《A Beginning and its End》Chapter 1
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Air, land, sea. Humans no longer own any part of the world. Nowhere is safe. That is what they saw. 70 years ago, thousands of politicians, occupying the highest seats of governments across the world, all had the same nightmare on the same night. They saw a world of monsters.
They knew what needed to be done. They had seen it in their dream. They saw what they needed to do and what would happen if they failed.
A wall, around the largest source of monsters, to block the ferocious beasts from the humans and their prosperity. Three hundred meters tall, an encirclement with a diameter of approximately 5,500 kilometers at its widest.
This source of monsters was by far the largest, it would have set loose into the world trillions of deadly creatures, of all shapes and sizes. No other source would bring forth so many, so those politicians put a plan into action. To create the wall at any cost.
In fact, as a result of how quickly the wall had to be implemented, things such as safety during the construction of the wall was always overlooked. All in order to have the wall ready as soon as possible. Many died, and many more were injured during its construction.
But this was necessary. It was completed exactly ten years later, to the day. People celebrated that it was done, even more so since the Sources had not yet appeared. Everybody celebrated because they could feel what was coming, even if they did not have the nightmare. The skeptics were overruled by the majority, and so the world celebrated the wall’s completion.
The celebrations didn’t last long as it wasn’t even 24 hours before the Sources around the world exploded. What timing.
It wasn’t able to be planned against, no matter how much time there was. Even if the military was set on high alert ever since the beginning of the Wall Project, they were simply overrun. All facilities destroyed, civilians and soldiers alike were killed. The only thing humans could do was run. And they could only survive if they were lucky.
It wasn’t long before the Safe Zones were established. They were only safe because they were far away from the most dangerous Sources that spewed the strongest monsters. These zones were located in places with creatures that could be defended against by a small group of people armed with a few guns and plenty of ammo.
In some fictional stories, technology doesn’t work any longer. Guns don’t fire, phones and other satellite communication fail inexplicably. That wasn’t the case here. Resistance could be offered. Humans could band together, all across the burning globe.
In fact, that was what happened. People came together, forming larger settlements, safe from the monsters, and in these places, people continued living as they once did. That was, until the world changed drastically yet again. This time, though, it wasn’t in a way that harmed humanity.
It was something that would assist humans in the fight to recapture their lost world.
It was the start of the System.
…………………………………………………………………
Have you ever thought about exactly how much pain a human can endure without dying? Have you ever thought about what lay beyond the pain that one cannot feel without feeling it any more? Do you think the pain just goes beyond what you can feel and you can actually feel it again? Or perhaps you can’t. The human mind protects itself against such pain. That amount of pain kills simply because of how much there is.
Do you wonder why I am thinking about pain?
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It’s simple. I am in pain.
Excruciating, mind-bending, white-hot pain.
I’m just thinking about how much pain it would take for me to die. Not that I want to, of course, I do want to live. I am simply curious.
I am also curious about how I came to be in such pain. I don’t remember. I only know my entire body hurts. Of course, some places more than others.
Such as my left shoulder.
I think this place hurts the most. Everywhere else just doesn’t hurt as much. Except for my head.
It has gradually started pounding in rhythm to my heartbeat. Bum-bum, Bum-bum, Bum-bum.
Ow. Just ow.
It is at this point that my curiosity beats my overwhelming pain and I open my eyes.
Settling dust. Charred ground all around me. I am wearing scratchy clothes. It seems I am in a crater. What happened? I wish I could remember. But the more I try to remember, the more my head aches.
I look to my left side.
Oh.
Well, now I know why my shoulder hurts. My arm is gone. I look and I see nothing except a pool of blood where my arm should be. Actually, that’s a lot of blood. Maybe I should stop that.
I push myself onto my right side and crawl up into a kneeling position. How should I stop the bleeding?
[ALERT: Heavy blood loss. Recommended: Activate Skill-Regeneration Lv. 3.]
Hmm? Okay. I’ll do that then.
[Command Received. Activating Skill-Regeneration.]
[-3 MP]
[+60 HP]
...That helped. It didn’t do much in the way of closing the wound, but the bleeding has stopped and I don’t feel as much pain, in all parts of my body.
Actually, can I do that again?
[Command Received. Activating Skill-Regeneration.]
[-3 MP]
[+60 HP]
Again.
[Command Received. Activating Skill-Regeneration.]
[-3 MP]
[+60 HP]
Again.
[Command Received. Activating Skill-Regeneration.]
[-3 MP]
[+60 HP]
[Constitution increases by 1.]
It feels better now. One more time.
[Command Received. Activating Skill-Regeneration.]
[-3 MP]
[+60 HP]
[Skill- Regeneration has increased in level.]
[Skill – Regeneration is now Lv. 4.]
[MP is at 0. You cannot maintain consciousness.]
Then, darkness.
…………………………………………………………………
I breathe. I’m not hurting nearly as much as before. But I feel sluggish, my body lacks energy.
[MP is at 1. MP is required for the activation of some skills and to maintain mental functions.]
Oh. Thanks.
Once again, I open my eyes. This time, however, I remember what happened before I fell asleep.
Like wondering: ‘What is the thing that told me about Regeneration?’
[Suggestion: Activate the Tutorial.]
‘Tutorial?’
[Command Received. Starting Tutorial.]
[The System was conceived by those with the purposes of creation and fate. Its purpose is to guide humanity to greater strength, in order to take back your planet. The beings that came through the Sources are many and have great strength. To keep the human species alive, the gods have given you the ability to grow stronger. Stronger even than the monsters which have taken your world.]
[Growing in strength requires you to kill those who have been conceived by the One with the purpose of destruction. To help the human species acclimate to the system, it was created from the human invention of video games. Gain experience by killing monsters. You will gain more experience from a defeated enemy stronger than yourself. Your abilities are expressed numerically in different categories.]
[To check your abilities, you can, at any time, check your status screen.]
‘Status screen?’
[Command Received. Displaying Status]
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[ALERT: Memory loss. Full Status cannot be displayed.]
Name:
Age: 18
Race: Human
Title: ??? ???
Title Effect: Unknown Skill Set
Level: 5
Experience: 15.67%
Condition: Damaged (Missing Arm [L]), Blood Loss (Moderate), Memory Loss (Severe).
Condition Effects: Weakness (Blood Loss).
HP: 380/488
MP: 2/15
Strength: 23
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 19
Dexterity: 30
Constitution: 61 (11+50)
Unassigned Stat Points: 25
Skills List
Sturdy (Passive) [E] – Lv. 5
Increases Constitution.
Regeneration (Active) [D] – Lv. 4
Regenerate HP at the cost of MP.
???? ???? ??????[Special]
Complete the requirements to unlock knowledge of this skill (0 / 2)
Unassigned Skill Points: 5
Well, that doesn’t look too bad. Even though I have nothing to compare to, I still have a gut feeling. I wonder what that unknown skill is. Oh, well. I won’t know what it is if I have no way to find out.
I have unassigned stat and skill points? What exactly do they do?
[Command Received. Displaying Tutorial on Stat Points.]
[Stat Points can be used to increase any one of the five basic stats.]
[Strength increases the power of your muscles.]
[Intelligence increases mana by 1 MP per point, and increases learning and calculative ability.]
[Wisdom increases your perception.]
[Dexterity increases movement speed, and increases reflexes and agility. Increases deftness and flexibility of movements.]
[Constitution increases HP.]
[You are able to allocate your Stat Points to any of the five basic stats.]
[You will obtain 5 Unassigned Stat Points per level.]
[You can also train in order to gain stat points. Intense training will impact the relevant stat point.]
[Command Received. Displaying Tutorial on Skill Points.]
[Skill Points can be used to increase the level of owned skills or purchase new skills from the Skill List]
[The cost to level up an owned skill or purchase a new skill is determined by the system.]
[You obtain 1 Skill Point per level.]
Ah, that was way too long.
[The length of the tutorials are set by the administrator.]
[The One with the purpose of creation asks for your understanding of the necessity of knowledge of the System.]
“GHREEEE!!!” A terrible screech suddenly emanates from not far outside the crater.
I stand up to look in the direction of the roar, and see something charging towards me. Big. Hairy. Vicious. Teethy. A mane of bristly gray fur. The tusk-like teeth dripping with blood.
My eyes still blurry from falling unconscious, I struggle to make out a shape in its mouth. I see white bone and bloodied flesh.
‘An arm?! I think that’s mine…’
The sight remains in my mind even as it drops the arm and stares at me. It makes the sound I heard from before, but with a different tone.
“Ghre, ghre, ghreee!”
It seemed to have gone berserk while laughing. Its throat shakes and its mane ruffles as the sound of the guttural, high-pitched laugh pierces my eardrums.
[Suggestion: System Skill – Appraisal]
‘Okay.’
[Activating System Skill – Appraisal.]
Race: Hyenaraptor
Gender: Female
Level: 26
Age: 7
‘A Hyenaraptor? It doesn’t seem friendly’
My heart seizes, and I take a sharp breath. My legs moved before my mind, and before I knew what I was doing, I was climbing out of the crater. I am not sure whether or not I’ve ever run so fast in my life, because I can’t remember.
I bolster myself onto the edge of the crater and get my first look at a dense forest encompassing me on all sides. The crater is surrounded by an artificial clearing.
At the same moment I arrive at the precipice, the raptor launches itself 3 meters into the air, and lands on all four limbs with a resounding thud. It turns around quickly.
“GREEH!”
I open my eyes wider in awe and terror of the strength behind the jump. The blood lust it emanates from its fierce, predatory eyes is proof that it will tear me apart many times, over and over without regard.
It lunges. Time slows in my mind. The adrenaline takes hold once more. My body reacts perfectly by sidestepping to the left. The beast drives past, causing me to feel the wind whip the hairs on my skin.
[Dexterity increases by 1.]
It trips over itself while trying to stop before diving headfirst into the crater.
“GHREEE!”
*CRACK!*
Then, silence, as the monster twitches.
[You have killed a Lv. 26 Hyenaraptor]
[Level has increased by 2.]
[You are now Lv. 7.]
[You understood movement at a physical level, if only for a moment, thus fulfilling a condition to unlock part of a skill set.]
‘Status Screen.’
[Command Received. The status will be shortened to only include recently updated statistics.]
[...]
Level: 7
Experience: 1.19%
Strength: 23
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 19
Dexterity: 31
Constitution: 61 (11+50)
Unassigned Stat Points: 35
Skills
[...]
???? ???? ?????? [Special]
Complete the requirements to unlock knowledge of this skill (1 / 2)
Mind Sense (Passive):
Allows you to sense your surrounding at all times. Focus on an area to sense greater detail.
Skill Range: 0.19 meters
Beginner Proficiency (0.01%)
Unassigned Skill Points: 7
‘How do I increase the Skill Range for Mind Sense?’
[The Skill Range is currently at Beginner Proficiency, it is determined by calculating 1/100 of your Wisdom, expressed in meters.]
Nice and simple. Just like my clothing. Except they’re not nice, in fact, they’re only simple.
That was not fun… I do not want to be hurt again. The pain I felt when I first woke up is not something I want to go through again.
If increasing my abilities will help to prevent myself from feeling pain again, I will certainly do so.
‘So, to allocate some points. I’ll just increase all my stats by the same amount.’
Strength: 12 (+7)
Intelligence: 15 (+7)
Wisdom: 19 (+7)
Dexterity: 31 (+7)
Constitution: 61 (11+50) (+7)
Unassigned Stat Points: 0
‘Looks good.’
[Stat Allocation Confirmed.]
Skills
Sturdy (Passive) [E] – Lv. 5
Increases constitution.
Regeneration (Active) [D] – Lv. 4
Regenerate HP at the cost of MP.
???? ???? ?????? [Special]
Complete the requirements to unlock knowledge of this skill (1 / 2)
Mind Sense (Passive):
Allows you to sense your surrounding at all times. Focus on an area to sense greater detail.
Skill Range: 0.19 meters
Beginner Proficiency (0.02%)
Unassigned Skill Points: 7
[You may choose to upgrade skills or purchase new ones.]
Upgradeable Skill List
[Upgrade Skill – Regeneration (1 pt)]
[Upgrade Skill – Sturdy (1 pt)]
Recommended Purchases:
[Purchase Skill – Appraisal [D] (1 pt)]
[Purchase Skill – Inventory [Special] (1 pt)]
[Purchase Skill – Swiftness [F] (1 pt)]
[Purchase Skill – Dismantling [E] (1 pt)]
[Purchase Skill – Cartography [A] (3 pt)]
Purchasable Skills List
[…]
‘I’ll stay with the recommended skills unless I need something specific.
[Confirm Purchase of (5) skills from the recommended list.]
‘Yes.’
[Acquired skills.]
‘Short explanation of all those skills, please.’
[You got it, boss!]
[Appraisal: Allows you to investigate objects and creatures to find out more information than would be provided by System Appraisal. The data displayed when appraised is dependent on skills. Ex: Smithing grants knowledge of melting temperature, durabilty, etc.]
[Inventory: Grants storage of allowed items in an extra-dimensional space. Amount of space inside is affected by the level of the skill.]
[Swiftness: Increases the speed at which your body can move. Affects walking, running, and swinging your arms fast.]
[Dismantling: Activate the skill on the remains of any corpse and it will be divided and processed into usable materials. Ex: Skin to Leather]
[Cartography: Grants access to a new UI. It will show a map of the areas you have visited. Also allows you to expend MP to create maps with paper or other mediums.]
Looks like there’s a skill that allows me to process the corpse of the Hyenaraptor.
I walk over to the edge of the crater to look at the raptor. It looks like its head is at an angle it shouldn’t be at. Or rather, it couldn’t be normally. I focus on the corpse, and activate the Dismantling skill.
[-1 MP]
At that moment, the corpse disappears from view, and the fur, teeth, and bones transfer into my inventory.
What to do now? Well, It would be best if I got somewhere safer. I don’t know where is safe, though. Perhaps there is nowhere safe.
No, I shouldn’t think like that. I will look around before assuming anything. The trees are blocking my view. I cannot look past the leaves, and the trees are impossible to climb. It would be best to look where I can.
…………………………………………………………………
[Level has increased by 2.]
[Dexterity has increased by 2.]
[Swiftness has increased in level. Lv. 1 to Lv. 3]
[Mind Sense has increased in proficiency. Beginner to Novice.]
[You understood control at a physical level, thus fulfilling a condition to unlock part of a skill set.]
[You have completely unlocked a Skill Set – Mind Over matter.]
[You have unlocked a Title – Old One.]
…………………………………………………………………
A straight wall climbing into the sky. Covered in lush foliage, taller even than the trees. What is this? What is its purpose?
I’ve killed many weaker monsters along the way with a sharpened Hyenaraptor tooth. At the moment I finished with sharpening the tooth and swung it a single time, the second skill of the hidden Skill Set was granted, and part of my status changed.
‘Status.’
[Command Received. The status will be shortened to only include recently updated statistics.]
[…]
Title: Old One
Title Effect: Grants Skill Set – Mind Over Matter
Level: 9
Experience: 19.92%
[…]
Strength: 19
Intelligence: 22
Wisdom: 26
Dexterity: 40 (+3% Move Speed)
Constitution: 68 (18+50)
Stat Points: 10
[...]
Swiftness (Passive) [F] – Lv. 3/100
Mind Over Matter [Special]
Matter Control (Active):
Control physical matter that you can sense with Mind Sense and physical matter that you can see.
Skill Strength: 9.5 kg of force
Beginner Proficiency (70.87%)
Mind Sense (Passive):
Allows you to sense your surrounding at all times. Focus on an area to sense greater detail.
Skill Range: 0.52 meters
Novice Proficiency (3.21%)
Skill Points: 2
Ever since I unlocked the Mind Sense skill, I am able to sense everything around my body in the range it specifies. It has helped a lot in battle. There are some monsters that use claws more than fangs, and the skill helps me to keep track of the claws even when I cannot see them. Actually, it’s kind of hard to keep track of the attacks of some monsters, because of how fast they can move. Simply put, it has helped me to dodge attacks much more so than even my dexterity.
The other skill in Mind Over Matter, Matter Control, is even more helpful during fights. It lets me increase my speed to attack faster or dodge even when my dexterity is not enough. More incredibly, it lets me float my dagger like I am grabbing it, and I can move it how I want. The only downside is that it either needs to be kept in my field of vision or within range of Mind sense.
This skill has saved my life a few times. When my weapon is knocked away, and I need it back quickly, I can pull it towards me. Also, while it isn’t perfect, I can also block attacks, or rather, since the monsters can push with more force than I can exert with the skill, it can slow down the attack. Of course, this effect, combined with Mind Sense, my Swiftness skill, and my Dexterity, makes me very hard to hit. I’ve only been hit two or three times, and even then, they were just scratches, reducing my HP by less than 5 points each time.
Well. Since all I see is this gigantic piece of stone, and it stretches as far as I can see, maybe I should follow it. Perhaps there is a way to get past. There might not be as many monsters on the other side. Could this be some kind of a cage, built for the beasts here?
…………………………………………………………………
Rusted metal. Rushing water. This is the first sign of any way to get to the other side of the wall, a rusted metal grate, that allows a river to go through without permitting access to anything else. This would have effectively stopped me in my path, but as luck would have it, the grate is broken. It looks like the grate is so badly rusted that a few metal bars near the surface of the river are not there anymore, likely washed away by the moving water.
It’s a way out. I have been searching all day for a way to the other side. I am weak from travelling and hunger, and am lightheaded. I can’t be sure if anything here is safe to eat, as appraisal doesn’t say whether anything is safe or harmful to consume.
I walk over to the river. It seems that it’s shallow enough that I won’t be swept away, and slow enough that I can safely get past the rusted metal. I wade into the water near the grate, and slowly make my way towards it.
Two meters, one meter. I pull myself up and through the hole, being careful not to cut myself on any of the jagged metal. A long, dark tunnel is just behind it. A light at the end shows another grate, one that is not broken. That’s not good. I look around and see a small ledge on the right side of the tunnel, of the same material as the stone wall. A heavy door is located in the center of the passage, at the same level as the ledge.
I pull myself onto the stone path and take a better look at the door. It’s also rusted. I try to push it open, but it doesn’t budge. A handle is on its left side. Is that what I use to open the door? I grasp it firmly and pull. Again, it doesn’t move. I can sense a mechanism inside the door with Mind Sense. It is preventing the handle from moving and the door from opening.
I use Matter Control to activate the mechanism, and the door opens slightly. I did it! I pull on the handle again and the door swings open. A completely dark hallway looms before me. I cautiously step into the dark. I can’t see anything, but I can sense the walls with my skill. I keep my one hand on the right wall as I continue onward.
Soon, I come to a turn. It goes left! The direction that goes to the other side of the wall. I turn with the passage and in a few large steps, I can sense another door. The same handle, the same mechanism. I do the same thing to open this one. Once more, the door opens. As it does, a stream of sunlight filters in and lights up the dank hallway.
I pull it open, and I see the outside for the first time.
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Owning a cute little pet
Ryan, a young student at a university who enjoys collecting various rare animals, accepts a rather unusual offer. He has to house a young woman called Shiina White at his flat and take care of her daily needs. In exchange he receives a substential salery from the young female artist who just doesn't seem to be able to live on her own. Luckly for him Shiina is not only beautiful and naive, but also hates wearing clothes at home. As you might have guessed from this synopsis this story is inspired by the anime sakurasou no pet na kanojo, to be exact I took the main herione Shiina Mashiro as the draft for the female main character of this novel Shiina White (Yep it is a wordplay as Shiro means white in Japanese, I also switched the forname with the lastname). That said this is no fanfiction, but rather my take on the whole story and a far more lewd take as well!
8 173The Problem with Wandering
One night after closing a cafe, Mason is walking home when he is killed. He wakes up with no memory of what happened. Soon after, he meets Shay, a Watcher tasked with maintaining the Wards in the Wandering Plane. Taking pity on Mason, Shay takes him under her wing and helps him navigate his new reality. Realizing the need for him to find answers, Shay leads Mason to the Department of Reincarnation, a bureaucratic atrocity that helps people to "move on." Mason soon finds out that he will have the opportunity to investigate his own death; however, a larger threat begins to rise. Ultimately, Mason will have to choose to move on or help deal with this mounting threat.
8 69Escaping the Fourth Checkpoint
What if you could live through moments of your life after you had died? Spoiler: You would not like it. Source: Me. When I died, I thought everything ended, but unfortunately, Death is too playful. Now, I travel to four “checkpoints” of my life randomly and endlessly. I’ll make use of my infinite time (and wisdom of course) to find out what happened when I died and maybe I’ll finally be able to escape…
8 200Spiritual Taoist
Is the fate of man really scheduled from the beginning? Even deep in despair I am looking for the meaning of my existence, and I have not stopped for a moment.
8 72Ginelle's Dragon
Ginelle had no choice but to run away from home as the crown and the church start to round up and imprison all the witches in the kingdom. While hiding out, she befriends a few new friends including a dragon that agrees to protect her as they happen to have a common enemy.
8 127Adventure Wins
The home to our adventure winners.!Dear daredevils and seekers, we welcome you to our book of anthologies, Adventure Wins. Here, at adventure win, we'll be showcasing our winners from different contests. The remarkable entries, the thrilling twists and a full dose of suspense, all in one place. So hold on to your hearts and welcome aboard!
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