Journey 2# Status Plate (REWRITED)

Akihiro's appearance is like Arthur Pendragon from Fate but the eyes are blue.

3rd POV:

When they arrived at the Royal Palace, they were ushered into the throne room straight away. They walked through the corridors and could not help but notice the beauty of the decorations. Along the way, they saw someone dressed up as a knight. they also passed by some maids, everyone was fully uniformed. They looked at the students with awe. The students seemed to be popular or known already.

Hajime seemed uncomfortable so he stuck around at the end of the group. They arrived in front of a set of huge double doors that were designed beautifully, two Soldiers stood at attention on both sides of the door when Ishtar and the party came. Without waiting for a reply, they opened the door.

Ishtar just leisurely entered like it was the natural thing to do. Students filed in feeling a little uneasy, with the exception of Kouki and Akihiro.

There was a red carpet that led from the entrance all the way to a luxurious throne. On the throne sat a middle-aged man that conveyed ambition and dignity. They all stood before the throne and waited. There was a woman next to the throne, that seemed to be the queen. Next to her was a 10-year-old boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. A 15-16-year-old Bishoujo was next to him, and there was a small 7-8-year-old girl that accompanied her. There were people that looked like civil officers on the right side of the carpet, on the left were what looked like to be military officers.

Arriving in front of the throne, Hajime's group stopped, while Ishtar proceeded next to the King. The King lightly kissed the Pope's hand as a sign of respect. Apparently, the Pope was the top dog here. This just confirmed Hajime's theory that the country was run by "God", he sighed inwardly at that.

While Akihiro just shook his head in disgust. Not that he always disrespects elders but seeing the fishy old man as the top dog is really suspicious.

From there, they introduced themselves. The King's name was Erihido S. B. Hairihi. Luruaria the Queen, Randell the prince, 1st princess Liliana, and 2nd princess Maribelle. After, the prime minister, Knight commander, and other high-status people introduced themselves. It seemed that Kaori's charm was universal because the young prince was gazing admiringly at her. While Liliana, the 1st Princess stared at Akihiro's face, Akihiro noticed her gaze but pretend not to notice.

A banquet was held after and they were able to enjoy this world's cuisine. The appearance of this kingdom was very similar to olden Europeans of Earth. The drink they served was pink in color but glistened like a rainbow, it was very delicious.

The prince seemed to take a liking to Kaori because he was often talking to Kaori, and this got a lot of the class boys fretting. Hajime did not expect much chance for the prince because he was just 10 years old.

In the royal palace, they were introduced to the instructors that would train them. They also would provided shelter, food, and clothing for all of them. The instructors were handpicked from the Knights, Imperial Court Mages, and much more. This would allow them to develop friendships for the forthcoming war.

Akihiro was impressed with the room he got. Certainly, it's unique rather than the 5-star hotel room he usually stays in, so it has some new atmosphere that Akihiro liked.

His mind is tired of this situation, he may be an otaku but this still felt unreal. He sat on his bed and let out an exhausted sigh.

"What a bizarre day... If this is a dream... Let this be real." He lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

* * *

Training and lectures began the very next day.

First, each of the students was introduced to a silver plate (12cm x 7 cm). The students looked at the plates curiously. Knight Commander Meld Loggins started to explain.

He thought it was good to have a constant attendance for training, he did not seem to be able to leave it to the students to clear up their mess. Besides Meld, there was the Deputy Leader, who just laughed and said it was going to be alright. Well, the Deputy leader may be alright.

"Yoshi, did everyone get one? These plates are called Status Plates. Literally, these plates will show your stats and status. The plate also serves as an identification card. As long as you have this, you cannot get lost, so don't lose it."

Meld had a very carefree way of speaking. He had an open-hearted character, since they were going to be comrades was he going to speak formally to them. He advised that they talk to each other in a normal manner. They asked them to feel at ease. The students did not feel comfortable addressing their elders in such a nonchalant way.

"There are magic cravings on the plate. I will make a small wound with a needle on your finger, just drip a drop of your blood onto that magic formation. Then the owner of that plate will be registered. If you say "Status Open", the plate will display your stats. Ah, have you never heard of such a thing? I didn't know that. This is a kind of artifact from ancient times. "

"Artifact?"

Meld nodded, "Artifact is a powerful tool that cannot be reproduced with modern means. It is said that they were created when God and his family still roamed this land. The status plate is one of the artifacts he left behind that cannot be reproduced. It is usually would be called a national treasure rather than an artifact, but it is distributed to the general public. Because it was a very convenient ID card."

So the student's poked their fingers for their blood and smeared their blood onto the plates to activate the innate magic. The magic formation shined red for an instant. Akihiro did the same with his blood and plate.

Name: Akihiro Tomioka | Age: 17

Gender: Male

Level: 1

Class: Berserker

Strength: 100

Vitality: 100

Resistance: 100

Agility: 100

Magic: 90

Magic Resistance: 83

Skills:

[Monster Break, High-speed Regeneration, Beast Movement, Dragon Strength, Resist Physical, Close Quarters Combat Proficiency, Swordsmanship, Intimidation, Sense Presence, Language Comprehension]

Akihiro is certainly happy that his stats seemingly look decent. He has trained in boxing and kendo so it was natural for him to have Close Quarters Combat Proficiency and Swordsmanship skills.

"Did everyone see? Let me explain. First, let's go over "level". The level will increase if you get an increase in stats. The max level for a human was 100. In other words, the level shows the base and potential that a human can reach. When you reach level 100, then you have achieved the potential of humans. It is very rare for someone to reach that though."

Unlike games, leveling up does not mean getting extra stats in this case.

"Your stats can be raised by training, magic, or magical tools. Also, someone with a high magic stat allows other stats to increase faster. Although we don't know the whole detail, it is believed that magical power somehow assists the physical body to improve. Afterward, look forward to the gear we selected for you. After all, you are the heroes. The national treasury is being used to supply you!"

From what Meld said, just because you kill a demon or monster does not guarantee your stats will go up. The stats will improve steadily with practice and experience.

"Next we are going to cover "Class". Simply this is the talent you have. The skills you have at the end of your status are directly linked to the class you have. People who have a class are rare. The classes can be divided into two categories: combat classes and non-combat classes. A combat class only shows up in 1 out of 1000 people with classes. Non-combat class only shows up in 1 out of 100 people. Out of those non-combat jobs, there are about 1 out of 10 that have an extraordinary class. Most of the people in non-combat classes have manufacturing classes."

Akihiro took a good look at Berserker, he wonder why he got this class. He is good at controlling his anger but he certainly can get angry sometimes.

"So…let's see everyone's stats. For example, the average person has stats of around 10 at level 1. Well, you guys should have several times higher than that. So enviable! Please give reports on what your status plate says. This is so we can develop a training regimen that fits each of you."

Akihiro approached Hajime, feeling interested in what his best friend's stats is.

"What are your stats, Hajime? Can I take a look?"

Hajime hesitated for a moment but gave it to Akihiro anyway.

Name: Hajime Nagumo | Age: 17

Gender: Male

Level: 1

Class: Synergist

Strength: 10

Vitality: 10

Resistance: 10

Agility: 10

Magic: 10

Magic Resistance: 10

Skills:

[Transmutation, Language Comprehension]

"Uhh, well... I don't mean to be rude but I guess your luck isn't that good and your fault that you always rejected my invitation to exercise." Akihiro said with a smirk on his face.

"Damn it, stop being smug. You always invited me early in the morning and you know that I always sleep late at night."

"Already said it, your fault and not mine." Akihiro shrugged.

"Then how about your stats? Let me take a look." Hajime grabbed Akihiro's status plate.

Seeing the incredible skills and numbers, Hajime widened his eyes in shock.

"We are at the same level but you were already so overpowered in the beginning, this is not fair!" Hajime cried out.

Meanwhile, Kouki stepped forward and was the first to give a report of his stats.

Name: Kouki Amanogawa | Age: 17

Gender: Male

Level: 1

Class: Hero

Strength: 100

Vitality: 100

Resistance: 100

Agility: 100

Magic: 100

Magic Resistance: 100

Skills:

[Aptitude All Attribute, Resist All Elements, Resist Physical, Complex Magic, Swordplay, Herculean Strength, Quick Movement, Foresight, High-speed Magic Recovery, Sign Perception, Magic Perception, Limit Break, Language Comprehension]

"Ho, truly a hero. To have half my stats at level 1...I'm a little depressed. Usually, a person only has 2 to 3 skills... unbelievable. Very reliable."

"Iya~, Ahaha…" Kouki scratches his head in embarrassment at Meld's praise.

By the way, Meld is level 62. His stats average at around 200, and this is considered top-level in the world for a human. However, Kouki is already at half his stats at only level 1. At this growth rate, he will overpass him quickly.

By the way, Skill can equate to talent and that is something that cannot be changed. The only exception is "Derivation Skill." This derives from polishing one's skill for many years, this skill is acquired when the person can "break through the wall" to acquire it. It sounds easy, but it has not been done before, it would mean getting a boost in skill level in just one day.

It was thought that only Kouki was special, but the others had superior stats, although not as good as Kouki, they can still be considered cheats. A lot of the classmates had combat classes too.

Akihiro stepped forward with a nonchalant face, he isn't tense like his classmates. His smile made Meld think of Akihiro as a nice person to be around with.

Akihiro gave his status plate and Meld took a look of Akihiro's status plate.

Name: Akihiro Tomioka | Age: 17

Gender: Male

Level: 1

Class: Berserker

Strength: 100

Vitality: 100

Resistance: 100

Agility: 100

Magic: 90

Magic Resistance: 83

Skills:

[Monster Break, High-speed Regeneration, Beast Movement, Dragon Strength, Resist Physical, Close Quarters Combat Proficiency, Swordsmanship, Intimidation, Sense Presence, Language Comprehension]

"Amazing, you are the only one who has a unique class and seeing that your stats is almost the same as Kouki. Your potential will be great, I hope that you'll grow stronger from now on." Meld gave his honest answer as he patted Akihiro's shoulder.

"Thank you, Meld-san."

Until now, Meld had a great expression from seeing all those special status plates. To be able to have so many strong comrades was a joy. Meld's expression retained its smile.

Now it's Hajime's turn but when see Hajime's status plate. He beat the status plate to see if it was malfunctioning but shook his head, it wasn't malfunctioning. He felt a little disappointed.

"Ah, this is. If you think about Synergists, it was a crafting class. It's useful if you want to be a blacksmith…"

Meld described the class to Hajime with as much articulation as he could. The boys who did not like Hajime would jump at opportunities to make fun of Hajime. The class was clearly a non-combat class. All his classmates had combat classes and Hajime would not be helpful in future battles because of this.

While grinning, Daisuke Hiyama screamed out.

"Oi Oi, Nagumo. It can't possibly be, but did you get a non-combat class? How can a crafting class fight? Meld-san, is this class rare?"

"…Iya, 1 out of every 10 crafting classes is one. All the countries employ a lot of them."

"Oi oi, Nagumo~, are you going to fight like that?" Daisuke laughed.

Hiyama throws an arm around Hajime's shoulder, this just annoyed Hajime. If you look around at the students, the boys, in particular, were grinning at his misfortune.

Akihiro didn't look down on Hajime. Hajime doesn't have combat class but to Akihiro, it doesn't matter. He can joke around about his stats but seeing scums like Daisuke bullying Hajime is always making his blood boil. He has boundaries.

"Jyaa, let us see your stats. The class isn't that great, but you do have great stats, right?"

Before Hajime could hand him his status plate, Akihiro stopped Hajime by grabbing his status plate first.

"I think you still haven't asked Hajime his permission yet, Hiyama-san." Akihiro smiled but his smiled wasn't his usual friendly smile.

"Tch, now here Hajime's knight on the scene. Even after being teleported to another world, he is still weak." Daisuke clicked his tongue.

A glint of cold in his eyes. His smile is gone as his expressionless face stared at Daisuke... Daisuke knew that he was in trouble but before he could do anything.

Akihiro threw a punch at Daisuke's face. Akihiro threw his punch too fast for Daisuke to react.

Daisuke slightly flew backward and collapse to the ground. He is now unconscious on the ground and his nose bleeding from Akihiro's punch.

"Ooh, I have the chance to say Goku punch but it's too late. Maybe, next time." Akihiro stared down at her for a moment and started to laugh.

The boys who earlier are laughing at Hajime's misfortune quickly shut up and mind their own business. They shivered when they heard Akihiro's laugh.

Aiko who noticed the commotion Akihiro had caused, walked to Akihiro with angry face to reprimand him.

"Tomioka-kun! Why did you punch Hiyama-kun? There is no violence between classmates and you should follow the rules!"

"Aiko-sensei? Why did you suddenly bully me, I was just defending Hajime! You are cruel and narrow-minded, sensei." Akihiro suddenly acting like the victim.

"W-What! This is a misunderstanding, I didn't know that Hiyama-kun is bullying Nagumo-kun." Aiko said with a flustered face.

Akihiro stared down at Aiko. She is shorter than Akihiro and seeing Aiko became flustered is like a lost cute duck. He patted Aiko's head and chuckled.

"You are so easy to fool, Aiko-sensei! It's cute and dangerous, I'll protect you from now on if someone tries to trick you, Aiko-sensei."

"Stop patting me! I am your teacher and not a child."

Akihiro stopped patting Aiko's head.

"Alright, alright. Then sensei, could I see your status plate?"

Aiko completely forgot about Daisuke and then handed Akihiro her status plate.

Name: Aiko Hatayama | Age: 25

Gender: Female

Level: 1

Class: Farmer

Strength: 5

Vitality: 10

Resistance: 10

Agility: 5

Magic: 100

Magic Resistance: 10

Skills:

[Soil Management, Soil Restoration, Range Cultivation, Growth Stimulation, Selective Breeding, Plant Appraisal, Fertilizer Production, Mixture Development, Auto Harvest, Fermentation Operation, Range Temperature Adjustment, Farm Barrier, Abundant Rain, Language Comprehension]

A pleased smile on his lips as he stared at the status plate.

"Incredible! As expected of sensei, even though sensei doesn't have combat class but this is already incredible, you could solve the world hunger, sensei!" Akihiro grinned genuinely as he picked up Aiko. Her small size was easy for him to pick her up.

"W-What are you talking about, Tomioka-san! Put me down at once!"

Akihiro put Aiko down and patted her hair. His soft hand made Aiko comfortable but soon snapped out of it.

"Don't worry sensei, I already promised that I'll protect you."

Aiko stared at Akihiro's face and her face redden at Akihiro's declaration.

The whole class who has been watching could only smile at the scene while the boys who are scared earlier forgot about Hiyama who is laying on the ground and smiled seeing their interaction.

-To Be Continued.

(Rewrite V1: Completed)