Ding!

System Notice: You attained the Reader Crystal rank

1 000 000/ 1 000 000 books have been read

Congratulation on reaching the Reader crystal rank!

• You read 40% faster

• You can now access up to the Crystal rank floors

• You have completed the advanced mental training

- +500 intellect

- +500 wisdom

- +1 000 focus

- +5 000 fame

You shall be awarded an AA-rank skill as well as XP at the central librarian administration.

Please go ask for your rewards

> The Copper rank rewards have yet to be withdrawn

> The Silver rank rewards have yet to be withdrawn

> The Gold rank rewards have yet to be withdrawn

> The Platinum rank rewards have yet to be withdrawn

>(The Crystal rank rewards have yet to be withdrawn)

/! Because you are the first player to complete the Advanced mental training, you will be granted an additional AA-rank skill.

This one was a surprise. She obviously was the first of her kin to reach Crystal reading rank, and thus the only player to know of the existence of advanced training. As far as the rest of her peers knew, there was only Basic training.

Indeed, after the 1 000th book, she didn’t get any stat point until the completion of the Advanced training… where she got them all at once. Knowing she was probably the only person mad enough to read for the sake of reading in this game, she was sure that if she didn’t disclose the information, nobody would ever discover it. It also meant that the physical training wasn’t limited to the basic one….

Ding!

System notice: You have been awarded the title ~Master Bookworm~

You are a voracious greedy reader and recognized as such by your peers.

• When the title is equipped, you read 40% faster

• Fame : +1 000

Ding!

System notice: Skill has reached the master level!

….. I give up. You’re a fucking monster. –Systra–

[FORCED] PASSIVE – Timey-wimey reading [Master 1 – 0%]

Your reading speed is out of this world, leaving into the dust even the most dedicated of readers. It feels like time does not flow the same way for you when you read (Are you really human? Geez, seriously)

• Time effectively slows down around you whenever you read, warping to accommodate your speed

(ratio of 1 : 60)

>> Whenever you read for 1 minute, only 1 second will really have gone by

• Satiation level drops normally (not affected by the timey-wimey)

It took her one G-month of constant reading to get to this point (more or less 45 Timey Wimey months +180% reading speed). She was proud. She was also mentally tiring and feeling quite restless. To get rid of the excess of energy, she settled for taking care of the physical training when perusing books. It would allow her to determine whether the timey-wimey worked if she did something else while reading. It also meant she had to leave the library.

Getting to the central library administration, she got her rewards from a gaping clerk. Yes, she was crystal rank. No, she hadn’t withdrawn any of the rank rewards until now. Yes, these were newbie clothes. No, she was quite sane, thank you. *Geez, what’s wrong with people nowadays? Did any ever learn politeness? That was just rude! I like reading that’s all…*

In all, she had gotten: 1x D-rank, 1x C-rank, 1x B-rank, 1x A-rank and 2x AA-rank skill-books as well as 30 levels worth of experience.

She decided to use one of the AA skill-books. From what she had gathered of the clerk’s babbling, the skills generated would be custom-made for her, the system obviously analyzing her gameplay to do so. As she had spent most of her time reading, she would only get skills related to books, which was why she decided to use only one of her rewards. The others would wait until she seriously had begun adventuring.

She activated the manual and it disappeared in a bright white flash as a window opened before her.

Ding!

System notice: New skill! (AA knowledge library skill-book)

Master book perusing - Crystal floor (0.0003%)

You can summon a copy of the knowledge library’s master book: MUDUTU

At your current reader rank, it allows you to read any book of the knowledge library up to the Crystal floors. Select the name of the required book on MUDUTU’s table of contents, and it shall appear on the following pages. To change books, just get back to the table and select another one.

You may modify the options of the table of contents so that books appear as you wish them to (alphabetically, thematically, historically, floor ranked,…)

Once you reach the Dakinum rank, MUDUTU shall become an ego book and follow you on your adventures whenever you summon him

Trivia: “MUDUTU” means knowledge in ancient Sumerian, the language of the gods.

*Jackpot! Well… being an AA skill for someone who spent 99% of her time reading, it was bound to be something like that. What’s nice is that I won’t have to drag tons of books to the training ground… nor will I ever have to buy any for that matter! Now, the big question mark is about it becoming an ego book…. I wonder about its possible uses… oh well. Later!* Shrugging, she left in direction of said training grounds.

...................

Kifirin took her sweet time getting to the training grounds. Her last view of the capital had been brief, and that of a devastated city. As she made her way, she took everything in. Reconstruction had obviously gone well.

The central marketplace was swarming with peoples and somehow smelling of spices. People were haggling their heads off, and in the midst of the madness, she witnessed a hooded dark priest clearly getting ripped off... no amount of sweet talking was helping and he finally gave in with a tired sigh. Yes, she could see the telltale glow of a skill repeatedly failing. It was probably the haggling skill.*Hmmm I wonder about his infamy level... that was.... interesting! He totally got his ass handed*

Chuckling to herself, she went on her merry way, and left the market area. She chose to follow a labyrinth of small streets in the general direction of her destination (Koff koff, she got lost). That's where she got an eyeful. Naked... naked water statues... everywhere!

They were statues of women by the way. Small-breasted women. The little back alley was paved with them. It was.... unbelievable. Some were posing, some were engaging in sexual acts... and some were clearly having an orgy.

She was obviously not the sole gawker. Many of said gawkers were blokes by the way. Lesbians were apparently REALLY popular with the male population.... or was it because they were skin-clad? Taking a few screenshots for the hell of it, she quietly left the place, leaving her -mostly- male peers to their contemplation. Indeed, a few females were drooling too.

Finally arriving at the training grounds, she took in the sight. It was a giant white coliseum. One third of the grounds was dedicated to training dummies while the rest was divided into fighting areas. After completing the basic training one may enter the underground part of the coliseum in order to access the advanced training apparatus. It also gave the right to participate to the weekly tournament and monthly battle royale.

Kifirin found herself wondering what unknown part of the edifice were opened up to those who achieved the advanced training....

Shrugging, she quickly asked the eastern instructor for training daggers before choosing an isolated wooden dummy. She had a skill to try.

Taking out Mudutu, she fixed it on the dummy and began reading an illustrated dagger handling instruction manual. Time slowed down. She then began using the daggers on said dummy, being careful not to dislodge the book. Time was still slowed down. She gloated. *Kukukukuku! I'm a genius!! All hails me! Kukukukuku!!! Training is going to be nice... and I sooooo can imagine myself in the battlefield, killing while reading! Their faces..... it's gonna be hysterical!*

................

Johannes, eastern quadrant dummy instructor was having a bad day.

First, Clyde the Southern instructor and incidentally, her direct boss... has begun something that she could only call sexual harassment. The barbarian (really, he was a real barbarian) thought himself irresistible and had somehow decided to add her to his ongoing list of conquests. The condescending asshole had made it clear that if she wanted to keep her job, she would have to become "really friendly" with him. Then he had lewdly groped her in plain view of her co-workers. None had lifted a hand to help her. None.

The pill was bitter to take. She had especially come to the Bright capital from her "backward" countryside in order to avoid such situations. She had talent, real talent. However, she was a woman, and in the world of the sword, men disliked females being their betters, and as such, liked to debase them through sexuality.

Yes, the scorn, the blackmail, ... she really though she had left it behind in Navarra. Heimlin was supposed to be the city of opportunities, of equality. Lies... and sour, so sour! If the harassment went on, she would have to find another job.

Now then, what else was plaguing our instructor? A little stingy bastard named Weed. She didn't really know how, but he had somehow charmed her into promising to share her everyday lunch with him. That golden tongued snake tricked her! A recorded promise couldn't be broken... so she HAD to share her lunch every day. The big catch? She had given no time limit... so he could show up anytime and eat her food, even after he finished training. And from the look of him? He totally looked like an evil debtor set on exploiting her.

Yep, she felt like crying.

And last... what got her panties into a twist? Well it was the brainiac-dagger-maniac. Yup. The girl had ben very polite asking her for weapons, and from their short discussion, it had been made clear that she was a total newbie to the handling of blades. So why was she witnessing an inhuman feat of speed and dexterity? And the form? It was TEXTBOOK perfect. The "newbie" would put any master to shame. The worst? She wasn't even trying. Why yes! She was READING. READING for spirit's sake!

A sob shook her frame as she took another gulp of white fire. She could almost understand the passion her Manno had for the bottle. She also felt that the bottle and her would become fast friends if the snake and the brainiac-dagger-maniac kept on coming to her eastern quadrant.

She wanted a quiet, comfortable life. Was it too much to ask?

................................

It normally took from 5 to 6 weeks, but thanks to the timey wimey skill, she completed the training in a comfortable half-day (36 TW days). She also read many books and got a little bit closer to the Dakinum reader rank.

System notice: You completed the Basic physical training!

Congratulation on completing the basic physical training! As such you have also qualified for the Copper mercenary rank

- +50 Strengh

- +50 Agility

- +100 vitality

You shall be awarded an D-rank skill as well as XP at the Mercenary Union. Please go ask for your rewards and register, because once it is done, you shall be allowed to:

>>Access the underground coliseum grounds

>>Join the weekly and monthly coliseum events

She also got the skills she was aiming for and leveled them up a bit. Yes, unharmed combat mastery and dual dagger mastery were both at beginner level 2.

It was time to pick up the pace and go for the advanced training. She calculated that It would probably take her more or less 3 Game months (180 TW months) because she was less proficient at fighting than reading. She obviously would have to periodically change her routines in order to keep getting skills proficiencies. However, Kifirin counted on the fact that it would get her extremely close to the Dakinum reader rank...

And so on she went.

If one was to wonder how Kifirin could spend so much time reading and training on a dummy without going mad, then one would have to get to the truth of the matter. She was mentally instable, had been for years, and as such it was her self-imposed discipline and rules that kept her from snapping. Setting goals, and grinding to complete them WAS a sort of discipline, and so her "training streak", rather get her closer to the edge.... helped her a lot.

Moreover, the physical part of the training helped her let some stream off while the mental part fed her soul.

As she ended the training, she was saner than ever.

....................

Johannes was happily eating. The day had been wonderful. Yes, wonderful.

The reptilian leech had not come to mooch off her food today, and neither had he yesterday, nor the day before... so maybe he had left the town for good? Or MAYBE it had to do with the last lunch they 'shared' together. She had eaten none or it, nope. It had been all for him. She chuckled.

Deidre's cooking could be LETHAL when she used THAT, and Jo had especially lifted the seal on THAT in hope that weed would get the bad end of the stick.

He could also have won the lottery, but as far as she was concerned she decided he had lost the bet with fate. The result of the Russian roulette was here though.... he had left.

What else? Well... Clyde had been reprimanded by his own boss for his lewd behavior and was under a forced leave for the next two months.

And brainiac-dagger-maniac? Well she was still here but after 3 months of watching her phasing around the dummy, it had kind of become part of the background.

The human brain was wonderful wasn't it? To be able to normalize such a thing.... just wonderful! She had also gotten to know the girl and they were on their way to friendship.

Her other friend the bottle? Well... she learned the hard way that she was a lousy depressed drunk, so we'll say they had an irreconcilable tiff. Too bad, as it was one night of loud wailing at the local bar that saved her ass. Indeed, it allowed words of Clyde's unforgivable behavior to get back to the ears of the concerned authorities. People talk! (Noooo.... really?)

*Still, I wonder what's going on. She should have completed the basic training a while ago. I don't understand the mindless dummy whacking. There are no stat gains for training after the basic T.... she's totally wasting her time and not listening to me when I tell her about it. The only way to get stats now is to fight for real. Same for the skill proficiencies, they'll rise way faster if she goes after monsters.*

However, the instructor had her doubts... the girl wouldn't be doing it for no reason... she was a brainiac after all. Moreover she was a shifter and her kind never did pointless things like... well... THAT. So, there HAD to be a reason, and she would be damned if she didn't get to the heart of the matter. She smelled gold, and Kifirin had skirted around the subject too long for it no to arouse Jo's curiosity.

*Hmm... She's subsisting on low quality meat jerky.... maybe the way to get her talking is through her stomach? But.... my precious.... I just got you back... sniffff*

That's when the girl stilled. It's not what got Johannes' attention, because she did it every other 4 days and then disappeared for a while. Shifters and their weird habits! No, what got her full consideration was that for the first time ever, Brainiac closed her book and stored it into her inventory... Book that by the way, she seemed to have been reading over and over again... not that it was her business, but then again.... strange.

Oh well. Shifters! Or maybe she should just attribute it to Kif being Kif. She WAS quite the oddball after all... but they got along well. She had experience with handling oddballs after all... that she had!

She decided to ask her bluntly. Brainiac-dagger-maniac would answer her this time around. She would!

...................

Her time estimation had not considered the super leveling up of the timey wimey skill and it's time ratio, so she trained longer than 15 years in those 3 months. It was more like 26-27 years of grinding with a few moment of talking with her new friend in between. It was not wasted time, because the instructor was very friendly and even gave her a few tips when she asked questions.

After the advanced training notification, she had continued with the self-torture until she got the Dakinum reader rank and grinded one more year. Then she stopped, stored Mudutu, and looked at the important notifications she hadn't yet fully read.

System notice: You have been awarded the title ~Brainiac-dagger-maniac~

Among other things, you've been swinging daggers while reading for over 3 months, and made yourself quite a reputation as the ~Brainiac-dagger-maniac~ around the Coliseum NPC population. There are also concerns about your sanity, but it's not like you care, so whatever.

- When the title is equipped, you read 20% faster

- When the title is equipped, you swing daggers 20% faster

- Fame : +500

Ps: Some can swear that they saw your book moving by itself... you may debunk or confirm the rumor, but please do something... it has grown into something unexpected.

*... so that's why Johannes has been calling me Brainiac. She said nothing about Mudutu though. I didn't think that people would notice. Maybe she just doesn't care?*

System Notice: You completed the Advanced physical training

Congratulation on completing the Advanced physical training. As such, you have qualified for the Mercenary crystal rank!

- +500 strength

- +500 agility

- +1 000 vitality

- +5 000 fame

You shall be awarded an AA-rank skill as well as XP at the mercenary Union. Please go ask for your rewards and register (you have yet to do so)

>>>As soon as you register, you will be allowed into the coliseum maze dungeon

- Your copper rank rewards have yet to be withdrawn

- Your silver rank rewards have yet to be withdrawn

(automatic qualification thanks to Advanced physical training)

- Your silver gold rewards have yet to be withdrawn

(automatic qualification thanks to Advanced physical training)

- Your platinum rank rewards have yet to be withdrawn

(automatic qualification thanks to Advanced physical training)

(- Your crystal rank rewards have yet to be withdrawn)

/! Because you are the first player to complete the Advanced physical training, you will be granted an additional AA-rank skill.

/! For smartly finding out the secret of both advanced trainings and their association, you are granted +50 int and +50 wis

*Maze dungeon huh? Interesting.... I'm looking forward to it* she wondered where it was located at though.... well she would ask the administration guy... but only if he was a NPC. She had no plans to reveal the existence of the advanced training to the world. Maybe Johannes would know?

System notice: Skill updates![/tbody][FORCED] PASSIVE – Timey-wimey reading [True Master]

> (ratio of 1 : 120)

Systra says : yada yada yada crackpot yada yada yada mad as a hatter yada yada yada scary yada yada yada.

You may use this skill however you want during training, but I'm totally restricting it for real battle (I won't allow you to be brokenbroken ... just broken is enough!)

NEW OPTION: this skill is usable in battle, but only for one second every 10 minutes (that still gives you 2 minutes to rain down hell on your enemies so don't complain)

And please? STOP giving me work... it's a hassle... And btw? HE seems to have taken an interest to you, so I'd advise laying low for a while. Having the Trollking on one's six is bad for future prospects if you get what I mean...Dual Dagger mastery - Advanced 9 (99%)Unharmed combat mastery - Advanced 9 (99%)

She had obviously hit the upper limits of training for the dagger and unharmed combat mastery... they hadn't leveled up for years. Indeed, she needed real fights to go through the bottleneck. However, she had wasted no time and learned many special movements, technics and forms from Mudutu.

Yes, Mudutu had become an ego book the moment she got the Dakinum reading rank, and as soon as she understood his worth, she put him to work.

He was a sort of talking super computer. It was like having her AI with her, but it was a book instead of a HUD. Extremely useful.

.................

1 Timey-Wimey year earlier:

Ding! Ding! Ding!

System Notice: You attained the Reader Dakinum rank

10 000 000/ 10 000 000 books have been read

Congratulation on reaching the Reader Dakinum rank!

- You read 100% faster

- You can now access up to the Dakinum rank floors

- You have completed the S-rank mental training (look up the next window update)

You shall be awarded an S-rank skill as well as XP at the mercenary Union. Please go ask for your rewards and register

/! Because you are the first player to complete the S-rank mental training, you will be granted an additional S-rank skill.

System notice : S rank mental training complete [revised Davros edition]

You were to be awarded Xp as well as something else but Head Librarian Davros asked that any new Dakinum-rank reader be forwarded to him and his Xp gain frozen until he has a talk with them. I fancy him (We had our fun when he was younger -talk about hunk-) so I'm doing him a favor. -Systra-

…….

The brainiac that you are said fuck to common sense and sanity by reading 10 milions book in the span of 4 months (or 30 years... whatever it's confusing even for me)

Congratulations (Are they even in order? You must be half mad by now), you have completed the hidden S rank mental training, a legacy of the mercenary King Azazël. As such you are rewarded with:

- 1250 Stamina

- 2500 Intelligence and Wisdom

- 3000 Focus

- 5000 fighting spirit and endurance

System notice: Skill Update!

Master book perusing - Dakinum floor

You can summon a copy of the knowledge library’s master book: MUDUTU

At your current reader rank, it allows you to read any book of the knowledge library up to the Dakinum floors, which means the whole library

MUDUTU is now an ego book and shall follow you on your adventures whenever you summon him. He has an earring form as well as a (flying) book form. The earring form can converse with you but cannot display books, whereas the (flying) book form can do both

- His defense is absolute (attacks go through him so don't you try to use him as a shield. Yes, you! I'm totally talking to you Kifirin so don't play coy -Systra-)

- He cannot attack

- He is absolutely loyal to you

- Ask whatever you want to Mudutu and he shall answer to the best of his knowledge

- You may ask him to displayer whichever book you want (the table of contents options is still there if you feel like using it)

Trivia: “MUDUTU” means knowledge in ancient Sumerian, the language of the gods.

*Systra.... one day we'll have a talk, just you and me, and we'll see whether you're snarky then.... ANYWAYS! S rank training? That's.... that's awesome! It means that there is also a physical one huh.... however, thanks but no thanks! I'll pass on this one. Now, about the ego book? Better summon it. *

"Summon Mudutu, flying book form!"

Poof! The previously dummy-pinned book was now floating by his own will. Then, Kifirin heard a old man talking. His voice was refined.

"Kifirin-sama, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Mudutu the 3rd, ego book and copy of the core of the knowledge library. I shall be your servant and confidant for as long as you'll have me."

Somehow, she got a butler-like feel from Mudutu. Moreover... the 3rd? It meant that 2 NPCs had the skill and dakinum reader rank. It would be nice to meet them. Maybe Davros was one of them? If so she looked forward to their future conversation.

"Hmm nice to meet you Mud. Can I call you Mud?"

"... As the mistress wishes" Somehow his answer felt mournful.

"Right! Could you find and teach me dual dagger and unarmed combat mastery moves? I need to widen my skillset"

"The mistress has asked, and so she shall receive. Give me a few seconds.... ah here! Well, first we'll go with the debilitating piercing strike, it is an unregistered subskill of the dagger mastery and-- ...."

...................

Back to the end of the training

She had stored Mudutu because he apparently needed sleep.

Well… not really sleep per se, but it had to do with the updating of his core... something about the recent arrival of a truckload of new books that he had to assimilate. He gave it 12 hours, so she would summon him in earring form a while later.

Now, as she had finished all the planned trainings, it was time to see her stats. She knew it was gonna be good. She just wondered HOW good. Systra did say that she was broken... *evil laugh*

********************

As you can see, I've begun using the website's tables. These were simple because they are the basic, but soon I'll be trying my hands at more. In the meantime, I'll be using pics for what I can't code :)

Chapter 3 is the end of training, so with chapter 4, things will get more ''interesting"

The Arc 1 (10 chaps) is centered around Kifirin, her getting stronger and a few chances encounters that may pr may not be meaningful.

There'll obviously be some action, but the "real" action will only truly begin with the FUBAR BUNDY act.

As it is, I've already written the first arc (Kifirin : the birth of a monster), and am halfways though Arc 2. However... It'll take me a while to upload it (I'm not good at it, not at all... it takes me hours and hours to up 1 chapter... erm erm)

Obviously, my first language is not English, so if you have any remark to make on the grammar/orthograph and all, please do so, it'll help me get better

Opinions on the FF are also welcome, be they good or bad. I'm writing for the first time ever, so we'll say I'm a bit antsy to know what you guys think about it!

Bye,

Nergal