The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound

In addition to the 21 PP he had from earlier, he had also gained 2 more levels in Sweep and 1 in Entangling Roots as he repulsed most of the wolverines in the pre-dawn fight, putting him at 24 in total.

Monster Hunter III would take 6 PP, but when he went to the path screen, another option caught his eye. He had unlocked the Heavy Blow Path 0/20 at Lvl 20 of the skill, and there was a high chance of him receiving another skill if he completed it.

After a slight hesitation, he put 20 PP into it, finishing it instantly, netting him 2 Str and 10 Stamina, as well as the following notification.

Congratulations! You have completed the Heavy Blow Path! +1 stat(s) +20 Stamina. You have learned the skill Empower Lvl 1. You have learned the skill Calculated Blow Lvl 1.

Empower Lvl 1: Cost 30 Stamina. Infuse any physical movement with effort, very slightly increasing its speed and power. Effectiveness improves with skill level.

Calculated Blow Lvl 1: Passively begin to see weaknesses of creatures after fighting them. Their weaknesses become visible to you. Hitting those weaknesses slightly increases the damage dealt. Effectiveness improves with skill level.

Randidly was rather pleased with his previous decision. Not only had it net him a fair bit of strength and stamina, but it also gave him two skills. The passive would slowly add up, especially now while he was absolutely ripping through large groups of enemies. But Randidly was far more interested in the first skill, that would let him empower any moves.

He experimented with it for a few minutes, empowering strikes and leaps. Even the few attempts he did pushed it up to Lvl 3 of the skill. Although it was nowhere near enough to equal the extra strength that was added to an attack by heavy blow, it was just enough to give him an edge.

Randidly grinned. And combined with Haste…. The sudden shift in speed was enough to leave most enemies he would encounter dazed, he was willing to bet.

Randidly then used the remaining 6 PP he had to start and finish Monster Slayer III.

Congratulations! You have completed the Monster Hunter III Path! +3 stat(s) +3 to Health, Mana, and Stamina. Sometimes the path you walk is stained by the blood of those who would stand against you, but you must continue.

Having a sudden thought, Randidly turned back and regarded the Newbie Village. He had seen Decklan, Tera, and a few of the survivors going off together into the woods, but Donny had remained behind.

Donny had been rather… unpredictable thus far, and it worried Randidly. He wanted the village to prosper generally, but specifically he wanted them to grow so he could learn more information about classes and villages. As it currently was, Donny didn’t appear to appreciate either the gift that Randidly had given him, or the danger of the world, even now that he had a class.

It was time to change that.

Although it would be a hassle, taking Donny hunting was the smart long term play; the kid needed to survive. Honestly, with the gains he probably made last night and a few more levels today, his increase in health would be enough to sustain him, as long as he didn’t do anything stupid.

...as long as he didn’t do anything stupid…

Sighing, Randidly walked over towards Donny, who was standing with Chubbs.

“Ahaha…. Well-” Donny was saying, but then his eyes brightened as Randidly approached. “Ah! Here, let Randidly handle this. I’m just off hunting-”

Randidly grabbed him by his dirty t-shirt before he could skulk away. “Perfect, I was just thinking the same thing. Let’s hunt for a few hours.”

As Donny nodded uncertainly, Randidly turned to Chubbs. “What is it?”

“Oh, I got a class, and my first class ended up being Quartermaster. The stat gains are pretty small… but I got the skill Insight, that let’s me intuit things, based on the amount of information I have. So I was wondering if Boss Donny had any ideas on what-”

Randidly interrupted him. “Track down everyone with a class and interview them. Find out classes and stat gains. Also ask them about weird Skills they gained, and what skills level up the fastest. Then ask about Paths, and skills gained from those. Then ask about class specific paths. Then ask after habits of enemies. Then local flora and fauna that have changed since the system appeared. Understood? Good, I will speak to you later.”

Randidly pivoted on his heel and walked away, Donny trailing along behind him.

****

Donny stabbed his sword into the neck of another lizard, its struggles against the roots binding it, completely useless.

A small ding notified him he had leveled up again, and he brought up his status screen.

Donny Parke

Class: Knight

Level: 6

Health(/R per hour): 100/122 (22.25)

Mana(/R per hour): 25/25 (3)

Stam(/R per min): 11/70 (9)

Vit: 6

End: 5

Str: 15

Agi: 4

Perception: 5

Reaction: 4

Resistance: 11

Willpower: 3

Inteligence: 2

Wisdom: 2

Control: 2

Focus: 2

Skills: Hiding Lvl 7, Running Lvl 5, Grappling Lvl 3, Club Wielding Lvl 2, Wood Working Lvl 2, Construction Lvl 3, Labor Lvl 5, Heavy Blow Lvl 3, Mana Bolt Lvl 1, Ride Lvl 1, Honorable Charge Lvl 2, Stalwart Defense Lvl 5, (1) Sword Master Lvl 3, (2) Shield Mastery Lvl 6

Even though Randidly had told him to keep his Vit and End high for survivability, Donny had decided that what a true leader needed was not the ability to Endure, but the Strength to do something about problems.

Still, this sort of “hunting” was very unsatisfying for Donny, and seemed to be so too for Randidly. Earlier, Randidly had asked whether Donny wanted this to be hard or easy. Donny had naturally chosen easy, and this had followed for a boring 45 minutes.

Looking at his double digit strength, Donny hefted his shield and bumped it lightly against a nearby tree, enjoying the way the trunk shook. He turned to look at Randidly, who as always, was in a constant state of motion.

Whether to it was practicing with the spear, mixing weird chemicals, shooting off spells, or striking trees, he always maintained constant motion. Inwardly, Donny was slightly worried about Randidly’s mental health, but was pleased he had such a dedicated subordinate.

But then the Randidly of last night flashed before Donny’s eyes, a man soaked in gore and moving like wind, and he couldn’t help but shiver.

Shaking his head, Donny said. “I, uh, changed my mind. This is too easy. Can we do this faster? The hard way maybe?”

Shockingly, Randidly stopped and turned to Donny, his gaze placid. “Perhaps. But once you choose the hard way, you won’t be able to stop it halfway. It might take a few hours.”

“Ha, that’s fine.” Donny said, scratching the back of his head. “The longer I am away from that creepy Village guy, the better.”

Randidly gave Donny a small smile. “Nul? I also find him rather… creepy. Follow me.”

Randidly practically disappeared, even though he had been right in front of Donny not seconds ago. Donny hurried through the brush, kicking it aside and cursing, trying to keep up. “Uh… Randidly… So why are you helping us? You seem so strong already. And you don’t want a class…?”

As if by magic, Randidly stepped out from behind a tree to Donny’s left, causing him to jump. How had he…?

“I…. am looking for my friends. But I do not know where to start. This… ‘Section’ as the announcement called it… It’s too big. Trying to find two people…” Randidly shook his head.

“So you are giving up?” Donny asked, mouth gaping. Randidly gave him a sharp look.

“Of course not. But if I cannot find them alone, I have few options. One of them is to grow the village so much that it attracts them. Another is to recruit people to help me in my search.” Randidly hesitated, then said. “Or I wait long enough that most of the population is concentrated, and then search those locations. After all, the Newbie Village mechanic will drive people to gather around an area they can receive classes. Only… waiting that long worries me…”

Then Randidly blinked, and grinned, turning and looking deeper into the forest.

“Ah, here is the first batch. Let the hard way begin.”