Chapter 15

"Now, unknown piece, what is your decision?"

Well, I can safely say my answer is rather obvious. There is no way in hell I'd join her faction willingly, and not when I'm still so new to this world. Roman joins her side, technically, just before the series starts and I was not about to go off and change things like that just yet. I've only been in this world for like two months, and while I'm proud of what I've accomplished in that time I'm still not ready enough. I don't wish to get into the heavier stuff of this world until I was certain I had little to no chance of dying and not completing my goal.

What that goal is, I'm not entirely certain right now. I know that I want to stop Pyrrha and Penny dying, but I don't honestly care about the rest… Thoughts for another time, I suppose. I can put it off until things become relevant.

I kept silent as I glanced over the rock I was hiding behind, the black sludge shimmered and vibrated over the cracked and dry desert ground. Rumble was nearly done with what I asked of him, the dungeon we were in wasn't super large. With our mental link, I gave him an extra instruction to encase the car and the loot in a stone dome, just in case. Salem seemed to grow impatient.

"By your silence to my offer, I can assume you're rejecting it. A pity. No matter, I will leave this… barrier of yours. But know that if we meet, you will not be able to hide from me again."

The oppressing presence left the dungeon as quickly as it had arrived and the black pool shook and slowly began to rise up. A large and very meaty four-fingered hand shot out of the sludge and slammed on the ground, splintering cracks formed when it dug its fingers into the dirt and heaved the rest of its body out. I gulped a bit when the final boss of this dungeon reared its ugly head. From what I can see it stood somewhere between twenty and thirty feet tall, had a slight slouch, a huge pot belly, and a single, large, burning red eye in the center of its mask.

Disregarding the various bone white plates around its body, the black stuff all Grimm were made of, and the curved spikes jutting into the air from its back, I was looking at the Grimm version of a Cyclops.

[Pools of Sorrow Rare Boss]

Lv90 Grimm Cyclops

"It's got a gold Grimm Dragon head next to its name… that doesn't sound good for me," I thought to myself. It really doesn't, most mobs or people in the world don't have that symbol next to their names, even huntsmen. If they do it's might be because they are extra strong, the only people I can think of that might have it would be people like Ozpin, Glynda Goodwitch, and Qrow. You know, the elite huntsmen.

Hell, it could even be because they are extra important or something.

"Observe!"

[Grimm Cyclops - Lv90]

One of the many types of Grimm rarely seen within the kingdoms as they are too dangerous to be left alone. Even a single one of these can turn the tide of a Grimm attack in favor of the unholy beasts that prey on humanity and the Faunus. They don't get to be very bright, even after centuries of living, as most of their focus is to be the brute strength of the Grimm. Therefore, they tend to need smarter Grimm to lead them into battle.

HP: 20,000

MP: 0

STR: 300

VIT: 250

DEX: 20

INT: 2

WIS: 1

LUK: 10

Status: Grimm (Unable to have or use MP), Fear Causer, Unnatural Strength, Unnatural Vitality, Tough Hide, Stupid

[Your Gamer's Mind skill resisted the effects of "Fear Causer"!]

"Good news, that monstrosity is stupid as all hell, I can use that to my advantage. Bad news, I better avoid getting hit, even with my Aura I doubt I'd survive even one of its attacks…"

Rumble appeared next to me and I knew he was finished with what I had asked of him. I grinned as I knew what I had to do. I looked at Rumble and whispered, "Can you make a small distraction over there?" I pointed at an area that had nothing of importance because if I was going to play the Grimm's stupidity I might as well capitalize on its probable lack of pattern recognition.

Rumble didn't say anything and I watched as a human-like figure slowly rose out of the ground, the motion caught the attention of the Cyclops and it roared and charged the rock. I waited and when it's back was to me I jumped out of my hiding spot and threw an arm forward. I charged up the Spiral Aura Bolt and let it charge up to the full ten seconds, with Rumble using barely any of my Aura regen to remake the rock person I had free reign to do what I wanted. I dumped most of my Aura into the attack and when it finished I let it loose.

"Hup!"

My attack flew free and fast, striking the Grimm on its back. The Cyclops roared in pain as the spell did its work and finally exploded. I palmed a few Dust crystals and restored my Aura as I eyed the still standing Grimm in front of me. I grimaced when I looked at its health bar, it barely dipped by a thousand. I'd have to do that attack at least nineteen more times before I killed this beast. The Cyclops turned around and roared at me, immediately charging my location, I jumped behind the rock and slid into the hole Rumble made previously.

A quick jaunt through the tunnel and I poked my head out of another hole and eyed the Grimm warily. I nodded at Rumble and he made another distraction for me, the same one as before. I rolled my eyes as the Cyclops smashed the ground, trying to kill an enemy that didn't exist.

"I really need some stronger spells," I muttered to myself as I started to charge up another Spiral Aura Bolt, keeping a few Dust crystals in my other hand.

[Would you like to use some Dust to add an effect to your spell?]

"Oh hell the fuck yes," I thought to myself with a smile.

I pressed the yes button quickly as my spell charged, the screen gave me a list of effects I could add to my spell. I chose Burn for simplicity's sake and watched one of my Dust crystals in my hand shatter and the pieces absorbing into my attack. The Spiral Aura Bolt changed itself into a huge spinning fireball of death and when it was finished I launched it once more with most of my Aura dumped into the spell.

The fireball lit most of the dungeon up, catching the attention of the Grimm it was launched at. The Cyclops turned and faced the source of the light, catching the fireball in the chest. The resulting explosion that I had to shield my face from made it fall onto its back with an earth-shaking roar of pain.

[You have learned the skill "Dust Mastery"!]

[You have gained the title "Dust Apprentice"!]

[Dust Mastery - Lv1 EXP:0.0%]

Dust is a dangerous tool to use, even if it was instrumental in saving life on Remnant. Master this skill and you begin your journey to mastering the very elements of the world. Dust has different effects depending on what you are using it for, experiment and find out what each has to offer!

Allows weaving Dust into clothing, failure depends on crafting skill.

Allows embedding of Dust directly into your body.

Allows better combining of Dust into your spells.

[Dust Apprentice - Tier 1 Title]

You have started your first steps towards becoming a competent Dust Wizard, keep practicing your Mastery!

All Dust consuming skills have a 10% chance to save your Dust.

All Dust related damage increases by 20%.

You take 15% less damage from Dust and Dust related items.

Interesting skill and title, I closed them and looked at the health of the downed Cyclops. My eyes widened considerably when I saw that my new Dust-combined attack managed a good five thousand damage. When I considered how it must be taking less damage than, say, a human or Faunus would thanks to some of its statuses, I gave myself a pat on the back for a job well done. I topped off my Aura and gave Rumble the command to try and bind it down with rock.

Earth shot from the ground and clamped down around the Grimm's limbs like restraints on a hospital bed. Cracks started to form on them immediately and I began another attack charging, using the same Dust as before. I grimaced when the earthen restraints were nearly broken as I needed to give Rumble even more of my Aura regen to compensate. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity I let rumble release the Grimm and let my attack go at the same time.

The Cyclops managed to sit up after shattering the bonds on its arms and raised an arm to smash the ones at its legs. It paused when it looked up and saw the speeding fireball flying through the air. The attack slammed home into its face, right on the eye, exploding and dealing a critical hit, doing double damage. So far I've managed around sixteen thousand damage to this thing.

I used Aura Mend and regained lost Aura as I looked at the smoke covering the Grimm from my sight.

[Aura Mend has reached level 30!]

[You sense danger!]

[You detect bloodlust towards your person!]

A single red glow was the only thing I could see coming from the smoke screen, and the only indication that I should get out of the way. I used all of my dexterity plus a little help from Power Jump to leap to the side as a huge boulder flew past. I did the same thing once more and cursed as the Cyclops used its immense strength to leap into the air and come down straight at me, its red eye was glowing much brighter than before.

My Gamer's Mind kept me from staring stupidly at the Grimm as it came plummeting down, I used everything I had to get out of the way. Here and now during this boss battle, I realized that I needed more skills that boosts movement speed and evasion. Like a flash or shadow step skill for combat, for example. Really, it's just another reminder that I'm woefully unprepared for what lays ahead in the future. I can't expect to have every skill I'll need for the future right now, but I need to take a more proactive approach once this whole quest thing is over with.

The cyclops slammed into the rocky ground, sending smaller rocks flying from the impact and cracking the ground in a wide circle around it. I ducked into another one of the scattered holes dotting the battleground, getting out of sight. The cyclops didn't seem to take my escape too well, from the vibrations and the rumbling shaking of the earth I can only assume it's slamming the ground sporadically in a vain attempt to kill me. Seems like this type of Grimm goes berserk when its health reaches a certain threshold, a good thing to know.

I darted down the tunnel and headed for the exit on the other end of the dungeon. I warily popped my head out of the ground and eyed the rampaging Grimm with a certain level of caution. It somehow got ahold of a large boulder and was repeatedly slamming it home on the ground at random. If the damage from my new Dust infused attack stay relatively the same, only one more attack was needed to kill this stupid thing. Rumble didn't need any further commands, he was already creating the distraction.

I charged up one last attack and squinted my eyes at the cyclops. It was moving even more erratically than before, meaning that this shot was going to be much tougher to aim. Seeing as I don't want to spend all damn night whittling down this things health with basic attacks, or eat through most of my Dust crystals by constantly recharging my Aura every time I missed, I was putting in a lot of effort trying to make sure this one hit. My hand was moving around as I aimed, the ball of concentrated Aura wobbling with my motions.

I stuck my hand into my inventory and yanked out a lightning crystal, my attack prompting me to add Dust once it completed its charging. I didn't expect the attack to squeal and chirp like the Chidori from Naruto, I grimaced when the cyclops turned around and roared when it saw me. Thanks to its low intelligence and wisdom it simply charged me blindly, and I smirked when I realized this was a perfect opportunity to kill the Grimm without needing to aim much. When the cyclops reached the approximate center of the dungeon I let the Huge ball of spinning electricity loose, it seemed to travel much faster than its fireball cousin, striking the chest of the Grimm in the blink of an eye.

The resulting hit was similar to that of a lightning strike, one bright flash that left an impression in your eyes and it was all over. The only difference was the huge smoldering hole in the Grimm's chest that my attack left in its wake. The Grimm managed one final step before it tipped over and began to disintegrate as it fell to the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief when it was over.

[Dust Mastery has risen by 5 levels!]

[Spiral Aura Bolt has risen by 2 levels!]

[Aura has risen by 2 levels!]

[You have gained 4 levels!]

Good God, that thing gave me four levels?! Maybe I should be on the lookout for more Grimm with the golden Grimm Dragon next to their names, they seem to be amazing to kill. But, seeing as I haven't seen one until now, they might only spawn in these rare dungeons. I think the one I marked back in Vale was a rare dungeon… I'll have to keep a lookout for more of them.

I looked back at the dissolving Grimm, noticing that something seemed to be happening. The weird blackness that all Grimm dissolved into seemed to flow and collapse into the body of the cyclops. The black particles swirled around dramatically into a large ball the size of a desk, it shrunk and molded itself into something else. When the whole transformation finished I was staring at a large, pitch black chest. There were no decorations, no locks, just the container and the lid. I warily eyed the new object.

"Observe!"

[The Black Chest]

?

That… was it? Observe just gives me the name of the chest?

I bit my lip and contemplated opening the chest. On one hand, I did not have anything to go on, for all I knew it could be a mimic and would try and eat me the second it opened. On the other, it could just be a rare chest with awesome loot inside of it. Throwing caution to the wind I walked up to the chest and placed a hand on the lid, pushing it up and revealing the contents of the chest.

The inside of the chest was as dark and black as the outside, and it was mostly empty save for one single crystal thing that was gently floating in the air. I stepped back as the crystal rose out of the chest and became level with my chest. I eyed the strange phenomenon and used observe on it just like I did the chest.

[Blood of the Dark Brother - Unique]

The crystallized blood of the darker of the twin gods. It is given form in a way a mortal mind can comprehend. Who knows what it could even be used for…

Rank: ?

Alright… I was not expecting something like this. Really, this whole thing reminds me of the old World of Warcraft quests where you can find some special item that starts the quest to unlock a legendary weapon. Given that this is real life, and that magic is only known to a very few select people, I don't know if this is the case. I reached out and grabbed the crystal, stashing it in my inventory. I might not know what I can do with something like this, but I'll keep it anyway and make sure I keep an eye out for something else like this. It's probably one of those things that I'll need to collect a lot of before it becomes something useful, right now it's just useless inventory space. Games like to make sure you need to put in time to get something good.

After tucking it away I jogged over to where the car and items were, the cyclops didn't give anything but the chest and had Rumble release everything back into the open world. All of the loot was just things like Dust and various Grimm body parts "used in crafting". I still haven't found a use for Beowolf teeth yet. Since I got nothing substantial from the weaker basic Grimm, I decided to use Rumble to make the summoning circle. I was close enough to level ninety-nine in Summon Elemental and I could use more variation anyway.

The ritual went like it did the first time I used it with Rumble, only I took a shortcut by doing it with the rest of the elementals at the same time. Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind, Earth, these were the basic elements of Remnant. It made sense because these were the five basic Dust elements that can be mined and found in the world. Synthesized elements like Gravity didn't seem to have an elemental to them.\

Connecting with all of the other elementals at the same time was an exhausting experience and it knocked me out for quite a bit. It was probably early morning by the time I woke up from the impromptu nap and I stared at the five elementals floating in front of me. After getting somewhat used to how each of the elementals worked I smiled and dismissed them into their invisible state of being. I picked myself off the ground from my resting position and dusted my suit off. I didn't want to appear before the bandits looking like I'm some homeless vagabond trying to look nice. Even if they wouldn't appreciate it.

After getting back into the car, and using Rumble to lift it back near the road, I stepped on the gas pedal and finally left the dungeon behind me. The rest of the trip was uneventful, something I was entirely grateful for, and when I reached the approximate area Junior told me the bandits were staying at I let the car come to a stop and stepped out. I couldn't see much past the large sand dunes, but then I honestly didn't need to.

"Rumble," I said. "Can you find the nearest gathering of people?"

Rumble appeared out of the sand, his body taking on a more sandman approach this time. He didn't say anything and instead just took a portion of my Aura to do whatever he needed. His smaller body reached down and touched the ground with a hand, a small ripple appeared on the sand and I stood by the car waiting. After a few minutes of waiting Rumble picked himself off the ground and pointed.

"A large number of humans are over there, by your measurements it is a mile away," he stated. I nodded and thanked him as his body crumbled back into sand.

I went back into the car and made sure to take the keys out and lock it. It pains me to say it, but I can't drive it to the bandit camp. The direction Rumble pointed out didn't have any roads and the car I stole was not something that would take offroading very well. Better to keep it by the road just in case I might need it. So, I'm going to need to walk.

Half an hour in and I'm already regretting my choice. I reached the general area and parked the car around noon, so I'm experiencing the full brunt of the desert sun. Sure, I'm not going to die anytime soon, but that doesn't mean I don't get uncomfortable. I've always been a guy that hated extreme weather, I don't even like Winter or Summer. I preferred Spring and Fall, they tend to have milder weather that didn't usually get too hot or too cold. I'm just glad that I found out I don't sweat, I guess having the body of a game character has some perks to it.

I reached the top of a particularly tall sand dune and stared out over it, I started when I was hit by the sight of a tall log wall.

"Seems like I found it," I thought to myself. "Now, which way to the gate?"

I took a hunch and went to my left, I was pretty sure I saw something that looked like it might be a gatehouse. I made sure to travel with the lip of the sand dune just over my head so that I'm not spotted too early. I managed a few steps when my sense danger went off.

I was glad I kept my Aura on as I ducked to the side, I could feel the edge of a slim sword grind against it for the briefest of moments. I rolled rather ungracefully in the sand as I fought for purchase, turns out sand is not a good place to fight. My assailant didn't seem to share that disability as she, I got a bit of a glimpse before I tumbled down, slid down the dune gracefully and slammed a boot into my stomach while leveling her blade at my throat.

When my dizziness stopped long enough for me to finally see who attacked me I nearly laughed at the whole thing. The woman I've been looking for this whole time has me pinned under her unflattering combat boot with a rather basic looking katana pointed at my throat.

Lv86 Neopolitan

Neo pushed the blade into my throat threateningly.

"Whoah whoah whoah, easy there," I said making sure my hands stayed by the side of my head with open palms, using observe on Neo because it gives me a much better read on emotions now. "I'm not your enemy."

Neo narrowed her eyes and I could see her emotions flicker on my observe screen: distrust and curiosity.

I chuckled as the blade slightly eased up, "I'm just here because I wanted to join up with your little group of friends. I might even have some skills your leader might want."

Neo didn't seem to buy it and she raised her blade threateningly.

"Stop, Neo," a new voice said.

Neo and I looked over at the newcomer, she was a short-haired woman with ice blue eyes and tanned skin. Whether that was her natural hue or because of the time spent in the desert, I didn't know. She had maroon pants, brown boots, a brown vest, a tattoo of some kind that I couldn't see right now, and she even had some sort of collar on. Really, her style just screamed bandit to me. I didn't know anything about this woman, but I'd hazard a guess she was pretty important in the bandit tribe if the way Neo acted was any indication.

The woman in question immediately retracted her blade and stood off to the side, letting the new woman approach. I picked myself up and stared down at her, she was shorter than me.

[Raven's Right-Hand Woman]

Lv91 Vernal

She put her hand on her hip and looked me up and down with a raised eyebrow. "So, you think you got something Raven would want? Better show me first so I know you won't be wasting her time."

Well, she seemed smarter than any typical goon or cannon fodder. But that was to be expected if she was Raven's second in command. I would've expected the maiden to be in her position, but who was I to say who gets what position?

I smirked, "Alrighty then, better prepare yourself then."

I thought about what I would show Raven in order to become a part of the tribe. Obviously, my actual ability would be off the table, but I could still abuse some of them to suit my needs. I reached into my coat and pulled a dagger out of my inventory while unbuttoning my shirt. The two women in front of me tensed a bit but I waved them off with an "It's not for you", which only confused them.

Vernal continued to eye me with her raised eyebrow, "While I'm not against the show, I still don't see how this would interest Raven. I highly doubt she'd be interested in any of those services."

I just winked, turned my Aura off, and plunged the dagger I held into my heart. Vernal and Neo jumped back in surprise, eyes wide and mouth agape. I caught them in honest surprise, I'm sure that doesn't happen often. I winced in discomfort as my health dropped by about a hundred and fifty, I didn't put a lot of force into the attack and the knife was pretty crappy so I did not take a whole lot of damage. Thanks to my moderately leveled Physical Endurance skill I also didn't get to feel a lot of physical pain either. I yanked the dagger out of my body and felt the wound instantly close.

"So," I said, giving a slight bow. "How about we take this up with your boss? Oh, and you may call me Roman."

The trip through the base was an interesting experience, and enlightening. Really, I didn't expect much from a bunch of bandits, but, if what I was seeing was any indication, there was only going to be a maximum of three strong people in this whole base. Nearly every bandit was, at the minimum, around level twenty. There were quite a few that were in the mid-thirties and the rare forties, but they didn't look like they were huntsmen level despite the, well, level.

I guess that even with constant leveling through training and fighting, some people just can't be competent hunters.

The decor of the place could use some work, the tents were rather drab and boring and barrels and crates were all over the place. I kept an eye on one larger tent off to the side of the camp, that looked like a place that was used to store important things. Things like Dust.

As we walked by a few tents that were probably just the tents some of the bandits slept in the three of us crossed a circular courtyard and stopped just in front of a larger tent. The tent had to be Raven's, I didn't see her taking a smaller tent for herself if she was the leader. Vernal turned around and pointed at me.

"Stay here and don't move," she turned to Neo, "And make sure he doesn't move."

Vernal didn't wait for our response as she just turned around and walked into Raven's tent. I looked over at Neo, she warily looked up at me.

"Bit uptight, don't you think? We're all friends here."

Neo rose an eyebrow. Confusion.

I rolled my eyes, "Come now, just because one of us tried to stab the other doesn't mean we can't be friends. Why some of the best friendships in the world start because someone tried to kill someone else!"

She rolled her eyes. Dismissal.

"Don't be like that, I'm sure you could use some sort of intelligent conversation around here." I made an exaggerated display of looking around at the slow gathering of interested bandits, "It looks like it's lacking in that department."

Neo snorted and tried to hide her smirk. Amusement.

I didn't get to say anything else as the tent in front of us opened and Vernal came back out, standing off to the side. It wasn't long before the head bitch of this shindig also stepped out, she was wearing the same thing she wore when she was first introduced in the show, sans helmet. And I need to say that the show does not do her justice, Raven was a stunning woman in person and her legs went for days. But that honestly wasn't what I was focusing on.

"Well then, Roman, my lieutenant says you have something interesting to show me?" Raven said, looking down at me haughtily as I looked up at her name tag.

[Spring Maiden]

Lv? Raven Branwen

"What?!"

(A/N) And that wraps up this chapter. Hope to see you again next time!

Stats so far:

Name: Roman Torchwick

Age: 25

Class: The Gamer

Level: 46 (Next Level: 5,866/107,100)

Title: Kingpin

Bounty: 58,000 Lien

HP: 3,014

HP Regen: 60.3/min

MP: 5,778 [3,728 + 186.4(5%) + 1,864(50%)]

MP Regen: 578/min [289(base) + 289(100%)]

STR: 58.8 [Base 42 + 12.6(30%) + 4.2(10%)]

VIT: 71.4 [Base 51 + 15.3(30%) + 5.1(10%)]

DEX: 164 [Base 80 + 12(15%) + 24(30%) + 8(10%) + 40(50%)]

INT: 142.8 [Base 102 + 30.6(30%) + 10.2(10%)]

WIS: 56 [Base 40 + 12(30%) + 4(10%)]

LUK: 43

Elemental Affinity: Earth (10), Wind (10), Fire (10), Ice (10), Lightning (10)

Attribute Points: 50

Lien: 2,419,620

Status Effects: Inactive Aura(Toggled Off)