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Vol. 1 Reset | Ch 2. Change

*Slash*

Jaune sliced through a giant snake before rolling under the attack of an Apeman, throwing a grenade at it, not paying it any more attention as it was blown apart. Jaune blocked the club attack from another Apeman and kicked it to create distance before opening his inventory and shooting him with arrows. Jaune backflipped away evading the tackle from a wild boar; midair Jaune retrieved his bow and fired an arrow which exploded on impact. Landing with practiced ease Jaune retrieved three more arrows and fired them in quick succession. Explosions erupted one after another, and when the smoke settled, the boar had already disintegrated.

After putting away his bow and sword, Jaune retrieved a halberd and took a stance. The pole of the halberd is 1.6 meters long with an ax-blade balanced at the pick with an elongated pike head at the end of the staff. In a flash, Jaune spun and slashed at monsters with mad efficiency.

"Argh! After stabbing the ape in the neck with a spiked head and pulling out the halberd, Jaune decapitated it with the ax blade. Twirling the blade Jaune planted it into the ground, panting. Jaune wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up at the Window.

'00: 04: 51: 33:

Wave 58: 5698/5800'

Only four hours and he would be done with this hell hole. It was nothing short of a miracle that he had survived and Jaune couldn't begin to comprehend how he had done it. The only thing that Jaune has been doing for the past few days is killing and surviving. But the hard work had indeed paid off as Jaune had grown from a wimpy 'boy' to a man of formidable physique.

'Quest: Test of Valor.

Description: As the name suggests, to become the Walker with sole access to the Fields of Valor and the right to exploit its fruit you must display your conviction. You must show your Valor to the 'Sentience'.

Primary Objectives: Survive for 7 Days.

Secondary Objectives:

Slay 1408/1000 Goblins (Completed)

Slay 892/500 Trolls (Completed)

Slay 612/500 Ogre (Completed)

Slay 1201/1000 Hellspawn (Completed)

Slay 521/500 Wraith (Completed)

Slay 344/300 Armored Knight (Completed)

…

…

Slay 482/500 Apeman

Slay 188/200 Basilisks

Slay 4/5 Boss

Condition of Failure: Death, Hiding for extended periods of time.

Rewards: Title – 'Walker'

Punishment: Death'

There was a long list of monsters he had slain in the Secondary Objective window, and Jaune was proud that he alone had slain that many of them. Jaune had never imagined he would ever make it this far when he was tossed into the pit for the first time. Having gotten so close to Death, he was sure at one point he would die before even reaching halfway, but amazingly, he survived.

However, there was still a long way to go. These monsters for all their numbers were just Mobs, the real pain was the Mob Bosses. Although he had traveled a long distance to get here, he didn't want to battle a boss if at all possible, because the four bastards he had fought were nothing like the normal mob.

But in the end, the 'sentience' had fairly rewarded him for his efforts with a multitude of 'Gifts' and 'Loots'.

'Loots' can either be raw material or a finished item and it would be dropped by a monster depending on a certain rate of probability. These Loots are ranked, lowest to highest from Grade: E to Grade: S. Though Jaune noticed that certain 'Unique' monsters would drop 'Unique' which are ranked Grade: Ex.

'Gifts' can be material, finished item, or an ability that the 'sentience' gave out. There isn't an exact way to earn 'Gifts' but 'it' usually gives out when Jaune slays 10000 monsters. Until now he has received 16 gifts and their Grade was certainly better than the 'Loot' dropped by the monsters.

Aside from the 'Loot' and 'Gifts', Jaune managed to increase the Grade of his abilities and gained new ones.

'True Perception | Grade: B

Description: An ability that allows the user to perceive and assess the world in such a way that is impossible for any other creature. The ability grants the user access to different branches as it develops.'

Because this Ability cost less aura, Jaune had never stopped using it since he was basically a living power plant of Aura and would regenerate it before there was even a small gap in his reserves. As a result, the ability developed before any other. Jaune was now able to see the Grade of objects and see if they had any special characteristics. True Perception also enhanced his other senses, improving his awareness and reflexes as a result.

'Weapon Mastery | Grade: D

Description: An ability that categorizes and indicates a user's mastery of a certain type of weapon.

Sword | Grade: D | Talent: D

Bow-Arrow | Grade: C | Talent: A

Club | Grade: D | Talent: D

Mace | Grade: E | Talent: C

Halberd | Grade: C | Talent: B

Spear | Grade: D | Talent: S

Gun | Grade: E | Talent: A

Dagger | Grade: E | Talent: B

Chain | Grade: E | Talent: A'

Experimenting with different weapons helped Jaune understand his own affinity as a fighter. Furthermore, he realized he was better with weapons other than the one he had been using in the past, and it made him want to bang his head into a big, fat brick wall with enough force to either destroy the wall or his own brain. To him, it was both comical and ironic that the weapon best suited to his needs was a spear.

This had Jaune thinking about getting a custom-made weapon that would suit him if he was successful in escaping this hell.

Inventory was a Grade: Ex ability and it itself couldn't be improved any further but Jaune had certainly found new ways to utilize the inventory and he was really looking forward to future fights.

'Crafting | Grade: D

Description: The ability to craft new items using tools, items, and materials the user has at his disposal. The success rate and the Grade of the product depend on the mastery of the Craftsman.'

In Jaune's case, he didn't have time to experiment with this before because he was too busy. However, Jaune was interested in this as recently he's been tossing around the idea of custom weapons in his head. Jaune believed that this ability would be very useful.

'Magic | Grade: E

Description: Grants user the ability to convert his inherent energy into Mana which grants him access to Arcane arts.

??? | ???'

As Jaune pondered his new ability, his heart raced like it never had before. Almost everyone was skeptical about magic, and Jaune was no exception. But when he was just a kid, it had fascinated him. However, Jaune was only able to convert his Aura into Mana for now. Until now, he had not been able to make fireballs or anything else, which made him realize that using Magic would be a much bigger challenge than anything else.

"Ah... fuck…" Jaune cursed still panting as the ground began shaking. Jaune watched as a huge hand tore out of the ground and small monsters started climbing out the cracks. The Titan rose to its full height and roared while beating his is chest.

Jaune's eyebrows twitched in irritation as he looked at the overgrown ape before him.

"What the fuck is up with this K*ng K*ng rip-off?" Jaune muttered to no one in particular. The Primus Ape looked around wildly before his red eyes locked with Jaunes blue ones. Jaune looked at him before reaching inside his pocket searched for something.

"Ah? Where is it?!"

"…"

"Oh! It must be in my inventory!"

"…"

"Yeah! I found it! Here you go Mr. K*ng K*ng rip-off!" Jaune grinned as he raised his hand towards the confused Primus Ape. "Behold! It is the divine… BANANA!"

"…"

"…"

"…Erm… Sorry I only have one."

"*ROAR!!!*"

"Sheesh! Just say no if you aren't hungry! No one is forcing you to eat you violent gorilla!"

*ROOOAAARRR!*

The irritated gorilla rushed towards Jaune who had finished up the banana twirled his halberd before taking a stance. "You are about to taste the might of BANANA!"

It might be a result of Jaune's isolation, but he had started to mix satire into the constant fighting to keep himself from getting bored, and it had been working like a charm so far. It's just that whenever he did stuff like this, the monster became more aggressive than ever, as if he had stolen their wives.

"Hmm. I wonder why?"

As Jaune jumped back, the rip-off K*ng missed its chance to stomp him. He sliced through the grunt monsters while maintaining a safe distance from it to avoid any surprise ambush. Jaune began attacking the Primus Ape with arrows and spare weapons he had in his inventory as the number of grunts began to dwindle. Jaune used the first dozen of his attacks to gauge the ape's reaction to his attacks. The gorilla's hide was too thick for the weapons to penetrate; they would be stuck halfway into its skin before they could even hurt it.

Jaune frowned before putting all his weapons back into the inventory. Jaune put away his halberd and pulled out two spears from his inventory, one long and one short. This was another gift that he received from the sentience.

'Zen and Zenith | Grade: A

Description: Weapons crafted by a master smith for General Cao-Cao of the ancient east. The materials are unknown, and the power of the weapons has greatly diminished due to the abuse of time and negligence. Requires a certain amount of mana to access archives imbued into the weapons.'

(A/N: Zen is the long one and Zenith is the short one.)

When Jaune looked at the pair of arms, he always felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't put into words. Despite their weakened state, the weapons still had a certain beauty and charm to them, and despite their deteriorating condition, their grade was still a straight-A. Jaune could only imagine how powerful these weapons were in their prime.

The spear had used almost all of Jaune's aura when he had activated it for the first time. He had only used them once and was utterly exhausted. In Jaune's mind, this was the time for Zen and Zenith to shine. Holding the spears tightly, Jaune closed his eyes before activating his semblance.

Yes, Aura Amp was his own resemblance. As well as enhancing his own aura, his semblance can also enhance objects when applied to them.

When Jaune turned his Aura into Mana and poured it into the spear, a golden layer of light enveloped his form. An ape sensing the threat attacked, but Jaune opened his inventory of weapons and bombarded the ape with cleavers, axes, spikes, and even bombs, leaving the ape in a state of agony.

As Jaune's head was bombarded with information, the markings on the spear glowed with an azure glow. Jaune gritted his teeth in pain as he continued to pour Mana into the spears. His golden aura had disappeared by now, and his body was engulfed in azure flames. He ignored everything around him, the sound of notification, the explosion, the roar of the beast, the pain, he ignored everything except the feeling in his stomach.

Clearly, it was his Aura reserve, which after a huge transaction of aura and the influx of mana had undergone some sort of evolution. Jaune's spears had acknowledged him as their master and had tweaked his body to make it easier for him to wield them. A small glow was visible in Jaune's eyes as he opened them.

Jaune crouching a bit, he dashed forward with such speed that the beast could not see him. Jaune was astonished at how fast he had become. In response, the ape roared and punched Jaune, but he jumped to avoid the hit. Stabbing Zen into its skin as he ran, He landed on its extended arm and began running towards its head. The ape roared in pain as blood gushed from the wound, irritated he tried to grab him but Jaune spun before throwing Zenith as it shot towards the incoming arm tearing through the flesh with ease.

Jaune smirked and kept running as the Ape roared more intensely and started shaking its arm in an attempt to throw Jaune off. With a display of incredible strength and agility, Jaune jumped into the air and spun around with enormous momentum before throwing Zen straight at Ape's right eye. Zen penetrated the membrane quite deeply and lodged halfway. Free-falling towards the head, he reaches out and grabs Zenith firmly, and with a war cry, he hammers Zen through its head. The long spear flew out from the back of the Apes head.

The ape cried one last wailing shriek before it stumbled and fell to the ground. With practiced ease, Jaune landed on the chest of the ape. Raising his hand he caught Zen as it flew back to him. Jaune breathed deeply and sat down, grinning like a loon.

"I did! I fucking did it!"

'00: 00: 03: 11:

Wave 58: 5800/5800'

After the adrenaline drained and the pain and strain on his body hit full force, Jaune smiled in exhaustion. Despite the pain, he smiled as the sense of great accomplishment overpowered his need to rest. It had been a real struggle for him, but he survived and even emerged stronger.

A notification sound rang out and Jaune's smile widened.

'Quest: Test of Valor.

Description: As the name suggests, to become the Walker with sole access to the Fields of Valor and the right to exploit its fruit you must display your conviction. You must show your Valor to the 'Sentience'.

Primary Objectives: Survive for 7 Days. (Completed)

Secondary Objectives:

Slay 1408/1000 Goblins (Completed)

Slay 892/500 Trolls (Completed)

Slay 612/500 Ogre (Completed)

Slay 1201/1000 Hellspawn (Completed)

Slay 521/500 Wraith (Completed)

Slay 344/300 Armored Knight (Completed)

…

…

Slay 536/500 Apeman (Completed)

Slay 206/200 Basilisks (Completed)

Slay 5/5 Boss (Completed)

Condition of Failure: Death, Hiding for extended periods of time.

Rewards: Title – 'Walker'

Punishment: Death'

"I passed!" He had officially passed the Trial.

'Yes, you have passed the Trial variable Jaune. I congratulate you. I am delighted with your performance, and the sentience is likewise pleased. Your merit is undeniable. As soon as you've finished celebrating, we can start making you a Walker.

"Ah, yes. I had missed your annoying voice. Did you enjoy my misery?" Jaune grumbled as the spoilsport crushed all the feeling of accomplished glory he had been feeling by its monotonous voice. "I don't know if I should be happy or sad about surpassing your expectation considering just how minute they may have been."

My minuscule expectations for you, variable 'Jaune', can only be attributed to your past selg. It doesn't matter, however, since you are now a much more capable individual. After all, you have pleased the sentience.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm feeling really honored now." Jaune grumbled in sarcasm as he got up and jumped off the body of the disintegrating Primus Ape.

'Shall we proceed?'

The 'Guide' totally ignored him making him sigh in defeat.

"Yes, go ahead."

'Congratulations! Variable 'Jaune' is indeed worthy.

Do you wish to be a Walker?

Y/N'

"Are you really gonna ask me that after putting me through all that bullshit?" Jaune was dumbfounded but as expected he got no answer in return. "Of course yes!"

Jaune pressed yes and a new prompt appeared.

'Code of Walker initiated.

02% Creating a perfect body

Please Wait.'

Jaune was hit by a wave of drowsiness and pain and after that, all his world knew was white.

------

Jaune awoke groggily after an unknown amount of time had passed. After rubbing his sleepiness out of his eyes, Jaune took charge of his bearings. It was just before noon when the sun was bright and shining. Looking around, he was back in the Emerald Forest in the exact location where he had entered the Trial Grounds through the Gate.

Surreal was the way it felt. In truth, he was back where he had wanted to be when he was swallowed by misery and hopelessness, and now that he was out, he felt as though he didn't belong here. Strange, it was like a dream.

Was all of that a Dream?

Did he really change?

Is he dreaming now?

Was he the same Jaune?

A semi-transparent blue text prompt appeared in Jaune's peripheral field of vision, and all his questions disappeared from inside his head. Jaune had never been so thrilled.

'100% Granting variable the title and Authority of 'Walker'

Congratulations!'

Jeane smiled, clenching his fist. Jaune had now become a walker and even though he knew very little about it, he knew he was not the same Jaune he was before and that his life would be completely different from what he had imagined.

The text prompt dissolved as he was greeted by what appeared to be the Main Menu of a game.

'Abilities ( ! )

Gate ( ! )

Shop ( ! )

Inbox ( 2 )'

There was an impression that the sentience or whoever designed the UI of all this theme had done so that it is easy for him to understand and use. In his heart, Jaune thanked quietly and was looking forward to checking notifications, but his excitement rapidly evaporated when he heard rustling and quickly raised his guard. He drew his old sword and took a casual stance as he watched the multiple figures emerge from the foliage.

"Fancy seeing you here Mr. Arc. We were concerned, as you had been missing from your dormitory for quite some time and had been trekking through a very dangerous forest with no supervision." The man walked forward casually while sipping his limitless coffee. "I would like to ask Mr. Arc, what are you doing here?"?""

Jaune narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man and the figure accompanying him.

"Headmaster Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, Team RWBY." Jaune's voice was bare as he put the sword away and dusting his worn-out clothes.

He needed new threads but that along with his new powers will have to wait, unfortunately.

'Man, I'd rather fight a rip-off version of Godz!lla than deal with this shit.' Jaune sighed before turning towards them.

"So damn troublesome."

In an alternate dimension, a pineapple-haired boy lying on the lush green grass watching clouds smiled.