CH3: Learning Generated Lesson 2

My body hasn't needed food since I arrived in the zombie world. Either it was an effect of my Gamer's Body perk, or something else was going on. The training was fine. I started with filing cabinets stacked on top of each other set stop other filing cabinets. It was the only way to save my life when I lost strength, and they came crashing down, or that was my thought.

After 5 hours of strength training, I reached a strength of 20. Two hours later, I reached 21. So I tossed a ball I found in an office around and caught it while I tried to figure out how I was going to gain 29 points in strength in the next 17 hours. More weight was the issue at first, so I filled the cabinets with anything I could find, but it was ultimately not enough. Agency was right; every point counts a little more than the last and is harder to get because of that.

Turning off my stat gain notifications might have been a mistake. I can't tell what actions count most toward a stat. I stacked five cabinets up and taped them together. Packing tape wasn't enough; I needed a certain amount of control to keep the cabinets from falling on my face. Dex was a part of the training equation as much as WIS and INT were.

Could I observe a stat?

Using a skill on my system never occurred to me, but nothing said I couldn't. I opened my stat screen and peered at my STR and DEX stats with observation. To my surprise, circle graphs appeared, showing their progress to the next point.

I decided to try something. Pushing the stacked cabinets up and down in a quick rep, I watched the bars move a little in STR and a smaller amount to DEX. I had no idea how much I was lifting, only that it was heavy enough to feel the strain. Somewhere in my memory, I heard that it's better to do slow reps. What if, instead, I hold it as much as possible?

When I lifted the cabinets, I kept an eye on the circle graph as I held the cabinets in place. The graph moved while I held the weight, and suddenly, my entire training method changed.

STR 30 

That change took two hours. I gained 9 points in an extremely short amount of time by paying attention to the little details. It seemed that if I was going to survive, I needed to figure out the fastest, most effective grinding methods imaginable.

The cabinets no longer weighed anything to me. Balancing them improved my DEX more than STR at this point. Speaking of DEX, as it increased, my STR gains sped up by a small amount. It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw it. When I opened the screen for my CON, it was an uphill battle. If I wanted to be free of the cage bird seal, then I needed to figure out the training method to increase CON, or it might be centuries before I'm free.

Gaining 20 points of strength influenced my body. Power radiated from my limbs as corded muscles stretched around my bones. It felt like the slightest twitch could launch me painfully through the ceiling. My chakra pool also increased explosively from my training. I could hold my byakugan longer and strengthen my range further by increasing my chakra capacity.

I was at the point where I no longer saw a reason to obey the system's rules. To be exact, I saw enemies in a nearby skyscraper just as powerful as the ones my own had been. We were only the width of two buildings away from the nearest building. All I had to do was figure out how to stick to surfaces and make a bridge.

While I could struggle to learn how to do it with my feet, the hands were easier. I had almost no experience using chakra outside my eyes. Hence, it was a new experience learning how to stick to walls.

I placed my hand on an old yellowing wall and clung to it. When I pulled, my hand didn't immediately fall off the wall, so I reached out with my other hand and repeated the process.

New Skill 

Chakra Control lvl1: Control the energy imparted by Hagoromo Otsutsuki and master this alien power.

Byakugan Mastery lvl1: This is your first step to unlocking the massive bullshit potential of your godlike eyes. Prove why the Hyuga claim them stronger than the Sharingan. 

Tree Climbing lvl1: Cling to surfaces with chakra trees is recommended but not necessary. 

Those skills only popped up when I decided to try moving to another skyscraper; what gives? Was this another lesson I was missing? I observed some of the zombies in the other skyscraper and saw nothing above level 13.

Observe lvl10 

+1 INT 

Generated Lesson 2 

Reach Illusionist lvl25 

Hidden Task?

5 Skills Reach lvl10: 1/5

Hidden Task?

Hidden Task?

Reward: New Skill 

Hidden Reward 2: +1 training manual for each skill above lvl10. 

Failure: Trapped Until age 12. 

That was something I hadn't expected. My notifications didn't reveal my current intelligence, meaning I hadn't hit 30 yet. Alright, it was time to determine the distance between buildings. That was much easier, thanks to my byakugan. By observing the size of a desk in a room, I was able to see how far the buildings were apart.

I found a total of 250 desks in the building and pulled them apart. There were more uses for tree climbing than holding myself to an object. I attacked my finger to a nail and pulled them out of the desks.

My plan was to make a bridge, and my confidence came from the fact I weighed only 35lbs. I stripped the wooden rails bolted to the stairwell and used them to hold the desktops together as I used the nails to keep the structure together. The desktops were relatively light, and the rails were thick, hardy wood. Soon, I had my makeshift bridge or, more likely, slide out of the window on a high floor aimed at one of the neighboring building's lower floors.

Agency had been silent since I changed to this new project, and I was thankful for that. I didn't need it getting in the way.

My chakra control was slow to increase when I used observe on its skill screen the same way I did for stats. Lifting nails out of wood and placing them back inside gave me a slight increase. The project was going to earn two levels in tree walking but only one in chakra control. I had a feeling chakra control was much harder to level than other skills. By the third level in tree walking and the second level in chakra control, my gains had slowed to a crawl.

The bridge didn't fall, thanks to some leverage to the ceiling. I made sure there was always enough bridge in the building to keep the entire structure from falling out.

It was halfway to the other building when I heard a crack. Under its own weight, my bridge broke. After the crack, I decided it needed a keel like a ship.

My first attempt helped me figure out the actual distance between the buildings, so try number 2 was done after knocking some walls down. I opened windows on both sides of the building to give the bridge room to stretch out on both sides. Using paper cutters to shave parts of the rails, I nailed the underside of my bridge together, giving it the support it needed to reach the other building without snapping in two under its own weight.

Once more than half of my bridge was out of the building, it took all my strength and focus from my byakugan to hook the ends of my bridge on the opposite windowsill. My cheers were only matched by a sudden screen.

Generated Lesson 2 

Reach Illusionist lvl25 

Connect Buildings 1/10 

5 Skills Reach lvl10: 1/5

Hidden Task?

Hidden Task?

Reward: New Skill 

Hidden Reward 1: +1 stat point per building connected. 

Hidden Reward 2: +1 training manual for each skill above lvl10. 

Failure: Trapped Until age 12. 

New Skill 

Construction lvl1: Build higher, build better, ra ra fight the power. 

I moved out on the bridge on my hands and knees, using chakra to cling to the structure. One hand after the other, I moved into the unknown, sliding down to the next zombie-infested building. By killing them all, I could hopefully gain enough xp to gain more levels. With more levels, I had a chance to gain a tool to defeat the undead on the street.

A minor illusion made sound several floors down to gather the zombies away from the window I was about to smash open. Once they were there, I used deafness to keep them from hearing me. I summoned my Nightmare blade, and a mass of darkness appeared in my hand and slowly took the form of a dark soul's bastard sword. It wasn't heavy in my hands, but it was plenty big. I stabbed through the window, and the glass around the blade shattered. I threw myself into the new building and thanked the sage of six paths that my bridge hadn't shattered in all that time.

I took the stairwell, moving upstairs when one of the undead spotted me. Footsteps distracted, too, along with a minor illusion of a bloody smell and whimpering. The undead turned and dove to the sound and scent. It fell off the stairwell down dozens of flights. I received some fresh xp as I went to work thinning their numbers using my byakugan and illusions.

When I opened the door to an undead, I was already stabbing with my sword. The bastard sword pierced the undead, dealing psychic damage and dropping the zombie. I pulled my blade out and saw no visible wound. The undead dissolved, leaving behind 500ryo or 5$ American. I picked the money up, and suddenly, I felt like I had missed out on a lot of free money. This time, I cleared out the undead, sneaking up and slaying them with my sword.

Atom lvl11 

Class: Illusionist lvl12

Perks 

Gamer's Body

Gamer's Mind

401k 

Stats

HP 1210

MP 2860

STR 30

DEX 25

CON 11

INT 26

WIS 31

CHA 43

LUK 14

After a few kills with my bastard sword, I managed to scoop up some equipment and discovered that I had an inventory. It didn't auto-collect loot, so I must have a treasure trove in the bottom of an elevator shaft in the first building, or it faded away, and I lost it.

Opportunity loss is an important part of decision-making. 

Agency was, as always, completely unhelpfully helpful.

There was no point in backtracking; my loot was gone. Did Shinobi in the real world drop loot?

All loot drops are determined by luck. Those include the deaths of canon characters. 

So I needed tons of luck to get the best drops; otherwise, I would miss out on one-of-a-kind drops. There was so much shit I could get, like the curse mark of heaven. Didn't that grant natural energy at the low cost of Orochimaru's soul latching onto me? I had gamer's mind, so he wouldn't be able to affect me.

While it is good that you have chosen to think about leaving this place and making progress in the waking world. I must admonish you for daydreaming. A zombie has mutated within the building. 

 My byakugan saw it immediately.

Witch lvl16 

HP 24,000

MP 4000

Perk 

Inquisition Survivor: Half damage from fire and traps. 

Rubber Tank: Double HP and half blunt damage. 

Description: A poor undead soul consumed by melancholy and desperate for friendship. Her desperate hugs can shatter spines, and giant rat familiars help her target enemies. 

I thought about simply leaving via bridge and connecting to the next closest building. It would take 12 hits to kill the witch.

She was huddled in a corner sobbing, holding herself, and shaking. It pulled at my heartstrings. I bit my lip and sat on a nearby desk. What was the point in having 43 charisma points if I wasn't going to use them?

I rolled my sword's handle in my hand. Contacting her wasn't an issue. I had the spells to do it.

Using minor illusions, I crafted a smell similar to the undead, used reflection from my image, and minor illusions again transmitted my voice. The only flaw in my plan was that I couldn't hear what she said, if she said anything at all.

It was a chance to see how she would react, study her move set, and maybe turn an enemy into an ally.

"Do you want to be friends?" I watched as her head shot forward, and she locked eyes with my illusion. A hiss so loud I could hear it, a floor up worried me. When my illusion made no moves, the hiss faded. My mana fell down to half, and I let the illusions fade.

While my first step wasn't impressive, my illusion wasn't attacked, and the witch wasn't rampaging.

New Skill 

Necromancy lvl1: The ability to communicate with the dead. 

After fully clearing the top floors of any undead, I finally hit lvl12.

Atom lvl12 

Class: Illusionist lvl12

Stats:

HP 1320

MP 3480

STR 30

DEX 27

CON 11

INT 29

WIS 33

CHA 46

LUK 15

New Spells

Altered Desire

Cost 1000MP 

Description: Change a target's base desires slightly by increasing one and decreasing another. Discrepancies erode the spell. The more intelligent the target, the less effective this spell will be. 

Range: Line of Sight 

Fog 

Cost 1MP/s 

Description: Create an illusionary fog that blocks the vision of all but the caster. 

Range: 100ft 

I continued speaking with her, and she wasn't crying as often. She growled loudly when my reflection appeared, and it wasn't to get me to leave. There was something in her body language, sad but very open that drew me in. I thought about asking Agency but refused to give him the satisfaction.

She didn't stop me from going lower and slaughtering the rest of the zombies, bringing my level up to 13.

Atom lvl13 

New Skill

Swordsmanship lvl1: The energy produced from the mages that came before you rolling in their graves could power a planet. 

I was getting the feeling that, eventually, my illusions would manipulate the 5 senses, cast light and shadows, and affect the minds of those in range. Eventually, I wouldn't use spells so much as what I want to happen through mana. Even using the spells was teaching me something, but I hadn't gotten a skill for my class yet. Either it was locked, or maybe it was my reward for the lesson.

My skills were coming along nicely.

Byakugan lvl3

Chakra Control lvl2

Construction lvl3 

Necromancy lvl2

Observe lvl13

Tree Walking lvl4 

Swordsmanship lvl2

I had to be careful. The witch Agency dropped on me was more an obstacle than a boss fight. While it was here and rats were watching me, it hadn't made a move. So, I played a relaxing orchestra in its room while I tore up the railings to move on to the next building. I even gained one more point in STR from it. Skills made what was once a time-consuming, difficult process into something streamlined.

My bridge no longer looked like a shoddy collection of desktops. There was an artistic bend, and when I pushed it to the next building, it barely creaked. Building it gave me more xp for construction but not enough to gain a level. It seemed like with all things to reach greater heights, I needed to build something either more complicated or larger in general.

Tree walking would need me to try walking up walls with my feet before I can see any major improvements.

Before I stepped on the bridge, I turned my byakugan on to check my surroundings. The witch was outside my door, and the knob suddenly turned. In stepped a quiet, moving 24000HP beat stick with a face covered by long raven black hair. Her hands had long claw-like nails black as obsidian, and she moved at a speed slightly faster than me. I summoned footsteps behind her, and she didn't react. She raised her head, flashing glowing yellow eyes at me.

She towered over me at 5' 4"; the bastard sword in my hand felt inadequate to keep her away even with its range. Never before have I felt more like a glass canon. Despite my strength and dexterity, I didn't have a method to train my constitution. The witch crossed the distance and wrapped her arms around me.

"Please be gentle," I said.

Necromancy lvl3 

If I had struck her, this would have turned into an automatic boss fight. Instead, the witch hugged me like a stuffed animal. Never has my size and weight made me feel so inadequate. On the bright side, I wasn't being hugged to death.

Monster Captured: Witch

Psychic energy from my mana reserves gathered around the witch, broke her down into energy, and absorbed her into my head.

Generated Lesson 2 

Reach Illusionist lvl25 

Connect Buildings 1/10 

5 Skills Reach lvl10: 1/5

Capture 3 Monsters 1/3

Hidden Task?

Reward: New Skill 

Hidden Reward 1: +1 stat point per building connected. 

Hidden Reward 2: +1 training manual for each skill above lvl10. 

Hidden Reward 3: + 1 Monster Slot per 10 CHA

Failure: Trapped Until age 12. 

New Spell 

Nightmare Capture

Cost 1000MP 

Description: Use psychic energy to digitize monsters and store them within the user's mind. Willing captures are best. 

That was yet another part of the lesson I wouldn't have gotten if I had stayed in the first skyscraper or fought the witch. Not to mention, I had 3 remaining Monster slots, but if I managed to capture 2 more monsters, then my numbers doubled. Suddenly, I was a summoner illusionist multiclass, even if I had no perks or spells that enhanced summons. Illusionist could be considered a debuff class for enemies while I used my monsters to take care of them.

What if I armed my witch with Nightmare Blades and sent her after the mobs. Would I still gain the same amount of xp? Also, Agency wasn't being truthful with me; he gave me false options while expecting me to find my own path.