OLN: 3D/2D

[Swordstriker21]

Hello all. New to the community. I've decided to put up this slightly crappy first attempt at making my own original LN. It's not really anything original per se and is really somewhat just a shameless self insert/wish fulfillment kinda thing. Just for fun y'know It also helps me practice my English since I work in a call center (English isn't my native language). I submit myself humbly before you guys and hope you enjoy my work. Or at least try to. Please. Pretty please?

It's largely inspired by the influx of MMORPG based LNs out there. Even some Korean novels like LMS or Ark. I'll try to make it have a character of its own though. I hope I can actually deliver^^

[Swordstriker21]

3D/2D: I Was Sent to a Fantasy World and Got Turned into an Anime Character?!

Isaac John L. de la Cruz is just your average run-off-the-mill male with a slight(?) inclination towards Otaku culture. He never even imagined anything special or outrageous would happen to him and just lived a relatively peaceful, if a tad bit mundane life.

Problem was, it did. He gets transported to another world for one. And he turns 2D!

Will he ever find a way back home? And even if he did… would he even want to?…

*A comedic fantasy story with a touch of MMORPG and a dash of romance. And, just maybe, a bit of drama(?)…

You have been warned…

Categories: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy , Harem , Romance , Original

-Table of Contents-

Prologue

Chapter 1: An End to the Ordinary

Chapter 2: Out of this World

Chapter 3: El Fabula

Chapter 4: Maleena Village

Chapter 5: Approaching Danger

Chapter 6: Training Start!

Chapter 7: Class Change Test

Chapter 8: Exclusive Class

Chapter 9: Of Romance and Royalty

Chapter 10: First Summon

Chapter 11: One Crisis After Another

Chapter 12: Past and Determination

Chapter 13: Machinations

Chapter 14: Underlying Faces

Chapter 15: First Blood (Preview)

***

Prologue

Spoiler! :

White. Endless white.

Within this solitary space, that could aptly be described as blank “stood” a lone “figure”. Highly unstable, “he” was constantly wavering between existence and un-existence. Like a candle at the mercy of the billowing wind.

But, despite this crippling condition, he still radiated a distinct aura of strength; an overwhelming presence. And will. Unyielding will. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why “they” feared him as much as they did.

As he was ruminating about idle thoughts (which was pretty much the only thing he could actually do in this blank void) another presence “entered”.

Unlike the first, this one did not give off that stifling aura of power. Still, “she” carried a distinct nature of her own. Serene - like the surface of an undisturbed lake; and no less majestic.

“So it’s you again. Why do you insist on coming back to pester me with your endless inquisitiveness? Are the ramblings of an exiled fool like me really that interesting?” the first one uttered with an annoyed tone.

She gave him a teasing smile and came nearer.

“There you go again with that attitude of yours. Couldn't you at least try to be a little less grouchy whenever I come to visit? I’m pretty much the only one who actually bothers you know.”

“Who do you think is making me this irritable?!” he exclaimed. He actually didn't hate her visits per se. Not that he would ever admit to that fact anyway. He was just worried for her. She wasn't supposed to come here. The price for getting found out was too high.

“My, my. Are you sure you want to keep that kind of attitude with me? I did go to the trouble of finding the main factor necessary for that plan of yours after all. A Counterpoint…”

An awkward silence followed soon afterward. He was visibly taken aback by the sudden announcement and countless thoughts raced through his mind like a river that finally flowed again after being dammed up for so long.

“…….You’re serious aren’t you?” he asked in a trembling voice

Her smile deepened. She knew that would get his attention.

“You know me well enough to tell if I was being serious or not. Yes, I did find a suitable candidate. He might even exceed the initial requirements you set for your grand plan.”

A hint of amusement tinged her voice. She was elated that she was able to shake him enough to make him speechless. In all the time they’ve spent together until his banishment, he was the one who was always on top of things. Decisive and resolute; even in utter disgrace he kept his pride and dignity. It was one of the things she liked about him. She still did.

He was truly grateful for the news. But he still held some reservations about the matter. If it were true, then she would be an accomplice to the greatest of crimes, the gravest of sins in the eyes of the Echelon.

“Why are you going this far? You know full well you will not be able to avoid their detection for long. And the price for this betrayal will not be cheap. This place isn’t exactly paradise you know. You might even get it worse…”

A hint of concern came with his admonishment. He’d always had a soft spot for her. It was one of the things that kept him baffled even now.

“Would you be satisfied if I told you it’s because I care about you?” she said with nary a change in her expression.

“Spare me the thoughtless jokes.” he spat with a huff.

“___I wasn't exactly joking you know…” she thought - a slight frown marring her perfect features.

Letting lose an exasperated sigh, she conceded that there was little chance they’ll be able to be completely honest with each other. That was just how they were as individuals; always hiding their true thoughts and feelings with feigned ignorance or rough demeanor. And so, she decided to go with a convenient half truth. She spread her arms towards empty space and exclaimed.

“…As you know, there is only one thing “we” collectively desire above all else: Something interesting. It shakes our very core. It fills our very being. It reminds us of what we lost. And what we stand to gain.

It just so happened that my thoughts and methods for bringing this about began to diverge from the rest of “them”. It’s what attracted me to you. I mean, that IS the reason why they put you in here in the first place.”

She gave him a challenging look after explaining her motives.

The conviction in that statement could not be denied. He let out a sigh of his own knowing full well how, once she decides on something, she would stubbornly carry it through to the end. The fact that she was visiting him in this desolate “prison” despite the risks involved was proof enough.

“I assume from your tone that you’re just about ready to begin the plan?” he asked with a resigned tone.

“Actually, I’ve already made my move. There’s no stopping it now. Let's see them try.” Her smile was back now. But it had hints of mischief mixed in. And traces of disdain.

Great anticipation filled him. Once again, after a seeming eternity of incarceration, he was overwhelmed by an uncontrollable feeling of utter excitement. The fire was relit and it would not be long until it blazed into a raging inferno that threatened to raze all in its path.

But he forcefully reined his emotions in check; which took no small effort. There would be time enough for drowning in the feeling of triumph. And that was after he actually did achieve all of his goals.

“___She’s always had a knack for riling me up…” he thought.

Giving off the impression of smiling bitterly, he fully composed himself once more and thought about what the commencement of his age old plan truly meant for him; for all of “them”.

“Will this prove to be the key to finally put an end to this delusional dream?” he asked with a voice tinged with longing. Yearning for that yet unfulfilled oath.

She looked towards the emptiness once again and replied in a soft and comforting tone.

“That remains to be seen. We’ll probably know soon enough anyway… We'll make it this time. You'll see... This time... for sure.”

And the cogs began turning…

-Prologue End-

Chapter 1: An End to the Ordinary

Spoiler! :

The incessant cries of the neighbor’s cat (which was several times louder than usual as it was probably in heat and is already engaged in “business” w/ the landlady’s tabby) woke him from a rather unsatisfying sleep.

He looked at the small alarm clock on top of the table near the double deck bed (of which he was the only current occupant as his roommate decided to go back to his home province because of family issues) to check the time. Finding that it was only a little past four in the morning, he got a little annoyed.

Still, he probably couldn’t get to fall asleep again. At least, not while running the risk of oversleeping and being late for work.

And so, with a little shrug, he un-energetically got off the bed and proceeded to do his normal morning rituals. This included partaking in another breakfast consisting of beef flavored instant noodles, drinking his morning instant coffee, brushing his teeth with cheap toothpaste, rinsing his mouth with cheap mouthwash, bathing using a good old [1]tabo and putting on freshly ironed clothes straight from [2]Divisoria.

He was particularly careful with his finances as it wasn’t good to suddenly go short especially since he didn’t have any relatives that lived nearby (the closest one was in [3]Bulacan and he was in [4]Imus) and he disliked the notion of borrowing money with a passion).

Finally, rubbing on some cheap cologne, he decided to come in early for work.

***

Name: Isaac John L. de la Cruz

Age: 25

Height: Average (5’ 1” to be exact but he swears he’s pushing 5’ 2”)

Face: Average (He’s realistic enough face the fact that his looks were “ordinary” and he honestly thinks he isn’t exactly “ugly”.)

Build: Average (He isn’t that well built, isn’t exactly fat nor thin. Hence, “average”.)

A perfectly ordinary “[5]Juan” living a perfectly ordinary life as a call center agent in an Australian telecommunications firm, scraping enough to go by and sometimes saving enough to allow him to send money to his parents back in [6]Pangasinan.

It’s been a little over four years since he first came from the province to look for work and considers himself lucky enough to land an okay job. The fact that he worked in a day shift despite being a call center agent was an unexpected bonus. The pay was relatively good too.

***

He’d arrived at the office at a little past six thirty. Since his shift actually starts at eight, he decided to go over to the lounge first to have a quick smoke and fully wake his still-drowsy self up.

“Morning Ice. You’re quite early today.”

Greeting him with his high school nickname as soon as he arrived was a bespectacled girl with a petite build and a cheerful air which made one feel really at ease.

Melinda R. Marcos, one of his few female friends. He’d known her since high school. And no, she isn’t related to a certain former first lady. Her peers didn’t fail to point out the obvious similarity in names though. She would just laugh it off.

She was a bright, cheerful girl who had the uncanny ability to almost instantly get along with people. Even ones she’s just met for the first time.

Her getting along with him was proof enough as he wasn’t exactly a poster boy for good social interaction. Ice, his all too flashy nickname, was actually coined from his aloof nature during his high school years. Nowadays you’d call him “emo”.

Melinda wasn’t fazed and was always the one to drag him off to attend class activities (she was the class rep) while he was busy acting all sentimental under his favorite mango tree. She’d slowly “integrated” him with the rest of the class and got permission to call him “Ice” since pronouncing Isaac was “a pain” and told him to call her “Lin”.

He didn’t really like the nick as he felt it really sarcastic because of the fact that he wasn’t exactly as “cool” as it suggested. To put it bluntly, he was quite nerdy. He was okay with Lin calling him that though. Maybe because he didn’t really feel she was secretly making fun of him when she used it. It was pretty natural. He liked that.

He’d been stuck with her ever since. At least up until high school graduation.

Her family needed to move to [7]Manila for her father’s work and he hadn’t seen nor heard from her all throughout his college years. Meeting her shortly after coming to Manila himself and actually ending up going to the same company was quite a happy coincidence.

Truth be told, he actually really liked her. But, like all the “[8]dakilang torpes” before him, Ice had difficulty confessing. That was way over his head at that time and it still is even after all these years. Ice thought it was really pathetic of him considering his age but what can’t be helped can’t be helped; at least for now.

“___So much for the cool nickname…” he thought.

He gave Lin a slight nod sporting a stiff, awkward smile which was typical of him. Lin gave a bright smile in return which didn’t fail to cause fatal errors his brain.exe even though he practically gets to see it five days a week.

“…I didn’t know you started smoking too Lin. Did the stress finally get to you?” Ice asked, smiling wryly. He always tried to joke around with her - mainly so he could try and calm his nerves which almost always seemed to get the better of him whenever he was with her despite them knowing each other for so long.

Lin's smile brightened and answered in an amused tone.

“No silly. I was just talking to Erica about Tim’s birthday this Sunday. You’ll come too won’t you? You get along with him really well after all.”

Timotheo “Tim” Marcos was Lin’s impressionable younger brother. He was quite tall, good at sports, stellar in academics and fairly good looking with a [9]moreno complexion. In other words, he was Ices' complete opposite. Strangely enough, he and Ice got along quite well because of one common denominator: video games.

They were both avid gamers and eventually got Lin into it too (She was nigh invincible in rhythm/music and dance games.) Their antics camping outside their favorite net cafe during the heyday of [10]Ragnarok Online (Especially during the [11]simbang gabi period.) and occasionally pitting their skills in quick bouts of [12]Tekken was a pleasant memory for him.

“Course I’ll come; wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“Great! Um, about that… I actually have a favor to ask if you don’t mind…”

“Ask away!!!” he answered in a slightly high pitched voice. Not good. He was getting overly excited again. She always had that effect on him. And he fell for it every time.

“Oh!... Uuuh, okay." Lin giggled cutely. See, I was planning to get Tim a gift but I’m not overly familiar with his preferences. I was thinking, since you got along with him so well, you’d probably know best.”

Ice paused to think a bit and gave an appropriate reply.

“He was talking about wanting to upgrade his gaming rig a while back so maybe some new hardware for his PC.”

“PC upgrades then. Okay." Lin paused for a bit, still looking troubled.

"Is there something else?" Ice asked.

Lin slightly averted her eyes from his gaze and replied with a hesitant and slightly embarrassed voice. "Umm... well... you see, I’m not really familiar with those kinds of things so I was thinking... if you would want to come with me to pick something out…” Then she looked at him again with expectant eyes. It was instant K.O. There was no way Ice was going to refuse. More like, he'd come no matter what else came up.

“I’ll come!!! When?!” he replied; not bothering to disguise the anticipation in his voice.

Lin smiled sweetly and giggled at Ices' reaction. “How bout 10 o’clock tomorrow at [13]Greenhills. I’ll wait for you in front of [14]Booksale.”

“Booksale Greenhills at 10. Got it.” Ice nodded slightly in affirmation.

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Okay. See you.”

Lin parted with him with that dazzling smile of hers still burned in his consciousness and Ice was left dumbfounded until one of his co-workers reminded him it was nearly time for their shift.

***

After a particularly nerve wracking, sleepless night, Ice proceeded to get ready for his appointment with Lin with evident gusto. He didn’t even know why he was so excited himself since they often went out together anyway… with their respective [15]barkadas in tow that is.

That’s it! They’ll be alone together. Just the two of them! This hasn’t happened since high school. Something good is going to happen today. Ice could feel it in his bones. No, he’ll make it happen! Today is the day he says goodbye to his torpe self!

And so, after bathing using a newly opened bath soap that boasted about being able to give you good looking skin due to having moisturizing cream infused with it, bringing out his treasured, slightly pricey body spray from the depths of the closet and wearing fashionable(?) clothes, Ice finally went on his merry way for a date with destiny(?!...)

***

After braving the usual long lines to board the [16]MRT, Ice, barely making it, hustled for a place near the coach door and was now on his way to [17]Santolan station. He was already used to how cramped the MRT gets sometimes and was praying he never gets caught up in one of those ‘incidents’ happening lately. Since he was practically sandwiched between the other passengers and the automatic door it wouldn’t even be funny if, say, the door opened by accident while the train was still running.

Finding his thoughts silly, Ice proceeded to try to make himself as comfortable as possible, crammed in an MRT coach filled with sweaty guys while standing - as difficult as that may sound.

And then ‘it’ happened.

Before he knew it, a situation which seemed to have been plucked straight from a B grade horror flick unfolded. The surrounding people froze, as if time was suddenly stopped, and an unnatural mist started to seep from the cracks on the automatic doors.

“The heck is this?! [18]Wow Mali?! Stop kidding around [19]Mr. Joey de Leon! I don’t have time for pranks!”

He received no reaction of course. And the people around him really seemed to be ‘frozen’. They weren’t even breathing. He tried to get their arms or heads to move to confirm whether or not they were just highly trained stuntmen who do crazy amounts of Yoga. He couldn’t make them budge in the slightest. He couldn’t even smooth the creases on their clothes.

“The heck!? What the hell is this?! This isn’t possible!... I’m not dreaming am I?!”

As Ice was getting increasingly panicked by the second; another unexpected event happened.

The MRT doors behind him suddenly opened. Feeling an unnatural chill permeating his back; Ice slowly turned around to find himself facing a dark, seemingly bottomless void.

The frazzled nerves he was trying to control suddenly snapped and, as he was about to let loose an uncharacteristic scream, a gentle and strangely calming voice whispered near his ear…

“I finally found you… Counterpoint.”



Next thing he knew, he found himself hurtling further into the void, bellowing a soundless scream that was swallowed up by the surrounding darkness along with him.

-And End to the Ordinary End-

*Notes

[1]Tabo - also known as the dipper (commonly made of plastic nowadays) used to scoop water out of a pail; it is an essential part of Philippine bathrooms. It's also used in a wide variety of other non-conventional ways i.e. improvised watering can, garden plant vase, a weapon used by pissed off wives to hurl at their womanizing husbands etc.

[2]Divisoria - large marketplace situated within the heart of Metro Manila. Known for having a lot of products you can buy at very cheap prices. A haven for bargain hunters and retailers. It also houses several shopping malls and arcades.

[3]Bulacan - a province located in Central Luzon, in the northern part of the Philippines. Known for its fireworks industry and delicious chicharon (fried pork skins, bad for the heart but highly addictive snack)

[4]Imus - municipality belonging to the province of Cavite which is located a bit south of Metro Manila.

[5]Juan/a or Juan/a de la Cruz - generic term used to denote an ordinary Filipino citizen.

[6]Pangasinan – Province located along the western area of the island of Luzon. Its name can be roughly translated as “place for salt” or “place for salt making” and does have salt making as one of its primary industries. It’s also known for its milk fish, indigenous rice cakes and beaches.

[7]Manila – Can either refer to Manila (the capital and second largest city of the Philippines) or Metro Manila (also known as National Capital Region; consists of a total of 16 cities including Manila and is the central hub for economic activity in the country).

[8]Torpe – dense, slow witted regarding affairs with the opposite sex

[9]Moreno – In this case, it refers to a particular type of skin tone among Filipinos. It’s of a darker shade than the popular mestizo/mestiza skin tone (light/fair skin more common with those with foreign ancestry such as Half or Quarter Spanish Filipinos) that is currently prevalent in Philippine show business. You can think of it as “natural tan”. It’s, more often than not, used as a compliment however and is usually devoid of any negative connotations associated with the term. But as they say – “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”.

[10]Ragnarok Online – Is also known as RO. A Korean MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game) created by GRAVITY Co. Ltd that is considered by some to be THE one game that started the MMO boom in the Philippines. It was wildly popular back in the day and numerous private servers still exist at present.

[11]Simbang Gabi – (Filipino for "Night Mass") is a devotional nine-day series of Masses practiced by Roman Catholics and some other Christian sects in the Philippines in anticipation of Christmas and to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary.

[12]Tekken – Tekken (Japanese: 鉄拳?, "Iron Fist") is a fighting game franchise created, developed and published by Namco (later Bandai Namco Games). Beginning with the original Tekken in 1994, the series has received several sequels as well as updates and spin-off titles. It was well received in the Philippines and an arcade with a Tekken game is a common sight in a lot of malls and shopping centers nationwide.

[13]Greenhills – A shopping centre in the city of San Juan in the Philippines. It has over 2,000 stores, and espouses an 'indoor-outdoor' theme, with the Shopping Center having the appearance of several distinct buildings (some separated by a main road) that are all interconnected through pathways and bridges. It hosts a Roman Catholic chapel and a Muslim prayer room.

[14]Booksale – It’s a popular retailer of low-priced unused, as well as previously owned books and bargain publications from the U.S., Canada, Australia and the UK. It also hosts several local publications and magazines.

[15]Barkada – peers, a group of friends that often hang out together

[16]MRT – Manila Metro Rail Transit System, a rapid transit system running across the Metro.

[17]Santolan station – It’s a station on the Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 2 (MRT-2). Santolan Station is one of the many elevated stations that can be found on the line.

[18]Wow Mali – The longest running gag-show on Philippine TV. Think along the lines of Candid Camera and you’ve pretty much gotten it.

[19]Joey de Leon – José María Ramos de León, better known as Joey de Leon (born October 14, 1946) is a Filipino comedian, actor, and television presenter. He hosts the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga! and is a member of the comedian trio Tito, Vic and Joey.

Chapter 2: Out of this World

Spoiler! :

The chirping of birds slowly woke Ice up from his stupor and bright morning light suddenly dazzled his eyes. Slowly shaking the cobwebs off of his frazzled consciousness, he was suddenly greeted by an unfamiliar room.

The bed was a wooden one as opposed to the metal double deck bunk bed he had at the dorms and there was a rustic feel to it. The small table, chairs and drawers were wooden as well. In fact, the entire room was wooden apart from the bed cushion, pillows and sheets. It resembled the interior of a traditional log house.

Going over to the veranda, Ice found it was really was a log house. A stretch of tall conifers was nearby overlooking a pristine looking lake. It wasn’t exactly scenery you’d expect to see in the Philippines.

He leaned over the railings and put one hand over his forehead to block the sun as he squinted to look at the surroundings.

“Where exactly am I? What happened? It feels like I’m forgetting something really important…”

Ice was still a bit light headed so he decided to sit back down on the bed to settle down a little. Then, glancing down on the small mirror on top of the wooden table, Ice suddenly did a double take.

“The heck’s this?! Is this… me?...”

What stared back at him in the mirror was a completely unfamiliar face. Alabaster skin that seemed so pale he’d probably pass for a ghost if you saw him at night. Light blue hair, azure, slightly angled and piercing eyes. He ran his fingers through his hair and felt up his face to make sure he really was looking at ‘himself’.

It all seemed so surreal. Then again, so was everything that happened to him up until now.

“Wait… What exactly happened to me? I remember taking the MRT to meet up with Lin and then… And then… AAAAAAAH!”

Ice screamed as a sudden flurry of memories came back to him - and with it, came the realization that something outrageous happened to him.

It all came back to him - the people frozen stiff, the creepy mist, falling through the dark void and that mysterious voice…

“___What did it call me again? Counterpoint…”

While he was immersed in confused thoughts, a small knock resounded from the other side of the room’s door.

“Um, excuse me. I heard some noises down stairs so could you possibly be awake now sir?”

A girl’s soft voice inquired somewhat sheepishly. Deciding he won’t get anywhere just acting all confused by himself, Ice decided to gather some information first.

“Yeah, I’m awake now. Please come in.”

Slowly opening the door, a foreign girl appeared. She was a bit smaller in stature, and by then Ice had noticed that he had apparently grown taller than he remembered. Given the drastic change to his face however, he wasn’t really all that surprised anymore. She was carrying a small woven basket. And, judging from the smell, it contained food.

Ice was suddenly reminded of the fact that he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet because he was too excited about the not-exactly-a-date-sort-of-rendezvous with Lin. His stomach let loose a low rumble which, in turn, elicited a fit of cute laughter from the girl.

“Pffft… Ahahahahaha!” the girl held her stomach as she laughed unabashedly.

“What? That was just a conditioned physical response!” Ice retorted, sporting an incredulous face.

“Sorry. It’s just… It’s my first time hearing a stomach growling that loud… Ahahahaha!” she responded while trying to suppress her laughing fit.

“Alright, I get it. That was funny. Can we move on now?” he half-begged as embarrassment and slight annoyance finally got hold of him.

“Okay. Okay. Just give me a moment to breathe… Haaah… Ehehe. I’m really sorry. That was quite rude of me wasn’t it?”

The girl finally calmed down and flashed him a radiant smile. Ices' annoyance flew out the window in an instant.

“Well, you were kinda cute so it’s fine…” he mumbled while slightly averting his eyes from her smiling face.

“Hm?”

The girl looked inquiringly at him and tilted her head in an all-too-adorable gesture.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Ice waved the matter off and faced the girl again.

Now that he got a proper look at her, the girl was definitely within the bounds of what Ice considered cute. He estimated she was roughly in her mid to late teens. Long caramel hair just short of her waist, large almond eyes, a small mouth and a slightly rounded face that radiated an air of innocence. A part of her hair was braided and tied up at the end by a small, pink ribbon which accentuated her overall charm.

“___Look at me, getting all flustered over a teenager…” he thought and made a complicated expression.

“Is there something wrong?” the girl asked after noticing the look on Ices' face.

“No! Not at all! Don’t mind me.” he responded in an agitated tone.

“Hah.”

It seemed the girl decided not to pry further.

“___Geez. Just how clichéd can this get?”

“Anyway, if you’re hungry then please have some. There’s plenty to go around anyway.” offered the girl.

“Oh. Uh, thanks miss.”

He grabbed what was apparently a freshly made sandwich from the basket and took a bite. It was delicious. The meat was flavorful and the greens were crisp and fresh. The dressing was tangy with just the right amount of acidity to stimulate the palate and also had a small kick of spiciness. He finished it in seconds and grabbed more.

Realizing that just grabbing every sandwich he could get his hands on was rude, Ice stopped eating and bowed his head in apology.

“Err… Sorry bout that miss. I was really hungry and the sandwich was delicious.”

She giggled cutely, took some more sandwiches from the basket and handed them to Ice.

"That’s okay. I’m glad you liked it. Don’t worry. I made plenty more so go ahead and eat your fill. Judging from the way your stomach was growling earlier you must be pretty hungry.”

“Uh, yeah. Don’t mind if I do then.”

After wolfing down a few more sandwiches, Ice decided to finally gather some information from the girl who was probably his benefactor.

“Hey… Uh, not to sound rude but… who are you and where exactly is this place?”

“Ah, right! I haven’t introduced myself yet have I? I’m Seabelle. Seabelle Seyramour. You can just call me Sea. It’s nice to meet you umm…”

“…Ice. Just call me Ice.”

Deciding that giving out his full name would be a little too risky considering how little he knew of the current situation, he just decided to go with his nickname for the time being.

“Okay! Nice to meet you Ice.”

“It’s nice to meet you too Miss Seabelle.”

“Just call me Sea. I’m more used to that and I don’t like being too formal.”

“___She’s surprisingly easy to talk with.”

Feeling more comfortable with her, Ice decided to call her Sea just like she wanted and acted a bit less stiff. He was still wary though. This was still an unfamiliar place and he still didn’t know much about Sea either.

“Just where exactly are we Sea? This doesn’t exactly seem to be anywhere in the Philippines. Is this somewhere abroad?”

Disregarding the absurdity of being flown into a foreign country overnight, Ice deemed it more important to get a handle on things first and thus decided not to sweat the small stuff; at least for now. He was, however, met with a questioning gaze.

“Umm… Are you sure you’re really alright now? Perhaps you hit your head on an accident or something…”

“No. At least I think I didn’t… Anyway, could you please answer my question? Is this a foreign country? Somewhere in the West? Are we in America? Or perhaps the U.K.?”

“Umm… What are you talking about?” Sea asked as her confusion deepened further.

“Not those two? Canada then? Wait, is this Australia? Are their conifer trees in Australia? Hmmm…”

Ice grabbed his chin and started thinking back on whether or not Australia had pine trees.

“Umm… I think we should take you to the village doctor first. You still seem confused…”

Seas look became even more worried and she tried to convince him to got to the doctor once more.

“Doctor? No, I feel fine see; never been better!”

Ice began doing jumping jacks to show he was feeling fine but the look of concern from Sea never disappeared.

“No, I don’t mean your body. You still seem out of sorts. Umm… Forgive me if this sounds rude but you’ve been talking nonsense since a while ago Ice.”

“Nonsense? What about my question was nonsense? I was just asking where we are. You’re not telling me you don’t know of America are you? The U.S. of A.? How bout the United Kingdom? I’m from the Philippines by the way; ‘[1]Mabuhay!’ and all that.” Ice snapped. He was getting considerably more agitated by the second.

“…….We really need to get you to the doctor! Come with me!”

Grabbing his arm, Sea tried to pull him towards the door. Ice shook his arm off her grip and proceeded to protest.

“Now listen here miss! It’s rude to imply there’s something wrong with someone’s head when all he’s doing is asking a simple question. Now I’m not budging an inch until you tell me exactly where we are and what’s going on!”

Sea began to look really flustered and seemed to be genuinely lost about what to do. Ice was incensed by the desperate look in Seas eyes and proceeded to apologize.

“Uuuh… Sorry. I’m just a bit on edge here. I wake up to find I’m in who-knows-where and I really don’t have a clue about what’s going on.”

“Umm, that’s okay. I can sort of understand where you’re coming from; suddenly waking up in an unfamiliar place like this. Anyway, this here is the village of Maleena. It’s a small village near the borders between the principalities of Ricksvale and Gran Sirius.”

“___Maleena? Ricksvale? Gran Sirius? What’s with all the flashy sounding names? Did the number of countries suddenly increase by a few while I wasn’t paying attention? Is the U.N. aware of this?”

Instead of things being clarified, Ice was even more confused by Seas strange reply. He tried to inquire again.

“Umm… Where’s this again?”

“Like I said, this is the village of Maleena. It’s near the northwestern end of the Valis continent. It’s considered neutral territory by pretty much all of the seven principalities and is pretty popular as a spa resort!

People flock to our village to bathe in our mineral rich springs. They say it has skin enhancing and rejuvenating properties among other benefits. Our patented Original Maleena Spring Water is used as a popular bath reagent by noble ladies. It’s really effective and the greatest proof is the timeless beauty of Maleenan women and their smooth, lively looking skin!”

Puffing out her surprisingly ample chest, Sea acted really proud of this little village called Maleena - proud of her ‘smooth, lively looking skin’ too by the looks of it.

She actually sounded suspiciously like those professional tour guides Ice listened to during company trips. So much so that he thought it wouldn’t really sound out of place if she suddenly blurted out ‘[2]It’s more fun in Maleena!’

But that wasn’t the issue! That wasn’t the issue at all!!!

“Eh?! Maleena? Ricksvale? Gran Sirius? Valis? Wait, which continent is this again? Eurasia? Is it a part of Eurasia? Eeeeh?!”

“There you go again with your nonsense Ice. Even little kids know about the name of the continent we’re in. It’s basic geography. What’s Eurasia or America anyway? Are these what Valis and Ehvenlande are called where you’re from? Those are very weird names.” she responded with a light laugh.

Ice was taken aback. Sea didn’t seem to be acting and this definitely doesn’t seem to be an episode of Wow Mali. It was too elaborate. He was having a hard time swallowing all the information.

Then it hit him.

After reviewing all the crazy stuff that happened to him, Ice, the ever avid gamer and otaku, came to one conclusion. Still, watching or reading about it was one thing and it happening in reality, moreover it happening to him of all people, was another story altogether.

However, the truth was staring at him right in the face. He was again looking at the small mirror; looking at his face. And he wondered why he was able to ignore that crucial little detail and think of it as natural when it very obviously wasn’t.

Besides, he was talking to a foreign girl with absolutely no problems understanding her, and there would be nothing wrong with that if they were speaking in English.

He actually worked as a call center agent so his English was quite okay. Problem was; they weren’t speaking English at all. And it certainly wasn’t Filipino. But he completely understood every word and could converse perfectly fine in this completely unfamiliar language.

He pinched his cheek hard wondering if doing that would wake him up from this crazy dream scenario. It was certainly painful. But he didn’t wake up.

“The heck… How the hell is this happening?... Is this even possible?... It doesn’t seem to be a dream?... A top secret experiment on virtual reality by some shady foreign organization? No that’s crazy! Then again ALL of this is crazy!” Ice mumbled incoherently while his face turned even paler than it already was.

Sea proceeded to hold his hand and spoke in a soothing voice to try and calm him down.

“Um, Ice? What’s wrong? Your face looks horrible? Do you want to go see the doctor now? Does it hurt anywhere? Please tell me. I’m here to help.”

Coming to from his reverie for a bit, Ice once again took a good look at Sea to finally make sure of his conclusions.

“Um, Ice… if you stare at me like that I’ll get embarrassed…”

Seas cheeks were faintly blushing as Ice stared at her with fierce intensity.

Yep. Cute. Real cute. Long caramel hair just short of her waist, large almond eyes, a small mouth and a slightly rounded face that radiated an air of innocence. A part of her hair was braided and tied up at the end by a small, pink ribbon which accentuated her overall charm.

And on top of her head was a long, slightly drooping, perfectly shaped [3]ahoge……

“Hmmm… It’s an ahoge alright. Yep. Definitely an ahoge. Ahoge… Ahoge?... AHOOOOOOGEEEEEEEEEEEH!!!!!!!!”

Ice startled Sea so much with his sudden yell, she fell to the floor.

“Eh? What’s wrong with my hair? Why did you suddenly yell like that? Ice? Ice! Are you okay?! The whites of your eyes are showing!”

“……Ehehehehe… Nyehehehehehehe… Wahahahahahahahaha! Seriously?! You gotta be kidding me! This is one hell of a joke! I… I really did turn into one… I turned… I turned into…”

“I TURNED INTO A 2D ANIME CHARACTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.................”

Ice let out another heart felt scream.

-Out of this World End-

*Note

[1] Mabuhay - A Tagalog greeting. It literally is the imperative form of "live", from the root word buhay (life). The phrase carries various meanings including "may you live", "cheers", "welcome", and "hurrah". It is thus analogous to the Romance language expression “Vive, Viva”, the Hindustani suffix Zindabad, and the Japanese exclamation Banzai.

[2] A parody of the tourism marketing campaign title "It's More Fun in the Philippines" coined by the Philippine Department of Tourism.

[3] Ahoge - (literally idiot hair) refers to the noticeable slim forelock of hair that sticks straight up from an anime/manga/LN character's head. Originally a hairdresser term for the "stupid hairs" or cowlicks that will not comb down, it later mutated into a literal reflection of a person's intelligence. Thus Idiot Hair suggests that a character is stupid, naive, or strange. (This suggestion is usually accurate, but not always - sometimes a serious character just has funny hair.)

Chapter 3: El Fabula

Spoiler! :

Slightly recovering from the shock of suddenly being dropped into an [1]otakus wet dream, Ice decided to just continue gathering more information because he deemed it was currently the best course of action he could take at the moment. Floundering around blind or acting all confused won’t get him anywhere after all.

As for his earlier behavior, Ice just went with the tried and true “Identity Amnesia” trope. Because of the fact that it was an incredibly contrived excuse, Ice was somewhat taken aback that Sea readily believed it.

“Hmmm… So you remember absolutely nothing apart from your name and the names for countries and continents used in your homeland. Philippines, was it? What a weird name ehehe.

Do you perhaps remember where it’s located? East? You mean the uncharted lands to the Far East?

That certainly would have been a perilous journey if you came from there to Valis. But then, why would you want to travel all the way to Valis in the first place?...

I guess it’s a little pointless to ask that to someone with amnesia huh?”

She continuously asked several questions at a fast pace and Ice tried to answer each one to the best of his ability while trying to cover up the little white lie he made. He was, however, a little worried about Seas’ apparent lack of tension upon meeting a highly suspicious individual (Ice) in a highly suspicious way.

“___Is she the type to easily fall for scams?...”

Realizing that his thoughts were going off track, Ice decided to go back to the main concern at hand.

“If you wouldn’t mind Sea; I’d really appreciate it if you could tell me more about this world. It’s really quite depressing not knowing practically anything apart from my name…”

“Ah. Yes, of course. This is kinda exciting! I’ve always wanted to become a teacher you know. It’s kinda nice to relive your childhood dreams huh.

Don’t you just hate it when things don’t really turn out the way you imagined it when you were a kid? I was pretty depressed when the System suddenly decided I wasn’t fit to be an ‘Educator’. I was really sad and ended up sulking for days. I’m pretty much used to it now though. And I learned to love my current class…”

“Uh-huh…”

Ice answered indifferently, with a tone that seemed to imply 'please just get on with it miss', and looked at her with half-lidded eyes.

“Uuh… E-hem! Without further ado then…”

Sea coughed awkwardly and started her explanation.

And so, Ice learned about this unfamiliar world (which was apparently called El Fabula by the locals) and the various nations that existed here. He was currently in a continent called Valis which was considered one of the major world powers in El Fabula.

However, it was not unified under a single government or ruler and is instead divided into a total of seven principalities; each under a particular noble family who ruled independently.

There were originally a lot more territories; but after years of war, it was reduced to the current seven.

The present situation, while still relatively tense, has settled down a lot compared to the time of rampant territorial wars. The various ruling families have even started to hold annual councils to discuss their various ruling policies, decide on trade agreements among other things. They also agreed to hold a united front if an outside force ever threatened the continent.

Of course, there were still lots of shady goings on beneath the all the calm; and several of the principalities (or rather, their rulers) were constantly trying to one-up each other (discreetly or otherwise).

But that’s politics for you. Even in another world; it never changes.

Maleena, the village Ice was currently in, is situated between the borders of two principalities which have been quite friendly with each other since their founding – the principalities of Ricksvale and Gran Sirius. There have also been political marriages between the two so tensions were really low and locals were generally laid-back, friendly folk.

It was also pretty well know as a spa resort just as Seas sales pitch mentioned earlier. It enjoys patronage from a majority of people in the Valis continent and is very popular with the nobles. Thus, it is regarded as neutral territory where everyone is entitled to relax and enjoy regardless of where they’re from. It also attracts customers from other continents.

“Okay! We’ve just about covered all the basics regarding the Valis continent. Next, I’m going to lecture you about the other two major continents in El Fabula – Ehvenlande and Shaturia. Make sure to pay attention.”

Seas eyes were glowing with excitement, making her enjoyment for teaching quite apparent. But even though she was all fired up, Ice was a different story.

“Eh? Wai- wait! Now just hold up a bit. My head’s kinda spinning from all that info dump you bombarded me with. Let’s go over those some other time. Still though, you weren’t kidding when you said you loved teaching. You’ll make one heck of a teacher.”

“Really?! Ehehe. I’m kinda happy to hear you say that. I’ve always loved teaching after all.”

Sea scratched her cheek with her forefinger and blushed slightly from embarrassment after hearing Ices' compliment(?); a trace of longing appearing on her face soon afterward.

“Weren't you planning to pursue it as your primary profession?” Ice inquired a bit hesitantly after noticing the change in Seas mood. Sea gave a bitter smile but replied readily.

“Unfortunately, no, I didn't. Or rather, I couldn't. The System has already picked out a proper class path for me so that’s that. It’s not so bad though. I still get to mentor the ‘Initiates’ so I’m still kinda reliving my dream.

Besides, without the proper Skill sets, I won’t be able to match the overall efficiency of a person who has ‘Educator’ as a proper class.”

Ices’ interest was piqued by this statement. His instinct was firing up; his gamer instinct that is.

“This ‘class’ thing… Could you please elaborate further…”

“I thought we were going to take a break? Were you just not interested in geography and history? You can’t just pick your favorite subjects to study you know.” Sea replied with a bit of scolding for her unruly student (Ice).

Ice made a pleading expression and clasped his hands in front of his face as he begged.

“I’m sorry ma’am. I’m just really interested in the System and ‘classes’ so could you please teach me about those. Pretty please?”

“Oh, alright. But I’m giving you some homework afterwards okay.”

“Okay ma’am”

Somehow it really turned into a student-teacher role play but, surprisingly, Ice was actually enjoying it.

He was never really that attentive in class. Maybe it’s the difference between a cute female teacher and a 40-something stern faced male professor?… Sea was enjoying it too so he saw no problem with it.

***

Ices’ hunch proved to be spot on. The things Sea talked about really were similar in essence to a certain type of game Ice was very familiar with – MMORPGs.

Classes greatly resembled common job classes in a number of traditional MMOs like ‘Warrior’ or ‘Mage’. There were, of course, corresponding skills a person can learn that were exclusive to their class. There were also common skills that people gain when they become an ‘Initiate’ – sort of like the Novice or Beginner class in some MMOs.

You become an Initiate either by submitting an application to the Class Qualification and Management Association (CQMA) and passing the preliminary interview or getting a letter of recommendation from a certified CQMA examiner in order to directly take the class change test. It sounded pretty formal and organized and was pretty similar to applying for a job back home.

One major distinction, however, was the existence and overarching influence of ‘The System’.

No one knew how exactly ‘The System’ came about but there are countless tales and speculations made. A popular tale was that long ago things like job classes didn’t exist. However, people were plagued by a constant threat of dangerous and aggressive ‘monsters’.

None of the weapons or armor they made was of any use. The most seasoned warriors were of absolutely no match to these foul creatures.

But then, hope came in the form of ‘beings’ that descended from above; bringing with them knowledge that transcended anything the people had ever known. They taught the people how to use this knowledge to enable them to fight off the monster threat.

They were revered as gods. But after some time, they suddenly disappeared without a trace; leaving behind their greatest legacy – the birth of ‘The System’ and the advent of ‘Job Classes’.

Pretty much, your standard fantasy MMORPG back story.

This aforementioned ‘System’ is basically what allows people to change to a Class and has absolute authority over the entire process; including the eventual outcome.

It was the one which ultimately decided the results of the class change test. There are even some instances when it grants you an entirely different class than the one you were gunning for.

Say for example, a person who took the test was aiming to become a Warrior. He or she would take all the necessary steps and give the appropriate answers which pointed towards becoming one (the methods and answers have been already compiled since the test itself generally remained constant except for a few rare instances and are made available by guilds who are aiming for fresh recruits). But sometimes ‘The System’ would present an entirely different result such as granting Priest instead of Warrior.

There are many speculations on why this happens. One that garnered the most attention theorized that there were hidden factors that were used by ‘The System’ to judge the aptitude of the person taking the test, and, by combining the aggregate scores from the test and these hidden factors, it would then assign the class it deemed the most suitable.

As for what these hidden factors were - they remain largely undetermined. Many are rumored though: build, disposition, sex, blood type, hobbies, ones favorite food, ones favorite catch phrase… the list goes on and on.

For some, this could be quite a bitter pill to swallow. It’s a bit better for people back on Earth since they could still generally have a say on what they want to become (granting things like ‘parents’ don’t get factored in). It wasn’t always the case here. It was sometimes coldly pre-determined.

Of course, this didn’t always apply to everybody. The ratio for people who attain their coveted class and the people who don’t were at about 70%-30%. Meaning, a majority of people still get what they want but an unlucky few would not.

Unfortunately, Sea was of the latter category as she was aiming to become an ‘Educator’ but got something completely different (she hasn’t disclosed what it was though, saying that it was “pretty embarrassing”). She was apparently really depressed about it at first. But she, like many others, had come to accept it as an inevitability of life and moved on.

One could still live a relatively good life without having a class. A person would just lack the various perks and abilities that come with having one.

For example, one could still teach without having Educator as a class but will not have access convenient abilities such as the dreaded “Commanding Attention” skill.

Commanding Attention: Educator/Active - [Ensures the complete and utter attention of the affected party in a set probability within a set time period. Number of affected persons, rate of success, duration and mana consumption varies with each level up. Not effective on medium, large and boss monsters. Some Beast Races are slightly resistant due to them having shorter attention spans than usual compared to humans.]

Shuddering at the thought of possibly not being able to turn ones attention from a very boring lecture, Ice decided to call it a day for the crash course in El Fabula 101.

Still overflowing with curiosity, Ice asked if he could go take a walk around the village to familiarize himself a bit. It was a nice morning and the air was crisp; which made it perfect for a walk. And seeing everything around him rendered anime style was a pretty novel feeling despite the weird circumstances.

Sea readily agreed and offered to show him around and introduce him to the rest of the villagers.

And so, Ice took the first step in exploring this unique and unfamiliar world.

-El Fabula End-

[1]Otaku - Otaku (おたく/オタク?) is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests, commonly the anime and manga fandom. It could refer to a number of other hobbies though. i.e. book otaku, film otaku, food otaku etc.

[gamerbaki]

Wow!

So another fellow Filipino entered this thread?!

Man, I don't feel alone in this thread anymore! (Seriously!)

So far, it made me curious on how the story will go (not to mention that you and I live on the same country)

I'll do an intensive reading on it one of these days

[Swordstriker21]

Chapter 4: Maleena Village

Spoiler! :

As soon as they stepped out of the porch, a young pair greeted Ice and Sea cheerfully.

“Hey there sis! We were just about to get you. You sure took your time tending to this guy while leaving our stomachs complaining. You’re the one tasked to make breakfast you know.”

“You better hurry up with those sandwiches Sea. Father and the rest are already looking pretty bad.”

It was a boy with spiky caramel colored hair and an older-sister type with similarly colored hair tied up into a neat ponytail.

Judging from how they all resembled each other, Ice surmised they might be Seas siblings, or at least her cousins or close relatives.

Sea made an apologetic smile, reached for a sandwich in the woven basket and gave it to the boy. “Sorry Vee. It completely slipped my mind. Here you go Ein.”

The boy hurriedly grabbed the sandwich and proceeded to take large bites out of it.

“Whoah! Premium Gran Sirius beef! It’s great to have a sister with an above average paycheck huh. Mmm… dash guhd… *munch *munch”

Sea raised an eyebrow and proceeded to scold the boy sternly.

“Ein! Eat with a little more tact. And what did I tell you about being picky? Stop removing the lettuce and properly eat your greens!”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Anyway sis, aren’t you gonna introduce us?” The boy gestured to Ice with his chin.

“Oh, right! Ice, this is my little brother Ein and my older sister Veenah. Guys, this here’s Ice.”

“Hi bro. Nice to meetcha! Names Ein. Hope we get along.”

“Hello there Mister Ice. I’m Veenah Seyramour. You can just call me Vee. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

The boy, Ein, gave Ice a toothy grin and the older sister, Vee, slightly lifted the sides of her knee length skirt made a small curtsy. Ice replied with a smile of his own.

“Hello. It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Ice. Unfortunately I don’t know much else about myself apart from my name.”

“___Lying so blatantly still feels really awkward…”

Both Ein and Vee immediately gave genuine looks of concern after hearing about his supposed amnesia, which hurt Ices’ conscience a bit. But at least, this sounded less crazy than someone arriving from another world. Probably.

“Man that must suck. But no worries; you can just stay here until you memory returns. My friends and I were the ones who found you passed out near the village entrance by the way. So we dragged you back here to get you patched up.”

Ein gave a thumbs up and tried to console Ice.

“Really? Thank you very much for your kindness. But isn’t that awfully nice treatment for someone who’s practically a stranger?”

“Nah, don’t sweat it. We’re used to a lot of shady characters like you ending up here in Maleena. Must be that ‘living in harmony’ thing we have going on. Sides, if you really turned out to be a bad guy, Sea here'll see to it that you’re dealt with no time flat! My sister's quite strong you know.”

Ein gestured towards Sea with a hint of pride in his voice.

“___He must respect his sister a lot. Then again, lots of kids do.”

Ein came up to him suddenly and poked him with his elbow with a mischievous smile on his face. "...You know... by the looks of it, you don't really seem to be such a bad guy. You even got Sea sticking around you so closely. Guess she must really like you huh? Hehehe."

Seas cheeks immediately flushed red and proceeded to shout at her brother to stop him from teasing them any further. “Ein! Will you stop that! You’re embarrassing me!”

“Oh boy! She’s mad! Run for your lives!”

“Ein!!!”

The sight of Sea blushing furiously while chasing Ein around was a pretty refreshing scene for Ice. He was an only child so he didn’t quite get how it felt to have a sibling. And it reminded him of Tim and Lin…

"___I practically stood Lin up right?... Wonder what she'll say when I get back... She probably won't talk to me for a week huh....... Like I know how to get home in the first place..."

Ices' mood was slowly turning for the worse. He forgot all about it while engrossed in talking with Sea but he was reminded about the problems he had once again.

"Mister Ice? Is something wrong? You look awfully pale."

Vee noticed the change in Ices' mood and inquired worriedly.

"No. It's nothing. Guess I'm still feeling a bit under the weather. I'll be fine after a light walk."

He put a stop to his depressing thoughts and smiled at Vee to ease her worries.

"Oh. Were you going to have a walk around the village with Sea? How about coming with us first. Most of the villagers are busy preparing the spring baths and facilities right now. Today's St. Leevans day so a lot of patrons who are having their holiday break are expected to come soon. We'll give you a quick tour and introduce you to the rest of the villagers."

More acquaintances = More chances to gather relevant info. Ice decided to go along with the invitation.

"That would be great. Please lead the way."

"Alright then. Right this way please. Sea, Ein let's get going! Father'll be close to passing out if we don't deliver those sandwiches soon."

"Be right there! Come here you little rascal!"

"Ow! Watch the hair! Took me ages to fix it... Coming sis!"

And so, Ice accompanied the siblings and headed together with them to the village entrance.

***

The holiday air was definitely up as various decorations were being set up to liven up the place. Apparently, St. Leevans Day was El Fabulas rough equivalent of Valentines Day, and they're expecting lots of couples to flock to the village for some R&R and maybe a bit of steamy outdoor 'activities' *wink *wink...

The villagers were quite used to it and prided themselves with protecting the guests privacy. Although some people do attempt to sneak in to take some covert voyeur mana-vision recordings (this worlds' version of video), they are easily dealt with by the village patrol.

The problem starts when the villagers themselves get involved in these shady incidents. But nothing really major has happened because the village elders were quick to crush such attempts too. Ein confessed to trying to peek for a bit sometime ago (much to Seas chagrin) but he and his cohorts were caught and were confined to their rooms for a week.

***

Finally arriving at the main reception building where the siblings parents were, the group was immediately greeted by a tall, blonde haired [1]bishounen.

"Sea! I was waiting for those sandwiches of yours! I'm just about close to empty here. I wont be able to welcome the guests properly if you took any longer you know!"

"Ehehe. Sorry father. Here you go. Don't eat it in one go! Chew slowly." Sea giggled cutely as she handed some sandwiches to the blonde bishounen she called 'father'. Ice was a little taken aback by that sudden info.

"___Father? You're telling me he's the father?! But he's a bishoune... Eh, wait a minute. I keep forgetting this is an anime world. This is a common trope... Yep, nothing strange here..."

While Ice was having his internal otaku monolougue, the blonde bishounen suddenly approached and stared intently at him while releasing massive amounts of 'pressure'.

Ice felt like a frog suddenly cornered by a snake! He was frozen stiff and truly felt he was close to passing out from all the pressure! What intense [2]Haki!!!

"Father! You're making Ice uncomfortable! He's just recovered you know!"

The bishounens expression suddenly changed from that of a predator to that of a doting parent and looked at her daughter with a warm smile. "... Sorry dear. Father was just sizing this gentleman up a bit. It's not like my gaze is deadly you know. Ahahahahaha!"

"___No, that pressure was nothing to laugh at! I seriously stopped breathing for a moment! It's deadly Father! It's most certainly deadly!!!"

"Aaaaah..."

He suddenly turned to Ice again, changing his expression once more to a look that every [3]Yankee would be proud of. It seems he picked up Ices' internal monologue via his [4]Father Counter and responded accordingly.

"Hiii!"

"Father!!!"

"...No, forgive me... I just felt like some impertinent brat dared to call me Father..."

"___The heck is up with that sixth sense?!..."

"...Sorry kid. The name's Alphonse Seyramour. I'm the father of this lovely lot. Pleased to meet you."

"Err... Pleased to meet you too sir. My name's Ice. I can't really tell you much about myself since I have amnesia so..."

"Amnesia huh?... You sure you got amnesia kid? Cause it sure doesn't look like the case to me..."

"Father! What's going on? That's not like you!"

".....Sorry dear. If you think he's okay then I'll trust you. Let's get along kid."

"Tha-thank you sir!"

Alphonse extended his hand out in a gesture of a handshake so Ice took it with some slight hesitation.

"Alright then. Why don't we all go inside and introduce Ice to the rest of the villagers. We need to deliver these sandwiches too."

Vee hurried the group along and,as Ice followed, Alphonse suddenly put his arm over Ices' back and whispered something to him.

"I'm gonna trust Sea on this for now but if I see you make a move on any of my daughters I swear I'm gonna take your *beep and shove it up your *beep, hang you at the village entrance and feed you to the crows! Understand?!"

"Ye-yes siiiiir!"

Ice just managed a panicked reply while feeling like he was beside a really hungry tiger raring to tear him apart at the slightest chance.

"Good. I think we'll just get along swimmingly kid! Ahahahahaha!"

It's only been a short time since he came here but Ice already felt his life was in mortal peril.

***

Inside was a whirlwind of activity. Various people were going about doing different kinds of work. Some were putting on decorations all over the interior (mostly colorful flowers of different kinds shaped into wreaths, bunched up and put on vases, and lined up on top of walls and wooden beams).

Some were busy cleaning the rooms and shining the walls and floors. They were also bringing in different food ingredients such as fish, meat and fresh vegetables to what could only be the kitchen; judging from the smell wafting over from inside.

At the center of all the activity was a woman, who could only be described as beautiful, taking the lead and directing all the work being done.

"Mom, we brought the sandwiches!"

"___Mom?..... Why am I not surprised..."

Ice widened his eyes a bit in mild surprise but realized that this much was standard considering the father and just shrugged it off. One could actually easily grasp the resemblance between her and the siblings; Sea being the one who resembles her mother the most.

"___Guess she'll become quite the woman after a couple of years. I kinda get where the dad was coming from now..."

Seas mom made a cute, pouting expression, put both her hands on her hips and greeted her family back.

"Well it's about time you got here. What took you so long anyway? Even I'm feeling a bit hungry now with things being this busy."

"Ehehe. Sorry mother. I was just making sure Ice was okay and lost track of the time."

"Ice? Oh is he that young man over there? The one Ein and the boys brought over?"

The lady looked at eyes with a curious expression and inquired.

"Yes. Ice, this is our mother, Romany Seyramour."

"It's nice to meet you ma'am. My name is Ice."

"Yes, it's nice to meet you too young man. If you don't mind me asking though, why exactly were you lying passed out near the village entrance? An accident perhaps? Or, heavens, was it monsters?"

"Err... you see... about that..."

As Ice was troubled over how to respond (he still felt awkward with lying about his condition) Ein gave a timely leg up.

"Ice has amnesia mom! He says he can't remember anything apart from his name."

"Oh my! Really? It must quite be terrible. You're not injured are you?"

"Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case ma'am. It's just... my memory..."

"I see. Well, at least you're not hurt. You can just stay here in the village until your memory returns. Give it time dear. I'm sure everything will come back to you eventually.'

Mrs. Romany smiled gently and patted Ice on the shoulder.

"...Thank you for your kind offer ma'am."

She laughed softly as she continued smiling at Ice. "You don't have to be so formal with me dear. Romany would be fine."

"Err... I'm sorry but that's a bit..."

Ice was constantly feeling massive killing intent leaking out from behind him. He didn't have to turn around to find out who was releasing it.

"Right then! Let's get those sandwiches to the others. I'm sure everyone's missed eating the food you make Sea. It even makes me a little jealous how much they adore you." Mrs. Romany gestured for the group to enter the interior of the building (which apparently served as the main Inn on the village) and teased her daughter with a wry smile.

"Mother! It's not like my cooking's anything special."

"No, I think the one you're marrying in the future would be absolutely addicted to your food dear. You sure know how to get them. Right in the stomach! Is that what you've been learning in the capital?"

"Mother!"

"Alright, alright. My daughter sure is cute when she's teased huh Ice."

"Err... Yes. I think."

Romany gave Ice a light teasing smile and Sea had her head down with her ears going bright red.

***

Everyone was going crazy over Seas sandwiches. It was like the "high school cafeteria lunch time rush" Ice kept seeing in various animes and mangas. Some were even crying tears of joy while eating.

"It's the sandwich the young lady makes! I can die happy now!"

"You're exaggerating Mr. Galen. No one would want that to happen to the villages number one handyman. And besides, you're still young. You just turned forty five recently haven't you?"

"No young lady. I'm saying this sandwich is to die for. Why can't my wife's cooking be this good? Is this the difference between the food made by a cute young lady and a woman past her prime?"

"I heard that you old fool! You'll be eating nothing but wild grass if you keep that up!"

Boisterous laughter echoed from everyone present.

The one eating his sandwich with great relish while heaping praise on Sea was Mr. Galen Gilford, Maleenas senior capenter and handyman. His wife, Mrs. Elsa Gilford, was the head chef of the village inn so Mr. Galens banter was just good natured teasing.

Both of them have advanced Job Classes (Foreman and Chef de Cuisine) so they're really good at doing their jobs.

Practically everybody in the village was involved in running their prided natural spring spa resort in some way. Even the children help out and quite a few apprentice themselves to some of the veteran staff. Not all of them have proper Classes but that doesn't seem to be a big deal here.

Ice was introduced to all the people present at the site and most of them were very friendly and welcoming.

Some of the younger men (and a few of the girls) weren't so keen in accepting him so readily. Apparently they were mostly members of the Seyramour Family Fan Club (SFFC), The Committee for the Appreciation and Preservation of Purity (TCAPP), the Eins Big Sisters Club, the Married Men are So Hot Club and MILFs Inc.(the latter three are little too direct in expressing their preferences in Ices' humble opinion).

"___Ahaha... Another common trope. Somehow, this isn't so funny when it's actually happening to you huh..."

Some of the guys were already discreetly readying black robes and full face hoods with large eye holes. There was even a human sized stake...

"___No wait. This maybe as common as it gets but that's still a bit overkill! Give me a break here! The anime world is dangerous! I'm sorry for always laughing at you [5]Akihisa! You got it rough man!"

Making a mental note never to walk into somewhere like a secluded corner alone while inside the village, Ice made a resigned shrug and prepared for the worst.

"You making yourself at home kid? Don't worry about a thing! This village is like that. You'll be part of the family in no time!"

Mr. Findor Alleron, the one running the village store, stated slapping Ices' back with a little too much enthusiasm, almost making him double over and fall face first to the floor.

Apparently, he was also not a local and found his way here after being scammed by a fellow Merchant whom he really trusted as they've practically started out together after changing classes and joining the same trade guild.

Mr. Alphonse (who was actually the village head and the resorts chief administrator) welcomed him with open arms, and now, he's making a living by manning the village store and selling both daily necessities for the rest of the villagers and souvenirs (like the patented Original Maleena Spring Water!) to the resorts patrons.

He really empathized with Ice because of their slightly similar circumstances and went out of his way to make him feel welcome. It touched him a bit (Just a bit though. No, really!...).

He did wonder why a lot of them referred to him as 'kid' though.

"___Does my current appearance really look so young? I can't really tell. Anime characters ages are really hard to determine..."

In the end, Ice decided to just go with the flow since it honestly wasn't all that inconvenient for him. Besides, becoming young again should normally be a good thing right?

***

Ice really liked the atmosphere of Maleena. Everyone was bright and friendly and their good cheer was both magnetic and infectious. It strongly reminded him of his home towns local [6]fiesta celebrations.

So much so that he decided to settle down a little and put off his goal of information gathering at a later time as he wanted to soak himself in the festive air just a bit more. It was really nostalgic.

After everybody finished their meals, Mrs. Romany gave out some quick instructions.

"Alright everyone! Since we've already eaten and got our spirits and energies back, I want you lot to use that to completely finish the preparations before the guests start coming in! Hop to it then! We don't have much time!"

"Yes madam!"

"Right away ma'am!"

"I will carry out thy decree empress!"

"Please take my soul mistress!!!"

"You know... it would just be perfect if Romany had a whip and wore high heels..."

Except for some rather questionable replies, everyone generally expressed their enthusiasm with renewed vigor and started to go back to their respective tasks.

"Um, ma'am... I kinda feel bad for being the only one who's not working so could I help out a bit too?"

"Oh! Well we are kind of short on hands at the moment because Mr. Halter's having hemorrhoids again but... Are you sure you an handle it Ice? You're not pushing yourself are you?"

"No ma'am. I feel perfectly fine. I can handle it."

"Alright then. Go help out on cleaning the indoor bath. Ein is assigned there too. You can join up with him."

"Thank you ma'am. Right away!"

"Well aren't you the eager beaver *giggle. Get to it then."

"Yes ma'am!"

Imitating a military salute, Ice went to find Ein and both of them proceeded to the indoor bath area.

***

"Is everybody here?"

"Yes Comrade 'E'. Comrade 'Z' and Comrade 'H' couldn't come because of extenuating circumstances but most of the others are present and accounted for."

"Mm... It can't be helped. Let us begin then. But first I shall introduce you to our newest recruit; Comrade 'I'. Say hello 'I'."

"Err... hello all..."

'I' greeted the other members with a slightly twitching smile. They welcomed him readily and patted his shoulders in affirmation.

"Welcome Comrade. Glad to have you within our ranks."

Somehow, after arriving at the indoor bath, Ice was suddenly dragged into a secret society(?) meeting!

"Comrades! The time has finally come! We have been accosted by many failures and heartbreaks. But this time... this time surely, the Goddess of Victory shall smile upon us.

We have been training and planning relentlessly for this moment! And now is the time to put it all to the test. We have the latest tools, the greatest of allies and the heart to see it through.

For our fathers and our forefathers who came before them! Today we shall finally gaze upon paradise!!!"

"___I think I already know where this is going..." Ice thought as he had an incredibly strong hunch as to where the direction of this meeting was heading.

"Comrade F! Are the 'tools' prepared'?"

"Yes comrade. They're good and ready."

"Comrade G! Is the secret infiltration point secure?"

"It's just perfect! No one'll suspect a thing."

"Alright. We commence the operation tonight. Our target is Lady Melva Hollcroft and her retinue - a member of the prestigious Hollcroft family; the rumored number one beauty in Ricksvale (arguably the world) and her bevy of beautiful body guards.

They will be arriving at exactly 1500 hours later today and will be scheduled to use the VIP spring bath by 1900. I want all of us assembled at point Alpha at exactly 1800 hours for final checks.

Make sure not to take any actions that stand out until that time and make doubly sure no one notices or tails you when you depart. Finish all important tasks assigned as fast as possible and ready your excuses for turning in or taking breaks early.

It will be suspicious to have a lot of people suddenly disappear so follow the 'randomized' schedule we've discussed during our previous meet. I will be in charge of fully briefing Comrade 'I' on the exact details of the plan.

Is everything clear?!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good. Dismissed!"

"___As I thought... This really is..." Ice mentally facepalmed and wondered just how he was roped into this silly mess.

And so begins preparations for the obligatory 'attempted peeking on beautiful women taking a bath in a hot spring' scene.

***

When evening came, a group of rowdy young men (and some who were young at heart) finally gathered at an unassuming spot a couple meters behind the VIP bath.

"Do you hear that men? That is the sound of goddesses frolicking in paradise! Do you feel your passion rising? Can you feel your hearts throbbing?"

"Sir, I'm not so sure about 'passion' and 'heart' but something is definitely rising and throbbing..."

"Too much info comrade. Anyway, make sure everything is good to go. We will commence the operation soon."

"Sir, yes sir!"

Ein was busy motivating the other guys with his impassioned remarks as the main organizer and leader of the group. And he was damn good at it too.

"___What the heck is with this kid? The power of adolescence?"

Ice was impressed despite himself. Although he wasn't really sure if he really should be impressed about this kind of thing.

Mr. Findor (Comrade 'F') then arrived after a short while along with the anticipated 'tools' and lined them up on the ground. The rest of they guys faces lit up in glee.

"Here are the 'Shared Vision', 'Memory Extraction' and 'Memory Transfer' scrolls you ordered."

Shared Vision allows people to 'share' what each individual was seeing with each other. It was limited to two people so concessions have been made and each squad leader (five all in all) assigned one of his most trusted subordinates to act as 'secondary sight' while they themselves acted as 'primary'.

Memory Extraction and Memory Transfer scrolls did exactly what their names indicated and allowed the extraction and transfer of a particular memory. This will be what allows the rest of the group to view the memories of those who successfully infiltrate the bath, and thus, satisfy those who were unfortunate enough not to make it.

The plan relied heavily on human wave tactics as they've already experienced countless failures and thus decided to use strength of numbers to overcome the overwhelming odds.

These scrolls all sounded like they'd break an individuals right to privacy and Ice was later told that they are actually only used by the military for various covert operations (official or otherwise) or to interrogate spies. As for how Mr. Findor exactly got a hold of them; Ice was told his sources were 'classified'.

"___Just how crazy dedicated are these guys to the pursuit of eroticism?! They even got some of the adults participating. Geez..."

As Ice was busy having another mental facepalm, Ein gestured for the group to be at a ready.

"Alright men. This is it! This will be a day of vindication! This will be a day of celebration! What is beyond those walls? Paradise! Go on! Take it, it's yours!!!"

Uttering some lines vaguely resembling one from a Hollywood movie, Ein ordered the start of the operation.

And a mad dash for the VIP bath walls commenced.

***

Not long after the start of the operation, casualties already appeared.

"Guwaaaah!!!! What the.... A whirlwind is... aaaaaah!!!........"

"Comrade!!! Dammit all! Do not falter! Forward! Forwar..... Gaaaaaah!!!"

"Nichols! Damn. Mom really went all out! Those are elemental mines!"

"Elemental mines?"

Ice, who found himself just going with the flow, was running beside Ein; feeling really regretful he didn't opt out of this crazy stunt when he had the chance.

"Yep. These are mines infused by a Mages primary spells. They're used in military operations. Although these seem like they've been specially tuned to be non-lethal."

Ice then saw a guy being flashily blown up by a fire explosion.

"You call that non-lethal?!!!"

"Yeah. You'll be hurt pretty bad though. A few broken bones. Anything from a week to a full month for recovery. Like I said, non-lethal. It ain't so bad as last years."

"___What the hell happened last year?!!! This isn't good. At this rate I'll be suffering the same fate as the guys from [7]Fumoffu! Come to think of it, I may look like an anime character now but I don't really know if I can take as much punishment as those guys take on an episodic basis! If I get hit, there's no guarantee I won't actually die!!!"

As Ice was busy trying to avert his own personal life crisis, another danger shot out from within the shadows of the trees.

"Eh... Arrrrg!..."

Ein immediately went on guard after seeing some of their companions fall after being hit by small wooden bolts. "They prepared Paralysis Bolts too! Careful of the surrounding trees Ice! If they hit you, you'll be out for days if they don't decide to use Clear Status or Paralysis Salves on you. I did have Mr. Findor prepare some salves just in case but it's better not to get hit after all."

"You don't have to tell me that! Waaaah!"

Ice was barely avoiding the small arrows shooting out from the forest by the skin of his teeth. He had to thank his experience playing badminton for honing his kinetic vision enough to just barely avoid the bolts. He still looked really desperate though.

"Don't you have anything to ensure we got to the goal safely?! Didn't you plan this for months? Like wooden shields and armor or something? Mr. Galen could've built those with no trouble right?"

"You know what? That might've just worked! I'm glad my eyes didn't deceive me Comrade 'I'!"

"NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO BE IMPRESSED!!!"

"Now, now. I was just honestly praising your mental acuity comrade. No need to shout."

"I'M SAYING THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO DO THAAAAT!!!"

Ice was getting fed up by the absurdity of it all and was close to completely losing his cool. Then, an idea struck him.

"Wait, I know! Skills! Don't some of you have Job Classes? Is there anyone whose Skills can be used? Like an Agility buff or something?"

Ein made a slightly embarrassed face and answered while scratching the back of his head.

"Most of the village guards focused on Active Skills like Power Blow so I don't really think they have something like that in their Skill Tree. And the others are non-combat related Classes like Mr. Galens 'Foreman' or Mr. Findors 'Store Manager' classes. And also, I'm a Monk so..."

"MONK! You mean the martial arts type monk right?! You must have something!..."

Ice didn't really have the leeway to do a straight man retort about exactly how a pre-teener like Ein achieved the Monk Class (which was actually an Intermediate Class you only gain at Level 50 from what he remembered from Seas lecture) and so he let it pass, but made a mental note on asking Ein about it later.

"Err... no, not exactly. I didn't invest in Agility at all hehe. There's also no way I have an Agility buff."

"The Acolyte Class had one right?! An Agility buff I mean. You're not telling me you didn't bother to unlock it!"

"Err... yeah. Never did. Sorry."

"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU INVEST ON THEN?!" Ice made an incredulous expression and asked with a shout.

"Isn't that obvious! When you say Monk, you think 'martial arts'. Martial arts is basically just going all out and socking your opponents to submission. If you really want to pound em down to the ground you'd have to have power. So I invested almost all my points on Strength and powerful Active Skills like Compressed Chi Shot and Raging Blows! Pretty cool right?"

After his bold declaration, Ein flashed a glittering smile and gave a thumbs up.

"___No! That's just far too unbalanced! You're like the very definition of a glass cannon!!!"

*On a side note, you gain APs (Ability Points) and SPs (Stat Points) each level up. APs are used to unlock the various skills of a particular Job Class. The APs one can gain are limited so you really need to plan ahead and think of what skills will synergize with your individual style the most and unlock those.

The skills that are unlocked level up separately by repeated use. And sometimes, if you max one out, other skills will appear in the skill tree for you to unlock.

SPs are used to increase you basic parameters like Agility and Strength. Like APs, the maximum SP gained per person is fixed (but some unconfirmed reports say that the maximum ceiling can vary from person to person). These need to be allocated carefully. A build that doesn't mesh well with one's class or skills would have a really hard time to say the least.

"...I didn't expect you to be such a power idiot..."

"What's wrong with being a power idiot?! Besides, there's something much more important than stats when it comes down to it!"

"And what's that?..."

"GUTS!!!"

Ein answered without hesitation, made a fist pump and flashed on of his glittering smiles again.

"___Damn you anime/manga/LN logic!!!..."

As Ice was fighting to prevent an aneurysm while desperately dodging magic explosions and paralyzing darts, Ein suddenly cried out strongly, warning the others.

"Alright! It's the main event guys! Let's give it our all!"

"Yeah!!!"

The others who survived (not that many) raised a cry in response, despite their injuries.

"Main event?! You mean there's more?!!"

"It's the greatest obstacle to our goal! Brace yourself Ice! Here it comes!"

*THUD *THUD

The sound of heavy foot steps approached. A large shadow appeared from above the tree line and headed straight for them.

"Here it is! Maleenas private Wood Golem!!!"

"GOOOOOOLEEEEEMMM!!!!!"

Ice screamed in panic.

***

The Wood Golem proceeded to make short work of the remaining men. Ice was getting paler and paler (than he already is) by the second while Ein was grinning wildly while pump-fisting.

"C'mon ya big lump of lumber! Come at me!"

He actively taunted the monster and motioned for it to hurry up and attack.

"No wait! Wasn't the plan to avoid all obstacles? Shouldn't we be running away from that thing?!"

"The heck are you talking about? This was always the plan. We run like heck, hope for the best, and I dispatch this lunkhead to open the path."

"WHAT KIND OF PLAN IS THAAAAAT?!!!"

"No worries man! I'll be done in a bit. Seeiyaah!!!"

Ein suddenly took off and ran straight for the golem.

Ice was taken by surprise by Eins sudden action and only had a blank expression on his face for a moment before reacting in panic.

"___You know... for someone who didn't invest in Agility, he sure looks fast... nothat'snotit!!! He's heading straight for disaster!!!"

But, contrary to Ices' expectations, Ein was skillfully dodging the golems blows by a hairs breadth, and getting in some hits himself.

"What's wrong? That the best you can do? You're too slow moron!"

Ein was running circles around the golem and methodically chipping away at its HP. He wasn't exactly all that fast, but it seemed like he could predict all the golems actions and acted accordingly, allowing him to dodge all of the golems blows.

"Teiyaaah! Seeeiyaaah! Toryaaaah!!!"

Ein was unleashing a virtual storm of punches and kicks mixed up with some powerful offensive skills.

*Skills placed on a *hotkey menu can be used even without saying its name out loud as the user just had to focus on executing a particular skill in his or her head and it will automatically commence.

There are exceptions though; like the advanced spells used by magic classes which required a particular chant. They'd have to learn a particular skill (Unincanted Spellcasting) to execute a spell without the chant and it's requirements were steep as it's one of those skills you have to unlock via a (particularly difficult) quest. People who attained this skill are considered to be the creme de la creme between magic classes and are few and far between.

Ein eventually brought down the golems HP in half and it entered the 'Enraged' status. Some Boss and Mini-boss class monsters had this particular trait which sacrificed their defense for, sometimes, overwhelming attack or access to extra powerful skills. Ein braced himself and got into a ready position; seemingly wanting to end the fight too.

"Alright lunkhead! Let's finish this!"

“HUUUUUURRRR…. (Bring it on, you little mite. I’m gonna squash you flat! This time for sure I’m gonna get the mistress to praise me!)”

The golem, in turn, let out a menacing roar.

The air was tense. Both Ein and the golem were un-moving. A small impetus could spur either into action. Ice audibly gulped, affected by the atmosphere.

And then…

“HAAAAAAAAH!!! (I’M GOING TO SMASH YOU TO PIECES YOU OVERGROWN LUMP OF FIREWOOD! @$%*%$^%*%*!)”

“HRRRRUUUUUUAAAAA!!! (#@@$%$##%^#%^#$%#%#%#%!)”

Both unleashed their respective attacks almost simultaneously, mentally uttering profane obscenities all the while (there seemed to be quite a history between the two).

Ein unleashed his most powerful skill, Raging Spirit Fist [Lvl. 5] and the golem countered with its exclusive skill Rock Hard Wooden Strike [Lvl. 6].

*Tamed and construct monsters, such as the Wood Golem, were also able to learn and level up skills. The skills were either directly managed by their masters or are unlocked and equipped automatically. Generally, the rarer and/or more powerful the tamed or created monster, the greater the freedom when it comes to managing their parameters. Thus, monsters judged to have great potential were highly coveted.

It seemed that because of the longer reach, Wood Golems attack would hit Ein first. But Ein waited until the last second and barely dodged the downward straight, seizing the opening to deliver a powerful, chi filled uppercut directly to the golems gut(?) and instantly bringing down its HP to zero.

*The Wood Golem is a construct monster contracted to Mrs. Romany Seyramour, so even if its HP hits zero, it won’t die. As long as the master has sufficient mana and is in good health, the construct monster will respawn after a few minutes of cool down time. In Golems case, five minutes.

“UUUUURRR….. (Dammit brat, you’ve gotten good…)”

“Heh, you’re not half bad yourself…”

***

Both Ein and the golem were lying down on the ground limply. Ice rushed to Eins side to check his condition.

“Hey, are you okay? You didn't get hit too did you?”

“No, I was able to dodge just fine. It’s just that Raging Spirit Fist, in addition to draining a massive amount of MP, also paralyzes the user. You can’t cure it with a Salve and it lasts for a full 3 minutes. Even then, I’m utterly spent so I’m guessing I won’t be able to move around much even if I recover from paralysis…”

“That was extremely reckless then! What good did defeating this thing do if you can’t fulfill your goal?!”

“Heh, you don’t get it yet? Why’d you think I let you join us and stuck close to you during the operation? You don’t have a Class yourself and were pretty much useless all throughout.”

“Then WHY?!”

“…..It’s your welcoming party Ice, your initiation. You’re now officially part of Maleena village and of the Society for Cultivating a Healthy Interest In the Opposite Sex, more popularly known as the Ecchi Society…

Now go! Fulfill our greatest desire! It looks like Mom has set up a barrier that renders any scouting spell or scroll useless so the Shared Sight scroll is no longer an option.

Luckily, the memory scrolls do not need to be activated on site to take effect. We can just wait until this commotion dies down to share your memories of paradise with everyone who sacrificed themselves for glory today… “

Ice glances back to the others. Pretty much everyone apart from him has already been knocked out.

“Comrade…”

Ice, getting carried away by the atmosphere clenches his fist in frustration and new found determination.

“Alright… I’ll fulfill everyone’s dreams for you. I’ll do it!”

“Good. Comrade G… The secret infiltration point…”

“Third plank from the left… Push it forward… Hidden door I made…… Password is… Dreams of Youth…… Ugh…”

“Comrade G!... He’s out… It’s all up to you Ice…”

“…I’m going…”

As Ice turned away and started to walk towards the left side of the wooden wall, Ein looked on with eyes filled with emotion.

“With this… Father… Our dream…”

And he surrendered to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.

***

“Okay! Third plank from the left… found it.”

After Ice used the password, a gap appeared on the wall and spread out to form a small secret door; just enough to let a person through. Ice hurriedly went inside and was immediately accosted with a huge amount of steam; clouding his vision.

Ice hesitated a bit after calming down somewhat thanks to the steam.

“___Wait… Why am I going along with all this crazy nonsense?! It hasn’t been a day since I came to this world and I’m already in the process of becoming a certified sexual offender!!! What the heck came over me?! Aren’t protagonists or two-bit side characters usually the ones who get caught up in this kind of stuff?! Which one am I anyway?...”

After a bit of pointless monologue while trying to wrestle with his inner conscience, Ice eventually decided to bite the proverbial bullet and try to stay out of sight while looking for an opportunity to get out of the steamy danger zone he was currently in - preferably in one piece.

That and, maybe, get a glimpse of some naked beauties while he's at it. He’s already gone this far so why not right?

He proceeded to place himself behind some large rocks lining a part of the wall that offered a wide enough vantage point of the bath area while giving him enough leeway to immediately jump towards the thick clump of bushes if anyone got too close for comfort and forced him to abandon his current position.

Satisfied with this arrangement, Ice proceeded to focus his gaze toward the central area of the VIP bath (which was luxurious enough to deserve the term VIP) as the steam was gradually clearing up.

“___Hookay then… Let’s see if this place really deserves to be called ‘paradise’ shall we…”

He was so focused (eyes bloodshot, nostrils flaring up); he failed to notice that someone was already directly behind him.

“Well now, what do we have here? What exactly are you doing, hiding behind these rocks young man?”

“Waaah!”

A soft, serene voice gently inquired from behind him; startling Ice and making him fall butt-first on the hard granite tiled floor.

“Oh dear, are you alright young man? I seem to have given you quite the fright.”

Bell like laughter echoed through Ices’ ears and, as he slowly turned his gaze up towards the owner of the voice, he was confronted by THE most gorgeous woman he ever laid eyes on so far.

She had long, straight, jet black hair that slightly shimmered because of the water droplets sticking to it from coming right out of the bath. It was like the night sky - glittering magnificently; adorned by a multitude shining of stars.

Her figure could only be described as “divine”; like an extremely well crafted piece created by a true master.

Her well featured face was mesmerizing. So much so that Ice felt he could have stared at her all night and never get tired of it.

Her every gesture carried such an aura of grace and beauty that they made Ices’ heart go on overdrive.

Add all this to the fact that she was currently standing in front of him in all of her naked majesty; without even a small towel covering her pristine white skin.

So it was pretty much OHKO for Ices’ “brain.exe”. He was tethering on the brink of falling to the “point of no return”.

“Hehee. What’s wrong young man? Did I really surprise you that much?”

“Yes ma’am!... I mean, no ma’am!... No that’s not it!...... Uuuuuh….”

Ice was totally dumbstruck. He didn’t even think it was possible for him to be this captivated by a woman. By a 2D anime character looking woman no less.

Ice was an otaku but he really didn’t really consider himself too far gone that he could only see 2D women as cute or beautiful. Was coming to this world the turning point? Or did he always have this tendency and just didn’t acknowledge it?

No, there was “something” with this woman that transcended all concepts of beauty. He had this nagging feeling that even if she was turned into a “real” 3D woman, he would’ve still been totally captivated by her.

She laughed softly once more and smiled enchantingly at him. “Look, I’m sure you’re having the time of your life right now but I think you better go. It seems they’re coming back”

Ice heard the cheerful voices of several girls just behind the wooden sliding door.

“You better get out of here young man. Those girls may look nice but they have particularly nasty tempers. Worst case, they might decide to cut “it” off if they catch you in here.”

Ice gulped audibly, realizing the implied meaning of ‘It’.

“You know… your most treasured sword. Your “Men’s Club Member”. Your---”

“That's quite enough, thank you!!!” Ice stopped her from going any further in panic. He wasn't quite sure why, but it greatly bothered him to hear such questionable euphemisms from the mouth of this bewitching beauty.

“Go on. Here, before they come in.”

The woman gestured towards the opening on the wall and hurried him along.

Ice shuddered at the thought of having his “manhood” compromised and immediately went for the secret door to get out.

As he got on all fours and crawled towards the opening, the woman suddenly hugged him from behind and, once again, sent his senses flying.

As he was acting all flustered, the woman whispered lightly into his ear.

“Young man… If you want to find out exactly what your purpose for being sent into this world is, hurry and come to the ‘capital’…”

“Eh?!...”

And then, he was suddenly shoved out. For some reason, it felt really familiar.

***

“Hey wait! What exactly did you mean by that?!”

Ice tumbled down the slope after unceremoniously being shoved out and was again trying to get in to no avail. The secret door was sealed shut and wouldn’t open even with the password.

“You were the one who sent me here right?! What for?! Why me?! Hey!”

While he was busy pounding the wall and shouting frantically, a low rumbling roar emanated from behind him.

Slowly turning around, Ice found himself facing the Wood Golem again.

“Uh… hi there buddy. Glad you’re already up and about he he…”

“Uuuurrr (Hello there squirt. I’m sure you already have an idea about what’s coming…)

“Uh… time for bed?...”

“Uuuurrr (Exactly. Lights out squirt. Sweet dreams.)

“Oh damn…”

And after a quick gigantic forehead flick, Ice was sent to dreamland just like the others.

***

-Interlude-

“Anomaly detected on AD#105-2 Zeta. Possible breach and successful ‘unit’ injection. Awaiting instructions.”

“Initiate countermeasures. Execute contingency protocol Z-10. Continue to monitor situation indefinitely.”

“Acknowledged. Initiating countermeasure procedures. Switching to active monitoring mode.”

“Ensure no deviation occurs. Continue giving periodic reports on the situation and await further instructions.”

“Acknowledged.”

***

“Seems they've already noticed. Your poking around just made it more obvious.” The owner of the voice tried for it not to show, but there was a hint of something more than casual irritation in 'his' remark.

“It’s fine. It’s not like this will affect the plan much. We've already anticipated this after all.” The other presence just dismissed it as trivial and continued to smile contentedly after 'her' little excursion out of curiosity.

“What you did was still pointless…”

“Aww, are you jealous? That’s so cute of you! Don’t worry so much. I was just checking him out a bit. My heart still belongs to you.”

'She' laughed teasingly after realizing why 'he' was acting up and moved closer to reassure 'him'.

“Hmph!”

“Ahaha. Anyway, things are bound to get more interesting soon. Let’s just enjoy this to the fullest.

This harmonious yet chaotic symphony…”

-Maleena Vilage End-

*Note

[1]Bishounen - is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth (boy)" and describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty (and sexual appeal) transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation. It has always shown the strongest manifestation in Japanese pop culture.

[2]Haki – a term used for a powerful ability that is used in the Shounen Jump manga-turned-hit anime One Piece. Has several types that are defined by different abilities – one of which is to overpower the will of others by using Haki emanated from oneself. The weak willed would pass out one after the other; unable to take the pressure.

[3]Yankee – In Japan, this term is used to refer to a type of delinquent youth. That is also the meaning subscribed by this work.

[4]A parody of the Saiyan gadget Geiger Counter which is used to measure an individual’s power in Dragon Ball Z.

[5]Akihisa – refers to Akihisa Yoshii, the unfortunate main lead of the comedy LN/anime/manga series Baka to Testo to Shokanju (Baka and Test) who always seems to find himself
deep in trouble and/or taking a severe beating from other characters from the series – including some heroines.

[6]Fiesta - A Spanish word meaning "festival" or "party". The Filipinos use it with pretty much the same meaning.

[7]Fumoffu! – refers to the companion series to Full Metal Panic that focuses heavily on mostly comedic self-contained episodes or mini-arcs. “Fumoffu" is the sound made by Bonta-kun, the series' fictional mascot, which resembles a human-sized, yellow teddy-bear. In this particular work, Ice is referring to the events of episode 9 (A Goddess Comes to Japan Part 2: The Hot Spring) which features the male cast frantically trying to peek at the girls bath as they vacation in a hot spring inn, encountering many obstacles along the way – a situation parallel to what Ice went through in this chapter.

[Swordstriker21]

Chapter 5: Approaching Danger

Spoiler! :

Ice came to, finding himself back inside the room he first woke up in when he was sent to El Fabula; a worried looking Sea sitting beside the bed.

"You're awake! Thank goodness! How are you feeling?"

"Ugh... A bit light headed... but I guess I'm just fine, considering I did get forehead flicked by a huge golem..."

Ice rubbed his forehead and found a noticeable bump protruding right in the middle.

"Really now! I thought you had the sense not to get caught up doing stupid stuff like that. What were you thinking? And peeping in the womens bath of all things!"

Sea pouted cutely while giving Ice an admonishing look and proceeded to lecture him on gentlemanly behavior and common sense.

"Hehe. Sorry. I just kinda went with the flow so..."

Ice made his best puppy dog look and pleaded apologetically. Fortunately, it seemed to have worked. Sea let out a tired sigh and looked at him straight in the eye.

"Haaah... What's done is done I guess. Just don't do it again. You WON'T do it again right?..."

She was still smiling, but a distinct heavy aura was emanating from her and filled the entire room. Somehow, it felt really familiar. It was just like the 'Haki' her father gave off yesterday. Only this time, it was more saturated. And it felt several times more dangerous. If her father was a tiger, then Sea was a dragon. No! It's the Demon Lord!

"I-I won't. I promise! Really, I won't. So please forgive me..."

"...Alright then. I forgive you. But if you ever do something like that with the boys again..."

"*gulp Don't be like that Sea. I already said I won't right?"

"Hmmm... Well, anyway, hurry and come downstairs. Breakfast is ready."

Finding himself considerably hungry from last nights activity, Ice decided to take Sea up on the offer. He was really intrigued about how well the food tasted even if they looked 2D.

"___Wonder if I'll ever get to taste [1]manga meat here hehe..."

With those silly thoughts in mind, Ice went down for breakfast.

***

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIIIIIIS!?"

Ice was again letting out a heart felt scream seconds after his breakfast got served.

"What's wrong with you lad? Screaming like that on the breakfast table. Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

Mr. Alphonse scolded him with narrowed eyes.

"N-no but... but... t-this is... You're saying this is... breakfast?..."

"Yeah, this is our breakfast today - barbecued Mercurian Cattle meat. What of it? Never had one of these before? Well, they are a tad expensive so... This was donated by a noblewoman who really liked the results after trying out our Spring Water bath reagent so we practically got it for free *heh.

It might be a little heavy for breakfast but this has a short shelf life because the meat gets really hard if not cooked relatively fresh even if refrigerated, so we gotta finish em off while they're still good. Just be thankful I'm sharing this with you at all boy."

"___No sir. That really isn't the issue here..."

Ice was again dumbfounded. This world has been nothing but surprises ever since he arrived. And to think he would have the chance to try 'this' so soon...

"Mr. Ice, you better eat that while it's hot. It's really good."

"Yep. Thish ish da besht! Mmmph."

Vee was eating with impeccable manners using a knife and fork while Ein was really putting em down by taking huge bites off of the meat with relish.

"A-alright. Thanks for the meal..."

Ice took a bite with slight trepidation and his eyes widened in amazement soon after. He didn't notice it himself but he was actually shedding tears. He was incredibly touched.

"Eh? What's wrong Ice? Is it bad? Don't you like it?"

Sea was flustered at Ices' reaction.

"Eeh! You don't like my daughters cooking?! Damn brat! I'll put you in your place!... OW! Honey, what was that for?!"

Mr. Alphonse was suddenly pinched by Mrs. Romany on the arm.

"Honey, don't be rude to our guest. That's bad manners."

"Bu-but honey, this brat just insulted our daughters cooking. I just can't let that slide!"

"*sigh Can't you see he's just being emotional just now. He's really enjoying his food. Those are clearly tears of joy..."

"EEEH!"

"Is that true Ice?..."

Sea asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah. I'm just so touched. To think I'll be able to taste this wonderful delicacy in my life time. And it truly tastes amazing!

The the first bite introduces you to a firm tender texture overflowing with juiciness. But the longer you chew, the more you're introduced to different types of meat flavors! It's like this encapsulates all of the best tasting meat types in one ultimate meat dish! Truly addicting! I dare say it even tops the Jewel Meat from the Regal Mammoth!!!"

"Regal what? What nonsense are you going on about boy?"

Ice suddenly grabs Seas hands and gave an impassioned 'thank you'.

"Thank you mademoiselle for that truly splendid piece of manga meat. That was absolutely wonderful."

"E-eh!... Umm... Uhh... W-well... I'm glad you liked it *blush"

"This damned brat! I'm going to... OOWWW!"

"Honey..."

"Yes, I'm sorry....."

Ice proceeded to eat his fill with much gusto while Sea was still looking at her hands, blushing profusely. Mrs. Romany was nodding approvingly while still pinching her husband. Vee and Ein were whispering to each other while grinning.

***

“That was a great meal! I’m stuffed!”

Ice was thoroughly satisfied with the manga meat and was now dutifully picking his teeth. Ein then came close and whispered to him.

“Hey bro, that was really unfortunate back there huh? We were so close too.”

“Err… yeah it was he he. Let’s just not talk about this stuff when your sister’s around. That’s seriously dangerous.”

“Hah! Yeah, she’s seriously scary when she snaps. Bet you won’t even survive one second he he. Still though… What a waste. To think I’d mess up the bath schedules…”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“I messed up the schedules bro. I was sure I heard it was 1900. Turns out they were scheduled for the 9:00 slot instead. Maaan. Mom’s using bait and switch again.”

“Wait up… What do you mean you messed up the schedules? You mean there wasn’t supposed to be anyone using the bath till nine o’clock?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m sayin bro. I mean, you didn’t get to see anything right? The Memory Scrolls are useless now. Oh well. At least there’s next year right?”

Ice was confused by Eins statement.

“But… at that time surely there was…”

“Bro?... What’s wrong? Are you that disappointed? Don’t worry. We’ll plan really hard for next year.”

“Huh? Ah… no, it’s nothing… Excuse me. I need to go check something for a bit.”

“Eh?... Ah, bro! Where are you going? Hey!”

Ice was already running full speed towards the main inn.

***

Ice arrived at the main inn and frantically asked for directions from the staff. He was trying to find out where Lady Melva Hollcroft was staying.

“___The main suite… Third corridor from the left… There!”

Ice ran towards the room and hurriedly opened it.

“Excuse meee!”

Ice was met with plenty of startled looks from the occupants of the suite. Then, the tip of a sword was suddenly thrust in front of his face.

“Who are you?! What are you doing here?!”

A girl of medium height was glaring while holding the sword towards him. She had her ash blond hair tied up in a braid and had sharp features. Her deep ruby eyes were penetrating and radiated an aura of strength and purpose.

Ice, whose mind was going overdrive, came to his senses at the sight of the dangerous looking weapon and fell over backwards to the floor.

“___Oh crap! I was really panicking after remembering what happened last night and ran over here on impulse. Damn! Now what excuse should I give?...”

“What’s wrong Giselle? What’s all this commotion?”

A tall, gorgeous woman came from within the interior of the room. She had silver hair which curled slightly at the tip and a regal aura despite being only clad in a bath robe. And, despite trying to be a gentleman, Ice couldn’t help but stare at her rich chest.

“Lady Melva! Don’t come any closer! This guy suddenly barged in here without warning. I’m currently interrogating him. He may be dangerous.”

Melva turned her attention to Ice who was still sitting dumbstruck on the floor.

“Err… Hello ma’am…”

“………..”

“___Crap! What do I do? What do I do?!”

As Ice was sweating buckets, Lady Melva slowly moved towards him and the girl with a dazed expression.

“Lady Melva!”

The girl called Giselle was frantically trying to prevent her from getting closer, but Lady Melva was already on her knees and was currently looking at Ices’ face intently.


“Err… Ma’am?...”

“…………….”

“___What’s wrong with her? Why’s she looking at me like that?”

Ice was getting increasingly flustered as Lady Melva continued to stare at him, and as Giselle was about to move to separate the two…

“My!!! What a gorgeous looking young man!!! What’s wrong? Are you lost dear? What can big sis do for you?”

“Eh?... Mmmmmph!....”

Ice was suddenly smothered between Lady Melvas breasts as she moved to hug him close; a horrified looking Giselle petrified to inaction near them.

“___Eh? Eeeeeh!!! Wait! Wait up! What’s with this deliciou… I mean outrageous development?!!!”

"M-My lady!!!"

Giselle, recovering from her daze, frantically separated the two while glaring daggers at Ice.

"Wha- Giselle! What are you doing? I'm just trying to comfort this poor young man here."

"There she goes again with her peculiar 'preferences' *mumble...."

"Eh? What are you mumbling about Giselle?"

"Waah! N-Nothing my lady! A-Anyway, you can't just go and approach anyone suspicious like that! It's dangerous!"

"Eeeeh..."

"No 'eeh's my lady. It's really worrying for your personal guard every time you do that you know. Sir Hendrix always seems like he's about to have a heart attack whenever this happens."

"Ookaaay."

"*sigh Really, this woman *mumble *mumble"

Ice, who was left on the wayside, was internally debating with himself whether he should just run away or try to explain himself at sword point. Then, another development took place.

"Ice! What's wrong? Why'd you run all the way here? Eh?..."

Sea followed Ice all the way to the inn after hearing from Ein and was confronted by the current scene - two ladies clad in bathrobes and Ice who was on the floor.

"..........Ice.... You know... when you said you wouldn't do it again, I decided to believe you... And so I'm going to give you some time to explain yourself. If, by any chance, your explanation isn't convincing enough..."

"___The Demon Lord cometh again!!!"

Ice was in even deeper crisis! He hurriedly stood up and tried to placate the situation before it got even worse.

***

"Hmmm... So you're saying you somehow found something familiar with Lady Melvas name and went to confirm it without really thinking it through and you ended up barging into her room unannounced..."

"U-huh. I'm really sorry..."

Ice ended up making up another white lie and was again feeling a bit guilty about it. But telling the truth (ended up seeing a really gorgeous raven haired lady naked in the womens bath last night and ran all the way here to confirm if she was Lady Melva or a member of her retinue) would result in him digging his own grave and jumping headfirst into the pit, so he ended up not having any choice but to make up this hastily thought up excuse.

"*sigh I guess if you somehow managed to find a clue to your identity, you'd really want to confirm it right away... But that was still rude of you Ice. You can't just barge into a woman's room like that! And not just any woman at that! In normal cases, you could have been punished severely."

"___If that were true, then why'd Ein and the men try that hard to peek at Lady Melva last night; considering the consequences... Those guys sure are dedicated... Well, after getting a load of that chest of hers, I guess I can understand them a bit... ehehehe..."

"...You're making a lewd face..."

"W-Wah? N-No! That was my 'troubled' face."

Ice decided to get his mind out of the gutter before he lands himself in any more trouble.

"So let me get this straight... This guy has amnesia and, somehow, he felt something familiar upon hearing Lady Melvas name; and so he went all the way here to confirm things."

Giselle, who finally calmed down somewhat and had already sheathed her sword, inquired while sipping some tea.

"Yes, that's right. If you could find it in your heart to forgive him my lady. He's still pretty much confused from the whole ordeal."

Sea was lightly bowing her head in a gesture of apology and Ice decided to follow her lead.

"Oh my. You poor thing. Of course I forgive him! There was nothing to forgive anyway. So, did you remember something from meeting me young man?"

"Uuh... unfortunately, no my lady. I'm really sorry for all the trouble though."

"Think nothing of it. You're such a dear."

"....Are you sure you're not just making this up to escape punishment?"

Giselle was still eyeing him with a suspicious look, so Ice tried to make his best none-threatening, innocent look.

"Well, anyway, this little thing is all cleared up. Say, young man... do you want to come with me to my villa so we can have some doctors look at your condition? It would be the best if some experts examined you. And I could perhaps take care of you while you're there..."

"I think everything's taken care of so we'll take our leave!!! Thank you for the tea my lady!"

"Yes! I think that's for the best! Please don't let anything like this happen in the future."

"Of course! Well then!..."

"Eeeh! But what about my offer?..."

"The lord wouldn't approve of it anyway. Do take care Miss Sea."

"Yes, thank you. We'll be going now."

After Sea and Giselles rapid exchange, Sea tugged at Ices' arm and led him out of the room, leaving a disappointed looking Lady Melva and Giselle frantically trying to keep her from coming after them.

***

"Hey, it's master! How are you doing today master? Need any back rubs perhaps?"

"Uh... he he... Maybe some other time Nichols."

"Hey there Mr. Ice. I made some porridge and I was wondering... Could you come with me for a bit? I need to talk to you about some things you see. Preferably some place quiet. We can share the porridge if you'd like."

"I'm actually quite full Lenoire. And busy! Yeah, that's right. Mrs. Romany had me run some errands you see..."

"Oh, that's too bad. Next time then Mr. Ice. I'll be waiting!"

"Y-Yeah. Next time."

"*whisper Geh! It's Ice... Damn! Somehow I'm really annoyed, but still... You gotta admit, he has guts."

"*whisper Yeah! If it were me, I wouldn't even make it past the inns entrance... Damn, it still makes me jealous though..."

After this mornings fiasco, Ice found himself gathering increasing attention from the male populace in Maleena village. Apparently, word spread about how he, in an act born from an unprecedented passion about all things ecchi, boldly went to the room Lady Melva was staying at in order to fulfill the dashed hopes of every male that participated in last nights failed peeking attempt.

Instead of being beat up and/or punished, he was even rewarded by a hug and had obtained the experience of his head being sandwiched between her bountiful breasts.

It turned him into an instant celebrity. An idol worthy of envy, respect and admiration for the young men of Maleena village. Even some of the older guys looked at him with eyes filled with welling emotion.

"You did good lad! You did good... Gaah! If I were ten years younger!..."

Mr. Galen was crying buckets as he held Ice in a tight bear hug a little earlier.

Ice had his awkward smile on all throughout. He wasn't expecting to be made famous for this kind of stuff. He held mixed feelings about it. But what he minded the most was the slight stiffness that was readily apparent whenever he interacted with Sea. She was trying not to show it of course, but it was still painfully obvious to Ice.

Somehow, it really bothered him. It bothered him a lot. But, as he was woefully aware of his abysmal experience interacting with girls apart from Lin, he was at a loss about what to do.

"Well if it isn't the man of the hour himself. How are you holding up dear? You're garnering quite the following from what I heard. *giggle"

Mrs. Romany greeted Ice with a glowing smile as she met him down the village road. It was bright. Too bright. Even though there wasn't even a hint of admonishment in her expression and demeanor, Ice felt increasingly guilty for some reason while looking at her smile.

"Haha... Frankly ma'am, it's a bit too much for me. I really didn't have any questionable motives when I did that this morning. I really didn't!"

"Oh, don't worry about that too much dear. It's fine. I believe you. Besides, I'm used to you menfolks antics."

"Ahaha... Actually ma'am, from the way Ein described it, you actually knew about what the guys were planning last night. You even had some traps set up in advance. Why didn't you just nip it in the bud if you already knew? Could've saved a lot of trouble."

"*giggle Of course I knew. This practically happens every year. This years was a lot more flashy than any of the previous years too. It seems it was a big hit with the audience. A lot of them said they were looking forward to next years event. So I'm planning to make it even flashier. I'm counting on you for next year too Ice."

"Yes ma'am. I'll do my be.... W-Wait a second! Audience?! We were being watched?"

Ice was surprised by the sudden revelation. Were the men already aware of this?

"*giggle You were quite amazing back there dear. You actually even gained some female fans among some of the noble ladies. Something about 'not minding if the ones who were coming to peek were cute boys like them (Ice and Ein)'. I'm actually planning to have an Artist draw a picture of you two for promotional purposes."

"A-Aha ha ha ha..."

Ice only managed an awkward laugh while having one of his mental face palms.

"___She totally played us! Do Ein and the guys already know about this? Maybe they knew about it but went through with it anyway... And this happens every year?... Oh boy...

"You should've seen your face dear. It was classic. Too bad we switched up the bathing times a little huh?"

"Err... This is just a 'what if' question... but if we actually managed peeking in the women's bath, what would have happened?..."

Mrs. Romany made a smug look (while still managing to appear absolutely gorgeous) and puffed up her chest.

"Well, I'm really quite confident about the countermeasures I set up every year. But if someone does manage it... Well, I guess we'll leave him to enjoy the spoils for a while as it were. The men do try their best every year after all. It would feel wrong if you didn't get some form of reward from time to time.

Of course, leaving it as it is would be a huge breach of our customers privacy. So I'll just have the guy captured and use some Memory Alteration scrolls or something for damage control."

Ice felt a distinct chill from Mrs. Romanys' answer and gulped audibly.

"But ma'am, aren't Memory scrolls actually an army-only resource? And you have to clear several approval levels before you could actually use one. Especially for Memory Alteration or Erasure scrolls. Ein told me the scrolls he got from Mr. Findor yesterday were officially 'never here' if someone actually comes to poke around so... isn't it kind of... really illegal if you got one for private use?"

"Well, of course it is. But a woman has her ways dear. A woman has her ways..."

"___Scary!!! This woman is seriously scary!!! Is every member of their family this dangerous?! Was my life officially forfeit the moment they were the ones who found me in this world?!"

"By the way dear..."

"YES!!!"

"*giggle You don't have to be so jumpy. I have a small favor to ask if you could spare me some time..."

"I'll spare you all the time I have ma'am!!!"

"My, how admirable! Well then, could you go and fetch Sea and pick out some wild flowers from outside the village so we could use them for our aroma therapy bath sessions? She'll help you pick out the usable ones."

"Yes ma'am! But... why me? I'm not familiar with this stuff at all."

"Oh, I just noticed you two needed some time alone to discuss some things is all. You don't want to?"

"___She's really perceptive. Then again, as expected of her I guess."

"We'll go right away ma'am."

"Do take care dear."

Mrs. Romany sent Ice away with a knowing smile.

***

They already spent quite some time walking in the woods, but Ice and Sea were still pretty much keeping their distance from each other.

"___Damn. This is really awkward. I need to do something soon. Cmon you damn 'torpe'! Get your act together!"

"Umm... Sea..."

"Hmm?..."

Seas back was still turned away from him and was walking slightly ahead. Ice hurriedly caught up with her and managed an apology.

"I really am sorry about what happened this morning. I wasn't really thinking straight y'know. Can't I do anything to make it up to you?"

Ice wasn't really sure if the reason Sea was acting like this was what he thought it was. If it were true though, then it made her all the more adorable. On the other hand, he was also wondering if it was only his wishful thinking.

Maybe he was just too heavily influenced by the shows he watched and was actually totally reading this wrong. He felt some slight self loathing from actually considering himself becoming a protagonist of some anime or novel.

Also, considering his real age, he was actually supposed to be way past all of this stuff already.

"___I really am one hell of a late bloomer huh?... Pathetic..."

Sea stopped walking and turned towards Ice, her face slightly looking down on the ground.

"You know Ice, I'm aware you didn't really mean anything barging into Lady Melvas room like that. After all, you did have your reasons. But you see... it still annoys me for some reason. They way she was looking at you... And she even offered to 'take care' of you in her villa...

Aaaah! It annoys me to no end you know! I don't really know why, but it just does! And I ended up taking it out on you too. I'm... really sorry."

Sea clasped Ices' hand and offered an apology herself, still looking slightly down with her ears turning bright red. Ice was dumbstruck. He really was finding himself in a lot of situations that made his 'brain.exe' go haywire ever since finding himself in El Fabula.

"___So it really was... No, but still... Has spring finally come for me too?... In another world... with an Anime girl?!!!... Uwaaaaaah!!!"

Ices' eyes were going circles and, although he wasn't able to look at his face, he was sure he was already red as a tomato.

"Ice?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Can we just act the same as before? I'm really sorry if I kinda ignored you for a bit. I'm really just being such a kid aren't I? Ehehe."

Cute! Sea really was incredibly cute! Ices' brain just went white from looking at Seas blooming smile. His heart felt like it wanted to jump out of his chest at any moment. Steam was already coming from his head. And, although steam coming from anybodys head was quite peculiar and was only possible in a world like El Fabula, Ice couldn't care less.

"O-Okay! Same as before! Right! We'll go with that! Sure!"

"Really?! *giggle Thank you Ice. Cmon, let's go look for those flowers."

Sea started to walk again while still holding hands with Ice. His 'brain.exe' already shut down so he was just going along with the flow without thinking; the feeling of Seas soft hand filling his head.

***

Ice and Sea arrived at a small clearing after going a bit more into the woods and found the flowers they needed.

"Here Ice. This is the Mint Rose. We need to bring back quite a few so the stock would last at least until next week. I'll be collecting some over there. Just head on over if you need some help okay?"

"Will do. I just need to fill up these bags right?"

"Uh-huh. I'll see you later then. Let's take a small break for lunch before we go back. I made some snacks. I hope you like them *giggle"

"Ah, Y-Yeah. That would be great."

"I'll see you in a bit then."

"Yup."

Ices' gaze followed Sea as she went towards the other side of the clearing and let out a small sigh. There's no denying that he was absolutely ecstatic about what happened. Why wouldn't he be? It was literally the first time a girl other than Lin showed interest towards him. Well, there was Melva but Ice thought that her case was a bit different.

But that was precisely the problem: Lin. He wasn't really all that sure that it really was the case with her since they've never really talked about it much. It was like they were both afraid of ruining the status quo.

But when he was with her, he felt at peace. There was no pretense and it felt like even one small impetus would be enough to push them all the way to a proper relationship. That was the plan anyway. At least until Ice found himself in El Fabula.

He almost forgot all about the fact that he wasn't from this world. He may have enjoyed himself too much. Even if he allowed himself to fall for someone over here, how would that turn out in the end? He still wanted to go back to Earth after all. He missed the internet. He was worried about his parents. He wanted to see his friends and loved ones. And there was Lin.

Ice was a little incensed by his current thoughts and tried to distract himself by focusing on picking the Mint Roses and chugging them inside the bags. But after a few moments passed, he suddenly felt something was off.

It was quiet. Too quiet. Everything was absolutely still. The light breeze that was slightly messing up his hair stopped as well. Ice felt it was very unnatural. He was having goosebumps.

There was a sudden rustling sound near the trees just ahead and Ice focused his attention towards it.

Dark silhouettes flitted in between the shadows of the trees. Ice braced himself. He was told that this area was relatively safe because it didn't have much of a monster presence. Looks like this was just one of those days when his luck turned for the worse.

A large creature finally emerged from within the shadows and growled menacingly. Two large canines protruded from the large maw lined with several smaller, but no less dangerous looking teeth. Its dark red fur resembled the color of blood.

It looked like a large wolf. But it was at least thrice as big. Ice estimated that it would have no problem exceeding his height if it stood with it's hind legs. It also had a large horn that grew from the center of its forehead.

He wasn't sure what kind of monster it was, but he was sure it was dangerous. It's blood shot eyes were already focused on him and reflected pure animosity.

"___Damn! What the hell is this thing?! How'd I end up in something this dangerous right from the get go?"

Ice made sure not to let his attention stray from the monster. He was backing away slowly and, if given the chance, would try to use the trees for cover as he ran away. Facing it head on could only end in disaster since he didn't carry any weapons and, even if he did, this thing didn't seem to be the type to be downed by just one person. He also had practically zero experience with this stuff so he was actually going at it blind.

He was conflicted on whether he would try to go where Sea was to warn her or not. He wasn't sure how many of these things still lurked within the forest and if by chance this thing was alone, going towards Sea would only serve to get the both of them in harms way.

"___Well, it looks like trying to look non-threatening won't work. That thing already has me pegged as 'prey' from the get go. But I don't know if I can even outrun it. It's huge and those legs sure look fast. Ha ha... Looks like trying to lead this guy away from here is the best I can manage. Damn me and my rotten luck..."

"Alright big guy. You want a piece of me? Come and get it."

As soon as Ice got fairly close to the trees, he started to run and shouted a warning towards Sea.

"Sea! There's a monster after me! Go back to the village and get some help!"

He made a mad dash for it as soon as he finished shouting. After a few moments spent running, Ice found it odd that there was no sign of something chasing behind him.

"___Why isn't it coming?... Shit! did it decide to go after Sea instead?!"

As Ice was panicking at the thought of the monster ending up hunting Sea instead of him, a glint of red ran past his eyes.

"___What the?..."

It was the monster wolf. It was now in front of him again after approaching silently like a ghost. It was eyeing him again, stock still.

"___Why isn't it attacking? It's clearly hostile but it's just standing there and growling at me."

Ice tried to run away a few more times only to have the same thing happen to him each time. When he decided to quicken his pace and widen the distance, it caught up to him instantly and grazed his cheek with its claw; drawing blood.

Ice looked at the blood he wiped from his wounded cheek and smiled bitterly.

It seemed weirdly comical to see his own blood. It looked shiny and unnatural. Of course it did. He was in the appearance of an anime character right now so it was a given that his blood looked like how it was depicted in an anime. But it reeked of iron just the same.

And the palpable pain he felt on his cheek was a grim reminder that this was no crazy ass dream he was having after a night of binge drinking with his co-workers after payday.

"___So you're not expressly trying to kill me right away but you're also not allowing me the possibility of escaping huh?......"

"You're toying with me aren't you?! You're just like my cat Lionel, playing with his catch before he goes for the finish!"

As if to answer him, the monster wolfs maw shaped itself similar to a domineering sneer. It was truly like that of a hunter playing with its prey. It licked the fore claw it used to wound Ice and changed its stance.

"Looks like playtime's over huh big guy. Damn..."

Ices' mind was racing. He knew it was hopeless but something about this situation really didn't sit well with him. He really didn't like the fact that he was being treated like a toy and being made a fool of. By a monster no less.

"___Dammit! DAMMIT!!! Can't I really do anything now? Is my life gonna end like this?! You've got to be kidding me! Dying while being played around with by this damn monster... There must be something... Anything!!!..."

Unfortunately, he really couldn't see any way out of his current predicament. He was totally helpless and it was made apparent earlier on that he can't outrun this monster. He bit his lower lip so hard he drew blood.

And the monster pounced. Its large jaw was clearly aiming to mangle him to death. Ice closed his eyes and braced for the inevitable.

"___SHIT!!!"

.....................

But the attack never came to pass.

Ice opened his eyes to find Sea standing in front of him; facing the monster with long daggers held in each of her hands.

***

"Eh?!... S-Sea?... Wha...?"

"Don't move and stay where I can see you. This will be over soon."

Ice nodded weakly, surprised by the change in Seas demeanor. It was akin to seeing an expertly crafted blade finally being drawn from its sheath and taking on its true nature - a weapon that was as beautiful as it was deadly.

The air around her was sharp and heavy. The pressure she was currently releasing sent chills down Ices' spine. But what he felt wasn't fear. It was awe. He was completely taken by the petite figure standing in front of him.

The monster was wary. Unlike earlier where it took on an attitude that oozed of mockery and contempt; this time it was cautious and alert. It paced around slowly; fully focused on the adversary before it which it regarded as a clear and dangerous threat.

Sea and the wolf monster both observed the other intently; looking for any opening to exploit. The tension was teetering on the brink, and the stalemate could be broken at any moment.

The wolf broke the silence first. It charged for Sea at breakneck speed, fully brandishing its large fangs and claws against her.

It was an instant. Truly just an instant.

Sea kicked off the ground and moved like a blur, first cutting off one of the wolfs forelegs from the knee down and sent it tumbling sideways. As it was having difficulty trying to recover because losing one limb ruined its sense of balance, Sea moved in quickly and finished it off by jumping on top of it and stabbing the base of its head with her long dagger.

The monster wolfs HP was brought down to zero instantly with just two quick strikes.

It turned to dust and left behind some items on the ground.

[Sable Wolf (α) Horn] Crafting Item - Rare: The long horn of an alpha leader of a Sable Wolf pack. It is very durable and can be made into a variety of weapons.

[Sable Wolf (α) Hide] Crafting Item - Rare: The hide of an alpha leader of a Sable Wolf pack. It is very tough and flexible and is possible to be made or incorporated into armor and shields.

[Sable Wolf (α) Fang] Crafting Item - Rare: The long canine of an alpha leader of a Sable Wolf pack. Some indigenous northern tribes of the Valis continent use them to craft accessories that serve as proof of their coming of age and battle prowess.

Finally easing up after the quick battle, Sea sheathed her daggers on a belt strapped to her waist and went over to check on Ice.

***

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

"Eh...! Ah... no, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up..."

"Thank goodness. It'll be best if we went back to the village for now. There could be more of those things lurking here and I'm not confident I can protect you if we were to face a group."

"............"

"Ice?"

"Sorry... Okay, let's go back."

"Alright. Need a hand?"

"No, I'm fine... Let's go."

"Mm."

Ice felt frustrated that he was again relegated to the role of 'bystander'. He had no choice. There was nothing he could do except watch, un-moving. And this was the first time he truly felt angry about being so powerless.

He wondered if it was hubris, but he truly felt he wanted to at least have the power to protect himself. He didn't really feel offended that it was Sea, a young girl, who saved him. That wasn't it. It was just that the experience of not being able to do anything while at the mercy of someone or something else was unbearable to him.

He thought he didn't really care for things like 'pride'. Looks like he was wrong.

Ice dragged himself away from the forest with heavy steps.

-Approaching Danger End-

[Note]

*HP serves as a clear indicator of ones over all condition in El Fabula as it was a world that heavily resembled an MMORPG. As long as ones HP was not depleted, it drastically lowered the chances of him, her or it suddenly giving out/collapsing during battle.

It also granted a sort of quasi- invulnerability and both monsters or people could only be truly killed once their HP goes down to zero. At that point, bodies turn immobile and become fully vulnerable to any attack. Things like the Defense stat become invalid and even the toughest of hides or armor could be easily cut up or crushed.

If not revived by a recovery spell, one generally only has ten minutes before fully succumbing to death. In the case of monster bodies, they turn to dust and only leave behind things people liked to call 'loot', 'monster drops' or simply 'drops'. With people, their equipment items could now be easily looted off, which was very appealing to bandits and cutthroats.

There are exceptions though. Some high level boss monsters sport attacks that could cause instant death with varying degrees of probability. It bypassed HP and the ten minute revive window and instantly kills if the effect is triggered. These monsters are labelled extremely dangerous and are usually avoided, even by high level bounty hunters and adventurers unless facing one was necessary. There are items and equipment that are used to prevent this effect but are usually either very rare and hard to obtain or astronomically expensive.

HP also sometimes didn't drop when someone is sick with things like colds or flu. It seems that bodily conditions outside that obtained in a battle with monsters or other people didn't affect it much except for a few rare cases such as eating something poisonous. Potent poisons also reduce the time window for revival or outright negates it making them very dangerous.

There are also high level skills and very rare titles that offered the possibility of negating the revive window such as Absolute Assassination or Underworlds Beckoning. People that possessed these skills were very elusive and quite a few are engaged in some pretty shady business.

Finally, if there was a drastic level difference between the levels of two opponents, the one with the higher level is also able to negate the revival time window and kill the lower leveled one instantly. This also depends on current equipment and if one aims for critical points like the heart or head as with what happened to the Sable Wolf in this chapter.

As for exactly how far Sea was in level compared to Mr. wolf, we'll leave that for the following chapters.

[1] Manga Meat - prevalent in mangas since the 1990s, it is usually depicted as a thick roll of meat wrapped around a large bone. It's referenced often in other popular works such as Muv-Luv (Fwoooooh!).

[Swordstriker21]

Chapter 6: Training Start!

Spoiler! :

Ice had his injuries taken care of by Sea as soon as they got back. They were mostly minor injuries like small scrapes and bruises except for the cut on his cheek, which bled a bit heavily.

"The wound might get an infection. We need to disinfect every single one!"

Sea was fussing over even the smallest details and almost had a handle on Ices' pants if he didn't notice it early and refused adamantly.

Sea uttered some things under her breath as she sulked for being so resolutely refused. " Really... It's not like I haven't seen it already..."

"Hm?"

"N-Nothing! Let's continue patching you up okay."

"...Yeah"

Ice was still feeling down. He had always tried to lead a low profile life, going with the flow and trying just enough to get by. He wasn't particularly envious of people who were more well off or talented than him. The fact he hit it off so well with Tim reinforced that mindset. Although Tim's easygoing personality might have been a factor for that too.

At least he thought he wasn't. Now that he had time to actually think about it, his defeatist mindset might have been reinforced by his experiences back when he was a kid. He was always one of the bright, active ones in his elementary days. His name was always up there with the top ten best students and he also placed pretty well in the rankings. He was pretty smug about it too.

He was ranked 2nd in his first year of elementary school. Then 3rd on his second year. But he slipped to 5th in Grade 4 and finally placed 10th on his sixth and final year (K-12 wasn't a thing yet back in those days so you graduated from elementary level when you finished Grade 6).

Sure, 10th was still technically a part of the top students in school. But for Ice, who held a modest amount of pride earlier on about his academic ability (more likely reinforced by the high expectations set by relatives and acquaintances) it was quite a major blow.

It was then that he realized that the fact that there was always someone above you. He didn't slack off at studying. He pulled enough late night study sessions (sometimes held in secret from his parents) his once bright and cheerful eyes became baggy and sullen. He reviewed for tests like a madman. But in the end, it was all in vain.

He wasn't all that good at sports or any other activities too. He was modestly fluent in English but he was sure he wouldn't measure up to those private school kids who practically lived and breathed the language at home.

He just got tired of it all. He didn't put as much effort in high school and, although he still managed to get in to the top 13, frankly he just didn't care anymore. The only bright spot in his high school life was Lin.

"___This would be all meaningless when I become a college student anyway..."

When he heard from his mother that the class valedictorian failed to get in to his chosen school (UP Diliman) he just smiled bitterly and told her that was just how life was.

He entered a local university in Pangasinan and graduated without achieving anything that significant and left it at that.

The fact that his parents never said anything about his performance made Ice slightly relieved but a bit frustrated at the same time. He felt he disappointed them even if they didn't actually express the thought nor changed their demeanor toward him. But in the end, he just wrapped it all up with a shrug that seemed to say 'can't be helped' and went on with life.

He landed a job at a call center, took home decent pay and saved up a little to buy his parents a low end refrigerator and a TV and just continued on as always with a 'come what may' attitude.

He made his daily call quota but never hit the amount for incentives and bonuses. He never got a commendation call for good customer satisfaction. He wasn't really a strong candidate for promotion. He made an effort to come to group practices for office events but didn't really care if they won or not. He was just... there.

And to some extent, he felt that was enough. He thought it was all he needed.

"A simple life is best."

He was often caught saying that to himself by Lin and his other friends and acquaintances. He always got a 'Isn't that wonderful.' and 'That's not a bad way to live.' reaction but he sighed inwardly each time.

"___It isn't as wonderful as you think..."

He entertained the thought of making just a little bit more effort plenty of times. But he always held back in the end. He was scared - scared of failure. Of disappointment. And the one he was scared of disappointing the most was himself.

He was just keeping afloat and going along with the currents. He never once dared to fly for fear of falling to the ground. He was even afraid of looking at the sky...

"There! All done! How do you feel?"

'Eh?... Ah, yeah. I'm good."

Snapping out of his reverie, Ice looked at Seas face and felt a pang of loneliness.

"___Everyone just keeps going on ahead of me..."

Seas face scrunched up in worry,feeling the subtle drop in Ices' mood.

"Are you really feeling fine now. You still look like you're in pain..."

"Huh? N-No, don't worry about it. I'm just thinking about some things..."

Ice tried to fix his expression after Sea had pointed it out and straitened his back on the bed rest.

"...Okay then. But if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me okay. I'll be downstairs for a bit."

"Alright..."

With a final glance, Sea closed the door and went downstairs.

***

"___Damn! DAMMIT!!!..."

Before he knew it, Ice was crying. Back on Earth and even here in El Fabula, he still felt so pathetic.

"___Cant be helped?! I'm content with just this?! The heck am I kidding?! Of course I wanna do better! Of course I wanna achieve more! Who doesn't?! Anyone who says otherwise is just a damn hypocrite! And I've been one for most of my damn life!..."

Something was starting to burn within him. An intense desire to be stronger. To gain back his lost self confidence. Because he deprived himself for so long, the desire burned hotter. Purer.

"___F*** failure! I'm gonna make something of myself in this world even if I have to wallow in mud just to achieve it. Making it back home will come later. I'll just be too ashamed to face everyone if I come back like this.

Entering a relationship?! I'm still unworthy of that! How could I make my partner happy if I just continue being like this?! Stronger! I must be stronger!!! Strong enough to be able to walk with my head held high with pride!"

Ice bellowed challenging words and swore to the beings who made him go through this situation from the top of his lungs.

"Whoever it was who sent me here! I don't know what you want of me but bring it on! I'm going to show you I can do it and then some with plenty to spare! You hear me?!!! I'll F***ING DO IT DAMN YOU!!!"

Sea hurriedly came up to the room to check up on him after his sudden tirade startled everyone in the house.

"Ice? What's wrong? I could hear you shouting downstairs. Does anything hurt?"

Ice turned to her and calmed his expression. He replied with a steady voice.

"No. I'm fine. I've just made my resolution. And I'm not backing down with my tail between my legs this time."

"I-I see. What did you resolve to do? Is it related to why you came here to Valis even at the expense of losing your memory?"

"Yeah, something like that... Anyway, SEA!!!"

"Y-Yes?! W-What is it?"

Ice grabbed Seas hands and got down on his knees, looking at her with eyes ablaze with intense passion.

"___C-Could it be? Is he really going to?!... B-But my heart's still not prepared!... Waaaah!!!"

Seas face was burning red from embarrassment and her heart rate was speeding up to amazing levels.

"Sea..."

"Y-Yes..."

"............Please teach me how to fight! I beg you!"

"Eh?... EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHH?!!!"

***

Now it was Seas turn to be dumbstruck. Her mouth was opening and closing but no words came out.

Finally, she managed a slightly stuttered reply.

"W-Why? W-What's came over you Ice? Asking about fighting of all things..."

Ice gripped her hands tighter, stood up and brought his face close which made Sea even more flustered.

"Please... After watching how you fought with that monster, something in me was lit up. I was really touched by your strength. Your valiant figure was nothing short of beautiful. I would like nothing more than having you teach me how to fend for myself.

It's a dangerous world after all. You never know when something like that would happen again. So I would like to obtain the strength necessary to at least protect myself and not worry anyone else. Please Sea. I'm begging you..."

Ice was pleading with words tinged with raw emotion. In the end, Sea was affected by Ices' enthusiasm and nodded weakly uttering a quiet 'Okay...'

"Y-You n-need to rest so we'll start tomorrow. It's good to have drive but not to the extent of overworking yourself. S-So rest up for now okay."

"Alright. I'll be looking forward to tomorrow then 'Master'!"

"Eh? D-Don't call me that. It's embarrassing! T-Tomorrow then."

"Yes!"

After Sea got out, Ice finally noticed he was grinning. He was grinning unconsciously. His mind and heart were light. Like he's cast off a heavy weight that was bearing down on him. Any longer and he felt it would have crushed him. Then it would have been too late.

"___I already took the first step... From now on there's no turning back..."

Ice tried to rest but his wildly beating heart made it hard to sleep.

***

There were a few reasons as to why Ice chose to learn fighting. For one, he was planning to become an adventurer. It was apparently a thing here in El Fabula. Well, it did resemble MMORPGs so that was almost a given.

Adventurers gained fame and made it to the top of the social hierarchy at a relatively fast pace if you piled enough notable achievements. Since the 'Second Age of Exploration' started, there has been relatively high demand for highly skilled adventurers which set off to distant and uncharted lands in search of untapped resources and treasure.

Claiming these lands for their home country would also benefit in the growth and prosperity of their homeland so succesful adventurers were showered with praise and were highly regarded by the general populace - basically treated like heroes. They were also lauded by the politicians and rulers of their home countries and given substancial financial rewards and various other incentives and perks.

But before even making it to the list of potential explorers, one had to build up a positive reputation. The more famous one becomes, the greater his or her chances to be selected.

There plenty of ways to make a name for oneself. It was not restricted to pure combat Classes as well. Production and Crafting Classes were also in high demand. But the competition was fierce. And at times, cutthroat. Some were willing to do anything necessary for fame. But it wasn't good to overdo it because it may affect ones reputation negatively.

So everybody developed his or her unique way of keeping up while making it appear they were playing by the rules. Some were just really steeped in to the ways of truth and justice (either that or they were just plain naive fools) and were very much by-the-book law abiding citizens while some played it both ways and developed a nose for properly assessing risk and reward and a good eye for people, knowing just when the time to bail out was if things really got out of hand. And some were just plain 'evil'. The term is relative of course.

Ice wasn't confident in his crafting skills. And based on what he heard, leveling the skills needed to keep up with the big names in the industry was a long and tedious process. Even Mr. Galen who had tons of experience as a Foreman didn't make it and just settled down in Maleena together with his wife.

Ice didn't plan on settling down. He still had no clue about how to get back to Earth and staying in a village/spa resort wasn't going to help him search for a way faster. Becoming an adventurer and travelling around the world while searching for clues sounded a lot more appealing to him.

Plus, he was an avid MMO gamer back in the day. It would be a lie to claim that he wasn't at least a little excited about the prospects of going on quests and fighting monsters.

Ice was aware of the fact that it would be very different from the point and click MMORPPGs he played back on Earth because he'll be using his own body to fight. But he was strangely calm about the prospect. He also wasn't all that fazed when he recalled his encounter with the monster yesterday.

He wasn't exactly sure if it was because of adrenaline, testosterone or that he was just plain going crazy. But that was irrelevant to him now.

Of course, this all relied heavily on the chance that 'The System' would grant him a proper combat Class. And even if he didn't, he judged that learning how to fight wouldn't be a waste of time.

He would most likely encounter danger during his travels. He came to this conclusion after hearing that the monster he and Sea encountered (Sable Wolf) wasn't usually a solitary hunter and didn't normally come this far north. After sending out a scouting party comprised of the village guard, it was determined that the monster really was alone.

It was extremely odd according to what he heard.

"___Basing on what has happened so far, it seems that 'someone' or 'something' purposely sent me here for some unknown reason. The woman I met also called me 'Counterpoint'... There's a high chance another party didn't want me over here so they sent that monster to eliminate me..."

This made it seem that he was a major player in some grand plot. That he was actually a 'protagonist'. But even if he wasn't and was, in truth, only just an unimportant and disposable pawn or was only sent here for fun or some other crazy or silly reason, Ice didn't have any plans of going along and just rolling over dead.

Thus, he judged that learning how to fight was essential, even just for self defense.

"___If I ever get assigned a Production or Crafting Class like Cook or Carpenter, learning fighting and self defense would still come in handy. 'Fighting Cook'?... Has a nice ring to it actually..."

With these thoughts in mind, Ice proceeded to the designated practice grounds at the outskirts of the village.

***

"You're here."

Ice arrived at the practice grounds to find Sea welcoming him with a smile. She was wearing clothes that were easy to move in (a pair of trousers, leather boots and a loose fitting shirt tucked in) and had her long caramel hair tied up in a ponytail.

It was really charming.

"___Somehow, this really calms my heart..."

Ice made a sloppy looking smile and nodded approvingly, making Sea conscious of her looks.

"W-What?! Does it look weird?..."

" ~Nooo... Not at all. You look great~~"

Ice had his face fixed in an expression of utter bliss and was busy taking in and admiring Seas current get-up.

"Eh?... W-Well... that's fine then."

Sea had a faint blush on her face and looked a bit troubled on how to react. Ice snapped out of his reverie and implored for them to begin training so as not to waste any more time.

"Okay then. First I have to ask, do you have any experience at all when it comes to fighting or battles in general Ice? I know you have amnesia but things like these aren't that easily forgotten."

"No, I really can't say I do. I don't even know how to throw a punch properly." he answered without any hesitation. Ice wasn't keen on fighting in the first place, though he did like sports that involved it; like boxing.

"So it's better to assume you're a complete beginner then. So we'll have to work you from the ground up huh? Alright. But we have to do something first, considering efficiency."

"Okay. What do we do, exactly?"

"You're planning on becoming an adventurer right? You told me that this morning. If that's the case, then it's better for you to change to 'Initiate' right away. That way there would be a chance to gain extra Stat Points and maybe even some extra Skills."

Initiate, as mentioned by Seas lecture a few days back, was a beginner Class that was the first step in order to gain the right to advance into a proper Basic Class.

Every person born in El Fabula started out as a 'Unit' which isn't able to gain Skills or Stat Points. A Unit could still level up, but the gains are fixed and are quite measly (level ups increased basic parameters but it was very minimal and auto allocated evenly on each stat, HP was also really low compared to ones with proper Classes).

You gained the ability to acquire SPs (Stat Points - used to increase basic parameters) and APs (Ability Points - used to unlock Skills) when you become an Initiate as well as two basic Skills: Passive HP Recovery and Basic Adventuring.

Passive HP Recovery - Passive: [Recovers HP while resting. Rate of HP recovery varies each Class Advance. Class Type also factors in. Items and equipment also augment the effects. -Cannot Level Up- ]

Basic Adventuring - Passive: [A must for every budding adventurer. Allows the use of Party, Trade and Vend commands. -Cannot Level Up-]

You needed to pass an interview by the CQMA (Class Qualification and Management Association) in order to be granted the right to become an Initiate. But that would require quite a bit of time. And Ice wasn't exactly willing to wait.

"Can't we just start with the basics now? I'll at least need a feel of real battle before we start with the more intensive stuff. I'll just send a proper application letter to the CQMA later."

"You're really impatient aren't you Ice. Ehehe. Don't you worry about a thing! I actually have the perfect way to make you into an Initiate without going through all that trouble."

Sea had a smug (yet still cute) look plastered on her pretty face. She's implying she knows a shortcut. Ice was intrigued.

"So, you're saying you know of a more hassle-free way. Do you know someone from the Association. Or maybe your parents do. Your mother does give off the feeling of having a lot of 'acquaintances'."

"Ehehe. Well, mother does have her connections. But no. You don't really need to look any further. I told you that there were two ways of becoming an Initiate right; submitting an application to the CQMA or getting approved by a certified CQMA examiner. It just so happens that yours truly is one such certified examiner. Ehem!"

"___It really is one surprise after another with this girl huh?"

Ice had a slight wry smile on while looking at the elated Sea flaunting her CQMA license.

"But wait, even if you're a licensed examiner wouldn't that just mean you'll be able to give me a letter of recommendation so I can skip the interview and take the test right away? If so, I'll still need to travel to an official CQMA facility so I can actually take that test. That would still take time."

"Ehehe. Well, normally that would be the case. But I'm different you see. Examiners have certain ranks that allow them different kinds of privileges. I'm ranked A+. So I kinda have the ability to directly promote someone to Initiate, bypassing the test.

Of course, there are some risks involved. You can't just recklessly promote any person, like close friends or acquaintances for example, because your aptitude as an examiner is evaluated with the performance of the ones you promoted as a major factor. So if the one you promote does poorly, it'll reflect on your record. It might even get you demoted or, worse, have your license revoked."

"Isn't that quite a gamble? If, perhaps, I do poorly in my adventuring career, you'll get affected negatively too."

"Oh, I'm not worried. I'm sure if it's you Ice, you'll do splendid. You're very passionate about this after all."

"___Well isn't that just piling on the pressure... Well, I plan to make it big anyway so..."

Ice made a determined face and resolved himself once again.

"Okay. Let's do this."

***

"Alright. All you have to do is just stand still while I use the Promotion Scroll on you okay."

"Okay."

Sea proceeded to take a gold laced scroll out of her item inventory window.

*The 'System' windows are only visible to the ones who opened them unless made otherwise by changing the settings. From another persons point of view, it would have looked like Sea was conjuring up an item out of thin air.

This was also how she was able to bring a picnic basket filled with food with her during yesterdays little excursion without having to physically carry it, thus freeing her hands for holding other 'more important stuff' - like the hands of a certain gentleman perhaps.

Ice was enveloped by a golden glow and felt his entire body getting hot. After the glowing subsided, Ice felt himself welling with an unknown kind of strength.

"___All this and it's just the beginner Class. I wonder just how advancing to a Basic Class would feel?..."

Ice got pretty excited. He felt like a road filled with entirely new possibilities just opened up for him. He couldn't wait to start following it through.

"Alright, that should do it. Ice, try to open your inventory and status windows. You can actually just use your thoughts to bring them up but you're still new at this so just say 'Open Inventory Window' and 'Open Status Window' out loud."

Ice did just that and brought up his inventory and status windows for the first time.

Name: Ice

Level: 1

Class: ★Initiate

HP: 150

MP: 50

EP: 50

Str: 10

Def: 10

Agi: 10

Dex: 10

Int: 10

Luk: 5

Skills: Passive HP Recovery / Basic Adventuring / Ancient Blessing

"___Hmm? Ancient Blessing? I thought there were just supposed to be two starting Skills?"

Ice decided to look at the skill description.

Ancient Blessing - Passive: Allows one to use and unlock Skills belonging or related to the Ancient Skill Set. -Cannot Level Up- ★Exclusive only

He was perplexed but had a hunch this could actually be something big and asked Sea for her opinion to confirm.

"Another skill? What's its name again?"

"Ancient Blessing. Says here that it allows me to use Ancient Skills. Any idea what those are?"

"!..."

Sea was suddenly wide eyed in surprise. Her mouth was also slightly gaping.

"___Bingo! Judging from that reaction, I think I just hit the jackpot."

Ice was almost sure about it now, but waited for Sea to compose herself and hear her answer.

"E-Ehem!... Sorry. I was just so surprised. This might be something really amazing Ice. But just to be absolutely sure, do you by any chance have a star symbol right next to your Class name?"

Ice answered in the affirmative and in just a moment, found himself being hugged by an ecstatic Sea.

"Really?! Wooow! Ice, you did it! You really did it! Ahahaha! I never thought I'd come across something this rare in my lifetime! I was right! I just knew you were special Ice! Amaaazing!!!"

Sea was hugging him tighter and tighter, slightly jumping up and down; her overflowing glee getting the better of her reasoning. Her ample chest was also pressed tightly against Ices' own and, suffice to say, Ice, who had really low immunity towards things like this, was starting to get really bothered.

"Umm... Sea. I know you're really excited and all but this is a bit... I'm a guy you know. It'll probably be really rude but, honestly, if this continues, my body'll eventually make a slightly unsavory yet totally natural physical reaction... if you get what I'm saying."

"Eh?... Waaaaaaah!!!"

Sea, finally realizing their present state, hurriedly separated herself from Ice, blushing furiously.

"I-I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me..."

"N-Nah. That's fine. L-Lets just move on shall we?"

"O-Okay..."

After a few awkward moments of embarrassed silence, Sea finally began to explain what the whole fuss was about.

Ice was apparently an example of the few very rare cases of someone having the possibility of being granted an Exclusive Class.

An Exclusive Class was a unique Class that was only limited to one individual at any point in history. People having Exclusive Classes were, more often than not, very successful in their chosen endeavors. Some have permanently cemented their place in El Fabulan history as great heroes and pioneers, praised and immortalized by the masses.

This was not always the case however. Many too, turned out to be great menaces to humanity, resorting to all sorts of shady stuff such as banditry and other forms of criminal activity. Some became tyrants and conquerors and razed all that lay in their path. But of course, history was relative and it was not always clear who was actually the hero and who was the menace, and if it was actually proper to have these kinds of clear cut distinctions - as the world wasn't always so black and white.

But that was an entirely different discussion and Ice felt it wouldn't be productive to mull over these kinds of things that didn't really have a definite answer. History and discussions of morality was of no interest to him, at least not right now.

What was important was the fact that he now held the chance to definitely become something big. It was quite the pleasant surprise and he more than welcomed the leg-up. Now, all that's left was to capitalize.

There were actually quite a few Exclusive Class holders who didn't make anything of themselves and just vanished in the annals of history, with only a few pages or lines indicating that there was once what's-his-name that held this-or-that Exclusive Class but just sat on his or her ass and did nothing worth mentioning.

He felt great aversion but, at the same time, a sense of affinity towards these individuals. It reminded him of his former attitude towards life and he decided to hold this feeling close to his heart, so he would always be reminded of the frustrations he carried and what he now strove to achieve.

"So, I won't actually know what kind of Class I'm going to gain even if it's almost absolutely sure I'm going to get an Exclusive Class huh?"

"Well, yes. There's actually very little information regarding Exclusive Classes because they are so rare and because some are regarded as top national secrets. There have been really strict restrictions regarding publishing any sort of study or guide book for Exclusive Classes because of this fact. I do know some Class names but as for actuall Skill and Stat details... I'm sorry I'm not of much help."

"No, you're plenty helpful Sea. I mean, you ARE the one who's going to teach me the basics in order to become a full fledged adventurer right. Don't be so hard on your self. And the situation can't be helped for the most part. I'll just have to discover things on my own as I come along. I also think it'll be more enjoyable and worthwhile for me that way."

"Really? Oh, thank goodness. I'm actually pretty nervous since I'm actually going to be teaching someone who's probably going to be huge in the near future. I'm kinda nervous really."

"Hehe. Me too. I mean I'll have to live up to my masters expectations now won't I? I hope she's not too hard to please."

"Dummy!"

Sea pouted a little but broke into soft laughter soon afterward.

Both of them smiled at each other and laughed a bit. After settling each other down, Sea began Ices' formal training.

***

As Ice was a complete beginner when it came to actual battles, instead of immediately going for actual techniques and strategies, Sea decided to polish the fundamentals first.

Since he was aiming to become an active adventurer, Ice needed to be able to gain the composure to remain calm and collected when facing attacks from monsters or people with the intent to harm and possibly kill him.

Sea judged that letting him experience actual attacks instead of focusing on theories would be more effective. She began by feinting attacks on Ices' body and instructed him to just observe her for the time being, taking in the pace and tempo little by little.

"___left hook, right straight, right upper, knee kick, elbow, head grab, knee to the body, knee to the solar plexus, front kick..."

Ice carried out the instructions to the letter and watched her movements, barely even blinking and soaked it all up in deep concentration.

Since his father was an avid fan of things like MMA and boxing, Ice was more or less familiar with some of the basic moves used by fighters, or at least their names. He hasn't seen them being performed firsthand though, much less experienced them being used on him.

This continued for quite a while. But then, out of nowhere, Sea delivered a serious strike to his face which he barely avoided.

"Nicely done, considering you're completely new at this. Don't slack off now. I'll be mixing in some real attacks with the feints this time so try to be alert or you'll be sorry." Sea giggled cutely and issued a quick warning. She said things that were totally out of sync with her current cheerful demeanor.

"___Saying such spartan things while laughing cutely like that is cheating! Not to mention a bit disturbing. I'm starting to regret this a little..."

Looks like Sea switches between different 'modes' depending on the situation. Right now, she was in her 'Trainer from Hell' mode and didn't hold back at all while training with Ice. Just as he was slowly getting used to the tempo of the attacks, Sea would change pace and completely threw him off, resulting in more than a few bruises all over his body.

There was no reason to fear running out of HP because it didn't decrease when a party engages in Training Mode. It was pretty convenient for training new guild or regular army recruits and sparring sessions such as what Ice and Sea were currently doing.

They continued training until dusk and finally called it a day just right after the sun set. When they came back, Mr. Alphonse was waiting in front of the house with a slightly irritated look.

Apparently, Mr. Alphonse was making quite a fuss because of the fact that Ice and Sea were all alone together practically all day; finally being 'silenced' by Mrs.Romany as Ice heard from Ein (whatever being 'silenced' implied, Ice had a feeling it was better not knowing).

He looked like he had some things to say to the both of them, but after looking at Ices' sorry state (he looked like he just came from being ganged and beaten up by a crowd of very angry people and was sporting a black eye and lots of bruises) it seemed that he let the matter go.

"Hmph! Looks like this one might actually turn out decent..."

Ice thought that he heard Mr. Alphonse say something in a light voice behind his back but because he was totally exhausted, he didn't pay it any heed.

***

They were already on their third week of training and Ice was now barely able to keep up with Sea and it was apparently enough for him to be able to do some proper sparring unlike the passive spectating and reacting that he did a few days ago.

He had already somewhat noticed it during the last few days, but Ices' body condition and reaction speed was quite a bit above average. So was his recovery speed. Sea explained that this was the case for all who took a Class Change and moved up from being a Unit. Their bodies were augmented and were generally exponentially better than they were before the Class Change. She further elaborated that this will become more pronounced the higher Ice advances in his Class Tree.

Ice took all this information in with much enthusiasm. He was already starting to enjoy the tangible feeling of progress. He might need to be more careful and constantly remind himself not to be too over confident to avoid falling to the trap called hubris.

He was already trying out some moves on his own while sparring and kept practicing them even after training ends because he had difficulty falling asleep immediately and decided to make every second count.

***

On the fourth week, Ice was almost able to land his first blow on Sea who had always been able to cleanly avoid Ices' strikes. But instead of being happy about his progress, Sea pouted a bit and complained.

"What was that? You could have landed a clean hit on me just now. Why did you hesitate? Was it because I'm a woman?"

"Huh? N-No I...well..."

Ice was shaken be Seas outburst. It seemed that it really was the case. He was raised in a pretty peaceful rural environment after all and was always told by his mother never to hit a woman - something Ice carried to adulthood.

"Now look here Ice. You're aiming to be an adventurer right? You can't have that attitude out there you know. Of course I understand the reason why you hesitated and I think that's very sweet of you. But out on a battlefield, there would be no distinctions like gender.

You might need to fight with other people too you know; not just monsters. And some of which would be women. Hesitate and you're dead. Remember that."

"Yes..."

Ice reflected on his attitude, apologized and requested that they continue the training.

"As long as you understand."

It seemed that Sea was placated by Ices' apology, but she was noticeably harder on him than usual once they resumed training. Ice decided not to point it out and let her vent, at the expense of more aches and pains afterwards.

***

A few days during the fifth week of his training with Sea, Ice was surprised by a sudden announcement message that popped up telling him that he had gained a new skill. Excited, Ice immediately opened his status window to check out the skill.

New Skill

Unarmed Combat Mastery - Passive - Level 1: [Due to your unrelenting training in the ways of unarmed combat, you have been awarded with this Skill. This Skill augments attacks without use of weapons and is parallel to the Monks Martial Arts Mastery Skill, although somewhat less potent. Other Skills may be unlocked upon mastery of this Skill. Raises Attack, Attack Speed and Reaction Speed. When wielding weapons, Attack and Attack Speed bonus will not take into effect. Reaction Speed bonus still applies. Weapons such as Knuckle Dusters and Metal Claws are exempt from this rule.]

Unarmed Atk: +10% / Unarmed Atk Spd: x0.5 / Rct: +5

XP to next Skill Level Up: 10

*Note Atk Spd and Rct are hidden parameters. They cannot be normally viewed without the use of certain scrolls or by paying a fee to the Parameter Master at a Guild Hall or certain branches of the CQMA (the latter charges somewhat exorbitant fees so practically nobody even bothers except those afflicted with varying degrees of OCD).

Ice couldn't help but grin. He surmised it would be a very useful skill as he still didn't know if he would be able to get a proper Combat Class once he took the Class Change test. This way, even if he didn't get one, he would still have a viable means of offense. It was also stated that he would be able to unlock other Skills after achieving Mastery so the prospects were quite positive.

But even after obtaining this Skill, Ice still decided to continue on with the training until he was absolutely satisfied and sure that he had achieved an optimum safety net.

***

After about a full month and a half, Sea decided to end Ices' hand to hand combat training, saying that there was nothing more that she could teach him and that improving further would depend on his own efforts from now on.

They moved on to discussing certain strategies involving facing monsters out in the wild. Many of them were familiar to Ice because of his experience playing MMORPGs so it was just like a lesson review. He still listened intently because no two games are exactly alike and may have some differences regarding certain rules either restricting or favoring certain play styles and strategies.

Of course, this wasn't exactly a game per se (he could actually die for one) but a lot of the rules that applied in this world really resembled one, and so his gaming knowledge would still help significantly.

Because he would be facing monsters head on with his own body and not within the safe confines of his room facing his PC, Ice noted the importance of taking note of monster attack patterns and behavior. He strongly felt this was an important factor in deciding the outcome of a battle. And so, Ice decided that gathering these types of data were of paramount importance.

He first asked around if there were reference books or guides of this sort available in the village and was referred to ask the Seyramour family for help. Apparently, the Seyramours (specifically Mr. Alphonse and Mrs. Romany) were once famed adventurers themselves,and after earning a considerable amount, decided to retire after discovering a mineral spring vein deep in the mountains and founded Maleena.

It seemed that their children also inherited their talent and each made a name for themselves as competent adventurers in their own right.

Vee was a High Priestess that was assigned to the Ricksvale Chapter of the Velmarienne Order and was highly regarded by the nobles and very much loved by the masses for her benevolence and beauty.

Ein was a novice Monk that was the youngest ever to enter the prestigious Fist of the Heavenly Way School and is fast rising through their ranks.

As for Sea, she was the youngest ever named squad captain of the Ricksvale Principality Elite Guard with several major achievements under her belt and is loved and respected by her subordinates. Rumor has it that she's even close with the current princes' daughter.

As for why they're all currently in Maleena; Vee and Sea were so dedicated to their work, they didn't actually take advantage of any of their leaves and, as the ones in charge of budget for both the institutions they belonged to were pestering their respective superiors about it, they were semi-forced to make them finally take those accumulated leaves. Ein was just playing hooky as usual, but wasn't really sanctioned much because he was just that talented.

"___This family sure has insanely high specs. No wonder they're all so strong."

Thinking that he was actually really lucky he ended up in their care after all, Ice headed to ask about the monster guide materials.

***

After obtaining what he needed, Ice proceeded to pore over all the materials thoroughly, trying to take in every detail as accurately as possible. Most of the guides only detailed the data on monsters inhabiting this particular region of the continent.

Ice first studied up on the monsters living near Maleena like the Pon-Pons (creatures that looked like living balls of fur that sported two small horns protruding from their 'foreheads', had different colored varieties), Bulb-eyes (gray lizard monsters with bulbous eyes, kinda looks like a rough scaled chameleon with long, sharp foreclaws) and Dire Hounds (dog-like monsters that sported red irises and a stubby tail, hunted in packs much like sable wolves but were much smaller).

These monsters ranged from level 1 to 15 and were the very first monsters beginner adventurers hunted. They didn't yield much in terms of quality drops but were good practice nonetheless. Ice looked forward to facing them.

After meticulously studying the guides, Ice proceeded to go to Mr. Findors shop.

"Please sir. I need something to record data on like writing materials. If you have any in stock then please loan them to me for the time being. And some armor too. I promise I'll pay you back. Or maybe you can check out some of the loot I'll obtain from hunting and take some that amount to the price of the items."

"Alright, just settle down young man. I though you were receiving help from the young miss. Why don't you just borrow some items and equipment from them? It'll save you the trouble of coming here and begging me haha."

"Yes well... I kind of think I've already received enough help from Sea and her family. They're all very good people. But I don't want to impose on them any longer. The sooner I can earn my keep, the better. I don't really like taking loans and such but I don't want to trouble the Seyramours anymore than I already have. So please..."

"Haha! Well it's not like I don't understand how you feel... Okay then, come on over here."

Mr. Findor signaled for Ice to come in to the interior of the shop. Then he took out some items from the shelves and handed them to Ice.

"Alright then young man, here's some items and equipment. This here's some armor; a Leather Hood, Adventurers Robe, Gloves and Boots. Here's a Hunting Knife for a weapon and some Light Recovery Potions just in case.

And this here's a Record Tablet. You can use it to add another function in the Menu Window called Record. It allows you to write practically whatever you want as long as you don't exceed the word count limit.

The basic is 10,000 words which is pretty much enough for general use. If you obtain more Record Tablets, you can expand your word limit.

These are also popular with young adventurer women because they use it as a kind of private diary hehe. Someone else can't peek at the contents after all, unless you allow them to."

Ice marveled at all the useful items, especially the Record Tablet. It sounded pretty rare though, and Ice was a bit hesitant because of this.

"Err... pardon me for asking but... just how much would these items cost exactly?"

"Oh, the cost? Well, the Tablet alone costs about 3000 Gold. It's pretty rare after all haha."

Ice was taken aback. 3000 Gold was a very hefty sum from what he recalled (The currencies were Valis Gold, Silver and Bronze - simple enough. Some other regions had their own versions and sometimes, Jewels or other items were also used as currency.) and so, Ice became very apprehensive about getting it even if it sounded really useful.

"Uh... I'm not sure if I can pay for all that right away. Maybe I'll just take the other items..."

Mr. Findor interjected as Ice was about to refuse the Record Tablet.

"No, no. Don't get me wrong young man. I'm not going to loan these to ya. They're yours free of charge. Take them."

"___Free!?..." Ice had an incredulous look on his face after hearing Mr. Findors statement.

He was really surprised about the sudden show of goodwill. It would be a really sweet deal if he got the items for free. He was still a little reluctant though.

"I see from your expression that you're still hesitant. Are you wondering why I'd go so far to help a stranger like you?

Haha. Well, you might have already been told, but I was also once an outsider in this village. I was actually a military contractor you see. Was pretty successful too. My partner and I were once the biggest suppliers of arms and equipment in the continent. Everybody wanted our goods. Business was booming. But we ran into a little trouble.

See, my partner was actually discovered to be selling top secret military info to various countries. Now that would have actually been pretty normal if it were just countries on Valis. But he went too far. He was selling info to countries in Shaturia and Ehvenlande as well. Some of which would have been crucial if these other countries actually planned something like an invasion of our territory.

Long story short, I was also implicated and was on the run. I happened upon Maleena and Mr. Alphonse found me passed out near the entrance. It was because of him that my neck is still attached to my shoulders hahaha. He has friends in very high places you see.

From what I hear, you're pretty mysterious too. Amnesia was it? I don't know what kind of past you've been running from but just call this goodwill from someone who's experienced some similar things. Besides, the young lady has been smiling a lot ever since you came here. That's payment enough for me anyhow. Ahahahahaha!"

So it was just because of lucky coincidence and a bit of misunderstanding on Mr. Findors part that he was very partial towards Ice. It made his conscience twinge a bit. But refusing after hearing something like that would have seemed rude, so he accepted them in the end.

"Thank you very much for all you've done for me sir. I'll never forget this debt of gratitude."

"Think nothing of it lad. Now off you go. If you happen to find some good items, be sure to let me take a look okay."

Mr. Findor saw him if with a big grin. Ice once again strengthened his resolve so he can repay all the kindness he'd received during his stay in Maleena. Then he set off for his first actual hunt.

-Training Start End-

[Swordstriker21]

Chapter 7: Class Change Test

Spoiler! :

Ice went to a clearing near the village and started looking for monsters there. He chose somewhere close to the village because he wasn’t sure the attack that happened a few weeks back wouldn’t happen again. He does have an additional safety precaution available though, given by Sea as a gift for completing his training.

They were a couple of Teleport Stones. These were used to instantly get to any nearby town or city via teleporting. These particular stones Ice possessed held the additional function of being able to set the last town he was in as a transport point. In this case, it was Maleena. Ice could use it to immediately escape danger once he feels it was too much for him to handle. Pretty valuable.

Having checked his inventory, Ice also went over his stats one more time.

Name: Ice

Level: 1

Class: ★Initiate

HP: 150

MP: 50

EP: 50

Str: 10 (+20)

Def: 10 (+40)

Agi: 10

Dex: 10

Int: 10

Luk: 5

Skills: Passive HP Recovery / Basic Adventuring / Ancient Blessing / Unarmed Combat Mastery Lvl. 1

The equipment he had on increased his base stat by quite a bit. The Hunting Knife gave +20 to Str. The Leather Hood and Gloves both gave +5 for a total of +10 to Def. The Adventurers Robe and Boots also added +20 and +10 to Def respectively. They were a bit higher in quality compared to the actual starting gear that novice adventurers usually acquired once they passed the CQMA designated test to become Initiates. Ice once again felt grateful for Mr. Findor’s kindness.

Not long after, he was able to spot some pink colored Pon-Pons just a bit away from his current position and hurried over to their location.

“Time to test the waters a bit.”

There were 3 of them in total. They totally didn’t look all that strong, but because Ice was only level 1, he felt that no amount of precaution was wasted. He decided to wait it out until they got separated.

“___One broke away from the group. Now’s my chance!”

Ice jumped in front of the monster and pelted it with a small rock, which effectively got it’s attention. Ice then ran back a bit to lead the monster away from the other two even further. When he was satisfied with the distance, he turned toward the monster and readied his weapon (Unarmed Combat Mastery provided bonuses but at its low level, it would only give Ice just a few points added to base damage so he decided against fighting unarmed for the time being).

“___Alright fur-ball, let’s see what you’ve got.” Ice licked his lips in excitement.

The Pon-Pon launched a full body charge. Ice avoided it easily.

“___Hmmm. Much slower than I thought. And the info about it lowering it’s horns translating to a charge was spot on. Well, it’s actually pretty obvious but whatever…”

Satisfied about his ability to evade incoming attacks if he wanted to, Ice decided to actually take one attack to know how it would feel like and exactly how much damage he would take.

The Pon-Pon launched another charge and Ice braced himself for the hit.

“___Gnnnh… That still hurt a bit… Not as much as Seas strikes though. I only took 5 damage. Looks like the equipment is really holding up well. And the horns didn’t even penetrate my skin. Looks like it’s actually real…”

Sea told Ice that if his defense was high enough, he would be able to deflect even a pointed or bladed weapon like a knife with ease, even with bare skin. But if the enemy you were facing had high Atk that trumped your Def, they would easily injure you.

“___Alright! This time for the kill.”

Ice brandished his Hunting Knife and gave the Pon-Pon a few quick slashes after avoiding its attacks, easily killing it.

“___No drops. Figures. How bout the XP?”

Ices’ XP bar increased to 30% with just one kill. It was actually pretty high. Ice decided to up the pace and went after a few more Pon-Pons.

***

After a couple of battles, Ices’ level quickly rose to 5. He gained about 3 SPs per level so he now had a total of 15 to spend on upgrading his stats. He decided to focus on Str and Agi first because his Def was still sufficient to take on the monsters in this area and his style was more on avoiding and counter attacking anyway. Ice invested 10 points to Str and 5 to Agi making his base stats a total of 20 Str and 15 Agi.

Ice decided to move on after collecting all the drops. There were Pink Fur Tufts, Small Pon-Pon Horns and a few Bronze coins. Ice was still curious as to how exactly money was able to come from a monster’s corpse, but decided thinking about that stuff was pointless because the very situation he was in was crazy enough as it is and went about resuming his hunting.

***

He moved over to an area with Green Pon-Pons this time. They were a little bit higher in level (Lvl. 4-5) as opposed to Pinks (Lvl. 1-2). There were also Brown Pon-Pons (Lv. 3-4) but right now, Ice was pretty confident he could take on some who were on par with his level.

Everything was going smoothly. The green colored Pon-Pon did slightly higher damage (about 10 damage max to be exact) but as Ice was already level 5, he was able to take a few hits without much worry. His maximum HP already reached about 190 after becoming level 5 with an added 10 points of HP per level. Another pop up appeared after his sixth kill, stating that he’s reached level 6 and brought his HP total to a full 200.

Ice felt pretty good. He was hunting and leveling up at a good pace and he was slowly getting the hang of fighting monsters. Then something unexpected happened – a green Pon-Pon he apparently missed killing suddenly came in front of him and spewed out green mist. It didn’t take long for Ice to realize what it was – poison.

It seems that in his elation, Ice pretty much forgot all the data he researched on including the fact that this particular Pon-Pon type also used poison mist to attack. It shaved 10 points out of his HP every 5 seconds and, although it won’t actually completely drain him, it also served as a signal for other green Pon-Pon near them to gather and attack en masse; bringing up a high possibility of being ganked to death once his escape routes were sealed.

Ice was also unable to bring any Antidotes with him, making the situation he was in pretty dire. Cursing himself for his carelessness, Ice made a break for it in order to avoid being killed by small, cute and cuddly creatures. He wasn’t keen on using the Teleportation Stone because it was a valuable commodity and Ice thought he could still manage to outrun the Pon-Pons with a little leeway since they were relatively slower; having no limbs and all.

Making it back to the entrance of the village with barely any HP remaining, Ice fell down, mentally exhausted from the ordeal. The poison effect had already dissipated so he should recover gradually once he rests up.

“___Damn! That was incredibly stupid of me! I was completely absorbed by the atmosphere. The excitement of hunting and leveling up made me forget crucial data. I can’t let this happen again…”

After a short moment of self reflection, Ice decided to call it a day, taking note to buy some Antidotes from Mr. Findor before resuming hunting the next day.

***

With some Light Antidotes to cure less potent poisons on hand, Ice resumed hunting the following morning, remembering to take careful consideration of his surroundings.

“___There won’t be any surprises this time. I’m going to pick this area clean!”

He hunted down the Pon-Pons with impunity. He didn’t let a single one escape. Apparently, Ice held a bit of a grudge about what happened last time, so he was even more tenacious in hunting down the furry little creatures. He was surprisingly spiteful.

Ice killed off the green Pon-Pons before they had the chance to use their poison mist attack, indicated by their bodies bulging up before spewing the nasty stuff all over their foes.

“___That won’t work on me a second time! Now drop dead bastards!!!”

Before long, the entire area was stripped clean of any green Pon-Pon presence. After his hunting spree, Ice was able to gain additional levels. He was now currently level 9, with about 20% more XP to go before reaching level 10.

Ice used up his SPs, increasing his stats further. His Strength was now 27 and his Agility increased to 20. It was now possible for him to hunt the lower leveled Pon-Pons without the use of weapons. This made him want to try something out – namely leveling up his Unarmed Combat Mastery Skill. He’d been putting it off for a while but now seemed to be the perfect opportunity to start raising it.

Ice proceeded to the pink Pon-Pon area and unequipped his Hunting Knife. He then began to give a beating to the unfortunate creatures. He punched and kicked them to submission, grabbing them by the fur if they ever attempted to escape.

Ice brought up a recently captured Pon-Pon to eye level and gave it an admonishing look. “Now that’s not good. You can’t just run off on me like that. You have to stay put while I pound you to the ground for XP. Don’t worry though. I will never forget your sacrifice…” He was saying it with a calm, soothing voice but the contents were not calm or peaceful at all!

The Pon-Pons were not convinced one bit. They started to run away immediately the instant they saw Ice, and he gave chase like a madman, delivering fast, accurately timed strikes furiously to down every Pon-Pon he caught up with. This went on for a while and the ensuing onslaught was beyond words.

Ice actually had occasional fits of [1]Eighth Grader Syndrome and he was currently indulging in one such episode. It sure sucked for those at the receiving end of his rampage though. He even caused an incident that would forever live in infamy with the kids of Maleena village.

***

One day, while Ice was indulging in his Pon-Pon extermination spree as usual, a group of kids decided to take a small stroll just out side the village. It was relatively safe since the Pon-Pons were originally not innately aggressive and would only really attack when provoked. And, as previously mentioned, they were actually pretty cute.

The Pon-Pons really looked like the small plush toys kids back on Earth would enjoy buying or getting from those UFO Catcher machines in arcades. It turns out they were pretty popular with the kids in El Fabula. Some children of well-to-do families or noble houses even commissioned Monster Tamers to catch some so they could keep them as pets. The kids from Maleena just contented themselves with watching from afar.

Now what would happen if these innocent youngsters were to witness the rampaging Ice killing off their beloved Pon-Pons by the droves? Seeing him catch and lift one up on one hand by the horn (which eerily looked like a man grabbing a severed head) with an evil grin on his face; the children were traumatized.

They went off running back towards the village and straight to their rooms and refused to come out for days. When the adults finally got them to come out, they all asked the same question to their parents – ‘If I’m a bad kid, will the Pon-Pon Man come to get me?’. Thus, the legend of the Pon-Pon Man which scares even the naughtiest of brats to behave came to be.

***

One may wonder as to why Ice was so nonchalant with the act of hunting the sorry creatures. It’s just that he was used to it.

Back when he was a kid, Ice was often tasked to help with catching and slaughtering the chickens their family raised in the province and preparing them to be cooked for daily meals. Same with their goats and pigs. He was used to this kind of stuff if it was for sustenance. After all, these animals were raised to be eaten. It just felt natural to him.

He viewed hunting and killing monsters in the same context. Chickens, goats and pigs were for food. Pon-Pons and other monsters were for XP. For him, they were fundamentally the same – both necessary for living. So when he said he would never forget their sacrifice, he was actually pretty serious about it.

Of course we could argue that you really don’t have to eat meat in order to live. Same with hunting monsters and leveling up. But just as Ice wasn’t all that keen of going full-on vegan, he was also just as apprehensive of sitting on his haunches and waiting for things to be resolved or living a quiet life in Maleena. So that was that.

But even having said this, a sorry sight was still a sorry sight. Ice was relentless. He had already knocked down countless numbers of the unfortunate creatures. It was genocide! The greatest threat ever to befall Pon-Pon kind!!!

They let out cries of despair! Will they ever be saved from this sorry plight? Then, from across the horizon, a saviour came! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, its…

“A mini-boss huh? Heh! It looks quite tough. Can’t take this one out unarmed it seems…” Ice re-equipped his Hunting Knife and prepared for the inevitable confrontation.

A MINI-BOSS!!! Unfortunately, this guy didn’t wear a cape. Nor did it have its underwear over some spandex tights. Heck, it didn’t even have legs! It was actually a huge red Pon-Pon that had a sharp look and a scar that ran across from its left eye to its cheek. It also had something that looked like a mustache on. As its name bar indicated, it was called ‘Don Pon-Pon’!

The Don Pon-Pon stood between Ice and the other Pon-Pons with an indignant demeanor.

*Poooon! (How dare you do this to my brethren! You shall pay dearly for this transgression human!)

“Oh yeah?! Make me!”

*Poooon! Pooooon! (Insolent cur! Engarde!)

And the battle between Ice and the Don Pon-Pon mini-boss commenced.

***

The Don was deceptively agile despite its large size (reaching about half of Ices’ full height with a rotund body). It used hit and run tactics and piled on the pressure, using the surrounding rocks and trees as launch points to perform attacks like Spanish luchadors. All that was missing was a mask!

Fortunately, Ice was still able to keep up thanks to Seas training and the attack pattern data he memorized. He accurately read the attacks and countered accordingly. He couldn’t avoid all the attacks though and still took a considerable amount of damage every time he was hit.

It was the same for the Don too however. He had a considerable amount of HP but his defense was lacking. He also took quite a bit of damage from Ices’ counters. The Dons large size also made it easier for Ices’ attacks to hit.

They fought to the limits of their abilities without budging an inch, giving no quarter. Truly a valiant fight worthy of a championship match! Before long, both their HPs reached critical.

*Pooon! (Hmmm… Well fought human. You maybe an enemy but your strength and tenacity is worthy of mention…)

“Hah! You’re quite the character yourself. You sure you’re just level 12?”

There was born respect out of the clashing of two equally skilled fighters in battle! In both of their eyes dwelt an faint glimmer of admiration for each other that was not there before.

*Pooon! (Don’t take me for any run-off-the-mill level 12 monster! I’m called mini-boss for a reason you know!)

“Damn straight! Now then, seeing as we’re both at the end of our ropes here, let’s go ahead and end this shall we?”

*Poooon! (Very well. I shall put all my spirit in to this next attack! Prepare yourself!)

“I was born ready. Come on!” Ice readily taunted the Don.

The Dons body glowed red, signalling its preparation for its most powerful attack – Don’s Full Body Press (Lvl. 3). Ice braced himself and concentrated all his senses to reading the attack, committing all his energy to perform a perfectly timed counter.

It was over in moments.

*Pooon… (Heh… It’s the end of the line it seems…)

“…Yeah.”

*Pooon? (What’s your name adventurer?)

“…Ice. The name’s Ice.”

*Pooon… (Ice, is it? Very well. I shall remember that name…)

The Don Pon-Pon collapsed and turned to dust, dropping several items.

[Don Pon-Pons Horns] Crafting Material – Rare: Don Pon-Pons large and shiny horns. Useless as material for weapons but seems to be an ingredient for a rare potion.

[Don Pon-Pons Mustache] Crafting Material – Rare: Don Pon-Pons dandy mustache. Can be made into a flashy accessory with questionable value.

[Royal Ginseng] Consumable – Rare: Potent energy and vigour giving consumable. Raises HP by 30% and Str by 20 for 1 hour.

He also gained four levels. He he gained one level previously after the pink Pon-Pon genocide bringing his level up to 10. And now, with the XP gained from defeating the Don, his level went up to 13. His Unarmed Combat Mastery was now level 4, with just about 8 Skill XP points left to reach level 5.

After putting the items inside his inventory, Ice looked to the setting sun with eyes tinged with melancholy.

“___That was a good fight… Adios… amigo.”

Ice set of for Maleena with a slight air of sadness enveloping him.

***

After a couple days of intensive hunting, Ices’ level had shot up to 18. He’s hunted most of the monsters near the area around the village and had gathered quite a number of items and equipment from the monster drops.

His weapon changed to a Dirk (Atk +40) and his armor and accessories were also upgraded. He currently had Fur Hat (Def +15), Scale Jerkin (Def + 25), Scale Gloves (Def +10), and Forest Boots (Def +15 / Agi +5) on – all dropped by monsters that ranged from levels 13-15 like the Bulb-Eyes and Dire Hounds.

His goal of reaching level 20 was not that far off now. 20 was the required level in order for Ice to take the Class Change exam so he can advance to a Basic Class. He decided to redouble his efforts now that he was in the final stretches.

Ice moved to a new area further into the wilderness where level 19-20 monsters dwelt. He’s already scanned the area a couple of times before and took note of the possible ambush and choke points. He’s also made efforts to observe the monsters roaming the area and collected data on them. He collated all the information he gathered using the Record option in the Menu screen which he already activated using the Record Tablet.

It allowed him to use a holographic keyboard-like projection that he could then use to type and save anything he liked in the Record screen. It was pretty handy for data gathering. It was also eco-friendly since it’s paperless! So much win!

After a quick review of the data, Ice made final checks to his status screen to make sure everything was in order before beginning the days hunt.

Name: Ice

Level: 18

Class: ★Initiate

HP: 360

MP: 85

EP: 85

Str: 44 (+40)

Def: 10 (+65)

Agi: 30 (+5)

Dex: 10

Int: 10

Luk: 5

Skills: Passive HP Recovery / Basic Adventuring / Ancient Blessing / Unarmed Combat Mastery (Lvl. 7) / Keen Eye (Lvl. 4)

He’d decided to go with the Str/Agi build for now. His equipment still provided adequate Def and he barely got hit by the monsters anyway just as long as he kept his wits about.

His HP now totalled 360. It seemed that he received more HP points when he reaches a certain threshold rather then the usual 10. He gained 50 HP when he leveled up to 10 so he assumed that he’ll receive more when he reaches levels that are multiples of ten. His MP and EP are both 85. He hadn’t had much use for them yet because he didn’t have a lot of Active Skills that used them up.

His Unarmed Combat Mastery also increased in level quite fast thanks to a little exploit he discovered by chance. He found that it actually still gained Skill XP even if he’s had a weapon equipped just as long as he mixes some bare handed strikes, kicks, headbutts and all sorts of other physical moves when he attacked.

He fully took advantage of this fact and beat up monsters with a combination of slashing and striking attacks. He even did a Mike and bit their ears off – if they had one that is. Otherwise he’d settle for a couple low blows or uncalled for headbutts. It had worked like a charm and now the Skill is up to Lv. 7 with a 25% bonus to Unarmed Atk, x3.5 to Unarmed Atk Spd and +11 to Rct. He felt the Rct bonus the most beneficial since he’s able to deal with monster attacks more safely and efficiently now since his reaction speed had increased.

Satisfied, Ice set off to begin the days hunt. As was his standard procedure, Ice stalked and cornered the monsters in ambush points and proceeded to deal with them as swiftly as possibly to avoid getting the attention of other monsters nearby and being ganged up by multiple targets.

He’d already tried fighting at least one of the monsters prowling the area (Forest Lynx Lvl.19 and Lesser Goblin Lvl. 20) and determined how many he could take on at any one time based on the damage they gave him and their overall speed and abilities.

Surprisingly, Ice found the lower leveled Lynx more troublesome because of their fast attacks and coordinated actions when faced as a group. They were unexpectedly even more coordinated than the Dire Hounds which attacked in packs. He determined about three was the limit for hunting without worry of his HP falling to the halfway point. Any more and he might have trouble, especially since he had no Active Attack Skills that could be used to dispatch the monsters faster.

He was a bit bothered by that actually. He was only able to acquire just one more new Skill called Keen Eye which allowed him to glean a limited amount of data about a particular monster such as HP total when he used it at 2 EP cost. Further level ups would increase the info displayed. Right now he could get the exact HP, level and total XP given. A really useful Skill, but it still didn’t help with killing monsters faster.

Ice eventually just chalked it up to the fact that he was still in a beginner Class so it was a given he didn’t have more burst offense oriented Skills yet.

“___I’ll just have to work with what I have. No pain no gain, as they say.”

He methodically dispatched the monsters little by little and slowly gained XP. He was able to level up to 19 with no trouble after a round of patient hunting.

“___This is going well. If nothing goes wrong, I’ll be level 20 within the day.”

With renewed enthusiasm, Ice hunted every single monster he could get his hands on while being wary of any nasty surprises that may pop up at any time like mini-bosses. He’d fought a couple mini-bosses after his encounter with the Don a couple days back.

His Forest Boots actually dropped from one such mini-boss called a Prime Hound. It was the Dire Hound mini-boss and it’s swift and accurate attacks gave him trouble. Ice managed to kill it by the skin of his teeth and was the closest call he’d had since his encounter with the Sable Wolf.

He even killed it by mimicking what Sea did when she killed the Wolf a little, attacking its legs first to make its speed drop and finishing it by stabbing it at the back of the head. It wasn’t as swift nor elegant as what Sea did but Ice still felt a sense of accomplishment.

There were no mini-boss encounters this time though. But Ice still managed to get his level up to 20 with no problems.

“___Alright! I’ve managed to get to level 20. Next would be taking the test. I’ve got to keep up the momentum and upgrade to Basic Class soon. Time to let Sea know for that letter of recommendation.”

He proceeded to go back with a light, excited gait.

***

“You finally did it! You reached level 20! Way to go Ice!”

Ice was greeted by a happy looking Sea and was immediately congratulated for his achievement. Ice smiled in return. But something about it bothered him a bit.

“Uh, thanks. But I haven’t even told you I reached level 20 yet. How’d you know?”

Sea made a surprised face and averted her eyes nervously. “Eh?… Uh… Ah… Y’know. You looked really happy so I just figured you finally did it is all. Aha ha…”

“Pssh. Yeah right. You were basically just stalking him whenever he went out for hunts right? I see you tailing him practically every day. Seem’s you’re really ‘concerned’ about him huh sis.” Suddenly, Ein, who was sporting a rather mischievous grin, chimed in.

Sea’s eyes widened like saucers and quickly turned towards Ein. “Wha-? N-NOOO!”

“Angry sister incoming! Abandon ship!!!”

Ein swiftly went out the open window to the front porch and made his escape.

“Uh… W-Well… Ehehe… Um, Ice… It isn’t like that you know. I wasn’t s-stalking you or anything. I was just worried if you would be attacked again so I followed you. For protection purposes! So, um…”

Sea was desperately giving excuses while blushing and twiddling her thumbs. It was pretty cute. Ice fought back the sudden urge to hug her for being so cute and composed himself.

“Y-Yeah. I don’t particularly mind. It was for my safety right? Then that’s fine.” Ice was waving his hands in front of him frantically. He wasn’t quite sure who he was making excuses for.

Sea looked at him with teary eyes. “R-Really! You don’t think I’m creepy or something?…”

“N-Not at all. I don’t think that in the least.” Ice shook his head rapidly and managed a stiff smile.

“Really? Ehehe. Thank goodness. I wouldn’t know what to do otherwise so…”

“Y-Yeah. Ahaha…”

“Ehehe…”

“……………”

Things quickly turned awkward and both of them had their faces dyed a bright shade of red.

“Ehem! Don’t you have something else to discuss with my daughter lad?”

“Wha-?!”

“Eh?!”

Mr. Alphonse suddenly broke the awkward atmosphere with a cough.

“S-Since when were you there father?” Sea was visibly shaken and the color of her blush turned even deeper.

“Since the beginning. Why? Is there any problem?” Mr. Alphonse raised an eyebrow and his look implied that him being present when his daughter was busy flirting(?) with a guy was only a matter of fact.

“N-No! Not at all! Ehehe. Anyway, about the Class Change Test…” Sea just attempted to brush the issue off. Ice followed suit.

‘Oh! Y-Yeah. The test. Right. Uh, I can actually take it now right?”

“Yup. We can set off immediately if you want. There’s one scheduled for tomorrow after all. I can recommend you the Test Manager right away.”

“Let’s do that then. Anything else I might need for the test?”

“I think you’ll be fine with your current equipment. Make sure to bring some potions and antidotes too. There’s a monster extermination phase after all.”

“Alright. I’ll go get ready then.”

“Ok. Do your best tomorrow.”

“Will do.”

“___Tomorrow’s the day then. It’s alright. I did all I can. All that’s left is to do my best.”

Ice slapped his cheeks with his hands to pump himself up and went off to Mr. Findors shop to buy some additional healing items and get ready.

***

Morning came swiftly for Ice, who wasn’t able to sleep much because of excitement and growing anticipation regarding the test. After getting out of bed with a slight yawn, he proceeded to make sure all his preparations were in order, finished his morning routines and went downstairs to find Sea all geared up and ready as well.

“Ready to go Ice?”

“…………………………”

“Um… Ice? What’s wrong? You’ve been standing still as a statue since a while ago. Don’t tell me your nerves are getting to you? You’ll be fine. I just know it. So cheer up okay.”

Ice has been in a state of shock ever since he saw Seas get-up. Struck speechless, he was currently engaged in frantic internal monologue to calm himself down.”

“___It’s not like this was totally unexpected but… Seriously?! What’s up with that fearsome attack power that tears a mans reason to shreds!? This is just totally unfair! Uncle! This just did a blitzkrieg on my poor otaku heart!”

Ice was currently being totally captivated by the equipment Sea had on her. It consisted of the standard female armor found commonly in any fantasy setting RPGs, animes, light novels and mangas. But that was exactly the point. It was, in all honesty, incredibly risque!!!

Sea’s current equipment consisted of the standard armor set she wore during her duties as a squad captain serving in the Ricksvale Principality Elite Guard. It consisted of a breastplate, armored skirt, gauntlets and greaves.

But the armor was incredibly form fitting, totally and unreservedly flaunting Seas alluring body lines. The breastplate hugged the contours of her chest and was open at the top, showing off her cleavage. It would be better to describe it as a metal bikini rather than a breastplate.

The skirt only had light armor attached to each side of her hips and its main body was a pristine white, and tantalizingly short pleated mini-skirt. Her midriff was totally exposed; her slim waist open to plain view.

And the greaves that reached the below the knee was worn over white knee socks decorated with lace, accentuating her shapely legs. The ‘[2]zettai ryouiki’ was like a work of pure art, enough to bring tears of joy to any Otaku.

“___This is just standard. I should already know better! But damn! Aaaaaarg!!!”

The unexpected attack totally caught Ice unawares. His Otaku heart wasn’t prepared for this sensory onslaught.

“___I mean, I know it’s pretty normal for this type of armor to exist in this kind of world. But seeing it for real is still shocking. Does this even qualify as armor? It doesn’t even protect the important bits!!!”

It was complete and utter defeat. Ice was already struck down by the overwhelming power of Sea’s current get-up before even attempting the Class Change Test. He knelt down on the floor, completely submitting to the sublime force known to mankind as ‘Eros’.

“It’s no good… I can’t… It’s my loss…”

“Eeeeh?!!! You haven’t even started taking the test yet! Don’t let those nerves get the better of you! Pull yourself together!”

Sea was frantically shaking the dejected Ice who had his pride for being a respectable adult smashed to pieces. She knelt while spreading her legs wide, a slight flash of red flitting in and out of his field of vision. Ice judged it would be complete K.O. if things proceeded further so he hurriedly stood up and took deep breaths to compose himself.

“___Hooo haaa. Hooo haaa. It’s okay. I’m calm. I need to reach a state of complete stillness. Auuuummm…”

Ices’ face slowly revealed a look of calm indifference. Success! He narrowly avoided getting his pride destroyed any further.

“Um… Are you already okay?”

“Y-Yeah. Sorry about that. I’m alright now.”

“Thank goodness! Shall we set off then?”

“Let’s do this!”

“That’s the spirit! Just keep calm and you’ll be fine.”

Sea brought her hands together and smiled cheerfully, giving Ice words of encouragement. She jumped lightly, resulting in a glimpse of a fluttering white lace petticoat entering Ices’ gaze.

“That’ll be hard with you looking like that…” he muttered under his breath, trying to prevent his nostrils from flaring up any further to keep himself from being fully labeled a pervert.

“Hmm?”

“N-Nothing! Let’s get going Sea. I’m itching to finish the test and get promoted.”

“Okay. Let’s go!!!”

Ice followed a cheerful Sea out of the house and proceeded to head to the transport point near the center of the village.

***

“Are all of your things ready? You didn’t forget anything did you?”

Mrs. Romany fussed over her daughter just like a lot of mothers would. Sea had a complicated expression on as she did so. Ice found it charming and smiled at the scene.

“No mother, I’m all set. Ice is too. Right Ice?”

“Yeah. I’m good to go.”

“Make sure to bring some souvenirs back sis.”

Ein was as cheeky as always and was asking for some souvenirs from the capital.

“Good luck kid. We’re rooting for ya!”

Mr.Galen gave Ice another bear hug and ruffled his hair. Strangely, Ice didn’t really object to the treatment. His father would always do the same thing when he was a kid after all.It reminded him of those days.

Most of the people in the village were gathered near the transport circle to see the pair off. Words of encouragement were given out by the villagers and made Ices’ mood feel light.

“You’ll be coming back right away after the test ends right? Your leave period isn’t over yet correct?”

“Yes father. I’m just going to accompany Ice to get him approved for taking the test. Besides, I’m worried about the members of my squad so I’ll just go take a quick peek.”

Sea didn’t really have to accompany Ice since a letter of recommendation would have been enough. But she insisted she come along because she had business in the capital as well.

“Lad, you and my daughter are going on a trip together. Just the two of you. Alone. Without me there. Now I’m sure I’ve already made it clear to you when we first met but just in case… If you ever make a move on my daughter…”

Mr. Alphonse was giving off a menacing atmosphere as always and whispered words of ‘caution’ to Ice, who felt chills run down his back once again. It made it obvious that Mr. Alphonse was being pretty serious regarding the threat. Ice managed a frantic nod. But then, Mrs. Romany got in between them and pinched her husband in the butt.

“YOWWW!”

“Now just what kind of nonsense are you whispering to the poor young man honey? Ice dear, don’t you worry. Just go ahead and seize the moment if and when it comes. You have my express approval.”

“Honey! What the heck’s gotten into yo-OOOOWWW!”

Mrs. Romany pinched her husbands butt cheek harder while giving Ice a wink and a teasing smile.

“J-Just what do you mean by that ma’am? Haha…”

“I wonder?… Fine. Go ahead at your own pace. It’ll happen eventually…”

Ice was now subjected to a different kind of pressure and was backing down. Sea noticed the awkward atmosphere and hurried him along.

“W-What are you saying mother. I-It’s too early for that. L-Let’s go Ice!”

“O-Okay!”

After setting the coordinates to the Ricksvale capital, Ice and Sea teleported off.

***

The transport point was where one ended up whenever one uses a Teleportation Stone set to a particular area. Ice and Sea were currently using it to make a journey to the capital in practically an instant.

Because of the possible security risks, the transport point that was located at the capital was set a ways off from the actual city itself, in plain view to the sentry guards manning the watch towers that were placed all around the city walls. You also needed to officially register at the City Administration Office to be able to use it.

Sea used her authority as an Elite Guard Captain to let Ice use the gate. It was convenient for him but he also wondered if this could be used as a security loop hole somewhat. Sea just laughed at the notion and told him that anyone who made it to officer rank and above are thoroughly screened and trustworthy. Ice just let it slide. It wasn’t really his problem anyway. If they judged it to be safe, than that’s that.

“Here we are Ice! The capital city.”

Sea gestured towards the city scape once they entered the gate with a hint of pried in her eyes. Not that it was unwarranted. It really was an amazing view.

The white stone walls, the numerous colorful buildings with red tiled roofs and the people going to and fro filling the city streets – all of it evoked a feeling of liveliness and energy. It certainly looked and felt like a bustling fantasy metropolis.

There were quite a number of colorful characters roaming the streets – armored knights, wild looking mercenaries, robed men and women who very much looked the magician part, demi-humans such as beastmen ([2]Kemonomimi!) and even elegant looking elves. They all mingled in with the regular populace and provided an unfamiliar and exotic tableau. It was truly the first time that Ice felt he was really in a different world. And it was all presented in glorious 2D HD Color! Sweet!

“Well Ice? Isn’t it just wonderful! It’s one of the largest cities in the continent and is very liberal regarding policies in trade and the treatment of different races. People from different parts of the continent frequently come to Ricksvale because of this. We even have some people from different continents visit. The Ricksvale royal family are all very wonderful people. And our current prince reagent, Prince Alder Falwynd Ricksvale III, is a truly great man and an amazing ruler. We’ve never been this prosperous. It truly is an amazing place Ice!”

Seas eyes were twinkling with glee. She was behaving just as she did when he first met her in Maleena. Looks like she’s very proud of this place too.

“Haha. Well, if you’re that enthusiastic about it then I suppose I’m sold.”

“Really? I’ll take you to some great places in the city later. First comes the test. Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

Ice followed Sea towards an imposing building situated near the center of the city.

***

“Okay. We’re here. This is the local headquarters of the CQMA here in Ricksvale. Come on, let’s go in. I’ll introduce you to the Test Manager. It’s going to start soon.”

Sea guided Ice towards the reception desk and gave their introductions to the desk officer. They were then guided into the interior of the building and were asked to wait in a fairly large and tastefully decorated room. Ice had never been to somewhere so posh so he began eyeing the things inside the room with an amazed look.

“___Looks like it’s quite the large and affluent organization. Then again, they did manage the affairs of all of the adventurers currently active in the world. This much is normal I guess.”

Not long after, a tall and smartly dressed woman entered the room. She had her honey blonde hair tied in a neat bun and wore half rimmed glasses. She looked very much like a young school principal or a strict office boss. Sea immediately stood up and gave her a tight hug.

“Misha! It’s been so long. How are you? I didn’t know you would be the one administering the test today.”

It seems her name was Misha. Quite the cute name for someone who was so stern looking. As Ice was thinking that, Misha’s lips parted into a dazzling smile that made him take back his previous impression.

“___Well what do you know. She IS cute. A smile really does make all the difference.”

As Ice was having these random thoughts and slightly nodding his head in approval, the two women engaged in a happy conversation about their reunion.

“The last time was when we both finally got our A+ licenses Sea. I’m also glad to see you’re doing well. I heard about your being promoted to Squad Captain as well. I’m proud of you.”

“Ehehe. Thank you. I didn’t really think I’d get the position so soon too. You think I’ll do a good job?”

“You’re already doing well with being Princess Thelma’s personal guard squad right? I think you’ll be just fine Sea. Now then, is this the gentleman you wanted to recommend?”

The smile immediately disappeared from Mishas lips and she gave an appraising look towards Ice.

“___Man. That look sure piles on the pressure. But some people might surprisingly like that sort of thing ma’am. Careful who you do that to. You never know…” Ice was mentally making somewhat distasteful comments as he tried to match Misha’s stare.

After a few moments, Misha turned to Sea with a complicated look on her face.

“…Honestly, he looks a bit sloppy with that slovenly face of his. You sure he’s got what it takes Sea? You do know the consequences right?”

“___Geh! I guess my expression was a little off. I really need to ease up on these pointless monologues.” Ices’ brow twitched a bit from the unflattering description.

“Ehehe. Sure Ice might look a little hopeless and a bit perverted, but I’m positive he’ll do well as an adventurer. I taught him first hand so I should know.”

Sea smiled radiantly and proceeded to back Ice up. Or, at least, she seemed to be. There some rather awkward descriptions about his character mixed in as well.

“___Ugh! I’m really not sure how to take that. Do I really look perverted?” The creases on his brow increased further. He was taking serious blows to his self image here! Women sure are merciless.

“Haaah… Alright then. Since you trust him that much, I guess I’ll believe in him too. Mr Ice.” Misha let out a resigned sigh and called Ices’ attention.

“Y-Yes.”

“The test starts in ten minutes. The first one would be a written exam. Get your materials from the front desk and proceed to the examination room located at the end of the first corridor to the left. I bid you good luck. I’ll be seeing you then Sea.”

Misha went out of the room after some curt instructions and some words of parting for Sea. The sound of her foot steps echoing in the hallway.

“Well then, good luck to you Ice. The written exam is just about basic knowledge that you gained while being an Initiate so I’m sure you’ll do just fine. I’ll be waiting for you in the main hall.”

“Alright. I’m going.”

The Class Change Test was finally underway.

-Class Change Test End-

[1]Eighth Grader Syndrome – Chuunibyou in Japan. Slang term referring to a certain stage of life (often about 2nd year in middle school or, of course, Eighth grade) wherein an individual has the tendency to behave in unusual, sometimes humorous behavior – like believing they have supernatural powers, having an overly dramatic alias and forms of speech or acting all anti-social.

Some adults purportedly still behave like this. Ice happens to be one of the few who do. In his case, he likes to pretend he’s a kaijuu (Giant monsters popular in Japanese pop culture) and behaves accordingly. Only this time, it was a bit exacerbated by his current abilities as an adventurer and his overall situation.

[2]Zettai Ryouiki – Literally, the Japanese phrase “zettai ryouiki” (絶対領域) means “absolute territory”. But for Otaku, it means something else—but something nonetheless absolute. The term refers to the area of exposed flesh between high socks and a hemline. Some even fuss over details like exactly how many centimeters the space of flesh exposure must be.

[3] Kemonomimi – roughly translated as “Animal Ears” or “Beast Ears”. It denotes humanoid characters that possess animal-like features such as animal ears (obviously). Also see term “Moe”.

*Notes: You can not level up upon reaching certain Level thresholds in El Fabula. You start leveling up again after promoting until you reach the next threshold. By that time, you'll need to promote again and so on. But the ones after Basic Class will no longer require adventurers to take a formal test at CQMA facilities. Instead, one will encounter them as Quest type tests with different requirements.

There will be hints given out that are accessible through a sub-menu. But these are mostly vague outlines and clues. More common Classes find it easier to promote since there is already a wealth of information recorded. Guilds provide them for free in order to bolster their ranks. It's one of the reasons why people desire to join guilds.

[Swordstriker21]

I'll be putting footnotes on the chapters for the Filipino terminology, words and cultural references that I used when I have the chance. The other chapters will be posted sometime later as well since I'm still in the process of editing them. Thanks for reading.

[gamerbaki]

True, you are going do some hell of footnotes there

Just by reading the first chapter right from my monitor clarifies me of that certain fact.

Although I saw some brands names which I think were unnecessary, the others seemed to be tolerable since you can simplify everything in just a single local word.

But still, I suggest to add the footnotes for some local terms in order for several foreign readers to get grasp of the story.

But personally speaking, the character introduction is fine but I feel that the wordplay from the prologue disappeared by the time you had started you began the main story (or maybe not since I haven't finished reading it yet, in fact--I just started reading at it!)

anyway, I'll be continuing to read this later on (perhaps after I get a long sleep )

[Kanda Hikaru]

This feels like it was written specifically for a Filipino audience, which I am a part of, by the way.

There are a lot of references to the culture that most other readers will not catch. Adding footnotes is one way of resolving this, but that would mean your text would be littered with numbers. Some things do not have to be very specific, such as the "bulalo mami." "Instant beef noodle soup" would have worked just as well and would be understood by more people. Italicizing foreign words is also a good way of marking them and not confusing the reader. You are using English as the language for your story, after all.

You have good diction. Your grammar could use some improvement, particularly tense consistency (there were some present tenses mixed in there) and comma usage. A quick google search will teach you a LOT, so I suggest trying that out when you aren't sure if you punctuation or grammar is correct.

You may also want to add some speech tags to your dialog, especially in the prologue. It is sometimes hard to track who is saying what. The "*giggle" parts should probably be replaced by text describing the action. I noticed that you never included action in your dialog lines. Adding that may improve your style significantly.

You may also want to go easy on the exclamation points. Having so many of them makes your characters sound silly because they appear to be shouting all the time.

For example, I would edit the following lines,

(
“Course I’ll come; wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“Great! Um, about that… I actually have a favor to ask if you don’t mind…”

“Ask away!!!”

“Oh!... Uuuh, okay *giggle. See, I was planning to get Tim a gift but I’m not overly familiar with his preferences. I was thinking, since you got along with him so well, you’d probably know best.”

“He was talking about wanting to upgrade his gaming rig a while back so maybe some new hardware for his PC.”

“PC upgrades then. Okay. And well, I’m not really familiar with those kinds of things so I was thinking, if you would want to come with me to pick something out…”

“I’ll come!!! When?!”

“*giggle How bout 10 o’clock tomorrow in Greenhills. I’ll wait for you in front of Booksale.”
)

to something like this:

(
“'Course I’ll come. Wouldn’t miss it for anything,” he said.

“Great! Um, about that… I actually have a favor to ask...”

“Ask away!”

“Oh! ...Um, okay." Lin giggled. "You see, I was planning to get Tim a gift, but I’m not familiar with his preferences. I was thinking... Since you get along with him so well, you’d probably know what I should get.”

Isaac held his chin and closed his eyes. After a few seconds spent thinking, he said, “He was talking about wanting to upgrade his gaming rig a while back, so maybe some new hardware for his PC?”

“PC upgrades, huh? Got it! ...But I’m not really familiar with those kinds of things." She made a troubled expression, but her face lit up a moment after. "Can you come with me to pick something out?”

“I’ll come! When!?” He was visibly ecstatic over the invitation.

She cutely giggled again. "How bout 10 o’clock tomorrow in Greenhills? I’ll wait for you in front of Booksale.”
)

I have not read enough of the story to comment on it. I believe you have the tools necessary to write something good. You just have to polish them. I hope my comments could aid you in that endeavor. Good luck!

[gamerbaki]

This feels like it was written specifically for a Filipino audience, which I am a part of, by the way.

There are a lot of references to the culture that most other readers will not catch. Adding footnotes is one way of resolving this, but that would mean your text would be littered with numbers. Some things do not have to be very specific, such as the "bulalo mami." "Instant beef noodle soup" would have worked just as well and would be understood by more people. Italicizing foreign words is also a good way of marking them and not confusing the reader. You are using English as the language for your story, after all.

You have good diction. Your grammar could use some improvement, particularly tense consistency (there were some present tenses mixed in there) and comma usage. A quick google search will teach you a LOT, so I suggest trying that out when you aren't sure if you punctuation or grammar is correct.

You may also want to add some speech tags to your dialog, especially in the prologue. It is sometimes hard to track who is saying what. The "*giggle" parts should probably be replaced by text describing the action. I noticed that you never included action in your dialog lines. Adding that may improve your style significantly.

You may also want to go easy on the exclamation points. Having so many of them makes your characters sound silly because they appear to be shouting all the time.

For example, I would edit the following lines,

(
“Course I’ll come; wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“Great! Um, about that… I actually have a favor to ask if you don’t mind…”

“Ask away!!!”

“Oh!... Uuuh, okay *giggle. See, I was planning to get Tim a gift but I’m not overly familiar with his preferences. I was thinking, since you got along with him so well, you’d probably know best.”

“He was talking about wanting to upgrade his gaming rig a while back so maybe some new hardware for his PC.”

“PC upgrades then. Okay. And well, I’m not really familiar with those kinds of things so I was thinking, if you would want to come with me to pick something out…”

“I’ll come!!! When?!”

“*giggle How bout 10 o’clock tomorrow in Greenhills. I’ll wait for you in front of Booksale.”
)

to something like this:

(
“'Course I’ll come. Wouldn’t miss it for anything,” he said.

“Great! Um, about that… I actually have a favor to ask...”

“Ask away!”

“Oh! ...Um, okay." Lin giggled. "You see, I was planning to get Tim a gift, but I’m not familiar with his preferences. I was thinking... Since you get along with him so well, you’d probably know what I should get.”

Isaac held his chin and closed his eyes. After a few seconds spent thinking, he said, “He was talking about wanting to upgrade his gaming rig a while back, so maybe some new hardware for his PC?”

“PC upgrades, huh? Got it! ...But I’m not really familiar with those kinds of things." She made a troubled expression, but her face lit up a moment after. "Can you come with me to pick something out?”

“I’ll come! When!?” He was visibly ecstatic over the invitation.

She cutely giggled again. "How bout 10 o’clock tomorrow in Greenhills? I’ll wait for you in front of Booksale.”
)

I have not read enough of the story to comment on it. I believe you have the tools necessary to write something good. You just have to polish them. I hope my comments could aid you in that endeavor. Good luck!

I was about to unload those bullets after I read the entire novel but...oh well, since you already thought of the same thing then I won't mention it later on.

Just try to follow what he/she said there.
Also, try to generalize some objects (like using Dove into some sort of "a newly bought moisturizing soap") to reduce some words you are about to go with the footnote.

This feels like it was written specifically for a Filipino audience, which I am a part of, by the way.

by the way...are you one of us? Filipino, I say?

[Swordstriker21]

Thanks guys. I'll work on those once I have enough free time. Probably right after Halloween And yes, I'm 100% Pinoy.

[Kanda Hikaru]

@gamerbaki - Yes, by nationality at least.

[Swordstriker21]

@Kanda Hikaru Only by nationality? What do you consider yourself to be a part of then Kanda?

[Kanda Hikaru]

100% Chinese by blood. There is no going around genetics.

If you have the chance, please drop by and read my LN "The Devil's Spice." Chapter 1-6 should be edited and ready for viewership. I will upload 7-9 tomorrow. Those have been edited by my editor, but I have not uploaded the updated versions to my blog yet.