but the want to sleep can’t be fight against with. So I sleep.

The vision this time around only had shown a small bit.

It shown about a boy being confronted by an old man with long bead, with weird gray clothes that cover his body and has strange pointy hat, he ask the boy if he desires to protect his homeland. The boy simply answered “yes” and the images are shown with the boy pulling the sword from the stone and being declared as a king. The kingdom is partying for the ascension of the king.

The king had brought forth unity and become the symbol of peace for the kingdom. He created the round table where his comrades in arms, knights that he ruled but treated as brothers gather and plan for the better of the kingdom.

The images stop with the king declaring the eternal prosperity for his kingdom.

I can’t help but felt that this book is heavily edited or not a genuine article like the book about floods that I first absorbed. It doesn’t show much about the king and why was he approached by the old man to become the king.

Too many questions and no answer, but maybe if I find more of this book. I would get my answer. It’s just the beginning of his legend to begin with.

Absorption Level up by 1

An announcement for my absorption skill level up has shown.

When I looked around, I saw my grandpa looking at me with his kind smile. I just smile and try to act like a baby seeing his face hovering above. I tried to call him but only babble had been uttered. I can’t fully speak yet.

I need to train on how to speak normal because I want to be able to talk to my Grandpa and ask for more books to absorb to learn more but hopefully, the next one would be a normal book that can actually help me learn something new and not just children book story or legend from the old, though Grandpa would probably be reluctant to give me a book for it if it will just dissolved.

I tried speaking again and at least this time around. I manage to said “Grandpa”

My Grandpa smiled at me but didn’t decide to pick me up. He decides to start feeding me instead and stay is my side until I grew tired and sleep, even if I slept a lot of times already this day.

That ends my first day of eating books.

That night I start dreaming of a misfortunate guy that saves the world.

He saves everyone that asks for his help, even if the person asking for help is his past enemy.

He even protects the enemy of the world but in the end he ….

Part 6

The days continues with me eating books with grandpa giving more books and more often times copies of books to eat. Grandpa tried to observe me every time I eat the book and always had that serious look. Though the books that he had been giving me are more copy of the books he collected through his carrier.

Its most about heroes from the past and the deed they had done for the gods they serve. It’s full of myths from different culture and it depicts the epic fight between mortals against mortals or against the immortals.

Though he also gives me sometimes normal children books to eat but those felt lackluster compare to legends of olds, though thanks to that my level of absorption is now level 54 with only 45 minutes hibernation to absorb the information.

But also thanks to the genuine articles that Grandpa, unknowingly keep feeding me, I become numb to death…

I don’t understand but I don’t feel anything when I see the death of others, is it because I’m used to it?

The stories of old that he manage to excavate are depicting how the history of old had been mold.

And the story isn’t really about glory. It’s also not about eternal love or happy endings.

It’s about deaths. Countless corpses are laid around the ground. It’s a gory path to take.

The gods gave task to heroes to take but to me it’s more like the gods had sent someone to kill their foe that they are too lazy to kill.

It’s pretty twisted most of the time. Story about betrayals had become the norm but I can’t help but be wary about other people too and I’m not even a year old already.

I don’t know if Grandpa realize what his doing but I know this is not a normal way to bring up a child or infant in my case.

It’s been 5 months of continues eating of books for me and I already manage to eat almost 55% of Grandpa’s collection.

Grandpa has huge collection of books from different myths around the world. I won’t say he has documented about all the gods around the world because I don’t know how big the world is or how intensive his research is but he has probably extensive knowledge about most of them. He is probably the one of the most knowledgeable people in that terms and he kept feeding me the knowledge about that but this is just an assumption because to me. This house is my world and my lack of knowledge about the outside world is lacking for me to understand more. But I won’t underestimate Grandpa’s collection because it had taken a huge room that is almost the size of two bedrooms, to become full of books.

I don’t know why his doing it but I become wary about his intentions and about Gods in general. They are mostly arrogant and annoying beings. Some are nice but most are bad news for mortals. They just do whatever they want. They rape, they pillage and ask sacrifice from the people they rule. They are tyrant and enemy of mortal realms but human can’t oppose them.

One to be noted is the epic story of Gilgamesh, where the demi-god used his authority as king, and passed down the golden rule, where he takes the bride of the newlywed couple and been brought into his bed chamber.

No one was exempted on this rule.

Anyone who complains are either tortured or killed.

While his bedding the newlywed wife. The husband has been sent as forced worker for his kingdom.

It’s a never ending story of tyranny until the gods become annoyed and sent a clay golem to kill him.

The name of the golem is Enkidu.

But the clay golem is not knowledgeable about anything. So a lady had taken advantage of it and they did their deed straight 7 days and night, until the lady has released him and brought him onto the civilization.
The news of Gilgamesh debauchery had reached him and he finally remembers his duty and confronts the tyrant king.

In the night after a new wedding event, and Gilgamesh had brought again a new wife to his bedchambers.

Enkidu has arrived and stopped him. They had a battle that last for days and no one lost the battle until Enkidu acknowledge Gilgamesh superior strength and surrender even if the battle hasn’t been decided yet.

Gilgamesh acknowledges Enkidu in return and they become friends.

Gilgamesh proposed to travel to the Cedar forest to slay the demi-god Humbaba.

Enkidu opposed it as well as the elders but Gilgamesh won’t listen but at least he listens to Enkidu’s advice to seek guidance from Gilgamesh Mother. The goddess Ninsun [lady wild cow]

The goddess advice and helps them seek protection from the god of sun Shamash. Gilgamesh and Enkidu embark on the journey and left the governance of Uruk to his mother.

As Gilgamesh and Enkidu travels for the Cedar forest, every night, he performs a ritual to ask for guidance and dreamed had dreamed of 5 terrifying nightmares.

Falling mountains, Thunderstorms, Wild Bulls and a thunder bird that breaths fire.

Five different forms but according to Enkidu it’s the description of power for Humbaba.

At the Cedar forest they fought Humbaba. Humbaba accused Enkidu as a traitor for not killing Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh at first is afraid of the enemy demi-god but with his friend being insulted.

He answered Humbaba by slashing Humababa and with the help of the sun god’s protection and his own cunningness by tricking the monster, they manage to beat him and Gilgamesh kills Humbaba (The giant humanoid monkey) by severing his head and using taking it as a trophy of his.

The friends and brothers all but blood returns from their journey.

The story continues with goddess Ishtar ordering Giglamesh to become her husband but Gilgamesh rejected her offer. He knows what happens to those who partake with the goddess of fertility’s beauty. They don’t end alive.

The enrage goddess ask her father to send the bull of heaven to Gugalanna to kill him but the God sky god denies her of it. The enrage goddess threatens her father that she will raise the dead to eat the living and that force Anu the sky god to release the bull of heaven to Uruk.

Enkidu and Giglamesh manage to slay the bull but the gods as for compensation for killing Humababa and Gugalanna.

The gods decide that one of the heroes must die and mark Enkidu to die.

Enkidu is enrage and curse the gods and curse Shamhat, the prostitute that brought him to civilization but the sun god Shamash reminds him if not for her, He won’t meet Gilgamesh. He regrets his wrong doings and decided to give blessing to Shamhat.
For 12 days Enkidu’s condition worsen and his been plague by nightmares of the underworld. The terrifying place where everywhere is only dust and the beings there prays onto others. There are black feathered winged beings that roamed the land, supervised by even more terrifying beings. Enkidu is afraid of what awaits him in the underworld but he can’t oppose it.

The only regret Enkidu has is he didn’t die in battle but in bed and weak. He dies after 12 days and nights of nightmare.

Gilgamesh grief for his friend’s death and ask for the world to lament with the passing of his friend.

The next event is about Gilgamesh seeking immortality from Utnapishtim [The faraway]

Journeying through the wilds, taming wild beast and proud lions, praying to the moon god Sin and receiving divine visions that give inspiration of the hide of lion as protection, killing said lion and using its hide as clothed, he journey to perilous adventure to seek the knowledge of immortality.

Until he finally arrives at the twin peak of Mashu [the end of the earth]

There he met scorpion-human hybrid that guards the entrance to a cave. The guards recognize his divine blood and let him pass through the caverns where there is no light.

He journeys through the darkness that swallows everything, even his senses. He continues to walk for 12 hours [double hours] until he arrives at the garden of the gods, where trees bear jewels as fruits, untold riches and unearthly beauty to see but its surrounded by a lake that reeks of death.

In the shore he met the alewife Siduri that redirects him to Urshanabi the ferryman.

Gilgamesh being the arrogant king he is, he spontaneously destroyed the stone giant that is the only method to cross the water of death.

Urshanabi explains that the water is the leftover of the great flood. The flood that claims untold number of lives and anyone who touches the water of death will meet the same fate as the dead. The soul will be devoured by the water and drown into the never ending abyss. It’s a clear sign of the might of the gods.

Urshanabi instructs Gilgamesh to cut down 120 trees and roped them together like a bridge until it reaches the other side of the lake.

Gilgamesh uses it to cross the body of water and arrive at finally met the faraway man. He told his story and ask for his help but Utnapishtim just said to him that seeking immortality is a futile and attaining it would just diminished the life’s joy.

Utnapishtim told Gilgamesh of his story where the God Ea told him to build a boat where the instructions of exact dimension and materials of pitch (resin) and bitumen (asphalt) where given to him. He is also instructed to gather all the animals in the field and together with his wife. They live through the great storm, brought by Ea as punishment to mankind.

The one who grants a reward to Utnapishtim is Enlil the god of storms. It rewarded him and his wife of eternal life.

Utnapishtim said to Gilgamesh that it’s a foolish dream to beat ones mortality and challenge him to stay awake for 7 days and 7 nights. For each time he slept, Utnapishtim’s wife baked a loaf of bread as evidence of his failure.

As the 7 days past and the failure of Gilgamesh is as clear as the morning sun. Utnapishtim just said to him that “He won’t be able to conquer death if he can’t even conquer sleep”

The couple dressed Gilgamesh with royal clothes and readies him to return to Uruk.

The wife asked his husband to give something to Gilgamesh as a parting gift.

Utnapishtim told him about a plant that can be found in the bottom of the lake, which can restore vigor to whoever possessed it.

Gilgamesh takes the challenge and manages to acquire the box-thorn like plant but as he bath away the dirt from his body. A snake had managed to steal the plant that will bring youth to anyone who owns it.

Gilgamesh return empty handed to Uruk but as he grow olds. He gathers all the treasure of the world. As a sign of a true king, he gathers everything and own everything.

The story ended with him praying for the Gods to return his friend. The other ignores him but Ea and Shamash listens to his plea and Shamash made a crack in the earth and there the spirit of Enkidu arises.

The ghost of Enkidu told Gilgamesh of what he experience in the underworld and this brings the idea to Gilgamesh of conquering the underworld.

This is the story of Gilgamesh. Divided into 12 tablets where Touma was forced to eat the 12 copies to finally understand the story of the arrogant king. It also reminds him of another story about great flood. But the name of the one who was ordered there is Moses and not Utnapishtim.

Touma also notice some similarities in from different myths that he absorb. Like the golden lion that reminds him of Hercules, another demi-god and pawn of Zeus.

The claiming of Humbaba’s severed head reminds him of Perseus when he used the severed head of Medusa against the Kraken. Though in Gilgamesh’s case, it’s just a sign of his superiority.

The Bull of Heaven reminds him of different myths that concern bulls.

The bulls are considered sacred animals and even worship as gods in Egypt.  It represents the god Apis and in Greek, it’s connected to Hera’s epithet Bo-Opis or the Ox-eyed Hera. It also represents the bull of Crete. Theseus of Athens was tasked to capture the ancient sacred bull of Marathon before he faced the Bull-Man the Minotaur.

There are also the Aurochs who are considered as magical bulls.

In Mesopotamia the bulls represents the moon and their horn represents the crescent moon.

In Hurrian and Hittite myth, the bulls that pull the weather god Teshub are Senri(the day) and Hurri(the night). This myth about the day and night and sacred beast pulling the chariot of the gods reminds Touma of other myths too.

For five months of absorbing different books about myths. I leveled up my absorption to level 94. It only takes me 5 minutes to absorb information now.

My crawl is already in max level and there is an upgrade button for it but I haven’t tried to upgrade it yet. I wish to understand more about the world and what’s happening to upgrade it. My INT increase by 2 more points

But it’s hard to understand what’s happening if I can’t understand what the people are saying. I just wish Grandpa will give me more normal reading materials.

While I’m thinking about my Japanese Language ability, I’m also practicing my Walking skill.
Walking (Bipedal for Starters) Level 6 Exp 60% Active: Cost 19 Stamina

The skill to walk on 2 feet but it’s not straight and fast yet due to lack of muscle strength of being a baby.

Effect

The movement speed increase by 10% in base level.

Additional 9 Stamina per minute

Note

Each 5 level increase movement speed by 5%

Every 5 levels, decrease in Stamina for activating and per minute.

I might be strange infant that can already walked in 2 legs but still can’t talk clearly. My body isn’t mature enough to clearly talk but in time, the muscle needed to speak will get stronger and I’ll be able to talk. And even if I’m able to talk, my language isn’t perfect yet so I really need that book and my Grandpa delivers by bringing me the book.

It’s mid of November when Grandpa procure educational books for me to eat instead of myth books of his.

We’re seating side by side with a meter apart, in the hallway in front of the open door to the living area and facing the garden of Grandma that she love a d like to take care of, when he brings out the books.

The books are for pre-elementary and elementary books.

I devour the pre-elementary books but it didn’t do much for me but the elementary books helped.

First the list to absorb is elementary Japanese language book and Japanese basic Dictionary.

Would you like to absorb the Introduction to Japanese Language (Elementary Level)? Yes / No

I press yes and leveled up my language ability. It helps that I only need 5 minutes to sleep now in between absorbing of book.

Attaining the elementary level of Japanese Language really helps. I understand more of what’s written around and some of the vision I have before become more clear and easy to understand, though there are lots of Japanese myths. It didn’t help that the world is big and the myths are written on their local language. I can try to understand what’s happening but not the finer details until I can understand what they are saying or the symbols present in the vision.

After waking up I absorb also the basic Japanese Dictionary. It has over 2000 kanji’s in it.

Through to further study of one’s own language, + 1 to INT has been rewarded

Now I can understand most of basic things around. It will only further help if I get middle school and high school material. With that, I can probably read most of the books. Unless it has difficult kanji’s in it but I just need to procure a more advance kanji dictionary or old documents to teach him of ancient language. Most of the visions show old Japan and the people used old Japanese speaking.

College level might help bridge the gap but I would still need to get ancient documents that has translation and knowledge that helps me to understand than just show what’s happening.

After the language, I absorb next Science and Math elementary books skill but something unexpected happen.

Would you like to acquire new ability the “Scientist” (Basic level)? Yes / No

Eh?

I stop the motion and look carefully on the blue screen in front of me. My grandpa also notices me stopping the motion that I usually do when eating a book. He has a questioning look on his face when he looks at me.

New ability? From a book? This is becoming weird and weird.

I already understand what the ability mean thanks to elementary level language ability but what is this? What’s happening? Why do I learn new ability from learning a book and why do I get new skill for doing repeating things?

I need more information and just press Yes for now.

Scientist (For Kids)

The ability to fully understand the world wonders and the universal law that governs reality

Effect:

By fully understanding the laws of the universe, one can take control of it and advantage given by the present world to the one who explores.

Required:

To further the knowledge about the universe, one needs to endlessly study and research.

Science Middle School level

Introduction to Physics

Introduction to Chemistry

Introduction to Earth Science

Introduction to Life Science

Introduction to Applied Science

Would you like to acquire the new ability “Mathematician”? Yes / No

Mathematician (For Kids)

The ability to quantify the world as it is and gives proven reasoning and fact that would help one to understand the reality of the world

Effect:

The ability to compute mentally.

Increase in INT would allow difficult computation to be done mentally

Increase in INT would also allow faster processing of computation

Required:

To further the knowledge of being a Mathematician one needs to further practice and study different branch of math.

Math Middle School Level

Introduction to Algebra

Introduction to Geometry and Topology

Introduction to Analysis

After reading and understanding the description for the 2 new abilities, I can only think of it being my bread and butter of life from now on.

This is much more useful than all the myths and fantasy story that had been brought to me by my Grandpa.

I decide, I will further my knowledge on this 2 fields.

By having a life changing decision, one had come closer to enlightenment + 1 to WIS

Well that is new; it’s not INT now but WIS.

By my basic knowledge and understanding of the world, I can deduce that it’s probably about Intelligence for INT and Wisdom for WIS but why is it being quantified or me being notified by it?

I’m pretty sure that it’s not normal thing to happen.

After a bit of contemplating about my situation, and trying to understand or at least find an answer about my situation, I focus then my attention to my grandpa that is observing me for a while now.

Since the day when my grandpa saw me eating the book about the great flood, he keeps on making me absorbs different books of his collection. Its puzzles me on why is he doing that and why is he not asking questions.

Is it because I’m a baby and I can’t answer back? Even though he knew I’m more than just an ordinary infant and there is a budding intelligent on my tiny self.

Is he still waiting for something? Waiting for me to ask himself or is he investigating and observing me?

I still don’t have an answer to it or understanding on why he is doing this.

I just wish I know the answer about it because it’s just plain weird on what he has been doing.

Quest Update

The task is to ask Grandpa on what is his motive for taking care of me.

Success:

Reward 5000 EXP and lessens the “hate” of Grandpa to you

Failure:

Grandpa’s treatment will stay the same but the “gap” between the relationship of Grandpa and “Kusanagi” Touma will widen.

Duration:

1 Year

Yes / No

 

Huh? What’s this? Quest?

I press Yes without thinking but after the blue screen disappeared. I was confused on what it meant.

What does it mean and why does completing the “quest” lessen the hate of my grandpa to me?

Does he hate me?

Does he also blame me for grandma’s death?

I know there had been lots of strange things happening to me though it’s not really strange but it’s just that the chances of accidents happening to me are high. Higher than average and the frequency of it happening is high. Mostly, if I’m not careful around, bad things happen to me in hourly basis.

Like getting hit by falling books from the high shelves or getting cut by the pages of the book, I’m trying to read.

If it only happen a few times then I might not find it weird and will just think that I’m clumsy but even if I’m careful around and not bumping into the wall or the shelf. A book just always keeps on falling at top of me. I’ve been hit lots of times already in the past that I should ended up crying but instead of crying of due to pain that I felt, I’m just become calm all the time it happen and the pain will be gone in no time. It just hurt for a second and then pain subsides. It’s far too fast to be normal.

I even earned a new skill from getting hit by falling books and getting cut by the papers.

Resist Blunt Damage Level 1 Passive: Exp 57% Passive

The ability to resist blunt damage or strike type of damage, it will lower the damage taken.

Effect:

Reduce damage taken from blunt or strike type of damage by .5 %

Note:

Increase damage reduction as level increase by .5%

Resist Slash Damage Level 1 Passive: Exp 22% Passive

The ability to resist bladed or slash type of damage, it will lower the damage taken.

Effect:

Reduce Damage taken from slash type of attack by .5%

Note:

Increase damage reduction as level increase by .5%

These skills might be useful at first glance but it’s irritating to train. It just so happen that I always getting hurt which is why it continues to increase in experience.

Which brings me back to the question on why does Grandpa hates me?

Or does he really hates me or just dislikes me?

I don’t know and probably asking him will really indeed solve it. It will also make us closer to each other.

I mean, we are the only ones living in this huge house. There are lots of empty rooms and storage room. The house is designed to house a huge family but we are only 2 people living here.

Its gets pretty lonely fast here. Especially with all the books and different artifact that Grandpa collects and been displayed around.

“Grandpa” Touma tried calling his grandpa but he can’t speak straight yet even if he can understand others and read Japanese in Elementary level already. It still didn’t change that he is still an infant. So the words aren’t straight yet but his grandpa understood.

“hmm?” Grandpa’s right eyebrow rises showing his listening and curious on what will the strange and mysterious baby wanted.

“What is it that you want little one?” Grandpa asked gently.

“Do you hate me?” Touma ask while tilting his head to his right. The action is quite cute for a small child to act like this but the question shocks the elder person of the house more than the action that the baby is doing.

“Huh?” Shocked, wide eyes and eyebrows rise. That is the reaction of the grandpa, a completely different one from the kind and caring one from a few seconds ago.

“Why do you ask young one?” The grandpa gently asked after getting his bearing.

“Bad things usually happen around me and maybe…. It’s also because of me… which is why grandma is gone now…” Touma is still having hard time to talk for long sentence and the situation itself is quite somber and he can’t really ask straight on his grandpa about it. He knew he still misses grandma because he usually sees him just seeping a drink in front of grandma’s picture.

“…Not really, I don’t hate you” Showing a gentle smile in front of his grandson. The kind and gentle grandpa that looks after him shows a rather vulnerable side. But to Touma, his grandpa might not hate him but it also doesn’t mean that he love him.

The grandpa didn’t elaborate more and just stay silent and gently looks at Touma. Touma is still waiting but it looks like his grandpa won’t say more onto this matter.

A change of tactic is needed.

“Why are bad things always happen to me grandpa?” Touma decided to ask why he was fortunate enough to have frequent accidents that just didn’t make any sense to Touma.

“I… don’t know” Grandpa welcomes the change of topic.

To Touma, Grandpa probably really doesn’t know why but he probably at least have a clue on why it’s happening. It’s not natural and with the helped of Scientist and Mathematician ability of his. The cuts he get from the pages of the book might be because of his careless but it only happens on new papers and not the old and worn out relic ones that he tried to read. It just didn’t make sense if the soft paper is enough to make a deep cut on his fingers. A higher level of Scientist and Mathematician might help but he still had suspicion that it’s not normal.

The other is something that Scientist and Mathematician on its current level can’t explain.

You need a force to move something and an object itself won’t move without outside force forcing it.

So a falling book from the top of the shelf, suddenly falling down on top of him didn’t make sense because no one is bumping on the shelf, plus the shelf itself is fix on the wall. Unless strong enough force was bump into the wall, it won’t budge and the shelf won’t shake to force the book to fall.

And most of all, there is no shaking or trembling to begin with when the book just suddenly falls on top of him.

It didn’t just make sense to him.

“You’re really smart, for a baby that is barely a year old. You can already walk and talk” Grandpa suddenly spoke after a minute of silence, brings Touma out of his musing.

“Ah, yes. It’s all thanks to the book Grandpa. Thanks for it” Touma give a heartfelt gratitude.

“Hmm, it’s nothing little one. I’m just happy someone appreciates book aside from me. It’s rare in our family to love books. Even your grandma prefer plants and trees” Grandpa become jovial again when he grandma.

“Yes, I also love Grandma’s flowers. It’s really beautiful and smell nice” Touma replied jovially while looking at the garden outside.

“True, true… I was blessed to meet her in my life” Grandpa follows my gaze and also looks outside.

Grandma Chiyo love flowers and she has a garden full of it. She likes taking care of them and even arranging them. It’s really a lovely sight to see. Especially it’s relaxing to view.

The house we’re residing is a bit big for the two of us with lots of empty rooms. It’s an old ancestral home. Its Japanese style and has a square formation where the bedrooms are located in the upper part of the lot and the dining, living and kitchen area are located at front. There is also storage room for Grandma’s gardening equipment, located beside the toilet room in the east side.

The garden is located at the center enclosed by the bedroom area in the upper lot and connected by open but covered pathway to the front area of the house. The doors used are old style sliding door of Japanese house, where one can be open to have a view of the garden from the living area and dining area. There is also a hallway where one can stay and sit to relax directly outside of the sliding doors from the living area.

We’re currently sitting in it. I usually sleep before in the living area which is used as my makeshift room and grandpa is using his office full of books as makeshift bedroom. His office mixed library is beside the living area and all the furniture in the living area is removed or the area itself is bare.

It’s not suitable to welcome guest because the guest would be force to sit in the floor but this is an old house with an old family living in it. Furniture’s aren’t needed much by the old couples; they just usually lounge in the hallway and drink tea from what Grandpa usually told me.

This house is also not used for clan reunion because it’s really old and despite its size, it’s not suitable for the gathering. Though the huge bare living area had it’s used when mourning for Grandma. Grandpa just didn’t care much. He just loves to read books which is also why there is no TV here or any other entertainment appliances. He will just prefer to read his old collections of historical artifacts than be updated in worldly desire.

By his words “I’m too old for this”

We’re pretty much cut out from outside news. The house is located near the sea side and ours are surrounded by open rice field that Grandpa tends too. The surrounding of the house itself is full of fruit bearing trees that Grandpa planted when he is young and outside of the lot of the main house is rice field and vegetable farm. It’s also pretty wide with 200 meters wide and we own it. The nearest house from us is around 400 – 500 meters away.

We’re not actually in a rural area but we’re outside of the main city proper. We’re just a few kilometers away from City Town hall but the city itself is more compact with the residential and commercial stand side by side.

It’s a pretty quiet house with wonderful view. It’s also because that there are no people around that I can try to crawl or walk outside. It’s just plain weird for normal people to see an infant walk straight, well, almost straight.

It’s pretty weird for Grandpa too but since that suspicious person visited. He just calmed down. We rarely talk with each other and I haven’t explained yet on what’s happening but even if I explain. I don’t know what’s even happening but maybe being an adult could help?

While Touma was thinking about talking to his Grandpa about the mysterious blue screen, another blue screen appeared in front of him and a pink heart shaped appear and disappear on top of his grandpa’s head and it looks like he didn’t even notice because his just calmly seeping his tea while looking outside at the garden.

+ 1 to Affection and the you’ve become closer to “Kusanagi Ichirou”

Is what the blue screen alerts me now…. What does this mean? And what does the heart on top of grandpa’s head mean?

Ugghh!!! I’m not getting anywhere with this. I’m frustrated and I don’t know what to do… I can only think of asking for help.

While getting comfortable on my seat in the floor, I face my grandpa and explain the various weird things happening.

In between lines “Kusanagi Ichirou”

Well that was interesting. So the abomination has an interesting magic, and its inborn talent too.

An inborn talent in magic is rare and highly sought in magic community. They are usually trained since young age to further cultivate their talent and won’t get wasted.

But his is pretty weird and unique. It lets him learn and developed faster by absorbing knowledge from books or “items” as his skill allows. It also allows the said skill to be trained to become better and stronger.

This ability of his also allows him to become far too intelligent and strong for a baby. His not even a year old but his talking, albeit not straight yet but still talking and can walk already.

He is growing far too fast that it’s really scary.

I think he is still hiding something about the absorption of knowledge through books by seeing visions. I just hope I’m not right on how this visions works or I might thought the abomination something that will just give him more reason to be a monster.

Death…

Yes, it all begins on death.

The death of his beloved wife.

In his younger days, his usually caught having affair or in multiple relationships. I’m also a pro in maintaining harem “fufufu” younger days indeed, thought by Ichirou.

Doing and orgy is like a daily bread for him but when he met her fire breathing wife. Well she literally sucker punched him. Well, he was caught having sex with her sister. Fufufu young life.

It started as a storm of unrelenting violence and hate with each other but as we grow to know each other. I forgot to have a quickie with someone.

In Kusanagi clan, it’s fine to have harem. Heck, we even allowed incest and parents being the parents of their own children. Our family is pretty full of debauchery and lust. Other clans call us clan of lust demons but we’re fine with it. We’re free to do what we like. Freedom is valued most in our clan aside from loyalty.

Though from outsiders view, we’re pretty sinful clan.

But well… Chiyo won’t have it. I’m still caught here and there with different relationship and having sired hundreds probably. I remember each one of them even if I’m old but the look of her face when I brought another illegitimate child in front of her, tears my heart away.

It’s just my libido is endless and can’t be contained but it still kills me when I saw her like that specially in one time she ask me.

“Am I not enough?”

Those few words will haunt me every time I sleep and every time I look at another woman beside her.

I’m guilty I admit. I’m sinful and I meant to die the horrible death and be thrown in hell… I always reason out that I’m just a man before and can’t say no to temptation but now that she’s gone….

It just reminds me of all the sins I committed and I’m tempted to end it all.

Sigh…. I’m just a foolish cloud that drifts away from one place to another and never stopping but always comforted under her bright sky… but now the sky had died thanks to the monster I’m task to take care of and I don’t know what to do anymore.

Until the mission from the other elders was given to take away the monster that will kill the one who will give birth to our king, just like how the monster had killed your wife.

The clan is extremely wary of him. Some are scared, especially the father of the child while most are wary of him. Some felt fear, remembering the misfortunate times when his daughter is still carrying him and the wounds his daughter take for him. It’s really frightening to see.

The incidents might be small and not that dangerous but it’s too frequent to happen that they even gave her lots of good luck charm and ask blessings from the temple gods to protect her. He was even forced to ask help from one of his connections but it didn’t help a bit. Even with the connection of the clan. The bad luck didn’t go away.

The only thing they could do is to help and protect her while she’s still pregnant.

And then the visions happen and it just turns from bad to worst.

The clan won’t take him or protect him when his father almost killed him.

He is the only one stands in his way from getting killed.

While the majority wants him dead, some elders are interested about the future that he will bring.

The vision of the new era is interesting for them and even him too but he cursed his curiosity that killed his wife.

At first he blamed the infant for the death of his lovely wife but then something snaps him out of it. A cold wind that blows away his flaming anger towards the infant that is silent towards all the commotion happening around him. He suspected that it’s his wife lingering spirit that snaps him out of his inner turmoil. He knew his wife won’t be happy if he takes his anger towards a baby. She’s too nice for it. She even accepts my sins. So blaming an innocent baby that can’t control the circumstances around him would surely anger her.

He only did the thing that he thought would make his late wife happy and make his family safe from the abomination.

He accepts the mission as the guardian and observer of the future revolutionary. That is what the other elders called him for being the one that will bring change. He might have agreed before of the title given to the child but it will still hunt him when he remembers his late wife, that he actually favors the child and is interested on what he can and will do.

He is safe because his wife is already dead and he also wants to die too to meet her, so his fine with the risk of dying. He wants to observe the abomination.

He didn’t know things will turn out to be like this.

He knew the child of his daughter would be special but not this special.

The first child is prophesized to bring the end while the second would be the king, and the third would balance the first and second out.

To anyone who knows the dark side of the world and the harsh reality. The second child is destined for great things for sure. The King already gave it away.

But the first child is certainly the problem.

It will only bring hurt and bring bad luck but the baby itself doesn’t control over it, the one to blame is the fate for bestowing upon the child such cruel fate.

He won’t hate the child. He won’t…

He kept on repeating it to himself when he is taking care of the abomination.

What he sees is just an innocent child and one who won’t harm others but maybe it’s a veil like all the demons that tempt the human before?

He doesn’t know and he fears that he is becoming closer to the abomination.

He is tasked to be the guardian of the monster but it’s more of the warden for it. He will observe his potential and power, what he can do and what will he do. If he became too dangerous, he is tasked to end him.

He already committed lots of sings before, towards to himself and towards to his love one.

He tried to not increase it anymore but for his daughter and her family’s sake.

For the clan’s sake.

So he takes the abomination in a form of an infant that will most likely bring future deaths, away from his smoldering father and wounded mother.

He knew his daughter is strong but he is also pregnant again, with the insistence of the clan. The clan or rather the elders, like him, is very excited for the soon to be born king. Their history is always about serving a king but there is no one in the family being born and lives into a king. So it’s expected to be excited for it.

The vision of his daughter’s child is close guarded secret of the clan. Anyone who disobeys would be punished severely. It’s rare for the clan elders and the clan as a whole to agree wholeheartedly to it but no one can blame them. It’s a king. No one messes with it and live to tell the tale.

So while everyone is excited and already planning for the studies of the second child and for the third child which is already planned to support the second child.

There is only one plan for the cursed child.

He will be judged to be if his worth to live or die.

No one wanted to take the mission and he only agree because he has nothing to lose but…

No, there is someone who still probably cares…

The child’s mother, at least her daughter doesn’t condemn him or blame her hardships to him but he also can’t sacrifice the life of her second child.

She can’t take care of him.

And the less said about the angry father the better.

His son in law is an outsider to the clan.

His son in law is from a rich family and a good child, successful in life and an heir to a prestigious conglomerate company. His had finished top in his batch at Tokyo University in business management and he even studied in engineering because it’s the specialty of his family business.

Everything is doing fine for him and his wife. Everything is set and doing great, until the first sign of pregnancy of his daughter.

The bad luck doesn’t end only with his daughter. It spreads wherever she goes.

The family of his son in law isn’t really religious enough to blame the sudden decline of their companies business to bad luck. Plus the country is in recession so they really can’t blame it all to it and they don’t know about it.

But it all changes when the vision happens.

His son in law didn’t reveal it to his parents but the stress and the danger for his life and his wife is piling up on him until the breaking point where Ichirou’s wife passes away.

The dam broke and the ones man of dignity turn into a beast and almost pounce on the unsuspecting infant to the dangers that lurk around him.

He put a stop to it.

For the sake of his only daughter from the one he loved the most.

For the clan that ordered him to take care of it.

He takes the baby away from the family and advice his son in law to take his wife on a vacation to recuperate.

He doesn’t have a cellphone but the house at least have a phone so he is still totally not out of touch. His daughter had given him updates about her pregnancy and her health and wellbeing, the same for her husband restoring vigor. They need rest from all the stress that happens to them.

He also heard something interesting that happens.

Her daughter had become extremely lucky this time around. Winning a couple of small time raffle and the company of his son in law is recovering. It’s a total opposite on what happens while she’s pregnant of her first child.

It’s heartening to hear such events happen.

It also confirms a bit about the vision and also increases his wariness towards the monster.

At first he is totally wary of him and doesn’t know what to do but as time passes by he understood and adapts.

The most surprising thing that happens to him is when he saw it absorbing the book. At first he doesn’t really understand it but after seeing the eyes of the monster. He understood.

There is intelligence and more self-aware from it. Not just simple curiosity but real intelligence to analyze his surroundings. It’s also scary thing to see.

He thought it was possessed by demon or a demon incarnate so he asks for a specialist.

He himself is in doubt about it because even if his not a master of that art. He is at least familiar with it, and in his youth, dabbles with it.

But he is confused about the monster. There is no magic around him or feel of life. He thought his an undead or a ghoul but even that should gave a feel of supernatural too it.

But there isn’t a bit that he can feel from the monster in human skin.

There isn’t anything. Nothing.

It terrifies him.

When the specialist arrived well… it doesn’t help anything because he said the same thing.

He asks help from a certain organization that his clan is affiliated once before. They just cut ties with supernatural now. Well most of the clan but some still work for it and even practice it but they aren’t connected to any organization. They practiced in secret from the world.

The organization send one of their best and most trusted as a sign of mutual respect and trust between the organization and the clan.

But the specialist didn’t manage to help anything at all.

He still remembers that meeting as clear as today even if his already beyond 70 years old and should be failing. But he still has stamina of a horse. Fufufu

Flashback

The young man in glasses that moves like a ninja is stump. He can’t understand what his seeing.

He saw an infant

He was sure of it but the specialist can’t feel the baby at all. He can’t sense him and the young man should be the one specialize in hiding. He can’t solve the problem in front of him.

True, his a specialist that is best in solving problems, and gathering information but the problem in front of him, he can’t even tell if it’s a problem.

The baby is far too normal

(The grandpa didn’t revealed about the event where he saw the monster eating the book)

If there is something wrong then it’s about him not feeling anything from the child. No magic at all.

Any living being or everything should at least give off the feeling of being alive and had the energy that brought to life.

Mana should be everywhere. It’s the building blocks of miracle and it’s mixed in reality. It’s woven around everywhere. Be it alive or inorganic objects.

But the baby in front of him doesn’t give any of it at all.

He didn’t dare to come closer to the baby because he might scare it and he won’t admit it, but his unnerve by the observing pure black pupils of the baby in front of him.

He already denied the idea of possession or the baby being part supernatural. There is no feel of mana or magic on him.

Any practitioner of magic will feel it and even if one tries to conceal it but it won’t be able to conceal from him.

His specialty is in detecting magic and hiding from others. Which is why he is the one being sent to for this case?

The case of is about the baby that brought bad luck to others. Is there a chance his cursed or possessed by evil spirit but so far, even without using magic, he can tell it’s not supernatural.

He didn’t deem to use magic and waste time because in his mind. He already judges the baby as normal.

It’s too normal that it can be called abnormal but it’s not really his problem because being normal isn’t really the problem.

Too normal for a member of a clan that has history in supernatural.

He tried to instead investigate the surroundings.

He felt that the house itself is lacking in presence.

It’s like the house isn’t receiving divine blessings or protection at all. But that shouldn’t be the case. He knew the old man and the clan of where he belongs with. It’s an old clan with an old history. They are blessed and practice in supernatural so it would be normal to have warding in the house, or blessing but there isn’t.

The youth decide to ask the old man if he practices his craft here in the house or puts a protection on it.

The old man answers with “His not a practitioner of the art. He uses it before but he doesn’t have uses for it now”

The youth accepts the answers and it’s probably the reason on why the house felt like a normal civilian household, though even a normal household should still receive divine blessing if one is a believer.

Is the man not a believer then? But he is pretty famous as a researcher of that topic around the world.

It just confuses the youth further. The puzzle is just becoming bigger and bigger the more he tried to solve it.

So the youth just gave up.

It’s not his problem anymore.

His been sent to check if the infant in front of him is cursed, or possessed, or is supernatural, and the answer to it is negative. There is nothing wrong with the infant in front of him.

If the youth tries to pries for more information, he might have a clue on what’s happening but he just gave up fast just because it’s not his work to meddle in private life of the others.

Flashback end

He already expected that the specialist won’t find anything on the monster. He just need a second opinion and someone who is an expert in the field, but still… it’s just further confirms on how weird the situation is.

If it’s not magical then what is it?

The evidence is there and it can’t be ignored which is why he monitors the monster for days, till weeks and until it become months. He is in constant vigilant towards the unknown threat that he can’t feel.

As he observes the monster, he had managed to gather at least a bit of clue about his nature. Eating books aside, the bad luck that surrounds him, at least that one; he managed to figure it out.

The bad luck triggers if it starts moving around the place.

In his early days, the few incidents that happen isn’t that bad or too frequent to happen. He might not be a practitioner of the art of magic but he at least a believer and always ask for grace and blessing to the gods and being involved in supernatural world. He can see the difference in a blessed place and an abandon placed.

To make matters short. The monster is cancelling or at least negating the blessing received in his surroundings and the land.

That’s what Ichirou hypothesized.

The house at the beginning is full of mana is now barren and you can’t barely feel the magic in the air. It became like a normal abandon house in barren lands and not a house of a practitioner of the art and a firm believer of supernatural beings.

The place had been degrading unto barren area or a place where all the mana had been siphoned away.

There are no concentrated negative feelings in the air. There is no miasma or cursed, lingering around. It’s just plain normal area. It looks like a normal area but he knew it’s far from the truth. The one who made it possible can’t possibly be normal.

Mana should be everywhere and even in here, this barren place. It’s still there but it’s too thin to be even felt. It became like a normal place after Touma resides her for a couple of hours only. It didn’t even take a day for the blessing around the house to be removed.

At first he didn’t notice it because his not really actively searching for it but after a few days, after. He notices the absent feel of power surrounding the ancestral house that resides a top the ley lines.

For a clan as old as Kusanagi, this house has its fare shares of supernatural protection and blessings. It been one used as a safe house before by the clan in times of war, because the relative secrecy of the location of this place.

The city itself is ordinary aside from one supernatural being that resides in here that can be considered as monster of the magic realm. The other reason is this place being in line with the ley lines. The practitioner of craft that resides here in this city hates outside interference so they warded the city to alert them of incoming practitioner.

The clan made a deal with the second owner of the land. They will seek residence in the lands and will acts as a protector in case of emergency. The second owner comes from the researcher practitioner. They want their practice of the art in secret and don’t want outsiders to know about them so this place had become a good place to hide.

Though that might be actually right, the outsiders might already know that they reside here in this place but they just didn’t bother to care. Because of the already 2 points given, first they don’t want anywhere near the flesh eating monster and the place above the ley lines.

Practitioner of the arts doesn’t want to play on top of an overwhelming energy source. They might accidentally trigger something and cause a reaction that would never be good for the land and them, so outright battle and bloodshed is avoided at most cases.

Though that didn’t stop the founding families in their plan to shed blood for their foolish goal, but to the organization in Japan, it’s better for them to be the one to die than them. But they still monitor the land to at least not cost major damage to the ley lines.

What a bunch of hypocrite Ichirou thought.

Ichirou thought about one of the documents from his ancestors, about the certain meeting with the second owner.

The family of the second owner views the non-talented as people to lead and protect.

That itself set ringing bells to his ancestors, it might sound benevolent but those practitioners are already categorizing them as different beings from ordinary humans. They already see themselves as above them and the powerless are meant to be protected and cared for. Like how human treat their pets.

He himself doesn’t like those types of practitioners and made an effort to avoid their types. The same can be said for those so called knights. Ichirou only tolerates those who call themselves users and not being pretentious enough to call themselves different from normal human beings. Even if they are the result of mix race, they are still humans and should not see themselves as above them.

Focusing back to the monster, that had been doing nothing but look at beautiful garden.

He can’t help but sigh… it’s a lot better for me if he doesn’t move much. Ichirou thought.

Ichirou made an effort to remember the times when he got his little bouts of misfortune. Like exploding flame from a relative controlled gas stove, falling knives from the hanging cabinets or the worst.

Landslide of books, books toppling down from the high shelves and like an avalanched buried my alive.

Getting buried alive by his tons of books in his library hurts a lot, he thought he might die back then.

Sob sob Ichirou laments his misfortune.

Focusing again about the topic of the monster’s tendency to attract misfortune, from his observation, if it just stay on one place and doesn’t move around, there won’t be misfortune to happen. Though he still doesn’t understand it and doesn’t know the answer about the relative misfortune and bouts of super natural accidents. At least he already knows when to move around and when to stay put and be alert.

The living room, the dining area and his library, those places have a relative normal atmosphere already.

Even though the house should be blessed and protected by supernatural arts.

Even though the house is located above the ley lines and should be brimming with power everywhere to those who practice the arts.

He still doesn’t know if negating the mana on his surrounding is the reason why there are relative lots of accidents in this house. He also can’t connect it to the monster being standing still in one position, will make the misfortunes to stop happening. He can’t make a concrete statement, if the monster moving around and negating the mana flow is the reason for having accidents to happen or the relative absent of mana in the surrounding is the trigger for bad luck to come.

But if the absent of high mana concentration around is the reason of bad luck, then even if the monster is not moving around this area, that shouldn’t make the frequent bouts of misfortune to stop happening.

He doesn’t have enough information to make a concrete conclusion but at least he made progress and already has ways to be relatively safe. Ichirou feels elated to found an answer to avoid frequent harm.

His just too old for this shit.

He relays this information to the other elders of the clan and the one who at first wary of him are now being scared. The ability to ward away mana is not normal and can be scary for the practitioners of the art.

And the one who are in favor of observing the monster are being more interested.

He himself, can bother to care because he is the one risking his safety for this.

Ah… I’m being emo sad again. Ah….. I want someone beside me than the abomination. It’s just so sad to be alone.

That thought stops Ichirou for thinking further more.

Ah must remember about Chiyo, remember Chiyo your lovely and kind wife.

Chiyo… Chiyo are you watching me, Please give me strength to resist temptation.

….

…

…

Ah…. I want some action.

The abomination is just taking all my patience away.

Just pretending to be nice is easy because I have done this a lot of times already to seduce young women but doing this to the source of your death is hard… Chiyo… you will get angry of me aren’t you?

But I’m sorry. It’s for the sake of your lovely daughter and her future children.

For the sake of the clan

I will stake my life for it.

…

…

…

Though it’s getting harder to not feel anything for the monster… abomination…. No… child…

Taking care of his needs for months and being the only one I can talk with most of the time… it’s getting harder to not become close to him.

I just wish I will have enough strength to end this before anyone will get harm.

But I also wish that it won’t lead to such event to happen.

I don’t want to bring out “that one” just to end it.

Part 7

“Grandpa” Touma called his grandpa that is showing mix expressions on his face. Touma might be smart for an infant but his not experience enough or knowledgeable enough to understand the suffering of his grandpa.

“Yes Touma” His Grandpa stops thinking about useless stuff and focus on his grandson.

“What do you think about my ability?”Touma ask his grandpa.

“Ah… your rather strange ability” Touma’s grandpa begun to muse again. Touma tried to asking his grandpa again to focus on the strange ability of his but his grandpa interrupts him.

“It’s rather unique and you said, it notifies you if you gain an INT or WIS?” Grandpa asks to confirm

“Yes…” Touma hesitantly replied and his eyebrows joined middle together, showing his confusion on why his Grandpa is interested in that.

“Is INT meant intelligence and WIS wisdom?” His grandpa asks again.

“Probably, I mean. I did understand better when INT increases, and after learning about the basic level of math and science, I come to conclusion that INT meant intelligence and WIS is probably wisdom. But what do they mean? Why do I have this strange ability and what for? Aside WIS and INT increasing, I also have skills and abilities. Skills increase if I do the skill repeatedly like crawling and walking but for ability. It needs a certain item or to meet a condition for it to level up” Touma is really confused now.

“hmm” His grandpa stays silent but focus on him so Touma just decided to wait for his opinion.

“It sounded like something you will find in a game” Grandpa said.

“Game? Playing a game?” Touma is confused. He plays lots of fun games with his grandpa already though it’s more on table top games and mind games. Touma’s grandpa is just too old to move around, Touma thought about this matter.

“Hmm… it’s like a video game” Grandpa clarifies his answer.

“Video game? Huh? What’s that grandpa?” Touma doesn’t have a clue. The house doesn’t offer much entertainment aside from lots of books and board games that his grandpa provides.

“It’s a game you played in T.V. or computer. It’s digitalized modern game” Grandpa explains.

“Huuuuh…. T.V….. But we don’t have one” Touma looks back in the empty living room with fixed shelves full of books in the wall. There isn’t really much to be found inside this house.

“Hmm… that’s true. I’m not up for visual entertainment. I’m more hands on” Grandpa Smiles while saying it.

“Huh?” Touma just raise his right eyebrow showing his skeptic from what his grandpa’s saying. He is really old now and being senile, that is the word that describes his Grandpa now, it is based from the knowledge that he absorbs and from what Touma thought of his smiling grandpa.

“Hmm… well, we can buy a TV later and I will try to get one of those game consoles. Though I think you’re still too young to play games but if it will help you understand more about your abilities. Then it just meant to be” Grandpa said while stroking his beard.

“Later?” Touma ask.

“Yes, later. I will ask one of our relatives to set up a TV here in the living room. Preferably mount it in the wall and I will also try to find a suitable gaming console. Though I’m not knowledgeable about video games, so I will ask one of the young ones during our reunion this December”

“Reunion..” Touma become sad after hearing it.

“Am I allowed to attend?” Touma asked his grandpa.

“Of Course you are! Your part of the family, the clan”

“But my father hates me and I brought harm to mother”

“It’s not your fault Touma” Grandpa said it sternly which is first for Touma to hear. His grandpa is usually carefree and kind.

“You can’t control circumstances and can’t control the fate of the world, plus you’re just a baby. Let the adults worry about getting misfortunate. Just lives your life the way you wanted” Grandpa advised Touma.

“Grandpa…” Touma smiles for the care that his grandpa has for him

“ho ho ho ho it’s also a good time to reconnect with the family and to meet your mother again. But Touma, you mustn’t let other knows about your ability or you can talk now or walk. Keep it a secret from the family or the clan and even your mother” Grandpa strictly orders Touma to hide his ability and to act like a normal baby.

“Why? Is it because I’m abnormal and it’s scary?”

“Yes, it’s abnormal and it’s truly scary to see an infant talk and acts like a child already. It’s not normal and it might scare the others and they might act foolish. Even if they are family, they are still humans. They might act irrational in face of fear” Grandpa Advice Touma sagely.

It’s the truth of humanity. Touma realize and understands

Through realization of Humanities Weakness and Strength + 1 to WIS has been awarded

Huh? Another notice and its wisdom now but why is knowing about fear become ones strength?

True having to show ones fear is a sign of weakness but Touma still can’t understand on why it will become ones strength. He is still too inexperience in life to understand.

“I understand grandpa. I will act like a normal baby during reunion but can you get me more educational books? I’m fine with reading your different type of myth’s book Grandpa but I prefer educational ones than fiction” Touma complains about the lack of educational materials in the house.

“Ho Ho Ho fiction you say, Touma. You don’t believe in gods? The books that I collected through my work might sound fictional story to you Touma but it’s an old document that might be true during its time of creation. True, some myths are created to explain an impossible event that happens and can’t be comprehend by human minds so they believe that it’s the works of Gods but some might show truth to it with evidence found and excavated in ancient ruins” Grandpa is having fun. Touma thought while seeing that smirk on his face. He probably knows or believes about those gods that he studies.

“It’s still fiction unless proven and will become a fact. Its basic knowledge that even elementary students in science knows. I’ll be a firm believer in reality and will deny those fictions unless I see for myself” Touma reason out but the truth is. He doesn’t want to meet one if it’s real. He has seen the devastation that was brought upon by the gods from the visions he get from absorbing his grandpa’s book collection.

He is already familiarized with their cruelty and human nature that is like beast that will prey on the others. Heroes die alone or in tragic way, one way or another. They don’t get happy ending and most of the time, the one who gets happy ending are the survivors.

He doesn’t want to end like that and just like what his grandpa advised, he will live the way he wants.

“Grandpa, at least get me more science and math books in middle school level. It will helped a lot for me” Touma begs his grandpa but his grandpa just laughs.

“You’re too young Touma to acquire more knowledge. At least wait for a couple more months or try to expand your current knowledge alone and train more of your skill. You did say that your crawling skill is max level already right? And it can be upgraded. Then why not try it?”

“I don’t know what will happen if I upgraded it. I will try to hold back on upgrading the max level skills for now and will wait until I have more information or I until I tried playing those video games, it might gave me the idea on what to do” Touma reason out on why his still not upgrading his max level skill. It’s a sound and reasonable reason. He is already unfamiliar in unfamiliar territory and it might be foolish to proceed without plan.

“Ho ho ho. A wise decision. You don’t know what will happen so you will wait until you have at least an idea on what to come” His grandpa is impressed about his decision to not be reckless in upgrading the skill. His ability is already an unknown and he doesn’t want to harm himself is something bad happens. He wants to be prepare or at least knowledgeable of the risks.

Through reaching a decision of not being reckless and foolish in life + 1 to WIS has been rewarded

Hmm… another point for wisdom, I felt that I’m becoming wiser.

I really want to know what this mean. I can’t wait to try playing those games.

Since grandpa won’t give me more educational books, I will at least try to absorb more of his mythological collection and train my walking skill. I’m already near in maxing level for Absorbing if the max level is 100. So better train it for more. I think absorbing all the books in the library would probably enough, if not then I will just wait for more books to absorb. I will also try using my reading skill and level it up.

Reading (Frustrated Reader) Level 25 Active: Cost 5 Stamina

The skill to read written document that one can understand and knows the language written. It’s at the level where the person reading is out of frustration and desperation than an actual enjoyment.

Effect:

Increase in speed of reading and understanding of the words being read.

INT affects the speed of reading and how fast one can comprehend the words.

Cost additional will need additional 5 stamina after 30 minutes and will last for another 10 minutes.

Note:

Further level will increase the reading speed and the time to understand the material will shorten.

Further used of skill will cost decrease in HP and will cause “Blindness” and “Headache” status effect.

This ability of mine is really weird. Everything I do is being converted to either skill or ability, even simple things.

Well there is nothing I can do currently but live with it. I will just continue on what I’ve been doing.

Part 8

Year: December 30, 2001

Location: To a certain Ancestral House in Osaka near the Yodo River

This… is utterly boring. Kamijou thought while acting like a normal baby inside a crib and just letting his eyes wonder around his relatives.

It’s been days since we had arrived here and it’s been one hectic arrival.

They have arrived evening of early December, and the people aren’t that many yet with the schools and works still ongoing. The others will arrive at later date during year end break to attend the reunion.

But most of the families just send representative or gift during reunion. It’s rare nowadays to have everyone from each family to attend or have an attendee to at least represent them. Getting high attendance rate is impossible, only around mid to high in rating for each attendance in reunion is the norm but that will aslo probably change when him become present and together with his grandpa, they arrived to rest early.

It’s still early December and it’s rare for others to arrive this early for reunion.

The families usually start arriving at around later date of the month.

So it’s totally unexpected for him to meet her mother this early.

She’s beautiful as he remember. Her captivating emerald eyes and soft smile always made him happy.

She was about to greet them when suddenly the wood she’s stepping on creak and break under her weight. It’s not really a dangerous one because its ground floor and the concrete flooring are only about 10 centimeters apart from the finished ground line.

One usually would just pull out the foot but his mother’s right foot got stuck and the others arrived to help her to get it out. His father too is there but he sends a glare to him before he helps his wife.

It would just be normal if there would be few scratches from such accident but the wood just so happen to be stuck onto her feet that is already swelling badly, and its maybe because of the swelling that cause the wood to pierce the flesh and manage to hit an artery, and it’s bleeding out badly.

She’s pregnant and is due for the month with a bleeding foot that needs medical attention but then and her water broke.

Well hell just breaks loose.

My father was in panic but at least my uncle Shun is calm and already calling for an ambulance. He was probably used to this. That man had already done lots of girls already, and probably saw lots of girls giving birth. He doesn’t even care if it’s his daughter his having sex with. What a lustful man. Touma observes while giving no emotion towards the man or rather a family that had done lots of debauchery acts that would make others uncomfortable. Too bad, this clan is just that bad.

Well my mother was delivered safely to the hospital and me away from her and other members of the clan.

They just leave me in a crib in one of the rooms beside the living room; they don’t trust my luck to leave me away from their prying eyes. If I’m too far away, they won’t be able to react to whatever misfortune I might bring.

The room is actually pretty normal, aside from the paper charms that had been prepared in formation around the room. They prepared this room for me.

They might be scared of me but at least they are smart enough to not leave a possible ticking bomb around where they won’t know when it will explode.

The Kusanagi clan had done lots of sinful acts all throughout the history.

It’s a protector’s clan but also a clan that is cunning and free. Their freedom on who to love and do what they want made the clan’s number grew in numbers.

Even Touma’s grandpa is the same, though at least he didn’t have sex with his daughters’…. Though Touma is not sure, his observe skill is not that high level yet to reveal that many information.

Observation Level 8 Exp 22% Active Cost 10 Energy

The skill that lets you read and understands the basic information about your target.

Effect:

It shows basic information of the enemy

Maximum range of target the target is 10 meters and needs within visual contact.

Currently, 8 levels above your level will have its basic information reveal

Current reveal information

-Title

-Name

-Hit points and Magical or Energy points

-Basic description of the target

Note:

The higher the level of the skill, the more information would be revealed.

The amount of information revealed is based on the difference of level. The higher the difference in level, the lesser the information being revealed

Per each level increase, it will raise maximum level of the target can be observed to a maximum of 50 level difference.

Higher level target that is beyond ones skill won’t reveal any information

Every 10 levels will increase the maximum range by 5 meters

This skill is pretty useful and interesting but it’s pretty hard to level up. The exp won’t get up unless I can observe people or objects with level relatively higher or on the same level. The smaller the difference the difference between the level of target and the level of me, the lower the exp given and if the target is lower than my level by 5. It won’t give any exp at all.

And that is the problem.

People around me are only level 2 to 3 at maximum.

The book collection of grandpa has even higher level than him.

The books that hold myths about gods and heroes at least had a level of 5 to 10. And I’m using those books to increase my level, repeatedly but it’s a long and tiresome way.

I already max the level of absorption, crawling, walking and my reading is on level 51 already but my observation is so hard to level up.

I didn’t need much sleep to begin with. After I got tire, I will sleep but I will wake up after 30 minutes, full of energy already.

My grandpa always wants me to go back to sleep when he saw me reading way past midnight but I don’t need to sleep. Plus it’s interesting to read more.

I can’t read the other books that are written with foreign language but at least, I can read the myths about Shinto gods. It’s written in old Japanese and the book is quite old and very fragile, which is why I’m very careful in reading it. I’m also getting quite tingling sensation in the surrounding when something might happen but I haven’t got a skill or ability for it yet. Maybe it’s just my imagination but with scientist ability, it would be hard to trick me.

Trying to focus back on my surrounding, there were quite a lot of people that attend this year reunion. Grandpa said that it’s usually few with around 20 to 30 person only but I’m counting more than 50 adults already. Not even counting the kids and the babies lying in the bedrooms.

Maybe it’s because of him.

My younger brother that had been born prematurely because of me but even so, it looks like the hospital deemed him healthy enough to leave after few days of confinement.

Looking at him being carried by my mother and my father beside her, I used observe on him.

The Future King

Kusanagi Godou

Level 0

HP 100

MP 500

The one blessed by fate to rule and protect.

Hmm…

He is indeed special. The other babies that I have saw or even most of the adults don’t even have a title above their names plus his MP is pretty high compare to the others. Even by adults’ standard, it’s high.

Every baby or child I saw so far ranges from level 0 to 1 with an HP of 100 – 120 and MP of 50.

The adults have level ranges from level 2 – 4 with an HP of 200 – 440 and MP of 100 to 230.

Godou’s MP is pretty high for a baby. It did show his special.

My grandpa had mention about the vision pertaining me and my siblings. He also gave a warning for me to be careful during the reunion and to act like a normal baby.

I agree to act like a normal baby because a talking and walking baby is weird and it would just add ammunition to my relatives to be wary or scared of me. But the vision threw me out of loop.

They believe that crap?

I ask Grandpa if they believe such thing but he just smiles and laugh at me and let me interpret the meaning of vision myself. But I can’t believe they will believe such thing. It’s illogical to believe something as predestined.

If everything is already set in stone then what’s the meaning of living?

I’m too young for thinking about this but I just question their sanity and my reason for living with that revelation.

I know I already bring bad luck to me and my surrounding but that vision just made it worst and because of that, it just made me more determined about my goal.

To live the way I want and won’t listen to such nonsensical thing.

If they had proof then I will probably listen but grandpa isn’t saying anything.

Mathematician’s ability won’t help me here but having a scientist ability give me a bit open minded to all opinions, as long as it’s within bounds of reality and can be explain, or there is proof shown.

But this is just insane to listen to it.

I sigh and just focus back in getting more experience for my skills that I’m currently trying to level up.

Focus (I don’t want to let my Guard Down) Level 14 exp 89% Active: Cost 10 Stamina

Increase alertness to your surroundings. With this skill active, you won’t get caught in surprised and you will notice others intent easily.

Effect:

Increase alertness and decrease chance of ambush

Decrease chance of critical by 5%

With increase of alertness, one can feel danger on your surroundings a lot more easily.

Additional 10 stamina per minute use, after the first 1 minute is over

Note:

One can easily detect ill intents within 14 meters around you.

Increase in level will increase the detection by 1 meter

Detect (I can feel you!) Level 37 exp 74% Active: Cost 10 Stamina

This skill will allow you to feel the bad intentions of people around you.

Effect:

To identify the bad intentions of people towards you.

Note:

It gives warning to ill’s intent from:

– Discomfort

– Dislike

– Anger

– Hatred

– Murderous

These two skills works greatly side by side. I acquire the skills after the whole fiasco during my arrival.

I know that my father hates me but if I didn’t know that the others feel it too. I thought my relatives are only wary of me but after learning of focus skill, after focusing on my father’s angry glare towards me. I detect bloodlust, aimed towards me. A hate me so much that their intent is leaking in the air and is aimed towards me, a baby.

It comes from one of the older ones. The elders have either hatred or murderous intent towards me and my younger relatives are from ranges of discomfort to dislike.

There are few other people who are angered but thanks to lots of different emotions of the adults towards me. I’m having a boon in leveling my skills.

Though it becomes hard to sleep during this time, I don’t want those who have murderous intent anywhere near me so when they are I approaching. I use a very affective skill towards them.

I cry like a baby.

It gets the attentions of the others and tries to make me stop crying. Some of my aunties carried me sung hymns for me to sleep. Though they are obvious have discomfort of me being near them but at least they care or maybe it’s because I would ended up waking their own children.

Oh, speak of the devil. One of the elders that have murderous intent is closing in from the living area.

Since my crib is placed near the far corner wall of the family area which is beside the huge living area. I’m isolated from the others but can be seen from the other side of the living area. My family might be wary of me but at least they won’t leave me unattended. Minus my father who kept glancing on me.

Though even my father’s hatred isn’t set, it’s fluctuating from hate to dislike to discomfort. It’s not in set of anger or murderous like the elders here. He is probably just confused on how to treat and approach me. That’s what Touma thought of the matter.

I’m prophesize to bring chaos and end. That alone brings bad news for me but it give more proof that I’m a bringer of bad luck. Accidents and misfortune happen when I’m around or near the area.

My father probably realizes that his being irrational to hate a baby for his misfortune or my mother’s accidents, but he also can’t help but blame me for it because there are circumstantial evidence that points too it.

Even I believe it which is why having Focus skill helps a lot from avoiding accidents to happen to me.

I’m his son and he is my father.

He should know that.

He should know it’s not entirely the baby’s fault for bad luck to surround him.

He should also know that he blaming me might be pretty petty of him.

He is just finding someone to blame for all the bad things to happen but isn’t that life? Bad things happen in life and you just need to endure. Touma tried to reason out the fluctuating feelings of his father by the used of his scientist ability to think logically and by his basic understanding of the world and society.

Even with my basic knowledge and low level of intelligence. I can at least understand that.

So I know. I can’t blame you father and I won’t hate you.

Hmm the elder is coming too close for comfort.

He is just standing there, beside my crib and sending his inquisitive gaze towards me.

Sorry Elder Johan but I can’t read minds, but I can feel your killer intent towards me. It’s not disturbing yet but I don’t like him. His gaze is very calculated and he is thinking of something.

Trying to plan on killing me?

I have seen lots of those things when I absorb that information from grandpa’s book. God’s do love to plot tragedy.

Elder Johan-san stops trying to think and just starts to stretch his right hands towards me and the blue screen alerts keep on popping that it’s blocking my view!!!

This is very bad!

“Uuuuu Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!” I can’t help but cry loud enough for the others to notice me and stop this mad man from doing something.

Through repeated action a new skill was created.

Taunt (Cry like a Baby) Level 1 exp 5% Active: Cost 10 Energy

I don’t need that right now!!!

In between lines “Kusanagi Shinji”

Flashback

Sigh… what did I get myself into?

 Right… getting into marriage unplanned, and unprepared, and totally unexpectedly trust into such madness…

Such is the peak of foolishness.

Living the life that was prepared for me to take as preparation for becoming the head of Ikari Group of Companies who are specialize in machinery with primary products of robots like helper bots and guard bots.

Having early education in management and engineering, I’ve been thought to only focus on my education.

I’ve spend my childhood with homeroom tutors than playing with other kids my age.

I’ve spend most of the time trying to excel in education that I haven’t any time to make any friends.

I did extracurricular activities as to get more recognition of my excellence.

Aiming for the top, becoming the student council president since early years, being praised as perfect with excellent academics and top national athlete, I graduated since elementary until high school as the best of the school and praised as well as considered a prodigy.

It continues until college and being role model of my fellow classmates and been look up as the prodigy that will take the business industry by storm. I graduate in Tokyo University as summa cum laude of my batch.

I’m ready to take the job assigned to me and do my best.

I’ve been prepared to do it.

My 22 years of preparation for taking the position as one of the junior directors and next head of the company.

All of it had been all drowning in the rain.

When I met first met my wife. She’s only 15 back then and we had a huge age gap that I would probably be accuse as a pedophile but all of it didn’t matter to me. I’ve just been rendered speechless when I saw her crossing the road, together with her friends to go to school.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been too focus on my studies and I’ve neglected myself and my social life. I’ve never even been in a relationship before.

A totally inexperienced man who have wandered and got lost in the labyrinth of called love and who haven’t experience yet the trial called life.

A very inept man was totally captivated by her.

My heart stolen and my life time plan on being the head were been set aside and have been replaced by knowing her name.

That is my only goal back then.

I didn’t expect it to spiral out of course.

Going straight to the black hole… I would love to meet myself back then and strangled him and set him up course, back to his predestined road of life.

Almost a year in relationship and she’s pregnant…. Ugh… now that I remember. I want to punch myself until I woke up from this nightmare.

We’re forced to get married.

She denied it at first and blaming herself for it but the one at fault here is me.

I’m the adult and should take responsibility, though when I said the news to my parents, my mother almost had a heart attack while my father is in rage and tried to kill me. Just by remembering his withering glare almost made me wet my pants.

Well, we had more drama that happen in between the whole fiasco and it was blown out of proportion with my mother blaming her and accusing her of being a whore and more drama to go on that I don’t want to remember, right now.

At least her families’ side is fine with it. I expect to get killed by her parents because she’s too young for it. Even if in Japan, a female can already get married at age of 16 with parent’s consent but it still shouldn’t be the norm now.

We got married and the few early months of pregnancy is such a hassle that I need to juggle my work and time for her. With the problem at work, I’m heavily stressed in the early months but it just got worst after 5 months of pregnancy.

Bad things happen.

Occasional bad luck that we’ve made fun of because it’s back then like getting slipped in a banana peel, even though no one is eating a banana around. Winds blowing the documents needed for the meeting, even if we’re inside a building and its centralized air-conditioned, heavy traffic during important meetings, sudden heavy rain even though it’s sunny before we go outside of the building.

Those funny things just happen to be happening when my pregnant wife visits.

At fifth month, we’re just making fun of it

At sixth month where my wife starts getting wounded by dangerous bout of misfortune and the occasional bad luck happening at work that is just far too occasional to happen. We’re not laughing anymore and some are even panicking and thinking of rival companies is cursing us. We still tried to play if for laughs but none are laughing whole heartedly now. Everyone is stressed out far too much to laugh on what’s happening.

At seventh month, we lost a major dealing and the company stocks starts failing. My wife got herself involved into a traffic accident, where the bus she’s riding on loose break and many passengers, including her got wounded but while most of the passengers got heavily wounded and they seat at the back of the bus.

She, being seated at the near front of the bus only got some scratches and minor wounds, even though the front of the bus got smashed when it hit the wall.

At eight month, I’m heavily stressed and I stay away from my wife as much as possible or I would ended up getting angry at her or blame her for the frequent accidents that happen around her.

One night, when I’m drowning myself in wine to forget my problems in life, problems at home or at work, problems that start piling up and starting to bury me with it, problems that I just wish go away, in the middle of asking for another glass of wine from the bartender. I received a call from my wife and asking to come home and go with her to visit her relatives. She said they might have an answer for the problem.

I scoff at the idea that her family might be able to solve the problem.

When I met her, I didn’t have a clue about her background, I’m just captivated by her beauty and elegance that I didn’t care if I’m a moth that’s been drawn into the fire. It fits with her crimsoned colored hair. It’s actually the trait that first captures my eyes.

But when we’re planning about the marriage and when my mother did a background check about her family. My father didn’t care as long as I do my job.
We’re disgusted on what we have managed to find.

The majority of her families are product of sinful act of in breeding; we’re actually tempted to go to the authority with some of the births that we found. Some of the women that gave birth to their child are far too young to be legal but when we dig up more of the clan history, we’re surprised on how wide spread their influence are, which is why they probably be manage to get away from those sinful acts.

I was half tempted back then to call her a whore too, because she might have planned it all to tempt me and marry to into the family by making me take responsibility for her, my anger almost cloud my judgment but then I remember, I’m the one who approach her and not the other way around.

While I love my wife, I can’t say about her family.

Sure they are nice but that’s only in the outside.

Even her father is a dishonest person.

The only reason my mother agreed is because my father forced the decision and his reasoning is because the family is very influential in Japan. They aren’t that rich but they had connection all throughout Japan. Having a family that serves the previews emperors of Japan, helps them to made connection in higher places, they are even connected to the current ruling family of Japan. That helped convinced my father to reach such decision and ordered my mother to allow the marriage. Such annoying prick!

Focusing back on the text that she sent, she managed to talk me out on meeting some of her relative and ask for an advice. Her family member that we visit lives and runs the shrine.

We got good luck charms and other charms. They also tried a ritual to ward away bad luck but it didn’t work much or rather. She’s fine to begin with and more unknown terms had been thrown in the conversation but the main point is. she’s fine.

They speculate that maybe the house we’re living currently is cursed.

We tried to change our house lodgings and it seemed fine until the mid of her ninth month, where it all become too dangerous to have accidents or misfortune to happen to her.

I have file for leave and tried to attend for my wife’s need. We also plan to arrive early for her family yearly reunion.

We had argued at first that it would be dangerous to travel and she might get hurt but she’s stubborn and she had a point. If she’s with her family, she can get help easily. So we travel to Kyoto to attend the reunion 2 weeks before the end of the year.

Everything seems fine until the eve when one of her relative had her vision.

At first I didn’t believe it but certain evidence shown of the supernatural side and their trust of the so called spirit vision. I can’t help but doubt.

But then when he was born and the hospital was turned into a battlefield. I can’t help ask “what did I do to deserve this?”

Everywhere inside the hospital, something is happening, from minor short circuit to major machine failure that acts as a life line for some patients. Its pure chaos and it’s just the beginning with his son being the source of it.

I really can’t helped but think that its karma from my past life getting back at me for my sins.

I tried to blame my son who is only a baby for the bad luck happening and it made me sick.

My son, my First Born Son! I won’t turn into a monster like that man that holds the title of the director of the company.

Being the trigger for fall and calamity…. What is the world heading too? Shinji shakes his head and tried to resist the pain his currently feeling.

This had got to be a joked, no a dream? It’s a probably a nightmare.  I just wish someone will wake me up now.

Then the nightmare just got worst when my kind and caring mother in law died due to car accident when we’re going to the beach. The car I’m driving lost its break and I lost control of the car and we smashed into the trees beside the road, until we spot against a thick trunk of a tree.

The car is wrecked and we’re all wounded while me having it worse, being sitting in the driver seat.

I’m still conscious back then and tried to reach the phone despite the pain my body is feeling but I must endure and call for help.

But there is no reception…

NO FUCKING RECEPTION!!!

I lost consciousness and I didn’t know what happen until I’ve regain consciousness in the hospital. My head had been bandage and I had a cast for my broken right arm.

I tried asking about my family and they say that they are all right, someone had managed to saw the car crashed and call for help. The person tried to help us get out for fear of the car exploding but thank god for small blessing that it didn’t.

But the ambulance is still late in arriving because of traffic in the express way. A fucking expressway is under heavy traffic. I can’t help but laugh by the irony of things and I even forgot my reasoning back then that just maybe it’s because many people are going to vacation.

But with all the bad luck happening, my anger rises and start to search for my son.

Only to see him relatively fine… while my wife is heavily bondage for her wounds that she receive for protecting this cursed child!!! This monster!

I only see red and blame everything on this monster.

It also didn’t help that we just got the news that my mother in law died because she arrived late and the wounds worsen and her being already relatively old. It didn’t help her survival.

If only there is no traffic back then

If only there is phone reception back then

If only my son isn’t alive and further bringing bad luck to us

Just maybe Mother Chiyo is still alive.

Mother Chiyo is kind and unlike my mother who is always busy with her research work that he always leave me behind and doesn’t have time for me. Mother Chiyo always had time to greet and care for us, when we visit her and father in Fuyuki.

My mother always clings to that monster while Mother Chiyo chides and punished her unfaithful husband.

My mother is kind and caring to me… but I don’t know if that’s true while Mother Chiyo is surely kind to me and he honestly cares.

Mother Chiyo…. I wish she is my true mother…. But she is not here anymore.

It’s only for a short time but that time would be irreplaceable and will be one of my most valuable treasures.

…

And it’s all because of that monster.

…

He is the reason why she is gone…

…

…

It’s pathetic I know.

I’m also thankful for father in law for stopping me and most of all, I’m thankful for him taking that monster away from us.

Monster… I can’t believe I call my own son a monster… that title is only for that monster that lurks and hunts me all my life. Always ordering around and dictating what to do.

My son didn’t deserve such fate brought onto him. He is just born into this world and innocent, he hasn’t done anything warranting such fate. I’m not a firm believer of karma but seeing my son having such fate shove into him… I can’t tell if it’s karma from his past life hunting him or its just God’s cruel joke.

I still can’t believe this… why? Why must this happen?

I agonized myself for days, reflecting on my mistake and blaming the death of my beloved mother my first born, while also taking care of my pregnant wife.

Her second child, the one been prophesize to become a king.

A king?

Huuuuuuuuuuh….. I always think they are insane bunch. My wife’s family but seriously?

This age and time?

Sure, there is still an emperor in Japan but it’s more of a symbol now than an actual power.

If it’s in European isles, it’s a possibility but not here in Japan.

I still don’t understand with all the fuss about the king status and why it’s so important.

My wife knew something but he won’t tell. My family from her side also knew well what it meant but I’m being kept in the dark, even though it should be my son, their talking about.

I want to know more but I’m also being busy at work.

I won’t need to worry for my wife now because her relatives are often visiting her and making sure she’s okay. Even though, they over indulge themselves in our private home far too much for my liking.

The company is also slowly recovering now but it’s still not good. The state of the country is instable. The market is going up and down. It’s like someone is making a monopoly in the market of japan or the whole world.

The world market is also in mess, with sudden deaths of notable researchers and terrorist bombing in research facilities in Russia and China. America is also holding the forth with an increase in military movement within their research areas.

The technology distribution in the world varies from country to country but generally speaking, it’s rather far too slow in development. Aside from the market, the level of technology is also being monitored.

This is already twentieth century and the industrial revolution already happens, there should be a rise in technological development but all throughout history. Those notable people that are making a breakthrough always ended up dead. This is why it’s rather scary for researchers to research alone and always ask for protection of huge organization or under government but the government alone can’t cater them all.

And private investors are only looking at possible income and not the technological advancement so they prefer a more money making opportunity than a gamble.

This leads to slow development.

Even hand held communication gadgets are just being developed and can only be used by military or huge company that can provide it.

My phone is also just a prototype and bit bulky, even my wife is reluctant to use it though when I present it to her. She doesn’t have a clue. Even if it’s not open to public, at least they should know it. They are influential family but I maybe overestimate them in technological knowledge because they are like… total old fashion family.

They have ancestral homes that date back since early development of Japan that its practical ancient.

I’m even surprised that it’s still functioning and not weathered by time.

Though while learning a bit about them, I find that they are pretty suspicious bunch that delves into occult… and I even suspected that they might have a clue on what’s happening in the… might know why the technological development of the world is slow… though it’s only a hunch as a developer and an heir to a company that pioneers development.

I really don’t trust them.

People living in Tokyo sure will be having it nice. At least in there, the world moves forward and isn’t stuck in old age.

I’m having a headache just thinking of the implications of such global manipulations.

Sigh… thankfully my wife is getting better now, recovering from her injury during the accident. She is also having more jovial and happy lately. It’s a bit different from her first pregnancy where she’s all gloomy and a bit serious. Troublesome mood swings.

Days pass by with relative nothing happening which is a boon for me, I won’t be worried every now and then if there would be sudden accidents happening and the work is getting steady that I can finally relax for a bit.

It’s been months and I can finally relax after the death of my mother in law.

My wife also won a free stay at Hakone Onsen in a local mini lottery, and we plan to go there this weekend.

Her extreme luck now during her seventh month of pregnancy is also being easily notice. She’s winning free tickets for free meal here and there.

She also never even once got injured or at least wounded all throughout her later months in pregnancy. It’s really scary to think during her first pregnancy where you will usually see her have band aid in different parts of her body. The most prominently are her fingers where she usually accidentally got wounded or pricked by pointy objects.

It’s really different from her now pristine flawless pear like skin that I know her used to have.

It’s really different from how bad luck seems to plague my first son that I called monster.

She never lost yet if luck is necessary skill to win. She is even banned completely in some local public market that usually have mini-lottery to promote the area.

I just can’t believe it.

My first born is probably demons spawn and my second is a future king and savior. What a sick joke.

What an unfair comparison and I don’t know on who to blame or if I’ll just accept the fate that had been trusted onto them.

While I can accept that my second born is extremely lucky, I just can’t help but pity and hate my first born.

Is he just a sacrifice for his younger siblings or will he really put an end to all?

It’s just seemed so unfair. Like how that monster treated me and my mother and how my mother treated her son who is different from what a normal mother treated their children.

My treatment to him also didn’t help at all. I remind me of that monster that I won’t acknowledge father… if I have a normal family then I’ll probably be sane enough and call my son a monster and should just die already.

But my family is also not normal.

I won’t turn into a monster.

Sigh…. I decided. I will give him a chance and will just observe for now.

He is still my first born and my son. I will decide on what to do after I see him grew and learn. Though I can’t help but feel that, that child knows far too much to be a normal baby. It’s truly a monster in human cloth.

Its nearing the dated clan reunion now, and just like previews year, we decidedly to attend early and take rest in the house. The house that had been picked for clan reunion is usually large enough to accommodate the clan and there would be comfortable bedroom where she can rest.

Its last month now of her pregnancy and it would be dangerous for her to travel.

I just hope there won’t be any more cruel surprised to come.

I just tempted fate didn’t I?

I already knew that the Fate or God’s above are playing tricks on me and my family but isn’t this just cruel?

My wife’s water broke and she’s only in her 34^th week of pregnancy. She’s already giving birth but the baby would be premature baby.

What a cruel irony it is

Date: December 25, 2000

Time: 12:05 am

My second son, Kusanagi Godou was born.

And it’s all because my first born met her mother after months of separation… I just can’t help but blame him for these because surely and most likely, it’s his fault that this happen.

Everything is fine for months and there is nothing bad that happens but just by meeting him. It all starts happening again!

It’s a good thing that Godou is extremely lucky baby that his luck probably save him and be declared a healthy baby boy, even though he is 2 weeks short of being normal delivery.

My wife also had harder time giving birth this time around.

Godou is larger than average size of a healthy baby, while Touma is below average for a normal healthy baby.

Why must they always be opposite with each other.

It’s not funny anymore with all this coincidence that keep on coming, just to make it apparent how opposite the two siblings are.

It’s too cruel for it to happen. Why can’t they just be normal babies without the grand or ominous fate hanging upon them?

I prefer a more normal life, even though I’m working and an heir for a huge multi-billionaire company.

I prefer normalcy in my life.

I just want that kind of life for my children too but Nooooooooooo!

The fate is such a bitch that they made a cruel joke among my children and it just so happen that my eldest is the target of bullying.

I hate this reality. I hate this world. I hate the God’s that allows this to happen.

I hate my first born, that monster in human skin and I hate mostly myself for thinking such a thing.

If there is a chance to change the world, I wonder if I’ll make a gamble for it…

Part 9

“Is there a problem Elder Johan? You’re scaring the baby” My father had come to the rescue! Or so I think so, because he is currently not as hostile to me, if you compare him to the Elder. He stops beside of Elder Johan and questions him, he position himself as close to me and to the elder, that he can move to intercept the elder easily and he can also see what the elder is doing.

There isn’t really a hierarchy in the clan.

It’s already been abolished since the end of the last war. The elder are just title given to the old people that the young once seeks advice from. Though the elder doesn’t really have power to rule the clan, they at least have the say in the matters if it involves the clan.

There isn’t a clan leader since the end of WW II, where the clan head die with no heir to replace him and the main family of the clan, the Kusanagi’s itself just didn’t want to go for power struggle anymore to just name the next head of the clan.

The event also signals the end of the connections made by the clan to the other political powers of the country. They also cut off themselves from the influence of the outside parties and decided to seclude themselves.

Some of the members still work for the government or the military but it’s just the work they choose, that is what Grandpa explains to me when I ask him about the clan. The same clan which declared me as a plague that needs to be avoided (though it’s not really their fault too) they are just wary or scared of me and what I brought onto to them.

Even I would avoid myself or anyone that has a perchance of getting himself or around him in harm.

Anyone for that matter would do so. No one wanted to get hurt by nature.

If I can avoid myself or my fate, then I would gladly do so, but I can’t so I can only endure and be prepared to survive and live.

The one in front of me that tries to hurt me or do something bad is one of them. Though I don’t know if his not wary or scared of me because the indication is his trying to kill me but why?

Even if I can understand him a bit from what I remember of what my mother had been through, and my grandpa that tries to mask his wounds every now and then (he can try to hide it but I’m not blind to not see if he got hurt)

I might not be able to understand much of others emotion but I know at least a wound if I see one.

I’m literally bad news if you ask for my own opinion.

But from what I observe of him, his not doing it for himself but for something else.

The “Monster”

Elder Johan “Kusanagi”

Level 6

HP 660

MP 340

Elder Joan probably survived the last world war by abandoning a family and because of that; he promised him to protect the one he had left behind.

He is tall, and blond, so maybe his not fully Japanese. I know he is old but if you look at him right now, you won’t probably guess his right age because he doesn’t look any older than 40-50. He doesn’t have a single white hair yet.

Another mystery of the clan, most of the members of the clan looks far too young that their appearance doesn’t reflect their age, especially the main clan where one retains their youthful appearance for far too long.

Just looking at my grandpa that just looks to be around 30’s toing to 40’s, One can tell that it’s almost like cheating and their youthful appearance helps that even by the age of 70’s, Grandpa still manages to woe the opposite sex and cost more headaches from Grandma (Another bout of grandpa’s bedtime stories about his conquers)

But putting that aside.

I don’t know the age of Elder Johan but he should be old, older than Grandpa who is already above 70 and if Elder Johan survive the war, then his probably around 80 going 90 now. Since I don’t read or absorb much about history books of Japan (I don’t know the details but I at least knew of Japan’s defeat in WW II) He probably participates in it and survives somehow by leaving a family behind.

I don’t have any idea on who he leaves behind that it’s considered as family from the basic description of him but is it his brother, father or cousin?

I don’t know much about him and his family or if he even have family left.

This is the only thing I can think of right now because it’s possible that they worked before in military, but I don’t have any more information to draw upon a concrete conclusion.

One thing is for sure and that he abandoned someone and that is someone is considered a family and that is a grave sin. Especially to the clan that believes in “Family first” rule where they would do anything for their family and clan to survive.

He is probably planning trying on killing me to protect the clan, which is the only reasoning I can come up now.

…. Hmm dying… I wonder why I am so calm while thinking about my life that was about to be taken away, if not for my father stopping him I might be seriously in trouble.

Though he is probably not trying to outright kill me with all the witness around, then again, there are lots of ways to kill someone without the killer being physically present by the time of death or the clan will try to cover the murder. But from what I observe, the elders are the only directly bad news to me.

I know that because I have seen that happen lots of times already from the visions I saw from the books.

Humans are really pretty creative in arts of ending someone’s life.

Elder Johan was calm even when he got caught and he just stand straight and look at my father’s inquisitive gaze with a calm manner, completely masking and outright removing all his ill intent towards me.

“Ah, Shinji. I was just checking the child; he has been far too quiet even though he is awake. I would just like to check if everything is fine” Elder Johan smiles and trying to dispel the suspicion of my father towards him.

“I see… I know his a quiet child. Since his birth, he hasn’t cried or made much noise. He just looks and takes everything around him and even his just a baby; I felt that there is intelligence behind his gaze. He is like studying everything he sees. Not a typical one that’s for sure” My father answers while he changes his gaze towards me with a serious direct gaze towards me eyes and I look at his eyes too while tilting my head sideways, trying to act innocent but I know his not buying it.

Elder Johan was silent after hearing my father’s answer. He turns his gaze to me and tries to study me ones more. It’s like his trying to put together a big puzzle inside his head and I’m the piece that he needs and his trying to figure out on where to place it.

“Shinji… do you believe in the supernatural” Elder Johan starts with the conversation while looking at me.

“What do you mean Elder?” Shinji’s right eyebrow rise and a frown marred his face when he looks at Elder Johan. He is confused. I’m confused too on what’s his reason for starting that topic. It’s so out of the norm and total off topic from just anything that happens so far, considering that they are trying to leave us in blind here.

For most time, I’m trying to ask grandpa about the supernatural world but he always clamp up and try to smile at me.

“I mean what I mean. You know this clan isn’t entirely normal right? Someone from a powerful family like yours should be at least able to look into our history. Our clan isn’t normal. Just look at my appearance should give you a hint about that, our reactions of the prophecy that we called spirit vision, our stance towards you’re first born, and you’re second born. Our confirmation and answer when you’d ask us for help in helping your wife, during her first pregnancy and the reception we gave during her second pregnancy.” Elder Johan didn’t move his face but his eyes dwarfed from me to my father.

Narrowing slightly his eyes a bit, he answers “Your children aren’t normal Shinji” He answers flippantly that it’s hard to believe his words but my father stands rigid while looking at his eyes. To Touma whose observing the two, it just looks like the elder is enjoying himself.

My father isn’t surprised from what I observed from his form and face but I can’t be sure. I’m not experience enough to tell signs if one are trying to hide something.

“I know” My father answers simply but firmly. He might be in doubt or in denial by he can’t deny what he had experienced.

Elder Johan smiles at his answers but his smiles scares me and I can’t explain why.

“You know Shinji, there are lots of unexplainable things in this world. Supernatural are one of them. Beings that defy logic and made general plaything, the normal ones, looking down at them for being powerless but not all of them but generally. Like human beings that had power but them?” Johan stops at his story and starts shaking his head.

In Touma’s mind, he questions him if the elder is also part of them but he didn’t voice his question.

“Since they probably can’t reason with the normal beings reason, they just do what they like. The normal ones are considered powerless and even if they retaliate. It would just cost suffering and sacrifice that no one are willing to take without proper reasons” Elder Johan is all smiles again; it’s like his enjoying in teaching someone of the secrets of the world.

I think he is enjoying this far too much if you ask me.

“That’s just the way the supernatural world works since ancient time. Some are willing to sacrifice themselves to retaliate but they ended up dead, but at least they are being praised as heroes but in general. They are dead and that’s it.

Some are victorious but the tastes of victory are too sweet that it turns into poison for them and they also lost themselves in the end. They might not even recognize why they start fighting with” Elder Johan finished his story with eyes close and stroking his chin, a sign that his in deep thought and probably thinking of what to explain next.

“It’s a foolish move to attempt the impossible” Shinji answers Elder Johan’s silent inquiry and it made the smile in Elder Johan’s face vanish and replaced by a frown. But father is not finished yet.

“But… isn’t it romantic to try for the impossible” Shinji gave a roguish smile to Elder Johan and the elder laughs at his answer.

“hahaha, I didn’t take you as a romanticist Shinji. Wouldn’t it end with tragedy?” Elder Johan is smiling again

“Nah, I’m not. I’m a practical person” Shinji’s smile vanished and replaced by steel determination. He is serious.

“If something out there is messing with the other peoples life just because they can, especially the life of those who are close to me then wouldn’t it be practical to know them? If I know them, then I would know what drink to prepare if they suddenly visit” Shinji answers like his joking but his expression didn’t change.

“You’re right. It would be better to be prepared. Especially your second son, with his destiny of being a king” Elder Johan turned serious this time too.

“King? I heard the vision but it didn’t make sense to me. What does this king meant?” Shinji turns his full attention to Elder Johan.

“If it’s not spirit vision the one that revealed it, we might treat it differently but spirit vision is usually tightly connected to supernatural visions and the king that was mentioned is probably the one, only few acknowledge or even cared about. It’s widely known secret but… well the supernatural side has isn’t really unified group.

Each one has their own beliefs and goals. So even if it should be general knowledge. Not everyone cared so the knowledge is mostly forgotten” Elder Johan is trying to give an explanation but not a direct one, his more of hinting things. Is it bad to just say it? It’s hard for me to understand what his has been trying to say.

“It’s like this, kings are general knowledge that everyone knows but it’s not common to know the name of the king or the king itself. It’s like that. Plus it didn’t help that the kings are usually selfish and tyrant rulers, that didn’t inspire others to have faith and follow him. They are usually selfish individual that only cares of personal gain and didn’t care on who they trampled with” Elder Johan is massaging his head and it looks like his trying to relieve some pain he is feeling.

“The general rule for them is not to poke the sleeping dragon, unless you have the means to kill it, but even then, you will probably have casualties in your ranks” Elder Johan said it with clear distaste. He is trying to relieve his past experience. Had he met these so called kings before? Touma thought while listening to the elder’s tale.

“Well the kings aren’t popular but they are needed to protect the people of his land. They are often revered as protectors but in general they are feared as tyrants by his enemy and his people. They are walking time bomb with their reckless and foolish way. They might turn their land into ruin just for the fun of it. They are really… selfish bastards” hmm… he is clearly angry but it’s not towards me now. Interesting.

“Well, as much as the people hate their king, they needed him to protect them and fight his enemy. Though personally and in general belief. That is the only good thing about them” Elder Johan felt no empathy when he says those words.

“So… in general they are bad news?” My father tried to ask for confirmation

“Yes, bad news” Elder Johan confirms while looking back at me with smile in his face.

My father is silent for the time being, trying to understand and absorb the knowledge the elder had spoken to him.

“Who… is more bad news?

…

Is it the enemy or the king?” Shinji finished is contemplation and ask the question. He also goes back to observing me after asking his question to the elder.

“Both” One word that answers it all

“But, while those kings of the past are born and become a king, they aren’t really a king from the beginning and usually they are not normal person either. So when they ascend to the throne, they act like the king of the past and didn’t care about other people around them. It didn’t also help that the people that surrounds the king liked to pamper them because of fear. But a king is necessary. While the king is bad news, the enemy is the worst. They don’t care what they do and just do what they want.

Even if it sounds the same as the annoying kings, those enemies aren’t really something that we can call human beings or the same as us. They are totally bad news. At least the kings are the same race as us but elevated by their status but still humans but those enemies?” Elder Johan shakes his head “They aren’t, they are completely alien beings” He snorts at his own wordings while probably imagining these so called enemies.

“Well, that is all for now. I need to go back and see if the preparation for the New Year is being finished” Elder Johan sighs and his expressions show sign of relief. It looks like he accomplished what he came for.

“Good luck Shinji. You would need it” With that, Elder Johan departs and that only leaves me and my father alone.

“Have you heard that clearly Touma” Shinji suddenly starts talking to me.

He is talking to me? I know that he maybe suspects something and I really didn’t act like a normal baby to begin with and with the elder’s confirmation of me being abnormal child. That will probably confirm some of his suspicion but to outright talk to me and expect me to answer him? That isn’t really smart move father.

“The alien enemy and the king, both are troublesome things. The enemies that just do whatever they want and a selfish king that needs to be controlled… what a troublesome thing.

So basically the king is the weapon to kill the enemy and the people throw praised at him but when he turns his back, they are cursing him. What a bunch of selfish hypocrites, these people are.

Though they can’t be also blamed with the way the king acts. The people would surely try to retaliate but since they can’t win against the king, individually. They are powerless. Unless the people rebel against the king, they won’t win. But they also don’t want to sacrifice themselves to go against the tyrant king” Shinji stops just to sigh and shakes his head.

“Humans are really selfish people” Shinji says while looking at me with half-open eyes.

“It looks like while you will have a troublesome life. Your little brother will probably have it worse… but I don’t know… I don’t know what to do” Shinji clenches his fist and reveal his weakness to me.

“I’m also one of those selfish people that can’t do anything” Shinji laments about his powerlessness and accepts it together with his weakness. He is not stupid enough to say that everything would be fine; he is a practical person to begin with. He can’t lie to himself and to me who is being sacrifice by the fate. It’s like all my luck had been sucked away and given to my little brother. That is what Touma thought of the matter with him being the unlucky one and his little brother being the lucky one but then again, his little brother will probably needing every bit of luck if his to triumph against those alien beings or his fellow kings.

From his knowledge of the myths, the kings are easily to be jealous of others and they want to claim everything for themselves.

Laugh… Woe is on me. I joke around even though it’s a serious situation but it’s not like I can also do something against it. I’m also a normal person, albeit plague with bad luck… but is bad luck would be enough as a weapon? I don’t know… Though I’m not entirely normal with my weird ability that is accordingly to grandpa, it’s like video game ability.

I don’t know on what to do too father. You’re not the only one who has problem and trying to ask me, a baby who hasn’t experience yet the trials of the world is a bit… though I had seen lots from the books of grandpa and the reoccurring dreams that happens every now and then, but it still not enough for me to be the one your consulting with.

I can only try to fake my smile and try to reach out to him.

My father sees this and his wary of closing it at first, since from what I remember; I haven’t touched my father yet. He finally crouches down and faces my face in the same level. He probably assumes that I’m trying to touch him but I didn’t.

I gave him a tap to the shoulder.

He was surprised of the gesture of me trying to comfort him but he just smile and answer with.

“Cheeky brat, you’re not even 1 year old and your already try to cheer up your old man” Shinji smiles stretch his face and he looks funny, he said determinedly “Its fine. I’m the father of the family. I won’t let the worst happen. You will just have to stay put and watch while I plan deal with those so called enemies”

+ 1 to Affection and the you’ve become closer to “Kusanagi Shinji”

My father Shinji Ikari, when he tried to marry my mother, the clan was fine with it but they have a condition that he needs to marry to the clan. He needs to take the Kusanagi name for himself.

My father might not look cool and looks wimpy at first. He has the look of young face with black hair, styled short cut at front and tied low ponytail and has clear innocent black eyes. He has cleaned shave because he doesn’t want to look like his father Gendo that has thick beard. He also looks like in his early teens to late teens even though his already 22 with average body size and average height, he looks feminine if you look from afar.

While he is clearly indecisive at first and like to blame others because he is afraid to take the blame, but once he decides on the path to take. He will be fearless and take on the challenge. Even though some of his decisions seems foolish but he even face his scary grandpa with his scary death glare with shaded glasses, when he said the news, that is also from bed time story that grandpa said to me.

With all the faults he has, he is still my father and I’m happy on what he decides, though I also need to prepare for the enemy to come.

I would really need those things you promise grandpa!

Hmm… should I ask for my father’s help too?

He doesn’t seem hostile to me now but I will endanger him with my bad luck if recklessly ask for his help now. Long distance communication would probably save that because the only receiving end of misfortunate events are the one near me or me, and I really need all the support I can get.

I still don’t have a clue on what’s my ability right now and what it can do and I act irrational by having empty conviction without an actual proof. That’s very foolish of me and even though I have scientist ability, I act by believing that I can do something, even though I don’t have a clue of the enemy aside from them being alien to us.

Are they conventional alien being that are foreign to us because they are from different race or are they alien because they are from different world?

Are they space alien that are trying to invade us?

But why leave it to supernatural kings?

Is the conventional weapon not enough?

Is it because the technology is slow in developing that the people haven’t made a counter against it yet?

Or are the people of the supernatural world the cause of it?

Because they are surely not helping by being secretive of everything that could actually help, and it’s not like we are totally outsiders. We are family too but they are clamping the information away from us.

We are already involved just by being the sibling of the future king and the father of the prophesize children.

My father might be becoming irrational because he felt helpless and doesn’t really know what’s happening. Even the small information the elder had given isn’t really enough to tell us the problem.

It’s like the elder is purposely leaving behind those clues and leaving us to how we will deal with it.

For now were just outsiders to the clan. We might be thankful for the bit of information that the elder leave behind but it’s not enough to help but at least we know where to start.

But it might be frustrating for father to not know anything, even though it involves his children (I wonder why I’m not feeling frustrated or any anger towards the treatment of me. I didn’t even feel much. That thought itself should be scary but I’m also not scared of such thought)

It’s my brother’s fate they are trying to control with. It’s should concern us too, to know it but if they aren’t being open with it, we can only prepare and investigate on our own. My father has connection; he will try to learn what it is, while I will just try to coerce grandpa to reveal it. It will take time but it’s not like it will happen immediately, seeing Godou is still a baby. It would be years before it happens and those years would be helpful for us to plan and prepare.

I look at my father and smile, he did the same and we had a silent agreement.

We will go against fate and those who tried to leave us behind in the dark.

+ 1 to Affection and the you’ve become closer to “Kusanagi Shinji”

 

Part 10

This is bad….

It’s taking too much time to increase the number of times a successful steal had been made. The game company is nuts to base the damage on it. What an annoying skill.

It’s been years since then and it’s already 2003 and… I’m not doing anything right now other than playing video game.

This is bad. The steal is kept on missing. It’s a good thing Vivi can deal lots of damage.

Here I’m playing FF IX. For day’s I’m grinding none stop since I get the game and after I made a recovery.

I have been training intensively lately since the talk with my father. I also got a cellphone from him and we talk through it. I also decided to reveal my ability to him and he helps me further by sending materials to study and on what he discovered about our mutual enemy.

Grandfather kept his promise though it takes a month before the 21 inch TV arrived together with a second hand playstation 1 but he still kept his promise and I got other different console from my father. For a world that lacks in technological development that would help in countering against those aliens, they sure know how to develop entertainment gadgets. Even if it’s a bit slow in the update.

After passing the test and acquiring the gifts from the elder’s. I tried to take a small vacation and brush up my gaming skills.

This small vacation won’t take too long, I’m just trying to get new ideas from the games and all I’ve been doing last year is train, fight and… kill.

I also don’t want to remember my first human kill.

Playing games helps me forget about them. It’s the same for training but I’ve felt tired of too much training and I felt that I need to finish a game or two before resuming.

The new ability I got would need a lot of testing.

There is also the warning that the elder gave to me. I don’t know what to do with it for the time being but I feel that I need to interrupt if they would be doing such thing in this place. But then again, if they are planning to keep it a secret then I’m probably fine, as long as there won’t be casualties in the surroundings but the elder also said that having no casualties is impossible because it’s a war they are fighting in.

I’m in a dilemma of what to do…

…

…

There had been few surprises that happen in between my birthdays and the months that pass.

I could say that it’s eventful and uneventful.

But it’s probably more life changing.

[Flashback]

Part 1

I didn’t get a birthday party which is unexpected with the way the clan views me and we’re staying at the ancestral house for reunion during my first birthday. All the people just ignored that it’s my birthday and act that it’s a normal new year for the clan and there isn’t any other occasion, aside from it.

It’s like I’ve been forgotten but I really didn’t care much. I’m too busy maxing Detect and Focus skill to care on my first birthday. The really surprising one is when the time points exactly the same as my birth hour, a notification pops up.

A year has pass and your struggle to survive is noted and as a reward. A gift is given.

+ 1 to STR, + 1 to DEX, + 1 to VIT, + 1 to INT and + 1 to WIS.

I was surprised when the notification shows up because it’s not just single stats that increase but all 5 of them.

The message itself is also a complete mockery of me by whoever set this up.

Giving a gift by surviving, I was getting angry back then when I saw the notification and even think of rejecting the gift (if possible) but my temper didn’t explode and my rational thinking kicks in that I even forgot why am I even angry with.

Back then I don’t have a clue on what it meant but I still continue my training like normal.

I did my daily routine like a well-oiled gear since my birthday and waited for the promised T.V. and gaming console from my grandpa.

And Grandpa did manage, the T.V. arrived at early February but I discovered that the console was hidden by my grandpa, from me, as a prank. I ended up discovering it under the pile of books in his office, though I doubt it’s the truth. He might have forgotten it and it got buried by the books.

The month’s past monotonously but I didn’t neglect every minute of it.

I savor my time while playing a game for hours until I can’t continue anymore, daily and the rest are for training.

I tried to talk with my Grandpa to complete the mission but I didn’t manage to find out the motive and ended up failing the mission.

It said in the quest that the mission failure would widen the gap between me and my grandpa and its right.

As the time passes by, he rarely talks to me and the relationship didn’t get closer anymore.

I’ve become isolated further from the world inside my home. I’m already in general knowledge of the current state of the world and the treatment of my grandpa to me isn’t helping.

I tried to talk with him but he just smiles at me and didn’t say anything.

I also didn’t manage to learn anything about the enemy.

The reunion comes closer and I hear the news that my mother is pregnant of her third child, from one of the slips up from my grandpa, when his talking someone in the phone.

This time around I’m not invited to attend and was just left behind in the house. At first I was about the question on why I’m being left behind, with me being a baby but my Grandpa… no Grandfather just answers with a simple

“You’re cable of being independent already right Touma?”

My grandfather said it directly at me.

The words are stuck on my throat, the question was left unspoken.

I don’t know if I should be happy that I’m being treated independent already or be sad that I didn’t felt being care anymore.

Well, his only gone for 2 weeks and I can manage on my own.

I’m knowledgeable in games now so I know what to do and already upgraded my skills in higher level.

The Skill have tier on its own, aside from the level. I only notice it when I clicked the upgrade.

There would be arrow heads pointing to the next level of the skill during an upgrade session.

While I can’t move or zoom out the window to see further what skills are available, I notice that after the next upgrade, it will branch up into 2. That gave me a clue that the skills probably run in a way like a Skill Tree.

In a Skill Tree, you can view the next skill you can learn and plan on how to build your character. It’s essential to not pick skills that will clash with each other’s.

But in this case, I won’t be able to see further on the skill tree aside from the current skill to be learned. It’s also restricted that I can only see it during an upgrade. It’s a pretty annoying feature. It’s a good thing that the arrow are only pointing in one direction after the first upgrade but the next one will probably be more complicated and I need to plan it more during upgrade.

The upgraded skill also took more time in leveling than the previews skill but I have time so I’m not in a hurry.

I still practice and play different more games.

The second birthday comes and another annoying announcement appeared, like in my first birthday.

A year has pass and your struggle to survive is noted and as a reward. A gift is given.

+ 1 to STR, + 1 to DEX, + 1 to VIT, + 1 to INT and + 1 to WIS.

During my training and playing, I notice several things to be noted.

I noticed the increase that dex increases if I kept on running around the house and thought that it’s connected to body’s speed. To my current understanding, having a 2 dex gave me a speed of 2 meters per second.

And if I pushed my limits of running and running for hours to days to months that I grew accustomed to my speed without getting tired.

Through continues training of bodily speed + 1 to DEX has been awarded

Through continues training of bodily speed + 1 to DEX has been awarded

Through continues training of bodily speed + 1 to DEX has been awarded

The other thing I notice for Dex is if I exercise and do stretching and flexibility exercise I get another reward for dex but its only if my body is used to it. It’s like when you’re pushing the limits of your body, it will ache and if you’re not feeling pain anymore, and then it means your body had grown accustomed to it.

You will be needed to increase either the limits of training to feel further effect.

Through continues training of bodily flexibility + 1 to DEX has been awarded

Through continues training of bodily flexibility + 1 to DEX has been awarded

The same training for strength is done but I’m not able to train it much because I can only do basic weight lifting exercise, using my gamer’s body.

We don’t have weights here in the house and even if I tried using some tools as weights, it becomes hard to train outside.

While we leave away from prying eyes, it’s still part of the city and I’m growing more accustomed to the feel that someone is observing me from afar. I can only train it for a bit and will gone back to playing video games again or just try stretching.

Stretching isn’t much suspicious exercise than seeing a child doing push-ups with one hand.

I still got rewarded for strength.

Through pushing the physical limits of the body + 1 to STR has been awarded.

I enjoyed training my body and playing video games.

My first game is Breath of Fire III and it taken my breath away and my time to train.

I don’t need to sleep so I’m a perfect gamer that I can continue on playing until I finished my first game. Though my grandfather gave an angry look more often times when I begin playing nonstop.

Back then, we still talk and I try to talk him on coercing out his motives for taking care of me.

Our relationship only become stagnant and a bit awkward is when I didn’t gave up in trying asking him about supernatural world and why did he take care of me. I didn’t ask him directly and tried to be subtle but maybe he manages to pick it up which is why he starts treating me like this. I still blame myself for my carelessness and my stubbornness to complete the quest.

While the quest is one of the reasons on why I’m asking grandfather, it’s not the main reason.

The main reason will still be the same of why take care of me if you think I’m the reason why your wife’s dead?

That thought will plague me until I grew old.

I might fall into grandfather’s smile before but when I saw him accidentally crying in front of his late wife’s picture. I’m sure my sins aren’t forgiven or forgotten. The feelings are just hidden but it’s there.

I just don’t know on what those feelings are and what other things did he keep hiding from me.

But I try not to think of it and just drown myself in training or playing games.

I train and played games none stopped that I got into a status effect “Blindness” My first status effect experience.

It’s really scary to not see anything. My heart that is always calm, start beating fast and I got scared that I almost panic but after a second that the highly induced fear that I felt was wash away and I regain my composure and I just try to rest for a while. I might be just tired and indeed I was tired. After an hour of sleep which is unusual for me now, I usually sleep for only 30 minutes and I would have a complete recovery.

But back then, I didn’t know yet the mechanics between resting in a bed and just resting in general so I didn’t know if I over sleep or not but I usually didn’t sleep that long.

After that, I become careful to not get another status effect so after 2 hours of playing; I will eat and then train for hours until my stamina depletes and then rest for 30 minutes then start playing again.

At first I spend 5 days to complete an RPG game but game after game that I’ve been used to it. I only take me a day or 2, if I didn’t take extreme measure to over level my characters and get secrets here and there, or get a complete item collection.

It’s really time consuming to save items, instead of using them, collecting them so I have all the items available in my inventory. It also cost additional times to get maximum levels and strongest weapon, strongest spells or skills attain before the final fight.

But aside from final boss fight, the annoying optional bosses are more problematic. They are stronger than the main story boss. It’s irritating when you train and train for hours to beat an optional boss but when you get to the final boss of the main story, it got killed in few hits.

I feel I got cheated.

Final fantasy series, Breath of fire series, Suikodon series, legend of legaia, star ocean, Valkyrie profile, digimon series, wild arms, dragon valor, vagrant story, grandia, musashi, chrono cross, legend of dragoon, xenogears series, parasite eve, persona, tales of destiny, castlevania, legend of mana, lunar series, tales of destiny series, megaman/rockman series and many more.

My favorite types of game are rpg series and I didn’t like much the fighting game. I liked to play shooting game but it’s hard to aim if it’s not auto aim in analogue controller. I tried playing galge but I didn’t have much patience to listen or read the problems of the girls. It just seems pointless for me and waste of time.

I prefer playing fantasy rpg where my favorite are the heavy magic damage dealers. They are fragile but they pack a mean punch.

After my second birthday which ended up with me staying at the house, quests start appearing and keeps on coming but it usually has a 10 exp award only.

The frequent quest is helping grandfather or cleaning the house with 10 to 50 exp, depending in the duration of quest.

I also go into question in answer with grandfather. Its question in answer in a form, he tried to ask my progress on my ability and I will try to deflect it or gave little information.

I trust my grandfather but sometimes I feel murderous intent from him when he thought I’m not looking. I didn’t reveal the skill detect to grandfather because I thought it’s not really important when he starts questioning me and when I remember it, I felt elated that I didn’t tell everything about my ability to grandfather.

In those past months, I manage to level up but it’s not an automatic level up. I need to configure before I level up too. Pretty tedious ability I have.

[Status] I said verbally

???

“Kusanagi” Touma

Level 0

HP – 120

STA – 110

EN – 170

STR – 3

DEX – 6

VIT – 2

INT – 7

WIS – 5

LUCK – EX

STATUS POINTS – 5

That is for status and my title is in??? I tried clicking it but it just shows “due to lack of information the truth hasn’t been revealed yet”

Calling it crappy mystery game might be appropriate with these crappy settings.

I need to find clue or answer on my own for it to appear.

The EX in luck too, It meant that it can’t be quantified. No wonder I have crappy luck, I had – EX (Negative EX)

I expect it further and the HP is hit points and like in games, if it hits zero, I’m dead.

EN is energy which is weird. The others had MP or magical points but here the parameter below HP is EN that has the same description for??? Title, it only shows “due to lack of information the truth hasn’t been revealed yet”

HP or Hit points

• Has a 100 per level formula
• Every point in VIT gave a 10 additional HP
• Every 10 points in VIT increase the regeneration rate of HP by 10%
• The regeneration rate of HP is .5% of total HP amount per 5 seconds.

STA or Stamina

• Has a 100 per level formula
• Every point in STA gave a 5 additional HP
• Every 10 points in STA increase the regeneration rate of STA by 10%
• The regeneration rate of STA is .5% of total HP amount per 10 seconds.

EN or Energy???

• Has 50 per level formula
• Every point in INT gave a 10 additional EN
• Every 10 points in WIS increase the regeneration rate of EN by 10%
• The regeneration rate of EN is .5% of total EN amount per 5 seconds.

STR or Strength

• Every point gave 2 points to Physical Melee Damage
• Every point gave additional 10 kilograms of weight limit for item inventory
• Every point also generally increase overall Power of the body

DEX or Dexterity

• Every point gave 2 points to Physical Long Range Damage
• Every point is equal to 1 meter per second movement speed
• Every point generally affects the Evasion and Attack Speed
• Every point also generally increase the overall Accuracy and Flexibility

VIT or Vitality

• Every point give 2 points in overall Physical Defense
• Every point gave additional 10 HP and 5 STA
• Every 10 points increase the regeneration rate of HP and STA by 10%
• Every point generally enhance once Endurance

INT or Intelligence

• Every point gave 2 points in Special Attack Damage
• Every point gave additional 10 EN
• Every 10 point give 1% Elemental Resistance
• Every point generally makes one more Knowledgeable

WIS or Wisdom

• Every point give 2 points in overall Supernatural Defense
• Every 10 points increase the regeneration rate of EN by 10 %
• Every 10 point give 1% Holy and Arcane Resistance
• Every point generally makes one more Wiser

I didn’t try to level up yet. The status points to distribute are 5 points only and it’s an important point that I can’t waste without proper planning on how I will fight from now on.

So for now, I’m training to the limit of what I can do normally. If it became too hard to train in the open then I need to change the place where I train and that would probably be the time limit for me to step up the level of training.

If I hit my limit in training normally, then I would probably ask father for assistance.

His been helping me a bit with reading materials that has been sending occasionally, it helps develops scientist and mathematician to higher level and my knowledge broadens in a more functional level but it’s not enough yet, it’s not enough to counter the unknown enemy. Father promise to send more advance books in the future and he also plans to investigate more about the occult stuff.

He will relay the important information that he deems important to my survival, Touma thought while thinking about the cooperation between father and son. They aren’t close to each other and haven’t met again but at least they treat each other as comrade. Maybe in the future, it will turn into a real family but for now, it’s enough that they have common goal.

Grandfather had stop assisting me in getting more education books (which I’m thankful to my father for giving me the needed books) but he keeps on giving me books that are related to supernatural, it helps a bit but I don’t know of what’s real and what’s not with no proper guidance but… I trust grandfather that he would at least give me concrete information on how to counter my enemies.

He and the other elders still probably had plans for me, so they will help me in their own way…. And if the books that I’ve been given is the clue I needed… it painted a grim picture of the future.

Most of the books I’ve been given are about gods… and seriously… would the enemy be those gods?

I hope not. They are pretty destructive and strong to the point that it’s hopeless to fight them.

No wonder the people in the past needed heroes and depend on the supernatural king to fight them.

Conventional weapon would probably not even wound them because they are like spirits or akin to have no physical bodies. If they physically manifest, he don’t know if the laws of the physical world would affect them.

He quietly murmurs the next command to think about.

 [Inventory]

The inventory command that give me access to infinite storage, it only shows slots and the current screen shows 50 slots. I don’t know if it will continue to expand but I tried pilling up stones in it and the slot that stone occupied is only one. It just keeps on stacking on that one slot which is why I said infinite storage.

While the storage has probably unlimited expansion, I have limit. The indication is the maximum weight limit I can carry that can be found on the lower right of the screen.

I can still carry more with the proof of the stones but I would be hindered to move if I exceed the limit.

The heavier the stones become, the harder for me to move.

The status effect “Overweight” was introduced to me. It halves my movement speed and bodily functions when I exceed the maximum weight limit, but by the time I carried double of the maximum weight limit, the reduction had become three-fourths already and when I tried further, up till the limit of 3 times the maximum limit. I become immobile on the ground.

I can’t even lift my finger to configure the screen.

I thought it’s a stupid move and I would end up dead there but I learned that I can manipulate the screen mentally and I didn’t need to click it manually. Though I need to stay and focus for it to be done. I tried running around and tried to use mental command but I can only access the window. It’s hard for me to configure it mentally while doing some other task. But maybe in the future it can be done at the same time. It will surely help.

The equipment menu is beside the inventory slots. It has typical slot for head gear, upper torso and lower waist slot, Right arm and right wrist with the same for left arm and left wrist. Hip slot to left and right leg slot with lastly left and right feet slot. A total of 12 slots available for use but I discovered that it’s not the limit.

One can equip additional upper torso body armor in layers. It will just stack with each other. The same for finger accessories where I tried to equip 2 normal rings in one finger and it just shows up in the equipment, that it’s place overlapping in the same slot. It’s good information to know because I won’t be limited to one item per slot.

The gamer’s ability is flexible enough accommodate it. It’s more like a training guideline that if one follows through, will surely come out strong or so Touma thought because the enemy in the future would be surely strong enough to kill him if his not strong enough to at least retaliate against the enemy.

My current equipment

Upper Torso = Simple white shirt

Def 2 Durability 10/10

Hip = Simple black shorts

Def 2 Durability 10/10

Right and Left feet = Simple rubber slippers

Def 1 Durability 10/10

Right wrist =???

That finally one on my wrist or right hand is the unknown and mysterious one because it didn’t show anything aside from??? And I didn’t currently equip anything on my right hand.

I spoke the next word. I still prefer speaking it than mental command but if it comes to a fight. I will probably use mental command; right now I’m just practicing and training. There is no threat to make me cautious.

[Ability]

??? (The first ability is in???, a total unknown ability)

Gamer’s Mind (Level Max)

The ability to let the person to act calm all time, and pick the best strategy in front of all trials and troubles.

Effect:

Prevents clouding of one’s mind by relaxing the mind when feeling emotions that might affects ones judgment.

Immunity to mind altering effects

Note:

Since it prevents strong emotions, when one is feeling strong emotion the feeling will only last a second and the mind will be forced to calm down.

Gamer’s Body (Level Max)

This ability allows the change of the basic makeup of the body to same as game character inside a game.

Effect:

One can restore HP and EN by resting.

-In Bed restore 100% in 15 minutes

-Covered ground outside 75% in 15 minutes

-Open ground outside 50% in 15 minutes

-Resting in bed for 30 minutes will remove any status effect.

Any pain will feel 100% but will only last a second before removing the feel of pain

Consuming items will have gave the same effect as items inside the game

Japanese Language (Researcher Level)

The ability to write, read, speaks, and decipher up to basic ancient Japanese text.

Note:

To further level the ability. One must acquire further items to increase one understanding on the language.

Required:

Ancient Japanese Language [Sage Level]

Multi-Language (Special Level)

The ability to write, read, speaks, and deciphers ancient mythological text.

Note:

This ability is highly specializing that it can only function on ancient languages that are needed to decipher ancient civilization’s manuscripts and artifacts.

It can’t function properly in modern times where the languages of different country evolve as the time grew.

Required:

Modern Language Material [Elementary level]

(I get this ability by absorbing grandfather’s note on how he manages to read his collection of ancient textbooks. This ability also a proof that one can learn master level skills or abilities without going through the basic, it a cheating thing that skips the basic information and onto the important ones but it’s an important fact that would help me a lot in the future.)

Scientist (For Teenagers)

The ability to fully understand the world wonders and the universal law that governs reality

Effect:

By fully understanding the laws of the universe, one can take control of it and advantage given by the present world to the one who explores.

Increase in INT would allow better understanding of the world’s building block of creations.

Increase in INT would allow better understanding of the world’s environment.

Increase in INT would allow better creativity in creating new items.

Required:

To further the knowledge about the universe, one needs to endlessly study and research.

Science college School level

Advance Physics

Advance Chemistry

Advance Earth Science

Advance Life Science

Advance Applied Science

Advance Engineering Works

Mathematician (For Teenagers)

The ability to quantify the world as it is and gives proven reasoning and fact that would help one to understand the reality of the world

Effect:

The ability to compute for answers mentally.

Increase in INT would allow difficult computation to be done mentally

Increase in INT would also allow faster processing of computation

Required:

To further the knowledge of being a Mathematician one needs to further practice and study different branch of math.

Math college School Level

Advance Algebra

Advance Geometry and Topology

Advance Analysis

Advance Trigonometry

Advance Calculus

As for skills

[Skills]

Observation level 15 Exp 2% Active: Cost 10 Energy

The skill that lets you read and understands the basic information about your target.

Effect:

It shows basic information of the enemy

Maximum range of target the target is 15 meters and needs within visual contact.

Currently, 15 levels above your level will have its basic information reveal

Current reveal information

-Title

-Name

-Hit points and Magical or Energy points

-Basic description of the target

Note:

The higher the level of the skill, the more information would be revealed.

The amount of information revealed is based on the difference of level. The higher the difference in level, the lesser the information being revealed

Per each level increase, it will raise maximum level of the target can be observed to a maximum of 50 level difference.

Higher level target that is beyond ones skill won’t reveal any information

Every 10 levels will increase the maximum range by 5 meters

(The most annoying skill to level up, I can’t find any item that is high enough for me to get experience anymore, unless I go to the locked room of Grandfather, that door is looked in not a normal way, but I’m not desperate enough to gamble in it so I will wait and be patient)

[Rank 2] Analyze (Level 1: Psychometry) level 56 Exp: 52% Active: Cost 20 Energy

The skill that allows one analyzes information and knowledge from different books and items. It only needs physical contact and the information will flow into you.

Effect:

Takes 1 minute to fully analyze and digest the information stored inside the item.

INT helps to shorten the time need to understand the item.

Current number of items that can be analyze at the same time is 5

Note:

The size of the item can alter the time needed to fully analyze the item.

Every 10 level, the number of items that can be analyzed at the same time will increase by 1.

[Rank 2] Taunt (Brat annoys the Enemy) Level 25 Exp: 58% Active: Cost 10 Energy

The skill that allows one to gather the attention of the living beings around you

Effect:

Get the attention of the enemy in 10 meters around you

Note:

Every 10 level will increase the range by 5 meters

(A pretty embarrassing skill to train that I ended up neglecting it but I can’t deny the usefulness of the skill, if only I didn’t need to shout to use this skill, I might be incline to use it more)

[Rank 2] Crawling (Kid playing around) Level 58 Exp: 24% Active: Cost 10 Stamina

This skill allows one to crawl on the ground swiftly.

Effect:

Increase in movement speed by 290% that last a minute.

10 stamina cost per minute

Note:

Increase in level will increase movement speed by 5% per level.

Can travel in uneven terrain without decreasing in speed but be careful for dangerous area.

[Rank 2] Walking (Kid adventuring around) Level 61 Exp: 87% Passive/Active: Cost 10 stamina

The skill to walk in 2 feet unhindered, balance and undetected.

Effect:

Passive: increase movement speed by 30% and gave a 61% concealment effect.

Active: increase movement speed by 60%

10 stamina cost per minute

Note:

Passive: Every 10 level increase movement speed by 5%

Passive: Every level increase concealment effect by 1%

Active: Every 5 level increase movement speed by 5%

[Rank 2] Run (Kid playing around) Level 88 Exp: 55% Active: Cost: 10 Stamina

The skill to run fast unhindered and balance.

Effect:

Increase movement speed by 880%

10 Stamina cost per minute

Note:

Every level increase movement speed by 5%

(Walk, crawl and run are my all movement skills but the speed for it is under my control. I can go to maximum benefits provided by the skill or I will do it on my pace. Though in the case for running, I do it always at maximum to easily increase level and to improve Dex)

Evasion (Tumbling around) Level 89 Exp: 51 Active: Cost 5 Stamina

The skill to move around swiftly and evade the incoming attacks

Effect:

Increase evasion chances by 40%

High Dex will increase evasion chance

Note:

Every 10 levels increase the evasion chance by 5

(This is an untested skill. It says evasion but I’m just tumbling and rolling around. Evading incoming imaginary attacks, I don’t know the effectiveness of it for real battles, though this also helps in increasing Dex)

Acrobatics (Kid be Adventurous!) Level 64 Exp: 24% Active: Cost 5 Stamina

The skill to do acrobatic moves is it in ground or aerial setting.

Effect:

Move swiftly and unhindered in ground and aerial area.

Note:

High Dex will make acrobatic movement easier

High Str will make acrobatic movement easier

(Another weird skill I get when I’m trying to climb the trees in the backyard and I jump from it to the ground and roll around to not hurt myself. This skill allows me to easier jump from the trunk of the tree and grabs the branches and swings me upward. A pretty weird and useful skill to have)

[Rank 2] Reading (Casual Reader) level 91 Exp 10% Active: Cost 5 Stamina

The skill to read written document that one can understand and knows the language written.

Effect:

Increase in speed of reading and understanding of the words being read.

INT affects the speed of reading and how fast one can comprehend the words.

Cost 5 additional Stamina will need after 30 minutes and will last for another 10 minutes.

Note:

Further level will increase the reading speed and the time to understand the material will shorten.

Further used of skill will cost decrease in HP and will cause “Blindness” and “Headache” status effect.

(A pretty useful and easy to level up skill, I can just keep on reading the books around the library that even if I know it already, it will still get EXP. Unlike the annoying observation skill)

[Rank 2] Keen Sense (Constant Vigilance) Level 3 Exp 23% Active: Cost 5% Stamina

The merging of Focus and Detect skill brought a new level of skill. It allows the user to be in constant ready state and can feel the threat in his surrounding easily but it give penalties.

Effect:

The user is in constant alert that it’s impossible to be caught in ambush if the enemy is within the range.

Current maximum range of the skill is 3 meters.

It alerts and identifies the ill intention of the enemy within range.

The skill can be active semi-permanently by the cost of 5% of the overall stamina.

Note:

Every level increases the range by 1 meter.

Cost 5 % of the overall Stamina to be activated but it won’t cost additional stamina after activating and it will stay in a semi-permanent state unless deactivated.

It gave warning and identify of the ill’s intent of your surrounding living beings.

– Discomfort

– Dislike

– Anger

– Hatred

– Murderous

Sixth Sense (Error Detector) Level 78 Exp 2% Active: Cost 5% Stamina

The skill allows one to detect and know the supernatural phenomenon in your surroundings.

Effect:
Alerts one if there is supernatural phenomenon within 78 meter range

The skill can be active semi-permanently by the cost of 5% of the overall stamina.

Note:

Every level will increase the range by a meter.

Cost 5 % of the overall Stamina to be activated but it won’t cost additional stamina after activating and it will stay in a semi-permanent state unless deactivated.

(The most useful skill I have and also the one that felt most natural to me. It allows me to know that the room that Grandfather had been locked and barred me from entering has magical artifacts inside. It also gives a proof of supernatural happenings and Grandfather is casually using it around me, be it from observing me or when his tending the garden of Grandma. He doesn’t have a clue about this skill or some of my new and unique skills; I feel that it would be the right decision because he also is not being open with me)

Resist Blunt Damage Level 15 Passive: Exp 87% Passive

The ability to resist blunt damage or strike type of damage, it will lower the damage taken.

Effect:

Reduce damage taken from blunt or strike type of damage by 7.5 %

Note:

Increase damage reduction as level increase by .5%

Resist Slash Damage Level 12 Passive: Exp 29% Passive

The ability to resist bladed or slash type of damage, it will lower the damage taken.

Effect:

Reduce Damage taken from slash type of attack by 6%

Note:

Increase damage reduction as level increase by .5%

Resist Pierce Damage Level 9 Passive: Exp 15% Passive

The ability to resist stabbing or piercing type of damage, it will lower the damage taken.

Effect:

Reduce Damage taken from slash type of attack by 4.5%

Note:

Increase damage reduction as level increase by .5%

(I got the resist pierce damage by stabbing myself with a knife. I know right? It’s not normal but my mentality is also not normal. With a resist blunt and slash already, there should be stab so I experiment on stabbing myself with a knife. I know I won’t die from it because it’s only my hand and I already observed the damage that the knife can do so it’s a calculated experiment. I just didn’t expect the “Bleeding” Status effect to affect like that.

I expect a possibility of bleeding but I didn’t expect that bleeding would be brutal. I got a Bleeding [Moderate] Status effect and it eats 10 Hp per second. The knife already dealt 20 damage to my palm and the bleeding effect just made it worse. I thought I would die back then, it’s a good thing I got “Unconscious” status effect due to lack of blood. The regeneration works while I sleep and heal the wound but it really did me there)

That is all for my status, inventory, ability and skills.

I’m still grinding my skills and it’s just early of the year. I will probably max it by the end of the year and be ready to go Rank 3 on my third birthday.

I wonder if I’ll be invited by this year reunion. I didn’t manage to attend last year because Grandfather said that they don’t want a repeat of Godou and with my mother’s being pregnant with her third.

They are just being careful and protective of my mother and I understand. I didn’t make much fuss about it but I just want my Grandfather to tell me more about it.

My father is also busy with work that from what he last said. He hasn’t seen mother for a while now. I don’t know if his lying or trying to hide something.

I wonder what’s really happening. They are keeping on the dark far too much.

I didn’t even know the gender of my second younger sibling.

Sigh…..

Concentrate! Concentrate!

I will just continue on what I’ve been doing and will hope for the best.

I train. I play. I sleep.

This are the only things I did for months and will still probably do in the future, until the enemy comes. For me who have been plague by bad luck and can’t function well in the society without harming other people beside me, I can only stay her and do this action repeatedly.

Is this what it means to live?

I hope the enemy will come sooner. At least the enemy will become a purpose for me to live. The knowledge of an upcoming enemy that I must defeat is the only thing that moves me.

I wonder if I will find another reason to live…

Part 2

The year is ending and the yearly, year-end reunion of the clan will be held.

This time around I was invited and I had come together with Grandfather. We haven’t talked since the travel begun and we only sat in silence. We are currently going to Izumo. The yearly reunion would be held there this time.

I learned that the clan is connected to the shrine there too. The Izumo Taisha is the oldest Shinto shrine in Japan. While we aren’t directly connected to them now that we severed ties with outside world, the Kusanagi clan is still one of those who helped build that shrine. Just from learning that fact, one can see how old and influential the clan is.

I haven’t grasped the full historical background of the clan but Grandfather at least teaches me some of the significant ones. He stop provided knowledge from the outside world but he still give information about supernatural beings and the history of the clan.

I already maxed most of my current skills, and its ready to evolve but I will wait until next year or until I return back to Fuyuki.

The home in Fuyuki… I don’t know if I can call the living room or the house in Fuyuki as home. I know the meaning of Home from the book but I can’t feel that the house I’m living in can be called home.

Sigh…. I’ve been thinking a lot lately and even preferred to play games than actually training which is possibly the reason for me to take 2 years just to max the rank 2 skills, I finished the rank 1 skills with only 5-7 months of continues training.

I really need to step up my training but I’m finding myself too lazy to move around. I can only think about the future and about myself.

I ask for the college level books from my father and he complies and sends them. I try to making some conversation with him but often said that his busy and if this is not important then we can just talk for another time.

I haven’t had a decent conversation with anyone aside from the enemy, supernatural beings and my abilities.

They haven’t asked a bit if I’m even fine…

Part 3

We had arrived at Izumo Taishamae station and went to the shrine, at first I thought the ancestral home is near the Izumo Taisha shrine but we didn’t stop there. We go further into the mountainous region of Yakumo Yama and in its slope; the ancestral house is located deep within the woods. The road is hidden and unless you knew where to find it, you will get lost.

I’m surprised they built it here and why would they pick a house deep inside the mountain as a spot for reunion? They won’t get many attendees with how hard it is to get here.

I tried asking Grandfather on why they pick this but he won’t say anything and we continue to trek the mountain road in silent.

We had arrived in the ancestral house and like the first house I visited, its old though I start noticing something wrong. We already late in the December when we decide to come here, so there should be already early attendees here but it’s too silent for a gathering.

What do you plan Grandfather? Is what Touma is thinking right now.

We enter the heavy wooden door that has an old style design with an emblem of the clan as the handle.

We enter the room and its dark with a divider screen in the front of the hall….

It’s too dark for me to get a clear view but isn’t this setting usually used for when one is having an audience with the emperor?

“Welcome Kusanagi Ichirou and “Kusanagi Touma” I hear the voice called us and when I tried to track the source of the voice, it’s not from the ones in front. Did they use echo effect here to get such result?

The room is made up of wood, the walls is wood, the floor is made of up and even the ceiling is wood. Though there is no window here so the voice can bounce back with wooden environment.

But what do they want to achieve with that? Are they trying to intimidate me? Because it won’t work against me with the gamer’s mind ability. I won’t be able to feel fear though I know the meaning of fear but I haven’t and won’t ever feel it. And if such situation did happen, I will probably just forget it or I would be force to calm down to not affect my performance.

“Elders, Here I present the one who is being tested its worth” Grandpa starts conversing with them. I just tried to observe the surrounding and be on alert. I’m in an unfriendly environment with the all the alert I’m having but I’m being tested?

Is this a trial that if I fail I would die? That is the question that comes to my mind but I didn’t bother voicing my thoughts with them completely ignoring me.

“Why would we even test that monster, let’s just end him already” This one is clearly angry at me and wanted me dead, his voice is dripping with venom that even I could tell that his very angry but what did I do to him?

I only have met Elder Johan and the others are still mystery to me.

I don’t know how many the elders are in the clan because my Grandfather won’t answer such question but I hope this will at least give me a clue on what do they feel about me or how many they are.

“We should be patient and see if he has the potential to be of use to us” Another one but it has the same voice as the first one. Are they using their “magic”? because this place is brimming with supernatural feel in it.

“He will only bring harm to the clan, think of the people that will get hurt in the future, if we let leave the demon around” Another same voice that bounce in the room, this will be pointless. I don’t know how to differentiate each voice from the others, but at least I’m hearing their opinion but it won’t give me a clear number.

“We could use him as a sacrifice for the king”

“Would that king be of any use at all?”
“All the previews kings are annoying Tyrant and just do what they do to the land, they might as well be the calamity itself”

“But without the kings, we will get killed by the rampaging gods”

What? Gods? For real? The enemy is gods?

I have my suspicions but this news just made me worried (for a second) because they would surely beings that spell death and destruction

“Those kings will also get us killed, and they stay longer than the heretic gods. The Heretic gods will just randomly arrive and cost destruction in the city or country and will left after but the Campione will live for century and will do lots of more damage than the heretic gods”

Campione? Heretic Gods?

Is the campione the title of the kings that fought and slay the enemy Gods?

And the heretic gods are the rampaging gods? From the word heretic or heresy, I can probably deduce that they contradict the myths or legends but why would they go rampaging?

The gods are sentient beings too right?

I know from the myths that I learned that some are arrogant and would lay waste to the land but some are benevolent beings. Is the enemy the evil gods? But if they are already evil, they would be expected to do evil deeds. They aren’t needed to be called heretic if they are already god of evil. Just call them evil gods and not heretic gods. It just didn’t make sense.

What is happening here?

“Can we please get back to the topic of what to do with the demon? We’re already talking about the King but it won’t happen anytime soon, the most likely chance is it won’t happen for at least 15 more years”

“True, the past Campione usually become kings around the age where they are reaching adulthood”

That’s useful information. This meeting is becoming a boon to me, even if they are talking about my death. At least, I’m able to get information on for how long I need to prepare

“The demon must die. We will do great help to the world if we killed the demon”

“The monster had useful abilities, it can learn fast from the reports given, and we could use it for the benefit of the clan”

Are they idiot or something? They are talking about me while I’m here. They should know that any normal human being would be angry because of their conversation.

“The benefit outweighs the potential threat. He brings misfortune to those surround him and the vision already foretells his future as the one who will bring end to the era! He might be even the source of the end of the world”

“Bah! Preposterous! There had been lots of end of the world prophecy in the past and it didn’t happen”

“We can probably interpret it as something else. Like the end of our status or the society”

“That is also another preposterous notion. While we might cut ties with them, we still knew that they monitor the world as it is and try to control it from behind the scenes”

“Those blue blood people in Europe won’t allow their power to dwindle”

“Those arrogant bastards, of course they would do anything to stay in power”

“There are also those who play with sticks and acts like there is no outside world, aside from their own.”

“The hypocrites that said they want to be of help to others even though they are continuously lying to them”

“Ah… them… I don’t like them either. They act benevolent but the truth is when you find their true identity, they won’t hesitate to erase your memory. Bunch of hypocrites” I can hear his scoff and grumbling about the people he describe.

“I actually prefer those hypocrites than the researchers who doesn’t care about the lives of others”

“Well, for me I actually prefer the arrogant researchers, they won’t hide behind the mask of kindness when they are looking down on you”

What is happening…. They are trying to decide my fate right? They are just chatting with each other’s… as if…

“Hmm, while I agree with the others opinion, the one I hate the most are the one pretending to be “knights in shining armor” that bend their knee the first chance they have against a superior enemy”

“Those cowards”

“Well, we can’t really blame them. They want to live and don’t want the anger of the king to be brought onto them”

“And let’s not talk about the gifted. They are worse than the blue bloods. They are genius who doesn’t know the meaning of failure. I hate them the most”

Uwaaa…. That was extreme hate there.

There is lots of malice in the air with every curse that the elders been spitting around.

I don’t care anymore. Let them chat and gave me clues on how the supernatural world works because that is what they are doing. I wonder what kind of test they would give me.

“The only people I can actually work are those who view the gift as a tool to further their goal”

“Well those people are indeed easy to get along with”

“They also didn’t look down at others because they are people who also being look down with”

“True. True. Desperate people that will use desperate means to reach their goals”

Hmm, they actually agreed on something. I wonder what type of people they are to be at least respected by the elders, because all they have been doing are complaining about others that aren’t here to hear their complaints.

“Mah. Mah.. Everyone. Let’s calm down. We’re not here to confess our hatred towards the magic side of the world. We are here to test the young one” The one that speak can be easily identify.

He didn’t use magic to bounce off his voice and I actually knew the source of it.

There! The source of the voice had come on the right side of the elders.

The blinds rise and I got a clear view of this elder. He is second to the last to the right. Now that I see the blinds rising, I can estimate that there are 5 blinds here, and possibly 5 elders are present.

The elder looks young, around in their 30’s going to 40’s. Has brown curly hair and has a nice gentle face that is smiling at me. He has brown eyes and had glasses on.

He is dressed in black kimono with a white haori over him.

He looks nice and kind elder

[Observation]

If not for observation, I might be fooled that he is some kind Elder. This reminds me that I also need observe Elder Johan now, with my stronger observation; it might reveal more information about him. But the level gap still hurts the result.

Observation is really a useful skill. Even a totally unknown will be known, though it has severe limitation but it’s still very useful.

“Now, let’s start again” The brown haired elder restart the conversation

“Kusanagi Touma, You’re here in front of the elder council to be tested” The elder smile and raised his hand as a calming gesture after mentioning the test.

“Now don’t be alarmed, we’re part of the council that doesn’t really hate you” Uhuh… an idiot would be the only one who will probably believe you, is what Touma thought about the brown haired elder.

“We’re the ones who are even protecting you from the other elders who want to just end you” There are more elders?

“The clan is in turmoil on what to do to you. You’re smart from what Ichirou reported and should know that you’ve pose as a threat to people around you.

The perfect example is your mother who always been in harm when your around him. But fret not young one. Your mother now is in perfect health.

The other example is your grandmother that died because of your bad luck” The elder tried to look sad but I’m not buying it, my grandfather beside me is clutching his fist with the mention of his late wife’s death.

“So you see Touma. If just by being alive, your bringing world with misfortune isn’t it better than just to end it just for the sake of your love ones little one?” The elder tried to be dramatic but I’m sorry elder, I don’t know the meaning of love so I can’t relate to what you’re saying. If you’re trying to bring out the emotions out of me, then you will fail.

“That’s why Touma, we proposed a test for you.

The knowledge that you want to fight the enemies of mankind was pass onto us and we’re debating about it.

If you can really brought down the threat against mankind then wouldn’t it be fine to let you live?

We would even help you in your endeavor but will you even succeed?

Will we gamble our lives and the clan’s lives for you?

You, who can only bring misfortune and sadness to the people around you?”

The elder… what he had said is true… I know and understand my position… I will only bring harm to the people around me, which is also why I’m fine with grandfather being distant to me.

I’m fine on my own. I won’t bring harms to the others that way.

I’m fine on my own. That way I’m the only one struggling.

I’m fine on my own. I can live with it by knowing I’m not harming the others.

I’m fine on my own… I’m… fine… on… my own…

Am I really fine on my own?

“So the test that will brought to you is a simple one, you might die during the test but this test if you fail then it just mean that you’re not the one we’ve been waiting for.

Since you aim to fight the enemies, or in this case the heretic gods in the future. This little test would be a test run of your mettle; it will bring out the best out of you and the worse. You will know your current strength better and will have a grasp of the strength of the supernatural world.

It will also teach you something about the enemy.

If you pass, you will live and be rewarded. And maybe, just maybe… you will be the one that we’ve been waiting for…” The elder had been silent after that.

I’m also silent and confuse on my own. I’m thinking if I’m really fine on my own and if I’m really fine. But every time I’ve been too confuse on my own. I’ve been calmed by the gamer’s mind ability and just ended up not getting the answer of my inner turmoil.

I’ve only manage to hear clearly his last sentence and that bring me out of my stupor.

“You’ve been waiting for? But elder…. Isn’t that my little brother?” I’ve manage to ask the question that if not been answered then I would probably be eternally confused on my own doing. Trying to find meaning of my life but maybe… maybe this would be the reason of why I’m alive.

“Ah… yes your brother, the one prophesize as future King. King… you know Touma. You should have known already that the kings aren’t popular people” The elder stop there and look to his right and smiles. Elder Johan is probably attending this meeting to and is one of the elder to his right. There are 3 to his right and probably 1 to his left.

“The kings are born special Touma, just like how you’re special but the kings are totally opposite of you”

“While you know the misfortune and the hate of the world, the kings are the one who are love by the world and the fate itself”

“They will always win in game of luck and there was saying that they can twist the fate to accommodate them and let them win” The Elder smile a about that, and I feel the mirth on his words, his laughing about such notion.

“But you know Touma, we don’t believe such thing. We don’t believe that a will of a person can twist the fate so you will win. It’s more like the fate is on their side and will change the reality to accommodate them” The elder frowns and shakes his head.

“Such an unfair treatment” The Elder’s frown deepen and I feel hate from him and but not towards me but to an unknown enemy.

“The kings are unfair beings that will always get what they want.

They won’t know the meaning of failure.

They won’t know the meaning of misfortune and most likely.

They won’t know what the feeling of someone who struggle with their whole life just to live”

There is wisdom to his words and it reverberates to me.

I know his probably trying to trick and manipulate me but his telling the truth at the same time and he had the feeling of the worse of the world can bring. He knew the feeling of lost and the failure that any human feel.

He is also just like me.

“For a being that the fate sided with, do you really think we will bring our hopes and dream to such being?”

The elder smiles towards me but probably a not fake one… I don’t know how but I can feel that… we understand each other.

“Two people who don’t experience the same thing won’t understand the feelings of the others”

“One can say that I understand your lost but is that really true?

Do you know my feeling of lost?

But how can you understand my feeling if you always win?

How can you know my feeling of losing someone if you have everything with you?

How can you know my feeling of accomplishment, if you don’t struggle to get where you are?

How can you understand my sadness if you’re always happy?

For the king that we’re talking about, they might have feel it but in the end it won’t matter because the lost they will be face will probably just a pebble in the road that they will forget letter on because in the end. They will reach their goal.

NO MATTER WHAT”

The elder’s smile has vanished now and it’s been replaced by such a serious face devoid of all earlier emotions.

“So let me ask you Kusanagi Touma.

For a being that knew failure and lost.

How can a being that doesn’t experience the same thing you’ve experience be someone that understands you?”

The elder close his eyes after asking the question to me and the question itself pierce to my very core.

How can one understand the others if they don’t haven’t experience the feeling the other felt.

Would it justify to say that you’ve understand someone, even though you haven’t experience such thing?

Would it justify comforting someone with lies just to make them feel better?

Would it justify your actions just so you can connect to the person’s suffering?

The end justifies the means…

“I don’t know…” my answer brought smiles to the elder

“But…” The elder stop smiling but he also doesn’t frown but he is waiting for my answer.

“Would it matter if, in the end you can save someone?

In the end… the feelings might be lie. We might not be able to understand each other…

But in the end… those feelings won’t matter.

The only thing that matter is you tried to understand the others suffering through your own.

You might not be truly be able to connect because you haven’t experience the same thing but at least you tried to connect to the others.

The action itself might have been born from a lie but those words, those feelings, which you tried to feel and convey so you can connect with the other person’s suffering.

It’s genuine and it might end up bring the salvation of the other persons suffering”

By understanding one’s own weakness + 1 to WIS has been rewarded

By admitting that people can’t completely understand each other without experiencing the others suffering + 1 to INT has been rewarded

I’m also not sure if what I’m feeling is genuine or if I truly believe on what I’ve been saying but it felt right to say it.

The winners would probably never understand the feeling of the looser but if the winner at least tried to connect with the looser then the act itself would probably bring salvation to the looser.

Even if in the end it’s just a lie.

“The end justifies the means” The elder murmurs the idiom that I’m thinking

“You know Touma, such thing is too extreme. Such belief was been used before and it only bring more suffering than salvation” The elder frowns after saying it.

“Your maybe right elder but… I agree and disagree with such idiom” I open my eyes and meet the eyes of the only elder that I can meet face to face.

“The end justifies the means is too extreme even for my liking. But in the end, if I can save others then what sacrifice I can give would probably worth it”

Such notion confuses the elder and it’s shown on his blank face when he frowns and his eyebrow cross against each other.

“Why does understating someone’s suffering be connected to saving him?” The elder asked

“I feel that if one can try to understand the feeling of others suffering, it might save them” I answer honestly and I smile even though I don’t know the feeling of happiness but I feel that what I’m currently feeling is what happiness is.

“Understanding someone can bring salvation to others… huh… even if it’s a lie” The elder exhales heavily in the middle of his sentence.

“That might be true… and this endeavor might be worth it” The elder looks on the floor then looks straight at my eyes

“Kusanagi Touma. You will be accompanying me to a trip. The actions you will do during the test would be judge. And if we find the result good, then you will be allowed to live. You will be rewarded and you will have the support of the clan. But if you fail, then you will die. But it’s probably not us who will kill you but the enemies you will meet during the trial.

The test will happen in a year after. You will live and train here in the mountain for a year. You’re reaching the limit you can train in the normal environment where you won’t bring the eyes of the outsiders to you.

Here in the mountain, even if your bad luck strikes you, you will be alone to deal it. No harm will be fall onto others so you can train and to beyond the norm.

Since we’re also noted that you don’t need to eat and will only need short rest, then you can maximize the training the mountain would bring to you.

Remember these mountain isn’t normal and you will probably encounter your first supernatural here.

Be careful and survive.

If you survive for a year then the test will happen after the yearly reunion next year.

You can use the materials provided here in the mansion to further your knowledge. We had already prepared everything we can give to you and it will be up to you on how to use it.

We will be leaving you behind and someone will call weekly during the afternoon on Sunday to check upon you.

If you didn’t answer, then you will be declared dead.

Am I understood Kusanagi Touma?” The elder gave an ultimatum and opportunity I can’t deny.

“Yes” That is the only thing I can say.

I understand what the elder is saying and I would do my best to survive.

I’ll live. I don’t know why I must live but I know I must live.

There is something that I must do and I can’t die without fulfilling it.

This feeling that I can’t explain is within me since the day I’ve dream of a boy who fought for a witch.

Part 4

The first thing I do after the meeting and departure of the elders using a back door passage, is exploring the mansion. The elder said that the mansion is protected by divine protection from the shrine and it wouldn’t just crumble under him but I won’t believe them, they are probably not lying because the mountain and mansion itself is brimming with power but the power itself felt useless against me because everywhere I go become hollow or rather now that I’ been more observant and the knowledge of the unknown in my right hand, I know that the right hand is the source of the surrounding super natural power being negated.

Everything felt normal whenever my right hand wave through it.

But because of that, the protection bestowed in the house is being removed.

I will probably live in the forest from now on. I don’t want to remove all the blessing inside the house.

The mountain would probably be alright and I really didn’t need food to live.

Food is a form of sustenance to me that replenish STA, HP and EN fast but not needed.

Though I would probably return here to at least rest and recover 100%. Recovering outside wouldn’t be much effective but I would only return here in case of emergency. Recovering 50% would probably be enough to survive.

I don’t know on what to expect on the outside but I would be prepared.

First is to understand what kind of house, I’ll be living in for a year.

Like any ancestral house, it’s old. Probably one of the oldest but if you look at the house itself, you can’t guess the age. It’s probably preserved by supernatural means.

The form of the house is a normal 2 floor rectangular house if one look from the front but if one look from the sides. There are more rooms connected from the entrance hall. The right side had a door and a road connected to the front, while the left side of the house is directly beside the walls of the cavern.

The house is being hidden by being beside a cavern like structure. It’s like the part of the mountain has been carved, and the house has been built inside the carved part.

The area itself is covered by thick formation of tall trees so it’s hard to be spotted unless you know where to look.

Upon entering the entrance, one can already see the audience hall that we entered.

From the entrance, to the right is the living and family area with the last room being storage room.

To the left are the dinning, kitchen and toilet and bath.

At each end of the house is where the ladder can be found.

I didn’t expect in detail each room, so I just check on what’s generally inside.

This house is different from what I’ve been used to live because there are furniture here. Like a sofa in living area and family area. There is also a TV and book shelves in the family area.

The dining table is long and can probably accommodate lots of people in it. Though it’s a traditional table where there are no chairs and one will seat in the floor to eat. But the clan is a traditional one, so it’s expected to have this kind of setting in the ancestral homes.

The toilet has laundry and the bath is big. It has even a tab in it.

I already see the first floor and going into the second floor.

There are 6 bedrooms with a toilet room located in the middle of the second floor.

There are no libraries here… so where are the materials that the elder meant for me to study?

Is it hidden?

I come back to the first floor and inspect the audience hall. This are is protruding to the back of the house, making the form of the house into T if one look at from the outside.

The elders and grandfather used the back door to return down from the mountain. There is probably another house there, near the shrine, where the reunion would be held.

Should I go and check?

I haven’t seen my mother yet and I didn’t even know the gender of my second younger sibling.

But then again, I will just probably bring trouble there. It would be better if I used my time wisely and use it for training.

By picking the choice that will leave less suffering for the others + 1 to WIS has been rewarded.

Dismissing the notification, I inspect the room behind the divider curtain. The door is at the right side and it will lead to outside but there is another door to the left but this door doesn’t lead outside but into the walks of the cavern.

I tried opening the doorknob but its lock.

There should be a key around here. I tried looking around but I can’t find it. This place empty aside.

I would probably check the rooms in the second floor to find the key.

I went to the second floor and checked each bedroom thoroughly.

The first three bedrooms, from the right side ladder have all the same design with a wall closet and a window at the front. I checked the next three bedrooms but I already stopped at the first room, beside the toilet.

There is a table and bookshelves here. This bedroom doubles like a mini-office.

I checked the books and it’s all about occult stuff. This could be useful but my main priority is the key.

I checked the table drawers and I finally found a key. I just hope this one matched the door. After checking this room for any other important things that I might miss, I checked the last two bedrooms and it’s just an ordinary bedroom, like the other side.

I went back to the audience hall and used the key to the door. It matched and I finally opened it.

It’s not connected to another room but a stairway down. It’s too dark to see the where the stairs would lead so I checked first the other rooms for flashlight or anything that can be used as a light, because it looks like there is no light down there.

I found the flashlight in the storage room and came back to the hidden door. I light up and flashlight and begun trekking down the stairs.

The stairs is long, I can’t see the end yet and I tried going down slowly.

Minutes tickled and after more than ten minutes of walking down the stairs, I ended up in a door.

The door isn’t locked and when I open it.

I finally understand why this house is hidden inside the mountain and why the elder said that they already prepared the necessary materials for me.

This hidden basement isn’t an ordinary basement but a training hall.

The ceiling is high and the area is huge. I can see wooden weapons lined up in the wall, ready to be used and actual weapons in the far end of the room. There are two doors at the far end of the room and I bet one of them is a library, filled with necessary materials for me to further my knowledge, and the other is probably a toilet or storage room.

All and all, it’s an ideal place to train.

Inside the house is where one can train the skills and outside the house is where one can test the skills.

I have 1 year to train.

I will use it to increase my survival.

I will max my current skills for child level and aim for an adult or master level.

I noticed that the skills are based on the maturity of the person.

Starting from a baby to a child and next is probably teenage or adolescences level.

I haven’t had a skill yet past that level but it’s probably adult and after that are specializations or master level.

These are only all speculation but I have limited time to find out so I will just train nonstop, and at least aim for adult level of skills.

I look around and inspect the place, I nod and begun my intensive training.

Part 5

I investigate the items around and categorize them.

In the hall has the practice weapons and in the wall are the actual weapons. The weapons range from the usual katana to the exotic kusarigama. All the weapons here are mostly Asian type of weapon. There are no wide broadswords or huge zweihander, but there are zanbato types of swords. I only compile and remember the weapons available. For now, weapons aren’t my priority but knowledge and to train my body.

I also need a way to fight but that will come after I tried venturing outside.

I checked what’s in the other side of the two doors and just as expected, the first door has a living facility of a bed, pantry and a toilet. The other door leads to the storage room where books, scrolls and parchment are being kept.

The information I found in this room house the knowledge from the old ways and history of the clan when they are still active against the supernatural beings in the likes of youkai, evil spirits or demons.

The room is large and there are lots to analyze. I would probably take few days to get everything but it would probably be worth it.

I checked back in the other room and see if there are food supplies or water, even if I don’t need to eat or drink. Food and drinks can be useful items because it helped restore HP, STA and EN.

The most usual effects are a service of rice help restore HP and STA, the effects depend on the type or rice and how the food is prepared. A 12 once cup of water can recover 25% STA but it can only take effect if the STA is already under 25%. But water is easily obtained so I can exploit it. With a good supply of water, I won’t run out of STA to use for physical training.

I entered and room and start checking everything, starting with the kitchen, there is 1 sack of rice available for use and the refrigerator is full of vegetables and meat. This can be useful but I need to save it, I don’t know if they will restock it. So better be careful in using the items.

The faucet has running clear water. That’s good, they probably had built a pump from a well here to provide water supply. I check other items and manage to obtain and store the useful items.

Obtained

1 liter of water bottle (Full)

Notepad (50 pages)

Pen x 1

Compass x 1

Binoculars x 1

Knife

Damage: 25 physical attacks

Effect: 20% chance to cause Bleed (Minor) effect

Durability: 35/35

(Durability won’t go down until I hit an item that is stronger than the used item, so I need to be careful on using it. I don’t know how to fix item’s durability. In games, craftsman, smith or metalworker can fix it but I don’t have skill or ability for it)

I store everything in my inventory and came back to the other room where the valuable information are stored.

I stay in this room and analyze everything I can obtained, my analyze is already in the late 90’s and is nearing maxing the skill.

I already evolved the current skills to Teens level and I will train that for the upcoming months.

I obtained useful information and new abilities and skill after absorbing the stored knowledge of the clan. I bet it’s not all of them but the ones stored here would be useful because it’s more about the local myth of the country. Like the Youkai’s and Shinto myths.

I already have obtained general knowledge of the gods here in Japan but it looks like I didn’t know all of them yet because the knowledge I obtain here just bolster the already extensive knowledge that I own.

I know they are many but I didn’t think it would be about thousands of different deities that are served and worship in Shinto religion. Each prefecture in Japan has its myths and gods that they enshrined in their temples. There are major gods but there are also minor gods that numbers in hundreds.

I just hope I don’t end up fighting them. It will be a losing battle with the number of the enemy.

The ability I obtained from learning Japanese myth is Encyclopedia of Japan’s Lore.

Encyclopedia of Mythological Lore (Intermediate Japan)

With the extensive research and studies done in Japanese myth, one obtain a near encyclopedia level of knowledge for far-eastern myths.

Note:

If one can obtain the name of the enemy, one can know the general attack, ability and weakness of the enemy thanks to the knowledge obtained.

Required:

More extensive research on all the Japanese Myth (Master)

Master level will let you know the status in exact details, the likes and dislikes, and one can easily to understand the character of the enemy.

This ability only useful if I have knowledge and name of the target, obtaining the name is easy with observation but the knowledge would still dependent on what I learned. If I don’t have any information of the enemy, then this ability won’t be useful. But if I already know the enemy, I won’t need to search my memory for the answer, it would just pop up as information that I obtained.

The other ability is Weapon Lore (Japan)

Weapon Lore (Japan)

The ability gained after extensive researched done in the field of Japanese weapons. With this ability, it would be easier to learn and master a Japanese origin weapon.

Effect:

Plus: 50% Experience in practicing and using any Japanese type of Weapon.

Note:

The accumulated knowledge would help one identify the weapon used by the enemy. If the weapon is original from Japan, one can easily understand and predict the possible attack pattern and techniques.

Required:

Knowledge of weapons from different countries

A useful ability that will let you learn and master the weapon in record time, though currently this ability is only limited to my local country but it’s still useful because it would allow me to know the possible attacks of the enemy.

The others are my first set offensive skills that I obtained after gaining a 10 in Intelligence.

Mind Bolt Level 1 Exp 0% Active: Cost 10 Energy

The basic missile mind attack

Effect:

Deals 100% Special Attack Damage

Distance 10 meters maximum

Note:

The Energy cost will decrease by 1 for every 10 level

Increase 10 % damage for every 5 level

Mind Shock Level 1 Exp 0% Active: Cost 10 Energy

The basic direct damage mind attack

Effect:

Deals 50% Special Attack Damage

Distance of 10 meters maximum

Has 10% chance of Paralyze status effect

Note:

The Energy cost will decrease by 1 for every 10 level

Increase 10% damage for every 10 level

Increase 10% chance of infecting Paralyze effect for every 20 level

My current INT now is 13 and I was surprised when I got the notification for such skills. It became a boon for me to have a long range attack skill and a status effecting skill.

It increase my range of attacks and it also gave me a clue that I will probably obtain a skill if I increase the status past 10 and will probably get a new one in higher level of stats.

But this skill has limitation. Unlike the other skills that has skill tree in it and can be evolve any time after reaching maximum level.  This skill has required stats to evolve.

The next benchmark for the skill to evolve has a requirement of higher than 50 INT. If I have at least 51 INT I can evolve the skill into an arrow based attack, an area of effect, barrier skill and lastly a binding skill. Four new skills await me if I get my INT into 50.

It will probably be the same for other status but it would be hard to increase the status into that level.

Just to increasing the INT past 10 costs me to study an equivalent of a large library of historical documents.

The others would probably be the same.

The strength would need me to have a strength that can carry 110 kilograms without being hindered by the weight. That is why if you exceed the limit of your strength, you will gain an overweight status effect because it’s over the limit of what you can carry safely. But if you have strength of 6, then carrying a weight of 60 kilograms won’t even affect you at all.

It’s a scary aspect because one doesn’t carry such heavy objects and not be bothered by it.

A weight lifted can try to carry a weight of 160 kilograms but the weight would weigh them down, that only mean that their strength is not enough to carry the weight and neglect the additional weight over them.

For dexterity is to increase once speed.

Having a 7 in DEX means that one can move around 7 meters per second and not ended up getting tired, the body movement is also on the same speed. For it to reach 11, means I need to reach a 11 meter per second speed, without winding up… that’s hard and not normal but a possibility with an abnormal body of mine.

I don’t know about VIT but it probably relates in having insane endurance. So if I train my DEX and STR beyond normal, VIT will also probably increase.

I have reach the limit of how I can train INT, without further materials to study but maybe learning in actual combat or the environment around will help me increase it, but I’m not betting on it. For now, I consider it the limit of it without using status points.

The wisdom stats increase in total random for me. It increases if I reach an enlightenment or a made a wise decision. It’s totally hard to level up by normal standards.

Sigh…

I have compile the knowledge, prepared the necessary items and cooked additional food for emergency.

It’s finally the time to head out and have my first battle experience. Based from my knowledge of the area, I will probably encounter a youkai or earth bound spirits around here.

Part 6

I have head out of the house and the cavern that covered the house. I use the notepad and pen to create a mini map because I don’t have a MAP options. Annoying game settings! MAP is totally needed for any RPG game.

I start trekking the woods and noting a bunch of possible landmark that could help me track where I am and so I can easily navigate myself back to the mansion.

The light of the day is almost out; the beings that thrive at the moon lit world will start appearing.

I will just be alert and ready; the surrounding is already being saturated by supernatural feel. Based from the documents that I read, it’s called Mana. It’s what human called the magical or spiritual power that is natural to the world.

The mana condenses in supernatural active area and here in Mt. Yakumo has a clear sign of it. My sixth sense is tingling that there are supernatural beings around here, I just can’t pin point them yet.

I walked slowly in the darkening forest. Preferring to go in stealth and be observant of my surrounding.

I use observation in the trees here and they are alive and ancient.

Shinto magic practitioners can call upon the help from these trees to power up their spells. I prefer to not meet one right now.

Shinto and Onmyodo are the usual magic used by the practitioner here in Japan. Based from the text,

Shinto or Shitoism is different from other evangelizing religion because it’s not a religion but a practice of faith itself.

This is why there is lot of revered gods in Shintoism, unlike the other religions who has a set of being they served and worship.

In Shintoism, it’s more of connecting the present day Japan to its ancient past. It’s an act that focuses on rituals that are carried diligently. Shinto today is a term that applies to public shrines suited to various purposes such as war memorials, harvest festivals, romance, and historical monuments, as well as various sectarian organizations.

There was a split belief for the practitioner. The belief that one is needed to be Japanese for the gods or spirits of old to answer or not Japanese.

So far, for non-Japanese, one needed to marry into a Japanese family to practice the art. One needs to be connected to Japan for the land of the rising sun to aid the practitioner. So far it’s a Japanese exclusive art.

It’s pretty powerful art if perform in the land of Japan, while the strength will diminished if performed outside.

One can burrow power from the land, as long as the land is alive but it would be mostly weak in modern world where most of the ancient spirits are already dead or gone.

Methods by practitioners are being made to adjust to modern times but the clan is not knowledgeable enough to know on how the practitioners adapt to the modern settings.

Onmyodo or the art of studying the way of yin and yang, is the traditional art in Japan that was made possible by Abe no Seimei. It was introduced to Japan in year sixth century based on Wu Xing (five elements) and yin and yang from Chinese Philosophies. It was accepted later on as a practical form of divination.

It became popular in the imperial court due to Abe no Seimei, a famous Onmyoji in his time.

Seimei mixed different arts from Taoism, Buddhism, Shintoism and Kuji (the native onmyoji of Japan) to form the basic principle of onmyoji.

It was passed on to the family; the Tsuchimikado’s and was under control of the imperial government. It flourished but it nearly diet out during the world war, with the other countries magic users overwhelming the locals.

A member of the Tsuchimikado was tasked by the government to further enhance it and create a new magic system that won’t lose to enemies’ magic by further mixing of all existing magic in Japan and forming the new Imperial style Magic System.

This system is a well-known art that was performed by all Onmyodo practitioners in Japan. It’s more practical form of art where the religious and abstract element had been removed for a more streamlined one.

It won’t lose to the power of the ancient practice and less convoluted with long rituals that hinder its uses in cross fire against guns.

From my observation the weakness would be nullified by knowledge, its more generalized study with different branch put into together than Shinto only. While Shinto magic would probably more specialized and would be advantageous in an ancient set up but I don’t know if it will win against, a more generalized Onmyodo.

Though this are only speculation from me knowledge and not a concrete fact.

I will know if I ended up fighting one.

Swooooooooooooooooooooooooosh

It’s completely dark now.

I can’t see a thing. Too dark, I should have brought the flashlight.  I can only try to sense my surrounding but without light, I won’t know where I’m going. I can probably return back to the house using the road that I take but I would just lose a valuable time for training.

This darkness is a perfect set up for training. It will sharpen my senses and will make me alert for any signs of treat.

Swooooooooooooooooooooooooosh

Cold wing and the temperature are dropping fast. A sign of a spirit is probably around. Even without using my sixth sense, I can feel the wrongness in the air.

Something is coming.

Swoooooooooooooooooosh

I did a dive to the earth to evade the incoming attack but a cold feeling graze on my back and I saw my HP depletes by 20 points.

This is bad, I can’t see anything and I don’t know the enemy. I can feel what direction it’s coming but is only when it started moving, I need to time my attack to counter it. I need visuals.

I haven’t tried using the skills yet but this would probably a good time as ever to use it. I raised my left hand and said! Mind Bolt!

I fired a mind bolt on the direction where the creature headed after attacking me. A small ball of light was shot from my left hand and creates a line of light which illuminate the dark forest.

There! I saw a movement. I immediately use an Observation when I saw the shadowy formless figure.

While the image of the creature is blurry, the information still pops up from the skill I used.

Evil Spirit

Obake  

LVL 6

HP 60

MP 30

“The dead wasn’t manage to move on and turn into an evil spirit”

Ability:

Shape shifter: A free transforming spirit

Phase through: Has spirit body that can pass through solid defense

Attack:

Tackle: A normal attack where the attacker, charges to the target.

Weakness:

Fire and Holy Attributes

A level 6 enemy and the additional info are thanks to my Encyclopedia of Mythological Lore ability.

Now I know my enemy, I need a plan to attack it.

It’s changing direction and making a momentum before charging against me again. Since it’s a spirit, using a solid shield would be useless. It also explains why I didn’t receive a wound while dodging it.

I fire another Mind Bolt against it but it misses, but its fine. The use for mind bolt was to light up the place, so I can know when and where it will attack.

It’s attacking straight against me again, with a lower angle now. Now that I know where it’s coming from, I can time my dodge and attack. I will try to use my right hand and see if my hypothesis about its ability, true.

Swooooooooooooosh

It’s coming…

Swooooooo

NOW!

I moved to right when its only within hand reach and raise my right hand and ready it for a chop but I didn’t get to attack because an invisible attack hit me.

It’s like a wall of win suddenly spear head against me. The pain is awful but it only last a second. I was thrown away and rolled in the ground until my back hits a tree which stopped my movement.

Ughh… my back hurts for second and I saw that I lost another 30 HP from that attack, I tried to see what hit me but the dark is making it hard to navigate the my surrounding.

This is bad; I would get myself killed at this rate. I don’t know how many enemies are out there. I’m sure I have at least two now but the supernatural feeling in my surrounding is increasing.

More enemies are coming but I’m still calm in the face of imminent danger.

The chance of dying is high and this is not a game where I can just load the game again.

It’s real as the pain I’m receiving every with every movement of my body.

My mind is clear and I know my current HP but my STA is dangerously low. If it hit zero, I would stop moving or fall unconscious. That would be bad if I’m inside the enemy’s territory.

I need to hide and fast before the incoming enemies arrive.

Or

I can just go and kill the enemy that is trying to kill me.

I stop thinking, I stop planning, I stop observing and just react

I can feel the incoming attack that is aimed towards me. I can hear the wind whistling as the attack comes closer. With that information alone, I can deduce that it’s a missile type and will probably fly in straight line. So, when it got closer, I raised my right hand and blocked it.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

A sound of broken glasses can he heard and the attacked was negated.

I smile for the act. It confirmed my theory. My right hand can be used as a weapon against supernatural beings.

But what is the limit?

But can it do?

The image of a normal knife with black handle, and normal blade appears in my mind. It’s been used by a black haired teen against monstrous being in size and feeling but the stab of the blade still made them crumble like a broken golem.

I try standing up but an attack is incoming again, I try to block it with my right hand but an incoming attack from my side would hit me.

A simultaneous attack!

A weakness for me because I can only block using my right hand, so instead of blocking, I try to raise my right foot and jumped to the right.

I ended up jumping into a stone and getting damage by 10 HP just by avoiding but I didn’t stop and try to rise up and run to forward to the attacker that I tried to block. I fire a Mind Bolt towards my attacker to the side and saw two incoming attackers.

While the Obake are blurry and formless enemies, this one are small brown animals with bladed tails, one of them jumped and wing it tails that caused a wind blade, launched towards me. I block it this time around and use Observation

Stance Swords

Kamaitachi

LVL 8

HP 80

MP 40

“A vengeful spirit that seeks harms to others”

Ability:

Sharp claws: Has large claws that can cut through steel plate easily

Wind Manipulation (Minor): The ability to channel wind to form an attack

Attack:

Slash: A normal attack where the attacker, slash you with its sharp claws

Wind Sickle: The blade attached it its tail can control the wind to form wind blades that can easily cut through woods.

Weakness:

Lightning and Fire

The two attackers are level 8 and 7 respectively. I’m currently regenerating my HP, STA and EN. I need to save them and use it wisely if I wanted to survive this battle. I have a .5% regeneration of total HP/STA/EN per 5 seconds. Currently I can regenerate 7.2 HP per minute, 6.6 STA per minute and 10.8 EN per minute.

While the HP is the most important, right now I need EN for firing my skill and STA to move.

I need a more advantageous place to battle, a place I won’t need to worry my sides and behind me. But I don’t know where I’m so I can only run towards where my initial two attackers are coming.

I can generally feel them but I don’t know the specific location. I’m just following my sense and going to that direction.

While running, I tripped on a branch and ended up getting 5 HP damage but I evaded two wind sickle attack from behind. It’s becoming a pincer attack, I need to break through.

The Obake is coming closer on my position now and the other attacker that is probably another Kamaitachi is coming two.

Good, come to me instead of me coming to you. I would be prepared.

I raised myself in a ready to stand position with my one knee bent and the other can be used to support myself.

The Obake is near, and there is another attack from behind and an attack from the front.

I fired a Mind Bolt below me to create a smokescreen, I don’t know if the youkai can see at night but they probably can because they manage to pinpoint me here, so the smoke screen can acts as a block to where I’m.

After firing I jumped high but with my strength, it’s not that high but enough to evade the attack.

The smokescreen has two uses, first is to block the view of the enemy and second is to know where the enemy is attacking. With it passing through the smoke where I can see clearly from above, I saw clearly the Obake entering and still continuing in its charge, almost passing me.

But I didn’t let it.

I clenched my right fist and hit it hard.

There is no resistance or anything just sounds of breaking glasses and the Obake disperse like a broken mirror in the size of small particles, glittering in this dark night and dispersing in the air.

I didn’t stop there and launch forward to the running Kamaitachi with the Obake. I didn’t know its reaction but I stretch my fingers and form like a knife. I stab the Kamaitachi with my right hand. It started to disperse two but I’m already jumping to the right to avoid two incoming attacks from behind.

I smiled. I genuinely smile.

I don’t know if this feeling is happiness but I know that I’m currently happy.

Despite my emotions are being blocked. I feel happy and elated.

The heavy atmosphere is gone and been replaced by excitement.

A pop up comes out but I ignore it.

There are still enemies to kill.

I run towards the incoming attackers and raised my right hand.

The image of an immovable wall that protects the people against the horde of monsters comes to my mind.

I negate the incoming attack and launch onto the enemy.

The enemy this time around isn’t surprised and ready to attack. The first one had its claws raised to cut me, when it’s coming closer; I time my attack at the same time so there won’t be a second one. My fist punched through the Kamaitachi but the claws grazed me and cost 30 more damage and also cause a Bleeding (Minor) status effect.

The second one is near and is poised to attack two but I’m faster.

I raised my left hand and fire Mind bolt after Mind bolt until its dead.

After the battle, I receive another notification but I didn’t notice at all because I’m bleeding and my HP is already in red zone.

I call Inventory and brought out the item I made earlier for emergency situation.

I brought out a rice ball.

Rice Ball x 10

Effect:

Heal 30% of total HP and STA

This item is pretty cheap and can easily be made; it’s not enough to regain my EN but its good.

I eat 2 rice balls and drink a cup of water to regain full HP and 60% of STA.

There are still more incoming attackers but I’ll probably survive.

I’m getting used to this fighting pretty fast. It’s like my second nature.

I wonder why…

The enemies had arrived. In this dark night that the only light I see is the moon high up above.

Bright colored eyes, shown around me and I’m still completely fine. I count a pair of 10 eyes, eyeing me and I feel that more are coming.

This would be a long night.

An image of eternal darkness that spreads everywhere was shown in my mind. I don’t know what’s up and what’s below but the only thing that exist there is the ordinary boy and the witch that robs all.

Part 7

I groggily woke up in the bed and look at my surrounding, I don’t know when I had arrived here because there is no clock here in the mansion, the sun is high up in the sky so it’s probably afternoon now. That is my only clue on what time it is.

I remember coming back when the numbers of Youkais’ are decreasing, until there hadn’t been anymore around. I also can already see the sun starts to rise so it’s morning already. After that I just trek back to the mansion and go to the bed and open up my status screen and start using my status points.

I made a decision on my build after the fight.

I fight the whole night and encounter different troublesome Youkais.

I haven’t encountered something big yet but the numbers are annoying. They attack coordinated and in numbers that it’s hard to counter them all. I can only hit and run against them.

The battle is really different from the game where its turn based.

Since the core of my fighting style is to one hit kill anyone that come closer or when I manage to close the gap. I need DEX. Lots of it but for now, I will train it until its 10.

Various stats already increase thanks to the battle last night but it’s just starting.

I will probably get another mocking yearly award so that will help me.

[Status]

???

“Kusanagi” Touma

Level 9

HP – 950

STA – 925

EN – 1410

STR – 6

DEX – 9

VIT – 5

INT – 51

WIS – 11

LUCK – EX

STATUS POINTS – 2

I spend most of the points in INT to get past 51 and be secured for the evolution of the offensive skills. I also get my WIS past 10 to acquire skills that hopefully are helpful.

And for once, my luck doesn’t stab me in the back. I get a very useful skill and ability.

The notification I received last night that I didn’t bother looking at notification for two very important abilities that I don’t know how I ended up getting. The description just confused me.

Veteran

A story about a normal high school boy that starts with a simple wish to save a nun, this trigger the events that pushed the boy to become a hero that saves the smile of everyone around him. But, in the end of his journey, he turns his back on everyone just to protect the smile of someone who is considered as the enemy of the world. He fought against the world that he protects countless time just for the lonely witch and in the end he…

Effect:

Gain 50% EXP bonus for everything.

Note:

This is the result of eternal cycle. The knowledge is already ingrained. One is only need to relearn it which is why it becomes easier to access skills that are already learned.

Precognition

The countless battles that the normal high school boy had ingrained into him the needed knowledge to feel understand and predict the enemies movement.

Effect:

One can completely predict and read the enemy as long as one focus against one enemy.

Note:

It’s an ability acquired through endless struggling and battle.

This two abilities really leave me confuse for many reasons. One it just gave a hint that I’ve done this before and already know or used those skills. I’m just relearning it again but that leaves to two which is I’m just an abnormal two going three in three more days.

I don’t know what to say.

Right now, I don’t a clue for it aside from what I have found out but there is no proof that I have already live before. I don’t remember such thing.

But the benefit of the abilities outlays the mystery it present. I will find out the answer in the future but for now I will use the abilities to its outmost use.

The other ability is the one I acquire by increasing my INT beyond 50.

Dual Core

The ability to process two tasks at the same time, it shows the benchmark of being stronger and mastering one’s ability.

Effect:

Ability to use two offensive skills at the same time without time delay between each use

Grants increase of 100% regeneration of Energy

Grants increase of 25% damage deal of all Special Attack

Required:

Quad Core requires 100 INT

This ability is also pretty useful. It increases my EN regeneration and increase the damage dealt by skills. But the most useful aspect is to be able to launch two offensive skills at the same time.

I haven’t tried yet before if I can cast at the same time because I only cast simultaneous spells of Mind Bolt.

But with this ability, it confirms that I can’t and has limit on how many I can use at the same time.

The two skills I got from WIS are also very useful. Especially the meditate skill.

Meditate Level 1 Exp 5% Active: Cost 50 Energy

Meditate to increase one’s recovery rate.

Effect:

Boost the natural recovery rate of HP, STA and EN by 100%

Note:

Every 4 level will increase the regeneration rate by 20 %

Needs to seat and stay still to initiate meditate

(This skill is seriously shouting for me to exploit it. Seriously)
High Energy Capacity Level 1 Exp 1% Passive

Having a disciplined mind increases one capacity to recover energy quickly.

 Effect:

Increase Energy recovery rate by 50%

Note:

Increase Energy recovery rate by 10 % per 10 levels

Another good passive skill but passive skills are hard to grind, it’s a good thing that I would keep on using Energy, so this skill would probably level up fast.

But looking at this skills and ability that I receive with only 10 WIS, I wonder what kind of reward I would get in 50 WIS.

It feels tempting to go for INT and then DEX build but I prefer to focus on INT then DEX and last WIS.

I need offensive skills that would help me battle. While the ability in my right hand is overkill, it’s only in my right hand. If it can form another form, I would love to know. But it has lots of limits, especially if the enemy is outside of range and if there are more than one enemy.

Just like the pincer attack last night. I would manage to negate one attack but the other would surely hit me.

Having an offensive ability other than it helps a lot.

Especially the idea of nuking my enemies from afar is something I would whole heartedly approve.

Har har har Touma smiles sinisterly while imagining his future battles.

But for now, it’s still not enough.

With Meditate skill, I don’t even need to return home but there is no enemy to fight during the day, but I can map the area while the sun is out so I can move easily during the dark.

Okay, that’s the plan.

[Flashback End]

The training continues as it is until at the end of the year.

While I was staying at the mansion, I didn’t get any visitors just a phone call to check if I’m alive and sometimes I’m too busy to even return back and just continue to train. They wouldn’t send anyone to check on me but will just call again, the week after. Even if they call, they don’t talk but just ask if I’m alive then they will hang up after. What a rude bunch of people they are.

While I don’t miss missing any humans, I met other supernatural beings.

This mountain range is old and sacred, I was actually surprised that there would be youkais here, I expect them to be evil just like the legends depicting them so I tried to hunt and thinned them out since they might ended up hurting the people in the nearby city but I didn’t expect I would be getting a visit for all the trouble I’m doing.

I met him when he specifically went to visit me, he heard from his underlings about a small human child hunting youkais. He was really surprised when he met me and I’m surprised for different matter.

I didn’t detect him.

He just came out of nowhere and if not for his surprised that cost him to make some noise, I won’t even notice him that he is behind me already, not within arm’s length but still, too close for comfort. And I pride myself of my detecting and sensing skills. For someone to come close without me noticing is someone that is dangerous.

It was immediately proven when my observed leveled up quite a bit from observing him.

I tried to exploit it and be silent while casting observation again and again but it’s getting hard to when he start conversing with me.

I learned a lot of things from him, about the youkai’s about their society and leaders. I also find the reason of why I’m managed to be detected by youkai’s on my first day.

At first I thought it’s because of their senses but apparently it’s not.

Since to supernatural beings, I’m blank and hallow. Like an empty vessel.

I was surprised for the description but then I asked the old man to how they manage to find me. The old man just answered with it’s because of my emotion.

My emotion is the one that attract the youkai’s to me. The stronger my emotion, the more youkai would flock to me.

I was surprised again by the old youkai because I don’t feel such emotion. I can’t feel strong emotion so it’s impossible for it to be the reason. I voiced it out to the old man but he just laugh.

He asked me a question on what is I doing there in the mountain.

I answered him that “I’m training”

He asked “why am I training for?”

“To become strong” it’s a simple answer.

He was happy at my answer and then he asked “why do I want to become strong”

“To survive” another simple answer. If I’m to prove my worth to the clan, then I need to be strong enough to pass the test and become ready for the heretic gods.

It’s a simple answer but the old youkai was at first confuse and it shown in his wrinkled face, then he was surprised after. He then tried to pat my should which made me alert when he got close enough in my personal space but he gestured a calming one, so I let him but I’m still in alert.

He pats me and said “what a poor child you are”

I was angry for a second but it was gone after a second. I don’t need his pity.

He then left me with a sad frown on his face. Since I’m not causing trouble on his territory and the one I’m only dealing with frenzied youkai’s, he left me be. What a silly old man he is.

That visit happen around early spring and the unexpected visitor is at late summer.

The unexpected visitor is one that I deemed to call a teacher.

He taught me a lot of things about my enemy and he is a nice guy though his old Japanese style of speech, made it hard for me to understand him a bit, but thanks to the level of my Japanese Language ability. I can understand him. I just didn’t expect to meet someone that talks like that. But it’s to be expected since he is probably older than Japan.

He taught me about gods, about heretic gods, about campione and the mother of all campione Pandora,

He really is a nice guy and I hope we won’t end up fighting in the future.

He visited me back then to see what’s causing ruckus in his territory and to deal with it. It looks like my clan didn’t even ask permission for it.

We met, we talked and he understands but he warns me to stay away and hide during the month of October.

If not, then I’m dead.

He explains that it’s the month where the Gods from different region of Japan will come and visit Izumo and I causing ruckus around would alert them and that would just get me killed.

I understand the warning and decided to train indoors, during that month and the after. I just maximize the skills that I have, as the December comes. I just keep on grinding level just to get ready for whatever test the elder had planned. I didn’t evolved my skills before the test because a newly evolved one is weaker than the maximize skill in lower rank.

We met after the New Year’s party and we decide to visit a local city where one of my relatives lives.

At first I thought that we would be visiting them but the elder with glasses just said that they are not our priority.

Our priority and my test is about the demons that runs the city.

I would deal with them as I see fit. That is the test. Depending on the result would I be judge.

I had one week to deal with them which surprised me because of the long time limit. I first thought it’s because they are so many of them but they aren’t even that many. So my first move is gather information, maybe they are strong which is why I have a week of exterminating them is what I first thought.

The elder is staying in the relatives’ house with a kid around my age. They didn’t attend the reunion because of their own reasons that I didn’t bother knowing. They are actually surprised when the elder visits. It just means that they aren’t notified of his arrival. He makes an excuse and manages to secure a living.

The man is a member of our clan and one that dabbles with supernatural so maybe he had an idea of why the elder is here, he look relieve when he saw him. Maybe his worried for his new born son with the demons roaming around the city, anyone would surely be scared.

The wife is just an ordinary house wife but she is beautiful and young for her age to become a mother but I can’t really talk about that because my mother is also young when she got pregnant and married my father.

My first move is to observe them from afar, using binoculars. I set on gathering information.

The demons are indeed foul creature.

They are being of sins and are set on tempting human beings.

That is my first impression of them. I didn’t even care that they are beautiful creature that has an otherworldly feel to them but that’s to be expected. According to the documents, they use human appearance to appear in front of humans to tempt them and go astray.

I see the proceeding of the summing of the demon from afar; they use the weakness inside the human hearts and set on making a contract with them.

The summoner was allowed to have one wish in exchange for something that the demon deemed worthy as an exchange for the wish.

The human wished for assistance on his work that has been piled up in his office (where he summoned the demon) the demon ask a tea set for compensation.

The ritual is done when both party agreed with the wish and the compensation (That is what the elder explained when I asked him about what’s happening. His currently at our relatives home and I’m just keeping him updated, using a communicator)

I tried to use Scan on it (the evolved form of observation) but I didn’t get much about the nature of the ritual but I did find something from the human. The human has a status effect “Tainted”

A tainted person is easily tempted to do evil deeds. The soul has rating on how much it was tainted and this person’s soul had shown a Tainted (Mid) as status.

This human had been summoning this demon for some time now. It was clearly shown when he wasn’t even surprised and act normal while doing the summoning and the contracting.

When the demon had vanished after taking the compensation, I tried approaching the human and ask questions.

I’m not good with communicating with other people because I have only communicated with very few people and supernatural beings, namely my Grandfather, Father, Elder with glasses, Old man Youkai and Teacher.

So instead of delaying the inevitable, I directly ask him of why he is summoning the demon as helper.

He said that having a demon as a helper is cheaper than hiring a human helper.

While I agree that summoning a demon is cheaper than hiring someone, I can’t agree with him because it’s tainting his soul. I tried to explain to him that continuously summoning them will further taint his soul.0

I don’t know what will happen if his soul is fully tainted and the status effect doesn’t show any negative effect other than being easily tempted, but based from my knowledge that I acquire in Grandfather’s mythological collection that has account about souls.

According to bible which has demons as prominently enemies of Good, the tainted soul would be thrown into the lake of fire and that would be its second death. There would be no purgatory for the sinners.

The purgatory was a concept that was later introduced by the Roman Catholic Church and is not part of the original scripture.

In Hinduism, The belief of birth, death and reincarnation, where death is just a state if inactivity and the energy would be recover through time but the deeds of the living, affect the cycle of the soul. The sinners would be punished and the soul would be cleansed, before going through rebirth.

There was also the concept of Karma where people that had done evil things in their past would have a bad karma in the next life (At first I belief that I have done something awful in my past life which is why I have a very bad luck but having scientist ability made me hard to believe on such thing but the concept of doing good things would allow good things to happen to you sound nice but it’s hard to believe it if I have a – EX luck and I didn’t do anything bad to others to deserve such fate)

It would be different for Buddhism where they don’t believe in eternal soul or soul at all, to search for a soul is like searching inside a dark room. Taoism is more on seeking immortality, to stay human forever.

So the concept of what would happen to a tainted soul would be unclear to me who had studied different mythological concepts.

Soul is still a mystery in scientific aspect and considered fiction for most but there are studies done to it, like paranormal investigations but there is no clear explanation.

As for how I know about different religion beliefs, it’s because religion has started in a myth, and grandfather is an extensive researcher of myths. He even has extensive files about religious discovering that might lead to past myths

Using my gamer’s concept would make things easier for me to understand.

Any bad status effect is bad.

It’s a pretty simple logic that anyone who plays games would be able to understand.

So I tried to reason out that his soul is being tainted and it would be bad for him.

He asks “why it would be bad?”

I answered that “you will be easily tempted to do bad things”

But he just answer that what is bad things?

He tried to reason out that bad and evil is based on one’s concept and shouldn’t be universal.

I can’t understand him. I didn’t study philosophy to see the reason on what his saying.

To me bad is evil and evil is bad. That is what I get as a definition in a dictionary.

I gave up in reasoning against him when he said that would a thief be bad if he stole money to others, so he can feed his hungry family?

Having imaging the situation, I can imagine that the thief would probably at his wits end to do such thing. But if one allowed to do evil for the sake of doing well then wouldn’t that make the difference between good and evil nonexistent and the others can make use of such reason to do evil?

What about the natural evil?

I left his house pondering for the answer.

I tried asking the other contractors of the demons but they are all the same.

They won’t listen to reason that if they continue to contract the demons, their soul would be more corrupted and if they die, their soul would probably be punished. It’s a theory without concrete proof to prove it as a fact but it’s should be a common belief to other religion but to Shinto religion where the concept of what will happen to soul after death is not clear. It probably helped them to accept the concept of demons help. But it should be common knowledge in Shinto to have evil spirits and that happens to lingering souls or earth bound souls.

Sigh just remembering my struggle on how to deal with them tires me out

They are lost cause already.

They are far to tempted by the demons for me to reason them to stop summoning them.

I also don’t have a skill to remove status effect to others. Or even heal them.

I tried shaking hands with them as greeting with my Right hand that negate supernatural effects but the bad status isn’t removed. It just shows that the ability stored in my right hand isn’t a convenient tool that can solve all supernatural stuff. It has its limits and anything that is probably connected to soul or life, wouldn’t be affected by it.

Maybe it’s possible to purify it if the soul is remove from the body?

But wouldn’t that kill the person?

I don’t know and I’m not in hurry to try something that can be considered immoral by common standards.

I tried to confront the demons next and asked them to stop them from corrupting the humans.

Remembering my naivety of asking a supernatural being born of sin and creature of evil to stop doing evil makes me laugh.

I found out a much more disgusting revelation.

I was advised before that talking with supernatural beings is for naught because they have different views than us normal human beings. They are considered aliens to us.

I just understand it when I talk with the demons.

I thought that we can understand with each other because of my experience with the old man youkai and my teacher but just like what teacher had taught me. Using him as a standard for supernatural beings is unfair because he is a benevolent being as its core.

Comparing my teacher to these demons is sacrilege to highest degree.

At first they were surprised on why a normal person like me knew about them being demons.

I just reason out that I saw one of the humans summon them.

One was outrage that I called them demons and that surprised me.

If they aren’t demons then what are they?

I didn’t use scan against them when I first start the meeting with them because I considered it rude back then but well, I was really stupidly naïve because I don’t have much experience with world and against supernatural

One of the male demons that looks like in his late teens or early 20’s (The appearance of these demons is really something. I already observe it before but their beauty can’t be called normal. Even with gamer’s mind that has immunity against mind effects had me enthralled, a bit of their other worldly beauty) answers my question with “They aren’t demons, they are devils. Demons are the thing of the past”

That immediately put on guard and the demons or devils notice my change in demur and I began leaking my leaking my killer’s intent.

They call themselves devils…. But there is only one devil and that is Lucifer or Satan [The fallen angel that rebelled against God]

Are they direct descendants of Satan? I don’t know but that is bad.

Demons are already defined as being that has higher intelligence than humans.

But Devils are different. The devil is the being of the highest sinner in Roman Catholic’s religion.

The Devil, the words that has been connected to such title is the “slanderer” and “false accuser”

A whole race of devils…. This made me scared of even coming here.

Does the elder know this?

The very core of devil is different from us Humans.

They didn’t care for humans. They just see normal human beings as resources for them.

Livestock if you would think, they worded it as a means to reach higher status. But that didn’t change that, us humans are being farming with.

Those who aren’t normal are being treated differently.

And now that I’m releasing my killer intent and being enveloped by power coursing through my left hand, the leader of the dem… devil just smiled at me.

The devil is female and the beauty that at first I considered otherworldly, now I just view them as disgusting mask that would allow lower beings to lower their guard.

She was astounded by my show of power and me being only a young child. She was thrilled by my potential when I grow older.

She offered me to be part of her “peerage”

I asked what does it mean and she explains that it would allow a human to become a devil.

She smiles and offer lots of benefits of becoming a devil.

She’s like a sales person that is offering me her ware for me to buy.

But I didn’t bought any word she spoken.

I used scan and I was further scared of what I see.

What I saw and hear can be considered as the greatest sin against life.

The demons that saw potentials in human beings are being offered to become one of them.

I was disgusted by the mere thought of it. I was angry and in turmoil, my emotions are running from high and low. The gamer’s mind is busy in making sure that I’m calm.

When she offered a pawn chess piece to me…

My answer is to a concentrated and compressed twisted energy arrow to the gut of the woman who proclaimed the king of her group.

I didn’t care if she’s a lot stronger than me.

I didn’t care if my chances of survival are low against beings that have higher level and status than me.

I also didn’t care if the people around me are ones the same race as me.

Now they are different and I didn’t care.

They would need to die.

It’s a massacre.

That’s what happened.

I caught them off guard and start spamming of twisted energy arrow against them and I charge a spiral energy bomb as a finally.

The building that we’re residing is destroyed and it would probably be noticed by the others but I didn’t care.

I was atop of the corpse lying around me. Alien beings they are indeed, even if they had a face of the same as humans.

I was tired back then and just wanted to rest but…

Fate just wants to condemn me more.

If killing a bunch of devil isn’t enough, I was forced to kill my first kill against my own race.

A human enthralled by the female devil.

And he was working for the church.  What a grave sin that man had made.

He was there to warn his lover that agent of the church has come to hunt them, but the scene he saw is his lover lying in the pool of blood, red blood, the same as humans but at the same time different in essence.

Humans aren’t made up of Mana or magical energy. They are made up of cells, cells that age and die.

Mana won’t. They just need replenishment and needed time to recover.

These devils might take the appearance of humans but they are fundamentally different.

I fought the agent from the church and try to make him see reason that he was just being tempted by the devil but he won’t listen. He keeps on spouting that he loves her and I’m a murderer, and he will kill me.

It’s a funny thing coming from someone who is trying to claim my life for killing the love of his life that happens to be a devil that probably tempts him.

I was forced to kill the mad man but the resulting damage to my surrounding alerts the agents of the church.

They had arrived at the scene with only me standing, they tried to ask question but the elder with glasses had come out of his hiding spot and draw out his sword out of nowhere. Probably another application of magic and works the same as inventory.

It’s a katana that has green hilt and gold guard. The blade has standard length for a katana and overall it’s a beautiful blade and he said something but I didn’t get to hear it and see what he did. I was more focused on the corpse of the mad man that tried to kill me.

He comes near me and I start to notice that everyone is just standing there and doing nothing.

We escape the scene and the elder explained that the Roman Catholic Church would do the cleanup. He also modified their memories. I was disgusted at first for the mention of memory manipulation, it remind me of the trickery of the devils but the idea of my first kill hit me again and I was again having trouble to come in terms of my first murder.

I just let the elder guide me and we return to main house in Kyoto. I was busy trying to find reasons and thinking if I did the right thing. I tried to reason out that I could spare them or drive them away but the logical reason of keeping the devils alive is insane and they need to be dealt with to save the humans.

But are the humans faultless here, since they keep on seeking the demons?

I can’t find an answer on my own and it keeps me busy just by thinking about it.

We arrived at the main house and I was led to another secret passage way.

I’m in audience with the elders again and I was congratulated for my success. I was judge to be worth to be kept alive and the investment that they had made is worth it. They told something more but I’m not listening.

I was rewarded with a red orb and a scroll for me to study.

The red orb is one of the family heirlooms and it would help me to awaken the power hidden in our blood.

The scroll is an ancient teaching about their ways of swords.

I was also left alone to return to Fuyuki. It’s an 8 hours train ride back to Kumamoto prefecture.

It appears that my grandfather had gone to Tokyo to take care of my mother. My father is too busy at work to stay with the family so my grandfather was there to help taking care of my younger siblings.

I also find out that my youngest sibling is female and her name is Shizuka. What a fine name, I said to myself.

I hope for the best for my younger sister. Touma honestly feels this despite having an inner problem against his first kill.

I return to Fuyuki alone with a warning from elder glasses that I should look into the history of the city I’m living in.

The house would also be entrusted to me and whatever is inside would be considered my possession now.

I return to Fuyuki alone and I just wanted to be alone.

The long train travel made me think of what I should do and if I should take a different approach against the devils but I didn’t find the answer during my travel.

I just want to be away from others and ultimately, to be away from the world.

My desire to be alone had brought a change inside me and I was rewarded by a new ability.

To create a false world where I could be left alone

That ended my reminiscing of the past.

So here I’m playing a game and trying to forget about the murder that I commit.

I need to think clearly of my plans for the future.

My encounter with the dem… devils just reminds me of how much I need to train more to even hope to win against supernatural beings.

The devil’s servants that I encounter had almost all of their status above 50 in physical aspect and about average for mental aspect with above average LUCK. They also had additional status called MAGIC that is high.

The strongest among the devils that I encounter is their succubus king that tempts the priest. Her stats for physical are above average and average for mental but her MAGIC is high. It’s above 100 and if I didn’t surprised and taken her down first, I would probably be killed.

But the encounter taught me that the demons (I will call them demons; I won’t accept them as devils as long as I don’t more proof. Just thinking of an entire race of evil beings that claimed the title of the ultimate betrayer is enough to make me in despair) can still be surprised and will act like a normal human being, if they are plunge into unexpected situation.

Getting their king killed, made the slaves blinded in rage and it became easier for me to counter them with my attacks and ultimately kill them.

It can be considered that it’s my win and I’m lucky enough to survive, but I can’t help feel that I fail. I didn’t manage to convince the humans to stop replying on demons and I also didn’t manage to save the insane priest. He didn’t deserve to be tempted by a demon and die believing his avenging the succubus.

The situation just awfully reminds me how the Greek pantheons treat the mortals. They should be protecting and guiding them but they indulge themselves far too much that even Poseidon didn’t respect the temple of Athena.

Sigh…

I need to brush up my tactics and probably be philosophy… (It might help me in the future but it probably won’t be immediately needed) Books about tactics and strategies are something I need the most right now.

While reviewing my past battle and possible future plans, I’m also busy playing the game and reviewing my skills and ability.

I haven’t played a game for a year and the video market had released lots of new game and console. I’m planning to get a PS2 after finishing some of the games I’ve bought. I can’t wait to play FF X. It looks like it would another awesome game.

At same time I’m also reviewing my skills. The body movement are already past adult level and is ready for master level but the master level skills needed items or teachers that will teach me master level.

My reading skill is also in researcher level. It’s fast and with high INT I can process and understand what I’m reading fast. I also have photographic memory now, thanks to high INT. With it, it’s easy to recall documents that I read.

My current offensive skills are Energy Arrow, Energy bomb, Astral bind and Lesser Barrier. Energy arrow can be modified into Twisted Energy Arrows that has higher penetrating ability, while Energy bomb can be further charge for more power and will turn into spiral energy bomb.

All this skills are ready to further evolve but I will do it later after checking out my new ability.

I would also need to look around the house. Since the house was been left for me to take care of, I need to clean it and maintain it. I also need to maintain Grandma’s garden. I won’t let it wither away because Grandfather won’t be here to take care of it. That garden is precious memory of Grandma and even if I don’t remember her. She is precious to me.

I also need to take care of the fruits and vegetables outside of the house… there is also the rice field of grandfather.

I would be extremely busy just to take care of them. That will cut off my time with my training but thank goodness for the new ability. I would test it after I finished FF IX, though even if I can already finish the game, I’m not satisfied if I didn’t max the skills of my main characters and that is taking time. Also the mini quest with the chocobo’s takes a lot of time for me since I didn’t find manage to find it fast, though it helps that I manage to grind levels. So it’s fine. But I prefer FF VIII’s side quest than IX.

Ah… too busy.

I need time to play games, and then take care of the house and the train but I only have one body.

I wish I would get an ability that would help me against this problem….

…

…

…

I didn’t get one.

Oh well, I didn’t consider myself lucky to have such an easy way out to begin with.

I will just struggle and struggle through it all.

Part 11

Its third week of January now and I already manage to finished my stock of compiled games. It takes a week after the gruesome first week (Where the Test takes place) for me to finished my games and cleaning of the house.

I also tend to Grandma’s garden and the plans and crops around the house. But I lack the knowledge to take care of them; I also don’t know what fertilizer to use or how to deal with pest.

Which is why I’m going out to the city’s library; I confirmed its location beside the City Hall.

I find the local map in the library; I also checked the locked door that is not locked anymore. I already noticed it that the magic inside the house was totally removed when I arrived. I didn’t bother checking an empty room, so I delay checking it. I just checked it when I also searched for the map and the locked door is open and the room is empty. As expected they take away the valuables.

I checked my located in the map.

The house is located in Shinto area of Fuyuki with a half kilometer away from the city proper.

This part of Shinto is the agricultural part Fuyuki City and the Kusanagi clan owns half of it.

Let it be known that the clan might not be rich with monetary value but for a clan that lives long, they had lots of property.

We sell the majority of the harvested crops and keep some for us.

Our land also occupies some part of the local fisheries need the sea. We own some fishing boats that we lent to the fishers and ask a portion of their catch for payment. We really didn’t care much for monetary value.

All this business was being taken care of by grandfather, before he moved to Tokyo, now I’m here alone, I don’t think the adults would listen to a three year old kid so maybe Grandfather already arrange someone to take care of business. I only need to take care of the ones surrounding the house.

I already met some of Grandfather’s workers and they already meet me, though with me living alone should be suspicious to them. I didn’t know what Grandfather said or instruct them with, to leave me alone.

After preparing myself and remembering the location of the library, I take an umbrella with me, even though its sunny outside.

You don’t know when it will start raining.

While I was walking, I ended up with few dilemmas, such as crows flocking above me, the birds suddenly dropping their waste on top of me or dogs chasing me. I evade them all and didn’t take any damage.

It’s a normal morning for me.

When I enter the urban area with the house lining up, the sun just decided to hide behind the clouds and start raining, I brought out my umbrella but strong winds are making it hard for me to use it. I almost tempted to use Lesser Barrier but it would be suspicious to ordinary people to see the rain parting above me.

I persevere until I enter the city proper where the rows of two story houses facing against each other with usual shops at the first floor and two side by side windows at the second floor and some of the house had plants in front of the windows. Wide open roads where the vehicles start appearing frequently (Being outside of the city proper and near the agricultural area, you won’t see much vehicles moving around) and are moving fast even though it’s raining, people are scares with the current time and sudden change of weather.

I’m trying to control my umbrella while nearing the crossing to the central park, where the City hall and City library is located.

A fast vehicle just past me without care for possible pedestrians walking along the road side, with the wet roads, the water splash beside me and almost hit me if I didn’t dodge to the other side but I another car is incoming fast, which made me start running to dodge the splash of water around me.

The speeding vehicles stopped at with the change of traffic sign color and the cars from the front are the one moving. I’m last moving fast, dodging the last car the decided to speed up to cross the road before the traffic sign change in color, which made me moving onto the direction of the water that is directly splashing onto me, I side step to my left but I trip because of the wet floors. This cause me to evade the splash of water but I lost balance and ended up not being able to dodge the splash of water. I decide to forgone using the umbrella to protect me from the heavy rain and use it to protect me from the dirty water. I placed the umbrella in front of me, acting as a shield against it but I ended up being wet by the heavy rain, its fine, I can dry myself but when I’m standing up I didn’t notice a strong wind brushing and almost blow my umbrella away, I manage to hold onto my umbrella but a flower pot from the second floor of the house I’m currently in front with, suddenly drops onto my head.

Damage 50 received

If I’m a normal person, I would be unconscious already from the sudden hit from above but I only get a minor pain that is already gone.

The noise attracts the owner of the house, and he came out from the front where a flower shop is located.

“What that noise?” A gruff sound from a middle age man, he has black hair with a average height and slim build. He looks young but I can’t really judge correctly the age of someone with the people I met isn’t the best examples of appearance reflecting the age.

“You! What did you do?” The man pointed at me with a glare and then he saw the broken pot and start approaching me.

“The flower pot was blown up from the second floor and hit me” I answered simply without any inflation. Just like on how I answered the elders or my Grandfather. I didn’t show much emotion on my face and that made the store owner suspicious. Someone that got hit by a pot from higher ground should show pained expression but I didn’t. I didn’t feel them anyway so I didn’t find any necessary to show a pained expression. I would also be lying to the man if I acted hurt, even if I’m not hurt.

“Don’t lie to me brat, the pots in the second floor are secured in the guard rails. A little wind won’t blow it away” The man is getting angry at me. His being irrational on his judgment just because of the lack of emotion on my face, the evidence of dirt on my head should give it away, plus the trace of blood that colors my hair. But maybe it’s been washed away already, just like how the blood didn’t drip in my face. The heavy rain is already washing away the dirt and the blood.

“And what are you doing here outside with the weather is bad?” The man questions me.

“I’m going to library” I answered calmly

“During this time while the rain is pouring heavily?” The man is becoming more suspicious of me.

“The rains start pouring when I’ve just arrived in the city proper. I walked from my house which is located in the outer part of the city” I answered honestly because I don’t see any point in lying to the man that is already suspicious of me.

“You walk since there? That’s more than five kilometers!” The man starts shouting because of the distance of my travel. But 5 kilometers isn’t really that long for me. The area around the mountain range is much larger, that traveling a mere five kilometers isn’t really a problem.

He starts lecturing me that I decided to ignore and just look at my surrounding. The central park is already across the road and in the top middle of it is where the city hall is located. The city library is beside it together with the city police station. It’s a centralized plan for easy access of the residence of Shinto.

The area around the central park is the residential area. But the houses beside the main roadside are two story houses that use their first floor for business which can be either shops, restaurants or mini-office.

The main roadside is connected directly to the other side of Mion River or the Miyama City.

The main roads around this area are always busy with passing vehicles because of the commercial district which is only four blocks away. The train station is also located two blocks away from the city hall.

The commercial district is big and some parts are already in reconstruction because of the city plan for Shinto. They are turning this side of Fuyuki into a modern City. Grandfather mentioned that the clan is somehow involved with the sudden plan of reconstruction of the land.

I didn’t understand it much but they are trying to alter the flow of ley lines from what I understand.

Fuyuki city is in line with the ley lines and disrupting its flow should be dangerous. I don’t know why they planning to do this but the elder with glasses gave me a warning to look into the city’s history.

Looking at the past of the city is another reason for me going to library, aside from gardening knowledge and educational materials.

Looking at the past newspaper in the library might give me some clue on what’s to happening.

Looking back at the passionate man that is lecturing me, I wonder why his outside her talking to me while its raining heavy. I tilt my head to the side in confusion then I notice that the wind is going strong again.

The store owner stops lecturing me and tried to block his eyes from the strong wing while I just close my right eye and look at the side where the wind is blowing.

This is not normal.

Usually, the wind will blow strong if it’s from the sea but the front of the house is opposite to the sea. This wind is crossing against the wind from the sea area.

I then tried to look up where the pot that hits me comes from and I see another pot swaying and starts to fall down onto the store owner.

“Dodge!” I yelled to the store owner but he is just surprised which force me to tackle him down to evade being hit.

I tackled the store own and we hit the wet floor. His head hit the stone asphalt and with my 10 strength. I didn’t know that I could damage someone heavily just by tackling them down.

I saved him from the falling pot but I damage him of over 100 because of the tackle, and he receives additional damage from hitting the floor, he also receives a Bleeding (Moderate) Status effect. He was knocked unconscious due to the fall. This is bad.

The noise alerted some from inside to come out and check it out. It looks like it’s the store owner wife.

She is young and beautiful with a long hair tied behind her back. She has green eyes that remind me of my mother and she’s carrying a crying child, probably a year or two old? I don’t know.

“I’m sorry ma’am I tried to save your husband from the falling pot but I ended up tackling him hard. I’m sorry” I bowed in front of her and start taking out my cellphone to call the local hospital. It’s a good thing its nearby.

“Honey!” the wife is surprised and she comes closer to her husband and tried to check on him but she notice she’s still carrying her son or daughter?

She looks at me when I tried calling for ambulance but…. Well… there is no reception.

“Ma’am do you have a phone we can use?” I asked her and she nods fast and returns inside the store to probably to call for help. She is still in state of shock of what’s happening and the crying child isn’t helping her to calm down.

I look at the bleeding store owner and I tried to stop the bleeding by using my handkerchief and it looks like it’s helping? But I’m not sure…

First aid and medical lessons, another set of books that I need to procure in case of emergency. I need to know how to tend others. I’m a fast healer but the other humans are normal and I don’t have an ability that can heal them.

Sigh… he got hurt because of me… it looks like I really shouldn’t associate with others.

I half smiled while trying to help.

It looks like going to library would be delayed.

Part 12

I failed.

I become lenient by being alone in the mountain for a year with no one to get hurt aside from me.

I already lower my guard during the test and it ended up with me killing someone.

I really shouldn’t made in contact with others that much.

The store owner which is names as Mr. Shibuya was taken to ambulance, together with his wife and daughter. I’m asked to come along to explain what happen but I didn’t. I didn’t want others to get more in danger. So I decline and decided to call for my father. But there is still no reception.

I just said that I would follow and they should go first because its more important for Mr. Shibuya to be taken care off. The ambulance sped off the wet roads and I calmly walk to follow but when I got near the hospital. I didn’t enter it.

I was noticed by a nurse from the front desk and I was asked to go inside because I’m getting myself wet from the heavy downpour. I decline but she insist. I reluctantly follow but only at the door.

I stop when the lights of the sign of the hospital start blinking. The nurse was concern about it but we still enter. I stop just after entering and didn’t go further. I don’t want to cause more trouble.

After that, what happen next felt like a blur, from the questioning, asking for my guardian and my answers to the questions. I answer automatically and I kept on reviewing my mistake again. My carelessness from getting close to another person and getting that person hurt.

I tried calling my father but he won’t answer, I was forced to call the only other person’s number, stored in my phone. I called elder with glasses.

He arrived next day and he explains why I’m left alone. I didn’t object his reason for lying because I can see the logic behind the reason of both parents are working abroad but I object of him making my life miserable. I don’t need them concerning and be involve with me. I don’t need their pity.

The wife become sad and concern for my sake but I don’t need it. You will only get hurt.

I tried to distance myself away from them and let the elder do his trick. He has honeyed words that can easily trick others.

Mr. Shibuya was released three days after with bandage on his head, his fine and we tried to pay for the bill but it’s an accident and Mr. Shibuya was actually thankful that I save him. But I didn’t. It’s my entire fault that you got hurt.

I’m silent all throughout the proceeding and just speaking if it directly concerns me.

Mr. Shibuya offers his help in taking care of me but I’m fine, I said but his stubborn fellow that will visit sometimes to see if I’m alright, his stubborn but kind fellow.

After that, I decided to play games for few days and just practice some of my skills that don’t need me to actually move around.

After a week, which makes it early February, I decided to try again on going to library but this time around I’m ready. I had an umbrella with me and I set my senses full blast for any trouble to come.

I was wary and alert while walking slowly, preferring stealth over speed.

I arrived at the Library without any problem. No rain or no accidents. I was further in alert.

I went to the front desk of the library and ask for instructions. I didn’t get to close to the kind lady at the front desk because I’m afraid of what may happen.

The procedure went fine and I finally be able to sneak around the bookshelves to read in the medical preference materials.

The adults that are reading in the tables look funny at me when I tried to get a book from upper shelf.

A kind man smiles and stands up from his reading table and approaches me. He decides to get the book that I’m trying to get and he smiles at me then bends his knee for a bit and offers me the book.

While he was smiling I was scared. Someone approached me while I’m trying to stay away as possible.

I heard a rumbling and the whole building start shaking with the shelves and books shaking terribly.

I was in panic for a sec but the gamer’s mind calms me and I tackle the kind man away from the falling shelf.

I controlled my strength this time around so he won’t get hurt that badly but the shelve falls down on me.

It didn’t stop there with the other books falling and the shelves starts falling onto each other and it starts a domino effect that cost lots of wounded people.

I was unconscious and didn’t know what happens next but from what I learned later on when I woke up in the hospital. A mini earthquake that specifically hit the Central Park causes a disaster in minor scale but lots of people got wounded due to the incident but thank goodness there are no casualties.

Because of that, I didn’t go outside of the house anymore, aside from emergency. I also got warning from elder with glasses but I already know. It would be bad if I just go outside without proper reasons.

Mr. Shinobu whose house is just across the central park is fine, his house or any structure outside of the central park is left unharmed. The investigation leads to no concrete reasoning on how it happens but theories was thrown into the table. The good florist visits me to make sure I’m fine. He also tries to make me go outside and visit his home and meet his lovely daughter but I refuse. I would just cause trouble. I kept on making excuses and he just half smile an shakes his head at me.

Since I can’t just go outside without proper reason, I decide to ask for Father’s help but I didn’t manage to contact him. The cellphone line is always busy. I tried asking the elder for help and they comply. It didn’t even take a day and a trucked full loaded of books was delivered to me.

It only takes a full day to analyze and read all the books.

I asked for the books about taking care of plants. I have scientist ability in college level, which means I already studied a lot of branch of science. It’s even enough for me to get a diploma but I don’t have a specialization yet. Just pure science and in it, I also studied plant life.

But just by studying that is not enough. It taught me more about plants but not how to take care of them or raise them healthy. General knowledge are known but not enough to take care of the crops and Grandma’s garden, which is why I need the books for it.

I also ask for books in medicine but they only send me the general books for it. It’s enough for first aid and in case emergency, some common colds or sickness and how to take care of them. This won’t be enough for more critical situation and dangerous disease but I at least know what to do in case of emergency.

This knowledge gave me two new abilities.

Green Thumb (Farmer)

The ability granted to one who knows and studies the way of taking care of plants.

Effect:

Allows one to be more efficient and faster in taking care of crops

Allows one to easily identify the problem that might happen to your crops

Higher INT would allow one to create a more efficient ITEMS to enriched the crops

Allows one to easily nurtured and arrange decorative flowers

Higher INT would allow one to create a more variation of flowers

Required:

Research works about Farming Developments (Researcher Level)

Research studies about plants make up (Researcher Level)

(They send lots of materials when I asked that I would like to take care of the garden and the crops around)

Doctor (College Level)

The ability granted to one who takes on the path of healing others.

Effect:

Allows one to take care of minor wounds using right tools

Allows one to identify the disease, level of threat and possible cause of the disease

Allows one to perform a minor surgery for small wounds

Allows one to make medication for common disease

Higher INT would allow one to create new ITEMS to heal wounds

Higher INT would allow one to create new ITEMS to cure status effects

Higher INT would allow one to create new method in healing a patient.

Note:

Research works of Biological Make-up (Practitioner Level)

Research work for Medicine development (Practitioner Level)

Research works of Chemical make-up (Practitioner Level)

Research works for Disease Studies (Practitioner Level)
Very useful knowledge these books pass onto the readers.

The other books are the necessary books for me to reach college level for Scientist and Mathematician ability.

The next levels are specialization for these two abilities but I prefer to just study them all.

I’m more inclined for engineering because it would allow me to create something new that might support me in the future fights.

But the majority of the books that where send are more documents about the super naturals. Myths from different part of the world, how they live, how the fall and their general affect to the world. Like different religion and studies devoted to them.

They also send a bit about the clan history.

I already know that the clan had fought before against super natural beings.

I also know that the clan is bitter against the gifted ones, if I tried to analyze the feeling of the elder against the campione and other magic users from different parts of the world.

These documents shed light to it, even if a bit it helps.

The Kusanagi clan is indeed a clan that fought against super naturals in the past but unlike the powerful Onmyodo practitioners like Abe no Seimei. The clan doesn’t have enough power to contend with them.

They have the knowledge and they tried to adapt but they just don’t have the power to copy it. Their imitation is a pale comparison to what the other onmyodo of the imperial court, can do with their magic.

The Kusanagi clan does also indeed do assassination and shadow works for the past emperors of Japan but unlike the powerful and famous Hatorri Hanzo or the likes of Iga and Koga Clans. The Kusanagi clans are weak physically.

They are weak magically and physically but how can they survive the warring times and be trusted by the emperors of Japan?

The answer is they compensate the weakness they had by making items that stand as equalizers.

They made instruments of war to kill and to magically bind the enemies.

The Kusanagi clan isn’t much of a warrior clan but more of a researcher clan.

They prove their worth through their creations.

They are also know back then as Hokage Clan instead of Kusanagi clan.