9 Academy Arc 1
Today was the day. My first day at Konohagakure's Shinobi Academy, where I will finally be able to start learning how to be a shinobi proper. After double checking my clothes and the items in my inventory, I went out the front door and took my first steps toward a new adventure.
[Quest Alert!]
First day:
Get to the Shinobi Academy on time!
-Don't be late for your first day
-?
Rewards:
+30 EXP
?
Failure:
REP decreased with Shinobi Academy teachers
?
I mused at the quest alert, but if the system was giving me EXP for something I intended to do in the first place, I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. While I was curious about the hidden objective, wondering what it could even be for such an innocuous quest, I threw it to the back of my mind as I made my way to the Shinobi Academy which was located beneath the Hokage Monument.
For the past two days I had been training with Takumi, Noburo and Hiroki after I managed to defeat Noburo for the first time. Hiroki had insisted on sparring with me after that, and I won again with less difficulty than then my first duel with Noburo. It was apparent that Noburo was way ahead of Hiroki in terms of taijutsu, when I was able to win without being knocked down once.
My accomplishment was rewarded with a similar +300 EXP and increased REP with the trio. I had been tempted to 'accidentally' knock Hiroki out to receive the third bonus reward which was a new title, but I was not inclined to go so far in a friendly match.
I had learned after the fight, amidst jeers and mockery from Noburo, that Hiroki was ranked dead last in their year for taijutsu. His shurikenjutsu, however, was in contrast the best for their year.
After taking Hiroki down, Noburo had insisted on round two with me. And this time, I faced a far more focused opponent who was no longer interested in keeping me uninjured nor was he underestimating me anymore. He came out swinging but sneakily mixed it an accurately placed low kick that sent me reeling in pain, even if it was just for a moment.
We had been pretty evenly matched for the most part, although he did catch me off guard in the last second and before I even knew what happened I was on flat on my back and he won with 3 to 2.
Thankfully, however, quests were only generated the first time I fought each individual, meaning I did not lose out on any quest rewards for the loss. However, I did end up learning a lot from my mistakes which was arguably more valuable than the satisfaction from winning.
Lastly, I had to face the 'final boss' that was Takumi.
The quest alert that popped up paralleled the previous ones, however the rewards promised were doubled.
Takumi was a far more skilled opponent than both Noburo and Hiroki, with more patience, cunning and not to mention a 2 year age gap that ensured a significant height and reach advantage. Needless to say I lost, but I did manage to complete the mission with a tricky tackle that got him on the ground once. I did not, however, complete any of the other bonus objectives.
The accumulated EXP rewards from the quests as well as several other miscellaneous ones that I managed to generate put me just over a hundred EXP shy from levelling up.
After the sparring session, it was apparent that the three of them had taken a keen interest in my future career, commenting that I had the makings of a taijutsu specialist, and even wondering aloud how cool it would be if a clanless orphan managed to snag Rookie of the Year. While I had no intentions to specialize in taijutsu, I was appreciative of their praise, nonetheless.
The ensuing discussion resulted in their decision to put me through an intensive training regimen before my enrolment into the Shinobi Academy in order to, in their words, 'shock the spoon-fed clan punks'; their previously lackadaisical attitude towards training replaced with resolution.
In the course of the next two days, they were able to correct my shurikenjutsu form, as well as sharing some tips and tricks for throwing techniques they have picked up in the academy, which significantly enhanced my accuracy even without the added bonus from my [Shurikenjutsu] skill; although the skill did manage to level up once more under their tutelage.
The trio further helped out with my body conditioning training, helping me gain 1 point in STR, 2 in VIT and an additional one point in DEX respectively. I was also introduced to the Konoha Academy Taijutsu fighting style that academy students all learned ahead of time, which helped me create the [Konoha Academy Taijutsu] skill.
[Konoha Academy Taijutsu] (Passive) LVL 1
When using this taijutsu style,
+2% to physical damage
+2% to movement speed
-2% physical damage taken
Unlike the [Beginner Taijutsu Mastery] skill, which was passively applied at all time, the new skill's effects would only be activated when using the Konoha Academy Taijutsu fighting style. I had pondered briefly over what would happen if I mixed up this fighting style with other styles, whether the effects would be applied or would a whole new skill be created.
Speaking of the newly generated skill, it had previously been offered as a reward for winning my first fight after I sparred against Noboru. Along with it, a starter set of training weights and two skills were listed as reward options.
I had immediately dismissed the fighting style and training weights, as the first could easily be obtained in the academy or even from other people like I did, and the latter could also easily be purchased from a shop. There was a possibility that these training weights were somehow special and provided additional beneficial effects granted by the 'Gamer' system, but I would rather take my chances with the two skills that were offered.
One was [Power Strike] and the other, [Iron Skin]. The system provided no further explanation other than their names, but it was pretty obvious what would be their effects judging solely on their names.
I had mulled over the decision for a few moments before deciding on [Power Strike], as I had considered the possibility of the [Iron Skin] skill granting me skin made of literal iron. As cool as that sounded and looked in my head, it would also be equally as difficult to explain how and why I had skin made of iron.
Upon selecting the reward, I was able to view its effects.
[Power Strike] (Active) Lvl 1
CP Cost: 100
Increases the damage dealt by your next physical attack by 20%
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As I made my way through the civilian commercial district, all the while spamming [Observe], the second story of a clothing store caught my attention as I heard some yelling between a man and a woman. Chalking it up to a fight between a couple, I paid no mind to it.
However, I snapped back in attention as I heard a loud thud against the second story window of the clothing store and noticed a potted plant wobbling precariously on the edge of the windowsill. I tilted my attention downwards and saw that an elderly woman had stopped right underneath the very same window, looking up to check out the noisy argument. But as she was underneath the window still, she could not see the wobbling flower pot directly above her.
I could not even manage the barest fraction of a second to process the situation before my body shot forward on its own to pull the elderly woman away right as the flower pot landed with a sickening crack on the pavement, right where she had previously been standing.
"Holy crap Baachan, are you okay? Did I hurt you?" I asked while giving her a once over.
"O-oh dear kami, I-I was right underneath the, oh thank you, young man! Thank you! You might have very likely saved my life!" She started thanking me profusely and even began pulling out her wallet seemingly wanting to reward me for my deed.
Obviously I rejected, not wanting to receive money from some sweet old lady for something I had done without even thinking about it. Instead, I turned to the horrified looking couple who had peaked their heads out of the window when they heard the loud crash and started yelling at them for their carelessness that someone else almost paid the price for.
I did not wait for them to come down and apologize to the old woman as I did not want to be late for the academy. After making sure the profusely thankful old lady was fine and unscathed, I continued on my way to the Shinobi Academy.
Nearing the front entrance, I witnessed several other academy students slowly and half-heartedly making their way in to the building, disappointed at the end of their summer break and the start of a new year at school. Right as I crossed the front entrance, I received several quest notifications. First was the preparations quest that had finally been completed after an entire month.
[Quest [Preparations] Completed!]
Train yourself before entering the Shinobi Academy!
Increase your level up to 8 (√)
Increase your Shurikenjutsu up to LVL 3 (√)
Increase your Basic Body Conditioning up to LVL 5 (√)
Increase your Beginner Taijutsu Mastery to LVL 3 (√)
Learn the Leaf Concentration Exercise (√)
Increase your Leaf Concentration Exercise to LVL 3 (√)
(Hidden) Meet a member of the 'Rookie 9' (√)
(Hidden) Find someone to teach you (√)
Rewards:
New Title: [Zealous Student]
+2 to all stats
+1 LVL to all skills
(Hidden) +200 EXP
(Hidden) +5 points
[You have levelled up! ]
Booyah, jackpot! Mmm let me drown in the sweet, sweet sound of level up notifications. I naturally opened up my status to check out the new title.
[Zealous Student]: +20% EXP gain to all skills when in the Shinobi Academy
My day just keeps getting better and better. If my first day at the academy was any indication how the next 4 years was going to be like, I was going to have a blast here.
Hummin to myself, I opened up the second quest notification that I had received. Upon reading through it, however, I froze. All joviality vanished from my face.
[Quest [First day] Completed!]
Get to the Shinobi Academy on time!
Don't be late for your first day (√)
(Hidden) Save the old woman's life (√)
Rewards:
+30 EXP
(Hidden) New Title: Lifesaver
[Congratulations! You have selflessly saved a life for the first time! You have shown remarkable improvement in understanding true altruism!]
[You have earned +10 points!]
As I read through the hidden objective that was now revealed, I felt a shudder down my spine. The hidden objective was to save the old woman's life. But… but how could the quest have known… wait… I felt my head spinning for a moment before [Gamer's Mind] kicked in and erased the distress that was had been spiralling out of control.
Ever since my reincarnation, the quests the system had created had always been reasonable – there was a logic and pattern behind them. The quest objectives had always been there for a reason and more often than not served to guide the progress of my quests. Whereas the hidden objectives usually rewarded me for thinking outside the box, or for looking 'underneath the underneath'. But this time… this time it really screwed me up.
The system being able to see the future was not a surprise. It was, after all, designed by some omnipotent entity that had reincarnated me into a fictional universe. The more disturbing thought was the possibility of the system somehow orchestrating the entire incident for the sole purpose of being part of a fucking 30 EXP quest, and for unknown reasons to teach me some sort of lesson about altruism or some other bullshit.
The thought weighed heavily on my mind and I had unknowingly shambled my way outside the classroom where I will be learning for the next year.
I sighed and shook my head clear from my contemplation. It did not matter right now one way or the other since I could not do anything about it either way. The only thing I had to keep in mind now that I was aware of the potentially insidious nature of hidden objectives, was to simply be more cautious and attentive when it comes to quests with hidden objectives.
Now, however, I am simply an academy student and I had to act the part.
