The Aftermath

I strode out of the inn. The sun was rising, marking the beginning of a new day - day two of me being stuck inside this new Reality Plane, that is. Today should be September 9th, 2051 - a Saturday.

I had spent the 50 SP I received from reaching Level 10 like so:

[STR: 30 -> 40 (Cost: 10 SP)]

[AGI: 25 -> 40 (Cost: 15 SP)]

[INT: 5 -> 10 (Cost: 5 SP)]

[DEX: 5 -> 10 (Cost: 5 SP)]

[MAG: 10 -> 25 (Cost: 15 SP)]

[LUC: 10 -> 10 (Cost: 0 SP)]

My stats were a bit off-balanced now, but that was fine. As long as no stat was severely lower than the others, it wasn't a fatal weakness that could be exploited.

Besides, I have yet to see a useful purpose for leveling up the DEX and INT stats anyway, so I wasn't about to waste my precious SP on them. As for MAG, I was confident I would be using it sooner or later, so I decided to keep leveling it up.

And, lastly, I kept LUC the same because I... well, ran out of SP.

Still, a STR and AGI of 40 was rare for any other Level 10 player. Only I, who had been completely trapped inside this 'video game' by a wicked stroke of luck, was able to accomplish this while having a MAG stat of 25 as well.

After all, my stats leveled up on their own without using any SP, depending on what activities I did. This was thanks to my physical body being transferred over to this world as well, after someone somehow severed my connection completely to my old reality.

As for AP, I used 2 of the 5 I received, on the following skills:

[Name: Summoner]

[Category: Basic]

[Type: Passive]

[Description: Increased chance of taming normal animals and Magic Beasts.]

-

[Name: Inspect]

[Category: Assassin]

[Type: Active]

[Description: View the stats of any other player.]

I decided to conserve the rest of the AP, since I didn't feel like reading through all the skills I could get right now. I was more curious to see what happened to Tianyin City after I 'died', so I boldly walked out of the front door of the inn which, luckily, was still intact.

However, the same couldn't be said for many of the other buildings around.

The restaurant I had eaten at before, the tavern beside the inn, and the store across the street from it - they were all in shambles. The one and only road in the city was littered with bloodstained human corpses. Citizens wept beside their fallen comrades and loved ones, while volunteers carried the bodies out of the city for burial.

Tianyin was practically half-destroyed.

However... only half. By some miracle, one way or another, the soldiers of Tianyin City managed to quell the Magic Beast tide. I then noticed some cheers coming from the outside of the city, where all the remaining guards and most of the citizens had gathered. I decided to investigate.

I headed for the now-demolished western gates of the city, where all the noise was coming from. Peeking outside, I saw that the guards were all cheering for one single person.

A player, in fact. He was quite handsome with his golden hair and eyes, even despite the prisoner-like clothes he was wearing - similar to my own attire. He carried a fearless smile on his face, and seemed to be around the same age as me.

I recognized him. He had been one of the players struggling to read the new species entry as the sabertooth came crashing into our ranks. If I remember correctly, he had been frozen in fear and looked like he was about to piss his pants.

I recalled his face and expression quite clearly, since he had been right beside me when I fought the sabertooth.

The only question was, why the hell was he being treated like some sort of legend?

"Hero, if I may ask... what is your name?" the captain of the guards asked, bowing deeply before the boy. Quite a strange sight indeed, a senior bowing so reverently to a junior.

"Heh. My name is Qin Yao. Do well to remember that," the boy announced arrogantly, rubbing his nose.

"Hero Qin... I see," the captain murmured to himself. "I must say, thank you for saving us. If it weren't for you spotting the strategy to kill those hostile sabertooths in the frontline, Tianyin City, along with ourselves, wouldn't have survived."

"Hm? Strategy to kill those sabertooths...?" I murmured to myself, confused as to what they were saying. This kid had literally been pissing his pants while I was fighting, and now, apparently, HE discovered the strategy?

[It seems he watched how you killed the sabertooth, and copied you.] A.R.X.A. suddenly said, which surprised me a little. [How shameless.]

"Hey! Keep it down, A.R.X.A... what if they hear us?!" I whispered sharply, since her voice was quite loud. Not as she was yelling, since her tone was as monotone as always, but her literal volume was loud.

[Worry not, human. Only you are able to hear and see me.]

"Huh? Er... okay then."

Now I just felt stupid. Embarrassed, I turned back to this 'Qin Yao' character, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying being in the spotlight and treated like a hero.

"Don't worry about it," he said shamelessly, his haughtiness knowing no bounds. "I was just doing what I felt was right."

"Spoken like a true hero," the captain remarked. "Truly a brilliant strategy you came up with, striking the sabertooths' brains via the inside of the mouths. If you don't mind me asking, Hero Qin, how did you manage to think of this method?"

For a second, Qin Yao's arrogant smile faltered. But it was only for a moment, as he quickly recomposed himself. "What do you mean, 'how'? I'm a hero. That's how."

"Er... I see." the captain didn't seem convinced, but he didn't want to anger Qin Yao, so he just meekly accepted that answer. Every man had their secrets, after all.

"Now. About the other beasts... where did they all go? I can't rest until I've exterminated all of them and made sure Tianyin is safe again," Qin Yao continued, looking around with a fierce look in his eyes.

His whole body was brimming with confidence... which was a good thing, until he let it get the better of him. I believed this would happen sooner or later, given his attitude.

"Hero Qin, the other beasts all ran away after their frontline, the sabertooths, fell thanks to you. We tried chasing them into the nearby forests, but eventually I decided that it was too dangerous, and called everyone back," the captain replied.

"It's unfortunate, because these damned beasts have been raiding our city on an annual basis ever since ten years ago... I was hoping we would be able to deal a decisive blow to them this time around, with Hero Qin's help."

"Hm... I see." Qin Yao sank into thought, resting his chin on his hand. "In that case, I propose we form a hunting party to go into the forest and kill those Magic Beasts once and for all."

"H-Huh? But our men... they are all exhausted from the fight just now. I'm afraid..."

"Don't worry about that. Just look for people wearing the same clothes as me," Qin Yao said, a smirk on his face. "There should be quite a few in the city. Bring them all to me, and that will be our hunting party."

"Is it not possible to just wait until my men are rested up?" the captain asked. "They are all experienced soldiers."

"Sorry, I dislike working with soldiers," Qin Yao snorted. "Just go look for the people I described."

A soldier with a cast on his right leg raised his hand in worry. "But... what if they don't want to do so?"

"Just tell them the truth about the hunting party," Qin Yao replied. "Promise them rewards, and they'll join. Trust me on that."

"Understood... I do not see why you dislike working with soldiers, bu..." the captain trailed off, having made his decision. "We will go around the city, looking for people who match your clothes, and bring them to you, Hero Qin."

Qin Yao smiled. "Good. Just do that, and I'll save your city from these Magic Beasts."

I noticed how he used 'I' instead of 'we', even though he had just told the soldiers to recruit people to help him. Utterly shameless.

Moreover...he said he was doing this to save Tianyin, but in reality, he just wanted XP and item drops from all the Magic Beasts. Being treated like a hero was just a side benefit, one that he happened to really enjoy.

It's pretty funny how he thought that just by watching me, he became a god at the game or something - what a joke. I tried using 'Inspect' on him to see this guy's real stats, but it didn't work. Apparently, I was out of range.

Also, him 'disliking' working with soldiers was a complete lie as well. He just wanted to gain more money for himself. If the soldiers were working with him, he would have no reason to take all the credit for himself, after all. That would reduce the rewards he could potentially receive.

Truly, he was a sinister character.

Well, his arrogance isn't my problem, anyway. If he dies, he dies. However... joining this hunting party sounds interesting. After all, it sounded like a great opportunity to level up even further.

Since the soldiers were heading back into the city now, towards me, I quickly retreated and headed back into the inn, wondering when the guards would come to seek me out.