BXBX NOVEL Chapter 16: Delinquent Endures Pain!
"Ryuji, I spoke with Alan, and we decided that the reward for you clearing the dungeon should be something useable, so all your party will receive iron weapons you can use."
He took a large item from his backpack, the same length as the stone axe but with a longer refined head with a cool pattern along the blade edge, resembling a rectangular blade with a sharp tip.
"Here, take it. Welcome to the party, haha. It\'s heavy!"
The moment Ryuji felt the axe, he noticed how heavy and cold it was. It felt more than double his current weapon, but thanks to his daily training on earth and his class, which boosted his physical strength most, he could lift it easily.
\'If I had known about training being so important, even if you level up, I never would have fought Haruki.\'
"How is it?"
Shiela watched with curious eyes as he swung the axe with a loud howl, then twirled and chopped through the air.
"Heavy, deadly and awesome."
The party seemed to find Ryuji\'s answer amusing as even the elf smiled at him with a soft giggle before he noticed something open at the edge of his vision.
\'Well, I\'ll just do my best... Hmmm? What is this Party pop-up?\'.
—Ryuji\'s Current Party
Ryuji - Lvl.2 Berserker
Simon - Lv.14 Dual Swordsman
Sheila - Lv. 20 Priestess
Alicia - Lv.14 Archer
Paul - Lv.10 Wizard
****
He couldn\'t see their skills but assumed a few small blue and red bars were their health and mana.
Amazingly, he could drag his own to the main area of his vision and make them slightly transparent.
[Would you like to save this setting?]
A voice sounded like the original one when he first opened his status screen.
\'Yes, please! Miss System.\'
However, the voice sounded a little like his mother\'s recorded voice on the answering machine when he was younger.
[Saved]
Ryuji\'s bars were a single red bar that covered the entire top of his vision and another that seemed to increase from zero, but there was a lock on the bar.
It seemed he hadn\'t unlocked his main abilities yet.
\'I wonder if I get them from training, an instructor or levelling?\'
He felt unsure if he deserved this chance because he was level 2 compared to them all being level 10-20.
"Uh, is it okay to party with you because my level is 2?"
Simon was the one who came to him and patted his shoulder, "Don\'t worry, heroes are different, and Alan spent the time training with you and already estimated that before you came to this world, you likely trained heavily in many combat styles."
\'Eh!? Those duels and running were for that reason?\'
"He estimated your actual strength, grit and stamina to be at least the same level as a level 10-12."
"I\'m only level 2, though."
"Hahaha, really? How did you beat the level 10 hero? He bragged about being a talented sportsman in your world."
"I think he trains mostly in speed and stamina?"
Alicia stepped forward; with a strange aura, she patted Ryuji\'s head and whispered, "The ranks aren\'t equal because the more you improve yourself through training, the more benefit you gain when you level up as it adds together."
"So those who are lazy and just level up will be significantly weaker than those who train daily like you guys?"
"Fufu, of course! Good boy~ here\'s a reward."
Alicia gave him a small biscuit that smelt sweet. "Eat it later when you suffer. Thank you for only asking for such a small Vanguard fee."
"Okay, everyone, let\'s go today. We\'re going somewhere easier, so our little rookie can get used to our skills. The split is the usual, okay?"
Shiela and Paul walked forward before taking the second left.
The hallway smelt of earth and copper, with a sour taste filling the air, likely the sweat of the knights who visited daily.
"Today\'s dungeon is just a newbie dungeon with no special name; the enemies are kobolds and some goblins. Well, are you ready? Our Vanguard."
"Ah, I can\'t wait."
The moment Ryuji touched his axe and gripped it, walking to the second portal, a purple swirl of gooey mist that seemed like a slime rather than a portal.
***
When he entered, the three others already seemed prepared, with Paul waving his fingertips and mumbling some words before a small light appeared above Ryuji\'s head, lighting the cavern entrance five metres around him. He noticed everyone else had one; it seemed handy to have a wizard.
"Alicia, any scouts?" Simon asked before a green arrow shot from her bow, creating a screaming sound, shooting down the long passage, and a small kobold with a dagger appeared at the end, walking at an eerie pace.
"Oh, a single kobold? Rookie, do you want to test yourself against it?"
\'Ah... I want to fight, and it\'s so exciting. Mother, this is much better than fighting people at school... My blood feels like it\'s burning!\'
"Yes, please. I\'ll try my best."
Ryuji tightened his grip on his axe, feeling the excitement and thirst for battle as if his calamity star awakened something that had been sleeping inside him. His eyes seemed to glow red momentarily as he dashed forward, using the skills his mother taught him.
\'Mother, thanks for the training!\'
His foot stomped the ground as he rushed the kobold, its red eyes wide while it pulled back its dagger, revealing sharp teeth, but Ryuji wrapped his axe around his back, building momentum as he rushed faster.
\'Chop!\'
Ryuji swung the axe around his head, building momentum before swinging from diagonally above with significant force. The kobold\'s head disappeared in a brutal cleave as the axe continued its momentum, cutting cleanly through its shoulder.
The impact caused the creature\'s body to fall to the side before Ryuji stood still and raised his axe, its blood falling on his face and body, his eyes bloodshot as he glanced behind.
He lowered his body with glowing eyes, his hips twisting as he flung the axe in a powerful, wide, sweeping motion. Ryuji\'s axe became a whirlwind of blood, tearing apart two kobolds like a meat grinder.
Before he could react, the sound of arrows as they penetrated his back was still a little foreign to him. However, Ryuji ignored it and dashed towards the archer kobolds.
His axe was a weapon of crimson mist before he stood tall, covered in kobold blood like his axe that now dripped the sticky sanguine essence on the floor.
"Simon, the rookie is a monster... I think we hit a lucky one!"
"Agreed..."
"I think I\'m ovulating..."
"Damn eroelf! You are just a masochist!" Paul sneered before they noticed Ryuji walking back.
His body seemed okay, but the four arrows were quite problematic as they noticed he seemed to stumble towards them. However, Ryuji felt great; he realised the function of his second bar and another great thing.
—Level Up!
***
Name: Ryuji Vincenzo
Class: Berserker: Lv.3
Rage: 100/100
Rank: C
Attributes
Strength: 12 -> 14
Agility: 8
Stamina: 7 -> 8
Grit: 14 -> 15
Intellect: 6
The average Human combatant has 5 attribute points with 2 bonus points gained per level.
Talent
Yakuza Scion: Defeated monsters and friendly Demi humans can give the host a racial tattoo that He can equip for various benefits.
1/1 Equipped
Shadow Fox Tattoo (Uncommon)
Increases Agility by 2
Stops a fatal blow that would kill the owner once a day.
***
Skills
(New) Whirlwind - Costs 10 Rage. Perform a powerful spinning attack with a destructive area attack that causes bleeding and physical damage to the enemies struck.
(New) Rage—Berserkers\' primary resource, gained from attacking or taking damage, by setting a minimum threshold, they keep the benefits of their rages passive.
Passive—Every 20 rage decreases damage taken and increases health regeneration by 10%
\'The second bar with a numerical indicator was my Rage. Since I can limit my Rage, let\'s set it to 60 at a minimum. Those arrows hurt when it was empty.\'
Thus, Ryuji maintained a limited reserve of Rage, keeping 60 locked away for a permanent 30% increased health regeneration and damage reduction.
Now his rage bar only showed 0/40.
\'Not to mention, the first arrow almost took my red bar down half...\'