Suspicion?
The banquet was in full swing—laughter, music, and clinking goblets filled the air.
Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw the queen. She entered the hall with her daughter, pale and visibly unwell. Something was wrong.
With her daughter's support, she made her way to the stairs.
The three tribe leaders noticed her and quickly approached. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but after a brief exchange, the queen turned and went upstairs—likely to her chambers.
The king finally noticed and asked if she was alright. She gave a reply I couldn't catch, and he returned to the banquet, tossing an axe into a statue of a bear like nothing had happened.
Time passed.
Then the king stopped mid-motion, sniffing the air like a beast. "Follow me!" he barked.
We all stood, my father and I included, and followed the king.
He suddenly thrust his sword into a nearby intersection, nearly skewering a woman hiding in the shadows. She looked terrified, as if she'd been running from something far worse.
The king tried to calm her down, but she stuttered uncontrollably.
"Spit it out!" the Bear King snapped.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and shouted, "What is it?!"
"BEAR!" she finally cried.
"I KNEW IT! CHARGE!" bellowed the Bear King.
Chaos erupted. People shouted, weapons were drawn, and I got swept up in the frenzy.
After a mad dash, we halted—and then, a deafening ROAR echoed through the air.
A massive bear-shaped shadow loomed before us, and the hunt began.
We chased it up the tower, where things quickly turned ridiculous. People started tying their pants into ropes. I, on the other hand, drew my knives.
I leapt off the tower wall, dragging my blades to slow the fall. Near the bottom, I kicked off the wall and landed with a clean backflip. When I looked up, everyone's jaws were hanging open.
The next morning, the town square was a storm of yelling and clashing weapons. In the center stood Merida.
"I am the princess," she declared.
But her eyes weren't on the crowd. I followed her gaze—and spotted a bear.
Something about it… seemed off.
I kept my hand on the hilt of my blade, but then noticed the bear was hand-signaling.
What?
I activated Identify.
Name: Queen Elenar
Status: Cursed
My heart dropped.
As I tried to process what this meant, Merida shouted something, and the crowd began to disperse. I noticed my father staring at the bear in confusion. I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Let it go, something's wrong," I said quietly.
He nodded, and we left the square together. I decided to stay out of whatever was coming next.
Back in my room, I locked the door and opened my system menu.
"No tickets… but I've got system points," I muttered.
I scrolled through the skill list.
Basic combat techniques started at 100 points. Magic? A whopping 10,000 and up. Then I saw the unique skills.
My eyes widened.
"Holy crap. One million points? I don't even have ten thousand!"
System:
Host, I recommend acquiring combat skills like karate, Muay Thai, and spear fighting. They will be integrated into your 'Versatile Arsenal' skill.
"For real?"
Yes.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
You never asked.
"I'm gonna—… no, calm down. Get back to work."
I bought as many skills as I could afford and checked my status screen.
Erik Haddock – Status Sheet
Age: 16
Race: Human
Titles:
Protector (Passive)
Relentless (Passive)
Tactician (Passive)
Dragon-Sighted (Passive)
Ironblood Trainee (Passive)
Beastwalker (Passive)
Lone Fang (Passive)
Woundforged (Passive)
Forest Reaper (Passive)
Beast Slayer (Passive)Genius (Lv. 1/1)
Stats:
Strength: 21
Defense: 23
Dexterity: 20
Stamina: 22
Intelligence: 25
Magic: 6
Passive Skills:
Pain Resistance (Lv. 35/50)
Tactical Analysis (Lv. 31/50)
Environmental Combat (Lv. 36/50)
Crafting (Lv. 27/50)
Identify (Lv. 45/50)
Accelerated Thinking (Lv. 1/1)
Weapon Genius (Lv. 1/1)
Versatile Arsenal (Lv. 50/50):
Proficient with all weapon types; increases combat effectiveness when switching mid-fight.
Short Sword
Axe
Dagger
Spear
Mace
Hammer
Bow
Crossbow
Battle Axe
Long Sword
Unarmed Combat
Karate
Boxing
Muay Thai
Kickboxing
Jujitsu
Judo
Rune Crafting (Lv. 6/50)
Active Skills:
Battle Trance (Lv. 26/50)
Thrust (Lv. 48/50)
Slash (Lv. 45/50)
So much knowledge… my body buzzed like it was overloaded with energy.
I wanted to test my new martial arts right then and there.
But it was still daytime…
I decided to leave my room. As the door shut behind me, I stepped through the living area and out into the open, where I spotted my father speaking with the tribe leaders—the Bear King, Lord Dingwall, Lord Macintosh, and Lord MacGuffin.
I approached and greeted them respectfully. Then, turning to my father, I asked for a spar, my body trembling with excitement. He noticed and gave a nod, then turned to the others and asked if they wished to join.
The three leaders exchanged glances, then gave their agreement with grins.
As we walked toward an open area, King Fergus suddenly asked, "Do you enjoy battle?"
"I do," I replied, "but I'm no battle maniac. I fight when necessary or when I feel I've grown enough to test myself. Most of the time, I train alone, with my brother, or occasionally with my father."
"So," King Fergus said, tilting his head, "have you improved?"
"I have," I answered, somewhat vaguely, "but not in strength."
At that, the other clan leaders grew curious. Lord MacGuffin spoke up. "How strong are you, lass?"
"I'm the second strongest in the village."
They looked unconvinced.
"Are you sure?" Lord Dingwall asked. "Gobber's a mighty Viking."
I smiled slightly and replied, "Gobber is fast and skilled. If he hadn't lost his leg, we would've been tied."
Their eyes widened at that.
As we continued toward the training grounds, we passed the clan heirs. They were chatting—except for the Dingwall heir, who seemed lost in thought. When they noticed us, they greeted the group, and I returned the gesture. Then King Fergus, with a chuckle, suggested the heirs should have a spar.
The leaders burst into laughter and readily agreed. Even my father nodded, amused.
The three heirs hesitated, but eventually followed as King Fergus led us to the arena. A growing crowd trailed behind us.
"So much for a private spar," I muttered, noticing how many people were gathering.
By the time we arrived, nearly the whole village was present—even the princess. The queen was absent, unsurprisingly—last I saw her, she was still a bear.
I was the first to step into the arena. I entered without a weapon, eager to test my martial arts.
My opponent was the heir of Clan Macintosh. He frowned. "Aren't you going to use a weapon?"
"No. I'd planned to test my hand-to-hand skills against my father—but this will do."
His face flushed with anger. "Don't underestimate me!"
He charged with a wide, powerful strike. The audience gasped as I calmly shifted into a boxing stance and dodged. I countered with a solid liver blow.
He staggered, coughing spit, and tried to step back.
I didn't let him.
A technique surfaced in my mind—one I had recently integrated into my arsenal:
The Dempsey Roll.
I advanced, fists raised. I struck him hard, then twisted my upper body into the next punch. The rhythm continued—twist, strike, twist, strike—each blow flowing into the next. He couldn't recover. Blow after blow rained down until his legs gave out and he collapsed.
I stood, panting as the crowd erupted in cheers.
Looking into the stands, I saw my father laughing alongside the four leaders. I smiled too—and waited for my next opponent.
No one came forward.
Puzzled, I glanced around. My eyes landed on King Fergus, who was speaking with a nearby villager. He turned toward me, scratching his head sheepishly.
"The other heirs… ran off."