《Warden of Success - A LitRPG》5. Actor's Anteroom
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When she was done with the cleaning and a while of further introspection, Camille no longer had any current things to take care of. Or rather, she simply didn't know how to pass the time. Normally, she would be playing video games right now, grinding away at acquiring endless loot. But was she really going to do that after acquiring her ability?
Camille crossed her arms at that thought.
Yeah, playing video games when you can do it in real life is a bit dumb. She concluded.
Still, even with that knowledge, it wasn't as if she knew what to do with the power either.
Blessed with what seemed to be a endlessly versatile tool, it was almost as if there were too many options. That is correct. It was by all means the freedom of the choices available to her which made it so difficult in the first place.
Sat atop her bed, Camille took a moment to once again, reflect on her situation.
"So far, I've got two passive skills, two permanent abilities. But besides that, I've got no active, nor any stat increases."
Camille slumped into her bed. With her head on her pillow, her eyes stared into the abyssal ceiling. One shrouded in darkness and unseen, it was in a sense, much like her own future. Video games always had quests and guidelines to lead you, with small hints here and there and literal pointers, it was far easier to just well have something to do. So perhaps, yes, why yes, of course! For the seemingly infinite time, Camille had once again come across a revelation in her contemplation. Indeed, if her body was like that of a video game character, then surely, she would have quests too?
Heh, well then. Let's think about some things, shall we?
For now, what was important was to get as wide a variety of skills as possible. Magic, stealth, melee, long-range, AoE, you name it.
"Quest thingamajig, give me something to do!"
Partially expecting a genuine response and partially not, Camille shut her eyes. God. She felt like a spoiled brat. A child fed with a golden spoon who could demand for anything they wanted.
Otherwise known as Imposter Syndrome. That feeling that you are undeserved of what you have, was the one that now circulated through her brain.
How annoying.
It was like there was still a unconscious part of her mind that rejected her ability. On the other hand though, if she actually did get quests then well.
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Camille figured that most of her worries could've been offset.
Reward, if thrust upon the unprepared may feel like charity. But if it was she who actively went and fulfilled quests, then it would be different. Then, that would merely be a matter of compensation for ones efforts.
In acceptance of that fact, Camille let sufficient time pass. Then, once she could close her eyes no more, she opened them.
Truly, as if her own words held enough authority to grant whatever she wished at a moment's notice before her were now several quests.
Quest: First Venture Reward: Defeat one opponent by 20/01/2050. Armored Initiative (Passive Skill) Quest: Socialization Reward: Meet and discuss with a friend in real life. Socialization (Permanent Skill)
Oh boy. It was a time for laughter yet again, the laughter of great joy and pride, she laughed for a solid half minute. Such was her habit, and whether it be in times of sorrow, contempt, or anger, her natural response was to laugh. Was it perhaps indicative of some great pride at times? Yes. Was it perhaps indicative of a coping mechanism to sorrow? Also yes. Needless to say that when one hears laughter that they must remember to not assess her character from it solely. It would be pointless and ultimately fruitless, really. To truly understand what she felt, one would need to read her face while she laughed.
In this case, her face was one of a most crooked smile. One prompted by the potential of fighting against a opponent once more, the warrior spirit that laid dormant within Camille bubbled to its surface.
"Round two, it is."
Camille grinned, and got up from her bed. Exiting her room, her first objective was to finish the quest 'First Venture'. Whatever the skill 'Armored Initative' was, she definitely wasn't going to miss out. Though, she was not quite confident enough yet in her own martial prowess, it did not matter. Before she got to punching people she would start by training and mustering up confidence. Since she was still relatively rusty, even with the addition of her new abilities, she would need a bit of time.
Some time to reinvigorate her once lost training, techniques and reflex, there was no better occasion then now.
Yet, just when she got to where her boxing bag was supposed to be, all of her hopes was reduced to a void.
Scattered remains of its internal stuffing still littered the floor, scattered remains of what was once not only her boxing bag, but what her test dummy was supposed to be.
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Surprised as she was, Camille chided herself for forgetting that it had been broken.
A wave of disappointment and questioning washed over her body. Now that she no longer had anything to test out her skills on any longer, she suspected that the acquisition of any combative abilities would fail. So what other option was available to her? Was she to randomly fool about until she stumbled on another ability like Lightborne? Or was she to just yell and hit the empty air and hope for success?
Actually, hm. Camille scratched her chin as she pondered over the conditions of just yelling random things and attacking the air. Now that she gave it more thought, that latter option actually held far less risk and might have worked anyway. So, going forth with the mindset that there would be no harm done regardless, she braced herself.
"Knuckleduster!"
"Ultimate punch!"
"Kamehameha!"
Only after a good hour or so of testing had passed, did she finally relent.
None of those generated any effects, no matter how many a dozen times she yelled, nothing was produced. To be fair, even Camille didn't expect anything different. Neither in real life nor video games were characters able to generate abilities from, well, pretending to be doing something. So, unfortunate as it was that yelling Kamehameha and imitating a very famous alien did not enable her to shoot a literal beam of energy, she made peace with it.
For a while, Camille stood there speechless. In the midst of a recovery phase, she sighed. Being made aware of your own limitations was never a fun time. Still, the situation was far from hopeless. The first mission's time limit was that of a few days after all, and not doing anything for one wouldn't be the worse thing in the world.
Luckily, there was another convenient quest that did not require fighting, or much less training. Requiring but another companion to associate and 'socialize' with, Camille's eyebrows furrowed at that possibility.
The thought was strangely uncomfortable. Enough to unsettle her to the point where she felt her mind disconnect from her body, Camille stood stunned.
Was she really getting this worked up over seeing someone?
Though it was true that it had been ages since she had gone and actually socialized with someone, was she really going to let something let that get in her way?
Only a dumbass would let something as trivial as meeting someone stop them. Camille mulled, still feeling a tad annoyed regardless. Troubled with the idea, she tried to assure herself of the many advantages it would bring. After all, it wasn't as if she needed to dance or enjoy talking with that person. Maybe demanding of just a few minutes at best, and she would be able to reap the benefits of the reward of the quest but, she would also be able to finally test her theories.
Pertaining to what the average stats for a human were, their HP value and whatnot, it was a perfect opportunity really.
Given that the positives of the matter far outweighed the negatives, Camille's mind began to pursue a valid target to prattle with.
She had surmised earlier that there was no one who could fulfill that position in her life, but, that was wrong. The mere delusions of a woman too concerned with her own self, the truth was that there existed one person in particular who she could rely on. A friend who had survived the passages of time, and who still remained compassionate toward her, the whole setup was perfect.
"Well well well, I've got just the perfect someone."
Camille gave her pocket a conceited stare as she took out her phone. Opening up her messenger application, the familiar name that was 'Morgan' appeared. Ignoring the twelve unread messages that she had previously sent, Camille began to type out her own invitation.
'Hey would you like to come over sometime? Maybe today, even?'
After she had sent that, all that was needed was patience and time. Time to let her friend receive, take in the message then ultimately type a response, the grand duration amounted to being less then ten minutes total.
'Sure! I'll be there in a jiffy :)'
Perfect. Now that she had set her plans into motion, Camille could finally relax. In spite of the discomfort that came from associating with people, Morgan was a bit different. Speaking to her was like speaking to a robot. One without drive, ambition, or particular desire, her presence was that of a almost comforting non-existence. Much like an NPC really.
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