Ugwaaaa!
"Grul, that's not how you write it, you're supposed to add a line at the middle, slicing through the ellipsis vertically."
What does that even mean?!
"You'll get used to it once you learn it."
Easy for you to say, you probably have an Intelligence of more than 50!
I was a bit miffed at the sudden shift of intensity.
It's a large pill to swallow, and like a certain money-grubbing crab, I hate the pill.
One day, I was standing in a field for warriors, beating the daylights out of a veteran, the next I'm sitting across a small figure wearing a bird mask, trying to figure out what kind of rune symbol this letter is.
If you want to know what they look like, it's like a combination of Ancient Gaelic and Kanji.
I never had to deal with this when I was playing the game—all of the text, spoken or written, were in my language.
I guess the game automatically localized it for me for convenience.
Yet, for some reason, the only thing that stayed with me when I came here was the localized-spoken language.
Is that a bug or a feature by the devs to make it harder for me?
Well, anyway, I am, at the very least, grinding my skills to level up.
But boy, this is as boring as playing an AFK game and staying Free-to-play.
The physician who—I'll just call them Doc at this point—read some medical books along with me was still jumpy around me.
Every time I made a noise of confusion or frustration, Doc would flinch, look at what I was reading, and then whisper the correction.
"You're writing 'Grul sees the sky' when the text clearly states 'The ox eats the hay'. They are different subjects and actions, although both involve large bodies."
What is it with you and bodies?
Why are doctors always weird nutcases…
At least there's one good thing abut Doc; it's that they're instructing me like they're desperate to get the job over with.
Every day I was with Doc, Doc would ensure that I had learned the lesson on that exact same day, no matter what.
And after two full weeks, it finally happened.
I finally understood the humie language.
…The part about me speaking the humie language is still a bit—let's just say, complicated, but still, I finally got it.
I looked through and read an entire book.
Not just the words, but the meaning of the words—the essence of the words.
The text was about crop rotation, which was insanely boring—making an essay about it even more so—but still!
I read it!
And understood it!
To the point I can make a critical analysis of it!
I feel young again, like I'm in 10th grade again!
"You…completed it."
Doc spoke, tapping my essay.
"You have achieved a truly remarkable pace, Grul. The required comprehension for your contract is fulfilled now."
I felt a surge of pure, glorious relief sweep me once I heard Doc's declaration.
"I (Grul)…can read."
Doc nodded along, collecting the books that were scattered around in a slow, meaningful pace.
What does a 'meaningful pace' mean, you ask?
I don't know either, I just felt like describing it as such right now.
"Yes. Now all of us can rest."
I watched Doc's hands move.
Hands that didn't have gloves on top of them for the first time—bare hands.
They were small hands, pale, and surprisingly clean for someone who lived in medieval fantasy times.
It felt like they were…too quick, to say the least.
Like they practiced snatching things before.
I always wondered if the Doc was hiding something about themselves—could it be they weren't an actual physician and were just booking it?
I've seen enough misunderstanding novels to know the trope; maybe this is one of them.
"You (Doc)."
I walked in front of the Doc and leaned forward.
Doc froze for some reason, were they still not over the 'pee' incident?
"Mask. Why?"
I asked as I pointed at the beak mask.
Doc realized what I was pointing at and clutched their beak mask, swerving their head to the side.
"I...I must wear it. It's the rules of the profession. To keep the patients safe."
'Rules of the profession'?
Was there, like, a medieval list of rules for doctors or something?
I mean, a medieval Hippocratic Oath?
"Hum. You sick?"
Doc held a deep sigh and shook their head.
"No. It is an old habit. Back where I came from, there were certain…expectations. Certain people who would not allow someone like me to hold such knowledge, or even to live freely."
Damn, there was a lore reason behind this?
Doc's voice was suddenly quiet, dropping its timid, mousy tone.
The voice sounded different—softer, lighter, and not like an experienced, grizzled middle-aged man physician.
It sounded—well, it sounded nice.
My Orcish mind, however, immediately went to the very obvious conclusion I got from all the clues of my amateurish investigation spanning just a few minutes ago.
"You steal things?"
"No!"
Doc hissed at my rather careless statement, then quickly calmed down.
"No. I…I had to hide my identity for other reasons. From a world that did not approve of me becoming a physician."
Looks like Doc was a major character with an important backstory in the original game.
How did I not know about this before?
…Oh, right, modding wild ride.
"Grul. Please look at me."
Doc's eyes—which I could see through the mask's holes—met mine.
They were bright, and for the first time, not fearful or shaky.
They had a defiant, almost fierce glint.
I suddenly had a confusing, funny feeling.
As if this person was…rather charismatic.
Charming, even!
…Eugh, the hell did I just say there?
Shaking my head, I felt confused with the sudden impulsive thought I had acquired.
Did this doctor have some sort of passive charm aura?
Damn, now that I think about it, I'll have to learn how to get mental resistance sooner or later.
Stepping back and clapping my hands once, I grunted in satisfaction.
"I go back now. Training done now."
Doc shifted back to their normal state, speaking in a quiet and timid tone.
"Of course. You…you've done well. You are very strong, Grul."
As I walked out, I glanced back at Doc, who was still standing by the table, running those pale hands over the cover of the books.
I felt like I learned two things today: one, how to read a (short) book, and two, that the Doc was weird, but definitely not boring.
Finally done with both trainings, I flicked my wrist, ready to see the spoils of effort.
+====================================+
// STATUS SCREEN //
+====================================+
|NAME: Grul
|RACE: Orc
|CLASS: None
|LEVEL: 23
|XP: 111/800
+------------------------------------+
|HEALTH: [███████--] 80% (Darkness Inflicted)|
|STAMINA: [████████--] 80% (Darkness Inflicted)|
|MANA: [----------] -10/0 |
+------------------------------------+
|ATTRIBUTES:
|STRENGTH: 60 (+18 Racial)|
|DEXTERITY: 40|
|VITALITY: 55 (+18 Racial)|
|INTELLIGENCE: 30|
|WISDOM: 30 |
+------------------------------------+
|SKILLS:
|- Unarmed Combat (B+) (Passive)
| ↳"Everybody was kung-fu fighting!" - Carl Douglas … Increases effectivity of unarmed combat.
|- Sprinting (B+)
| ↳ Drastically increases movement speed at the cost of stamina.
|- Orcish Blood (A+) (Passive)
| ↳"Orkz is made for fightin' and winnin'!" - Ghazghkull Thraka … Bestows a formidable constitution and innate combat prowess. Provides a significant bonus to physical attributes and combat effectiveness. Also changes your diction when talking to others. For each battle you survive, increase physical attributes comparative to the difficulty of the battle fought.
|- Throwing (B+) (Passive)
| ↳ Increases the accuracy and force of thrown objects.
|- Iron Stomach (B) (Passive)
| ↳ A growing tolerance for poorly prepared, rough, or unappetizing food. Reduces the negative effects of consuming spoiled or low-quality ingredients. Also provides moderate immunity against status ailments like poison, venom, and paralysis.
|- Intimidating Aura (B+) (Passive)
| ↳ Beings feel a sense of pressure when they're around you. Makes people feel more inclined to agree with you or even submit.
|- Roar (B+)
| ↳ "THIS IS MY SWAMP!" - Shrek … Potentially cause enemies to be terrified or confused. Probability proportionally increases with level difference.
|- Trap Making (B+)
| ↳ Allows the creation of exemplary traps using raw materials which could incapacitate, severely wound, or eliminate the one caught inside of one.
|- Axe Mastery (B+)
| ↳ "Here's Johnny!" - Johnny Torrance … Considerably increases efficiency of axes you are using.
|- Heavyweight (C) (Passive)
| ↳ "Move 'em on, head 'em up, head 'em up, move 'em on, move 'em on, head 'em up, Rawhide!" - Frankie Laine … Causes all things with a weight greater or equal to 10 lbs. to have their weight value reduced by 35% when you carry, hold, or drag them.
|- Survivalist's Instinct (A+) (Passive)
| ↳ Provides a complete, intuitive mastery of fundamental wilderness survival techniques. Also grants a heightened awareness of the environment, allowing for the automatic detection of food, water, resources, and hidden dangers. Gives a huge boost to stamina regeneration and overall perception.
|- Shadow Hunter (A) (Active/Passive)
| ↳ "The predator's silence is the prey's oblivion." ... Seamlessly blends movement with the environment to achieve near-total concealment. Drastically reduces visibility and sound while moving. The longer you maintain concealment and focus on a target, the higher behavioral information you gather, or crit rate, should you choose to strike at the poor victim.
|- Brutal Intuition (B+) (Passive)
| ↳ "The head is for thinking, the gut is for knowing." ... Grants an automatic, instinctive reading of an opponent's weakness. Provides a moderate bonus to critical strike chance and large bonus to perception.
|- Makeshift Fortress (B+)
| ↳ "*Home Depot theme starts playing*" ... Allows for the rapid construction of temporary, sturdy defensive structures, such as barricades and basic shelters, using raw materials with a 50% reduction in required materials and time.
|- Environmental Weaponry (C+) (Passive)
| ↳ "Every tool is a weapon, if you hold it right." … Drastically increases the effectiveness and durability of improvised weapons, such as rocks, tree branches, and salvaged junk. Improvised weapons can also be sacrificed to stun or temporarily disable armored opponents.
|- Trailblazer (C+) (Active/Passive)
| ↳ "Where we're going, we don't need roads." - Doc Brown … Reduces the stamina cost of travel through dense wilderness. Actively allows the creation of temporary marked trails for easier retracing of steps.
|- Juggernaut (A) (Active/Passive)
| ↳ "I ain't got time to bleed." - Jesse Ventura … Considerably improves stamina and health and their respective regeneration. Grants severe immunity against physical status ailments. Physical effort will continue so long as mental will has not ceased. When activated, gain 50% damage reduction at the cost of severe aftereffects.
|- Battle Trance (A) (Active/Passive)
| ↳ When in actual combat, acquire battle trance stacks. As more stacks are gained, strength and attack speed continually increase. At ten stacks, ignore one hit for every ten hits.
|- Gambler's Luck (D) (Passive)
| ↳ "GAMBA GAMBA GAMBA! / Let's go gambling! Aw, dang it! Aw, dang it! Aw, dang it!" … In stressful situations, increases your luck by +3 as you continue to endure. If you voluntarily make it even more stressful for yourself, luck increases by +6.
|- Cockroach (D) (Passive)
| ↳ Possess an infuriating ability to survive fatal damage. Once per month, if HP reaches 0, will instead stop at 1 and are granted immunity to any damage for 12 seconds. Does not cure already afflicted status ailments.
|- Marksman (B)
| ↳ Upon hitting an enemy's weak spot, cause a critical strike to occur alongside weak spot damage. Increases critical damage.
|- Logical Deduction (C+) (Passive)
| ↳ Significantly reduces the mental drain when learning advanced or logical concepts. Increases insight gained from failure.
|- Tenacious Spirit (D+) (Passive)
| ↳ Gain a significant bonus to Willpower and Resolve. General mental fatigue gain is decreased.
|- Advanced Combat Technique (B+) (Passive) (New!)
| ↳ "TECHNIQUE! TECHNIQUE!" - A sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea … Significant increase to prowess. Movement has become fluid and precise, using only minimal stamina to do the most possible.
|- Imperial Form (A) (New!)
| ↳ A mastery of Imperial-based combat that emphasizes fluid, calculated precision. This technique emphasizes minimal force, efficient footwork, and tactical feints to disrupt the enemy and create openings.
|- Written Language (C) (Passive) (New!)
| ↳ Ability to write and understand written texts from certain languages.
|- Linguistics (D) (Passive) (New!)
| ↳ Improves study of languages.
|- Bookworm (E) (Passive) (New!)
| ↳ Acquire a natural, albeit fledgling, affinity for the writing world. Your mind retains memories with greater ease than most. Grants a basic competence in speed-reading texts.
+====================================+
Woah, I am stacked.
Stats!
By the dozen!
Skills!
Acquired!
But after one month, it's a bit disappointing to see I only leveled up to 23.
And I still have -10 mana, and I'm still darkness afflicted…
No, no, let's not be pessimistic.
The only reason it's like that is because I put leveling up in the backburner to pump up my skills and git gud at fighting.
It's actually good that I haven't reached level 25 yet, because if I did, the side quest might be lost along with the main one.
And if that's lost, I would have zero reason to go back down there and fight the elk thing or whatever.
Actually, no, even if I did lose the optional quest, I would still go down to beat that Stag's ass.
It's on-sight with that guy.
Also, I'm pretty sure that that guy's the reason why I have that [Darkness Influcted] status on my HP and Stamina that's keeping me from full percent.
So yeah, gotta kill 'em.
With that said, what did I want to say after finishing all of this?
What did I think back then when I finished Kael's training?
…
…
…Hm…
…
…
…Ah, right, I remember.
Thus, with this training arc of mine complete, I can now finally return and finish my quest.
It's been a long time coming.
(But for now I gotta sleep, I'm dead tired…)