After a long night Mirio crashed in his bed, little Ezee wagged his tail and greeted him but he was too tired to do much other than give him a couple of pets. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was out like a light. He awoke the next morning a little groggy but in some ways, deeply satisfied. His night had made him aware of a larger world, a world in which not everyone was welcome. From the cutthroat world of the bandits to the power of the aristocracy. The world was larger and full of more complexity than he had ever imagined as a child. He could sense how insignificant he was in the larger scheme of the world, even with his fighting prowess, and while it opened doors for him, it would be he who would have to walk through them. While it might have been possible to taste the life of a bandit by winning their respect, or to taste what it might be like to have a noble reputation by being under their appraisal, to travel that path was another thing entirely.

He was, after all, born in Gimly, to a sick mother, and to a crooked old man. Brother to a sister who only thought of herself, and Tad, who was… Well… Tad. Ever suspicious, ever shameless in his competitive nature with Mirio, and always looking down on him. Mirio tried not to focus on his family much as they felt like a vortex within which all hope in life went to drown. He quickly readied himself, grabbed up Ezee, and shot out the door before anyone could notice. He fed Ezee some portions of dried meat as he headed to the barracks.

A long haired beauty, pulled back the string of a bow, and eyed down the shaft of an arrow. She let out her breath in a hush as she softened her fingers. The arrow shot out of the bow and hit the target with a satisfying thud.

“Good shot!” Mirio called out as he placed Ezee down

The woman turned her gaze over her shoulder and flicked her hair to the side. Kabi’s light blue eyes pierced into Mirio as though he was suddenly plunged into ice cold water. Her gaze then warmed, “Oh, Mirio! Hi, don’t mess up my concentration”.

Mirio lifted his hands in surrender and laughed joyfully, “Sorry I didn’t know I was that distracting to you” chuffed with himself.

Kabi “Just let me shoot another few”

Mirio sat back and watched as she drew another couple arrows and fixed her eyes intently on the target before releasing each.

THWOM THWOM

Kabi “Hrmm” she muttered to herself for a short moment before putting down the bow. She then walked over to where Mirio was sitting and sat beside him, bumping his knee with her own.

Mirio laid his head back against the barracks and relaxed his whole body in her presence, somehow especially at ease around her. Kabi glanced at him for a moment and then also laid back.

Kabi “Yesterday made me realise something. If I don’t get strong enough to face the world on my own, I just might never find my own path in life like you are Mirio”

“And what path am I following?”

Kabi “I don’t know, but you don’t fear much of anything, even me… You just sit here like it is the most natural thing in the world”

“I just feel comfortable around you is all”

“But you know what I mean”

“Does it bother you that I’m not scared of you like other guys?” he said as he turned his head towards her to make eye contact.

“No, it is cool” she smiled as she looked into his eyes.

POMP

The back of her hand smacked into Mirio’s exposed ribs

“Too cool in fact, your ribs are wide open”

Mirio jolted from the blow, and almost burst out in laughter, rolling off to the side a little to get away from her and potentially other blows. Though overall he wasn’t trying hard to escape. He glowed an authentic smile, and looked back at Kabi.

“I’m ticklish, haha, don’t scare me like that”

Kabi “Aha! So you do have a weakness after all”

“Yeah, of course I do” he said in a whisper, “Plenty actually” he then looked over at her arrows in the target, “I want to get better just like you do, the world is bigger than Gimly and I get the feeling that even people with skill aren’t uncommon, it seems almost impossible to stand out”

“Idiot, you already stand out”

“No, not in that way… Not in the way a child with potential stands out as a prodigy, but the way a man stands out amidst his own circumstances. For some reason it seems harder…”

“Just men?”

Mirio “Well, including yourself of course, but I don’t know much of what it is like to be a beautiful woman so I can’t weigh in on that”

“Beautiful?”

Mirio chose to keep his casual tone “Yeah, you have a grace about you, you aren’t worried about men or what they will think of you, you focus on yourself and on life. I think that is beautiful in its way, y’know”

Kabi “You know how to slather a girl in compliments, don’t ya Mirio? Been practicing on all the village girls?” she said with a raised eyebrow

Mirio “Maybe” he turned to her and winked

Kabi shifted in her seat, “Oh you are the village player now, uh oh, should I get up and leave”

Mirio put his hand on her arm “No, stay”

She smiled warmly as looking into his eyes. Mirio was caught up in a trance-like state from the night before, and in the flow of it all, he didn’t question his next move. He lifted his hand and gently caressed her face with the back of his fingers from the side of her eyes down to the edge of her jaw. She edged in closer to him, her breath now warm against his skin. He turned his hand around and cupped her face in the palm of his hand and brought his forehead to touch hers, looking deeply into her eyes.

They both closed their eyes and focused on each other’s breath, and then slowly allowed their lips to meld into one another. A dark aura swept in like a wind around them, and Mirio’s skin began to shimmer ever so faintly with rainbow light from his oasis spell. It felt as if time slowed, and as if their connection was as pure as crystal as their lips finally broke apart.

Their breaths were slow and matched each other, as Mirio gently moved his hand from her face, and caressed her hair past her ear. He pulled back slightly and gazed into her eyes so that he could reset the interaction and say something to her.

“Wow… Your lips taste like they are laced in powdered sugar. Did you take a trip to the bakery before practice?” he said with smiling eyes.

“Ha!” she said as she swatted away his hand, “Asshole”. She smiled and turned her head away from him, busying herself with her hair and putting it into a ponytail. “Okay, so instead of coming here just to tease me, did you come to train?”

Mirio “Oh yeah!”, he said as standing to his feet, “You are right, I have to get stronger”

… 3 months later…

Mirio had dropped out of school in order to take on his training full time while working as a guard. He would often train his magic by the grand canal, get used to wearing plate, and train swordwork at the barracks attempting to decipher the secrets of fighting multiple attackers at once. Battling against the Tower, Dereo, and Carlson all at once with varying degrees of success. His progress was fast by any other standard except by his own. He felt a deep disappointment between where he felt he was and the enormity of the possibilities in the world around him. Almost every moment he thought about ways to improve, ideas on how he might get stronger, faster, more insightful, and it pushed him against doubt and anxiety at all times.

Sometimes his right arm would burn with pains, as the curse from the dagger of shadows raged within, and with the pain came swarms of doubt and deep anguish. Mirio had learned over the past months that he should not fight against it directly, but rather draw his focus onto things of a sillier nature. Serious thoughts empowered its influence over his body, while light hearted matters eased its grip. He learned the value of being distractible, and to focus on things that broke the tension in a situation. And along with the power of being easily distracted he learnt the danger of how captivating morbidity and darkness can become.

His nights were filled with nightmares, as shadows swarmed in the back of his mind threatening to take over everything he was. Even in his dreamlike state, he fought back against the shadows within, ever pushing forwards with a will that would not bend, would not falter, and would refuse to ever be broken. And after three months of non-stop nightmares, his mind had grown stronger than most, resilient to the corruption of everyday thoughts of not getting one’s due. He no longer cared about his own ego, or what others thought he was worth. The only thing that concerned his mind was the ever expanding threat of the god that had marked him with a curse that day in the Misty Meadows.

“Ezee, you’ve gotten so much bigger, I can remember when I had to carry you to get to places, now look at you able to follow me on my patrols, already up to waist height”

“But you aren’t the only one who has changed, are you boy?”

Mirio’s face had changed shape in the last three months. His bone structure had become more pronounced, his jawline was chiselled forcing others around him to see him less like a child and more like a figure of authority and respect. His brother Tad had even remarked that he looked like an entirely different person. Mirio’s change had led to him often looking off to the horizon, wondering what lay beyond the edge of view, not just of himself… But everyone.

Mirio smiled warmly as Ezee panted in the summer heat, “You don’t let anything bother you, do you?”.

He nodded and waved at merchants as he passed by their stalls. One of them even tossed him an apple, which Mirio swiftly plucked from the air with a dagger from his waist.

“Wow, so fast” the boy of the merchant remarked, “He’s so cool, when I grow up I want to be like Mirio”.

Mirio was a little uneasy about the cult-like status he had gained throughout town, especially amongst small children and their parents who would often point at him as an example to live up to. However, he figured it was just another duty of one of the guards, to uphold a standard that others might wish to live up to themselves.

Mirio eyed a large building up in front of him, and he made his way up the staircase to the entry to its grand hall. All manner of travellers and adventurers busied themselves inside. Enormous notice boards were lined up on the right most wall, while to the left were stalls for the adventuring guild merchants that bought up monster trophies and paid out rewards for completed requests, and ahead was a hallway that opened into a training courtyard where adventurers of all kinds trained hard to prepare for the dangers of battle.

One of the trainers turned to Mirio as he entered the courtyard, “And speak of the devil, here he is. Now everyone pay attention, I brought in Mirio here to help teach you about the tactical use of cantrips or magical items in battle. So when you go to the shop later and buy yourself more gear, keep in mind what you have been taught and it just might save your life”

The trainer stepped to the side and nodded to Mirio to take his place at the front of the class. Mirio looked around at the students with an appraising eye. Most of them were older than himself, perhaps in their early twenties, but it was clear from the way that they held themselves that they were amateurs in battle. Mirio stroked his chin and looked at each of them. Some were built thick and muscular, others were wiry and thin, but one of them in the back was portly with skinny arms and legs.

“You there” Mirio called out, “Yes you”, he said as the chubby young man looked around uncomfortably. Mirio waved his hands towards the other students, indicating for them to step to the side. As they cleared a path, Mirio walked up to the young man and tapped him on the shoulder, “Out the front”. Mirio playfully shoved the guy out in front of everyone and paused for a while to let everyone’s gaze sink into him.

“Your name?”

“...” the young man began sweating profusely from the nerves, “Yuta! Sir! My name is Yuta!”

Mirio waved his hand up and down, “You don’t have to call me Sir, easy now, just relax. I know it isn’t easy having everyone’s eyes on you, but battle is no different. Your first form of defense isn’t your hands, arms, or legs, or even your blade. It is going to be your words, the things you say, the way you portray yourself, and the presence you project. Do you understand?”

“...” Yuta looked up and around him and observed the class, each of them staring at him with a neutral gaze, sometimes switching to look at Mirio, “Not exactly sir… I mean Mirio”

Mirio smirked, he then grabbed him by his thin arms, and began manipulating his stance, “Put your foot back here, and keep your hands to your side here, and lift your chin up, it will stop you looking down, look at your classmates from the top half of your eyes, it will come across more confident than if you look down at them”

Yuta “How do I keep my chin up, but also look up at them”

Mirio “It is a balance, just try your best”

Yuta “Mmph, okay, how is this?”

Mirio “Better”, he then tapped Yuta’s stomach signalling him to pull it in, “Straighten your shoulders and back, relax your knee joints”.

After sculpting Yuta’s way of standing for a minute or two Mirio turned to the class, “I want you to think about what I just did here. All of these fine adjustments are all in service of making Yuta here, more at the ready for a fight in a real situation. However, a stance alone won’t guarantee that you will move your ass once arrows start flying and swords are unsheathed. Next you need to lift your hand forward, and project your voice from deep in your belly, and call out to your opponent. Hey there! Nice day isn’t it!”

Half the class started to giggle amongst themselves, “I know it might sound silly, but if you can project your presence through even the simplest of words, it just might stall your opponent for a split second altering the pace of battle, or even opening the chance for a dialogue which will give you time to prepare”

“Now, Yuta, turn around and face me. I am going to attack you, but you are going to raise your hand to greet me and say hello”

Mirio slowly walked towards Yuta and nodded for him to signal he should play his role, “Hi there! I am Yuta! How are you!” he said while raising his hand. Mirio lunged forward with the blade and swatted Yuta’s hand aside with the side of it, knocking him backwards.

“This might seem subtle, but putting an obstacle between you and your opponent, no matter how trivial, can be the difference between a strike to the arm, or a strike to the neck. And in the first three seconds of a fight your adrenaline will only just begin kicking in, so you are at your most vulnerable. So you almost ALWAYS want to raise your arm, and to greet your attacker. Why? Because in town and when meeting someone or something on the road, you won’t always know if they are an enemy right away. If you just sit there trying to figure it out before you move, you might not get a chance to move ever again”

Mirio sheathed his sword, “So always, move first. Even if it is a greeting, and practice this with everyone you meet. Talk to people, offer your hand, point to something you admire about them, I don’t care what the excuse is just use your hands so it is in front of you rather than at your sides hanging there like a limp noodle. And express something, use your voice, and make their mind have to work to understand you. It just might distract them long enough for you to cast your cantrip”

Mirio drew his hand forward with a blast of light.

BLING!

The students were momentarily blinded by the flash, all except Yuta who had his right hand up and could move it to cover his eyes in time. “Having a raised arm will almost always help you in defense, and having a raised voice too, so always stand tall, and intrude on the space around you. Be daring enough to take up space, even if it provokes an attack from your enemy, because at least then, you can do something about it!”

“Cantrips come in two varieties. The cantrip continua which takse several seconds at minimum to cast, and the cantrip finita which take only a fraction of a second. Don’t underestimate the use of cantrip continua at the beginning of battle, even though they are slow, you can use your presence and your control of pacing to set it up, giving you an edge. And when it comes to cantrip finita, don’t just use them at random, hoping they will distract your opponent so badly that they open up for your killing blow. Use them instead as part of a larger strategy, at critical moments of the battle where the tide can be turned. And don’t just do so openly in a way the opponent will naturally predict, use deception, the element of surprise, and combinations used to bewilder your opponent. All of things will increase the effect of the spell and allow you to come out on top”

“The same is true of spell stones. Only make the stones visible to your opponent if you intend to feint with them and busy their defence with the potential of this added element to the combat. Otherwise, slip them just out of sight of your opponent like this”

Mirio tucked a pebble from the ground into the grip of his thumb and then another into the grip of his pinky finger, “It might look strange, but you’ll be surprised how many people will overlook such small details when trying to kill you”.

“Now I want two lines, so everyone has a partner. The side on the left pick up stones in your thumb, and in your pinky, then ball your hand into a fist. Draw the same foot back to create a pseudo-stance, and as your opponent walks in to draw their sword, raise your front arm palm up in a friendly greeting. As soon as your opponent rushes at you, throw the stone collected behind your thumb in a quick punching motion and hit your partner with it while moving forward to intercept the path of their arm, getting inside the strike of the blade”.

“A simple smoke stone, flash stone, blaze stone, lightning stone, or cut stone will do you well. Doesn’t have to be all that expensive, it just has to serve as a way to distract them for a moment so you can get to a new position that gives you advantage. And with that advantage you will be almost a third more likely to land your next blow, and very unlikely to miss without at least grazing them”

“Now begin!”

Mirio picked Yuta as a partner, aware that he would need special care to pick up the movements, and he began to drill the movements with him. Yuta was the nervous sort, always fumbling and getting his stance inside out. Mirio wasn’t bothered by it, he just mindlessly used his sword to smack him back into the right form.

Yuta “I seem to be getting it wrong a lot, sorry about that” he said while scratching his head

“Don’t apologize” Mirio said while wacking him, “Just keep moving”, “Fights won’t stop”, “Move, move, move!”.

Yuta “Yes!”

Once Mirio was satisfied that Yuta had a foundation of the drill he got him practicing certain steps, and flicks of the wrist with ordinary stones, along with shouting out with each motion. He then walked along the line and inspected everyone’s form one by one, clipping them with his sword if they weren’t quite getting it right.

“Good, keep practicing, keep upping the speed, keep improving each step. Don’t get sloppy! Sweat, and work, until it hurts. It is only when training hurts that you are learning anything. Fights won’t be pain free, so don’t train pain free. Get to the point it hurts and train there. Keep your mind sharp in that place, don’t just act like a workhorse, always challenge yourself!”

His chants resounted out through the courtyard, and Ezee circled the students and barked at them in tune with Mirio’s commands.

YUFF YUFF!

YUF!

YUFF YUFF YUF!!!

The trainer came over to Mirio and spoke to him on the side, “That is a nice move, mind if I practice a little myself?”

Mirio nodded, “Sure jump in with Yuta here, just don’t disturb his training”

Mirio continued to circle the students until he was satisfied, he then called for the students to halt and picked out five of the strongest. He motioned for everyone else to move back to the edge of the training ring, and spaced each of the five men around him in a circle.

“Now imagine a situation where you are surrounded on all sides. There is no way I can fight them all. I only have two arms and one sword. So what do I do?”

One of the students called out from the audience, “Throw magic stones all around you at their feet”.

Mirio lifted his index finger, “That is creative, and the right line of thinking, but no. One must assume they are not witless attackers themselves. Each of my opponents holds hidden stones themselves. And that equals ten explosions of magic that could be thrown my way”

Another student shouted, “Duck, or jump over the stones”

Mirio lifted a second finger, “I am pretty athletic but I cannot jump higher than they can throw, and I am acrobatic but I cannot duck lower than they can throw without exposing myself for further attacks”

Yet another student yelled out, “If you had a shield you could swipe them away on one side and dodge the others”

Mirio lifted a third finger, “Very clever, but this is in fact our opponent’s goal. They want me to busy myself responding to the stones, so they can close in on my position and strike a blow. If I am worried about the stones, I will not defend myself properly”

The students murmured between themselves as they found it increasingly difficult to come up with any idea of what to do.

One student asked, “Are you just beaten then, is there no way to beat multiple attackers like this”

Mirio smiled, “I will show you another technique, adding onto the technique I just showed you. Now, all five of you, I want you to begin to crowd me, make sure I have no avenue of escape, and then once you are all in position, throw your stones and attack. Everyone else watch closely”

The five men crowded around Mirio and drew closer, “I see you have me surrounded. '' Mirio called out, he then raised his hands in an act like surrender “I guess I surrender!”. Some of the students were confused by his words, while others remained resolute to attack. One who was most in Mirio’s blindspot was the first to attack.

Mirio shot out his hand towards the attacker in his blindside, and then dashed rapidly towards him. By the time his strike was swung, Mirio was within range to grip his arms. He then grappled and spun him. Each of the stones thrown by others blasting against his attacker’s back. He then shoved the boy into two men to his left, and threw two stones at the men on his right.

“Divide and conquer! Breach their formation! Busy one half with a burden and the other with your attacks, then search for a battlefield that favors you!”

“If your attack can overwhelm one of your opponents, you should be able to break the strength of the group. Just like one weak link in a chain causes it to break. The same is true of enemy lines. And if you cannot break through the center of the formation, target the edges and the weakest side, being careful not to weaken your own flanks to their own attack”

“This is the true nature of battle. Not swordwork, but mindwork. You must view your situation as a general, and strike hard, with all the confidence you can muster. And if you can’t muster a lot of confidence to hit hard enough, work on it until you can”

Students: “Whoa!”, “He just used that guy as a human shield”, “Ah! Incredible! I want to practice until I can pull off that move!”

As if on cue one of the sales representatives of the guild rolled out a cart with spell stones, and lesson vouchers for learning the basics of primordial magic and cantrip continua with their resident magician.

The trainer ran over to Mirio and patted him on the back and handed him a small purse full of gold and silver. “Nice one Mirio, that really got them fired up, look they are already lining up to buy”.

Mirio nodded, and then headed back out into the main adventuring hall.

“Wait, Mirio!”

One of the adventuring students from the courtyard had ran after him, as Mirio turned he saw that it was none other than Yuta.

“Can I buy five minutes of your time, I just want to talk”

Mirio nodded casually and pointed Yuta towards some stairs.

Mirio “I was intending to get some lunch up on the second floor, you can join me if you like”

Yuta smiled, “Mmph thank you!”

The duo sat down with a platter of different salted animal meats and cheeses. Mirio first forced a casual conversation in order to ward off awkwardness.

“So Yuta, you aren’t the usual type to pick up adventuring, I figure there is some kind of story there?”

Yuta clenched his fists at his sides and bit his teeth, “Yes there is…”

Mirio lifted his hand and stopped Yuta, “Before we get into that story though, tell me a bit about what tasks you have done for the guild recently”

Yuta “Well, I haven’t exactly been able to find a group to work with, so I have had to stick to simple quests like finding lost animals, and helping clear out rats from barns, just odds and ends. Sometimes carrying water and lunch out to the miners”

Mirio rubbed his chin “Carrying water out to the miners takes you through goblin territory, how did you handle that?”

Yuta “I asked around and got a map from one of the other adventurers that helps me avoid their normal patrol routes and hunting grounds”

Mirio “That is smart, getting information on the terrain to help you avoid the enemy, I do similar things myself with the wolf packs in the north”

Yuta fidgeted uncomfortably, “I asked for your time because, well, I have been trying to figure out how the levelling system works in this world. Everything is too abstract, and without any clear guidelines I can’t figure it out!”

Mirio looked at Yuta with an appraising eye *Did this guy just say ‘how does the levelling system work in this world’, I suppose it is just his colorful way of asking how to get stronger and to say he is confused*

“Well, Yuta, there is no real secret to getting stronger other than practice” as Mirio spoke something Talon had told him after their fight came to his mind

Mirio “I’m just like anyone else really, lots of practice”

“I won’t fault you for acting modest after your victory, but you’ve gotta learn to lie better. Nobody who is smart is going to buy that nonsense”

Mirio then lifted his hand, “But maybe I am being too modest… I do think there is a way to get stronger… But how do I put this… I think copying it would only make you more distressed, not less. Because with every victory, there is a price. Or in other words, strength always comes with a burden, and desperation isn’t sufficient to carry that burden”

Yuta held his breath and focused intently on every word that Mirio spoke, he then took a moment to contemplate what Mirio had said

*This seems to be some kind of test, maybe like an NPC in a video game. He is trying to determine if I have the conviction to follow through on a questline. Is he perhaps the first quest giving NPC I have met? This could be a good opportunity, I have to take it*

Yuta then chose his words carefully in order to comply with what he perceived to be a questline, “Everything in life comes with a burden, but with strength at least there is the possibility to come out on top. A hope, and that is what I am trying to find”

Mirio was struck by his words, “A hope you say? I certainly am familiar with that feeling myself. Yes, if you can hold your resolve maybe you can understand what I believe the secret to becoming strong really is, so I will tell you”

Yuta hid his excitement and readjusted in his seat

*Yes! I passed the test! I hope he explains how the status screen works, and the weird glyphs written all over it. I have been trying for years to break it down and make it work but haven’t had any progress*

Mirio “For some reason when you get good at something it is connected to painful levels of anxiety. You feel as though something is crushing you inside and your only choice left is to fight it. And in every moment of doubt, pain, and indecision, you rise to the occasion, win small victories, after small victories, and somehow, eventually you start to see these… Patterns”

Yuta “Patterns?”

Mirio “Yes, almost like how a song is built out of many notes, but they all flow together as one. And these patterns, once you grasp them, it is like you can move in a world where this crushing force exists. You escape its clutches, and you begin to soar like an eagle and all is at your command”

Yuta “Patterns that help you soar like an eagle rather than feel crushed under burden”

Mirio “In order to gain that ability, you train. But you must train in a particular way, with the intent to find these patterns, with this intent to soar. And it is when your mind reaches for the impossible without flinching, stretches out past the burden and anxiety crushing you, that your heart grows stronger, and you burst free from under its weight and enter into a new way of seeing the world. And that new way of seeing the world is full of color, richness, and magic… And it feels like a sweeter home than you have ever known”

Mirio’s head dipped, he seemed sad to Yuta, until Mirio decided on which slice of meat he wanted to eat next. Mirio grabbed up several slices of meat and crammed them into his mouth, and then handed several more to Ezee who gobbled them up greedily.

Yuta paused for a moment and swiped his finger to bring up his status screen. He pulled out a self made notebook and pencil, and looked for any changes in the glyphs on screen. Two sigils in the top right had changed, *talking to him has seemed to do something, but I can’t for the life of me read these glyphs*.

Mirio reached over and grabbed the notebook from his hands and stared at it intently. Yuta reached out after the book but Mirio swatted his hand down, “Don’t worry I won’t make it messy, I used a napkin before I grabbed it” he said while showcasing the napkin in his other hand.

Yuta *Wow this guy thinks ahead, and he does it so fast you don’t even notice he has done something, almost like illusionists back on earth*

Mirio scratched his head before finally leaning his head back and letting out a moan of frustration, “Dang, I really wanted to decipher what you wrote, but I can only figure out this part here, which says ‘you currently have insufficient intelligence to decipher’, and I think these glyphs up here that change on each page are the date and time right?”

Yuta almost lost control of his bodily functions as he realised Mirio had been able to decipher some of the status screens he had spent most of his life trying to figure out.

*I must somehow get on his good side, this is the only lead I have found that could lead to figuring out how this world works*

Yuta “How were you able to read the part that says that you can’t read it because of not enough intelligence”

Mirio “I am only guessing what it means because of the similarity to arcane glyphs, it just seemed like that was what it said. I figured you would either confirm or deny it since you wrote it”

Yuta “I don’t know what it says actually, I am trying to decipher it”

Mirio “Really, that is bizarre, first you said ‘how this world works’ implying it is a strange place to you, and now you have a book full of strange glyphs that seem to be magical in nature… I think it is time we got to that story of yours. What brings you to the adventuring guild and how did you get here”

Yuta swallowed down hard and decided to tell Mirio everything; how he was killed by a loose umbrella at a beach on a windy day, how he met a goddess who seemed incompetent at her job and was quite dismissive of him, and how he woke up in the new world with memories of his old one.

“I have spent my life trying to do what characters in fictional stories of my world did when transported to another world. I tried to abuse exploits in the levelling system, I tried to use technology and science to my advantage, and tried to get stronger by accumulating experience by killing what small monsters I could… But nothing has worked”

Mirio’s eyes glazed over, and he looked at Ezee who was sitting beside him eagerly awaiting more scraps. Mirio grabbed some more of the salted meat and handed it to him.

Yuta, “Hey! Are you even listening to me?!”

Mirio “Sure sure, I am listening. Excuse me if I seem like I am not paying attention, I find that acting somewhat contemptful helps me think for myself. So when a story is unusual or if information is new, I kind of lose focus. However, I have heard all you have said”

Yuta “Please you need to help me! I am sure I was sent to this world for a reason! Like maybe there is a demon lord, or an evil king, and I am meant to become strong and rise to become the hero!”

Mirio nodded along, “I see…”

Yuta smiled “So you believe me! Great! What are the next steps! Do I start training under you or something”

Mirio withdrew his hand from the table and stiffened his demeanor, “No I don’t think we will be doing anything like that. After all you could just be some lunatic, or a victim of a prank of one of the gods, or maybe you are sincere… But even if you are sincere I doubt you are the hero, that is quite an outlandish conclusion to jump to no matter what angle you look at it from. I myself have a bizarre understanding of how I came to be in this world, maybe you just misinterpreted things and jumped to a conclusion most comforting to you”

Yuta frowned, “So you don’t believe me…”

Mirio “If you are serious about getting stronger, forget about the status screen for now, you might learn in time how it works, but for now you need to work on what is right in front of you”

Yuta “In front of me?”

“Yes, for example, you are out of shape. Your arms are like twigs, and your belly has enjoyed its fair share of salted meat. Start by going on runs, eating healthy, and working on the fundamentals of swordplay”

Yuta “What are the fundamentals of swordplay?”

Mirio “How you grip the blade, foot placement, angles of attack, parry’s, deflections, distance control, and simple attacks and combinations”

Yuta snatched back his notebook and scribbled down his advice, “And what do I do after I get the fundamentals?”

Mirio “Then apply feints, cutting off the space of the opponent, controlling the terrain and it’s given advantage so it works to your favor, developing a fearless mind, and learning to think tactically by instinct rather than by stopping to think”

Yuta “Anything else?”

Mirio “Learn the different ways your potential opponents will attack, so if you are going to travel through goblin territory learn everything about how they use their bows, how they attack in groups, and the individual styles of fighting they employ. Figure out the blindspot or weakness to the ways they fight and find the best weapon combination to counter it”

Yuta “Yes, so let me get this straight, I first ignore the status screen I have, I work towards the skill by taking on its burdens. I get in shape, then work on the fundamentals, and after that I add to that with knowledge and extra moves for tactical advantage in the moment. Finally, I learn to strategize and know the enemy, the terrain, and how to turn it to my advantage”

Mirio nodded “Try to understand the purpose of the fundamentals, don’t dismiss them. Obsess on them like they are the most fascinating things in the world. Then once you are as capable as others in the guild and you are no longer cleaning out barns, ask the guild to select a trainer for you”

Yuta paused, “Wait, why ask for any trainer, can’t you train me?”

Mirio “If I am available I will try, but I can’t promise you anything, sorry it is just how I work”

Yuta *Does this mean his quest line has a secret timer attached to it? If so, how long do I have to finish this kind of training? AHH!*

Mirio then stood up and grabbed the last of the meat and chucked half of it to Ezee, “Well it has been nice chatting but lunchtime is over, I have to get back to it”

Yuta tried to look for ways to extend the conversation but realised it was now impossible, he slumped down in his seat and rested his head on the table, “It all sounds so easy when he says it, but how am I going to accomplish all of that”

He pulled himself up and dragged himself to the front desk, “Hi there, I am looking to find a coach for the fundamentals of swordplay, and maybe to get me into shape if possible”

The clerk happily responded, “And how much money are you going to put up for the reward”

He looked into his satchel “I suppose five gold coins, but I need at least a couple of weeks training”

The clerk nodded, “Maybe one of the younger trainees could take you on, I will post it on our staff board out the back, check in tomorrow and I will let you know if anyone has taken the job. Money please” she said with a smile.

Yuta begrudgingly handed it over before slinking out of the guild hall.

“This world is stupid, why couldn’t I be transported to a world with a harem, and easy to use game interfaces like the stories I’ve heard about. This all seems like hard work”

He looked down at his gut and a tear rolled down his face, “I suppose nothing has really changed for me huh? I guess that kind of thing never changes unless I become willing to change it and put in the hard work for it”

He clenched his fist and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Even if it sucks! I will try my best to become strong!”

A couple of kids of one of the merchants pointed to him and laughed at each other.

…

BONUS CHAPTER: Yuta’s story

“C’mon brother, you can’t just stay inside forever, it is summer break you have to come out at least once”

Yuta grumbled and moaned while scoffing down his breakfast, “But I burn in the sun, it might seem fun to you but to me it just hurts”

“I have sunscreen for you dummy, and I promise everyone will be nice to you, I have made sure of it, just trust me, okay?”

Yuta finished the last bite and dropped his chopsticks, “Bah, fine”

*I guess I shouldn’t ignore her requests forever, that would just make me a bad brother, I can endure this if it is just for one day, I mean… How bad could it be?*

Gulls circled above searching for scraps left by the beach goers, cawing and squawking as they found food to compete over. The lapping sound of the ocean stretched along the shoreline, and Daisy, his sister, ran into the waves making a fuss with two of her best friends.

Yuta looked on from underneath his mexican sombrero and slathering of entirely too much sunscreen, “Oh no, I must look like a total creep, just standing here like an old man watching a bunch of underage girls play in the water, I wish I had brought something along to keep me looking busy”.

Two girls to his left cupped their hands and whispered to each other while looking in his direction. No doubt making fun of his hat.

*Grrr, I can’t help it that I burn easy*

Daisy called out from the water in a way that snapped Yuta into focus, “What is that!” she screamed.

Other beachgoers stood to their feet and began screaming, “It’s a tornado!”, “Run!”, “Ah my umbrella!!!”

Yuta turned towards the sudden blast of wind, only to be knocked into the air by flying debris.

Daisy “Yuta! Noooo!” she screamed

Yuta looked down at his waist to see a large wooden handled beach umbrella sticking out of him. He reached for the handle and yanked it out, only to see fountains of blood pour from the wound. His head hit back into the sound and everything faded to black.

*Am I dying?*

*Damn it, now I’ll never get to know how that manga ends…*

*What am I saying, they all end the same way right?*

*Wait, no that isn’t what is important right now! What is Daisy going to do now that I’m gone, having a dead brother is going to traumatize her!*

*I guess this is just another in yet a long line of my fuckups, maybe she’s better off that I am gone now, but this really takes the cake as far as brotherly fuckups go*

*I couldn’t even give her just one day to enjoy*

*Why am I such a… Fail-*

“Failure?!” a perky voice spoke into his ear. Yuta spun his head around and saw a young girl attempting to hold in laughter but losing the fight, “AHAHAHAHA!”

“What? Where am I? I thought I was dead? Who are you?!”

“Look, I don’t spend my time talking to losers like you, so let’s just get on with your reincarnation already”, she span around with her eyes closed while summoning up little raffle balls and then plucked one from the air as the others fell into the dark void below, “I guess this will do”.

Yuta screamed as she jumped on top of him and plunged her hand along with the raffle ball into his spiritual body.

“Now off you go!” she said with a flick to his forehead.

Before Yuta had time to gather his wits he was falling at terrifying speed, the same sensation as where you catch yourself when falling off to sleep. His screams morphed and shaped until finally they sounded out in the high pitch sound of a baby crying.

“Waaaaah!”

A giant woman and man looked over him,

“Hush now child” the woman said as rocking him in her arms, “Is he okay sweetheart” the man said, wrapping his hands around both of them.

Yuta looked up at them in astonishment, hardly able to believe all that had transpired. He could really only think of one thing to say after this car wreck of an experience began to settle into its new rhythm.

“Holy crap!”