Ashwood Chapter 3 - Newbie Four

"Ahh, those are Newbie Four," Ashwood sat on top of a rugged hill, in the dark, stony landscape of second floor.

"Newbie four?"

"Yes. At the start of the MMORPG, they would guide players to different classes, but the fact is…they are all messed up. See the big guy there? Ymbolet Benett. He actually likes cooking, and he wants to cook, even in a dungeon. That is why when he carries cooking utensils in the bag when he should carry a great shield and giant sword with accordance to his size. Then the redhead. He's actually a talented swordsman, but since he wants to be a magician, he wastes all that ability."

"Then there are the sisters. Big one is a magician. Yet, they ran away from home to go on adventures. Hence, she doesn't have access to spells to learn. She has a few basic spells, but most times she uses the bow. And last, the younger sister, the prodigy."

"Prodigy?"

2B looked at the girl carrying a whip by her waist, "Prodigy?"

"Normal people gain 3 attribute points per level, and they get distributed randomly. Once you master a skill, they started getting affected by your training and gets distributed in that matter. That's why learning both swordsman and magician is a bad plan. The three points will be randomly distributed. One time as a magician, the other as a swordsman."

"Which is bad."

"Yes. Then there are people like me. Who gains five points because of the Villian Title and 10 points when they are doubled by Genius Title. Prodigy is a higher grade than Genius. It triples the points gained. And so she gains 9 Points per level. Scary, right?"

2B was confused why it was scary when Ashwood smiled at her, explaining, "Level 1 to 40 is One Star Professionals. Professional being the X here. X could be Mage, Warrior, Swordsman, Knight, blah, blah and blah. Two Star Professional goes from Level 41 to 80. Curious thing is. One Star Points can't be to upgrade Two Stars Stats. Which is why when the transformation is ongoing, the extra attribute points convert into Talent Points and they get distributed, levelling up your abilities. This happens much more naturally of course. It's so cool, seeing a person evolve from One Star to Two, and abruptly the abilities of the genius levels up and they win a tough, life and death fight."

"In much more detail, those extra points are at work. A prodigy has 9 Points per Level. From 10 to 40 they get 270 Points. 210 of them get used up in upgrading all seven stats. That leaves 60 Points. 3 Attribute Points make 1 Talent Points. Which converts into 20 Talent Points."

"For skills. 1 Points for E Grade Skill - Awareness. 2 For D Grade - Novice. 5 for C Grade - Intermediate. 10 B Grade - Advanced. 25 for A Grade - Expert. 20 Points mean a Two Star Professional can have awareness of twenty skills. Be a novice in ten. Be above average in four. Be amazing in two. Or be more than halfway to being the best in the world in one. And that is Two Star. And this is just the topping. Because they gain 120 Points from first forty levels."

"Prodigy…" 2B nodded, "She would have been scary if she were Three Star."

"No, that's the part about Prodigies, they are annoying to deal with," Ashwood barely finished the sentence when the silver-haired girl turned her eyes from all that distance away. Ashwood and 2B could see them because they could zoom in, yet they saw the look in her eyes. The eye that saw them and the wild grin. It was like coming face to face with a wild beast who was ready to hunt.

"Ah, troublesome," Ashwood raised his hand beside his body and a Katana appeared out of thin air, after being summoned. He wasn't the only one. 2B knew the difference between the two parties. She was stronger, faster, yet, seeing that girl zoom in through the air, coming at them made her take her sword out, to be ready for anything.

As soon as her whip could reach them, she grinned, "I found you!"

Irene struck her whip forward, for a moment, it seemed to get bigger, enough to cover both of them, but they didn't move and the whip passed through, a meter away from them. The girl landed a meter in front of them, looking up with curious big eyes, "That didn't work on you? Say. You two are not humans, are you?"

2B placed her Katana on her neck, "Let go of your weapon."

"Hmmmmmm," Irene narrowed her blue eyes, "something different from humans, more like a golem, but not a golem."

A smile appeared on her lips and she pivoted on her feet, dodging the sword, and swung her whip, it became bigger, and 2B stepped back. Last time she scanned it, she saw where it was truly going to hit, and so she didn't move. This time, the attack was about to hit her, and so she evaded it. Only, she got pulled forward, but the whip didn't hit her. She noticed the surprise on her the girl's face and she scanned her own state, realising she was in the air, being pulled by her master.

"Scary, right? Prodigies? You know what's the scariest about prodigies," Ashwood landed back on the hill, having created enough distance between them and Irene, "they fucking don't need the talent points. The kid disoriented our scan and senses by using magic. You thought you were backing away, but you were actually stepping just the right distance where you'd be hit by the most force of the whip."

"Illusion?"

"More like inducing hallucination," Ashwood looked back at Irene, who observed him, probably trying to figure out how he dodged her attack. He sighed, 'good thing there is such a big difference in stats. I don't think I can win against her if we were the same level. Or anywhere nearby. And this is Irene…if I come across them? Or the monsters that hide in these Heroines…uh…I can't even imagine.'

"2B stay back," Ashwood looked at the purple interface, keeping his hands down, and started coding in his head. The letters and numbers started appear on the screen. He wasn't doing much. It was easy coding. All he needed to do was create an inverse code for his hands and feet. Forward, backward, up and down, left and right. In the time that 2B moved to the bottom of the hill, Irene moved forward, slashing the whip multiple times, coming towards him from left and right, moving towards his head. He knew he had to duck, which he did, but his body jumped up. From this point of view, the whips that passed by the height where his knees were before. He saw her moving in for another attack. Her arm was already at the point where she was about to release her elbows. He jumped back, but his body went forward, his knee hit her in the head, dropping her on the ground.

He closed the program he had been running and held her wrists, pinning them down before she could get up, "geez, you are so troublesome."

Irene widened her eyes, bleeding from her nose, and tears appeared in her eyes, sending Ashwood in a panic, "No, no, no, no, don't cry!"

"I wham nwat crywing!!" Irene cried, and the more she cried, the more she bled through her nose. He let go of her hands, wiping her nose, using one of the small cures he brought from the system. He crushed the cube, sprinkling on her face, letting the nose heal up.

"Ok, ok, don't cry. You are all better."

Irene wiped her tears, "Not crying!"

"Right, right," Ashwood patted her head, 'that's why I don't like prodigies, they are still kids. Cute too.'

Irene glared at him with puffy eyes, "How did you defeat me?"

Ashwood scratched his cheek, 'what am I supposed to tell her. That I have S Grade Skill which allows me to code as fast as an AI? And I made Anti-Irene Cheat Program to counter your skills because I created your character and gave you those skills? Oh, yeah, that.'

He placed his finger on his lips, "I have a S-Grade Skill."

Irena's jaw hung open, "Really!"

She hurriedly went silent, inching closer. She whispered in his ear, "I have one too. Don't tell anyone."

"I won't if you won't," Ashwood chuckled, "but mine is better than yours."

Irene wrinkled her nose, "I don't believe you."

"See. I get to see yours and I will show you mine."

Irene held her chin, thinking deeply, nodding, "Ok. It's only because you defeated me. You may ask."

"Ow," She covered her cheek, having been flicked in the baby-cheeks. She glared at him before she giggled, feeling something go through her body when he placed his palm on hers. She watched the purple screen appear, two of them, and on one there was her name.

[Irene Sharp.]

[Race – Human]

[Affiliation – Neutral]

Level - 40

Energy - 4000

Strength –40

Endurance – 40

Body – 40

Agility – 40

Intelligence – 40

Mind – 40

Energy – 40

[Multiple Whips – Whip Proficiency. Deflection. Enhanced Agility, Speed, Vision, Balance, Combat, Dexterity, Repositioning. Acceleration Rotation. Spinning Attack. One Girl Army. Flawless Coordination. Vertigo Inducement. Vertigo Immunity.]

[Magic – Fireball (1).]

[Passive Abilities – Prodigy (10x All Hidden Attributes). One Girl Army (Doubles All Attributes per Whip Used.)]

[Trained Skills – Sword Proficiency (Novice). Knife Proficiency (Novice). Bow Proficiency (Novice). Pan and Pot Proficiency (Novice). Staff Proficiency (Novice). Wand Proficiency (Novice).]

[Titles – Prodigy (Gain Triple Attribute and Talent Points). One Girl Army (Grade Increases with Number of Whips).]