Chapter 6: Three Years Later.

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A shorter chapter.

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-Three Years Later-

Attuning anything took forever. Attuning a sword was agonizingly slow because I couldn't wield it outside of dungeons, and wearing it constantly only nudged the Attunement level up by a few percentage points each month. Ultimately, the item I finally attuned was a simple pair of flower-patterned cufflinks, dropped in a dungeon two years ago. I've worn them ever since. If I had known it would take almost three years to attune them, I'd have been furious. But now, looking back, I'm nothing but satisfied.

**[Shun Shun Rika (LV 23) – Active]**

*A replica of Orihime Inoue's power; these cufflinks embody the wearer's ability to reject the world around them. The strength of the wearer's mind empowers them, while weak convictions diminish their effectiveness.*

Seeing them manifest a month ago was a shock, but a welcome one. I had just unlocked my latest dungeon—one riddled with traps and walking statues—and used my new ability extensively for both offense and defense. It wasn't great for healing, as my body wouldn't change when damaged, and the first few uses actually chipped away at my health.

"And that's the correct way to spell fortitude," the English teacher droned on, right before the school bell rang, signaling a brief reprieve from the tedium of school life.

*1,837 Intelligence, and this is what I do every day,* I mused. *Most of these kids wouldn't grasp true fortitude if it tore through their weak bodies.* I was just being morbid. There was a world of difference between someone using the Gamer System for over ten years and someone who hadn't.

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**King**

**The Gamer**

**Title:** None

**Species:** Human

**Health:** 21,390/21,390 (HP Regen: 428 per minute)

**Mana:** 23,140/23,140 (MP Regen: 926 per minute)

**Level:** 93 (EXP: 15,589/32,000)

**STR:** 1,721

**VIT:** 1,659

**DEX:** 1,651

**INT:** 1,837

**WIS:** 1,685

**LUK:** 1,973

**Points:** 120

**Money:** 959,230¥

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My stat improvements were still capped by the limited time I could spend leveling up in the dungeon. My skills had improved similarly, and I received a special skill for reaching 1,000 in each stat. Strength gave me the ability to increase my Strength gradually in combat. Vitality allowed me to share portions of my regeneration with others. Dexterity let me find purchase on air and jump infinitely. Intelligence sped up my rate of thought. Wisdom allowed me to see a few seconds into the future when activated. Luck gave me the ability to store bad luck and convert it into good luck when needed.

Unfortunately, no new Outsider skills had been unlocked, and my skills every ten levels were mainly from the Unarmed branch, with a few Psychic skills and one Assassin skill. It was an eclectic mix, but it served me well in the few dungeon runs I could do once my parents' watchful eyes lapsed.

"King-san, it's time to leave," the teacher called. "You're zoning out again. Shouldn't you go play with your friends?"

I looked up, thanked him, and left the classroom. Of course, I had no actual friends. I'm an introvert by nature, and even if I weren't, I wouldn't waste my time with a bunch of mentally standard seven-year-olds. Not only would that be unproductive and a bit skeevy, but it also wouldn't be fulfilling in any way.

If I'm honest, my life is boring right now. Mysterious beings were known to the police but weren't yet a threat to most people's lives. Their attacks were infrequent and mostly handled by the police or army. In the manga, there was an explosion in their population sometime before the plot kicked off, but I couldn't remember exact dates or even how old King—or rather, how old I—would be when that boom happened.

Aside from training, I had nothing to do, and my training was constantly restricted by the inane bullshit I had to deal with daily. No, that's unfair to both my parents and society. I had never displayed my ability, so my parents and teachers treated me as a standard human. On the surface, my life was ideal, and it was only due to my special circumstances that I was having problems.

I decided I needed to test my strength, and I had the perfect way to do it. While mysterious being attacks were rare, there were various ninja villages, experimental labs, and at least one robotic organization that may have started before the series. However, those were too hardcore for me right now, so I decided to head straight into a tournament arc. There were other reasons for this, besides testing my strength in a relatively safe manner. While my stats were high compared to the civilians around me, my martial arts were virtually non-existent. Whenever I fought in a dungeon, I relied on my strength and speed, backed by a few skills when I needed an edge. When that failed, I pummeled them with waves of psychic force until their HP hit zero.

This all stats, no skill approach worked for a while, considering I stuck to fighting beasts with lower stats. But I always intended to learn martial arts or gain other abilities to serve as an effective force multiplier. By fighting and observing other martial artists, I could glean knowledge from them and incorporate their style into the one I would eventually create.

With a spring in my step, I headed home, intent on attending the next martial arts tournament.