Gamer of Capes and Worms

[Pef]

A crowbar would be a dozen times more durable than a metal bat. Of course, if you have money some durable metal like tungsten or boron would be even better. And later, some bit of Endbringer, like a claw from Leviathan would work even better.

Costume wise, sport-biker suits are made to resist falling off a motorcycle, and shark suits are often titanium chainmail made to withstand shark bites. Although, if you get more money, there are stronger tinker-tech materials, like the Dragon used to equip her troops.

Or buy a Cauldron vial, purpose-brewed to grant durability. There's even a guy in Bangkok called the Dealer who stole a bag of vials during the Madison event.

 

[Slycerr]

A crowbar would be a dozen times more durable than a metal bat. Of course, if you have money some durable metal like tungsten or boron would be even better. And later, some bit of Endbringer, like a claw from Leviathan would work even better.

Costume wise, sport-biker suits are made to resist falling off a motorcycle, and shark suits are often titanium chainmail made to withstand shark bites. Although, if you get more money, there are stronger tinker-tech materials, like the Dragon used to equip her troops.

Or buy a Cauldron vial, purpose-brewed to grant durability. There's even a guy in Bangkok called the Dealer who stole a bag of vials during the Madison event.

Click to shrink...

Using a crowbar would still be unwieldy at this stage. So while good for later, isn't a good weapon right now.

the biker armor was chosen with Blunt force in mind yes, and the shakr suit is a good shout out. don't know if they'll come around to using it though, because by then I think they have more conncetions for better suits.

And I don't know if Cauldron Vials are that accurate though, that one is gonne require some research.

Thanks for the review and opinion though, it defently made me think about some options and possible ideas I could integrate in the story.

 

[Slycerr]

The cultivation pills changed a lot. The 3 days I used them, my cultivation rose by a whole 12 points!

The back and forth between me and Parian also continued.

At first, she said again that she doesn't do cape costumes. But I replied by saying she doesn't do those because of the materials she doesn't have, which I didn't mind.

Now, the only way out of making me my costume would be admitting she lied to me, possibly angering me. This, in turn, would make her an enemy in her mind.

I, of course, wouldn't act like that, but she doesn't know that.

Maybe if I was a real young master, I can already imagine how that would turn out.

"How dare you deny me? I, your father, will teach you a lesson and make you kowtow to me like a dog!"

And then I would be beat up by 3 big fluffy teddy bears and slowly choked to death by my own clothes.

Eventually, she agreed to make me one full costume, but no contact besides online will be held. She will give me clear instructions to follow for fitting, and if they don't fit there will be no return policy.

I was fine with that, so I put in the deposit of 1000 bucks and was told the process should take about 2 weeks.

This does put me out of armor, so I did the sensible thing and bought a couple more jean jackets and motorbike armor from different stores, bought some extra baseball bats that I could store in my spatial ring while I was at it.

I also went to the second-hand store and purchased a lot of clothes to practice my enchanting on.

Spare armor it is. I still need it to not burn up when I need it—better use some useless clothes to test it on.

So now I was at home, about to cut myself because I needed my blood to enchant.

Having a bowl under my wrist and a healing pill at the ready, I just bite the bullet and cut myself.

When my blood fills the bowl about a finger knuckle deep, I take the healing pill and watch, fascinated, as the wound closes up in seconds.

Taking a sip from the grape juice I had prepared, I now have everything I need.

Taking a syringe and sucking up the blood and putting it in the fountain pen, I start to draw an inscription on a white shirt that is meant to make it more tear-resistant.

It's a combination of symbols and circles meaning connection and stasis—this should make it harder to be cut as the threads want to stay as they are.

After 5 minutes of drawing, I now have an inscription that covers the whole back of the shirt.

Pushing some Soul Energy into it, the pattern starts to glow a little bit.

Pulling on the threads shows they are more resistant to tearing, but before I could call it a success, the inscription intensifies in glow the more I try to destroy the shirt.

Seeing how the Soul Energy moves inside is fascinating—how it handles the symbols and circulates inside the pattern.

When it's at its absolute limit, the inscription burns up and disappears.

Along with the shirt.

Panicking, the shirt becomes a small fire, and smoke starts building in my apartment.

Quickly running to my sink, I throw the shirt in and under water before running to my window to let the smoke clear and prevent my smoke alarm from going off.

Looking at the notebook where I copied the design, I see where the burning of the pattern started and try to figure out what went wrong.

Was it because I only used circles? While the threads were only in straight lines? Would rectangles solve that problem?

Making a new inscription with the info I got, I took a new shirt and started drawing.

This time it seems to work for longer, but the resistance is also lower. Putting the shirt in the 'kinda success' pile, I tried something else and put the circles in straight lines.

This process of failure and maybe successes took about 2 hours and 10 burned shirts before I got towards something I was willing to call a success.

The pattern used mostly circles and a few rectangles that went through them to mean another kind of connection, with symbols mostly around them to complete the inscription.

I stabbed the successful shirt with a knife and it didn't tear.

My table still has a small knife hole in it, but the shirt was fine.

Finally, I take a break and look at the notifications that wanted to interrupt my focus.

[Inscriptions: Enchanting has leveled up!]
[Soul Manipulation Leveled up!]
[Soul Sense Leveled up!]
[Inscriptions: Enchanting has leveled up! 6x]
[Soul Manipulation Leveled up!]
[Inscriptions: Enchanting has leveled up!]

That's some decent progress for just one successful pattern—also for one that should be relatively basic.

The process did help me figure out some general rules about inscription-making.

I should probably look into some durable paper for battle scrolls.

But first, my armor.

Taking a blue jeans jacket and laying it on the table, I start drawing the inscription.

The final product looked like I went over it with a fine sharpie, and the blood darkened considerably on the dense fabric, almost making it look black instead of red.

But when I put some Soul Force into it, the pattern started to emit a crimson glow that looked absolutely awesome.

Now I needed to see if the inscription worked the same on shirts as it did on pants, so taking a random pair of pants I bought, I drew the inscription on one of the legs and activated it.

The enchanting looked fine, but testing it made it pretty obvious that the other leg was weaker for some reason.

Maybe because the effect was spread differently?

Inscribing the other leg fixed the problem, but after 10 seconds the area where the effects meet was starting to burn up.
…

Right where my crotch and ass basically…

So… we need to fix that.

A bit of finagling and another process of partial successes and burnt clothes.

I now had functional tear-resistant pants that didn't burn up my ass and balls.

Looking at the inscriptions on the back pockets that basically acted as stabilizers, the piece of

clothing now had 4 patterns on it.

It could be this was even sturdier than the jackets, but I've been on this almost 4 hours now and I seriously need a break.

Making something to drink and eat, I debate on what I will do the rest of the day.

Making more inscriptions is off the table, I've done that enough for now and need to release some tension. And now that I think about it,

There is no better way to do that than fight something.

At the same time, I could test out my new armor and get some more money and pills.

Next move decided, I finish my meal and get myself ready to go in the Undead Realm.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I think I look damn fine.

The blue jeans give some uniformity that gets broken up by the inscriptions. Together with the army boots and scratched helmet I bought, it makes me look more like a delinquent than a hero though.

Activating my IR Create/Destroy skill, I noticed something was added.

[Current Realms available: Undeath, Orchid City Ruins]

A new realm was added called the Orchid City Ruins Realm.

Despite me wanting to immediately go in it, I stayed my hand. I barely fought off the Undeath boss, there is no way I'm ready for the next floor.

That doesn't mean I can't theorize about it.

Obviously, the name should clue me in to something. Otherwise, the name would be as vague as the Undeath Realm. I just can't point my finger on it.

The urge to explore is strong, but this voice in the back of my mind is saying that if I can't even breeze through the Undeath Realm, going into the next is a death wish.

So reluctantly, I choose the Undeath Realm.

Fighting the zombies feels almost easy now, not having to worry that they could bite or scratch me with my armor. It makes them feel trivial, like I'm just collecting money on the way.

The ghouls are in the same boat, the Secret Soul Techniques making them immobile with Pressure, and the Soul Force spike I used on the boss completely knocks them out of the fight.

I'm basically playing whack-a-mole right now instead of the fights I was coming for.

Still satisfying though.

Until the message came that I was equally dreading and hoping for.

[The Boss has appeared, and it's coming for you.]

Immediately on high alert, I stretch my senses as much as I can.

This time the boss comes from the right, going full sprint and on all fours.

I start moving, not really trying to keep my distance but not wanting to stay still, and preparing a Soul Spike.

The muscled ghoul comes in range of me and jumps, arms trying to grab me.

At that moment I change direction and fire the spike at it.

Attacked in midair, it yells and tries to clutch its head instead of putting its arms to land properly.

It falls on the concrete, rolling for a few feet further.

In the meantime, I was already running towards it, ready to pummel its skull in.

Recovering faster than the previous time, it has just enough time to put a limb in front of my club. The arm shatters, but enraged now, it seemingly ignores its injury and jumps for me again.

This time the ghoul is too close for me to dodge, and it's on top of me again like the previous time.

The difference this time is that my jacket is strong enough to not be destroyed, and it's unable to make me bleed like last time.

It tries to bite into my helmet. Sadly for it, that was the one piece of armor I had that was already strong enough to survive its onslaught; the only thing it's doing is scratching it.

Inventorying my bag, and taking out my knife, I start stabbing it in its side.

It doesn't take long for it to become weak enough for me to throw it off of me.

Putting my full Soul Pressure on it makes it buckle. I don't stand idle though, running towards the monster when it's weakened.

I take out my axe instead of my bat and prepare to strike it at its neck.

This time it doesn't do a blocking maneuver and lets me cleave off its head clean.

[You have slain 'Nightmarish Ghoul']

[$689 added to your bank account]
[You have gained 2 Cultivation Pills]

[Secret Soul Techniques has leveled up!]
[Soul Manipulation has leveled up!]
[Soul Reinforcement has leveled up!]

Grinning at seeing my loot appear now in my inventory, I can't help but be very satisfied about how the fight went.

With the information I have from my previous fight with the boss and my new armor, the fight went better than I could have hoped.

The thing jumped me again, which is an annoying realization, but I had full trust in my enchanting to not have to panic like last time.

The inventory also helped immensely. Not having to worry overly about keeping my weapons in hand, I could just equip or unequip them whenever I want.

All in all, I'm happy with how the fight went. There are still areas I could improve, but that opinion will not disappear anytime soon anyway, so no need to dwell on it too much.

Again, a chest appeared next to the corpse.

Looking at the body, I wonder if I could use the black thick liquid for inscriptions, and if I even wanted to risk touching it.

The answer to that second part is a decisive 'no'.

Opening the chest, the only thing I see is a small glass pill bottle—no skill book this time.
Looking inside the bottle I see 5 pills.

[You have gained 5 Cultivation Pills]

I now had enough Cultivation Pills to last me a week, guaranteeing I will reach Bronze 2-Star this week, and maybe even be halfway into 3-Star.

Heck, if I could continue that pace, I could reach Silver Rank in half a year!

[Received a Quest!]
[Received a Quest!]

Already knowing what one quest is about, but wondering about the second one, I opened both of them.

---

Quest: My Soul is my Strength (2)

Become a Silver 1-Star Demon Spiritualist in 6 months' time.

Reward: [Demon Spirit]
Accept Quest: Yes/No

---

---

Become a real Demon Spiritualist boy!

Hold a Demon Spirit in your Soul Sea.

Reward: [Item]
Accept Quest: Yes/No

---

As I thought, one of the quests was to reach the Silver Rank.

Strange that the system considers holding a Demon Spirit difficult enough to require a quest on its own.

In Tales of Demons and Gods, that was basic knowledge that was taught very early in class.

Heck, children could do it.

Maybe because it's just that significant a step?

…

It probably isn't a bad idea to at least play with my Soul Force a bit every day to see what it could do…

Just to be sure.

Accepting both quests, I return home and end my day.

AN: I've picked up my 3DS again and started playing Ocarina of Time since the first time my mom bought it for me 14 years ago (thats the date from the last save file). I'm gonna finish the game this time, since back then I was an idiot 11 year old and didn't read any dialogue an got so far with just pure stubbornness (which I'm honeslt suprised by).

As for this chapter, we take a spin at Inscriptions enchanting and what all goes into it.
We also got 2 new quests to complete, do you guys have any idea what the rewards would be? leave your guess in the comments.

 

[Alkorian]

I enjoy this story friend, can't wait to read more

 

[Slycerr]

"Are you YoungMaster69?" asks the postman.

Embarrassed, I answer "Yes sir." and curse my past self for taking that name.

The bored man just asks me to sign a paper, clearly done with any bullshit coming his way.

He doesn't even ask for any proof.

Well, asking if there was a package for a 'YoungMaster69' was proof enough.

After signing, the man gives me a pretty big sealed box and goes back to looking at his computer, in the reflection of his glasses I can see he was playing a card game on it.

Letting the encounter go, I leave the post office and go back home, eager to check out my first costume.

On the bus, I look back at the past 2 weeks.

I followed the instructions to take measurements of me and messaged back and forth designs with Parian.

Another development is that Kid Win just joined the Brockton Bay Wards. And Purity has publicly declared leaving the Empire 88.

This, of course, has made the E88 more aggressive, to show that they aren't weaker with her leaving.

The ABB disagrees with that, so they have also been more aggressive lately.

That is all to say, I don't think I'm ready yet to go out even with my costume in my hands now.

I at the very least need to be peak Bronze Rank before I feel comfortable enough to go and actually do cape stuff.

Not that that time is far off, progress is going fast if I say so myself.

---

[Status]
Name: William Brooks
Class: NA
Soul Realm: Red
Soul Form: Disordered/ [Redacted]
Soul Attribute: Neutral
Sp. Physique: NA
Soul Force: 271
Body Force: 166
Inventory: 5m³
Money: $6225

---

83 points of Soul Force in 2 weeks was a speed I couldn't have dreamed of this early, eventually yes, but while I'm still in the Bronze Rank.

Body Force is lagging behind, but at this point I accepted most of my physical power will come from my Soul Reinforcement.

Even if it bugged my perfectionist mindset.

Talking about skills, progress was also very good.

[Meditation Lvl. 32]
[Soul Manipulation Lvl. 40]
[Soul Circulation Lvl. 31]
[Soul Sense Lvl. 27]
[Soul Reinforcement Lvl. 24]
[IR Create/Destroy Lvl. MAX]
[Secret Soul Techniques (Offensive) Lvl. 19]
[Divine Streaming Lvl. 6]
[Inscriptions: Enchanting Lvl. 15]

Soul Manipulation was the highest besides the obvious IR Create/Destroy Skill, which makes sense as I use it constantly with Soul Sense and Soul Circulation.

A nice surprise I got was when Soul Sense reached Lvl. 25.

---

Soul Sense Lvl. 27

The ability to sense Soul Energy outside the body.

Current distance: 81 ft
Can differentiate between Soul Energies (Lvl 25 Bonus)

---

I can now feel the difference between people's soul energy. I could already do this a bit, but that was more measuring the strength of them, and almost all of them were so small I'd have to focus on them to find any.

But now there are other things attached to it, some felt hotter than others, some had a lighter feeling to them and some darker.

Brian's had a smoky feeling to it.

That shocked me a bit, because that meant that powers had some connection to their Soul Sea.

This also meant I now was basically a cape radar. Well, that's the theory anyway, I haven't met a lot of capes after that upgrade to be 100% sure about it.

The next 2 highest skills are Meditation and Soul Circulation.

Meditation is always on since it's 25th level, but its leveling speed is the slowest by far, maybe I should read some more on it or try some new things. But it gives me a constant 48%

Soul Force gain, unless I'm sitting still, then it's just 32%.

Soul Circulation gives me 155%, which with meditation is 187% Soul gain.

Without pills, with it that shoots up to 935%!

I still can't use Soul Circulation while in movement, and I'm starting to think it isn't possible at all.

Seeing the bus reach my stop, I walk the rest of the way home thinking further about my skills.

Divine Streaming is still an exhausting skill, and I can only use it right now in straight lines.

I'm currently training it in the Undeath Realm after I kill the boss, on the days where I can't cultivate al day.

I was first trying to use it in short bursts, to see if that would conserve some energy.

That strategy made it actually worse, I'm guessing the bulk energy usage came from the conversion from matter to light, which made my use of it worse than the skill was even originally intended.

Being made of light was also a weird experience, being made of light also made it so light never reached me, so without my Soul Sense I was basically blind.

Well, while I was training I was in fact blind and panicked, it was only my current theory that made the most sense to me which made the experience somewhat bearable.

Using it was, in short, just teleportation.

Yes, I left behind a trail of light, but the speed I myself was moving at was still basically instantaneous.

I tested this with my phone.

I set a timer to activate in 10 seconds, took 10 steps away from it, waited for the beep and used Divine Streaming.

In that state I took the same 10 steps and deactivated the skill.

Looking at the timer showed 00.00.82.

0.82 seconds, take some time off for me to react to the beep and look down to the phone, and you get the picture on how fast I was moving.

Other than testing, I've been creating some more inscriptions.

Besides improving the tear resistance pattern a small bit, I've also created a blunt force resistance pattern and a fire resistance one.

I haven't figured out yet how I'm going to integrate the fire resistance in my costume yet, but considering how many capes use fire or a form of fire like lasers, I found it prudent to get started on preventing getting my ass burned.

Well, technically it's a heat resistance inscription, but fire resistance sounds cooler.

Finally getting home, I lay my package on the table and start to open it.

What I first pull out is probably the most important part of my costume.

The mask.

It's a clean white mask except a little color pattern under the left eye. It's more a helmet than a mask to be honest, its form looking a lot like Red Hood from Batman, though the face is a lot more streamlined, without any ridges for brows and cheekbones.

The mask was designed to give almost nothing away but still cover my head fully so I could enchant it.

Laying it on the table, I pull out the full costume.

It's based on a Hanfu and in a dark green color and decorated with black leather, the pants are also in black and of a soft material, the same as the rest of the costume.

The reason I chose a Hanfu is twofold.

It has layers, which makes stacking inscriptions easier, instead of trying to fit 3 patterns on one layer, I could just have a layer for every inscription.

The shoes are just some black running trainers I bought, I still haven't figured out how to make more complicated patterns that would be useful for shoes.

I'd also need a boot that goes to my knee if I actually wanted to inscribe anything, but the only thing I could find around was things with heels and I wasn't fighting crime in those.

Not being able to hold in my excitement, I try it on.

It takes a bit, having to watch a tutorial on how to wear it to my embarrassment.

But when I have it on and look at myself in the mirror, I can't help but voice.

"Damn, I look good."

I look like a proper cape.

Maybe the darker colors don't really convey 'hero' at first glance, and the sharp eye holes look a lot more menacing than originally intended.

But I look regal and ready for business.

Putting my arms behind my back and puffing up my chest, I say.

"Halt, mortals!" Swinging one hand dramatically in front of me "Unhand that woman and face my justice or suffer a thousand deaths!"

Holding that pose for a bit, I buckle and burst into laughter. That's a lot harder to do with a full mask on though.

Taking the clothes back off, I pull the different layers apart so I can inscribe them.

This takes me about an hour, being extra careful to have the inscriptions exactly at the right place and correctly drawn.

The most difficult one was the helmet, I inscribed the patterns on the inside instead of the outside, it was extra hard because this had by far the most inscriptions on one piece.

Next time I'm asking Parian to make it in two parts instead of a single whole.

Putting everything together and putting it on again, this time faster than the first time.

Activating the patterns, the darkened blood used to draw them starts to glow, making my regal look suddenly a lot more sinister.

Whelp, seems like I need to show people with my actions I'm a hero instead of with my costume.

Eh, I still look badass.

Taking it back off and putting it in my closet, I start cleaning my house a bit and scribbling some more theoretical patterns in my notebook before I make myself ready to go to the gym.

The way there was as boring as ever, which was good. The Empire or ABB don't really come to this area, but with Purity leaving them the E88 would take any chance to appear strong.

Taking some territory would certainly be a way to show that.

Arriving at the gym and going to the locker rooms, I was stopped by Mr. Laborn.

"Liam, could you come to my office for a bit."

Confused why, I still follow him.

The inside of the office looks like one of those standard coach offices. A locker, some boxing pictures, and a desk that was chosen purely for its utility rather than its looks.

Gesturing towards one of the two seats in front of the desk, he just says "Sit", and goes towards his own chair.

Sitting, I look towards Mr. Laborn, waiting for him to start the conversation.

He takes a moment, before looking straight into my eyes.

He says, "It's starting to show."

Confused by the vague statement, I question what he's talking about.

"What's starting to show? I don't get it."

Sighing, he answers, "Your powers, son, it's becoming obvious."

...

What?

Shocked, I can't help but voice, "What? What are you talking about?"

He keeps his serious face.

"Liam, when you came here you had trouble with a basic workout, now you can do a more advanced workout I give to guys that have been here for years without even being winded."

Trying to come up with an excuse, I don't get the opportunity as he just continues talking.

"Granted, you tried to hide it, which you did pretty well, and some think you maybe just started doping. But I've been at this for decades at this point, I know the signs of doping, and you show none of them."

I know myself enough that my mouth is imitating a fish right now.

This came so out of nowhere that I can't think of any excuse to talk myself out of this.

Sighing, I just look at him resigned.

"How long did you know?"

Now a small smile on his face, he gives me a small nonchalant shrug.

"I suspected for a while, I just confirmed it now though..."

...
...

"WHAT?!"

Disgruntled at the noise, Mr. Laborn tells me,

"Could you keep your voice down, unless you want the whole gym to know?"

Shutting my mouth, I stare at the man that seemed so blunt and straightforward.

Understanding the look I'm giving him, he explains.

"I had a gut feeling, and in my time I've learned to trust it. I do admit I hoped you would exclaim of just taking a new drug or something, so the complication was just me yelling at you for being stupid and ruining your body."

Recovering a bit, I take a deep breath before replying, doing my best to keep my voice down.

"That's still not enough to claim someone is a cape!"

He shrugs, SHRUGS at that.

"I was still right, though."

At that I sag, how am I supposed to reply to that...

Apparently, blowing my cover, as terrible as it was, wasn't enough.

No, because Mr. Laborn wasn't satisfied with uncovering my secret—that was just the start.

"Besides, it isn't like I don't have experience on that front."

At that moment, like it was planned, a knock came from the door.

Knock knock

Before I can say anything, Mr. Laborn answers.

"Come in."

Opening the door was none other than Brian.

...

No... he wouldn't.

...

"Sit, son, it's time we talk about some stuff you have been hiding."

-Brian Laborn-

It doesn't happen often that my father asks something of him.

Part of that is because he is almost never home, doing jobs as a cape to gather the money to get an apartment.

Another part is that his dad is big on self-sufficiency. If it's something that he can do himself, then his father does it himself.

So rarely is he asked to do something.

The only thing he ever asks now, is to take care of his sister.

But coming to the gym also isn't that unusual an ask, so I come over every few weeks to hang out and refresh my boxing skills.

But his dad didn't ask to come to the gym.

He asked to come to his office.

Knowing him, I know I don't really have a choice in the matter.

Jack Laborn has standards—so long as you meet those standards, you have a lot of freedom.

But for the rare time he asks something from you, he expects it to be followed with a 'Yes, sir' and for you to do what he says.

So I came to his office and knocked.

Knock knock

A second later I hear a "Come in." And I do so.

The first person I see is dad, sitting behind his desk.

The second person I see is, surprisingly, Liam.

He's staring at him with eyes wide and mouth opening and closing, like a fish.

Then I look back to my dad, back to him, back to dad, and back to him.

"Sit, son, it's time we talk about some stuff you have been hiding."

Well, that is ominous.

Sitting down, I looks at my father and ask.

"What do you mean, Dad? Also, why is Liam here?"

Moving my eyes to Liam, I see that he just looks resigned, with his shoulders hanging low.

Not a posture I'm used to from him.

"The fact that you have been a cape for a long time now, of course."

My thoughts halt and my neck moves so fast that it wouldn't surprise me if it would've snapped.

Questions and denials are on the tip of my tongue, but before I can voice any of them Liam says something.

"That reaction gave it away, by the way—it's how he got me with it."

Moving my sight from dad back to Liam, I just stare at him.

Damn, he's right. I should have been more in control of myself; such reactions could ruin a job.

Now how is he supposed to get himself—
...

Did Liam just say "that's how he got me"?

That would mean...

"You're a cape?" I question, shocked.

Sighing again, Liam replies.

"Yes, I've been for a few months now. I thought I hid it pretty well, but apparently not."

Before I can say something, my dad cuts in.

"And that's why I called you here. I was fine ignoring your 'late night activities' so long as it was just you. Because I know you can take care of yourself."

He stops for a moment, looking at them both.

"But the moment I noticed Liam showing some unusual signs that didn't make sense, I knew that you young men would realize each other's secrets eventually. As such, I took the liberty of speeding it up."

Suddenly standing up, dad looks at them with what he can only describe as a small glint of mischief, and he finishes the conversation.

"Now, now that you both know about each other and get along, I leave and let you talk amongst yourselves."

Then he moves his eyes from both of them to just solely himself.

"Brian, I know you have questions, but we will talk about that at home, between the two of us."

That shuts my mouth up, which without his knowledge was opening to question him.

Then he just nods and left his office.

Now, alone with Liam. He doesn't know how to start, which is funny because that is normally pretty easy with his friend.

It wasn't him who broke the silence, though.

"Soooo, what are your powers?"

Of course that's the first thing he says...

AN: That was a pretty big one wasn't it.

For those of you who think this was very abrupt, good, that's how it was supposed to feel.

Liam was so in his own world and objectives, that someone notices something strange about him.

This person luckily was on Liam's side. Mr.Laborn from the very beginning thought something was going on with him, and after months of quietly observing, decided to do something.

Was it a gamble? Of course it was, but one with little downsides. And if he's right? Now the kid who he likes has a mentor in the form of his son, and his son now has a comrade that's got his back.

And the great thing? They're already friends!

I'm not expecting everyone to like this chapter, but it was this or just quietly power leveling until he could curb stomp every cape in BB, which would be boring to write honestly.

 

[Perdues]

As much as I'm enjoying the quiet build, it's probably right for someone to have noticed.
That said, Laborn outing both him and his son together is such a massive breach of trust that I'd want to share precisely zero information. Fuck, most capes probably would've just killed him straight up for outing him like that.
Add that to the fact that Brian knowing about you means that Coil will now absolutely discover you before you're ready and it's enough to hate Laborn.

Exposure makes sense, but any sort of collaboration with Brian and the gym would probably be way off my priority list given how little they just proved they can be trusted.

 

[mpbjunkie]

Interesting direction to take things in.

 

[DanTheKitten]

interesting outing choice. Personally if i was MC in that situation i would be quiet because if Brian already have the eye of Coil u know damm well that MC might have Coil on his ass soon. Of course MC could always just hide in IR create.~

 

[Slycerr]

interesting outing choice. Personally if i was MC in that situation i would be quiet because if Brian already have the eye of Coil u know damm well that MC might have Coil on his ass soon. Of course MC could always just hide in IR create.~

Click to shrink...

The creation of the underside is still a year away, so Coil is still pretty far off, that being said he is still something to keep in mind, just not something to immediately worry about.

 

[Slycerr]

-William Brooks-

"Soooo, what are your powers?"

Brian's shoulders sag at my question.

I already know, of course, but if I have to ask to get out of this silence, then I'll do so.

As an introvert, I like silence. But the awkward ones can fuck off; those do double damage.

Looking at me with tired eyes, he explains in a resigned tone.

"I can create smoke from my body that interferes with sound and light. I don't see the smoke, so I can look around just fine. It... has helped me in a pinch before."

Reacting suitably impressed, he apparently doesn't know yet it interferes with a lot more than just those two, even able to interfere with some breaker states like Shadow Stalker's.

Or maybe he doesn't want to reveal all his cards. Which, to be fair, is a sensible thing to do.

"What's yours?" he asks.

Now how to answer that?

"It's kind of difficult to explain. But the closest I could explain it is that I'm a Trump/Brute with a really advanced support power."

Eyes widening, he looks at me surprised.

"A Trump?! That's really good!" But then his brow furrows, "But what do you mean with 'a support power'?"

Am I really about to explain game mechanics to a martial arts jock?

"Have you ever played an RPG game, Brian?"

Leaning back and one brow lifted, Brian looks a bit weird at me, but answers anyway.

"Once, Matt tried to get me into it but it never stuck. I know Spencer plays with him online sometimes though. Why?"

Thank you, Matt, for doing all the hard work for me. I will buy you a book the next time we hang out.

"Well, my support power is basically a grab bag that makes certain aspects of my power like an RPG character, for example."

I take a pen, show it to him, and put it into my Spatial Ring.

"I have an inventory of 5 cubic meters where I can put stuff in."

Taking the pen back out, I lay it back on the desk.

"I also have a separate world where I defeat monsters and gain resources and money from."

Slack-jawed, Brian just mutters, "You know how insane that sounds?"

"Oh, I'm very aware."

Processing what my power is, I see his eyes widening at remembering what I said.

"You said your power gives you money?"

Knowing where this is going, I just nod.

He's still undecided, like he isn't sure how or even if he should ask.

Like the good friend I am, I just ask for him.

"You wondering if you could get a piece of the pie by helping me defeat the monsters?"

Shocked, like it wasn't showing on his face, he just nods, a little embarrassed.

Dude, if I didn't know that you had a mask that showed nothing of your face in your cape identity, then I would question how you survived being a villain.

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem. I'd probably need to give the money in cash later though; my power just drops the money in my bank account."

Looking skeptical, he can't help but exclaim,

"You're bullshitting."

My immediate reply was, "Dead serious."

An awkward silence follows.

Dammit, silence again, and this time I feel like it's my fault.

"Anyway, I know it's weird. But I haven't gotten any questions yet for the months I've been using it, so it should be legal. I also don't think my power would fuck me over on that front."

Heck, for the same reason, I could probably find a way towards a party system or something.

*[Received a quest]

No fucking way.

---

​

Quest: Create your sect!

Find a way for others to cultivate.

Reward: [Sect Update]
Accept quest: Yes/No

---

Well, that is handy.

"There's maybe even a way my support power can affect you, so you could gain loot and money too."

Brian's eyes, that were looking away from me, snap back, his complete focus.

"What? Really? How?!"

Okay, calm the fuck down please.

"My power could affect you too apparently. Yes, really. And I don't know yet."

Confused, he questions, thankfully quieter this time.

"How do you know it's possible but not how to do it?"

Then, with the most serious voice I could muster, I told him,

"Because I got a Quest for it."

...
...

"You... got a quest for it?"

"Yep."

"Like actually?"

"Again, dead serious."

...
...

Brian sighs, "I need a break."

...

That's fair.

"We can discuss this more on the weekend if you want. I'd need to figure out a way to complete this quest anyway."

Looking just done with today, Brian just nods and we both get out of the office.

Mr. Laborn is on the other side of the gym, looking at us the moment we come out of his office.

I just smile and nod at him, which he returns. Then I leave the gym, training completely forgotten.

I and Brian decide to meet at my apartment Sunday morning; that should give me some time to get at least a few ideas to test then.

The most likely way is somehow activating his Soul Force and teaching him cultivation.

After all, the quest is called 'Create your sect!' and a sect is about teaching.

While the chance is small he could use the Heavenly God Technique, and honestly even smaller if I want to give people it,

I could still teach him the basics.

Maybe feed him a Cultivation Pill to gather Soul Energy in himself?

So that's what I did for the 2 days. I cultivated and wrote some ideas that got scratched almost immediately.

Inscribing an inscription in a person to activate their Soul Sea? Could work. Not skilled enough for it, so scratched.

Let them meditate until they feel it? Could take weeks or even months, and I don't know if they even could feel it without help.

So Sunday morning, I was still scribbling until I heard my doorbell ring.

Opening the door, I saw Brian standing there nervously with a bag hanging from his shoulder, body language what I could only describe as fidgeting.

"Come in."

Doing so, he starts to look around.

My apartment still looked mostly the same, with some books or small trinkets around the place.

When he enters the kitchen, his eyes immediately zero in on my costume lying on the table.

I follow him and answer his unspoken question.

"I haven't gone out yet in it, if that's what you're asking. Don't even have a name yet."

I go around the table and put the costume into my inventory. Where it will stay until I'll wear it.

Brian looks confused at that, which he voices, "You have that good a costume, but no name yet? Normally one comes after the other, Liam."

Shrugging, I say back, "Well, I needed it so I could enchant it. I wasn't planning to go be a cape for a while yet."

Looking at me like I just said something insane, he says, "Enchanting, like the games? That enchanting?"

Shrugging again, "Well, technically it's called Inscription: Enchanting, but yeah, like the games."

And now Brian is staring at me again.

"What are you looking at me like that for? I'm pretty sure I told you my support power is very RPG-y. If you want me to enchant your costume, you just have to ask, dude."

"That's not... Whatever. If you can, then yes please."

I just nod, "Sure man, it will take an hour or so though. So if you don't mind waiting that long? You could also leave it with me today and pick it up later."

Rubbing his chin and thinking it over, Brian decides to leave me his costume and immediately go into trying to finish the 'Quest'.

"Well, I have 3 options right now. Well, 4. But I don't think the fourth will work."

"What's the 4th?"

Well, here goes nothing.

"System, invite Brian Laborn."

...
...

"So I have 3 options."

Deadpanned, Brian just said 'uh huh' in that 'are you stupid' voice.

Rude.

"The options require some explanation."

Seeing Brian concentrated on me and gesturing for me to continue, I take a deep breath and explain.

"My Power works with an energy I call Soul Force, and my System power facilitates its growth. The plan is to find a way for you to use the energy and my power also supporting it,"

I explain.

"So how are we going to do that?" he asks.

"I'm going to push my energy into your body and circulate it, hoping it will activate your Soul Force and allow you to cultivate. Which would complete the quest and allow me to add others to my system."

Looking nervous, Brian says, "And this isn't dangerous?"

"Soul Force hasn't shown any dangerous effects in the months I've been using it," I state.

Not fully on board, but the chance to not do illegal things for money is a chance too big to ignore.

So we get ready. He sits on the couch, trying to find a comfortable position, while I stand behind it with my hands on his back.

"Now, take deep and slow breaths. Try to let your thoughts pass by and not hold onto them."

Waiting for him to follow my instructions, I see him slowly relax and his shoulders sag a bit, previously stuck solid from stressing.

Slowly, I start pushing my Soul Force into him and not doing anything further for now.

Seeing no reaction, I take my energy inside him and start circulating it inside his body.

This I do for 10 minutes, Brian showing no sign of the Soul Energy but even more relaxed than the beginning.

Pulling my hands back, the energy disappears inside his body.

Brian was startled awake and says, "Huh, that was relaxing. But I don't feel anything different besides that."

That's a bust then.

But that nagging feeling in the back of my head is telling me we were so close.

That gives me an idea though.

Taking a pill out of my inventory, I look at it.

---

Cultivation Pill

Speeds up the cultivation speed by 2.5x
Heavenly God Bonus: cultivation speed is 5x
Duration: 12h

---

While the screen just says it increases cultivation speed, using it I noticed that taking the pill makes my body automatically absorb Soul Energy. Like the body is a gravity well and the Soul Energy gets sucked in.

Combine that with cultivating the normal way and the speed increases.

...

The second option was just giving him the pill anyway. Combining the 2 options isn't going to negatively impact him anyway.

I'm like 80% sure.

"Take this pill," I say to him.

Taking it, Brian looks at it warily. "And this is?" he asks.

"It's called a Cultivation Pill, it helps gather Soul Energy," I answer.

"And it's safe?" he questions.

"Of course it is," I say with zero hesitation.

I'm like 75% sure.

"Okay then," and he pops it in his mouth.

Going back to our positions, I put my hands on his back again. Instead of pushing my own Soul Force in him, there is already some gathered, so I circulate that.

It is a lot more difficult to do, but I just manage it.

[Soul Manipulation leveled up!]

Not now system.

Keeping this up for 5 minutes, suddenly Brian says,

"I felt something, something... I can't explain it."

"Good, next time you feel it, try and follow it. Don't reach for it, just let it flow through you."

That's what we did for the next hour.

I circulated the Soul Force inside his body while he tried to sense it, trying to be aware of where it is.

Every time he felt the Soul Energy, Brian called out, and the time between the callouts was becoming shorter and shorter.

Meanwhile, I'm slowly starting to get a headache concentrating on moving foreign energy.

It felt like the longer I did this, the harder it became, but the level-ups were a nice reward.

I could live without the notifications though.

Until finally—

"I grabbed it!" Brian yelled joyously.

[Brian Laborn felt his Soul Force for the first time!]

[Brian Laborn became your first disciple!]

[As you gained a disciple, you are awarded a compatible 'Cultivation Technique']

[Gained the 'Void Demon Technique']

[Quest: 'Create your Sect!' Completed!]

---

Quest: Create your sect!

Find a way for others to cultivate.

Reward: [Sect Update]
Accept reward: Yes/No

---

Voicing 'Yes,' another screen popped up.

---

The Sect System Update!

You can now create and add people to your sect!

You will be able to see their information and help guide them on the path of cultivation!
They enjoy partial benefits from the Tales of Demons and Gods System.

---

Information on the system change and how I need to use the Sect feature fills my mind.

Looking into my inventory, I see a new book has appeared. Taking it out, I see the title is called Void Demon Cultivation Technique.

[Do you wish to learn the 'Void Demon Cultivation Technique'? Yes/No]

Choosing 'No' for now, I turn back towards Brian, who is clearly still in his own world.

Spreading my arms out in a grand gesture, I say,

"Congratulations are in order. Welcome to the ranks of cultivators—those who defy the heavens."

Brian just stares at me like an idiot.

Which... fair, I guess.

Slowly letting my arms down, I cough into one hand out of embarrassment.

"Okay, so disregarding that. I can now invite you into my sect, which is basically my party. Then you should be able to use my system."

He doesn't even question anything at the mention of a 'sect,' despite the bad history America has with them, that out of it is he.

"Oh, yeah. Let's do that first," Brian says somewhat halfheartedly, probably wanting to explore this new energy he has now—which I fully understand.

But we started this with some goals in mind, so let's get to those first. Playing with a reality-altering energy later.

"Create sect."

[Creating Sect...]
[...]
[Sect created!]

[What will your Sect name be?]

What should the name be?

I'm creating it to help a friend, but that's just its first goal.

In the end, the end goal should be the same as mine, which is saving the world from the entities.

And rather sooner than later, preferably.

At that, an idea comes to mind that makes me want to laugh.

"The Sect name will be 'Early Bird.'"

[You have created the Early Bird Sect]

[You are now the Sect Master of the Early Bird Sect!]

[You can now invite cultivators to your sect!]

"Invite Brian Laborn to the Early Bird Sect."

[Invitation sent!]

Brian almost falls out of my couch, probably from the screens that popped up in front of him.

I get it, man. The first week was rough for me too.

Reading what's on the screen, he looks back at me weirdly.

"Early Bird Sect? Really?" he says.

"It's an inside joke for me, don't worry about it," I answer, trying not to smirk.

Brian shakes his head but still clicks yes.

[Brian has officially joined your Sect!]

[You can now see his Stats, Soul Type and Attribute]

Oh, let's take a look.

---

[Status]
Name: Brian Laborn
Soul Realm: Red
Soul Form: Black Hole
Soul Attribute: Void
Soul Force: 6
Body Force: 197

---

Already almost a 2-Star Bronze Fighter, but what should I have expected from a martial arts nut.

His Soul Realm and Form are pretty basic, but his Attribute being Void is interesting.

Was this influenced by his power, or was it the other way around?

I guess the only way to know is if I make somebody a cultivator before they trigger. But I doubt that chance will come, as I wouldn't want somebody I know ever needing to experience a trigger event.

Pushing the cultivation technique in my hand towards Brian, I say,

"Here, learn this technique. It should be compatible with you."

He takes the book…

And opens it…

"What are you doing?" I ask.

Brian looks at me. "Reading the book you want me to learn?" he says, like I'm the stupid one.

"You didn't get a screen wanting you to learn it?"

"Uh, no? Should I have?" looking at me confused.

"I guess you didn't get full system access," I mutter, thinking what to do now.

In the end, I leave the decision to Brian. It's, after all, his choice.

"Well, that makes that a bit more difficult. But what do you want to do today then? Cultivate or earn some money?"



AN: I completely rewrote this chapter because I wasn't happy with it. It's a significant improvement story and logic-wise, trust me.

Anyway, how is your guys' day going? Mine, when I was writing this, was uneventful but still pretty busy.

I do feel I improved a bit since I started writing this story—not anything to brag about, but noticeable, I think.

Let me know what you guys think.

 

[Arrowman]

It feels natural. Just two bros talking it out.

 

[Guest054]

I liked the fan fiction, but I had one question.
How will the main character show that he is not a camel? How will he prove to Oni Lee, by appearing in public wearing a hanfu, an oriental mask, and with his cultivation, that he's not Asian and doesn't have to serve Lung? What camel will give him a certificate that he is not Asian? And who would believe such a certificate?

 

[Guest054]

On the last chapter:
I think the main character told Brian about the system too soon. Give a rough idea of his powers, and only when Brian is used to Liam's powers and generally doesn't care what his friend calls it, should you tell him about the system.
But since I've always been into smooth developments, my opinion probably isn't that helpful.

P.S.:
Regarding my first post:
I think Liam's "training armor" — jeans and a motorcycle helmet — goes well with the Brian-Grue costume and references Daft Punk. Perhaps Liam will consider patrolling the city in a "training suit" until he's strong enough to wear an oriental outfit and fend off attacks from Lung and Oni Lee.